U.S. political
prisoners
NFL previews
Page 5
Homemade
Christmas gi
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Page 4
PORTWND OBSERMER
Volume XIV, Number 7
December 7, 1983
25C Per Copy
U*PS 959-680-855
Reagan escalates war
M ore Marines died in Lebanon
Sunday and they were joined by a
navy pilot The Marines are in Leb
anon as part o f a multi-national
“ peacekeeping fo rce." The Navy is
part of an administration "show of
force.”
The action that led to the deaths
was a U .S. reconnaissance over
flight o f Syrian positions in eastern
I cbanon. The Syrians shot at the
planes; the U S. retaliated with a
bombing raid, and two o f the raid
ing aircraft were shot down by the
Syrians The Druse forces, locked in
a civil war with the unpopular m i
nority government of 1 ebanon,
shelled the U.S. Marines guarding
the airport.
The current chapter in the civil
war was set o ff by the 1982 invasion
and occupation of Lebanon. As the
Israelis withdrew from some areas
(they still occupy Southern Leban
on). the uneasy truce was broken as
the Muslim majority attempted to
take power from the upper class
Christian minority.
The U .S. took advantage of the
situation to establish a presence in
Lebanon through participation in
the "peace keeping" mission, but
this role has gradually been changed
to one of propping up the Gemayal
government.
Israel also is sending reconnais
sance planes over Syrian positions,
including pilotless "drones " Syria
has announced that it shot down
two of these planes over I ebanon
and Syria
Defending his country's action,
the Syrian Defense Minister said.
"T h e interception by our air
defenses of Americn planes is within
our legitimate right o f sell defense
because we are engaged in a just wat
against unfair oppression by Amen
can imperialists and Zionism Our
forces will always confront any lor
eign air force that may fly over the
positions o f our forces."
The fatal air strike, in which one
U .S pilot was killed and another
captured, might have been an effort
to test Syrian defenses A senior U.S
admiral said inform ation about Sy
rian aircraft batteries was made
quiate but the raid gave them need
ed inform ation. About 40 missiles
and thousands o f anti aircraft
rounds were fired at the 28 planes.
The Navy admitted that the bat
tleship New Jersey's guns could
have reached the targets without the
danger ol loss of U .S. lives.
In the meantime. Israeli occupa
lion forces in Southern I ebanon are
facing increased opposition I ast
month a car bomb destroyed mill
tary headquarters; last week I eban
ese set o ff three bombs and am
bushed a personnel carrier; on Sun
day hand grenades were thrown at a
patrol.
Local missile firm protested
Top: Jamila Harris. Jumoka Aakari. and Ayoda-
la Aakari join in chanting "Run. Jaaaa. Runl” at
laat Saturdaya rally to kick off Jaaaa Jackaon'a
campaign in Oragon.
Bottom: Ron Harndon. who is co-chairing the
Jesse Jackson for President Committaa, ad
dresses the crowd of 260 Jesse Jackson support
ers at the Vancouver Avenue Baptist Church »860
was collected toward the »6.000 needed to qualify
for federal matching funds. Contributions, which
count as a tax-credit, ahould be made to the Jesse
Jackson for President Committee. P O Box 6797.
Portland. OR 97228 6797.
(Photo: Richard J. Brown)
Refuse the Cruise = easy arrests
by Chuck Goodmacher
M ajo r media and press coverage
o f the "Refuse the Cruise” civil dis
obedience action December 2nd at
Precision Castparts in M ilw aukie
focused on the confrontation that
took place there. Protesters block
ading workers. Workers getting
angry at protesters. Police officers
forcibly removing protesters from
the site and handcuffing them, etc.
"58 Arrested At Local Protest,”
heralded the banner front-page Sat
urday Oregonian
Although sensationalism ts what
the protesters created in their partic
ular response to the great danger
posed by the creation and deploy
ment o f first-strike nuclear wea
pons. most interactions with police
officers at street level were civil.
Demonstrators and arresting o ffi
cers showed guarded respect for
each other.
