THE ROOTS OF CRIME

The hard-on-crime crowd exemplified by letter writers complaining
about our ridiculous justice system, watered-down sentencing and
hug-a-thug media should be reminded that all manner of beatings,
jailing and torture have been tried without end, and those policies
have failed to deter crime.

Brian Mulroney was not soft on crime. He doubled the sentences for
drug crimes when he and Ronald Reagan reinvigorated the Nixonian war
on drugs. We live with the monsters that injustice created.

More unjust sentencing for unjust crimes will not deter anybody from
drugs. That action will only create worse monsters with whom Canadians
will have to deal when these people get out of jail and raise their
kids to have nothing but contempt and disrespect for the law.

Repealing drug prohibition laws ought to be the first order of
business in ending a cycle that has destroyed hundreds of thousands of
lives in Canada since the war on (some) drugs Nixon started years ago.

Chris Buors

Winnipeg