Free Republic

Gov. M. Jodi Rell announced Monday at 5 p.m. that she will not seek re-election as governor in 2010. "After much soul-searching, and discussion with my family, I have decided not to seek re-election next year," Rell said in her Capitol office during a hastily called press conference with her family standing by. She said it has been "an honor" to serve. She cited accomplishments including ethics and campaign finance reform, noting that in 2004 she "came in at a troubling time in our state's history." That was a reference to her ascension from lieutenant governor on July 1, 2004,...

HARTFORD, Conn. – A memorial to honor a Sept. 11 victim from a small northwestern Connecticut town has been halted by the unexpected conflict arising from his father's insistence it say his son was murdered by "Muslim terrorists." Town officials in Kent are balking, saying it would be inappropriate to single out a religious group in a project on town property and paid for with taxpayers' money. The memorial plaque to be erected outside the town hall is on indefinite hold. Peter Gadiel is criticizing town leaders for being too politically correct, and says he's frustrated about what he calls...

It is protest day, for the Left and the Right, on Capitol Hill. First out of the gate - 9 Protesters backing a universal health care system briefly occupied Sen. Joe Lieberman's office this morning. Protesters were arrested, one by one, and dragged out of his office amid chants of "Everyone in and noone out, universal healthcare now!" and "Represent Connecticut, not AETNA!"

Sounding more like an independent than a Democrat, Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., tells ABC News he will campaign for some Republican candidates during the 2010 midterm elections and may not seek the Democratic Senate nomination when he runs for re-election in 2012. "I probably will support some Republican candidates for Congress or Senate in the election in 2010. I'm going to call them as I see them," Lieberman said in an ABC News "Subway Series" interview aboard the U.S. Capitol Subway System. Lieberman infuriated fellow Democrats in 2008 by supporting Republican presidential nominee John McCain as well as congressional candidates...

Who are the the DIABLOs (Democrats In All But Labels Only)? Who are the RINOs (Republicans In Name Only)? Unfortunately, the American Conservative Union's rankings are pretty useless. In search of being non-partisan and having an even spread of votes, they include many votes which are very lopsided, and so therefore Republicans can fake conservatism without upsetting their media masters and liberal donors. At the same time, a conservative who thinks that a bill is too liberal can get lumped in with all the liberals who thought the bill was too conservative. Combining these two factors, it's impossible to tell...

The health-care debate isn't over, notwithstanding the White House-Nancy Pelosi attempt to make it seem inevitable. Majority Leader Harry Reid had barely announced his plan to include a public insurance option when Connecticut Independent Joe Lieberman declared yesterday that he'd join a filibuster against such a Senate bill. "We're trying to do too much at once," Mr. Lieberman said. "To put this government-created insurance company on top of everything else is just asking for trouble for the taxpayers, for the premium payers and for the national debt. I don't think we need it now."

SNIPPET: "NEW HAVEN — A 38-year-old man arrested after police discovered a pipe bomb, shotguns, gas masks and other items inside his Mercedes late Tuesday was arrested earlier this year on bombmaking charges in East Haven. John Iannucci was held at New Haven police headquarters for most of the day on a host of weapons and explosives charges. The arrest could likely complicate the situation on his current court case. He is due to appear in court on Oct. 22 on the East Haven charges of illegal possession of explosives and illegal bomb manufacturing. He was free on $25,000 bail...

NEW HAVEN, Conn. — Police stopped a motorist driving a car full of explosives in Connecticut late Tuesday, FOX 61 reported. Police said the car was carrying pipe bombs, rifles and a propane tank when they found it in New Haven at 11:30 p.m.

On Tuesday, Najibullah Zazi, a 24-year-old Afghan immigrant who was a teenager in Queens during the Sept. 11 attacks, pleaded not guilty to federal terrorism conspiracy charges in New York. This is a scary story. Police stopped and searched Zazi's rented car on the George Washington Bridge on Sept. 10, as the anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks loomed and President Obama was about to join world leaders at a U.N. confab. According to the U.S. attorney's office, Zazi flew to Pakistan in August 2008 to receive bombmaking instructions, returned to use the Internet and nine pages of handwritten bombmaking...

