LindaL…9:35pm
You said,
**
The article also doe s not seem to be in the Ottawa Citizen archives, even though I read the original in a print version of the Citizen. Anyway, if you are interested, have a look. It is a real eye-opener: http://www.margretkopala.com/ The article is entitled *Revoke This Licence to Enable*.**
Margaret Kopala seems very strident, almost as though she is an absolute expert. Is she?
Margaret puts her faith in a 26 year member of the most failure prone police force in Canada. His *Odd Squad Productions* may have won awards for cinema art, but that is no guarantee he has *THE* solution.
Margaret speaks of a great crime reduction in NYC. Does she know that is a direct result of a crime reduction expert who gained fame for first having cleaned up Chicago?
Before you condemn something, do you not have a moral responsibility to point to or suggest a constructive alternative?
I know nothing of the drug scene, yet if an addict is given methadone and a supervised place to inject it, could that save some old man from being beaten for his wallet?
[ I witnessed this in Vancouver years ago and gave a perfect description to two police on Granville street, pointing to the bar where the *perp* just entered. The two jovial cops popped in and out claiming, laughing,..* no such person in the bar.*] Hopeless!
Driving by the food bank this summer I saw plain clothed nurses giving injections to men in their upper arm. Not sure if that was a drug substitute but, I suspect it could reduce desperation leading to violent crime.
Our very frugal BC premier, Gordon Campbell, would not be paying for those nurses and the work they do if there was no real ROI. Logic dictates that some gains are being made.
An effective provincial detox facility for dug addiction would have to be a large hospital in a remote location, staffed with expensive professionals. How likely is that? = TG
If you live in the area, chances are you’ve either been ripped off or have taken a bat to druggies trying to rip you off. Not neat if this is your home and the problem is being financed by tax payer money. Not sensitive or caring but a whacked out junkie looking to clean me out isn’t very sensitive and caring either and when you have free drugs in one location…..there goes the ‘hood.
TG — I think you have looked at the Kopala article in the wrong spirit. I think it brings some interesting facts forward on an issue where the media is typically one sided. The research she mentions seems significant and has not been mentioned elsewhere that I know of. The specific answer to most of your questions is NO:
1.Is Kopola an expert — NO, she’s a journalist like everyone else spouting opinions on this issue.
2. I think getting input from police is important. They are bound to have a birds-eye view that many others do not.
3. Before you condemn . . . don’t you have moral responsibility to pose alternative — NO. If that were the case, we would have no journalism at all. Most journalists just condemn, condemn, condemn.
4. methadone I agree with, that is not what the Insite centre is.
5. And NO — I don’t think it is a given that if the BC government is investing there must be good ROI. Like most of politics, the governments choice to support the clinic is driven by vocal public opinion — not all of it informed.
What I liked about the article is that it does present (convincingly to my mind) an alternative point of view that should be taken into account when deciding to continue to fund such a facility.
There is a counter argument to Kopala’s article, worth reading as well in order to get both sides of this dilemma. (Google Kopala in Google News).
…We see him come, and know him ours,
Who, with his sunshine and his showers,
Turns all the patient ground to flowerw.
The darling of the world is come,
And fit it is, we find a room
To welcome him.
The nobler part
Of all the house here, is the heart.
Which we will give him; and bequeath
This holly, and this ivy wreath,
To do him honour, who’s our King,
And Lord of all this revelling.
Just so. (From “What Sweeter Music” [Words by Robert Herrick, 1591-1674; music–try to get it–by John Rutter])
Every Blessing to Kate and all the readers/commenters at SDA during this Holy Season of Christmas (all twelve days of it!)
I am increasingly puzzled about why the Kopala article re safe injection sites does not show up on Canada.com, while a counterargument to her article does, and also generates a certain amount of discussion. It could be an oversight, but might it be censorship? For anyone interested, Kopala’s article re problems with save injection sites is http://www.margretkopala.com/ The article is entitled “Revoke This Licence to Enable”.
So Linda, you and I have outlined opposing opinions without getting personally offensive about it.
