El Paso Times from El Paso, Texas • 6

ccrrcnu co.o HPsso Times DtonWo "Don" Fiona Editor and publisher Gstaday Pogo6 Jan. 18,1997 -C Ml John Laird Editorial page editor 546160 Assistant editorial pass editor Amy PMak Editonal writer Dlonlclo "Don" Flores Editor and publisher Paula Mooro Managing editor Andy Alderette Assistant managing editor liUranfflDODQ Psuto Moot Managing editor 00 HopMna Community representative 1 1 -i i i Letters THERE 4ZS In uieo OOJPCNONTHE Stalldng law should pass court approval this time talking is a matter of exerting control and power over another human being: it is tant district attorney in El Paso, said the law must be enacted as soon as possible. "We get about a dozen cases a month that cannot be pursued because stalking is not a crime," he said, adding that the biggest problem is the severity of the cases once they reach their attention and that of the police. Under the new draft, 6talking is the repeated conduct of one person directed specifically at another that "the offender believes the victim will perceive as threatening; causes the victim or victim's family member to fear bodily injury, death or a property offense." The new law calls for stalking to be a misdemeanor in a first offense, punishable with up to one year in jail and a $4,000 fine. Second offenses are felonies, punishable by up to 10 years in jail and a $10,000 fine.

Stalking victims are helpless prey. The threats, harassment and fear they go through cannot be measured. Many end up dead or maimed at the hands of these furtive terrorists. Unfortunately, their offenders are most often the same people who purport to love them. Stalking, though, has nothing to do with love.

not a matter of affection or even sexual attraction. And it will be a crime next week when the Legislature approves and Governor George W. bush signs the Texas anti-stalking bill. It's one law that is long overdue. Twice already, the courts have deemed the state's anti-stalking law unconstitutional because of its vague wording.

This is the third try for the Legislature and it should be the last. There can be no confusion as to what constitutes stalking. The innocent deserve protection from a miscarriage of justice as much as stalking victims deserve protection from their tormentors. Lawmakers deserve credit for taking on the anti-stalking banner so soon after the opening of their session and for putting it on the fast track for approval. It is a measure of their concern to get it passed.

It was the first bill approved by the state Senate this week, and it is scheduled to be approved by a special House committee next week. The urgency is certainly warranted. Marcos Lizarraga, first assis Hiring doesn't reflect city On June 30, 1995, as members of the Hispanic Leadership Institute, we met with Mayor Larry Francis in his office. We requested the meeting to discuss an issue of community concern: the hiring practices of his administration. Specifically, we wanted to discuss with Francis the treatment of Hispanic department heads and hiring decisions since he took office.

We were concerned about a developing "perception" in the Hispanic community that under his administration, city government was becoming less representative of our community, especially in the top levels of city government. The meeting was purposely discreet and professional as we sought to open lines of communication with the mayor's office. We chose not to publicize or politicize the issue because we hoped Francis would listen to our concerns and address them with concrete action. More than 19 months have passed. Instead of progress, we have seen stagnation and intransigence.

The mayor has spoken publicly on these issues, and HLI is now a member of the Coalition for Justice and Equality. HLI joins its sister organizations in calling for a fair and inclusive investigation into allegations of public corruption. No one should be exempt from public scrutiny. Moreover, the issues we raised with Francis in his office so quietly remain legitimate issues for public discussion. The mayor was quoted in the El Paso Times as saying that the coalition's efforts have never been raised with him except by a single individual last fall.

Apparently, the mayor has forgotten our meeting and our attempt to address these issues in a professional and straightforward manner. Margarita Sanchez, Chairperson Hispanic Leadership Institute Carmen E. Rodriguez, former chairperson, Hispanic Leadership Institute Imus gets poor rating I am a senior citizen and in talking to other senior citizens, I have concluded that the Don Imus show on KTSM-AM weekday mornings is the most asinine, obscene, inconsequential program that KTSM has. The station says it has upgraded its information and programming, but I say it have gone into the gutter. The Imus show is not recommended for any family, especially one with children.

