From: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com (roc-digest) To: roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: roc-digest V2 #254 Reply-To: roc-digest Sender: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk roc-digest Saturday, July 10 1999 Volume 02 : Number 254 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Thu, 8 Jul 99 10:19:06 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Waco News -- 7-7-99 (3/5) (fwd) On Jul 8, Paul M Watson wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] The judge said there is insufficient evidence for the court to determine, as a matter of law, how the fire started, although he noted that there is nothing to support plaintiffs' claim that the government started the fire intentionally. The judge dismissed the claim that the government started the fire on purpose in an attempt to "burn the Davidians out.'' "If the tanks inserting the tear gas actually did topple lit lanterns into carelessly stored hay, there could be a finding of negligence,'' Smith wrote. "Finally, the decision not to allow the fire trucks immediately upon the property has not been addressed by the parties. There might be a claim for negligence in that regard, also.'' An issue that the judge said is "not so readily dismissed'' is the plaintiffs' assertion that FBI agents fired into the compound without provocation during the final tear gas assault and after the fire started. "If plaintiffs' allegations are true, due process would be implicated as such behavior would rise to a level that would shock the conscience,'' Smith said in his ruling. "Plaintiffs present at least some evidence to support their claim, including the affidavits of Clive Doyle, David Thibideau, and the opinions of Edward F. Allard and Maurice Cox, experts in thermal imaging who proffer the opinion that certain images on the FLIR tape taken on April 19 are muzzle flashes from a fully automatic firearm being fired from outside the compound.'' Also, the judge noted, the plaintiffs offered a report by FBI special agent Charles Riley, who said he heard gunshots coming from an FBI sniper position on the day of the fire. Horiuchi was stationed in that position at the time of the fire. The judge dismissed all other FBI agents from causes of action arising from the fire. "Defendant Horiuchi may also be entitled to qualified immunity, but there are sufficient facts at issue that dismissal based upon qualified immunity is inappropriate at this time,'' Smith wrote. In dismissing others of the plaintiffs' claims, the judge described some as "outrageous,'' "frivolous'' and "supported by the rankest hearsay and other suspect sources.'' ============== From: http://www.accesswaco.com/auto/feed/news/local/1999/07/01/930879254.06303.5292.0130.html Posted for info purposes only JUNE 30, 1999 TRIAL OVER OWNERSHIP OF MOUNT CARMEL DELAYED AGAIN On April 19, 1999 150 people gathered at Mount Carmel to observe the sixth anniversary of the fire that killed 76 Davidians and mourn as well the six who died February 28, 1993. Clive Doyle and his mother have moved into a trailer on the property and, with the help of supporters, are maintaining the visitor center there. However, Davidian survivors still must deal with squatters on the property. Judge Alan Mayfield of Waco's 74th State District Court has delayed at least six times the trial over the ownership of the 77 acre property. (The former common law wife of a former leader and a former member both claim ownership.) Davidian followers of David Koresh, led by Clive Doyle, have the strongest title to the land, have built a memorial and a museum on the property and continue to pay taxes on it. Davidians and supporters found hope in a paragraph from a June 27, 1999 Dallas Morning News article by Tony Plohetski about the flow of visitors that still visit Mount Carmel weekly. The reporter wrote: Mr. Koresh's followers have custody of the property, although a man who says he is the divinely appointed leader of the religious group has filed suit for its ownership. A state district court judge has said he will dismiss the suit. According to a report from Clive Doyle, that was not the case: In regards to our getting the Mt. Carmel property back. On Friday, the 11th, of this month, we spent the best part of the day in Court, dealing with an individual by the name of Douglas Mitchell, who had brought counter claims of ownership and who had thus muddied the waters as to who should receive recognition as to being the rightful title-holders. What started out as a docket call turned into a pre-trial which resulted in the judge throwing out Mr. Mitchell's motions. The judge basically said that what Mr. Mitchell was asking the Court to decide, such as who should be the leader of the Church, who were true members as opposed to false, and how church by-laws and doctrines should be interpreted and administered, we all areas that the Constitution of the U.S.A. restricts the Court from meddling in. Having dispensed with this counter-claim