MOUNTIES DON'T "GET" WOMEN

Yesterday's Waterloo Region Record informs us that despite their other known faults, senior management of the RCMP are also liars. The title is "RCMP sex harassment suit draws hundreds of complaints". Oh now wait a minute . I may be assuming that just because hundreds of women (to date) are claiming sex harassment, that a mere handful of senior male Mounties are lying. Shame on me. Maybe the men are honest and all these women are lying. On the other hand here's a novel idea. Maybe the issue isn't sex harassment. Maybe the issue is why are the male dominated staff at the senior levels not focusing and concentrating on, lets see now, crime, security, citizen protection and old fashioned police work? Have we all heard the old adage that idle hands are the devil's workshop? Could it be that as senior management lose focus on their mandate to the public that inappropriate concerns, biases and directions have been subtly shifted down the chain of command? How else can you explain the apparent focus on making women officers miserable from within the department? This is not an isolated occurrence. It almost sounds like an orchestrated plan to get rid of women officers. Again is the sex harassment merely gender bias run amok or is it a symptom of a much deeper rot permeating the entire institution? Clearly the men are far too focused on "cleansing" their colleagues and restoring the overwhelming maleness necessary for their peace of minds. Internal RCMP problems of this magnitude have been condoned if not tacitly supported at the highest levels. These highest levels also include the political structure behind the Mounties. A house cleaning of both senior management AND of the politicians responsible for overseeing the Mounties is long overdue.