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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 17, 1981)
Page 2 Portland Observer, December 17,1961 Suit charges FBI harassment Since its inception, the c iv il rights m uvem eni has been sub jected to illegal surveillance, dis ruption efforts, and harassment by the FBI. We must dem and an end to F B I interference in legal political activity that is guaranteed by the U.S. B ill o f Rights. We have the rig h t to speak o ut and dem on strate against unem ploym ent, jo b discrimination, cuts in social services, the attem pts to repeal the Voting Rights Act, the rise in Kian violence, and her, in A tlan ta, the murders o f our children. . . . I support the S WP's national suit, which will put questionable operations on tria l, as well as A tlanta efforts to stop these ille gal activities at Lockheed. — Rev. Joseph E. Lowery, president Southern Christian Leadership Conference In 1973 the Socialist W o rkers P arty (S W P ) and its a ffilia te the Young Socialist A llia n ce (Y S A ) filed suit against the F B I, C IA , and the Immigration and Naturalization Service (IN S ). The party charged the government agencies with violating the rights o f its members through a campaign o f illegal spying, harass ment and d isru p tio n . The S W P / Y S A is dem anding an in ju n c tio n against this harassm ent, and $40 million in damages. This fa ll, according to Betsy Soares. S W P activist who spoke with the Observer last week, testi mony in the tria l ended, w ith a ruling expected after the 1st o f the year. During the trial, said Ms. Soares, the government admitted its harass ment campaign, claim ing the right to spy on and disrupt any organiza tion which is “ unfriendly or poten tially unfriendly** to the policies o f the U .S . governm ent— even i f the activities o f the o rg an iza tio n are completely legal. Files the govern ment was forced to release reveal government actions such as break- ins o f offices, conspiring with em ployees to get workers fired from their jobs, wiretapping, and other forms o f surveillance, and anony mous campaigns to incite violence against socialists. C O IN T E L P R O was the F B I’ s name for its program o f harassment and disruption o f progressive move ment groups. Among those specifi cally targeted were Black movement groups lik e the B lack Panthers. Black leaders whom the government referred to as “ potential new mes- siahs o f the Black movement’ * were named. O f course, these names are blanked out on the released docu ments, but C O IN T E L P R O was in effect at the time o f the murders o f M a rtin Luther King and M alcolm X. The government claims to have abandoned C o in te lp ro activities, but the SW P says otherwise. They point to recent campaigns o f firings Street Beat and harssment o f SWP-member and others working at a Lockheed “ de fense** plant in M arietta. G a., and at a McDonnell-Douglas jet-fighter plant in St. Louis. The socialists claim that company security agents collaborated with the F B I, the Alco hol, Tobacco and Firearms Bureau, the Pentagon's Defense Investiga tive Service, and local “ red squads'* to draw up a “ subversive hit list” in eluding over 100 w orkers, in the case o f the Georgia plant, where 15 SW P-m em bers were subsequently fired. In addition, the SW P points to a campaign o f deportations o f fo r eigners who have joined the SW P. For example, Mojgan H ariri-V ijeh , an Iranian who came to the U .S. in 1977, was left alone by the IN S , throughout the overthrow o f the Shah and the entire hostage crisis, until she joined the S W P in 1980. Today, she faces deportation. The SW P’s suit has received wide support. A partial list o f supporters includes: M anning M a ra b le , Ron D ellum s, Rev. Ralph A b e rn a th y , Joseph E. Lowery, the N A A C P , Ed Asner, Pete Seeger, Russell Means, Linus P auling, I.F . Stone, Jane Fonda and Andrew Young. For more in fo rm a tio n , or to express your support, call 222-7225 in P o rtlan d, or write the P olitical Rights Defense Fund, P .O . Box 649. C ooper S tatio n , N .Y . , N .Y . 