Sister Sage's Musings

Posts Tagged ‘Beryl Wajsman’

Now we allow a retired Mulroney- appointed Supremee to decide whether or not to release documents regarding the Afghan detainee issue. I guess my lawyer made me do it isn’t really working for him anymore.

It would appear that Rob Nicholson is going to allow retired Justice, now big corporate lawyer (surprise! surprise! Friend of St-Stevie’s: what other type of law would he be practising?) to decide on the release of  un redacted documents and how many of them can be released.

Just one question,  why does a corporate lawyer decide the release of documents and how many? Why isn’t it, say…a lawyer who specializes in international laws?  Because the latter is not a friend, that’s why.

Given that Iacobucci was a Mulroney appointee: does this play in St-Stevie’s favor, or not, given Stephie’s fallout with Mulroney?

There are some who call Nicholson’s decision to pawn the decision off Iacobucci a small step in the right direction, but CTV’s Roger Smith called this move the government’s attempt to buy time in order to come up with a compromise. Oh yeah, of course, the compromise. That sounds funny as the whole concept of compromise doesn’t exist in St-Stevie’s modus operendi.

So what is this all about?

The usual St-Stevie stand-by of blaming the liberals for the start of this whole torturegate debacle didn’t work. They voted along with the N.D.P. in favor of an investigation, going back to 2001; from the time the war first started under the Chretien government, thus proving the Liberals are not that concerned about whatever their role may or may not have been.

St-Stevie then prorogues parliament, thus, disolving the committees formed to investigate the Afghan detainee issue. That, however, didn’t work neither as one of the first things the opposition parties demanded at the first Question Period back.

Then, there’s the lawyers won’t let me talk about this.

Now, it is before Frank Iacobucci. Besides the fact that he practises corporate law since retiring from the bench, thus that whole corporate = con friendly.

No, there is more to it than that. It would seem that when Iaccobucci was still on the bench in the 90’s, he did sign onto Justice Maclachlan’s majority opinion regarding the case of CBC v The Assembly of Nova Scotia, a case where the Nova Scotia Legislature refused to allow cameras in the assembly. In this case, the CBC lost; the justices ruled that the N.S. legislature could ban cameras. More on that case here.

Given that little piece of Iacobucci the corporate lawyer’s history as a supreme court justice, I have a feeling that we’re never going to see or hear the unredacted story.  Basically, St-Stevie and the Harpercons want to hear that it’s ok to blatantly ignore what was voted on in the House of Commons.

Now the Harpercons and their cheerleaders will all yuck it up in celebration. I only wish they can be honest is all.  I mean, if they believe in their hearts that their ‘heroes’  (Harpercons; not troops) are innocent of any wrong doing and want to proove this to us ‘lefty loonies’ , then why continue to vehemently defend St-Stevie’s right to hide? Why not, instead, insist on St-Stevie producing the unredacted documents. If as they say, there is nothing to read, then I say get them to prove it by opening the documents.

Or, is it because they are such Islamomophobes that they think the idea of ‘torturing little brown people is fun’ (Wendy Girl on the Wrong Sullivan saying that while giggling and flirting with Andrew Lawton on one of her last radio shows) and thus, we should leave the Harpercons alone so this ‘fun’ can continue? Repulsive idea, I know, but if we were to force the truth out of a real neo-con Islamaphobe, I am sure that would be it, pure and simple.

Playing politics or not; the fact is, an investigation was voted upon in the House of Commons prior to prorogation. Rightfully so, whether we like these detainees or not, most haven’t passed through a court of law. Whatever happened to innocent until proven guilty? If any lawyers are out there reading this, perhaps you can answer that question via email or comments.

And, a goody for Blathering Blatchford,  Blogging Tory, Alberta Girl and other blithering idiots like her, there is a pesky piece of international law known as the Geneva Convention.  Unlike that Copenhagen agreement, the Geneva Convention is actually binding.

Harpercons like Nicholson love to talk that tough on crime talk. Well, how’s about talk on a possible international crime? Wouldn’t facing up to this set the real example for a law abiding Canada?  What’s good for the goose ain’t  good for the gander?

