Their protests blocked trucks from entering or exiting the County of Simcoe dump, which is now under construction. As well, out of concern for public safety, police were forced to close Tiny Township Concession 2 between Baseline Road and Dawson Sideroad for a total of almost 10 hours.

The farmers' actions are clearly illegal, and yet police allowed them to obstruct a public road for hours without making a single arrest.

Despite our respect for the rule of law, we believe this was the correct response - for now.

Police are called upon daily to use judgment in how they enforce the law. Sometimes, if the offence is minor, violators are slapped with a warning rather than a pair of handcuffs.

This is as it should be. It does no one any good to flood our courts with trifling matters, nor to saddle someone with a criminal record over a petty indiscretion.

Concession 2 is a small, dirt road with little traffic. Few motorists were inconvenienced. No property was damaged. Not a single person was injured.

Civil disobedience has a long, proud history in Canada, from anti-war demonstrations in the 1960s to the Ipperwash occupation of 1995 and the Toronto Tamil protests of this spring. In pursuit of a cause they view as just, people sometimes feel they have no choice but to step outside the boundaries of the law.

This is especially true if they suspect more legitimate avenues have been closed to them. Site 41 opponents, believing the county has shut its ears to contrary voices, quite neatly fit into this category.

There is, however, a limit. Tolerance for illegal protests only goes so far, and a repeat performance - or an escalation to property damage or violence - should not warrant similar "kid glove" treatment.