CKNW Editorial
for August 31, 1999

The country is, of course, in the very best of hands. Democracy is safe and civilians are running the government. Any evidence to the contrary should be ignored, especially if it happens not to gore your particular ox.

There is no need to be concerned when policemen snatch a young student off campus, throw him in the paddy wagon, thence jail, because they think he may be up to no good in a couple of days. What the hell, if the police can’t arrest people before any bad things happen … well, bad things might just happen. And if you can hold a young person in jail and question him under a hot lamp until he promises to be good, that’s just good police work now isn’t it?

There is nothing alarming in the police throwing a young man to the ground, kneeing him in the back, handcuffing him and throwing him in jail because he is displaying two cloth signs, one saying “democracy” the other “free speech” … these kids have to be taught a lesson. There has been far too much of this embarrassing world leaders like Suharto and Jean Chretien and if we’re going to preserve this free country, why we just have to make some examples.

When people come to this country seeking refuge we must be tough. John Reynolds and the Reform Party are quite right – they must be criminals or else they wouldn’t be sailing 10,000 miles in a leaky boat, leaving everything they know and love behind them. I only fear that we won’t take the Reform Party’s views far enough. There was a time when a ship flying the Union Jack could demand to see another ship’s cargo anywhere in the world and if they weren’t satisfied, or the cargo wasn’t appropriate, sink the damn thing and be done with it. We’ve got to toughen up … just like Reform. And my suggestion is that we give these people a fair chance … we board the ship, let Art Hanger MP administer a good Singapore thrashing to the lot of them, and send them packing. If they’ve no food or water, well, they should have thought of that, now shouldn’t they?

There has been some whingeing about that the Attorney-General should have held the former Premier to account over him being under criminal investigation and not resigning. Rubbish. Where’s our respect for authority? The Premier is, after all, the Premier and should not be subjected to embarrassments. I know there are those who say that these complainers are only pointing out that they just expected Premier Clark and Ujjal Dosanjh to apply to themselves the same standards they applied to Bill Vander Zalm but that’s silly – that was then and now is now, right?

I applaud the Vancouver City police for taking the law into their own hands during the recent fireworks display. I know, it’s not unlawful for a person to carry a bottle of wine but dammit, if we always abide by the rule of law it might bring about drunkenness and public mischief. I say they didn’t go far enough. What they should have done is confiscated everyone’s cigarettes too as they went to the Tobacco company’s fireworks. And cigarette lighters while they’re at it.

And as for this business at the Sikh Temple the other day, why if these people are going to get excited about politics and have scuffles and things they should be busted and their elections declared void. What’s that you say? The police have no right to void elections and things like that?

Well, let me tell you, it’s softies like you who are responsible for all the troubles we have today. Look at what happened in the past when there was political unrest with banners and scuffling and that sort of stuff … why women got the vote … blacks got to go to schools and universities with whites … working people got decent treatment and better safety conditions.  Oh, I know that this civil unrest brought about some good things but Gadfrey Daniel haven’t we had enough trouble with this democracy bit? I mean hell, it’s not as if the police killed anyone – they just took away a few basic civil rights, that’s all.

You say that if the police are going to enforce the law they must themselves obey the law? What sort of whimpering, sentimentalism is that!

Police Constable Anne Drennan, the Vancouver Police Force’s official flack, is proud of the police taking the law into their own hands. So is the mayor of Vancouver. So what’s the matter with you people? Do you not want discipline? Do you just want real laws enforced, not the ones the police make up as they go along? Isn’t it best that we rely on our betters to pick and choose the spots where the law should apply and where it shouldn’t?

And, while we’re at it, shouldn’t we get rid of that troublesome presumption of innocence? Look at all the inconvenience that causes authorities like the police. After all, Mr Marshall, Mr Milgaard and Mr Morin, if the police arrested you, you must’ve done it – right? And if we can’t trust our Premiers, our mayors and Prime Minister Chretien to keep the police in check and protect our rights, who can we trust?