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J une 9, 1993 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age A 2
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Is It “Slick Willie”, “Weak Willie”, Or ‘On-The-Job’ Training For President?
Lani Guinicr has been vv ithdraw n
as nominee to head the civil rights
division of the Justice Department,
and with her has been withdrawn the
hopes of many blacks and liberals that
with the support of
Attorney General
Janet Reno, there
would be at the
very top a strong
e n fo rc e m e n t o f
civil rights for m i
n o ritie s
an d
women.
Many are re
calling Jessie Jackson’s refusal togive
an u n q u a lifie d en d o rsem en t to
C linton’s candidacy Today, the Rev
erend is saying. “When these strong
windsblow, he |Clinton) tendstoback
away' Others have voiced the same
opinion regarding a number of legis
lation meant to implement the prom
ises made during the election cam
paign And as to be expected the civil
rights community
and the Congres
sional Black Cau
cus are expressing
anger and frustra
tion
Professor
Ms
L ani
McKinley
G uinier has re
Hurt
peatedly demon
strated that she is
a strong and competent lawy er, and a
first rank legal scholar It must have
been extremely humiliating to have
been called into the oval office and
told by her old friend' and former
L 1
schoolmate that he could no longer
support tire candidacy because he "had
not adequately examined " her writ
ings and philosophies How did the
president put it? “This particular ar
ticle of yours in the University of
Michigan Law Review" seem to be
arguing for principles of proportional
representation and minority veto in
legislative bodics-nations that are in
consistent with my own beliefs. " Now,
he tells her.
But, we have it that for weeks
conservatives have been making an
issue of Guinier’s openly expressed
views in these matters, voting rights
Act, civil rights statues and a need to
increase the political power of blacks
and other minorities We ask again,
“Is it Slick Willie, Weak Willie”, or
just ‘amateur night’ at the White
House? That self-anointed posture of
a “middlc-of-the road, conservative
Democrat" (whatever that is) may yet
stagger on the shoals of political reali
ties. It’s a perilous vocation
Last summer several readers
and friends were on my case because
I wasn’t using this column to beat
the drums for Clinton’s presidential
candidacy. How could I, looking
at A rk a n sa s’ m iserab le record,
w hether it was labor laws, civil rights
or pollution? "About the worst in the
nation, and labor unions, the ecology
people and many minorities will tell
you that.” There were several high-
level appointments of blacks to high-
level state jobs but the overall situa
tion ofblacks and the economy has not
“W hat’s Going On?” Can we be com
fortable in a belief that the black and
female appointments we’ve w itnessed
so far are ’ real ’—that is, was it untainted
that they be more than window dress
ing while a subrosa agenda is pur
sued? Will they become sacrificial
lambs when the oval office gets in
trouble? We are constantly told that
“the buck stops here”, but in the case
of each recent White House debacles
that does not seem to have been the
case.
Even now in the Lani Guinier
situation it seems that a scapegoat is
being groomed. White House counsel
Bernard Nussbaum—whose job it was
to review her file -is being blamed by
the administration for this latest goof
What can we expect in the future?
changed there. An omen of things to
conte?
In other words, I was quite
suspicious of the m an’s rhetoric for
m in o rities have been fooled so
often O f course it was time for
a change on the national scene which
had become an intolerable situation,
not only for the poor and
minorities, but for the nation as a
whole Though not always in step
with Rev. Jackson, 1 did feel that I
understood his reservations about
openly endorsing C linton-his prefer
ence for securing firm commitments
in certain areas and solid demonstra
tions of positions on issues which
would be hard to retreat from once
elected
As Marivn Gaye once asked.
THE EMPIRE STRIKES BACK: R e a d e r s R e s p o n d To E c o n o m ic S e r ie s
BY PROF. MCKINLEY BURT
The enthusiastic response to our
"small Business" advisory indicates
not only a receptiv e audience of com
munity people w ho arc well aw are of
a pressing need for "real" economic
development (for Profit), but w ho re
alize there are some big voids in the
information delivery system
Right ofT the top. I would repeat
the comments of one reader w ho w as
rightfully concerned about "appear
ances” He would remind 11s of that
term taken from psychology. the "Halo
Effect"; you know, a black bag (doc
tor); an attache case (lawyer or other
professional), a belt full of tools (elec
trician-craftsman). In other words,
look the part, for that alone can inspire
confidence from the ‘gctgo'-look the
part!
