From: Lawrence.V.Cipriani@att.com To: chan@shell.portal.com Date: Sun, 13 Aug 95 22:31:47 EST Subject: PROponent Newsletter - August 1995 The PROponent Peoples Rights Organization 3953 Indianola Ave Columbus, OH 43214 (614) 268-0122 Volume 7 August, 1995 Number 8 [headline] PRO Fired! PRO OUSTED FROM FOP CONVENTION ... As we indicated in the last issue, we were contacted by the organizers of the Ohio State Fraternal Order of Police Convention asking if we would like booth space. As a long-time supporter of the rank and file police officer, we jumped at the chance. However, at the last minute the FOP leadership saw fit to oust PRO and the NRA from the convention. Fraternal: Brotherly; pertaining to a brother or brothers; belonging to a society of men or a confraternity.(A society or body of men united for some purpose or in some profession.) Order: ...a social state of established authority and observance of the law; a body of persons of the same occupation or pursuits. of: Belonging to or over. Police: An organized civil force for maintaining order, preventing and detecting crime, and enforcing the laws Union: The act of uniting or the state of being united; a number, as of persons, societies, states, or nations, joined or associated together for a common purpose; a labor union. (The above definitions came from the New Webster's Dictionary, Deluxe English Language, 1986 Edition.) But the leadership of a brotherhood of an organized force for maintaining law and order, joined together for a common purpose has struck again. The State FOP Union denied admission to the NRA and PRO at their state convention held July 8, 9 and 10. A call from the organizers of the union convention, Emerald House, said that the FOP did not want us at their convention. No other reason nor were any names given, as to who did not want these organizations there. Emerald House also stated that several other booths were asked not to attend the convention. PRO and the NRA had no recourse because our contract stated that the organizers could remove any exhibitors from the show at any time without having to give a reason for such a decision. Our contract states that the show organizers are not liable for any results of such removal. In other words, if the FOP doesn't want PRO there, then we don't get in. This really shows how far the Police leadership has strayed from the wishes of the rank and file police officer. For a great many years the NRA and PRO have shown the strongest support for our police. A great many police in this country have received NRA firearms training. Relations between the NRA and police have always been warm and strong. But we appear to have a police leadership in this union as well as in other positions of authority that has sold out to international interests. We have the FOP leadership directing efforts not only to destroy the right to keep and bear arms, but also to suppress any reasonable discussion of the issues among their own members. Obviously the FOP leadership intends to speak for police officers not by taking a poll to find out what they think, but rather by standing up and telling them what to think! A former member of the Columbus police force, Jeanne Bray, was also a member of the NRA Board of Directors. A memorial scholarship fund was established after her death in 1988. This fund provides $1,000 a year, for four years to children of police officers to attend college. It is disappointing that the police union of Bray's home state saw just cause to deny the NRA and PRO access to their state convention. The FOP union also denied access to the local media to their state convention. In view of this censorship, it's little wonder that the FOP leadership constantly supports the line of the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACOP), an organization that admits members from communist, formerly communist and tin horn dictator regimes around the world. So once the FOP starts thinking along these line, it's no surprise that open discussions of issues are banned. FOP SAYS NO, BUT WTTE-28 SAYS YES ... WTTE Channel 28, in Columbus, hosted their TV 28 kids Expo on July 22-23, 1995. PRO and the NRA were fortunate enough to land a free booth at the event. PRO members worked the gun safety booth with police officers from the city of Columbus. PRO was extremely pleased to work with these capable members of the Columbus Police Department. From all accounts, the NRA/PRO Eddie Eagle booth was a huge success. Many school-age children taught our booth workers the Eddie Eagle dance. Pro also made several valuable contacts with local community associations and the Lung Association, and is looking forward to working with them in the future. At the TV 28 Kids Expo, over 2,000 copies of the Eddie Eagle activity book were distributed, along with many copies of the Division of Police's Eddie Eagle coloring books. The Franklin County Fair was held during the week of July 15- 22, 1995. During the week of the fair, PRO distributed almost 1,500 Eddie Eagle books. Along with the books at both events copies of the brochure: "A Parents Guide to Gun Safety" was also handed out. An "Atta Boy" or "Atta Girl" is gratefully awarded to Ron and Jeremy Herman, John Lydic, Pam and Don Sheets, Dave Stockham and Sabrina Kelley for working the TV 28 Kids Expo. Kudos also go to Scott Metheny, Dan and April McBride, Pat and Bill Johnson, Richard Hale, Mike Duve, Gary Barnes and Dennis Walker for their hours spent at the Franklin County Fair. It was brutally hot. CANADA BEGINS TO WAKE UP ... Once again PRO founding father Bill Wentzel has stuffed our mailbox with some "good stuff". This time it is the May 28, 1995 Toronto Star that came back from a hunting trip. After years and years of Canadians berating the American enthusiasm for guns. After years and years of Canadians saying that Americans had a "wild west" mentality. After years and years of blind support for gun control thinking it European and "more civilized" (Ha, that's a laugh, like the European record