Pubdate: Thu, 20 Nov 2003 Source: Mission City Record (CN BC) Copyright: 2003 The Mission City Record Contact: http://www.missioncityrecord.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1305 Author: Robert T. Rock CRIMINALS WHO PROFITED FROM DRUG ADDICTION SHOULD TAKE CARE OF ADDICTS FOR PUNISHMENT Editor, The Record: It looks like Mike Harcourt's accident knocked some sense into him as demonstrated by his recent comments that the 300-400 main crime figures in Vancouver should be sent to Baffin Island. He was, unfortunately, living in a fantasy land when he suggested that the current Vancouver council get more active in cleaning up crime in the city. Vancouver city council couldn't even stand up to the squatters in city parks last summer let alone go after crime in the city. But to return to the idea that Harcourt spoke about, I say he was right in that Baffin Island would indeed be a very good place to relocate scum whether dressed in leather, suit and tie, or anything in-between. I go with the idea that a few bad apples will rot the barrel and, for the sake of the rest, those rotten apples should be thrown out. Not only should they be thrown out, they should be forced to care for the drug addicts of Vancouver's East End as well as the human wrecks walking around Mission who sell both body and soul to support their habits. The crime bosses profited from the addictions of others so it seems only right that they wipe the butts of recovering addicts and clean up their vomit when they go into withdrawals. While I can agree that drug addiction is an illness and needs to be treated as such, the drug addicts need to be removed from society until they are fit to rejoin it. I will say out loud what many people say quietly out of ear shot of those who will fight for the rights of both crime bosses and addicts alike over those of the rest of us, out of fear of hearing calls of shame, shame, from the bleeding heart groups and some members of the judiciary whose egos are fed by their self appointed roles as advocates for the dregs of society. Criminal activity that was once on the fringe of society has moved into corporate offices and quiet subdivisions through the introduction of grow-ops and meth labs. Already people are becoming frightened to say anything out of fear of being noticed by the wrong people and that is intolerable, plain and simple. If we keep caving in to them we'll end up buried. The only land the meek ever inherit is six feet down. Tell Mike Harcourt to keep up the good fight and to continue to speak out on crime, even if I think he didn't go far enough. Tell Solicitor General Coleman here in B.C. to fight for those changes to the criminal code that need to be brought in to stop our court system from being nothing more than a revolving door for the scum in our society. Tell our federal MPs to take away the privilege that they gave judges to make decisions seemingly out of the air with far too liberal discretionary powers. Life should mean life, a sentence should be completed not shortened on the whim of parole boards, and no one should be intimated anymore by those who wear political correctness on their sleeves and scream abuse of the rights and freedoms of those groups I have already mentioned. No, it is the rights of the larger society that I am concerned about and not the alleged rights of a criminal minority to cause the whole barrel of apples to rot. And for those that don't like my thinking, tough. Robert T. Rock Mission - --- MAP posted-by: Keith Brilhart