Wearing a bright yellow flame-retardant shirt , Donald Despain crouches down to study the ash-covered forest floor . The scorched hillside around him appears utterly lifeless . Almost everything in sight is black , from the tips of trees 40 feet above the ground to the powdered ash blanketing the earth . The firestorm that raged through here in recent weeks was driven by 60-mile-an-hour winds that fanned temperatures to more than 1,600 degrees Fahrenheit . The fire was so intense that a gray shadow on the forest floor is all that remains of a fallen log . Where many people recoil at the sweep of nature 's destructive power , the 47-year-old Mr. Despain marvels at the tiny steps life is already taking to renew itself . As Yellowstone National Park 's research biologist , he has already begun to monitor the forest 's rebirth from the worst fire on record . His eyes red from the blowing ash , Mr. Despain patiently counts the quarter-inch lodgepole pine seed `` wings '' within a rectangular frame he places on the hillside . The tiny seeds are slowly released from rock-hard pine cones only after the cones have been seared by the passing flames ; indeed , they require a fire to propagate themselves . The little wings act like the rotary blades of a helicopter in dispersing the seeds . `` This is amazing , '' says Mr. Despain , reflecting on his count . `` This works out to one million seeds an acre . '' Only about 500 mature trees were on an acre of hillside here before the fire . Of course , not all the seeds will become trees . Deer mice will eat some of them . Others wo n't take root . But next spring many of the seeds , fertilized by nutrients leaching into the soil from the snow-packed ash , will sprout , along with a bouquet of grasses , flowers and shrubs , as burnt areas of the park erupt with life . The profusion of pine seeds is just one of the rejuvenating forces at work in Yellowstone even as the fires , largely quenched this week by rain and snow , still smolder . Grasses and several types of wildflowers , ranging from fireweed to wild geraniums , are already sprouting less than seven weeks after fire roared past Grant Village near Yellowstone Lake . Next year , the ground cover replacing the park 's burnt stands of aging lodgepole pines should provide a 30-fold increase in plant species . More edible plants , in turn , support larger , and more various populations of birds and other animals . `` We see what 's going on here not as devastation and destruction , but , rather , rebirth and renewal of these ecosystems , '' says John Varley , Yellowstone 's chief of research and Mr. Despain 's boss . Mr. Despain 's research should play a major role in a new debate over whether to reforest burnt areas of Yellowstone or to let nature take its course . In recent years , environmentalists have for the most part succeeded in promoting the natural processes of the parks . But the approach is again under attack . The National Park Service has already been at the center of a much-publicized political firestorm over its 16-year-old `` natural burn '' policy , which allows lightning-caused fires to burn themselves out , except where they threaten towns or park buildings . Critics , including elected officials from Western states and the logging and tourist industries , have grabbed headlines by blaming that policy for fueling the inferno that this summer raged over half of Yellowstone 's 2.2 million acres and cost more than $ 100 million to fight and clean up . Reforestation would give wooded areas in Yellowstone a `` five-year jump '' on natural regrowth of the woods and would `` get it green again , '' says John Davis , Willamette Industries Inc. 's general manager for Western timber logging operations in Lewiston , Idaho . Gerald M. Freeman , the president and chief operating officer of Stone Forest Industries Inc. , agrees : `` Controlled burning , selective logging and reforestation are a much better way to manage the forests . '' The pressure to bring back Yellowstone 's forest through reforestation may get intense . In an average year , 2.5 million tourists visit the huge park , and a drop-off because of the fire damage could severely hurt business . In August , with fires out of control , the tourist trade was off 30 % here . The emotional appeal of replanting the parks already has led to some reforestation proposals -- some of them a bit off the wall . New Jersey 's governor , Thomas Kean , for instance , announced that his state planned to donate thousands of evergreen seedlings to replant Yellowstone , apparently without realizing that none of the proffered species are indigenous to the park . Although the offer was later amended to include native varieties , the park service politely declined . Mr. Despain hopes that the scientific evidence that park researchers are gathering will testify to the forest 's ability to renew itself , while countering emotional calls for human help . `` When I hear the word 're - vegetation , ' my blood runs cold , '' he says . Mr. Despain joined the park 's research department in 1971 after finishing his doctorate at the University of Alberta on the plants of the Bighorn Mountains in northern Wyoming . He worked under Glen Cole , the park 's head of research from 1968 to 1976 and a leading advocate of letting natural processes prevail in the park . Alston Chase , an author and park critic , describes Mr. Despain as one of the park 's `` most orthodox believers '' in the official natural management policy . Mr. Despain has set up or is planning several long-term research projects to study the effects of this year 's fires . In addition to his seed-counting , Mr. Despain has created nine `` before and after '' study plots to gauge effects of the fire . Within these 15-by-25-meter plots , he and other researchers cataloged the size and the number of lodgepole pines , as well as the variety of plant growth on the forest floor . -LRB- He had to abandon one such study area two weeks ago . Fire licked at its corners even as he was mapping the trees within . -RRB- After the fire is out , he surveys damage to a plot . Next spring he will chronicle rebirth . Some of the impulse to reforest Yellowstone may be based on a misapprehension of just how much damage has been done here . Television pictures of the Yellowstone 's fires at their height made things look worse than they are . True , fire boundaries within the park cover about half the park 's acreage . Yet only 10 % to 15 % of land within these boundaries was scorched by raging crown fires that burn everything in sight , Mr. Varley estimates . In fact , nearly half the area within the fire zones remains untouched by fire . Driving along the 140 miles of the park 's upper and lower scenic loop -- on roads open to park visitors -- one sees a Yellowstone that is a patchwork of green , brown and blackened forest and meadow . The burnt `` snags , '' as charred tree trunks are called , creak in the wind above Mr. Despain and are all that remain of a forest section that sprouted after a fire swept through here about the time of the Civil War . The slow-growing trees , only seven to 10 inches in diameter , were relatively young by Yellowstone standards . Most of the lodgepole