Daytime shooting in Vancouver’s West end

There was a shooting in Vancouver’s West end yesterday at 3:00 PM. A black pick up truck was shot at near Jervis and Comox. A local resident told the Vancouver Province that he heard bang, bang bang and thought kids were throwing firecrackers. The target driving the pick up was not injured and left the scene. Police caught up with him as he was driving across the Burrard Street bridge and seized his vehicle for the investigation.

Reports came in that the truck was riddled with bullets yet only two bullet holes were seen. One dangerously close to the driver in the bottom of the driver side window and another on the rear left quarter panel. The police found shell casings in the alley behind Jervis and Comox. Judging from the photos in the paper, the police had numerous markers on the ground implying several shots were fired.

So although several shots were fired only two shots that we know of actually hit the vehicle and the driver was uninjured. Not like the recent daytime shooting in surrey where the shooter fired several shots from point blank range through the windshield right into the target.

Although the name of the intended target in this case is not being released, police state the shooting was targeted and gang related.

Canada needs less MPs and BC needs less MLAs

The Vancouver Province published a stellar editorial in today’s paper about the number of MPs we have in Canada. They said we need less MPs not more and they are absolutely right.

“The U.S., with about 314 million citizens, has 435 congress-men. Why does Canada, with a population one-tenth the size, need 308 MPs, let alone the 338 now being proposed? Britain, with nearly 63 million citizens, has 650 MPs, but is reducing that to 600, in part to cut the cost of government. With the cost of our Parliament pushing $600 million a year, cutting the number of MPs would free up tax dollars for more important programs.”

Here here! Can we get an Amen on that brother? Canada already has a hugely bloated parliament and Canada's 10 electoral boundaries commissions are holding public hearings to sell Canadians on a plan to increase the number of seats in Parliament to 338 from the current 308. Get off the crack! This is what’s wrong with pork barrel politics.

Part of the problem is that everyone wants more. Everyone wants more tax dollars spent in their riding. BC has an increasing population and some want that increase in population to reflect an increase in the number of MPs. Breaking news folks, as long as the number of MP’s is a percentage ration of population to MP, then it’s fair and everyone is equally represented. That means we can cut MPs and as long as we do it proportionately, we will save money and keep equal representation. We need to follow up on this.

Increasing the number of MPs should be stopped and we should follow England’s example of reducing the number of MP’s proportionately to save money. Especially in BC. They keep giving themselves raises and gold plated pensions so we need to cut the over all number of MLAs. That legislature is way over crowed as it is. It’s a very old building and they don’t have enough room to expand the floor. Cutting the MLA proportionately will save money and solve the problem of having to build another Legislature.

Internet Explorer bug

Microsoft is warning about a new IE bug that hackers have discovered. They have yet to release a fix but they have some advice on how to protect yourself in the interim. I didn’t see use another browser on their list.

Ya gotta wonder about who hacked into the hole in the first place. It’s like those spyware companies that put spyware on your computer that says your computer is infected download and buy this program to fix it. I’m not going to download that program. Those are the bastards that put the spyware on my computer in the first place. They should be going to jail not getting money from me. You have to make sure the patch you do download is from a trusted web site.

Update:

Microsoft has the fix now. You can download it through windows update.

More violent murders in Mexico’s repulsive drug violence

The dismembered bodies of 17 men were found Sunday on a farm in a part of central Mexico disputed by violent drug cartels. The bodies were naked, mutilated and stacked with chains around their necks. They had been killed elsewhere and dumped on the property.

Some 60,000 people have died in drug-related violence in Mexico since late 2006. On Friday, 16 dead bodies were found in northern Mexico. Nine of those dead were found hanging from a bridge in the northern border city of Nuevo Laredo.

Authorities have warned of an increase in gang violence following the arrest of Jorge Eduardo "El Coss" Costilla, the top boss at the Gulf drug cartel, one of the country's seven powerful crime syndicates. Costilla's arrest came one week after authorities detained Mario Cardenas, another top Gulf Cartel leader.

Now let’s take a step back and remember a recent headline about the HSBC getting caught laundering money for the Mexican cartels. The scandal drew in British trade minister “lord” Green after Labour warned he had "serious questions" to answer about the way the bank laundered money for drug cartels, terrorists and pariah states while he was at the helm.

