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The British are coming, The British are coming, what gun do I grab? That question can be easily answered if you own a 50BMG (Browning Machine Gun) rifle from a company like Maadi-Griffin. For a true long range application rifle, where hits are recorded at 3,000+ yards, that's yards not feet, nothing beats a 50BMG rifle. Whether it is a breathing target or a light-armored vehicle, a 850gn armor piercing 50BMG cartridge will do the job required of it. Recoil is less then that of a 3in magnum 12 gauge shotgun. 50BMG rifles for civilians, can be found in two action styles, a bolt action, and semi-automatic action. Several companies now manufacture civilian legal 50BMG rifles, with single shot, and magazine feed bolt actions, only two company's manufacture semi-automatic styles. The cost factor of owning a 50BMG rifle is minimum, 





considering the alternative, losing all your guns to an APC armor personal carrier) squad. APC's are used daily around the country by state and county law enforcement, to route out dug in felons from their hide-outs in suburban areas. When global gun laws are enacted and make no mistake, they will be enacted. All those APC's will be used against law abiding citizens that try to "hold out" in their homes. What good will that . 223 AR or 308 battle rifle or 30.06 deer rifle or 12. gauge magnum shotgun be when an APC pulls up in front of your home, and demands your guns (liberty) or your LIFE. A 50BMG rifle will handle that problem quite nicely, if you own one!

 After much research on 50BMG rifles with quality and cost in mind, The Maadi-Griffin Rifle Company stands out by far as the best in its field. The Maadi-Griffin Rifle Company produces several models of 50BMG rifles, all priced below their competitors. Their model 99 has a 4,000 yard range, the model 89 has a 3,500 yard range and the model 92 carbine has a 3,000 yard range. The newest rifle to the Maadi-Griffin collection is the MG-6, semiautomatic 50BMG rifle. This rifle comes in kit form, as well as a completed finished rifle. The kit requires no paper trail, as it is a 75% non finished rifle. The kit takes less then an hour to assemble and saves you big dollars, again how much is your freedom worth? The MG-6 comes with a 13,10, and 5 round magazine and a bipod, plus you get the Maadi-Griffin no-nonsense guaranty. The 50BMG  cartridge was developed for and against aircraft and light armor tanks at great distances. The latest use of this round has been for sniper units deployed in 
various law enforcement agencies and military black operation groups. At ranges under 300 yards, where most urban conflicts will occur, the 50BMG rifle can and will stop any threat to a law abiding American.
   In conclusion: I firmly believe that the next pages of American history 
will be wrote because of a 50BMG rifle, defending the constitution of the United States of America. God Bless America
Gary D.Winstead,Sr.

Ghigliotti had not been seen for several weeks. The office of the chief medical examiner for the state of Maryland was performing an autopsy in Baltimore. The autopsy wasn't expected to be completed until Monday. Ghigliotti, a thermal imaging analyst hired by the House Government Reform Committee to review tape of the siege, said he determined the FBI fired shots on April 19, 1993. The FBI has explained the light bursts on infrared footage as reflections of sun rays on shards of glass or other debris that littered the scene. "I conclude this based on the ground view videotapes taken from several different angles simultaneously and based on the overhead thermal tape," Ghigliotti told The Washington Post last October. "The gunfire from the ground is there, without a doubt." Ghigliotti said the tapes also confirm the Davidians fired repeatedly at FBI agents during the assault, which ended when flames raced through the compound. About 80 Branch Davidians perished that day, some from the fire, others from gunshot wounds. Mark Corallo, a spokesman for the congressional committee chaired by Rep. Dan Burton, R-Ind., said Saturday that police found the business card of a committee investigator in Ghigliotti's office. Corallo said Ghigliotti's work for the committee ended some time ago.

Copyright 2000 The Associated Press Subject: WACO: Dead Analyst Insights Date: Sat, 29 Apr 2000 13:59:15 -0400 From: Ian Goddard <Ian@Goddard.net> To: igoddard@erols.com I'd previously spoken to Dr Edward Allard, who almost died of a heart attack the week before the FLIR test, the same week that another witness for the plaintiffs suddenly died of a heart attack. When I called Allard yesterday, I was told that he can no longer talk about Waco. Since Allard's disabling stroke, the attorney's for the plaintiffs have been looking for another FLIR expert and were going to sign on Carlos Ghigliotti, but unfortunately he was just found dead yesterday. Looks like there getting knocked off, one by one. The following is a message from Attorney David Hardy, who knew Carlos Ghigliotti. In it he reveals not only critical insight into Ghigliotti's work and what he knew, but also new details about the gunfight around the back of Mount Carmel that Ghigliotti's work, with the best FLIR-video copy and equipment, had uncovered: *************************************************

