A BUZZFLASH CHUCKLE ALERT

BUZZ: "The rate of violent crime in America increased last year for the first time since 1991, according to a new FBI report. The increase coincides with dramatic cuts to state and local law enforcement funding by Republicans each year since President Bush took office. The $2.3 billion recently approved by the House amounts to nearly half of the $4.5 billion appropriated in 2001.

In addition to the jump in violent crime overall, the rates also increased last year for murder, robbery, and aggravated assault. The rates for every category dropped steadily under President Clinton and his massive funding boosts for law enforcement.

These findings indicating that Americans are less safe under the Bush Administration come as they continue to spend billions in Iraq while gutting domestic police support and underfunding vital Homeland Security projects."

--- Bu..bu..but I thought we were becoming a "police state" under Bush? Yes, Clinton did an excellent job of buffing up the prison industry. He funded million$ in the gun buy back program that took a few old and broken guns off the street. He created Community Oriented Policing Services (COPS), a federal program from the 1994 Crime Bill "to increase community policing in local jurisdictions nationwide." What COPS accomplished is anyone's guess. It is said Clinton put 100,000 more cops on the street, yeharr Bubba. And, of course the ATF was kicking ass when Bill was boss.

If you look at FBI stats, such as this, you'll see in the 5 years after Clinton left office the US population has added another 15 million bodies. And that violent crime has dropped from 1,425,486 in 2000 to 1,390,695 in 2005. In fact, violent crime has dropped every year since 1994, according to DOJ.

And "underfunding vital Homeland … projects." Those terrarists gonna get us for sure.

Not really.

A new Explosive Detection System (EDS) designed to scan checked baggage at airports is here. Thanks to Analogic Corporation, Peabody, Massachusetts.

Know what's really odd? Analogic's "war on terror" deal netted the company $200 million in revenue in fiscal 2003, thanks to the need for "war on terror" products, yet last week "Senator Edward M. Kennedy, Senator John F. Kerry, and Congressman John F. Tierney announced that Analogic Corporation of Peabody will receive a grant for $199,000 from the Department of Homeland Security. Analogic will use the funds to improve baggage screening and implement new airport security technology."

Does that seem like chump change or what? Oh, nevermind, it's a grant (comes back as campaign contributions).