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Portland Observar, June 29,1963 Section I Page 5
South Africa threatens world peace
by Oladapo Fafowora
Nigerian Ambassador lo the U .N .
Apartheid South A frica is an un
mitigated evil which cannot be jus
tified or tolerated under any circum
stances by the international commu
nity. The apartheid system is so in
herently evil and abhorrent that it
represents a negation o f all the in
trinsic values that all civilized na
tions so dearly cherish. The interna
tional concern aroused by apartheid
South A frica is not merely (hat
racial discrimination exists there.
There are many other countries
where discrimination on the basis of
race, color, or creed also exists.
W hat is so uniquely abhorrent
about South Africa is that racism
and racial discrimination have been
totally institutionalized, enshrined
in law, and made all pervasive. It to
tally dominates all aspects o f the
lives o f South Africans, white or
black, and it has the full support of
(he law. It is also vigorously and
ruthlessly enforced by (he white
minority South African regime.
The apartheid doctrine under
which the black m ajority of about
80% o f the total population are
denied their basic and fundamental
human rights has engendered a pro
found and widespread frustration
among young blacks in the territory.
M any have already left the country
to join the liberation movements —
the A N C and the P A C . M any more
w ill do so in the future since there is
little or no hope o f reforms in South
A frica. The strategy o f peaceful
demonstration and protests has
been abandoned
in
favor o f
violence, because o f the ruthless
suppression o f any dissent in apart
heid South A frica. Many blacks
have been shot, as in Sharpeville.
for protesting against the unjust
laws o f the South African regime. A
rising tide o f violence now seems to
engulf both white and black not
only within South Africa itself, but
beyond South Africa's borders. The
apartheid regime, in a misguided
attempt to suppress internal rebel
lion and conflict in South Africa,
has embarked on a reckless cam
paign o f military attacks and other
attinst
neighbors o f the Frontline States. It
has also sought to weaken, divide,
and undermine the Frontline States,
particularly Angola and M ozam
bique, by sponsoring and financing
dissident movements in these coun
tries — the so-called M R M , and
U N IT A .
The upshot o f all this is that as the
circle of violence widens on the
African continent, even far away
countries like the U .S. will be sub
jected to strong conflicting pres
sures to support one side or (he
other. The ensuing debate could
quickly mobilize African political
and economic pressures against
those Western countries that appear
to be either indifferent, or that
overtly or covertly support the
apartheid regime. T o put it bluntly,
if South A frica fails to deal justly
and effectively with its own internal
racial problem, that failure will not
only present (he Western world with
a crucial dilemma, but may well lead
to a conflagration from which the
Western world will not be able to
escape. And the prospects o f such a
conflagration have been made even
greater by South A frica's develop
ment o f nuclear weapons capability.
The danger which a nuclear
armed racist South A frica presents
to the African continent is an ex
tremely grave one. It calls for urgent
and prompt response from the A fr i
can states. Is it any wonder, there
fore, that at the recently concluded
summit o f the O A U , the outgoing
Secretary-General,
M r.
Edem
Kodjo, in his valedictory address,
also called on A frican states to
abandon their policy o f denucleari
zation o f Africa in favor o f (he de
velopment o f a nuclear weapons
capability. And we know that at
least three African states are now
within the threshold o f achieving
nuclear weapons capability. The
danger which a proliferation o f nu
clear weapons states in A frica pre
sents to world peace and security is
obviously serious.
Apartheid is a system o f racially
biased laws which wholly circum
scribes every facet o f the daily lives
o f the blacks in South A frica, lim it
ing their economic liberties, and
prohibiting any significant voice in
the government that controls their
existence. W hat is the racist regime
doing to redress this situation? The
answer is little or nothing. The
regime is fully aware o f both the in
ternal and external criticism o f its
racist policy. But apart from a par
tial relaxation o f the so-called petty
apartheid, it has not taken any con
crete steps towards (he elimination
o f the notorious apartheid laws. The
basic structure o f apartheid remains
virtually intact.
Prospects for the future
W hat are the prospects for the
future? The racist regime o f South
Africa is determined to maintain its
obnoxious apartheid system at all
costs, and against all odds. It has
refused to confront (he issue o f poli
tical participation for the blacks.
The prospects for a peaceful change
are therefore bleak. Already, there
are growing signs that fundamental
changes will come only through rev
olutionary violence. The young
blacks have now reluctantly accept
ed violence as the only means o f
overturning the system, and the
growing acceptance o f violence as a
tool for change has stimulated inter
est in radical ideologies.
A t the United Nations and other
international fora, the African
states have consistently expressed
their total opposition to racist South
Africa and aim at the total diplo
matic isolation o f the racist regime.
