Time: Tue Jul 01 11:25:50 1997
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Date: Tue, 01 Jul 1997 09:26:22 -0700
To: Bill Utterback <butterb@connecti.com>
From: Paul Andrew Mitchell [address in tool bar]
Subject: SLS: RIGHTS v. PRIVILEGES (fwd)
See the Privileges and Immunities Clause
in the U.S. Constitution:
Artice IV, Section 2, Clause 1
"Immunity" .ne. "immunity"
"Privilege" .ne. "privilege"
[".ne." is "not equals" in FORTRAN]
/s/ Paul Mitchell
At 02:35 PM 6/29/97 -0500, you wrote:
>Reposting to mailing lists and news groups, e-mailing, faxing, web
>page posting, and making hard copies for distribution of this
>message are encouraged.
>
>
>
>At 11:58 AM 6/29/97 -0400, Howard Fezell wrote:
>>
>>On ABC's "This Week" program aired 06/28/97 NRA Exec. V.P. Wayne H. LaPierre
>>referred to our right to keep and bear arms as a "privilege". To many, this
>>would seem an insignificant comment.
>>
>>However, privleges are granted by the state -- and may be revoked.
>>
>>Rights, on the other hand, are inalienable.
>>
>>Those who would like to help educate the NRA's chief executive officer on
>>this point may reach him at: National Rifle Association, 11250 Waples Mill
>>Road, Fairfax, VA 22030 (703) 267-1000.
>>
>>Howard Fezell (www.2ndAmendment.net)
>
>==================================================================
>
>Well, I was about to enjoy a calm, peaceful Sunday morning until
>this message came along to really push my button.
>
>I have a friend in San Antonio, Bob Wheaton, who I have known for
>about nine years. Bob is an ex-NRA Life Member and as far back as
>I can remember has been loudly complaining that NRA is actively
>compromising away our right to keep and bear arms. Back four or
>five years ago when I was an NRA member and NRA-ILA contributor, I
>used to think that, although NRA's defense of our rights was
>sometimes weak, that NRA must know the ins and outs of Washington
>politics and must be doing the best job possible considering the
>circumstances.
>
>I have since changed my opinion. For the past few years I have
>clearly understood that NRA has become a 'Big Corporation' and the
>primary goal of NRA is to continue the salaries and prestige of
>the corporate officers. NRA has to be careful not to be too
>successful in countering anti-gun legislation because it is in its
>vested interest to keep the battle going. The goal of NRA is not
>to protect our rights but to feed off the battle.
>
>The recent internal struggle that ousted Neal Knox from his NRA
>position and replaced him with Charleton Heston gives us a primary
>spokesman for NRA who publicly states "AK-47's are inappropriate
>for private ownership, of course" and " . . .(I) don't even think
>it (the Brady Bill) should be repealed . . ."
>
>The full transcript of the radio interview containing these
>remarks follows:
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>> DATE May 6, 1997
>> TIME 8:00 - 9:00 AM (PT)
>> STATION KGO-AM (ABC)
>>LOCATION San Francisco
>> PROGRAM Morning Drive Time
>>
>> Ted Wygant, anchor:
>>
>> Well this is very appropriate to talk with Moses as
>> we talk about it, at least. Now let's say good morning
>> to the man who played it so well, Charleton Heston.
>> Good morning, sir!
>>
>> Charleton Heston (Actor/NRA Board Member): And good
>> morning to you, Mister Wygant.
>>
>> Wygant: Well, we're delighted to have you with us, and
>> we appreciate your time because you have taken on a
>> task that I think a lot of folks might have backed
>> away with because a lot of concern about the National
>> Rifle Association.
>>
>> Heston: Our country belongs to Hercules, doesn't it?
>>
>> Wygant: Yeah, right. What made you do it? How come
>> you want to get in the middle of this?