Attorney David T. Hardy writes: What follows is something I have not been able to reveal prior to this point. As I mention at the end, I am now released from my promise of secrecy. Please forgive the length--I think you'll find it worthwhile. This covers many months of evidence and conversations, which I've had to keep quiet. The House Gov't Reform Committee had retained an infrared expert named Carlos Ghigliotti, of Laurel, Md. Carlos had been working on the FLIR for months, and shared a lot of his results with me. I'd pass him data when he needed it, and he knew he could count on me to keep my mouth shut. Carlos had done a lot of IR work -- including using it to spot polluters contaminating Chesapeake Bay, and diagnosing electronic errors (a bad connection or phase mismatch heats up). He loved his work, and was proud of some electronic inventions which enabled him to link together visual and IR imaging into a single image. He got into some courtroom work--chiefly determining if FLIR used to justify a drug search warrant was properly used or not. He had two principles: (1) if retained, he would tell the absolute truth as to everything and (2) he would never accept a second retainer from a drug suspect. No matter how egregious the misuse a second time around, he wasn't interested in being of assistance to a man who violated the law a second time. He'd just had a case where an attorney tried to grill him... but the more questions the guy asked, the deeper he got into the hole, until the courtroom security guards were all wandering in and sitting in the back, amusing themselves at the attorney's expense.

Carlos knew his stuff, and he laid it right on the line. I talked with Carlos over the phone a lot, and visited him in his lab a couple of times. I now forget the first one, but the second visit was the day Mike McNulty previewed his latest film in DC. Thru the committee, Carlos was able to obtain a much better quality tape than any anyone else had. He discovered that, when FBI gave out "first generation copies," it was in fact giving out copies of a digitized "master," not of the original analog tape. Digitization compresses the image, and loses some of its quality. He demanded and got, thru the Committee, a copy of the original tape, on Super VHS, with some other tweakings to make it the most perfect copy possible. He said they brought out the envelope with the original--it had about twenty chain-of-custody signatures on it. He figured that his copy was as close to identical to the original tape as it was possible to have--whereas the ones everyone else has been using are a few generations down.

Then he imported the video into his lab equipment (which I've seen--VERY impressive--four big monitors, Super VHS decks, two computers with more speed, RAM, and hard drive than I ever thought possible.). He was thorough, refusing to make a finding until he had it pinned down from every angle. In one case, he told me last month, he'd finally managed to link by time and location an image of a person shouldering a weapon, shown on the regular media videotapes made from the media locations, with a flash on the FLIR. He found nearly 200 suspected gunshots, and had done the work necessary to verify that many of these were genuine. Understand that his idea of "verify" wasn't just to see the image. He wanted to find the shooters, as well, and to plot their movement from one flash location to another. And he wanted to correlate the FLIR images to every possible ordinary video image, to see if he could link up what the media filmed from the side with what the FLIR registered from overhead. He was really hot on getting some footage shot by DPS from a site behind the building, so that he could tie that in as well. This man was thorough--no rushing to judgment on anything. His normal standard was to study everything from every possible angle or potential critique, until he could lay all the cards on the table, be absolutely clear, and defend his conclusions against any criticism. And he knew this was no normal case... as he once said, the Waco FLIR was probably going to be the next Zapuder film, and he wasn't going to say something that he couldn't prove against any criticism.

On the side (and I have no idea why he was analyzing this) he said it had been determined that almost the entire Waco operation, not only 2/28 but the siege, had been improperly financed from money that law enforcement was supposed to use only in the war on drugs. He said there was plenty of documentation here, showing flow of money. In the 2/28 videotape, the ATF agents are all trying on new uniforms, new equipment -- everything down to the computers in the media area of the raid HQ were bought out of money supposed to be used only in drug enforcement. He said that much or all of the siege had been financed the same way. There were written standards in the gov't for when the drug enforcement money could be used, and these could be shown to have been violated in black and white terms. A considerable amount of money had been, well, embezzled, to support the effort. Carlos also told me, last month, that he'd seen FLIRs from nights before 4/19, and that it was apparent that the FLIR aircraft was being used to monitor the Davidians' water supply.

The water was stored in those big plastic tanks at the rear of the building, and the coolness of the water inside showed up as a darker area. It was apparent that the water supply was shrinking, and by 4/19 was almost gone. He had heard the aircraft crew talking about it, and noting that the level was going down. So, essentially, they knew that thirst would force an end to the siege within a few days of 4/19. While I was in his lab, he showed me some footage where it was clear, beyond any doubt, that a man was moving in the wreckage of the gym. The guy gets up from behind one pile of cover and races to another. In between, you see a very long flash that exists only for an instant -- much longer in terms of physical length than could be attributed to a gunshot. He said that was a bullet imaged in flight--he'd imaged them before, while flying past shooting ranges. (Shooters know that a bullet after firing is too hot to pick up in the hand, a product of being rammed down a barrel ahead of burning powder, and then of air resistance as it travels at Mach 2-3 thru the air. I'd never suspected that one would show up on IR.).