we had another docket call this past Friday in regards to our original request. Monday, the 28th was scheduled for the case to go to trial, at which time our motions, and those of any other contenders were supposed to be heard. We were number 5 on this docket list. The participants in number one position were prepared to go to trial. Numbers 2, 3 and 4 were eliminated for one reason or another which moved us up to second place. At that time we were told by the judge that even though all parties in our case were ready to go to trial, he did not have a Court room for us and so we are back on hold. We are waiting, once again for a new Court date." JUNE 22, 1999 DAVIDIAN PRISONER S APPEAL GOING TO SUPREME COURT On June 22, 1999 the Fifth Circuit Court of Appeals upheld Judge Walter J. Smith s ruling that five Davidian prisoners should receive 25 year sentences for carrying illegal weapons during the murder of federal agents this despite the fact the jury found them innocent of murder, found them guilty of carrying weapons in error, and did not find they carried illegal weapons. (See http://www.ca5.uscourts.gov/opinions/pub/97/97-50708-CR0.HTM) Davidian attorneys had argued that the March 24, 1999 Supreme Court decision in Jones v. United States (97-6203 http://supct.law.cornell.edu/supct/html/97-6203.ZS.html ) supported their contention that Smith could not unilaterally find Davidians had illegal weapons. In that case the Supreme Court found that a judge could not impose additional sentences for crimes unless a jury had found the defendant guilty of the crimes. However, the Fifth Circuit argued that in Jones the legislative history contained conflicting indications of whether Congress intended the statute at issue to lay out three distinct offenses or a single crime with three maximum penalties. . . In contrast, the legislative history of 924(c)(1) discloses that Congress consistently referred to the machine gun clause as a penalty and never indicated that it intended to create a new, separate offense for machine guns. Davidian attorneys remain hopeful that the Supreme Court will ignore this questionable reasoning and look at the Constitutional issue of whether a judge can unilaterally find a [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jul 99 10:21:02 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Waco News -- 7-7-99 (2/5) (fwd) On Jul 8, Paul M Watson wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] During the hearing, Friend-of-Bill Webster Hubbell denied repeatedly that he and Clinton had discussed the Waco situation informally, and improperly. However, an Associated Press article claimed Hubbell had revealed he was giving Clinton updates on Waco. And House staffers discovered a memorandum in which then-Treasury official Ron Noble asserted Hubbell would take the matter up with Clinton if the Treasury Department's review did not downplay BATF errors. Clearly, Noble condones covering up government crimes against citizens. (For more details of /references for this coverup see Chapter Six and Chapter Thirteen of of my book The Davidian Massacre.) JULY 2, 1999 JUDGE SMITH ALLOWS CIVIL SUITS TO GO FORWARD!! Judges Dismisses Most Lawsuits by Davidians Survivors; 3 Key Issues Remain By Tommy Witherspoon Waco Tribune-Herald staff writer A federal judge in Waco threw out the bulk of claims and defendants in lawsuits filed against the U.S. government by Branch Davidian survivors, but his ruling Thursday keeps alive three critical issues that will give the families of cult members their day in court. In an 87-page ruling, U.S. District Judge Walter S. Smith Jr. granted a majority of the government's motions to dismiss elements of the lawsuits, but said the issue of whether the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms used excessive force during the Feb. 28, 1993, raid at David Koresh's compound must be decided at trial. Also to be determined at trial is the question of whether the FBI used excessive force when officers fired into the compound during the insertion of tear gas and during the April 19, 1993, fire in which Koresh and 75 of his followers were killed. The judge also ruled that the question of whether the FBI "was negligent in relation to the fire on April 19 and its extinguishment'' will be decided at trial. However, under federal law, only the question of whether the FBI used excessive force can be decided by a jury. The other issues will be determined by the judge. Smith's ruling involved 10 lawsuits filed by Davidian survivors and their relatives which were consolidated into one suit and transferred to Waco's federal court. The suits, some of which were filed in Houston and elsewhere, involved 209 plaintiffs and 42 defendants, including U.S. Attorney General Janet Reno, former Texas Gov. Ann Richards, former FBI Director William S. Sessions, former ATF Director Stephen H. Higgins, Assistant U.S. Attorney Bill Johnston of Waco and a host of FBI, ATF and Texas National Guard officials. The judge's ruling dismisses all