Abraham Lincoln, in his 1865 speech in Washington D.C., said: “I have always found that mercy bears richer fruits than strict justice”.
In the recently released decision, Mr. Justice Smith of the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal refused to allow the appellant, Mr. Walker, to be released, even though he did not pose a danger to the public. Although not the first to extend the definition of “public interest”, Smith included maintaining public confidence in the administration of justice as part of that definition. Is that fair to the appellant, Mr. Walker, who undoubtedly posed no threat to the community? Should the accused bear the burden of maintaining this confidence?
Mr. Justice Smith also drew a distinction with respect to the stage of the proceedings. He made note of the fact that Mr. Walker was convicted by a jury and is now appealing. He eluded to how this would differ from an accused who was awaiting trial and therefore still innocent until proven guilty. Is this distinction justified? Wrongful convictions happen and should the standard of public interest not be constant? Should an accused have differing burdens depending on the stage of the proceedings?
“Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere” - said by the infamous Malcolm X
Is this an injustice done at the hands of our province’s highest court?
Eldin and Olive Dirks sure thought so. In the 2007 SK QB case, the bankrupt Dirks argued that “Jesus the Christ in the kingdom of God Almighty…has redeemed us from the charge of any debt as a debtor to any claim”. They claimed the debtor is Satan and that they are “washed of debt by the blood of our Lord Jesus Christ who has redeemed” them of all debt.
The court obviously rejected this argument, calling it “pure unadulterated rubbish” and found both the bankrupts liable to pay on their debt obligations and ordered accordingly with the inclusion of a three year suspended order of discharge to ensure they pay their taxes in the future.
Albert Eistein once said: “Before God we are all equally wise - and equally foolish”.
So the answer therefore, according to our Queen’s Bench, is NO, God cannot save you from bankruptcy. With each passing day, more creative and somewhat insane arguments get put before a bench. What will be next??
The Pulitzer Prize winning Journalist, John Ed Pearce once said: “Home is the place you grow up wanting to leave and grow old wanting to get back to.”
Although I am far from growing old, I am still wanting desperately to get back to the place I would have years ago done anything to get away from. Why is that? How can my sentiments towards a relatively unchanged place morph so drastically is such a short period of time?
“Home is not a place, it is people” said by Lois McMaster Bujold, an American author of science fiction and fantasy.
I think she hit the nail on the head. It’s not the city that I’m longing for but the people that reside in it. Being around those that you love and that love you back makes wherever you are home.
A German author and poet, known mostly for his nonsence rhymes, Christian Morgenstern, once said: “Home is not where you live, but where they understand you”.
I used to hate going to work, to serve coffee and sandwiches to people with no manners nor any personal hygiene. But since landing my current job, work is something I look forward.
“Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work” said by Aristotle.
It’s great how one can develop a sense of pride in the work they do once they find work that they truly enjoy. The challenge is what I like; being asked to do things that I have never done before. Although being challenged can be stressful and I most often think that I’m taking too long to get a project done, I remind myself that speed and quality don’t always go hand in hand.
Author Howard Newton said “People forget how fast you did a job - but they remember how well you did it”
I’m off to Quebec City at the end of May with some family and can’t wait! Anyone have any suggestions on must-do’s or must-see’s for a first time Quebec visitor?
It’s crazy how people often see things very differently. What is insignificant to one person, can be momentous to another. Family often have such differing views. David Assael, a creative member of the behind-the-scenes Star Trek staff, said:
“They say that blood is thicker than water. Maybe that’s why we battle our own with more energy and gusto then we would ever expend on strangers”.
Why is there so much competition between family members? Why can’t everyone just be happy for everyone else, instead of feeling the need to compete to be the best or most successful sibling? A victory for one person should also be a victory for that person’s family. How do you deal with family that never seem to be able to give you credit or congratulations? Maybe we shouldn’t deal. Maybe that’s what family is; accepting each other for who they are and loving them in spite. Trey Parker and Matt Stone, the creators of South Park, once said”
“I think people that have a brother or sister don’t realize how lucky they are. Sure, they fight a lot, but to know that there’s always somebody there, somebody that’s family”.
“Courage and perseverance have a magical talisman, before which difficulties disappear and obstacbles vanish into air” said by US President and leading opponent of Slave Power John Quincy Adams.
Not everything goes the way you want and sometimes you get your hopes up so high that when they don’t, it can be devastating. But I’ve come to understand that you should not dwell on something you cannot control. Things happen for a reason and when they don’t go your way, you have to persevere. The most satisfying victories are the ones you have to work for and giving up is never going to get you there.
Ralph Waldo Emerson, an American author and poet born in Boston said: “That which we persist in doing becomes easier, not that the task itself has become easier, but that our ability to perform it has improved”.
Everything that happens in life has an underlying lesson to be learnt. And even though it may seem like a hefty price to pay for a lesson, it is none-the-less still a lesson and next time around, things will go that much smoother.
Havelock Ellis, a British Doctor and sexual psychologist, once said: “The place where optimism most flourishes is the lunatic asylum”
I must be crazy then. Either that or stupid because recently I have been plagued with eternal optimism. Why I have such a positive outlook is beyond me. Maybe because of sheer desire. But in any case, I’m definitely feeling like a lunatic but I’m not ready to give up on the dream. No matter how many times I get yelled at or told to prepare myself for the worst, I’m still optimistic. Good things happen to good people right? And if I don’t believe, then who will?
Robert G Allan, member of a family of naval architechs, said: “Many an optimist has become rich by buying out a pessimist”
I much prefer the latter quote to the former. My optimism is going to pay off….in time.
There’s a Dutch proverb that says: “A handful of patience is worth more than a bushel of brains”
This is definitely how I feel today. My reasoning tells me not to worry; that it’ll happen. But another part of me is so impatient and worrying non-stop! Why is it that I am so impatient for something that I am nearly certain will happen? I just need confirmation, and in a hurry! Perhaps it’s not really patience that I’m lacking but faith. Faith that things will turn out as they should; faith that it’ll happen and happen soon.
English writer and Shakespeare commentator, William Hazlitt, said: “If you think you can win, you can win. Faith is necessary to victory”
Novelist and political commentar Joyce Maynard said “A good home must be made, not bought”
The trick is to first find a house to buy and then make it your home. But that might be easier said than done. The perfect house does not exist and once you realize that, you are able to find the house with the potential to become a home. The work put in is what makes a house a home. And that work is all the fun.