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 
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MAP posted-by: Beth