From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org Subject: Taste Massage, ignore Date: 08 Jan 2003 10:57:08 -0800 (PST) Tasting, tasting, one, two, three, tasting..... This has been a taste, _only_ a taste, of the tastefully tasteful, xpresso boredcasting system. See, I told you to ignore it.....:-) -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org Subject: Re: Publisher Stops History Book Publication (fwd) Date: 09 Jan 2003 01:29:41 -0800 (PST) ----------------------- begin forwarded message from j --------------------- Good riddance to BAD rubbish! Glad he's GONE....hope this CONSUMMATE LIAR remains GONE....forever! ----- Original Message ----- Sent: Wednesday, January 08, 2003 9:30 AM > I figured as much, when the 01-03-2003 Edward R. Hamilton > Booksellers, www.EdwardRHamilton.com, catalog had it > listed on Page 26, upper right corner, for $5.95, retail $30.00. > Its item 2236281. > Bruce Chesley > Truth is a terrible cross to bear. > Tyranny, like hell, is not easily conquered.". Thomas Paine > Treason for $$$: ALL "pro 2A" orgs. > > Publisher Stops History Book Publication > Publication has been halted on a disputed book about the history of > guns in the United States. Questions about Michael Bellesiles' > "Arming America" had already led Columbia University to rescind the > prestigious Bancroft Prize for history. When Columbia made the > announcement last month, publisher Alfred A. Knopf said the book > would remain in print. But Jane Garrett, Bellesiles' editor, told The > Associated Press on Tuesday that the publisher would no longer sell > it. "We are in the process of ending our contractual arrangement with > Michael for `Arming America,'" Garrett said. According to Garrett, > Bellesiles (pronounced Bell-eel) had proposed some revisions, but the > publisher found them inadequate. Knopf spokesman Paul Bogaards said > the decision to stop printing "Arming America" was made weeks ago, > although without a formal announcement. Efforts to reach Bellesiles > for comment were not immediately successful; he recently resigned as > a professor at Emory University, after an independent panel of > scholars commissioned by the school strongly criticized his research. > According to Garrett, the book has sold about 8,000 copies in > hardcover and about 16,000 in paperback. > http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20030107/ap_on_en_ot/hi > sto > ry_book_canceled_1 > http://www.abc10.com/Global/story.asp?S=1074930 ----------------------- end forwarded message from j --------------------- -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org Subject: This poll needs some help (fwd) Date: 13 Jan 2003 18:17:27 -0800 (PST) ----------------------- begin forwarded message from Wayne Harmon --------------------- Time magazine (Europe) is taking a poll asking which country poses the greatest threat to world peace. Choices include Korea, Iraq and the US. So far the US is in the lead: > North Korea 10.0% > Iraq 13.8 % > The United States 76.2 % Let your voice be heard at: http://www.time.com/time/europe/gdml/peace2003.html ----------------------- end forwarded message from Wayne Harmon --------------------- -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org Subject: Wal-Mart Toy Whispers "I HATE YOU" To Babies,,,,, (fwd) Date: 13 Jan 2003 20:08:32 -0800 (PST) ----------------------- begin forwarded message from BOBWORN@aol.com --------------------- Click Here= 'I Hate You': Vancouver family finds surprising message in baby's toy 'I Hate You': Vancouver family finds surprising message in baby's toy The Columbian 01/13/03: Margaret Ellis Original Link: http://www.columbian.com/01112003/front_pa/1253.html Blanche Skelton was feeding her baby when she heard something besides the soothing sound of ocean waves coming from a toy attached to the crib. It was saying, "I hate you." After asking her husband, her parents-in-law, and everyone else in the home east of Hazel Dell, they were convinced. The toy was definitely, albeit quietly, saying "I hate you." Blanche's 6-month-old son, Alex, got the toy as a Christmas present. It makes soothing sounds and music for baby to fall asleep to, with an illuminated picture of a cartoon-style aquarium on the front. But in between the white noise of ocean waves, a tiny babyish voice pipes up with childhood angst. Made in China, the toy was sold by Wal-Mart and carries the Kid Connection brand, which is a store brand. Blanche and her husband, Steve, said they went to the Wal-Mart store Thursday and listened to two other aquarium toys like theirs. Sure enough, there was that creepy voice. The couple talked to a manager, who scoffed until another employee blurted out that he heard it, too. Then the manager pledged to get the toy off the shelves, and offered the family a refund, Blanche said. By Friday, the toys were gone from the shelves at the Hazel Dell store. But the Skeltons would rather get the word out to other families who may have bought the toy. "How many kids are lying in their crib listening to that?" asked