NetNews Usenet Archive 1992 #27/NN_1992_27.iso/spool/co/politics/2305

Internet Message Format | 1992-11-21 | 3.0 KB

Xref: sparky co.politics:2305 boulder.general:1117
Newsgroups: co.politics,boulder.general
Path: sparky!uunet!spool.mu.edu!agate!boulder!csn!raven!rcd
From: [e-mail] (Dick Dunn)
Subject: Re: Support the boycott (was Re: Don't boycott all of Colorado)
Message-ID: <[e-mail]>
Summary: It's not a war.  We need help, not more conflict.
Organization: eklektix - Boulder, Colorado
References: <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]> <[e-mail]>
Date: Sun, 22 Nov 1992 00:54:54 GMT
Lines: 50

[e-mail] (David Marc Nieporent) writes:
>And it's easy for people who aren't affected by Amendment #2 to claim
>that people should be more moderate.

This was in response to a posting from someone in Colorado.
It is naive in the extreme to think that ANYone in Colorado is UNaffected
by Amendment #2.

The boycott is the immediate knee-jerk response.  It might help; it could
also hurt.  In any case, although it's simple, it hardly seems like a very
effective way to solve the problem.

...
>One wonders if the Allies should not have invaded Germany for fear of
>alienating the Germans who were anti-Nazi.

This is not a war.  Conclusions drawn based on analogies between the
Amendment 2 conflict and war may or may not make sense; mostly they will
serve to cloud the issues with emotionalism.

This is a civil conflict within Colorado.  We understand that the effects
are far-reaching; certainly the matter affects many people outside of
Colorado.  But the *main* effort to set things right again will still have
to come from within Colorado.  There are two possibilities for how we can
un-do Amendment 2:
    - Have it overturned because it violates the US Constitution.
    - Pass an initiative within Colorado to reverse it.
There are efforts under way for both of these..but both will require time,
effort, and money from folks in Colorado.  (The constitutional challenge
will require substantial legal help.  A successful citizen initiative to
overturn will require a serious campaign...one [lesser] reason #2 passed
is that the campaign against it was simply inadequate against the onslaught
of the slick/slimy pro-#2 campaign.)

>What *would* you have people do?

Find ways to *help* us with one or both of the above approaches.  Work with
those of us inside Colorado who are working on the problem, instead of
working against the whole state.  Support organizations which are working
to overturn the amendment.  For example, if you're a DeadHead, get over to
rec.music.gdead and check out the "DeadHeads Against Discrimination" effort;
they can use help and they need it NOW.  If you feel you can get behind the
ACLU, check to see how you can help them.

Help us figure out how to educate people.  A campaign like the one that
brought us #2 relies on ignorance, and the fears begotten of that ignor-
ance.
--
Dick Dunn    [e-mail]   -or-   raven!rcd    Boulder, Colorado
    ...Simpler is better.