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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 10, 1977)
10. 1977 Liberian freighters We see the world through Black eyes Try new system The State Senate is considering Senate Bill 354, which would authorize the state corrections division to make grants to counties participating in o community corrections program. The program would provide community rehabilitation programs for non-violent offenders with sentences of five years or less. The program would offer an alternative to the already over-crowded penitentiory. Due to the crowding at OSP, rehabilitation programs are almost nil and the emphasis is on punishment. Locking a man up, keeping him in degrading and often brutal conditions, isolating him from family and friends, and offering no counseling-or training programs, cannot possibly contribute to his rehoabilitation. Community programs would allow time and facilities for rehabilitation programs. The services of existing mental health'and health programs, com munity colleges, etc. could be utilized. Perhaps most important, valuable family and community ties could be continued and strengthened. Perhaps some of the inmates could come out of this type program with a new understanding, a trode and a chance to go straight. It has been pretty well — J s s /M by Y V O N N E B R A T H W A TTE B U R K E determined that the best way to "reform" a person is to give him a positive self-image and provide him with a way to make an honest living. The problem is not an easy one, buj something must be tried. Too many valuable people spend their lives penned up like cattle with no hope for a future. Our current correction methods are failing; we must look for something new. Mace blame carefully Throughout the entire world the persons who commited the atrocities in Rhodesia - killing elderly priests and nuns — are being condemned. The press has pointed out that these murders will hurt the cause of liberation, since the Rhodesian government has claimed that they wre committed by Black guerrillas. The freedom movements claim that the massacre was committed by government forces. It would not be the first time a government in power had committed acts of violence in order to discredit an opponent. The Rhbdesian government is in deep trouble and needs something to turn public opinion its way. The liberation movement should not be condemned for this act until the facts ore known. 7Í5WÍÍ Uitu ....... Gas "shortage” brings profit from the People's World Cruel, cold-blooded and premeditated murder is being committed in this country, an organized violence directed at our people which has already claimed almost 100 lives in the past few days. The victims were felled not be bullets or knives or clubs, but by a tiny cabal of flint-eyed manipulators who have grasped control of warmth and light and turned it into hard cash. Make no mistake, there is no more substance to the so-called "natural gas shortage" than there was to the phoney "gas shortage" two years ago. Trillions of feet of natural gas lie hidden in the massive reserves of the huge oil monopolies, gas that will be "discovered" as soon as President Jimmy Carter signs his bill to decontrol the price of this precious commodity. And like gasoline, once the price controls are lifted, natural gas will bite even more deeply into the diminishing purchasing power and living standards of this nation's people. The natural gas industry is a $20 million business, o business that even the Carter Administration esti mates will reap an extra $5 billion from consumers during this non-existant "shortage". It is a business that is willing to allow people to freeze to death, to lay off 1.5 million workers, to close schools, libraries and public services to make its point. The formula is o successful one. Create an emergency by withholding supplies, allow people to starve, freeze or stand in lines, and then sit back while Congress falls all over itself in a stampede to pump greater ond greater profits into the coffers of Exxon, Mobile, Transcontinental Natural Gas Co. and El Paso Natural Gas Co. As they were chipping the body of Margaret Shorter out of five inches of ice in her New York home, Senator Lloyd Bentsen of Texas was declaring on the Senate floor that ony attempt to place a price ceiling on natural gas would mean a filibuster "till the flowers bloomed in the spring." Senator James Abourezk's attempts to keep the price of natural gas down and to reach into the massive surplus of fuel in Texas for allocation to the hard-hit Midwest and Northeast was brushed aside. As long os the natural resources of this country remain in the hands of private enterprise, protected by their hirelings in Washington, there will be an unending litany of Margaret