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Lugone, Oregon 97403
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OBSERVER
Volume 7 No. ,0
Thursday, January 20, 1977
10c per copy
Where does our money go?
Last August the Department of Vital
Statistics, the Public Welfare D epart
ment and other agencies were informed
that state employees and former em
ployees were dealing in false documents
obtained from the V ital Statistics De
partment. A fter a cursory investigation,
by Public Welfare, the case was closed.
Later, two friends of the employees
admitted that they had received false
vital statistics information for use in
obtaining false identification.
Larry Baker reported the criminal
activity to Marian M artin, State Regist
rar of V ital Statistics. He told Ma. M artin
that at least three women had obtained
the documents, one who was still an
employee of Vital Statistics and two who
had moved to another agency. Further,
one was continuing to sell confidential
papers from the new agency.
He charged that some of these docu
ments had been used to obtain identifica
tion to cash returned welfare checks.
The investigation was passed from
Public Welfare-to the Attorney General's
office, where it waa assigned to Clark
Meara. Later Mears reported back to R.
H. Williams, Assistant Chief Investigator
for Welfare that his office would not
handle the investigation due to lack of
funds, but would assist Public Welfare’s
investigation.
Williams was authorized to go ahead
with his investigation. He checked with
Discuss death
“New World African Danas to the English wording for a Black ballet drawing upon
the conventional movements of African peoples, inspired by the
of Black Africa, visualized in sweat filled taverns strung throughout
I (a section on the south aide of Chicago), daydreamed about under the 63rd
Street “L " tracks, baptised by the Holy Ghost residing in a storefront church called
Green Grove Baptist, legitimtoed by an ocean of caaketa in the first minute of a new
a) i t a Black street dancer one of a long line of
tots of all stage dance. From the
folk cornea authenticity, emotion, faith, love and above all else, style-beeause all
people are individual, even Black people, especially at midnight."
(Please see page d, col. 5)
L
In light of the move to bring capital
punishment to Oregon, a panel discussion
on the Death Penalty has been scheduled
for January 20th.
Speakers include Reverend John Jack-
son. Nathan Proby, Charles F . Hinkle,
ACLU; Reverend Dale Stitt, and Ruth
Frankel, W IL P F .
The social, legal and moral implications
of the Death Penalty - including the
Gilmore case - will be discussed.
The meeting w ill be held at Mallory
A venue Christian Chureh, 126 N .S
Alberta at 7: 80 p.m.
1
the Oregon State Police and found that
the women had no arrest records. Baker,
on the other hand, had a very extensive
felony conviction record and was on
parole.
In the meantime. Baker had been
charged with rape, sodomy, assult and
malicious mischief by a friend of the
"suspects" in the vital statistics ease. A
seven-state “AU Points Bulletin" for his
arrest had been issued.
Williams contacted Detective Roberta
Ledyard of the Portland Police Depart-
uaent, who told him the events leading to
the warrent for Baker. “Those events do
not involve the Public Welfare Depart
ment, but do provide a motive for Baker's
allegations about the accused state em
ployees," he wrote in his report.
Williams and Ledyard interviewed the
accused Public Welfare employee, who
denied the charges. She authorized a
search of her home by W illiam« amt
Ledyard and nothing belonging to Public
Welfare was found. The employee was
advised that she might be asked to take a
polygraph test. A week later she was
informed that the case was closed.
None of the additional employees nam
ed by Baker, or the persons he alleged
had received faltofied documents were
President
interviewed.
Later, during the investigation of the
charges against Baker, two of these
persons admitted receiving the records, ^ n
e | a
Why wasn’t the investigation more
thorough? Why weren’t the other “sus
pects" interviewed? " It’s obvious that
they want to protect the reputation of the
state employees - young white women
from good families”, Baker says. " I even
told them which of the women would be
the most willing to admit it . They were
not even seen."
Baker charges that the women made
the rape charges against him because he
had reported their activities. He pleaded
"no contest”, charging that his attorney
had not adequately prepared his defense.
Failing to be allowed to change his plea to
“not guilty”. Baker is serving a twenty-
' five year sentence to the Oregon State
Penitentiary.
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Jimmy Carter
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Cllll<S » C • ID
U M U f l l t S TDCUS
» * * * * W IIB I « I V
Children’s Service Division has opened
a new office to fight the growing problem
of child abuse.
During 1975 there were 184 reported
incidents of child abuse in Multnomah
County and that number jumped to 256 in
1976.
