Professional Documents
Culture Documents
by
Kenneth White
Kenneth White
1108 Wellesley Avenue
Modesto, CA 95350-5044
(209) 567-0600
Ken1White@aol.com
Tyranny of the Downbeat 1
For without belittling the courage with which men have died, we
should not forget those acts of courage with which men ... have
lived. The courage of life is often a less dramatic spectacle than
the courage of a final moment; but it is no less a magnificent
mixture of triumph and tragedy.
CHAPTER 1
reveals the open blade of the San Joaquin Valley. A jeep runs
stops. It's a Greek Chorus telling him what he's there for, what he
already knows.
raised here. Probably die here. I took it for granted. Now I'm
trying to save it.
critics say and he disputes. We've got something more in common than
this job. He also grew up here in the Valley. In the same small
Tyranny of the Downbeat 3
it's a destination.
counting.
the Valley is mine. I take the good with the bad. I like the
the weather, unbearable. I suppose it's what you get used to. A
certain idea of what the world should look like. I'd just rather see
earth like it. The lush garden first seen by mountain men like
Tyranny of the Downbeat 4
John Muir.
grown here around the clock, around the year. It was put here
below the soil is the bottom of this ancient sea. It's a layer
dead level. There's not much that's tall enough to break the
south and west of the Sierra foothills. It's one of the last of
don't want the birds to land. If they do, they'll die. They'll
That's where I come in. I want to know why the birds are
dying. And why no one's talking about it. But that's only the
First from the Marines, then his own country's army. He had fed his
family on the run. Refugees in their own land. Until he boarded the
ship that took him, his brother, their families, and too many others
for the small boat, away. Along the way, they had been boarded by
pirates. Robbed, beaten, and raped. They finally reached camps that
waiting, they got processed and left for America. Only to find
continued in East Los Angeles, then East San Jose, and finally
domestic. Their two children went to school and took the first
so many others who, given the opportunity, greedily grasped it. They
could say.
gun kept him from resisting. Jimmy thought it was some kind of joke.
Especially since the man was carrying a baseball bat. Funny, until
the man hit him with it. Until everything went black when he tried
to stop the man. His wife and children huddled on the floor as he
Now he was awake. A little slow, but aware. He had been moved
pesticides were kept. All the petrochemical products that kept the
Tyranny of the Downbeat 7
there, and why the man was filling the spray rig with a pesticide
confused him. Until he doused his shirt with it. Until his entire
neck and back were soaked with it. Until he was left swimming in it.
began shouting against the bandana in his mouth, the ropes around his
arms. But nothing gave. The sweat glistened around his eyes and on
his forehead, and plopped to the concrete floor. Then the slugger
down his throat. The man held his nose and mouth shut so he couldn't
breath and had to swallow. He put the bandana back in and left.
Barely there. He untied him and dumped him in the back of a company
truck. He drove through the night, through the cotton, through the
out of the truck and onto the ground, quickly strapped the spray rig
to his back, and left. That's how the foreman found him the next
day. Dressed for work. Comatosed on the American dream.
Jon." The Duke. I hate myself for making snap judgments, but
Tyranny of the Downbeat 8
I do. Make snap judgments, not hate myself. This guy's every
Jonathan Henry Miller is just over six feet, wide and mean.
He's built like the kind of guy you were always afraid was going
to crush you each time he hugged you. He was like the bully you
remember from elementary school. Too big and clumsy, and maybe a
against the school walls. Put kittens in burlap sacks and dumped
them into the canal, laughing. The older he got, the bigger and
meaner he became. And he wasn't just big, he was also fat. His
always too small, exposing pieces of his long johns through the gaps
between the buttons. His pants were too short, exposing trunk legs,
and his belly bubbled over the thin leather belt he wore and
regularly used on his kids and sometimes his wife. His head seemed a
little too small for his body. His close-cropped blonde hair curled
filthy race of brutes having the form and all the vices of man.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 9
"Yahoo" came to mean any degraded or vicious man. The shoe seemed to
fit.
I notice Big Jon wears Levi's blue jeans and Tony Lama
Jim Beam. A lot of that too when he's on the spot. He's educated,
But you don't really want to sit on his lap. "Big Jon," as he's also
known, doesn't like kids. And he doesn't like spics, although he's
His ranch sits right along the San Joaquin River. The front of
the house faces the river. The deck faces the fields.
Miller, the man who brought water to the valley. Miller's father
Then the Depression hit. You couldn't pay for your water, so you
"So why do you keep lobbying for water? I mean this looks
down. Now it's 150. That takes energy. And that means money."
"So that's why you're lobbying for more dams? And why the
lobbied for more subsidies. "You know, 30 years from now, when
you can't get a clean drink of water and can't even flush the
twirls the ice in his glass with his fingers. Then he fishes
them out and throws them on the ground, in the dust. A soft thud.
about all that water washing down from the hills into the Delta
and out to sea. The state could sell that water. But instead,
summed it up.
country; but, for the want of that water which runs to waste at
our very doors, and which a little sagacity and industry would
streams running unstopped from the mountains to the delta and then to
the ocean. "Sagacity and industry" really meant building dams,
was time to stop "wasting" the water that was being allowed to
editorial was a herald of the way things would soon become in the
valley.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 12
what he knows, which isn't much. The way he figures it, it was
water. Waste it 'til it's gone, then find some more somewhere.
hospital.
will cause a fever. A very high fever. Most people would take
aspirin to get rid of the fever. Except, in this case, that's the
"Why?"
avoided?"
"Why's that?"
An uncomprehending stare.
sacks. He told the foreman he wasn't feeling very well. That he was
dizzy and sick to his stomach. The foreman sent him home. A few
"He died?"
"Is it toxic?"
convulsions."
"Pretty much."
Shakes his head. "You know, this isn't the first time these
me.
people's heads."
away.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 15
CHAPTER 2
132, then right and left onto Ralston Avenue, I drive under an
archway above what used to be the main entrance into town. It's
It reads: "Where the Land Owns the Water." All the times I've
driven beneath it, I never thought much about it. But it says
Tonight, I'm thinking back on how this long, strange trip began.
can see the heatwaves simmering on the roadway. You can see the
mirage, the water just down the road. It's an illusion. Funny
cool off. But the main drag is just heating up. The cruisers
Tyranny of the Downbeat 16
are out. Street machines and their drivers begin the weekend
mating ritual.
years ago can't even get through the crowd to his own class
the Thomas Dewey High School Commodores. Cruising the main drag
and "BMOCs" he's about to encounter for the first time since he
last saw them in 1962, just before he wrapped his car around a
walnut tree. He's not thinking about that brush with death,
He's thinking about what he and his father had just talked about.
They were sitting on the back deck, drinking iced teas, when
he waded in. Never one to hedge, he went right to the point.
His father, about to take another sip, put his glass down.
His only chance to have a grandchild had just been yanked away.
"You're sure? You've checked with the doctors, with all the
specialists?"
father is. "How do you know? Look, I really want a family. I'm
"No. There's nothing else we can do. Nothing else they can
admit. Now it was done. But it wasn't even close to being over.
wondering about.
Traveling down the highway, you know you're close because the
"Waterston--It's the Water." Just like the old Oly beer ads.
phosphoric acid.
manufacture of pesticides.
kept on dumping. And they kept on looking the other way. And,
as the saying goes, what the locals and the state didn't know,
land; land sitting right next to the plant. Some water began
Tyranny of the Downbeat 19
percolating into his field. His dog chased a jack rabbit through
the water. After the jack lost him at the fence, the dog trotted
back over to his owner. He sat down and began licking himself.
he died.
The water had come from the plant's waste water pond.
dumped on the ground found its way into the soil. And,
The state decided it had better test the water pumped from
wells around the plant. They found that the only water source
for the entire town was contaminated with DBCP, a chemical known
Not once during the more than twenty years the plant
manufactured DBCP, did management ever warn its workers about the
"We suspected for more than four years that the pesticides
those years was a lie. We were killing our workers and the local
cut into the bottom line. If the state hadn't started testing,
the people around here would never have known. Still wouldn't.
watching out for us. And when they find something, it takes
clear. The plant dumped its waste on the ground. It got into
miles from the plant. And the tainted water was the same water
he had been drinking since 1948, the year they moved there. The
year he celebrated his sixth birthday. The same year the plant
before?"
certainly not."
name's not important. Their behavior is. They can be taken into
your body any number of ways. Through the lungs, the gastro-
in your body fat. It could take 10, 20, or 30 years before the
"Try 40 years."
about it."
once in my life. Now I'm being told that I've died a second
time."
dying of cancer. Right now. And someone I don't know did this
Tyranny of the Downbeat 22
profit margin."
"You know what they say? 'I don't get mad, I just get
even.' I've always been that way and I'm not about to change
now."
But you try and pull something like that on me and I'll be all
over you like a bad suit." He had to smile. That was an old one
says that sometimes you have to leave home and travel somewhere
a free man. In his world, the story is the story, not the exotic
faster now than in the past. The pace of editing, the speed of
likes speed. Always has. He wants to see how fast he can go,
says it's a lot like his personal life: how fast he can go, how
His translucent skin and stooped demeanor make him seem almost
he looks.
clue about what time period he seems to crave and feel safest
living in. Curly, wavy, and thick, it's long in the back and
pinched I think they call it. And his bottom teeth are somewhat
irregular.
His eyes, though. His eyes are the messianic blue of the
martyr. They betray him. This is a man with a mission and the
vision of things and his eyes blaze it. They are always busy,
posture says one thing, the eyes another. When he talks to you,
the eyes, but stares around and beyond, as if he might lose some
Elliot tells you he liked life best in the late Fifties and early
Sixties. His clothes, though not off the racks of a golden
watch with the face on the inside of his wrist. It makes you
Tyranny of the Downbeat 26
motorcycle boots he once wore have given way to the fashion and
especially the model James Dean was driving when he skidded into
made it easier for him to deal with people in Hollywood and New
Ask Elliot about that and he will tell you Jimmie Dean was a
the title of the film was misleading. Dean had a cause. And
him run.
things my way until they're done the way I want them done. And I
can't-- no, I don't want to rely on anyone because they might let
anyone too close. He's just cautious. And those who work for,
and with him, sense that it's his independence that creates the
between Jimmie Dean and Jim Backus in "Rebel". They never quite
thought his son was lazy and, when he decided to become a movie
maker, he was baffled how his son could make a living carrying around
a camera. But he could and his father was finally able to express
cars for girls in his adolescent affections. Then movies took the
someone he could live out his days with. The fact is, he felt he
embraces were not familiar territory. You could almost see him
Probably the one personality trait that was the closest bond
between the two rebels, that tied them the tightest, was their
found it harder and harder to cope with the demands and duplicity
of the world. And it was setting up the other for the trial of
his life.
actor named Robert Stack. Impulsively, she named her son after
him. Elliot was indeed a lot like the character. But not the
way Stack played Ness. More the way Kevin Costner played him.
day, as he was returning home from his last day of high school,
he was excited and probably driving a little too fast. Too fast
modern culture, had lost touch with our mythological roots. But
been reborn. And like those ancient tribal members who dance
The week following the reunion, they sit in one of the dark
hand, controlling the Kem table with his right. He's making a
content."
six in process right now. You're maxed out! You can't take on
anything more."
into her eyes. "'Live, as though the day were here.' Remember
that? Remember where it came from? Who said it? And why?
Janet was having lunch with Paul, one of the staff editors.
the raised deck. Small talk gives way to what is becoming the
Water Project."
An affair, not his style. But I don't think either will take
Tyranny of the Downbeat 32
today."
"I don't want to hear this again. The last time he tried
track."
long enough. Now it's time for the company to serve him. And he
FADE IN:
1 ON BLACK
TITLE -- SUPER
DISSOLVE:
It is almost daybreak. The full moon burns pale fire low on the
horizon. We see a fresh water cistern surrounded by barbed-wire.
Standing near its edge is a lone sentry, silhouetted against the
moon. The reflection of man and moon stares back at us from the
shimmering surface.
Slowly, he lifts his head and looks around, like an animal that's
just killed its next meal. We look closer. We see that the
intruder is Southeast Asian.
DISSOLVE:
3 MONTAGE
DISSOLVE:
Two armed sentries stand guard near a tanker truck filled with
water. It is being rationed out and sold to people.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 34
7 MONTAGE
DISSOLVE:
HOUSTON (V.O.)
"This is the prow and plunging cutwater,
This rock shore here, bound to strike first,
and the world will watch us endure
prophetical things
And learn its fate from our ends."
9 WIDE SHOT
JAMES HOUSTON
Poet Robinson Jeffers was really describing
all of California when he wrote those lines
describing the Big Sur coastline in "Thurso's
Landing."
10 MEDIUM SHOT
11 MEDIUM CLOSE UP
12 MEDIUM SHOT
13 WIDE SHOT
CHAPTER 3
When they tell you to grow up, they mean to stop growing.
-- Tom Robbins
illiteracy, and the power of the media. The most visible of this
Rivera. He, who once tracked down the Mafia and exposed drug
used to do.
I had become more and more disillusioned with the way things
were. One night, while watching the evening news, I got angry.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 38
could make people cry. I could make them laugh. But it wasn't
media and kept most of the public in the dark. That used their
had seen it. Sometimes aided it. I decided to blow their cover.
That's when Elliot called. The timing, the coincidence, was hard
to ignore.
pointed out, if they couldn't see you they couldn't hit you.
else, thinks.
The residual childhood freckles and chipped front tooth make him
Tyranny of the Downbeat 39
sustained while trying to grow up. And that's the key to his
his humor, his ability to make people feel good, his ability to
have fun and enjoy life. They like him because he's fun to be
he's yet to really deal with. It killed his mother and some of
never went without, but there was never enough money for the
frivolities, the movies or the candy bar. His friends always had
money and he seemed to always be the kid with his face pressed
obvious from the way he looks and the way his house and his car
and his desk look. Everything is neat and tidy and in its place.
His whole life is too organized. To the point where there seems
controlling his world. Which may explain why he's had trouble
and family.
just five blocks away. She was five years younger; the same age
as his younger brother. He knew her older sister, who was the
same age and went to all the same schools through high school.
home, he asked for a date. They went out the next week. They
slept together that night and never looked back. Now, thirteen
Is it any wonder,
That I feel so blue?
When I know for certain,
That I'm losing you.
-- The Everly Brothers, "So Sad"
across the Golden Gate Bridge. Over the next few years, he added
Like most of the people who grew up and lived for a time in
the city and preferred a quiet night at home with Chinese and a
town where he grew up. It didn't get quite as hot as the valley,
but it had the same rolling hills, green in winter and dusty
brown in summer.
down into the main valley, the road splits, encircling a lake.
road. Down a road to the left are the original ranch buildings.
Renovated, they now house support staff and the ranch hands who
still tend the fences and roads. Arcing around the lake in a
Francisco. Each has a wide, low porch running around the front
and along the sides. Low rock walls surround the group. Buried
beneath the lawns, the meadow, and the softball diamond at the
often-parched grounds.
and origin lie scattered about. Dusky rose chairs and a couch
Stereo equipment and playback units lie partially sunk along one
ceiling.
And Elliot was obviously very proud of what he'd done. He told
"All the films we've made, all the money we've made, was
outside distractions."
art films."
cup of tea before he slouched onto the couch. Janet joined us,
who was known for not liking to talk much wanted to. Receding
into the couch and crossing his legs, body language signaling
movies. But the public and the critics only remember the
that's all I can make. What's worse, that's all they want."
keep making the same movie over and over again. The studios like
that."
things. I'm not something. I'm settled in. My life's too safe
and adjusted. I'm insulated. Cut off. It's too easy. There's
Chill?' 'We're all alone out there. And tomorrow we're going
-- Western "Who?"
cry."
are positive. You've created all kinds of role models for kids
and adults. They respect you and your vision. You make people
feel optimistic. I really think they feel good about life and
hope. Making them believe things will get better. You can't
just leave them with the down-side. They already know how bad
things are."
-- Elliot (brightening philosophic) "I really feel film
should do what the church and society used to do. It should tell
around the world the same way Rome's legions once did. He said
he learned about blue jeans and hairstyle and music and the way
to dress and dance and eat and about hamburgers. You name it.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 47
around?"
major responsibility."
hell aren't going to do it. It's people like us, who can reach
sell."
act."
you?"
he drifts into his own world, no longer talking with us) "The
point I was making in that movie was that you can't hang on to
constant transition and you have to accept that. The future may
Tyranny of the Downbeat 49
you're leaving something you know behind. But you have to keep
moving forward. That's what life is all about. You can either
have a good attitude about change or a bad one. But you have to
accept it so you can control it. So you you can make it work
for you. (He starts heading back to the surface) That's really
stories help people cope, all the better. But I always start
with the tales I have to tell. (Eyes focused and scanning both
our faces.) This story has been hiding deep inside me until the
time for telling was right. I remember watching our first lunar
land, sky, and water. We are one world, one race, hurtling
that anything we did one one side of the planet, whether it's
polluting the water or setting off a nuclear device, would one
day reach the other side. (Now completely back with the living.)
want them to stop shuffling in the terra firma and begin staring
Greek and Roman, I think. It's what I've been talking about.
Gaea was the Earth Goddess. Mother Earth. Once, we were one
planet. We started that way. And now we have lost our way. We
have lost our respect for the Earth, wildlife, ourselves, and
other people. And those who live out of harmony are doomed.
this planet."
Starting here. Starting now." He put the tape back. "Have you
seen our new edit suite? (the jump cut in subject and attitude is
jarring) I'd like to show it to you and I'd like you to meet
someone."
area was allowed only with a magnetic ID card. Each was very
secure, very clean, very sterile. And quiet. The white noise of
no noise.
was master control. The machine room that powered Nemo's dream.
boards spread away from the center of the console, where there
of a creature.
He was real hard to look at. Like something whose skin had
harm, or witchcraft.
"The Mole." He spent all his free time cruising data bases,
glare of day-to-day reality, he'd soon turn his back and return
had a computer, all political and economic power would flow back
break any code, crack any security system, and often did it
simply for the fun of it, for the pure challenge, the thrill of
the chase.
preferences.
One of the things he liked doing best was harassing the MIS
he--and they--could go. And did. For those unfamiliar with the
bomb."
Virus spreaders like The Mole were mostly men in their late
Mole. He was far more interested in the game, not the ethics of
secret, he simply broke the code, just to see what they were
Tyranny of the Downbeat 54
To give him the money, and thus the freedom, to pay for his
something he was very good at. One of the best, in fact. But
left alone with one. When Elliot needed an editor for "The Water
He not only wouldn't look you in the eye, but he refused to waste
game."
second.
For good."
understand him. From the moment the title sequence of his first
mega-hit began to roll, his every move and word had been a matter
"It's just basic human morality. And he feels it's the only
"I need your opinion on something. The way I see it, we can
two ways with this show. We can use a professional, a third
involving."
people who are recognizable, who have credibility, and who are
you might think you have been beamed back to Terra Incognito.
jaw harp. Softly, but clearly, you can hear the primitive sounds
with parts tossed about and cables snaking in and through. Some
As long as it works.
platform with its own gyroscope and its own power source, free
and isolated from power surges that could trash months of work.
his prophet.
CHAPTER 4
DISSOLVE:
GROUND LEVEL SHOT of Mojave Desert. Far off, we can see a lone
man standing in the middle of this barren land. It is MARC
REISNER, author of "Cadillac Desert." The CAMERA begins racing
toward REISNER, skimming across the ground.
MARC REISNER
Everyone knows there's a desert somewhere in
California. But many believe it's off in
some remote corner of the state. Like here
in the Mojave, or Palm Springs, or maybe the
eastern side of the Sierra Nevada.
MEDIUM CLOSE UP
DISSOLVE:
15 MONTAGE
Shots of lush parks and streets in los angeles and the Central
Valley.
REISNER (v.o.)
California is a beautiful fraud. It fools
visitors into believing it is 'lush.'
Tyranny of the Downbeat 61
16 MEDIUM SHOT
BAGBY
--Gentlemen, today you can walk out that door, turn
right, hop on a streetcar and in twenty-five minutes end up
smack in the Pacific Ocean. Now you can swim in it, you can
fish in it, you can sail in it -- but you can't drink it, you
can't water your lawns with it, you can't irrigate your orange
grove with it. Remember -- we live next door to the ocean but we
also live on the edge of the desert. Los Angeles is a desert
community. Beneath this building, beneath every street
there's a desert. Without water the dust will rise up and cover
us as though we'd never existed!
(pausing, letting the
implication sink in)
CLOSE - GITTES
BAGBY (O.S.)
(continuing)
The Alto Vallejo can save us from that, and I respectfully
suggest that eight and a half million dollars is a fair
price to pay to keep the desert from our streets and not on
top of them.
18 MEDIUM CLOSE UP
REISNER
It's ironic. Pollution from another segment
of corporate America is responsible for
filling the air with carbon dioxide. And
this same carbon dioxide is slowly, but
definitely changing the world's climate. And
as it does, California will become even
drier. It will become ever more a desert.
DISSOLVE
20 WIDE SHOT
LOWER LEVEL AERIAL SHOT of Hoover Dam. CAMERA swoops over edge
of dam.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 63
21 MEDIUM SHOT
GROUND LEVEL SHOT of two people. MARC REISNER and JOAN DIDION,
author and native Californian. They walk near the marble Star
Map at Hoover Dam.
JOAN DIDION
This marble star map traces a sidereal
revolution of the equinox. It fixes forever,
the man from the Bureau of Reclamation has
told me, for all time and for all people who
can read the stars, the date Hoover Dam was
dedicated.
DIDION (v.o.)
"They died to make the desert bloom," it
reads. This plaque is dedicated to the 96
men who died building this first of the great
high dams. This is the legacy of the West.
Our compulsive need to control water. To
hoard it. To not waste a drop.
DISSOLVE
23 MONTAGE
REISNER (v.o.)
Someday, archaeologists from some other
planet will sift through the bleached bones
of our civilization. They may well conclude
that our temples were dams. The permanence
of our dams will merely impress them. Their
numbers will leave them in awe.
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
DISSOLVE
DIDION
The star map is here for that time when we
are all gone and only the dam is left. I
hadn't thought much of it when he said it
then, but I think of it now, ...
DIDION (v.o.)
... with the wind whining and the sun
dropping behind a mesa with the finality of a
sunset in space. I realize that is how I
have always seen it. A dynamo finally free
of man, splendid at last in its absolute
isolation, transmitting power and releasing
water to a world where no one is.
