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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 19, 1978)
Page 2 Portland Observer Thursday October IS 1978 • • . SW The tone of lead ersh ip We see the world through Black eyes ( Semite 10 - Gardner Elect judges Measure #1 would amend the Oregon Con stitution to provide for the appointment by the Governor of judges of the Supreme Court, the Court of Appeals and the Tax Court. The amendment would provide that after ap pointment, each judge would appear alone on a ballot, with the voters able to vote "yes' or no for a six year term. If the vote were no , a new judge would be appointed. This system sounds good, since few people know anything about the judges they vote for, but the danger in it lies in the formation of a commission to advise the Governor in appoint ments. This commission would include the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, three members of the Oregon Bar Association and three non- lawyers. This bill would put the selection of judges in the hands of the Oregon Bar Association, an organization run largely by a small number of conservative lawyers, which has not been able to keep its own house in order Vote NO on Measure #1 and retain the right for citizens to select their judges. No double tax Measure #3 allows the citizens to vote on legislation passed by the Legislature last session. The measure was put on the ballot by a referen- Oum petition sponsored by Representative Wally Priestley, to give the people a chance to accept the legislation or turn it down. The Legislature doubled the automobile license tax and increased certain road use taxes. Previously owners payed $20 for a two year automobile license. If this legislation is allowed to stand, the fee will be $20 for one year. Vote NO on Measure #3. License denturists Measure *5 regulates the practice of Den- turism. Currently only licensed dentists can take impressions and fit dentures. Most dentists then have the dentures made at a dental lab and charge the customer between $500 and $800. This measure would allow licensed dental technologists to fit dentures, make them and sell them directly to the patient at great savings. These technicians (called denturists) would be licensed and regulated by the state and could only see a patient who already had been certified free of mouth disease by a dentist. Contrary to the advertising campaign of the opponents (mainly the dental association) this would not allow “ untrained" people to work on the mouth. It would not lower the quality of the dentures. It would — by cutting out the profit currently made by the dentists — provide a savings to those who require dentures — mainly senior citizens. Vote YES on Measure #5. Jim Gardner is the Democratic Party can didate for Senate District 10. A graduate of Yale Law School, Gardner is a practicing attorney. Gardner's main in terests include revenue and taxation and the judicial system, and he hopes to serve on committees dealing with those issues. His areas of concern also include education, crime prevention, employment oppor tunities, neighborhoods. Bright and energetic, and with experience in the law, politics and various community organizations, he has a feel for the needs of his district. The Observer endorses Jim Gardner for Senate District 10. House 18 - Cease Jane Cease is run ning for House District 18, the position vacated by Lloyd Kinsey. A Democrat, Ms. Cease has a long record of community service — the type of service that will enable her to make decisions that will fa vorably effect the people of this district. Ms. Cease has served on tne Governor's Community Service Committee, the Citizen Task Force for City Budget Review, State and Regional Citizen Advisory Committee on Solid Waste Management, Multnomah County Mental Health Advisory Board, etc. She is committed to minority and women's rights, open government, better programs for the elderly and youth, housing, and health care. Her election campaign has been one of discussing issues and providing information. She knows the district well. Jane Cease is the best choice for House District 18. Give Governor power Measure #2 would require that the Governor's appointments to state office, including boards and commissions, be approved by the Senate. This measure grew out of the dispute between Governor Bob Straub and Senate President Jason Boe when Straub appointed Ron Wyden to the nursing home regulatory board. Because of pressure from the nursing home industry, the Senate did not approve the appointment. It is appropriate that the Governor have the freedom to make appointments without the inter ference of Senate politics and special interests. The Governor ultimately must take the respon sibility of his appointments. Vote NO on Measure #2. 