The Nugget from Judge Craig

Citizenship does not include a so-called God-given right to knowingly become addicted to a poison and then claim victimization.

Judge Wallace Craig Shares His Editorial With Us

I FEAR FOR B.C.’s FUTURE

Society’s Aims Do Not Include Drug Trafficking

October 17, 2007

LAST night I had a nightmare about British Columbia in 2020.

A demented British Columbia was fast becoming Canada’s land of the behaviourally disordered; a promised land of 24-hour Insites and surreal achievements viewed through the looking glass of never-ending ‘recreational’ drug use; a land bereft of insight, common sense and ethics.

I am jolted awake and it dawns on me that British Columbia already is the de facto drug capital of Canada, with pre-eminence over all other provinces in a madcap move to drug legalization.

What drug legalizers don’t even dare think about, and what we surely will have to endure, is the inevitability of Orwellian bureaucrats, and their medicine men, pitted against international traffickers and their contrivances and deceit. Our young people will be trapped between them.

In 2000, then-mayor Phillip Owen sold Vancouverites a bill of goods that would make a Howe Street promoter blush.

Like a biblical prophet he gave us the word. Our western land was to rise up on the certainty of the ‘four pillars.’ We were told that it was to be a transformational miracle; from a land beset by criminals to a land of the benign. The word alone, ‘four pillars,’ would make junkies, crackheads, methheads and potheads into quiet, self-indulgent, ‘recreational’ substance users.

On November 21, 2000, the Vancouver Sun made it a front page story headlined: “This is an international crisis.”

Wrong. Vancouver was already an international disgrace. During Owen’s watch, sixty-five women disappeared from the streets of Skid Road.

The Sun story, by reporter Frances Bula, said that “Mayor Philip Owen unveils today his sweeping plan for city’s drug crisis.”

“Safe-injection sites for drug users and providing free heroin for hard-core addicts on a trial basis are among the strategies the City of Vancouver is recommending in a new drug policy that is the first of its kind in North America.

“The plan, to be made public today, also includes drug courts that would put users into treatment instead of jail, special treatment beds for young people, day centres for drug users outside the Downtown Eastside, testing of street drugs to help prevent overdoses, and more police to target upper-level drug dealers. …

“The new plan, a copy of which was obtained by the Vancouver Sun, contains 24 recommendations … intended to emphasize the … strategy used in some European cities that is known as the four-pillar approach.

“Like European cities that pioneered it, Vancouver is also taking the position that it has to act even if others are not willing to yet. And, like them, it is also clearly shifting to a position that says drug addiction is a health issue, not a criminal issue.

“The plan does not commit the city to spending any money or to undertaking any immediate, controversial action. …All but two of the recommendations are labelled as the responsibility of …the federal and provincial governments, the Vancouver health board and the Vancouver Police Department. …

“Owen says that, while public reaction is important, the city will not agree to a final strategy that doesn’t have all four pillars in place.”

On November 16, 2002, Larry Campbell succeeded Owen in office and got there by being a loud voice in a campaign for so-called safe-injection sites.

Owen, Campbell and incumbent mayor Sam Sullivan are still campaigning for this cosmetic solution to Vancouver’s festering sore of Skid Road.

Seven years have come and gone and all we have is rhetoric and one legal shooting gallery.

In the meantime we have lowered ourselves even deeper into the quagmire with a cheaper and more fashionable poison, excuse me, er drug, made locally: crystal methamphetamine.

On September 18, Owen popped up again on the op-ed page of the Sun under the banner of Continuing the ‘war on drugs’ is not helping the addicted.

Of all people, Owen should know by now that Canada has never had a war on drugs; the only war is that of the international traffickers in opiates who target the United States of America and local marijuana grow operators who, unidentifiable, slither unseen among us.

Similarly loose with facts, Owen fantasized that “Those who are addicted … did not choose a life of addiction, illness, crime and eventual early death. They are the victims and they require medical assistance.”

