Page 4 Portland Observer, May 18, 1983
EDITORIAL/OPINION
End death penalty
A reader writes elsewhere on this page advo
cating (hat laws barring racist activity be extend
ed to include (he wearing o f “ Black P ow er"
buttons.
The wearing o f “ Black Pow er” buttons or
other outward signs o f black pride are not meant
to, and should n o t, in tim id a te or threaten
whites. The message they send is vastly different
than those o f the KKK and the Nazi Party.
Black people have never advocated that
whites not be allowed to vote, to hold office, to
own property, to serve on juries, to attend certain
schools, to enter certain professions, to live in
certain areas. Racially provoked murders o f
whites by blacks have been very rare in U.S.
bv Senator Jan Wvers
history, while the burning, lynching, assassina
tion and murder o f blacks was once com m on
place, and is even now not rare. Black people
have never advocated a m yth o lo g y o f racial
superiority.
The Kian and the Nazi Party advocate white
s u p e rio rity and have carried out a reign o f
terror, bearing responsibility for the murder o f
thousands o f black people.
A “ Black Power” button, a demand to share
equally in the nation’s economic, political and
social life , is a threat to no one. The growing
activity o f the Kian, the Nazis and other similar
groups is a serious threat.
Buttons no threat
While Oregon’ s governor was busily seeking a
reinstatement o f the death penalty in Oregon,
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Lewis Powell was
telling a group o f federal judges that unless the
ju d ic ia l system can find a more e fficient and
judicial way to handle appeals, the states should
abolish the death penalty.
Justice P ow ell does no, believe the death
penalty to be unconstitutional, bu, two justices
— Thurgood Marshall and W illiam Brennan,
Jr. — do. The C o u rt’s indecisive and inconsis
tent actions regarding the death penalty indicate
confusion reigns, and perhaps faith in the in falli
bility o f the judicial system is wavering.
Since O ctober, the Supreme C o u rt has re
ceived 28 applications fo r stays o f execution.
Two executions were permitted to go forward:
C h a rlie B rooks and John Lewis Evans. The
Court stayed the execution o f Thomas Barefoot.
According to a February survey, the number
o f inmates on death row reached an a ll-tim e
high o f 1,147 in 39 states. Minorities constituted
48.21 percent, and over the past 2 '/i years 54.25
percent o f all persons sentenced to death were
minorities.
Regardless o f whether fo r constitutional or
moral reasons, or because the system o f justice is
inherently u njust, the death penalty must be
abolished. This is not the time fo r Oregon to
embark on an em otional and highly financed
campaign to reinstitute this barbaric crime.
Is this courage?
In W a sh in g to n , D .C . the Senate Budget
C o m m itte e passed the G O P budget plan
p ro v id in g sm all tax increases and a federal
deficit o f $200 b illio n a year. The vote was a
reversal o f the Senate's earlier stand and came
just one day after Reagan threatened a veto if
the budget is not to his liking.
In Salem the Ways and Means C om m ittee
sub-committee on human resources refused to
add funds for two-parent unemployed families
and fo r health care fo r the m edically needy.
They are in the midst o f cutting an estimated
$16 m illio n fro m the A d u lt and F a m ily
Services budget.
Is this courage? The citizens should be able
to expect m ore fro m
th e ir elected
representatives. It is th e ir re s p o n s ib ility to
guard the rights and provide fo r the needs o f
the poor.
Letters to the Editor
Let's leave Iranians alone!
To the Editor:
I rind yo u r a rtic le on Ira n by Ed
Mason right on target.
It was a tim ely departure fro m the
s im p lis tic — a n d m is le a d in g —
cliches th a t c h a ra c te riz e the s o rry
sta te o f m e d ia c o v e ra g e o f Ir a n .
T h is s ty le o f r e p o r tin g , w h ic h
b o rd e rs on the a b s u rd , seems to
start and end w ith p rin tin g h o rro r
stories and talcs o f torture.
