The Clarion Issue

By now everyone has now heard of RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) and their lawsuits against those who file share music using what is known as P2P (Peer to Peer). What P2P amounts to is that people join a group such as Kazaa, Gnutella, or any other of the numerous groups that people can down/upload music or other files and share them with anyone in the particular group they joined. Think of it as allowing anyone to copy any music or other item you have on your computer and will share and allow people to copy. The music or whatever is being shared is open to any member of that particular group creating a huge database to search and trade on.

Now the RIAA comes along and says this is against copyright laws and is going after people that are members of some of the groups that allow such transactions to take place. They went after Napster a few years back, so some of you may have heard about such actions. Some of you may not have heard.

While on the surface it sounds as if RIAA has a legitimate complaint about artists not getting just compensation for their hard work, let's take a little further look into the waters muddied by RIAA and a few facts. (Please note that I will not be all inclusive here with charts from RIAA that proves RIAA's claims not only wrong but what appear to be a contradiction in data of what RIAA is proposing to everyone and to our Judicial system due to space constraints. I will provide the data and links to anyone who wants to see such data and emails me at the Clarion Issue's email address.) It needs to be noted who the TOP FIVE members of RIAA are: 1) Bertelsmann Music Group (BMG), 2) EMI Music Distribution, 3) Sony Corporation of America, 4) Time Warner Incorporated, 5) Universal Music and Video Distribution. Those Five make up approximately 85% of all CD purchases in the United States. There were accusations against those top five groups for unlawful marketing practices and inducing overpricing of music compact discs (CDs).

In May of 2000 The Federal Trade Commission (FTC) found and ruled: "The FTC's orders would require all the companies to discontinue their 'Minimum Advertised Price' (MAP) programs in their entirety for seven years. The orders contain additional provisions to preclude the companies from maintaining the anticompetitive status quo."

"The FTC estimates that U.S. consumers may have paid as much as $480 million more than they should have for CDs and other music because of these policies over the last three years. These settlements will eliminate these policies and should help restore much-needed competition to the retail music market, consisting of $15 billion in annual sales. Today's news should be sweet music to the ears of all CD purchasers," according to Chairman Robert Pitofsky.

According to the FTC's complaints, "The companies required retailers to advertise CDs at or above the MAP set by the distribution company in exchange for substantial cooperative advertising payments. The restrictions applied to all advertising, including television, radio, newspaper and signs and banners within the retailers' own stores. The restrictions even applied to advertising funded entirely by the retailer. Under the policies, large music retailers would lose millions of dollars a year if they failed to follow the MAP restrictions."

The complaints detail how MAP policies were adopted to squelch discount music retailing. In the early 1990s, many new music retailers, including major consumer electronics stores, started to sell CDs at low prices to gain customers and market share. The more traditional music retailers also lowered their prices to compete. This retail "price war" led to lower CD prices for U.S. consumers as prices for popular CDs fell as low as $9.99. The record companies adopted the MAP policies in 1995-96 to extinguish this "price war," the Commission contends.

The FTC alleges these MAP policies achieved their unlawful objective. The "price war" ended shortly after the policies were adopted and the retail price of CDs increased. The distributors then increased their own prices, and since 1997, wholesale prices for music have increased."

In this author's opinion, (you decide for yourself) this appears to be corporate blackmail.

Granted there is a lot to the charts and more data I do not have space to print. However, here are a few facts. 1) RIAA wanted to hack YOUR PERSONAL computer to see if you had any of "THEIR" music. Has anyone cared to explain the U.S. Constitution to RIAA? There is little item called the Fourth Amendment, I believe. 2) The total sales loss is close to 6%. Considering the overall state of the economy that is not too bad. I will leave how RIAA and allegations of "Payola" that an artist is charged to pay to radio stations and marketing to get his or her music heard and how RIAA decides just what groups and music we get to listen to, for another story.

The RIAA has currently filed 261 lawsuits. Please Note RIAA also came up with a useless and worthless amnesty plan AFTER filing these lawsuits. RIAA promises not to sue you, if you stop file sharing RIAA and delete RIAA music from your files. This does nothing, however, to stop anyone else from suing a file sharer.

The following is my particular favorite lawsuit by RIAA and created my personal choice to boycott the RIAA. Please feel free to join if you are so inclined. RIAA moved against a 12 year old, Brianna Torres, who lives with her single-parent mother. RIAA sued Brianna for $2,000. This is the little girl's lunch money. RIAA figured it at 1,000 days at $2.00 a day. Brianna (an honor student living in a housing project on the upper West Side of New York) was quoted as saying, "I am sorry for what I have done. I love music and don't want to hurt the artists I love."

Brianna was under the understanding that because she paid money to obtain the software she then used to search her favorite file-sharing network, she was legally obtaining music. Apparently, the RIAA feels strongly enough that Brianna has done wrong they had to initiate a lawsuit against the child for trying to listen to her favorite musicians on-line while in the safety of her own home.

PLEASE NOTE: There are many artists that promote their music FOR FREE over the net.

FOR NOW: SAY NO TO RIAA! SUPPORT INDEPENDENT ARTISTS!

NOTE: To file share is your choice, and we at the Clarion Issue leave it up to you and your computer to decide. We at the Clarion Issue believe in supporting new and upcoming artists and businesses. We also do not believe in ripping anyone off, unlike RIAA, the IRS, the DNC, or the RNC. However, if you want so send us cash of your own freewill we will gratefully accept it! If RIAA is so concerned about music piracy, it would be best if they cleaned their own house first. If you choose to download music and also Boycott RIAA please try http://www.garageband.com/ and "Discover The Best In Independent Music." (This is NOT a paid advertisement, only a suggestion.)

