Sunday, September 04, 2005

Respect for those worst off

The Star has the terrible story of a homeless man being beaten to death in Toronto - allegedly by three members of Canada's Armed Forces Reserves:
Paul Richard Croutch, 59, died at St. Michael's Hospital on Wednesday as his case manager stood nearby. An autopsy performed Friday found the cause of death was trauma to the head, and the injuries were consistent with being punched, kicked or stomped.

Police were called to an assault in Moss Park, near Sherbourne and Shuter Sts., shortly before 5 a.m. on Wednesday. An unconscious Croutch was rushed to hospital but died later that morning.

A woman who witnessed the beating and intervened was treated for soft-tissue damage and bruising, police said.

There can be no doubt that whoever committed the crime, it reflects utter contempt for human decency. And based on the assault on an innocent bystander who tried to help, there'll be awfully little basis for any claim that there wasn't some serious thought behind the act.

It's too soon to say much about the alleged perpetrators without delving into the realm of speculation. But I'll take one small step into that realm: if it's true that three well-trained Canadian forces members were responsible, then it'll be time for a serious look at Canada's current recruitment and training methods. Canada must demand that its representatives abroad demonstrate more respect for humanity than was demonstrated in the attack.

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