Page 2 Portland Observer, April 22, 1982
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Ken Kesey: Still seeking the dream
by Norma de la Cruz
KEN KESEY
(Photo: Pamela Volsky, Pioneer Log, Lewis and Clark College)
The 1960$: a period o f protest,
celebration and vision fo r a more
just society. T w o decades have
passed since then and some persons
may still ask, • ‘W h a t’ s become o f
those dreams?”
According to Ken Kesey, author
o f One Flew O v er the C u ck o o 's
N est and Som etim es a G re at N o
tio n , " . . .our nation is losing the
kind o f spirit that kept those dreams
alive twenty years ago .” Kesey, re
nowned for his connection with the
drug culture during the '60s. spoke
as part o f a four-day symposium en
titled, “ A Trip Back to See Ahead:
A Retrospective on the ’6 0 s ." The
symposium, which began on M o n
day, is presented by Lewis and
Clark College.
" T h e spirit to question, analyze
and work to resolve issues o f com
mon concern was something tru ly
unique during the ’60s,” said Kesey.
“ It doesn't occur too often in A m
erican history. W hat 1 see now is a
group of people, particularly young
people, who d o n 't question issues,
but who run with them.”
Kesey also said that due to the
health o f the economy, people are
becoming more concerned about ac
quiring material wealth rather than
solving basic con flicts existing in
society. ‘ ‘ Real currency is spirit. De
pression comes fro m depression,
not from being broke,” he said.
In assessing the significance o f a
retrospective on the '60s for today,
Kesey said, " A lot o f people knew
what they were supporting or fight-
ing against and w hy. T he '60s
wasn’ t a period o f the civil rights
movement. Nor was it a time o f the
counterculture movement. It was a
move to raise the consciousness o f
the American people.
"This was one o f the basic forces
which m otivated people to take a
certain stand. Now, the issues aren’t
so clear,” said Kesey. "Th is makes
it difficult to raise the consciousness
of people," he said.
One o f the characteristics o f to
day’ s attem pt to solve problems is
” . . .the blame-seeking attitude o f
people. W e ’ re a d ro it to p o in ting
fingers," he said. "O ne o f the main
reasons why we blame others for the
problems in society is that it keeps
us from doing anything like taking a
stand. It's a way o f neutering our
selves,” said Kesey.
The real blame falls ultimately on
us, "because we feel we’ re power
less. But th a t’ s not tru e ,” he said.
" T h e '60s demonstrated to us that
we do have con tro l. W h at we saw
happen tw o decades ago was a
breakthrough in questioning the at
titudes, beliefs and ideas o f our so
c ie ty ,” said Kesey. " I n order to
have done that, however, we had to
admit to our own guilt. And that’s
something we need to do today.”
Kesey also said that i f " w e can
admit to our guilt then perhaps we
can maintain control. Guilt prompts
us to change things. W e not only
realize that, 'Yes, there is evil in so
ciety, but we’re the good guys.’ I ’m
a great believer in power and evil.
" W e may never whip evil, but it ’s
the best fight in town.”
Wyden discusses enterprise zones
Congressman Ron W yden dis
cussed the local impact o f the Rea
gan Administration’s proposed "en
terprise zones” w ith N ortheast
Portland business leaders this week.
W yden, who expressed the opin
ion that the Reagan plan w ill be
ado p ted , said his apprehension
about the plan is based on the fact
that it provides no funds, it does not
deal with job training, and it will in
spire gerrymandering to include or
exclude particular businesses.
The program— which is limited to
25 areas in the nation— will replace
the curren t jo b tra in in g and eco
nom ic developm ent program s.
" T ry in g to discuss any element o f
social services or job training with
the current ad m in istra tio n is just
about impossible. It w ill be enter
prise zones or nothing.”
According to the Reagan Admin
istration, the concept o f the enter
prise zone is to create a "free mar
ket” environment in economically
depressed areas by reducing corpor
ate taxes, regulations and "o th e r
government burdens on economic
activity.”
W hile Model Cities concentrated
governm ent program s, subsidies
and regulations in specific depressed
areas, "Enterprise zones are the di
rect opposite o f the M od el C ities
Program” — it brings no new federal
money.
Tax incentives to corporations in
clude: tax credit for capital invest
ment, 10 per cent income tax credit
to employers who hire zone resi
dents; 50 per cent income tax credit
to employers who hire disadvan
taged; elim ination o f capital gains
tax; carry-over o f tax credits or loss
es for 15 years.
The effect would be to eliminate
75 per cent or more o f the corporate
income tax, eliminate capital gains
tax, provide relief from tariffs and
duties.
