------------------------------------------------------------ Household Gunowners' Digest Information, Tips, and Support for the Private Gun Owner ------------------------------------------------------------ March 11, 2002 Volume II, #3 ------------------------------------------------------------ Gwen S. Patton, Editor, wendy_lyn@unforgettable.com ------------------------------------------------------------ This is a FREE newsletter! Feel free to pass it along to friends, so long as you pass it along in its entirety. You are receiving this newsletter because you requested a subscription. Unsubscribe instructions are at the end of this newsletter. ------------------------------------------------------------ IN THIS ISSUE ------------------------------------------------------------ => Words from The Range Bag => Review: The Kel-Tec SUB-2000 Carbine by Gwen Patton => Feature: Revolvers in General and Specifically, the Taurus Model 85 Snub Nosed .38 Special Revolver by Mike Guffey => Political Aims => News from the Home Front - You Don't Have to Kill by K. Wheatley => Useful Websites => Submission Guidelines => Subscribe/Unsubscribe information ------------------------------------------------------------ Words from The Range Bag by Gwen Patton ------------------------------------------------------------ I find it amazing how far some people will go to avoid personal resposibility or risk in this day and age. It's amazing -- all of our greatest achievements have been the result of men and women taking risks, putting their necks on the line, going the extra yard, stepping beyond the edges of "safe" and into the realm of "dangerous" -- but our society seems to be totally and massively preoccupied with wrapping each and every one of us in the social equivalent of bubble-wrap. I saw an ad for a vacuum cleaner this morning that scared me. It literally made me afraid. It wasn't because the appliance was dangerous in some way -- it wasn't. It was because of a little line of fine print that flashed on the bottom of the screen. The commercial was for a "self-propelled" vacuum. You know, the kind that has a motor that helps move the vacuum along on the floor so you don't have to do all the work of pushing it? Not rocket science. For some reason, someone in the hierarchy decided that it was necessary to place the following disclaimer on the ad: "Appliance requires user direction." That's right. They needed a disclaimer to tell people that the vacuum didn't steer itself around the room. This means one of two things. Either a) their lawyers were afraid that someone would think "self-propelled" meant "robot", and would simply let the thing run uncontrolled around their house and get hurt, or b) this had *already happened*, and lawsuits had resulted, requiring the disclaimer to be added after the fact to prevent MORE lawsuits. The latter is scary enough. We've already heard about million-dollar hot coffee spills and other silliness. But the former is even scarier. It is a testimony to how stupid the legal profession thinks we are. And it is a self-fulfilling prophecy! Tell people they are helpless and need protection long enough, and they will start to believe it. Tell people that they are stupid and can't think for themselves long enough, and they will stop thinking. Tell people they need disclaimers on everything long enough, and they will become paranoid about responsibility, and will start to "disclaim" their responsiblity for anything. This opens up the door for others to "take care" of us. If someone disclaims their responsibility, someone ELSE must do it. If we do not protect ourselves from harm, either we will be harmed, or someone else must do it. That someone else is...the government. Recently, a Chicago court determined that gun manufacturers could be sued for damages accruing from the use of guns in crimes, on the basis that the large number of guns on the streets constituted a "public nuisance', and that the gun manufacturers wilfully and knowingly contributed to that nuisance. This is contrary to every other case in the country on this subject, and is contrary to all common sense. Is a steak knife manufacturer liable when a person kills someone with a steak knife? There are millions of steak knives out there, and thousands of murders have been committed with them! It is a bad precedent...and it puts the responsiblity in the wrong place. The responsiblity for crime should be on the criminal, not on his tools. But it is hard to chase criminals who hide, and easy to chase corporations that must publish their addresses. It is hard to win elections by locking up muggers, but easy to win them by publicly melting down piles of "evil guns". It is hard to get budget appropriations to crack down on murder and rape and assault, but it is easy to get appropriations to crack down on weapons...because everybody disclaims everything. The criminals disclaim. They say the gun made them do it. The liberals believe them. They say that guns make people evil. The government lets them do it because it wins them elections. Captain Kirk and his crew used to exclaim about the virtues of risk. They clamored for obstacles to overcome, mountains to climb, rivers to cross. They wouldn't gather