Green was chief executive of Britain's biggest bank between 2003 and 2006 and was its chairman until 2010 when he resigned to take up a position of trade minister in the coalition government.

A damning Senate report - which concluded the bank had a "pervasively polluted" culture - covers the period 2004 to 2010 and shows that HSBC subsidiaries moved billions of dollars around the financial system from countries such as Iran and Syria as well moving cash for Mexican drug cartels.

However, “lord” Strathclyde, the leader of the upper house, brushed off Labour requests for Green to answer questions on the grounds that he is not accountable to peers for his business career. I kid you not. That is evil. Nothing but. OK so it’s time to re examine that scandal. Good thing I didn’t call it a conspiracy because no one would think it really happened when in reality it did.

Just like the BCCI’s laundering of drug money was tied to senior intelligence agencies, the HSBC’s money laundering appears to be tied to senior government officials. Kinda like the Rupert Murdoch wire tapping scandal. The banking spin doctors did a magnificent smoke and mirrors presentation on behalf of ll Green. They said of all people he must be the most shocked and disappointed because he has always been the moral compass of the banking industry. Bravo! What a hilarious performance. What’s worse is the people bought it. Sad but true. Why? Because the opposition parties weren’t allowed to ask him any questions about it. That is NOT a democracy. Oh right, monarchy and all.

I’m not going to get too much into it today, but I will. We need to follow up on the major banks that have been involved in money laundering for the Mexican cartels that were no doubt also tied to Operation Fast and Furious. We can’t let Obama’s Oliver north take the fall for this. We need to follow the money and follow up on the money laundering in the banking industry. Including but not limited to the Carroll Foundation Charitable Trust fraud tied to the HSBC.

The point I want to stress here is that a British politician who was CEO of the HSBC during the time it was accused of laundering drug money for the Mexican cartel is being protected from having to answer questions in the British Parliament because some idiot who calls himself a lord says he doesn’t have to answer any questions about his involvement in the money laundering on the grounds that he is not accountable to peers for his business career. That needs to be addressed.

Lawyers for two RCMP officers withdraw from case

Lawyers for two RCMP officers charged in the breach of their duties in the Surrey Six investigation have withdrawn from the case because they haven’t been paid. Crossin said he could not continue to represent his client for ethical reasons but would assist him in seeking to obtain legal aid.

Ethical reasons? They both said it was because they hadn’t been paid and were both helping their clients apply for legal aid. Strange choice of words. This is the case where that cop from IHIT that had an affair with a witness and the other cops that covered it up. Sad.

Sounds like there are two other lawyers represent two other officer that might follow suit if they can’t get a confirmation about the force paying their legal fees. No offence, but that’s something even the Union wouldn’t do. Oh but wait, you don’t have a Union. Expecting the employer to pay for your lawyer when you’ve been charged with a criminal offense is quite a stretch of the imagination. But hey, it’s worth a try. Stranger things have happened. Jim Brown and Don Stang still have a job.

Wayne Scott sentenced to 3 ½ years

Great Scott, granddad’s going to jail. Here’s a guy who’s daughter was the girlfriend of one of the Bacon brothers and had a child with him. The girl’s father gets nabbed in a drug conspiracy ring with the Bacon brother and gets sentenced to three and a half years in prison for his role. OK so that was his girlfriend’s father but what about his own father and mother? Wire tap evidence showed that not only were they aware of it, they were involved as well. Not only does that make them bad parents, it also makes them an accessory to the crime.

Letter to Christy Clark

A couple people sent me this link and I saw it posted on someone’s facebook so I suppose it’s going viral. Evan Solomon from the CBC wrote an open letter to Christy Clark expressing some valid concerns including the fact that she just canceled the fall sitting of parliament. Gordon Campbell and Stephen Harper both have pulled the same stunt in the past.

The whole idea of cancelling an entire session of parliament is problematic. No other industry in the world pays you for not going to work. Let alone give you an obscene raise and gold plated pension for booking off. Since they’re cancelling the fall session they should return that portion of their yearly salary. It’s only fair.

