Protest a wolf in sheep's clothing

The Schiller Institute invited local community leaders to participate in a protest on the steps of the Foley Federal Building today, but some of the invited speakers may not have known the full intent of the protest.

The protest focuses on stopping a quiet coup against President Clinton, Schiller Institute spokesman Mark Sonnenblick said. It is the institute's contention that Vice President Al Gore and British Prime Minister Tony Blair are responsible for all the allegations against Clinton and are attempting to make America into a British colony again.

Newly elected NAACP president Gene Collins said he was invited to attend the event, but he did not receive promised information about the nature of the protest from the institute.

"They were supposed to fax me some information, but I never got it," Collins said. "Al Gore may be the next president of the United States, and I'm certainly not going to go out and point fingers."

Collins said that he will likely not attend the event now that he knows the topic.

The institute, a national organization allied with former fringe presidential candidate Lyndon LaRouche, fully briefed all the community leaders who are scheduled to speak on the protest's topic, Sonnenblick said.

State Sen. Joe Neal, D-North Las Vegas, said that he will speak at the protest but only about the impeachment charges against President Clinton.

"I won't be making any charges against the vice president or participating in any discussions about that," Neal said. "I will be there to express my viewpoint on the impeachment process."

Neal, who is against the impeachment, said that he is familiar with the Schiller Institute's stance, but he does not support it.

The institute has sent out a million leaflets calling for Americans to stop the alleged Gore coup attempt, and it is in the process of printing a quarter of a million more, Sonnenblick said.

Others listed by the institute as possible speakers at the 10 a.m. protest included the Rev. Willie Davis of the Second Baptist Church, the Rev. Marion Bennett of the Zion United Methodist Church, vice president of the Steel Workers of America Local 4856 Joe Arellano and former state representative Lonie Chaney.

Only Collins and Neal could be reached for comment Tuesday night.

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