He Said "Fire", huh huh huh!

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Okay, put this one down in the "OHG, laws that supersede common sense" catagory - showing that you don't need to be a republican or a democrat to have a frontal lobotomy, just be employed by the federal government. If I've caught your attention, here is the story in a nutshell. The Feds want to change the rules regarding who can drive gasoline tankers and trucks loaded with explosives and hazardous materials. They want to allow convicted arsonists the ability to obtain permits to drive these trucks, but they wish to deny the special licenses to murderers and convicted racketeers.

Oh yeah, if I'm a convicted arsonist, I'm now like Beavis and Butthead, sitting in the corner, mumbling, "Fire, huh huh huh, he said fire, huh huh." And, oh yeah, I'm real worried that a 'convicted racketeer' is going to be a menace with a tanker of gasoline - especially when I do a direct mental comparison to a convicted arsonist.

But wait, like any good 'special offer' it doesn't stop there, yes, there's more - the feds plan offer more, but it won't cost us more (well, okay, you know I'm trying to mimick the TV offers). The Feds also want to include, at no extra charge, the ability to give the special licenses needed to haul explosives and hazardous materials to citizens of Mexico and Canada, along with people who have entered the United States under asylum visas or as refugees.

This change is coming about because of the 'Patriot Act', a law that, for the most part I support. However, I have to ask, where are the republicans or democrats who need to be questioning this bit of stupidity? The democrats whined about the feds being given the right (under the Patriot Act) to look at library records - something that has never happened. So looking at library records is sacred but allowing a convicted arsonist, a possible 'foreign citizen' (mexican or canadian - could be fake documents, could be a terrorist) the right to drive tankers full of hazardous materials is just fine. Hey, I'm not going to let the republicans off the hook, why aren't they making a fuss?

Hey folks, this is just plain crazy, time to ring up some congressmen (and women) and ask that this issue be revisited. It doesn't mean we need to repeal the Patriot Act, it does mean that we need be on the watch when stupid ideas come from it, or any other well intentioned law.

More Later