The Canadian justice system in action
I went to Westlock court today. Westlock is part of a provincial circuit court and every Wednesday a judge comes to town and goes through the docket. It can be a bit of a drag, but with a few guilty pleas and a trial or two you can get a few nice stories.
The Mayor of Westlock is also the most popular (Read: only) defence lawyer in town.
I often deal with the Mayor in both of his jobs. He is a good guy and a good lawyer and he usually helps Westlock's less fortunate with their legal problems.
Sometimes a court will have a duty counsel, whose job it is to help the defendants who don't have lawyers. Westlock doesn't have an official one but the Mayor usually serves this purpose.
Today he wasn't there because he is on vacation. The divide between people with money and people without money was never more clear. A couple of defendants offered guilty pleas without any access to a lawyer, or in one case any access to a shirt. Criminals and alleged criminal alike tend to make poor decisions, so them planning their own legal strategy is usually a bad choice.
The judge was compassionate enough to not take the guilty pleas and to get the guy a shirt, but those guys could have seriously screwed up their life because they didn't have access to good advice.
I am not saying they might not be guilty, but a lawyer might have found ways to get them into an alternate program or a better sentence.
It just realy exposed that if you have money and can get a lawyer you will do better than a guy who doesn't.
posted by Ryan / Andy at 8:10 PM
3 Comments:
Darcy's first comment:
Andy, I just saw your photo in your profile and I was just wondering, are you wearing a hat or did your head actually get bigger in Alberta?
I'm just curious.
Other questions: With your new super-gigantic head do you bang it on things more frequently? Did you need to get a new car? Can you fit it through doorways? Do you walk with a slouch because gravity is a bitch?
Thanks.
2:54 PM
Darcy I am glad you have decided to join the debate.
And by join the debate I mean make fun of me of course.
My head is exactly the same size as it was before I left Ottawa, which for the record is where that photo was taken. (Possibly by you)
We went out and celebrated my birthday after that so the evening is sketchy at best.
This is the oversized head God gave me , so the real question is why do you hate Jesus so?
Does it have anything to do with the lack of depth perception he bestowed upon you?
3:21 PM
Westlock sounds like a terrible place. Perhaps the rich should stop screwing the poor, then the town would be awesome. I really don't know what else to say. The mayor rocks. I think, however, that you should take his job. Oust the bitch from power. Then remake the small puddle-town into your own personal eden. You could commission a statue, with extra support struts made from mineral deposits around town to support your head. Darcy's right, it does look bigger in that photo.
6:22 PM
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