I think we might have been too quick getting rid of some features of medieval jurisprudence. How so? Well, Derek Chauvin’s defence is claiming it wasn’t Chauvin’s knee on his neck that killed George Floyd, it was the drugs in his… Read More ›
Floyd
REQUIEM
If people want radically different things from their government, it’s unlikely there’s going to be enough political stability to produce much of anything. So it’s a sign of a healthy society that the distance between Liberals and Conservatives in Canada… Read More ›
THE RACE WAR THERE WON’T BE
There are certain mantras that are omitted only at the speaker’s peril. For example, whenever there’s a tragedy the politician’s “heart [has to go] out to the friends and family”. And every address must end with “God bless the United… Read More ›
NOTES ON THE CULTURE WAR
The Cancel Culture War that’s been on high simmer for several years now has heated up considerably since the death of George Floyd on May 25th. That’s probably a good thing, insofar as the conflict is finally revealing what it’s… Read More ›
DEFUNDING THE POLICE
There’s a movement afoot in America, one that predates the current fuss over the George Floyd killing, to defund the police, if not entirely then certainly by some amount in excess of just a little. If we want to reduce… Read More ›
TRUDEAU’S 21 SECONDS OF SILENCE
I thought nothing could outdo Martin Luther King’s “I Have a Dream” speech, until … The other day, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was asked by a reporter what he thought of Donald Trump’s words and actions in response to the… Read More ›
AMERICA’S POLICING DILEMMA
The question, I suppose, is this. At what point should the penny have dropped for the Jews of Europe? When should they have started shooting the authorities at the door rather than come along peacefully? It’s easy to say in retrospect,… Read More ›
LET HOTTER HEADS PREVAIL
Some of you may remember the cult classic Billy Jack from 1971, and if so, the title character’s remark that, “When policemen break the law, there is no law!” That might be a bit too strong. Policemen are people. People break… Read More ›
THE LEGACY OF GEORGE FLOYD
A law that’s impossible to obey isn’t a law. A law that’s impossible to disobey isn’t a law. A law that’s impossible to enforce isn’t a law. And a law that isn’t enforced isn’t a law. The most it can be… Read More ›