J une 1, 1994 • T he P ortland O bserver
P age A2
R ainbö W
■jUurtlattb
©bserrier
(U SPS 959-680)
OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN
AMERICAN PUBLICATION
E sta b lish e d in 1970 by A lfred
L. H end erso n
Joyce W ashington
P u b lish er
C O A 1U 11 I I O ]N
T H E V O T IN G T O U R
Justice Demands River
Clean Up
S T A N D U P F O R Y O U R R IO R T S ’
M AY 27 - J U N E 6 7
asm™
NC
BY
K?
by Ö
B E ernice
/M M *
T h e P O R T L A N D O B SE R V E R
is lo cated a t
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Vancouver.
The Rainbow /CBC V oter Registration & Voting Rights Bus Crusade will go to 17 cities in 7 states in
10 days. In addition to highlighting Shaw V. Reno, part o f the focus o f the crusade is passage and
implementation, at the state level, o f the National V oter Registration Act (NVRA), which was passed and
signed into law in 1993. Tw enty-one states have yet to com ply fully with the law, with a deadline o f January
1,1995 for all but Virginia, which has a deadline o f 1996 because o f necessary state constitutional changes.
The chart below sum m arizes seven southern states w ith regard to key voting procedures.
STATES
VOTER REGISTRATION
PROCEDURES
TX
LA
FL
GA
SC
NC
VA
In Full C om pliance W ith T he NVRA
N
N
N
N
N
N
N
X
..................................................
-
-
-
-
X
Passed (S tate H ouse & Senate)
X
X
Sen
-
Im plem enting
X
X
-
-
No Bill In tro d u c e d Yet
Bill P ending
X
N
Y
N
Y
Y
N
C e n tra liz e d V oting File
Y
Y
Y
N
Y
N
Y
E arly V oting (P rio r T o E lection Day)
Y
N
N
N
N
N
N
F a ilu re T o V ote (Y ears)
2
N
2
-3
2
2
4
Felony C onviction
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
M ental In com petence
Y
Y
Y
Y
N
N
Y
Moved
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Agency B ased R eg istratio n
Y
N
N
N
N
N
N
D eputy R e g istra rs
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
Y
VR D eadline, G e n e ra l E lection (O ct.)
8
24
10
10
8
-
17
1 1 ...............................................................
D ays B efore E lection
30
P u rging P ro ced u res:
24
30
30
30
21
Y
31
Notes On Voting Rights & The NVRA: In LA, Senator Bagneris and the Black C aucus are the state’s
biggest advocates for the NVRA; in SC, G overnor Cam pbell may veto the NVRA legislation, and a federal
judge is expected to approve nine majority black state legislative districts in June; and in N C, M ickey
M icheaux is leading the efforts in Raleigh to pass the NVRA legislation.
Hide Your Genes;
Somebody May Patent Them
abilities.
A m o d e r n h e a lth c h e c k u p
m ig h t see an in d iv id u a l’s g e n e tic
p ro file re la tiv e to a s u s c e p tib ility
to r a d ia tio n fro m x -ra y s, c ig a ­
re tte sm o k e , n u c le a r p la n t a c c i­
d e n ts , h ig h v o lta g e tra n s m is s io n
lin e s , s u n ta n s , c e r ta in p e s tic id e s
a n d h e rb ic id e s , sa c c h a rin e an d
o th e r sp e c ific fo o d a d d itiv e s , m i­
c ro w a v e s o r a n y o th e r io n iz in g
r a d ia tio n , in c lu d in g ra d o n g a s in
th e h o m e o r ra d io /T V to w e rs.
-
Y
p e r s p e
’m serious! A lot o f readers
have been following my se­
ries, “S eeds o f C h ange,”
w here I’ve described how interna­
tional corporations are waging fierce
battles to gain firm legal control and
a proprietary interest in the genes of
the plants and livestock that feed us.
Have these new concerns diverted our
attention for the first line o f defense -
- the body itself?
