NEW JERSEY MILITIA NEWSLETTER

Volume V, Issue No. XI A Monthly Newsletter May, 2000

Judges with Guns

An obscure measure in a new federal court "housekeeping" bill would allow federal judges to carry concealed weapons virtually anywhere, particularly while in court, but also while traveling — regardless of concealed-carry laws in specific states.

Rep. Howard Coble, an eight-term North Carolina Republican who sits on the House Judiciary Committee, introduced the bill, HR 1752, called the "Federal Courts Improvement Act of 1999." on May 11, 1999. Co-sponsored by Rep. Howard L. Bennan, D-Caiif, the measure, if enacted, would take effect one year later-

Specifically, the bill seeks to add a new section to Chapter 21, Title 28 of the United States Code. as follows: "A judicial officer of the United States is authorized to carry a firearm, whether concealed or not, under regulations promulgated by the Judicial Conference of the United States. The authority granted by this section shall extend only to (1) those states in which the carrying of firearms by judicial officers of the state is permitted by state law, or (2) regardless of state law, to any place where the judicial officer of the United States sits, resides, or is present on official travel status."

Currently, only the U.S. Marshals service is authorized to provide aimed courtroom protection.

Daniel Schultz, co-founder and former president of the Lawyers" Second Amendment Society, said he sees obvious discrepancies — and a healthy dose of hypocrisy — in the bill. "How can a federal judge carrying a concealed weapon make a ruling in a gun case? On its face, it's just another bill designed to place federal officials above the 'little people.'

"How can a federal judge carrying a concealed weapon make a ruling in a gun case against some guy who didn't have a permit but was trying to protect himself—just like the judge — under the guise of the Second Amendment?" said Schultz.

— If 'orld1\et Daily. corn

GUN BUST IN CANADA

TORONTO (Reuters) - More than 1,700

military rifles and ammunition for them have been seized by Canadian and U.S. police in one of the largest cross-border weapons smuggling cases ever exposed, according to Toronto police.

Police said the weapons, including three machine guns and 1,709 Ml Garand Rifles. were similar to those used by the U.S. military forces in World War Two and in the Korean War. All are believed to be in good working order.

Police also confiscated 39 illegal high-capacity Ml magazine cartridges, 100 Ml Garand barrels and 21,139 receivers for the rifles in separate searches in Toronto, Montreal and Reno, Nevada.

Police said Paul Gardner of Kingston, Tennessee, and Jerome June, of Rochester, New York, were arrested in connection with the case and face charges of possession of restricted weapons. They were both released from custody and will appear in a Canadian court.

A third suspect was still being sought. Toronto police spokesman Sergeant Frederick Ellarby said the weapons would probably be destroyed.

"The guns will probably be destroyed hut it is all up to the courts," he told Reuters.

The arrests follow a year long investigation by the Ontario Provincial Weapons Enforcement Unit, the Toronto Police Firearms Office, the U.S. Bureau of Alcohol. Tobacco and Firearms, and the Canadian and the U.S. customs services-Police refused to comment on why the guns were being smuggled. [They were being smuggled because of the asinine gun laws in Canada, —Ed.]

ONE HELLUVA GOOD GOVERNOR

Note: It seems that New York Attorney General Eliot Spitzer has been soliciting state governments to purchase firearms from manufacturers who "loe-the-line," i.e., obey even- anti-Second Amendment edict that conies out of Washington — whether lawful or not. Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee had this to say:

April 13, 2000 Dear Attorney General Spitzer:

I have received your letter of March 16. 2000 inviting me to join in your effort to encourage various slate and local governments to award law enforcement gun contracts only to gun manufacturers agreeing to a "Code of Conduct" which dictates various business practices, safety features, marketing strategies-etc., for both gun manufacturers and gun dealers at the wholesale and retail level. I must respectfully decline your invitation.

First let me say, if 1 believed the safety of my constituents were truly tlie issue, I would be much more considerate of your request. But we are not living in a country flooded with "unsafe" guns. It is their illegal use that endangers us—that must be addressed through vigorous criminal prosecution.

