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
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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.
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