Trying to sell your house is dangerous business these days. Ask John Pitner, the founder of the Washington State Militia--he listed his family home in Deming, WA for sale, back in the summer of 1996. After showing the home to some prospective buyers, six days later he wound up being arrested and jailed. The "buyers" turned out to be FBI agents, casing the premises--without a warrant.

Pitner remains in federal custody to this day, held at the new SEATAC Federal Detention Center in Seattle, WA, but he's not serving a prison sentence. Though convicted of a federal firearms violation in March 1997, on the sole testimony of a paid undercover informant, he has never been sentenced for that, or any other crime.

In the words of a smiling FBI agent on the day of Pitner's arrest, "Well, Mr. Pitner...it looks like we don't have anything on you, but we're going to keep you in jail for a couple of years anyway." In five more months, that general threat will have become an absolute reality.

Pitner's nightmare began on July 27, 1996, when he was arrested for possession of illegal firearms and conspiracy to construct explosive devices. Eleven other persons, including three more members of the Bellingham militia unit, as well as several members of a Freeman group from Tacoma, were also arrested and charged in the case.

Pitner, who had resigned his position as WSM Director in May, 1996, having suffered a stroke three months earlier, adamantly maintains he is innocent of all charges. There is substantial reason to believe he is telling the truth.

The government's star witness against Pitner was a paid undercover informant named Ed Mauerer. Mauerer, a convicted felon, volunteered to infiltrate the militia group for the FBI. The FBI arranged for Mauerer's release from his cell in the Whatcom County Jail where he was serving time for writing bad checks to cover numerous unpaid debts, and began paying him over $2,000 per month to infiltrate and spy on the Washington State Militia.

Over the next year Mauerer provided his FBI handlers with a variety of information concerning the militia and Freeman groups -- that they were stockpiling dynamite, hand grenades and automatic weapons (purportedly stored in Pitner's garage), training to kill FBI agents, planning to assassinate David Rockefeller when he came to visit Olympic National Park, and that they had possession of night vision devices stolen from nearby Ft. Lewis, WA. As a result of these reports, the FBI initiated a full field investigation of the WSM and inserted an undercover FBI agent into the Tacoma Freeman group.

At that juncture, evidently to ensure the safety of their undercover operative, the FBI decided to administer a polygraph examination to Mauerer, primarily to find out whether he had told anyone of his role in the on-going operation -- but he was also asked to corroborate his earlier reports concerning WSM activities.

Mauerer could not pass the lie-detector test. On three separate occasions, he failed, and it was not until he had admitted to lying about his earlier reports--and more specifically, about John Pitner's involvement in any illegal activities--that he was able to pass a subsequent test. Despite this, the FBI proceeded with their investigation and placed their undercover agent in position. Pitner's arrest, and those of the others, were the eventual result.

During the subsequent trial, Federal Judge John C. Coughenour suppressed the information concerning Mauerer's failure to pass those polygraph examinations, and the defense therefore was not allowed to present that evidence to the jury. Mauerer then took the stand for the prosecution, and, testifing under oath, repeated the same charges against Pitner that he could not sustain under polygraph examination.

The jury ultimately deadlocked on the conspiracy charges against the defendants -- but Pitner was convicted on a single charge of possessing and transferring an illegal weapon, solely on the testimony of informant Mauerer, who had "brokered" the sale. The WSM member who actually owned the weapon (a Korean-war vintage UZI machine-gun brought home from that war by his father) later pleaded guilty to the sale and submitted a sworn affidavit to the court that Pitner was in no way involved. Judge Coughenour accepted the guilty plea, sentenced him, and dismissed his affidavit on Pitner's behalf as inappropriate.

Since that time, John Pitner has remained incarcerated while the government decides whether to seek a re-trial on conspiracy charges against him and the other defendants. Under the rules for prisoners who are held at FDC SEATAC without formal sentence, he is not allowed any visitors except for immediate family, and is only entitled to medical treatment for serious emergencies. He cannot access the prison law library to assist in his appeal.

