Page AB — Terrace Standard, Wednesday, February 12, 1992 k TT Court column kafuffle Dear. Sir: One hesitates to rise to the defence of the bar or the legal system. Since well before Shakespeare’s murderous character, Dick the butcher, plotted ‘‘The first thing we do, let’s kill all the lawyers,”, it has been popular to complain about courts, judges and those who represent the accused, the Crown or civil litigants of all sorts. . However, the nearsighted and vituperative column by Claudette. Sandecki in your Jan, 29, .1992 edition “Courts on trial’’ deserves at least acomment. Apparently as a result of a few hours of (i.e., sitting in court as a spectator), Mrs. Sandecki “research”? © has formed a number of astonishing conclusions: * Legal aid is too widely available. She should ask a moderate income earner with a family whether legal aid is easy to obtain. Legal Aid’s ‘greatest failing is that it is available to too few. .* Fewer people would break the law if defence counsel ‘were not so easy to obtain. There isn’t a criminologist in the world whe would support this theory. . *Lawyers delay trials because of the availability of legal aid or the fee. structure of tegal aid. Does she realize that no fee is paid for ad- journments or delays, and that the maximum fee per hour spent is obtained by keeping trials as short as possible? * Lawyers with weak cases prefer more recesses than lawyers with strong cases. An interesting theory; too bad it makes no sense, * All lawyers want lots of recesses. How can it be that all lawyers have weak cases; surely only half of them do? Mrs. Sandecki overlooks the business aspect of practising law. The office staff and rent can only be paid out of the funds earned through com- pleting the job. Legal Aid will only accept a bill once a file is concluded. By the way, on page A7 of the same edition you report the results of 33 completed cases, not to mention the ones resulting in acquittals, which are not reported. Suspicions passed over the church and the state Dear Sir: The opium of the masses finds its way once again into Eastern Europe and the Soviet Union, with the reac- ceptance of the cloth, glitter, garb and superstitious nonsense. The tentacles of the Vatican are spreading their poison and influencing control, When our own Prime Minister, a puppet of Rome, visits the Vatican, must it be so difficult to understand just what faction of our society does this person represent when visiting the Vatican? And by what permission ~sdoes this meeting happen? It would seem that he is there to represent Catholicism in Canada, especially that of Quebec, Therefore just where does Mulroney really stand regar- ding the impending breakup of this country, is he after Quebec domination of the whole of Canada, “Cathocracy”'? It would be well for the electorate, at election time to consider the religious affilia- tions of those seeking posts of leadership. The system which the western powers are pressing with ever increasing vigour to reintroduce into Eastern Europe and beyond, did not care for the masses prior to 1914 and has less possiblity -Dear Sir: [ would Iike to hear from anyone who has suffered from narcolepsy, or from anyone who has a loved one afflicted by it. Narcolepsy is a_ sleep ‘disorder, well-known in Van- couver medical circles and in: We have to date found one heard of it. If not diagnosed properly, narcolepsy can be very - serious and have a devastating ‘effect on the © quality of life.. With proper medication, however, it is as easily controlled as diabetes, and the narcoleptic’s life can be normal and productive. There is a special unit at Vancouver General Hospital - for sleep disorders, and that city hosts. support - groups, literature, videos and access to all the information needed to understand and help with | this illness. It is a wonderful thing for the narcoleptic to be able ta identify the cause of the pro- blem, and to know he is not alone, that so much effective treatment is available 80 readily: Mrs. Ada Solwontuk._ 3502 Eby St... Terrace,.B Gor : V8a 2¥6". of success in this age. When word heads of state proceed with such blind dedication hustling their feet over the steps of the Vatican, then it is not difficult to con- clude where lies the force emanating dominance in these parts of the world to- day. Douglas Bulleid Terrace, B.C. * All accused persons are disrespectful of the court. The many first offenders who are nervous, embarass- ed, frightened and remorseful must have escaped her gaze. Mrs. Sandecki even takes a swipe at the judge, calling him a stickler who appears uncertain Whether the witnesses are alive or other- wise. The point of this sar- castic remark is left unclear. Insightfully, she’ implies without actually stating that inadequate preparation (presumably by lawyers) is rampant, and that crucial evidence frequently goes missing (wha loses. this evidence, the judge, the pro- secutor, the court clerk, the police?), all completely without foundation, She thinks that trial dates are nearly impossible ta ob- tain, but most are set within four months of the laying of the charge, a period which gives both sides adequate time to subpoena witnesses, research the law and narrow the issues to thse which are critical to the presentation of the case. Your correspondent even ft hakespeare comes to Terrace goes so far as to complain no. public — that there is telephone in the corridor of the courthouse! Obviously during her reseacrh - she - overlooked the door clearly labelled ‘‘Public telephone’’, Had she looked into the mat- ter a little more carefully, she would have faund, as adver- tised, a public telephone. Perhaps Mrs. Sandecki's bifocals were slightly tinted with popular preconceptions when she set out to evaluate a system. which merits more than a casual inspection. After all, few realize that when Dick the butcher spoke those famous words, he and his: friends were anarchists advocating the destruction of - the the legal system, - monetary system, and the educational system. _ In-the same play he later said, “If we mean to thrive and do good, break open the jails and let out the prisoners,’’ hadn’t thought matters through very thoroughly either, -Yours truly, Dave Warner, Terrace, B.C. of the Terrace-Kitimat’ air- Perhaps - Dick . Tight budget TERRACE —The freeze put on federal spending has delayed one of the steps leading toward an expansion port terminal building, ’ That step is approval to go to final design. for the. 348 square metre addition, air- port manager Darryl Laurent said last week. Ad. He said approval for. the design will now have to wait until more is known about spending plans later this spr ing. The freeze, in an attempt to hold down a federal budget deficit that'll -be larger than expected, . lasts” until the end of March. The end of March marks the end of the federal | budget year. Also affected are the federal fisheries activities in the northwest, said a Prince Rupert official -for that department. Tom Perry said discre- tionary spending, travel, hir- ing and capital budget com: mitments have been put 9 on hold, What isn’t affected is travel by federal fisheries of- ficers necessary to police fishing reguiations, he said. “There are no restrictions to hamper the department's ability to serve the public,” added Perry. BACK ON SP SLEOO* WOR ‘Chevy Silverado ; i GMC Sierra SLE the U.S. but not in this area, | doctor in Terrace who has - V8 ENGINE CHEVROLET OLOSMOBILE)| V8 ENGINE 635-4941 Va ENGINE $14,999" a 999' $16,999" *16, 299) PLD AT YOUR INTERIOR CHEVY AND GMC mC TRUCK D DEALERS JIM McEWAN MOTORS (TERRACE) LTD. ‘IMMEDIATE DELIVERY. HURRY! LIMITED QUANTITY. OFFER ENDS FEBRUARY 29. + Offer applies to new 1992 regular cab pickups purchased from special GM inventory. Offer valid for a limited time at participating dealers while quantities last and applies to retail deliveries and retail teases only. 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