'JANUSARY,13, 2b06 $2.25 1 opENirstp :THE EYES OF TEXAS FOR FIFTY'YEARS F • • , • : 744701111111 89397II JANUARY 13, 2006 Dialogue TheTexas Observer EL PASO, NEW MEXICO? the time to investigate the situation Interesting piece ("Far Out Far West and write about it. DEPARTMENTS Texas," December 16, 2005). Tiresome Scott Ballew to read another slam about El Paso Austin DIALOGUE 2 midway through it, but as the source of the quote is a Dallasite, I can FROM PICKLES TO ART EDITORIAL 3 understand. I wouldn't want to live In her column, "Exiting the Pickle Winter Libros in Dallas either. Maybe we El Pasoans Factory," (November 18, 2005), Molly should revive the idea of joining New Ivins asked how the United States BOOKS & CULTURE Mexico and spare Texas the burden of could work toward a goal of investing El Paso way out there even beyond the more toward education "than on stuff ALL THE NEWS THEY FORGOT 4 fringe, where nobody wants to live, to kill people." She asked for sug- TO PRINT and hardly anyone, even the Observer, gestions. Here's one: more art. This by Molly Ivins has anything good to say about it. country is art starved. There is simply Marshall Carter-Tripp no good reason for so much mun- PASS THE PESTICIDES 6 El Paso daneness everywhere. The arts are by James E. McWilliams disciplines of "safe" risk taking. OPEN FORUM People who develop a taste for MY ANCESTORS' VIOLENCE 8 I found the article, "Letter from art are too busy, too interested, to by Patrick Timmons Ft. Benning" (December 16, 2005), be easily diverted by Consumerism through Google News. I think that (the religion) or Militarism. One WITNESSES TO HISTORY 12 Katherine Jashinski is very brave and of the side effects of playing and/or by Barbara Belejack admirable. It's not easy to commit working in the arts is the impetus to something and then find that you to pursue and discover Truth. Not THE HUMMINGBIRD'S GREAT 20 have changed to such a degree that an iron clad dogmatic Truth but the GREAT-NEPHEW the commitment becomes a heavy personal liquid Truth that is central by Gregg Barrios burden. I would just like to extend to each person. "What do I really my sympathy and support to Ms. like?" People who become acquainted RINGSIDE SEAT TO A REVOLUTION 24 Jashinski. I admire her attitude and with a personal truth very often by David Romo the approach she is taking and I know develop a capacity to perceive other things will work out just fine. types of truth. Familiarity with the TRUTH OF THE MATTER 28 Dave Buchta arts in general, and a specific art form by Debbie Nathan Phoenix, AZ in particular, also develops what the writer Alice Walker calls "an eye to NOT ON THE RADAR ELEGY FOR THE LIVING 32 see with." by Carrie Fountain My sister sent me a link to the article How? Free art supplies are the most "A Death in McAllen" (September 23, inspirational, fun, challenging toys WEDDINGS 34 2005), and I had to respond by letting for human beings. The high cost of by Ruperto Garcia you know that my father was in the care art supplies limits the ability of many of that facility and was finally moved people to make art. So, provide free AFTERWORD 38 to a hospice center (Comfort House) art supplies to community centers, The Kindness of Strangers in McAllen where he passed with churches, after school programs, by Gregg Barrios dignity. The care at McAllen Nursing schools, senior centers, or anyplace Center was almost sub-human. Only a where people gather regularly. Just few people were truly compassionate. the art supplies (this includes musical Cover photo: "Fotografos de prensa/ I know it is a challenging place to instruments, dance shoes, ballet bar, press photographers" work, but it seems that the quality of dictionaries, etc.). That's something by Rodrigo Moya care could be improved. It is a most that could easily be done; it's less unfortunate situation and clearly Backpage photo: "El garrotero / The Brakeman" complicated than fixing the educa- by Rodrigo Moya" screams that the system needs major tion system. And it's certainly less reform. Unfortunately, it just isn't on expensive than missiles, bombs, guns, the radar—or politically viable—to prisons, etc. talk about care for elders. Melanie Hickerson I appreciate that Dave Mann