How Long Must We, The 'People', Continue To Suffer?!?

I have commented before on the significant failings of our justice system on this blog. Sadly, things are not getting any better, innocent people are still being killed and the perpetrators are being treated like the victims by the legal (it isn't justice) system. In response to the following article in the Peace Arch News on Oct. 25/12 http://www.peacearchnews.com/news/175820191.html, I wrote the following Letter to the Editor:

Dear Editor,

RE: Hit-and-run killer sentenced to two years (less a day, actually), Oct. 25/12

   What an absolutely pathetic and totally inadequate sentence! Two sets of concurrent sentences meaning that Kyle Brandon Danyliuk serves one amount of time each for multiple offences. Also, there is no mention of him being held responsible for driving with no Driver's License [he's never had one] (and therefore, no insurance either). Assuming that Justice Michael Hicks is right about Danyliuk "having learned his lesson already", and therefore, does not need further deterrence, what does this laughable sentence do to deter another young punk from doing something equally heinous to some other innocent person(s) and family?!
   No wonder our court system is 'plugged' when the sentences they do hand down (after considerable resources are  expended [in this case, up to 35 officers and 3 courts sessions] and lots of paper shuffling) do not dissuade anyone from breaking the law and then it begins all over again. As 'Justice' Hicks has amply demonstrated with this ruling, everyone seem to be just "going through the motions" and we all pay the price. The 'People', including Marilyn Laursen's family, asked for 4 years; he is sentenced to 24 months (less a day), possibly out in 8 months, exactly what his lawyer had sought - the revolving door continues. Also, what about holding the girlfriend and mother of his child, Carleigh Merritt, responsible for aiding him by filing a false stolen auto report and failing to turn him into the police after she found out what he had done.
   Haven't we had enough - Shirley Bond, the Attorney-General of B.C., must instruct the Crown to appeal this sentence!?! The RCMP (35 officers at one time) and courts (3 separate hearings) invested significant resources and for what?! We need to have a victim surcharge in place to make the guilty pay some of the costs of bringing them to 'justice'!


I have to ask - how many of you really believe that either the government or the legal system has taken any action to correct these severe failings within the system? Witness the outcome of this similarly tragic case which was dealt with about 2 months after the incident commented on above: http://www.peacearchnews.com/news/185065161.html You can see that the comments still favour the perpetrator and there is very little being done to hold the guilty accountable (Ms. Warren will probably be out in less than a year). If this repeated 'wheel-spinning' at the expense of dozens of innocent families bothers you as much as it does me, I implore you to call/email your MLA/MP, the Premier and the Attorney-General and tell them that this is just not acceptable and has to change!

Laws For The Common Good/A Matter of False Economy?!?

I first wrote this piece some time ago and then set about trying to find an easy, efficient way to share it with ALL of the main newspapers in British Columbia as a 'Letter to the Editor'. Regretably, what with the Editors (and their email addresses) changing frequently and/or their methods of accepting letters (email, contact forms, Facebook, etc) changing, I was not successful. I think that this issue is of vital importance to ALL drivers in our province and I believe that, if they knew of these 'unexpected' consequences of ignoring these laws, they might just find the motivation to change their risky (to themselves and others) behaviour.

Dear Editor,
   Although seatbelts have been compulsory in B.C. since 1977, I still see many vehicle occupants who have chosen not to wear theirs. We now also have legislation which prohibits the use of cellphone handsets while behind the wheel of something like 1,600 kilograms of moving metal. Although one would think that the significantly increased odds of surviving a crash and with markedly reduced injuries would be enough to convince any rational person to 'buckle up' and so be able to spend a much longer, healthier life with their friends and families, it obviously hasn't resonated with everyone. Talking on a cell-phone, whether hands-free or not, still significantly diminishes a driver's ability to safely operate a motor vehicle due to their divided attention. There are fines for disobeying both laws, $167 charged to the driver for each person without their seatbelt and $167 for using a handset (+3 demerit points if texting or emailing) while driving.
   So, here's what obviously hasn't yet occurred to some of you - if you are in an accident and it can be proven that an illegal act such as not wearing a seatbelt or talking on a cellphone handset contributed to that accident and any resulting injuries, your insurance company will reduce the amount of damages payable by your percentage of culpability. For example, if your injuries are judged to be 60% your fault, you will only receive 40% of any award, which could mean a loss in the thousands or hundreds of thousands of dollars. How do you think it would feel to have paid a thousand dollars a year in insurance and, due to your own selfish actions, not get anywhere near the full benefit from it?

Think about it - if you aren't persuaded by the physical consequences of flaunting these laws, the financial penalty could just be more than you are prepared to risk.