CALIFORNIA'S DREAMIN'
By R. A. Pearson

Back to Top

The citizens of the great and sovereign (and broke) State of California have completed their petition to recall Democratic Governor Gray Davis. The date for the recall election has been set for October 7, 2003. Under a somewhat antiquated law, passed under Republican Gov. Hiram Johnson in 1911, Californians will vote to oust or retain the present governor. On the same ballot, voters will also elect a new governor if the recall is successful. The recall election law was part of a wave of Progressive Era legislation enacted nationwide from 1903-1915 in response to political and corporate corruption. However, a close look at the situation reveals that the problems in the Bear Flag Republic have little, if nothing at all, to do with political corruption, but with the state's entire political apparatus. California's problems have been created by ad hoc constitutional amendments, restrictions on the legislators ability to deal with the budget, impossible criteria established for the legislature to raise taxes, and various other vox populi, semi-democratic voter initiatives that have been passed by the voters of California.

The recall initiative in California was led and bankrolled by Darrell Issa, a two-term Republican Congressman from the San Diego area who made his fortune selling car alarms. Issa, who was on the ballot to succeed Davis but withdrew before qualifying ended, put more than $1 million into the recall campaign. Issa is a staunch conservative. He is also a high school drop out and has been arrested twice as an adult on charges of auto theft. Fears that his "youthful indiscretions" would be used against him may have forced Issa out of the race. While Gov. Gray Davis has labeled the recall campaign, and Issa's roll in it, as "partisan mischief," the fact remains that the Golden State is $38 billion in the red.

Like many states, California has suffered from the recent recession that began around the time President Bush took office in 2001. The state's economy which was particularly hit hard when the dot com bubble burst, took another drastic slap in the wake of 9/11 which hurt travel and the tourist industry. California has a high rate of unemployment and is hard pressed to provide the services required by a state government even in the best of circumstances. The recent revelation that the state was facing a $38 billion deficit (plus still owing over $10 billion lost to power companies and brokers such as Enron during the energy crunch two years ago) has fueled the recall fires in the nation's most populous state.

Another deep cut into California's economic wounds came on July 25th, when Standard and Poor's lowered the state's bonds from bad to near-junk bond status, thanks to the looming recall election and a $38 billion budget deficit. California's plummeting credit rating means the state will have to pay higher interest rates on money borrowed to cover this crisis, a move that will cost the state a billion dollars over the next 30 years.

California is a unique state. It requires a 2/3 vote of the legislature to pass the budget and/or to raise taxes. While the Republicans are in the minority in both houses of the legislature (the party holds just 15 of 40 seats in the Senate and 32 of 80 Assembly seats), the Republicans were able to hold up the budget and made it impossible to raise taxes. The Democrats were unwilling to make serious cuts to this year's budget leaving the state $38 billion in arrears. Unlike most states, the Golden State's Constitution does not require a balanced budget. While politics have played a role in the budget crunch, more problems raise from the state's mandated spending caused by constitutional amendments and other budget concerns mandated by the voters.

A major problem facing any budget planing in California is the fact that over 75% of the state's budget has been preset by voter initiative. From Proposition 13 in 1978 to Arnold Schwarzenegger's $500 million before- and after- school plans, the California budget has become more of a set entity than an issue decided by the elected legislature. As more spending initiatives were added by various interest groups, the state's ability to pay became hard pressed and, without a tax increase, almost impossible to manage without deficit spending.

The recall election itself is estimated to cost California another $1 billion. Holding the election, training poll workers, the inevitable lawsuits, and new voter machines will cost the state millions, adding to the growing budget woes.

The ballot itself was originally included two questions: Do you wish to recall Governor Gray Davis and then who do you want to replace him? Individuals who voted to keep the present governor were to be excluded from voting on the second question. However, a late June decision by the California courts will allow everyone to vote on a replacement candidate. The court's ruling encouraged other Democrats, who had wanted to avoid drawing votes away from Davis on the first question, to enter the race as a safety valve for Democratic voters. The major quirk in the recall is that if the Governor is recalled the person with the plurality (most) votes wins the governorship. There is no runoff.

The National Republican Party is somewhat skeptical of the California recall. The party and the White House feel that a Republican Governor in California could not solve the problem and could harm the party in the 2004 elections. The recall has focused national attention on the state and, with no quick fixes available, could cause a national backlash against the GOP.

The recall had drawn serious and not so serious candidates into the race. Action film star Arnold Schwarzenegger tossed his hat into the ring during an August 6th appearance on Jay Leno's tonight show. He called it the toughest he's made since deciding to get a bikini wax in 1978. Arnold indicated, "The politicians are fiddling, fumbling, and failing. The man that is failing the people more than anyone is Gray Davis. He is failing them terribly, and this is why he needs to be recalled and this is why I am going to run for governor." While Schwarznegger is considered a Republican, he supports a woman's right to choose and gay rights. The Terminator is believed to have a good deal of support in the state, but whether he can terminate the $38 billion deficit has yet to be seen.

Other serious Republicans in the race include Tom McClintock, a state senator and Keith Richman, a state assemblyman. Bill Simon, the millionaire businessman and gubernatorial candidate who lost to Gray Davis in 2002 was in the race until he withdrew in late August.

The major Democrat in the race is Lt. Governor Cruz Bustamante. Bustamante is a Latino who will draw major votes away from Davis on the first question on the ballot. He joined the race on August 7th when polls indicated that Davis was in serious trouble with California's voters. Bustamante has major support in the labor movement, and he only needs a plurality to win. His entry into the race signaled a major division in the Democratic support for Gov. Davis.

Several other Democratic candidates will appear on October's ballot. Three of these are Audie Bock, a former state assemblywoman, March Fong Eu, a former state secretary of state, and John Garamendi, the current State Insurance Commissioner.

