Attention anyone who voted for Bush because you think he's made you safe

The latest episode of Administration grandstanding about increasing American safety without actually doing anything constructive is its ban of cigarette lighters on airplanes. Now I don't have a problem with this; it seems silly that someone can bring something that can CREATE A FIRE in a high oxygen environment on a plane, though I believe you can still bring matches on board, so I'm not sure what the point is. However, it does create a problem for smokers, and those traveling with smokers, who have now had about an hour tacked onto the amount of time without a fix, which may result in some extreme nastiness occurring on planes on the part of smokers in the throes of a nicotine fit.

Still, it's not a major issue to me, except taken in the context of what remains perfectly legal: .50 caliber sniper rifles, available for purchase over the internet, that anyone, including terrorsts, can purchase. These rifles are capable of shooting armor-piercing bullets for a distance of 200 yards. This is more than enough distance for terrorists to shoot down civilian aircraft during takeoff and landing. Needless to say, gun kooks -- some of Bush's biggest supporters, and the guys with the biggest flags and the most ribbon magnets on their trucks -- are 100% opposed to any kinds of restrictions on this type of firearm, even though this is sort of like protecting your family with a nuclear warhead.