It was with great relief, probably, throughout the country when it was announced police had arrested Dustin Paxton in connection with a very disturbing assault that lasted several months and resulted in the victim, Dustin LaFortune, having parts of his lip and tongue cut out. Gruesome stuff. There are some interesting mixed messages here. When Paxton was arrested this past week at a home in Edmonton, the homeowner explained to a media member that the accused came across as a really nice person who was incredibly smart. I believe the quote was "he could take apart your iPod six ways from Sunday". Yet, during his court appearance Paxton was reported to be fidgety, was agitated, and laughed as charges were read. The way the story came across to me, I get the impression a defense of some sort of diminished mental capacity is going to be used. On one hand, anyone that does the damage that was inflicted on LaFortune has to be playing with a deck of less than 52. On the other hand, it's my opinion some of what is being reported could only be carried out by someone who has a great deal of intellect. I think you can be twisted beyond belief but still have a lot of intelligence.
Hopefully lawyers and doctors won't be fooled if what I suspect starts to take shape with his defense.In Winnipeg, a retired traffic cop and a businessman have appointed themselves traffic crusaders and have come up with a way to reduce accidents at intersections: add an additional second to the amber light. At first, I scoffed because I think people will continue to push the limit racing through the intersection to beat the change from amber to red. A closer look, however, reveals a different story. In Georgia, a city decided to do just that and it was so successful they took down all 12 of their red-light cameras. Here's the dilemma for Winnipeg: if this is successful and they eliminate red-light cameras, they are bound to lose revenue from traffic offenders. The reality is that while safety is important, municipalities like having a multitude of offenders when it comes to these kinds of offenses. So, having been presented with this story out of Georgia, do you think Winnipeg has agreed to put an additional second onto the amber lights as a test? Nope. In fact, one of the traffic crusaders says the city has completely ignored him. Score one for money over safety.
You people that travel on four-lane highways at a speed less than the posted limit and spend the entire time in the left hand lane deserve a ticket just as much as the guy going 15-20 km/h over the limit.
In British Columbia, a native band is getting tough on drug dealers and bootleggers with a 'get help or get out' approach. This spring, community leaders went door to door and picked up 32 men and women between the ages of 17 and 58 and they were transported 45 minutes, by boat, to a disused logging camp. There, they spent eight weeks of intense cleansing, therapy, and traditional teaching. Six people refused treatment and were, simply, banished from the community. This kind of rehab has merit, and I don't think it should be limited to First Nations communities.
The story in Chile regarding over 30 miners who are trapped and won't be rescued for three or four months has to resonate with people around Yorkton because there are quite a few employed in the mining industry. Authorities are working at drilling a hole 700 metres below the Earth's surface so that each miner can be pulled up to safety and it takes time to accomplish this. Think about your own life and put yourself in a position where you are forced to spend the next three months in your living room with thirty of your closest friends and none of you are allowed to leave. You can't go anywhere! My living room is quite comfortable, but I can tell you I'd go batty without even a little freedom. And, my own family gets on my nerves by times, so how are you going to cope in close quarters with 30 co-workers in that situation? Hopefully this story has a happy ending. To this point, all signs indicate that, but the miners and their families just need patience. A lot of it.
Nice people mentions this week to Leann Yurkiw (thanks for telling Candice Stupak she got a mention a while back. It's important she read the paper). Also to Mitchell Blair, Tracy Cook, Jeff Kohnen, and Darcy Napady.
