PRIMARY DECISIONS Pg. 6 A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES MARCH 13, 1992 • $1.50 '7'."'N Tke4*..4...0400006000011606,9m ‘ts"L ``e*-Am_ir,,TVA.A.14111111,640._ "r"rd4*OSPAOIMINMOittt 410101101. 4 44"A rtaWar e4"4- r.b Under Surveillance The FBI and Central American Dissidents New Broom Sweeps Teamsters A Role Model for Labor Reform DIALOGUE Democrats by Default declining number of people voting. In Struggle, The Observer's mention (TO, 12/27/91) of —Frank Valdez, Co-Chairman, the San Antonio Progressive Democrats' Progressive Democrats of San Antonio. renunciation of the straight Democratic ticket failed to mention why we have taken this A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES Philpott Remembered We will serve no group or party but will hew hard to controversial, but principled position. the truth as we find it and the right as we see it. We are We believe that none of the current Many memories were brought back as I read dedicated to the whole truth, to human values above Democratic presidential candidates stands a the tributes to Professor Tom Philpott (TO, all interests, to the rights of human-kind as the founda- snowball's chance in hell of defeating George 12/13/91). I first met him in 1976, my fresh- tion of democracy: we will take orders from none but our own conscience, and never will we overlook or misrep- Bush in '92. Even if by some rare stroke of luck man year at UT, in a nine-hour course called reSent the truth to serve the interests of the powerful or one of them were to beat Bush, none of these the American Experience. The readings were cater to thi ignoble in the human spirit. candidates offers any real alternative to Bush's substantial, and to this day many of the books, Writers are responsible for their own work, but not chaotic domestic policies.... Hard Living on Clay Street, Catch 22, Native for anything they have not themselves written, and in publishing them we do not necessarily imply that we agree The Democratic Party is anything but Son, and others, remain with me. with them, because this is a journal of free voices. Democratic. Last May the Democratic When I was growing up in Abilene, my Leadership Council (DLC) arrogantly refused parents had always taught me about the horri- SINCE 1954 to offer Statehood Senator Jesse Jackson the ble cruelties of prejudice and the inequalities Publisher: Ronnie Dugger same opportunity as other leading Democrats that exist. When I left home for college I was Editor: Lou Dubose to address the DLC conference. This same DLC confident in my beliefs and determined to treat Associate Editor: James Cullen that is pushing Bill Clinton for the presiden- people as my parents had taught me. The only Layout and Design: Diana Paciocco tial nomination openly espouses a more con- Copy Editors: Roxanne Bogucka, Amy Root problem was that I didn't know how many oth- Mexico City Correspondent: Barbara Belejack servative party line, and is for the most part ers felt the same way. How comforted I was Editorial Intern: Paula George controlled by such multinational coprorations to sit down in an auditorium of 400 and listen Contributing Writers: Bill Adler, Betty Brink, Warren as TRW, B.F. Goodrich; and British Petroleum. to Professor Philpott reinforce all of my par- Burnett, Jo Clifton, Terry FitzPatrick, Gregg Franzwa, These and other corporations financed the DLC James Harrington, Bill Helmer, Ellen Hosmer, Steven ents' teachings. I had a new friend. Kellman, Michael King, Deborah Lutterbeck, Tom conference last May in Ohio. Philpott would lecture for more than an hour McClellan, Bryce Milligan, Greg Moses, Debbie Nathan, We are tired of working for and supporting and then announce that he would lecture for an Gary Pomerantz, Lawrence Walsh. Democratic candidates who differ little if at all additional hour on material that we would not be Editorial Advisory Board: David Anderson, Austin; 'from their Republican opponents. We are tired Frances Barton, Austin; Elroy Bode, Kerrville; Chandler tested on. Half the class always stayed. I never Davidson, Houston; Dave Denison, Cambridge, Mass; of doing the blockwalking, the phonecalling missed a word. He showed slides and read sto- Bob Eckhardt, Washington, D.C.; Sissy Farenthold, and the other legwork, yet continuing to be ries aloud. We saw how Indians, Jews, Hispanics, Houston; Ruperto Garcia, Austin; John Kenneth excluded from the decision-making processes blacks, children and the poor were treated in our Galbraith, Cambridge, Mass.; Lawrence Goodwyn, of the party. More importantly ; we are tired Durham, N.C.; George Hendrick, Urbana, Ill.; Molly own country. He was outraged and so were most Ivins, Austin; Larry L. King, Washington, D.C.; Maury of giving our money and votes to a party that of us. We listened in horror to the atrocities Maverick, Jr., San Antonio; Willie Morris, Oxford, Miss.; has