Culture of Life

TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (Reuters) - People in Florida will be allowed to kill in self-defense on the street without trying to flee under a new law passed by state politicians on Tuesday that critics say will bring a Wild West mentality and innocent deaths.

The Florida House of Representatives, citing the need to allow people to "stand their ground," voted 94-20 to codify and expand court rulings that already allow people to use deadly force to protect themselves in their homes without first trying to escape.

The new bill goes further by allowing citizens to use deadly force in a public place if they have a reasonable belief they are in danger of death or great bodily harm. It applies to all means of force that may result in death, although the legislative debate focused on guns.

The "Stand Your Ground" bill passed the Senate last week on a 39-0 vote and now goes to Republican Gov. Jeb Bush, who indicated he will sign it.

It's so much neater to just kill the guy than to walk away from confrontation, isn't it? That whole "turn the other cheek" thing, well, that's crazy talk. You'd have to be the Pope or something to not want to kill someone who'd shot you!

And just fear of great bodily harm is certainly a reason to gun someone down in the street. Why wait for a crime to actually be committed, and then spend money on a trial with a verdict?

I don't want to demean all Floridians, but I gotta think that a law like this, in a state that is home to the kind of clear-thinkers seen regularly on Spike TV's Carpocalypse, is going to get bloody. I guess the only way to have Jeb fighting for your life is to suffer immense brain damage and persist in a vegetative state.

Let's give a big hand to Florida, for exceeding expectations.