Florida Governor Jeb Bush has gleefully signed into law a provision that makes it legal not only for Florida residents to carry around guns, but to use them in public to shoot to kill whenever they feel threatened. The "Stand Your Ground" bill, in direct contradiction to the Biblical "turn the other cheek" philosophy, enjoys the enthusiastic support of the National Rifle Association. Good Christians, of course, would know which choice to make. Unfortunately, I doubt there are enough good Christians in Florida to make any difference. Certainly there are none in the Governor's mansion.

Critics of the new law feel that it will turn Florida into a "wild west" society. Shoot first and ask questions later. Take the law into your own hands. Combining this new vigilanteism from Governor Bush with the pre-emptive strike doctrine of President Bush is bound to have some interesting and lethal permutations in the future. It's hard to tell which one is the EVIL twin brother.

I feel this is a bad thing because it is just not a good idea for everyone to be carrying around guns. But there's a more disturbing aspect to this. Someone needs to investigate why ordinary American citizens feel the need to use lethal force in pubic to defend themselves. That is certainly an indictment of the American legal system and the innumerable law enforcement representatives our tax dollars employ. A safe and sane society would feel that the laws and institutions of the nation would offer enough protections to maintain the public safety. It is evident that the citizens of Florida feel that Governor Bush's administration cannot protect them, and their only recourse is to take matters into their own hands. The Governor would appear to agree with that assessment. I guess he would know.

The hallmark of a good society is a citizenry that feels safe. It has been a long and arduous journey for mankind to drag itself out of barbarism and into enlightenment. Florida seems to be going the other way. Let's hope that state is an aberration and not an indication of things to come.