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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Feb. 29, 1984)
A • Page 4 Portland Qtoaarvar, February 29,1984 Washington Hot Line EDITORIAL/OPINION Jackson attack contrived The attack on Jesse Jackson by the press and < y r f in right-wing Jewish organizations is no ac cident; it was carefully orchestrated. It is not a coincidence that the story o f Jackson's u n fo r tunate remark was pulled from the back pages of the Washington Post and splashed across the front pages days before the first Prim ary elec tion, and that it became the number one issue in the closing days o f that campaign. servative Jewish organizations is not new and it is not confined to those who have made their hatred public. It is abetted by those who remain silent and by those who— in their scholarly way— promote divisiveness. The highly respect ed A n ti-D e fa m a tio n League, fo r exam ple, researched and published Jackson’s record, at tempting to prove him anti-semitic. Those who try to label Jackson’s desire for peace in the M id d le East or his belief that the Palestinian people have the right to a nation, like a ll other people o f the w o rld , as a n ti semitism or anti-Israel are doing a great disser vice to their own people. The idea that any per son who criticizes Israel’s actions is anti-Jew is wrong and it prevents discussion o f the im por tant issues. Perhaps that is what these people want. The same Z io n ist and conservative Jewish organizations were silent when Israel invaded Lebanon, killin g and m aim ing thousands, destroying homes and businesses, setting up the current fascist government and the civil war that is still killing and maiming. They were silent when the U .S ., having with drawn its marines, opened a massive naval bombardment o f Lebanon’s cities— an attack that had no purpose but vengence. They are silent about Israel’s role in arming and training the armies of the Central American dictatorships— Honduras and Guatemala— ar mies that are used only against their own people. I f these serious problems were addressed, those organizations and individuals would have no time to harass Jesse Jackson, to leave dead anim al heads on his porch, to intim idate his children, to threaten his life. The Rainbow Coalition is of far more impor tance than the presidential race or than Jesse, him self. It encompasses the oppressed and neglected, the poor, and the minorities. It in cludes many Jews who seek justice and equality. It is so im portant that it w ill meet opposition from many places; the current attack on Jackson is only the first. The stronger the Coalition becomes, the more furious and more frequent the attacks will come. The time has come to get involved. Drop by the “ Jesse Jackson for President” office and see what you can do to help. by Congressman Kon Since the Reagan Adminutration came io office. Its stewardship of federal civil rights laws has been criticized as lax and half-hearted. Now another voice has joined that chorus with a 28-page report that says the reagan Administration has conducted a •‘shameful assault” on civil rights law enforcement. The report was released this week by the American C iv il Liberties U nion (A C L U ) and went on to charge that the Administration’s lax enforcement o f c ivil rights laws "could plunge the country back into historic patterns o f race and sex discrimination.” And that’s grim news indeed. The laws we have b uilt to overcome racism and prejudice are only as good as the people we hire to enfor ce them. Unfortunately, the people that comprise the Reagan A d m inistration have not lent them selves to making these laws work. W hite the opposite. The A d *'z4**1 m inistration from the outset has demonstrated a hostility toward civil rights legislation and in stitutions. We are all sadly familiar with the fact that the A dm inistration has strangled the independence of the C iv il Rights Commission. The A C L U report, however, brings up some more examples o f an ti-civil rights action by the Administration: - Institutionalized Persons: The A C L U report points out that the Administration has sought to limit its enforcement activity under the O v il Rights of Institutionalized Per sons Act o f 1980. The Act was designed to protect the rights o f mental patients and others in insti tutions. The report showed exam ples where the A dm inistration refused to litigate on behalf of these parties in