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Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily
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31
•
The major Chicago press, virtu
ally all o f labor and the Cook County
Democratic Party all backed other
candidates.
•
Jackson defeated the most pow
erful Black and Democratic Party
leader in Illinois, Senate Minority
Leader, Emil Jones, 48% to 39%,
Respite the fact that he had the back
ing o f Mayor Richard M. Daley and
¿he Democratic Machine. He also
¿defeated State Senator Alice Palmer
¿(11%) and State R epresentative
¿Monique Davis (2%). Jackson told
¿the press, “Senator Jones had the
¿backingofthe Democratic Party (ma-
¿chine) organization, and I had the
¿backing o f the Rainbow Coalition’s
Jones before the election was held
because, they said, this was an "orga
nization election, a Chicago Demo
cratic party precinct captain’s de
light, especially low turnout, where
organization would make the differ
ence.”
Additionally, experts said, turn
out would be low because o f the
cynicism o f many people in the dis
trict, attributable to the manner in
which the district had been repre
sented in recent years-the former
congressman is serving 5 years in
prison for having sex with a cam
paign volunteer who was a 16-year-
old minor.
It was made even more difficult,
organizationally, because the elec
tion had been set for the Tuesday
afferthe Thanksgiving holidays w hen
people would be focused on turkey
leftovers and the beginning o f the
Christmas shopping season.
Not only did Jackson out orga
nize and out think his opposition, but
the turnout was not all that low. Ap
proximately 61,000 people voted. In
1992, a highly competitive presiden
tial election year, when there was
also a very hotly contested tace for
the 2nd congressional district seat
between then incumbent congress
man Gus Savage and challenger Mel
Reynolds, 94,000 people voted (just
28% o f registered Democrats). Even
when Rev. Jesse Jackson was run
ning for President in 1988, there was
only a 32% turnout in the second
district.
The fact is, given all the obsta
cles, difficulties and circumstances
o f this special primary election, and
the fact that voters had no other rea
son for going to the polls, a 29%
turnout o f 61,000 votes was nothing
short o f spectacular!
On Tuesday, December 12, just
two weeks after the Special Primary
Election, there will be a Special Gen
eral Election, there will be a Special
General Election to determine if he
will become Congressman Jesse L.
Jackson, Jr. With a district that is
overwhelmingly Democratic, he is
expected to win, but no one is taking
anything for granted. Jackson con
tinues to campaign hard. If he wins
on the 12th, it is JaxFac’s under
standing that Jesse Jackson. Jr could
be sworn in as early as 12 noon on
Wednesday, December 13, 1995.
Civil Rights Journal
Congress’ Threat To Black Farmers
¿«V B e RNK E P owei i J ackson
(hard to reconcile all
j
~} the political rhetoric
¿C^
about requiring people
¿to w ork w ith C o n g re s s ’
proposed
cuts
in
two
¿Agriculture
D epartm ent
programs aimed at helping
¿minority farmers.
i
It’s hard to explain why other
¿Agriculture Department subsidies,
¿aimed at more prosperous and usual
ly white fanners, are not being cut
(while programs to assist poor black
(farmer are.
The last 25 years has seen a great
(decline in ownership o f farms in the
South by African American farmers,
(with many worrying whether there
(would be any left. African Ameri
cans who had owned land and farmed
it since after the Civil War were
losing or selling that land at alarming
rates. Between 1954 and 1987 the
number o f African American farm
ers dropped by 95 percent.
A federal government program
was designed to help stem that tide
and, indeed has helped stem the tide
o f black farm loss. This program, the
Socially Disadvantaged Applicant
Program, provides emergency loans
to African American farmers who
are about to lose their farms. Accord
ing to a recent New York Times
article, one Republican congression
al staff member asked why we need
this program when there is an estab
lished loan program for all farmers,
calling it “ indefensible.”
The answer to the question o f
why we need this special program is
quire simply racism. African Ameri
can farmers who have been helped
by this program remember vividly
the treatment they received for years
from local white Agriculture Depart
ment officials, when their loan appli
cations were often lost or delayed.
African American farmers remem
ber vividly difficulties in getting loans
from white-owned banks. They re
member the indignities o f the treat
ment they received when they ap
plied for loans.
U nder this special program,
much o f that has changed. In the
Mississippi Delta, the 2,500 African
American fanners have an African
American Farmer’s Service Agency
staff person who works with them
directly. This staff person helps the
farmers fill out the applications cor-
rectly and provides the personal sup
port which can make a big difference
to these fanners who often are living
on the edge.
Preliminary budget work indi
cates that this special program tar
geted to helping farmers ofcolor will
be folded into a pared-down pro
gram for all small farmers. The staff
people working with the African
American fanners will all be elimi
nated. In the meantime, no cuts are
contemplated for the crop deficiency
payments program, which provides
assistance to well-established farm
ers who are mostly white.