“In 2001, Vancouver …adopted a four pillars approach (and) has five years of experience in implementing it. …we opened a supervised injection site in downtown Vancouver in 2003. The most recent study of the effects of this site shows that it reduces public disorder, refers users to addiction counselling, saves lives and improves health because it significantly reduces needle sharing.”

Owen is in reverie and divorced from reality.

The hard truth is that Vancouver has opened one unsafe injection site and the other pillars are imaginary; and that includes enforcement of the existing federal criminal law.

Only a massive involvement by the federal government will rid Vancouver of the pestilence of illicit drug abuse.

When one becomes addicted, and a criminal, he no longer satisfies the criteria for citizenship: “a member of society especially as regards one’s contribution to it.”

Citizenship does not include a so-called God-given right to knowingly become addicted to a poison and then claim victimization.

Society is an association of persons united in a common moral and ethical aim, supported by firm laws. That aim does not include druggies and traffickers.

Our once proud Canadian society is constantly being brainwashed to accept never-ending addiction as a normal common feature.

We are being deluded into living according to a lowest common denominator.

It’s time to be as tough as nails and stand together against these misfits.

Wallace Craig - wallace-gilby-craig@shaw.ca – NSNews - Oct 17, 2007

Deborah Kerr is Dead at 86

The headline says it all.

Please read the NY Times story here.

She was a wonderful, luminous performer.

MILDEW...

And for the guest who asked...

Mildew is the name I have given to a given to a certain Sun columnist who writes about criminal court matters.

Diasable the Enablers on the Queen of What?

Meet Murray, the Pilot.

Murray was my next-door neighbour. Murray was a drunk.

With Captains like Murray at the helm, it's no wonder Canadian Pacific Airlines went tits up.

One day I came home and my son, Sean, then age about 3, told me that Murray, the drunk pilot, had been driving his motorcycle across all the lawns, including ours and that he had almost hit Sean.

When I found Murray a few minutes later, he was enjoying another drink with his buddies in a back yard not too distant.

I had a hockey stick in my hand.

This is what I said,

"Hey, Murray, come by our place again on your motorcycle drunk and I'm going to fucking decapitate you. Please do this cause I really want to hurt you."

That was the last we heard of Murray, the drunk pilot.

Now here's my thinking about this sooooo Coastal funny story about how everybody on BC Ferries is smoking pot.

Shoot the fucker at high noon in the town square.

Drug and alcohol testing are both mandatory and random in the transportation business in America. I'm up for that. What's the problem, Bunkie?

Oh, according to the wisdom of the Canadian Human Rights Commission, you cannot discriminate on the basis of disability, and ....wait for it...drug & alcohol addictions are classified as disabilities.

Of course, this fits the logic that likes to claim that just because I call something blue, it is therefore blue.

If you believe that drug & alcohol addictions are disabilities, you need a thorough head cleaning, and if you think that some dorkhead deckhand on the Queen of IforgethwereIam is disabled because he smokes a joint twice a wek, then we're in really, really big trouble.

THE BUYING OF THE VOTE

The other day, Guest Blogger Victor wrote about the favorite Canadian political pastime - The Buying of the Ethnic Vote.

Today, we get the ultimate story illustrating Victor's point.

The Liberals, urgent for the Indo-Canadian vote, spent $25 Million of your tax dollars on an immigration office in India, that has resulted in hundreds o clearly bogus applications. Citizenship and Immigration Canada officials begged the government NOT to open this office as they were well aware of the corruption that was the norm in the Punjabi city of Chandigrah.

Of course, the government did not listen. They wanted those Punjabi-Canadian votes.

Smile Though YOur Heart is Aching

John Furlong wants me and you to make Vancouver a more welcoming place for his Olympics.

That's nice, John.

Clearly spending too much time with BC Ferries workers.

This is one of the most unfriendly cities in the world, in one of the coldest countries on earth.

Smiles should be recorded by roving photographers just to prove that they occasionally break through the rude indifference.

