Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, October 23, 1985, Page 5, Image 5

Below is the OCR text representation for this newspapers page. It is also available as plain text as well as XML.

    x/izvJUl vur , V u lU U v l
Dr. Charles Clements,
doctor behind the lines,
speaks in Portland
h \ R obert1 oihian
D r. C h arle s (.le m e n ts re tu rn e d io
I I Salvador recently w ith a delegation
o f Vietnam veterans
C le m e n ts, a fo rm e r p ilo t in V ie t­
nam w h o resigned the A ir F orce in
protest and became a doctor, went be­
hind the lines in I I S a lvad or in 1982
and organized m edical care in a rebel
zone.
S pe aking in P o rtla n d last w eek.
C le m e n ts said the d e le g a tio n 's firs t
stop on the recent lo u t was at a hospi­
tal lu ll o f government soldiers awaiting
a rtific ia l lim bs O ne o l the Am erican
veterans unstrapped his a rtific ia l legs
and held then- up lo r the Salvadorans
to see. then stra p p e d them back on
and ran up and dow n the length o f the
Lucila Mepa de M orales
The President said the ne w econom ic policy is the
salvation o f our c o u n try," but he Indian peasants say it represents starvation and
not salvation
(P h o to R ich a rd J B ro w n )
Bolivian peasant leader
recent local visitor
(le m e n ts said that the media mes
sage that go vern m ent tro o p s ate de
leating the g u erilla s is talsc "I ve,v
th in g th a t o u t d e le g a tio n saw the re
p o in ts o u t th a t the w a i is s till veiv
/u Huh 11 iihian
B o liv ia , a p o o r, la n d lo cke d coun
irv w ith high m o u n ta in s and a large
Indian p o p u la iio n , located in central
South A m erica, has been in the news
lately because ot e ixa in e scandals and
a recent general strike.
I ucila M ena de M ótales, the leadet
Of the B olivian I ederation o l Peasant
W o m e n , v is ite d P o r tla n d last week
and spoke o f the general strike and o l
het e ffo r ts on b e h a lf o l peasant
women.
I w o m o n th s ago, said M e p a , the
c o u n try 's new president (B o liv ia has
had over 2(X) leaders in the last 125
years) responded to dem ands o l the
International M onetary I und and the
W o rld Bank bv freezing salaries and
raising transp ortatio n costs I he IM I
and W o r ld Bank re q u ire such mea
sutes as p a rt o f debt repayment plans
fo r B o liv ia and o th e r I b ird W o rld
Jebtor nations.
“ The president said the new eco
do m ic p o licy is the s a lv a tio n o l our
c o u n tr y ,” but the In d ia n peasants
sav it represents s ta rv a tio n and not
salvatio n, said M e jia ta lk in g quietlv
hut fittn lv ill Spanish, and w e aling a
wool shawl and the bow let hat popu
lai w ith Bolivian Indian women. M ejia
said that het tw o small children and In
tute generations w ill suffer from being
forced to pay the country's debt to the
IM I ami W o rld Bank
W orkers and jxasants at first asked
lo r a dialog w ith the president to ask
lo i changes, but were re fu se d , she
said I he B o liv ia n W o rk e rs C e n tra l,
largest labor federation in Bolivia, then
, ailed lo r a nationw ide hunger strike
\ state ol siege was vlev lured. the strike
leaders were arrested and taken to a
prison in the ju n g le w líete they were
not allow ed visits and care packages
Iro in their tamilies, she said
I he govern m ent let up o il the re
pression alter sever il weeks, the lead­
ers were released, and an uneasy peace
c o n tin u e s , a c c o rd in g to M e n a She
said thousands o l m in ers re m a in on
strike un derground and other groups
ol hunger sinkers continue to ix c u p y
chin dies
Strikes, repression, strict econom ic
m easures, d ru g s , c o r r u p tio n and
changes m governm ent fo rm the lab
tic ol lile in Bolivia, a country w ith an
impoverished 85 percent Indian popu
watd, said Clements
“ Those yo u n g m e n 's laces were
tra n s fo rm e d ," he said "D e s p ite the
tact that thev were k illin g c iv ilia n s ,
there was very m uch an id e n litv be
tween these young men and the Xrner
