European Stars and Stripes (Newspaper) - August 17, 1990, Darmstadt, Hesse Page 10 a columns the stars and stripes Friday August 17,1990george will non Means racism no matter How Low your expectations for contemporary liberalism Start. Or How fast and far you lower them there is no keeping up with the degradation of that Dogma As in the scandal of Quot miss Saigon Quot the infrequency and Inadequacy of Liberal thinking is now threatening to take a new loll by darkening the Broadway theater in which Quot miss Saigon Quot was to open next March. That musical has thrilled audiences in London a West end but in an act of real moral heroism the producer has announced cancellation of the Broadway run rather than tolerate the Liberal racism of an american Union actors equity which wants to dictate the racial composition of the cast a in one crucial particular a a miss Saigon is set in Saigon in the waning hours of the Vietnam War. The Lead part portrays a Pimp of eurasian parents a French and vietnamese last week the exquisitely misnamed actors equity voted to deny Jonathan Bryce who played the Lead in London the right to play it in new York. The problem with Bryce is that he is not asian. Of course neither is the character he plays. But the tender conscience of actors equity will not let it a appear to condone the casting of a caucasian in the role of someone half caucasian and half asian. This denial of artistic Freedom Means that Bryce will be denied the sort of visa that enables a visitor to work temporarily in the United states. Remember when liberalism had something to do with Liberty when liberals were Strong for Freedom to travel and against denials of visas James Kilpatrick Marion Barry the eminent Junkie mayor of our nations capital is a Happy Man these Days. This past Friday a Federal jury acquitted him outright on one Misdemeanour count of possessing drugs convicted him on another minor count and failed to reach a verdict on 12 other charges. For All practical purposes the Case is Over now. The judge has declared a mistrial. At a sentencing session on sept. 17, Barry will get a first offender s tap on the wrist. At the same time prosecutors will announce if they intend to seek a second humiliation by going Back to court. Most observers regard a retrial As unlikely. The feeling is that no jury in Washington Ever will convict Marion Barry of perjury or any other felony rap. His Honor has become a Hern. Aone word suffices to describe this anti climactic outcome. The word is disgraceful. Over a period of nearly six weeks prosecutors offered the jury overwhelming evidence of the mayors criminal conduct. The talismanic phrase in jury trials is a reasonable it is not just difficult to understand a it is impossible to understand How reasonable doubt could have remained after the two sides rested. The most telling ineradicable utterly convincing evidence came from the mayor himself. In a sting operation the Fri videotaped Barry smoking a pipe of cocaine a head Back eyes closed the rapturous expression of a True Junkie spread across his face. On this count the jury reportedly split 6-6, the jurors who voted for acquittal thought the government had been unfair in trapping the defendant. A defense of entrapment is a matter of Law to lie decided by judges. The act itself was a matter of fact to be weighed by jurors. This jury hoho weighed the tape with a thumb on the Scales. Behind her Blindfold the lady of Justice wept. In this hour of pure disgust perhaps it is a mistake to see dark messages in the jury a abdication. One wonders All the same. What sort of message did this fiasco Send to Law enforcement officers Why should they risk their its is to make drug if the Union Slicks to what it Calls its a moral position a the Cost will include a record.$25 million Advance ticket Sale 50 acting jobs 34 of them minorities most of them asians a Isnit Liberal compassion lovely129 jobs for musicians stagehands and others and a payroll of $200,000 a week. Some Union. The Union s weasly position is the usual one of liberals running a racial spoils system. It says Colo Blind hiring is the Correct principle but in today a climate of racism etc., and Given the legacy of racism etc., we cannot adhere to the Correct principle until tomorrow. And tomorrow is always a Day away. With the pathetic earnestness of the ideologically blinkered the Union justifies its decision by citing a clause in the production contract affirming a a policy of such demented thinking results when language is reduced to applesauce. That has been done by dressing up reverse discrimination As a affirmative when Justice Brennan resigned there was much Celebration of his a a legacy a the a miss Saigon scandal is part of it. He is particularly responsible for giving a constitutional imprimatur to the Poison of a progressive a racism seeping through America. People like the leaders of actors equity having been tutored into inanity b y Liberal jurisprudence Are too confused to have even an uneasy conscience when they say they Are Loo gosh named moral to a give away Prycer a role to Pryce he is understandably impatient with that Way of talking about the role he created artistically. Frank Rich the new York times theater critic says Prycer a Quot brilliants performance a is As essential to miss Sai gone As Joel Gray a was butt the Union is nothing if not armed with the buzzwords of today a righteousness. It says that if Pryce were Given permission to play the role Quot the asian Community would consider it a a racial you see race based decisions arc acts of Superior sensitivity. Remember Yul Brynner playing the King of Siam in a the King and Laurence Olivier playing Othello actors equity is now too moral to tolerate such casting. Morgan Freeman the Black actor who starred in the films a a glory and a driving miss Daisy Quot recently played in a the taming of the shrew Quot Dan Zell Washington another Black Star of a glory a is now playing the title role in a Richard actors equity has attacked the Cardinal principle of theatrical ethics the categorical obligation to present the Best possible performance. It also has shown itself oblivious to the magic of theater where actors by their language and presence entice the audiences imagination up considerations extraneous to the text and stagecraft. This is the supreme artistic As Well As moral importance of a non traditional casting that casts a gifted Black Man As an English King. Remember this name Cameron Mackintosh. He is the British producer who by standing up for artistic Freedom and against today a trendy racism told some american liberals that he will not be party to their to reducing of this american and Long ago Liberal principle it is wicked to allocate Opportunity on the basis of race. Washington Pas writers group a sent Rotten message to Justice arrests hereafter what docs barrys Triumph say to the beleaguered government of Colombia Why continue the fight surely the mistrial says something to those who Deal in illicit drugs. Sell at your pleasure boys if the government can to get Barry the government can to get you. More than this. The Law is supposed to be one of the great civilizing influences of our society. Constantly we Are told that ours is a governor Neil of Law not of men. We Are expected to believe in the evenhanded administration of Justice. The jury system is enshrined in our Constitution but respect Tor the system is bound to be diminished when the system produces a result so grotesque. The Barry trial comes As one More failure in a string of failures. The Church like the Law is also a civilizing influence. What have we read of the Church lately we Are surf edited with Larcelous preachers and libidinous priests. Old notes old hymns beloved rituals disappear in efforts to appease the false god Progress. Congress is the legislative Arm of Federal Law. What of its influence we see a bitterly partisan Hody Fritt ering away time and Money slavering for re election unable to act responsibly on a budget. Who respects Congress. What of the arts the jurors who winked at Marion Barry Are no More disgraceful than the jurors who recommend Grants from the National endowment for the arts. A few members of the Barry jury tried to uphold old values. They refused to acquit on 12 of the 14 counts. Those who voted to convict had some sense of the Public interest. Panels at the Nea solemnly Ponder mediocrity and solemnly declare it Art. Does music have charms in today s society the airwaves vibrate with the Roxy Nio Ronic noise of Quot classic lyrics of Many recordings Are so obscene that they must be sold with warning labels. It becomes increasingly difficult to find a movie not characterized by pervasive profanity senseless violence and the debasement of sexuality. The corruption extends to education and to the world of finance. While the bureaucracy slept men looted the savings a and loan associations. Behold the great Oil companies a and behold naked greed. In this sad perspective barrys Triumph May not seem so revolting after All. His knee slapping supporters Are on the winning Side. Let jubilation reign it reigns with manic Grin while the lights dim and i fabric rots. C Ial Pic is Syi Olti
