In a sequel to a similar event last October, several Austin clergy members of a variety of faiths, including Rev. Samuel L. Hose of Round Rock’s Saint John Vianney Catholic Church (speaking above), held a press conference Tuesday at University Baptist Church to denounce the impending war. The assembled religious leaders sent a letter to President Bush, which read in part: “As people of faith, we believe that our real enemy is not Saddam Hussein, but the temptation to use violence in pursuit of our interests and to solve our problems. � We urge you, do not permit the triumph of violence. Do not launch a war against Iraq. Pursue more creative, nonviolent alternatives to diffuse the tension, reduce the hostility, and create the conditions that will lead to true peace between the United States and Iraq.” Credit: Photo By John Anderson

Quote of the Week: “Seton Healthcare Network, to borrow a phrase from The Godfather, has made the city of Austin an offer it can’t refuse. Austin City Council members should take the deal.” — the Statesman editorial board, in Monday’s edition. The “deal” does not exist, according to City Hall, and apparently the Statesman editorialists have never seen The Godfather. See Seton, Mueller: What Deal?.

Speaking of the Statesman, the daily is officially wrong about Barton Springs. So the City Council was told last week by a dozen state and federal environmental experts. The pool should reopen “soon.” See Springs Safe for Swiming.

Gov. Rick Perry delivered his State of the State address Tuesday and promised to bridge Texas’ $9.9 billion budget gap purely through belt-tightening and spending cuts. See Capitol Chronicle.

Spring enrollment at the University of Texas is 49,411, a record high for spring. Numbers went up across the board in all ethnicities. Meanwhile, a new set of reports from Harvard University claims that Texas’ “top 10%” admissions policy — with which the White House wants to replace affirmative action — has a “negligible” effect on minority enrollment.

News broke late Wednesday that Hyde Park Baptist Church has won its court fight with the city of Austin over neighbors’ attempts to limit the scale of the church’s mega-development. More on this next week.

This article appears in February 14 • 2003.

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