œiî‘ ^Jnrtlanb ©bseruer
Page A4
¿Th
!e JJnrtlanb (Observer Established 1970
USPS 959-680 _________________________ _________
4747 NE Martin Luther King. Jr. Blvd.. Portland. OR 97211
I inii‘n i'< C h i i i . I ’ i Hii'iiim. ( hurles H. Washington
Enmm M ic h a e l L e ig h to n
D i s ih ih i u n i M i s m o k : M a rk W a sh in g to n
Cm m i i i Dim cum: P a u l N e u fe ld t
O w n . M a n a g m : K a th y L in d e r
gtromm: Sarah Blount
K ip u h iik : Nicole Ronal Hooper
Send address changes to Portland
Observer. PO Box 3 1 3 7 , Portland.
OR 9 7 2 0 8
May 30. 2007
O pinion
Opinion articles do not
necessarily reflect or represent the
views o f The Portland Observer
Subscriptions are $60 0 0 per year
503-288-0033 FAX 503-288-0015
news ( p iinrilaiidahsener.t ani
suhseriotions@oortliindnbserver.com
ads&oartlandobserver.com
ilassitieilsiSinirilaniliihsener.eom
The Poriland Observer welcomes freelance submissions Manuscripts ami photographs should be clearly labeled and w ill be returned it
accompanied hs a sell addressed envelope. A ll erealed design display ads become ihe sole property o f I he new spaper and cannot be used in
oilier publications or personal usage w ilhoul Ihe written consent o f Ihe general manager, unless the client has purchased Ihe composition
of such ad ■ IW h THE P ORTLAND OBSERVER. A l l RIGHTS RESERVED, REPRODUCTION IN W HOLE OR IN PARI
W ITH O U T PERMISSION IS PROHIBITED.
J?
The Portland Observer -Oregon's Oldest Multicultural Publication is a member of the National New spaper Association-Founded in IX85.
and The National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers. Inc. New York. NY. and The West Coast Black Publishers
'Motfbwrrz
Association. Serving Portland and Vancouver.
7 ,1
BUYING OR SELLING A CAR?
j f W JAuto M ar het
Oregon’s Premier Car Marketplace..
4/
z A fe* ScXntRED
CUÜDS
AMÜ
TueRe, euT
<
See dozens of vehicles FOR SALE by Owner
in just ONE location. No Dealers, No Commissions
AW^OK>-
owner to buyer deals only!
Open Saturday & Sunday 9:00 am-4:00 pm
GAME Cascade Plaza, 4134 N Vancouver Ave, Portland, OR
FREE ADMISSION To Buyers and Visitors!
* IO register your car for sale go to www.nwautomarket.com
or call 503-995-1966
____________ THE_____________
SPINACOLUMN
An ongoing senes of questions and answers about Amenca's natural healing profession
Dr. Billy R. Flowers
Part 7. CHILDREN & CHIROPRACTIC:
Start off early in life tor a lifetime of health
: Actually, there arc more rea children can develop a nearly per­
: When will my children he
sons for children to sec a Chi­ fect spine. Not only to help them
old enough to benefit from
do better in school, but to gain
ropractor regularly than there are
seeing Chiropractor?
: Children of Chiropractors for adults. First of all, because of increased strength, health and
often receive their first spi­ their activities in school and out, vitality throughout their adult
children naturally take more spills lives. To find out all the ways
nal adjustments the day they are
bom. Using special techniques than an average adult. This is one Chiropractic ta n help your chil­
for infants. Chiropractors are able of the most common reasons people dren experience a lifetim eof good
to correct spinal misalignments bring their children to a Chiroprac­ health, please call us at the num­
caused by the traumatic and turn­ tor. But the best reason of all is so ber below.
ing of childbirth. W hat's more, that with regular Chiropractic care.
w e're frequently able to alleviate
infant problems like colic that of­
ten keeps both babies and par­
ents up all night.
2124 NE Hancock,
: / have a friend who takes
Portland Oregon 97212
her children to a Chiro­
practor even when they area't
Phone: (503) 287-5504
sick. Whv would she do this ?
Q
A
A
Flowers' Chiropractic Office
Q
Moving Our Nation Backward:
To an era before
Brown v. Board
by M arc H. M oriai .
The U.S. Supreme
Court is poised to
d ecid e
on
tw o
sch o ol-assignm ent
plans used to volun­
tarily maintain racial
integration in Seattle
and Louisville, Ky., possibly tak­
ing the nation back to the days
before Brown v. The Board of Edu­
cation, the landmark decision that
deemed segregated schools un­
constitutional because they vio­
lated the equal protection clause of
the U.S. Constitution.
In the more than 50 years after
that m om entous ruling which
launched the civil rights movement,
the United States is still not com­
pletely integrated - even in the pub­
lic schools. But the nation's made
some progress, thanks in part to
voluntary integration plans in which
localities as opposed to federal au­
thorities determine how to prevent
schools from re-segregating.
