®'1'Fortiani» ©baeruer______________________ Page A2 August 22.2007 Race Matters Obama: No Military Solution to Iraq in Youth Happiness Poll Responding to quality of life issues (AP) — From their relationships to their jobs to their money — even from they time they first roll out of bed — young white Americans are happier with life than their minority counterparts. According to an extensive sur vey o f 1,280 people ages 13-24 by The Associated Press and MTV, 72 percent of whites say they are happy with life in general, compared with 5 1 percent of Hispanics and 56 per cent of blacks. "It doesn't surprise me," said Martin Carpenter, 21, a black New Jersey resident. "There’s a lot of issues out there for African-Ameri can young adults. You can still go to certain places and feel uncom fortable, like you don't belong there." Martin's feeling about racism, real or perceived, was echoed in the survey: 28 percent of minorities believe race will hurt them in the quest fora better life. Among whites, 20 percent feel their race will help in getting ahead. Destiny Brown, 17, a black Vir ginia high school student, said she has friends who were already passed over for work simply be cause their names sounded differ ent: "I know sometimes your name — people will give you a hard time when you try to get a job." The difference in levels of hap piness is not always stark, but it's consistent. Among w hites, 67 per cent usually wake up happy in the morning; for minorities, the figure is 61 percent. Those numbers extend into all aspects of life: • Parents: Sixty-six percent of minorities are happy with their re lationships with mom and dad, compared with 79 percent of whites. • Sex: Sixty percent of white youths are happy with their sex I i ves, compared with 46 percent of minorities. Both groups are about equal on the sexual activity scale. • Friends: Eighty-one percent of minorities are happy with their relationships with friends, com pared with 88 percent of whites. •Jobs: Fifty-one percent of mi norities are happy with their jobs, compared with 64 percent of whites. • Money: Forty-four percent of minorities are unhappy with the money they have, compared with 35 percent of whites. •Grades: Sixty-three percent of minorities are happy with their school grades, while 73 percent of whites are satisfied with their marks. Barely half of the minority respondents say school makes them happy, contrasted with 60 percent of the whites. Mayor Fires Cop for Poor Decisions One of the highest-ranking Port land police officers ever involved in a fatal shooting has been fired. MayorTom Potter officially fired Lt. Jeffrey Kaer from the Portland Police Bureau Thursday, saying that "virtually every tactical deci sion he made leading up to the use of deadly force was wrong.” Kaer shot and killed 28-year-old Dennis Young last January after Young drove off when Kaer asked him if his car was stolen. Kaer was off duty when he got a phone call from his sister saying she was concerned about a suspi cious car parked in front of her home. The car turned out to be stolen but Young was unarmed. Agrandjury latercleared Kaer of wrongdoing, but Mayor Tom Pot- (A P ) — D e m o c ra t B arack Obam a said Tuesday the recent increase in American troops in Iraq may well have helped tamp dow n violence, but he insisted there is no military solution to the c o u n try 's p roblem s and U.S. forces should be redeployed soon. O bam a spoke a day after his main Democratic presidential ri val, Hillary Rodham Clinton, made sim ilar comments. She said the tactics o f the short-term troop increase were working but politi cal progress did not seem to be in sight and the U.S. should begin bringing some troops home. In a speech to the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Kansas City, Mo., Obam a said top military com m anders recognize that there is no military solution in Iraq. "No military surge can suc ceed without political reconcilia tion and a surge o f diplom acy in Iraq and the region. Iraq's lead ers are not reconciling. They are not achieving political bench marks. The only thing they seem to have agreed on is to take a vacation," O bam a said. He also talked about im prov ing governm ent programs for vet erans. "My secretary o f veterans af fairs will be just as important as my secretary o f defense. No more shortfalls; it's time to fully fund the VA medical center. No more delays; it's time to pass on- time VA budgets each and every year. N o more means testing; it's time to allow all veterans back into the VA," O bam a said. D em ocratic presidential hopeful, U.S. S e n Barack Obama, D-lll., a d d re sse s th e V eterans o f Foreign Wars national convention Tuesday in K a n sa s City, Mo. (AP photo) NFL Star Agrees to Take Plea Deal (AP) Less than a month after saying he looked forw ard to clearing his name, Michael Vick now acknowledges the heinous acts associated with his name are true. The Atlanta Falcons quarter back said through a law yer M on day that he will plead guilty to federal