P agi A6 — - _ _ _ _ ----- ----------- -- '9 Can we afford to do less today? BX M < K IM t X J k K i railroad. Can it happen again? T h is article firs t appeared in the Portland Observer on June 26, 1991, title d “ Show A nd T e ll.” N ow , isn’ t that unbelievable? That A reader supplied the title fo r this w eek’ s article when m y b r ie f m en­ tio n o f “ A tla n ta E x p o s itio n " p ro ­ a century ago we were no, o n ly ‘ dem ­ onstra tin g ’ o u r technical genius but also doing an adept and sophisticat­ ed jo b o f p u b lic iz in g our a b ilitie s to all the w orld. N o t to mention d e ve l­ voked her com m ent that A fric a n oping an e ffe ctive structure fo r f i ­ Am ericans have comm ent that A f r i­ nancial gain It was not lost upon our readers that were A fric a n Am ericans can Am ericans have to do a better jo b o f “ showing and te llin g our genius.” creating s im ila r ‘ stages’ today fo r their wares and innovations, “ E C O ­ N O M IC D E V E L O P M E N T ” w ould take on new m eaning fo r the race. N obody is going to do it fo r us.” She, too, was depressed at our p iti ful show­ ing in the graduation cerem onies at Oregon U niversities, especially in the sciences Let me repeat that though-provoking citation. “ 100 years ago blacks put on the ‘ A tlanta Cotton States and Interna­ tional E xp o sitio n ’ , September 18, 1895 (see the Congressional record, 5 3 rd Congress, Second Session, p.8382). People from a ll o ve r the w o rld came to see and buy the inven­ tions o f A frica n Am erican engineers, ago o f the 1978 West Coast meeting o fth e B lack Scientists and Engineers w hich I attended as a representative o f Portland State U n ive rsity. The convention was designed and im p le ­ mented by tw o black female engi­ neers. It was a marvel o f operational structure, logistics and telecom m u­ n ic a tio n s . A n d Y O U T H W A S S E R V E D as scores upon scores o f black youth were flo w n in to be en­ tranced and m otivated by the inven­ tions o f the black engineers. For the moment, let us return to that 1895 "A tla n ta E xp o sitio n .” it Her further com m ent was that it went w ithout saying, “ C om plete new ave­ nues fo r the technical education and m otivation o f our youth w ould be opened up.” w ould seem that most o f our readers id e n tified that great event o n ly w ith that famous speech opening day by A gain, we are rem inded o f how dependent we are upon the percep­ tions and com m itm ent o f the black female i f we are to succeed in the exposition ever o f black technical (and cu ltu ra l) genius. This was the stoves locom otives, steam engines, struggle to ‘ re g a in ’ a credible posi­ tio n in the scheme o f things. I w ould im m ediately rem ind you o f the de­ im provements to farm, factory and scrip tio n I gave here several years B ooker T. W ashington o f Tuskegee fame - certainly not w ith the greatest occasion o f the frequently quoted adm onition, “ L E T D O W N Y O U R B U C K E T W H ER E Y O U A R E ,” and “ Pull yourselfup by your bootstraps.” A lo n g w ith this advice that the races Shuttle USA Today Endorses services Medical Marijuana Eugene U S A Today, the n a tio n ’ s most w id e ly read d a ily newspaper, has endorsed access to medical m a ri­ juana. The endorsement stemmed S huttle by U nited w ill land in from a U SA Today e d ito ria l e n ti­ Eugene Oct. 31 when the unique short-haul c a rrie r expands to six tled “ A n ti-d ru g focus keeps m a ri­ juana from the i l l ” and came ju s t more citie s in the U.S. West. U sing B737 je ts , the Shuttle w ill operate four d a ily ro u n d trip flig h ts between tw o days after the newspaper fea­ tured a m a jo r a rticle on a C a lifo rn ia b a llo t in itia tiv e that w o u ld a llo w Eugene and San Francisco, and add service fro m San Francisco to B o i­ seriously ill