Truly disappointed

Megan Walkers sound bites after being nominated as the NDP candidate in the London North Centre By-Election were quite disheartening. This is yet another reason I have a hard time truly committing to the NDP and why I decided to join the Greens. The NDP often complain about the performances of other MP's during Question Period. The latest of course is Peter MacKay's supposed words against Belinda. Yet this example of pure verbal diarrhea is contrary to the NDP's stance on name calling:

"I'm asking you to send the anti-women, anti-gay, anti-environment,
anti-equality but pro-George Bush Dianne Haskett a message," Walker said to loud
applause from the more than 200 people at the Central Library's Wolf Performance
Hall. London-North-Centre isn't the London parachute club. (The riding) is
not here for you to drop in when you need a job. Dianne, I hope the new
lease you signed on your apartment has a one-month expiry date, because you're
going to need it."

Walker had words for her Green Party opponent as well. "To Elizabeth May, London-North-Centre is not rent-a-riding to be used and discarded. Real people with real problems live here," she said, calling the NDP the greenest party in the country.

When I see this kind of useless utterances I can't help but feel sorry for the NDP. Firstly to call a woman who is quite successful anti-woman is misguided. You make a fool out of yourself and your party. You can call her anti-gay or Bush lite if you must to distinguish yourself from her but calling her anti-woman is wrong. You may not agree with her policies but she has been very successful and very independent. She worked hard to get where she has been and trying to discredit her is foolish.

To make even more foolish statements about Elizabeth May shows how petty a candidate she is. She underestimates Elizabeth May's ability to stand up for the people she is working with. To call her party the greenest party in the country is very foolish as well. Elizabeth May is infamous for her Cape Breton Tar Sands stance. What has the NDP done that is remotely environmental? Jack flies from province to province. I don't see Lizzie doing that--can I call her Lizzie??--she takes the train all over the place. And for Megan Walker, three little letters for her regarding environmental issues--CAW. How can a party claim to be environmental when they are a huge Union party--the big supporter suppose to be CAW which protects the rights of workers in an industry that is a big polluter.

Megan also underestimates the people of North London. As someone who grew up in and around the area rudeness doesn't play well in the elections. People from South Western Ontario don't like unkind things!

It's Official

I've made a commitment that I've not made in my life. I've joined a political party. It was a matter of time before I jumped into the political party ring. Which party have I joined?

It appears I'm going the way of my partner. He is a Green Party of Canada member who ran in the 2004 Federal Elections in Beaches-East York. He has also made his intentions known that he is seeking the nomination in the Davenport riding for the pending federal election. So to support him and because I think the Green Party is where I'm at politically at the present moment I've joined the group.

Some would think this is an odd choice for me. Often times people ask if I'm an NDPer. It would make sense as I'm all about Social Justice. I'm an avid pusher of social justice policy and often write about it on this blog. However, I was reluctant to join this political party because of the leader of the party. Jack is the lesser of the three evils--or was--of the big parties. Harper and I don't see eye to eye on anything, and the people he has running his ministries are a complete bunch of idiots and I will not join a party that has a deep root of social conservatism. If Joe was running the Conservatives as they use to be I'd give it a thought but at the current state there is no way I'd ever vote or join the Conservatives. I use to be a Liberal fan because they were socially progressive and fiscally responsible. However under Martin's reign I refused to give them a second thought. After Chretien's second round I refused to give them second thought. So Alexa McDonough and the NDP started getting my votes.

As of late though Jack has done nothing for me other than be a protest vote against both the Liberals and the Conservatives. However I feel empowered lately to make a vote with my great pride. I feel the Greens are where the Liberals ought to be. They are socially progressive yet fiscally responsible. They are more than a one issue party which for me is a key to my joining. I like the Leader. I admire her ability to put herself out there and her party out there. I like her fighting spirit and when I met her briefly in the summer she was very delightful. Not full of the usual weird standoffishness of most leaders. I remember meeting Dalton McGuinty the first time he ran against Mike Harris. He was very standoffish. Just a plain, hi, and then off he went. There wasn't much sincerity in it. I remember voting Liberal that election just because I couldn't stand Harris.

So here I am, a member of a political party at last. I suppose in a few years I'll consider running provincially or federally. This year though I'll concentrate on helping Peter out with his election.

Wow, lots of interesting news items to comment on today!!

You just have to love a day full of items that you can comment on. Of course my favorite person was in the news today but I'll save him for last. In case you are a first time reader that would be my Vic Toews.

