The government has been fighting over the legalization of marijuana for many years. Why is this fight still going on? The benefits that legalized marijuana would bring outweigh the negatives. Not all drugs should be legal. However, marijuana is not a "drug," it is a plant. Real criminals behind bars, our national debt cleared on the taxes alone, and creating jobs for Americans are some of the benefits that outweigh the negatives. Why is it that I, a 21-year-old, realizes this, but the people we put in charge of our nation do not? Brenee Andrew Cedar Rapids [end]
Gov. Terry Branstad said Monday he thinks state officials should review the fact that black Iowans are arrested eight times more often than white Iowans for marijuana possession, but he doesn't believe the solution is to legalize pot. The governor was asked about the racial disparity for marijuana arrests in Iowa in the wake of a report released earlier this month by the American Civil Liberties Union. The research , based on FBI data, found that Iowa has the worst racial disparity in the nation for marijuana arrests, even though whites and blacks smoke marijuana at about the same rates. The study, titled, Marijuana in Black and White: Billions of Dollars Wasted on Racially Biased Arrests, recommends legalization of marijuana as the smartest and surest way to end racially biased enforcement. Branstad made it clear Monday during his weekly Iowa Statehouse news briefing that he won't support the legalization of marijuana for Iowa residents. [continues 139 words]
A black person in Iowa is more than eight times as likely to be arrested for marijuana possession than a white person, even though both use marijuana at about the same rate, according to a report issued Tuesday by the American Civil Liberties Union. The study, based on data collected from the FBI and the Census Bureau, founds that Iowa has the largest racial disparity in the United States in comparing marijuana arrest rates between blacks and whites. Iowa is followed by Washington, D.C., Minnesota, Illinois, Wisconsin, Kentucky, and Pennsylvania. [continues 1341 words]
I can only speak from my own experience. In my opinion marijuana should not be legalized. The last thing we need is another get-high drug with questionable medical benefits. This is my experience: I smoked a lot of pot. I used it as an alternative to alcohol which had disastrous effects on me. I found that with pot I didn't have black outs, I didn't have hangovers and I could get high without getting in trouble. No problem. [continues 397 words]
Pain Sufferers Urge Passage, but Measure Dies in Senate A bill to legalize medical marijuana was declared dead Monday in the Iowa Senate because of public safety worries and the possible unauthorized use by minors, despite pleas from several marijuana users who told personal stories of how the drug had helped them. Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, who chaired a subcommittee considering Senate File 79, said after the meeting that it's apparent the proposal doesn't have enough support to win the full Senate Human Resources Committee's approval. [continues 677 words]
The Idea Is Still Backed by a Majority, but the Size Has Shrunk Since 2010. Allowing Recreational Use Is Still Solidly Opposed. More than half of Iowans favor allowing sick people to use marijuana as medicine, but the idea is not as popular as it used to be, according to The Des Moines Register's latest Iowa Poll. But a large, steady majority of Iowans disapprove of allowing people to smoke marijuana just to get high. The survey found that 58 percent of Iowa adults support legalizing medical marijuana. That's down 6 percentage points from a similar poll question posed in 2010. Only 29 percent of Iowans support allowing recreational use of the drug, up a point from three years ago. [continues 1215 words]
A bill recently introduced in the Iowa Senate would allow physicians to prescribe marijuana to patients with chronic illnesses. According to the Iowa Poll, 64 percent of Iowans are in favor of allowing medical marijuana in Iowa. Since the poll was conducted in 2010, four states have added themselves to the growing list of the now 18 states which allow medical marijuana. Sen. Joe Bolkcom, a sponsor of the proposed bill, is unsure when Iowa will join the list. "We're still in an educational process with policy makers on the issue. There are certainly members of legislature that are opposed," Bolkcom said. [continues 340 words]
CLINTON - Gateway ImpACT Coalition was honored as a leader of substance abuse prevention in the state at its annual breakfast on Friday. Iowa Drug Policy Coordinator Steve Lukan presented the coalition with one of two state awards given annually by the Governor's Office of Drug Control Policy for excellence in reducing substance abuse. "Gateway ImpACT is a perfect example of a coalition doing great work," Lukan said. "Gateway has been a leader and continues to go above and beyond." The local coalition received the award for outstanding work in fighting prescription drug abuse and educating families. Gateway has teamed up with local law enforcement to host the Clean Out Your Medicine Cabinet Day event for the past five years, collecting 2,800 pounds of prescription drugs. [continues 416 words]
