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ler any circumstances. Bui
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art of us winning a Super
ball team with him here'
j iiday, September 15, 2(XX)
THE BATTALION
Page tl
ing with him
) pla against
a year"
— Brad Johnson
|ton Redskins quarterback
A call to arms
Failure of gun control abroad should discourage similar domestic legislation
F
I o!
illas at the start of the 199:
on contract was the largesi
, $51 million contract last
d not to exercise their op
They cut him June 2 and
would have been guarae-
another day.
I-Pro seasons in five ya
ger with Dallas and onto
,t rival.
better under
stand the effects
of gun legisla
tor a person can
ook at other countries
nth strict gun laws
imilar to those being
roposed in the Unit-
id States. Unfortu-
lately, the crime sta-
isdcs after the laws’ enforcement are
trocious. The American public should real-
zethis and not support similar legislation
icing proposed here.
In 1996. Australia enacted strict gun-
bntrol legislation, banning weapons, in-
it mm. but lie's not,"Kirt-
There’s still a lot of thing;
lo yet, but the qualities c ‘
ink his work ethic isom-
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ork ethic could means,
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n one source,
icntality of working hr:
lat from no one else hum
I erg list-ii said. “She
Jie attitude.”
ns on taking his no-dies
m farther with the Agp
earn. Ferguson wants rs T
ccel on the offense, but:!
ry his hand as a membei
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k I'd be a better defense
’erguson said. “I havenwi
• defensive side of theW
’t really discussed ityelh
ip. ii was one ofmydteffl
r the Wrecking Crew/
eluding ,22s, assault rifles, hunting rifles
and shotguns.
Before these laws were enacted, crime in
Australia was declining. From 1980 to
1995, the firearm-related death rate de
creased 46 percent to its lowest level in the
16-year period. In addition, the firearm-re
lated homicide dropped 63 percent.
Then — in April 1996 — a tragedy
changed the face of gun legislation in Aus
tralia. A gunman killed 35 people and
wounded 19 more in Port Arthur. Although .
this was a deranged act by a single individ
ual, many politicians were quick to blame
“loose gun laws” for causing this tragedy.
These old gun laws required citizens who
wanted to own firearms — even air rifles
— to pass a gun-handling course. Citizens
were also required to carried a gun license
with photo identification that must be pre-
* sented even when buying ammunition.
The end result of these old laws was a
gun turn-in scheme that resulted in the de
struction of more than 64(),()00 shotguns
and hunting rifles when new legislation was
enacted. All gun owners were first required
to register all fireams with the government.
Then, a taxpayer-funded buyback was insti
tuted in which all automatic and semi-auto
matic rifles and shotguns were collected
and destroyed.
This buyback extended to all semi-auto-
tning An
Was Well
The Wait
Controversial
; are truly worth the wait
more so than my Aggie
its are on the decade plan,
) years before I finally got
at Texas A&M as the Class
have the money to remain
ultimate possession, the
id me - but it was nevei
ago I was able to return to
I had enjoyed a full life of
je, family and career, there
ng missing. So my wife,
e could manage our ranch
mt animals, allowed me to
am. In 1996 I earned my
md my Aggie Ring.
Ypu bet, but not too proud
my eyes filled with tears
Ring on my finger. I've
ggie. Now I have the Ring
he Aggie Network.
perversion of Justice
Imprisonment of Wen Ho Lee casts doubt on authorities
I
â– breac
JiO
xiation
STUDENTS
^ceA/etuM/J
Vggie Network
/Oafs.tamu.edu,
ght use it in an
ig issue.
5-7514
ietwork.com
hen the
public
learns of
ibreach in na
tional security,
the hysteria
coupled with
the panic the
average Ameri
can family
feels fuels a sense of shame and ur
gency in governing bodies that ulti
mately handle such situations.
6 The remedy, like a calming
â– dative to the public and an ace in
the hole for the government, usual
ly involves burning someone’s rep
utation at the stake.
1 In 1999 the public learned of
Wen Ho Lee, the 60-year-old scien
tist employed by the Los Alamos
National Laboratories, who was ac-
c|sed of downloading the crown
jewels of American nuclear secrets
with the intent of harming the Unit-
ed States.
The picture of Lee painted by
the Federal Bureau of Investigation
(FBI) and the Department of Ener
gy was shady. Lee apparently lied
to his colleagues in order to get
mounds of top-secret data from the
â– cure computers in the Los Alam
os labs to put onto tapes.
