Newsgroups: alt.censorship From: cskelton@realm.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca (Chad Skelton) Subject: Soapbox Magazine, Issue 2 [1/3] Message-ID: Date: 30 Mar 93 16:27:58 EST Organization: The Realm Of Twilight BBS * (519)748-9026 Lines: 870 This file is called SOAP0002.TXT, please rename it as such in any distribution to avoid confusion. --- Soapbox Issue 2 February 1993 --- a1 - Introduction FEATURES a2 - 'Gays are Taking Your Job A look into anti-gay propoganda in Colorado a3 - Who is Al Gore? A second look at the new VP. a4 - Who Killed Donald Duck? Sanctions in Yugoslavia keep out Disney a5 - Amendment 2 Aftermath Colorado copes after the anti-gay law a6 - Bestiality Animal Abuse or Sexual Fetish? DEPARTMENTS a7 - Boycott! a8 - The Top 7 a9 - 10 Great Taglines a10 - Endnotes --- a1 INTRODUCTION Disclaimer "Any opinions expressed in this magazine do not necessarily reflect the opinions of the editor. For all we know, they may not even reflect the viewpoints of the author. As for facts, those articles which the editor writes are always attempted to be accurate, as for other articles, we try to get our articles from reliable sources, yet we make no guarantees that the information presented in them will be accurate. Therefore, if you are using information in this magazine to create an opinion on an issue, you may want to double-check the information. Soapbox is meant to be a forum for varying opinions. Some may find these opinions offensive, or even disgusting." Letter From The Editor Well this is the second edition of Soapbox Magazine. It is noticeably larger than the first edition (by anywhere from 10-20 pages). As well, this is the first edition of Soapbox Magazine that will be available in "HARD COPY". To save money, the magazine will be photocopied on small sheets of paper, yet still easily readable. In this issue, we have many interesting articles. We have one that takes a closer look at Al Gore, the new VP of the United States. We also have news clippings from the Amendment 2 Aftermath in Colorado as well as a sampling of the hate propoganda making it's rounds in that state. We take a closer look at Al Gore, and how he may not be that great of a politician. And from VREME, the leading independant Yugoslavian newspaper, we have a story of how sanctions against Yugoslavia have shut out the lovable Disney characters! And we have what is sure to be a controversial piece - a letter to the editor from an American University Paper justifying why bestiality shouldn't be illegal. Hope you enjoy it! Contributions If you have something you'd like to contribute to Soapbox. Be it articles, criticisms, praise or threats, you can send it to us in many ways. DIRECT CALL: The home board of SOAPBOX is The Blue Room [ (519)-885-3623, open 4pm to 7am EST ]. This will allow you to contribute anything you wish, as well as pick up the latest edition of SOAPBOX magazine. THE NETS: You can contact me under the alias PROFESSOR MORIARTY on both OOFNET and CyberCrime International in the General sections. As well, you can contact me on usenet at my usenet address: cskelton@realm.waterloo.tdkcs.on.ca MAIL: Of course, you can also contact us through the mail at the following address: Soapbox Magazine c/o Chad Skelton 379 Dunvegan Drive Waterloo, Ontario CANADA N2K 1W7 Distribution Soapbox Magazine is always available at my home board [ The Blue Room / (519)-885-3623, from 4pm to 7am EST ]. Soapbox will also be posted on Canada's biggest Bulletin Board System : Canada Remote Systems (CRS). As well, Soapbox Magazine will be printed regularly on the following usenet newgroups: alt.conspiracy alt.censorship If you have usenet, but none of these conferences, either request the conference, or you can request a copy of Soapbox from: cskelton@realm.kwnet.on.ca [ back issues may also be requested from this address ] If you do not have access to a modem, and wish to have this magazine in hardcopy, send a Self-Addressed Stamped Envelope [ the envelope should be stamped sufficiently for the equivalent of about 20 8 x 11 sheets of weight ] to: Soapbox Magazine c/o Chad Skelton 379 Dunvegan Drive Waterloo, Ontario CANADA N2K 1W7 If you live outside of Canada, and are unable to get Canadian stamps, funds equaling 3 Canadian dollars (for those living in the US) or 5 Canadian dollars (for those living in other foreign countries) should suffice. As well, you can help the distribution of Soapbox by uploading it to any BBS which doesn't have it available. If you know of a BBS or service which regularly carries Soapbox, please contact me so that I can list it in those places where it may be obtained. Copyright All articles may be reprinted if credit is given to Soapbox Magazine (and any other author or organization which is listed). However, if the work is