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Data from the American National Election Study reveals that the issue of abortion was the most significant policy issue in the 1992 presidential campaign. This essay examines the general strategies of Clinton and Bush regarding the abortion issue among the complex of family values appeals. A special analytical focus highlights the image of a dead fetus that was shown in campaign advertising in a variety of states, and that was the 'hot button' for true believers among the right-to-life forces. The impact of abortion on the vote for the presidential candidates is presented with data that allows a speculative projection of the influence of the abortion issue on future nationa election campaigns. KEY CONCEPTS Culture war, family values, abortion, recursive meaning, presidential campaign, negative campaigning, rhetorical strategies

Discusses Kenneth Burke's ideas regarding the rhetoric of form as a productive way to begin to conceptualize and analyze the rhetoric of form. Traces human forming from the level of tacit symbolic "fixing" through systematic "knowing" to the manipulating of technical forms for the purpose of evoking response. (JMF)

Argues that distinctions which relegate rhetoric to social, explicit, or contingent knowledge incorrectly restrict the view of the rhetoric-epistemic relationship. Suggests another perspective. (PD)

An essay is presented on the rhetoric of mind-body interaction based on a rhetorical situation involving the murder of four persons at Kent State University in Ohio during the anti-Vietnamese War protest on May 4, 1970. It discusses the tendency of people to use symbols, the use of force by the National Guard on the protesters and a speech by Southern Oregon College president James K. Sours that is said to have initiated mind-body interaction with its references to the flag.

Presents information on the book 'Communication and Knowledge: An Investigation in Rhetorical Epistemology,' by Richard A. Cherwitz and James Hikins. Assessment of the role of rhetorical communication in the discovery and dissemination of knowledge; Assumptions advanced by authors; Definition of rhetoric; Ideas on human perception proposed by authors.

Examines Senator Arthur Vandenberg's address to the U.S. Senate on the subject of international peace after the World War II on January 10, 1945. Support of isolationism; Argument that the 'dramatic conversion' interpretation of the speech is incorrect; Elements of a teleological explanation of human behavior.

The author offers a systematic characterization of the rhetorical dimensions of television newscasting. Public opinion surveys found that television has become the main source of news for the majority of U.S. citizens since 1963. The author examines image patterns within dominant presentational mode. The author also discusses the implications of the image patterns for the inclusion of political reality.

Delineates some of the possible interactions between evidence and belief, the rhetorical patterns in which evidence may function as auditors react to arguments. Rhetorical patterns of evidence; Relationships of advocate to evidence; Link between patterns of evidence and the rhetoric of argument; Need to superimpose a psychological framework over the logical structure of disputation.

The article reports that the stimulus for any form of purposeful argumentation arises from the need to solve perceived problems and the desire to gain social acceptance for new attitudes and courses of action. Since human desires, goals, and values play their part both in defining problems and in selecting the criteria by which the solutions will be judged, it is only reasonable to suppose that emotion and reason, the non-logical and the logical, will coexist in argumentative discourse. Such is the reality of argument. The fact that man is not completely logical or rational should not discourage teachers of argument from keeping rational discourse as their ultimate goal.

Focuses on interpretation of the rhetoric of black power in the U.S. Usage of black power as a phrase in mass media; Overview of the black power rhetoric; Implications of the black power rhetoric.

The article discusses an educational program which was designed to aid ghetto youths. In 1967, several faculty members in the speech department at the Pennsylvania State University studied whether, as professionals in the field of human speech-communication, they could contribute helpful skills and knowledge to ghetto youths. In implementing this program, they identified the target subjects of the program. They concentrated more on the youth who have no prior experience on other programs to enhance their employment capability.

Focuses on the speech of U.S. President Richard Nixon as of April 30, 1970 on Cambodian incursions. Explanation on the decision of the U.S. to send American troops in Cambodia; Concern for maintenance of Cambodian neutrality; Emphasis on development of will power among people.

The article discusses how intentionality and first-person perspective of phenomenology can affect the persuasive impact of a criticism. The author cites the difficulty in pre-judging the positive and negative impact of a phenomenological orientation to rhetorical criticism. He adds that a phenomenological thinking engages the critic to move the spotlight to the bigger picture.

Discusses trends in graduate education in the study of rhetoric. Factors to be considered which are already a part of the current educational scene; Emphasis on remembering three things regarding the future of education and the world of work; Importance of considering specific emphasis in rhetorical study; Concern about the theoretical aspects of research and teaching.

This article focuses on tools used in speeches. All of us who are interested in speech must pay closer attention to our tools. We need to understand how words acquire meaning, the various reasons for the occurrence of misunderstanding and the ways in which language can be intentionally misused. One of the major difficulties posed by language is that of meaning. For while language can provide sudden insights of illuminating clarity, it also freely allows misunderstanding and misinterpretation. Not only must we be concerned with unintentional misunderstanding, but we must be alert to intentional abuse of language as well. Often it is employed by the speaker to reinforce and replenish for his own purposes already existing biases.

The article presents the Watergate affair as a widespread perversion of the constitutional form of government experienced by the U.S. It cites the essays by Mary Kahl, Carole Blair and Dennis Gouran which discusses several types of communication associated with Watergate including the autobiographical apoligia written in book form and an analysis on the Nixon White House tapes.

Presents a letter to the editor in response to the second issue of the journal "Today's Speech."