During the days before and just at
the start of the civil disobedience,
the police seemed to be rather ner
vous and expected the worst to hap
pen At least $0 officers were on
hand Friday morning, with more
ready to be called in from five law
enforcement agencies: Portland.
Milwaukie, and Oregon State Police
and the Multnom ah and Clackamas
County Sheriff offices. In prepara
tion for an expected second wave of
blockaders, the Portland Police
Mounted Unit and additional o ffi
cers were sent to the Milwaukie
plant.
One o f the 50 officers taking part
in preparations prior to the action
worriedly commented that at the
last demonstration he was in (Berke
ley, 1970), demonstrators threw po
tatoes with nails stuck through them
at the police. W ould anything like
that happen at Precision Castparts?
But non-cooperation rather than
physical confrontation seems to
have been both the means and the
end for the protesters. Demonslra
tors went limp when being arrested
and not one expletive was heard
After the arrests were made, officers
relaxed and even began joking with
some o f the protesters.
One M ilw aukie police officer told
the protesters' lawyer he had chosen
very nice clients.
"Com pared to the '60s and
’ 70s,” commented Police Bureau
Inform ation O fficer David W .
Simpson, “ this was easy. The pro
testers are not a hostile crow d."
Fifty-eight
persons
protesting
production o f cruise missile parts
were arrested Dec. 2nd as they
blocked access to a titanium castings
plant and the company headquar
ters of Precision Castparts corpora
tion in Milwaukie.
"This action is to protest flight
testing of the cruise missile in C an
ada.” said organizer Chuck Bell of
the Refuse the Cruise Coalition.
Testing o f the controversial missile
begins in January over parts of
snow-covered Canada which resem
ble Russia.
Bell said local protesters hoped to
slow production o f the missile by
preventing workers from entering
Precision Castparts' titanium cast
ings plant, where an essential cruise
part is made.
Cruise opponents say the 20-foot
long nuclear missile is a first-strike
weapon which escalates the arms
race Its small size makes it easy to
hide, they say. and its sophisticated
guidance system enables the cruise
to hug the ground and avoid radar
detection as it rushes with pinpoint
accuracy toward its target.
Under contract with the prime
contractor, Boeing Corporation,
Precision Castparts makes eleven
housings which are part of the
mechanism which controls the mis
sile's ability " to go up and dow n,”
according to Castparts vice-presi
dent for administration Roy M a r
vin.
About 150 demonstrators braved
snow and rain to gather before
dawn at the plant on S.E. Johnson
Creek Blvd As day-shift workers
showed up. protesters linked arms
in front o f the gate and sang folk
songs as police handcuffed, then
dragged and carried them to a wait
ing bus. Others stepped in to take
the place of those arrested. Support
ers shouted encouragement.
One protester confined to a wheel
chair was placed on a stretcher and
carried to the bus by police, who re
assured him that he could bring his
wheel chair. "G o o d luck, V ic to r,"
shouted his friend.
•‘ I just hope people arc going to
pay attention," said another pro
tester, who declined identification.
" L ife is going on as usual as these
bombs are being produced
It's
really strange,” he said.
" W e 're doing it for children,"
said a woman.
There were signs— " N o cruise is
good news," “ We all have too
much to lose, stop the cruise,” and
a large blue and green earth skew
ered by missiles paraded across the
street.
T raffic backed up for blocks as
workers waited in their cars. " I t ’ s a
hassle; they shouldn't block the
streets," said one worker who want
ed the police to move faster in
removing the protesters.
"O n ly in Am erica," said Dan
I attanzi, a grinder in the titanium
foundry " I hate to sec it, these pro
tests and these missiles being
m ade," he said, but he also felt that
the cruise missile was necessary to
stay ahead of the Russians. He
thought Precision (astparls should
stop production "only if everybody
else docs."
" W e are a manufacturing com
pany that is contributing to the
country's defense,” said Marvin
"W h a t this has done is to heighten
our resolve that what we’ re doing is
correct. W e will continue to make
these parts."
