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    JujyMonkey: Clever tagline goes hereAnna Merlan
    5/11/16 9:16am

    A Peace Bond?!? What the fuck is that? Is this something unique to Canadian law, or are there equivalents that I’m not aware of? This guy was charged with multiple sexual assaults and they’re making him pinky swear?

    Canada is a wonderful country in many ways, but this ain’t one of them.

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      Anna MerlanJujyMonkey: Clever tagline goes here
      5/11/16 9:22am

      It’s definitely a thing in Texas although I don’t know how commonly it’s used. A quick look shows me they might also be used in Virginia and Ohio but I’m not sure about elsewhere. Jez lawyers?

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      ideasleepfuriouslyAnna Merlan
      5/11/16 9:25am

      “Countless cases” are resolved via peace bond every day, according to defence lawyer Daniel Brown, who is not involved in the Ghomeshi case. Brown noted that outcomes must be tailored to the individuals involved, as well as the circumstances.

      “A resolution like this isn’t unusual in the criminal courts,” Brown told CBC’s Metro Morning on Tuesday.

      http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/to...

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    BurlyqLawyerAnna Merlan
    5/11/16 9:20am

    I hope for horrible things to happen to him.

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      ideasleepfuriouslyBurlyqLawyer
      5/11/16 9:29am

      The one razor-thin silver lining to this whole affair is that to a narcissist like Ghomeshi, not being a media darling is going to hurt bad. I imagine he already has a plan to rehabilitate his image and get himself a gig somewhere besides the CBC, but I don’t think it’s going to be easy for him

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      madscientistideasleepfuriously
      5/11/16 9:34am

      I think that you overestimate people by far. My money’s on him having a new, shiny gig in the next six months, tops.

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    JessieAnna Merlan
    5/11/16 9:31am

    The CBC is the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. It’s a publicly funded, government station. I can see why they wouldn’t want their dirty laundry aired, and why the courts would protect them.

    Who they haven’t protected was the woman he sexually harassed in their offices, and who was shot down, and had to quit after she filed a complaint.

    Disgusting.

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      benjaminalloverJessie
      5/11/16 9:38am

      Fuck the CBC.

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      Jessiebenjaminallover
      5/11/16 10:01am

      I would think the same thing... But... I cling to the good memories. Mr. Dressup... Sharon, Lois, and Bram...

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    Dodie GoldneyAnna Merlan
    5/11/16 10:17am

    You know, what pisses me off is that since the story first broke in the media, SOOOOO many Canadians have said Ghomeshi’s behaviour has been an open secret for years. This is a guy women have been warning one another about, in quiet conversations, over the course of decades. And we still, for the most part, can’t do anything about guys like this.

    I read that in the last case, Ghomeshi’s lawyer said one of the assaults couldn’t have happened because he didn’t own the car the victim said she was assaulted in until “months and months later.” But there was ZERO evidence of that brought forward in court. The judge chose to take it as fact anyway. The victims were painted as unreliable, but there was no effort made to show Ghomeshi’s defence arguments as equally unreliable.

    I don’t even blame Ghomeshi’s lawyer - she was doing her job under the system and rules she is allowed to do her job under. Crown dropped the ball on all of this, just like it has done in so many abuse and sexual assault cases before this one.

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      Dodie GoldneyDodie Goldney
      5/11/16 11:23am

      Just updating with Kathryn Borel’s own post-court statement:

      http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/...

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      VulcansAreHeartbreakersDodie Goldney
      5/11/16 11:33am

      There is no way that I would have come forward if it weren’t for their courage. And yet Mr. Ghomeshi hasn’t met any of their allegations head on, as he vowed to do in his Facebook post of 2014. He hasn’t taken the stand on any charge. All he has said about his other accusers is that they’re all lying and that he’s not guilty. And remember: that’s what he said about me.