stands here that burned this summer were 250 to 400 years old . Mr. Despain says it is no coincidence that most burnt trees here were senior citizens , relatively speaking , and highly susceptible to fire . As lodgepoles age , they lose some of their natural resistance to disease and insects . Dead trees fall to the forest floor , joined by others blown over by the strong winds howling down from surrounding peaks . The thinning canopy then lets more light through to the forest floor . Grasses and shrubs , some of their seeds having lain dormant for 100 years or more , fill in the open spaces between the trees . The ground clutter thickens , more trees fall , and , with the help of a prolonged drought , the old forest creates its own funeral pyre . The last fire to rival this year 's in intensity roared across much of Yellowstone in the early 1700s . `` Fires have been an integral force in the Yellowstone ecosystem for the past 10,000 years since the glaciers left , '' Mr. Varley says . `` Most plant species have adopted one means or another to ensure their survival . '' Mr. Despain takes a Swiss army knife from his pocket and digs into the forest floor . The top layer of the sandy brown soil has been seared by flames . But less than an inch beneath the surface the searing stops . Seeds that have been dormant for decades beneath the soil appear to be triggered by the passing fire , he says , and will germinate next spring . Meanwhile , nutrients that were bound up in the cells of mature pines for hundreds of years have been returned in the form of ash to the soil as fertilizer for next year 's growth . Carol Shively , a park ranger-naturalist at Grant Village in Yellowstone , says , `` Next spring is going to be a spectacular one for wildflowers . '' For the first five years after a fire , while surrounding vegetation is still relatively low , there will be a proliferation of wildflowers in the park , she says . In addition to fireweed and wild geraniums , lupen , yarrow , mountain dandelion and arnica have already been spotted this year among the ashes . Aspen trees , whose paper-white bark and yellow leaves punctuate the evergreen forests this time of year , also thrive after a fire . With their roots undamaged by the flames , aspen trees return to their juvenile phase for three to four years , and will add as much as four feet in a 90-day growing season . Yellowstone 's meadows rebound the fastest after a fire . By next July , one will find it difficult to tell which meadows burned in 1988 . One clue will be that the Idaho fescue , blue bunch wheat grass and pine grass growing in fields where fire returned nutrients to the soil will be as much as a foot taller than the meadows that escaped the flames . Forests visited only by ground fires will rebound almost as quickly . Shrubs and grasses cover what is left of the burnt undergrowth , although fire scars will be visible on some trees for years . The completely burned forests will remain a mixture of meadow and snags for several years . Insects begin attacking the snags almost immediately after a fire , and the charred trunks are likely to be toppled by the wind . But many snags , weathering to fence-post gray , will remain as monuments to the fire of 1988 for years to come . Lodgepole pine seedlings grow as much as a foot a year in the open , although a few inches per year is more common at first . Hundreds of plant species proliferate after a fire until `` canopy closure '' is achieved in about 40 years . At that point , the pines -- still less than 15 feet tall -- begin to choke off light reaching the forest floor as their limbs grow together . As lodgepoles come to dominate the ecosystem , other plant species decline in number , reaching a low of no more than a dozen in the mature forest . The mature forest `` has the least biological diversity of any habitat in the park , '' Mr. Varley says . Then the forest thins as it ages , trees fall , underbrush grows , and the forest is primed for a fire to start its life cycle over again . Mark Palmer , the chairman of the Sierra Club 's national wildlife committee , sees another virtue in the aftermath of a fire : `` Meadows are much more valuable to wildlife than dense forests . '' Three to five additional bird species are likely to migrate into Yellowstone next year , attracted to the new plants and insects thriving in the meadows . Among the new arrivals may be the three-toed and blackbacked woodpeckers , the mountain blue bird and the Western wood phoebe . Memories of Bambi and Smokey the Bear notwithstanding , Yellowstone 's large animals do n't appear to have suffered from the fire . There has yet to be a confirmed report of a large animal killed by the flames , although a few deaths are almost inevitable , park officials say . Yellowstone 's elk and bison herds , as well as moose , should benefit from the additional forage in the park next year . It 's too early to tell whether the fires , which burned some lower pastures , affected the herds ' ability to weather Yellowstone 's long winter . More winterkill among the herds might be expected this year in any case , since animal populations are now near their historical upper limits . The park service is under unwelcome political pressure to feed the herds if the winter is severe . Moving up a link in the food chain , Yellowstone 's grizzly bear and mountain lion populations would be the obvious beneficiaries of an increase in winterkill among the grazing animals , according to Mr. Varley . `` Ecologically , there 's no down side to the fire , '' he adds , conceding that similar statements by park officials may have sounded cavalier when the fires were raging . They certainly did seem that way to some people . Wyoming 's U.S. senators , Republicans Malcolm Wallop and Alan K. Simpson , are mindful of the damage the fires caused the state 's tourist industry this year , as well as the threat to gateway towns near the park . They have called for the resignation of William Penn Mott Jr. , who heads the park service . So far , Mr. Mott , who did n't return calls for comment , does n't appear in danger of losing his job , park service officials say . But Interior Secretary Donald P. Hodel says he favors certain , unspecified changes in the natural-burn policy . A panel of academics and scientists is being assembled to study this year 's fires and make recommendations on what changes might be in order . Congressional hearings are also likely . Beautiful as they are , trees are n't the reason most people come to Yellowstone National Park . On a recent evening , about a hundred park visitors made the pilgrimage to one of the world 's natural wonders -- the largest concentration of geysers to be found anywhere on earth . These and the rest of the park 's thermal features remain unscathed by the fires . The sun had just set with an ash-tinted tangerine glow behind the hills to the west . A quarter moon was visible as well . At exactly 7:24 , as predicted by the sign in the window of the tourist-information office , Old Faithful sputtered once , twice and shot plumes of white steam high into the fading light . Tourists will be back next year for this ... and perhaps to see how nature is restoring the forest .

