Molly Ivins, Steven Kellman, Michael Inches in the Galveston Paper to Analyzing King, Deborah Lutterbeck, Tom Mcclellan, Bryce Mil- Writer Still Hangs in the Air
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CIVIL LIBERTIES IN THE RUBBLE Pg. 5 A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES MAY 5, 19 95 • $175 DIALING FOR DOLLARS Guess Who Will Pay the Phone Bill for Southwestern Bell's Army of Lobbyists? HIGH TECH, HARD LABOR Silicon Valley Finds the Workforce of the Future — In Texas Prisons EX POST FACTO An Angry Adieu to the Three Publishers that Made Houston a One-Newspaper Town FROM THE PUBLISHER Evolving and Observing EVEN WITH OUR CURRENT State anthologies, including This Same Sky Board of Education in place, come (Four Winds Press/Macmillan), an interna- right out and say it: we believe in evolution tional poetry anthology that everyone as the best available explanation of the should own. She's won a bunch of poetry generation of life forms populating this prizes, is currently Visiting Associate planet now or in the knowable past. Almost Professor at the Texas Center for Writers A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES at the University of Texas, and will publish We will serve no group or party but will hew hard to the imperceptible. Occurring across eons. truth as we find it and the right as we see it. We are ded- Creating all kinds of weird combinations. a collection of essays, They Weren't Even icated to the whole truth, to human values above all in- in a Hurry, in January (South Carolina terests, to the rights of human-kind as the foundation of Breathe on land? Impossible. Walk on democracy: we will take orders from none but our own two feet? Why? Is the duckbill platypus Press). She has graciously agreed to bring conscience, and never will we overlook or misrepresent the apex or nadir of the evolutionary poetry to the Observer that our readers the truth to serve the interests of the powerful or cater to the ignoble in the human spirit. process? What about Rush Limbaugh? Can need to read. Writers are responsible for their own work, but not we use Phil Gramm to trace amphibian This issue also marks the beginning of for anything they have not themselves written, and in publishing them we do not necessarily imply that we ancestry? A speaker named Newt? We a continuing column on our pages by Dr. agree with them, because this is a journal of free voices. were all cold-blooded once. Some of us Marvin Legator and Amanda Howells- SINCE 1954 never got over it. Daniel. Dr. Legator is director of the Divi- As a young man standing behind me at sion of Environmental Toxicology at the Founding Editor: Ronnie Dugger the Moody Gardens in Galveston ex- UT Medical Branch in Galveston and is a Editor: Louis Dubose claimed upon seeing a fish with feet, iden- world expert on environmental chemical Associate Editor: James M. Cullen tified as a mudskipper, inching through the poisons and public health. Ms. Howells- Production: Harrison Saunders Copy Editor: Roxanne Bogucka mud, "Goll dang, Darwin was right!" Daniel runs the Toxics Assistance Program Editorial Interns: Todd Basch, Mike Daecher, Kendyl And so we come to the evolution of the there. Together they have been writing a Taylor Hanks. Observer. Almost imperceptible. But here column for the Galveston newspaper on Contributing Writers: Bill Adler, Barbara Belejack, survival in a chemical world. But don't Betty Brink, Warren Burnett, Brett Campbell, Peter we are: receiving stories by e-mail while Cassidy, Jo Clifton, Carol Countryman, Terry Fitz- the sound of Ronnie Dugger hammering expect a series of dire forecasts of doom. Patrick, James Harrington, Bill Helmer, Jim Hightower, away on the keys of an old Royal type- This team devoted a number of column Ellen Hosmer, Molly Ivins, Steven Kellman, Michael inches in the Galveston paper to analyzing King, Deborah Lutterbeck, Tom McClellan, Bryce Mil- writer still hangs in the air. ligan, Debbie Nathan, James McCarty Yeager. And more important than the process, of the chemical content of New York drinking Editorial Advisory Board: David Anderson, Austin; course, is the substance it bears. We water to determine what gives New York Frances Barton, Austin; Elroy Bode, El Paso; Chandler bagels their distinctive flavor. They will be Davidson, Houston; Dave Denison, Cambridge, Mass; promised changes. And if you watch Bob Eckhardt, Austin; Sissy Farenthold, Houston; closely, you'll see they are coming—not in writing on topics of current interest as well Ruperto Garcia, Austin; John Kenneth Galbraith, Cam- a blinding flash of light, but working their as in response to reader questions. This will bridge, Mass.; Lawrence Goodwyn, Durham, N.C.; be good. George Hendrick, Urbana, Ill.; Molly Ivins, Austin; way in. Larry L. King, Washington, D.C.; Maury Maverick, Jr., For more than a year, we've been run- Expect more changes in the future as Ob- San Antonio; Willie Morris, Jackson, Miss.; Kaye ning the