European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - January 18, 1992, Darmstadt, Hesse                                At left James Brady gives the Victory sign after passage of the limited gun control legislation known As the Brady Bui. Behind him from left Are rep. Marty Russu Dell. Rep. Thomas Andrews a Maine and Bradys wife Sarah. Above Brady lies wounded in March 1981. Jim Brady wants no pity he wants your support by Carolyn Skorneck the associated press a Bullet pierced his brain 10 years ago and launched James s. Brady on a tour through hell s amusement Park torturous therapy and terror at every turn through it All. The former White House spokesman Lias maintained a seemingly indestructible sense of humor it s the same anything for a laugh attitude that got Inin temporarily bounced off Ronald Reagan s Campaign plane Lor making Light of his candidate s claim that nature causes most pollution pointing at a Forest fire he yelled at reporters. Quot see killer Trees killer trees1&Quot not Long ago. When asked the secret to his prize waning Chili body answered without hesitation Road kill Quot Refo Reg to the meat of animals killed on the Highway shot in the head during John Hinckley or s attempt to assassinate president Reagan in March 1981, Jim Brady does t want your pity he wants your support Tor his causes a gun control and a fair shake Lor people with disabilities he is confined now to a wheelchair most of the one but the Bear As Brady has called himself for years says he continues to improve slowly he is still m therapy several Days a week horseback Riding on a cagey Mare named berm improves his balance but it is agony to secure his legs in the stirrups he takes what he Calls Quot a pharmacy of medications to counter the shooting s lingering alter effects and pain the problem is not just that he tires after Only a Tew Steps a Lar cry irom the wild Indian dance he once performed for friends that he can no longer go on outrageous spending sprees or rough House with his son Scott that he must Wear a balloon contraption at night to Cope with the incessant swelling in his left leg that his left hand lies uselessly in his Lap but still hurts constantly. For Jim Brady everything can be an obstacle Quot it s sheer terror to go to the bathroom because you re standing up in a place that is Marble City he says. Quot and you know that in you go Down you re going to hit your head and you re going to kill yourself Brady who is 51, keeps bitterness and anger in Check most of the time. Still he can work himself up to Quot a Good rage Quot in 10 minutes. Quot but that a essentially a negative exercise he says Quot play the hand that a dealt you nevertheless the frustration and anger of a proud smart exuberant Man who had to relearn life s most Basic functions while enduring excruciating pain came through in a recent television movie about his life the movie based on the Book thumbs up by Mollie Dickenson did not depict the Gallant victim featured on Many disease of the week shows. Although that Side was included actor Beau Bridges also portrayed Brady As occasionally cantankerous and downright Nasty in one scene he lashes out with his Cane at his wife Sarah whose nickname is the Raccoon Brady maintains he is not such an ogre and that he never hit his wife who chairs handgun control inc and has championed the firearms control Bill named for her husband. Quot i never beat the Raccoon in the boobs with my Cane As one scene showed there Quot Brady said Quot. I thought the movie made me look much meaner than i am. I m really a  yet Brady did not ask that such scenes be Cut. Other parts of the movie also caused him some Chagrin. In one scene he is shown Quot wetting my pants which embarrassed the hell out of me. Not that i done to do that. That a a constant problem because the thing that tells that to Stop was blown  Brady is As brutally honest about other frustrations complaining at one Point that he is financially dependent on his wife s income. He also receives government benefits and support from a foundation established by friends after the shooting. Quot it does nothing to my sense of self esteem not to Bej the breadwinner but in a not and she constantly reminds me of that Quot says the former impulse buyer. Quot she a a Loving wife Quot he says but she a Quot not Mother  Sarah Brady agrees. A voluble Man Brady Speaks with Lar More humor and lucidity in personal conversation than he does in most Public appearances. But he Falls momentarily silent when asked whether he has Lun in life these Days. A i m trying to think if in be had fun in the Iasi several months Quot he says quietly lapping his Cane against his wheelchair. Then he recovers his equanimity Quot i enter Lam myself 1 think i m a Hoot the impediments to just getting around offer Brady plenty of fodder for wit. He knows the indignities facing disabled people who travel by air. As he s on the move about three times a week fulfilling his roles As gun control advocate vice chair of the National organization on disability and co chair of the National head injury foundation. The problems can seem hilarious when described with Brady s Deadpan humor and sound effects that Are often impossible to describe. One thing he hates is the so