ustxtxb_obs_1969_08_15_50_00012-00000_000.pdf

THE TEXAS OBSERVER BOOKSTORE 504 WEST 24TH, AUSTIN, TEXAS 78705 The Texas Observer offers a book-ordering service through which members will be entitled to purchase ANY hardbound book published in the U.S.* at a 200 discount. Books will be mailed postpaid. A 1-year membership is $5.00. If purchases during the 12 months do not result in a saving of at least $5.00 over the list price of the books, your membership will be extended until you do realize such a saving. For readers who are not interested in participating in the discount plan the Observer will gladly accept, at the list price, orders for any hard-bound book published in the U.S.* Such orders also will be filled post-free. Many of the books which might be of particular interest to Observer readers are available at the Observer office. A partial list of books in stock appears below. Other books will be ordered by the Observer and you will receive them directly from the publisher. Some Suggested Titles List Mem. Price Price List Mem. Price Price THE TRAGEDY OF LYNDON JOHNSON Eric F. Goldman $ 8.95 THE AGONY OF THE AlkieRICAN’ Christopher Lasch THE UNFINISHED ODYSSEY OF ROBERT KENNEDY David Halberstam $ 4.95 900 DAYS: THE SIEGE OF LENINGRAD Harrison Salisbury .. $10.00 $ 8.00 POLICE POWER Paul Chevigny $ 6.95 $ 5.56 OK AND LW Tam Wicker TOWARD A DEMOCRATIC LEFT Michael Harrington $ 5.95 $ 4.76 IN OUR TIME Paul Douglas $ 4.95 $ 3.96 THE NEW INDUSTRIAL STATE John K. Galbraith $ 6.95 $ 5.56 `BLACK RAGE W. H. Grier & P. M. Cobbs FAREWELL TO TEXAS $ 5.95 $ 4.76 William 0. Douglas $ 6.95 $ 5.56 $ 4.50 $ 3.60 7PIACkSz. . roY 130de. . , $ 5. GOTHIC POLITICS IN THE DEEP SOUTH Robert Sherrill $ 6.95 $ 5.56 4k\\ HUNDRED YARD .’INA Na; Gary’ . Cartwright . , NORTH TOWARD HOME Willie Morris $ 5.95 $ 4.76 Ytiei klii\it*iiitiO*1*.g,AVRt; $ 8.50 $ SSD DARK STAR: HIROSHIMA RECONSIDERED IN THE LIFE OF CLAUDE EATHERLY Ronnie Dugger $ 5.95 $ 4.76 THE ONEEYED MAN Larry L. King IN A NARROW GRAVE: ESSAYS ON TEXAS Larry McMurtry $ 7.50 $ 6.00 AND OTHER DIRTY STORIES $ 716King $ 5.40 440: rry L BLESSED MCGILL Edwin Shrake $ 5.00 $ COO THE TEXANS: WHAT THEY ARE-AND WHY David Nevin $ 5.95 $ 4.76 85 DAYS: THE LAST CAMPAIGN OF ROBERT KENNEDY Jules Witcover $ 5_95 $ 4.76 THE BEST OF BRANN: THE ICONOCLAST $ 6.95 $ 5.56 TALES FROM THE BIG THICKET $ 6.75 $ 5A0 THE GREAT FRONTIER Walter Prescott Webb $ 6.00 $ 4.80 ADVENTURES WITH A TEXAS NATURALIST Roy Bedichek $ 4.50 $ 3.60 THE LITHOGRAPHS OF TI4 ,,,,..rip.opkopeimpliow.040p pp.-wra,roomovailiiic Oreantaii.:.AURNIA4agtotso ,…..11,041.., ri..0.4;F aivalvx On the Question of Obscenity Austin The question of what constitutes ob scenity is raised frequently these days. And now it has been brought up in connection with “prestige” license plates. The state 12 The Texas Observer issues such plates to drivers who are willing to pay extra so they can get their choice of instead of taking whatever is issued them by their county tax collector. Mrs. David Cohen of Austin recently wrote Gov. Preston Smith in protest of a set of personalized plates she had noticed: “THE JEW.” She found the plates potentially a religious slur. Her letter was forwarded to the Highway Dept., whose R. W. Townsley, director of the motor vehicle division, replied to Mrs. Cohen. The personalized plates were authorized a few years back by the Legislature as a means of raising additional money. The Highway Cmsn., Townsley advises, passed a regulation providing for issuance of the plates; one section of the regulation bans “obscene or objectionable words or initials.” Townsley goes on: “The question as to whether or not a license Rlate bearing the words ‘THE JEW’ is objectionable is, of couise, debatable. You have taken the position that this plate is objectionable because it is derogatory to a minority religious group. . . . With reference to the license plate ‘THE JEW,’ our examiner informs us that the applicant came into our office to apply for this plate stating that all his friends know him mostly by his nickname ‘THE JEW.’ It was under these conditions that our examiner could find nothing objectionable to the applicant’s request,” Townsley writes. “If we should recall this particular personalized plate and refuse to renew the plate for the vehicle owner for next year, it would seem that we would also be faced with a decision as to whether or not to refuse many other license plate combinations such as the following: ‘MRS. JEW \(Mrs. Jeanne JEW \(John E. HEY-JEW, GERMAN, KRAUT, GREEK, MESKIN, TEX MEX, SWEDE-1, A SWEDE, DUTCH, FRENCH, WOP, DAGO, LATIN, INDIAN, RED MAN, BOHUNK, CAJUN, KAJUN, CZECH, POLAK. “We have,” Townsley goes on, “been extremely careful to avoid the issuance of license plates bearing obscene words. We have, also, refused to approve a number of applications bearing words and combinations of letters that appear on their face to be objectionable; however, in view of the many other prestige license plates that might fall into the same category, we do not believe that we should recall and refuse to reissue the license plate in question. We hope that you can appreciate our position in this matter.” G.O. EL CHICO, Jr. Burnet Road & Hancock Dr., Austin Beer patio under the stars Fast service & carry-out Delicious Mexican food Dinners $1.15 to $1.45 An operation of R & I INVESTMENT CO. Austin, Texas Alan Reed, PreSident G. Brockett Irwin, Vice President