      It’s really fucking infuriating that he isn’t being given actual jail time. But at least he’s had to admit what he’s done to one woman publicly and apologize for it. If anything, I hope this will stick in the minds of judges/juries if he ever does something like this again.

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    Scranton's Banana ProblemAnna Merlan
    5/11/16 9:14am

    Ghomeshi will reportedly apologize after he signs the peace bond, although it’s tough to see how he might do that without admitting guilt.

    “I’m sorry you thought me forcing you into sex was worth all this hassle” is my guess.

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      Anne.OnomousScranton's Banana Problem
      5/11/16 9:19am

      or “I’m really sorry that these women made you- the public- acknowledge the fact that I assaulted them. That was really shitty of them, amirite?”

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      Firefly75Scranton's Banana Problem
      5/11/16 9:22am

      Was Jian actually charged with forcing women to have sex with him? I thought the charges related to unlawful battery or assault during consensual sexual encounters?

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    benjaminalloverAnna Merlan
    5/11/16 9:36am

    Just putting this in perspective for rates of conviction in Canada:

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      Hoyo Afrikabenjaminallover
      5/11/16 11:10am

      The biggest irony is that people walk around complaining about feminism and PC culture in this god-forsaken country. I know many women who have had experiences that, if investigated, would be unlawful. But hey, Toronto cops are quick to ask about attire and alcohol consumption because we all know rapists are very particular about sartorialism.

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      benjaminalloverHoyo Afrika
      5/11/16 11:17am

      This is something easy to point to when anyone wonders why we “still” need feminism.

      What makes these stats even more inexcusable than they would be in any other country is that our crime rate in general is exceptionally low. We have a fraction of the violent crime rates of other countries, which should leave police plenty of time and resources to tackle our deplorable rates of sexual assault and domestic abuse relative to convictions. NOPE! Their focus? Traffic. No no, not human trafficking, goddamned car traffic. As far as I can tell, Canadian police would walk past a rape or child beating in broad daylight to issue a fucking parking ticket.

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    madscientistAnna Merlan
    5/11/16 9:13am

    Fuck that piece of shit. GAH. As a Canadian, I’m just so angry about this. I thought we were better. :(

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      benjaminallovermadscientist
      5/11/16 9:42am

      We have a worse conviction rate than the U.S., not that anywhere has a particularly stellar rate.

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      Dodie Goldneymadscientist
      5/11/16 9:47am

      No, we’re not better. I trained as a sexual assault crisis line counselor some years ago, and our rate of Crown even taking cases to trial has always been extremely low - our rate of convictions is less than 10% of cases going to trial.

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    Octopit didn't choose the burrito life, the burrito life chose octopit.Anna Merlan
    5/11/16 9:13am

    It is sad how unsurprising I find this kind of thing now. Why bother.

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      Uncool-schoolAnna Merlan
      5/11/16 9:17am

      Burn. Everything. Down.

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        Ken YadiggitUncool-school
        5/11/16 9:33am

        too soon, man.

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        PoimanentlyPuckeredUncool-school
        5/11/16 10:34am

        Let’s not talk about burning stuff in Canada right now, kay?

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      CaptOtterAnna Merlan
      5/11/16 10:24am

      “[A]lthough it’s tough to see how he might do that without admitting guilt.”

      Something like, “sorry you felt like you had to do this for whatever reason—and to the extent you’re traumatized by something (whatever that may be that certainly has nothing to do with me), I hope you get better.”

      Not quite a “sorry not sorry”, so much as a “sorry you’re soft and felt like you had to fabricate something cause you’re twisted”.

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        Righteous IndignationCaptOtter
        5/11/16 10:47am

        They have a copy of the apology on CBC but it made me barf too hard to read it again. I’ll paraphrase: “I deeply regret acting in a sexual way in the work place. It was inappropriate given my position of authority. I deeply regret my actions, I have learned...” blah blah blah blah BARF

        Basic non-apology. Good prediction.

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