Providing for gun safety locks is one thing and, in truth, only a small part of your "Code of Conduct." However, dictating how many guns a purchaser is allowed to take home on one day, banning sales at gun shows and prohibiting a minor from even entering a gun store without a parent or guardian are parts of a political agenda, not a push for "gun safety." Coupling the safely issue with a strict regulation of business practices is merely a maneuver to advance a decidedly political agenda under the guise of "public safety."

I am a strong proponent and defender of Americans' Second Amendment right to keep and hear arms. I also make every effort to be a responsible manager of my constituents' tax dollars. I ask the director of the Arkansas Slate Police to make purchasing and requisition decisions based on quality, service and price- 1 will not ask him to award a lucrative government contract in order to further a political agenda geared at controlling and ultimately destroying the firearms industry. I want Arkansas Slate Troopers to protect our citizens and themselves using the best guns available, not guns from the most "politically correct" manufacturer.

In 1999, I signed into law an act prohibiting Arkansas' local governments from suing firearms manufacturers seeking compensation for injuries and deaths resulting from the illegal use of these companies' products. To hold the gun industry accountable for crime is like holding our nation's fanners liable for the healthcare costs associated with obesity. [That's next. - Ed.] The desire of

some to blame the gun manufacturers for crime rather than prosecute criminals seems to me a sadly misguided attempt at protecting our citizens. It is also a rather thinly veiled attempt to vilify and control those who engage in a business which is eminently legal and necessary, yet not particularly smiled upon by the current administration in Washington.

1 thank God previous administrations understood and appreciated not only the sanctity of the Second Amendment, but its necessity as well.

Gun manufacturers make the Second Amendment a viable right rather than some theoretical proposition- I will not abuse my authority as Governor to pursue their demise or dictate their business practices through coercion.

So the answer is a definite "no." I will not seek the capitulation of firearm manufacturers through the use of asinine lawsuits or the doling out of taxpayer-funded government contracts. I regret that you feel either of these tactics to be worthwhile endeavors.

Sincerely yours,

Mike Huckabee

Governor

State Of Arkansas

Another Stupid Idea

The Libertarian Party says it is 'baffled' by a proposal to have the city of Annapolis, MD buy back toy guns. Libertarians don't know whether to support the program or snicker at it the group said in a prepared statement.

Annapolis Alderman Cynthia A. Carter proposed that the city start a program to buy back water pistols, cap guns and other toy-weapons to curb "violent behavior" among children. The first-term Democrat argued that children "can't distinguish between a real gun or a play gun" and said she would eventually like to make all toy guns illegal.

"Tins is a real dilemma," said Steve Dasbach, the Libertarians' national director. "Do we praise this politician for going after toy guns instead of constitutionally protected real guns? Or do we point out that buying back toy guns wit! no more keep our streets safe than buying back non-alcoholic beer will keep Ted Kennedy sober? Or should we just give this politician an award for coming up with the most entertainingly goofy idea of the year?"

-Greg Pierce's "Inside Politics." May 1, 2000

The Biggest Mathematical Miracle In The World

Moses and the people of Israel were in the desert, but what was he going to do with them? They had to be fed. and feeding 2 or 3 million people requires a lot of food. According to the Quartermaster General in the Army. it is reported that Moses would have to have 1.500 tons of food each day. Do vou

know that to bring that much food each day, two freight trains each a mile long would be required! Besides you must remember, they were out in the desert, and they would have to have firewood to use in cooking the food. This would take 4,000 tons of wood and a few more freight trains, each a mile long, just for one day. And just think, they were forty years in transit. Oh. yes, they would have to have water. If they only had enough to drink and wash a few dishes, it would take 11 million gallons each day, and a freight train with tank cars 1,800 miles long, just to bring water!

And then another thing: They had to get across the Red Sea in one night. If they went on a narrow path, double file, the line would be 800 miles long and would require 35 days and nights to get through. So, there had to be a space in the Red Sea, 3 miles wide so that they could walk 5,000 abreast to get over in one night-

But then another problem: Each time they camped at the end of the day, a campground two-thirds (lie size of the state of Rhode Island was required, or a total of 750 square miles. Think of it! This much space just for nightly camping.

Do you think Moses figured all this out before he left Egypt? I think not! You see, Moses believed in God. God took care of these things for him.

Now, do you think God has any problem taking care of all your needs?

