Path: bloom-picayune.mit.edu!snorkelwacker.mit.edu!news.media.mit.edu!americast.com!usa-post Newsgroups: usa-today.issues From: usa-post@AmeriCast.Com Organization: American Cybercasting Approved: usa-post@AmeriCast.com Subject: issues Fri, May 1 1992 Date: Fri, 1 May 92 05:15:09 EDT Message-ID: 05-01 0000 DECISIONLINE: Issues & Debate USA TODAY Update May 1-3, 1992 Source: USA TODAY:Gannett National Information Network Here are some of the issues and topics being debated across the nation Friday morning in USA TODAY: King; Reaction; Neuharth. TODAY'S DEBATE - RODNEY KING VERDICT: USA TODAY'S OPINION: To treat the Rodney King case as an isolated incident would be a tragedy. It must be seen as a symptom of an illness that runs through the nation. The charge that created the explosion in Los Angeles was planted by a society unable to bridge its racial division. That division is economic. ... And it includes a vile system of unequal justice. ... It comes down to on whom we focus our crime fighting. Federal studies show whites constitute 80% of the USA's drug users; African-Americans, 12%. Yet 43% of those convicted of drug trafficking are black. And not only conviction rates but penalties differ, too. ... President Bush promises to pursue justice in the King beating, possibly through prosecution of potential civil rights violations by the officers. But he must not miss the reality that a nearly all-white jury's acquittal of white police officers represents soft justice for whites vs. harsh justice for blacks. OTHER VIEW: HARRY SCHWARTZ, who was for 29 years a member of The New York Times' editorial board: "We can't shop. They've burned all the stores." That was the complaint of a black woman in riot-torn Los Angeles. Once again, this kind of violence has damaged mainly peaceful blacks living in affected areas. This tragedy was needless. It was the direct result of the irresponsibility of the media, particularly TV, in the Rodney King affair. Once TV got the brief video showing King being beaten, the tape was played and replayed, exploited ceaselessly as though it proved white policemen were beating a black man because and only because he was black. ... It took great courage for the jury to reach its verdict. ... Los Angeles has now given the country and the media a serious warning that deserves to be heeded. TV is constantly engaged in frantic competition for viewers regardless of price. But the cost of similar future mindless sensationalism exploiting racial tensions, even when race is not an issue, could be civil war and the end of our freedoms, including the end of the media's freedoms. VOICES ACROSS THE NATION ON UNITING USA AFTER THE KING VERDICT: KANSAS CITY, Mo., James R. Hershey, 48, health care consultant: We have an obligation and a momentum to go forward with the whole issue of race relations and freedom. It's obvious to me that the outcome of this is going to further divide rather than solidify attitudes between blacks and whites. Personally, I'm ashamed and I'm sorry. WASHINGTON, D.C., Lily Lee, 23, environmental policy analyst: There needs to be a substantive commitment to compensate for the history of racial injustice. People of color and women must have more power in determining policies in the judicial system, education, employment, environment, housing, etc., at every level. DURHAM, N.C., Brenda Kirton, 32, research assistant: First of all, the justice system has to be addressed in a serious way. After the videotape, in order for a jury to come to the conclusion that it did, the jury had to be biased racially. The court of appeals needs to look at this very seriously. GOREVILLE, Ill., Ruth Oakley, 66, school bus driver: I think President Bush has got to step in and do something. We can't just sit back and let things happen, like what happened to Clarence Thomas. This has to be a racial thing; it's very tragic. It's absolutely sickening. HARRISBURG, Pa., Steve Trogner, 34, property manager: We need to work together rather than react adversely toward incidents like (the Rodney King verdict) in Los Angeles. It would help if people were involved in government at the local level rather than expecting the state or federal government to come up with cure-alls. TOPIC - NEUHARTH: AL NEUHARTH, founder, USA TODAY: It took over 200 years. But 1992 may be the year when women across the USA finally effectively flex their feminine muscle at the polling place. ... These record numbers of women are on the ballot this year: For the U.S. House, 173. U.S. Senate, 22. Governor, four. In Pennsylvania, 50% of the women voting in the Democratic U.S. Senate primary chose Lynn Yeakel, compared to 38% of the men. In Illinois, Carol Moseley Braun got 43% of the female vote, compared to 34% of the male. ... Indira Gandhi, India, 1966-77 and 1980-84; Golda Meir, Israel, 1969-74; Margaret Thatcher, Great Britain, 1979-90; Benazir Bhutto, Pakistan, 1988-90; Corazon Aquino, Philippines, 1986-92. ... If women keep their dander up and put more of their own into the political system, it will happen (in the USA) in my lifetime or yours. Good luck and Godspeed. Issues & Debate Editor: Beth Mann. (1-919-855-3491) Making copies of USA TODAY Update (Copyright, 1992) for further distribution violates federal law. This article is copyright 1992 Gannett News Service. Redistribution to other sites is not permitted except by arrangement with American Cybercasting Corporation. For more information, send-email to usa@AmeriCast.COM