10003. W ith the holidays just a week away, the P o rtlan d Observer went into the streets to ask people, "H o w are you coping w ith the present economic situation?” C a rry B rad fo rd , H a ir S tylist: “ The economic situation is jus, ter rible. We are no, having as many Christmas decorations this year nor arc we buying as many presents. I ’m more on a budget now than I ’ve ever been in my life and that makes a d if ference. You can really feel the squeeze.” Patrice McLelland, Artist fo r The Stephanie Michaels, C rim e Pre vention Rep., freelance writer: “ My Oregonian; “ I f 1 was freelancing husband and I are weathering the would really feel the crunch. What storm . W e had to make cutbacks happens is that people don’t employ and apply (hose savings toward ne freelancers, or advertisers w ill re cessities. I f we can take the bus we duce their illustrations. When I do take the bus. Wherever we can make my food shopping I ’ ve become cuts that's where we do it. We have more aware o f price differences and passed the point o f a recession and weight. This year I'm buying my are really approaching a depression. friends something very practical or I d o n ’ t thin k (hat everybody can something (hey can eat.” make it. The notion that Black peo ple are survivors will be tested. The breadlines are getting longer and crime is on the rise because there arc no jobs.” War in the Middle East? va if (Continued from page 1 col. 3) years: the problem came with World W a r I I , ’ ’ Darweesh explains. “ Zionism is a racist m o v e m e n t- even in the d e fin itio n o f the U N (U n ite d N atio n s). W e receive re ports that there are racial problems between European Jews and Eastern Jews." Both Darweesh and Ramezina say the conflict between Jews and Arabs is not based on religion, but on race and class struggle. “ I f you go to Israel, you will see disgraceful areas where Palestinians have had their own places, but i f Israel wants that land, he cannot say no. A lot o f villages have been blown o ff the map now,” Darweesh says. And in a city where 60^» o f the population is Palestinian, Ramezina adds, " I f there are Jewish and Palestinian settlements, the Pales tinians will no, have running water and the Jews w ill have all the modern facilities.” Darweesh says the Israelis claim they are in danger o f being pushed into the sea, when in actuality, “ we are the people who have been suppressed; our camps south o f Lebanon have been burned every day. The Red Cross knows this and they are a very m oderate o rg a n i zation.” R am ezina agrees. “ T h ey talk about terrorism o f Palestinians— we are the ones who are being terrorized.” The students are both skeptical o f the reports that Libyan “ hit squads'* are roaming around trying to assassinate U .S. government o ffi cials. “ K haddafy is not crazy; he knows getting rid o f one head doesn’t get rid o f the system,” says Darweesh. He believes the recent m ilita ry maneuvers (O p era tio n Bright Star) in Egypt were staged to “ pressure Khaddafy and paint him as crazy so they can get rid o f him. It hits two birds with one stone.” Darweesh says Saudi Arabia is a problem in the region because it is pro-U.S. and has the majority o f oil reserves. “ The whole Saud family is one o f a typ ical reactionary reg im e.” W hy does Saudi A rab ia make deals w ith the U .S . when it has all that oil to use as blackmail? “ For m o n ey,” Darweesh asserts. “ Saudi A rab ia has the o il, but the U .S . petroleum industry controls Saudi A rab ia. They are the tail to U .S . policy; they do what they are told. Ram ezina says the Saud fam ily rules Saudi Arabia like the late shah did in her own country. “ The Saud family is not a government by popu lar sup p o rt, and th e ir policies cannot be different.” L ik e R oosevelt’ s “ Big S tic k ” policy o f dealing w ith foreign governm ents, Darweesh sees the Reagan adm in istration ’ s behavior as the “ C razy M a n ” p olicy— “ to pressure and frighten progressive movements wherever they exist.” These "progressive” movements, in the view o f Darweesh and Rame zina, are the Libyan government o f M oam m ar K h ad d afy, the Iranian government o f Khomeini, and those o f South Yemen and Algeria. There has been talk o f these forces joining together to form a so-called “ Islam ic F ro n t” to oppose U .S . influence in the M id d le East and help prom ote systems o f political and social governance based on self- determination. Do these