By National Columnist Murray Shallow

In what some call the Good Old Days, everyone voted
the STRAIGHT TICKET.  Those on the right of center
were consistent on certain issues, and those on the
left of center were consistent on certain issues.
Well, you can kiss all those nice little certainties
GOODBYE.

American Interest groups have evolved into highly
organized and specialized life forms. At the same
time, America has faced massive changes in economy,
technology, and the political/ social environment.
This means we now have to deal with brand new issues
we never even imagined existed.  Result: Interest
groups who up to now would never be caught dead with
each other, now find themselves on the same side of
big issues. There’ll be a lot of uncomfortable
squirming going on, as well as twists of logic to
justify the weirdest of coalitions.

All of this may actually be a good thing in the long
run. When self-interest replaces ideology as the
bottom line, it means people are behaving a little
more rationality.

THE ISSUE: Islamic Regimes
THE BEDFELLOWS: Feminists & Rednecks.
WHY? Up to now, Feminists have been mainly anti-war.
But fundamentalist Islamic regimes and organizations
have spread, and we know their stand on women’s
rights: A woman’s place is at home, tied up, and
behind a Burqa. Many feminists have thus been forced
to rethink their anti-war positions. So, you may have
to start getting used to seeing Flag Waving Hard-Hats
and Chanel Clad Businesswomen carrying the same signs
at anti-terrorist rallies.

THE ISSUE: Biogenetically Engineered Foods.
THE BEDFELLOWS: Environmentalists & Fundamentalist Christians.
WHY? Green activists have long opposed genetic
modification of foodstuffs. Fundamentalist Christians
have recently adopted the issue as an example of
scientists taking on the powers that only the Good
Lord should have. It’ll be interesting to see how
trendy urban tree-huggers get along with down-home
Sabbath keeping folks, when they find themselves in
the same offices lobbying the same politicians.

THE ISSUE: Illegal Immigration
THE BEDFELLOWS: Pro-Immigration Activists & Big Business
WHY? Minority civil rights groups have long pushed for
immigration law liberalization. They’ve recently been
finding sympathy in an unlikely place: Large Corporations.
Some have falsely assumed that
“conservative” corporate America might have “American
First” hiring practices. Wrong! These businesses find
cheap, nonunion docile labor helps them keep down
their costs in a constantly rising cost of living USA.
When blue collar agitators and white collar bosses
suddenly find common ground, it really MIGHT mean the
world is coming to an end…….

THE ISSUE: China
THE BEDFELLOWS: Human Rights Lobbyists/ Economic Protectionists
WHY? China is one of the nastier regimes for free
speech and public participation in government.
Human rights types have decried this for years.
Ironically, they now find themselves sitting next to US first
economic nationalists. While local businesses
personally don’t give a damn about Chinese protesters,
they DO care about closing factories and wiped out
small businesses in their local communities.
Expect to see an unlikely rubbing of shoulders at protest
rallies outside the nearest Chinese consulate.

THE ISSUE: Tribal Gaming
THE BEDFELLOWS: The Mafia/Holy Roller Religious Groups
WHY? The Mob obviously doesn’t want competition going
against their own gambling syndicates. Certain
religious groups object to Native American casinos on
moral grounds. Cynical observers have argued that this
is a true marriage of equals; many Churches are
already considered a kind of Mafia.
Strange Bedfellows Of The 21st Century
The Weekly American welcomes your comments.  Go to the top of this page
and click on "How To Post Stories & Commentaries"
        Murray Shallow's  Corner   
To post your comments on this page click on the link below titled: How To Post Stories & Commentaries