Shorters, $167 gas bills, shuttered schools and silent factories. Private ownership and public interest in the field of energy ore incompatible. The interests of the natural gas owners are to make a profit, as much as possible, while those of the public are to stay warm and make a living. Something has to give, and the interests of all must be served over the interests of a few. Democratic nationalization of the energy industry is on the agenda for the people of this country. Not a "nationalization" that keeps industry in power while the people pay the cost, but a nationalization whose control rests in the hands of the consumers, labor unions and conservationists. Energy is far too serious a business to left in the hands of those few who make a profit by denying it to the many. Babe Wilson (Continued from p. 1 col. 3) he might be try in g te force something into my mouth." Wilson said he was forced to the floor, his head struck against the floor and his hands stepped on. Then McDsde held a red balloon in front of his face Des Connell, attorney for Wilson, re minded the ju ry that they had to judge the word of the défendent against the word of the police and corrections officer and “they didn't get th eir story to g e th e r” Telling them that public ser vants are not always right, he reminded them of “A ll the President's M en” and the eighteen minutes. “The government almost fell because honorable men were Notice not honorable.. .Do policemen lie? Does the President lie? Does the Attorney General of the United States h e r Some element of doubt required the all white ju ry of nine women and three men to deliberate ten hours before reaching their verdict. Babe Wilson's friends and eo-workers who still believe him to be innocent are continuing fund raising for his Defense Fund. “There are enormous costs invol ved for the first trial and we are planning for an appeal." a spokesman for the group told the Observer. Those who are a b b to contribute or assist are asked to call 283-2487, for information. The M etropolitan Human Relations Commission luncheon honoring A . L . Henderson, publisher of the Obesrver, «rill be held st the Sheraton Hotel, Lloyd Center, February 22nnd at noon. Hen derson «rill receive the Russ Peyton A w ard for w ork in human rights. F o r tickets or fu rth er information call the Metropolitan Human Relations Commis sion. 2434187. "H e who has clear ideas can com m and." Goethe were appalled recently when the Sansinena, saiUcg under the Liberian flag. exploded in the Long Beach. CaUforala harbor. Eight Uvea w ere loot and the damage Ut the harbor and the city ran into the milhons. The public gets the impression that •hips owned by L ib erian* are threatening our porta. Thia is tru e in p art. T h e tiny W est African republic of Liberia has the world'* largest m erchant fleet. Most of its 2.800 vessels are huge oil tan ker*. Until now. few of ua knew how Liberia, with a population just over one million, has developed ita w orldw ide shipping operation. Like Panama. L ib eria is a flag-of convenience country. O w n er* from all over the world register th e ir ships in Liberia to escape taxes, higher w age* for crew * and eoetly safety standards. W hen accidents cause death and disaster and w e look for a cu lprit, tin y Liberia can be considered only a shield, a shield of convenience. Intoraetionnl buoineeoinen are shielded from view and prosecution by Liberia. Greek and U .S . interests own SO to 36 percent each of the Liberian fleet. Hong Kong interests own 10 to 15 percent. The rem ainder is owned by countries the world over. F o r the guilty, w e need to look only as fa r as N e w Y o rk City w here th e Liberian shipping opera tion is centered. The Sanainena is owned by Barracuda Tanker Co., formed by Peter Flannigan and 38 other* associated w ith Dillon, Read 4 Co., investment banker*. In 1968 these prominent Americans bought three ships: the ill-fated Sanain ena: the T o rrey Canyon, which broke up in 1987 in the biggest oil disaster in British history; and the Lake Palourde, the only one remaining in service. Flannigan worked w ith President Nixon in the W h it* House beginning in 1909. H e oversaw among other thing* the merchant marine development, for eign trade and oil Im port policies. Flannigan '• position is another example of Nixon's lack of concern for conflict of interest. Though his influence was substantial, it was not enough to bring Flannigan confirmation as ambassador to Spain. D uring his senate confirmation hearings in 1970. the long, sordid history of the Sanainena unfolded. Y e t the Sanainena continued to sail -- as the people of Long Beach «rill never forget. I t is estim ated th at only 1’ 5 percent of the value of waterborne exports and imports o f the U nited S tate * are shipped