.u w a ¿ .* > ¿ - P age . A? >¿ D ecember 1 y w Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily Reflect Or Represent The Views O f The JJortlanb ffibseruvr ORIA R ainbow { U ' / 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 (USPS 959-680) OREGON’S OLDEST AFRICAN AMERICAN PUBLICATION Established in 1970 Joyce Washington-Publisher The PORTLAND OBSERVER is located at 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Portland, Oregon 97211 503-288-0033 * Fax 503-288-0015 Deadline f o r all subm itted materials: Articles:Friday, 5:00 pm Ads: Monday Noon POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes to: Portland Observer, P.O. Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208. Second Class postage p a id at Portland, Oregon The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned. If accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property o f the newspaper and can not be used in other publications or personal usage, without the written consent ofthe general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 1994 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. 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