Page 2 Portland Observer. August 29, 1984
Reagan deserves KKK endorsement
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Portland will miss Jordan
P o rtla n d ’ s loss is A u s tin , Texas’ s gain as
C o m m issioner Charles Jordan accepted the
position as Commissioner o f Austin’s City park
bureau.
Besides leaving a vacant C ouncil seat, Jo r
d a n ’ s p o litic a l presence was one o f a
progressive, responsible politician whose door
was never closed to issues that were relevant to
the Black community.
The racial composition o f his staff was tru ly
“ ra in bo w ” . It reflected a com m itm ent to A f
firm ative A ction in deeds and not just words.
They represented Portlanders with synchronized
compassion, action and accountability. When
the C ity ’ s p itifu lly poor A ffirm a tiv e A ctio n
record was uncovered, Jordan was the o n ly
commissioner who accepted blame rather than
pass the buck to his bureau managers.
In his most d iffic u lt moments as Police
Commissioner, Jordan put the Police Bureau
first as he tried to reach a balance between the
complaints from the community and the excuses
fro m the police. However, his actions during
this period did not overcome the narrowness o f
Ivancie who reshuffled the bureau away from
Jordan who brought the bureau in to the 20th
century.
The co m m ission e r’ s vote on C ity C o u n c il
reflected the needs and concerns o f low- to mid
dle-income Oregonians. His m onthly forum s
were an asset to Portland because they brought
together a diversity o f people, ideas and in fo r
mation.
As much as we would like Jordan to stay, he
feels his move to Austin is the right one for him
and his family and his say should be the last. His
performance there w ill hopefully m irror his ac
complishments here.
Whoever the voters choose to fill his seat will
be challenged by Jordan’s past performance o f
action , a c co u n ta b ility, concern and progres
siveness. J o rd a n ’ s p o litic a l tr a d itio n w ill
leave an indelible mark on city politics, forever.
Make nuclear transport safer
The way in which radioactive materials are
casually carted around (his world would make a
person think no real danger exists should a spill
or other accident occur. That’s because no mat
ter how much “ hot” material is released into the
environm ent, o ffic ia ls never fail to proclaim
that no threa t to the environm ent has been
unleashed.
As a recent spill o f PCB’s along Interstate 84
shows, being used to such transportation has not
led to greater precautions being taken to insure
the public safety. The P C B ’ s leaked onto the
Irccway for miles from transformers tied slop
pily on a flatbed truck u ntil a motorist noticed
and called it to the driver’s attention. Hundreds
o f cars may have passed throu g h the h ig hly
dangerous material in the meantime.
When a French cargo vessel sank, Saturday,
o f f the Belgian coast, w ith 30 containers o f
ura niu m h e xa flu o rid e w eighing 450 tons
aboard, the same proclamation was heard. The
Street Beat
b y L a m ta D u k e a n d R ic h a r d B r o w n
radioactive material was on its way to the Soviet
Union for use in manufacturing nuclear reactor
fuel when the ship carrying it collided w ith a
ferry.
I t ’s remarkable that more frequent accidents
o f this type d o n ’ , happen. H ig h ly radioactive
elements such as plutonium and nuclear plant
fuel rods are routinely shipped from the U.S. to
Japan and other countries, and residents o f the
Pacific Northwest are getting used to trucks and
trains transporting radioactive and hazardous
m aterials throu g h the ir cities to the federal
storage site at Hanford, Washington.
Federal, state and local o ffic ia ls lack c o o r
dination when m ajor accidents o f this type oc
cur. Waiting for a really massive disaster before
getting th e ir act together is too much like
ra d ioa ctive Russian ro u le tte and does the
trusting public a disservice. Luck w o n ’ t sub
stitute for planning.
The City Club o f Portland is pro
posing a zone where p ro s titu tio n
would be legal. The Street Beat team
asked, “ How do you feel about es
tablishing a legalized zone fo r pro
stitution?”
by D r Manning Marable
"From The Grassroots "
justice. In some instances, this has
meant the personal reversal of one's
prior commitment to racial equality.
T ake the sad case o f Com m ission
Vice C h airm an M o rris B. A b ram .
Once the president o f the American
Jewish C o m m itte e , A b ra m had a
long history o f strong support for
the socioeconom ic and p o litic a l
rights of Blacks. Now in his reincar
n atio n as a R e ag an ite , A b ra m
claims that the old Commission was
a “ J o h n n ie -O n e -N o te ," in re fe r
ence to its constant support for racial
quotas and school desegregation
policies. A b ram and the new C o m
mission have stopped the traditional
policy o f reviewing federal budgets
fo r th eir d is c rim in a to ry im p ac t.
