Clinton Allegations
Alan Dershowitz’s commentary “Where Are the Anita Hill Feminists Now?” (May 9) scores a direct hit. Clearly the political orientation of the accused plays a pivotal role in the minds of both accusers and supporters. From the feminists’ point of view, conservatives must be destroyed at all cost while liberals and socialists must be protected from any sort of embarrassing exposure. Feminists appear not to consider this hypocrisy. On the contrary, to the true believer it is simply a matter of “the ends justify the means” when it comes to protecting the politically correct.
CHARLES IVIE
Victorville
Dershowitz, in accusing feminist supporters of President Bill Clinton of hypocrisy and inconsistency, couldn’t be more wrong. He is wrong on his facts, he’s wrong on his analysis and he’s wrong in his conclusion.
First, one need not be a feminist to expect and desire that the laws prohibiting sexual harassment be fully enforced.
Second, those of us who have struggled and advocated for effective remedies for sexual harassment have done so consistently whether the complaint was made by Prof. Anita Hill, Lt. Paula Coughlin or Paula Corbin Jones. The issue then and the issue now is that the allegations receive a full and fair hearing. The outcry and the outrage that followed Hill’s allegations were caused when the U.S. Senate refused to take her allegations seriously and threatened to sweep them under the rug. Then, when it did finally decide to air those allegations, it did so in a politically charged environment instead of an impartial hearing.
Feminists (and others) are not now engaged in the same outcry because it is not necessary. In fact to do so would be inconsistent and hypocritical. Neither the White House nor President Clinton has ignored or avoided these allegations. Instead, the President responded immediately, by hiring an attorney to represent him in this matter, surely an indication that he takes this seriously. These allegations will be heard under the procedures for adjudicating civil rights matters--procedures that seek to resolve differences in an impartial manner using rules of evidence.
The only hypocrisy we can find in this matter is that of the organizations and individuals who denounced the sexual harassment allegations of Hill as the hysterical imaginings of a bitter woman, and now are clamoring about the “injustice” done to Jones.
ABBY J. LEIBMAN, Executive Director
California Women’s Law Center
Los Angeles
Re Paula Jones: This is the first time in the history of the United States that a President in office is being blackmailed.
HERBERT FLYNN
Topanga
The feminists who holler “women don’t lie” have been thunderously silent in their nonsupport of Jones’ suit against Clinton. Despite the fact that Hill has made a career and a fortune based solely on her accusations, Clinton’s apologists and the feminists are slamming Jones as an opportunist even though she is a more typical victim than Hill--a $6.35-per-hour clerical worker rather than a Yale-graduate career lawyer at the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission. Once again, not only people, but principles are sacrificed for the sake of partisan politics.
GILBERT MACPHERSON
Los Angeles
Jones is another drop of water from the Republican smear campaign against Clinton. Now that Whitewater is petering out, the campaign managers have been forced to return to dirty sex for lack of anything better. The first disclosures are that something went on in a hotel room that is too gross to be spoken of in public. Then will come the disclosures bit by bit. I find the whole procedure disgusting. And, I will bet, nothing will ever be disclosed that indicates the President is incapable of discharging his responsibilities. In the meantime, of course, his effectiveness is compromised, which is the goal of those hostile to what he is doing for us.
WILLIAM SAYLOR
South Laguna
* Re “Clinton Dogged by Issue He Invoked: Character,” news analysis, April 30:
We have but to look back at 12 years and more of Republican disasters: Watergate, Iran-Contra, and the financing of Iraq prior to the Persian Gulf War. These present issues against President Clinton and First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton are not about “character,” stupid. In fact, these innuendoes are political aims at the presidency and his successes since taking office. Republicans are attempting to divert the focus away from the real problems which face our nation and the world today.
HELEN R. WILSON
Hemet
* Putting “Risky Ventures Marked Early Clinton Investing” on your front page (May 2) was ludicrous.
I pray your reporter will not discover they even purchased a lottery ticket!
M. JEAN WETHERBEE
Los Angeles