copyrighted (if it has a c. 1993 or the like) then it may not be reprinted without first receiving permission from the said writer (this may often be done by contacting myself). a2 GAYS ARE TAKING YOUR JOB! Analysis Provided by Tim Hester --- The following comes from Tim Hister over usenet. It is a look at the type of hate propoganda which is circulating in Colorado against homosexuals. It's an insightful look --- The handwriting is on the wall, for Amendment 2. Yet still, there are those in support of it that resort to egregious propaganda that would almost make a Klansman blush. After Denver district Judge Jeff Bayless' ruling granting an injunction against Colorado's Amendment 2 going into effect until a ruling on its constitutionality can be determined by the courts, you will not be surprised to find that scurrile material attacking Gays is once again a cottage industry in Colorado. Returning to my van after a little shopping at a local Payless Drug store at 64th and Sheridan, I discovered on my windshield a prime example. Apparently the people that write these things, produce them with about an equal amount of thought a bird gives to soiling said windshield with its own brand of excrement. Before I present this to you for your inspection, I ask that you replace the word "Gay" in the text with your own personal choice of generally accepted minority group such as "Black", "Hispanic". If you want an even more pointed and profound experience then use the bigots' favorite derogatory terms. You know what they are, but I won't use them here. I'm not going to give them the pleasure. [comments in brackets are mine._T.H._] ============================================================ GIVE A GAY YOUR JOB! WHAT GAYS DO NOT WANT YOU TO KNOW! Here is the real reason the Gay Community is against Amendment 2 and what they will gain if they get Special, Protected Rights EXAMPLE: Three people with similar job skills and experience apply for the same job. One applicant is Gay. The Employer will hire the Gay person to avoid an expensive law suit for discrimination. Even though the other two applicants have slightly better qualifications. [Note that job applications do not even ask sexual orientation. So that puts this in the class of a bogus issue. _T.H._] EXAMPLE: A company needs to lay off three employees. The company should lay off the three employees with the least seniority, experience and job skills. If one of the three employees is Gay, the Company will be forced to lay off a more experienced employee with more seniority to avoid an expensive law suit for discrimination. [Nevermind the fact that the Company would win the law suit if indeed it _did_ show that the Gay employee was one of those with less seniority and experience. This is the same bogusness as saying you can't lay off a female employee under the same circumstances. _T.H._] GAYS PRACTICE SELFRIGHTEOUS DISCRIMINATION! [er..could this be another way of saying "uppity"?_T.H._] It is time someone speaks out for the common resident of Colorado. It is also time for the Gay Community and their supporters to face the TRUTH with the FACTS! FACT: Colorado has a higher percentage of Gays than most States in America! FACT: Colorado has a higher percentage of Gays than most Countries in the World! FACT: Metropolitan Denver, Boulder, and Aspen all have a higher percentage of Gays than most Cities in the World! [So what is that supposed to mean? There are more Hispanics in the southwestern states than northern states. What's the point?_T.H._] FACT: Gays do not congregate in large numbers unless the environment is conducive to their life style. [This smacks of "let's drive 'em out of town" in one aspect, while at the same time ignoring the "FACT" that this is true of any race or creed. I guess Mormons congregate in Utah because the environment is conducive to their life style just as the Japanese seem to thrive in Japan._T.H._] FACT: Colorado has provided the Gay Community with a healthy environment in which to live! This is proven by the high percentage of Gays. [And just what is wrong with providing the citizens of Colorado with this healthy environment? Do not we all benefit from this?