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worst fire
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rebirth
tiny seeds


His statement , just a day after both sides agreed to a cease-fire , indicated that a plan to resolve the state 's ethnic , political and economic disputes had gone off the rails less than 18 hours after it was accepted. ; The ultimatum also appeared to confirm Slovenian fears that the army is acting outside government control in its effort to subjugate the secessionist republic . The independent television station Yutel quoted a federal official as saying the government did not approve of the military statement. ; Earlier Saturday evening , Serbian President Slobodan Milosevic forced yet another delay in the election of Stipe Mesic , a Croat , as president of Yugoslavia. ; Mesic election was key ; Mesic 's election was the political keystone in the peace plan , which also called for the federal troops in Slovenia to return to the barracks and for a three-month delay by the breakaway republics of Slovenia and Croatia in carrying out their independence declarations. ; Slovenia refused Saturday night to send a representative to Belgrade for a meeting of the eight-member Yugoslav presidency . Such a meeting might have resolved the leadership vacuum in the federal government. ; Preparations for hostilities were widespread. ; The Tanjug news agency reported that 200,000 Serbs were expected to join a territorial militia in Serbia , the biggest Yugoslav republic , which opposes independence for Slovenia and Croatia , and Negovanovic said Croatia had ordered a mobilization of its `` police '' reserves. ; Urgent legislative meeting ; Slovenia 's parliament was called into emergency session after a 12-point list of demands from the army was presented to republic leaders , insisting that all impediments to federal army operations be removed as part of a Western-brokered cease-fire. ; The peace package was assembled by federal Prime Minister Ante Markovic , brokered by an emergency mission of the European Community and accepted by the leaders of Slovenia and Croatia , as well as Serbia. ; But Saturday night Markovic charged that Slovenia 's President Milan Kucan had `` torpedoed '' the plan by insisting that the moratorium on independence had to be approved by his parliament to take effect. ; Condition upon condition ; Milosevic , seizing on Kucan 's statement , insisted that Serbia would not allow Mesic to become president in the normal rotation until the Slovenian and Croatian parliaments agreed to the moratorium. ; The Slovenian government charged the army with repeated breaches of the cease-fire and demanded the surrender of army units and installations that Slovenian forces had surrounded and cut off since the fighting began Thursday. ; At the end of the day , the maneuvering by all three republics ensured a prolongation of the crisis that has deprived the country of a civilian commander in chief for more than six weeks and effectively left the army to make its own moves. ; Kucan all but ruled out the chances of negotiating the return of Slovenia to Yugoslavia. ; ` No way back ' ; `` There is no way back from Slovenian independence , '' he told reporters in Ljubljana . `` I can not foresee Slovenia becoming a part of Yugoslavia in a democratic way . The only possibility in this connection is her forced annexation . '' ; The Yugoslav army appeared to be beefing up its military presence in Slovenia , sending additional tanks across Croatia toward Slovenia and dispatching two warships from Split , in Croatia , to the port of Koper , in Slovenia . The Slovenian defense forces continued efforts to recapture border posts and said they had several under their control. ; Casualties mount ; At least 40 people were killed in the first two days of fighting in Slovenia , including 20 federal army soldiers , four Slovenian fighters and 12 civilians , said Janez Jansa , the Slovenian defense minister . He estimated that the toll might actually be twice as high. ; Ljubljana , the Slovenian capital , was an armed camp , where armed civilians and territorial guards stopped people at random and demanded identification cards . Driving across the republic , which is about the size of Maryland , was difficult because of checkpoints by territorial guards , barricades of trucks or the wrecks of Slovenian vehicles destroyed by Yugoslav government tanks. ; Croatia digs in ; The situation also seemed to be deteriorating in Croatia , which announced that it was halting all contributions to the central government and would send no more recruits to the federal army. ; In Zagreb , the Croatian capital , federal military aircraft flew low , and federal garrisons stood on full alert . Croatian peasants , fearing a surprise attack , reportedly hid in the woods near the Slovenian border 50 miles north of the capital. ; Croatian President Franjo Tudjman said his republic was not hoping for a fight but was ready if need be . `` We do not want to cut all links with other republics , '' he said . `` But if we are attacked , we will respond . '' ; Austria and Hungary sent armored units to the Slovenian border , describing the action as precautionary. ; The crisis evoked further expressions of anguish from foreign leaders , and for the first time a high-placed U.S. official hinted that the administration may be weighing the possibility of recognizing Croatia and Slovenia . `` The president and the secretary -LRB- of state -RRB- have never said ` never , ' '' Deputy Secretary of State Lawrence Eagleburger said in a television interview. ; The State Department said Saturday that U.S. dependents at its consulate in Zagreb , Croatia 's capital , were being allowed to leave Yugoslavia . The only other U.S. diplomatic post in Yugoslavia is in Belgrade , the federal capital. ; The State Department made the announcement a day after urging Americans in Slovenia and Croatia to leave as soon as they could and suggesting that Americans defer non-essential travel to Yugoslavia until the tensions subside .

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slovenian fears
federal troops
breakaway republics
slovenian defense forces
yugoslav army
slovenian independence
federal army operations
independence declarations
croatia
slovenia
serbia
yugoslav republic


There are two solid reasons for congressional term limitation that economists , at least those of the public-choice persuasion , should fully appreciate . First , the less time that a politician spends inside the Beltway the less his or her common sense will be corrupted by the `` culture of ruling '' that exists there . To have microphones pushed in your face every day and to be asked your opinion on everything under the sun is a corrupting influence . Soon you start thinking your opinion is more important than it really is and , worse , that perhaps you should codify your opinion on everything under the sun . Other than this corruption of common sense , for instance , what could explain Congress 's attempt to repeal the laws of economics through federal deposit insurance ? Second , term limits end the adverse pre-selection process that exists whereby most individuals seeking office today actually find the prospect of spending the rest of their lives in Washington , D.C. , attractive . Such individuals are the last ones we should want passing laws governing the rest of us . What Congress needs is experience in living in the real world , not in passing legislation . Today , business people , teachers , computer programmers and other productive citizens look at the prospect of running for Congress and recognize that they must be willing to commit 10 or 15 years of their lives to being politicians if they expect to have any legislative influence . They opt not to run . With six-year limits in the House -LRB- which most term-limit initiatives are now proposing for state congressional delegations -RRB- , such individuals would recognize that they would immediately be on a par with their colleagues in Congress and that they would not have to give up their productive careers in the private sector in order to serve . Indeed , a true citizen Congress would consist of legislators who view their time there as essentially a leave of absence from their real jobs . Certainly the composition of Congress under term limitation would reflect something other than 95 % men and 46 % lawyers , as it does now . Seventy-five percent of Americans support term limitation -- everyone from Ralph Nader to Milton Friedman -- because they recognize it as an opportunity for citizens to wrest control of government from an impervious Congress full of check-bouncing , power-lusting professional politicians . Edward H. Crane President Cato Institute Washington

O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

term limits
congressional term limitation
legislative influence
congressional delegations
true citizen congress
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six-year limits
term-limit initiatives
power-lusting professional politicians


