Page 2 Portland Observer, March 7, 1984
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EDITORIAL/OPINION
Christ in the White House?
Ronald Reagan told the nation, Tuesday, that
“ Americans are turning back to G o d ," and
called on Americans to “ rise above bitterness
and reproach.’’
The good news that Christianity has come to
the W h ite House would be proclaim ed
throughout the world if it were only true. This
would mean that R eagan’ s murderous cam
paigns against the people o f N icaragua, El
Salvador and Guatemala would come to an end
and these people could make their own destiny.
It w ould mean that the President would no
longer provide the bombs and bullets to kill
children; would not prom ote the shelling o f
Lebanon; would not support the apartheid
government of South Africa.
Instead, the President would support health
and education programs in nations where one-
fourth o f the babies die before the age of 5. He
would aid developing nations to aquire safe
drinking water, airports and roads to take their
goods to market and houses to provide shelter.
A Christian in the W hite House would not
tolerate the waste of the nation’s resources on a
massive build-up of weapons of destruction— or
their concentration in the hands of a few.
He would not eliminate the social programs
that provide the minimal food and shelter for
those who are locked out o f the economy. He
would ask why the infant mortality rate in some
U.S. cities is 5 times higher for Black babies than
for white babies; he would provide pre-natal
medical care so mothers would not have to watch
their babies die in the first year o f their lives.
H e would see the elderly, crouched in their
small, dark rooms, slowly freezing to death or
making their homes under the bridges.
He would not force millions of American’s in
to unemployment— some of them forever— and
would not smash their unions and attem pt to
remove their h ard -fo u g h t benefits— unem
ployment compensation, safety regulations,
social security, etc.
Reagan was wrong when he claimed that a
moral decline in the U.S. ended with his election
in 1984. The truth is that a tragic moral decline
began with Reagan’s election— a decline far
more serious than the street crime and “ sexual
license’’ he refers to so piously.
The m oral decline in this governm ent has
brought an increasingly uncaring attitu d e
toward the poor, a racist attack on minorities
and relentless military intervention throughout
the world.
It is clear that there is no room for Christ in
the White House with its current occupants still
there.
Legislative races raise questions
The people o f N o rth /N o rth e a s t Portland
have some serious thinking to do as they prepare
to vote, M ay 15th. N o t only is the office o f
President of the United States at stake, but there
are some important decisions that could alter the
course of state and local governments.
Perhaps the race o f most interest is House
District 18. W ill Margaret C arter and Harold
W illiam s split the Black vote and hand the
district to incumbent Ed Leek? Margaret Carter
was endorsed by a community forum designed
to select one Black candidate. Should she then
receive the endorsement and the vote? Harold
W illiams, who participated in the forum, now
says he never agreed to withdraw if he did not
win. I f financial and organization support do
not materialize, should he step aside for Carter?
W ill Carter lose votes because she is a woman,
and what will be the role of Gayle Troutwine, a
white woman who has entered the race?
Another interesting race is Senate District 8.
Bill M c C o y , the S tate’ s first Black state
representative and its only black Senator, is
being challenged by W ally Priestley and Bill
Stevenson. Although McCoy has raised the ire
o f much of the Black leadership because he has
not provided strong leadership and has provided
weak support for some issues o f concern to the
Black community, his voting record is good.
W o u ld the voting record o f Stevenson or
Priestley vary greatly from M c C o y ’s? W ould
they be stronger advocates for the Black com
munity?
It is understandable that Bill Stevenson, a
resident o f North Portland and a former state
senator and representative, would want to return
to Salem. The Senate seat is his only alternative.
W ith Priestley, it is a different matter. He is
abandoning his House seat to run for M cC oy’s
Senate seat. W ill even those Black voters who
are disappointed in McCoy favor this challenge
from Priestly. Priestly received support of Black
voters in previous elections. W ill those who sup
ported him in past elections support his o p
position to McCoy?
This brings up the larger question of whether
white politicians should oppose Blacks and other
minority office holders. Those who say no, face
the issue o f m ediocrity through absence o f
challenge. On the other hand, whites who do
oppose m inorities run the risk o f helping
eliminate badly needed m inority influence in
government.
These are some o f the questions Black voters
will answer on May 15th.