lean vets, because thev weie a lot like
us w hen we were F and 18
la tion where one in live m ia u ls d o n 't
su ivive H a iti and Bolivia are (he |voor
est c o u n trie s in the w estern lie iin
sphere
M e jia . 36, fro m the a ltapluno, or
high plains urea ot \ io m a piovm ce in
the state o l I a l’ az in central B olivia ,
said she le ft hom e at age 12 and
w o rk e d her wav th ro u g h scho ol bv
doing housewor k
Her e llo tls that led to the form atio n
o l the peasant w o m e n 's te d e ra tro n
began in a village ch u rch , where she
organized a etxvperulive e ffo rt to teach
wom en to read so they c o u ld fo rm a
ch o ir I here was no c h a lk or b l.u k
b o a rd “ T ach person w o u ld give
som ething and we w o u ld sell it, and
with the money we bought school ma
ter nils We began w ith seven, then
much alive
I he guerillas and the m ih ia iv have
leached a sta le m a te w here neither
side van win and everyone in I I Salva
.lot knows it, he said It is the I nited
Slates that is holding back ix a .e uego
nations, t lements vh.uged " I he a lii
tild e o t the I S I inbassv is
VV e
can win it this lim e ','’ he said
I he e xp erience o l Z im b a b w e
K lnxlesia po in ts to a s o lu tio n lo t I I
S a lva d o r's pro b le m s, ( lements said
M ie r veats o i revolutionary w t r i irt
le.nltlie to a stalemate in that \ t i1, an
v o iin liv , a peacekeeping l o i w was
vailed in to keep the w h ile se v iiiitv
forces in th e ir b a rra c k s and a llo w
a tree election Over f() percent ot the
po pulation elected a lebel goveinm ent
I
N o N e e d to F e a r
L o w P r ic e s a r e H e r e !
Meri Women
. . . . T Shirts
Bal>y Clothes
arxl Much
More to See
Utxfcxwivx
w h ich in s titu te d la n d re fo rm and
guaranteed c iv il rig h ts lo t the B l.u k
m ajority W hues retained iheir rights
and c o n tin u e to fa rm and d o busi
ness, and Z im ba bw e has not become
a pawn o l the Soviet U n io n , he said
I he t nited Slates is s ta n d in g in the
wav o l a s im ila r settle m e nt fo r I I
Salvador, according to ( lements.
Il the I nited states gels involved in
I entral America, l lements said, it w ill
be Black Americans am i other in in o i
ities who ate sent to k ill jx m i |X'asanls
I he I s fu n d s used to fin a n c e the
w .its in I I S a lva d o r and N ica ra g u a
Socks
Stock« igs
Dresses
Rolen & Chris Clothing Store
525 (M E. K illin g s w o rth
282 H2S2
OREGON CHIEF BACON
THICK SLICED
com e d iic v tly o u t o l fo o d stam ps,
w e ll.u e and oth er social seivices,
< lem ents vh.uged
I he I nited states is supplying the
Salvadoian Air I orce w ith m illions ol
d o lla is ' w o rth o l hig h tech nolog y
weapons used in an a ir w ai that is
driving tlx guerillas in to the cities, lie
said W ith \< 4 ' " P u l I the M ag ic
69
$1
SAVI
50'
POUND
p
PKG
ORANGE
R IC O TTA
CHEESE
JUICE
D ia g o n " and Hughes MXl hchcnplei
gunships that van slued evetvthing in
then path, and plane title d w ith in
s liu m e n ls th a t van delect the heal
tio m an in la n t at 10.(XX) le e l, " t h is
kind o l ievhniv.il escalation has made
hie in ru ra l I I Salvador u n te n a b le .''
Clem ents s.ml " I t 's vetv d itfic u lt to
survive in li ir . il I I S alvador and the
|vo|vle that do so are very dedicated
V ivtlians suite, the most casualties, he
said
I s m ilita ry stialegv is ta ilin g on
t w o , , 'm u . according l o t lements
M
tv in n lo ttategiv h am lets
tia- onlv served to concentrate the op
p o s itio n . In .m l. and the massive
b o m b in g is lim ite d to the c o u n liv
ide A llVI C 11 i - m c i lm i iv c a g a lliv i
uc illas m ihc v. It ICs
I Icincnis '»au 1 dial die pavl vear has
i cn a i ci m n » ’4 lll.i' v puhliv d e m o n
i t . liio n s I n e t III.m ill people dettevi
tin lepie- sion to lionoi the niem oiv ol
At, til n hop Kom ero ai i Sun Salvador
i
n Alai v h . .u i.l 211.1 > * i
m a t ' ,1 I o t lain i le to t in in M av . he
said
Kids
OLD SOUTH
PRECIOUS
BRAND
HALF GALLON
I 6 o i CUP
OREGON CHIEF WIENERS
V
AREA— CBIEF
Wieners
12 ox.
