Tennessee Williams in Houston THE TEXAS A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES server INS ltittlY/.11111111•• The Governor's Reservations in El Paso By Karen Olsson 0 THIS ISSUE FEATURE In Search of the ligua by Karen Olsson 8 Texas was never much interested in the welfare of the El Paso Indians, until they started to horn in on the state's gambling monopoly. Farewell to Barry G. by Nate Blakeslee 13 The memory of Barry Goldwater was not much in evidence at the Texas G.O.P. convention, and the R's may be guilty of rank ingratitude. DEPARTMENTS BOOKS AND THE CULTURE Dialogue 2 Truth to the Point 25 VOLUME 90, NO. 13 Poetry by Sue Dwyer & Editorial A JOURNAL OF FREE VOICES The Death Penalty on Trial 4 Lois Marie Harrod 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 by Louis Dubose lennessee in Houston 26 dedicated to the whole truth, to human values above all interests, to the rights of human-kind as the foundation Dateline Texas Theatre Review by Michael King of democracy: we will take orders from none but our own conscience, and never will we overlook or misrep- One Night in Jasper 5 Stealing Home 28 resent the truth to serve the interests of the powerful or cater to the ignoble in the human spirit. by Susan Lee Solar Book Review by Lisa Tozzi Writers are responsible for their own work, but not for anything they have not themselves written, and in Political Intelligence 16 Afterword 30 publishing them we do not necessarily imply that we American the Beautiful agree with them, because this is a journal of free voices. Las Americas 18 by Michael Erard SINCE 1954 Bank-robbing Bankers Founding Editor: Ronnie Dugger by John Ross Back Page 32 Publisher: Geoff Rips James Galbraith 20 An Epistle from the Southern Editors: Louis Dubose, Michael King Baptist Convention Assistant Editor: Mimi Bardagjy Global Warning Associate Editor: Karen Olsson Jim Hightower 21 Cover art by Valerie Fowler Poetry Editor: Naomi Shihab Nye Production: Harrison Saunders Travel Scams, Merger Scams Business Manager: Jeff Mandell & Scanning Scams Staff Writer: Nate Blakeslee Molly Ivins 22 Development Director: Nancy Williams Editorial Intern: Justin Burchard Tobacco's Death Ride & G.O.P. Pranks Contributing Writers: Bill Adler, Barbara Belejack, Robert Bryce, Brett Campbell, Lars Eighner, James K. Galbraith, Dagoberto Gilb, James Harrington, Jim High- tower, Molly Ivins, Paul Jennings, Steven G. Kellman, DIALOGUE / Jeff Mandell, Bryce Milligan, Char Miller, Debbie Nathan, John Ross, Brad Tyer. HARD CHOICE any circumstances, to provide institutional Staff Photographer: Alan Pogue The Observer is at the height of its glory. suicide. For those prisoners who are truly Contributing Photographers: Vic Hinterlang, Patricia Moore. About "A Long Journey" by Michael incorrigible, effective and humane prison Contributing Artists: Eric Avery, Tom Ballenger, King (June 5): I face a dilemma about the reform is the only permanent solution. Richard Bartholomew, Jeff Danziger, Beth Epstein, Valerie Fowler, Kevin Kreneck, Michael Krone, Ben death penalty. A life in prison is more hor- Sargent, Gail Woods. rible than death. Would Michael. King live NOT DISPOSABLE Editorial Advisory Board: David Anderson, Austin; Thanks to Karen Olsson and the Observer Elroy Bode, El Paso; Chandler Davidson, Houston; with the idea that if the defendant re- Dave Denison, Arlington, Mass.; Bob Eckhardt, Austin; quested death it could be given? • for the report on I.B.P. ("Chain of Casual- Sissy Farenthold, Houston; John Kenneth Galbraith, ties," May 22). The future of Texas scares Cambridge, Mass.; Lawrence Goodwyn, Durham, N.C.; Otto B. Mullinax Molly Ivins, Austin; Larry L. King, Washington, D.C.; Dallas me. Who will end up taking care of these Maury Maverick, Jr., San Antonio; Willie Morris, Jack- disabled people? Will it be the taxpayers? son, Miss.; Kaye Northcott, Fort Worth; James Presley, Texarkana; Susan Reid, Austin; A.R. (Babe) Schwartz, Michael King replies: Frank Apple thinks nothing of two young Galveston; Fred Schmidt, Fredericksburg. That is high praise indeed, and we shall try men losing their right hands.. should In Memoriam: Cliff Olofson, 1931-1995 THE TEXAS OBSERVER (ISSN 0040-4519/USPS 541300), entire contents to live up to it. copyrighted. 1998, is published biweekly except for a four-week interval between issues in January and July (24 issues per year) by the Texas Democracy ,I share with Otto Mullinax strong mis- KUDOS Foundation, a 501(c)3 non-profit corporation. 