'MONTHLY' AT 20: ONE HAND CLAPPING Pg. 6 A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES APRIL 9, 1993 • $1.75 MICHAEL ALEXANDER DIALOGUE Deal with Krueger cal unknown," but covered the campaign of Jose Angel Gutierrez, the most progressive I read your article that supported a political candidate in the race, but whom the daily unknown over Senator Bob Krueger. press has neglected. For an endorsement Wrong, wrong, wrong. in the race, see page 3. This sounds like a passive-aggressive A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES approach that I have heard all too often in We will serve no group or party but will hew hard to Gun School the truth as we find it and the right as we see it. We are liberal circles. dedicated to the whole truth, to human values above all It is asserted that the Senator is just a RE: "Bad Bills," March 12 issue— interests, to the rights of human-kind as the foundation Republican in disguise. There are several Did I just hear the sound of a knee jerking? of democracy: we will take orders from none but our own conscience, and never will we overlook or misrepresent differences. Take, for example, the issues of Though I do support the Brady Bill, I the truth to serve the interests of the powerful or cater gays in the military. Even a relative moder- have to wonder if passage of H.B. 100 [to to the ignoble in the human spirit. ate like Kay Bailey Hutchison kowtows to allow concealed weapons] will unleash a Writers are responsible for their own work, but not hoard of yahoos on Texas. For the past sev- for anything they have not themselves written, and in pub- the Religious Right on this issue. Many of lishing them we do not necessarily imply that we agree you readers may not be gay like me, but it eral years, Florida has had a law exactly the with them, because this is a journal of free voices. should be clear that this is a major facet in same as the aforementioned "bad bill." I don't recall any news stories about an SINCE 1954 the politics of exclusion that is endemic in this country. I would go as far as to say that increase in Florida of shootings over traffic Publisher: Ronnie Dugger the Religious Right must be a major priority mishaps, parking spaces, etc. (Of course, I Editor: Louis Dubose haven't heard any stories about the Florida Associate Editor: James Cullen for liberals up through the year 2000. Sen. Layout and Design: Peter Szymczak Krueger is clearly pro-choice — a cosponsor crime rate magically dropping, either.) Copy Editor: Roxanne Bogucka of the Freedom of Choice Act; he moreover The most rational story about guns and Bad-Bills Girl: Mary O'Grady gun laws I have read so far was "Firearms: Editorial Intern: Carmen Garcia. voted for the Family Leave Bill — I cannot Contributing Writers: Bill Adler, Betty Brink, Warren say these things for any of the Republicans. No Right is an Island" by Joe McConnelly, Burnett, Brett Campbell, Jo Clifton, Terry FitzPatrick, The GOP has three strong candidates and in the Whole Earth Review No. 77. Besides Gregg Franzwa, James Harrington, Bill Helmer, Ellen pointing out what shell games bans on cer- Hosmer, Steven Kellman, Michael King, Deborah voters who vote in every election come hell Lutterbeck, Tom McClellan, Bryce Milligan, Debbie or high water. The Democratic Party has tain weapons are, McConnelly suggests Nathan, Gary Pomerantz, Lawrence Walsh. one candidate with adequate name-recogni- treating guns as we do cars; owners would Editorial Advisory Board: David Anderson, Austin; tion and a rank-and-file that is flukey about have to pass proficiency tests to get permits,. Frances Barton, Austin; Elroy Bode, El Nso; Chandler and shoolkids would take gun ed. Davidson, Houston; Dave Denison, Cambridge, Mass; going to the polls. Bob Eckhardt, Washington, D.C.; Sissy Farenthold, Rick Potthoff, Houston Houston; Rupert() Garcia, Austin; John Kenneth Galbraith, Yes, Sen. Krueger has a record as an eco- Cambridge, Mass.; Lawrence Goodwyn, Durham, N.C.; nomic conservative, especially when he rep- NO Hoe George Hendrick, Urbana, III.; Molly Ivins, Austin; resented the 21st District [San Antonio and Larry L. King, Washington, D.C.; Maury Maverick, It's nice to know that Molly Ivins (TO Jr., San Antonio; Willie Morris, Oxford, Miss.; Kaye the Hill Country]. That is District 21 and, to Northcott, Austin; James Presley, Texarkana; Susan Reid, a lesser extent, Texas *as a whole. I am prob- 3/26/93) doesn't share the Texas hangup on Austin; Geoffrey Rips, Austin; A.R. (Babe) Schwartz, ably an economic moderate. I would be gun ownership. Now could she get rid of her Galveston; Fred Schmidt, Fredericksburg. content to soften this state's tradition of lais- thing about rattlesnakes? These