Just last w eek, Portland hosted
the 25th annual international m eet­
ing o f the “Environm ental Mutagen
S ociety.” A m utagen is an agent -
chem ical or radiation, deliberate or
accidental - that causes/prom otes a
change in the chrom osom es (genes).
M ore than 400 scientists and govern­
m ent regulators gathered to discuss
how to m easure the scale o f risks from
c o u n tle ss en v iro n m en tal hazards.
They are w orking toward developing
a “genetic zip sheet” that might warn
people o f their ow n special vulner­
X
M ail-In R eg istratio n
According to Phillip C . Hanawalt, have only to cite their perform ances
professor of biology at Stanford U ni­ in respect to syphilis or the A ID S/
versity, “Although the DNA in each HIV situation which has rendered
human cell is like a tape (or floppy their endeavors suspect no m atter the
disk) containing all the inform ation depth and com m itm ent o f other ac­
necessary to re-create that individual, tivities. A t the least there could have
the body routinely makes use of only been adequate monitoring o f the more
3 percent - and is not very good at reckless contingent.
There is further shock and dis­
repairing the other 97 percent if som e­
tress for those who
th ing happens to it.”
Aside from the question of why pick up the June
G od, in all his infinite w isdom , has issue o f the very
not more closely monitored his in­ widely-read “Sci­
vention which obviously was intended entific A m erican
to be fail safe, we would make further M agazine” - are
inquiry as to why these hum ans he you ready for this?
created spend so much time stupidly There, beginning
typing to alter the “garden/environ- on page 108, is a how to do it yourself
m enf ’ that matches their genetic struc­ article on GENE M ANIPULATION,
“ G e n e tic a lly
A lte rin g
ture? Laboratory rats and chim pan­ title d
E
scherichia
C
oli.”
You
heard
me
zees always seem perfectly happy in
right!
T
hat
is
the
little
bacteria
that
their natural environs (and healthy)
until we either modify their habitat or closes up the ham burger joints, kill­
ing and crippling patrons across the
cruelly experim ent upon them.
country.
“Because E. Coli is already
It w ill no d o u b t o c c u r to som e
present
in
your gut there is little to
o f us th a t th e b u sin e ss o f the “ E n ­
v iro n m e n ta l M u ta g e n S o c ie ty ” worry about,” have fun.
T he ste p by ste p in stru c tio n s
c o u ld very e a sily beco m e th a t o f
an “ E x p e rim e n ta l M u tag en S o c i­ (w h ic h can lead to b ig g e r and
b e tte r tric k s w hen m a ste re d ) b e ­
e ty .”
Such a development would sur­ g in , a c c o m p a n ie d by illu s tra tio n s
prise none who have been shocked an d a lis t o f to o ls any high school
and distressed by the conduct o f the stu d e n t m ay o b ta in , “ T he e s s e n ­
m edical and scientific com m unities. tia l tric k to m a n ip u la tin g E .C o li
And this w hether we speak of indi­ g e n e tic a lly is to get the c r e a tu r e ’s
viduals, professional associations, sin g le c e ll to th in k th a t a fo re ig n
universities, governm ent agencies, g en e is one o f its o w n !” Is th is
corporations, or other entities. We how A ID S b e g a n ? S le e p w ell.
c
t
Danger! ‘
?
Civil Rights
Journal
P owell J ackson
he Imperial Valley is a lush
agricultural center about
an hour and a half east of
San Diego. R unning through this
valley is the New River. Some say
it’s a new river because it was c re ­
ated w hen the C o lo rad o R iver
changed its course, running from
the Rocky M ountains into M exico
and then northw ard where it em p ­
tied into the Salton Sea instead of
the G ulf o f California. O thers say
the river changed its course when
farm ers started the m assive irriga­
tion farm ing w hich m akes the land
lush and green today. Today the
New River is one o f the m ost con­
tam inated rivers in the world.
T he riv e r is p o llu te d w ith
chem icals from 200 industrial plants
located in M exico. T he firms dum p
so m uch discharge from their plants
into the w ater that at tim es the river
has had a foul sm elling foam on top
o f it. Raw sew age and annual excre­
m ent is dum ped by the city of
Mexicali, a town of between 600,000
and one million people, with a sew ­
age system built for no m ore than
300,(XX).