of the individual defendants except for FBI assistant special agent in charge Lon T. Horiuchi, who was in a sniper position at the time of the fire. The order also winnows the number of plaintiffs to 84, with the judge ruling that those dismissed had no valid cause of action for a variety of legal reasons. Russell Coleman, a Justice Department spokesman in Washington, D.C., said government officials had not seen the ruling and would not be able to comment until reading it. Mike Caddell, the Houston attorney who represents about three-fourths of the plaintiffs, said he was thrilled with the ruling, although he, too, had not read it. "Frankly, that is more than I had hoped for,'' he said. "I don't know if I ever had high hopes for it because there has been so much stacked against us at this point. That is an outstanding victory for us. I could not be happier.'' Caddell and Ramsey Clark, who represents many of the other defendants, fought to have Smith recused from hearing the lawsuits after they were consolidated and transferred to Waco, alleging to the U.S. Supreme Court and the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans that Smith showed bias against the Davidians in rulings and statements made during the criminal trial of cult members in San Antonio. "We were very pessimistic because of Judge Smith's prior rulings, both in the criminal case and in some of his rulings in our case. We thought that it would be wrong to dismiss the whole case, but the government certainly made a vigorous argument for doing so. The government pulled out all the stops in trying to get this case disposed of,'' Caddell said. Caddell, who said that he is "not a conspiracy buff,'' said the judge's ruling will allow the Branch Davidian survivors and the families of those cult members who died to find out more about what happened during the initial raid, the 51-day standoff and the final day when Koresh's sprawling compound burned with most of his followers inside. "The Davidians are clearly a troubled bunch. I have never made any bones about that,'' Caddell said. "But the system failed the Davidians badly. To give the Davidians a day in court is a victory for the system and a victory for all of us. I think it is a victory in a sense that a tragic event like this needs to be fully investigated and fully aired, and I don't think that has ever happened. There are 500 containers of evidence, many of which have never been opened or never been reviewed.'' The Davidians now will be able to present what Caddell calls "convincing evidence'' that government agents firing into the compound killed cult members after the fire erupted. "It now appears virtually certain that the government was firing into the Mount Carmel compound on the final day,'' Caddell said. "I think the evidence is convincing that many of those people, including women and children who were huddled in the dining room, were killed by government agents when they might have, in fact, tried to get out of a burning building.'' Clark, a former U.S. attorney general, had not seen the ruling, but said he is gratified that "we are in court.'' The judge dismissed claims relating to the planning of the raid, the ensuing standoff and the final assault. However, he ruled that "some circumstances relating to the initial raid and final fire'' could justify negligence claims under the Federal Tort Claims Act. "As previously noted, if one or more ATF agents shot into the compound indiscriminately and without provocation, such would be the type of behavior that could lead to liability,'' Smith wrote in his order. "Additionally, although the decision to use tear gas to attempt to oust the Davidians from the compound may not be actionable, the method in which it was inserted may have been negligent if government agents actually blocked the Davidians from safely exiting the building after inserting the tear gas.'' [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jul 99 10:23:07 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Waco News -- 7-7-99 (1/5) (fwd) On Jul 8, Paul M Watson wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] - ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Wed, 07 Jul 1999 18:36:22 -0400 From: Carol Moore To: Waco List from Subject: Waco News -- 7-7-99 WACO NEWS -- 7-7-99 >From Carol Moore As you've noticed, there hasn't been a Waco Update in quite a while--blame it on Clinton's wag the dog war against Serbia, which I was busy organizing against the last few months. However, the good news is I've decided since there always seems to be so much "Waco News" I'm going to start putting it up on my web pages as it happens and send more -- and shorter -- reports to all of you! SO BOOKMARK THE WACO NEWS PAGE http://www.kreative.net/carolmoore/waco-news.html Check it out at least twice a month; there s always something happening! - -------------------------------- JULY 2, 1999 WACO COVER-UP CO-CONSPIRATOR LEAD CANDIDATE FOR INTERPOL TOP SPOT July 02, 1999 18:22:45 ET From: Drudge Report FORMER