Free Republic

Ten Senate Democrats warned the White House in a letter Tuesday that they will support legislation imposing new sanctions on Iran if a framework to roll back the country’s nuclear program isn’t reached within two months. "In acknowledgement of your concern regarding congressional action on legislation at this moment, we will not vote for this legislation on the Senate floor before March 24," said the letter, led by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.), who is the co-author of Iran sanctions legislation. "After March 24, we will only vote for this legislation on the Senate floor if Iran fails to reach agreement...

Unless there is any doubt, the vast majority of Democrats value partisan support for a failed president over support for our own national security and for that of Israel. Hence, they want to delay once again a vote on the Menendez-Kirk bill imposing sanctions on Iran unless it agrees to an acceptable final deal. The bill was introduced more than a year ago. The timing just isn’t right, you see. Will it ever be? A letter by Sen. Robert Menendez (D-N.J.) signed onto by Sens. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.), Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.), Gary Peters (D-Mich.), Bob Casey (D-Pa.), Ben Cardin (D-Md.),...

Bridgeport, CT Mayor Bill Finch (D) thanked MSNBC anchor Al Sharpton for “fighting the good fight on climate change” during a report on Winter Storm Juno on Monday’s “PoliticsNation.”

Pelosi gropes for a game plan Heading into a retreat in Philadelphia, House members say Democrats have no message and no clear strategy to retake the majority. By LAUREN FRENCH and ANNA PALMER 1/26/15 5:36 AM EST Nancy Pelosi has big problems in her ranks. The California lawmaker is facing some of the most serious unrest she’s ever seen in her dozen years as the leader of the House Democrats: Members complain that the party has no message and no clear plan to retake the majority, despite good news on the economy that should have brought rewards at the polls....

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! Are you outside of Connecticut? Start your day off listening to Jim...

New York Times op-ed columnist Charles M. Blow says he’s “fuming” after his son was allegedly stopped by a Yale University police officer at gunpoint Saturday night because he apparently fit the description of a possible burglary suspect. “So, my son, a 3rd year chem major at Yale was just accosted — at GUN POINT — by a Yale policeman bc he ‘fit the description’ of a suspect,’” Blow tweeted on Saturday. “He was let go when they realized he was a college student and not a criminal.”

A group of Democrats is hoping to regain ground in their national fight for abortion rights with a bill that makes it illegal for states to “chip away at women’s reproductive rights.” The group, led by Sens. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Tammy Baldwin (D-Wis.), said it will introduce a “historic pro-choice bill” on Wednesday. The bill directly targets harsh laws recently passed in Texas and Wisconsin, which now face court challenges. “The protections in this measure are more necessary now than ever before in our history because an avalanche of restrictive, reprehensible state laws is drastically reducing fundamental health care...

A state representative from Hartford is taking some heat for parking in a handicapped space. An iWitness snapped a photo of the personal car driven by Rep. Brandon McGee with his state-issued license plate parked in the spot at a Dunkin' Donuts on Capitol Avenue, across the street from the State Capitol. The picture was taken Friday. McGee said he issued an apology on his Facebook page. "Thank you for holding me accountable. The other day (Friday to be exact) I made my usual run to D&D and was in a hurry... parked in a handicap parking space... Major no-no....

Listen Live: Sound Off Connecticut with Jim Vicevich 9 a.m. to noon ET (Daily Thread)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...

By Joel Leyden Israel News AgencyNew England, USA — January 17, 2015 … The above mosque is not in Iraq, Syria, Turkey or Iran. But one would have wished it was. The speaker was Dr. Saud Anwar, mayor of South Windsor, Connecticut. Dr. Anwar is respected for saving lives. Saud Anwar is a physician who specializes in Lung Diseases and Critical Care Medicine. Currently, he serves as Chair of the Department of Internal Medicine of Manchester Memorial and Rockville General Hospitals. Dr. Anwar is involved in humanitarian and peace initiatives nationally and internationally. He is frequently invited to consult for...