Gary Skelton, Blanche's father-in-law. Still the family is more bemused than distressed by the toy. Gary Skelton pointed to a smiling Alex scooting across the carpet. If Alex could talk, Skelton joked, "He says, 'Yep, I'm the victim.'" Karen Burk, a Wal-Mart spokeswoman at the company's Arkansas headquarters, said she'd never heard anyone else complain about the toy. "This is the first time I've heard of this problem," she said. "I have relayed this information to our merchandise team. They do not have any of the product on their shelves. As always, we are always sorry that a customer is not happy with a product they purchased at our stores and we encourage the customer to come back for a full refund." But the Skeltons don't really want to take the toy back. "We'll keep it around for novelty, I guess," said Gary Skelton. "Just don't hang it over the crib is all." ----------------------- end forwarded message from BOBWORN@aol.com --------------------- -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org Subject: Voter News Service Disbands After Two Electoral Disasters (fwd) Date: 14 Jan 2003 18:34:02 -0800 (PST) ----------------------- begin forwarded message from spiker -------------= -------- Source: FOXNews.com http://www.foxnews.com/ Voter News Service Disbands After Two Electoral Disasters http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,75361,00.html Monday, January 13, 2003 NEW YORK =97 Six major news organizations announced Monday the breakup o= f=20 Voter News Service, the consortium they had built to count votes and=20 conduct surveys on Election Day. The decision follows two major=20 election-night failures in a row by VNS. Given the expense of mounting such operations on their own, ABC, CBS, NBC= ,=20 CNN, Fox News Channel and The Associated Press said they were considering= =20 other options for sharing vote counts and exit poll surveys. But it will no longer be VNS, an operation that was created in 1993. In November 2000, flawed information from VNS twice led television networ= ks=20 to incorrectly declare a winner in the presidential race in Florida, the=20 state that proved to be key to the outcome. The results there were not=20 determined until weeks later after recounts and a court battle that was=20 resolved by the U.S. Supreme Court in favor of George W. Bush over Al Gor= e. Following that embarrassment, VNS contracted with Battelle Memorial=20 Institute, an Ohio-based research company, to rebuild its system. But in=20 the 2002 election, VNS was unable to provide its members and other client= s=20 with results from exit poll surveys. This material is used to help make=20 projections of winners and to supplement the vote count with an analysis = of=20 why people voted as they did. "The project is very large and there was a feeling that the mission of VN= S=20 could be better accomplished by working with multiple outside companies,"= =20 said Bill Wheatley, executive vice president of NBC News. VNS was headed by former CBS News executive Ted Savaglio and has had abou= t=20 30 permanent employees. Savaglio did not immediately return a phone call=20 seeking comment. The dissolution of VNS means that the system Battelle was building will n= ot=20 be completed, according to a network executive who spoke on condition of=20 anonymity. VNS formed in 1993, merging separate companies that counted votes and=20 conducted exit polls. Networks were looking to work together to cut costs= =20 -- pressures that are just as acute today. The news organizations are looking again to separate the operations they=20 merged a decade ago. The networks are considering asking the AP to provide an upgraded vote=20 count to replace the VNS tabulation, the network source said. AP has long= =20 conducted a state-based tabulation separate from VNS. Relying in part on=20 its own numbers, AP was the only consortium member not to declare Bush th= e=20 winner in Florida early in the morning after the 2000 election. "We're all committed to providing reliable elections data and it seems=20 obvious that VNS was not the best vehicle for getting that done," said AP= =20 senior vice president Jonathan Wolman. Consortium members are thinking about two alternatives for building a new= =20 exit poll operation. One proposal is from Warren Mitofsky and Joseph Lenski, two veteran polli= ng=20 experts. Mitofsky built one of the predecessors to VNS and helped establi= sh=20 a limited exit poll operation for CNN last year. "Without sounding arrogant, I think I have more experience than anyone el= se=20 they can possibly get to do this, with the possible exception of the pers= on=20 I'm partnering with," Mitofsky said. A CBS executive is helping pull together a second proposal to give the=20 members another option. The VNS board members, in a statement, said Monday they "are collectively= =20 reviewing a number of strong options for how to provide the tabulation of= =20 the national vote count as well as state and national exit polls for the=20 2004 election. An announcement will be forthcoming." It's