I just wanted to alert you to this story, because you will probably be hearing about it soon from gun owners.
There is a rumor,
maybe more than a rumor -- a movement, of sorts -- saying that the United
Nations is plotting to take guns away from their owners on July 4. (See international coverage of this story.)
"That's crazy," you might say. Well, U.N. officials are getting
buried in mail and e-mail. And more is on the way. Probably a LOT more.
The National Rifle Association is feeding this protest against the U.N. You can click here to see a message from Wayne LaPierre, executive vice president of the NRA. LaPierre
claims the U.N. wants to pass a global treaty "to ban civilian ownership of
firearms -- including yours." He urges NRA members to send harsh letters
of protest to the U.N.
Here is what is at the center of all of this. From June 26 through July 7 in New York City, a
conference called "The U.N. Conference to Review Progress Made in the
Implementation of the Programme of Action to Prevent, Combat and
Eradicate the Illicit Trade in Small Arms and Light Weapons in All Its Aspects" will meet. This is the committee's Web site. Here is the U.N.'s disarmament resources page.
And this is the U.S. State Department's take, hardly alarmist, on the whole matter. The State Department characterizes the
committee as one that focuses on the illicit sale of arms globally. In fact,
the State Department will participate in the conference. The State Department says:
The ready
availability of military-grade [Small Arms/Light Weapons] to weak
and failing states, criminals and terrorists in the latter half of the
20th century contributed to conflicts and lawlessness that
collectively threatened lives, social stability, and the rule of law on
a scale heretofore caused by major conventional wars. Countless
millions have become refugees or otherwise displaced from their homes
as a result of the conflicts exacerbated by illicit trafficking in and
ineffective national controls over SA/LW. Such illicit trafficking also
has had deleterious effects on nations that are at peace. At the outset
of the 21st century, these conditions still affect many nations.
Anti-gun-violence activists have also weighed in. The Coalition to Stop Gun Violence, for instance, has created a number of rebuttal documents [PDF], attempting to debunk [.doc file] the NRA's claims.
This was the Web site of the U.N. committee's 2005 meeting on the topic. Here is the site for this year's conference.
This sort of thing has come up before.
Lifeguard Shortage
Is this true where you live?
I keep seeing stories about a shortage of lifeguards across the country:
"Lifeguard shortage curtails pool hours"
The News-Journal (Longview, Texas) -- May 27, 2006
Longview's Ingram Pool won't be open full time because of a shortage of lifeguards, city officials said Friday.
"Beaches to see post-holiday lifeguard shortage"
The San Diego Union-Tribune -- May 26, 2006
"Lifeguard Shortage at Water World"
WTVY (Dothan, Ala.) -- May 26, 2006
"At the Shallow End of the Lifeguard Pool"
The Washington Post -- June 21, 2006
A
lifeguard shortage has left many pools in the Washington area
scrambling to fill their deck chairs just as peak swimming season
begins.
"Pool fills need for lifeguards"
Palladium-Item (Richmond, Ind.) -- June 16, 2006
"Is Cordell short on lifeguards?"
Palladium-Item (Richmond, Ind.) -- June 14, 2006
...
The lifeguard shortage at Cordell Municipal Pool could lead to closing
the pool on Mondays, according to the parks board's meeting agenda.
"The lost sport"
The Times and Democrat (Orangeburg, S.C.) -- June 19, 2006
The Washington Post says:
Getting
paid to sit at the pool with friends while perfecting a tan used to be
the premier summer gig for high school and college students. But with
many feeling increased pressure to have an office job on their resume,
lifeguarding has suffered a blow to its reputation.
A lifeguard shortage has left many pools in the Washington
area scrambling to fill their deck chairs just as peak swimming season
begins. D.C. public pools opened Monday with about 140 lifeguards, far
below the aquatics department's goal of 250, which it had no trouble
reaching three years ago.
The American Red Cross warned of a coming lifeguard shortage five years ago, saying:
There are several
reasons for the lifeguard shortage, including competition from better
paying and less strenuous jobs, fear of skin cancer and too few
qualified swimmers, according to employers at pools and beaches.
In New York City,
the shortage is blamed on a general decrease in people who participate
in swimming classes at all levels. To prevent this problem and prepare
younger generations for lifeguarding, the American Red Cross designed GuardStart,
for 11- to 14-year olds interested in eventually becoming lifeguards.
The age requirement for receiving a lifeguard certificate is 15.
An increase of
aquatic amusement parks, with multiple attractions such as waterslides
and wave pools that require huge lifeguard staffs, is also blamed for
the shortage. The number of water amusement centers across the United
States has more than doubled in the past five years to exceed 900,
according to the World Waterpark Association.
As the demand for
lifeguards increases, the rate of people being certified has remained
constant, according to the Red Cross, which has trained an average of
190,000 lifeguards annually over the last few years.
Some other resources:
Pruned Trees Endure Storms Better
The Naples (Fla.) Daily News
reports on a scientific study about how pruned trees fared better against strong winds than those that were not cut back.
Post-Storm Depression & Suicides
Here is a question worth considering. What mental health plan does your community have as part of its storm preparation?
The New York Times reports:
New Orleans is experiencing what appears to be a near epidemic of depression and post-traumatic stress disorders, one that mental health experts say is of an intensity rarely seen in the United States. It is contributing to a suicide
rate that state and local officials describe as close to triple what it
was before Hurricane Katrina struck and the levees broke 10 months ago.
States' New Problem: Budget Surplus
Only four states in the country are running budget deficits. Every other one is looking at a tax surplus this year.
The Los Angeles Times says:
Kentucky gave teachers 10 percent raises, Utah founded an institute for
science research, and Florida bought a 71,000-acre ranch to be set
aside as open space. North Carolina plans to spend more on
mental-health care. Many states like California,
which has not adopted its budget yet, are paying down debt used to
balance the books during the recession at the start of the decade.
There's so much excess money that some states like Arizona
have argued over how big of a tax cut to grant residents. A recent
survey of state budgets found that $1.4 billion in income-tax cuts have
been proposed nationwide.
"States are enjoying the best fiscal situation they've seen in five years," said Arturo Perez, an analyst with the National Conference of State Legislatures in Denver.
But state financial
officials aren't celebrating yet. Much of the new money comes not from
higher wages of taxpayers, but from less sustainable sources, such as
the super-heated housing market, skyrocketing corporate income taxes or
taxes on investment gains earned by richer citizens.
The story adds:
Several legislatures have chosen to spend money on one-time costs,
such as repairing roads or patching up government buildings. North
Carolina,
which is still finalizing its budget, plans to dedicate $200 million
from its $1-billion surplus to roadwork. It also proposes to double
the size of its reserve fund, to $620 million.
Here are some more resources you might find useful:
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Editor's Note: Al's Morning Meeting is a compendium of ideas,
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as well as original concepts and analysis. When the information comes
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