Bits & Bytes

• Clinton's real secret admirer?--In his February 2 IDS opinion column, Urvaksh Karkaria not only blows off the allegations surrounding Monica Lewinsky, but credits Clinton with pulling inflation down, "a little more spending money in the pockets of Congress," and creating 14 million new jobs. Get real, Urvaksh. The only jobs Clinton is responsible for creating are those investigating his scandals!
• Yeah, but for Pete's sake we can't let them pray--At a time and place where young boys are joining street gangs and dying from guns and drugs, the ACLU sued the city of Chicago to sever its ties with the Boy Scouts of America "until the group accepts gays and stops requiring a religious oath." Sadly, Chicago bowed to the ACLU, which is now urging other cities to "take a cue from Chicago's action and end their sponsorship of these discriminatory programs."
• So Miss Arkansas would've been OK?-- In his February 10 IDS column, Paul J. Williams centers his argument that Bill Clinton exercised bad judgement in the alleged "Zippergate" scandal by saying Monica Lewinsky is "ugly" and looks like "Rosie O'Donnel's uglier little sister". Nice work, Paul. It would also be a good idea if you took the time to see your eye doctor. In the meantime, don't expect to be asked to judge any beauty pageants.
• New heights of conceit reached by the Ego-in-Chief--In an AP interview, President Clinton unequivocally stated he would never resign from the presidency. "I would never walk away from the people of this country and the trust they've placed in me," he stated. Sure, all 49.2% of the people, Bill.
• Will the real "Great Satan" please stand up?--Students at the University of Illinois recently protested U.S. policy as having a "lack of respect for Iraqi human rights (Daily Ilini). Perhaps they've forgotten about Saddam, who has used chemical weapons on his own people?
• Ken Starr to visit Bloomington soon?--Less than a week after dismissing the Lewinsky scandal and commenting on what she sees "in the President's eyes," IDS columnist and former White House intern Stacey Zolt wrote about "value in sex for the sake of...sheer physical satisfaction." Now, where could she have learned that?
• "Huh?"--The IU Speech and Hearing Sciences Department on February 10 sponsored a talk about "the transgender phenomena in the Post Modern Era" in SHS Professor Moya Andrews' class. Explain to us again how this relates to speech and hearing...

How does a party with a multi-million-dollar debt, no agenda, and a leader mired in scandal build momentum for the '98 elections?

According to the Associated Press, Harry Beals, a trailer salesman from Oak Hills WV, admits asking people to sign the cards, but denies telling anyone that would make them eligible for a mobile home. All but one person called were surprised to learn they had been registered to vote.

"I work on commission," Beals told the Associated Press. "I'd welcome a socialist, a Nazi, anyone."