for "civilized" behavior is something anyone would want to copy!). Finally, Canadians are beginning to wake up and discover, that it isn't about crime, it's about freedom! In a scene reminiscent of our own massive Statehouse rally some years ago, the Canadian paper shows a highway filled with pro-gun demonstrators (estimated by the paper at 6,000) stretching back as far as the eye can see. Many carried signs saying "Can Rock" [Alan Rock is Canada's Justice Minister who is pushing the proposed gun registration plan] and "Crime control, not more gun control." The best news is that this scene did not take place somewhere in the pro-gun Western provinces, but rather in Fredericton, New Brunswick. New Brunswick is just east of the state of Maine. But in this rural province one in three households owns a firearm and more than 100,000 hunting licenses are sold each year. The message that is being sent to Ottawa is that if Prime Minister Cretien and Alan Rock want to push a harsh gun registration and ban plan as did Democrats in this country before the last election, then Canadian gun owners intend to see that they pay the same price that many anti-gun politicians did here. One of the things I find interesting about this article is editorial approach. I have had to listen to a number of Canadians on the Internet going on and on about how biased and distorted the American media is. Well, we all know that is true! But then they turn around and tell us what a joy it is to read the free, unbiased, tell it like it is, Canadian papers. There are a couple of reasons that this is wrong. One is in scanning the Toronto Star, you find that the thing is filled with biased stuff just pulled off the AP wire. In that they are no different than our own Columbus Dispatch. And the other proof is right here with my ruler. The Star article called "Thousands draw a bead on gun laws" features two color photos. One measuring a little over 3.5 by 4 inches shows the thousands of pro-gun demonstrators filling the highway. The other much larger one measuring 5.5 by 7 inches, shows a "scuffle" between a pro-gunner (lying on his back in the street) and gun law supporter who is on top of him. The psychological message here is clear: Government supporters of gun registration have Canadian gun owners on their backs!" Fair coverage, no way! The thing I find so encouraging about these protests is that Canadian gun owners seem to finally be realizing that the government plan to register ALL guns by the year 2002 is not about crime or violence. Monte Shaw of Hartland New Brunswick who has been a hunter for 50 years said, "Our government isn't telling us what the real reason is [for registering guns] and we definitely won't find out as long as we have our guns." Said Fred Carroll of Fredericton, "The day that someone comes into my house with jackboots on, telling me what I'm going to do, democracy is dead." We don't know if the kind of boots worn by mounties can be called "jackboots" but PRO has already reprinted a story by a Canadian gun owner who not only had his guns taken, but where the police actually took more than the law allowed. The July 7, Gun week also notes the sudden pro-gun organizing going on in Canada. Even the Prime Minister's own party is showing signs of resistance to the proposed gun law. Gosh where have we seen that before? Perhaps some of these members of parliament don't feel up to signing on as co-martyrs with Rock and Cr tien when they finally feel the heat of political revenge. But, unfortunately enough of them did feel like signing on for one of the most strict gun control laws in all the western nations to pass Canada's lower house. Passage is virtually assured in the upper house. So while New South Wales in Australia is giving up on their Draconian gun registration scheme and replacing it with something similar to what Canada has now, Canadian politicians are going for broke. In the same manner that economic income to the City of Columbus was of no concern compared to the importance of disarming the public, Canadian politicians are little concerned about the economic loss of a threatened boycott by American sportsmen should Canadian gun registration become law. PRO would like to give the Canadian pro-gunners a little benefit from our experience. When you start out it seems like you have an impossible battle ahead of you, but don't give up. Never give up! Keep putting one foot in front of the other and soon you find that your efforts really can make things happen. In politics, you never win every fight nor get all you want, but that is also true for the other side. And so long as you keep fighting, it will stay true. And PRO is here to assure you that if you keep fighting and never give up, you very definitely CAN make them pay. We have done that and we are continuing to do that. You can too. HUNTING IN CANADA WILL REGISTER YOUR GUN HERE ! A recent report out of Canada on their massive new gun registration system indicates that to smooth the bad feelings the law has generated in the countryside, the Canadian government is going to keep each gun owner's name and address separate from the registered gun listings. Obviously the Canadian politicians are once again following the lead of American politicians and are trying to operate under the assumption that Canadian citizens are all a bunch of "two-four" sucking hosers who can't figure out that some sort of ID number will link the guns and owners making this so-called "protection" all but worthless. But wait, it gets still better. When Pro's Bill Wentzel or any other American takes a hunting trip to Canada, you must register your guns at the border to enter. That information is going to be typed into the Canadian police information computer known as the CPIC. So what? This is what: US Police Agencies are tied into CPIC and are able to get any information they want! So while you are on your way to enjoy hunting in the north, the registration data on you and your guns is heading south to Washington where