Letting a political party with no approval rating whatsoever meet to create news laws is a bit scary but we all know the real reason for cancelling the fall session is two fold. They don’t want to have to answer questions from the opposition. It is a form of censorship. They also don’t want to get caught in a non confidence vote which would spur an election and their subsequent demise earlier than they can squeeze out another pay cheque.

Now I will say that Christy Clark was Gordon Campbell’s Liberals best chance at saving the party from the brink of destruction. We can’t blame Christy Clark for what Gordon Campbell did any more than we can blame Kim Campbell for what Brian Mulroney did. Both women were left with their predecessors trash. The problem was all the other MLAs were part of the same Campbell Cabal that arrogantly steam rolled right over voters democratic will. The current rats leaving that sinking ship are just that, rats.

Which brings us to the next concern. The leadership rumblings in the provincial conservatives. What a scam that is. The media claimed there was some kind of internal rift over the new leadership of the party. Oh really? He’s the one that put it on the map. It’s the fastest growing party in the country. Who on earth could have a problem with that? His only MLA? Well that explains it. We shouldn’t have let van Dongen cross over. He is still consumed in the Campbell cabal arrogance and has been swept away in his pride.

Why is politics such a dirty business? Selfishness and greed permeate the process. The idea of service is lost. With all these rats leaving the Campbell Cabal’s sinking ship, it is clear they want to infiltrate and destroy freedom’s hope in BC just like they did federally by letting Harper turn Reform into Mulroneyism. They very evil they set out to change. A sad day indeed. It’s a mess filled with selfishness and greed. Locally and internationally.

Bandidios in BC

I forgot to mention I was speaking with someone who claimed they saw a group of about 40 Bandidios driving up the Coquihalla just north of Hope a few weeks ago. He said he also saw a group of Hells angels shortly thereafter travelling in a group heading in the same direction. It was as though they were having a meeting of some sort. Seeing both groups on the same freeway heading then same direction was suspicious indeed.

The source isn’t the type to make up some bs story. A recent comment on the blog claiming Bandidios have been sighted in the north Okanagan reminded me of the claim and is another confirmation of the sighting. We don’t really have Bandidios in BC. We know they’re in Bellingham. We remember the Bandidio massacre in Ontario. They sound like more drug dealers as opposed to a legitimate MC.

In November, 2006, Glenn Merritt of the Bellingham, Washington chapter was sentenced to four years in prison for drug possession and trafficking in stolen property. A total of 32 members were indicted in the associated investigation, on charges including conspiracy, witness tampering, and various drug and gun violations. Eighteen of those plead guilty. They were trafficking crystal meth and selling stolen Harleys. Maybe they wanna get a piece of Johnny Newcome’s racket.

Pretty significant since although the Bandidos started in Texas, some claim their HQ is now in Bellingham. We know some of the German Bandidios crossed over to join the Hells Angels. It’s all about the money to be made from the drug trade. And stolen motorcycles of course.

Here’s a rather amusing story of a member of the border Riders MC meeting some Badidios in Bellingham. I hadn’t heard of the border riders either. To each their own : )

Teresa Mitchell-Banks new director of enforcement for the BC Securities Commission

Investment fraud specialist, David Baines from the Vancouver Sun is reporting that Teresa Mitchell-Banks, the former head of B.C.’s organized crime prosecution unit has been appointed to be the director of enforcement for the BC Securities Commission.

Sounds like this is a step forward. Both David Baines and Kim Bolan claim Mitchell-Banks is competent and accessible. Baines did express the concern that Mitchell-Banks background is with criminal prosecutions and that the vast majority of the commission’s enforcement efforts are pursued through administrative hearings, where penalties are limited to market suspensions and fines, rather than through criminal prosecutions.

However, BCSC executive director Paul Bourque said “We allege fraud in many cases, and the difference between administrative and criminal fraud is just one of intent.” In recent years, the commission has been stepping up its criminal investigations and pressing Crown counsel to take securities offenders to criminal court, where jail sentences can be imposed.

A step forward indeed. Investment fraud is a huge problem in the modern world that effects pensions, markets and tax dollars. Focusing in on the criminal aspect of today’s investment fraud is crucial to our civil liberty. It is often tied to money laundering through drug trafficking like with Bandera gold.

Kim’s Back

Nice to see Kim Bolan’s back on her blog. Readers have been in withdrawal. Interesting to note she’s reporting that Rob Sidhu has been arrested in Montreal for his involvement in Rob Shannon's Hells Angel cocaine case in Seattle.

