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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 31, 1981)
Page 4 Portland Observer, December 31,1981 Affordable energy EDITORIAL/OPINION by Congressman Ron Wyden Light your candle On Christmas Eve, all over the United States, cand>es burned in the windows to demonstate solidarity w ith the people o f Poland who are now suffering under economic hardships and military rule. This symbol was announced by President Reagaft along with an economic boycott that will only add to the deprivation. The move by Reagan, possibly to lure the vast Polish-Am erican community into his political corner, was readily accepted by the American people. First, it is easy for most Americans to identify with Poland’ s northern European heritage; and, second, the Polish problem is interpreted as the failure o f Soviet-style socialism. The food shortage in Poland— and it has reached the dimensions o f true hunger and star vation—has several roots: the enormous loan payments and interest due western banks which take money that should be put into food and in dustrial production; industrial dislocation caused by repeated strikes and work stoppages; bureaucratization and unresponsiveness o f the government. These and other factors have com bined to bring economic disaster and loss o f civil rights to the Polish people—at least temporarily. While candles burn for Poland, Americans should stop to consider those around the world who suffer torture, imprisonment and death at the hands o f their own governments—often gov ernments supported financially and militarily by U.S. tax dollars. In El Salvador, when thousands o f people have been killed by the government in the last two years, the murders are aided by American advisors, U.S. supplied helicopters, arms and communication equipment. Daily, men, women and children are found decapitated, or their throats cut, for no reason except they were in the wrong place at the wrong time. The nation’ s young men are being systematically murdered— reminiscent o f the days o f King Herod? Guatemala, Honduras, Columbia and other Latin American nations—all with U.S. support —are engaging in terror against their citizens. In Chile, which will soon receive renewed U.S. mil itary aid, the destruction o f human life is so vast that it has become the world’s pariah. Starving Haitians are leaving their country in greater numbers than ever before— only to be captured in the high seas by the U.S. Coast Guard to be returned to sure imprisonment or death. In South Africa shanty huts o f thousands o f Blacks who have nowhere to live were destroyed by the South African government right before the very eyes o f U.S. Congressmen visiting that country. Killing and imprisonment o f those who desire the simplest o f human rights continues. While South African troops march into Angola, leaving death and destruction behind, U.S. o ffi cials meet w ith the leaders o f U N IT A — U.S. supported opposition to the legal government o f Angola. Elsewhere in Africa, millions starve as they at tempt to escape war and famine in the horn o f Africa. The U.S. response is to enhance military aid to the area—expanding bases or providing m ilitary equipment to Egypt, N orth Yemen, Oman, Saudi Arabia, etc. The poorest o f nations—where starvation is routine—are located in Asia where the U.S. mil itary might destroyed vast areas o f the country as well as the social and political structure, and in Africa, long the basis o f U.S. and European wealth. W hat did President Reagan offer at the recent Cancún Conference— a conference called to discuss ways the developed nations, which had enriched the ir economies in large part through theft o f the natural resources o f the un derdeveloped third world nations, can now assist the economies o f those nations? He promised only “ self-help” through “ free enterprise” and the U.S. based multi-national corporations. So when you light your candles for Poland, also remember the people o f South America, A frica and Asia, who suffer and starve. And then count your tax dollars that go to perpetuate that suffering and starvation. SOB«. P» No civil rights violation? The U .S . D epartm ent o f Justice has determined that throwing o f dead possums in fro n t o f a Black-ow ned restaurant by on- duty police officers was not a violation o f the c iv il rights o f the restaurant owners. This incident - passed o f f by the police officers involved as a jo ke to relieve tension w ithin their group — was clearly an intim idation o f the owners and their customers. What evidence does the government need to determine a violation o f civil rights. Is not the incident-itself enough proof? W hat possible motive could uniformed police officers have to k ill animals and leave their carcasses in front o f a business except to intimidate? The C ity’ s claim that the act was not racially m otivated d id much to defuse the investigation. C learly racial in context and meaning, a statement to tha t effect by the appropriate public officials would have done much to establish the intensions and the results o f the act. M eanw hile, the FB I and other agents o f government continue to harass and intimidate Blacks, Indians