laurel leaves for the Gods, couldn't live in captivity where every need would be met. They would die from too much happiness. They had to have that feeling of "Enterprise", or they would perish. We all used to feel that way, once. Risk was what we were all about. Searching, exploring, building. We took our chances, we worked hard, we did our best. But someone along the way decided that risk was bad -- we had to always be safe, and that we couldn't be trusted to do that for ourselves. We were too STUPID to handle it. We had to be taken CARE of. And we had to be convinced of it. Don't believe it. You CAN take charge of your own safety, your own defense. And it can start with not disclaiming your life away. There used to be a saying "the clothes don't make the man". But now, the disclaimer on the screen says "Results not typical." So be atypical. It's the atypical people who build worlds. --- Gwen Patton The Range Bag ------------------------------------------------------------ Review: The Kel-Tec SUB-2000 Carbine by Gwen Patton ------------------------------------------------------------ Sometimes, a gadget comes along that just makes you go OOOOH. For some, it's a nice car. For others, it's home electronics, or a fancy computer, or expensive jewelry. But for some of us, it's a cute gun. The Kel-Tec SUB-2000, for me, falls into that category. The thing is just too darling for words. It made me WANT one. An instructor brought his new baby to our January shoot and let us each run a couple of magazines through it. It was worth driving an hour in a blizzard to get to play with this sweet little gun. The SUB-2000 is a folding pistol-ammunition carbine with a polymer frame. You can order the SUB-2000 for different magazine types, able to accept any of a number of 9mm pistol magazines, including Glock. This is a useful feature if you already have a considerable investment in spare magazines for your automatic pistol. Initially, the SUB-2000 is available in 9mm only, but there are plans to market a .40 S&W version as well. The 4-pound weapon (unloaded weight) has a 16.1" barrel of SAE 4130 ordnance steel. When folded, it is only the length of the barrel, but when opened, is a comfortable 30 inches. The main safety, according to the technical specs, is of protected push bolt type, disconnnecting the trigger bar and interlocking the hammer and sear. It also has an internal keyed deployment lock for added storage safety. I found the weapon solid and secure in my hands. I find long guns difficult to use in most cases, as I am right-handed but have a left dominant eye. This means I usually either have to shoot left handed or right eyed and compensate my aim. The sights on the SUB-2000 are very good, with an aperture at the rear and a fluorescent blade at the front. I had no trouble holding a good sight picture at 25 yards (the limit of our indoor range) even right-eyed. They didn't need it, but the sights ARE adjustable. The magazine seats into the weapon's pistol-grip with a secure click, and the weapon loads a round into the chamber with very little effort. Even a person with small hands would have no trouble using this weapon, unlike some large automatic pistols, where the heavy slide can be hard for a small woman to rack. We fired Wolf steel-cased 9mm ammo with no trouble. The weapon handled the soft steel casings without difficulty, and no jams or other malfunctions. The recoil from this weapon is barely noticable, more of a light thump than anything else, and it scarcely affects the position of the barrel on the sight picture. I found it easy to "walk" a line of bullets across a paper target almost as if I were drawing with a pencil. I found myself reluctant to give up the weapon to the next person in line when my turn was over (who happened to be Maggie). At a list price of $383.00, this little gem is definitely going on our "must get" list! Kel-Tec SUB-2000 http://www.kel-tec.com/prod03.htm --- Gwen Patton Assistant Editor's Note: I found it tricky with the gun's tubular stock to get consistant placement of my eyepoint, but enjoyed shooting the gun, and I lust after one too. I wish I could have shot it more, but I wanted to get home before the storm got worse, and I am sure the eyepoint issue would resolve with a little practice. --- Maggie Leber ------------------------------------------------------------ Feature: Revolvers in General and Specifically, the Taurus Model 85 Snub Nosed .38 Special Revolver by Mike Guffey ------------------------------------------------------------ Many knowledgeable gun owners, even some of the "experts" say the revolver has fallen out of fashion. Not so. It is true that so- called six-guns (sometimes called wheelguns) are very similar to designs originating back in the 1800s. It is also true that from about 1950 until almost the end of the 20th Century, the basic designs of these guns changed very little. Many police departments have replaced service revolvers with higher capacity and larger caliber semi-automatic pistols. And it's also true that a larger and larger percentage of guns sold worldwide are magazine-fed semi-auto weapons typically capable of firing seven, ten, or more shots without reloading. Yet the manufacture and sale of