considered highly unlikely that any of the news organizations will=20 strike out on their own to conduct exit polling. Besides the expense, the= =20 operation is exceedingly complex, as pollsters need to take into account=20 increased use of absentee ballots. A liberal media watchdog organization, Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting= ,=20 objected to the six consortium members continuing to work together despit= e=20 the failure of VNS. "We're disappointed that the big, well-heeled media outlets aren't going=20 out and reporting election news independently," said Steve Rendall, senio= r=20 analyst at FAIR. "As a money-saving issue, they're pooling their resource= s=20 and giving consumers fewer choices for their news." ----------------------- end forwarded message from spiker ---------------= ------ -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org Subject: List of 326 Kmart stores slated to close in 44 States (fwd) Date: 15 Jan 2003 09:45:39 -0800 (PST) ----------------------- begin forwarded message from spiker --------------------- List of Kmart stores slated to close http://www.usatoday.com/money/industries/retail/2003-01-14-kmart-closings-list_x.htm -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org Subject: Bushmaster Petition (fwd) Date: 18 Jan 2003 02:21:47 -0800 (PST) ----------------------- begin forwarded message from CJE --------------------- In the "fwiw dept." is this petition in support of Bushmaster. Perhaps these sorts of petitions are of most benefit to the petitioners; regardless, they have my signature. http://www.petitiononline.com/SaveXM15/petition.html 1986 signatures and counting... Cliff ----------------------- end forwarded message from CJE --------------------- -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org Subject: 'Tis the season to picket the Blockheads (fwd) Date: 21 Jan 2003 21:44:34 -0800 (PST) ----------------------- begin forwarded message from C. D. Tavares --------------------- I just saw my first TV ads for H&R Block this weekend. It's their ramp-up season. And now the time is ripe for a little delayed justice. You may recall last year when H&R Block initiated an "affiliate program" offering to make a donation to the NRA for every NRA member who came in to have his taxes prepared. They were immediately attacked and threatened with a March 16th picket by the gun-ban lobby. In a craven surrender, they reneged on their program (and promptly ended up in the middle of a lawsuit because of it). The banners hailed H&R's cowardice as a "victory," a "stand against gun violence," "a stunning defeat for the gun lobby," and "evidence of the growing power of our movement." The Brady Bunch went to far as to claim that "H&R Block now understands that, by agreeing to this royalty scheme, it was furthering the reckless political agenda of the NRA's leadership." As a result, I wrote the following to H&R Block last year: > Now, here's the other shoe. If you think you've avoided pain by caving in > to a couple hundred loudmouth political bullies with no depth in actual > public support -- well then, you're about to learn what pain can really be. > > The National Rifle Association currently has over four million members. > Does this sound like a lot to you? ... > You just made the mistake of insulting a very large and very politically > active group of Americans. When gun owners get upset at you, they stay > upset. When gun owners stage a boycott, you stay boycotted. > > Think it's an empty threat? Ask Citibank or Dell Computer -- companies > that acknowledged that lesson and corrected their offenses. Ask Smith & > Wesson or K-Mart -- companies that never did, and paid the price. > I ask you to understand that none of those boycotts were called by the NRA, > either officially or unofficially. They were the product of grass-roots > gun-owner cooperation, organized via the Internet -- through the very same > newsgroups and mailing lists being copied on this message. > > Ms. McDougall, as of this week, H&R Block has just joined that select group > of corporate offenders. Don't expect to see many gun owners inside your > offices from now on. > > Now, outside is another story entirely. We won't be there on March 16th. > But we WILL be there. And not at just 50 offices, either. It would please me no end to have enough support from the national internet community to show these corporate jellyfish that last year's promise wasn't a bluff. I'd like to have pickets placed outside AT LEAST 200 H&R Block offices nationwide on selected dates. We don't need multiple people at each office -- all we need is ONE person at each entrance holding ONE big sign ("H&R BLOCK BREAKS ITS PROMISES") and handing out leaflets to incoming customers explaining the situation ("Here's what H&R Block promised us, and here's how quickly they broke that promise. Now H&R Block promises that if the government questions your tax return, they will come with you to your audit to explain why their work was correct. What makes you think they will keep