Pubdate: Thu, 19 May 2005 Source: Hope Standard (CN BC) Copyright: 2005 Hope Standard Contact: http://www.hopestandard.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/1397 Author: Lorne Fortune Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n779/a01.html THOSE WHO SELL DRUGS ARE FAR FROM VICTIMS Editor: The Standard re: Rental homes busted Every once in awhile letters from Mr. Alan Randell from Victoria show up in the Standard. This time he makes reference about the media attributing to a police state and Nazi Germany. Here in Canada and around the world we just celebrated 60 years since the end of World War II and guess what! still no police state and no Nazi's even running Germany anymore. I would suggest you send your letters to countries like Iraq instead. Give Canadians some credit, we are not a stupid people. I do not know what all goes on in Victoria, but everywhere else in Canada we have gang violence, drive by shootings, organized crime, police being killed at heavily armed grow ops which sometimes are even booby trapped to kill or seriously maim whomever enters the property. Civilians are being killed in gun battles at dance clubs or by street racers, usually drug or gang related. We have even had our own drug related murders here in Hope. Our children are being poisoned and killed by the drugs made in rental homes in their own neighborhoods, some within blocks of their schools and sold in Memorial Park. Maybe Mr. Randell is just plain anti government and the Standard is the only media who will give him a forum. There are many beaches around Victoria and Vancouver Island and I would suggest that Mr. Randell find one he likes and keep his head in the sand, but you better watch out, I hear some of the best BC bud comes from the Island and stay away from Angels Acres [Hells Angels] in Naniamo. I agree that the addicted children, teenagers, adults and their families [ a category that I belong in] are innocent victims, but to consider the people who manufacture or sell these killer drugs are innocent victims being arrested or shot by the police is a travesty. Personally as a law abiding citizen, I would prefer a police state over what you advocate, which is a state run by criminals and organized crime, thankfully with our form of democracy, neither will happen. As for the media, wake up, the internet is the major form of media now, average people with their video cameras and home made web pages are getting the news out to the world, not the government dictating to the traditional media what to report. Lorne Fortune Hope - --- MAP posted-by: Beth