As Samuel Johnson, the noted English author, once observed, "The power of punishment is to silence, not to refute." Like so many others who have raised their voices against the encroachment of Tyranny, John Pitner is a modern-day example of the aptness of that quote.

Cards and letters of encouragement can be sent to:

John Pitner, #26151-086/4B09

FDC SEATAC, P.O. Box 68976

Seattle, WA 98168

No, that's not a quote from a militia leader; those are the words of House Republican Whip Tom DeLay of Texas.

DeLay said that judges "...need to uphold the Constitution. If they don't behave, we're going after them in a big way." DeLay is pushing for "...impeachment of so-called activist judges who allegedly make rulings that conform to their own views rather than the law," according to an AP release Feb. 2, 1998.

Jerome Shestach, president of the American Bar Association and its 346,000 lawyers, complained that some members of Congress are trying to intimidate federal judges. "I have no objection to healthy criticism," said Shestack. "Every lawyer who appeals is criticizing a ruling."

"Healthy criticism" is small consolation to the untold thousands serving time in prison because a judge interpreted the Constitution his way. Judges are ruining peoples lives because they refuse to observe original intent -- and they get upset when they're threatened with "healthy criticism"? The AP article was titled "Judicial Independence At Risk." "Independent" of what? The Constitution perhaps? "Judicial Independence" may be the single greatest reason why our Constitution doesn't work today. Thomas Jefferson, more than anyone else, recognized the potential for corruption in our judiciary long before it materialized.

Here's a sample of the "Judicial Supremacy" attitude that plagues our legal system and has crippled our Constitution:

"Obviously we Americans must accept that upon judges, and particularly Justices of the Supreme Court, rests a great share of the delicate responsibility of deciding what must be preserved and what must be changed, what we shall protect and what we shall abandon." -- Supreme Court Justice William Brennan, Nov. 21, 1982

In other words, the Constitution says whatever the Supreme Court wants it to say. And we're expected to accept the dictates of nine people intoxicated with power who have placed their opinions over the written Constitution without challenge? Someone needs a serious reality check here.

Shestack went on to denounce "militia groups bent on putting judges out of office for decisions with which they don't agree." It was only a matter of time before the "M" word would be used to stigmatize critics of the federal judiciary. It may be a good sign, however, when Congressmen and militia groups are calling for the same actions against the judiciary.

The fact of the matter is that militias are not responsible for a renewed interest in our corrupt legal system. That credit goes to men like Mike Brown. He has been teaching, both on radio and in seminars, how to file 372s, i.e. Judicial Misconduct Complaints, against corrupt federal judges. Credit also goes to Harvey Wysong from Atlanta. Both these individuals go after judicial corruption with pit bull tenacity. If you'd like to be the first person on your block to file a 372 and need more information, contact:

Mike Brown

P.O. Box 4884

Springfield, MO 65808

* * *

Harvey Wysong

701 Longleaf Dr.

Atlanta, GA 30342

Now we know why the Communist Chinese government may have been willing to spend millions to infiltrate the Clinton White House. What better place to learn the art of propaganda -- from Hillary Rodham Clinton, of course!

Veteran Chinese propagandist Yu Quanyu, director of the press and media Institute of Social Sciences, recently urged Communist Party officials to educate themselves in Western propaganda techniques, citing as a blueprint speeches given by the First Lady.

Mr. Yu's extraordinary observations are quoted in the journal Ideological and Political Work Studies and reprinted in the Far Eastern Economic Review, which made its way to Washington.

Mr. Yu, you see, is highly impressed with Mrs. Clinton's speeches before the masses, particularly her addresses to the United Nation's International Women's forum in Beijing in 1995. Each speech, he noted, lasted "fifteen minutes, winning seven or eight rounds of applause each."

