Sometimes There is Good News - Harper Promises to Get Tougher on Criminals.

The splashy headline aside, the news that Harper wants to pass laws making it more difficult for liberal judges to go easy on multiple offenders is good news.  What some Canadians don't realize though is that he can only do these types of things IF he gets a majority government.  As a minority government leader he has been unable to introduce law changing bills because without a majority the Liberals veto every effort.  Without a majority he must cater to those in opposition that don't want tougher penalties for criminals.  That said, not all Liberals want to veto laws that punish offenders, its just their job as opposition.  That is why in Canada when there is a minority government, nothing gets done, we don't move forward, we only tread water. 

Harper:

"Our Government has made standing up for victims of crime a priority," Harper said. "A re-elected Conservative Government will build on our accomplishments in this critically important area to ensure all Canadians feel safer in their communities."

The good news though is that someone in power is making a promise to get tough on criminals.  That someone is willing to stand up for victims and pass laws that will force judges to impose stiffer sentences.  The struggle now for every citizen in Canada concerned about the level of Crime is to keep the pressure on our leaders to ensure that they follow through with their promises by writing emails, letters etc.  Some promises cannot be allowed to be broken.

Online Crimes Against Children - New Laws Needed

Child pornography is a huge issue in the online world and its time that the laws got tougher.  Our laws are so concerned with the rights of the criminal that they don't protect the rights of the victim, especially children.  The courts have made the job for police enforcement harder then ever all the while children and women are in chains being forced to do acts that they do not want to do. 

It's obvious that there is a need, the question now becomes how, what can we do to force change in our governments?  What can we do to force change in our laws? 

We can start by asking our politicians the tough questions.  We can write letters to the editor of our local papers.  We can talk with our friends and neighbours about the issue.  Until the population of our country decides that its time for change, nothing will be done.  What will you do?

It is in our neighbourhood's in our communities, in our countries.  We as citizens need to make our voice heard and insist that our governments crack down on this horrific crime.



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Apathy,It's the Government's Fault

I came across a TED video of Dave Meslin on the Crime Analyst's Blog and I found it very interesting and timely considering our current election fever, or lack there of.   I encourage you to go to the Crime Analyst's Blog and check it out.  In the video Mr. Meslin has uncovered why Canadians are so Apathetic and guess what, it's not our fault. 

Apathy is a huge issue in Canadian electoral politics and one that should be fixed.  The question is how, have you ever watched a parliamentary debate?  Not the stuff of action movies.  There has to be something to make the process more interesting to the general public.  Maybe a musical number?  We've seen our Prime Minister sing and dance, now let's see his cabinet.  Oh ya they tend to do that in front of the media's camera's outside Parliament when explaining their actions, or lack there of, inside.  Ignatiff probably would sing, if he ever showed up for work. 

Our taxes are high, crime is high, health care is at an all time low, social services are struggling, and education has been cut back so much there is almost no need for kids to attend.  What is it going to take for Canadians to care enough to get involved, to say something, to jump up and down stomp their feet and say enough is enough - it's time for a change.

Unfortunately no time soon.  As long as our electoral process remains the same, as long as regions continue to be under represented, and as long as voters feel powerless - Apathy will continue to plague our country.  Will Vote Mobs work? We tried a new party to stew the pot - remember the Reform Party - but that didn't work.  What has to happen for Canadians to feel that their vote matters enough to turn up to the polling station?

Schoenborn is an Example of A Justice System Failing Society.

Allan Schoenborn's day pass fiasco is just another example of how the Canadian justice system is failing to protect it's citizens.  A psychotic killer of children should never see the light of day, even if accompanied by a guard, for any reason.  This man is already living better than he did when he was free, living in Merritt BC in an old trailer.  Why should any tax payer pay for him to go to the local gym, pool, or go out for a coffee.  Since we are a one income family on a tight budget I can't afford to give my family these luxuries so why should Schoenborn get free access to Rec Centers where children are present?

He is obviously a disturbed man who never should have had access to his children but the courts allowed it.  What kind of country do we live in where children are not protected but their murders get to live in the lap of luxury?  What's next day passes for Clifford Olson?  What about the children's mother, what about her sanity and safety?

Whichever politician is going to get tougher on crime and rework the system to protect the citizens of this country gets my vote.  One question, is there any politician up for the challenge?

Ivory Coast Dictator Gbagbo Arrested - Should UN of Helped?