Cocaine bust at Pacific border crossing

A passenger on a bus from Seattle to Vancouver was caught with cocaine. Turns out he had ingested it and passed 66 condoms of cocaine totaling 756 grams while in custody. That is nasty. Same thing happened at the Vancouver International Airport last April. Ricardo Vasquez is charged with unlawfully importing cocaine into Canada and unlawfully importing cocaine for the purpose of trafficking.

New Quebec Premier stops export of Asbestos

Three cheers for the new Quebec Premier. She vowed to kill provincial subsidies for the local asbestos industry since it is proven toxic. As a result the Harper government has finally announced they will no longer oppose the global fight against asbestos. Canada has been selling asbestos to India for a long time. I can’t believe we can find people willing to mine the stuff let alone block attempts to stop it.

9/11: Explosive Evidence - Experts Speak Out

Speaking of 9/11 and the subsequent loss of civil liberties, there was a screening of a movie put out by Architects and Engineers for 9/11 Truth at Sullivan Hall in Surrey last night. The movie is called 9/11: Explosive Evidence - Experts Speak Out. It was very well done and worth seeing. This is the trailer and this is the movie in it’s entirety. You can purchase a copy of the DVD from their web site.

There are three aspects of the movie. First is the obvious everyone can see and understand. The collapse of the third tower as well as the twin towers looked just a controlled demolition. Never in the history of the world has a large steel framed tower collapsed due to heat and fire. Never. We have seen many examples of large steel framed towers burn for much longer periods of time, becoming completely gutted, and not collapse let alone at freefall speed like a controlled demolition. When you watch videos of the collapse of the towers along side videos of controlled demolitions, they look the same. You don’t have to be an architect or a scientist to see that. That was the first phase of the documentary. It repeatedly stressed that science says the towers fell like a controlled demolition.

The second phase of the movie talked about the molten steel and the heat needed to melt iron. Jet fuel and office fires do not generate the heat required to melt steel. Thermite does and would explain the melted cars found at the base of the towers as well as the intense heat found at the site long after their collapse. Bulldozers were seen lifting red hot metal from the ruble. Witnesses described seeing molten metal flowing at the scene. Scientists claimed they found thermite in the 9/11 dust and refuted claims that the same elements are found in paint and chalk.

The third phase of the movie was something completely new. They brought in a team of psychologists specializing in trauma and grief. They explained that the reason many people adamantly refuse to look at the evidence is that it disturbs their world view. They compared a person’s belief system or their world view to their idea of their home. Showing pictures of a cross stitch home sweet home and a house with a white picket fence, they explained that if you attack someone’s world view they feel as though you are attacking their home, what makes them feel safe, and they will instinctively fight to defend their home or in this case their world view. Even if it defies the evidence.

It reminded me of the saying never tear down a fence without knowing why it was put up. People often build fences of denial to protect them from having a breakdown. Tearing that fence down before they are ready can be harmful. Yet not doing so can result in the loss of even more innocent lives. One psychologist talked about the grief she experienced when her world view was crushed by the 9/11 evidence. She said she had to go for a walk and really process the hurt and grief she felt. I think it was am amazing film and recommend people watch it. Despite the raging insults, I still believe 9/11 was an inside job and that concerns me deeply.

Vultures on Corporate welfare

Interesting editorial in the paper yesterday about corporate welfare. Timely as it was published the same time talks about plans for the next round of stimulus was reported. Remember back in the day when corporate welfare was a bad thing? Conservatives would call it communism. Things have sure changed.

I remember one of the signs from the occupy movement saying “We have privatized gains and socialized losses. That is not capitalism.” Back in the day, corporate welfare was a dirty word. The right who had a hate for Trudeau, would call him a Communist for wanting to create a top heavy government that created jobs by employing people. Yet what they’re doing now is far worse. At least he had a desire to create jobs to strengthen the economy. Now the corrupt politicians simply burn tax dollars by handing out money to banks and Wall Street of all places. It is insane. Back in the day, the right would be screaming fiscal irresponsibility.

