Page 2, Portland Observer, April 9. 1986
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Healthwatch
EDITORIAL/OPINION
Stevenson Case Should Be Reinvestigated
The death o f l.loyd D. Stevenson should he
reinvestigated by the Multnomah County District
Attorney's O ffice A new investigation is in order,
due to new evidence against two o f the officers
involved in the A pril 20, 1985 death o f Mr.
Stevenson.
Il was revealed recently that officer Bruce
Pantley lied under oath about his educational
background Evidence from court transcripts re
vealed that in May and July o f 1984 officer Pantley
stated that he had a Master's degree in Economics
from Princeton University. But after a Portland
attorney checked with Princeton officials concern
ing Pantley *s claim, records from Princeton shows
no indication that he received a Master’ s from the
university.
Pantley made the statements about having an
Economic Degree from Princeton, while testifying
in a suit that was brought against him and officer
Gary Barbour by a black man The man alleged
that the two officers hit him on the head with a
flashlight and applied the sleeper hold on him in
Oct. 1983.
These new charges against the two officers raise
more suspicions about the incidents which led to
Stevenson’ s death Firs, is the creditability o f
Pan,ley's testimony during the grand jury proce
dure about Stevenson's death
Both Pantley and Barbour stated during the in
quest that the sleeper hold was applied to Steven
son by Barbour after Stevenson struck Pantley
This version was disputed by several eyewitnesses
who were present at the scene o f the incident.
Witnesses at the inquest hearing stated that at no
time did Stevenson strike any o f the officers.
If Pantley lied under oath by stating he possesses
a master’ s degree from a prestigious Ivy league
university, is it possible that he could lie about the
death o f an innocent man?
Secondly, during the Stevenson episode, no, a
single word was made public about the allegations
against both Pantley and Barbour regarding the
excessive use o f force by the two officers. Such
information should have been brought out in the
open.
For it shows a pattern o f the misconduct by the
officers During (he inquest hearing witnesses
stated they tried to tell the officers lha, Stevenson
was a peacemaker, bu, they refused to listen and
applied the fatal hold on him
Those who follow the Police Internal Audi,
Committee <P llA C ) are aware o f the fact that the
committee has reported on several occasions,
through it's monitor report, that a small group o f
officers account^ for the majority of all complaints,
and that a pattern ol misconduct by the officers has
been documented.
Many citizens in Portland, believed Stevenson
was murdered and that justice wasn't served when
the grand jury did not indict any o f the officers
involved in the death ol Stevenson Multnomah
County District Attorney Michael Schrunk should
reopen the case if the allegations against Pantley
and Barbour are true
The Federal Deficit & Gramm-Rudman-Hollings
By Governor Pi» Ativeh
fiscal terrorism, sort o f like putting Colonel
Khadafy in charge of the federal budge, office I
am among those who dislike Gramm-Rudman-
Hollings, bu, I do support cutting the deficit
even if this is the way we must do it.
Please remember: Even if Gramm-Rudman-
llollm gs cuts deficit spending to zero in five years,
the national debt still w ill grow to $2 trillio n
I ask you to keep two things in mind
firs t, if Uncle Sam provides less money, we also
must insist he also loosen up on costly federal
restrictions Also, in cutting the budget, federal
officials should review all budget items, sparing
defense spending Irom which Oregon receives lit
tie benefit, w ill result hi deeper cuts hi such Hems
as forestry research and local block grants that do
help Oregon
Second, although Congress is only now getting
around to cutting, you need Itxtk no further than
Salem and other state capitals to find budget
balancing solutions
Last year. 17 states were forced to rebalance
their budgets Since 1980, I have called lour legis
lative special sessions to rebalance Oregon’ s state
budget
In 1982, I wrote a six page letter to federal
budget Director David Stockman detailing how
Oregon had sopped up its own budgetary red ink I
suggested our solutions could be used in
Washington.
.Among these solutions were establishing user
Ices, increasing earnings by managing money bel
ter. using more volunteers, delaying the “ desira
b le " to preserve the “ necessary.''
Meanwhile, I w ill keep that flyer Irom the tax
payers' group and hope the next time I receive one,
it w ill report progress in cutting the deficit
A $1 4 trillion national debt, far from being
used to buy. develop or expand Oregon, can only
jeopardize the security o f Oregonians' jobs and
threaten the prosperity o f Oregon’ s communities
Several days ago I received a flyer addressed to
my home on Winter Street in Salem
Il came from a taxpayers' group in Washington,
D C , and it said the SI 4 trillio n national debt
works ou, to $18,600 for each o f the nation’ s
80-m illion taxpayers.
