Molon Labe!
Posted on 07/28/2003 11:18:43 AM PDT by Dan from Michigan
Experts Say Curbing Gun Violence Takes Int'l Action
Monday, July 14, 2003
By Jim Wurst, U.N. Wire
UNITED NATIONS — What progress has been made in controlling the illicit trade in small arms —and whatever future progress can be made — is due to increasing national awareness and regional cooperation in stopping the trade, said the chairman of the U.N. small arms conference that ended Friday.
Reports presented at the conference "revealed a much higher state of preparedness to prevent future illicit [arms] transfers and misuse" and the recognition of "a growing need … for the development of a regional perspective to combat the illicit trade in small arms," Ambassador Kuniko Inoguchi of Japan, the conference chairman, wrote in a report presented at the end of the meeting.
At a news conference Friday, Inoguchi said, "I would not claim we have achieved some heroic and ambitious outcome," but have only started to implement actions against small arms and explore what the United Nations can do. "One of the most important outcomes of this conference is that a lot of countries have shown their initiatives," she added.
A common theme running through Inoguchi's paper is that the issues cannot be thoroughly addressed only on the national level. Rather, it is best when there is strong regional and international cooperation.
For example, in the case of the collection of illicit arms already in the field, she wrote, "There is a growing awareness among both affected countries and donor governments that future programs of weapons collection would attain more lasting results by covering a sub-region rather than a single country."
Inoguchi estimated that 4 million weapons have been collected and destroyed over the last decade, with half of that happening in the last two years. "Could we make a marked difference in such a short period of time? I'm not so sure but we have to start working at some time. [This meeting] has assured a strong momentum on the side of the affected countries and those who want to help affected countries," she said.
In July 2001, the U.N. Conference on the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects devised a program of action meant to encourage greater international cooperation in addressing the issue. Last week's meeting was the first biennial session to report on the progress in implementing the program. The week consisted largely of governments, regional organizations such as the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe and the African Union and U.N. agencies reporting on new initiatives designed to implement the program.
Small arms and light weapons are generally those weapons that can be maintained, fired and carried by one or two people, such as assault rifles, pistols, rocket-propelled grenade launchers and shoulder-fired anti-tank and anti-aircraft missiles.
Rebecca Peters, the director of the nongovernmental International Action Network on Small Arms, called the conference "a success" because it has placed small arms "firmly on the agenda. ... Although there is obviously still a lot of work to do."
Speaking at a news conference on Friday, she said, "It is clear that reporting in itself spurs governments to take action to reduce the proliferation of small arms." IANSA was "calling on governments to step up their activities to make sure that this is a program of action … and not just a permanent conversation about stopping small arms violence," Peters added.
Since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks on the United States, Inoguchi said there has been more focus on the links between terrorism and other illegal activities and small arms violence. Pointing out that the original conference took place less than two months before the attacks, she said she expected the agenda will broaden because of "the changing circumstances of the threat of terrorism and the general phenomenon of weapons [getting] into the wrong hands, either small arms or weapons of mass destruction."
In her report, she wrote, "The lack of borders in international crime and migration trends have seen an alarming rise in terrorist activities over recent years, [therefore] states are encouraged to develop a common approach, including the establishment of norms and standards, in order to fight terrorism and organized crime." She also wrote that the same pipelines are often used for terrorism, the arms trade and smuggling drugs and precious metals.
Peters said another reason for encouragement is a greater recognition of how disarmament is seen relating to health and development "and not just as an isolated area of policy." Saying "we represent the victims of gun violence who will never get to the United Nations," she said the statements delivered at the conference were "very strong on the humanitarian front [because] the real cost of small arms is the damage that they cause to human health and communities' well being." She said this concept "is very much more on the agenda than it was before."
Two areas of international cooperation that have become the subject of debate and study have been the possibilities of international conventions for a universal system of marking and tracing weapons and on regulating arms brokers.
Inoguchi said there could be "an early start of negotiations" on marking "but it is only a starting point." The goal of a universal system of marking weapons would be to make it possible to track illegal weapons back to their source, thus holding either manufacturers or brokers responsible.
An international convention on arms brokers is expected in the future, she said. Most of the efforts in this arena are being made by "like-minded groups," such as the European Union, Inoguchi said, rather than on the international level. While it may be possible to develop "a more enhanced attitude towards brokering, ... we have a long way to go" before there is an international agreement, she added.
Peters said IANSA will be pushing for a legally binding convention on marking and tracing and on brokers.
Molon Labe!
