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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 17, 1974)
Page 2 PortlandObserver Thursday, January 17. 1974 Irrelevant doctrines of William Shockley by Bayard Kustin WE SEE THE WORLD ALFRED L. HENDERSON Edifor/Publisher THROUGH BLACK EYES. Multnomah county needs new system M ultnom ah County last estim ated its Black work force at about 7 percent. The County is unable to give an exact fig u re and the estim ate is the result o f an inform a l head count. The truth of the matter is that the C ounty does not even know how many em ployees it has, much less how m any Blacks. This d ile m m a -- and also the lack o f accurate personnel records -- is the result o f an antiq ua te d civil service system. It is not the fa ult o f the em ployees, w ho get a lo n g the best they can, but o f the system they attem pt to operate In the age o f a ffirm a tiv e action this is not ac ceptable, for how can a system that was designed to keep m in orities out be used to get them in? O rdinance #10, A rticle VII, Section 1.1,1 (1) says the q u a lifica tio n s fo r taking the exam in a tion to a pp ly fo r county e m p lo ym en t are: a) Read and w rite the English language; b) Possess fitness as d e fin e d by the Com m ission; c) Possess such habits as d e fin e d by the C om m ission; d) Be o f such m oral character as d e fin e d by the Commission. What is m eant by "fitn e s s ” , "such h ab its" and "such m oral ch aracte r"? The County C ivil Service Commission has d e fin e d them as "A n applicant must be in o rd in a ry good health and physical fitness, o f good m oral character, and o f temper- m ent and industrious h abits." If a pp lie d these rules could screen out, even prior to the e xam in a tion , those w ho do not speak, read and w rite English, and persons w ho are physically handicapped, regardless o f w hether the person was capable o f p erfo rm in g the job. How does the Com m ission judge "te m p e rm e n t and industrious h a b its" and "g o o d m oral character"? T ra ditionally these are the words that have been used to e lim in a te Blacks and other "undesirables','. None o f these criteria could possibly m eet federal regulations. There is also the problem o f the civil service lists. A fter the e xa m in a tio n is given, lists are made and h irin g must be done from the lists u ntil the e xa m in a tio n is given a ga in . This m ight be a year or tw o, but no one can get on the lists u ntil the tim e expires. Those s tillo n the list m ight no longer be interested. Som etim es there is no one on the list, but still the exam is not given. W hat this m eans is that the young Black college graduate w ho w ants to be a Ju ven ile Court Counselor goes to the C ivil Service o ffice and finds that he cannot take the exam in a tion fo r another year, and so cannot be em ployed. The young w hite graduate, how ever, has a frie n d w ho is a court counselor and knows there is a vacancy. He goes to the court and is given a tem porary posi tion. His problem s are not over, how ever, because he receives no e m p lo ym en t benefits w h ile a tem porary e m ployee and he must look fo rw a rd to taking the exam in a tion and m aybe com peting w ith others for " h is " job a year or tw o later. This is one o f the reasons that County e m p lo y ment consists o f a high percentage o f friends and relatives. And it is one o f the reasons w h y people w ho do not have frien ds and relatives in a position to hear about vacancies do not get hired by the County. The County must put its house in order. We believe the proper w ay to do this w o u ld be to create a professional personnel d epartm ent w ith the total responsibility fo r em p lo ym en t. The C ivil Service Commission, expanded beyond the present th re e m e m b e rs , c o u ld s e rv e in an a d v is o ry capacity and function as a co m p la in t re vie w board. Thus the em ploym ent crite ria , d e fin in g o f positions, selection and standardizing o f tests, ce rtifica tion of applicants, keeping o f personnel records — all could be done by a professional staff that is enlightened to the latest personnel practices and laws. This d epartm ent w o u ld be d ire ctly under the Board o f County Com m issioners so that responsi b ility could be placed on the personnel departm ent and the Board by the voters. The present C ivil Service Commission is a pp ointed by the Board, but is responsible to no one M ultnom ah C ounty must take im m e diate steps to m oke a ffirm a tiv e action and m in o rity hiring a reality. Some o f the Com m issioners have shown considerable concern in this area, but they too are ham pered by an u nw o rka b le system. Published every Thursday by E xit Publishing Company. 