in veeeels under the U .S. flag. T h e higher cost of transportation in ships of A m eri can registry is the reason this percentage is so small. O u r taxes are higher, our wages are higher and our required safety precautions cost more. The costs of American registration are estim ated to be th ree tim es those of Liberian registra tion. O ur wages and safety standards are high in the U n ited States. Commendable. certainly! Except th a t w e allow ships of foreign registry to use our harbors and transport our materials while violating our safety regulations and paying sub standard wages to their foreign crews. I t is little wonder shipowners register in a country that doe* not regulate wages. I t is possible to hire a G reek, Italiiu) or Filipino crew for $180 per month rather than Americans for $746 per month. In addition, it is less expensive to pay for cleaning occasional oil spills than to bring ships up to safety standards. A ll this adds to handsome profits. The strength and influence of oil companies and other shipping owners have in the past killed regulations to th eir financial disadvantage even though the regulations w ere sanctioned under public law and are of obvious public good. A very small newspaper article caught my attention this week. I t said th at the Coast Guard has been ordered to inspect every tanker entering American ports as a means of avoiding accidents such as the Liberian tanker Sanainena on December 17. I question w hy the Coast Guard has not been inspecting the ships all along. Congress enacted safety regulations in 1972 in the Ports and W aterw ays Safety Act which, to a large degree, have remained unused. M y inquiry into the forces behind oil tankers in our ports has just begun. N o t for a moment should we be turned aside by the question of foreign registry. W e must demand tru th fu l, full disclosure. A nything less would be a disservice to the people of this country. Agency on Aging holds public hearings A recent announcement by the A rea Agency on Aging Planning and Advisory Committee establishes the form at for this year's public bearings on the A rsa Agency on Aging Annual Action Plan of service objectives and goals. The hearings, to be held during the months of February and M arch, are designed to allow the greatest public involvement in the processes of planning fa r social service programs for the elderly in Portland/M ultnom ah County. The Planning and Advisory Comm ittee hopes th at these hearings w ill provide the public, particularly those individuals having a special interest in the problems and goals of the area's senior citizens, an opportunity to respond to the directives outlined in the Annual Plan of Services. National priorities have established low incomes, m inority, and socially isolat ed elderly persons as having the greatest need for services. The Annual Action Plan as prepared by planning staff of the Aging Services Divieon of the C ity Human Resources Bureau in coordination with the A rea Agency on Aging Planning and Advisory Comm ittee addresses itself to those needs. N u tritio n . Social Contact, transportation, em ploym ent, homemaker and shopping assistance services are among the services detailed in the plan. T he goal for Fiscal Y ear 1977/78 (July-June) is to strengthen the existing system of services to sustain dignified and independent living for the elderly co m m u n ity o f P o rtla n d /M u ltn o m a h County. This plan, if adopted, w ill provide for this fram ew ork a t services to the Area's elderly population during the year 1977/78. Copies of the 186 page plan are available to the public a t the A rea IRS allows child care P O R T L A N D . O R E G O N (IR S D istrict Office) - Taxpayers who w ork or attend school and pay someone to care for th eir children or far disabled dependents can take advantage o f a new child care credit on th eir 1976 Federal income tax return, according to Ralph B. Short, District D irector far IR S in Oregon. U nder the new law , eligible taxpayers can claim aeredit of 20 percent of th eir child care expenses, up to a maximum credit of $400 for one child and 3800 for tw o or more. Short pointed out th a t the credit is subtracted directly for the tax liability. The credit can he taken by coupler even if one or both spouses works only Agency on Aging. 620 S.W . 5th. 3rd Floor. A smaller. 5 page synopsis is available at the eight A res Agency on Aging Senior Service Centers located throughout Multnomah County. The Public Hearings «rill be held on the following dates: February 11th - Project A B L E Senior Center, 7508 N . Hereford. Portland February 18th - P A C T Senior Center. 3588 S.E. Division, Portland February 25th - W estm inster P resbyter ian Church, 1624 N .E . Hancock March 4th - T rin ity Episcopal Church. 