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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 16, 1986)
L À r.l - v f -1—• I Page 2. Portland Observer, April 16, 1986 Letters to the Editor EDITORIAL/OPINION Tetter lit the Tduur Violence No Stranger to South Africa The present violence which is occurring in South Africa (over 1500 people have been killed during the past year) is nothing new to that racially divided nation. The history o f South Africa is a story o f bitter, blood-drenched conflicts. South Africa's violent past is why many today believe a major bl«xxl bath is imminent for that country unless Blacks are given freedom soon South Africa's modem day violence first tx’tur- red between the Afrikaners and the British Britain first occupied the newly independent Cape in nationalism was bom The key ingredients of their nationalism were religion — the puritanical Dutch reformed ( hurch and the Afrikaner language, which evolved from 17th century high Dutch Their goal was to reconstruct the alien South African society radically and for all time Ihe method for reconstruction was "A p a rth e id ” , the separation o f races in all spheres — jobs, homes and politics Apartheid was adopted as the official policy by the National party in 1945 and helped it win the 1948 election Although the Afrikaners fought with the British during the 1800s, they also fought against non- Whites. They fought nine major wars between 1779 and 1900. During the Great Trek, they killed 3,000 Zulus at Blood River over grazing land lor cuttle The first blood bath ol Blacks protesting Apar theid occurred in Sharpcville. In I960. South A fri can police fired on a crowd and killed 69 Blacks, the slaughter was known as the Sharpcville Mas sacre. In the Soweto uprising ol 1976-77. 575 people were killed Since Soweto, the killin g of Blacks in South Africa has become a routine occurrence. Given her bloodied past and her present day vio lence. it is easy to understand why Bishop De smond Tutu o f South Africa once told the C a lifo r nia Legislature that unless political and economic pressure is used against South Africa, an A r mageddon w ill in cu r in South Africa "Race war in my country would have the most horrendous consequences lor race relations in the United States and other Western countries with significant non White populations." warned Bishop Tutu 1795. The British and the Afrikaners didn’t get along too well, fhe Afrikaners resented the British Im perialists. their Tory governors, their missionaries and their attitude toward slavery The abolition o f slavery in 1833 dealt a severe economic blow to the Afrikaners W ithin two years, more than 10,000 Afrikaners left the area and began the Great Trek north in search of new homes They eventually established the indepen dent republics o f the Transvaal and Orange Free State. fhey continued to resist British rule until their defeat in the Boer War o f 1899-1902. After exist ing a few years as self-governing British colonies, the Iransvaal and Orange Free State merged with the southern Natal and C ape provinces to form the Union of South A frica, a self-governing British dominion Britain pulled out o f South Africa in 1914 After the British pull-out, the Afrikaners began their present day control o f Blacks Afrikaner Healthwatch by Steven Hailey N. D. One o f our country’ s greatest health concerns, is withdrawal of tobacco can be strongly influenced the use and consequent detriments o f cigarettes by wha, we eat and hence our blixxl stream’ s acid/ Smoking not only is highly related to the de alkaline conditions. velopment o f lung cancer but has been show n to be The more acid our bltxxl is. the more quickly associated with increased birth defects, increased nicotine is broken down and hence the more incidence o f childhood asthma and bronchitis as quickly we crave another cigarette. It we can main well as general cardiovascular problems While tain a basic blixxl stream the nicotine stays in our textbtxiks o f old mention "tobacco heart" as a system tor a long time and our physical cravings regular malady of smoking, we only recently have are minimal Ihe normal American diet is highly begun to openly challenge the practice ol smoking acid, as the chart below shows. Unlike most practices which lead to ill health, High Acid — I. Wheat Germ 2 Lentils 3 smoking not only faces limited opposition but ac Maearom/I’asta 4 Chicken 5 Eggs 6 Beet 7 Beef tually is given government support in the form o f ’ Liver 8 Lamb 9 C<xl 10 Coffee I I Sucrose farm subsidies for tobacco growers What this sub (sugar). sidy results in is increased consumption o f to High Basic— I Black Strap Molasses 2 Beans bacco. A 1983 Canadian study showed intake as 3 Raisins 4 Figs 5. Beet Greens 6 Spinach 7. inversly related to costs. The U S stands alone in Dandelion Greens 8 Brewers Yeast 9 Almonds providing the cheapest (equal buying dollar) 10 Carrots I I Soy 12. Celery cigarettes and has a no,-Uxi surprising intake o f 4-8 Baking stxlacan be taken to alkalinize the blixxl times that o f non-subsidized countries It is a sad stream So if you are attempting to quit smoking, a irony that we so cherish the economic importance little alteration in your diet may I k enough to get o f tobacco farms while letting wheat and corn you over the hump Accupressure. hypnosis and fanners go belly-up because their non subsidized other programs may prove effective, but