STAMFORD, Conn. (AP) - A Connecticut in-line skater faces assault and other charges after a confrontation over whether a 4-year-old on a tricycle had the right to be on a bike path. Stamford police charged 43-year-old Chris Karamon with third-degree assault, risk of injury to a minor and other crimes. Police said Karamon shouted and cursed at the boy's parents on the path in Cove Island Park.

We seem to have a trio of sudden Republicans in the news these days. I say sudden because there is a lack of any long history on the part of these three candidates of being Republicans for very long before running for office. In fact, it seems that all three only became Republicans once they stepped up to run for office. I've written previously about California's Steve Poizner, gubernatorial candidate and current State Insurance Commissioner. Poizner had no public history of being a Republican prior to his attempts to run for election in the local and state elections he targeted...

Associated Press press story, please go to link.

On Facebook last week, an enraged "friend" who shall remain nameless lashed out wildly in her status report against Raymond Clark III, the man accused of murdering Yale University student Annie Le earlier this month. My pal evidently wanted all of her Facebook friends to know that she wanted Clark executed now, right away, for the heinous crime for which he has been charged. Never mind that Clark hasn’t yet been tried, much less convicted; never mind that he’s not yet been convicted, never mind sentenced. Never mind that my “friend” lives 3,000 miles away from Connecticut and wouldn’t know...

THIS IS A STORY ABOUT LIBERAL GRASSROOTS FUNDRAISING. THE CONSERVATIVE RESPONSE FOLLOWS. September 30 is the end of the fundraising quarter for federal candidates and, of course, everyone wants to report healthy numbers. To this end campaigns often cite the filing deadline in an attempt to motivate supporters to give one more time or give for the first time. This time they aren't alone. Artur Davis is also using the Sept. 30 deadline to encourage contributions even though he's running for Governor in 2010, not Congress. It's a smart move that reminds supporters time is passing and takes advantage of...

Senate Democrat Leader Harry Reid's imminent demise notwithstanding, perhaps the most scrumptious victory Republicans have a more than good chance of having will be the defeat of Senator Chris Dodd of Connecticut, a man whose fifteen minutes are finally up.

Unlike the "legitimate bull markets" of many foreign markets, Peter Schiff believes the U.S. is merely experiencing a "rally in a bear market," and is lagging the rest of the world "for a reason." The worst is not over, according to Euro Pacific Capital's Schiff, who predicts the Dow will fall another 90% from current levels when measured against gold. A longtime dollar bear and gold bull, he foresees gold hitting $5000 per ounce "in the next couple of years," and predicts the Dow and gold will trade on a one-to-one ratio vs. the current level of around 9.7-to-1. Schiff...

I wholeheartedly endorse Peter Schiff for Senate. To understand why, in spite of previous differences between us, please consider the following compelling case, starting with a look at government bailouts, the moral hazards of too big to fail, the current rise in the stock markets, and the "great government advance" of corporate welfare and bailouts at taxpayer expense. Robert Reich, former Secretary of Labor, Professor at Berkeley, discusses government intrusion in Why the Dow is Hitting 10,000 While Everyone Else is Cutting Back. So how can the Dow be flirting with 10,000 when consumers, who make up 70 percent of...

A former athlete at Central Connecticut State University has filed a lawsuit against the school and a retired track coach, making some pretty alarming allegations that the coach harassed him for three years, reports the New Britain Herald. Charles Ngetich, a Kenyan, claims he was forced to drink blood, among other things during his time on the track team, the New Britain Herald reports. Ngetich lost his full scholarship, and was dismissed from school on Sept 4 because he could not pay outstanding school fees, the paper reports. The suit alleges: - he was encouraged to drink a cup of...

Two high-profile entrenched New England Democrats -- Senator Christopher Dodd of Connecticut and Representative Barney Frank of Massachusetts -- have new challengers. Republican Peter Schiff, a broker, financial pundit, and supporter for Ron Paul, is in an increasingly crowded Republican primary for Dodd's seat. "He inherited the seat," Schiff said of Dodd today on Fox Business Network. It's like he's living in the House of Lords." (snip) Meanwhile, Republican Keith Messina, a mechanical engineer, announced today he's running against Frank in the Fourth Congressional District of Massachusetts. In a statement, Messina promised a "fresh perspective," pledged to focus on jobs,...

