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O pinion
February 4, 2009
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The Real Work
of Governing
racism are busy and are already
trying to re-write history, using
right wing media, and
sad to say some reli­
gious program m ing to
by E verette L. R ice
make their foul lies heard
L ike m ost o f you, I
and possibly believed.
spent Jan. 20 glued to
This is where we have
the TV w atching non­
responsibilities.
stop coverage o f the
D o you know w ho
I n a u g u r a tio n
of
Barack O bam a to the Presidency y o u r U .S. rep resen tativ e is?
o f the United States o f America. Your U.S. senators? W rite, fax,
Like the entire world, my wife e-m ail o r call them and let them
and 1 w atched history unfold k n o w y o u s u p p o r t th e
before our eyes, the pageantry, P re sid en t’s stim u lu s package;
beauty, tradition, and class o f th a t you support his ch oice
the new First Fam ily. As we fo r A tto rn ey G e n e ra l, E ric
w atched the events unfold, tears H older, that you w ant your
w elled up in us both, like most sen ato rs and rep resen tativ es
to supp o rt P resid en t O bam a
did.
I felt the presence o f my in his effo rts to m ake this n a­
grandfather T heodore Rice Sr., tion a better place for all people
the son of a runaw ay slave from and to bring back econom ic
North C arolina. W hen I was 15, sta b ility and p ro sp erity .
They need to hear from you
back in the late 1960s after get­
because
believe me they are
ting in trouble, he sat me down
and told me som ething 1 will hearing from those who sup-
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T o VW E H E R E -
Are you up to
the task?
r
We were all blessed to be alive
and see the events o f Jan. 20. But
we also have responsibilities now
that Barack Obama is our
president.
never forget.
He told m e “Everette, the
w orld is yours; you will have
doors open for you that 1 and
your parents never did. It w on't
be easy, G et your education,
follow your heart, make us and
your com m unity proud, and re­
m em ber, one day you will see a
man who looks like you become
President.”
Sadly at the tim e I thought
these were the illusions o f an
old m an trying to snap a young
boy back to reality, but now I
see the w isdom o f w hat grand­
father was doing. He was giving
me hope and inspiration. As a
result o f those words, the work,
prayers and support o f family
m em bers, friends, and com m u­
nity members, that boy was able
to achieve things his parents
and grandparents never even
dream ed of. M y grandfather,
w hile being a wise man, always
spoke about the responsibility
o f “blessed” people.
W hether we know it or not,
we w ere all blessed to be alive
and see the events o f Jan. 20.
But we also have responsibili­
ties now that Barack O bam a is
our president. W e have to sup­
port and back him up in the
positive changes he will and is
making.
T he forces o f opposition and
port racism , bigotry and w hat
led us to econom ic collapse.
Here are some website re­
sources: For your representative,
visit w riterep.house.gov; U.S.
Speaker of the House Rep. Nancy
P e lo si, s p e a k e r.h o u s e .g o v ;
House Minority (GOP) Leader
Jo h n
B o e h n er,
republicanleader.house.gov; O r­
egon U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer,
blumenauer.house.gov; Oregon
U .S . S en. Ron W y d en ,
wyden.senate.gov; Oregon U.S.
S en.
Je ff
M e rk le y ,
merkley.senate.gov.
W hile you are giving your
thoughts, have you contacted
your local, state representatives
and senators'? They are making
difficult choices that affect you
and your family also. They need
to hear from you also concern­
ing local, regional, and state is­
sues.
C ontact them at the website
leg.state.or.us.
The tim e for sitting back, re­
laxing, and letting others do it is
over. The time for action is now.
Please feel free to e-m ail me if
you want other ideas on getting
involved and m aking a differ­
ence ateveretterice@ em ail.com
Everette L. Rice is a member
o f the Oregon Commission on
Black Affairs and the Human
Rights Commission o f Portland.
Returning to Our Civil Rights Ideals
Obama charts a new course
by K athryn K olbert
W ith George B ush and Dick
C heney finally out o f power,
our country is returning to its
i deal s so quickly and in so many
ways that it’s dizzying.