Full title: Connecticut cop who was caught on camera as he repeatedly stomped suspect is found NOT GUILTY of police brutality A Connecticut police officer was found not guilty Wednesday of violating the civil rights of a man who video showed being stomped and kicked by three cops who’d just tasered him into submission. Clive Higgins was the only officer to plead not guilty in the 2011 incident in which drug dealer Orlando Lopez-Soto was seen in footage being brutalized as he lay face down in the grass following a car chase with police. A jury said Wednesday that Higgins,...

A 17-year-old girl in Connecticut who was recently diagnosed with Hodgkin lymphoma has decided she does not want to receive chemotherapy to treat her disease. The mother of Cassandra C., as she is known, supports her decision, but the state of Connecticut does not. It has removed Cassandra from her mother’s custody, given itself the authority to make medical decisions on her behalf, and initiated chemotherapy treatments against her will. On January 8, 2015, the Connecticut Supreme Court denied Cassandra’s appeal of the ruling requiring her to undergo treatment and ordered her to continue receiving chemotherapy. If my daughter were...

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! Are you outside of Connecticut? Start your day off listening to Jim...

HARTFORD — For the state's child-protection agency and the cancer doctors at Connecticut Children's Medical Center, there is no debate: 17-year-old Cassandra C. will die of Hodgkin's lymphoma without chemotherapy, and the teen doesn't have the legal standing to reject the treatments on her own. But at a noon hearing Thursday before the state Supreme Court, the justices will consider the constitutional argument from lawyers for Cassandra and her mother, Jackie Fortin, who supports her daughter's decision to reject chemotherapy treatments. The Department of Children and Families won temporary custody of Cassandra at the Superior Court level and Cassandra, of...

HARTFORD, Conn. (AP) — Connecticut’s new victim advocate is joining other state and federal officials in calling for a stronger gun ban to better protect domestic violence victims. Natasha Pierre took office Monday and technically will be interim victim advocate until the legislature approves her appointment by Gov. Dannel P. Malloy. She previously served as policy and legislative director for the state Permanent Commission on the Status of Women and as a legal aid lawyer representing low-income victims of domestic violence. Pierre, 44, of Windsor, said one of her priorities will be pushing state legislators to add a gun ban...

***SNIP*** Cassandra was taken into temporary custody by DCF in November, and her mother was ordered to cooperate with medical care administered under the agency’s supervision, after the hospital reported her to the agency. Cassandra underwent two chemotherapy treatments before running away from home. When she returned, she refused treatment. The teen’s doctors testified at a trial court hearing, after which it was decided that she was to be removed from her home and remain in DCF custody— and that DCF was authorized to make medical decisions on her behalf. ***SNIP*** “It’s a question of fundamental constitutional rights-- the right...

Last month, Jeb Bush announced that he would actively explore a run for president in 2016, and it’s never too early to start lining up the dollars: 2016 “exploration” has kicked off: The Republican will raise money for his newly-created leadership PAC at a reception Wednesday in the hometown of his father, former President George H.W. Bush. Proof that not all of Greenwich winters in Florida, a popular tax-Haven for Connecticut residents, Bush will be hosted by an assemblage of relatives and political allies with ties to his father and brother. The excitement among conservatives is not palpable.

Listen Live: Sound Off Connecticut with Jim Vicevich 9 a.m. to noon ET (Daily Thread)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...

In a cruel twist of fate, Connecticut is nicknamed “The Constitution State.” This small slice of New England, once known as the “Land of Steady Habits,” is these days most famous for its abuse of the property rights — thus abridging the constitutional rights — of its inhabitants. A decade ago, local government officials thought it so important that they be able to take the homes of Susette Kelo and other families in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood, in order to simply hand their property to a ritzy private development — and moreover, to guard that awesome governmental power in perpetuity...

My old alma mater—the University of Scranton—recently made the news with a year-old study on New Year’s resolutions. Richard Asa reported in the Chicago Tribune on December 16, 2014 that “a 2013 University of Scranton study found that 8 percent of people achieve their New Year's goals. Part of the reason: Resolutions are often not accompanied by an achievable or realistic plan, says Carrie Krawiec, executive director of the Michigan Association for Marriage and Family Therapy and a practicing therapist at Birmingham Maple Clinic in Troy, Mich.” “When it comes to children, ‘parents can start by helping (them) set reasonable...