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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (March 21, 1984)
P«Q« 2 Portland Observer. March 21. 1984 EDITORIAL/OPINION Elections offer hard choices The 1984 elections will be one o f the most im portant fo r Oregon residents for many years. The face of the legislature will change significant ly— a legislature that just barely passed some significant legislation and just barely failed to pass other legislation that was just as important to low-income and working people. Where will the balance o f power lie in the next legislature? In N o rth /N o rth e a s t P o rtlan d alone, new legislators will be elected for Districts 17, 18, 19 and 20— all o f which have been represented by what is usually termed “ liberal** Democrats. Tw o Senate seats are up for grabs— those now held by Bill M cCoy and James Gardner. These six races alone could bring great changes in the direction of state government— for the better or for the worse. Three state-wide offices are on the ballot. The Secretary o f State is an important position that audits state agencies and runs the election processes. Even more important, this position is often a stepping-stone to higher office. The con tenders on the Democartic side are Sen. James Gardner and Rep. Barbara Roberts, both with outstanding reputations and leadership records, both with “ lib eral” credentials, but both avid supporters o f the now-fizzled effort to place the sales tax on the ballot. The State Treasure is largely responsible for the investm ent o f state funds. C lay Meyers fought hard against any e ffo rt to divest state money fro m co rp o ratio n s doing business in South Africa and travelled to South Africa while in office. The Democrat candidate is Rep. Grat tan Kerans, who fought hard for D .C . statehood and usually comes down on the right side o f issues. A man with strong “ liberal” credentials, Kerans also pushed to get the sales tax on the ballot. The R epublican candidates include D avid Cargo, former Governor of New Mexico; David Chen, a C .P .A .; and former Rep. Bill Ruther- Meyers resigned his position in tim e fo r the G overnor to app o in t one o f these can didates, Bill Rutherford, to the position. Should this end-pass n u llify R u th e rfo rd ’s otherwise reasonably good record in the minds o f the discerning voter? The Attorney General is the State’s highest law enforcement officer, represents the State in lawsuits, interprets laws for state agencies and public o ffic ia ls , enforces freedom o f in fo r mation laws, tries civil rights cases, etc. An im portant position! Locally, City Commissioner M ike Lindberg is being challenged by a middle school principal, Carl Piacentini, whose campaign methods have disappointed even his friends. Example: After declining to appear in a C ity Club debate with Lindberg, M r. Piacentini sneaked in at the last minute (during (he introduction of Lindberg) to participate after all. Frank Shields, a Southeast Portland minister, has gained notice through his chairmanship of the M u ltn o m a h C o u n ty C h arter Review Commission and his campaign to achieve district ing o f the P o rtlan d School Board is challenging C o u n ty Commissioner C aroline M iller. M iller, who was once head of the Port land Federation o f Teachers, has raised the eyebrows o f some observers by stitching “ freedom of speech” to “ freedom of billboards” . Another category o f offices being sought is that o f judge— a position o f special significance to minorities and the poor. The most outstand ing and scholarly a tto rn e y /ju d g e can have a blind spot when it comes to minorities and the poor. T o help the voter come to an inform ed decision there w ill be numerous forum s, can didate fairs, debates, news articles and television interviews featuring the many candidates. Get out and meet the candidates in the races most important to you, check their voting records and ask questions. There is still tim e to fin d the answers. Letters to the Editor Shop at home To the editor: The Black entrepreneurs o f P o rt land m ay e v e n tu a lly fiz z le i f the Black consum ers and b usi ness people are not educated on the importance o f buying from the v a r io u s N o r th /N o r th e a s t businesses. P eople should spend th eir m oney in the co m m u n ity in which they live. Com parative shop ping is fin e , but d o n 't drive miles away to get the better buy when you actually spend more when including the cost o f gas. W e should support our Black en trepren eu rs in our community for no other reason than our ch ild re n . T h e jo b s created in the com m unity m ake an excellent training ground for children on their first jobs. And the role models give them a sense o f pride. I f you have a problem with shop ping at a particular business, w rite the ow ner a letter e x p la in in g the p ro blem instead o f av o id in g the situ atio n . H e or she would be a p preciative o f your concern because (his first step could only im prove their business. Gina Woods Fair Share wrong To the editor: R ecently a consum er group based in P o rtla n d , O regon F a ir S h are, voiced its o p p o sitio n to P a c ific N o rth w est B e ll's alleged VM MW I ► plan to force its resid en tial customers to m andatory measured rates fo r m o n th ly service. T he g ro up 's leaders held a press co n ference in the state c a p ito l and staged a d em o n stra tio n at P N B 's Portland offices. Most o f those who participated in the d e m o n s tra tio n were senior citizen s. T h e y 'v e been to ld they need to p ro tect th eir peers and others fro m this " p l a n ” . T h e ir energy could have been better spent in questioning their leadership. Does P N B have a plan to put all residential customers on measured rates, as Fair Share alleges? The an swer is emphatically no. The (ruth is that P N B o ffers three choices fo r monthly home telephone service. At to d a y 's rates, prices range fro m $6.90 to $15.88. W e o ffer both flat rate a n d measured rate plans, and w e've made a com m itm ent to our customers to maintain those choices in the future. Can customers save money w ith measured service rate plans? T h e answer is em phatically yes. Today, ab o ut 5 0 ,0 0 0 O regon households have eith er budget measured or basic measured service. T h e y 'v e chosen it. W hy? Because th e y ’ re saving m oney. W h o 's saving money? Seniors, and low and moderate income citizens In p u b lic fo ru m s b efo re F air Share m em bers, senior citizen groups, and church and civic groups all across (he state, P N B represen tatives such as m yself have stated P N B ’ s com m itm ent to options for residential customers. W e 'v e also stated o u r p o sitio n in pub lic hearings before the P u blic U tility Commissioner, and discussed it with the representatives fro m groups such as the O reg o n Consum er League, O regon State C o u ncil for Senior C itizen s, Consumer C redit C o u n s elin g , League o f W om en Voters, and Urban League o f Port land w ho m ake up P N B 's C o n sumer Advisory Panel. But F a ir Share's leadership ignores the facts. T o support their claim o f measured residential rates fo r everyone, they show a Bell docum en t. T h e tru th is that document is about business service. Q u ite fra n k ly , why a consumer advocacy g ro up w ould oppose a payment plan that provides choices fo r residence consumers and helps some telephone users reduce their phone bills baffles me. W ith choices, custom ers can select the service plan that best fits their needs and their budget. Low to moderate users o f local service can save m oney w ith measured rates. F o r households w ith heavy local calling, the flat rate service plan is the best buy. We invite our customers and con sumer groups to call fo r the facts: toll-free I 800-555-5000. Ron Allen State Manager Com m unity A fjairs The Observer welcomes Letters to the Editor. Letters should be short, and must contain the writer's name and address (addresses are not print ed). The Observer reserves the right to edit / o r length. Portland Observer Tha P orllend Observer rUSPS 959 5801 it published every Thursday by Ena Publishing Company. Inc . 2201 North Killingt worth Portland. Oregon 97217. Poet Ottica Boa 3137. Portland Oregon 97708 Second class pottage paid at Portland. Oregon «es»»"* 0 > The P n rllo n d O bserver w ea aatabltahad in 1970 member Associano« - Founded t I M Subscriptions SIS 00 per year in the Tri Counly area P o tt m e tte r Send addiate changes to the Por I lend Observer. P 0 Boa 3137. Portland. Oregon 9 77OB A lfre d L. Henderson. Editor/Publisher A l Williams. Advertising Manager 283 2486 National Advertising Representative Am algam ated Publishers. Inc N ew York West Europe target of NATO missiles by Bryan Johns “ T h e 'gentlem en o f daw n* arrived, but at nine-thirty; then the B K A invasion o f our offices and of the ap artm ents o f tw o K o n k re t editors went on just as in a scene of a crim e m ovie: observers w ith w a lk ie -ta lk ie s in the street, big limousines with telephones parked here and there, names on apartments and letter boxes being w ritte n dow n and even d irty linen sn iffed through." T h e scene is not fro m South A fric a or the West Bank, but from Hamburg in January, 1963. It was a moment in the struggle o f the peace movement, o f m an's e ffo rt to sur vive the nuclear arms race. The raid by the G erm an federal authorities was, at firs t ap p earan ce, an act o f re ta lia tio n fo r K o n k r e t ’s p u b lic a tio n o f stories ab o u t the seamy side o f th e ir ac tiv itie s at home and ab ro ad . But it had also become kn o w n th at K o n k re t had acquired copies o f N A T O nuclear w ar p lann ing docum en ts— firs t strike p lans— b earing the highest secrecy c la s s ific a tio n . These docum ents were seized by the Federal police, and W est G erm an A tto rn e y G en eral K u rt Rebm ann p ro m p tly warned K o n kret: " I a d vise you th a t the announced publication by your magazine o f (he N A T O documents could make you guilty o f a grave crim e against the ex tern a l security o f the G erm an Federal Republic." Nevertheless, copies o f eleven secret N A T O documents turned up at the Vien na o ffic e s o f a n o th e r p ublication. Das M a g a zin , fo r, as Austrians, the G erm an authorities and their interpretation o f Germ an law do not concern us— a state o f affairs that we value greatly." First strike early option In the rapid expansion o f the peace m ovem ent d u rin g (he past three years, “ firs t s trik e ” is the phrase which has aroused the most intense public alarm . The freedom to strike first with nuclear weapons is to be achieved th ro ug h the " p o s itio n of stre n g th ” , or s u p e rio ity , to w hich the present masters o f the W hite House aspire. It w ould co n fer upon (he U n ite d States the power to d ictate to the Soviet U n io n , and therefore to all others. The practical difficulties, to put it gently, in the achievement of this goal we can leave aside for the moment To appreciate the problem facing the peace forces, it is im p or tant to understand that neither first strike nor the position o f strength are new ideas. On the contrary, they e x p lic itly re a ffirm the in te n t o f those who first possessed the atomic- bomb. The American public has learned th a t the scheme fo r the nuclear d estructio n o f a score o f Soviet cities and thirteen million lives took shape in the minds and in the plan ning papers o f (o p Pen tag o n o f ficers immediately upon the destruc tion o f H iro sh im a and Nagasaki in August 1945. A few weeks later, on September IB th , the Jo in t C h ie fs o f S t a f f issued the secret D irective 1 4 9 6 /2 , “ Basis fo r the F o rm u la tio n o f a M ilita ry P o lic y ," which named the Soviet U nion as the enemy and em phasized the “ first-strike" concept as a new A m e ric a n p o licy fo r the prosecution o f war. The importance o f secrecy can be better appreciated i f one rem em bers the tenor o f the times. T h e Soviet people and their western allies, Am ericans, British and French lived in the glow o f their jo in t v ic to ry over fascism . T hey co o perated in the care and rehabilitation o f the displaced and destitute m illio n s in E u ro pe. New frien d sh ip s fo rm e d , the most notable that o f General Eisenhower and M arshal Zhu ko v. N o ordinary A m erican citizen or soldier could possibly have imagined the existence of Directive 1496/2. T his d ire c tiv e was fo llo w e d on O cto b e r 9th by D ire c tiv e 1518, “ Strategic Concept and Plan for the E m ploym ent o f U n ited States A r med F o rc e s ,” ag ain n am in g the Soviet U n io n as the enemy and the intended victim o f a preventive war. In Novem ber the Joint Intelligence Com m ittee produced, in M em oran dum 329, its target evaluation— the specific list o f 20 cities to be in cinerated. Secretly, a rapid increase in the production o f atom ic bombs was ordered. "D-Day" scheduled A num ber o f unforeseen o b stacles— dem o b ilization , logistics, Soviet fig h te r defense and others— rendered u nfavo rab le the balance o f m ilitary forces needed to carry o u t this p la n . I t is said, however, that eating improves the appetite. Succeeding years produced ever m o re a m b itio u s plans fo r nuclear d estru c tio n o f the Soviet U n io n . They had in trig u in g n am es— C h a r io te e r , C o g w h e e l, Gunpowder, Fleetwood, and others. The D ro p s h o t p la n , d raw n up in 1949, envisioned U .S . leadership o f a coalition o f states which would in vade the Soviet U n io n w ith 20 m illio n men a fte r massive nuclear b o m b in g . D -D a y was set fo r Janu ary 1, 1957. T h e same “ bad lu c k ” dogged a ll of these plans— fa ilu r e to achieve a s u f ficiently favorable balance o f forces. T he Soviet U n io n co n tin u ed to make cred ible its defense strategy o f retaliation. W a r P lan 2 A T A F , says D as Magazin. was adopted by N A T O on Janu ary 31, 1973, and classified “ Cosmic T op Secret” , presumably to punish any e x tra -te rre s tria l, as well as earthly, breach o f secrecy. It names as “ first o p tio n ” a nuclear firs t strik e by N A T O forces co o rd in a te d w ith a firs t strik e by IC B M ’s from the United States. "The firs t goal o f O p tio n O n e ,” says 2 A T A F . "is to destroy or to inflict the greatest possible damage to the nuclear c a p a b ility o f the W arsaw Pact Powers and to th e ir c o n tro l and defense installations necessary for survival.” Friendly nations target W ar Plan 2 A T A F also includes a “ T actical S trike P ro g ra m ” which illuminates the m ilitary thinking in W ash in g to n and at NATO