Recognizing the rule of law?
Check. Follow ing the C onsti­
tution? Check. K eeping poli­
tics out o f law enforcem ent?
C heck. R eco g n izin g
our right to know w hat
our own governm ent
is doing? Check.
W hat about equal­
ity for lesbian, gay, b i­
sexual and transgender
(LGBT)people?
President G eorge W. Bush
worked to enshrine discrim i­
nation against gay and lesbian
A m ericans into the U.S. C on­
stitution, supported laws that
put gay and lesbian couples in
prison for the crim e o f having
sex in their ow n home, and
fought to continue to allow
w o rk p la c e d is c rim in a tio n
against LG BT Am ericans.
Already, President Barack
O bam a has charted a very d if­
ferent course. T he new W hite
House website spells out Presi­
dent Obama's agenda for LGBT
equality, and it's pretty terrific.
O ur new president not only
o p p o s e s a c o n s titu tio n a l
am endm ent to prevent gays
and lesbians from marrying, but
he supports expanded legisla­
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" The Obama administration
is framing LGBT issues in a
way that sets the terms o f the
conversation around basic
fairness and equality fo r all.
m ilitary, and the latter prevents rights agenda.
The O bam a adm inistration is
sam e-sex couples who are le­
fram
ing L G B T issues in a way
gally married from receiving fed­
that
sets
the term s o f the co n ­
eral protections. A nd O bam a
versation
around basic fairness
supports civil unions that would
and
equality
for all.
provide m any o f the same rights
The
radical
right dishonestly
as m arriage.
paints
their
anti-equality
posi­
These reform s aren't particu­
tions
as
pro-fam
ily,
pro-values,
larly earth-shattering. Indeed,
Rep. Barney Frank has described and pro-religion, a dangerously
the so-called gay agenda as “get deceptive fram ing that the m ain­
married, jo in the Army, and earn stream m edia tends to blindly
a living,” m aking it perhaps the accept.
For the last eight years, Presi­
m ost m agnificently boring plat­
dent
Bush and his allies on the
form to attract such vigorous
rig
h
t
u sed gay an d lesb ian
national debate. Yet each one is
an im portant step tow ards full A m ericans as a political wedge
legal equality for all Americans, issue, to divide and distract
A m ericans aw ay from his un-
gay or straight.
popular initiatives at hom e and
abroad.
N o more. U sing the bully
pulpit o f the W hite House, Presi­
dent O bam a can m ake it clear
that LG B T equality is an essen­
tial part o f his com m itm ent to
justice under law for all A m eri­
cans.
T hroughout the cam paign,
he's constantly m entioned gays
and lesbians as part o f our na­
tional com m unity, not only in
liberal enclaves, but in high-
profile speeches like his speech
at the D em ocratic convention.
President O bam a's stance on
gay rights isn't perfect - ju st
look at his opposition to the
right o f sam e-sex couples to be
legally m arried, and the choice
o f anti-gay Rev. Rick W arren to
d eliver the invocation at his
sw earing in — but it's a m om en­
tous step in the right direction.
A nd we will continue to push
him tow ard a better position on
these issues.
In the co m in g y ears, o u r
n atio n is g o in g to face u n ­
p rec ed en ted ch a lle n g es in the
e c o n o m y a n d th e e n v iro n ­
m ent. A fter the last eig h t years
o f d iv isio n an d p artisan sh ip ,
it's a w elco m e re lie f to see
O b am a talk ab o u t p ro g ress for
L G B T A m erican s as a basic
q u estio n o f fairn ess th a t e v ­
ery o n e can (o r sh o u ld ) be able
to ag ree upon.
Kathryn Kolbert is president
o f People for the American Way.
Education Stimulus: It’s About Time
An investment
in our future
by J udge G reg
Salutes
tion to protect people from anti­
gay violence, supports w ork­
place anti-discrim ination legis­
lation, and is in favor o f repeal­
ing tw o equally insidious provi­
sions, the so-called “Don't Ask
D on't T ell” rule and the Defense
o f M arriage Act.
