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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