OUT - OF TOUCH

A drunk locks his two-year old and four-month old children in a van in this heat - only worse, because this happens in Abbotsford, which is hotter than Vancouver.

He does this so he can go drinking.

What else? He's a drunk.

The children are treated for dehydration, washed and given clean diapers. They are then given to the care of "a family member."

So far, so good.

Maybe.

We don't know who the family member is. We can only hope this is the one sober unit in this fine constellation.

Now, what about The Drunk?

He has been released from custody.

We are told that "the investigation continues," and that "the incident may lead to charges."

You mean the "incident" in which a guy pretty much almost killed his own children except through some miracle someone saved his sorry ass one more time by discovering his children before they died?

I understand that police and prosecutors must have a solid case before they waste the time and money of the courts.

But do the police and the prosecutors and the courts understand the message they convey to the public when they release from custody a sick fool like this?

The message is that children are not really that important.

Locking children in a van during a heat wave is not really such a terrible thing.

The law cannot be run by public relations concerns.

But it cannot ignore what is strongly felt by the community to be its core values.