dogfighting conspiracy charges, an adm ission that likely will mean prison time. For now, any hopes o f salvag ing his NFL career are secondary to his impending confinement. "His focus is on his family, his focus is on answ ering to this judge," Vick's lead defense attor ney, Billy M artin, told The A sso ciated Press after announcing the plea agreement. U .S, D istrict Ju d g e H enry Hudson can sentence Vick to up to five years in prison and fine him $250,000, although federal sentencing guidelines will call for less. A g o v e rn m e n t o ffic ia l, speaking on condition o f ano nym ity because the term s are not final, told the A P that prosecu tors will recom m end a sentence o f a year to 18 months. M ichael Vick T he o fficial said such a se n tence w ould be m ore than w hat is u su a lly re c o m m e n d e d for first-tim e o ffenders, reflecting the g o v e rn m e n t's a tte m p t to show that anim al abusers will receive m ore than a slap on the w rist. Since that initial court appear ance, all three o f Vick's co-de fendants have pleaded guilty and a g re e d to c o o p e r a te in the governm ent’s case against him, including testifying against him if the case had gone to trial in N o vem ber as scheduled. Recovering Addicts Suspect Hurt in Officer Shooting to Link Hands ter recommended that he be fired while Police Chief Rosie Sizer ] wanted Kaer suspended without ! pay for a month. "This has been a difficult deci sion for me to make, and not one 1 make lightly," Potter said in a state- j ment. “But I believe ourcom m u- ! nity must hold its police officers to the highest standards of behavior, and on the evening of Jan. 4,2006, Lt. Kaer failed to meet those stan dards. Ultimately, that failure con tributed to the death of a human being." The statement goes on to ex- j plain that Kaer should have let officers in his sister's precinct handle thecall and that he violated a number of other Portland Police Bureau policies. Portland police are investigating an officer involved shooting that injured a 26-year-old man who was the sub ject of a domestic vio lence call. O fficer Stephanie Rabey firedasingleshot from an A R-15 rifle that struck the glass and frame of a window caus- L esley Paul Stew art ing a small bullet frag ment, piece of glass or piece of the aluminum frame to strike Leslie Paul Scott Stewart in the head. He was not seriously injured. The shooting happened early Monday morn ing in an apartment near Southeast 125th Av enue and Stark Street. Officers were dispatched after a woman called 911 stating that Stewart was threatening to kill [ new SEA SO N S r ' her. While the woman was talking to dispatch ers, police said they heard what they believed were gunshots in the background. Police spokesman Brian Schmautz said of ficers confirmed that Stewart had access to a handgun and was currently on parole for at tempted murder. Schm autz said officers tried to negotiate with the highly agitated man and that he threatened to kill two other occupants o f the apartm ent. He later allow ed the people in side to leave the building, but did not re spond to com m ands to raise his hands and surrender. No gun was found in the apartment in a subsequent investigation, but detectives said they did find a handgun in a car associated with Stewart. At least a dozen officers had surrounded the apartment during the ordeal. The investigation is continuing. Ì J M A R K E T An estimated 2.000 residents will celebrate freedom from alcohol and other drug addic tion by joining hands to span the Interstate 5 Bridge that connects Oregon and Wash ington. People in recovery, people supporting loved ones in recovery and those praying for someone who needs recovery will take part in the Monday, Sept. 3, Labor Day Hands Across the Bridge event, beginning at 10 a.rrt Organized by the Recovery Association Project with their sponsors and partners, the sixth annual event kicks off National Alcohol and Drug Addiction Recovery Month, pro moting the benefits of substance abuse re covery and treatment. "We will all stand together to show that the bridge to recovery is the bridge to our transformed lives at home, a, work, and in our neighborhoods,” said organizer Patty Katz. Back by Popular Demand “All Class Reunion” Sponsored by the Class of 1974 OLD SCHOOL JAM Rose Garden - Crown Royal Room N O W D E L IV E R IN G **Hors d ’oeuvres, door prizes, no host bar, free parking 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 . Featuring: Andy Stokes Band Special "Guest" Appearance Saturday August 25th 2007 9:30 pm - 1:3() am 8 :30pm - 10:30pm Happy-hour TICKETS: mreSl w w w .n e w s e a s o n s m a r k e t.c o m you o'lick. we deliver, (or pull up for pick up) 1 In Advance $20.00 per person At the door $25.00 per person $45.00 per couple Sponsored by Class o f 1974 from: Jefferson Grant Washington Adams Benson Tickets Available at: A Step Above Geneva’s Shear Perfection M erae’s Reflections In q u ir ie s : E-mail: JEFFCLASS74@msn.com Phone: 360-991-5402, Donna Hammond