_T.H._] FACT: Contrary to what the Gay Community WANTS everyone to believe, Amendment 2 DOES NOT discriminate against Gays! Instead, Amendment 2 PROTECTS the Non Gay MAJORITY from Gays obtaining; Special, Preferential, and Protected Rights, which would IN FACT discriminate against Non Gays. [Then why, pray tell, does Amendment 2 disallow any claim of discrimination for homosexuals, lesbians, or bisexuals while retaining for heterosexuals this right? (hetero fires homo: homo can't sue. Homo fires hetero: hetero can sue.) You can't argue that because a homosexual cannot be identified by appearance that this doesn't apply. If that argument could fly, then why did the Colorado Legislature pass the Smoker's Rights Bill in 1990? Certain companies were firing some employees for legal, off-the-job behaviour. It is just as legal to be a homosexual as it is to be a heterosexual in every city and state in this country._T.H_] It is evident with the Boycott of Colorado, the Gay community has become as selfrighteous as the Religious groups they condemn! They are also proving to be extremely vindictive by boycotting a State which has been More than tolerant of Gays. The Gay Community does not care how many innocent people they make suffer, just as long as they get what they want, "Special Rights"! [And remember too, Arizona had been 'more than tolerant of Blacks' when they refused to celebrate Martin Luther King's birthday as a State Holiday! How many Coloradans for Amendment 2 are among those that agreed with the boycott of Arizona?_T.H._] The vast Majority of Colorado residents have allowed the Gay Community to live in peace, prosper, and grow. In return for this benevolent treatment, the Gay Community is punishing everyone who does not practice their minority beliefs. The Gay Community is acting like a spoiled child who does not get to make ALL the rules, thus takes the ball home to make everyone else suffer. ["Gee, we gave the Blacks their freedom, and now they expect to be able to live in the same neighborhood as the rest of us and even demand to be able to ride in the front of the bus? How rude!" _T.H._] Just because the Gay Community has become Selfrighteous does not give them the right to Blackmail a State for selfish reason! [Why not? Boycotts are perfectly legal. Shall we pass an Amendment in order to take care of this "problem" too? Makes as much sense as legislation like Amendment 2. _T.H._] To Protect yourself and your family pass this on to as many people as you know! [Why does this remind me of those strips of paper that motels put across the toilet seats? Could it be because Amendment 2 stinks? Instead of a "Welcome to Colorado" sign at the state lines, why don't we have one that says, "Sanitized for Your Protection"?_T.H.] ================================================================= The persons responsible for the production and distribution of this piece of garbage don't even have the guts to say who they are. It's distributed in such a cowardly way that you know they must be ashamed. If their litany of so-called "FACTS" are for real, why don't they document their sources? Even if their data on percentages of Gays living in any particular locale are correct, it still remains entirely meaningless. If the voters that put Amendment 2 where it is do not like it when they are referred to as "ignorant", why does such literature as this exist? It is not the only example that I could show you. All of us are ignorant of certain things. The term does not mean 'stupid'. It just means a lack of knowlege. There is something wrong with a group of people that cannot see how sexual orientation is related to racial discrimination issues. They accept that women have been and still are being discriminated against because of their sex. They accept the fact that discrimination by age exists. They even acknowlege that discrimination based on religious affiliation happens. Laws exist to protect people in all of those groups. Does that mean they have been given "special" rights? No. Gays have not asked for any such thing. Amendment 2 proponents can never seem to produce anything to back that up. This is the "Big Lie" technique at its best. Repeat something often enough, and soon people will begin to believe it. You can fool all of the people some of the time. You can fool some of the people all of the time. But you can't fool all of the people, all of the time. Don't be fooled by the raving rhetoric of anti-Gay activists. Tim Hester a3 WHO IS AL GORE? by Jeff Taylor Copyright 1993 email address : c549886@mizzou1 --- NOTE: I did not become aware of this article until AFTER the US elections. The article was written before the US Presidential elections, and so the tense reflects that. I assure Soapbox readers that the delay in making this essay available to the you was not intentional on my part. - ed. --- I have written the following essay solely for the purpose of informing progressive and populist voters so they can make a well-informed decisionon Tuesday. The information is accurate to the best of my knowledge.Sources are available upon request. ***** Some of my progressive friends tell me that they won't really be voting for Bill Clinton on Tuesday even though they mark the Clinton ballot.They'll actually be voting for Al Gore and against George Bush. They like Gore because he is -- according to the mainstream media -- the nation's leading pro-environment politician. This