Saturday, March 07, 2009

End of the Week Post

Christopher Pauchay, the Aboriginal man whose daughters froze to death on the Yellow Quill Reservation and whose penal fate was deemed inadequately dealt with by a “sentencing circle”, was finally sentenced to three years. Why bother? Why even waste time trying the man if in the end he will only spend the collective age amount of years of the people he killed? I, for one, am tired of hearing the tragedy of treaties meant to defraud people out of an existence (which was unethical, if not criminal) and residential schools, hence the need for some cockamamie “sentencing circle” which bears no reflection on any historical, sociological or moral customs of any of the Aboriginal cultures in Canada (the existence of this so-called sentencing circle only serves to preserve some remnant of “white guilt” a self-congratulatory bleeding-heart feels while hugging a random Aboriginal “activist” and which ends up being inadequate and inefficient in dealing with criminal and anti-social behaviour). Such arguments are morally and intellectually dishonest and beside the point. At the end of the day, a grown man refused to deal with his alcohol problem, preserve the lives of his children and accept the guilt he should have felt. Why is there no legal system that holds not only the accused but the lawyers and judges accountable for their actions? There should be no reason why Mr. Pauchay, a serial drunk, is allowed to walk free after a year or two in prison (no one really serves a full sentence these days) and, similarly, there should be no reason why a lawyer or judge should not be held accountable for such a minuscule dealing of justice. I imagine we’d hear of stiffer sentences if judges were scared of facing mobs angry that a predator was given a very light jail sentence.

As a side note, winds blowing at twenty miles per hour combined with a temperature of minus forty degrees Fahrenheit can cause frost bite in two minutes. It is possible in extremely cold temperatures for even the eyeballs to freeze. Mild hypothermia causes shivering and goosebumps but can treated with extra warm clothing, physical activity and carbohydrate intake. Extreme hypothermia causes muscle rigidity and cardiac and respiratory failure. Immediate core re-warming can save a life.

*** I am not a doctor. I got this information from a book. Consult a medical professional for advice. ***

North Korea is threatening South Korea and this time I think they mean it. Why the West prefers to sit on this or ignore it altogether is beyond me. North Korea is threatening to blow South Korean airlines out of the air. South Korean air routes pass parallel to the DMZ giving the North Koreans whatever sick reason to fire missiles at planes carrying innocent travelers and killing them all. For someone who has traveled those routes and for those who are flying or will fly, this is extremely unnerving. Why is the press not all over this the way they were when Hamas was getting hammered over its repeated rocket assaults on Israel? I imagine there is no political angle they can take with this, hence, silence.

Speaking of media silence, the new Camelot couple is running the risk of being called “cheapskates”. Prime Minister Gordon Brown and his wife bestowed up the Obama family children’s books and clothes, a penholder made from the HMS Gannet and a commissioning paper of the HMS Resolute and a leather-bound biography of Winston Churchill. In return, the Brown children were treated to toy helicopters bought at the White House gift shop (I didn’t know they had one, actually) and a DVD set of classic American movies (I’m not sure they would play in Great Britain). Far be it for me to question the value of a gift but surely something of great historical interest or even something fun could have been handed it out. Yes, I realize it’s not the monetary value of a gift that counts but really! Some of the best gifts I’ve gotten were what some might consider “cheap”. Hand-made cards with big-eyed caricatures and a box of Nutchos to remind me of Christmases past meant (and mean) a lot to me. Enough about me. What do the fawning masses think? I mean- had George Bush or even Stephen Harper done this, everyone would have called them skinflints and ran report after endless report about their cheap-skatery. For a man who made one point seven million dollars American in 2005, Mr. President gave less to charity than “Dubya”, who made less money but gave more to charity***. I guess the recession has really hit some people in the gut.

*** I obtained this fact from Peter Schweizer’s Makers and Takers, and he got it from Dennis Conrad’s “Obama’s Income Put at $991,296”, Associated Press, April 16th, 2007.

Proposition Eight. What’s the point? One could argue the immorality of homosexuality, the effect such couples have on children or how marriage is being distorted. One could even argue that the gay lobby had so much time to legitimately sway public opinion their way and didn’t so they, therefore, have no one to blame but themselves. One could point out how gay people DO have rights not enjoyed in some parts of the world such as the right to live, own property, hold down jobs, congregate, form social and political groups, vote and even marry (but not each other). One can point that marriage is really a privilege that is not afforded to everyone, i.e., the very young, mentally ill and relatives (except in Canada where people can marry their cousins to which I resound a very emphatic EEEEWWW!). One can even point out how votes- everyone’s votes- can become null and void simply because a minority objects to it. Democracy, where is thy sting?

The Canadian Human Rights Commission wants to enforce a "contempt-of-court" charge if the "accused" disobeys an order. Oh please. First of all, it would have to be a real court and HRCs are hardly courts of law but kangaroo courts and therefore don't count. The man in question may be head-cheese but I wouldn't hold him accountable to a brownshirt witch-hunt fest.

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