the state arts agencies would from nownon be spent on strengthening arts inneducation, international projects, expandingnaudiences for the arts, and theninfrastructure of the arts, many of usntook heart. We thought that lessonsnhad been learned, that in its mysteriousnway the political process had broughtnabout its own compromise. The othernside would be rid of what it did notnwant, which was “restrictive language,”ne.g., you may not use federal funds tonemploy human fetuses in art work or tonengage in partisan politics, and thenconservative side would get rid of whatnit did not want, which was the use ofnfederal funds to employ human fetusesnin art work or to engage in partisannpolitics. This miracle, worthy of Solomon,nwould come about simply becausenfederal funds would be directedntoward institutions, rather than individuals,nso that no further abuse of taxnfunds could occur.nBut this is not what is happening,nand people wiser than this writer werenright in insisting that the NEA wouldngo on as before, once the agency hadnsurvived its reauthorization. Accordingnto recent news, enormous grants havengone to some of those very personsnwho provoked the outrage to beginnwith. That is to say, while the disposablenbudget of the NEA at the nationalnlevel has been reduced considerably,nthe money they still have is being usednin a manner that is meant to spite andnprovoke those of us who thought thenNEA should focus upon consensusbuildingnprojects in which the vastnmajority of Americans may take pride.nChairman Frohnmayer tells us he willnnot even carry out the law of Congress,nwhich says that considerations of decencynwill come into play — even withnthe limited funds now in hand. Thenhighest priority is therefore going to benassigned to precisely the kinds of programsnthat eadier created profoundnoffense. The rump-Council, meetingnwith no quorum, concurs.nThe grants to projects offensive tonenormous numbers of Americans arendefended: the NEA has to support thencutting edge of art. But a governmentsponsoredncutting edge is implausiblenand self-serving. This point has beennmade in the columns of Chronicles,nand the people who argued against thenNEA have been vindicated by ChairmannFrohnmayer’s justification for hisndecision.nThree issues are at stake. First, donconservatives and religious people outsidenof the left-wing have a right tonparticipate in the shaping of the politicalnconsensus? No, as we now hear, wendo not have to be listened to. Second,ndo the centrists in Congress, includingnCongressmen Williams and Regula,nhave the right to legislate public policynthrough accommodation, negotiation,nand compromise? No, as we are nowntold; they can propose, but the NEAnadministration will dispose. Third, canntax money be spent on the arts thatncontribute to the general welfare, ornwill tax funds always end up provokingncontroversy and outrage? What we arentold is that considerations of the socialnorder will not stand in the way of thenNEA’s use of public funds, and thatnthe NEA insiders will use these fundsnin any way they well please.n— Jacob NeusnernWHEN GUNS N ROSES, thenrock group, said they liked being white,nthe music business fell on them like anton of discs. But racial music is notnalways insensitive.nWith what Washington Post musicncritic David Mills calls “unprecedentedndirectness,” Black Muslim rappersnare hitting the charts with recordsnpreaching their esoteric doctrines.nThese include the idea that blacks arenthe chosen people of God, the onlyndescendants of the real Adam,nShabazz; and that whites are a race ofndevils created by Mr. Yakoub, a madnscientist who didn’t leave the underdonenwhites in his furnace longnenough.nAnother group of Muslims in thenrap industry, the Five Percent Nationnof Islam, holds that blacks are literalngods, but only 5 percent of them knownit. Rap, they believe, will spread thisngospel.nBut there’s a problem. White devilsnare making rap records, too. “Whongave permission to the slave master’snson, to come among the gods and trynto do the things we’ve done?” asksnWise Intelligent of the group PoornRighteous Teachers.nThat’s far from the only white misdeed.nCrack, says Grand Puba Maxwellnof the group Brand Nubian,ncomes “in a vial, set up by the devil asnnnhe looks and he smiles.” Adds LordnMustapha: “they injected us withnsyphilis” and now “they’re trying tontake us out with the AIDS virus.”nThe Grand Puba — whom DavidnMills describes as “having a great sensenof humor” — says that white devils aren”still causing trouble among the righteousnpeople. Drugs in our community,ncan’t even get a job, poisoning ournbabies, lying who is God.” The answer?n”We’re going to drop the bombnon the Yakoub crew.”nOn the latest album from MovementnEx, about which a “listener isnlikely” to “crack a smile” according tonthe Post’s Mr. Mills, Prince Mustaphanasks, “What’s with the hippie younworship on the cross? ‘Cause Jesus wasndark-skinned, not like the painting.nSince you’re the one who’s lying, younmust be Satan. A devilish demon savage,nscavenger beast. Since you havenbeen, there’s been no peace.”nIn another song, Mustapha notesn”You drink eggnog celebrating the holidaynof the enemy. I’d shoot SantanGlaus if he comes down my chimney.”nJon Shecter, a young white Harvardngraduate who edits a rap magazine,ntold David Mills that although he isnsometimes made “uncomfortable” byntalk of white devils, “their music movesnme. And their message moves me, in anway. I respect them. And I know of sonmany white kids who feel the same waynI do.”nThese records, on which, asnMustapha says, “My grammar is thenhammer, and you are the nail,” arendistributed by such firms as Columbia,nCBS, and Warner.n”The people who run this business,”nsays Paris of San Francisco,n”their loyalty is not to themselves, butnto the dollar.” But we can do businessnwith them, says Wise Intelligent, becausenthe “Powerful Eye of Allah seesnEverything.” This, he adds, is what thenpopular African-American greetingn”Peace” really means. “They’re alwaysnwatched. No one can ever fool me.”n—Llewellyn H. RockwellnTHE INSENSITIVITY SQUADnhas struck again: this time against anboard game and a marching band.nParker Brothers, venerable producer ofnboard games, was recently denouncednby the head of the U.S. Small BusinessnAPRH 1991/7n