UI Has Recipe for Fricasseed Monk Parakeet

Thursday May 28, 2008

And Blog-o-rama is back from the monk parakeet-permanent-injunction cookoff in New Haven Superior Court. It ultimately left a bad aftertaste, not so much because of the verdict to dismiss the Friends of Animals’ lawsuit against United Illuminating.
Judge Trial Refereee Anthony DeMayo abruptly favored UI’s motion to dismiss and a full case was not allowed to go forward yesterday. So UI officials, for the time being at least, will not be taking the witness stand to explain their rationale for the controversial capture-and-kill program that eradicated about 185 birds in 2005.
Now, FOA will appeal DeMayo’s decision, claiming he incorrectly banned evidence from previously sworn depositions from UI officials.
Anyway, the Blogster has some notes left over in homage to Jonathan Freiman, UI’s hired gun from Wiggin & Dana. Freiman’s definitely the kind of lawyer you’d ask if you wanted some recipes for parrot friccasee, which as you Food Channel viewers and readers of Webster’s Dictionary know is cut up meat stewed in stock and served in a white sauce.
Freiman provided some highlights of the aborted trial as he attempted to discredit Dwight Smith, the SCSU prof who’s an expert on the pesky birds that make those twi-and-stick nests in trees and, unfortunately, UI utility poles. UI claims that dozens of power outages and fires have been caused by the parrot nests.
Freiman tried to portray Smith, a PH.D. as an absent-minded-professor type. Smith, used to the give-and-take of a college classroom, engaged Freiman.
Freiman to Smith on comparing the birds to various type of rodents:
“You can pick the rat, Dr. Smith.”
Freiman on shutting up Smith:
“There’s no pending question Dr. Smith.”
Freiman on overall ecological problems:
“The world can always be a better place, Dr. Smith.”
Freiman to Danielle Omasta, the FOA attorney:
“Follow the rules of evidence, counselor.”