I believe that the arrest of Gbagbo is a good thing, sending a strong message to the world that the days of dictators who commit crimes against humanity are numbered.  Gbagbo was arrested today by pro-Ouattara rebels strengthened by the actions of French forces.  The French presence on the street and the bombing of Gbagbo's location helped to disperse pro-Gbagbo forces, clearing the way for Gbagbo's arrest.  By not standing by and allowing further atrocities to occur France has sent a message that the democratic process started in 1990 is important to the Western power. 

However, should the UN and foreign forces get involved in these conflicts?  Both the French and the UN have claimed they were not part of the push to arrest Gbagbo, the bombings and the vehicles flying the French flag in the streets were what, a Coincidence?

Reading the timeline of the democratic process and civil war in the Ivory Coast, one has to wonder if anymore could have been done?  It seems to be a mess of one bully after another ignoring the people's democratic voice and seizing power by force. 
The UN and France both have been in the area trying to help enforce the 2003 peace treaty with a limited force.  It does not look like the UN mandate was strong enough to force the peace treaty, especially considering that it took 5 years to call the democratic election the treaty promised.  Then when the results were not in his favor Gbagbo delayed leaving office and another conflict resulted. 

In the 1990's the UN did not support their troops on the ground while people were being slaughtered around them, now 20 years later they still want to sit and watch?  What is their purpose if not to ensure peace in the World?  If the UN chooses to be ineffective should it still be in existence?  Considering the resources that countries send to finance the UN, it should be effective at something.  It may be time for taxpayers to demand a return for their tax dollar investment. 

The people of the Ivory Coast voted for Ouattara, yet Gbagbo stayed in control of the country.  The UN had declared Ouattara winner of the election and did nothing to oust Gbagbo.  Could the fighting of the last year been avoided if the UN had stepped up and supported Ouattara and his government by ousting Gbagbo? 

If the UN is going to the expense and trouble of overseeing a democratic election it should follow through to ensure the results of that election are enforced.  The UN will only do what it's member states are willing to do and the political leadership of the member states will only ask for what its people want it to.  In other words, if you want to end conflict and crimes against humanity in the world, you have to ask your leaders to. 

We can have a voice, isn't that what democracy is all about?  We can say enough is enough by writing letters, signing petitions, volunteering or just receiving newsletters from organizations like, oxfam, enough, and amnesty international.  Your voice although small, when added to other voices becomes a booming noise from the Western Countries and that my friend, will make all the difference in the world.

So many of us watch the news, think oh that is horrible, turn the channel and forget.  What does that say about us?  I know we are busy people trying to get ahead in this world however, we can't forget our own humanity along the way. 

Have any other ideas about how to help put an end to Crimes Against Humanity?

What now for Gbagbo?  Should he face charges at the ICC or be judged by the new Ivory Coast government?  Should he be executed or languish in jail?  What are your thoughts about what should happen now?

The Most Dangerous Cities in Canada are in Western Canada.

MacLean's published the latest results on a study that found Saskatoon is the most dangerous city to live in Canada.  Saskatoon, are you kidding me?  I was surprised to find that the top 3 most dangerous cities in Canada are located on the Prairies, Saskatoon, Winnipeg, and Regina.  This boggles my mind. 

When I really start to think about it though it does make sense.  In recent years Saskatchewan has been attracting more people.  The province with the long running joke, "whoever is last out of Saskatchewan turn out the lights," is now the province many are moving to for work and a lower cost of living.  The problem though is that when people move into an area, criminals start moving in too.  The government is a reactionary force and doesn't allocate funds or resources until an issue has gotten out of control and made headlines. 

I can understand why the Prairie Provinces may have temporary under funding that has to be addressed now, but what about BC, it's had major issues with crime since I can remember.  Why is law enforcement so underfunded in BC still?  Of the top 25 most dangerous cities, 12 are in BC.

FACTS:

Of the top 10 most dangerous cities in Canada 90% are in Western Canada.

Of the top 25 most dangerous cities 76% are in Western Canada.

Of the top 25 most dangerous cities 48% are in BC.

Of the top 20 there are 15 Western Canadian cities listed and only 2 from Ontario and 1 from Quebec. 

In fact, Montreal is number 24 and Toronto is number 29.  I think the real policy issue for Western Canadians this election should be crime and a more fair distribution of funds for law enforcement into the West. 

Questions to ask the MPs of your riding?

Why are the most dangerous cities in the West?
Why are funds not distributed evenly for regional law enforcement?
What do they plan to do to ensure Western Canada gets more Policing?

