Important addition about Autism

You are bang-on about the premier's wrong headedness regarding autism and the "centre" and cutting deals with "power couples" I am the parent of a child with autism as well as an advocate who has fought to have science-based autism treatment covered by healthcare for over a decade.

I was a litigant in the landmark Auton case which Gordon Campbell's govt. appealed to the Supreme Court of Canada where they unanimously overturned two BC Supreme Court's judgements obligating govt. to provide treatment. Campbell promised me and my colleague, Sabrina Freeman on Aug. 11, 2000 that if the Liberals formed the govt. in the next provincial election, they would drop the appeal and do what the BC Supreme Court ordered. He lied - exactly the opposite happened....and countless more lives are enduring unnecessary suffering because of it.

The last thing we need is another building, essentially run by well-intentioned parents who frankly have enough money to insulate them from the day to day realities of autism. The BC Supreme Court and the BC Court of Appeal were very clear on what the solution should be. It was ignored and so still today, the biggest crisis in BC and the rest of Canada is universal access to the only uniquely effective autism treatment which is ABA/IBI

David Marley has been helping our group for the last 2 years. He designed a very useful political strategy which we introduced in the last federal election in BC. We intend to employ it again in the next federal election in BC, Ontario and the Maritimes.

Have a look at our blog: www.medicareforautismnow.blogspot.com

I would be happy to provide you with more info. on the politics of autism if you are interested.

Thank you for your interest.

Jean Lewis,

Director - FEAT of BC (Families for Early Autism Treatment of BC) and "Medicare for Autism Now!"

Chutzpah Defined

The man who most of us still believe is responsible for the murder of 331 people is at it again.

Ripudaman Sing Malik, acquitted of all charges in the Air India case, is suing the BC government for malicious prosecution.

He is suing the government that loaned him $6.8 Million of public tax money for his defense.

He has yet to repay.

He claims he has no money, although disclosure of his holdings shows otherwise.

We are Not Alone

Loathe as I am to admit that any other sovereign and allegedly democratic state could screw up its criminal justice system more than we have here in Canada, I think we must give today's blue ribbon to Spain.

A man sentenced to 3000 years - yes, that is not a typo - 3000 years for killing at least 25 people, has been released after serving 20 years.

The man, by the way, has the marvelous monicker of Jose Ignacio De Juana Chaos.

Senor Chaos blew people up with bombs.

This was not his nom de guerre.

But was it his fate?

Dion Exposed

Fazil Mihlar has written an excellent and fascinating editorial today in the Sun.

Here's the headline:

Dion's carbon tax a good way to split the country

Taking money from Alberta and Saskatchewan for Ontario and Quebec spells trouble

Mihlar makes a solid case for NOT voting for the federal liberals, and for seeing the carbon tax for what it is - a power and money ploy for votes.

More on Autism

Yesterday, I wrote in this space about our Monumental Premier and his completely out-of-synch idea for dealing with autism.

A letter to the editor in today's Sun adds an element I'd had forgotten to include.

The letter writer correctly asks why the Premier is involved with a wealthy couple and their plans to build a biug building? Why isn't the Minister responsible working on the file in some orederly and transparent way?

The answers to these excellent questions are these.

1. That's how Gordon Campbell does business. He isn't interested in process and clarity. He is interested in fast-tracked deals with people he knows. He is drawn to power and money the way Mulroney was drawn to America.

2. The Minister, Tim Christensen, is utterly irresponsible, downright dangerous in his ineptitude considering the importance of his duties - Children & Families - and easily one of the worst ministers in the history of BC government. He is on a short string attached to the premier and his powers are thankfully limited.