THAT promise either, when the real pressure hits?") The real power of the picket line is that the target never knows how long you are prepared to be there to ruin his business (a little tip I picked up from "Send This Jerk The Bedbug Letter," by an expert in how to complain or protest effectively). By the second day we had people outside the Block offices, we'd make the national news, and we'd be making their corporate weasels sweat buckets. To be most effective, we'd need some basic intel, like knowing the hours and days of operation for typical H&R Block offices (no good picketing on a weekend if they're not open), and when is the peak season for their walk-in business (so our pickets can interact with as many customers as possible). Anybody who knows the answers to these questions, please sing out. This is the sort of effective action that we on the internet have proven we can pull off while the corporate NRA sits back on its ass and does nothing. So how about it? Is there enough interest in this project to make it a credible, coordinated nationwide protest? -- Tavares@alum.mit.edu | http://alum.mit.edu/www/tavares | RKBA! Every 13 seconds in America someone uses a gun to stop a crime. --SEN. LARRY CRAIG ----------------------- end forwarded message from C. D. Tavares --------------------- -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org Subject: CNSnews.com: Libertarians Launch 'Guns For Tots' Drive (fwd) Date: 22 Jan 2003 23:21:15 -0800 (PST) ----------------------- begin forwarded message from C. D. Tavares --------------------- >From: "James Lesczynski" >Date: Wed, 22 Jan 2003 11:00:43 -0800 >Reply-To: WesternLibertarian@yahoogroups.com > >Libertarians Launch 'Guns For Tots' Drive > >(CNSNews.com) - The Manhattan Libertarian Party has announced a "guns for >tots" campaign, which it describes as "a new philanthropic program that >will put toy guns in the hands of the city's youth while it's still >legal." The Libertarians are making fun of the New York City Council's >proposal to prohibit the sale or possession of any toy gun. "Playing with >a water pistol is one of the most cherished rites of childhood," said Jim >Lesczynski, spokesman for the Manhattan Libertarian Party, in a press >release. "We want to give that experience to New York's children before >the spoilsports in City Hall take it away permanently." The Manhattan >Libertarian Party says it will collect toy guns and cash contributions for >the purchase of toy guns from its members and other interested citizens >between now and Feb. 6, the day the City Council's Consumer Affairs >Committee has scheduled a hearing on the proposed toy gun ban. It plans to >distribute the toy guns outside a public school in Harle! >m after testifying at the Feb. 6 hearing. > >http://www.cnsnews.com/ThisHour.asp#Libertarians%20Launch%20'Guns%20For%20Tots'%20Drive -- Tavares@alum.mit.edu | http://alum.mit.edu/www/tavares | RKBA! Who can protest and does not, is an accomplice in the act. --THE TALMUD ----------------------- end forwarded message from C. D. Tavares --------------------- -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org Subject: War on Burgers (fwd) Date: 23 Jan 2003 00:03:52 -0800 (PST) ----------------------- begin forwarded message from Swftl@aol.com --------------------- > "Increase in Burger Abuse Seen" > New York Tribune > January 22, 2043 > > Hot on the heels of reports that arrests for burger > consumption have > gone up 5% this year, Burger Czar John Walters, Jr., > of the ONBCP was > in town last week to promote his controversial new > "Eat a Burger, > Kill an Adorable Little Child" ad campaign and talk > about the dangers > of burger abuse. > > Burgers are made from grinding portions of the bovine, > or "cow," as > it is popularly known (many historians credit the term > to cult icon > Bart Simpson) and shaping it into an individual > portion. The > resulting burger is "cooked," usually on homemade > grills, and then > consumed orally. In recent years, the phenomenon has > spread even to > the wealthy, where the rare select cuts, called "Filet > Mignon," sell > for as much as $10 per gram. > > Some say that burgers were introduced in this country > by Mexicans, > who consumed ground burger wrapped in tortillas. > Others credit the > Italian crime families, who apparently prepared it in > a ball shape > (the burger was later generally flattened to a patty > shape). Whatever > the origin, it's clear that a large number of > Americans have at least > tried burgers at some point, including a number of > prominent > politicians, despite its illegality. > > Medical professionals are divided on the dangers of > burgers. While > some say that it promotes heart disease, others point > to positive > effects from its high protein content. Burgers are > known to affect > brain chemistry, sometimes resulting in a burst of > energy and a > satiated feeling. > > The Modern Association for the Reform of Burger Laws > (MARBL) has > emerged as an opposition organization to burger > prohibition, claiming > that