UNFRIENDLY MESSAGES MAKE FOR SLEEPLESS DAYS

Recently, I broke a long held personal rule: Never check for e-mail just
before retiring.

I'd written a week earlier about police budgets, and my belief that a
majority would be willing to embrace tax increases for better police
service. Dialing in for messages after night shift, at about 6:15 am., a
welter of unfriendly remarks rendered me sleepless.

Centering on marijuana prohibition, the fieriest two: "Wake up smooze boy"
and "Piss off -- leave marijuana alone!" were followed by comments like:
"Write something about how your police force is beating non-violent (pot)
protesters!"

I was puzzled to receive so many related messages at once, from as far away
as Scotland and Florida. Until I noticed a shared e-mail tag beneath one of
them: "Constable Mark Tonner, weekly columnist for the Vancouver Province,
is known for his virulent anti-pot, anti-drug, lock 'em up stance, and needs
to be shown the people of the world do not agree with his police-state
ideology."

Beautiful. Anti-police networking. One opening made it painfully clear:
"Tonner -- I haven't read any of your articles, but I understand you are
some sort of dinosaur (i.e. true believer in War on Drugs)."

These days, I'm not sure what I believe on the cannabis front. I've
expressed disdain for marijuana as a substance, yet I'm torn on whether or
not people should be free to smoke it.

Of course, angry mail comes my way regardless of any position I take. 1998
was a bumper year for hostility -- even readers without a political agenda
pitched in.

Perhaps letter of the year award should go to Rob McDermid. He wrote that
he'd followed my column since it began in 1992. Supposedly a former police
officer, he claimed to have met me personally.

"I believe he suffers from SMS," he wrote The Province editor, with enough
conviction to leave me wondering if it were some new condition I didn't know
I had. The writer went on to describe "Small Man Syndrome" and estimated my
height at 5-foot-7, with three-inch heeled jack boots and "poorly fitted
motorcycle helmet."

What's wrong with five-foot-seven? Of course, even larger guys can suffer
from SMS. It's a condition of mind, not body -- and likely one which would
spill over into a person's writing.

One woman, who sends me an uninterrupted stream of left-wing thought,
changed her tone this fall, and threatened, by e-mail, to commit suicide. I
had mental health workers in her area drop by, and she claimed the message
was a stunt, a joke.

Bucket of chuckles, that. The latest insult came on the heels of the "Riot
at the Hyatt" in which APEC protesters unsuccessfully stormed police lines.
The writer claimed to know the parents of APEC activist Garth Mullens, and
objected to them being referred to as hippies.

I'd made no mention of Garth or his parents, but that didn't stop this
end-note:

"Your column was ignorant, uninformed beer-parlour bullshit. As a police
officer whose job is to sort out the facts from the non-facts, you should be
ashamed of writing this piece of poorly researched garbage."

It has been suggested that, if I can't stand the heat, I should remove my
e-mail address from this column's footnote. But that, I believe, would be a
mistake. I receive as much supportive mail as antagonistic -- many say the
chief reason they buy this paper is to read Out of the Blue.

I may not have the thickest skin in the industry, but I'm set on keeping the
door of communication open.

So, to all; thanks for taking an interest in 1998. Have a peaceful
Christmas, and we'll carry on in the new year.

Const. Mark Tonner is a Vancouver police officer. His opinions do not
necessarily reflect those of the city's police department or police board.
Tonner may be contacted at The Province, or by e-mail at marcuspt@msn.com

Checked-by: Rolf Ernst