Canadian Justice-children don’t matter

Is there anything worse than hearing about a murdered child? Is Society so used to hearing about this that it no longer shocks and disgusts us the way it should?

As a parent losing a child is something you’d never want to experience.

But having your child’s life ended at the hands of another human being is incomprehensible. From the day they are born it is a solemn unspoken vow to love them, nurture them, teach them, sacrifice for them, and protect them. We do everything we can to keep them safe, but sometimes accidents happen and they cannot always be prevented. As painful as that is it’s a fact, some times parents outlive their children because of accidents.

But having your child murdered is a different thing altogether.

Jessica Russell was 9 years old the day she was murdered, May 5th 2000. She was being driven to school by David Trott, a convicted violent offender out on probation. Jessica never made it to school, and was found dead in a burning trailer 30km east of her home. Jessica’s father has stated he was unaware of the criminal history of the accused, but it is still unclear how he was connected to the family. David Trott suffered from FAS and this was being used as a defense. I am still unable to find out the information on his eventual sentence or what the final outcome was in this case. He was charged with her abduction and murder.

Holly Jones was on the way back to her house after walking one of her friends home May 12th 2003, she never made it. Her remains were found in two different bags off the shores of Toronto Island. She was  murdered and her body cut in to pieces. Michael Briere was charged with 1st degree murder and sentenced to 25 years in jail. He said he was consumed with desire after watching child pornography, and that is why he abducted and murdered poor Holly.

Samantha Walsh was just 13 years old when her life was taken. And the person charged with her death was sentenced to life in prison with the chance of parole in seven years. Yes that’s right, 7 years. Samantha was choked to death in the woods and her body was not found for two weeks. Michael Lewis was convicted of 2nd degree murder, and after serving 7 years in prison was denied his bid for parole March 9 2007. It is a constant strain on the family that he might be released. Their little girl was murdered, and now they are trying to keep her killer in jail. This is what Canada calls Justice?

Tammy Lyn Homloka, Leslie Mahaffy, and Kristen French. All three of these young girls were sexually assaulted and murdered by Paul Bernardo and Karla Homolka. You will notice the same last name of one of the victims and the killer. That is correct, Karla Homolka murdered her own sister. If that is not bad enough how’s this, she is out of jail, remarried, has a child of her own, after serving only 12 years in jail. Only in Canada you say.

Alison Parrott was 11 years old when she was sexually assaulted and murdered. Her killer was out on parole after serving only 2 1/2 years of an 11 year sentence for the rape of two teenage girls.

Francis Carl Roy was convicted of 1st degree murder and sentenced to life in prison. He will be eligible for parole “again” in 2024. That means after raping 3 little girls, murdering one of them while out on parole, he will get another chance do do it again. Canadian Justice.

There are many more children that have been raped and murdered. Many others were killed by criminals out on parole, or released early for good behavior. What the hell is going on? Who is responsible for this?

SIGN THIS PETITION AND STOP THE MADNESS, SAVE OUR CHILDREN

How many other children need to die before the Justice system in Canada and the U.S  is changed? Jared Klein, Colton McIntosh, Corine Gustavson, Jennifer Teague, Victoria Stafford, and the list goes on and on. The very notion that some type of plea deal is an option for murderers is a crime in itself. If life in prison is the harshest penalty that Society is willing to impose, then that should mean for the rest of their life, period.

Innocent people may die as a result of having a Death Penalty? Maybe. How many innocent people and children have died without having it? Hundreds.

Just who exactly is the Justice system protecting?

Enough is Enough.

Victoria Stafford-The search is over

Police today have confirmed the discovery of remains found on Sunday are indeed that of Tori Stafford. April 8th was the last time that anyone had seen this little girl, walking down the street after school with one of the accused. Today her family finally knows where she is, and that Tori is coming home. But not the way they were hoping and praying for. She was murdered and left in a field. How this was done is not yet known. The burning question yet to be answered is why. What could be the possible motive to take a little girl and murder her? No child should have to fear that, and as a society it is our duty to stop it from happening again.

In previous articles on this site I have mentioned the use of GPS implants to locate our children quicker, and possibly prevent this type of thing from happening. The reasons why this case was not classified as an abduction sooner are confusing, and the Amber Alert system is currently being reviewed as a result of massive public demand.

There have been many theories and rumors surrounding Tori’s disappearance, with her mother even suspected of being involved somehow. That the accused and Tori’s mom knew each other to some is a red flag. But Woodstock is not a large place, so it is not that strange for them to be acquainted in some manner. Drugs have been brought in to it, that it may be the result of some debt or something. That to me is ridiculous. Owing money for drugs may result in getting roughed up or even possibly a broken leg or something like that. But to have your child stolen and murdered? The accused are not the mafia of old, and certainly not members of a large Cartel trying to send out a message. So there must be another reason.

