Page 2, Portland Observer, December 19, 1904
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Joining the rest of the nation. Oregonians this week and last pro
tested U S involvement with South Africa at tha building in which
Calvin Van Pelt. Honorary South African Consul, works. In acts of
civil disobedience intended to force Van Pelt to resign (left photo).
Or. Ed Ferguson. Prof, of History at 0 S.U. Corvallis. Bob Baugh.
Secretary/Treesurer Oregon State AFL CIO. and Jim Drapar. re
tired businessman, Corvallis, are led to police cars aftar being ar
rested for refusing to leave the office of Van Pelt on Wednesday.
December 19. On Friday. December 14, Lynn Parkinson (right photo),
local attorney, and Trevor Purcell. Prof, of Anthropology, refuse
to leave the offices of Martin Salas International. Corp., whara Van
Pelt works. They were arrested.
The protests will continue every Wednesday and Friday at noon
at 831 S.W. 1st (at Yamhill).
(Photos: Richard J. Brown)
Wyden takes heat for South Africa views
by I .unita Duke
G R A S S R O O T NEW S, N W -
Representative Ron Wyden is co n
sidered one o f Congress’ most p ro
gressive members. Hui i * o progres
sive organizations have accused W y
den o f failing Io exercise leadership on
issues o f concern Io progressive
people
This observation w ill come as a
surprise Io many w ho saw W yden’ s
political maturation occur. His tenure
as Director o f Oregon's (iray Panthers
upgraded the quality o l life lor senior
citizens A lso , Wyden was opposed
to the Sim pson-M azzoh im m igra
lio n b ill. He called it a "la w y e r's
lull-employment b ill."
I he Oregon Rainbow Organizing
C om m ittee, the p o litic a l apparatus
employed by the Jesse Jackson fo r
president campaign, listed their con
cerns with Wyden in an October 10th
letter.
The steering com m ittee o f the
Rainbow noted, " I n spite o f the fact
that you represent the Oregon District
with the largest Black population, you
have been unable to lake a progressive
position regarding U.S. p olicy in
South A frica .”
Elizabeth G ro ff, Associate Direc
tor o f American f riends Service Com
mittee's Southern A frican program,
aid. "T h e anti-apartheid movement
has always been disappointed at W y
den's lack o f commitment to support
basic human rights in South A fric a
He has never had a firm position on
divest m cn l."
However, Wyden responded, " I
India seeks peace
by Kttbert I utbian
W ith the death o l In d ira Gandhi
and the breaking o f the Sikh inde
pendence movement, India has been
purged o f violence and can look fo r
ward to a period o f relative peace,
according to Dr. Ravi Kalia, a native
ol India and professor o f history ai
Eastern Oregon State College.
Kalia attended a forum on Indian
re lig io n and p o litic s December ID
sponsored by the W o rld A ffa irs
Council ol Oregon. He was joined by
Kulbir Singh, a Sikh and a mechanical
engineer at Bingham-Willamette Co.
According to Kalia, the longstand
mg differences between In d ia ’ s Sikh
com m unity and the m a jo rity H indu
government which led to the invasion
o f the S ikh s' G olden tem ple and
Gandhi's assassination brought about
" a tragedy w hich makes Indians
look at themselves and ask where they
are heading." W ith the Sikh leader-
ship dead or in prison and the central
government reorganizing, he said, it
w ill likely be a long tune before ten
sions reach the level o f summer, I9H4
By all accounts, said Kalia, Gandhi
wanted to avoid the assault on the
Golden Temple, but she was overtak
en by fastmoving events and a hard
line faction in her government.
The attack was the culmination of
simmering hostilities between Sikhs
and Hindus that go back to the IRtXh,
said Kalia Sikhs have struggled for a
homeland fo r at least that long but
base been persecuted by the m ajority
H indu government which fears their
powers
The central government has been
reluctant to give power to the Indian
state o l P u n ja b , where most Sikhs
live. The Punjab borders on India's
traditional enemy, Pakistan, and the
government feared links between the
Sikhs and P akistan, fu rth e r com
plicating the situation.
A lth o u g h a m in o rity o f In d ia 's
w ill support anything that can p ro
duce change I'm a strong opponent
o f constructive engagement. I w ill
support cutting South Africa o ff from
im port/export loans."
When asked if he s till supported
the Sullivan principals (where A m eri
can co rporations apply an equality
code but still do no, address changes
in the system o f apartheid) Wyden
replied, " I am under the impression
that the Congressional Black caucus
does not rule out mandatory applica
tio n o f those principals and I w ill
support anything that will bring about
a change.”
When asked if he would participate
in the current civil disobedience W y
den responded, “ The bottom line is to
be e ffe ctive . I am not going to de
nounce or lim it any moves that I think
will be effective."
The Rainbow also took issue with
W yden’ s support o f Israel. " Y o u r
uncritical support fo r Israeli govern-
p o p u la tio n , the largely m iddle and
upper middle class Sikhs arc neverthe
less very in flu e n tia l in the m ilita ry ,
civil service and in the transportation
industry, said Singh. Their militance
stems fro m c o n trib u tin g taxes and
other things out of proportion to their
numbers, yet being neglected by the
(iandhi government, he said
In a d d ition , said K alia, the Sikhs
had enjoyed a period o f relative pros
perity followed by economic stagna
tio n . " T h e S ikh rising can be ex
plained by an evolution o f rising ex
pectations," he said. " A fte r experi
encing a certain amount o f prosperity,
they fell politically and economically
stagnated."
In such a situation, violence seemed
inevitable, and a Sikh terrorist move
ment developed. Hut according to
Singh, " I believe the government had
no business a tta c k in g the G olden
temple and k illin g hundreds o f c iv il
ian Sikhs to cover up for its incompe
tence at dealing with political te rro r
ism ." Singh hinted that the attack and
the anti-S ikh violence that follow ed
the assassination o f G a n d h i were
aimed a, defeating the Sikh independ
ence movement.
He also said that relatives in In
dia were harrassed and their houses
were burned after the assassination.
The violence could have been c o n
trolled properly because the govern
ment knew how the masses o f India
w ould react in such a situation, ac
cording to Singh.
ment policies which deny justice and
dignity to the Palestinian people and
underm ine the chances to achieve
peace in the region Your co-sponsor
ship o f a measure requiring the U.S.
embassy in Israel to relocate to Jerus
alem is a recent example."
But Wyden said, " I t is in A m e r
ica’ s interest to have one a lly in the
M iddle East. Over the last 20 years
that ally has been Israel. This is not
an abstract issue for us in Northeast
Portland. In N.E. Portland an extra
ordinary number o f households heat
w ith o il and wc need an a ffo rd a b le
gasoline."
Wyden has been criticized by spon
sors o f the Citizen U tility Board fo r
(ailing to lend a public endorsement
during the Oregon election campaign
Uncompromising and unapologetic
Wyden points to his I00 percent vot
ing record in support o f c iv il rights
and A ffirm a tiv e A ctio n . However,
these allegations and observations
hamper his progressive image
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"M a k in g an assault on a religious
temple was probably the biggest mis
take the In d ia n governm ent ever
m ade," said Singh. " Y o u d o n 't do
anything like that that has any relig
ious identification, at least in a coun
try like In d ia ."
Kalia and Singh agreed that the vio
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