Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 5, 1981)
Pag« 2 Portland Oba«rvar March B. 1981 Traitors sentenced to death EDITORIAL/OPINION Get involved; know the facts The nation is moving rapidly -- and its direc tion will be determined either by the citizens or by those who control it by default. A depression is upon us -- the signs are all around. High unem ploym ent rates; "tig h te n - the b e lt" cut backs, at least for the poor; e f fo rts to strip workers of their rights through d e s tru c tio n of u n ions; m o vem ent of c o m panies abroad to make use of cheap labor. High in fla tio n ; high in te re s t rates; tig h t money. Along with this declining style of life, comes crime particularly street crime and crimes of violence. To meet this threat, police actions are strengthened and civil rights restricted. Facism is the ultimate result. W e have seen th is happen all over the w orld; w ill it happen here? The national and state budgets are an indication that it could. So is the recent decision to bring the FBI more closely in to local police w o rk, the e ffo rt to dism antle the Freedom of Info rm ation A ct, the m ove to stre n g th e n and secretize the FBI / CIA and make surveillance of Am erican citizens easier, the attem pt to make dem on s tra tio n s illegal, the move to re strict press freedom. C ongress and the n a tio n a l g o ve rn m e n t seem a long way away, out of reach, but they do so m etim es repond w hen p o litic a l e x pedience beckons. Closer at hand is the State Legislature which daily reviews legislation of crucial im portance - the racial harassm ent b ill, the B lack and H ispanic C o m m m issio n s, S o u th A fric a d ive stm e n t, changes in Civil R ights Bureau rules, changes in crim inal law; budgeting fo r education, w elfare, health and other needed program s; ta xa tio n . These decisions w ill be made whether the citizens participate or not. The L e g isla tu re is nearby o n ly an ho u r away. Our elected representatives are as close as the telephone. Yet many of us never bother to find out w hat is going on and never express an opinion. The City and the County are also facing d if fic u lt decisions the C ounty is enterin g its b u d g e t process; the C ity is g ra p p lin g w ith Housing and C om m unity Development grant p ro p o sa ls, CETA fu n d in g , e c o n o m ic d e v e lo p m e n t, etc. The S ch o o l Board is slashing budgets and g e ttin g ready to close several schools. We urge the people of our com m unity to get involved before it is too late. We also invite you to our Legislative B run ch, held every o th e r S a tu rd a y m o rn in g at Bourbon S treet at 9:30 p.m . This Saturday, meet Representative Hardy Myers, Speaker of the House the man w ho makes co m m ittee appointm ents, assigns bills, and gets things done in the House. It's your chance to tell him what you want and what you don 't want. Who will suffer? W ith its massive increase of military aid and its deploym ent of additional U.S. advisors to the m ilita ry governm ent of El Salvador, the U nited S tates is ta kin g a n o th e r rapid step tow ard another " V ie tn a m ." Even the same rational is being used - the need to stop com m unist (Soviet Union, Cuba, e tc.,) interven tion in Central America. The excuse to continue the Vietnam War, a war whose disasterous effects are still felt in the A m e rica n eco n o m y, was the "d o m in o theory." This theory said that if one Southeast Asian country fell - all would "go com m unist." The same sto ry is now heard a b o u t El Salvador. "If El Salvador falls into the hands of the communists, Guatemala, Honduras, Costa Rica, and even Mexico will fo llo w ." This theory com pletely overlooks reality that the United States created and maintains a b ru ta l m ilita ry d ic ta to rs h ip . This "g o v e rn m ent" has slaughtered over 12,000 civilians in the past year, w ith U.S. weapons training and guidance. The U .S . " g o v e rn m e n t” is risking the d e s tru c tio n o f all the w o rld to save th is governm ent from its own citizens. Those ob servers w ho have been to El Salvador - in cluding leaders of the church and social agen cies say in truth this "governm ent" does not exist. The military is in full control of the