Peter Camejo, the 2002 Green Party candidate for governor, will run again under his parties standard.

However, the race is flooded with enough would be governors to make the "Georgia Three Governor Episode of 1947" look like a reasonable exercise in democracy. On August 9, 2003, the last day to qualify for the race, over 125 candidates had signed on to run. According to Art Torres, California Democratic Party chairman, "We are becoming a laughing stock. This just exacerbates the impression that we are a bunch of wackos out here. It reminds me of going to the circus and seeing this little car going into the arena and you couldn't believe how many clowns were able to come out of it." Senator Dianne Feinstein, the state's popular Democratic Senator, refused to place her name on the ballot saying the election was becoming "more and more like a carnival every day."

When one looks at some of the buffoons on the ballot, Torres and Feinstein appear 100% correct. Idiots on the ballot include Hollywood billboard queen Angelyne, Larry Flynt, and actor Gary Coleman. Angelyne has adopted the slogan "Think rational pink." Angelyne can usually be seen driving her pink Corvette around Los Angeles and looking down from hundreds of billboards, which display her blond hair and her tremendous "assets." Angelyne's cleavage definitely redefines "Silicon Valley." According to one election watcher, "Angelyne defiantly has a plan 'A' and a plan 'B,' but they may be better suited for stuffing pink bikinis than solving the state's budget woes."

Hustler magazine publisher Larry Flynt anted up the $3,500 fee required to run in the gubernatorial recall election, and indicated that he may spend a large amount of his own money if people take his candidacy seriously. The registered Democrat, civil libertarian, and free speech advocate said he'd solve California's budget woes by expanding slot machine gambling (his holdings include several casinos). According to Flynt, "California is the most progressive state in the union. I don't think anyone here will have a problem with a smut peddler as governor."

Gary Coleman hopes the election will be a major comeback for his career. While his platform is vague the Clarion Issue is sure he wants to make government conducive to the little man.

The list of moronic individuals on the ballot goes on and on including political commentator Arianna Huffington, software engineer Georgy Russell, and at least one porn star.

If the people of California believe that a recall and new governor can solve their budget woos, they need to get into their SUVs with the FREE TIBET bumper stickers and drive to the nearest insane asylum. Their problem lies with voter mandated government spending and an unwillingness to vote funds for their good causes. If they really believe a recall is the answer, then California's dreamin'.

What can the nation learn from the California recall debacle? First the states need to restrict voter initiatives and superfluous constitutional amendments. Florida voters approved the 'bullet train' but they did not vote funds to pay for it. They also voted constitutional rights for pregnant pigs. These are issues for legislative statutes, not constitutional amendments. States need to save constitutional amendments to fix a constitutional problem and leave legislation to those elected to pass laws for the state.

In the same vein, the states should limit voter initiated funding requirements. States need to let the governors and the legislators prepare the budgets. Once again, the voters need to speak through elected officials, and when the elected officials refuse to hear the people-vote the bums out of office.

Finally states need to keep all laws current, especially election and recalls laws. 35 million Californians will vote on Oct. 7th under a law passed in 1911 when the state's population was 2.5 million. America can learn a lot from this fiasco, especially if the nation can stop laughing and look past the clowns.

CRIMINAL PROFILING: SCIENCE, PSYCHOLOGY, OR RACISM?
By David S. Pearson

Looking for a serial killer? The person most likely convicted will be a white male between the ages of 25 to 34. But then there is Aileen Wuornos, a white female. And then there was Wayne Williams, a black male. Looking for a child killer? Most of them are men: however, there were at least two cases where the convicted murder was white, female, and a nurse. What about the perpetrator of home invasion? Most descriptions are of black males in their mid twenties. Serial rapist? Look for a white male. What about US presidential assassins? Well, 100% have been white males.

Criminal profiling has become very popular as a tool in crime investigation. It is further glamorized by Hollywood and therefore has become a well-received concept by the general public. The primarily applied techniques used for the last 15 years came from research and guidelines developed by the Behavioral Science Unit at the FBI Academy. Criminal profiling combines four skills: investigation, forensic analysis, psychological assessment, and applied cultural anthropology. The objective of a profile is to provide specific information for the investigation; specifically age range, gender, probable vocation, and probable living arrangement. Profiling is an investigator's tool to find a suspect, and it is not likely to be used as evidence in obtaining a confession.

Since cultural anthropology is part of the profiling technique, geographic, ethnic and racial information is collected. This data will lead to presumptions about a suspect's neighborhood, gender, and race. This data and the collective data from the investigation of a specific crime or series of related crimes is a tool for the investigator of that crime. It is the application of deductive reasoning.

But what happens if profiling is used outside a specific investigation, or if only the race and gender data are used for crime prevention? Here enters the now common term, "racial profiling." I tried very hard but I could not discover the origins of the term or the case in which it was first used. I even asked the chief of profiling for SC SLED (South Carolina Law Enforcement Division) and she did not know. However, she referred me to the FBI office for Criminal Profiling in Quantico, Va. Two people there tried to help me, but they could not tell me where the term originated.

Although the origins of the term are not clear, the definition is applied in law enforcement and it is used in criminal defense. Public defenders use the term and allege that many defendants are arrested and charged with a crime based solely on their race. Additionally, recently searched or detained people at airports are howling they were singled out because of their race. Many state and local law enforcement agencies have had to develop policies to address this issue.

Racial profiling is best described by this definition developed by the Texas State Police: A law enforcement initiated action based on an individual's race, ethnicity, or national origin rather than on the individual's behavior or on any information identifying the individual as having engaged in any criminal activity.

