Helpless

It is difficult feeling helpless, but there is little we can do as citizens of this country—right now, in this moment—that can change confessed child-killer Terri-Lynne McClintic being transferred to a First Nations healing lodge.

She is already there, and no longer behind the prison bars where she deserves to be for her prominent and purposeful role in the abduction, rape and savage murder of eight-year-old Tori Stafford in 2009.

Oh, we can write to our MP to complain, but our prime minister has already told us what he thinks of people who think Corrections Canada was wrong.

He thinks we are “ambulance chasers.”

We saw him use this against the Official Opposition in the House of Commons, and particularly against its deputy leader, Lisa Raitt.

It's a slag often used against unscrupulous lawyers.

Raitt is also a lawyer, which only adds to the low blow delivered by our prime minister.

There is also little we can do to change the fact that McClintic “self identified” as Indigenous, even though there is not a shred of evidence before us to give it validity.

Anyone can purportedly “self identify” and unwritten law tells us such self-identification cannot be questioned.

This is wrong, too, but it's the way it is.

Years ago, and long forgotten, is the case of notorious Toronto cop-killer Craig Munro, sentenced to life imprisonment without the chance of parole for 25 years for the murder of Toronto Const. Leslie Maitland, who is now spending the last years of his brutal, heroin-addicted life in the comforts of another healing lodge after “self identifying” as aboriginal midway through his prison sentence.

He used the system, and continues to use it.

The next federal election in this country is not until Oct. 21, 2019, depending on whether Justin Trudeau sees an opportunity to win and drops the writ early.

Will we remember Tori Stafford and the evil McClintic when we enter the polling booth in a year's time? Likely not.

A week in politics is said to be a lifetime, because so much can change in the shortest of time. This is true.

Something else will ultimately come up to distract us from the anger we are feeling right now.

And, depending upon what it is, there is a very good likelihood we will feel helpless again.

Our only weapon is our vote, but it is a very powerful weapon if all of us combined vote with one voice.

It would be wise, therefore, to start writing a check list as a reminder—the pros versus the cons.

Look upon it as a balance sheet. Then tally it up.