reptiles, per- sez faire in economics, but pursue a firm secuted mainly for their habit of defending Poetry Consultant: Thomas B. Whitbread themselves when attacked, have a place in _ Contributing Photographers: Bill Albrecht, Vic Hin- laissez-faire policy on cultural issues. terlang, Alan Pogue. Sen. Krueger has a, solid academic back- nature. No shooting and, please, no hoes. As Contributing Artists: Michael Alexander, Eric Avery, ground. He was dean of arts and sciences at religious zealots have amply proved, being Tom Ballenger, Richard Bartholomew, Jeff Danziger, bitten by a rattlesnake usually requires seri- Beth Epstein, Dan Hubig, Pat Johnson, Kevin Kreneck, Duke University. He is, of course, an emi- Michael Krone, Carlos Lowry, Ben Sargent, Dan nent student of Shakespeare and will bring ous effort. Assailing one with a hoe is about Thibodeau, Gail Woods, Matt Wuerker. a command of the English language to the as good a way as any to make it happen. Senate. A. C. Hall, Dallas Managing Publisher: Cliff Olofson Whoever is elected this year is sure to Subscription Manager: Stefan Wanstrom Don't Dump on Me Executive Assistant: Gail Woods win in 1994. Voters have a way of re-elect- Special Projects Director: Bill Simmons ing incumbents. It is important to break the A note of thanks to you and Ms. Debbie Development Consultant: Frances Barton hammerlock that the Religious Right has on Nathan for her great story ["Love in the the Texas GOP, and this can't be done by SUBSCRIPTIONS: One year $32, two years $59, three years $84. Full-time Time of Cholera: Waiting for Free Trade," students $18 per year. Back issues $3 prepaid. Airmail, foreign, group, and letting a second Republican be elected. TO 1/15/93] — warm and enlightening. bulk rates on request. Microfilm editions available from University Microfilms Intl.. 300 N. 'Loeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48 I 06. Any current subscriber Maybe you recall a time (1946) when My only regret is that I thought so much of who finds the price a burden should say so at renewal time; no one need forgo reading the Observer simply because of the cost. Wisconsin Democrats crossed over into the article that I mailed my copy to a friend INDEXES: The Texas Observer is indexed in Access: The Supplementary Index to Periodicals; Texas hides and, for the years 1954 through 198 I,The Texas the GOP primary and knocked out Bob in Odessa. Observer Index. Lafollette Jr. Joe McCarthy got elected and Ms. Louise Crow's letter [Dialogue, TO THE TEXAS OBSERVER (ISSN 0040-4519/USPS 541300), entire contents copyrighted, 0 1992, is published biweekly except for a three-week interval kept on winning until he died. 3/12/93] and complaint was quite amusing. between issues in January and July (25 issues per year) by the Texas Observer Publishing Co., 307 West 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. Telephone: (512) Scott Tillinghast, Houston. To use the coarse, vulgar phase "dumped on" 477-0746. Second-class postage paid at Austin, Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE TEXAS OBSERVER, as an euphemism for "shit on" to describe her 34)7 West 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. Editor's Note: We presume the writer refers deeply offended sensibilities does get one's to "Border Blaster Claims Left Field," TO attention and make one wonder. 3/26/93, which did not "support ... a politi- Blewett Davis, Abernathy 2 • APRIL 9, 1993 EDITORIALS T HE TEXAS server Similar Senators APRIL 9, 1993 VOLUME 85 No. 7 en Senator Phil Gramm takes to the rent budget debate, Gramm said the Clinton WV Senate floor to defend "our nation's Administration intends to tax the elderly on seniors" from taxes on their Social Security.; potential income they could get from renting FEATURES income, as he did on March 23 — in what their homes, which according to a news story the New York Times described as "a fierce in the New York Times "had no basis in fact Free Trade: Economic Gunboats volley of riolitiCal potshots from but was meant to stick in the craw of the By James Ridgeway 5 Republicans" he speaks as if he has no television viewers." • record on the issue. • Except for the vote on the Family Leave Texas Monthly at 20: He does. Bill; it's kind of difficult to tell one Texas One Hand Clapping In 1981, as a House member and co-spon- Senator from the other these days. Ann By James Cullen 8 sor'of the succeSsful Gramiri-Latta substitute Richards appointee Bob Krueger has main- to the budget bill, Gran.= was co-author of tained a low profile on the floor, avoiding Topwaters and Shiite Baptists a provision that eliminated the then-$122 per debate while voting against President By Molly Ivins 14 month minimum Social Security benefit.