Meanwhile, African American
farmers who have farmed their land
for generations are in increasing dan
ger o f becoming extinct. It’s a trage
dy for them and a great loss for us all.
T2&L (Scditar
Send your letters to the Editor to:
Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208
Greetings:
I would like to address a few
concerns that I have regarding Law
Enforcement Corrections as we see it
today in the State o f Oregon.
The following opinions are mine
and do not represent any profession
al organization or law enforcement
group.
'■ 1 am a bit confused at the direc
tion Corrections seems to be going
with regards to inmate population
overcrowding and the seemingly de
crease in the protection o f the com
munities that we serve.
¿,
I am well aware o f the problems
that Law Enforcement faces with find-
¿ing enough room to pu, all the crim
inals that are arrested and convicted
o f assorted crimes W e seem to be
missing the real source o f the prob
lem.
“Overcrowding"
Are we really overcrowding our
jails? Maybe we need to review what
overcrowding really means. Its ap
pears that more rights are given to
convicted criminals than the victims
they violate
Currently there are laws, (very
few) that actually address what is
mandatory with regards to Standards
for Correctional Facilities. Those
standards do not address some areas
that need to be addressed, such as
space requirements. Oregon Revised
Statutes address areas such as securi
ty, meals inspections and so on, but
do not address any space require
ments.
There are also, no written Fed
eral Laws dictating specific space
requirements for the housing o f in
mates. Understanding, however, thflft
there are Case Law decisions that
have been made w ith regards to Law
suits filed by Inmates o f various State
and Federal Prisons. From my re
search Federal Magistrates use as a
guideline, standards established by
the American Correctional Associa
tion, in makingdecisions as to wheth
er a prisoner has been deprived o f his
constitutional rights with regards to
cruel and unusual punishment.
Convicted criminals are placed
in correctional facilities because they
have gone against what society feels
is acceptable behavior. Behavior that
society says criminals must be pun
ished for not rewarded. Yet, deci
sions handed down by Magistrates
force Correctional Institutions to ca
ter to the wishes o f Convicted Crim
inals.
Having dealt with adult convict
ed criminals I have formed an opin
ion that Adults, cannot be rehabili
tated. They can be convinced that if
they continue to commit crimes they
will be punished. Some criminals
stop crimes because we cater to their
every need while incarcerated.
We expect our Armed Forces
Servicemen to serve their Country in
quarters that are more crowded than
our Correctional Institutions. What
kind o f Justice is this. Something
does not seem right here.
I urge you to obtain and review
a copy ofthe American Correctional
Association Standards on AdultCor-
rectional Facilities. Also read Ore
gon Revised Statutes 169.076 (Stan
dards for local correctional facili
ties) and ORS 169.077 (Standards
for Lockup Facilities). ACA Stan
dards address space requirements
(keeping in mind they are not written
laws only recommendations) and
ORS does not mention anything about
space requirements.
Can all the State Law require
ments be met and still house more
inmates than we are currently hous
ing in the same space, without build
ing more facilities? The answer is
Yes.
I am not advocating that we
house inmates in bug infested, dirty
jails, lam advocating we house more
inmates in the facilities we now have
I think we can and should set
standards that address these issues
now.
A Renaissance For Northeast, IV:
here used to be a line
on the Old T.V. West
erns, “If you can’t
trust your banker, who can
you trust?”
Congressman Jesse L. Jackson, Jr? Almost!
organization, and we were trium
phant.”
Even in victory the press at
tempted to minimize Jackson’s win.
They said he won because o f name
recognition. Obviously, name rec
ognition was helpful, but the candi
date him self was spectacular on the
campaign trail. He ran circles around
his opponents in debates. His father
did campaign hard on his behalf, as
he has done for many Democrats
around the country.
Everybody (but the people) un
derestimated Jackson, Jr. In addition
to employing the traditional cam
paign tactics o f street campaigning,
billboards posters, fliers, palm cards
radio and television debates, he also
employed the most modern and so
phisticated computerized and tech
nological means o f voter ID, target
ing, direct mail, phone banking, ra
dio, television (cable) and GOTV
effo rt-as he said, “Not just getting
out THE vote, but getting out MY
vote.” He ran a television commer
cial that had people in the floor laugh
ing.
The political experts, and the
media in particular nominated Emil
e r s p e c t i V e s
Vigilance Is The Best Safeguard For Finance Or Liberty
C O A L IT IO N
esse L. Jackson, Jr.
shocked the political
pundits, professionals,
experts and, most of all, the
D em ocratic
M achine
of
Chicago, by winning 48 percent
of the vote and securing the
Special Democratic Primary
Election nomination to replace
Mel
R eynolds
as
the
congressman from the 2nd
congressional d is tric t of
Illinois.
13, 1995 • T he P ori land O bserver
SB 1145
I am against the passage o f SB
1145.