What else can we do to help solve the crime problem in Western Canada?

Canada needs Tougher Laws When it Comes to sites like Craigslist

Ontario and Manitoba have asked Craigslist CEO, Jim Buckmaster, to stop enabling sex traffickers to make money by not allowing sex trade ads to be run.  According to the Calgary Herald Craigslist has stopped the ads south of the border but not in Canada and does not plan to. 

In my search for a family pet I discovered that there are no ads allowed to sell an animal as a pet.  Craigslist has put the rights of animals ahead of profits to help stop puppy mills and puppy brokers from making quick cash.  Why don't women and children who find themselves forces into the sex trade not given the same consideration? 

Are women and children not as valuable to the world as animals are?  Does the CEO value animals stuck in puppy mills more that those who are forced into a life of servitude?  Most children and women do not choose a life in a brothel.  Until the CEO of Craigslist starts to value human life as not something to buy and sell then I am boycotting the site, I encourage others to as well.

If you agree and want to boycott Craigslist until they remove sex trade ads please leave a comment and pass this post along to friends.  Together we can make a difference.

Vancouver Sun Article
Vancouver Sun Article re Sex Trafficing in Canada
Sex Trafficking - Modern Day Slavery in Canada - lots of information on how women and children are forced into the sex trade and how immigrants are used as slave labour. 
Canada an International Embarassment -

Crime Costs Canadian Tax Payers Too Much Money

I want to know from the Political candidates what they are going to do about the cost of crime in Canada. Millions of dollars are being spent on prosecuting criminals and our society is only getting more violent. The Robert Pikton`s trial cost over $100 million and the BC Rail trial is at over $17 million.   Our tax dollars are wasted everyday with continuances and appeals with the result in most cases being a slap on the wrist or an acquittal.  Has the pendulum swung too far to the left? 

Our justice system is based on precedents and interpretations of laws by judges.  It has taken on a life of its own where the rights of the accused are valued more then the rights of the victims or public safety.  The hands of the police force are so tied that it makes their jobs to keep the public safe harder and harder every day. 

Canada`s justice system needs some accountablity.  Canadian Judges need to be accountable to the public they are suppose to protect.  Laws need to be written with consquences that are harsh and will deter criminals or ensure they will be seperated from the public better.  However, can it be done?  Is there anyway for our society to call for stiffer penalities? 

International Centre for Criminal Law Reform

Criminal Justice Reform BC Government

RCMP are using Technology to Communicate Location of Crimes with Citizens

This is a real cool tool if you want to know how safe, or unsafe, your community is.  Victoria is the latest of 6 communities to use the crime reports site to help inform citizens of where crime is happening.  So how can you use this tool to help stop crime in your community?

First it will help you find a safe community to live in.

Second it will help you have a more realistic vision about the crime in your neighbourhood.  One of the side effects of global communications is we sometimes believe there is more crime then their actually is near us.

Third it can help citizens know where to keep an eye open, lobby for a street light or security camera.

Can knowing where crime happens make a difference in how you live your life or help to put an end to crime?

Call and ask your local RCMP / Police department to get this tool for your community and then use it to help move crime out of your neighbourhood.

What Can WE DO to End Crime in our Communities?

There have been a flood of found missing children who were locked away and abused for years.  These stories horrify us and demand our attention, yet we do nothing because we feel powerless to do anything to stop it.   We believe someone else will do something, that is someone else's problem, or it makes a good headline but beyond that we really don't care because we are not directly effected.

We see homeless people on the street and believe that somehow they deserve to be there.  They are criminals, drug addicts, or choose to be there.  We throw them a bit of change and feel we've done our part.  They make us uncomfortable so we avoid them, look away, and do our best to avoid them.  We tell ourselves that their are government programs to help them and that its not our problem.

We don't feel safe in our neighbourhoods, our kids are corralled in our yards, we have alarms and more locks then when we were kids.  We fear home break ins and know that thefts are common place.  We want the police to get crime under control but we don't want to get involved.  Even worse we buy stuff at discounted prices from sites like Craigslist or ebay and pat ourselves on the back for saving money, not acknowledging that we are perpetrating the reward of crime. 

What can we do to help make this world a better place?

Clean up our neighbourhood graffiti
Clean up litter and our yards
Write letters to our political leaders asking for tougher laws
Buy fair trade products
Watch social documentaries to educate yourself
Check out non profit websites, send them an email to ask what you can do to help
Buy a homeless person lunch
Smile more
Volunteer
Help a neighbour
Recycle

Here are some sites to get started on learning more about what you can do to help change the world for the better.

