Media Overload

You may recall the piece I did over the phony baby drug smugglers at federal prisons story.Today the story, which began as a top of the line ion scan that showed some contact with speed, has now morphed into a seizure of drugs in a baby's diaper (never happened) to drugs seized and a baby in peril from drug addicted and uncaring parents. The ion scan part was true. The rest is the media finding a story and running with it.The only thing lost in the run was the truth. This story was inflammatory and ill advised in the beginning--threatening a prisoner's visits is the one sure way to start trouble, no exceptions. The fact that the major Canadian news service took up the story after the Matsqui riot proves that there is no thought or care given to those affected by the witch hunt. CBC is low in the ratings; this is really just desperation. There is no story here. This guard violated what he knew to be institution policy. The riot proved that the institution knew that such a story would accomplish nothing and cause inordinate furor inside. They were right. The public, who respond to this kind of yellow (cowardly, not communist) journalism with calls for blood every time, know nothing about life in prison. They are spoon-fed nonsense from the Minister of Public Safety and from the guards union. Both have their own agenda--neither have any idea of the truth. Drugs that are being sold in prison do not come in through visits. They are mostly muled in by corrupt guards. People that think they can eliminate or even slow the flow of drugs into jail are deluded. They are the same people who have backed our failed drug policies until it's gotten to where we are today. I've been watching for 40 years. It's been down hill all the time.The daily paper today had most of it's third page filled with drug war stories. Murders, stabbings, shootings and grow-ops. Most of the assaults were at grow locations.