M arch 31, 1993 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age AZ
p
e r s p
V e s
e c t i
A Wider View Of The Education Shortfall
It is often said about problem s
that seem to have no solution, that
“one cannot see the forest for the
trees.” C ertainly, this adage can be
applied to the education woes o f the
P o rtla n d S chool
D istrict So, let us
pull back a bit for
now an d take a
statew ide view .
L ast w inter I
wTote several a r­
ticles on th e m er­
its o f ‘T he Oregon
E d u catio n al A ct
for the 21 st Century (H B 3565)”> At a
February 25 news conference the O r­
egon E ducation Association, ofw hich
I am a m em ber, found itself in agree­
m ent w ith seven o f ten com ponents o f
that act recom m ended by the State
B oard of E ducation Task Force. These
were, “T he C ertificate O f Initial M as-
te n (CIM ) the C ertificatcof Advanced
Mastery (CAM ), and Extension o f the
School Y ear” . 1 would have added,
“N ongradedPrimary Education"; How
will the kids be integrated into other
s c h o o l sy s te m s
should they leave
the state?
Im p le m e n ta ­
tion o f the “m as­
tery” program s are
o p p o sed b ecau se
"they are unreliable
due to their subjec­
tivity and discrim i-
nation against certain student popula­
tions; urban concepts being m andated
into rural O regon; im plem entation
w ould be very costly at a tim e w hen the
state has no money” . T he latter rea­
soning certainly rules against any
“ E x ten sio n o f th e S chool Y ear "
W here would the state obtain the re­
quired extra $400 million'’ Wc know
w ho is meant by "certain student popu­
lations "
In the Sunday O regonian for
F eb ru ary 14, w rite r Bill G rav es
has several articles w hich address
O re g o n s ' h o p efu l an d v isio n a ry
plans "m eant to put O regon’s students
at the top o f the national heap by
the year 2000 and in the international
le a d by 2 0 1 0 " A nd f u rth e r on
we have, We re not only in step with
th e n a tio n , w e ’re le a d in g th e
p arade, says N orm a Paulus, state
superintendent of public instruction” .
Place all th is in context; "O regon’s
S c h o o l Im p ro v e m e n t P la n w ill
elim inate the high school diplom a
in ab o u t fo u r y e a rs” . N ow , th a t
is really hedging your bet! (in case
you m ade some serous mistakes).
Now, le t’s look at the leads for
tw o o f M r G raves’ articles: “Europe
L ea d s Way In B u ild in g F u tu re
F or F o rg o tte n H a lf a n O re g o n
Schools Try T o Produce Better W ork-
e r s ” (O re g o n E d u c a to r s H ope
To Model T raining After European
B lu e p rin t). 1 c a n ’t c o n tro l my
curiosity—W hat happened to all those
"Jap an ese” an d o th e r A sian role
model education sy stem s that were to
be the pattern for the "New O rder”?
Did we run out o f travel v o u c h e rs-
was that ju st an o th e r "M etric or
New M ath” type gam bit?
N ow , I k n o w a little ab o u t
G erm an e d u c a tio n a l p h ilo so p h y
Mr. Graves tells us that Ramon Franke,
a 16 y e a r-o ld G e rm a n te e n a g e r
and electronic apprentice,” has learned
as m u c h or m o re th a n O re g o n
students who go on to college. He
speaks a second language He has
studied algebra, chem istry, physics,
history, music and art.” T hat sounds
exactly like my high school in St.
Louis, and education sy stem set up by
third-generation G erm an disciplinar­
ians.
For the past five years I ’ve been
telling readers, parents and teachers
about the curriculum at my “Jim Crow”
high school in St. L o u is-lo u d and
clear now: “A lgebra I and II, G eom­
etry’ I and II, G eneral Science I and II,
Biology I an d II, History , Civics, Ge­
ography, M usic, Art, G y m n astics-
then a choice o f latin or French and
finally, physics an d chem istry, all
m andatory.” This, is o f course, was
fifty years ago.
