BIG GOVERNMENT

Yet more evidence that we’re getting more government: Bush signs “Amber Alert” bill:

With Elizabeth Smart and her parents looking on, President Bush on Wednesday signed a far-reaching child protection bill that creates a nationwide system to help find kidnapped children and imposes tougher penalties on child abusers, kidnappers and pornographers.

I certainly support the goal of the bill and am not sure it is particularly objectionable in its substance, although I’m not really sure it’s within the scope of what the federal government should be doing.

Also, I find “Amber Alert” to be a bit confusing given the Homeland Security Alert Code system. So, we’re currently signing Amber Alert into law but are currently in Condition Yellow, down from Orange.

FILED UNDER: Iraq War
James Joyner
About James Joyner
James Joyner is Professor and Department Head of Security Studies at Marine Corps University's Command and Staff College. He's a former Army officer and Desert Storm veteran. Views expressed here are his own. Follow James on Twitter @DrJJoyner.

Comments

  1. John Lemon says:

    It would be much less confusing if the kid it was named after — Amber — was actually called Sonya. In LA they have Sig alerts named after some old traffic reporter named Sig.