Moss Beach.
since that June day when we threw our mortarboards into the air
good and drunk and left for our respective homes and our future
much. He moved back and our paths still hadn't crossed that
Always had. Along the razor's edge. That's where the title came
last of the cowboys. Just like the character Lee Marvin played
in the movie of the same name. He wasn't real good about change,
one year.
Pat came from long line of native sons from the "auld
all the goldwork on the dome of the state capital. His father
the men in his family could have taken up the cloth or the badge.
Most of them rejected the cloth and became cops or marines. His
parents were, and are, very much stuck in living the "proper"
position in life. It was almost like once his family cut him
loose, he made them and the rest of their world his enemy. He
wasn't about to let any of them get away with anything ever
again. He took special care with any case involving the power
from his father's world that he went out looking for any cases
involving the powerful, just to bring the big guy down. Maybe it
disappointment, the anger, and the hurt he felt when his father
and mother abandoned him. It cut him deeply that he, who
women. He spent time, like his hero Merle Haggard, raising cane.
And his family hoped his crops would fail. He was not
Now he's got two children, both boys. His wife, Diane, whom
married for twelve years now, through good and bad and multiple
They like each other fine when they're alone and away from family
the valley. That is the only real threat to his marriage. The
are stranded, caught between the adolescent rock and the middle
aged hard place. And they're all having a rough time making the
buddies. But they want the career, wife, and the family. Caught
on the horns.
been echoed by me, that we would all be friends for life. That
no matter how far away, or how long we'd been apart, we could get
together and it'd be like we'd never left. There was that kind
for what they were; nothing more, nothing less. And you were
there for them, whether they needed you or not. My wife could
sixties and hoped that some of it had rubbed off on the men they
married.
like the Irish, could kill. That's why he made a good FBI agent.
He was a good company man, loyal to the corps. And loyal to his
buddies. And that's what usually got him into trouble. That was
what he did and to earn the respect of his peers and superiors.
Pat acted and reacted. He was not one to ponder and consider.
it.
Walsh could be melancholic, sullen. You could see it in
his face. It was there right around his eyes and creasing his
depressing, but you knew exactly where you stood. What sometimes
and the kids had softened the edges a little. He was better
about it, but still not real comfortable. I doubt he had ever
to ask, but he did it; to swallow his pride and ask for help from
his father just this once. It was that important. He got the
through it. And a little Jim Beam. His life's goal had been
Just about that time, the war against toxic waste started
more and more cases of roadside dumping; and cans and cans of
of Justice's Toxic Task Force, Pat's name was mentioned early and
California, he also knew the territory and the players. The fact
investigation.
about who heard what and how. He knew he was moving far beyond
his original assignment; beyond what they had asked him to
investigate.
problems. And the people on his hit list were some of the same
them and ready to take the next step; certain they would
authorize it. The next day, his supervisor called him into his
been asked to. It was like the guy had punched him in the gut,
It was the first time he'd ever had shit like this pulled on
cards; had pulled some strings from atop their plush corporate
medical examiner, it was the fucking Bureau that was asking him
how high he'd jump. This had been his best shot ever at the big
He left the office thinking that not even the Bureau was
He knew then that it would never come out. Not this story. The
whole truth and nothing but wouldn't be. His naivete was
superiors. His wheel was squeaking real loud. The next thing he
knew, he was off the case and at a desk. Writing up reports and
Tyranny of the Downbeat 74
frontier analogy. "It was like riding fence," he later told me.
repairing broken fence, making sure none of the cattle got out.
sure the fence stood. Fence. That's what closed the frontier,
wasn't going to get any better until he retired. Pat could stay
Pat had taken his new job about two months before Elliot
real life.
know we were still thinking along the same lines. Like me and
Elliot, his gut told him the Quon incident was somehow tied to
the death of farmworker twenty years earlier. That case had been
unsolved and closed for quite a while, but it had come up again
didn't think he'd have any trouble getting his new bosses to let
herbicides, making sure the growers are using the right chemicals
for their problem and assuring that the chemicals are mixed in
cancer or being exposed to poisons that might some day cause it.
He knows his bio-chem and he knows it's all too possible. Now
that he's seen their faces and talked to them, he's even more
determined to get to the bottom of the Jimmie Quon story and how
CHAPTER 5
"I come before you today with the distressing news that
one of this Nation's most vast and vital resources is in serious
jeopardy. Our ground waters, long considered virtually
pollution-free, are threatened by ruinous contamination. The
problem is national, for potential sources and routes of
contamination may be found wherever people live and work. The
problem is serious, for the intruding contaminants are often
highly toxic, sometimes cancer-causing. The prospect that water
may contain high concentrations of toxic chemical compounds
compels our immediate attention and action. The story of
hazardous wastes and vulnerable groundwaters is just beginning to
be written, but the opening chapter is enough to predict that
this will become the environmental horror story of the
eighties--with aftereffects reaching into the next millennium."
-- Eckhardt C. Beck, Former Assistant Administrator for Water and
Waste Management, U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Before the Subcommittee on Environment, Energy, and Natural
Resources, June 25, 1980.
in North America were formed during the Ice Age's glacial melt.
surface."
Tyranny of the Downbeat 78
sink a well and start filling buckets with water. Hand pumps
were replaced with electric pumps. Wells went deeper and pumping
out of existence."
"Or bad."
His look tells me he doesn't think much of my participation
years."
"For example?"
private wastes had been dumped into sinkholes and wells as far
Tyranny of the Downbeat 79
the hole.
contaminate?"
issue?"
manufacturing wastes."
confirmed."
rapidly."
"In lay terms, can you tell us a little about some of the
groundwater."
"Seriously?"
"Which includes?"
"Seriously?"
"Realistically."
"Why?"
"Or because the people doing the spraying can't read the
labels?"
"That's a problem. Besides, most growers are skeptical
about just how effective the BMPs are. We think a lot of them
misuse?"
"Let's change our focus a moment. The farmers may use these
chemicals, but they don't make them. Let's get to the source.
Who are the major manufacturers and what responsibility must they
assume?"
agricultural chemicals."
agriculture."
contamination."
not."
"Drinkable?"
outright it's okay? Even though it's been proven that the
chemicals will stay in the body until they do kill you. So,
factors that could help transport their products into the ground
water."
it's cost-effective?"
one. It's hard to believe, but the law assumes you have the
those aquifers doesn't flow too swiftly or too far. Which makes
discovered?"
earlier and many miles away. By the time the contamination was
changed."
water?"
"In the past, the only way the government could no anything
"And the slow movement of the water made locating the source
if not impossible?"
DISSOLVE:
27 MEDIUM SHOT
Over rise in road you can see someone slowly come into view. It
is JOAN DIDION.
JOAN DIDION
Tyranny of the Downbeat 86
DISSOLVE
28 MONTAGE
DIDION (V.O.)
To a stranger driving highway 99 in air-
conditioned isolation, these towns must seem
so flat, so impoverished, as to drain the
imagination. They hint at evenings spent
hanging around gas stations, and suicide
pacts sealed in drive-ins.
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
29 MONTAGE
NARRATOR (V.O.)
Groundwater is one of America's most valuable
and plentiful natural resources. We drink,
bathe in, grow and cook our food with this
Tyranny of the Downbeat 87
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
30 MONTAGE
MARC REISNER
In the late 1800s, most of the San Joaquin
Valley was still a vista of wild blond
grassland and wheat.
DISSOLVE:
32 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
33 EXT. FARMLAND
36 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
Shots of water being pumped into fields lying near the delta.
39 ANIMATION
41 MONTAGE
sign, very much like the thousands of other signs that mark state
and national parks. But there's something unusual about the sign
and boarded up. There are shotgun and .22 holes peppering its
padlocked with a huge, forged steel chain. The sign itself has
removed. Though the letters have been taken away, the name is
serene, the lily pads, and the marsh grass, then glances off the
vermilion greens of the few ducks flying across the dusky sky.
summer's breeze. A big rig cuts through the middle of the scene,
There was a time when you could witness the cycle of life
Through the thick tule fog, two single headlights cut a path.
The riders on each ATV work for the Fish and Wildlife Service.
They dismount and slowly slide a boat out into the waters. The
muted colors and the long shot of them sitting in their boat,
hands, trailing fire through the mist. The spiraling black smoke
Along the bank, there are more of them. They wear brown
coats and brown hats, drab and colorless as the winter's ground
the stench they say, but they're really thinking it'll probably
block out the noise. They all carry weapons. Some stand near
straggles into the sky. He breaks open the barrel, discards the
"Whistling Pete" protrudes from the barrel. And when it's fired,
A few years ago, some of the duck hunters around Masterson began
Many seemed sick. So weak they couldn't float. So weak they simply
drowned. The hunters thought the birds were being killed by field
runoff filled with fertilizers and pesticides. The farmers and the
farm lobby told them to stick it up their collective asses. Then the
southern Coast Range. It's washed down from the edges of the
the layer of clay below the soil, so it sits there, like water in
a giant bath tub. The selenium stays in solution. The algae eat
the selenium. Fish and waterfowl eat the algae. Then, maybe,
people eat the fish and birds. At each step in the food chain,
Then the birds at Masterson stopped spawning. And the ones that
and congeals around his legs, revealing the brackish water below.
He stops and reaches down. His gloved hand gingerly picks up,
then holds up, a young duck, limply dead. Its eyes are gone. He
Masterson closely for the first time. The closer they looked,
precious water and flushed selenium out of the soil. But the
west side farmers were also misusing chemicals. Fertilizers,
with more than salt and selenium. The worst offenders seemed to
The plants absorb the water and leave the rest. And when it gets
real hot--and it does in the valley--the good water goes up, the
reaches the plant roots. By then, the salts and poisons are so
Here and there, across the valley, the bad water has reached
the surface, killing every living thing. All that's left is bare
nature's way.
bad water off their fields and into a larger drain called the
Tranquility Canal.
The drain was built to carry the bad water out of the valley
and eventually into the San Francisco Bay. Out of sight and,
the refuge into a giant evaporation pond for the ag runoff. And
Tyranny of the Downbeat 96
into the fresh water aquifer lying directly below. The aquifer
that just happens to supply fresh drinking water for most of the
named Masterson.
The west side farmers don't want to hear it, but the fact is
the selenium and the salt. The costs and the risks are far
unacceptable."
Point Pinos near the Monterey Coast. The BuRec has already
purchased the land along the right of way. The director denies
Tyranny of the Downbeat 97
flooding Masterson with clean water. The experts think they can
fund to deal with the problem in the future. And they want to be
CHAPTER 6
of the entire San Francisco peninsula to the east and, on clear days,
newest and most controversial in the nation. The Institute, like the
state, was named for the Amazon queen who ruled a mythical treasure
supercomputer.
realizing, "I can compute more than I can comprehend." The Institute
until just before his death. Several years later his son, John
During the past few years, The Wave had been very successful at
relied upon to generate most of the revenue for the entire operation.
John Whitney, Jr., later wrote that the best way to understand
their work was to recall "The Simile of the Cave," in which Plato
discussed the concepts of Belief and Illusion with his pupil Glaucon.
average man. Though he made it clear that the ordinary man knows the
simile suggests that man's moral and intellectual opinions often bear
life.
Plato wrote:
running a long way underground. In this chamber are men who have
been prisoners there since they were children, their legs and necks
being so fastened that they can only look straight ahead of them and
cannot turn their heads. Behind them and above them a fire is
burning, and between the fire and the prisoners runs a road, in front
shows between the operators and their audience, above which they show
their puppets."
"I see."
"Imagine further that there are men carrying all sorts of gear
made of wood and stone and other materials, and that some of these
"They are drawn from life," I replied. "For, tell me, do you
except the shadows thrown by the fire on the wall of the cave
opposite them?"
"How could they see anything else if they were prevented from
"And would they see anything more of the objects carried along
the road?"
"Then if they were able to talk to each other, would they not
"Inevitably."
don't you think that they would suppose, whenever one of the passers-
by on the road spoke, that the voice belonged to the shadow passing
before them?"
"Yes, inevitably."
not a speck of dust. The occupants must shower and put on sanitized
or conspiracy.
and hardware that occupy this electronic bunker. They are mostly
Many had once worked in the Silicon Valley, for technology and
various planetary flybys monitored at the Jet Propulsion Lab and the
Hero and guru to many inside The Wave was teacher and
liked to get stoned and enjoy some of their own hot-rodded programs
of music and image. They said it was better than the movie "Altered
States."
Cray translated numbers and symbols into form and color. They worked
at both the microscopic and telescopic; the atom and the universe.
The Wave had designed the original simulator for the space
bombers, and tanks that were far too expensive to lose if a trainee
complexes for resorts from Cancun to Kona, Tokyo to Rio. They had
used.
head, covering both ears with stereo speakers and both eyes with
the helmet detected which way the image within the environment was
physician could learn what it was like to lose a patient dying from a
was absolutely confidential. Only those doing the work knew the
nature of it and even then they often knew only bits and pieces.
But the managers of the imaging division asked their people to read
scenarios."
The slate fills the screen. With each key click, another line
of information is completed.
SCENARIO: #880603
CLIENT: INTERNAL
ENGINEER: D. MACRITCHIE
STATUS: IN-PROGRESS
CLASSIFICATION: PRIORITY
DATE: 06/03/88
TRT: TBD
Tyranny of the Downbeat 107
LOCATIONS/PLACE NAMES:
skeletal remains of once great cities. These are The Flatlands, the
either side of the main road into town are the remains of an
half, they now bookend the road in their disrepair. To the left,
half buried in sand, the sign reads, "Where the Land". To the
raised.
now the only trading port on the West Coast, shipping food,
if she, like a snake, were shedding her dead skin. A massive and
Plants and trees shriveled and died. The rains stopped. There
was no water. Without water, there was no food. And then there
Chairman.
The Flatlands. The town supplies miners and workers who re-build
The Center--In the time before The Big One, The Center moved
Tyranny of the Downbeat 109
more water farther than had ever been moved anywhere. They used
Sacramento with its big board and its flashing lights. Driving
devices. Much of what didn't was easily repaired. The League was
League.
CHARACTER SKETCHES:
enforce district law and that means punishing those who steal or
sea of sand.
and Abel.
terrorists known as The Muirs. She sleeps with The Commodore for
common law" was The League. They used their money, power, and
was already in place before The Big One, courtesy of the State
what was once the Operations Control Center for the California
of corporate chemistry.
before The Big One. Because most of these wines were more
easily defended. They rob from the water-rich and give to the
subvert that vision. They are neither good nor bad. They simply
are.
can communicate.
Vigilance, they control The City. They were once the ruling
survive The Big One, re-surfaced to monopolize trade and run the
West Coast.
hills above what was once Oakland. They have installed a massive
He had anticipated every snare and left his own booby trap behind
once he exited the system. The logic bomb was tripped by the trap
CHAPTER 7
The way to learn any game is to play for more than you can
afford to lose.
-- Author Unknown
DISSOLVE:
JOAN DIDION
I am a native Californian. And a worshiper
of water. This is the Operations Control
Center for the California State Water Project
in Sacramento. What they do here is move
Tyranny of the Downbeat 116
DIDION (V.O.)
Water collects in the granite keeps of the
Sierra Nevada. It races toward the ocean in
the riverbeds of the Estanislao, the Eel, the
Snake. Trillions of gallons of it are stored
behind dams named Oroville, Hetch Hetchy, and
Jamestown.
44 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
47 MONTAGE
JOAN DIDION
From this room in Sacramento, the whole
system takes on the aspect of a perfect,
three-billion-dollar hydraulic toy. The
entire water project seems as make-believe as
California itself, in its relentless quest to
deny its desert heart.
52 MONTAGE
became "farmers" in the late Sixties, not because they had a love
deduct all expenses for specific crops during the early stages of
growth, while vines and trees were still maturing and hadn't
produced any fruit. The exempt crops included fruits and nuts.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 119
large chunks of land and paying handsome sums to the small family
farmers.
of Santa Monica.
oak and ash trees. There are picnic tables and sandbox toys for
family and company outings. Down the road are green plywood
houses for the temporary workers. All day long, the brand new,
light blue company field trucks hum in and out of the recently
paved driveway.
old days when a few families controlled most of the arable land
capitalist system.
polluted water.
joy in sucking the land dry and leaving the shards behind, as if
this was the one way they could take their revenge on the American
not in the shore break or rice paddies of Guam or Okinawa, but the
Takahiro Ozawa.
The 55-year old Ozawa was only fifteen when the war ended in
the Pacific, but the humiliation did not. He remembered his own
the emotions and tucked them away, holding them, savoring their
bitter taste, and using them as a prod, a scar that would not let
him forget, would not let him weaken, would not let him fail in
the equity in his family's small kimono business to buy his first
hostess bar. He then bought the building it was housed in. Then
skyward and the yen replaced the dollar as the world's most
million dollars. His was the most visible of the many shopping
houses."
paused, then turned and left. When asked why, he replied that
there were no slippers and, snap judging the house too unclean
prepared for each visit. He later added that he felt the owners
Tyranny of the Downbeat 124
had not paid sufficient respect to him. And that they, like most
than the members of the Westlands Water and Power League and real
it would have been bad for business, but Ozawa was an active
out their market and cornered it. Whether it's olives, cotton,
where the market goes, who stays in business and who doesn't,
what the fair market value for that product is. No one is large
there knew it, understood it, and recognized who enforced it.
behind the throne. The maker and enforcer was The League.
Like the cattle barons who ruled the feudal duchys of the
Valley and much of the state. The public knew about the money,
power. But of what type and to what degree, and how tight the
the State Capitol and its legislature. And many local officials
century, the major problems facing the ruling class were cattle
and the same. The cattlemen could hang the rustlers with the
backing of the common law of the range. But the homesteaders had
fenced off and under cultivation. The stock owners were unable
use. With their backs against the wall and the future staring
had stayed long enough to claim title. The charges were often
quo.
worried about losing the one thing their crops needed to survive.
They weren't riding the range looking for cattle rustlers. They
the land meant the need for more water, a resource these men felt
Valley, and the wave upon wave of immigrants, whether from Mexico
survive.
stealing" than the stock growers could, but they could use the
same weapons, the same informal "common law," the same harassment
Tyranny of the Downbeat 128
Their "territorial common law" was the true law. And they
expected their governmental agents, the ones they put into power,
to enforce it.
established order and the coming new order, were the keepers of
the law; those charged with enforcing the official law that
in the 1880s or FBI agents in the 1980s; those who had often
gotten their jobs because they too were once part of the
These men and women included Patrick Michael Walsh and Laura
Van deCamp.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 129
Determined to make it on her own, she did. She makes good money.
Drives a new Mazda RX-7 convertible. And lives with Chloe, her
as a staff lawyer for the Bay Area Rapid Transit system. When
before the separation. She stayed just long enough for the
a change in administration and her own heart sent her home again.
She went into private practice this time, joining the respected
husbands, friends, lovers. That was Laura. She spent her entire
Tyranny of the Downbeat 130
tomboy to be the son he never had. That solved one problem, but
To finally get his approval. She only earned her mother's wrath.
to most men her height. For a woman who had been taller than
Her parents had urged her to stand straight and her own
almost man-boyish.
Her eyes are brown, almost black, her skin dusky, like dark
olive oil. Her hair color is somewhere between blonde and brown,
with just enough red to make it glow. She has always worn it to
it frames her face best the way she wears it now, just to her
board room or the bed room. If you were comfortable with who you
And she's got legs. That's what most men notice first. Her
breasts are small, her butt tight and flat, creating the illusion
that her legs stretch all the way to her neck. And when she
party, one leg leading the other, hand on hip, slit skirt partly
sense of humor. She has what many a generation older would have
She has a husky voice that sends shivers running when she
has a few freckles, sprouting more whenever she stays out in the
sun too long. With hair back and no make-up, she looks even more
like the boy pulling the pigtails rather than the girl who owns
them.
surviving single life in the Eighties. You may lose your lover,
Tyranny of the Downbeat 132
any man she sleeps with isn't wasting her time. Often these
days, she thinks of Tillie, the lonely old lady next door. She
alone.
she's been on the run ever since. From San Francisco to Ralston
prospects in town. Had she met someone during the years of her
return, she probably would have stayed. And even during her
years in Washington, amid the state dinners and the junkets, and
the power in the air, she still missed the sense of community she
drawings by her nieces and nephews. That was the artwork she
their families who seem happily married, who are busy building a
home and future for their children. And here she is, attractive,
energy into her romantic future, she doubles her time at the
office. She figures if she can't find a lover, she'll more than
Nobody knows much about the members of the board. Many have
tried to find out. No one has succeeded. But some things are
wealthy, and very conservative. And they are all bound together
Lincoln's documentary.
goes without saying that we, and I feel I speak for everyone in
down, and folds his hands on the table. Even his smallest
playing to them.
On his way out, barely acknowledges the man holding the door for
him. The one who has been watching the entire time. Another
driving down the country road away from League headquarters and
grease, and fly specks, we see him acknowledge another man before
what has just taken place at the board meeting. It doesn't take
CHAPTER 8
life, Robin Devereaux had written and lectured about his fascination
And he had dedicated his life to fighting those who would kill the
to use the power of the group and the political process to get
things done.
like them, his non-violent stance, his resolute inaction, was almost
the cause of his own death once when he tried to keep a dam from
rising and a river flowing. The last stand he took nearly took his
life.
The Corps, the Bureau, and the national news media soon knew what
he was doing. That same morning, the head of the Army Corps
would drown. One man and "the most rapacious federal agency in
married Sharon, a local girl. They had two children, a boy and
weren't stealing the valley's water, were damming its rivers for
The Westlands Water and Power League had become the newest
The League needed water and the Bureau got it for them, with help
from the Corps, whether it was taming wild rivers in the Sierras,
California.
The Bureau and the Corps were lashed together from the very
When westerners said you were wasting water, they really meant
realized that the small farmer wouldn't be much use to them. But
large farms and thirsty cities, wealthy and powerful, with the
same goals, would be. Combined, these agencies, with the support
of organizations like The League and cities like Los Angeles, had
runoff.
Now 47, Robin's sandy hair is tinged with gray. His neatly
who depend on it. Those he once fought to keep from damming the
them.
MARC REISNER
Call it water imperialism. This control and
manipulation of water. Out here in the West,
everything depends on it. On capturing it
behind dams, storing it, and rerouting it in
concrete rivers over distances of hundreds of
miles. It's also the most blatant example of
socialism for the rich.
54 MONTAGE
REISNER (v.o.)
California agriculture does not like
unpredictability, especially when it comes to
water. So they have changed the natural
order. They have captured water, stored it,
and moved it around.
