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and Observer, September 2, 1987
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
\ M U S SI K\ K I
O I I H t l S i l l i ) t H l R( H O I ( H K IS I
C O M M ISS IO N FOR RACIAL JUSTICF
Let’s Tap the Potential
of Youth Leadership
The elementary school gym was packed with students and their
parents. Everyone had on their Sunday best and an air of excitement and
expectancy filled the room. This was Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary
School in Newark, N.J. and the audience had gathered for an awards cere
mony to honor the winners of a special contest, based on the life of Dr.
King. To prepare for the contest the students, 160 in all, had practically set
up residence in the school library so they could find out more about the life
and work of Dr. King and about the Movement in general. They talked to
their teachers, their parents and their relatives, and while sitting in their
classes or walking through the halls they talked about the contest ano what
they were learning.
Finally the night of the awards ceremony arrived. The overflow crowd
in the school gym that night was proud of the young people being honored
there. Many in the audience began to cry as they watched the young peo
ple, some as young as 7 years old, perform Dr. King's "I Have a Dream”
speech. As the winners of the contest came to the stage to receive copies
of "Eyes on the Prize” , the companion book to the television series, there
was a new stride in their walk. This was the first time some had ever been
publicly acknowledged for their accomplishments.
It was obvious that, through the contest, the students learned not only
about Dr. King, they learned about themselves and about what they could
accomplish if they really tried. They also learned about all those others who
fought in the Civil Rights Movement along with Dr. King. As 7th Grader
Tara Hatten wrote, "The lesson I learned was that many, many things hap
pened in Dr. Martin Luther King's life that I didn't know about . . . I also
learned about other Americans and their contributions to the Civil Rights
Movement like Rosa Parks, . . . Malcolm X and Ella Baker."
However, more importantly, what these students really learned about,
as they researched their subject, was leadership —about the skills, the
knowledge, and the commitment that must be developed in order to be
come a true and accountable "leader” .
Leaders don't develop themselves; they are nurtured by those who
came before them. We must begin, in a systematic fashion, to pass on to
the young not only academic information, but information about the human
rights struggle, both here and throughout the world. We must pass on a
sense of responsibility and pride, the necessary organizing skills, and the
commitment and strength to work toward a more humane society.
At a time when our youth are being decimated by spiralling enemploy-
ment, rampant drug abuse and racist violence, we need to remind them of
those who came before them, particularly the youth, who understood that
change was not only necessary but possible, and who committed them
selves to that struggle.
The good news is that we have witnessed a number of events similar
to the Neward contest around the nation. Thus, in spite of all the ills
confronting African-American and other racial and ethnic communities, the
shining potential of new young leaders is as great as it has ever been. We
all just need to take more notice of this potential and nurture it.
standing of the pathology of so-called Christian caucasoid racism, the
masses of poor Blacks and Caucasians will not be able to deal with it. We
must deal with the psychodynamics of the collective caucasoid racist. We
are dealing with people placed in authority positions who are grossly patho
logical. The endemic nature of racism makes it easier to ignore its patho
logy. The commonness of racism enables most in the society to ignore its
pathological nature. The sick in this society avoid confrontation with their
pathology.
If God is the author of lies, I have a problem understanding St. John,
8th chapter, 44th verse. God has been so thoroughly encrusted with man
made distortions that sometimes one is tempted to say, "W ill the real God
please stand up." The "G od” that allows shoddy business practice in
government, racial injustice, war and oppression of the poor in the name of
peace is a "G od" that deserves an early death. And I suspect that many of
us know only that kind of a God, since we see God generally in the form of
the Churches, which, with rare exceptions, have sided with shoddy busi
ness practice, racial injustice, war and oppression of the poor.
God is not dead, but those who purport to be His representatives on
earth are. Again, with rare exceptions, organized religion is irrelevant to
the needs of color. Organized religion is like the appendix in our bodies.
Scientists believe that the appendix once served some purpose; now it is
limp and meaningless but not quite inert, since it can be the location of in
fection which is properly taken care of by surgery. It could be that, in reli
gious terms, the government needs a similar operation.
Remember, Brothers and Sisters, success does not depend on num
bers. No matter how few we are, if we're committed to the liberation of
poor people with Brother Jesse Jackson; if we're committed to freedom,
justice and equality for poor people, then we must remember that few peo
ple committed can move the masses to commitment, and a new idea and a
Revolutionary concept is born. Jesus had but a few; Prophet Muhammad
had but a few; Socraties had but a few. So it's not the quantity, but rather
the quality, of those who lend their ear, not necessarily to agree, but who
lend their ears to at least reason with the new idea, or at least reason with
TRUTH, that we may come to understand and thereby come to some
accord and agreement as to what we shall do for the future.