More astonishing, Mr. Yu noted, was that Mrs. Clinton's addresses contained little or no substance and had no reasoning whatsoever. Instead, he said, they were "aimed at merely winning applause and votes."

Mr. Yu said Chinese propagandists, in homage to Mrs. Clinton, must "assimilate certain skills" as demonstrated by the First Lady, in order to "engage in a public opinion struggle with our political adversaries."

Note: If Mr. Yu thinks Hillary is good, he should be enthralled with her husband. --Ed.

A few months back I was vacationing in Nevada, just north of Laughlin. I was picked out of a line of cars and pulled over, supposedly for speeding. I was never given a ticket (I wasn't speeding), but he ran my license, asked a few questions about where I was going, and my rental car. During this time, another cop pulls up, and the first cop goes back to him, they start talking, then he returns my papers and tells me I can go--no ticket.

He's now walking back to his car as I'm putting my items away. Just as I'm about to pull back into the street, I notice him walking back to my car, but not looking so cheery anymore. He now has his hand on his gun, and stared at me like he was expecting a fire fight to break out. Now he tells me "You have dirt on your car," as if it's something unusual. Remember, I'm in the desert, all alone, and every side street a dirt road! Next he asks me if I have any guns or drugs in my car. I told him no, they're too hard to sneak on the plane (I flew here for vacation).

About now, I think another four vehicles (jeeps, suburbans, and cars) pulled up around me, and everyone got out facing me. Needless to say, I was beginning to fear something very bad was about to happen to me. Now the first tyrant tells me he wants to search my vehicle, and my first reaction was to say "No, I'll tell you if I have whatever you're interested in." I ended up letting them search (say what you want...you weren't in my shoes) as they had the look of a street gang with guns, itching to use them, and I was out in the middle of nowhere, with no witnesses.

At this point, a few began the process of ransacking my car. A few moments into it, one of the officers pulled me away from the area around the vehicle, and said he doesn't want me near the officers while they search. Now I start getting interrogated as to who I am, why I'm there, where I'm going now and where I rented my car, what I plan on doing while in the area, etc., etc. As if that wasn't enough, once the first guy finished, the next in line started with the same questions all over again, as if checking to see if my story would change and wasn't able to remember what I told the first guy. This happened about four times.

A while later, after failing to find any bombs, drugs, guns or other naughty items, and after so generously rearranging my car for me, they tell me to go, and have a nice day.

Yeah, right. And I thought I was going on vacation to escape the stress for a while. Where I live, in Nazi Jersey, it is next to impossible to get a concealed carry permit. I'm not a violent felon, either. Could it be we militiamen have been added to some sort of list? If so, it most likely wasn't some code on my license. Remember, he checked that, found nothing, returned it to me and went back to his car. Only then did he come back, pale faced, with hand on his gun. Did some other little tidbit of info come back on me that shook him? Hmmm?

K. B., NJ Militia

"Whatever right the Second Amendment protects is not as important as it was 200 years ago. The government should deconstitutionalize the subject by repealing the embarrassing Amendment." -- Conservative (?) columnist, George Will

The 1998 "Macho Man of the Year" award goes to none other that our beloved President, Bill Clinton.

That was the decision of the 5,000-member Macho Movement of the southeastern state of Minas Gerais, Brazil. Macho Movement's president, Luiz Mario, announced that a "diploma" was sent to the Brazilian embassy in Washington, D.C., to be delivered to the White House.

Question: What is the appropriate "reference amount" for breath mints "per freshening occasion" in the course of "breath malodor elimination?"

Knowing that millions of Tic Tac and Certs users across the country have pondered this perplexing question, the Food and Drug Administration did a six year study to find out. We won't bore you with their findings, we just want to know how much this idiotic study cost the taxpayers.