easy-to-learn-and-load revolvers persists. The reason is the simplicity of design which transcends extra bells and whistles found on semi-auto firearms. The only two remaining "giants" of revolver manufacturing are American-owned Smith & Wesson (S&W) and American-based, Brazilian owned Taurus International of Miami, Florida. S&W has a long and well-earned reputation for manufacturing high quality and accurate firearms but events in recent years have caused some buyers to turn away from this handgun giant to other sources. (A long and controversial story.) Taurus began in Brazil as a subcontractor for Beretta Arms using their stamps and dies to make Beretta pistols. The two companies split and Taurus for a few years produced ersatz Berettas with the old dies and machinery. Gradually, Taurus began the design and manufacture of its own line of handguns. In recent years it has been earning a reputation for a quality product which is as durable and as accurate as its competitors. Today, Taurus offers a lifetime warranty on its products. This brand especially makes sense for the home buyer because pricing on comparable models falls well below S&W products and because "street" prices typically are more deeply discounted from retail than S&W's. Most "experts," even those using only semi-automatic pistols for their own use, agree that revolvers are typically a best first choice for a novice or single weapon self-defense gun owner. This is especially so when other family members will get trained in the use, care and firing of only one self-defense weapon. While there are still a few good buys in used revolvers, second hand gun pricing has stayed inflated since the September 11th tragedy of last year. That means a new handgun is often not much more expensive than a used one. There is a second important reason new revolvers may be a better choice. It is the integral locks built in by Taurus (and also by S&W). Such locks prevent the hammer and trigger from moving but will allow a revolver to be loaded or unloaded. The locks are engaged/disengaged using small keys provided when the weapon is purchased. These locks are not large and cumbersome secondary attachments that will fall from disuse when their novelty wears off. They are part of the firearm. [Taurus internal lock image, or link thereto here. view at http://thearmedcitizen.com/tau85key.jpg ] One of the most popular lines of modern revolvers is currently the Taurus Model 85 line which is available in a variety of configurations and weights. They all are five shot capacity, all have two inch barrels and all are .38 Special caliber (and capable of firing the +P hot loads). At the "bottom end" of this model line is the steel-framed Taurus 85 revolver. It has the lowest price with new-in-box (NIB) models found in the price range of $250-$300. For service exclusively as a home-defense handgun which will not be carried concealed it is probably the best buy. The steel frame helps somewhat in absorbing the recoil as the gun is fired. This is not so important in regard to self-defense as it is in practice firing at the range where hand-jarring high impact recoil can become very tiring. [Taurus Ultralite image, or link thereto here. view at http://thearmedcitizen.com/m85ul.jpg ] The Taurus 85 is also produced in a noticeably lighter aluminum frame model which, if carried concealed, is a very desirable feature. The NIB pricing on this version is in the $280-$350 price range. As accurate and durable as the steel frame model, the Ultralite is often reported as being little more punishing due to recoil when fired repeatedly at the range than the heavier steel frame version. Such reports seem to be the result of range firing along side a comparable steel framed model. The Taurus standard factory rubber grips do a very good job in keeping up with and helping absorb the recoil (on either the steel frame or the Ultralite). For the purposes of this review, a Taurus Ultralite was taken to the range and fired along with a S&W steel framed Model 36 (an extremely similar firearm) with Pachmayr aftermarket compact grips (which are very similar in appearance to the Taurus factory rubber grips). The two pistols were comparable in accuracy. [S&W Model 36 and Model 85 Ultralite nose-to-nose image here. view at http://thearmedcitizen.com/nose.jpg ] Practical experience indicated that the S&W would have less jarring recoil due to the inertia of its heavier steel frame. Instead, the Taurus with its great rubber grips was easier and less punishing to shoot. The hammer spur was not as harsh on the thumb. The recoil of the Taurus was even a little better than the S&W model 36. The other Taurus model 85's include hammerless, titanium framed, and even gold-trimmed models. None shoot any better than the Ultralite and there is no standout extra benefit to owning the more expensive titanium models for the typical civilian user. Though a few dollars more expensive than the basic model, this review judges the Ultralite Model 85 the best buy of this model line for home defense where concealed carry may be needed. For users whose accuracy with a two inch barrel needs improvement or may simply be poor, there is the option of purchasing an aftermarket laser sight