PaseA4____________________________________________
Fortiani» (©bseruer_______________________
O pinion
May26.2004
Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or
represent the views of The Portland Observer
M ost o f our
Youth Excel
Negative images cast
wrong assumptions
Disastrous Approach in Iraq
Need strategy to end bloodshed, contempt
Bv U.S. R ep . E lijah E.
C ummings
Instead o f applauding Secre
tary Rum sfeld for his obvious
failure in leadership, President
Bush w ould have better served
A m erica and the world com m u
nity by acknow ledging that for
the past year and three m onths
his A dm inistration has pursued a
disastrous course in Iraq.
F u rth e rm o re , the P resid en t
should have articu la ted that a
new strateg y m ust be adopted
if A m erica is to em erge from
th is w ar w ith o u t m ore b lo o d
s h e d , d e c e p tio n
m ent at the Pentagon
and in te rn a tio n a l
on evidence o f abuse
co n tem p t.
o f Iraqi prisoners, he
T he horrific to r
r e p e a te d ly in v o k e d
ture o f Iraqi prison
the w ord ‘c o u ra g e .’
ers is m ore e v i
T here is no question
dence that the war
that our soldiers on the
in Iraq is not creat
battlefield are d em on
ing peace, freedom
strating extraordinary
or dem ocracy, but
courage. H ow ever, I
is p e rp e tu a tin g a
ask, when will politi
Cummings
g r e a te r se n s e o f
cian s at the highest
hostility and m is
levels o f our govern
trust tow ard A m erica around the ment show the sam e courage in
world.
tak in g resp o n sib ility for th eir
D uring the P resident’s state
failed leadership in Iraq?
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I again renew the C o n g res
sional Black C aucus’ call for Sec
retary Rum sfeld to offer his res
ignation for the good o f the na
tion and as a dem onstration of
g oodw ill to the in tern atio n al
com m unity.
I also call on President Bush
to exhibit courage and leader
ship in this situation by holding
him self and his A dm inistration
accountable for these very real
and unacceptable failures.
U.S. Rep. Elijah E. Cummings,
D-Md., is chairman o f the Con
gressional Black Caucus.
Bv J udge G reg M athis
try. Now comes word from the U.S.
The U.S. Department o f Educa Department of Education that our
tion recently issued a positive re youth are excelling in engineering,
port on African-American youth that a curriculum that requires the mas
was barely covered by the media. tering of math and science.
The report concluded that black
The study compared the high
youth were the only
school graduates
ethnic group to sus
of 1972,1982, and
tain an increase in en
1992, in determin
gineering graduates
ing how many of
in the last three de
th em atte n d e d
cades.
c o lle g e
an d
African-American
graduated with an
youth are often pro
en gineering d e
jected in the media as
gree. In 1972, only
thugged out, drugged
1.7 p e rc e n t o f
out, sex fiends. ,f you
black high school
w atch the even in g
g ra d u a te s m a
new s, you w ill no
jo red in en g in eer
doubt see a troubled
J u d g e G re g M a th is
ing. By 1992 the
black youth being ar
p erc en ta g e had
rested for some crim e or another increased to 12.6 percent. The larg
before the broadcast ends. When est increase o f any ethnic group.
you open your daily paper, you will
The reason this report is media
no doubt read about the same. When worthy is because an engineering de
you listen to music or watch music gree provides our youth a gateway and
videos, you will hear and see some opportunity to enhance some of the
African-American youth degrading words most important industries. Out
themselves and their women through of this crop of engineers could come
their art. These are the negative and the next George Washington Carver or
destructive images that are being the next Bill Gates.
projected most by the media as rep
C ongratulations is in order for
resentative o f black youth.
all the organizations, parents and
However, the tnith is most o f our schools w ho have encouraged
youth are not thugs and sex addicts; our youth to excel in engineering.
indeed our youth are leaders, cham We m ust continue to encourage
pions, and engineers too.
our youth to excel in math and
For decades, we have seen our science so that they can d eter
youth excel in athletics, entertain m ine the w o rld ’s future, in ad d i
ment and culture. Indeed in recent tion to their own. In the m ean
years, w e’ve seen a surge o f young tim e, we m ust dem and a more
political leaders emerge from our balanced m edia portrayal o f A fri
community all throughout the coun can-A m erican youth.