it can be added to your doubtless already growing file. A sportsman's boycott of Canada is not just about political revenge, it's also about YOUR freedom! "BIG" JIM CRIMINAL ... Let's review a little local history. Remember back in 1992 when "Big" Jim Karnes was running for Franklin County Sheriff against incumbent Earl Smith? The bottom line back then was the PRO candidate survey ended up giving Smith an A rating and Karnes a B rating. Smith was very pro-gun and never would join in anti-gun dog and pony shows but left something to be desired in the pro-rights department. Karnes on the other hand was supposedly more pro-rights but much less pro-gun. He told PRO he filled out our questionnaire as honestly as he could, but he wasn't going to lie about his feelings just to get an A rating. We believed him. He also told the PRO membership at a "meet the candidates" night that he was not about to deny anybody their rights as guaranteed under law. But we were not surprised about Sheriff Karnes' newspaper articles and opposition to the proposed concealed carry law since he told the PRO membership he was against it before he was elected. Of course after the election, the first change we noted is that unlike Smith who would never cooperate in using the Sheriff's department to show police "support" for the current anti-gun schemes, and unlike Columbus Chief Jackson who would only grudgingly participate when ordered by his bosses, Karnes seemed as eager as Dewey Stokes to lick the boots of anti-gun party bosses. PRO noticed this, but being politically practical we tried to simply ignore it as "politics as usual". So if Karnes shows up at an event with Dewey Stokes and HCI board member Lee Fisher and Attorney General Reno, well we might not like it, but it's how the Sheriff's department treats gun owners that is the real issue. But now in the May 24 issue of the Columbus Dispatch both Sheriff Karnes and Grove City Police Chief Jim McKean crowed that they do not grant permission for citizens to own fully automatic machine guns no matter what a background check shows. Karnes said, "I don't sign 'em; I don't want you to have them." McKean also said, "I have never approved one," of the one or two requests for full auto tax stamps he gets each year. McKean, as you will recall was behind a push in Grove City to ban semi-autos until a giant turnout by Grove City gun owners scared the mayor and PRO helped defuse the issue with a simple zoning change. Obviously he is still anti-gun. On the other hand. Dublin Chief, Ron Farrel, although he has had no requests, indicated he would not turn one down without cause. He approved them in Lebanon where he used to be chief and said, "There are some genuine collectors who want them for very sincere reasons." "I never remember that causing any kind of problem." At least Chief Jackson was smart enough not to make any statements on the issue. The reason I say "smart enough" is that gun rights are civil rights. Your right to keep and bear arms is affirmed right in the Bill of Rights. And just in case Jim Karnes and Chief McKean don't get it, PRO is here to remind them that for government officials to deny citizens civil rights is a serious crime. Remember Rodney King? No, those cops didn't get put in the slammer for working over Mr. King with batons. The jury said he had it coming. They are in the joint for the very same crime that two of our chief law enforcement officers have just publicly admitted to having committed and have indicated they intend to continue to commit: Denying a Citizen his civil Rights! PRO says that sucking up to party leadership by appearing in anti-gun shows is one thing, but for chief law enforcement officers to admit to committing crimes in office is quite another, especially when they indicate that they intend to keep committing the same criminal acts. It's one thing to deny full auto ownership for cause, say something in one's background like a history of domestic violence or criminal activity, but saying I'm going to deny you your rights, simply because I feel like it is quite another. This is something that "Big" Jim Karnes swore to PRO members he would never do and yet now that he is sheriff, he not only does it, but boasts about it in the newspapers. PRO is not amused. If any of our members have been denied a full auto tax stamp without cause by Sheriff Karnes, Chief McLean or any other local chief law enforcement officer, PRO would like to hear about it. Please Call the PRO hotline at (614) 268-0122 with your story. ____________________________________________________________ "Some Americans have been denied their faith" William Jefferson Clinton, July 12, 1995. [Was he talking about prayer in schools or Waco?] ____________________________________________________________ OPEN CARRY OF A MUNITION... What with the Ohio concealed carry of a firearm bill chugging along in the Statehouse, all the anti-gun people have been screaming that an open carry bill would be much better. Of, course Ohio already has open carry except that the very people who are suggesting it are the same folks who start running around like chickens with their heads cut off if they see anyone with a gun. The net result is that anyone carrying a gun openly gets charged with inciting a riot or disturbing the anti-gun peace. So how about doing something a little more along the lines of what gun-grabbers can appreciate like open carry of a munition or international arms trafficking. And it's easy. All you need to do is buy a T-shirt and wear it! It works like this: According to part 121.1, category XIII (b) of the Defense Trade Regulations, speech scramblers, privacy devices, cryptography devices and software (encoding and decoding) are munitions. And if you disclose the workings of such devices to a "foreign person" (which includes all foreign corporations, organizations and governments as well as non-citizens) you are guilty of arms trafficking the same as if you were selling F-16s or TOW missiles in the Middle East. You