how you food crops are unable to pay their costs eat can significantly affect your success in quitting I write this article to help those who want to quit smoking G ixxl Luck! smoking Recent studies show that tl i e physiologic Support Our Advertisers! Say you saw it in the Portland Observer! ¡PORTWND OBSERVER • 15 for one year • 75 fo» tw o yarns Boa 3137 Portland OA 972QR 5*» S i]? T, 2 £ * Newspaper Publishers Association Portland Observer 1 The Portland (Itn rrrtr lU S e S ■ [x iftW w d «rery fhurerWy by € * » PubSWwvg Company. Inc ,«B3 N f v * n g * worth. Portland Oregon 97711. P o « O tik a Bo* 3137 Portland Oregon 97308 Sacond (lam prwtaga paid at Portland. O a g o n Tha A v rto n d OBwrvm «re* m i« * * n w l o 1970 Subacnpnona n re a w r nw a 119 00 pw r e « « It » Tn County «rea Poat 288 0033 Sand addrea* changaa to It » Portland ( M w rw « . P 0 Boa 3137. Portland. Oregon 9730B. Alfred L. Henderson, Editor/Publisher A! Williams. (renerai Manager N a tio n a l A d v a rtia tn g A a p re a a n ta ttv a A m a lg a m a te d PubUahara. Inc N a w York « • < ». < a* <’• Tit the E ililitr "O u r hisiory and our culture were completely destroyed when we were fo rc ib ly brought to Am erika in chains ” Malcolm X As the immediate emhixlimeni o f a way o l life. Culture is the transfigura lion ol human preoccupations, the elaboration of certain specific and daled demands Culture, at once pari of real its and transcending it. engenders its own realities, polarizes sixiety and transforms il I'm inclined to believe, it is w hat. in the fullest and w idcsl sense, enable men to regulate their lives Moreover. Culture always expresses something Taken at the source, it indi cales difficulties, m stxial matters it clamors for solutions, among the people, it opens up new paths There is no people without Culture nor sixiety without change Ihe path ol tribulations undergone by the concept ol Culture is, today, long indeed' The opinions o f "com m it tees o f intellectuals" cancel each oilier out in a sterile dialectic; various "s y m posia" bring incomprehension and a hollow humanism into a timid en counter with historical truth and the progressive determination of man up against Ihe greatest calamity known to history : imperialism European trends have dominated the study ol cultural problems in Alrika l or a long time latter day Anglo-Saxon authropology, concerned with ju s tify ing the reactionary ideas o f col onialism. cited Alrika as the home of backward people who should he forced to accept colonialist humanitarian civilization According to a well-nurtured pre Iudice, Atrikans took no part in the general task ol shaping civilization At rika is accused ol being without history and without Culture because it was necessary that this he so Europeans slaughtered Amenkan Indians while at the same lime admiring their temples and palaces They admitted that they massacred Ihe men to take over their land W uh their conquets and domina lion. Europeans destroyed millennial civilizations in Asia, but they never de- Tn the U i l i i r Dear Sir: I was astonished Io read yixir 2 April editorial in which you quote Stan Pclers criticism o f Chief Harrington at length Surely you have heard by now that any thing C hiel Harrington does or says w ill cam Stan Peters' disapproval Chief Harrington is unlikely ever to get any cixiperation or even a fair shake from Peters Your sincerely. Janet McHarv To I h r Edilur Was glad to sec your coverage o f the "B ia s O ffic ia tin g " in Jeff vs Glencoe I didn't sec that game but I did see another game where I saw what ap peared to me as bias against Jeff Jeffer son has an excellent team and. while I'm not a professional, there were many calls that seemed biased to me My per sonal feeling was that the referees fa vored the other team (Grant, (I know men on both teams ) For many years I sponsored teams I attended their games and so I learned much about calling fouls etc Thank you Observer for exposing this vice. Sincerely Evelyn M Collins ? < ; Teller in ihe Editor The following is a general press re lease: On April 2, 1986 at approximately I K) a m , a blaze erupted on the sec ond stivry o f our Residential Resource Center, located at 5005 NE I 5th. Port land Inside-Outside People extend great appreciation to the Portland Eire De partment whose quick response saved our building from destruction There were no injuries, and damage is estimated at $1,000 Residents o f the Resource Center continue to occupy the damaged area, and with emergency contributions IOP anticipate timely reconstructxm and a return to business as usual, serving communities and people throughout the Metro area Inside Outside People is a non-profit organization which provides basic ser vices to ex-offenders, alcoholics and drug abusers who want to help them selves. Editor's note: Should you have questions about the fire or require more information about us, please feel free to call Thank you. Carl S Hoisington, Spokesman IOP Dear Sherri: I m writing this letter because I hurt so bad right this moment and I don't know what else to do Honey, first let me say I love you more than life itself This last week has been the hardest in my life — bar none I don’ t know what’s going to happen, but I have to believe we arc near the bottom, and we w ill start back up any day now It 's the kind of situation where I have to remind myself to take a breath, and the next breath w ill