Declare war on gangs (Toronto)

The Ottawa Sun ^ | Wed, December 28, 2005 | Ottawa Sun Editorial Board

[fanfan]

When scores of shoppers are forced to cower on the ground on Canada's busiest street because more than a dozen gun-toting punks are using it as a shooting range, it is time to stop kidding ourselves.

It is time to demand action.

Where is the leadership? Where is the law?

An innocent 15-year-old girl is dead, gunned down in yet another gang fight. Six other innocents were also shot, all for daring to go Boxing Day shopping in downtown Toronto -- a city once so staid, Boxing Day shopping itself was illegal.

Toronto's police chief calls it "infuriating." The city's mayor is "saddened and angered." Our PM blathers about "the consequences of exclusion" (whatever that means), our premier blames "the insanity of guns" (can guns go insane?), and a senior cop declares "Toronto has finally lost its innocence."

No, no, no, no, no! Toronto lost its innocence long ago -- not with this, the 78th murder and 52nd gun homicide of 2005. This isn't even the first shooting near the Eaton Centre this year -- it's the third.

What we have lost -- we hope -- is our naivete.

We've lost the dangerous illusion that the escalating gun violence that has scarred Toronto in recent years -- not months, years -- is an isolated problem, confined to a certain community, a certain income bracket or certain neighbourhoods.

We've lost the self-righteous notion that guns and gangs are problems imported from somewhere else. We've lost the elitist view that this kind of thing doesn't happen in Toronto.

Monday's victims are from all over; they are male and female; white, black, Asian. They are all of us.

We've heard the promises. Where are the results?

What we need are leaders who will stare down the laughing gangsters and tell them: You will not take over. We will hunt you down. We will take away your guns and put you away -- or kick you out of Canada -- for good.

We need leaders who will tell our citizens, and all those now questioning whether Toronto is safe to visit: We will put police on the street and declare war on the gangs -- now, not years from now. We will break their gun culture by imprisoning every thug we catch carrying one -- not by harassing collectors and sportsmen. Yes, we will spend money on social programs, but first we will do our job and protect you.

How many more innocents will die before we lose our complacency and demand that the job be done?

[OldPossum]

Did y'all notice this little ditty: "We will take away your guns and put you away -- or kick you out of Canada -- for good."

Goodness gracious, they're going to take away the bad guys' guns and put them away (for maybe...say, 4 years) or maybe even deport them. No more Mr. Good Guy!

[OldPossum]

Oops, sorry, someone did see it, BeAllYouCanBe with post 10.

[fanfan]

I noticed. :-)

It would be comical, if it wasn't.

[wmileo]

"Canadians are as different politically, socially, economically, financially, etc as Yankees"

Then how come you have American Hating Surrender Monkeys running the Government? It is over for you already and you don't know it yet.

Just for the record, I am no Yankee.

[CaptainCanada]

I guess ignorance IS bliss (at least in your case).
And don't worry, we WILL kick the Libs out of office, so it
ain't over for us.
And for the record --- yes, you are a Yankee..

[wmileo]

"so it ain't over for us."

You mean " it isn't over for us". I guess ignorance IS bliss (at least in your case). The only reason Canada is still a sovereign nation is because you share a 3000 mile border with the USA. If you shared a border with Mexico as we do, the number of people crossing the border in just one week would take over your country in the very next week. You are an unreliable ally and a joke militarily. Hands up, Surrender Monkey!!!!

[AD from SpringBay]

I guess it's time they outlawed guns.

[-YYZ-]

I had the same thoughts when listening to this "lack of opportunities" blather: if you can't find opportunities in and around Toronto, one of the strongest areas, economically speaking, in Canada, you probably couldn't find any anywhere. I say one of the strongest only because there are some areas in Alberta that are currently even better. For anyone who isn't afraid of doing some work there are surely opportunities, and good ones if you manage to, say, finish high school and/or learn a trade or get a degree in something useful. Actually, even liberal arts majors are in demand.

[kajingawd]

"You mean " it isn't over for us". I guess ... Hands up, Surrender Monkey!!!!"

The libs killed the military...The US FORCES killed the need for most Canadians, growing up, to enlist. Canadian soldiers are TOP 3 in skills year after year when it comes to the evaluation of troops worldwide.
We've had MANY military victories in the past, with an ALL VOLUNTEER army...i won't name them all.
MANY times over the last century Canadians helped the Americans, from Naval disasters to accepting your own in our lands when you( americans) as a whole, wouldn't. I'm not talking about mexicans either.

So your crap about Canada this and Canada that, well, it is crap, since you probably have no sense of history or common sense.

Don't forget, the MAJORITY of americans voted for CLINTON...while only a minority of canadians voted for MARTIN, CHRETIEN...

[wmileo]

Your country has been in a steady decline for over 60 years. It is too late to change. The only people you helped in that time are draft dodgers who did not want to wear the uniform of the USA during times of great difficulty for the free world. There are Canadians who even wanted to erect a memorial statue commemorating the way Canadians welcomed those Americans who did not want to serve in the Vietnam conflict. Now you have a problem with violent types and you can not deal with it. Go welcome them. Hands up and bend over, Surrender Monkey. Don't expect us to help. We have another conflict to resolve, without your help, once again.

[wmileo]

"Don't forget, the MAJORITY of americans voted for CLINTON...while only a minority of canadians voted for MARTIN, CHRETIEN"

By the way Mr. Great Historian, you are as ignorant about USA Elections as you are about the great glory of Canada. In 1992 and 1996, the USA Election results were as follows:

1992; CLINTON 43.0%, BUSH 37.4%, PEROT 18.9%, other 0.7%
1996; CLINTON 49.0%, DOLE 41.0%, PEROT 8.0%, other 2.0%

You can check this out by going to the Internet or try the Canadian Federal Public Library System before those violent types burn it down.

[kajingawd]

good reply :D

[RightWhale]

People are starting to get annoyed. The highwater mark of feral gangs may yet be in the future, but it will come and moral choices will be made. Hopefully the focus will be on causes such as gov't assisted destruction of the family and not on superficialities such as handguns and poverty. Hope is not much of an effective virtue, but strong action is.