The two eases that prompted
the high court's review were filed
by two students denied their first
choice of schools because their
enrollment would upset the racial
balance. The plaintiffs contend that
local school officials relied too
heavily on race in determining ad­
mission.
Should the Supreme Court over­
turn decisions made by two
lower courts, it will establish
an adverse precedent that
would probably force hun­
dreds of school districts na­
tionwide to revise or even dis­
mantle similarefforts.
That could lead to a mass re­
segregation, which is the last thing
our nation needs if we hope to close
the educational achievement gap
that exists between minority and
white students nationwide.
In an amicus brief filed with the
court in October, the National Ur­
ban League argued that "it would
be a fallacy to suggest that by not
considering race at all - i.e. by ig­
noring de facto neighborhood seg­
regation - the Seattle School Dis­
trict would somehow be acting in a
'race-neutral' fashion when a re­
turn to a school system that does
not take race into account would
mean that the schools would be
distinguished solely by race."
Districts that have implemented
"race-neutral" school assignment
plans after having used race as a
factor have seen reversals in their
integration efforts. In the Charlotte-
Mecklenburg Schools district in
North Carolina, the number of seg-
regated schools jumped from 47 to
97 after the district implemented a
raee-neutral plan in 2002. The num­
ber of schools with more than 90
percent minority enrollment more
than doubled.
In 2005, the high court refused
to review a similar school-assign­
m ent plan in M assach u setts,
thanks in part to moderate now-
re tire d Ju stic e S a n d ra D ay
O'Connor, who was replaced by
the more conservative Justice
Samuel A. Alito Jr.
With Alitoon board, the courtis
much more likely to view' such pro­
grams with a very critical eye.
Ample research has shown that
students, especially m inorities,
thrive in integrated schools com­
pared to their counterparts in ma­
jority-minority schools. Diversity
is key to helping students - future
voting citizens of this nation -
develop core democratic values
and an appreciation fora wide range
of viewpoints. The more isolated
they are from other populations
the less likely they are going to
tolerate diverse points of view.
And that is just a recipe - if taken to
extremes — for political and social
upheaval in a dem ocracy that
prides itself on being a melting pot.
MarcH. Moriai is president and
chief executive officer o f the Na­
tional Urban League.
MMMHMHMMWIMMMMMMMMM
Your rights as a citizen, including the right to run fo r
public office, do not depend on your religious beliefs.
NEW SEA SO N S
Obama and Romney:
No Religious Test Required
by R ev . R on S teie
N O W D E L IV E R IN G
Y o u r fa v o r ite n e ig h b o r h o o d g r o c e r y s to r e n o w d e liv e r s
g r o c e r ie s r ig h t to y o u r h o m e o r o ffic e .
w w w .n e w s e a s o n s m a r k e t .c o m
you click, we deliver, (or pull up for pick up)
I've watched with great interest
as the debate has played out in the
m ediaover whether Mitt Romney,
a Mormon, is electable. Ironically,
he may have more in common with
Barack ( )bama than any other presi­
dential candidate, at least in the
way his religious affiliation has
become a target for political oppo­
nents.
A lread y , O bam a has been
harshly criticized for his member­
ship in the liberal-leaning mainline
Protestant United Church of Christ
- and in the interest of full disclo­
sure, it is my denomination.
Some commentators have ex­
hib ited a racial insen sitiv ity
matched only by their religious
arrogance in describing as “un-
Christian” the heavy focus on Af­
rican American community values
in O bam a's home church. Trinity
United Church of Christ in Chi­
cago.
Meanwhile Romney has faced
su g g estio n s from evangelical
Christians and political pundits that
being M orm on m akes him
unelectable - a perspective only
partially supported by the 29 per­
cent in a recent poll who said they
arc unlikely to vote for a Mormon
president regardless of his or her
qualifications.
Recent history suggests there
may be more religious intolerance
on the way. The same ultraeonser-
vative Christian leaders who claim
that theirreligious liberty is threat­
ened in America will claim that
Obama and Americans who share
his generally progressive views
cannot be good Christians based
on their political positions.
Democratic strategists may also
be tempted to exploit religion if
Romney is the Republican nomi­
nee. A new Gallup Poll shows that
46 percent of Americans have an
unfavorable opinion of the Mor­
mon religion in general.
Voters of all political persua­
sions need to be reminded of a core
American value - your rights as a
citizen, including the right to run
for public office, do not depend on
your religious beliefs.
Our Constitution is clear that
there can be no religious test for
public office. But beyond the legal
requirement is the ideal of religious
liberty.
It's not clear how all this will
shake out. Romney is actively
courting Religious Right leaders,
and some are speaking out on his
behalf because of his newfound
o p p o s itio n to r e p r o d u c tiv e
c h o ice and e q u a lity for gay
people. But counting on these
leaders to deliver the nomination
could be a big mistake.
Rev. Ron Stief, an ordained min­
ister in the United Church o f
Christ, is the California director
o f People Lor the American Way.