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December/January 1992/93, Page 95 Publishers' Page We're Thinking About Bill Clinton … But have a few other things to say before we get to promises he's made. So first…
Let's Talk About Education.The Israeli author of one letter in this issue used to send us missives that were just short of scurrilous, meaning devoid of obscenities but personally insulting. Apparently, in the course of combing our pages for evidence that we were evil, she learned some things that changed her mind about a lot of things.
The Irk in Her Current Letter…Is aimed at Israel and its U.S. Lobby. We're also receiving hundreds…
Of Reader Survey Responses.We haven't finished reading them all, or computerizing the numerical ratings they contain, but will have by the next issue. Meanwhile, however, we noted one from a frequent letter-writer whom we long ago had dismissed as a hopeless anti-Semite.
He Filled up the Entire Form…And the margins, and then stapled to it a typed sheet of additional thoughts and suggestions. He's a very, very angry man. But he no longer blames a whole group of people for the sins of some of their self-selected leaders. How could he, after reading the writings of Rabbi Elmer Berger, Prof. Israel Shahak, Dr. Alfred Lilienthal and untitled frequent contributors to our pages such as Rachelle Marshall, Andrea Barron, and Sheldon L. Richman? We're not just talking education here.
This Is Real-Time Redemption.Years ago, when we used the same pairing fairly regularly for "two views" on the Israel-Palestine dispute, we asked the writer who agreed with us what would happen when his antagonist started to read the magazine in which his rebuttals appeared. "Don't worry," said our friend…
"He Doesn't Read Anything."But he did, and the two antagonists rapidly became less and less antagonistic on the Israel-Palestine issue. Readers asked why, if we truly were dedicated to presenting both sides of the coin, we were using one that seemed to have two heads.
So We Dropped That Pairing…Because before our eyes a stone-age original had evolved from a blood-thirsty armchair Arab-basher into someone who perceived there really was a way to solve the problem peacefully by meeting the legitimate aspirations of both sides, if the United States would just stop… Hypocritically Playing Favorites… For domestic political purposes, and do some truly honest honest brokering. Which brings us back to President-elect Clinton…
Who's Made a Lot of Promises.The armed forces are bracing for a major policy reversal which is not yet backed by solid public opinion majorities as was racial integration of the armed forces when that was mandated.
Haitian Boat Builders…Are preparing for an exodus of their people to a land that is not prepared to receive more than a fraction of them. Under the circumstances, the president-elect will be adding some fine print to much of his campaign rhetoric such as, "I'm appointing a commission to advise me on the timing of implementation…"
It's No Disgrace…George Bush demonstrated that Bush in the White House could hardly remember anything said by Bush on the Stump. It's just that Bill Clinton was more creative…
In His Campaign Rhetoric…So he'll need more commissions to recommend more delays "until the ground is prepared." We fear, however, that…
AIPAC Unsavories Around Him …Of the kind so proudly enumerated in the taped David Steiner transcription carried on page 13 of this issue, will warn Clinton that although he may decide he must procrastinate on most of his campaign promises, he mustn't…
Renege on Promises to Israel…"Because the media will crucify you if you do." But if the U.S. moves its embassy to Jerusalem prior to international negotiations on the status of a city sacred to the adherents of all three Abrahamic religions, the U.S. will be violating the basic premise of the U.N. Charter and of international law, which bars the acquisition of territory by force, and gratuitously defying a billion Christians and a billion Muslims, who were promised a "corpus separatum" for a Jerusalem under international administration when their countries voted in the U.N. to partition Palestine into a Jewish and an Arab state.
Rejecting Civilized Diplomacy…To pander to the Israel lobby in the U. S. is not going to be popular with the American people when they understand the issue.
And They Will Understand…When up to 45 otherwise friendly countries recall their ambassadors from Washington or send ours packing, and in some less friendly countries U.S. embassies go up in flames as a result of an action by their government that any informed American would reject categorically. Americans Supported by 86% … President Bush's request to Congress to delay consideration of U.S. Loan guarantees to Israel for 90 days in order not to jeopardize the Middle East peace talks.
We Are Sure There Remains…Similar support for continuity in the Bush administration's policy on those talks, which was to link U. S. aid to Israel to Israeli performance at the peace table. We are certain of the answer if any polling organization posed this question:
"Fifty Percent of U.S. Aid…Worldwide goes to Israel. Would you support linking any further aid to Israeli compliance with a U.S.-brokered land-for-peace settlement with its neighbors?"
At Least 90 Percent…Of the American people would answer "yes." Nearly all would add, "of course. " And a clear majority would say, "that's far too much aid for any one country." That's why no media organization…
Would Dare to Ask…And why no U.S. polling organization would accept such a commission if it were received. It would be blacklisted by the mainstream media forever…
But That's How People Feel…And if Bill Clinton doesn't sense it, he'll find out the hard way, unless he is astute enough to ignore such AIPAC officers in his organization as campaign manager Mickey Kantor, former counsel David Ifshin and finance chief Monte Friedkin.
It Might be Better…For our readers to educate, or redeem, Bill Clinton before he makes mistakes that will be irreparable first to our country, and eventually to him when the lobby drops him in favor of a fresh face they haven't yet compromised, as they already have compromised Senator Al Gore.