come; or to pul one fix« in front of the other, and I can keep going It s a relief to get to the end ol the day. hut once there, sleep won't come. In short. I'm hurting Shcm I am going to summarize what I know at this point, and then offer some conjecture about the nature o f the problem, then propose the only solutions I can see Tact: You stole the $212.50 meant for Tammy's tuition Tact: You were fired for $120 00 shortage in your cash drawer. Tact You were paid $80 00 in cash the Monday you left home Fact: You owe U S . National Bank $900.00 plus Fact I found receipts for $268 00 in unauthorized charges on my VISA in your room. Fact: This is a total o f $1580 50 spent in one month I onjccture You have a serious drug problem/or you are buying the affection o f someone who is really taking advantage o f you. Solutions At any rate you need more help than I can give you! I propose you c heck yourself into a drug abuse program ( It is covered by my insurance program). When you are there — give me a call and I w ill come or Seek the help o f a gixxl counseling program and have your therapist give me a call I w ill follow his/her advice about what to do next Sherri I don I want you on the streets alone, but you can’t come home on promises and gixxl intentions We need help I'm not sure how I'm going to get this letter to you but if it does reach you, give me a sign by following one o f my suggestions — or proposing one o f your own 1 ,ove -vou Ma med the existence of these civilizations as such, and never conteted the quality ol their craftsmanship and their human attributes Concerning A lrika, Europe's first notion was not to exterminate the men with ihe sole idea o f seizing their trea sures, but to treat them as beasts to be sold on the spot or exported to Amerika, or even killed when their capabilities and selling price no longer assured an adequate profit to guarantee the success of such a venture a prelim i nary step was necessary that o f easing one s conscience and reassuring one self by thinking that it was a question of dealing with beasts and not human he ings Hence Ihe alleged barbarity of Af- rikans and the denial ol their Culture and civilization gave birth to their es trangement from the human race In fact even without archaeological research and tale of ihe Gnots, ordinary' common sense was adequate to realize the absurdity or rather the class- consciousness ol those who managed to imagine a cultureless people A C ul ture is to he found wherever conscious life exists Culture is the sum total o f the material arxl spiritual v alues created by humanity thrixighout its history This creation is both continuous and necessary Culture is a material and spiritual acquisition, fxxh Ihe pnxJuct PETERS s 23 o o 5 -t -t m < O ft' <5 X O M t M«f > |f Oregon Hear Editor: Do I hear the shrill sirens o f the Cold War nuclear profiteers in the recent headline '■.Soviet I! N Staff Ordered C u t" by the U S State Department? To me this peremptory "o rd e r" seems a deliberate effort to chill our relations with the U S S R hoping to set bac k the friendly spirit and eigh teen signed agreements, like air flights ol the Geneva Summit Really a forward step in "learning to live to gether” on the same planet' Our people and those o f the whole world breathed a sigh o f relief feeling that ai the Geneva Summit — long struggled for — we had turned away from nuclear death' Hut is it in the interest o f nuclear weapons profiteers to try to k ill the spirit and acts of the Geneva Summit? And start us again on ihe death march to annihilation ’ Do the nuc lear weapons makers exercise great power in our government? Consider the actions o f Secretary Weinberg whose "le a ke d " letter tried Io stop the Geneva Summit even after Pres Reagan's plane was already in flig h t' W hat can we do Io support the spirit arxl actions of the Geneva Summit and build an even better one in September ’ l-ei our Congress and other govern men! leaders hear our voices loud and clear' Phis is Election Year' Let them hear the sound of our marching feet for ending all nuclear tests, and for mutual withdrawal ol all missiles from Europe at a September Summit We can win again it we work lor it! Violet Orr and the pnee o f action. Creative action springs from a universal imperative and ( ulture, which is its reflection, subject and effect, both constitute universal realities Wherever there is the neces sity o f creation we find Culture I he tact o f a Culture conditions both the existence o f the people and their exercise o f sovereignty and power. Everyone knows what a foul use was made of Culture by the predatory pow ers in the course o f nuxlem history, in their appropriation, among other things, of the Afrikan peoples After having laid their hands on the essential elements o f the Culture o f their own people, the upper classes o f the col onialists owers used this weapon in their endeavor Io dominate and exploit our continent By Culture, we understand all the material and immaterial works o f art and science, plus know ledge, manners, education, a mode o f thought, behavior and altitudes acc umulated by Ihe people both through and by virtue o f their struggle for freedom from the hold and dominion o f nature, we also include the result o f their efforts to destroy the de- viationist politics-social systems o f domination ami exploitation through the productive process o f social life Dr Jamil Cherovee
