A candidate for statewide office in Connecticut spoke about drugs and race during a campaign stop the other day. A candidate for governor. Yes, this qualifies as news. He wasn't a Democrat or a Republican, of course. He's a third-party candidate. And he's not a big-time politician like Lowell Weicker or a movie star like Arnold Schwarzenegger. So he may have trouble getting many voters to listen to what he has to say. But in our limping democracy, serious discussion of pressing issues that require painful self-examination can be hard to find. So it's worth listening to what a third-party candidate like Clifford Thornton has to say. [continues 916 words]
A candidate for statewide office in Connecticut spoke about drugs and race during a campaign stop the other day. A candidate for governor. Yes, this qualifies as news. He wasn't a Democrat or a Republican, of course. He's a third-party candidate. And he's not a big-time politician like Lowell Weicker or a movie star like Arnold Schwarzenegger. So he may have trouble getting many voters to listen to what he has to say. But in our limping democracy, serious discussion of pressing issues that require painful self-examination can be hard to find. So it's worth listening to what a third-party candidate like Clifford Thornton has to say. [continues 921 words]
He had more than two weeks to think it over. To get his story straight with his colleagues, if he wanted to. To replay the details with his lawyer. To flesh out the story so it would protect him from the law. Finally, North Branford cop Michael Breen filled out an official police report last Thursday explaining why he shot a woman to death July 13. Usually, if a cop merely collars a shoplifter, he files the report that day. Maybe the next. [continues 848 words]
