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About The North Coast times-eagle. (Wheeler, Oregon) 1971-2007 | View Entire Issue (Aug. 1, 1991)
Timis cncii ™‘ nORTH IÖ H 1 I VOL13NO2 50CENTS In a dark. time the eye begins to see. - Thwhrf Rjerbla AUGUST 1991 555555555555BE55555555555455555 D R A W IN G B Y D A V ID S U T E R STOP THE WITCH HUNT BY D A Y M O N T he O re g o n C itiz e n s ' A llia n c e , a ls o know n a s t h e O r e g o n C r a c k p o t A l l i a n c e , t h i n k s t h a t i t is G o d 's g i f t t o b r e a d - a n d - b u t t e r m o r a l i t y , w h e n i t i s a c t u a l l y a b u n c h o f h y s t e r i c a l , r ig h t w i n g w a c k o s w h o a r e f r a n t i c a l l y t r y i n g to c h i p a w a y a t th e v e r y f o u n d a t i o n o f o u r f r e e s o c i e t y . "N o S p e c ia l R ig h ts " th e y s c r e a m , b u t s in c e w h e n d id e q u a l i t y b e c o m e a " s p e c i a l r i g h t " f o r A m e r i c a n s ? W e l i v e in a c o u n t r y t h a t g i v e s m e n m e d a l s f o r k i l l i n g o t h e r m e n in t i m e o f w a r , y e t s h u n s a n d d e g r a d e s t h e m f o r l o v in g o n e in a tim e of p e a c e . W hy, o h w h y d o e s th e O C A i n s i s t u p o n s p l i t t i n g t h i s s t a t e in tw o o n t h i s i s s u e ? W hy n o t w o r k t o g e t h e r to s o l v e th e r e a l , m o r e p r e s s i n g p r o b l e m s f a c i n g u s t o d a y . T h e y th in k t h a t j u s t b e c a u s e t h e y h o o d w in k e d a n d l u r e d h a l f o f O r e g o n 's v o t e r s i n to t h r o w in g a w a y a p e r f e c t l y f a i r a n d s o u n d la w in 1 9 8 8 a n d t h a t th e y h a v e g o t u s a l l in t h e i r b a c k p o c k e t . B u t b o y , a r e th e y in f o r a s u r p r i s e . T h e s e f o lk s k n o w n o b o u n d s . T h e y h a v e e v e n g o n e a s f a r a s to s c r e a m t h a t P o r t l a n d 's p o l ic e c h i e f is n o t f i t to s e r v e th e p e o p le of P o r t l a n d j u s t b e c a u s e h e t h i n k s h o m o s e x u a l s a r e p e o p le t o o . M r . T o m P o t t e r i s a r g u a b l y th e b e s t c h i e f o f p o l i c e P o r t l a n d h a s s e e n in y e a r s , a n d h e c le a r ly d o e s n o t d e s e r v e th is o f f- b a la n c e , u n b e lie v a b ly s tu p id a tta c k on h is c h a r a c t e r . P o tte r i s n o th in g l e s s t h a n a f a i r , s t r o n g , s t e a d f a s t p r o te c to r of a ll c itiz e n s of P o rtla n d , and w hat in th e w o r l d i s w r o n g w ith t h a t ? T h e O C A s h o u l d b e s o l u c k y to h a v e s o m e o n e o f P o t t e r 's c a l i b e r in t h e i r r a n k s . T he O C A s a y s he " p r o m o te s h o m o s e x u a lity a s a n o r m a l a l t e r n a t i v e l i f e s t y l e . ' B u t w h a t is n o r m a l ? A r e h e t e r o s e x u a l s n o r m a l ? W h a t th e O C A w o n 't t e l l y o u i s t h a t th e v a s t m a j o r i t y of c h ild m o le s te r s an d r a p i s t s a r e h e te r o s e x u a l, n o t h o m o s e x u a l . T h e y s e e m to t h in k t h a t a s t r a i g h t m o l e s t e r is s o m e h o w