We all knew that the passage of the Homeland Security bill was going to be a whole heap of trouble, but dig this:

In one last-minute addition, Representative Dick Armey, Republican of Texas, inserted a provision that was apparently intended to protect Eli Lilly, the pharmaceutical giant, from lawsuits over thimerosal, a mercury-based vaccine preservative that some parents contend has caused autism in their children.

In the name of defense for our great land, let let big pharmaceutical companies make our children sick. Rep. Dick Armey -- living up to his name.