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Show Page 8 The Utah Independent July 3, 1975 The Paper That Dares To Take A Stand GUN CONTROL who, until ?. few months ago, was a staunch supporter of Israel.- In a separate letter to the President, Percy indicated that he agreed with the heed to support the security and - Continued from page 1 generally agreed that the only people who obey gun laws anyway are those who have no criminal or dangerous intent. Equally important, some of the more thoughtful among them have now commenced to consider the size and scope of federal police power indicated by selective or even total gun prohibitions. Many who would support complete gun control are concerned for evidences, of executive or. police oppression. The hope, however vain, to do something, effective in the control of crime ofTers the only legitimate avenue open to those seeking more gun control. However, occasionally some prominent person with executive authority in government arises to oppose the private ownership of arms for some other reason. None of these to my knowledge has exposed his full position to public view. For example. Mayor Richard Daley of Chicago has a head gun controller on his staff. General Francis Kane. Not long ago General Kane said. I don't know of any law' that would effectively stop killings but any law that would restrict the availability of guns would be in the best interest of the . Continued from page 2 protecting his life, liberty and people. The newsjnan who made that report didn't state Kane's reasons. They might be interesting. If gun laws won't stop killing, and of course they won't, then Kane should have explained why he wanted gun laws. Contempt for the people is suggested in his cavalier expression. of our state constitutions lend support or else plainly declare the right to keep and bear arms. The Federal Constitution gives us the Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights. The Fourth and Fifth Amendments, the guardians of home and person, make federal gun law prohibitions, as a laws practical matter, impossible to enforce. are the usual police technique in gun control and they bear menacingly upon the right of a person to be secure in his person. The alleged illegal possession of a gun may. by the presence of the gun and the criminal background of the bearer, whatever his present condition of compel a person to give evidence against self contrary to the Fifth. The U.S. Supreme Court has already held so. The Fifth also restrains government from seizure of property without due process. We have long been acquainted in this country with the practical, if not actual, impossibility of enforcing prohibitions against alcohol or marijuana-perha- ps any narcotics. We arc acquainted with the rising annoyance of the people with crimes. There seems little quespunishment for tion that mere gun possession, with no intent to misuse it. Thirty-fiv- e Stop-and-fri- sk on-the-str- civic-virtue- non-victi- would constitute a . m crime. Gun control furthermore menaces the concept long accepted as one of our foundations of justice: that a man is innocent of a crime until proved guilty. This is a concept which has to do with on 's conduct-wi- th one's actions - and not with mere possessiu . of things by one who has never ami mi tied a crime and concerning whom there is no proof. So it is. in the light of imminent overwhelming police power and a jeopardized Fifth Amendment, the American news media have a bear h the tail. Enlightened requires they oppose further growth of centralized power in lovernment. but thev have so long sought out Washington. D. ('.. as the source of all goodies they cannot look to .their own welfare. They seem pledged to probing, challenging and disrupting the traditional and established was of the rest of us. but thev are unable to examine or to change their own. Therefore, thev have their continuing commitment to sun control when it is evident the police state structure required for any degree of gun control effectiveness w ill expose them to the same dangers of greater executive power in government that we the gun owners are exposed to. The American news media have a quality of freedom, including freedom from the consequences of their reporting, which is found in no other country. suggest that perhaps most of us want it that way. But at the same lime it is undeniable the media may have assumed during the past two years the power of a fourth pillar of government which our constitutional founders in no way contemplated. Substantial elements of the news media suspect that already there are powerful influences in government just waiting for an opportunity to come on stage and clip their wings. For whatever one may think of it. the power of the media in America has been built upon its emphasis and reporting of social and political controversy, its disposition to contrive or exaggerate controversy where doing so is advantageous to interpretive press positions previously taken and its polarizanon-victi- m self-intere- st 1 . tion of our social anu political extremes. Media activity makes the bold exercise of power by government difficult or at best sporadic. One doesn't have to be a very perceptive reader or TV viewer to see the media intends it that way. and I think to the advantage of ordinary citizens, but if the government, were powerful enough and efficient enough it would not be permitted. That is important and in the experience of history it cannot be denied. The media, therefore, have the same stake we gun owners have in individualism, in the preservation of the division of powers in government and in keeping the police power of government in the stales and local communities. It mav be disastrous that all the press doesn't see it that clearlv. By their incessant beating of the crime drums, dramatizing crime, shrilling the crisis of crime, the media may indeed be making crime the catalyst by which we lose our right to keep and bear arms and they lose their freedom of the press. They may so upset the ordinary, calm American that he will eventually demand a quality or performance by government endangering the freedom of all of us. Continued on pine 9 property. Not only is it impossible fora man to transfer his right to protect Senate Pulls his life to his servants, it would be Diplomatic Rug foolhardy to attempt to do so. If I From Under Kissinger were a thief bent on booty. I would BY ROBERT M. BARTELL certainly attack an undefended citizen, home or business before I WASHINGTON, D.C. (Libwould one of the above that was erty Lobby News Service)-Wh- en armed to resist me. Henry Kissinger returned from his nonproApparently criminals think ductive peace mission to the the same way. Representative Bob Mideast, he commented that Casey of Houston. Texas inthe Israelis were not being as troduced in the .Congressional flexible as they should. And Record on January 30. 