First item on the plate, the hot issue--or so I think it could be shortly enough--is an item out of Winnipeg. The story goes something along the lines that a boy who has Spina bifida was locked in a shed which was put on fire. He survived with smoke inhalation. The real sad part about the story is the age of the individuals who did this to this young man. They are all under the age of 12. From what I have gathered there were about five children ranging in age from 8 to 11. This news item comes at a time when there is much talk in the Parliament from the Cons to lower the age of criminal responsibility to 10. The current YCJA has the criminal responsibility at 12. After reading this story a large majority of Canadians are going to think that the age should be lowered to 10. I, however, think that the people of Canada should think cautiously about this.

I won't go into the developmental considerations one needs to make regarding this issue. This kind of event is where a holistic approach needs to be taken. Prevention and intervention go a lot farther than locking these kids up. What the community needs to do in this situation is figure out what approach they will take. Can they be violators of human rights and lock these kids up? I hope that they choose a higher path. These kids do need to be held accountable for their actions, as do their parents, but putting them on trial is not the solution. We're very fortunate that this young gentleman survived the incident. I think in this instance a community justice circle is needed for both the survivor and his family and the children who committed this act and their families. The community needs to heal and it can not do that properly by coming down on these children.

Some people will ask what about this gentleman--Brian McKay? What about his human rights to live and be free of harm. They are absolutely correct to say this. I ask what purpose would it serve Brian if his accusers were to be locked up? Revenge at best. Brian will need to heal, he'll need to ask his accusers why and they will have to tell him why. I think this serves a better means of solace for all.

Next item on the agenda for me. A sad story out of Montreal. For the second time in three days there has been a murder of a woman at the hands of a man who is suppose to love her. Three days earlier a husband killed his two children and wife before trying to kill himself. This has always been a worrisome issue for me. Again it boils down to where are the tax paying dollars going? Not to protecting vulnerable people but to the fat wallets of big industry. This story is on the heels of the Barrie case that occurred a couple weeks ago. Agencies and government came under fire for not protecting the children of that case. I always find it a sad state of affairs when women and children die at the hands of those that are suppose to love them, care for them and keep them safe. What I find even sadder is the fact that this current government does not seem to care about the plight of women and children. There is not equality and the government has made it so by decreasing the funding to Status of Women and by removing the word "equality" from the mandate of that Ministry.

Next item on my agenda is the call for Ottawa to use the crimes against humanity legislation for the indictment of Robert Mugabe. I think that Ottawa should hear this call and put forward the motion to indict Robert Mugabe for the crimes he did commit. Not only should they do it for him but I think Canada can set a great example of what kind of human rights violations they are willing to tolerate. In my opinion there should be no room for movement on human rights violations. If a person is suspected of committing crimes against humanity they should be put on more than the Amnesty International watch list. There should be NO TOLERATION of this kind of injustice. Canada needs to send a message to would be criminals that what they are going to or are doing is wrong and there are consequences for their actions.

Now on to some good news. Good news coming from the Liberals--shocking I know. At the provincial level here in Ontario, Dalton McGuinty has agreed to add character education to the curriculum. That means that kids are going to be taught social skills in their education. This is a great announcement. I like that kids are taught to be kinder to one another, and taught about respect and responsibility. This is a great preventative strategy that will hopefully prevent the above mentioned acts from occurring.

Now for my favorite person. He's never too far from the news that Justice Minister of mine. Today he introduced the three strikes you're out legislation. I'm glad to see the opposition called him on the misguided piece of crap. Toews, a supposed lawyer turned politician, dismisses all the academic studies that have suggested that the tough on crime approach doesn't work. He's also in the habit of dismissing the fact that this piece of legislation will not survive a constitutional challenge. What a joker that Mr. Toews, dismissing smart people. A criminologist from that right wing think tank SFU even agrees with the lefties on that issue of the three strikes rule. It hasn't worked in the US so why would it work here? It's not a matter of being left or right, it's a matter of understanding the fact that tough on crime is a waste of money period. That in itself should be enough ammo for the consideration against the three strikes law.

My favorite quote from him today is the following :

"It absolutely will act as a deterrent,” Toews said. “It is
not unconstitutional, we have considered it very carefully.”

Open Letter to the Justice Minister

Dear Mr. Toews,

Oh how silly you are Mr. Toews. You’re at it again and you know how much I love your shenanigans!! I was reading a quick blurb online and low and behold my favourite person appeared to be in the news. That is you Mr. Vic Toews our Justice Minister to this land. Why do I love you so much?? Well to be honest who doesn’t love an idiot who is paid more than he deserves!

