From: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com (roc-digest) To: roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Subject: roc-digest V2 #252 Reply-To: roc-digest Sender: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Errors-To: owner-roc-digest@lists.xmission.com Precedence: bulk roc-digest Tuesday, July 6 1999 Volume 02 : Number 252 ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Date: Sun, 4 Jul 99 15:55:52 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: July 4th Commentary: Who Shall Protect the People? (3/3) (fwd) On Jul 04, Bill Utterback wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] property ownership should not be the sole basis for voting rights. Anyone who served in the militia deserved the vote: "Let every man who fights or pays, exercise his just and equal right in their election." (Letter to Samuel Kercheval. July 12, 1816.) Indeed, as Chilton Williamson detailed in his 1960 book American Suffrage from Property to Democracy 1760-1860, arguments like Jefferson's were used throughout the United States to broaden suffrage; property-owner or not, anyone who bore the burden of militia service ought to belong to the polity. And what of those excluded from the polity? Jefferson recognized that if the slaves were ever armed, then slavery would end. As he wrote to Edward Coles in 1814: "Yet the hour of emancipation is advancing, in the march of time. It will come; and whether brought on by the generous energy of our own minds; or by the bloody process of St Domingo, excited and conducted by the power of our present enemy [England], if once stationed permanently within our Country, and offering asylum and arms to the oppressed, is a leaf which our history not yet turned over." Modern gun prohibition advocates sometimes assert that while guns might have been alright in Jefferson's time, there is too much gun misuse today for people to be allowed to have weapons. The most sophisticated version of this theory is developed by Indiana University law professor David Williams in articles in the Yale, Cornell, and New York University law reviews. Since Americans today are no longer virtuous and united, they are no longer "the people" envisioned by the Second Amendment, Williams writes; accordingly, the Second Amendment right to arms has disappeared. Jefferson would not have agreed, for he well familiar with frequent misuse of guns. Writing to his grandson Thomas Jefferson Randolph, he emphasized the necessity "of never entering into dispute or argument with another. I never saw an instance of one of two disputants convincing the other by argument. I have seen many, on their getting warm, becoming rude, & shooting one another." If the widespread presence of guns in Jefferson's Virginia led to needless deaths over petty arguments (just as it would on the 19th century American frontier, or in the 20th century inner city), how could Jefferson still champion a right to arms? Because he recognized that a disarmed people would not, in the long run, remain an independent, responsible, and free people. The price of trying to save fools from their folly would be the liberty of all. Back in June 1776, three weeks before the Declaration of Independence, Jefferson's draft constitution for Virginia set forth what would have been the first constitutional proposal in human history to provide for a right to arms. (The 1689 English Bill of Rights included an arms right, but that measure was only a statute.) Jefferson's proposal "No freeman shall be debarred the use of arms within his own lands or tenements" was not adopted that year by Virginia. The Jeffersonian intellectual revolution, however, was only beginning. When writing in 1824 to the great English Whig John Cartwright, Jefferson could observe: "The constitutions of most of our States assert, that all power is inherent in the people; that it is their right and duty to be at all times armed." A few days before his death on July 4, 1826 -- the fiftieth anniversary of the Declaration of Independence -- Jefferson could see that the revolution he had helped to spark was burning throughout the world: "All eyes are opened, or opening, to the rights of man. The general spread of the light of science has already laid open to every view the palpable truth, that the mass of mankind has not been born with saddles on their backs, nor a favored few booted and spurred, ready to ride them legitimately, by the grace of God. These are the grounds of hope for others. For ourselves, let the annual return of this day forever refresh our recollections of these rights, and an undiminished devotion to them." This Fourth of July, take some time out from the baseball, hot dogs, apple pie, and Chevrolet, and ponder what the holiday really commemorates: The American Passover, the beginning of a long national journey toward freedom, founded on the truth that God created man to be free. What will you do to nurture the legacy of freedom and