Portland Observer, October 27, 1982 Page 3
Letters to the Editor
Reagan smears nuclear freeze advocates
To the editor:
I was disappointed after reading
President Reagan’ s statement in
Ohio impugning the motives of m il­
lions o f Americans who support a
m utual
U.S.-Soviet
nuclear
weapons freeze as an essential, veri­
fiable, first step in halting and re­
versing the nuclear arms race. The
proposal for a mutual freeze is a se­
rious matter which deserves
thoughtful attention by our national
leaders.
The President’ s unfortunate re­
marks show his lack o f under­
standing o f the nationwide freeze
campaign which is supported by a
m a jo rity o f Americans fro m all
walks of life, including both Repub­
licans and
Democrats.
His
pejorative remarks are an insult to
the 112,(NN) Oregonians who signed
the initiative which pul Ballot Mca-
sure Five on the November ballot.
The nuclear weapons freeze mea­
sure has been endorsed by groups
and individuals representing civic
and organizational leadership of the
state. These include: Senaator Mark
flat field; Congressmen Les Aucoin,
James Weaver and Ron Wyden;
Bishops Matther Bigliardi and Cal­
vin McConnell; Governor Vic A ti-
ych; State Senator Ted Kulongoski;
the A .F .L . and C .I.O .; the A udu­
bon Society of Portland; Friends of
the Earth; the Oregon Nurses Asso­
ciation, and many others.
The Freeze campaign stands for a
safe and secure America, which is
why it calls for a bilateral freeze on
the production and deployment of
nuclear weapons. Every day the
arms race continues, we move a step
closer to nuclear catastrophe. At the
same time, the nuclear arms race
weakens us economically. The cur-
rent, excessively high, military bud­
get contributes to record high defi­
cits and depression level unemploy­
ment. It fuels high in fla tio n and
drains away resources needed for re­
vitalizing American industry and for
meeting urgent human needs.
President Reagan was correct
when he said that the U.S.-Soviet
nuclear weapons freeze is "sweeping
the country.” What he seems to ig­
nore is that the nuclear arms freeze
is supported by thoughtful and re­
spected persons who understand
that freezing the nuclear arms race
would enhance our national security
dn strengthen our economy. This is
the common sense approach most
Americans support. A Yes Vote on
Measure Five is a reflection o f this
approach.
Sudi Meehan Smoller
OAB endorses Kent Ford
To the editor:
The Board o f Directors o f the
Oregon Assembly For Black Affairs
(O A B A ) expressed at its October
meeting that the outcome o f the
election in State Representative Dis­
trict 18 is important to the Portland
Black Community as well as OABA.
District 18 was formed during leg­
islative reapportionm ent in 1981
with the stated intent o f concentra­
tion the largest percentage o f the
black population in one district so
as to increase the possibilities o f a
black being elected. The district be­
came known as the "Black District”
when it was never, in fact, such a
district.
However, the outcome o f the
1982 Primary Election in District 18
was a political tragedy for the Port­ its leadership. In any event, the Ore­
land black com m unity. No black gon Assembly For Black Affairs will
emerged as the candidate for either work with whomever the District 18
the Republican or the Democratic Representative is.
The O A B A Board o f Directors
Party for the general election. A po­
litical tragedy in the sense that Port­ has not been advised o f any
land local leaders failed to help vot­ endorsements o f District 18 candi­
ers in D istrict 18 to understand dates by any black organizations or
which candidate could serve the best local leaders in Portland. But there
interest of the black community and has been much discussion about
the d is tric t. Blacks in Portland how the black community has been
seemed to have been looking for the insulted by one o f these candidates.
The Board believes that the District
"perfect black candidate."
O ABA docs not view District 18 ,8 voters want to hear from the
as a "B la ck D is tric t." Nor does it black community.