Among the Western powers, too,
there is considerable anxiety and
concern about the dangerous direc
tion in which South A frica is hell
bent on moving, for in the event o f a
bloody conflict, the Western coun
tries will sec (heir considerable eco
nomic and Financial investments go
up in smoke.
There are many in the West, par
ticularly here in the United States
who continue to underestimate the
inherent danger which the apartheid
regime represents for long term eco
nomic relations between the West
and Africa. M any are still disposed
to blame the conflict situation in
South Africa on what (hey call
Soviet expansionism. Such people
are quick to denounce black agita
tions and their liberation move
ments as communists. But this is a
profound error o f judgment on their
part. The struggle o f (he blacks in
South Africa for freedom is not
ideological. The freedom fighters
are not Soviet proxies or puppets.
They have taken to arms not to ad
vance any particular ideology but to
advance the cause of freedom in
South Africa. They are defenders of
the freedom and values which are
the foundations o f civilized govern
ment.
Because South A frica is the dom i
nant military power in A frica today,
many people in the West believe that
the regime will be able to take care
o f things. But it is only a question of
time before South Africa's military
superiority is reversed. As the eco
nomic strength o f the African states
increase, they w ill gain the resources
to support the liberation struggle in
side South A frica. In (he event o f a
military conflict, the West w ill be
unable to stand in strategic alliance
with South A frica because to do so
would be regarded as supporting a
political system that is a complete
negation o f the basic human rights
o f its own population, and hence
unacceptable to their own people.
Some are sympathetic, but argue
that what is needed is economic re
form . A program o f economic
reform is highly desirable in itself,
but it is unlikely to bring about the
necessary political reforms fast
enough. But the political issue must
be confronted squarely. For the
blacks,
social
and
economic
advance is not an adequate substi
tute for political power.
Proposal offers tax relief
by Charles Goodmacher
A proposal giving immediate
property tax relief for homeowners
by closing income tax loopholes cur
rently available to the wealthy,
passed the Senate Revenue C om m it
tee Friday. Comm ittee Chairperson
Chuck Hanlon. D-Corneiius, pre
dicted a vote on the measure this
week.
The Hanlon measure calls for a
reduction of S3 per S I,000 of assessed
value in residential property taxes
for schools. Critics say that this flat
rate reduction form ula favors rural
and wealthy areas whose tax rates
are currently lower than urban
rates.
The homeowner-only aspect o f
the Hanlon plan differs drastically
from the (ax relief called by (he
House-approved sales tax measure.
The sales tax proposal called for re
At the end o f 1982 there were
412,303 inmates in U .S. state
and
federal
prisons.
Also,
an estimated 210,000 persons were
confined in the nation's jails on
June 30, 1982. Thus, jails held one
inmate for every two inmates held in
state and federal prisons. Three of
every five o f those persons who were
in the nation's local jails had not
been convicted o f an offense.
The unconvicted were waiting to
be formally charged (arraignment),
waiting for pretrial release (bail, re
lease on own recognizance, etc.), or
waiting for trial. The convicted were
awaiting sentence, awaiting revoca
tion hearings on a technical viola
tion o f parole or probation, aw ait
ing transfer to a prison or other cor
rectional facility, or serving their
sentence in jail. Statistics show that
19 states held 6,900 prisoners in
county jails because o f prison over
crowding.
About 58 percent o f the ja il in
mates were white, 40 percent black,
and 2 percent persons o f other
races. The most recent racial distri
bution o f prison population (D e
cember 31, 1981) was 52 percent
while. 46 percent black, I percent
other races, and I percent not re
ported.
From a statistical viewpoint it is
apparent that our penal system is
grossly overcrowded. The problems
that result from prison overcrowd
ing are not hnrd to visualize — an
increase in the financial necessity
for new prison construction, a
breakdown in mental and rehabilita
tive treatment and service programs,
a greater likelihood for violent dis
turbances and the general deteriora
tion o f a humane environment.
These problems are readily ap
parent, but the societal neglect that
takes the form o f overcrowding also
breeds subtle silent germs that erode
the souls o f men confined. The des
olate dislocation o f desocialization,
suppressed passion, homosexuality,
brutality, reinforced criminal men
tality, and the age-old ghoul of
racism are the diseases caused by
these germs.
One has to ask how someone can
return from such bleak conditions
to become a productive contributor
to society. The answer is most often
negative — the grave that is prison
holds its corpse and most prisoners
are little more than socioeconomic
vampires when they are returned to
the community. There should be
little wonder that recidivism exists,
and that the petty thief becomes a
murderer or rapist when there is no
healing o f the cancer called prison.
Recently black prisoners in the
tradition o f Ghandi and D r. M artin
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•V
Luther King, staged a non-violent
silent protest at Oregon State Peni
tentiary. They are concerned with
the disproportionately high number
o f black prisoners incarcerated at
the prison. Blacks compose 17% of
the prison population while the
black state population is less than
2% . Oregon ranks second national
ly in the incarceration o f blacks,
Indians and Hispanics per capita.
Other areas o f concern for O re
gon's prisoners o f color are segrega
tion in job placement, the need for a
permanent Muslim Im am to service
state institutions, racial harassment
by prison guards, the need for a
black psychologist to diagnose and
treat black prisoners, the need for
adequate black literature, the ab
sence o f ranking black prison
guards, the cultural isolation caused
by (he limited television and radio
media access (it is my understanding
that this grievance is being ad
dressed through the installation o f a
new antenna system), the lack of
black cosmetics and cards at (he
prison commissary, and the inherent
racist qualities of the parole matrix
system.
It should be noted that the prison
administration has agreed to meet
all grievances it deems legitimate
and a mediation process is under
way. W hile this reporter commends
the open attitude o f the prison ad
ministration, it is necessary to stress
the importance o f a permanent reso
lution o f these problems.
This reporter would also urge
added community support for the
brothers behind the walls. It is going
to be a long hot summer. The over
crowding and the other aforemen
tioned problems could produce a
fire that might rage out o f control.
Let us not be caught reading head
lines and shaking our heads in tears
and shame because we didn't get in
volved in the problem solving. Let
all concerned citizens, organizations
and religious groups marshal their
support for those who so desperate
ly need it.
Remember that you can prevent
prison fires and vampires do exist:
contact
Homer
Clay,
»43391,
Uhuru Organization, 2605 State St.,
Salem. O r , 97310 (378-2446) or M r
Ron M artin, M inority A ffairs, 2605
State St.,
Salem, O r.,
97310
(378-2443).
tax).
Most Portland area senators told
the Observer that they are either un
decided or opposed to the Hanlon
plan as currently written. Senators
M cC oy, D -Portland, and Gardner,
D-Portland, are undecided. Senator
Ryles. R-Beaverton/W est Portland,
is against the measure as is Senator
M onroe. D-Portland. Senator Jan
Wyers,
D -P ortland,
told
the
Observer that he strongly favors the
closing o f (he income tax loopholes
proposed by Senator Hanlon.
The $5 cut in property tax rates
will cost the slate about $394 m illion
o f which $82 million will be recap
tured from the $800 million federal
tax breaks given to wealthy O re
gonians over the past three years.
(Please turn to Section / / Page S)
The U.S. National Academy of Design held an an
competition and awarded second place to a work
which the judges then learned had been hanging up
side down.
•
Scholars today have some doubts as to whether
Americus Vespucius, for whom the Americas are
named, ever traveled here at all.
•
Do you have a morbid fear of the number 13? Then
you have triskaidekaphobia.
W e do »sot do business w ith South Africo
£03
(Excerpts fro m address o f June I8th,
Portland State University)
OSP inmates demonstrate
by Asm ar A bdul Seifullah
ductions in all property taxes, com
mercial as well as residential (even
though business w on't pay any sales
Street Beat
by Lanita Duke and Richard Brown
American State
Bank AN INDEPENDENT BANK
Head Office
2737 N. E. Union
Portland. 0'egon 97212
Last week Sally Ride made history
as (he first American female astro
naut. The Street Beat reflected on
this event with, “ Was it significant
that Sally Ride was the first Ameri
can female astronaut?”
Associated Manager
Wendy Johnson
Housewife
"1 thought it was really neat.
I never watched any o f the space
splash downs until the one last
week. I watched it a ll.”
"Y e s, I think it was, just be
cause she's a woman. I think
because o f her more women
would develop an interest in th.*
space p ro gram ."
Gary Harshaw
Plumber
" I t really didn't mean lhat
much to me. I ’m glad she went
up. but the fact that she is a
woman didn't mailer to m e.”
Phil Robinson
Accountant
Debra Teare
Sandra Arnold
Unemployed
" N o . I don't like listening to
stuff about women being the
first this and the first that. I
really don't like them sending
up men.”
" N o , it wasn't. I look upon
her as I would look upon any
other astronaut. The flight was
a m ajor event, but I didn’ t look
at her as being a part o f the
m ajor event."
L .P .N .
" N o , it wasn’ t. I think it was
for show. I don't think she
played a specific part in the
flight. I'm interested in the tech
nology and the byproducts that
come out o f the space program
rather than Sally Ride being the
first woman in space.”