responsibility bequeathed to you by the great Thomas Jefferson? All items quoted in this article can be found in The Portable Thomas Jefferson (Viking, 1975). Dave Kopel is Research Director of the Independence Institute, http://i2i.org [------------------------- 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: Sun, 4 Jul 99 15:56:39 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: July 4th Commentary: Who Shall Protect the People? (2/3) (fwd) On Jul 04, Bill Utterback wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] >free people. The price of trying to save fools from their folly >would be the liberty of all. *** Think on these things. *** for Liberty, *** Bill Utterback Date: Sat, 3 Jul 1999 16:56:12 -0800 From: Jon Roland Subject: Thomas Jefferson Forever In honor of Independence Day, below is an essay about Thomas Jefferson that= will appear in the July, 1999, issue of Chronicles magazine. Have a glorious Fourth of July! Best wishes, Independence Institute Thomas Jefferson Forever By Dave Kopel The greatest writer of the early American republic, and the greatest exponent of natural rights and the dangers of government power was Thomas Jefferson. It is no wonder then, that Jefferson has been so aggressively vilified by the partisans of political correctness. Jefferson was likewise disdained by many in the 19th and early 20th century who, quite correctly, saw his ideas as an obstacle to the large national regime they wished to build. How sad it is to that the current occupant of the White House bears the middle name "Jefferson" -- even though the real Jefferson taught his nephew Peter Carr: "Nothing is so mistaken as the supposition that a person is to extricate himself from a difficulty, by intrigue, by chicanery, by dissimulation, by trimming an untruth, by an injustice. It is of great importance to set a resolution, not to be shaken, never to tell an untruth." Thomas Jefferson would not be surprised at the degenerate character of the childish man who currently disgraces the Jefferson name. For "There is no vice so mean, so pitiful, so contemptible and he who permits himself to tell a lie once, finds it much easier to do it a second and third time, till at length it becomes habitual, he tells lies without attending to it. This falsehood of tongue leads to that of the heart, and in time depraves all its good dispositions." But this column is about another Jeffersonian virtue which William Jefferson Clinton has attempted to destroy: the virtue of arms, and all that it entails about the relationship between the people and their government. In the same 1785 letter to nephew Peter Carr (who was also Jefferson's ward), Jefferson advised the fifteen-year-old about building character through the shooting sports: "A strong body makes the mind strong. As to the species exercise, I advise the gun. While this gives a moderate exercise to the body, it gives boldness, enterprise, and independence to the mind. Games played with the ball and others of that nature, are too violent for the body and stamp no character on the mind. Let your gun therefore by the constant companion of your walks." Jefferson's views on the importance of arms for youth remained strong two decades later, as expressed in his 1818 Report of the Commissioners of the University of Virginia: "the manual exercise, military maneuvers, and tactics generally, should be the frequent exercise of the students, in their hours of recreation." It might not have surprised Jefferson to learn that a people who never learned to hunt while growing up, and whose main connection with sports was watching them as passive spectators through a passive medium (television), might not develop the boldness and independence of mind to want real independence and responsibility in their own lives. Instead, they would prefer the comfortable servitude of a nanny state run by people like the Clintons. Of course the benefits of early training in arms extended to more than good character. As Jefferson pointed out to Giovanni Fabbroni in 1778, the Americans had a lower casualty rate than the Redcoats. "This difference is ascribed to our superiority in taking aim when we fire; every soldier in our army having been intimate with his gun from his infancy." Even so, Americans were not as well-armed as Jefferson wished. The only book Jefferson ever wrote was Notes on the State of Virginia (1782), in which he explained the arms shortage that had developed during the Revolutionary War: "The law requires every militia-man to provide himself with arms usual in the regular service. But this injunction was always indifferently complied with, and the arms they had have been so frequently called to arm the regulars, that in the lower parts of the country they are entirely disarmed." So as President, Jefferson successfully urged Congress to appropriate federal funds to provide firearms to state militiamen who did not own their own guns. Congress complied, and during