injusticebustersblog

A letter in today's StarPhoenix (Monday, March 14) pointed out that the price for the exclusive centenary celebration at Credit Union Place, which is partially funded by tax dollars, will be too high for most of the people who built the province.

See also On the West Side people are cashing their welfare cheques at money mart

There has also been some criticism of the government using centenary money to help fund a movie on Tommy Douglas. This might sound like sour grapes until we realize that the present government should be embarrassed to even speak Douglas' name. Douglas may have been our favorite Canadian on the CBC show but it was left to non-Saskatchewanian George Stroumboulopoulos to pitch him and I bet some of us who voted had actually heard of the Regina Manifesto. (You might notice this text is provided at a site in Ontario, having been removed from the Saskatchewan NDP's website.

The CCF pledged to eradicate capitalism. The NDP now sees such a goal as quaint and naive. No doubt many who voted Tommy Douglas in as premier for all those years of my formative youth also felt that way. Douglas led us to prosperity and the prosperous seem more often to be driven by greed than altruism.

They have certainly all rejected the simple, humane ideas of justice the manifesto outlined:

While the removal of economic inequality will do much to overcome the most glaring injustices in the treatment of those who come into conflict with the law, our present archaic system must be changed and brought into accordance with a modern concept of human relationships. The new system must not be based as is the present one, upon vengeance and fear, but upon an understanding of human behaviour. For this reason its planning and control cannot be left in the hands of those steeped in the outworn legal tradition; and therefore it is proposed that there shall be established a national commission composed of psychiatrists, psychologists, socially minded jurists and social workers whose duty it shall be to devise a system of prevention and correction consistent with other features of the new social order.

Psychiatry turned out to be a cruel hoax in the hands of most of the practitioners who came to Saskatchewan to run horrific experiments in the big bug houses in Weyburn and North Battleford. Socially minded? Well, no. Just ask Howard Gowan!

Tommy Douglas promoted sharing the wealth, providing services (telephones, highways, and electricity as well as medical services for which he is best remembered) to the most remote in our province. He was the antithesis of greed.

Premier Lorne Calvert shares with Douglas only that they were both men of the cloth. Douglas did not trade on the reputations of others but created his own. When I was a teen-ager, my father took me to several meetings to hear him speak. I was proud to be part of this province.

Another former premier, Alan Blakeney, was on the news tonight in his new role as a civil liberties champion. Referring to Robert Latimer, he pointed out the injustice inherent in mandatory sentencing. Yes. This is part of what I remember about Saskatchewan.

There are rumours that the monthly allowance for welfare recipients is going to increase. (There has not been an increase for more than twenty years.) The poverty which Calvert and his cabinet tolerate has played a huge role in the prevalence of crime. The unwillingness to address drug addiction as a public health problem and create the necessary means to help our addicted brothers and sisters has also contributed. More jails run by corrupt officials who are accountable to no one are at the very heart of Saskatchewan's Injustice culture.

Also on the news tonight was a report that youth gangs, mostly young aboriginals, are growing faster in Saskatchewan than anywhere else.

Now that the four young mounties who died in Alberta have been buried, we will no doubt be hearing more pitches for more money and tougher laws.

I know I am not the only one who is sick of this sanctimonious bullshit. A more equal distribution of the wealth of this country would certainly contribute to public safety. A lot of the crimes we see now are committed by people who are dispossessed, desperate and have nothing left to lose.

The cops were in no danger from Mary Lutz when they tasered her. This is a clear case of sadistic punishment of a person they have pledged to serve and protect.

The cops who did this were: Const. Doyle -D.J.RRDC. badge # 36447 Const. Nash R.J. - Badge # 470370, Const. Bates Lorne RRDC Badge # 50158 and Const. Kobeluck - Blaine RRDC Badge # 46573.

Injusticebusters first became concerned about police irregular use of tasers when stories began emerging from the U.S.

At that time Saskatchewan police were recklessly using pepper spray (see Vernon Crowe ) and dropping aboriginal men at the edge of town in freezing weather. (See Darrell Night)

On the other hand there have been instances where use of a taser would have been more appropriate than the choice which was made: shooting the person. ( Keldon McMillan,
Melvin Bigsky.

Injusticebusters carried a report of the tasering of Randy Fryingpan , a teenager who was sleeping in the back of a car when the cops unnecessarily and brutally shook him, tasered him and took him into custody. We received an account about aother Alberta person -- a single mother who had taken good care of her children -- but had them apprehended because of a meddling mother.

This is Mary's arm, still showing bruising after the cops grabbed her with excessive force.

Just after the turn of the new year I received e-mail from a Saskatchewan man who recounted how his girl friend in Alberta was under house arrest after some incidents where child protective services had removed her children from her on the basis of mischievous stories her own mother had told to child protection authorities.

This is another case of an improper investigation and police overstepping their authority.

The story was written in such angry language it almost burnt my eyes to read it. While anger is justified I did not want to present Mary's story that way. There was a post script at the end of the e-mail which said that Mary had been tasered five times by Red Deer RCMP.

I asked if there were pictures and I was provided with these.

Her complaints about her treatment led to her house arrest.

The following was posted on an unrelated blog. This is an important case which is happening right now. The story, as gleaned from news reports can be found here.

Regarding Michael Cardamone, there is no evidence against him, there are no witnesses. To the contrary there are eye witnesses that substantiate his testimony. Cardamone believed in the judicial system and that truth would prevail with that in mind he was more than cooperative and helpful with the investigation. There is an incredible amount of information, testimony and professional expertise that was not permitted. This additional information would have shed a whole new light on the case. It is shocking that so- called "professionals" such as Casey Woodham, can have such influence on a case, the lack of education, professional qualifications of these individuals is mind boggling. I encourage people to look more deeply at this case, an innocent man is facing imprisonment, two little babies are being robbed of a father, a young wife is without her husband.

A website has been set up by friends of Michael Cardamone.

For two months this site has hosted a discussion. I have deleted a couple entries which might have served to jeopardize Michael Cardamone's legal position.

Today I deleted one which took a swipe at me as host of the blog. Unlike Michael Cardamone who has to rely on others in the community to speak for him, I am able to defend myself.

Some useful information which was not previously reported has emerged on this blog. Some thoughtful opinions have been expressed.

I hope the discussion will continue and as the days count down towards appeal hearings perhaps we can face down the hysteria and obtain a just result for Michael Cardamone so he can return to his family.