P age A2 O ctobi R 30, 1996 «Tm P oru and O bserver r * 1 k â I r* $ / - ! i • i T L Ü F Jg f i ■■ T' ' 1 r 1 Please take a minute to send us your comments. We’re always trying to give you a better paper and we can’t do it without your help. Tell us what you like and what needs improvement... any suggestions are welcomed and appreciated. We take criticism well! Get your powerful pens out NOW and address your letters to: Editor, Reader Response. P.O, B oa 3137. Portland. OR 97208, (The ^jJortlanh ODhscrucr (U SP S 959-680) E stablished in 1970 Mark Washington Distribution Manager Gary Ann Taylor Business M anager Sean Cruz Consultant A Editor Portland Observador Danny Bell Advertising Sales M anager Gary Washington Pu blic Relations Paul Neufeldt Production A Design Rovonne Black Business Assistant Contributing Writers: Professor M cKinley Burt, Lee Perlman, Pamela Jordan POSTMASTER: Send Address Changes To: Portland Observer, P.O. Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208. 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The Portland Observer—Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publica­ tion—is a member o f the National Newspaper Association—Founded in 1885, and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc, New Yo rk, N Y , and The West Coast Black Publishers Association • Serving Portland and Vancouver. p o ttia n i» (iPhscrucr The Portland Observer can be sent directly to your home for only $30.00 per year Please 1111 out, enclose cheek or money order, and mail to: Si BS( RIP I IONS T he P ortland O bserver ; PO B ox 3137 P ortland , O regon 97208 ________________________________________________ Zip-Code:______ _______________ T hank Y oi F or R eading T he P orti ani ) O bserver 1 spelter 'XXo XAie (SJditor Send your letters to the Editor to: Editor, PO Box 3137, Portland, OR 97208 Measure 37 could damage recycling e B U N A T IO N A L women, African Americans, Latino/ Hispanics, Asian Americans, Native Americans, and the disabled com­ munity, this is a majority issue. With­ out the protection o f law, those his­ torically locked out w ill remain locked out. Dr. K in g never confused his dream with American reality . That’s why he said: “A society that has done some­ thing special against the Negro for hundreds o f years must now do some- thing special for the Negro.” A ffir­ mative Action. Dr. K in g supported government action to repair past injustices. That’s why, when he was asked by a report­ er if he felt it was fair to request a m ulti-billion dollar program to assist the Negro or any other minority, Dr. K in g responded: “ I do indeed...we have ample precedents for special compensatory programs.” Affirm a­ tive Action. These G O P race polarization tac­ tics are wrong. idhmw C O A 1L I1 T 11 O N lasphemy David Duke, Pat Buchanan, and Pete Wilson in opposition to Affirm ative Action. The Republican Party should be ashamed o f this vicious dema­ goguery. Ja ck Kem p and C o lin Powell should denounce these tac­ tics, today. And President Clinton and D N C chair Don Fowler must fight back, with money and advertis­ ing in California, to defeat this G O P wedge attack. The Republicans are spending m illions to create a racial wedge issue, in a desperate last-ditch at­ r s p e tempt to divide and polarize the elec­ torate. Shame on them. And shame on us i f we don’t fight back. Even the late Lee Atwater, just before his death, denounced such hateful tac­ tics. The truth is, Title IX has made America better-just think about the women ath letes on our Olym pic team. The American with D isabilities Act, o f which Bob Dole is justifiably so proud, is also affirmative action. The truth is, affirmative action is not a minority issue. When we include c t i v e s ’ve been assured that some teacher lounges v were buzzing following last week's article, “Are You Caught Up In The Net (of Educa­ tion)?” And I may have interrupt­ ed heated debates; Power of PCs vs Oracle's network aficionados. Old friends from the teaching fra­ ternity (sorority?), parents and several students among our readers expressed concerns paralleling my own - appre­ hension spurred by “a hastily and weak­ ly-structured excursio n into cyberspace”, powered by a hyperbo I ic public relations effort with all bells and sirens at full decibel. Several jo k­ ingly observed, ”Well M cKinley, at least you got that 15-minutes-of-fame promised by Andy Warhol. And you got yours thirty years ago!” A favorable response from industry* was not unexpected given that the ‘ launch pad’ was a Beaverton elec­ tronics plant. But that aside, I was especially concerned by a plaintive query from a Jefferson High School freshman. He had long-planned to gain the same “fabulous experience” as an older sibling in the school districts “Saturday Academy" program at the school as directed by Mr. Michael Grice (until lately). “ Where has he gone'.’ Why?," It is asked in the general community as well-considering that all announced goals were achieved. A number o f parents and several teachers added a pointed caveat to their fulsome praise o f this particular program; “there was such a marked improvement in math skills but be­ yond that, there was a renewed interest and focus on academics in general. So. why in the world isn’t there an across- the-board application o f this success­ ful teaching mode where these so- called, slow-leamer' black children are concerned? And what about the past two decades o f deliberate, deceit­ ful and debilitating neglect of future Portland citizens? Ill-prepared for a world o f technolo­ gy ” I have no more information than the many who make in­ quiry: “Mr. Grice is on leave on ab­ sence’. He’s in San Francisco doing even greater things. It’s a shame he is gone-was he found guilty' o f subjecting some long-held faleshoods about black IQs to close scrutiny?” And then the inevitable, "Was it about money0 Did he go down to San Francisco where he could get a white man’s ‘ pay for comparable work0” The district can ill-afiford to have publ ic or staff projecting these scenar­ ios. Not with television programs like “60 minutes” showing what incredibly high levels o f academic achievement can be reached by black and Hispanic kids—dedicated and motivated teach­ ers in a common-sensical learning en­ vironment o f their own design and under their direct control. This was the exhilarating “Monroe Doctrine" doc­ umentary that played in September. The inspiring video tape is something you must have. I was quick to order a copy for myself and the nearby ‘Black Educa­ tion Center’, an exemplary institution itself. A $200,000 a year black, curric- ulum supervisor for the entire City o f New York quits her job w ith this big city school system failing at its tasks and giving the usual excuses. She in­ vests her I ife savings in an independent school, recruits and equally dedicated staff and goes from there. For info on the $29.95 tape, call station W G BH , 1-800-255-9424. N ext w eek: community par­ By ticipation model Professor where I organized Mckinley my Toastmasters Burt C lu b —engineers, teachers, mer­ chants, phone company employees, ranchers, etc.-in support o f my ‘com- puter/math demonstration; The trend o f white teachers and parents sending their kids over to my office for aid in developing m otivational models around the incredible accomplishments o f the ‘Black Inventors’; The inexpli­ cable turndowns at Benson High Schools and at O M SI (Australia and Japan like my concepts); President Nixon and my scheduled ‘Rose Gar­ den’ presentation that was canceled; That Belmont St. basement. Lately, I have cited texts that may have seemed relatively advanced. I thought it useful to emphasize that arithmetics/ mathematics involve an essential connection between quanti­ tative concepts, symbols, and the lan­ guage employed in their manipula­ tion, e.g. semantics, semeiotics. There follows some down to earth volumes useful to student, teacher or parent for many o f us, numbers' still have the habit o f getting up and walking away’; me too. “ Mathematics For The Million: How to Master the Magic o f Num­ bers”, Lancelot Hogben, W. W. Norton and Co. pb. This still papular classic has been a standard for some time. “ Mathematics In The M aking” Lancelot Hogben, Doubleday and Company, this 1961 classic is out-of- print, but i, is a treasure at any price; try your used book stores. It has proven such a boon to students, adults includ­ ed. Also there are the well-illustrated opening chapters on counting and measurement, and there is a very wel­ come acknowledgement o f the contri­ butions o f di fferent races and cultures; a jewel! “A History O f Pi", Peter Beckman, St. Martins, 1971 you will find this little treasure very satisfying if, like me, you occasional ly need a I itt le I ighter but relevant reading. Page 24 illus­ trates the African’s derivation o f Pi (o ff 1%), but i’ve found their 2500 B.C. formula at only 0.0001 error us­ ing “Ph:”. “Number Words and Number sym­ bols: A Cultural History ofNumbers,” Karl Menninger, M E T . Press, 1977. This book is the most’ interesting and accurate account you will ever read about how the major cultures o f the world developed their concepts o f numbers, counting, quantities and measure. Editor says, “excellent lin­ guistics and etymology but you don', have to be philologist or mathemati­ cian to enjoy it (480 pp).” A must for those who would design a meaningful curriculum intheseareas(public,home or alternative). -Continuednext week; with addi­ tional and later bibliography. Civil Rights Journal: CIA And Drugs? BY To the editor: Measure 37. the so-called “bot- tle deposit” initiative on the No­ vember ballot, would do consider­ able damage to the progress we've made since we adopted the Bottle B ill in 1971. Here are two reasons why. First, our existing law includes just six kinds o f pop and beer con­ tainers. These six apply to 90 per­ cent o f the roadway, beach and stream-side litter in Oregon. This is the main reason why Oregon looks so much better than other states! On the other hand. Measure 37 applies to almost 60 types o f items from a grocery store, items that are prima­ rily consumed at home, and which account for a very small percentage o f litter. Wha, a mess! Second, Measure 37 would do severe damage to the progress Ore­ gon has been making toward recy­ cling. Why ’ Because we are getting used to curbside recycling and tak­ ing our trash to places where it can be recycled. That was one o f the main goals o f the original Bottle B ill. We Never intended grocery stores to be junkyards for more and more empty containers like 37 pro­ poses. Why should Oregonians re­ verse the productive trend toward recycling programs that has made us one o f the leading recyclers in the nation? Also, the exemptions and inclusionsdon't make any sense. Why include 6 oz. juice cans but exempt 5.5 oz. juice cans? Why include low-alcohol wines but ex­ empt regular wines? Why include senior nutritional supplements but exempt premixed alcohol drinks? Our state legislature has passed lots o f laws that don ’t work, but our Oregon Bottle B ill isn't one ofthem. I’m proud to have been a part o f something that is really working. I was the original author and chief sponsor o f our Bottle B ill law in 1969 and 1971. It makes us-m yself. the two co­ authors and 23 original legislative supporters o f