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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 8, 1981)
Page 2 Portland Observar January 1, 1981 EDITORIAL/OPINION Watch the Oregon Legislature w ill again be an issue. One of the m ost discouraging issues that will be discussed again this year is day care - day care subsidies have been c u t, fo rc in g m o th e rs back on w e lfa re at a tim e w hen welfare funds are also decreasing. A lthough day care has been a topic of national debate for tw enty years or more, the U.S. remains one of the few developed nations that does n o t p ro v id e it as a m a tte r o f r ig h t, and Oregon's day care is in worse shape than it was ten years ago. The session w ill bear w atching. Those who oppose people o rie n te d pro g ra m s w ill be heard. Those w h o care about the e ffe ct of budget and program on the public will only be heard if they are vocal and persistant. The Oregon Legislature will meet next week .to begin work on hundreds of bills, some of which will become law. Am ong the im p o rta n t issues that w ill be decided are the state budget and the funding of programs of special importance to people- education, welfare, corrections, etc. Une ot the most hotly debated issues w ill be reappor tionm ent of the Legislature - w ill Albina be split eight ways again, or will the com munity be a llo w e d som e so rt o f in te g rity ? The Legislature w ill consider co n tin u a tio n and fu n d in g o f the Black and H ispanic C o m missions established by the Governor. R a tific a tio n o f the W a s h in g to n , D .C ., amendment to the U S. Constitution, passed by the 1979 Senate but rejected by the House What's behind Mexico visit? co n sid e re d C e n tra l A m e ric a v ita l to our national interests because of its position near the Panama Canal and the Caribbean shipping ro u te s . M e x ic o s u p p o rts the lib e ra tio n m ovem ents in C entral A m erica, p ro v id in g assistan ce to the new g o v e rn m e n t of Nicaragua, telling the U.S. to stay out of El Salvador, and guaranteeing the sovereignty of Cuba from U.S. m ilitary attack. Not only is this position contrary to U.S. interests, but the State Departm ent now has a new "d o m in o th e o ry." If the U .S . su p p o rte d g o ve rn m e n t in El Salvador falls and a revolutionary government takes power, can Guatemala and Hondures be far behind? A nd then M exico? If the U .S. takes its usual position of rejection of an op- postion to revolutionary governm ents - and there is no reason to expect any change - will we soon share a long and exposed border w ith an unfriendly nation? The v is it of R onald Reagan to M e x ic o should not be seen as a change of attitude toward Mexico and its people; it does not for- tell any change in racist attitudes tow ard a d if ferent people. It is only the first step in an e f fo rt to being M exico in to our sphere of in flu e n c e and to iso la te it fro m its C e n tra l American neighbors. President-elect Reagan's visit w ith President Jose Lopez Portillo of Mexico is evidence of the M exican's increasing im portance to the U.S. Instead of reserving his first foreign visit to our tra d itio n a l European allies, Reagan chose Mexico - long ignored as a second class, culturally backward neighbor. The U .S .'s re la tio n s w ith M e xico have alw ays been m arred by the typ ica l N o rth A m e rica 's a ttitu d e of su p e rio rity over any nation that is racially and culturally different. And not only are Mexican nationals used and abused in this c o u n try , but A m erican s of Mexican decent are subject to discrimination and in su lt. A lth o u g h im m ig ra tio n o ffic a ls ignore the thousands of illegal Canadians living among us, Spanish speaking illegals are dilligently hunted and exported. W hy is Mexico suddenly so important? Oil and g e o g ra p h y. M e xico has oil and gas resources that could end U.S. dependence on middle eastern oil. A ccording to a recently released autobiography of M exico's form er president, the U.S. could have that oil now but Kissinger rejected this offer in favor of Iran. Recent events suddenly make Mexican oil seem more valuable. Mexico sits between the U.S. and Central America, and the U.S. government has always Letters to the Editor Children's works inspire To the Editor: Those o f us who work for and/ or with young children thoroughly enjoyed the special insert ' ‘Christ mas 1980, Through the Eyes o f Children. “ We commend you for your attention to the special holiday world o f the young. The writings and drawings o f the children reflect their development, understanding and emotions. The honest, direct requests and illustrations clearly