I really haven't had much to think about the last few days ... too busy at work, I guess.
But the revelations about the depraved life of Col. Russell Williams, who has pleaded guilty to two counts of murder one, two of aggravated sexual assault and 84 other charges under the Criminal Code and the National Defence Act, are simply mind-boggling. I thought Paul Bernardo was a sicko, but this guy who was on the public payroll takes the cake. And the worst part -- he's still entitled to his military pension even if he is designated as a dangerous offender and gets life without parole (he's already facing a minimum of 25 to life). $60k per year, indexed for life -- plus he gets CPP / RRQ and perhaps Old Age Security when he turns 65?
This is insane. Put the guy in Supermax -- and no pension, period. Anyone who brings that kind of disgrace upon the vast majority of men and women who put their lives on the line to defend our country shouldn't be entitled to entitlements. The only thing I give him credit for is he pleaded guilty and spared all of us an unnecessary trial that would have turned our stomachs inside out -- as the Bernardo trial did 15 years ago.
Vote for this post at Progressive Bloggers.
5 comments:
The Dangerous Offender tag does NOT NOT NOT mean life without parole. It means you can be kept in prison for an indeterminate period of time but can still be let out if you no longer pose a danger to society.
See here: http://www.publicsafety.gc.ca/prg/cor/tls/dod-eng.aspx
18 "Dangerous Offenders" are already breathing the air of freedom.
So it is possible that Bernardo and Williams could be set free. We have absolutely no guarantee that they will die in prison.
No guarantee they will not get parole, but the chances of anyone granting them release are miniscule to the point of being non-existant.
He will get life in prison with no opportunity to apply for parole for 25 years. A DO designation will not change that fact.
As for his pension, are you suggesting his wife should suffer for his crimes? Because that is exactly what is going to happen if he cannot at least provide her with a pension. He won't need it but she will.
There is a difference between Col. William's earned pension, and his wife's interest in that, and the CPP payments that Clifford Olson gets. If Col. Williams had a company pension from his "ordinary joe" work would we be talking about taking it away? I bet not. Methinks it's just another way people mis-perceive the military.
agree with anonymous...his pension has nothing to do with it...The Harper bunch are good at punishing but not much else...I believe Xlifford Olsen must have worked at paid into CPP to get it so they how can they take it...they can take the GIS.but not the paid in portion of the CPP.
Agreed that it is not so simple because a) he paid into it all that year so its not a straight social entitlement, and b) his wife, who hasn't been convicted of anything. Unless we're going to start seizing the assets of all criminals there is no real why a pension should be treated any differently than any other asset.
Post a Comment