These scenes I saw with my own eyes, on his equipment--it was clear there was a person there. He'd done a preliminary report for the House committee before they had a falling out--he wanted to do a really thorough job, which he said would take months, and they wanted him to do a final report quickly. (He also mentioned that they'd been slow in payment, and he'd needed their check to buy some more equipment that he wanted to devote to the final analysis.). He said that someone (I think he said Rep. Burton himself) had called and threatened that they'd sue him for what he'd already been paid, and he decided he wouldn't take that guff from anyone. He would finalize his report, brief everyone, and that would be it. The prelim report I have here (he wanted to keep it secret for the time being, and faxed me a copy with instructions to keep my mouth shut. As will be set out below, I think I have been released from that promise.).

To summarize: 11:24:16 to 36: shots from two locations into hole made by CEV in gym. 11:24:50 to 11:25:04 apparent return fire from inside of gym. 11:26:13 to 11:26:27 additional return fire. If the dark objects behind the tank are indeed shooters, this may have pinned them down. Following this, the tank backs over the dark spots. 11:26:39 "One of the two unknown subjects is clearly visible exiting out of the hole in the front wall of the gym which the tank previously made. The unknown subject turns to the right into the courtyard." 11:28:04 to 11:28:14: gunfire from this person's approximate position, directed toward building. 11:28:18 to 11:28:22: return fire from structure. 11:30:09 to 11:30:15: gunfire from shooter in courtyard, toward building. 11:33:51: gunfire between gym wall and swimming pool, into the structure. The infrared signature of these shots differs from those seen earlier in courtyard area. 11:34:32: one shot at unknown subject that is running and hiding between gym and swimming pool. [This may be the one he showed me] 11:38:34: unknown subject is seen hiding in front of tank. 11:43:36 to 11:59:03: gunshots from 2d story of building directed at tank (I believe he is here referring to the tank penetrating the front). 12:03:59: An unknown subject appears next to the tank in rear of structure. 12:07:42: fire is visible in 2nd story tower.

12:08:12: Unknown subject comes out of tank and shows up at 12:08:51 shooting at another unknown subject that appears at 12:08:34. 12:08:31 to 12:08:32: "A cluster of thermal anomalies appears at the corner of the gym." 12:08:34 and 12:08:44: unknown subject runs from the area where the thermal anomalies were seen, hops over rubble, and hides in gym. 12:08:51: automatic gunfire into area where previous subject hides. 12:10:41 to 12:11:15 numerous rounds shot from center of courtyard, directed at structure. Past this point, nothing of importance since fire overloads FLIR, but visible media and the soundtrack of FLIR indicates that gunfire did continue. He notes that events at 11:24:31, 11:24:35 and 11:28:14 may have involved more than one shot. He notes that a pattern was apparent: Davidian return fire only occurred following penetration of the building by an armored vehicle. "Total number of events that occurred between 10:41:57 and 12:16:13: 198." He told me, in late March, that he'd met with both the majority and the minority of the committee (after they sorta broke off relations) and shown them his results. Each briefing was in detail and consumed several hours. I forget the exact numbers, but somewhere around 3-8 people, mostly attorneys for the committee, were present at each briefing

He was still working on a final report when last I spoke with him. He was rather miffed that they had not given him time to analyze everything, and said he intended to insert a final section outlining all the things he had wanted to analyze when relations were broken off. He added that the minority staff had been rather surprised to see the data, since apparently the majority had been informing them only of a minimal amount of his results. Some of them suggested that maybe both the Demos and Republicans could hire him on jointly, to do a really thorough piece of work. He was rather flattered at the idea (if Carlos had any politics, I never heard of it) although he said he was suffering from "Waco fatigue" and wanted to get back to his regular work, or even a long overdue vacation.

My memory may be imperfect here, but as I recall he talked about the scene at the rear, where there is that big flash near the "dog house." His interpretation: The flash appeared to be multiple flash-bangs. It was possible they were actually thrown by a Davidian, although not certain. But right after it, a person can be see running back into the building. A hatch opens on the CEV. When it opens, the cooler, darker interior of the vehicle is visible. A person exits the hatch. This is not totally clear, and some people agreed with his interpretation and others did not. But the person who dismounts then fires, the shots going toward the last location where the suspected Davidian is seen. He added that the Committee knew exactly who was under that hatch, so they could actually name the guy who did it. He could afterward track at least two suspected FBI shooters.

He could spot their location--one stayed in the gym wreckage, and the other moved out into the courtyard, where he shoots. Ian Goddard had spotted what he thought was a structure, alongside the gym, and from which some shots come. I checked a color photo, and the structure is actually a big chunk of gym wall that the tank has knocked over and falls outward into the courtyard. I mentioned that to Carlos, and Carlos said it was more complex than that. The shooter had been in the courtyard to begin with, and the tank knocked the wall segment atop him. If there hadn't been other wreckage to catch it and hold it up a bit, he would have been squashed. I believe Carlos said that the gunshot images from that location were a little distorted, probably because the wall segment was cutting off part of the image at times. Carlos also found indications that shots were being fired into the underground storm shelter after the fire began. On one of the regular media videotapes, you could see a long, bright flash going down into the pit, from in front of one of the armored vehicles.