the dangers of burgers are overstated. MARBL > also promotes the > acceptance of "industrial cow farming" and notes that > parts of the > cow can be utilized for a variety of products, from > heavy-duty shoes > and clothing to "dairy products" for consumption which > supposedly > contain as much calcium as a glass of soy milk. > > Walters dismisses such organizations as "a bunch of > meat-heads who > just want cows to be legalized so they can > indiscriminately gorge on > burgers." > > Walters seems genuinely outraged at the rhetoric of > burger reformers. > "Harmless? Well I can tell you right now that there > has not been a > single scientific study that proves conclusively that > burgers are not > harmful." He goes on to cite a recent experiment that > involved > force-feeding rats 34 burgers each day. After just 10 > months, 90% of > the rats showed signs of extreme obesity. > > Walters is always prepared with anecdotes to > demonstrate the horrors > of burgers. He relates tales of young people having > sex after eating > burgers, people found dead of a heart attack with a > partially > digested burger still in their stomach, and the > well-circulated > stories of parents who reportedly gave their young > children pieces of > burger mixed with other items which they frighteningly > referred to as > "happy meals." > > Walters says that hundreds of cows are smuggled in > across the border > each day. Some distributors have even tried curing > the burger to > into a chewy "jerky" and wrapping it in plastic to > sneak it past > customs. The problem of controlling supply is > complicated by the fact > that cows can also be grown fairly easily here in the > U.S. Companies > such as Del Monte and Green Giant have begun to alert > authorities to > individuals who purchase excessive amounts of corn, > but even ordinary > grass will work to produce mature cows. > > The grass-raised cows are the domain of burger cartels > known as > "cow-boys," who have been known to raise literally > thousands of cows, > keeping them on the move through vast areas to avoid > detection. In > response to this trend, last month Congress passed > "The Personal > Freedom for All and Protecting our Environment Act" > which authorized > the BEA to begin spraying a new high-potency cyanide > over large > tracts of grasslands in the west and midwest. While > the chemicals > are instantly lethal to grass and cows, BEA head Asa > Hutchinson (who > will retire next month) claims that innocent residents > should suffer > no ill effects as long as they stay far away from the > sprayed states. > > Walters also noted that clever dealers have taken to > establishing > "basement-ops" in residential areas. In confined > spaces, dealers can > actually produce high potency burgers, with > significantly increased > tenderness and fat content. Although these operations > are smaller in > scale, a fully mature cow can provide over 1,000 > pounds of high-grade > burger with a street value of over $100,000. > Neighbors are warned be > alert to the smell of manure and any unexplained > "mooing" sounds. > > The legalization debate continues overseas in > Amsterdam, which allows > burger "joints" where people can walk in and legally > purchase a > variety of burgers, including the exotic > "cheeseburger" (a regular > burger covered with a substance that's fermented in > vats from another > part of the cow). Reformers point to the Dutch > experiment as an > example of legalization without ill effects, but > Walters counters by > noting Amsterdam's notorious red light district. "You > think sex just > happens? That's the result of burgers destroying the > moral fiber of > their country. We don't want that for our children." > > Walters is determined to continue his fight for a > burger-free nation. > "It's important that the American people get the true > facts about > this menace to our society and our way of life. We > need to make sure > they hear the truth: eat a burger and you kill an > adorable little > child. And that's a fact." ----------------------- end forwarded message from Swftl@aol.com --------------------- -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org Subject: H&R Block Boycott & Picket (fwd) Date: 24 Jan 2003 02:08:28 -0800 (PST) ----------------------- begin forwarded message from C. D. Tavares --------------------- Internet gun owners and activists are coordinating a nationwide picket of H&R Block offices during the first three weeks of February. We plan to post single pickets at an average of four offices in each state. We need volunteers to coordinate these activities on a state level, and more volunteers to picket the offices. Read the web page below for full details of why, how, and when. Please do it NOW, because we have only about a week to get everything in place. http://keepandbeararms.com/boycottblock/ Please repost this note on other pro-gun mailing list and discussion boards. -- Tavares@alum.mit.edu | http://alum.mit.edu/www/tavares | RKBA! One may well reproach the liberal, democratic