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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 31, 1977)
Thursday. March 31. 1077 From the Legislature We see the world 1 7 ' With Senate Joint Reaolutxm 7. the through Black eyes Education needed, too President Carter has proposed a change in e le ctio n law s that w o u ld a llo w citizens to go to the p olls on e le c tio n day, show p ro o f o f e lig ib ility , a nd vote w ith o u t preregistering. This proposal is s im iila r to O regon's new law p e rm ittin g re gistration on e le ctio n day, b u t e lim in a te s the trip to the registrar's office. N e a rly 70 m illio n e lig ib le A m ericans fa ile d to vote in the 1976 presidentia l e lection a nd in 18 states fe w e r than 50 per cent o f those e lig ib le to vote a c tu a lly voted The percentage v o tin g has d ro pped steadily since 1960. The U nited States ranks 21st am ong the dem ocratic nations in its voter turn-out. The e lim in a tio n o f registration has been a d vo ca ted by Black groups fro r m any y e a rs -s in c e registra tion has o fte n been used as an ille g a l tool to prevent Blocks an d other m in o ritie s from voting. An e lim in a tio n o f registration w ill not do the job alone. The g overnm en t must also launch an educa- tinal program to reach those w h o do not vote out o f ignorance, fe a r or lack o f fo ith . It has been o n ly ten to fifte e n years since Blacks suffered and die d fo r the rig h t to vote. The years o f restraint and terror have le ft a lasting im pression and m any Black p e o p le in the South ar still a fra id to vote. Four m illio n Blacks r ^ n a in unregistered in the South. An outreach p rogram by both the fe d e ra l and the state governm ents is needed to encourage these p e o p le to p a rticip a te . In the N orth and the West, the p ro b le m is not one of fear but o f loss o f hope. O nly recently have Black candidates had a realistic chance to w in e le ctio n and fo r ge n e ra tio n s the w h ite candidates w h o have a p p e a le d to Blacks fo r th e ir votes have fa ile d to respond to the needs o f the Black com m unity. Then, p e rv a d in g the e n tire governm en t, there has been the corruption and hypocracy o f the N ixon-F ord A d m in is tra tio n — a lie n a tin g the voters and b rin g in g a fe e lin g o f hopelessness to those w h o w o u ld lik e to pa rticip a te in th e ir governm en t. President Carter's e le c tio n reform package is m uch neede d,but it w ill be successful o n ly if accom panie d by a p ro g ra m o f p u b lic educatio n a nd by con tin u e d reform a nd openess in g o vernm en t. school safety net plan, and with Basic School Support vote out by 53 0, mem tiers of itoth chambers are confident that many of the other pieces of major legislation that have been corralled in committees will now start coming to the floor. Last week committees heard testimony on veterans housing, proposal for a state owned bank, and required minimum sentencing. Poor Bob! Senator Bob Packw ood has said th a t he w ill vote a g ainst the Senate ethics b ill because the b ill w ill place a lim it on Senator's outside incom es. This seems a b it strange to those o f us w ith long m em ories, w h o re m e m b e r h o w Packw ood r ilifie d the late Senator W ayne M orse o ve r his e a rn in g s fro m speaking engagem ents. Packw ood m ade a ca m p a ig n issue out o f the fa ct that Senator M orse m ade a little e xtra m oney speaking on c o n stitu tio n a l issues an d the V ie tn a m w a r - a lth o u g h he n ever missed an im p o rta n t Senate vote. Packw ood also atta cke d the Senator because he d id not return to O regon every tw o or three w eeks to visit his constituents. Soon a fte r he a rriv e d in W ashington, Packw ood h it the lu cra tive speaking circuit. His excuse - not e noug h m oney in his salary to m e e t the high cost o f the o ffice . He also fo u n d that it cost too m uch to run hom e to O regon e ve ry tw o or three w eeks. O f course he fo u n d out too late to undo the e ffe cts o f his sm ear ca m p a ig n against Senator Morse. U n fo rtu n a te ly w e cannot say that Packw ood has never m issed an im p o rta n t vote in the Senate. N o w w e fin d M r Packw ood fig h tin g to keep his rig h t to an outside incom e fro m the speaking tours. He does of b e lie v e the p e o p le h