2201 North Killingsworlh, Portland. Oregon 97217. Mailing address: P.O. Box 3137. Portland. Oregon 97208 Telephone: 283 2486. No more excuses The latest pronouncem ent from Judge Sirica's court is that the 18' a m inutes missing on the N ixon tape was p urpo sefully erased several times. The W hite House first b lam ed President N ixon 's secre tary, then a "m yste rio us fo rc e ". N ow it turns out that the m ysterious force was a fin g e r on the recording button — w hich is w ha t m any o f us supposed a ll along. W hether the fin g e r belonged to N ixon, H aldem an, or some other loyal supporter, w e m ig ht never know, but w e do know w hy President N ixon fo ug ht so long to w ith h o ld the tapes from the court. No doubt some public servant w ill step fo rw a rd and take the b la m e — but can the b la m e re a lly be taken from President N ixon, w ho had the tapes in OF TH EPLA C M his personal care for several months? We w onder how much crim in a l a ctivity the Am erican people w ill a llo w in the highest o ffic e Is this man to be excused no m atter w h a t he does? Is he re a lly above the law and the requirem ents of comm on decency? Is he to be a llo w e d to subvert and use fo r his ow n personal gain the system that elected him and the C onstitution he sw ore to uphold? It appears that the A m erican p e o ple have given , by Vernon Jordan up th e ir "u n a lie n a b le rig h ts " to one man I have yet to hear or read Richard N ixon. YOU MUST BECOME INVOLVED IN THE WELFARE Girding for the New Year a single estimate of what's ahead in 1974 that encour ages one to think that the coming year will be any smoother for the country and its citizens. Instead the out look, for Black people es pecially. is griin. Peering into the murky months ahead we can see political uncertainty, econo mic hardship, and continued national selfdoubt. Instead or the optimism and self assured stance tradi tional at the start of a new year, the coUBSry seem s lost in - indecision and confusion. A recent Newsweek article Save children, not daylight D aylight savings tim e m ight be a psychological boost to the A m erican people — a llo w in g them to share in the sacrifice necessary to save energy. We d ou bt that much energy is saved -- but the e m otional satisfaction gained m ig ht overshadow the hardships involved. , * But as usual the hardships are born by those least a b le to bear them . Who w ill suffer for the rising fu e l costs? Not the o il com panies w ith their rising profits, nor those individuals w ith m oney to pay any price and to purchase extra ration coupons at w ill. Those w ho w ill suffer are those w ho must choose betw een food, clothing and fuel. The im m e diate su ffe ring caused by the extended d a y lig h t savings tim e is born by the children. Across the state sm all child re n are forced to w alk to school in the dark or to w a it fo r buses beside dark roads. The darkness is com pounded by rqm and snow. A lrea dy one sm all boy' was kille d in another part o f the nation as he w a ite d for his school bus. Must w e w a it for a trodegy like this to occur in Oregon b efo re action is taken? Since d a y lig h t savings tim e is now the law of the land, some local adjustm ents should be made. A l though it m ight cause inconvenience to adults — teachers, bus drivers, parents, etc. — a later school o p e n in g tim e w o u ld be in the best interests o f the ch ild re n. A tem porary change in opening tim e is the least that can be done fo r the pro tection o f our children. Housing seminar (Continued from pg. 1, col. 3) Other meetings will take up HUD's relationship with state and local civil rights enforcem ent agen cies; af firmative fair housing mar keting: minority business en terprise; exclusionary land use controls; fair share in community development pro grams; employment discrimi nation: corporate responsi bility for equal housing; job training and business oppor tunities for HUD's project area resid en ts and b u si nesses; and women, their equality and goals in employ ment in federal, state and local governments. Dr. Toote said that the com p reh en siven ess of the seminar reflects the broad area of responsibilities of HUD's Office of Equal Op portunity. "Every fact of responsi bility," said Dr. Toote, "will be discussed, studied, and reviewed, including the up ward mobility for women in government " Seminar discussions will highlight the role of equal opportunity in the new areas of proposed legislation now before the Congress The Better Communities Act, the new Housing Program, Re sponsive Governments' Act and the Direct Cash Assis tance Program. The Assistant Secretary noted that in connection with all of the proposed legists tion, HUD Secretary James T. Lynn has assigned to her Office of Equal Opportunity an expanded list of duties and responsibilities. “We do not take this chai lenge lightly, for there is much to be done to erase the effects ol past discrimination while fulfilling new responsi bilities envisaged in the pro posed legislation” said Toote. A special Saturday session will be held to inform the practicing attorney about a new field of civil litigation ~ fair housing discrimination cases. LETTERS Dear Editor: A grass roots meeting was held on January 5, 1974 in Klamath Falls. Oregon and the results were the follow ing of the Energy Action C om m ittee: The com m it tee belief is that a num ber of immediate steps are essential: 1. A complete investigation of all existing and anticipated crude reserves. 