SUATISPR NE oA N ELIE TVA SNR TNS CLIP EES OM ALR ENS ONE OF those accidents of history, no doubt, but both Robert Latimer and the preat Cree chief named Poundmaker came from the Battleford district cf. ‘Saskatchewan. Both were men who offended the rule of law. Both Jearned about the terrible tyranny of the state. Chief Poundmaker was one of the leaders of the Northwest Rebellion. He was tried, convicted ‘and jailed for fighting to preserve "his freedom. Mr. Latimer lives in the northern ’ prairie a century later. He is a grain farmer, or was until thrown into prison. Mr. Latimer killed his little ‘ daughter to end her 12 years of. suf- fering and to prevent her from ‘ being sent to an institution where tubes and drugs and other machines might be used to ensure that she would be in misery for 12 tore . yeurs. He. tried to help her for the first -.12, He was a good father. His. wife said so. |. - She also said, “Whatever helt they put my husband through it will not begin to match the hell our Jit- tle girl went through.” At his sentencing last week, Mr. - Latimer said what we all know about law: “I don't think you peo- ple are being human.” Poundimaker said the same, in different words: “The haw is a very hard thing, The law is a very cold thing, T cannot understand the law.” The rest of us might say of the Latimer case that law won and jus- tice lost, Most Canadians can't under- stand the law any more, and it isin’t al our fault, Changes are being rung in too fast for most of us. Three reasons come readily to mind, Science, for one. Science kept that poor child alive in pain and misery for [2 years, A generation or two ngo, a spas- tic child so severely afflicted would have perished in a matter of months or, at the must, a year or (wa, She would still have suffered, but nature, as we used to refer to that force, would have abbreviated her suffering. Many times, the decision was made by doctors and nurses who left certain babies unspanked to dic on the delivery table. Nothing was ever said, but everything was understood. The law, discreetly, stood aside. The rat syndrome is a second reason for our ethical and legal dilemmas. Overcrowding ruins all animals. Most humans are now crammed hip and thigh in big, ugly, dangerous cities, Like the rats in the famous experiment, we become . psychotic. Law is our third problem. We once thought it a solution. We are learning better. We still respect it too much. . We take some perverse pride ir in shouting about the rule of law no matter how bestial its occasional cruelties, The cruelty, we say, must be accepted that the law will be preserved. The jury in the Saskatchewan case adhered to basic principles of the rule of law. They decided on the facts and let the injustice be done legally. They faced hard choices. . If they returned a spurious ver- dict of innocent, they invited par- ents everywhere to destroy children they found inconvenient. rrreniiioe _ Photos far from flattering for - newspaper's Sunshine Girls “Dear Editor: Re: Sunshine Giri, new format. Unlike some people, I do not find the Sunshine Girl offensive - (although I wouldn’t mind seeing a © Sunshine Guy once in a while for a ', change). But 1 do not like the new ’ Sunshine Girl format. * The long skinny photograph with the too-bright lighting and the ‘stiff unnatural-looking poses just - don’t do justice to the pretty girls you feature. These are some of the most unkind and unflattering pho- tographs of women that I have ever seen. Even .men that ! ‘know who appreciate a picture of a pleasant- looking woman in a cute outfit do not find these new photos attractive. Please go back to the old format. It looked better. Susan Tearse North Vancouver i: ‘92 civic Dx shou hom condition! In returning a true verdict guilly, they imposed cruelty or one niin instead of on a thousand chil- dren, Hard cases mike bad law, it is aiid, [t's casier said i you are not serving 10 years in the slammer for an act of heartbre: iking courage. Some will say the jury should have returned a Morgenthaler ver- dict. Juries don't care whit evi- dence of illegal abortions was brought against Dr. Morgenthalee. They acquitted him anyway, Most of us will just be grateful that we were not selected to sition the Latimer jury. if there is a lesson to be taken from the imprisonment of this ordi- nary, decent Canadian, it is that there are fimits to the cule of law and we had betfer remeniber them. The daw can’t fix Httle things sike warts nor big ones like merey killings. The hw can’t determing whether abortion is murder on, if it is, i what stage af fetal develap- nent it becomes murder. The law is unclear about what kind of pornography is dumaging to society. Tt always will be. The law can never mend mar- riages, it can only ead then, [ can- not climinate death, poverty, cruel- ty, prejudice, pain and taxes, no mater how much we pretend it can. The law often makes a bad man worse: it rarely, makes a good man better, The law cannot laugh. As one British Parhiamentarian put it, there is no reference to humor in a single statute passed by Parliament. The Jaw is an ass, a dger anda pig but never a nightingale. We know (oo much about the need for law and not enough about its avoidance, In a society more devoted to jus- lice and less to law, Robert Latimer wauld never have gone to trial and a judge and a jury would have been spared the wretched duty they per- formed, Paul St. Pierre is an author, playwright and newspaper colium- nist, He was a Member of Parliament for Coast Chilcatin Jrom 1968 to 1972, CHRISTMAS with a LWIsT Sparkling 18K gold jewellery sets the tone for a very special Christmas, This eleganc combination of textured and polished gold will give pleasure throughout che year. As usual gift wrapping is complementary with any purchase, '8,955 “Absolutely taaded” SWEDISH JEVVELER Park Royal South 922-2255 8S ACURA aay 4,582 y Wentminister GM says goodbye to It's neighbor Lamb Car Care * Pacific Centre Atrium/Upper Level 682-6711 '