Category Archives: The Issues

Addiction, Issues, Media, Provincial

Help Wanted.

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What do you call the recent arrest of 8 senior members of the UN gang?

An employment opportunity.

Not a pretty reality, but reality nonetheless. A reality highlighted by police statements that the public should not expect these arrests to effect drug supplies, gang activity or gang violence.

That the arrests represent an employment opportunity should come as no surprise in light of what Abbotsford’s Chief Constable had to say about the lure of the lucrative gangsta lifestyle. Given our societies distorted emphasis on money and the things it can buy as measurements of success and a key to happiness no one should be flabbergasted by the scramble for the $$$ to be found in the drug business.

Indeed, given the reality challenged social and economic policies of both the federal and provincial government and our current economic recession, more and more heretofore honest citizens will find themselves faced with a choice between poverty and homelessness OR involvement in drugs …. Tough choice to find one’s self faced with.

Of course if the federal Conservatives or the provincial Liberals were in touch with reality Canadians would not be subjected to the Conservatives enthusiastically patting themselves on the back for progress made toward enacting legislation to jail large numbers of addicts, while at the same time substantially increasing time spent in jail.

Removing their ideological blinders and ceasing their naval gazing would perhaps allow the federal Conservatives and/or provincial Liberals to learn from the experience of states in the United States were they have been pursuing this lock ‘em up policy for a period of time.

The State of New York (and increasing numbers of other states) have abandoned this policy.

Why? It was gutting state programs across the board and literally bankrupting the state(s) to pay the skyrocketing costs incurred in incarcerating an every increasing number of people.

Faced with either significant tax increases or spending the budget, for the most part, solely to lock people up rather than on roads, social programs etc New York did what anyone with common sense would do upon finding themselves in a hole – stop digging.

Thus it is that after more than a decade of “locking them up for long sentences” New York and other states have stopped this insanity.
A wise decision in light of the studies evaluating this policy that found the only things the policy accomplished was to make incarceration a lucrative business, to drive states to the brink of bankruptcy and to criminalize addiction (which is a physical and mental health issue).

This is the current situation California finds itself in, hovering on the edge of bankruptcy and facing the need to reduce the prison population by 70,000 over the next 18 months.

The costs of building and funding prison spaces for 70,000 prisoners were so prohibitive California was not able to increase prison cells. Faced with a deluge of new prisoners California packed its existing prisons to the rafters. Conditions became so inhuman even the Bush appointed conservative US courts ordered the release of 70,000 prisoners to reduce overcrowding.

Like a true capitalist (as opposed to a Harper Conservative pseudo capitalist) the governor of California wants to repair California’s finances by recovering at least a portion of the funds squandered on a policy (lock ‘em up for years) that proved ineffective and contributed substantially to California tottering on the edge of bankruptcy.

To save the state from bankruptcy California’s governor has called for the legalization of marijuana. Between the taxes raised and the funds saved, California would have the funds to focus on the truly important issues facing the state such as ensuring a supply of potable water.

Given the results and experiences of US states following a policy of locking up increasing numbers of people for increasing lengths of times it is nonsensical, bordering on out-and-out stupid, for Canada to pursue a policy that has proven to be pointless and costly to the point of beggaring anyone short-sighted enough to pursue this policy.

Given Mr. Harper’s behaviour to date the probability of common sense and experience winning out on this matter over Mr. Harper’s ideology approaches zero.

So it was that the media circus staged by the Abbotsford Police Department in arresting Tim Felger seemed to provide an appropriate exclamation point to emphasize the futility of current policies vis-à-vis the drugs society chooses to label “illegal”.

“Without reflection, we go blindly on our way, creating more unintended consequences, and failing to achieve anything useful.” Margaret J. Wheatley

Consider, Provincial

A Plague on Both.

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The Canuck’s season ending loss, coming on the eve of the provincial elections and dashing dreams of Lord Stanley’s Cup, seems almost Delphic in mature. Victory by either the Liberals or the NDP on the morrow will bring sorrow to the citizens of BC.

The airwaves of BC are full of Gordon Campbell boasting of his and the Liberal party’s prowess on the economic front while ignoring the economic reality that existed worldwide over the Liberals term in office.