Federal regulatory bodies would
be given authority to relax or elimin
ate regulations within the zones—
environm ental, safety, etc. M in i
mum wage laws and civil rights laws
could not be eliminated. Local gov
ernments would be encouraged to
waive or relax regulations— zoning,
licensing, transportation, etc.
The theory is that the tax incent
ives and absence o f government reg
ulations would encourage new in
dustry to locate in the zone.
Opponents say the zone will not
assist small business because it does
not provide funds, and that large
corporations w ill use the zones as
tem p o rary sites where they can
make larger p ro fits — using tax
w rite -o ffs and cheap la b o r— then
move on when the program ends.
Rain occasionally fell on the 500
people walking in the Second A n
nual March Against Racist Violence
Saturday, but it wasn’ t enough to
dampen the spirits o f the marchers
chanting " W e ’re all fired up!” and
"F o rw a rd together, backward
never!”
The Black United Front-spon
sored march started at Alberta Park
at N .E . 19th and Killingsworth and
ended up at the King Neighborhood
Facility at 4815 N .E . 7th . It drew
participants from all walks o f life
and from many organizations in
cluding the Portland Anti-Kian Net
work, the Albina Ministerial Alliance
and the N ational O rganization for
Women.
The participants marched to voice
their concern on issues such as un-
employment, police abuses o f c iti
zens, w elfare and social program
cuts, and in particular the siting o f
H arriet Tubm an M iddle School at
Boise School rather than at E liot
School, as Board members had de
cided and promised to deliver two
years ago.
Leading the march was the beat
o f the Jazzmin Commdnity M arch
ing Band and a group o f ministers
emphasizing their support o f the
protests.
" W e want to take the onus o ff
Ronnie and the Black U nited
F ront,” Reverend John Garlington
said.
Ronnie Herndon, co-chairman of
the Black United Front, thanked the
people in the crowd for coming out
and showing that they would not
stand by idly and let Black children
be abused.
Wyden docs not see much advan
tage to Portland. The program will
undoubtedly target large corpora-^
tions that can provide jobs. ,n Port
land the need is for funds for small
businesses and fo r jo b train in g .
N orm M o n ro e o f the U rb an
League said the zone will create an
area in which low wages would pre
vail, yet it would destroy incentive
and ability to compete outside the
area. Therefore it would lim it op
portunity or employees to move out
into the broader job market.
Wyden asked for a small commit
tee to study a way that P o rtlan d
could develop a unique program
that could receive enterprise zone
designation. " W e are com peting
w ith South Bronx and other large
cities. I f we are to be successful we
will need a unique program.
The Front led protests that dis
rupted tw o recent School Board
meetings and this prom pted the
School Board to hold an executive
session closed to the public on Sun
day.
"To m o rrow evening members o f
the School Board will be sitting in a
room full of lawyers trying to figure
out ways to seek injunctions against
futu re protests at meetings. This
brings to mind the efforts o f racists
in the south to use injunctions to
halt marches led by the Reverend
M artin Luther King, Jr.
"W e have tried talking to them in
our best Sunday-go-to-m eeting
clothes; we have tried reasoning
with them [the Board]. Talk is good,
but there comes a time when you
have to be willing to do a little more
than talk,” Herndon said.
W ho w ill speak fo r us?
The Black E d u catio n al C enter
w ill sponsor their second annual
conference on the black child ,
" W h o W ill Speak For Us? Correct
Education for Black Children.” The
conference is scheduled for Satur
day, M ay I , 1982 from 8:45 am -6
pm at the Black Educational Center,
located at 1640 N .E . Alberta St.
M r. W illiam H . M cClendon, au
tho r, lecturer and teacher will de
liver the keynote address. W o rk
shop topics are: N u tritio n , Health
t
Care and Learn in g ; the Black
Church as a Learning Center; The
Effects o f M edia U pon E ffective
and Positive Learning; Developing
Cooperative D a y C a re Programs;
Providing Alternative Job Options
for Black Youth; and M ath From a
Black Perspective.
A special presentation entitled
"Bringing Culture Into the Hom e”
will feature the Herero Dancers and
displays by Portland artist Phil Reid
and exhibits on Black holidays high
» 0
Cyclery
SCHWINN
M O R X IO ftP M It
6 A a a ISSO M S
t t P A « b C * AU MAAÍS
281 4 03 6
m ir i
March protests racial violence
by Harris Levon McRae
P H ILS
lighting Kwanza. A panel discussion
on issues a ffec tin g the positive
growth and development o f Black
Children will address protecting the
educational rights of Black children.
Pre-registration is $10, at the door
$15. For furth er in fo rm atio n call
284-9552 or 282 9465.
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AND
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The Energy Saving Center is lo
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form ation on all the above p ro
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Energy Saving Center at 248-4636.
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