Already They're Flirting…With potential Republican opponents like Jack Kemp, Dan Quayle, and William Bennett, all of whom they feel they can coopt, in case they have to dump Clinton at the end of his first term. So there's a lot our readers can tell Bill Clinton and… We'll Talk About That Later.
We'd Like to Set You Up.In business. A lot of our readers buy books at wholesale for resale to appropriate audiences at church, peace and ethnic group meetings. Since most of our books are available at 50 percent of list price in quantities of two or more copies, and neighborhood bookstores pay 60 percent, our readers have the edge.
We'll Take It One Step Farther…We'll extend up to $200 in credit for purchases of books in our library donation packages, if readers have references and earn the credit by purchasing up to $200 in other books from our catalog. That will give you a good start for a display at a church bazaar, a swap meet, or wherever you think you can spread the word.
What's More, We'll Help…You become wholesalers of the Washington Report. Most magazines have one distributor on an exclusive basis. We have six regional distributors and another for overseas, and none of them have exclusivity. If you've noted that in your town we're only on one newsstand, but there are six or seven more that should be handling us, we'll make you the distribution agent for those new magazine stands.
You Won't Get Rich…But you won't lose money either. And you'll be getting out the word. If you think you'd like to try this, let's talk. Ask for Greg Noakes or Andrea Lorenz.
AET Calling Canada…One letter this month from a regular subscription donor whose wants sometimes get complicated congratulated our circulation department on being a lot more efficient than it was a few years ago.
So Now We Can Confess…Not all departments are so well organized. About six months ago we negotiated with a non-profit group, in Ontario we believe, to handle our magazine distribution for western Canada at a great savings to Canadian subscribers. A Canadian Islamic group wants to do it for eastern Canada. But now we're confused. Will the first group please identify itself so that we can proceed with both?
And, While We're at It…Will Saeed Badeeb please identify himself? We want to use your article on the legal background of the Abu Musa dispute but can't find you to get your clearance on the edited text. An intern on duty says "it was dropped off by someone who said the author had discussed it with the executive editor." True, no doubt, but…
Don't Count on His Memory…Write your name, address and telephone number on the manuscript, not just the envelope, which the editor doesn't even see. Which brings us to other editorial rules of the road.
If You Want to WriteFor the Washington Report, start if possible with a "Seeing the Light" account of your own experiences in getting to wherever you stand politically or psychologically on the U.S. and the Middle East.
Then When You Talk…To the executive editor in advance about your next topic for the Washington Report, he'll know what to advise you. Don't send resumes or writing samples, which he won't read, and be sure what you submit is double or triple-spaced, or it won't make it past the wastebasket by the front desk where about 300 letters are opened daily.
In General We Don't…Use manuscripts from free-lancers unless they're extraordinarily powerful, are accompanied by usable photos, or we think you have potential as a monthly, specialized columnist. And while…
We're Talking Policy…We write our own "editorials. " Therefore we don't accept paid advertisements that are covert political statements. We've found that our readers don't really recall what we said and what our advertisers said, so that's how we avoid confusion.
If You Get Two Copies…Of this month's Washington Report, it doesn't mean our circulation department isn't so efficient after all. This month several thousand promotional copies are going to former subscribers who didn't renew during the past two years, people who inquired but then apparently didn't subscribe, and to some of the usual lists of foreign service retirees, peace and church activists, and old Mideast hands.
If You Renewed After All…Or happen to be both a subscriber and a member of one of those likely groups, you'll get two copies. We hope you'll give the second one to a friend.
For Readers Who Believe…President-elect Clinton can be redeemed through a crash education on Middle East realities, we're printing four open letters to him from diverse authors starting on page 24, and three views of what he should do first about the Middle East, starting on page 30. You might want to send him copies of some or all of them or…
Better Yet, Write One Yourself …We think such efforts can be equally effective in the case of new members of Congress from your district or state. The 100-plus new faces on Capitol Hill really have arrived to do the right thing, but they're already thinking about re-election.
It's Important That They Hear…Early on that a vote for foreign aid, no matter how commendable that cause may once have been, now is just a disguised way to shovel more than 80 percent of the total to Israel—and to Egypt for keeping the peace with Israel.
A Vote for Foreign Aid…Assures congresspersons support from the pro-Israel PACs for the next election cycle if they need it. It also assures that voters in their constituencies will learn, through our pages and the work of our readers, exactly how much each has received from pro-Israel PACs, both for that election cycle and on a career basis. There are many ways to be re-elected. Not all involve hoodwinking their constituents. Make sure your representatives in Congress at least think about that and…
Make a Difference This Month.President-elect William Clinton Any Senator Any Representative
Last Call and It is Very ImportantThe 1991 response to the appeal on the facing page was so magnificent that the size of the matching grant was upped from covering 10,000 subscriptions for 1991 to 12,000 subscriptions for 1992. Initial response for 1992 has been good...
But We're Not There Yet.We had a surge of opinion molder subscriptions in December 1991, and that put us over the top. We're still about 3,000 subscriptions short this year and, frankly, we have to have the money if we're going to continue in 1993.
So If You Haven't…Donated opinion molder subscriptions yet, now is the time to do it before the end of the 1992 tax year. Donations to the AET Library Endowment are tax-exempt. So please give as many as you can and...
Make a Difference All Year. |