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Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
O pinion
to the
May 24. 2006
itor
Democrats United
The Democratic Party is united behind Gov. Ted Kulongoski
and we are energized for the general election campaign.
This election is about w hat's at stake for O regon 's tuture
and w hether we will continue to build on the progress o f the
past three years. W ith a D em ocratic G overnor and a D em o­
cratic state legislature we can continue to invest in our
schools, provide affordable healthcare, create living wage
'jobs forevery O regonian, and make our state the capital lor the
uses and innovations of renewable energy technologies.
Like their Republican leader George Bush, Ron Saxton and
Ben W estlund want to lake our state in the other direction.
They are both adviKating policies that would result in huge
cuts in our schools and health care system.
W orse, whether it s Iraq, illegal wire tapping or raiding our
public lands, you c a n 't trust these guys to stand up for Oregon
and against the Republicans in W ashington. Mr. Saxton, a big
donor to G eorge B ush's re-election cam paign, said that it is
wrong to criticize the President's handling of the w ar in Iraq.
Ron Saxton is right when he say O regonians want change,
but it'scertainly not m oreofthe failed Republican policies that
he and Ben W estlund have spent their careers peddling. They
want to run Oregon just like Bush is running this country - on
a credit card and we ca n ’t afford anym ore o f that.
Dem ocrats welcome a robust and substantive debate on the
issues and Gov. K ulongoski’s vision for Oregon. For D em o­
crats and for Oregon, the choice is clear.
Jim Edmundson
Oregon Democratic Party Chair
kN W -
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M S P //N • °
■ M M M M N M M H M H N M I •
I
Gun Dealers Sell Illegal Weapons
A cc o rd in g to
N ew York City investigators reports, investiga­
made illegal gun purchases in 5 tors wearing hid­
states from 15 gun dealers as part of den cameras made
an undercover investigation. The straw purchases,
tw o-m onth long sting was part of a an illegal purchase
calculated and unique cam paign to in which an indi­
cut down the num ber o f illegal guns v id u a l p ro v id e s
their name for the
that make it into the city.
O fficials say this is the first time legally mandated
such an operation has been carried background check
out on such a large scale. Federal for a gun that will clearly be used by
officials should take note and fol­ someone else. The purchases were
low suit, by leading the way on made in Georgia, Ohio, Pennsylva­
sim ilar investigations around the nia, South Carol ina and Virginia. Each
of the dealers previously sold guns
counrry.
by J udge G reg
M athis
New York City investigators prove racket
With an opponent as
powerful as the NRA
pulling the strings,
individual cities are hard
pressed to win this battle, v
that were linked toover500crim es in
New York City: each dealer made an
illegal gun sale during the sting. The
city will use this evidence in a lawsuit
against those dealers.
It seems that such investigations
may be one o f the last remaining
ways to fight gun violence in this
country. The National Rifle A sso­
ciation, one o f the most powerful
lobbies in this country, has made it
virtually im possible for gun control
advocates to com bat gun-related
crimes. The N R A ’s allies include
num erous elected officials, all o f
whom have received generous fi­
nancial support from the organiza­
tion. In return, these congressm en
prom ote legislation that protects
the nation’s gun dealers.
Republican Rep. Todd Tiahrt of
Kansas w orked tirelessly to add ons that make it onto urban streets.
provisions to a Bureau o f Alcohol, All o f these cases were eventually
Tobacco and F irearm 's bill; ensur­ rejected. W ith an opponent as pow ­
ing the A TF could no longer pro­ erful as the NRA pulling the strings,
vide inform ation from its gun sales individual cities are hard pressed to
databank to the public and that the win this battle.
O ver 300,000 A m ericans are in­
data could not be used as evidence
in court. A crim e gun trace follows ju red or killed during gun-related
the sales history o f the gun. from crim es each year. In the African-
m anufacturer, to the dealer and, American community, gun violence
finally, to the first buyer. In the is a pressing concern: the gun death
past, this inform ation has helped rate for blacks is twice that o f whites.
