Vol. 5, No. 4 Winter 1983 Staff Contents 4 8 12 16 What is Strength in the Nuclear Age? 20 24 34 36 ... 44 Cover Jim Blashfield Tobias Schneebaum Becoming the Wild Man Doniphan Blair................................... The Crux of Our Solitude Gabriel Garcia Marquez................. Bluesman Issac Scott Roberta Penn .................................. Encroaching on the Cruise Kathleen M. Reyes .......................... Holiday Gifts You Can Make Ken Butler, C.T. Chew, Dana Hoyle, S. Richard J. Barnet Centerfold Jennifer Guske . Moore, Steve Winkenwerder The Grip Barry Johnson................. True Love Carol Orlock...................... Co-Editors David Milholland Jim Blashfield Lenny Dee Peggy Lindquist Design and Production Jim Blashfield Production Assistants David Milholland Sharon Niemcyzk Proofreaders Theresa Marquez Stan Sitnick Betty Smith Camerawork Paul Diener Ad Production Peggy Lindquist Stacey Fletcher Beverly Wong Ad Sales — Portland/Eugene Lenny Dee, Martha Ezell, Laurie McClain, Sandy Wallsmith Ad Sales — Seattle Linda Ballantine, Danny O’Brien, David Clifton, Steven Scher Typesetting Archetype Contributing Artists Ken Butler, C.T. & Z.K. Chew, August Encolada, Jennifer Guske, Dana Hoyle, Stephen Leflar, S. Moore, Tobias Schneebaum, Steve Winkenwerder, Matt Wuerker Contributing Photographers Paul Diener Kathleen M. Reyes Public Relations Cramer/Hulse Development Consultant Michaele Williams Printing Tualatin-Yamhill Press Thanks Anna Barry, Andrew Cox, Eric Edwards, Greg Kroell, Starflower, Charlotte Uris, John Wanberg The Clinton St. Quarterly is published by the Clinton St. Theatre, 2522 SE Clinton, Portland, OR 97202, (503) 222-6039. Unless otherwise noted, all contents copyright © 1983 Clinton St. Quarterly. It’s already 1984 and Big Brother is with us. He tells us he’s working for peace! If we’d only let him build his peacemaker, we’d all have sweet dreams and the Huskies wouldn’t bite. Big Brother is so reassuring that it’s hard to believe there is any other reality. When he speaks, we all get so worked up at those damn Huskies! He tells us we need to head ’em off at the pass. SurEver Vigilant round ’em at the OK Corral. And if that doesn’t work, just follow the advice of T.K. Jones, Undersecretary of Defense for Strategic and Theater Nuclear Forces: “Dig a hole, cover it with a couple of doors and then throw three feet of dirt on top. It’s the dirt that does it... if there are enough shovels to go around, everybody’s going to make it.” Feeling better already. This Big Brother is quite a guy. And what of the loyal opposition? The Democrats too seem to realize it’s 1984, for nary an intelligible whimper can be heard. Imagine a defense budget that is 90% offense. Only 10% of the defense budget is actually earmarked for defense of the 50 states. Some 70% of the Pentagon’s budget is for conventional forces to fight in foreign lands and 20% is targeted to send nukes to the Soviet Union. The $1.6 trillion projection for military arms spending over the next five years comes out to $20,000 per American household. You could put quite a few chickens in the pot with that kind of dough, and it would be a natural to campaign on. But all that we hear is the silence of complicity. If there ever was an issue handed to the Democrats it’s Lebanon, where for over three centuries religious and political factions have been endlessly slugging it out with one another and where there are presently over 47 armed militias and regular armies. It defies logic to give a single sane reason why we should be in this mess. They don’t even have any oil! Hours after our boys were blown to bits, we passed up an Israeli offer to treat injured marines in their advanced medical facilities in Haifa, only 15 minutes from Beirut by helicopter, so we wouldn't appear to the world to be allied with Israel. Did we fool ’em? Once again the Democrats allowed Big Brother to take us into his confidence, to share the pain and shed a tear. Big Brother is an ideologue who believes with his heart and soul in Pax Americana. When it comes right down to the nitty gritty, so does the loyal opposition. Until they can articulate another vision of the world, don’t expect any changes at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue. Even from a strictly Machiavellian viewpoint, the Democrats’ chances of capturing the White House are somewhere between null and void. They have committed a series of blunders characteristic of rank amateurs or highly placed agents. The coup de grace is the decision to stage the national nominating convention, the one time each party really gets the attention of the populace — with television devoting its attention to nothing else — in downtown San Francisco. This guarantees them the worse possible T.V. coverage at the most critical time. First, by choosing the hometown of every imaginable fringe group, the Demos assured themselves that every wondering eye will link them in the most unflattering way. And by being on the West Coast, with a three hour time lag and their typical tardiness, the chief donkey will get to bray after much of the country has gone to sleep. Perhaps the Democrats’ only chance is to be carried on the back of Jesse Jackson’s registration campaign. If there is a brain functioning at national headquarters, they should make sure he has enough funds to take the ball and run with it. Only by activating the lower class can the Demos hope to win. But what if they did? As we’ve learned from previous administrations, Big Brother is alive and well in both parties, defining the rules of the game being played. It ultimately remains for us to change the agenda and stop heeding his siren call. With 1984 here, it’s clear that acquiesence is suicidal. It’s time we began defining our nation’s priorities based on a hopeful conception of a future. As always, there are no easy answers. Bon voyage. LD Fa La La! Oh, gosh. It’s gift-giving time again, isn't it? That's why we’re showing you thispicture ofjolly ol’Saint Nick. He wants you to spend all your money right this minute! What better gift to give than a subscription or two to the Clinton St. Quarterly, the Northwest's favorite multiple-award-winning journal of fiction, humor, political and cultural writing and wham bam graphics? With each subscription come two free passes to the-Clinton Street Theatre, Portland's premiere movie palace. This is a deal. Don't even consider doubting our word on it. Mr. Nicholas and various deer SUBSCRIPTIONS FOR THEM / trustyou and I believe in Santa. Send the following folks a subscription to the CSQ. I have enclosed $5 for four issues. They will receive a card saying I sent it. TO____________________________________________________________________________________________ ADDRESS C I T Y STATE____ ZIP FROM____________________________________________________ :____________________________________ Send the 2 free passes to: them O me O SUBSCRIPTION FOR YOU? Yeah, sure. 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