Lawbreaker SalutedJudge Shows Foggy Logic In Praising Protester

Past winners of the Eight-Ball are usually victorious because of their inability to understand basic sentencing principles. But Collerman wins it because he not only believes people like Whiteman -- who pleaded guilty to breaching a court order -- should be able to break the law, he actually praised her for it. He gave Whiteman an absolute discharge. "I admire and respect you for being both courageous and articulate as you have been in support of your particular position," said Collerman. What Collerman is saying is that he approves of Whiteman breaking the law because she has strong convictions in a particular area. Worse, he has created precedence for the court to tolerate the illegal acts of protesters in the future, including the breaching of court orders. That's pretty scary stuff. This case has nothing to do with mosquito fogging. It has everything to do with upholding the rule of law, which Collerman failed miserably to do. "One of the ways by which the interests of the community are served is by people who've got strong views -- about issues that are particularly relevant to the well-being of the community -- to come forward and support those views," said Collerman. http://www.winnipegsun.com/News/Winnipeg/2005/08/19/pf-1179692.html

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