An open letter from a 'Green Beret'
The Resister: The Political Warfare Journal of the Special Forces Underground
Spring 1998 'Defector in Place--USSOCOM'
This letter is addressed to old family Reds, central bankers, military traitors (past and present), academia, media pundits, "civil rights" activists, and "Greens." Your worst fears are justified; Special Forces Underground is real. It's not just a subtitle on the Resister's masthead. Worse for you, is that it's not just in Special Forces. It exists in all branches of the military, in federal agencies, among civilians, and in several foreign countries.
I am an old Special Forces active duty soldier. I've worked with people in all branches of the military, alphabet soup federal agencies, police departments, and civilians. While most people I've worked with are passive supporters of resistance to your "global community," there are some who are willing to actively defend what they believe in.
I will continue to perform my appointed military duties in a professional manner. I will publicly agree with your collectivist policies and parrot your slogans. I pay my taxes, don't belong to any "militia," and won't join any "extremist" group. For all outside appearances I am one of your "global community" peasants.
Having traveled extensively I have seen firsthand the results of failed collectivist governments who have looted their countries into squalor. Most politically attuned people I know have seen it also and know that the only way you can achieve your global community is by doing the same to America. Some think resistance is futile. Maybe it is.
But we are willing to fight you, and make you pay DEARLY for your arrogance. We are moral, principled, and believe in the ORIGINAL Constitution and the philosophies that define it. You see, your mistake was that you thought we'd just mumble our oath and then contradict it when ordered to. but YOU,--you promoters of the "brotherhood of mankind"--are the enemies domestic we are sworn to defend the Constitution against. We didn't choose you as the enemy. By your collectivist ideologies and actions, you self selected.
We pray to the God you SCORN that the day never arrives when we are finally compelled to turn against you, what you expected us to do to enemies foreign. If that day does arise, lament. For I, and others like me, have been trained in the blackest of arts, and the darkest of crafts.
Your minions are useless cattle. They cannot protect you. You cannot hide. WE KNOW WHO YOU ARE, but you'll NEVER know whether der guten soldat you hired is one of us---or not.
So, to all you altruist-collectivist global citizens:
"YOU WILL FIND NO JOY IN YOUR NEW WORLD ORDER."
Leonidas' last stand
I'm OK on the first two items. Where I'm lacking is on the last three. If the Iraquis can have them why not US citizens?
Shouldn't that be a crosshair on all their houses? ;-)
First, let's say an anti-gun government swings into power in 2008 or beyond. One definite action will be to prohibit the importation or sale of any more parts kits, barrels, magazines or semi-auto weapons, period. They will say "Hey, your currently legally-owned weapons are still yours, so we aren't really infringing your rights." What are now post-ban weapons will become the new pre-bans. Step one.
Now the anti's need to wait and let the numbness set it. Wait until the outrage cools and attention is focused elsewhere. Wait for an event...a terrible event involving a shooting, preferably using an "assault weapon". They'll get one eventually or make one up.
Suddenly the cry goes out to "do something" about the "flood of weapons on our streets". Never mind that 100 million legal arms were NOT involved in the shooting, one of them was, and that's enough. Step 2 will demand national registration of weapons as a "common sense measure to help law enforcement" find the criminals. You can keep them for now, Mr and Mrs America, just register them or go to prison.
Now of course there will be massive noncompliance, but guess what? Say you refuse to register. Can you go out to the range now and shoot them? No. You are now felons, past the "amnesty" and you can do nothing more than clean and admire them with the curtains closed. You can't sell or trade them either...they're now contraband. But at least the gun grabbers can't come in and get them, right?
Maybe not just yet. There's still one more powerful trick up their sleeve: ammunition. "Common sense" dictates that anyone who orders 1000 rounds of .223 should be checked against a list of legal registered gun owners. Say, here's someone who ordered some ammo...and an AR-15 scope mount...and he's not on the list of AR-15 owners. Hmm.
So they don't have to break our doors down to drown us slowly. THAT is why we must resist now, resist what are pandered as reasonable or common sense measures to back us into a corner. As for all the "sporting" gun owners that see no problem in outlawing "assault weapons", how long do you think the gun grabbers will wait before dropping the bombshell that your scoped 30-06 or pump 12-gauge is actually more powerful and devastating than an AK-47? Soccer moms will be surprised and shocked. Add the constant PR pressure of anti-hunting, animal rights, demonizing the image of evil gunowners and "save the children" and there you have it, game, set and match.
Will we see an actual civil war over this and other values? I doubt it. But some people sure as hell will have to make the ultimate sacrifice to make them back off and think, "is this worth it?".
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