Sunday, May 11, 2003
Now that we have started to make Iraq our 51st state. They will need a constitution. Let's review our own Constitution.
Our Constitution
"The Constitution was adopted by a convention of the States on September 17, 1787, and was subsequently ratified by the several States, on the following dates: Delaware, December 7, 1787; Pennsylvania, December 12, 1787; New Jersey, December 18, 1787; Georgia, January 2, 1788; Connecticut, January 9, 1788; Massachusetts, February 6, 1788; Maryland, April 28, 1788; South Carolina, May 23, 1788; New Hampshire, June 21, 1788.
Ratification was completed on June 21, 1788."
Over all the 216 years, since its inception. there has been a tremendous amount of discussion and legislation to improve it. It only seems right that we should let Iraq use it. They have already started to adopted certain aspects of it already. Take the Second Amendment, Iraq has really taken that one to heart, and Bush has provided the new NRA chapter a big boost.
New Iraq NRA Chapters
Bagdad and other cities in Iraq are almost as heavily armed as Detroit in the summertime. There is opportunity in chaos, look at what has happened in Iraq. Gun merchant Odai al-Rubbai would like to thank the US-led coalition, not for Iraq's liberation from Saddam Hussein, but for all the civil disorder that followed.
''Business is booming!'' said Rubbai, 32, who does brisk business selling stolen weapons to a panicked citizenry in the capital city. ''It is the law of the jungle out there now.''
Guns, whether AK-47s nabbed from looted armories or Berettas heisted from private collections, have flooded Iraq in recent weeks, stolen by thieves, resold to gun dealers, and then purchased by anxious families seeking a way to protect themselves.
The thefts of weapons also mean that Baghdad's criminal underworld is better armed than the city's police force.
''The biggest problem facing Baghdad is security,'' said Baghdad's new police chief, Zubair al-Nuaimy, who recounted how two officers were killed and two others injured in a recent shoot-out with gun thieves. ''Our policemen now only carry a pistol. I'd like them to have machine guns.''
Now, as one dealer noted wryly, ''the Ministry of Interior no longer exists.'' There are thousands of guns available, because of the regime's decision to hide caches of weapons in civilian areas so that residents could fight the incoming US troops. Instead, looters ripped open the boxes of weapons after the troops arrived, flooding the gun market.
Fleeing Iraqi soldiers also added to the mix. Dealers say some troops were so desperate that they traded their weapons for civilian clothes.
In the cluttered and dirty streets of Baghdad's black market, Kalashnikovs, the most readily available gun and the weapon of choice, sell for about $50. Beretta pistols cost $200. But nearly every kind of weapon and ammunition is for sale, from bullets to rocket-propelled grenades to bazookas to machine guns.
6-year-old children display boxes of bullets, while their fathers - nearly all former criminals released from prison this year by Hussein - show off their guns. This closely follows NRA's long time focus on Youth.
NRA Youth mission
Past NRA President Marion Hammer introduced her 10-year-old grandson Michael, stating, "I know that when NRA reaches out and takes the hand of a child, we are touching America's future." Hammer also outlined the NRA's agenda to "invest" in America's youth, win their "hearts and minds," and ensure the organization's longevity" "I pledge to you to dedicate my term in office to two demanding missions. One is building an NRA bridge to America's youth. The other is being fiscally far-sighted to provide for bold new programs that will teach America's children values to last a lifetime." This mission statement can easily be transferred to Iraqi youth.
The NRA has integrated this youth movement into their agenda. The annual NRA meeting in Philadelphia, includes items for sale such as NRA bibs (as seen on this report's cover) and infant sleepwear, as well as a full line of products featuring its Eddie Eagle mascot, from children's backpacks to plush toys. Now that is adorable! The perfect gift for little urchins, and there are a lot of them in Iraq.
Family NRA Members in Iraq
''You can't see an Iraqi family without a gun,'' said Hasim al-Nassiny, the director general of preventive medicine at the Ministry of Health. ''Even 10-year-old children have guns.''
You Can't Take Our Guns Away! I'll call Tom Selleck!
''I think we should buy them all back,'' he said. ''But we are unable to do this, so maybe we should wait for the allies to help us, or wait until a new government here is elected.''
But Rubbai, the gun dealer, laughs at the idea. The illegal gun trade will stay until Iraq's political future is clearer, he said. ''In these times, I don't believe people will ever deliver guns up,'' he said. ''And if they do, they will just hand over a few - and keep the rest.''
Now if that doesn't sound like a true NRA member, than I don't know what does.
