Hey jhild,
We haven't talked in a while. How are you?
Saw this on another thread-wondered what the reactions here would be-
I know what mine is.
Celebrities square up to 'fanatic' Starr
BBC
Sept 23, 1998
Just two days after the broadcast of a video testimony that was predicted to bring down Bill Clinton, support is swinging in his favour - and not just from American voters.
More than 50 international figures led by Europe's art, culture and science establishment have launched an appeal backing Mr Clinton against Kenneth Starr, who they described as a "fanatical prosecutor" with unlimited powers.
Despite serious doubts in the minds of many over whether Mr Clinton is fit to lead the country, internationally renown actors, Nobel laureats and even a gaggle of philosophers have declared that a victory for Mr Clinton would be a victory for "the principles of freedom".
Top names back ClintonThe campaign, launched in the French national daily newspaper Le Monde, is backed by the actor Alain Delon, Nobel prize winners Desmond Tutu and Gabriel Garcia Marquez, German novelist Gunter Grass and classical musician Yehudi Menuhin.
Initiated by former French culture minister Jack Lang, the campaign accuses Mr Starr of pursuing a political agenda.
"The democratically elected president of a free nation has been subjected to inquisitorial harassment by a fanatical prosecutor with unlimited power," said the statement.
"A victory over this prosecutor will signal a victory for those who, throughout the world, are dedicated to the principles of freedom."
The celebrities argue that Mr Starr had threatened democracy with his "flagrant intrusion upon privacy - a right regarded as sacred in every civilised society."
"Tyranny begins when any power of any sort interferes with an individual's private life or personal affairs," the campaigners write.
"A statesman is answerable to public opinion or to the law only for his public acts."
"With the support of the far right [Kenneth Starr] is seeking to undermine the ideas of freedom and President Clinton's liberal agenda."
Others to sign the petition include:
•Writer Carlos Fuentes
•Nobel Peace prizewinner Jose Ramos Horta
•Film-makers Robert Altman, Bernardo Bertolucci and Jane Campion
•Actors Lauren Bacall, Sophia Loren, Gerard Depardieu and Emma Thompson
•Musicians Art Garfunkel, Jessye Norman and Jean-Michel Jarre
•Artists Christo and Nikki de Saint Phalle
•Philosophers Jacques Derrida and Bernard-Henri Levy
The celebrity campaign is just the latest sign that while politicians may be out to get the president on Capitol Hill. His support is not only holding up away from the pressure cooker atmosphere of Washington, but actually growing.
On Monday world leaders gave Mr Clinton a sympathetic standing ovation at the United Nations General Assembly while world news networks broadcast the video testimony.
During the meeting, the UK's Prime Minister Tony Blair ensured the media knew he was backing Mr Clinton.
On Tuesday, President Nelson Mandela of South Africa also threw his weight behind Mr Clinton, saying that he would not let down a friend.
Others obviously agree.
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