Page 2 Portland Observer NOVEMBER 22, 1989 F d i t ö RIAL '7 OPINION by Ron Daniels North Caolina in the 1970s; There, a dynamic, go-getter of a governor turned the economic fortunes of the enure state around by forging a hard-working coali tion of educators, industrialists, bank ers, unions, and politicians whose ef forts brought hundreds of million in new payrolls to the stale within a lew short years. by Professor McKinley Burt Education Needs Structure — Not Lotteries by Professor McKinley Hurt In this continuing saga of the higher education soap operaa it is not only necessary to cite the direct and the overt discrimination of last week's article, but it is equally appropriate to list the struc tural disabilities which mitigate against minorities and poorer whites in the sys tem. Economics are a priority consid eration for the student planning a col lege education and it is a given that most will have to work to supplment a dimin ishing availability of grants and loans. This means that they have no choice but to attend colleges located within a major metropolitan area where minorities have a thousand times better chance of be come a member of the work force-as compared with the racist atmospheres of Salem (Oregon State Univ.), or Eugene (Univ. of Oregon). This is why I have been so disturbed by the media reports that Oregon's high tech industry is advo cating a shut-down of Portland State University. In my years on the faculty of Port land State I spent many hundreds of hours interacting with industry and public agencies in order to secure jobs for my students. Many of the situations created not only financial assistance but aca demic credit where real skills were de veloped within their discipline; hundreds of thousands of dollars in resources were developed through the auspices of the U.S. Forest Service and the very pro gressive United Parcel Service. I hope that there is an individual or a service there at the school that is still providing this much needed support. I am still not disabused of the notion that what these hi-tech companies in tend is a rip off of the taxpayer not too think these firms, instead, would be about a real unity with the education commu nity and state government in order to effect a campaaign similar to that of These people used their brains and the natural assets of their slate (material and human) to build and attract hun dreds of new plants and a first cflass high technology learning center. What they did not do was set up a lottery scheme which would have acted as a regressive tax upon the poor, and though purport ing to be directed at Economic Develop ment, would have amassed a treasury open to a free-for-all assault by scores of bureaucrats and hustlers, (sound famil iar?). No w, it is true that in August of 1988 Bill McKenzie of the Oregonian's staff described a somewhat tentative Science Council recendy established by Gov ernor Neil Goldschmidt. Among pro posed goals were "obtaining science grants, applied technology institutes, improvement of science and math edu cation, innovation awards, science fac ulty recruitment and so forth. Somewhat murkey and we do not know at all where it will lead or if it portends any improve ment in the equally as murky situation facing Blacks either economically or in terms of college aspirations. The North Carolina Model 1 described may never come to be here so I suggest that its going to be up to Black parents, grand parents and organizations to secure the tyupe of education for our children that will enable them to survive-1 mean secure it right here! Perhaps an increasing awareness of this problem will make for some struc tured efforts toward improvements. On Nov. 5-7 there was a special conference on these issues convened by the Ameri can Council on Education and other higher education groups in San Francisco ("Educating One-Third of a Nation: What Works”). The many seminars address the disabilities I have cited here the past few weeks, and certainly, I would have cited here the past few weeks, and cer tainly, I would like to have attended one in particular, "Campus Climate." There is hope but, again, it will take all of us. Bush insults Ortega, us intrudes in Nicaragua Uncle Sam is at it again. At a recent hemispheric gathering celebrating the his tory of democracy in Costa Rica, President George Bush branded President Daniel Onega of Nicaragua a “ little man” and an “ ani mal” at a garden party. This pungent reac tion from die U.s. President came in re sponse to an announcement that the Nicara guan government might be forced