U.S. OFFICIAL CHOSEN TO HEAD WORLD POLICE A former U.S. law enforcement official on Friday was chosen as the lead candidate to head Interpol, the global law enforcement organization. Ron Noble, former Treasury undersecretary for enforcement, was named during an executive session at Interpol headquarters in Lyon, France. Noble, 42, best known as the chief investigator of the failed Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms raid on the Branch Davidian compound outside Waco, Texas, is the only person the United States has ever nominated to head Interpol in the 75-year history of the organization. Attorney General Janet Reno personally picked Noble for the position. The move marks a shift in U.S. policy, and comes as American's celebrate Independence Day. Until recently, American federal law enforcement agencies have not played an active role in Interpol. Founded in 1923, the International Criminal Police Organization [Interpol], using the resources of law enforcement agencies in 177 member countries, acts as a global clearinghouse for information on crime threats. The organization cannot make arrests, but it does issue "red notices." Those notices are honored by 135 countries that arrest suspects solely on the basis of a "red notice" with no further information. The USA, however, does not currently honor Interpol's red notices. "Interpol is a great law enforcement organization, but at the turn of the century, with technology taking off by leaps and bounds, it is at a crossroads," Noble told USA TODAY in a recent interview. "You can move from country to country in hours, and from a communications and business perspective, you can move at the speed of light with the advent of the Internet. Interpol is the one organization that can help in getting the right people together and coordinating and fighting crime in those areas." - ----------- Notes on Ron Noble from Carol Moore: During last winters House Impeachment hearings Clinton chose Ronald K. Noble (who oversaw the Treasury Department s 1993 whitewash report on Waco) and Edward S.G. Dennis, Jr. (who oversaw the Justice Department s 1993 whitewash report on Waco) to participate in the Wednesday, December 9th morning panel on Prosecutorial Standards for Obstruction of Justice and Perjury. So this is a form of payback In late April, 1993 Treasury Secretary Lloyd Bentsen selected Assistant Secretary of the Treasury for Law Enforcement Ronald K. Noble to head the Waco investigation. Noble had approved the decision to go ahead with the raid. Since he had not been confirmed at that point, Noble had no formal authority. Noble had little interest in issuing a report that either would challenge significantly BATF's investigation or operations modus operandi or would admit these led to crimes against the Davidians. During the 1995 House Waco hearings, Republicans were angry to learn BATF ignored David Koresh's July, 1992 invitation to BATF, through gun dealer Henry McMahon, to inspect his guns. They solicited from a number of expert and law enforcement witnesses opinions that such an invitation always should be accepted, if only as a means of gathering information for a search warrant. One representative castigated Treasury official Ron Noble for not mentioning the invitation in the official Treasury Department report. During the hearing, Noble asserted the Treasury Department had investigated the issue of firing from helicopters thoroughly--even though the allegation was never mentioned in the department's official report. (He ignored more than a dozen eyewitness reports, photographic, video and other evidence of such firing.) A document discovered by House staffers revealed that on the morning of February 28 an unnamed BATF agent in Waco informed BATF's Washington office that the BATF raid had been speeded up because of David Koresh's "comments" that he knew about the upcoming raid to the undercover agent. When asked about it, Ron Noble tried to explain this away as an after-the-fact record, of no consequence. [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jul 99 13:05:49 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Re: CHANNEL 5 POLL (fwd) On Jul 8, C. D. Tavares wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] >"Is Hillary a carpetbagger?" http://home.digitalcity.com/boston/wcvbpoll/ The funny part: the AOL tag line announcing the page combined two stories on that page, making an unintentional editorial comment: "Is your home safe? Hillary vote!" (I'm forwarding this to the national list I can access, and asking others to spread it farther. After all, if Hillary has the right to oppress all US citizens from the position of Senator from New York, all US citizens have the right to vote for or against her in a poll in Boston.) - -- Tavares@alum.mit.edu http://home.earthlink.net/~cdtavares [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jul 99 20:14:19 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: NEW anti-gun group (fwd) On Jul 8, gil pyles wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] Dear Second Amendment Activists: =20 Are you now aware of: "The Bell Campaign"? =20 It is the newest anti-freedom, anti-Second Amendment, anti-gun = organization in the nation. Take note. Here are some of their goals: =20 1.) Firearms Registered (can you say Kalifornia Konfiscation?) 