DATELINE–South Northridge

While politics makes for strange bedfellows, nothing’s more alien to the American political scene than the proposed alliance between a notorious white supremacist and a cutting edge immigrants rights organization. South to the Future, a progressive Northern California media watchdog, is stretching the maxim to its limit in the hopes that a highly publicized act of miscegenation will pollute the life blood of the 1996 California Civil Rights for Whites Initiative (CCRwI).

The legislation, which also operates under the aliases “CCRI” and “Prop. 209,” goes before California voters in the November 5, 1996, general election. The state ballot initiative would abolish affirmative action, outlaw public contract set-asides for women and minorities, and allow state and local governments to institute employment discrimination against women at will.

Yes on Prop. 209 Committee states its own motto as
“Rights for all, preferential treatment for none.” *

Widely considered a referendum on the pro-white movement which has swept the American political scene, the legislation has incited a hotly contested political and cultural battle drawing attention from progressive and conservative players on both the local and national level.

South to the Future is one such player. David Duke is another.

After heated closed door discussions, the South to the Future Board of Directors and selected members from the community decided that it was “time to turn the Brothers against the Bubbas.” Citing “the American tradition of polarization, obfuscation and the almighty photo op,” SttF issued an invitation to David Duke, the Louisiana Senate candidate and founder of the National Association for the Advancement of White People (NAAWP), to travel to California and campaign for the passage of the 1996 Civil Rights for Whites Initiative.

The National Association for the Advancement of White People (NAAWP) states its own motto as:

“Equal rights for all, special privileges for none."*

SttF claims in a press release that it is only finishing the work begun last month by the student government at Cal State Northridge. A spokesperson for SttF recently declared, “Civil disobedience was the hallmark of protest in the sixties. Made-for-TV political stunts and baldly offensive irony are the touchstones of what passes for political activism in the nineties.”

The invitation includes a first class airline ticket to carry Duke from Louisiana to the Southern Californian destination of his choosing. Additionally, a small stipend of an undisclosed sum will be provided to defray personal expenses.

Conditions attached to the acceptance of the offer include:

Duke must refer to the ballot legislation as “The Civil Rights for Whites Initiative (CCRwI)” in a broadcastable soundbyte of 15 seconds or less.

Duke must iterate at all appropriate opportunities his admiration for Governor Pete Wilson in acceptable soundbyte form. For example: “Pete Wilson is a credit to the white race” or “Therefore I declare Pete Wilson an honorary member of the National Association for the Advancement of White People (NAAWP)”

Duke must make himself available to national network news representatives and tabloid reporters for interviews following all public appearances.

South to the Future adamantly denies that the offer is merely a self-serving publicity stunt. The organization argues that it simply wants to provide the people of California and the national media market with the information needed to make an informed decision about the intent as well as the content of the Civil Rights for Whites Initiative.

In organization’s own words:

“Politics mirrors fashion. In the world of clothing design, style makers execute changes in trends vis a vis extreme visual statements. The results are often jarring, occasionally ridiculous. But the concepts embodied by haute couture eventually trickle down to the off the rack clothing lines. These influences may be subtle and muted, but they remain utterly recognizable. South to the Future dabbles in designer politics. And while the market for an original SttF theory may be narrow, the ideas will trickle down into mainstream political discourse and then, maybe then, the people will buy them.”