patients to use m a riju a ­ na as a therapeutic agent w ith a d o c to r’ s recom mendation. se, M e d fo rd , Salt Lake C ity , Santa Barbara and Spokane. “ The S h u ttle ’ s lo w fares and co n ­ sistent re lia b ility have been applaud­ the w o rld ," the e d ito ria l cited both ed by a g ro w in g num ber o f travelers m a riju a n a ’ s re la tive safety when across the W est,” says Bob Thom as, U n ite d A irlin e s General M anager- C ustom er Service at Eugene. “ T h is S h u ttle expansion also s o lid ifie s U n ite d 's long-term com m itm ent as a m em ber o f the Eugene c o m m u n i­ ty .” W ith the new service. S huttle by U nited w ill o ffe r 410 d a ily depar­ tures to 18 cities in C a lifo rn ia and across the Western U.S. S in c e it was d e v e lo p e d and launched by employees tw o years ago, the Shuttle has doubled the num ­ ber o f citie s it serves and its d a ily departures have risen 125 percent. C a llin g m arijuana “ one o f the least to x ic m edical compounds in compared to other legal drugs and medicines and decades o f scientific and anecdotal research m aintaining its m edical efficacy. “ I, is entirely possible to fig h t the drug w ar w ithout harm ing innocent c iv ilia n s in the process,” concluded the U SA Today. “ But lawmakers zens in favor o f the M edical M a ri­ juana In itia tiv e ,” stated N O R M L D eputy D ire cto r A lle n St. Pierre. state com petition com m ittee to o r­ ganize its F a ll C lassic Games, scheduled for N ovem ber 2 -3 ,1 9 9 6 in the Portland area. awards presentations, volunteer re cruitment, meal preparation and spe­ cial events. M ore than 1,200 athletes with mental retardation from across Oregon, as welI as hundreds ofcoach- A planning meeting is set for 6 es and volunteer are expected to at­ tend. Competition includes aquatics, p.m., Thursday, August 15, at 3325 N .W . Yeon, Oregon Special O lym ­ pics’ chapter headquarters. OSO is soccer, ro lle r skating and bowling. T o RSVP the meeting o r to find especially looking fo r people who w ill plan the fo llo w in g activities: out more, call K ris W ilson, sports co m p e titio n d ire cto r, (5 0 3 ) 248- 0600 o r (8 0 0 ) 452-6079. Citizens can sue CA drug dealers The C a lifo rn ia state Senate has unanim ously approved a sweeping b ill (S.B. 1754) that w ould a llo w private parties to sue drug dealers fo r damages even i f the defendant had liable for injuries throughout the state, w h ile those who sold less than 50 a pattern" participated in the market fo r that drug w ith in the same c ity or grams can be held liable fo r injuries in the country where the sales oc­ country. The latter is defined to mean that they provided the same illic it curred. drug on at least tw o instances, w ith a least one co n victio n. C u ltiv a tio n o f nothing to do w ith the specific drugs or incident that caused the damage. Under the D rug Dealer L ia b ility A ct, introduced by Sen. Charles Calderon (D -W h ittie r)a n d co-spon­ sored by A tto rn e y G eneral Dan Lungren, drug dealers could be sued in ci vi I court for any damages caused by the same kind o f drug elsewhere in the same c ity n r country, regard­ less o f who actually furnished it, in d ivid u a ls exposed in utero to an illegal substance; and persons in ­ ju re d as a result o f the w illfu l, reck­ less, o r negligent actions o f an indi vidual substance user. U n io n ( A C L U ) in W ashington, D C., in a recent W a ll Street Journal a rti­ cle. K a p p e lh o ff maintained that add­ ing c iv il judgm ents to crim in a l pros­ ecution and c iv il fo rfe itu re could be using a radical, new “ market p a rtic­ ipation” lia b ility doctrine. “ I t ’ s a w ay o f fig h tin g (drug deal­ ers) by h ittin g them rig h t in the pock­ Forexample, underthe provisions of a sim ilar law in M ichigan, dealers who can be shown to have