While there have been studies showing that marijuana can shrink cancerous tumors, medical marijuana is essentially a palliative drug. If a doctor recommends marijuana to a cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy, and it helps them feel better, then it's working. In the end, medical marijuana is a quality-of-life decision best left to patients and their doctors. Drug warriors waging war on noncorporate drugs contend that organic marijuana is not an effective health intervention. Their prescribed intervention for medical marijuana patients is handcuffs, jail cells, and criminal records. This heavy-handed approach suggests that drug warriors should not dictate health-care decisions. [continues 62 words]
Two months after Colorado and Washington became the first American states to legalize recreational use of marijuana, a proposal to reform Iowa's marijuana laws has come to the state House of Representatives. Rep. Bruce Hunter, D-Des Moines, proposed the Medical Marijuana Act last week. The Daily Iowan Editorial Board supports Hunter's push for medical marijuana in Iowa; the current legal framework around the drug in Iowa is untenable, and this proposal would be the first step toward improvement. Passage of the Medical Marijuana Act would also be a major victory for patients in Iowa who are currently deprived of a legitimate means of treating some particularly debilitating conditions. [continues 514 words]
Back in 1979, then state representatives Dale Hibbs (R-Iowa City) and Bob Arnould (D-Davenport) helped shepherd a bill through the Iowa House that would have allowed marijuana to be used for medicinal purposes. With such bipartisan support, the bill managed to get out of committee and onto the House floor for a full debate. After a few hours of grueling political circus, the sponsors decided to withdraw the bill because it was abundantly clear that there wasn't the support necessary to pass the measure in that legislative session. [continues 457 words]
Colorado and Washington Bills Gains Attention DES MOINES ( AP) - Bills that would decriminalize marijuana and approve its medical use may be headed for the Iowa Legislature after voters in Colorado and Washington decided that adults should be allowed to possess small amounts of taxed and regulated pot for recreational use. Iowa state Rep. Bruce Hunter, D- Des Moines, is preparing a bill that would decriminalize pot possession as long as those caught with it weren't selling it, he told The Des Moines Register. [continues 370 words]
2 States' Votes to OK Recreational Pot Give New Energy to Movement Here, but Legislative Hurdles Loom Large The morning after Election Day, as news sunk in that voters in two states had legalized recreational marijuana, state Rep. Bruce Hunter was having conversations with constituents on their front lawns about the prospect of Iowa doing the same. "I was out picking up signs, and I ran into several people that wanted to talk about possibly legalizing marijuana and what we could do," he said. [continues 1704 words]
Since California legalized medical marijuana in 1996, 16 other states and the District of Columbia have followed suit. Medical marijuana has also been discussed in Iowa and was the topic of a Wednesday afternoon forum at Compass Pointe Behavioral Health Services in Spencer. Dr. Christian Thurstone - the medical director of the Substance Abuse Treatment, Education and Prevention Program at Denver Health and Hospital Authority - was the keynote speaker. He began "The Blunt Truth About Medical Marijuana Symposium" with a video clip of a 1994 National Organization for the Reform of Marijuana Laws meeting, in which an official talked about medical marijuana as a stepping stone to outright legalization of the drug. [continues 341 words]
On Monday night Megan Johnson, health promotion club, introduced Dr. Christian Thurstone to a packed Sun Room in the Memorial Union. With a round of applause and some hoots and hollers Thurstone took the stage. "I don't think we should have medical marijuana," said Thurstone, addiction and adolescent psychiatrist. "We should have put our resources into getting the [Investigational New Drug] exemption and going that route. I think the best we can hope for now if going back to a care giver model and rejecting legalizing it outright." [continues 792 words]
Attorney General Eric Holder is being urged by some of the nation's top law enforcement officials to speak out against ballot initiatives to legalize marijuana in Colorado, Oregon and Washington. Holder should discuss the dangers of legalizing marijuana, said Peter Bensinger, former head of the Drug Enforcement Administration. He joined others in the law enforcement community, including some former directors of the White House Office of National Drug Control Policy. No way, reacted the Justice Department. Spokeswoman Allison Price said Holder will not "speculate" on the ballot initiatives. [continues 99 words]