was one of the main reasons Clinton chose Gore as his running mate. If people are planning to vote for Al Gore, I think they should understand who it is they're voting for. Many progressives seem to have a short memory concerning Al Gore. I closely followed Gore's 1988 presidential campaign and I have not forgotten what that campaign revealed about the senator from Tennessee. Of the entire "Congressional Quarterly Weekly Report" article dealing with Gore's June 1987 announcement for president, only a portion of one sentence deals with the environment: "Gore also has pursued 'futuristic' issues such as depletion ofthe ozone layer, that are not on most other politicians' agendas." Gore did talk a bit about damage to the ozone layer and the resulting "greenhouse effect" during the 1988 campaign, but this was not an important part of his run for the White House. Plus, while support for the ozone layer is commendable, it's not a political position which requires much courage on the part of the candidate. None of his rivals were anti-ozone layer and Gore did not antagonize any powerful corporate interests in his support for the ozonelayer. Finally, Gore's concern for the ozone layer did not fit into a larger environmental context. It seemed to be an issue that Gore had picked out to master so he could use "Senate Ozone Layer Expert" on his resume. After the environment became a bigger concern for the American people in 1990, Gore (or a ghost writer) wrote a book on the larger environmental context, but to me and many other environmentalists, this seemed to be just an opportunistic move by an ambitious politician trying to build a new base for a 1992 presidential campaign. From 1987 to 1990, I was coordinator of the South Dakota Greens. In 1988,I wrote, "In an effort to replace Gephardt as Dukakis' main rival, Albert Gore Jr. began to continually emphasize his commitment to 'working men and women' prior to Super Tuesday voting. After floundering for a while because he had no message, Gore first became the strong-enough-on-defense candidate and later became the champion-of-the-working class candidate. Like Gephardt, Gore is an excellent example of an apparent demagogue (i.e., a man who believes in nothing except his own career)." After losing the 1988 race, Gore became the protect-the-environment candidate in preparation for the 1992 race. In March 1990, I wrote, "...the Establishment is attempting to co-opt Green issues now that the environment has become a major grassroots concern (corporations are co-sponsoring Earth Day, George Bush and Al Gore have turned into 'environmentalists,' etc.)." I was not the only person in 1990 to notice Gore's sudden conversion to "environmentalism." Brian Tokar, author of "The Green Alternative," wrote, "In the 1990s, everyone wants to be an environmentalist. Concern for natureis 'in' these days ... Senator Al Gore, 1988's leading Democratic hawk, is now touring the nation giving speeches about global warming and other important environmental threats....The reason for this superficial elite awakening to environmental concerns is no mystery. Every major public opinion poll of recent years shows a growing concern with the ecological crisis." Andre Carothers, editor of "Greenpeace Magazine," commented, "Fresh green paint provides camouflage for polluters and confuses voters and consumers, who are understandably pleased but easily misled when the people and institutions whose hands are at the helm profess an interest in the planet." If Al Gore is a real environmentalist, why didn't he endorse Jerry Brown for president in 1992? Brown's environmental credentials are excellent and he has demonstrated his concern for the earth for nearly 20 years. Why did Gore support Clinton, who has a horrible environmental record as Governor of Arkansas, over Brown, who has a great environmental record as Governor of California? According to the latest "Green Index," Arkansas ranks dead last among the states, in terms of environmental policies, while California is #1 (clearly a legacy of Brown's eight years in office). When I spoke to him after the final session of the Democratic National Convention in New York, the coordinator of Brown's Oregon primary campaign scoffed at Gore's supposed environmentalism. He dismissed Gore as a phony environmentalist. Albert Gore Jr.'s political mentor is his father, Albert Gore Sr. Throughout his congressional career, Gore Sr. was close to Wall Street insider Bernard Baruch. Gore Sr. also became a friend of Arm and Hammer, Chairman of Occidental Petroleum. After leaving the Senate, Gore Sr. became Chairman of Island Creek Coal Company (Lexington, KY) and a director of Occidental Petroleum (Los Angeles, CA). Island Creek is a subsidiary of Occidental. Gore Sr. continues to be an Occidental board