Try this next time

The Jian Ghomeshi assault trial seems likely to fizzle out very soon, with all signs pointing to an acquittal on all charges.  Everyone's a loser here: Ghomeshi's career and reputation are in ruins, the complainants have lost not only the case but also their own credibility, and women everywhere may feel they have to think twice before bringing any similar accusations to the police.

But is that last point really true?  That's certainly the opinion of Heather Mallick, in today's Toronto Star.  Even by her customary standards of paranoid victimhood, this is a remarkably unhinged piece.  If the case is being lost, as it now appears, no rational person is likely to blame it on flaws in the system, or bias against women. Rather, it's beyond doubt that the case against Ghomeshi will fail because all three witnesses lied to the police and to the prosecutors, either by omission or commission.

So here's a thought. If heaven forbid, something awful like this ever happens to you, then (a) don't wait a decade to complain about it and (b) tell the truth. You never know, it just might work.