Supreme irony

According to an article moved by the Associated Press yesterday: “The National Rifle Association is urging the Bush administration to withdraw its support of a bill that would prohibit suspected terrorists from buying firearms.

“Backed by the Justice Department, the measure would give the attorney general the discretion to block gun sales, licenses or permits to terror suspects.

“In a letter this week to Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, NRA executive director Chris Cox said the bill, offered last week by Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., ‘would allow arbitrary denial of Second Amendment rights based on mere 'suspicions' of a terrorist threat.

"’As many of our friends in law enforcement have rightly pointed out, the word 'suspect' has no legal meaning, particularly when it comes to denying constitutional liberties,’ Cox wrote.”

The ironies here are supreme…

Not two days ago, citing his commitment to the “culture of life,” Bush warned the Congress that he would summarily veto any legislation that he believed would expand access to abortions. However, this was also the same president who, upon hearing of the shooting death of more than 30 Virginia Tech students, at the same time he expressed his condolences for the victims’ families also thought it was appropriate to remind everyone of our constitutional right to bear arms.

The NRA cites the U.S. Constitution to underpin its position. But the administration it is addressing has had no trouble ignoring the Constitution by spying illegally on Americans, by detaining people without charge, by torturing people who are “suspected” of being terrorists. However, the administration, according to the NRA, should defend the terrorists’ constitutional right to buy a gun.

You just have to laugh…