Pubdate: Tue, 09 Aug 2005 Source: Montreal Gazette (CN QU) Copyright: 2005 The Gazette, a division of Southam Inc. Contact: http://www.canada.com/montreal/montrealgazette/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/274 Author: George Kosinski Referenced: http://www.mapinc.org/drugnews/v05/n1289/a10.html FARMERS SURRENDERED RIGHTS TO POLICE With respect to the ominous increase in police power occasioned by the mass surrender of civil rights outlined in the Aug. 8 article "Farmers' deal lets police get weed early," the Surete du Quebec seems to be the only police force left in Canada that doesn't realize the killing in Mayerthorpe, Alta., of four RCMP officers was not the result of a "pot raid." I would advise police officers in Quebec to read newspapers or watch television news, as educating themselves might prove beneficial. Most puzzling, however, is the assertion that the justification for this Orwellian change in procedures is that, "Before, police had to ask individual farmers for permission to enter their land." No explanation is offered as to why the police would have any difficulty in making such a simple request, or why it would make any difference whether the police were confiscating a field full of marijuana plants at 11 in the morning or 3 in the afternoon. And how does this affect the few farmers who refused to be intimidated and did not sign this agreement? George Kosinski Gibsons, B.C. - --- MAP posted-by: Richard Lake