The hypocrisy of the Register's editorial board

The editorial board of the Des Moines Register protests against efforts to strengthen our state's preemption laws. In the balance is whether citizens can carry guns on city and county property without interference by local governments. They "awarded" a thistle to our statehouse legislators for their efforts.

Funny how they were all in favor of state control and against local governments regulating smoking in public. And it must be a strain on them to figure out which hypocritical side of an argument they take on any given day.

In their trite Roses & Thistles: Transparency in U.S. Senate; gun-toting in Iowa's capitol? maybe my other readers can come to the conclusion I have:

A thistle to Iowa state legislators who want to prevent cities and counties from enacting any local gun-control laws. This is a slap at the notion of local control under the Home Rule amendment in the Iowa Constitution. It is also hypocritical. Imagine, if you will, legislators sitting in the comfort of the state Capitol, with guards and metal detectors at the entrances screening for weapons. Meanwhile, they propose a law to prevent such protections at City Hall. Perhaps these legislators would change the rules and let people carry guns into the House and Senate chambers. Too bad Iowans repealed the section on dueling in the Iowa Constitution back in 1992. Emphasis mine.

Isn't that a veiled threat against the legislature?

Didn't their lord and savior make his case last week to pledge an era of peace a civility in our public discourse?

Then why the asinine statement that can be interpreted as wishing ill on our elected officials? But then it was probably meant as a joke.

The real joke is the Des Moines Register being thought of as a legitimate paper of record for the state.