Study Will Be First of Its Kind Marijuana use, despite the legal implications, has been common in America for generations, and it's becoming even more widespread as some communities legalize it for medical purposes. But it wasn't until five years ago that the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration looked into its prevalence behind the wheel and found that 16.3 percent of the weekend nighttime drivers surveyed at 300 locations across the United States were drug positive. Cannabis stood out as the most commonly detected drug, according to the survey. But what the survey didn't show - and what authorities don't know - is how often drivers are impaired by the drugs, specifically marijuana. [continues 945 words]
On Sept. 1 2011, four Drake University students in Ross Hall were found in possession of marijuana. Des Moines Police found medicine vials with marijuana and stems in them, pipes, glass jars containing marijuana, grinders, a one-hitter, a marijuana vaporizer, water bongs, several containers with marijuana residue and a scale, according to a Times-Delphic article. The students were taken to the Polk County Jail. All four faced fines, court fees and university sanctions; some had previously been caught with marijuana on campus. [continues 915 words]
Program Will Stress Treatment, Counseling The White House's announcement last week of a new drug control policy puts Iowa at the forefront of a decades-long debate over how to treat substance abuse and crime - and may affect the case for legalizing medical marijuana in the state. President Barack Obama's administration announced a $22 million grant program in Iowa, Arizona and New Jersey that aims to identify potential substance abuse problems before they becomes full-blown disorders. In doing so, the program eschews decades of a war-on-drugs philosophy based primarily on law enforcement in favor of increased prevention and treatment. [continues 774 words]
FAIRFIELD - First, let me introduce myself. My name is Marie Smallow. I'm 59 years old and if you were to meet me, you would probably describe me as "grandmotherly." I have been suffering with pain and discomfort for the past 30 years due to a chronic progressive neurological condition commonly known as Multiple Sclerosis. I'm writing to you today to argue for the legalization of Medical Cannabis. Of course this can only be obtained with a doctor's prescription. If you're wondering why I wouldn't just take a prescription painkiller, the reason is that I do not want to become addicted to anything like OxyContin. [continues 236 words]
Decriminalization of marijuana is not an issue that is discussed by Serious People in America who want to focus on Serious Issues. It's just "pot." It's for "stoners." You want it to be legal? You must be a "stoner." It's not a Serious Issue. This attitude and the amount of misinformation about marijuana is destroying the ability to have a rational debate on the topic. It's a new age of McCarthyism, but instead of calling adversaries communists, the pro-criminalization camp labels their opponents "stoners," a far more effective label because it implies incompetence rather than dastardly plans. President Obama and candidate Mitt Romney have both avoided questions about medicinal marijuana during the caucus and primary season. Some Iowa legislators, including Iowa City's Sen. Joe Bolkcomm, are hoping to start a discussion on the issue of medical marijuana this year, but getting their colleagues to take the issue seriously will be an uphill battle. [continues 485 words]
A Gallup Poll in 2010 Showed Americans in Support of Legalizing Marijuana Outnumbered Those in Opposition Even those who support marijuana legalization admit this probably won't be their year in Iowa. At least one Iowa Senate Republican is calling on lawmakers to consider legislation to legalize pot for medical use, the measure will likely stall in the Legislature again this year. Sen. Joe Bolkcom, D-Iowa City, who has supported legalizing medical marijuana for years, said conversation will keep the issue relevant, but any serious action will take some time. [continues 517 words]
DAVENPORT, Iowa-A Davenport postal worker who let drug dealers store large amounts of cocaine and marijuana in his home has been sentenced to six years in prison. Roger Dengler pleaded guilty last year to maintaining a drug house in a case that dates to 2006, when investigators seized 80 pounds of marijuana from a hotel room. Police say they learned that Dengler, a 36-year employee of the U.S. Postal Service, allowed his home to be used to store cocaine and marijuana. Prosecutors say a big-time dealer shipped marijuana from Denver to Davenport hidden in tires, which Dengler would then weigh, repackage and distribute to customers in the area. In all, prosecutors say he stored up to 1,000 kilograms of marijuana. U.S. District Judge James Gritzner sentenced Dengler Thursday. [end]
