"Cowardice asks the question...is it safe? Expediency asks the question...is it politic? Vanity asks the question...is it popular? But conscience asks the question...is it right? And there comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, nor politic, nor popular but one must take it because it is right." ~Dr. Martin Luther King

Saturday 2 November 2013

Weird and Weirder

Strange  times .  Yesterday we watched the Chief of Police make statements relating circumstances to the Mayor of Toronto.

He expressed "disappointment"

The Chief  and the army he commands, are public servants .Theoretically at least., they functions under the authority of those  who pay the  freight.  A hefty price at that.

The police are governed by provincial legislation. There's a police governing authority.

Politics cannot interfere with the work of the police. The police must steer clear of politics.

But yesterday we saw what we saw.

I doubtit was the  Chief's intention. There appears to be no artifice to the man. His character is written  large upon his face.

He  seems to be a good,kind,well-intentioned  policeman with a very difficult job.

We witnessed by the magic of television the instantaneous effect of his statement .

People were persuaded  his words  incriminated the Mayor. They said so into the camera.

They did not hear follow-up  information  of no evidence of  "criminality"  against the Mayor.

Senator Pamela Wallin's experience, at the hands of a Corporal of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police  is similar.

The Senator Wallexpense claims have been audited. Almost $200,000 were found to be invalid.
Despite her disagreement with the finding Senator Wallin refunded the money to the Senate Treasury.

Then along comes a Corporal and declares the Senator   is guilty of "fraud"

Since when does a police corporal have the authority to make that determination.

Are there no  proscuting attorneys? No courts ? No judges? No trials?

Are the Royal Canadian Mounted Police a law unto themselves. ?

Well. God Help Us All !

At the local level, a police officer is responsible for filing a charge.  The Crown Attorney's office is responsible  to determine if  evidence is sufficient to prosecute the charge under the relevant law.

They do a slip -shod job of it but it is their  jurisdiction.

A date is scheduled and trial proceeds ----or not . depending on other procedures.

It's a judge who decides guilt or innocence . Not a police corporal.

But when a revered Red Coat says it is so,  "She did it. Oh Yes Indeed , She did it alright"

Why would an average citizen suspect  the Corporal had no authority to say any such thing.

Having reached the level of Corporal, past the level of first-class constable, could he possibly be unaware he was speaking out of turn and doing inestimable damage  to a citizen  in the process?

Would anyon suspect a Corporal of the Royal Canadian Mounted Police of malce aforethought?

Yes  indeedy, the times they are aseething !



6 comments:

Anonymous said...

Most of the original charges against the 3 Senators came from their fellow Senators. One of those has since been found to have taken 2 years to move to her ' home ' in N.B. Now that whole mess has blown up in their faces. One Senator referred to Marge LeBreton as a ' suicidal bomber ' for the damage she had done to the Senate. Three others who were involved at the beginning have ' retired ' or ' resigned ' their positions on that committee.

Anonymous said...

So far, The Ontario Premier has not entered the fray. I hope she stays out but suspect she won't. To date her press statements have been cringe-worthy. What a big disappointment she has been. Same old, same old.

Anonymous said...

Out west where the RCMP are the police there is little respect for them. I always wondered why. Beginning to understand.

Anonymous said...

CBC News
Forum Research Poll showed Mayor Ford's approval rating ROSE by 5% on Thursday after the police chief spoke.
I did not make that up

Anonymous said...

This is just the beginning of the end for the senate. We will have a national referendum to abolish it. I just hope it's sooner rather than later.

Anonymous said...

17:37
A national referendum to abolish the Senate will mean nothing. This will require a Constitutional Ammendmend. Each Province will have to independantly pass legislation.

Seems like a heavy-handed fix to deal with some specific problems.

Perhaps former TV reporters should not be Senators?