Letters to the Editor
Attacks divide
To I h r editor:
The Portland Observer should be
commended for its very perceptive
editorial, ‘‘Jackson Attack Contrived"
(Feb. 29).
Seeing the strength that is growing
in a Rainbow C o alitio n , the m ain
stream m edia have sought to un
derm ine it. T he attacks on Jesse
Jackson by establishm ent m o u th
pieces fit into that pattern.
Like many other progressive Jews
in the Portland area, I believe that
Jesse Jackson is the best of the 1984
Democratic presidential candidates.
His opposition to U .S . m ilitarism
and his advocacy for the rights of
the oppressed are in harmony with
the
beliefs
of
m illio n s
of
A m eric an s— o f all races and
religions— who desire basic changes
in our society. And, as the Observer
ill
No Blacks?
To the editor:
By some accounts the February
25th voter registration drive wasn't
a smashing success. T h e re 's a
question arising out of this situation
which I hope someone in the Black
community can answer. I f the Black
leadership can't mobilize significant
numbers of its own people for voter
registration, how can they hope to
actually get out the vote? H ow can
they ever expect to deliver the goods
to their constituents?
The great majority of people can
vassing last Saturday were whites,
w ith scarcely a Black face among
them. Apparently, the plan is to use
the w hite lib erals to do all the
political legwork in the Black com
munity. This is marginally effective
at best. W hy not send those white
liberals back to canvass their own
community?
M ike M etcalf
Society f o r the
Preservation o f Democracy
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.
Portland Observer
•At M A I •
[ Oregon
Newspaper
[Publishers
Asso, i.ttion
has pointed out editorially, both the
U .S . and Israeli governments have
continued their ruthless policies in
the Middle East and elsewhere in the
world.
The struggles against U.S. nuclear
weapons escalation, m ilitary inter
ve n tio n , racism , sexism, and
dom estic b ureau cratic w a rfa re
against the poor are all part o f an
overall struggle. We must not allow
the establishment to divide us.
Norm an Solomon
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_______________________ ___ _________
Houndi ng Jesse
operatives in the Reagan campaign
and some o f those carrying rope are
pow er b ro kers in the D e m o cratic
Party who don 't like people making
waves in what is, in fact, their party.
But the co o rd in atio n o f this latest
hounding o f the Black candidate is
clearly coming from certain Zionist
forces w ho support the policies o f
the rightwing Shamir government in
Israel and who are determined that
M id d le East policy not be part o f
the 1984 election year discussion.
I f there is any question that the
attack on Jackson is m o tivated by
questions m uch larg e r and much
d iffe re n t than the use o f an o ffe n
sive term , consider the current a t
tem pt by some Z io n is t figures to
keep the conflict alive. O n M onday,
H o w a rd I F rie d m a n , president o f
the A m e ric a n Jewish Congress,
called upon Jackson “ to re-examine
other statements he has made in the
p a s t..." Other im proper language?
N o , w hat Friedm an has in m ind is
something quite d iffe ren t: the con
flict in the M iddle East.
T his is not the firs t tim e th at a
political lynch mob has been called
out to d eal w ith a Black p o litic a l
fig u re w ho has d ared to question
W ashington’ s unflinching support
and c o lla b o ra tio n w ith Isra eli ex
pansionism and the suppression o f
the Palestinian people. It probably
won't be the last. The tactic is sim
ple. First, spread the story about an
alleged " B la c k -J e w is h c o n flic t.”
Then, make it clear that the precon
ditio n fo r dam pening the m ythical
conflict is for Black leaders to line
up behind Tel A viv.
Let’ s be clear. Jackson is not un
der a tta c k fro m " J e w s ,” as the
major media would have us believe.
He is being hounded by represen
tatives o f a p o litic a l m ovem ent
p ro m o tin g th e ir ow n n a rro w in
terests in this country and the M id
dle East in allegiance w ith some o f
the most reactionary forces at home
and
a b ro a d ,
in c lu d in g
the
Reaganites. Those interests are not
the interests o f the mass o f Jewish
working people whose security and
advance is served by democracy and
self-d eterm in atio n abroad and the
ideas em b o d ied in the " R a in b o w
C o alitio n " at home.