1968 a as a consequence, the Adminstatistical study which showed that istration would have to rethe claims by some that availability assess our aid to Israel. (The of guns is a contributing factor to Israelis are asking for around Acfalse. crime are rapidly rising $2 billion this year, part of it "Crime rates this to study. cording military aid.) tend to be lower where the percenWhen Kissinger made this announcement, the Israeli tage of gun ownership is higher. For example, Idaho has 26.408 lobby and concerned Jews in America descended on him. hunting license holders per 100.000 When he balked, the Israeli population, and 9S9.6 serious lobby went to work on the crimes per 100,000. New York, on U.S. U.S. Senate. Seventy-si- x the other hand, has only 3.834 hunto a letter Senators sent ting. licenses per 100.000 and President Ford virtually 2,399.6 serious crimes per 100,000 demanding that he stand firm hunwith a population. Hawaii, with Israel in the reassessthree license index about ment of aid to Israel. Failure only ting to do so would jeopardize the percent as high as Idaho's has a Presidents foreign aid bill. serious crime index more than This Senatorial decree, in twice as high. effect, has denied the SecreThe study sums it up this way: tary of State any meaningful In general, as the proportion of pressure in his negotiations the population possessing firearms with either Israel or the Arab goes down, crime rates go up. nations. The Israelis know Fewer people with guns do not they can pressure the Senate less crime." mean to support them monetarily, The second amendment to the and politically militarily Constitution does not grant the so why any need for Kissinger? And the Arabs right to keep and bear arms to the realize Kissinger now has lost indi idual citizen. The right to life his negotiating position and and the right to protect that life are can do nothing for them. inherent, the gift of God, and Of the 23 Senators not unalienable, non transferable. signing the letter, one was was The second amendment Senator Charles. Percy (R-Illratified so that our servants in government would understand that the right to use and own theSEVIER arms to defend ourselves against the aggressive acts of citizens or Last week Woodrow Parsons. aliens could riot he infringed. In County Chairman of the Notaries other words, authority was not and Hal Public Association, delegated to our servants to enMassey. County Chairman of the croach on our right to defend our American Party, conducted a indix idual lives. Any attempt to do public seminar about the proposed so shows the utmost disregard for Recall Law. which the people of the Rights of the Sovereign citizens Utah wish to place on the ballot in of this country. The result of such the next general election. action has always ended in the enThe main thrust of the slavement of the disarmed citizens meeting was to explain the by those citizens who collected the law and good purpose arms. Thus the servant citizens proposed for which it is intended to be used. became the masters and the Mr. Parsons stated. The Sovereign citizens became their main source of adverse publicity slaves. and propagnada is coming from the politicians in office. The very SALT LAKE CITY, Utah newly-formiin PRIVATE SCHOOL people, who. the last general sesnow conducting interviews with sion of the Utah Legislature, kept a recall bill bottled up in committee, orthodox conservative, LDS teachers. Interested persons may thereby keeping it from coming to the floor of the legislature for a call for appointment. Mrs. vote. or Mrs. Stephens (801) 262-98Woodrow also stated, The Lamhson (801) smoke screen now being used by the incumbant's. against this proposed bill, is to admit to the need for a Recall Law in Utah, but We sometimes fear to bring not this one. If the need is there our troubles to God, because (AND IT REALLY IS) why didnt they must seem so small to the legislature pass on the one Him who sitteth on the circle presented in the last session? Out of the earth. But if they are of the seventeen neighboring states large enough to vex and having a Recall Law on the books, seven have milder state laws than endanger our welfare, they are His this to one. Eight states have a Recall touch large enough Law cquivilunt to the Utah heart of love. For love does not measure by a merchants proposal, with two states having scales, nor with a. surveyors tougher laws. Mr. Massey, in addition, chain. It hath a delicacy which is unknown in any handling of stated. The checks and balances written into this proposed law are material substances. - Torrey . ... .) survival of Israel . . . but he felt it unwise to assert the interests of only one. side while the United States is in a delicate mediating position. Of course, the very heart of the Arabs interest in dealing with the U.S. is their conviction that only we can influence Israel in the nedegotiations, since Israel pends so heavily on us for military equipment. The letter .brings into sharp focus a very strange situation. There is no other country in the world except Israel that could win such support from such an august group . . . including those nations with .which we have binding treaty commitments. As a state of religious in- tolerance and no oil, it neither shares our democratic traditions nor does it in any way safeguard our national interests. At a time when of Americans are weary foreign entanglements, our citizenry is witnessing their elected officials pledging firm support to a nation only 29 percent of them believe should be supported militarily. If the Mideast peace negotiations do break down, those 76 Senators have only themselves to thank. And if they dont get they can thank themselves for that too. It might be wise for you to find out if your Senators signed that fateful letter. A free copy is available of the list of Senators who signed it from: Liberty Lobby, Dept. Independence Ave., Washington, D.C., 20003. 0, S.E.. 300 COUNTY RECALL SEMINAR . ng 90 484-591- 1. LOVE constitutionally sound, according to State Attorney General Vernon Romney. Furthermore, adaquatc safe gaurds. to protect those in office. from unjust harrassment. are also part of the Recall Law. It w ill be very difficult for any group, to initiate a petition for recall, just for the sake of harrassment. This is mainly because of the work and expense involved and is in itself prohibitive, for simple harrassment purposes. Mr Massey also pointed out. It requires 10 percent of the voting population in the last gerncal election to petition for a recall of any State elected or appointed official. For a municiple office holder, cither elected or appointed, will require 13 percent of the vote in the election, to initiate a petition. Hal concluded by saying. The cost of Watergate from the beginning, the including impeachment process for President Nixon, cost the taxpayers over 300 million dollars. In comparison, the recall process in the proposed Utah bill will be small but not without cost. work, and effort. It may well save the taxpayers in the State of Utah a great amount of hard earned tax revenue for a possible future Utah Watergate scandal. County and Suite residents arc encouraged to sign the petition in circulation. It is for the sole purpose of getting in on the ballot where the people can vote on it. Remember, we had the same opposition in the Land Use . |