I remember that a few years ago I
w rote here of the “steam clean" busi
ness I pioneered in central Oregon
during the 1950s. It was very detailed
and sparked an enthusiastic response
from a v oune black man who realized
what I was saying-that for an amount
of capital much less than the price of
a new car one could get started in a
lucrative enterprise where the only
limits were one's energy and ability to
innovate. It was pointed out that the
Portland area was always open to ini
tiative.
I was so impressed with his com
mitment that I agreed to show him the
ropes, equipment to buy, potential
customers to call upon, and where and
how to advertise, etc. 1 knew that
success here would make a beautiful
demonstration model which could
engender similar enterprises. I took
my 60 year-old body out there with
him everyday for almost a month,
doing a hands-on thing with every
aspect of the project from designing
and crafting a smart-looking mobile
van to purchasing safety equipment.
And to the library for researching
industry needs.
But, above all. "We Looked The
Pari" because 1 persuaded him to buy
both us ‘Smart looking uniforms’ with
a legend that told exactly what w e did.
bright distinctive safety helmets and
beepers. Aftera lecture about "slouch
ing, pimp, walks and leaning on
things", we were off on a sales tour of
a promising industrial area. We didn't
get very far. Enteri ng a hardvv are store
to purchase some brackets, we were
eyed by every contractor and business
person in the place.
Hav ing read the back of our uni
forms and surveyed our mobile unit
(the best looking vehicle in the park
ing lot), one customer came back in
side and introduced himself. He was a
supervisor for the main contractor of
the Portland Light Rail Project, and
the very next day my young friend had
a contract offer to clean and maintain
a number of pieces of equipment. This
kept us so busy that first month we
didn't get time to scope the airport,
docks and superm arkets-and more
good prospects. All still there!
This was to be the young m an's
business and I got only a minimum
w age to help out on my pension My
purpose was to create a successful
model I could use to persuade a for
ward-looking and perceptive commu
nity agency to let me build a realistic
economic development stmeture for
our youth. The one mistake I would
not make again would be to fail to
bring in the needed social-emotional
support our young people must have
in our present dangerous env ironment.
Our budding young entrepreneur was
overwhelmed by an influx of cash and
drugs In six months his business was
gone—and later, his life.
As 1 look over the many responses
to this scries. I find that far from
despairing, there should be more con
fidence than ever in a black (and
white) reservoir of talent, ambition
and innov ation out there in our com-
m unity-and find myself more com
pelled than ever toward building a
viable “economic dev elopment" struc
ture. There seemed to be an almost
unanimous opinion that the problem
lay with Leadership A woman says
that, “not one of those ‘activism' orga
and no Minority Loans! It’s an ugly
game.”
That is quite true and this new
administration contrary to the expec
tations of many, is obviously inca
pable of del iv ering new rounds of cash
and entitlement to the innercity But,
it has been a learning game for me as
well and I am much better equipped to
deal with these people-or better yet,
with new people who have seen the
handwriting on the wall. I’m on my
job, so let me hear from you; there is
more opportunity out there than you
can shake a stick at Give me a call
(284-7080).
I hope 1 didn’t confuse too many
with my statement about building “non-
family" business structures I was sim
ply pointing out that people who are
not related can operated viable, closely
held cooperative business structures
as well as those successful “Asian
families” . O f course a family enter
prise is an excellent vehicle for eco
nomic dev elopment More next week.
nizations with ‘economic develop
ment’ on their stationery is about black
people operating a business or creat
ing jo b s-I doubt if these new Ebony
Carpetbaggers even own their own
drawers.”