O.K. Just for you, John, I'll leave my car at home and quit work early.

Smoke much, Buddy?

Sam Fools Nobody

Miro Cernetig nails The Idiot Mayor this morning. If you missed it, here it is. It's a beaut.

Testing? Exams? Results? We Couldn't Do That. It isn't Nice

The Bloomberg administration and the New York City teachers’ union announced an agreement yesterday on a plan that would give teachers bonuses based largely on the overall test scores of students at schools that have high concentrations of poor children.

Can you imagine the BC Teachers' Federation agreeing to something like this????

Read the whole story and ask yourself what New York teachers understand about education that we don't

Victor Sails the HMS Mildew

Hi Mensch:

No doubt, Mildew will rise to the defense of BC Ferries crew who may have been Stoned at Sea.

Mildew believes that cannabis and Canada are made for each other. The Weed Leaf Forever.

What Mildew will not acknowledge is that weed today is not the weed of the 60's. In the 60's, a few tokes would sharpen your appetite for strawberries, peanut butter whatever. Weed today will turn your legs into cement pillars and your brain into yogurt.

Mildew is quite happy with the prospect of a truck driver, dozing on BC Bud, driving a gas truck past your neighbourhood school. He celebrates the idea of a BC Ferry, under the guidance of Captain Crunch, squashing docks and boats while Captain Crunch does a doobie on the bridge.

Mildew, and his employer, The Vancouver Stunned, are hopelessly out of touch.

The Boulevarier

Who's handling the PR in Victoria?

Further to our Graham Bruce post of yesterday...Vaughn palmer reveals that Mr. Bruce's response to the accusations that he did not properly register as a lobbyist were delivered to the press by a government employee.

BUt he doesn't work for the government.

Who's handling the PR at 12th & Cambie?

After 3 months of saying, FUCK YOU, VANCOUVER, City Hall, which still hasn't managed to get the library workers back to work, buys a half page in the Sun - with YOUR MONEY - and says, "THANK YOU VANCOUVER."

If I had the money, I'd buy a half page too, and say, "NO THANKS."

Forget the Cowboy Hats Already. Let's try dealing with Reality

The reason nothing ever gets done is that we still live in Simple Town.

Everybody wants a hero and a villain, white hats and black hats. The world, apparently is peopled with Good Guys and Bad Guys.

I guess that's why we all love sports. A beginning, a middle and an end. A final score. Somebody won, YEAH! Somebody lost, BOO!

If only life was even remotely like that.

Take Stephen Harper, please.

The man says he's going to do some things about crime. Right away, he is immediately cast, by the water cooler crowd, as a sonofabitching Law & Order Demon.

But look at most of his proposals; think about them for a second.

If you're found guilty of 3 violent or sexual offences, you are liable to be branded a dangerous offender. ALL RIGHT BY ME.

Stiffer penalties for impaired driving. REALLY ALL RIGHT BY ME.

Mandatory prison sentences for gun crimes. ALL RIGHT BY ME.

Tougher bail conditions for gun crimes. ALL RIGHT BY ME.

Young people who commit serious crimes are held accountable to their victims and communities. ALL RIGHT BY ME.

And - although not addressed in the Throne Speech - taking a hard look at the poisonous mistake of "safe" injection sites, free needles, and free drugs. REALLY, REALLY, REALLY ALL RIGHT WITH ME.

So, for all of these considerations, with which most Canadians totally agree, the chattering classes immediately let their knees jerk in unison, "Oh that Harper!"

Well, Harper is no hero for me; but these policies seem to me long overdue and I welcome them.

Her Day in Court - Why is this Necessary?

Hi David

I just came back from another pre-trial hearing regarding my legal action for compensation for businesses losses due to the RAV debacle. Me, and my lawyer - them and their 6 lawyers. Who knows how much money they have spent to fight me, instead of giving compensation.

We have another hearing on November 7th and 8th where the bullies will try to have my case dismissed.

Thanks for your interest in this just cause for compensation. I will keep you posted on next steps.

