«P •
• a
’“ • —aa- -**• *.
H» • & ,
Page 2. Portland Observer, December 25, 1986
EDITORIAL/OPINION
_
Clark's homeless program
needs support
Lust week Portland M ayor Bud Clark presen
ted his 12-point plan to help the homeless get o ff
the streets o f Old Town without displacing them
to new areas in Portland. The comprehensive plan
addresses the needs o f the estimated 3000
homeless in Portland.
( lark’s commitment to solving the problems o f
the homeless is a humane act; the mayor should be
commended for his efforts. In recent years, society
had turned its back on the less fortunate in our
communities. By some estimates there are three
m illion homeless individuals living in the United
Stales.
Another 33.7 m illio n people are classified as
living in poverty, which is 14.4 percent o f the total
U.S. population. M any o f the 14.4 percent w ill
join the homeless, sleeping on top o f grates or in
doorways and searching for something to cal from
trash cans. These conditions have gotten worse
since the Reagan administration took office.
I asl week it was revealed that the President
plans to cancel $6.2 billion o f the $9.9 billion that
Congress recently a pp ro p ria ted fo r housing
assistance to people with low or moderate incomes
during fiscal year 1987. I f this plan is implemen-
ed, the number o f homeless will most certainly in
crease.
Clark's 12-point plan isn’ t perfect; there is no
such thing as a perfect plan. But his plan can work
if local and state governments, social service agen
cies, along with the private sector, and the business
community all coordinate resources to address the
problem o f human suffering on our city streets.
Society’s lack o f concern for those beneath main
stream A m erica is a sad rem inder o f how our
priorities are changing in the world.
()u r nation spends billions o f dollars yearly on
weapons capable o f destroying civilization as we
now know it. Instead o f allocating our resources
to destroy ourselves, funds should be made avail
able in an effort to save human life. This is what
M ayor Clark is attempting to accomplish. W ith
active support from the entire community. C lark’s
plan will succeed.
Letters to the Editor
The Observer welcomes tetters to the editor. Letters sho uld
H e reserve the rig h t to e d it f o r length. M a il to P ortla nd
be ty p e d o r n e a tly p r in te d a n d sig ne d w ith the a u th o r 's
name a n d address <addresses are n o t usu ally p u blishe d).
Observer. P.O. Box 3137. P ortland. O R 972OB
Disagree w ith Cherovee
W ith The Name A lla h
The G racious, The Com passionate
To the E d ito r:
Ke: le tte r b y D r. J a m il C h e ro ve e
"P ro s titu tio n here to stay.”
D r. C herovee m ade several asser
tio n s th a t I fe e l it m a n d a to ry lo
q u e s tio n . F ir s t, it is im p o r ta n t to
disagree w ith the conclusion and point
o f the le tte r: th a t p r o s titu tio n sh a ll
exist as long as ou r species survive. I f
o u r species w ere to be c o m p le te ly
destroyed in the im m e dia te fu tu re , as
is p o s s ib le in a n u c le a r w a r, the n
perhaps such a s ta te m e n t m ig h t be
valid, but o n ly G o d knows. Unless we
accept th is C a u c a s ia n d o m in a te d
cu ltu re as the unive rsal standard (as
some o f us d o ), th e re is alw a ys the
p o s s ib ility a n d a ls o th e h o pe th a t
a n o th e r m o re m o r a l c u ltu r e w ill
supercede the c u ltu re o f in du lge nce
which is curre ntly predom inant in the
U.S. and most o f the w o rld.
Il is agreed th a t racism is a strong
fa c to r in th is a n d o th e r o f o u r
pro blem s; how ever, it is not the sole
reason fo r p ro s titu tio n on P o rtla n d 's
streets, and I personally d o not agree
(m a n y fe e l lik e w is e ) th a t th e re is
nothing to be done.
I s tro n g ly d isa g re e w ith D r.