member. Albert Gore Jr. was a land developer (1971-76) before becoming a member of Congress. According to "Who's Who in America," Gore Jr. has been a livestock e.e tobacco farmer since 1973. Gore can travel to the Antarctic for a photo op in relation to the ozone layer or to Brazil for a photo op in relation to global warming, but he doesn't seem interested in closing down the nuclear power plants in his own backyard(TN); alienating the timber companies who are destroying the few remaining old-growth forests in the Pacific Northwest; renouncing the cruelty and anti-ecology inherent in the "production," slaughter, and eating of animals;or apologizing for his role in promoting air pollution, disease, and death by being a tobacco farmer. If a person goes back and studies the 1988 presidential campaign, she or he can learn a lot about the real Al Gore. A 1987 "CQ Weekly Report" noted,"Although he bills himself as Southern-bred, Gore was born in Washington, D.C.,where his father served in Congress from 1939-71. He attended an elite Washington prep school and Harvard University....Gore already has impressed a number of prominent fund-raisers. In early 1987, he announced he would not run for president, but later reversed himself, partly because he got strong encouragement from more than a dozen members of 'IMPAC '88,' a group of affluent Democratic fundraisers." New York City Mayor Ed Koch supported Gore for president in 1988. Koch announced that Jews would be "crazy" to vote for rival candidate Jesse Jackson. Using Koch as a front man, Gore attempted to divide the common people along racial lines for his own political gain. Gore's 1988 campaign was also supported by "The New Republic," Senator Terry Sanford of NC (former director of ITT and the American Stock Exchange), and Occidental Petroleum Chairman Arm and Hammer (friend of Soviet dictators, $100,000 contributor to Nixon '72,friend of Ronald Reagan, and polluter extraordinaire). Gore was also reputedly supported by multi-millionaire Pamela Harriman (who was on hand to greet Gore after this year's vice presidential debate). During the 1988 campaign and again this year, Gore has posed as a populist. He was raised with a silver spoon in his mouth and his decision to name his son "Albert Gore III" seems to indicate a commitment to aristocratic politics, yet on the campaign trail Gore tries to act like a down-home friend of the common man/woman. Regardless of his family background, the proof is in the pudding. An examination of who finances Gore's rhetoric indicates that his populism is just demagoguery. Let's look at contributors to Gore's 1990 senatorial campaign. Gore raised over $2,645,000 during the 1985-90 period. Of this amount, 83% came from PACs and large contributors. 43% came from PACs (over $1,147,000). Small contributors gave only 9% of the total. 67% of the PAC money came frombusiness PACs. 76% of the large individual contributions came from out-of-state. Over $307,000 came from lawyers and lobbyists. Over $128,000 came frommilitary contractors (e.g., General Electric, Lockheed). Over $113,000 came from pro-Israeli government sources. Over $109,000 came from insurance sources. Over $95,000 came from telephone utilities (many of which are monopolies). Over $90,000 came from real estate interests. $85,000 came from investment sources and over $77,000 came from commercial banks. $51,000 came from health care and pharmaceutical sources. Over $41,000 came from oil and gas sources (including $12,000 from Occidental Petroleum). Over $24,000 came from railroad companies. Over $22,000 came from electric utilities. Over $18,000 came from waste management sources (including $8,000 from Waste Management Inc.). Was all of this money given to Al Gore because the contributors were afraid he would be defeated for reelection in 1990 if they did not help himout? It's unlikely. Gore was elected with 61% of the vote in 1984 and reelected with 68% of the vote in 1990. In 1990, Gore spent almost $2,000,000 on his campaign, while his opponent spent less than $9,000. I believe most of the money was given not because his reelection was in doubt but because these corporations and rich individuals wanted to retain access to and control of Senator Gore. Let's take a closer look at three of Gore's corporate friends. They shed an interesting light on Gore's "concern" for the environment. In addition to being a major military contractor (including nuclear weapons), General Electric is one of the "largest polluters in the country" and the leading designer of nuclear power plants. At the time Gore was using GE's money to run for office, the company was the object of a national boycott by progressives. According to James Weinstein of "In These Times," Waste Management Inc. is "one of the world's most notorious