Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 8, 1984)
Page 4 Section II Portland Observer, August 8, 1984 Peace constituency works convention by Chuck Goodmocher Among the ’ .000délégués, 15.000 media persons, and countless thousands o f other political junkies in San Francisco for the Democratic National Convention were thousands of people openly proclaiming their support for the cause of peace The advocates of peace represented a wide variety of organizations and perspectives, as well as nearly all 50 states. They brought with them an equally diverse spec trum of goals and of strategies for achieving them. Outside the Moscone Center, two major peace efforts were held to coincide with the convention. The largest, a “ Vote Peace in ’ 84” rally attracted more than 40,000 people Monday evening, July 16. More than 500 organi zations nationwide joined a temporary coalition to sup port the rally. “ This is an unprecedented coalition,” said Vote Peace in '84 Coordinator Michael Terrazino. “ Vote Peace represents a new consolidating trend in the nation's progressive political arena." The rally, addressed by Jesse Jackson; Dr. Helen Cald- icott; Dennis Brutus; Ron Dellums; M a rio Obledo; Maggie Kuhn; Arnaldo Ramos, and others, linked arms control issues with concerns about U.S. military inter vention in Third World countries and problems of unem ployment and poverty in the U.S. M eanw hile, several hundred others were taking a decidedly different approach to the convention. Also or ganized specifically for the convention, the Democratic Warchest Tours sought to publicize Democratic Party connections to corporations in the war industry. On the first day o f the tt ur, while listening to a speaker talk about Diamond Shamrock Corporation, a huge energy conglomerate, manufacturer of Agent Orange and con tributor o f $100,000 to the Democratic Convention, "tactical” police arrested nearly 100 demonstrators on felony charges of "conspiracy to commit a misdemean or.” Inside the convention, still other sets of goals and stra tegies were being pursued. Jesse Jackson put forth minority platform planks calling for a 20% reduction in the military budget over five years, and for a "n o first use" policy regarding nuclear weapons. G ary H art proposed an anti-intervention plank to limit presidential use of force (as in Lebanon and Grenada). Hart's plank was accepted, but Jackson's peace planks were resoundingly defeated. Most peace organizations represented within the convention hall abandoned Jack son's call in favor of not irritating Mondale and other prominent politicians. The National Freeze Campaign, and other arms con trol groups, had lobbied the platform committee and par ty leaders since December, 1983, and most were quite pleased with the result The platform contains nine out of ten Freeze points and, according to Sen. Alan Cranston (D -C A ), " it presents the strongest, clearest, most crea tive strategy for preventing nuclear war ever offered the American public." Whether the peace movement as a whole comes out in force to work on the presidential campaign this Novem ber is unclear, yet some groups have already made known their plans. Oregon Freeze Voter '84 has registered “ pro- Freeze" voters for months. They are also contributing time and volunteer energy to help re-elect Congressman Les A u C o in, and this is expected to help M ondale as well. Peace activist at • march for joba, peace end jus tice sponsored by organized labor. Marchers num bered 100,000. (Photo: Richard J. Brown) Impatient with politicians, some peace activists are turning toward acts o f civil disobedience, such as blocking the “ W hite T r a in ” carrying warheads to Trident submarines in Bangor, Washington. New Clear Vision is organizing for a Portland “ Nuclear Free Zone" ordinance. Most peace groups locally are continuing their public education work on the issue and cannot work directly on a partisan campaign because o f their non-profit legal status. . f-ar. Jackson unites wide Black spectrum by Lanita Duke G RASSR O O T NEW S, N. I F — The candidacy of Rev Jesse Jackson not only glowed with (he colors o f the rainbow coalition, but a cease Fire occurred around ideo logical battles as the progressive agenda absorbed the n ationalistic and M arxist elements w ith in the Black Liberation Movement. Rev. Herbert Daughtry, chair o f the National Black United Front, said the Jackson campaign brought inten sive and extensive unity to Black communities across the country. “ His campaign involved a nationalistic, reformist, rev olutionary and religious dimension. The masses grow weary of seeing us in conflict. They do not understand the ideological battles. Jesse united all o f us together, thereby creating pervasive pride, d ignity and self- respect,” he added. A m iri Baraka (L ero y Jones), editor o f the Black Nation Journo!, defines himself as a Marxist. He com plim ented Daughtry by noting the significance o f Jackson drawing in the entire spectrum o f Black p oli tical trends. "T he fundamental threat to capitalism is democracy. When you raise the level of democracy, you bring out the contradictions in the system. People will find out that the voting public does not elect the president. The electoral college does. “ Thus, Jesse Jackson received 22% o f the popular vote but only got 7% of the delegates. W alter Mondale receives 39% of the popular vote and obtains 5 I% of the delegates. Democracy has never existed fo r Blacks because it literally has never existed for the majority of U.S. citizens," he said. Baraka continued by staling he expects a change to come about by exposing the absence of democracy in the U.S. “ Once people are empowered with the truth, I be lieve they will challenge that part of the system. Jackson put dual primaries on the minds of the people. Now, dual primaries are used as an example of the lack of demo cracy in America.” Along with this unity among different ideological fac tions, a new color was added to the rainbow coalition— the Arab-American. Dr. James J. Zogby, deputy cam paign manager for fundraising, said Jackson extended A rab-A m ericans an in v ita tio n to jo in the rainbow coalition after the 20th anniversary o f the M arch on Washington. “ He felt it was time for us to get involved in the political mainstream. It's a real breakthrough for us. Mondale has done the opposite. He has returned checks from Arab-Americans. The problems Jackson has had with the established, traditional organization is the threat over leadership control that they've had for years. The time has come to either surrender power or settle for parity."