Let me give you another way to look a, that debt:
Rased on the values declared on the county asses
sors' tax rolls, $1.4 trillio n would be enough to buy
all taxable property in Oregon 16 times
Those are reasons both the President and Con
gress wan, to cu, federal deficits, and why the
names Gramm, Rudman and Rollings have be
come household words
But if deficit reduction js good for the economic
health o f America, it is crucial to the future o f
Oregon.
Most stales have calculated what the cuts would
mean to programs but, so far as I know, only
Oregon has figured wha, w ill happen if the federal
budge, is no, balanced.
I asked state economists to project how con
tinued $200 -billion-a-year federal deficits would
affect Oregon This is what they told me:
— Interest rates would rise in 1987, bhxking
business investment and home construction like
W illia m Perry blocks a quarterback
— By early 1988, the nation would slide
helplessly back into recession
— By the end o f 1989, the personal income o f
Oregonians would fall by $550 m illio n, also cut
ting taxes and eroding needed public services
— Finally, Oregonians would lose IK.000 jobs,
mostly in manufacturing, high technology, and
lumber and wtxxl products
None o f us wants a replay ol the economic bud
times we have jus, suffered Therefore. cutting the
deficit must be near the tepof the w ish lists we give
to holders ami seekers o f federal office
Is the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings law the ans
wer? Some say its deep cuts constitute a kind o f
by Slevtn Bailey N. D.
As candidates begin their primary campaigns for
state house and senate positions I've been meeting
with many o f our future legislators While the sales
tax w ill once again be a major issue, I hear that
insurance reform w ill be one o f this session's
biggest concerns. The major debate thus far is in
the area o f medical mal practice insurance
The problems with the current insurance prac
tices are numerous and the exact concerns vary
depending on whose subjective argument you lis
ten to. To the Oregon Medical Association, the
problem lies in the tort-court awards and the
O .M .A w ill seek to lim it “ pain and suffering"
aw ards and decrease the percentage o f awards that
lawyers may claim To (he Rainbow Health Task
Force the problem is no, the award size, but the
basic structure o f insurance practices The Task
Force feels that changes in the insurance industry
are more appropriate legislative objectives.
It is clear that we need change. We cannot le,
outrageous liability premiums force doctors out of
their field o f practice, nor can we tolerate a future
w here doctors and hospitals go without insurance
Bu, are the above two solutions the only way to
ease the crisis?
The liability issue is not a problem tha, w ill go
away with one or two simple changes We have a
hugeous society« eager to sue at the drop-of-a-hat
We may never return to a society tha, is free o f this
eager to sue attitude, and (he large awards and
shared profits by lawyers adds to the problem But
patients need the right to redress gross mal
practice Limitations on awards must no, prohibit
fair settlements, and decreased incentive for
lawyers may act primarily as a dctcrant o f the
ability for the indigent to be protected
One o f the major issues that has arisen in recent
years is the subject o f “ informed consent". It is
d ifficult for lay persons to be fully informed in
matters o f medicine, and the courts are being
forced to decide what information must he told to
patients We see major controversy in the area of
adverse effects from medications W ith 30,000
Americans dying yearly from the adverse reactions
to medications we see a major area o f liability
concern What is the responsibility o f the physician
to inform the patient of common reactions to medi
cations?
Years ago federal law began requiring tha, all
prescription drugs be accompanied with a fact
sheet on the medication and its actions This is the
only information required and is often the only
information given Is this enough? Can most lay
persons understand the medical terminology o f
these fact sheets? (i.e. tennitis is ringing o f the
ears, digsphagia is disturbed appetite etc ) It is
clear that most people consume their prescription
without full knowledge o f their potential and regu
lar side effects.
Possibly one solution to mal practice concerns
would be requiring physicians to verbally counsel
their patients as to the major side effects (i.e. with
an incidence o f 5 or greater). Most legislators are
surprised that this doesn't already happen We can
expect as great a resistance to this idea as there was
to the federal law requiring that written informa
tion be included in prescription medicine Bu, we
as consumers deserve to know the risks o f the drugs
we are told to consume Shouldn't we know if I in
15 people get a more serious condition from the
drug than the condition they are being treated for?
