Page A4
íl!e ^Jortlanb (Observer
O pinion
Elect a President: r
October 6, 2004
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views of The Portland Observer
ote
To vote in the Nov. 2 presidential election you must be 18 years old on Flection Day. 11 not
registered, a voter registration card must be postmarked at least 21 days before the election,
which is Oct. 12. For more information, call 1-866-673-8683.
A frican A m erican A llia n c e fo r H om eo w nership
(AAAH)
Presents
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Saturday, October 16, 2004
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Time to Get Serious
Just one week to register to vote
The follow ing is a Portland Observer
editorial:
Increasing voter turnout may be the key to
putting John Kerry into the White House — a
prospect we enthusiastically endorse.
Across America and in Oregon, Democrats
are beating Republicans by wide margins in the
drive to increase voter turnout in the Nov. 2
presidential election. That’s the right direction
for Kerry, a Democratic, but we can build on this
momentum.
First, make sure you and family and friends
are properly registered to vote and second,
make sure the ballots get mailed on time.
One vote can put Oregon in the win column
for Kerry and decide who will be the next
president of the United States. Because of the
Electoral College, a victory in a single battle
ground state like Oregon can make the differ
ence in a very close race, just like four years
ago.
There’s no time to waste. Voter registration
forms must be postmarked by Tuesday, Oct. 12.
Any citizen who is 18-years-old is eligible. Your
name and address must be current. Ballots will
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not be delivered addresses that are not current.
Voter registration forms are available from
the Oregon Secretary of State online at
www.oregonvotes.org. You can also find the
forms at the Oregon Dept. of Motor Vehicles,
post offices, libraries and other state agen
cies.
To cheek if your voter registration is current,
call the Multnomah County Elections division at
503-988-3720. Remember, even if you’ve been
convicted of a crime, you can vote as long as
you’re not currently in the custody of the Oregon
Department of Corrections.
Republicans have historically tried to suppress
the black vote. Don’t let this happen here.
Four years ago. President Bush and his high-
priced lawyers effectively stole the election by
going to the Supreme Court to stop the counting
of votes in Florida. Thousands of African Ameri
cans and other minorities were turned away
from the polls and disenfranchised from their
voting rights.
The first step to making sure this won’t hap
pen again is increasing the pool of registered
voters. It’s time to get serious about voting.
Honest Dialogue Missing
Your article about “Faith Lead songs in church but will ignore a
ers Take Sides,” on Constitutional significant piece of their personali
Amendment 36 was both hopeful ties so unmistakable, that the church
and tragic in the same sense in how will lie to itself to keep from con
far we have to go for an honest fronting realities.
dialogue about same-gender lov
We same-gender loving folks
ing issues in the African-American are the caretakers o f our nieces and
community.
nephews when our brothers or sis
With all due respect. Pastor T. ters are on crack-cocaine. We have
A llen B e th e l’s rem a rk s from taken care of momma and daddy
M aranatha Church o f God that “If
we would say it’s okay for same-sex
marriage, w e’re opening the door
for marriage between a female or
male with any other type of being,
a dog or what have you.” is grossly
misinformed and immensely insult
! Unless we grapple
ing.
There are many same-gender
loving couples that have been to
gether for more than 25 to 40 years
or more whom haven't sought the
solace or desire o f a dog for com
panionship, no more than a simple
household pet for themselves or
their children. A dog cannot tuck
you away at night or hold your
hand during troubled times.
The hypocrisy around same-
gender loving folks borders, per
sonally, on insanity in the African-
American community. We use ho
mosexuals’ talents and sing their
with the truth about
same-gender lovers,
we will consistently
stifle or muffle honest
dialogue...
because the rest of our siblings are
too busy and overwhelmed with
caring for their own families and
trying to make ends meet.
We have been surrogate fathers,
mothers, and grandparents depend
ing on the needs of our immediate
families, or when tragedy necessi
tates our stepping up to the plate.
We have supported our churches
and been there when there was no
one else, and you're going to de
grade our significance to the likes
o f a dog. We need to stop the
madness!
Unless we grapple with the truth
about same-gender lovers, we will
consistently stifle or muffle honest
dialogue about the real issues that
plague our communities. Like the
alarming rateof HI V infection in the
A frican -A m erican com m unity,
which has begun to target, specifi
cally, women because o f the “down
low” brothers with their internal
ized homophobia and our high rate
o f teen pregnancies.
W e’ve got to have an honest
and frank discussion about same-
gender loving issues within the
A frican -A m erican com m unity.
W e’ve got to have an honest dis
cussion about sexuality in ourcom -
munity because the secular world
is laughing at our hypocrisy.
Laws concerning human rights
and equality should be made and
had by all. It’s mind-boggling why
African-Americans can ’t see the
similarities from ourown civil rights
struggles.
Rev. John Garlington Hl
Northwest Portland
Bankrolled by Industry
B allot M easure 35 is a change in d u stry can tell you th a t the
to o u r C o n s titu tio n b e in g real ca u se o f h ig h p rem iu m s is
bankrolled by the insurance com the slu m p in th e sto ck m a rk e t—
panies, HM Os and pharm aceuti that we all ex p e rie n c e d — b eg in
cal com panies as a cure for high n ing in 2000. T h e in su ran ce in
m edicinal m alpractice prem ium s d u stry is co v e rin g its lo sses by
for doctors.
ja c k in g up th e rate s for d o c
B ut an y o n e in the fin an c ial to rs.
Astounding victory
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1
The presidential debate was an
astounding victory forour next presi
dent, John Kerry! He show ed
strength, conviction, and steady
command of the facts in his opinions
of the Bush Administration and the
misdirection and lies w e've been fed.
Kerry was clear in his message
that left no doubt he can lead the
fight to hunt and kill the terrorists.
He offered hope for a fresh start in
Iraq so we can finish the job.
Kerry has specific plans as to
how he would lead our country for
the next four years while Bush had
the same shallow promises and
poorly orchestrated messages of
deceit that he has continually at
tempted to spew onto the Ameri
can public.
The dumbing of the American
public and the expectations for us
to follow this series o f lies and
misdirections has got to end!
Rurk Jackson
Northeast Portland
Bush’s graver error
John K erry's consistent position on the war in Iraq has been poorly
communicated to the people, a mistake he acknowledged in Thursday’s
debate, but George Bush’s poor judgm ent in invading Iraq is the graver
error by far. —Japhet Roteen, Northeast Portland
t
Now the insurance com panies
w ant to lim it O reg o n ian s’ right to
a fair day in court. M easure 35
w on’t help doctors and it will hurt
O regonians. I urge O regonians
to vote no on 35.
Jason Quigley
Southeast Portland
Kerry strong,
decisive
This first debate w as one o f
the best I ’ve seen, thanks to
John Kerry. W hile Bush avoided
answ ering m ost questions d i
rectly, gave m isleading answers
and rolled his eyes, K erry re
m ained strong, decisive, and
thoughtful, offering a clear, in
telligent plan for the direction
o f U.S. security.
Bush m ade it clear he is sat
isfied w ith the way things are
going in Iraq despite the m oun
tains o f evidence contradicting
him. I'm not sure how it could
be clearer.
Mindy Pitch
Northeast Portland