"B u d g e ts are a m a tte r o f social
p o lic y , not c iv il rights as s u c h ,"
states A b ra m . " T h e y d o n ’ t come
under o ur ju r is d ic tio n .” M e a n
while. Reagan's budget reductions
have contributed to a sharp rise in
national in fa n t m o rta lity , massive
unem ploym ent, and m ental health
disorders— all o f which are "racist”
in th eir a ffe c t, because they h it
Blacks more severely than whites.
In the June 10th issue o f Tim e
magazine. Abram cynically outlined
his narrow definition o f civil rights.
In the wake of the Democratic Na
tional Convention last month, some
disappointed Jackson supporters
warned that they might not support
th eir p a rty 's lac klu s ter nom inee.
Walter Mondale, in the general elec
tion. Undeniably, M ondale is a poor
representative o f Black. Latino and
poor people's interests. But we
might well remember w hat’s at stake
this Novem ber, and what kinds o f
racists are now aligning themselves
behind Ronald Reagan
Several months ago, Bill W ilk in
son, leader o f the Invisible Empire
fa c tio n o f the K K K , openly en
dorsed Reagan fo r re elec tio n .
"A nytim e you see all the Blacks and
minorities in this country opposing,
strongly, one man, you know he has
got to be doing something good for
the white race," W ilkinson told the
press. M a n y elem ents o f the
R epu b lican p la tfo rm are " p u r e
K ia n ," he observed. W ilk in s o n 's
Klansm en prom ised to w ork hard
for Reagan this fall.
One of the major reasons (hat the
Kian is so aggressively pro-Reagan
is the A d m in is tra tio n ’ s civil rights
policies. The Reaganite C ivil Rights
Commission has all but repudiated
the goal o f ra cial e q u a lity and
Margaret Brown
Clark
“ I think ii would create a
lot of problems. Il would be
dangerous fo r all involved.
People will do what they want
and there would be a little bit
of everything."
" I would like a zone where
I could work. I got (wo kids to
support and I c a n 't fin d a
square jo b I f they establish
a zone, the crime and disease
rale would d ro p ."
Howard Pulliam
Electrician
" I 'm against p rostitution
because it's lim ite d to the
Black communities all across
the slates."
(Please turn to page 6, Column !)
Opinion: Republicans move U.S. back in time
by Lanita Duke
condone this type o f suppression of
individual freedoms.
The platform (he Republicans will
run on reads like it was w ritten by
the M o ra l M a jo r it y . R ev. Jerry
F a lw e ll q u ip p e d , " I f they had
allo w ed us to w rite it, we w ould
have d iffic u lty im p ro v in g on the
content.”
T h e p la tfo rm calls fo r a c o n
s titu tio n a l am en dm en t to o u tlaw
abortion while urging (he President
not to a p p o in t judges to the
Suprem e C o u rt w ho support the
right to choose.
In light o f this fac t, i t ’ s hard to
sw allow
G ov.
V ic
A tiy e h 's
reasoning when he says Democrats
in te rfe re in p e o p le ’ s lives. I f this
proposed am en dm en t is n 't in te r-
ferring, I don't know what is.
T h e vast a rra y o f R epu b lican
speakers conveniently used bits and
pieces o f h isto ry w ith th eir own
n arro w in te rp re ta tio n and the
d o u b le ta lk o f G eo rg e O r w e ll’ s
A m erica to the rig h t, backw ard
march! seemed to be the tone of the
Republican National Convention.
Their delegates, mainly white and
upper incom e, sang, " H a i l to the
C h ie f " and " L e t ’ s beat the pants
o ff the Democrats."
During the convention, many un
settling themes arose out o f the
boredom. Sen Barry Goldwater sent
chills up and dow n the spines o f
many A m erican s when he said,
"Extremism in the defense of liberty
is no vice.”
Flashbacks of the C O IN T E L P R O
years w hich
included
illeg al
w iretaps, bugging and p la n tin g
agents to m a n ip u la te jealo usies,
power struggles and ideological con
flicts to prevent the rise o f
progressive o rg an iza tio n s and
leaders fell under the category of ex
tremism. You can't help but wonder
if the sentiments expressed during
the Republican convention w ould
" 1 9 8 4 " , "Peace through Strength"
as a campaign slogans.
The supply side economic theories
are the R e p u b lic a n ’ s crow n and
creed but its b en efits have yet to
trick le dow n to the p o o r, aged or
vulnerable in society. The question
they ask in 1984 is, "w h e re is the
trickle in the trickle-down theory?”
As we look for the silver lining in
the dark cloud of Tighter than right
politics, the m oderate wing o f the
Republican p arty holds the glow .
