"Even if I am, I'll be damned if I'd help you by telling you in advance."
The reply seemed to please her and she laughed.
"Dad," a voice broke in, "we're going up to that place now."
It was Benjy, who had dodged through delegates on his way to a small convention hall gallery where a few visitors could be seated. Over by a stairway Nim could see Ruth and Leah. Both waved and he waved back.
"Okay," he told Benjy, "you'd better go get your seats."
Nancy Molineaux had listened with apparent amusement. She asked, "You brought your family to the convention?"
"Yes," he answered curtly, then added, "My wife and our children are staying with me in the hotel. In case you consider making something of it, I'll tell you that I'm paying their expenses personally."
"My, my," she teased, "what a terrible reputation I have."
"I'm wary of you," Nim told her, "the way I would be of a cobra."
* * *
That Goldman, Nancy thought as she moved away; he was strictly a no-horseshit man.
Coming here today was an assignment she had neither expected nor wanted. But the city editor, spotting Goldman's name on the program, had sent Nancy, hoping she would find some vulnerability, and thus continue what he saw as a newsworthy vendetta. Well, old I'm-the coach was wrong. She would report Goldman's speech straight, even give it a buildup if the material were worth it. (the printed version wasn't, which was why she had asked her question.) Apart from that, Nancy wanted to get the hell out of here as quickly as she could. Today was the day she had arranged to meet the girl, Yvette, in the bar where they had talked briefly a week ago. Nancy could make it-she had left her car in the hotel's underground parking garage-though time would be tight. She hoped the girl would show, and would answer some of those puzzling questions.
Meanwhile there was Goldman. She went into the convention hall and took a seat at the press table.
* * *
Even while addressing the convention, Nim found himself agreeing with the Molineaux woman: A speech, as heavy with technical material as this one had to be, was unexciting from a press reporter's viewpoint. But as he described the load and capacity problems-present and future-of Golden State Power & Light, the rapt attention of his audience showed that many of those listening shared the problems, frustrations and fears which Nim presented under his title, "Overload." they, too, were charged with providing reliable power in their communities. They, too, realized that time was running out, with a major electrical famine a mere few years away. Yet almost daily their honesty was questioned, their warnings disbelieved, their grim statistics scoffed at.
Near the end of his prepared text, Nim reached into a pocket for a page of notes he had made only yesterday. He would use them to conclude.
"Most of us here-probably all of us," he said, "share two important beliefs. One belief concerns environment.
“The environment we live in should be cleaner than it is. Therefore those who work responsibly toward that objective deserve our support.
“The second belief concerns the democratic process. I believe in democracy, always have, though lately with some reservations. Which brings me back to the environment.
"Some of those who call themselves environmentalists have ceased to be reasonable believers in a reasonable cause and have become fanatics. They are a minority. But by noisy, rigid, uncompromising, often uninformed fanaticism, they are managing to impose their will on the majority.
"In doing so, such people have prostituted the democratic process, have used it ruthlessly-as it was never intended to be used-to thwart everything but their own narrow aims. What they cannot defeat by reason and argument they obstruct by delay and legalistic guile. Such people do not even pretend to accept majority rule because they are convinced they know better than the majority. Furthermore, they recognize only those aspects of democracy which can be subverted to their own advantage."
The last words produced a burst of handclapping. Nim put up a hand for silence, and went on.
"This breed of environmentalist opposes everything. There is nothing, absolutely nothing, we of the power industry can propose which does not arouse their ire, their condemnation, their fervent and self-righteous opposition.
"But the fanatics among environmentalists are not alone. They have allies."
Nim paused, having sudden second thoughts about his notes, aware that what came next could get him into the same kind of trouble as five months ago, after the Energy Commission hearing on Tunipah. It would also run counter to J. Eric Humphrey's "stay away from controversy" instruction. Well, either way, the worst they could do was hang him. He plunged on.
"The allies I spoke of," he declared, "are the growing number of appointees on regulatory boards, put there for political reasons only."
Nim sensed, among his audience, rapt and immediate interest.
"There was a time, in this state and elsewhere, when the boards and commissions regulating our industry were few in number and could be relied on for reasonably fair, impartial judgments. But not anymore. Not only have such boards proliferated to a point where their functions overlap so they now compete brazenly with each other in establishing power bases, but a majority of board members receive their appointments as blatant political rewards. Seldom, if ever, do they get where they are through merit or experience. As a result, such commissioners and board members have little or no business knowledge-indeed, some openly display an anti-business prejudice-and all have political ambitions which govern their every action and decision.
"That is precisely why and how our extremist critics and opponents find themselves with allies. For it is the militant, so-called populist points of view, the anti-power-company stances, which nowadays make news and gain attention. The quiet, balanced, thoughtfully-arrived-at decisions do not, and the commissioners and board members whom I speak of know that lesson very well indeed.
"Expressed another way: What ought to be positions of impartial public trust are being abused and turned against the public interest.
"I have no easy remedy to suggest for these two formidable problems nor, I suspect, have any of you. The best we can do is to let the public know, whenever possible, that their reasonable interests are being undermined-by a minority -and insidious alliance -of fanatics and self-serving politicians."
Nim decided to leave it there.
While he was wondering what, after all, would be the reaction to his remarks by Eric Humphrey and other GSP & L colleagues, Nim found to his amazement he was receiving an enthusiastic standing ovation.
* * *
"Congratulations! .. . . . .. took guts to say it, but all so true"..."hope what you said gets widest circulation" . . . "would like a transcript to pass around" . . . "the industry needs straight shooters like you" . . . "if you get tired of working for Golden State Power, be sure to let us know."
As delegates crowded around him, unexpectedly, incredibly, Nim found he was a hero. The president of a giant Midwest utility assured him, "I hope your company appreciates you. I intend to tell Eric Humphrey how good you were."
Amid more handshaking and congratulations, and with a sudden weariness, Nim eased himself away.
Only one thing marred the aftermath: the sight of Ray Paulsen's scowling, hostile face. But the executive vice president said nothing and simply left the convention hall alone.
Nim had reached a doorway to the outer mezzanine when a quiet voice behind him said, "I came especially to hear you. It was worth it."
Nim turned. To his amazement he saw the speaker was Wally Talbot Jr. Part of Wally's head was bandaged and he was walking with the aid of canes, but managed a cheerful grin.