I find it difficult to quarrel with
the lady, it is shameful that after doz
ens of years of begging, marching,
hooping and hollerin’, some groups
have not advanced one step, toward
making themselves financially suffi
c ie n t, and th e y ’ve got m ore
d eg rees th a n th a t big outdoor
th erm om eter on the bank. One
reader responds that “with these
people, it is all about Me and
publicity—O f those three groups
you got real e sta te fo r in the
1970s Mr. Burt, two have lost it
and another has only h a lf of it
now All of them were prov ided with
an economic foundation that should
have seen them go forward and ac
quire the entire blocks around their
locations. Their ‘grandparents’ did
just that and with half the resources
This Way For Black Empowerment
W e M u s t S ta n d U p F or D e m o c r:
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BY DR. LENORA FULANI
‘-vs
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t -**. !
T h e New A lliance Party is
is su in g the F ed eral B ureau o f
Investigation The law suit-brought
bv me, N A P 's chairperson, an d
Dr. Fred Newman and Dr. Rafael
Mendez, who sit on NAP’s national
com m ittee-charges that the B ureau's
description o f a group of people
as a “cult," or its use of that descrip
tion to justify inv estigations, the use
o f force, crim inal prosecution or
governmental regulation violates the
First, Fourth and Fifth Amendments
of the constitution, which respectively
guarantee every American citizen the
right to freedom of speech and asso
ciation freedom of assembly , and due
process
In 1988. during my first run
for the presidency. the FBI published
in te rn a l docum ents w hich said
th a t N A P m em bers sh o u ld be
considered "armed and dangerous.”
Ev cntual lv it concluded that NAP was
“none other than a political/cult orga
nization" and supposedly closed its
investigation. We have recently dis
covered that the FBI continued to
investigate NAP for three years after
that
We believe that the actions of
Attorney General Janet Reno and the
Bureau against the Branch Davidians
in Waco, Texas and their explana
tions for those actions, indicate that
the FBI is gearing up for an ongoing
assault on the constitutional and civil
rights of people it chooses to label as
members of a “cult.” We do not intend
to let them get away w ith this blatant
attack on democracy and on the Ameri
S ubscribe
^Juirtlèinh (©bsvrüer
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can people
What is this “cult" nonsense all
about? Why w ere the B ranch
Davidians, a small group of religious
people w ho had done absolutely noth
ing to deserve their horrible death at
the hands of the nation’s chief law
enforcement agency, targeted by the
FBI? Simply because they were diffcr-
en t-an d the FBI wanted to send a
message to the rest of us, the majority,
the have-nots; Stay away from every
one w ho is different or we will call you
a member of a cult. It was to bully all
the little groups of us into keeping
ourselves toourselvcs. sotliat we won't
join forces in opposition to the pow-
ers-that-be.
You, see, the tiny handful of
people at the top-thc ones who have
driven American economy into the
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(Hl]r J lu rtla n b (BbscrUcr |
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T he P ortland
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ground in their pursuit of easy profits-
-arc terrified that we. the people, the
vast majority at the bottom, might
come together to oppose them. They
have every reason to be terrified; their
selfishness and greed threaten the lives
of our children and our families
The government of the United
S ta te s o f A m e ric a --th c w o rld 's
ric h e st c o u n try —is broke How
can that be? Because being b ro k e-
w hether you are a teenager who
needs a new coat, a mother who
has to put food on the table for her
family , or a government w ith the re
sponsibility of prov iding for millions
of p e o p le - is n t about how much
money you have It’s about whether
you hav e enough money to do w hat is
necessary. Uncle Sam doesn’t have
enough to do right by the broad masses
The Guinier Affair
BY JAMES L. POSEY
President Clinton' sdccision to dump Lani
O bserver can be sent
Guinier as his nominee to head the Civil
DIRECTLY TO YOUR HOME
I Rights division in the U S. Department of
| FOR ONLY $30.00 PER |
Justice confirms our greatest fears. His deci
!
YEAR.
