The Times and Democrat from Orangeburg, South Carolina • 6

(ZHteUJitnesand 19, Opinion Page 6A, Orangeburg, S.C., Friday, December 9, 1994 ettiocrat Reese Disagreeing with this Brady bunch the bell but, gosh, you don't have to be in Mensa to figure out that rape and robbery are a lot easier to commit if victims are unarmed. I suspect about the last thing a rapist would want to do is to bend down to drop his drawers and then look up into the barrel of a .45. 1 bet he would go limp all over. At any rate, it's too bad that the warped logic and fantasies of the gun control crowd aren't true. Not only would I like to see a cheap solution to the crime problem, but I'd also love to play the piano without all that bother of lessons, scales and practice.

I'm tempted to buy a piano and see if it will make me become a musician the way the Brady bunch believes guns make people become criminals. I'm tempted, but I won't because I already have a guitar and a recorder and neither of them has yet forced me to become a musician. Either I'm short on faith or the Brady bunch is on the wrong side of the bell, too. Charley Reese is a member of the editorial board and is an editorial columnist for the Orlando Sentinel. pistol comes walking into the living room and says, "Get your lazy rear off that couch and go rob a 7-Eleven." "Ah, The Simpsons' are on," the innocent persons tells his gun.

"Besides, I got five more cans of beer in the fridge. I don't need to go to the 7-Eleven. Get back in the closet and leave me alone." "IH leave you alone all right," the irate pistol says, cocking itself. "If you don't get off that couch and go commit a crime right now, I'm going to put one in your ear." "Yes, sir, Mr. Pistol," the poor frightened youth says.

"My Sunday school teacher and my mamma both told me not to steal, but I guess I got no choice." "That's right. You have no choice," says the magic pistol. "Sara Brady expects me to make you commit a crime, and I'm not about to disappoint that lady. She has even talked the medical profession into declaring a crime to be a disease, and so you have to be the germ. Now put me in your pocket and let's go rob that store." By CHARLEY REESE If the logic of the gun control crowd is correct, then I should be able to become a musician by buying a piano and putting it in the living room.

Who knows, if" I stare at it long enough, I may suddenly be transformed into another Jose Iturbi or at least a Harry Connick. If mere ownership of a firearm can cause crime, then I don't know why ownership of a piano can't cause music. On the other hand, I have owned saws, drills, straightedges and hammers for a number of years, and I've yet to become a carpenter; I've owned wrenches and washers and not become a plumber; I've even owned paints and pencils and not become an artist. Maybe these people who are turned into criminals by an inanimate object know some magic that I don't. Maybe their guns, unlike my guns, are magic.

Perhaps these people are sitting around on the couch, watching TV and sipping a beer, when their Now if such a scene popped into my mind, I'd make some black coffee and swear off bourbon the way I swore off gin 30 years ago. Sara Brady and her happy band of gun controllers actually it's people they intend to control must be used to having strange and weird little scenes floating between their ears. Otherwise, I can see no reason why the gun control crowd would pursue inanimate objects with the fury of Cotton Mather going after witches. After all, the United States already has over 26,000 gun control laws and regulations, and there is no legitimate study anywhere that shows that gun control laws have any effect on crime. Au contraire, as the wonderful French folks would say, those cities with the toughest gun control laws generally have the highest violent crime rates.

One explanation could be that criminals in those cities know that the odds are high that their victims will be unarmed. I know Charlie Murray in "The Bell Curve" says most criminals are on the slow slope of iEljej tmCH Editorials emorrat Established in 1881 Published by Sunbelt Newspapers, Inc. 211 Broughton S.E., Orangeburg, Dean B. Livingston Publisher LeeHarter Cathy C. Hughes Ken Tyler Editor Advertising Director Chief Photographer Chris Janes Georgianne Walton Charles Garrick Circulation Director Office Manager Pressroom Foreman "Were it left to me to decide whether we should have a government without newspapers or newspapers without a government, I should not hesitate to prefer the latter." Thomas Jefferson Focus on 'unsolved mystery' South Carolina, nation to learn tonight about the Roy Caffey case Anderson Delicate balancing act Al Simpson had done a good job for me.

I didn't see any reason why he shouldn't be re-elected," Dole said. Lott said he is not seeking the majority leader's job and pledged he would work with Dole and not against him despite the backdrop of presidential politics. "Bob Dole is the majority leader. I'm pledged to him. I looked at him and said, Tou're the leader.

