Let's Do Air Marshals

 LET'S DO AIR MARSHALS

I think we need to entertain the idea of training and supplying air marshalls for all airplanes that fly into, over, and out of Iowa airspace.  Why should we throw people in jail traveling over our interstates because they have some  personal use marijuana in their car and not do the same for the people flying through our airspace on airplanes.  Isn't our airspace Iowa just like our interstates, part of Iowa?

We are also not stopping and searching people riding the buses or Amtrak.  We need to set up some sort of stations at the entrances to our state where we require all passengers to disembark and be searched for illegal substances, i.e. substances deemed to be illegal by our legislature so we can arrest them.  After all, they might actually want to use such a substance while in Iowa or maybe they even intend on sharing an illegal substance with an Iowa citizen.  This should not be tolerated.

We have such a stellar reputation with people from other states.  A car gets stopped for speeding - - oh, I smell marijuana!  Off to jail you go with bond to be posted, your car to get out of impound, and an attorney to find.  Just another day for our local law enforcement.  It's no wonder when someone mentions Iowa to a person from another state, the reaction is less than encouraging.  Vacation in Iowa - - not.

But consistency is important.  We should not allow people to fly through our air space with marijuana in their backpack unimpeded and flippantly flipping us off when if they were in a car they would be hauled off to jail and totally inconvenienced because they forgot to take what little weed they had in their glove box out before they drove cross country.  We don't even have the courtesy to tell them by a big sign at the entrances to Iowa: "WARNING:  YOU WILL BE ARRESTED FOR MARIJUANA"

So, I say, "Let's be consistent".  If we are going to arrest some resident of Illinois or Missouri or Minnesota for having some pot in their car, we darn well should do the same for anyone flying over us in an airplane or on the train or in a bus.  It's time to address this inequity legislatively.

Richard E H Phelps II

Mingo