2.) Gun Owners Licensed 3.) One Gun-A-Month (can you say None-Gun-A-Month?) 4.) No CCW 5.) Eliminate Assault Weapons & "Junk" guns 6.) Regulate gun Shows (can you say eliminate) =20 Please take the time to call them on their toll-free 800 number to request information. You need to see their professional-glossy newsletter "ONE CLEAR VOICE" =20 Call them now and have them mail you some of their information. =20 Toll free: 1-800-RINGING (1-800-746-4464) =20 In their newsletter it states 34,034 people died from guns in 1996. =20 It also states that one child was killed with a 25mm semi-automatic handgun. 25mm? Can somebody tell me what a 25mm is? =20 There is a link to thank Rosie O'Donnell on their web site for having a=20 founder of The Bell Campaign on Rosie's show, Mary Leigh Beck. =20 bell@bellcampaign.org =20 http://www.bellcampaign.org/ =20 Fax: (415) 821-5811 =20 Media: Contact Laurie Leiber at (800) 746-4464.=20 If you would like to say thank you to Rosie O'Donnell for = having Mary Leigh Beck on her show, log on to Rosie's website at = http://rosieo.warnerbros.com/, click on the button at the bottom of the = page marked "Contact Rosie." When you get to the contact page, look for = the yellow stars and click on "email Rosie."=20 =20 =20 And lastly, there is this link on their web site, to the Gun Free Kids site, where it states they will be back in the House & Senate with gun control. =20 http://gunfreekids.policy.net/ =20 Welcome to Gun Free Kids. Even though the entire gun safety bill was = voted down in the House of Representatives in mid-June, all is not lost. = Your support on this issue is still vital.=20 Gun safety provisions that would protect our children and make our = schools safer still can be added during the Senate-House Conference on = the Juvenile Justice Bill, which is expected to convene in mid-summer.=20 Gil Pyles Vice President-SACMO The Second Amendment Coalition of Missouri=20 [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Thu, 8 Jul 99 20:13:11 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Chicago/Indiana shooter poll (fwd) On Jul 8, Wayne J. Warf wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] As you may know, the individual who shot the black basketball coach in Chicago also murdered a Korean graduate student on July 4 here in Bloomington, IN. Our anti-gun mayor is hoping that this can be ridden into a seat in Congress (so it effects you too). We'd like to dissuade him, the local paper is running a poll, if you could help out, it would be most appreciated. Thanks It's at: www.hoosiertimes.com - -- - -Wayne J. Warf Kirkwood Hall Rm.#201 Network Manager Research & University Graduate School Office: 855-5687 (24 hr. voicemail) Indiana University [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Jul 99 10:12:09 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Alaskans: Action Needed (fwd) On Jul 10, CJE wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] Gov. Knowles yesterday vetoed SB 130 which would have required CLEO signatures on transfers, essentially making AK a "shall-issue" state for NFA transfers. In AK as elsewhere, CLEO refusal to sign such transfers has been an effective de-facto means of gun-control. Here is the transcript of his veto message: "SB 130 makes it a primary statutory function of the Department of Public Safety to administer transfers of firearms. This provision is intended specifically for the selling and trading of fully automatic weapons. "These weapons designed to kill people are prohibited by Alaska law, but permitted under federal law with proper certification," Knowles said in his veto message on the bill. "I do not wish to expend state resources to perform federal functions that allow lethal weapons in our state." Knowles said the bill trivialized the Department of Public Safety's mission to protect life and property by adding weapons transfers as a primary departmental responsibility. Under current Alaska law, firearms such as machine guns, automatic weapons, and sawed-off-shotguns are prohibited weapons that are illegal to possess, sell, transfer or manufacture unless done in accordance with federal law. Federal law allows for the sale or transfer of these weapons if the person obtains federal approval, which includes obtaining a certificate from a chief law enforcement officer attesting to the person's suitability to have such a weapon. Commissioners of the Department of Public Safety have refused to execute these federal certificates for at least the last two decades. And because local police departments in the state will rarely complete these forms, people who want to own these prohibited automatic weapons are hard pressed to meet the federal requirements