President Bush signed the Law Enforcement Officers Safety Act into law. The law exempts active and retired police officers from local prohibitions regarding carrying firearms. Qualified policemen can carry weapons nationwide.

That’s a good thing, don’t get me wrong. However, I’d like to see national concealed carry for everyone.

Our bloated government failed us says the 9/11 Commission. The solution to the failure of big, complex, bureaucratic government is to make it bigger, more complex and more bureaucratic:

Among its recommendations, many of which already had become public, the commission recommended creating a new intelligence center and high-level intelligence director. An intelligence-gathering center would bring a unified command to the more than dozen agencies that now collect and analyze intelligence.

Running the center would be a new national intelligence director, reporting directly to the president at just below full Cabinet rank, with control over intelligence budgets and the ability to hire and fire deputies, including the CIA director and top intelligence officials at the FBI, Homeland Security Department and Defense Department.

Yet, the commission concludes, the biggest failing was one of imagination. You can’t legislate imagination. Other recommendations include:

…improved immigration screening to keep terrorists out of the country and a more focused foreign policy approach to reach out to moderate Muslims around the world.

The improved screening is a good idea. Reaching out to Muslims is one of those touchy-feely things that will never affect the desire of the radical few Muslims who want to kill non-Muslims. The results of this commission, though they may make some people feel better, will do little to make us safer if implemented.

Note that it didn’t recommend taking fucking tweezers from people.

Michelle Malkin, who blogs here, addresses how soccer moms are becoming security moms. And she has shirts!

Gun links are up!

Here’s a pretty good article on the doom and gloom rhetoric of the assault weapons ban:

There is one major flaw with the ban. It’s one that the critics bring up at some peril to law-abiding gun owners. It’s this: In mechanics and function, some of the banned weapons are not appreciably different than an array of rifles and shotguns that remain perfectly legal to manufacture. Generally speaking, the banned weapons look different than sporting arms. But functionally, they’re the same.

That’s one reason why Sept. 14 will not dawn with the staccato sounds of automatic fire. The assault weapon ban ended the manufacture and retail sale of certain weapons, but hardly dented the firepower at Americans’ disposal.

Governor Huckabee has criticized Kerry and Edwards on guns and rights:

Speaking at a gun club shooting range run by the Remington Arms company, Huckabee criticized Kerry’s comments that the Second Amendment right to bear arms should stop with state militia and should not extend to individuals. The governor also cautioned Southerners not to be fooled by North Carolina Senator John Edwards as Kerry’s running mate. The governor says Edwards will try to portray himself as a fellow Southerner when he does not hunt, fish, like NASCAR racing or country music.

Emphasis added. There’s your sportsmen candidate for you. I don’t hunt or fit any of those Southerner things but I understand gun rights.

Late start today, been busy but Michael has the latest VTP up.