Saturday, February 2, 2008

THE WRONG PRIORITIES


Major congratulations to the Vancouver Police Department for their report on how we are failing the mentally ill, and to the Sun for covering this story thoroughly today.

The document is called "Lost in Transition: How a Lack of Capacity in the Mental health System is Failing Vancouver's mentally Ill and Draining Police Resources."

This is a shocking and much-needed document. It is a wake-up call that will fall, unfortunately, on deaf ears.

The Page 11 piece by Lori Culbert says it all: "Police becoming de facto mental health workers of our society. Closing of mental health institutions, funding cutbacks for social housing, inadequate
welfare rates and abundance of drugs causing crisis in Dowtown east side."

But police and others have been telling us this for a decade now. Who in Victoria or Ottawa or at the Bug House at 12th and Cambie is listening?

And nothing better illustrates this monstrosity than the nightmare of the O'Brien family as told by Cuthbert and Pete McMartin.

There are key moments in this horrifying tale of a beautiful young man descending into schizophrenia and ending in suicide.

Corey O'Brien was admitted into a psychitric unit in December 2003 and released one month later because some of his symptons had decreased. This is outrageous. These incompetents are murderers.

In February 2005, the boy's mother was alarmed at his state, "but mental health professionals thoguht he was fine. " PROFESSIONALS???

This sovereign state - British Columbia - has other priorities. Olympics, convention centres, domed stadiums, RAV lines.

This premier - Gordon Campbell - has never shown an ounce of interest in the elderly, children or mentally ill and addicted.

He even has highly refined and duplicitous tastes when it comes to free enterprise. No doubt somehwhere in his socks or his desk drawer there is a secret number that reveals at what point he thinks a business venture is of any interest to him and to the province. Clearly the mom and pop folks who have been rendered bankrupt by the cut-and-cover of the Cambie Line don't qualify.

Read the Sun stories today about the mentally ill and our public policy of wilful disregard and tell me what kind of man is in charge?

I'd like to see the official list of THE DISPOSABLES: Mentally ill, small business owners near subway lines, addicts, old couples, children at risk...

We No Have-Um Fire


First we had The Nutty Mayor asking fire trucks to tip-toe softly through the night lest they disturb his nappie-poo.


Now, we've got the Almost-As-Nutty Mayor of We$t Vancouver, Pamela Hyphen-Drivel, wanting to cut fire crews down from the WorkSafeBC-mandated 4 persons to 3 to $ave a buck...in the richest postal code in the nation.


PHD is so clever she's send a QUESTIONAIRRE around to her taxpayers asking if they'd be willing to pay an extra $15 to cover another 3 firefighters.


News flash Pam - Your job is to govern and make decisions, not fund polls.


Let's see if I understand this. Homes in We$t Van start at a million five and top out around $45 million.


But, you have to ask the triple mortgagees if they'd put down their gin long enough to consider horking out 15 bucks to cover a fire???


Too many chai lattes, baby.

There is Evil and it is Real


Evil exists.


Believe me, I've seen it. I've been near it. You can smell it from fifty paces.


OK, moral relativists and America-bashers, tell me again that US policy brought 911 on itself.


Tell me as we witness one of today's headlines:


"Terrorists use mentally imparied women to carry deadly bombs.


64 people killed.

Vision Party Press Release on Plastic Sam



MAYOR, NPA NIX PLASTIC BAG BAN IN VANCOUVERMore empty rhetoric from governing party, says Councillor


(VANCOUVER) A Vision Vancouver motion to phase out plastic bags in Vancouver was opposed by the NPA in council today, despite past promises from Mayor Sullivan to make Vancouver a leader in environmental sustainability.


"Mayor Sullivan and the NPA refuse to take action when it comes to sustainability," said Vision Vancouver Councillor Tim Stevenson. "After more than two years in power, all they can do is spout empty rhetoric while trying to green-wash their programs."


"It's not working, it's not believable, and the people of Vancouver are smart enough to see through the NPA's green spin."


Vision Vancouver introduced a motion in November to have staff identify ways to phase out plastic bags in Vancouver. At today's council debate, which was to merely ask city staff to identify options for phasing out plastic bags, the NPA refused to support Vision's motion.
In the past, Mayor Sullivan and the NPA have gone to great lengths to speak about their dedication to environmental causes. In his 2007 State of the City address, Mayor Sullivan declared that one of his five goals was to make Vancouver a "world leader" in environmental practices and sustainable transportation. (January 16, 2007)


"You would think that with all the talk the NPA have spewed out about caring for the environment, that this would be a no-brainer," said Stevenson. "But even for something as simple as working to eliminate wasteful plastic bags, the NPA still find a way to say no.""What we saw today was the same old story with the NPA: Vision brings forward new ideas to council, and Sam Sullivan and the NPA say no."

Bettye LaVette: Close As I'll Get To Heaven