DRUG DEALERS THREATEN RIGHTS, NOT THE POLICE

Sir: This is in response to the recent court ruling on using dogs for random
searches in our high schools.

What has our legal system come to? If no drugs had been found during
this search, I could see Justice Mark Hornblower being concerned about
student rights. But the bottom line is drugs were found in a student's
backpack, and not an amount for personal use only. We are talking 10
bags of marijuana and 10 magic mushrooms.

Jonathan Lisus, lawyer for the Canadian Civil Liberties Association,
stated, "We have to ask ourselves a fundamental question: What kind of
environment do we want to set in our schools? Do we want an
environment with police and sniffer dogs?"

I would think the answer to that should be, we want an environment
that is safe for our children to attend without having drug dealers
sitting beside them in their classroom. Does he actually believe that
is not an infringement on students' rights?

The so-called random search was the result of a longstanding
invitation from school officials. Have you now taken away the rights
of school teachers, principals and the board of education for trying
to give our children the right to attend drug-free schools?

What kind of message does this give our young adults now, knowing that
it doesn't matter if you do something illegal? Get a lawyer on your
side and you'll walk away in some precedent-setting case.

Does this ruling also allow them to not stop at RIDE program checks,
which are randomly set up? How are they any different? You are stopped
on the side of the road that you just happened to be driving down,
questioned and, if suspected of anything, forced to exit your vehicle
and undergo roadside testing for alcohol and a search of your vehicle.

Where do you draw the line on teaching our youth right from
wrong?

Maybe next time, the police should call ahead and make an appointment
for their search, which could be part of the morning announcements,
and all the dealers could leave the building with their drugs before
the search begins.

Justice for all.

A.M. Park,

Sarnia