PKG.
l_
K
99
0
SHOP
■E
IEI N O W 'S
rz
FOR.
B R A M O * yew Irn e w
V A R I I T I I » v » u lih a
*1 1 1 * yau w a n t
there were 15, then 30 and then 60
niem lx’is ,” she said
When M ejia spoke out o n w o m e n 's
rights at a fiesta, she was asked to be
come a representative to the B olivia n
W orkers l entral Her lust jo b was ol
• MH I I «tilarOwbiR
• IBM* I I I M»*««»«
• l l« b A ! • • • A«ar««»A«
• >3rA A M l Momoab
• (>>«W A M • AJ> m *
• >O«b A l l A * v 4«4« r
• M
«• O r« *U v • )3rM A W««« Aw*a»a»4«
•
M ill«
• l e b « O»w«WR * • A A« •
•
lic e h o u se ke e p in g , but she to ld the
male labor leaders thete that she came
OUI«Ao« • HI«« City
• OoR Oe«*«
YOUR WATER: IS THERE MORE THERE
THAN MEETS THE EYE?
as a le a d e t. not an e m p lo ye e , and
let, to organize the w o m en 's ledera
non inde|X'udentlv
I he leder a lio n became o l In nil in
I MSI I w ith a meeting o l f.5 0 0 peasant
women Iro in throughout the countrv
I, organizes cooperative education pro
giants in small com m unities that teach
young and old Indian women reading,
writing, simple mathematics, coopera
liv e sales p ra c tic e s , and so cia l and
labor histo iv M ena said that M l |x-r
cent o l B o liv ia 's p o p u la tio n , m ostly
women, cannot re.nl or write
Shortly alter the lederalton lorm ed,
she said, it had to go underground lor
tw o years a lte r the m ilita r y seized
power
M e jia said she n a rro w ly
escaped an a tta c k on the B o liv ia n
W o ik e i s ( en tra l b u ild in g , wInch was
'•
>
. <
deslroved and turne d in to a p a rkin g
lot bv secuntv forces I lungs have mi
proved som ewhat and the federation
now functions opcnlv across the coun
try. she said ' W hat we want is peace
and hie and foo d and we ask that there
lx- no bloodshed," M ejia said
M e jia 's to u r o f O re g o n and the
I S was sponsored bv the In s titu te
fo r P o lic y S tudies in W a s h in g to n ,
I) ( . and tri O regon bv the ( ouncrl
lo r H u m an Hights m I atm \m e ric a
Charles C lem enis
II the Unite«) S tales gets involved in C entrili Am erica, it
will be Black Am ericans and other minorities w ho are sent Io kill )xxx peasants
(Photo Richard J Brow n)
FACT:
”
A' •
•
FACT:
Support our
advertisers
a
* < V a ®
v.M'
POR Jl.AND
OBSER VER
>
FACT:
FACT:
T h e R o y a l E s q u ir e C lu b 's
C o m m u n it y S e r v ic e S t a t e m e n t
b y A .D .S .
SOME OF THE GREATEST
THINGS IN AMERICA
NEVER CHANGE.
SOME 0 0 .
Volume X'll
/S THERE ANYTHING YOU CAN DO?
Red Card Holders, please don't forget rhursday, October 31,
1985 — Halloween!
YES!
Paying Ovar 9 % .
As you know, the club w ill hold a Halloween costume party
starting at 9:(X) p.m., Halloween night. There will be PRIZES lor
the best, most original costumes. There will be 1st. 2nd and 3rd
place prizes. So — unless you are very, very , very pretty, wear a
costume. And let’s have fun!
A pure and simple solution to im proving water quality is the A m w ay ’
W ater Treatment System Effectively removes Pesticxles, Herbicides
Industrial Chemicals, Chlorine and THM s Isusfiected r ant er r ausinq
agents at high concentrations!, Giardia Lamblia, and a host of other
contam inants. For specific inform ation, call
4» f .1 R
’li.ir.inhT .i retur
ptiv ft ’ixU .it .ilm« m
»(
J)
US SAVINGS BONDS —
ALSO — remember, and don’ t forget to prepare for the talent
show lobe held in November. More about that next week.
FACT:
FACT:
Paying Better Than Ever '
287 3298
Financing A vailable
V
/ •
F
»
» •
»Z r.'
• 'af* » »*
X« *