WHAT LESSON DOES A SNIFFER DOG TEACH KIDS?

Dear editor,

I'm concerned about the civics lesson the Cowichan school board wants to
teach children. In the first place, ceremonial drug use is as old as
mankind itself. It is an amoral idea to try and stamp it out. Sooner or
later the children will hear about a foolish notion called freedom and
liberty. The name Thomas Jefferson will be mentioned. That there is such a
thing as natural rights that are inalienable will be learned. That
Jefferson said that law is often but the tyrant's will, and always so when
it violates the right of an individual will be brought to their attention.
That Canadians have separation of church and state will be brought to their
attention.

There will be many lessons the children will learn. I wonder about the
adults though. George Orwell left mankind with the lesson that if you could
control language you could control mankind. Understanding that lesson, all
the talk of addiction will start to sound eerily similar to the
supernatural forces of voodoo. The day that happens the children
will understand the ugliest aspect of the drug war is that in order to
control what substance a man may put in his body the state must also
control what ideas a man may put in his head. On that day the children will
learn that they do not live in a free country. They will understand the
principles of invalidation of others to validate the self. They will
understand the Christian Crusades. They will understand The Spanish
Inquisition. That day they will understand that the drug war is a holy war
on satanic chemicals. The day police dogs show up at school the lesson
taught will not be freedom and liberty, it will be moral righteousness run
amuck and they will categorize it along with every other scapegoat
persecution that started with good intentions that paves the road to hell.

"Was the government to prescribe to us our medicine and diet our bodies
would be in such keeping as our souls are now." -Thomas Jefferson

- - Chris Buors

Winnipeg