Last month's column about being against drug testing welfare recipients (Dec. 16) turned out to be somewhat controversial. Many statements were made about welfare recipients not being "beneath us," and certainly they are not. What is disturbing, though, is that out of 91 blogs and one letter to the editor, no one even mentioned the self-serving politics of Florida Gov. Rick Scott and his ties to Solantic. If our elected leaders are passing laws that benefit industries they or their cronies have money invested in while circumventing our Constitution, then America, we have a problem. [continues 607 words]
WATERLOO, Iowa --- The thump came a few minutes after Tai-Lin Phillips went to the bathroom of his small apartment. When acquaintances who heard the noise went to check on him, they found Phillips on the floor unconscious. One of the people in the apartment, 39-year-old Vonvette "Von" Leroy Sawyers would later tell police and friends he gave Phillips CRP. Someone called 911. Paramedics arrived and took Phillips to Allen Hospital, but he never regained consciousness and was declared dead. [continues 1045 words]
At first glance, Ron Paul's position on drugs may seem contrary to conventional wisdom, but that's because what has become conventional is not wisdom. 1) Much of federal drug laws operate outside of powers delegated to the government. Enforcement operates contrary to constitutional restraints. They break the law in the name of public policy. Where is the wisdom in this? 2) The "War on Drugs" is supposed to stop the import, manufacture, distribution, and use of harmful "psychoactive" substances. So after 40 years we should have the problem pretty much licked, right? [continues 148 words]
Iowa Hospitals Report Spike In People Sick From Bath Salts CHEROKEE, Iowa -- A growing number of people have been hospitalized in Iowa due to the effects of designer drugs K2 and "bath salts" in recent months, a trend that may indicate more are using dangerous synthetic drugs. "I've been the sheriff in Cherokee County for 14 years and this is the worst that I've seen," said Sheriff Dave Scott. Four people in Cherokee County, Iowa, last week became seriously ill after ingesting what authorities believe were so-called bath salts, a powdery substance often falsely marketed as a legal alternative to cocaine. [continues 754 words]
With the Vermont governor's signing of a bill this month to legalize medical marijuana, eight states have now approved the sale and use of marijuana for medical purposes. But today in Iowa, a person who is found to possess even small amounts of marijuana that they might use for bona fide medical problems is subject to arrest and time in jail - -- not to mention the costly legal expense to hire an attorney, take time off from work and possible jeopardy to a career. [continues 614 words]
The war on drugs has failed. It's time to legalize marijuana, decriminalize other drugs, and implement science-based policies instead of fear-mongering. These are not the words of drug-reform advocates, but those of the Global Commission on Drug Policy, a 19-member panel made up of high-profile international experts. The panel's June 2 report declared the war on drugs a failure in no uncertain terms. If the drug war was supposed to accomplish anything, it was to decrease the consumption of drugs and limit access to them. Quite the opposite has happened. [continues 463 words]
Regarding your April 13 editorial, drugs did not spawn Mexico's organized crime networks. Just like alcohol prohibition gave rise to Al Capone, drug prohibition created the violent drug-trafficking organizations behind all the killings in Mexico. With alcohol prohibition repealed in the United States, liquor bootleggers no longer gun each other down in drive-by shootings. It's worth noting that Mexico's upsurge in violence only began after an anti-drug crackdown created a power vacuum among competing cartels. [continues 105 words]
Regarding your thoughtful editorial: "Mexico's cartels should be treated the same as terrorists organizations" (4-12-11). I submit that it is high time to defund the Mexican drug cartels and thus put them out of business the same way we defunded the alcohol cartels and thus put them out of business in 1933. All other efforts are a complete waste of time, money and lives. Kirk Muse, Mesa, Ariz. [end]
Not far from the United States border to Mexico, another mass grave was discovered only days ago. Mass graves, beheadings, hangings, and bullets in the back of the head or three to the chest executions are fairly commonplace among the drug cartels littering Mexico. These tactics are used to intimidate the people living in "drug towns" - -- towns used for the smuggling of drugs, weapons and kidnappings back and forth across the U.S. border -- into working for the cartels and to establish territory between the rival cartels. [continues 426 words]
Efforts to keep dangerous drugs out of the hands of Iowans and Americans is frustrated by a fast-paced drug market which churns out new strands and new types of drugs, often faster than federal and state agents can act to regulate these substances before the consequences are known. One such substance is synthetic cannabis or K2. Synthetic cannabis was developed to circumvent state and federal laws which make cannabis illegal; yet this new synthetic version is anything but harmless. An Indianola teen took his life last summer after using K2 and suffering the equivalent of a panic attack. The earlier we act to make these drugs unavailable, the sooner we can potentially save lives. By acting now, we can begin to limit the supply of these drugs, and prosecute the producers. [continues 230 words]