called aisle chair a essentially a narrow High backed chair with straps a used on occasion to carry him up from the Tarmac to the plane door. Quot they get the biggest ramp men you can find and they pull you up the Damn stairs All the Way up. When you get to the top you want to go like this Quot he said. Waving to an imaginary audience below. Quot Here is the trashing of this Man. Watch him go up  and then there was the matchless move by one Airport a location undisclosed a where Quot i was loaded into a plane in the bucket of a front loader. A Quot they put chains across so i  Roll out he says laughing. Quot the Guy drove into the plane and went Flomp and the co Pilot stuck his head out the window to see if this fool on the ramp who had just driven a front loader into his aircraft had Hurt his plane or not. Quot my heart was going Boom Boom Boom Boom Boom. I was afraid they were going to get me up there and go off fat with the bucket he demonstrates a shipping motion with his hand and then id go Kaboom. I know front loaders Well. And i know they James Brady ii the Only son of born aug/29,1940 in centrally James and Dorothy Brady / a a education . In communications and political science irom the University of Illinois 1962. Family wife Sarah son Scott daughter Melissa. Nickname the Bear. Political Aff Flitton lifelong Republican. Work history currently vice chair of the National organization on disability co chair of the National head injury foundation gun Contro advocate. 1981-1989 assistant to the president and White House press Secretary. 1980-1981 director of Public affairs and research for the Reagan Bush committee. 1979-1980 press Secretary to presidential candidate John 9. Conalty. 1973-1979 held a variety of governmental aide positions including executive assistant to sen. William v. Roth jr., a Del and assistant to defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. 1969-1973 executive vice president of James and Thomas advertising and Public relations. 1968-1989 manager of Whitaker and Baxters Chicago office. 1966-1968 director of legislation and Public affairs Tor the Illinois state medical society. Have minds of their own watching television tins its own in Zods f in Brady can t find any Hui Noi m vows rep ohs Ihn a a put film of he Hinckley attack each time Fie sees i Nisell gel shed Jim Brady relives the moment Quot i want to take every bit of that film of that incident and put them in a Cement incinerator slosh them Wilh gasoline and throw a lighted cigarette in Quot he says rather than dwelling on the haled images Brady has focused on trying to prevent future attacks Brady s wife. Sarah who joined the Board of handgun control inc in 1985 and became its Chan Lour years later Gol Inlo the gun control movement Long before Brady did a in act. Brady opposed her initial move though he had t worked regularly since the shooting he was still officially Reagan s spokesman and at the time Reagan did t publicly support the so called Brady Bill and the waiting period it required for buying handguns Reagan came out in Lavor of the Bill last March on the 10th anniversary of the shooting his support a boosted the measure s prospects but the crime Bill in which it was included failed under the weight of president Bush s threatened veto Over other issues Brady contends that if the waiting period had been Law in 1980, when Hinckley purchased the gun he used in 1981, he might not have gotten it so easily. Quot and there s a Good Chance that i would t be sitting in wheels today and walking around with a stick talking about Hinckley still gets under his skin. Hinckley has been in is Elizabeth a Hospital in Washington since 1982, when he was found Tenno cell of criminal charges by reason of insanity. Occasionally Hinckley has asked the court to release him for a Day or a weekend. He sought permission several years ago to leave the country with his Fiancee a former mental patient who was found innocent by reason of insanity in the 1982 Shotgun slaying of her 10-year-old daughter. Brady has Little tolerance for such requests or Lor Hinckley s Quot extensive correspondence with Charles Manson the cult Leader convicted in the murders of actress Sharon tale and others two decades ago Quot and All these other storybook  Hinckley has never apologized to Brady. Quot Why apologize for something that you re not All that sorry about7&Quot Brady asked Brady says he s in the Battle for gun control for the Long haul even after the Brady Bill becomes  measure he backed this year was a ban on some semiautomatic firearms and multiple Bullet ammunition clips the firearms have far too much Power for Hunting according to Brady. A Sho hired High into the air can travel Miles he says flying Quot Over the Brook and hitting a family that s having a picnic off somewhere that lacks  the House of representatives voted to kill the Bill in october just one Day after a Man shot 22 people to death in a Killeen Texas cafeteria. After the massacre the congressman who represents Killeen Democrat Chet Edwards changed his mind and supported the measure but it was t enough Quot i guess we re going to have to kill people in every congressional District before they get the message Brady a lifelong Republican said shortly after the