E th n ic hum or isn ’ t fu n n y. O f f
hand remarks characterizing whole
peoples in ways other than as they
wish to be identified are offensive
and shouldn't be made Polish jokes
a re n ’ t fu n n y , n eith er are notions
about "G yp sy" cabs and getting o ff
" S c o t fr e e .” T erm s th a t are p a r
tic u la rly o ffe n s iv e to m in o rities
th a t have su ffered h is to ric a l d is
c rim in a tio n and oppression have
absolutely no place in civil discourse,
no m a tte r how p riv a te , and th at
includes the disgusting rem arks
made ab o ut N a tiv e A m eric an
peoples that many people somehow
think are all right to make.
Jesse Jackson is quite right. Using
the word " H y m ie ” was insensitive.
O ne should never ch arac terize
people behind their backs in ways
we w ouldn't were they present. That
includes term s lik e “ m ic k ” ,
" c h in k ” , and " a - r a b " . Jackson’ s
apology was in order.
O n the o th e r h an d , one w ould
have to have rocks in his or her head
to believe that the media controver
sy th a t has b u ffe te d Jackson this
past week resulted fro m his use o f
one offensive word.
Jackson has charged th at he is
being hounded. He is.
In the ed itio n o f F eb ru a ry 4 th ,
long before the present controversy
developed in the pages o f the
W ashington Post, the P eo p le's
W orld said editorially:
"T h e re is a lynch mob out to get
Jesse Jackson for the simple reason
that the dynam ic Black candidate
for President has suddenly stopped
looking so quixotic. A combination
o f bold and imaginative initiative in
the M id d le East coupled w ith a
grow ing num ber o f people being
exposed to Jacksons fo re ig n and
domestic programs, has moved him
in to second place am ong the
D em o cratic hopefuls. T h e re are a
lot o f people who don't like that, or
what the ‘ Rainbow Coalition’ stands
fo r , and they are the kin d o f
people who would rather engage in
smear and in n u en d o than debate
p olicy."
The policy that some people don’t
want debated is easy to figure out.
I t ’s the M iddle East, o r— to be more
precise— the question o f nation al
rig h ts, a hom eland and self-
d eterm in a tio n fo r the P alestinian
people.
T h e re are a lot o f people out to
get Jackson. W e can be sure the
fro n t-ru n n e rs in the pack are
The journalists’ side o f the gang-
up on R ev. Jackson has been en
th u s ia s tic a lly upheld by the N e w
York Times, throwing one reporter
r.fter another in to the fray. One o f
them, Fay S. Joyce, complained last
Primary brings controversy
(C ontinuedfrom page I, column 6)
Cease
and
W a lte r
M a r tin ,
Dem ocrats, and Republican Brent
H a m ilto n . House D istrict 19, now
held by Jane Cease drew her
husband, Ron Cease, R obert
C a sta g n a,
Anne
G re e n fie ld ,
Thomas Kelly and M ark Rothert on
the D e m o crat side and G reg o ry
N elson and M a r ily n S ch u ltz as
Republicans.
Ron M cC arty, who has been run
ning as an Ind ep en d en t and a
D em ocrat for years, might fin a lly
succeed in District 16, where he is
opposed by D o n n e lla S la y to n , a
Roberts protegee.
T h e shake-up in Senate and
House seats in Northeast Portland is
the result o f Jim G ardner (S6) and
Rep. Barbara Roberts ( H I 6 ) filin g
for Secretary o f State.
O th e r state-w ide offices in con
tention include:
State T rea su re r— Rep. G ra tta n
K erans, speaker o f the H ouse,
Democrat; former Rep. Bill Ruther
ford, Republican, recently appoint
ed to the p ositio n o f State T re a
surer by G o v . A tiy e h ; and D a vid
Cargo, David Chen and John Smets,
Republicans.
Attorney G eneral— Former State
Senator V ern C o o k , D e m o c ra t,
seeks the D em ocrat nom in atio n to
challenge incum bent Dave Frohn-
mayer, Republican.
N.E. Boosters
(Continued fro m page I, column 6)
in fo rm a l in fo rm a tio n sharing and
ed u catio n th a t to o k place when
PD C officials were physically in the
c o m m u n ity , he said. " N o w th at
everything is d ow n to w n , you have
to make an a p p o in tm e n t." Brooks
praised P D C ’ s cu rren t N o rth ea st
s ta ffp e rs o n ,
W a rn e r
W ong,
how ever, fo r being very helpfu l to
the Boosters.
