You may or not know that Jody Burgess was scheduled to appear yesterday afternoon to testify. He failed to show. No one knew where he was. I pray he is alright.
As it stands hearings are scheduled to resume at 9:30 am today (Wednesday 01 November ‘06). Cindy Burgess (yes, sister to Scott and Jody) is scheduled to take the stand. If Jody is there they will start with Jody.
I don’t know what happened with Jody. Did he get cold feet? Is this all just too much for him?
It takes a lot of stamina for these victims to do this – they have to dig deep to summon the resources to take the stand in the first place. The onus to dig deep time and again because the schedule keeps changing is an added burden which undoubtedly takes an enormous emotional toll and creates massive inner turmoil.
I watch from afar and often become annoyed because it seems to me the victims are no more than pawns. They are at the mercy of a system which betrayed so many in the past. I literally cringe at the effusive words of praise, thanks and empathy heaped upon on them by lawyers for this institution, that institution and the other. Where have they all been?
I shudder as I watch some lawyer from some institution or other circle and circle to exonerate his client by sandbagging the witness – a concession squeezed out here, a “yes” there, a “no” the other place. And the victims haven’t the faintest idea what’s happening. It’s all legal. But, is it ethical? Victim vs lawyer.
I don’t know.
But I digress ….
What I really want to say is that I can’t help but wonder what toll the ever-evolving witness schedule is having on victims who are scheduled to appear one day only to discover it’s not today, it might be tomorrow, and then again it might be two days from now, or maybe next week.
That’s what crossed my mind when I realized that for whatever reason Jody just didn’t show up at the Weave Shed to take the stand.
And that’s what I’ve been thinking about as I watch the constant rescheduling of witnesses. How can the ‘real’ and “alleged” victims cope with this?
Surely by now there could be a fixed witness schedule hammered out for at least a month in advance? At least for the sake of the ‘real’ and “alleged” victims.
But no. To date, no such luck.
Nearly a full year into the “inquiry” and there’s no fixed schedule.
It’s chaos at the Weave Shed.
This has to be taking its toll on the victims. It can’t not. God love them and help them be strong.
It’s just about time to start for the day so tune in, and
Enough for now,
Sylvia
(cornwall@theinquiry.ca)