The editorial talks about business grants that aren’t paid back. One can legitimately argue that offering business grants will help create jobs and thereby improve the economy and the tax pool. My flaming concern is when we hand over billions of dollars to the banks who as we say, didn’t need it and to investors on Wall Street most of whom history has shown are crooked.

The dismantling of the VSE is a prime example. It was full of fake pump and dump stocks. That trend continues on all the markets. Investment fraud was what caused the Greek financial crisis. What was public money all of a sudden became private money, then mysteriously disappeared through investment fraud. Bailing out investment fraud is insane. Doing it on an ongoing basis is simply criminal. It is a misappropriation of tax dollars. It is a scam.

The Mitt Romney Bain Capital model kills jobs and embezzles money from companies while it feeds the banks with insane interest on loaded debt and fills these vultures’ pockets with insane consulting fees. Business consultants who extract millions of dollars in fees from sinking companies before they go bankrupt should be in jail. They should not be getting tax dollars to help them steal. That applies to Mitt Romney at Bain Capital as well as Newt Gingrich at Fannie Mae. They even call it the vulture fund. We should not be aiding and abetting that kind of fraud with tax dollars.

Tributes pour in for Peter Lougheed

Peter Lougheed has passed away at the age of 84. He was a Conservative leader in Alberta who has been considered the best premier in the province's history. It’s refreshing to see a vigilant politician that is well respected after they leave office instead of being revealed to be a dirty scoundrel like so many others.

Peter Lougheed opposed the Keystone pipeline. However his opposition was based on economic reasons, rather than environmental. "We should be refining the bitumen in Alberta and we should make it public policy in the province," he said.

The U.S. State Department is considering a proposal to extend the pipeline which would carry oil from Alberta's oilsands to Texas with a decision expected by the end of the year. Environmentalists have been aggressively protesting the line saying the heavy oil, or bitumen, that would flow through the line is dirty, toxic and corrosive.

Lougheed told Anna Maria Tremonti of CBC Radio's The Current Tuesday the bitumen should be refined in Alberta."I would prefer...we process the bitumen from the oilsands in Alberta and that would create a lot of jobs and job activity," he said. "That would be a better thing to do than merely send the raw bitumen down the pipeline and they refine it in Texas that means thousands of new jobs in Texas." The Enbridge Partnership is based in Houston.

Two Hells Angels released on Bail

Meanwhile back on the ranch, two Hells Angles arrested in that drug bust following the Kelowna clubhouse raid have been released on bail this morning. Shawn Womacks and Orhan Saydam were released following an appearance before B.C. Supreme Court Associate Chief Justice Austin Cullen in Vancouver. Bail hearings for two of the remaining six accused are ongoing in court.

This is what I mean. We have not seen an improvement in the court system in BC. If they let David Giles and Brian Oldham out on bail, we’re going to have to fire another corrupt judge.

Just for the record, the Vancouver Province reported that eight members of the Hells Angels were charged in that drug trafficking ring not two. That was before Johnny Newcomes’ chop shop was busted. A stolen travel trailer was seized in the drug bust as well.

Religious Freaks on both sides of the Planet

Once again we have psychopaths pretending to be Muslim murdering innocent people. That is not Islam. That murder is a far greater insult to the prophet Mohamed than any disrespectful movie is. Allah says thou shalt not kill. He didn’t say thou shalt not kill unless someone insults you or one of his prophets then murder is ok. It’s not OK. The old law of an eye for an eye, which leaves everyone blind, says if someone commits murder then the person who committed the murder should be put to death. Not some random innocent person from the same race, religion or country. Chris Stevens was a good man.



Nevertheless, in this case the guilty party never committed a murder. The guilty party made a religiously offensive movie. Yes that was bad. Yes that was disrespectful. Yes we should denounce it and speak out against it, but murder? Four innocent people? Who are you kidding? Are you kidding yourselves? If you are, you aren’t very bright. Murdering innocent people because some other idiot made a disrespectful move is an insult to Allah and the prophet Mohammad. It is the highway to hell.

In case you missed it, some prick from California made an offensive movie about the prophet Mohammad. In response there were riots in Egypt and in Libya. Only in Libya the mob stormed the American embassy and murdered the US Ambassador and three staff members who had absolutely nothing to do with making that offensive movie. This is the kind of thing we in the West think is so outrageous, it must have been the CIA to get everyone over here ready to nuke those animals.



