Majeres' Musings

Steven Harper has learned from the Yanks that you keep your hands clean with plausable denial by having your minions do the secret agenda dirty work.

In this case its ex-Reform, Stockwell Day who I believe still believes in what he said about mankind walking with dinasours when they were around.  kookoo.  OK, so Day is a Pawn/pundit for Steven Harpers' secret agenda and distates.

Case in Point, Stockwell Day attacking BC Judges with lies sprung from ignorance.  But its what Harper wants.  Get rid of Liberal Judges and replace them with more Conservative Judges who do not mind sending people away for a very long time ex.  haveing an indoor garden to CSA standards.....jail for a long long time.

I say Stephen can't stand Libertarian values of a government "staying the fuck out of my house".  Of course Stephen can't handle that since you might not be doing what Stephen is doing in his house as what he thinks and lives so should everyone else.............devils gift to Canada.  Get rid of originality amongst individual citizens.

So far Stephen hates the Senate - he attacked.

Stephen hates the Judges - sent someone else to attack.  He is learning distancing.

Stephen hates small interest groups that can get funding to change laws - he stops funding for them.

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OTTAWA - The chief judge of the provincial court of British Columbia is criticizing Stockwell Day, saying the Public Safety Minister's recent harsh words for B.C. judges were "melodramatic," and "misleading."

In an online commentary last week, Mr. Day blasted the province's judges for allegedly handing out short jail sentences, particularly for repeat criminal offenders.

"Especially in some courts in the lower mainland, there seems to be a trend, if not a rule, that the more crimes you get busted for, the less jail time you get hit with," Mr. Day wrote.

Mr. Day wrote that "judges seem to give these prolific law breakers shorter sentences as they continue to get busted for their car thefts, home invasions, B and E's etc."

He said by handing out shorter sentences, judges are allowing convicts to "cool their heels" in provincial jails rather than federal ones, where there are more rehabilitation programs for drug addicts.

"I'm sure the sentencing judges think they are doing these serial offenders a favour by keeping them out of 'the system,' " Mr. Day wrote. "The police tell me they think most judges aren't fully aware of the programs available in the federal system."

But Hugh Stansfield, the chief judge of B.C.'s provincial courts, says Mr. Day doesn't understand how the system works.

"If Mr. Day wants to come out and spend some time with me and learn how the system works, I'd be delighted to do that," Judge Stansfield said in an interview. "But I find his comments unhelpful and misleading."

Judge Stansfield said Mr. Day is referring to the particular problem of repeat criminal offenders -- many of whom are homeless people with mental illnesses -- who live in Vancouver's notorious Downtown Eastside.

He said Mr. Day is wrong to "melodramatically suggest" that a significant number of offenders have been charged more than 70 or 80 times.

He also said Mr. Day is wrong in saying that the more times people get charged and convicted, the shorter their sentences become. Judge Stansfield said the opposite is true.

He said the criminal records of some repeat offenders may show sentences of only one or two days but, in fact, many drug addicts in Vancouver spend 30 to 60 days in detention while awaiting their day in court. They are, therefore, sentenced to time already served after their arrests.

He said B.C.'s provincial courts handle about 100,000 cases each year. About 17,000 of those are in downtown Vancouver.

"Downtown Vancouver has the greatest difficulty with chronic offenders," Judge Stansfield said. "The Downtown Eastside has a significant population of deep-set problems, with mentally ill people who are often drug addicts, who are living on the street.

"To think that these social problems can be solved by sending people to jail for longer terms is a really simplistic and unfair approach. I don't think it's very helpful to simplify a very, very complex social problem that requires a response from the whole community."

Even if judges wanted to hand out tougher sentences, they are bound by a federal law requiring courts to consider house arrest and other alternatives to prison.

Un-snipp<

What can I say eccept that Dion has to get on Harpers case and start listing these things every chance he can get then tie it into what do you think he would do if he had a majority.  The Libs can think of other things that Harper has cut that is detrimental to minorities.  Dion can then pick up these minorities.

cheers :) majere

the ndp will be brought down a few notches because they don't count.