Standing tall for truth

There are very few “entertainers” I would include on my list of most
admired and respected people. But singer-songwriter Steve Vaus would
have to be one.

Vaus, like me and millions of other Americans, is disgusted with the
irresponsible behavior of Bill Clinton.

Forget, for a minute, the president’s tyrannical policies. Put aside
his attempts to federalize virtually every aspect of American life.
Never mind his efforts to create a growing class of government serfs,
increase dependency and discourage self-reliance. I’m not talking about
how he has destroyed the U.S. military, sold out America to hostile
foreign interests for money and personal power or made our cities more
vulnerable to nuclear attack. For the moment, I’m not even talking about
how he has abused virtually every federal agency to attack his political
enemies — both real and imagined.

Let’s just talk about what he has done, as Sen. Daniel Patrick
Moynihan would say, to “define deviancy down” — to lower America’s
moral standards to new depths.

Unlike most folks who make their living in the entertainment
industry, Vaus, a family man and patriotic American, is bugged by
Clinton’s antics and his excuses and rationalizations for what he does
in his so-called “personal life.”

He lies. He cheats. He commits perjury. He obstructs justice. He does
it all. And he makes it look easy, fun, rewarding.

Vaus decided to do something about it. I personally thought the idea
was a little half-baked when I first heard about it. But it is working.
And Vaus deserves credit for making an impact on the nation’s psyche, on
its heart, on its soul. With a few thousand dollars of his own money and
some collected through solicitations on the Internet and talk radio,
Vaus put together a series of one-minute, professional radio spots that
make the point more effectively than all the anti-Clinton op-ed pieces
and talk-show denunciations combined.

Called the “Dear Mr. President” campaign, the ads consist of
children’s voices reading letters to Clinton asking for help and advice
for their own misbehavior. They drive home the point that Clinton is not
only the commander-in-chief, he is — like it or not — the nation’s
chief role model. Scary thought that, huh?

When I heard House Judiciary Committee Chairman Henry Hyde reading
letters from kids in his remarks to the Senate Saturday, I knew Vaus’
campaign was working. ABC News picked up on the connection, too,
including a bit of a Vaus spot in its report on what Hyde said. In the
last two weeks, Vaus has appeared on almost every major radio talk show
promoting the ads, which he has managed, with his austere budget, to
place in New York, Washington and other major markets.

Vaus’ spots would have reached even more people if those in the major
media lived up to their own lip service to free expression. His paid ads
have been turned down by some stations. One TV commentator in San Diego,
Roger Hedgcock, was even fired just for promoting them on the air.

The point is: Steve Vaus has done something. Everyday people ask me
what they can do to make their voices heard above the din of agit-prop
that passes for news and information from the government-media complex.
Vaus has given us a model. He has come up with a creative idea and
executed it well. With limited resources, he has made it pay off. He has
touched off a grass-roots firestorm of support by getting behind an idea
he believed in.

He has little to gain personally or professionally for his efforts.
Believe me, the entertainment industry which has shunned him for his
politics and individuality in the past is not likely to embrace him for
this campaign.

But America has much to gain from such activism. You don’t need a
group, a political party or a lot of money to make a difference. Ideas
still matter. Truth still counts. And as Steve Vaus says in his now
famous ad spots, “Wrong’s not right.” Ever.

If you want to help Vaus’ campaign, and I strongly suggest you do,
get your credit card out, go to his Website
right now and make a donation — $5, $10 or $100, whatever you can
afford. One angel called Vaus a few days ago and made a $10,000
credit-card contribution. But every bit helps.

If you’re disgusted by Bill Clinton and even more disgusted by the
polls that show him to be at all-time highs in approval ratings, do
something about it.

If you prefer to make your contribution off-line, you can send a
check or money order to: DEAR MR. PRESIDENT, P.O. Box 28700 San Diego,
CA 92198. Or you can call 1-800-HIT-SONG.