New Details Emerge About Clark's PersonalityRaymond Clark is spending his first full day in a high-security prison, refusing to talk to cops about the crime for which he stands accused: the killing of Yale grad student Annie Le. But a picture of Clark is emerging as an overbearing "control freak" who was upset with Le's handling of the mice in the lab where they both worked. Clark's co-workers at a Yale University laboratory told police that Clark would have confrontations with scientists and viewed the lab as his territory, a source told The Associated Press, leading police to question if...

Yale grad student Annie Le's accused killer has been tossed into solitary confinement in a Connecticut jail, where he has been somber and silent, an official told the Daily News Thursday. Raymond Clark 3rd is being held in the private unit at the New Haven Community Correctional Center for his own protection. "He is in solitary confinement for his own safety because of the nature of his crime," Lt. John Bernard told the News. "We don't know who is out there maybe waiting to take action against him." In his first few hours behind bars, the 24-year-old Clark has looked...

World Wrestling Entertainment (WWE) CEO Linda McMahon appears primed to run for Senate in Connecticut and should make an announcement very soon, according to sources with knowledge of her deliberations. “A decision is imminent, and she will likely make a decision over the next couple of days,” said a Republican strategist. “It will be made sooner rather than later.” One well-placed source said McMahon is “99 percent” in. Another said the announcement could come as early as Wednesday. The second source noted that she has done polling on the race and hired consultants Mike Slanker and Patrick Sullivan. She has...

LEDYARD, Conn. - When the doors at Foxwoods first swung open in 1992, more than poker fanatics and bingo mavens began trekking to the sparkling new casino nestled in the thick forests of the Mashantucket Pequot reservation. Dozens of Pequots traveled from as far away as California and Hawaii to their native lands in southeastern Connecticut. Many came for the promise of a steady job, and to reconnect with a tribe that had come close to extinction. But Foxwoods did not just help revive the Pequot nation; it made it fabulously wealthy. Within a few years, Foxwoods was the world’s...

A New Haven man is under arrest after police found pipe bombs and a weapon in his vehicle late Saturday,  Marlon Reddick, 44 was stopped by West Haven Police last night around 11:00 p.m. in the area of Elm Street and Kimberly Avenue for equipment violations. During the motor vehicle stop, officers observed a clear plastic bag containing pills in the passenger compartment of the vehicle. After Reddick claimed no knowledge of the pills, the officers asked him to exit the vehicle as they continued their investigation, according to a police report. As officers searched the vehicle, they discovered a duffle bag behind the front seat. ...

Congressman John Larson (D-CT) held a town hall meeting on Wednesday, September 2 in deep-blue West Hartford, CT at the Town Hall Auditorium. My husband "zelig" and I arrived about 45 minutes before the town hall started. As expected, there were two distinct groups rallying outside the Auditorium. Just like every rally we've ever attended, it was easy to find the folks on "our side": They were the ones with the American flags, the yellow Gadsden flags and the red and white-striped First U.S. Navy Jack flags... AND the homemade signs. The pro-ObamaCare crowd had their professionally printed full color...

Perpetual bear Peter Schiff contemplates a move into politics. Peter Schiff is offended. “Nobody has ever contacted me from any of the congressmen to say, ‘Hey, you saw this financial collapse coming, you nailed it exactly,’” he says, adding impatiently, “I pretty much got it exact.” If nobody from Washington wants to call him, Schiff figures, he will call Washington. “I don’t seem to be able to make a difference as a private citizen. No one there seems to care what I say,” he complains. He plans to make them care by challenging Sen. Chris Dodd in 2010. “People say...

Please contact Governor Jodi Rell today and respectfully urge her not to balance the state’s budget on the backs of law-abiding-gun owners and sportsmen!After negotiating down to a more modest 25% fee increase for pistol licenses and hunting licenses during the regular legislative session, Democratic leaders met behind closed doors working out a deal to jack the fees back up to the 100% increase originally proposed.  Legislators then rubber-stamped the hikes as part of the larger budget in votes taking place in the wee hours of this morning. These increases will do little to raise revenue but will deal a...

