Here Come the Highwaymen Page 5
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TEX'13AS ERVER February 25, 1983 A Journal of Free Voices 750 Here Come the Highwaymen Page 5 In This Issue: Block Grant Private Porter Biography eftemg e.a.&106- Bill of Rights Investigations Reviewed • PAGE TWO • and their education the number one COPS Educates Y'ALL COME priority of Texas." State Representative Walter Martinez The Observer is pleased to host then spoke, saying that the Mexican House Speaker Pro Tern Hugo an informal reception for Studs American legislative caucus would Berlanga (D-Corpus Christi) and San An- Terkel, famed oral historian and stress the importance of the education tonio Mayor Henry Cisneros got a few civil liberties defender; Joe Glazer, package in its breakfast meeting with surprises when they joined San Antonio labor movement balladeer; John Governor Mark White the following school and public officals and nearly Kenneth Galbraith, economist, Tuesday. "My only regret," Martinez 2,000 members of COPS on February 3 former ambassador, and advisor to said, "is that the state capital is not in for a rally in support of COPS' educa- presidents; and John Henry Faulk, San Antonio." tion equalization package (see TO, folklorist, humorist, and defender of 1/14/83). "Don't worry. COPS goes to Austin, civil liberties. Their presence at the too," Hernandez replied. Observer coincides with their par- Representatives of school boards and Earlier in the meeting, Mayor Henry administrations, teachers' associations, ticipation in the New Deal Con- Cisneros had led a parade of city coun- and labor councils were in attendance to ference at the LBJ Library, March cil members into the hall to seats near lend support. City council members, 2-4. the front. It was announced that they county commissioners, and state We invite all our readers to at- had just come from a council meeting in representatives were in abundance. tend the reception, which will be which COPS had successfully delayed A letter was read from San Antonio's held Wednesday, March 2, from for at least two weeks the implementa- Archbishop Patricio Flores: "In my 5-7 p.m. in the Observer office, 600 tion of a capital improvements bill it pastoral letter . I ask for preferential W. 7th St., 2nd Floor, Austin. You opposed. will have an opportunity to chat with treatment for the poor. .. Some day Cisneros was asked by COPS Vice Texas will be a place where there is our honored guests, meet Observer President Victoria Luna to address the peace because there is justice." friends, and hear some short remarks and a few songs. gathering on behalf of the council. As he Even a representative of the San An- walked to the front of the auditorium, a tonio Chamber of Commerce appeared few people stood to applaud and Cisneros at the meeting to communicate the quests being made by competing in- smiled. In the middle of the 1983 mayoral group's unanimous endorsement of the campaign, Cisneros seemed to think he COPS package. A COPS official label- terests, COPS President Sonia Her- nandez told the meeting, "Let Houston had found himself, for once, on COPS' ed this a "historic event" — the first side of an issue. time a Chamber representative had ap- be known for its crass materialism, for peared at a COPS meeting. making highways a priority over Cisneros made a little speech: "The children. But let San Antonio be known city of San Antonio is a government that Commenting on the state budget re- for its humanity, for making children believes in and stands behind COPS in TETx0BSERvER Incorporating the State Observer and the East Texas Democrat, which in turn incorporated the Austin Forum-Advocate. The Progressive Biweekly Vol. 75, No. 4 7ctZ1-"If February 25, 1983 The Progressive Biweekly Publisher and Editor at Large: Ronnie Dugger We will serve no group or party but will hew hard to the truth as we find it and the Editor: Joe Holley right as we see it. We are dedicated to the whole truth, to human values above all in- terests, to the rights of humankind as the foundation of democracy; we will take orders Associate Editor: Geoffrey Rips from none but our own conscience, and never will we overlook or misrepresent the truth Washington Correspondents: to serve the interests of the powerfitl or cater to the ignoble in the human spirit. Writers are responsible for their own work, but not for anything they have not Amy Cunningham, Al Watkins themselves written, and in publishing them we do not necessarily imply that we agree Southern Correspondent: Bob Sherrill with them because this is a journal of free voices. Staff Reporter: Kay Gunderson EDITORIAL ADVISORY BOARD: Frances Barton, Austin; Elroy Bode, Bandera; 600 West 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701 (512) 477-0746 Chandler Davidson, Houston; Bob Eckhardt, Washington, D.C.; Sissy Farenthold, Houston; Ruperto Garcia. Austin; John Kenneth Galbraith, Cambridge, Mass.; Lawrence