The O A B A Board o f Directors
feel that a white candidate can’t rep­
resent the interest o f the black com­ supports Kent Ford to be the Repre­
m unity. However, it feels that a sentative from District 18. It urges
black can give more to this represen­ all voters of the district to cast their
vote for him.
tation. And it feels that no white
candidate should insult or be conde­
Calvin O.L. Henry
scending to the black community or
OABA President
Cherry chooses Walker
To the editor:
Rep. Howard Cherry, (D -Port-
land), has endorsed Jimmy Walker
in the race for state representative of
District 18 in North and Northeast
Portland.
"Jim m y Walker is a responsible
and effective voice for North and
Northeast Portland," Cherry said in
a written statement distributed by
Democrats for W alker, a Walker
campaign group. "H e will continue
my efforts to ensure state financial
support o f P ortland Public
Schools."
Cherry, a member of the Portland
Community College Board o f D i­
rectors, is ictiring mis year from the
state Legislature after serving six
terms in the House o f Representa­
tives. D istrict 18, which was left
with no incumbent after the legisla­
tive reapportionm ent last year,
overlaps much o f Cherry’s district.
Cherry is passing over a member
of his own Democratic Party to tap
W alker, nominee o f a party he
formed in the d is tric t called New
Districe, New Party.
Walker, 50, a longshoreman and
form er newspaper publisher who
has been involved in several commu­
nity projects in the area, said he en­
tered the race after Leek won the
heavily contested Democratic p ri­
mary because he fell the nominee
was not well acquainted w ith the
people in the district.
R E T A I N
Sheriff Fred Pearce
The Right CJhoice for a Tough Job.
An experienced
law enforcem ent
professional
...12 years in
command positions
Cherry and Walker have served
on several citizens committees to ­
gether over the past ten years, in ­
cluding the Jefferson High School
Parents Adivsory Committee.
Democrats for Walker
Garlington
endorses
Chad Debnam
To the editor:
In the minds o f many people who
were involved in the design process
that brought about the 18th District,
was the hope o f increased m inority
representation.
The need for minority representa­
tion is still with us. Consequently, 1
am endorsing Chad Debnam as the
candidate for your consideration.
I, like most black Americans, am
a registered Democrat. However,
our com m unity must become so­
phisticated enough to look beyond
mere affiliation to understand criti­
cal issues. Minority representatoin is
a critical issue on the Oregon scene.
Chad only needs the votes o f a
few concerned and enlightened
Democrats in the black and white
community to be seated in Salem.
This would set the scene fo r a
confrontation (that is if we really get
our act together) between a black
Democrat and a black Republican.
Paramount at this point would
not be minority representation, but
Demo/Republican philosophy.
I hope we seize this second oppor­
tunity.
Measure 3 damages zoo
To the editor:
On November 2, 1982, voters will
again be faced w ith a C a lifo rn ia
style property tax lim ita tio n mea­
sure. Ballot Measure No. 3 is a mod­
ified version o f initiatives rejected
by Oregon voters in 1978 and 1980.
Your Zoo, as a part of the Metro­
politan Service District, will be dev­
astated if this measure is allowed to
pass.
Among other things, the p ro ­
posed initiative: (I) effectively pro­
hibits issuance of general obligation
bonds used to finance local im ­
provements; (2) adds substantial
cost and delay to the ability o f local
government to provide local im ­
provements, such as sewers, that
have been financed with Bancroft
bonds; (3) jeopardizes the ability of
local governments to replace exist­
ing interim financing with long-term
financing; and (4) substantially re­
duces the a b ility o f local
governments to obtain loans secured
by general fund revenue.
Grant money, used by your Zoo,
to finance improvements and new
exhibits, could effectively be elimin­
ated as a source o f revenue. Ballot
Measure No. 3 includes grant
money in measuring the total reven-
Rev. John W. Garlington
Vote 'yes' - Measure 7
To the editor:
Observer readers should support
Ballot Measure 7 —calling fo r an
end to U.S. military aid to the brutal
Salvadoran government.
The U.S. is on the wrong side of
this war! I f anything, we should be
sending aid to the rebel opposition.