Charleston Heston at NRA's 1997 annual meeting in Seattle Washington
AK-47.net Trust the People
U.S. Constitution
NRA Website
Our Constitution
"The Constitution was adopted by a convention of the States on September 17, 1787, and was subsequently ratified by the several States, on the following dates: Delaware, December 7, 1787; Pennsylvania, December 12, 1787; New Jersey, December 18, 1787; Georgia, January 2, 1788; Connecticut, January 9, 1788; Massachusetts, February 6, 1788; Maryland, April 28, 1788; South Carolina, May 23, 1788; New Hampshire, June 21, 1788.
Ratification was completed on June 21, 1788."
Over all the 216 years, since its inception. there has been a tremendous amount of discussion and legislation to improve it. It only seems right that we should let Iraq use it. They have already started to adopted certain aspects of it already. Take the Second Amendment, Iraq has really taken that one to heart, and Bush has provided the new NRA chapter a big boost.
New Iraq NRA Chapters
Bagdad and other cities in Iraq are almost as heavily armed as Detroit in the summertime. There is opportunity in chaos, look at what has happened in Iraq. Gun merchant Odai al-Rubbai would like to thank the US-led coalition, not for Iraq's liberation from Saddam Hussein, but for all the civil disorder that followed.
''Business is booming!'' said Rubbai, 32, who does brisk business selling stolen weapons to a panicked citizenry in the capital city. ''It is the law of the jungle out there now.''
Guns, whether AK-47s nabbed from looted armories or Berettas heisted from private collections, have flooded Iraq in recent weeks, stolen by thieves, resold to gun dealers, and then purchased by anxious families seeking a way to protect themselves.
The thefts of weapons also mean that Baghdad's criminal underworld is better armed than the city's police force.
''The biggest problem facing Baghdad is security,'' said Baghdad's new police chief, Zubair al-Nuaimy, who recounted how two officers were killed and two others injured in a recent shoot-out with gun thieves. ''Our policemen now only carry a pistol. I'd like them to have machine guns.''
Now, as one dealer noted wryly, ''the Ministry of Interior no longer exists.'' There are thousands of guns available, because of the regime's decision to hide caches of weapons in civilian areas so that residents could fight the incoming US troops. Instead, looters ripped open the boxes of weapons after the troops arrived, flooding the gun market.
Fleeing Iraqi soldiers also added to the mix. Dealers say some troops were so desperate that they traded their weapons for civilian clothes.
In the cluttered and dirty streets of Baghdad's black market, Kalashnikovs, the most readily available gun and the weapon of choice, sell for about $50. Beretta pistols cost $200. But nearly every kind of weapon and ammunition is for sale, from bullets to rocket-propelled grenades to bazookas to machine guns.
6-year-old children display boxes of bullets, while their fathers - nearly all former criminals released from prison this year by Hussein - show off their guns. This closely follows NRA's long time focus on Youth.
NRA Youth mission
Past NRA President Marion Hammer introduced her 10-year-old grandson Michael, stating, "I know that when NRA reaches out and takes the hand of a child, we are touching America's future." Hammer also outlined the NRA's agenda to "invest" in America's youth, win their "hearts and minds," and ensure the organization's longevity" "I pledge to you to dedicate my term in office to two demanding missions. One is building an NRA bridge to America's youth. The other is being fiscally far-sighted to provide for bold new programs that will teach America's children values to last a lifetime." This mission statement can easily be transferred to Iraqi youth.
The NRA has integrated this youth movement into their agenda. The annual NRA meeting in Philadelphia, includes items for sale such as NRA bibs (as seen on this report's cover) and infant sleepwear, as well as a full line of products featuring its Eddie Eagle mascot, from children's backpacks to plush toys. Now that is adorable! The perfect gift for little urchins, and there are a lot of them in Iraq.
Family NRA Members in Iraq
''You can't see an Iraqi family without a gun,'' said Hasim al-Nassiny, the director general of preventive medicine at the Ministry of Health. ''Even 10-year-old children have guns.''
You Can't Take Our Guns Away! I'll call Tom Selleck!
''I think we should buy them all back,'' he said. ''But we are unable to do this, so maybe we should wait for the allies to help us, or wait until a new government here is elected.''
But Rubbai, the gun dealer, laughs at the idea. The illegal gun trade will stay until Iraq's political future is clearer, he said. ''In these times, I don't believe people will ever deliver guns up,'' he said. ''And if they do, they will just hand over a few - and keep the rest.''
Now if that doesn't sound like a true NRA member, than I don't know what does.
Charleston Heston at NRA's 1997 annual meeting in Seattle Washington
AK-47.net Trust the People
U.S. Constitution
NRA Website
# posted by Thomas @ 12:01 AM 
