European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - November 3, 1988, Darmstadt, Hesse                                Page 10 Blun rinse the stars and stripes James j. Kilpatrick Dukakis Acle philosophical image too much cast of mind. Cast of mind. I choosing a president that still seems la me the key Factor. A capacity for leadership is important or course and experience in Federal affairs counts for great Deal but in judging Between George Bush and Michael Dukakis one  to ask about the candidate s cast of mind. That is what troubles so Many observers about Dukakis and his allegiance tothe american civis liberties Union. He has boasted that he is a card carrying member of the Acle a statement of commitment that implies total commit ment. I do not see now that inference can be escaped. If he had said merely that he is a member that he teds Thea Clu has done some Good things in defense of individual Freedom but that he often disagrees with the Acle on. Particular actions that would have alarmed almost no one. But he did Tsay that. A card carrying commitment atthe very least clearly implies commit Mentlo the major policies of the Acle. These appear in a formal statement of the organization in the form of guides to local chapters. Examples recently were published in the congressional record. The Acle is wholeheartedly de voted to the doctrine of separation of Church and state. As a general principle most americans surely agree on the Issue but the Acle s obsession with the doctrine carries it far beyond the mainstream of american thought. Thus policy no. 84 demands removal of the words under god from the pledge of allegiance. Policy no. 92 seeks an end to the tax exemption on Church properties. Another policy Call for lawsuits to prevent schoolchildren from singing Christian or jewish songs at Yule lid the Acle would ban Al religious displays on Public property during the Christmas season. Docs the card carrying governor support these policies the Acle is equally devoted to the cause of free speech. Writing in the new Republic Mark s. Campisano re Calls when the organization really did find work in hat Field. It defended John Scopes the Tennessee schoolteacher inthe famed Monkey trial of 1924. It fought the senseless censorship of such works As James Joyce s  but in its official policy statements the Acle has taken the right of free speech and. Leaped Over a a Jeff with it. Carl to Row an no. 18 would ban the rating of movies because of the chilling effect such ratings have on Freedom of expression policy no 4 would abolish All Laws and the Acle Means All Laws on the Sale and distribution of hard Core pornography. The Acle would prohibit any sort of interference by principals or teachers in he unfettered publication of student newspapers pursuant to these official policy guides the Maryland chapter of the Acle recently Rose to he defense of students at Thomas s. Wootton High school in Rockville. They had taken to wearing to shirts to school bearing such legends As big Pecker and i want your  one to shirt depicted Ito turtles copulating. Another depicted a condom. Principal James Coles ordered them to Cut it out. Said the Acle s Maryland director the school should t be in the business of Banning those messages. That s what the first amendment is All  some of us who live by the first amendment even1 Day of our lives would insist emphatically that that snot what the first amendment is All about. The Acle s official policies Deal with personal Liberty. Policy no. 211 would abolish Laws against  no. 210 similarly would legalize the Sale of marijuana and narcotic drugs. Where stands the card carrying member. Except in such cases As murder and Treyawn the Acle believes in no per son convicted of crime should be imprisoned. A Fine should always be the preferred form of  this is be cause imprisonment is  under policy no. 242 offenders should be Given probation or suspended sentences thai would maximize the Liberty of the  these Are fair examples by which the dedication of it card carrying member May be judged. The significance to the presidential Campaign lies in the Awe some Power thai is vested in a president to nominate judges for the supreme court and the lesser Federal courts. In this regard what is the cast of mind of Michael Dukakis. Every president since washing ton has nominated judges in his own philosophical image. This is the Way the system works. I for one Don t want it to Towk in the Way of the Acle. Una veil fran syn Duli. Vvhs be backlash hurting Dufa there Are some things about this presiden tial election thai no debate no wave of television ads will change. V Michael Dukakis has not figured out How to embrace the Rev. Jesse Jackson and millions of Black voters without creating a whits  and he is still losing the South despite efforts to keep Jackson at Arm s length. George Bush is still suspect in terms of his past his leadership qualities and his judgment. And nothing raises More doubts about his judgment than his Choice of sen. Dan Quayle of Indiana As his running mate. This demagogic Duck the issues Campaign will produce a Winner nov. 8, but most americans will languish in a Miasma of doubt nov. 9, and fora Long the thereafter. Let s talk about the South which was a demo cratic party preserve until he courts the Kennedy and Johnson administrations and others gave Blacks belter schools the right to vote and other political Power. Ever since Richard Nixon Ronald Reagan and now George Bush  on a Southern strategy thai jays sometimes crudely and now subtly "1 am the candidate of the White people it Doest matter How Distant. Dukakis slays away from Jackson Many White southerner see Dukakis As supporting affirmative action Label ing South Africa a terrorist stale opposing the fledge of allegiance and supporting the american civil liberties Union. A -. What nobody will say i was told by a while missourian is that in a lot of the South a greek is still a foreigner not much More acceptable than a  so the polls show Bush with a 26-Point Lead in Florida a 14-Poini advantage in Texas and id Point leads in North Carolina Georgia Tennessee an Arkansas. Bush also is leading in polls in Alabama Kentucky Louisiana Maryland Mississippi okla homa Virginia and West Virginia suggesting that the vice president has a stranglehold on the electoral Voles of the sown. The polls show Bat Dukakis is trailing nationally by Only 3 percentage Points which is within the margin of polling error. But Bush s Lead in electoral votes which is. What matters stems a lot greater. It is hard to see How Dukakis can lose Texas and Flor Ida and still win the presidency. But there Are some major unpredictable a about. This Campaign As i have Learned in recent travels. Alot of businessmen who normally run from a demo Craitic candidate Are expressing concern about Bush s ability to Deal with the nation s economic problems the $151 billion budget deficit and the j2.8 trillion National Debi. " j but almost everyone is either making sarcastic jokes or expressing grim concern about Quayle sit Ting a heartbeat away from the  an unusually Large number of americans describe themselves As still  it to inter Esting to Ponder the extent to which Quayle will still be on their minds when they enter the voting Booth. The opinion expressed in toe columns Tai Carl cuu on this Page re Treudt those of the authors and it in no Way to be considered is representing the Alcot of the stars and Stripe or the United Stales Goren tent