If the arrest and detention of someone meets this definition, it is racism; this definition separates the racial aspect from the science of criminal profiling. This action was based on race alone and not the remainder of investigative techniques necessary to establish a probable cause for detaining or arresting a citizen.

State traffic patrols have notoriously developed "profiles" of people likely to possess narcotics. The Florida State Patrol, 10 years ago, began stopping African-American males in rented cars driving at or below the speed limit on interstates 75 and 95. Statistically it was known to them that these were men likely to be smuggling drugs. Other state law enforcement agencies soon developed similar "profiles." Consequently, the number of people fitting this description being stopped, searched, and arrested skyrocked. Each new arrest added to the assumption that people meeting this profile were likely drug smugglers.

The profile was originally developed by a study of convicted drug smugglers. The drug smugglers were in state and federal prisons in Florida. To me, all this proves is the people caught and convicted fit the profile, it does not prove that the general traveler would likely be smuggling drugs.

Of course the public backlash from civil rights groups and the ACLU has been enormous. Most states have had to significantly modify the technique of profiling in prevention and initiation because of the flaws. The ACLU has filed class action suits in Maryland, New Jersey, New York, Indiana, Pennsylvania, West Virginia, Texas, Wisconsin, Michigan, Wyoming, and Rhode Island because a disproportionate number of stops and searches are based on race rather than any evidence of wrongdoing.

Racial profiling has become a defense for attorneys playing the "race card." It is a rallying point for many civil rights groups. In its most extreme example, a Pennsylvania elected official has even accused a police dog of "racial profiling" and is insisting that the dog be euthanized.

A criminal profile should contain a broad range of descriptive criteria. It should also be used as a tool for the investigation of a crime and not a means to detain people for crime prevention. Additionally a profile is not evidence of a crime and is not used in court to obtain a verdict. When law enforcement uses the race of a person to identify him as someone to detain, it is racism.

America faces a variety of law enforcement challenges. We have serial violent crimes, drug trafficking and drug-related crimes, and domestic and foreign terrorism. Each crime has its own set of profiling "givens" and these "givens" can include race. But as Americans we are supposed to be free from unreasonable search and seizure and free of any discrimination based on race, creed, color, or national origin.

TEST YOUR RACIAL PROFILING IQ:
CAN YOU SPOT THE POTENTIAL THREAT?

1) Four planes were hijacked on Sept. 11, 2001, by
a) WWII Luftwaffe Veterans
b) Peanuts cartoon fans inspired by Snoopy's ace flying character
c) Revelers at a tailhook convention
d) Arab Males

2) Synagogues in the American northwest are vandalized by
a) marchers protesting NAFTA and the World Bank in Seattle
b) attorneys for the ACLU
c) Eskimos (or Aleut and Inuit Indians to be politically correct)
d) Members of a white supremacist group

3) Japanese Whale boats were rammed by
a) characters from a Jules Vern novel
b) Charlie Tuna
c) The CSS Hunley
d) Greenpeace activist

4) At the 1972 Munich Games, athletes from Israel were murdered by
a) Swiss ski fans
b) Spotted owls
c) Renegade Apache Indians
d) Arab males

5) Theodore Kezensky, a serial bomber known as the Unibomber was a
a) Russian Marxist Revolutionary
b) Cuban immigrant cross dresser
c) Black Rapper called "Snoop Dogg"
d) White Midwestern male

6) The Marine barracks in Beirut was destroyed by a car bomb driven by
a) a pizza delivery boy from Spain
b) an elderly woman from Florida
c) a stoned Jamaican tour guide
d) an Arab Male

7) British Government buildings in Belfast have been bombed by
a) The Boy Scouts
b) Elvis impersonators
c) Mothers Against Drunk Drivers
d) The Irish republican Army

8) Civil Rights Leaders have been assassinated by
a) Amazon Tribal Headhunters
b) Catholic School Bingo Supporters
c) French Canadian Separatist
d) Southern White Supremacist

9) The elderly, infirm and women and children of Atlanta were forced to evacuate and
the city was burned by
a) Drunken attendants of the 33rd annual convention of the grand mystic royal order of the nobles of the Ali-Babba Temple of the Shrine
b) Mongol hordes
c) A campfire that went out of control at a Girl Scout camporee
d) White Midwestern men led by the paranoid schizophrenic, pyromaniac General W. T. Sherman

10) The cruise ship Achille Lauro and TWA Flight 847 were hijacked and passengers
killed by
a) The Cole-Younger Gang
b) Tourist angry about being short changed at the gift shop
c) The AFL/CIO
d) Arab men

If you answered "d" to all questions, you have an understanding of likely perpetrators of domestic and international terrorism and have knowledge of a current and historical geopolitical conflict. If you scored 50% or less you can improve your knowledge by reading the Clarion Issue more often and by watching the History Channel.

Baseball's not so great, Bob Uecker, was inducted into baseball's Hall of Fame on Sunday, July 27, 2003. Uecker was inducted as an announcer, receiving the Ford C. Frick Award for excellence in broadcasting, not as a player. Uecker has announced games for the Milwaukee Brewers for over 30 years. Known more for his one liners than his .200 lifetime batting average, baseball fans have to admit Cooperstown will never be the same.

Uecker broke into the big leagues in 1962 as a catcher for the St. Louis Cardinals and played for the Atlanta Braves and Philadelphia Phillies. He once joked that "I got pulled over at 4 a.m. I was fined $75 for being intoxicated and $400 for being with the Phillies." The 'Uecke,' also known as 'Mr. Baseball,' or better yet as 'Mr. Mediocrity,' also quipped, "I didn't get a lot of awards as a player. But they did have a Bob Uecker Day Off for me once in Philly."

