July 7, 1999

Protecting Society - THE COMMENTARY

By Joseph Planta

How Canadian. On the front page of The National Post on Canada Day, is the headline proclaiming possetion of child pornography is legal in B.C. To me, I interpret this as a factor in our young age as a nation. We certainly have to develop our laws and our judicial system to accomidate our advancements in technology and our maturing or not maturing behavioural wise. Our governments squander good money on such boonedogles as a fast ferry project or on funding hotels in our Prime Minister’s riding, but can’t spend two cents on fixing the system. Our governments can spend years developing the Charter of Freedoms and Rights (The charter is arguably the reason why people like John Robin Sharpe are getting away with what they’re getting away with.) and another year in running an ineffective leaky condo comission, but can’t rewrite our laws to protect society’s children.

According to the recent court decision by B.C.’s Court of Appeal, people like John Robin Sharpe are simply “dirty old men.” I do not in anyway shape or form condone the actions of Mr. Sharpe, but due the upholding of this judgement, he isn’t comiting a crime by the way of possetion of child pornograpghy. The material he’s such a fan of is sickening, demeaning and abhorant to any sort of decency. I agree with the ruling, but there shouldn’t be a ruling like this in the first place, because by now society should not tolerate any of this material. The material in question are materials that have been composed for a set purpose, The purpose being to give folks like Sharpe something to do. The material has to come from somewhere and so the the legal system should cater to laws that eradicate demeaning and hurtful material like this, because by now Canada and Canadian’s should know protecting society is far greater in importance than protecting John Robin Sharpe’s Freedom to express himself.

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