You're my Lott said. "We love Bob Dole. Without Bob Dole, we wouldn't be in the majority." Retiring GOP Sen. John Danforth of Missouri said Lott's selection will pull Dole further to the right as he acts as leader for the 53 Republican senators. "If a majority of them are of one persuasion in the Republican Party, he's going to have to speak to that constituency and lead that constituency," Danforth said By CURT ANDERSON Associated Press Writer WASHINGTON Bob Dole, chosen Friday by fellow Senate Republicans for his second stint as majority leader, faces a balancing act as he mulls another try for the White House.

"Everybody knows it won't be easy," said Sen. Trent Lott of Mississippi, who was chosen as Dole's chief deputy. "He knows it better than anybody." Complications abound for the 71-year-old Kansan, who has been minority leader for eight years. There's the conservative, aggressive GOP leadership in the House led by incoming Speaker Newt Gingrich of Georgia, who has never been a Dole ally. There's a stronger conservative wing of Republican senators led by a potential presidential rival, Phil Gramm of lexas.

One of those conservatives is Lott, who defeated Alan Simpson of Wyoming, Dole's choice for whip. And there's President Clinton. Dole won't want to give the Democratic White House too many legislative victories, yet he doesn't want to be blamed for gridlock or appear unable to accomplish anything in Congress. Gramm said he did not see the whip race as a contest between him and Dole. "I always thought Senator Simpson's portrayal of the race as a contest with Senator Dole was not fair to Senator Dole," Gramm said.

"I never sought that contest. It doesn't give me any greater say." And Dole said he didn't see the whip race as a referendum on his leadership. "All this stuff gets started around here. time of the murder. Many times he's thought about "packing it in" and giving it up.

But the haunting mystery of who killed his father drives him on and keeps him searching, despite more than two decades of frustration. Now, for the first time in a long time, Robert Caffey and his family have reason for hope. The popular NBC television series "Unsolved Mysteries" recently finished taping a segment on the Caffey case in Orangeburg. Robert Caffey and the SLED agents investigating the case are hoping the story will help jog someone's memory. They're confident someone somewhere knows who killed Roy Caffey.

Robert Caffey is also hoping the exposure on "Unsolved Mysteries" will help end his journey. Only answers will bring Robert and his family peace. If Robert learns who murdered his father, he'll finally be able to let go of the tragedy of his dad's death and instead celebrate his dad's life. His journey will have come full-circle. Boykin Rose, whose DPS includes the Highway Patrol, has played a crucial role in revitalizing interest in the Caffey case, which remains the only unsolved killing of a South Carolina lawman.

It's safe to say that a great many South Carolinians certainly those outside the Orangeburg area don't have much if any knowledge of the case. "Unsolved Mysteries" just may change that. The show featuring the Caffey case is to be shown tonight on WIS-TV 10 in Columbia and WCIV-TV 4 in Charleston. The time is 8 p.m. Let's hope it, too, proves to be an effective means for sharing information new information on a case where justice is overdue.

Boykin Rose and the people at the S.C. Department of Public Safety have unveiled an impressive new employee newsletter. In his message in the autumn 1994 inaugural issue of "The Dispatch," DPS Director Rose calls the newsletter "a means where we can all share information about the offices and people of our terrific new agency." We want The Dispatch to provide news and information that is important to you. I view this is a forum for all of us to exchange ideas, perhaps tell a poignant story There may be no more poignant story in the issue than the one DPS Public Information Officer Christy Cox wrote about the 22-year-old case of slain Highway Patrolman Roy O. Caffey of Orangeburg: Three gunshot blasts and a state highway patrolman lay dying next to his patrol cruiser.

For 56-year-old Roy Caffey, it probably started out like any other routine traffic stop on a lonely stretch of Interstate 26 near Orangeburg. But something went terribly wrong. Now, 22 years later, the last moments of Roy Caffey's like are still a perplexing mystery and the most troubling question of all who murdered the 25-year patrol veteran, father and husband -remains unanswered. A journey of justice began that night, Oct. 8, 1972.

For Caffey's only son, Robert, it's been a long, frustrating trip. The investigation has led to countless dead ends, taken many wrong turns, and yielded a lifetime of disappointments. Robert Caffey was only 15 at the Kondracke Clinton's new plan start of the Republican 104th Congress and his own State of the Union address. Final Clinton decisions are being delayed, sources say, by several factors: continuing shock over the extent of Democratic election losses; the fact that congressional Democrats haven't chosen new leaders with whom the White House can strategize; and the complexity of the task, which requires juggling budget, political and policy considerations. White House aides have been cautioned by Chief of Staff Leon Panetta not to discuss the decision-making process with the press, but it's possible to put together a general outline of the direction Clinton seems to be taking.