In fact, the show states that frequently; but what can we do, plug the children's ears? The only good part about KTSM's morning programming is the Paul Harvey comments. George R. Adams Northeast El Paso the school board decided to correct the problem. The school board recog-, nized that the students spoke an urban dialect. The teachers, because many of them spoke their own particular dialect, didn't understand the students and were unable to teach them proper English.

However, the board new policy will encourage i teachers to learn the dialect in order teach the kids standard English. Kelly Myrlck West El Paso Keep concessions local In a recent El Paso Times article, one county commissioner stated that the court did not want to appear to be "on the take" while choosing a con cessionaire for the El Paso County0, Coliseum. Instead, they may have been "taken." Buzzards President Jim Burlew fi'; moved his whole life to El Paso to start a new hockey team in a new league and in a new city to him and his new wife. He has worked in and around hockey franchises and coliseums for more than 15 years. He saw a problem with food quality and service here and wanted to fix it.

His organization was on-site and he had the knowledge and experience to do so; Commissioners decided not to appear "on the take" and chose a company that has been in existence for only a few months. Do commissioners know anything about that company? Has it moved" from town to town? Does it change jobs every few years? If so, why? And why a company in Miami? Great, more money leaving El Pasdi Greg Heltzman West El Paso Toys-for-Tots successful Congratulations to the U.S. Marine Reserves for their Project Toys-for-Tots. The project was a success. Thanks to the Marines, many children had a bright Christmas.

The toys were distributed throughout the city and county. The Marines did a wonderful job of collecting toys and delivering them. Uniformed Marines were present at some of the sites to present the toys to the children. Thanks to the Marines for all their hard work. And to the businessmen and corporations that participated in the project, thank you for your generosity.

Jose Agullar Executive Director, Project BRAVO Ebonics a good strategy The Oakland school board should be recognized for its genius, as opposed to being castigated, as reflected by public opinion. I believe that the problem starts with a very poor statement of the Ebonics resolution and what the Oakland school board was attempting to do. (Editor's note: Wednesday, the board revised its policy to clear up such confusion.) Once the board's original resolution was interpreted by the press as teaching black English as the recognizable language, the country went into disarray without any understanding of the brilliance of the board's move. The Oakland school board recognized that 53 percent of the Oakland students were black and that the majority of them were failing. Once understanding the students' problems pro natural ea hllla Winning one first-place award is commendable enough.

But five? That's what UTEP junior Matthew haven't increased enough. Southern Union Gas overbilled yi I about 8,000 El Paso customers in December, double-charging the customer service portion because of a computer error. A credit on next month's bill will negate the overbilling. If only a similarly quick fix could reduce the gas prices driving up the Author explores multicultural assimilation Minnich did at a recent speech tournament, where teammate Monica Rodriguez brought UTEP's total to six. Lucky for the competitors that Minnich and Rodriguez were the Miners speech team's only representatives their performances alone put the university in third place.

The 33 officers who graduated from El Paso's 93rd police academy a week ago are not just qualified, but diverse. Chief Russ Leach said the force wanted recruits from a variety of backgrounds. Among th8 graduates were seven women one of whom is a 41-year-old mother of three. In a diverse city like El Paso, it's appropriate to have a similarly varied police force. Congrats to all 39 grads.

Midnight basketball has been a slam-dunk success in other parts of the city, and now South-Central youths have the chance to join the team. City Council unanimously approved the Delta Recreation Center as El Paso's fifth center to offer the activity. Youths up to age 21 can participate; it's exercise and a free chance to hot-dog your hoops skills. The city and the Junior League have a winner on their hands. "to)- Texas Human Rights Commission Director Bill Hale must have enough frequent flier miles to buy his own plane.

