European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - August 30, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 the stars and stripes columns Anthony Lewis Bush backers conducting a negative Campaign Ronald Reagan showed in 1980 that a conservative could run an affirmative Campaign of ideas. His themes were lower taxes higher military spending and other ideas shaped by the modern conservative movement All presented in a framework of  them or not they were powerfully effective. George Bush is off in the opposite direction no affirmative but negative not ideas but personalities. His Campaign so far has shown one dominant strategy to attack Michael Dukakis. Bush and his surrogates have been painting Duk Kisas unpatriotic dangerously left Wing mentally unstable. The characterizations Are ludicrous but it do snot follow that they will have no effect. American Vot ers have often shown themselves susceptible to campaigns of character assassination. Red baiting worked in the 1950s. Richard Nixon and Joe Mccarthy helped to defeat some democrats by smearing them As soft on  Bush has shifted not very subtly from soft on communism to the statement that Dukakis is a card carrying member of the american civil  and he has implied that Dukakis is unpatriotic because he vetoed an unconstitutional Bill to bran teachers As criminals if they did not Force their Stu dents to recite the pledge of allegiance. He would have signed the pledge Bill Bush said an then let any objectors take it to court although the supreme court had made Clear that it was  was the tactic that racist southerners used during the struggle Over school segregation keep forcing decided issues Back into the courts. Is that what Bush favors the patriotism strategy reached a new Low Las week when sen. Steve Symms a Republican from Idaho attacked Dukakis wife Kitty. He had heard Symms said that there were pictures of mrs. Dukakis burning the american Flag when she was an anti War demonstrator during the 60s." mrs. Dukakis denied the charge and said the opposition must be Desper ate to make it. But the attacks on Dukakis Are not just designed to question his patriotism. Their deeper purpose is to raise doubts about his character his identity tomake people say we Don t really know Mike Duka  that was the significance of the attempted smear Early this month on Dukakis mental health. The Lyn Don Larouche crazies were planting rumours that he James j. K1lpatrick had had psychiatric treatment for depression. The Story surfaced aug. 3 on the Wall Street journal s editorial Page which nowadays makes the late William Loeb s Manchester Union Leader seem a Model affair mindedness. The journal spoke of what it called the health re Cord Issue Dukakis declining to release All his medical history to the press. It spoke of rumours about his  the Issue it said showed How Little the american people know about this Man and asked is Michael Dukakis really what the voters think they see later that same Day president Reagan asked Abou Dukakis health records said look i m not going to pick on an  anyone who thinks that crack was accidental must believe in the tooth fairy. Rowland Evans and Robert Novak columnists with Good connections to conservatives wrote afterwards that the Bush Campaign tried to spread that smear. Republicans they said Are coming to feel that the political destruction of Dukakis is necessary for Bush to win and feel that the stability and credibility of the governor of Massachusetts must be  there was nothing to the tale about psychiatric treatment if indeed it would matter that a Wise person sought help in times of stress. But smears havea Way of sticking despite their untruth. I think the psychiatric smear and the Bush innuendos about Dukakis patriotism have had an effect. I think people Are wondering whether Michael Duk Kisis a Little strange or at any rate unknown. What can Dukakis do about it the Best answer would be to get into television debates with the vice president but Bush is trying to slither out of that commitment. The alternative is for Dukakis to lift his Campa Gnout of the platitudes where it is stuck now and talk affirmatively to the big issues How this country mus meet its real needs in a Tough world by tackling the environment education and other hard issues. In the course of that Michael Dukakis will have to show More deeply More emotionally who he is. New York times news service Powers of Safe in conflict with religious Liberty where does the right to religious Liberty end and where do the Powers of the state begin the question is As old Ashe american Republic and As fresh As a controversy now pending in the District of Columbia. Georgetown University is an institution affiliated with the roman Catho Lic Church. Among the tenets of the Catholic religion is the doctrine that homosexual relationships Are in Viola Tion of god s commandments. Evi Dently that doctrine is obeyed a Georgetown not Only in the Obser Vance but also in the breach a student organization sprung up called the Gay rights coalition. In 1977 the District of Columbia City Council passed a human rights ordinance. The measure made it unlawful for any educational institution in Washington to discriminate by Rea son of sexual  citing the ordinance the homosexual group asked for the same recognition facilities and support the University accords to other groups. University officials citing Catholic traditions and values refused the request. The homosexual coalition sued the University. Last november the . Court of appeals upheld the ordinance and ruled that Georgetown must provide the plaintiffs with equal Access and facilities but need not Accord the coalition official recognition. It is a distinction without a difference. To bring the Story up to Date Las month the Senate took up the . Appropriations act. Sen. Bill Armstrong of Colorado offered an amendment that would effectively repeal the provision inthe ordinance dealing with sexual Orien  his amendment was adopted58-33 Over the strenuous opposition of Connecticut s sen. Lowell Weicker who termed it straightforward bigotry and urged that it be returned to the sewer from which it  when Congress returns to work after labor Day House and Senate conferees will vote on whether the Armstrong amendment stays orgies. District of Columbi spokesmen Are complaining bitterly that the amendment represents one More Effort by Congress to violate the Home Rule act. The complaint is  the Constitution Congress has Power to exercise exclusive legislation All cases whatsoever affecting the District. The More serious constitutional question goes to the first amendment. The District s City Council May make no Law respecting an establishment of religion or prohibiting the free  thus the Issue boils Down to a single Point May the City compel Catholic institution to support a Stu Dent organization whose reason for existence plainly encourages non Catholic conduct the controversy has some parallel with the Case of Bob Jones University five years ago. Bob Jones is a Funda mentalist institution in Greenville . It teaches that interracial marriage is in violation of god s commandments. The internal Revenue service revoked its status As a tax deductible institution because such a religious doctrine violates Public poli  the supreme court upheld the ruling. I thought the High court was wrong then and i believe Armstrong is right now. Homosexuals and Blackshare the same civil rights that others have the right to vote the right Toffee speech and free press the right to counsel in a criminal prosecution and so on. But religious institutions also have rights starting with the right today that persons who seek their Bene fits must accept their authority. Noone has a constitutional right to attend Georgetown or Bob Jones. That is amere privilege. The Rev. Timothy s. Healy presi Dent of Georgetown gave unequivocal testimony on the doctrinal question. Homosexuality he said is contrary to and in conflict with the traditional and consistent teachings of the Roma Catholic  the Gay rights coalition which encourages and Fos ters homosexuality is totally incompatible with teachings which Are Central to the beliefs of roman Catho  it May Well be uncharitable As the supreme court concluded in the Bob Jones Case to preach that miscegenation is sinful. It May be bigotry As Weicker charged to regard homosexuality As a violation of Catholic precepts. But these Are sincerely held religious beliefs. I do not see How the Power of the state constitutionally can be invoked to punish either Bob Jones or Georgetown. Their religious teach Ings May strike Many persons As obnoxious or unfair but these teachings Are their own business. They ought to be left alone. Universal press Syndicate the opinions expressed in the columns and cartoons on this Page rep resent those of the authors and Are in noway to be considered As representing the views of the stars and stripes or the United states government