One reason is that term limits would open up politics to many people now excluded from office by career incumbents . These include blacks , other minorities , and women . Most of the authors of Washington state 's term limit are liberal Democrats who want to break up `` the old-boy network . '' One of the authors , Sherry Bockwinkel , says `` You wo n't see white incumbents hanging on to districts that long ago became largely minority . '' `` Incumbency is the glass ceiling of American politics , '' says Kay Slaughter , the Democratic candidate in a special U.S. House election in Virginia yesterday . She thinks term limits will give women more opportunities in politics ; her GOP opponent refused to support federal term limits . Former Rep. Shirley Chisholm , who in 1972 was the first black to run for a majorparty presidential nomination , says `` longterm incumbency is a big reason that Congress no longer works and is n't representative . We need a lot more turnover . '' Colorado Rep. Ben Nighthorse Campbell , the only American Indian in Congress , backed a term limit measure last year that restricted his own tenure . Term limits for Congress have been supported by some of history 's most prominent Democrats . Harry Truman and John F. Kennedy both endorsed the idea while they were president . Today , former California Governor Jerry Brown says advocacy of term limits is a key element in his populist presidential campaign against a `` constipated '' political system . `` Term limits are a castor oil that democracy needs to take , '' he says . Last year , as head of the California Democratic Party he refused to sign a party slate mailer against term limits . `` I saw incumbents spend their time fund-raising and worrying about how to stay in office . It 's time more candidates thought of politics as a calling instead of a career . '' Mr. Brown says arguments that legislative staff and the unelected bureaucracy would gain power under term limits are simply proof that `` we must curb the excessive power of those political players as well . '' He notes both groups opposed term limits in his home state ; the California initiative included budget cuts that retired more than 700 legislative staffers . Other former Democratic governors who favor term limits include Vermont 's Madeleine Kunin and Colorado 's RichardLamm . `` Breaking the gridlock of incumbency could throw the doors open to new people and new ideas that would make politics rewarding , meaningful and fun , '' says Ms. Kunin . `` The system needs a kick in the rear , '' says Mr. Lamm . `` Term limits have flaws , but they will provide badly needed competition . '' While many prominent Democrats support term limits , party `` apparatchiks '' are dead set against them . The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has quietly put out the word that it will blacklist political consultants who advise candidates to back term limits and has told pollsters not to ask term-limit questions . Intimidation like that has slowed support for term limits among Democratic officeholders , but there are exceptions . In Massachusetts , the state 's Democratic attorney general and secretary of state both favor term limits . In Texas , Gov. Ann Richards says she `` would be glad '' to sign a bill limiting congressional and legislative terms . Lt. Gov. Bob Bullock also leans in favor of term limits . Journalists are under fewer constraints than elected officials in expressing enthusiasm for term limits . Among those who have , and who will never be accused of being card-carrying Republicans , are : Washington Post columnist Richard Cohen , syndicated columnist Richard Reeves , the National Journal 's Neal Peirce and Time magazine 's Michael Kramer . Hendrik Hertzberg , a former speechwriter for Jimmy Carter who edited the New Republic until last month , agrees term limits would mean a loss of some distinguished legislators . However , he concludes `` it would be a cost worth paying to be rid of the much larger number of time-servers who have learned nothing from longevity in office except cynicism , complacency and a sense of diminished possibility . '' Columnist Ellen Goodman says `` We have to learn once again that ideal public service is , by definition , temporary . '' She thinks the current Congress proves `` the politically privileged class has become more isolated than experienced . '' Such recent body-blows to Congress as Kitegate and the Clarence Thomas hearings have convinced some liberal media outlets to reevaluate term limits . The liberal Seattle Times , Washington state 's largest newspaper , stunned its readers by endorsing term limits . WCVB-TV , the ABC affiliate in Boston , has often had its liberal editorials called `` the Boston Globe of the airwaves . '' In April , it denounced term limits as `` the latest anti-government fad to sweep the country . '' Last month , the station made a highly unusual about-face and endorsed term limits for Congress : `` We 're not going to get -LCB- leadership -RCB- till we have a massive infusion of new blood . '' Among Democratic Party activists , James Calaway of Texas is typical of those who now favor term limits . Currently the national treasurer for the American Civil Liberties Union , Mr. Calaway was also chairman of the national Democratic Party 's $ 15 million `` Victory Fund '' in 1988 . He says term limits would mean `` we 're governed by citizens who go home after their service and not permanent , elitist people who never leave office . '' Other Texas Democrats who have joined him include Frances `` Sissy '' Farenthold , who cochaired George McGovern 's 1972 national campaign , and Leonel Castillo , Jimmy Carter 's director of the Immigration and Naturalization Service . Neo-liberals , who believe that centralized bureaucracies are the biggest obstacle to reforming government , are also warming to term limits . David Osborne , who became sort of a guru for neo-liberals with his book `` Laboratories of Democracy , '' speaks for many reform-minded liberals when he says , `` Term limits are necessary to shake things up and disrupt the careerist mindset that leads to so much cowardice in elected officials . '' While Speaker Tom Foley reacts to term limits the way that Linus in the comic strip `` Peanuts '' would if his security blanket were taken away , some House Democrats think his concern that term limits would result in large GOP gains in Congress is a fantasy . `` People who say term limits are a Republican plot to oust incumbents should know that a majority of open seats are won by Democrats , '' says Rep. Andy Jacobs of Indiana . Indeed , the Democratic Party could actually be helped by term limits , according to former Oklahoma state legislator Cleta Mitchell , a self-described `` liberal feminist '' who works with the Denver-based term limit group Americans Back in Charge . `` Democrats must offer voters more than the simple powers of incumbency , '' she says . `` So long as our party is dominated by cynical veterans it will turn off the young people who are our party 's future . '' No one suggests the drive to enact term limits will be easy -- especially in states that ban voter initiatives . But there are already signs that business lobbies , labor unions and other term limit opponents are relying more on convincing judges -- starting with Florida 's heavily politicized state Supreme Court -- to overturn state term limits than on trying to convince voters to reject the idea . The leading anti-term limit group , Let the People Decide , has closed its Washington , D.C. , offices and been reduced to a skeleton staff . -- Mr. Fund is a Journal editorial writer .

O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

term limits
term limit measure
political system
california initiative
career incumbents
liberal democrats
american politics
democratic officeholders


There were no official reports of casualties . But Slovene Defense Minister Janez Jansa said in a television interview that fighting was going on in at least 20 places in Slovenia , and he estimated there were more than 100 dead and wounded on both sides . He claimed six government helicopters had been downed . `` To put it briefly , Slovenia is at war , '' he said . Reuters news service reported from Ljubljana that thousands of local defense forces were patrolling with automatic weapons . Outside the Slovene capital , government armored vehicles smashed through barricades and road blocks , leaving a trail of twisted metal , flattened cars and shattered glass . In Croatia , the army moved into areas where fighting erupted between Croats and minority Serbs , Yugoslavia 's two largest nationalities and historic rivals . Four people had been killed and 14 hurt Wednesday . The first shooting between the federal army and the militias occurred here , in the mountains that mark the border with Austria . Throughout the morning , federal soldiers , some bearing bazookas , fanned out in the woods surrounding the Slovenia customs house . Meanwhile , tanks and artillery wound up the narrow mountain pass . In midafternoon , the customs house was rattled with a burst of rifle fire and a few minutes later it was rocked by three projectiles from anti-tank guns . The blasts left holes in the roof and walls and shattered windows in the house . The Slovenes , about three dozen strong , waved a white sheet from one of the windows , laid down their weapons and were marched down the road . None of them seemed to be injured . The scene was like something out of the U.S. Civil War , where civilians gathered for picnics to watch the early battles . Here , the drama was watched by several Yugoslavs trying to return to their country from Austria ; the cooks , waitresses and a few guests at restaurants on both sides of the border ; several tourists who were caught on the Yugoslav side ; and a dozen Austrian customs officers and policemen . Those on the Austrian side gathered near the restaurant 's beer garden and watched through binoculars as the army soldiers moved through the forest , and then they scrambled for cover when shots were fired . No spectators were harmed . Slovenes watching the action were horrified , as the consequences of their independence grab became clear . `` Yesterday we had a big party , and today we 're fighting , '' moaned Bogataj Vejko , a truck driver from near Ljubljana , who had safely crossed the border early in the morning and was now trying to get back home . `` We were hoping it would n't come to this . '' After the shooting stopped , he talked to a group of the federal soldiers , and discovered that some were conscripts from Slovenia . `` This is what we have come to , '' he said . `` Slovenes shooting at Slovenes . '' After the army established control , Milan Jelen , a Slovene businessman , reached into the backseat of his car and retrieved his son 's toy slingshot . `` Now I 'll go at them myself , '' he joked . Then he turned serious , scoffing , `` Some independence . '' Emil Herlec , a leader of the local Slovene mountain rescue team , scrambled up the mountain , through the woods , when he heard the shooting . `` The first shots that have been fired in Slovenia since after World War II , '' he said . `` If we want our freedom , we will now have to defend it . '' In Ljubljana , Milan Kucan , Slovenia 's president , vowed in a television address that the republic 's militia would respond with `` all methods '' to any aggression against his `` independent state . '' He called on Slovenes in the federal army to desert and join the republic 's militia . In Croatia , officials also vowed to defend their sovereignty . But the poorly trained and equipped Slovene and Croatian militias , formed in the past several months , are no match for the 180,000-strong federal army . The local militias also have nothing to counter the central government 's several thousand tanks and other armored vehicles , not to mention the government 's air forces . Politically , the two republics ' declarations of independence have been ignored by the rest of the world , which supports a united Yugoslavia . So far , no foreign countries have recognized Slovenian and Croatian independence . On the contrary , the European Community and the U.S. have lobbied heavily for the maintainance of the Yugoslav state , and have threatened to withhold millions of dollars in aid if the country breaks up . But U.S. Secretary of State James Baker appealed to Belgrade to find a way for Croatia and Slovenia to express their `` national aspirations '' through `` negotiations and dialogue '' rather than bloodshed . Mr. Baker and White House spokesman Marlin Fitzwater had suggested to reporters Wednesday that the breakaway republics be granted greater autonomy and sovereignty within a united Yugoslavia . The federal army , dominated by Serbs , has long warned that it wo n't stand by while the country disintegrates . And on Tuesday night , after the two republics declared their independence , the federal parliament called on the army to intervene . In a letter to Slovenia 's premier , Gen. Konrad Kolsek of the federal military district that controls Slovenia said he had orders to seize all border crossings and would `` crush '' any resistence . The independence declarations came after months of unsuccessful negotiations among the leaders of the six republics over the post-Cold War shape of Yugoslavia . The Communist leadership of Serbia , Yugoslavia 's largest republic , insists on strong central control from Belgrade , the capital of both Serbia and Yugoslavia . The nationalist governments of Slovenia and Croatia have been demanding a looser confederation of sovereign republics . Serbian attempts to deny Croatia and Slovenia their independence are motivated by two fears . They worry that the 600,000 Serbs living in Croatia -LRB- about 11 % of that republic 's population -RRB- will be discriminated against by the Croatian government . And they fear losing the economic support of Slovenia and Croatia , the two wealthiest republics . On the other hand , Slovenia and Croatia say they could no longer tolerate the erosion of their finances by the Serbian-dominated bureaucracy . Together , Slovenia , with two million people , and Croatia , with five million , supply nearly two-thirds of Yugoslavia 's foreign exchange and about half of the country 's gross national product . They are also Yugoslavia 's gateway to Western Europe .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O

