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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 31, 1983)
Page 4 Portland Observer, August 31, 1963 EDITORIAL/OPINION Democrats skirt responsibility The Multnomah County Democratic Central Committee failed miserably in its responsibility to Democratic Party members and the citizens o f Oregon in general when they so watered down their resolution against a sales tax and its supporters that they might as well have stayed home. The amendment approved by the executive committee, and referred to the body, said the county party would not acknowledge legislative candidates who vote for placing the sales tax on the ballot and would announce their lack o f sup port prior to the primary election. It too gener ously forgave those legislators for their wrong votes during the session just ended. The final version, adopted by the Central Committee, says, "the Multnomah County Democratic Central Committee provide all pre cinct committeepeople with the voting records of all Multnomah County State Representatives and Senators on the priority issues adopted by the State Central Committee on January 29, 1983 at least eight days prior to straw balloting for M C D C C endorsement o f candidates in the next primary elections___ " Bid deal! The committee endorsements are a farce because many times only half a dozen people are present to vote on a specific race and most voters never hear about the endorsement anyway. The only way the Democratic Party will have any influence over the office holders who use its name is to punish those who blatantly ignore the party platform: denounce them, withhold money and volunteer help, advise the voters not to vote for them. This namby pamby skirting around the issue will not help the people of Oregon or the party. The proof o f this is that the Democratic legisla tive leadership is right now advocating placing a sales tax on the ballot, while the Republican legislators and a Republican governor are op posing the sales tax. The Democratic Party cannot condemn the Democratic legislators for abdicating their re sponsibility while avoiding its own. The time has come for the voters to organize, to form committees and coalitions, and to find and support their own candidates. A real grass roots movement could replace many of those who are elected again and again based on a familiar face and a pocket full o f money. Workers still struggle for rights Labor Day, September 5th, has been chris tened Solidarity Day 111 by the A F L -C IO and rallies are planned throughout the nation to pro test the racist, militaristic, anti-poor, anti-labor and sexist policies o f the Reagan administration. The conditions of today closely parallel those that existed when the first Labor Day was de clared in 1882 by the New York Central Labor Union. This was a 10-ycar period of violence against labor, increasing technology, increasing exploitation of workers and increasing monopo lization. The root o f the militant and independent ide ology of labor leaders was the failure of the Civil War to emancipate the working people of the in dustrial North. Organized labor had supported the North and filled the ranks of the Union Army, believing workers could not be free as long as slavery existed. W illiam Sylvis, organizer of the firs, national union, repeatedly spoke of the need for free Blacks and for workers o f all races to unite in unions. When the war was over the soldiers found the industrialists had made fortunes and they were returning to be industrial slaves. An all-out drive to break the unions and cut back wages and benefits is underway, using the Reagan administration-induced unemployment and poverty as leverage against workers who are fighting to retain their hard-won rights. Letters to the Editor Fadeley supplies tax facts To the Editor: Oregonians have heard only about twenty percent of ihe Facts about the last legislative session. Here are important facts they haven't heard. The sales lax passed by the House in ihe Iasi session was designed to increase Slate o f Oregon General Fund taxes by $8(M) million a year. This represents a proposed increase o f over one-half in stale general fund taxes The sales tax was much broader in coverage than either C alifornia or Washington sales laxes. Most services like dry cleaning, hair cuts, a house call by your plumber, etc. were to be taxed ai 4 cents on the dollar, as well as retail sales. Some have said failure o f that proposal was a failure to provide lax relief. The Stale o f Oregon has not levied property taxes for over forty years. However, local governments and schools* property lax levies have increased statewide by SI percent in ihe last three years. At the same lime the income of all O re gonians statewide has remained about level. It is easy to understand why people feel pinched by the local property tax growth rate and by tax increases in general. They don’t have any increased ability to pay laxes. The legislature provided property tax relief, despite claims to the contrary. Direct property tax re lief totalling $ 4 11 million will be paid to or for homeowners and renters in this two-year budget period through the existing H A R R P program and the general all home- MHI • owners and renters program. Other state payments for the next two years which reduce the demand for property taxes are $917 million in aid to local school districts, $104 million for community colleges, $25 million o f local court costs, and m il lions o f dollars o f other state pay ments. A ll of these latter state-paid amounts have increased since the last state budget Did the state have money to pay these increases? Only by continuing cigarette and income tax increases made in 1981 -82, and by increasing the tax per person. These totalled $419 million. Direct payments to homeowners and renters were $411 million which, with administrative costs, almost equals the amount o f increase voted. Did the state government need this money for its own operations? No. General property tax relief was started by slate government in 1978 Since then it has applied five billion, one hundred forty-five million dollars o f state-collected (axes to fund direct property tax relief and basic school support and other aids to local government. I f stale govern ment had kept back this money, it would be enough to fund all state government activities at current levels for the next six years — w ith out another nickel o f state taxes being collected during that time span. Edward N. Fadalay Praaldant Oragon Stata Sanata PORTLAND OBSERVER saluting Ì L ABORDA* Monday, Sept. 5th Portland Observer » The P o n la n il O tu r r v e r IU S P S 959 680» is published • »•»» Thursday by E x « Publishing Company Inc . 220, N o’ ,»' Killing, worth Portland Oragon 97217 Poxt Ottica Box 3 ,3 7 Portland Oragon 9 »208 Second claaa posuga paid al Portland Oragon MEMBER The Portland tttn rrv e r wax extebnxhed m 1970 Subacnptiona »15 00 par »ear m the Tti County area Poet m t t l t r Sand addraas changea to the Portland OBaarvrr. P O Box 3,37 Portland Oregon 97208 Alfred L. Henderson. Editor/Publisher A I H'llliams. Advertising Manager Association - « Foundad 7885 «•' »•- •/ e s , a ' _ 283 2486 N a tio n a l A d v ertis in g R ep resentative A m a lg a m a te d Publisher« Inc N e w York United Nations hears charge of United States' Black genocide Nelson Johnson, Co-Convener of the National Black Organizers Com mittee, and p la in tiff in the Greens boro Civil Rights Suit, charged genocide of Biack Americans by the U.S. government in a speech before the United Nations Second W orld Conference to Combat Racism and Racial Discrimination meeting in Geneva, Switzerland. M r. Johnson decried “ the dra matic growth in racism and racist violence in the United States which .is fostered by the U.S. govern ment and has profound implications for racial groups within the U.S. and for the peoples o f the w orld .” The conference was the second to be held as part o f the "Decade to Combat Racism and Racial Dis crim ination" sponsored by the United Nations. Its goal is the eradi cation o f racism worldwide and in particular the end o f the policies of apartheid in South Africa. The con ference was attended by officials from over one hundred countries, with only the United States and Israel boycotting the assembly and the decade. M r. Johnson cited at least 30 acts of Ku Klux Kian violence and racist terror occurring in his home state. North Carolina, in 1983. He re ferred to the evidence of federal in volvement in the Ku Klux Kian that has surfaced in investigations o f the November 3, 1979, Greensboro Massacre, as demonstration o f links between the growing terror and fed eral police agencies. Since 1979, media reports and court testimony have revealed that two federal agents were actively organizing the Kian and Nazi groups that came to gether to shoot and kill a Black woman and four white men at the anti-Kian demonstration in Greens boro. All five killed were textile union and community organizers in Ihe area The attacks on Black people, ho'vever, are not limited to Kian violence, according to Johnson. He referred to widespread legal attacks on Black leadership that have left more than 50*a o f all elected Black officials under investigation or in dictment. "This makes a mockery o f the electoral process, not to speak o f the right o f the African-A m eri can nation to self-determination.” The broadening o f FBI powers to conduct domestic investigation o f political groups under the new "Sm ith Guidelines" — “ to spy, tap phones, frame, and even murder Black leaders" — is a potential esca lation o f the F B I’s present illegal conduct toward Black people and their leadership. In 1951 a petition charging geno cide of Black Americans was pre sented to the United Nations General Assembly by 94 United States citizens including Paul Robe son and W .E .B . Dubois. The peti tion documented thousands o f inci dents o f racist violence and discrimi nation. No action was ever taken by the U .N . on the charge. M r. John son said that his statement was a re newal o f that original protest. The United States government's refusal to participate in this confer ence or in the associated Decade to Combat Racism was denounced in a statement read by Johnson that was prepared and signed by a group o f individuals and Non-Governmental Organizations attending the confer ence from the United States. According to that statement, “ In re fusing to participate in this confer ence or the Decade, the United States government is underscoring its insensitivity to the causes and effects o f racism and racial discrimi nation This insensitivity comes at a most critical time for race relations within our own country; deteriorat ing economic conditions are foster- ing even more open and violent manifestations o f racism.” The citizens group denounced the "extensive economic, social and po litical ties with the apartheid regime o f South Africa, lending support which is critical to apartheid's sur viv al." The statement called on "people o f the United States of America to demand that our govern ment constructively participate in future United Nations programs to combat racism and racial discrimi nation and in plans o f action coming out o f this conference.” Johnson, in his speech, also at tacked and drew parallels between racism in (he United Sûtes and support o f apartheid by the U.S. government and interventionist plans in Central America. “ Th United States government has to in tensify racism and repression do mesticallv in order to continue io strengthen its support o f racism, apartheid and oppression interna tion ally." He cited a merger of the ideologies o f racism and anti-com munism by the Reagan administra tion as cover for its policies - A call was given to the body to "condemn the dramatic increase in racism, racial discrimination and racist violence perpetuated and sup ported by the United States govern ment against racial groups within its own borders,” to be coupled with an acknowledgement o f the definite relationship between the increase in racism, racial discrimination and racist violence within the United States and the ability o f the United States government to support apart heid in Southern Africa; that it is only with the strengthening of the ideology and practice of racism within the United States is the U.S. government able to keep its people confused, divided and unable to e f fectively combat the continued sup port of that criminal South A fric a ." CIA busy in North Africa W hile great attention is being given by the U.S. press to the role ot Libya in the civil war in Chad, the role o f the C IA in setting up the situation that now threatens to spread into a major confrontation goes largely unnoticed The United States has had a long standing interest in Chad as part of its effort to expand U.S. presence in North Africa The current escala tion o f U.S. aid to Chad has met with opposition by the Organization o f African Unity, which has asked for withdrawal of all foreign troops and a negotiated settlement. France, also, is angry because of reported U.S. pressure to increase its own military aid to its former colony. A review of the history o f Chad’s conflict demonstrates that the U.S. has had direct involvement as well as using surrogates. In I960, Chad gained indepen dence from France along with other African nations. The landlocked desert country had little opportunity for economic development and re mained dependent on France. Ngarta Tombalbaye was named president, but there was mistrust be tween the French-influenced south and the Muslim north, which had really never been conquered by the French. In 1965 the Chad National Liber ation Front (F R O L IN A T ) was formed and the rebellion began. French troops intervened in 1968, but the Front remained active. President Tombalbaye was re moved by a military coup in 1975 and replaced by General Felix M alloum . F R O L IN A T , in which Goukouni Queddet and Hissein Habre were ri vals, gained control of (he northern third o f Chad Habre joined M alloum 's "national reconciliation movement" but F R O L IN A T con tinued to fight under Goukouni's leadership. Another French inter vention prevented victory. By the time the government of M alloum fell, in 1979, Habre was his defense minister The neighbor ing states of Nigeria, Libya, Sudan, Camaroon and Niger set up a peace conference under O A U auspices. The Transitional Government of National Unity (G U N T ) was estab lished, including eleven major groups, and Queddei became presi dent. Later that year Habre attempted to overthrow the legitimate govern ment, G U N T . In October o f 1980, at Queddei's request, Libya sent sev eral thousand troops to support G U N T and by December Habre's troops were pushed back to Sudan, where they received aid from Sudan, Egypt and the C IA . Both France xnd the U.S. were concerned about Libya's involve ment in Chad. When Ronald Reagan and Prime Minister M itter- and met at Cancún in October o f 1981, France pushed for the estab lishment o f an "in te r-A fric an " peace force to replace Libyan troops. Reagan pledged $12 million in m ili tary aid and sent $10 million to Habre through Sudan and Egypt. In December Queddei and the O A U agreed to the peacekeeping force and Libyan forces withdrew. France's former colonies, Zaire and Senegal, sent the first troops. The Reagan administration transported these troops to Chad and used its aid to justify stationing U .S. m ili tary personnel in Chad to "m o n i tor” its use. G U N T was still recog nized as the goverment o f Chad As soon as Libya withdrew Habre, bolstered by $10 million in U.S covert aid and arms for Sudan and Egypt, launched an attack and easily overcame the government troops. Habre made himself presi dent. This summer, G U N T , led by Queddei launched an effort to retake Chad. Queddei called together the leadership of the organization, reli gious and ethnic groups and they formed the "N atio n al Liberation A rm y.” The Reagan administration im mediately approved $25 million in military aid to Habre. This effort was accompanied by troops from Zaire, which are trained by Israel and transported by the U.S. Foreign mercenaries who have fought in Congo, Angola, Seychelles and Samores under the leadership of Bob Devand, a man under a death sentence in many nations in Africa, were recruited along with Belgian and French mercenaries. The Reagan administration is lined up with some o f the most reac tionary forces in Africa, opposing the legitimate government o f Chad, and blaming the whole affair on Libya's M oam m ar Khadafi.