In fiscal year 1996 the executive director took several out-of-state trips at company expense; most of those trips related not to his commission but to his presidency of the International Association of Official Human Rights Agencies. Association-related travel expenses totaled $19,000 19 percent of the commission's total travel expenditures. That's unacceptable, especially since the commission lacks the cash to hire more investigators to reduce its backlog of human-rights cases. Cowboys accuser Nina Shahravan's on-again, off-again allegations, especially of such a serious crime, not only jeopardize the credibility of true sexual assault victims, but may make them hesitant to report the crime. Victims need support and strength, not a bad example.

job tending bar in a Liverpool pub. One of his customers suggested he visit Taiwan, and he did. Derbyshire, an Englishman, ended up taking a job teaching English at a small college in FN Dinah Eng To say this of Chinese people, Serbian people, Irish people, Jewish people or any society of human beings is' ridiculous. Governments rise and fall, and what's best in human nature can be found in people everywhere, regardless of the society they live in. Then there's the use of the Orientals." To many Asian Americans, which is the preferred term, the-word Oriental has a negative and outdated ring when used in reference Oriental is correctly used as an adjective for inanimate objects, like Oriental rugs.

Derbyshire says, "I'm a foreigner in this country, but my children are Americans. If anyone were to call them Asian Americans, I'd probably punch the person in the nose. I'm not a big; fan of multiculturalism. "From a world view, there are Americans, English, French and so on. Americans tend to obsess about their own problems and don't have to engage with the rest of the world if they don have to.

If you could get Americans to see that they are much more like each other than they are different (racially), you'd have a more harmonious Such a world view is admirable, but unfortunately it's not the reality in our multicultural society. Just as Chai's dreams of the past are not as good as what he has in the If you like stories about smart women outwitting vain and foolish men, you'll probably like the novel "Seeing Calvin Coolidge in a Dream" by John Derbyshire ($22.95, St. Martin's Press). If you're Asian or Asian-American, however, you may not. The book tells the story of Chai, a former Red Guard during China's Cultural Revolution, who now lives an immigrant's "American dream" complete with a banking job in New York, healthy baby daughter and happy marriage.

Happy, that is, until he learns that Seli-na, a lover from his youth, is now living in Boston with her husband and son. Chai, convinced that Selina's son is his, is determined to revive their affair. Chai's wife Ding, however, sees more than her husband does in the matter, and conspires with Selina to teach Chai some forgotten truths about love and life. This classic theme, which is told in the context of a Chinese couple's marriage, dovetails issues that immigrants who must assimilate into U.S. society face.

In Chai's case, "he's a guy who tries to be so American that he almost turns his back on all things Asian," says Derbyshire, a systems analyst for an investment bank in New York. "Calvin Coolidge was the most essentially American of past presidents, and I wanted (a character) who could talk horse sense into Chai, an ordinary schmuck who's going off the rails at mid-life." Derbyshire's interest in China began in the late '70s when he had a part-time Your yierio Manchuria in 1982. "After I came back from the Far East in 1983, I wrote book reviews and freelance pieces for magazines, then decided to try my luck on Wall Street," says Derbyshire, who then stayed in the United States. "On the whole, I think Western points of view about China tend to be very shallow. I married a Chinese woman, eat Chinese food and hear Chinese around the house.

But I am resistant to some aspects of Chinese culture. There's stuff that repels me, and I'm frank about it My wife didn't like the book because she thought it too anti-Chinese." Indeed, the book makes sweeping comments about Chinese people that as an Asian-American, find offensive. Derbyshire, speaking in the first person as Chai, writes, "Chinese society took a wrong turn somewhere, thousands of years ago, and is now too far lost in the wilderness of despotism to ever become worthy of the best in human nature. That society can only promote the worst, and this will always be so." The El Paso Times encourages letters, especially from first-time letter writers. Letters are accepted by mail, telephone or fax.

Letters to the editor should be limited to 200 words and may be edited for brevity or clarity. Regular letter writers should limit submissions to one a month, to allow more writers' views to be expressed. Letters are published as time and space permit Writers and callers must provide full name, street address and daytime phone number. Addresses and phone numbers are used for verification only and are not published. Letters that cannot be verified will not be used.