students believe this is a possibility? Darweesh does not. “ I don’ t th in k it w ould w o rk. The revolutionary Moslem idea does not exist in other countries o f the Middle East— not like Iran which is 99.9V» M oslem . There are other cultures in the Middle East.” R am ezina is more o p tim istic . “ Islam is a banner to get people to gether, bu, other religions can be in cluded, as in Iran. It ’s jus, a start— it might happen, in my view.” I f such a front were to m aterial ize, Darweesh believes the U .S . government would use any means possible to squelch it. “ I f Jews and Arabs ge, together, it w ill form another superpower and the U .S . would rather have a nuclear war than risk this alliance.” In the end, Palestinians and revo lu tio n a ry Arabs are fig h tin g the same b attle — for recognition as a people and as a culture in their own land, and for an end to imperialism and Zionism as represented by the Israeli and U .S . governm ents, according to Darweesh. “ We are in the same boa, as Latin American people. Somoza (form er dictator o f Nicaragua) was fighting to the last man, and for what? For the rubber companies and for U n ite d F ru it. W e are fighting against Mobil and Exxon.” Press poll Mrs. Lee Jones: " I ’ m on disabil ity and things are getting harder and harder. When I cook it ’ s just one dish and we eat from that dish for two days. The utility bills are going up along with everything else. We pinch from one day to ano th er. There a in ’ t no buying for C h ris t mas. I f we have som ething to eat we’ll be blessed.” £ 5L k Tim Coughlin, A irp o rt Driver: " I shop th r iftily and I think about wha, I ’ m buying. I buy less and give more. I don’t drive as much. I stay at home a lot more. 1 cook at home which cuts down on my eating o u t.” (Tim is shown with a bottle o f beer that he will give as a present.) Mrs. D. Roub, Crim e Prevention employee: “ We are in the process o f building a house through the Veter ans A d m in is tra tio n and they are talkin g about raising the interest rate. I f they do that we are not sure if we can afford to continue build ing the house or live in it when it's completed. The taxes keep going up A Carolyn Sibley, Pacific N W Bell employee: “ I read the newspapers to catch all the sales. I've gone back to Perry’s Market where I stopped going years ago. This Christmas I ’ll buy things we need rather than toys. I don't think they should cut Head Star, because education is real im portant.” and I resent Reaganomics, from the standpoint o f the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer. I resent the arrogance of Mrs. Reagan wear ing a $10,000 dress and a few weeks later they wan, to cut meals for chil dren in the schools. I d o n ’ t know how the rich can keep getting richer because in the end we arc in this boa, together.” (Continued from page 1 col. 6) Thomas M itc h e ll, executive d i rector o f BOP noted: “ I t ’ s clear, thses leading Blacks feel Blacks and Th ird W orld peoples are being ig nored by the general press.” The poll also revealed that most Blacks (52 per cent) feel mostly “ neglect” is killing key Black insti tutions. A n o th er 25 per cent feel " in fla tio n ” is the villain. Some 56 per cent contend a Black think tank is needed for Black survival and the money is available for such a pro ject. On another economic note is 55.7 per cent said Japan should aid in the development o f the U.S. Black com m unity because o f the fact that Blacks are large consumers o f Jap anese-made products. When asked a follow-up question “ Should Blacks boycott the Japanese if they are un willing to aid Black development?” some 67 per cent said the boycott was a good idea. Some 67 per cent also agreed that a conference o f Black journalists, academicians and Black Studies adm in istrato rs is needed to forge a Black survival strategy. Variety Beauty Salon CURL SPECIAL £ * 4554 N.E. Union • 284-6017*' * by Lanlta D u ka and R ichard B row n Cuts boost health care cost (Continued from page I col. 5) grams which are designed to m axi mize— rather than minimize— costs is so scandalous it makes the Penta gon overruns look like peanuts.” H o w ever, even w hile President Reagan was drawing attention to the issue, his a d m in istra tio n was slashing existing “ in-home health