W h o arc they kidding? T h e same
media that bemoans the violation o f
hum an rights in Ira n has yet to say a
w o rd a b o u t the in h u m a n itie s th e ir
“ g o o d " and “ c iv ilize d ” friend s are
perpetrating in Israel. South A fric a ,
etc.
It doesn’ t really take a great m ind
tu to r e d in the g e o p o litic s o f the
M id d le East to d e le c t m u ch greed
behind all the anti-co m m u n is m and
th e c ro c o d ile tea rs shed fo r the
p eo ple o f Ir a n . T h a t is to say, the
greed to gain c o n tro l o ver the rich
o il reserves o f th a t a re a o f the
w orld.
A s fo r K h o m e in i, th e re is no
d e n y in g th a t m u c h d e p lo r a b le
w ro n g -d o in g has gone u n d er h im .
H o w ev e r, he has so far had a lot to
o f f e r to his p e o p le t o o , ra n g in g
fro m s u b s id izin g the lo w p ric e o f
necessities for the poor like housing,
fo o d , clothin g, etc. to n atio n alizin g
a big chunk o f the properties o f the
ric h fa m ilie s — u p to 708’» o f a ll
industries. F ailu re to see this w ould
force one to endorse the b a n k ru p t,
racist line o f the Stale D e p a rtm e n t,
i.e . that tens o f m illio n s have gone
fanatic all at the same time.
L a s tly , I should say a few w ords
a b o u t som e o p p o s itio n g ro u p s
a c tiv e in this c o u n tr y . Besides the
monarchists there are some dubious
groups whose own record on hum an
rights is at best questionable. I have
in m in d the s o -c a lled N C R o r the
M o ja h a d e e n G u e r illa s w h o h ave
their share o f atrocities in their own
country — rem ember Pol Pot?
M a y b e as Ed M a s o n says, the
g o v e rn m e n t is u n d e rg o in g som e
changes now — is U n c le Sam at it
a g a in ? — as o f th is m o m e n t, we
c o u ld safely say th a t the pluses o f
the regim e have far outw eighed the
minuses so far.
Bill Taylor
Band. Oragon
Ban 'Black Power'
To tha Editor:
goes, so I hope m in o r ity “ r a c is t "
I fo u n d yo u r news re p o rt ( D C .
bans r a c ia l a c ts . M a y I I , I 9 8 J ,
actions w ill also be p ro h ib ite d (n o t
just w hite). This ••u niversal" p ro h i
b it io n is also a p p lic a b le h ere in
P o rtla n d O b s e rve r} q u ite in te re s t
ing. I ’ m w o n d erin g i f this law also
w ill a p p ly to b la c k s w h o w e a r
“ B la c k P o w e r ” b u tto n s o r o th e r
slogans “ w h ic h in tim id a te p eo p le
because o f th e ir race o r r e lig io n ."
W h a t's sauce fo r the goose is sauce
fo r th e g a n d e r, as th e o ld s a y in g
M «t »
ill
' Oregon
Newspaper
; Publishers
Assis ijtion
1
1
O regon.
Perhaps you might do some Street
B eat in te rv ie w s on p r o h ib itin g
m a jo r it y a n d m in o r ity • ’ ra c is t”
acts.
David Brock
Tudeh Party
couragous
To tha editor:
I read your M a y 4 artic le on Ira n
w ith great interest. It is ab o u t tim e
som ebody gave a balanced view o f
Ir a n . U n lik e m o st A m e r ic a n s , I
have held a lot o f a d m ira tio n fo r the
w a y K h o m e in i has u n ifie d his
p e o p le , firs t aga in s t the S h ah a n d
then a g a in s t o u r d e s ta b iliz a tio n
campaigns.
T h e recent events, h o w e v e r, are
v e ry d is h e a rte n in g . I f w h a t is
rep orted is tru e, (hen Ira n ia n s face
very critical times ahead.