He said it was no sunlight flash, he'd imaged it on three different media tapes from slightly different angles. His best assessment was that it was the fuse on a pyrotechnic round. I saw this tape, also, with my own eyes. His view was that they were gassing the underground vault to pin Davidians in place during the fire. Carlos was about as credible as they come. He'd done work for the FBI in the past, in fact, and often worked with government agencies. He had no particular ax to grind with regard to Waco: he once told me "the only thing that makes me mad about this is when I can see government officials making statements, and know for an absolute fact that they are lying." He also told me that that the House Gov't Reform Committee had even more data than he did, that he knew only part of it and couldn't talk about it, but that it was really shocking. He said that the big problem the Committee seemed to see was the question of how they could get the information out, while at the same time preventing another Oklahoma City type reprisal--it was that shocking.

This conversation came shortly after Carlos' name had first been mentioned in the press, and the Committee rather played down his statements, saying they were based on visual video rather than FLIR (which was true only in small part). I asked about that--was the Committee getting cold feet over his evidence, or just playing their cards close to the chest. He said it was the latter -- they just hadn't figured out how to let the info out yet. (He was then meeting with the majority on a weekly basis, to brief them on his latest results.). I talked to him after the recreation, and his assessment was that it was pure junk -- the aircraft wasn't even at the right altitude, they didn't have the right procedures to verify that the sensor was functioning comparable to the one of 4/19, etc. The best thing that could be done with any resulting tape (and this is BEFORE the results were known) was to drop it in the waste can. Whether it showed gunshots or did not, it'd be useless for proving anything, whether for the Davidians or the FBI. I remember talking to him outside his office, after the first visit, standing there in the parking lot after dark. He'd mentioned that the guy with Infraspection Institute, who had analyzed the FLIR for 60 Minutes back in '95 or '96, and found FBI gunshots and shooters on it, had been terrified. In fact, he'd sent copies of the tape to Carlos and to several others in the IR field, with notes saying "If anything happens to me, you'll know why." (The same guy later called me, said he didn't want his name used, that "there are too many people already in their graves over this." I wrote him off as him being rather nervous.). I asked Carlos, there in the parking lot, if he'd ever been fearful. He said only for a while, between the time he made his findings and the time he reported them to the Committee. Then he had been worried, because he was looking at clear evidence that would nail a LOT of FBI agents on perjury, and perhaps much worse. But once he told others of his results, he figured the cat was out of the bag. This is a rather long post, but there is a reason. It's in part a memorial for a feisty and totally honest guy I came to like a good deal.

On April 19 of this year, from the hotel room in Waco, I called Carlos to report a minor discovery (the roof of the storm shelter, which glows bright white on the FLIR, wasn't just plywood--it was covered in black asphalt, which explained why it got so hot in the sun.). I got his answering machine, but when it came time to leave a message, the tape just said "tape finished. Thank you for calling." I thought he'd run out of tape--never happened before, but who knows? I tried again from time to time -- same result. I sent email asking him to call. Well, maybe he was out of town. Early today I tried again, and this time nothing picked up, the phone just rang off the hook. Then this afternoon I received a call. Carlos was found dead in his apartment. Perhaps the guy with Infraspection was right. I've got a call in to Laurel PD to tell them what little I know.... my phone records show calls to him up thru 3/30, after that he must have called me but there's no record, and I was unable to reach him on 4/19 and thereafter. Too damn bad. He was a good man, and I'd come rather to like him.

He was rigorously honest -- his own man, and no one else's'. Since the Committee has his results (and has had information on it for months now), I guess we'll soon know how serious they are about investigating Waco. Subj: Further info on FLIR In August, 1999, Dan Gifford asked me to send an affidavit regarding a conversation I'd had back in 1997. I found it on my word processor, and it is set out below. Background: After the gunshots on the FLIR were revealed by Gordon Novel (a really wild character, BTW), and confirmed by Dr. Allard, Gordon took the tape to Sixty Minutes. [As I recall, he then had a grudge against Mike McNulty, and figured to break the story on his own.]. Sixty Minutes sent the tape out for a second opinion, to a firm called Infraspection, in Vermont, I seem to remember. Infraspection confirmed that they were gunshots, and that they could see people moving around as well. (Sixty Minutes killed the story nonetheless.).

Afterward, Infraspection refused to publicly confirm its findings. Apparently it got word that its letters making the findings, then refusing to confirm them because of potential negative consequences to the firm (I think those were its words), were going to be used in the original "Waco: The Rules of Engagement." For some reason -- I think they couldn't find phone no's for McNulty or Gifford -- they called me. The guy who called was so nervous you could hear it in his voice, and said something to the effect that "there are too many people in their grave already over this." (I believe he was referring to Wm. Colby, whom Gordon said had given him the FLIR gunshot info, and who had been found dead just before this conversation.). Incidentally, Carlos mentioned to me in one of our last conversations that the fellow had been so frightened that he made a stack of copies of the FLIR and mailed them to a bunch of fellow analysts, including Carlos, with notes reading to the effect of "If anything happens to me, you'll know why."