vote. Brady s primary foe in the gun control fight is the National Rifle association which has blocked Many attempts to limit sales of firearms and ammunition Jim Baker the nral a chief lobbyist says Brady is Quot a very effective lobbyist for the other Side Quot Quot his personal tragedy lends itself to an effective lobbyist Quot Baker says however he adds Quot i do think that most of the lobbying efforts Are based on the obvious emotional Impact that the Bradys Jim and Sarah a bring to the Issue As opposed to a strictly factual analysis of the issues the Bradys deny that they rely on emotion instead marshalling gun related violence and death statistics to support their arguments and Baker had better get used to Brady you can t get me out of Here Quot Brady says pick a cause name a week by Helen Dewar the Washington Post disc. Asl s Wiki Rig on Cain loll Hli us u a so woo ethnic a soups. Be teens. Families and levs rut nothing was to noted guile so fiend la As the his of Mexico what All these Dis Patale grouping. A i of in common was being chosen by Congress through an arcane process that goes Back Neaily a Century to he  a having Days weeks months yogis or even decades named att i Thorn in fact these  accounted Tor nearly one thud of All legislation that was on clod during the inst session of the 102nd Congress about 70 of to 2-13 Bills trial were passed and signed into Law by president Bush addressed the nation s problems needs and interests by naming portions id the Ealen Dai in their Honor Money May be in Short Supply to expand child nutrition programs or National Toress. But Congress strewed it had Nel forgotten them by designating March 4-10 As National school breakfast week Quot and Juno As Quot National Forest system month the homeless will be glad to know Hal novem Hei was National accessible housing month Quot dutch americans. German americans and a dozen other such americans got heir Days and Ellis Island Gol new year s Day the 200th anniversary of portuguese american relations was commemorated so was the Vermont Bicentennial a kinds of veterans were recognized old Young and female firefighters were honoured on oct 8. Quot radon action was proclaimed oct 13-19 country music Carne prevention and breast cancer awareness shared the month of october As a whole world Lood got Only one Day oct. 18 hut with a Promise of a second Day of recognition in 1992 a chilling variety of diseases that had not gotten their own special Day or week in recent years got one last year there was Quot National red ribbon week Lor a drug free Amei Ion Quot oct 19-27. Along with just Plain Quot National red ribbon month Quot november and Lor reasons that undoubtedly have something to do with the political clout of Gull state lawmakers the Gull of Mexico got Allol 1992 these and other tantalizing titbits were contained in a slim Issue of the congressional record published Jan 3 the Fay that the first session of he 102nd Congress officially ended and tin second session formally opened the Quot resume of congressional activity Quot for 1991 attempted to quantify Congress successes and failures in statistical forms the House and Senate spent More than 150 Days in session including 1,201 fours and 44 minutes for who Senate and 938 hoi n s Ai id 34 minutes for the House. The two Kiouses together passed 1.218 measures 828 for tin Senate 592 for the House out of a total of 7,758 introduced in both bodies of the 45,369 nominations received from the executive Branch. 4 5.180 were confirmed. There were 280 Yea or nay votes in the Senate 238 in the House the president vetoed four lulls and All were sustained there was Only a three line description to authorize the use of United states armed forces pursuant to the United nations Security Council Resolution 678&Quot to describe the somber historic debate Over whether to go to War in the persian Gull in Early 1991 the a rated hearings on the nomination of Clarence Thomas to the supreme court which held the nation in Thrall for Days were lost in the statistics Only summary of confirmations but the Bill by Bill listing of successful legislation underscored the volume of commemorative legislation which earn to rut on track for approval by any member As Long As it conforms to certain rules and the sponsor can get signatures irom at Lea. Hull of his or her colleagues members have periodically attempted 1o Sculle the whole process As a waste of time and Money or to turn the design Lumis Over to an Independent commission As rep Dave Mccurdy d okla has been proposing for most of the past decade in 1990. Mccurdy surveyed his colleagues and found that mod thought their Lime could belter be spent on legislative issues Cornie Moratides Are not a harmless vice Quot he said m a statement at the Lime Quot they Are enhancing a Public perception that Congress is wasting time on trivia Many of them have no National significance but Are simple wanderings to special interest groups but inertia is a powerful Force in Congress and the Calendar moves on an aide to Mccurdy noted that the first Quot dear colleague letter of 1992 asked Mccurdy s support to designate next month As National Grapefruit month Quot Page 14 the stars and stripes saturday january 18, 1992the stars and stripes Page 15