Don Graham Bids Farewell to William Humphrey THE TEXAS A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES SEPTEMBER 12, 1997 • $2.25 GOING CRITICAL AT PANTEX Nuclear Whistleblowers Tell Their Story in an Amarillo Court THIS ISSUE I FEATURES Going Critical at Pantex by Louis Dubose 7 The nuclear honchos at the Amarillo Pantex Plant insist that safety is a first priority. But when workers took action for safety, their bosses balked Not Easy Being Green(peace) by Don Hazen 12 Greenpeace International has grown impatient with falling U.S. membership, and its decision to cut back on activism is reverberating across the country. DEPARTMENTS BOOKS AND THE CULTURE VOLUME 89, NO. 16 Dialogue Learning Names 24 A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES Editorial Poetry by Roberta Faulkner Sund & We will serve no group or party but will hew hard to the truth as we find it and the right as we see it. We are ded- Smoke Screen by Michael King 4 Sandra Gail Teichmann icated to the whole truth, to human values above all in- terests, to the rights of human-kind as the foundation of Learning Head-On 25 democracy: we will take orders from none but our own Dateline Texas conscience, and never will we overlook or misrepresent Models for Food Security Book Review by Paul Jennings the truth to serve the interests of the powerful or cater to the ignoble in the human spirit. by Erica C. Barnett Proud Hunter 28 Writers are responsible for their own work, but not for anything they have not themselves written, and in Political Intelligence 16 Book Review by Lars Eighner publishing them we do not necessarily imply that we agree with them, because this is a journal of free voices. Las Americas Afterword 30 Awaiting Death by John Ross 18 William Humphrey Goes Home SINCE 1954 by Don Graham Tortured Law by David R. Dow 20 Founding Editor: Ronnie Dugger The Back Page Publisher: Geoff Rips Molly Ivins 22 32 The Halls of Just Us Editor: Louis Dubose Behind the Teamsters Headlines Associate Editor: Michael King Cover art by Kevin Kreneck Production: Harrison Saunders Jim Hightower 23 Copy Editor: Mimi Bardagjy Nuclear Waste, Arming South America, Poetry Editor: Naomi Shihab Nye & Severance Pay Business Manager and Web Site Editor: Amanda Toering Circulation Assistant: Jeff Mandell DIALOGUE / Editorial Interns: Erica C. Barnett, Jeff Mandell Contributing Writers: Bill Adler, Barbara Belejack, WAR OF SHAME the members of both houses are occupied Betty Brink, Brett Campbell, Lars Eighner, James K. by a majority of the opposite sex, the situ- Galbraith, Dagoberto Gilb, James Harrington, Jim High- The toll the war on drugs has taken on tower, Molly Ivins, Paul Jennings, Steven G. Kellman, America is a national disgrace. The sacri- ation will remain the same. Even then, if Bryce Milligan, Debbie Nathan, Karen Olsson, John the elected female members are hand- Ross, Carol Stall, Brad Tyer, James McCarty Yeager. fice of Ezekiel Hernandez' life, on the Staff Photographer: Alan Pogue altar of the war on drugs, is totally unac- picked by the machine, the changes will be Contributing Photographers: Vic Hinterlang, Patricia ceptable ("Looking for the Border," by slow in coming. Moore. Barbara Ferry, July 18). [Radio talk-show My granddaughter, Susie Works, is re- Contributing Artists: Eric Avery, Tom Ballenger, Richard Bartholomew, Jeff Danziger, Beth Epstein, Va- host] Ken Hamblin is a disgusting slug for sponsible for me receiving TO. She knew lerie Fowler, Kevin Kreneck, Michael Krone, Ben Sargent, that I thrive on protest, even though the Gail Woods. calling this dead teenager a "sniper." Editorial Advisory Board: David Anderson, Austin; Warren Hudson outcome is a long shot. Elroy Bode, El Paso; Chandler Davidson, Houston; Dallas Keep up the good work, and let me read Dave Denison, Arlington, Mass.; Bob Eckhardt, Austin; Sissy Farenthold, Houston; John Kenneth Galbraith, more of Molly Ivins. Cambridge, Mass.; Lawrence Goodwyn, Durham, N.C.; LONG TIME FIGHTING Leonard Galbraith George Hendrick, Urbana, Ill.; Molly Ivins, Austin; Larry L. King, Washington, D.C.; Maury Maverick, Jr., Many thanks for the article written by Sapulpa, OK San Antonio; Willie Morris, Jackson, Miss.; Kaye Molly Ivins ("Remembering Cynthia Northcott, Fort Worth; James Presley, Texarkana; Susan Reid, Austin; A.R. (Babe) Schwartz, Galveston; Chavez Wall," August 1). It is an out- PERFECTION TAKES TIME . Fred Schmidt, Fredericksburg. standing report about major news media Ray Price's [sic] review of Who Owns the In Memoriam: Cliff Olofson, 1931-1995 Sun? THE TEXAS OBSERVER (ISSN 0040-4519/USPS 541300), entire contcnts who stick their heads in the sand and ("Burning Questions," August 29) copyrighted. 