sold 650 grams o f a controlled substance are et,” said a ctorC arroll O ’ Connor, who has lobbied fo r the measure. Defendants could be sued i f they (1 ) provided the drug o r (2 ) had “ as tantamount to co n stitu tio n a lly cruel o r unusual punishm ent o r double jeopardy. Those allow ed to sue under the C a lifo rn ia proposal w ould include: parents o r fa m ily members o f users; em ployers o f users; medical fa c ili­ ties, insurers, or other institutions that fund drug treatment programs; under 25 m arijuana plants w ould not count as an offense. “ W hen is enough, enough?” asked M a rk K appe lh o ff, legislative coun­ sel o fth e A m erican C iv il Liberties The C a lifo rn ia state assembly is expected to approve the measure by the end o f August. Trow defends school funding Senate Dem ocratic Leader C li f f T ro w (D -C o rv a llis ) c ritic iz e d the to the Senate President’ s big corpo­ ration tax break agenda tim e and turnaround in Gordon S m ith ’ s p rio r­ ities after the announcement that the tim e again.” Senate President was w illin g to call a special session to spend extra money fo r schools this fa ll “ The Senate President had his chance to help schools du rin g the regular legislative session,” said Sen­ ator T ro w “ A n y special session Senator T ro w said that Senate Democrats have always been in fu ll support o f adequate, stable school funding. W h ile S e n a to rT ro w g e n e r­ a lly agreed that the Senate Presi­ d ent’ s plan to infuse schools w ith $32 m illio n is a p o sitive step it w o u ld n ’ t end the need fo r stable fund­ ing. w ould only lead to a special boost to G o rd o n ’ s campaign, not fo r the sta­ ble funding o f schools.” Three bills that cost schools money: Senator T ro w points to ju s t three o f the b ills that the Senate passed, 1. SB 323 - Capital Gains Tax Break for the Wealthy w ith Senate President S m ith’ s Lead­ ership, that preempted any p o ssib il­ ity o f adequate school funding. “ Sen­ SB 323 reduces the General Fund by $14 m illio n this biennium and $58 m illio n in 1997-1999. The worst part is that Oregonians who incomes over $200,000 a year w ill get over h a lf o f ate Democrats challenge these b ills tim e after tim e in order to save scarce revenue fo r schools,” said Senator this tax break. Trow . “ O ur arguments came up short, and schools came up a distant second 2. HB 2202 - Corporate Kicker Tax Windfall H B 2202 enabled $167 m illio n in income tax to be refunded to large business w ho pay the corporate tax rate. This amounted to over 50% o f the total corporate tax responsibility to Oregon. T his had the effect o f cutting the taxes o f the largest corpo­ ration down to nearly 3%. what other people can do We have proven that we can w ork as much and as w ell as other people. We have proven that we can learn as w e ll as other people. We have proven that can Am ericans from every w alk o f life to make the spectacle possible in the first place. W’e need not wonder, do we, w hy racists. U ncle Toms (and the brainwashed) have not dwelled we can fight as w ell as other people, as was demonstrated in the late [C iv ­ il] war. There are s till, however, tra- ducers and slanderers o f our race who claim that we are not equal to others because we have failed to pro­ duce inventors... upon the w onderful, positive nature o f the greatest "S how and T e ll" in our history. I hat citation to the Congressional Record is fo r the August 10, 1894 speech by B la ck C ongressm an, George H. M urray from South Caro­ lina, and ex-slave who spent two ...I hold in my hand a statement prepared by one o f the assistants in the Patent O ffice, showing the inven­ tions that have been made by colored men w ith in the past few years... This statement shows that colored years at the State U n ive rsity until all blacks were expelled in 