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weeks of prohibited involvement in pline procedures which he said “gave [students] more protection than they deserve, and less to the teacher.” Both Hinojosa and Moreno justified their not-uncritical support for House Bill 72. “Few of us will say it’s a perfect bill,” Hinojosa said. Teachers should examine his voting record on educational issues, he continued: “On every issue supported by educators, I voted _ with educators.” Hinojosa said no teacher discussed opposition to TECAT with him prior to his vote for HB 72. Moreno said that, while some teachers did meet with him to express their opposition to HB 72, he voted for the legislation after receiving letters from three statewide teacher associations informing him that, though HB 72 is not perfect, he should support it. Moreno said TECAT is a misnomer since no test can measure a teacher’s effectiveness. Teaching, he said, is an art. Hinojosa said, “We certainly feel an educator should not lose his or her job based on one exam. That exam cannot, in any way, measure the full knowledge an educator has.” Both Moreno and Hinojosa asserted that they will work with teachers to resolve contested portions of HB 72 to educators’ benefit. Ruth Perez said the organization of teacher groups, such as We Are the Force, is forcing politicians “to recognize us as being interested and willing to sit down and discuss these matters.” Fatherree said that, while she does not believe this movement of teachers signals readiness to switch over to the Republican camp, it does demonstrate the great changes in consciousness among teachers who previously were considered to be a politically passive group. “They have opened a can of worms. They haven’t even begun to see the bottom of that can.” On April 4, Force organizers, meeting in Mercedes, considered possible endorsements by a Valley-wide political action committee. Among the endorsements, they urged a Democratic primary vote for Andy Briscoe and against Mark White and told Republican voters to reject Bill Clements in favor of Kent Hance. At this writing, it is difficult to determine whether these new teacher organizations carry the electoral clout they claim. Theirs is a political gamble that will bear watching. El POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE , v Fairly soon, Cong. Henry Gonzalez of San Antonio could, because of complex shifts in the status of other members, become chairman of , the House Banking Committee, followers of his career in Washington say. v During a conference on “Texas in Transition” at the Johnson Library this month, Mayor Henry Cisneros of San Antonio, who usually avoids abrasive observations, said that Texas is not yet serious about investing in the education of “all its people.” At Texas A&M, where Cisneros is on the governing board, only 4 percent of the students are Hispanic compared to 17 percent in the population and only 3 percent are black compared to 15 percent in the population. It’s the same way at UT, he said. “There’s not really much intent there,” he said, “not much seriousness about it.” Good Results v T. Lewis Austin, chairman of the board of Brown & Root, speaking during the conference, told this story. Cong. Charles Wilson, D-Lufkin, when a state senator, had a public utilities bill that Austin, then a utility executive, opposed. The Observer ran a cartoon showing Wilson as David and Lewis and others as Goliath. Wilson blew up the cartoon and wrote “Good Charles” under himself and “Bad Lewis” under Austin. Austin said he has this cartoon on his wall to this day. When Austin wants to get in to see Wilson, the Brown & Root executive said, he does not say it’s Lewis Austin, “I say Bad Lewis is here to see him, and I’ve gotten some good results.” Overestimated 1/ Dr. Chandler Davidson, the sociologist and author at Rice University, says that black and Hispanic voting turnout may be generally overestimated. Usually, he says, in surveys to find out if people voted, it is assumed that about 6 percent say they did when they didn’t. However, he says, it appears from research that this figure may be much higher for members of minorities. Davidson, who testifies in court cases on such matters, was asked directly what proportion of the total Texas vote is composed of blacks and Hispanics. Blacks, 6 to 8 percent, and Hispanics, 8 to 9 percent, Davidson estimated. He has been criticized for these low estimates, but believes the starting place for improving the situation has to be the truth. v Governor Mark White got an unexpected plug from the Reagan administration last month when Secretary of Education William Bennett praised the no pass-no play rule. “If Texas can come out and say English is more important than football, anybody can say it,” Bennett said after a meeting of rural newspaper executives. Herb-icide V Calling Burger King a financier in the destruction of South American rain forests, a group of Austin environmentalists has called for a statewide boycott of the fast-food chain. Members of Earth First picketed an Austin Burger King the day before the group held a rain forest symposium at the University of Texas. Burger King buys beef from cattle raised in cleared rain forests and has faced boycotts from groups in several states: The Texas Ag Department voiced support of the action. “It’s a much broader issue than just environmentalism,” Deputy Commissioner Mike Moeller told the Observer, noting that the import of beef from rain forest areas has hurt U.S. ranchers. “It’s kind of funny,” he said. “We grow exactly enough beef for our own needs.” Moeller is currently working on the first stages of a bill that would label foreign meat sold in Texas, just as Florida labels foreign produce. Other corporations including CocaCola company whose foreign holdings also clear rain forests, will be targeted for boycotts and picketing later this summer by Austin Earth First. Lewisville to Libya 1/ The New York Times reported April 20 that in addition to unexploded bombs found on a Libyan farm, three four-foot remnants of missile fuselages were found, one reading “For warranty information contact Western Instruments, Lewisville, Tx.” People in Lewisville have never heard of a Western Instruments; the Times almost certainly meant Texas Instruments, which has a plant in Lewisville. A TI spokesman says the Lewisville plant makes the High Speed Anti-Radar missile for the United States military. V The Washington Post reported in April that Vice President George Bush has gotten more financial backing from Texas than any other state. Of the $3.9 million raised by Bush’s PAC last year, 20.5 percent came from 505 major THE TEXAS OBSERVER 17