HomeMy WebLinkAboutThe Citizen, 2001-10-17, Page 5Bonnie
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The short of it
THE CITIZEN, WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 17, 2001. PAGE 5.
Other Views
The drug wars: worse than the disease
The only good is knoWledge and
. the only evil is ignorance.
Socrates
Well, it's official. The Fraser Institute
has declared that the War On Drugs
has been a big fat waste of time.
The Institute, for those who don't patrol the
far-right fringe on the political tundra, is a
collection of bigdomes who pronounce
regularly on the vagaries of government and
social, policy. The Fraserites hang their mortar
boards and three piece pin stripes in British
Columbia, but ideologically they are Alberta
Incarnate.
They have never met a right-wing initiative
they didn't want to French kiss. Or a socialist
policy that wasn't the first knell in the collapse
of Western civilization.
And here they are, in a series of policy
papers, announcing that the billions and
billions of dollars and man-hours that stolid,
right-thinking North American law
enforcement types have spent trying to shut
down the drug trade might as well have been
flushed down the toilet.
That's an observation to which - since we
started with Socrates - it is suitable to add
something Homeric (as in Simpson).
Which is to say, "Well, DOH!"
Where have these geniuses been? What have
THEY been smoking for the past half a
.century?
Anybody who didn't have his head up J.
Edgar Hoover's fundament could have seen the
War on Drugs has been the biggest farce since
/f I have some work to do in Toronto, due to
the congestion I seldom drive any more in
the downtown area. It is easier either to take
the train or to park at Yorkdale Plaza and use
the subway.
Sometimes I have a call or two to make just
out of the core area, but now and again I find
that my favourite parking spots there are
cluttered up with vans, wires, cars and mobile
offices. The first time I had to ask what was
going on; now I take it for granted that they are
filming either a movie or TV.
The fact is that Toronto, and to a lesser extent
Vancouver and Montreal, has become a
favourite filming spot. No, it is not due to the
charm of Mayor Mel Lastman; the causes are
mainly economic.
The favourable exchange rate of the
Canadian dollar together with beneficial tax
credits offered by Canadian governments have
contributed greatly to attracting Hollywood
business.
Also, where else but in Canada can you find
a horde of extras with accents so similar to
those of the Americans?
If you need a foreign accent, Toronto also has
them in spades. If you require a French setting,
look no farther than Montreal.
But there is one other attraction. It has not
gone unnoticed that Canadian actors are both
good and versatile. In addition, we have
talented technicians and film companies that
turn out first-rate work.
I was reminded of all this when I was in the
U.S. at an economic conference earlier this
year. At one point I decided to get away from
all the speeches and found myself in a
restaurant sitting next to an American family of
four. We struck up a conversation and, on
learning.I was Canadian, they informed me that
they had gone to Stratford last year and
planned to go again next month.
Trying to involve their two girls in the
conversation, I asked them what they liked best
about Stratford. They replied immediately that
it had been a chance encounter with Paul Gross
Samson asked Delilah for a trim.
OF COURSE the War On Drugs is
abysmally stupid. It always has been.
Unless you're a drug dealer. Or in law
enforcement.
They are the only people who make a profit
from The War On Drugs. For the rest of the
world, it's been a disaster. Innocent bystanders
around the world have been murdered and
maimed, caught in the cross-fire between the
aforementioned principals.
Peasants in Colombia have had their
farmlands poisoned because it 'might' be
harboring cocoa plants. Kids in Texas, are
serving life sentences for possession of
miniscule amounts of a weed that grows
behind barns.
Canada, of course, fell right in lockstep with
the FBI paranoia parade.
Emily Murphy, an Edmonton magistrate
(who, God knows why, is currently lionized as
an icon of Canadian feminism), made a name
for herself in the '20s by demonizing
marijuana in a sleazy expose entitled The
Black Candle.
I quote: Addicts to this drug, while under its
influence, are immune to pain...While in this
Raymond
Canon
The
International
Scene
on the main street. They had seen him in Due
South and were immediately smitten.
"I got his autograph," said one of the girls.
"I touched him," said the other. The father
added that the hand that touched him was not
washed the rest of that day.
When you come to think of it, many
Canadians have achieved fame and fortune in
films.
Deanna Durbin and Mary Pickford are two of
the earlier ones but others include Raymond
Burr, William Shatner and James Doohan (I
watch Star Trek), Leslie Nielson, Lorne
Greene, Michael J. Fox, Yvonne DeCarlo,.
Hume Cronyn, Pamela Anderson, David James
Elliott (I watch JAG too) and Christopher
Plummer. In addition Wayne and Shuster made
more appearances on the old Ed Sullivan Show
that any other performers.
The list is only partial and I am sure that
many readers could add names without much
difficulty.
In addition other Canadian TV personalities
have successfully found fame and fortune
south of the border. Peter Jennings is one of the
most respected news anchors in North America
while Alex Trebek is host of the popular quiz
show Jeopardy.
If you are watching a movie or a TV program
and are wondering if it is made in Toronto, look
for some familiar buildings. Don't look for the
CN Tower; producers try to avoid that since it
gives the locale away. I recommend zeroing in
on- a licence plate. I also recognized a
Vancouver-made film by spotting some VIA
passenger coaches with a mountain
background. The word VIA never appeared but
condition they become raving maniacs and are
liable to kill or indulge in any form of violence.
using the most savage methods of cruelty
without. . . any sense of moral responsibility.