yugoslavia
federal soldiers
independence grab
croatian independence
breakaway republics
independence declarations
strong central control
civil war

slovene soldiers
federal government
slovene militiamen


State statutes that bar first-time candidates from running for Congress have been held to add to the qualifications set forth in the Constitution and have been invalidated . For example , the 1972 decision in Dillon v. Fiorina struck down a New Mexico law requiring candidates entering a congressional primary to have belonged to their party for a year and to pay a registration fee . But state statutes that simply limit the tenure of existing congressional officeholders have not yet been tested in court . The constitutionality of such state term limits may , however , be tested next month . Florida 's attorney general has asked its state Supreme Court for an advisory opinion on a term-limit initiative that would limit the state 's members of Congress to eight consecutive years in office . Three U.S. House members , led by Democrat Larry Smith , have filed briefs asking the court to rule state term limits unconstitutional . The court will hear arguments Friday , and may rule later this month . By 6 to 1 , the California Supreme Court ruled this month that the state 's new term-limit law was constitutional . The court said the `` state 's strong interests in protecting against an entrenched , dynastic legislative bureaucracy '' outweighed objections that term limits restrict voter choice at the ballot box . But the court 's decision affected only term limits on state officials ; federal officeholders were n't included in California 's limits . Nevertheless , the California decision demolished many of the legal arguments made by incumbents . They claimed there is a `` fundamental right to be a candidate for public office , '' which they found among the `` associational rights '' in the First Amendment . They argued that voters were denied the right to be represented by the same legislator indefinitely , and that term limits discriminated against incumbents and denied them their right to equal protection of the laws . California 's highest court rejected all of these arguments . Term limitations do not restrict the right to vote for a candidate because of his or her ideology or party . Therefore , they do not deprive voters of the freedom to associate with candidates based on their viewpoint or with any particular party . Rather , they prevent citizens from voting for a particular candidate after he has served in office a set number of years . They may vote for that candidate again after a `` waiting period '' has ended . The restriction is imposed in a non-discriminatory manner on all candidates regardless of viewpoint or party affiliation . In its 1972 decision Bullock v. Carter and again in its 1982 decision Clements v. Fashing , the U.S. Supreme Court determined that a particular candidate has no `` fundamental '' right to ballot access or to run for office . Federal courts have upheld many state restrictions on who may qualify for ballot access . They have never held reasonable , non-discriminatory restrictions on who may run a violation of the right to vote . Likewise , term limits do not violate the Equal Protection Clause of the 14th Amendment . The Supreme Court has found that clause violated only in those cases where ballot access restrictions discriminate against the poor and against new , small or independent party candidates . Unlike the age , residency and citizenship requirements , term limits do not prevent any non-incumbent from running for Congress . Nor do they prevent a House member who has reached a term limit from running for the U.S. Senate or vice versa . Nor do they limit an incumbent who leaves office for a period of time -LRB- six years in Washington state -RRB- from running again . Moreover , term limits do not in any way modify the age , residency or citizenship requirements in the Constitution . Consequently , the argument that term limits are `` qualifications '' just like those already in the Constitution -- and that therefore they can be added only by amending the Constitution -- is n't particularly convincing . Viewed in this way , term limits imposed by states would be constitutional . The Supreme Court has long held that the power to ensure a fair electoral system , truly responsive representation in Congress and a high degree of citizen participation in elections rests with the states . In its 1974 decision Storer v. Brown , the Supreme Court upheld a California law that prohibited an independent candidate from running for Congress because he had changed his registration to Independent less than 11 months before the election . This law was found not to be an improper additional qualification because a valid state interest was pursued . In explaining that interest , the court recognized that `` there must be a substantial regulation of elections -LCB- by the states -RCB- if they are to be fair and honest , '' and if some sort of order is to accompany the democratic process . As recently as June of this year , the Supreme Court again reiterated that the states have reserved to themselves , via the Tenth Amendment , `` the power to regulate elections . '' Elsewhere , the court in 1988 ruled in South Carolina v. Baker , that certain `` extraordinary defects in the national political process might render congressional regulation of state activities invalid under the Tenth Amendment . '' The court has not defined what it means by `` extraordinary defects , '' but surely the fact that 98 % of House incumbents are routinely re-elected and that one out of five incumbents ran with no major-party opposition in 1990 might qualify . Where the incumbent is almost the pre-ordained winner in an election , there is no effective competition of ideas or candidates and incumbents are less responsive to the will of the electorate . On this basis , term limits merely ensure a fair election system and the `` republican form of government '' guaranteed the states under the Constitution . Should the court rule against term limits by the states , numerous other ballot access restrictions will likely be passed that have many of the same effects as term limits . One option would limit an incumbents ' access to the ballot . States could allow an incumbent who has served a set number of years in the same office to run again , but only as a `` write-in '' candidate . Presumably , if an incumbent were truly effective and popular he would n't find that a crushing obstacle . Two sitting U.S. House Members won their first terms as write-in candidates . Incumbents would certainly have the resources to educate voters in write-in procedures . Another option would require candidates to have `` ballot statements '' appear next to their names . Each candidate would have to answer the question : `` Will you adhere to a -- year term limit ? '' The answer would appear on the ballot so voters would know a candidate 's views on term limits . Many such ballot restrictions have been upheld by the courts . Incumbents should take heed . If they count only on the courts to safeguard their political castles , they may be in for a rude surprise . -- Mr. Mellor is president and general counsel of the Institute for Justice , a Washington , D.C. , litigation and educational organization .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

