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, Send address changes to Portland Observer, PO Box3137, Portland, USPS 9 5 9 -6 8 0 OR 9 7 2 0 8 4 7 4 7 NE M artin Lu ther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland. OR 9 7 2 1 1 Subscriptions are $60 .00 per year E o it o r - in -C h ie e , P iib iis iie r : C h a rle s H. W a s h in g to n E m t o r . M ic h a e l L e ig h t o n D is t r ib u t io n M a n a g e r : M a r k 503-288-0033 FAX 503-288-0015 news@portlandobsener.com subscriptions@portlandobsener.com ads@portlandobsener.com classifieds@portlandobsener.com 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 accompanied by a self addressed envelope. All created design display ads become the sole property of the newspaper and cannot be used in other publications or personal usage without the written consent of the general manager, unless the client has purchased the composition of such ad. © 1996 THE PORTLAND OBSERVER. AI L RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART WITHOUT PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED. The Portland Observer-Oregon’s Oldest Multicultural Publication isa member of the National Newspaper Association-Founded in 1885, 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. •• • y&f ! ! a )& are, a regular pharrnaujl 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 . ✓ 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