portray the ex citement children feel during this holiday season. We thank you for sharing that wonderful portfolio. Sincerely, D Dooley Clarkson Community Services Coordinator LETTERSTO THE EDITOR Letters are welcome, but only those bearing Signatures, current addresses, and telephone numbers where the writers may be reached during the day will be considered for publication. If the Observer cannot verify authorship, the let ters will not be published. Letters are subject to editing and become the property o f The Portland Ob server. W rite rs’ names may be withheld should unusual circum stances dictate anonymity. Letters should be addressed: Letters to the Editor, P.O. Box 31.17, Port land, Oregon 97208. Portland Observer The Portland Observer (USPS 959 680) is published every Thurs day by Exie Publishing Company. Inc , 2201 North Killingsworth. Portland, Oregon 97217, Post Office Box 3137, Portland. Oregon 97208 Second class postage paid at Portland, Oregon 1st Place Best Ad Result ONPA 1973 Subscriptions $10 00 per year m Tri County area P ostm aster Send address changes to the Portland Observer, P O Box 3137. Portland. Oregon 97208 5th Place Best Editorial ONPA 1973 The Portland Observer was founded m October of 1970 by Alfred Lee Henderson. Bruce Broussard Editor/Publisher !l Oregon Newspaper i Publishers . Association I MEMBER N N /A LPER 1st Place Community Service ONPA 1973 The Portland Observer is a champion of justice, equality and liberation, an alert guard against social evils, a thorough analyst and critic of discriminatory practices and policies, a sentmal to warn of impending and existing racist trends and practices, and a defender against persecution and oppression The real problems of the Black population will be viewed and presented from the perspective of their causality unrestrained and ch ro n o ica lly entrenched racism N ational and in te rn a tio n a l arrangements that prolong and increase the oppression of Third World peoples shall be considered in the context of their ex ploitation and manipulation by the colonial nations, including the United States and their relationship to this nation's historical treatment of its Black population 283 2486 N ational A d ve rtisin g Representative A m a lg a m a te d Publishers. Inc N ew York totociuHon • Founded 1MS Subscribe n o w and receive your Observer by mail $10 per year Name_____________ ___________ ____________ Artrlro<t«5 —— ____Zip State City___________ Honorable Mention Herrick Editorial Award NNA 1973 2nd Place Best Editorial 3rd Place Community Leadership ONPA 1975 3rd Place Community Leadership ONPA 1978 3rd Place In depth coverage ONPA 1979 - "o NA’ N A , W Oh! What a year! Bv Eungai Kumbula Z im b a b w e : The most exciting news o f the year have to be the events that took place in Zimbabwe. A fter a decade o f an often most brutal civil war, an agreement was reached in London calling for elec tions to choose the nation's govern ment. As so many similar tries had failed before, the world was skep tical whether this latest venture would be any different. Let us trace events as Zimbabwe evolves from “ Rhodesia” : January 28: The deadline for all guerrillas to be in the assembly camps as per the Lancaster agree ment passes. It is reported that al most 8Or o o f the estimated 30,000 freedom fighters had turned them selves in by this date. However, they refuse to give up their arms. February 1-8: Tenuous cease fire continues to hold much to the amazement of the world and to the delight and re lie f o f war-weary Zimbabweans. Election dates drawn up and constituencies and candidates announced. February 14: White voters go to the polls and, as expected, retain Ian Smith's Rhodesia Front Party which won almost all the 20 parlia mentary seats set aside fo r the whites. This marked the return o f Smith to Parliament as an ordinary member rather than prime minister as he had been since 1964 February 27-29: The Africans go to the polls to choose from a list of candidates from 9 separate parties. In the last days o f the campaign, Abel Muzorewa, the Rhodesian whites and South A fric a had dramatically increased their attacks on Robert Mugabe and his party, the Zimbabwe A fric a n N ational Union, ZAN U . ZAN U and ZAPU (Zimbabwe African Peoples Union) led by Joshua Nkomo had originally been allied in a loose military coali tion called the Patriotic Front but, fo r the elections, had decided to run separately. March 4: The results are announ ced and i t ’ s a runaway! Robert Mugabe and Z A N U had won 57 or the 80 seats or 7 1,25^o o f the popular vote. His partner and ally. Joshua Nkom o and ZAPU had won 20 seats or 25r o o f the popular vote. So, between them, Z A N U and ZAPU had won 77 o f the 80 scats and 96.25^o o f the total Black vote. Muzorewa who had spent almost $30 m illion supplied to him by South A frica and other white conservatives had managed to win no more than 3 o f the 80 seats and only ^.15^0 o f the vote. The world is ‘ ‘stunned.’ ’ M arch 4-A pril 18: Comrade Mugabe, now declared Prime M inister o f the new nation o f Zimbabwe sets about the task o f forming a government and assuring every Zimbabwean o f the govern ment’ s commitment to reconcilia tion and rehabilitation. The white exodus that had been threatened should the “ M arxists’ ’ come to power fails to materialize. A p ril 18 Independence! Rusununguko! Inkululeko! Uhuru! For the first time since the miserable day o f September 12, 1890 when our country was stolen. Blacks are once again in charge o f their own destiny. Dignitaries and representatives from 100 countries around the world grace the festivities and witness the lowering of the British flag and the hoisting o f the new Zimbabwe's prbud Red, Black, Gold and Green. Zimbabwe has finally arrived! A p ril-M a y-Ju n e -Ju ly: Zimbab we joins the Orgaization o f African U n ity, O AU , the UN, the Lome Convention o f the European Economic C om m unity, opens an embassy in Washington, becomes a F ront-Line state, joins the Economic Community of Southern African States, wins a Gold Medcal at the summer Olympics in Moscow, Prime Minister Mugabe visits the US and addresses the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, “ My people in Harlem ," meets with and floors the media. July 80 January 81: Zimbabwe continues to make progress in the rebuilding o f the war shattered economy and rehabilitation o f her people. A major recruitment cam paign to replace the Smith- Muzorewa hold overs in the civil service is still under way. A ll indications are that 198I w ill very well be the best year Zimbabwe has had since 1889. U fland a: A fte r several false starts, Ugandans fin a lly went to the polls to choose their first freefy elected government sice 1962. The elections took place December 10 and former President Apollo M ilton Obote was returned to power after being ousted by Idi Amin in 1971. Guinea Bissau: November 22 Luis Cabral, brother o f A m ilcar Cabral, one of the founders of ihe PAIGC liberation movement, was toppled by Nino Viera. Cabral was the President o f Guinea Bissau and Viera was the Prime Minister. Upper Volta: President Sangoule Lamizana is overthrown by Colonel Saya Zerbo on November 27. A ll in all 1980 was a year o f great changes all over the A frican con tinent and 1981 looks like it w ill bring more of the same. Gun buying ground swell By Rasa Customs The rekindled debate over gun control, set o ff by the death o f John Lennon, comes at a tim e when record numbers o f Americans are buying hand guns for self-defense. According to U.S. Treasury Department, 2.1 million guns were produced in the United States in the last fiscal year, compared to 1.8 m illio n the previous year. The N ational R ifle A ssociation, the principal anti-gun control lobby group, reports an “ incredible” in crease o f membership from 1.2 million to 1.8 million. The gun co n tro l debate has sharpened lately w ith the rise in crime, especially the apparent in crease in random or senseless killings o f the sort that took the life o f the niece o f form er Senator Abraham R ibicoff in Los Angeles and the brother o f author David Halberstam in Washington, D.C. It has also escalated w ith an an ticipation o f civil disturbances in a declining economy. “ I f they start cu ttin g social programs you might have a buildup o f frustration and hatred. There are 40 million more guns out there than there were in the late 1960s. It will be w orse,” predicted Charles Orasin, executive vice president of. Hand Gun Control, Inc., an 80,000- member group started by handgun victims and based in W ashinton, D.C. Gun control advocates maintain that no country in the world is so permissive with handguns as is the U.S. Pro-gun people point to that same situation with pride, seeing it as evidence that this is a free coun try. Alm ost anyone can buy a gun, legally, over the counter or by mail. There is almost no official record keeping or control over how many are sold, to whom, by whom and under what circumstances. “ We don’t track sales, the law does not give us authority to do so," said a spokesman fo r the Bureau o f A lc o h o l, Tobacco and Firearms Control in the Treasury. Reports are received from manufacturers on a voluntary basis. M ail order sales are technically restricted, under the Federal Firearms C ontrol Act o f 1968, to gun dealers But to become a dealer, “ the prim ary q u a lific a tio n is to have $10 to pay