2. A halt to exportations of crude oil and products. 3. Exact figures on alio- cations to be received. 4. T echnological research into alternative energy sour ces. to include a patent search and release of all devices designed to save fuel. We believe the existing shortage is contrived and that the solutions are avail able, but only if a demand for action is sounded by citizens. Our own State Senator. Mr. Heard, was a member on a State Committee to in vestigate the oil companies and the oil interests in es sence said. “Go peddle you papers." We need your support. Please write: Energy Action Committee at 2040 Huron Street. Klamath Falls, Ore gon 97601. We must have this information by February 1, 1974. Energy Action Committee Joe Victor, President ineint<er Oregon Newspaper Publishers i Association Subscriptions: $5.25 per year in the Tri-County area. $6.00 |r r year outside Portland. MEMBER Second (lass Postage Paid at Portland. Oregon The Portland Observer's official position is expressed only in it's Publisher's Column iWe See The World Through RlarlrKyrs). Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual writer or submitter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Portland Observer. « 4 Y COMMUNITY. NÊW ÏA per Attocialion ■ Founded 1995 I based on a Louis Harris Pull for a Senate subcommittee found that a majority of cili zens feel “America is in deep trouble". Just about every major institution lost the public's confidence com pared to polls in prev ious years. Nearly two thirds believe that their own ideas don't count anym ore; a majority feel that the "people running the country don't really rare what happens" to them; and three out of four agree that the rich get richer and the poor get poorer This dramatically negative view of the nation held by its own citizens is almost unpre cedented and might increase in the coming year if the prime problems before the country are not solved. The one on everyone’s mind is the continued polili cal uncertainty. The ques tion regarding the White House is "Will he or won't he -- resign?" Resolution of the Watergate mess and related questions, including a final disposition of the un -ertainties surrounding the ex e c u tiv e branch, are a necessity for Black people. The basic problems faring cities, poor |>eople and Black people will need firm leader ship and public onfidence in the government. So long as they are missing, we will continue to hr at a disad vantage. . So 1974 had better see an end to the continual flow of rumors and a federal demonstration of taking the in itia tiv e, shaping ev e n ts, and effective leadership. This is all the more im porta nt because time is run ning out on economic ques tions. The so-called boom in 1973 did feature rising profits and and employment, but inflation actually low ered real income for the working man and well over four million people were out of work. In 1974. virtually everyone experts a business recession compounded by the energy crisis, Such a recession may drive unemployment rates up to the 8 percent level or higher. That means experts coolly predict 7 or 8 million jobless in the coming year, and maybe more. Black unem ployment is double that for whites, so an 8 percent over all unemployment rate could well leave 20 percent of Black workers officially job less, and the true figures are much higher still. So if anything is in the cards in 1974, it is an eco nomic crunch that could wipe out the gains of the past decade and then some. This prospect may scare the day lights out ol you and me, but it hasn't seemed to penetrate the thinking of policy makers in Washington. Absolutely nothing is being done to deal with this iiiqa'iiding disaster. But if Washington has its blinkers on and won't art. it's up to citizens to put some pressure on their Congress men to do something. We can't afford to let the coming crunch be dealt with the way inflation, the energy crisis, anil the abandonment of civil rights progress was handled At a bare minimum, action is required to: set up an emergency citizens' watchdog committee to insure that decisions on energy will fairly distribute the burden of the shortages, especially to see the fuel shortages don't re suit in lost jobs or reduced services for the poor. And this is the year to nationalize and liberalixe the malfunctioning welfare sys tern to soften the economic blow to the poor. But per haps most urgent is the need for immediate federal job creation to insure that every citizen able to work finally gets a job this year. It will take this kind of positive action to put the