ARCHIVED BLOGS
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
PATRICK BROWN FOUND GUILTY BY THE MEDIA
I am troubled that in a blink of an eye Patrick Brown has gone from a potential Premier of Ontario to a social pari because of anonymous accusations of sexual impropriety with two women many years ago.
He has been accused, tried, presumed guilty without having opportunity to defend himself in a court of law by the media. His former Conservative political "friends" cast him adrift as they would after dealing with the foul smell of a rabid skunk. He has quickly became a persona non grata without a friend in the world to defend him.
How soon we forget the false accusations of a young girl in the GTA who called wolf that her higab had been torn asunder by a vicious white man. The politicians/media of all stripes jumped on the band wagon that the assault was a hate motivated crime: the girl later admitted that it was all a hoax.
I sadly remember the story of Adam. an elementary teacher, whose female students, accused him of sexual interfering. His fiancé, family and friends believed their story and told him that his mere presence was no longer welcome. The young teacher faced with the reality hanged himself in his family’s basement. Subsequently, the girls went to their parents and the school authorities and admitted that they lied. Young Adam had not given the marks on their English essays that they thought that they deserved.
As a counsellor I am an advocate for young people but before chastising a teacher/ parent for wrong doing I better be sure of the facts before acting as the judge and jury. There are always two sides of a story.
Patrick Brown’s life as provincial politician with a great future is over. No way to recover from the accusations. I think Jesus said : "he who has no sin let him cast the first stone." We all have made errors in judgement when we were young but everyone should have the opportunity to right our wrongs.
I surmise that society will lose many qualified hard working upstanding young men who will not opt to go into politics and serve their communities.
The court of public opinion has spoken and Patrick, at the age of 40, will quietly disappear into the abyss of negative notoriety never to be heard from again. What fool would want to go into politics?
If he be guilty he pays for his crimes but if he is innocent the media has sadly taken away Patrick’s past, present and future.
Len Lesser is an education/career counsellor in Dorchester Ont.
Len Lesser