may be aware that there is a privacy program for encrypting your messages sent by computer that is very popular in the Internet and is being used by various militia groups. It is called PGP for "pretty good privacy". It protects your data with a method known as RSA which is very difficult to break even if you are the government and have unlimited funds to buy computers. The RSA algorithm is not secret. It has been published all over the world. But when did being reasonable ever enter into a bureaucrat's mind when there was a political agenda to advance. The net result is that the US government has been harassing and threatening legal actions against the PGP author, Phil Zimmermann claiming that he illegally exported a munition since someone (NOT him) put his program on the Internet which is world wide. They are generating intense pressure to censor the INTERNET and especially to curtail the use of PGP to make messages hard to read. In the past software export was denied if it was placed on the "munitions" list, but now the bill S-974 just introduced proposes to make it illegal to "distribute computer software that encodes or encrypts electronic or digital communications to computer networks that the person distributing knows, or reasonably should know, is accessible to foreign nationals and foreign governments, regardless of whether such software has been designated nonexportable."The bill also brings the crime under the RICO laws to insure that if you export ANY "encoding" software or even have more than two "unlicensed" software programs on your machine, it's kiss your house, money, car, you-name-it goodbye. If there was any doubt in your mind what this is all about, it will be gone once I tell you that the bill includes the "affirmative defense" where if you send the government copies of all your codes and keys, you get to keep your house and car and don't go to jail. It's only fair. If people are going to engage in anti-soviet ... excuse me, I meant anti-government acts, then if they own anything, the government ought to be able to steal it. No? Well, some of us don't think so. Some of us think it's time to rein-in a government more and more out of control. We all need to write our Senators to oppose S-974 and even better, we can also show we are pro-gun and pro-privacy by strapping on a munition. You can now buy a Munition T-Shirt which has the RSA encryption algorithm including the same code as a barcode printed on the front. The government is claiming that if any non-US/Canadian citizen sees your T-Shirt, you are an arms trafficker. Never mind that the information is in no way secret. T-shirts are black 100% cotton Beefy-T with white printing. You can order your T-shirt from: West El Paso Information Network (Tshirt) 6112 N. Mesa #218 El Paso, Texas 79912 Prices are $15.95 for Large and X-Large, $17.95 for 2x-Large, and $19.95 for 3x-Large. Full Price! No tax, shipping, handling or any other extra profits added on. 25% of the proceeds go to Phil Zimmermann for his legal defense against the government harassment. The above address is for US/Canadian citizens only. Other citizens of the "free world" (except for France) need to order from a location in the UK. Be the first on your block to tell Big Brother government to take a hike by wearing a munition on your chest. [Three full page advertisements for PRO Gun Show, LEAA meeting, and the Gun Rights Policy Conference] SARAH BRADY, STILL... On July 16, 1995, Sarah Brady, Chair of the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, ran an almost full-page ad in the Columbus Dispatch. It appeared on the back of the sports section, which was an interesting place for the paper to place it. In it, she repeated her tired arguments against the Second Amendment and the personal ownership of firearms. She also had two boxes on the bottom of her ad. One was to join the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence, and the other was to be used to send in for FREE information. Hopefully, you sent in for the free information. With the cost of the ad, about $7,000, plus the several dollars cost to process your request for free information, maybe we can keep them from running more ads in other papers. With the controversy over the Concealed Carry Bill, SB 68, and Columbus City Council passing a resolution to prevent passage of the bill, it was an opportune time for them to place their ad. Here is the address, so you can send in for your free information: Center to Prevent Handgun Violence 1224 Eye Street, NW, Room 1100 Washington DC 20005 The following letter was written by PRO and sent to the Outdoors editor of the Columbus Dispatch, Tom Porch. The court cases mentioned were taken from an article written by Fielding Lewis Graves called "The Supreme Court and Your Right to Arms." It was published in the July, 1995 issue of Women & Guns. Our letter, however, was never published by the Dispatch. Dear Mr. Porch: It was an eye-opening day for me on Friday, June 16th., when I turned to the back page of the sports section and saw Sarah Brady's 7/8's page advertisement. Several things struck me as odd right off. The first thing was that Brady is now chair of the Center to Prevent Handgun Violence. She is still chair of Handgun Control, Incorporated. Both organizations are anti-gun. The Center to prevent Handgun Violence is a non-profit organization, while Handgun Control, Incorporated is the political action arm of the anti-gun movement. This is similar to the National Rifle Association and the National Rifle Association's Institute for Legislative Action. The NRA is non-profit, while the NRA/ILA is the political action arm of the pro-gun movement. Both halves of each side work toward common goals. In the middle column of her advertisement, Brady states that the United States Supreme Court has never ruled on the issue of the Second Amendment. This is mostly fiction. While there has never been a case directly involving the Second Amendment brought before the Supreme Court, there have