Jefferson's second term and Madison's first, "public arms" were supplied at federal expense to state militias all over the nation. [For more on the topic of public arms in the Jefferson administration, see Dave Kopel & Stephen Halbrook, "Tench Coxe and the Right to Keep and Bear Arms in the Early Republic" recently published in the William & Mary Bill of Rights Journal, and available at http://i2i.org/SuptDocs/Crime/hk-coxe.htm .] The militia was intended to prevent the conquest of America by a foreign power, but it was also intended to prevent the conquest of America by a central national government and its standing army. At his first inaugural, Jefferson explained that "a well-disciplined militia" is "our best reliance in peace and for the first moments of war, till regulars may relieve them" and also a guarantee of "the supremacy of the civil over the military authority; [and] economy in the public expense." As Jefferson understood, there was an intimate connection between sovereignty and the possession of arms. As long the people were armed, the people would rule. In an 1811 letter to Destutt de Tracy, Jefferson acknowledged that demagogues could arise. But while the force of a demagogue "may paralyze the single State in which it happens to be encamped, sixteen other, spread over a country of two thousand miles diameter, rise up on every side, ready organized for deliberation by a constitutional legislature, and for action by their governor, constitutionally, the commander of the militia of the State, that is to say, of every man in it able to bear arms; and that militia, too, regularly formed into regiments and battalions, into infantry, cavalry and artillery, trained under officers general and subordinate,legally appointed, always in readiness, and to whom they are already in habits of obedience." In France, thought Jefferson, the republicans fell because there were no local centers to resist national control. "But with us, sixteen out of seventeen States rising in mass, under regular organization, and legal commanders, united in object and action by their Congress, or, if that be in duresse, by a special convention, presents such obstacles to an usurper as forever to stifle ambition the first conception of that object." Without arms, the weak were the prey to the strong, as in the feudal system of Europe, where the largest and the strongest made quasi-slaves of the rest of the society. But as Jefferson explained in his famous October 1813 letter to John Adams, the proliferation of firearms had allowed an aristocracy of virtue and talent to supplant the aristocracy of brute force: "For I agree with you that there is a natural aristocracy among men. The grounds of this are virtue and talent. Formerly, bodily powers gave place among the aristoi. But since the invention of gunpowder has armed the weak as well as the strong with missile death, bodily strength, like beauty, good humor, the politeness and other accomplishments, has become but an auxiliary ground for distinction." Because arms and sovereignty were so bound together, Jefferson argued that [------------------------- 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: Sun, 4 Jul 99 15:57:33 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: July 4th Commentary: Who Shall Protect the People? (1/3) (fwd) On Jul 04, Bill Utterback wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] *** I have copied two messages below which bear reading and *** contemplation. The first tells of a nutcase who shot people *** in Chicago yesterday. I note that even the Associated Press *** writer makes no claims that the police can be expected to *** protect the people. A glaring omission in the story is that *** no one was quoted as stating the obvious: That so long as the *** people are disarmed, any nutcase can go around shooting people *** any time he feels like it and is not likely to be stopped so *** long as he keeps the duration of his activity reasonably short. *** Is it any wonder that nutcases often choose the "gun free *** zones" of our schools to release their frustrations by *** shooting people? "Going postal" has become the descriptive *** phrase for this kind of activity because of postal workers *** doing the same thing in the "gun free zone" of the post office. *** It is clearly ridiculous to think that new gun laws or stupid *** "hate crime" laws are going to deter a lawbreaker, but the *** people mill around in confusion and call to their politicians *** to solve this problem with more unconstitutional legislation. *** The only answer is for the people to assume responsibility for *** their own lives. The people must assume responsibility for *** their own spirituality, their own emotional and physical *** healing, their own protection, their own government, their own *** obligation to assist others in difficulty, and all aspects of *** their own lives. We will never be successful in restoring *** limited, Constitutional