took Austin 2 THE TEXAS OBSERVER JANUARY 13, 2006 EDITORIAL Winter Libros eader Marshall Carter- ing more than a vast cultural wasteland." Streetcar Named Desire, one of the great Tripp writes that We know the feeling. plays of the 20th century. it's "tiresome to read Perhaps the best-known chronicler of Other border and Mexico-related another slam about life and death on the border these days articles include Debbie Nathan's review El Paso" ("Dialogue," is Luis Alberto Urrea, a novelist-poet- of Trail of Feathers, about the 1998 dis- this issue). No one, professor who was featured in several appearance and death of San Antonio sheFIZ explains, not "even the Observer," panels at last fall's Texas Book Festival Express-News Mexico correspondent has anything good to say about her in Austin (two panels on border vio- Philip True; James E. McWilliams' hometown. lence—one in English, one in Spanish— review of the updated edition of The We have no way of knowing for sure along with a terrific one-man show, a Death of Ramon Gonzalez, a beautifully what Carter-Tripp will think of the cur- conversation moderated by author and rendered examination of agribusiness rent issue, but one thing we do know: journalist Jan Reid). and pesticides in the Mexican country- El Paso, Juarez, and the border in gen- Urrea hails from the other end of side; and "Witnesses to History," a photo eral loom large. Among the highlights the border, as we like to say in Texas: essay based on the eponymous exhibit is an excerpt from the prologue and He was born in Tijuana and grew up at the Wittliff Gallery of Southwestern several chapters of Ringside Seat to the in San Diego. His latest book, The and Mexican Photography at Texas Revolution: An Underground Cultural Hummingbird's Daughter, belongs on an State University in San Marcos. History of El Paso and Juarez: 1893-1923 updated list of Great American Novels. With our first issue of 2006, we wel- by "micro-historian" and occasional Twenty years in the making, the book is come back our loyal readers. If you Observer contributor David Dorado based on the life of an intriguing young received a holiday subscription and you Romo. After years of archival research woman who briefly lived in El Paso at are new to the magazine, welcome to and random wanderings, Romo dis- the end of the 19th century, influenced the Observer. We'll be back in two weeks covered a wealth of information about the course of Mexican history, was a with our January 27 issue, featuring underground trails, forgotten ancestors, media celebrity in her day, and whose our consistently fine reporting on the lost photographers, and music he had story is included in Romo's Ringside nefarious activities of state and national never heard before. As he confesses, Seat to the Revolution. (She was also, not politicos, political columns, and more although he was raised in both Juarez so coincidentally, Luis Alberto Urrea's Books & the Culture (including our and El Paso, he spent a large part of his great aunt.) regular Poetry Page). life trying to get away from both of these San Antonio journalist and playwright Finally, one more thing: Long live cities, determined to live "some place Gregg Barrios interviewed Urrea for border rats—people attracted to an area where things were happening, where this issue. He also wrote the Afterword, that so many "consider a cultural waste- matters of significance occurred." Yet which reveals a little-known border con- land," and who write about its possibili- something kept drawing him back to nection behind Stanley Kowalski and ties as well as its pain. "this place that so many consider noth- Blanche DuBois in Tennessee Williams' iY que viva El Paso! ■ THE TEXAS OBSERVER I VOLUME 98, NO. 1 I A Journal of Free Voices Since 1954 Founding Editor Ronnie Dugger James McWilliams, Char Miller, USPS 541300), entire contents copy- rates on request. Microfilm available Executive Editor Jake Bernstein Debbie Nathan, Karen Olsson, righted ©2005, is published biweekly from University Microfilms Intl., 300 N. Editor Barbara Belejack John Ross, Andrew Wheat except during January and August Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. 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