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6 Independent & Free Press,Thursday, March 18, 2010 OPINION Justice? We have often railed in this corner at the apparent injustices within our judicial system. Be it "slap on the wrist" sentences for drunk drivers to judges treating killers and child molesters with kid gloves, we have long felt our judicial system has often focused more on rehabilitation and providing "second chances" in many cases than on dispensing justice. Sadly, another case in point arose this week. On Tuesday, police killer Craig Munro finally won unescorted passes from his British Columbia minimum-security prison. Munro, 59, was convicted of first-degree murder for murdering Toronto police Const. Michael Sweet during a botched robbery in the early hours of March 14, 1980, at George's Bourbon Street restaurant in Toronto. At this week's closed hearing, Munro was granted up to four unescorted passes a year for up to 15 days each. It was the first parole Munro has been granted since he shot Sweet and let him slowly bleed to death, while he and his brother, Jamie Munro, then 21, held police at bay with a semi-automatic rifle and a sawed-off shotgun. The case was particularly harrowing in that, for 90 minutes after shooting the officer, Munro ignored the pleas of Sweet about his three daughters and taunted the bleeding officer, telling him he would never see his wife or children again. Munro was convicted of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison, while his brother was released on parole in 1992 after being convicted of second-degree murder. Munro has argued that he is a changed man, having converted to traditional aboriginal spirituality. He has been housed in a minimum-security prison near Chilliwack. Frankly, it matters not a whit if Munro is a changed man. He murdered a police officer, left a family without a father and husband, was sentenced to "life in prison" and now has been granted partial freedom 30 years after his vile deed. Again, we are perplexed to see where the justice is in this decision. 905-873-0301 Publisher: Ken Nugent General manager: Steve Foreman (sforeman@independentfreepress.com) Retail advertising manager: Cindi Campbell (ccampbell@independentfreepress.com) Managing editor: John McGhie (jmcghie@independentfreepress.com) Distribution manager: Nancy Geissler (ngeissler@independentfreepress.com) Classifieds Kristie Pells (classified@independentfreepress.com) Accounting Rose Marie Gauthier Editorial Cynthia Gamble: News editor (cgamble@independentfreepress.com) Ted Brown: Photography (tbrown@independentfreepress.com) Lisa Tallyn: Staff writer (ltallyn@independentfreepress.com) Eamonn Maher: Staff writer/sports (emaher@independentfreepress.com) WEB POLL RESULTS The federal government is considering allowing police to impose random roadside breath testing to combat drunk driving. Would you support random police stops? · No. It's a violation of a person's civil rights (44%) · Yes. If it reduces the number of impaired drivers I have no problem with it (56%) Go to www.independentfreepress.com Steve Nease Letters to the editor Choral group thanked Dear editor, On January 18, the Distinguished Concerts Orchestra International and Distinguished Concerts Singers International, comprised of more than 400 auditioned chorus members from across the country, including the Georgetown Choral Society (A. Dale Wood, director), presented the inaugural concert of DCINY's 2010 Season at Lincoln Center's Avery Fisher Hall, home of the New York Philharmonic. Under the baton of DCINY Principal Conductor Dr. Jonathan Griffith, the Distinguished Singers/ Orchestra International performed two pieces by world-renowned living composer Karl Jenkins, in a celebration of peace commemorating the spirit of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Both pieces, Requiem and The Armed Man, were set with film accompaniment, and were dedicated to the victims of the crisis in Haiti, with a portion of the night's proceeds being donated to the relief efforts. The audience enjoyed the opportunity to reflect on Dr. King's vision of peace, and what we all must do to help others in their time of need. The performance was memorable for audience members and performers alike, and the occasion was more than well celebrated with a standing and enthusiastic ovation at the end of each work. We at DCINY would like to congratulate the Georgetown Choral Society. We look forward to inviting them to participate in future concerts on the DCINY Concert Series. Iris Derke, General Director, Distinguished Concerts International New York (DCINY), New York City "MOST people are responsible", "dogs USUALLY return when called", and "dogs don't bother cattle" (I am not sure how this is relevant considering the difference in size between a cow and a dog, but anyways). Because dogs are animals, and animals are unpredictable at times, we must have a leash law to protect the people. If you don't like the laws that protect children and adults then I suggest you leave this "farm town" and go live in another country. Leash your dog on public trails, it's the LAW. Devin Macoritti, Georgetown Leashing dogs is the law Dear editor, As G. Rumney kindly put it in his March 11 letter, "Dogs are not the problem on trails", I will do the same: this letter infuriated me. First, when this person came to Georgetown 44 years ago with their dogs, the population was approximately 10,000. Today there are 38,000 people-- a big change from 44 years ago. As Georgetown continues to grow, governments put different rules in place to protect the people, i.e. putting dogs on leashes. It's not that the governments are "dog haters", it's because of the potential risk of human injury. Rumney put it best in his letter: Good Samaritan thanked Dear editor: On March 4, I had left my cheque book at the Scotia Bank bank machine. The machine was encountering technical difficulties, so I set it down, forgetting it on the counter. After returning home, a kind gentleman came to my door and delivered it to my son. I was too late getting to the door to thank him. This could only happen in Georgetown. Thank you mystery Good Samaritan for your honesty and the extra miles you drove to return it to me. I believe in "pay it forward" and I will. Dianne Cameron, Georgetown Letters to the editor policy Letters must include an address and daytime telephone number. Anonymous letters will not be published. Letters should not exceed 150 words and may be edited for content and/or length. E-mail: jmcghie@independentfreepress.com Mail or drop off: Independent & Free Press, 280 Guelph St., Unit 29, Georgetown, ON., L7G 4B1. The Independent & Free Press The Independent & Free Press is published Tuesday and Thursday and is one of several Metroland Media Group Ltd. community newspapers. Editorial and advertising content of The Independent & Free Press is protected by copyright. Unauthorized use is prohibited.