Photo by Becky Richmond

October, 1979

Harrisburg Area Women's News.

Page 4

The Jane, Pete and Tom Show!

by Terry Roth

The Campaign for Economic Democracy (CED), a California based economic reform group founded by Tom Hayden, kicked off its 50-city campaign in Harrisburg September 23 to an overflow crowd at the Penn Harris Convention Center. As hundreds of others were turned away, over 1,200 people squeezed into every available space to hear Jane Fonda, Tom Hayden and Pete Seeger speak and sing about the crises in American economics, energy policy, and morale.

Pete Seeger is a far cry from the traditional "warm up act". A favorite of several generations, Seeger has lost none of his electricity. Few in the audience, including the press, could resist singing or clapping along with him. Pete Seeger sang anti-nuke songs, feminis songs and old favorites accompanying himself at times on a banjo embossed with the words, "Love surrounds hate and forces it to surrender."

Tom Hayden, former radical anti-war activist who has taken his struggle to the political mainstream, explained the goals of CED which he chairs: to raise issues and debate around the issues of inflation, energy and "unbridled corporate power". He stressed the importance of consumers and tax payers' eco-

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nomic decision making. Both in his speech and in a question and answer period, he stressed the hazards of and problems with nuclear power and the need to develop solar power.

From her experience as an active CED member and as star and co-producer of The China Syndrome, Jane Fonda underlined these same themes. She empathized with the people of the Harrisburg area who lived through the accident at TMI--an accident predicted by the "real experts" whom she consulted in making China Syndrome. We can win the fight against nuclear power, Fonda said, but we "must remain united and brave." In fighting powerful forces aligned against us we must organize; "History will prove us right," she assured.

The rally Sunday night was organized by Suzanne Magda. Randy King pulled together an efficient crew of TMIA marshalls to deal with the large crowd inside and the Pennsylvania War Veterans Council protestors outside. Funds for TMIA were collected at the Sunday rally and at a fundraising cocktail party on Monday at the home of Estelle and Frank Fried. Other CED events on Monday included a press conference, a labor reception, and a visit to the B'nai B'rith solar heated apartments in Harrisburg.

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Photo by Becky Richmond

The Price To Pay

On June 12, 1979, a demonstration in New Delhi, India, demanded an end of murder by fire of brides because of dowry. At least five young women whose fathers failed to pay the full bride-price (dowry) after the weddings, have been dowsed with inflammables and set afire as a result of their father's failure to pay up. The demonstration was called by New Delhi's battered women's shelter. Both men and women participated. They further demanded that "those found guilty in cases of burning of women should not be given bail when their guilt is established" and urged the harshest possible sen-

tences.

Payment of receipt of dowries was outlawed in India in 1961, but the Dowry Prohibition Act has signally failed to achieve its purpose, the news reports state. Fathers still give dowries "to buy happiness for their daughters", the reports continue, "increasing his own debts in the bargain". Well-to-do grooms can expect one lakh ($12,000); business executive rank second in "value", engineers and doctors just lower on the scale. All men at these economic levels can expect a car, refrigerator, and television, in addition. A peon or clerk can demand a bicycle, transistor and/or wrist watch. A scooter is a common demand at the middle level. Even the matriarchal Nairs of Kerala have begun to demand dowries and the Muslims now make the demand in disguised form.