Drinking and driving
can kill you
social weaknesses are still tolerated. In
the case o f d r u n k d r iv in g , th o u g h ,
people are no longer u n c o m fo rta b le
li has been five years since the first
m a jo r social o u tcry was heard across
the nation against d ru n k d rivin g . One
w o m a n 's o u tra g e a g a in s t a so c ie ty
w illin g lo forgive and forget (he sense
less m u rd e r o f her d a u g h te r by a
d ru nke n d rive r was heard fro m P o rt
to state p u b lic ly th a t the d r in k in g
driver behind the wheel o f a car is not
fu n n y— he/she is a potential killer
" T h e O re g o n A s s o c ia tio n o f
W o m e n H ig h w a y S a fe ly I eaders
( O A W H S L ) jo in s G o v e rn o r V ic to r
A tiy e h in p ro c la im in g Decem ber as
D r in k in g an d D ru g g e d D r iv in g
Awareness M o n th ." slates l l l i e Hen
n e tt, O A W H S l. P re s id e n t D u rin g
the h o lid a y s , yo u as ho sts and
hostesses, a re e n co u ra g e d to serve
a lc o h o l s e n s ib ily and s p a rin g ly ,
p ro vid e fo o d to absorb the a lc o h o l,
serve n o n -a lc o h o lic beverages, stop
serving a n y a lc o h o lic beverages an
hour be fore guests are to leave, and
m ake sure n o guest gels b e h in d the
wheel w h o y o u feel is u n d e r the in
fluence.
Parents can encourage hom e p a r
ties where alcoholic beverages w ill not
he served to m inors, where fo o d , pop,
music and friends can be the m ain a t
la n d , O K io P o rtla n d , M E . C a n d y
I ig h in e r was n o t w illin g lo le i the
death o t her daughter go unnoticed.
I hat o u tra g e has echoed and re
echoed in le g is la tiv e c o r r id o r s and
h e a rin g ro o m s across (he U n ite d
States as v ic tim s and th e ir fa m ilie s
d e m a n d e d a c tio n . T h e in te n s ity o f
the ir insistence fo r " ju s tic e fo r a l l "
has never been m o re d r a m a tic and
never m o re ju s tifie d as m illio n s o f
A m e ric a n s d e cla re v e rb a lly and by
th e ir re d u ce d c o n s u m p tio n o f
alcoholic beverages that d riving under
the in flu e n c e o f in to x ic a n ts is no
longer acceptable. It is a d e cla ra tio n
m ade in an age w h en m a n y o th e r
which D r. Cherovee made reference
H o w e v e r " n e a r th e t r u t h " one
comes does n o t exclud e w hat is put
fo rth fro m being a "b o ld fa c e d h e ."
P erhaps we m ay have to legalize
p r o s titu t io n f o r a tim e in o rd e r to
bring it under c o n tro l— no argum ent
there, but le t’ s keep the argum ent on
a sound basis. N o t to n itp ic k , but I
re a lly b e lie ve " c o u r t e s a n " an d n o t
" a r t is a n " is the te rm the d o c to r in
ten ded to use f o r " p r o s t i t u t e "
because “ a H o * d o n 't p ro d u c e
n o th in !"
Sincerely,
Nabeeh M ustafa
Abemethy coverage
To the E d ito r:
T han k you fo r the m any excellent
articles tha t have been w ritte n about
Abernethy. Y ou r co n tin u in g support,
and response lo o u r needs, is gre atly
appreciated.
Rosem ary Darnels
P rincipal. A b e m e th y School
C h e ro v e e ’ s e x c u s in g o l a s tr ic tly
c u ltu ra l phenom ena by c o m p a rin g it
w ith the in s tin c tu a l a c tiv itie s o f the
lower jxim ates W e are n o t cousins to
the g ib b o n o r th e m o n k e y in th a t
respect — n e ith e r d o a ll o f us accept
D a rw in 's theory.
EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY
6v the O regon Association o f Women
H ig h w a y Safety I eaders
Street crime
m o b iliz e d th e p o lit ic a l, e c o n o m ic ,
religious and cu ltu ra l resources o f the
p e o p le in N o rth e a s t P o r tla n d in a
concentrated assault lo secure fu ll and
e q u ita b le e m p lo y m e n t. T h e u n e m
ployed w ith decent jobs at decent pay
w o u ld be able to solve m ost o f the ir
problem s, in clu d in g those o f destruc
tio n o f the f a m ily , B la c k on B la c k
crim e, and increasing p o la riz a tio n o f
the races caused by the need to c o n
stantly push fo r strong a ffirm a tiv e ac
tio n program s.