which is integrated into a set of grips similar to the original grips supplied by Taurus. Such an addition allows offhand point of aim shooting to a target "painted" by the small red laser beam. The pricing on such grips varies. Many retail gun stores sell the laser grips at $239 or higher but they can be found on the Internet at less than $200. Further information on Taurus model 85 revolvers and Crimson Trace laser sights can be found at http://thearmedcitizen.com/gunpages/model85.htm and the manufacturer's website is at http://www.taurususa.com SUMMARY Ultralite Ratings, scale of 0 (unacceptable) to 5 (best available) ------------------------------------------------------------------ Pricing, new 5 Finished quality 4.5 Accuracy, 2" barrel 4.5 (as compared to other 2" revolvers) CCW weight 4.5 (only the more expensive Titanium frames are better) Standard grip comfort 5 Aftermarket accessories 5 (holsters, laser sights, etc.) Scratch resistance 4 Durability 4 (as compared to Titanium frame models) The author of this article, Mike Guffey, is the webmaster of http://thearmedcitizen.com, Online Data for the Informed Armed Citizen, a website oriented to providing information for new, novice or potential owners of handguns for self-defense. ------------------------------------------------------------ Political Aims ------------------------------------------------------------ DELL AND OUR RIGHT TO ARMS This week has seen a great deal of discussion on the Internet and via e-mail regarding the Dell Computer Corporation. It all started when the president of the American Pistolsmiths Guild, Inc., Jack Weigand of Weigand Combat Handguns, Inc., attempted to order a Dell notebook computer. But Dell had implemented a screening process (in the wake of the terrorist attacks of September 11) that included holding up orders to companies with certain words in their name. This screening process was designed to better ensure compliance with federal export laws. One of those words is "combat," and Mr. Weigand`s order was cancelled in the screening process, pending a follow-up by company staff. But in the case of Mr. Weigand, no such follow-up occurred, and when the concerned customer called Dell, he was told his order was cancelled. Mr Weigand naturally became concerned that Dell was opposed to the firearms industry. When NRA became aware of this situation, we contacted Dell, and the company has been very responsive to our concerns. It also quickly contacted Mr. Weigand to offer an apology and an explanation as to why his order had been cancelled. Dell representatives have shown a genuine concern over the implication that it takes a position in the debate over firearms, and it has gone to great lengths to assure NRA, and Mr.Weigand, that the company is not interested in taking sides in this political discussion. Additional concerns have been raised over Dell`s affiliation with a little-known online fundraising program called EduOrg.com -- set up to help raise money for colleges, interest groups, and other non-profit organizations. The group has established separate websites to assist "educational institutions...politically conservative organizations, and...politically liberal organizations." The concern over Dell stems from the fact that it is included as part of EduOrg.com`s online virtual shopping mall, and one of the non-profit groups that could profit through EduOrg.com is the gun-ban lobby formerly known as "Handgun Control, Inc." (While HCI has officially changed its name, EduOrg.com, through its "politically liberal organizations" site, still lists the group under its old name.) When contacted about this, Dell officials stated they were looking into this partnership, but it should also be pointed out that Dell did not choose to be listed on HCI`s section, as it is simply automatically listed on the site of any organization that gets involved with this online fundraising system. In fact, one can also find Dell listed on all of the sites under the conservative heading. Such "affinity" programs have become commonplace in the era of the Internet, and generally do not reflect any given political bent on the part of participating vendors when they do not specifically benefit a single group or cause. NRA will continue to explore these issues, but it would appear that Dell as a corporation does not support an anti-gun agenda, as some have been reporting. Rest assured that we will continue to report on any developments on this front. ***BUSH ADMINISTRATION TO PILOTS: LEARN KARATE http://www.americanpolicy.org/ A Publication of the American Policy Center Tom DeWeese, President Peyton Knight, Editor 98 Alexandria Pike, Suite 43 Warrenton, VA 20186 540-341-8911 FAX: 540-341-8917 apc@americanpolicy.org Against all logic, senior officials in the Bush Administration refuse to allow commercial airline pilots to arm themselves. Recently, Norman Mineta, Transportation Secretary and Clinton holdover, stated that he opposed allowing trained pilots to carry firearms, and instead offered that they use stun guns. That a liberal like our disgraced Transportation Secretary is illogically against proper security measures that would prevent the next 9/11, is no surprise. However, it is somewhat shocking