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R E S O L U T I O N
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WHEREAS, The noted Austin writer Lawrence Wright has added |
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another accomplishment to his extraordinary career by winning the |
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Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction for his book The Looming Tower: |
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Al-Qaeda and the Road to 9/11; and |
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WHEREAS, A graduate of Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, |
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Mr. Wright attended Tulane University in New Orleans and the |
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American University in Cairo, Egypt, where he taught English and |
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earned a master's degree in applied linguistics; and |
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WHEREAS, Returning to the United States in 1971, Mr. Wright |
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quickly distinguished himself as a journalist; in 1980 he returned |
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to Texas to write for Texas Monthly; he also worked as a |
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contributing editor for Rolling Stone, and since 1992 he has been a |
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staff writer for the New Yorker; and |
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WHEREAS, In his six previous books Mr. Wright has |
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demonstrated his keen intelligence and wide range of interests, |
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taking on subjects from the lives of modern-day religious figures |
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in Saints and Sinners to the controversy over "recovered memory" in |
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Remembering Satan to the life of Latin American dictator Manuel |
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Noriega in the novel God's Favorite; and |
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WHEREAS, A talented screenwriter as well, Mr. Wright is the |
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coauthor of the film The Siege, about the American response to |
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Islamic terrorism, and he wrote the script for the Showtime |
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production of his novel God's Favorite; he is also very likely the |
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only member of the Council on Foreign Relations who has performed as |
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a blues keyboardist at Stubb's Bar-B-Que in Austin, as a member of |
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the Austin band WhoDo; and |
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WHEREAS, A comprehensive and gripping account of the |
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background of the attacks on America on September 11, 2001, his |
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latest book, The Looming Tower, tells two interwoven stories, |
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juxtaposing the rise of the terrorist organization al-Qaeda with |
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the attempts of American intelligence and law enforcement officials |
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to track the terrorist threat; Mr. Wright began work on the book on |
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the afternoon of 9/11 and continued his efforts over the next five |
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years; and |
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WHEREAS, The subject of excellent reviews worldwide, The |
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Looming Tower was a New York Times bestseller for eight weeks; in |
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addition to receiving the Pulitzer, the book has been recognized |
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with the Lionel Gelber Award for nonfiction and the J. Anthony Lukas |
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Book Prize and was nominated for the National Book Award; and |
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WHEREAS, Author Wright's remarkable and varied career has |
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long been celebrated for its many successes, and it is fitting that |
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The Looming Tower has been recognized with the premier American |
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award for nonfiction, not only for the skill and elegance with which |
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Mr. Wright tells his story, but for the insight the book provides at |
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a crucial time in our nation's history; now, therefore, be it |
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RESOLVED, That the House of Representatives of the 80th Texas |
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Legislature hereby congratulate Lawrence Wright on winning the |
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Pulitzer Prize for nonfiction for The Looming Tower and extend to |
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him best wishes for his continued success; and, be it further |
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RESOLVED, That an official copy of this resolution be |
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prepared for Mr. Wright as an expression of high regard by the Texas |
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House of Representatives. |
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Vaught |
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______________________________ |
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Speaker of the House |
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I certify that H.R. No. 1990 was adopted by the House on May |
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18, 2007, by a non-record vote. |
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______________________________ |
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Chief Clerk of the House |
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