Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (June 15, 2005)
ul!‘'|Jn rtla n b ODbseruer Page A4 lune 15. 2005 Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer O pinion A Bad Deal on Judges R ev . J esse L. J ackson S r . up because they are zealots, activ T he deal cut by 14 senators to ists inclined to use their position head off the “nuclear option” in the on the bench to enforce their very fight over B u sh 's judicial nom ina right-w ing social and econom ic tions has been hailed as if it brought views. O w en has been in the pocket peace in our tim e. John M cC ain is o f corporations and against con celebrated as the new leader o f the sum ers and w orkers in her tenure Senate. Joe Lieberm an says getting on the T exas bench. Brown is an deals like this done is why he cam e advocate for reversing the entire to the Senate. Editorialists hail the jurisprudence o f the civil rights era by and the New Deal. She describes the N ew Deal as the “trium ph o f our S ocialist revolution.” P ryor is fam ous for reviving states' rights doctrines to lim it congressional protection o f civil rights, and re m ove constitutional protection o f gay rights or w o m en 's right to reproductive freedom . T hese are ju d g e s w ho w ant to outlaw affirm ativ e actio n , ban abortion, roll back w orker rights, and lim it the ability o f C ongress to regulate co rp o ratio n s. T hey w ant to do this not as legislators, elected by the people to m ake such decisions, but as lifetim e appointees to the federal ju d iciary w here they are supposed to apply the laws, not m ake them . In the right-w ing Federalist S o ciety that vets the p re sid e n t’s c h o ic e s , so m e c h a m p io n th e “C onstitution in E xile,” the n o tion that we should go back to the days w hen con serv ativ e ju d g e s enforced laissez faire doctrin es as if they w ere part o f the co n stitu tional text. T he so-called “m oderate” deal on the filibuster let three truly rea ctio n ary n o m in ees be c o n firm ed f o ra lifetim e appointm ent to the federal appeals courts. T his isn ’t about cutting deals that split the difference, o r preserving the S en ate’s traditions. It is about w hether the presid en t w ill be al low ed to pack the courts w ith right-w ing activist ju d g e s for life tim e appointm ents. T he trium phant “m o d erates” ju st let three o f the m ost extrem e through. A nd that is a truly bad deal. . Th« Good In Th« MmvMxxHoed Plannin« C vxmw M m I /AY^TERY of 30 #3o These are judges who want to outlaw affirmative action, ban abortion, roll back worker rights, and limit the ability o f Congress to regulate corporations. trium ph o f the center, and paint it as a loss for the “extrem es,” particu larly for the fundam entalist right. Say w hat? Take a close look at this deal. It preserved the right o f the D em ocratic m inority to filibus ter. But the filibuster is a tool o f the em battled, no, a centerpiece o f progress. Preserving the filibuster ju st m eans that the minority can live to fight again. T h at’s fine, but it isn’t much. In exchange, D em ocrats agreed to go forward without filibuster with three o f the w orst Bush nom inees — Priscilla R. O wen, Janice Rogers Brown and W illiam H. Pryor Jr. And they agreed not to use the filibuster except in “extraordinary” circum sta n c e s — w h ich p re su m a b ly m eans if Bush nom inates a true N eanderthal to the Suprem e Court. R epublicans agreed not to vote for the nuclear option, unless D em o crats filibuster a judicial nominee. T h ere’s also language urging Bush to consult with D em ocratic and Republican senators before sub m itting his nom inees, w hich is akin to asking him to go to the United N ations before invading Iraq. It’s unlikely to happen — and if it does, it w on’t m ake any difference. T he w hole point o f using the filibuster w asn 't to prove its worth but to stop truly reactionary activ ist ju d g es from being confirm ed to the bench. This isn ’t about conser v ativ e ju d g e s o r estab lish m e n t judges. T w o hundred eight o f 218 Bush nom inees have been con firm ed. T o the extent he nam ed any m oderate conservatives, th e y 're already on the bench. No, these nom inees w ere held THRoftT YEARS Thanks Dads Who Have Quit Smoking by L olenzo T. P oe J r . F ather’s Day is a day o f com m em oration and celeb ratio n o f fathers. It’s o u r chance to say thank you. Thank you for taking ti me out o f your busy day to teach us how to ride a bike; thank you for missing the big football gam e on TV to take us to