term limits
term limitations
congressional officeholders
fair election system
house incumbents
congressional regulation
constitution
supreme court


While the commission stopped short of blaming Chief Gates for these problems , it said that no chief should serve more than two consecutive five-year terms , and that Mr. Gates , having served 13 years , should therefore turn in his badge following a transition period . But the chief , who has remained steadfast through repeated calls from community leaders for his ouster , said later : `` I do n't expect to just run away '' from the job . Nearly one-quarter of 650 officers responding to a commission survey agreed that `` racial bias on the part of officers toward minority citizens currently exists and contributes to a negative interaction between police and community , '' and in some cases `` may lead to the use of excessive force , '' the report said . A scant eight hours is devoted to cultural awareness training at the Los Angeles Police Academy , and many officers who train new recruits in the field openly perpetuate the `` siege mentality that alienates patrol officers from the community , '' the commission concluded . Officers commonly typed racial epithets to one another on their patrol car computer systems , such as : `` Sounds like monkey slapping time '' and `` I almost got me a Mexican last night . '' Yet supervisors made no effort to monitor or control these messages , evidence of a `` significant breakdown in the department 's management responsibility , '' the report found . The Los Angeles Police Department has long been emulated by others around the country because of its reputation for being efficient and corruption-free . But the commission called for a shift away from the force 's paramilitaristic , us-against-them style , and said the department must embrace the `` community-based '' policing style that encourages officers to spend less time in their cars and more time interacting with citizens in the communities they serve . `` This report will be a must-read for police chiefs around the country , '' said Hubert Williams , executive director of the Police Foundation , a Washington , D.C. , law enforcement research group . `` The word is clear : the public expects high quality law enforcement within the parameters of the law . '' Mr. Williams likened the report to the Knapp Commission , a 1970s blue-ribbon study that exposed widespread corruption in the New York Police Department and led to significant improvements there . `` As troubling as some of our findings are ... they are not unique to Los Angeles , '' said John A. Arguelles , vice chairman of the 10-member Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department . Among the commission 's recommendations are : -- A commission appointed by the mayor that oversees the department should be reorganized and strengthened , and made responsible for handling citizen complaints . It also should be `` reconstituted '' with members not linked with the current controversy , in the interest of a `` fresh start . '' -- A `` major overhaul '' of the police disciplinary system and the process used by citizens to file complaints against LAPD officers , especially in excessive force cases , is needed . The current system is `` skewed against complainants , '' by allowing officers ' station-house colleagues to investigate complaints , perpetuating a `` code of silence '' among officers . -- A new community-based police force should focus on `` service to the public and prevention of crime '' as primary tasks rather than amassing arrest statistics . However , the commission did n't address how Los Angeles would pay for this major overhaul , though Mr. Christopher said that `` when you see the costs of settlements accelerating '' in police misconduct lawsuits as they have in recent years , `` I 'm not sure there will be a net cost '' increase to implement the changes . But with the city still sharply divided over the future of Chief Gates , and a general feeling that taxes are high enough already , it 's questionable whether there will be a popular groundswell to immediately fund changes . Over the years , the city council and the mayor have been reluctant to even add additional officers to the LAPD . Of the six largest police departments in the U.S. , the nation 's second largest city has the fewest officers per thousand residents . There are 8,450 officers here for more than 3.5 million people ; Chicago , with a smaller population , has 12,000 . However , Michael Yamaki , one of the city 's five police commissioners , believes that given the systemic problems in the department that have come to light , `` citizens now will be more willing to fund police issues . '' The commission 's recommendations will now be reviewed by the City Council , which will weigh whether to adopt them in whole or in part . Ultimately , voters must decide several issues , including whether to set term limits on the chief 's tenure . The commission intends to reconvene in six months to assess the progress . Even before the commission 's report was issued , community groups that monitor the LAPD noted a decline in brutality complaints . The harsh tone of the report was welcome vindication for community leaders who have claimed that police brutality is widespread . The report `` proves once and for all that the Rodney King incident was not an aberration , '' said Ramona Ripston , executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California . `` Any fair reading of the report constitutes an ` F ' for -LCB- Chief Gates 's -RCB- job performance . '' The report shows a particularly damning pattern of acceptance , and even encouragement , of officers who violate the rules governing excessive force . One officer who had seven complaints against him that had been sustained -- as well as numerous others that had n't been -- was described in his performance evaluation this way : `` His contacts with the public are always professional and positive and his attitude with the citizens is one of concern . '' The report also reveals that racially derogatory remarks are made on an ongoing basis within the department ; racist jokes and cartoons appear from time to time on bulletin boards in station locker rooms . Sexism and homophobia abound . Minority officers complain that whites dominate managerial posts within the LAPD , possibly contributing to these problems . More than 80 % of the black , Hispanic and Asian police officers in the force are in the entry-level ranks , the report said . But the most surprising part of the report was its recommendation that Chief Gates resign , after a transitional period in which he would begin implementing the commission 's proposals . `` We 're not startled by any of the things in this report , '' the chief said a few hours after its release . He added that he has worked on his own to accomplish some of what the commission suggested , but has often been stymied by budget cuts . As for the recommendation that he step down , the embattled chief said he will wait until the voters sanction a move to limit a police chief 's tenure . Overall , Chief Gates added , `` It 's a good report . There 's a lot of thoughtful recommendations . '' And the chief said he will stay to implement them . Mayor Bradley said he hopes that Chief Gates 's will `` follow the commission 's recommendations '' to `` commence the transition to a new chief of police . '' The mayor , who appointed Gates but lacks the authority to fire him , has previously called for Chief Gates 's resignation .

