EDITORIAL
Voters will be guilty
if Duke wins race
What’s more frightening, a former grand wizard of
the Ku Klux Klan in the Louisiana governor's mansion,
or the 500,000-plus (so far) people who have voted for
him?
Yes, from the state that brought you Huey Long
comes the latest in political fiascos.
It didn’t seem possible that any political race could
come up with two worse candidates than the 1088
presidential election, but Louisiana voters have done
just that. On one side is David Duke, a 41-year-old ex
Nazi sympathizer, and on the other is former Gov. Ed
win Edwards, who beat a racketeering rap while in of
fice, but still lost the 1U88 election to current Gov.
Buddy Roomer.
And what happened to Roomer, President Bush's
darling who flip-flopped political parties after he was
elected? He was an instant lame duck as he Finished
third in the primary.
There hasn't been a race like this since George Wal
lace was in politics.
Duke and Edwards will square off in the general
election Nov. 16. and no one is predicting a winner. It
seems every time Duke is in an election, out-of-state
political pundits predict
ins doom, and the experts
are always shocked when
he does well.
Throe times Duke has
run for public office. The
first time, he won a seat in
the Ixiuisiana Legislature.
Last year, he ran for the
U.S. Senate and got 45
percent of the vote. Now
there's this race, in which
Edwards beat him in the
primary by a slim 2 per
cent.
Duke has a solid
chance of winning tin!
How can an
acknowledged
racist, who
dismisses his
KKK past as
‘youthful
indiscretions
gain so much
public support?
By knowing his
constituency.
(flection In tact, he has a better chance against co
wards than he would have had against Roemer. For
-one thing, Edwards is an old-style Louisiana Democrat,
wildly different than Roomer's moderate conservatism.
Roomer voters are more likely to switch to Duke's
camp rather than buck ideology and side with Ed
wards.
And that's scary.
How can an acknowledged racist, who dismisses
his KKK past as "youthful indiscretions." gain so much
public support? By knowing his constituency.
The oil bust has left Louisiana in an economic
shambles. Unemployment hits skyrocketed, and the
poor and lower middle classes are disenchanted.
Along comes Duke, who preaches against "big gov
ernment" welfare and social programs sapping away
voters' money. It's no surprise Duke's message is get
ting ;i warm reception among blue collar families strug
gling to ride out the recession.
This isn't a new situation. It's happened before.
People who are furious with their government's sup
posed inactivity are turning to the extremes. A leader
who is arguing against the status quo. preaching a new
doctrine, coming to power.
Last time it was 1928, and the leader was Hitler.
Duke's success starts a frightening chapter in
American politics. It could be another Populist move
ment. but this time from the right. Instead of the gold
standard, the target is social programs.
The Populist movement whimpered out after it
barely got started. Let's hope this one does too.
In the end, David Duke isn't to blame; the Louisi
ana voters are. By turning to his brand of hatred, they
make a mockery of their voting rights.
i m I J W # W * - ' \A\l
£ .. f fivWI v» '“*4 «.
I
LETTERS
Old club
Oni i' again this nation luces
mi Imago that imihi tear it
upart The Milo to confirm Clar
ence Thomas to the Supreme
Court has shown us just how
large the division is For the
Senate to confirm someone
who will sit on the Supreme
Court until death or retirement
by a margin of only four votes
is a travesty. It also points out
one area of the Constitution
that needs to he changed
Our Senate, long viewed as
,in “old Ikivs club," should be
required to have a two-thirds
majority when confirming a Su
preme Court i andidule That
way, we, as citizens, can tie as
sured of getting someone who
is of moderate views and has
public bai king strong public
hacking
You may he thinking that
Thomas had strong public
backing, but lie did not. I am
not saying tliat Anita Hill or
Thomas is cornu t What 1 am
saying is Thomas, for good or
for evil, he< ame a symbol of the
division in American society
between men and women
Most women out there must
he asking themselves how
many of them must come for
ward with claims of sexual ha
rassment before a serious inves
tigation is conducted. And yes,
the Senate hearings were any
thing but serious. It looked
more like a bickering fit be
tween Orrin Hatch and Joseph
Helen Moreover, I feel a little
leery of Teddy Kennedy talking
about someone else and their
alleged sexual peccadillos
] think that by requiring a
two-thirds majority in Supreme
Court confirmations, there will
he a better chance of having a
united Senate and a united peo
ple behind the nominee 1 may
be wrong, though The Senate
has long been critici/.od as not
representing the people well
enough at least the minority
and female people I, as a white
male, feel overly represented in
Congress and the Senate of the
United States. Ilut this is an is
sue for another time
S< ett Shea
Student
Earn it
To Jason Moore who wrote
the commentary on health in
surunce [ODE, Oct. 14) and
who believes that health care
should "be available on the l>a
sis of need regardless of abil
ity to pay," I ask, what entitles
you to the profits of those who
earn their wealth in justifying
your demands of equal-oppor
tunity health care7
Should 1 l«) expected to pay
for the liver transplant of u
drunk who lacks the integrity
and discipline t o pull
him/herself out of the gutter, at
the expense of my profits from
my labor?
You seek to sacrifice the
wealthy to the poor with the ra
tionalization of "need,” with
out realizing that it was the
wealthy who made modern
medicine possible.
They wore the ones who
could afford years of schooling
and spent lifetimes researching
and perfecting the technologies
that comprise modern medicine
not those who claim that
they have a birthright to these
benefits.
Under the U.S. Constitution,
the individual is guaranteed
"life, liberty and the pursuit of
happiness." This means that
you have the right to pursue
your own happiness and to
earn your own profits and the
benefits that come with them.
It does not entitle you to de
mand from others what you
lack and are unwilling to earn
Health care is a commodity that
is paid tor by those who choose
to make money and can afford
it It is not a right of nature by
merely being born and by exist
ing.
Michael Mo(»ee
Student
Fighting
Lesbians, guys, bisexuals.
Dykes, fugs, und queers.
Perverts, sickos, and degener
ates.
We sit next to you in tduss,
we teach your class, wo write
your textbooks.
We serve your food, we pa
tronize your businesses, wo
stand with you in line.
We work for you, we employ
you, wo pay taxes.
We attend the same concerts,
we drive the same roads, we
breathe the same air.
We am your sons and daugh
ters, your brothers and sisters,
your mothers and your fathers.
Can't you see that when you
fight against us, you're really
fighting against yourselves?
Jixli Mai
Music/International studies
IN RECENT
POLLS ON THE
THOMAS
CONFIRMATION . .
I 3QX OP TUOSE SURVEYED
i SAID THEY BELIEVED THE
PROCESS WAS PAIR TO THE
NOMINEE.
557. SAID THOMAS
SHOULD BE CONFIRMED.
AND 98*4 THOUGHT
TED KENNEDY HAD NO BUSINESS
QUESTIONING ANYBODY.