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NEWS & LETTERS, March 2002
Phil Gramm blasted
Memphis, Tenn.—Students from
Rhodes College and citizens from Memphis recently protested against Texas
Senator Phil Gramm, allegedly one of the collaborators of the California energy
crisis and the Enron scandal. Led by Rhodes College Greens
and members of other local progressive groups, the protesters sent Phil Gramm a
"TELL-ON-GRAMM" as soon as he started speaking: TELL-ON-GRAMM for Mr. Enron
from the American People: - Justify your sponsoring a
bill that allowed Enron to control energy markets. - Justify your taking $101,350
from Enron and then doing their bidding. - Justify your voting against
campaign finance reform. - Your wife was on the audit
committee of Enron; justify your claiming a victim role in this bankruptcy when
she had oversight of the company's finances. - Justify your sponsoring
legislation that returns banking to the 1920s in terms of consumer protection. - Justify your sponsoring of
Fast Track for the Free Trade Agreement for the Americas. - Justify your sponsoring
legislation that expands NAFTA. - Justify the death of 4,000
Afghan civilians and your statement, "This is not about justice. This is
about war." - Justify your sponsoring of
legislation that would allow oil drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife
Refuge. - Justify your voting against
protecting Coho salmon. - And finally, the American
people want you to justify your opposition to affirmative action. Reactions to the interruption
and his speech varied from laughter and applause to stark anger and shock and
inspired vigorous questioning of his neo-liberal trade policies, his lack of
concern for the economic plight of poor people, and his record of voting against
the environment and social justice. When I heard Gramm was coming
to Rhodes College, I knew we had to do something. My campus has a heavy
right-wing leaning. We alienated some people in the audience, but I doubt that
many of the fur-coat-wearing, upper-class people in the audience would ever even
think of voting for a Democrat, much less a Green or a Red. The speech was an orchestrated
event to spread Gramm's ideology. The speech was not set up so that there could
be a frank and open discussion of ideas. This Senator has significantly
helped to kill and hurt thousands, if not millions. The environment is
significantly degraded because of his votes. A protest was in order. Questioning
would have been too easily controlled. The man could have said, "No more
questions," and he would have walked away. The issue of Enron would never
have come up. We alienated people, but they
will get over it. College Greens is on better footing than before. —Student activist |
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