Pubdate: Mon, 15 Jun 2009 Source: Toronto Star (CN ON) Copyright: 2009 The Toronto Star Contact: http://www.thestar.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/456 Author: Russell Barth CRIME BILL WOULD HELP GANGSTERS Re: Tories unveil tough-on-crime plan, June 13 Having no economic, environmental, foreign policy or social plans, the Conservatives are using crime to pander to their myopic, visceral, misinformed and punishment-happy voter base. Bill C-15, for example, appears designed specifically to increase crime. Mandatory sentences will scare off the mom-'n'-pop pot growers, who represent direct market competition to the gangsters. With the little guys out of the game, the big guys will get more business and profit. This will lead to more violence, which the police and government will use as justification for even more draconian laws, more cops with bigger budgets and more powers, and further suppression of our civil rights and liberties. The whole thing is a scam designed to make it necessary to hire more cops, build more jails and spend more taxpayers' dollars on a policy that further subsidizes organized crime. The media-addled public is being duped once again. Russell Barth, Nepean - --- MAP posted-by: Jay Bergstrom