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October 25. 2006
O pinion
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
Democracy in Action!
Our Voter Guide:
T h e P o r t la n d O b s e r v e r m a k e s the f o ll o w i n g
endorsem ents f o r the N ov. 7 G e n e ra l E le c tio n :
Governor:
Bringing Dignity to the Addicted
Stress people’s strengths,
not their symptoms
K aren
W heeler
by
Gov. Ted Kulongoski,
Democrat
If you've never
been addicted, this
may surprise you:
Getting into treat
ment for an alco
hol, drug or gam
bling addiction is
often a frightening
experience. You're
afraid o f change,
scared to live w ith
out your habit, ques
tioni ng whether you
d e s e rv e su c c e s s
b e c a u s e p e o p le
have beaten you
dow n about your
Circuit Court Judge:
Ulanda L. Watkins
Multnomah County
Commissioner:
Lew Frederick
Measure 40: No
Takes away your vote for all Supreme Court judges.
Measure 41: No
Tax deduction w ould reduce revenue for state services.
Measure 42: Yes
Credit scores in insurance rates discriminate against minorities,
poor.
Measure 43: No
A nother attempt to chip away at Roe v. Wade.
Measure 44: Yes
Opens Oregon Prescription Drug Plan to all.
Measure 45: No
Throws out limited African-American incumbents with term
limits.
Measure 48: No
Imposes arbitrary state spending limit that hurts schools, se
niors and low-income people.
Multnomah County Library Levy: Yes
Retain our vital library services.
Portland Public Schools Levy: Yes
survived.
The last time I
saw this woman,
though, she was in
recovery from her
addiction and en
rolled in am aster's
program on an O r
eg o n u n iv ersity
cam pus.
What changed?
For the first time
You talk to a cancer patient about
hope for recovery; we should be
talking to addicts that way, too.
Regardless o f the disease, we believe
giving people hope supports wellness.
N obody
can
m ak e tre a tm e n t
easy, but Oregon is
going to make it a better experi
ence.
I rem em ber the story o f a
hom eless heroin addict. She
wound up in the hospital after
being hit by a Mack truck while
wandering on a highway shoul
der. W ith dozens o f broken
bones, it was a miracle she even
in years, someone - it was her
parole officer - told her she
was a worthwhile person.
It's the same message people
fighting addictions need to hear
when they're in treatment. This
is what we're telling Oregon
D epartm ental’Human Services
staff, writing intocontracts with
usps 959-680 Established 1 9 7 0
Call 503-288-0033
4 7 4 7 NE Martin Luther King, Jr.
Blvd., Portland, OR 97211
E n rroR -tN -C iiiE F, P iikusiier :
p e e s in th e shower.
ChadesH. Washington
E ditor : Michael Leighton
P i ibijc R elations : Mark Washington
C reative D irector : Paul Neufeldt
O ffice M anager : Kathy Linder
R eporter :
Sarah Mount
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should be talking to addicts that
way, too. Regardless of the dis
ease, we believe giving people
hope supports wellness.
Recovery is an issue o f not
only personal quality o f life, but
also reduced medical, judicial
and other expense to the public.
To be successful, treatment
shouldn't be treated solely as a
medical episode. It should be
supported by families who are
engaged, by peer-to-peer coun
seling, by alcohol- and drug-
free housing and by other con
tinuing supports that promote
recovery.
People who want to get into
treatment and recovery or who
want to help a loved one should
keep these two phone numbers
handy: regon Partnership: 1-
800-923-4357 to learn about al
cohol and other drug treatment
and Gam bling helpline: 1-877-
278-6766 for information about
free, L ottery -fin an ced tre a t
ment.
No matter how long you have
been addicted, we believe you
have strengths to overcom e your
disease. We believe in your re
covery.
Karen W heeler is addictions
policy m anager in the Oregon
D ep a rtm en t o f H um an Ser-
appointment orthe diabetic who
eats a forbidden box o f dough
nuts.
We are telling state-financed
treatm ent providers to stress
people's strengths and resilience,
not their symptoms and illness.