I t ’ s refresh in g
that
a
few
R epublicans in O reg o n openly
dem onstrated their preference for
p ro -ch oice and the Eq ual Rights
A m en dm en t on the floor.
I f the R epu b licans w in re-
election, we hope the demands of
the people will am plify the voice of
moderation in the party. I f not the
extremism o f the right, it may create
an extrem e re ac tio n am ong those
who the Republican party does not
represent.
Letters to the Editor
Supports Cawthorne
the School Board. He has worked
hard inside the system to m ake
education m ore responsive to the
concerns o f citizen s. I f H e rb
C a w th o rn e had not been on the
School B oard, it is q uite possible
M a tth e w P ro p het w ou ld not be
Superintendent of Portland Schools
today.
H e rb has done much m ore. His
o ral h istory p ro gram s have been
superb in m akin g Black h istory
come alive for so many o f us. Herb
is always available to us. He speaks
at our functions and challenges our
young people to p e rfo rm w ell in
school. W hen the D is tric t 18
L ead ersh ip F o ru m needed to be
organized. Herb helped develop the
project, w rite the plan, and insure
the process was fa ir . T h is led to
Margaret Carter's eventual victory.
H erb C aw th o rn e has earned (he
chance to run, and has proven his
ability to win a city-wide race. Most
people in this city know his School
To the Editor:
Jana Doa
Proatltuta
" E c o n o m ic c la im s ,” he now
argues, a re n 't " c iv il rig hts. A
'right* to shelter, a 'right* to health
care, a 'rig h t* to day care fo r
children" are not civil rights. Blacks
and other m inority groups have ab
solutely no " c iv il" rights " t o a cer
tain level of food stamp spending,"
Abram lectures sternly A fte r such
dem agoguery, is it surprising that
A la b a m a K K K Jim B lair recently
applauded A b ra m and other co n
servatives on the C ivil Rights C o m
mission? In B lair’ s words, the new
Commission "has opened the door
to allow true democracy" by taking
a position " t o free Am erica o f a f
firm ative action, rampant giveaway
programs, and forced busing . . . "
Beneath the black robes o f the
U .S . Supreme C o u rt justices, civil
rights proponents are finding more
than a few white sheets. The C o u rt’s
June 12th decision upholding "last
hired, first fire d " policies by a 6-3
vote essentially states that workers
with more seniority cannot be laid
o f f to protect the jobs o f Blacks,
Latinos and women who are hired
under affirm ative actions programs.
Reagan’s chief of the Justice Depart
ment’s civil rights division, W illiam
Herb Cawthorne is our choice for
the C ity C o u n c il seat vacated by
Commissioner Charles Jordan We
regret Charles has decided to leave
P o rtla n d , we wish him the best in
his new position.
Herb is best qualified to run for
and win the seat because o f his years
o f service to o ur c o m m u n ity , ex
perience, and intelligence.
Herb has served this com m unity
since 1976, when he came from the
U niversity o f O regon to teach and
administer educational programs at
Portland State U n iversity. He im
m ediately began helping organize
the com m unity around the issue o f
quality education fo r all children.
He was instrumental in stopping the
u nfair busing o f Black children in
Portland Public Schools. Because o f
his co m m itm en t to eq u ity fo r all
children he was selected to serve on
Board campaign was one of the best
o rg an ized we have seen. T his
resulted in his decisive victory. He is
prepared and can win again.
W e hope o ur c o m m u n ity w ill
support Herb now, spread the word
to our friends all over the city, and
commit ourselves to give money and
hard labor. Herb can win. He deserves
to win. A nd, each one of us should
be committed to making sure that he
does.
ffev £ j £ d wards
Henry Scott
Jerry Payne
Rev John H Jackson
Tern ( batman
t'esia Loving
Gale Castillo
Pay Leary
Bishop J. C. Foster
A vel Mayfield
Harry Ward
Halim Pahsaan
Henna Stroughter
P ev.O .B Williams
Pon Herndon
Pev. John Garlington
Paul Cook
Tht Observer welcomes l etters 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 fo r length
Portland Observer
■At MHi ■
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Dorla Flower«
Unemployed
Dawayne Laubockar
Warehouseman
" I t sounds like a good idea
to get it in one area instead of
having it all over the place.
There is no way they can ever
stop it .”
“ I don't think that's a good
idea. I t ’ s a bad exam ple for
our kids. They should not be
exposed to it ."
*
♦ 15 lo t on«
□
Y—’
»26 lor tw o year«
Bor 3137 Portland OB 97028
Victor Jeckaon
Baker
" I wouldn't like it. I live in
an area where there is a lot of
p ro s titu tio n . I d o n 't lik e it
around my kids."
B
Alfred L. Henderson, Editor/Publisher
A l Williams, General Manager
I
283 2486
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