(8)     Wed 16 Aug 95 18:26
By: Robin Murray-o'hair
To: All
Re: The Power of Shame
St:
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@EID:5e41 1f109340
@MSGID: 1:382/1006.0 886D130E
@TID: WILDMAIL!/WC v4.11  94-0279
THE BIBLE, THE LAW, AND THE POWER OF SHAME

Christian Reconstructionists and others urge a return to
Bible-based punishments for "sins"

by Conrad Goeringer

     The times, they are a gettin' mean and nasty. One
consequence of the burgeoning religious conservative influence in
American culture has been the spread of mean- spirited, "get
tough" panaceas directed against real or imaginary social
problems, as well as minorities, criminals, non-conformists, and
others who don't quite fit into the All-American, god-fearing
mold.

     When Michael Fay was accused of spraypainting
graffiti in the police state of Singapore, Homo Mediocritus
Americanus (also known as the American Boob) joined in a lusty,
beer-induced chorus of "Cane 'em! Cane 'em! Cane 'em!" Hitting
the offender with a rod on the exposed buttocks or back was
suddenly a convenient substitute for educational programs and
decent pay in the workplace.

     Even "Christian Reconstructionism" is finding a wide,
receptive audience. Reconstructionists have no need for
impediments such as the Bill of Rights. Reconstructionist
literature such as the Chalcedon Report tells us that "every area
dominated by sin must be 'reconstructed' in terms of the Bible."
For some fundamentalists and reconstructionists, that means
executing adulterers, fornicators, thieves and whores, and
bringing back public floggings, stockades, even torture.  A
prominent Republican activist has recently joined the
reconstructionist ranks.

     Polls show that "getting tough" with crime and
"immoral" behavior is right up there with economic concerns in
the "minds" of the typical American voter. And no wonder. Prison
and jail construction is a "growth industry" in America.

     So, when Hollywood pretty-boy Hugh Grant was caught
soliciting a good time from a prostitute named Divine Brown, you
would have thought that the world was coming to its final demise
and that civilization had indeed reached the end of history.
Maybe it was because Hugh, with his scrubbed good looks and
engaging smile, had been linked to an even more White,
Anglo-Saxon looking glamour model named Elizabeth Hurley.
Suddenly, "the John" had replaced Saddham Hussein, Ebola Virus,
and the national debt as the villain in bourgeois, everyday life.

     Perhaps we need to replace the image of Mr. Grant and
his new movie "Nine Months" with some old celluloid footage of
the late Burt Lancaster and his remarkable performance as Elmer
Gantry in the film adaptation of Sinclair Lewis' famous book of
the same name. The ambitious Elmer Gantry, ever-vigilant for
novel ways to spread the message of the Lord, leads a police raid
on a house of prostitution accompanied by frenzied newspaper
hounds, political officials and constabulary honchos. "Hey, I pay
good money for protection" declares the Madam of the
establishment to the head cop. The good officer is no doubt a
familiar face (and more!) on those joyful premises. But while
even Elmer is enjoying the raid, perhaps tempted by the favors of
the women present, he knows that this high-profile stunt will
surely pack the next prayer service, filling the coffers for
himself and "Sister Aimee."

     Cities throughout the country still answer the
clarion call of religious bluenoses, employing men and women in
aptly-named "vice squads" who busy themselves looking for men
such as Mr. Hugh Grant and women such as Ms. Divine Brown.
Philadelphia, the "City of Brotherly Love," is now joining the
ranks of other respectable communities, in putting a new twist in
its battle against "the world's oldest profession."

     Some refer to it as the Hugh Grant Law. Others just
call it the Power of Shame. Beginning last Friday, August 11,
names of people convicted of solicitation of prostitutes will be
listed in advertising in local newspaper Legal Notices. The
Philadelphia Inquirer assures us that "The idea is to shame
offenders that they'll never do it again. It's part of a
concerted effort on the part of (Philadelphia City) Council to
improve the quality of life."  Other cities have tried similar
gimmicks with mixed results. The names of "Johns" (a euphemism
for men who solicit prostitutes) have been published in Trenton,
N.J., and the state of Oregon even instituted a "Jail-a- John's
Jalopy" program which impounds the cars or trucks of men accused
of soliciting. Inevitably, these schemes are defended as a tool
in "fighting crime" and "protecting families."

     For some religious and political leaders, public
humiliation and exposure is a creative beginning or should we say
RETURN to a "Bible law"-based culture, like the good old days in
Salem. How about whipping? Or a public stockade? Or dunking? It's
not too far from the suggestion of former presidential candidate
and White Supremacist David Duke that AIDS patients have their
genitals tattooed. And after we do all of that, we can start
discussing the Scarlet Letter.

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