MRS. DOLE: "DIVISIVE AND IRRELEVANT"
Elizabeth Dole declared that while she would like to ban abortion, a
Human Life Amendment is not possible and the debate over it should thus
be abandoned as "divisive and irrelevant." The press, she said, puts
"such an inordinate focus on an amendment that urgent issues such as
domestic violence, child care, sexual harassment, women's health, and
the financial security of women are nearly ignored." The GOP platform
should be changed to "add the fact that good and honorable people
disagree on the subject of abortion" and that "we should agree to
respectfully disagree." We should "stop partial-birth abortions, enact
parental notification requirements, continue the ban on government
funding," and promote adoption.
Let the respectful disagreement begin. First, good and honorable people
disagree all the time without a declaration on the point being thought
necessary. Second, NOW and the like have already made sure that women's
health, etc., get plenty of (often misleading) attention, while the
unborn are still waiting for their Violence against Women Act. And it is
temporization of the sort Mrs. Dole is engaged in that invites further
scrutiny from the press: Would a President Dole work to overturn Roe v.
Wade, for example?
Mrs. Dole's minimalist agenda abandons legal protection for all members
of the human race as a goal rather than a wish. This is far from the
position of Steve Forbes, who also recognizes that a constitutional
amendment cannot be achieved in the near future but is willing to take
steps to put abortion on a path to extinction. And it is not clear that
Mrs. Dole's position is identical to that of George W. Bush, as press
reports have stated. In Mrs. Dole, the Republicans now have their first
objectively pro-choice candidate.
AUTO DUTCH
Californians will be allowed to purchase special Ronald Reagan license
plates, if Assemblymen Howard Kaloogian and Tony Strickland win approval
for a bill they recently offered in Sacramento. The plates would read
"California ... Reagan Country" and feature a background image of the
Gipper. Proceeds would benefit the Ronald Reagan Presidential
Foundation, which oversees the Reagan library. Hearings are set for
April 19, and the sponsors must demonstrate a demand for at least 5,000
of the plates before serious consideration can begin. To sign up, call
Kaloogian's district office at 760-438-5453.
BASEBALL PICKS
One week late, but no less prescient: Here are NR's 1999 baseball
predictions.
In the American League, the New York Yankees will win in the East, the
Cleveland Indians will prevail in the Central, and the Texas Rangers
will triumph in the West. The Baltimore Orioles will snag the AL wild
card.
In the National League, the Atlanta Braves will repeat in the East, the
Houston Astros will cruise in the Central, and the Los Angeles Dodgers
will slip by in the West. The New York Mets will take the NL wild card.
The Indians will shock the baseball world by capturing the AL pennant,
thanks largely to the critical addition of Curt Schilling to their
pitching staff before the trading deadline. The NL pennant will go to
the Braves, despite a strong postseason threat by the Astros.
Cleveland will beat Atlanta in a seven-game World Series thriller. Look
for a home run by third baseman Travis Fryman in Game 7.
In other news, Mark McGwire will lead the majors in home runs again, but
his total will drop to a measly 60. Sammy Sosa will finish the season
with 55. There will be Ken Griffey, Jr. and Alex Rodriguez trade rumors
all summer, and the Mets will make a bid to grab A-Rod, currently on the
disabled list, in July.
Finally, freedom won't come to Cuba.