Carlos regarded this with detachment or even a bit of amusement. Anyway, here's the affidavit: David T. Hardy, being first duly sworn, deposes and says: 1. My name is David T. Hardy. I am an attorney practicing law in Tucson, Arizona. 2. In 1997, I was involved in a Freedom of Information Act suit relating to the incident at Waco. I was accordingly in touch with Dan Gifford, who was working on a documentary on the subject, and with several other persons including an investigator named Gordon Novel.

I knew that the documentary included infrared ["FLIR"] footage, and that the footage had been analyzed by an Infraspection Institute, which had been retained by a television network. 3. In early 1997, I was called by a Craig Kelch, of Infraspection Institute. My independent recollection is that Mr. Kelch had been trying to contract Dan Gifford in connection with the documentary, said that he had not been able to contract him, and had in some manner gotten my name and number. I recall that his tone was very anxious, and that he was quite upset that his business was going to be mentioned in the documentary. I recall he said something to the effect that he did not want his company name used, and also he did not want to be involved, for some reason relating to personal fear. 3. I have located my phone log of the conversation. My notes indicate it took place between February 28 and March 3, 1999. My notes are as follows [indecipherable words are bracketed, as are completions of abbreviations]: Kelch Cindy Bathsky--CBS 60 min. & Novel Wanted no part of this -- no trust [them or this]-- Wash. Post -- my co[mpany] name --5th Estate Need contact me + Gifford If corporate name--gonna have problem No want to be involved in the [the or this] [ ] Too many end in grave ***************************************

From: David Gross The evil in the picture (of Elian Gonzalez), to me, is not the firearm; it is the ninja clad, jack-booted representative of the federal government who is willing to threaten the use of deadly force, without a (court order), without being attacked, in a matter that is already submitted to the courts. The evil in the picture is the young NAZI who is just following orders without a thought as to the rules of engagement, the constitution. The evil in the picture is that young man who someday may be shot and killed, justifiably, thinking that by following even unlawful orders, he is 10 feet tall and bullet- proof. And he's not. That government, with its lack of respect for the rights of its citizens, disregard for the rule of law, and disrespect of the constitution's due processes, speaks loudly in its actions carried out by that young man. That man is a robot who dehumanizes his office as well as the people he terrorizes. I expect a civil rights lawsuit and a motion for contempt of court. There should be criminal action instituted all the way up the chain of command. I suspect Congress will get involved. I hope so. The firearm was not an "automatic rifle" or a "machine gun;" it is a "submachine gun" a fully automatic, self-loading, pistol caliber, firearm. And I don't care whether they went in there with shotguns or revolvers.

They threatened deadly force in a civil dispute without court order. That was inherently unreasonable in the context of this search and seizure. One wonders why they simply did not knock on the door and ask for the child to be turned over. One proper response would have been to ask for the warrant and to suggest that the custody of the child was in the courts. Another, entirely proper, but unlikely, response would have been to turn over the child. I happen to believe that the child belongs with his father, that the INS/administration/State Department should have obtained the child, through court order, a long time ago. After all, the child was found in extreme conditions when he was saved from death, and it was natural for his relatives to exercise temporary custody in the short term, as a minor, in loco parentis. However, instead of trying to politicize the situation as it has, the administration should have shown some principle and respect for the rule of law concerning custody of children and moved or established some control right away. I believe that the administration has, however, truly alienated the Hispanic vote, on both sides, for November. They have, again, demonstrated total lack of principle, to every point of view, and to the disappointment of all thinking Americans. Thank you President Bill Clinton and AG Janet Reno. You get nothing for being a fence-sitter, mug-wump, or moderate but a picket up your ass. And they deserve it. Every foot of it. I refuse to engage in results-oriented thinking that the ends justify the means. The is a process to be followed that safeguards everyone. That process was disregarded, here. David Gross Please see The Wall Street Journal Editorial Page "RENO'S RAID WAS BASED ON A TISSUE OF LIES" by Andrew P. Napolitano, from the Wednesday, April 26, 2000. *********

From The 2ndAmendmentNews Team If you received this as a forward and wish to join please send: E-MAil to listserver@frostbit.com with the following text in the message body: SUBSCRIBE 2nd-Amendment-News We have had a computer error. If you want to be removed send a message to the list administrator, send E-mail to whclark@bellsouth.net If you know anyone who would appreciate these alerts, please let us know and we'll enroll them on a trial basis. Also, feel free to forward our alerts.

