Wednesday, March 6, 1991
The Battalion
Page 5
, 1991
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Counterterrorism policy drawsfrom El Paso study
FBI experts target Texas city
EL PASO (AP) — Counterterrorism measures the
FBI used nationwide during the Persian Gulf War were
shaped by a team of agents who studied El Paso and its
potential targets.
A team of counterterrorism experts from Washing
ton spent a week in the West Texas city studying secu
rity weaknesses, said Richard Schwein, director of the
FBI’s El Paso office.
“With die advent of the crisis, we did a nationwide
survey or where we might be vulnerable, and El Paso
was chosen for a pilot project,” Schwein said.
“We were selected because of our location on the bor
der, because we have a military base, major highways,
bridges, utilities, railroad networks, an international
airport — everything in miniature the country would
have,” he said.
The study was conducted late last year, just after
Iraqi president Saddam Hussein’s troops invaded Ku
wait.
A terrorist threat still exists even though the war
against Hussein’s army has ended, said Schwein, who
declined to discuss details of the study or counterterro
rism measures that have been taken.
“The intelligence community as a whole has been
very concerned that there is a real potential for an af
ter-the-fact terrorist attack, and not necessarily by Iraqi
agents but by sympathetic groups,” he told the El Paso
Herald-Post.
“We are not letting down our guard, no sir.”
William Baker, the FBI’s deputy director for criminal
investigations, acknowledged El Paso’s role in the study
last week during a speech to a meeting of the National
Chamber of Commerce in Washington.
Lewis backs grand jury bill
AUSTIN (AP) — House Speaker
Gib Lewis, indicted by a grand jury
on two misdemeanor ethics charges,
said Tuesday he supports a bill to al
low witnesses appearing before
grand juries to take their lawyers
with them.
“That bill has been introduced the
last two,or three sessions,” Lewis said
Tuesday. “I think it’s an excellent
bill. I used to think it was a good bill,
now I think it’s an excellent bill.”
Travis County District Attorney
Ronnie Earle, who is leading the in
vestigation of Lewis and possibly
other lawmakers, called the legis
lation “clearly a retaliatory measure”
in response to that inquiry.
Under current law, defense law
yers arc barred from the grand jury
room, although
their clients
may leave the
room to consult
with them in
private.
Generally,
criminal de
fense lawyers
favor the bill
sponsored by
Rep. Senfronia
Thompson, D-
Houston, while
prosecutors oppose it, lawmakers
said.
Among those testifying this week
for the bill were former Attorney
General Jim Mattox and former
House speaker Billy Clayton. Clay
ton was tried and acquitted on fed
eral charges of conspiring to accept a
bribe, and Mattox was tried and ac
quitted on state commercial bribery
charges.
Clayton said the bill would protect
individuals from prosecutors who
are “maybe a little overzealous, a
prosecutor who wants to pin himself
a big name.”
Mattox said some prosecutors
may try to trick witnesses into per-
jurine themselves.
Harris County District Attorney
Johnny Holmes said the defense
could gain an unfair advantage by
monitoring grand jury deliberations.
Lewis
Openly gay
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AUSTIN (AP) — When Glen
Maxey is sworn into the Texas
House this week, becoming the first
openly gay state legislator, he in
tends to wear a pair of cowboy boots
borrowed from a friend who is se
riously ill with AIDS.
He says they are a reminder of the
urgency of his work.
“They’re symbolically some awful
big boots to fill,” Maxey said. “That’s
people who need a representative.”
Maxey on Saturday won a runoff
election against Austin lawyer David
Rodriguez to fill the House seat va
cated by former Rep. Lena Guerre
ro’s appointment to the Texas Rail
road Commission.
Maxey, 39, is the past director of
the Lesbian-Gay Rights Lobby of
Texas. He holds a master’s degree in
education from Sam Houston State
University and was a fifth grade tea
cher. He also has been a legislative
aide.