Students in this country should have an opportunity to study Inter
national Law and Geo-Politics. Exchange students know more about the
Amerikan government than the collective Amerikan. Our students have a
right to be exposed, so that they may, with their intelligence, weigh the
matter, total the sum and decide for themselves. I've often wondered in
my travels whether it was other's fear of what I might say that would turn
on a student's mind that has caused me to have problems getting on many
campuses. I'm inclined to believe that in a university setting, it seems, we
should want the students' minds to function; not to tell them how to think,
but indeed to start them to think. Once you can turn a student's mind —
to get that student to th in k -y o u don't have to tell them which way to go.
A thinking person will generally move in the right direction.
Dr. Jamil Cherovee
MONEY MANAGEMENT
A w e e k ly c o lu m n on personal fin a n c e d is trib u te d by
the O regon S o cie ty o f C ertifie d P ublic A c c o u n ta n ts
Life Insurance:
The New Investment
This is Benjamin F. Chavis Fr. of the United Church of Christ for Civil Rights Journal
A few years ago, if you heard someone at a cocktail party bragging
about what a great investment his new life insurance policy was, you pro
bably would have headed straight for the buffet table. But faced with the
same scenario today, you just might want to stop and listen.
Why all this fuss about life insurance being a hot new investment?
Investment income on the cash-value of a whole life insurance policy has
always been allowed to accumulate untaxed. And generally the proceeds
of the death benefit received by the beneficiaries have never been subject
by Gov. Neil Goldschmidt
News From Neil
Governor Joins in Law Suit
Gov. Neil Goldschmidt said the State of Oregon will join a law suit
against the Secretary of the Interior challenging the outer continental shelf
5-year oil and gas lease sale plan.
In June, 1987, the Department of Interior released a five year plan for
leasing on the outer continental shelf, which includes a lease sale off Ore
gon and Washington in 1992. Oregon will now join with Washington, Cali
fornia, and several other states in the law suit.
The Governor said that while he prefers "negotiation and cooperation
to litigation" on offshore issues, the new OCS Program simply didn't have
enough information about Oregon coastal resources and ocean waters to
adequately judge the impacts to coastal communities and natural re
sources.
Even as the Governor agreed to join the other states in the law suit,
he made it clear that he expects the State to continue to work with Interior
to do detailed planning for Oregon's ocean resources. "I support offshore
oil and gas exploration if properly planned and coordinated with the State
but the fact is that Interior hasn't done the kind of homework we in Oregon
expect. We hope the court agrees with us that Oregon's standards for
ocean planning are important and that Interior needs to get . . . and use . . .
good information about the ocean off our coast," Goldschmidt said.
Letters to the Editor
Tell the Truth to the People
While on a speaking engagement at several universities in Mar de las
,millas, I was asked, "Are Lt. Col. North's chances to become President
f the United States of America greater than Brother Jesse Jackson s?
laving noticed Bibles in Honduras Británica, Nicaragua, Granada, Kings-
jn Jamaica, Haiti, and even in Barbados in every hotel room (there was
ven a Bible on the elevated stand in the auditorium), I asked a Sister Stu-
ent to open that book (Bible), accumulating dust, to the 12th chapter,
6th verse of St. Matthew. There she would find the answer. What is so-
alled Christian Amerika telling the world? You may be a master of decep-
on a habitual or pathological lier, but your chances of becoming President
re better than an honest Black person. What are we telling our youth: the
inly way to advance in this society is to master the art of lying.
I've often said super-patriotism with religious fervor is often used to
egitimize almost everything. The Communist or "Red" scare has always
ierved the super patriot. Then they wrap themselves in the flag they have
Jisgracedj'm inclined to believe that until Black leaders havejom e under ~
to Federal income tax. Well, the rules may be the same, but the economic
climate has changed, reports the Oregon Society of CPAs. With tax reform
eliminating or sharply restricting many tax shelters, life insurance is being
viewed as one of the few remaining ways to shelter income. Actually, life
insurance as an investment hasn’t gotten all that much better; it's just that
everything else has gotten worse.
As a result, insurance policies are being marketed with a new aggres
siveness. While the single-premium life insurance policy has been receiving
the most attention, whole life, variable life and universal life all provide
triple fold benefits. There's a death benefit, a tax-deferred investment
opportunity and a source from which to borrow.
Surely, you're well aware of the advantage of having a death benefit
to protect your survivors in the event of your death. At one time this was
the only reason for buying life insurance. But now, life insurance is being
viewed by some as an attractive investment. No longer do cash value poli
cies pay meager interest rates. New types of policies like universal life and
variable life were designed to counteract the criticism of the low rates paid
on whole life insurance policies. Now many policies declare a guaranteed
rate for a specific period of time; after which the rate is adjusted periodi
cally to reflect market rates. But while some of the rates may appear to be
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very attractive, keep in mind that some companies quote gross rates from
which fees and expenses have not yet been deducted. Your real rate of •
return is what you receive after all commissions, administrative and advi
sory expenses have been deducted.