and other groups who seek their civil and human rights. FBI violations o f constitutional rights and o f the nation’ s laws are well documented -- and they continue. We must wonder when and if the powers o f the nation w ill be used to protect its citizens. W ith temperatures dropping a l most daily, it seems appropriate to take time to discuss one o f the great est needs o f O regon’ s (and A m eri ca’s) elderly— affordable energy. Energy costs, in general, have shot up out o f sight. Between 1973 and 1981, household fuel costs in creased by 279 per cent— compared to a 183 per cent rise in the cost o f other consumer items. Not surprisingly, low-income and elderly people are the hardest hit by these escalating costs. L o w -in co m e ind ivicu als spend some 25-30 per cent o f their income to cover energy costs— compared to only 5 per cent o f income for the av erage household. And the elderly— many o f whom live on fixed incomes— are especial ly vulnerable. Even cost-o f-livin g adjustments in programs such as So cial Security and Supplemental Se curity Income (S S I) have not kept pace with the rise in energy costs. Between 1979 and 1981, the cost o f Libya is a young country with an ancient past. From the days o f Her odotus through the early 20th cen tury “ L yb ia” was the term applied to most o f North A frica. The Lybia o f to d ay— the Socialist P eo p le’ s Libyan A rab Jam ah iriyah — occu pies a strategic location on the M ed iterranean coast, the fourth largest nation in A frica. Its long M ed iter ranean coast line and its strategic lo cation have made it a national gate way to central Africa. Early residents included the Lebu, Tehno and Mishwash tribes referred to in 3,000 B .C . as the “ Old King dom o f Egypt. They were joined by migrating Arabs, sea-faring Phoeni cians, the Romans, the Greeks and later the T u rk s . Islam arrived in Lybia in 642 A .D . Libya was an Italian possession from 1911 to 1942 and h a lf o f the population died in the struggle for liberation. The United Nations gave Lybia independence in 1951, m ak ing it a federal m onarchy under King Idris with a constitutional stip ulation that succession pass to his heirs. In 1969 a group o f army officers led by Colonel M uam m ar Q addafi, in a bloodless coup, overthrew the ' monarchy and established the Re public. The new government moved quickly to redirect the country’s po litic a l, economic and socio-econ omic resources to meet the aspira tions o f the people and the rising tide o f Arab nationalism. The “ J am a h iriy a,” or People’ s A u th o rity , is based on Q a d a f fi’ s “ T h ird U niversal T h e o ry ” as de scribed in the “ Green B o o k ." The Green Book rejects both capitalism and communism and returns politi cal and econom ic power to the people. The governm ent is com prised o f a series o f People’s Com mittees at the zone and m unicipal levels that deal with administrative affairs, so that every citizen has ac cess to the political process and gov erning mechanism. The declaration o f March 2, 1977, establishes the Q u ran as the basic law o f society and creates direct de mocracy with the auth o rity o f the people exercised through the peo ple’s congresses, the People’s Com m ittee, and the Professional Unions. All citizens register with the People’s Congress o f their area and choose a People’s Committee to ad m inister services. P rofessional Unions take care o f professional rights. The n a tio n a l governing body, the General Peoples’ Council, is composed o f delegates from the People’s Congresses, People’s Com mittees and Professional Unions. The G P C selects a Secretary General and Secretaries to adm in ister the government. ZÍ MCMMR 1 Oregon Newspaper Publishers Association member NÊMA pep » U n ab le to stretch th e ir meager do llars to cover these increased costs, m any elderly people w ill be left w ith a cruel choice— either to heat their homes or buy food to eat. That is a situation we should not— and must not— tolerate. There is no easy solution to the problem. But we must begin by re ordering our priorities— by taking our budget cutting bites out o f some o f the sacred cow programs that up until now have been untouched. In stead o f out o f worthwhile and cost- effective programs such as energy assistance. Some o f those sacred cow programs we should cut include military cost-overruns, tobacco sub sidies and billion dollar handouts to oil companies for synthetic fuels. But we must do more. T o address our long-range energy needs, we must emphasize developm ent o f conservation and renewable energy programs. By doing this, we can as sure a safe and a ffo rd a b le energy future for the elderly— and for the entire Pacific Northwest. People who need energy assist ance should call T ri C ounty C o m munity Council (222-5555) and ask for the energy assistance num ber serving their n eighborhood. A p pointments are made on a first come first serve basis. I f you have other questions, feel free to call my office at 231-2300. Libya today. The flovarnmant lm£pin£to that they clothed and all their see to ft that are viarm and , needs are MORE the poor are and secure,! Sheltered taKen care PRISONS careo for... of... home heating oil