government until the people learn that *** they must assume responsibility for their own lives. *** for Liberty, *** Bill Utterback Date: Sun, 04 Jul 1999 02:07:21 -0700 From: Paul Freedom Subject: Chicago Shooter Still at Large JULY 03, 23:42 EDT Chicago Shooter Still at Large By EVELYNE GIRARDET Associated Press Writer CHICAGO (AP) =97 A black former college basketball coach was shot to death while walking with his children =97 apparently by a gunman who within an hour also wounded six Orthodox Jews walking home from synagogue and shot at an Asian-American couple. A white man in his late 20s appeared to have carried out the attacks Friday night over a distance of about 10 miles on residential streets in Chicago and two suburbs, police said. No arrests had been made by late Saturday. Witnesses to each of the shootings told police the shots were fired from the same car =97 a light blue Ford Taurus. The shooter used a .22-caliber gun and .380-caliber semiautomatic weapon as he fired at six different locations in Chicago before traveling on to the nearby suburbs of Skokie and Northbrook. Tests showed the bullets used in the Chicago shootings matched the bullets found in Skokie. Police Superintendent Terry Hillard said the crimes appeared to be motivated by racial hatred, although investigators later stopped short of labeling the shootings hate crimes because the gunman did nothing to indicate his motives. The FBI was assisting. ``We're not saying it's not a hate crime,'' police spokesman Pat Camden said. ``What we are saying is at this particular moment in the investigation, the elements for a hate crime are not there.'' The shootings began Friday evening in Chicago's Rogers Park neighborhood as the Orthodox Jews were returning home from Sabbath services. Police said the victims were easily identifiable by their traditional dress. Witnesses said a man got out of his car and fired on two people from about 15 feet away, wounding one. After that, shots were fired from a car, Police Lt. Nick Nickeas said. Of the six people wounded, three were in fair condition, a 15-year-old boy was in good condition and two were released. A short time later, former Northwestern University coach Ricky Byrdsong was shot in the back while walking near his home in the suburb of Skokie. Two of his four children were with him. They were not hurt. Byrdsong, 43, had been working for an insurance company since he was fired by Northwestern in 1997 after four seasons. Then within an hour of the Chicago shootings, shots were fired at two Asian-Americans riding in a vehicle in Northbrook. They were not injured. The Anti-Defamation League said the attacks were ``clear and despicable acts of anti-Semitic and racist hate violence.'' Residents in Byrdsong's quiet, upper middle-class neighborhood said they were shaken by the shootings. ``This is a neighborhood throwback to the 50's,'' said Mara Roveda, who lives across the street from where Byrdsong was shot. ``It's full of kids. We all know each other.'' In Rogers Park, residents were reluctant to comment because of the Sabbath, but those who did said the neighborhood has become known for its safety. Police tightened security around the neighborhood's synagogues Saturday. Howard Carroll, a former state senator who lives in the neighborhood, said many people were convinced that the victims were chosen because of their ethnic and religious background and the day was chosen because of the Sabbath. ``It's a Friday night =97 you know Orthodox Jews are going to be out walking around the neighborhood or to the synagogue,'' said Carroll, who is Jewish but not Orthodox. Added another resident, Aaron Grossman: ``This makes no sense, but we have to go on.'' On Saturday night, the American Jewish Committee offered a $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the suspect. ``It is shocking,'' said Michael Kotzin, executive vice president of the Jewish Federation in Chicago. ``But when you have people with hatred in their hearts and weapons in their hands it is not aberration.'' *** The second message copied below is an excellent exhibition of *** the thoughts of Thomas Jefferson on the subject of personal *** responsibility in regard to integrity, firearms and *** government. The reason why we have an Independence Day to *** celebrate is because the Spirit of '76 was about the people *** assuming responsibility for their own lives. *** I would like to emphasize a quote from Dave Kopel's comments *** below: >Because he (Jefferson) recognized that a disarmed people would >not, in the long run, remain an independent, responsible, and [------------------------- 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: Mon, 5 Jul 99 12:51:32 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: While you were away - Repubs planning a knife in our backs (fwd) On Jul 5, jurist wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] Please cross-post until all RKBA listservs and Boards get this