The protest caused some employ
ecs to be late for work and sent " a
stir of excitement" through the
plant, but caused no other problems
for the company, he said
March organizers disagreed " I t ’s
real clear that business has been dis
rupted here," said Hell " It's kind
of a rebirth ol the direct action
movement where people go where
the injustice is happening and physi
cally put their bodies on the line to
do something about it ," he said. " I I
we keep coming back, it's bound to
have some effect sooner or later."
Besides the cruise parts. Precision
(. astparls makes sophisticated cast
mgs for other military applications.
M ilitary contracts accounted loi J'
percent o f the company's 1983 busi
ncss, "which means that 35 percent
o f our employees owe their jobs to
that business," said M arvin. I’ reci
sion ( astparls has I'M ) employees
and sales approached $90 million in
1983.
According to the company's 19«,
annual report, Precision < astparls
has made or will make parts lor a
variety ol military aircraft, includ
mg the I 14. I 15,1 1 6 ,1 1 8 , 1 20,
Stealth bomber, < 130. ( 5b, K ( 13'
and K ( 10.
I he company has also made pails
lor General Dynamics harpoon and
Raytheon patriot missiles, the M I
battle tank, and General llcctric
20min and 25mm (.ailin g guns, ac
cording to the August, 19K3 issue ol
Oregon Business magazine. Hoeing,
Pratt and Whitney and General Dy
nannes arc major customers.
AFSCME spearheads comparable worth drive
by Lam ia Duke
Grassrool News,
N .W .— Last
week the Federal Court dealt with
the issue of pay equity between the
sexes.
In Washington the State was
found
guilty o f discriminating
against women by paying them less
than their male counterparts. This
ruling has put the term of compara
ble worth in today's headlines.
In Portland the International Sec
retary-Treasurer o f the organization
that spearheaded the drive for com
parable worth, the American Feder
ation o f State, County and M unici
pal Employees, (A F S C M E ). W il
liam Lucy, addressed 100 people at
tending Commissioner Charles Jor
dan’s luncheon forum at the Monte
Carlo restaurant.
Lucy told the inform al gathering
that Washington Slate is not alone in
paying women less than male em
ployees. "N ationw ide, studies have
shown men are earning the top half
of the salary grade while women
were earning the bottom half. The
public work force is rigidly sex-seg
regated."
Lucy said some jobs are filled ex
clusively by women " In every job
classification (he wage distribution
for women is way below the dis
tribution for men. These findings
are so consistent I have no reason to
believe that Portland is any d iffe r
ent.”
Lucy also added that this dispar
ity is not limited to the public sector.
He said the issue o f comparable
worth should not hinder affirm ative
action. " I t will just enhance existing
affirm ative action programs. The
problem is the perception that they
are positioned against each other.
Black women are discriminated
against more because (hey are worn
en and the problem is lack of pro
motional opportunity.
"T h e problem o f pay discrimina
tion overrides race. The pattern is
too consistent and systematic to
conclude it came about through the
invisible hand o f the marketplace. It
is the result o f the all-too-visible
hand o f discrim ination."
Lucy added that once states are
made aware o f the problem, " it is
almost immoral not to try to correct
it."
The current diminishing strength
o f unions will not affect this issue,
Lucy said during the question and
answer period. "T h e issue is dis
crimination and discrimination is
against public law and policy. Bringing
parity in the pay scales ol men and
women ts one issue both public and
private employees will have to con
fro n t."
A F S C M E advocates using collec
tive bargaining, litigation and edu
cation in its pay equity efforts. Lucy
concluded with the belief that states
ought to confront this issue early to
save millions of dollars rather than
facing the issue in court.
"Injustice has to be addressed re
gardless of the economic situation.
In the past child labor laws, m ini
mum wages and health and safety
laws were seen as economic threats.
Just as they were not threats, com
parable worth is not a threat. It is
the law ."
-«■a*••
William Lucy addraaaaa a lunchaon forum held by Commiaaioner
Charlea Jordan on the laaua of wage dlacrimination
(Photo: Richard J Brown)