Thursday, December 13, 2007

Kitchener judge gets smackdown from National Post

Poppygate started as such a quiet little story buried in the local section of the Kitchener Record.

However, the outrage has been growing. Today the National Post chastises Judge Woolcott for suggesting that police officers not wear a poppy in her courtroom - "Respect the Poppy".


The Post makes this observation:
The judge did not make clear who she thought might consider the poppy an unacceptable symbol, or what their reasoning would be. Not that it matters: To the extent there are hateful eccentrics out there who fail to comprehend the disasters and destruction that would have befallen our world if Canadian and other allied soldiers didn't valiantly put their lives on the line, we don't see why public officials should be pandering to their sensitivities...

Madam Justice, I believe you owe the veterans in this country a sincere apology.


* * * *

Update: Record - No rules banning poppies in local courts.
Letters page full of outrage from Record readers (lower left of page)

Perhaps we have finally discovered our Canadian identity!




6 comments:

Bruce Stewart said...

Veterans ... certainly.

But actually Madam Justice owes Canadians an apology.

And a real one - not one of those "let me slip the shiv in from the other side" ones that we hear in the House of Commons by MPs, eh?

Or get off the bench. Your move, Madam Justice.

Joanne (True Blue) said...

And a real one - not one of those "let me slip the shiv in from the other side" ones that we hear in the House of Commons by MPs, eh?

Exactly. Not an Irene Mathyssen 'gun to the head' apology.

KURSK said...

It's amazing what a little injection of common sense conservatism will do to stiffen your backbone and make you more proud to be a Canadian.

It's truly a wonder that it took decades for Canadians to wake up and realize that there was latent nationalism hiding under all that liberal state imposed sophism.

Thank you Stephen Harper!

Joanne (True Blue) said...

It's truly a wonder that it took decades for Canadians to wake up and realize that there was latent nationalism hiding under all that liberal state imposed sophism.

Well said. Finally Canadians are waking up and acknowledging the dangerous results of complacency.

Anonymous said...

It makes my head hurt to see some of the "types" that become judges...Their are actually federal and provincial judges who have little brown nosers follow them around just to remove their coats, it's sickening

OMMAG said...

Woolcott's remarks were examples of a very small and petty mind.
How is it that someone like that is put in a position of authority?
A few people suggest that making justices face election would cure that kind of problem. But just look at the fools who get elected to parliament or provincial legislatures or civic governments.

Checks and balances are what is required and the first thing that comes to mind when I think of this Woolcott is impeachment.

If standards of conduct are not enforced then they mean nothing and are nothing. Woolcott has clearly gone well beyond what would pass for acceptable standards of behaviour on the bench. A complete disgrace.