and take action: RKBA Defenders, Will the treason never cease? I urge you to call, fax and e-mail Trent Lott who just won't let Clinton's new attacks on the Constitution, a.k.a. the 'juvenile justice bill,' stay dead. Like Dr. Frankenstein, Trent Lott -- a REPUBLICAN -- is fighting tooth and nail to bring that monster back to life. Call his office and let him know that he is dead wrong in his choice of action, as nothing he does will appease the Left and he sure as hell is alienating his core constituency. Sen. Trent Lott (R MS) T 202-224-6253 F 202-224-2262 H 601-965-4644 senatorlott@lott.senate.gov LET'EM HAVE IT! Senator Bob Smith on the other hand, is standing alone to make sure it stays dead. Let's call and lend our support. He is the only thing between us and new laws killing gunshows, outlawing normal-size magazines , etc. Sen. Robert Smith (R-NH) T 202-224-2841 F 202-224-1353 H 603-228-0453 opinion@smith.senate.gov In Liberty, Rick V. article follows: Printed under Fair Use Yahoo! News AP Headlines Thursday July 1 7:21 PM ET Lott Plans Gun-Control Negotiations By LAURIE KELLMAN Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON (AP) - In the polite parlance of the Senate, Majority Leader Trent Lott on Thursday dismissed Sen. Bob Smith's threat to hold up legislative business if negotiations are opened with the House on new gun control restrictions. Threat or no threat, Lott told reporters, negotiators will be appointed and the process will begin in mid-July. "At some point, you have to go forward," Lott, R-Miss., told reporters at a news conference. He promised "to talk to Senator Smith about how we go to conference." Smith, one of three senators running longshot bids for the GOP presidential nomination, opposes the new gun restrictions in the Senate-approved juvenile justice bill. The House passed a juvenile justice bill that significantly weakened the Senate's proposed gun control measure. Leaders of both houses say they will appoint negotiators to work out the differences after the summer recess. Smith, R-N.H., believes that the Senate's gun provisions stand a chance of surviving the talks. He's also not sure whether he likes weakened gun proposals that won brief favor in the House before lawmakers there decide to reject gun controls entirely. On Wednesday, he sent letters to Lott and Judiciary Committee Chairman Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, saying he was considering a procedural maneuver to block the appointment of conferees, the first step in the process. Senate tradition permits its members to hold up legislative process by objecting to it for any reason. Going to conference, Smith told reporters, is ``not worth the risk,'' and he's considering everything from a hold to a filibuster to stop conferees from being named. "The odds are the conferees will be favorable to the Senate's position," Smith said. "I'm going to do everything in my power to see to it that we don't get to conference." Rather, Smith said, GOP leaders should put the House bill up for a vote in the Senate and bar amendments. But Lott has no such plans, and he made clear that he intends to talk Smith out of the confrontation. If Smith persists, Lott said he would call for a Senate vote on the matter. "I wouldn't mean it as an affront to anybody," Lott said. "Anyway, we won't do it till we come back and give it time." Smith said no one has tried to force to retreat from his position. "Thus far my arms are intact and no one has threatened me with anything," Smith said. http://dailynews.yahoo.com/headlines/ap/washington/story.html?s=v/ap/19990701/pl/gun_control_67.html See also front page of July 3, 1999 Washington Times; "Lott hopes to free up 'gun bill' - Juvenile crimes real point, he says - ---------------------------------------------------------------- The Right to Self Defense is a Fundamental Human Right - RKBA - ---------------------------------------------------------------- [------------------------- 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: Mon, 5 Jul 99 12:52:51 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Fw: NEA Convention Flash! - 7/5 (fwd) On Jul 5, Kevin McGehee wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] Senator-anoint Hillary Rodham joins the Vast Right Wing Conspiracy! Kevin McGehee Fairbanks/North Pole, AK mcg592@mcgeheezone.com http://www.mcgeheezone.com/ - ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Monday, July 05, 1999 10:30 AM Subject: NEA Convention Flash! - 7/5 The Education Intelligence Agency Convention Flash! - July 5, 1999 Now on the Web at http://members.aol.com/educintel/eia First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton addressed the National Education Association Representative Assembly today and called for greater support and resources for public education and teachers. Mrs. Clinton received wild applause for virtually every point she made and received several standing ovations. But it was the