By implication the fact that the world economy enjoyed its biggest boom and only a complete idiot would not benefit from the boom had nothing to do with the good economic times. Of course he is quick to lay blame for the economic downturn on the world wide economic downturn even though following his logic on the economic boom should mean that the economic downturn is a result of Liberal economic policy in the same manner as Liberal economic policy was responsible for the boom.

So what else did the Liberals accomplish during the time of economic boom? The wealthy certainly made out like pirates as the Liberals brought about the largest transfer of wealth to the wealthy from working and poor BC Citizens; they managed to increase the number of homeless, poverty, addicts and mentally ill on the streets; increased the numbers of poor and the numbers of working poor; failed to address addiction and mental illness while ignoring effective best practices; ignored the increasing social issues in our society; they refused to consider light rail for the valley even though this was the preferred option of valley residents; they did manage to gloss over that they are less fiscally responsible than they claim as demonstrated by the massive overrun of the convention centre; boldly claimed tax reductions by pretending that fees raised or newly imposed are not taxes; built an unequalled record of questionable ethical behaviours.

Liberal platform, policies, ideology, priorities, record, performance claims and behaviour, taken in concert with the NDP attack ads, drive home the fact that one can give no credence to Liberal claims that they are capable of providing the leadership BC needs at this time. Meaning there is no way one should vote for the Liberals under Gordon Campbell’s leadership.

The NDP remain fiscally irresponsible in not formulating sound fiscal policies or policies reflective of the real world most British Columbians live in; that the first two planks in their election platform have more to do with their two major union supporters and saleability to the public than addressing the truly pressing issues in BC; homelessness, addiction, poverty, the poor and other social issues are not “pretty” but they are major issues facing BC; that they are against the carbon tax (one of the good choices made by Gordon Campbell and Liberals) because as an electorate button pushing issue it is politically convenient, calling into question their commitment to the environment if it is politically inconvenient; they attack the Liberals on issues such as John Van Dongen’s tickets but make excuses for why these standards should not apply when it comes to light their candidates suffer similar lapses; ignore the reality that throwing money at healthcare and education will accomplish nothing until the education and healthcare systems are reformed so new monies invested do not get spent mainly on administration and not providing services.

The NDP platform, policies, ideology, priorities, record, political expediency and behaviour, taken in concert with the Liberal attack ads, drive home the fact that I can give no credence to NDP claims that they are capable of providing the leadership BC needs at this time. Which means there is no way I would vote for the NDP under Carole James’s leadership.

Of course the fact that I sent a question to Carole James at the start of the campaign did not help any. It wasn’t that I did not get a reply that was so aggravating, rather it was that after sending the inquiry I was spammed by the NDP wanting money, money and more money.

When I have expressed my deep regret that there is not a “None of the Above” option to choose people have suggested not voting but not voting is not an option to me. Not voting simply favours and encourages our current politicians in their current slipshod and undesirable behaviours.

Besides I have to go and cast my NO to the Single Transferable Vote (STV) proposition because I feel strongly that STV is not a good or wise change.

An electoral system needs to clear and understandable on how the vote (or votes) a voter is casting will affect the outcome of the vote – as they are casting their ballot. A complicated mathematical system does not meet this most basic requirement, no matter what claims for clarity or the understand-ability by the boosters of STV.

Any system that results in the outcome (who is elected) of the ballot a voter casts being, in the view of the voters, indeterminate or a mystery is not a system that should be used. If the desired goal is to ensure minority parties such as the Greens have representation in the legislature there are better, more direct and simple, reforms that would achieve this.

If the purpose of the reform is to ensure that the legislature reflects the province wide vote totals and percentages I must disagree with this goal. The Province of BC is to diverse not to ensure that ridings are represented as they choose even if it results in a difference between the province wide vote totals and the results on a riding to riding basis.

In our diverse society we should not be applying the bell curve to election results to massage the results into being homogeneous.
My preferred option is not open to me as unfortunately I live in Abbotsford West not Abbotsford South and so cannot cast a ballot for Tim Felger. Yes I know … but can you think of a better way to express and drive home voters dissatisfaction with provincial politicians than to send Mr. Felger to Victoria with them?

With out the Felger option I am left to decide between spoiling my candidate’s ballot or voting Green.

The concept of voters who find themselves disenfranchised by our current electoral system getting out and spoiling their ballots by marking them for all the candidates or none of the candidates holds the possibility of sending a powerful message.