One area of the federal budget that should be cut is the money spent to fight the drug wars. Primarily, this means decriminalizing personal drug use by peaceful adults and regulating the sale of currently illegal drugs. Whether we are talking about controlled drugs or prescription drugs, it should not be a civil or criminal offense for peaceful and honest adults to ingest any substance. If a person drives a vehicle while intoxicated or commits crimes to support a drug habit, that is a different situation, and it is a proper role of government to protect citizens against the real threats to physical harm by others. It is also a proper role of our government to protect children. But, we should not wreck the futures of peaceful adults by giving them a criminal record for drug use. [continues 97 words]
An ethics review has cleared a state lawmaker who admitted he lied about having hemorrhoids to obtain a medical marijuana prescription in California. Rep. Clel Baudler, R-Greenfield, said his actions were meant to show that legalization of the drug for medical purposes is unwise there and would be in Iowa, too. He revealed the stunt in a newsletter to supporters this past fall. To demonstrate what he believes are abuses of California's medical marijuana laws, he said he lied to a doctor to obtain a prescription in May 2010. He never had the prescription filled, he said. [continues 318 words]
It's unlikely that Los Angeles city officials will pursue charges against an Iowa state representative who admitted he lied about having hemorrhoids and depression to obtain a medical marijuana prescription in California, a city councilman said Friday. "I'd rather spend our city resources on parks and libraries than investigating some state assembly member that comes from somewhere else trying to make his own political point," said Los Angeles Councilman Bill Rosendahl. "It's not worth the energy on my part." [continues 511 words]
Some 75 parents of teens sat in silence as they listened to a man about their age share the story of his son's drug-related death. Mike Rozga of Indianola was the keynote speaker Jan. 20 at a Lincoln High School event called "A Dose of Truth: Things We Don't Want to Talk About." Rozga's son, David, killed himself in June after smoking K2, known as a synthetic version of marijuana. It can cause severe hallucinations, extreme anxiety, seizures and blackouts. [continues 766 words]
In his inaugural, Governor Branstad said Iowa needs radical change, but nothing he is proposing is genuinely radical. Trimming government, climbing further into bed with business, getting better teachers - those might be fine ideas, but they are hardly radical. They are off-the-shelf old standbys. Which is probably OK with most Iowans. We like to keep things pretty much the way they are. We don't seek too much excitement. But wouldn't it be fun to really shake up the place for once? Wouldn't it be invigorating to be out in front for a change? [continues 1102 words]
It's a messed-up message. By refusing last week to legalize medical marijuana, the Illinois House said this: Drug dealers and gangs win. Taxpayers lose. The response to a recent column about the legalization of pot has me more convinced than ever the time has come to end a costly, dangerous and ineffective prohibition. But don't take my word for it. Maybe you can imagine my surprise when Iowa 7th District Senior Associate Judge Douglas McDonald, of Bettendorf, wrote to say he also hopes to see cases of pot possession "de-emphasized or legalized." [continues 880 words]
If pot is so bad for people, how are so many outstanding athletes able to smoke it? The Iowa Hawkeyes' Derrell Johnson-Koulianos (DJK) finished the regular season with 46 receptions for 745 yards and 10 touchdowns, making him Iowa's career leader in receptions and receiving yards. He admitted earlier this month that he smokes pot. Hawkeye running back Adam Robinson was busted over the weekend for pot possession. If marijuana is so dangerous, why aren't these men collapsing on the field, rather than breaking records? And why is Willie Nelson alive? [continues 570 words]
The article (Dec. 1,Times-Republican) on local legislators opposing the legislative recommendations of the Iowa Pharmacy Board shows that people, including our legislators, do not understand what the board has actually recommended. The Pharmacy Board has asked that language that authorized it to make regulations to permit medical marijuana be removed from the code. This is not a step toward legalization. The Board is also recommending marijuana be removed from Schedule I where it was placed by politicians decades ago and placed in Schedule II along with substances like opium. [continues 222 words]