1997. is published biweekly except for a three-week interval between issues in January and July (24 issues per year) by the Texas Democ- refuse to face reality... was interesting, but some of his statements racy Foundation, a 501 (c)3 non-profit corporation. 307 West 7th Street, Austin. make me question his judgment. After Texas 78701. Telephone: (512) 477-0746. E-mail: [email protected]. This 81-year-old environmentalist has World Wide Web DownHome page: http://www.hyperweb.com/txobserver Periodicals postage paid at Austin, Texas. been writing letters of protest many years. quoting the authors' list of federal energy SUBSCRIPTIONS: One year $32, two years $59, three years $84. Full-time Letters to Senators Don Nickles and Jim In- subsidies, Price points out that the list students $18 per year; add $13/year for foreign subs. Back issues $3 prepaid. Airmail, foreign, group, and bulk rates on request. Microfilm editions avail- hofe of Oklahoma are promptly answered. doesn't even include deductions of fuel able from University Microfilms Intl., 300 N. Zecb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. They commence with the usual comment: costs as operating expenses. If a utility INDEXES: The Texas Observer is indexed in Access: The Supplementary Index to Periodicals; Texas Index and, for the years 1954 through 198I,The "I share your concerns, blah blah..." The must report as income all service payments Texas Observer Index. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE TEXAS OBSERVER, same is true with our congressmen. made by its customers, why shouldn't it be 307 West 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. If there is an answer, it seems that until able to deduct fuel costs? Don't all private 2 ■ THE TEXAS OBSERVER SEPTEMBER 12, 1997 businesses (e.g. truckers, airlines, rail- we stand in readiness. But we remain grate- You do good work; keep it up—sounds roads, maritime shippers, refiners, steel ful for such careful readers, and hope you kind'a suggestive, but it's not meant to be. mills, apartment and office building own- will continue to keep us careful, too. Al Wright ers, retailers, etc.) deduct fuel costs? msn. corn The Observer's ignorance of geography SHAGGY WEB STORY is usually limited to obscure corners of the I found the Observer's URL on the wall of BITING BYTES universe (i.e., anywhere out of state). In a stall in the men's room at DFW airport. I'm real glad I found you folks online. the past it's made Hubert Humphrey a Sen- It said "for a really good time, go to I've enjoyed Molly Ivins' writing for ator from Wisconsin. Now, it's made Kika www.hyperweb.com/txobserver ." OK? years, and have found her recommenda- de la Garza a Congressman from El Paso (No, Linda Fischer done tol' me.) It's tions generally worthwhile. The Observer ("Chronicles of Chemical Warfare," by really nice to have such a "no-nonsense" looks like one of the good ones. Here in Susan Pitman, August 29). So what if Mis- place where one can kick back in the ol' upstate N.Y. there are plenty of liberal sion and El Paso are more than 500 miles recliner, git the little lady (a misnomer if journals and such, but none that have the apart. They're both in the Valley, right? ever they wuz one, she's big as a Mack Observer's mix of bite and humor. I plan Tom Fisher truck but good-hearted and generous to a to do more reading on your site before Corpus Christi, Texas fault) to bring me a Shiner Bock, and give subscribing; gotta see how much the geo- me a hand pulling off my boots, since the graphical separation makes the local arti- The Editors respond: dog done dragged off my boot jack to cles less relevant to a yankee. But if A last-minute editing error transplanted gawd only knows where. It'll probably Molly's right, you take on issues that tran- Congressman de la Garza across the state; turn up next spring when I spade the gar- scend geography. I look forward to that, we apologize to Susan Pitman and to our den again. In the meantime, thanks for and appreciate your attitude. readers. Occasionally we get in a rush, as keeping track of all them pols. Some- Thanks, and I wish you success and Mr. Fisher undoubtedly did when he trans- body's got to do it, and since you seem to survival in this increasingly hostile envi- formed Observer writer Ray Reece into take so much pleasure in giving us all ronment. country singer Ray Price. (On the other pleasure in reading about 'em, and keep- Roy Flacco hand, if Mr. Price is at all interested in con- ing 'em guessing which one of 'em will be Brooktondale, New York tributing to the Observer in any capacity, your next target. Subscriptions must be received and bills paid in full by September 19, 1997. 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