Edmonton Journal from Edmonton, Alberta, Canada • 16

B2 EDMONTON JOURNAL. Monday, July 3. Some tokin', jokin', little provokin' Brian Swarbrick i fly RON NEWTON It was tokin' time Sunday afternoon. Despite heavy polite scrutiny, about 2.000 people turned out at the provincial legislature grounds for one of the biggest marijuana legalization rallies ever staged in Alberta. The smoke-m was intended to give city marijuana users a chance to "tokc i i 'j i JH fi i i i V5 y' i v.

til i Giant marijuana cigarette is paraded around legislature grounds Police were ready for trouble together in defiance of current marijuana laws, which organizers claim convicted 35,000 Canadians last year. While a few people did light up, the majority chose not to deliberately test the 60 policemen, many of them in plain clothes, mingling in the crowd. The mood at the smoke-in was casual, much like an outdoor rock concert Slurtlcss men raced across the neatly-trimmed legislature lawns in hot pursuit of frisbecs or errant footballs. Their girl-friends, liberally doused in suntan oil, lounged nearby and occasionally hooted as policemen walked slowly by. Groups of bikers sat on their motorcycles, drinking wine and ogling the scantily-covered girls tanning in the legislature park.

Meanwhile, action was building on the legislature steps as microphones were made available to anyone wishing to speak against marijuana laws. Many took the opportunity. A huge balloon replica of a marijuana cigarette floated overhead as another young man closed his eyes and, knees shaking, fervently recited a Samuel Taylor Coleridge poem on a drug-induced paradise. But the jubilant mood of the crowd, many waving pro-legalization placards, turned sour briefly when plainclothes policemen arrested a young woman for allegedly smoking marijuana. The woman was under a tree behind the legislature building when two plain clothes officers arrested her.

They took her to a police vehicle but the crowd spotted them. Shouts of indignation rose and the, crowd began to press forward, hurling curses at police forming a barrier line. Tempers soon cooled, however, and an organizer later told the rally, "We will respect the law today it was they (police) who made the mistake." possession of marijuana, as were five other persons. They include, Brian Fredrick Thiesscn, 16, 15432 76th Daniel Wood, 17, Laurie Dickinson. 22, 6515 172 St.

Graeme Norman Webster 33, 10155 116 St and a juvenile. Thiessen was also charged with trafficking in narcotics. Police made more arrests later at a rock concert at the Kinsmen Fieldhouse where protesters gathered. An Edmonton man who said he is a member of the Legalization of Cannibis Committee said the arrest of Comeau broke up the protest prematurely. According to Pat Elwart, 1114 80th Comeau and her boy-friend were vacationing in Alberta when they heard of the protest and joined in.

Only two to four persons were smoking during the protest he said, although there was a "fair amount" of drugs around. violations of law," Constable Jones said. Nine people were arrested during the protest mostly for illegal possession of a controled substance. About 60 policemen in uniform and plain clothes were on hand for the protest. Some of the police were hidden behind the legislature building and a command post was inside the building.

When plainclothesmen arrested Debra Faye Comeau of Ontario for possession of marijuana shortly before speeches were to begin, an angry crowd began to berate police. One man was charged with obstruction of police when someone kicked in a door in the legislature building which led to rooms where police were questioning Comeau. A column of police formed and the crowd was held back, Constable Jones said. Comeau was charged with simple By MIKE HARROP Police were prepared for a major confrontation with drug users Sunday afternoon when a smoke-in drew more than 2,000 people to the legislature grounds. But despite preparations, police did not expect riots or mass arrests, Constable Brian Jones of the community relations section said.

"No one felt there was going to be any real trouble," he said. He characterized the demonstration as a "peaceful one, with a minimum amount of trouble." Prior to the demonstration, officials of the sponsoring Legalization of Cannabis Committee told police they would not promote open pot smoking, but would not attempt to prevent it either, he said. Police were instructed to let them have their demonstration, but not to allow NOBODY COULD ACCUSE our premier. Peter Lougheed, of not practicing what he preaches in the Buy Alberta program. At Kayla and Joe Shoctors party a couple of days ago to officially welcome Peter and Inga Co to town, I noted that the premier's modest two-drink tipple was Alberta Rye and North Saskatchewan River water I must say I continue to be impressed by Peter Coe's reserve regarding the Sean Mulcahy brouhaha.

He parries any attempt to bring him into it including declining an invitation even to appear as an observer at an Alberta Actors Equity meeting to give the Irishman a western as well as an eastern audience to present his case On the other hand, I can see (as could every of the 50 or so men at the Shoctor party) that Mrs. Coe sure knows the meaning of the word "impact" Mama mia, what a dress! WHAT WE HAVE HERE, ladies and gentlemen, is a three-K package: First, KCD912 That's the licence plate number of the northbound car which sailed blithely through the red light at 100th Street and Jasper Avenue, right in front of the Hotel Macdonald, at the stroke of noon last Friday. The guy behind the wheel, just daydreaming I guess, suddenly discovers he's surrounded by astonished east-bound and westbound traffic, including a bus, and a couple of hundred pedestrians. By the time he got himself untangled, due to everyone else's courtesy (and perhaps even latent sympathy for his plight) his face was redder than the light Then there's the K-40s, the Kinsmen "graduate'' club. They were having a big bash recently, and the guy in charge of lining up the show called a local agent and said, "We're the K-40s, and we're looking for some entertainment" The agent was extremely evasive until the Kinsman, by now wondering what the heck's going on, explained just which organization was calling.

