Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current, March 28, 2007, Page 2, Image 2

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    March 28. 2007
Page A2
U.S. Attorney Flap Tied to Minority Vote
Com m ittee. He has denied any w rong­
doing.
Taken together, critics say, the re­
placem ent o f U.S. attorneys, the voter-
fraud cam paign and the changes in
Justice Departm ent voting rights poli­
cies suggest that the Bush adm inistra­
tion may have been using its law en ­
forcem ent powers for partisan politi­
cal purposes.
The Bush adm inistration's em pha­
sis on voter fraud is drawing scrutiny
from the Dem ocratic Congress, which
has begun investigating the firings of
eight U.S. attorneys — two o f whom
say that their ousters may have been
Top Republicans targeted 'election fraud'
Under President Bush, the Justice
Departm ent backed laws that narrow
minority voting rights and pressed U.S.
attorneys to investigate voter fraud —
policies that critics say have been
intended to suppress Democratic votes.
Bush, his deputy chief o f staff, Karl
Rove, and other Republican political
advisers have highlighted voting rights
issues and what Rove has called the
"grow ing problem" o f election fraud
by Democrats since Bush took pow er
in the tum ultuous election o f 2000.
Since 2005, McClatchy N ew spa­
pers has found. Bush has appointed at
least three U.S. attorneys who had
worked in the Justice Department's
civil rights division when it was rolling
back longstanding voting-rights poli­
cies aimed at protecting predominantly
poor, m inority voters.
A nother newly installed U.S. attor­
ney, Tim G riffin in Little Rock, Ark.,
was accused o f participating in efforts
to su p p ress D em ocratic votes in
Florida during the 2004 presidential
election while he was a research di­
rector for the Republican National
Karl Rove
Tuskegee A irm e n H o n o red
The C ongressional Gold
Medal will be conferred upon
the Tuskegee Airmen in recog­
nition of their heroism during
World War II during a cer­
emony on Thursday, March 29.
Legislation awarding Con­
gress' most distinguished ci­
vilian award was sponsored by
Democrats Charles Rangel of
the House Ways and Means
Committee and Carl Levin of the
Senate Armed Services Commit­
tee.
The Tuskegee Airmen per­
formed heroically during World
War II, serving with honor and
distinction. Their unwavering
commitment to protect and serve
their country even in the face of
C1?e Jdnrtkuih (Observer Established 1970
segregation and discrimination
is an inspiration for future gen­
erations.
During World War II, the
Tuskegee Airmen were the first
African Americans to fly in the
United States military, and their
efforts contributed to President
Truman's decision to desegre­
gate the military in 1948,
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W a s h in g to n
C r e a t iv e D ir e c t o r : P a u l N e u f e ld t
O f f ic e M a n a g e r : K a t h y L i n d e r
R eporter : Sarah B lo u n t
The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and will be returned if
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WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED.
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and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers. Inc. New York. NY. and The West ('oast Black Publishers
Association, Serving Portland and Vancouver.
((
My goal is to be a fie ld surveyor. ”
Spring classes start April 2?d.
ClarkCollege
TheNegtStep
360-699- next I w
Affirmative Attion/Equal Opportunity Instltirtlon
1
Accuses
Pentagon of
misleading them
(A P) — Pat T illm an's family
firm ly rejected the D efense
D epartm ent’s findings into the
form er NFL star’s friendly-fire
death in Afghanistan, calling for
congressional investigations into
what they see as broad m alfea­
sance and a coverup.
“ Perhaps subpoenas are nec­
essary to elicit candor and ac­
curacy from the m ilitary,” his
family said in a statem ent M on­
day night, after hearing the re­
sults o f the latest probes.
The men who shot Tillm an
have always claim ed the April
22,2004, incident was a terrible
mistake in the fog o f war, and
the Army officially agreed M on­
day, declining to press charges.
But possible punishments still
hang over several high-ranking
officers who allegedly botched
the investigations and key ad­
m inistrative tasks.
Nine Army officers, includ-
FormerArizona
Cardinals football
player Pat Tillman
was killed by
friendly fire in
2004.
ing four generals, made errors
in reporting the friendly fire
death to their superiors and to
the Tillman family, the Penta­
gon said. Defense officials said
one or more o f those officers
who provided m isleading infor­
mation as the military investi­
gated could be charged with a
crime.
A central issue in the case is
why the Arm y w aited about
five weeks from the time it sus­
pected T illm a n 's death was
friendly fire until it told his fam ­
ily. Several officers have testi­
fied they wanted to wait until
the early investigations were
com plete, but regulations re­
quired the Army to notify family
m em bers if friendly fire was
even suspected.
