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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Oct. 18, 2006)
o Page A4 1 JJnrtlanò COhseruer October 18. 2006 O pinion Opinion articles do not necessarily reflect or represent the views o f The Portland Observer Political Censorship it ' s 0UK Ho ÍHÍ íp ' s BEHÍNt> 1RS suppresses Bush critics L E F T BEHW p nxicY/ by J udge ! I You DEM s W o UIDH t ÜNt>ERÿTM4p. fT 's ’ A FAMILY VALUES ‘ tNV OFTMiHG/.. Intimidating progressive voices in this country — whether through wire tapping or 1RS sanctions - will only eliminate what little piece o f democracy this nation has left. Cutting and Running from Iraq? Where’s the enlistments from war’s proponents? in J im H ightower Kai I Rove's red-hot buzz phrase tor this tail's election is "cut-and- run Democrat." It’s meant to be hurled with a derisive sneer at anyone who dares oppose George W's war of lies and failure in Iraq. But wait - the obvi ous response to this is that those in the administration itself cut and ran long ago. When it comes to standing firm in Iraq, who is actually standing there? Not Mr. Bush's two daugh ters or eight nieces and nephews. •S' ¿5 They're all of prime enlistment age, but they chose to cut and run rather than sign up for their Daddy's war. Not the loved ones of Cheney, Rummy, or any of the other ardent warmongers in Bush's top circle - they cut and ran, too. Then there's Congress. A recent "New York Times" article practi cally wailed that Sen. Max Baucus’ nephew had been killed in Iraq, saying it "showed how death and grief can invade the halls on Con gress." Indeed, this young man's death is horrible, as are those of the 2,700 other Americans who have been sacrificed in this wretched war. But while feeling the pain of this one senator, let’s not forget that Congress continues to throw our young people, our public trea sury, and our global reputation into the wasteland of Iraq - yet, of 535 members of'Congress, only six have close relatives whose lives have been put at risk there. The loved ones of the other 99 percent of lawmakers have chosen not to take a stand in Iraq. The same is true of the right- wing media hlatherers. the military contractors that are profiting from the war, the Wall Street financial G reg M athis Churches, social jus tice organizations and other nonprofits are pro hibited under the law from doing any political cam paign work. If they break the rules, the Internal Revenue Ser vice can come in and snatch away the organization's tax exempt sta tus. The law was first introduced in 1954 by then-Sen. Lyndon Johnson who wanted to stop verbal attacks against him by some nonprofit or ganizations in his home state of Texas. It seems the law is once again being used to silence dis senting political voices. The IRS nization has been attacked for its views. A fter Julian Bond, the NAACP’s chairman, made negative remarks about the president in a speech at the group's national conven tion, the NA ACPrecei ved a letter from the 1RS request ing information related to the speech. The NAACP, the country's oldest civil rightsorganization, refused tocom- ply. That resistance was rewarded in the courts. We can only hope All Saints Church will also be victori ous. The Bush administration sup ports conservative Christian orga nizations through its "faith-based" initiatives. Those very same groups have a huge impact on the current administration’s policy decisions - issues such as stem cell research, has once again gone after an orga nization that dared to present a view that contradicts those of the conservative right that currently runs this country. Is the 1RS ag gressively seeking to make sure nonprofits play by the rules or is the organization a pawn in a master plan that seeks to limit freedom of expression? All Saints Episcopal Church in Pasadena, Calif, is the 1RS’ latest target. A guest speaker at the church made antiwar comments a few days before the 2004 presiden tial elections. Now the 1RS wants the church to turn over documents that relate to those remarks. Believing the probe is politically motivated, the church's leaders voted tochallenge the 1RS in court. By refusing, the church forces the IRS to either drop the case or to ask the Justice Department to take the church to court. The 1RS' investigation is a clear act of political censorship. It is ap parent that the current administra tion wants to suppress voices that oppose the war in Iraq and the Bush administration at large. This isn’t the first time an orga- powers, and the other elites who damned sure aren't volunteering to have their kids become "boots on the ground.” To stop this war in its tracks, require that all these cut-and-run- ners be a part of it. If Bush's war is not worth putting their families at risk, it's not worth the risk of any family. Rep. Charles Rangel has a bill that confronts the hypocrisy of these cut-and-runners. To learn about his Universal Service Act, call 202-225-4365. Jim Hightower is the best-sell ing author o f "Thieves In High Places: They've Stolen Our Coun try Anil It's Time To Take It Back." Get the Flu Shot, Not the Flu. abortion and gay rights are all heavily influenced by the Christian right. The president himself often uses his faith to justify his actions. And, when mobilizing voters for the 2004 elections, the president’s chief strategist relied heavily on conservative churches and organi zations to spread his "message." Y et, the federal government now wants tochallengea liberal church, returning to that old dictum, saying church and state should be sepa rate. The hypocrisy is appalling. The Justice Department should begin its own investigation. One that looksinto these IRSchallenges to find out whether they actually have a legal basis or are politically motivated. Our government agen cies cannot be used as political pawns. Intimidating progressive voices in this country - whether through wire tapping or 1RS sanc tions-w ill only eliminate what little piece of democracy this nation has left. Judge Greg Mathis is national vice president o f Rainbow PUSH and a national board member of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference Fight The Good Fight T h an k s to the P ortland Freeman. Observer’s Sarah Blount and Mark Anyway, as that community re Washington for capturing the lead builds and fight the good fight, story in the Oct. 4 edition depicting along with the local authorities to the goings on at the Longview resolve these events and rid their House of Prayer for All Nations community of hate mongers, it is church. nice to know that this local newspa I grew up in Longview and in that per cares enough to shed light on neighborhood and attended that civil rights offenses no matter where church from time totime. My grand they originate! mother is the civil rights pioneer Carl Washington you mention in the article, Victoria North Portland ¿5 S3 I £ I O u w * a * ttrr»f u t « m m m .rry* n i f Settle with Foxworth Mayor Tom Potter should not and privacy afforded to all U.S. spend taxpayers money in "vigor citizens by the First and Fourteenth ously” defending demotion of Po Amendments. lice Chief Derrick Foxworth. Foxworth does not have to even Potter should negotiate an out- prove he was racially discriminated of -court settlement since the pri- to be afforded his free speech rights. vatee-mails to Foxworth's girlfriend Shantu Shah are protected forms of free speech Southwest Portland Flu Shots are Covered for People with Medicare. ' D Sllhscrihcl U U S L IlD t M For Information, call 1-800-M E D IC A R E or visit www.m edicare.gov 503-288-0033' Fill Out & Send To: ' ^'''^Jortlaiib flDhsrrurr | Atttv. Subscriptions. PO Box 3137, Portland OR 97208 | 1 subscriptions are ju s t Medicare Raga por las Vacunas de Gripe. Rara Información. Llame al 1-800-MEDICARE o visítanos a! wivw.medicare.gov j CDC $60 per yeat I (please include check with this subscription form) * j N ame : ___ I T elephone : I J A ddress : or email subscriptions® portlandohserver.com
