The Colour Orange

There has been debate recently about the new blog started by someone in opposition to the Black Rod.

By all accounts even NDP supporters are having a hard time with the blinkered support for the NDP and the targeting of the Black Rod. The new blog goes by the title Orange Rod.

Now, let me be the first to say that I have criticized the Black Rod for some of the articles that have been written. I wrote what I think in regards to his comments on the Taman Inquiry. The Black Rod also jumps to conclusions where there is no evidence to back up the claim. I specifically refer to a recent death in Shamattawa.

I have no idea why the NDP would want to draw any more attention to the blog. You always have to take it with a grain of salt since it is an anonymous writer who doesn't allow any countering commentary.

The Orange Blog has mimicked that approach and is also anonymous and doesn't allow commentary. If one didn't know better, some might think this is a game played by a person whose only intent is mischief. However, the earnestness of the Orange Rod seems to indicate it is truly an NDP partisan.

The NDP must be fairly alarmed at the string of polls that indicate their support is less than what it was. I expect them to lash out with increasing ferocity.



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Shamattawa

I wonder how long the Black Rod will push the suicide angle before he pulls the story.

http://blackrod.blogspot.com/

Shamattawa fire deaths may be linked to suicide

The second body found in a house destroyed by fire early Saturday morning on the Shamattawa Indian reserve will likely be identified as the mother of the missing 11-year-old boy who has already been named as the other victim.

RCMP and band residents know this but are apparently withholding the information because her death may be a suicide which preceded the fire, according to evidence provided in separate news stories from the community.

There is certainly a tragic story here but the speculation without any evidence is hardly helpful.

The entire line of thinking regarding the daughter has been blown up by the RCMP indicating the second body in the house was an animal.

Several lines of investigation are needed in regards to this death but making up a story to suit a political agenda is not the way to go.



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Black Rod

It is always fun to read the Black Rod. Where else do you get to read with such flare the amazing victories and progress about the Canadian military in Afghanistan and complain about the media not covering it? This is done while using media reports to back up your point of view, of course.

The other amusing read is the railing against inquiries into convictions. It seems in his view, the convicted remains guilty despite the police themselves identifying a more likely guilty party.

The latest laugh riot is the railing against the Taman inquiry.

I'm surprised he hasn't blamed Taman for the accident.

The East Saint Paul Police and the municipality have been struggling for years to operate professionally. On the night in question, they treated Zenk differently than another suspect. The Black Rod breezes past how Bakema told another officer that Zenk was pissed. Bakema had such faulty memory that he couldn't even remember calls he made to a auto dealership at the scene. The lack of notes sure looks bad. The rules of the East Saint Paul Police clearly state that notes are needed at any crime scene.

The Winnipeg Police Service should have been more vigilant in retrieving the bill from the restaurant. The steady stream of officers who could not remember a single drink or anyone else drinking that night defies credibility.

The Black Rod suggests that Zenk might not have been drunk at all. Nice. He breezes past the refusal on the breathalyzer with the "advice of lawyer" argument. An officer convinced of his sobriety doesn't need a reason not to take the test.

The whole scene raised questions and it wasn't just because the media was covering the story. The way Zenk was investigated by police and how he was dealt with in the court was different than other people might have been treated. At the very least, it looked like more could have been done to prosecute the case.

Even without media coverage, people would have sound reason to wonder if everything was done to seek justice for Crystal Taman.



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