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
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(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
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