Cheers: to woodwork and good work. Kudos to the correctional officers at Her Majesty’s Penitentiary who give their time and talents to guide inmates’ work in the onsite woodworking shop. And cheers to the skilled inmates who express themselves creatively through that work. A Telegram reporter touring the shop last week reported that inmates were crafting picnic tables for Pippy Park, furniture for public inquiries and a bench for Family Court — even flower planters and Adirondack chairs for the correctional officers themselves to avail of on well-deserved breaks. A worthwhile enterprise all the way around.
Jeers: to archaic arguments. A lawyer in a St. John’s court defending a 22-year-old man who surreptitiously videotaped three of his female coworkers as they changed clothes suggested the man’s actions were a “crime of opportunity.” Alex Seymour — now 24 — was working in a gym at the time. His lawyer, Ellen O’Gorman, told Judge Jacqueline Brazil that being in a place where women regularly changed clothes was likely “a temptation to him.” O’Gorman’s reasoning left the victims feeling like they were being blamed. To suggest that men are mindless slavering beasts ruled by a sexual drive so ferocious that they cannot stop themselves from committing offenses against women — particularly if they can arrange to see them unclothed — does an injustice to both men and women alike.
Jeers: to geographic confusion. Three public relations firms in the past week alone have contacted The Telegram in St. John’s to alert the paper to newsworthy events happening in Saint John, New Brunswick. Wrong city, wrong province, folks. Trying Googling “Map of Canada.”
Jeers: to unsafe workplaces. The Canadian Press reported Friday that a group representing lawyers in Nova Scotia is concerned about workplace safety. “The Nova Scotia Crown Attorneys’ Association says courtroom security is an ongoing issue and lawyers have been threatened, punched and spat upon,” CP reported. Recently, police in that province were called to a Dartmouth court, where a lawyer was allegedly assaulted by her client. The Crown Attorneys’ Association would like to see increased security measures, including a barrier separating the accused from staff and members of the public in the court, which would offer protection to the accused as well as everyone else. Sounds like an idea worth considering here.
Jeers: to armed and dangerous. “Dog shoots man” is not a headline you see often, but that’s what an Iowa man said happened last week when he was roughhousing on the couch with his dog, Balew. Richard Remme, 51, of Fort Dodge, says when he pushed the dog off his lap, the dog bounded back up and must have disabled the safety catch on the gun in his belly band. Remme was shot in the leg. We’re not sure why you need be armed to play with your dog, but clearly it isn’t a good idea.
