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
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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
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E ditor - in - c h ie f . P ublisher : Charles H. Washington
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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.