X
Portland
7th. 1976
ThuiMlnjr*
We see the world
through Black eyes
KMngsr pirns trssiWe
Teo good for Moral jobs?
The Port of Portland it asking th® people of Port
land to build an $84 million drydock and berth
facilities at the Swan Island Shipyards. One of the
main reasons given by the Port that taxpayers should
accept this burden, is to create jobs.
About 1,000 jobs will be created by construction,
and 850 jobs created by operations in 1983, accord
ing to proponents of the land measure.
Last week, the Port of Portland turned down $6.1
million in federal funds that could have been used to
build a new auto-handling facility, a freezer facility,
berth improvements at the shipyard, and expansion
and relocation of the waste water treatment plant —
and to create jobs.
Calling the federal Public Works Employment Act a
"federal giveaway," Port of Portland Commissioner
Robert Wallace said the money was turned down as
a "matter of principle." The federal funds are pro
vided to local governments to provide employment
through the building of needed public works pro
jects.
The Port's complete disregard of the thousands of
unemployed persons in the Portland area who would
like to get off of unemployment compensation and
Welfare and onto a payroll, makes us question the
Port's real motives in building their drydock. Are they
really interested in providing employment? Or are
they concerned about increasing they own power
and influence? Why do they refuse federal money to
create jobs, when they readily accept federal money
to build airports?
It is amazing that federal tax money for jobs could
be considered a "hand out" and that our Port
Commissioners would feel too good to accept that
money when they are, at the same time, so eager to
get local tax money.
We have supported the Port's shipyard proposal
until now, but after this incident, we think it requires
a long, hard look.
Ford must go
President Ford's handling of the Butz affair demon
strates once again that he does not have the strength
to lead. His indecision — his waiting to find out what
was politically expedient — showed that he places
politics before principles. Ford's indecision was not
based on what is right, but on what is best for his
political campaign.
Even then, the President did not ask his Secretary
of Agriculture to resign and he accepted his resigna
tion with regrets, saying it was one of the most
difficult things he has had to do.
The President has shown little regard for the Black
people and the American citizens who were insulted
by Butz's racial slurs.
The President should hove immediately fired Mr.
Butz.
Senator Brooke was right when he said Butz is not
fit to serve in the President's cabinet. Mr. Ford's
behavior allows us to go a step further and say that
he is not fit to serve as President.
It is important for the Ford administration to give
the impression that It has brought peace to Africa.
But Kissinger's so-called victory is fading fast.
Joshua Nkomo, one of the Black nationalist lead
ers of Rhodesia — who is a devout Christian, a
political moderate and an advocate of non-violence
— has announced that Blacks have written a new
plan and that the Kissinger plan no longer exists.
Nkomo was the only nationalist leader Kissinger
included in his negotiations.
The men Kissinger avoided meeting, the radical
nationalist leadership, will be the ultimate decision
makers in the future of Rhodesia and South Africa.
They control the military forces, have popular sup
port, and are backed by other African leaders. They
will make the decisions and will hove the support of
Black Africans. Among these leaders are: President
Machel of Mozambique, who created the Zimbabwe
People's Army and probably has more influence on
the guerrillas than any other no-Zimbabwe; Robert
Mugabe, leader of most of the guerrilla fighters
based in Mozambique; Methodist Bishop Abel
Muzorewa, leader of the more militant faction of the
Rhodesian African National Council; President Neto
of Angola, who is wary of American motives in
Africa. These are the men who control guerrilla
activities, and any secession of violence will have to
come from them.
Among those African leaders Kissinger did visit is
President Neyere of Tanzania. Nyere recently said,
"W e are talking about majority rule in four to six
weeks, -when with the formation of an interim
government the powers of the government of Rho
desia will be passed on to the majority." Neyere and
the others of the "big five" - the presidents of
Botswana, Mozambique, Tonzania, Angola, and
Zambia — have made it clear that they will not
accept white domination of the interim government,
rejecting Ian Smith's proposal that the ministries of
defense and law remain in white control during the
transition.
On the other side, Ian Smith, Premier of the white
government of Rhodesia, is also undermining Kissin
ger's plan. Smith, interviewed on Radio Rhodesia,
said his regime scored a major victory with the visit
of Kissinger. "Dr. Kissinger did mention that h® was
in difficulty in meeting me because, as you know,
Rhodesia is supposed to be 'illegal,' and 'unconsti
tutional,' and this did provide a bit of a problem fer
him. So maybe it was a diplomatic breakthrou#».