I dropped out at the end o f the
eleventh grade (to eat) but had no
problem w ith accounting classes or
passing the law school entrance exam
in the com pany o f college graduates
here in Oregon. In 1946 w hen I set up
my accounting practice in the A lbina
area (later certified for federal tax
court), h a lf the population and my
clients w ere o f G erm an descent. And
many w ere already m ourning the loss
o f educational standards and disci­
p lin e - ” not like it was in the old coun­
fry”
Before we allow our educational
gurus an d activists to take us on a new
expedition in search o f a "Shangtila-
-to Tibet, p erh ap s-m ay b e we should
dem and that they be the ones to return
to basics, maybe have teacher colleges
return to old fashioned texts like
L ongm an’s Educational G oals” (21st
printing, 1977). As I look now at the
chapters dealing w ith "the best orga­
nization o f know ledge to facilitate
learning “ I com pare that structure
w ith co n tem p o rary c u r r e n ts - lik e
“m astering the information structure” .
No w onder my m other and aunt were
such good teachers. More next week.
U.S. Military Spying On African Americans
T ruth always eventually com es
into the light. T his is a true saying and
in particular in regard to the facts now
v eins exposed concerning the d is­
graceful, im m oral and illegal spy ing
on the Africa A m erican com m unity
by elite spy units o f the U.S. military.
N otw ithstanding the historic fact that
A frican A m ericans have dispropor­
tionately fought and died as loyal sol­
diers in the U.S m ilitary since the
A m erican revolutionary W ar, it has
now been revealed that the U.S m ili­
tary has spied on the A frican A m eri­
can community for m ore than seventy
five years.
The public outcry in response to
th e d is c lo s u r e s o u tli n e d in a
report issued by T he C om m ercial Ap-
p e a l n e w s p a p e r in M e m p h is ,
Tennessee has been trem endous. The
Com m ercial Appeal report was the
result o f a 16-
month investiga­
tion bv the new s-
p a p e r
T h u s ,a n o th e r
sad an d trag ic
ch a p te r in th e
history o f A m erican racism has been
revealed.
T here are som e w ho are arguing
that the past should be left to the past,
and the nation should avoid looking
in to its p ast o n issues th a t may
cause racial polarization W e take
exception to that view . it is im portant
to tell the truth about the past in order
to avoid repeating past m isdeeds in
the future.
M artin L uther K ing, Jr. and his
family w ere targets o f U.S. military
action and spying T he Com m ercial
Appeal investigation confirm ed that
the report released by
The Commercial Ap­
peal.
D id th e U .S
Army participate in
the assassination o f
Dr. K ing? Why were
Arm y agents from the 111th Military
Intelligence Group in M em phis at the
tim e o f Dr. K in g ’s assassination? If
these agents had Dr. K ing under con­
stant surv eillance, then why did they
not attem pt to prevent Dr. K in g 's
assassination? Why did it take until
1993 for these fact to be rev ealed?
If the Arm y w ent to such an ex­
tent to collect intelligence by using
highly sophisticated electronic su r­
veillance an d other m ethods o f secret
spying including the use o f U2 super­
sonic spy planes, to collect inform a-
tion on A frican A m erican leaders and
CIVIL RIGHTS JOURNAL
By Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr.
the illegal spying was directed in gen­
eral at A frican A m erican m inister and
A frican A m erican congregations in
the South that were involved in chal­
lenging racial injustice.
As one reads this new investiga­
tive report on U S military spying,
there is a sense of being rem inded o f
how dangeious it is for any nation or
society not to have effective control
over the military apparatus. Yet. the
U.S. A rm y’s Intelligence Divisions
did not act to spy on the African
A m erican community without first
having received "orders” to do the
illegal assignm ent.