Ms Murphy was clearly a bit of a raving
maniac herSelf, but an influential one. Her
fervid fulminations meshed perfectly with
what would become the -official government
line — and the .prevailing public attitude — for
the rest of the 20th century.
This past summer, the magazine The
Economist (bedtime reading for Fraser
Institutionalists) declared flatly that "the laws
on drugs are doing more harm than good".
Last spring, 70 years after Murphy's
slavering histrionics, the Canadian Medical
Association declared "there are no -reported
cases of fatal marijuana overdoses" and the
"real harm marijuana users experience takes
the form of lost educational, employment and
travel opportunities due to the criminal record
they acquire."
In other words, the war on drugs has done
more damage than the drugs themselves.
Me? I don't care much about drugs -
including marijuana. Aside from caffeine, red
wine and the odd single malt scotch, I don't do
them, and have no intentions of glorifying
them.
But let's get it straight: smoking up may or
may not be expensive, narcissistic, non-
productive, foolish and a colossal waste of
time.
But what it isn't, is criminal.
Canada
the distinctive colouring did.
But need I go on. We tend to look at trade
exports as being an important wage earner for
Canada but hundreds of millions of dollars are
earned each year by one or more of the above
mentioned segments.
Some people in Hollywood are getting a bit
upset, expressing the belief that too much
entertainment money is going to Canada. But
as long as the bottom line plays an important
role, the money will continue to roll in.
Letter
Continued from page 4
themselves in harm's way they deserve our
unwavering support.
That support however, must have substance
to it. We must be prepared to redirect our
priorities so that every effort is made to give
them the best opportunity to perform not only
this mission, but future missions in an
increasingly unpredictable world.
When the House sits, Jean Chretien will find
a, great deal of support among politicians of
most stripes, and an unprecedented willingness
to co-operate with the government. It is an
opportunity he must cultivate for the sake of all
Canadians. He can no longer continue to
marginalize Parliament and individual MPs as
has been the custom throughout his tenure,
rather he must seek to involve our elected
representatives in the decision-making process.
Canadians desire unity, but they demand
leadership.
Jean Chretien is our prime minister at a
critical point in our history. The decisions
made in the coming months will impact us
greatly for years to come and it is imperative
that they be made engaging the full force of our
democratic process, utilizing every value,
every skill, every bit of experience possessed
by each and every politician honoured to be
serving their country at this historical time.
Richard P. Neumann •
Thunder Bay, ON
Any volunteers?
Iam a Libra. I like balance and harmony. I
thrive on organization and become weak
amidst chaos. A surprise thrown into my
schedule, a curve appearing in my right-angled
life and I can quickly lose my way. ,
It should probably come as no surprise
therefore, that a tidy, relatively clean house is
of importance to me. I -suppose some might
say I'm a little anal about it, but to my way of
thinking there is an acceptable level of clutter.
Anything beyond leads to a pinnacle of stress,
which, by the way, I seem to be reaching with
an increasing frequency. I am losing ground as
one of the Super Women.
Flying around my home in a brief hour or so
of spare time the other day, doing laundry,
vacuuming, washing dishes, and generally
tidying things, I reflected on just what the heck
might be happening to my once controlled
existence. My mother worked full-time, I
noted, and if memory serves correctly, nothing
was ever out of place, laundry was always
done, and good, hearty meals were served on
time. Heck, she even had time to iron, clean
the fridge, tidy closets and wash a floor now
and then.
But, while I applauded her capabilities it
dawned on me that her life was much different
than mine, or than most of today's working
women.
Firstly, Monday was her's. She could do the
necessary chores without anyone underfoot.
There was no place to go because her doctor,
her dentist, her friends were all in the same
town. From Tuesday to Friday she woke about
7 a.m., then did some minimal housekeeping
tasks. Getting ready took little time because in
the days of the good old beehive, Mom went
from week to week Coiffed to go.
Working in town, she could leave home
almost two hours after waking. Lunch break
was plenty of time to get a bite, make some
early supper preparations and h&d back to
work. Home by 5 p.m., supper was served
shortly thereafter, iishe , done and an evening
to be spent how she chose, doing housework or
relaxing, stretched before her. There was no
driving me to skating, or ball games, or
movies, or school extracurriculars.
Saturday was much the same, with the
exception of a night of dancing and
socializing. Then church and family on
Sunday, spent as intended in quiet and
relaxation.
There are definitely different demands on
my time. For example, I'm on the road more
than- Mom ever was which chips away at the
opportunities I have at home. In a rural
community, we drive for almost everything,
from doctors and dentists, to high schools. I
shudder to think of the miles we've put on our
vehicles through the years, shuttling kids,
commuting to work, appointments, and
visiting family and friends.
And as I do not live in the town in which I
-work I cannot use my lunch to. my advantage.
As well, the job requires some evening work,
eliminating other moments when I might
manage to get on top of things at home. This
leaves Saturdays and Sundays, which are
usually highlighted by people under-my feet or
by social obligations.
Thus, I continue to lose ground. I concede
Super Woman is smaller than the challenge.
Libra's scales are tipping precariously, and -I
am teetering on the edge. Only a maid could
help me now, but that leads to another
problem.
Anyone care to volunteer their time'?
Bringing Hollywood to