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By Bart J. Allen

I’ve driven a lot in my life, nearly a million miles more or less. In all that driving, one thing I’d see from time to time was that the highway patrol had set up signs along the highway announcing a drug checkpoint ahead. My impression was always that it was a primitive endeavor in psychological warfare with drug runners. Unfortunately, this amusing pastime for cops, which presumably doesn’t affect law-abiding citizens, has taken an ominous turn.

While running down I-70 recently, I’ve come across these signs, only they have added some more words. Now they’re drug and currency checkpoints. Yep. They want to know how much money you have in your pocket and if they don’t like your answer they take it, simple as that. Great incentive program.

Incidentally, they don’t prosecute you. They just keep the money. I guess the only step left is to make sure you have your traveling papers in order.

For those that are unaware of this mindless tool in the failed drug war, this is how it works. You’re driving with a ton of drugs and money. All of a sudden, you see a hastily thrown up sign announcing a drug and currency checkpoint ahead. Coincidentally, they put these in front of exits to nowhere. The Flint Hills is a particularly good spot.

Since you have all these drugs, your first thought is to pull of at this handy exit, except that’s where the checkpoint is. And since the exit goes literally nowhere, the simple act of getting off at the exit constitutes probable cause for searching you and your vehicle. Remember this if you are ever pulling off to take a emergency leak. This excuse is not on the list of accepted reasons to get off the public highway and exit you funded with your taxes.

Of course, my first thought when I see these signs is that it’s impossible to pull over all of the traffic on I-70, either practically or legally, so it’s obviously a BS ruse to cause you to initiate some sort of behavior, other than total panic that causes a crash, which gives them a reason to toss out the constitution, like taking the first exit. I’ve always considered it a voluntary program, designed to keep NSA updated on my whereabouts, in case I don’t have my phone on, since only a moron would pull off.

I’ve known a few college kids to fall for it. I also know a guy that runs real weed up and down I-70. He tells me he appreciates them announcing their location like that, in case he wants to stop and take an emergency leak and inadvertently pulls off at one of these exits. Not only that, he knows at least one less cop is patrolling the road, where all the drug runners are. All in all, he sees it as very considerate of them.

I didn’t think that, on the whole, it really affected regular people, with brains and without drugs, but I guess that’s changed since “terrorism” has arrived. Now we have to be saved from ourselves.

You may not have drugs, but people who make their money living on the road tend to carry large amounts of cash, for very basic, practical reasons. In fact, we all carry some amount of cash. How much is too much to have without having the proper documentation on hand, and then they simply take it? After all, it’s been proven time and again that nearly all money in this country is contaminated by minute drug residue.

It turns out that you and I are criminals and we don’t even know it. Thank God we have these warriors of truth and justice to randomly single us out and take our money when we have more than they think we should. Seig Heil, Y’all.

 

The views and opinions expressed in this post are solely those of the author. These views and opinions do not represent those of the Post News Network and/or any/all contributors to this site.