That we do not arrive at a clear solution to the drug plague is not surprising, the experts seem stumped as well.
Merry Christmas to you and to all who debate in good spirit here and to Kate who provides the magic atmosphere everyone enjoys so much.= TG
Guess she may have been.. De-Listed.
Her Email add is unplugged.
Original-recipient: rfc822;margret@margretkopala.com
Final-recipient: rfc822;margret@margretkopala.com
Action: failed
Status: 5.0.0 (Remote SMTP server has rejected address)
Remote-MTA: dns;dhmail01.dollarhost.com
(TCP|10.0.120.42|58390|65.61.221.201|25) (dhmail01.dollarhost.com )
Diagnostic-code: smtp;550 No such user here
Daemon says * No one here by that name.* = TG
Merry Christmas and Blessings to all who visit Kate and her eye opening honest truth and common sense bared for all to see and discuss Blog.
And to her many readers. We are having a typical Canadian senior’s day – my husband had recent surgery and has been under the weather – he ‘s a bit better but then today I had some kind of allergy can’t breathe attack so could not go to church.
He went to church – I peeled potatoes etc. (home grown less than 10 miles from my home – the enivronmental thing you know)
Now,he’s in bed and I am wide awake with a rash that looks like measles, having a hard time breathing and a houseful of guests coming for Christmas dinner tomoorow- several from a nursing home who have about 1000 times more troubles than me.
So, I came to read SDA and I knew I would get a lift. My fellow Canadians – I have so much respect for you and I really really am proud of our PM, Stephen Harper – He, and his lovely family are the Canadian identity I think of when I put my hand over my heart to sing O- Canada.
Blessings and Merry Christmas to all.
Lorraine, I’ll lift up a prayer for you and your husband on this Holiest of Holy Days.
Like you, I’m very proud of our Prime Minister: He’s the best thing that’s happened to Canada in many a (bad) year.
My family and I will be gathering together to celebrate Christmas in a few short hours, absent my dad who died almost 10 years ago. Our toast will be “to absent friends and to those who have gone before.”
LindaL…9:35pm
You said,
**
The article also doe s not seem to be in the Ottawa Citizen archives, even though I read the original in a print version of the Citizen. Anyway, if you are interested, have a look. It is a real eye-opener: http://www.margretkopala.com/ The article is entitled *Revoke This Licence to Enable*.**
Margaret Kopala seems very strident, almost as though she is an absolute expert. Is she?
Margaret puts her faith in a 26 year member of the most failure prone police force in Canada. His *Odd Squad Productions* may have won awards for cinema art, but that is no guarantee he has *THE* solution.
Margaret speaks of a great crime reduction in NYC. Does she know that is a direct result of a crime reduction expert who gained fame for first having cleaned up Chicago?
Before you condemn something, do you not have a moral responsibility to point to or suggest a constructive alternative?
I know nothing of the drug scene, yet if an addict is given methadone and a supervised place to inject it, could that save some old man from being beaten for his wallet?
[ I witnessed this in Vancouver years ago and gave a perfect description to two police on Granville street, pointing to the bar where the *perp* just entered. The two jovial cops popped in and out claiming, laughing,..* no such person in the bar.*] Hopeless!
Driving by the food bank this summer I saw plain clothed nurses giving injections to men in their upper arm. Not sure if that was a drug substitute but, I suspect it could reduce desperation leading to violent crime.
Our very frugal BC premier, Gordon Campbell, would not be paying for those nurses and the work they do if there was no real ROI. Logic dictates that some gains are being made.
An effective provincial detox facility for dug addiction would have to be a large hospital in a remote location, staffed with expensive professionals. How likely is that? = TG
If you live in the area, chances are you’ve either been ripped off or have taken a bat to druggies trying to rip you off. Not neat if this is your home and the problem is being financed by tax payer money. Not sensitive or caring but a whacked out junkie looking to clean me out isn’t very sensitive and caring either and when you have free drugs in one location…..there goes the ‘hood.