147 NJE. 19th. Portland A ll meetings w ill be held from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. F o r additional information, call 2434752. uctions part-tim e But, in these the eligible expenses are lim ited to the amflunt of earnings of the spouse earning the sm aller amount, or in the case of a single person, to his or her earnings. Separated, divorced, or endowed parents srith custody of children are also eligible, according to Short. The credit te ateo available to married couples w here one spouse works fu ll tim e and the other is • full-tim e student. O ther features of the liberalised child c u e law are th a t relatives srho are not dependents can now be paid for child care so long as Social Security taxes are withheld from th eir pay: th ere is no longer a distinction between child care perform ed inside and outside the home; and persons who use the standard deduc tion can also claim th eir child care expenses but must file a Form 1040. Form erly, child care was treated as a deduction ra th e r than a credit, th ere was an income lim itation, full-tim e employ ment was required, and payments to relatives w ere not included as deductible child care expense. Additonal information on the child care credit can be found in the tax instructions th at came w ith the ta x package. Short said. Taxpayers can also use the handy order blank in the package to obtain a free copy of 1RS Publication 508, “Child Care and Disabled Dependent Care.” speaking L atin nation; Belize is English speaking and has developed completely •p a rt from Spanish influence. Most of the population here is Black, though there are also Creoies, Caribe, Arabs, descendants of indigenous tribes and • host of other ethnic influences. The main thoroughfare of Belize C ity is called Queen S treet, reggae music spills from the cafes and the residents speak a kind of clipped English resembling Jamaican dialect. U N and elsewhere. W ith unemployment around 20 percent and a sluggish economy, Belise's largest export is people. Diplomatic sources say about 40,000 Belizeans live in N ew York and Los Angeles, nearly all of them illegally. T h a t is roughly equivalent to the population of Belise C ity, w here about one-third of the nation's residents live. Belize (Continued from P .l Col.6) Negotiations are continuing between the three partiee-Belise, Guatemala and B ritian -b u t positions have hardened so mads over the years th a t real p rogreee mums unlikely. Guatemala has insisted she must receive st least some Belizean te rrito ry as p ert of a settlem ent, and has suggested a slice of land in southern Belize; But Beliae-which is smaller than N ew Ham pehire-has reiterated her determin aiion not to yield “one square centim eter” of land. Recent indications th at there may be oil in southern Belize have made such • compromise even more unlikely. Despite being neighbors. Guatemala and Belize are almost totally different. Guatemala, like Belise's northern neighbor, Mexico and other nearby Cen tra l American countries, is • Spanish Belize, in fact, has more in common «rith Jamaica and other W est Indian island nations than any of her mainland neighbors. She is • member of C A R I- CO M , the Csrribean Common M arke t, but not of any Central Am erican regional organization. N ot surprisingly, Jamaica has been her strongest advocate at the The economy is largely agricultural, though em igrants send home an estim a ted $10 million annually, mostly from the U .S. Only sugar brings in more foreign exchange than that. Stephen Kinser, a Boston based freelance w rite r, reports from L atin Am erica for Pacific New s Service, Boston Glebe and Boston Pbeesfx. 1st Portland O bserver Published every Thursday by Exje Publishing Company, 2201 North KiUingsworth. Portland. Oregon 97217. M ailing address: P .0 . Box 3137, Portland. Oregon 97208. Telephone 283-2486. Subscriptions: $7.50 per year in the Tri-County ares, $8.00 per year outside Portland. A L F R E D L. H E N D E R S O N E d ite r/PeM isber The Pertteed Obeerver’s official position is expressed only in its Publisher's column (W e See The W orld Through Black Eyes). Any other m aterial throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual w riter or submitter and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Portlead Observer. O N P A 1973 5tk Place Beet Editarte N N P A 1973 E d ito ria l A w a rd N N A 1973 Oregon Black History Project Tri-County area $7.50 other areas $8.00 >st Editarte! 3rd 7 Nome O N P A 197$ New Yerk MEM8EI $2.50 of your now subscription to Tho Portland Observer will go to the 1st Place lest Ad Resal O N P A 1973 MEMMR Address O re g o n Newspaper Publishers Association $ C ity Association - Founded T888 Moil to: PorHond Observer P O. Box 3137 Portland, Oregon 97206