As the river winds north though
C alifornia’s Imperial Valley, itgoes
past parks and new housing divisions
inhabited mostly by poor Hispanic
Americans with little political clout.
Children play near and in the river.
The C alifornia Regional W a­
ter Quality Control Board has spot­
ted considerable debris in the river,
including vegetables, shoes, greasy
globules, bottles, animal carcasses
and even a dead human body. The
state has found invisible pollutants
in the river, m ost notably viruses
carrying polio, encephalitis, hepa­
titis and bacteria such as salm onella
and E coli.
But the incredible and deadly
pollution is now new. Fifty years
ago the state noticed the pollution of
the river. Yet, despite many m eet­
ings and discussions since then with
/
V
both the U.S. and Mexican govern­
ments, nothing significant has o c­
curred. The Mexican governm ent
pleads lack of funds and the U.S.
claim s lack o f authority. Even com-
prehensive monitoring data and risk
assessm ents have not been done.
The only firm data available is from
fish in the New River which con­
tain high levels o f PCBs, D D T and
Toxaphene, all known to cause can­
cer.
But tw o new developm ents
have brought hope to residents who
live near the New River. President
C linton has signed a bill and a
treaty which might provide some
relief. U nder the Environm ental
Justice Act, the governm ent is re­
quired to show remedies for sites
where environm ental racism can
be proven. And under the new North
A m erican Fair Trade A greem ent,
the governm ent has com m itted it­
self to negotiate with the Mexican
governm ent around environm en­
tal problem s.
Im perial County officials are
hoping that the Environm ental Pro­
tection Agency will agree that it
has the authority to take action in
M exico. And that it will then issue
subpoenas to the corporate pollut­
ers and order the M exican plan
m anufacturers to pay for the much-
needed study of the New River pol­
lution.
The Com m ission for Racial
Justice has been w orking on issues
o f environm ental racism for the
past 12 years. O ur expertise tells us
that the U.S .-M exico border region
is one integral eco-system which
stretches across m an-m ade politi­
cal boundaries.
O urcom m itm ent to justice tells
us that the people who live near the
New River deserve to live in a safe,
clean environm ent and that their
voices much be heard by their gov­
ernm ents on both sides o f the bor­
der. The New River must be cleaned
up. Justice dem ands no less.
6
S
of Change’ Are In Your
Tank - More Ethanol
c o rro siv e q u a litie s o f a lc o h o l.
xasperated Portland/Oregon g a s-d e riv e d m e th a n o l. “C a rb o h y ­
T
H
E R E P O R T A L SO SAYS:
d
r
a
te
”
c
o
rp
o
ra
tio
n
s
lau
g
h
a
ll
the
drivers may not have seen
•
O
x y g e n a te d fu e ls c o s t se v n to
w
ay
to
the
b
a
n
k
.
‘nuthin’ yet! The corporate
10
c e n ts m o re p e r g a llo n .
W
hen
you
read
my
list
of
“Com­
agricultural m achine that does busi­
•
T
h
e
y can
h u r t c a r s if
ness as the “Renew able Fuels Asso­ mon Problem s...” and you become
im
p
r
o
p
e
r
tly
b
le n d e d .
ciation” has the blessings o f the EPA angry beyond belief at the revela­
•
F
o
r
o
ld
e
r
c
a
r
s
:
to siphon more gasoline out o f your tions, ready to grab the phone to call
A lc o h o l a t t r a c t s m o is tu r e .
tank and more dollars out o f your your favorite politician - keep in
w allet. DEQ stalls on 1995 clean air m ind that he may already have been T he w a te r th a t o fte n fo rm s on the
r e q u i r e m e n t s , re a c h e d . T h a t R en ew ab le Fuels to p o f the fuel in the tan k is d if f i­
how ever, for ex- Assocation spent several months lob­ c u lt fo r the sy ste m to p ro c e ss. It
aetproportionsof bying the W hite House to get the EPA can lead to filte r and je t p lu g g in g .
