NDP LEADER CAROLE JAMES IS PROVING TO BE A POLITICALLY SEDUCTIVE POLITICIAN

Pity poor Neil Jones. It was bad enough when he discovered that Trans
Canada Fitness, the business he manages, was owned by an alleged drug
manufacturer with ties to the Hell's Angels and other organized crime
networks. But now a local coward with vigilante delusions is harassing him.

When Jones walked out of his house last Tuesday he found someone had spray
painted the word "Drugs" across his pickup truck. On top of that the same
person, or persons, had also sprayed the same word across the front door of
his business in the old armoury building at 501 West Second Street.

Jones is not certain who did this to him but he suspects it may be the same
individual who secretly posted at strategic locations around town newspaper
Web pages about a series of busts involving the Manitoba branches of the
Trans Canada Fitness chain.

The company and its owner, former Revelstoke resident Roger Bruneau, are
under investigation by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, the Winnipeg
Police Service and the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Officers from
that task force raided the Revelstoke business in mid-September and seized
computer hard drives and documents. Jones and his business manager Martin
Ralph have not been charged and the officers who raided the business found
no evidence of criminal activity here.

In fact, Staff Sgt. Randy Brown, commander of the local RCMP detachment
went out of his way in a Times Review interview two weeks ago to stress
that Jones and his business are not only blameless for the business owner's
alleged wrongdoing but they are actually victims of organized crime.

That doesn't seem to have sunk in with the man, or woman, who seems intent
on harassing Jones.

That person should really give some thought to what he or she is doing.
Harassment is a crime all by itself and the fact that they have not yet
been caught is irrelevant. What they are doing is a criminal act. By
harassing Jones they are acting like thugs.

Speaking of thugs-that's definitely not a label anyone would slap on New
Democratic Party Leader Carole James who was in town last Friday to speak
to the party faithful.

James is politically seductive and, in my opinion, poses a real threat to
Gordon Campbell and the B.C. Liberals.

She is articulate, forthright, intelligent and speaks plainly about the
issues at the heart of local discontent with the way the BC Liberals have
governed this province.

The former school trustee from Prince George recognizes that British
Columbians yearn for political stability and prosperity and is adamant that
a New Democratic government would not sweep away all of the changes that
the Liberals have made. If anything, many of them would be softened and
humanized, with an emphasis on returning a measure of local control and
representation to institutions such as the regional health authorities.
That one message alone is almost certain to win her support in Revelstoke
and all the other communities that have watched their health systems
undergo radical surgery.

But as heartening as her message to New Democrats in the Heartland may be,
she has her work cut out for her. The party has just three MLAs and faces a
lot of planning and platform crafting before the election on May 17.

The economy is improving rapidly and the BC Liberals are making a lot of
cash-heavy promises to voters, promises the doubtless hope will induce
people to vote from a position of self interest. It worked once before and
it may work again. So James must carefully craft an election platform that
not only appeals to the people's desire for prosperity but to their sense
of dignity and self-worth, too.

She struck me as a real contender and while she may not form the next
government she is definitely a political force to be reckoned with.