This is a repeat offense. These aren’t Muslims they are religious freaks. We see them infiltrate every religion under the sun, not just Islam. This is why we should not have spent our tax dollars supporting armed rebels in Libya when we were sent in to uphold a cease fire. Yet we know the real reason we did. We did it for the oil. Again. We need to be honest about that for a change.

So, Sam Bacile is trying to promote hate. Just like Morris Sadek and Terry Jones are. Just like Ian Paisley of old. “I’ve seen too much hate to want to hate and every time I see it I say to myself that hate is too great a burden to bear.” We need to denounce their hate as well as the murder of these innocent people. Both are wrong but murder is worse than hate. I was just at the store and saw a local woman wearing a Muslim head dress. I nod and don’t give it a seconds thought. She certainly didn’t murder anyone in Libya. Hating her for something someone else did on the other side of the world is as absurd as murdering an innocent person for what someone else did.



Canadians eye Iranian cash

Having said that, just because a mob of idiots we helped “liberate” from a “dictator” murder some innocent people in one part of the world, does than mean we should steal from someone else in another country in another part of the world? Of course not. Let’s not use this tragedy in Libya to rationalize bombing or stealing from Iran because that would be just as wrong killing some random American for making an offensive movie.

In today’s’ Vancouver Province a headline reads: Canadians eye Iranian cash. Since Stephen Harper has kicked out Iran’s diplomat from Canada now everyone wants a piece of the pie. Now they want to steal money from Iran. The case they use as a first example is a court judgment a kidnap victim in Lebanon was awarded. I kid you not. Someone was kidnapped and mistreated in Lebanon and these criminals want to steal the court awarded damages from Iran of all places. That is as absurd as the court order awarding the families of the victims of 911 billions of dollars from Iran of all places. Why? Because they have oil and they have money and we want it. That’s why.

It all started with Operation Ajax but it certainly didn’t end there. This court order claiming Iran owes the victims of 911 billions of dollars is absolutely absurd. It is as we say, a red flag. Iran had nothing to do with 911. The terrorists came in through our friends in Saudi. There is a lot more evidence proving the CIA did 911 than Iran did.

Some people were under the misconception that Iraq was invaded because of 911. Not so. It was never implied they had anything to do with 911 when they were invaded. Bush said they knew Iraq had weapons of mass destruction and he was proven wrong. Instead of saying sorry guys we made a mistake, he said Mission Accomplished. Then when the British weapons inspector in Iraq leaked out to the media that they knew Iraq didn’t have any WMD and MI 6 were caught intentionally giving false information to the media about Iraq’s WMD, that whistle blower died of a suspicious suicide.

We initially thought Afghanistan was responsible for 911. That is why we assisted in that invasion. Only Bin Laden’s “confession” video didn’t even look like Bin Laden. Then we found out the truth about the oil pipeline and the opium production in Afghanistan. Evil powers are at work and that evil is from within. Ganging up on Iran next and stealing from them is wrong. Stephen Harper is a liar and a thief.

Continued Protests

Obviously continued protesting violence looks like a mob of crazed dogs not adherents to any religious order. Burning American flags is just as offensive as burning a Koran or insulting Islam. They insult others and threaten violence if anyone insults them. That is not Islam. A Canadian Muslim group is encouraging Canadian Muslims to ignore the offensive video. Someone made an offensive video slandering Christ called the Last Temptation of Jesus. As sad and offensive as that movie was, we didn’t see Christians running around like wild dogs burning things and killing people. That behavior is exactly what one of the stereotypes in the offensive video portrayed.

Comments in this thread have been closed by St. Francis.

Lord, make me an instrument of Thy peace; where there is hatred, let me sow love; where there is injury, pardon; where there is doubt, faith; where there is despair, hope; where there is darkness, light; and where there is sadness, joy.

Port Moody Public Rally Against Gang Violence

Last night there was a public rally at Port Moody city hall in response to the recent outbreak of gang violence. I attended the rally and noticed that when all the TV cameras showed up, many of the people went inside and were too afraid to be out in public on camera. There was a similar concern when Surrey had their rally against gang violence a few years ago, yet that rally was also well attended.

