The political perspective on “deserving” and “getting”

“Maintiens le Droit.” RCMP motto roughly translated as: Uphold the Law.

Canada’s unique in that it’s a country where the national police force is a symbol of pride and supposed professionalism. Cop cadets around the world thrive on often true tales of lone Mounties on dogsleds, always getting their man. The Musical Ride spectacle and Stetson hat represent justice and fair treatment, or used to.

This bucolic image has taken a beating in the past few years. Never mind that in Trudeau’s day the mounties burned down barns and tried to pin the blame on Quebec separatists. Or that an on duty constable was caught red handed, incredibly on camera, last summer kicking a man on his hands and knees in the head. His punishment: suspension with full pay while the stuff hit the fan. What does one have to do to get suspended without pay in our new RCMP? Even my mother was livid at this travesty.

In the past weeks we’ve been assailed by reports that several female officers are seeking lottery-sized payouts after having to endure years of harassment by their male counterparts. They’re still on the payroll, one of them for over four years now, for stress leave. What these crybabies should get through their heads is that being an RCMP member entails some toughness, and that being subject to off-colour jokes absolutely doesn’t justify sitting on one’s butt collecting pay for some nebulous accusations. If the allegations are serious, physical injury, for instance, fair enough. Sorry ladies, in Copland, as in the real world, hurt feelings don’t justify oodles of cash.

We, in Sun Peaks, have witnessed a series of break-ins lately. By the time the rural constabulary get here, the deed’s done and the culprits have vanished. Policing has been one of the issues in the past civic campaign here, but the cost of $150,000 for one officer is too much for us to afford. Could it be that the force is paying people to sit around while denying us basic service? We’d all love to have a police presence here, but the economics are lousy.

Staying on the topic of sex and power, it appears that the same politically correct idiocy that infects the RCMP is also alive and well in the U.S. presidential campaign sphere. Four women now allege that Herman Cain made unwanted advances towards them up to 14 years ago. No charges were ever brought forward, but his campaign’s now doomed because of his awkward answers and evasive behaviour.

This isn’t an entirely bad thing because his profound cluelessness on economics and basic geography deem him too dumb to be President anyway. Like Rick Perry before him, one must be reasonably cognizant of world events and have ready, realistic answers or suffer the inevitable pointed questions about his preparedness. Ask Sarah Palin how this feels. To her credit, she had the balls to take the heat without lawyering up.