>>
>> Heston: Well, I've, of course, been- found myself in
>> the arena, if you will, on a number of public sector
>> causes. I suppose starting back when I started
>> demonstrating for civil rights back in 1961. Long
>> before it got fashionable in Hollywood. And then the
>> Screen Actors Guild, and the National Endowment For The
>> Arts, and the Separate Theater Group, and so on- and
>> then the Presidential Task force, and the Arts and
>> Humanities. And I've been a member of- of the National
>> Rifle Association for, oh, twenty years or more. When
>> I was a kid in Michigan, in the Depression, I lived in
>> a little hamlet in Northern Michigan with about, oh,
>> a hundred houses which contained easily two hundred and
>> fifty, three hundred fire arms of various kinds.
>> Mostly being used for hunting, of course- food for the
>> table. But I was asked, as is true with all of the
>> jobs I've done. Somebody asked me.
>>
>> Wygant: Well, you've got quite a task. And- and
>> you've been named first vice president. You- you're a
>> member of the board at-at one point, and gee, you just
>> zipped right up.
>>
>> Heston: I just was elected to the board on Saturday.
>>
>> Wygant: Yeah.
>>
>> Heston: It's the primary defender of the second
>> amendment of the Bill Of Rights, which is, of course,
>> a core document. The Bill Of Rights is right at the
>> basis of the American idea, those wise old dead white
>> guys that made up the country knew what they were
>> about. And you- it is a mainstream issue. Most
>> Americans, in fact, support the second amendment's
>> right to bear and carry arms, and there are, as you
>> suggest, a few extremists, and some of them are- are on
>> the board. And we have, however, we- they elected- or
>> re-elected in the case of Wayne LaPierre, and elected
>> in my case and Cain Robinson's case- police chief Cain
>> Robinson is now second vice president. We re-elected
>> Marion Hammer as president.
>>
>> Wygant: Mister Heston, could I ask you to stand by
>> here for just a moment? We have to get to traffic, but
>> I- I do want to continue talking with you. Could you
>> hang in for a minute?
>>
>> Heston: Yeah.
>>
>> Wygant: Okay, good. Thanks.
>>
>> ****************
>>
>> Wygant: Okay, right now let's get back to Charleton
>> Heston talking to us from his home in Southern
>> California. Let me ask you, you mentioned that there
>> are some right wing folks- far right wing, still around
>> the NRA. Are you going to try to get them off the
>> board and out of the picture?
>>
>> Heston: That- that's certainly the intention, and I
>> think it's highly doable. Wayne LaPierre is- is a
>> superb leader, Marion Hammer's a strong president.
>> And I think Cain Robinson and I can provide some useful
>> support there.
>>
>> Wygant: Now the image of- of the NRA has been an
>> organization that supports the right of people to buy
>> any legal firearms, and, of course, you go to any- any
>> gun store- gun shop and you see things there that are
>> big, and brutal, and deadly, and far more than you need
>> for- for hunting or home protection. Do you stand by-
>> I mean, the image is...
>>
>> Heston: AK-47's are inappropriate for private
>> ownership, of course.
>>
>> Wygant: Yeah, but the image is that they're- the fire
>> power of these weapons is far more than a hunter or a
>> homeowner would need. Why is it necessary to have
>> those guns available anyway?
>>
>> Heston: I just got through telling you. The
>> possession- private possession of AK-47's is entirely
>> inappropriate.
>>
>> Wygant: Right, but AK-47's one thing, but I've been in
>> a gun shop- I've been in gun shops, and there's fire
>> power there that doest's seem necessary and that people
>> worry about being out there in- in the hands of, you
>> know, potential criminals.
>>
>> Heston: I'm not certain what you're point is- that
>> there are guns available in gun stores?
>>
>> Wygant: No, guns that go beyond what a hunter would
>> need. In other words, why does the NRA support guns
>> that have overkill? Let's put it that way. Shouldn't
>> there be some sort of limit?
