H r* Frances Schoen-à'ewspaper Roo«
U n iv e rs ity o f Oregon L ib ra ry
Lugcoe* Oregon 97403
Observer Achievement Awards
Summer work,
summer fun
Page 3
UJ
Page 5
A Palestinian
student
speaks out
PORTLAND OBSERMER
Ju ly 14, 1982
Volum e XII, Num ber 40
250 Per Copy
Tw o Sections
USPS959 6H0-HS>
Iran invasion to save Khomeini?
Ira n has launched an invasion
against Ira q , escalating the tw o-
year-old war between the two M id
dle East nations. The attack comes
in the face o f Iraqi offers o f peace
and a U .N . Security Council resolu
tion proposing that U .N . forces
oversee a cease-fire.
Iraq withdrew its forces from Iran
a month ago and announced a uni
lateral cease-fire.
A Tehran radio broadcase called
the resolution a “ vote o f c o n fi
dence” for Iraqi president Saddam
Hussein and declared it w ill c o n
tinue the war to “ lib e ra te ” Ira q .
Iran’s Ambassador to the U .N . said
his country will never accept U .N .
observers.
Iranian students attending school
in Portland state that the continua
tion o f the Iran-Iraq war is an effort
by Khomeini to maintain control o f
his government by creating an o u t
side enemy and a way to keep (he
army busy in the war zone to m ini
mize the danger o f a military coup.
Although there were provocations
by both sides, Khomeini is waging a
personal vendetta against Ira q i
President Hussein who refused to
provide him asylum during the time
CONGRESSMAN RON DELLUMS
Dellums keynotes banquet
U.S. Representative Ron Dellums
o f C a lifo rn ia w ill be the featured
speaker at the P o rtlan d Observer's
first Awards Banquet to be held F ri
day, July 16th.
D ellum s is chairperson o f the
House Committee on the District of
C olum bia, a senior member o f the
House Arm ed Services C om m ittee
and chairm an o f the com m ittee's
panel dealing with problems o f the
island o f Vieques in P uerto Rico.
Dellums is a former vice-chairman
o f the Congressional Black Caucus
and heads its Task Force on Nation
al Security and Foreign Policy Is
sues. He is a national co-chair o f the
New Dem ocratic C o a litio n , an o r
g an iza tio n o f progressive in d iv i
duals w ithin the D em ocratic Party
who are committed to party reform
and im plementation o f progressive
programs in the nation.
Dellums has become the principle
leader in the House o f Representa
tives in the continuing legislative ef
fort to curb m ilita ry spending and
nuclear weapons escalation. An out
spoken advocate o f nuclear arms
lim itatio n , he has been in the fore
front o f the movement for renewal
of the S. A .L .T . negotiations and ex
pansion o f the Nuclear N o n -P ro lif
eration Treaty. From the outset, he
has opposed the development o f the
M X Missile weapons system, argu
ing that it is econom ically disas
trous, d ip lo m a tic a lly dangerous,
militarily unnecessary, and environ
mentally hazardous.
In the 97th Congress M r. Dellums
has re -in tro d u ce d his N a tio n a l
Health Service A ct. This bill (H .R .
3884) is the most com prehensive
health care legislation ever in tro
duced in to the Congress. In his
ju d g m e n t, com prehensive health
care for ell Americans is a basic hu
man privilege.
The Achievem ent Awards B an
quet w ill be held July 16th, 7:00
p .m ., at the H ilto n H o te l. (Please
sec page 5.)
o f the Shah. One stipulation K ho
meini makes for ending the war is
the abdication o f Hussein.
Opposition to Khomeini and (he
mullahs who control Iran has been
organized in the N atio n al Council
o f Resistance, which encompasses a
broad spectrum o f political groups.
K h om ein i came to power f o l
lowing the February 1979 overthrow
o f the Shah. A lthough internal is
sues were overshadowed by news o f
the hostages in the U .S . Embassy,
violation o f civil rights came almost
im m e d ia te ly . D e m o n s tr a tio n s
against repression and continuing
executions came to a climax on June
20, 1982, with a dem onstration by
500,000 Iranians. The government’s
response was a massacre o f the dem
onstrators.
The N atio n al Council o f Resist
ance reports that 15,000 persons
have been executed since June 20,
1981, and that 45,000 are under tor
ture. As many as 50 or 60 are exe
cuted d aily, w ith 165 secret execu
tions rep orted on tw jr days in
M a rc h . O n M a rc h l X h 75 execu
tions took place in T e h ra n ’s Evin
Prison, and on March 26th 90 were
executed. M any o f them were sup
porters o f the People’s M ojahedin.
1, The provisional governm ent,
Four hundred supporters o f the
headed by President Bani-Sadr, will
People’s M ojahedin were executed
rule for six months. During that per
in Mashad prison, and thousands
iod the Constitutional and National
are under arrest.
