Original_To:  BITNET%"politics@ohstvma.bitnet"
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.politics
Date:         Mon, 13 Apr 1992 22:54:00 EST
From:         I am the sacrificial butter <199561011@VUVAXCOM.BITNET>

Here's a laundry list of thoughts provoked by the recent postings on this
list. (Well what the heck, I can't make LESS sense than anyone else).

* 750,000 persons attended the pro-choice rally in DC last week. There would
  have been more, but some of them were aborted in the years since 1972. At
  least half of them were female and they weren't allowed any choice in the
  matter.

        this all depends on how you define "person," doesn't it?

* Any questions about who is behind all of our candidates for President?
  1) Bill Clinton has received hefty contributions from Shearson-Lehman.
  2) Jerry Brown proposes a tax plan that will place an equal burden upon
     people who are in vastly unequal economic circumstances.
  3) Paul Tsongas is quoted as saying "I'll be the best friend Wall Street
     ever had."
  4) George Bush is currently Wall Street's best friend.
  5) Pat Buchanan has a stock portfolio that would choke Godzilla.
  6) Nobody puts much stock in David Duke.
  7) Quinn Brisben is a Socialist and, as the Reagan-Bush banquet-for-the-
     rich of the past 12 years proves, socialism doesn't work.

        tell that to the non-soviet-style socialist countries

* British Liberal-Democratic leader Paddy Ashdown is raising hell over what
  he describes as election fraud and ballot cheating in the recent election.
  Paddy 'Pantsdown' knows a lot about cheating. Ask his girlfriend.

* There used to be some old-fashioned social mores about courtship and
  dating wherein men and women would enjoy each others' company, go to a
  dance, take in a movie, a dinner, relate to each other as human beings,
  maybe even fall in love. The guys (they called 'em gentlemen way back
  then) displayed kindness, consideration, and above all, respect for their
  dates (styled 'ladies') and the ladies generally gave the impression that
  they wanted to be respected.  Then came the '60's and with them, the over-
  throw of all those "hollow, irrelevant" schlocky, Richie Cunningham-Happy
  Days values. Everybody demanded more freedom, so down came the restrictive
  walls of corny social convention. The trend went from formal and coy to
  loose and familiar. Real familiar. A kind of arrogance developed on BOTH
  sides that eroded and cheapened the relationships between women and men.
  So now we have date-rape and sexual harrassment, which, together with

        this  is what i really wanted to address.  NOW we have date-
        rape and sexual harrassment?  before everything was wonderful
        for women?  no.  now we have finally publicized date-rape
        and sexual  harrassment.  it did not appear in the 60's.
        it was the legacy of the 60's that allows us to realize
        that such things go on (the first step in eliminating a
        problem is to  realize that there IS a problem).  they have
        been going on longer than i could tell you.  it is the
        modern world that has allowed the problem  to become obvious.

        for example, watch the movie "His Girl Friday." (with Cary
        Grant, et al.)  it is chock full o' instances of sexual
        harrassment, even tho i am sure at the time it was considered
        quite liberal in its view of women in the workplace.

  a monumental drug problem and a host related epidemics such as AIDS, is our
  legacy from the period. What to do? Well, Congress will be very happy to

        yup.  it used to be deadly deseases like syphillis that
        everyone was worried about (and mind you, it was epidemic
        AND deadly)

        brni

  pass to more laws prohibiting the results of what used to be regarded as
  extreme bad manners, but I think it's more effective if we start taking
  responsibility for our own behavior. Maybe some of those old-fogey social
  conventions were a good idea. Maybe there's more to them than just the
  arbitrariness of a kill-joy clergy. Gee, do you think they were intended
  as markers to delineate the mutual bounds of right and respect?  Nahhh.
  Too corny.
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