October 30,1991...The Portland Observer...Page 9 Thomas Begins Supreme Court Nov. 1 After Two Ceremonies BY LARRY A. STILL President George Bush and Re­ publican supporters o f new Supreme C ourt Associate Justice Clarence Tho­ mas were so pleased at the final co n fir­ mation vote fo r the second black ap­ pointee to the nine-member top U.S. legal panel that two swearing in cere­ monies were scheduled first in a packed Rose Garden ceremony last Friday (October 18th) at the W hite House and later at the H igh C ourt House by No­ vember 1. Justice Thomas w ill assume his lifetim e seat on the highest court in the land fo llo w in g the historic double cere­ monies and the equally unpredented 112 days o f hearings fin ally climaxed by the tense 52-48 closest confirm ation vote on record in the United State Senate. Also, he w ill succeed retired Justice Thurgood Marshall in join in g his Asso­ ciates after proceedings have already started on several key cases, including desegregation and abortion issues. Another case s till pending is a com ­ plaint involving sexual harassment. Approxim ately 1,000 witnesses packed the W hite House lawn at the b rie f 15 minutes ceremony as Judge Thomas took the oath o f allegiance from Justice Byron W hite w ith Presi­ dent Bush standing at his side and Mrs. Thomas holding the bible. (He w ill take the oath o f o ffice at the court). The applauding crowd on the day included a host o f friends and relatives from Pin Point, G A , Republican leaders and a few former Democratic opponents such as Sen. Joseph Biden, chairman o f the Senate Judiciary Committee. Recalling “ the many difficult days” in his only reference to the past hear­ ings, Justice Thomas quoted the 30th Psalm as he added “ But on this sunny day in October at the W hile House, there is joy. Joy in the m orning” later, after the ceremony, Thomas repeated the words he often declared when he was first appointed in Kennebunkport, M E, “ O nly in America could this happen.” In addition to Thomas’ mother, sister, brother and cousins, and former co-workers and supporters such as John Doggett and Phyllis Berry, who ap­ peared at the hearings, the guests in ­ cluded p olitical leaders, movies stars and sports heroes such as Sylvester Stallone and Reggie Jackson. Thomas advocates Robert Woodson, Tony Brown and Roy Innis were also pres­ ent. The complete guest lis t w ill be released later W hite House officials announced after the ceremony was arranged w ithin three days fo llo w in g the victorious confirm ation battle at the other end o f Pennsylvania avenue in the U.S. Capitol. Lawmakers, lob ­ byists and throngs o f reporters occu­ pied the seats usually reserved for tour­ ists in the Senate gallery during the vote (Oct. 15). Even two members o f the Congressional Black Caucus, Reps. John Lewis (D-Ga) and Maxine W a­ ters (D-C A ) chose to be part o f the rare moment, Afro-Am erican Newspapers correspondent Hamil R. Hams reported. Earlier Tuesday, Caucus members, as w ell as Rev. Jesse Jackson, held two news conferences to reaffirm their opposition to the Judge and to focus at­ tention on what Jackson said were “ the Is Pleased to Announce that he is a Practicing Member of the Oregon State Bar In 1988 O il Can Henry’s sold 14 o f its Portland quick lube centers to J iffy Lube and O il Can Henry’ s was almost destroyed. Not only did the company survive—it is now ranked one o f the best franchise opportunities in the Mr. Oliveros will focus his practice on per­ sonal injury, family law, and bankruptcy. He looks forw ard to serving clients and the commmunity country. According to the November, 1991 issue o f Success Magazine, O il Can Henry’ s has moved up from #84 in 1990 to #9 in 1991 in their Success Gold 100 ranking o f top franchise companies nationwide. In the past, business magazines have touted the biggest and flashiest chains who sold the most units in the least amount o f time. Success Maga­ zine, instead, hired Arthur Anderson & Co. to create the first credible franchise ranking, rating franchisors by the qual­ ity o f their management, not the quan­ tity o f their stores. This year, over 2,800 franchise companies were surveyed to determine which select few would be ranked in the Gold 100. A Department o f Commerce S tudy showed that from 1971 to 1987 fewer than 5 percent o f new franchises failed each year, compared to 65 percent fail ure rate reported for all business start­ ups by the Small Business A dm inistra­ N ortheast B roadway 97232 (503) 282-7285 P ortland , O regon P hone TIRED OF BEING PHONELESS? Not Having a Phone... Is Like Having Your Life On Hold. ★ Wait No Longer ★ No Credit Requirements ★ No Large Deposits Simply pay one small activation charge & your phone will be on in 3-5 days. TAKE YOURSELF OFF HOLD! • CALL U.S. TEL ASSIST stress Marla Gibbs second from left, welcomes visitors to the Marla Gibbs Crossroads National Education Arts 'enter and Theatre during the recent West Coast Black Publishers Association s A^ a‘ ^ on^ ntl° ^ ' ^ ' S s S S ^ s S S s S x PCC Presents One Performance of “Transitions” At Cascade Campus The Women’ s Center at the Cas­ cade Campus o f Portland Community College w ill presentanew play, * ‘Tran­ sitions,” on Saturday, November 9, at 7 p.m. The one-time-only performance w ill be in Cascade H all in the Cascade Campus A u d ito riu m at 705 N. K illingsw orth Street. General admis­ sion is $5; students, $2.50. The two-hour play includes two musical numbers and is about the im ­ pact Project Independence has had on the lives o f students. The innovative Cascade Campus program works w ith women in transition to give focus and direction to their lives. Many women have made significant changes as a result o f their participation. The play was written by Joan Knight and produced by Julie Darling. Both women are graduates o f Project Inde­ pendence. Other program students in the production are Pattie Jones and K im be rli Johnson, program graduate Paula Robertson, PSU student Paige Williams, and PCC students Rosa Mason and Lonnie Nettles. For further inform ation, contact the W omen’ s Resource Center, 244- 6111, ext. 5249. S S ^ s s s UNJONZAVENUE< /GLASS whenmMhavea^m P O R TLA N D S tion. 1-800-369-5385 vman-Owned central issues surrounding the c o n fir­ mation... The Bush strategy is to nominate a right-w ing conservative to so lid ify such a m ajority on the Su­ preme Court, using the tactic o f race as a decoy to divide and conquer the opposition,” he stated. The nomination and confirm ation process truly appeared to have divided the community. Rep. Craig W ashing­ ton (D -T X ) who was flanked by sev­ eral colleagues, told reporters “ black leaders failed to get the message out to the people..” Others blamed fem inist pressure groups and media exposure. In the end it appeared to be the W hite House assessment o f Clarence Tho­ mas the senators voted to confirm . Justice Thomas, like Justice Marshall, the man he succeeded, won the nomination after a delayed vote. Marshall was confirmed in 1967 in a 69-11 vote fo llo w in g a delay o f more than tw o months. This victory marks the fifth time the Republican conser­ vative has been confirmed by the Demo­ cratic Senate fo r a federal position. The others were, 1981, Assistant Sec­ retary for C iv il Rights; 1982 and 1986, Chairman o f the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission and 1989, Judge, U.S. D istrict Court o f Appeals. He must be doing something right, say friends and associates. A t week’ s end black and white observers were hailing the outcome as political and com m unity leaders were shifting their concern to the partisan, polarizing confirm ation process and the “ alleged” unfairness o f many par­ ticipants in the local and national are­ nas. Oregon Company Named One Of Top Ten Franchise Businesses In The Country By Success Magazine Gregory Paul Oliveros, Esquire 2161 Welcome to Los Angeles! t=ï fOUAl HOOS»«C, iFNOf« r r r r_ J