The mayor’s pr brainstorm was to open up the inlet theatre for the public to express their concerns and listen to a panel of police officers ready to address their questions. At first I spoke with the wife of one of the organizers of the rally and said what’s up with that? Is the mayor high jacking the rally? Where do you want people to meet? She said, no if the mayor is willing to listen to the people’s concerns then let’s hear him out. Fair enough said I so we did.

Of course the Aldergrove judicial revue board was there but before I address his important message, I want to touch on what some of the other local residents had to say. Several mothers spoke and expressed their fear of the outbreak of gang violence in their community. One mother’s heartfelt plea wasn’t just her fear of her or her daughter being hit by a stray bullet, but of her daughter witnessing a dead body lying in the street. She doesn’t want her children to have to deal with that.

Another mother raised a very good point. She said in their neighborhood, they had a problem with youth drinking and having loud parties that would cause problems for the neighbors. She said that the Port Moody police were very good at responding to 911 calls and since they became aware of the problem, increased patrols in the area and increased their presence. As a result of the increased police presence, the trouble makers left and went somewhere else.

Taking that logic one step farther, she asked if the police had stepped up patrols and increased their presence at the rec centre when one gang member was executed. The officer did go into detail about many other things and she kept coming back and asking point blank, have patrols at the rec centre increased? The final answer was no because the rec centre is safe and it was just fate that the shooter found the gang member there when he shot him.

Then the well meaning officer said something that I found disturbing. He said they knew where all the gang members live and do regular surveillance around their homes. Then reiterated that the rec centre was a safe place. I’m sorry but I do have a problem with devoting police resources to protect gang members homes. In fact that could be one of the reasons they are shot in public when they leave their home.

One older gentleman stepped up to the mike and said he lived in the same building the Bacon brothers lived in when they stayed in Port Moody. He said he was kinda sorry to see them leave because when they lived there they had round the clock police presence. Sad that regular citizens can’t get that kind of protection.

I know the police are well meaning. I understand the logic in that if a rival shoots a gang member at his home, that will endanger the neighbors in that community, but the round the clock police protection the Bacon brothers got in their Abbotsford home was a shameful misuse of public resources. Increasing a public police presence at the Port Moody rec centre will deter gang members from going there.

In all fairness, the police from the VPD and the Port Moody PD as well as the mayor, all gave very good presentations. One thing the mayor and one of the other officers kept stressing was how the BC judicial system has improved lately. That is ridiculous. We aren’t seeing it. Yes a Peter Leask decision was appealed and overturned, but Peter Leask is still sitting on the wrong side of the bench when he should be in jail and that crime still needs to be addressed.

There is a huge difference between the judges in Ontario and the judges in BC despite the same federal legislation. The judges in Ontario are on the ball. The judges in BC are off their rocker. Right before the meeting we joked about a time share. How about we send our BC judges to Ontario and trade them so the judges in Ontario can come here. That would help our situation considerably.

The Aldergrove Judicial Review board’s position was and is that judges are the problem. He says judges keep letting the criminals go free when the police put a lot of hard work in and prepare excellent cases. He didn’t site any examples but there are many. His emphatic point is judges are the problem.

This speaker was from Aldergrove where his community became outraged with the BC judicial system because of the revolving doors around property theft. People were caught stealing in their neighborhood over and over again and they kept getting released to reoffend. The VPD came up with a proposal called 30 strikes and you’re out. As absurd as that sounds, they weren’t kidding. There is a huge problem with prolific offenders. The more crimes they commit the less time they spend in jail.

The Mayor pointed out that even reporting property theft to the police is important because nine times out of ten that person is stealing to support their drug habit. When that person gets some more money to buy drugs, he calls his dial a dope dealer to bring him some. Then when that dealer comes in to that neighborhood, he brings the risk of gang violence with him. In that sense property theft does relate to gang violence.

So too with the judicial absurdity about prolific offenders. That is feeding the gang war by enabling the criminals to buy more drugs which causes more fighting over who’s going to make the money off that deal. So clearly, judges are the problem. From throwing out good evidence and letting kingpin gang leaders go free, to filling the gang leaders pockets with the proceeds of prolific crime, it does all stem around the judges.