"Why are you so reluctant to provide us with entertainment?" he asked the agent "Because," said the showbiz man, "I thought you said you were the Cay 40s!" And for the final there's Eddie Keen, who dropped me a note last week to say he's sporting a bruised forehead, picked up on his recent Mexican seashore holiday. "What I learned," he wrote sheepishly, "is that you don't dive into a wave when it is going out" Beneath that he scrawled, "A 45-year-old should know better!" My goodness, Eddie, I have a 70-year-old who knows better! NOW A SOBER MOMENT. That young hang-glider enthusiast Bill Burrill, who was going to fly his motorized hang-glider from Edmonton to Saskatoon as a Canada Day project, is still in Royal Alexandra Hospital after his training accident two weeks ago. His motor quit when he was about 100 feet up in very tricky winds, and Bill took a near-fatal fall. The Alex reports his condition is stable, which means only that his vital signs are steady, and that he has suffered "multiple fractures." His friend, Sandro Perrillo, who was his major backer, tells me Bill's injuries are multiple, all right: a broken neck, spine, arm and leg And if you go down to the river valley any evening, just tilt your head skyward when you hear a strange buzzing noise.

They're still up there in those things. MAIL BAG: The writer of the following, letter. Paul McLaughlin of the federal department of physical fitness and amateur sport is tight for time, and asks that I report the following: "I am writing a book on the history of the Canada Games. As well as reflecting the great accomplishments of the athletes, I want to stress the feelings of the organizers, officials, volunteers and spectators He goes on to say he wants anybody to write him about any aspect of the Games which they found interesting, and his address is Room 1 122, Journal Tower South, 365 Laurier Ave. Ottawa I figure he's already in trouble if he doesn't know it's Commonwealth Games.

TAIL-ENDER: As everybody in. town knows, Henry Singer is really worrying that not enough of us will spend $25 to get our names "up in history" on the Commonwealth Stadium wall plaque. What worries me is the poor guy whose name, including spaces, is longer than the 22 spaces allotted. My telephone book reveals only one guy who would actually need all 22 spaces. He's Robert Ziegelgansh-erger, but since I haven't been able to catch him in, I don't know whether he realizes how lucky he is his first name isn't William.

Says you- The 'father' of Pembina oil boom 'damned proud' of Drayton Valley Wliat is your favorite flower? By Wanda McConndJ (Asked at Westmount Shopping Centre) Jennie Nikiforuk housewife: I like peonies because they're so beautiful and smell so beautiful. I sure have lots in my garden. lil mm Li mmmm ISll mm IliiiSllii HHHI ilipllllllll Joanne Goertz, student: Actually I have more than one. Roses are my favorite flower, and so are sweet peas. I like the rose's fragrance, and sweet peas look so nice and are easy to arrange.

Dent says Ms. Jue is with Games tour mtsm By ROBERT SIBLEY DRAYTON VALLEY With a silver hard hat on his head, and a double rye in bis hand, Herb Rutz remembered when this town was mud streets and ramshackled huts. Mr. Rutz, production operator on the Mobil oil rig that-started the Pembina oil boom 25 years ago, had returned to a bustling, modern town of 4,500 to join in the celebrations of that discovery. "I'm so damned proud to be here," he said at the Great Canadian Blowout banquet Friday.

He said 25 years ago Drayton Valley was a rough-and-tumble town and when his wife first saw the place she cried for days. Jim Warke, another of the original crew on the discovery well, says he remembers when the town was nothing more than "mudhuts" with no( modern conveniences. "Even the coffee shacks had dirt floors and spiders on the tables," he said. Twenty-five years ago, Mr. Warke was Mobil's district supervisor.

He, and then-district geologist Arnie Nelson, were the two men who bucked top Mobil executives to push through the idea of using Amoco's largely untried sand fracturing process to bring the well into production. The idea worked and the Pembina oil field became one of the largest and most productive in Canada. Twenty-five years later, Mr. Warke, now retired, says he's surprised and proud at how large Drayton Valley has grown. "After bringing in the discovery well, you kind of feel responsible for it (the town)," he said.

"Coming back makes you feel all the old memories." The 10 days of Blowout festivities and the Canada Day celebrations bad something for everyone. Keith Perrin, sales manager. A rose. I guess because it's associated with feelings and -expressions of love and thoughtfulness. I give roses on special occasions.

iliiliiiiiill 'pip Herb Rutz Bessie Cressey, retired: Roses, because I used to raise them. I had many kinds. My favo-, rites were the long-stemmed Dale roses, that are a deep red when they first come out Shannon Wolf organizations and businesses were in volved in putting it together. And celebrate is what Drayton Valley did. The streets were decked with flags, offices decorated their interiors, and employees wore plastic hard hats to work.

