Get this: Ontario has secretly passed an unprecedented regulation that empowers police to arrest anyone near the G20 security zone who refuses to identify themselves or agree to a police search. The regulation was made under Ontario's Public Works Protection Act and was not debated in the Legislature. It was in fact passed in response to an "extraordinary request" by Toronto Police Chief Bill Blair, who wanted additional policing powers shortly after learning the G20 was coming to Toronto. According to the new regulation, "guards" appointed under the act can arrest anyone who, in specific areas, comes within five metres of the security zone.
That plus the new-found 'sound canon' and you get an economic summit that is a dirty disgrace and an insult to the whole concept of civil liberties - an arrogant slap of reality to any who don't believe that money is all that counts or is counted.
Then this morning in one fell stroke the Supreme Court – “We’re not activist” – justices have wiped out one of the most critical weapons in federal prosecutors arsenal. Yesterday the high court defanged a legal doctrine used to convict a rogues gallery of corporate fraudsters based on a 23-year-old statute that says the public has an “intangible right to honest services” from public officials. In the past decade, prosecutors have used the law to press fraud cases against corporate executives, including Enron’s CEO Jeffrey Skilling. It was Skilling's appeal that lead to the gutting of the 'honest services law'.
link for bee story: www.xerces.org
- KBOO