Legislative Assembly w ill be con
Last M arch Ira n ’s parliament ap
vened through free elections and a
proved re-establishment o f a min
Constitution written to guarantee a
istry o f state security and in te lli
republican form o f government.
gence to take charge o f internal sur
2) Until the formation o f the Con
veillance.
stitutional Assembly the N ational
Amnesty In tern ation al reported
C o u n c il o f Resistance w ill be re
in F eb ru ary 1982 that m ore than
sponsible for legislation and super
4,000 are known to have been exe
vision o f the p ro visio n al go vern
cuted since February o f 1979 and at
ment.
least 255 people were reported exe
3) I he political prisoners will be
cuted in January 1982. The organi
released; the Ira n -Ira q war ended;
zation reported persons, including
accused w ill be granted ju ry trials
those held for political and religious
with full rights; the government will
reasons, executed w ith o u t tria l.
ensure economic w elfare; women
During 1981 A I received nearly 200
will have economic, social, political
detailed statements describing tor
and cultural rights equal to men; all
ture. T o rtu re included bu rn in g ,
rights expressed in the U niversal
beating, kicking, banging prisoners’
Declaration o f H um an Rights will
heads against the w a ll, w hipping
be guaranteed; the government will
w ith cables and mock executions.
prevent v io latio n o f personal and
These and other tortures are similar
social rights.
to the abuses committed by the Shah
Iran ’s economy is in trouble, with
before the 1979 revolution.
an in flatio n rate near 60 per cent.
The N atio n al Council o f Resist
The war with Iraq is draining the na
ance has released its plans for the
tion o f its resources. W ith a popula
transitional period following the ex
tion o f 35 million, 11 million are un-
pected fall o f Khomeini.
( Please turn to page 8 column J)
Layoffs revive affirmative action feud
by Sieve Ask in
Pacific News Service
Doc Watson wants the Supreme
Court to give him back his job. The
Boston public school teacher, one of
700 who received layo ff notices this
year, claims he’s a victim o f reverse
discrimination because black teach
ers with less seniority were kept on.
His union, the American Federation
o f Teachers ( A F T ) , has asked the
Supreme C ourt to overturn a U .S .
D istrict C ourt ruling which partly
set aside union seniority rules lim it
ing layoffs o f m inority teachers to
preserve affirmative-action gains.
M ild re d G o o d m an wants the
courts to restore jobs for thousands
o f “ R IF ed ” (short for Reduction in
Force) black federal governm ent
w o rkers. G o o d m a n , a leader o f
Blacks in Governm ent (B IG ), was
herself R IF e d fro m a c ivil-rig h ts
enforcement post in the Department
o f Transportation. Her group is su
ing to reverse “ d isproportionate”
layoffs o f black employees, citing a
congressional study which revealed
that m in o rity w o rkers, who hold
about 23 per cent o f federal jobs, re
ceive 35 per cent o f layoff notices in
Reagan administration job cuts.
Complaints like these are surfac
ing across the country as layoffs and
high unem ploym ent revive an old
conflict between m in o rity workers
and union seniority systems. Many
c iv il-rig h ts activists consider m i
nority employment more important
than seniority, while unions insist
that w orkers should be laid o ff
strictly according to overall senior
ity , w ith the last person hired the
first fired.
Some leaders in both camps wor
ry that such jo b conflicts could set
back joint labor-civil-rights efforts
to challenge Reagan economic poli
cies.
That concern seems well warrant
ed as la y o ffs reach crisis p ro p o r
tions. The black unemployment rate
as measured by the federal govern
ment has soared to 18 per cent, its
highest level since the 1930s Depres
sion. M uch o f the current loss is
concentrated in jobs that have pro-
vided black workers their greatest
o p portunities for w ell-p aid work:
the public sector and heavy indus
tries such as auto and steel produc
tion.
F o rty -fo u r state R IF e d public
workers this year, or expect to do
so, according to a B ureau o f N a
tional A ffairs survey. ,n the private
sector, about 350,000 workers were
laid o ff in the first quarter o f 1982,
more than one-third o f them in auto
and transport equipment m anufac
turing.
The stage for the Boston teachers
dispute was set last year when Mas
sachusetts voters approved the tax
cutting
“ P ro p o s itio n
2 H .”
Revenue losses forced massive pub
lic worker firings. Seniority-based
layoffs would have elim inated the
jobs o f most black teachers hired
since 1974, when U .S . D is trict
Court Judge W . A rthur G arrity, in
a school desegration decision, found
the city guilty o f teacher-hiring bias
and ordered it to assign h a lf o f all
new teaching posts to blacks until
they held 20 per cent o f the jobs. Be-
fore new layo ffs began, that goal
had almost been achieved.
Last year. Judge G a rrity ruled
that not m ore than one f ift h o f
teachers losing jobs could be black,
com pelling Boston to use separate
w hite and black seniority lists for
layoffs. A U .S. appeals court reject
ed the A F T ’s reverse discrimination
charge, paving the way fo r the
Supreme Court appeal.
A F T president A lb e rt Shanker
considers his union the true civil-
rights advocate in the case: "C o lo r
blind, race-neutral seniority systems
are perhaps the most im p o rtan t
safeguard won by the American la
b or m ovem ent in its 100 years o f
struggle for jo b equality,” he said,
arguing that this position places
A F T in the “ m a in straem ” o f the
civil-rights movement. His view is
supported by the b lack-led, A F L -
CIO-sponsored A. Philip Randolph
Institute.