no clear or consistent ideological direction. that people inflict on each other for the most ludi- Kaye Northcott, Austin; James Presley, Texarkana; Susan The time is long overdue when the majority crous of reasons. Many cried during his lec- Reid, Austin; Geoffrey Rips, Austin; A.R. (Babe) of this nation (workers, women, farmers, Schwartz, Galveston; Fred Schmidt, Fredericksburg. tures and afterward a line would form to hug and small business people, persons with disabili- thank him. I always settled for a nod in his,direc- Poetry Consultant: Thomas B. Whitbread ties, the aged, African-Americans, Asian- tion after I was sure his eye was on me. Contributing Photographers: Bill Albrecht, Vic Hin- Americans, Native Americans, Mexican- In December of 1980, after finishing my last terlang, Alan Pogue. Americans and other Hispanics) should have a Contributing Artists: Eric Avery, Tom Ballenger, exam as a student at Texas, I spotted Professor Richard Bartholomew, Jeff Danziger, Beth Epstein, presidential candidate who is truly theirs and Philpott in front of the undergraduate library. Dan Hubig, Pat Johnson, Kevin Kreneck, Michael Krone, not just another politician prostituting him- It had been more than four years since I had Carlos Lowry, Ben Sargent, Dan Thibodeau, Gail Woods, self to the wealthy and corporate class. last seen him, and I knew it was probably my Matt Wuerker. Our solution? We will remain Democrats last chance to say thanks. I walked over and Managing Publisher: Cliff Olofson only until something better comes along. introduced myself. He smiled and introduced Subscription. Manager: Stefan Wanstrom Fortunately for us and the rest of the U.S., me to his wife, who sat at his side. I tried Executive Assistant: Gail Woods that "something" is now beginning to take form hard to tell him what he had meant to me and Special Projects Director: Bill Simmons and is being manifested through several dif- Development Consultant: Frances Barton what he had done for me. I wanted to thank him ferent, but equally vital sectors of the pro- for all he had taught me, and for reinforcing SUBSCRIPTIONS: One year $27. two years $48. three years $69. Full-time gressive community: the National Organization my beliefs. He should have known that his was students $15 per year. Back issues $3 prepaid. Airmail, foreign, group, and bulk rates on request. Microfilm editions available from University Microfilms for Women, Ralph Nader, the National Rainbow the first outside voice I had ever heard talk- Intl.. 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor. MI 48106. Any current subscriber who finds the price a burden should say so at renewal time; no one need forgo read- Coalition, and at least 5,000 trade union activists ing about dealing everyone an equal hand. I ing the Observer simply because of the cost. across the U.S. under the auspices of Labor wanted him to know that he caused me to speak THE. TEXAS OBSERVER (ISSN 0040-4519/USPS 541300), entire con, Party Advocates. While these different sectors louder than ever of the convictions that we knew tents copyrighted, 1992, is published biweekly except for a three-week inter- val between issues in January and July (25 issues per year) by the Texas Observer have yet to unify and consolidate their efforts, to be right. But as I stood there, "Thanks" Publishing Co.. 307 West 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. Telephone: (512) events driven by the people's dismay with the was all I could muster. He must have known 477-0746. Second-class postage paid at Austin. Texas. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE TEXAS OBSERVER, 307 two-party system make such a consolidation what I wanted to say, for his eyes were as watery West 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. inevitable. as mine. A Member of the Association of So you see, it really doesn't matter to us what I'm sorry Professor Philpott is gone but with Alternative Newsweeldles party functionaries like Bob Slagle or Ron the same conviction he possessed I can assure Brown think. The majority of the people of the you he lives forever in many of his students. U.S. certainly don't care, as proven by the —Patrick Terry, Austin 2 • MARCH 13, 1992 EDITORIAL 1 -1T1111 TIXAS :0, oserver On Raising Hell MARCH 13 1992 in the Primaries VOLUME 84, No. 5 et's get this straight. Tom Harkin is tee- House will further solidify the conservative L./ tering on the brink of elimination from hold on the federal courts. They are desperate to elect a Democrat as president, and Bill Clinton the Democratic primary because he has swept FEATURES only one state primary and finished second in has seen his opportunities. But Texas Democrats another primary, while Bill Clinton is poised shOuld think long and hard before they place to capture the nomination because he has fin- their bets on the boy governor from Arkansas.