ustxtxb_obs_2006_11_17_50_00002-00000_000.pdf

DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTIONS In our October 20 story on the gubernatorial debate \(“Better Debate than appeared at a post-debate press conference with her son Brad McClellan. Mark McClellan runs the federal Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services in Washington and wasn’t present. We regret the error. DEPARTMENT OF CORRECTED CORRECTIONS Slippery ’til the end, former Ohio Republican Congressman Bob Ney compels us to correct a previous correction. To recap: We wrote an October 20 editorial assuming Ney would resign his seat promptly after his indictment on corruption charges. He didn’t, and remained in Congress as we pointed out in a correction published on November 3. Which was the day Ney did resign. On January 19, Ney will be sentenced and is not expected to be going anywhere other than prison for the next few years. Dialogue JOBS WELL DONE Good article by Jake Bernstein on Chris Bell \(“Why the Bell Not,” to “serious” with the field in which he found himself. What a really odd state this is, two ex-Democratsone the guv and a Republican, the other the CPA and an independent after using the other two parties to her advantagea musician/merry prankster, and the other candidate, a Libertarian. Dunya McCammon Via e-mail Wonderful expose on the scandal in Willacy County \(“Welcome to Forrest Wilder did a great job of explaining the complex way private investors make money and circumvent the public in their dealings with corrupt officials. The use of revenue bonds allows privateers to dangle the economic development lure in front of the faces of struggling county representatives as if there were no financial consequences to the county. As Willacy County struggles to meet its next payment of $700,000 to investors, Municipal Capital has already walked away with its $453,900. Let that be a warning to others. Ken Kopczynski Private Corrections Institute NEW MANAGING EDITOR We are pleased to announce that veteran journalist David Pasztor has joined the Observer as our new managing editor. Pasztor has worked as a reporter and/or editor at the late Kansas City Times, the late Dallas Times Herald, Phoenix New Times, the Dallas Observer and SF Weekly. Most recently, he was special projects editor for the Austin American-Statesman. Welcome Mr. Pasztor! NOVEMBER 17, 2006 TheTexas Observer FEATURES THE SPIES OF TEXAS 6 Newfound files detail how UT-Austin police tracked the lives of Sixties dissidents by Thorne Dreyer DEPARTMENTS DIALOGUE 2 EDITORIAL 3 Anger Triumphs Over Fear POLITICAL INTELLIGENCE 4 MOLLY IVINS 14 Start With Basics JIM HIGHTOWER 15 Heartsick in Bangalore OPEN FORUM 16 Habits of Democracy by Ernesto Cortes Jr. LAS AMERICAS 18 Let Them Eat Microcredits by Beatrice Edwards BOOKS & CULTURE POETRY 20 by Naomi Shihab Nye STAND AND DELIVER 22 by James E. McWilliams TRUE GRIT 24 by Char Miller REDISCOVERING ELROY BODE 26 by Marian Haddad AFTERWORD 30 A Salute to Molly Ivins by Lewis Lapham Cover by Matt Omohundro 2 THE TEXAS OBSERVER NOVEMBER 17, 2006