CRIMINAL JUSTICE SYSTEM

My first comment is that power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely. That of course is a very old saying likely more in relation to political systems, parties and leaders. It is also true. I believe that in fact it is relevant to most of our modern day boards, agencies, government ministries, tribunals, municipal politicians, and even unfortunately our police, our school boards and our judicial systems. Without checks and balances, human beings begin to believe that they are omnipotent. J. Edgar Hoover was a prime example. As head of the U.S. FBI and without any controls on him, his corruption and perverse behaviour became legendary. .................................................................................................................. Four days ago the Waterloo Region Record carried a story titled "Louisana veteran serving life sentence for $30 drug sale set to be freed". Boy I'll bet you there were times during his past nine years in jail when he asked himself why on earth he would while in uniform carry a gun and put his life at risk for such an asshole of a country that the U.S. either is or has become. Now in fact the gentleman involved did more than sell $30 worth of marijuana, sort of. He had prior convictions for non-violent offences such as theft and drug issues. Because of that Louisana prosecuters and their infinite capacity to be assholes without checks on their authority, invoked the habitual offender law and applied it to the Black veteran, Mr. Derek Harris. It appears that this habitual offender law was at the discretion of prosecuters but not judges hence the judge claimed he had no choice but to give Mr. Harris a 30 year jail sentence after convicting him of a $30 marijuana sale. Good God but we humans (with authority) are such completely insensitve ignoramuses when we have the weight of the law behind us. Indeed it is questionable that prosecuters would have done the same thing with a white defendant in Luisana. ......................................................................................................................... Nine years later and Mr. Harris was given a new hearing and sentenced to the nine years that he had already served. Dear God but Canadaian authorities at all levels can be such twits and idiots but hopefully we aren't as bad as our southern neighbours.