STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND

Chronic alcoholics get free booze in Vancouver

Early results promising: Better health and behaviour

It's all in the headline and the sub-header. You don't really even have to read the article on page 3. 

There's the professional photo of the sincere and completely deranged, deluded "helper," measuring out this hour's poison for her "clients."

She believes that she is doing something.

Hahahahaha...

I laugh to stop myself from crying so early in the day.

On Wednesday, I spent a few hours visiting one of the houses run by Turning Point, a residential treatment centre, operating in Vancouver and in Richmond for 30 years now. Addicts of every kind are arriving every day and leaving a month or so later clean and sober citizens. Brenda Plant and her team are tireless, knowledgeable and committed.

Cost?

$25,000/bed per year.

On Tuesdays, I do a little work each week on Bowen Island at a private clinic, The Orchard, where - guess what - addicts if every kind arrive and leave a while later clean and sober. Lorinda Strang and her staff are relentless and focused and funny and inspired.

Regularly, I am in touch with dozens of similar agencies, large and small, each doing beautiful human work aimed at helping people escape the nightmares, indignities and suffering of addictions.

Last night, I spoke for half an hour with a wonderful woman in Nanaimo - France Tellier of the John Howard Society - who has been building residential community treatment facilities for ages.

You will rarely hear or read about these good people.

But Little Miss Booze Dispenser is pictured on page 3, and, in the Courier you can read about the increase in overdoses at Insite. Of course, the lunatics who run this obscenity - completely missing or obscuring the point as usual - will tell you that they are saving lives.

Let's just say it out loud, together.

THE WORLD IS COMPLETELY MAD.

Life is upside down.

It's Cheshire Cat time.

The program of free Ford autos for car thieves starts next Thursday.