Ronnie Dugger and Mary Willis Walker on Texas Books THE TEXAS A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES OCTOBER 1, 1999 • $2.25 EEL OF MISFORTUNE Debbie Nathan on the Texas Legal Lottery And from East Timor: Gail Rothe observes an election, Noam Chomsky recalls the brutal history, and Allan Nairn reports on the chain of command uisPi pr‘ 0 4 DIALOGUE SENSE OF THE ABSURD If that article by Ronnie Dugger ("South To- ward Home," August 20) was intended as a oz7 3e313- Op 443Gai:a tribute to the late Willie Morris, then God for- bid Dugger ever from writing any eulogy for 6 Ua 4AceS me. Under the guise of praising Willie as a sweet, gentle man Dugger revealed nothing so much as his long-time envy of Morris, who outstripped him as a writer, editor, and human- EAST TiMoR...YEA1.1... IT'S TIME .5oMEI3oDyl ist. Willie Morris had qualities Ronnie Dugger fails to share: a sense of the absurd, a sense of THEY PESERVE To BE NATO...OR THE IMF... humor, a sense of loyalty to old friends, an ap- preciation of what they had done for him, and INDEPENDENT FROM OR...U14..„ UNICEF true talent. I have written for the Observer and long OR WAS DID SOMETHING! have supported it for doing the kind of hard- IT scrabble ditch-digging political reporting that ETHioNA? Fat Cat Texas Dailies won't do. People such as Bill B rammer, Molly Ivins, Kay Northcott, Greg Olds, Michael King, and, yes, Willie Morris worked for Dugger for peanuts and the love of what they did. It is sad and sickening to see Willie Morris repaid by mean-spirited com- ments that need not have been made. I am scheduled to assist with an Observer fundraiser in Washington October 7, and I shall go through with it: but let me be clear that I am doing it for the Texas Observer and the dedi- cated people who work for it and have worked for it — not for Ronnie Dugger who could write such a chickenshit piece about an old and honorable friend who never did harm. Larry L. King Washington, D.C. WORTH A THOUSAND TOONS Congratulations! The "Got Coke?" parody in the latest issue (The Back Page, September 3) is absolutely su- perb. As an editorial cartoonist, there's no way I could possibly have done anything to compare. Don Cooper Hereford ANSWER THE QUESTION George W. Bush has said in so many denials that for sure he has not used cocaine since he was twenty-eight years old ("The Runner Stumbles," Editorial, September 3). I would think the Amer- of the United States? The man should either cause of its cost, but because of the leadership's ican public would like to know if he was flying come clean, or remove himself from the presi- pathological hatred of the President. The Air Texas Air National Guard jets between twenty- dential race. Force won a great victory for the Clinton Ad- two and twenty-eight, if he was also flying on co- His father drove me from the Republican ministration's foreign policy, in a role that the caine simultaneously. I think all us would further Party in 1992. We needed better than his father Republican House leadership opposed (much to like to know, if there was a question on his appli- then, we need better than him now. their embarrassment), and the House vote on cation for the Texas Air National Guard asking if Ronald Drum the F-22 is the Republican revenge on the U.S. he had used drugs, and how he answered? It Falls Church, Virginia Air Force for successfully carrying out the or- would seem to me that someone who raises the ders of the Commander in Chief.... possibility that he might have done both simulta- UNKIND CUT Secondly, Galbraith's alternative is an up- neously is not fit to be president of United States, In the last issue, Professor Galbraith railed graded F-16. The F-16 first entered Squadron or perhaps even the Governor. against the F-22 Raptor fighter aircraft, and was service twenty-five years ago. Galbraith's logic Having served my country with a top secret proposing a variant of the F-16 as an alternative would have had the U.S. Army Air Force en- clearance during the Vietnam War period, per- ("Kill the Raptor!" September 3, by James K. gage the Luftwaffe's ME-109 fighter planes sonal secrets like Mr. Bush's only open one up Galbraith with John Robert Behrman). Now, I with a hotrod Sopwith Camel, and defend the for blackmail and extortion. Who knows what believe in arms reduction myself, but cutting nation against the Soviet Union's best fighters someone might have done in his past that could the F-22 is not the way to achieve real arms re- with F-86s. In the Kosovo action, the U.S. Air be used to