With so many Canadians feeling disenfranchised, feeling they have to choose the least objectionable choice when casting their ballot, Canadians who have stopped voting because “it makes no difference who you vote for” and the pool of voters who are unmotivated to vote there is the potential in all ridings to have more spoiled ballots cast than are cast for the “winning candidate”. This type of result would send a very powerful and clear expression of citizen’s thoughts and the need for reform.

Indeed with the turnout for elections in Canada it could turn out that more spoiled ballots would be cast than ballots for candidates or their parties. Now that would be a message.

To be effective as a message would require a large number of ballots be spoiled which would or perhaps that should be will require time to get the idea out into the public and make it part of the debate about voting options at the next federal or provincial election.

I also am considering the option of voting Green as a way to say that I don’t want either the Liberals or NDP to have a minority government, but prefer a minority government with the Green Party holding the balance of power.

People voted for a minority federal government, many BC citizens would prefer a minority government over having either the Liberals or NDP form a majority government. What does this say about the state of politics and Government and/or the lack of real leadership in BC and Canada?

Issues, Municipal

Judge not …

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It was good to read Mr. Herar’s column and see that his impending move to the Times had been accomplished. Lamentably less judgement and more understanding are greatly needed commodities in Abbotsford.

Speaking of less judgement, Mr. Herar’s assumption that “you guys” equates to “Indo-Canadians” and that his friend’s remarks were racist in nature was judgemental and not necessarily true.

Given the Christian bent of Abbotsford “you guys” could have been referring to Non-Christians since, as anyone who has ears to hear knows, it is these Non-Christian hell bound sinners that are responsible for the moral failings in our community.

Alternatively “you guys” could have been broadly referring to any peoples with different cultural behaviours and language. Fear of the “different” or of change is not unusual in members of the dominant culture and is often expressed in intolerance. It is not necessarily race related – just ask French Canadians.

Mr. Hear’s friend may simply be a xenophobe and not necessarily a racist or guilty of racist remarks.

The point I endeavour to make is that, whether it is Mr. Herar or his friend doing the judging, making judgements based on ignorance and assumptions (you know what they say about assume – it makes an as out of u and me) is the foundation upon which prejudice in all it’s virulent forms is built.

An open mind and spirit of being non-judgmental is what allows for understanding and leads to a community being enriched in a manner that only Diversity can enrich a community.

Ironically prejudice does not discriminate, being glad to take root in any closed mind.

When I was moving from homelessness into my current home-space I was inundated with horror stories on Indo-Canadians, especially as landlords. This flood of prejudice was a result of the fact I was moving into a predominantly Indo-Canadian neighbourhood and my landlords were Indo-Canadian.

What appalled me was not so much the prejudice as the ignorance shown by the stories and statements. One of the lessons that life has taught me is that people are people. In any group (language, religion, culture, subculture etc) you will fine the good, the bad and the ugly.

Eighteen months latter I am living in the same place, my landlords are good people (hopefully they think I am a good tenant), it is a nice neighbourhood with good neighbours. My biggest regret … well beside the fact that my landlords and neighbours are not aliens from Vulcan, Bajor, Betazed, Gallifrey etc … is that I do not speak Punjabi which limits my understanding and ability to understand and explore the richness of the Indo-Canadian culture.

Incongruously, prejudice is as happy to take root in the minds of those who are at the bottom of the pecking order, treated with contempt and victims of prejudice and stereotyping themselves; evidenced by the fact that many of the horror stories I was told about Indo-Canadians as landlords were by that disdained group – the homeless.

Recent letters in the local papers about the affordable housing project on Clearbrook Road have dredged up memories of attending the community witch hunts late last year on the proposed Clearbrook and Emerson sites.

As one of “Them” it was made clear that I was unfit to associate with the people of those neighbourhoods. That being one of “Them” I was a slobbering, mindless beast, a threat to man, woman and child. Worse, I (we) posed a threat to their Things, their possessions.

In a virtuoso demonstration of ignorance, closed minds, unreasonable fear, ego-centrism, prejudice and intolerance the mob made it very clear that as far as they were concerned every one of “Them” should be sent off, preferably to a leper colony in a remote and distant location.