The son of working-class Baytown
parents, Maxey said he first became
interested in civil rights issues while
working for his sister’s touring ro
deo company in Louisiana in the late
1960s. The integrated company was
the target of prejudice, including be
ing refused service in restaurants.
“Just that look of hate, it really as
tounded me,” he said. “I just didn’t
understand that, to see just real ha
tred exhibited.”
In college, Maxey got involved in
many issues of the day — protesting
the Vietnam War, protecting the en
vironment, registering students af
ter the voting age was lowered to 18.
But it took the AIDS crisis to start
him working on gay issues, Maxey
said.
In November 1985, he began or
ganizing opposition to a proposal to
allow the quarantine of people suf
fering from Acquired Immune Defi
ciency Syndrome, which brought his
personal life into the spotlight.
“I’m a total political animal” he
said. “I have carried every sign —
you name it. I marched for the ERA;
I marched against the war. I was in
the first Earth Day parade. I fought
to save the whales and the baby
seals.”
But he was afraid to campaign for
gay issues because of the toll on his
career and political future, “Until a
disease put a face on that fear,” he
said.
“All of that became secondary to
dealing with friends dying. I go
home every day, every night and see
friends who I know won’t be here a
year from now. Most people, in their
lifetimes, take their Rolodexes and
pull out the people who have moved
away. I’ve pulled more people out
who’ve died, in the last three years.”
State leaders say they doubt Max-
ey’s being gay will matter much in
the House.
Gov. Ann Richards, a friend of
Maxey’s, said she would be surprised
if his sexual preference posed a
problem. House Speaker Gib Lewis
said the same.
“The House has changed a lot in
the last few years since I’ve been
here,” Lewis said. “I don’t see where
we discriminate against anybody or
anybody’s philosophical views or
whatever.”
Perhaps more of an issue locally is
the fact that Maxey is the first non-
Hispanic in 17 years to represent the
heavily student, minority and work
ing-class district. He follows Guer
rero and now-state Sen. Gonzalo
Barrientos.
Maxey said he will do all he can to
reassure Hispanics.
“At the end of this legislative ses
sion, I will have to ask myself and I
expect the Hispanic community to
ask me to find the single time that I
had voted any differently than a His
panic legislator would have done. I
will challenge them now, because I
intend to be perfect on the issues of
that community,” he said.
Guerrero agreed. “There isn’t any
doubt that the Hispanic community
and the liberal community of the dis
trict have selected representation
that is amenable to both, and in this
case they chose Glen,” she said.
Maxey said he intends to focus on
education, the environment and pri
mary health care, especially Medi
caid reform and AIDS funding.
First American Bank
Welcomes The
Customers Of
United Citizens Bank
First American Bank has just had an addition to its family of customers.
United Citizens Bank is now part of First American.
As in any family, our customers want to feel secure that the home for their
money is protected by a strong financial institution. We know you have
worked hard to make your money and you want a bank that works hard for
you. First American Bank has been rated “A” for the second consecutive year
by Sheshunoff Information Services Inc.
First American has family ties right here in Bryan/College Station. We are
owned and managed by people who call this community their home. And
management decisions are made locally, the way hometown banking should
be done.
United Citizens Bank customers will find that it will be “business as usual”
under the First American name. Checks under the former bank’s name will
be honored, and hours of operation at the existing locations will remain the
same.
Our family tree has deep roots in our two cities and Texas A&M University.
We are committed to our community by keeping your deposits working for
you locally.
The Family of First American means more than just lending, checking,
and savings. We promise a commitment to our customers to provide personal
and professional banking services. This is the pledge we give to our new
United Citizens Bank customers... as we do to all our loyal customers.
Maybe that’s why more and more families in Bryan/College Station are
coming home to First American.
Supporting the Community
Main Office: 1111 Briarcrest Drive • Convenience Center: 1660 Briarcrest Drive
Downtown Drive-In Facility: 27th and Houston Streets • University Center: 711 University Drive • Member FDIC