And a question for the insufferable ass, Beryl Wajsman who replaced Redneck Ryan Doyle this week on CJAD (just my luck; my computer had to go down earlier; missed Michael Williams doing the TO end); how do you know it’s only one detainee, as you mused over the radio this fine evening? An investigation hasn’t begun.  This is what the opposition is working on.

So, if Nicholson carefully picked Iacobucci because the Harpercons can pretty much count on him to rule in their favor, why did they go to all the trouble of blaming the Liberals and proroguing parliament? It seems to me he could have skipped all those steps and gone right to Iacobucci.

Perhaps the answer is obvious: Iacobucci is retired from the bench; he is in the private sector now, practising corporate law. Would anything he ruled on be even binding or legally valid? Again, if there are lawyers (or law students seasoned on this)  reading this, please share.

Hands up if you’re starting to lose hope that we’ll ever get to the bottom of torturegate?

Update: Read CanNurse’s comment below, she may well have answered this question.

One can only hope. When something makes Jabba the Roy’s knickers go up in a bunch, one has to believe it can be a good thing. Before I go on: I have to know: since when do real  doctors have time to call in radio shows? I think someone likes the sound of their own shrilly voice.

Beryl Wajsman, editor of  The Suburban, Montreal’s largest community weekly,  is one of the potential buyers along with Ray Heard, former managing editor of the now defunct Montreal Star and head of  Quebec Global TV along with former Liberal Senator, Gerry Grafstein are going to be submitting a bid for the Montreal Gazette, The Ottawa Citizen and the Conservative Bird Cage liner, the National Posties. If they get to purchase these three papers, could this mean more balanced journalism? A better balance of opinion writers?

What the hell is so wrong with that? Isn’t that what responsible media is supposed to provide for the public? Stevie and the Harpercons have more than enough media right arms and Cheerleaders for them.

Besides, in spite of the trio’s pasts with the Liberals, I doubt it would steer the papers sharply to the left.  In fact, one of them said they wouldn’t change the Right leaning NP (groan!). Why that would be, I don’t know. Perhaps to keep them competitive during the bidding war.

In fact, it appears that a so-called small ‘c’ conservative will be joining this consortium.  Also, they say that they wouldn’t change the National Posties. Too bad. Question: When has  this wingnut daily turned a profit?  One should perhaps take this as a sign that even the National Posties should change direction. Maybe this particular consortium is just saying they won’t make changes in order to remain in the bidding game.

Who is this so-called small ‘c’ conservative, anyway? Personally, I don’t believe they exist anymore: they seem to have either shifted their support for liberals or most of them followed Stevie on that sharp right turn (that is, until prorogation). Where does this individual fall?

All of this may be moot given that Canwest has always preferred to sell all to the same buyer.  It appears that offers from the larger media conglomerates: Astral, Corus Entertainment and Torstar Corp (owner of the Toronto Star) are being considered. In the past, it had been said that the enterprise as a whole has more value than if the assets were separated.  John Douglas, spokesman for CanWest had this to say:

“When third parties have looked at these operations they have concluded that they’re collectively more valuable than they are as single entities,”

However, are all of these papers worth more together than separate? Chris Diceman, senior vice-president with Dominion Bond Rating Service didn’t seem clear on that at the time he was interviewed.

“We saw in the case of Nortel if you can split it up and create auctions for specific pieces that other companies want, you end up generating more value,”

According to a report by Scott Cuthbertson, a TD Securities Analyst, says that a  conventional media company bidding for CanWest assets would  would raise their debt loads to unacceptable levels. He was considering the bids from Astral, Corus and Torstar. Such a report could well keep these corporations out of the running. That’s already a plus.

Whether it is the consortium Wajsman, Grafstein, Heard and Mr./Ms Mystery ’small c’ conservative purchasing only part of the operations or someone else purchasing part or all of CanWest’s assets, I can only hope for more balanced journalism of days’ past: no political cheerleaders for any party.  Columns & Opinion pieces? Great; but make sure there is an equal mix of these writers with different views all getting published equally. What’s old should be new again.

As for Jabba the Roy and his ilk, there are still plenty of Harpercon cheerleaders to spoonfeed them without CanWest.

I think most Canadians share my wish for balanced and unbiased responsible media. Is that really too much to ask?