Political reform appears to be Clinton's major new emphasis for 1995. The White House reportedly feels liberated from the need to yield to Democratic Hill leaders on reform issues and instead can present proposals that challenge Republicans. Some top Democratic congressional aides may move into White House or 1996 re-election campaign jobs. Those especially esteemed in the White House include George Kundanis, outgoing Speaker Tom Foley's, top aide, and Steve Schutt, chief of staff to defeated Sen. Harris Wofford, D-Pa.

Clinton aides say that the administration underestimated discontent in the country over the insecurity that working-class families feel in the new globalized and high-tech U.S. economy. Job training is one area that White House aides say it may be possible to work cooperatively with Republicans in the next Congress. Another is the line-item veto, a Clinton campaign objective that Clinton gave up in deference to Democratic leaders but which Republicans have promised to pass. Health reform is another area of possible cooperation, assuming Clinton drastically strips his 1994 proposal down to insurance reform plus subsidies to provide coverage to children andor pregnant women.

By MORTON KONDRACKE President Clinton will hold to his "get things done" legislative strategy for the last two years of his term, aides say, by offering to cooperate with the Republican majority in Congress on many issues and by meeting frequently with GOP leaders. But he will "draw the line" on other issues, especially any tax cuts or spending proposals that threaten his record as a deficit-cutter. Clinton has been advised to "embrace" mcoming Speaker Newt Gingrich, by calling him daily and by enlisting his cooperation wherever possible, as happened previously on NAFTA, GATT, and the upcoming hemispheric summit. The White House is used to conferring with incoming Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, but sources say they think bipartisan cooperation will be more difficult if "confrontational" Sen Trent Lott (Miss.) beats Alan Simpson (Wyo.) for the post of GOP Whip. On policy, Clinton appears convinced that the message of the 1994 elections was not that his "putting people first" 1992-94 agenda was wrong-headed, but that he didn't produce enough change and that his message didn't get through to the public.

As a result, Clinton seems likely to push hard for a political reform agenda that includes campaign finance and lobbying reform, plus stepped-up action on Vice President Al Gore's "reinventing government" initiative and, possibly, accelerated decentralization of federal programs to state and local authority. A White House task force operating under White House planning chief Mark Gearan prepared a strategy option paper that senior policy adviser George Stephanopoulos delivered to Clinton during his Hawaii vacation. Clinton and his top aides have been working on strategy ever since, and one aide reported that Clinton may unveil his plans before Christmas and before the In addition, the administration anticipates being able to complete leftover business from the 103d Congress in a bipartisan basis, including Superfund reauthorization and telecommunications reform. Where Clinton will "draw the line" -and use his veto, if necessary is on tax cuts that violate his deficit reduction strategy and on especially draconian GOP welfare proposals, such as blanket denial of benefits to illegitimate children and establishment of orphanages. The White House is convinced that Republicans cannot possibly fulfill their promises to cut capital gains taxes, provide a middle-class tax cut, increase defense spending, and still reduce the deficit without cutting Social Security or Medicare.

Clinton aides say they will not permit the GOP to try to do so through "dynamic scoring" of the budget. Clinton's own budget strategy is among the most closely held secrets in the White House, but indications are that it will be more a "political" document setting forth Clinton's long-term aims than a proposed guide for spending, since Republicans are expected to treat it as "dead on arrival" in Congress. Clinton is also expected to fight GOP attempts to gut prevention programs and gun control measures in this year's crime bill. While confrontation with Republicans is inevitable, Clinton reportedly understands that he can't win with a veto strategy indeed, he criticized his predecessor, George Bush, for his frequent vetoes. A strategy of maximum cooperation will require a change in attitude on the part of some of Clinton's most partisan advisers including his wife.

But he appears to understand that he's got to "get things done" in a hostile GOP environment even better than he did in the ostensibly friendly environment of 1992-94. Otherwise, 1996's election results will be even worse than this year's. Morton Kondracke is executive editor of Roll Call, the newspaper of Capitol Hill. Berry's World Witt 1.11 I ii rifi J. 'y '-CI fii i fk I 11-4 4 ClDyNA Ire The party tonight is dressy.

Go put on a CLEAN tank top.".