NOT PART OF THE REASON

Tragic doesn't begin to come close to conveying the horror of the murder of
four Mounties in Alberta last week.

Words seem inadequate to even discuss how four young men were cut down in
the line of duty by a madman with a criminal record.

But, as with similar occurrences, knee-jerk comments -- well-intentioned as
they may be -- appear to abound.

Chatham-Kent Police Service Chief Carl Herder joined many other across the
country in calling for mandatory prison terms for persons involved in
marijuana grow operations. The RCMP constables were apparently
investigating a grow operation on the man's farm when they were shot.

It's natural to look for answers from such a deplorable event, but it's too
easy to make extraneous comments in that situation. A man who would murder
four police officers and then turn the gun on himself isn't likely to be
dissuaded by the possibility of a prison term for growing marijuana.

The shooter had been in prison and had a lengthy criminal record.

And, at a time when the Liberal government is looking to decriminalize
marijuana, it would seem incongruous to send pot growers to prison.

If it's okay to use marijuana, then how can the person who supplies it be
penalized? Marijuana doesn't just materialize; it has to come from somewhere.

What folks should be concentrating on in Alberta is why one man was able to
ambush these four police officers. Were the Mounties properly trained? Did
they have the equipment they needed? Were they properly supervised?

RCMP officials in Alberta say the men were equipped appropriately and were
trained properly.

But then, what else would one expect officials to say?

If we can have an inquiry that spends millions of dollars determining
whether money was wasted through a sponsorship scandal in Quebec, surely we
can hold some kind of inquiry for these killings. Such a procedure might
not only determine how these officers were killed, but it might possibly
prevent such a tragedy from happening in the future.

There is speculation, for instance, that James Roszko lured police to his
farm with the pot grow operation.

Should a more well-armed unit, perhaps what's called a SWAT team, have been
sent to guard property instead of four officers?

There are many questions that need to be answered. But let's keep the
marijuana-growing business out of it.