Dialogue

BERMAN NOT RACIST

I read your article concerning my confrontation with Harry Joe (“Bad Bills,” March 6). Obviously, he had a racist chip on his shoulder. When I said, “go home,” I meant to Dallas, where he practices law aiding and abetting illegal aliens. How in the world would I know he was from China? I may be a lot of things, but a racist I am not and will never be. By the way, Mr. Joe never did apologize to me. If he did, it is in my nature to always return an apology.

Rep. Leo Bermanvia e-mail

ON SHAKY GROUND

Forrest Wilder’s thoroughly enjoyable “Waste Texas” article (March 6) gives the distinct impression that it was “good ol’ boys” who chose the dump site, not geologists.

Remember the state’s failed attempt to put a low-level radioactive waste dump on an active fault near Sierra Blanca? Waste Control’s site is much worse. Not only is the Mescalero Fault deep, major, and active, but neither it nor the underground river that migrates south along the foot of its escarpment was ever mentioned in the company’s pseudoscientific “studies.”

Building an atomic waste dump over three Texas aquifers, in a recharge zone, on a major earthquake fault, can only be happening with the help of corruption and government collusion. It makes me wonder where all of our USGS geologists are hiding.

Y’all keep up with your good work.

Bob SchroederAustin

DROWNING UTMB

The root of the problem is described in the article (“Storm Over UTMB,” March 20): “UTMB was reeling from steep budget cuts made by the Texas Legislature in 2003.” The majority in the Legislature is opposed to spending money to help the less fortunate, probably because most of the less fortunate are “different” in color or in language. In a word: bigotry. We (as represented by our state government) would rather let people die than help them. How proud can we be of that?

Lee Sterne Posted at www.texasobserver.org

AGE OF INTENT

Your poor author obviously does not understand that sexual “crimes” cannot be excused by lack of knowledge as to age (“The Thin Blue Lie,” March 20). If you did “it” (whatever “it” is) with an underage girl, you’re just toast, the end. The problem is that the statutes criminalize noncriminal behavior by negating any requirement as to intent.

David R. LeePosted at www.texasobserver.org

IT’S BIG AND LARGE

As a very old Texan, there was not much here I didn’t know (“25 Random Things About Texas,” March 20), but I have one small correction. When I learned “Texas, Our Texas” in the 1930s, it was “largest and grandest,” not “biggest and grandest.” But maybe that was just the Gilmer public school version.

Sarah Greene Posted at www.texasobserver.org