for certification. SB130 attempts to assist this type of gun ownership by requiring the state to sign the federal transfer certification forms. "Alaska's policy to not sign these transfer forms is in line with other states including Washington, Oregon, Colorado, Wyoming, Arizona, Montana, and Texas," Knowles said. "They have done so for good reason: to authorize a person to own such a weapon requires extensive and time consuming background investigation and a leap of faith which responsible peace officers will not take. Even federal agencies in Alaska, such as the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the U.S. Marshal, have refused to sign these forms and have passed the duty on to state and local law enforcement creating, essentially, an unfunded mandate. "Supporters of this bill claim its intent is merely to assist gun collectors who want to trade their automatic weapons, but we must weigh the desires of an honest collector with the overall public safety," Knowles concluded. "I cannot endorse legislation intended to facilitate ownership of these weapons." **************************************************** Gov. Knowles' veto message is replete with distortions and outright lies. No. 1, NFA weapons are NOT illegal in Alaska. No. 2, they demonstrably do not present a threat to "public safety." Those are just the highlights. Please call the Gov.'s office and contact your state legislators if you're an Alaskan. Help from other quarters is most welcome. Hopefully, with our support, they can over-ride this egregious usurpation of our Civil Rights. Cliff Elsmann Pissed off in Anchorage [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Jul 99 21:52:46 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Heads Up #143 (1/3) (fwd) On Jul 10, Doug Fiedor wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] Heads Up A Weekly View from the Foothills of Appalachia July 11, 1999 #143 by: Doug Fiedor fiedor19@eos.net - --------------------------------------------------------------------- Previous Editions at: http://www.uhuh.com/headsup.htm and http://mmc.cns.net/headsup.html - --------------------------------------------------------------------- A DARK CELEBRATION Hillary is throwing a huge party in Washington and this is one gig we may all want to watch. This time, it's a New Years eve party. She seems to think they will be celebrating the entering of a new century. But never mind that part. We are not going to tell Washington that a century has 100 years, not 99. Anyway, the reason this New Years eve party may be great fun to watch is because it looks like there may be a lot of unexpected fireworks. You see, they'll need things like lights and water to make this a happening, and the District of Columbia is not sure either will be available. So, we're hoping that C-SPAN has battery operated cameras so we can watch Hillary blow a fuse and rant, rave, cuss and throw things at people, live and in color, on national television. According to the Washington Post in a June 28 report, the District government recognizes that its Y2K repair program is not likely to be completed on time. So, they plan a massive New Years eve mobilization of emergency personnel and staff to ensure that critical city services are not interrupted if computer systems fail. Rather than partying, the city's police will be stationed at more than 120 locations across the city, working 12-hour shifts, to take walk-in requests for emergency services. Twenty-one "warming centers," supplied with food, water and beds, will open. School crossing guards will be on call, ready to replace traffic lights at major intersections. And D.C. General Hospital will have 175 extra staff working. "Our intent is not to alarm people, but put people at ease that things are under control," Mayor Anthony A. Williams (D) said. "We are going to have this city work for people." Commander David B. McDonald, the supervisor of police Y2K planning, added: "We want to reassure the residents and visitors to the District that even if Armageddon comes, we will assist and protect the public." How comforting. The people may have no electricity, water or heat, but over at the White House they'll (try to) celebrate. This is the typical Democratic "let them eat cake" approach to government, apparently. As the Washington Post reports: Of the city's 73 agencies, 19 -- including key departments such as Health, Housing and Community Development; Tax and Revenue; Child and Family Services; and Public Works -- are not even halfway done with their year Y2K repairs and planning. Which means, they will not be working. Congress gave the District $62 million in emergency funding to help pay for the work. The District hired more than 300 consultants and budgeted a total of $76 million. But, they didn't start in time. So, there is an excellent chance the nation's capitol will go dark on New Years eve. The D.C. General Hospital is only 48% ready. Even their pagers will not work. Eighty percent of the 1,000 pagers assigned to