Originally, I had no intention of writing about this story, since it pertains to something I became involved with over a year ago. Some readers may recall that last year, I wrote a letter of complaint to the Canadian Judicial Council about a Superior Court Justice, Toni Skarica, over a t-shirt he was wearing extolling Donald Trump. You can read the background here.
My concern was, and still is, the issue of judicial impartiality. How can a man extolling a demagogue who advocates against the Mexican, the Muslim, the transgendered and the gay be trusted to judge impartially any such individuals who may come before him in court?
In any event, last week a Star reporter called me to discuss the issue. I was surprised, given that the events unfolded over a year ago, but apparently, in response to a request by a lawyer, the Judicial Council only recently published its decision on its website, a decision that saw no sanctions against Skarica, who offered an interesting explanation for his terrible lapse in judgement.
The interview resulted in a story, which unleashed a measure of online fury and vituperation directed against me, some of which involved physical threats, but most of which offered assessments of my character, none of which were flattering.
So why am I writing this post? Primarily to show the rabid and insensate 'free-speech warriors' that their pathetic attempts to bully into silence those who hold views contrary to their own are just that - pathetic. While the issue of online bullying is not something to be dismissed lightly, it is misdirected at people who are mature adults and reasonably sure of themselves. Silence in the face of such attacks is just not in keeping with my nature, and it would send the wrong message to the intolerant that I have been coerced into submission.
This morning, I received an 'endearing' message on Facebook by one Edward Louis Guy Shea who, in response to a Star column link on Omar Khadr that I posted, wrote:
"EH LORNE GO FUCK YOURSELF". Judging by the all-caps, I would hazard a guess that Edward is mightily exercised. Edward then kindly supplied a link to Rebel Media, with which I will end this post, except for this final observation: The rabid-right, either by choice or intellectual incapacity, seem unwilling/unable to grasp the concept of judicial impartiality, as evidenced in the following video:
Those who insist that it's my way or the highway invariably wind up in the ditch, Lorne.
ReplyDeleteWell-put, Owen!
ReplyDelete.. well .. sorry to hear you've been harrassed.. at any level..
ReplyDeleteTwas an interesting bit of posturing.. the video
Shrill, self righteous.. even nasty, but that's RubMeMedia eh ?
This however is the new epoch.. of social media
One, like you can blog comprehensive coherent information
and be rewarded with abuse, threats.. stupidity
Somehow, someday.. I will unlock the key
of Marshall McLuhan & Hunter S Thompson
predicting exactly where you have arrived Lorne
Now Marshall would certainly see you as an artist
or a citizen poet on the edge of media..
Hunter S might see you as a simple blunt honest man
a frightening kind of Canadian to abject partisans
i have already lost memory of the young woman's name
who harangued & vilified you.. as a 'weasel' ..
(deary me.. a weasel.. and a tattler as well? Goodness !
My grandmother would have schooled her so fast
with a wooden spoon.. without a doubt
about lecturing or smart mouthing her betters..
Regsrdless.. go on fearlessly ..
Never fear to request some backing
if you feel there is realistic threat to you or family.
In almost all cases where there is implied or veiled threat
I suggest folks file a report at the local police ststion.
Its for the record.. on the record..
via seasoned desk sergeant..
I may drop the ignorant youg lady
a tiny tweeted slice of advice..
quite polite about informing herself..
rsther than pimpimg Ezra Levant et al
but that usually falls on deaf ears
Thanks for your support and very apt commentary Sal. Both are much-appreciated.
DeleteAccounts like this, Lorne, seem to have a cumulative nature that causes us to look into this great cultural divide, this rent in our society. In "my day" judges were utterly circumspect, in public invisible. They weren't aloof but genuinely removed and discrete, one of the prices they had to pay for their essential independence. A number have commented on the detachment and loneliness that the job carried.
ReplyDeleteNot only is social cohesion in decline but, worse, it doesn't seem to trouble very many of us. We don't seem to grasp what we're losing. Certainly that's true for those who slagged you. They're not far removed from the caged monkey that flicks its feces at passersby.
I blame the general incivility growing in society on a number of factors, Mound, including the fact that social media allows for an anonymity that emboldens the unhinged; the years of constant denigration encouraged by Harper, and, of course, the elevation to the American presidency of a man who lacks the intellect, temperament and character to occupy that office, and encourages the kind of madness he revels in.
DeleteI wonder Lorne, what the real source of his rage is?
ReplyDeleteI wonder if he has any inkling himself, Pamela.
Delete