coun try and a broad coalition of workers, students, peasants, professionals and business people are try in g to o v e rth ro w the m ilita ry and to establish a democratic system. But in the face of o p p o s itio n of Canada, M exico and most of Europe, as well as many South American nations, the United Nations, the W orld Council of Churches, the U.S. goes ahead aiding this illegal government. W hy? There are no vital econom ic interests or strategic defense interests in El Salvador. The people of El Salvador are being massacred because the U .S. governm ent fears that the fall of a dictatorship in El Salvador w ould in spire their neighbors in Guatemala to rise up a g a inst th e ir o pp re ssive d ic ta to r. A nd Guatemala has oil! As the peo ple of the U n ite d S ta te s sit quietly and let the President send them to war they should consider some que stions: W ho makes up a large percentage of the Army and the Marine Corps, the troops that will fight in El S alvador? W h o w ill s u ffe r w h e n m oney should be used for housing, employment, and medical care goes to buy napalm and bullets to kill innocent people far away? Can the U .S . go th ro u g h the p o litic a l divisions, the econom ic losses, destruction of the youth that it suffered during the Vietnam W ar? If w e are n o t co n ce rn e d a b o u t the people of El S a lva d o r the p o o re s t in the W e ste rn H e m isphere are we co n ce rn e d about our own children and ourselves? Portland Observer The Portland Observer IUSPS 969 680I is published every Thurs day by E«ie Publishmq Company Inc . 2201 North Killmysyvorth Portland Oregon 972,7 Post Office Eo. 3,37 Portland Oregon 97208 Second class postage paid at Portland Oregon Subscriptions $10 00 per year in Tri County area Postm aster Send address changes to the Portland Observer. P O Bon 3,37 Portland, Oregon 97208 The Portland Observer was founded in Octobei of 1970 by Alfred Lee Henderson ■ M tM B C » J 1 i Oregon Newspaper Publishers S ' Association 1 MEMBER NHWAw 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 sentinal to warn of impending and existing racist trends and practices and a defender agamst persecution and oppression The real problems of the minority population will be viewed and presented from the perspective of their causality unrestrained ano chronoically entrenched racism National 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 e< pioitation 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 Am algam ated Publishers Inc N ew York Attocxrion - Founded IMS I t V ic to rio u s F R E L IM O forces marched trium phantly into Maputo, the capital o f M ozam bique, almost six years ago. As th e ir supporters u lu la te d , danced and sang in the streets to m ark the b irth o f a free nation at last, the hated Portuguese flag came dow n to be replaced by M o z a m b iq u e ’ s p ro u d , re v o lu tio n a ry Red, Black and G reen. T his m arked the end o f almost five hundred years o f P o r tuguese colonial exploitation. Since then, M oza m b ican s have settled down to the serious busines ot re b u ild in g th e ir shattered econom y, d iv id e d n a tio n and the rest o f all that it takes to be a truly independent nation. Along the way, M oza m b iqu e w atched w ith great s a tis fa c tio n and jo y as Zim babw e was born. The b irth o f Zimbabwe, her western neighbor, signalled fu r ther consolidation o f her hard won independence. T he Ian S m ith regim e, then in pow er in the then “ Rhodesia” had been in the habit o f staging cross-border raids in to M o za m b iq u e in a vain e ffo r t to destabilize the new nation. A ll is w ell in M o z a m b iq u e , it w ou ld appear b u t, u n fo rtu n a te ly , that is not the case. M ozam bique, like any other country in similar c ir cum stances. has not been able to escape the scourge o f th a t most hated o f all “ beings” that lowest o f the low ; the tr a ito r . Some people • * ca ll them “ d is s id e n ts " but in M ozam bique's case, that would be m isle ad ing . A sm all g ro u p o f malcontents, unhappy w ith the tact that LR E L IM O was able to save M o za m b iq u e fro m the thores o f c o lo n ia l e x p lo ita tio n and w in the respect o f not only all Mozambicans but the world as a whole, have kept