Uecker hit 300 several years in the minor leagues, but never established himself as a hitter in the majors. He once stated "If a guy hits .300 every year, what does he have to look forward to? I always tried to stay around .190, with three or four RBI. And I tried to get them all in September. That way I always had something to talk about during the winter." His five-year record was: Games, 297; Batting average, .200; home runs 14; and runs batted in 74. Although he played until 1967 he said, "I knew when my career was over. In 1965 my baseball card came out with no picture."

In the early 70s Bud Selig offered Uecker a job as a broadcaster for the Milwaukee Brewers. It was in the booth where Uecker's wit, humor, sarcasm, baseball stories, and good knowledge of the game gained him a rating with the great baseball commentators such as Dizzy Dean, Pee Wee Reese, and Harry Caray. Uecker also has called games for several major TV networks and appeared on HBO's On the Record with Bob Costas. Uecker, however, prefers radio. "I enjoy the radio side of it a lot more. I don't think people want to sit in their homes on nice summer days and watch baseball games. They take the radio outside, in the car or on vacation. Radio sells baseball. You don't see anyone lugging a TV on their back on the beach."

To many Milwaukee Brewer fans 'Mr. Baseball' is the game. The "Uecke's" job is not an easy one. The Brewers have not had a winning season since 1992. They have not made it to the playoffs since 1982. They are currently in last place in the National League Central Division and will probably lose 100 games for the second consecutive year. Here Uecker finds himself in the same situation he portrayed in the 1989 baseball movie classic "Major League."

In Major League, Uecker plays the inebriated announcer Harry Doyle for the Cleveland Indians, whose owner is trying to move the team to Miami, Florida. The team is filled with washed up has beens and untried rookies. The Uecke's lines include; "Just a reminder fans about 'Die Hard Night' coming up at the stadium: free admission to anyone who was actually alive the last time the Indians won a pennant," "He hits one to South America," and "He's gonna need his visa to chase that one."

However, Uecker's humor is usually about himself. His famous quotes include the following:

"Wait until it stops rolling and pick it up." - the 'Uecke' on how to catch a knuckleball.

"The highlight of my career? In '67 with St. Louis, I walked with the bases loaded to drive in the winning run in an intersquad game in spring training."

"I set records that will never be equaled. In fact, I hope 90 percent of them don't even get printed."

"I hit a grand slam off Ron Herbel and when his manager, Herman Franks, came out to get him, he was bringing Herbel's suitcase."

"Baseball hasn't forgotten me. I go to a lot of Old Timers' Games and I haven't lost a thing. I sit in the bullpen and let people throw things at me. Just like old times."

Bob Uecker has written several books including, Catcher in the Wry, Guide to America's Best Sports Bars, and Catch 222. He often appeared on the Tonight Show and Miller Lite commercials. He is 68 years old.

Other initiates into the Baseball Hall of Fame for this year included Eddie Murry and Gary Carter. Murry played for 21 years as a first baseman. Murry finished his career with 504 homers, 3,255 hits, 1,917 RBIs, a .287 batting average, and six seasons of 100 or more RBIs. For many years, he was regarded as one of the best defensive first baseman in baseball.

Gary Carter, nicknamed "the Kid" in his first training camp, was an 11-time All-Star and set the National League record for games caught by a catcher, with 2,056 games played. He played 19 seasons, most of those with Montreal, where Carter established a reputation as an extraordinary defensive player and a strong run producer. Carter hit 324 home runs, had 1225 RBIs, and a .262 batting average during his 19-year career.

A couple lived near the ocean and walked the beach a lot. One summer they
noticed a girl who was at the beach pretty much every day. She wasn't unusual,
nor was the travel bag she carried, except for one thing; she would approach
people who were sitting on the beach, glance around furtively, then speak to
them.

Generally the people would respond negatively and she would wander off, but
occasionally someone would nod and there would be a quick exchange of money and
something she carried in her bag. The couple assumed she was selling drugs,
and debated calling the cops, but since they didn't know for sure they just
continued to watch her. They did notice that she only went up to people with boom
boxes and other electronic devices.

The wife said, "Tomorrow I want you to get a towel and our big radio and go
lie out on the beach. Then we can find out what she's really doing." The
next day she saw the girl talk to her husband and then leave. The man walked up
the beach and met his wife at the road.

I was barely sitting down in the rest area stall when I heard a voice from the other stall saying: "Hi, how are you?"

I'm not the type to start a conversation in the men's restrooms at a rest stop but, I
don't know what got into me, so I answered, somewhat embarrassed, "Doin' Just Fine!"

What kind of question is that? At that point, I'm thinking this is too bizarre so I say:
"Uhhh I'm like you, just traveling east!"

At this point I am just trying to get out as fast as I can when I hear another question.

Ok, this question is just wacky but I figured I could just be polite and end the conversation.

"LISTEN, I'll have to call you back. There's an idiot in the other stall who keeps answering all my questions!"

"I am mindful not only of preserving executive powers for myself, but for my predecessors as well." Pres. George W. Bush

Tager- 1) a tiger 2) the mabscott of Auburn, Clemson, LSU, and several other
Universities.

Ally/gater- 1) an alligator 2) the mabscott of the University of Florida commonly called
a gater

Billy Bob: "Hey mister! Can I ride that there big turtle over youder?"
Zookeeper: "No sir. That's a Galapagos Terrapin and they are almost extinct!"
Billy Bob: "Yea, where are they from?"
Zookeeper: "From the Galapagos Islands off the coast of Equador. Besides, we call
him "Killer." He's mean; Do ya notice the fire in his eyes?"
Billy Bob: "Shucks, he aint nothin'. Why me and Lulu here's rode tougher turtles to
Church!"

