Solon Economou

Forget marijuana--now it's about national security

Okay, I've given you potheads enough flak about the new marijuana law.  Personally, I don't care if you smoke.  Just don't smoke and drive.  Endangering other people is verboten, whether it's liquor, drugs, or being old and blind and non compos mentis behind the wheel.

This is about national security.  The new marijuana law has brought up some points about our law enforcement system--or lack of it--that apparently even prevent us from protecting America against terrorists.

According to the Boston Globe, officers have no way of determining the identity of people they stop on the street for smoking marijuana. Before the law was changed, officers could arrest them, or threaten them with arrest to force them to show identification. Now, they say they cannot force users to show IDs, and cannot arrest them if they refuse to identify themselves. And they say there is no penalty if a marijuana user gives a false name to a police officer.

"Cannot force users to show IDs?"  In what other country in the world is a person not required to show ID to a police officer?  "No penalty if a [person] gives a false name to a police officer?"  In what other country in the world is this allowed?   Go to Europe or anywhere else and you had better have your passport handy.

I can see a cop stopping Osama bin Laden.  "Excuse me, sir, but you look like Osama bin Laden.  May I see your ID?"

"You know what you can do with my ID and that blue-and-white camel you rode in on, infidel!  I am peacefully smoking marijuana.  I don't have to show you ID!"

"Then, what is your name?"

"Mother Teresa, infidel.  What's yours?"  (Osama's cohorts with AK-47s hidden in their pants legs laugh.)

They jump into their car, Osama floors it and pulls away.  "America, what a country," he says.  "Hey, maybe we should move here.  Can get away with all kinds of  camel poop!"

For a country where 3,000 people were murdered by terrorists and which is constantly under threat of even more horrifying attacks, we don't have to show police our IDs or give them our real names?  What's wrong with this picture? 

Merely identifying oneself to authorities of the nation you happen to have your feet planted in at the time does not in any way infringe on one's civil liberties.  But blowing up Americans infringes on mine and yours.  And, worse, ticks me off beyond description.

America, what a country.  For its enemies.  We need some serious rethinking of our most basic laws before we foolishly drive ourselves into extinction.