the Bottle B ill—un­ happy that someone wants to come along and fiddle with something that has worked so well. I hope Oregonians see through all the smoke on this one and vote N O on Measure 37. —Sincerely, P a u l Hannem an. To the editor: It is time for Oregonians to in­ crease recycling efforts Measure 37 w ill accomplish expanding O r­ egon’s landmark Bottle B ill 94% o f all bottles covered by our Bottle B ill get recycled compared to less Measure 37 w ill triple the recy­ c lin g o f d rin k s like Sn ap p le , G ato rad e, ju ic e , and bottled water Beware o f the millions that w ill be spent to defeat this bill from out- of-state corporations about Oregon. Sincerely—Jo e heating than 30% lor non-deposit bottles. he Rainbow/PUSH Ac­ tion Network this week blasted the Republican Party's attempt to misuse the image and words of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with their mis­ leading TV ads against affirma­ tive action in California. Rever­ end Jackson called the GOP ads “blasphemy!” For the right-w ing Republicans to try to put Martin Luther King on the same team as David Duke is nothing short o f an atrocity. A ll C a lifo rn ia n s —indeed, all Am ericans-w ho support equal op­ portunity, tolerance, and fair play should come together now to de­ nounce thisdivisive, cynical, hostile, political trick. We must stop Prop. 209. Those who never marched with Dr. King, nor stood with him in times o f turmoil, must not be allowed to mis-speak his name, misquote his words, and misinterpret his dream. D r K ing would never stand with Beyond The Net, There Are Human Beings 31 D eadline Jor all su bm itted m aterials: A rticles:Friday, 5 :0 0 p m Ads: Monday, 12:00pm Name: Address City, State: » p 4747 NE Martin Luther King. Jr. Blvd., Portland, Oregon 97211 503-288-0033 • Fax 503-288-0015 Email: Pdxobserv@aol.com S ubscribe to f « Attention Readers! Charles Washington Publisher A Editor Editorial Articles Do Not Necessarily Reflect Or Represent The Views O f (Clje lattò ffihscrucr o ’ i / t | | B ernice P ow ei . i . J ackson onspiracy theories are- nothing new in comrnu- nities of color. I rememberthe rumors circulating after the riots o f the 1960’s that the government was building concentra­ tion camps for black folks. Prepos­ terous? What happened to Japanese Americans during world War II? What about the government’s experi­ ment with black syphilis patients in Alabama during the 1950'sand later? Now, we read in a respected daily newspaper that for most o f a decade the Central Intelligence Agency ( C IA ) supplied crack cocaine which was sold to street gangs in Los Ange­ les in order to funnel millions of dollars in drug profits to a C IA - backed guerilla army in Nicaragua. The crack cocaine provided in this scheme, we are told, helped spark a crack explosion which devastated the African American community not only in Los angeles, but across the nation. It’s almost too diabolical to be­ lieve, built according to the San Jose Mercury News, that is exactly what happened. A recent series done by this California newspaper examined the actions o f a Los Angeles crack dealer names R icky Donnell Ross and his connections with drug dealer Oscar Danila Blandon Reyes, who allegedly had ties to a Latin Am eri­ can-based C IA agent who told them that they were raising money for the Contra revolution. That revolution, you may remember, was supported by the Reagan administration but received only limited funds in its early days of operation. I, was the need for addition­ al funds to support the Contra’s gueril­ la war that caused the linking o f co­ caine sales and the war The series in the San Jose Mercu­ ry News examines how Blandon’s boss in the cocaine operation, Juan Norwin Meneses Cantarero, has nev­ er spent a day in a I I S prison even though the federal government has known o f his drug dealings since 1974. Indeed, agents from four gov­ ernment law enforcement agencies have complained that their investi­ gations were hampered by the C I A or unnamed “ national security” inter­ ests. Even a U.S. Senate subcommit­ tee was unable to pierce the wall of secrecy surrounding these operations. One o f the most frightening as­ pects o f this story is the decision by Blandon, the middleman, to make cocaine, which had been only avail­ able to the rich, affordable and avail­ able to the masses in the African American community in South Cen­ tral Los Angeles. Within only a few years, crack cocaine had devastated the African American community across the nation. Using the Crips and Bloods street gangs as distributors, Blandon and Ross were able to devise an extraor­ dinary marketing strategy. As a re­ sult thousands o f young black men are now serving long federal prison sentences for selling mere handfuls o f the drug and thousands o f African American families are in crisis. During the Congressional Black Caucus fall meeting, a hearing was held on these al legations and several thousand jammed into a hearing room to hear more about these charges. As a result congresswoman Maxine Waters, in whose district most o f this occurred, and other members o f the Black Caucus met with C IA D irec­ tor, John Deutch. Mr. Deutch said he had no reason to believe such allega­ tions, which would have taken place before his tenure. But he expressed his outrage at the charges raised and pledged to ge, to the truth in this matter He assured Caucus members that an independent investigator will look into the allegations and make a report within two months. Is this just another conspiracy the­ ory? Or did agents in the C IA con­ spire to sell drugs in the African American community to fund their own guer:Ila activities in Nicat