Headquarters. The tactical program seeks “ to lim it the exten t o f h o s tilitie s ” to E u ro p e . W a s h in g to n 's in flu e n c e is obvious here, and the shortsighted among us might feel relieved that the U n ited States has the position o f strength within its own military alliance. But w hat ab o ut the A u strians? T h e ir country is neutral. The N A T O plans mention “ additional targets inside n eu tral or occupied frie n d ly territories." Nuclear strikes against such targets re q u ire “ special a u th o r iz a tio n " by N A T O H ig h Comm and. But under (he U .S. Plan o f Operations 100-6, forty such ad d itio n a l targets are located in Austria. A n d w hat ab o u t the G erm ans? W est G erm an D efense M in is te r M a n fre d W o rn e r to o k p art in crea tin g the c u rre n t N A T O p lan. Under it. West Germany is about to become the lau n c h in g pad fo r a ll 108 Pershing 2 missiles to be in stalled io the coming months. Now we see the function o f these missiles more clearly: They take the place o f the American IC B M ’ s which, under plan 2 A T A F , w ere to be c o o r d in ated w ith NATO nuclear weapons in a first strike against the socialist countries. As Das M agazin puts it, “ a straight line leads from the N A T O strategy o f 'W a r P lan 2A TA F* to the E u ro -m iss ile decision a rriv e d at in Brussels.” H err W orner says that the presence o f the Pershing 2 ’s w ill help protect W est G e rm a n y against nuclear strikes. He w ill be remembered, not pleasantly, as a form er member o f H i t l e r ’ s G e n e ra l S t a f f , the stern m ilita ry scientists w ho assured the G erm an people that bombs would never fall on their cities. F in a lly , w hat about the Am ericans? M a rs h a l U s tin o v , the Soviet Defense M inister, has warned that the Pershing 2’s and (he cruise missiles w ill be regarded as the same as Am erican intercontinental missiles. It is a comm on-sense a t titu d e . But the c o lla b o ra tio n be tween W o rn e r and W e in b e rg e r, between Brussels and W ashington, should tell us something more than sim ply th at in m ilita ry science as well as morality, mediocrity seeks its own level. The root o f the cancer is here, in A m erica. T o rid ourselves o f it is our duty to the whole human family. Role of press questioned (continued fro m page I. column 6/ director o f the State U niversity o f New York's Institute for Studies in International Terrorism , is quoted, stating the U.S. will be threatened at home in orchestrated civil disorders or even terrorist incidents involving nuclear or b io lo g ical weapons. “ A n d ,” he states, “ we are not p rep ared . T h e re is alm ost a co m plete ignorance on the subject." T h e a d m in is tra tio n tested the w aters last week th ro ug h a sanc tioned leak to the Washington Post that “ hit squads” are under co n s id e ra tio n . S h o rtly b efo re th at " le a k " was printed. Jack Anderson discussed in his column the fact (hat a network of death squads operating th ro ug h C e n tra l A m e ric a were established and are financed by the C IA . Since the “ hit sq u ad " proposal received no o u tc ry fro m press or public, the ad m in is tra tio n goes on with its planning. " T h e p ro po sal generated little controversy, perhaps an indication that fear o f p ro liferating terrorism outw eighs the p u b lic aversion to such extrem e m e a s u re s ," the Newhouse article says. The Reagan A d m in is tra tio n has moved q u ic k ly to gear up fo r the "n e w w a r f a r e " . T h e A rm y is im proving its special o peratio ns and counterinsurgency capab ilities; a new office has been created to over see special operations forces, money has been a p p ro p ria te d fo r develop in g b io lo g ic a l w a rfa re capability; the C IA has been given new power for internal surveillance; the F B I has been authorized to do domestic infiltration; there is a con certed attack on Freedom o f In fo r- r P ortland’s largest black-ow ned newspaper. ■ i ■ PORTLAND OBSERVER i ! News fo r and about you. I I I I I mation rights; the reinstatement o f the death penalty for treason is un der consideration by Congress; etc. On (he news front, the people are being prepared. Intensive publicity is given to the A r m y ’ s new a n ti- terrorism squad to be tested at the Olym pic Games; rumors o f foreign terrorists (i.e. Libya) are given undo publicity; ind ivid u al acts o f terro r are major news items; the discussion o f terro rism and the need fo r deterance are given much more im p ortan ce than the ex tre m ely few cases o f organized p olitical te rro r ism that have occurred in this country should warrant. Is this “ re p o rtin g ” and “ an alysis” o f the news and the trends, or is this, as Aronson says, creating public opinion to insure the “ national interest” as the corporate press sees it. 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