A c o lle c tiv e in v e s tig a tio n ,
law enforcem ent and com m unity
headed
by the federal governm ent,
groups identify the close relation­
is
needed
to put an end to these
ship between the gun industry and
sen
seless
crim es. W ith enough
the illegal gun market.
Recently, Republican Rep. Lamar evidence in hand, the federal gov­
Smith o f Texas introduced legisla­ ernm ent could then begin to crack
tion that w ould make those provi­ dow n on these rogue retailers and,
ultim ately, m ake a dent in the num ­
sions permanent.
O thercities have tried suing gun ber o f guns that m ake it onto our
m anufacturers, dealers and d is­ streets.
Judge Greg Mathis is national
tributors: Chicago, Detroit and Gary,
Ind. have all filed lawsuits - for vice president o f Rainbow PUSH
hundreds o f millions o f dollars - and a national board member o f
claim ing that the gun dealers co n ­ the Southern Christian Leadership
tribute to the flow of illegal weap- Conference.
While I Was Sleeping
OHSU doctors are virtually unaccountable
K en At KERMAN
It was supposed
tobe a45-minute day
su rg ery . “ D im e a
dozen," my doctor
said. When the an­
esthesia wore off. I'd
go home.
S e v e ra l w ee k s
earlier, I had been
playing tennis when
I felt a sharp pain in my neck. I called
the head o f neurosurgery at OHSU
who referred me to a doctor on his
staff. We met and decided I would
undergo a procedure designed to
reduce spinal nerve pressure.
Follow ing the early m orning
operation I woke up in a hospital
room. I w asn ’t supposed to be
there. It was dark outside. N ight­
time. I was supposed to be home.
Yet, here I was, htxtked up to tubes,
my friends and fam ily were there,
my m other was crying. My doctor
announced, “W e think the sw ell­
ing in your neck is the cause o f your
paralysis.”
Paralyzed? The shock o f hearing
that word was only slightly more
shocking than the news I received
a few weeks later. A friend told me
that an acquaintance o f his was in
the operating room during my sur­
gery and had w itnessed a second-
year resident perform most o f the
procedure. I had put my faith and
trust in one doctor. I had gone
under the anesthesia with the un­
derstanding that the physician I
had selected would be perform ing
my surgery. I began to look for legal
BV
I
r e p r e s e n ta tio n . T h a t 's
when I receivedanotherbig
surprise.
One well respected Port­
land lawyer told me I had a
case, but he w ouldn’t rep­
resent me because I had
the surgery at O H SU . D i k -
tors at O H SU claim protec­
tion under the O regon Tort
Claim s Act, a law designed
to limit liability for public agencies.
If you file a medical m alpractice
claim against an O H SU doctor, you
are limited toa max imum o f $2(X),(XX)
in dam ages. The cost, I learned, o f
preparing a m alpractice claim for
It's our contention that these do c­
tors shouldn't be able to hide be­
hind any kind o f public protection.
It took m o n th s o f p h y sic al
therapy before I finally regained
most of my mobility. However, over
the next tw o years, reality set in. I
would live the rest o f my life in pain
and with lim ited use o f my right
hand. 1 ca n ’t open a ja r o f baby food
for my young son. I will never be
able to put on a glove and play
catch with my son or teach him
many o f the things my father taught
me.
My trial is set for this com ing
August. A jury will decide if the
Paralyzed? The shock o f
hearing that word was only
slightly more shocking than
the news I received a few
weeks later.
trial is too great and d o esn 't pencil
out with the limits in place. In other
words, I discovered, O H SU do c­
tors are virtually unaccountable.
I was eventually able to find an
attorney w ho believed that, with
the right approach, we could make
a difference. We filed suit against
the OHSU M edical G roup, which
the doctors established in 1998 for
the express purpose o f separating
them selves from OHSU Hospital
O H SU M edical G roup doctors are
public agents or private business­
men. If jurors rule in our favor, it will
open the door for many others to
get the most basic o f questions
answered like. "W ho operated on
m e?" Just the first o f many ques­
tions a victim has a right to know
when a routine day surgery turns
into a lifelong disability.
Ken Ackerman is a form er Port­
land television anchor.