You talk to a cancer patient
about hope for recovery; we vice s.
ffl'r|jnrtlauii (Obseruvr
A dvertisdw ith diversity ill
i l ’r $ Iiirtjn n i> ( lìb s e r u e r
Funding is needed to improve, m aintain local schools.
INSTANT
BIRTH
CONTROL
state-financed treatment provid
e rs an d re p o rtin g to th e
Governor's Council on Alcohol
and Drug Abuse Programs.
Science tells us addiction is a
disease, yet addicts trying to get
well may be treated more nega
tively than the chronically ill per
son with heart disease, diabetes
or cancer.
An addict who relapses while
in treatment - say, an individual
uses alcohol or drugs while on a
pass - is often discharged from
the program. But that is like
denying treatment to the cancer
patient who misses a chemo
Portland and Vancouver
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P ostmaster : Send address changes to
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Failure to Indict
The decision by a grand jury
that there was no criminal mis
conduct in the police in-custody
death of James Chasse Jr. is
disappointing, but not surpris
ing. As far as we know, there has
never been an indictment of a
Portland Police officer for on-
duty use of force.
We suspect that one reason
for the outcome is our current
system which puts the District
Attorney, who works with po
lice on a daily basis to indict
criminal suspects, in the position
of asking a jury to indict those
same officers.
We are encouraged that the
Mayor and the Chief are pledging
to improve the way the mental
health and law enforcement com
munities work together.
However, we hope that they
do not divert attention from the
fact that James Chasse did not
die because he suffered from
mental illness, he died because
police officers beat him so se
verely they fractured 16 of his
ribs and splintered pieces of his
ribs punctured his lungs.
We look forward to giving the
community a space to remember
James Chasse, Jr. in a peaceful
memorial vigil next Friday at First
Congregations Church. For more
inform ation see our w ebsite
atportlandcopwatch.org.
Dan Handelman
Portland Copwateh
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P o litic iz in g Judges
Unlike many states, Oregon
has avoided judicial partisanship.
This protects judges from being
swayed by campaign contribu
tions and has helped to maintain
public respect for our courts.
Measure 40 will end that great
tradition.
Measure 40 provides that each
of Oregon's Supreme Court and
Court of Appeals judges must be
elected by a district (not state
wide. as now is the case), with
the Legislature drawing the dis
tricts and assigning existing ap
pellate judges to particular dis
tricts.
The measure may be appeal
ing at first glance because it seems
to foster geographic diversity,
but this is a Trojan horse for
those who would politicize the
judiciary.
Measure 40 undermines judi
cial independence. Its sponsors
know the measure will make it
easier for special interests to pick
off appellate judges who make
decisions they don't like - or to
dissuade judges from making
those decisions in the first place.
Measure 40 invites the Legis
lature to play polities with the
judiciary by carving Oregon into
districts for purposes of electing
Supreme Court and Court of
Appeals judges. Voters would
then elect judges to "represent”
their district, which itself is a
concept that is contrary to a fair
and impartial judiciary that tries
to follow the law.
Measure 40 requires judicial
redistricting when legislative dis
tricts are reapportioned, assur
ing that the lines will be drawn at
the height of partisan wrangling
in the Legislature. It makesjudges
more vulnerable to special inter
ests.
Instead of voting in all seven
Supreme Court races, each voter
could vote in only one. Instead of
voting in all 10 Court of Appeals
races, each voter could vote in
only two. Special interests will
have a greater impact on smaller,
regional elections where they can
exploit single issues, and 15 per
cent of the voters in just one
district could force a recall elec
tion of ajudge, instead of needing
15 percent of the voters in the
entire state, as is now required.
The judicial branch is intended
to serve as a cheek on the legis
lative and executive branches.
Instead of bending to the political
sways of the day, judges should
decide disputes impartially and to
be faithful to the law above all
else.
Don't put our judicial system at
risk. Vote ‘No’ on Measure 40.
Gary M. Berne
Portland attorney