TOMORROW

Tomorow, we will post a monologue on the criminal justice system...stay tuned.

Ian Bush Story Will Never be Fully Known

None of us were there, and we'll never really know what happened.

But the result of the coroner's inquest into the shooting death of Ian Bush in Houston, BC by a young RCMP officer is hardly satisfying to anyone.

The officer's story that he shot Mr. Bush in the back of the head while underneath Mr. Bush and reaching back with his gun challenges credulity.

And the fact that the officer was not questioned by investigators until 3 months had passed is almost criminal in itself.

Police must not be allowed to investigate themselves. The taint is built in by natural sympathies.

The fact that the jury had to recommend the installation of video monitors is appalling. One would have thought that was a given. Not so.

The police, in general, and the RCMP, in particular, are and must be important and respected and signature components of our social order. But to maintain that position and with honor, they have to be clear and transparent and the most law-abiding of us all.

Save us From the School Boards & Principals

Bureaucrats are amazing people.

They never cease to live in duplicity and denial. They perform acts of public stupidity and then, with admirably startling ease, rationalize the harm they do.

Take the case of the School Board responsible for Lord Strathcona School here in Vancouver.

These thoughtless idiots have just torn out a grass field and replaced it with sunny, attractive gravel. Just what the Downtown east Side needs - more grey, less oxygen, less green.

Here's how James Ion (remember that ions are extremely tiny, teensy, tiny sub-visible particles), the School principal defended this act of genius.

"Many people sleep, use drugs and engage in questionable acts on the grass because it is soft and comfortable."

So, let's see if we can understand this kind of anti-thinking. Remember that this putz is a school principal. How happy does that make you? How encouraged for our children?

Instead of dealing with bad behavior ( drugs and other questionable acts), we will penalize all the children and decent people who enjoy a soft and comfortable green space by taking ti away so the bad people won't have a soft and comfortable place to be bad.

Duh????

These are the minds that are managing our resources and teaching our children.

Maybe the Pope can help.

Inquisition Revisited

What century are we in?

Pope Benedict is talking about returning to the Catholic liturgy a choice piece of once-abandoned ritual that calls for the conversion of Jews and refers to "perfidious Jews."

The prayers ask God to "take the veil" off Jewish hearts and show mercy "even for the Jews."

Even!

Is the Pope familiar with Hamas? Has he heard of Iran? Is he aware of the enormous world-wide hatred toward Jews today?