Political Cortex: Brain Food for the Body Politic

At 16,000 lbs empty weight, the Bearcat comes complete with eleven gun ports, a radiation detector, inch and a half steel plate armor, and bullet-proof glass over two inches thick.  Obviously perfect for traffic stops and handling shoplifting cases down at the 7-11.

The Memphis suburb of Germantown doesn't have much violent crime and has never had a riot. What it does have is a brand new, $184,000, armored personnel carrier.

The vehicle, called BearCat, was bought with a Homeland Security grant.

And hey, Germantown is not the only place where terrorists better not be caught exceeding the speed limit.  Yuma, Arizona recently pitched out $214,000 of Homeland Security play bucks for a Bearcat of their own (I can only assume they got the touring edition with air conditioned leather seats and the boss stereo).  

The brand new state-of-the-art vehicle features an armored exterior capable of repelling multiple hits from an assault rifle, blast protection from explosions, bulletproof glass and tires, and a rotating roof hatch turret.

 That's right.  Homeland Security is spending the bucks on the best explosion-proof gear over here, because our soldiers couldn't possibly use them over there.  

Where did Yuma learn about the Bearcat?  From that other prime terrorist target, Long Beach, California, which already bought a kickass bearcat of their own (Palm Springs has one, too, but to their credit, they paid for it out of the petty cash drawer).  Santa Fe didn't stop with those paltry versions.  Their Bearcat cost $250,000.  I'm guessing it comes with power windows and a nav system.  Better yet, it's one of five Bearcats now protecting New Mexico against terrorist threats. Middleton, Wisconsin has one as well, also purchased with happy, happy Homeland Security play dollars.

It's good to see such careful use of our tax dollars in fighting the terrorist threat.  I know I'll sleep better.