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

police brutality
rodney king incident
excessive force
brutality complaints
racial bias
lapd officers
los angeles


That same correspondent accused me of calling for `` removal of all guns from American citizens through the implementation of total regulations . '' I said nothing like that . I said that although the Second Amendment has nothing to do with private uses of arms , there is an unenumerated but undeniable right to own a gun . We have many rights not enumerated in the Constitution , such as the right to marry , drive a car or own a dog . These rights are not denied just because the Constitution does n't mention them ; and the rights are not disparaged by the fact that we must obtain a marriage license , driver 's license or a dog license . In the same way , the right to own a gun is not disparaged by being licensed or otherwise regulated and controlled . One letter writer who also knows something about the Constitution , though disagreeing with me on another point , agreed on the central issue , that regulation of gun ownership and use does not violate the Constitution . All the letters missed entirely my point about requiring gun owners to `` sign up '' with -LRB- not `` join '' -RRB- the National Guard . I likened it to the current law requiring 18-year-old men to register with the Selective Service . Registering is very different from enlisting for active service . Requiring gun owners to register with the National Guard would provide the kind of scrutiny the Brady and Staggers bills contemplated , and , if Congress dared , could provide an additional measure of control over who owns what kinds of weapons . But my main point was to show how far Congress can go in gun-control legislation without exceeding its constitutional powers , using as a model the legislation of the Second Congress , which included most of the authors of the Second Amendment . Another letter writer thinks I have confused the issue by calling the duty to serve in the militia a right to serve , but if he will look at the debates in the First Congress he will see that there is no confusion at all , that the authors of the Second Amendment were talking about the right to serve . Consistent with all of the Bill of Rights , its subject is rights , not duties . Elbridge Gerry opposed James Madison 's clause exempting persons `` religiously scrupulous , '' because of the danger that it might be abused to discriminate against members of certain sects , `` to declare who are those who are religiously scrupulous , '' and then keep them out of the militia . The real issue is that the Second Amendment addressed a serious public concern , to protect the right of citizens to serve as defenders of the community in times of peril , not the personal uses of guns . And since the proliferation of guns in the hands of criminals has become a national calamity , as police officials all over the nation attest , it is essential that we recapture the true purpose of the Second Amendment . Plain and simple , it is no barrier to sensible gun control . Robert A. Goldwin Resident Scholar American Enterprise Institute Washington

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O

gun control
second amendment
gun ownership
national guard
american citizens
undeniable right


Mr. Kelley is in training for the Boston Marathon -- his 60th Boston Marathon . And even at the age of 83 , he probably will finish ahead of a large number of the 13,000 runners expected to compete -- officially or unofficially -- on April 15 . Bill Rodgers , a four-time Boston Marathon winner who plans to run again this year , marvels at Mr. Kelley : `` It 's incomprehensible that a man his age is doing what he 's doing . I 'm struggling at the age of 43 ... . This is n't golf . '' Even the thought of running a course of 26 miles and 385 yards leaves some of Mr. Kelley 's rivals of yesteryear gasping . `` Aghast is more like it , '' says Leslie Pawson , 86 , a three-time Boston champion who ran against Mr. Kelley half a century ago . `` My doctor says : ` No running , whatsoever . ' I ca n't even remember when I ran my last marathon . '' John Adelbert Kelley is a throwback to a time when marathoners did it for glory and cab fare . A two-time winner in Boston -LRB- 1935 and 1945 -RRB- and runner-up seven times , Mr. Kelley is to be the oldest competitor in the race this year -- as he has been for 15 years . Mr. Kelley is such an institution that Hopkinton , Mass. , where the race begins , has made him an honorary citizen . -LRB- `` That means I do n't have to pay taxes there , '' he jokes . -RRB- Two state troopers will run alongside the 5-foot-6 , 130-pound Mr. Kelley into Boston so he wo n't be trampled by `` groupies , '' as he calls them , clamoring to shake his hand . Last year , five Japanese runners were waved away by the bodyguards , as they sidled up to the old celebrity during the race . Recalls Suni Tomomitsu , one of the runners : `` At first we thought , ` Oh , wow , he 's like Mafia man . ' Then we said , ` Oh no , this is nice Johnny Kelley . ' In Japan , he is awesome . '' Though he is n't the oldest person ever to enter the Boston Marathon , Mr. Kelley is the oldest to run it . Peter Foley , who was born in 1859 , was a regular until he was well into his 80s . But he walked the course . Starting at dawn -LRB- six hours before the official noon start -RRB- , Mr. Foley would eventually saunter across the finish line in the moonlight . Of course , Mr. Kelley -- not to be confused with the other John Kelley , who won the Boston Marathon in 1957 -- is n't the runner he was in 1935 when he won the race , in 2 hours , 32 minutes , 7 seconds . His best time ever was in 1945 : 2 hours , 30 minutes , 40 seconds . Last year he finished in 5 hours , 5 minutes . He hopes to do better in 1991 . `` That 's not a prediction , just a goal , '' he says . When John Kelley first toed the line in 1928 , George Bush was n't yet in kindergarten , Joe DiMaggio was an unknown and Nike was the winged goddess of victory , not a running shoe . In those days , Mr. Kelley recalls , he ran in black leather high-jumping shoes that he cut open at the toes with a razor blade . `` I would have loved to run with the worst pair of sneakers on the market today , '' he says . Back then , the sport did n't have much of a following . Today , of course , the Boston Marathon is a big deal , covered by TV from start to finish and offering $ 402,000 altogether in prize money . `` The winners get a medal and $ 55,000 , '' says Mr. Kelley . `` I got a medal and beef stew . God bless them , '' he adds . `` They deserve it . '' The rosy-cheeked , supple Mr. Kelley is a medical wonder . Each year , he visits the Cooper Clinic at the Aerobics Center in Dallas for a battery of endurance tests . `` Physiologically , whatever that means , I got all A 's , '' Mr. Kelley reports of his checkup four months ago . `` What that means , '' explains Kenneth Cooper , the physician who wrote `` Aerobics '' and several sequels and is now at work on a book on elderly athletes , `` is that Johnny has the body of a man 23 years younger . He 's going to be one of the stars of my book . '' Mr. Kelley 's resting pulse rate -- 60 beats a minute -- is well below the average person 's 72 beats . -LRB- That 's good . -RRB- On the stress test the clinic gives , Mr. Kelley holds the endurance record for his age group . A mechanic for Boston Edison Co. before he retired in 1972 , Mr. Kelley started running in the evenings after work more than six decades ago . His only purpose was to relax and have some fun . `` All day long , I did what my boss told me to do , '' he recalls . `` But when I ran at night , I felt free . I ran till I was exhausted . '' In 1928 , when he was 21 , he entered his first Boston Marathon but did n't finish . He dropped out three-quarters of the way through the race . Then , in 1933 , he finished 37th in a field of about 200 runners . In all the years since , he has missed the race just once , in 1967 . -LRB- He has competed , all told , in 112 marathons , including the 1936 and 1948 Olympics . Mr. Kelley well knows the jagged course from Hopkinton to downtown Boston : The first challenge comes five miles into the race , where a set of little hills can get a psyched runner to waste energy charging up the slopes . A mile and a half later , there 's new reason to beware : The smells of Cavanaugh 's Bakery can set off hunger pangs . An Exxon station in Wellesley marks the halfway point . A steep descent into Newton Lower Falls can jar a tired runner 's bones . Then , at the end of a long column of oak and maple trees , is Heartbreak Hill , his nemesis . It cost him at least two victories , he says . And finally there 's the Haunted Mile , a stretch where many runners have collapsed . Boston 's skyline , 2 1/2 miles in the distance , can seem so far away . Though still going strong , Mr. Kelley acknowledges the marathon gets tougher each year . To compensate , he trains harder . He used to start preparing in earnest at the end of January . `` In recent years , I 've been in training 12 months a year , '' he says , though the serious stuff -- a daily one-hour run , sprints on the track and long , 2 1/2 - hour runs every other week -- begins in December . -LRB- He does n't count the miles he puts in , as many long-distance runners obsessively do , but he says he would n't object to an estimate of about 50 miles a week . -RRB- Mr. Kelley always trains at 5 a.m. , and alone : `` It 's a quiet time , no traffic ; the air is fresh and sweet . '' His routes vary . In January , he prefers the frozen sands of the beach . With the approach of spring , he takes to the alder and scrub-pine hills and bluffs where the sun can be seen rising over Cape Cod Bay . After his morning run , he spends a couple of hours painting -LRB- still lifes and Cape Cod scenes -RRB- , a hobby he took up about 25 years ago . Unlike many runners , Mr. Kelley does n't bother with stretching exercises before he runs in the morning . `` This is my warm up : I empty the dishwasher , I set up the coffeepot , but I do n't plug it in . I set up the breakfast table . Then I check the outside temperature to see what clothes to wear . '' He and his wife , Laura , live in a two-bedroom ranch-style house here in East Dennis , with more than 350 trophies , medals and sweat-stained marathon numbers scattered about . He is n't particular about brands of shoes -LRB- `` I wear them all '' -RRB- or what he eats -LRB- `` I never eat broccoli , but I love steak and ice cream . '' -RRB- Mr. Kelley aims to run till he is at least 100 years old . `` He 's a strange man , '' says Laura Kelley , in awe of her husband 's vigor . The 82-year-old Mrs. Kelley adds , `` I just try to stay in his shadow , but I have a hard time even doing that . '' In a rare moment of reflection , Mr. Kelley explains what makes him tick : `` I paint because I like it . I run because I like it . If for some reason I do n't finish the marathon , I do n't owe an apology to anyone . But I 'll tell you , the Boston Marathon -- with all those people waving -- is better than my birthday . ''