columns of former Observer edi- server editor Lou Dubose orchestrates their Northcott, Fort Worth; James Presley, Texarkana; entry into the mix. The generosity of our Susan Reid, Austin; Geoffrey Rips, Austin; A.R. (Babe) tors Molly Ivins and Jim Hightower. You Schwartz, Galveston; Fred Schmidt, Fredericksburg. know them, so I won't say more. readers over the past few months has en- Poetry Consultant: Thomas B. Whitbread Since last fall, James Galbraith, noted abled us to devote some resources to more Contributing Photographers: Bill Albrecht, Vic Hin- economist, writer (co-author of the defini- extensive investigative reporting. That will terlang, Alan Pogue. Macro-Eco- bear fruit. Contributing Artists: Michael Alexander, Eric Avery, tive economics textbook, Tom Ballenger, Richard Bartholomew, Jeff Danziger, Beth nomics with William Darity, Jr., and So we arrive at this protean moment in Epstein, Valerie Fowler, Dan Hubig, Pat Johnson, Kevin contributor to many books and journals) the Observer's history as base instincts at- Kreneck, Michael Krone, Carlos Lowry, Gary Oliver, Ben and professor at the LBJ School, has graced tempt to swamp this democracy born in the Sargent, Dan Thibodeau, Gail Woods, Matt Wuerker. our pages with regular contributions ex- Enlightenment. Business Manager: Cliff Olofson plaining the new political economy of the Onward. Out of the mire. Subscription Manager: Stefan Wanstrom universe. We are honored to be a home for —GEOFF RIPS Development Consultant: Frances Barton his work, which is a major contribution to SUBSCRIPTIONS: One year $32, two years $59, three years $84. Full-time the debate that we are determined will take students $18 per year. Back issues $3 prepaid. Airmail, foreign, group, and bulk rates on request. Microfilm editions available from University Micro- place in order to turn this country from its films Intl., 300 N. Tech Road, Ann Arbor, Ml 48106. Any current sub- scriber who finds the price a burden should say so at renewal time; no current path. one need forgo reading the Observer simply because of the cost. Write "Dialogue" INDEXES: The Texas Observer is indexed in Access: The Supplementary In this issue, we are proud to welcome Index to Periodicals; Texas Index and, for the years 1954 through 1981,The Naomi Shihab Nye of San Antonio as Texas Observer Index. Texas Observer THE TEXAS OBSERVER (ISSN (X)40-4519/USPS 541300), entire contents our poetry editor. She is the author of copyrighted, 0 1995, is published biweekly except for a three-week interval between issues in Jimmy and July (25 issues per year) by the Texas Democ- four books of poetry, including Hugging 307 W. 7111 St. racy Foundation, 307 West 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. Telephone: (512) 477-0746. E-mail: [email protected]. the Jukebox, a selection in the National Second-class postage paid at Austin, Texas. Poetry Series. She is the author of several Austin, TX 78701 POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE TEXAS OBSERVER, 307 West 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. children's books and editor of poetry 2 • MAY 5, 1995 S.r•olt..P.,ry..,2,^v040.4,7,!nrit$e■RirrOlt..ifo THET HE TEXAS DIALOGUE se For the Record... MIT economist Rudi Dornbusch, Dorn- busch "stated emphatically" that he does Jefferson, in Notes on Virginia, while dis- not answer "political questions," although MAY 5, 1995 cussing the work of Monsieur de Buffon, he blames Salinas for the Mexican crisis, VOLUME 87, No. 9 wrote: "One sentence of this book must do and referred to him as the "Nick Leeson of him immortal honor: 'I like a person who Mexico." FEATURES points out a mistake just as much as one Readers of The Texas Observer should be who teaches me a truth, because, in effect, aware, however, that Dornbusch is not al- Dialing for Dollars a corrected mistake is a truth.'" I think my ways chary of political questions. In an arti- By Robert Bryce 6 friend Jim Simons and I should do each cle in the Financial Times of October 16, High-Tech Hard Labor other a little immortal honor. 1991, entitled "Lessons that Brazil can learn By Kyung Sun Yu In a letter you accurately entitled from Mexico," he said that "President Sali- 9 "When Liberals Failed Progressive Poli- nas has brought about a revolution by mak- Ex 'Post' Facto tics" [TO 3/24/95] Jim wrote: "In the late ing accountable government the central By Juan R. Palomo 12 '60s Dugger wrote off the radical move- focus of legitimacy. This change goes far ment with the ridiculous assertion that we beyond rooting out of corruption." There is DEPARTMENTS all favored violent revolution." I agree more on the "revolution of governance": a with Jim, that's a ridiculous assertion, and new "accountability of officials, continuity, From the Publisher I never made it: In and from myself I competence and courage," "jail sentences Evolving and Observing 2 know that I never thought, said, or wrote for tax fraud became part of the culture," Editorials it.