Word: short
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Dates: during 1980-1989
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...short, what the amendment proposes is a loony parody of cultural democracy in which everyone becomes his or her own Cato the Censor. Clearly, Jesse Helms has no doubt that the NEA must be punished if it strays from what he fancies to be the center line of American ethical belief. The truth is, of course, that no such line exists -- not in a society as vast, various and eclectic as the real America. Helms' amendment might have played in Papua, where a Government spokesman defended the banning of Martin Scorsese's The Last Temptation of Christ on the grounds...
Before Congressman Gus Savage embarked on an official trip to China in 1986, a House staffer asked his top aide what the Illinois Democrat wanted to explore during the ten-day stay. "Tailored clothing," she replied. What she meant was custom-made suits. Savage not only gave short shrift to the official meetings that were the ostensible purpose of his tour, but also cut short his visit so he could devote three days to sightseeing and fittings in Hong Kong and Seoul. Total cost of the 16-day junket, which also included Japan: $6,731, presumably not including his haberdashery...
...almost flawless public performance is all the more admirable for hiding his true nature: short-fused, outspoken, archconservative. As a senior British official who knows him well puts it, "He has all the prejudices of a white Englishman of his age and social standing." Notes a friend: "Denis calls a spade a bloody shovel, though these days he does it privately. It requires an almost superhuman effort for him to keep the old mouth shut in public. Loyalty to Margaret and common sense make...
...first reports of Higgins' murder, the President cut short a Western- states speechmaking trip to return to Washington. He quickly conveyed his sorrow and outrage in a phone call to Higgins' wife Robin, a Marine public affairs officer. But throughout the week Bush was careful to apply a lesson that had been painfully learned by Jimmy Carter: never let a hostage crisis appear to consume the presidency. The President went to unusual lengths to create what might be called a mood of concerned normalcy, acting as host at a barbecue for members of Congress, playing tennis, even attending a ball...
...their patriotic fealty to Old Glory. Last week the House Judiciary Committee approved a Democratic proposal that would make setting fire to the Stars and Stripes a federal crime punishable by a year in prison. The measure could run into opposition from other Congressmen who think that nothing short of a constitutional amendment will serve to protect the flag from fiery desecration...