January 3, 2000
Let’s ban felt markers! - THE COMMENTARY
By Joseph Planta
VANCOUVER - I was sitting at home a few nights ago, maybe a couple weeks ago, and I heard of this absurd story out of the land of decency, Surrey. The powers that be in that town, have now put up a bylaw that forbids the selling of felt markers and spray paint to those under the age of 18. Only in Surrey could something stupid like that be enacted into law. Surrey has been know, as of late, and in particular by their current mayor Doug McCalum (the spelling may be off, but I could care less right now.), a den of utter absurdity. Somehow the people who are running that town, have gone on a silly and endless vent and rant about making that community better.
His Worship, the Mayor, has some sort of right-wing skew on things and this latest joke of a law is just another example. Now that Surrey has the largest school district in the province, and stuff like that, the Mayor has some sort of clean-up plan in place. He denied a garbage development to go up near the Pattulo bridge, because he said that people from other parts of the Lower Mainland would see all the trash from the development. Stupidity or not?
The reason behind this crock of a law, is that if kids, can’t get their hands on felt markers and spray paint, the instances of graffiti will decline in that fair town.
Surrey, could be a lovely town, for all I know, but we all know it’s a den for hicks and the culturally deprived, at least that’s the myth. Surrey is a town, that is coming of age. It’s hitting puberty if you will. There’s such an air and attitude in that city that’s making me puke. Beautification is okay, but at the cost of putting up an absurd law like this is an absolutely ludicrous abuse of democracy.
Not only is it denying freedom of expression, and yes, maybe it’ll stop defacing of public property, it is defacing the face of fairness and decency. How dare a farcical government put up a law! How dare the people of Surrey put up with such lunacy!
The last time I was in Surrey, I thought it was an okay place. But listening to these endless stories, from banning harmless children’s books by the school board, and beautification policies that stink to high hell, I feel sorry for those living there. I pay tribute to this town and say thank goodness I’m not subjected to living in that ridiculous municipality.
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