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Show Passage off Brady bill shoyld cyirb gun violeinice sonable to have a waiting period, at least until a system of instant background checks Chrcr.lcls Efltcrlzl introduced, some 150,000 people have exists nationwide. As Rep. Butler Derrick, n Wednesday, Nov. 10, the House of died in handgun shootings. Handguns are said, a waiting period of five work Representatives passed the Brady bill, involved in about 9,200 murders, 12,000 ing days represents less time "than most which requires a five-da- y waiting period rapes, 210,000 holdups and 407,000 people have to wait for their dry cleaning." If people are using handguns for hunting and urges background checks for handgun assaults each year. or as a means of protection, then the Brady Although the legislation is not a cure-al- l buyers. The legislation was named for President Reagan's press secretary, Jim for the wave of violence plaguing the coun- bill is really not that restrictive. And if the Brady, who was disabled by the same gun- try, it is a step in the right direction toward bill can prevent guns from being sold to man who wounded Reagan in 1981. people who have a history of violent solving our problems. The 238-18- 9 vote, which some say Many opponents of the Brady bill, crimes, then the measure is worthwhile. reflects rising public fear of violent crimes, specifically the National Rifle Association, Hopefully the bill will pass the Senate capped a long and bitter struggle between are somewhat satiated by the fact that the expediently without encountering a filifirearms advocates and those who favor measure includes an amendment proposed buster. Until there is a better solution, controls on weapons. that would such as the proposed nationwide system by Rep. George Gekas, As early as next week the bill will go set a five-yelimit for developing a com- of instant background checks, supported through the Senate, which did not pass the puterized, nationwide system of instant by both opponents and proponents of gun bill when it was considered two years ago. background checks and a phase out of the control, the Brady bill offers a glimmer of However, national awareness hysteriafear waiting period. hope to curbing violence in the United States. The Chronicle thinks that it's not unrea over violent crimes has increased tremen . dously during the past two years. In the six years since the Brady bill was D-S.- C, R-P- a., ar ' The Chronicle is an independent student newspaper. Unsigned editorials reflect the majority view of the Editorial Eoard. 4 ' , Letters IF ELECTED Gay rights illegitimate I THANKYOU FOR ELECTING PROMISE N0TT0 . I'M RAISING TAXES... RAISE Editor: Mark Stoddard's article in the October 21 Chronicle on the of gay rights addresses the main arguissue (or ment against political correctness which seems to have permeated society since Bill Clinton's inauguration. Mr. Stoddard has exposed the gay rights lobby for what they are: horde only concerned for the advancea publicity-seekin- g ment of a few at the expense of everyone who doesn't share the same point of view. I would like to expand on some of the points Mr. Stoddard brought up in his editorial. First, there is the fact that homonon-issu- 2 TAXES! e) THANK YOU FOR ELECTING sexuals can change their orientation. I do not believe that one is born condemned to that lifestyle. Although there may be a possibility that homosexuality might be genetic, I have yet to see it confirmed by an overwhelming number of researchers. However, say for the sake of argument (which the gay lobby has already done anyway) let's say that homosexuality is genetic. Scientists have also shown that alcoholism may be genetic as well. Just because certain people may be born with this predisposition doesn't mean that they are automatically condemned to a life of alcoholism. The same goes for those born with the genetic predisposition to homosexuality. They do not have to automatically become see "Holmberg" on page five IF ELECTED I PROMISE TO NIE-A- RT THE WAY, ND RAISIN TAXES... I'M CUT TAXES! DOUG GIBSON Liberals now becoming President Clinton's worst enemies a.m. early Sunday morning. Danger Zone 4: Girls, Mad Girls is on USA Up All Night, but my prurient interest was satisfied hours earlier. Susan Powter's leased the Discovery Channel for an infomer-cia- l. She reminds me of a circa 1970 East German gymg nast mistakenly thrown into a training regimen. As if I even wanted to watch TV. Glancing both ways, I check the door locks, shutter the windows, open the drawer,, clear away debris and quickly pick up the magazines. My eyes hungrily caress the titles... Utne Reader, Mother Jones, Extra, In These Times, The Nation, Radical Teacher, The Progressive... I love reading political journals. It's refreshNorman to see Thomasesque critiques in the age of ing warm milk liberalism versus hot current CNN, milk conservatism. Sam Donaldson versus George Will? Eleanor Clift versus Fred Barnes? Give me a . break! How about putting David Corn on the left? Or Saul Landau. Or Noam Chomsky. Or Jeff Cohen. You want, some diversity? Roger Wilkins versus Robert Novak. Leslie Cockburn versus Mona Charen. Christopher Hitchens versus William F. Buckley. A HitchensBuckley debate would also provide an amusing side game pick the legitimatefar-le-British native. Another advantage to reading journals is that It's 2 six-mon- th shot-puttin- far-le- ft an , ft Bill they all, just like myself, despise President I Clinton. But the reasons are so different. believe Bill's too much of a statist who wants to tax the middle ' class heavily, cause a rift between the middle class and the wealthy, and eventually create a dependency state where the middle class relies on government for basic needs. The far left hates Bill because he's not enough of a statist Articles lash out at Clinton for selling out entitlement programs to pass the "budget deficit bill." Concerning health care the media nearly always sets the battle as the left (favoring the Clinton plan) gayslesbians; his execution, while governor, of braindamaged inmate Ricky Ray Rector; his rejection of Haitian refugees infected with the HIV virus; and his address plan to feature next year's with an attack on welfare. Things will not improve for the disenchanted left. Due to mounting conservativemoderate opposition, it appears Mr. Clinton will dump his Pentagon State-of-the-Uni- on top-lev- el nominee Morton Halperin. Halperin, a favorite of leftists, is being Lani Guiniered. Articles old-sty- le It's refreshing to see Norman Thomasesque critiques in the age of current CNN, C-Sp- an warm milk liberalism versus hot milk conservatism. Chronicle Editorial Colonist versus the right (opposed to the Clinton plan). But I have yet to hear denunciations of Hillary's plan by Pat Buchanan that even approach the anger and resentment to Clinton's proposal felt by some hard-cor- e leftists favoring a single-payplan. That anger is multiplied by the failure of the single-paymedia. plan to be debated in the Some other deeds by Bill Clinton that have alienated er er mass-audien- ce the far left: his abandonment of civil rights for . authored by Mr. Halperin being dug out of journal morgues include a favorable assessment of CIA traitor Philip Agee and a selection from Foreign Policy on the U.S.'s international role in the future: "The United States should explicitly surrender the right to intervene unilaterally in the internal affairs of other countries by overt military means or by covert operations. " Such self restraint would bar interventions like those in Grenada and Panama, unless the United States first gained the explicit consent of the international community acting through the Security Council or a regional organization." Now that statement might wow the editorial board of the Village Voice. But it doesn't play well with middle America or Southern Democrats. There are a lot more of those than progressives and Mr. Clinton will, turn his back on Halperin if supporting the nominee hurts his poll numbers. -- , |
