Pubdate: Sat, 03 May 2008 Source: Ottawa Citizen (CN ON) Copyright: 2008 The Ottawa Citizen Contact: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/letters.html Website: http://www.canada.com/ottawacitizen/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/326 Author: Ian MacLeod WRONG MESSAGE Re: Protecting Us, May 1. I respectfully suggest that it is letter-writer Marty Gobin who does not fully appreciate the the implications of the Supreme Court's ruling on arbitrary searches. If protecting the 'rights' of law-abiding citizens includes by implication the rights of those people who are breaking the law, then I can not help but feel that this logic is flawed. In this particular case, I wonder what message this sends to our younger generation. Break the law regarding possession of illegal drugs, break the rules of the school which strictly prohibits drugs on school property, but then wrap yourself in the Charter of Rights to avoid responsibility for your actions. With this ruling, surely the next court case will challenge the Ontario Provincial Police and its RIDE programs which arbitrarily stop motorists in search of the 'handful' of impaired drivers. Surely the manipulation of the Charter of Rights in this fashion erodes the original spirit of the legislation. Ian MacLeod, Ottawa - --- MAP posted-by: Derek