country bark on the right track and to restore public confidence in the governing institutions of the land. One hesitates before enter ing into the debate over Dr. William Shockley, the Stan ford professor who has be come a fanatical proponent of the idea that Blacks are gen etically inferior. Dr. Shockley has already received far more publicity than his theories warrant; even his defenders are careful to dis associate themselves from his views while affirming his .constitutional right to ex press them publicly and with out harassment. Dr. Shockley has said some things that I find repre In -nsibli- Hut 1 Imd it diffi cult to take the man seri ously. Dr. Shockley has no credentials as a geneticist; he has earned his scientific reputation and a Nobel prize because of his work with transistors. And his ideas on rare fall beyond the pale of reasonableness. I would agree with Shock ley's most vocal rritirs that he is a racist in the purest sense of the word. He lie lieves that Black people as a race are inferior to whites Iwith culturally und intel lectually, and that this in feriority is transferred from one generation to the next. Shockley, of course, has gone beyond simply staling his convictions about rare and intelligence. He has also proposed that society form a lowering of its standards. This is certainly not the carefully pieced togeth er racial "solution" of Hitler. But it springs from some of the same impulses which drove the Nazis to their ,Milicy of genocide. The |M>mt, however, is that hardly anyone in the ara define, scientific or political arenas subscribes to surh fringe thinking. If anything, the American people are much more likely to believe in the inherent equality of racial minorities than ever before. Even the ,iersistenre of racial |>olurizalion is. ironi rally, due largely to Black people having taken advan tage of op|M>rtunities for ad vanremenl and that they now come increasingly into competition with whites, not because whites believe them selves superior. But while his theories are irrelevant and his pro|>osals ignored, Shockley the man has become a symbol for those who cherish freedom of speech, as well as for those who are less committed to the doctrine. He has been barred from some campuses, and shouted down at others. He was only able In speak at Princeton because the uudi ence was limited. ,Hitential disrupters screend out, anil the entire campus security force mobilized. To prevent anyone, no matter how pernicious their views, from exercising their constitutional rights does not advance the cause of de mocracy nor enhance racial progress. Some of the stu dents who have confronted Dr. Shockley are doubtless less motivated by a ligili mate revulsion at a philoso phy which is amt democratic. Others are more cynical; they see Shockley as an ideal target at which to carry on the destructive, confronts tionist tactics which threat ened to deprive them of their only issue. The most effective answer to those who would deny freedom of speech to Shock ley lies in the history of the Black struggle. There could never have been a mass, non violent civil rights move ment if the courts had not demanded that the South observe the Bill of Rights. And when basic constitutional freedoms were abrogated, it was most likely Blacks who suffered becuuse of it. We discovered an ini|Mir lunt lesson in the days when Black people inarched in the South And that is that the victims of repression very often gain by it. The more brutally Blacks were treated in the South, the more sym pathetic was the nation's resp on se, and the more willing was the nution to hear what we had to say I am hy no means equating the fact 'hat a professor is prevented from addressing a few colleges with the sys tem atic discrim ination to which Blacks were subjected Nevertheless, the same prin iple applies to Shockley's case- each time he is driven from the podium The question of whether environment ol genetics d< term in es in telligen ce has been a source of agonizing debate since 1968, when Pro fessor Arthur Jensen pub lished an article saying, in a more muted lashiou. much the same thing that Shixkief says today. • A4BMhe tune Jensen's article ap|>eared. I lelt that the issue was umm portant and nothing has in curred to change my opinion. Everything that has trans pired, in fact, has reinforced this view. The economic and social environment of Black people was altered quite dramatically during the 1960s and Black people, as a result, have achieved unprecedented progress For Blacks, the challenge is to continue to dedicate ourselves to winning inquir tant mass gains, not to creating martyrs out of pro ,M>nents of irrelevancy. Not Everyone Subscribes To The Portland Observer h « t th e n , e v e ry o n e • In e n t o f t h e r a i n , e i t h e r . V ow A b o u t Y ou ? $5.25 RATES: in Tri-County Area $6.00 Other Areas of the US PORTLAND OBSERVER P.O. Box 3137 Portland, Oregon 97208 N ame Address, State City ♦ Zip <
