ustxtxb_obs_1997_11_21_50_00017-00000_000.pdf

DUGGER TO DUGGER. Founder and cochair Ronnie Dugger \(also the founding editor of the is not the only member of the Texas Duggers active in the Alliance for Democracy. Austinite Gary Dugger, Ronnie’s son, represented the Austin chapter of the AID in Atchison, and recently declared his candidacy for a seat on the state Railroad Commission. Inspired by Alliance populism and the 1996 Victor Morales campaign for the U.S. Senate, Dugger has loaded up a pickup truck with a campaign sign”Take Control of Your Natural Resources and Your Environment”and plans to campaign around the state on his own, as an Alliance member and independent Democrat. Dugger has placed a $100 limit on campaign contributions, and has declared his opposition to corporate welfare in the form of tax incentives to the oil and gas industry. He believes the Railroad Commission should move the state away from a reliance on hydrocarbons and fossil fuels, and in the direction of renewable, non-polluting energy sources such as solar and wind power. He opposes Fast Track, NAFTA, and the MAI, and has called for a moratorium on uranium mining until there is a reliable method for the disposal of radioactive waste. “I heard Jane Anne Morris speak at the Mo Ranch convention,” Dugger said. “She was talking about fighting strip-mining, but she was telling activists in general to `learn the power structure’s language, and dress up do whatever you need to do to fight them, including run for office.’ I’ d gotten more involved in the Alliance over the past year, and finally I just decided I was going to do it. I’m running as a populist ‘ Democrat. People feel disenfranchised, and I’m going to reach out to them with a populist platform.” For more information about the Dugger port.com/-gra/duger.htm. OTHAL NEEDS WHEELS. A sharp -eyed citi zen of McAllen forwarded a touching political solicitation, dated July 4, from Lynn Brand Ferrell, daughter of Othal Brand, Sr., the quondam mayor of McAllen and exstraw boss of Hidalgo County. Brand was finally defeated by Leo Montalvo \(the first Mexican-American mayor in McAllen his”thirty years of tireless service” and asks for contributions to pay off his campaign debts. It goes on: “This last campaign left us seriously in the hole…. If there is anything left over [from campaign contributions], it will be applied toward the purchase of a new vehicle to replace the eleven-year-old ‘bomb’ he’s driving.” Ferrell asks that nobody mention the letter to Brand until she’s ready to hand over the keys to the new car. Notes our correspondent: “Although it is legal to solicit contributions to pay off election debts, it is completely illegal, I believe, to use the leftover amount to buy a new car.” “Lord, have mercy,” commented Suzy Woodford of Common Cause. “That is crass. It certainly appears illegal, because it would’ convert campaign funds to personal use, which is not allowed. I’ve never heard anYthinglike that in my entire life.” Woodford says , she’s heard Brand is having business problems \(Ferrell’s letter mentions a foreclosUre on Brand’s home tributors to pick up the tab. DON’T TELL MOM. Jim Lacy, the Observer’s occasional European correspondent, was recently in Austin to cover the Texas Freedom Network conference \(“Doing the Lord’s Work in Austin,” Octoafterthoughts amusing. Lacy writes: “One of the people who asked me what church I attended was apparently a Baptist. When I told him I didn’t attend any church he didn’t seem satisfied. `I don’t believe in God,’ I told him, by way of explanation. He thought about this for a second: ‘Well, you could get involved with a Methodist church.’ This was the leftwing vanguard that is fighting to protect us from the Inquisition. “When I’m in the States,” Jim added, “I really begin to wonder if there are any freethinkers in the whole country. In Europe the churches have a great deal of power through the states, but religious indifference is quite strong \(and responsible for all the moral progress that has ever occurred gerously, absent. Perhaps the Observer should run a series: ‘Why I’m an atheist,’ from prominent people, or, alternately: `Why I’m an agnostic’–for writers whose mothers are still living.” re< e Atiea_ae IMAGINE CRUISING DOWN THE AUTOBAHN WITH 256 HP UNDER THE HOOD, TOP DOWN, FIFTH GEAR, ENGINE WIDE . OPEN, SCENERY A BLUR. THAT'S THE FEEL OF INTERNET ACCESS THROUGH THE NEW EDEN MATRIX. . 14E7 wait? take a. ti-Letc D1AL-UP ISDN ACCESS FOR JUST $18.50/MONTH FULLY DIGITAL PRI PHONE LINES WIDE OPEN CAPACITY TECH SUPPORT WITH A PULSE The Eden Matrix www.eden.com 106 E. SIXTH STREET, SUITE 210 AUSTIN, TX 78701 VOICE: 512.478.9900 FAX: 512.478.9934 Subscribe to the Texas Observer 307 W. 7th St Austin, TX 78701 email: [email protected] THE TEXAS OBSERVER 17 NOVEMBER 21, 1997