Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 24, 1983)
Portland Observer, August 2 4 ,1963 Page 5 Washington Hot Line by Congressman Ron Wyden New Bonneville Dam lock needed for revenue, jobs The flrti bill I introduced when 1 came to Congress in 19 8 1 was one to authorize the construction o f a new lock at Bonneville Dam . I made that bill my first because I believed then — as I do now — that creation o f jobs is the top priority for Oregon and the Pacific N o rth west. According to the most reliable statistics, a new lock at Bonneville would create thousands of jobs in the Portland area and lead to m il lions o f dollars o f new investment. Unfortunately, construction o f a new lock, which is an obvious need to me and other Northwest repre sentatives. was met with a cold shoulder by the Reagan administra tion. I am now happy to report that after a seven-year drought in the construction o f new water projects, the logjam appears to have broken. Just before the August break. W ater Resources Subcommittee Chairman Bob Roe ( D - N J . ) introduced a bill which places the Bonneville Lock at the top o f seven high priority water projects in the U .S. I am a co-spon sor o f this bill which represents a giant step toward the construction of the new Bonneville lock. I feel as strongly as ever that the construction o f this new lock is an economic necessity for Oregon and the Northwest. Its construction would help get workers out of the unemployment line and back on the job, as well as provide long term benefits. Estimates are the new lock would leverage some 1500 m illion in new private investment along the Colum bia River. That money would mean many permanent jobs and a sharp boost to the economy o f the entire formance on the entire Columbia- Snake River transportation system will be improved. A large, modern lock would allow for more efficient movement o f barges up and down (he entire Columbia-Snake River system. Currently, barge traffic experi ences costly delays from having to break up and reassemble their large tows at the lock. Shippers estimate that they could save some $2.50 per ton o f cargo shipped if the new lock were built. Considering those benefits, the construction o f a new Bonneville lock is a necessity. It is exactly the type o f investment the government needs to make as the money put into the project would return itself sever al times over in increased employ ment and exports for Oregon and the entire Northwest. Colum bia River Basin — from the docks o f North Portland to the Wheatfields o f Eastern Oregon The lock construction also would help rehabilitate one o f the nation’s most important inland waterway transportation systems. A t present, the lock at Bonneville is the oldest lock in the seven-dam system on the Colum bia River. It was built in 1938 and, incredi bly, has received no maintenance since 1963. This is even more incred ible when one considers the value of the traffic which moves through the lock. In 1981, some 9.1 million tons of cargo passed through the lock. The value o f exports shipped through Bonneville that year was an estimai* ed S3.88 billion. This is an impressive perfor mance. but with a new lock, the per* Bishop Tutu: A brave S. African who knows what must be done by Eric Robinson Robinson is a Methodist pastor. retired United Last week Tutu came to town — that is, he came to Portland. No. Tutu is not a circus clown; neither is he a cartoon character. His full name is Desmond Tutu. Brotherly man that he is. when I met him last Friday, although I wanted to embrace him and call him "B roth er Desmond,” I felt com pelled. out o f respect, to address him as "Bishop T u to ." This man, with the unlikely but memorable name that sounds so strange to us, comes from South A frica, where the government re gards him as subversive. His com ment on this is that Christianity is subversive o f injustice and tyranny, and the most subversive book o f all is the Bible — and they should ban it if they wish to stamp out subver sion. “ It was touch and go as to whether the government o f South Africa would allow Tutu to attend the Assembly o f the W orld Council o f Churches in Vancouver. B.C. Ten times previously he has been re fused exit visas, and it looked as if this was to be number 11. But, at the last moment occurred what the Bishop terms " a miracle.” The gov ernment changed its mind and granted him — no, not a passport, but an exit visa valid for one month. Brother Desmond credits this to the prayers o f thousands o f people. Desmond Tutu is a short man — I estimate that he is not more than five-feet, four inches tall — but he is truly a giant in spirit, morale and love for those whom he feels Ood has called him to oppose. Have I yet written that he is Black? I f not, by now you have probably guessed as much. He has a wife and four chil dren. Long ago it was his ambition to become a doctor o f medicine, but circumstances drove him into the teaching profession. However, the pitifully inadequate Bantu schools didn’t suit him, so. as he put it with a smile, ” 1 looked for a soft option from teaching and trained for the ministry of the Anglican Church at the Com m unity o f the Resurrec tio n .” Having served in several par ishes, Tutu was made a Bishop, and since 1978 he has served on the cut ting edge o f life in South A frica as the General Secretary o f the South Africa Council o f Churches, which is presently being investigated by the government. At a news