non-reaction of the assembly when she delivered fulsome praise for the nation's charter schools that was the only unplanned-for incident during the entire speech. "I also hope you will continue to stand behind the charter school public school movement," Mrs. Clinton began, "because I believe that parents do deserve greater choice within the public school system to meet the needs of their children." She described how positively impressed she was by the high standards she saw at a Washington, DC charter school that required children to master Latin. She told the audience that despite the rigorous requirements, the school had a large waiting list. She wondered why we couldn't have more schools like it. "Well, slowly but surely we're beginning to create schooling opportunities through the public school charter system that are providing those kinds of options for parents and students," Mrs. Clinton continued, "raising academic standards and empowering educators, and I invite educators to be at the forefront of this. Because I know that the NEA has already helped to create a number of charter schools. And I'm very pleased that you have done this, because I think when we look back on the 1990s, we will see that the charter school movement, led by committed, experienced, expert educators, will be one of the ways we will have turned around the entire public school system." Mrs. Clinton paused, but not a single cheer or clap emerged from the 15,000 people in the audience. Mrs. Clinton returned to firmer ground, praising our America's public education system as having "the best schools and the smartest kids." The crowd cheered and applauded raucously as she finished, with many signs supporting her candidacy for U.S. senator from New York, President of the United States, and one for governor of Florida. Sometime tomorrow, the delegates will consider New Business Item 36, which says in part: "NEA recognizes that the growing experience with charter schools is increasingly negative, that charters have been seized on by right-wing forces as a wedge to break up and resegregate education and prepare the way for privatization... that charter schools overwhelmingly fail to provide any of the benefits they originally claimed to offer. NEA will publicly oppose further extension of charter schools." # # # The Education Intelligence Agency conducts public education research, analysis and investigations. Director: Mike Antonucci. Ph: 916-422-4373. Fax: 916-392-1482. E-Mail: EducIntel@aol.com [------------------------- 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: Mon, 5 Jul 99 12:54:43 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Fw: 1st NEA Convention Flash! - 7/4 (fwd) On Jul 4, Kevin McGehee wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] - ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Sunday, July 04, 1999 2:08 PM Subject: NEA Convention Flash! - 7/4 The Education Intelligence Agency Convention Flash! - July 4, 1999 Now on the Web at http://members.aol.com/educintel/eia + Happy Independence Day! I've been assured that keeping the press off the RA floor was not instituted for my benefit, although enforcement has been less than stringent in the past. I've also been assured that delegates may visit me in the press section without hindrance, and some have done so already. + I have not seen a comprehensive list of all the amendments to be offered to NEA's resolutions this year, but what I have seen contains nothing that could be considered extraordinarily controversial. There is one curious addition to Resolution F-7, concerning strikes, about which I'm eager to hear the rationale. New language (separated here by brackets) inserted into the resolution would make it read, in part: "The Association believes that, when a picket line is established by the authorized bargaining unit, crossing it, [whether physically or electronically,] is strikebreaking and jeopardizes the welfare of [education] employees and the educational process." The definition of "electronically" crossing a picket line at a school should prove interesting. + NEA has been utilizing Dr. Seuss' Cat in the Hat to promote its "Read Across America" campaign. This year, the entire NEA Executive Committee performed a musical number while dressed from head-to-toe in Cat in the Hat costumes. In addition, there were the obligatory daily anti-voucher sermons containing yet another reference to bloodsucking vermin. If Dr. Seuss had attended this year's convention, it's likely he would have called it "Leeches in Speeches." The NEA RA delegates also addressed a host of new business items. New Business Item 9 passed unanimously. It commits NEA to provide support to its Florida affiliate in defeating the Florida Civil Rights Initiative being sponsored by Ward Connerly. Connerly, you may recall, was the driving force behind California's Proposition 209, which prohibits the state from awarding contracts or college admissions on the basis