HARTFORD, Conn. -- Gov. Jodi Rell said she will use her line-item veto power to comb through a budget approved by the General Assembly early Tuesday morning. The bill passed the Democrat-controlled House on a 103-45 vote at about midnight. All House Republicans voted in opposition of the bill, joined by nine Democrats. The Democrat-controlled Senate passed it 22-13 early after 2 a.m. Tuesday, with one Democrat voting with the opposing GOP. Rell said she will not sign the budget because she doesn't agree with it, but that she will not veto it. She said the budget would take effect...

State lawmakers in Democrat-dominated Connecticut raised income taxes on the wealthy and borrowed more than $1 billion to balance their budget this week. While a minority Republican legislator spoke on the floor late into the night yesterday, what were his Democrat colleagues doing? Playing solitaire on their computers: (See photo below) And watching baseball over the Internet: . . .

House Minority Leader Lawrence F. Cafero Jr., R-Norwalk, far right, speaks while colleagues play solitaire on their computers as the House convenes Monday night to vote on a new budget. (AP)

In Connecticut, we have about 13 separate Mini Tea Parties throughout the state, one each day of the week for Mon thru Saturday, some days have 2, some days have as many as 3 per day! Today in Cheshire, an Obama Health Care supporter drove by me and 62 other Patriots who were at the weekly Monday Tea Party in Cheshire, Connectuicut.

Michael Amatrudo was bored over the rainy weekend and decided to sell an unusual item using Craigslist --his parents. "So I decided, as a spoof and as a joke, to put one of my most valuable possessions up, mom and dad," Amatrudo, of Madison, Conn. said. "I got lots of use out of these guys over the past 50 years, but it's time to move on," Amatrudo wrote in his ad. “Will consider trade for newer model, hot blonde under age 40 or an Erector Set in good condition. MUST SEE! Please email or call Michael for additional details and...

Do you want Peter Schiff to run for Senate in Connecticut? If so, Peter has set a fundraising goal... http://www.schiff4senate.com

North Haven (WTNH) - Many people in Connecticut got quite a scare this afternoon when a military fighter jet was spotted flying in circles at a low altitude. News Channel 8 fielded dozens of phone calls and e-mails from concerned viewers around 4:30pm. "I got nervous, really nervous," said Tom Mullen of North Haven. "Back and forth, back and forth for a good 25 minutes and it scared the heck outta the neighborhood." "We were inside the building and you could really hear it and the windows were shaking," said Bonnie Zitomer of North Haven. The jets were spotted in...

HARTFORD, Conn. – Connecticut Sen. Joe Lieberman has a message for actor Alec Baldwin, who is reportedly considering a move to Connecticut to challenge Lieberman in 2012: "Make my day."

Peter Schiff turns on his computer and checks his fundraising numbers with the studied nonchalance other guys might display while perusing last night's box scores. It's a Friday in early August and Schiff's fans have set off a "money bomb" — a 24-hour pledge blitz they hope will persuade him to run for the U.S. Senate seat held for almost 30 years by Christopher J. Dodd. Schiff, the Fairfield County stockbroker and author who has become YouTube's most popular prognosticator of financial doom, says he will make up his mind by Labor Day. But spurred on by a cadre of...

Here is video of Sen. Joe Lieberman on CNN today where he reacted to news to liberal Actor Alec Baldwin reportedly said in Playboy magazine that he might move to Connecticut and "run against Joe Lieberman - because I don't have any use for him." CNN's John King asked Lieberman about it and he said, "All I can say is 'Make my day.'" Lieberman is not up for reelection for three more years. . . . . (Watch Video)

KANSAS CITY, Mo. - Dozens of children with a Connecticut youth group and their parents were kicked out of a Kansas City hotel in the middle of the night this week after hotel officials said they had gotten tired of fielding noise complaints from other guests. But members of the Nation Drill Squad and Drum Corps, based in New Haven, claim their eviction from the Sheraton Kansas City Sports Complex Hotel culminated several days of what they called prejudicial treatment because they are black. "Everyone should be respected regardless of your skin color," said Douglas Bethea, director of the group...