58 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
CHAPTER 9
and vegetable stands beckon along the way. Picked daily by the
workers wearing nylon Dodgers hats, long wool work shirts, and
awaiting the workers who will hand-carry them across the neat
furrows.
This valley, like all the others in this state, needs water.
The rolling hills are brown now, in the summertime, like the old
wooden barns and new stucco homes that line the ridge above and
Tyranny of the Downbeat 143
facing the old town built around the mission founded in 1797.
It's a good town to begin again in. He lives here with his wife,
Socorro, their two sons, and much of the rest of his extended
"familia."
still have some time, so I head out along The Alameda and cross
His father prayed for guidance, for a sign to help his son
find a way out. And he worked extra jobs to pay for the prayer.
He would say of Danny, too often to anyone who would listen, "My
the grape worker's strike began. He had to go. His people, now
was a time of reckoning. For all that he and his family had
Raza.
and table grapes were to the old. But there was no place for
the credibility and the power they lost when they crucified
Chavez. He sees a new activism, or rather, one that has been
dormant and is about to rise again. The Hispanics are the people
The land belongs to those who work it." We talk of that and some
poisonings."
silent."
experiment every day with our people, with the field hands. It
Tyranny of the Downbeat 147
is they who work with the poisons each day. They who wear it on
their backs."
"A Federal task force said that about half of the nation's
"Do not forget those that go into the field directly after
spraying."
else in agriculture."
careful when they spray. That they read and follow directions."
He smiles sadly.
believe in success."
sellout also?"
you have me do? Remain on the flatbed trucks? Does that make me
director?"
to drugs and gangs and guns to fill the void. Yes, perhaps I can
of cancer.
The Ranch. As usual, there's a late shift going. The ones who
like the rock & roll lifestyle. Elliot has come down from the
never left since Elliot left, hunched over the KEM table, is the
track."
Elliot wanders over to the kitchen of the employee lunch room for
now suddenly and urgently wants to hear again. He walks into the
lunch room. The late crew is just finishing their lunch break.
"Could you play that back? Just the last few minutes?"
wrong?"
CURLY
(crying)
They don't kill a guy for that.
GITTES
Oh they don't?
CURLY
Not for your wife. That's the unwritten law.
GITTES
I'll tell you the unwritten law, you dumb son
of a bitch, you gotta be rich to kill
somebody, anybody, and get away with it. You
think you got that kind of dough, you think
you got that kind of class?
Tyranny of the Downbeat 151
Quietly, like the entire room now, "Stop there. That line."
Turns to The Mole, who's slipped in beside him. "That's it. Can
Here it is."
time since I've seen this movie. I'd forgotten just about all of
burrowed in.
"What?"
"The same old water grab. Just a lot bigger. And what they
officials are helping the rich get richer. Helping them help
themselves to the water. All they can use. And when someone
But not this time. This time we're going to stop them. We're
going to expose THIS water grab. And we're going to expose every
"Don't bet on it. I've got the weapons this time around.
And they can't stop us. We're 'media guerrillas'. We'll appear
out of nowhere, fire off our message, then disappear back into
attitude warned her that something was working away inside him.
She looked up from her notes, unprepared for the extra notch
of intensity.
didn't tell the entire story. Sure, it talked about the land
grabs and stealing the water. But the real crooks, not the
'Noah Crosses', but the other rich and powerful men of Los
Angeles, even the city itself, were left pretty much untouched.
The fact that the city and the people who ran it, went out and
Tyranny of the Downbeat 153
ruined the entire Owens Valley, ruined the people's lives who
never really discussed in the film. I mean they made the city
look absolutely glowing gorgeous. And John Huston got away with
it."
far enough."
"You expect that from the movies? Where have you been?
Besides, maybe there just wasn't enough time to tell the whole
"They were. And it never got done. Probably for the same
control the movie studios. And they weren't about to let the
whole truth out. Water is the source of all power down there.
And those with the power, run the studios. You want a permit to
He's gone before she can ask why he called the meeting.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 154
CHAPTER 10
"Which was?"
"Except when she was drinking and the alcohol gave her
"I think her weight, the fact we had no money, that she
thought Dad didn't find her attractive anymore, that they had
little in common after we kids had left. I think all that kept
"And from there it was very easy to just give up. What was
the point."
I mean it's amazing how much she and my Mom were alike."
Tyranny of the Downbeat 155
"Don't they say we're always looking for our mother in the
women we marry?"
either of them. I sure don't help Sandy deal with her esteem
problem. I say things or do things that cut her down, even when I
"Always?"
but I do. It's like, sometimes she suddenly gets real angry. I
can't figure out why. I ask her what's wrong. She says I talk
too much. I say I'm just making conversation. Then she tells
for her. And it's true. I do. Someone will ask her a question
"No. There's more to it. And I know it. She was right.
She caught me. And I don't like being wrong. So I get pissed.
I continue to speak for her, but I'm putting her down as I do.
I'm laughing and making it look like I'm just poking fun at her.
That she's so cute because she acts like she does. But what I'm
really just cutting her because she hurt me. And it can get
any fun and, God knows, we've got to fun. But then I make her
make. They're not nasty, but she becomes the focus. And I'm
consider better than us. Either they've got more money, or they
I'm cutting her down to impress them. And I don't even like
them."
cripples."
what you're doing with Sandy. You're trying to get the approval
of these people, people who don't really give a fuck about you,
by picking on the only person who really does care about you."
reinforcement."
Tyranny of the Downbeat 157
"But you've always said that you protect her too much.
"Don't be so arrogant."
may think you're center stage, but you may be barely in the
wings."
-- Ranata Adler
-- Lily Tomlin
would have phoned. By then, she would have had too many glasses
of wine, but she would still have been happy to hear from her
number one son. We would have made small talk. She would have
distance into taking better care of herself. She would get upset
and the call would be over. And I could avoid the reality of
Then she was dead. And I could make the comment I had just
mean, but had said anyway. "I'm glad I don't have a Mother to
realized that it didn't come out the way it was supposed to.
"I meant I wish she was still here, but I'm glad we didn't
"And I always sent her a card. I think I was the only one
bad? She lived her life the way she wanted. Nobody was going to
You couldn't stop that. You can't stop time. You've got to keep
moving. There are a lot more days ahead. So put your energy
into making those good instead of worrying about what you didn't
For them both--my Mom and Sandy--I had become what the
unquestioning support.
time with her or the rest of the family since Sandy and I got
Christmas, then once every month or so. It was hard, but it was
really didn't know what was going on. I blamed it on Sandy, but
It did. About a week after she visited us. I told her she was
drinking too much and refused to make her any more drinks. It
to drink all the booze in the house so she wouldn't have any. It
was the only way he could tell her no. He knew she was killing
begin to realize how much like him I really am. Easier to give
stayed away. When I just talked to them over the phone, I didn't
have to see what was going on, and didn't have to admit it. So I
the dining room with the rest of the family while she lay on the
later, after she was already gone. I had avoided it again. And
I probably would have ducked out of the next few days of mourning
if I could have.
I never cried for her. Jorge did. The night of the wake.
always-in-control eldest son, thought he'd had too much beer and
was in the living room, sitting on the coffee table by the couch;
the old, broken-down couch with the maple coffee and end-tables.
At her feet was the black and white television. On one end-table
was her Kleenex, her plastic glass of water, and all her
medicine. It was here that she went each night to pass out.
have been the night she died. She asked me what was happening to
her. I had no answer. She looked at me as if she couldn't
believe there was none. "Am I dying?" she asked. I could only
sit there. I couldn't tell her. She was perspiring. Her thin
hair was stuck to her forehead. Her eyes were frightened, near
tears.
every time she and Dad would fight and she'd start. She didn't
He'd say he would take her cards away. She'd come running into
the family room, crying and blowing her nose with the Kleenex she
always kept handy in the waist-band of her pants. She'd say she
was only doing it for us kids. We were too young to know what
was going on, so Dad was always the bad guy. He'd come into the
dining room and our hard stares would chase him away.
anything."
moved out, that was it. You were all gone. Do you know how
take care of you. Couldn't watch out for you. That's what I
lived for, you know. Now it's gone and I'm alone. I just don't
"Come on, Mom. You can't just give up. You've got reasons
to live. I know you do." It was weak, but it was the best I
could offer.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 162
"You just don't know how lonely it can be. You've always
There was nothing more I could say. And then she died.
I never had the dream again. But I would see her alone.
she'd pissed them off. They loved her and cared deeply about
her. Yet she was completely alone. And she died that way.
can die from loneliness as surely as you can die from heart
for two people to truly know each other. No matter how close the
husband and wife, the father and son, the lover and beloved, we
about our lack of knowledge, about our hopeless and terrible, and
sadly permanent loneliness. And something about the loneliness
I guess when all us kids had moved away, she just gave up.
loneliness.
The news is over. She stands and begins turning off lights.
Letterman."
She lets out a sigh with his name, disappointment edged with
anger.
"Hey, I'm not tired yet, okay! What? Oh, I see," he grins
He turns off the television and slowly follows her into the
Secret" last Christmas. But he'll never see how sexy it makes
read, but she can't see anything through the frustration. "What
is it? What's wrong with me?" she screams silently. "I can't
lives like ex-lovers and wives, fathers and mothers, priests and
that when the flaps are down and stay down it reflects on me, and
you can't understand the anger and frustration I feel even though
bed that might leave you permanently impotent and leave me alone
Tyranny of the Downbeat 164
and not the dreaming pillow before the late night news even
it, hoping things will at last work out, and have someone around
for the summer, because it looks so bad at the beach when you're
alone.
him angry. And that made him a hungry reporter. That hunger
by its size. That's why he wore a beard most of the time. His
hair was thick, but when slicked back, as he usually wore it, it
finally gave them both up so he wouldn't die, but they left their
ears were large, so he wore his hair long along the sides and in
back.
attraction that sucked people into his web. Maybe it was the
eyes. They were small and very black. But they held you where
you stood and wouldn't let go. And then there was the crooked,
scheme of things.
street. Eventually, his nightly rounds burned him out. But his
time there gave him a healthy cynicism, a spare style, and his
coming from local farmers who were afraid of losing their cheap
or surface water, from rivers or dams, means me, and most other
Out here in the desert, when you lose your water, you lose your
farm. You lose your farm, you lose your livelihood. You lose
your family and, eventually, you lose your life. It's simply a
farms had turned to dust and blown away. But those farmers at
least had some place to go. They could head West. The farmers
Tyranny of the Downbeat 167
in the West had no place to go. The only thing West of them was
the Coast and the ocean. Full of water, yes. But also full of
salt.
water."
record about how dirty a war over water in California can get.
told, 'If you want to sell any more product south of San Jose,
DISSOLVE:
MUSIC CHANGE: UP FULL THEN UNDER
NARRATOR (v.o.)
This is California. It has more people than
the entire population of Canada. An economy
richer than all but seven nations in the
world. It grows one-third of all the table
food in the United States. Sales of
California farm products
reached $15.6 billion last year. California
farmers have led the nation in agriculture
for twenty-five years. And none of it
remotely conceivable within the pre-existing
natural order.
61 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
Technology--irrigation, fertilizers,
pesticides, and sophisticated machinery--is
the invisible warp that holds the
natural weave in place. And it is a
lucrative weave. A single county, producing
tomatoes, peaches, apricots, almonds,
walnuts, peppers, grapes, melons, and
cherries, yields up to $5,000 profit an acre
compared to $10 or $20 an acre for Kansas
wheat.
62 CONTINUE MONTAGE.
63 CONTINUE MONTAGE.
64 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
66 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
67 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
CHAPTER 11
control. You drift through the channels. You stop. You see a
the blue ocean and white waves crashing behind him. He's
someone named James. "If you follow what James says, it's real
David Delgado!"
packed room and up on stage. It's the man from the tropics and
Most of the other gurus didn't. Now he's consolidating his power
by buying as much air time as he can get and by looking into new
arenas.
fashionably long, just beginning to bald. His teeth are even and
contrived. It's often been said that if something seems too good
the insularity, the trusting naivetÕ. But that's what makes him
his sisters all get along well enough now that they've come to
for his early rebellion, to take care of his guilt by buying his
through most of his adolescence. The only thing that kept his
exit visa.
distance, time, and emotion. This was an era when Texans seemed
not a native son of the Lone Star State. When he played ball, he
lost baseball, and now totally alienated from his family and
getting pretty big, until he bumped heads with the Mafia. They
the next two years studying the Bible to become a minister for
They had two children, one boy and one girl. Now, she helps run
the business.
some, especially those who became real estate agents, were doing
gold rush town of Sonora, 56 miles east of his Ralston home. The
to the device that would put him over the top; that would take
products.
becoming entrepreneurs.
revenge. Two sides of the same coin. He was born and raised on
Tyranny of the Downbeat 177
the "wrong side of the tracks." All those cliches. But they
were cliches because they were true. He had tried to get out, to
break through, but too many doors were closed to him. Doors
through with sports. But that didn't work. He tried alcohol and
estate. And it took him all the way. To wealth, power, and
influence.
remember reading this book about high school a few years back.
In it, they talked with a man much like me who said, 'I can't
show the people I went to high school with that I was more than
didn't have the money or the status some of them had. But I did
have the brains and the Machiavellian mind to survive them all.
power, and status I wasn't born with. And I could only rely on
bothered him, he answered,, and the anger was visible behind the
words, "They really hurt me. And I swore I would never, ever be
they sure as hell were going to hate me now. But I'd have their
attention."
plotting his revenge; to pay back the class of people that had
They were listening now and he was preparing for the big
iced down. Each time they brought it up, as soon as they started
spite of the frigidly cold room. He had seen logic bombs before,
hard surface rippled inward like a wave then shattered into the
address was Ralston. The cover letter stated that the foundation
believed in the work Elliot was doing and would like to help
contribute to its success. The letter and the check were both
signed by the controller of the corporation. Elliot had no idea
estate empire."
"Very."
this be?"
well enough to trust him or trust where this money came from.
it."
of two men who had succeeded on their own terms. Elliot was
him.
"Of course."
what I've read and heard. And that's not real flattering or
convincing."
decision. But I'll tell you one thing. I've watched these
screwed me. All my life they told me one thing and did another.
You can understand that. It's sort of like what Hollywood did to
you, isn't it?"
"Maybe."
"The way I see it, it's do unto others time. For a lot of
things. Besides, it's my home town. And it's your town, too.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 182
are what we are because of that town and its people. And, I'm
bothers me."
"I can go along with all of that. What your money means to
this project, I'm not sure of right now. So let me think about
the desk.
play?"
"No strings?"
"None."
"No interference?"
"I can live with that." Elliot passed the check over to
Janet.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 183
DISSOLVE:
NARRATOR (v.o.)
The EPA's program to regulate hazardous
pesticides falls under the Federal
Insecticide, Fungicide, and Rodenticide
Act--FIFRA. But it has been manacled by
internal resistance, lack of funding,
pressure from agricultural interests in
Congress, and lack of committed, trained
staff. As a result, it has dealt with less
than one percent of the five hundred
pesticide ingredients suspected of causing
cancer.
CONTINUE SEQUENCE.
CONTINUE SEQUENCE.
70 ECU OF SPRAYING
71 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
73 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
74 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
75 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
DISSOLVE
CARL POPE
Tyranny of the Downbeat 187
78 MONTAGE
POPE (v.o.)
Companies characterized by extremely short
time-horizons. Companies with a very limited
sense of responsibility. The result.
Inefficiency, malfeasance, and recklessness.
An attitude where all consequences of what
they do are measured by the immediate impact
on shareholder profits.
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
79 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
80 MONTAGE.
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
CONTINUE MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
CARL POPE
We know that economics will be the
determining factor in the future. The best
we can do is try to keep that control out of
the hands of the "wrong people." But, even
an extraordinary effort, started immediately,
cannot achieve protection for the American
public for years to come.
the lab had been responsible for developing a line of several new
used were being paid to participate. For what, they didn't know.
checking.
envious of the youth and realized that his fame would soon
escape the labyrinth, only to have his son fly too close to the
chemistry."
CHAPTER 12
Flying low along highway 99, one of the few things that
And much of the valley running north and south. The man in
Godfather. He's a large man, but not fat. He stands tall, over
six feet, and straight. Most of his hair is gone, except at the
black, but unlike dark-eyed people, his shine brightly. What you
notice immediately is that his head and hands seem larger than
normal. Not too large for his body, not deformed, just big.
the wine of his legacy. And because he spends most of his days
lunch at home. When he designed and built his estate along the
banks of John Muir Creek, The Padrone had hoped to capture and
a villa they could purchase. When they found it, they had it
from the original family vineyard, one each for his father
reverie, the only person allowed near, and this was at a some
often made the decisions that would affect his winery and his
valley.
land in the San Joaquin Valley, near Ralston, where Robert and
wine grapes on his new land. The business started slowly, but
his hard work soon showed a small profit. The elder DiGiulio
vineyards.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 194
The same ambition that had driven his father to this country
the family business; how to tend the vines and get the grapes to
grape growers, like the DiGiulios, were hit hard. The family
with the reality. A short time later, he and his wife died in an
auto accident while driving through thick tule fog on their way
for their overreaction was that some suspected that it may have
been suicide. That Julio DiGiulio had veered off the foggy road
and into the river running alongside the road to escape the
failure he faced. It was a deep wound the brothers had never
uncaring, Robert got on with his life. He took over the family
grapes for home winemaking. Noting this, Robert made the first
wine.
his own home and the homes of relatives and friends. But he knew
after the family, grew steadily into the nation's first major
wine-making organization.
all aspects of winemaking and did more than any other man to
that fact.
The Padrone runs the winery and the winery runs Ralston.
support. And it does. His money and his favors determine who is
mayor, who sits on the city council and the county board of
town, not unlike the steel and oil towns run by Carnegie and
Tyranny of the Downbeat 197
people and events throughout the state and across the country.
people's lives from there. And he has those who owe him, in
he's ever made, has been based on the single premise of making
money. And keeping it. It's his way, or the highway, as they
who can stand the heat, who like the paternalistic style, stay
with the winery forever. Those who can't, are gone in a breath.
filed. Everything and anything that's ever been done by, and to,
to his old world ways, DiGiulio was the first in the industry to
disk packs. From there, the electronic web reaches out to every
wired winery.
blood on his own hands; just so long as they can't point the
finger at him.
inflated by ego and power, has grown worse as he's grown older.
had killed himself and his wife because he was weak. Because he
father and the world would know that. He would never show the
scars.
have gone his way for too long, by design, for him to think any
other way. It seems that he will stop at nothing to see his own
secure the sanctity of the family name and the product that bears
Tyranny of the Downbeat 200
it.
these "wines" have twice the alcohol of--and 10% higher profits
other half is the tipsy elderly couple who drink it because they
don't like the taste of the harder stuff; or the bottle gangs,
sporting wine sores, who drink it because it's cheap and it gets
to talk about it. He doesn't even put the family name on the
charging that the "makers of skid-row wines are the dope pushers
had begun marketing a bottled olive oil using the family name.
Robert had already licensed General Foods to sell olive oil under
claimed that his brother had cheated him out of his patrimony and
had commingled assets from their parents' estate with his own
when he started the winery. David was suing for half of the
multi-billion-dollar empire.
documents indicating that their father had used the family name
evenly among the two boys. David was astonished. He had always
assumed that what he had been willed was what his parents had
Once, they had been very close. Robert had raised David
from the age of 13 following the death of their parents. As
leaving to operate his own dairy and grape ranches near his home
the local and national press. It cut deeper and deeper. People
didn't need. Brother or no. His enemies didn't need any more
simply attack him. The youngest had left the oldest brother no
choice.
noting those who had backed him and those who had broken ranks.
The sting of his embarrassment was still warm on his face. The
the brass to blame him for what had happened. And then, had told
and raised in the same town. His town they said. A town they
thought he controlled.
few medical bills. Take some food and clothes over to the
family. Help him pull out of it and then get the relief agency
to relocate him.
The Iceman.
That's how water rights were determined in the early pioneer days
right--to the water. Those who came later had to get water from
protecting water rights for the Westlands Water and Power League,
long and hard for water rights, more water projects, and fewer
It was not an even match. The lawyers for the EPA and
rusty from lack of use and any serious challenges. And now they
were going up against some of the best legal talent in the state.
And they were getting hosed. Any lawyer worth his salt could
water.
very good. He had been around for a while and had been
Clara.
Like many before him, his Irish ancestors had fled the
promised land of America. And his family had fallen into many of
the same careers. Some became priests, some became police. Some
speaking their minds and smoking pot, then the street people of
relentless drive to serve any cause that paid well. And what
simply expedient. It was his job. And he did it. And the
after the river named for the renegade Indian chief who had been
the hills are rolling in green, summer brown when not irrigated.
reigns here. And sloppy, and untidy. His clothes never appear
always seems to have a thin veil of cigar ashes all over his
as Pat O'Brien doing Knute Rockne. But the smile tips him off.
It, not his eyes, are the window to this man's soul. It can be
daughters who live to please him and are rewarded with his
CHAPTER 13
Truth is a lie.
-- Pablo Picasso
far off in the Hunt's cannery, of dry grass, warm wood, summer
news and postponed finishing the great work until tomorrow. Like
writing with someone who wrote. But now that I had my own
this man had never finished the adventure novel he'd been working
on for years.
Maybe it was the gin. Maybe it was the fact that I finally
check.
"I don't think Marlow will ever finish it." He took a long
drag off the unfiltered Pall Malls, took another sip, and stared
out over the railroad tracks toward the trailer houses where he
once lived.
to a glow.
"I'm pretty much there. Just need to tweak some words and
"What's that?"
"How's that?"
Tyranny of the Downbeat 211
"Beware of what you wish for, you may just get it?"
work?"
"You know, not that I'm an expert, but when I first started,
"Are you saying I'm not a writer? Hell, I write every day
for the paper. I crank out more words in a week than most
Look, I'm just saying you're not a novelist until you finish a
novel. And I'm not even talking about being published. I mean
Tyranny of the Downbeat 212
great American novel. And you make a lot of notes. But I've
anything in progress."
in-between. We both know you're good, but what are you waiting
"Why?"
student, I was no longer young, and I had nothing to show for all
fantasy."
"I think it's part envy and part frustration. Envy because
It's like your painting. Or your music. You had talent in both
and you squandered it. I would have given a left nut to have
not, I will be satisfied. And I don't think you can say that."
Most of the big factory farms and corporate combines are in his
and groomed for this job personally by The Padrone. Now he's the
power got him where he is. Bundles of both. And lots of favors
Each member had their own agenda and they were free to pursue it,
constituency.
