ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Wednesday, August 21, 1996 TAG: 9608210004
SECTION: EDITORIAL PAGE: A-11 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: RONALD D. LANKFORD JR.
MODERATES are wishy-washy, or so the old prejudice says. They can't make up their minds, and are thus condemned to the mushy middle. But a new movement sweeping the country is changing people's minds. No longer are moderates content to sit on the sidelines and watch the left and right carve out the issues. The following groups represent a sampling of the new moderate radicals.
The National Unloaded Rifle Association: This group often makes headlines with chants such as, "Take some of our guns, but leave the others."
The founder and current president states their guiding philosophy: "We like some guns, and others we don't like. We do worry about jackbooted thugs (who are probably only trying to do a good job), but not that much. The best bet is to keep some guns and to get rid of others. We've drawn up a list, but we're willing to change it."
National Organization of Pretty-Darn-Near-Upset Women: These women protest at abortion clinics with slogans such as, "It's a hard choice to make, and we really feel sorry for you." They often stand in between other protesters when things get out of hand.
The current vice president for activism says, "Society doesn't treat women equal as often as it should, though it does do a lot better than it used to. Some things still get us pretty hot under the collar, though. If a woman does the same job as a man, she should get the same pay, or at least the same title and ample office space. The important thing is to realize that all of this might take a while."
The National Organization for the Eventual Advancement of Colored People: This group made its debut at the Million Man March with placards reading, "Black is beautiful, but white isn't all that bad."
One activist explained his feelings about the current state of race relations in this country: "We're against discrimination, but we also have a problem with people who discriminate against discrimination. This doesn't mean that we sympathize with reverse discrimination, but if our feet were in their shoes, we'd probably be upset about something, or at least a little confused."
Americans for Civil Behavior Union: The AFCBU recently made headlines by brokering an agreement that allowed Nazis to march down a street where no one lived. One of the brokers informed us that, "It wasn't so much the principle of the matter, or even what was fair. The bottom line is for everyone to get along."
On the issue of prayer in school, he also states that group's powerful compromise solution: "If everybody prays, some people will be upset; if nobody prays, others will be upset. One solution would be to have a special area at school designated for people who want to pray, not pray, or just hang out. We hope this won't upset anyone."
Other exciting groups include a moderate labor union that recently sponsored a picnic between striking workers and management, and an environmental group that uses volunteer loggers for Bloomin' and Groomin' Days.
Whether this type of thinking will lead to some sort of political renaissance, only time will tell. But as one radical moderate succinctly put it, "There's a solution to every problem. You can't solve a problem with a solution when only 20 percent of the population likes it. You have to make decisions that everyone can live with. Moderates save a lot of time by fighting for what everybody will have to do in the end anyway: compromise."
Ronald D. Lankford Jr. is a teller at First National Bank in Christiansburg.
LENGTH: Medium: 73 linesby CNB