307 West 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. Telephone: (512) 477-0746. E-mail: observerigtexasobsirver.ot givings about life sentences,. since "life The Texas Observer has been named a • World Wide Web DownHome page: http://texasobserver.org . Periodicals Postage Paid at Austin, Texas. without parole" is all too easily prescribed - winner of the 1998 Synergy Awards SUBS: One year $32, two years $59, three years $84. Full-time students $18 per year; add $13/year for foreign subs. Back issues $3 prepaid. Airmail, for: as a way of sidestepping death sentences. • for Environmental Excellence. The eign, group, and bulk rates on request. Microfilm available from University Microfilms Intl., 300 N. Zeeb Road, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. without otherwise addressing the heavy in Observer was cited for outstanding INDEXES: The Texas Observer is indexed in Access: The Supplementary equities of the current criminal justice sys-; . Index to Periodicals; Texas Index and, for the years 1954 through 1981. coverage of environmental issues, par- The Texas Observer Index. • tem. But very few prisoners actually fac- POSTMASTER: Send address changes to THE TEXAS OBSERVER, tiCularly about air quality. The awards 307 West 7th Street, Austin, Texas 78701. ing death would agree that life,,even in a • are sponsored by the Citizens Environ- Texas prison, is more horrible; and.the mental Coalition, based in Houston. state has neither right nor authority; under 2 ■ THE TEXAS OBSERVER JULY 3, 1998 lrl WE'RE ON VACATION! The Observer staff is taking its annual summer break, hoping to re-connect with family, friends, fishing, cooler cli- Chat 8t Chew With mates, and maybe even cleaner air. The Austin office will be closed July 1-15. Our next issue — Summer Books Jim Hightower 1998! — will be dated July 31. Purchase or renew a subscription to the Texas Observer be ashamed of themselves allowing Terry and you could win lunch with Jim Hightower, legendary wit, Zimmerman to hound victims right after raconteur, progressive philosopher, and the first an accident for, a signature on that [liabil- radio talk show host fired by Mickey Mouse! ity] waiver. I don't believe anyone should sign their rights away in order to get a job, The winner gets round-trip airfare to Austin and lunch at either. This should all be against the law. I Threadgill's World Headquarters with Jim Hightower, receives feel I.B.P. in Amarillo, Texas has a very a signed copy of his most recent book, There:9 weak union for allowing all of this to go on. People are not disposable, or have dis- Nothing in the Middle of the Road But Yellow posable parts. Stripes and Dead Armadillos, and gets to Our state representatives are allowing watch the live broadcast of Hightower's this in Texas. It looks like to me our repre- nationally syndicated radio show. sentatives are looking out for the big busi- nesses and forgetting about the people So subscribe today! You'll also save who make these big businesses BIG! 56% off the cover price. Su Klumpe Greeley, Colorado ❑ I want to subscribe to the Texas Observer. STAND CORRECTED Name The reviewer's notation, "Succeeding Address Dobie, Graham has spent..." in the May 22 City/State/Zip Observer article on Don Graham's Giant Country could be misleading ("Between 11] 1 year: $24 ❑ 2 years: $48 ❑ 3 years $72 Mythology and Experience," by Michael New Subscription Renewal King). Mody Boatright was the first after ❑ ❑ Dobie to teach "Life and Literature of the Southwest." An instructor in English in• To be eligible, subscriptions must be received and paid in full by August 15, 1998. The Observer will the 1940s, I took the course under Profes- provide round-trip airfare for one person, from any Texas airport served by Southwest Airlines; hotel accommodations will not be provided: Valid only for full-priced subscriptions (student-rate subscriptions sor Boatright, and subsequently graded excluded). One entry per one-year subscription; two entries per two-year subscription; three entries per papers his students wrote for it. • • three-year subscription; in the case of gift subscriptions, the recipient will be entered in the drawing Carl Wright unless .the payor, in writing, requests otherwise. Please address all questions to the Texas Observer, •Lockhart .307 W. 7th Street, Austin, TX 78701; (512) 477-0746; [email protected] . MARVELOUSLY WILD, • Y' all are a much-needed voice in these tently disappointed in the fact that it. • nal and, indeed, Texas itself, as something wild times. shunned the arts-and culture as a whole, worth any consistent serious attention. So, Keep it up.. • • dealing. almost exclusively with Texas, it-was years before I picked it up again, DR. Marvel while hoeing a hardball political line only, only to see this issue, which was a delight. Via Internet at times shying away, from truly. sensitive Poetry edited by Naomi Nye, an essay on issues: The' Observer was often useful, • the old gringo, Zapatistas, Books and the DULL AS TEXAS?, but, like Texas, dull. Though the journal • Culture, right along with sensitive state is- Thanks for your fine issue of March 27..I• continued to do good things, its narrow.