—Author unknown

AN OUTSIDER'S TAKE ON THE CONFEDERATE FLAG CONTROVERSY

Note: Here's a letter to the editor from an Englishman (we don't know which paper it appeared in) expressing his views over the recent flap over flying the Confederate flag over stale capitol buildings in the American South. Dear Sir,

May I take a little of your valuable time to comment briefly on the current debate over flying the Confederate flag? It may be of interest that the publicity over the issue has reached as far as England, and the aspects that raise concern here are (in my experience and opinion) not the ones that are being aired in your State and the U.S. generally. In fact we tremble for free speech and democracy, in a nation that we think of as a "daughter" of British parliamentary democracy, when we see self-appointed "pressure groups" assuming the power to dictate both to elected legislators, and to whole communities, over what they shall or shall not display or honor, on the mere pretense that they feel "insulted" by it. Give way to this and there is, sir, no symbol that may not be attacked or eradicated, be it the Christian cross on a Church (insulting to Muslims or Jews?), the Stars and Stripes (insulting to Communists?) the Star of David on a synagogue (insulting to Muslims and

fascists?) the McDonalds sign over a hamburger bar (insulting to anti-meat vegans and anti-capitalists?). The list is endless! Start with the "Southern Cross" battle flag and the floodgates are open. We are amazed that this furor could be raised and be so successful in modem America-Tourism is a billion dollar industry, and my countrymen and women contribute a great deal of it. The British who spend their time and cash in Florida venture out into other Southern States, expecting that they are indeed, seeing "Southern States" and experiencing Southern culture. \ know of no one here who does not reverence the memory of Robert E. Lee and Stonewall Jackson, and "expect" to see their own people feeling the same way as to their own history. To feel that they are visiting a society where the very history has been "politically cleansed" would (again in my opinion) make She average British tourist as uncomfortable as if visiting, say, Russia or Cuba. The results for Southern tourism are immense, and the potential loss of revenue far greater (1 believe) than any short-term losses by politically "correct" boycotts.

The fact that groups can chose to prevent expressions of their culture by other (and often majority) group and that they find means and allies to do so (a fundamental attack on free speech and self-expression) is viewed with amazement bordering on unbelief over the Atlantic.

Forgive this unsolicited comment, but often those more removed from a heated situation can see the "wider picture" and appreciate how things come across at a distance: and it is "not" the "keep the flag flying" lobby but those who demand its removal who are truly giving your State, and your Nation, an unsavory reputation abroad.

Respectfully yours,

S.P.Westcott, Ph.D. Litt.D-

Bristol, England-Editor's note: A new direction has been taken by civil rights "leaders." Now they are calling for the removal of statues of Civil War heroes such as General Lee, Stonewall Jackson and others, from public parks, court houses, etc-

America's Military - Not So Conservative After All

By Dave Moniz

Yes, most military leaders lean Republican, but beneath their party affiliation, many hold moderate views on key issues such as gun control.

COLUMBIA, S.C.- For years, some of America's most influential experts and academics have suggested that the US military is drifting dangerously far to the right on a host of important social issues, creating a growing gap between the armed forces and the rest of the nation. Several have gone so far as to label it a crisis.

Yet mounting evidence indicates that America's military leaders are more in tune with the rest of America than previously thought.

While they may take strong conservative stands on homosexuality and the death penalty, military officers are in fact more inclined to favor handgun controls and abortion rights than the civilian population.

The findings challenge long-held stereotypes and paint a more textured portrait of the military's decisionmakers.

"Like any other group, they are really more diverse than a lot of people give them credit for," says Carroll Doherty of the Pew Research Center in Washington.

Perhaps the strongest support for the notion of a moderate military is a study by Peter Fcaver, a political scientist at Duke University in Durham, NC, that was released last year by the Triangle Institute for Security Studies.

It showed that senior military officers identify with the Republican Party by an 8 to 1 margin, but they are measurably less conservative than the public on a number of key issues.

Among the findings in the report:

More than two-thirds of military officers (69 percent) favor strict handgun controls. A 1999 Pew survey found only 56 percent of the public favored controls.

Some 65 percent of senior military officers surveyed supported leaving abortion decisions to women and their doctors. A September ABC \'ews'Washington Post poll showed that 57 percent of the public favored keeping abortion legal in most circumstances, Pew says.

