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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (April 12, 2000)
A p ril 12, 2000 Page A 4 (Tlie P ortland (ßbaeruer Remember April 17th is deadline for tax returns - 2 extra days from Uncle Sam Call goes out for republicans to do some Spring cleaning (Elje •fdortlanh (O hsrruer CONTRIBUTED CO LUM N USPS 959-680 Established 1 9 7 0 STAFF E d it o r P C in h ie f , D em ocratic N ational C om m ittee (DNC) N ational Chair Joe Andrew an d D N C V ic e C h a ir L o ttie Shackelford applauded Faye M. A n d erso n fo r her c o u ra g e in resigning from the R epublican P arty . A n A fric a n A m e ric a n journalist. A nderson denounced the Republican P arty’s failure to fight intolerance in recent months. “Just as Ms. A nderson urged the Republican Party to air out their big te n t,’ 1 w ould challenge the le a d e rsh ip o f th e R e p u b lic an N ational C om m ittee to address the com plaints contained in her letter," said Shackelford. "W hy d id n ’t Bush apologize to A frican A m ericans for his visit to Bob Jones U niversity, a school that banned interracial dating? W h e re w as th e R N C w h e n its presidential candidate, G eorge W. Bush, tacitly endorsed the flying o f the C onfederate flag above South Carol i na ’ s state capitol? She deserves answ ers to those questions.” Faye A nderson announced her disassociation from the Republican Party earlier this week. In her w eb colum n she w rote, “Truth be told, the Republican Party left m e som etim e ago. My switch com es in the wake o f a pattern o f racial blunders that I c a n n o t d is m is s a s m e re mistakes,’” [PolitieallyBlack.com, 3/28/00] “ T h e D e m o c ra tic P arty is c o m m itte d to f ig h tin g d is c rim in a tio n . W h ile M s. A nderson m ay n ot choose to affiliate herself with a major party at this tim e, w e w elcom e her. The A m erican people know that the Democratic Party is the Party o f inclusion,” said DNC National Chair Joe Andrew. V isit the D N C ’s W eb Site at www.democrats.org u b l is h e r i i o» L a r r y J. Jackson, Sr. EM C aucus C hair M artin F rost u s in e s s M anager Gary Ann Taylor C E opy d it o r Joy Ramos C r e a t iv e D Dear Editor: After the flurry o f w ords, m isstatem ents, and targeted innuendoes, I find it necessary to respond to the concerns o f your readers regarding the case o f little Elian G onzalez. 1 w ish to provide clarity to my position and allow others - w ho m ay not understand the passionate resolve surrounding this issue - a factual context in w hich to continue the debate regarding C uban and United States relations. As a C uban-A m erican w ho left the shores o f com m unist C uba at the age o f 6,1 can w holeheartedly relate to the fears and trepidations ofC ubans now living in the U nited States. 1 know firsthand o f the horrors o f C astro’s com m unist regime. It is not enough to say that C uba is a com m unist country-that would not do ju stice to the atrocities that befall the captives o f C u b a’s shores. It is not enough to say that the governm ent o f Cuba does not believe in G od or allow its people to speak freely; it is not enough to say that the governm ent com pletely controls the allotm ent o f food and m edicine. It is necessary to convey the horrors o f living in a country w here your very existence is determ ined by the whim and will o fa vicious dictator. For exam ple Castro blatantly violated ail international laws w hen he ordered his m ilitary to shoot dow n tw o unarm ed civilian planes with United States citizens on board. This sam e dictator sank a C uban tugboat nam ed “T he 13th o f M arch” - w hich was filled w ith w om en and children. W hy? Those w om en and children w anted to escape com m unist oppression. Sadly enough, the bodies o f those w om en and young children have never been recovered from the depths o f Cuban w aters w here they rem ain to this day. Tens o f thousands have throw n them selves into the unforgiving Florida Straits to reach the shores o f freedom. Bush, GOP must cease actions that threaten accurate census st atement by B Letter to the editor Thousands have died trying. W hy w ould people attem pt to build vessels unw orthy o f the sea from w om C harles H. W ashington E d “Census 2000 has been m any years and billions o f dollars in the m aking, but its success is now squarely in the hands o f the American people. Earlier Congressional Dem ocrats gathered to urge all Am ericans to return their census form s imm ediately. “U nfortunately, R