"Mr. Speaker, students in Alabama are skipping school protesting the fact that they are not allowed to pray. Think about it. Even though America has guns, rape, drugs, even heroin and murder in our schools, students are not allowed to pray. Unbelievable. A school without prayer is a school without God and a nation that denies prayer is a nation that denies God; and a nation that denies God is a nation that just may welcome the devil.

"Members of Congress, the Constitution may separate church and State, but the Founders never intended to separate God and the American people.

"I yield back any common sense and logic we have left." -- Rep. James Traficant, Nov. 7, 1997

Editor's note: Traficant is not your typical politician. We received the following information via email: Before getting involved in politics he was a sheriff. He once made headlines for refusing to enforce foreclosure orders on the homes of several unemployed workers. Openly defying a court order, Traficant spent three days in jail to protest the proceedings and draw attention to the plight of the unemployed homeowners. He also introduced legislation in 1993 to shift the burden of proof in federal tax fraud cases from the taxpayer to the IRS to ensure that taxpayers targeted by the IRS are considered innocent until proven guilty. Second note: Unfortunately he is also a gun grabber, having voted for the Brady Act.

Gun laws in Japan are so severe that the mere possession of a bullet carries a $10,000 fine and a five-year prison term?

While Japan has the strictest gun laws in the world the Japanese may have a greater interest in firearms than Americans.

A friend of NJM recently returned to the U.S. after living in Tokyo for five years. He said there are "gun shops" in Japan that sell plastic reproductions of firearms that are so authentic looking that it's almost impossible to recognize them as fakes--and he is a former FFL holder and a graduate of a gunsmithing school in Colorado! He said some Japanese firearms "experts" can rattle off the history of firearms manufacture, ballistics, etc., with ease--though they've never fired a shot in their lives.

Another American icon in Japan is Frank Loveless, renowned for his custom knives. Loveless is so revered in Japan that when he walks into a bar, has a few beers and smokes a few cigarettes, bar owners place a glass covering over the ashtray with a note saying that these butts were smoked by Frank Loveless, including the date they were snuffed. No one is ever allowed to use that ash tray again--nor the bar stool he sat on. Our friend said these sacred butts and bar stools can be found in many taverns in Tokyo. Now that's respect!

"GOA's State and Local Affairs Director Dennis Fusaro, who witnessed the incident, was shocked. 'What is this?' said Fusaro, 'The New Mexico House, or Animal House?' Lutz asked Fusaro not to act on his first impulse by returning the favor to Taylor."

Now that's not respect!

Source: Gunowners of America Email Alert, Feb. 17, 1998

Ed.: GOA Alerts are free and aren't limited to GOA members. To subscribe send an email message to goamail@gunowners.org. In the subject field type the word Network, and in the message body type the name of your state.

The State of New Jersey's Department of Labor is attempting through administrative action to prohibit the private possession of smokeless and black powder in the State of New Jersey.

This proposed action affects all firearms owners whether or not you reload your own ammunition. If a division of the State Government can prohibit the possession of gun powder, (in this case by requiring a permit and an annual fee of $150.00 for the mere possession of gunpowder) they can attempt to do the same with ammunition and firearms under the guise of "safe storage requirements." This is a ban on ammunition, period! To be sure, New York's anti-gun U.S. Senator Daniel Moynihan has publicly admitted that it is difficult to ban guns because there are too many. The Senator has in the past proposed a tax on ammunition of 10,000 percent. A gun without ammunition is useless. The N.J. Department of Labor has taken the same route, "to tax reloaders out of existence."

The Coalition of New Jersey Sportsmen questions whether the agency even has the authority to regulate what you do in your own home. The Department of Labor is charged with enforcing the State's child labor and work place safety laws. They have no authority to permit and regulate what individuals do in the privacy of their own homes. This is an example of a State Agency overstepping their bounds? Remember the runny egg rule promulgated by the Florio Department of Health? We do!