We present two ways to fight NEA. Exercising your rights as a union member if you are a teacher and vouchers. The NEA hates and fears the "voucher" concept. Some conservatives have criticized the "voucher" approach to defeating the NEA. They point out that federal money means federal control. From THE REVIEW OF THE NEWS: "It is a familiar story. In the early days of federal farm programs, for instance, farmers were assured that federal subsidies would not necessitate submission to federal controls. Yet such controls were quickly instituted. And, when they were tested in court, unhappy farmers learned that "it is hardly lack of due process for the government to regulate that which it subsidizes." (Supreme Court, Wickard vs. Filburn, 1942)." I would like to point out that all governments, state and local, also operate the same way. So do businesses. It is known as the golden rule. He who has the gold makes the rules. The critics fail to point out that the private schools or home schools can turn down the money and the control. The voucher system means that the bad schools will not get the money.

That kicks NEA in the teeth. Also it is more difficult to enforce controls against religious, private and home schools. THE AUTHORS OF THESE VOUCHER INITIATIVES ARE PEOPLE WHO ARE COMMITTED TO LIBERTY, WHO ARE WELL AWARE OF THESE POTENTIAL PROBLEMS, AND SO HAVE DESIGNED THE INITIATIVES TO PROTECT AGAINST GOVERNMENT MEDDLING. The current California voucher initiative, for example, amends the California Constitution to forbid government meddling in private schools WHETHER OR NOT THEY ACCEPT VOUCHERS. It actually gives private schools far more protection than they have now. Another key thing besides the money is the right to send your children to a private, religious or home school. There is a lot more than money at stake. Here in South Carolina (the bible belt, the most conservative area of the nation) the public schools have young children, very young boys and girls together, placing condoms on cucumbers in sex education classes. Children should not have this kind of pressure placed on them. Editor's Note The enemy is active. The so called Million Moms March is calling people asking for a donation of 100 dollars apiece.

TAKE THE OFFENSIVE, By Russ Howard How to weaken & destroy the main source of anti-freedom and anti-self- defense funding, improve public education, and put an end to government indoctrination centers. The following is a paraphrased NRA Alert: "The National Education Association, America's largest teachers' union, has long been a shrill proponent of restrictions on our Right to Keep & Bear Arms. On July 3rd, the NEA launched a drive to petition Congress for gun owner licensing, registration, "ballistic fingerprinting", mandatory storage, and waiting periods. No mention of targeting violent criminals or enforcing existing gun controls. The attack on law-abiding gun owners, mirroring Gore's platform, was not met with complete approval at NEA's convention. One teacher said, 'Rather than gun control, we need parental control & responsibility.' Another said, 'metal detectors are more useful than gun control to protect schools...(and) it would be better to control TV shows, video games & movies that promote violence.' NRA will watch any attempts to use public schools for a political agenda. To oppose NEA's petition, call 202-833-4000, write to 1201 16th St., NW, Washington, DC, 20036, or send e- mail NEA's President at BobChase@nea.org. " No wonder we're losing. Bad enough that NRA management's grand Orwellian pre- emptive surrender strategy Fight Gun Control with Gun Control bleeds through the alert: * Full enforcement of all gun controls. * Metal detectors to enforce the NRA-supported "gun-free" school zones mandatory school defenselessness law. That'll stop mass shootings by psychos! Right! *

What's next? If gun control works so well in schools, why not "gun-free" homes? NRA management says, "let's start by caving on mandatory trigger locks & holding parents criminally liable for child access to firearms." * And, who knows, maybe even restrict the First Amendment as well. But the real indictment of the alert, the really pathetic thing, is how it urges NRA members to write the NEA to complain. Would President Reagan have insulted your intelligence by asking you to get on your knees, write Comrade Breshnev a letter, and whine about the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan? The overpaid beltway types who "manage" NRA as a quasi- government institution might as well ask us to light candles, hold hands, & sing "Kumbayah". Is this why we give Wayne LaPierre and his "Winning" Team 20,000 dollar-a-month salaries, 15,000 dollar-a-month tax-free "expense accounts", and who-knows-what other benefits? For the political equivalent of a reverse "pacification" program, where we pacify our own troops? It's another example of NRA's sterile bee queen management. Waste our time, energy & money pleading with the sworn enemies of freedom and decency. Keep us on our knees when we could be making a difference. Any number of things would be more effective than getting on your knees and begging the enemy for mercy or wasting your time trying to "talk sense" to a committed leftist. Like penning a letter to the editor or writing your legislator. But much of that by nature is defensive. Defense is necessary, but the problem with always being on the defensive is that by and large the best you can do is not lose. Taking turf, new or old, is generally out of the question. Unless you're on the offensive as well, sooner or later, you'll lose more turf and never get it back. To utilize our true potential as a movement, we must be flexible. Always question the "rules" of the game. Engage in "unconventional" political warfare, jump outside the paradigm of our struggle and redesign it to our advantage, search for weak points, for opportunities to make the enemies of freedom pay for attacking our rights.