of race, ethnicity or gender. New Business Item 10 commits NEA to oppose the takeover of school districts by mayors. The mayors of Cleveland, Detroit, Chicago and Oakland were accused of power grabs. But even though they are all liberal Democrats, they were not accused of engineering a left-wing conspiracy. New Business Item 11 was defeated. It would have committed NEA to organize a "National March on Washington for Equal, Integrated, Quality Public Education" to occur within one year's time. NEA's assessment of the time necessary to plan such a march (six to 18 months) and the cost ($2.5 million) soured the delegates on the idea. New Business Item 14 was also defeated. Sponsored by new Illinois Education Association President Jean Tello, it addressed the question of state affiliate mergers. Under the new guidelines, NEA will allow no more than six state affiliates to merge, unless additional mergers are approved by the Board of Directors. NBI 14 would have required that approval to rest in a secret ballot vote of the Representative Assembly. Illinois delegate Marsha Zirdt, speaking in favor of NBI 14, pointed out that while last year's RA had defeated the Principles of Unity by 58% - 42%, the Board of Directors had approved them by a 2-1 margin. "At times, the NEA Board of Directors does not see eye-to-eye with the RA," she said. The majority of delegates were more than satisfied to let the board decide the pace of state mergers. The vote, on the open floor, indicated that the large states who led the opposition to merger last year -- New Jersey, Illinois, Massachusetts and Michigan -- had not changed their positions from last year. By far the most striking difference was in the vastly enlarged California delegation. During last year's debate, about one-third of the delegation openly opposed merger and, judging by the ultimate margin, many more did so in the privacy of the voting booth. This year, the entire delegation, save some 20 or so sitting in one corner, voted against NBI 14. Clearly, some work was done on caucus discipline during the past year. + EIA had previously reported on the proposed amendment that would have allowed NEA members to vote on the union's political spending of dues money. The amendment was ruled out of order because it was interpreted as meaning contributions to political candidates, which is the forum of the NEA political action committee and does not utilize dues money. The sponsors of the motion submitted an amendment, which addressed this distinction, calling for a vote on the spending of dues money for "political activities." This corrected the original problem, but was also ruled out of order for being more restrictive than the original motion, making it subject to deadlines which had passed. I expect this motion will return next year, properly vetted. + Tomorrow: Hillary speaks! (And please, no more leeches.) # # # The Education Intelligence Agency conducts public education research, analysis and investigations. Director: Mike Antonucci. Ph: 916-422-4373. Fax: 916-392-1482. E-Mail: EducIntel@aol.com [------------------------- 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: Mon, 05 Jul 1999 13:54:23 -0700 From: Kenneth Mitchell Subject: Australian Crime Rates I read something recently about how crime rates "down under" had skyrocketed since Australia banned all firearms about 2 years ago; does anybody have any hard-and-fast factual data, or know where I could look? I checked the NRA web site, figuring they'd have SOMETHING on it, but no joy. Is there some kind of Australian shooter's society, and do they have a web page? I'd appreciate any help you folks can offer. - ------------------------------------------------------------------- Ken Mitchell Citrus Heights, CA kmitchel@gvn.net 916-955-9152 (vm) 916-729-0966 (fax) - --------------http://www.gvn.net/~creative/------------------------ - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 06 Jul 1999 13:16:00 -0700 From: Steve Silver Subject: Re: Australian Crime Rates Go to the "Facts" section of our site: www.guntruths.com/ Steve Silver Kenneth Mitchell wrote: > I read something recently about how crime rates "down under" had > skyrocketed since Australia banned all firearms about 2 years ago; does > anybody have any hard-and-fast factual data, or know where I could look? I > checked the NRA web site, figuring they'd have SOMETHING on it, but no joy. > Is there some kind of Australian shooter's society, and do they have a web > page? > > I'd appreciate any help you folks can offer. > ------------------------------------------------------------------- > Ken Mitchell Citrus Heights, CA kmitchel@gvn.net > 916-955-9152 (vm) 916-729-0966 (fax) > --------------http://www.gvn.net/~creative/------------------------ > > - - -- Steve Silver Attorney at Law: http://www.silver-legal.com/ The Lawyer's Second Amendment Society: http://www.thelsas.org/ Get the TRUTH About Guns: http://www.guntruths.com/ - - ------------------------------ Date: Tue, 6 Jul 99 14:25:10 PST From: roc@xpresso.seaslug.org (Bill Vance) Subject: Fw: NEA Convention Flash! - 7/6 (fwd) On Jul 6, Kevin McGehee wrote: [-------------------- text of forwarded message follows --------------------] - ----- Original Message ----- From: To: Sent: Tuesday, July 06, 1999 10:30 AM Subject: NEA Convention Flash! - 7/6 The Education Intelligence Agency Convention Flash! - July 6, 1999 Now on the Web at http://members.aol.com/educintel/eia The last reporter has gone, the press section sits empty except for idle = NEA staffers, and the most dramatic debate so far of the 1999 Representative Assembly went unobserved by the nation's media. Only one substantive issue was addressed this morning, and that was the question of loan forgiveness for Education Minnesota, the only fully merg= ed state affiliate of both NEA and AFT. Long-time readers of this communiqu=E9 will recall the details of the controversy arising from EM's merger last September, in violation of NEA rules. EM was in fact disaffiliated from N= EA, until votes from the union's Executive Committee and Board of Directors reaffiliated it under specific guidelines, including the commitment to pa= y NEA full national dues for the 1998-99 fiscal year for the entire (merged= ) membership. The agreement was for a payment of $2,354,000 (plus interest) to be made = over a period of 10 years. This year, EM submitted a new business item asking = for that loan to be forgiven. Literally hundreds of delegates on both sides a= sked to address the issue. A two-hour debate ensued. Judging by the content of= the remarks, the debate was less about a $2.3 million loan, and more about th= e direction toward merger that NEA is taking. "I did not hear about the merger of Education Minnesota from my colleague= s in Minnesota," said NEA Board member Kerry Costello from Massachusetts. "I d= id not hear about it from the president of the NEA. I heard about it in the newspaper." The "for" arguments were carried by Judy Schaubach of EM, John Syer of NE= A Alaska, Eric Feaver of Montana, and Maureen Dinnen of Florida. Montana, N= ew Mexico and Florida have already voted to merge with their AFT counterpart= s. Because the assembly had already agreed to implement the state merger guidelines (more details on that next week), many speakers felt that trea= ting Minnesota differently was both academic and punitive. "I urge you to vote= yes on New Business Item 78 and let's move on," said California Teachers Association President Wayne Johnson. The "against" arguments were carried by many of the same speakers from la= st year's Principles of Unity debate: Bob Haisman of the Illinois Education Association, Mary Washington of the Louisiana Association of Educators, a= nd Julius Maddox of the Michigan Education Association. Maddox recalled that last year's RA had agreed that "no state affiliate w= ill merge until guidelines are in place." He compared the requirement that EM= pay its dues to the "tough love" that parents and teachers often administer t= o children. Yet another merger vote came to a roll call. And the results could hardly have been closer. The final tally: YES - 4,091(49.8%); NO - 4,131 (50.2%)= . EM will be liable for an additional $240,000 or so per year. As EIA reported early this year, this also is problematic for EM, since it has promised i= ts members that under no circumstances would the merger itself require a due= s increase. Generating the funds will be a public relations as well as financial difficulty for EM. In examining the apparent leanings of state affiliates on this merger-rel= ated vote, it was clear that Washington, Wisconsin, Arizona, Oregon, Missouri = and the four merging states were still a solid bloc for merger. Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, New Jersey, Iowa, Massachusetts, Puerto Rico and Alaba= ma still stand firmly opposed. Pennsylvania and Ohio still seem split. The most noticeable changes from last year were the increased numbers fro= m the California delegation who joined with the pro-merger forces, and the = very large vote against NBI 78 turned in by the Texas delegation, despite the recent local merger of its Austin affiliate. There will be many more items up for debate in what promises to be a very late evening, but the next EIA communiqu=E9 will not be issued until Mond= ay afternoon. Should you want some news about particular items before then, please let me know and I will send them to you individually. I expect tha= t the charter school new business item mentioned yesterday will be defeated= , or at least substantially amended by the NEA delegates. # # # The Education Intelligence Agency conducts public education research, analysis and investigations. Director: Mike Antonucci. Ph: 916-422-4373. = Fax: 916-392-1482. E-Mail: EducIntel@aol.com [------------------------- 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 #252 *************************