Military officers strongly opposed banning books advocating homosexuality or communism. More than half the public says "books containing dangerous ideas" should be banned from public school libraries. Pew reports.

Young adults entering the enlisted military are less Republican than young adults entering college.

"The military is squarely between elite civilians and the general public on many issues," says Professor Feaver.

To many professional officers, these findings show the military's attitudes can't easily be pigeonholed, and exonerate them from accusations of political favoritism.

"We are not practicing partisan politics to the detriment of military professionalism," says Lt. Gen. Richard Chilcoat, president of National Defense University and the oldest serving general on active duty.

"When you get beneath the surface, you see that military officers have a strain of liberalism that runs through them - they're more liberal than the general public on a number of issues." he says.

Yet others still worry that the armed services are moving further away from mainstream views-

For one, Feaver's study indicated that military officers surveyed overwhelmingly oppose gays serving openly. A slight majority of the public favors homosexuals serving openly.

Tom Wall, a former Army training battalion commander, also recalls a profound change in colleagues' attitudes after Bill Clinton was elected president.

Mr. Wall says Army officers would openly criticize Clinton at work, breaking a longstanding tradition of nonpartisanship. "I had never before heard people get vocal about the commander in chief," says Wall, who joined the Army in the mid-1970s.

"I shared some of the feelings, but was uncomfortable with stating them publicly," he adds, drawing a line between work and private life. At home, he says, "That was one thing. But at the office? That was dirty, that wasn't right."

—Christian Science Monitor, February 1 8, 2000

A Culture of Violence Against Federal Law Agents

WASHINGTON - On the Southwestern border of the United States, federal agents are stalked by killers looking to earn six-figure bounties from drug cartels in an increasingly violent drug war, according to officials.

"Drug related violence, which has become commonplace in Mexico, has spilled over in the United States. Many of these acts of violence have been aimed at U.S. law enforcement personnel along—the Southwestern border," said William Ledwith of the Drug Enforcement Administration.

Federal law enforcement officers said there is a growing culture of violence toward them in all aspects of their jobs.

Officials from the DEA, the FBI, Customs and the Secret Service described for a Senate subcommittee on criminal justice oversight what one called, "a general arrogance if not lack of respect toward federal law enforcement officers."

Sen. Strom Thurmond, R-S.C., who chaired the hearing, said he was concerned that federal prosecutors often declined to bring charges in cases of assault or threats to federal law enforcement officials. "We should leave no question in the minds of criminals as to the consequences of committing an act of violence against a federal agent," he said.

The dangers federal officers face can arise suddenly from seemingly innocuous situations.

In a Customs videotape, a man wearing a ball cap and short-sleeved white shirt is being escorted into an inspection station in Calexico, Calif.

Suddenly, the man pulls an automatic pistol and shoots one man in the face, another through the chest before he is shot dead. 'the officers survived.

Assaults against Customs officers have increased 33 percent in the past five years, even as the overall crime rate has been falling, said Customs acting deputy assistant commissioner John Van-one.

David Salccba, chief of intelligence for the Secret Service, said 81 agents or officers of that agency have been assaulted since 1997, a sharp increase in violent attacks. "The expectation of the criminal on the street that he will not see the inside of a courtroom (for assaulting a federal officer) is out there," he said.

The FBI recorded 3,610 assaults against federal employees, about a third of them resulting in injuries, in the past four years, according to Andreas Stephens of the bureau's violent crimes and major offenders section. In that time, 24 officers were killed on duty, he said. "The increased risk of assault on federal officers is real and growing," he said-

Perhaps the most dangerous domestic duty station for a federal agent is along the border with Mexico, according to the testimony.

Ledwith said a Mexican drug cartel earlier this year offered a $200,000 bounty "to anyone who murdered any U.S. law enforcement agent in Mexico or the U.S." He said a second drug smuggling organization also has issued death threats against DEA officers.

He described an incident in April when two Mexican attorneys and a Mexican army captain working with the DEA and FBI in San Diego were kidnapped, tortured and killed.

In November, a DEA agent and an FBI agent in Matamoros, Mexico, were surrounded and threatened with death by 15 bodyguards of a drug trafficker armed with machine guns.