despoilers of the environment." Waste Management "owns the largest hazardous waste landfill in the country -- bought and enlarged through political influence and backroom deals" and "the landfill is slowly leaking into one of the largest underground water reservoirs in the southern U.S." Occidental Petroleum is a multinational corporation which sells oil, beef, pork, phosphates, and natural gas. During the 1970s, Occidental contributed to James Watt's anti-environmental Mountain States Legal Foundation. In 1980, Ralph Nader and Americans Concerned About Corporate Power created a "Corporate Hall of Shame" which included Occidental. Occidental acquired Hooker Chemical in 1968. Occidental did not warn the residents of the Love Canal area of NY that Hooker had dumped thousands of tons of toxic chemical waste there from 1942 to 1953. From 1953 to 1974, Hooker dumped 80,000 tons of toxic waste in the Hyde Park area of NY. In 1981, Occidental settled an antipollution lawsuit by agreeing to clean up its pesticide and fertilizer plant in Lathrop,CA and to pay $2.8 million in "reparations." During the 1980s, Occidental wanted to rape the western slope of Colorado in order to make money off shale. As the owner of Iowa Beef Processors, Occidental is the nation's largest cattle slaughtering company. Al Gore has always been a devoted friend of the Pentagon and military contractors. In 1988, Gore boasted of how he differed on foreign policy and defense issues from "all or virtually all of his Democratic rivals: support for the Reagan administration's 1983 invasion of Grenada and its policy of escorting ships in the Persian Gulf, giving non-military aid to the Nicaraguan contras, flight-testing ballistic missiles and funding the Midgetman missile. "Gore has also supported "the B-1 bomber, the MX missile, chemical weapons, and two new aircraft carriers." Gore has also been a supporter of Star Wars research and the government of El Salvador. In 1988, Holly Sklar of "ZMagazine" noted that Gore's policy toward Central America was the "mostreactionary" of the three leading candidates for the Democratic nomination and she stated that the nomination of Gore would be a "Nightmare on Pennsylvania Avenue." In addition to providing Clinton with a pseudo-environmental fig leaf,Gore's "military record" is also seen as a plus for the ticket. Gore was not, however, a combat soldier in Vietnam. Some believe the only reason he agreed to go to Vietnam was to help out his father's reelection campaign (Gore Jr.appeared in campaign ads wearing his uniform). Gore was a journalist during his brief stay in Vietnam. Gore supported the Persian Gulf War. In other words, he supported the mass murder of hundreds of thousands of men, women, and children. He apparently supported the ecocide conducted by both sides of the conflict (people were aware that great environmental damage would be caused by a war long before it began). After the war ended, Al Gore said, "Few will talk about the 'wimp factor' now because, in the Persian Gulf, George Bush acted with boldness and courage." Gore called the slaughter "one of our nation's finest moments." In the late 1980s, neoconservative publishing house Basic Books issued "The Democratic Imperative: Exporting the American Revolution" by Gregory Fossedal. When the book came out, Fossedal was a former editorial writer for the "Wall Street Journal" and a current research fellow at the Hoover Institution. Fossedal "refutes the shibboleth that America's experience in Vietnam has weakened our resolve, citing polls, and other data that indicate popular support for intervention abroad. Finally, he provides a blueprint for a bipartisan foreign policy which, if successful, could lay the foundation for a Demoratic Century" (book jacket). Four persons provide book jacket blurbs praising Fossedal's work. Three of the blurb writers are Republicans. Wall Street insider and Nixon Treasury Secretary William Simon recommends the book highly. Neoconservative Congressman turned Bush cabinet member Jack Kemp calls the book "a must read." Richard Nixon, that famed champion of democracy, says, "Isolationists of both the left and the right will not like Fossedal's conclusions: that if the Democratic trend is to continue,it will be because the United States ensures that it does by pursuing an activist, even interventionist, foreign policy." In other words, the U.S. government needs to be the policeman of the world, hiding its imperialistic aims behind the guise of concern for "democracy." Guess which Democrat pops up in the middle of this grotesque manifesto for hypocrisy, oppression, and mass murder? Good ole Al Gore. Gore says,"'The Democratic Imperative' is a forceful analysis of what American foreign policy should stand for, and how it can prevail." Even if I knew nothing