Was Tori abducted for sexual reasons? Did the female abduct this precious little girl to satisfy some sick need of her co-accused? Was she present when it happened? What kind of a person could do that? It’s one thing to have a pedophile commit these heinous crimes, but it’s quite another to think about what these two might have done. This is another reason why Canada needs to change these laws. From mandatory punishments,  longer sentences, and tougher parole restrictions to even maybe re-considering the Death Penalty for certain crimes. A petition about this can be found here.

Tori’s parents no longer have to worry about her, nor do they have to wonder where she is. But they also have to live the rest of their lives without her, knowing the people responsible for Tori’s death are still living, breathing, watching TV, eating, at their expense. That’s a tough pill to swallow.

Canadian Troops-Dying for Freedom

It is another somber day in Kandahar as Canadian troops honor two more fallen soldiers. The number of Canadian KIA’s has now risen to 124 since the mission began in 2001. Cpl. Martin Joannette and Cpl. Pat Audet were killed Monday when their Griffon helicopter crashed during takeoff.

A British soldier was also killed and three other Canadian soldiers were injured in the crash. The Griffin helicopter has been a very welcome addition the the Canadian forces fighting in Afghanistan. Most of the deaths have been caused by IED’s, and transporting the troops in the air via the Griffin has greatly attributed to less casualties and reduced the risk for our troops.

The Taliban have claimed they shot down the chopper but Canadian Military officials are disputing this, saying the soldiers did not perish as a result of enemy fire. Whatever the cause, these brave men died while serving their Country and believed in what they were doing. Defense Minister Peter Makay issued a statement that Canada’s commitment to NATO and Afghanistan is just as strong as ever, and offered his condolences to their families.

Officials at CFB Valcartier say Audet, from Montreal,  joined the Canadian Forces in 1988 and served in the Middle East in 2002 before deploying to Kandahar in April. Cpl Joannette, from St-Calixte, Que., joined the military in December 2001 and served three tours in Afghanistan. Our soldiers are fighting for Afghan families, freedom, democracy, and the respect for human rights. This is the first time Canada has deployed an air wing in combat since the Korean war.

Concerns about the Griffons engines have been raised before, that it might not have the power to deal with the severe heat and sandy conditions. And since enemy action has been ruled out that only leaves mechanical failure, or human error. The investigation into the crash is ongoing and the results will be known soon.

The sacrifice of our soldiers should not be forgotten amidst the media hype surrounding celebrity deaths. And what they endure on a daily basis is more than most people realize. The heat, equipment weight, and obstacles they face every day is coupled with the danger of road side bombs, and an enemy who’s face is hard to identify at best. This could be in many ways, the toughest conflict our troops have ever had to face. But every day they do their duty, and every day I am proud of them, and proud to be a Canadian.

Celebrity Drug Overdoses

I knew that there have been a few deaths of famous people involved in drugs, but when I started to look in to it I was absolutely shocked to learn how many there were.  A very serious problem exists and shows no sign of stopping.

John Belushi, died in 1982 from a combined injection of cocaine and heroin known as a “speedball”. Best known for his roles in “Animal House” and “The Blues Brothers”. He was also a cast member of “Saturday night Live” and the role of Dr. Peter Venkman in “Ghostbusters” was written for Belushi. Cathy Smith who was a groupie for “the Band” was charged with first degree murder for giving him the fatal shot. She was convicted of involuntary manslaughter.

Elvis Presley, died in 1977 from a violent heart attack. But it is widely believed it was brought on by combined drug intoxication(poly-pharmacy). Considered to be “The King of Rock and Roll” Elvis staged the first ever live concert via satellite and had at least 1 billion viewers, with another 500 million on a delay. He is one of the best-selling and most influential artists in the history of music.

Marilyn Monroe, died in 1962 from “acute barbiturate poisoning”. Rumors and speculation that she was murdered still continue today, involving political figures such as JFK and his brother Robert. Arguably the most famous model and performer, Marilyn starred in many movies with other stars such as Clark Gable and Charlton Heston.

Judy Garland died in 1969 from an overdose of barbiturates. Her most notable performance was Dorothy in “The Wizard of Oz” and introduced the song “Over the Rainbow” to the world. Judy Garland is the mother of Liza Minnelli and star “the Judy Garland Show”. The series was nominated for 4 Emmy awards.

Anna Nicole Smith died in 2007 from “combined drug intoxication”. It is worth mentioning that no illegal drugs were found in her system. Model, Sex Symbol, and TV personality she had her own show “The Anna Nicole Show” and was Playmate of the year in 1993. It was rumored that Anna never recovered from the death of her son Daniel and this led to her increased depression and overdose.

