One hundred and ninety-two years ago this month, Connecticut almost seceded from the United States of America because of an unconstitutional, overseas war that was infringing on our liberties. Sound familiar?

Feb. 13, 1815 was the day Connecticut didn’t secede. The unimaginatively named War of 1812 had officially been over since Christmas but because the peace treaty had been signed in Ghent, Belgium, and because internet service in those times was spotty at best, it had taken almost two months for the news to reach our shores.

Every February 2nd, a groundhog pops out of the ground. If he sees his shadow, we get six more weeks of winter. That's the folklore. But all is not as it seems.

To begin with, that's not even the complete lore. What happens if he doesn't see his shadow? Originally it meant we'd have only 42 more days of winter. But as anybody familiar with Douglas Adams knows, six times seven is 42, the answer to life, the universe, and everything. Six weeks is exactly 42 days. What gives?

Good news, frolicking girls and slackjawed boys! You no longer need to fly south for the winter to be caught on tape performing arguably illicit activities. In a few weeks, you can simply set foot in the city of Stamford and wave a hearty hello to the new surveillance cameras. Big Brother has come to Stamford, and he’s got lots of DVDs to burn.

You do two things every January: You buy back the stocks you sold in December, and you sign up at a health club. “You,” of course, is the hypothetical individual studied by economists, sold to by businesses, and pandered to by politicians (and honored as 2006’s person of the Year by Time magazine). But what is the hidden third thing that “you” do every January, as regards your politics?

An ill-advised Connecticut law helps explain why incarceration rates are so high in the U.S.

What are you in for? “I sent spam to kids.”

You monster!

Ever wonder why America has more people in jail than any other country, including China? Or why the United States has the highest incarceration rate of any country on earth? Here’s why: We ignore our Constitution and pass stupid laws.

Radical Puritans, Hessians, and Connecticut: The First Christmas Tree in America

Should it be illegal to celebrate Christmas? It was when the Puritans ran New England.

It's not just the voted-out congressmen who are lame ducks - It's Joe Lieberman and Christopher Shays too

This week, Congress begins its “lame duck” session before the new Democratic majority takes over in January. Where does the term “lame duck” come from? And what does it mean for Fairfield County?

In the past month, we’ve both eaten turkeys and voted them out of office—but the roots between Thanksgiving, politics, war, and the Nutmeg State go deeper than that.

Connecticut is known as the Constitution State because it was the home of the first written constitution in the history of the world, but it could also equally well be called the Thanksgiving State because it was the home of the first adoption of an annual day of general thanksgiving.

The funny thing is, both happened in the same year.

The biggest shock of the fourth district Congressional race, in retrospect, was that Democrat Diane Farrell lost. If all you had known after the election was that Democrats had won the House, you would have assumed this district was a key contributor.