else about Albert Gore Jr., for me, his endorsement of this book would disqualify him from being Vice President of the United States. If you want more Grenadas, more Panamas, more Persian Gulfs, more Vietnams, you should vote for Clinton-Gore. If you don't, then you shouldn't. Like Clinton, Gore is a pretty-boy politician, but his "pompous, student body-president delivery" turned many voters off during the 1988 campaign. His canned, phony style was never more apparent than during the 1992 vice-presidential debate. Quayle was somewhat shrill and Stockdale was a bit bumbling, but at least they seemed like human beings. Gore seemed like a robot designed by General Electric. I think it's strange that progressives can generate enthusiasm for a politician who seems to have made a career out of cold-blooded ambition and opportunism. A person who shamelessly exploits a near-fatal accident involving his young son solely for the sake of political gain does not deserve our votes. Some progressives are using the single-issue rationale that support for abortion rights compensates for a poor record on everything else. Not true. Firstly, there is no evidence that Clinton and Gore have any interest in promoting gender equality. Secondly, both men have flip-flopped on the abortion issue. They don't seem to have any deep convictions on the subject. Thirdly, the majority of the Supreme Court justices appointed by Reagan/Bushhave been pro-Roe (O'Connor, Kennedy, Souter). Fourthly, it is likely that Bush would once again manifest his actual pro-choice position and stop placating the right-to-lifers during a second term. Fifthly, even if the previous four arguments don't convince you, it is not a good idea to allow one issue to negate all of the other issues. The Clinton-Gore ticket's support for legal abortion in America should not make irrelevant the Clinton-Gore ticket's support for mass murder in Iraq. If you are a progressive who is using Al Gore as a reason to vote for Bill Clinton, I ask, "Since when has a plutocratic, hawkish, yuppiefied dixiecrat been a good reason to vote for a ticket?" Vote for Daniels, Perot, Marrou, Fulani, or someone else, but don't vote for Clinton-Gore. Even if you think the Democratic ticket is the lesser evil -- and I'm not convinced it is -- you're still helping evil if you vote for Clinton-Gore. a4 WHO KILLED DONALD DUCK? by Ivan Radovanovic and Slobodanka Ast for Vreme --- NOTE: The following came to my attention through the electronic version of Yugoslavia's leading independant publication VREME. I realize that there are much more serious issues at stake in the former Yugoslavia, but most of that is reported in the mainstream press, and I thought this story would be refreshing. - ed. --- The cultural blockade has banished Disney characters from Yugoslav newspapers and magazines for children, and it is pushing Yugoslavia into a spiritual ghetto. On Saturday January 9th, the "Walt Disney Publication" company (Burbank, California), informed, by telefax, the Belgrade POLITIKIN ZABAVNIK magazine that, "until further notice", it can, in no way, use Disney characters. Saturday was immediately proclaimed a very bad day and, for the first time, life under sanctions showed its full awfulness - let's leave aside the fact that there is no oil and heating, but there is no Donald Duck! "The telefax informed us that, because of the sanctions and the pressure by the American administration, the "Walt Disney" company, regretfully, has to put out of force the contract giving us the licence to publish the characters produced by it", VREME has been told by Zeferino Grasi, ZABAVNIK's editor in chief. Explaining what this means, Grasi said that there would be no more Mickey, Goofy, Donald and other Disney characters in the magazine and that MIKIJEV ZABAVNIK, a magazine, consisting exclusively of Disney comic strips, would stop coming out. ZABAVNIK has had a contract with "Disney" ever since 1939, and Grasi says that all this time the Californian company has been extremely fair and that now ZABAVNIK will be fair too. This has to do with fair play, but also with the fact that the possible disregard of what says in the terrible telefax could mean the loss of a "Disney" licence forever. "This way, we can at least hope that, when the sanctions are lifted, we will once again be able to use Disney characters", said Grasi, adding that the only thing left for them to do is to try something through UNICEF and to forward a request for Donald and Mickey to be included among "children's products", which are not subject to sanctions. Unfortunately, one should not pin great hopes on this (the people in ZABAVNIK don't either), since the mentioned children's package exempt from sanctions includes only certain humanitarian products. Children's comic strips and