death penaltv bills amounted to a dcfianeernof popular will, and he began tornmumble about holding a referendumrnon capital punishment. But this was toornlittle, too late.rnSince his inauguration, Pataki hasrngiven several speeches reaffirming hisrncommitment to capital punishment.rnThe case of Reuben Harris, a man withrna long criminal record who recently escapedrnfrom his captors and pushed anrnelded- woman in front of a subway train,rndid little to dampen public anger aboutrncrime and the justice system’s laxity.rnThe death penaltv may become law,rn]>ut an- bill Pataki signs is likch’ to be sornwatered down that its effect will be minimalrnat best. According to the limes,rnthe New York Civil Liberties Union isrngearing up for an all-out battle to preventrnthe restoration of capital punishmentrnand is also preparing a contingencrnplan involving the insertion of bogusrn”racial justice” clauses into a deathrnpenaltv bill. These stipulations will requirerncourts to show that racial bias didrnnot affect the outcome of trials involvingrnblack criminals.rnThe limes also reports that “somernlawcrs ha’e called for sequesteredrnpretrial questiomng of individual jurorsrnabout their views on race.” (F.mphasisrnadded.) With the definition of “racism”rnnow encompassing a thousand differentrnthings, there are probably very few peoplernwho would qualify for jury dutyrnunder such rules. Any jury that passesrnmuster w ith the interrogators will probablyrnbe comprised of devout “progressirnes” |5redisposed to acquit a black defendant.rnWe can expect to hear the liberalrnplatitudes about how the death pcnalt’rnis “racist” and docs not really deterrncrime. Never mind statistics showingrnthat states frequently experience a droprnin iolent crime after rcimplementingrncapital punishment, and never mindrnthat cen in this age of race riots andrn”gangsta” warfare, more whites thanrnblacks go to the electric chair.rn—Michael WashburnrnO B I T E : R DICTA: Contributing editorrnCKde Wilson’s book CarolinarnCavalier: I’he Life and Mind of JamesrnJohnston Pettigrew is finally availablernin paperback, from the Universityrnof Georgia Press. Readers who have enjoyedrnMr. Wilson’s essays in Chroniclesrnwill doubtless want to order his life ofrnthe famous Confederate leader, a bookrnthe Southern Partisan praised as “a singularrnand elegant contribution to the artrnof biography, the history of the war andrnthe civilization of the South.”rnBeginning this month, Chronicles isrnoffering a new service to readers interestedrnin buying the books reviewed inrnour pages. Previously available only atrnbookstores or by calling or writing directlyrnto their individual publishers, thernbooks can now be obtained by callingrnone company. Books Now, whose logornand toll-free telephone number will appearrnthroughout the review sections.rnChronicles readers in Madison willrnbe surprised to learn that two stores inrntheir city actually carry the magazine:rnBorders Book Shop (3416 UniversityrnAvenue) and Pie-A-Book (506 StaternStreet). Other stores in Wisconsinrnselling Chronicles are: Barnes & NoblernSuperstore (4625 Michaels Drive,rnAppleton); Media Play (4240 WestrnWisconsin Avenue, Grand Chute);rnSchwartz Book Shop (209 East WisconsinrnAvenue, Milwaukee).rnInaugural Odernby Harold McCurdyrnWhat was put down has risen, what was enslaved is free.rnAnd everywhere bears witness to the world’s old agony.rnAll tribes arc intcrnetted, and each on itself contracts,rnCommitted more to its mythos than to its chattering Fax.rnRace against race grows sharper, creed against alien creed.rnWhile crushed by big technology is Pascal’s thinking reed.rn’Ibward uninhabited planets the giant spacecrafts roar.rnPolluting the empyrean, preparing for total war.rnOn earth, imperial power ascends a tottering throne.rnSoot-sprinkling with debts and promises snow-white Washington.rnBest here to be oracular, not too precise or clear.rnTo speak in tongues, in rapture, of a good morning near.rnThe Rock (what rock?), the River (what river?), the Tree (what tree?)rnHint at a foggy, demotic, recclcd Trinity.rnWhose were those muffled sandals stumbling on Mt. Sinai?rnDid St. John’s crystal River emit that muddy sigh?rnThe Tree? Was it a ‘simmon from which a nigger swung?rnOr the unique terebinth where the Authentic Hanged Man hung?rnThe orotund yague phrases drop Eskimo and Krurnhito E Pluribus Unum’s heady post-Christian brew.rnInebriate with diversity, no longer a huddled mass.rnWe swarm across W;ilt Whitman’s savannahs of leases of grass.rnA glow along the horizon, whether from shaken L.A.rnOr burning Sarajevo, forecasts a brighter day.rnAnd so, realizing westward, or eastward perhaps, we explorernOur Mother-of-Exiles’ vista beyond her golden door.rnAPRIL 1995/7rnrnrn