There were oil field tours, golf, baseball and curling tournaments, a raft race, a highly-successful music festivaj that attracted more than 4,000 people, street dances and barbecues, and, of course, fireworks. Mr. Turner said the town is already thinking of next year's celebrations. He said there's talk of having an annual music festival The one difference thereU be next year for certain is fewer days of celebrating, he said. A Commonwealth Games Foundation hostess coordinator, Maureen Jue, fired three weeks ago is touring with the foundation's goodwill mission in Africa.

Dr. Ivor Dent heading the promotional swing through Africa, said 4he former employee is travelling with the group. Ms. Jue had been fired after conflicts arose within the volunteer committee in charge of the Games information hostess program. When the group left Edmonton in late May, foundation vice-president Tony Thibaudeau said he bad seen the group off at the airport and Ms.

Jue was not along. Contacted late Sunday by The Journal, Mr. Thibaudeau said he was still not aware the former coordinator had joined the tour. "I wasn't aware she was going along there were a lot of last-minute changes made in determining who would go, so I assume Dr. Dent decided to take Maureen," said Mr.

Thibaudeau. Although he was responsible for much of the organizing of the African tour, Mr. Thibaudeau said he had given Dr. Dent "full control to work within the parameters laid down." For nine-year-old Shannon Wolff and her friends, the best part was the carnival rides and the candy floss. Leonard Knutson, 64, said the celebrations meant a chance to sip beer, talk of old times and "see a lot of old friends." For Mayor Nevis LaBranche, the festivities showed the town had come of age as a community full of vigor and pride in itself.

Phil Turner, the town's superintendent of parks and recreation, said the celebration was a "fantastic success" because of "great community co-operation. Td never seen it done before," said Mr. Turner. He said the townspeople volunteered in droves to help organize the events. More than 100 community Lydia Novitzky, housewife: I have lots, but my favorite is roses.

I love roses, especially sweetheart roses. Else Rempel Constance Bue, saleslady: I think the rose. In the scriptures it says: "Solomon in aJJ his glory was not arrayed like one of those." We think kings dress beautifully but even a flower is more beautiful because God created it ff i Justice MMfc DO IT AT ERNIE'S WE FEATURE SCAMPI KINS CRAB RAINBOW TROUT COKCE SALMON STEAK 4 LCESTIS Unfortunately few if any of the light-fingered artists appreciate the implications of their act They mistakenly believe a One imposed by a judge is the end of it But it is in fact a new and dubious beginning. That in fact senseless act has earned them a criminal record a high price to pay for a pilfered tape. The criminal record carries with it an erosion of persona freedom and a limited life-style.

A convicted shoplifter and most of them are found guilty finds he or she can no longer be as selective when hunting for a job. Most employers shy away from hiring a thief to a position of trust even if the theft was a first offence. Bonding companies understandably are even more reluctant to deal with a pilferer. In some occupations it boils down to no bond, no job. That's Dotal Obtaining a visa for another country verges on the -impossible when the applicant has a criminal record.

Even crossing the United States border can become -a formidable journey as customs people peer into puolic Ees. The alternative is to apply for a pardon, a long and painful process. A criminal record is easier to get than to lose. The sboptfser must wait five yean before he can even aply for a pardon And then he mast prove to the National Parole Board that he has lived an exemplary life during the half-decade. When it is satisfied with its investigations the board makes recommendations to Canada's minister of justice.

The minister decides whether the offender should get a pardoa Even when it is granted, the pardon remains a matter of public record. Record of the crime becomes confidential but the pardon itself continues to cast a shadow over the convicted person. Because of their increasing numbers, shoplifters are shown little sympathy in courts. The reason is obvious. Stores must cover their losses and to do this they must mark up the prices of the goods they sell Even the judge on the bench must pay more when be shops.

To counteract the growing problem stores have been tightening security by using unsuspecting-looking personnel The woman in a housedress and a iton-descript sweater who looks Lie a browsing customer may in fact be a hard-nosed store detective. So might be the maainjeaas and sweatshirt A court appearance for most people is a traumatic experience. For that reason alone shoplifting is foolish and masochistic More important is it worth messing up your life? It's not easy to understand why a person deliberately puts bis future on the line by stealing a $2 pair of socks. And yet 2,100 Edmontonians did just that last year when they were taken to court for shoplif tirg. With regular monotony, provincial courts process a daily parade of citizens who gambled on getting something for nothirg, and lost Short of saying the merchandise followed them cut of the store, the shoplifters excuses are tedious to the point of indudcg sleep.

1 forgot to pay," is the most often heard plea, which is almost as good as no reason at all UnLke some other criminals, shoplifters come from a broad and often respectable spectrum of the community. But they aJJ have one thing in common. There is seldom a logical reason for their behavior. One man. for example, was carrying J3.CO0 in cash wfcea he was aTpreheudei outside a supermarket with a 79-orat can of tana.

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