From the Stooopid on Crime file.
Fill up those new jails by designating more offenses as 'serious' thus meriting long sentences. But call it getting tough on organized crime, because these are gangs' 'signature activities'.
The crimes now designated as serious offences include:
* Keeping a common gaming or betting house.
* Betting, pool-selling and bookmaking.
* Committing offences in relation to lotteries and games of chance.
* Cheating while playing a game or in holding the stakes for a game or in betting.
* Keeping a common bawdy-house.
* Various offences in the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act relating to the trafficking, importing, exporting or production of certain drugs.
Whatever one thinks of this
First, the changes were made to the regulations not to the law. See, this way the government can avoid any pesky discussion as we used to have when Canadian democracy had a bit of life in it yet.
Shouldn't that distress democracy-loving Canadians on the faaar right? If this goes unchallenged, all future governments will avail themselves of this little side-step. Including the loathed Lie-berals (as they are styled on the Dark Side) because someday, the Lie-berals will get back in power.
Next, the changes were made quietly by order of cabinet on July 13. More than four weeks ago. Yet this nugget of lawnorder was held back from the usual public razzle-dazzle. Maybe to be trotted out to distract from some spectacular Ministerial face-plant?
The righties should be just as disgusted as the rest of us. Do the HarpoCons really really really really think we're that stoooopid?
Apparently.
To recap some of the issues left and right can agree on:
Doris's hypocrisy -- not to mention idiocy -- over the prisons issue
keeping the prison farm system
the suspension of civil liberties and police over- and under-reaction in Toronto during the G20
being treated like suckers -- the so-cons that is -- the Cons take their votes for granted then and ignore all their issues
repeatedly suspending democracy by proroguing parliament
stacking the Senate and
just generally crapping all over democracy
It's true. It may turn out that Stevie really is the Great Uniter.
UPDATE: Connie starts a discussion. *evul grin*
6 comments:
Except for obstinate libertarians and outright idiots, the axing of the long form census (making it voluntary is as good as rendering it useless) is also a uniting force. Lots of businesses, large and small, rely on census data to conduct their work -- be it marketing, financial planning, impact assessments, insurance, etc.
Fern Hill,
I'm getting the feeling that the, so-called, brain-trust behind some of the recent actions and policies from our MINORITY government headed by harp-eur is really quite excited. I think that they're 'champing at the bit' - that they're barely able to contain themselves.
Knickers knotted, I think that sometimes they don't even mix it with water - they act as if they're snorting the Kool-aid dry, right from the package - maybe even free-basing.
The awkward and transparently confused commands around the G20 arrests may provide a bit of shade in which to hide the most amazing aspect of that grotesque weekend - that 19,000 over-armed Canadians, dressed in black armour, primed and presumably encouraged to spread pain, fear and trepidation mongst their fellow Canadians were set loose to 'secure' Harpeur's pointless photo-op. That stain will take a long while to wash away.
But I don't think that it's actually supposed to be washed away. The show of force was so obscenely disproportionate that I've got to assume that the purpose was as a warning - Harper's version of Trudeau's "Just watch me".
The preposterous mouthful of fertilizer that was offered by Doris as a rationale for billions of dollars for new jails extends the policy: Move from enemy in Afghanistan to a captive enemy within.
I think that it's quite likely that someone that each of us knows will be guilty of a crime (yet to be named) so that Steve can have a local source of 'strong-man' grist for his obscene, ELECTED mill.
I'm thinking that they'll want to work with a sure thing - like, say, left-handedness or sneezing in public.
I hope that, with this latest preparation for a war within Canada, the ideologues in the Harpeur brain-trust has finally over-done-it. Otherwise, the choice may soon be . . .
Smile or die.
The Omnibus bill of Ontario did the same thing.
The bill took much of statute law and altered it so that further changes would be administrative rather than needing to go to the legislature for amendment.
This is the first step to the centralisation of power and the defanging of legislatures. It is also an act of cowardice because all the changes avoid opposition in the legislature (and the concomitant amendments to appease).
It's a further act of cowrdice because it was done while the House is not in session.
I've been using the phrase backstairs conniving and now people are beginning to understand it better now. I hope they do remember all the incrementalist deeds of Harper & Co. come the next election.
I am so stealing that photoshop. Whom do I credit?
Dr. Dawg: I snaffled it from a post at Free Dominion months ago by someone called Narrowback. Don't know if it was original with her/him.
FD's resident photoshopper is a hoot! (Scroll down.)
http://www.freedominion.com.pa/phpBB2/viewtopic.php?t=133862
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