Slim: "Hey Bubba. I seen you an' Charlene at the zoo Sat'aday. What did you all do
after the zoo?"
Bubba: "Well Caarlene wanted to go to this here new pisa place. So we went and had a
large sausage, antchovey, and green olive pisa, and we drank one of 'em 'ere
jerralphs of Mogan David 20/20 wine."
Slim: "What'za jerralph of wine?"
Bubba: "Gee Slim ain't you got no culture. It'za fancy bottle of wine with a long neck.
You know, sorta like a jerralph at the zoo! Dats how it got the name."

Tommy Ray: "Hey Goober. Why did then 'er Florida Gaters put a crockagater on their
program instead of a gater? Don't they know the difference?"
Goober: "Tommy Ray, how do you know what a gater looks like?"
Tommy Ray: "Why I seen one up close and personal at the Alleygater Pettin' Zoo in
Gainesville."

Elvira's Northern Guest: "Say Elvira, what did you like most about the zoo?"
Elvira: "I liked them thar lines."
Guest: "You mean the lines that kept you a safe distance from the dangerous animals?"
Elvira: "No. I mean the lines like the "King of the Jungle" and from the song."
Guest: "What song?"
Elvira: "You know. The Line Sleeps at Night."
Guest: "I still don't know quite what you mean."
Elvira: "A line. Like the mabscott of Penn State. You know the Thrifty Lines."

On August 18, the first day of the Fall Semester, University of Georgia police arrested hot dog vendor John Gundaker. Mr. Gundaker was selling his hot dogs and side dishes on property the University claims is out of his zone. University officials claim the property is in UGA jurisdiction and only vendors licensed by UGA may operate there. Mr. Gundaker and his attorneys do not agree and local courts are not sure. UGA students believe the University is wrong in principal to prevent the vendor from selling at the location he has chosen.

The controversy actually began last year when Gundaker was made to move due to construction. Then a hot dog stand appeared on his turf being run by the UGA ROTC. University officials said the ROTC vendor was OK because it is affiliated with the school. The University retains the right to approve any sales on UGA right-of-way. Following the construction, officials assert, the area was rezoned to fall into UGA jurisdiction.

This August the hot dog man returned to his traditional spot. He was asked to move by Mike Ward of UGA Auxiliary Services. When he did not, UGA police came and arrested Mr. Gundaker. By August 25 UGA opinion columns had headlines like "Let Our Wieners Go!" and "Free the Hot Dog Man." The student radio station publicized the protest and sent two interns to the student center dressed as a mustard and a ketchup bottle.

When the team of attorneys representing the Dawgs met the hot dog man in court they were not at the top of their game. Mr. Ward and the arresting officers had to confess they could not say with certainty whether or not Mr. Gundaker was on UGA property or not when he was arrested. Mr. Gundakers' attorney believes he was on public right of way and argues even if he was not the case needs to be dismissed because UGA was not sure of the boundaries when the arrest was made. At any rate the final outcome will have to go into overtime. The civil judge has allowed Mr. Gundaker to sell in his favorite spot and the case must go to federal court. Meanwhile, Mr. Ward has warned all prospective vendors that they will police the known UGA domain and use tape measures, if needed, to establish the legal boundaries of UGA jurisdiction.

On September 3, 2003, the state of Florida executed former Presbyterian Minister, Paul Hill, for the 1994 murders of an abortion doctor and his bodyguard. Hill, unrepentant till the last, maintained that he would be rewarded in heaven for killing the abortionist.

Hill (49) went to the gurney showing no remorse and maintaining that he was dying a martyr to the anti-abortion cause. Hill believed that anti-abortion groups and individuals will now be reminded of their cause and renew their intensive protest and political pressure due to his death. Hill was the first person to be executed for killing an abortion doctor.

Hill fatally shot Dr. John Britton (69) and James Barrett (74), his bodyguard, outside the Ladies Center in Pensacola, Fla., on 29 July 1994. He was convicted and sentenced to death where his case went through the mandatory state appeals. Hill, however, refused to initiate any appeals on his own behalf preferring martyrdom for the anti-abortion cause.

Mainstream anti-abortion groups maintain that individuals inside their groups like Hill who maintain "justifiable homicide" of abortion Doctors and clinical employees and volunteers represent only "a small fringe even within the extremes of their movement."

In a Southern drama that could have been penned by Mark Twain, Tennessee Williams, or William Faulkner (but only filmed by Cecil B. DeMille using a cast of thousands), the nation and the world looked on as a huge stone monument to the pre-Israeli State's Hebrew tribal laws, commonly called the Ten Commandments, became the center of controversy, if not veneration and worship, in the great and sovereign state of Alabama.

Two years ago, Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore placed a 5,280-pound granite monument to the Ten Commandments in the rotunda of the Alabama Court Building in Montgomery, Alabama. Moore described the Ten Commandments as a symbol of the divine basis for U.S. law. But opponents of the monument sued on the grounds that the display violated the U.S. Constitution's ban on government promotion of a religion. Last November, the US Supreme Court agreed with the opponents of the monument and indicated that it had to be removed by August of 2003. The state faced a $5000 a day fine if it did not comply with the court's order.

As the date for removal approached, individuals protesting the court's order gravitated to the court building, singing and protesting out on the building's steps and grounds, while others went inside to kneel and pray before the huge monolith. Individual protestors threatened to block the entrances to the building and to physically block any attempt to remove the structure. The actions of the crowd reminded this editor of Israel kneeling before the "Golden Calf" while Moses was on Mt. Sinai or, perhaps, the actions of the prophets of Baal, rather than Christians who are supposed "to have no other gods before them!"

