Boxter Boy is the Poster Child for Canadian Law

I named him "Boxter Boy."

It caught on.

The day after he killed an innocent young man, who was crossing Knight Street, I ranted on the radio for almost 2 hours about this horrible excuse for a human being.

I urged the fool to give himself up, turn himself in. The audience and phone-in callers were easily as outraged and horrified as I.

Well, Boxter Boy, Cliff Tang, got a 4 year sentence and a 10-year driving suspension.

Of course, he's at it again. He never really stopped his criminal, lawless anti-social behaviour.

BUT...the Parole Board let him out on Parole and he was shortly arrested again and sent back to jail.

He has a rap sheet many pages long and many years long.

BUT...we aren't serious about our legal and social responsibilities in this country.

Turn to the Business section of today's paper and read about the acquittal of the man behind the Bre-X gold fraud.

Here are the comments of 2 Canada watchers:

"Canada has an enforcement problem," said Columbia University law Professor, John Coffee. "Bre-X remains a synonym for securities fraud."

Peter Bowal, of the University of Calgary, says that Canada is a haven for white-collar crime because of its toothless securities laws. "It's a joke on the prosecution side and also on the sanction side."

For two days now, the Sun has been running an excellent series about fraudulent ESL schools and hookers brought in from Asia as "students."

Almost daily, we are presented with new revelations about the truths behind the Air India murders.

The only people remaining in Canada who have not lost all hope about our criminal justice system seem to be judges and politicians, neither of whom are open to change. The rest of us bailed long ago.

What we are left with is the useless and inappropriate daydream that someone will run over Boxter Boy.

The "Helpers" are the Biggest Addicts

The AIDS Committee of Ottawa will not be stopped.

The City of Ottawa has finally come to its senses and agreed that it will no longer fund the ACO in their 2 year disaster of providing free crack pipe kits to addicts.

But that hasn't slowed down the well meaning (The road to hell is paved with the best intentions.) determined helpers at ACO.

Addicted as they are to "helping" the helpless (and keeping the helpless helpless, so that they can keep helping them), the ACO will find its own money for continuing the devil's handiwork.

"Our mandate is to prevent the transmission of HIV and to improve the lives of people infected, said Kathleen Cummings, Executive Director. "The safe inhalation program is a proven way to do that."

Here is their official mission statement taken from their website.

"Since 1985, the AIDS Committee of Ottawa (ACO) has worked to empower people living with HIV/AIDS and the PHA (persons with HIV/AIDS) community in Ottawa through promoting the well-being and quality of life of those living with or closely affected by HIV/AIDS. "

Admirable enough, one would think.

Until you realize that what they are handing out is crack pipes, rubber mouth pieces and sterile swipes.

Why not clean shot glasses for drunks?

Why not lead a bus load of child molesters to the playground every morning?

Why not provide car thieves with bright new tools each day?

Ever consider helping someone to STOP using and get on with his sorry life?

Oh, no. But then you wouldn't have a customer for your so-called "Compassion."

Carole Taylor Restless?

Vaughn Palmer's column in the Sun this morning is, as usual, right on.

When Carole Taylor spoke up recently about the plight of Cambie Street merchants, we could feel the winds of change in the air.

Watch for Ms. Taylor to make some interesting moves in the coming months.

Time for a Maritime Centre

A Maritime Centre being planned for North Vancouver is long overdue.

The Maritime Museum is a national disgrace, which is why James Delgado, the marvelous Executive Director, left not long ago for bluer waters.

The basement archives contain acres of priceless artifacts, including documents and furniture from the Titanic, none of which can be shown to the public, because there is not enough exhibition space.

Administration after administration, local, provincial and federal, have ignored our REAL water-borne history.

If this plan for a maritime centre has any teeth we will welcome it. Perhaps Vancouverites will finally notice that this town is not run on latte, that it is a port city.

Ingmar Bergman

We all grew up on Hollywood movies, and we loved them. What's not to love? MGM Musicals, Bogie and Cagnie tough guys, westerns, Gregory Peck winning the War for us, Joan Crawford and Barbara Stanwyck re-defining women in society.

Then we found Bergman.

Fog and shadows and lust and murder and friendship and talismen set in a cold, intimidating black and white landscape.

Eleven movies with Max Van Sydow and how many with Liv Ullman?

The Washington Post has "the rest of the story."

Bill Walsh

The San Fransisco 49ers had been perennial doormats for years. Yes, they had some great players, like John Brody, who went on to become a pretty good scratch golfer. But they were rarely "contendahs."

Then, along came Bill Walsh, Joe Montana, Dwight Clark, Randy Cross and Jerry Rice.

Here is a wonderful write-up on Walsh's life and career from a Bay Area source.

My son was a huge fan of Tom Snyder...Snyder was a marvelous broadcaster. There is no place in broadcast for the likes of Snyder today.