1876. Elect­ men have taken out patents upon O ffic ia ls from T ri-M e t and light rail car manufacturer Siemens Trans­ portation Systems celebrated the ar­ rival o f the na tio n ’ s first low floor lig h t ra il v e h ic le at T r i- M e t ’ s Elm onica operations fa cility along the Westside M A X line in Aloha. W illiam s today demonstrated the use o f short ramps that extend from the middle doors o f the new cars to pro­ vide roll-on entry fo r wheelchairs, shopping carts and bicycles. The new ry, on the railroad, in the mine, in almost every department o f labor, and some o f the most im portant im ­ provements that go to make up that great m otive power o f modern indus­ tria l machinery, the steam engine, have been produced by colored men... M r. Speaker, the colored people o f this country' want an opportunity to show that the progress, that the c iv iliz a tio n w hich is now admired the w o rld over, that the c iv iliz a tio n w hich is now leading the w orld, that the c iv iliz a tio n w hich all the nations o f the w o rld look up to an imitate -the colored people. I say, want an o p por­ tu n ity to show that they, too, are part and parcel ofth e g re a tciviliza tio n ...” A nd there was also the “Paris E x­ p o sitio n " o f 1906 and the "E m a n ci­ pation E xp o sitio n ” at Philadelphia in 1913. “ This is an historic day fo r m o b il­ ity in the Portland region,” said Tom go in to s e r v ic e ,” sa id N ita Brueggeman. Brueggeman, a T ri-M e t board member who is liaison to the Committee on Accessible Transpor­ tation (C A T ), has long been an advo­ cate o f low flo o r cars. “ The cars mean we w ill be able to remove the clum sy lifts that hoist people in wheelchairs up to the flo o r level of today's M A X cars,” she said. C A T committee chairman Sterling In a press release, they stated,“ T ri- M et ordered 46 low floor light rail cars from Siemens Duewag in June 1993 at cars can accommodate four wheel­ chairs; today’s M A X cars hold only tw o wheelchairs per two-car train. By fall 1998, when the Westside line opens, T ri-M e t w ill operate fu lly can be extended from the m iddle two d o o rs fo r w h e e lc h a irs , b ike s accessible through service from G re­ sham to H illsb o ro by coupling old for convenient boarding... A short ramp cars to new cars. etc. .Interior steps lead to seating areas and operator’s cabs over the powered wheel assemblies at each end o f the Forty-six o f the cars are on order from Siemens. car. The cars w ill be air-conditioned... The new cars w ill run singly, in pairs, Siemens shipped Car 2 0 1, first o f the Westside order, on July 5. The or coupled w ith one o f the existing M A X ca rs...T ra in s w ill p ro v id e through service from Gresham to car traveled slow ly by rail on a flatbed car and arrived at the Westside M A X fa c ility yesterday. H illsboro when the Westside lines Car 201 w ill undergo a month o f tests inside the shop before it moves out to the test track behind Elm onica fo r several more months o f dynamic testing. The extensive testing pro­ gram is necessary to assure this car, the prototype fo r its 45 siblings, meets T ri-M e t specifications. opens in September 1998...The “ lifts” • for passenger in wheelchairs along Eastside M A X w ill be removed, speed­ ing train operations for al I riders... Each car has 19 microprocessors and 30 m i les o f w ire ... Th irteen more cars no w are being assembled at the Siemens plant in Sacramento.. . The next car w il I arrive in Portland this fall.” Sa JE A N IE ’S CLEANERS r1 li r 5403 NE 42ND AVENUE • 1 I I I I I I I I I ¡COUPON' Inflation Buster Dry Cleaning Special *4.00 OFF On Any Dry Cleaning Order Of $12.00 or More Good On Incoming Dry (.'leaning Orders Only Not Valid With Any Other Special Prices or Coupons JEANIE'S CLEANERS Expires 9-30-96 Inflation Buster Dry Cleaning Special