Today you announced that you will sit down with the provincial attorney generals and go over some legal things. One of them being my favourite topic Youth Justice. You are proposing, yet again, to toughen the youth justice act.

Was the supreme court ruling on not using sentences as a deterrence principal not suffice for you? No, you’re going to go above the heads of the judges who sit on the panel which governs the laws of our country and say “Screw you and those youth bastards.”

What is it with the youth population that you have a problem with? I just don’t get it. Yes I know they’re getting to be more of a bastard population. They can be rude and defiant and if you ask me royal pains in the asses. But I still enjoy their youthfulness and passion. Maybe that’s why I work around them because they have such a naivety about them. Either way you’ve got to get over this hate on the youth population.

What will toughening the youth justice act do for the nation anyways? By toughening it they’re going to create more problems financially. You’re co-worker Stockwell Day and your boss Stephen Harper have both stated this. How are the provinces suppose to account for this? Courts are going to be flooded with cases of really stupid and petty criminal attempts. Kids are going to go through the legal system when really they need to be going through the Ministry that deals with families and children. I believe that would be the Ministry of Child and Family Services. Money should be put there instead of putting it in locking down kids. Prevention goes a long way in keeping kids out of courts. But what do I know, I’m just a lowly child and youth care worker.

I also heard a rumour you were going to use the “three strikes and you’re out” rule of thumb that California is soooooo happy to be using. Lets look at the statistics of that state and their implementation of the three strikes and you’re out rule.

California spent 5.8 billion in the past 15 years building on their prison industrial complex. They continue to be the largest and overcrowded prison system in the US. They estimate that it’s going to cost roughly 6.1 billion over the next decade to maintain the current level of overcrowding. Money that could be spent much better if you ask me.

Let’s look at the prison population of the US. 70% of the prisoners are illiterate. What’s that you say, you don’t care. That’s right your federal funding counterpart thought it was a waste of money to put into adult literacy programs. I forgot about that. So instead of using a couple of million of dollars to fund a program that ensure some level of success for an adult you are willing to spend a couple of billions to lock them up. That’ll really teach them to read. Another statistic for you. Roughly 200 000 of the folks in the prisons in the US have a serious mental illness. What’s that you say. Slash cuts to social funding the conservative way. That’ll really teach those crazy folks to get their lives in order and manage it better. 60-70% of the population have a substance abuse issue. What’s that you say, get tougher on criminals who have a health problem. That’ll really teach those drunks and drug addicts to get their life together. Much the same as those crazy people. 80% of the population in California is Afro-American. What’s that you say, screw those folks of colour or different ethnicity. Well that’s just not very nice of you. Much like the US our prison population consists of a large number of Aboriginals and other minorities. That’s just the adult population.

In the US and their tough on crime act, juvenile delinquents—as that is what they are called there—are treated similar to the adult population. This kind of treatment goes against the very nature of the UN Rights of the Child convention around unfair and unusual punishment. According the NY Times columnist Adam Liptak in 2005 roughly 9700 American youth were serving life sentences for which about a fifth do not have a chance of parole. Until recently the US even attached a death penalty some of those youth criminals. The US does not take into account the special developmental considerations around youth criminality. This is where Canada can take a leading role. Yet you Mr. Toews have chosen to hone in on youth criminals and make examples out of them when really you should be educating and encouraging growth. Oh yeah that’s right, according to Amnesty International the only political party in Canada that wants to bring back the death penalty is the Reform, opps I mean Alliance, opps the New Conservatives.

If your government is so worried about misspending tax payer dollars why in the hell are they using it to lock people down. What a waste if you ask me. As a tax paying and practising voting citizen I reserve the right to tell you what a complete and utter waste of my resources. I want you to spend my money much more appropriately and using it to fund super jails or other holding tanks is not a good way to spend it.

Oh and Mr. Toews, can you please pass on a message to your boss. He said the following:

“For years, one of the defining features of this country has been our
historically low rates of crime. The relative safety of big cities like Toronto
compared to their American counterparts has been a difference of which we've
been rightly proud. But rising levels of gun, gang and drug crime shown that we
cannot take this for granted.”

I live in Toronto and feel just as safe as I did coming from my small town Woodstock. The gun, gang and drug crime he’s talking about for the most part stays in the little area of the city. Instead of locking those kids up, lets get funding into social service programs or prevention programs for the at-risk neighbourhoods. If he needs an example of what funding for at-risk kids can do tell him to have a look at the Pathways to Education program run out of Regent Park. That program is arming the kids with educational tools instead of guns.

Sincerely your biggest fan!