DOLE DEFENDS ATTACK ON HOLLYWOOD

Sen. Bob Dolewas not backing down today as critics assailed him for attacking Hollywood films and record lyrics on moral grounds. At a Los Angeles fund-raiser last night, Dole charged that "Hollywood's dream factories turn out nightmares of depravity." Dole said films likeOliver Stone's "Natural Born Killers"and Quentin Tarrantino's "True Romance" "revel in mindless violence and loveless sex," and urged film executives to emphasize family-oriented programming and products. He alsoattacked rap artistsin whose songs "sexual violence is given a catchy tune."Sarah Brady, chair of Handgun Control Inc., retorted that Dole, who supports arepeal of the assault weapons ban, is "completely misguided if he believes that controlling airwaves will solve the problems of crime and violence facing us." Director Oliver Stone accused Dole of "a 90s form of McCarthyism," said that "Killers" was meant "to satirize, not glorify, violence." Undeterred, Dole said today that the impact of entertainment on America's children is too important to ignore.