MOUNTIE MURDERS POINT TO FLAWS IN THE SYSTEM

Four Royal Canadian Mounted Police (RCMP) officers were murdered March
3 in sleepy Mayerthorpe, Alta. because Canada's justice system and
laws are brutally archaic and flawed.

Constables Anthony Gordon, Leo Johnston, Brock Myrol and Peter
Schiemann were killed in the line of duty by a man who should have
either been in jail or under some form of continual surveillance
(electronic monitoring etc.).

Killer James Roszko, 46, had a history of violent crime charges,
including an April 2000 conviction of sexual assault. He was sentenced
to 2.5 years behind bars but received his release in late December
2001.

He had been charged in the past with numerous offences, including
assault with a weapon, aggravated assault, pointing a firearm, assault
and the use of a firearm in the commission of an offence.

In addition, he had a history of confrontational contempt for RCMP
officers and was known to stalk officers and members of their families.

On March 2 RCMP officers attended Roszko's farm with a court order to
investigate stolen automobile parts and once there they observed and
smelled marijuana. This prompted three of the slain officers, joined
by off-duty Const. Schiemann, to return the next day with a warrant to
search for a grow operation.

As we've all learned in the sad days following this tragic series of
events, the renowned cop hater Roszko was lying in wait for them. He
shot and killed each of the officers before turning his weapon on himself.

Police officers, citizens of Mayerthorpe, Alberta and of Canada are
now loudly declaring that these officers perished because of a justice
system which has again let us all down.

If more tools were in place to allow our police officers to respond to
complaints of stalking, most especially when those complaints are
being directed at people who have a history of violent behaviour,
maybe these officers would still be alive.

If we had a justice system which didn't merely slap violent offenders
on the wrist, maybe these officers would still be alive.

My initial reaction to the slayings was that if the Liberal government
had legalized marijuana as that pack of dithering B.S. artists have
said they have been interested in doing over the past 10 years, these
officers would still be alive.

Deputy Prime Minister Anne McLellan and many other grandstanding
politicians seized the spotlight to declare their outrage over
marijuana grow-ops and that penalties for growing weed must be stiffer.

Then the real story began to take shape about Roszko. RCMP
commissioner Guiliano Zaccardelli, who also declared more must be done
to shut down pot grow-ops, back pedalled, and, being a man, admitted
he reacted without knowing all the facts.

If we paid attention to history, such as the period when alcohol was
prohibited from America and noted the rise and power of criminal
empires, such as Al Capone's, based on the illegal sale and
procurement of booze, we'd realize that the so-called war on marijuana
will never be won and this substance should, in fact, be legalized.

Maybe those officers might still be alive.

Mike Statnyk, a retired Mayerthorpe detachment RCMP officer, said it
was common knowledge among officers that Roszko had weapons and
scanners "and could listen to police transmissions."

Police knew that a man with a well-known history of violent behaviour
had weapons and an ability to listen to their chatter.

Not being able to storm this freak's castle and relieve him of his
weapons and scanner long before this tragic incident, cost these
officers their lives, as well.

None of this really matters at this time while the families, friends
and peers of the slain officers mourn and try to come to terms with
their outrage and anger. Hopefully they know that the vast majority of
Canadians stand behind them and share their anger, outrage and grief.
Will it matter to those people?

Not unless we once and for all quit snivelling about our flawed
justice system and archaic laws and do something about them.

Police, victims of crime and all Canadians should have a say in how
laws are changed, as opposed to trough slurping twits on Parliament
Hill or pathetically out-of-touch judges who are often more concerned
about their stock portfolios than law.

Simply put, people with well-known histories of violent behaviour,
whether sexual or otherwise, should lose all their rights for the rest
of their natural lives. Police should be allowed to check them out and
lean on them at any given moment.

James Roszko's rights, more than anything, led to the deaths of these
officers and that is a sickening shame.

And I haven't even touched on gun registry! Good grief.