the states o f Idaho, Alabam a, Louisiana. Mississippi and Oklahoma. . Title lX :T itk IX of the Educa tion Act of 1972 bars sex discrimina tion in federally financed education programs. The report points out that narrow interpretations o f the title by this A dm in istratio n have •’effectively strip (ped) the statute of any enforcement mechanisim.” The report also said that the A d m inistration has reversed federal policy and abandoned support for groups seeking change through litigation. Finally, the report iron ically points out that the Justice Department itself, charged with the enforcement o f these im portant laws, has refusedsince last year to comply with a requirement to report its goals and targets fo r hiring minorities and women. So far, that is the Reagan record on civil rights: laax enforcement to the point o f debilitating the programs. In short, the Reagan record is a sad record. Reagan wins The Reagan Administration has won another round in Its fight to turn back the clock on civil rights. The U .S. Supreme Court has determined that it's O .K . fo r colleges and universities to discriminate in some areas. The government’s right to w ithhold federal funds from schools that discriminate against women only applies to the funded programs, the court said. r Does this mean that if a school gets money for j its library it cannot discriminate in the library but can freely practice discrim ination in the dormitories, dining halls, assignment of classes, discipline, etc? Apparently it does. This is only one more sign that it is imperative to get rid o f Ronald Reagan before he has the opp o rtu n ity to app o in t several new Supreme Court Justices— judges who will hold office for the next 20 to 40 years. The only way to get rid of Reagan is to vote. Letters to the Editor Blood Knot great To the editor: Monday night. February 20th. I had the privilege o f attending The B lood K n ot by Authol Fugard and directed by Rick Jones at the Store Front Theater. 6 S.W . 3rd Ave. It is tremendousl Every adult in I Oregon Newspaper Publishers Asso. ..Hion Portland, Black and white, should see it. The Blood Knot, a parable of two brothers— one white skinned, one black— vividly portrays the fears and anguish of racial tensions. It is filled with the humor and deep pain of bigotry. The Observer welcomes Letters to the Editor. Letters should he short, and must contain the writer's name and address 1addresses are not print ed/. The Observer reserves the right to edit fo r length. Evelyn M. Collins Director Grace Collins M emorial Center Let the Portland Observer Classifieds work for you. Call 283-0090 todayl Portland Observer 1 * s»' *• Th« P o rlla n d O b ie r . r r IU S P S 969 6801 <» p u b h .h e d •> •> « Thu.«d«v b» t« '« Pubh»h.ng Con.pan, Inc 2201 NoHh Kitlmg» w o ith Portland O'«gon 97217 Po»l OM'C« Bo» 3137, Porlland O.egon 97208 Second cl«»» tx>»t«g» p««1 .il Ponland O«g<>>. " N o . We have other means. I t ’ s about time we pulled out and stayed home.” Eugene Cula Janitor ” 1 think the U.S. should pull out all together. The U.S. has no business over there.” 283 2486 Bo» 3137, Portland O»agon 97208 MiMBiR NêWAL PER Alfred L. Henderson. Editor/Publisher A l Williams. Advertising Manager Aaaociahen - Founded 188S " " " ™ ™ ™7uî ™ " g ™ " / " TowneTnewspaper. N m o n e l A dvertising R e p re .e n ie t A m a lg am a te d Publisher» inc N a w York Subscribe today! PORTLAND OBSERVER News fo r and about you. ! I ” N o, we have enough problems over there. We just got our boys out of Lebanon, so I think we should let them blockade their oil.” M • *••••• Th« Porllend Observer e t n ««tablmhed m 1970 Subecnphon« »15 00 par yaa» m Ihe Tr. Countv «>«« Po«l m a ita » S«n<1 «dd>«« change» lo lh« Porlland Observer P O I I I I I R I I I t I I Mail to Mrs. Taahner Bookkeeper Yaa. I w ould lika a aubacription to the Portland Observer. □ I have encloaad my check or money order for 116. for a one-year aubacription. Ban Roberson Retired Use Femrlte Housewife PLEASE PRINT Portland Obaarvac Boa 3137 Portland Oregon 9T208 "1 don’t think anyone should invade. I t ’s their oil. Let’s not get involved.” N a m e _______ A d d ress C it y ___ “ 1 don’ t think so. It would start a war with Russia, I don't [think we are ready for that.” .S ta te . Zip I S .’¡■385S'’ • • • 4 * ** r .•.K * 5. .«p ,.v ■ ■ V • ■ Kent Q rover Truck Driver " I f we are going to invade it like we did in Vietnam, then no. jt we need to protect our-
