An Iranian lawyer and former judge, Dr. Ebadi (pronounced ah-ba-DEE) spoke to over 300 UT students, faculty and visitors Monday night, April 27th. This was the first of four public events in Austin. As she stepped to the podium at the AT&T Conference Center, the crowd stood and clapped loudly. Then, speaking through a translator, she began: “Ladies and Gentlemen, allow me to say a few words about democracy.” To her, democracy is the rule of the majority, but within the framework of human rights. Not surprisingly, Dr. Ebadi believes progress must come from within a country and in small steps rather than applied by force from outside. The audience nodded in agreement. more ›

Sunday, October 19, Speaker Tom Craddick and his District 82 opponent, Bill Dingus, squared off in a televised debate in Midland. Candidates discussed issues from the merits of CHIP, TxDOT, property taxes, and lobbyists. The surprise at the debate, however, was that Leslie Ward, a vice president and lobbyist for AT&T, was allowed to sit at the table with local journalists and have a turn at asking questions. AT&T was the debate's official sponsor, and its Political Action Committee (PAC) recently donated an even 50 G to Craddick's own PAC three days before the debate. more ›