Business Manager: Frances Barton Goodwyn, Durham, N.C.; George Hendrick, Urbana, Ill.; Molly Ivins, Dallas: Larry Advertising, Special Projects: Cliff Olofson L. King, Washington. D.C.; Maury Maverick, Jr., San Antonio: Willie Morris. Ox- ford, Miss.; Kaye Northcott, Austin: James Presley, Texarkana, Tx.; Susan Reid, Austin; Design and Layout: Sarah Clausen A.R. (Babe) Schwartz, Galveston; Fred Schmidt. Tehachapi. Cal. CONTRIBUTING WRITERS: Warren Burnett. Nina Butts, Jo Clifton, Craig Clif- The Texas Observer (ISSN 0040-4519) is published biweekly except for a three-week interval be- ford, John Henry Faulk, Bill Helmer, Jack Hopper, Amy Johnson, Laurence Jolidon, tween issues in January and July (25 issues per year) by the Texas Observer Publishing Co., 600 West 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701, (512) 477-0746. Second class postage paid at Austin. Texas. Mary Lenz, Matt Lyon, Greg Moses, Janie Paleschic, Laura Richardson, M. P. Rosenberg, Bob Sindermann, Jr.. Paul Sweeney, Lawrence Walsh. Single copy (current or back issue) 75c prepaid. One year. $20: two years. $38: three years, $56. One year rate for full-time students. $13. Airmail, foreign, group, and hulk rates on request. Microfilm CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS: Alan Pogue, Grant Fehr, Bob Clare, Russell editions available from Microfilming Corporation of America, Box 10. Sanford. N.C. 27330. Lee, Scott Van Osdol, Ronald Corts. Copyright 1983 by Texas Observer Publishing Company. All rights reserved. Material may not CONTRIBUTING ARTISTS: Berke Breathed. Jeff Danziger, Ben Sargent, Mary be reproduced without permission. Margaret Wade, Gail Woods. POSTMASTER: Send form 3579 to: 600 West 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. 2 FEBRUARY 25, 1983 this education package that is so impor- ft. stretchers, addressed to White, Hob- tant to all of San Antonio. COPS has by, and Lewis, reading: "The collective Faulk Has changed the face of San Antonio. Much voice of San Antonio joins the COPS of what COPS has done in the past has voice to say 'The COPS education pack- No Regrets taken us from the past to the present. age is San Antonio's Number One Austin Much of what it is doing now will take legislative priority in the 1983 session. Listening to John Henry Faulk speak- us into the future." There was applause. More equal aid is essential or San An- ing to enthusiastic supporters at a party Cisneros smiled, waved, and started to tonio will, not grow and prosper. We in Austin a week before the election, it walk back to his seat when he was sum- 'call on your continued active support of was easy to get caught up in th6 excite- moned back to the front by Ms. Luna. this legislative package.' " ment, to be seduced by his enthusiasm. As if she were a firm, but sympathetic, Sonia Hernandez asked Berlanga to We had endorsed him, of course, and schoolteacher speaking to an errant be the first to sign. He seemed to panic, maybe, just maybe, his long-shot can- pupil, Luna said, "We have been on op- ran up and grabbed the microphone to didacy would catch on; maybe he would posite sides on many issues." Cisneros reiterate his support for education, and, articulate the issues in terms so plain smiled. Luna continued, "We know you after much prodding, finally signed the and sensible that Phil Gramm would at have been in Austin backing high- telegram. He was followed by Cisneros, least be forced into a runoff. But that ways." Cisneros gulped. Luna then members of the city council, and was Austin, among loyal and devoted asked Cisneros to write a letter to assorted others. friends. In Corsicana a few days later, White, Lt. Governor Hobby, and House Following the meeting, COPS educa- Sixth District realities were more Speaker Lewis, asking them to make obvious. education their first priority. tion chair Lynn Stewart told the Observer that an education equalization Here on the winter-brown lawn of the Cisneros was visibly taken aback. bill is being finalized for introduction by Navarro County courthouse was Austin "You want me to write a letter?" he a member of the Mexican American folksinger Bill Oliver strumming his asked. Luna nodded. Cisneros said, legislative caucus. G. R. (Continued on Page 4) "I'll write it. I'll do anything you say." Representative Berlanga was then asked to come to the front of the room to offer his support. He began.reading a speech addressed to "County Judge Albert Bustamante, Mayor Cisneros, and Madam Chairman." The speech extolled the virtues of Gib Lewis, add- ing "Speaker Lewis reiterates his com- mitment to education. Speaker Lewis understands your concerns and is a sensitive individual. Speaker Lewis understands that you are politi- cally astute and can understand the ines Re political process," etc. He went on to dy praise Lewis' appointments of Mexican n Americans to committee posts and his Ra restructuring of the appointments proc- by ess.