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just out
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PUBLISHER A N D EDITOR
contents
VOL 12 NO. 12 APRIL 21,1995
Renée LaChance
EDITOR IN SPIRIT
Ariel Waterwoman
FEATURES
REPORTER
Inga Sorensen
Lover of the classics
CALENDAR EDITOR
Monica Huggett, Portland
Baroque Orchestra’s
new artistic director,
talks about life, love
and music
Aaron Bong
PHOTOGRAPHER
Linda Kliewer
ADVERTISING DIRECTOR
(pp. 15-17)
Meg Grace
ADVERTISING REPS
Rights of passage
E. Ann Hinds
C. Jay Wilson Jr.
A lesbian couple aspires
to go to Gresham ’s
Centennial High School
prom in style
CREATIVE DIRECTOR
E. Ann Hinds
(p. 19)
GRAPHIC DESIGN
Rupert Kinnard
DEPARTMENTS
COPY EDITOR
Kelly M. Bryan
TYPESETTER
World news
Aaron Bong
India is predicted to lead
the world in AIDS cases
by the year 2000
(P- 4)
DISTRIBUTION
Ambling Bear
OFFICE MANAGER
Aaron Bong
CONTRIBUTORS
Aaron Bong
Kelly M. Bryan
Jann Gilbert
Al Kielwasser
Shelly Roberts
Bob Roehr
Richard Shumate
David Williams
Rex Wockner
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editorial
National news
The ban on lesbians and gay
men in the military
is ruled unconstitutional in a
decision on the Able case
(pp. 5-7)
Freedom of religion?
Native Americans must obtain a permit to get religious items that only the
U.S. government is legally allowed to possess
v
by Renée LaChance
ome days it is just too painful to read the mainstream
press. Earlier this month The Oregonian left me
sobbing and depressed for the rest of my day. Granted,
tears rest close to the surface of my emotions these
days, but I can usually steel myself against the news.
But not this day.
This day, Jonathan Nicholas printed a letter in his column
that he received from a white supremacist who referred to
Nicholas as "Nicholastein.” This day Roberta Ulrich reported
the suicide of Nathan Jim Jr., who fought for five years for the
right to use and obtain eagle feathers to practice his religion and
who finally conceded his battle with the U.S. government by
taking his own life. And this day there were mulitiple stories
about the battles over affirmative action and the rights of
immigrants on both the federal and state level.
Racism has been institutionalized in our society for centu
ries. For me, these articles spotlighted how the dominance of
the right wing in our government has elevated racism to the
level of a religion. To not revere racism is fast becoming a
sacrilege.
Yet not all religion is held so sacred.
The religion of Native Americans is still being held captive
by the U.S. government. The story of Nathan Jim Jr. illustrates
that. Jim, a member of the Yakima tribe, pleaded guilty in 1993
to possession of a bald eagle and parts of a golden eagle.
Feathers and claws are some of the eagle parts used by tribal
elders in funerals and religious ceremonies. Eagles are pro
tected by both the Endangered Species Act and the Eagle
Protection Act. It was thought that the 1994 Religious Freedom
Restoration Act would solve this dilemma, by allowing Native
Americans access to eagles and other protected birds of prey for
religious purposes. Apparently not.
S
U.S. District Judge James Redden ruled that the U.S.
government met the act’s requirement by having a permit
system of distributing feathers and parts from accidentally
killed eagles obtained by the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Depart
ment. This applies to any bird of prey, including owls and
hawks.
This may all sound reasonable to those of us who are not
Native American. After all, the Endangered Species Act is a
good thing, right? Yes, it is a good thing, when it is not used to
hinder religious freedom.
Imagine if the government required Christians to get a
permit to obtain communion wafers and wine, which they
could only get from the government. Or if it required Jewish
people to have a permit to get candles for a menorah. It’s
unthinkable, isn’t it? Yet here we are, living under a govern
ment that requires Native Americans to obtain a permit to get
religious items that only it is allowed to possess.
(Not to mention the fact that Europeans stole this continent
from the indigenous people in the first place. I just had to
remind you all of that.)
Because of Judge Redden’s ruling, Nathan Jim was facing
more prison time for his 1993 conviction, and, rather than go to
jail or continue to appeal for justice, he shot himself to death in
his home on the Warm Springs Reservation.
The final injustice for the Jim family was that there were no
eagle feathers available for Nathan’s burial ceremony, held on
the Warm Springs Reservation. Other tribal members brought
their personal feathers to honor Nathan.
Ironically, the U.S. attorney who prosecuted Jim obtained
an emergency packet of feathers from the U.S. government but
arrived too late for the ceremony.
Local news
State lawmakers chime in
on national debate
with anti-immigrant and anti-
affirmative action bills;
Oregon court upholds
HB 3500
(pp. 9-13)
ARTS
Cinema
Bar Girls is a dream come
true; a banquet of queer
cinema comes to the annual
Evergreen festival
(pp. 26-27)
Books
A doctor examines death
(p. 28)
Media
Priest prompts the Catholic
League to threaten
a Disney boycott
(p. 29)
Aural gratification
Yes, there is retro
beyond the '70s
(p. 31)