Page 18
2’*'r JJortlanh (Observer
Better Schools
continued
from front
$25 a m onth.
In particular, this m easure asks
voters to decide on a $548 m illion
construction bond to fully renovate
nine schools w ithin the city, includ­
ing Jefferson and R oosevelt High
S c h o o ls in north P o rtla n d , and
F a b ia n an d R ig le r E le m e n ta ry
Schools in northeast Portland; and
also supply new playgrounds, sci­
ence labs, roofs, new desks, and
m ore to the rem aining schools.
A lthough G ov. K itzhaber signed
tw o bills last m onth that gives K -12
schools $5.7 billion, the Portland
district m aintains that the num ber is
too low to m aintain current o p era­
tions.
A ccording to state analysts, the
proposed funding is $1 billion less
than w hat is n ecessary to keep
school staff and services intact next
y ear across O regon.
W ithin the Portland area alone,
there are 47,000 students w ho a t­
tend 85 different public schools,
w ith three quarters o f the budget o f
PPS com ing solely from the state o f
O regon.
B ecause the percentage o f the
state budget for education is only
becom ing sm aller, the full im pact o f
the recent budget cuts w o n 't be
know n until all o f O re g o n ’s school
districts set their budgets for the
upcom ing year.
For PPS, the level o f funding is
$42.8 m illion short o f continuing all
current services for the rolling costs
in the upcom ing year. A lthough PPS
is asking em ployees to forgo any
cost-of-living increase for the next
12 m onths, there is still a shortfall o f
more than $32 million in funds, which
could cause m ore than 4 00 teaching
positions cut and alm ost five-w eeks
elim inated from the school-year.
• M easure 26-122 aim s to find some
form o f resolution to m any internal
issues o f quality w ithin P o rtlan d ’s
education system w ith added m on­
ies for operations. M any teachers,
frustrated with already high class­
room sizes, hope that if m ore ed u ca­
tors rem ain w ithin PPS, then stu­
dents can be given m ore attention
w ithin their classes.
A c c o r d in g to M u ltn o m a h
C ounty, all voters should have re­
ceived their ballots by M ay 5, and
voters can mail their ballot back with
one first class stam p this w eek or
drop o ff their ballot at any O fficial
V oter D rop Site in O regon by T u e s­
day. B allots m ust be received by 8
p m ., T uesday M ay 17. Postm arks
do not count.
V oters are asked to c a l1503-988-
3720 if they h a v e n 't received their
ballots.
May II. 2011
Geronimo was Hero, Not Terrorist
Government’s code name for Bin Laden offends
(A P) - G eronim o was know n as
a legendary A pache w arrior w hose
ability to walk without leaving foot­
prints allow ed him to evade th o u ­
sands o f M exican and U.S. sol­
diers, m uch like O sam a bin Laden
evaded capture for the past d e ­
cade.
B ut fo r N a tiv e A m e ric a n s,
th ere’s an im portant difference:
G eronim o w as a hero — not a
terrorist.
So to them , the U.S. m ilitary's
use o f the revered leader's m o n i­
ker as a code nam e for bin Laden
was appalling — a slap in the face
that prom pted statem ents o f d is­
approval from tribal leaders, a
Hurry o f angry com m ents on so ­
cial netw ork sites and a letter from
the leader o f G eronim o's tribe ask ­
ing President B arack O bam a to
apologize.
M any N ative A m ericans also
say that w hile they are angered,
they are not surprised. T hey say
the code nam e is yet an o th er in­
sult in a long, tum ultuous history
w ith the federal governm ent.
'W e've been oppressed for so
long, it ju s t doesn't m atter an y ­
m ore," said Leon C urley, a N avajo
and M arine veteran from G allup,
N .M . "The governm ent does w hat
it w ants w hen it w ants. T he nam e
calling is going to stay around
forever. But w hen you think about
it, this is an insult."
E ven Je ff H ouser, ch airm an o f
G eronim o's Fort Sill A pache T ribe,
noted in his letter to O bam a that the
decision behind the code nam e was
based not in m aliciousness, but an
An 1887 photo shows the
famed Indian warrior Geronimo.
ongoing cultural disconnect.
"W e are quite certain that the use
o f the nam e G eronim o as a code for
O sam a bin Laden w as based on
m isunderstood and m isconceived
historical perspectives o f G eronim o
and his arm ed struggle against the
U nited States and M exican g o v ern ­
m ents," he w rote. "H ow ever, to
equate G eronim o o r any other N a­
tive A m erican figure with O sam a
bin Laden, a m ass m urderer and
co w ard ly terrorist, is painful and
offensive to o u r T ribe and to all
N ative A m ericans."
T he W hite H ouse referred q u es­
tions on the m atter to the U.S. D e­
fense D epartm ent, w hich said no
d isre sp e c t w as m eant to N ative
A m ericans.
T he departm ent w ouldn't elab o ­
r a te o n th e u se o f th e n a m e
"G eronim o," but said code nam es
typically are chosen random ly so
that those w orking on a m ission can
com m unicate w ithout divulging any
inform ation to adversaries.
The U.S. m ilitary's use o f the word
"G eronim o" dates to the early 1940s,
w hen A m erican p a ra tro o p e rs in
W orld W ar II starting using it as a
w ar cry . A round the sam e time, Para­
m o u n t re le a s e d a m o v e c a lle d
" G e ro n im o !" a b o u t W est Point
graduate and his A rm y regim ent's
attem pt to capture the w arrior.
S o m e sp e c u la te th a t the co d e
n am e w as c h o se n b e c a u s e bin
L ad en , like G e ro n im o , w as able to
e lu d e c a p tu re fo r so m an y y e ars.
O th e rs say it's b e c a u se the g o v ­
e rn m e n t c o n sid e re d b o th m en te r­
ro rists .
Joyce Washington
The 11th Annual
Basketball Game
Saturday, May 21 at SEI
3920 N. Kerby Street
Doors open at 12 p.m.
Girls Classic at 1 p.m.
Boy’s Classic at 3 p.m.
Tickets available at The Portland Observer
4747 N.E. Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd.
Looking for High School Boys & Girls to Participate
fo r more information contact Tony or Mark Washington at 288-0033
Sponsored by:
‘Dedicated to our mother, whose purposeful life
is our family inspiration. ” — The Washington family
Jloril.niïi (Ohstrnrr
Bashor’s
ITEAM ATOLEIKS
.trt
CVSAFEWAY inc
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