Regards
Susan

Susan Continues Her Assault on the Canada Line Juggernaut

The EditorProvince - Small Business Week feature - October 16/07Abby Palmer - "Growing her Business"

Abby really is a wonderful example of the kind of entrepreneurial spiritthat it takes to be successful. She's energetic, thoughtful, creative,determined and she did her homework.

That said, we would not be celebrating the success of her business had shestill been in her location on Cambie Street. All around where her shop was,are empty stores and struggling family run businesses. The RAV/Canada Lineand every level of government neglected to do their homework and factoradequate compensation into their business plan, to ensure that the smallbusinesses would survive this unprecedented hardship.All mitigation has clearly failed, and after two years of construction manyfamilies are in financial crisis as a result.

It is outrageous that we areexpected to bear this unfair burden, and are being forced into businessfailure by the Province of BC and this several billion dollar governmentdriven project.

The best laid plans, and decades of hard work are now in jeopardy for hundreds of people, as the ripple effect of business losses reach not justowners, but employees and suppliers, and the residents as well.The Province indeed should be celebrating the successes of the smallbusiness community as we represent 98 percent of all business in theprovince, and have made a major contribution to the 4 billion dollar surplusthis year. And they are showing their appreciation by destroying thelivelihoods of the small independant shops that line their RAV/Canada Lineroute by refusing to take responsibility for the consequenses of thisconstruction. If this can happen in our neighbourhood, it can happen to anysmall business anywhere in the province. This is wrong and must be maderight.These families and all small businesses deserve better than bankruptcy.

Compensation is the right thing to do.

Susan Heyes Hazel&Co

Danielle de Niese: Handel Arias

Hello!

Victor Finds the "CON" in Conservative...and uncovers POLENTA POLITICS!

It is sad, although not surprising, to read in today's Globe, a story stipulating that the Conservatives have a strategy to woo the urban ethnic groups in Canada.

For three decades, the Liberals have been the five dollar political whore in Canada's multicultural brothel. They would say anything, promise anything, to fill school buses with bovine voters from various ethnic halls, temples and churches.

Now the conservatives have discovered that there is voter gold in those hyphenated-Canadian hills.

So here is my question. Will the Conservative promises in Urdu, Hindi, Farsi etc. be the same as the promises in English/French. We already know that the Libs would sell their souls for a cabbage roll or shawarma.

Now, the PCs have officially embraced polenta politics.

They will, like the furtive John, pay a quick visit, love awkwardly, leave money on the bedside table, and stumble on to the next ethnic bedroom, trying to pull on their blue pants over their conservative brown shoes.

The Real News is Alarming...and Essential

Regular commentor "Murdock" has alerted us to therealnews. com and in particular a frightening story about the CIA. This story also carries back to Canada and the Arar case.

Check it out. It includes a first-rate video cast.

Pseudo-Science Strikes Again

The trouble with most so-called "studies" is that they tell us what we already knew ages ago. Money not well spent.

Yesterday, I was singularly depressed by a TV commercial for a van.

The commercial shows a "family" all piling into the van and each person disappearing up their own asshole playing with a different electronic device. One boy is on his X-Box, two kids are playing some other thing, mom is on her computer, dad is driving and watching a movie. Everybody is having a grand old time. The van gets to a spectacular cliff overlooking a beautiful sunset-draped beach. Everybody continues playing with their toys.

This is, apparently, the groovy new family configuration. Great.

So this morning the Vanier Insitute for the Family announces with front page fanfare that "Family Time is Losing out to Technology." Apparently, they have discovered that people "can be isolated even when under the same roof."

Brilliant.

Why the study? Why the announcement?

All they had to do was ask the ad agencies. Or you and me.

7-Eleven Model for the Homeless Exposed

Bev Meslo, writing in the Letters to the Editor, today, absolutely nails it on the subject of Campbell and Coleman's cynical shelter money.

She calls it the "7-Eleven" model.

Read the letter.