On Aug. 21st, Alabama's six other Supreme Court judges broke ranks with their chief justice and ruled that the Ten Commandments monument must be removed from the state court building. Chief Justice Moore was relieved of his judicial responsibilities, and the monolith was crated in its location. It was later moved to a storage area in the court building to be removed at a later date.

At the Clarion Issue the staff hopes the monument will find a nice home at a church, Religious Park or Church conference center, or some other fitting location. We firmly believe in the separation of church and state and hope this ridiculous argument can be put aside while our country deals with other issues like combating the al-Queda terrorist threat and getting Americans back to work.

The 40-year search for the lost 1913 Liberty Head Nickel ended at the American Numismatic Association convention in Baltimore on July 30, 2003. The coin, one of five, is estimated to be worth $1.5 million.

The coin was in the automobile driven by George Walton, a North Carolina coin dealer, in 1962 when an accident killed Mr. Walton. His family retrieved the coin, but they put the coin in a strong box in a closet when they were told it was a fake. The family responded to an offer of $10,000 from Paul Montgomery, president of Bowers and Merena Galleries, and decided to see if the coin was real. A panel of six experts verified the coin's authenticity around noon, ending a 40-year-old numismatic mystery.

The five coins were minted in 1913, the year the US changed its nickel design from the Liberty head to the Indian head (or Buffalo) nickel. However, five Liberty nickels with 1913 dates were minted illegally. Numismatic legend indicates a Mint official named Samuel K. Brown made the coins. The coins weren't put into circulation and for many years they were considered illegal to own because they weren't regular issue.

The coin has a profile of lady liberty surrounded by thirteen stars with the 1913 date slightly off set below the head at the bottom of the coin. The backside of the coin features a V (the Roman numeral for five).

Two of the coins are now in private collections and the other two are in museums. One of the rare nickels is in the Smithsonian Museum at Washington, DC.

The family of the late George Walton has not indicated weather they will sell the coin at this time, but the Clarion Issue doubts that our readers will see that one on E-Bay.

Tommy Chong, part of the 1970s pot guru duo Cheech and Chong, has been sentenced to 9 months in prison and one year of probation for his role in the on line peddling for marijuana paraphernalia and accouterments. Chong was arrested in February in the FBI sting known as Operation Pipe Dreams. The arrest and sentence of Tommy Chong is expected to postpone the making of a Cheech and Chong reunion movie but it may add to the story line of the flick.
Tommy Chong, now 65, pleaded guilty to the Internet sale of bongs, pipes and other marijuana related devices and materials. Chong sold the items through his two web sites www.chongglass.com and www.tommychong.com . As part of the plea, he agreed to give up these two domain names. He was also forced to forfeit some $103,000 in profits gained from the illegal sale of the paraphernalia.
The press had a field day with the headlines concerning the incident. "Chong's Bongs Land Him In Prison" and "A Bad Trip For Tommy Chong: 9 Months In Jail" are representative of the headlines picking on Tommy Chong.
Chong's publicist, Brandie Knight, said the comedian and his family were shocked by the severity sentence. While most individuals arrested in Operation Pipe Dreams were given light sentences and house arrest, the Feds were making an example out of Tommy Chong due to his celebrity status.

SEATTLE SOCIALIST PARTY DONORS LOOK FOR ANONYMITY

Freedom Socialist Party candidate for Seattle City Council, Linda Averill, is seeking to retain the anonymity of party donors granted in 1982 by the US Supreme Court.

Averill and her Freedom Socialist believe that the government should impose big taxes on large corporations. She indicated, "We want to replace corporate rule and the rule of the rich with the rule of the working people." Averill feels that the working people can rule only by keeping their anonymity while they contribute to her campaign.

Like many socialist candidates before her, Averill is seeking an exemption from donor disclosure laws, claiming that identifying her supporters could expose them to harassment and ridicule, especially by employers who do not share their political views.

Averill's political opponents feel that the secrecy of the donations helps smaller parties, especially those on the left fringe of the political spectrum. They contend secrete support hurts the major parties that have to comply with the campaign disclosure laws.

Averill disagrees. She indicated, "It's not a position of secrecy, it is fighting for the right of privacy and freely associating without fear of retaliation."

The 1982 Supreme Court test case involved the Socialist Workers Party that advocated a Marxist style proletariat overthrow of the US government and reshaping the capitalist market system with a planed economy similar to the Cuban and old Soviet Union economies. The Federal Elections Commission agreed to extend the right of donor anonymity to socialist groups in April of this year.

The Clarion Issue hopes the readers do not confuse the Freedom Socialist Party or the Socialist Workers Party with the Holy Orthodox Scientific Socialist Workers and Peoples Party (HOSSWAPP) founded at Miller Hydro Co. of Bainbridge, Ga. in the early 1970s. The HOSSWAPP was founded and led by the editor of this paper under the nom de guerre "Song Pong." The other member of HOSSWAPP (and party secretary, accountant, and minister of hypothetical propaganda) was known by the revolutionary name "Sing Ping." The slogan of the HOSSWAPP was "To each his needs, to us our lands, to all liberation from alienation: social, political, economic, and cosmic."

Song Pong's copy of Chairman Mao's little red book of quotations be on display at the Clarion Issue museum as soon as it opens along with other Clarion Issue memorabilia such as Cluny's favorite food dish, and Sam's audio collection of 101 horrible armpit sounds, which will also be available on CD at our museum's gift shop. We'll see you at the grand opening when it occurs.

Much to the dismay of law enforcement agencies and personal across these United States, the State of New York has agreed to grant parole to Kathy Boudin, a member of the 1960 "Weather Underground." Boudin, now 60, was convicted for her role in a deadly 1981 armored car robbery on October 21, 1981. During the heist, members of the Black Liberation Army killed a security guard then transferred $1.6 million to another truck in which Boudin was waiting. Police stopped the vehicle as it approached the New York State Thruway. Boudin surrendered, but gunmen burst out of the truck and opened fire, killing two police officers.

