-- Not Garry (Not@Garry.now), July 02, 2000

Answers

A story to excite gun control passions, in various ways (from www.wrisley.com):

"LAS VEGAS - - An armed intruder was killed Tuesday when he confronted a homeowner abut 5 a.m. He had a string of arrests, including burglary and robbery charges, according to police. Chay B. Stevens, 20, of North Las Vegas was killed after he and another man broke into a house. Stevens fired all three bullets in his small-caliber semiautomatic handgun at the resident, who returned fire with his own gun. Stevens and the 60-year-old resident were about 6 to 8 feet apart when the shooting started. Stevens was hit and died at the scene. The homeowner was not wounded. COMMENT: A warning to would-be burglars. Don't break into old people's houses when they're at home. They might be a better shot than you are ! (In Las Vegas the homeowner had every right, under the law, to return fire.)"

-- GRC (GRCCGR@hotmail.com), July 20, 2000.

And another item of some interest to some:

"At-Work-Monitoring Bill Introduced

By JESSE J. HOLLAND Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP)  Two conservative House Republicans joined a liberal Senate Democrat Thursday in introducing legislation to require employers to notify workers if they're monitoring their electronic communications at work.

Rep. Bob Barr, R-Ga., and Rep. Charles Canady, R-Fla., sponsored the House version of legislation that would force employers to tell employees if they scan or read their e-mail, monitor their computer keystrokes or Web use or eavesdrop on their telephone conversations. Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., introduced a companion bill in the Senate.

'We would never stand for it if an employer steamed open an employee's mail, read it and put it back,' Schumer said. 'It is the same thing with an employee's e-mail.'

'This legislation says to employers that if you are monitoring employees' electronic communications, make sure you notify them first,' he said.

The American Management Association said in an April survey that 73 percent of major U.S. firms record and monitor their employees' phone calls, Internet connections and computer files. One of four companies said they had fired employees for misuse of telecommunication equipment.

The New York Times, for example, fired 22 employees in Virginia last year for passing around potentially offensive e-mails. A month earlier, Xerox Corp. fired 40 workers for spending work time  in some cases up to eight hours a day  surfing pornographic and shopping sites on the Web.

Gregory Nojeim, an American Civil Liberties Union lawyer, said he knew of only one state  Connecticut  that requires employers to tell their workers when they are being monitored.

'The vast majority of Americans are not even granted the common courtesy of notice if their employer eavesdrops,' he said.

Under the legislation proposed Thursday, companies that want to monitor e-mail, telephone and Web use would be required to inform employees annually or whenever monitoring policies change.

'New technology has made it cheap and easy for employers to secretly monitor everything an employee does on line,' Schumer said. 'This legislation provides workers with a first line of defense against a practice that amounts to nothing more than a blatant invasion of privacy.'

Barr likened employee monitoring to the Justice Department's 'Carnivore' system, which can be placed at an Internet service provider to scan e-mails for messages associated with the target of a criminal probe.

'Do we have any privacy?' asked Barr, who opposes the Carnivore system because it could be used to read everyone's e-mail. 'This is part of the same overall issue.'

The legislation gives employees who aren't notified of computer or telephone monitoring in the workplace the right to sue their employers and collect damages of up to $20,000 per employee and $500,000 per incident."

-- GRC (GRCCGR@hotmail.com), July 20, 2000.

And yet another:

"Offers of aid could keep Soda Girl in business

Health agency closed her cart, citing permit

By John C. Ensslin Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

LONGMONT  Soda Girl is getting back in business.

Eighteen people on Wednesday offered to pay the license and application fees for 11-year-old Caitlin Rezac and her fledgling Italian soda cart business.

The offers came one week after Boulder County Health officials closed down her street-corner stand because she lacked the proper license, and one day after her plight became public in the Denver Rocky Mountain News. She had a business permit but not a health department license.

Several people offered to provide money. One woman asked if she could buy stock. Another man offered to provide the sink that health inspectors want Rezac to add to her kiosk.

And the Colorado Restaurant Association's Boulder chapter made Rezac an honorary member, making her the group's youngest member ever.

Association President Peter Meersman also offered to intervene with county health officials.

'I'm sure the department will be willing to work with the family and the little girl to see what can be done,' he said.

The health department is requesting a $75 application fee from the youngster plus $54 per hour to review her request. If approved, she also would have to pay $110 for a one-year license.

David Baum, an official with the county's environmental health program, estimated the entire cost would amount to $239.

Caitlin's dad, Brian Rezac, said his daughter was overwhelmed by all the support.

'That's pretty amazing,' he said. 'It's stuff like that that keeps you going when you're frustrated.

'Every single step has been a lesson for her,'Rezac said. 'It's been a really good thing for her.'

July 20, 2000"

Time stamp: 9:54 PM EDT

-- GRC (GRCCGR@hotmail.com), July 20, 2000.

OK. Nobody liked those.

How about this one?

