They Didn't Fight for Freedom from Accountability

Today, as we pause to remember those who have given their lives to protect our way of life, it is also important to remember what it was they were fighting to defend. I am certain they didn't risk, and in some cases give, their lives to protect the Campbell government's right to operate in secret against the interests of the people of British Columbia. Hopefully they fought to defend our right to freedom, freedom to live free, freedom to know what "our" government is doing in "our" name, and supposedly for our benefit.

At times the greatest threat to our freedom and our way of life comes not from over there, wherever there is today, but from inside. Those who would steal "our" resources and the work of "our" ancestors to enrich themselves and their cronies, are often our greatest enemy. BC Mary posted this comment from BC Dude (left at Tyee) on her critically important blog, where she bravely keeps trying to frustrate the obvious efforts to make the Basi-Virk case simply disappear. This is just part of the comment - a quote from Cicero Marcus Tullius.

A nation can survive its fools, and even the ambitious. But it cannot survive treason from within. An enemy at the gates is less formidable, for he is known and carries his banner openly. But the traitor moves amongst those within the gate freely, his sly whispers rustling through all the alleys, heard in the very halls of government itself..........

Now some people, like say Vaughn Palmer and Keith Baldrey, may think that the resulting legal actions and facts (they do remember those things - facts, or do they?) surrounding the unprecedented search and seizure of evidence from the LEGISLATURE three days after Christmas almost three years ago is of negligible importance. This is in spite of questions surrounding the sale of BC Rail, and pretty much anything else in the province that isn't actually nailed down or made of bedrock - and even that can be had for the right price, apparently. Somehow Basi, Basi and Virk transmorgrified into multiple instances of John Doe and John Does between October 26-27 and Monday October 30. I know it was close to Halloween, but that is no excuse for having litigants (with no issues deserving of privacy) to be scheduled to appear in court under fake names. As one lawyer quoted on Mary's blog put it:

This kind of thing doesn't happen by accident. It looks like a deliberate attempt to keep the press (and the public) from being aware of what was happening in Justice Bennett's courtroom - the only legitimate use of 'john doe' labelling is when there are reasons (under age children, physical danger or threat etc) why privacy is an important consideration for someone in the court....... in view of the public notice you received on Friday,..... none of those considerations would apply in this instance.

In a case like this the switch from BBV to John Doe etc over the weekend couldn't have been anything other than a cover up - and it's a cover up the press is up to its armpits in. Why wouldn't those 'vastly experienced' court reporters (Baldrey and Palmer - one must presume) have at least noted it in passing?

Here's part of page 3 of 7 from the Court Listing for Vancouver Supreme Court on October 30 - note Basi, Basi and Virk, or at least their representation did appear and issues were dealt with.

The system the court uses to inform the public regarding its schedule is more like an effort to limit and/or block information from reaching the public. The listings are only posted after 6:00am of THE DAY and not archived - unavailable the next day, unless you make your own copy. I'm sorry to inform the smug residents of the West End, but some people live a little too far away from the CorruptCourthouse to be able to get there on an hour or two notice.

This case potentially effects everyone in British Columbia. When the government and the Justice System are trying to operate in secret, usually it is because they are committing criminal acts!The use of privilege to cover up crime is Abuse of Privilege!

If there's nothing to hide - just quit hiding stuff!