Wednesday, October 21, 2015

Parliamentary Police Report

Ottawa Police Report
At 2:30 P.M. on April 24, 2015, I, Officer Wayne, and Officer Shuster were dispatched to the Centre Block, Parliament Building, Wellington Street, Ottawa in response to a 911 call. The caller identified herself as Canadian Public and reported an incident of domestic abuse.

Once we arrived on the scene, I immediately identified the complainant and interviewed her in a back room. Public was distraught, covered in bruises and apparently in shock. When I questioned her about the alleged attack, all she could reply was “the horror, the horror!”

Office Shuster was able to isolate the alleged perpetrator in a nearby caucus room. The alleged perpetrator would only identify himself as Conservative Party. When questioned about the events of that afternoon and the various bruises seen on Public, Party at first denied any involvement but eventually recanted and admitted that he had hit Public several times but insisted that she deserved it and “had it coming.”

I was eventually able to calm Public and question her at length. She was able to recall the incidents of the afternoon and numerous incidents dating back as many as ten years. Public alleged that Party had repeatedly taken advantage of her and assaulted her both physically and verbally. Public related how Party often attacked her, telling her that it was for her own good. According to Public, after the attacks, Party would often be remorseful and would express his love for Public and assure her that it would never happen again.

Officer Shuster further questioned Mr. Party in the caucus room. Party insisted that he loved Public and never intended to do her any harm. He insisted that the injuries apparent on Public’s person such as a number of healthcare cuts and funding slashes were not intentional. Party stated that Public didn’t know what was good for her and that he, Party, had to take drastic steps to correct the domestic situation.

I continued to question Ms. Public about past incidents. She indicated that in the beginning, back before 2006, Party was an attentive suitor and promised Public all manner of gifts if she would let him take over the house. However, once he did so in 2006, Public said that he began to act differently. Although he cut the GST for her on two occasions, he reserved his biggest and best tax cuts for his corporate love interests.

Officer Shuster was able to elicit further information from Conservative Party. Mr. Party admitted that he never really loved Canadian Public and was only using her to gain a stronger position in the house. Once he had majority control, Party showed outright contempt for Public and bragged about continuing with the cuts and abuses.

At the end of the interviews, Officer Shuster and I escorted Canadian Public from the property since we were concerned for her safety. We could do little about Party since he controlled the house. He was becoming further agitated and launched a verbal attack against Officer Shuster and me shouting that he would “make life miserable for us” and “cut police funding to the bone if that’s what it takes.”

We provided Public with a victim’s booklet outlining her options and a voter registration card and informed her that we could not do much to help her but that she would have a chance to expel Mr. Party from the premises no later than October 19th. Sadly, victims in such circumstances often return to the abuser and surprisingly give them a second, third and even fourth chance and allow them to continue their abusive behavior.

Monday, October 05, 2015

The Parable of the Political Son


    Most of us are familiar with the Parable of the Prodigal Son. It tells the story of the younger son who squanders his inheritance only to be sumptuously welcomed back by his father to the dismay of his obedient and responsible elder son.
     Few of us, however, have read the Parable of the Political Son that reportedly appears in the apocryphal volume the Book of Bush:

     “There was a man who had two sons. The older one wasted his youth on wine, women and song and disappointed his father greatly. The younger son, however, was conscientious in all respects and did everything to make his father proud.
     “One day, the younger son asked for his father’s blessing to seek the Oval Office, the highest honor in the land. The father had once briefly achieved that honor himself and sorely wished it for his younger son.
     “So it came to pass that the father gave his blessing to the younger son to seek the Oval Office. His mother, too, wished for nothing else.
     “This angered the older son who, despite his profligate ways, felt that he was entitled to first receive his father’s blessing. The older son then left for the state of Texas where he governed adequately if not wisely and was able to secure the assistance of his father’s former advisors in his quest for the ultimate prize.
     “Much to the father’s surprise and the younger brother’s disappointment, the older brother reached the Oval Office not once but twice despite a disastrous reign. His father and brother were reluctantly forced to accept and celebrate the older brother’s achievement.
     “For eight long years, no one from the family sought the Oval Office although the father was old and dearly wished that his younger son could achieve it while he was still alive. So the younger brother announced that he was seeking the ultimate honor.
     “The father urged the younger son to pursue the Oval Office saying ‘I always dreamed that you and not your brother would achieve that fame and now it is your turn.’
     “‘But father,’ said the younger one. ‘How can I win when I must face what my older brother has done? He caused a lengthy war and debt and destruction and the people of the land will lay the blame for that at my feet.’
     “‘I know that does not seem fair,’ said the father. ‘But you are the smart one, the brave one, the rational one. I have great faith in you.
     “So it came to pass that the father and his advisors urged the younger son to run but to avoid any mention of his family name in order to distance himself from the shameful record of his older brother.
     “All seemed to proceed with good fortune and the younger brother appeared to have the Oval Office in his grasp. Even the entry of the new challenger from the tribe of Clinton did not appear to be an insurmountable obstacle.
     “But then it came to pass that one called Trump appeared on the scene and brazenly stole the limelight from the younger brother.
     “The younger brother returned home and rent his clothing before his father and cried and declaimed that he had been unfairly deprived of his birthright.
     “The father chastised him and reminded him that he was given a chance but could not succeed. ‘Do not blame your older brother. Although he was lucky, reckless and foolish, he succeeded where you did not. The fault, my son, is yours. You must remember the lesson to be learned: It is almost impossible to succeed a two-term son of a bush.’”