These figures do not include
children who were neglected in various
ways.
The new office-the Protective Services
Branch Office, located at 3815 N .E .
Tillamook Street (280-6060) - will be
responsible for the investigation of all
complaints of abuse and neglect. The
service will be available twenty-four
hours a day.
Charles K urtz, manager of the new
unit, said, "This service is something the
community wanted. Our purpose is to
respond as quickly as possible to assure
the safety of children. W ith this new
system, we can meet that purpose. There
must be cooperation with the whole
community. W e will be working closely
with the juvenile court, police, schools,
and physicians. Most of all we need the
help of citizens who know of children who
are in danger."
State Representative Hardy Myers,
who has a long standing interest in
protective services, waa instrumental in
enabling CSD to open this special unit.
Oregon Coalition urges health care bill support
The Oregon Coalition for National
Health Security has urged the new
Congress to pass the Health Security Act
and make quality health care available
to all Americans.
“The enactment of the Health Security
program must be a high priority item for
the 96th Congress,” said Keith Johnson,
president of the International Wood
workers of America (IW A ), AFL-CIO ,
CLC.
Johnson, also a member of the Com m it-
tee for National Health Insurance, which
is composed of more than 100 leaders
from labor, senior citizens' groups,
church, consumer organizations, health
professionals, and public officials, pointed
out the high cost of medical care in the
United States.
Statistics for fiscal year 1976 show that
personal health expenditures mounted to
1189 billion, an unprecented sum that
absorbed 8.6 per cent of the Gross
National Product (GNP).
Per capita
health care coots in the same period
soared to more than 6600 per year.
In Canada, which has a national health
insurance program similar to Health
Security, only 7 per cent of its GNP, 6296
per capita, is spent on the full range of
health services for all citizens.
the establishment of universal and com
prehensive health insurance coverage
which provides barrier-free-access to
needed health services.
I t ventures
beyond the traditional insurance «p-
The Health Security Act (H.R. 21, was proach and makes improvements in the
introduced in the House of Representa availability, quality and cost of care.
Representative Corman recently cited
tives January 5th by Rep. James C.
Corman (D-Cal.) and 70 co-sponsors. The studies by the Congressional Budget
list of co-sponsors included 14 more Office (CBO) and H EW which confirmed
names than on the first day of the the fiscal viability of Health Security over
previous Congress and additional spon the current system and alternate national
sors are expected to endorse the Bill as health insurance proposals.
The CBO study said that substantial
the 96th Congress begins its work.
increases
in health expenditures will
. Health Security was introduced in the
Senate by Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) continue with or without a national health
Tuesday, January 11, the first day the insurance program, but "the only propos
legislative hopper was open under Senate al which can control costs substantially
procedures. I t waa assigned the number below what would be spent under current
policy is the comprehensive tax-financed
8A
approach (i.e., Health Security)."
The Health Security Bill is based on the
The health industry claims that Health
principle that health care should be a Security is the most expensive national
right for all Americans and should be health insurance proposal but was over
available according to an individual’s
turned by a H E W study known as the
needs, not based on his personal finances. “Trapnell Report.”
The Health Security Program calls for
This report concluded that the Ameri
can Hospital Association proposal intr
duced by Rep. A1 Ullman (D-OR.) durii
the last session of Congress would co
more than National Health Security ai
provide fewer benefits. Rep. Ullmai
chairman of the House Ways and Meat
Committee, has not reintroduced his Bil
H.R. 1, into this Congress.
Johnson and others active in th
Oregon Coalition for National Healt
Security have expressed optimism tin
Health Security will be enacted in 19?
because there is a growing grassrool
demand, increased support coming froi
many diverse organizations, and a mor
responsive Congress and President-elee
The Oregon Coalition for Nation«
Health Security, Inc. was launched Oe
17, 1975 at a meeting of Oregon laboi
political and civic leaders.
Robert Kennedy, president of th
Oregon AFL-CIO , is president of th
Oregon Coalition for National Healt
Security and L.B. Day, secretary-treasui
er of Teamsters Local 670, is vie
president.
Mrs. Laine Friedman i
executive director.
Kissinger plan called plot against liberation
by Ut yaass M ental
Women are God’s gift to earth. They are beautiful, not only on the outside, but on
• inside, too.
Michelle Burton, an interesting, intelligent and beautiful lady, is an example.
