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Photo by Phil VinsOn The Social Cause Calendar under Strake: laziness, hostility towards state ethics laws, and “just straight partisanship.” “Time after time, the secretary of state’s personnel created loopholes in ethics laws which simply were not there when you read the law,” Marston says. For example, H.B. 1903, the 1981 amendments to campaign reporting and disclosure laws, required that political action committees reveal the names of their contributors. “Without any authorization in the law, the secretary of state’s office issued a memo stating that all current PACs would be exempt from that requirement that they would be grandfathered. After Common Cause yelled and screamed about that, the secretary of state backed down and reversed the ruling,” Marston says. Laws like H.B. 1903 cannot go into effect, of course, until the U.S. Justice Department has looked them over to make sure that they do not adversely affect the Voting Rights Act. It is the sec retary of state’s responsibility to send all such legislation to the federal government for review. H.B. 1903 was approved by both the House and Senate in May, 1981, and signed by Gov. Clements on June 18. It was scheduled to take effect on Sept. 1. However, it was not mailed to the Justice Department until Aug. 20, 1981. Strake noted in his letter to the federal attorneys that expedited consideration would be helpful, “inasmuch as this Act is to take effect prior to the expiration of the 60-day period allowed by law for Justice Department review.” He did not note that it took a complaint from Common Cause to get the submission in the mail at all. A third clash between Common Cause and Strake employees occurred when one of Strake’s deputies ruled that Texans for a Conservative Congress did not have to file as a lobby group. Even though the conservatives were raising money to finance lobbying, Jim Ciciconi, than an attorney for the office, ruled that the group did not need to register because it was soliciting other persons to do the lobbying, rather than doing direct lobbying. Oscar Mauzy labeled Texans for a Conservative Congress as “a front group for the Republican party,” and Marston claims that the group actually was lobbying legislators. After Mauzy and Common Cause threatened to file suit, the group did write a letter revealing names of contributors, Marston said. However, the letter is not on file with the clerk who handles lobby registration in the secretary of state’s office and she denied any knowledge of the letter when asked. Another questionable ruling, discovered by Dallas Times Herald reporter Virginia Ellis, allowed Ross Perot’s War on Drugs to make gifts to legislators without reporting them. According to Richard Salwen, lobbyist for the group, the $100 Steuben glass eagles given to friends of the anti-drug crusade were “rewards,” not gifts. As such, the secre Notices on upcoming events must reach the Observer at least three weeks in advance. LULAC FESTIVITIES LULAC Week will be celebrated throughout the nation on Feb. 14-20 with various councils holding different functions. Contact the Corpus Christi office, 512-882-8284. LIBERTARIAN FORUM The Travis County Libertarian Alliance will sponsor a community forum on war taxes and the military budget on Feb. 18, 1712 S. Congress, Austin, 7 p.m. DEBATE ON RELIGION AND POLITICS John Duncan, Exec. Dir. of the Texas Civil Liberties Union, and Cal Thomas, V-Pres. and national spokesperson for the Moral Majority, will debate on the separation of church and state on Feb. 18, Texas Tech University Center Theatre, Lubbock, 8:15 p.m. The debate is sponsored by the Ideas and Issues Committee of the Univ. Center Program. TRIBUTE TO BLACK WOMEN ARTISTS The Black Arts Alliance and Women and Their Work are co-sponsoring a Tribute to Black Women Artists, a multi-arts performance, on Feb. 21, Paramount Theater, Austin, 6 p.m., $5 admission. WATER PROTECTION SEMINAR A short course on water law, sponsored by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and Colorado State University, will be held Feb. 25-26 in Dallas. The course will cover the basic principles involved in the regulation and management of surface waters; call Helen White at 303-491-6222 for more information. UNITED FARM WORKERS CONVENTION The Texas convention of the United Farm Workers, AFL-CIO, will be held Feb. 28 at SPJA High School in San Juan. Call 512-787-2233 for more information. PEACE CONFERENCE An ecumenical conference, entitled “Pax: Our Choice,” focusing on public policies and moral choices related to nuclear arms, will be held March 7-9 at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 508 N. Center, San Antonio. Speakers include Rev. William Sloane Coffin, Riverside Church, New York; Bishop Leroy T. Matthiesen, Amarillo; Dr. Robert J. Lifton, Yale Medical School; Dr. Lloyd Dumas, UT Dallas; Bishop Ernest Dixon, United Methodist Church, San Antonio; Rabbi Samuel Stahl, San Antonio; Rev. Bill Lyttle, San Antonio. Registration fee is $5; contact Dr. Bill Harris, 512-432-7875. Progressive Organizations The Observer has built up lists of the political organizations we regard as progressive, their meeting evenings where that is applicable, and a phone number for each, in Texas cities. The editor invites communications recommending qrganizations for inclusion, by city. AUSTIN ACORN, 8 nghbrhood groups, 442-8321; Amn. Friends Service Cmte., 474-2399; Amnesty Intl., Group 107, Cindy Torrance, Bx. 4951, Aus. 78765; Anti-Hunger Coalition of Tx. Austinites for Public Transportation, 3rd Tue., 441-2651; Aus. Lambda, every Mon., 478-8653; Lesbian-Gay Pol. Caucus, 4th Tue., & LesbianGay Demos. of Tx., 478-8653; Aus. Nghbrhood, Ccl., 4th Wed., 442-8411; Aus. Nghbrhood Fund, 3rd Mon., 451-2347; Aus. Tenants’ Ccl., 474-1%1; Aus. Women’s Political Caucus, 1st & 3rd Tues., 472-3606; Black Aus. Demos., 478-6576; Brotherhood of Viet. Vets., every Sun., 443-4830; Central Aus. Demos., 3rd Wed., 477-6487; Central Tx. ACLU, 477-4335; Central Tx. Lignite Watch, Travis Co., 479-0678; Citizens’ Coalition for an Economical Energy Policy, 474-4738; Cmte. in Solidarity with the People of El Salvador 477-4728; Demo. Socialist Organizing Cmte., 2nd Wed., 453-2556; Ecology Action, 478-1645; El Centro Chicano, 477-7769 or 476-3747; Grandparents for Nuclear Disarmament Action, 453-1727; Gray Panthers, 4th Thu., 345-1869; IM-PACT, 472-3903; LULAC, 2nd Wed ., 451-3219; Max’s Pot 4786; Mxn.-Amn. Demos., 1st Mon., 444-7688 or 472-9211; New Amn. Movement, every other Sun., 454-2888 or 478-2096; NOW, 2nd & last Wed., 472-3775; 14 FEBRUARY 12, 1982