been many where the Justices have found it necessary to comment upon the validity of the Second Amendment. In Dred Scott vs. Sandford(1856), the Court said that citizenship endows citizens with certain inherent rights, "Which the courts would be bound to maintain and enforce," including the "right to keep and carry arms wherever they went." In U.S. vs. Cruikshank (1876), the Court said the right to arms, like our rights of assembly and petition, existed long before the Constitution, adding, "Neither is it in any manner dependent upon that instrument for its existence." Several decades later in Robertson vs. Baldwin (1897), the Court characterized the right to arms as a "fundamental right...inherited from our Englishancestors that has existed from time immemorial." In Presser, after noting that "all citizens capable of bearing arms constitute the reserve militia of the United States," the Court added flatly that "the states cannot prohibit the people from keeping and bearing arms so as to...disable the people from performing their duty to the general government." Also indicative of the Court's view, that the Second Amendment is a collective right, is that it has remarked seven times in this century that the first eight amendments of the Constitution guarantee individual, personal rights. Please note that the Second Amendment is one of the first eight. Brady and others in the anti-Second Amendment movement cite former Chief Justice Warren Burger's allegation that the claim of an individual right to arms is a "fraud." They also forget to mention that Burger carried a loaded revolver in his hand when meeting a late caller at his home. This would seem to show, conclusively, that Burger personally recognized that it was an individual right. Another case in 1895, Beard vs. United States, said that a person has the right to possess a firearm for self-defense. In Patsone vs. Pennsylvania (1914), the Court suggested that even resident aliens were entitled to possess arms such as revolvers that might be needed occasionally for self-defense. In Brown vs. United States (1921), The Court said one has the right to meet a deadly attack with lethal force, adding, "Detached reflection cannot be demanded in the presence of an uplifted knife." In other cases, such as Bivens vs. Six Unknown Agents of the Federal Bureau of Narcotics(1971) and Carlson vs. Green(1980), the Court said that a federal official who deprives a citizen of a right guaranteed by the U.S. Constitution may be held personally liable for damages. In Hafer vs. Melo(1991), the Court applied the same personal liability for damages to any state official who, "acting under color of state law," deprives a citizen of a right guaranteed by the Federal Constitution. It is clear from the remarks of the Supreme Court over the last 100 years that our ancient right to arms, confirmed and protected from the government by the Second Amendment, is an individual, personal right. Sincerely, Dennis Walker, Vice-Chairman, PRO Surf Nazis... Days of yesteryear! Going to the drive-in and watching Annette and Fabian battle beach thugs so they could sing a pretty song at a beach party at the end. The second feature was usually the "Brain Suckers From Mars!". On the weekends, the third feature was "Surf Nazis" or some other nonsense. It seems that Hollywood predicted the future rather accurately. In California, the battles are heating up over ownership of ocean waves. Fist fights, slashed tires and death threats have become common as local surfers try to protect their surf from outsiders. Fights have erupted as a result of surfers stealing waves from another and cutting a surfer off. A sixth grade teacher received a lacerated liver and a broken hip. Another surfer required 16 stitches to close his scalp. Rep. Brian Bilbray, a San Diego Congressman who has surfed for years, said "It's wild. We've had cases where people cut somebody off and they go and beat the hell out of them on the beach and send them to the hospital." Bilbray has suggested undercover operations to catch troublemakers. "They're surf Nazis. It's an in-your-face attitude. But the thing you have to do with any bully is get back in their face." The land of milk and honey, Charles Manson, Annette and Disneyland has thug surfers. Must be all that liberalism. What happened to raising our children with a moral and ethical code of behavior? This problem is not just California's, but our nation as a whole. People seemed surprised when you say thank you or please. They give you a weird look. Many motorists don't wave when one lets them enter into the flow of traffic, or doesn't block a side street when waiting for a traffic light. But failing to do so will surely bring another gesture that has been popularized by a baseball player. Having a character based on common morals and ethics is not demeaning, nor will it show that you are weak. It is an integral part of your character to show that you can co-exist with your fellow citizens in a manner that leads to non-violent solutions to imagined slights or invasion of your surf. GUN RIGHTS... On July 11, 1995, the House Republicans dropped a plan to continue a program that allows convicted felons to regain their right to keep and carry firearms. A federal program has existed for years that allows felons to petition for a return of their gun rights. Democratic lawmakers and gun-control advocates opposed the proposed GOP legislation. The critics said that this program would put firearms back into the hands of dangerous criminals. and they were quick to claim victory after the about-face by the Republicans. Rep. Steny Hoyer(D-Md) said that "Americans don't believe criminals ought to have guns back in their hands. I think this was a victory for public safety and for the American public." Jack Kingston, a Representative from Georgia replied that, "You can get a felony conviction for many reasons besides violent crime. You should have a constitutional right to protect yourself." Tax evasion is a felony that