T h e T u d e h P a r ty o f Ir a n is th e
o ld e s t p a r ty th e re . It has been
banned a n d repressed d u rin g m ost
o f its 40 year history. W hatever one
m ig ht th in k ab o u t its id e o lo g y , its
record o f struggle against the Shah
is b oth im pressive and courageous.
Thousands were ja ile d , tortured and
summerrly executed. Being the m a m -
fo rce o f (he le ft , c o lo n iz a tio n an d
c a p itu la tio n o f the c o u n try to the
West has in v a riab ly started w ith its
banning and repression.
T h a t 's w h y the A y a tu la h 's
d e c is io n to b an th e m c o u ld o n ly
sadden th e s u p p o rte rs o f th e
revolution here.
Nancy Shapf
(T h e O b s e rve r w elcom es L etters
to the E d ito r. T h e y must be signed
and include the w rite r’ s address. W e
reserve the right to edit fo r length.)
Portland Observer
The P o rtla n d O b \t r v t r IU S P S 959 6801 i t published every
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A lfre d L. Henderson, E d ito r/P u b lis h e r
A ! W illiam s. A d ver lisin g M an a g e r
Assocrarten - Founded fM S
T h e sales ta x is u n f a ir . I t fa lls
u n fa ir ly on fa m ilie s w ith c h ild re n ,
on fa m ilie s w ith lo w a n d m id d le
inco m es, o n re tire d persons liv in g
on lim ited pensions, and on the u n
e m p lo y e d a n d the h a n d ic a p p e d . A
sales tax w o u ld fo rc e these people
w ith lim ited incomes to help pay the
p ro p e r ly tax e s o f businesses a n d
people w ith high incom es. A study
by R ic h a rd M u n n , the le g is la tu re ’s
tax econ om ist, shows th a t fam ilie s
a n d sin g le p e o p le w ith in c o m e s
under $ 3 0 .0 0 0 pay a larger share o f
th e ir in c o m e s fo r sales ta x ; w h ile
people w ith incomes o f over $.10,000
p ay a s m a lle r p o r tio n o f t h e ir in
come fo r sales tax.
O reg o n ian s have voted d o w n the
sales tax six tim e s since the G re a t
D e p re s s io n . A s a m e m b e r o f the
O re g o n H o u s e o f R e p resen tatives,
m y fa th e r v o te d to re fe r the firs t
sales tax m e a s u re to the v o te rs in
1933. H e told me, when the sales tax
was o n the b a llo t the last tim e in
1969, how u n fa ir this tax w o u ld be
and said that he wished that he had
n ever s u p p o rte d i t . T h e 1969
e le c tio n fo u n d o n ly 11.48!» o f the
vo te rs s u p p o rtin g a sales ta x . T h e
tally was 65,077 Yes against 504,274
No.
I n f l a t i o n has ra is e d re s id e n tia l
p ro perty values faster than business
p ro p e rly values. Voters con tin ue to
pass higher local levies fo r schools,
lib ra rie s , the z o o , etc. I d o n ’ t have
to te ll you th a t the e ffe c t o f these
events has been d rastic increases in
re s id e n tia l p r o p e r ty tax e s . T h e
recession has cut state governm ent’s
income. T he G overner has proposed
a budget w hich is $ 600 m illio n out
o f balance. H is 1% across the board
in c o m e tax in c re a s e has l i t t l e
s u p p o rt fro m his o w n R e p u b lic a n
le g is la to rs . T h e le g is la tu re w a n ts
very much to relieve the pressure on
residential property tax payers.
T h e sales ta x w ill n o t s o lv e (he
problem , however. It w ould mean a
ta x s h ift fr o m h ig h in c o m e to
m id d le a n d lo w in c o m e p e o p le .
S in c e th is ta x is u n f a ir a n d
u n p o p u la r , i f w e send a sales tax
proposal to the voters in Novem ber
1983 it w ill very likely fa il. W e in the
le g is la tu re w ill h av e w a s te d o u r
cha n c e to p ro v id e p ro p e rty tax
relief.