Getting away with Murder

Having said that, there is one other point raised that sparks a civic call of duty. Another mother expressed her concern that these gang members were getting away with murder. She said I guarantee you that if I went and shot someone in broad daylight, the police would be knocking on my door in a mater of days. Someone sees a five foot nothing woman shoot someone in broad daylight, they’re going to get her description and a plate number and the police will come knocking on her door.

Her concern, which was shared by others, is how brazen the gang violence has become. Not only no regard for public safety, but shooting people in broad daylight as though no one is going to see them or get a plate number. That is a valid concern. It behooves us as citizens ready to respond to the call of duty, not to intervene in a gang shooting but to remember plate numbers, and descriptions as they’re ducking for cover. Cell phones can take pictures as well as dial 911.

Her ultimate concern was that these gang members are literally getting away with murder. They are rarely caught and when they are the judges throw out good evidence or give them a slap on the wrist. This is true. Judges are still the problem.

9/11 Tribute

Since it’s the anniversary of 9/11 and people are posting tributes I will extend my condolences to all the lives lost in that tragic event as well as to all the rescue workers who got sick from all the asbestos in the towers and of course all the civilians in Iraq and Afghanistan who died for a crime they did not commit. I do believe 9/11 was an inside job and I am not the only one.

No doubt members of the Vancouver 9/11 Truth Movement will be outside the Vancouver Art Galley today just like they are on the 11th of every other month. There is a lot of information that has a lot of people including scholars, engineers and architects concerned about the fraudulent version of 9/11.

I do believe Larry Silverstein is a devil. Profiting so much financially from that tragedy is horrendous. He sued the insurance company and was paid twice the value of the Towers. He didn’t just double his money from the tragedy, he doubled the value of his investment. That’s like taking out a loan on a new car and getting paid twice the value of the car just because it was involved in a two car collision. That just doesn’t happen in the real world. Clearly that huge of an insurance fraud also adversely affected the US economy. Yet he still wants more.

Quebec shooting at political rally

Several stories to catch up on. First is that shooing in Quebec at a political rally. I know it’s not gang related but it is related to gun violence and I do find it very disturbing. We talk about preventing gang violence but preventing fruit loop violence is a whole other dilemma. The guy was wearing a bath rope and randomly starts shooting outside a victory rally for the new Quebec Premier. Congratulations on Quebec’s first female Premier I might add. My condolences for a tragic twist to that victory.

There’s a lot to talk about and I’m just going to throw it out there and come back later to expand on the post. I have errands to run and several stories racing through my brain at once. The party Quebecois won a minority government. Not very surprising. Charest was in power for three decades. The PQ took advantage of the striking university students promising them the moon. Let’s see if they will now deliver on that promise.

The issue in this election wasn’t separatism. July of this year, one year after the Bloc was wiped out by the NDP in Quebec, a Nanos survey reported the Bloc dropped another 6.2 % since last years election. In the recent Provincial election like Stephen Harper, the PQ only received just under 32 % of the vote while Jean Charest received just over 31% of the vote. A third party, the CAQ, received 27% of the vote.

Translated into actual seats in parliament the PQ got 54 seats, Charest’s Liberals got 50 and the CAQ got 19 seats. Theoretically, there is nothing stopping the Liberals and the CAQ for forming a coalition and forming the government. Even if they don’t form the government together they certainly hold the balance of power in any decision making.

I certainly wouldn’t say there aren’t people in Quebec who still want to separate. There are people in BC who want to separate for heavens sake. I’m saying the federalist view is still alive and well In Quebec which I see as a good thing because they are strong allies in helping us defeat Stephen Harpers’ madness. I think the University tuition was a pivotal issue and time will tell how that plays out.

I do think free or reduced University tuition is a very worthy goal. I just think we have to balance it with other priorities like, medical, seniors homes, pensions and everything else like tax revenue and a balanced budget. Making changes through the democratic process is the right way to go about it. Not by preventing other kids from going to class or by throwing stones and destroying property.

The PQ’s desire for more control of immigration is a concern. It’s kind of a way to stack the deck in a possible future referendum. I think preserving the French Language and culture is important. That’s why I support bilingualism even though I suck at French. The whole idea of discriminating against people moving to Quebec based on their first language or their political beliefs is somewhat concerning.

Regardless, the whole idea of a nutbar shooting people at a political rally is very disturbing.