Artist Fay Jones has been a frequent CSQ contributor. In her hometown Seattle she’s represented by Francine Seders Gallery. In Portland she shows at Laura Russo Gallery. Sketch above is a self portrait. ON THE COVER warn lasting security. DM $ Stacey Fletcher, Robert Williamson Qualitype Camerawork Tim Braun, Laura Di Trapani Typesetting Harrison Typesetting, Inc., Lee Emmett Marmilmar, Qualitype Proofreading Betty Smith Office Assistant Michele Hunt Contributing Artists Tim Braun, John Callahan Fay Jones, Gene Gentry McMahon Carel Moiseiwitsch, Royal Nebeker Ronna Neuenschwander, Joellyn Rock J.R. Williams Intern Lianne Hirabayashi Printing Tualatin-Yamhill Press Thanks Judy & Stew Albert, Dave Ball, Randy Clark, Jeannine Edelblut, Abbie Hoffman, Jim Jaeger, Rick Jones, Maria Kahn, Craig Karp, Deborah Levin, Peggy Lindquist, Julie Mancini, Theresa Marquez, Melissa Marsland, Doug Milholland, Kevin Mulligan, Julie Phillips, Sherry Prowda, Jeremy Rice, Marlyss Schwengels, Jim Styskel, Hunter S. Thompson, Waggle and Friends, Sandy Wallsmith, John Wanberg, The Clinton 500 I The Clinton St. Quarterly is published in ■Washington, Oregon and National editions by CSQ—A Project of Out of the Ashes I Press. Washington Address: 1520 Western j Avenue, Seattle, WA 98101, (206) 682-2404. J Oregon address: P.O. Box 3588, Portland, | OR 97208, (503) 222-6039. Unless other- ? wise noted, all contents copyright 51987 $ Clinton St. Quarterly. SON II: Season of the USFL—Sharon Doubiago A sequel to one of our most commented features. Pro foot- ball and the mother-son relationship. Shock of the New- Robert Maletta When one returns home from another land, the familiar is never quite the same. The Insurance Crisis— Krag Unsoeld The inside poop on skyrocketing rates, plummeting coverage and whose hand is in whose pocket. Security—the central obsession of the “American Empire”—has been an elusive, shifting goal. As a nation, the price we’ve paid has been high, because what we’re searching for is ultimately un- definable. As the generation driven by the twin spectres of the Great Depression and World War II fades from the scene, it’s critical that we reexamine our objectives before we squander what remains of our resources—personal, national and natural. Both the depth and longevity of the Depression left deep traces on those who survived it. FDR's New Deal and the Big One finally pulled the nation out of its mire, but immediately post-War, a new pattern seemed to emerge. The “Ozzie and Harriet” single family became the norm, the perfect target for the advertising age. Each family struggled to acquire the house, car(s), appropriate appliances, all while acting right on the job, one “you couldn’t afford to lose.” It was simple for the insurance industry to zero in on individual families and businesses, offering them “protection” from every imaginable calamity. Though Social Security existed to meet the elderly’s most pressing needs, little thought was given to the societal cost of the tens of millions of individual contracts for insurance protection. Is Anyone There? Susan Policoff A report from the front, where love is more like a 15 letter word. The First Day: State Pen— Al Israel Rose Conrad and Dostoevsky have no monopoly on horror. One man's personal experience. Why You Are Not Signing— Adam Michnik A statement of conscience from a leader of Solidarity. Nationally, the insurance system chosen was the War Department, dubbed Defense to fit the times. The monies freed up after WWII were turned into housing, consumer credit and a rising manufacturing capacity. When the Korean conflict came along, defense spending quickly reabsorbed much of the available tax dollars, and recessions were the inevitable result. The consumer economy burgeoned up to and even during the early stages of the Vietnam war, but in each case, the military held onto a slightly larger percentage of the GNP after the war than had been the case before. Deficit spending became the norm. Now, despite the lack of any actual engagement, our military budget is at a wartime level. It’s as if the entire nuclear age is a response to our failings at Pearl Harbor—never again unprepared. Once again our protection is coming at a very high cost. Early on, manifest destiny, that sense that we play a God-ordained role on the planet, left our natural resources vulnerable to any and all comers. After all, we would soon be in new lands, across the sea or south of our borders, and there was more of everything ahead of us. Today, some of the most predatory practices have been controlled. But we are still overcutting forests, running through minerals and peeV# •d Vc.’ Message of the Fetish— James Winchell Never look a gift book between the covers or be prepared for what lurks therein. Predictions for the Year 2000—John Callahan Gimmicks, gadgets and other madness from the Northwest’s noted futurologist. Read this before making out your will." troleum, and strip mining our farm- lands, as if anything that diminished our standard of living— our consumer profile—was a threat to our well-being. So where does this all leave us? Overall personal incomes are dropping, especially among the working and middle classes. Insurance costs have risen considerably as a percentage of our incomes. Our nation’s military bill has grown so considerably that social programs get short shrift. The only way we maintain our ever declining trade balance is through export of unfinished natural resources. Ours is a nation of considerable imagination and intelligence. As it stands, the children of the Depression and War era generation have yet to define well-being and security in a new way—one that will allow it to be passed on to our successors. We must build, not drain our vital resources. Our investments should be in education and infrastructure. Our insurance should become more social, less individual, with government playing a larger role in offering coverage and self-insuring. And the military just needs to be curbed and the nuclear umbrella dismantled. There’s still time for us to leave a legacy of hope, not fear to the generation that follows. That will be our only
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