THE PALESTINE QUESTION Pgs. 19, 20 A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES OCTOBER 28, 1988 • $L50 Michael Dukakis For President How Much Difference Will a Democratic Administration Make? Let Us Count the Ways (Page 3) PLUS The Observer's Endorsements in Judicial, Senate and House Races *** BILL ALBRECHT -,..•- FOE . — •,' -;.:,, _. _. tii,■?.—.. -T..i VI" - - 44:10, DIALOGUE —41 u e t.• i911- '1j 1-7111 - Remembering according to the unabridged 2nd edition of , THE TEXAS Fr dib Mrs. Rosengren Webster's New Twentieth Century Dictionary of the English Language (1959). 1 411 server Thank you and Geoffrey Rips for the tribute Of more importance is the fact that a gross to Florence Rosengren (TO, 9/16/88). The injustice, to put it mildly, is being done to A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES world may never be the way Rosengren's a relatively defenseless people, the We will serve no group or party but will hew hard to Bookstore was, but the existence of such Palestinians, with the financial backing the truth as we find it and the right as we see it. We a place "radiating understanding, order, and coming from each U.S. taxpayer. (I are dedicated to the whole truth, to human values above all interests, to the rights of humankind as the ferment all at the same time" was one of volunteered for the Army in World War II, foundation of democracy; we will take orders from the signs of hope that the world might serving in North Africa and Europe, because none but our own conscience, and never will we over- become so. I opposed atrocities imposed on the Jews look or misrepresent the truth to serve the interests of Milton S. Jordan by Hitler.) the powerful or cater to the ignoble in the human spirit. Writers are responsible for their own work, but not Jefferson William V. Kelly for anything they have not themselves written, and in Austin publishing them we do not necessarily imply that we Cool Toward agree with them because this is a journal of free voices. China Laughed Off SINCE 1954 the Earth I was a happy, unthinking liberal until I read Publisher: Ronnie Dugger Editor: Dave Denison Tom McClellan's piece, "Liberalism: Let's I am amazed that a reader of the Observer Associate Editor: Louis Dubose Get Over It" (TO, 9/30/88). Now I see that (letter, David Dow, Houston, 30 September Editorial Intern: Gregg Watkins I have been shallow, elitist, ineffectual, and, 1988) would be so naive as to cite Joan Calendar: Elisa Lyles worst of all, racist. I don't want to be these Peters's From Time Immemorial on any Washington Correspondent: Richard Ryan Contributing Writers: Bill Adler, Betty Brink, things, but what can I do? Where can I go? question pertaining to Israel. Doesn't he Warren Burnett, Jo Clifton, John Henry Faulk, Tom has destroyed my illusions, broken know that the book has been laughed off Terry FitzPatrick, Gregg Franzwa, Bill Helmer, through my shell, and now doesn't he have the face of the scholarly earth by everyone, James Harrington, Amy Johnson, Michael King, a responsibility to put me back together? including the Jewish scholars in Israel who Mary Lenz, Dana Loy, Tom McClellan, Greg Moses, Rick Piltz, Gary Pomerantz, John He seems to be suggesting that I go to China have reviewed it? We may safely say that Schwartz, Michael Ventura, Lawrence Walsh or get a cat that catches mice. I don't want any person who cites such a tome is quite Editorial Advisory Board: Frances Barton, to do either of those things. Please advise. uninformed on the subject and his opinions Austin; Elroy Bode, Kerrville; Chandler Walter Ligon do not merit serious consideration. Davidson, Houston; Bob Eckhardt, Washington, D.C.; Sissy Farenthold, Houston; Ruperto Garcia, Kingsland To paraphrase the unfortunate Dow, isn't Austin; John Kenneth Galbraith, Cambridge, it the editor's job to keep people from Mass.; Lawrence Goodwyn, Durham, N.C.; Not So Blind embarrassing themselves in your columns? George Hendrick, Urbana, Ill.; Molly Ivins, Dennis K. McDaniel Austin; Larry L. King, Washington, D.C.; Maury Maverick, Jr., San Antonio; Willie Morris, Would you please tell the angry Tom Washington, D. C. Oxford, Miss.; Kaye Northcott, Austin; James McClellan that "liberals," as I understand Presley, Texarkana; Susan Reid, Austin; Geoffrey them, are not so blind to racial equality as Israel's Rips, Austin; A.R. (Babe) Schwartz, Galveston; he implies; furthermore, a liberal opposes Fred Schmidt, Fredericksburg; Robert Sherrill, Moral Blotch Tallahassee, Fla. Contra-aid, excesses associated to so-called defense, destruction of our environment, a My fellow TO fans obviously include many Layout and Design: Layne Jackson right of choice for pregnant women, the who are passionately ready to speak up for Typesetter: Becky Willard Contributing Photographers: Vic Hinterlang, Bill necessity of First Amendment defense, and Israel. I