Weimar Republic and its successors for disarming the German people in the hope of taking back the streets from the right- and left-wing brawlers of the 1920s and 1930s. National Socialists had nothing to do with these firearms confiscations, but once in office, it suited them that Germany's laws left decisions concerning gun ownership to the administrative discretion of police or military authorities. --DANIEL POLSBY ----------------------- end forwarded message from C. D. Tavares --------------------- -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org Subject: County in Colorado debates guns at work - includes poll (fwd) Date: 26 Jan 2003 04:28:49 -0800 (PST) ----------------------- begin forwarded message from Black Richard --------------------- http://www.cnn.com/2003/US/Central/01/25/guns.to.work.ap/index.html County in Colorado debates guns at work Saturday, January 25, 2003 Posted: 5:47 PM EST (2247 GMT) WELLINGTON, Colorado (AP) -- Wearing flip-flops to work at Larimer County's food stamp office is prohibited. Bringing a gun to work is allowed. Commissioners in this northern Colorado county are working to clarify their stance on guns in the workplace with a written policy after two employees were spotted with handguns. There were no injuries in either case. Under the proposal, all 1,300 county employees, from janitors to the county manager, would be permitted to carry concealed weapons if they have permits and inform their supervisors in advance. It would not apply to courts, which are governed by state laws prohibiting guns in courthouses. ----------------------- end forwarded message from Black Richard --------------------- -- - ------------------------------------------------------------------------------- From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org Subject: Devvy Kidd....NEW GUN BILL IN CONGRESS: MORE UNCONSTITUTIONAL (fwd) Date: 29 Jan 2003 11:13:05 -0800 (PST) ----------------------- begin forwarded message from spiker -------------= -------- APTRAP Source: NewsWithViews.com http://www.newswithviews.com/ NEW GUN BILL IN CONGRESS: MORE UNCONSTITUTIONAL CLAPTRAP http://www.newswithviews.com/Devvy/kidd6.htm By Devvy Kidd http://www.devvy.com January 29, 2003 We all knew it was just a matter of time. Mandatory federal gun licensing= .=20 Gun owners: Now is the time to show your clout. Never mind if you belong = to=20 the NRA, GOAA or none of the above: Now is the time to tell Congress No.=20 Now is the time to tell your local Sheriff that you will not submit to ye= t=20 another unconstitutional federal junk law. For conservatives out there: Let me remind you - this is a Republican=20 controlled Congress. In a perfect world, this type of legislation would=20 never get out of committee with a GOP controlled Congress. However, we kn= ow=20 that Congress is full of anti-Second Amendment Republicans. This=20 particularly odious piece of legislation was introduced by Congressman Ru= sh=20 Holt, [D- N J], bud of Comrade Nancy Pelosi. Holt has never met a welfare cause or politically correct issue he didn't= =20 like and wants you to fund. This man is quite obviously constitutionally=20 challenged and despises the very freedoms we have been given by God. It's= =20 time for every gun owner in this country to tell these people and your=20 local sheriff that We the People will not roll over and let our God-given= =20 rights be stripped from US. The Bill - H.R. 124 You can search for bills in the House at: http://thomas.loc.gov/ H.R. 124 hasn't come back from GPO yet, but has gone to the Committee on=20 the Judiciary. Due to space restraint, here are a few highlights: H.R. 124 To provide for the mandatory licensing and registration of handguns. SECTION 1. SHORT TITLE. This Act may be cited as the `Handgun Licensing and Registration Act of 2= 003'. Sec 2. Federal Handgun Licensing and Registration System to Apply in Any=20 State That Does Not Have a Handgun Licensing and Registration System That= =20 Meets Certain Requirements (a) IN GENERAL- Chapter 44 of title 18, United States Code, is amended by= =20 adding at the end the following: Sec. 931. Licensing and registration of handguns (a)(1) The Attorney General shall establish a Federal system for the=20 licensing and registration of all handguns owned, possessed, or controlle= d=20 in the United States, which shall include a method for easily retrieving=20 information sufficient to identify-- Constitutionality Since when does Congress, under Art. 1, Sec. 8, have the authority to=20 dictate anything you read above? Never. They have only gotten away with i= t=20 the past because The People have let them get away with it. No more. The=20 original Bill of Rights as provided in the first Ten Amendment to the=20 Constitution of these united States of America, effective December 15,=20 1791, contain this language: "A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free Stat= e,=20 the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed." These few words have turned into 10,00 court decisions and made anti-gun=20 