Kentucky Tobacco Rights Activists Burn Effigy of First Lady at Rally

As a congressman, a state senator and a gubernatorial candidate stood nearby, an effigy of First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton was doused with gasoline and burned at a tobacco rally protesting President Clinton’s health care plan.

“Burn, baby, burn,” chanted Stan Arachikavitz, president of the Kentucky Assn. of Tobacco Supporters. About 100 people gathered at twilight Saturday to protest Administration plans to hike cigarette taxes to fund health reform.

State Sen. David Boswell, a Democrat who spoke at the rally, said later he was unaware that the effigy was to be burned. “I don’t support that. I disagree with a lot of the policies that are coming out of Washington. But that was out of line,” he said.

Rep. Ron Lewis (R-Ky.) told the crowd: “If we don’t stand up for tobacco, we’ll go down with it.” Also speaking was Matthew Wills, a Republican candidate for Congress in central Kentucky.