Are You Going to Eat That?
The buzz around DC the last couple of days has NOT been about the Democratic national convention, or the 911 report, or the mounting death toll in Iraq, or the ongoing genocide in Sudan, or possible global warming, or the future of stem cell research, or future catastrophic terror attacks, or any other such trivial matter. No, the divisive issue that has people arguing around here is: Did the Metro Transit Police overeact when they arrested a woman for eating a candy bar in the subway?

Stephanie Willett was reminded by an officer that there is a no food or drink law on the rail system. She then stuffed the remaining portion of her candy bar into her mouth and said--and the lady freely admits this part--to the officer, "Why don't you go and take care of some real crime?" From there the accounts of ensuing events differ somewhat, but the bottom line is that she did end up being handcuffed and detained.

Now this may seem like a trivial matter, and I suppose it is to an extent. But the no food or drink law is CLEARLY posted in the stations and on the trains, and it has been since the system first opened 28 years ago. So unless Ms. Willett is claiming to be a functionally illiterate adult, and I fail to see what possible excuse she has.

This topic flares up every few years. Back in 2000 or so it popped up in the news when a 12 year old girl was arrested for eating french fries. And in that case as well, the violator decided that rather than comply with the law, let's mouth off to the cop who's only out there trying to their job.

For its part, Metro defends the rule as being a major part of keeping the system clean and sanitary.

The woman's defenders argue that the New York and Chicago transit systems don't prohibit food or drink. Well, okay, but that's not really the point, is it? An interstate highway allows motorists to drive 60 miles an hour, but that doesn't mean I can do the same in a residential neighborhood, does it? I've ridden the subway in both those cities, and quite frankly, they leave a lot to be desired in terms of cleanliness and odor control. I've also ridden our own Metro system countless times, and it's always been a pleasant experience. The stations and rail cars are always clean, and I don't have to contend with some fat slob splattering crap from his pastrami sub all over me. Most importantly, I don't have to worry about tripping over a rat on the station platform.

The Washington Post

Besides, it kinda looks like Ms. Willett should lay off the candy bars for a while.