epublicans in Congress - as well as Gov. G eorge W . Bush - have recklessly endangered our efforts to count all A m ericans by attacking the census w hile it is taking place. Sadly, this is only the latest exam ple o f Republican opposition to efforts to ensure that all A m ericans - re g a rd le ss o f race, e th n ic ity o r econom ic status - are counted. “The 1990censusm issedm illionsof A m eric an s - d is p ro p o rtio n a te ly m inorities, chi ldren and the poor. As a result, those com m unities did not get th e ir fair sh a re o f p o litic a l rep resen tatio n and reso u rces for priorities like schools, hospitals and highw ays. “ W hile nonpartisan scientists, civil inner tubes, rotting w ood and frayed ropes? W hy w ould they set out with little or no food to m ake such a journey? W hy w ould m others board these doom ed vessels with their children to m ake the ninety-m ile, shark-infested trip, w hile being exposed to harsh and unforgiving elem ents? W hy? T he only answ er is FREEDOM. It may be hard for som e to understand som e C uban A m erican’s passion about the issues surrounding Elian. But to those o f us w ho have lived the nightm are o f C astro and survived, the thought o f sending a vulnerable six-year old back to the clutches o f such an unforgiving dictator is unim aginable. A s a Cuban A m erican, my reaction and response to the Elian G onzales case is grounded in my know ledge that this young boy will never have a chance at a real life if he is returned to C astro. T he C uban governm ent’s constitution clearly states that all m inors are w ards o f the state, and the “state” is Castro. Even as a parent in Cuba, you do not have full authority over your ow n child. It is my personal opinion that Elian m ust be allowed to exhaust ALL ofhis legal rem edies and be afforded the rights guaranteed by the Due Process C lause o f the U nited States Constitution. It goes w ithout saying that the sam e rights we fight for little Elian should be extended to all im m igrants who risk their lives for freedom . This includes H aitians and all other im m igrants w ho board rickety boats - filled to capacity - to flee political oppression. They also deserve a chance at liberty and independence. T he underlying issue is that Am erica offers w hat many around the world dream of- a chance to live in a country where opportunities abound w ith the harm onic sounds o f freedom. As the M ayor o f the city o f M iami, I can assure it’s residents and visitors that local law enforcem ent - w hile not being involved in the actual extraction o f Elian from a hom e he has grown to love - will work actively to maintain law and order. Dem onstrators will be allow ed to peacefully protest or celebrate the final outcom e o f the negotiations, thereby utilizing their constitutional right to freedom o f speech. T his will be conducted in a non-violent fashion. Finally, it is my deepest desire that this issue be a catalyst for dialogue betw een the varying com m unities throughout A m erica and not a widening w edge betw een the masses. The only w ay w e can understand the plight o f others is if w e allow ourselves to be open to their pain. Let us rem em ber, the enem y is not on our shores. The enem y is Castro, the dictator o f Cuba. rights groups, D em ocrats and the professionals at the Census Bureau have w orked to ensure this does not happen again, G O P leaders have fought us at every turn. G O P leaders Newt Gingrich and Jim Nicholson have even adm itted that they believe an a c c u ra te c e n su s th a t co u n ts all A m ericans threatens their political power. “ It is tim e for G ov. Bush and other G O P le a d e rs to p u t A m e ric a ’s interests ah ead o f th eir partisan interests - and to stop their reckless cam paign to underm ine the census.” ir e c t o r Shawn Strahan 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd. Portland, OR 9 7211 503-288-0033 J o e C a ro llo Fax 503-288-0015 M a y o r, C ity o f M ia m i e-mail news@portlandobserver.com stfBcdpdOT@porttandofaeerver.ccm P ostmaster : Send address changes to Portland Observer PO Box 31 3 7 Portland, OR 9 7 2 0 8 Periodical Postage paid in Portland, OR Subscriptions are $60.00 per year D E A D L IN E S FOR ALL SUBMITTED MATERIALS: ARTICLES: Monday by 5 p . m . ADS: Friday by noon T h e Portland Observer w elcom es freelance submissions. M anuscripts and photographs should b e c le a rly labeled and w ill be returned ifaccompanied by a selfaddressed envelope. 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