Why, the very presence of “Them” would bring about the destruction of their neighbourhoods. Although I do concede that the presence of “Them” in the neighbourhood could indeed have posed a threat to their dogmatism.

The ignominy of it all left me with a bad taste in my mouth and highly insulted.

Mr. Herar should count his blessings. As one of “those guys” he is still acknowledged to be a human being. It could be worse. He could be one of “Them”, one of the inhuman beasts to be shunned.

Fortunately for me, the recommendation of someone who actually knew me was good enough for my Indo-Canadian landlords to rent to me, even though I was of a different culture and – gasp – one of “Them”.

Consider, Federal, Provincial

A matter of Choice, not Vote.

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It is a matter of choice, not a matter of voting.

The majority of people equate being able to vote with being or living in a democracy. They are wrong.

If it was merely a question of being able to vote in elections then China would be a democracy. After all the Chinese government regularly holds elections for elective office that citizens turn out in their millions to vote in. Yet most Canadians would not consider China to be a democracy.

Why? While Chinese citizens get to vote and are encouraged to vote, they are limited to casting their votes for candidates all of whom are from the Communist Party and approved by the Party. They cannot make a choice onthe policies, direction, priorities, practices or behaviours of their government.

Democracy is not defined or contingent upon voting; rather it is a matter of choice, the ability to use your vote to choose and/or have a say in the policies, direction, priorities, practices or behaviours of the government.

Since incorrect policies, direction, priorities, practices or behaviours by the government will give rise to negative, perhaps very negative, outcomes – citizens want to choose MLAs and a government that will pursue policies, direction, priorities, practices or behaviours that will bring about positive outcomes.

If, as in the current BC provincial election, only bad policies, direction, priorities, practices or behaviours are offered to choose among, without some way to reject the bad choices citizens are denied the ability to make a choice that will have positive outcomes.

In being denied the ability to choose policies, direction, priorities, practices or behaviours that will have positive outcome; citizens am denied the ability to choose.

It is the inability to choose, to vote for desired, policies, direction, priorities, practices or behaviours that makes the current provincial election an undemocratic election.

Indeed given the current state of elections in BC and throughout Canada, denying as they do citizens the ability to choose policies, direction, priorities, practices or behaviours they want their government(s) to pursue, Canada has ceased to be a democracy.

While Canada has not yet become as undemocratic as China, until we as a country adopt election legislation that presents citizens with a range of choices reflective of desirable policies, direction, priorities, practices or behaviours or enables citizens to reject all choices if they are considered unacceptable – elections will be undemocratic in nature and Canada will not be a democracy.

Addiction, Federal, Issues

Media needs to address the issues pf drug policy and legalization.

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I was reading Mike Archer’s comments in Abbotsford Today about how the old media (newspapers, television news) needs to learn “how to simply tell it straight” on important issues such as drug legalization which lead to the following commentary by me:

I wrote and submitted several letters/commentaries during our recent blitz of hand wringing and “the sky is falling” reporting that took place during the weeks when gang warfare filled the pages or airtime in the best “if it bleeds it leads” traditional media practices.

I pointed out that if you want to “lock ‘em up” you need a place to incarcerate them which we lack as our prison system is currently full and overflowing. Thus in order to carry out a program of long prison sentences would require an investment of billions of dollars in new prisons and more millions of dollars on a yearly basis to operate the prisons.

It was pointed out that arresting all the drug dealers in BC would have only a transitory effect since within a matter of days new people would have stepped in to reap the lucrative rewards that our policy choices have pumped into the illegal drug trade.

An exploration was made about the manner in which our greed based society, with its economic and cultural inequities, lack of options/opportunities and emphasis on greed, self-centeredness and ME, ensures a steady and ready supply of people willing to be employed in the illegal drug trade with its high material rewards.

Economic analysis revealed that what are termed “successes” by law enforcement pump more money into the illegal drug business providing the illegal business with more funds to spend to import/export/distribute the product (drugs) and increase the economic rewards to those employed in the illegal drug business.

Economic analysis also revealed how important the illegal drug business is in cushioning the effects of the worldwide economic meltdown on the BC economy and the other positive effects on the BC economy of having a major billion dollar agricultural export crop that is recession proof. Even in good times the large cash flow created by the illegal drug business is a major positive factor in the BC economy; whether from the illegal drug business or from the law enforcement employment resulting from keeping these drugs illegal.