Teach them, through pain, that it's not worth it. Often the most effective thing, while not neglecting the defense of your own primary issue, is to find & exploit other issues that serve as the enemy's Achilles Heel, to weaken him financially and destroy him politically, at the very least keep him so busy defending himself that he can no longer attack your rights. There are fundamental struggles we should be part of, that will have profound, long-lasting benefits for the cause of liberty, that are not directly gun rights issues. FIRST: IDENTIFY & FACE THE PROBLEM The government school unions have long been one of America's foremost enemies -- not only of constitutional liberty and decent values; but of decent-quality public education itself. Why? * Government school unions spend vast sums of money to protect their monopoly, and to protect mediocre & incompetent teachers from being fired, from having to compete, or from being subject to performance-based pay. In the mammoth L.A. school district, something like 100 teachers were fired over a 10-year period for such behavior as rape, indecent exposure, etc, while not a single teacher was fired for incompetence. * Much of the union money goes, both directly and indirectly, to elect anti-self-defense politicians and to promote gun control. * The government school unions are the lifeblood of the Democratic Party, and the Democratic Party is completely in their pocket.

In fact, they're so powerful few Republicans are willing to cross them. The L.A. Daily News recently referred to their influence as a "reign of terror". Destroy the government school unions and the cause of freedom advances by light years. * Because government unions are run by committed leftist ideologues, because parents have little effective control, and because of the nature of government institutions and the type of personnel they attract, many government schools increasingly serve as ideological, spiritual, and even sexual indoctrination centers, whose daily mission is to brainwash kids with anti-American, collectivist, socialist, and even racist propaganda; give condoms to kids as young as 11, urge them to be "open minded" and "explore their sexuality"; get kids to snitch on parents who own guns and on "abusive" parents who dare spank as a form of discipline, pressure parents to put "hyperactive" kids on dangerous mind-altering drugs, punish kids who support the 2nd Amendment, protect violent students from expulsion, and generally undo the influence of such subversive institutions as families, churches, synagogues, & Scout Troops. * Money is not the problem. Ten years ago, per-student spending was three times what it was in 1960, pupil-staff ratios had dropped in half, and government school teachers made 50% more than the average worker, yet performance steadily worsened -- to the point that in Los Angeles, government school teachers themselves were twice as likely to send their own kids to private schools as the typical parent. *

Since then even more money has been thrown at the problem. Next year California will spend well over 8,000 dollars per student, more than most private schools. The more money we throw at government schools, the worse they get. * Of course, there are many good teachers who support constitutional liberty, but they do not control the government school unions, and they never will. VOUCHERS & EDUCATIONAL CHOICE Various educational choice plans have been proposed in the past 40 years to improve public education. The debate has primarily been around vouchers, which would take some of the per-student money now spent at government schools and let parents spend it at the school of their choice. Private & home schooling would expand, kids would get a better education, and the worst government schools would have to compete, shrink, or disappear. The better government schools need not fret. Parents happy with their schools can leave their kids where they are. California's current voucher initiative would give private schools strong new constitutional protections against government meddling, and, of course, no private school would be required to accept vouchers.

Other plans have been proposed, such as David Barulich's innovative concept where parents would actually be paid bonuses based on standardized tests of their kids' performance. From here on I use the term "vouchers" loosely to describe any educational choice plan that lets parents direct taxpayer education dollars to the school of their choice government, private, or religious or that rewards parents based on the educational progress of their children. To see how vouchers harness the power of competition and free enterprise to improve education, consider this analogy to the current government system: Suppose the government taxed everyone heavily to support a government-run car manufacturing system, and gave everyone a new car every few years. None of the workers could be fired, their pay depended solely on seniority, and so performance-based pay was strictly forbidden. If you didn't like the quality or style of your "free", one-size-fits-all government car, you couldn't just take your money to another car company like you can now, because they'd already have your money. Few but the wealthy would be willing to cough up another 20 to 50,000 dollars for a "private car". So you lobby the government to improve quality and offer the style you like. Good luck!

The answer would always be some version of "we need more money" (fewer cars built per autoworker, higher pay, nicer factories and buildings, etc.). Every decrease in quality would be hailed as evidence that not enough money was going into car making. Imagine what cars would be like. Naturally, the government school unions are adamantly opposed to vouchers, accurately perceiving them as a threat to their reign of terror. The unions spent something like 16+ million dollars to kill California's 1993 voucher initiative, outspending proponents by an order of magnitude. They killed it by a landslide at a time when few citizens understood the concept. But times have changed. Polls show dramatically increased understanding and support for vouchers, and new voucher initiatives will cost far more to kill. THE OFFENSIVE It's time for the self-defense civil rights movement to support tuition vouchers: 1. Vouchers will improve public education by enabling parents to send their kids to better schools, by forcing government schools to compete, and by giving parents an alternative to government indoctrination centers.

