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LOUIS DUBOSE Representatives Bill Arnold, Alan Schoolcraft, and Kent Grusendorf dent and faculty representation on boards of state colleges, jury trials for injured workers filing compensation claims, election of judges, and, of course, English as the state’s official language. Like many conservative candidates, Zaeske doesn’t pass up the opportunity to do a little Justice-bashing, suggesting that the rulings of judges such as Tyler federal Judge William Wayne Justice are a contributing factor to the breakdown of the criminal justice system in Texas and the erosion of traditional American values. “If Judge Justice was [sic] a State Judge, he would have been voted out of office long ago …” We, of course, disagree with Zaeske’s criticism of Judge Justice and here note that if Lou “English” Zaeske were a bit more familiar with the Spanish language it would be easier for him to recognize situations in which the subjunctive tense is required in English usage. ONLY TWO Texas Democrats in Congress, Marvin Leath of Marlin and Charles Stenholm of Stamford voted against the House Democratic leadership’s $27 billion childcare plan. And it was Stenholm who joined with Florida Republican E. Clay Shaw to sponsor a substitute measure backed by the Bush Administration. The StenholmShaw measure was defeated 233-197. “The Stenholm bill was a good bill,” a White House spokesperson said. “We want to have a good childcare bill.” The more ambitious 12 APRIL 20, 1990 and more expensive Democratic version, however, passed by a 265-145 vote. CLAYTON WILLIAMS’S fireside rape gaffe quickly became a central issue and touched a nerve in Texas voters judging by the response in the state’s newspaper dialogue pages. Williams’s comparison of the weather to rape \(you can’t change it so “… relax and to Texas newspapers. On March 29 the Austin American-Statesman devoted an entire letters section to the subject. The newspaper printed eight letters in all, resulting in a 7-1 decision, against Williams. Suzanne Zilber, of the University of Texas’s Counseling and Mental Health Center wrote that Williams’s remark “does have an element of truth to it rape is almost inevitable for women: one out of three women is raped in her lifetime, according to FBI statistics.””Williams says he’ll be tough on crime,” Zilber wrote, “I wonder how tough he would be on sexual,assault offenders.” Veronica Henderson, a board member of the Austin Rape Crisis Center, took Williams to task for his lack of responsibility. Henderson wrote, criticizing the Republican’s “offhanded comments that trivialize violence against women only serve to promote misunderstanding and slow down efforts to eradicate this social problem. As a candidate for governor, it is the duty of Clayton Williams to offer solutions to such widespread prob lems, rather than make jokes about them.” C.A. Freeman wrote “in support of all the people who have been unable to ‘relax,’ and who have therefore found the rape experience to be less than enjoyable,” suggesting that Williams “remain in the barnyard where he so obviously belongs.” TheAmerican-Stateman’s letters page also registered a generational difference of opinion that day. “Give me a break!” demanded Mrs. W.C. Baker. “For the last 50 years, Clayton Williams’ remark has been around. It is nothing new most definitely tongue in cheek. The press that was in attendance must have been the new generation, else it would have been old hat to them.” But 15-year-old Laurie Jeroslow was “outraged.” “Hearing what he said hurts my heart knowing that he thinks my body is a play toy … This just shows that money can’t buy empathy.” On the same date the Houston Post gave over a third of its letters section to the comment. This batch was skewed more heavily in Williams’s favor, but nonetheless ran 5-3 in favor of busting Williams’s rocks. The letters supporting Williams blamed the press for the gaffe. Opined Mrs. C.R. Hurst: “I hope the gaffe by Mr. Williams taught him a lesson -reporters have no business on a working ranch.” Writing from Sealy, Dorothy Lewallen commented on the relationship between politicians and the press, asking “has anyone realized that Clayton Williams’ remark about the weather and rape would not have offended anyone if the reporter had the 14.