Friday, November 04, 2011

Katz Quotez


 From CJOB.com quoting Winnipeg Mayor Sam Katz with regards to bill C-10:

"Katz spoke with committee members about the need to close the revolving doors of justice so repeat offenders stay behind bars instead of escalating the nature of their crimes.   He also emphasized the rights of citizens cannot take a back seat to the rights of criminals."

 Can someone parse this statement for me?

"He also emphasized the rights of citizens cannot take a back seat to the rights of criminals"

Criminals are citizens, like it or not. Law breaking citizens, but citizens nevertheless.  Everyone breaks the law all the time without even knowing it half the time.. especially if you include traffic violations.

When he is saying that the rights of citizens cannot take a back seat to the rights of criminals, what exactly is he saying?  Rights are rights.


What I wish Katz was saying was that the rights of citizens cannot be ignored by legislation simply because we want to put all the bad people in jail forever and ever so that we can create a false sense of safety. 

Mandatory minimums don't merely close the revolving doors of justice.  Three strikes laws in the USA that we in Canada have grown fond of mocking for their ineffectiveness?  welcome to Canada.  For Profit prison systems?  Welcome to Canada.    American style justice?  Yeah, sounds great.

I'm all for locking up gang members and thugs and drug dealers.  I'm not in favour of trampling over citizens rights to do it. 

Passing Bill C-10 in its current state is insanity.  If the Conservatives go ahead with it (and Bill C-11), the next election can't come fast enough for me.

A majority is not an excuse to act like someone gave you a blunt instrument to bludgeon your detractors with.  Who would have thought we'd be looking back at the Jean Chretien days wistfully as ones of sanity and measured thinking.  Perhaps only by comparison.

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

What Sam was saying is that our lefty leaning justice system is soooo concerned with the rights of criminals that they override the rights of victims.

Here is an example:
In Canada if someone breaks into your home and falls down the stairs you will be held responsible?

They broke in. It is their fault and you will be punished for it.

Not in Canada. Nope

reedsolomon.matr1x at gmail.com said...

certainly the rights of criminals shouldn't override the rights of victims. That doesn't mean criminals don't have rights. Like I said, everyone is guilty of criminal acts every day (and more if the bought and paid for Bill C-11 witch hunt comes to pass)

But that falling down the stairs analogy could just as easily happen in the USA with their sue happy culture. I don't believe Bill C-10 does anything for those people.

Anonymous said...

Your falling down the stairs analogy holds no water. If a thief fell down in my home; I'd be on that shit like stink on a monkey; pounding the bejesus out of it's brains!