POLITICIANS NEED TO MAKE TOUGH DECISIONS TO TACKLE GANGS

In the past two weeks, bullets have been flying on the streets and mall
parking lots of the Lower Mainland.

It has become a war zone-a disorganized orgy of violence between gangs and
their bit-player members, fighting for control of the drug trade, exacting
revenge for earlier hits, and carrying out retribution for crossed
loyalties, broken deals, and threats and insults, perceived or real.

The fact that innocent citizens have not been directly gunned down, or
struck by stray rounds, is nothing short of a miracle.

The situation is appalling, and utterly unacceptable.

And while the police are doing whatever is within their legally restricted
powers to do, the response of government at the provincial and federal
level has been anemic. For instance, this week the attorney general
trotted out a recent study that found B.C.'s courts are not the softest in
Canada.

On behalf of the vast majority of the public-we don't care. We want action.

The entire nation needs to be far tougher on these morally vacant thugs
who care nothing for anyone but themselves. And that means public safety
being the primary consideration of bail hearings. It means severe
punishment for gun crimes. It means no plea bargaining for reduced
charges. It means no probation and early parole on sentences.

And it also means a focused examination and debate on ending the massively
expensive and ineffective war on drugs-particularly marijuana. Prohibition
is not working. It merely fuels the insanely profitable illicit drug
trade, and creates the bloody havoc being wrought on our streets.

It's time politicians came to grips with this stark reality, and started
talking seriously about progressive solutions. The criminal justice system
can be made as tight as possible-and it should be-but it will not solve
crime associated with drugs.

Now let's start dealing with that fact.