Name Names and let Shame take its Toll

A maniac is driving along Marine Drive in West Vancouver at 10:30 in the morning with his kids in the car. He has a blood alcohol level of 3.3, which is a) 4 times the legal limit, and b) enough to embalm the hardiest among us.

The police will not release the name of this fool and public menace. Why?

"We are going to great lengths to protect the identity of the children."

Wrong. Wrong. Wrong.

The children are already deeply harmed by having a drunk for a father.

Publishing this man's name and foto might....might!...just shame him into sobriety. It is not a given, but it has worked for some others in the past.

By shielding this puke from public scrutiny, the police are ENABLING his chronic bad behaviour.

Doesn't anybody in charge know the mechanics of addiction?

Pull the covers on this guy and let him suffer. He is on the way to killing me and you and his kids and himself. By protecting him, you are NOT protecting me and his children. You are putting us all in harm's way.

Bombers Will be Protected by Charter

David Hahn, the CEO of BC Ferries, would like to see the lunatic who called in a bomb threat on Sunday caught and sent to jail for ever.

Clearly, Mr. Hahn, an American, who for all we know still carries and American passport, has much to learn about local jurisprudence.

Here is your lesson for today, Dave...if I may call you Dave.

If and when this sucker is ever found, his legal aid lawyer will have him off and out in a nonce, successfully arguing that the a-hole's Charter Rights allow him to practice his stand-up comedy routines from any pay phone in the land and using any funny accent he chooses.

"MAYOR ON COKE"

This is a perfect example of how headlines can be misleading.

You thought, perhaps, that I was going to give you some juicy scandal about an elected official on drugs.

Well...almost.

I just thought when the union is calling negotiations with the City "twilight zone," it might be a good time to remind you all what Mayor Sam Sullivan has said many times in public and private about Coca-Cola.

The Nutty Mayor reminds us whenever he can create the opportunity that in its original formulation, Coca-Cola contained cocaine in some small measure. He then goes on to suggest that the coke in coke should be returned because it would "help us all take the edge off."

This is, of course, the home-spun language of the addict.

And you wonder why the guy who starts his day with a shot of whiskey wants to give pills to teen-age addict prostitutes.

Bombing the Coast - Ferries Hit by Threat

BC Ferries were held at ransom yesterday afternoon by a bomb threat.

The Globe & Mail coverage of that story can be read here.

It strikes me that nothing could be easier to attack than the wide-open, vulnerable and trusting ferries system.

The federal government has recently given the company $4 Million to beef up security, but 2) that's a minnow in an ocean, and b) the underpaid, sleepy staff I would think would be most susceptible to bribes and duplicity of one kind or another.

We have been peacefully trolling these shores for some time now and we have come to expect a certain kind of generosity and neighbourliness of behaviour. To introduce the modern realities of middle-eastern terrorism to the Gulf Waters is jarring indeed.

The End of the World As We Know It

“Who knows, in 10 years we could be looking back on this as a very significant moment,” said Rob Correa, senior vice president for programming at CBS Sports.

What is this fool talking about? Philosophical debates on the place of human beings in nature?

Here is what he is talking about:

"Video Game Matches to Be Televised on CBS"

Read the entire bewildering saga here, and then you'll understand why I don't miss the wonderful world of broadcast.

You Can't "Dialogue" with Evil

Israr Ahmad is a fundamentalist Pakistani preacher who has been making regular appearances on Vision TV. He has now been removed.

Mr. Ahmad says that he doesn't hate Jews and he isn't an anti-Semite.

Mind you, he does believe that the Holocaust was "divine punishment," and that one day Jews will be "exterminated."

But he isn't an anti-Semite and h doesn't hate Jews.

Let me share with you my lovely correspondence with Vision TV in the past week.

First, I wrote the CEO this:

Bill Roberts,

"Finally, Sir, have you no sense of decency?"

That's the line that in time stopped Senator Joe.

What will stop you from airing a Jihadist, anti-Semitic hate-monger and then rationalizing your mistake.

If it happens on your watch, then you are the one responsible.

David Berner

A few days later, they responded thus:

