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backtop |
| July 31, 1995 |
|
(Vol. Eight; No. 16) |
|
Bad News for Humans "A passionate and
out-of-character defense of animals produced our Moment of the
Week this week. It was Thursday on the floor of the House of
Representatives. In the midst of a week that saw close to $10
billion in proposed cuts, House Speaker Newt Gingrich suddenly
rose in defense of a comparatively tiny $800,000. But the cause
was apparently dear to him, preserving endangered
animals....Humans, however, didn't fare that well: funding for
the National Endowment for the Arts was voted out of existence
in two years."
More Liberal Hate Speech "I think he ought to be
worried about what's going on in the Good Lord's mind, because
if there is retributive justice, he'll get AIDS from a
transfusion, or one of his grandchildren will get it."
Two Bob Herberts "The funny thing is that I
don't consider myself nearly as liberal as most people tend to
think. I tend to appear more liberal than I really am because of
the political climate that is prevailing right now. So I am
reacting to what I consider to be far-right or conservative
excesses. That would tend to pigeonhole me as way over on the
left somewhere, when in fact I don't believe it's true. If you
were to read over the years, for example, my views about crime,
I don't think that it would fairly be described as a liberal
view." vs. "Programs to aid inner city
youths...are not pork...`Pork!' scream the demagogues. `Give us
the death penalty!' The next time you or a loved one find
yourself trapped in the nightmare of a violent crime, ask
yourself if it wouldn't have been better for the `perp' to have
been off playing basketball somewhere. You may find yourself
suddenly in favor of even an imperfect attempt at
prevention."
Don't Blame Us, Blame Illusory Cuts in Social Programs "It seems to be the latest
rage to blame the media for almost all of society's ills. Do you
think the media is shouldering a dis-proportionate amount of the
blame for the destruction of values in today's society, when
there's also the demise of social programs and the dissolution
of the nuclear family and other possible explanations?"
"Some Say" You're Satan's Favorite Candidate "Even your sister concedes,
although some supporters might like what you have to say about
the economy and these very specific issues you just mentioned,
they're very turned off by some of your social policies. And you
know you've got political enemies out there calling you an
isolationist, a bigot, you're anti-gay, and some even go as far
as saying that your social stands are reminiscent of Nazi
Germany. How are you to win them over?" "You talked about getting
certain groups. How can you on the far right of your party claim
the central middle?"
Redford's Very Persuasive Boilerplate "I think it is a travesty
to stand silently while all the protections of the last 150
years are gutted and our priceless and precious national
heritage is destroyed forever in order to benefit the few....The
[GOP] bills themselves, if you look at them, are going to gut
our sustainable environment. Clean air, clean water are going to
be simply gutted, and so you're going to be affecting our
health, our children's health." "I suppose we're supposed
to stay out of all these controversies and you shouldn't take --
but I find Redford's argument to be very persuasive....And after
the series we did just recently on the national parks, um, you
worry....When he gives the kind of testimony he did yesterday
and makes those kinds of arguments, very persuasive."
What Point Does This Make? "When Susan [Smith] was 16,
[stepfather Beverly] Russell began molesting her. She accused
him of French-kissing and fondling her and, when he thought she
was asleep, placing her hand on his genitals. (One incident
occurred the same evening that Russell, who was then active in
the Republican Party and the Christian Coalition, had spent
putting Pat Robertson for President posters around town.)"
Clinton Broadcasting System "What began as an armed
raid of religious fanatics is turning into an ambush of the
Clinton White House. Today, House Republicans demanded release
of Administration papers on the Branch Davidian shootout with
the clear hope of tying the bloodshed to the President." "This is just for starters
on a tough week ahead for President Clinton and his agenda. From
another offensive wave on Whitewater to a sweeping rollback of
federal regulations on health, safety, and the environment, it's
a political carpet-bombing attack, wall to wall, House to
Senate."
Opposition to Vietnamese Communism? Get Over It "It is never easy for the
big guy to shake hands after losing the fight to the little guy,
especially when he has never lost before, and so it was after
the Vietnam War. The open wound of defeat was salved, for some
Americans, by continuing to regard the Hanoi government as an
evil, outlaw, untouchable regime."
Reagan the Pied Piper "How much did Reagan fool
the American people and how much did he simply play into their
wishes? Were they misled by the nature of his campaigning or
were they led into ways they wanted to go? Was Reagan sort of a
modern Pied Piper? It's my instinct about it that he very
successfully delayed the apprehension of reality by this country
for about a decade. He made people feel that things were better
than they were, that the external dangers were greater than they
were."
An Oldie, But a Goodie "Spending has exceeded
revenues in 34 of the last 35 years -- though the red ink did
not become truly frightening until excessive tax cuts and
accelerated defense spending were enacted during the Reagan
presidency."
-- L.
Brent Bozell III, Publisher;
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