Wednesday, August 20, 2008

No Insight

Knee-jerk. Simple-minded.

These are the accusations thrown at anyone who dares questions the official story called Insite.

Federal health Minister Tony Clement is daring exactly this and he is being torn asunder in the press.

Today, the Vancouver Sun has launched a broadside at Clement and the Harper government in their lead editorial.

But understand how this game is played.

Not willing to do anything substantive about addictions, one government after another, federal, provincial and local, has dithered.

The FOur Pillars and Needle Exchange and Insite seemed ready answers. Big swift solutions.

So The Three Amigos (Mayors) and the 200 social service agencies in the DTES hopped on board the bandwagon.

Results?

You tell me.

Now, if you don't buy into the Official Story you don't understand a complex problem.

You are simple minded and knee jerk and law-and-order.

Ooooooooh. How bad!

The editorial makes the laughable claim that no government stood idly by.

The truth is that ALL the governments have stood idly by, ignoring the small pockets of real work being done in rehabilitation and treatment.

What is passing these days for treatment is gas.

A poor misguided fool writes in a letter to the editor today that for Insite to really be effective it should also give out free heroin. Why? Because then you could talk to the addicts about treatment and it would cut down on crime.

Hahahahaha...

Now here is a fellow who truly knows nothing about addictions.

1. You can't talk to a drunk or a hopped up junkie about anything. You can only talk to someone who is detoxed and clean and sober.

2. What treatment?

3. Junies want more. They will continue to commit crimes to buy more illegal junk after their free hit.

The ignorance on these issues is frightening.

And it is this ignorance that keeps the Editorialists and 200 social agencies and Insite supporters in business.

Out with the Old

What could be clearer about this provincial government's priorities.

They are rushing to close a publicly funded and run old folks home on the Island so that they can have a private care home open.

Read the Province story and toss your cookies.

Georgia on Our Mind


Thre is a revealing editorial in this morning's NY Times regarding the Russia-Georgia conflict.

The piece is written by Mikhail Gorbachev, former president of the Soviet Union.

The claim is that Georgia - and the U.S. - have much to answer for.

Read it.