The main thing is, it succeeded."
Since Smith declared independence from Britain
in 1965, no nation has recognized his government
and the UN has imposed economic and political
sanctions. So if they have accomplished nothing
else, Kissinger's visits have legitamized Rhodesia's
white government and have ended its isolation from
the rest of the world.
The U.S. can never make plans for Africqns. Our
government must I6arn to allow Africans to think and
plan for themselves, and then support their plans.
Ratification of
by Yvonn
Copley News Service
Si
I t it true that if we accept the Equal
Righto Amendment (E R A ) we will have
to accept unisex rest reams?
Will my daughter be drafted or have to
go to war?
Must my daughter play football and
other dangerous sports?
The answers are simple and must be
stated clearly. No one will ever have to
accept unisex rest rooms. The U.8.
Supreme Court has guaranteed the right
of privacy. State laws may not force
persons to live. wash. etc., with members
of the opposite sex. Therefore, private
facilities are required by law.
Second. Congress has always had the
power to draft both men and women.
Congress also has the power to exempt
anyone. The military is now volunteer
and only during a national emergency will
Congress draft. Only 1 per cent of the
military ever serves on the front lines.
Finally, no student, boy or girl, will be
forced to play in any dangerous sport.
Each student should, however, have the
u m e right to compete in sports. With the
ERA. participation in activities will be
based upon ability and qualifications re
gardless of sex. That’s fair and equitable.
In Illinois, a women said. “I don’t ose
why we even have to argue about ERA
here in Illinois, the land of Lincoln. This
amendment ought to be about as contro
versial as Girl Scout Cookiss."
1 agree.
But why is the ratification of the Equal
Rights Amendment stalled, four states
short of the required 88?
As always, change brings fear. Some
men and women fear that E R A is a throat
to family life and to the traditional roles
of men and women. Their fears are ill-
founded. E R A is stated so simply that it
breeds suspicion in wary minds.
I t is surprising to some that the whole
amendment roads thus:
Sec. 1. Equality of rights under the law
shall not be denied or abridged by the
United States or by any state on account
of sex.
Sec. 2. The Congress shall have the
power to enforce, by appropriate legists
tion, the provisions of this article.
Sec. 8. This amendment shall take ef
fect two years after the date of ratifica
tion.
Nonetheless, the present status of the
amendment and its history indicate that
the fears of the few may prevail. Unless
four more states ratify this simple state
ment by March 22nd. 1979, it will fail to
become the 27th Amendment to the Con
stitution.
Though women today are feeling op
timistic about their improved status, a
few statistics show they have a long way
to go.
Women make up 52.5 per cent of the
voting-age population in the United
States. However, practically speaking,
they are politically unrepresented. The
19 women now in the House of Represen
tatives are 4 per cent, of the total mem
bers. There are no women in the U.8.
Senate.
In January, 1976, there were 611
women state legislators out of a total
7,500, approximately 8 per cent of the
total. This is double the figure for 1989.
With representation like that, it is truly
commendable that ERA has been ratified
in 84 states.
ERAmericr, leaders of the ratification
effort, are attempting to Answer the ac
cusations of the Stop-ERA forces. They
ore successfully answering charges that
ERA will destroy all protective legisla
tion and will bring back sweatshops.
Since the passage of Title V II of the 1964
Civil Righto Act. the protective labor
laws must protect people ecually. Both
men and women must be gucranteed safe
working conditions.
T h - unfounded fear that all women will
be forced to leave the home, take a pay
ing job and put their children in govern
ment care centers has been answered
with fact. Under ERA. the right to be a
full-time homemaker, to rear children at
home and to work inside the home is in no
way abridged. Legitimate questions such
as these, must be answered.
An enlightened voter is the answer to
the ratification of ERA. That must be the
goal of ERAmerica - to make sure ERA
becomes a household word.
A Mississippi judge has ordered the National Association for
the Advancement of Colored People to pay 12 white merchants
over $1.2 million because of a boycott the NAACP led against
their stores in 1966. The boycott was seeking employment for
black people.
The 1966 boycott, protesting job discrimination and other
racial abuse in the town of Port Gibson, Mississippi was called
by the judge an "unlawful conspiracy.” The NAACP calls the
judge’s decision a "legal lynching."
We need your help to fight this injustice.
