I
I • *
— '■ T
■ ; •* 'A ' •••
' - '
• "l * * ’ ♦ <* - A* * s#.-- X-***
•
T he P ori la n d O bserver • S eptember 11. 1996
---------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------- ------------------------
P age A5
Economic Development-Criminal Justice Style, Part III
by
P rof . M c K inley B i rt
I here has been an overwhelming
response from black readers across
the nation as their own press pursues
a courageous course in pursuing a
lull disclosure o f the agencies driv­
ing the agenda for imprisonment o f
huge numbers o f young black males.
The public alarm has been height­
ened no end by the documented rev­
elations that the U.S. Government is
the country's biggest drug dealer.
The ‘CIA Crack/Cocaine Enterpris­
es Inc.’ can not deny a connection or
responsibility for the ever-darkening
hue o f the incarcerated-as great as
47% black in some areas. The na­
tion’s police are angry and frustrat­
ed.
Now, the entire world knows and
as is indicated by the foreign press
already on Portland news stands, it is
quite shaken and apprehensive to
find that the boastful LEADER OF
I HE FREE WORLD delivered tens
o f billions o f dollars worth o f narcot­
ics and automatic weapons to the
disadvantaged and under-educated
o f is major cities. Will the real terror­
ists please stand?
Economists at several Washing­
ton “think tanks” along with investi­
gative reporters for eastern dailies
are quite busy crunching numbers
and projecting the new fiscal policies
that will have to be put in place,
several journalists seem to be savor­
ing a Pulitzer Prize in the Watergate
mode as the 'tote up the bill’ in recent
columns. “Let’s see here, in roughly
fifteen years the total take would
have to be half a trillion dollars—or
more!”
“Now that’s enough money to
overthrow a lot o f governments,”
muses one nosey reporter in his spec­
ulations. And you can be, he is sniff­
ing a Pulitzer when he theorizes fur­
ther that “this shadowy government
agency, the CIA, keeps two sets o f
books and really is no, accountable
to anybody.
In light o f the most recent revela­
tions, may we toy with the idea that
there may be some connection to the
growing call for dismantling the In­
ternal Revenue Service?" the report­
er surmises. “ Perhaps the ‘spooks’
have their own people in Congress."
The “Letters-,o-the-Editor” col­
umns in both the black and white
press indicate that, while the public
is not asking the immediate release
o f large numbers o f deliberately un­
derprivileged and undereducated
young black men, they are crunching
their own numbers and reaching some
startling and unpleasant conclusions.
“Universally, we have been had, both
white and black ! What is to be done?”
Many Americans are absolutely
overwhelmed when they finally com­
prehend the secret governm ents’
machinations over the last fifteen
years—they have escalated the eco-
nomic burden o f both entitlements
and other aid to the poor in an astro­
nom ical fashion. W elfare, food
stamps, ADC. WIC, countless social
programs that have been initiated a,
one time or another under the grandi­
ose mantra o f "The Great Society”
are seriously threatened. People are
frightened and they should be.
So it is that the naive and the
ingenuous, along w ith the hypocrites,
engage in fierce and energetic debate
over "family values”, even the Con­
gress and Presidents.
But it is the federal government
itself that has welded social and for­
eign policy info a murderous union,
created thousands o f widows and
orphans and other victims o f urban
w arfare-destroying tens o f thou­
sands o f families and placing an
equal number o f black men behind
bars in A m erica’s major "Growth
Industry”.
What can you look for? Remem­
N. Carolina picks up pieces
from Hurricane Fran
B y J im L oney
North Carolina residents began
returning to soaked and battered
homes on Sunday to fa c e a huge
clearing-up jo b after Hurricane
Fran.
Dozens I ined up at hardware stores
to buy chainsaws and other repair
tools. Others whose homes were de­
stroyed sought food at church-run
kitchens.
Convoys o f trucks streamed into
the Wilmington area to fix utility
poles, replace hundreds o f miles
(kilometres) o f downed power lines,
repair roads and haul away fallen
trees and debris.
Washington D.C. was bracing it ­
self for the fall-out from Fran as
rising floodwaters along the Potomac
River threatened the nation’s capital
on Sunday.
