Court jester
Odd how it surprises people that a thief has been charged
When B.C. MP Svend Robinson was finally charged Monday for stealing a fancy ring last April 9, e-mail letters poured in to the Citizens Centre expressing satisfaction and surprise.
Odd how it surprises people that a confessed jewel thief was charged with theft, but in this case it does. And for a reason.
We all know Robinson represents a special national constituency favoured by the courts. Judges are now privately lectured and sensitized by government-funded gay organizations. Judges and gay litigants even party together.
We also know the decision whether to charge Robinson for his video-taped and confessed crime was handed to a "special prosecutor" for unexplained "political reasons."
We watched at Robinson's press conference how he pleaded several special excuses -- "severe stress," "emotional pain," and "inner turmoil." None of which are supposed to matter to a criminal prosecutor, yet apparently did.
Skeptics also noticed how the media immediately adopted Robinson's own phrase that he had "pocketed" the ring. They never say someone "pocketed" the contents of a cash register.
But in this case, the verb "to steal" sounded harsh and excessive, even though the crime was grand larceny.
http://www.canoe.ca/NewsStand/Columnists/Calgary/Link_Byfield/2004/06/24/512890.html