Call (609) 292-2323 or fax (609) 292-9271 and protest the Labor Commissioner's attempt to ban affordable ammunition! -- From the Coalition of New Jersey Sportsmen

Dear Mayor Katz,

I am the Liaison & Intelligence Officer for the Oregon Militia. As such, I am only a messenger. I suggest you take very seriously what I am about to relay to you from the Oregon Militia Command.

Ms. Katz, upon taking office, you took an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution of the United States. The Constitution you swore to uphold includes the Bill of Rights. Within the Bill of Rights is contained protections against unreasonable search and seizures, as well as the right of the Militia (the people) to keep and bear Arms.

Portland police officers recently broke into a home without a search or arrest warrant. The occupant of that home shot three of those police officers, killing one and wounding two others. The occupant of the home was also wounded in the exchange. The police officers who broke into the home had also sworn an oath to uphold and defend the Constitution.

Although sworn police officers are also citizens, they are held to a higher legal standard because their education and training with regard to constitutional constraints is greater than that afforded to the average citizen. Every report of this incident, both public and private, indicates that these police officers did not have probable cause to violate the constitutional prohibition against unreasonable search in this case. It appears obvious that the resident had every right to use whatever force was necessary to repel the unwarranted invaders of his home.

Ms. Katz, this is not an issue involving illegal drugs. The various Militias throughout the United States do not support abusive drug use in any form, and recognize the debilitating effects of drug abuse. Rather, this is an issue that directly confronts the constitutional rights afforded the citizens of the United States and the State of Oregon. A citizen suspected of criminal behavior is guaranteed the right of being deemed innocent until proven guilty by a jury of his or her peers in a court of law. The police officers in this case deemed this citizen to be guilty of a crime based entirely upon the scent of burning marijuana, and broke into his home without benefit of judicial warrant. These police officers could not have determined with certainly that the scent of burning marijuana was emanating from the home they broke into, and therefore lacked every legal basis for breaking into the home.

As a result, a lady police officer is dead. Another lady police officer is seriously wounded. Another male officer was slightly wounded. The resident of the home is wounded and in critical condition. None of this would have happened had your police officers obeyed the law. In this case, it was your police officers who violated well established constitutional constraints and became the criminals themselves.

Ms. Katz, the United States Militias began forming in 1993 in direst response to the outrageous violations of constitutional law by federal, state and local law enforcement agencies. Many of these violations resulted in the needless deaths and injuries of citizens defending themselves against both misdirected and excessive force. The United States Militias are a constitutionally empowered law enforcement organization of citizens. The Militia will enforce constitutional law in cases where sworn law enforcement officers have failed to perform their duty, or where sworn law enforcement officers have themselves violated established constitutional constraints.

The Oregon Militia fully expects you, as a sworn public servant, to do your duty with regard to this deplorable incident, and to take disciplinary action against the police officers who participated in this lawless act. If you fail to perform your sworn duty in this matter, the Militia will commence enforcement actions of its own. This is the message I have been instructed to give you as the Liaison Officer. All members concurring.

Yours very truly,

Carl F. Worden

Liaison & Intelligence Officer

Southern Oregon Militia

Update: An AP press release out of Portland, OR, Feb. 25, 1998, reported that: "The man [Steven Dons] accused of fatally shooting a police officer during a marijuana raid last month killed himself in jail this morning, police said."

An AP story out of Pensacola, FL, reported that "A 5-year-old kindergartner was arrested for allegedly biting and scratching her 51-year-old school counselor.

The parents were notified of the arrest warrant and had to bring their daughter, Chaquita, in to be fingerprinted and processed.

"Can you imagine what it's like to have your daughter fingerprinted and escorted by a deputy to a juvenile facility?" asked the father, Lee Middleton.

The 5-year-old was accused of scratching and biting the counselor--not an easy crime to commit considering the little girl has 4 front teeth missing.

The charges are expected to be dropped.

