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March 19. 2003
O pinion
rhe Portland Observer
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Support Children of Deployed Military
A longtim e supporter o f Boy s & Girls
C lubs, Secretary of state C olin Powell,
has called on the organization to sup
port the children of deployed m ilitary
personnel.
Boys & Girls Clubs of Portland M etro
politan Area has answered the urgent re
quest by announcing it will keep the doors
open for all kids in the community as a safe
haven in this difficult time.
As chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff,
Powell oversaw Operation Desert Storm in
the 1991 Persian Gulf War. At that time, the
Boys & Girls Club partnership with the U.S.
military began, with local clubs providing
memberships and special programming to
Secretary o f State Colin Powell
17,00()children of deployed Reservists and
National Guard members.
sponsibility to serve all youth, particularly from
Since then, the organization has formed formal
m ilitary fam ilies, at this critical time. Secretary
partnerships with military Youth Centers on more
Powell believes, that club program s allow young
than 350 military bases worldwide, serving some
people to overcom e the fiercest obstacles. This is
400,000 young people.
why he has taken the tim e, despite trem endous
Secretary Powell rightly points out that the
responsibilities, to urge us to reach children of
clubs have a trem endous opportunity and re-
deployed m ilitary personnel.
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Vernon, and Woodlawn
War Would Violate International Law
Minority nations have no right to
dictate to the rest of the world
bungled the lead-in to war.
Compare his father's war coalition with the son's,
or with the unified world support that the U.S. en
by R ev . J esse L. J ackson S r .
joyed after 9/11. W hat we have now is not even a
They could not meet in London, or Madrid, or
coalition of the coerced, but a coalition of the dimin
Lisbon, because the protests would have been too
ished — a Gang of Four, operating out-of-sync with
massive. They did not want to come to Washington,
the U.N., in direct opposition to world popular opin
D.C., because that would be interpreted back home
ion and in total defiance of the people’s desires in
as kissing George W. Bush’s ring. So the Gang of
their own nations.
Four gathered on an island in the Azores, to make
The myopic focus on Iraq contrasts starkly with
their plans to circumvent the United Nations, over
the ignoring of Iran (70 million people, compared to
ride world opinion and violate international law.
Iraq ’ s 22jni Ilion); allows North Korea to continue to
Voices that were at best silent to democracy in
threaten its neighbors with nuclear weapons; has
Selma and South Africa and voices that were op
allowed the Middle East situation to continue to
posed to democracy in Florida, announced their
deteriorate; and is about to turn into the biggest
heartfelt desire to launch a pre-emptive military strike
recruiting drive al Qaeda could ask for.
to bring democracy to Iraq.
President Bush said, “When the U.N. says some
Some of us, though, still have our memories. We
thing, it needs to mean it." We wonder how this rule
remember Bush refusing to count every vote in
applies to George W. Bush, who promised us “com
Florida, and then telling African Americans to get
passion” at home and “humility” abroad. We wonder
over it. We remember confronting Britain on its
how this standard will apply to Tony B lair, when he
support for apartheid in South Africa. We remember
goes back home to Great Britain and tries to explain
confronting Portugal for its colony in Angola. We
why there is no need for the second resolution he
remember Franco ruling Spain, after overthrowing
promised his party and his people.
Spanish democracy with the help of .
We also remember that the Repub
Hitler and Mussolini.
lican Party in the U.S., which George
The rest of the world looks at this
Bush heads, spent the entire decade
Gang of Four and says to themselves,
of the 1990s undercutting the U.N.,
let’s see: we are supposed to take
attacking it, calling it weak and irrel
dictation from the world’s current
evant. President Bush cited Rwanda
superpower and three of the biggest
and Kosovo as U.N. failures— but we
colonial powers in world history?
don't remember his voice speaking
This is just not credible. Africa, In
up either time. We do remember that
dia, Latin America and the rest o f the
the U.S. refused to pay its dues, be
world understand that "territorial
cause Jesse Helms would not let us.
integrity,” “reconstruction,” and
A pre-emptive strike by this minor
“democracy” have not always been
ity elite focus group will violate intema-
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
the top issues for these
_____
tionallaw.lt will violate the
four nations. The rest of
U.S. Constitution. It will vio
the world rem em bers
late promises made to the
that “power politics" and
United Nations, to the world
“oil" and "em pire” have
and to the people of these
been important to these
four nations. It will violate
nations in the past.
human standards o f d e
The spectacle at Fan
cency and moral conduct.
tasy Island was a minor
A pre-emptive strike has
ity group of nations (the
been condemned as im
U.S..Great Britain. Spain
moral and wrong by the
and Portugal) attempt
Pope, by the Archbishop
- Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr.
ing to dictate totheU .N .
of Canterbury, by the lead
and to the people of the
ers o f th e M e th o d ist
world. There were veiled and not-so-veiled threats
Church, by Bishop Tutu and by Nelson Mandela.
and ultimatums, but there were no incentives for the
George W. Bush told us during the campaign that
rest of the world to change their minds. A mere 6
Jesus changed his heart. Well, would Jesus launch
percent of the globe announced, in Tony Blair's
an aggressive war, a war of “shock and awe” which
revealing statement: "We will do what we believe to
will kill thousands of Iraqi women and children?
be in the best interests of the United Nations." The
A pre-emptive strike would be a “war crime,” by
hubris. The arrogance.
definition. As columnist/activist Norman Solomon
The U.N. decided that war was not yet justified.
pointed out, last November more than 300 law profes
The fact that Bush and his advisers disagree, and
sors signed a statement that made the point that “the
that Blair and Spain's leadership have trapped them
international rule o f law is not a soft luxury to be
selves in the same box, does not justify dictating to
discarded whenever leaders find it convenient or
the rest of the world. These four nations have no right
popular to resort to savage violence.”
under international law to decide what the U.N.
Perhaps the leaders of the Gang of Four could
should do. They have no right to launch an attack
ponder these words from Supreme Court Justice Rob
because they have failed to get their way through
ert L. Jackson, who represented the U.S. at the
arm-twisting and diplomacy.
Nuremberg trials after World War II: “W e must make
President Bush said that it is important for the
clear to the Germans that the wrong for which their
“U.N. to begin to get its ‘legs of responsibility'
fallen leaders are on trial is not that they lost the war,
back.” W hatever he thinks he meant by “legs of
but that they started it.... No grievances or policies will
responsibility," he has no right to cut the legs out
justify resort to aggressive war. It is utterly renounced
from under the United Nations, to attack it when he
and condemned as an instrument of policy."
cannot get his way. to announce that the U.N. only
Rev. Jesse L. Jackson Sr. is a long time civil rights
has meaning when it follows his lead. It is Bush’s “my
leader and founder o f the National Rainhow/PUSH
way or the highway" approach which even support
Coalition, a multiracial, multi-issue, international
ers of the coming attack believe has hopelessly
membership organization.
George W. Bush told us
during the campaign that Jesus
changed his heart. Well, would
Jesus launch an aggressive
war, a war o f “shock and awe ”
which will kill thousands of
Iraqi women and children?
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