Its Come To This...
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*The PMO says Prime Minister Stephen Harper will issue an edict to his
ministers, reminding them that they're not above the law. *
Divas everywhere, in thi...
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Wednesday, March 17, 2010
Ideology over fact, ideology over logic, ideology over good governance
Having parliament is session and reading the daily onslaught of proposed changes that the Reformatories want to introduce is more frustrating that having them all prorogued and we do not even have the Olympics to watch.
The Minister of Justice is proposing changes to the Youth Offenders rules, adding the ability to publish the names of minors convicted of crimes, the admittance of evidence from previous encounters with the law, not convictions, previous encounters, and prosecutors will now have to justify why they are not trying a 14 year old as an adult in a serious offense, not the other way around. The proposals are being wrapped in the oxymoronic message that they are putting the public first, focussing on confinement rather than rehabilitation.
The facts according to experts who actually concern themselves with such things as facts, are that youth crime has continued to decline each year, including the current year, for both serious and non serious crimes and that the Supreme Court has already ruled that children must be treated differently that adults when assessing and assigning punishment for crimes. But those are just the facts.
Other legal experts believe the rehashed proposals are nothing more than political gamesmanship to a narrow political base and similar to the tactics used by Bush with his No Child Left Behind bullshit, this new reformatory proposal will achieve the opposite of it's lofty packaging.
Logically locking up our youngest offenders instead of focussing on their rehabilitation, while there is still time and better chance for rehabilitation will more likely produce hardened young adults who will have better chance of becoming professional criminals as soon as they are back on the streets, than productive members of society. But that is just too logical.
Unfortunately facts and logic do not exist for the Harper reformatories or if realized, they are just ignored. The main purpose of these draconian changes to our societal laws is to satisfy a rabid narrow base of bible bangers, living in privileged, sheltered rural based cities, who annually wear a cowboy hat, satisfied. Therefore allowing the Harpercons to focus their neocon endeavor of supporting the oil industry.
Nothing really new here. Same as it always was. It is just frustrating because they are back at so called work.
Linked to Globe article
The Minister of Justice is proposing changes to the Youth Offenders rules, adding the ability to publish the names of minors convicted of crimes, the admittance of evidence from previous encounters with the law, not convictions, previous encounters, and prosecutors will now have to justify why they are not trying a 14 year old as an adult in a serious offense, not the other way around. The proposals are being wrapped in the oxymoronic message that they are putting the public first, focussing on confinement rather than rehabilitation.
The facts according to experts who actually concern themselves with such things as facts, are that youth crime has continued to decline each year, including the current year, for both serious and non serious crimes and that the Supreme Court has already ruled that children must be treated differently that adults when assessing and assigning punishment for crimes. But those are just the facts.
Other legal experts believe the rehashed proposals are nothing more than political gamesmanship to a narrow political base and similar to the tactics used by Bush with his No Child Left Behind bullshit, this new reformatory proposal will achieve the opposite of it's lofty packaging.
Logically locking up our youngest offenders instead of focussing on their rehabilitation, while there is still time and better chance for rehabilitation will more likely produce hardened young adults who will have better chance of becoming professional criminals as soon as they are back on the streets, than productive members of society. But that is just too logical.
Unfortunately facts and logic do not exist for the Harper reformatories or if realized, they are just ignored. The main purpose of these draconian changes to our societal laws is to satisfy a rabid narrow base of bible bangers, living in privileged, sheltered rural based cities, who annually wear a cowboy hat, satisfied. Therefore allowing the Harpercons to focus their neocon endeavor of supporting the oil industry.
Nothing really new here. Same as it always was. It is just frustrating because they are back at so called work.
Linked to Globe article
Tuesday, March 16, 2010
Why does every announcement come with a billboard
Yesterday's announcement from Towes, the I have a plan, Safety Minister featured the old Vic with a aqua blue banner professing to protect us.
Today's announcement from Nicolson, the I am ignoring the fact that youth crime is declining, Justice Minister comes with a similar billboard and similar oxymoronic messaging.
Well if it's good enough for these ideologues, it's good enough for me.
Monday, March 15, 2010
Toews finally releases the Tory Emergency Response Plan
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