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Somebody’s mistaken again come clean and assume our moral responsibility and legal obligation to affirm the dignity and rights of all people. I would personally rather my own children attend a school under less favorable conditions which instills the basic values of my national heritage and religious tradition by their institutionalization, than to attend a school under more favorable conditions which contradictss those values in its very composition. If we can afford to make the necessary to defend the right of the South Vietnamese to self-government, then surely we can make the nominal kind of sacrifices necessary to insure the right of our own citizens to self-respect and to the constitutional guarantees of equal treatment under the law. Gary Frederick Mr. Frederick is minister of education for the University United Methodist Church in Austin. 24 The Texas Observer On page 12 of the April 23rd Observer, the following paragraph appeared, in an article about the Calley resolution passed by the Texas Senate: “Lt. Gov. Ben Barnes said he would have voted favorably for the resolution that the Senate adopted. Barnes was so quoted in the Fort Worth Star-Telegram and the Austin American the following morning.” Being concerned about the failure of our state political leaders to show any understanding or concern about basic principles of human decency and law, I wrote to the lieutenant governor recently to inquire if he had misunderstood the Senate’s resolution as was suggested by a letter published on page 15 of the June 4th Observer. He wrote back promptly and clarified his position beyond doubt. I quote you the second paragraph of his letter to me: “I did make a public statement about that resolution when asked by the press what my position was. I stated that if I had voted I would have voted against its passage.” I was, of course, extremely pleased to receive this clarification. Perhaps this shows us something about the quality of statehouse reporting we are receiving through the Austin American and the Fort Worth Star-Telegram? Kirk Patterson, Apt. B-13, 2358 N.W. Military, San Antonio, Tex. 78231. If the Austin and Fort Worth dailies were mistaken, so were other Texas newspapers. Henry Holcomb in the April 2 Houston Post wrote, “Barnes said he favors the resolution as passed. ‘To pick out one man and try him when many others are guilty is not the right approach to justice,’ Barnes said.’ ” If any other Observer readers have received correspondence from Mr. Barnes on this subject, or other controversial subjects, for that matter, we’d be interested in seeing it. Ed. Vulgar again Will you please discontinue this magazine as I don’t enjoy it. In the last issue the language was vulgar. Mrs. H. S. Cordray, 224 S. Montreal, Dallas, Tex. 75208. On no fault again In the June 4 Observer, a Houston lawyer wrote to cancel his subscription because Ronnie Dugger espoused “no fault” insurance, “an unholy, anti-social and iniquitous doctrine.” His only voiced complaint was that under no fault the drunken driver who smashes into innocent parties is paid for his damages too. IDialogue Since he feels so strongly about this inequity, I’m sure he will have the Texas Trial Lawyers introduce bills in the next legislative session to deal with the problem. Specifically, laws must be passed so that: Guilty parties to an auto accident cannot recover any sums under medical or hospitalization policies they may have purchased for themselves; Guilty parties to an auto accident cannot recover any sums under collision coverage they may have purchased; Guilty parties to an auto accident cannot recover any sums under life insurance policies they may have purchased, or lost earnings insurance, etc. And most importantly: Guilty parties to an auto accident may not purchase auto liability policies to shield themselves from responsibility for their evil doings under the law. On the other hand, if the Texas Trial Lawyers are really serious about righting the wrongs perpetrated against the little man, they might consider the troubles of the insured Texas auto driver today: first, he buys an auto liability policy and over 50% of his premium dollar goes to pay lawyers and costs incidental to litigation. Then, if he is the innocent victim in an auto accident, he will probably pay another set of lawyers 30% to 40% of his recovery in a serious accident to receive any compensation for his losses. I strongly suspect that the little man would rather receive prompt payment for his out-of-pocket losses and pay a lower insurance premium than wait months’ to recover 60% to 70% of his losses while paying more for his insurance coverage. I’m sure he’d be just as content to let the Trial Lawyers worry about who was at fault, on their own time and money. Carol Patterson, Apt. B-13, 2358 N.W. Military, San Antonio, Tex. 78231. For Betting Trivia: “Dump Gas” and “Constitutional Redistricting,” these things are so certain as to be not necessary of mention. Now here’s something to write about: If Texas will build and operate six race tracks with pari-mutuel betting, Texas can be a tax-free state, earning more than it needs from betting. So leave the dead alone and concentrate on the productive. Rus Purifay, 2909 E. University #3, Odessa, Tex. 79760.