The State should maintain re
sponsibility for the offenders cov
ered underSB 1145. T othinkthatby
passing them onto the County is a
mis-justice in itself. To think Coun
ties can house these inmates cheaper
is a misconception.
All that SB 1145 will do is put
more criminals back on the street and
not where they belong, In State Jails.
There is a strong doubt that the
State will provide the monies neces
sary' to construct new fac iI ities, house,
and maintain inmates o f SB 1145.
In addition please show me
where Community Corrections has
improved the quality o f life in Ore
gon.
I know that alot o f people, wheth
er elected officials or not, want Ore
gon to be viewed as innovative and
always looking to do things differ
ent. But maybe now is the time to
stop and think, are we deterring crime
or are we jus, encouraging criminals
to move to Oregon and violate our
com m unities and the people we
Serve.
I hank you for your time.
Respectfully submitted;
Michael L. Throop, Sheriff o f
Jefferson County', Oregon.
Today’s eco
nom ic c lim a te
gives rise to some
o f the same fears,
so it might be well
to m aintain the
same level o f vigi
lance as the characters in "Gun
Smoke o r “Shoot-ou, At The O K.
Corral”.
It is no, just the increasing
number o f mergers consolidations
and the resulting layoff's (unem-
| ployment has risen to 5.6%), but
too many o f the new jobless are
discovering that the funds paid into
those retirement plans on which
they so depended have been used
by their employers for everything
from paying current bills or meet
ing weekly payrolls, to playing the
stockmarket or buying real estate.
I So much for the “prudence” o f
over 300 corporations whom the
government iscurrently investigat
ing.
If you have no, been suffi
ciently alarmed by the recent me
dia accounts o fth e growing prob
lem, then be sure to get a copy o f
“ Pensions In Crisis: Why The Sys
tem Is Failing America And How
You Can Protect Your Future.”
The authors are Karen Ferguson
and Kate Blackwell ofthe Pension
Rights Center; Arcade Publishing,
N.Y., 1995 I find the book highly
readable and inform ative, and
based on some solid research. You
are provided with concrete facts
about the sometimes exotic land o f
4 0 1(k)s and IRAs.
The hard-hitting researchers
start right out to graphically detail
a three-trillion dollar system which
requires an extreme vigilance on
the part o f all concerned. “Vulner
able to corporate self-interest, a
victim o f government neglect, the
American private pension system
is in Crisis. Its combined assets
constitute the largest single lump
o f money in America today.”
You heard that, didn’t you?
I’m quite sure you remember the
“Savings And Loan” scandals. It is
obvious there that we are dealing
with many times that amount o f
money and many times that amount
oftemptation. There is no “Federal
Deposit Insurance” agency here to
protect the individual. Those tele
vision horror stories o f newly un
employed (or retired) finding them
selves broke
are not made
up. I have
By
ta lk e d w ith
Professor
several Ques
McKinley
tion your firm,
Burt
askforreports-
- exercise vigi
lance. Will there be money for your
investment club?
If there are more o f you inno
vative ladies out there who have
those good ideas and inventions,
feel free to call~we need you. In
the meantime, a good first step to
ward joining the growing number
o f Portland women who are using
this approach to enhance their eco
nomic situation is to get a copy o f
the following U.S. Government
publication: “General Information
Concerning Patents, $2.25, U.S.
Dept. o f Commerce. Available at
the Federal Bookstore, 1305 S. W.
1st, Portland 97201, 221-8240
(They w illalsoselltom ales). Some
women I’ve written about in the
Observer are already manufactur
ing and selling their products. Just
what we need for a Renaissance.
Now, the following text is an
absolute bargain and I would ad
vise you to get a copy whether you
are in businesscontemplatingopen-
ingone, in oroutofschool, foryou,
your children, whoever: “Business
M athem atics, 5th edit., Miller,
Salzman and Hoetzle, Harper and
Collins, 1990.
T his 6 0 0 -p ag e, 8 1/2 X II
is a v a ila b le (I ju s t ‘ta lk e d ’ to
t h e i r c o m p u te r ) n o w fro m
“ B arnes & N oble: B ooks By
M a il” , N o I P o u n d R o a d ,
R o ck leig h , N .J. 0 7 6 4 7 -2 5 I I .
A sk for item N o. A I 19427,
$ 7 .9 8 , sh ip p in g and h andling is
#4.95 reg ard less o f num ber o f j
item s. To use c re d it C ard, call
1-800-242-6657.
It is really co m p reh en siv e;
co v er w hole num bers and d e c i
m als, fractio n s, bank serv ices,
pay ro ll, m ath em atics o f buying
and sellin g , sim ple and co m
pound interest and a n n u ities,
disco u n ts, m arkups, invoices,
b u siness and c o n su m er loans,
d e p re c ia tio n , and m ore,. T his
rem arkable book even has p re
em ploym ent tests.
®Ije ^ o rtla n h (©bsertier
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