In other words, along with the
miliary system, the political system
and high governm ent officials ever a
long period of tim e actually ordered
an a sanctioned dom estic m ilitary,
cov ert action against law abiding citi­
zens o f the Urn ted state w ho w ere o f
African descent All Americans should
be outraged.
African A m erican members o f
the C ongress o f the U nited S tate
should dem and an im m ediate C on­
gressional investigation into the d e­
tails that have been brought to light in
no evi dence o f wrong doi ng was found,
why did these illegal acts continue for
decades?
Racism does cause a type o f un­
ju stified paranoia. The problem is
that w hen agents of racial paranoia
have the unchecked access to m ilitary
pow er the dangers to social stability
are increased immeasurably . The Civil
R ights M ovement should not have
been view ed by m ilitary authorities as
a threat to national security.
T he truth is that the sacrifices of
M artin Luther King, Jr. and thou­
sands o f others in the Civil Rights and
Freedom Mov em ents have done more
to ensure democracy and equal justice
in the United States than any military
operation in the nation or throughout
the world. Let us all work together to
prevent a repeat o f this type of m iscar­
riage o f justice
Do Oregonians Need Earthquake Insurance?
O n M arch 25, 1993 at approxi- Mt Hood and M t.St H elens not to
mately 5:35am , Pacific T im e Zone, a m ention the other fam ous Cascade
Richter Scale 5.4 m agnitude earth-
quake w ith an epicenter 30 mi les south
o f P ortland in W oodburn. OR. rocked
the Pacific Northw est from ju st South
o f Seattle, WA, dow n through E u­
gene, OR.
T his supports w hat officials of
the United States, G eological Survey
have been sa y in g —a m a jo r fau lt
line exists from V ancouver, British
Colum bia, through Seattle, Portland
a n d S ale m to E u g e n e , O re g o n
S eism ologists have said th a t this
fault poses a greater d a n g e r o f a
m a jo r q u a k e in th e n o t too
distant future than som e have previ­
o u sly th o u g h t. A n d th e n th e r e ’s
the threat o f dam aging earth move­
ment due to activity bubbling under
peaks
All th is an d yet only th ree to
four p e rc e n t o f th e h o m eo w n ers
in O re g o n a n d fiv e p e r c e n t in
W ashington p urchase the optional
earth m ovem ent insurance coverage
v e rs u s fiv e p e r c e n t o f a ll U .S.'
citizens an d 25 percent o f C alifor­
nians
“M ost people have, in th e past,
said they ju st d o n ’t believe i t ’ll h ap­
pen here, others d o n 't realize it isn ’t
covered under th eir hom eow ners in­
surance an d still o th ers think the cov­
erage w ould be too expensive. ’ says
M arian n e M acina, CPCU, regional
m anager for W estern Insurance Infor­
m ation Service (WHS)
A ccording to M acina, standard
hom eow ners policies do not cover an endorsem ent to their hom eow neis
structural dam age caused b \ earth insurance and m ust be purchased from
m o v e m en tasa re su lto fan e arth q u a k e the same com pany they have their
hoincow ner's policy w ith
or volcanic eruption
“That ’ snot to sav you can ’t change
“H om eowners need to decide if
th c c o m p a n y th a t you h a v e
they should purchase thcopt ional earth
m o v em en t en d o rsem en t coverage hom eow ner’s cov erage with It al-
ways pays for the consum er to shop
w hich will protect them against this
around,” says M acina
type o f catastrophic loss,” she says.
In Oregon, the average annual
"T h is coverage is relatively inexpen­
sive and readily available m the pa- cost for earth movement coverage on
a fram e home will range between 53
cific Northwest
However,” M acina warns, “after and 80 cents per $1,000 coverage,
the quake, most insurance com panies say s M acina “For exam ple, coverage
w ill place a m oratorium on issuing on a $100,000 home w ill cost between
new earthquake insurance of any where $53 and $80 per y ear.