Of this trend, Borba gloated. "We're the power now. We
It's what I do. It's not a hobby. I like the way it works, its
system. I don't try to beat it. And I know what makes it work.
product to me."
C-SPAN, NBC, CBS, ABC, CNN, and PBS. Constant electronic input.
issues. Sound and fury. Control the image and you control how
produce his own video press releases. To show his colleagues and
message.
Sharply dressed in his expensive tailored suits, he leaves
appearance is everything.
brown, pinched ferret's eyes shift and dart below black eyebrows
active and lucid. He plays hard and with a vengeance. It's just
another war. And those who have taken a slammed racquetball off
inherited; the one his body can't shake no matter how hard it's
worked.
and she, being part of the baby-boom, was not about to be outdone
by her brother. But she stayed closer to home. She attended San
Ralston to teach. She was in her second year when she met Tony
her husband's climb. She's good at it and enjoys it. She takes
good care of herself, possibly out of a deep fear she may someday
She's lively, genuine, and generous. If she has one fault, it's
his classmates liked him. He ran for class office often and
chose law school as his parachute. He was about to bail out when
before John Kennedy was gunned down. Kennedy was a god to Borba,
do" attitude. His death made him realize how insulated his life
priest. Tony was about to realize that his devastation was just
beginning.
diagnosed as an epileptic.
reaction. His parents were both Old World Portuguese and very
knife.
His parents only pierced the skin above his heart. The
Jesuits plunged the knife to the hilt. They told him he could no
longer join the priesthood. Citing a canon from the Middle Ages,
they said epileptics were "possessed of the devil" and could not
and his church had turned their backs on him, basically telling
Tyranny of the Downbeat 219
him he wasn't worth saving. "I hit absolute bottom. The gutter.
himself in his own isolation as he cut himself off more and more
Although the ordeal was far from over, it was about to take
Tony to tutor her children. Liking the ambitious young man, The
Tony ran for, and although a Democrat, easily won Van deCamp's
seat.
Coincidentally, or perhaps by design, Loren Van deCamp's
that depended on the farm vote and wielded power with money from
Combine.
he had certainly died in the eyes of his family when his epilepsy
nothing would ever touch him again. He would never let himself
edge that gave him and used it when that kind of brinkmanship was
with a dark pride of thinly veiled anger, "I'm not worried about
CHAPTER 14
The Padrone stood with his back to the door, gaze fixed out
the large window overlooking the rolling lawns and the creek
farther below. It was a hazy day. Farmers had been burning the
fruit trees they'd just cleared from their lands to make room for
more houses for people working in the Bay Area. People who had
that was just one more thing for The Padrone to worry about. The
"What's that?"
to rule."
was time for a little housekeeping. But DiGiulio did not intend
to get his hands dirty. He knew his history and his politics.
person who might then carry them out. That way The Padrone could
The two men glance over at each other then back to nothing
in particular.
archway that spanned the main road into town. "Where the Land
Borba bore into his back for a moment, then looked over at
stake.
"Well?"
"Well what?"
The Padrone limps slowly to where Tony sits and places his
truth. Our own truth. Placed in the hands of those who can
"You have the facilities. You have people who owe you. And,
The Padrone opens the glass door and rearranges his collection.
They would match weapon with weapon, expert with expert. They
Borba's best hired guns. He once wrote about the plight of the
American Novel." After a few meetings with the author and a trip
the use of the word "gun" so much as the word "hired." His
reaction: "It implies that I'm not the one doing the choosing.
"We play with what's already in people's minds. We're not really
and printing, a sound studio for narration and music, film and
D.C.
were dubbed "The Cardinal Kids." They were zealously loyal and
his old compadre Daniel Valle. After all, this was going to be a
street fight. And there were no rules when your back was against
and longish hair cresting the collar of his silk shirts. His
often. His skin is adobe light, belying his birth in--and early
Establishment he once despised. But there was one who would not
enemies.
fight fires." Most saw through the smoke screen. It was just
another trapping of the new life he'd forged, along with the
swimming pools."
The fact is, a swimming pool, once it's filled and pumping,
really doesn't need any water. That's the reality. The fantasy
western eye."
And that's why Santiago had the swimming pool. Not simply
to Santiago.
All the internal files of the giant IBM had been frozen. For
"Think about it. The entire system that controls the flow
target."
"Who's that?"
have known about it? How long would it have been before they
suspected?"
valley farmers."
dead crops."
"I don't think I'd like to be the guy when they catch him."
ALTA CALIFORNIA
---------------------------------------------------------------
THE WATER WARS
By Stephan Harrington
OF THE RECORD STAFF
CHAPTER 15
of the Golden State. He was born here and still lives here. He
has made it the goal of his life to know as much as he can about
DISSOLVE:
Tyranny of the Downbeat 235
JAMES HOUSTON
Economically and ecologically, the history of
the West has been a saga of exploitation,
land abuse, bloody struggle, and enormous
thefts. Of gold, land, water. Like the
Southern Pacific railroad, "The Octopus,"
swindling Central Valley wheat farmers out of
their land. Like Los Angeles, stealing water
from Owens Valley farmers.
HOUSTON
Like the factory farms, exploiting the
migrant workers.
DISSOLVE:
HOUSTON (v.o.)
It's 4AM. Shape-up time in Kettleman City.
Mendota. Los Banos. Selma. Any number of
cities up and down the Valley.
87 MONTAGE
Worker in field.
WORKER
"Solamente trabajo y duermo."
HOUSTON (v.o.)
"All I do is work and sleep," he says.
HOUSTON
These are the migrant workers. The ones who
have given their blood to the crops they
harvest. Since the Gold Rush, they have been
as much a part of California agriculture as
the land, sun, and water.
DISSOLVE:
Tyranny of the Downbeat 237
91 MONTAGE
Series of B&W stills of migrant workers from Gold Rush era until
today.
HOUSTON (v.o.)
California agriculture has always needed
large numbers of migrant workers for seasonal
jobs. Such a lifestyle was most acceptable
to nonwhite immigrants. And they came in
waves. And they have been mistreated and
abused for just as long. First the Chinese,
then the Japanese, then the Filipinos. The
Dust Bowl expatriates broke the pattern, but
the Chicanos continued it. Now it's the
Vietnamese. Driven from their home by a war
they didn't start and didn't want.
DISSOLVE:
DISSOLVE:
93 MONTAGE
HOUSTON (v.o.)
This reluctance to complain is just a part of
the willingness to carry one's load. This
stoic acceptance permitted the US government
to intern an entire generation of Japanese
Americans. To take their land and money.
And return neither. To separate families.
And never apologize. "Shi kata ganai," the
elders would say. "It cannot be helped. It
must be endured."
DISSOLVE:
Tyranny of the Downbeat 238
HOUSTON (v.o.)
That is why Southeast Asian renters do not
complain to their landlords. About high
rents. About rats. Why they choose to toil
in the fields for nearly nothing. They fear
something worse. They too have spent time in
camps. Refugee camps. Set
up to handle those fleeing the aftermath of a
war that America
helped escalate.
SOCIAL WORKER
Their instinct to survive is strong. They
adapt very quickly, despite the culture
shock. They have gone through so much
getting here that finding a job is easy.
HOUSTON
For these Asian immigrants, California was
not the end of a continent. It was a new
land to the East. A land of limitless
possibilities. A new beginning. But the
possibilities were not without their price.
DISSOLVE:
97 MONTAGE
HOUSTON (v.o.)
As before, their story is the story of all
migratory labor. One of violence and
repression. Because they worked cheaply at
anything, they took jobs from others.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 239
DISSOLVE:
HOUSTON (v.o.)
Not much has changed in the factory fields of
California, nearly 140 years after the Gold
Rush. The farms have gotten bigger.
HOUSTON(v.o.)
Agriculture here still relies on the sun. It
still must have land and water. Massive
amounts of both. It still needs large
numbers of migratory workers. The abuse and
misuse hasn't stopped either. It may be
covered less by the media these days, but it
still exists. And the vast majority of the
workers here--the Southeast Asians and
Hispanics--still do not complain.
HOUSTON (v.o.)
They accept what they can get with gratitude.
Despite the fact they live in hovels, eat
food that is often spoiled and water that is
poisoned, and are exposed daily to levels of
pesticides that are considered dangerous,
even for lab animals. In fact, many consider
these field hands to be the real guinea pigs.
HOUSTON (v.o.)
They are the ones taking the direct hit,
whether it's from a leaking spray cannister
or from an aerial sprayer. And that's what
is truly ironic. The helicopters doing the
spraying are often the same ones that dropped
napalm and Agent Orange on these villagers
and their families decades ago in a jungle
far, far away. And they're being flown now
by many of the same men who flew missions
then into America's heart of darkness.
You could see the flat-bed trucks coming through the haze on
watching. And waiting. So were the Bulls. Like they had been
expecting the visit. The field man headed for his truck. He was
on the phone to the field office when the trucks pulled up,
After almost twenty years, "La Drama del Coyote" was back in
times past, Daniel and Socorro played husband and wife. His
brother and the rest of "la familia" were costumed as they had
been nearly two decades ago, wearing masks and signs hanging from
their necks.
By the time the ranch manager and the rest of his crew
wetlands.
for a head count. They'll take you anyway. And then how you
gonna feed that lovely chiquita and all your ninos?
(Silence. They look at each other.)
MUNDO: I will manage.
HAGGARD: (Suddenly grabs MUNDO and shoves him to his knees, face
down against the nozzle of the sprayer.) Put it on amigo or I
kick your ass and then I call the Border Patrol!
MUNDO: (Frightened, but resolved.) Senor Field Man. The
sprayer leaks. And there is no mask. No coat to cover me.
HAGGARD: (Leans down and puts his face next to MUNDO'S.) Like I
told you. It's mostly water. It ain't gonna hurt you.
MUNDO: Senor, the water here is not good. I have seen the dogs
die that drink it. I will die, too.
HAGGARD: That sure as shit don't mean nothin' to me. I got
plenty of you people comin' across the border every day. What's
one more dead beaner to me? Might be better anyway. Keep you
from breedin' like rabbits. (Suddenly kicks MUNDO in the ribs.)
Put it on asshole! Now!
MUNDO: (Still on his knees, slowly puts the sprayer on. He
stands.)
HAGGARD: Right. Now start on row 50.
MUNDO: (Tests the sprayer. It works. The tank begins to leak
down his back, which is only protected by a cotton shirt. He
turns toward row 50. HAGGARD reaches for a cigarette. But his
hand never gets there. MUNDO hits him hard across the face with
the spray nozzle. HAGGARD falls to the ground and rolls over on
his back. MUNDO straddles him and begins spraying into the field
man's open face. MUNDO drenches HAGGARD before he hits him in
the head with the tank. HAGGARD doesn't move. MUNDO throws the
tank away and begins to shout.)
This is los Estados Unidos. I was born here. I am un hombre
libre. I will do ...
Before Daniel can finish his last line, the Bulls, with help
from a handful of county sheriffs, ring down the curtain. They
jump on stage, Louisville sluggers in hand, and start swinging.
Daniel takes a hit on the shoulder and goes down. The Bull who
hit him raises his club and smiles. Then he's airborne. Someone
finally got the truck rolling, barreling down and out of the
fields. As it pulls onto the country road, through the dust,
Daniel can see the field workers, Bulls, and officers hammering
each other. He can only think, this war will not be won with
words. Then he crawls forward to lay against the painted valley.
both coffee mugs. She accidentally knocked one off the shelf.
With the name "RALSTON" across the front and a stylized version
place and a past she wanted to get away from. Maybe it was a
it, so you smash it." I laughed, but it died pretty quickly when
I realized there was an edge to the joke. She stood up and threw
the pieces in the sink. As she left the kitchen, I said, "Come
I poured the hot coffee and knew I was in for a chilly day.
fun. I couldn't even kid her without pissing her off anymore.
So, why try? So, now we're sitting on opposite sides of the
someone had just robbed the house, or broken into the trunk of
battled over it, but never resolved it. We talked around it,
with couples over coffee, with friends over drinks. We each felt
That certainly was what was happening between us. Her affair
closest friend. We had known each other, blemishes and all, and
didn't.
part of their lives. You take care of each other. You give them
did, you lose that sense of community. But, until you've been
screwed a few times, you never seem to lose that faith in people.
I never have.
the events that led up to it, it made sense. I could see the
clues. But when I walked through the back door, I had no idea.
I never knew, never suspected about the party. And I never knew
now too, all the clues were there. The phone calls. The late
nights. I just didn't see them, or, maybe I chose not to. I
doubt.
have been easier, then and certainly now, to play the expected
lived with a woman for almost fifteen years, his posture has
attitude. Because we've had the fight kicked out of us. And we
Tyranny of the Downbeat 246
keep on talking about it. All the time. Because we just can't
times over many, many late nights. Sometimes funny. Most times
serious. We'd been here before over the years. Talking about
"The movie?"
"A magazine."
softball, get some pizza, and go home to the tube than deal with
it."
"Sure."
different for us, people our age. There's more of us. There'll
it.
"You know, it's not quite working out the way it was
supposed to."
Jorge put "Traffic" on the tape deck, sat down, and popped
"I thought I'd be a hero. Show all these people I had made
friends, that I can't even live in the town where I grew up. The
place I've wanted to live all my life."
can't stay."
before. But I was trying too hard this time. Pushing too hard.
Not even 90,000. Shit, we're almost as big as Albany, New York.
It's a metropolis. With all the problems that go with it. Take
"You know, you're like the guy who gets so wrapped up in the
"Well, you know what they say? Embracing the past is like
embracing death."
allusions."
to, not because you had to. You made up a reason to return.
Only the ending isn't the way you wrote it. But you can still
accept it."
positively Freudian."
"Fuck you."
"How many people do you know that left the valley and
Tyranny of the Downbeat 249
came back?"
"Okay. They all came back. People can't escape this place.
"He thought the same way you do. Felt he had to come back.
Thought he'd lost something along the way. So, he came back.
Tried a lot of things. Tried to fit back into things the way
left off. Thought that people would relate to him like they used
to."
he returned. His wife wouldn't come with him, even though she'd
been raised in the valley, too. She just didn't understand what
"You sure this isn't another parable, for you know who?"
"Anyway, he's back and it's fun. For a while. But it
"Then, one night, they find him floating in his own blood.
the past. You keep trying to reconcile the past with the present
far, live in the past too much, and you'll stagnate. You'll die
there. It's like a time machine. If you don't hit that seam,
I've said it. Even you've said it. You can't stay seventeen
disappointment."
because you've changed and so has your home town. You don't
holds no more lessons. The places and names are the same and
Ralston indeed had a new shape and was seeking a new image.
The farmers were leaving and the commuters were coming. Poverty,
defined by the land. Then water. And the railroads. Now it's
roads. Women are being raped at the mall. Kids are bringing
driveway, his body slashed and riddled with bullets. Turns out
girlfriend, had forced their way into his home and tortured him
trying to find his hidden fortune. They were looking for the big
easy. They expected it. Life had been hard and they felt
somebody owed it to them. They were angry at a world they never
DISSOLVE:
WIDE SHOT of point where the Merced River meets the San Joaquin.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 252
NARRATOR (v.o.)
To see where the Merced River meets the San
Joaquin is to see the drawing of the lines.
The two sides of the story. The one is clear
and clean, filled with icy snowmelt. The
other is muddy and murky, gunky brown and
filled with chemicals. During the summer,
when it's hot and dry and the water is low,
almost 70 percent of what flows is
agricultural runoff.
CHAPTER 16
The Ice Plant backs onto what used to be the main highway,
sides, and thrived, until the six-lane expressway was built down
the spine of the state. Then the doors started closing and the
the older buildings were razed. One that survived was the old
cogs and wheels. The production had rented space here for those
time.
deCamp?"
Tyranny of the Downbeat 256
Attractive. Divorced."
Roomed in the same boarding house in San Francisco. Her ex- and
directly?"
inherited his seat. Died a few years ago. Mother's still alive.
Has a younger sister. Laura works for Delancy & Reed in Ralston.
law firm?"
battleground."
soon realize that this is my idea. Nobody from 'the other camp',
as you so colorfully put it, knows I'm here. And I don't intend
to let it become common knowledge. And I suspect you wouldn't
and read in the papers, which isn't much. My boss, Mr. Delancy,
and his clients, haven't exactly been spreading the word around."
accomplish?"
Tyranny of the Downbeat 258
then I'd like to help. You need legal and political help. I can
with my mother and father. Some things I'd like to even up."
--Walsh (sensing familiar territory) "Like?"
in the past."
Maybe DiGiulio?"
"There's this man I know. He's also from Ralston. We've known
here."
Daniels."
Bowl in years."
on for a short while now. And I'm a little worried. Not about
about his past. He's in real danger, but he won't ask for help.
Or let me. Won't even tell his friends." (she looks over at me
might help you. And him. He could use a little help from his
the Kid," this sometime friend of mine. He grew up, like the
Always wore the latest clothes, dated the most popular girls, got
one of the first and fastest cars. He did well in athletics and
team Davidson High School ever had. He won state titles off the
Little Rickie and brother David this was not. There was only
really got past the rift caused by the last one, particularly
after his brother Dennis started calling him a coward and a queer
rocker, not in the style of a Fifties Dean or Brando, but more in the
this new freedom as their ticket to ride. The boy was simply too
out of existence.
few burns on his fingertips and a few scars on his heart. When
the revolution got quiet, he just kept blazing, kept his freak
and lifestyles. He didn't stay with them, but they affected his
attitude toward life. We thought it was all just one more life
reality. She began telling what she had been told by Paul over
"La Causa," at a time when the movement was faltering. There was
testify.
from San Jose State. His brother-in-law, who worked for DiGiulio
The tapes would be used later to build court cases against Chavez
drug-taking might help him through the night. When the murder went
couldn't believe his eyes, watching as the big guy kept hammering
the farmworker with a baseball bat until he was motionless. The
nightmares kept him awake most of the night. And the next
several.
scared. Probably way too wired still. He didn't give any reason
town for the family cabin in Strawberry, above Sonora. But not
most of it was a purple haze. Too many drugs. Too much alcohol.
for another person's life and the guilt he always felt. During
They knew he knew. The death and his departure were too
coincidental.
Finally faced up to the burden of what he'd seen. And run from.
Now it was time to tell the story. There were rumors that others
had died. That the same people were getting away with the same
head. He could finally face the demons that had chased him out
of the friends from his previous life, including me and Laura Van
deCamp.
Like the song, Billie believed women were the only true
works of art. That woman is life and man the servant of life.
post-feminist eighties.
be the mate, the match, that we know is in this world for us.
being.
her, he shared his secret. About the murder, the tape, and where
it was. And that he was worried about what they would do. He
become scarce again. That was the last she had heard. And now,
friend of yours?"
life?"
safe there."
Sony 3650 half-inch machine. It clogged the heads the first few
times through. But, finally, the image tracked and became clear.
--Walsh "Who?"
few less jowls and bellies. It was his Louisville Slugger that
I need to know what they know. I can only do that if they don't
the fact that back then nothing would have been done."
CHAPTER 17
Strait breaks
levees, backs salt water miles
inland to preserve
what it kills. ...
dies. my wife,
still my wife, what I have
of you, this residue, this love-
salt, ...
-- Dennis Schmitz, "Delta Farm"
Mark Twain.
knew a little too much and wasn't afraid to talk about it.
company man all of his life, had given his life's blood to the
government. And for all his time and dedication, he'd been
to someone who would get the word out and who could be trusted.
We talk a while as the crew set up to shoot the interview
"What happened?"
"How?"
"Who did?"
Tyranny of the Downbeat 269
"Why?"
them to."
"People in agribusiness?"
"I sang."
"About what?"
wildlife refuges."
"More specifically?"
Masterson."
"What else?"
"With what?"
"Firing or transfers."
"What else?"
professional organizations."
"Why not?"
Tyranny of the Downbeat 270
Evidence that they were getting more subsidized water than they
were legally allowed. That they were polluting the refuge with
And that maybe some people had gotten sick, maybe even died,
evidence?"
"By who?"
He nods.
DISSOLVE:
NARRATOR (v.o.)
More than a million acres of dry, alkali land
have been made fertile in the western San
Joaquin Valley this century.
Yet, the government was told in 1928, 1941,
and 1956 not to till the land because it was
seleniferous. There are already twenty years
of studies concerning inappropriate
agricultural irrigation on the west side.
Yet it continues.
FELIX DAVENPORT
Masterson was our canary in the cave.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 273
CAMERA ZOOMS in closer still, drawing us into the truth in this man's
eyes.
Elliot and Davenport talk a little while longer before they leave.
DISSOLVE:
PROFESSOR LAUCHLI
Salinity. Many experts consider it to be the
most neglected, long-term problem facing
California. Already, there are thousands of
acres near the southern end of the San
Joaquin Valley that look as if they had been
dusted with snow. Nothing
grows in this snow. Not even weeds.
122 MONTAGE
LOW ANGLE TRACKING SHOT as MARC REISNER enters frame and walks along
hedgerows dusted with salt.
MARC REISNER
We really know surprisingly little about
vanished civilizations whose majesty, and
ultimate demise, were closely linked to the
liberties they took with water. The same
could be said about any number of desert
civilizations throughout history.
Assyria, Carthage, Mesopotamia; the Inca, the
Aztec, the Hohokam. Before they collapsed.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 276
CAMERA frames shot of ground as he stoops down into frame and picks
up a handful of salted earth.
He holds his hand up and lets the salted dirt cascade down, like
sands in an hourglass.
CHAPTER 18
Jorge and I were reeling from the beers and the years we'd
covered. The softball game was over. It was just us and our
cooler sitting on the steep side of the hill, waiting for the
"Too much money and not enough time. No, it's maybe too
things would come our way. Our parents set us up for disappointment.
other people?"
problems."
"Yes?"
"'Anticipation'."
Tyranny of the Downbeat 279
"So, let's finish this. What about the last one? The
inevitability of change?"
"That's the key one. And the one we were probably least
But it wasn't."
"And probably more so during that era than any time before
that we feel everyone else wants to know what we've found. Our
write or talk about ourselves and all the joys and sorrows that
we seem to have suddenly discovered for the first time.
there really no new ideas. The Sixties are history and it's time
thinking about.
"Have you noticed how much stuff there's out now about
Vietnam?"
About the guys who fought. What it was like over there."
"I mean, very little of it talks about the people who chose
not to fight. The home front. The ones who stayed here to fight
talking about the people who didn't believe in the war, who
didn't want to serve. Who didn't burn their draft cards, didn't
and last time for me. But what bothered me was that people
to change the status quo. But I didn't want to tear everything else
down with it. The fact is, I was just as patriotic as the
guys who went there and died. I believed in this country as much
time and they had to go. And by the time they got off that
"So when are they going to tell our story? We put our time
in, too."
