Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Heartbreaker

Today is a down day for me. I really wanted to believe that LeClerc was innocent, not because of his political affiliation, but because he was my poster boy for rehabilitation. I wanted to believe he made mistakes earlier in life, turned himself around and was using his experience to help others from falling by the wayside. I liked his unpolished veneer and plain speak. I thought he was just a regular joe representing regular people.

Mr. Justice Barclay has a long history of rendering sound judgments. He is not a political hack and I do believe his report.

There is no point wasting money prosecuting a dying man. His penalty will be the kicking he will take as the newest political football. Before the opposition spends too much time kicking Wall around for his lack of leadership in accepting LeClerc as a candidate, they should remember that the majority of the people in his constituency also accepted him and those allegations fall on them as well.

17 comments:

  1. very sad indeed,particularly so for all those who had such faith in him....but maybe expectations of him were too high? Like alcoholism, drug addictions present a struggle throughout one's life. Because he failed doesnt mean he hadnt turned his life around for those many years nor that he didnt genuinely help others. If it was a relapse on his part, I still applaud his bettering himself and helping others during that time. Many never even try!

    ReplyDelete
  2. "Before the opposition spends too much time kicking Wall around for his lack of leadership in accepting LeClerc as a candidate, they should remember that the majority of the people in his constituency also accepted him and those allegations fall on them as well."

    Well said. I was hoping the allegations were unfounded as well, and this does strike a blow against recovering addicts seeking to gain respectibility.

    The NDP ought to be careful not to hit this issue over the head any more than they have already. I know they have nothing else going for them, but it goes against their self-described narrative of the NDP being the "compassionate party".

    ReplyDelete
  3. Id have appreciated your remarks Anon 9:03 if you hadnt riddled them with political rhetoric against NDP. No one party has a corner on dirty political gamesmanship. And perhaps you'd like to wait for the NDP to malign the Sask Party over this report on LeClerc before you criticize. By the way, Im NDP and wrote the 'compassionate' note above....you might want to practise a bit of that yourself...

    ReplyDelete
  4. I agree with the mistress. This is a sad situation. Addictions is a disease, and one can relapse. The man is dying of cancer. Peace Be With Him!

    ReplyDelete
  5. It is incongruous how the gay and lesbian members of this community were treated. With Le Clerc’s illness it is a hollow victory that he is exposed as the hypocrite that he is. I presume those dealings should also be blamed on the NDP!

    ReplyDelete
  6. No need to wait. In today's StarPhoenix:

    "NDP caucus chair Judy Junor said LeClerc's involvement with the Sask. Party is a commentary on Wall's leadership. She said beyond bringing LeClerc in as a candidate, Wall ignored other "red flags" over LeClerc's behaviour."

    The NDP brought the political rhetoric into the argument, just as they did as they tried to link Gord Wyat with LeClerc during the recent by-election. That was low-ball politics coming straight from Lingenfelter's office.

    Again, it's unfortunate for anyone to have these personal issues brought to light, particularly if they are a public figure, no matter the party affiliation. It's even more of a shame when political opportunist try to make hay out of this situation by creating tenuous links to others.

    If I were an NDPer, I'd listen to the message my party leadership was sending and reconsider my own affiliations.

    ReplyDelete
  7. How is LeClerc a hypocrite with respect to gay and lesbian issues? I'm curious to know why he has been hypocrtical.

    ReplyDelete
  8. Political Junkie2 response to your party's already quick opportunistic jab at Wall over this whole mess?

    What a sad story this is, from Serge relapsing and abusing drugs to the fact that his family will watch as his name is dragged through the mud by political opponents looking to capitalize on the carcass of a dying man.

    We all have our faults and we all also deserve the right to be in peace as we wind down our lives. Poor Serge will not be afforded that by the current leadership regime of the NDP. They will ensure that he suffers and is humiliated until the very end. A truly sad story.

    ReplyDelete
  9. I guess the NDP is taking the position that no one can be truly rehabilitated and that Brad Wall should have known better than to put an ex-con in a position of trust.

    I'm looking forward to the John Howard Society taking the NDP to task for trying to get a political advantage out of this situation.

    I won't hold my breath for their announcement though.

    ReplyDelete
  10. This is exactly why I cancelled my long-term ndp membership for life. From personal experience, this party is full people who are toxic, hate, and mean-spirited to the fullest. The politicians in this province (especially the opposition_ need to get down to business and quit wasting taxpayers money. As for doing personal work in a constituency office - Calvert's office did it for years, but that was okay.....

    ReplyDelete
  11. I guess this has turned into an NDP hate fest. Thought this was about LeClerc. Wont waste my time on this post anymore...sorry Elaine,but this site has turned into a blog dedicated to anti NDP. I have better things to do then read a bunch of Sask Party propaganda crap from these folks. Id feel the same if it was NDP propaganda as well. Too bad the hacks have infiltrated the space.I know that was not your intention!

    ReplyDelete
  12. There would have been nothing to say about the NDP if the NDP didn't try to make gains off the back of a sick man.

    Thankfully, most of the Mistress's readership sees that.

    ReplyDelete
  13. Don't worry, Elaine. If NDP hacks don't want to visit your site, at least you'll still have the StarPhoenix editorial board:

    "Rather than treat the report simply as an unflinchingly fair assessment of the illegal and unethical conduct of a troubled and not particularly pleasant individual, Ms. Junor chose to use it as an opportunity to try to make a ridiculously partisan attack on the premier.

    "She suggested Mr. LeClerc's involvement with the Saskatchewan Party is a commentary on Premier Brad Wall's leadership. And she questioned his judgment for bringing in as a candidate Mr. LeClerc -- who has a history as a criminal with a total of 21 years behind bars and who was a drug addict for 20 years -- and for ignoring what she termed "red flags" over the MLA's behaviour"

    ReplyDelete
  14. NDP hack?? Now thats funny...after your above political diatribe!! Elaine happens to be a very dear friend whose generally unbiased opinions I appreciate...its the postings by small minded people like you that turn people like me off!

    ReplyDelete
  15. Compassion: a feeling that leads one to help a person who is suffering; sympathy; pity

    LeClerc has lost his political job, his private business, his reputation and quite possibly in the near future, his physical life.

    I think a little compassion is in order.

    ReplyDelete
  16. I hope people remember who started the political attacks in the LeClerc story, just as they remember who started referring to this discussion's commenters in unflattering terms.

    Get over yourself, Political Junkie 2.

    ReplyDelete
  17. Wall hand picked Serge and defended him and his actions to the very end.

    ReplyDelete

Note: Only a member of this blog may post a comment.