services” by 25 per cent. Such a cut will keep even more disabled people in the hospital, at an even greater drain on taxes. “ Unnecessary hospi talization” continues to siphon o ff three-quarters more tax money than proper care would cost at home or in a nursing center, according to hospital finance directors. W illie Ram irez, hospitalized for two years after he was hit by an un insured m o to rist, found his way home a few weeks ago only because a dogged team o f doctors, nurses and social workers at S tanfo rd pieced together elements o f about six d iffe re n t public funding p ro grams. W illie, like Katie Beckett, has in d o m itab le parents who simply would no, give up. U nlike K atie’s parents, Willie's are extremely poor. M exican-Americans, their children all born in the United States, they do not even speak English. But they have mastered the intricacies o f the medical equipment that keeps their quadriplegic child breathing. They found a house big enough for the complicated machinery to fit beside his bed, along with the electric type writer he has learned to use with a m outh stick, and the special tele phone he also can operate entirely by m o u th , answering strong and cheerfully, “ Hello! I ’m W illie ___ ” “ T h at marvelous fa m ily has learned to take care o f W illie by sheer dint o f lo v e ,” said M a ria Nasjleti, a Stanford Hospital social worker who toiled for months to get him home. U n fo rtu n a te ly , at Santa C lara Valley Medical Center, where Willie astonished the staff by his alertness in re-learning to speak and to use the telephone and typ ew riter, D r. C onal W ilm o t, m edical d ire cto r, said there are a number o f children whose cases parallel W illie ’s. Even more numerous are disabled adults. "Eight per cent o f our rehabilita tion beds are tied up with patients who can’, go away because, though we have completed work with them, there arc no other alternate facilities for their c a re ,” said D r. W ilm o t. Most move to another hospital. W il lie wen, back to Stanford Hospital and would be there still if teamwork by his parents and S tanford’s staff hadn’t gotten him home. “ One case at a tim e , we try to work out in dividual solutions for care," said D r. W ilm o t. “ But it is staggeringly complicated. The legal structure militates against care any where but at the most expensive lev el. No, all could go home, but they could go to nursing homes— if such were available.” Said Leonard Krauss, o f C alifo r n ia ’s C h ild re n ’s H e a lth Services: “ We have many cases in which fam ilies get no help at all for a handi capped m ember u n til they have spent down every penny saved, some even selling their homes. Then they become eligible for Medicaid— and w elfare fo r themselves. This situation is growing worse.” In the case o f K atie Beckett, President Reagan waived this in come b arrier. H er parents had enough earnings to bar them from Medicaid at home, but not when the child was hospitalized. In sheer numbers, adults are more affected by the inconsistencies in medical programs than arc children. W hile “ in-hom e health services” programs have grown in recent years, they often lack coordination with other programs, have inade quate supervision and lead to abuses when patients choose their own "in- home aide. The current funding cuts may exacerbate those p ro b lems. I here is terrible fragmentation in health care programs and once people get in s titu tio n a lize d , they fear they will fall between the slots if they make any change. So they cling lo institutional care,” said Hadley Hall o f San Francisso Home Health Service. “ The institutions in turn get dependent on the money. I gel terribly angry because the money isn’ t being spent wisely and it doesn’t encourage independence.” Some health professionals, like Robert Erickson, Kaiser Founda- lion Hospital director in O akland, f a lif., hold out hope that the c li mate o f fru g a lity in W ashington may accomplish greater coordina tion in health programs. There are some very conserva tive lawmakers who see the sense in home care,” he said. “ Tight bud gets may bring much-needed re form . This would save m ore than money: personal dignity for the pa lient, happiness and a more whole some community.” ' iv* I Parifk NewtScrvU-t