ave a rig h t to in te rfe re w ith his outside a c tiv itie s on his " fr e e tim e " . W e suggest that if M r. Packw ood w e n t back to his p o sition o f 1968—that a Senator should spend his tim e on the flo o r o f the Senate, stu d yin g the issues, a nd ru n n in g hom e to O regon e ve ry tw o or three w e e ks—he w o u ld n 't h ave a n y spare tim e to w o rry about. VETERA N S The veterans' housing program is in trouble in Oregon. Funds which have been set aside for the program will run out this spring unless the voters approve a constitutional change in the bonding capacity for the program. The voters should have a chance to vote on that proposal in May. In the meantime, the Joint Committee on Trade and Economic Development is examining the policies governing the program. There are three major areas of concern. First, a balance must be found between the financial rehabilitation aspects of the Notice of Intent To Apply For Federal Funding Wrong issues got most attention The fuss over saccharin is in d ic a tio n o f th e petty nature o f m any A m ericans. C ongressional m em bers are g e ttin g m ore m a il c a llin g fo r an end to the fe d e ra l ban on saccharin than on a n y o ther isssue. N ot even bussing, c iv il rights or the V ie tn a m w ar caused such a furor. A ll this fo r a d ie t coke. If a ll this fu ry over the loss o f a sw eetner to persons w h o cannot use sugar w e re d irected a t a h e a lth y d ie t or the reaso n a b le go o d taste o f essential fo o d , it w o u ld be m ore understand able. But the central issue is d ie t coke. N e ve r since the days o f ra tio n in g d u rin g W o rld W ar II has there been such desperate h o rd in g a nd never b e fo re has there been such a trem endous outcry o ve r a g o v e rn m e n t ». p o licy. * TO HATH f t > DEGRADING ! The Executive Depart ment. Manpower Planning Division, as administrative agent for the Governor of Oregon, is making applies tion to the U.S. Department of Labor. Employment and Training Administration, to continue the federal grant to operate the Special Grants to Governors Program in this State. Funds will be utilized to provide subsidized vocation al classroom training, job training and related man power services to poor, un employed and under-employ ed Oregonians throughout the State. Interested persons may submit written comments regarding this application for federal assistance during a 30 day period beginning with publication of this notice. Please address com ments concerning the FY 78 Special Grants to Governors Program to the Oregon Man power Planning . Division. 240 S.E. Cottage Street, Salem. Oregon 97310. program and the economic stimulus ch* racteriatica. A second area of study • U«ibility Some. “ «• would extend the Vets program to those who served in the Peace Corps and to those who were conscientious objectors involved in alternative service. A third area of scrutiny involves the granting of second loans to veterans and the rules covering the transfer of a veteran housing loan to a non-veteran. STA TE O W N E D BANK Rep. George Starr (D Portland) testi fied Friday before the House Revenue and School Finance Committee about his bill, HB 2350, to establish a state owned and operated bank in Oregon. Stair's idea is to create a publicly owned bank which would work independ ently and with local banks. Net earnings from the bank would be used to help pay fur basic school support, property tax relief, and to help defray the costs of slate-mandated programs. The Bank of North Dakota is the only state owned and operated bank in the country and has been going strong since 1919. Its President, Herb L. Thorn dal. appeared with Starr before the com mittee. There’s no natural Protection Birth defects are forever. Unless you help. March of Dimes * Ns CalTs YOU MIGHT BE SURPRISED w h a t your property coulc. sell fo r on the present re a l estate m arket. C oll Cal or Bob fo r a m arket value update N o o b lig a tio n , of course. Still serving the community G. Stassens, Inc. Realtors 4 ^ (Continued from p .l col.6) J r fC They are now shouting "niggers and animals" and worse 1st Place Community Service ONPA 1973 P ortland O bserver Published every Thursday by Exie Publishing Company, 2201 North Killingsworth. Portland. Oregon 97217. Mailing address P .0. Box 3137, Portland. Oregon 97206. Telephone 283 2466. Subscriptions: $7.50 per year in the Tri-County area, $8.00 per year outside Portland. Second Class Postage Paid at Portland. Oregon The Portland Observer’s official position is expressed only in its Publisher's column IWe See The World Through Black Eye i). 