that Vietnam Veteran and Director of Homeland Security, Tom Ridge, is also opposed to pilots having guns! I don't think we want to equip our pilots with firearms, said Ridge. That doesn't make a lot of sense to me. Okay, Mr. Ridge, then please explain how much sense it makes to tell pilots, many of whom are ex-military, and are trusted with guiding hundreds of people, thousands of feet above the earth, that the next time they are confronted with five hijackers, their only option is for one pilot to wave a stun gun at them, while the other pilot throws peanuts. Thankfully, the Airline Pilots Association (APA) is not taking this absurdity lying down. They are desperately urging Congress to pass legislation allowing pilots to carry firearms in cockpits. Association spokesman, John Mazor, logically points out: Before September 11, on balance it was thought that guns brought more risk than benefit to the cockpit. But that was before; the cockpit has to be defended at all costs. The pilot must be prepared to kill a cockpit intruder. It seems such logic is lost on the Minetas and the Ridges who care less about real security measures, and more about political correctness. **Action to Take** 1. Call both of your Senators and your House Representative and urge them to pass legislation allowing pilots to arm themselves. Senate Switchboard: (202) 224-3121. House Switchboard: (202) 225-3121. 2. Call Transportation Secretary Norman Mineta and Homeland Security Director Tom Ridge. Tell them that now is NOT the time for touchy-feely political correctness! Americans deserve the real airline security that armed pilots would provide! Flood them with faxes and phone calls! Norman Minetas Phone: (202) 366-1111, Fax: (202) 366-7952. Tom Ridges Phone (White House Comment Line): (202) 456-6213, Fax: (202) 456-2461. ------------------------------------------------------------ News from the Home Front - You Don't Have to Kill by K. Wheatley ------------------------------------------------------------ You need to know how this came about, why I did what I did. It happens more often than not. More often than people ever let on, more often than is reported. I never thought it would come to this, that I would be put in to this position? It all started back in March of '94. I started dating a person who was all wrong for me (as they usually are). You know how that is, the parents don't like them, none of your friends like them, there's something just off kilter, but you can't quite put your finger on it. The only real history you know is that you just can't figure out why their ex wanted them to leave. After all, who in their right mind would let this perfect person go? Things were good for a while, and things moved along quite quickly -- including living together within 3 months and talking about life commitments. Little did I know the monster that was dormant inside. Buying a double-barrel shotgun for his birthday turned out to be the biggest mistake. After we moved in together and started the whole co-habitation process, the fighting began -- nothing was ever good enough. Quite often, the night would end in fights with the shotgun being pointed at me. For some odd reason, I stuck this out every night for almost three years. The drinking, the fighting, the cursing, the drugs, the beating, the shooting at things just for fun. Why I stayed, to this day, I still don't know. When it finally got to the point where I had decided I had had enough, I gathered all my things and left. I thought I was rid of the bastard, I hadn't heard from him in about 10 months when low and behold, out of the blue I received the dreaded phone call. "I miss you, I need you, please come back." I told him if he had anything to say, then he need to come say it to my face -- I was not the same scared little girl that he had beaten. After I told him to be a man and come face to face with me, his tune changed. He immediately went to anger and scapegoat mode. If I hadn't done this -- if I hadn't done that, he never would have hit me. Finally he blurted out that he was going to come kill me. I told him fine, just hurry up. I calmly walked to the dresser in which my father kept his gun. Knowing that it was going to be either him or me, I wanted my new best friend by my side. My father had just gotten a Glock-9 and showed me how to load it, in case anything happened to him or my mother. I pulled the shiny gun out of the drawer and retrieved the ammo from another drawer. I went down the hall and out the front door to wait for whatever was going to happen. About 3 hours after the phone call, the psycho ex pulled into my yard and jumped out of his car yelling that he was going to kill me. I was on the porch with my hand behind my back holding the gun. He kept repeating that phrase over and over at the top of his lungs. The neighbors came out of their house and told us that they had called the police. My ex then told them that it didn't matter; all they needed to call was the morgue. He went back to the car and leaned down into it. When he came back up, he had the shotgun in his hands -- the same shotgun that I had given him for his birthday, the same shotgun that had been pointed at me before, night after night. He walked towards