Of Course, Some are More Equal Than Others...

Instapundit points to this story (Yes, I know everybody reads him, but I want to archive this one myself) about Florida State Attorney John Tanner attempting to board a commercial flight with a handgun in his luggage - undeclared.

Airport Security Finds Gun In State Attorney's Suitcase

Tanner Skips Flight To Buy Lock Box

Security officials at Daytona Beach International Airport found a handgun in State Attorney John Tanner's suitcase Tuesday.

A spokesman said it was an honest mistake, WESH NewsChannel 2 reported.

Tanner was traveling on his first hunting trip since security was increased at airports. The gun was not loaded.

Tanner had to skip the flight to buy a lock box to put the gun on board.

So, Mr. Tanner is a handgun hunter? And he, a State Attorney, was not aware of the law? It was only an honest mistake? And he was not arrested and charged, merely delayed so he could buy a proper box to transport the weapon in?

Had Mr. Tanner been John Q. Public, John Q. would be charged.

I fucking hate the "we're from the government" double-standard.

Justice Louis Brandeis had something to say about this:

Decency, security and liberty alike demand that government officials shall be subject to the rules of conduct that are commands to the citizen. In a government of laws, existence of government will be imperiled if it fails to observe the law scrupulously. Our government is the potent, omnipresent teacher. For good or ill, it teaches the whole people by example. Crime is contagious. If the government becomes a law-breaker, it breeds contempt for the law. It invites every man to become a law unto himself. It invites anarchy. —U.S. v. Olmstead, 277 U.S. 438 (1928), Justice Brandeis, dissenting

Instead, they've done what government has always done - set up one group as a "priviledged class" against the common proles.