Its all in how you define “violent” – California’s problem is that too much qualifies as a strike, so you do end up with some schlub stealing a bicycle and getting life.

As for our law, I will hold off on commenting until I see what they come up with…

We’ve all read or heard of people in other states where they thought they had a solid “3 strikes” law and wind up locking some poor schlep up over little more than a traffic ticket.[/quote]

That’s a myth, ACR. The third strike has to be a felony, and a traffic ticket is not a felony.

But I get your point. I don’t think you need to say violent, because I think crimes like stealing guns or burglary, while not necessarily violent, should be considered a strike.

There is definite middle ground between a California type and the toothless law we have.

Ah…you’ve just never ridden with me that’s all.

Most 1st timers scream a little…..others; quite a lot. They can be sooo distracting.

When a paunchy middle-aged guy in a 10 year old minivan is 2 feet behind someone and gaining, it’s a safe bet the guy in front is too damn slow.

You shoulda seem me 20 years ago in my Porsche days……..

You do appreciate the irony of the words “three strikes” coming out of Healy’s big mouth. I’d be delighted to hear the Chris’s thoughts about fixing CT’s drunk-driving laws, as they clearly haven’t been tough enough to deter him from drinking and driving!

This isn’t a matter of the CT GOP chairman being an alcoholic. It’s a matter of him getting behind the wheel and jeopardizing other people’s lives.

It’s also about whether Healy can be a credible attack dog, particularly on an issue like crime, given his own criminal history.

And which of those years did either have a Republican majority?

Both have been baby sitters just keeping the Dems from running the whole state totally into the ground.

Hasn’t keep the Dems from trying though.

UnionThug:
>>Criminals who commit three serious felonies

Depends; what’s “serious”?

Not that I’ve suddenly become a raving bleeding heart liberal…but; it seems to me that the key word should be “violence” as it’s not all that difficult through relatively minor `invention’ (read: `perjury’) to convert what should be a civil matter to a criminal felony.
I’ve witnessed such a stunt and wouldn’t want anyone to wind up having that play made on them, and having it count as 33%

We’ve all read or heard of people in other states where they thought they had a solid “3 strikes” law and wind up locking some poor schlep up over little more than a traffic ticket.

Such a statute needs to be carefully framed so as to avoid similar disasters here while simultaneously tossing out the key for those that simply can’t behave themselves and inflict injuries on others.

As a Democrat I love it when Healy goes on attack, particularly about crime.

Why, because it gives me cover to bring up the fact that the hard-charging egomaniac is a career criminal himself. THREE friggin’ DUI’s?

With his 50th birthday coming up, I hope you all will chip in and buy him a really nice, bright red bicycle. Maybe Lt. Gov. Fedele could do the fundraising.

What I’m saying is that Healy is exploiting the Cheshire tragedy in an attempt to give the CT GOP a campaign issue going into 2008. (God knows they don’t have anything else to run on.)

I’m crying foul. Not on examining the criminal justice system, not on enacting needed reforms, but on the partisan attacks on Democrats which will only lead to a legislative over-reaction that will cost us all tens of millions if not hundreds of million of dollars, that could be better spent elsewhere.

What Healy’s press release omits is that the administration of the system has been in the hands of Rowland/Rell since 1994. Going after the State Legislature on this is purely a political act, and if Healy really cared about end results he’d park the vitriol.

Criminals who commit three serious felonies should spend the rest of their lives in jail.

Does anyone disagree?

Healy’s the problem you say?

Doesn’t look like it:

Lawlor, co-chairman of the Judiciary Committee, has promoted himself as a leading opponent of prison expansion and has lectured on the subject. However, his profile of Wikipedia, a popular website used by political officials to promote themselves, was altered by someone from a legislative IP address to remove a paragraph touting that position.

Read the entire press release here

Yeah, but healy is really crazy and the onle people he’s attracting to the GOP are crazy too – and not crazy like foxes either. And toucans have been on the planet for many years. Longer than republicans even

It’s his bullshit blather that people have trouble with.

If Chris Healy were to maintain a studious silence about the Petit murders, he’ be the only one not talking about it. Why don’t you take a moment to explain to us what is not political about this case. The legislature, a political body, is charged with making laws. Some people, Healy among them, believe that additional laws are needed to frustrate future criminals like the two who invaded the Petit home, raped young children, assaulted the homeowner and burnt the bodies of two victims in an attempt to cover up a crime. This is all politics with a capital “P.” So what? Healy is the Chairman of the Republican Party and by definition “a partisan.” Every thing he says is partisan. Again, so what? If Democrats object to partisanship on this particular issue, they can surmount this invidious horror by the simple expedient of agreeing with the Republicans that the so called “three strikes and your out” law was not working because its application was too discretionary. That’s waht Chris Powell of the Journal Inquirer said. He’s right.

Don’t make me go and dig up the partisan comments Healy has made about the Cheshire tragedy.

Yes, he toned it down a little when it became clear the Rell administration and the Farr-led parole board bore more responsibility than the Legislature.

But he hasn’t had a bi-partisan approach, and yes he’s trying to use this tragedy for political gain…

1/3/03 for burglary
12/20/02 for 12 burglary charges
10/10/02 for 6 burglary charges, and 6 larceny charges

You don’t need to be Ken Kaiser to count three strikes.

Do you have any idea what you’re talking about?

Seems to me that when the GOP party chair is doing the bidding of the family (Bill Petit Sr served on GOP state central for ages) that would be fair.

I see Bill’s other two sons almost daily (in fact the cigarette I just lit came from their store) and they haven’t expressed any problem with Healy’s actions either.