The fact that calling it a “drug war” was inaccurate and misleading was examined since the war is not on drugs but on the addicts who use drugs. The victims of illegal drugs are further victimized by the war being waged against them by society and its agencies.

Supply/demand capitalist theory makes clear that the only way to successfully reduce the illegal drug trade is to reduce demand, to stop waging war on the addicts and instead render to them the aid they need to get into recovery and out of addiction. That our policy must focus on putting in place the infrastructure and supports to successfully get addicts into recovery and wellness.

The falseness of the argument that legalizing drugs would lead to increased drug use was revealed by the fact that anyone anywhere can find the illegal drug of their choice. Thus those who would turn to drugs have, leaving no flood of new addiction to occur since those who would be addicts are already addicts.

The insanity of continuing to do the same thing over and over decade after decade was noted.

All this leads to the conclusion that we need a major change in policy to legalize drugs in the same manner prohibition was repealed. Especially in light of the reality that alcohol is the most abused drug, abused more than all illegal drugs combined.

With the economic reality Canada and the world faces we as a society cannot continue to waste resources on ineffectual policies. We no longer can afford the luxury of pursuing a costly and failing policy simply because we are emotionally and ideologically attached to the policy.

We need to have a rational national discussion on legalization.

Yet the traditional media did not print even one letter that questions the intelligence of our current policy.

In their arguments that there should be an internet tax with the monies raised going to support newspapers, newspapers and staff cited newspapers being “important to our democracy”.

How can newspapers and other traditional media claim to be important to democracy when they refuse to examine the reality of the issue of our policies on illegal drugs?

Obviously they can’t.

Which is why you are correct when stating “If it is to survive at all, the old media has to learn, once again, how to simply tell it straight.”

Not to mention being willing to address issues of national importance even if such an examination is not considered “politically correct.”

Mike Archer’s comments:

A story broke in the Vancouver Sun April 15, that read more the like the screenplay to a Burt Reynolds movie about rum-running in the 1920’s than it did a major drug bust in 2009.

The story was about an Abbotsford man who was caught transporting 150 kilos of pot across the border. Every newspaper story I read on the subject called him a farm boy and ran with photos of what looked like three good ‘ole boys who had made a bad business decision.

The Vancouver Sun editors even went so far as to include s sub-head over the story that said: “Jansen basically a ‘law-abiding’ citizen, lawyer says.”

The connections between this story and the stories about gang violence and death, about which we’ve been so concerned, don’t much enter into the whole impression a reader might get from the packaging. If these were good kids who made a bad mistake then I guess the much-demonized Bacon Brothers are just good kids who made worse mistakes.

They’ve both been playing the same game. Why are the two stories treated so differently?

How does ‘basically law-abiding’ go together with ‘trucking 158 kilos of pot across the border’?

These are either drug dealers or folk heros. Let’s make up our minds.

We’re staring a depression in the face as bad as The Great Depression and we can’t seem to get our stories straight about the world we live in. Everyone acknowledges that prohibition didn’t work; in fact it created crime and violence. Our modern version of prohibition isn’t faring any better, nor do we seem to remember how they worked it out nearly a century ago when they faced the same situation.

If ever there was a time for straight talk it is now. The old media has forgotten how to do that. The media (including the new media) is always playing to its perceived audience. Right now the traditional media is wandering blind in a dark cave where none of its tools will shed any light on the situation or tell it where its audience has gone.

Self-censorship is a cardinal sin for a journalist and yet we have reached a point where the old media seems more like packaged information looking for an audience, prepared to be repackaged in an instant depending on the audience.

But consumers of information have become more savvy and more impatient. Today, content matters more than the packaging and an industry that has concentrated on nothing else for decades can’t remember how to do it. The new media has yet to find its place but it will be on the right track if it dares to tell the truth. Abbotsford Today’s Vince Dimanno said as much in his column The Truth Politicians know the media game better than those in the media and are very successful at manipulating it to serve their own ends. If it is to survive at all, the old media has to learn, once again, how to simply tell it straight.

For those who don’t remember how it all got worked out a century ago; the guys who made bad decisions became folk heros, the guys who made worse decisions went to jail or got killed and, oh yeah, they ended prohibition and legalized booze because the ‘war on booze’ just didn’t work.