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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 .
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