Brooks said he shares the concern
o f m any co m m un ity activists that
most o f the jobs in N o rth e a s t
created with P D C and other govern
ment assistance are not going to
n e ig h b o rh o o d residents. H e said
some o f the businesses are
frustrated about not knowing how
to get screened applicants and the
Boosters and the P D C are talkin g
about how to implement a system to
acco m m od ate the needs o f both
business and u nem ployed area
residents.
P " " ™
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PLEASE PRINT
N .ir n e
Long before the proverbial 1984
began, the operatives from a num
ber o f Zionist groups had compiled
and circulated throughout the coun
try a voluminous dossier on Jackson
and the people a ro u n d h im . T h e
document is complete with the most
onerous kinds o f M cC arthyism and
numerous out-of-context quotations
from the candidate to be employed
as the need arises. W e can be sure
that we haven't heard the last from
these people.
One thing is certain . The people
out after Jackson aren't the least bit
interested in unity in the movement
against Reaganism . These d is ru p
tive, splitting, foul operations only
serve the m an in the O v a l O f
fic e -s o m e people charge that that
is the intent.
O ne o f those very ac tiv e in the
A IP A C is M ark Siegal, a member of
the D em ocratic N a tio n a l C o m m it
tee. H e commented to Joyce, “ Just
because there have been unfortunate
comments by one man doesn't mean
Black leadersh ip h asn ’ t been ex
tremely supportive.” Supportive of
w hat? Z io n is t p o lic y , o f course.
There is an offensive paternalism in
this kind o f political blackmail. The
tim e has come fo r people o f good
w ill o f all colors and eth n ic p e r
suasions to tell these people where
to stick it, stand up on our own two
feet and say w ith o u t apologies:
Jewish people, Jewish culture and
Jewish tra d itio n are a d m ira b le ,
hon o rab le and deserve our fullest
respect and that has nothing to do
w ith sanction in g the rape o f
L eb an o n or the c o n tin u ed oc
cupation o f the G olan Heights, the
West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
reprinted fro m People's W orld
B rooks is h o p e fu l th a t the
Boosters’ resurgence w ill be an im
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283 2486
Sunday th at in p ro testin g the a t
tacks against h im , Jackson had
“ drawn no distinction" between ex
trem ist groups lik e the Jewish
D efense League and " E s ta b lis h
ment Jewish o rg a n iza tio n s and
leaders.” T h a t's just an attem pt to
sow confusion. The fact is that the
main pro-Zionist force operating in
this election is q u ite w ell es
tablished. It is The Am erican Israel
P u b lic A ffa ir s C o m m itte e and it
isn ’ t just p ic kin g on Jesse. It has
already waved its rope at N ew York
Tim es co lu m n ist A n th o n y Lew is
and had a hand in events that led to
Alexander C ockburn losing his job
on the P illag e Poice. B oth were
charged with being loo p ro-A rab.
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A d d res s _________________________
C it y ______________________ State
p ortan t part o f re vitalizin g N o rth
east Portland.
KBOO training
K B O O C o m m u n ity R a d io is
h o ld in g
a re g u lar
series o f
workshops to train volunteers in the
P o rtla n d area in ra d io news. T h e
tra in in g p ro g ram consists o f a
K B O O volunteer o rie n ta tio n , tw o
a ir o p e ra to r w orksho ps, voice
tra in in g , w ritin g for radio and in
terviewing. After completing the six
week p ro g ram , volunteers are in
tegrated in to the K B O O News
Departm ent to work as producers,
engineers, reporters, editors and an
chors on a daily h alf hour newscast
aired at 4 :3 0 p .m . C u rre n tly the
focus o f the newscast is national and
international news. Sources include
the Pacifica N a tio n al News Service
and the B B C .
The next round o f training begins
w ith a V o lu n te e r O rie n ta tio n at
K B O O . W ednesday M arch 21st, 7
p.m . K B O O is at 20 S .E . 8th. C all
KBOO Volunteer Coordinator Dave
Lifton.
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