About 60 Portland-area Navy reservists left Sunday for a
month of training in Virginia and at least seven months at
Kuwait Naval Base.
They’ll load and unload cargo ships and maintain a large
vehicle marshaling yard as a part of the Iraq War.
Maryland Apologies for Slavery
Maryland lawmakers have ap­
proved an apology for the state's
role in the slave trade, express­
ing “profound regret" that it once
“trafficked in human flesh.”
M aryland follows Virginia in
issuing a formal apology.
The vote in the House o f
Delegates on M onday makes
the apology official, because a
resolution doesn’t require the
governor’s signature. The state
Senate already approved it.
NEW SEASO NS J
M A R K E T
Pharmacy
AT A R B O R L O D G E /
(Source: McClatchy Newspapers)
Tillman’s Family Rejects Findings
Navy Reservists
Ship Out
’o make your dreams come true,
Take the Next Step at Clark College
prompted by the Bush administration's
dissatisfaction with their investigations
o f alleged Democratic voter fraud.
Bush has said he's heard com plaints
from Republicans about some U.S.
attorneys' "lack o f vigorous prosecu­
tion o f election fraud cases," and ad­
ministration e-mails have shown that
Rove and other W hite House officials
were involved in the dism issals and in
selecting a Rove aide to replace one of
the U.S. attorneys. Nonetheless, Bush
has refused to permit congressional
investigators to question Rove and
others under oath.
•• •
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W e fill p r e s c r ip tio n s — in c lu d in g a n tib io tic s ,
h ig h b lo o d p r e s s u r e m e d ic a tio n s ,
a n ti- d e p r e s s a n ts , b irth c o n tr o l, a n d m o re .
tZ W e
h a v e k n o w le d g e a b le , frie n d ly p h a r m a c is ts
w h o h a v e th e tim e to s h a r e in fo r m a tio n .
✓
O u r p r ic e s a re c o m p e titiv e . W e a c c e p t m o s t
in s u r a n c e p la n s a n d a re a d d in g o th e r s a s
r e q u e s te d .
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W e s p e c ia liz e in c u s t o m c o m p o u n d in g .
M oot yo u r P h a rm a cist,
M oheda S utler
Y O U R L O C A L L Y O W N E D , N E IG H B O R H O O D P H A R M A C Y A T A R B O R L O D G E
N IN T E R S T A T E A V E N U E & P O R T L A N D B L V D • 5 0 3 .4 6 7 .4 8 4 8
w w w .n e w s e a s o n s m a rk e t.c o m • M O N -F R I 9 a m - 7 p m • S A T 9 a m - 6 p m • S U N 1 0 a m -4 p m
C o-sponsor Sen. Nathaniel
Exum, a Democrat, said he was
exhilarated that M aryland law­
makers decided to finally rec­
ognize the painful role the state
played in slavery.
“Once we com e to that rec­
ognition, m aybe we will also
recognize steps we need to do
to get rid o f the lingering effects
o f it on the people,” Exum said.
In the 1700s, slave ships
docked blocks away from the
Maryland State House, and thou­
sands o f enslav ed m en and
wom en arrived in the town. Sla­
very officially ended in M ary­
land with the adoption o f a new
state constitution in 1864.
Author Alex Haley was do­
ing research about his ances­
tors when he discovered that a
slave ship had arrived in A n­
napolis in 1767 carrying one o f
his ancestors, Kunta Kinte.
The author's discovery led to
h is g ro u n d b r e a k in g b o o k
“ Roots.”
Fort Vancouver
History Told
T he Fort V an co u v er N a­
tio n a l H is to r ic S ite h a s
launched a new online feature
celebrating the rich legacy o f
A frican A m ericans who have
lived and served in southw est
W ashington.
“ A Rich Legacy o f A frican
A m erican H istory," unveiled
by the fo rt's N ational Park
Service, o ffers loads o f in fo r­
m ation and im ages, including
A frican A m erican s and the
H u d so n 's Bay C om pany, A f­
rican A m ericans in the U.S.
Arm y Era, A Slave Freed at
Fort V ancouver. B uffalo S o l­
diers at V ancouver B arracks,
A C o n tin u in g Legacy and A f­
rican A m erican H istory Links
“This online web feature is a
new way for visitors to connect
to the park and its history, and a
great way for the park to high­
light some o f our new andongo­
ing research," said chief ranger
and p ro jec t's m anager G reg
Shine. "This is not a one-tim e
deal, it is an ongoing project in
the park," he added.
Visit the p ark 's website at
w w w .nps.gov/fova.
$100 REWARD
For Return of I-Pod in Black Velvet Case
Featuring Dave Chappell- R&B-Jazz Music
Lost on 17th of March in North East Portland
Contact: 503-288-0033