After Fran dumped four inches
( 10 cm) o f rain in the capital and up
to 14 inches (35 cm) in outlying
areas, forecasters predicted a flood
surge o f 13 to 15 feet (4-4.5 metres)
in the wealthy Georgetown section
o f the city and up to 34 feet (10
metres) at Harpers Ferry, West Vir­
ginia.
Rising flood waters also threat­
ened to close the main road to Na­
tional Airport, the city’s domestic
airport.
Hurricane Fran cut a swathe o f
destruction from the southeastern end
homes in North Topsail Beach foi
o f North Carolina on Cape Fear,
missing people.
where it came ashore, to the north­
“ W e’re going house to house or
west o f the state.
the beach looking for people whc
At least 15 people were killed in
might have been trapped. W e’re find­
the state, including a firefighter, “and
ing people — they’re scared. They
there may be m ore,” said Sara
were freaked out by the storm,” said
Kempin, a spokeswoman for North
Marian Kleinman, a spokeswoman
Carolina Emergency Management
for Onilow County.
Centre.
An elderly woman who was found
Some drowned, others were ki I led
floating on a mattress in a marsh near
when trees fell on their cars or hous­
Surf City after the storm was in crit­
es, she added.
ical condition, reports said. Her trail­
Local authorities said they were
er home was destroyed.
beginning to allow residents to re­
As National Guard troops pa­
turn to Carolina Beach and Kure
trolled the islands, bulldozers scraped
Beach, two seaside towns on Plea­
sand from beach and roads. Diggers
sure Island o ff Wilmington.
scooped chunks o f crumbled houses
They had been barred since Thurs­
and slabs o f broken asphalt out ofthe
day because electric, water and sew­
way.
er services were severed and many
"M ajor roads have been cleared.
properties were still extremely un­
Almost all the county and city roads
safe, said officials.
are open,” said Bruce Shell, spokes­
A 24-hour curfew was in effect for
man for W ilmington’s New Hanover
both towns and a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m.
County. As many as 400,000 people
curfew was imposed on the rest o f
remained w ithout electricity and trail­
New Hanover County. Authorities
er loads o f generators sold out in
said schools would remain closed on
minutes.
Monday while damage was assessed.
The W ilmington City Council
In Wrightsville Beach, a town on
passed an emergency ordinance on
a barrier island off Wilmington, offi­
Saturday to prevent price gouging,
cials said it would be at least three
making it punishable by a $500 fine
days before residents could return
or 30 days in jail. W ilson’s Outdoor
because o f safety concerns.
Equipment in Raleigh, where lines
On T opsail Island, north o f
snaked around the corner store, had
Wi Imington, rescue workers searched
sold more than 400 chainsaws.
ber how I concluded my July 3 Per­
spectives column9 As in the case of
slavery there is always a ‘cover sto­
ry’ to explain away or justify the
exploitation or oppression o f a peo­
ple; "IQ, laziness, genes". You de­
liberately program them to fail and
manipulate their circumstances as did
the British in India.
Consequently, Rudyard Kipling
announced his famed description of
the indigenous population, ‘T h e
White M an's Burden". The British,
o f course, were in the process o f
extracting tri I lions o f dollars in labor
and natural resources from their “bur­
dens” .
We come now to that paragon of
virtue and family values, that Martha
Stewart of moral goodness, Mr Wil­
liam Bennett—the man who has sold
2.3 million copies o f his anthology of
moral tales, “The Book o f Virtues” .
Apparently, it pays well to be closely
acquainted with ’virtues’, two best­
<
selling sequels, a TV cartoon show
and a 40 thousand-a-speech lecture
circuit Not to mention the Disney
film
But it might do you well to re­
member that this is the same William
Bennett who was Education Secre­
tary for President Reagan and, then,
DRUG CZAR for President Bush
How well-connected can you be in
all the right echelon of government
and not know w hat’s going on around
you? Maybe it’s all ‘virtual reality ’,
unless you are in prison
A subscriber from eastern Oregon
has called to “...remind you that
you’re only talking about a tiny per­
centage o f a minute fraction o f the
federal workforce.”