All of the federal agencies represented at the hearing said they felt violence against their ranks was not taken seriously enough and in some cases not vigorously prosecuted.

Thurmond and other senators promised to urge Attorney General Janet Reno to issue an advisory that assaults on federal officers should be aggressively prosecuted. —Scripps Howard News Service. May 16. 2000

"Let It Burn" as sung by JANET RENO

(with apologies to the Beatles) By Lazamataz

When I see her, Shakin' Janet, My stomach starts to turn, 'Cause I hear her saying, "Let it bum..."

And Delta Force was used at Waco, We belatedly do learn, And I hear her saying, "Let it bum..."

Chorus:

"Let it bum. Let it bum. Let it bum," Oh, "Let it bum," Speaking words of malice, "Let it bum."

And in that horrid day of darkness, When no good could be discerned, Janet Reno ordered, "Let it bum."

And though the house was filled with

children,

And Reno claimed to be concerned,

On that April nineteenth: "Let it bum."

Chorus:

"Let it bum, Let it bum. Let it bum,"

Oh, "Let it bum,"

The buck stops with Reno,

"Let it bum."

We now have an evil system,

A government we want to spurn,

And said Attorney General Reno: "Let it

burn."

We long to reclaim our freedom,

A Republic for which we yearn,

But Janet Reno tells us, "Let it burn."

Chorus:

"Let it burn. Let it burn. Let it bum,"

Oh, "Let it bum,"

So went the Constitution:

"Let it burn."

THE IRS AND YOUR

GUNS

We won't bore you with all the details but suffice to say this is a "back door" attempt to register your handgun — through the IRS. The introduction pretty much tells the story:

Handgun Safety and Registration Act of 2000, S.2099 IS

106th CONGRESS 2nd Session

To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require the registration of handguns, and for other purposes.

IN THE SENATE OF THE UNITED STATES

February 24, 2000

Mr. REED introduced the following bill;

which was read twice and referred to the Committee on Finance

A BILL To amend the Internal Revenue Code of 1986 to require the registration of handguns, and for other purposes. Be it enacted by the Senate and House of Representatives of the United States of America in Congress assembled,

SECTION I. SHORT TITLE This Act may be cited as the "Handgun Safety and Registration Act of '2000".

SEC. 2. REGISTRATION OF HANDGUNS.

Lawless Government

"If the Government becomes a lawbreaker, it breeds contempt for law; it invites every man to become a law unto himself; it invites anarchy. To declare that, in the administration of the criminal law, the end justifies the means...woiild bring terrible retribution. Against that pernicious doctrine this Court should resolutely set its face." —United States Supreme Court Justice Louis Brandeis, Olmsfeadv. United States (1928)

ONE ANGRY PATRIOT

Today I entered WALDEN BOOK STORE located in the Palmer Park Mall, in Palmer Township, just outside the city of Easton, PA. NO GUN MAGAZINES, I was informed they no longer carry them. Well, to those that do not know me; i creatcil a scene!" I raised hell! Asking just why in HELL they would sell the GYNECOLOGY magazines, like Hustler & Playboy, but not Guns & Ammo or Shooting Times\\\

They were happy as hell when 1 left. Question: Is this a National trend? Semper fi;

Dave

VOTE.COM

Where do Americans stand on the issues? Here's a sample, from the web site Votc.com.

1) Require referendum to raise taxes? Yes (51,574) (88%) No (6,863) (12%)

2) Should police seize cars driven by drunk driving suspects?

Yes (19,504) (35%)

No (35,887) (65%)

3) Marijuana as medicine? Yes (43,257) (70%) No (18,362) (30%)

4) Should the Clintons be reimbursed for their legal expenses?

Yes (3,583) (7%)

No (45,223) (93%)

5) Require registration of all handguns?

Yes (10-364) (20%)

No (42.295) (80%)

6) Should the police use racial profiling in traffic stops?

Yes (40,065) (58%)

No (29,394) (42%)

7) Should Reform Party candidates be included in Presidential debates?

Yes (22,728) (79%)

No (6,206) (21%)

8) End the statute of limitation on rape cases?

Yes (23,382) (81%)

No (5.459) (19%)

9) Ban handgun sales to kids under 21?