Even i f a sales tax d id pass, w hat
g u a ra n te e w o u ld y o u h av e th a t it
w o u ld p ro vid e re s id en tial p ro p e rty
la x r e lie f o ver the long haul? T h is
le g is la tu re c a n n o t p re v e n t fu t u r e
legislatures fro m changing the rules.
E v e n a c o n s titu tio n a l a m e n d m e n t
can be cha n g e d by a v o te o f the
people, referred by a fu tu re legisla
tu r e . I f the p ro p o n e n ts w e a r us
dow n enough to pass a sugar coated
sales tax n o w , (hen (hey can b u ild
on that — like they did in W ashing
to n , re c e n tly a d d in g fo o d a n d in
creasing the rate.
T h e current sales tax com prom ise
in c lu d e s a tax re b a te d esig n ed to
a lle v ia te the b u rd e n o n lo w and
m oderate income people. It is only a
loo se c o n s titu tio n a l p ro v is io n ,
th o u g h , w ith n o a s s u ran c e th a t
fu tu re legislatures w ill p ro vid e any
rebate at a ll. T h a t’ s not to speak o f
th e e m b a rra s s in g fe a tu r e o f the
sales tax g a m b it. W o rk in g w om en
already m ake only 59« on the dollar
as com pared to men and a grow ing
num ber o f wom en have sole respon
sibility fo r child rearing. W o m en are
le ft to buy the c h ild re n th e ir c lo th
ing, th e ir school m a te ria ls and pay
fo r m any other consumer goods for
their children which w ill have a sales
tax imposed on them .
T h e C o u r tn e y -V a n V Iie t sales tax
w o u ld p ro v id e r e lie f to business
p ro p e rty as w e ll as re s id e n tia l
p r o p e r ty . Y o u a n d I w o u ld be
paying a sales tax to relieve business
taxes. T h a t’s not fa ir.
A recent le tte r to the O re g o n ia n
contained the idea (hat the sales tax
is lik e the w id o w ’ s m ite . H a v e you
heard the story o f the w ido w 's mite?
The m oral o f that story is that a gift
m ay be s a c r ific ia l a n d blessed
th o u g h v e ry s m a ll, i f the g iv e r is
poor. C u rren t O regon tax laws p ro
tect e ld e rly p eo ple w ith s m all p en
sio n s. W e h ave the H A R R P p r o
g ra m to re lie v e p r o p e r ty taxes.
Sm all pensions are not taxed by the
in c o m e ta x . T h is m akes O re g o n 's
tax laws h u m an e . R e tire d w o rk e rs
w h o a re liv in g o n s m a ll p en sio n s
have already made heroic c o n trib u
tions to our abu nd ant way o f life . I
d o n 't w ant to be part o f a program
o f “ ta k in g * ' the w id o w 's m ite . I'd
r a th e r th a t she h ave th e rig h t to
decide how she w ants to spend her
lim ited money.
T h e good news is that there is an
procedures required to get a rebate.
T h e exemptions bandied about by
the p roponents o f the sales tax are
h ard ly a safety net. R e tire d people
in m y district are concerned that the
e x e m p tio n on p re s c rip tio n d ru g s
w ill n o t c o ver the m a jo r it y o f the
o r g a n iz a tio n fo r m in g to p ro te c t
O re g o n ’ s residents fro m (his insidi
d ru g costs o f senior citizens. M a n y
d ru g s (h a t d o c to rs a d v is e th e ir
p a tie n ts to ta k e a re p u rch a s ed
across th e c o u n te r a n d w o u ld be
subject to the ta x . A ls o e x e m p tin g
fo o d w o u ld n ot p ro te c t you fro m
p ay in g a sales tax w hen you check
out at the grocery store. 4 0 -508V o f
the goods th a t we b uy in the store
are not foo d item s. T h e y are soap,
to ile t p a p e r, c le a n in g m a te r ia ls ,
ous new tax p ro p o s a l. T h e S ta te
D e m o c ra tic P a r ty , T h e U n ite d
S e n io rs , the sta te A F L - C I O , the
State G ra n g e , C o m m o n Cause, T he
Black U n ite d F ro n t, T h e W o m e n ’ s
R ig h ts C o a lit io n , th e O re g o n
W o m e n ’ s P o litic a l C a u c u s , F a ir
S h a re , th e F a r m e r ’ s U n io n a n d a
m a jo r it y
of
th e
D e m o c ra tic
Senators in the caucus w hich I lead
have a ll com e out against any sales
magazines, and other sundries.