T he fo rm er d iscrim in ates
against LG B T Am ericans in the
And w hat's m ost notew or­
thy is not ju st the substance o f
the agenda, but also w here it's
placed on the website.
Rather than cravenly avoid­
ing LG B T rights altogether or
putting them in a category like
“social issues” or “cultural is­
sues,” as a num ber o f others do,
the W hite H ouse places them
exactly w here they belong: as
part o f our nation's broad civil
M athis
The U.S. H ouseof R ep­
r e s e n ta tiv e s re c e n tly
passed an $800 plus bil­
lion reco v ery p ack ag e d e ­
sig n e d to s tim u la te o u r
country’s flat lining econom y.
The bill, w hich still needs to
be approved by the Senate b e­
fore it lands on the President’s
desk, provides tax cuts and
earm arks funds for healthcare,
energy and infrastructure re-
! pair.
O ver $100 m illion o f the
money will go directly to the
nation’s schools, resulting in
the biggest ever increase in
federal funding for education.
It’s about time.
O ver the years, our nation’s
schools have fallen further and
further behind those in other
countries.
O ur children aren ' t learning
the econom y fast enough’, this
dram atic increase in education
spending fin ally show s that
A m erica has leaders w ho un­
derstand the value o f a good
education.
Indeed, tens o f billions of
dollars will - and should - be
spent on the creation o f green
and infrastructure jo b s for low-
skill and non-skilled workers.
W hile these positions are des­
perately needed, they are only
tem porary. There w on’t neces­
sarily be a need for these types
o f w orkers after the nation’s
ing and math scores are often far President Bush.
Funds are also allocated for infrastructure is repaired and
from im pressive, especially in
inner cities. America is no longer school repair and m oderniza­ the greening o f A m erica is com ­
the innovator it once was and tion and for state aide to school plete.
An education lasts a lifetime.
m any of our m ajor com panies districts to prevent cut backs in
If
our
young people get the tools
m ust out source highly skilled key services and to prevent
they
need to succeed in the
tech n ical p o sitio n s to other teacher and adm inistrator lay­
global
m arketplace, they will be
countries because they c a n 't offs. A dditionally, m oney will
able
to
successfully transition
be
provided
to
public
colleges
Find qualified w orkers here.
as
societal
and business needs
and
universities,
typically
more
A fter decades o f polite re­
change.
affordable
than
private
colleges,
quests - and outright dem ands
T he current recession has
- for increased education fund­ to shore up their programs.
presented
difficult tim es for us
Though
critics
say
the
plan
ing, we finally get an opportu­
all.
B
ut
it
has also o pened
is
‘to
o
b
ig
’
and
‘w
o
n
'tstim
u
late
n ity to in v e st m o re in o u r
A m erica’s eyes to its w eak
spots. From this, the new edu­
cation package w as bom . And
M O T H E R COOSE A C TIVITIE S
that is truly som ething to be
FOR FAMILIES W ITH CHILDREN 2 -5 YEARS OLD!
thankful for.
W HEN: M O N D AY, FEBRUARY 9. 2 0 0 9 , 7PM-8PM
Judge Greg Mathis is vice
president o f Rainbow PUSH
WHERE: T R IN ITY LUTHERAN SCHOOL
and a board member o f the
5 5 2 0 NE KILLINCSWORTH ST.
S O 1 -2 8 8 -6 4 O 1
Southern Christian Leadership
W W W .T R IN IT T P O R T L A N D .O R C
Conference.
the basics, let alone developing
skills that will help them suc­
ceed in college or the
workforce. W e’re now
seeing the results of
that decline.
O urchildren’s read-
ch ild ren ’s, and our n atio n 's,
future.
The education dollars ear­
marked in the stim ulus package
will support the grossly under
funded No C hild Left Behind
education plan passed by form er
The only way to ensure our
young people receive a quality
education is to invest in it.
bedtime S tories with mother goose !