Because masonry homes are more
from two to ninetv davs. The time
before you can purchase earthquake susceptible to earth movement dam -
Joyce Washington
Publisher
Deadline for all submitted materials:
Articles: Monday, 5:00 pm—Ads: Tuesday, noon
POSTMASTER; Send Address Changes to: Portland Observer, P.O.
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Oregon.
The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts
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become the sole property of the newspaper and can not be used In other
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manager, unless the client has purchasea the composition of such ad. ©
1993 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED,
REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS
The Portland Observer--Oregon's Oldest African-American Publicatlon-
Is a me
r of the National Newspaper Association-Founded In 1885,
and The national Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers,
Inc., New York, NY. and The West Coast Black Publishers Association •
Serving Portland and Vancouver
I
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a
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watched from his seat as the
began to accelerate down the
■(Eije sportiani» ODbseruer
deductible) T his deductible applies you be better prepared for such a catas- be ab le to fly , a m a ssiv e m etal
se p arate d to the building and it” con- trophe?
c y lin d e r w ith w in g s w h ich lu m b e rs
T he P ortland
(c„ts
T he answ er to all the above is so o n th e g ro u n d . B u t th e n G re a t
"For example, a 5 percent deduct- “yes.” On b eh alf o f your insurance B lu e H e ro n s d o n ’t seem to b e b u ilt
ible on a hom e with $100.000 struc- com panies. W estern Insurance Infor- fo r flig h t eith er, th ey lo o k ra th e r
O bserver
can be sent
tural coverage and $60,000 contents
DIRECTLY TO YOUR HOME
FOR ONLY
$30.00
P lease
PER
fill out ,
ENCLOSE CHECK OR
M acina
“T h a t's why w hen deciding if
this cov erage is for them, homeowners
need to understand that earth move­
ment insurance is designed to protect
them against major economic losses.”
explains M acina "T h ey need to de­
cide if they can bear the financial
burden should their home be destroyed
or sufTcr m ajor dam age If the home is
owned outright, th a t’s a major fin an ­
cial loss And. if not, the homeowner
will still be required to make m ort­
gage paym ents," she adds
A ccordingto M acina, renters may
also w ant to think about an earth
mov em ent endorsem ent for their per­
sonal property (contents) as an ad d i­
tion to their ren ters’ insurance.
“W hen deciding to purchase any
tv pc at insurance. your insurance com ­
MONEY ORDER,
and
M ail
to :
SUBSCRIPTIONS
T he P ortland O bserver
PO Box 3137
P ortland , O regon 97208
Name
Address
city, State
panies through WIIS recom m end that
von do some com parison shopping.”
says M acina "C ontact three or four
insurance com panies through com ­
pany representatives or agents and
com pare prices, level o f service and
zip-code
T hank Y ou F or R eading
T he P ortland O bserver
e • e » t
• • » e e -^ e e ^ fe , • • » >
m ation Service (W IIS) suggests you c u m sy u n
coverage would m ean the homeowner consider the following hom eowners
w ould be responsible for the first checklist:
$5,000 o f structural dam age and the 1) Check to see if the home is bolted
to its foundations.
first $3,000 of personal property dam ­
age to the contents in the home,” says 2) Check to see if the tile or shake
PROHIBITED.
Subscriptions:$30.00 per year.
Taking Flight
S ubscribe
insurance will vary from company to
com pany.” M acina also rem inds O r­
egonians that earthquake insurance is
YEAR.
The PORTLAND OBSERVER Is located at
4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd.
Portland, Oregon 97211
503-288-0033 • Fax 288-0015
filiated nationally with the Insurance
m ore consum er inform ation and ques-
(ions on insurance or to find out about
the o rganization’s free speakers bu-
reau consum ers may call the WHS
Beaverton, OR. office at (503)643-
6355.