blackmail him into actions that duction. The first point I would make is that the would not be in the best interests of the people Republican House opposes the aircraft, not be- See "Dialogue," page 29 2 • THE TEXAS OBSERVER OCTOBER 1, 1999 THIS ISSUE DEPARTMENTS FEATURES Observations 24 Dialogue 2 Ronnie Dugger on the Life Eyewitness in East Timor by Gail Rothe 7 of Lady Bird Johnson Editorial 3 Austinite Gail Rothe watched the East Timorese vote for BOOKS AND THE CULTURE Political Gunplay independence, and then the gathering Indonesian storm. by Louis Dubose The Land of Metal 27 The U.S. Roots of the East Timor Slaughter 9 Poetry by Robin Scofield Left Field 5 by Noam Chomsky Flying Pigs, Having a Cow in From the beginning, U.S. relations with Indonesia have The Ins and Outs of Fort Hood & The Bush Beat produced a brutal occupation for the people of East Timor. Kenneth McDuff 28 Book Review by Mary Willis Walker Political Intelligence 16 U.S. Complicity by Allan Nairn 11 Pursued by Jakarta, journalist Allan Nairn reports on the U.S. Afterword 30 Molly Ivins 22 military's malign indifference to the Indonesian assault. Playing Monopoly by Jim Wright The Political Follies The Back Page 32 Wheel of Misfortune by Debbie Nathan 12 A Simple Plan for Peace Jim Hightower 23 If you get arrested in Texas, you'd better have your own lawyer by Allan Nairn Ambulance Choosers, Export on call. What happens to those who don't is just criminal. Hijinks & Consumer Screwing Cover Art by Michael Krone EDITORIAL Wave of Evil ne of the signature characteristics cans were shot to death by handguns — the right-to-carry bill, it was a waste of the of the Bush presidential candidacy along with the eight who died at Wedg- Senate's time to consider it. O is its lack of programmatic solu- wood Baptist Church. Bush is part of the A few days after declaring the measure tions to problems government might solve problem. It is not just that he doesn't dead, Bullock resurrected it. According to — or at least attempt to solve. So it's no believe in "activist government." He Stuart Eskenazi of the Houston Press, Bul- surprise that when seven people are killed owes his candidacy to handguns — and lock called Patterson. "The Senate should by a gunman in a Fort Worth church, Bush Bob Bullock. pass it," Bullock said, "and we don't care is adrift in platitudes. The shootings were As is often the case in Texas politics dur- what Richards wants to do." The Senate caused by a "wave of evil" sweeping the ing the past ten years, there's a Bullock passed the bill in the form of a country. It was a "terrible tragedy made backstory. In 1993, the "right to carry" leg- voter referendum. Richards worse by the fact it took place in a house of islative caucus — led by Republican Jerry vetoed it, as she had hope and love." When reporters asked what Patterson in the Senate and Democrat Ron promised. The veto gun controls he would propose, the Gover- Wilson in the House — was blocked by the provided Bush the nor responded with his tired line about the Lieutenant Governor. The pragmatic Bul- wedge issue he futility of looking to legislation to put lock told Patterson and a group of senators needed to persuade "love in people's hearts." the gun bill wasn't going to make it to the East Texas Democrats No one familiar with George Bush's Senate floor. Ann Richards had said it was to vote for him instead of record in Texas expected him to propose bad public policy and that Richards. And Richards any solution to the she intended to veto it. lost the election. national handgun One of Bullock's Patterson told Eskenazi violence crisis. unwritten rules of pro- It is a crisis. If cedure was that the September 15 Senate only worked on was an average bills it could pass. If day, fifty-six the Governor in- other Ameri- tended to veto OCTOBER 1, 1999 THE TEXAS OBSERVER • 3 the Democrats were tired of Richards' advi- lamentation about "a wave of violence." Clymer even described Gore in Los Ange- sors — and that Bullock wasn't averse to Did Al Gore seize the moment and offer les — "resolutely star[ing] out the car win- hammering her. It was a great moment in up a bold policy initiative? Gore criticized dow," while pondering "questions for the Texas politics: Bob Bullock handing Bush for signing a second right-to-carry gun industry and for those who unquestion- Richards over to pro-gun, ingly support their positions." East Texas Democrats, while In other words, the Vice Presi- Ron Wilson turned black vot- dent is slightly more articulate ers in Houston against her.