From the next President of the United States...Stand Your Ground Bill

As Florida Governor Jeb Bush prepares to assume the United States presidential office in 2009, he is already impressing the conservative base with his common sense and affirmation of the "culture of life".

Recently, Gov. Jeb Bush signed a bill giving Florida citizens the right to use guns or other deadly force in public. It's about time Americans stopped sissifying themselves by first trying to escape when confronted by a criminal.

The Florida measure, known as the "stand your ground" bill, lets people use guns in public much the way they're already allowed to use guns in their homes against intruders such as hobos and Halloween pranksters.

As Gov. Bush stated at a National Rifle Association Mother's Day breakfast, "What's the point of carrying a concealed weapon if you can't air it out once in a while?"

Simply stated, the measure lets a person "who is not engaged in unlawful activity and who is attacked in any other place where he or she has a right to be" use deadly force without first trying to flee.

Supposed you're at McDonald's buying a Quarter Pounder and the man next to you who is carrying one of those dangerous plastic knives decides to push you away from the napkin dispenser. In the old days, you'd have to walk away. But in Florida, you can shoot that so-and-so right between the eyes. No Floridian should have to feel humiliated at McDonald's ever again.

Suppose your child is in the school yard and a bully picks up a stone to throw at him. Instead of running away, your kid can simply open up his lunch box, pull out a revolver and blow that bully away. If that doesn't improve your child's self-esteem, nothing will.

Suppose you're a 90-year-old retiree in Miami Beach strolling along in your electric wheelchair when a purse snatcher threatens your life. Instead of trying to roll away, you can run your wheelchair over the assailant, hopefully killing him.

Suppose you're in the middle of a crowded street and some psycho attacks you. And suppose you shoot at the psycho and accidently kill a couple of folks just walking by. In the old days, a Floridian might find himself in hot water. But now, those innocent dead folks are just considered collateral damage, kind of like your everyday Iraqis.

Let's face it, if on 9/11 everyone on those four planes was carrying a concealed weapon, do you think those terrorists would have stood a chance of flying into the Twin Towers or Pentagon?

With Jeb Bush as President, I'm convinced that carrying weapons will become mandatory ensuring criminals no longer have the upper hand. While this won't have much effect in my home state of Texas, it'll sure make Massachusetts a lot safer.

Politics