Zach LarkinsSOME COMMON SENSE?
Our judicial system is broken. I've written about this in the past and it is gratiying to finally see someone agree with me. Lorrie Goldstein of the Toronto Sun has writen a piece explaining just where we fail society in granting criminals rehab and parole rather than actually sentencing to the length of time they deserve to spend behind bars according to what they have done.
I have written that I feel the Americans have a better system than us when it comes to picking judges. They elect their judges and that makes them accountable to the general population when they screw up. Let a mass murderer off with a slap on the wrist and next election you'll be picking up an unemployment cheque instead of a hefty salary. Over here, judges are appointed and thus not accountable to anyone for their decisions. This is why you see some perps getting bail and being released back on the streets before the ink is dry on the arresting officers report form.
Our provincial Liberal government thinks it is just fine and dandy to ban handguns, in order to bring down the crime rate. What a bunch of hooey. Since 1934, you've had to get special permission, get police clearances, buy special storage lockers, keep the ammo separate from the gun itself, pass licencing exams, carry a permit ad nauseum to own a handgun so that you could go down to the local rifle range to shoot at targets. What they fail to recognize is that although handguns are the weapon of choice among theives, robbers, muggers and other low-lifes, those people don't and won't register their weapons in the first place.
The bottom of the barrel types will obtain illegal weapons wherever and however they can and just because you say 'register the sucker' doesn't mean they're going to comply. Our gun registry has already proven, to the tune of about 2 billion dollars, how useless this type of thinking is. Instead of burdening us with yet another stupid piece of useless legislation, why not make judges accountable for their actions?
The laws are on the books already. It's time someone enforced them. You let that piece of drek out on bail for a serious crime and now he goes and shoots someone else? Guess what? You can join him in a jail cell.
"In a 1971 speech to Parliament, then Liberal solicitor-general Jean-Pierre Goyer, complained about the high costs of keeping criminals incarcerated, adding: "The present situation results from the fact that (the) protection of society has received more emphasis than the rehabilitation of inmates. Consequently, we have decided from now on to stress the rehabilitation of offenders, rather than the protection of society." How's that for convaluted thinking?
Yeah, it costs money to keep a prisoner in the joint. Maybe that's why people are fed up with the system and demanding a return of the death penalty. I still maintain that it's cheaper to buy $10.00 worth of rope, throw up maybe $2,000.00 worth of scaffolding and have it done than to feed, house and clothe the prick for the next 20 years. I don't make $85,000.00 a year, but that's what it costs us to put an inmate into the crowbar motel. Assuming, of course, that they ever end up there.
"Given that politicians ultimately decide who is appointed a judge, it's hardly surprising many judges, particularly those drawn from the ranks of defence lawyers -- who support soft sentencing and easy parole for obvious reasons -- have the same lenient views as our political class." This is just plain wrong. When the Liberals give their buddies some of the pork, everything is peachy- keen. But let a Conservative like Harper try to put some teeth back into the laws that govern our nation and he is chastised by not only the Liberals, but the Bloc and NDP as well. I am well aware of the difference between federal and provincial politics, but leadership has to come from the top, and the top at the moment is Mr. Harper. Our provincial AG prefers to hand out buttons calling for a ban on handguns.
How asinine can you get?
I have written that I feel the Americans have a better system than us when it comes to picking judges. They elect their judges and that makes them accountable to the general population when they screw up. Let a mass murderer off with a slap on the wrist and next election you'll be picking up an unemployment cheque instead of a hefty salary. Over here, judges are appointed and thus not accountable to anyone for their decisions. This is why you see some perps getting bail and being released back on the streets before the ink is dry on the arresting officers report form.
Our provincial Liberal government thinks it is just fine and dandy to ban handguns, in order to bring down the crime rate. What a bunch of hooey. Since 1934, you've had to get special permission, get police clearances, buy special storage lockers, keep the ammo separate from the gun itself, pass licencing exams, carry a permit ad nauseum to own a handgun so that you could go down to the local rifle range to shoot at targets. What they fail to recognize is that although handguns are the weapon of choice among theives, robbers, muggers and other low-lifes, those people don't and won't register their weapons in the first place.
The bottom of the barrel types will obtain illegal weapons wherever and however they can and just because you say 'register the sucker' doesn't mean they're going to comply. Our gun registry has already proven, to the tune of about 2 billion dollars, how useless this type of thinking is. Instead of burdening us with yet another stupid piece of useless legislation, why not make judges accountable for their actions?
The laws are on the books already. It's time someone enforced them. You let that piece of drek out on bail for a serious crime and now he goes and shoots someone else? Guess what? You can join him in a jail cell.
"In a 1971 speech to Parliament, then Liberal solicitor-general Jean-Pierre Goyer, complained about the high costs of keeping criminals incarcerated, adding: "The present situation results from the fact that (the) protection of society has received more emphasis than the rehabilitation of inmates. Consequently, we have decided from now on to stress the rehabilitation of offenders, rather than the protection of society." How's that for convaluted thinking?
Yeah, it costs money to keep a prisoner in the joint. Maybe that's why people are fed up with the system and demanding a return of the death penalty. I still maintain that it's cheaper to buy $10.00 worth of rope, throw up maybe $2,000.00 worth of scaffolding and have it done than to feed, house and clothe the prick for the next 20 years. I don't make $85,000.00 a year, but that's what it costs us to put an inmate into the crowbar motel. Assuming, of course, that they ever end up there.
"Given that politicians ultimately decide who is appointed a judge, it's hardly surprising many judges, particularly those drawn from the ranks of defence lawyers -- who support soft sentencing and easy parole for obvious reasons -- have the same lenient views as our political class." This is just plain wrong. When the Liberals give their buddies some of the pork, everything is peachy- keen. But let a Conservative like Harper try to put some teeth back into the laws that govern our nation and he is chastised by not only the Liberals, but the Bloc and NDP as well. I am well aware of the difference between federal and provincial politics, but leadership has to come from the top, and the top at the moment is Mr. Harper. Our provincial AG prefers to hand out buttons calling for a ban on handguns.
How asinine can you get?
maybe somewhat right about the judges here, but, celebrities get treated very differently from the regular Joe...so our system isn't any better than yours my friend!
Great read though...
Take care,
Nick
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