IN THE END, WHAT'S REALLY IMPORTANT?

I'll be the first to admit that I have been very critical lately of Councilman Cotto.

Tonight I was informed that Councilman Cotto left suddenly for Puerto Rico after learning that his mother is suffering some sort of serious medical problem and from what I was told she has undergone at least one surgery so far. Although we may disagree on political issues, in the end we are all human beings and need to realize what is truly important.

I would ask that you keep Councilman Cotto, his mother and his family in your thoughts as they move through this issue.

CALLING COUNCILMAN COTTO....CALLING COUNCILMAN COTTO

Councilman Luis Cotto who apparently has a penchant as the purveyor of truth and Justice for all "phobias" now has a distinct opportunity to make a statement against more hate speak about to land in Hartford....actually Bloomfield.

Susan Campbell at the Courant posted about Bishop Eddie Long who will be coming to the First Cathedral in Bloomfield next week. You can read her blog entry here.

I had never heard of Bishop Eddie Long before this morning. I was watching one of the morning news programs and heard a story about a Bishop in Georgia who was an outspoken critic of homosexuality. Well, in the fine spirit of some of our elected officials in Washington DC who were also outspoken "homophobes", it seems that Bishop Eddie was now allegedly caught in a "gay" scandal of his own. Not to be confused with Mayor Eddie, that is a different scandal.



Well, apparently the good Bishop is being sued by at least three young men that claim he forced them into sexual acts and allegedly bought their silence with gifts of cars, money, clothes, jewelry, international trips and access to celebrities. You can read the full news story on CBS.com by clicking here

Bishop Long's thoughts aren't confined to homophobia either. During a sermon to his congregation he also had some interesting thoughts on women when he said ""It is the most unattractive thing I have ever seen, when I see women wearing uniforms that men would wear, and women fighting to get in the military!" Long shouted to his congregation then. "The woman gets perverted to turn towards woman … and everybody knows it's dangerous to enter an exit! And everybody knows, lady, if you go to the store and buy these devices [marital aids], it's Memorex! It ain't real!".

One of the lawsuits apparently stemmed from an incident when a young man went to the good Bishop for counseling after his best friend died. Instead Bishop Long allegedly coerced him into having sex.

Maybe our Councilman can work with Hartford's LGBT Commission and make a statement about the Bishop's appearance, he might even get some more headlines.

If you would like to voice your thoughts to the First Cathedral's Archbishop LeRoy Bailey, feel free to call at (800) 615-0034 or local (860) 243-6520.

ADDITIONAL CHARGES IN ANIMAL CRUELTY CASE

On Thursday, July 29, 2010 Hartford Police Animal Control Officers assisted by Patrol Officers removed 12 pitbulls, including 6 puppies, from a home at 120 Westbourne Parkway. At the time, the owner of the dogs was charged with several violations, including six counts of failure to vaccinate, six counts of failure to register and one count for a nuisance dog.

At the time of the seizure the dogs were reported to be emaciated and in poor health and being kept in poor conditions.

Yesterday, September 21, 2010, the owner of the dogs at the time of their seizure was arrested on additional animal cruelty charges. Oral N. Anderson, a/k/a Mark Anderson of 120 Westbourne Parkway was charged with nine felony counts of Animal Abuse and was arrested by the Hartford Police Department.

MAYOR SEGARRA TO BE OUR GUEST ON "1HARTFORD" NEXT WEEK

City of Hartford Mayor Pedro Segarra will be our guest for the September 30th recording of "1Hartford". That program will air on Hartford Public Access Channel 5 on October 2nd at 10:00pm and re-air on Monday October 4th at 11:00pm.

If you have any questions that you would like us to ask Mayor Segarra please feel free to e-mail them to me and we will consider them for the program.

ROBLES I.A.D. HEARING CONTINUED UNTIL FRIDAY

After a full day of hearings on Monday, the Hector Robles matter still hasn't been concluded.

The hearing has been continued until Friday and will resume at that time according to HPD sources. And for those who have been calling me concerned that a "deal" has been cut, the ongoing hearing would indicate that is not the case.

Stay tuned.

ROBLES IAD HEARING SHOULD BE UNDERWAY

The departmental hearing for the charges against Hartford Police Officer Hector Robles was scheduled for this morning at 9:00AM. According to police sources the hearing will be held "as scheduled" and is most likely underway at this time.

If the charges are upheld, the possible outcome will most likely be termination of Officer Robles as was recommended by the Department Advocate, Lieutenant James Bernier when the report was released on August 11, 2010.

Law enforcement sources have also confirmed that the entire report and the allegations it contained are now in the hands of the Office of the Chief States Attorney. The allegations are actively being investigated by Inspectors assigned to the case for potential criminal charges against Robles. The scope of the investigation may not be limited to Officer Robles according to police sources.

To read the original posting regarding the IAD investigation click here