Smart Bombs: Fear is awfully fearsome

Shortly after the election of President Barack Obama, there was a mad dash to gun shops for the types of weapons and ammunition that many folks feared the new president would outlaw. Shortly thereafter, this “gun-grabber” signed a bill allowing people to carry guns in national parks. He overturned the ban authored by Wyoming cowboy and then-Interior Secretary James Watt.

Just think of the hype if this buying spree were followed by an actual law that justified it.

It’s scary.

Recently, a bipartisan group of congressional representatives from border states sent this missive to Obama:

“Violence in the vicinity of the U.S.-Mexico border continues to increase at an alarming rate. We believe that this violence represents a serious threat to the national security of the United States as well as a serious threat to U.S. citizens that live along the 1,969-mile long border.”

Sounds perilous. Should be easy to support with facts. Well, the Associated Press reported the following on Thursday:

“It’s one of the safest parts of America, and it’s getting safer. It’s the U.S.-Mexico border, and even as politicians say more federal troops are needed to fight rising violence, government data obtained by the Associated Press show it actually isn’t so dangerous after all.”

As it turns out, the safest law enforcement job is with the U.S. Border Patrol. We’ve heard a lot about that San Diego agent who was murdered last year by an illegal immigrant, but did you know that it was the first time a border patrol agent had been gunned down since 1989? Meanwhile, four police officers were slain in a matter of seconds at a Lakeland, Wash., coffee shop last year.

Just think of the hype if that had happened along the southern border.

It’s scary.

According to the FBI, the top four big cites with the lowest violent crime rates are near the border: San Diego, Phoenix, El Paso and Austin. The AP also obtained the latest Customs and Border Protection study, which shows that last year 3 percent of border personnel were assaulted, mostly with thrown rocks. This is a decline over recent years. Meanwhile, 11 percent of city and county law enforcement officers were attacked nationwide, mostly with guns and knives.

“The border is safer now than it’s ever been,” U.S. Customs and Border Protection spokesman Lloyd Easterling told the AP.

Nonetheless, Obama is pandering to the power of perception by vowing to send 1,200 National Guard troops to the border and to spend $500 million on security. His former campaign foe, U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., says he would send five times as many troops.

Imagine the size of the force and the amount of spending if the problem were actually getting worse.

It’s scary.

Inside joke. When Dino Rossi finally decided to run for the U.S. Senate, fellow GOP candidate Don Benton, a state senator from Vancouver, said this about staying in the race: “We can no longer look to the establishment to turn our economy and our country around. The people want an independent voice that will take on both parties and stand up for common sense and fiscal responsibility.”

Candidate Clint Didier, a Connell farmer and former professional football player, also affixed the establishment tag to Rossi, saying voters had a choice between a “GOP established candidate or a citizen statesman who is a part of the grass-roots movement.” Didier’s “down with The Man” message has made him the favorite of the populist tea party. He’s also Sarah Palin-approved.

So, naturally, when Benton bowed out of the race on Friday, he remembered that the people want an outsider and endorsed Didier, right? Wrong. He’s back inside with Rossi.

No experience required. I’m really tired of candidates who run against “career politicians,” then turn around and ask to be re-elected based on their experience. If they wanted to stop political careerism, they’d resign and go back to their old jobs, paving the way for an endless progression of inexperienced candidates trashing the job they seek.

Is that how they do it in the business world?

Boss: “You’ve never done this sort of work. So why are you applying for the job?”

Candidate: “You’re a failure. The company is a mess. Experienced people have run it into the ground. It’s time to burn the résumés and give unqualified people a chance.”