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August 6. 2008
PagcA9
L aw & J ustice
Few Black Military Officers in Ranks
CRIME STOPPERS
(5 0 3 ) 823-HELP 111 S.W. 2nd Avenue, Portland, Oregon
Protect Your Vehicle
Police offer
prevention tips
I f you own o r drive a 1995
Honda C iv ic , a 1991 Honda A c ­
cord, a 1997 Ford F-150 o r a 1989
Toyota C aniry, you may he sur­
prised to know that, despite their
age, these cars are among the
m ost p o p u la r cars stolen by
thieves across the country.
No matter what make o r model
o f car you own there are a number
o f things you can do to improve
the security o f your vehicle. The
Portland Police Bureau recom­
mends the fo llo w in g a basic pre­
vention policy to help ensure your
vehicle is not an easy target fo r
thieves on the prow l:
Never leave your car running
w ith the keys in the ig nition when
you ’ re away from it, even fo r "just
a m inute.”
A lw a ys ro ll up the w indow s
and lock the car, even i f it's in
front o f your home.
Never leave valuables in the
car. I f you must, never leave them
in plain view .
Park in busy, w ell-lighted areas.
C arry the registration and in ­
surance card w ith you when
you leave your vehicle.
When paying to park in a lot
or garage, leave just the ignition
key w ith the attendant. Make
sure no personal inform ation is
attached. Do the same when
you take your car fo r repairs.
For added auto theft protec­
tion you can also etch the V e ­
hicle Id e n tific a tio n N um ber
(V IN ) on (he windows, doors,
fenders and trunk lid. This helps
to d isco u ra g e p ro fe s s io n a l
thieves who have to either re­
move o r replace etched parts
before selling the car.
Install a mechanical locking
device - com m only referred to
as clubs, collars o r j-bars - that
locks to the steering wheel, c o l­
umn o r brake to prevent the
wheel from being turned more
than a few degrees.
Consider installing a secu­
rity system i f you live in a high
theft area or drive a vehicle that
is popular among thieves.
For more in fo rm a tio n on
keeping your vehicle secure
visit portlandpolice.com to ac­
cess A Guide to Home and V e ­
hicle Security.
60 Years after
desegregation
G
l
-
111
J
( A P ) - Sixty years after Presi­
dent Truman desegregated the
m ilita ry , senior black officers are
s till rare, particularly among the
highest ranks.
Blacks make up about 17 per­
cent o f the total force, yet ju st 9
percent o f all officers. That frac­
tion falls to less than 6 percent fo r
general officers w ith one to four
stars.
The rarity o f blacks in the top
ranks is apparent in one startling
statistic: O n ly one o f the 38 four-
star generals o r admirals serving
11
II
H b
«W Wr j
K
•
z
f
a s o f M ay was black. A nd ju st 10
black men have ever gained four-
star rank— fiv e in the A rm y, four
in the A ir Force and one in the
Navy, according to the Penta­
gon.
The dearth o f blacks in high-
ranking positions gives younger
A frican-A m erican soldiers few African American airmen train at Tuskegee Airfield in Alabama In 1943.
mentors o f their own race. A nd as
the overall percentage o f blacks stars is retired Gen. C olin Powell, cation.
sky's the lim it when they look up
in the service falls, particularly in who later became the country's
As a young recruit, he found and don't see anyone" who looks
combat careers that lead to top first black secretary o f state, un­ that the older, black noncom m is­ like them.
posts, the situation seems un­ der President Bush. A nother is sioned o ffice rs were eager to
The A rm y has led the way w ith
lik e ly to change.
retired Gen. Johnnie E. W ilson, guide him . and they urged him to black officers, w ith nearly double
S till, o fficia l s can point to some who in 1961, at age 17, spied an try fo r O ffic e r Candidate School. the percentage at times over the
historic gains by blacks in the "Uncle Sam Wants Y ou" poster O ver the next 38 years, he rose past three decades as the other
services as the Pentagon com ­ and joined the A rm y.
through the ranks to become a services. Blacks represented 11
memorates Trum an’s signing o f
The second o f 12 children, four-star general.
percent to 12 percent o f all A rm y
an executive order on July 26, W ilson grew up in a housing
W hy haven't more done the officers during that tim e, com ­
1948, mandating the end o f segre­ project outside Cleveland. E nlist­ same?
pared w ith 4 percent to 8 percent
gation in the m ilita ry.
ing in the A rm y, he said, was the
For one thing, W ilson said, in the Navy, A ir Force and M a­
Best known among the four- only way he'd get a college edu­ "it's hard to tell young people the rines.