The New Jersey Committee of Safety, of which NJM is a founding member, sent the following letter, ordinance and resolution to forty-five freeholders and fifty-three mayors in the Pinelands, which has been designated a United Nations International Biosphere Reserve without the elected officials' knowledge or consent. -- Ed.

Dear [Elected Official],

With the knowledge and conviction that the people of New Jersey have instituted representative government in order to protect themselves from arbitrary power the enclosed Unacceptable Species Ordinance and Resolution are offered for your consideration. Though the State reportedly will not introduce bears into the Pinelands at this time that decision could be reversed on a moments notice.

Furthermore, as bizarre as it may seem, you should be aware that some elements of the environmental movement are diligently working to restore North America to a pre-Columbian state, in which large carnivores (bears, wolves, catamounts) would have free play. Thus the Unacceptable Species Ordinance as written may not cover all contingencies.

Also you are cordially invited to hear a speech that environmental expert Dr. Michael Coffman will give April 17 at 7:30pm at Indian Mills Memorial School on Indian Mills Rd., Shamong, Burlington County. Coffman, who received his Ph.D. at the University of Idaho, is president of Environmental Perspectives, Inc.; Executive Director of Sovereignty International; and a former chairman for the Forest Health Group. He has written two books exposing the environmental movement, Saviors of the Earth? The Politics and Religion of Environmentalism, and The Dawn of Aquarius or the Twilight of a New Dark Age.

Because the United Nations secretly included your jurisdiction in the "Pinelands International Biosphere Reserve" and because Coffman will be discussing the United Nation's sinister role in the environmental movement his remarks may interest you --particularly since neither you nor any other elected offical was given the opportunity to vote on the Pinelands "International Biosphere Reserve" designation!

For the New Jersey Committee of Safety,

Ida Anderson

609 654-8326

Unacceptable Species Ordinance and Resolution

Be it ordained by the [Board of Chosen Freeholders or Mayor and Council] of [XX County or Municipality]: It shall be deemed unacceptable when the Endangered Species Act, or acts or policies of the State of New Jersey, or of some other group or entity, are employed to introduce or reintroduce any animal which is a threat to the public safety. It will therefore be the responsibility of the [Board of Chosen Freeholders or Mayor and Council], State of New Jersey, to take any and all measures necessary to protect the people of [XX County or Municipality].

Adopted and approved this XXth day of March 1998.

This ordinance shall be in full force and effect March XX, 1998.

/s/ BOARD OF CHOSEN FREEHOLDERS or MAYOR and COUNCIL

ATTEST /s/ Clerk

WHEREAS, it is a well documented and scientific fact that bears are an uncontrollable and deadly threat to man and his property; and,

WHEREAS, one bear can destroy in a day many hives needed for honey and for the pollination of berry and other crops on which the livelihood of farmers, beekeeepers and others depends; and,

WHEREAS, bears may be used as a pretext to deny landowners the use of all or part of their property designated as bear habitat,

BE IT RESOLVED BY THE [BOARD OF CHOSEN FREEHOLDERS or MAYOR] of [XX COUNTY or MUNICIPALITY],

That the United States Fish and Wildlife Service, the New Jersey Division of Fish, Game and Wildlife, or any other group, nongovernmental organization, or entity is in violation of Ordinance No. XX (The Unacceptable Species Ordinance) in their attempt to introduce bears into [XX County or Municipality]. Therefore, in order to perform our duty as [Freeholders or Mayor] and protectors of the people of [XX County or Municipality] we are left with the unenviable and sad task of having to take drastic action, that of bear eradication or removal by any means possible should any bear enter [XX County or Municipality].

/s/Freeholders or Mayor and Council

ATTEST

/s/ Clerk

Lawyer: Doctor, before you performed the autopsy, did you check for a pulse?

Witness: No.

Lawyer: Did you check for blood pressure?

Witness: No.

Lawyer: Did you check for breathing?

Witness: No.

Lawyer: So, then it is possible that the patient was alive when you began the autopsy?

