European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 8, 1991, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10. A the stars and stripes tuesday january 8, 1991,stance could shoot Down Era a. A a. A a a. A. A Quot a a a. A. A a 1 a a u. A irs a my a a a i ear it my m tw7, sew aim to Imp sa5 mme military Murnz Mem Richard Cohen machine gun among the Many mysteries of life is this one Why is the american civil liberties Union considered a fringe organization a ridiculed by George Bush in the last Campaign a a while the National Rifle association is viewed As the very essence of americanism before you answer consider this the Era wants to legalize machine guns. You read that right machine guns. The Federal government contends that the ownership of such guns is illegal. The Era says otherwise and Woun Gjike the Issue settled in the supreme court. The Era expects that the High court will Rule that the second amendment says precisely what the Era thinks it docs americans have a constitutional right to a keep and Bear arms a any kind of arms. The zealousness of the Era May have at last done it in. Around the nation police chiefs and others Are Yelling bloody murder. They done to think that machine guns should be Legal. They contend they already have their hands full with semiautomatic weapons much favored by drug dealers and it seems every other kid on the Street. The admonition of the sergeant in a Hill Street blues cannot it seems be overstated be careful out there. Yes indeed. \ but How careful can the rest of us be not careful enough it seems. Just recently i came across two mind boggling figures. The first was Washington a murder rate Lor 1964 8.4 per 100,000. The second was the City a current murder rate Over 80 per 100,000. When i received those figures. I thought a mistake had been made. Could it be possible that since 1964 the murder rate had increased by so much no i thought. I checked again. The same figures came Back. Be gods. The sergeant was right be careful out there. Now i am not about to blame the current homicide rate solely on the availability of guns. Clearly other factors Are at work As Well. But since most homicides Are now committed by guns it figures that without guns these murders would be a lot harder to commit. To paraphrase the bumper sticker its perfectly True that people kill people. But increasingly they do so with guns. For instance a Bunch of Washington teen agers recently drove by a schoolyard and opened fire. Hard to do that sort of thing with a knife. When the counting is done its Likely that no other City will have Washington a murder rate. But Many cities will come close. In All those cities the problem is twofold Homicidal people and guns. Since the people cannot be removed the guns ought to be. Its a task no City or state can do on its own. All local gun control Laws have to be relative failures. Washington for instance has a strict one but the authorities Here say that of the 8,500 guns seized since 1988, 70 percent of them were traced to distributors in Virginia or Maryland. Will Congress Ever pass a really Tough National gun control Law the so called a gun lobby a consisting of everything from Neo nazis to nature Loving Hunters will not permit it. But by taking such an extreme position machine gun the Era May Force the supreme court to Settle the second amendment question once and for All. A if common sense plays any role the court will Rule that the founding fathers really did have a militia As they stated in mind. You want a gun join the National guard. Otherwise the government has. The right to regulate gun ownership a and one would Hope regulate it severely and rationally. Just because a weapon like a semiautomatic can be used for Hunting does no to mean it should be  what if the supreme court sides with the Era not Likely i think. But such a decision would be so stupendously at Odds with the reality of contemporary America that one would think a maybe a a Hope is a better word a that americans would then Amend the Constitution. Knowing this country its Folly to think that guns would be outlawed altogether. It might mean though that reasonable gun Laws would be enacted a and handguns the real menace would become As rare As hens Teeth. All that stands in the Way is the political clout of the gun lobby. But As the Era takes More and More extreme positions and As More americans realize that unrestricted gun ownership is a quaint but dangerous idea sensible gun control May become a reality. Washington Post writers group Haynes Johnson crisis countdown takes on High noon drama turn on the television set these Days and you la find the persian Gulf crisis transformed into a Hollywood Western melodrama such As a High noon or  before our eyes live and in color the clock relentlessly ticks away the Days and hours and ultimately seconds before the final showdown a and shootout. On lbs wednesday night for example Dan rather began his 1991 newscasts live from the desert Sands behind a slogan superimposed on the screen countdown to confrontation below in smaller Type viewers read 14 Days on new years eve during a break in the football action in one of those interminable nationally televised bowl games this one from Elpaso Texas an announcer highlighted the presence of . Soldiers in the stands. The uniformed gis were there Courtesy of the games commercial sponsor and new namesake the John Hancock insurance company the announcer told the viewing audience. Then while the cameras panned rows of cheering waving soldiers the sports Caster pointed to a mural painted across the stadium Wall. Depicted was an Eagle swooping Down on prey. Helpful As Ever while the cameras slowly played across the mural the sports Caster read aloud the message spelled out there a go desert shield beat  elsewhere benumbed watchers of games collegiate and professional saw players sporting american flags on helmets further proof of official footballs sponsorship of patriotism. Therein were perfect blending of dominant traits in the Media age football As expression of valued National character the quest to be no. 1, the winning is everything philosophy and to news As mass entertainment. Those scenes typify another enhanced by to attitude about the persian Gulf crisis its All a game. Its not a game of course and fast moving but inconclusive developments Only underscore a sense that Gulf related events now have a life and momentum of their own. Americans rising for the new Day thursday saw network to shows suddenly shift to the White House. A press Secretary Marlin Fitzwater announced that president Bush had made a one last attempt to go the extra mile for peace by trying to arrange a personal meeting Between top diplomats of the United states and Iraq. At the same time Fitzwater reiterated the prevailing White House hard line in what sounded like a final ultimatum. There would be no negotiations no attempt to save face no Reward for aggression if and when an iraqi-. Meeting took place he said making one wonder what purpose a meeting could have. Within three hours the to cameras brought another somber scene into Homes and offices. Bush had just briefed congressional leaders at the White House. Their session ended in a stalemate. The president had not persuaded them that military Power must be used now Senate majority Leader George j. Mitchell a Maine said and the leaders had not persuaded the president that he should pursue a policy of patience before commencing combat. As a result Congress too became caught up in the crisis countdown. Instead of recessing at the end of the first Day As is customary after convening a new session members of the 102nd Congress Are now in the extraordinary position of w waiting in political limbo. They too must watch the clock and wait to see whether the president will ask their authority to wage War or decide to initiate combat without their approval. Looming in the background is a show Down Over constitutional Powers. A amid these political skirmishes the country has been treated to a new round of hairy chested martial rhetoric. Briefing reporters wednesday in the saudi capital of Riyadh a . Military spokesman went out of his Way to disparage iraqis military prowess. A obviously we know the iraqis will pay attention to w hat is said Here a the spokesman said. A so Well Tell something that will make them nervous namely that their air Force and their Navy  that night Bush added More insults of his own albeit by videotape delay. Interviewed by David Frost on pcs he said a we have an Opportunity for a More peaceful world. But. It wont happen if we give one single Inch to placate the aggressor the dictator the rapist of  so the deadly drama continues for americans at Home. And the Days stretch for those camped far away on desert Sands. There they wait to see whether it will be War or peace life or death. The Washington Post