Memory is a fickle friend. It's there for you and yet it's
yes."
storage?"
"Sure."
you have?"
"Not as many."
"And which are more fun? Or, should I say, less of a pain
in the ass?"
about it.
"Is There Life After High School?" The name of a book and a
much the same way I dealt with them in high school. In my mind,
Tyranny of the Downbeat 284
but lusted after for all those years. Or scared shitless when I
all that's been written about reunions. About the trauma and
Most of the kids in high school shied away from our group.
different way. We lashed them with our tongues, with our humor.
They couldn't stand our ridicule, our sarcasm. The fact is, most
too seriously.
We were the first, other than the rockers and the kids from
think deep down, our style was just another disguise, another way
Tyranny of the Downbeat 285
Especially the ones that didn't leave. It's amazing how some of
the more popular ones, the ones voted most likely to succeed,
kept trading one crutch for another. They wouldn't call it that.
shape things the way I see them. I can create my own reality and
and after shots, then and now. But it sure feels good.
reaction.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 286
It's been said that most of our tastes were set during high
shaped then. Even our sexual preferences and problems; all our
and parents may disagree, but I think the bowl is healthy. It's
immaturity. So, one weekend each year, we let him loose to run
who we were then, we don't mind spending more time with that
because only they can appreciate it and not hassle us about it.
of what they really were and have become. The gathering can be
For years we've been told by people what a great idea the
Bowl is. How unique it is. And these same people lament the
fact that they hadn't, and now couldn't, do the same thing.
they were too mature. The latter ones we had to worry about.
They were the ones that would someday end up on top of a building
decide to have another beer before going to bed. I get one and
reflection? Why am I sorry for him, for me, for us, for a moment
Old friends,
Old friends
Sat on their park bench
Like bookends.
A newspaper blown through the grass
Falls on the round shoes
On the high shoes
Of the old friends.
Old friends,
Winter companions,
The old men
Lost in their overcoats,
Waiting for the sunset.
The sounds of the city,
Sifting through trees,
Settle like dust
On the shoulders
Of the old friends.
Time it was,
And what a time it was,
It was ...
A time of innocence,
A time of confidences.
Long ago ... it must be....
I have a photograph.
Preserve your memories;
They're all that's left me.
-- Paul Simon, "Bookends Theme"
Tyranny of the Downbeat 289
headed for the back door. Had you seen him then, you would have
the system; the soul of the machine. The jock was running the
wouldn't get his butt busted heading back out the door.
was pretty nasty. It could the usual stuff. Destroy disc files,
They were all linked. The pathways were there. He just had
to fly them. It would take a little time, but he'd find the
itself onto the main system and all the subsystems; attaching itself
Mole didn't want them coming down the lines after him, so all the
data would travel down phone lines, some over satellite, fiber optic,
organizations. You just had to know where it was and how to get to
it.
easing in and along. Didn't want to push too hard, like some horny
historical homage; Nixonian humor. They just couldn't let the man
fund. Probably the only copy around. Shredded the hard copy if they
other players. The Mole's fingers were burning the stuff was so hot.
ALTA CALIFORNIA
-----------------------------------------------------------------
COASTAL BATTLE
The coming conflict between the two coasts.
By Stephan Harrington
OF THE RECORD STAFF
CHAPTER 19
of the family. Since they couldn't have children, they had been
or drove into town, Fang would always sit next to her, riding
shotgun.
barking his greeting. When they finally did, they got out of the
Nothing. They looked at each other. They pulled into the garage
the night."
Tyranny of the Downbeat 293
in."
Elliot shut the garage and went out the door into the side
yard and around the corner of the house. He saw Fang lying
there, quietly, next to his water bowl. His nose was in the
water, his tongue hanging out, over the side. His eyes were
"Maryanne!" The back porch light came on. Elliot ran over
to the dog. Maryanne came up behind him. White Fang was dead.
nervous system. Someone mixed the granules you found in that bag
with his dog food. He ate it. Got a very high fever. Tried to
drink water to quench his thirst and stop the heat. That made it
let it ride. When it got worse, I went to the doctor and then
Nothing showed up. Nothing "leapt out at them," as they put it,
rubber hammer.
doing research."
funny because the symptoms are a lot like a project I'm working
This guy could be friends with any number of people. People who
shouldn't know.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 295
an interest in that."
"What?"
whom?"
they had accumulated there. They had always been innovators; had
some good wine, but this code tasted like Red Mountain. It was
somersaulted.
remains of the "Flying Circus." Both pilot and ship had survived
the binary dogfight, but they had returned battered and bruised.
The Mole hadn't slept in over a week; Icarus hadn't been powered
hearings.
and took one for the road, then drove across the Golden Gate.
Elliot had called in Western, Walsh, and Devereaux. They all sat
quietly in one of the edit suites. It was cool and dark, just
Tyranny of the Downbeat 297
the way The Mole liked it. A little too cool for Elliot. The
It wasn't clear yet how much the BuRec, the Army Corps, DWR,
or FWS knew and how much they had helped. Reading the reports
and between the lines, it was obvious most of the people at each
agency were simply too afraid to not help, or at least look the
other way. They didn't want to tangle with the giant farming
was clear. They had done little or nothing to stop it. And it
up.
They had all been part of the cover up. They had conspired to
keep the public in the dark, and to keep officials and law
the way, they may have even killed some people. And they had
the big west side farmers had been granted exemptions from the
solicitor's office of the Interior Department. That meant no
$100,000 to the Valley Education Fund. And Borba had used that
the previous year, the state water board had fined DiGiulio for
cleanup order. The water board had given the winery thirty days
to find out how far ground water contamination had spread, and
but only locally and not for long. The second was far more
serious. No one knew about it because it was still under
The FBI's Form 302 was the interview report filed by agents
When he left the Bureau, Pat had taken copies of all the
manage. He wasn't about to waste all the time and energy he had
Tyranny of the Downbeat 300
bricks. The bricks had lined a kiln the winery used to fire the
glass for their bottles. When they built the new plant, they had
dumped into the local landfill. Turns out the bricks were
So here are all these people, building fireplaces and patios with
other people worked, and more people came in each day to dump
showed their attitude toward their own liability and concern for
Most of them didn't give a damn about the land or the people
elected officials to put Americans out of work and put money into
--Elliot "You know what their philosophy is? Use it, then
lose it."
little exasperated.
crusades."
principle of it."
--Western "You know, you can get away with anything for the
principle of it."
Even water."
CHAPTER 20
the automobile. The two things, Reisner tells us, that have done
forgotten fact.
entire culture, an entire value system, has been born and raised
on the desperate need for water. Those who control it, who rule
you can't live without water. You can have a gas shortage and
you'll live. A food shortage, you'll still survive. But run out
the dust."
--Devereaux "You get the water, you get the money. It's
that simple."
back into the political machine that delivers the water. The
his cohorts. And those are the guys we're fighting. They're
economics."
get."
subsidies."
cultivated."
drainage-poor land and let it run into swamps like Masterson than
machinery."
Tyranny of the Downbeat 307
and alfalfa, which use a lot of water, they could switch to beans
thought about it, but I imagine as water gets more scarce, owning
would make sense. I didn't even know there were water stocks."
water combines with more people and industry, the companies that
DISSOLVE:
MARC REISNER
Over the course of 50 years, a few thousand
farmers will receive a billion and half
dollars' worth of taxpayer generosity that
was never supposed to be theirs. They were
supposed to get the water cheap. Instead,
they're getting it for almost nothing. And
the biggest subsidies are going to the
members of the Westlands Water and Power
League.
pushed his glasses up, rubbed his eyes, then looked over at the
while the ant scurried around, preparing for the coming winter.
CHAPTER 21
always felt out of control. And that scared me. I didn't want
to blow it, to look like a fool, to fuck up. And drugs did that
stopped.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 312
And that didn't help the marriage. Because Sandy liked being in
control, too.
I liked making love with the lights out and my eyes closed.
peers, and certainly our parents, I know there are more important
things in life than work; like love, health, family, friends, and
Tyranny of the Downbeat 313
ago that my role in life was to get people together and keep them
now. For no reason other than conjuring old memories and putting
them in flight.
made love to. We used to share a different vice back then. We'd
get really stoned and make love outside somewhere, in the open.
like all the others we, and the rest of our friends kept seeking
and experimenting with. Unfortunately, she dug deeper into the
was time to move on or I'd never get out. Like she didn't. We'd
told me she'd killed herself. Blew her face away with a shotgun.
He found her. She was married then and had a baby. The baby was
in the next room when she did it. He quit the force the next
week.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 314
or implied disinterest, she felt from her parents; the same that
then get on with their own lives. Sadly, some of us were more
celebrities we grow old with. That movies help mark out our
lives. Do you remember who you were when you first saw
Fifties, perhaps even today, that was true. That's always how
seen or the ones he's made. Sometimes it seems the only way he
film.
remember exactly who I was and what I was doing by certain songs.
And every time I hear that song, I'm back to what I was then, at
at the height of the Haight, music really did mark the time of
our lives. All the events, all the experiences, all the memories
were a time for change and a time of change. And rock & roll
band. A group that keeps the decade alive for thousands. The
Grateful Dead started us down the golden road and they're still
truckin' today.
But The Herald who signaled the real beginning of our trip
Why fate chose The City as the location for this flowering
classes and facial hair, a senior football player I'd known for
my hair.
"Pushin' Too Hard." Sky Saxon and the Seeds. The first
in our melancholy.
was going to die. After all, when the numbers were called the
hell out of each other. The old and the new; one living, one
There was a point when music and movies did come together.
especially as one of the first movies to really use rock & roll
Watching "Top Gun" the other night--the latest rock & roll
movie--I hear Tom Cruise say his Mom's favorite song was Otis
madrone trees are the only patches of green. Peeking over the
edge of the foothill's rim is bright azure blue sky. It's a warm
Redwood panels cover the walls and surround the fireplace. The
lined yellow note pads, the production team was assembled. A map
this quest.
They were discussing style, content, and structure. Elliot
as futuristic scenarios.
The good water has been rationed. As usual, the powerful have
most of it."
do, so they can get water for themselves and their families."
starving children."
silent."
moment. Let's it sink in. "I want people to panic. Then I want
SCENARIO OUTLINE:
CHAPTER 1:
CHAPTER TITLE: "AND SO BEGINS THE TASK"
SCENE 3: In town, he goes to see The Mole, who tells him that The
League has drawn up a hit list of water rustlers and is hiring The
Barnestormers to carry out the executions.
CHAPTER 2:
CHAPTER TITLE: "THE DARK SIDE OF THE MOON"
SCENE 3: The Commodore and The Colonel visit the lab of Daedalus.
The Commodore orders the scientist to add a new weapon to his
bestiary. He wants an aquatic creature to battle the frogmen of The
Brigade.
SCENE 5: In his AgriChem office, The Commodore and The Colonel watch
The Deacon's 24-hour electronic ministry. The Commodore wants to
know why The Colonel hasn't done anything to rid him of The Rounders.
They hatch a plan to infiltrate and discredit The Rounders, who The
Tyranny of the Downbeat 323
SCENE 7: Creole secretly meets with The Flatlander. She gives him a
copy of the surveillance videotape of The Colonel shot earlier that
night.
CHAPTER 3:
CHAPTER TITLE: "IN THE REALM OF THE POSSIBLE"
CHAPTER 4:
CHAPTER TITLE: "DREAM TIGERS"
Rounders in Watertown. It is the same man who framed The Deacon and
ousted him from AgriChem.
CHAPTER 5:
CHAPTER TITLE: "#1 WITH A BULLET"
SCENE 1: Upon his return, The Flatlander learns from The Mole that
The Colonel and his Barnestormers have begun murdering the people on
the hit list, with the sanction of The League and The Territorial
Chairman.
CHAPTER 6:
CHAPTER TITLE: "GUNFIGHT AT THE GATE"
SCENE 1: During his absence, The Muirs kidnap and hang several
Barnestormers for the murder of the Havenot families and a handful of
AgriChem managers for their misuse of natural resources and the abuse
of Mother Earth.
SCENE 3: In the ensuing battle, The Muirs lose. The leader of the
Muirs is wounded in a duel with The Colonel.
CHAPTER 7:
CHAPTER TITLE: "IN THE NAME OF LOVE"
SCENE 3: The Flatlander, just back from River Junction, finds her
bleeding and dying. Before she dies in his arms, she admits to being
leader of The Muirs and whispers the name of her murderer: The
Colonel.
CHAPTER 8:
CHAPTER TITLE: "PROMISES IN THE DARK"
SCENE 2: Enlisting the aid of The Mole People, The Rounders, and
some Havenots, he begins preparations for the final battle. He plans
to storm The Center and take it away from The League. If necessary,
he will destroy it.
CHAPTER 9:
CHAPTER TITLE: "THE FINAL COUNTDOWN"
SCENE 1: The Flatlander and his motley crew storm The Center.
CHAPTER 10:
CHAPTER TITLE: "CRISTO REDENTOR"
SCENE 4: The Mole People, The Rounders, The Havenots, and The
Barons, with the assistance of The Mole and The Flatlander, begin to
establish a new order.
"Near Mendota."
"Night scope?"
"Yes."
near Masterson."
"He won't be the last." Borba reaches for the remote and
turns off the reality. The image collapses into a white hole
CHAPTER 22
Elliot must have felt like Burt Lancaster playing Wyatt Earp at
the OK Corral.
adversary.
realize."
state."
Elliot surveyed the room and smelled the tension. "Is part
as what you intend to say and how you intend to say it."
theirs."
think maybe you don't know what you're talking about. That you
damaging."
"And I suppose you intend to help me understand the
throwing your power in my face. I know who you are and what
memory."
Tyranny of the Downbeat 329
someone had turned the hourglass over and all the sand had
drained away. He grasped the arms of the chair with his shaking
no matter what."
matter what?"
After seeing Elliot to his car, Pat and I stopped off at the
"Why?"
"What?"
fire someone."
ever seen that button behind his desk? The blue one with the
white letters?"
"Well?"
has his own code that he lives by. His own set of values. And
"Like a pit bull. Locks its jaws so tight you have to kill
alike. Elliot, like the rest of the young men born in the early
still a brush fire, and no one was yet questioning our presence
Borba's epilepsy had kept him out of the service and would
he certainly had. That was the bond; of men whose lives had been
changed because a genetic code had gone awry. And there wasn't
anything they could do but try to control it and live their lives
What their diseases did for both of them was constantly, daily,
The lines had been drawn, the gauntlet thrown. Elliot now
got dirtier and more deadly. And it was all beginning to really
It was life and death. And everything was fair, even acts of
sabotage and espionage. They were going to fight dirty and they
were going to take it all the way to the end, no matter who got
Tyranny of the Downbeat 333
Beware of what you wish for in youth for you will surely
achieve it in middle age.
-- Johann Wolfgang von Goethe
Tell me why?
Tell me why?
Why do fools fall in love?
Why do they fall in love?
--Frankie Lymon & Morris Levy, "Why Do Fools Fall in Love?"
always too long, you were never in control of your own destiny,
and she could never go out on the road with you. Someone else
was always pulling the strings. So you could never really make
plans. Because somebody, usually the one with the money, would
Tyranny of the Downbeat 334
was one of the reasons she finally started looking around. For
drink beyond the two I figured I'd have, that I realize I have a
realize now what a drug alcohol really is. And I realize how
There are simply too few social situations anymore where you
laughed. It became the theme for the weekend, like the "Rock
Every time the conversation would stall, or the fun would stop,
I'm not sure how I got home that evening. My eyes were
open, but I was driving blind. The day and the drinks had
Tyranny of the Downbeat 335
have a conversation."
relationship?"
"I guess I'll start, then. I think one of the best things
sustain a relationship."
"You know, we don't know how to tell each other when we're
own mind and then react to it than it is to deal with it. It's
minds, we believe the other person no longer cares for us, or has
She lights yet another cigarette and begins toying with her
lighter.
harangue me. Talk me into it. Don't stop talking. I mean, you
something you want to do, you put on 'that face' and you stop
talking. You know what face. The stone face. The angry face."
"I think we bicker too much. Like your parents. You act
just like your Mom when you get angry. You shut down. You make
'smart-ass' comments. And then you say you don't know what I'm
that doesn't mean I don't care for you and respect your opinion.
because I got along so well with you and that these people were
And I can't expect you to like them or even want to see them.
sounds selfish. And I know you think I always get my way. Maybe
want and can make a decision. Maybe I'm just more independent
than you are. I don't rely on you totally for support and
sustenance. I know you're getting better at it. But I can't
or someone else. I'm just not wired that way. I'm going to look
out for myself. Maybe that comes from being raised in a family
of five with no money. You get what you can for yourself and you
Now I take a long drink from my beer. Because I'm dry and
control, like eating and drinking too much, your weight, how old
Tyranny of the Downbeat 338
you're getting, how many wrinkles you've got. People who are old
I'm sure she's thinking about Hawaii. About how well we got
"And yet you fell back into the old routine. You still
appreciate it. But you can share your concerns with me. You
pretty petty. I know it hurt you worse than anything. But I'm
Tyranny of the Downbeat 339
just trying to tell you that the crimes you accuse me of are just
me, too."
"Yes, our sex life sucks. But I just have a different sex
drive than you do. And I'm not gay. I'm not abnormal. I really
hate it when you say that. I'm offended by it. I just don't
have the same interest as you do. Did you know that over 60% of
for us then. I'm just pointing out a fact. Contrary to what you
a point in our own relationship. Then it got bad and it's been
no fun since. I think you should have fun when you make love.
with someone special. But it hasn't been that way for us for a
long while. No, it's not because you're getting old. And it's
bedroom when I perform all day at work. You know, 'quickies' are
nice, too. Maybe they just seem that way because the longer we
wait, the more time that passes between our lovemaking, the
Tyranny of the Downbeat 340
excited and stay excited, it's not something about you that's
to come from you. Not because you think I don't find you
something new. Fall in love and be loved. No, I'm not looking
any more than you are. Maybe I can't make love without being
don't like that. And I'll tell you something else. As sexually
An embarrassed shrug.
"One of the biggest problems, and it's the one that'll never
go away and will probably break us up, is the fact you hate
Even though you were raised there, it's like you inherited it all
over again when you married me. So, like my friends, I accept
your attitude, like you must accept mine, and I will get my
Ralston fix when and how I can without you. I'm not saying I
want to move back. Have you ever thought that moving to Ralston
attached to it? Why can't you try it? Isn't the relationship
She just rolls her eyes and shakes her head, hearing the
do. You really don't have either. You really don't like your
parents. You tolerate your sister. And you've got about three
much as you, and they like me. But I can share my affection. It
Tyranny of the Downbeat 342
doesn't mean there's not a place for you in my life. Don't make
It's a very real place with very real people. But as far as
you're concerned, it's gotta be either or, one or the other. And
She leans back into the couch, staring into the fireplace.
And I'm not sure it wasn't there before we met. I'm sorry, but
you wanted to hear what was wrong so I'm telling you. I don't
like it when you stay out late. I really hate it when you go to
the Miramar. I realize you just want to have some fun. And I
But I think you're hanging out with those losers to feel needed.
own. Well I can't. I want you here, at home, with me, with the
things we share. You shouldn't have to hit the bars. If you do,
something is wrong. And if we can't change it, it's gone. Sure,
But what's so wrong with spending some time with me? And you
may be watching TV, but at least we're in the same room for a
change."
both drink too much and for all the wrong reasons. It's easier
fact that life's slipping by, that you're not doing what you want
She agrees.
angry and disappointed. But I'm not ready to chuck it. I care
about you and I'd like to think we could make it work. People
sure when, and if, I do leave, it's for the right reasons. That
we've done everything we could and that I'm not making a mistake,
don't think you should stay with me because I'm safe and
this life, or not. If you do, you have to fight for it."
nice? You've called me 'The Saint' before? Is that how you see
me? That I can do no wrong? You said it. I've gotta live it.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 344
No, I'd like to know. Do you really respect me? I think that's
no sex. It's just fucking. I'm sure you'd be glad to have that
That get's a response. These are the jibes that try our
patience.
"I trusted you and how did you repay me? With abuse. With
you figure I'll just sit and wait. That I'll just keep taking
it. And when I get fed up, I'll leave. But that's fine, because
know someone, because the more we talk, the more you tell me, the
more I think I know you better now than when we got married, the
more I realize I really don't know who you are or what you want."
Her lower lip starts to tremble.
find that just about everyone else in this world is a lot less
forgiving and a lot harder than I am. And I really hope you
how. I can't live yours. I'm not selfish. I'm not evil. I'm
not uncaring. There are no secret plans. I'm just a kid trying
to get through this life without too many scars on his knees."
truth has very few friends and those few are suicides. We are
embrace the other; to hold them and tell them that we care. She
decides she can't stand the sound of the silence any more. She
We drank a toast to
innocence
We drank a toast to now
And tried to reach beyond
the emptiness
But neither one knew how
ALTA CALIFORNIA
---------------------------------------------------------------
WATER HEARINGS BEGIN
The fate of fresh water to be determined.
By Stephan Harrington
OF THE RECORD STAFF
CHAPTER 23
fried anything that moved outside. Elliot had made the run down
the valley to see his parents and to update the rest of the
just had, he was sure these people were not above crippling the
project any way they could. So he asked that we all keep our
action groups. 'The Sea Shepherds,' 'Earth First,' and 'The John
Muir Brigade.'
monkey-wrenchers?"
army."
--Devereaux "Their goal is, and these are their words, 'to
lumber."
Georgia-Pacific?"
confrontational."
weapons."
--Elliot "Can you meet with them? I'd like to see if there's
lips and lizard tongue held in a sneer.) Her teeth are seamless,
with the straight edge of her jaw. The bangs hang long, below
the brows and into her eyes. (She could tease you from behind
along walls, feeling the walls with her hands and shoulders.)
goes out in the sun. And when she does, she wears long black
gloves and carries an umbrella. (She has razor edges to her body
eyes. (Or slice along the inside of your thigh, tickling with
How does the song go? "If you like it now, you'll learn to love
it later.")
elbows enticing with ass stuck high in the air. A black siamese
Cajun, I think. (The accent, the way she tongues the words could
"Why can't you let the Sierra Club and some of the other
became what they once fought. They fight brush fires. They
"How are you and 'Earth First!' different from the Sierra
"Sounds semi-religious."
have members of the Peace Corps. They have also witnessed the
"Who else?"
system. The ones whose heads were bloodied. The ones who breath
the pesticides. The ones whose children may one day have
cancer."
it."
she hadn't. But she didn't mind compromising me. I was real
I waited while she parked her car. As she walked toward me, I
the second skin of her skirt, sending off sparks of static sexual
weren't so perfectly shaped and tight. Any man who saw it could
only dream of her before him, down on all fours, that lush and
luscious butt moving in circles, her face turned back and staring
glimpse round and soft; the smooth line of a long leg ending in
dangling breasts and swaying hips, moved moistly with the music.
