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Newtown Massacre & The Courant’s Endorsement of McKinney

According to the August 2nd article in the Hartford Courant titled McKinney Over Foley in Republican Primary for Governor, McKinney is the paper’s choice to remain in the Capitol because, among other things, in the immediate aftermath of Sandy Hook, McKinney voted for the controversial and intrusive gun safety bill.

The Hartford Courant has thrown its endorsement to McKinney because the Senate Minority leader ignored the Republican base and voted with the Democrats where, “he could engage in the process and try to influence the drafting of the law.”

It is unclear how McKinney influenced that legislation and, actually, it would be of some interest to the voters to know what specific role McKinney played in crafting the sweeping legislative language. While the gun restrictions are repugnant to many, Ablechild is more concerned about the other legislative measures included, specifically the costly increases in mental health services forced on taxpayers.

Recall that the legislation in question was hurriedly passed with little or no public input. More importantly, the investigative report on Sandy Hook had not been completed at the time of the vote and, therefore, lawmakers, including McKinney, literally were writing legislation based on the passions of the moment, not on supporting data.
In fact, a year-and-a-half later, there still is no data to support the costly mental health measures passed in that legislation. There is no publicly available evidence that Adam Lanza lacked mental health services. Frankly, there is no information publicly provided about Adam Lanza’s mental health treatment after 2007 – five years prior to the shooting. Is this information not important to McKinney or even the Courant?

Given the obvious lack of information about Lanza’s mental health, does it not seem irresponsible that lawmakers, including McKinney, would rush the passage of costly mental health legislation? After all, there is a projected $1.4 billion deficit next year. How much of this deficit includes the newly passed increased mental health services?
Ablechild appreciates McKinney’s experience and could have used his “influence” when it sued the state for the release of Adam Lanza’s medical/mental health records and toxicology report. But there was no support from McKinney or any lawmaker. There was no, nor is there any, interest on the part of lawmakers to obtain any data about Adam Lanza’s mental health treatment leading up to the shooting.

Yes, McKinney’s 15-years of experience is helpful, but how effective is that experience if those legislative efforts are not based in documentable necessity? One cannot help but wonder how many other legislative measures were passed with McKinney’s “influence” that were based on zero supporting information?

For that matter, one has to wonder why the Hartford Courant, clearly aware of the lack of documentation regarding Adam Lanza’s mental health, continually fails to address this point. Additionally, is it not odd that, prior to the release of the investigative report, the Courant was all over the shooting at Sandy Hook but has failed to report on investigative details that scream for answers.

Specifically, is the Courant not interested in the oddity of the envelope found in the Lanza home, addressed “for the young children of Sandy Hook Elementary” and, of which, the DNA of a known offender in New York was obtained. Is the Courant not interested in what information was contained in the stamped, addressed envelope? Is there no interest by this reporting entity as to how this piece of evidence found its way into the Lanza home?

It’s one thing for lawmakers to ignore investigative material, but when a leading press organization blatantly fails to report on important investigative details, the people of the state truly are not being served.


Comments

MikeC said…
What else's is The Courant not reporting about this even and why?
peter brush said…
Ms. Matthews raises good points and poses good questions. McKinney's support for the silly gun law passed in an anti-American manner (i.e., without deliberation open to the self-governing Nutmeggers) does not in general terms speak well of him. It is indicative of a progressive misunderstanding of the function of government. The Fundamental Orders, for example, is not a recipe for social engineering, but an enumeration of legal procedures
" to maintain the peace and union of... a people." We can note however,that McKinney's liberal bent comes naturally. He seems to be a sincere thoughtful Lincoln Republican. But, as long as we are governed by a set of teleocratic agencies and bureaucracies getting Things done, the lack of curiosity about, if not obscuring of, Lanza's mental health history is strange. Im with AbleChild; the government shouldn't be drugging our school kids. I'd go one step further; let's get rid of government schools altogether. Why do we put up with inhumane bureaucratic manipulation of our kids?

Ms. Matthews is not endorsing Tom Foley, and surely would not endorse Dannel Mal-loy. We who bother to vote, of whom I wish there were fewer, have to make a choice between given alternatives. If there were a candidate who might oppose the gun law the issue would be more resonant. But, as They say, it isn't what it is. On the second most important issue facing the State and Country McKinney is stronger than Foley and far superior to Lawyer Malloy. As to the most important issue, the rule of law and constitutional governance, we have to pray that our guys will someday, as per the Orders, more faithfully "execute Justice;" please God help us.
-------
As an aside, to me Mr. McKinney's expectation, if any, that his anti-gun stance would be appreciated by the left also speaks poorly of his understanding of the movement.

"McKinney was not allowed to complete his remarks as prepared. He was interrupted by a chant of “Pass the law! Pass the law!”

And then a man from the crowd (likely the same person who launched the chanting) started heckling him, with words I couldn’t make out, other than at one point where he yelled that McKinney should get off the stage.

The only reason I can think that McKinney would be interrupted and heckled at this rally is the political party he belongs to. If that was why, it was a mind-boggling and self-defeating injection of partisanship into an issue that should transcend party (and really seems to in McKinney’s mind)."
Dan Ryan Galt said…
After the vote on the Draconian anti 2ND Amendment gun control bill, I e-mailed Mr McKinney to voice my displeasure with his support for it. To his credit, he did e-mail me back. To his discredit, his stated reason to me for his support was "We had to do something for the children.".

Well, as we all know, the bill did virtually nothing for "the children". All it did was give politicians cover and deprive Connecticut citizens their Constitutionally guaranteed right to defend themselves.

I will be working at the poles on August 12. I am seriously considering bringing a package of clothespins for the voters to use when they cast their ballads as our given choices would cause a vulture from the Serengeti to gag....but the alternative of another term for Danny boy makes me nauseous.

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