M an y others in the c ivil-rig h ts
m ovem ent disagree, however.
N A A C P Legal Defense Fund attor-
(Piease turn to page 4 column J)
Stagnating economy brings flood of bankruptcies to Oregon
by Nathaniel Scott
“ I t ’s not right 1 It shouldn’t hap
pen to anybody. As long as I have
the money, I will pay my bills," said
Jeff VanDomelen, a 21-year-old un
employed electronics worker.
" I don’ t make enough money to
pay my hills, my creditors are h ar
assing me on my jo b ," said 44-ycar-
old Nadine W ood, the mother o f six
children.
VanDomelen and Mrs. Wood are
just tw o o f a g row ing num ber o f
people filing for bankruptcy.
According to Terence H . D unn,
chief deputy clerk, U .S. Bankruptcy
C o u r t, D is tric t o f O re g o n , there
were 6-8,000 cases open cases in the
state o f Oregon as o f the last week
in June o f this year. Tw o thousand
o f those cases were filed this year,
he added.
Nationwide the number of bank
ruptcy cases filed in 1981 was up
10.9 per cent over 1980. The calen
dar year, January through Decem
ber, showed an increase o f 523,825
in 1981 com pared to 363,847 in
1980. An increase o f 159,327 or 10.9
percent.
VanD om elen said he was forced
to file for bankruptcy because of an
automobile accident which cost him
$3,000. He m aintains that he was
not at fault. Nevertheless, he has to
pay.
M rs. W o o d , a divorcee w ith six
children, said because o f her divorce
settlem ent she was “ ra ilro a d e d "
into filing for bankruptcy.
According to Mrs. Wood, the set
tlement gave her everything: house,
a ll the b ills , and fo r a period o f
tim e, a child that her ex-husband
had by a previous m arriag e. She
said she is sick and tired o f it all and
wants to be left in peace.
F iling for b ankruptcy is serious
business. It involves assets, posses
sions and credit and can be filed by
cither consumers (hom e owners,
renters, etc.) a n d /o r business pro
prietors.
A ccording to D u n n , there are a
number o f chapters that can be used
when filing, but "the primary one is
chapter 7— liquidation o f assets."
C h ap ter 13, an o th er popular
method, is like a debt consolidation
program for individuals with certain
m o n etary restriction s, he added.
There cannot be more than $100,000
w o rth o f undisputed debts and
$350,000 w o rth o f secured debts.
Additional inform ation concerning
bankruptcy and bankruptcy proce
dures can be obtained by calling Tel-
L aw , 248-0705. Refer to tapes 29,
30, 44 a n d /o r 76.
Dunn said since January o f this
year the number o f consumer cases
filed under C hapter 7 are leveling
o ff but the number o f business cases
seems to be on the rise.
“ For a w hile we were talk in g
about the little guy, but within the
past six m onths to a year, we are
starting to see medium to big busi
nesses file ," he said. " I wouldn’t be
surprised to see the trend continue
for awhile."
D unn said i f you judge the
economy by the number o f people
filin g for b an kru p tcy, you would
have to say i t ’ s b ad — and i f you
judge it by the number o f business
cases, you w ould have to say the
economy is suffering.
Normally, he said, Chapter 11 use
involves a considerable am ount o f
money. The number o f Chapter 11
cases filed by medium-range to large
businesses in the P o rtla n d o ffic e
from M arch through June o f this
year is 32 cases.
Quite often the key reason for fil
ing is the loss o f one family member
a n d /o r the d isillu sio n m en t w ith
marriage, Dunn said. Just because
you file bankruptcy doesn’t mean
you a re n ’ t responsible fo r your
debts.
According to Dunn, you cannot
file a straight bankruptcy more than
every six years. I f you have filed a
Chapter 13 and meet all the require
ments, you cna then file a Chapter 7
w ith in six years. He added that if
you pass the "good faith test" you
can file a Chapter 13 as many times
as you wish. The "good faith test"
is an agreement entered into by the
debtor to resolve all debts through
certain allotm ents w ithing a given
period o f time.
Marion H . Chamberlian, clerk of
the U .S. Bankruptcy Court for the
District o f Oregon, feels that the es
calation in bankruptcy cases is de
rived from numerous causes: The
state of the economy, advertising by
attorneys and, for whatever the rea
son, the repeated filin g by some
people, like c lo c k w o rk , every six
years.
M s. C h am b e rlia n also recalled
some hum orous times in vo lvin g
people going through bankruptcy
proceedings. Like the lady who filed
some six years ago and listed among
her creditors her ju n k m aiL And
then there was the case o f the wine
merchant— the man who auctioned
o ff his wine, some o f which was val
ued at $5,000 a bottle.
A dditional bankruptcy inform a
tion may be gained by visiting the
Orbanco B uilding, 9th flo o r, 1001
S.W . 5th Avenue, Portland 97204,
or by calling 221-2231.