to aban don the 19 month old cease-fire because of chronic violations of the cease-fire by the U.S. backed C mtras. President Bush was quick to condemn Ortega for his .hreat to cancel the cease-fire. Those who arc anxious to cuny favor with or otherwise stay in the good graces of their powerful northern neighbor immediately followed suit. Lost in the flurry of con demnations was any serious attempt to evalu ate the veracity of President Ortega's claim that hundreds of violations of the cease fire by the Contras had resulted in more than 700 deaths and nearly 1,200 wounded. To be sure Ortega’s timing may have been awkward and somewhat undiplomatic by conventional standards. But who is to say when and in what form a beleagued pcople/nation should cry out in anguish? In fact the real violation of international etiquette has been the U.S. intrusion into the internal affairs of Nicaragua. Afternearly 30 years of backing the despotism of the Samoza family, the United Stales sought to dictate to the Sandinista regime what the nature of its newly won revolution should be. Instead of providing massive economic aid and techni cal assistance to help the Sandinistas fulfill the promise of their revolution, Ronald Reagan chose to throw down the gaunlet to stop the “ spread of communism.” the U.S. created the Contras, financed them and unleashed them to prosecute Reagan’s war of “ national liberation." The impact of Reagan’s war on the soveriegn nation of Nicaragua was predict able. Instead of investing resources into bettering the life of the people in terms of improving the economy, creating jobs, build ing housing etc. resources were diverted into a military build-up to defend the very exis tence of the revolution itself against the onslaught of Reagan's warriors. Despite the staggering difficulties posed by the war, however, the Sandinistas still managed to make some impressive gains in literacy, education and health care. Unfortunately the tremendous drain of resources and drag on the economy caused by Reagan’s war has made it virtually impos sible for the Sandinistas government to keep pace with the rising expectations sparked by the revolution. Though the revolution rid the nation of the hated Samoza. Reagan's war coupled with some initial errors by llie Sandin istas themselves has left the Nicaraguan economy in shambles. This is precisely the outcome Reagan and Bush had hoped for. The Sandinistas are weakened and vulner able. It is against this backdrop that “ free” elections are scheduled to take place in February. However, these elections will not be “ free” of U.S. intrusion and interference. The rampant destabilizing attacks of the U.S. backed Contras over the duration of the cease-fire already constitute a U.S. encroach ment by proxy into the affairs of Nicaragua. A firm hand from lean, tall George could have reined in the Contras at anytime during the last several months. It is clear that Bush and Co. are dedicated to the demise of the “ little man” from Managua at all costs. It is for that reason that Bush is not taking any chances. The U.S. is planning to pour 9 million dollars into Nicaragua under the guise of assisting the election process. The real intent is t J defeat the Sandinistas. This fact was betrayed when some officials within the administration first proposed funding the Nicaraguan opposition directly. Apparently this upfront approach w as just a bit too raw for even George Bush to stomach. So instead monies will be funneled into “ neutral' ’ agencies to undertake a variety of “ services" including a massive door todoor canvas to insure that every eligible Nicara guan citizen is registered to vote in the February election. It is ironic that millions of dollars can be spent in Nicaragua to do registration, while legislation to remove cumbersome barriers to registration within the United Slates is currently stalled in Congress. Nonetheless, the U.S. can “ sponsor” democracy in Nicaragua. Can you imagine another nation comtemplaling funding a political party in America? It is unthinkable, unconscionable and it would not be toler ated. But this is precisely what is happening in Nicaragua. First a U.S. sponsored war, then a cease fire violated by Reagan's warri ors and now outright interference in the election process of another soveriegn nation. If that’s not arrogance of power, I don’t know what is. But this is the kind of intrusion into other peoples affairs that goes on when U .S. presidents, policy makers and a sizeable segment of people within this country per ceive people of color and