Variable policies leave the investment decisions up to you. The policy
holder is offered a choice of mutual funds and then elects how to allocate
the policy's cash value among the difference funds. Like fund families,
most companies allow you to switch from fund to fund, either at no charge
or for a small fee. In either case, your earnings may accumulate on a tax-
deferred basis.
Now what happens if you need the money? Rather than cash in your
policy and trigger taxes, you can generally borrow from your earnings with
no tax consequences at all. And the good news doesn't end there because,
in most cases, the cost of borrowing the money you need is low. You don't
even have to pay back the money—although the amount borrowed will
lower the death benefit of your policy if not paid back at the time of your
death.
As a general rule, you must hold on to a cash value policy for at least
10 years in order to reach the point where your investment exceeds the
commissions and fees deducted —so you'll want to give careful thought to
your needs before investing.
Now what exactly is single-premium life insurance and why is it receiv
ing so much attention? Single premium life insurance is just what it sounds
like —a life insurance policy paid up in one single, lump-sum payment. The
initial premium is large, ranging from a minimum of $5000 up to a million
dollars or more and the amount doesn't buy a whole lot of insurance. But,
them, most people don't buy a single-premium policy for its death benefit.
Single-premium life insurance has become an attractive option for high-
income investors seeking a tax shelter.
With single-premium life insurance, you may select a policy with a
fixed, interest-sensitive rate or a variable policy and, like other cash value
policies, the single-premium policy allows you to take low —or no —interest
loans from the earnings on your policy with no tax liability. Most plans
allow policyholders to borrow 75% of their cash value during the first year
and up to 90% after that.
The single-premium policy has been highlighted as a way to finance a
child's college education, particularly if you happen to have an extra ten
or tw enty— thousand dollars to invest when the child is young. If so, you
can invest the large sum in a single-premium policy and allow the cash value
to accumulate untaxed over the years. When the time comes, you take
out interest-free loans to pay tuition.
But beware, the consequences for early surrender of a single-life policy
are severe. Cash in your policy and the IRS will tax all earnings, including
any loans you may have taken. And during the first few years, you will also
forfeit part of your premium in early, surrender charges imposed by the
insurer. Another caution —there are those who feel that a single-premium
life policy may soon go the way of other tax shelters. You'll probably want
to consult an expert before proceeding.
With all the enticing features of today's insurance policies, it's easy to
lose sight of the fact that the purpose of buying life insurance is to provide
for the financial well-being of your survivors. The amount of coverage your
dollars can buy varies widely among the different types of policies, with
term insurance offering the most coverage for your premium dollars. CAPs
suggest that you take care of your family's insurance needs first before
considering the use of life insurance as a tax-shelter investment. Don't
skimp on the death benefit because you are hungry for a tax-deferred
investment.
Looking for a CPA in your community? Call the Oregon Society of Certified Public Accoun
tants at 1 800 255-1470 or Portland Metro at 641 7200.
Freedom and Social Justice
by Alexander R. Jones
Pyschiatric ’’Treatment” Led to Rise
in Crimes Against Children
The intervention of psychiatry in the criminal justice system has
created a frightening trend of criminals being treated like patients, and then
being released as "cured" upon an unsuspecting society where they kill
and rape again. No where is this trend more visible than in the psych
iatric "treatm ent" of child molesters.
Dennis Clark, National Spokesperson for the Citizens Commission on
Human Rights (CCHR), an organization which has led an international fight
to expose psychiatric crimes for nearly 20 years, gave some startling testi
mony on this topic to California's Senate Task Force on Psychotherapists
and Patient Sexual Relations late last year.
According to Clark, "since 1960, when the handling and 'rehabilitation'
of baby rapers was placed in the hands of psychiatrists almost exclusively,
crimes against children have been skyrocketing. This happened when the
lobbying efforts of American psychiatrists convinced judges and legislators
to change the traditional handlings of child molesters and the handling of
people who rape children. This move by the psychiatrists is a bypass of the
traditional criminal justice system handlings for this brand of criminal
who preys on and commits crimes against helpless children.
"It has been the tradition, throughout the history of civilized nations, to
remove such criminals from further contact with children in a manner which
encourages others to think more than twice before ever harming a child.
"Since this psychiatric intervention has occurred here in the United
States, crimes against children on a per capita basis have increased by
over 3,500%. In the world at large, where other nations do not tolerate
such psychiatric intervention, the per capita assaults on children have not
changed since 1960."
We should not be tolerating this. We need to get psychiatry out of the
court room. We do not need a psychiatrist to tell us that a man who rapes
children is mentally unbalanced. That's obvious. But a man who rapes a
child is also a criminal, and he should be treated as such.
Alexander R. Jones is the Director of Minority and Third World Affairs for the Church of Scien
tology IR) International.
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