I have a confession to make. I hope it won't make you think ill of me. I have never smoked marijuana, not even a puff. Not ever. Not that I didn't have my chances. Back in 1970 I was covering the Wadena Rock Festival in Iowa (sort of Woodstock lite) when a young woman came up to me and said: "Want me to turn you on?" I'm pretty sure she was talking about pot. I respectfully declined. Yes, I know, it was weak of me. The best and the brightest of my generation were courageously yielding to temptation while I, coward that I was, retreated from it. [continues 562 words]
The Iowa Legislature may consider the marijuana legislation in January A new Hawkeye Poll shows the majority of Iowans are in favor of medical marijuana, and proposed legislation could make that a possibility. The poll -- administered by UI professors and students -- found 62 percent of Iowans are in favor of legalizing medical marijuana, which is in line with the results from other states. This finding comes on the heels of the Iowa Board of Pharmacy's unanimous decision to draw up legislation for the Iowa Legislature to consider when it reconvenes in Januar that would change the designation of marijuana from a Schedule 1 to a Schedule 2 drug. [continues 390 words]
For all of those hopeful, keep dreaming. Obtaining a written prescription for medical marijuana in Iowa likely won't happen anytime soon, according to one state legislator. While the Iowa Board of Pharmacy recently took its final step, drawing up legislation for the Iowa Legislature to consider when it reconvenes in January, Rep. Dave Jacoby, D-Coralville, told the Editorial Board "the bill has no chance this year." Jacoby said he doesn't expect it to even get out of subcommittee. [continues 392 words]
The Iowa Board of Pharmacy voted last week to propose legislation that would reclassify marijuana and make it easier to legalize the drug for medicinal purposes. The board voted 6-0 on Wednesday to propose a bill defining marijuana as a Schedule II drug, many of which may be used for strictly controlled medical treatments. Iowa is one of more than 30 states that currently lists marijuana as a Schedule I drug, which are defined as having almost no legal purpose. In addition to the change suggested by the pharmacy board, it would fall to lawmakers to create and approve a medical-marijuana program if they accept the board's recommendation. Such a program - and enforcement of the needed regulations - would require creation of a new bureaucracy or expansion of an existing one. [continues 346 words]
If local legislators have their way, a plan by the Iowa Board of Pharmacy to introduce and support the legalization of marijuana for medical purposes will go up in smoke. Last week, the Iowa Board of Pharmacy voted 6-0 to propose legislation that would reclassify marijuana and therefore make it easier to legalize the drug for use in medicine. Local legislators are not so keen on the idea. "As a substance abuse counselor, I have grave concerns about furthering the use of marijuana," said Rep. Mark Smith, D-Marshalltown. [continues 187 words]
We can't imagine right-thinking Iowans wanting to deny pain relief to victims of cancer and other diseases. But that's what's happening because of a stalemate over medical marijuana. The Iowa Pharmacy Board has rejected a request by a marijuana activist that it write rules allowing marijuana to be used for medical purposes. But board member Margaret Whitworth says the group is appointed and not elected and should not be writing the law. Instead, the board wants the Legislature to do it. [continues 307 words]
A synthetic form of marijuana known as K2 was found in Le Mars in May - -- before it became illegal in Iowa. "We recovered a small amount in a search of a residence," said Bob Bendlin, a Le Mars Police Department senior officer. "To my knowledge that was our only direct exposure to it as this time." Bendlin, a member of the Plymouth County Drug Task Force and the Northwest Iowa Drug Task Force, said officers didn't immediately recognize the substance as K2. [continues 497 words]
MUSCATINE, Iowa ? At least $8,810 in cash and money orders held by the Muscatine County Drug Task Force during a five-year period cannot be accounted for, state auditor David Vaudt said Thursday. But a spokeswoman for the Iowa Division of Criminal Investigation said there is insufficient evidence to file criminal charges. The investigation has been assigned to a DCI officer and will be reviewed if more evidence is uncovered, Jessica Lown of the DCI said. The DCI sought help from the state auditor?s office after being contacted by the Muscatine County Attorney?s Office. [continues 479 words]
As Iowans, we certainly believe it to be fitting that the Declaration of Independence, a document we all spent the weekend celebrating, cherishes, "life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness." Over the last two years, it's been to our delight that we've watched that liberty, particularly here in Iowa, grow. We at the DI Editorial Board feel it is important to remember, always, that our democracy is a means to those most specific of ends and that our democracy is not an end in and of itself. [continues 538 words]
Inside Iowa