W'e m ust le a rn th a t c a rin g and
s h a rin g are b e c o m in g p r a c tic a l
necessities in to d a y 's c o m p le x
societies. P oor people, in the so-called
land o f plenty, rig ht under o u r noses
are d y in g d a ily o f s ta r v a tio n ,
m a ln u tritio n , a p a th y, homelessness,
being on the streets, in the alleys, out
o f garbage cans. These conditions are
m o re p re v a le n t in
(he m a jo r
m etrop olitan cities than in the South.
I fin d m y s e lf w o n d e rin g , is the
g o ve rn m e n t o t A m e rik a con cea lin g
an ep id em ic o f s ta rv a tio n in its ow n
te rritory? W hy w ould the government
o f A m e r ik a expose th e c ris is o f
E thio pia to the w o rld at this time? We
must realize that jx x ir people here at
hom e are o u r firs t re s p o n s ib ility and
m ost im p o r ta n t re so u rc e , and
re m e m b e r th a t c h a r ity b e gins at
home. I f we are incapable o f dealing
w ith o u r in te rn a l disease, then w hat
capacity d o we have fo r dealing w ith
the ou tside w o rld ? A b s o lu te ly none.
Is it because the y h is to r ic a lly have
W e cannot excuse this k in d o f ac
t iv it y a n d seek to ju s t if y its
reco gn ition as a perm anent fix tu re in
tra c tio n . P are nts s h o u ld be present
but not necessarily attend the party.
" Y o u as in dividu als should buckle
up every tim e you get in a vehicle. I t ’s
you r best defense against a d rin k in g
d riv e r," says Bennett.
" A n d rem em ber call the O regon
State Police R L D D I number (Remove
Every D ru n k D rive r Im m ediately). I
To the E d ito r:
I b e lie ve S treet C r im e c o u ld be
E ra d ic a te d ,
i f th e c o m m u n ity
represented the G ood Sam aritan? Are
they tr y in g to d iv e rt o u t a tte n tio n
fro m the real issue in th is c o u n tr y ,
unem ploym ent? Is it just one m ore o f
their insidious conspiracies against the
poor.
our com m u nity or society because it is
‘ ‘c o n v e n ie n t” fo r the a d u lte re r and
the deviate Ib is profanes the m arita l
un io n and still w o u ld not prevent the
d is a s tro u s s o c ia l consequences to
Dr. J a m il Cherovee
EDITORIAL/COMMENTARY
IF ED MEESE
8 0 0 -4 5 2 -7 8 8 8 , i f yo u spot a d riv e r
whose d riv in g indicates in to xica tio n
Y o u m ay save som eone's h te O ne
out o f every ten vehicles on the toad
on a w eekend n ig h t has a d r in k in g
d riv e r at the w heel w h o m ay cross
over the center line, rear-end another
v e h ic le , ru n a s to p s ig n , s trik e a
pe de strian, o r speed d o w n the road
WERE A
FOUNDING
FATHER,,,
out o f c o n tro l," Bennett warns
D r iv in g u n d e r the in tlu e n c e is a
crime. That crim e can be m urder.
th e O regon Association o f M omen
H ig h wa v S a fe ly I eaders is a n o n
p r o f it o rg an izatio n o f women volun
leers d e d ica te d lo saving lives f r o m
needless bloodshed on o u r highways.
Healthwatch
by Steven Bailey N. D.
Í
Healthful reflections on 1985
portwnd observer
$15 fex or»«
$75 for tw o years
H«.• 3137 Pr>ni«M OR
As 19H5 comes to an end, it is tim e
to reflect on the past and b u ild fo r the
fu tu r e So m u ch has h a pp en ed in
I985 that I can only touch the surface
in this article.
