"Poor George, he can't help it, he was born with a silver foot in his mouth"
This morning (first four paragraphs written on September 14, 2006) I learned of passing of Ann Richards, the Governor of Texas from 1991 to 1995.
While visiting my brother in Huntsville, Texas in 1990, I had the opportunity to watch Ms. Richards face off against Clayton Williams in a televised gubenatorial debate. Ms. Richards clearly upended the west Texas oilman. But the oilman, with a swimming pool shaped like an oil rig, undermined his campaign when he told reporters "Rape is like the weather, you can't do anything about it so you might as well lay back and enjoy it."
Ms. Richards most notable act as Governor was to veto legislation, which threatened the Edwards aquifer.
Funny thing, three years later while Ann still was the Governor of Texas I bicycled across the United States. On that trip I stayed in Austin long enough to attend a heated Austin city council hearing on a development proposal, which would threaten water quality in the Edwards Aquifer watershed. New Orleans, Louisiana-based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. was the developer seeking project approval.
Freeport McMoRan was in the news eight days ago (November 19, 2006) when announced plans to acquire Phelps Dodge and in doing so create the largest copper mining concern in the world.
Phelps Dodge property in Arizona also appeared later on in my cross country ride. That day I rode past Phelps Dodge's huge open pit copper mine in Morenci (elevation 4000 feet) on a 60 mile climb from Clifton (elevation 3400 feet) to Hannagan's Meadow (elevation 9300 feet) - my biggest one-day elevation gain on the trip.
The Morenci mine was the site of an August 1983 United Steel Workers Union general strike of infamy when then Governor Bruce Babbitt joined forces with company executives to help break the backs of organized labor by calling in the National Guard. Ann Coulter's father - John Coulter, an ex-FBI agent, an attorney and Phelp's Dodge vice-president, served as one of Phelp's Dodge eastern labor relations directors at that time and apparently played a role in breaking the 1983 strike.
Sorry I didn't attempt to schedule a visit with Governor Richards at the State Capitol at that time. The thought never occurred to me.
While visiting my brother in Huntsville, Texas in 1990, I had the opportunity to watch Ms. Richards face off against Clayton Williams in a televised gubenatorial debate. Ms. Richards clearly upended the west Texas oilman. But the oilman, with a swimming pool shaped like an oil rig, undermined his campaign when he told reporters "Rape is like the weather, you can't do anything about it so you might as well lay back and enjoy it."
Ms. Richards most notable act as Governor was to veto legislation, which threatened the Edwards aquifer.
Funny thing, three years later while Ann still was the Governor of Texas I bicycled across the United States. On that trip I stayed in Austin long enough to attend a heated Austin city council hearing on a development proposal, which would threaten water quality in the Edwards Aquifer watershed. New Orleans, Louisiana-based Freeport McMoRan Copper & Gold Inc. was the developer seeking project approval.
Freeport McMoRan was in the news eight days ago (November 19, 2006) when announced plans to acquire Phelps Dodge and in doing so create the largest copper mining concern in the world.
Phelps Dodge property in Arizona also appeared later on in my cross country ride. That day I rode past Phelps Dodge's huge open pit copper mine in Morenci (elevation 4000 feet) on a 60 mile climb from Clifton (elevation 3400 feet) to Hannagan's Meadow (elevation 9300 feet) - my biggest one-day elevation gain on the trip.
The Morenci mine was the site of an August 1983 United Steel Workers Union general strike of infamy when then Governor Bruce Babbitt joined forces with company executives to help break the backs of organized labor by calling in the National Guard. Ann Coulter's father - John Coulter, an ex-FBI agent, an attorney and Phelp's Dodge vice-president, served as one of Phelp's Dodge eastern labor relations directors at that time and apparently played a role in breaking the 1983 strike.
Sorry I didn't attempt to schedule a visit with Governor Richards at the State Capitol at that time. The thought never occurred to me.
posted by Richard Stowe at 9:13 PM
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