Flynt worsens laughable, sorry state of union

Wednesday, January 20, 1999

Flynt worsens laughable, sorry state of union

FLYNT: $1 million offer keeps public focused on sex, instead of
real issues

The circus formerly known as government has a new addition to
its freak show: Larry Flynt.

Flynt’s latest scheme to pay $1 million cash to anyone with
evidence that incriminates Republican senators of infidelity
exposes the laughable state of our national government.

Flynt has shown that sex permeates politics on either side of
the party line by attempting to exploit the sexual antics of
members of the Republican party to the American public – forcing
Republicans to endure the same scrutiny as President Clinton. He
has successfully used moral vigilantism to embarrass members of the
Republican party, just as the Republicans have used sexual
infidelity to embarrass Clinton.

Despite the GOP’s efforts to steer the impeachment debate away
from sexual allegations and toward perjury and obstruction of
justice charges, former House Speaker-designate Bob Livingston’s
(R-La.) resignation, which curiously came immediately after Flynt’s
findings were revealed, brought sex center-stage again, causing the
American public to wonder, "Is sex what this has been about all
along?"

Though Flynt may honestly intend to do a service for the
American public through his quasi-investigations, his probings into
the private lives of our congressmen and women only keeps the
public’s focus on sex and not on the issues at hand. Flynt, by
perpetuating this spectacle, has come to symbolize just how
pathetic the trial on the Hill has become.

Flynt’s attempt to fix the problems of our government through
his political farce is not an appropriate way to condemn this
process. His efforts reek of B-movie kitsch; though comical, he
undermines the government and misuses the power of the media.

It is important to note that sex was not the original focus of
the investigation of the president, although Flynt’s efforts appear
to make it so. Kenneth Starr and other outspoken Clinton opponents
basically just wanted to get Clinton out of office. They tried
Whitewater, Travelgate and finally found a way to catch Clinton in
a lie when he defended his own sexual misconduct.

While Flynt adeptly mirrors the mean-spiritedness of the
congressional witch hunt intended to oust Clinton, the trial is not
centered around sex, that just happens to be the hot button issue
of the moment. No matter what the GOP or Flynt may say, the trial
can only be about the allegations now sitting before the Senate:
perjury and obstruction of justice.

It is evident that our government is in a sorry state when a man
who publishes nudie pictures for a living becomes a key player in
government affairs. Though he is only mirroring the actions of
Republican members of Congress, Flynt is embarrassing our federal
government and institutions at a time when we need to restore some
sense of integrity to them.

In times of war or serious crisis, the U.S. government has
always recognized the gravity of the situation and banded together.
Now our government faces a serious threat; the executive branch of
our government might be overturned, and the presidency is in
danger. Moreover, the jurors trying the president are
non-sequestered, and therefore more vulnerable than they should
be.

For Flynt to blackmail these jurors at such a time is
irresponsible. He is kicking the sacred institution of government
when it’s down. As Clinton has suggested, "the politics of personal
destruction needs to end."

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