Pubdate: Wed, 19 Jan 2000 Source: Albany Democrat-Herald (OR) Copyright: 2000 Lee Enterprises Contact: 600 Lyon St., SW, Albany, OR 97321 Website: http://www.gtconnect.com/dhonline/index.html Author: Allan Erickson Note: Headline by the editor A REBEL FOR FREEDOM: THAT DESCRIBES BILL CONDE Thank you for the article on Bill Conde closing out his lumber inventory. It was interesting to hear Sheriff Burright say that the lumberyard was never a part of this investigation. Interesting because it leads to the question of why the sheriff took the computers and records from the lumberyard and why the county was filing papers to seize Conde's property after the raid in September of 1998. I have no problem with police protecting the citizenry from thugs and thieves. Several members of the Sheriff's Office I am proud to call friends. The problem I have arises when police extend their authority beyond the boundaries of common sense. The prohibition commonly labeled the Drug War is an assault of massive proportion against our Constitution and the Bill of Rights, and its enforcers are our country's police. Innocent people are dying as a result of these prohibition policies run amok. Fifty percent of this nation's police corruption cases involve illicit drugs. Our prohibition policies have made us the world's leader in prison population - we have 5 percent of the globe's population and 25 percent of the global prison population. Prohibition has never worked as means to control a community's "vices." Hemp's place in our nation's history is common knowledge. Our founding fathers were farmers of the cannabis plant. It is unfortunate that names like Thomas Jefferson and George Washington carry no weight with our current crop of anti-drug warriors. To the king of England, Tom Jefferson and his cronies were rebels. The same can be said of Conde - he is a rebel. To others his is a fight for freedom. Many besides Conde have suffered because of Linn County's heavy-handedness. It is a shame the sheriff does not realize the harm his wrong-headed policies have caused. ALLAN ERICKSON - --- MAP posted-by: Doc-Hawk