Ee EE February 18, 2004 released since the trial. If Peltier is definitely guilty, and the FBI committed no wrongdo- ing during and after the trial, then what have they to lose by offering free access to information? The case is 30 years old. Of course to Peltier, imprisoned in Leavenworth, Kansas, it’s a little "more immediate. It can be taken on faith that a white man arrested for killing an Indian would have earned parole by now. In fact, nearly any mur- derer, even for killing a cop (which makes it special, apparently), would likely be free—or would at the very least be serving his life The sentences concurrently, instead of consecutively. William Janklow, following a provable and recorded trail of endangering the public, was speed- ing through a stop sign when he killed another man. There is no question that he is guilty. He bragged about his speeding in the South Dakota State House, and his aides were terrified of having to ride with him. Peltier got two life sentences. His prosecuting attorney, for killing a man through continual and aggravated recklessness, got 100 days in jail. There’s a fancy plaque on the Moody County Liberals, the Drunks, and the Booze Vanessa Simpson OP Contributor You'd think that Gordon Campbell and his government would stay as far away from alcohol issues as pos- sible, given Campbell’s impaired- driving charge in Maui. Youd think there are more pressing mat- ters for our government than eas- ing the punishment for drunk drivers. You'd think this was all commonsense. But it’s not. This provincial government seems wholly obsessed with wine and spirits. It wanted to privatize liquor stores—a project not dis- closed in the last election—which would only serve to hike liquor prices, lower the wages of employ- ees, and, oh ya, help balance the provincial budget by selling of provincial assets. The national media was whirling January 29 and 30 with the story that BC was decriminalizing impaired-driving. Splashed on the TV, audiences saw Gordo refusing to comment on the issue. The media dug up Campbell’s mug shot, while Solicitor General, Rich Coleman, an ex-RCMP officer, was left to answer the plethora of questions that pummeled him at a news conference. The BC Liberals are now focused on finding ways to reduce the backlog in the court system (I wonder how much of the backlog is caused by the governments deci- sion to close courthouses around the province). A discussion paper commissioned by the governments poses, among other things, lessen- ing the one-year suspension to three months for first time offend- ers. These lawbreakers will still be allowed to travel to and from work with their cars. Give me a break! What type of punishments are these? Offenders could use public tran- sit, or pay for a taxi for the dura- tion of their suspension. This would help offenders remember the choices available to them the night they decided to drive drunk. As you can tell, I have no sympathy for drunk drivers, because there are always other options, if they are willing to override their pride and obstinacy. But the judicial system has failed British Columbia. Consider, Jason Roy Carter of North Vancouver, who, according to The Province, was handed an 18-month condi- tional sentence, 12 months proba- tion, a $300 fine, community serv- courthouse door. It reads “Equal and exact justice to all men of whatever state or persuasion.” But as the presiding judge in Janklow’s trial, Justice Steele, _ says: “Sometimes one person's justice is another person's miscarriage of jus- tice.” Truer words were never spo- ken—at least not at Peltier’s trial. * More information on the Peltier case can be read at ¢ The opposition can be found at ¢ Scott Anderson’s July 1995 Outside Magazine article on the ice, and counseling for a drinking driving offense. That may sound like a fair or perhaps harsh punish- ment, however, Carter is not new to the court system. In fact, he has a record of seven impaired driving convictions, three convictions of dangerous driving while prohibit- ed, as well as other convictions that don’t involve a car. Was his sen- tence enough? The judicial system believed so. But I ask you, how many impaired-driving convic- tions will it take for Carter, and others like him, to land some hard time in jail? Freeing up time and space in the court system is necessary, but does our society need to forfeit the sanc- tity of its laws? Do we need to pla- cate to criminals because our judi- cial system is faulty? Instead of giv- ing impaired-drivers a free pass, our system needs to change to reflect the change in law-breakers. I don’t have all the answers, but I do have some suggestions. We can institute productivity measures that will see the police more powerful in disciplining drunk drivers. We could strength- en the penalties of drunk drivers. Judges could help here by using the myth of Leonard Peltier can be found at (It cannot be reached from the main page, however) and its rebuttal from the same can be found at . source Peter Mathiessen’s excellent book on the case is called “In the Spirit of Crazy Horse,” and in the absence of a contradictory book, its the authority, recommended reading for people asking “why can't they just be good citizens and shut up”? ff higher range of sentencing pre- scribed in the criminal code. When offenders stand before the judiciary for the seventh, tenth, and thir- teenth time, it’s clear they will not change their behaviour with pro- bation, house arrest, or communi- ty service. The cliché that driving is a priv- ilege must become a reality with lifetime bans for individuals who think it’s okay to continually cir- cumyent the laws of our province. Surely, this will rid the system of most recurrent offenders. Lastly, I think more education is needed, education for all demo- graphics—our parents, the baby- boomers, may have forgotten the rules they have instilled in us about drinking and driving. Our peers may think they are invincible. When parents, the premier of our province, and friends think it’s okay to drive intoxicated, there’s a problem. Most crimes are errors in judgment, which can end in seri- ous consequences. No one is immune to poor judgment. We don’t need lax laws in regards to impaired-driving, we need stiffer ones. http://www.otherpress.ca Opinions ¢ the other press © Deyiee Angela Blattmann OP Photographer Name: Kendra Answer: Yes. | have to work a lot to afford school, which limits the amount of classes I can take. This means that I'll be working a lot to afford classes for a longer time. Name: Jag Answer: Yes. | can't afford to take as many classes than | would take otherwise, and I have to work more which ends up effecting grades. Higher tuition definitely puts more pressure on stu- dents and makes it harder to succeed. Name: Sarah Answer: Yeah, I wanted to work my way through school, but I had to get a student loan. Page 9