Heath Ledger died in 2008 from acute intoxication of a variety of narcotic drugs. He starred in many movies including “The Patriot”, “Broke Back Mountain” and “A Knights Tale”. His portrayal of the Joker in “The Dark Knight” was said by many to be his best work, and awarded him the Best Supporting Actor award. This was partly due to enormous public opinion and was given posthumously to his family.

It is unknown at this time the cause of death of Michael Jackson, so I have omitted his name from this list. But there is strong evidence to suggest that drugs played a role in his condition as well. It is apparent that money and status allows celebritys access to and abuse of various illegal and prescription drugs that is leading to their deaths. Is becoming a star destined to have a fatal outcome? Not for everyone, but for far too many that seems to be the case. I hope that future deaths can be avoided from this preventable cause.

North Korea Fires Missles

North Korea has fired 3 short range missiles off it’s east coast, increasing the tension of the region. This comes after conducting a nuclear test in May, also launching test rockets that threatened US and South Korean Warships patrolling the coastal waters.

Analyst Daniel Pinkston  reported the test could be training for a future launch, or just a routine military exercise and that it is impossible to know for sure. He also went on to say it is cause for concern, but it is different than launching a ballistic missile. Pinkston is a member of the “International Crisis Group” in Seoul, South Korea.

US officials say they are not surprised by the launch, and that North Korea has been carrying out provocative acts for some time. For the time being they will continue to monitor the situation and act accordingly. The Department of Treasury announced it has imposed sanctions on “Hong Kong Electronics” in Kish Island, Iran. They allege it is a cover for North Korea’s missile program

As reported on CNN The designation under Executive Order 13382 freezes any U.S. assets of Hong Kong Electronics and prohibits any transactions with the company by U.S. individuals, companies or financial institutions.

It said both also had ties with other sanctioned entities, including Iran’s Shahid Hemmat Industrial Group, which it called the Iranian organization responsible for developing liquid-fueled missiles.

It is not surprising to learn that Iran is involved in the escalating situation in North Korea, however it is unsettling. It has been long known that Iran desires a nuclear weapon, and it’s very vocal hate of Israel and publicly announced threat to “rid the world of Israel”.

It is often said that things get worse before they get better, but in this situation getting worse could mean the death of millions of people. I hope it doesn’t come to that. North Korea would gain very little in launching a Nuclear weapon, but Iran is a different story. This is a very troubling possibility.

Farrah Fawcett an Angel forever

The sudden and shocking death of Michael Jackson overshadowed the passing of this amazing woman. And I would be amiss to not pay tribute to her life, and achievements.

Mary Farrah Leni Fawcett was born in Texas in 1947, and in 1960 voted the “most beautiful woman” at her high school in Corpus Christi. That comes as no surprise considering her later status as a sex symbol and pin up girl. But there was more to Farrah than a pretty face and bikini bod.

Her acting career started off with small guest roles in TV programs like “I dream of Jeannie” and “The Partridge Family”. In 1968 she started dating Lee Majors and they got married in 1973. Shortly after their marriage “The Six Million Dollar Man” series began airing, and she guest-starred in 4 episodes of that with her husband. This series was so popular at the time it helped to propel her popularity and gain respect for her own acting ability.

It was also around this time that she posed for the infamous poster wearing a red bathing suit. More than 8 million posters were sold and stirred the hormones of many teenagers (I was one of them) and men the world over. It was the release of this poster that caught the eye of Aaron Spelling and Leonard Goldberg. And Jill Monroe, the gorgeous blond in Charlies Angels came to be. Her reported paycheck was $10,000 an episode but only stuck with the show for a year until the first season was completed, only to appear in a few guest spots over the next couple of years.

After her divorce from Lee Majors in 1979 she started dating Ryan O’Neil, and that relationship lasted 17 years or so. Ryan said he was devastated at her funeral and it was obvious there is still a lot of love there.

Farrah starred in numerous movies over the years with people like Burt Reynolds in the “Cannon Ball Run” and “Saturn 3″, which she did a topless scene in. But it was the movie “The Burning Bed” in 1984 that turned out to be her crowning achievement and earned her nominations for an Emmy, and a Golden Globe award.

In 2006 following the death of her mother Farrah was diagnosed with anal cancer and that same year Ryan O’Neil was diagnosed with Leukemia. Ryan’s disease was treatable but even though Farrah did experience a brief time in recession, she succumbed to the disease in 2009.

There are many aspects of Farrah Fawcett’s life that I have omitted, in death it doesn’t matter that there were rumors of drugs, plastic surgery, or legal and financial issues. She was an iconic performer and a stout supporter of Woman’s groups and Humanitarian efforts. Farrah was the last of the infamous pin up girls, and she helped change the way women were viewed and treated in show business.

She will be remembered  for her accomplishments, and loved for who she was.