Yes (40.070) (40%)

No (60,204) (60%)

10) Do you believe Janet Reno is obstructing the Waco investigation?

Yes (3 3,793) (92%)

No (2,787) (8%)

11) Should English be the official language of the United States?

Yes (43,273) (94%)

No (2,878) (6%)

12) Should doctor-assisted suicide be legalized?

Yes (15,748) (46%)

No (18,857) (54%)

13) Allow police to use traffic check points to search for illegal drugs?

Yes (14,072) (46%)

No (16,472) (54%)

14) Should Congress let more foreign workers into the United States?

Yes (5,901) (20%)

No (23,238) (80%)

15) Hillary vs. Rudy: who should

win?

Rudy Giuliani (55,803) (90%) Hillary Clinton (6,326) (10%)

16) Protect gays from hate crimes? Yes (91,925) (47%) No(103,289) (53%)

17) Has the religious right become too intolerant?

Yes (13,198) (31%)

No (28,760) (69%)

18) Do you believe Al Gore has been honest about his past fundraising activities?

Yes (2,131) (4%)

No (47,035) (96%)

19) Require child-safety trigger locks on firearms?

Yes (13,593) (34%)

No (26,737) (66%)

20) Abolish the estate tax? Yes (41,060) (93%) No (2,913) (7%)

21) Should President Clinton be disbarred?

Yes (108,627) (88%)

No (14,448) (12%)

22) Do you believe government sharpshooters fired at Branch Davidians during the Waco raid?

Yes (28,031) (83%)

No (5.543) (17%)

23) Should same-sex couples be allowed to marry?

Yes (168,653) (33%)

No (347,799) (67%)

24) Is it fair to bring criminal charges against President Clinton after he leaves office?

Yes (75,533) (88%)

No (9,920) (12%)

25) Should the Ten Commandments be posted in public schools?

Yes (60,095) (70%)

No (26,317) (30%)

26) Should Al Gore pledge that if elected, he would not pardon President Clinton?

Yes (24.015) (85%) No (4.224) (15%)

27) Should federal funds be used in gun buyback programs?

Yes (3.137) (12%) No (24,065) (88%)

BB GUNS SOON TO BE REGISTERED IN ENGLAND

LONDON. April 12 (Reuters) - A cross-party committee of MPs has called for air rifles and guns. which account for seven out of 10 firearms in Britain, to be licensed.

Parliament's Home Affairs Committee said there were four million low-powered air weapons circulating in Britain and evidence suggested there was a growing trend for criminals to use them.

Only the most high calibre air guns presently need to be licensed. "The system of firearms control, as it stands, is complex and inconsistent," committee chairman Robin Corbelt said- "What we recommend is a more consistent policy which protects public safety but does not hinder the legitimate use of firearms for work and for sport. This will mean licensing for most of the air weapons now in circulation."

CLINTON DOENS'T WANT A PARDON

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Clinton has declared that "/ don't want" a pardon to avoid prosecution in the Monica Lewinsky investigation or any other scandal.

"/ don't want one, and I'm prepared to stand before any bar of justice that I have to stand before," Clinton said in answer to a question in an appearance before the American Society of Newspaper Editors.

He said he was "deeply regretful" of the sex scandal that almost cost him his presidency hut added that "I'm glad I didn 'I quit and I'm glad we fought it."

Questions about a possible pardon have arisen in the days since independent counsel Robert Ray was quoted by the Washington Post as saying he may seek an indictment of Clinton after he leaves office on Jan. 20, 2000-

Of the Whitewater land development scandal that erupted during his first term in office, Clinton defiantly called it a "lie and a fraud." He said he would "not be surprised at anything that happens" but added: "I'm not interested in being pardoned."

Cardinal's Dying Wish: Keep Clinton Out of St. Patrick's

As John Cardinal O'Connor battled brain cancer and faced death during the past eight months, he remained steadfast in his distaste of President Bill Clinton.

A source close to the Cardinal tells NewsMax.com that O'Connor had a longstanding order to keep Bill Clinton out of St. Patrick's Cathedral - no matter how important the occasion.

Yet the White House announced that both Bill and Hillary Clinton would be attending the Cardinal's funeral mass at St. Patrick's.

"O'Connor would have gone berserk if he knew Clinton was coming." the source said.

