Body Integrity Identity Disorder is an extremely odd state of mind, in which individuals desire to have one or more limbs amputated for no medical reason. Another less scientific label used to describe these people… amputee wannabes.

I have watched a couple of documentary pieces on the subject, yet despite the intimate interviews with sufferers, I always come away perplexed why anyone would be consumed by such a desire. Why long for a handicap that can only make life difficult, not only for themselves, but also for those who are close to them?

The texture of that troubling question is familiar as I watched Congressional Democrats such as Reps. Jim Moran and Jim McDermott, and our very own Ron Paul (who seems to be for a strong military, so long as we only use it to fight Mexicans on our southern border). They were discussing an otherwise quiet funding request, to modify our B2 stealth bomber fleet, giving those valuable planes the ability to carry and deliver heavy MOP bombs.

The Massive Ordinance Penetrator, or MOP, is a non-nuclear weapon designed to pierce the ground and destroy buried targets. There was another weapon under development, since scuttled by the military, which used a small nuclear warhead for this purpose. The MOP is apparently quite effective and capable of doing the job.

Underground-fortified targets, which potentially could use a good MOP-ping, are located in at least three countries. Afghanistan, North Korea, and Iran all have special surprises hidden beneath the surface, and all of these shadowy hobby-shops contain either people or weapons, protected from destruction by conventional means.

What perhaps is most distressing about the obstructionist activities of these Congressmen is that they are not discussing the merits of spending eighty-million dollars on the B2 upgrades, but rather are “afraid” that if the MOP upgrade is available, President Bush will use it to attack Iran. It is especially distressing in light of the fact, that our inability to reach such targets, which may very well need to be “reached”, has been widely discussed in recent years, yet the military-despising Representatives, somehow find wisdom in maintaining the status quo.

Therefore, I see little difference between this attitude of the intentional hamstringing of our military capabilities and the incomprehensible desire to cut one’s own leg off… or perhaps worse, one’s own collection of family jewels. At least, “Body Integrity Disorder” is something that directly harms, only the afflicted individual.

The desire by members in Congress to perform Castration by Proxy on our military capabilities will put our Air Force personnel in jeopardy. If a time comes when we need to use these heavy weapons, the aircraft capable of carrying them are not equipped for stealth, and their crews will be exposed unnecessarily. Fortunately, we have an opportunity to amputate a few troublesome Congressional appendages, and these amputations, by no means, are unnecessary.