up a tric k le o f anti-governm ent ac tiv ity throughout the last six years. I ittle bands o f these tra ito rs , w o rk in g hand in glove w ith R hodesia, M a la w i and South A fric a , have jo in e d in to a te rro r g ro u p know as “ A fric a I iv re ” w h ic h , iro n ic a lly , tran slate s to “ free A fric a .” They have attacked o u tla y in g villa g e s, m ined roads, killed government o ffic ia ls , spread anti 1 KI I IM O propaganda and, generally, done whatever they can do to u n d e rm in e the n a tio n a l governm ent. The governm ent has therefore been forced to deploy fo r ces to p a tro l the border areas and hunt down these renegades in an ef fort to protect the lives and property o f Mozambican nationals. T h irty -o n e m em bers o f this renegade g ro u p went on tr ia l the first week o f November accused o f treason against their own country, l o u r were sentenced to death and the other 27 received prison terms ranging from eight to fifte e n years in prison. The m ilita ry trib u n a l, in passing sentence, remarked on how sad it was to be m eting out justice against people w ho are, theoretically, fellow Mozambicans but went on to emphasize that the severity o f the crim es le ft the tribunal with no choice. Enemies o f the people w ill be dealt w ith , and severely too. This should serve as a warning to any and all who may be c o n te m p la tin g such n e fa rio u s deeds. Since the independence o f Z im babwe and the in itia l steps towards the creation o f the Economic t om- m unity o f Southern A frican States o f which M alaw i is a i.em ber, re lations between Malaw i md M o zam bique have im prov d quite some. M alaw i may tl ore soon deny these turncoats tl, sanctuary they have enjoyed fo r so long. Shortly after the new government o f Z im babw e assumed o ffic e in H arare, the c a p ita l, Zim babw ean and M ozam bican o ffic ia ls met to plot a jo in t strategy for elim inating this menace once and fo r a ll. W ith th e ir a llies, fe llo w c o n s p ira to rs , planners, financiers, train ers and bosses; (Smith and Muzorewa) to p pled in Z im b ab w e, these tra ito rs were forced to flee to M alaw i and South A fric a . Under the unpredic table leadership o f H astings k a m u /u Banda, M alaw i has been one o f the sanctuaries where these tra to rs fled to when I REL. I M O came after them in pursuit. The second Martin Luther King Hy Dr. Munntny M arahle LUTHER Hruce Hroussard Editor/Publisher Hv K invai k u m h u la Last m o n th m any m illio n s o f Am ericans, Black and w hite, paid trib u te to the life and th o u g h t o f M a rtin I u the r k in g , Jr. A lm o s t 20,000 people attended a m a jo r march in Washington, D .C ., urging Congress to make kin g 's birthday a n a tio n a l h o lid a y . I was in v ite d to speak on the c o n trib u tio n s o f k in g to the freedom Movement at a con vocation at I lorida State University. We remember the long marches that M a rtin I tither k in g , J r., led against the segregationist in Albany, G eorgia, M o n tg o m e ry , A labam a, and C icero, Illinois We can imagine the n ig hts he su ffe re d in ja il to defend our rig h ts to a tte nd w hite u n iv e rs itie s , to be h ired on our m e rit, to live where we w anted. M artin is im portant, because we as a people are im portant. His sacrifices were ours; his struggles fo r in te r n a tio n a l peace in an era o f war is our own; his message o f nonviolent activism and passive resistance in the light o f injustice and race hatred is his legacy for our day. But we m ust rem em ber that M a rtin was a m an. He made mistakes; sometimes he was right ad sometimes he was not. What distinguishes M artin 1 uther k in g , J r., as tr u ly great was the potential w ith in each one o f us, to overcome our own weaknesses, to grow in understanding, to attem pt to live life with a quiet dignity in the face o f a d v e rs ity . That also is M artin's legacy. M any speeches were given th ro u g h o u t J a nu ary in h o n o r o f M artin, demanding government ac tio n to create his national holiday. The great m a jo rity concentrated on the years between the M ontgom ery Bus B o ycott o f 1955-56 and the Selma, Alabam a Protest M arch o f 1965. Most depict the “ h ig h p o in t" o