Judge Greg Mathis is chairman o f the Rainbow PUSH-Excel Board and a
national board member o f the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
Fast-Food Chains Can Fight Obesity
Discontinuing ‘Supersize’ option is a good start
B Y IX R . M E L K .O H N
only make this prob
“Oh, and ‘Super-
lem w orse.
size’ that, please."
C o n sid er th at a
I f y o u h a v e n ’t
la rg e r p o rtio n o f
u sed th o se w ords
fries and larger soda
y o u r s e lf ,
th e n
can add 380 calo
y o u ’ve been behind
ries. A lthough that
som eone in line who
d o esn ’t sound like
did.
m u ch , c o n s u m in g
The concept, p io
those calories only
n eered
by
once a w eek can add
M cD onald’s, allow s
Dr. M el Kohn
fiv e a " d a h a lf
a fast-food custom er
p o u n d s to y o u r
to order a larger portion for a w eight in a year.
those num bers on the menu to
h elp p e o p le m ak e in fo rm e d
choices.
Likewise, most fast-food meals
com e with fries and high calorie
sodas. T hese restaurants could
help m ake it easier for us to keep
our caloric intake dow n by m ak
ing the default accom panim ent
to our m eals low er calorie items
such as a sm all salad, piece of
fruit, a low -fat m ilk or bottle of
water. Fries and sugared sodas
w ould still be available, but w e’d
Increasing the share o f advertising that promotes
healthier foods, especially for children, would
contribute greatly to our long-term health.
__________________ _______ I
relatively modest additional cost.
M ake no m istake: I’m not
ab o u t to a tta c k the G o ld en
A rches. Indeed, because o f its
convenience my family and I find
ourselves pulling into fast-food
establishm ents from time to time.
But the d istressing fact is,
fast food can be very high in
calories, and increasing caloric
intake is a m ajor contributor to
the n atio n ’s grow ing o besity
problem . And obesity was only
recently identified as approach
ing to b acco ’s place as the pre
m iere cause o f prem ature death
am ong A m ericans.
E aten re g u la rly , fast food
contributes to obesity because
it's so energy dense that m ost of
o u r bodies d o n 't get enough
exercise to burn up the excess
calo ries. L arge portion sizes
The good new s is this is a prob
lem with a solution. M cD onald’s,
by announcing that it will d isco n
tinue the “supersize” option, al
ready has taken a step in the right
direction. M ore can be done.
For exam ple, how many people
know that a l/3 -p o u n d burger has
740 calories, but the 2/3-pound
burger w eighs in at 1,200 calories?
By now, m ost consum ers in stin c
tively know that fast-food m eals
are high in calories.
have to ask for them specifically
to get them.
A d v e rtisin g h e a v ily in f lu
ences what we consum e, includ
ing uncounted burgers, fries and
sodas. H ow ever, only about 2
percent o f that w as for fruits,
vegetables, grains and beans. In
creasing the share o f advertising
that prom otes healthier foods,
especially for children, w ould
contribute greatly to our long
term health.
But. unlike highly accessible
So, M cD onald's, thank you
nutrition labels on packages at the for making it a little easier for my
grocery store, fast-food outlets fam ily, and m illions o f others, to
often d o n 't m ake it easy. G ranted, eat more healthfully. H ere's hop
some chains have posters or b ro ing it's only the start o f an indus
chures in their stores, but often try trend to help us make wise
that inform ation is inconvenient choices when we eat out.
and hard to use. If restaurants
Dr Mel Kohn is the state epi
want to m ake the healthy choice demiologist in the Oregon De
the easy ch o ice, they can put partment o f Human Services.
I