Clearly it is no, just a court and insurance prob
lem that is raising malpractice rates. Maybe our
lawmakers need to concentrate on making
medicine safer, not lim iting the recourse o f the
consumer
Whose Peace: Reagan’s or Contadora s
/•» l'liillip Hi
h m ih iii
In arguing lor sending $100 m illion in weajxws and other
aid lo the Nieaiaguun contras, President Reagan and his
supporters claim lhai nothing less than ihe security of the
hemisphere is ai stake His up,xincnls are alraid lhai hacking
Ihe president ssill lead indirect American military interven
tion they advtX'alc giving negolialion one Iasi chance
Hui who should negoliale and over whal ’ The If S posi
lion, echoed by many in Congress and Ihe media is lhai ihe
Nicaraguan government must negoliale directly w uh ihe con
tras bn power sharing and new eleeixins I lx- SUM) m illion
serves as hoth suck and carrot lo gel ihem to agree lo accept
lhai formula
I he likelihood of such negotiations, however, is ml In his
lesiiuxiny to ihe W m id Court in ihe Hague. Edgar Chamorro,
who worked with the Nicaraguan Denxtcraiic forces, ihe
largest contra group, for alnxisl lour years, said that Ihe
oigam/alion was "crealed by Ihe C I A . il was supplied
equipped, armed and trained by the C I A and Us activities
boih political and military
were directed and controlled
by Ihe C I A " Conira terror against civilians is well
documented Ihe Nicaraguan government has made il clear
lhai I w ill not negoliale with the contras
I he Conladota counlrx-s. Mexico, Venezuela. Colombia,
and Panama, have a dillerenl idea ol negolialion Their ,x*ace
plan aims lo eliminate any extra-regional m ilitary presence
and any support lor subversion from one country lo another
II Contadora were pul into el,eel ihe live Central American
counlnes (Guatemala. I I Salvador. Honduras. Nicaragua
and Cosla Rica I would be bound lo I lim it Iheir Hoops and
arms io agreed ujvon levels; 2. prohibit foreign military ad
visors. training, bases, maneuvers, or arms shipments: .3
refrain Irom supporting subversion or terrorism in other
countries they would also agree lo allow a multi nation
monitoring commission access io sites ol alleged violations
these provisxms dealing with security measures form ihe
heart o f Contadora
The Contadora plan has been cralled expressly ,o meet
U S concerns about a Soviet or Cuban military presence in
Ihe region and alleged Nicaraguan support lor insurgencies in
other counlnes
Although the Reagan administration gives lip service to
Contadora, in practice il has blocked it In October I9K4. an
internal menu» ol the National Security Council gloated.
"W e have effectively blocked Contadora group efforts to
impose the second draft ol the Rev ised Contadora Act, after
Nicaragua had accepted it In his Sunday March 16, 1986
addrss on Central America, the president did not even men
lion Contadora
The reason for the administration's rejection o f Contadora
is no mystery its provisions would apply noi only lo Ihe
Soviet Union, Cuba and Nicaragua, but lo Ihe United Slates
as well A Contadora agreement would prohibit Ihe U S
from holding maneuvers, having m ilitary bases, and sending
advisors, arms or ammunition lo the region Nor could any
contras ope,ale out ol Honduras, hacked and supplied by the
U S If implemented. Contadora would spell the end o f
present U S policy The U S would satisfy its security
concerns, but it could not use military might lo impose its w ill
over the region In other words, il could noi use military force
lo "re sliu ctu ie " the Sandmista government
On February 7, the foreign ministers o f Ihe Contadora
countries, plus the minister» of Ihe Contadora support group
(B ra zil, Argentina. Uruguay, and Peru,, came lo
Washington lo meet w uh Secretary o f Stale Shultz lo urge
lhai Ihe II S not send aid lo the contras and lhai it negotiate
seriously with Nicaragua Other l-aiin American and West
European goveniments are virtually unanimous in their sup
port lor Ihe Contadora approach
W hv is the Contadora proposal sodillerent from what the
U S is pursuing ’ The greatest fear ol Latin American gov
emments is not a potential Soviet threat What they tear most
is ever-growing U S involvement in a region-wide war,
bringing death, destruction, and instability lo Iheir dixtrsleps
President Reagan ended his March 16 televised speech
w ith an ominous warning that he had only "three more years
to work l<w peace
He then asked whether there could be
"any greater tragedy lor us than lo sit back and permit this
cancer (Nicaragua) lo spread
II Ihe contras cannot
bring such a "peace"
and all serious observers agree they
cannot — then President Reagan s logic points toward a
direct U S wai against Nicaragua
Which peace w ill be it be Ronald Reagan's or Contad
ora'»?
Phillip Hi nnimii u in n m lliin l mlh iht Inirm m l t rirmli Sen h e I miiiiiu
le e hin iii'ihnliiil i iiiiul liiii'r iiiimlhm w m ieninn himhii>nihe reeiiet
POWELL
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