Arizona Republic from Phoenix, Arizona • Page 34

i i ALL EDITIONS Sunday, March 17, 1991 The Arizona Republic C3 Beildieg moral case, for King day 1 had such an impact? The packagers of the 302 campaign were concerned about antagonizing voters. No doubt there was research indicating the risk. What it appears they did not grasp, however, was the inherent risk in failing to give voters a clear moral basis for their choice. One can go so V1 a ljiLni -J I III It. ---'2 nri I sa ft Wa DREAM 4 far in an attempt to avoid giving offense that one loses sight of the principles involved.

In an attempt to avoid offending anyone, the political pragmatists who ran the last campaign managed to strip the King holiday of its moral and ethical underpinnings. As a result, we heard only the most obtuse references to what King had accomplished and his role in American history. By focusing so exclusively on the need to avoid offending it became difficult to remember what the campaign stood for. Thus, when faced with a last-minute threat from the NFL, the most salient ethical issue for many voters became, "Let's not let them tell us what to do!" While the negative reaction to the NFL threat was understandable, had the public been given a more compelling reason why a second-class "back of the bus" Sunday remembrance day was an inadequate public statement, they could have ignored the NFL and focused on.the real issues involved. Our own polling makes it clear that the public rejects the notion that "the people have voted and therefore noting further should be done." A survey conducted after the election BUILDING, from page CI did we hear almost nothing of this grand moral crusade that King helped lead? The bland reminders characteristic of the Proposition 302 campaign to "support civil rights help Arizona" not only did little to give voters a reason to vote for the holiday, they also cost us an opportunity to educate the state about why this movement ought to matter to all of us.

While the proponents of the measure were careful to avoid making explicit statements about the likely economic impact of a negative vote, the absence of a compelling moral statement' in favor of the holiday left the implication that economics was the prime motivation behind the proposition. Proponents also failed to make clear why an unpaid Sunday remembrance day was inadequate. Surely, a paid holiday is not the real issue here. The real issue is the public statement and the symbolism involved. Are civil rights that important? To those who see a' commitment to equal rights as much of what distinguishes us from less-just societies, the answer is obvious.

But why is a paid holiday necessary to bring about such a remembrance? It is precisely the legacy of a "separate but equalback of the bus" history that makes anything that smacks of a sdOnd-class holiday particularly unsuitable. Could a Sunday remembrance day be equally suitable for honoring Dr. King and the movement he has come to represent? In theory, of course it could. Riding in the back of the bus will get you where you want to go just as surely as riding in the front. It is also arguably just as good a ride until someone tells you you can't ride in the front.

And that is precisely what Evan Mecham did in rescinding the King holiday proclaimed by his predecessor. Using language calculated to insult, Mecham clearly indicated his belief that Dr. King did not warrant a first-class holiday. In so doing, he made anything less than that completely unacceptable. If you think this type of symbolism doesn't warrant a fight of this magnitude, gauge your emotional thermostat the next time someone burns a flag.

It is symbolism, of course, but men have died for much less. CBS broadcast Two days before last November's election, CBS sports reported the National Football League's intention to yank the 1993 Super Bowl from Phoenix should the MFK day fail. An analysis of post-election polling made it, clear the the broadcast triggered a resentment that was unquestionably of sufficient magnitude to have constituted the margin of victory. AH of our experience in analyzing public opinion clearly indicates that people respond very negatively to such threats. They did so in this case, and the result was the defeat of Proposition 302.

While polls differ in their assessment of the magnitude of the effects, in each case the measured VTaM fi found that 56 percent of Maricopa County residents thought the Legislature should do something about the issue. The same poll showed that 80 percent thought the impact of the King day vote had hurt Arizona; 49 percent said it had hurt Arizona "a lot." Underestimate the impact This last sentiment is not without considerable supporting evidence. Based on travels in other states, I sense that Arizonans may serously underestimate the impact of the Martin Luther King holiday vote. We know about the high-profiled items like the Super Bowl or the Fiesta Bowl. But a more profound impact may be on the secondary perceptions, the doubt created about what kind of a place Arizona really is.

Arizona is in real danger of becoming a national pariah due to the perception that racism in this state is alive and well. While this may be a bad rap, it is likely to persist until something is done about it. Even if the voters do add a paid holiday in 1992, such intangible perceptions are likely to change slowly. Anything we do now will likely be interpreted as bowing to the external economic threat or to a desire to erase the "racist" label with which we have become associated. (Indeed, one reason for the rush to put the holiday back on the ballot was a desire, however remote it might be, to influence the NFL owners meeting this weekend on the 1993 Super Bowl issue.) While that is probably our fate, it should not deter us from doing what is right.

But what grounds are there to believe that the result will be different in 1992? There are several reasons for optimism: A majority of Arizona voters cast their ballots for a King holiday. The The Arizona Republic Arizonans march down Washington Street in support of a paid state holiday to honor Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. A survey conducted after last November's election found that 56 percent of Maricopa County residents thought the Legislature should do something about the issue. "The post-Persian Gulf environmental agenda will be a full one.