W o m e n are the big losers in the
tax p ro p o sal. I hope th a t you w ill,
too!
Iranian government collapsing
M
y k L s \
The Portland ObM rvar was established m 1970
MEMBER
Salem Update
283 2486
N atio n a l A dvertising R ep resentative
A m a lg am a te d Publishers. Inc
N e w York
To thd Editor:
T h e tw o re c e n t a rtic le s in y o u r
newspaper concerning the situ atio n
in Ira n are fu ll o f lies, d is to rtio n s
and p o litic a l e rro rs . It is a m a z in g
th a t so m uch m is in fo r m a tio n can
a p p e a r in (w o sho rt a rtic le s . I w ill
try to deal w ith the m a in e rro rs o f
these articles.
M r . M a s o n ’ s a tte m p t to g ive
A y a to lla K h o m e in i’ s fa c tio n o f the
Ir a n ia n g o v e rn m e n t a pro gressive
aspect is w rong. His use o f the terms
o f the rig ht and le ft o f the Ira n ia n
regime is the same as trying to m ake
a d is tin c tio n betw een the K ia n and
the N a zis . C e rta in ly m a k in g such a
distinction is w rong. F or example: It
was A y a to lla Khom eini him self w ho
ordered over (w o years ago that no
v ir g in can be e x e c u te d , so a ll the
w o m e n in Ir a n a re ra p e d b e fo re
execution and this w ould include the
9 year old girl w ho was executed tw o
years ago. It was A y a to lla Khom eini
himself who made it a capital punish
m ent to c on vert fro m Islam to any
ath eistic p h ilo so p h y. I t is A y a to lla
'K h o m e in i h im s e lf w h o a llo w s (Tie
use o f extrem e tortures upon all (rue
le ftis t o p p o n e n ts to his re g im e .
M a y b e M r . M a s o n considers these
acts as progressive?
The
m o st
h a le d
p o litic a l
o r g a n iz a tio n in Ir a n is a s m a ll
f a c t io n (less th a n 1000 m e m b e rs )
called the T u d e h P a rty . T h e history
o f this party has been to ta l support
fo r a ll ru lin g regim es th a t a re n ot
progressive. They opposed Mossadegh
in th e 1 9 5 0 ’ s a n d thu s a id e d the
A m erican coup that put the Shah in
p o w e r. T h e y s u p p o rte d the W h ite
R e v o lu tio n w h ic h caused m assive
s ta rv a tio n and d eath to the Ira n ia n
p e o p le . T h e y s u p p o rte d th e Sh ah
a n d c a lle d f o r a c o n s titu tio n a l
m o n arc h y up to one m o n th b efo re
his d o w n fa ll. T h e y have supported
the A y a to lla K h o m ein i’s faction and
current regime. T hey have info rm ed
on a ll tru ly progressive forces and
h a v e caused m a n y a rre s ts since
1953. T h e current repression o f the
T u d e h is based in the fac t th a t the
Ira n ia n regime knows how hated the
T u d e h a re in s id e the c o u n tr y an d
t h e r e fo r e a re u sing th e m in an
a tte m p t to r a lly m o re s u p p o rt
behind their dictatorship.
I f M r . M a s o n is so w ro n g th e n
w h a t is the tru th . T h e tru th is th a t
th e Ir a n ia n re g im e is c o lla p s in g .