springs to mind. Willy Nelson, Wayne Newton and even leaders in the Second Amendment have had problems with the IRS. A prominent leader in the fight to Keep and Bear Arms had his rights to gun ownership restored after an income tax evasion conviction. Any victory for the gun-grabbers is a loss for our side. This is a war that will be fought for ages to come. While no one wants convicted rapists and murderers to regain their Second Amendment rights, there is no harm in restoring those same rights to those convicted of non-violent felonies. WE BLINKED, II... During the first 100 days we blinked when we did not press the House to immediately hold hearings on overturning the Brady Bill and on the assault weapon ban. Our Republicans are once again blinking in their handling of the hearings on the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms and their actions at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Instead of acting like the majority party, they are letting the Democrats foul the hearings with their rhetoric and anti-gun agendas. In the past, when the Democrats were in power, they did not allow pro-gun testimony during their hearings. At one hearing they even had two large state highway patrol troopers sit in front of a shooting victim that had been confined in a wheelchair. This was done so that the cameras would not show her on tv. While the Republicans attempt to separate truth from cover-up, the Democrats trot out testimony to discredit David Koresh and the Branch Davidians. They elicit testimony about child abuse, sexual abuse and Koresh's beliefs about divinity and marriage. Koresh's religious beliefs, nor those of his followers, is not the issue. The issue is the complete incompetence of the BATF and the FBI and their utter failure to arrest Koresh without bloodshed. In recent testimony, former BATF agents have testified that Koresh knew that the BATF was going to raid the compound on April 19, 1993. An agent inside the compound notified his superiors to this fact. The raid went ahead as planned. Four agents died, along with six Davidians. Fifty-one days later eighty more citizens of the United States died without benefit of trial. Whether you feel that Koresh was right or wrong in his religious practices, it is morally right that the House holds hearings on the actions of the agencies involved in their deaths. There are many unanswered questions and half-truths that need to be exposed before the American public will be able to put this tragic event behind them. LETTERS... Dear PRO, Most Americans were busy the past couple of weeks planning how they were going to spend the holidays with family and friends. July Fourth celebrates the day that our founding fathers put their lives, family and fortunes on the line to express their disagreement with the king. Many have paid with their life to preserve the nation which has provided the greatest degree of freedom ever experienced by citizens of any nation. While many were planning for the Independence Day holiday, the Ohio House of Representatives was also busy working to deprive law abiding citizens of Ohio of another one of their important rights guaranteed by the Constitution of this great nation. Prior to Independence Day, the Ohio House of Representatives passed H.B. 336(Ohio Brady Bill). Every legislator which voted for this bill violated his or her oath of office which they took to uphold the Constitution of the United States. They have acted in direct defiance of the ruling of at least 6 Federal judges which have ruled the Brady Bill un-constitutional. These judges have ordered all agents of the Federal Government to cease the enforcement of the Brady Bill. I want to remind the Ohio House members that the Federal Constitution still has the Second Amendment in it which states "The right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed." The Ohio Constitution still states "The people have the right to bear arms for their defense and security." Article 1 of the Ohio Constitution again exemplifies the need to protect the "inalienable" God given right of Ohio's Citizens. The same Ohio House which passed the above H.B. 336 which implements an unfunded federal mandate also passed H.C.R. #7 which puts the Federal Government on notice that we(The Ohio State Legislature) will not implement any federal law which is not funded by the Federal Government. H.C.R. #7 was very popular among the voters of Ohio. Legislators scrambled to support H.C.R. #7 because of its popularity with the voters. Now this same body has passed H.B. 336 which goes against the very principles of H.C.R. #7. The Ohio House has drafted and passed this bill(H.B. 336) which will go against its own unfunded mandates bill. This bill(H.B. 336) will in fact deprive law abiding citizens of their right to acquire the means to protect their life and property. The most efficient and effective means of protection is the firearm. Now, when H.B. 336 is passed and implemented, the law abiding citizen will be at the mercy of some government bureaucrat to authorize his purchase of protection. To add insult to injury, the National Rifle Association has endorsed (at least at that is the statement of one Ohio legislator) H.B. 336. The NRA has compromised in the past on significant gun control legislation such as the 1968 gun control bill and the Brady Bill. I want to state that there are times when forming legislation there is room for compromise but not on Constitutionally protected God given rights. If you compromise on key principals, it is like a compromise between food and poison. In such a compromise, poison always wins. If your legislator or your organization has compromised on the Second Amendment, you should call them to task and accept no excuses. Ask your state Representative how they voted on H.B. 336. Also ask them to oppose the bill when it comes up for a final vote after the Senate acts. You will get either food or poison. The choice is up to you, the voters. Sincerely, David Nally Fresno, Ohio [Editors: H.B. 336 is a bill that would create an instant check system in Ohio. It would also abolish the Brady Bill waiting period for the purchase of a handgun within Ohio. As the bill is written, it would sunset when the Brady Bill sunsets in the year 2000. The major advantage of H.B. 336 is that it would allow citizens to immediately purchase a pistol if they were in fear of their life, or their loved ones lives or they just wanted to buy a pistol. At the last Ohio Constitution Defense Council meeting in July, OCDC voted to oppose H.B. 336. On the face, H.B. 336 looks like a good bill, but Gun Owners of America is opposed to it while the NRA is supporting the bill. But even a "good" bill may be subject to abuse by the authorities. Generally speaking, both PRO and OCDC oppose any "instant check" scheme where the buyer's name, address and other information (Such as citizen ID number) are typed into a computer or there exists a reasonable possibility that such information could be intercepted (say transmission by modem over the phone lines) and used to compile (either legally or illegally) a list of gun owners and their firearms. PRO would appreciate your input on this important legislation. Please drop us a post-card saying yes or no to H.B. 336.] THE ORIGINAL MEANING OF THE PLEDGE... In 1951, Red Skelton gave the following discourse on the Pledge of Allegiance to the Flag of the United States of America. It was given to him and his grade-school classmates by their teacher. I: Me, an individual, a committee of one; Pledge: Dedicate all of my worldly goods, to give without self-pity; Allegiance: My love and my devotion; To the Flag: Our standard, Old Glory, a symbol of freedom, wherever she waves there's respect because your loyalty has given her a dignity that shouts freedom is everyone's job; of the United: That means that we have all come together; States of America: Individual communities that have united into forty-eight great states of America, forty-eight individual communities with pride and dignity and purpose all divided with imaginary boundaries yet united to a common purpose and that's love of country; and to the Republic: Republic, a state in which sovereign power is invested in representatives chosen by the people to govern and government is the people and its from the people to the leaders, not from the leaders to the people; For Which It Stands, One nation,: one nation meaning so blessed by God; Indivisible: Incapable of being divided; With Liberty: Which is freedom, the right of power to live one own life without threats, fear or some sort of retribution; And Justice: The principal or qualities of dealing fairly with others; For All; For all, which means boys and girls, its as much your country as its mine. And now boys and girls, let me hear you recite the Pledge of Allegiance. I PLEDGE ALLEGIANCE TO THE FLAG OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA, AND TO THE REPUBLIC FOR WHICH IT STANDS, ONE NATION, INDIVISIBLE, WITH LIBERTY AND JUSTICE FOR ALL. Since I was a small boy, two states have been added to our country and two words have been added to the Pledge of Allegiance: under God. Wouldn't it be a pity if someone said that is a prayer and that would be eliminated from schools too? Red Skelton, 1951. [The above Pledge of Allegiance by Red Skelton was taken from the Rush Limbaugh tv program of July 4, 1995. Thanks to both men. Just read this over again and try to imagine how anyone who recites this pledge and believes in it can be bigoted, racist, hate-filled or in any way anti-government. If anybody needs their patriotism questioned, PRO says it is the federal employees who are reciting "liberty and justice for all" one day and then picking up their "nigger hunting license" the next at the "good old boys" retreat.] ____________________________________________________________ "The supreme power in America cannot enforce unjust laws by the sword because the whole body of the people are armed." Noah Webster, "An Examination Into The Leading Principles of the Federal Constitution Proposed by The Late Convention", reprinted in Paul Ford, ed., "Pamphlets on The Constitution of The United States" (New York, 1888). ____________________________________________________________ ATF FUNDING NOT CUT ... July 21, 1995, Washington, D.C. By a vote of 317-111, the House of Representatives defeated an amendment that would limit funding to the BATF. Rep. Helen Chenowith(R-ID), author of the amendment, said her provision would "prevent any member of the ATF from receiving any bonuses or salary rewards this year until the Waco and the Ruby Ridge and other investigations have been concluded." In Ohio the following representatives voted for the BATF pay raises. They are: Brown, Hall, Hobson, Kaptur, Kasich, Latourette, Oxley, Portman, Pryce, Regula, Sawyer and Stokes. Why do we always see the same hands? It seems strange that the champion budget-slasher, John Kasich, voted in favor of the pay raises. He also voted against slashing pay-raises for congress. Let's cut everybody else's budget so that we can have terrorist agencies plague citizens and I need more money to pay for my new security system to protect myself from the enraged citizens. Makes sense to me. SB 68, CCW MOVING ... Just in case you haven't heard, the Ohio Senate passed the Ohio Concealed Carry of a Firearm bill by a vote of 26-6. It now goes to the House where it will be re-worked, and then sent back to the Senate for a concurrence vote. DAY ONE, OLD LIES ... PRO is absolutely outraged and disgusted after watching Dianne Sawyer once again cynically trying to pull the wool over the eyes of the American people. Obviously, she thinks we are all (in the words of "Rack-Jite" an Internet anti-gun, anti-rights propaganda posting effort) a bunch of "mud-dumb gunloons". This time the subject was Waco. Clearly a chit was called on the no-talent Sawyer for payback on the high level national news post she apparently was given for just such an occasion. And she obliged