TG — I think you have looked at the Kopala article in the wrong spirit. I think it brings some interesting facts forward on an issue where the media is typically one sided. The research she mentions seems significant and has not been mentioned elsewhere that I know of. The specific answer to most of your questions is NO:
1.Is Kopola an expert — NO, she’s a journalist like everyone else spouting opinions on this issue.
2. I think getting input from police is important. They are bound to have a birds-eye view that many others do not.
3. Before you condemn . . . don’t you have moral responsibility to pose alternative — NO. If that were the case, we would have no journalism at all. Most journalists just condemn, condemn, condemn.
4. methadone I agree with, that is not what the Insite centre is.
5. And NO — I don’t think it is a given that if the BC government is investing there must be good ROI. Like most of politics, the governments choice to support the clinic is driven by vocal public opinion — not all of it informed.
What I liked about the article is that it does present (convincingly to my mind) an alternative point of view that should be taken into account when deciding to continue to fund such a facility.
There is a counter argument to Kopala’s article, worth reading as well in order to get both sides of this dilemma. (Google Kopala in Google News).
…We see him come, and know him ours,
Who, with his sunshine and his showers,
Turns all the patient ground to flowerw.
The darling of the world is come,
And fit it is, we find a room
To welcome him.
The nobler part
Of all the house here, is the heart.
Which we will give him; and bequeath
This holly, and this ivy wreath,
To do him honour, who’s our King,
And Lord of all this revelling.
Just so. (From “What Sweeter Music” [Words by Robert Herrick, 1591-1674; music–try to get it–by John Rutter])
Every Blessing to Kate and all the readers/commenters at SDA during this Holy Season of Christmas (all twelve days of it!)
I am increasingly puzzled about why the Kopala article re safe injection sites does not show up on Canada.com, while a counterargument to her article does, and also generates a certain amount of discussion. It could be an oversight, but might it be censorship? For anyone interested, Kopala’s article re problems with save injection sites is
http://www.margretkopala.com/ The article is entitled “Revoke This Licence to Enable”.
So Linda, you and I have outlined opposing opinions without getting personally offensive about it.
That we do not arrive at a clear solution to the drug plague is not surprising, the experts seem stumped as well.
Merry Christmas to you and to all who debate in good spirit here and to Kate who provides the magic atmosphere everyone enjoys so much.= TG
Guess she may have been.. De-Listed.
Her Email add is unplugged.
Original-recipient: rfc822;margret@margretkopala.com
Final-recipient: rfc822;margret@margretkopala.com
Action: failed
Status: 5.0.0 (Remote SMTP server has rejected address)
Remote-MTA: dns;dhmail01.dollarhost.com
(TCP|10.0.120.42|58390|65.61.221.201|25) (dhmail01.dollarhost.com )
Diagnostic-code: smtp;550 No such user here
Daemon says * No one here by that name.* = TG
Merry Christmas and Blessings to all who visit Kate and her eye opening honest truth and common sense bared for all to see and discuss Blog.
And to her many readers. We are having a typical Canadian senior’s day – my husband had recent surgery and has been under the weather – he ‘s a bit better but then today I had some kind of allergy can’t breathe attack so could not go to church.
He went to church – I peeled potatoes etc. (home grown less than 10 miles from my home – the enivronmental thing you know)
Now,he’s in bed and I am wide awake with a rash that looks like measles, having a hard time breathing and a houseful of guests coming for Christmas dinner tomoorow- several from a nursing home who have about 1000 times more troubles than me.
So, I came to read SDA and I knew I would get a lift. My fellow Canadians – I have so much respect for you and I really really am proud of our PM, Stephen Harper – He, and his lovely family are the Canadian identity I think of when I put my hand over my heart to sing O- Canada.
Blessings and Merry Christmas to all.
Lorraine, I’ll lift up a prayer for you and your husband on this Holiest of Holy Days.
Like you, I’m very proud of our Prime Minister: He’s the best thing that’s happened to Canada in many a (bad) year.
My family and I will be gathering together to celebrate Christmas in a few short hours, absent my dad who died almost 10 years ago. Our toast will be “to absent friends and to those who have gone before.”