I He had fishy contacts with Chi
nese scientists while he was
abroad, and he kept these contacts
secret from American authorities,
r; The director of nuclear weapons
at Los Alamos testified that, if the
data Lee downloaded fell into the
wrong hands, it could “change the
global strategic balance.”
| Lee was indicted and jailed, where
he was to await trial without bond. He
was charged with espionage and
faced a life sentence if convicted on
all 59 counts.
| The panic was presumably over. The
piide of a country and the good names
If the FBI aid the Department of Ener-
fgy were restored—until recently.
On Aug. 24, U.S. District Judge
James Parker ruled that Lee should
be released on bail, reversing his
December decision to keep Lee de
tained until trial.
After hearing what he deemed
conflicting views over the impor
tance of the information Lee is ac
cused of mishandling, the judge
wrote in his initial order for release
that the government “no longer has
the requisite clarity and persuasive
character necessary” to keep Lee
jailed.
Whatever Lee was in
volved in, the govern
ment's argument that
it was espionage has
taken a serious beat
ing. Lee's release
from prison two days
ago verifies that.
Two days ago, Lee pled guilty to
only one of the 59 charges against
him and was sentenced to time
served.
A key piece of testimony given
by an FBI agent last December has
since been proven false, influenc
ing Parker’s decision to release
Lee. The lies Lee supposedly told
his colleagues were apparently fab
rications and misinterpretations
made by an FBI agent.
That same agent, Robert
Messemer, who claims his errors
were “honest mistakes,” now ac
knowledges that Lee did file re
ports of his meetings with Chinese
scientists.
Lee was also threatened with the
death penalty during one interview,
and the fates of Julius and Ethel
Rosenberg was brought up in what
can only be considered a bully tac
tic in an effort to extort a confes
sion. Is the public to assume this
was an innocent slip of the tongue
or are they to endorse the border
line criminal behavior the FBI ap
pears to have used to nail Lee?
The fact remains that Lee did
commit a crime by downloading
secure information. The defense
has never disputed that. Whatever
Lee was involved in, the govern
ment’s argument that it was espi
onage has taken a serious beating,
however. Lee’s release from prison
two days ago verifies that.
Speculation about Lee’s motive
in downloading the material has
varied. The prosecution even
claimed in its court papers that Lee
might have wanted to impress po
tential employers during a job
search.
There is, however, no evidence
that Lee was in contact with anyone
about a job. The potential danger of
the downloaded material, should it
fall into the wrong hands, is now be
ing questioned. The accusation
made by the FBI that Lee intended
to distribute the information is also
being more closely examined.
The result of this is that the bur
den of proof is proving to be a
tougher match for the government
than initially anticipated, and the
noVel concept of justice has
emerged as an obstacle — tripping
up the organization who claims to
be after it.
One can only wonder if the em
barrassment felt by the federal or
ganizations involved played a big
ger part in Lee’s arrest than the
facts did. Words like “perjury” and
“false testimony” come to mind
when one wonders how the FBI
managed to keep a 60-year-old
man locked up for eight months in
solitary confinement.
Luke McMahan is a senior
industrial engineering major.
matic weapons and .22 caliber plinking
guns.
The supporters of this ban, including
those here in the United States, actively
promote this legislation’s crime-fighting
benefits. However, the crime statistics do
not back up these alleged benefits.
Violent crime in every category except
murder went up from 1997 to 1998 in all
Australian states. Some of the highlights
from the Australia Bureau of Statistics
Website show that attempted murder went
up 20 percent, manslaughter went up 26
percent, and armed robbery went up 20 per
cent. Essentially, crime is going up across
the board in response to the new legislation.
The citizens of America
should learn that gun
control simply takes per
sonal protection — a free
dom guaranteed by the
Constitution — away
from law-abiding citizens.
It is increasing partly because of the loss
of a deterrence factor. The police commis
sioner for South Australia, Mai Hyde, was
even quoted as saying, “the environment is
more violent and dangerous than it was
some time ago.”
Increased gun-licensing laws, similar to
those found in England, are another type of
law many politicians promote in America.
On Jan. 16, The London Times published
an article about the current increase in gun
crime. The writer discussed that there are
an estimated 3 million unregistered guns in
the country — therefore, in the possession
of criminals.
As well as confirming the obvious fact
that no criminal will bother to register his
or her weapon with the police, the article
stated that fatal shootings in London more
than doubled, while overall armed crime
rose 10 percent between 1998 and 1999.
According to a study by the Bureau of
Justice Statistics, “For most U.S. crimes ...
the latest crime rates (1996) are the lowest
recorded in the 16-year period from 1981 to
1996.