"MY CARD, MADAM: Another British collecting craze is threatening the Pokemon card frenzy. Children as young as 5 are now trading prostitute calling cards. The cards, which hookers leave in telephone booths to solicit customers, have long been a problem in England, with an average of 13 million being trashed by British Telecom every year. 'We have received complaints about this problem from several schools but we are not disclosing which ones,' said a Westminster council spokeswoman. 'We understand that children are swapping them and forming collections.'(AP)"

Sounds as though the kids are learning well the lessons about planning ahead, to me. What's the problem?

-- GRC (GRCCGR@hotmail.com), July 23, 2000.

5 year olds, GRC?? Wonder where their parents are that they dont find these lovely things.... !

-- Lisa (cslmc@eiu.edu), July 23, 2000.

Can't believe this.....

http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20000730/re/convention_stars_dc_1.html

-- Lisa (cslmc@eiu.edu), July 31, 2000.

What's hard to believe? Politics has become largely indistinguishable from entertainment anyway, since there is so little functional difference between the major parties....

-- GRC (GRCCGR@hotmail.com), July 31, 2000.

That is very true and very very sad.

-- Lisa (cslmc@eiu.edu), July 31, 2000.

The Hunter S. Thompson/Assistant/bear saga continues:

"Victim considers shooting an accident

By Joe Garner Denver Rocky Mountain News Staff Writer

Celebrated gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson will not face charges for accidentally shooting an assistant in a bid to scare a bear from his Aspen-area home, District Attorney Mac Myers said Wednesday.

Thompson, 63, slightly wounded Debra Fuller, 58, about 7:30 a.m. Thursday as he was trying to frighten away a foraging black bear. He had been yelling at the bear, but it 'did not respond to the yells,' Myers said.

Thompson tried to telephone Fuller, who was staying in a guest house 30 yards from his home, to warn her about the animal. Assuming she was asleep when she did not answer, the author fired at the ground in front of the animal with a .410-gauge shotgun.

Fuller opened the door to the guest house just as Thompson fired, catching two poppy seed-size pellets in her thigh and a third in her arm, Myers said. A fourth pellet grazed her thigh.

The bear fled.

Fuller was treated at Aspen Valley Hospital and released."

The article goes on for a while longer.

Just like Honey....

-- GRC (GRCCGR@hotmail.com), August 03, 2000.

Amazing synchronicity... but it seems like GBT does it first and Thompson follows suit....!

-- Lisa (cslmc@eiu.edu), August 04, 2000.

Well, I'm back from my trip to China, and immediately found something in the local part of the IHT that might be interesting to gun control pro/anti-nuts. Is the following dfinitely over the top or simply a logical extension of gun control? (I posted the whole story, as it will qiuickly vanish from the FAZ.com's servers.)

German Government Tightens Weapons Legislation

BERLIN. The German government has announced plans to tighten the country's already tough weapons laws.

Interior Minister Otto Schily outlined on Friday draft legislation which would make it even more difficult for ordinary Germans to obtain handgun licenses, while requiring owners of gas pistols and other non-lethal guns to obtain a "small weapons permit." It would also ban some of the more exotic non-gun weapons, such as "throwing stars" and a few types of knives which are deemed to have no legitimate non-criminal purpose.

While gas pistols and the like -- dubbed Schreckschusspistolen, or "fright guns" in German because they often appear identical to regular firearms -- are usually harmless, Mr. Schily said that they were too often used in robberies, or to terrorize people.

The Bundestag, the German parliament, is in recess until September, but the interior minister said he believed the draft legislation would receive fairly rapid passage. The federal states, police unions and associations with a special interest in the subject have already been consulted, he added.

Under the legislation, anyone desiring to own or carry a "fright gun" would have to obtain a police conduct certificate, based on criminal convictions entered in the Federal Central Register, and present it at the time of purchase. A buyer with no prior criminal convictions would receive the special permit, which the owner would have to carry at all times when the gun was taken outside of the home.

Violations would be punishable by a fine, Mr. Schily said, adding that he expected this provision would be sufficient to deter most abuse. According to government statistics, more than half of all guns used in crimes in Germany are non-lethal weapons.

The Schily draft will also require regular firearms to be stored more securely, with all ammunition stored separately. "Short weapons" will have to be kept in a class B safety cabinet, which has double steel walls, and law enforcement officials will have the right to make inspections.

As for throwing stars and spring-loaded knives, they are being banned, Mr. Schily said, because they are increasingly being used by youths. Currently, they may be obtained legally by anyone 18 or older.

The new legislation does make it somewhat easier to acquire and own firearms for sport shooting. Sport shooters will not be required to demonstrate the need which must ordinarily be shown before being allowed to acquire up to five short weapons and five semi-automatic long guns. Weapons permits will be initially issued to sport shooters -- including hunters -- for a five-year period. After 20 years, owners can apply for permanent licenses.

Aug. 4

) Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung 2000 All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part is prohibited.

-- Horst (elder_brain@yahoo.com), August 07, 2000.

To link, click HERE.

-- Fugu (skywise@home.com), December 08, 2002.