-NewsMax.com, May 8, 2000 Note: Clinton showed up.

The Slave Tax

Alan Keyes, a candidate for the Republican presidential nomination, says the income tax is a slave tax and that Americans are slaves. He is correct. A slave is a person who does not own his iawh labor. After paying the income tax, successful Americans retain no more of the income they produce than 19th century slaves - and considerably less than medieval serfs. The maximum that could be extracted from a medieval serf was one-third -an amount extracted today by the combination of the payroll tax and the bottom rung of tlie federal income tax. Add in state sales and income taxes, and it is apparent Americans are not a proud, free people. Our Founding Fathers knew an income tax was a slave tax, and they forbade it. It required a constitutional amendment - the 16th - to make us slaves.

—Washington Times columnist Paul Craig Roberts

GORE SPEAKS

Note: Here are a few quotes from our beloved Vice President Al Gore that pretty much speak for themselves.

0 "If we don't succeed, we run the risk of failure."

0 "Democrats understand the importance of bondage between a mother and daughter."

0 "Welcome to President Clinton, Mrs. Clinton, and my fellow astronauts."

0 "Mars is essentially in the same orbil--. Mars is somewhat the same distance from the sun, wliich is very important. We have seen pictures where there are canals, we believe, and water. If tliere is water, that means there is oxygen. If oxygen, that means we can breathe."

0 "The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation's history. I mean in this century's history. But we all lived in this century- I didn't live in this century."

0 "'1 believe we are on an irreversible trend toward more freedom and democracy-but that could change."

B "One word sums up probably the responsibility of any vice president, and that one word is 'to be prepared'."

0 "Verbosity leads to unclear, inarticulate things."

0 "1 have made good judgments in the past. I have made good judgments in the future."

0 "We're going to have the best-educated American people in the world."

0 "People that are really very weird can get into sensitive positions and have a tremendous impact on history."

0 "We have a firm commitment to NATO, we are a part of NATO- We have a firm commitment to Europe. We are a part of Europe."

0 "Public speaking is very easy." 0 "I am not part of the problem. I am a Democrat."

0 "A low voter turnout is an indication of fewer people going to the polls."

0 "When I have been asked who caused the riots and the killing in L.A.. my answer has been direct and simple: Who is to blame for the riots? The rioters arc to blame. Who is to blame for the killings? The killers are to blame."

0 "Illegitimacy is something we should talk about in terms of not having it."

0 "We are ready for any unforeseen event that may or may not occur."

0 -For NASA. space is still a high priority."

0 "Quite frankly, teachers are the only profession that teach our children."

0 "We're all capable of mistakes, but I do not care to enlighten you on the mistakes we may or may not have made."

0 "It isn't pollution that's banning the environment. It's the impurities in our air and water that are doing it."

0 "It's time for the human race to enter the solar system."

0 "I stand by all the misstatements that I've made."

0 "The American people would not want to know of any misquotes that Al Gore may or may not make."

0 "As many of you know, I was very instrumental in the founding of the Internet."

Minuteman

He's a rebel

And a shadow of his former self

To some he is trouble

To others, the last hope- high up on the

shelf

He's never out of reach He's there whenever needs arise And in the darkest hour The warrior by your side

Knows the meaning of true honor Knows enough to hold his tongue Takes nothing that isn't his to take Seen by many but known to none

Won't look back on bad tomorrows He can't think of yesterday Just another night to get through

With a few good fallen by the way

He lives and learns and listens

As he watches with intent

And he's got his finger on the trigger

Of a young life nearly spent

And if he could choose a place to die Then blood-soaked dirt is gold For (he honor's not with the dying It's in the man whose life was bold

-WJG

United Methodists Call for Gun Ban

(CLEVELAND) -- The United Methodist Church has taken its strongest stand ever against guns. calling on the federal fovermnciit to estihlish a "total ban" on private ownership of handguns, assault weapons and automatic-weapons conversion kits.

The vote to ban guns was 724-205 and followed a short debate on the ninth day of the church's General Conference, which meets every four years.

Jeremiah Thompson, a delegate from Kankakee, 11]., pleaded for the gun ban: "If we're really disciples a/the Prince of Peace, shouldn't we speak against guns?"