me, the gun staring at me. Never before had I felt so scared as I did at that moment. He told me he was going to kill me as he kept coming closer. He kept coming until he was about 5 feet from me. He asked me if I had any last words. I told him I did. He said to hurry up and say them because he was going to kill me. It was at that point that I brought my hand out from behind my back and pointed the Glock at him. I told him "not if I kill you first." He just stood there and looked at me, eyes wide open, jaw hanging. I don't know who was more frightened, him or me. He told me that I had better use that gun and not miss, because if I did he was going to kill me. I didn't have a choice in the matter, it was either him or me and he didn't deserve to live. I told him that he needed to trust me that I wouldn't miss. As he was yelling at me to shoot him, I looked down the barrel of the gun at his eyes -- I said fine. I don't know what made me do it, but I shot past him. I don't know if he actually would have killed me, I know he had tried before, but I am glad I didn't find out. The reason: the shock of me actually pulling the trigger and the bullet whizzing past him caused him to faint. I am glad I didn't have to take his life, although I am not the only one that feels he shouldn't have it. Knowing that I could have killed him gave me a feeling of empowerment. Knowing that I saved my life by firing a gun made me elated. Combine that, and you have a girl who was happy her daddy always made sure she knew where the gun was. --- K. Wheatley (Editor's Note: I am deeply glad that Ms. Wheatley did not have to kill, and that she is safe. It is gratifiying that her ex fainted when her Glock went off, sparing her from that necessity, but our readers should not depend on that circumstance for themselves, and should gauge their situations accordingly. While the vast majority of assaults result in "scare-offs" when a gun is produced, you cannot RELY on that happening, and must be ready to take the actions you feel warranted, even if it actually requires shooting your assailant.) ------------------------------------------------------------ Useful Websites ------------------------------------------------------------ In the wake of the Dell vs. Jack Weigand case, and other anti-gun cases looming on the horizon, it is a good idea to know who you are dealing with. If it matters to you as a gun owner who you are supporting with your dollars, here are lists of companies, organizations, and people who have professed decidedly anti-gun stances or policies. The only caveat I will make is in regard to the last link: GEICO is on each of the first three links, but the last seems to clearly exonerate them. I tend to agree. I do not count a company as anti-gun unless they actively lobby AGAINST gun ownership. Simply being neutral does not count as anti-gun in my book. A car insurance company (or a computer company) is not in the business of lobbying for our gun rights -- *we* should be. -=-=-=-=-=-=- Anti-Gun Coalition of America - Corporations http://www.bitsnet.com/agca/corps.htm Anti-Gun Organizations, Companies & People http://secondamendmentstuff.com/antigun_org.htm Pink Pistols List of Anti-Gun Orgs, Companies, Products & People http://www.pinkpistols.org/antigun.html Second Amendment Sisters - You Decide Page http://www.sas-aim.org/anti/youdecide.htm ------------------------------------------------------------ Submission Guidelines ------------------------------------------------------------ Household Gunowners' Digest is intended for the person who owns a firearm for personal protection, or for the protection of their family or loved ones. We are always looking for feature articles that address the needs of the everyday person who owns, or is looking to own, a personal firearm. We are not looking for articles geared towards hunting, law enforcement, or military applications. For complete guidelines, please see http://www.voicenet.com/~ardrhi/hgd-submit.html ------------------------------------------------------------ Copyright 2001 Gwendolyn S. Patton, Jeffersonville, PA. All Rights Reserved. Newsletter may be freely shared between individuals, provided that it is shared in toto. For reprinting of individual articles, please contact the editorial staff. ------------------------------------------------------------ To subscribe, send an email to: hgd-home-subscribe@yahoogroups.com To unsubscribe, send an email to: hgd-home-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com Or subscribe through our home page at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hgd-home HGD has an open discussion group. All subscribers are welcome to participate. To subscribe, send an email to: hgd-discuss-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Or subscribe through our home page at: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hgd-discuss ------------------------------------------------------------ Household Gunowners' Digest is a publication of: Revolution Earth Press 163 N. Whitehall Rd Jeffersonville, PA 19403 610-630-9862 Editor-in-Chief: Gwendolyn S. Patton wendy_lyn@unforgettable.com Assistant Editor: Margaret S. Leber maggie@voicenet.com http://www.revolutionearthpress.com