>>
>> Heston: Well, for any certain time, AK-47's are
>> entirely inappropriate for private ownership, and the-
>> the problem, of course, is not guns held by private
>> citizens, but guns held by criminals. And where we
>> have failed, where the government has failed is with
>> entirely cosmetic actions like the Brady Bill, which is
>> meaningless. I'm not even- don't even think it should
>> be repealed because it doesn't do anything. and it's
>> been in- on the books for more than two years. In the
>> course of that time, I think it is, nineteen people
>> have been arrested, and two have been imprisoned felons
>> with felony records for trying to purchase a firearm.
>>
>> Wygant: Well, we've- we gotta- I really appreciate
>> talking with us. It'll be interesting to see-
>> interesting to see how you handle the public image of
>> the National Rifle Association and those in the far
>> right in the group. And if you don't mind, we'd like
>> to talk to you again.
>>
>> Heston: I hope we can do that.
>> Wygant: Alright, thanks very much.
>>
>> Heston: Mister Wygant.
>>
>> Wygant: Thank you. Charleton Heston from his home in
>> Southern California, and the KGO Radio News time is
>> 8:23.
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Now in addition to Heston, we have Wayne LaPierre who publicly
>states that our right to keep and bear arms is a "privilege".
>Excuse me while I throw up.
>
>I would like to encourage everyone to divert their contributions
>and dues from NRA to the two organizations which truly act to
>protect our fight to keep and bear arms: Gun Owners of America
>and Jews for the Preservation of Firearms Ownership. Both of
>these 'no slack' organizations are worthy of our support.
>
>Gun Owners of America
>8001 Forbes Place, Suite 102
>Springfield Virginia 22151
>PH: 703-321-8585
>FX: 703-321-8408
>http://www.gunowners.org/
>
>Jews For The Preservation of Firearms Ownership
>2872 South Wentworth Avenue
>Milwaukee, Wisconsin 53207
>Phone: 414-769-0760
>FAX: 414-483-8435
>http://www.mcs.net/~lpyleprn/jpfo.html
>
>And let's not forget another equally deserving organization:
>
>Fully Informed Jury Association
>P. O. Box 59
>Helmville, Montana 59843
>Phone/Fax (406) 793-5550
>http://www.fija.org/
>
>Roger Cravens <ke4yqz@pop.mindspring.com> recently posted some
>pertinent remarks about NRA. His message is copied below:
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>>After doing some very serious comparisons between
>>Gun Owners of America and the National Rifle
>>Association, I decided not to renew my NRA membership.
>>And I had been a supporter either as a volunteer or
>>financially of the NRA for at least 30 years, both
>>while in military career status as well as in non-
>>military/civilian status.
>>
>>I'm now 47 years old, and some member of my family
>>(father, uncles, cousins, aunts, etc) have supported
>>NRA for as long as I can remember. Even as a kid,
>>it was NRA volunteers that taught me how to shoot a
>>22 cal single shot rifle as a kid of 5 years old.
>>
>>But their position on 2d Amendment issues of all
>>kinds have become more and more liberal and anti-
>>2d Amendment.
>>
>>I have seen absolutely nothing originate from
>>Gun Owners of America that comes close to what
>>has come out of NRA in the past 10 years. So
>>all of my support, as well as monetary support,
>>will be going to GOA from now on. I have also
>>been encouraging as many people as possible to
>>stop supporting the NRA and start supporting
>>GOA. With much better success that I had ever
>>hoped for.
>>
>>I am ashamed to admit that I haven't sent in
>>my dues for this year. But I will be soon.
>>I have several hot monetary issues I have to
>>take care of and pay off first, then I'm
>>writing a check to GOA.
>>
>>A copy of this message has been forwarded to GOA.
>>
>>GOA:
>>
>>Please send any and all information on supporting
>>and joining your organization to the following
>>address. I will send in my annual dues very soon
>>after receipt.
>>
>>Roger D. Cravens, Jr.