Not For Sale - Abolish Child Slavery
Crime prevention
Human Trafficking
Against Crime & Drugs

Do you know of some non profit organizations that are committed to making the world a better place.  What things do you do to help make the world a better place?

When Your Grandchildren Ask You What Will You Say?

When our grand kids ask us how we could let atrocities like genocide and human trafficking of women happen what are we going to say?  It didn't effect us so we ignored it.  We had our own problems and crime to hide from so we ignored it.  We were too busy working and buying stuff so we ignored it.  We were optomistic happy people and that was negativity so we ignored it.  In today's society with as much information as we have about atrocities and crimes, we can not pretend we didn't know. Regardless of the reason the result is the same, we know and we don't care enough. 

Recently I read Shake hands with the Devil by Lt. General Romeo Dallaire and A Problem from Hell: America and Genocide by Samantha Powers.  Two very good books with a very disturbing messages, the UN is all bark with no bite, conflicting political agendas delay action and since no one knows what to do they do nothing.  Governments knew what was happening, leaders like President Clinton took no action while 800 000 people were slaughtered in 100 days and the Balkans became a flashback to the days of Hitler.  Governments only take action when the people of the country want action to be taken, no one wanted to stop the killing of Tutsis or Muslims in distant impoverished countries.  So what happens if genocide takes place in the Western countries?  Will anyone care to come to the rescue? 

Search human trafficking of women in Europe and you'll be surprised by the information that has been uncovered by journalists and NGOs.  We know women from Eastern Europe are kidnapped and forced into a life of prostitution but do we care?  Women go missing in the US and Canada to be forced into prostitution but do we care?  Whether human trafficking of women for the sex trade is happening half way around the world or just down the street we don't care.  We even blame the women for choices they made that landed them there in the first place, even though many were teens doing the same stupid things we did.  We were just lucky to not be abducted. 

What about kids?  Surely we care when a child is harmed.  Not really, genocide and displaced people around the world include children but we look the other way.  Then there is the 11 year old girl who was gang raped in Texas while being video taped, obviously we care about this child.  Not really, many are blaming her and saying she wanted it..... Exactly how can an 11 year old child consent to being gang raped?

Crime happens all around us but we marginalize it by making it someone else's problem and by doing so fool ourselves into believing we are safe.  Yes women are abducted and forced into a life of sex slavery, but that is over there it wouldn't happen here.  As long as we stay within our four walls and protect our children from harm we will all be OK.  We are better parents, our girls wouldn't find themselves in bad situations where they end up being forced into the sex trade.  There isn't anything we can do about it so why do anything at all.  I am sure that the victims of these crimes will understand why we didn't care about them, after all they don't care about us - right.  Whatever excuse or story we tell ourselves will keep us safe, right - Just ask Madeline McCann's parents, or Jaycee Lee Dugard. 

Since we do nothing and our laws are written to protect the criminal and prosecute the victim things will only get worse.  The Internet and global transportation have made crimes international and criminals harder to catch.  There needs to be an international police agency separate from any political government set up to enforce major international crimes and protect citizens from crimes against humanity.  The UN can't do it and NATO is tied too closely to its member governments political whims.  Although there is a need, there is no will to create international laws and even less will to enforce them.

When I asked my grandparents how their generation could allow the Holocaust, they responded that they didn't know what was happening on the other side of the world. Considering the lack of communications and the lack of access to the camps I believe them.  However, today is different with the Internet and CNN, we do know what is going on across the globe.  What will you say when your grandchild asks what you did to help stop ____________________?   I wonder what Bill Clinton, and the other leaders of the UN will say when God asks them what did they do to stop the genocide in Rwanda and Yugoslavia.  What will you say when He asks you?

 

Purpose of this Blog

Ever wonder how you can help solve the issues of the world?  or do you feel powerless to do anything about the horrors you see in the news? 

The purpose of this blog is to bring together people who have had enough with the way things are and want to help bring about change in our world. 

It is meant to be a resource of information to start discussions and brainstorm ideas to help find the solutions.  Our politicians have failed us, the justice system is not on our side and it is time to say "enough is enough" lets find a solution.

I encourage you to read the posts and ad your opinions and ideas to the comments section. 

I encourage you to use the resources you find here to act and instigate change for a better world.