WHS isa nonprofit nonlobbying,
consum er education organization af-
filiated w ith the Insurance Inform a-
fion Institute W IIS serves consum ers
and insurers in ten western states
Inform ation Institute. WIIS serves ru n w a y a m id th o u g h t ab o u t c lo sin g
consum ers an d insurers in ten w estern fijs fired e y es
fim e
states.
age. the av erage annual cost for this
How E arthquake Proof Is Y our Buthcalwayswau-hod.sohepccred
cov erage is higher—ranging between
me?
out the small window as i f looking
$2.45 and $2.80 per $ 1,000 coverage
omf „
,
....
was part o f the believing.
A Hom eow ner s Checklist:
f
e
Most residential earth movement
Are there ways you can m ake h a lw a y s se e m e d so u n re a l-a p la n e
coverage in O regon is sold w ith a
, wrussuv your hom e safer in the event o f an ta k in g o ft in to th e n ig h t. It d id n t
standard deductible o f 5 percent (Some
com panies now require a 10 ¡ ¿ r a n t earthquake or volcanic eruption? C an seem p o ssib le fo r a th in g so b ig to
p«- — — — — — — — —
(USPS 959-680)
OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION
Established In 1970 by Alfred L. Henderson
coverage.
M acina says consum ers should
not hesitate to ask agents exactly w hat
the insurance policies will and w ill
not cover. M ost standard homeowners
policies w ill cover fire, explosion and
theft losses follow ing a quake.
For m ore consum er inform ation
an(1 questions on insurance or to find
out about the organization’s free speak-
e rs' bureau, consum ers also may call
the WIIS Beaverton, OR, office at
(5 0 3 )6 4 3 -6 3 5 5 .
WIIS is a n o n p ro fit nonlobbying,
consum er education organization af-
»
roof needs bracing.
3) Brace or replace high brick chim ­
neys.
4) Bolt w ater heaters to wall studs
5) Fasten shelves to walls
6) Brace or anchor high-standing
or top-heavy objects
7) Secure heavy m irrors or picture
fram es over beds
8) Secure lights, plants and other
hanging objects that could swing
fee o f hooks
9) Place breakables or heavy ob-
je c ts o n lower shelves.
10) Install flexible connectors where
gas lines meet appliances
11) Know how to turn offgas, w ater
and electricity
12) Remove nearby trees that are
leaning or weakened due to rot.
The same goes for limbs that are
dead or diseased
13) Check on your financial need for
at
m e.
H e lo o k e d o u t a t th e ru n w a y as
p u ffs o f sn o w fla k e s d a n c e d in the
n ig h t lig h ts o f th e airp o rt. S n o w
w a s p ile d in so m e p la c e s th ree feet
h ig h b e tw e e n lan es. A s th e p lan e
continued to accelerate, he w on­
dered dim ly now it could get trac­
tion on the snowy pavement. But
another look revealed snow only on
the sides.
T h e ru n w a y w a s w et, b u t clea r. H e
co u ld feel the p o w e r o f th e en g in es
no w . A n d in th a t feelin g w a s the
co m fo rt o f faith th at th e p lan e w o u ld
in d e e d lift its e lf sk y w ard . F o r to
d isb e lie v e w as to g iv e in to fear.
He continued to watch as the plane
g ajne(j m o m e n tu m an d the e n g in es
ro ared . T h e p la n e 's n o w b e g a n to
pUn ing the crafi smoothly
o jd s a yin g u se d
ag ajn sl p jo n c c r av ia to rs c a m e to
m in d ; ,.,f m a n w a s m e a n t to fly,
G o d w o u ld h av e g iv e n h im w in g s."
d o c c u rre d to him su d d e n ly as the
Pla n c c o n tin u e d to sla sh u p w a rd s,
m a n w as in d c c d m c a n t
«7-
earth movement insurance
A n d G o d h ad g iv e n h im w in g s o f
According to WIIS .many o f these silver.
m easures will also help to reduce and
prevent losses from windstorm s For — — ■ —L - ---- —
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