She lay on her back, face turned to the window hoping for a
the drop plopped on her nipple. I held the ice high above her;
from behind her knee, inside her elbow, at the back of her neck.
Sweet breath blew warm against my neck and the tide began to
rise.
She sensed pale fruit, scimitar-shaped and slender,
peeled back. She cradled the cactus, watching the smooth purple
at the corners of her mouth, her tongue too stuck to bared teeth
filling her mouth with crushed ice. She began slowly sucking.
She filled her mouth with more water. She never took her eyes
off mine.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 357
Compulsive water drinking. You drank until you died. I hope she
She was gone the next morning. I was left with the fantasy.
I took her message with me. But I don't remember what she said.
weather-beaten face, across his forehead and around his eyes, are
have lived on this land. Now he has to leave. You can hear one
the San Joaquin River. Bookended between toxic flows. When the
onto his property and into his well. After months of headaches,
upset stomachs, and nausea, he and his wife moved into town.
anything for his property now. And the local and state officials
support that there are cancer clusters in the valley. The father
suggested that she should go to the hospital and hold the young
girl down when she screams out in pain from the leukemia
cried. For a long time. They couldn't stop her. They didn't
know why she cried so much. They had no money. They were
city by violence and drugs. They couldn't pay for the doctor, so
they let her cry. Then she was dead. The autopsy later revealed
it was leukemia.
another, and replied it was pretty soon after they arrived. Had
they eaten any tainted food or water? No, they'd eaten a few
ducks they'd snared from the wildlife refuge downslope. And the
water they drank was from a well on the ranch where he worked
Tyranny of the Downbeat 359
These three cases are but a few of the many similar cases
public health problem here that's not being properly defined and
that if word gets out that the water is tainted and children are
dying of cancer. Lazarus tells me how the health officer for the
including humans?"
"Quite right. There are both acute lethal doses and chronic
"Sterility?"
"Yes."
"Why's that?"
systems are working at full pace while growing and the chemicals
hyperirritability."
"What about more severe cases?"
brain."
right away."
Tyranny of the Downbeat 362
defects."
familiar with the cases of Matt Hazeltine and Bob Waters? Two
men who played football for the San Francisco 49ers? Hazeltine
died of ALS and Waters is suffering from the same. Lou Gehrig's
time?"
players for the New York Giants were diagnosed as having cancer.
toxic waste?"
"Probably."
"Yes and no. It purifies the water, yes. But if there are
Tyranny of the Downbeat 363
trihalo methane."
CHAPTER 24
dry most of the year, but it still creates a very serene, pastoral
scene. The building itself has been referred to, in jest and praise,
owner.
She smiled at her own subliminal thought. They were all men.
court and the lush and lavish koi pond, and escorted her to the
dining room. Everyone else had arrived and were enjoying a new-
release Pinot Noir. She nodded hello to those she knew as she
was guided to the center table. Phil pulled out the center chair
and motioned for her to sit. Arrayed down both sides were
head table was filled except one. The one directly across from
her.
She recognized the scene. She had survived this gauntlet
Some had passed. Many had not. This was where "the velvet fist"
because the food was bad, but because their stomach was boiling,
settled into his chair before the salad was served. A panicked
He poured her some wine. Asked her how she liked it. His
old world charm and grace releasing the tension; his Italianesque
salad. Took a sip of wine. She relaxed. That was the usual
to me and all that I have built here. Just as you have been
Tyranny of the Downbeat 367
Her lips tightened. She put her hands together in her lap
"I would also like to keep the memory of your Father and the
She leaned forward. Her anger at this man's words about her
Father overpowering her fear. "Don't you ever talk that way
It might embarrass your Mother. You might even ask her about it
reaction he knew that would make. "I guess you don't know
everything, do you?"
swirled the glass, sniffed the aroma, smiled, put it down, and
dangerous ground for people who were colleagues rather than close
create a better world for the most people, but they insist on
Tyranny of the Downbeat 368
And yet, they can't achieve the kind of radical change they'd
holding out his hand to take money from the same PACs he's
condemning."
neoliberalism'."
general good, but just to get close to the special interests and
cared the most about were the environment and health care. He
the Peace Corps before turning his legal skills to such unpopular
the San Fernando and the San Joaquin. And they had been going
The two men were very similar. Neither liked to lose. Nor
really didn't like each other and they certainly didn't trust the
other. That's why there were bitter political enemies. Plus the
ultimate goal in mind. They had danced around each other for
years. Now they would be locked in a battle that only one would
survive.
causes. They really didn't know each other. They certainly had
and pesticide poisoning were issues that cut as close to home for
side of the line. He was ready to back his commitment with time
and money.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 371
Street, when Laura was still married and Sandy was about to be,
had they taken the time to just sit and talk. They had been
Maybe Sandy was feeling something in the air and she needed
talking.
"We had problems. I'm not going to hide that fact. Most
There's nothing to talk about. Nothing you can do. I just don't
afternoon.'"
"I felt like I'd just been kicked in the stomach. He got up
have done that would have forced him to leave. I really beat
myself up. I felt like dirt. Then, once I felt strong enough to
The rejection really hurt. But you know what cut the deepest?
He could have done well. He could have been something more than
wife sensed it and so did the kids, especially my John, who was
Tyranny of the Downbeat 373
the oldest."
"The counselor said that one day John probably realized that
what was happening to him was the same thing that had happened to
his father."
"Did the two of you ever talk about it? Try to change
things?"
is to discard a can."
They look fine on the outside, but once you try to get close,
they act like you've pulled a knife on them. They can't back up
fast enough."
Travis is feeling?"
"I don't know. He's certainly capable of it. You know how
"That's a defense."
"I know that. But I guess it's just easier to break loose
"But you seem to have the perfect marriage. You look like
you still care about each other. He touches you. He doesn't put
"That shows how little people really know. All you see is
the surface. You see the smiles, but you can't see behind the
bedroom door."
Tyranny of the Downbeat 375
dot journalism".
ALTA CALIFORNIA
-----------------------------------------------------------------
WHAT'S NEW IN THE WAR?
A grab-bag of water politics
By Stephan Harrington
OF THE RECORD STAFF
aware. At least one song on every album he'd done since going
selling out.
"No fucking way. I mean, that's the line I will not cross.
"I never stopped doing stuff. Most people never saw it.
But, recently it's because of the excess. If you ask me, we've
traded ideals for bucks. And that bugs me. Whether it's drugs
or dollars, any monkey that's bigger than you are, I'm ready to
attitude?"
"I don't know. I've got a lot of audiences now. Some see
community. We've got to stop relying on the feds and the state
happen. That I was in the right place at the right time. And I
do."
the high ground. If you don't, then you're trying to bargain and
idea for a character or two from one of his movies for one of my
road shows."
the thought that they may take over our lives. It bothers me
that people think they can live their life by pressing buttons.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 379
That they can talk to people using computer voices. We both need
machines to do our work, but we won't let them run our lives."
Tyranny of the Downbeat 380
CHAPTER 25
I am a child
I last a while
You can't conceive
Of the pleasure
In my smile
I gave to you
Now you give to me
I'd like to know
What you've learned
The sky is blue
And so is the sea
What is the color
When black is brown?
What is the color
Of the rain?
I am a child
I last a while
You can't conceive
Of the pleasure
In my smile
-- Neil Young, "I Am A Child"
When Elliot and Dewey finally met, they liked each other
been taken advantage of, had been lied to, had seen their visions
that they were both hugely successful and independent, they could
follow their muse and tell the rest of the parasites to kiss
their asses. They were both artists with a vision that had
had two children, both boys. And both had cerebral palsy. Of
course, Dewey and his wife had been devastated each time and had
spent a lot of time and money working with their sons and working
some joy and enthusiasm into the lives of children who spent most
of their days frustrated when their active and healthy minds were
Anything to raise funds and lighten the guilt and anger he felt.
quiet desperation his sons were living had to be his fault and
punctured, but they had found nothing. The doctors told him
Tyranny of the Downbeat 382
Which was hard to accept considering there was so much, and yet
scientifically.
For a long time following the birth of his second son, Dewey
chose to spend more time with the family. During that time, he
caused it, Dewey began to wonder if maybe there wasn't some kind
inside him over the years and had spawned a bad seed that
two men, one who couldn't have children and one who could and
Tyranny of the Downbeat 383
did, who were linked forever by the real possibility that someone
they didn't know had knowingly and without remorse polluted the
water they drank and the environment they lived in simply for
profit.
Dewey and Elliot were linked in yet another way; one that
come. They were both fatalists. They both had commented many
times since meeting that their paths were meant to cross. And
they both felt they had been singled out, that all of their life
sensed that they were now on that path, embarked on that journey,
manipulated songs and themes, and then produced his own road
Dewey Palmer would write and perform the soundtrack for the
documentary.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 384
Stephan Harrington had first met Len Maddox when Maddox won
expanding his own power base and consolidating control for the
meet. Maddox had just had a heart attack. Too early for a man
had left in his term. The man who had once been John Borba's
strongest ally--who had handled Borba's bid for majority
achieve.
That was over a year ago. In the time since, he'd angered
dams; dams that would destroy the few remaining wild rivers and
would create holding ponds for water only the rich farmers would
Tyranny of the Downbeat 385
And, invariably, it was the League and the big farmers that took
the heat. And they, in turn, spent money and time trying to
undermine his power. They even tried to get him recalled. But
Then the threats began. He had been threatened and so had his
family. He'd even been run off the road one day. When he had the
rancher who sold his cotton to the League. That's when he called
himself and his family. More for his family. His heart attack
had resigned him to his own mortality. But his family was young.
the tape until it was time to let the other shoe drop.
Now he was dead. Harrington had to admit the bastards had
Literally falling down drunk. Hit his head and rolled into the
pool."
"But possible?"
and didn't even know it. They had been getting away with
robbery. The biggest growers in the state; with the help of the
BuRec and the Army Corps. They were getting all the water for
almost nothing. There was too much money involved to even think
96 OUTSIDE MORGUE
Gittes stops by a body on the table, the toe tagged with Mulwray's
name. MORTY is standing near it in a doorway to an adjoining room.
A RADIO is on, and with it the announcement that they're about to
have another chapter in the life of Lorenzo Jones and his devoted
wife, Belle. Another Coroner's assistant sits at the table,
listening to the radio and eating a sandwich.
MORTY
(a cigarette dangling out of
his mouth)
Jake, what're you doin' here?
Tyranny of the Downbeat 387
GITTES
Nothin', Morty, it's my lunch hour, I thought
I'd drop by and see who died lately.
Gittes picks up the sheet and pulls it back. CAMERA GETS ITS FIRST
GLIMPSE of Mulwray's body -- eyes open, the face badly cut and
bruised.
MORTY
Yeah? Ain't that something? Middle of a
drought, the water commissioner drowns --
only in L.A.
future scenario.
SCENARIO: #880808
CLIENT: INTERNAL
ENGINEER: D. DOLAN
STATUS: IN-PROGRESS
CLASSIFICATION: PRIORITY
DATE: 08/08/88
TRT: TBD
WORKING TITLE: "THE ENGINE OF CHANGE"
SCENARIO OUTLINE:
For some time now, there has been paranoid speculations about the
possibility--ever since business and government began dealing
with each other. The connection between economic and political
elites. The military-industrial complex. The influence of the
corporate-military matrix. People have long speculated about the
notion of a select group of privileged men orchestrating events
around the world to benefit and consolidate their own power and
wealth. Writers, reporters, philosophers, scientists, and
academicians had all seen interconnections and intimacies that
led to coups and revolutions.
Into this void steps what one commentator terms "the most important
institutional innovation in recent American politics".
The Political Action Committee, or PAC. The PACs, with the aid
of the electronic media, have assumed the responsibility once
played by the political parties, that of informing and motivating
the voting public.
There exists a group of men and women who work hard at blurring the
line between real and perceived. They are the professional image
manipulators. They sell canned foods as well as they sell
predictable Presidents. They clearly understand the capabilities and
powers of the electronic arts, including video and computers,
telecommunications, and marketing. Their imagination and skill
create the images of the marketplace, the political arena, and the
social-civic orders. Utilizing leading edge technologies, they
process, edit and link together fragmented ideas, places, and things
into common perception.
mobilize the power of the people and bring it to bear on one issue,
they have to use their own skills, and those of people
like the image-makers.
CHAPTER 26
been attributed to men with immense egos; men who enjoyed living
downfall.
conquest was the name of the game. When it came to women, he was
them, to lead them on, then leave. This disdain, coupled with
wife, who loved him still--and who, rumor suggested, had been
the timing had all been in Tony's favor and against Laura. She
They had worked closely for the month prior, then spent almost
Tyranny of the Downbeat 395
fourteen hours per day together for a solid week. They were
The night the hearings ended, they had a quiet dinner at the
Sutter Club. They laughed in relief of the pressure and the fact
For a while, they seemed to have gotten beyond the masks each
presented the other. And they liked what they saw. When they
the couch and began talking about future plans. Each time one or
the other got up to get another glass or open a window, they sat
down nearer to the other. As they got closer, their clothes got
see one another. And so they did. For six months. In Ralston,
Sacramento, D.C., and New York. Until he suddenly stopped
She was happy to give him what he needed. Their meeting was all
stepping over the line, crossing the threshold. Was it worth the
golden honey. She moved slowly and sweetly; a sticky odor in her
sensual. And her liquid was made sweeter by the melodic South
Carolina accent that oozed out of her rounded lips. She was born
with it and had made it more affected over the years. It matched
She was neither short nor tall and certainly not dumpy.
but solid. Her breasts were large, full, heavy, brimming with
suit, stretching her arms to the sky, they didn't sag, but stood
she liked being touched there most of all. Her waist was
amazingly small; her butt full, but firm. She was someone you
armpits when she chose not to shave. Her hair was also
mothering her men to death. She gave and gave and expected
men were disarmed and never took advantage of her. They could
perceive no other motive in her generosity but the desire to give
The air was barely moving. And after the summer's rain,
unusual for that time of year, it was humid. You could smell the
this night. She chose champagne, fluted tulip glass, and a short
room, she stared into his eyes. She began to dance. He could
see every bulge and curve and cutting line beneath the white silk
dress she wore. He was staring at her waist, working his way
up, rubbing her stomach and then her breasts and then began
eager. She danced closer, gazed more deeply. She put her hands
opened his eyes and she was still watching. She took off his
coat, his shirt, and his belt, still moving to the music, still
licking the back of his throat, still digging into his eyes.
Her body felt warm as she slowly straddled the chair and
him. One hand rubbed his nipples, while the other rubbed him
against her, in and out, up and down and around. He reached one
hand to touch her ass. They moved back and forth. She
the chair. He flinched as she scraped her claws along the inside
of his thigh, nicking the flesh. Then there was no air blowing,
only her, only a feeling of lips, tongue, and mouth moving warm
and tight. He wanted to see her, watch what she was doing. All
shut, just trying to catch his breath. Now, it's my turn she
said. She placed the powder between her open legs and pushed it
toward him. Rub some on me. Right here. She reclined on her
elbows and lifted her legs, never once letting go of his gaze.
He touched her, kissed her lips and breasts, teasing before the
not long, before she yowled and screeched, closing her legs and
turning her body away from him. But not those heavy-lidded eyes.
When the sun hit his eyes, she was already gone. He
frontage road leading to the freeway and passed the Holiday Inn,
he didn't see the white limousine parked near the pool. Or her
practiced there for several years before returning home and going
to work for Delancy & Reed. He had been the point man on most of
Tyranny of the Downbeat 400
grade, when he moved out from Wisconsin. His Father had been
Dad had gotten from the plant. I still remember riding home
and plan our future. It was only fourth grade, but we'd already
up, we'd raise thoroughbred racing horses. We'd own a huge ranch
We had competed against each since the day we'd first met.
most book reports, getting the lead in the school play, or being
the best baseball player, we always seemed to be going
and where we came from; what our family background was and the
equals with the kids who got there because of their parents'
Tyranny of the Downbeat 401
money and position. Our parents were lower middle class working
money for food, but not enough for extravagances. Clothes were
we both had loving, caring fathers, the coach was our hero. Not
like him. We went out to all his games and cheered for him. We
jostled for the right to ride home in the back of his sports car
playoffs?"
"And all the parents and kids threw rocks at his car."
"They did not know what a balk was. Nobody had ever called
a balk in Little League."
"He did."
"And we're not? You know, I played softball with him the
ball with him ever since he coached me on the Babe Ruth All-Star
team."
"I think so. It's funny. I was telling some other people
Tyranny of the Downbeat 402
about the game and my Dad was there. I was goin' on about how
it was my dream to play with the coach. How this guy had taught
I suddenly realized that during all those years I'd been saying
how the coach had been my hero, I was cutting my Dad to the bone.
I was really hurting him. He had spent as much time, maybe even
more, not only teaching me the game, but teaching me how to deal
we left them."
by to see Thomas. Now they meet behind closed doors. That never
happened before."
"I wish I could help you Mike. I wish I knew more. But I
don't. I see Laura very seldom and I really don't talk to anyone
conquering."
"Wait. Can you back up a bit? It's still early and you're
"Not a bad idea. I'm sure most people in the state will
love it."
we, who fought to save the Yosemite Valley from development and
"You can't."
"I'm lost."
stops as the waitress brings our food. "The people who get most
"Where?"
anywhere because they've got no place to get it. All the water
people want more water, they've got to have more dams. With
Hetch Hetchy closing and all the others maxed out, some new ones
have to be built."
Dam. But each time they've come up for funding, or been placed
public opinion?"
"Except Los Angeles. They keep trying to get the Big Ditch
"So, if all of a sudden there's one less dam and a lot less
Los Angeles runs up the flag to build the peripheral canal, ..."
or two."
Tyranny of the Downbeat 406
"Then they've got all the allies they need and you can't
stop them. San Francisco gets the water. The public gets more
park land. Jobs are created. The BuRec and Army Corps get a dam
and San Joaquin Valleys. To the people who started the whole
thing to begin with. They lobbied for it. They pressured the
"One dam goes away and several others take its place."
CHAPTER 27
Some were still around. Many were not. Most seemed awfully
out the co-eds, then headed over to "The Graduate," shot some
pool and some beers, then went downtown. As we passed the site
Patchouli Oil!"
past.
"No, I'd say it's some of that 'New Age' shit. Fucking hot
"I'll help it get on the bus. Just give me Merle any old
time."
I sucker-punched him in the ribs as we swung into "The
long necks, and turned to watch the pool players. Being back a
thinking back on how it was we got here and what had happened
always thinking about my life and what I'm doing that's good or
of food stuck in your teeth and your tongue keeps playing with
"Well, when I look at Jorge, Billie, me, and others our age,
semi-ugly."
drain."
They expect too much. They want something I'm not. So, if I
like someone and want to stay with them, I've got to accommodate.
And, right now, I kind of like not having to tell anyone about
out."
there, men and women, living alone. The one's who would be doing
the judging are the ones who are doing it alone. It isn't a
problem any more. The days of the spinster aunt and kindly uncle
you're not as likely to compromise. And that's got men and women
friends like you so much. And that's probably why Sandy resents
all of you."
like each other and really care about the others. And you share
it with the extended family. People like me and Jorge and Gover.
it, too."
simple."
an effort. I can just sigh and say it's impossible to know them,
independent."
sour."
smokescreen."
"And when we talk to them about it, they're only seeing our
Tyranny of the Downbeat 412
"Yea. They never talk with us, only at us. Maybe if they
they really wanted. Then we could get close and they'd stop
getting angry."
"You know what they say? The trouble with men is men and
feel deep down that we like them or want to be with them. That's
with them. I don't know about you, but it's a broader landscape
seeing the world through a woman's eyes. I mean, after the poker
boring."
"And smelly."
"Danger zone."
"Why?"
a total surprise.
don't want her to be. She's got the freedom, money-wise and
but you also want them dependent. You want to be able to take
her own."
how."
"Oriental women."
my own ability to please them and yet they're the ones that
"They get angry and they want us to deal with that, but we
pretty."
lovers by night."
feel I've really tried to understand her needs and do what I can
"And you keep defending her just like that. You try to
please her and she kicks you in the nuts. Do you think she, and
the rest of them, appreciate what you're doing? No way. You try
situation, cowboy."
singles scene. I'm too old for that. Everyone in the bars is
living alone. I know that. But it could get real lonely. And,
then, one day, one of the little neighborhood girls would point
her."
"You know what we're both facing? What all men and women
our age are facing? Being alone the rest of our lives or making
a commitment."
"You think that's bad. Think about being the last man,
a bird."
having a pet?"
"You know what I mean. We just liked being free to come and
go. And besides, if the marriage ever went bad, I didn't want to
My parents did that and I admired them for it. I don't think it
made emotional cripples of us. But I know there were times they
both wished they weren't married. But they kept it together for
the kids."
"So what was their outlet? Did they have any affairs?"
know, but I have a hunch that something happened between them and
"Why?"
together, then, the next day, they were bitter enemies. Stopped
seeing each other. Didn't talk to each other. Then, when the
husband died, my Mom didn't go to the funeral. She said it
casket. She always said she wanted to remember people the way
they were when they were alive, not dead in a casket. But
either. But the fact is they kept their together for us kids.
No matter how badly they wanted out. And we're better for it.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 417
We know what it means to make a commitment and stay with it. But
I'd hate to have kids and then try to keep it together like my
parents did, only to see the kids get fucked up. And that's the
you're saying you don't want kids because you don't want to screw
them up if you get divorced, you're saying from the start that
reality.
We had never really sat down and talked. We did a little right
Like something we had to do. Here was two people who weren't
the other one know how they felt. The only way we could even get
that. Again, after a few beers. During one of the later talks,
hoped his kids didn't stay married because he and my Mother had.