U.S. Rep. John B. Larson underwent successful heart valve replacement surgery at St. Francis Hospital and Medical Center in Hartford today. "The Congressman is doing well and resting now,'' family spokesman Barry Feldman said in a press release. "He is expected to make a full recovery and will return to work in the course of the next few weeks..."-snip-

Time to Freep two Democrats who voted for Health Care, Stimulus, and the destruction of our nation. Details below

Kathleen Sebilius is supposed to be in Connecticut tomorrow, MONDAY WHERE? WHEN??

POLITICO Breaking News: ----------------------------------------------------- Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) has told the Hartford Courant that he has early-stage prostate cancer. For more information...http://www.politico.com

Corruption: Chris Dodd's teetering re-election chances weren't helped by news that the senator may have lied about not knowing he got preferential treatment as one of Countrywide Financial's Friends of Angelo program.Can you foreclose on a house of cards? Dodd, D-Conn., may soon find out after the official who handled his mortgages testified before both the House Government Reform and Oversight Committee and the Senate Ethics Committee that Dodd did in fact know he got sweetheart deals from a company that went on to lose billions of dollars on home loans to credit-strapped borrowers. As the No. 1 recipient of...

Four years ago, on June 23, 2005, a 6-3 Supreme Court majority ruled in Kelo v. New London that the New London, Connecticut government could condemn houses in that city's Fort Trumbull area in the name of redevelopment. A bit over a year later, the city settled with the area's final two holdouts, the Cristofaro family and Susette Kelo. Since then the city has without success tried to engage a developer to build a hotel on part of the now-leveled area, and to put apartments or condos on the rest. Yes, you read that right; they're building residences where residences...

Whoa. It's looking like Sen. Chris Dodd's involvement with a sub prime-lending company warrants far more than a mere Senate Ethics Committee look-see. Or so suggests closed-door committee testimony from a fomer executive of the firm in question. Dodd, chairman of the Senate Banking Committee, and Senate Budget Committee Chairman Kent Conrad of North Dakota both got sweetheart mortgage deals a few years back from Angelo Mozilo, CEO of subprime-mortgage giant Countrywide Financial.

<p>Today, July 23rd, at 12noon pro-gov't run healthcare advocates are having a rally at Dodd's office in Hartford. This was mentioned on Fox 61 this morning, so they are pumping it up and likely will be there. WE NEED TO GET THERE AND COUNTER RALLY and let them, and the press, know that we are here, we care, and we will not be ignored.</p>

Peter Schiff is considering a run for senate against Chris Dodd next year. He has said that if he sees significant support he will declare. Grassroots supporters are organizing a money bomb on July 27th. This is extremely important. Connecticut 2010 is a major race next year, and Peter Schiff is the guy that can win it: a true fiscal conservative who knows the economy. Please donate what you can on this date to motivate him to run and to send a message to the RINOs and, most importantly, Chris Dodd!

With each day Senator Chris Dodd's hold on the Senate seat he has held for almost 30 years grows more tenuous. As the Chair of the Senate Banking committee he deserves a share of of the blame for the economic mess we are in now, and on top of that there are the recent scandals in which he has been involved. Nine moths ago it was disclosed that the Chairman of the Senate Banking Committee Received TWO VIP Loans from Sub-Prime Lender Countrywide Inc. The Loans were at favorable interest rates. Then in February we learned of a new "funky"...

Sound Off Connecticut is a popular conservative/libertarian call in talk show hosted by Jim Vicevich weekday mornings from 9 a.m. to noon ET. Although based in Connecticut, the show welcomes callers from all over the United States. This is your chance to sound off America! Call into the show toll free (800) 966-9842 Listen to the LIVE AUDIO STREAM at http://wtic.com - it’s free and NO registration is required! If you’re in southern New England listen over the air to WTIC 1080 AM, the 50,000 watt Connecticut powerhouse! Radio Vice Online (http://radioviceonline.com) is the offical Web site and blog for...

The state government of Connecticut might just be the epicenter of state sponsored anti-Catholicism in the country right now. The state is seeking to silence the Catholic Church. Again. Ever since the Church's stance supporting traditional marriage or at least for a conscience clause for religious organizations, many in state government have sought to punish the Church or at least silence it. If you'll recall a few months ago two Democrat state legislators proposed a bill targeting Catholic parishes by instituting elected boards to oversee parishes. This, of course, caused an outrage as the government had no right to intervene...