Pubdate: Mon, 01 Nov 2010 Source: Winnipeg Free Press (CN MB) Copyright: 2010 Winnipeg Free Press Contact: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/opinion/send_a_letter Website: http://www.winnipegfreepress.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/502 Author: Chris Buors THE ROOTS OF CRIME The hard-on-crime crowd exemplified by letter writers complaining about our ridiculous justice system, watered-down sentencing and hug-a-thug media should be reminded that all manner of beatings, jailing and torture have been tried without end, and those policies have failed to deter crime. Brian Mulroney was not soft on crime. He doubled the sentences for drug crimes when he and Ronald Reagan reinvigorated the Nixonian war on drugs. We live with the monsters that injustice created. More unjust sentencing for unjust crimes will not deter anybody from drugs. That action will only create worse monsters with whom Canadians will have to deal when these people get out of jail and raise their kids to have nothing but contempt and disrespect for the law. Repealing drug prohibition laws ought to be the first order of business in ending a cycle that has destroyed hundreds of thousands of lives in Canada since the war on (some) drugs Nixon started years ago. Chris Buors Winnipeg - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake