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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 9, 1983)
» «M » P«fl« 4 Portland Observer, November 9,1963 3 EDITORIAL/OPINION The area o f empty city-owned buildings has the appearance o f a bombed-out area and would require tens of millions o f dollars to renew. City officials believe the “ lived-in look" decals and some minor masonry work on the outsides of the vacant buildings will lift the morale o f the re sidents, discourage vandals and impress the thousands o f motorists who pass the area daily. In addition to the initial expenditures of $300,000 (at $6 per decal), the city plans to ex tend the program to empty buildings along traf fic corridors. This superficial face-lifting— foolish as it might seem— is exactly what the government has been doing for years. W ar on Poverty, Model Cities, Welfare and other funds, for the most part, have not been directed at making funda mental structural changes that would allow for economic development and elimination o f pov erty and its symptoms. They have been directed toward easing life under unbearable conditions and diverting attention from the causes of the poverty, crime, disaffection, insecurity and iso lation that millions of Americans are forced to live with. Only through economic and social planning directed at meeting the needs of the people rather than the profits of a few will change occur. In the meantime, government will place highly colored decals over the windows of its battered economy to hide the evidence of internal decay. Social workers register clients One of the brighter developments in Portland in recent months is the organization of a coali tion of social workers, counsellors, and profes sionals who work with the poor to register their clients to vote. Voter registration regulations have long served to disenfranchise the poor and miorities. Yet there are the large, untapped pool of voters who have the greatest motive to "dum p Reagan." W ho has more reason to vote for a change in national leadership than the poor who have lost their food stamps, the elderly who are in danger of losing their Social Security, the stu dents who are denied the opportunity for an education, the ill who have no medical care, or the minorities who face administration-fostered discrimination? This coalition to register social work agency clients also recognizes that they are citizens with rights and responsibilities— that they are people. This registration drive could be a great equalizer — humanizing social workiers while enfranchis ing clients. Provocation? Having eliminated the hated Grenada govern ment and occupied that nation, the Reagan A d ministration is looking for an excuse to invade Nicaragua an d /o r Cuba. Looking for a provo cation, the administration has announced that Fidel Castro has ordered the assassination of U S. embassy personnel in Latin American countries. The Cuban government responded that it “ has not and could not” give such orders since it opposes terrorism and does not believe that ac tions should be taken agains its individual citi zens of an enemy nation. This stems from the belief that the American people, though misled, are not evil; that they do not have control of their government and therefore are not responsi- ble, as individuals, for its actions. Even during the Cuban Revolution there were no acts of vio lence against the people and government soldiers were treated as employees of a corrupt and evil government, rather than the instigators o f evil. The Reagan Administration statement has set up a situation where any act of violence against the U.S. government or U.S. citizens can be used as an excuse for an invasion of Cuba—a very dangerous situation for the American peo ple to be placed in since this could lead to a nu clear holocaust. Now is the time for the American people to signal their opposition to such a move through demonstrations, civil disobedience and other ap propriate actions— before an invasion of Cuba or Nicaragua is launched. Letters to the Editor Reagan's credibility battle casualty To the editor: The credibility o f President Rea gan was one o f the casualties o f the Grenada invasion. He maintained that our invasion force went into Grenada to save the lives o f medical students and the other Americans who were in danger, but no A m eri can, student or otherwise, has com plained o f being threatened by the Grenadian government or its m ili tary forces, and the Stale Depart ment had received assurances by the Grenadian government that the stu dents were safe. The Monday before the invasion, the airport was open and some people left the island through very routing customs' pro cedures. President Reagan further stated that he wanted to prevent another Iranian "hostage" situation— but there is simply no parallel. The Iran ian students that took the American Embassy officials hostage had rea son to be upset with U .S . foreign policy which had interceded in the ™ — internal affairs o f Iran in 1953. At this time the American Central In telligence Agency ( C IA ) installed the Shah in power rather than the popular Mosadegh. The Shah, who was supported m ilitarily and eco nomically by several U.S. adminis trations, tortured and murdered thousands o f Iranians suspected o f being political opponents. A t a time o f transition following the ouster of the Shah in 1979, the U.S. Embassy and its employees served as a iytn - • bol o f conspiracy with the much- hated Shah. In contrast, the U .S. had denied any support to the very popular Grenadian government of Maurice Bishop because he directed too much o f his budget to social programs, i.e., food subsidies, edu cation, and medical care. The A m erican medical students were in no way connected to the U.S. govern ment. Also, in a country heavily de pendent on tourist trade, the G rena dian government would have been foolish to do anything that might Portland 's largest hlaek-owne^newspaper. endanger a source o f income and foreign trade dollars. The danger to Americans was at best imagined and the motive for their safety was a reality. A t the cost of about 100 lives (Grenadians, Cubans and Am eri cans), with the help o f 6,000 right ing men, the President was able to save the medical students the taxi fare to the old airport by bringing them out on the new airport via C- 130 military transport planes.