staff at D.C. General and other divisions of the city's hospital and health care network are not Y2K compatible. Ditto for most of the patient monitoring equipment and the patient records computer. Actually, the phone company says they are 98% certain it won't go down. The power companies say they are 99% certain everything will work. But, the city administration apparently does not believe them. So, they are calling in the Red Cross and the National Guard. And, as an attempt to keep some services going, the D.C. Water and Sewer Authority is spending more than $1-million to rent several locomotive-size generators to ensure that water will flow if the electricity goes out. City officials are also urging residents to prepare for the new year by stocking up on food, fuel, bottled water and other supplies as they would for a winter storm. At the end of June, the Department of Health was only 25% ready, the Department of Housing and Community Development 25%, the Real Estate Services Branch 25%, the D.C. Housing Authority 40%, Department of Public Works 45%, D.C. Health and Hospitals/Public Benefits Corp. 48%, Telecommunications 48%, D.C. Public Schools 50%, University of the District of Columbia 50%, Department of Consumer and Regulatory Affairs 50%, D.C. National Guard 60%, Energy Office 65%, Metropolitan Police Department 65%, Emergency Management 70%, Water and Sewer Authority 80%, Office of the Chief Technology Officer 80%, and Doug Fiedor 100%. So, because the District government is negligent, slow and can't pay attention very well, they are asking the federal government for an additional $75 million in emergency funds -- tax money from people who live in the States. And that's why the administration's Millennium celebration (a year early), may be great fun to watch. ENGLISH FIRST Some educational concepts were tried, tested and conclusively proven effective over half a century ago. So, it's difficult to understand why today's liberal education establishment dropped them. Teaching English in school seems like a no brainer. We live in an English speaking country. Everyone living here needs to know English. It's as simple as that. Yet, some in the educational establishment decided to teach every immigrant kid in their original language and English as only a second language. Consequently, there are many thousands of immigrant kids living in this country who know very little English. Last year, via a state wide referendum, the people of California protested. Well, the startling (to liberals) results are starting to pour in. Now, former bilingual education students are learning English faster in English-only classrooms than almost anyone predicted. And, that is the conclusion today, not just of bilingual education opponents, but of many formerly pro-bilingual teachers, according to reports. One Orange County teacher who once taught and supported bilingual classes describes her first-grade students as "little sponges" who "absorb everything." She says that her 20 "English-deficient" students add and subtract, read, write and speak in English, much to her surprise. This is quite a concept for liberals to accept, actually. Kids learn languages very quickly, and there were hundreds of instances of this back in my old neighborhood. Back then, our teachers said we shall learn English, and so we did. When Mrs. Sharon said we must [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ Date: Sat, 10 Jul 99 21:50:40 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Heads Up #143 (3/3) (fwd) On Jul 10, Doug Fiedor wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] sizable commercial passenger aircraft. Some of the information can be found at http://www.ntsb.gov/Publictn/Pub_list.htm Other problems are noted at http://olias.arc.nasa.gov/ASRS/callback.html The problem seems to be two fold: First, the schedules of many pilots are so tight they do not always get the rest they need and deserve to function optimally. Second, a number of pilots do not get proper nutrition while flying. Nor do they always get the time to actually sit down and eat something, like normal people. Which brings us to an important point that needs to be studied (hint) by a good medical research group -- easy research. What is the safety implication when you mix both sleep deprivation and hypoglycemia in a working commercial airline pilot? Long-haul truck drivers must adhere to a strict rest schedule and are hassled by authorities from coast to coast to insure that they do. So, why are things different for commercial airline pilots? Perhaps those frequent flyers on Capitol Hill might be interested in investigating this sleep deprivation problem in professional airline pilots. FAA doesn't seem to care. MEDICAL SAVINGS ACCOUNTS MEAN FREEDOM Due to (government says) rising drug prices, reduced competition in the health care field because of consolidations, and insurers playing catch-up after initially setting low rates to gain market share, analysts expect workers' health-care premiums to rise