Thank you for sharing your concerns about the issues raised in the recent issues of the National Post. The Post articles were misleading in suggesting that offensive comments were broadcast on VisionTV. At no time were derogatory remarks about people of the Jewish community, or any other group, broadcast on our network.As Canada's multi-faith network, VisionTV celebrates the freedom of religious expression and spiritual diversity that is uniquely Canadian. It is part of our mandate to make airtime available to a broad range of faith communities and ministries. However, we also understand that fundamental freedoms must be balanced against each individual's right not to be subjected to fraudulent claims and misrepresentations with respect to matters of faith. We therefore review each program on VisionTV prior to broadcast to ensure that the content complies with our Code of Ethics, Standards and Practices. It is not always easy to achieve an appropriate balance between these competing priorities. Decisions on what content to broadcast are not taken lightly but are part of our ongoing effort to provide both a wide range of faith perspectives and the highest quality programming possible. Israr Ahmad did appear on the program Dil Dil Pakistan, as reported in the Post. But his comments in that program were limited to readings from the Quran and interpretations of scripture from that holy text. The offensive comments quoted in the Post were apparently made by Mr. Ahmad in other writings. Again, those comments were not broadcast on VisionTV.Having reviewed this matter with the producer of the program, and having learned of Mr. Ahmad's comments outside of the Dil Dil Pakistan program, the producer voluntarily agreed not to have Mr. Ahmad appear again on Dil Dil Pakistan. We will also be broadcasting an on-air apology for any offence caused Mr. Ahmad's previous appearance on the show. VisionTV and Dil Dil Pakistan have a long history of promoting positive dialogue and the peaceful teachings of the Quran. We will strive to ensure in future that we maintain the highest standards of broadcasting to achieve those goals.As a broadcaster, VisionTV takes its responsibilities for content on our network very seriously. In response to your feedback and comments from other viewers, we have undertaken to review our Code of Ethics with stakeholders including the Canadian Jewish Congress, B'nai Brith, and leaders of other Canadian faith institutions. It is often through viewer feedback that we are able to improve our broadcast standards, and we appreciate you taking the time to share your concerns with us. Please do not hesitate to contact us if you require any additional information.

In response, I wrote:

I'm afraid that's not good enough.It couldn't have taken much in the age of the Internet to learn the values for which Mr. Ahmad clearly stands and regularly expresses.For the producer to not have taken that step in advance shows a laziness beyond employment. He/she should be fired.Maybe Goebbels or Hitler restrained themselves in some fora, but who didn't know what they meant at all times?This kind of pretense at "open dialogue" is a sham and an offence.You are in Canada, Sir. We do not welcome or encourage people who preach the violent elimination of others because of race or religion or colour or sexual orientation.The only additional information that I need from you is that you are now dedicated to a new kind of vigilance in your own standards.Are you?David Berner

There, for the moment, the trail ends....

The photo, by the way, is from "the selection" ramp at Birkenau/Auschwitz. People sent to the right went to labor camps. People sent to the left to gas chambers.

Howard Keel:

The City Streets are Too Tolerant

Can someone be arrested on style points alone?

Last week I was driving east along 12th Avenue. A black Hummer pulled alongside. The Hummer was even bigger than usual. It had an open cab at the back in addition to its two rows of closed in seats and its four doors.

The driver was smoking and flicking, smoking and flicking.

The noise emanating was a hip-hop CD on repeat, reshuffle. The boom level was maxed out.

The "lyrics" to the "song" went something like this:

"Up yo' ass, fuck yo' ass, punch yo' ass, kick yo ass..." Gershwin, it ain't.

The blond haired, spike-haired junior criminal posing as a legitimate "driver" wove, over the next many blocks in and out of lanes, switching and twitching and flicking.

Gee, I wondered, could this little puke possibly be a coke dealer? I mean, that's a pricey ride, and how does this unemployable shit get the lucre to pony up for this hulking monstrosity? It can't be from his paper route?

So, in another kind of Perfect World, the one we might called The World According to Dave, I might be permitted to arrest this a-hole just on style points alone, or maybe even shoot him dead.

Walter Mitty is alive and well and driving his '93 Mazda 323 in straight lines through the streets of Margaritaville.

US Sells Nukes to India...Nice...

Let this be his epitaph. This may be the most famous, last idiotic statement by the Worst President in American History ever:

In February 2004, President Bush, in a major speech outlining new nuclear policies to prevent proliferation, declared that “enrichment and reprocessing are not necessary for nations seeking to harness nuclear energy for peaceful purposes.”

This reminder comes to light in yesterday's astonishing and terrifying announcement that the U.S. will now sell both nuclear technology and nuclear fuel the extremely stable and reliable government of India.

Read the story and then ask yourself, "Who's cousin has the nuke deal?"

Charter Rights are my Shield

Rupidaman Malik was acquitted of involvement in the Air India mass murders.

When he applied for bail in 2000, he listed his net worth at $10 Million.

Three years later, he claimed he was broke and applied for legal aid, which he received.

To this day, he owes you and me and the Province of B.C. $6.4 Million for his defense.

Now, his son, a lawyer, Jaspreet Singh Malik has been cited by the Law Society of B.C. for his (mis)conduct during this entire charade.. The Society claims Malik, Jr. aided his father in hiding Malik Sr."s true wealth, so he could claim relief from Legal Aid.

The best part of this hideous tale is that Malik Jr is now calling on his Charter Rights in his argument that he doesn't have to testify to the Law Society!

This story is sickening.

Oscar Peterson Trio Live at Newport

Justice Blinded Again.

The cop in charge of the police department's school liason program is busted for child pornography.

He gets a 12-month conditional sentence.

Huh?