By comparison, English crime rates as
measured in both victim surveys and police
statistics have all risen since 1981.”
Also, the U.S. murder rate, while higher
than England’s, has been declining, while
the rate in England has remained the same.
The belief that foreign countries such as
England, Japan and Italy have much less
crime than other, less-strict countries is a
common gun-control myth. Crime rates are
actually the same in Switzerland, Israel and
Norway, which all have relatively mild gun
control, as in the three previously named
countries.
“Italy’s gun law, ‘the most restrictive in
Europe,’ had left her southern provinces
alone with a thousand firearm murders a
year, 30 times Switzerland’s total,” said au
thor Richard A.I. Munday.
In Switzerland, most citizens are mem
bers of a national defense force and are is
sued fully automatic rifles and ammunition
that they keep at home for national emergen
cies. Crimes with these guns are almost un
heard of. Japan also has a crime rate that is
continuing to rise, despite severe gun laws.
From this, the citizens of America
should learn that gun control simply takes
personal protection — a freedom guaran
teed by the Constitution — away from law-
abiding citizens.
Criminals will not register their guns
lawfully, should any type of national regis
tration be enacted. Nor will they carry prop
erly licensed firearms or buy their guns
through legal outlets, which already require
a background check.
If an individual already lives outside the
law, what difference does it make to him or
her if stronger gun control laws are passed?
The myth of other countries’ legislation
working here in America can be best dis
pelled by a quote from noted civil rights
lawyer Don B. Kates:
“In any society, truly violent people are
only a small minority. We know that law-
abiding citizens do not commit violent
crimes. We know that criminals will neither
obey gun bans nor refrain from turning oth
er deadly instruments to their nefarious pur
poses. In sum, peaceful societies do not
need general gun bans and violent societies
do not benefit from them.”
Andrew Stephenson is a sophomore
environmental design major.
Bull Board
Good Bull — Since the
Bush School opened in Fall
1997, students with political sci
ence and economics classes in
the building have been struggling
to get to lectures on time.
The University has tried to
cope with the distance students
have to travel by incorporating ex
panded bus services, but getting
to Bush from main campus is of
ten a 30-minute adventure.
Starting this semester, class
es at Bush have been staggered
so that students have more time
between classes to commute to
main campus.
Not only does this give stu
dents a realistic amount of time .
to travel between classes, it also
makes it impossible for them to
foolishly schedule classes back
to back at Bush and main cam
pus buildings.
No matter how fast a student
rides a bicycle, few people can
pedal from Bush to the Zachry En
gineering Center in 20 minutes.
Now, students do not have to.
Best of all, the early morning
classes at Bush start at 8:35 —
an extra half-hour of sleep in the
morning is definitely good bull.
Bad Bull — Shame on the
media for assuming the majority
of Americans are anti-Semitic.
When Democratic presidential
candidate Al Gore selected his
running mate, Sen. Joseph
Lieberman, media coverage of
the selection focused on Lieber-
man’s Jewish heritage.
Within hours of the announce
ment, CNN conducted a poll asking
viewers whether they are comfort
able with the notion of a Jewish
vice president. Pundits and ana
lysts on every major network gave
their opinions on how Americans
would react. One even went so far
as to ask, “What if a national crisis
happened on Saturday?"
When is the last time a mem
ber of the press asked how a
Christian candidate would react
on a Sunday? Has Christianity be
come such a foregone conclusion
in politics that the press feels
comfortable setting a double
standard when it comes to candi
dates’ religions?
The media can continue to
drum Lieberman’s religion up as
an issue, but Americans are refus
ing to bite.
Good Bull — Two of the
major powers in Asian politics,
Russia and Japan, finally seem to
be ready to bury the hatchet and
end their countries’ formal partic
ipation in World War II.
Although the second World
War ended 55 years ago, the two
nations never signed a peace
treaty, meaning they are techni
cally still at war with one another.
All that stands in the way now
are four small Japanese islands
seized by Soviet troops during
the war.
Right-wing groups in Japan are
adamant that the islands must
be returned to Japanese control
before a treaty can be signed.
Russia, stil) reeling from a se
ries of incidents that gave its
leadership back home a black
eye, cannot afford to further
anger its populace by giving the
islands back now.
The important thing is that the
two sides are talking. Russian
President Vladimir Putin and
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshiro
Mori have, agreed to meet at
least once a year until the issue
is resolved.
— Nicholas Roznovsky