B lack H istory M
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The Portland
Observer
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Established 1970
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E D I T O R - I N - C H I E F . P U B L IS H E R :
Charles H. Washington
E d ito r :
Michael Leighton
D is t r ib u t io n M ana g er :
onth
.W
February 2, 2005
Rice Makes History Again
(A P) - A m erica’s first black
woman secretary of state took the
ceremonial oath of office Friday
surrounded by family and friends,
some who had traveled from her
native Alabama, as well as the presi­
dent, first lady and a Supreme Court
justice.
Right after she thanked Presi­
dent Bush and the first lady, Laura
Bush, Rice thanked her family and
friends.
“They represent generations of
Rices and Rays who believed that a
day like this might somehow be pos­
sible,” she said.
Rice, 50, was born in the segre­
gated South. Her resume is filled
with firsts, including being the
youngest provost o f Stanford Uni­
versity. She has been Bush’s White
House national security adviser for
four years.
“Condi has an abiding belief in
the power of democracy to secure
justice and liberty and the inclu­
sion of men and women of all races
and religions in the courses that
free nations chart for themselves,”
Bush said.
Rice pledged to use diplomacy
to widen the community of de­
mocracy. “You have given us our
mission, and we are ready to serve
our great country and the cause
of freedom for which it stands,”
she said.
Both Bush and Rice paid tribute
in their remarks toColin Powell, who
was secretary of state in Bush’s first
term and the first African-American
to hold the post.
President Bush smiles at new Secretary o f State
Condoleezza Rice during swearing-in ceremonies at the
State Department. (AP photo)
Mark W ashington
C reative D ir e c t o r :
Paul Neufeldt
Black Caucus Presents Agenda to Bush
O f f ic e M ana g er :
Kathy Linder
A ssistant E dttor :
Katherine Kovacich
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P A R T W IT H O U T P E R M IS S IO N
closing racial disparities.
The 43-member Congressional
Black Caucus presented Bush
with its eight-page agenda dur­
ing a private m eeting last week.
Rep. Mel Watt, D-N.C., the new
(AP) - Its relationship with the chairman of the group, said Bush
White House strained over the agreed to read the agenda and
last four years, the all-Democratic take it under advisem ent but
group of black congressional didn’t offer much response to it.
The agenda asks for more
members used its long-awaited
meeting with President Bush to spending on education for poor
ask him to adopt its agenda for and m inority students, health
Bush asked by
group to close
racial disparities
care for all Americans, promotion
of affirm ative action, aid to im­
poverished African and Carib­
bean nations, and a guarantee
that Social Security benefits con­
tinue to be paid, among other
requests.
Some members told the presi­
dent they were concerned that a
prominent Republican lawmaker
had suggested adjusting benefits
based on gender and race to take
into account differing average
lifespans. Bush did not respond
directly, said Rep. Charlie Rangel,
D-N. Y., but told the lawmakers he
plans to give more details of his
plan in the State of the Union
address.
Eleanor Holmes-Norton, the
District of Colum bia’s nonvoting
delegate to Congress, said Bush
said he would meet again with the
caucus. "But he said that last
tim e,” she said.
Bush has met three times with
the black caucus since taking
office four years ago. The first
meeting came shortly after his
inauguration, when the president
said it would “be the beginning
of, hopefully, a lot of meetings.”
But the next one didn’t come
until three years later when mem­
bers of the caucus showed up at
the W hite House to pressure the
adm inistration to preserve Presi­
dent Jean-B ertrand A ristid e’s
rule in Haiti.
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Kidnapped Soldier Picture on Web May Be Fake
(AP) — A Web site posted a photograph
of what it claimed was a kidnapped U.S.
soldier, but doubts were quickly raised about
its authenticity and the U.S. military said no
soldiers were missing.
An American toy manufacturer said the
figure in the photo resembled one of its
military action figures, originally produced
for sale at U.S. bases in Kuwait.
The statement appeared on a Web site
where militants’ statements are often posted
and was in the name of a group that has
claim ed previous kidnappings, the
Mujahedeen Brigades.
The Arabic text, however, contained sev­
eral misspellings and repetitions.
An image (left) posted on an Iraqi m ilitant Web site Tuesday and an image o f a
toy action figure named “ Cody." The Web site claimed it was a kidnapped U.S.
soldier, but doubts were quickly raised about its authenticity. (AP photo)
Staff Sgt. Nick Minecci, a U.S. military
spokesman in Baghdad, said “no units have
reported anyone missing.”
The photo in the posting showed a figure
dressed in desert fatigues, wearing a vest and
knee pads and with a gun pointed to its head.
All the items are similar to ones that come in a
box with the action figure, named "Cody.”
The figure appeared stiff and expression­
less. The statement said he was named “John
Adam.”
“It is our d o ll... To me, it looks definitely
like it is,” said a spokesman for the toy
company. If proven a fake, Tuesday’s post­
ing would not be the first hoax associated
with kidnappings in Iraq.
Support Drops
for Free Speech
Sharing stories and experiences with your
bring the meaning of Black Histor)
Pass it on every day.
Take some time to delve into the treasures in your midst
(AP) — The way many high
school students see it, govern­
ment censorship of newspa­
pers may not be a bad thing,
and flag burning is hardly pro­
tected free speech.
It tu rn s o u t th e F irs t
Am endm ent is a second-rate
issue to many o f those near­
ing their own adult indepen­
dence, according to a U ni­
versity of C onnecticut study
of high school attitudes re­
leased M onday.
The original amendment to
the Constitution is the corner­
stone of the way of life in the
United States, promising citi­
zens the freedoms of religion,
speech, press and assembly.
Yet, when told of the exact
text of the First Amendment,
more than one in three high
school students said it goes
“too far” in the rights it guar-
antees. Only half of the stu­
dents said newspapers should
be allowed to publish freely
without government approval
of stories.
“These results are not only
disturbing; they are danger­
ous,” said Hodding Carter III,
president of the John S. and
James L. Knight Foundation,
which sponsored the $1 mil­
lion study. “Ignorance about
the basics of this free society
is a danger to our nation’s
future.”
The results reflected indif­
ference, with almost three in
four students saying they took
the F irst A m endm ent for
granted or didn’t know how
they felt about it. It was also
clear that many students do
not understand what is pro­
tected by the bedrock of the
Bill of Rights.
Lawmaker Resigns in Scandal
(AP) — State Rep. Dan Doyle
resigned from the Legislature on
Monday, one week after state offi­
cials began investigating whether
he diverted campaign money to
personal use and falsified his cam­
paign finance report.
The Salem Republican had been
the champion of the fiscally con­
servative, no-new-taxes wing of the
House GOP caucus. Up until last
week, he had been the powerful co-
chairman of the Legislature’s bud­
get-writing committee.
But Doyle, a 47-year-old law­
yer who had served in the Legis­
lature since 2001, stepped down
from that post last W ednesday
amid the probe into his campaign
spending during the November
election.
On Friday, state election offi­
cials asked Attorney General Hardy
Myers to decide if a criminal probe
is warranted in view of the allega­
tions.
Correction: IFCC Agenda on Feb. 16
Allocating taxpayer monies to support the Interstate Firehouse Cultural
Center in north Portland will be considered by the Portland City Council
at City Hall on Wednesday, Feb. 16 at 9:30 a.m. The time for the budget
session was listed incorrectly in our issue last week. Another meeting to
discuss the future of the IFCC with Mayor Tom Potter has been
scheduled the night before on Tuesday, Feb. 15 at 5:15 p.m. in the City
Hall Rose Room. Area residents are encouraged to attend both meetings
to show support for the multicultural center.
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