cartoons are usually, both in the West and here, classified as "business" which is entirely under sanctions. Natasa Zecar, POLITIKA's deputy director has told VREME that even the oldest newspaper in the country will have to stop giving those two famous mini comic strips with Disney characters (Donald and Mickey), mostly for the same reason for which ZABAVNIK is stopping to use Disney characters. "So that we would be able to use them tomorrow", said Mrs.Zecar. POLITIKA has had a contract with "Disney" since 1932. That the whole story is not just a practical joke was, unfortunately, confirmed by Peter Nelly, the lawyer of the "Walt Disney publication" company. In a statement given to VREME's correspondent in the United States, Mr.Nelly shortly confirmed that "comic strips, cartoons and all publications of this company can no longer be printed, distributed or used in any form on the territory of Serbia and Montenegro". The reason is clear, said Mr.Nelly: the United Nations sanctions. And finally: "The decision of the Walt Disney company comes into force immediately". Therefore, this means - goodbye Donald! "The end of civilization!", said an admirer of Mickey Mouse. "Horrible!", said Jadranka Tomic, a school psychologist. According to her, as regards children's development, this decision is even cruel. "There is no second chance for childhood. This means that the effect of this kind of move is long-term and terrible and for this reason the question being asked is - can anyone take away children's joy. This is even contrary to the UNICEF Charter on children's rights". VREME's other collocutors were also mostly interested in the point of banishing Donald Duck from Yugoslavia. Milena Dragicevic-Sesic, a sociologist of culture, considers that such a measure shows that the world community is helpless when it comes to resolving the problem of Yugoslavia by political means. "Even though the comparison may sound inappropriate, all this sounds to me like the story about the parent who doesn't know how to deal with his child so he starts forbidding the child to go out or to watch television. This is, in fact, a veritable cleansing of the conscience". According to Mrs.Dragicevic-Sesic, a special problem is the fact that such moves produce effects that are quite opposite from the wanted ones. "The blockade leads to tighter national cohesion, to the feeling of being persecuted and it strengthens the conservative spirit which calls for patriotism in culture and cultural work. The way of evaluating artistic work also changes so that new ideological values - for instance the strengthening of the national spirit - become the main criteria". On the example of Donald Duck and other Disney characters, according to Mrs. Dragicevic-Sesic, this literally means that, in future, our kids will not be brought up on universal values (most of Disney's best known works are based on Andersen's or the Grimm brothers' fairy tales), but on our "specific values", which are most often of poor quality. The fact that, with the embargo in culture, the world is creating space in Yugoslavia precisely for those forces which it is fighting against with sanctions, for the moment doesn't seem to bother anyone in that same world. "All this is simply disputable from the ethical point of view", said professor Ratko Bozovic, a sociologist of culture. "If we adults are to blame for having elected people who are not acceptable for the rest of the world, how does one prove the guilt of our children? The idea about repression against children is certainly contradictory and I believe that what we have here is a loss of measure in rights and obligations, and not just here, but in the international community as well". Mr.Bozovic has even sharper words for the banishment of Donald Duck - "a spiritual ghetto" and "war against our future" - and he also has an explanation for these words. He says that an embargo on culture kills freedom ("which cannot exist without culture") and opens up space for ignorance, which always strengthens autocratic rule. "This means they are strengthening precisely that autocratic rule here and that they are creating new trouble for those who are absolutely innocent, and also largely for themselves, since they are pushing us straight towards an abyss and are turning us into a militant opposition to the entire world". No matter what happens it will, certainly, be without Donald Duck. Kids (and fans) can do nothing but turn to old comic books collected a long time ago. /--------------------------------------------------------------\ | Chad Skelton - "To Go Where No Message Has Gone Before" | | Call THE BLUE ROOM at (519)-885-3623 / 4pm to 7am daily (EST) | | email address: cskelton@realm.tdkcs.waterloo.on.ca | \--------------------------------------------------------------/