Witness: No.

Lawyer: How can you be sure, Doctor?

Witness: Because his brain was sitting on my desk in a jar.

Lawyer: But could the patient have been still alive nevertheless?

Witness: It is possible that he could have been alive and practicing law somewhere.

Judge: I know you, don't I?

Defendant: Uh, yes.

Judge: All right, tell me, how do I know you?

Defendant: Judge, do I have to tell you?

Judge: Of course, you might be obstructing justice not to tell me.

Defendant: Okay, I was your bookie.

Defendant: [representing himself] Did you get a good look at me when I stole your purse?

Victim: Yes, I saw you clearly. You are the one who stole my purse.

Defendant: I should have shot you while I had the chance.

Judge: The charge here is theft of frozen chickens. Are you the defendant?

Defendant: No, sir, I'm the guy who stole the chickens.

Lawyer: How do you feel about defense attorneys?

Juror: I think they should all be drowned at birth.

Lawyer: Well, then, you are obviously biased for the prosecution.

Juror: That's not true. I think prosecutors should be drowned at birth too.

Defendant: Judge, I want you to appoint me another lawyer.

Judge: And why is that?

Defendant: Because the Public Defender isn't interested in my case.

Judge: [to the Public Defender] Do you have any comments on the defendants motion?

Public Defender: I'm sorry, Your Honor, I wasn't listening.

Defendant [after being sentenced to 90 days in jail]: Can I address the court?

Judge: Of course.

Defendant: If I called you a son of a bitch, what would you do?

Judge: I'd hold you in contempt and assess an additional five days in jail.

Defendant: What if I thought you were a son of a bitch?

Judge: I can't do anything about that. There's no law against thinking.

Defendant: In that case, I think you're a son of a bitch.

Judge: Please identify yourself for the record.

Defendant: Colonel Ebenezer Jackson.

Judge: What does the "Colonel" stand for?

Defendant: Well, it's kinda like the "Honorable" in front of your name. Not a damn thing.

Judge: You are charged with habitual drunkenness. Have you anything to say in your defense?

Defendant: Habitual thirstiness.

Lawyer: Tell us about the fight.

Witness: I didn't see no fight.

Lawyer: Well, tell us what you did see.

Witness: I went to a dance at the Turner house, and as the men swung around and changed partners, they would slap each other, and one fellow hit harder that the other one liked, and so the other one hit back and somebody pulled a knife and someone else drew a six-shooter and another guy came up with a rifle that had been hidden under a bed, and the air was filled with yelling and smoke and bullets.

Lawyer: You, too were shot in the fracas?

Witness: No sir, I was shot midway between the fracas and the navel.

Mr. Speaker, poll after poll suggests a growing problem in America. Many Americans do not trust the federal government. Pollsters keep trying to figure it out. I believe it is not all that complicated.

In my opinion, the American people in growing numbers do not trust the federal government because many Americans believe that the federal government does not always tell the truth. The pollsters can constipate all they want over the issue. This is not brain surgery. It is very simple. No truth, no trust. Trust and truth are inseparable.

I yield back Waco, Ruby Ridge, Pam Am 103 and Camelot. -- James Traficant, D-Ohio

According to prison officials at the Smith State Prison in Glennville, Georgia it is. In our last newsletter we printed a letter from a prisoner in Glennville who told us he was refused acceptance of our newsletter. He sent us a copy of the official rejection form. It reads: "1 New Jersey Militia Newsletter, Vol 3 Issue No. 8 received and denied. It advocates violent civil disobedience."

That's news to us. We thought we were advocating a return to a true constitutional form of government, based on the original intent of the Founding Fathers.

We'd like to take this opportunity to thank the mail inspector at the Smith State Prison for showing us the error of our ways.

Court Throws Out Part of California Assault Rifle Law

A state appeals court threw out part of California's assault weapons restrictions, prompting calls for enactment of a broader measure by lawmakers, the AP reported March 5, 1998.