leaders of develop ing nations as little boys and girls and “ animals.” W ay F or B lack E mpowermen Hy Dr. I.enora l iilani Political Science Lesson On election day more than 11,000 Black and Puerto Rican working class people in the 11th Councilmanic District of New York City’s South Bronx rose up against the Democratic Party to vote independent. An incredible 42% of the electorate took the opportunity to * ’jum p' ’ from the Democrats’ Column A, where they pulled the level for David Dinkins, to Column F so they could vote for Pedro Espada, a grassroots Puerto Rican leader and insurgent Democrat who ran on the independent New Alliance Party line to challenge the notoriously corrupt and right wing incumbent. Forty-two percent! It is almost certainly the highest vote percent age for an independent candidate in any jurisdiction in the country. There is an important lesson to learn from the difference between Espada’s "lo s ing” 42% and mayor-elect Dinkins’ win ning 51%. Dinkins, a moderate Democrat, won the Sept. 13 primary on the wave of militant Black protest against the murder of Yusuf Hawkins by a Bensonhurst lynch mob last August—the most recent in succession of racist murders that has brought tens of thou sands of working class Black people -many of them very young-into the streets of New York, it was this Black upsurge in the streets that fueled the finally successful drive to dump the racist bully Ed Koch, who was looking for an unprecedented fourth term as mayor. P O R T L fl ERVER OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN-AMERICAN PUBLICATION Established In 1970 A llred L. HendereorVPubUsher Leon Harrls/Gonoia) Matwgor Gary Ann Garnett 0uslf)O6< Maiwgor Joyce Washington Sales/Markollng Dlioctor P O R T L A N D O B S ER VE R Is published weekly by E x it Publishing Company, Inc. 4747 N X M .L .K - Bled. Portland, Oregon »7211 P.O. B o i M J7 Portland, Oregon »720g (503) 288-0033 (Olllce) Deadlines lor all submitted materials Arllclee: Monday, 5 p.m.; Ads: Tuesday, 5 p.m. T h , PORTLAND OBSERVER m toom M Irw tanc* l u b m , ,i o n , M w iu ttrip 'a tn S photograph, about) bo d o « * , But Dinkins, having benefited from the outpouring of militant Black rage, was terri fied of being associated with it. Projecting himself as the political figure who could "unify ” a racially polarized city, he bragged of having publicly denounced Minister Louis Farrakhan when he spoke at Madison Square Gardens in 1985, openly pandering to the most racist elements in the Jewish and con servative white communities. He repudiated the 25,000 signatures gathered by the New Alliance Party to put him on the ballot in the general elections, and-once he had the Democratic Party nomination in his pocket- even kept Jesse Jackson at a discreet distance from his campaign and from New York. What it got him was a bare 51% of the vote, to 48% for his Republican opponent, a right wing cop. Ironically, Dinkins' victory has only served to expose the enormous gulf that divides Black (and other people of color) from whiles in New York. In a city where registered Democrats outnumber Republi cans five to one, Dinkins just about kept his head above water. Conventional (neo con servative) Democratic Party widsom not withstanding, it was Dinkin’s distance from (not his connection to) working class Black outrage that just missed handing the election to the vicious Giuliani. In the South Bronx, another fact of po litical science was being established -the Black and Puerto Rican working class would vote for the candidate of a Black-led, multi racial, pro gay, pro socialist party ... EVEN IF he was the underdog, EVEN IF they had voted Democrat all of their lives. Black and Puerto Rican working class voters would stand up to a reactionary IF they were given the means to do so. NAP was the means. The Espada results arc very, very thrill ing. And if NAP can do that outside the labolod ora) ml* bo rotwnot) I t u o t r e t r M by • I . « .n ra lo p o * * croolod dapgnod d.aplay od, boeom o Iho ,o to proport, o) Ih o ro o o p o p w ora) can no) bo « othor poblcatran, ot poraonal u ia g a wilhoul Iho written c o n io n t ot Iho gonotal m anager, u n k te Ihn chant h a , purcha,ed lira conpoerlron ol ,uch a rt I sa« PO RILANO ORSERVER. A l t RIGHTS RESERVED REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART W IIH O U t PERMISSION IS PROHlQirEO. Subeoptrona. S20.00 pat f t * In lha TrECbunly u m . Tha P O R T L A N O O O SE R V E R - O reg o n ', oidasl African Amar rear. Publication - ,a a m e n to r ot lh a Natamal N e w ip a p a r