He didn't elaborate.
the last few years with my Mom. And he had kept it together for
Tyranny of the Downbeat 419
us kids. And he was feeling like maybe he'd set a precedent for
respected them both for basically sacrificing their lives for us.
honest. We all knew they had both felt that way during the
marriage, but they had never said anything where we could hear
it. But his life had changed and he had become much more honest.
choices. We each stayed for our own reasons. Some were the
same, others were not. But, for all of us, the key one was
commitment. And we had learned that from our parents. They had
They felt the need to honor that. And each of us kids had done
the same. We had made the commitment and were determined to stay
even then, it probably would have taken some time for us to make
the decision to clear out. We had not, and did not, take our
Of course, there was always the flip side. It may have been
undermined it. Now we were dealing with each other alone. And
trying to figure her out and make some sense of our marriage.
It's usually the woman who spends all the time talking the
just don't feel like fighting her. I don't know if it's worth
Tyranny of the Downbeat 421
Probably for one long night maybe. I haven't found it yet, but
manhoodity.
take life less seriously. She needs to laugh with me, not at me.
published over 250 years ago by Jonathon Swift, who wrote: "The
best doctors in the world are Doctor Diet, Doctor Quiet and
Doctor Merryman."
Their asses are so tight that their faces are constipated with
righteous indignities. Ooh, you're so severe. So pinched.
Lighten up, people. Let the jester out. Let him tell the king
Someone once said we can never love anyone with whom we've
that you don't take it too seriously. I must have known this
somehow. I certainly felt that way about life, because I did put
were the playful admonitions to never lose our sense of humor and
So, what was I doing wrong? Why had every relationship I'd
ever been in failed? Why had I always been the one left behind?
Was I thinking about it too much? Too much cerebral and not
I lack compassion. I'm too selfish to see what she needs. Maybe
about it. Fuck it. Maybe I should stop worrying about things I
can't control.
CHAPTER 28
see you right away, Laura." Though there was no obvious reason
to be concerned, her own guilt and paranoia kicked in. She had
she was sure many more now knew and she wasn't sure about them.
She picked up her legal pad and crossed the expanse of expensive
"How's Chloe?"
never was when Thomas asked her about the everyday events in her
everyone a wee bit crazy." He knocked the ashes off the cigar
She crossed her arms and leaned back. The defensive body
Tyranny of the Downbeat 425
Michael."
That's why he was here. She shot him a hard glance. Her
eyes asked him why he had sold out to the other side. He kept
She decided to make him twist a little. "But why now? Has
something changed?"
"Yes, it has. His case load has gotten lighter and he's
available."
that Robert DiGiulio is our biggest account. I'd rather not lose
taking the firm, my firm, onto shaky ground. And our number one
client doesn't like it. And, quite frankly, I don't like it."
"Let's just say they don't know where your allegiances lie.
Nor do I."
How about OxyGene? How about the water lobby? Or the Westlands
word out. I think they've got a word for it. What do they call
that? Conspiracy, I think."
over your head. You don't know who you're dealing with, or
what."
"And if I refuse?"
me to, I'll ask for your resignation." That brings Michael back.
or the truth, she decides to change course. "I see. Would you
"Yes," she smiles. "Back the way they used to be. The
files are in my office. I'll have them organized and on his desk
this afternoon."
Laura."
It didn't take long for her to organize the files and clean
out her office. She had them in a box and in her car before
anyone knew that she was gone. She took one last look at the
office before pulling onto "I" Street and leaving this part of
She didn't want to, but she felt she owed her mother an
affiliation?"
"Don't be smart with me, young lady. You know I care about
you."
"I'd say you care more about what your friends at the
club will say." The slap rings sharply against her cheek.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 428
myself."
"How many years have you waited for that, Mother? How long
"I'm doing this because it's what I believe. Not what you
let him down. He's done too much for me. But the man who took me
off that case today was a man I don't know anymore. Any more than I
think I know you now." Her mother's back is all she has to speak to.
continues. "I'm doing this for me. For once, I'm doing it for
than terrorists."
"Then I guess I'm a terrorist, too. You asked me if I know
may have died because of what these people have done. Borba,
"It is." Thinking out loud, she crosses over the line into
the unspoken. "And I just have to wonder whose side you're on.
I have heard some things in the past few weeks that make me
grasps the window ledge as she turns. Laura can't tell whether
know has pushed her to the abyss and she needs to look inside.
She steps toward her Mother, grabs her, and begins shaking her.
was between your father and myself. I never wanted to hurt him."
Father would have backed me. He would have seen the justice in
Tyranny of the Downbeat 430
battle was out in the open again. Through clenched teeth, "Do
You can't hide behind him. Despite what you may thinking of me
the good fight. For what was right! He would not have sided
The door shut slowly behind Laura, closing off yet another
part of her life. She glanced back, one last time, only to see
she said, "The rest are in the car. There's been a slight
change."
the production vans from leaving town. One waved a pistol in the
Tyranny of the Downbeat 431
tried to leave and then crept at five miles per hour in front of
the locals.
gave him away. As he passed the local honky tonk, five or six of
the young locals partying there, yelled at the truck, calling him
the insults, fueled by alcohol, had turned into dares that became
threats. The grip was part of that other world that didn't suit
change much, but they could make someone pay. And they did.
They jumped the grip, pinning his arms, and pulled him behind
the truck and out of the store's lights. He was punched several
Francisco.
It's very hot and dry and flat around here. Much of the
Kick it with your feet and it breaks into chunks of dried clay,
suitable for throwing. And that's what some of the crew was
doing to beat the heat and the boredom as we nailed down the
settled on the dark blue production van, I could easily see how
DISSOLVE:
WILLIAM TYLER stands in a flat, dry, open field. The cotton plants
are just beginning to come up. In the background, we can
see farmworker hand-spraying.
WILLIAM TYLER
The incident involving Jimmie Quon is not an
isolated one. There was a case last summer.
About 100 or so farmworkers
suffered chemical burns while working in a
field that had just been sprayed with
miticide. Then, last July, a 32-year-old man
with a heart condition. He collapsed and
died after he was ordered to return to a
field that had been sprayed with a highly
toxic pesticide.
NARRATOR (v.o.)
It's obvious that by shortening the return
period, the farmer can get more work done and
get the crops to market faster. So the
farmers, with the consent of the EPA, are
really putting a price on the heads of these
workers. All in the name of profit. If the
grower hadn't needed his crops sprayed so he
could make
money, the workers wouldn't have been in the
fields. Victims of pesticide misuse and a
regulatory system unable to prevent it
because of bureaucracy, money, and influence.
Everybody in town knew what the crew was shooting. Word got
could be told any way the camera wanted. They liked their quiet
And they were afraid. And with enough alcohol and bold talk, the
tavern. It's where the boys went after working from six to six
to knock back a few cool ones and talk rodeo, baseball, women,
and cars. Anything but their day-to-day drudgery. Now they had
He was buying the beers with Tequila backs. And talking. He'd
say something and one of the boys would turn to look at whoever
went out the back door. The drivers finished their drinks and
followed him.
like staying to have a few with the crew. He was tired and he
was leaving the next day for Palo Alto. He couldn't understand
how these people could maintain the pace they did. Massive
media. Both could be last place teams and it would still be the
had heard about the incident with the grip, so he was a little
jumpy. He felt a cold sweat start. Guess I'll take the long way
across the street, his eyes were on the lone figure when
The two men in black Cat hats drug Tyler behind the
buildings. They hit him once. They stuffed him into a feed bag
and tossed him in the back of the truck. By then the third man
They drove out to the river, parked the truck, and dumped
hospitality."
They didn't even bother to take the sack off. They just
kept kicking him and hitting him with their shiny new baseball
Tyranny of the Downbeat 436
They were too drunk to tell how hard, or how many times,
they hit him. When they were too tired to continue, they kicked
the bundle one last time. It rolled to the edge of the river and
stopped.
faces of the crew as they watched Tyler being lifted into the
ambulance. His shirt was off, his sides tightly bandaged. The
blood had dried where it had dripped from his nose. He still had
bits of twig and brush in this dirty hair. He was aware, but
barely. He weakly gave the thumbs up as they slid the door shut.
smoke of the bar, stood Jon Henry Miller. He looked around for
got there."
"No. They thought I was part of the crew. Just someone who
out the back door of the white limousine and pulled away in his
truck.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 438
CHAPTER 29
In my little town
I grew up believing
God keeps His eye on us all
And He used to lean upon me
As I pledged allegiance to the wall
Lord I recall
My little town
In my little town
I never meant nothin'
I was just my father's son
Saving my money
Dreaming of glory
Twitching like a finger
On the trigger of a gun
Leaving nothing but the dead and dying
Back in my little town
-- Paul Simon & Art Garfunkel, "My Little Town"
was settling into the office. Though she and I had been friends
now for a number of years, and though I had come to her before
other enough, to know we could work well together. But now that
"Same here."
credibility."
Geraldo Rivera? If I'm doing this only for the story, only for
compromised?"
"Honest?"
"Always."
"How would you know? It was never an issue for you. It was
"I thank you for that. But what did you hope to do? What
"I figured if I could bring down just one of the 'big boys,'
in for seasoning."
Tyranny of the Downbeat 440
She smiles. He does too because the truth can be humorous. "And
now?"
now it's not for the past. It's because a friend of mine is
gone, perhaps dead." That blind-sides her because she was trying
to forget him. "Because people I know have been hurt. And more
"That's ambitious."
"And optimistic."
DISSOLVE:
DISSOLVE:
TIM PALMER
There's this thing about flowing water.
People love it. Maybe it's because we're 75
percent water ourselves. Maybe it stems from
a heritage of gills and webbed feet.
140 CLOSE UP
PALMER dips his hand into the rushing water. CAMERA follows as he
Tyranny of the Downbeat 441
lifts it into the air. Silhouetted against the sun, the water
streams from his hand.
CARL POPE
No longer will we be able to count on a
guaranteed supply of water. Of unlimited
quantity and high quality, at a price that is
very close to scot-free.
POPE (v.o.)
And no longer can we continue to 'solve' our
water problems by merely finding new sources
to exploit, new streams to
dam.
DEFOCUS CAMERA.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 442
DISSOLVE
CARL POPE
Tyranny of the Downbeat 443
CAMERA ends DOLLY and ZOOMS to follow as POPE crosses a lawn and
kneels beside a water faucet.
He turns the faucet handle and there is no water, just a few drops.
CAMERA ZOOMS into an ECU of the dripping water.
"They really don't know who they're going after. Just that
"Is it any different than what we're doing, and have been
doing?"
us."
"They say they've got public opinion. And if they can get
"I'd say he's done pretty well predicting what they like."
CHAPTER 30
over the July 4th weekend every year since. It was a great
clock in its belly; the one I had spent five years and nearly a
The production had shut down for the week-end and most
so did Pat, although the long weekend would have allowed him a
at City Hall, on the eastern edge of town, and wound its way up
Dewey Avenue and then down John Muir Boulevard to the river and
The day was so hot the black asphalt was molten. Car seats
were too hot to sit on and the air didn't move at all. But there
was to much fun to be had to let old sol slow you down. It was a
day of too much chicken and too many beers. Having failed at
winning the race or the horse, I hit the bricks. I was one tired
boy. Pat and Laura decided to stick around for the fireworks. I
said adios and cast my best sidelong glance at Pat, then said to
Laura, "I suppose you'll find a ride home?" He just gave me that
rise near the road. The river swirled below. Most of the
her knees tightly held under her chin. They both felt good,
actually relaxed for the first time in weeks. The wine and beer
had helped. But it was probably the easiness and security just
They were both running on impulse now. She leaned down and
kissed him. He pulled her on top of him and they kissed until
they couldn't breath. She pushed him away and rolled off onto
Tyranny of the Downbeat 447
her back. He reached for her again, she stood and began brushing
"I think we'd better go." The fear was back. She just
sure she was safe. Like most of us, he wasn't too good at this
anymore. And especially now, since he'd been married and out of
the game for so long. We were always afraid we'd blow it, so we
light was on, we'd never see it. And we certainly never ran a
bad idea, but the high schooler was also toying with his resolve.
friends. They hugged, but he didn't let go. She didn't seem to
care. Impulsively, he put both hands on her soft butt and pulled
and dancing so close you could feel her crack below the layers of
into that crack. It was called "dry fucking" and he was doing it
Tyranny of the Downbeat 448
They still hadn't kissed. Then she pulled him just inside
the door, closing it, and lifted one leg up and pressed against
him. He lifted her skirt, reaching inside her panties, down her
butt, and into her cunt from behind. Back-door man. They
her inside and into the bedroom. There was no time for slow
Desperately naked, he slipped off to one side and held her back
and butt against him, kissing her neck and ears and hair. He
cupped her breast, then brushed back and forth lightly over the
nipples until they became taut. He lifted her top leg, and with
her still backed up to me, he began rubbing his prick against her
ass and cunt. She was warm and softly furry. To break the
Biting and sucking, twirling his tongue slowly around and around
the other worked up and down between the back of her cunt and her
asshole.
Celibate for too long, they were both too far gone to
raised her up on her hands and knees, while his fingers continued
and teasing her. Slowly, he slid inside. She moaned and caught
the back of her stomach. He began sliding in and out and she
dangled free and reached under and along her belly, rubbing her
as they moved. She reached back with one hand and felt him inside
her. The faster they moved, the higher her butt lifted into the air,
until they were banging hard against each other and pounding inside.
her heart, that with each moonrise, she is a virgin. And, in the
kissed his upturned face, warm from the light. She sat down
across from him and smiled. The sun, her face, the breakfast,
even the paper. It was all very domestic. And he loved it. At
"You know how easy this is?," Laura asked over the top of
"I'm sure I'm getting way ahead of myself, but do you know
how impossible this would have been if you'd been someone else?
Tyranny of the Downbeat 450
reel the words back in, but they're gone. They're on the table.
"Sorry."
Laura looks down at them and then out the window. The sun
She reaches across and touches his hand. "Right now, it's
just you and me. Let's get through this battle and face the
reality later. We're going to need all the energy and support we
can get."
He nods and drinks his coffee, she looks hard at her
it would last, or turn bad like the rest. She and Pat really
The couple voted most likely to marry. Once out of college, and
few friends and too much family, the marriage started to show the
house. He got his freedom. She got the cat. He got the
still saw each other around town and attended the same
they were too young, other times too arrogant. Most of the time
she didn't want to be around them. Sure there would never be
anyone for her, and not really caring anyway, she became an
have a damn good time in the process. She drank too much.
Started smoking again. Stayed out too late. Slept with anyone
who smiled and offered a kind word because, as the song says,
Before she strayed too far into the sexual DMZ, her sister
Washington. It was good for her career, but no better for her
and he disappears."
And now there was this man sitting at her breakfast table.
seem to mix any better than money and family. In both cases, it
She knew that, but she was attracted to Pat anyway, despite her
really felt possible. Maybe she was just seeing things; reading
intentions into his actions. After all, she was still on the
Besides, like so many other times, he was married. And they were
offer her help to Elliot. And the second time, at the field
was there. But the distrust, the territoriality, and the fear
actually held the chair for her. Which she refused, sitting in
the one next to it. She was flattered, but cautious. He smiled.
After that, she spent some time reviewing her reaction and
the emotions that had caused her to withdraw. She had always
they had both survived, with a few nicks and bruises. She
hadn't been real successful. Not for her; not for most of her
the pages. Consider trying it the way it was before she'd taken
family. That was important to her mother. Hell, the man could
could be excused.
was looking for a man. And this one had all the qualifications.
The assault force began working its way into the building as
people started arriving for work. They looked and acted like
memos and apples, their briefcases and lunch bags were carrying
And the ones who didn't. The ones denied this resource. The
ones now preparing to make this symbolic strike. They wanted the
the men heading for the control room knew where they were going.
the members of The League get the water. By holding back just
They were gone before the alarm was even sounded. They
crops had been destroyed. The Combine would not be shipping its
CHAPTER 31
gagged and bound the employees and re-routed the flow of water
responsibility."
anything. Maryanne had told him many times. He just didn't want
people the benefit of the doubt until it was too late. People
controlling him. And they had just done it again. They had used
recognizable. He had lost his way. Lost the truth. Lost the
the face.
because people might think we were behind it. And that could
irreparably damage our progress and credibility.
kind of behavior.
With a twist. Back in 1850 and 1856, the first Vigilantes were
owners."
they were the law. They took over the duties of government,
defied the Governor, held trials, and had their own army. The
businessman's heritage."
In reverse."
settle for showing the public what was happening without naming
Tyranny of the Downbeat 459
any names. But that's changed now. Time to go for the throat."
"environmental terrorism".
was Michael Olbrantz, who had followed her lead shortly after the
Laura and Michael had done most of the digging, but they had asked
Carl Pope, Marc Reisner, and Tim Palmer--those who knew and might
expensive litigation."
--Walsh "So, justice is only for the few who can pay the
Tyranny of the Downbeat 460
doing so."
--Laura "The problem is, even if you have the money, you
might not win. For many kinds of medical and economic damage,
their damages."
any different than cutting down redwoods or spilling oil off our
coasts."
recovery there?"
fund."
water-supply replacement."
pretty unrealistic."
scientific information."
bankruptcy courts."
to $100,000.00 each."
just employees."
profits, because they write the bylaws, because they make the
decisions that affect the company, they should also have the
for these corporations, some of whom are the best in the world,
Tyranny of the Downbeat 464
this any different than the drunk who plows his pick-up into a
and driving."
toxins."
politicians and officials knowingly let them get away with it.
charges?"
in India."
faith."
accidents."
environmental pollution."
United States."
--Laura "He's also said repeatedly that the company has the
indefinitely."
form."
can find the weapon with their fingerprints on it, we're in for a
long trial with no sure outcome?"
their lands than any other state, with the exception of Florida.
They were among the first 'farmers,' and I use that term loosely,
in the valley."
had been falsifying records about the number of acres they had
for."
Love Canal and other toxic disasters. Worried about the purity
of the air they were breathing and the water they were drinking."
any penalty."
issue. She says the states are responsible because they have the
In 1983, the State Supreme Court ruled that the 'public trust'
--Devereaux "What are the chances this issue could get lost
on misuse?"
--Laura "Along with riparian rights. You can use the water
The entire group looked around the room from one to the
CHAPTER 32
I'm not sure why women find me easy to talk to. Perhaps
it's because I really care about them, about what they have to
of who they are, not how they look. Maybe I'm not a threat.
able to open up. So over the years I've generally been the
Why my own wife never felt that way I'll never know. But then I
for our "soul mate," the perfect match. But such an attitude
in Sandy I can't find. What I think are problems with her may be
I can have a drink and watch TV. I don't have to talk to anyone.
I don't have to ask them if the program I'm watching is okay with
them. It's even better late at night when it's quiet and it's
only me. And now I find that I don't even like going out for a
walk or a drive in the car. I avoid it. I've even begun to shop
Tyranny of the Downbeat 474
like Howard Hughes. Just like my mother. The only way she could
leave the house, or leave her chair towards the end was by having
creep up on you until you've got it and you don't know you do?
Maybe you never do. You finally just stop going out.
there and I'm here and realistically when we're together. But we
other loose and set them free to start over again. Instead, I
with her, by not letting her know how I really feel, by pushing
not ready to talk yet. "Isn't that Michael Bolton?" (Of course
it is.) "Didn't you say you liked that song?" (Of course she
did. I know that, but we're trying to communicate here any way
we can.)
No answer.
Still none.
"Do you respect me? Who I am? What I am? Do you even like
"It'd be nice."
"Look, I'm gone back and forth on the project for a few
months. I come back and find men's shaving cream in the bathroom.
When was the last time I needed shaving cream? There are condoms in
the nightstand and you're back on the pill. Husbands and wives don't
need condoms."
your business."
these." He sets the photos next to the card. "So, who's Scott?"
things?"
So I did."
"No."
"Why?"
you to do this. That if I'd payed more attention to you and your
could. That I wasn't totally to blame for our sex life being so
You see, there was this red flag early in our relationship.
our beds the next fifteen years. She talked a lot about a former
lover and how good he was in bed. She'd go on and on about what
they did and how all they had between them was good sex. Nothing
else. And she'd talk about how they made love, where they made
used each time we crawled into bed. Then she got pissed. It
never got better after that. The ghost of this guy was always
Tyranny of the Downbeat 478
there. And I kept thinking, I can't wait until she tells her
emotional, not sexual. For his sake, I hoped he only uses the
something new?"
you, too."
"It is. Some of the time it's good and some of the time
"I just don't want to depend on you for anything right now.
I need to take care of some things. And I can only do that by
myself."
"I don't buy that. What do you think marriages are for?
you do that."
dependency."
time together. You don't just throw that out the window. But I
need something else. And I think you do, too. I want some
me for granted. Who likes being around me. Who respects me and
be making some soon enough. Just stop worrying about the goddamn
money."
from?"
"You know, I was telling Laura that you were stressed out.
"What?"
"'Are you surprised? That's the way she is. She'll always
She doesn't answer, but I've just taken another nick out of
her. And I know it. I realize that now as we sit not talking.
I told her what Laura had said knowing it would have this effect.
She doesn't want to hear her best friend running her down. But I
Tyranny of the Downbeat 480
But that's not what I want. I want her independent. I want her
want her so dependent she can't survive. And yet, here I am,
cruelly and knowingly doing just that. And then, I make myself
emotions.
when you just react, you're doing what you really feel, deep
"No, I can't do that. I'm not wired that way. It's one or
the other."
"I think we're both looking for a fresh start with someone
who doesn't know us, but would like to. A way to get rid of all
"No. I'm just saying the next time I leave, we should both
think about being without the other. To see if it isn't time for
years."
"Not easily. But I don't know what else to do. All I know
comfortable."
atrophy. Too much sun and too little tension made it easy to put
your mind in neutral and coast on the waves. The animal instinct,
expected.
stay friends? Could you do that? I mean others have, could we?"
our talks, I reach for her hand. "Let's at least think about it,
all right?"
She nods.
building and smiles, then looks back at us. Just before he walks
the competition.
to act like this. I treat her well. I've obviously not done
anything to be treated this way. She just got up on the wrong
side of the bed and I was the first available target. I won't
let her do it. I won't let it happen. Just like my mother did
tell it so soon to this person, her friend not mine, while I lay
there just a few feet away. She wanted her freedom. She wanted
without having to tell me, or anyone else, where she was going or
why. But in a marriage, that kind of freedom often meant the end
became involved. And that's what she was worried about. She
didn't want to lose her golden parachute; the life of comfort and
future of freedom. How could she have both? Her friend didn't
know, but she did say to hang onto both for as long as she could.
I didn't know either, but I did know she didn't have a monopoly
on the feeling.