I sion. while categorically wrong, reflects the
will of white America to dispose of anyone or
'
P lease fill out ,
any thing that would change the racial dynam
ENCLOSE CHECK OR
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ics of this country more in favor of Blacks and
|
MONEY ORDER,
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other
minorities The Republicans, still smart
1
and M ail to :
•
ing from their loses in the national election,
used the race- compromising tendencies of
i
S ubscriptions t Clinton's campaign to torpedo his own nomi
J T he P ortland O bserver
nee and shoot down other aspects of his timid
PO Box 3137
, efforts to change the status quo
I P ortland , O regon 97208 |
Senator Bob Dole did a masterful job of
using the Willie Horton-type of fear monger
ing and welfare queen-stereotyping of Blacks
I Name
toconjurc up v isions of l ibcrahsm gone a muck
I
to sabotage this nomination Senator Dole s
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characterization of Ms Guinicr as a quota
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queen is a definite play on the two racially
I Address
charged issues Republicans feel most middle
oly, Slate
class, white Americans arc against — affirma
tive action and lazy, welfare-addicted Blacks
zip-code
This perverse strategy was wha, got Reagan
! T hank Y ou F or R eading j and Bush elected in the first place and is a
I T he P ortland O bserver | pivotal issue which Clinton compromised in
order to win favor with moderate white
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America. Many bclicvethisisw hat hclpcdthc
most to get him elected All this stuff is race
baiting pure and simple, no matter how so
phisticated it 's disguised. using moderate ex
pressions and gentlemanly oratory by promi
nent statesmen like Senator Dole.
The Oregon v ersion of this national sce
nario is occurring in the patronizing attitudes
of the white, male-dominated State Legisla
ture and other power-infested agencies and
organizations in the state They can't stand
the idea of supporting bills and other mea
sures which would give substance to provid
ing opportunities for Blacks and other minori
ties People of color struggle needlessly , try
ing to get a foot in the economic door of a
system which, for all intents and purposes,
has locked them out They don’t want any
thing that looks like a quotas when it conics to
measuring how well white Americans share
economic resources with other Americans,
this picture isn 't v ery pretty Actually , they 'v e
taken to castigating anyone who utters the
notion in a racial context
However, when it comes to the whites
boy s in high and low places imposing import
quotas, raising farm subsidy quotas, demand
ing sales and production quotas, and control
ling industries like trucking through public
♦ e
;» > V
ers in Philadelphia who were mem
bers of MOVE did not, “deserv e" what
happen to them.
I am not talking about agreeing
with everyone. I am talking about
respecting the constitutional rights of
the American people-however “dif
ferent “ they might be. The Constitu
tion gives us the democratic right to
come together Freedom of associa
tion and of assembly arc inalienable
rights-they cannot be taken away.
We in the New Alliance Party are
committed to exercising those rights
ourselves, and to standing up with
everyone else who is willing to stand
up for our children, our families, our
communities, our people We must
not back down from that fight, be
cause in waging it we are fighting for
our lives
of the American people. The povvers-
that-bc aren’t even in a position to
promise that there will be “pie in the
sky by and by.” Unable to coerce us
economically, they have turned to
political coercion.
That is why they have launched
this attack on dem ocracy-the word
“cult” is a weapon, a murderously
v icious, anti-democratic weapon used
to attack people who are different in
any way; religiously, politically, cul
turally or otherw ise.
There is no such thing as a cult
That is very important to remember
vv hen we read the newspapers, or watch
TV. and find ourselves beginning to
think that "these pcople”-w hoever
they may b c - “brought it on them
selves.’’ The Branch Dav idians did
not. just as the Black sisters andbroth-
utility licensing quotas, the terminology takes
on a pleasing and positive connotation. In
other words, quotas arc OK as long as they
favor the economic welfare of white folks
You can say the same for most government-
sponsored subsidies w hich resemble a v ersion
of welfare, tailor-made for aspiring white
folks
It was sad how the politicians, the media
and all the rest maligned the goodw ill of Ms
Guinicr. who is of mixed heritage - Black,
white and Jewish If any nominee has reason
to seek racial harmony and justice, it is she
There could have been no better symbol for
parity and equity than that expressed by what
must be a burning determination to reconcil
ing the differences of her ow n racial make up
The lesson should be clear now to aspiring
African-Americans It's not about your ideas
or qualifications, etc., e tc . but about political
power and control at any cost Even more than
this, it s about the battle for the hearts and
minds of the white American middle class -
a play on their fears and frustrations
This is a ugly thing the nasty white folks
are parading out under the guise of conserva
tism It 's more insidious and morcdeadlv than
Continued on page A3
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