The global community will have to come to grips with the long-term environmental dimensions of armed conflict and make unprecedented efforts to prevent such conflict. Environment has become the hostage ENVIRONMENT, from page CI terrorism. Innovative management, planning and technological development for the environ- ment whether for minimizing the number of toxic chemicals in the world or strengthening nuclear fuel safeguards can help remove weapons from the hands of environmental terrorists. In the present example, reducing our oil addiction, and thus reducing the highly political nature of oil, will mean that future planned Persian Gulf spills and well fires are less likely. For every barrel of avoided oil dependency, achieved through increased conservation and alternative energy development, the biosphere could breath that much more easily.

More conservation Reduced oil dependency will require a great effort on many fronts. Conservation programs must be expanded. Technologies for increased energy efficiency an area where tremendous strides have been made will have to be pushed even harder. Environmentally acceptable alternative energy sources will have to be developed. Pollution prevention activities that save energy along with effluents must be expanded.

And priorities must be set for attacking other environmental issues that may figure prominently in future international conflicts. If oil was the weapon of environmental terrorists iif the gulf war, what will be the weapon in the -next year? Many are betting on a much more benign substance water. As growing populations vie for this irreplaceable resource that is so inequitably distributed in the global environment, the danger of war over water, and all' the terrorism that could accompany it, grows. The need for an international initiative to anticipate and counter future environmental terrorism is clear. Such an initiative should start with a series of regional forums, culminate with an international conference and end with a global convention on strategies for reducing or eliminating environmental terrorism.

Featured in this effort should be the role of preventive resource management, planning and technology as an environmental strategy for peace. This initiative must also address the broader environmental implications of war and how environmental planning and management should be an integral part of any political and military strategy that could lead to war. The post-Persian Gulf environmental agenda will be a full one. The global community will have to come to grips with the long-term environmental dimensions of armed conflict and make unprecedented efforts to prevent such conflict. This is the pressing challenge of preventive global environmental management.

Control yf the environment is ultimately far more important than control of a military objective. Long-term degrading of the larger environment defeats the purpose of short-term conquests of; small parts of it. pro-vote was split between two propositions. While two specific propositions were voted down, it can certainly be said that a definitive popular judgment on the notion of a King holiday has yet to be rendered. The option put to the voters was far from the most publicly acceptable alternative.

Our polls have consistently shown that adding an additional paid state holiday is a particularly unpopular feature. For a significant minority of the population, clearly enough to have constituted the margin of victory, the addition of any paid state holiday was sufficient reason to vote against Proposition 302. Alternatives with much higher public acceptance, such as adopting the federal system by combining the Lincoln and Washington birthdays and adding a paid King day, were not placed before the voters. (They will be part of the '92 measure.) Our surveys have placed the increased support for this particular measure at 10 percent to 15 percent more than the support for the additional holiday measure that was voted down. The shame in all of this is that our effect was more than enough to have constituted the difference between winning and losing (admittedly no major feat, since this margin was under 2 percent of the votes cast).

Why could the NFL threat have own shortsightedness and ill-timed external pressure has robbed us of the opportunity to do the right thing for the right reason: to honor a man whose life's work, probably more than any American of this century, symbolizes the full attainment of the American promise that this country exists for all of its citizens, someone who held this country accountable to the noble ideals expressed in its founding documents, and as a result created a better and more just society for all Americans. Righting a wrong While our motives and perceptions of our motives at this point may not be as unambiguous or as pure as they should be, this should not be a reason for us to avoid righting a wrong. Before a majority coalition can be built, the various pro-King groups will have to agree on a common platform. The alterative presented by the Legislature should meet this test. When the King holiday proposal again goes before the voters, backers must go beyond the pragmatic considerations.

They must give a much clearer picture of why a "front of the bus" holiday is an important public affirmation that Arizona is committed to principles of equal participation in American society for all its citizens. An anecdote recently told by Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson may capture the most profound reason why a King holiday matters. The mayor was approached tentatively by a young black child who asked: "Do you think the King holiday was voted down because King was black?" Can there be any more compelling reason for the holiday than to clearly signal to this child and all the other children of color that yes, they are full participants in this society? The Arizona economy will ultimately prove resilient. We will eventually recover from lost Super Bowls, other sporting events, conventions, corporate relocations and other economic consequences of the King vote. But unless our actions give an unambiguous answer to that child, we have lost something far greater.

Jk? iter I "f-? 11. Former state Rep. Earl Wilcox, Phoenix Mayor Paul Johnson and Morris Johnson, chairman of the Phoenix Human Relations Commission, pray before fifth annual King breakfast. Arizona is in real danger of becoming a national pariah due to the perception that racism in this state is alive and well. File photo HOME AGAIN i eg 1 rfTffm i vmi is -i ptwwfli twins-1 I'MNCTSPENDMj SO Tut EfcSPlOtVfWT iSlne JOB -TAKE IT ORUAv i Great day fera iffy?.