Yesterday’s decision permitting Conrad Black back into Canada makes me wonder what’s going on in this country – a country once known for its compassionate sense of justice.
Black was convicted of serious crimes, which in itself is supposed to make him less-than-welcome. Beyond that, in the interests of acquiring a lordship in England, Black officially renounced his Canadian citizenship.
So why, I ask, does the red tape fly out the door and the gold-plated welcome mat get laid at his feet?
The unfairness of this decision seems even more horrific when contrasted with the case of Rodney Watson. He’s the American soldier who found Iraq to be more than he’d bargained for, and quite a contrast to what he’d been told to expect. Like so many other soldiers of conscience, he left the US army and headed for Canada, where he thought he would find asylum.
Only Watson hasn't been granted asylum in our country. Rather, he has been residing in sanctuary provided by Vancouver’s First United Church.
The full horror of his situation sinks in when you realize he's been living at the church since the autumn of 2009 – nearly three years.
Yet Conrad Black waltzes in after waiting a day.
Is it simply because Rodney Watson doesn’t have the kind of bankroll Conrad Black has?
Like I said, could somebody please show me what’s fair about this?
2 comments:
Perhaps 'fair' alludes to the figure in the bank account or the colour of eyes and hair. Perhaps justice is now aligned with power as in the issue of pardons from the vatican, and the priests are the salesmen of hedge funds. In Orwell's animal farm the pigs are fairer than all the two-legged's.
Ah yes, Orwell, who saw all of this coming. All animals are equal, only some animals are more equal than others..
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