Most o f us— whether workers,
small business-people, profession­
als, students, or farmers; whether
liberals, conservatives, socialists, or
independents—if we lived in El Sal­
vador we would support the revolu­
tionaries. Only if we were part o f a
tiny m in o rity — large landowners,
major industrialists, high m ilitary
officials or affiliated with huge U.S.
corporate investments in the
area—would we support the fascist
butchers now in power.
Opponents to Ballot Measure 7
cry "communist!” and it is true that
communists figure prom inently
among the rebel forces. It is also
true that only in rebel-held territory
have equitable land reform, literacy
and healthcare programs, and repre­
sentative government prevailed.
Since when do decent Americans
take the side o f fascist death squads
and their rich benefactors against
the m a jo rity ’ s aspirations fo r de­
mocracy, land, and a better life?
Which side are you on?
ues received. There could be no in­
centive to receive grant money for
capital projects since the effect
would be to offset tax revenues.
Some would say M etro could
raise the fees at the Zoo to support
the operation. When the Zoo first
separated from the City o f Portland
it attempted to be more self-suffi­
cient through increased fees. The at­
tempt was a disaster. Raising fees
did then, and would now, make the
Zoo inaccessible to many in the
community and would force an in ­
crease in Friends’ membership fees.
Also, fees are included within total
revenue, so there is no incentive at
all to fund services through a fee in­
crease.
While your Zoo is extremely im ­
portant to the community in which
we live, our State Legislature, faced
with supporting schools, fire dis­
tricts and other essential services
with available revenue, is not going
to look w ith favor on supporting
your Zoo.
We are all losers if Ballot Measure
No. 3 passes. Your Zoo w ill be
faced with hardships, perhaps insur­
mountable ones, just as it is be­
coming one o f the finer zoos in this
country. C alifornia had a tremen­
dous surplus when its property tax
measure passes, yet the state is now
experiencing severe problems. Ore­
gon is not like our sister state to the
south. We do not have excess funds.
With this measure, we are seriously
jeopardizing our greatest assets.
Paul Romain, President,
Friends o f the
Washington Park Zoo
Excercise
your right
Jamie Partridge
Frances Partridge
Harriet Beeman
Janet Mihara
VOTE
Whether You Vote
for Vic or Ted. 7
Ballot Measure # 3 Would
Stop Your Man Cold!
Both Atiyeh and Kulongoski want to put Oregon back to work.
But Ballot Measure # 3 won’t let them. Vote No on 3
Vote “No # 3 ” for our veterans’ sake
# 3 would stop our veterans home and farm loan pro­
gram. ruining what building we still have, adding to our 135.000
unemployed Who w ill help the veterans then?
Vote “No # 3 ” for our seniors’ sake
# 3 would stop our senior housing program. The elderly
couldn't afford to rent or buy U/x’r r will they go?
Vote “No # 3 ” for safety^ sake
# 3 would help burglars and arsonists by stopping
police and firefighters, because cities would cut payrolls to the
hone. So who'll protect ro ttr home?
Vote “No # 3 ” for your children^ sake
# 3 would stop local control of schools, because the state
legislature wdl decide how much money they get And who controls the
legislature?
Vote “No # 3 ” for your own sake
# 3 would stop our roads, highways, and sewers, because
we couldn't bond for them anymore So who u i l l build them?
Vote “No # 3 ” for your jobls sake
# 3 w o u ld stop business from com ing here. W hv should it?
Without gooil roads, schools sanitation, and police lire security'
Where u i l l industry go'
“My job as Sheriff is to protect the publie.”
Paul lo r In I i t t i l*t .irt t lo i M h r ill < .m ip.iigo \ i l h
I it astut i IN » Box IS W C o n ia titi < >rt gon ‘ P J tP
\ nt It r son
Both led Kulongoski and \ic Mtveh oppose Ballot Measure # 3
Ihev know the truth about it Mow. so do vou
If you want to help get Oregon up off its knees sav "MO TO MF 3SI RF #3"
it's a progress stopper'
I I’.titl lor H I'lir Oregon ( om niillet K 's High Nreel \ l
\ile m Oregon
Mil lr.it \ M m ts Ire.istirer