Tambi6n aceptamos cartas en espaflol. By mall: Letters to the editor, El Paso Times, P.O. Box 20, El Paso 79999. Call-In letters: 546-6420. Outside El Paso County, call toll-free (800) 351-6007, extension 6420.

By fax: 546-6415. Dinah Eng is Special Sections Editor at Gannett News Service, 1000 Wilson Arlington, Va. 22229-0001 fiends fl Congressman's silence on Cuba ispanic leaders I US' ing for free elections or the liberation of political prisoners. What more important fact can a congressman gather on a "fact-finding mission" to Cuba? It ought to be particularly But the departure of the two -Miami Republicans makes it impossible for the caucus to present itself as a bipartisan, pan-Hispanic organization, and therefore makes it more difficult "to be on the vanguard on issues like immigration and English-only," as Men6ndez (who did not resign) put it. Pragmatically, the decision to leave was wrong.

But the anger is understandable. A public declaration from Becerra that Cuba is a dictatorship and elections ought to be held there does not violate any principle that every democratic lowercase politician ought to hold, and might just be a first step in bringing the two Cuban-American Republicans back to the The new chairman ought to have no'higher priority. A double standard is at work. It is difficult to imagine any U.S. congressman who is not a right-wing troglodyte traveling to South Africa in the days of apartheid and failing to speak of the horrors of racism.

But it is an in- S-ained tradition among some liberal emocrats to criticize the U.S. embargo and keep silent on the horrors in Cuba. The Cuban community in the United States is seen as right-wing, so political correctness does not demand sensitivity be shown. The fight in Congress is not Cubans vs. everybody else.

Diaz-Balart says that Solomon Ortiz and Frank Tejeda, two Mexican-American Democrats from Texas, have shown "solidarity" on Cuba, as has Illinois Democrat Luis Gutierrez, who is Puerto Rican. Besides, in these days of rampant anti-immigrant paranoia, there is a host of issues that unite the Hispanic members of Congress regardless of their for our deeply held views on what for us is an ultimately sensitive issue." There have been past Hispanic Caucus chairmen with positions on Cuba that are diametrically opposed to what most Cuban-Americans believe. New York's Jose Serrano and Arizona's Ed Pastor both oppose the embargo, and are former caucus chairs. But no one resigned because they were elected. Because Cuba is a divisive issue within the caucus, an unwritten rule kept it out of official business.

That changed with Becerra, say the two who resigned, because his failure to speak apamst tyranny came in the middle of his chairmanship campaign. Robert Me-nndez of New Jersey, a Cuban-American Democrat, says he saw it coming when he spoke to Becerra before the trip. "He didn't give me an indication that he was going there to challenge the dictatorship. It seemed to me his focus was more on finding ways to justify his view that U.S. policy is wrong." Last week the two Cuban-American Republican representatives from Florida, 'Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Lincoln Diaz-'Balart, left the Hispanic Caucus in protest after California Democrat Xavier Becerra was elected as chairman.

With the only other Hispanic Texan Henry Bonilla, a non-dues paying member, the caucus has become a Derno-Icratic club. The controversy centers on a trip that Becerra, who is Mexican-American, took Jto Cuba in December, where he met with Fidel Castro. "He went for three days, met a lot of people. As a good that's what he does, said a Becer-ra staffer. "Overall he's said nothing labout his Cuba position, there's nothing to tell.

He does not want to talk about iCuba right now." And there is the rub. It ought not be a problem for a U.S. congressman, whatever his position on the embargo (Becerra opposes it), to visit and then put out a statement call- unproblematic for a someone who wants to chair the Hispanic Caucus, and therefore show sensitivity on issues dear to congressmen who are Mexican-American, Puerto Ri-can and Cuban-American. But Becerra, who is now in China and unavailable for comment, has said nothing on Cuba since his visit. His silence is very loud.

"The issue was not going to Cuba, the issue was going and not saying anything." Dfaz-Balart told me. "He flouted his disregard Roger Hernandez is a columnist for King Features Syndicate. Readers can send hini electronic mail at trmg60aprodlgy.Cofi.