But Leiand McKeown of Brooksville, Fla-. said if delegates thought passing the resolution would mean an end to handguns, "I'd like to sell you a bridge in New York."

And Scott Kelso of Pataskala, Ohio, said people have a right lo protect themselves in their own homes. "If someone breaks into my home. I can't pull out a Book of Resolutions and say, 'Waif a minute. I'm a United Methodist. I have a position on this (guns).'"

The resolution slates that "violence is killing America's children." noting that there are about 223 million privately owned firearms in tlie United States.

"Gun violence in America's schools is a growing and disturbing trend," the reso!ultion said. "/Vo appeals lo individual autonomy are sufficient to justify our church's ignorance of this threat."

The resolution asks that churches have programs to educate adults and children about gun violence- develop advocacy groups to work for the reduction of guns, and work for federal legislation that would ban the importation, sale, manufacture and possession of guns and ammunition bv the general public.

The Basis of the Militia

By Jon Roland Perhaps the best single references on how militias were organized in Revolutionary times are the "Whisker Militia Treatises" by U. West Virginia professor James Whisker, most of which we have online on our site (http://www.constitution.org)

We advocate development of the militias in the community, as representative of it. Our musters are generally called by legal public notice, and are open to anyone in the community. It is not our fault that few show up. We encourage everyone to do so. But few show up to vote in most elections as well. That doesn't make the elections illegal or private. It just means that too many members of the community lack civic responsibility, and prefer to be free riders on the sacrifices of others. That does not mean that those few who still recognize such responsibility should not do what they can.

Militia units in colonial times usually consisted of most of the men in the community, although some communities were pretty small. When they got as small as a couple of families, or even one or two men (though today women have a responsibility of defending the community too) they naturally dispensed with formal call-ups or calling what they were doing then a "militia", but a moment's reflection should make it clear that there is, in principle, no minimum size to the militia.

When we combine this with the long-established principle of English and American law that every citizen has the duty to "raise the hue and cry" whenever defensive action is needed, by calling out to everyone within earshot, to capture a criminal, or defend against an attack, and that when assembled, the people who thus respond arc referred to as the "militia", then it becomes clear that it is a militia even if only one person, the person issuing the call-up, shows up, and that anyone aware of a threat has the duty to issue the call-up and everyone within earshot Eveiyone has the duty to respond. Logically, it is a call-up if the only member of the community being threatened is himself, who he defends, not as an act of self-defense, as it would be in the state of nature, but as a defense of the community, pursuant to his militia duty to defend his neighbor against unjust abuse-Judge Decries Lawyers As 'Fleas'

By Dan Horn

Before he sent a lawyer to jail, a Hamilton County judge gave the entire legal profession a tongue lashing.

Common Pleas Judge Fred Cartolano complained that there are too many lawyers, too many law schools and too many opportunities for dishonest behavior.

"There are only so many fleas that can feed on a dog," the judge said. "We have lawyers coming out of the woodwork. There's not enough business for all the lawyers out there."

Judge Cartolano spoke before sentencing Kenneth Schachleiter to six months in jail for stealing about $91,000 from the estate of an elderly client.

The judge said Mr. Schaclilciler is a symptom of a problem that will continue to get worse as long as the number of lawyers continues to grow.

He said the pressure to compete for a limited number of clients is driving some lawyers to bend or break the rules-State statistics suggest he's right. The number of lawyers disciplined by the Ohio Supreme Court has more than doubled in the past decade - from 52 in 1989 to 115 last year.

The number of lawyers has increased only about 5 percent in the past 10 years, but the number of grievances filed against them has jumped more than 50 percent.

Judge Cartolano said it's clear there is not enough work to go around. But he said law schools keep churning out lawyers anyway. In Mr- Schachleiter's case, the judge said, the lawyer got desperate for money and tapped into his client's accounts-

"It's difficult to earn a living." the judge told Mr. Schachleiter. "I'm not excusing you. I'm blaming the entire legal profession."

—The Cincinnati Enquirer, April 13, 2000

Tyranny Defined

"The exercise of despotic power is the unrelenting war of an armed tyrant upon his unarmed subjects." — Cato's Letters — # 25;
April 15, 1721 [John Trenchard and Thomas Gordon]