AeaocuUon - Fawndad in 1M 5. Tha Oregon N o w a p ap « Pubhahara Aaaooai.on. and lh a Nalrunal Advertising Rapraaenlalnra Am atgam alad Pubhahara. Ina., N aw Ta rt. Democratic Party, imagine what we can do from the inside; Challenging hacks and crooks in the primary as independent Democrats! I have no doubt that New York’s Democratic Parly leaders weren’t just celebrating David Dinkins' victory on election night: 1990, when New Yorkers elect a new governor, is a ballot status year in the state: an independ ent party must get 50,000 votes for its guber natorial candidate to qualify for permanent ballot status. Now the Democrats know that we know how to count! And they know, too! They’re scared to death of NAP . . . and rightly so. The Espada vote is proof that the Black- led, multi-racial, “ people instead of prof its" independent NAP, joining forces with a progressive, grassroots leader who is known and respected in the community-pcrhaps, like Pedro Espada, a reform Democrat—has the know-how, the organizational capacity and the support to go up against an en trenched, rich and ruthless local Democratic Party machine and comes within fighting distance of victory. The message of that vote will be heard around the country, where many more “ Pedro Espadas" are waiting in the wings for the chance to run winning races for city, county, and state office. We are going to begin the process of identifying electoral jurisdictions where we can have an impact. W e're looking for lead ers like Pedro Espada, pntgrcssive local leaders with name recognition in their communities who are ready, willing and able to "fight the power.” NAP is their weapon, a political tool specifically designed for that purpose. We don’t have the money, or die patronage to hand out, that the Democratic Party relies on. But the Espada campaign proved that money and patronage are not the only way. Creed Of The Black Press rhe Black Press believes that Amenta can best lead the world away from social and national antagonisms when it accords to every person, regardless of race, color, or creed, full hitman and legal rights. Hating no person, fearing no person, the Black Press strives to help every person in the firm belief that all are hurt as long as anyone is held back. 4 by Dr. Manning Marable “America’s Military Iron Curtain f t The Cold War in Europe is at long last ending. The Iron Curtain dividing Commu nist Eastern Europe from the capitalist west has been breached, and entirely destroyed in Hungary. This year alone, we have wit nessed the election of a non-Comuiunist government in Poland, political liberaliza tion in Hungary, the creation of a democratic legislature in the Soviet Union, and the de struction of the Berlin Wall. The political leader chiefly responsible for the trend toward world peace is not President Bush, but Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev. It is Gorbaehev who has set the pace for the radical restructuring of his own economic and political system, and has encouraged pluralism and democracy in Eastern Europe. The Soviets are unilaterally withdrawing 50,000 troops and 5,000 tanks from Europe, and are prepared to make even deeper cuts in conventional and nuclear forces. The Soviets have agreed to disband the Warsaw Pact if the U.S. and its allies also agree to dissolve the North Atlantic Treaty Organiza tion. But the Bush administration has yet to respond to these initiatives. The U.S. still has over 300,000 army and air force troops sta tioned in Europe, and the Bush administra tion has rejected talks to eliminate the War saw Pact or NATO. America’s leadership is missing a once-in-a-century opportunity to achieve a permanent peace. Last month, the House of Representa tives voted to approve the largest bill for nuclear and conventional weapons expendi tures in U.S. history-$305 billion. There were virtually no debate or discussion, and the bipartisan vote was 236 to 172. The Senate is expected to approve the bill. In some respects, this most recent legis lation for militarism was even more conser vative and reactionary than the legislation sought by Bush. For example, Bush had previously agreed to terminate ten weapons programs over the next two years. The administration had agreed to end construc tion on new F-14 fighters built by the Grum man Corporation. But the House continued the program, calling for the construction of 18 additional F-14 planes that the Pentagon had not requested. Each F-14 cost $66 mil lion. The Pentagon agreed to terminate the V- 22 Osprey airplane program; but the House authorized