f M a rtin ’ s career at his March on W a s h in g to n , D .C ., address in August, 1963. There is a n o th e r M a rtin , however, that many people fa il to remember. In 1966, 1967 and 1968, k in g broke w ith the Johnson A d m in is tra tio n on the V ietnam war. He began to move in the direction o f M alcom X , by m oving fro m c iv il rights to human rights. A fte r his fa ilu re to integrate the Chicago neighborhood o f C icerto, k in g began to make p u b lic state ments w hich c o n flic te d w ith the stated goals o f the m a jo rity o f his followers and the civil rights hierar chy. “ f o r years I labored w ith the idea ot re fo rm in g the existing in stitutions o f society, a little change here, a little change there. Now I feel quite d iffe re n tly ." T he experiences o f defeat in C hica go and his d is illu s io n m e n t with the m orality o f white America had made k in g much m ore in terested in econom ic re fo rm and non vio len t social tra n s fo rm a tio n . “ I think you've got to have a recon stru ctio n o f the entire society and revolution o f values,” he declared. At the barest m inim um , this would have included the rebuilding o f the cities, the n a tio n a liz a tio n o f some industries, a c ritic a l review o f this country’ s foreign investments, and a guaranteed annual income. I ike members o f the New I e ft, k in g firs t expressed his new views on the need fo r com prehensive social change in his stated o p position to the Vietnam W ar. kin g had p riv a te ly opposed A m e ric a 's in vo lve m e n t in the W ar since the early 1960s, and had written against the W ar since 1965. H ow ever, his C ivil Rights activities had taken him away fro m his d ire c t e ffo r t to cooperate w ith the Peace M ovem ent, k in g 's decision to in c o rp o ra te the C iv il Rights M ovem ent w ith the m ovem ent to end the war was supported by A.J. Muste, a leading American pacifist, D r. B e njam in Spock, and Yale U niversity C haplain W illia m Sloan C offin. T hus, on A p r il 4, 1967 k in g spoke at New York C ity ’ s Riverside Church to an overflow crowd about V ie tna m . In th is speech which received nationwide press coverage, king o ffic ia lly broke with the John son - lib e ra l - in te g ra tio n is t - pro war c o a litio n . He stated: “ The Great Society has been shot down on the b a ttle fie ld s o f V ie tn a m .“ Am erica had to reach a negotiated settlem ent w hich recognized the humanity o f the Vietnamese people. “ It w ould be very inconsistent for me to teach and preach nonviolence in this situation and then applaud violence when thousands and thousands o f people, b oth adults and children, are being maimed and m u tila te d and many k ille d in his war; so that I s till feel and live by the principle. Thou shalt not k ill. The next stage o f domestic civ il rights struggle, kin g implied, had to address its e lf to in te rn a tio n a l questions o f w ar and peace. On A p ril 15, 1967, k in g led a demon stration o f 125,(XX) pacifists through C e n tra l Park to the U .N . to denounce America's participation in the V ietnam W a r. D u rin g the parade a g ro up o f seventy w hite youths burned their draft cards and L lo yd M ckissick and Stokely C a r michael (now kwam e Toure) spoke against the genocidal tactics o f the war. By the end o f May, in Geneva, he called again fo r the negotiated settlem ent and ennunciated a five p oint peace plan, which included an end to all bombing in N orth and $ o u th V ie tna m ; a to ta l ceasefire, and end o f m ilita ry b u ild u p ; re c o g n itio n o f the N a tio n a l I iberation fr o n t; a dale set fo r all U.S. troop withdrawls. End of Part Ona 1st Place Community Service ONPA 1973 1st Place Best Ad Result ONPA 1973 Subscribe! - $10. per year 5th Place Best Editorial ONPA 1973 Honorable Ment on Herrick Editorial Award NNA 1973 2nd Place Best Editorial 3rd Place Community Leadership ONPA 1975 3rd Place Community Leadership O N °A 1978 3rd Place In depth coverage ONPA 1979 Name......................................................................................... Address..................................................................................... City- State- Zip- Portland Observer Box 3137 Portland, OR 97208