conference in Van- couver, B .C ., and again in Portland last week, the Bishop described vividly some o f the consequences of "apartheid” (Afrikaans for apart ness or separation). Asked about the effect o f invest ing in South African businesses, Tutu explained that it would be a crime punishable by five years in prison if he were to suggest that fo r eigners should not thus invest. " I leave you to make your own deci sions about that. It is far more a moral than an economic problem ," he stressed. In Vancouver a reporter asked him: "B u t will it not cause Black suffering if we divest?" Tutu smiled and enquired. "W h e n did you be come so altruistic? W hat do you think we are suffering now?” Another correspondent ques tioned Tutu as to how effective the use o f Gandhian non-violcn, tactics might prove in South A frica. The bishop replied. "Rem em ber that it is already a violent situation. A part heid has dumped 3 t t m illion Blacks in arid lands as if they were rubbish. The men are separated from their families and live in one-sex hostels, where they are the prey o f prostitu tion and drink. T H IS IS T H E B A SIC V IO L E N C E . You in the West are pacifists where we are con cerned, but what about the plot against Hitler? You approved that, and Dietrich Bonhoeffcr is honored — and rightly so. W e certainly are not for violence. W e want apartheid dismantled. In the summer o f 1982 the South A frica Council of Churches declared apartheid a heresy. M any other churches sup ported this statement. How could they support a system like Naziism? Quite a number in the Reformed Church say. ’ Apartheid is at logger- heads with what we profess as Christians, but the white Dutch Re formed Church has not in any ob vious way demonstrated support to us in the S .A . Council o f Churches. “ I have told the S .A . leaders, the S .A . Council o f Churches may be closed and Tutu finished, but O od ’s will for a free South A fric a will win. You cannot stop G od. and, as always happens, you w ill finish as the flolsom and jetsom of history." This brave man o f heroic stature is sure o f O od, just as was our own M artin Luther King o f blessed memory. W hen asked who had most inspired him in the U .S . he said that when he was a boy and read in Ebony magazine about "th e Brown PORTLAND OBSERNER Subscribe today! Bom ber," Joe Louis, and Jackie Robinson, “ I grew inches! N o w ," he added, "w e carry a deep hurt in our hearts. You Americans are so inconsistent. We have thought of you as being champions o f freedom and justice, but you allow your government to support tyrants. When asked why he did not de fect. Bishop Tutu explained. " I t is far easier to be Christian in South Africa. The issues are clear cut. You are either for or against apartheid. I f I left, I would be unauthentic." Then he smiled and added dryly, "A s for the authorities, they want me back. It seems that what they don’t want is my going o u t!" Perhaps Bishop Tutu best ex pressed his faith and his theology when he told us that whether we were Black, white, or brown, we are all made in the image o f a God who doesn't wait, but who already loves us. "W e know the white South A fr i can« are not devils with horns or tails. They, too. are made in his image. W e don’t hate them. 1 al most said. 'Some o f my best friends are white!* (Laughter.) We are wait ing as patiently as we can for them to realize who they are in God's sight. "W h en at last they do, I hope our people w ill choose a form o f society that is best for them. Personally. I find capitalism abhorrent. I myself am a socialist. But I am not an econ omist. W hat I most desire is a com passionate, caring and sharing society.” Having listened to Desmond Tutu some o f us. like him, know what we must do to help him and his col leagues in his land, while we live in our own. M odel Search 5'9" and over for women. 6’2" and over for men. Bring composite and 8x10 head shot to: Cora Smith. 727 S W 12th Ave. For ’Cobl Collection Traveling Fashion Show." THE FUTURE BELONGS TO PEOPLE WITH TECHNICAL SKILLS. ili» / . 54 I Hl I You hear it everywhere. The Electronic Age The Age of the Computer. The Era ot High Teen And that the future belongs to the people with the technical skills. But where do you go to learn technical skills? Consider the Army. We have over 300 skills to offer, many ot them technical, and most ot them have their civilian counterparts. You could learn a skill in the Army that you could carry right into the future. It s a gtxxl chance for you to be what you want to be. So see your Army Recruiter. 321 SW Salm on St. 221-2267 3637 NE Sandy Blvd. 232-9559 ARMY. BEALLYOUCANBE. Money fogo. The economy ts up. < )ur interest rates are down. And now is ttie best tune in years to go ahead and borrow the money for the major purchase you may have postponed. I*ut pleasure back in your driving with a new car. Sail away aboard the boat of your dreams. Or set off on f.unily adventures in your own recreational vehicle. Then again, maybe you've got some thing else in mind. That's fine. too. Because w e're lending money for a lot of good reasons All you have to do is decide what kind of loan you want. With the right credit infor mation, we'll give you an answer in only one day. If you qualify, you’ll have cash in hand to shop for your best possible deal. Come into any branch of First Interstate Bank soon. We have the financ ing to give your _ dreams M h FlTSt get up and go. Interstate Bank t »
