Bush protects the wrong people, and TSA doesn't protect anybody
Two (mostly) unrelated stories caught my eye today; both have to do with protecting the wrong interests.
First, President Bush has refused to sign a defense spending bill; his reasons were curious:
And then Friday, with no warning, a vacationing Bush announced he will veto a sweeping military policy bill because of an obscure provision that could expose Iraq's new government to billions of dollars in legal claims dating to Saddam Hussein's rule.
[...]
The provision would expand the ability of Americans to seek financial compensation from countries that supported or sponsored terrorist acts, including Libya, Iran and Iraq under Hussein.
Just who exactly is Bush protecting?
In a "statement of disapproval," or pocket veto that lets the bill expire Dec. 31, Bush said the provision could result in preliminary injunctions freezing Iraqi assets in American banks - $20 billion to $30 billion, according to a senior administration official - and even affect commercial ventures with U.S. businesses.
Oh. I guess that means contracts for Halliburton and Blackwater in Iraq are more important than justice for the victims of tyranny. Those are some pretty screwed up values, though sadly typical of this administration.
Next in today's Absurdity Parade, we see the latest idiocy from TSA:
Simply speaking, the rules are that you can't pack spare lithium batteries in your checked luggage and can bring spare batteries with you in your carry-on luggage -- up to a point.
That "point" is reached by any battery larger than one you'd find in a cell phone, digital camera, or laptop. External battery packs probably won't be allowed, even in carry-on luggage. I've used one of these for about five years now without ever setting a plane on fire, but I guess this means I won't be able to travel with that battery pack any longer. The battery pack I've carried safely on at least a dozen trans-Atlantic flights suddenly has become a flight hazard.
The stated reason behind this rule change is breathtaking in its sheer stupidity:
These [prohibited batteries] are batteries with uncovered electrical contacts, which, if touched by other metal objects could cause an explosion and fire during a flight.
TSA has this page, which attempts to explain away their latest unthinking nonsense.
Goofball rules like these do not protect the public in any way; they only protect the existence of TSA as an institution. Although TSA grows more absurd as every day passes, its mission seems to be to protect itself by scaring the public into thinking there are more dangers around us than we realize.
Like Bush's veto of the tyrant liability provision, the morons heading the TSA are protecting the wrong interests.