for the license,” the Bureau's spokesman said. Among 170,000 licensed dealers are many private individuals. To buy a gun over the counter, federal law requires only the filling in o f a form stating that one is not a felon, not mentally ill, does not use dangerous drugs, is o f legal age and resides in the state where he is making the purchase. These forms are not passed on to any o ffic ia l agency fo r v e rific a tio n but are merely filed with the dealer. A study conducted by the Treasury Department in 16 cities, tracing guns used in crimes, found a flow o f firearms from states with weak laws to states w ith strong ones. A major source for guns used in New York, which has one of the tougher laws, was South Carolina. That state has since tightened its gun laws. But now Florida is a major source. It has lenient laws and is also the entry point for Saturday night specials, cheap guns which are brought into the country in parts and assembled in Florida shops. Every 50 m inutes, by one estimate, someone in this country is kille d w ith a handgun. Between 1963 and 1973, when 46,121 Americans died in Vietnam, nearly twice that many - 84,644 — were killed at home with firearms. A recent Lou Harris poll conduc ted fo r A B C -T V showed that 67 percent o f respondents want some gun regulation. Gun control ad vocates have pressed for a federal law that would at least apply to handguns the kinds o f controls now applied to cars: a license to show competence to use, registration and records that would allow tracing from manufacturer to seller. The anti-gun co n tro l groups, however, have been such effective lobbyists that no legislation o f sub stance has managed to get through Congress, or through most state legislatures. This explains an anomoly in California: A handgun can be bought after simply out a form and waiting 15 days. But to buy nonlethal teargas requires a permit and the passing o f a course o f instruction. Only certain kinds of gas are permissible, and possession o f illegal teargas is a felony, as is its use fo r anything other than self defense. "O u r basic belief is that firearms laws do not reduce crime, do not have any effect on the criminal and only serve to restrict or disarm law- abiding c itiz e n s ," said John Adkins, spokesman for the NRA. “ You give government power and ’ some way or other that power will be abused.” Anti-control groups have gone to great lengths on occasion. An Ohio gun group once distributed a poster of Abner M ikva , then a Congressman from Illinois, with a bullseye superimposed over his face fo r apparent use at rifle ranges. M ikva had authored some o f the strongest gun control legislation and was a highly active anti-handgun spokesman. W ith chances now strong that even such laws that exist may be weakened fu rth e r in Congress, citizens are in the position o f having to decide for themselves whether a handgun intended for self-defense is a safeguard or a hazard. “ We do not condone the pur chase o f handguns. In many cases it's a mistake," says Sgt. Bernard Shaw o f the crime prevention unit in San Francisco police department. To be useful in case of attack, a gun has to be readily available and its owner must be skilled in its use. Otherwise it can easily be turned against him. Guns bought by law -abiding citizens with self-protection in mind often find their way into the hands o f criminals. Up to half the guns used in crimes are stolen. In San Francisco, said Sgt. Shaw, there are up to 1500 burglaries a month, and guns are among the first items to be stolen. I f h a lf the burglarized homes contained guns, that could mean around 700 new weapons out in the streets each month, he estimated. Guns in the home are seldom used for self-defense and far more often become instruments o f tragedy, ac cording to Orasin. “ A woman might buy it for riding through the city in a car. But then she might have to fight with her husband and instead o f throw ing something at him she might shoot him ." However, w ith fa ith in in stitutions that provide for public safety crumbling, many are deciding they need firearms. “ Police protection is getting less - - things are going to get worse and people should know how to defend themselves," said Vcrn Truesdale, a Canadian who has w ritten and published a book, “ How to Choose A Survival Weapon for the Coming Bad Years," which he sells through the mail. “ I firm ly believe there is an economic collapse coming and 1 wrote the book with that in m ind," he said. More people would likely to crack under the s tra in ,” said Truesdale, “ and if they have a gun you better have one, too. The only defense against a gun is a gun." 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