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hasn’t anyone warned us before that this was going on? Maria Gonzalez, 1505 Kane, Houston, Tex. 77007. A recipe While reading the review of The Chemical FeastII in your Nov. 27 issue, I was reminded of an article written several decades ago by !I: try Miller called The Staff of Life. The following is a quote of the last two paragraphs. “I have now found that the only .way to eat our most unwholesome, impalatable, and unappetizing American bread, the staff of our unsavory and monotonous life, is to adopt the following procedure. This is a recipe, so please follow instructions to the letter. “To begin with, accept any loaf that is offered you without question, even if it is not wrapped in cellophane, even if it contains no kelp. Throw it in the back of the car with the oil can and the grease rags; if possible, bury it under a sack of coal, bituminous coal. As you clink up the road to your home, drop it in the mud a few times and dig your heels into it. If you have a dog with you let him pee on it now and then. When you get to the house, and after you have prepared the other dishes, take a huge carving knife and rip the loaf from stem to stern. Then take one whole onion, peeled or unpeeled, one carrot, one stalk of celery, one huge piece of garlic, one sliced apple, a herring, a handful of anchovies, a sprig of parsley, and an old toothbrush and shove them into the disemboweled guts of the bread. Over these pour first a thimbleful of Kerosene, a dash of Lavoris, and just a wee bit of Clorox; then sprinkle guts liberally with the following molasses, honey, orange marmalade, vanilla, soy bean sauce, tabasco 16 The Texas Observer sauce, ketchup, and arnica. Over this add a layer of chopped nuts, assorted nuts, of marjoram, and a stick of licorice cut into fine pieces. “Put the loaf in the oven for ten minutes and serve. If it A still lacking in taste whip up a chili con came piping hot and mix bread with it until it becomes a thick gruel. If this fails … throw it to the dog. But under no circumstances feed it to the birds. The birds of North America are already on the decline. .. .” F. Miller Feast hard to find Regarding The Chemical Feast, let me add the information that there seems to be no chance to pick this book up in book stores. It is simply not being pushed in either hard cover or paperback. The only reliable way to get it is to order it directly from the publishers. A. Wharton, c/o Hooker, 201 Jim Hogg -St., West ColuMbia, Tex. Against dirty words I am among those of your subscribers who are glad that you are planning to do something about editing the four letter words. While, out of experience in the grand jury room and courtroom and in ministerial counseling, I have learned the importance of being shockproof, I still prefer the writer who works with the fine scapel of a brilliant mind rather than with a shovel. Edmund Heinshon, 2207 Bonita, Austin, Tex. 78703. Editor concurs I think your editorial/essay/statement of policy “On ‘dirty’ words” in the current issue of the Observer was a mighty level-headed assessment of an issue that more often brings highly-charged emotionalism from one extreme or the other. My own feeling about such alleged obscenities of language, I suppose, is that these words and phrases are simply not the most effective tools for communication, particularly for communicating with a general audience. .. . But like you I am far less concerned with obscenities of language than with obscenities of fact . . . such as the war in Vietnam, and racism, and political cynicism in high places … and I am not piously concerned with protecting my children from seeing obscene language in the public print \(all six of them are products of the Texas public school system, and I assume that they are all thoroughly conversant with Anglo-Saxon Still I think that all of us who try to write persuasively in the hope of reaching minds in opposition to ours \(if we write only for those already in agreement with would be well advised to avoid phrases likely to antagonize the opposition for the wrong reasons. This has nothing to do with freedom of expression . . . it’s simply a pragmatic approach to a problem of communication. Ben R. Ezzell, editor, The Canadian Record, Canadian, Tex. 79014. The silver lining I took out an hour to read the T.O. in the midst of grading freshman English themes. Back at the job, I find myself less than exuberant about my task. What can be the matter? I wrote a check \(small but Armstrong; I had vicarious enjoyable anticipations of all the marvelous cultural events coming to everywhere but Lubbock; all this, yet I am moody and depressed. The news for us radiclibs is reaching a new low. So I find I have to count my blessings 1.Caesar Chavez may come to Texas. 2.There is hope for booze by the drink. 3.There is a book about Maury Maverick coming out. 4.T.O. sells books cheaper. 5.Miss America is not my children’s \\ Sunday School teacher. 6.I don’t eat much bread. 7.I have enough wit and humour left tC be amused at a given name like St. John. 8.My son has not been totally corrupted by Little League. True, my list is rather thin, but maybe some other things will come to mind between now and the next issue. Carol Walker, 4802 46th St., Lubbock, Tex. 79414. Where’s A.C.L.U. What ever happened to the American Civil Liberties Union Chapter in Houston? The police openly censor films and harass motion picture patrons, and prisoners are beaten daily in and out of Houston jails by police officers. The mayor’s office is not interested, the theater owners appear to have exhausted legal funds and means \(the Houston police only threaten smaller for the movie patrons or those unfortunates who happen to come in contact with Houston’s police. Is there still an American Civil Liberties Union? Are they too afraid of police oppression in Houston? Ron Jarvis, 1901 Whitney, No. 7, Houston, Tex. 77006.