by 7 to 11 percent for large companies this year and in 2000. Worse yet, premiums for midsize firms may rise as much as 20 percent this year. It also seems that, as costs rise, so does consumers' dissatisfaction with the medical care delivery system, especially with those operating the insurance companies. For instance, at least 29 percent were said to be discouraged by the complex referral rules in point-of- service plans. And it's true, freedom of choice in medical care is quickly diminishing. Insurance company clerks are directing the treatment plan, or so it seems to many. Further compounding the cost problems is the fact that, for more than 30 years, states have been passing legislation that forces insurers to cover health care providers such as chiropractors and podiatrists, and services such as drug and alcohol abuse. Back in 1968 there were only five such mandates, by the end of last year there were 1,260 to worry about. Most "experts" in the health care industry readily admit that the primary reason health care costs are rising is government interference. And it stands to reason that the greater the number of services mandated, the greater the costs. Rep. John Shadegg (R-Ariz.) recently introduced "The Patients' Health Care Choice Act of 1999" (H.R. 1687), that includes a number of proposals designed to improve access to health insurance. The bill addresses the inequities created by the different tax treatment afforded employer-paid health benefits -- which are fully tax deductible for both employer and employee -- and health insurance purchased by the unemployed or individuals who work for small businesses, who must pay with after tax dollars. The bill tries to correct problems caused by government mandates by giving everyone a tax break for health care expenditures. But there's a better way. Everyone in government knows it. But many politicians are afraid to implement it because they will then lose some control over the lives of the American people. Last May, 43 Senate Republicans wrote Majority Leader Trent Lott (R-Miss.) recommending corrections in Medical Savings Account legislation. This program was started for a measly four years and limited to just a few thousand people. The four-year MSA pilot program is now in its third year and many people who were previously uninsured are signing up. Hundreds of thousands more would, too, if the federal government would just get out of the way. Presently, MSAs are only available to the self- employed and employees of firms with 50 or fewer workers. The Senators want to "allow" anyone to open an MSA, and permit both employees and employers -- rather than either one or the other as the law now stands -- to contribute to the accounts. They also want to make the MSA program permanent, which would encourage more insurers to enter the market. Another encouraging point is that the General Accounting Office estimated that some 37 percent of MSA participants were previously uninsured. The socialists in government hate the Medical Savings Account plan because it is very simple, effectively gives control back to the patient and those not requiring much medical treatment might actually profit from it. Here's why: Let's say that you have $4,000 per year for medical insurance. Under the MSA plan, this then becomes tax free money, exempt from income tax. A requirement of the plan is that you use half (or thereabouts) of that money to purchase a (catastrophic) health insurance plan with a $2,000 (or thereabouts) deductible. The other $2,000, then, goes into your personal medical savings account for whatever medical treatment you may need that year. A patient may save that money in an interest bearing account forever, tax free. Or, they may use part of what they have accumulated for anything they wish. But, if not used for medical treatment, it will be taxed at that person's normal income tax rate. Better yet, the patient picks the doctor, clinic or hospital they wish to hire for treatment. And, the patient can make any deal they wish for treatment. So, if Doctor XY down the road is giving good treatment at half the cost of Doctor ZA on the other side of town, go to whomsoever you wish -- and save the money. It's your money, after all. Medical Savings Accounts, or MSAs; they may not be for everyone, but it sure sounds like a good deal on this end. ~ End ~ [------------------------- end of forwarded message ------------------------] - -- - ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ***** Blessings On Thee, Oh Israel! ***** - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- An _EFFECTIVE_ | Insured | All matter is vibration. | Let he who hath no weapon in every | by COLT; | -- Max Plank | weapon sell his hand = Freedom | DIAL | In the beginning was the | garment and buy a on every side! | 1911-A1. | word. -- The Bible | sword.--Jesus Christ - ----------------+----------+--------------------------+--------------------- - - ------------------------------ End of roc-digest V2 #254 *************************