DON'T Hang 'em High

Okay, I get it. Mr. Arar was wronged. He was falsely accused and wrongfully sent to Syria for 'questioning' (read tortured). An investigation was conducted, and this was found to be factual. However, should we be seeking to serve RCMP Commissioner Giuliano Zaccardelli's head on a platter? Although I haven't seen anybody specifically asking for that -- yet-- the media certainly seems to be hounding him as if he should resign.

I recall the opposite happening, not too long ago, with the Kadrs. The Kadr patriarch was held for questioning, then released, only to be found fighting against those fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Some of the same questions were raised when this came to light....How soon we forget.

Those that protect us have a difficult job. They must do whatever they can to prevent these attacks from happening, ever mindful of our civil liberties. Those that would do us harm take advantage of the liberties we enjoy to slip under the radar, in order to accomplish their nefarious deeds. A difficult balancing act...Mistakes will be made...In the Kadr case, the authorities were overly cautious. In the Arar case, they were not cautious enough. I would not want to be put into the position Mr. Arar was in, but does that mean we should start firing people??? Let's not get hot-headed here.

Mr. Arar and his family deserve to have their names cleared. They deserve their apology. They deserve compensation, just as anyone else who had been falsely accused and/or imprisoned does.

The RCMP? Don't just go looking for a rope and a high tree branch. Give the RCMP Commissioner and his staff the opportunity to determine what went wrong and how they can fix it so these types of things don't happen in the future. Political leadership will also be required from Mr. Zaccardelli's boss, Stockwell Day, Public Safety Minister, and his boss, Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The "war on terror" will require a 'living' game plan, i.e. something that changes and adapts to the threats and tactics used to strike fear into the population. A game plan that needs a good coach and a good General Manager. People who learn from their mistakes. If they can't learn, that's when replacements should be sought out.

Now is not the time to crucify those that work to protect us, just because it's politically expedient.

Wings Over The World