WEEKEND WONDERING

Long weekends mean many things to many people: long walks along
beaches; long lines for ferries to carry you there; and once landed,
long mornings recovering from longer nights out.

As the door to summer swings open in celebration of the good Queen
Victoria, we suggest adding an extra extension: a long pause.

What to ponder, we'll leave up to you; though this week plenty of
people are doing their best to give us all something to think about.
On Tuesday alone, two separate groups tied loosely by the usage of
very different drugs staged a pair of unique protests. The first
squad sauntered into the office of Abbotsford MP Ed Fast to protest
Canada's extradition of the 'Prince of Pot' (almost apropos
considering the regal holiday ahead) Marc Emery.

With weed and rolling papers in hand, they sat and sang, holding
signs championing their man - who's facing five years in a U.S. jail
for allegedly mailing marijuana seeds south of the border.

To his credit, the MP played the role of gracious host, allowing
Emery's Army to stay until he asked that his office could close for
lunch. Shortly before 1 p.m., the dozen or so ambled off, likely
because Abbotsford police asked them to, but quite possibly because
Fast's office doesn't feature a snack machine.

Should Emery be shipped south for a lengthy stay in an American
prison, when the same offense warrants hardly a slap on the wrist
here in Canada? Maybe. Still, it's worth a pensive pause.

Only a few hours after the Emery affair, a much larger crowd
assembled outside Abbotsford City Hall carrying coffins and signs
objecting the city's 'harm reduction' bylaw - which was installed to
block needle exchanges and, in the misguided thinking of the day,
reduce drug use. Hep C sufferers say they need a clean needle
exchange to save others from the disease, but a previous council
banned needle swaps.

Are people sick from sticking themselves with dirty needles because
elected officials stuck their heads in the sand? Short-sighted or
not, it's something to consider this long weekend.

Enjoy that extra day.