In prison Boudin was a model prisoner. Boudin helped develop programs for AIDS victims, incarcerated mothers and inmates seeking college degrees. She indicated that she would like to live in New York City and do social work, possibly with AIDS patients, upon her release.

Boudin has one son who was one at the time of her arrest. He was raised by friends and attends Yale University.

Many police and law enforcement officials have expressed displeasure at the parole broad's decision, including some of the relatives of the slain officers.

You can now read Boudin's account of her life and the armored truck robbery in her new book Family Circle: The Boudins and the Aristocracy of the Left, being rushed to press by Publisher Alfred A. Knopf following the surprise announcement concerning Boudin's parole. The book is now scheduled for release around the first week in October.

Joseph Leek, an eccentric millionaire, died in Hull, England, in July 2003 leaving his entire estate of 1.1 million pounds sterling (almost $3 million) to the Guide Dogs for the Blind Association. He left nothing to his two daughters.

Leek lived in a rundown house that he refused to repair, would not spend money on items hr considered unnecessary, and even watched TV at a neighbors house to save money on electricity.

His two daughters indicated that they were disappointed with his decision, but felt the Seeing Eye Dogs were a worthy charity. One daughter, Patricia Pilgrim, took care of Leek the last ten years of his life. Leek secretly made his money on the stock market; his daughters had no idea he was so wealthy.

Prince Charles, heir to the British throne, has moved into historic Clarence House on the mall just a short walk from Buckingham Palace. The house was recently renovated for Prince Charles, costing the British taxpayers over $7 million. Prince Charles chipped in an additional $2.6 million for decorations and the private suite set up in the house for his long time love Camilla Parker Bowles.

The Prince intends to share the house with Camilla and his two children, Prince William, the heir, and Prince Harry, the "spare."

Clarence house was built in the 1820s for William, Duke of Clarence, the third son of King George III. The house was recently utilized by the Queen Mother, Charles' grandmother, from 1953 until her death in 2002 at the age of 101. During the time of her occupancy of Clarence House she moved a large amount of her art collection into the home. One interesting painting in the Clarence House collection includes one of the five copies of Ennui by Walter Sickert, an artist felt by many to be the Jack the Ripper murder. In the painting a woman is leaning against a bureau in an apartment looking in a mirror. On the other wall a painting shows a woman being stalked on a dark night by someone many feel to be Jack the Ripper. The appearance of the work in the house is probably coincidental; however, a later Duke of Clarence, Prince Edward (1864-1892) and court physician Dr. Sir William Gull have from time to time been considered suspects in the Whitechapel murders.

The British public, media, and Royal family have accepted Prince Charles and Camilla's relationship, which Prince defines as "non-negotiable." The fact that she will have offices and living space in Clarence House is a continuation of the arrangements worked out for Camilla at Buckingham Palace. Camilla has no official place in the Royal family and she has no titles.

Many Americans ask what Charles sees in Camilla. In a recent comment to the editor of the Clarion Issue, a noted English historian and part-time royal watcher said, "Camilla is an ugly woman; however, she must have some hidden talents. I am sure that she makes up in personality what she lacks in good looks. Camilla actually has a hell of a good sense of humor. I imagine that sitting around and having some drinks with her would lead to some laughs."

What special gift did President Ronald Reagan send to Saddam Hussein by a special envoy in 1983?

A. A sword made of Damascus Steel
B. A pair of presidential cuff links
C. A small private jet
D. A silver M-16
F. A diamond tie bar
G. Golden cowboy spurs

Answer G
President Reagan sent Saddam Hussein a pair of golden cowboy spurs. The special envoy was Donald Rumsfeld.

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The Southern Calendar

OCTOBER

All month Octoberfest at Helen, Ga.
A German celebration in the Alpine Village of North Georgia. 800-858-8027
e-mail info@helenga.org http://www.helenga.org/

First weekend Rock Shrimp Festival at St. Marys, Ga.
A small town festival serving Rock Shrimp. Crafts, food, entertainment. On the coast on the Ga/Fla boundary. www.stmaryswelcome.com/events .

Mid October Biketoberfest at Daytona, Fla. www.biketoberfest.com & www.bketoberfest.org

Third weekend Alabama 500 at Talladega Superspeedway, Talladega, Ala. www.nascar.com

NOVEMBER

First Saturday Mule Day at Calvary, Ga.
A small town country festival. Mules, food, parade, arts & crafts etc. Located south of Cairo, Ga. (229- 377-3636). www.bainbridgegachamber.com click on festivals

Second weekend Battle of Secessionville, S.C.
A Civil War reenactment at Secessionville, S.C. The reenactment is at Boone Hall Plantation outside Charleston, S.C. E-mail marlow616@aol.com Reenactment info and history of the battle is part of the Civil War @ Charleston web site.

Saturday after Thanksgiving Swine Time at Climax, Ga.
A small town country festival serving all types of food including pork. Arts & crafts, 5-K run, parade entertainment. Climax, Ga. is located between Bainbridge and Thomasville, Ga. on Hwy. 84. (229-246-0910) www.swinetimefestival.com or www.bainbridgegachamber.com click on festivals

Register your town's festival with The Southern Calendar by sending your festival's information to apearson@ClarionIsh.com . Be sure to include place, date or weekend, a short description of the event, and a web site and email address where more information may be found.

TO PLACE YOUR TOWN’S EVENT ON THE SOUTHERN CALENDAR
Email the information to: apearson@ClarionIsh.com