urge them to recognize that support Leissner, Alan Pogue. vigilance in the search for truth and justice. for Israel does not require concealing Contributing Artists: Eric Avery, Tom Ballenger, Helen R. Cleaves unsavory parts of Israeli history nor should Richard Bartholomew, Jeff Danziger, Beth Houston it inhibit criticism of the brutal policies of Epstein, Dan Hubig, Pat Johnson, Kevin Kreneck, Carlos Lowry, Ben Sargent, Dan Thibodeau, Gail the present Government. Woods. Semites and The passage of 40 years and the growth of the Israeli and Palestinian populations has Managing Publisher: Cliff Olofson Semitism (cont'd) Subscription Manager: Stefan Wanstrom made it very unlikely that there will be any Publishing Assistant: Joe Espinosa Jr. Regarding the response (TO, 9/30/88) to my substantial Palestinian repatriation, but the Development Consultant: Frances Barton letter (TO, 9/2/88) on racism and anti- moral blotch remains. Civilians who flee THE TEXAS OBSERVER (ISSN 0040-4519) is published biweekly except Semitism, I'd like to remark, without going areas of fighting are entitled by world law for a three-week interval between issues in January and July (25 issues per and common decency, now specifically by year). Copyright 1988 © by the Texas Observer Publishing Co., 307 West any further, that the word Semite refers to 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. Telephone: (512) 477-0746. Second class "a member of any of the peoples whose the Geneva Convention, to return to their postage paid at Austin. Texas. language is Semitic, including Hebrews, homes. POSTMASTER: Send form 3579 to P.O. Box 49019, Austin. Texas 78765 • Arabs, Assyrians, Phoenicians, The excuse that refugees were not entitled SUBSCRIPTIONS; One year $27, two years S48, three years S69. Full- Babylonians, etc.; not, specifically, a Jew," to return because they fled in response to time students S15 per year. Back issues $3 prepaid. Airmail, foreign, group, broadcast instructions from Arab countries and bulk rates on request. Microfilm editions available from University Microfilms Intl., 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Any current really doesn't wash. Not only is that not subscriber who finds the price a burden should say so at renewal time; no Write "Dialogue" one need forgo reading the Observer simply because of the cost. Address enough reason to steal refugees' homes, but all correspondence to: The Texas Observer, 307 West 7th Street, Austin. The Texas Observer there were no such general broadcasts. The Texas 78701. 307 W. 7th St. BBC was recording all Arab broadcasts at ,..„... Austin, TX 78701 the time as part of its political monitoring Continued on Page 20 2 • OCTOBER 28, 1988 EDITORIALS ,05.4ETE...server OCTOBER 28, 1988 Dukakis for President VOLUME 80, No. 21 FEATURES ROBABLY THE MOST costly mis- tactics with great success on behalf of Statewide P take Michael Dukakis has made in his Richard Nixon's election and reelection. quest for the White House was to assume Lloyd Bentsen used the approach to knock Endorsements from the beginning that the Presidential Senator Ralph Yarborough out of the By the Editors 4 campaign would be governed by standards Democratic primary in 1970. Dukakis Bush and the New Right of civil and rational discourse. Instead the himself had been the target of a negative By James Ridgeway 12 thing turned into one great exercise in campaign after his first term as governor. bamboozlement, with George Bush leading He lost that race for reelection and is said Ghost Story (Fiction) every step of the way. to have learned a valuable lesson about By Debbie Nathan 16 Who could have imagined that a race politics: he would not again allow himself between Dukakis, an experienced governor, to be vulnerable to lowball attacks. DEPARTMENTS and Bush, a man who touts his long record But Dukakis and his strategists were Editorial 3 of government service, would have as its caught off guard by the sheer stupidity of first major issue a candidate's allegiance to the Presidential race after the Republican Journal 14 the flag? In the 1950s, in a culture obsessed convention. It was if they really expected with loyalty, yes. But this is 1988. We are that Dukakis could pronounce himself non- Political Intelligence 15 supposed to have grown out of McCarthy- ideological at the Democratic convention ism. and then spend the rest of the campaign Books and the Culture Bush pushed the flag issue to the limit holding policy discussions. Before he knew Hungry Voices, and then turned to guns and crime. Lee it, Bush and Co. had exploited the wariness Desperate Lives Atwater, Bush's campaign director, is an that many people around the country have By Louis Dubose 18 old hand at exploiting the gun control issue: about Massachusetts Democrats. Dukakis The Irony of Palestine he used it against Bush in 1980 when had been pegged.