Army Scientist Tied to Anthrax Terror, Takes Own Life
(A P ) -- A nthrax-laced letters
that k ille d five people and se­
verely rattled the post-9/11 na­
confounded the FBI for nearly
seven years.
Las, month, the Justice De­
partment cleared I v ins' col league,
Steven H a tfill, who had been
w rongly suspected in the case,
and paid him $5.8 m illio n .
tion may have been part o f an
A rm y scientist's warped plan to
test his cure fo r the deadly toxin,
o fficia ls said.
The b rillia n t but troubled sci­
e n tist c o m m itte d suicide last
week, know ing prosecutors were
closing in.
The sudden naming o f scientist
Bruce E, Ivins as the top — and
perhaps only — suspect in the
anthrax attacks marks the latest
bizarre tw ist in a case that has
House
Apologies
for Slavery
( A P) — The U.S. House o f Rep­
resentatives issued an unprec­
edented apology to black A m e ri­
cans las, week fo r the wrongs
com m itted against them and their
ancestors w ho suffered under
slavery and Jim C row segrega­
tion laws.
The re s o lu tio n , passed by
voice vote, was the w ork o f Ten­
nessee Democrat Steve Cohen,
the only white lawmaker to repre­
sent a m a jo rity black district.
Congress has issued apolo­
gies before — to Japanese-Ameri-
cans fo r their internment during
W orld W ar II and to native Ha-
waiians fo r the overthrow o f the
Hawaiian kingdom in 1893. In
2005, the Senate apologized for
fa ilin g to pass anti-lynching laws.
Five states have issued apolo­
gies fo r slavery, but past propos­
als in Congress have stalled,
partly over concerns that an apol­
ogy w ould lead to demands for
reparations — payment fo r dam­
ages.
The Cohen resolution does
not mention reparations. It does
com m it the House to rectifying
"the lingering consequences o f
the misdeeds com m itted against
African-Am ericans under slavery
and Jim C row ."
Classified Ads
Contact: Kathy Linder
Phone: 5 0 3 2 8 8 0 0 3 3
Fax: 5 0 3 2 8 8 0 0 1 5
cording to papers filed last week
in local court by a social worker.
The letters contained anthrax
powder were sent on the heels o f
Ivins worked at the A rm y's
biological warfare labs at Fort
Detrick. Md., fo r 18 years until his
death on July 29.
He was one o f the government's
leading scientists researching
vaccines and cures fo r anthrax
exposure. But he also had a long
history o f hom icidal threats, ac-
Bruce E. Ivins
the terror attacks o f Sept. 11,2001,
and turned up at congressional
offices, newsrooms andelsewhere,
leaving a deadly trail through post
offices on the way. The powder
killed five and sent numerous vic­
tims to hospitals and caused near
panic in many locations.
It’s not your standard funeral home...
it’s the new standard in funeral homes.
RRY FAMILY
UNERAL H O M
Lay Witness Night
o f the
African Methodist Episcopal Church,
Pacific North West Conference
The Lay Organization
Invites you, your fam ily & friends from the Portland,
Tacoma & Seattle Areas To Celebrate with us!
You see, when we went into business we
aspired to be so far and away the best
that a new level of excellence was to be
created. We w ould like you to know that
we've achieved our goal.
In a business where things seemingly stay
the same, a change has taken place. A
change that may raise the bar on the
level of service a family can experience
from a funeral home.
T erry
i
Í
2337 N Williams Ave
(503) 249-1 7BB •
www.terrytjmilvtuner.ilhnrne.crim
The Conferenace Lay Organization
Presents
"Gospel Music in a Nu Way”
Featuring National Recording Artist
Eddie H unt& NuEra • Gospel Ensemble Ministry
From The C hristian Faith. Federal Way & Seattle
Under the Leadership o f Pastor Casey Treat
r .
Royal Priesthood
Ministries
People o f Boyalty fkptinditig The King­
dom o f God
Sundays
"Come Enjoy 4 Free Salad Bar"
(a 2:00pm
Worship (a 3:00pm
Wednesdays
Kingdom Knowledge « 7:0<)pm
Worshipping u
M att Dishman ( «immunity ( enter
77 \ I KnoM St
Portland O K 97211
Office (360)213-9892 Web: w w w .n n nlpm.org
♦August 8th, 2008*
Friday Evening
Doors Open @ 6:30 pm - Event is Free Free Free
Sheraton Portland Airport Hotel
8235 Northeast Airport Way
Portland Oregon 97220, United States
Phone: (503) 281-2500
Contact: Simeon Rhoden (206) 380-1794
or jim m y Brown (206) 5 5 1 -5757
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