n o t a s e v i l a n d p e r v e r t e d a s a g a y o n e . W h a t k in d o f t h in k i n g is th a t? T e l l i t to t h e t h o u s a n d s o f l i t t l e g i r l s w h o a r e ra v a g e d and ra p e d by h e te r o s e x u a l m en e a c h y e a r. G. ED W A R D S T h e c o l d , h a r d f a c t o f t h e m a t t e r i s th e O C A d o e s n 't l i k e th e p o w e r a n d i n f l u e n c e t h a t g a y g r o u p s u n q u e s t i o n a b l y w i e ld in t h i s s t a t e , a n d i t is d o in g a l l i t c a n to l e s s e n i t . T h e y j u s t d o n o t l i k e th e f a c t t h a t p r o - h o m o s e x u a l s a r e in p o w e r in h ig h p l a c e s a c r o s s th e s t a t e . B u t i t i s in f o r a l o n g , h a r d b a t t l e . A n d if it is a w a r th e y w a n t, i t is a w a r th e y w ill g e t. S o o n t h e y a r e g o in g to b e t o u t i n g a p e t i t i o n a r o u n d , a n d p l e a s e , f o r G o d 's s a k e , d o n o t b e c o e r c e d i n t o s ig n in g i t . R e a d t h e f in e p r i n t , t h e n g r a b it a n d b u rn i t — O re g o n w ill be a b e tt e r p l a c e f o r i t . W h a t 's it a l l a b o u t , y o u s a y . W e ll, th e g o o d o l d b o y s a t th e O C A a r e t a l k i n g a b o u t p e d o p h ilia , s a d o - m a s o c h is m , n e c r o p h ilia , b e s t ia lity , in c e s t, a n a l s e x and an a s s o r tm e n t of o th e r s e x u a l p r a c tic e s . T h ey sa y th e s e a re a b n o r m a l a n d d o n 't w a n t t h e m p r o m o t e d . T h a t i s f i n e , b u t th e p r o b l e m i s , t h e y a r e c u n n i n g l y l u m p i n g h o m o s e x u a l i t y s o m e w h e r e in th e m i d d l e o f a l l t h e s e a c t i v i t i e s , a n d t h a t is w h e r e th e t r o u b l e s t a r t s . D id t h e y t h i n k w e w o u ld n o t n o tic e ? D o t h e y r e a l l y t h in k h o m o s e x u a l s b e lo n g in t h i s g r o u p ? D o n 't t h e y r e a l i z e t h e r e a r e t h o u s a n d s o f s t r a i g h t p e o p le o u t t h e r e w h o p a r t a k e in t h e s e a c t i v i t i e s e v e r y d a y ? A n d d o n 't t h e y k n o w th e v a s t m a j o r i t y of g a y p e o p l e t h i n k t h e s e a c tio n s a r e ju s t a s d is g u s tin g ? T h e O C A s e e m s to t h i n k h o m o s e x u a l s a r e s o m e t h i n g n e w . T h e y s e e m to f o r g e t t h e y h a v e b e e n a r o u n d s in c e th e b e g in n in g a n d th e y j u s t a r e n o t g o in g t o r u n a n d h id e n o w a n d a ll o w th is s e n s e l e s s w itc h h u n t to c o n tin u e . L e t u s n o t be fo o le d by th is r i d i c u l o u s , b a c k w a r d t h in k in g g r o u p o f p e o p le a n d a l l o w t h e m to g e t a n y m o r e p o w e r th a n th e y a lr e a d y h a v e . D a y m o n E d w a r d s h a s s e r v e d tw o t e r m s a s c h a i r m a n o f th e C l a t s o p C o u n ty A ID S C o a l i t i o n . H e h a s l i v e d in A s t o r i a f o r e i g h t e e n y e a r s a n d w a s t w i c e a c a n d i d a t e f o r th e c i t y c o u n c i l . H e i s i n v o lv e d in m a n y c o m m u n i t y o r g a n i z a t i o n s .