soccer practice; and thank you for encouraging us to believe we were capable o f achieving any goal w e put our m inds to. F ather’s D ay is our chance to say thank you to all those fathers who were there w hen their kids needed them , especially w hen they needed them toquit smoking. Thank you for know ing the dangers and taking the steps to protect the ones you love. I ju st hope m ore fathers can learn from this exam ple. A lthough the side effects o f sec- Advertise with divwsity in ul"' Povtlaitft (Ob- ertirr Call 5 0 3 -2 8 0 )0 3 3 — L. I Washington Mutual 2 0 0 5 Good In the NeighborHood Multicultural Music & Food Festival Z \othe 2005 K ing S ch o o l P a r k 4 8 0 0 B lock op n e 6 th ( south op ne alberta st ) y A nnually an estim ated 150,000 time achild. who has lived with smok to 300,000 new cases o f bronchitis ers, reaches age five they will have ondhand sm oke on adults and pneum onia in children under inhaled the equivalent o f 102 packs are detrim ental, th e y ’re 18 m onths o f age are associated o f cigarettes. T his says nothing o f the fact co m pounded for babies w ith secondhand sm oke exposure and children because their in the United States. A pproxim ately that chi ldren look up to their fathers bodies are still develop 7,500 to 15,(XX) o f w hich require and sm oking in front o f them sends S e c o n d h a n d the w rong m essage. It says, d e ing. Sm aller airw ays in h o s p ita liz a tio n . duce rapid breathing rates sm oke can also trigger Sudden In spite the know n dangers, despite w hich in turn allow more fant D eath Syndrom e. A frican- the attem pts to conceal it and d e to x in s in the body per A m erican babies are tw o to three spite condem ning it, that sm oking pound o f w eight than adults. T he tim es m ore likely to die from SIDS is O K because I, the father, do it. This is not the m essage we should little fibers,calledC ilia,w hichclean than C aucasian babies. It’s alarm ing to see how little send o u r kids. the respiratory tract c a n ’t function So again, on this F ather’s D ay, properly. A nd the im m une system people know and care about the ef is w eakened allow ing infections to fects o f secondhand smoke, espe thank you to the fathers w ho have cially when it com es to babies and quit sm oking for their kids. For those last longer. A s a result o f secondhand sm oke children. In Oregon, close to 167,000 fathers that h aven’t kicked the habit ex p o su re, ch ild ren have an in children are exposed to secondhand yet, please do, your kids will thank c re a se d c h a n c e o f c o n tra c tin g sm oke in the hom e each year. They you for it later. Q uitting is not easy. G et free asthm a, bronchitis and pneum o are exposed to 43 cancer-causing agents and other toxins, including help from O reg o n ’s T obacco Quit nia. Each year, secondhand sm oke Lineal 1-877-270-7867. formaldehyde, used in foam insula is associated with an estimated 8,000 tion; cyanide, used for m anufacture Lolenzo T. Poe Jr. is director of to 26,(XX) new asthm a cases in ch il the Multnomah County Depart o f plastics; carbon m onoxide, a dren across the nation. O f those, ment of School and Community byproduct o f gasoline engines; and more than 1,900 are A frican-A m eri Partnerships. arsenic, used as a pesticide. By the can children in the Portland area. Lighting up sends wrong message Bush Beholden to Blair and Africa by J udge G reg M athis W hen President Bush rallied the U.N. and its m em ber nations for support for his w ar on terror, his feeble stance w as strength ened by the backing o f British Prim e M inister T ony Blair. B lair stood by Bush, offering both fi nancial and hum an capital in the crusade. Surely Blair thought he would reap the ben efits o f his co n tro versial support; af ter all, Bush w ould be indebted to him. B lairco u ld n ’th av e been m ore wrong. A s p art o f his activities as chair o f G 8, B lair personally appealed to She O regonian M ET frevauM XAM W i« ««» Partnership ------ Wtudimytoo od Or«gu». wortung toyvttHx Thursday, June 23 6 :0 0 • 1 0 :0 0 pm Open House Kickoff Party for the economy, joto». o d quahty commonme» Come share and help 573« NF 33rd Av« build a better tomorrow Saturday, June 2 5 1 1 :0 0 am The Good In the N eighborhood 1-5 Delta Park to Lombard Widening Project Community enhancement meeting Martin Luth«» Km ç J r Btvd www good)nthan«lghborhoodorg Saturday, June 25 12:00 - 9:30 pm & Sunday, June 26 12:00 - 7:45 pm King School Park (Tire Monday, June 20, 2005 - 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Salvation