Pubdate: Wed, 20 Feb 2002 Source: Chicago Sun-Times (IL) Copyright: 2002 The Sun-Times Co. Contact: http://www.suntimes.com/ Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/81 Author: Louis Silverstein WRONG ISSUE ALARMS ASHCROFT The culture wars are heating up. And those now in control are really loony as well as seemingly hell- bent on a mission to cleanse America of its sinful nature to an extent that is truly alarming, as exemplified by that "give me that good ol' time religion soul" who holds a top post in the Bush administration: Attorney General John Ashcroft, also known as "Mr. Clean." In a soft-core version of a religious fanatic like "let's purify the nation" decree, Ashcroft ordered $8,000 drapes to cover the Justice Department's statue representing the Spirit of Justice because this female figure, which has graced the Great Hall since 1934, features an exposed breast. After all, as a culture we are still trying to answer the question raised by Pamela Norris in her book, Eve, A Biography: "What is the appropriate response to a naked woman offering forbidden fruit and promising secret knowledge?" Yet, Ashcroft appears to be quite comfortable to be in the presence of guns exposed to public view, canceling background checks for his fellow countrymen who wish to buy such weapons at gun shows, and approving the brandishing of guns by Drug Enforcement Administration officials as they tyrannize patients and officials at medical marijuana centers in California, seizing the "wicked weed" and patient records. I would imagine that in the eyes of children, adults are quite weird. The big people in power approve of children seeing guns everywhere--in history textbooks, in the mass media, on the streets, in public buildings, and on public statues, but for children to view a naked breast is morally abhorrent. Yes, children of America, see, learn about, esteem and play with guns, but don't view or touch your bodies--at least not those "dirty parts," because we all know that's what led Adam and Eve astray, an act of betrayal and sin that we are still paying for, according to the likes of John Ashcroft and William Bennett, God's chosen cultural warriors. As Walt Kelly's Pogo often reminded us, "We have met the enemy and he is us." Louis Silverstein, Loop - --- MAP posted-by: Jo-D