Speaking of idiot politicians and bureaucrats,

including those in the Secret Service,
Graduating midshipmen of the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis are being told in writing to leave at home or in their vehicles all "ceremonial swords" and anything else "that might be considered a weapon or a threat by screeners" for Friday's outdoor commencement ceremonies featuring an address by President Barack Obama.

Inside the Beltway has obtained the academy's list of prohibited items for this year's graduation exercises, which, besides ceremonial swords, includes umbrellas.
Because someone who just spent four years working his ass off to get there is going to charge the stand with a dull sword just because- I have no freakin' idea- and the Secret Service and their sidearms and sub-guns are going to become magically useless or something.

Years back I knew a professor who was very big into Revolutionary War recreation. At one of the BIG ones in 1976, the President was going to speak. Couple of- as the prof put it- SS bastards walked up to the gate of the fort where Gen. Washington was meeting with his staff. Two guys on guard at the gate crossed their bayonetted muskets and asked what they wanted.
"We're going to look the place over." They didn't say "We're Secret Service and need to look things over for the President's trip", just tried to bull in.
"Do you have permission from General Washington?"
"We don't need it!"
"Without it, you're not going in." At which point they did ID themselves, but the guards wouldn't budge; they knew, like everyone else, the Pres wasn't coming to the fort, and the agents attitude just didn't help matters at all.

They would not let the guys in, despite various threats; one of them started to push through and one of the guards stepped back, prepared a buttstroke and said "I wouldn't try that." He meant it, too. The pair finally went away promising Dire Punishments for those guards for daring to prevent them from going where they wanted. Nothing happened, some supervisor apparently asking something like "Do you really want to arrest two guys guarding a gate because they wouldn't let you in? The President isn't even going there!" This prof had had high respect for the Secret Service before that few days, just on general principle; after spending a couple of days with them acting as some of them tend to, he referred to them as 'the SS'. When he wasn't using a word or two referring to their doubtful parentage.