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>Let me also mention that Larry Pratt of Gun Owners of America was
>one of the speakers at the Alamo Militia Muster that I
>coordinated. Held on November 12, 1994, at the Alamo in downtown
>San Antonio, Texas, about 500 active participants in the Texas
>Constitutional Militia listened to Larry speak like a true
>patriot. His actions and the actions of Gun Owners of America
>have never since waivered from no-compromise support of our
>absolute right to keep and bear arms - and to form militias. The
>NRA, according to Heston, wants to get right wing folks off the
>NRA board and out of the picture (see radio interview above for
>exact words).
>
>The militia is the people and the people are the militia.
>Although it is essential for the present for the people to
>maintain possession of conventional arms as a deterrent to
>unconstitutional actions by government, the people/militia must
>also learn to use the most effective weapons available. These
>weapons, which will see extensive use in the near future, are mass
>public demonstrations and mass public civil disobedience. We need
>to regain control of the voting process from the computers which
>print out whatever totals the controllers desire and awaken the
>sleeping majority of American citizens to the necessity of
>electing patriots to public office.
>
>America and American government has fallen far away from the
>ideals of the founding fathers. In order to restore limited,
>Constitutional government with Liberty and Justice for all, it is
>essential to realize that there is very little the government does
>that can not be done better and much less expensively by the
>private sector. It is essential to realize that government is
>authorized to do only those things specifically authorized by our
>federal and state constitutions, and that most of what government
>does today is unconstitutional.
>
>In the United States, governments have powers delegated to them by
>the people. Governments have only delegated powers, not rights.
>Furthermore, any statute must be written under the authority of
>powers delegated to the government by the Constitution or that
>statute is not law and is null & void. Here is a quote for you:
>
>------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>"The general rule is that an unconstitutional statute, though having the form
>and name of law, is in reality no law, but is wholly void, and ineffective
>for any purpose; since unconstitutionality dates from the time of its
>enactment, and not merely from the date of the decision so branding it. An
>unconstitutional law, in legal contemplation, is as inoperative as if it had
>never been passed. Such a statute leaves the question that it purports to
>settle just as it would be had the statute not been enacted.
>
>Since an unconstitutional law is void, the general principles follow that it
>imposes no duties, confers no rights, creates no office, bestows no power or
>authority on anyone, affords no protection, and justifies no acts performed
>under it...
>
>A void act cannot be legally consistent with a valid one. An unconstitutional
>law cannot operate to supersede any existing valid law. Indeed, insofar as a
>statute runs counter to the fundamental law of the land, it is superseded
>thereby.
>
>No one is bound to obey an unconstitutional law and no courts are bound to
>enforce it."
>
>Sixteenth American Jurisprudence Second Edition, Section 256
>
>--------------------------------------------------------------------
>
>What are YOU doing to assist in restoring limited, Constitutional
>government? A good place to start would be by financially
>supporting the organizations listed above.
>
>for Liberty,
>Bill Utterback
>
>Life Member GOA
>Ex-member NRA
>Ex-contributor NRA-ILA
>
>==================================================================
>
>butterb@connecti.com (backup: butterb597@aol.com)
>
>"It is not the function of our Government to keep the citizen from
>falling into error; it is the function of the citizen to keep the
>Government from falling into error."
>U.S. Supreme Court in American Communications Association v. Douds,
>339 U.S. 382,442
>
>World's Smallest Political Quiz: http://www.self-gov.org/quiz.html
>
>Libertarian Party: http://www.rahul.net/lp/
>
>Fully Informed Jury Association: http://www.fija.org/
>
>Gun Owners of America: http://www.gunowners.org/
>
>Police Against the New World Order:
>http://www.police-against-nwo.com/index.htm
>
>PGP PUBLIC KEY sent on request.
>
>
>
>
>
========================================================================
Paul Andrew Mitchell : Counselor at Law, federal witness
B.A., Political Science, UCLA; M.S., Public Administration, U.C. Irvine
tel: (520) 320-1514: machine; fax: (520) 320-1256: 24-hour/day-night
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