The court singled out the heart of the 1989 law: a list banning 62 assault rifles. The court said that violated equal protection provisions of the Constitution because many guns banned under the law are no different than guns allowed to be sold legally.

"The listed guns are no more dangerous in the hands of criminals than the functionally indistinguishable guns, nor than the identical clone guns. Nor do they have a greater rate of fire, capacity for firepower, nor pose a greater danger of use to kill and injure human beings," wrote Justice Fred Morrison.

The appeals court also suggested that the rest of the law may be unconstitutional and asked a lower court to review it.

The law was approved after a gunman armed with an assault rifle killed five students in a Stockton elementary school. The statute generally bans the sale, manufacture, distribution and, in most cases, possession of a number of military-style semiautomatic rifles, pistols and shotguns.

People who legally owned the guns before June 1989 were allowed to keep them if they registered the weapons with the state. [This provision is also unlawful. "No State shall pass any ex post facto law." Constitution, Art. 1, Sec. 10 -- Ed.]

Critics have argued that the law bans some guns while leaving more powerful weapons on the market. And they also said the law could ban weapons without notifying gun owners, making them unwitting felons.

Assemblyman Don Perata of Alameda said the decision underscores the need for his bill seeking to replace the law with one that defines assault weapons based on firepower and military characteristics.

Modern day concentration camps. With the year 2000 approaching and more and more people talking about what the new millennium holds for humanity, one of the topics being brought up is the agenda the government has for "herding" people into modern day concentration camps. Some people think it's a bogus idea, while others claim to have seen such camps in existence today. What do you believe?

A: I think that the government is manipulating every facet of our lives and that indeed, there are concentration camps being built and are currently being inhabited. They are the housing subdivisions that are being built and the mobile home parks being set up in the country sides. They tell you what kind of home you can have, how many cars can park there, and what kind of standard of living you have to uphold. Why don't people get their heads out of the sand? 27% chose A.

(B) You guys are paranoid and crazy. There is no big brother and no hidden agenda to round up communities into groups and house them together for control purposes. A little rule and regulation is a good thing, it protects the property value of the neighbors who have to live next door to potentially trashy neighbors. 9% chose B.

(C) I feel that while some people are going overboard in their fears of government regulation in their lives, it is good not to totally place your lives in the hands of another. If you buy a piece of property, it should be yours to use as you see fit. But I also think you should have rules and regulations to protect the interests of your neighbors. 56% chose C.

(D) I have no opinion. 9% chose D.

Source: Para Polls

The annual Knob Creek (Kentucky) machine gun and military gun show is scheduled for the weekend of April 17, 18 & 19. All Patriots and Militia members are welcome. Not only will you meet like-minded people--tens of thousands of them--but you'll also get to fire various machine guns (legally) at the Knob Creek firing range. Conferences are also scheduled. Anyone interested can contact Charlie Puckett at 606-273-7822 for more information. Camp sites are available.

You can also contact Mr. Puckett at: c.puckett@internetmci.com

Today, I received an email with your newsletter in it. The newsletter is very well done, but I am especially impressed with the article "Has America Outgrown The Constitution?" Well written and well thought out.

I do believe the Federalists should have been called "Nationalists" and the Anti-federalists, "Federalists." The thing I find fascinating is that in all of the debates, rarely was the word "democracy" used, and if so only in a derogatory way. When they talked of democracy as we might understand it today, they usually used other terms.

I do agree with you. Yes, I would like to see some changes made in the Constitution to shore up our rights (but it's not going to happen). If the American people will not understand what it's about, there is no hope, regardless of what is written in the Constitution.

J. J.

Short Mountain, TN

Gentlemen,

Enclosed is a blank money order in the amount of $10. Keep up the good work. The road we must follow may be long and difficult, but if we allow the Lord to direct our steps, in the end victory shall be ours.

J.Y.

Passaic County