The System Satirizes Itself

A news report informs us that the British Columbia Court of Appeal has upheld the conviction of a man who, in violation of a statute, posted election results from eastern provinces while polls were still open in the west. In a 2-1 decision, the court ruled that such restrictions on free expression are “demonstrably justified in a free and democratic society.” It is difficult enough to keep up with American officials as they satirize their own absurdities, leaving us to wonder how many might be moonlighting as staff writers for Jon Stewart’s “Daily Show” or “The Onion.” Now we have to contend with Canadian contributions to political burlesque, leaving men and women to ponder how a “free and democratic society” is fostered when people are criminally convicted for reporting the outcomes of elections!

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7:47 pm on May 24, 2005