O O O O B O O O O O O B I I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

60th boston marathon
training
john kelley
runners
oldest competitor


Mr. Goldwin 's mistake stems from his having confused a necessary with a sufficient condition . The Second Amendment , in its language and its history , makes plain that the need for a well-regulated militia is a sufficient condition for the right to keep and bear arms . Yet Mr. Goldwin treats it as a necessary condition , which enables him to conclude that Congress could deny an individual the right to own a gun if he did not join the National Guard . Mr. Goldwin makes this mistake , in turn , because he has misread Madison 's original version of the Second Amendment , which exempted conscientious objectors from military service . Thus he says that `` In this version , ` bearing arms ' must mean ` to render military service , ' or why else would there have to be an exemption for religious reasons ? What right must not be infringed ? The right of the people to serve in the militia . '' Plainly , any conscientious-objector provision would arise not from a right but from a duty to serve in the militia . Yet Mr. Goldwin believes the amendment means , as he later says , `` that the right to bear arms meant the right to serve in the militia . '' Thus does he reduce the first of these rights to the second , when clearly it is much broader . Roger Pilon Senior Fellow and Director Center for Constitutional Studies CATO Institute Washington -- The militia is not the National Guard but rather the people of the original states . In Ohio , we have an Ohio militia that is not a part of the National Guard . The fear of standing armies and the control these armed men gave a central government was foremost in the Framers ' minds when writing the Bill of Rights . Thomas Jefferson moved to prevent this type of power in a few people 's hands by the Second Amendment . He stated , `` No free man shall ever be debarred the use of arms . '' The addition in the early drafts of a conscientious-objector clause was added for the preservation of religious freedoms , which the Colonists had not had in England . It is unfortunate today 's `` scholars '' seem to spend their time picking apart history and the great thoughts of the visionary men who formed this country . In my personal celebration of this 200-year-old document , I have pledged the following : I will give up my freedom of speech when they cut out my tongue ; I will give up my right to worship when they have slain my God and myself ; I will assemble with the people of my choice even when they are imprisoned , and I will give up my rifle when they pry my cold dead fingers from around it . Samuel R. Bush III Cincinnati -- Let those who want guns join the National Guard , says Mr. Goldwin . Ah , the sanctimonious arrogance of it . What gives Mr. Goldwin the right to deny mine when I abide by the laws ? He stresses the differences between the world of 1791 and today to suit his prejudice . He studiously ignores other major differences between 1791 and today . In 1791 , punishment was swifter and surer . Plea bargaining was not epidemic ; judges did not provide revolving doors on prisons . There was no army of drug dealers and junkies preying on the public . If anything , the reasons for citizens to own weapons for self-defense are more compelling today than they were in 1791 . Let Mr. Goldwin show us how he would make us safer in our homes and we might understand his wish to strip away our only sure defense . Carl Roessler San Francisco -- Mr. Goldwin 's article is a casebook example of convoluted logic . Consider that George Mason -LRB- 1725-1792 -RRB- , the great Virginia constitutionalist , defined quite clearly the meaning of the word `` militia '' during a debate in 1788 . `` I ask who are the militia ? '' he said , and then answered his own question with the words : `` They consist now of the whole people '' -LRB- emphasis added -RRB- . Mason 's credentials are reliable : He is the author of the first 10 amendments to our Constitution . -LCB- There is a debate about who actually drafted the amendments -- Mason or Madison -RCB- . Further , a 1903 U.S. law defined the militia as not only the National Guard , but all able-bodied males between 18 and 45 . I , along with millions of other Americans , am not against sensible gun control , i.e. , licensing , character searches , etc. . What I resent is Mr. Goldwin 's agenda , which is removal of all guns from American citizens through the implementation of total regulations ; a direct violation of the Second Amendment through nefarious means . Edward F. Menninger Sterling Heights , Mich. . -- Mr. Goldwin suggests gun control via enlistment in the National Guard . Swell idea . Updating the right to bear arms from 1791 to 1991 , when I report for service I 'll bring , as required , a few items consistent with the current infantryman 's inventory : a Barett Light .50 semiautomatic sniper rifle , so I can reach out and touch people half a mile away ; a Squad Automatic Weapon firing 5.56 mm rounds at the rate of a whole lot per second out of 30-round clips or hundred-round belts ; a 40mm grenade launcher ... but you get the idea . Then , as a thoroughly modern , well-regulated militiaman , I 'll take my weapons home , just as did Morgan 's riflemen , and the musket bearers of Lexington and Concord , and the Colonial light artillerists . Andrew L. Isaac Canterbury , N.H.

O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O B I O O O O B I O O O O O O B O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O O

gun control
second amendment
bearing arms
national guard
right