1st Place Comm unity Service ONPA 1873 PORTLAND OBSERVER Nick Baraett and Political Ideals ft i Herb L. Ca wt borne I listened caret ulU. u lk. as a he said. “ The ideal polmcian’Tia'. an nas the ability io operate in two kinds o f ways.” ••First.” he said, "there is the ability to represent the broad interest o f those you are serving — taking all the various interests, then standing forthright in providing leadership and direction.” Completing his notion o f the type o f politician he'd like to be. Nick Barnett said. “ The second aspect has to do with not getting caught up so much in the abstract and the technical that one becomes out of touch and out o f tune with the smaller people who one must represent." Balancing broad interests with a concern for the individual citizen is an understanding Nick Barnett wants to put to work. The active executive director o f the Metropolitan Human Relations Commission is running a hard campaign for the Metropolitan Service District seat #12. There is no doubt in Nick Barnett’s mind that he is “ prepared to take this step.” " It's natural. It's right,” he said. "T he experiences I have had, the things I ’ ve read and discussed, my work with neighborhoods and human relations lead me to run now. 1 come into this race with a sound sense o f political activitism.” He will need every ounce of that activitism. plus some serious help from his friends. He is facing the challenge o f defeating Mike Burton whose name is familiar and whose roots are dug deep into the soil of Demociatic politics in Oregon. MSD scaf #12 includes North Portland and much of Northwest Portland It is big and populated with people who may never have heard the name, Nick Barnett. “ There are a set of things in which I believe,” he said, explaining his motis ation to run under such cii- cum stances " I t 's not rhetoric, for example, when I talk about cultural pluralism ," Barnett explained, "because I believe we can have a society in which diversity is not only respected but valued.” " It's not rhetoric," he said, "when I talk about Democratic process. I believe there can be a society in which, not just a remote elite rule things, but an individual can be influential and make effective change.” To promote the "things in which I believe,” Barnett has officially en tered the political clcctorial process. He faces a huge challenge. However, he brings to the fight the impressive resource o f a sound and proven record. He is well known in the com munity for hts energy in reviving the Human Relations Commission. He initiated a good deal o f the interest in the study o f desegregation in Port land; he developed neighborhood mediation programs; and he defend ed his rights of women to equal op portunity in all affairs. The Metropolitan Human Re lations Commission has conduct- Namibia’s fatare ia doubt again ftv N. Fungat Kum bula Several weeks ago, a major breakthrough regarding Namibia was announced. On the one hand, the U.S., Britain, France. West Germany and Canada had persuaded the then Vorster government o f South Africa to allow the holding o f U.N. supervised elections in Namibia. At the same time also, the Front Line states o f Zambia, Bots wana, Mozambique, Tanzania and Angola had also prevailed on SWAPO, the Southwest African Peoples Organization, to accept the plan and contest the elections. SWAPO has been fighting a guerrilla war in Namibia to wrest control o f the country from illegal South African occupation At the time the joint Western and African effort had seemed to be a tremendous success. Elections had been scheduled to be held before the end o f this year so Namibia would enter the New Year as an indepen dent, majority ruled nation. There were, however, still some unresolved questions about the status o f Walvis Bay, the only deep sea harbor on the southwest coast of Africa. It is a part o f Namibia but South Africa had wanted to slice it away and annex it to South Africa. Since virtually all of Namibia's trade passes through Walvis Bay, it would have meant that any government that was elected in Namibia would have to “ behave” vis a vis South Africa or it could very easily be strangled economically. Though that problem had never been fully resolved, both sides went ahead with preparations for the elec tions. SWAPO had more or less suspended its guerrilla operations. The U.N. had sent in an advance team o f specialists to make preparations for the registration o f voters. A peace keeping force o f some 7,500 had been picked in ad dition to some I .000 civilian person nel. A budget had been approved and a Finnish general picked to lead the peace keeping force whose main task was to keep SW APO and the South African troops apart. W ithin Namibia itself, intense campaigning was reported on the part of SW APO, the moderate South African backed Democratic Turnhalle Alliance and a host o f smaller parties. In South Africa, meantime, John Vorster, who had initially accepted the Namibian plan, resigned as prime minister this past month. (Apparent ly, maintaining apartheid does take its toll.) He was replaced by a Pieter W. Botha, formerly the defense minister and one o f the most die hard o f Afrikaner reactionaries. If you can imagine someone more ob noxious than Vorster, then you have a rough idea of the new leader o f the Afrikaners. He was one o f the ar chitects o f the ill-fated South African invasion o f Angola in an effort to prevent the victorious M P LA from coming to power. He is also a firm believer in the ’ ‘ scorched earth” policy. This advocates that, in the event o f an imminent Black takeover (of South Africa), burn down everything and kill o ff as many of 1st Piece Beet Ad Resulta ONPA 1873 Published every Thursday by Ex»e Publishing C ompr Killingswonh. Portland. Oregon 97217 P O. Bos 31J7. Portland. Oregon 97208 Telephone 283 2486 M 00 by H a ro ld C. Williams Honorable Mendon Herrick Editorial Award N NA 1873 Second Clme Poataga Paid at Portland Oragon The Portland O tn m tr's official position is expressed only in