Army Moore Street Community Center 5325 N. Williams Avenue, Portland, Oregon 4800 Block of NE 6th (South of NE Alberto S t) Featuring; The Patrick Lamb Bond - The Linda Hornbuckle Band - Ocean 503 - The Light Cool Breeze NTouch - Norman Sylvester Band - Kant B Caught - Chatta Addy A Susuma - and More What are community enhancements? Kidspace - Ethnic Marketplace - Information Village - Ethnic Food - Beer and Wine Garden Bring Your Lawn Chairs & Blankets & Enjoy the Food, Dance & Music Avoid Parking Hassles - - Plan your trip @ Trimet.org The 1-5 Partnership Strategic Plan recommended the creation of a community enhancement fund to benefit the communities being impacted by transportation projects on 1-5 ^Portland (0 b scru cr Established 1970 USPS 959-680 ___________________________________ 4747 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 E ditor - in - c h ie f . P ublisher : Charles H. Washington E ditor M ichael Leighton R eporter : Katherine Kovacich D istribution M anager : M ark W ashington C reative D irector : Paul N eu feld t O ffice M anager : Kathy L inder Send address changes to Portland Observer, P0 Box3 1 3 7 , Portland, OR 9 7 2 0 8 Subscriptions are $60.00 per year 503-288-0033 FAX 503-288-0015 news @portlundobserver. com subscription @portlandobserver. com ads @portlandobserver. com classifieds@Dorilandobserver.com The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and w ill be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope A ll crealed design display ads become the sole property o f the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent o f the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition o f such ad © 1996 THF. PO R TLAND OBSERVER A L L RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN W HOLE OR IN PART W ITH O U T PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED The Portland Ohserver-Oregon 's Oldest Multicultural Publication--is a member o f the National Newspaper Association-Founded in 1885. and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers, Inc. New York. NY, and The West Coast Black Publishers Association. Serving Portland and Vancouver. This fund has not yet been created, but participating citizens involved in the 1-5: Delta Park to Lombard have generated ideas including better sidewalks and bicycle facilities, a canoe launch, more trees in neighborhoods, and an air quality project. ODOT would like to invite the community to discuss the possibility of the fund and the types of community projects to be considered We need your input! For more Info about this project please contact Kate Deane, Project Manager at the Oregon Department of Transportation Call (503) 731-8245 or email: kate.h.deane@odot.state.or us Please visit the project website at http://egov Oregon gov/odot/hwy/region 1 /i-5deltapark/ Bush and other w orld leaders to secure pledges to double aid to A frica over the next 10 years. G8, or G roup 8, is a m em ber organization o f the w o rld ’s richest nations: B rit ain, Canada, France, Germany, Italy, Japan, R ussiaand the United States. T he group will m eet this July in Scotland to develop an agenda to, am ong other things, put an end to poverty on the A frican continent. A pparently, President Bush is not fam iliar w ith the particulars o f po litical payback - not only did he refuse to reconsider his earlier re fusals to double aid to A frica, he also stood before the m edia and the w orld and pledged an em barrass ingly low dollar am ount to support this cause: $674 m illion in em er gency aid. If this sounds like a generous am ount, d o n ’t be fooled. Currently, the U.S. contributes 0 .16-percent o f its national incom e to aid to poor natio n s. T h is, d esp ite ag reein g three years ago to increase aid to 0.7-percent by 2015 or about $80 b illio n . T h a t’s ab o u t the sam e am ount the Senate recently allo cated for a supplem ental budget for military spending. A nd it’s nowhere near last y ea r’s o v er $100 billion corporate tax cut. W hen asked w hy the U.S. ca n ’t com m it m ore funds as other coun tries have. Bush rem arked that it “d o esn ’t fit into our budgetary pro cess.” A m eric a's budget has room for a w ar with no real enem y and no exit plan in sight, but none to help prevent m alaria deaths in thou sands o f children, provide educa tion for girls and develop youth- oriented program s in various parts o f A frica? Judge Greg Mathis is chairman of the Rainbow PUSH-Excel Board and a national board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference.