outdistanced cost- o f-liv in g adjustm ents in the tw o programs by some 500 per cent. This year, things promise to be even grim m er. Unem ploym ent has soared. W elfare assistr.ee has been cut back. C om m unity support pro grams have been trim m e d — or in some cases— closed down. And a l though energy costs generally have continued to rise, low -incom e en ergy assistance funds have not. State officials predict an average drop this winter o f $42 (from $192 to $150) in energy assistance for the needy. Association - Found*/ IB M The judicial system is divided into four levels with the Supreme Court at the highest level. Islamic law is official state law. Libya is a member o f the League o f A rab States, the United Nations and its affiliates, the Organization o f A fric a n U n ity , O P E C , and the O rganization o f N on-A ligned N a tions. The people Ninety per cent o f the Libyans are A ra b , the others being Berbers, Blacks, and small numbers o f G reeks, M altese and A rm enians. The o ffical language is Arabic and the p opulation is overw helm ingly Sunni M uslim . In 1975 over half o f the citizens were under 15 years o f age. Economy When LibyS became independent in 1951 it was considered perhaps the poorest n atio n in the w o rld . Tw o per cent o f the land was culti vable; there was a severe water shortage; the vast dessert was con sidered a wasteland. There were no known m ineral resources and no trained, skilled, or technical labor force. Ninety per cent o f the popula tion was illiterate; only 14 Libyans had received a college education. In 1958 oil was discovered. Large subterranean water reserves were discovered. Together these trans form ed L ib ya in to one o f the world’s richest nations. Rapid economic development is aimed at building a stable economy a fte r o il reserves are gone. This meant providing new com munica tion and tran sp ortation projects, raising standards o f housing, divid ing income more equitably, and em phasizing development o f industrial and agricultural resources. A griculture employs 50 per cent o f the work force and remains the first priority. In the mid-1970s Ita l ian owned land was n atio n alized and distributed to Libyan farmers. Large scale irrigation and land re clamation projects, fertilizer, seed and equipm ent are p ro vided . M o d ern pro d u ctio n methods are taught, farm land reorganized, and banks provide interest-free loans, grants and technical assistance. Agricultural production is evenly djvided between livestock and pro duce as the nation strives to bernme self-sufficient in meal, poultry and dairy products. M a jo r crops arc barley, olives, citrus, vegetables, wheat and dates. Libyan oil is light crude with little sulfur content. By 1977 all oil pro ducing facilities were nationalized, w ith p rivate companies receiving compensation for their properties. Foreign companies still operate in the petroleum industry. One o f the world's largest iron ore deposits has been discovered. Other minerals are salt and sulfur. The Five Year Plan for 1976-1980 included an annual increase o f 11 per cent G N P and 5.6 per cent per capita income. A long w ith indus trial development, priorities include agriculture, electricity, housing and urban development. A primary goal is to increase econom ic indepen dence and m odernization through income redistribution. Health, welfare Education is mandatory through the sixth grade, and education is available through the university level. Because o f the education dis parity between the young and their parents, literary projects for adults are underway. Breaking down the tradition against women receiving university training is a current goal. A ll health services are free. Today there is a doctor for every 769 per sons and 5 hospital beds fo r every 1,000 persons. Attention is given to prenatal care, health care in schools, and hygiene. Preventive medicine and compulsory vaccination have eradicated many communicable dis eases. Libya is now malaria free. In addition to free health care all citizens are entitled to extensive fi nancial, national and social services. These include craft training centers, rehabilitation centers for sick and injured, special facilities for the dis abled. The W om ens’ G en eral U n io n works in the fields o f hygiene, nutri tion and adult education and a t tempts to bridge the social gap created by rapid change. Every family has the right to own a home. M ost Libyans w ho were p rim a rily tenants have become owners; landlords were com pan- sated for their property, which was sold to tenants at low , subsidized prices. New Year Greetings from the Portland Observer Staff & Management Portland Observer Th» P o rtla n d O baarrar IU S P S M S M O ) I» puMlahad ovary Thursday by E m I o Publlahlng Company, M e., 2201 North RIMnga- worth, Portland, Oregon >7217, Pool Ottlca B om >137, Portland Oragon 8720B Saccnd ctaaa poataga paid at Portland, Orogon SubacripUona: S10 00 par year In Tri County araa. Poatm aatar Sand addraaa changaa to tha Portland Obaarrar. P.O. B om >117 Portland, Oregon S720B " " s ta r. A. Laa H tn d m o n . Editor/Publlabar National A d v a rtM n g Rapreaantathra A m algam atad PuM tahara. Ina. N e w Vorh