Since the coup o f June 1981, w hen
P re s id e n t B a n is a d r w as re m o v e d
fro m p ow er, the regim e has been in
tro u b led w aters. T h e c o u p o f June
1981 was the turning point when the
progressive w ing o f the governm ent
was assaulted. Since that tim e , c o n
flict inside the regime has developed
between the five various factions in
the government which is resulting in
the H o ja tie h becoming m ore pow er
fu l. F o r the Ira n ia n people, there is
a senseless w ar, massive hunger and
u nem p loym ent, p o litic a l and social
re p re s s io n , a n d g ro w in g W e s te rn
in flu e n c e in s id e th e re g im e . T h e
o n ly h o p e fo r th e p e o p le o f Ir a n
rests w ith (he N a tio n a l C o u n c il o f
Resistance (N C R ) which is the m ain
o p p o s itio n to the g o v e rn m e n t. T h e
N C R is a c o a litio n o f o rg anizations
(su ch as the K u rd is h D e m o c ra tic
P a rty , P eo p le’s M o ja h e d in O rg a n i-
tio n o f Ir a n , N a tio n a l D e m o c ra tic
F ro n t, etc.) and individuals (such as
form er President B anisadr). A m e ri
cans sho uld be m ad e a w a re o f the
tr u th a b o u t I r a n , b ecau se soo n it
w ill b ec o m e the fo c u s o f m assive
a tte n tio n o f W e s te rn p ow ers w hen
the reg im e collapses an d the N C R
moves to take p ow er. Lies and m is
in f o r m a t io n such as M r . M a s o n ’ s
article only confuses the re a lity and
im p o rtan c e o f this issue to all p eo
ples o f (he w orld.
Douglaa Hurd
US violates UN charter
To the Editor:
T h e U .S . has violated the U n ite d
N a tio n s C h a r t e r w h ic h c a lls fo r
nations to settle disputes by peaceful
means so th a t in te r n a tio n a l peace
a n d s e c u rity a n d ju s tic e a re n ot
endangered.
I t is m y rig h t th r o u g h re lig io u s
con scien ce to re fu s e c o m p lic ity in
crimes against peace, w ar crimes or
crim es against h u m a n ity . T h e w ay
the R eagan a d m in is tra tio n speaks
p u b lic ly
about
f ig h tin g
an d
“ w in n in g " a n u c le a r w a r , an d
refuses to pledge not to use a firs t
s trik e p o lic y , v io la te s th e U n ite d
Nations C h arter.
A s id e fro m n u c le a r p o lic y , I
m o ra lly and e th ic a lly o b je c t to the
U .S . rapid deploym ent forces to be
used w h e re v e r U .S . p e rc e iv e d
" in te re s ts ” are th rea te n e d o r when
t o r tu r e te c h n iq u e s a re th u g h t by
U .S . G re e n B e re ts . I w a n t a ju s t
fo r e ig n p o lic y r a th e r th a n th e
c on stan t U .S . in te rfe re n c e p o lic y ,
p a r tic u la rly in T h ir d W o r ld c o u n
tries under pretense o f the “ Russian
T h r e a t . ” T h e C o n s titu tio n o f th e -
U .S . (A rtic le V ), stales that in tern a
tio n a l tre a tie s e n te re d in to by the
U .S . a re the s u p re m e la w o f the
la n d . S e c tio n 7 8 5 2 - d ., o f the IR S
Code agrees.
I support an a lte rn a tiv e tax plan
fo r tho se o f us w h o s e c on scien ce
w ill n o t let us p ay fo r k illin g . M y
s e n a to r, M a r k H a t f i e l d , is the
sponsor o f the “ W o r ld Peace T a x
F u n d ,” which w ould develop peace
fu l c o n flic t re s o lu tio n s a n d o th e r
peace-related program s such as true
ju s tic e f o r m in o r itie s by e ra s in g
racist policies used in o u r own coun
try an d used a g a in s t T h ir d W o r ld
countries. I urge the IR S to support
th is b il l , w h ic h w o u ld p u t re a l
m ean ing in to the ideals o f fre e d o m
o f choice.
Victoria Plaiatad
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