with an ABC July, 13 "Turning Point" story called "The Truth about Waco." Snort! Whenever the professional insider propagandists and spin doctors use the word "truth," you can bet that little is to be found, whether it be in Time magazine or ABC News. So with congressional hearings getting underway clearly it was time to call for a massive PR and cover-up by some increasingly worried folks. And Dianne obliged. I think that is how she spells her name, but since here name was not spelled anywhere in the credits (no doubt accidentally deleted with the rest of the folks who really wrote the script). The program was a masterpiece of innuendo and deception. Here's how dumb Dianne, the ATF, and the FBI think you are: Not only was virtually every story the government line, but they actually had the gall to tell bald-faced lies while the video clearly showed that they were doing it! One example had an ATF spokesman telling how at the start of the raid they had to endanger women and children because they were met by a "hail of gunfire" and that at least "50 people were shooting" at them. So while the government man is spinning this yarn, the video is the famous clip from the Linda Thompson tape where the ATF agents are all emptying their guns in the direction of the complex (constantly referred to by Dianne and everyone else in the program as a (infer military) "compound"). And get this. With 50 persons in there subjecting the ATF to a "hail of bullets" not one hit the ground or the cars or any thing else around the men. Cynical Dianne probably figured that those American couch potatoes will never notice the lie. And interestingly enough, the cars subjected to the "hail of Davidian bullets" were conveniently run over by tanks and the front door subjected to a "hail" of ATF bullets trying to kill Koresh somehow was just "lost". No mention of that by Sawyer. In another incident the ATF man is describing the trip up the ladder also of Linda Thompson film fame. He described the men being met with "automatic fire". At the same time the video being shown clearly shows them being met with semi-auto or for that matter maybe even revolver fire... who knows? But it sure wasn't full auto fire. Oh I forgot, ... "automatic gunfire" means double action revolver fire in Fedspeak(tm) these days! There were even sound effects apparently added to the video giving a low rumble at the propane tank explosion and other sounds of gunfire in scenes shot from miles away. Shades of exploding pickup trucks and fake dead fish! The whole show went on like this. They were so desperate they actually used the same "hand grenade" quote by a Branch Davidian TWICE in two separate time frames to give the impression to the mud-dumb that there were several grenades. And while the show was billed as a "tough look at new evidence" as usual it was an old cover-up told once more. A "tough" question would have been "where did the grenade come from?" The answer, of course, might have been that it was taken from the government agents who were captured. But Dianne and Co. simply implied that it was part of the illegal weapons the church was alleged to have. Softballs only. This whole media event, it's blatant falsehoods, it's cynicism, it's condescending view of the American public, it's complete lack of any hint of journalistic integrity is enough to make you barf. But one thing seems certain about this show, Dianne Sawyer will now be sure of a nice new contract and a fat raise. But most of us mud-dumb American citizens are only left to wonder how she manages to look in the mirror to put on her lipstick. CON-CON-SPIRACY ... Did you know there is a massive conspiracy afoot in this country? And did you know the conspiracy is you? Phyllis Schlafly recently reported that a front-page story in the New York Times accused conservatives and patriots who are questioning some of the suspect things going on in government of being "a conspiracy of all those who believe in any conspiracy!" Wow, what a stretch! All the pro-gun, pro-rights, pro-constitution people are all supposedly hatching some massive "anti-government" plot. I'm sure it will come as no surprise that what has the statist noses so far out of joint is the recent failure of the latest "conference of states" Con-Con scam. But the Constitutional Convention gang hasn't given up. With only 14 states signed on, they plan to hold a confab in Cincinnati this fall to plan the next run at the constitution. And they will be using $200,000 of Ohio taxpayer money. Sure, states have a right to meet and talk, but keep your eyes open. _________________________________________________________ The PROponent is published by: Peoples Rights Organization; 3953 Indianola Ave.; Columbus, OH 43214; Tel (614) 268-0122 Fax (614) 275-0092 EMAIL: 73427.1615@compuserve.com or dcarney@freenet.columbus.oh.us Back issues of the PROponent are available via the World Wide Web at: http://www.portal.com/~chan/orgs/pro/ Michael T. Regan, Chairman; Dennis Walker, Vice Chairman Todd Koehler, Secretary; Ron Herman, Treasurer Editors: Dennis Walker and Frank Jacoby Contributions, either written or financial are gladly accepted. Anyone wishing to reprint all or part of an article from the PROponent may do so. Please mention the PROponent and the issue that the article was in, and send a copy of your publication to our PRO office. (We like to know what your organization is doing too.) Also, PRO will exchange newsletters with any pro-gun, pro-rights, pro-hunting, etc. group to further grass-roots communication. Put us on your newsletter mailing list and we will put your club on ours. Unlimited electronic distribution of all or part of this text file is permitted so long PRO is credited. PRO general meetings are held the third Tuesday of every month 8:00pm at Veterans Memorial Auditorium, W. Broad St. Columbus, Ohio. "That government of the people, by the people, and for the people, shall not perish from the earth" _________________________________________________________________