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.
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MAP posted-by: Richard Lake