- - — I grieve for the relatives and friends o f the victims o f the invasion but the lost Marines did not die for the noble cause espoused by the Pre sident. H e squandered the lives of 18 Marines because he and his m il lionaire pals did not like the govern ment on that tiny island. W ith the benefit o f a free press and vigorous reporting, U .S. public opinion would correspond more to the 109-8 condemnation rather than the 75 percent public support he enjoys. Herschel Soles Subscribe today! ■ PORTLAND OBSERVER to the Portland Observer. □ I have enclosed my check or N a m e ___________________________ City Grenada: W hat was the full role of the C IA in disrupting and sabotaging Bish op's government from 1979 to 1983? From the day G airy's dicta torship was overthrown, the U .S. has been aggressively hostile to the N J M . In A p ril. 1979, Bishop asked the Carter Administration for aid in reconstructing his nation. The U .S. ambassador offered the insulting amount of $5,000. and warned Bish op against relations with the Cubans. The Reagan Administra tion stepped up the attacks on G ren ada According to press accounts, a number o f the "students” flown out o f Grenada in the first hours o f the invasion were C IA agents. What was their part in overthrowing Bish op and his followers? What was the role o f Jamaica's reactionary and unpopular Prime Minister Edward Seaga in the inva sion? Vice President George Bush visited Jamaica only two days be fore Bishop's murder. And during the invasion. Seaga was repeatedly interviewed on U .S. television, obe diently mouthing the lines written for him by Reagan, Bush and Co. Was Bush's visit entirely coinci dental. or was (he destruction o f the N JM and Bishop on (he agenda? When was the invasion actually planned? No one in Washington, D .C ., seriously believes that this massive maneuver was coordinated in the space of several days. Rea gan's crocodile tears for Bishop are a pathetic mask to hide his bitter op position to the N J M . Indeed, in A u gust and September, 1981, “ O pera tion Ocean Venture" was carried out in the Caribbean, the largest “ war games" in years. Over 120,000 From the troop* and 1,000 aircraft were in volved in the "m ock invaaion” o f a so-called enemy island, “ Amber and the A m b erd in es" The goal o f the invasion was to "install a regime favorable" to the U .S . “ A m ber” was o f course Grenada, as recent history illustrate*. W hy was the press kept from Grenada during the invasion? W hy were representatives o f the media quartered 150 mile* away for several days? Did U .S . forces employ indis criminately heavy fire at the Grena dian population? Scores were killed and wounded when a U .S . navy plane bombed a civilian hospital. How many other unarmed civilians were massacred by U .S. troop* as well? These unanswered questions as sume personal dimensions for this writer. I deeply respected Bishop and supported the N J M . O nly one month before the coup I met V in cent Noel o f the N J M 's Internation al Relations Department when both o f us were visiting Jamaica. I planned to visit Grenada this March, and we discussed at length international and U.S. politics. Now to my sorrow I have leaned that V in cent was murdered, along with other leaders o f the N J M , as well as Bishop. But these crimes cannot begin to compare with the outrages of the Reagan Administration against the whole population of Grenada. I mourn the N J M , and its promise of a democratic revolutionary society for Grenada. But Bishop himself would urge us to challenge and con demn the U.S. invasion, and to re sist this latest criminal folly o f the Reagan Administration. oardroom by Gladys M cCoy, County Commissioner The Association of Oregon Coun ties is coming back to Portland after a seven year absence! Why is that so important? For two reasons: ( I ) This is the annual meeting of the 36 counties in Oregon, of which M u lt nomah is the largest. And. since we have more resources than any other county, why has it taken so long to return? (2) I have been on the A .O .C . Board since my election to the Board in 1979. During that time I have served as Treasurer, 2nd Vice Chair, 1st Vice Chair, and if all goes according to the normal process, I should become President o f the As sociation when it meets here at the Hilton Hotel. November 16-18. I continue to believe the general population is unknowledgeable about County government, and yet it is a necessary local jurisdiction for which your taxes are paid. It pro vides service* no other jurisdiction provides because they were mandat ed by the state to do so. Early on counties were very lim it ed in the services they p ro v id e d - roads, law enforcement, courts, care for needy, and tax collections. They acted almost exclusively as agents of the State, with activities being either authorized or mandated by State law However, since a 1958 Constitutional amendment author ized counties to adopt "hom e rule" charters, seven counties have elected to do so. This allows Lane, Wash ington, Hood river, Multnomah (196?). Benton. Jackson, and Jo- sephing County voters to adopt and amend their own county govern ment organization. 