To the minimal extent that any harmful government meddling and indoctrination is allowed, parents will tend to send their kids to the schools that tolerate it the least, since those will obviously tend to be the better schools. 2. Even if voucher initiatives lose, government school unions will be forced to spend hundreds of millions of dollars fighting them, money that would otherwise be spent directly or indirectly fighting for gun control and against freedom. Ideally, voucher initiatives should be run in EVERY primary, soaking up government school union money that would otherwise be spent in general elections. 3. Once vouchers begin winning, the government school unions will be destroyed, taking with them the anti-freedom groups' biggest financial base, and the largest built-in source of institutional demand for government meddling in schools. 4. Vouchers will not hurt good teachers. The current system demoralizes teachers by not rewarding excellence. Educational Choice helps good teachers by restoring safety (violent students can be expelled), cutting red tape, encouraging innovation, shifting money from bureaucracy to teaching, creating jobs, and promoting systems that reward excellence. On the other hand, bad teachers will have to improve or get other jobs. Do yourself, the children of America, and your rights a favor: Support educational choice every chance you get. Get informed and write letters to the editor. Volunteer & donate to campaigns. For more information on vouchers, go to www.schoolchoice2000.net .

ANOTHER ACHILLEES HEEL: MISUSE OF UNION DUES Employees of unionized industries have several options to prevent all or part of their mandatory union dues from being used to destroy constitutional liberty. 1. Don't join. Employees who refuse to belong to the union can get as much as 30% of their dues refunded. However, many employees still want to belong to the union so they can have a voice. If that is the case: 2. Better yet: Join but object on religious grounds. You have the right to have 100% of your dues redirected to a charity. Often this can be the charity of your choice. For example, Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership, Gun Owners of America Foundation, Pacific Justice Institute, or a church or religious charity. 3. Thus, you can not only keep nearly 1000 dollars a year from being used to destroy America, you can redirect it to help save America, at no cost to you. See www.pacificjustice.org/union.html for all the information you need to take advantage of these options.

The Pacific Justice Institute (www.pacificjustice.org) will represent employees without charge in matters regarding religious freedom, academic freedom, and freedom of association. Proposals to bleed anti-freedom war chests by educating NRA members on such issues were presented to NRA management years ago by Arnold Gaunt and myself (Russ Howard former NRA Director), and rejected out of hand as "non-gun-related" (as opposed to, say, such "gun-related" NRA programs as 3-

Strikes for Victimless Gun Crimes; hiring more police, ATF agents, & gun prosecutors; helping gun grabbers enforce all existing gun controls; helping the gun grabbers build state & federal gulags for gun owners; and putting teachers in prison for 10 years for carrying to defend themselves and their students). Unfortunately, the enemies of freedom don't tie their hands behind their backs and play by such witless rules. Otherwise, the government school unions wouldn't be pushing gun control, would they? Don't waste your time begging a sworn enemy for mercy. Instead, bleed him financially until you destroy him. Your weapons are your pen, your money, and your time. Use them wisely, relentlessly, and with focus. And unless you're a life member, think twice about joining, donating to, or staying with the management of organizations like NRA who pay themselves 20,000 dollar-a-MONTH salaries, 15,000 dollar-a-month expense accounts, and who- knows-what else, for perpetually selling you out, for living by the creed of pre-emptive surrender, for "fighting" gun control with gun control. Think twice about supporting the managers of groups like NRA who play you for the sap in a national game of "good cop/bad cop" with HCI, who "fight" de jure registration as a

smokescreen to hide the fact that we already have de facto registration which they've supported all along. * by supporting "shall-issue" carry while threatening legislators who promote Vermont Carry (which does not involve registration),

[Editor's Note: in Vermont you can carry without a permit. Your "permit" is the 2nd Amendment.] * by engineering the InstaCheck system while burying viable alternative systems where the government would not know who is buying, [Editor's Note: I was at the legislative policy committee meeting when NRA staff tried to get InstaCheck approved. It did not succeed at that meeting. The motion did not even get a second. Neal Knox and I were on the committee and the board at that time. To my knowledge InstaCheck has still not been approved by the NRA Board of Directors since then.] * by supporting the Gun Control Act of 1968's nationwide system of registration lists. Lists kept by gun stores whose locations are known by the federal government, lists which must be turned over to the government when the store goes out of business. NRA management will want you to send in your check to help "kill" registration, and they'll be back bragging and asking again for more money as a "reward" after they've "killed" it.

Your money & time are better spent with organizations like KeepAndBearArms <http://www.KeepAndBearArms.com>, Citizens of America (www.citizensofamerica.org), JPFO (www.jpfo.org), Gun Owners of America (www.gunowners.org), www.theLSAS.org, and dozens of other anti-appeasement groups (listed on www.KeepAndBearArms.com/exile ). For those who want to bone up on educational choice, KABA has posted a short Q&A/FAQ on Educational Choice that I wrote up for the California's 1993 voucher initiative. The figures are dated, but the concepts remain valid. Go to: www.keepandbeararms.com/howard and look for the Voucher FAQ.

Russ Howard

For those of you in South Carolina who wish to receive specific alerts. Please e-mail request to lcoble@netside.com and/or visit www.scfirearms.org.

What To Do If The Police Come To Confiscate Your Militia Weapons see www.2ndamendment.net For legislative updates contact www.nealknox.com and go to "Scripts from the Firearms Coalition Legislative Update Line"

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