T A B L E+T A L K Is patriotism dead? Discuss the cynical state of the Union in the Politics area of Table Talk   R E C E N T L Y Newtron Bomb By Bruce Shapiro Will Gingrich's self-purge save the Republican party? (11/06/98) Newt to U.S.: You won't have me to kick around any more Jerry Brown, Christopher Hitchens, Maxine Waters, Dan Schnur, David Horowitz and Mark Hertsgaard react to Newt Gingrich's stunning announcement that he will not stand for reelection as Speaker (11/06/98) Body slam By Micah L. Sifry Jesse Ventura turned out turned-off voters on Election Day, and upended the nation's political elite (11/06/98) Money talks, but voters talk back By Ellen Miller Reformers prevail in billion-dollar congressional election (11/06/98) Gone with the windbags By Gary Kamiya The election took some of the steam out of the Washington Punditocracy's hot air balloon (11/05/98) - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Browse the Newsreal Archives - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - S A L O N E M P O R I U M FREE! 12-ounce bag of Salon Blend with a purchase of $30 or more. While supplies last.
		CAN WE TALK? | PAGE 1, 2 - - - - - - - - - - But the first step in mediating differences is to understand the underlying interests of each party. That requires conversation. How do we converse across an ideological chasm when the ultra right is increasingly inflexible, irrational and intolerant but winning the ballot game? One way is to opt out of the game, at least for a while, since we are so out of sync with the national mood. Moreover, it's in our own interest to move along developmentally toward cooperation and interdependence and to cultivate new strategies that sustain the spirit of those on the front line. Maybe America's '98 election message to both queers and sneers is "grow up." Maybe it's time to get past notions of the oppressor and the oppressed, instead lining up actions behind values in resolute self-affirmation. Growing up, unfettering our collective gay spirit, requires reflection and sincere self-evaluation. We need to ask tough, painful questions. Does the gay rights movement evince the same besieged Japanese soldier mentality as the conservative movement? Are GBLT leaders unconsciously casting each issue as a crisis to generate funds and perpetuate their organizations? Once liberated from its electoral mind-set, in touch with its natural generosity, humor and tolerance, the gay rights movement may find the ideological chasm less onerous. It may be easier to reach out to those who fear they will never regain their lost moral utopia. A path in this direction has already been cut into the political landscape by Oregon-based Love Makes A Family (LMAF), a gay nonprofit that engages in dialogues with conservatives to discover common values and bridge differences. LMAF Executive Director Bonnie Tinker says there is a small but growing reconciliation community within the gay rights movement. Tinker is best known for her four-year talk radio show about lesbians, gays and family values hosted by a right-wing station. Among Tinker's many stories of change, her favorite is Natale, an elderly Italian man who frequently called to argue, "You weren't born this way. You can change." Using nonviolent Gandhian speech and political techniques, Tinker has been successful in wedging open room for disagreement so that Christians who believe homosexuality is wrong can also confirm that gays deserve civil rights. Natale called in during the bitter 1994 campaign over Oregon's failed anti-gay Ballot Measure 13 to say, "I don't think this is what Jesus would want us to do." Ballot measures fit into a tool kit of strategies, such as direct action, judicial recourse, election of friendly legislators and education. The increasing reliance on city and county ballot measures to fight discrimination is "a product of not getting the work done at the state and federal level," says Kerry Lobel. Many of the 160 resolutions and ordinances passed in the United States that extended civil rights to homosexuals were passed in the wake of the Civil Rights Act of 1964. But since the early '90s, such ballot measures have been subject to increasing heat and opposition. There are times when conflict, direct action and oppositional strategies are appropriate and effective in catalyzing change. But today such techniques seem stale, both to those of us working inside the gay rights movement and to the general public. Is this, then, the political foot we want to continue putting forward, the image we want to continue projecting? Lobel was familiar with Tinker and Love Makes A Family. Her voice warmed reminiscing about a youth program she did for Fellowship Bible Church in Little Rock. "I think we're afraid to have these discussions," said Lobel. "I was." Such difficult but generous efforts to reach out -- not just to our opponents but also to the higher expression of our collective spirit -- are, like South Africa's Truth and Reconciliaton Commission, what it may take to inspire change today. Shortly before the election, citizens gathered for the dedication of the J. William Fulbright Peace Fountain on the University of Arkansas campus. Speaker after speaker rekindled the memory of Sen. Fulbright, who hailed from Fayetteville, holding aloft his torch of wisdom: The way to peace among different cultures is through education. The towering Fay Jones sculpture of interlocking, interdependent parts at the center of the fountain will forever symbolize two things for me. First, that the cultural divisions in this country can be as dangerous as those between nations. Second, that reaching out to others, seeking first to understand, remains the most effective bridge across the chasm. SALON | Nov. 10, 1998 Rebecca Bryant is a freelance writer in Fayetteville, Ark. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - R E L A T E D_.S A L O N_.S T O R I E S Asking for it Judges and juries may go easy on gay-bashers who blame their victims. By Jeff Stryker Oct. 23, 1998 My heterosexual dilemma Can someone please explain how flirting can lead to murder? By Richard Rodriguez Oct. 19, 1998 Letter from Laramie A transplanted New Yorker struggles to understand what the Matthew Shepard killing says about her new home state. By Lily Burana Oct. 16, 1998 Letter from Fayetteville A local hate crime brings the campaign for gay rights to Fayetteville, Ark. By Rebecca Bryant Oct. 12, 1998 Toward a post-gay world Gay Pride Month passed quietly this year -- maybe that means we no longer really need to make so much noise. By Daniel Reitz July 10, 1998 A diminished view of manhood Reggie White's remarks that homosexuality is a sin reflects a widespread fear of gays in the black community. By Earl Ofari Hutchinson April 6, 1998 If gays are no good, then neither is their money According to the voters of Maine, gays deserve no more rights than those of a dog. Like dogs, perhaps they shouldn't be paying taxes. By Daniel Reitz Feb. 13, 1998