mrad? Canada we THE shackles on Ailen Richardson emphasized his fragility, as did the flanking, beefy bailiffs who escorted him to a New York state prison to serve the remainder of a 28-year-old sen- tence. Originally, when [ wrote about Mr. Richardson, I called him the latter day Jean Valjean. Richardson was wanted in the USS. for escaping a four-year sentence for selling a small amount of hallucinogen to an undercover law enforcement agent almost three decades ago. Then 19, Richardson bolted to Canada after being told he would be returning to the infamous Attica where 43 people had just died in a riot. An exemplary member of the community ever since, Richardson has worked for a UBC-affiliated research facility for almost 20 years. When the story broke, I noted with irony that it was not the Americans who had issued an extradition «der, rather, it was the Canadian immigration authorities that mailbox __ilana ercer fair comment piped up, whining righteously that those with a criminal record were not welcome in Canada. Since when? T was under the impression that Canada had extensive, if unof- ficial, welcoming schemes tor criminals, and that, once they availed themselves of Canadian benefits, these prized individu- als were well positioned to launch successtil careers throughout the common- wealth of NAFTA. For every one terrorist caught at the U.S. border, there must be many Canadian success stories who make it across. Back last year, there was at least one specimen known to me, Jose Mauricio Jimenez, who had been welcomed into Canada under the criminal reunification and recruitment Stay calm with bears Dear Editor: On a July 5 bike ride we “came across a black bear about 200 metres from the entrance of the Baden Powell trail off Hyannis Point. It was sitting in the middle of the trail. We ~ were scared ‘at first, but we realized the right thing to do. Earlier in the year, our classes had a person from The North Shore Black Bear Task Team come to talk to us. She told us that normally a bear would nor attack a person. But, she said, if we come ‘Chair or Loveseat with the purchase of a Kroehler sofa $ OR (Across from International Plaza at Capilano Road) 1882 Marine Dr., North Vancouver 980- -8712 “Showroom Hours: Mon.-Fri. 10am-7pm, Sat..10am-6pm. Closed Sundays. nt Ce tacit agreement, in spite — or maybe because — of conceal- iny, a series Of convictions in . Clearly Jimenez had what it took, and was able to exhibit the kind of moxie Richardson couldn't muster, and, as it tums out, Canadian authorities are looking for: once in Canada, Jimenez was convicted of assault with a weapon, Was he deported? Are you kidding, not with AIDS he wasn't. Go Jimenez! Even my plumping can’t make Richardson look good in the face of such stiff competi- tion. An absolute wimp, Richardson is non: welfare dependent, an upstanding member of the community, and a tender partner to his ail- ing wife, Amalia. The man never stood a chanze. Why, on the same page updating the Richardsons* recent travails, loomed the story of another shining recruit to whom Richardson could not hold a candle. With her fess than supple mind, Supreme Justice Le’Heures- Dube averted a huge loss to Canadian society. A Dube rul- ing enabled an equally cerebral lower-court judge to keep a across a bear, lift our bikes in front of us to make ourselves look bigger so the bear would not come near us. When we saw the bear we stopped and lifted our bikes and. walked slowly backwards. We walked slowly so the bear would not chase us. The bear then walked into the for- est. Once the bear was out of sight, we rode slowly past. UNLIMITED COMPANY junienance rapist, whe had been declared a danger to the public, from deportation, Now that’s a close call. The judge conclud- ed it would be devastating for the Canadian wife and children to do without the rapists ten- der ministrations. No, L applaud the justice system. [ applaud Immigration Canada for ordering Richardson to leave the coun- try. Good riddance: Canada does not need the kind of riff ratf who, for all his years in Canada, has failed to slurp at Jane Stewart’s trough. What's more, I will go so far as to hail the foreign affairs minister for having the fortitude to inter- vene on behalf of those exported Canadian arch-crimi- nals, Christine Lamont and David Spencer, but still having the gumption to remain silent in the Richardson affair. Dear me, all these acco- lades and [almost forget the magnanimous Justice Connell of Rochester, N.Y., whose stel- lar logic fed him to make Richardson an example for aspiring future “papillons.” Fm sending 3 message that escaping prison will not be tol- erated, he said. Three cheers ‘There is no need to panic if you encounter a bear. Stay calm and try to make yourself look bigger. Rarely will a bear ever attack a human. Mike Parker, Pino Sorrenti, Scott Palmer, Chris Sullivan North Vancouver ci Friday, July 21, 2000 —- North Shore News ~ 7 for the Justice tor knowing, when to discard hundreds of testimonials and when to dis- count a life well lived. Okay, P'm cool. Allen Richardson was never rehabili- tated, because Allen Richardson was never a crimi- nal. Just because government legislation decrees that con- senting adults may not volun- tarily choose to use or exchange certain substances — does not make governnient right or give it the moral (as opposed legal) authority to aggeress against the people it condemns for such activity. Allen Richardson did not hurt or coerce anyone. If it is the minais, eh health of the population at large that Richardson allegedly impeniled, then government ought to criminalize tobacco, alcohol, bungee jumping, fatty foods, and my own nemesis, the chocolate dealer. The laws of the land can and often do diverge from the principles of justice. The facts of the faw, however, should never make a discussion about justice moot. Call it reason, call it Natural Law, or, for aff I care, call it the law that dare not speak its name, but a justice system that fails to be informed by its principles is an ass, —qnuomc@attcanada.ne na a ca ae?