I chose it because I signed up during the election recounts. I looked at the infamous Bush Country map, and realized I was surrounded by blue. I live in Connecticut, and every single stinkin' county in CT (as well as Massachussetts and Rhode Island) went for Gore. Free Republic is my island of sanity. Fortunately we have a Republican Governor, John Rowland. He's done some dumb things, like get screwed by the owner of the Patriots, but by and large he's been a good governor, and largely free of scandal.