The new year started off with a Canadian soldier serving in Afghanistan being charged with second degree murder in the death of an unarmed presumed insurgent during a battle in Helmand province that took place in October. Captain Robert Semrau, a member of the Operational Mentoring Liaison Team who train and work with the fledgling Afghan army was charged Dec. 31st. He’s in custody and being returned to Canada where he will face a hearing to determine if he will remain in custody until his case is heard.

We all need to remember that Captain Semrau like any Canadian is entitled to be considered innocent until proven guilty. Until the details of the charges and the alleged incident come out, we don’t need to be rushing to judgement.

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I’ve been watching the reports out of Quebec about the family that parents allegedly formed a suicide pact after killing their three children. While the husband died, the wife survived and is now charged with three counts of murder and one of assisted suicide.

Having experienced depression myself, I can understand someone reaching their breaking point. I have to stop short of understanding what drives a person not to have enough of the will to survive to reach for help but it is not impossible to understand that depth of depression.

Try as I might, I just don’t understand is what drives a person(s) to murder their children before taking themselves out. A good friend of mine maintains that suicide is the ultimate act of selfishness but I’m inclined to think that the murder of children and/or spouse first has to top suicide as the ultimate in selfishness. I realize that some might see that as ’sparing’ them the pain of carrying on but the reality is, it is bloody selfish to deprive others of a life because you can’t handle yours. Read the rest of this entry »