A local reader suggest that the
corporate press w ill quickly drop the
ball on this one—perhaps pursuing
the Farra Khan/Libya connection as
a diversion "Remember the O.J.
Simpson on gambit.”
G q
Walnut Park
N E IG H B O R H O O D RETAIL C EN TER
Shop Where It Counts
Walnut Park Retail Center - Corner of MLK & Killingsworth
Merchant List
It's My Kind of Face
.IP's Custom Framing
Key Bank
Mother Dear's Tasty Pastries
284-9570
288-2118
795-6035
287-7655
Reflections
288-6942
Videoland
280-0915
Walnut Park
280-1012
Laundry & Coin-Op
Public input sought on transportation planning
Officials from the Oregon Depart­
ment o f Transportation will hold two
open house meetings next week to
solicit public input on management
objectives for transportation modes
on the Portland-Cannon Beach Junc­
tion Corridor Plan.
These meetings will be held Mon-
day (Sept.9) at the Cannon Beach
City Hall, and Thursday (Sept. 12) at
the North Plains Community Center
located at Northwest Hillcrest Street
and Northeast 31 Ith Avenue. Both
meetings are scheduled from 4 to 8
p.m.The informational meetings are
part o f the first place o f developing a
long-range corridor plan on U.S. 26 W
between Portland and the Cannot
Beach Junction, according to Regiot
I Manager Bruce Warner.
I’he local public is encouraged tc
attend anytime between 4 and 8 p.m
The meeting locations are accessible
to persons with disabilities.
If you're considering a home repair
ónor Our Past,
uild Our Future
/WTLAND
or addition, consider financing the work
MANUFACTURED
with a low-cost Home Improvement Loan
from KeyBank. We can help you with
HOME SHOW
or too long, history turned a Wind eye to the black
patriots who served the cause o f liberty during the
Revolutionary W ar But with your
F
everything from purchasing a new roof or
furnace, to finishing a basement or adding
PORTLAND MEADOWS
September 12,13,14,15 1996
help, America now has a chance
to finally honor her African
American heroes
HOME IMPROVEMENT LOAN
30 NEW HOMES FOR YOU TO TOUR
a garage. For more information, slop by
DISCOVER THE ADVANTAGES
Quality construction & materials.
Immediate on-site financing for an attractive Investment.
Award winning interior designs & landscaping.
BIGGEST IN 11 WESTERN STATES
requited to fight, but fight
they did. coming to
America's aid dunng her
hour of greatest need Their
service is even moie noble
because they fought for a freedom
that would be denied African Americans
for another crntury A monument in their
honor will continue the march o f
freedom
KeyBank’s Community Services Depart­
ment in the Walnut Park Retail Center, or
call Phyliss Gaines at 795-6036.
Whatever you’re planning, we’d
be glad to work with you.
14 Manufacturers 18 Retailers
America s black co-founders
have been kept waiting
too long It's time
f OUMl HOUSING
Member FDIC
we honor them
Subject to credit approval
with a Black
Patriots Memorial on the National M all in
LENDER
Washington. D C Building a monument to our past
will build a bridge to our future
Whether you’re
fixing up or adding on,
we’d like to help.
SUPPORT THE BLACK
m em o ria l
P a triots
Call 1-800-888-9811
to make a credit card contribution or mail your
check or money order with the coupon below
YES!
I want to join in honoring America's
black co-founders with a Black Patriots
Mem orial. Enclosed is my contribution for
□ $25
□ $75
□ $500
Q $50
a
□ Other
$100
Name
Address
ChJ
State
Zip
1612 K Street, N W , Suit« 1104
Washington, D .C . 20006 2Ä02
(202) 452-1776
http://www.blackpatriots.org
SHOP & COMPARE IN A VILLAGE SETTING
Easy I-5 Exit 306-B to Portland Meadows
Sponsored by
Open Dally 10a-8p Sunday 10a-6p
OMHA
Adults $6 FREE PARKING Children 16 & under free
$1 OFF ON EACH OF TWO ADULT ADMISSIONS GOOD I
I
ONLY ON THURSDAY SEPT. 12 & FRIDAY SEPT. 13
Key. For a now America?
I