There is a metaphor here, I think; an acknowledgement of
purpose? She has asked for it. So she can get a social security
card, she says. She needs her own copy. Again, married but not.
young enough to want to, but getting old enough to realize the
Tyranny of the Downbeat 485
things he once knew, he's transporting you into the past. The
taken you to the Civil War, marching by his father's side at the
conestoga wagon, sleeping next to him and the rest of the family,
watching people die from small pox and animals from lack of water
and food. You worked the gold mines of Sonora. You saw
Depression and three more wars. World War II, Korea, and the
Vietnam Conflict. So, you see, you are a time traveler, just
like Orwell predicted. Just like Michael J. Fox. Only your time
Yours is made of flesh and blood. It has eyes and a voice. Most
who are brothers and friends, who once were grandsons and will
son brought home from the hospital then suddenly finding him
playing third base for your softball team. It's watching the son
reject who you are, what you are, where you came from. To turn
stabilizers. It'll make you crazy. And it'll make you alone and
lonely.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 487
CHAPTER 33
program would say and who it would accuse. They were scared.
other incidents that had taken place since last they met;
him sweat. He brushed his nose. Beyond the dust and mildew that
more times he would have to tell them that everything was under
control, taken care of, before they would believe him. He wasn't
failure. He was too lost in the past to thank the man, again,
The white limousine again waited outside the motel door. And so
The big man smiled and left, trailing a hot, hideous odor of
tobacco, alcohol, and a bad lunch. The man was such a lout.
Because he said he loved her. She believed him. That's why she
got into the car and drove down by the river. He had visions of
pushed. She tried to leave. He raped her then kicked her out
it quiet and get the boy off. In court, and in the papers, their
lawyers made it look like she had seduced him. They painted a
the jurors acquitted the boy. Then she killed herself. And
her brother had vowed to make the father and son suffer. The
They did not settle this valley. And yet they want to save it
from me. From me!" His open hand slammed down on the desk. "I
Tyranny of the Downbeat 490
made this town. I made this valley." Softening. "It amuses me.
They are more concerned about butterflies and flowers than they
are people. They would deny the farmer the water he needs to
creatures."
looked down, brushing the cigar droppings off his vest. It left
confident.
We'll keep appealing until they run out of time and money, or
both."
people in this town, this valley, and this state that depend on
agriculture."
the desk again. The vehemence caught Delancy and Borba both
under the chin and stood them straight up. DiGiulio leveled his
could feel the pressure boring into his chest. "That is just not
clenched teeth.
can."
transgressor's voice.
The Padrone lifted himself out of his chair and limped out
him to work his way over to them. He stopped and rested his
martyrs?"
pictures.
He wasted little time telling me exactly how he felt and what had
realized how important this program was and what it could mean to
allowed to get back to his own work and his own way of doing
the story. Not even this man's fear. I guess some of Elliot's
pursuit of truth.
The next day he was in the hospital. Someone had beat him.
Just like all the others. They had knocked him out and had tried
Three messages. The first was a hang-up. The second was Barbra
Tyranny of the Downbeat 493
shaken. She said it was nearly eleven and she had to talk to
"I know who's pulling the strings," was the last cryptic comment
make sure I hadn't misdialed. Still none. Then I called Pat and
gun and tried the door. Locked. He looked over his shoulder.
house. The back door was just ajar. He looked both ways before
through the front door before he put the word out to the city
The CHP found her body floating face down in the California
grate. She should have been half-way to Los Angeles. She'd been
The two men sat gagged and tied to the seats in back of
the van. They knew each other. They had worked together many
The older of the two was an auditor for OxyGene. The other was
DiGiulio Winery. One had been run off the road on his way home
the air field as he checked the equipment for the next day's
spraying. They had no idea where they were, why they were there,
or who the men were that had taken them. They only knew that the
van was no longer moving.
and tied in back. Slitted eyeholes. Just above the eyes, in the
lower case "e", dark green, in an oval of the same color. In the
sixties, this symbol, and the peace sign, had been called the
redneck from Atlanta to Anaheim. Their hats were the same dark
rounded crown with leather visor and flaps at the back to protect
their necks from the sun. The rest of the uniform was
The kidnappers pulled the two men out and dumped them into
repeatedly and told to stop, they did, but only for a moment.
Because to their right they saw the oak tree. And the two nooses
croaked for mercy. But their cries only got them kicked and
punched again and again. Their hands were tied behind them
before they were pulled to their feet and marched away from the
van.
The tree was large and old. Its insides had been burned
the tree in "The Ox-Bow Incident." You kept waiting for Henry
Fonda to walk into frame and begin pleading for these men's
lives. But he didn't. And no one else did either. The van
pulled up under the nooses and the two men were hoisted up on
Tyranny of the Downbeat 496
top. Their legs were gone. They couldn't stand, only slump.
Through their slitted eyes, they could see a bank of lights and
charge, the lights went on. They were bright. Much like
Vigilance. We are known by the name, the John Muir Brigade. Our
terrorism. As the vigilantes did before us, we will take the law
that you cannot stop and that you cannot possibly win. Our first
message is a brutal one. And we want it transmitted directly
Vietnam."
death for crimes against nature and crimes against man. On many
these activities. You are unrepentant and you shall die." One
again. "We sentence you to death by hanging. May God have mercy
on your soul."
leader dropped his hand and the van pulled away. It didn't take
long for the dance to end. He placed the statement and the
videotape below the dangling feet of the now dead men and walked
ALTA CALIFORNIA
----------------------------------------------------------------
ENVIRONMENTAL TERRORISM
The new vigilantes
By Stephan Harrington
OF THE RECORD STAFF
The strain in his voice, the lack of humor in its tone, convinced
ground," he had said. That really threw Elliot. Knowing that Danny
between them.
work, my friend?"
the coyote who chews off its leg so it can still run free?"
"We're still building the trap. It's not ready yet. But it
"Perhaps."
"Too many people have suffered. Too little has been done.
confrontation.
"Dream on!"
people."
"Snow White or what? They're trying to take those virtues
and stuff them up your ass! They want you and your version of
confused.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 501
"Can't do it."
"Won't do it!"
"Both." He left the room and drove back to the bay area.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 502
CHAPTER 34
likes doing the same thing on the same day, week after week. So,
down the road from The Ranch on their way to dinner in San
Anselmo. In the darkness, they don't see the black car parked
behind the oak trees and manzanita bushes at the foot of the
that the driver pulls out onto the dirt road to follow.
the BMW kicks up more dust. When he does, the second car hits
He hopes he knows the road better than they do. The main
road and the freeway aren't that far away. But they're far
enough.
enough, and his car fast enough, that he's soon inching alongside
sees the driver and two passengers. They wear masks and hold
them. Just yet. But they are trying to get ahead. Probably
going to cut us off, Elliot thinks. Which they do. The other
Then he hits his brakes and Elliot does too. But as he punches
it to get around, the second car swerves into him. Elliot nearly
several large oaks. Elliot knows they're going to try and run
him into the grove. The two cars continue to jockey. Slowing,
speeding up, and dodging swerves. Elliot thinks he can split the
gap before they reach the trees. As the BMW jumps forward, the
reactions and speed of the second car surprises him. Then he's
slammed into and flying off the road, heading for the trees. His
nothing but dust. The engine's dead. The car isn't moving.
shakes her head as the belt comes loose. The lights stop a few
Tyranny of the Downbeat 504
feet away. Then the spotlight hits him full in the face. And
way."
dodged down any of the farm or fire roads and out of sight."
Elliot heard what she was saying, but not really. He smiled
home movie. Watching himself grow up. The film caught in the
him graduating from Dewey High School. The hole burned white.
the trash. He tied a plastic bag from the dry cleaners around a
hooded man held up the black magnetic videotapes and lit them.
He saw them twist and shrink and dance, shriveling into shreds of
him dizzy with memory. He came upon a clearing. The dance had
trance. He was the point where all lines intersect; where the
was telling a story of the son who found a bird of the most
killed himself. For when the father killed the bird, he was
really killing nature and thus himself.
Those who have lost respect for earth and animals have lost their
center. Those who live out of harmony with nature are doomed.
Those who participate with dignity in the way of nature will save
the world.
marked. Your brush with death has made you a magical, spiritual
man. You are the bearer of white magic. The shaman is the
bring the truth back. You will fashion our future myth."
tunnel. His own words were mocking him. Speaking seriously, "I
try to deal with ideas and people, the way we are, the way things
murderers?"
will be undone?"
Tyranny of the Downbeat 507
There are strings attached to his hands and feet. Around him are
edge of the stage. He tries to look up, to see who's pulling the
strings, but each time, his head is snapped forward. The crowd
back and looks up, only to see the hands of the Puppetmaster
disappear into the darkness. He closes his eyes and the scene
shifts again.
entrance. But it isn't The Mole. It looks like him, but isn't.
The Minotaur roars and draws his own sword, charging, black
left The Ranch. Only the night security man remained. After
checking all the conference rooms, sound and video post rooms, he
sat down to dinner. Like he did the same time every night.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 509
First it was rounds. Then it was food. Then the long hours
there was nothing there to steal. And the insurance would cover
That's what he was thinking just before the gun-butt cracked his
head open.
on the security door into the main hallway. Quickly down the
Out the door, then back down the hallway, check the guard, and
out the back door. Down the hill, into the ravine, across the
the flames. Then hear the alarm. And the people pouring out of
the main house. They may have their own fire company, but it
won't help. Not this time. It'll be too late. What the fire
the bandages and swollen eyes. But it was the nature of his job
wasn't convinced.
"Why?"
dreams."
safe?"
you're carrying."
CHAPTER 35
DISSOLVE:
NARRATOR (v.o.)
Some see what's happening at Masterson as an
ingenious revenge. Nature's way. Her
revenge on a valley that stopped at nothing
to become the richest agricultural region in
the world. At an awesome expense to her
water and wildlife.
150 MONTAGE
153 CLOSE UP
156 MONTAGE
158 MONTAGE
CONTINUE MONTAGE.
MUSIC UP FULL
DISSOLVE
160 TITLE
FADE OUT:
The last of the credits rolled off the screen as the final chord
faded away. Elliot turned to The Mole, then looked back at me. He
enough."
"Shouldn't be a problem."
creative."
The welder's torch spit blue shadows against the walls. The Arrow
sat in the middle of the shop, crawling with technicians
and engineers. Portions of the cab had been cut away. The rest of
the frame had been extended, shaped, and modified to take the racks
of equipment that waited to the side. The aerodynamics had been
redesigned to allow it to cruise at speeds in excess of 140 miles per
hour.
As the year slipped away, seemingly more quickly than before, The
Info-Visionists neared completion of Phase One. They were confident
they had acquired and integrated the necessary
equipment to succeed in producing The Moment and prolonging its
existence.
As he spent more time with these few men and women, and as they
grew to trust the other, they confided in him their intention to
assemble a machine and create an event unlike anything attempted
before. But they needed someone like Flynn to capture the public, to
gain their confidence and participation. They
challenged his conscience. They asked him to join.
The second Cray X-MP/48 slid easily into place next to its
identical companion unit. Only the upper rear quarter section of
The Arrow remained vacant, waiting to receive The PULPIT.
As the year wore on, and it became more and more obvious that
the world was in a state of flux and turmoil, the representations
of reality, as presented by the political and economic elites, was
becoming more and more rigidly and narrowly defined.
They now had the tools, expertise, voice, and familiar presence
to breath life into their plans. They would spend the balance of
the year gathering images. They waited for the election year to
reach its climax.
The Info-Visionists are tired also, but they cannot rest. Their
year of effort and sacrifice is about to culminate in The Moment
they have prepared for.
"We will confront and challenge you with the reality of how this
screen limits your vision, masks the contradictions that exist.
Confuses how images and words are used to make you doubt the
realities that wait outside your door."
Within a matter of minutes, The Order knew that their worst fears
about the fire at the Rand facility had been realized. They had
been silent about The PULPIT. Now they could no longer deny its
existence.
They could call this treason. But they'd have to wait for the
right opportunity. At this moment, their access to the nation
was blocked. The Order had prepared a number of scenarios and
plans in case of terrorist action. But the nature and character
of this event had caught them completely off-guard.
The Order knew it was not impossible to find the source of The
PULPIT signal. But it would take time. And every wasted minute
allowed the rebels to broadcast their message to more people.
The risk to The Order and their carefully prepared perception of
reality could be changed forever.
But with the right mix of images and words, and with sufficient
time to project them, The Info-Visionists could create a lasting
impression. A pebble cast into a still pond, the ripples could
Tyranny of the Downbeat 532
With each new input, The Order collected data and refined their
assumptions about the nature of this event. They would find the
rebels. But in the end, their justified means could destroy
their image in the eyes of the nation.
"As I speak to you now, The Order prowls the plains nearby. Back
and forth, they roam the heartland of this nation, watching for
us, their prey. We see them crest the hills behind us, swing
round, and ready for the chase."
"Their dragons spit fire and flay the ground. Brutal force destroys
a fragment of our plan. Yet the images survive. Two of
us are dead. Our fate will surely be the same. This is how The
Order will freeze the status quo in place."
"In the morning, you will face yourself, your family, and your
conscience. Each of you will have experienced the events of this
evening through your own unique personal perspective. For a brief
time, a channel of communication was opened, above the din
of The Order, so that we could share a moment in parallel with
each other."
The mechanisms were nearly spent. The Point helicopter had met
the same fate as The Mirror. And the viewers had ridden shotgun.
They had seen and felt the sting of The Order. Perhaps some
applauded. Many more listened to their hearts pounding hard
against their throats. Would the images on this once familiar
screen ever again seem real? The people were no longer a passive
participant, but rather an active witness to the consequences of
rebel ideals and imagination confronting the shallow face of The
Order.
The path of The Arrow was being calculated and verified by The
Order at this very moment. Everyone realized that The Order was
only minutes away from terminating the images of The
Info-Visionists.
The words were few. The images rich with suggestion that those
who follow the paths of ideals and change will soon come to this
crossroads. Many generations had forgotten the sacrifices that
had created and maintained this democracy. They would not forget
this night, as they rode shotgun with The Info-Visionists.
"Outside, we feel the wolves draw near. We watch their fire and
remember being held hostage by their 'truth,' their dreams, their
past. Beyond this screen, the world waits. The Future does not
pre-exist beyond tomorrow. May your vision and actions achieve
the possibilities and promise of change."
END OF SCENARIO.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 544
Tyranny of the Downbeat 545
CHAPTER 36
It is when the hidden decisions are made explicit that the arguments
begin.
-- Garrett Hardin, "The Tragedy of the Commons"
would air the next Monday. The press releases would start
running the week before. But first, bowing to his undying sense
Valle, Reisner, Pope, and Palmer, would see it the next day.
to air."
--Borba "Do you have any idea how much money the people I
--Elliot "Didn't you once say that the American public gets
expertise. It's not what you know. It's really none of your
you'd taken the time to learn more about me, you'd know that I
can't have children. And I can't have them because I'm sterile.
Tyranny of the Downbeat 547
charges. I hope you can prove them? Slander and libel can be
very costly."
state, and federal officials, and the media. Then it'll begin
me."
seen."
he stops, then turns to look at the group, then back to the TV.
chair, then walked over to the wet bar. He felt like he was
the cool water run over his trembling hand. He looked at himself
dregs. Put your ass on the line for people and what do they do?
Kick you in the nuts. Then wipe their feet on your ass as they
they looked with saddened faces. There was nothing they could
of you, I say. When I needed you, none of you were there. And
now, this man, the one I thought I could count on, has proved
and humanity holds? Then I'll have none of it! It's up to me.
was not in church. This was not a confessional. That was not
Tyranny of the Downbeat 549
"Did you hear any of what I just told you? Once this thing
collective.
"I believe you are the one who wasn't listening, my son."
He stops pacing behind his desk and holds out his two large
ordered nothing."
"I doubt they will believe you. I don't even believe you.
How do I know what you did, or did not do, once you left this
office. I only know what you said and did while you sat here."
"Yes, the courts. And all the officials who protect us from
anarchy. You seem to forget whose side they are really on."
the glass of water sweeps past his face and through the window.
across the carpet to the window, where The Padrone watches the
Plant at ten.
Borba looked bad. DiGiulio must have cut him a new asshole.
"There's nothing I can do, nothing I can say or offer, that will
you've done. To find a way out. Not this time. You won't get
it."
the gun came out, Elliot was not surprised. "Then I'll have to
ask you for everything. The masters, the edited master, and all
Tyranny of the Downbeat 551
the copies."
"Won't make any difference. You know this business much too
past."
everything. The man who once had so many options now had none.
"Don't go down alone. Take them all with you. Everyone who
"Then think about it. You can make it through this and do
gun came out. "Easy now. This is getting really stupid. Don't make
Borba looked down at the gun and cocked it. "I think it's time
we finished this."
"That's what the priests said. They lied to me, too. You've
Elliot, pinned against the low shelf holding the monitor, spoke
very carefully. "There has been a camera on you the entire time.
"Then put the gun down and we'll both walk out of here."
"Can't do that."
slow motion, turned back to Elliot. He lifted the gun and pulled
Borba smiled, put the gun in his mouth, and fired. Elliot saw it all
CHAPTER 37
Football," and before the premier of the new fall shows, it stood
their attempt to capture the moment with just the right cliche.
even predicted that the companies and their top officers would be
would mean some expensive fines and some serious prison time.
began.
Most of California watched. A lot of the rest of America
Lincoln and company had succeeded. The media praised Elliot and
His morality tale had finally been told. His way of living,
life had taken a brief step backward, imitating the movies of the
He wondered. They may have listened, but had they really heard?
The small stone that Elliot cast that day following his
political America.
living on the west side who had been exposed to selenium and
contaminated groundwater.
The authorities were especially interested in talking with
from The League, The Combine, and DiGiulio; all the people once
isolation, simply went out and got the very best legal talent and
Tyranny of the Downbeat 557
"Groundwatergate".
ALTA CALIFORNIA
-----------------------------------------------------------------
GROUNDWATERGATE
The unmaking of a conspiracy
BY STEPHAN HARRINGTON
OF THE RECORD STAFF
prove prophetic.
The crack of shotgun and small arms fire was unusual. And
the flares. The DWR didn't usually work at night. There were no
it away.
fourth had been shot out at the roadblock by a CHP officer, just
The flashing red light broke into his thoughts. Some of the
shotgun pellets must have hit his radiator. He was out of water.
the side of the road and into the drainage ditch, rolling over
along the edge of the refuge. He was almost there. He could see
the bleached wooden gate of his gun club just ahead. He was
through and inside the club, looking for guns and more
baseball bat.
Miller crashed through the back door and headed east again.
someone hit him from behind. He fell face forward in the dust.
He rolled over on his back and they hit him. He rolled on his
stomach and they hit him again. He kept rolling, they kept
refuge. Quon moved him with his foot. Nothing. He poked him
hard in the ribs. Still nothing. Quon nudged the body over the
edge and into the pond. It turned and began floating, face up,
the surface, he dropped the bat into the dirt with a soft, dusty
Tyranny of the Downbeat 560
And Miller. Those who would stand trial were mostly minor
crimes, but DiGiulio would have his day in court to answer those
when it did.
Pat poured another cup of coffee while Laura went to the door.
When her heard her gasp, he rushed into the dining room. He
Tyranny of the Downbeat 561
stopped when he saw her crying against his shoulder. Pat's eyes
met Billie's. Billie smiled and Pat simply touched his forehead,
back door. As he walked down the driveway that ran beside the
house to his car, he heard the front door shut with a dull thump.
power and influence were obviously far greater and more deeply
entrenched than his own. The Padrone had covered himself well.
law. The tyrant had held fast. And The Puppetmaster's plan for
revenge had been thwarted. For now. Delgado settled into the
back seat as the door of the white limousine slammed with a heavy
thud.
souvenirs. Sad because she was special. We had been good for
last of her turning the corner as they pulled the cabin door
shut. And I felt that part of my life close with a hollow thump.
CHAPTER 38
porch of The Ranch library. The low sun was dappling through the
men and women who blindly served Jim Jones at People's Temple."
were."
allusions.
idealism of the Sixties. That's what was wrong with the Sixties.
through."
--Elliot "We asked the questions but didn't take the time
to find the answers. There was no closing act. And those who
--Walsh "Who?"
--Western "The guy from Ralston who was with Jim Jones in
Guayana. Escaped 'the kool-aid acid test'. Then blew his brains
news conference."
claims it can help the victims. But what does it know about
for another. One ideology for another. One blind belief traded
for another. One pursued the cult of personality, the other the
cult of power.
unnoticed.
me how the government would act in this case. Whose side they
the role played by the federal government when they were faced
Harrison. Harrison said: 'I can do nothing except act with the
and power of the ruling class. He was telling the cattlemen that
he expected them to maintain law and order. As they saw it. And
shoot themselves in the foot. They knew who put them in power
number."
--Walsh "Or the ones with the most money and the greatest
influence."
how life always did remind him of scenes from a movie. This time
don't get THERE. What finally happens is you accept that you are
on a different journey."
screenwriter Robert Towne, who had said: "I approached the movie
from the point of view that some crimes are punished because they
them. You know, those people who get their names on streets and
Life certainly did imitate art and history really did repeat
sitting there, the truth of the cliche that the more things
change, the more they stay the same. He thought he could make an
right. The world as we know it can yield only one ending. Death
and disintegration."
had been hurt so others would be more "aware." He had put his
life on the line to tell people something they really didn't want
Elliot had given it his best shot. He had done what he knew
best; using the storytelling skills he had refined his entire
fired a volley across the bow of public opinion and into the void
There was movement; some sign of life, a cry for change. Then it
got suddenly very quiet again. The beast was insatiable. It had
behold. Those who would move us must shock us someone had once
transformation in attitude.
future. The one-reeler inside his head had projected what the
Walsh and I decided to take one last run out to the refuge.
Have a few beers and take our parting shots. The light was
pick-up. The summer's breeze was kicking up. The late afternoon
believe these people were so stupid. They killed the land that
fed them."
money, they went for it. Even if the land got poisoned."
planet."
The dirt fell with a thud on top of the casket. The parish
"No, come on. The one where the two friends realize the
days of the open range are over. That they're the last of the
"I'm not sure. I've been thinking about sticking around for
Tyranny of the Downbeat 572
a while."
"Maybe."
"No. They probably won't even let me past the city limits."
the boys."
"Can do."
floor, you could see two trucks racing down the road. At the
The native son was laid to rest in the earth of the San
Wildlife Refuge.
Westlands Water and Power League were fined and ordered to pay
protecting groundwater.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
George Rogers and Brenda Martinez for their diligent and patient
research.