23 o f the 36 Oregon counties op erate under a "Board of Commis sioners" of three to Five members. The other 13 less populated counties are governed by a “ County C o u rt" consisting o f a judge and two Com missioners. Over the years County functions have increased, as counties, espe cially Multnom ah County, sought to provide for its constituents the same kind and level o f services pro vided by its adjoining cities. Coun ties have moved from a few man dated service* for the poor to some very complex and sophisticated health programs, greatly expensive criminal justice systems, county wide library service, roads, bridges, energy, housing, and a wide range o f services to the elderly, youth, refugees and other needy populations. There are few counties with the capacity to hold the Annual Con vention, so logically it should come to Portland on a systematic sche dule. Like all such conventions, it is a time for getting a report from the Legislature in the odd-numbered years, for meeting the new National President (who this year is Sandra R. Smoley from C alifornia), for see ing and hearing about new and in novative programs, and for enjoy ing the fun and fellowship o f col leagues and spouses. This year’s convention will fea ture some of Portland's Finest talent including Rev. John Garlington. noted singer W illa Dorsey, Dr. Oar- field deBardelaben and the Jeffer son Jazz Dancers When you see people around town sporting a badge shaped like the Multnom ah County logo, smile and say W el come to Portland. Work for integration, not exclusivity To the editor: A community forum to select a Black candidate as the Democratic nominee to run against white incum bent Ed Leek in the 1984 primary election, was in my opinion a grave mistaken endeavor. The straw vote was won by Ms. Margaret Carter, who is a very competent and quali fied individual to be a slate repre- The Observer welcomes Letters to the Editor. Letters should be short, and must contain the writer's name and address (addresses are not p rint ed). The Observer reserves the right to edit f o r length. I ! money order for ♦ 16. for s ! one-year s u b s c n p tw ^ ^ ^ ^ ^ ■ PLEASE print A d d res s But unanswered questions re main. weeks after the invasion of sentative. She ha* much support in cluding women's groups and others. Ms. Carter's ability is not the issue. The issue is (hat this forum should have been opened up to any and all potential candidates including in cumbent Rep. Ed Leek so that it would have been possible for him to defend his track record. Two-tim e loser for the office o f state representative and a loser to Ms. Carter in the straw vote, H a r old W illiams, stated that if he won the straw vote or not that he would run for the office anyway—O H G O D L E T US P R A Y . This is how ever M r. W illiam s' constitutional right to run for public office. It is al so very disappointing to know the District 18 leadership forum com mittee o f John Jackson A John G a r lington, both Portland ministers. Herb Cawthorne, Portland Public School Board member, among others, these people should be w ork ing toward integration o f the com munity instead o f regression back to the ways of the 1950s and '60s. The 1980s are a time for analytical, poli tical strategists to bring about change for a better District 18. W hat District 18 needs is not a white or Black candidate but the right can didate. Jimmy Bang Bang W alker Yea, I w ould Ilka a subscription! News fo r and about you. M a íllo Portland Observoi Bo« 3137 Portland Oregon 97208 by Dr. Manning Marable In the wake of the U.S. invasion o f Grenada, certain facts arc al ready quite clear. Foremost is this undeniable reality: this was an ille gal and unjustifiable invasion o f a sovereign nation. This assertion by no means justi fies the bloody coup which over threw the legitimate socialist gov ernment of Maurice Bishop last month. Bishop's New Jewel M ove ment (N J M ) had overthrown the U.S.-backed dictator, Eric Gairy in M arch, 1979, and had the support o f the population. This summer. Bishop appointed a five-member Constitutional Commission chaired by highly respected Trinidadian at torney Allan Alexander, which was setting the basis of new elections. Some array leaders and a radical fraction o f the N J M which opposed the popular Prime Minister moved o hall this constitutional process. Yet even the execution o f Bishop was no justification for U.S. armed intervention. The invasion has been loudly condemned by almost every traditional ally o f the U .S ., includ ing Italy, West Germany. Canada and France. The brief regime of Hudson Aus tin did not constitute an "external threat" to the security of the U .S ., as the President so wildly asserts. Americans could have been permit ted to leave the island without re sorting to wholesale bloodshed. Moveover. Grendada was incapable o f any armed attack against neigh boring eastern Caribbean states. Its armed forces totaled fewer than 1800 men. and it had no airforce or navy. But using the fiction that (irenada constituted a leftist threat to the docile, U.S. puppets in the re gion, Reagan ordered the largest U .S. invasion in decades. W indow dressing hides decay The City o f New York is spending $300,000 in federal community development block grant funds to cover the windows of abandoned tene ments in the South Bronx with vinyl decals de picting curtains, shades, shutters and flower pots. 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