Pubdate: Wed, 09 Mar 2005 Source: Dryden Observer (CN ON) Copyright: 2005 Dryden Observer Contact: http://www.drydenobserver.ca/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2439 Author: Warner Bloomfield Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/mjcn.htm (Cannabis - Canada) Bookmark: http://www.mapinc.org/decrim.htm (Decrim/Legalization) HOW DO WE RESPOND TO MAYERTHORPE? Few incidents hit with the sledgehammer impact of last week's killing of four police officers in rural Alberta. How do you even begin to process that information? Four young men, dedicated to protecting our society, are dead after one brief, inexplicable burst of gunfire. We don't expect these things to happen in Canada. We tend to go through our days with a smug assumption that we, as a nation, are above such acts of violence. It is an attitude that is even more prevalent in rural communities. The violence that struck Mayerthorpe on March 3 exposes that lie and forces us to take a careful look at our own communities. Canada is not immune to horrific acts of violence. Small rural towns are not the safe little enclaves we all desire. Apparently that small Alberta town has a big problem with illegal marijuana grow operations and meth labs. Neighbours of James Roszco, the man it is said is responsible for these deaths, have described him as a violent individual with a love of guns. Somehow it is easy to see police officers in a lot of small towns nodding their heads as they recognize the pictures being drawn. It is unlikely Mayerthorpe is that different from a lot of small towns in Canada. You have to wonder how police officers will respond to calls to isolated properties in the wake of these shootings. Having said all that, how do we now react to this? Sadly the families of these four young men, along with all their grief, must now watch the deaths of their sons, husbands and brothers politicized. We may all find it distasteful, but it seems inevitable. Already people are questioning the wisdom of decriminalizing marijuana in light of these murders. Others argue this is further justification for its legalization. One can also guess at how this will fit into the gun debate with one side arguing this is more evidence for the need for greater controls, while the other asks why a gun registry didn't keep a high powered rifle out of this criminal's hands. Will these debates really change as a result of this incident? It seems unlikely. Hopefully the memory of four young police officers does not become too much of a political football. There are serious questions to be answered after something like this. How was this situation allowed to develop? Somehow an angry, heavily armed man who hated authority decided the only recourse for dealing with Mounties on his property was to shoot them. Furthermore, those Mounties were apparently unprepared to deal with the situation. How did that happen? How can we stop it from happening again? Those are the questions that need to be answered. It should be an honest and open discussion without any political grandstanding. The lives of those four young men are worth at least that much. - --- MAP posted-by: Beth