Michelle to a Capricorn. Her favorite activities include dancing, ice-skating,
nnto, karate, jogging, opera, cooking whan she has the time and reading a good
book. She plans to add skiinu to her athletic skills
Michelle is an Administrative Secretary and she models in hsr spare time. Her
ana include medical school or a graduate degree in genetics.
She wants a small family - “I love being with my family and I love children.'
H er diseriptioo of her ideal man to - “I like responsibility in a man - someon
who to very understanding of ms, someone who is giving and likes to share. I don't
like one sided relationships. He should be intelligent. I want a relationship where
we can grew and share our knowledge. He has to be compassionate and a very
sensitive type of person - a veraitile person .**
"Let Her M a . For Ih s Is A Lady-
Edison Zvobgo, a participant in the
Zimbwadbean liberation movement now
teaching at the Lewis University in
Illinois, called Henry Kissenger’s Pretor
ia agreement a plot to subvert the
Zimbwabean revolution and to betray its
goals.
The Pretoria agreement provided for
the Geneva Conference, at which the Ian
Smith regime and the liberation move
ment leaders would draw up a plan for a
two year provisional government leading
to independence and majority rule. The
provisional government was to have two
councils the council of state controlled
by the white majority and the council of
ministers which would be a majority of
Blacks. The ministers of defense and
police would be white.
Zvobge, who participated in the Gen
eva Conference as a legal advisor, said
the Black leaders were at first inclined
not to attend because Kissinger had
refused to see them. They knew they
would be expected to draw up a provis
ional government along the lines already
agreed to by Kissinger and Smith.
However, when asked to attend the
conference by other African heads of
state they did agree to participate.
Kissinger's major objectives, Zvobgo chaae the land it will need. The 1965
ington in 1961 to ask for American aid
said, were to provide for a peaceful value is used because land values have
and was rejected. “We have been to the
evolution to majority rule and to protect gone down in the face of world-wide
United States every year since and the
“minority rights”.
economic sanctions against Rhodesia.
answer is always no.”
Although Kissinger has told the Am eri
4. Pensions for public servants and
For this reason most of the guerrilla
can people there were no such “deals” officials. This would require the new
troops have been trained by the Chinese.
between the U.S. and Rhodesia, Smith government to provide pensions for those
The aid received by Zimbuabuean libera
told his people that there were. While in who have oppressed its people.
tion fighters has been from socialist
Geneva, the African leaders learned
nations.
Zvobgo does not expect the Geneva
through the British that Kissinger was Conference to reconvene.
Zvobgo hopes that a large number of
talking about “white rights."
whites will remain in Zimbwabwe. “I t is
The current state is critical, with
The four areas of "white rights” stipu fighting in every part of the country. The
as much their country as mine." Those
lated by Kissinger and Smith, and to
who can identify with the new govern
armed struggle broke out in 1966. After
which the Africans can never submit are: three years of losing battles, the agres
ment will be encouraged to stay. Recent
1. Full, complete, irrevocable indem-
ly there have been some white Rhod
sion was halted and a study done to asses
n ity -“pardon from any criminal liability
the failures. The result was a massive
esians joining the liberation movement,
before independence.” This would free
including Ian Smith's son.
effort to organize and politicise the guer
whites from all crimes ■ political or
rilla movement.
In 1972 the armed
The new government will be a Demo
criminal.
struggle was renewed and it has contin cratic Republic with a form of govern
2. Defense bonds sold by the Smith
ued to become more succesful.
ment patterned after African tradition.
government to finance the resistance
Zvobgo predicts that by the end of 1977
Zimbwabwe has a long history of self-
would be paid off by the new govern the Smith government will fall. “Recent
government. Government was tradition
ment.
This would require the new
C IA and Defense Department intelli
ally by consent with discussion until all
government to pay for the cost of the war
agree.
The economic system will be
gence reports say by the end of 1977 the
against itself.
regime cannot govern. It is our hope to
socialist since Africans have always
3. Compensation for all land and houses tie up the country by the end of the year.
shared and have never valued individual
at the 1966 market value. Whites (8
"No one wants an armed conflict. For
possession or success.
percent) have seised 50 percent of the
years we petitioned and prayed. Now
“We believe South Africa will soon be
iand-the moot valuable land-and this there is no other way."
involved because otherwise the govern
would require the government to pur-
Zvobgo personally travelled to Wash
(Please turn to p.2 col.4)