its Publisher s column (W e See The W orld Through Black Eyes) Any other material throughout the paper is the opinion of the individual writer or submitier and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of the Portland Obser ,tr Nt tionel Advertiaing Rapraaentativa Am algamated Publiahers Inc N aw Through the Eyes o f Mr. W. 6th Place Best Editorial NNPA 1873 per year outside Portland ALFRED L. HENDERSON Editor/Publisher 2nd Place Beat Editorial 3rd Placa Com m unity Leadership ONPA 1876 3rd Place Comm unity Leadership ONPA 1878 York I 1 ^S ^s' Oregon Newspaper Publishers Across the nation there is an ugly cloud that is hovering over the heads of Black politicians. There are many persons who are trying to discredit the involvement of Black officials in the political arena. Black people have to be aware o f the trap that is being set; that of luring Black people into the circus of attacking Black public officials, because someone said it is the thing to do. We had bet ter check out the persons who are throwing the bricks and their motives behind it. The political arena is the heartbeat of our society because it affects every phase o f our lives. When Black public officials enter the political arena, they arc in a position to have some control over the destiny of Black people. Many persons think it is not desirable that Black people control their own destiny, so therefore, there's a systematic, well coordinated effort to discredit Black public officials. Some of us in Portland. Oregon have fallen into the trap of attacking our own Black officials. T h e questions must be asked, “ Are the Black public officials doing enough?” and "A re the non Black officials doing anything at all?” Association Subscribe Today - 97.60 Tri County; 96.00 Other Buy one fo r a friend ■ Name________________________ —----------------- Nam e____________ Address City _ .State PORTLAND OBSERVER P .0 Box 3137 Portland. OR. 97208 j them along with us as possible After his election, one o f the first announcements to come from the South African government was that they were rejecting the Western plan and going along with their own elec tions to be supervised by South Africa. Ironically, they rejected the Western plan on the grounds that, the presence o f those 7,500 U.N. peace keeping troops would in - ^ timidate people to vote for SW APO ’ since the U.N. has always recognized SWAPO as Namibia's sole legitimate liberation movement. So, instead, South Africa wants to supervise and conduct the elections. That way, they can make sure that no SW APO can didate w ill win while at the same time giving the impression o f carrying out “ free and fair” elections. Can you follow this kind of logic? When it’ s South African guns that are doing the supervising, then it’ s free and fair, but when it's a peace keeping force with personnel drawn from around the world, then it's in timidation! As a result o f these new com plications. Secretary o f State, Cyrus Vance, accompanied by the foreign ministers o f West Germany and Canada, have just returned from a trip to Pretoria where they talked to the Botha government in an effort to get them to accept the Western plan once again. How successful their mission was has yet to be revealed. But one thing has already become very clear: it's a long, winding and dangerous road to Namibia’s day in the sun. 2201 North Mailing address Subscriptions $7 J O per »ear in the T n -to u n ty area. ed housing audits, seeking to un cover discrimination, it has reviewed the city's compliance with equal em ployment regulations and recom mended areas for improvement; it has been influential ai Ihe legislaiurc, in the halls o f city and county govern ment, and around the local com munity — standing to be counted on many o f ihe important issues of ihc day. Nick Barnett’s leadership is tried and tested. Still, he faces an uphill battle. He is waging a good effort Win or lose the foundaiton is being sei in place now, and the character he projects during this race will alleci the lone o f his leadership and Ihe tone o f future campaigns, lo r this reason, Barnett is working hard to help people understand what they arc getting "People who support me arc sup porting the ideal o f what I hope to represent,” he said confidently, add ing, "they are not buying me when they give me money, they're buying the ideals which they believe in and which I w ill represent.” The tone o f his leadership and his campaign strikes a dear note which is pleasing to the ear. While making sure that everyone understands that he cannot be caught, he adds with emphasis. “ One thing they can all expect, however, whether they have given money or moral support or helped in the campaign, is that I would respond and respect that support by being accessible to them.” Z ip------- State The music around the conference table changes by the mere appear ances of a Black official. As long as there arc Black officials at the con ference table and main arena, there is hope for the destiny o f Black people, but if we as Black people join in the parade to destroy our own Black public officials, then we will cease to have a voice in the exclusive clubs of politics that affect our lives. When Black officials make mistakes, it is important to pull them to the side and get them back on the right track; never, never attack them in public for when Black people do that, we have benefited the enemy.
