RESPONSE TO RCMP'S 'OPERATION E-PLACATE'

In the December 2, 2009 edition of the Valley Voice I read about RCMP
Corporal Todd Bowden of the Slocan Lake satellite detachment giving
his summer breakdown of all that's evil from New Denver on down to
Slocan Park, in which he gives time to let me know the good that the
marijuana eradication project otherwise known as 'E-Placate' is doing
for the community.

Not only is it cutting down on organized crime (in which legalizing
marijuana, by the way, would completely 'E-Radicate'), but he also
lets me know how environmentally destructive growing weed is "as
fertilizers, plastics, piping, gas for generator, etc are abandoned or
trashed."

Now I'm just wondering, a question perhaps.if the cops cared so much
for the environment why, as Tom Prior wrote about in the same
edition's letters column, would they not stop the industrial logging
on old growth forests on the Argenta Face, which releases carbon by
the megatons into the atmosphere, which in turn creates health risks
not only in the air that we breathe but leads ultimately to the
destruction of the human race? Now which is worse for the environment
in this example. industrial logging or grow ops?

And further, Corporal Todd defines organized crime as being "three or
more persons active in common criminal activities." Living in the
Slocan Valley then, I know quite a few organized crime members.and you
know who they are? Generally people with families.

They're not Hells Angels or Al Capones or members of the Bloods or
Crips.they're people with kids, pets, mortgages, jobs, dreams.people
that I'm actually pretty proud to be around.

So let's just cut the crap about marijuana being bad and the people
that grow it as being evil. It's the same old song and dance routine
we've been hearing for 70 years now. Capital P.propaganda plain and
simple.

Corporal Bowden also gives his two cents on how an after hours centre
is "strongly urged" to keep troubled youth out of trouble.

Sounds good. But here's my couple of cents.why don't we take the money
used in operation 'E-Placate' and instead use it to build and run some
of these centres for youth. That sounds like a more practical use of
our tax paying dollars to me. In the end, who ultimately benefits from
the war on drugs?

P.S. How is it that 117 people vote to not have cell phone service in
New Denver and 110 people vote to have it; yet, that's completely
ignored and cell service is going to be installed.

Is that what democracy looks like? If it is then I would be very
interested in using this new form of democracy to get rid of Gordon
Campbell and Stephen Harper!

William Brown

Winlaw