1985 was a year o f fa ile d attem pts
at a “ c u r e " fo r A ID S . W h ile scien
tists early o n , pre dicte d a vaccine o r
im m u n iz a tio n in six lo 12 m o n th s ,
dies now abstain fro m predicting any
tim eline fo r a cure.
1985 was a year o f increased c o n
tro v e rs y a b o u t a r tific ia l tra n sp la n ts
and high-cost health care. The F ood
a n d D ru g A d m in is t r a tio n ju s t last
week
p le d g e d
lo
tig h te n
the
procedures and p ro to c o l fo r a rtific ia l
heart c .perim entation.
1985 was a year in w h ic h B la cks
and o th e r m in o r itie s s t ill had a
d is p ro p o rtio n a te ly high rate o f heart
disease, cancel and an in a b ility to a f
fo rd adequate health care
I98 5 was a year in w h ic h the
A m e rica n Cancer S ociety fin a lly ad
m ilte d th a t n u t r itio n " m a y b e ”
a sso cia te d w ith " s o m e " fo r m s o f
cancer
I985 was a year in w h ic h the
A m e ric a n
M e d ic a l A s s o c ia tio n
( A M A ) cam e o u t s tro n g ly a g a in st
b o x in g , cig a re tte s and c h ild abuse;
a lm o s t as s tro n g ly as th e ir stance
a g a in st C h ir o p r a c tic m e d ic in e and
alternative health fields
A n d I98 5 was a year in w h ic h
despite low ering the R D A in vitam ins
C a n d A , m o re A m e ric a n s were
in a d e q u a te ly n o u ris h e d th a n ever
before.
As 1986 comes aro u n d , let us look
tow ards a b rig h te r year. Lei us pray
that the platea u in the rise in A ID S
cases is tru e , a n d th a t it re fle c ts a
lessening o f the spread o f this disease
Let us be educated and in fo rm e d so
we can d im in is h our o w n chances o f
c o n tra c tin g A ID S , and lessen o u r
prejudices against those who are aflic-
ted.
M ay we c o n tin u e new research in
m ed icin e, yet spend a little o f these
b illio n s lo treat and prevent m anag
able diseases in the im poverished sec
tions o f our society .
M ay we begin to recttgmze the true
ro o ts o f illn e s s : la ck o f e d u c a tio n ,
inadequate n u tritio n , jo b -re la te d ex
posure to chem icals and inadequate
health care, and attack them head on.
M ay the A m e ric a n Cancer Society
and the A M A re m o v e them selves
fro m the role o f special interests and
place themselves in the role o f public
service and safety.
A n d f in a lly , m a y 1986 be the
healthiest and happiest year yet.
U n til next year. Yours in health,
Steven Bailey, N .D .
I
St» «art
Apt
ClTV
STATE
Sü¡>
$ "J O o *5 - i
m < O Cfc 0 I
' ' ' X ? ¿2
< z XJ
O T ùc
> *
ZIP
Portland Observer
K • .
A
tí
,o « “
aia'
The Portland O tm m e r IU S P S 9 ® « U i • pubfcxhsrt « v a n ,
Thursday by Este PutXwtvng Company. Inc . I «63 N E Krtngs
worth. Portland Oregon »7211, Poet OWIca Bo» 3137 Portland
Oregon 97306 Second dees poetags pert al Portland O a g o n
» I.
The Portland O t n m e r was eetabkahed n 1970
epe Wi>aww>r».
*
Subecnptions 115 00 par yaar n the Tn County area Poal
m a a ta t Send addraea changas lo the Portland fg w m r r . P O
MEMBER
MW A
288 0033
Bo« 3137. Portland. Oregon 97306
per
Association ■ Founded IM S
A lfr e d L. Henderson, E d ito r/P u b lis h e r
A l W illia m s. G e n e ra l M a n a g e r
N a tio n a l A d v e rtis in g R e p re s e n ta tiv e
A m a lg a m a te d P u b lis h e rs Inc
N e w Vorlt
I
k
-(
O
tn
-«
>
33
• ».» • ‘
i»
i