Gag Order for Betty?
Would the Crown ask for such a thing? With some kind of trumped up excuse like needing a gag order pending appeal to shut Betty up? Betty fears this may be a distinct possibility. And an equal possibility that Madam Justice Brown might grant such a request. But aren’t gag orders just supposed to be used to protect the publications of names of innocent victims? Yes and no. Gag orders can also be used as a weapon. They can be used simply to shut people up who are whistle blowers. Or people like Betty who are telling truths the government and the courts prefer not to have bandied about.
Betty points out that when she was in prison there was a lot of unusual difficulty around speaking to reporters. And that at the beginning of her trial the prosecution asked for a gag order on Betty so she couldn’t write or speak about the trial or prison. At that time Madam Justice Brown refused the request for a gag order. Would she again refuse pending appeal if Mr. Mike Brundrett asked for one? And could she legally do that?
Well, that’s the beauty of Criminal Contempt of Court charges. Because contempt charges are not encoded in law Mr. Brundrett can ask for whatever he pleases and Madam Justice Brown can give whatever she pleases. And they both seem to want Betty to just shut up. But if there is any kind of gag order imposed on Betty it begs the question…why is a little 78 year old lady so feared by the Crown? And if a gag order is granted by Madam Justice Brown, so feared by the court? Can it be that their combined efforts to protect Gordon Campbell’s right to destroy Eagleridge Bluffs and other public eco-systems is not quite so grounded in law as they claim? And others are beginning to realize this?
Monday will tell. Feb. 19, 2007. 2:00 in the afternoon. If a gag order is imposed only the people in the courtroom will know how it came down. Betty Krawczyk