continued production at 585 mil lion. The Bush administration sought to cut a helicopter program, butCongress asked for 36 more helicopters at $195 million. This is not to suggest that Bush has become a “ dove” on defense. The Pentagon wanted 44.7 bil lion for the B-2 Stealth bomber; Congress responded with a paultry $4.3 billion. Why are Congress and the President proposing billions of dollars for militarism? The merchants of death, the large military contractors, spend millions every year in political action committees to influence the votes of our Congressional representatives. Because we exercise the vote, we have the illusion that our interests genuinely matter. But the corporate special interests coopt Democrats and Republicans alike, by pro viding generous election financing in return for the continuation of wasteful, destructive military programs. What’s the price of this Cold War budget? In the next five years. Congress is projected to allocate nearly $1.6 trillion for weapons. These billions are taken from human needs and economic development. Two Trident submarines cut $2.3 billion from food stamps, plus another $700 million from nutritional aid to women, infants and children. Forty six M-l tanks would purchase 500 modem city buses for mass transportation. One F-16 jet fighter costs as much as one thousand teach ers' salaries for one full year. One billion dollars spend on building guided missiles creates 20,700 jo b s-b u t one billion dollars spent for public health care facilities, doc tors, nurses and staff would create 54,300 jobs. One billion dollars spent for public education, teachers' salaries and school construction would generate 71,500 jobs. Its a question of public need vs. corpo rate greed. The real wages of American middle income workers, adjusted for infla tion, have actually fallen 9 percent since the election of Reag an in 1980. Nearly two thou sand teenagers drop out of American high schools every day. Drugs are destroying our urban and suburban neighborhoods. Two million Americans sleep in alleys, aban doned automobiles and gutters every night. Thirty seven million have absolutely no type of health insurance coverage. Yet Pentagon expenditures have soared 250 percent since the administration of Jimmy Carter. Both parties are guilty of criminal neglect of the real interests of the American people. The democratic developments in the Soviet Union and Eastern Europe indicate that the so-called Iron Curtain no longer separates east from west. The real Iron Cur tain is the barrier between the interests of the American people and the prerogatives of the military, corporate and political elites which want to perpetuate militarism and the poli tics of the Cold War. The Berlin Wall no longer divides east and west; the real wall is the barrier which divides the majority of American working people, African-Ameri cans, Latinos, the unemployed, the poor and women from the reality of full employment, adequate health care, decent public housing, and quality education, due to military spend ing. The Cold War in Europe is collapsing, but Congress and the Bush administration must be challenged to imitate Gorbachev's perestroika. We need a war for social and economic justice in this country--a war for full employment, a war to reconstruct our cities and to end the plague of drugs, a war against racism, and a war for real democ racy. Congressman Denny Smith Tries To Abolish Civil Rights Commission WASHINGTON -Congressman Denny Smith, R OR, refused to protect the rights of minorities when he voted against funding for the Civil Rights Commission yesterday. Current funding for the commission expires on Nov. 30, 1989. "It was Congress Smith's responsibility to stand-up for civil rights and speak-Our for those minorities struggling for equality," said Congressman Beryl Anthony, Jr., D-AR chairman of theDemocratic Congressional Campaign Committee. "When he cast his vote against funding he was saying in es sence that not everyone is truly equal under the law." Despite Congressman Smith's vote, this bill passed the House of Representatives by a vote of 278 to 135 on Nov. 15. The bill extends funding for the commission through May of j 1990. Every majorcivil rights group in the country supported this bill. "This was a simple vote on whether or not to continue funding the CFivil Rights Commission," Anthony said. "Surely Con gressman Smith's constituents must be dis appointed in his actions today. They deserve to be represented by someone who will work to protect civil rights, not endange those rights." »