A lc o h o l c o lle c ts s e d im e n t.
ethanol in gaso­ to require that 30 percent o f the na­
tio n al eth a n o l m a rk e t is c o n tro lle d W hen th e d e b ris e n te rs the fuel
line.
L ast month, by A rc h e r-D a n ie ls-M id la n d C o ., sy ste m , it can c lo g a c a rb u re to r,
in my “ S e e d s of th e U .S .-b a se d m u ltin a tio n a l I d e ­ in je c to r o r f i l t e r . ( T h e r e a re
C h a n g e ” se rie s, sc rib e d so v iv id ly last m onth. T his c la im s th a t so m e d e te rg e n ts and
I d e sc rib e d how m u ltin a tio n a l c o r­ frie n d o f th e R e p u b lic a n P arty d e p o s it- c o n tr o l a d d itiv e s c a n
p o ra tio n s in th e a g ric u ltu r a l fie ld h a s now sw itc h e d its se v e n -fig u re m in im iz e the d e b ris .)
A lc o h o l is a s o lv e n t. W hen
a re b e g in n in g to m a n ip u la te the c o n trib u tio n s to the C lin to n a d ­
m
in
is
tra
tio
n
.
R
ead
the
fo
llo
w
in
g
an
a
u
to m ust use a lc o h o l-b le n d e d
e n tire e c o n o m y th ro u g h the g e ­
fu e l, i t ’s b est to c h a n g e ru b b e r
n e tic m a n ip u la tio n o f fo o d p la n ts a n d w eep.
C o m m o n P r o b le m s o f O x y ­ h o se s, p la stic c a p s, g a sk e ts and
-- w h ere natu ral d iv e rsity has been
fuel filte rs to m e ta l, w h en ev er
sa c rific e d fo r p a te n ta b le c o m m e r­ g e n a te d F u e ls :
c ia l p a ra m e te rs th a t w ill in su re • O x y g e n a te d fu ie s d o n o t h a v e p o ssib le.
th e sa m e e n e r g y c o n te n t as
A lc o h o l fu m e s m a y m a k e
p ro fita b ility . O n M ay 3, I b a re ly
g a s o lin e , sa y s a re p o rt in the c o n s u m e r s s ic k . M o to r is ts in
to u c h e d th e tip o f the ic e b e rg ,
A utoW eek issue o f Feb. 21. Poor A la sk a , w ho pu m p th e ir ow n g as,
“ C o n tr o llin g P la n ts F o r Y o u r
fuel ec o n o m y is a co m m on c o m ­ c o m p la in e d o f d iz z in e ss and h e a d ­
B ody O r A u to m o b ile .”
a c h e s.
p la in t.
T o d a y , I am in c lu d in g a very
“ T he b e st th a t c a n be said
p re c is e c o m p ila tio n o f p ro b le m s • A u to W e e k a ls o r e p o r t s f e a r s
a b o u t c o ro s io n o f o ld e r en g in e a b o u t e th a n o l, re p o rts A utoW eek,
v e h ic le o w n e rs m ay e x p e c t from
p a rts, v ap o r lock and d riv a b ility “ is th a t a sid e from h e lp in g s u p ­
the g o v e rn m e n t e n fo rc e d u se o f
p ro b le m s . M any a u to m a k e rs p o r t g r a in p r i c e s , it g iv e s
“ o x y g e n a te d fu e ls” from s u p p o s­
have re p la c e d p la stic fu el sy s­ a u to m a k e rs so m e w h a t o f a break
e d ly 'r e n e w a b le re s o u r c e s ’ -- 30
tem p a rts w ith m etal c o m p o ­ in th a t no new e m issio n c o n tro l
p e rc e n t o f th e a lc o h o l m u st co m e
n
e n ts sin c e 1980. T h e m etal e q u ip m e n t w ould be re q u ire d as a
fro m g r a in - d e r iv e d “ e t h a n o l ”
p
a rts are m o re re s is ta n t to the re su lt o f usin g o x y g e n a te d fu e l.”
r a th e r th an th e c o a l o r n a tu ra l