Drapery Cleaning Lined & Unlined Any Size 99* A PLEAT Cleaned - Pressed with Sizing Added Professional Pleated • Pick-up & Rehung Extra Incoming Dry Cleaning Orders Only I I JEANIE'S CLEANERS J I P1 li ¡COUPON; I I Inflation Buster Dry Cleaning Special I ’8.00 OFF I I On Any Dry Cleaning Order O f $20 00 or More I Good On In Coming Dry Cleaning Orders Only I Not Valid With Any Other Special Prices or Coupons I I JEANIE’S CLEANERS I Expires 9-30-96 Expires 9-30-96 P I 1— H I ■COUPON' I Inflation Buster Laundry Special I I Laundered Shirts 95* NO LIMIT I With $10.00 Incoming Dry' Cleaning Order I Good On Incoming Dry Cleaning Orders Only Not Valid With Any Other Special Prices or Coupons I I I JEANIE'S CLEANERS Expires 9-30-96 r W I ¡I I I Inflation Buster Dry Cleaning Special I I I I *10.00 OFF I I I On Any Dry Cleaning Order I Of $30.00 or More I I Good On In Coming Dry Cleaning Orders Only I Not Valid With Any Other Special Prices or Coupons I li I' ■COUPON' | Inflation Buster Dry Cleaning Special ■COUPON; I JEANIE'S CLEANERS 287-0008 ■COUPON' I I ¡Dry Cleaning or Laundered Pants I Mens or Womens ! *3.25 | Good On In Coming Dry Cleaning Orders Only | Not Valid With Any Other Special Prices or Coupons I I Duringevery legislative session leg­ islators must determine which tax cred­ its w ill continue, and whether to enact JEANIE'S CLEANERS Expires 9-30-96 ■COUPON! Inflation Buster Dry Cleaning Special new ones. O f the 11 credits renewed, all but three were written to aid busi­ Sleeping Bag Cleaning Special *5.99 NE 42NDAVE. Good On In Coming Dry Cleaning Orders Only Not Valid With Any Other Special Prices or Coupons inating the u s e o fto x ic s . Sometimes they shouldn’ t have to be paid to do. T otal price tag: $13 m illio n in 1995- 1997, $34 m illio n d u rin g the next tw o years. ventions and improvements in the workshop, on the farm, in the facto­ a cost o f $2.5 m illio n per car ...The middle two-thirds o f each car has a low flo o r-4 " above platform and 14" above ra il...A ll for doors are in this section 3. HB 2255 - Tax Credits for Everyone nesses by lowering their income tax exchange for a certain practice. The o n ly new tax credit was de­ signed to reward businesses fo r el ¡ru­ almost everything, from a cooking stove to a locom otive Patents have been granted to colored men fo r in­ New MAX car is born easy boarding and cool, com fortable travel fo r everyone who rides M A X .” “ The com m unity o f individuals who cannot clim b stairs - including those who use wheelchairs - w ill benefit immensely when these cars may translate intoa significant num ­ ber o f votes among C a lifo rn ia c iti­ "W e have proven in almost every line that we are capable o f doing Am erican blacks and whites alike - and not the yeoman e fforts o f A fr i­ one o f them .” ca’ s views toward this issue and own eight patented agricultural in­ ventions were displayed. pressed upon the consciousness o f Walsh, T ri-M e t general manager. “ These new cars w ill provide quick, "T h e statements made by U SA Today in support o f medical access to therapeutic m arijuana should have a positive impact on A m e ri­ ed in 1892, we have him here ad­ dressing his colleagues in so licitin g federal support fo r the A tlanta Expo­ sition. He was successful and his As stated, this aspect o f the Expo­ sition is the one that has been im ­ must be careful to choose the right battles. Therapeutic marijuana isn’t Calling all volunteers! O regon S pecial O ly m p ic s is seeking individuals to serve on a could accomplish much while remain­ ing "as separate as the fingers on your hand, Washington pleased the whites but earned the undying enm ity o f W E B. Dubois and the black intellec- tual-integralionist movement (voting and accommodations). JEANIE'S CLEANERS Jeanie's Cleaners 5403 NE 42nd Ave. Expires 9-30-96 F« « 4À ’y •A. ■