Democrats Backpedal on Sentencing Issues

It didn't take long for the liberal Democrats to start issuing the "let's not get emotional" responses to the triple homicide in Cheshire and what it means to the public safety of out citizens. We have the reporters at the Journal Inquirer to thank for getting many Democrats on record with a collection of flabby mealy mouthed drivel about not being emotional in the wake of the rape, torture, robbery, arson and murder of three women last week in a home invasion that was thoroughly planned by two career, emphasis - career criminals.

This has become the common response of the left when their actions in the Legislature have created a system that merely shuffles through criminals through a system that has no firm definition, other than not to have crowded prisons. Something is wrong with this system. This is not an aberration. While the suburban quiet of Cheshire was broken last week by two career thugs, gang violence is in full swing in the streets of the North End in Hartford, a result of many of these bangers getting out and now, getting even.



State Rep. John "Jack" Thompson, D-Manchester, who has been getting by as the "conscious" of the Legislature for years, adopted a there is an exception to every rule and leap to the non-issue of a three-strikes provision as an option that would have stopped Steven Hayes, 44, and Joshua Komisarjevsky, 26, from their evils acts. No one has suggested the three strikes option. How about just doing your time for one strike there, Jacko?

"I'm always optimistic that you can help somebody recover," Thompson said. "And some people take a lot longer."

Hmmm. Maybe if Thompson's wife was strangled and house set on fire, he might put down his copy of The Nation and wake up.

Fellow Manchester Representative Ryan Barry, a career legislator and defense attorney, also took the high road.

"The answer is much more involved and contemplates a revisit of how we allocate resources to the Judicial Department to address the cases that come in the courtroom doors," Barry said. "There are a lot of problems with our system and a lot of it has to do with money."

Barry, a lawyer who does some criminal-defense work, noted, "This is a very complicated issues that I don't think should be addressed with mandatory life sentences for chronic offenders."

Yes, Ryan, it's always about money. Money for more education programs, job training, post parolee counseling and of course, more money for lawyers. Figure Ryan, Jack and State Sen. Mary Ann Handley, D-Manchester to support raising taxes next year on "the rich" to pay for more intervention programs run by by non-profit agencies which employ only union workers who support Thompson, Handley and Barry's reelection campaigns.

State Sen. John Kissel, R-Enfield, the ranking member of the Judiciary Committee made a good suggestion to increase the penalty for burglary, which now is considered a nonviolent crime. It should be categorized as violent, he contended, and repeat offenders should face harsher penalties afforded to persistent violent felons.

According to the JI, "During the course of a burglary, he argued, there is a great chance residents are in the house and, therefore, the crime has the potential to become violent. Kissel said a burglary also violates a person's sense of security, which he said he considers a "violent threat."

Gov. Rell has rightly called for a top to bottom review of the entire parole system. Someone dropped the ball or didn't even see it falling. Gov. Rell will act quickly t get that in order. But Republicans must now reassert our values on law and order and demand justice - a death penalty that respects appeals but is implemented when appropriate. We must stop the liberal march to apologize for evil and do something about it.