Page A3
May 9. 2007
The so-called
Seriously
Pissed-off
Grannies plan
anti-war actions
during weekly
meetings at the
Northeast 18th
Avenue Peace
House.
Pilo ro by
R aymond
R endi . eman /
T he P ortland
O bserv er
Taking Action to Stop War
continued
front Front
“It’s always really polite con­
versation with the recruiters,”
says Kay Exo.
In response to allegations
that they cut o ff m ilitary career
o p tio n s fo r d is a d v a n ta g e d
youth. Marianne Barisonek likes
to cite various educational, en ­
vironm ental and econom ic pro­
gram s that could be funded with
the $522 billion that the U.S.
spends annually on the military.
The grannies are "committed
to escalating nonviolent civil re­
sistance if our elected officials are
not responsive to the majority of
American voters who want the
Iraq occupation to end." said
Schweibert.
Knowing how daunting the task
is. Exo adds. "I'm cynical, but I still
have to believe that if some people
are reached about all this, the in­
justice will end.”
If nothing else, the grannies
give hope to some military fam i­
lies.
M ag g ie P o n d o lfin o ’s son
was deployed to Baghdad for an
original 12-month tour that was
e x te n d e d fo r at le a st three
months. She praises the gran­
nies as "people o f conscience
who strive to b rin g the truth to
the A merican people and keep
Iraq in the public's eye.
Calling them "my role models
and real American heroes," she
engages in the group’s legal pro­
tests, including visits to U.S. rep­
resentatives and speeches.
The grannies recognize how
lucky they are to be able to en­
gage in civil disobedience with
the em pow erm ent o f old age,
when many people experience
disability, isolation and disillu­
sionm ent.
Barisonek wishes she could
have so actively protested the first
Gulf War, but she was too busy
being a mom.
Given their current privileged
position, they don't consider in­
action as an option.
“We can look at the m ount­
ing death toll every day,” Ann
Huntwork says. “Our lives are
really easy, and when you hear
about Iraqi children having some
hope, you have to ask who we
are to whine about oil prices."
Targeting Gun Violence
continued
from Front
B lazer tickets worth more than $50
will also be available.
The guns will be turned over to
the Portland Police Bureau. All of
them will be melted down, accord­
ing to Jean Morton of the Ceasefire
Oregon Foundation. No questions
will be asked.
This year for the first time, the
Concordia and Vernon neighbor­
hood associations will be co-spon­
sors of the gun turn-in. Redeemer
Church is contributing the collec­
tion space and Providence Health
Systems and Ainsworth United
Church of Christ are making finan­
cial contributions to help make the
event successful.
Ceasefire spokeswoman Jean
Morton said more than 2.5(H) guns
have been turned in at these annual
events over the past 13 years, in­
cluding 125 a, last year's turn-in.
This year. Ceasefire Oregon is
bucking a trend. Since the recent
massacre at Virginia Tech, there
has been a surge in requests for
concealed weapons permits. Julie
Sterling, also of Ceasefire Oregon,
estimates that there are now 100,000
holders of such permits in Oregon.
Some people are of the opinion that
more students at VirginiaTech had
guns on them at least some of the
carnage there could have been
avoided. Sterling disagrees w ith this
logic.
“The idea of a whole classroom
of students carrying guns terrifies
me," she says.
Morton said if you do keep a gun
at home, keep it locked up out of the
reach of children and unloaded.
"No matter where you put it,
children will find it," she says.
Sterling said gun safety con­
cerns were not as high for firearms
used for hunting or recreational
target practice because those weap­
ons can be stored property with
ammunition stored separately. She
said the biggest worry for acciden­
tal shootings comes from people
who seek to defend themselves by
storing guns loaded and handy.
Statistics show that a gun stored
in a private home is 22 times more
likely to kill or injureamemberof the
household, either because of an
accident or because it was taken
from them and used against them,
rather than the gun used in self-
defense, Sterling says.
In addition, altercations or sui-
cidç attempts in which guns are
involved are far more likely to result
in fatalities than similar incidents
involving any other methods or
instruments.
The Ceasefire Oregon Educa­
tional Foundation is conducting
the turn-in. a non-profit, educa­
tional group that does not take
partisan positions. But the founda­
tion does advocate for stricter gun
laws. In particular, they would like
to see a mandatory three-day wait- *
ing period before the delivery of
guns in all gun sales.
"The police have told us that
this is really important," Sterling
says. "If you buy a gun in anger,
and have three day s to cool off, you
are less likely to use it in anger."
“There will always be people
having guns who shouldn't have
them, but current gun regulations
are a mess," she says. "People get
concealed weapons permits for
guns with no indication that they
know how to use them.”
For now, Morton and Sterling
say, a few less unneeded guns ly­
ing around will make for a safer
Oregon.
Riding the Barrel
D i Y g TT h E PORTLAND OBSERVER
Chaz Pineda, 19. of Sellwood, rides the wall of one o f two skate
bowls for advanced boarders during the grand opening of the
Glenhaven Skateboard Park located near Madison High School
at Northeast 82nd and Siskiyou. Glenhaven is the third free
skate park to open in Portland. The other two are at Burnside,
under the bridge on the east side, and at Pier Park in St. Johns.
PHOTO BY N lA
OREGON NATURALLY® DIGITAL PHOTO CONTEST
Oregon zV cLuZÄ/
Presented by Intel Oregon
(inteì).»,.
iiuniiuiitJiiiitii
Enter the 2007 Oregon Naturally digital photo contest with
pictures that evoke the spirit of Oregon’s natural places
Win monthly and quarterly prizes
Learn more at www.intel.com/community/ore
■■■■
/ 1 I
Domestic
Partnerships Law
Gov. Ted Kulongoski has sched­
uled a ceremony Wednesday to
sign bills giving Oregon's gay and
lesbian couples some of the ben­
efits of marriage through domestic
partnerships, and a law that prohib­
its discrimination based on sexual
orientation.
The governor will be joined by
other lawmakers, former Gov. Bar­
bara Roberts, m em bers of the
G overnor's Task Force on Equality
and Oregonians from across the
state, for the signing ceremony.
The domestic partnership bill
would enable same-sex couples to
enter into contractual relationships
that grant them the same benefits
that state law offers to married
couples.
The measure won unanimous
endorsem ent from the Senate's
majority Democrats. with two Re­
publicans joining them.
When Kulongoski signs the
measure,Oregon will join Vermont.
Connecticut. California, New Jer­
sey, Maine and Washington state
in offering civil unions or domestic
partnerships to same-sex couples.
Event:
Where:
When:
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Registration:
Doing Business with your Local Public Agencies
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705 N Killingsworth Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97217
8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
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Learn how to do business with local government agencies.
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Please notify the City of Portland no less than five (5) business days prior to our event for ADA
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