attorneys fat cats. A million words have been put into court decisions by= =20 judges trying to figure out one of the most simple rights We the People=20 were given by our Creator, not any government. These critters in Congress seem to forget the order of things: The=20 lawmakers of the colonies, realizing that some areas that affected everyo= ne=20 needed to be uniform: war, trade, commerce, copyright, patents, taxation,= =20 began the process of setting up a central government with limited areas o= f=20 legislation well defined. The prominent leaders and lawmakers of the time got together, hashed out=20 the fine points and created the U.S. Constitution, which included those=20 rights God-given to man that would not be violated, infringed, made into=20 privileges or anything else. The Courts While the circuit courts have been all over the place on this issue, ther= e=20 were two very important U.S. Supreme Court decisions within the last deca= de=20 that have direct bearing on this junk bill: U.S. v. Lopez, 115 S.Ct. 1624 (1995) (http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/93-1260.ZO.html) Chief Justice Rehnquist delivered the opinion of the Court. In the Gun Free School Zones Act of 1990, Congress made it a federal=20 offense "for any individual knowingly to possess a firearm at a place tha= t=20 the individual knows, or has reasonable cause to believe, is a school=20 zone." 18 U.S.C. =A7 922(q)(1)(A) (1988 ed., Supp. V). The Act neither regulates a commercial activity nor contains a requiremen= t=20 that the possession be connected in any way to interstate commerce. We ho= ld=20 that the Act exceeds the authority of Congress "[to] regulate Commerce . = .=20 . among the several States . . . ." U. S. Const., Art. I, =A78, cl. 3. Printz v. United States (95-1478), 521 U.S. 98 (1997) (http://supct.law.cornell.edu/test/hermes/95-1478.ZS.html) Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act provisions require the Attorney=20 General to establish a national system for instantly checking prospective= =20 handgun purchasers' backgrounds, note following 18 U.S.C. =A7 922 and com= mand=20 the "chief law enforcement officer" (CLEO) of each local jurisdiction to=20 conduct such checks and perform related tasks on an interim basis until t= he=20 national system becomes operative, =A7922(s). Petitioners, the CLEOs for counties in Montana and Arizona, filed separat= e=20 actions challenging the interim provisions' constitutionality. In each=20 case, the District Court held that the background check provision was=20 unconstitutional, but concluded that it was severable from the remainder = of=20 the Act, effectively leaving a voluntary background check system in place= .=20 The Ninth Circuit reversed, finding none of the interim provisions=20 unconstitutional. Held: 1. The Brady Act's interim provision commanding CLEOs to conduct backgrou= nd=20 checks, =A7922(s)(2), is unconstitutional. Extinguished with it is the du= ty=20 implicit in the background check requirement that the CLEO accept complet= ed=20 handgun applicant statements (Brady Forms) from firearms dealers,=20 =A7=A7922(s)(1)(A)(i)(III) and (IV). Pp. 4-34. This current bug-a-boo H.R. 124 most definitely falls within both the above decisions. Congress,= =20 once again, is attempting to legislate in an area for which they have no=20 constitutional authority. Most likely, these cretins in Congress know thi= s=20 to be true. However, it does keep real Americans fighting such=20 anti-American legislation, using valuable time and financial resources th= at=20 could be directed elsewhere. Not to mention, it continues to enrich=20 despicable lawyers who continue to get rich off the gun issue. Without our guns, we're toast. Without our guns, we will be another North= =20 Korea before you can blink. Freedom is for the bravehearts. I hope everyo= ne=20 will join me in sending Congress critter Holt a polite but pointed e-mail= ,=20 along with your house member and your local Sheriff. The old way of doing= =20 things is over. Tell these people NO. Let them know what We the People wi= ll=20 not compromise or bend another inch. Call their bluff. There's 70 million= =20 of us. Let them chew on that fact. Congressman Rush Holt:=20 http://holt.house.gov/feedback.cfm?campaign=3Dholt&type=3DContact%20Rush Find your House member: http://www.house.gov Your local Sheriff: Check the white pages at the front of your phone book= =20 or use a search engine =A9 2003 Devvy Kidd - All Rights Reserved Additional Titles by Devvy Kidd http://www.newswithviews.com/Devvy/kiddA.htm Devvy Kidd is the founder and Director of POWER (Project on Winning=20 Economic Reform). Has been a guest on more than 1500 radio shows, given=20 hundreds of speeches and has run for Congress twice. Sales of her little=20 booklets, "Why A Bankrupt America" and "Blind Loyalty" sold close to=20 2,000,000 copies. Devvy's web site is: http://www.devvy.com E-mail: wallace@devvy.com ----------------------- end forwarded message from spiker ---------------= ------ -- -