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 National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publisher« Inc. New York MEMBER 1st Place Best Ad Results ONPA 1973 5th Place Best Editorial N NPA 1973 Honorable Mention Kerrick Editorial Award N N A 1973 2nd Place Best Editorial 3rd Place (ommunity leadership ONPA 1975 The 14 Blacks were arrested. One had charges against him dropped, one was granted immunity, and two pleaded guilty to lesser charges. The Marine prosecution is trying the case against the 10 others before an all-white military jury and panel of judges. Moot of the 17 known Klanamen inter viewed by the investigative officers maintained they acted only in response to the alleged lawlessness of Black Marines. But many of the Klansmen admitted they had an intense dislike for Blacks, and several even said they “thoroughly en joyed harassing Blacks.” The report quotes varying estimates of actual Marine Kian membership but concludes that the number 50 given by some of those interviewed is exagger ated. The average troop srength at Camp Pendleton is 44,000. The base informa tion office said no figures are available on a racial basis. Although each person interviewed by the Naval Investigative Service was asked if he knew of any Black organize tion on the base, no one reported any. Several Marines reported incidents of harassing Blacks at the Twentynine Palms Marine base. The report suspect ed that Twentynine Palms was a Kian recruiting area. Sgt. Clouse, according to the report, said he was introduced to the Kian while Rationed at the Camp Hansen Okinawa Marine base. Clouse reported that the sergeant who recruited him was subsc quently transferred to Camp Lejeune, N.C., but, as far as he knew, Kian activity was still continuing on Okinawa. Charges of racial problems at Camp Pendleton and other Marine bases are not new. Following hearings by Represents live Augustus Hawkins (D.-CA) in 1972, the congressman declared, “Camp Pend leton has one of the most dangerous racial situations of any military base in the country.” •Todd Darling is a free-lance writer based in Oakland, CA. Hollywood Office 288-8871 DR. JEFFREY BRADY Soys: Do Not Pot Off Needed Dootol Coro Enjoy Dental Health New and Improve Your Appearance Come In At Your Convenience Open Saturday Morning • No Appointment Needed • Complete Cooperation On Al! Dental Insurance Plans • Complete Dental Services Union or Company Dental Insurance Coverage Accepted On Your Needed Dentistry Park Free Any Park 'n "hop Lot HOURS: Weekdays8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sat., 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. DR. JEFFREY BRADY, DENTIST SEMLER BUILDING 8.W . 3rd & Morrison St. Portland. Oregon Take Elevator to 2nd Floor 3rd . Entrance Phene: 228-7545 Subscribe te The Pertland Observer Tri-County area $ 7 .5 0 Name Address MEMBER O re g o n Newspaper Publishers Association A D D IT IO N A L IN F O R M A TIO N For additional information about the status of these and other bills, call Legislative Information Service toll free at 1 800 452 0290. AS THE HOME FOLKS FOR EX PRESIDENT JOHNSON A LF R E D L. HENDERSON Editor/Publisher CORRECTIONS The House Judiciary Committee, chaired by Representative Hardy Myers, (D-Portland), continued to look into measures aimed at reforming sentencing and prison conditions in Oregon this past week. The committee heard testimony from numerous people about the issue of mandatory minimum sentences. The Judiciary, which is reviewing the bulk of the corrections bills this session, has a number of minimum sentencing bills before it. Progress of these bills is important to those people opposed to capital punish ment because Rep. Glen Whallon (D Milwaukie). House State Government Operations Committee chairman, has said a strong program could prevent this session's death penalty bill from reaching the floor. Further hearings and a work session on sentencing are planned. N e I I p A p Efí Anoclalion - Founded IS M When the Nile receded the ancient Egyptians would toss into it written instructions about returning. CW other areas $ 8 .0 0
