port’s authors.rnBut those who wish to strike at the rootrnof biology and replace family life withrnmultitudinous casual copulations are notrnhaving it all their way. hi addition to BrianrnSouter’s one-man crusade and the politicalrncampaigning of Lady Young, therernhas been resistance at other levels. TorycontrolledrnKent County Council hasrnbanned the promotion of homosexualityrnin its schools and stated that marriagernshould be upheld “as the key buildingrnblock of society,” which would effectivelyrnnegate the repeal of Section 28. Religiousrngroups have also found a new unityrnof purpose. The entire affair has damagedrnLabour’s family-friendly image.rnThe Sexual Offences (Amendment)rnBill, which would equalize the age ofrnconsent for homosexuals and heterosexuals,rnwill return to the House of Lords for arnfinal reading, having been defeated thererntwice before. It now faces the ParliamentrnAct, whereby the Commons can passrnlaws over the opposition of the House ofrnLords, but Lady Young has promised tornforce a vote this time around. As she statedrnduring the previous vote: “It is notrnabout equality at all, it is about children,rnand as we all know 16 would in practicernmean 14.” The truth of this remark wasrnconfirmed when a militant homosexual,rnbelieving that the battle had already beenrnwon, declared: “Now we’re going to gornfor 14!” Civilized, instinctively liberalmindedrnBritons may be beginning to understandrnthe insatiable nature of “equality.”rnPerhaps more of them will voternaccordingly this time.rnDerek Turner is the editor of RightrnNOW!, published in London.rnLetter FromrnWisconsinrnby Sean ScallonrnGoing DutchrnI was disappointed. Here I was at “Let’srnGo Dutch” Days in the little westernrnWisconsin town of Baldwin, on an overcastrnAugust day, and I could not find anyrnwooden shoes.rnSure, Dutch flags were flying on MainrnStreet, and I doubted if I could find anotherrnpolice department in America thatrnhad Holland’s national flag sewn into itsrnpatches, but I could not find one pair ofrnwooden shoes, not even at the craftrnbooths next to the city park. What good isrna festival celebrating a town’s Dutch heritagernwithout wooden shoes?rnI bumped into one of the KlompenrnDancers while following the paraderndown Main Street.rn”Oh, there used to be a fellow whorncame down here and gave demonstrationsrnon how they were made,” she replied.rn”But he hasn’t come down in a while.”rnShe, however, was wearing a homemadernpair. Dressed in authentic costume,rnshe and other members of thernKlompen Dancers, the guardians ofrnDutch heritage in Baldwin, had just performedrnat Bailey Park. My faith was slowlyrnbeing restored. She wore several layersrnof wool socks to protect herself from thernwooden shoe’s biggest drawback.rn”You have to wear a lot on your feet tornkeep the blisters away,” she said, notingrnthat wooden shoes were not exactly madernfor comfort. “The dancing can be prettyrnstrenuous, so you have to be well prepared.”rnThe Klompen Dancers stood out inrntheir Dutch folk costumes. It’s hard to bernunique these days, when American culturerndemands that everyone become homogenized,rnstandardized, and prepackaged.rnEven in Baldwin, the New WorldrnOrder creeps in from the interstate corridorsrnlike a kudzu vine. Yet, according tornmy Klompen Dancer friend, “Let’s GornDutch” Days succeeds in Baldwin, whilernso many ideas for small-town Wisconsinrnfestivals fail.rnFestival season in Wisconsin is yearround.rnSome towns organize their threedayrnparties around a particular landmark;rnothers, a famous (locally, anvway) personrnor historic event. Some just celebraternthemselves for being on the map. You’llrnfind the standard festival fare of games,rncarnival rides, local bands and dances,rnfood and flea markets, fireworks, tractorrnpulls, fishing derbies, parades, contests,rnand tournaments, along with the obligatoryrnbeauty pageant. Most festivals arernsponsored by the local chamber of commerce,rnso the object is to fill the coffers ofrnbusiness.rnThere are nearly 100 annual celebrationsrnlike “Let’s Go Dutch” Days in Wisconsin,rnincluding William Tell Days inrnthe Swiss village of New Glarus, SyttendernMai celebrations in the Norwegianrntowns, Oktoberfests iir German communities,rnand the famous Polka Fest in thernPolish enclave of Pulaski. Most are citherrnGerman, the state’s largest ethnicrngroup, or Indian powwows. Milwaukeernleads the pack with 13. There are fivernDutch festivals in addition to the one inrnBaldwin.rnIt has been said that the United States isrna reflection of Europe: The East Coast isrnlike Ireland, Britain, and France; thernSouth resembles the Mediterranean landsrnof Italy, Spain, and the Balkans; the RustrnBelt and Great Lakes are similar to thernRuhr Valley and Silesia; and the UpperrnMidwest is a mirror image of Scandinavia.rnOur neighbor Minnesota is almostrnuniformly Scandinavian, but it’s as ifrnsomeone tried to draw a mini-map of Europernwithin the borders of Wisconsin. Inrnevery corner of the state, in virtually everyrncit}’, small town, village, or crossroad, diversernEuropean settlements were established.rnValmy, Brussels, Namur, Belgium,rnStockholm, Lund, Monico, Neva,rnKrakow, Zachow, Poinatowski, Sobieski,rnLublin, Argyle, Somerset, Sussex, Wittenberg,rnBerlin, New Berlin, New London,rnPoskin, Hamburg, Germania, Denmark,rnGenoa, Rubicon, French Island,rnCaledonia, Luxemburg, Polonia, Pilsen,rnKiel, Erin, Loretto, Dorchester, airdrnRhinelander: It’s as if the immigrantsrnnever left their native lands.rnIn Milwaukee, Madison, Green Bay,rnand Racine, every neighborhood —thernsmall town within the city —seems tornhave its own ethnic identity’. Each has itsrncornerstone, a church or a communityrncenter like Serb Hall in Milwaukee. Thernimmigrants all came here for the samernreasons —freedom, work, and cheaprnland—displacing the Yankee settlers whornarrived after the British, French, and Indians.rnI may have been a little too hard on Baldwin.rnAfter all, if it weren’t for businessesrnsuch as the Dutch Oven, Van’s Break Service,rnLubin’s Builders, Wynveen’s Auto Repair,rnHeebink’s Wooden Farm Products,rnand Jan-Zee’s Bar, there probably wouldn’trnbe a Dutch Days festival.rnWhen I drive through Baldwin, itrnseems as if every second home has arnminiature windmill. A larger replica canrnbe found at Windmill Park. The symbolrnof the town graces the festival’s posters,rnthe local newspaper’s masthead, andrneven a Main Street storefront, surroundedrnby tulips and little Dutch boys andrngirls. The town may not be Rotterdam,rn40/CHRONICLESrnrnrn