Mississippi law requires that we post a bond or cash in excess
of $1.6 million just to appeal the judge's decision. This money
must be raised within the next ten days. If we do not appeal
—because we are unable to post the bond—then the NAACP
must pay $1.2 million it does not have. If this happens, we're
out of business.
1WAHT TO HBJP WITH THE HAACP MlSSISSli>f»l APPEAL
Enclosed is my check (money order) for $_________________
Name.._____________________________________________
Address.
City.
State.
-Please make all tax-deductible checks payable to the
NAACP Special Contribution Fund,
1790 Broadway, New York, N .Y . 10019
(Ad paid for by friends of NAACP)
,
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bread
The
Congress investigates King assassination
(Continued from p. 1 col 8)
AGENTS PROVOCATEUR
In an interview with PNS, Redditt
pointed to another area he thought
should be investigated. He says he learn
that killed one, injured scores and led to
238 arrests A fter the violence, apparent
ly intended by the militant grou; to dis
credit King, the non-violent leader vowed
to return to prove he could still lead a
peaceful demonstration.
ed after the assassination that the Mem
phis police had heavily infiltrated a Black
militant organization called the Invaders
that was directly responsible for King's
return to Memphis. Newaday’s Les
Payne has reported that police and FBI
informants may have played a part in the
“Dr. King would never have returned
to Memphis if the violence had not hap
pened." according to the Reverend Jesse
Jackson, a key King aide. “We never
intended to get bogged down in Mem
phis."
violence.
The Invaders had organized the dis
Nowaday has reported that, according
to a former leader of the Invaders, a
Memphis policeman who had infiltrated
the group “was one of the most provoca-
ruption of a massive Memphis march led
by King a week earlier, launching a riot
tive members of the Invaders." very ac
tive in planning confrontations.
That undercover agent, according to
both Nowaday and Redditt. was one of
the four Invaders in the informal security
force for King, created by an agreement
between King’s staff and the Invaders on
his return trip to Memphis.
“He left the police department shortly
after that,” Redditt told PNS. “and the
word was that he went to Washington,
D.C. Then a couple of years after the
King slaying I ran face to face with him in
downtown Memphis. He was wearing a
disguise."
Redditt says he stopped him. A t first,
Portland O bserver
Ä’
5
Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company. 2201
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The Portland Observer's official position is expressed only in
its Publisher's column (We See The World Through Black Eyes).
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.
A LF R E D L. HENDERSON
FxUtor /PeMisher
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the man pretended be was someone else,
but finally acknowledged he was the man
Redditt thought he was.
"He acted very mysterious, saying that
he was now with the Central Intelligence
Agency, and begged me not to blow his
cover," according to Redditt.
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PAST C HA LLE N G E S
The congressional decision to probe the
King murder follows years of efforts to
puncture the official version of how he
was killed. Just a day after pleading
guilty, the alleged assassin James Earl
Ray tried to reverse his plea to not guilty,
arguing that he had been tricked into
pleading guilty by his lawyer to escape
the death penalty.
In 1975. Ray told PNS. “I was set up
and sucked in.” He charged that his ordrs
to drive to Memphis - because they came
three days before King publicly an
nounced he would return there - “could
only have come from either someone in
King's own camp or some high Justice
Department official having access to in
formation gained from wiretaps on King's
telephones in Atlanta.”
Testimony in federal court in a hearing
on Ray's motion for a new trial also raised
questions about the official version of
events. Ballistics expert Dr. Herbert
Lynn MacDonnell, professor of criminol
ogy at Elmira College in New York testi
fied that Ray's rifle could not have been
used to fire the fatal shot.
And Ted Ghormley, who was deputy
sheriff of the county when King was
killed, gave testimony indicating that the
key piece of evidence against Ray - a
bundle of his belonging« the state said
was left by Ray at the rooming house as
he fled the scene - was actually place
where it was found before the assassina
tion.
The State of Tennessee has in fact
never produced an eyewitness linking
Ray with the rooming house from which
they contend the shot was fired, accord
ing to his former lawyers.
THE T IM E IS NOW
IM M E D IA T E O P E N IN G S
•
( D U C A I IO N A l
O P P O N I UN-1 111
TRY ONE OE THESE
SECURITY POLICE SPECIALIST
FIRE PROTECTION SPECIALIST
INTELLIGENCE SPECIALIST
WEAPONS/MUNITIONS SPECIALIST
TSgt David Shake
(503) 221-2652
A GREAT
WAY OF .LIFE