Opinion
Scottish Vote a Lesson in Democracy
“Challenging People to Shape
a Better Future Now”
B ERNIE F OSTER
Founder/Publisher
B OBBIE D ORE F OSTER
Executive Editor
J ERRY F OSTER
Advertising Manager
L ISA L OVING
News Editor
H ELEN S ILVIS
Multimedia Editor
P ATRICIA I RVIN
D AVID K IDD
Graphic Designer
M ONICA J. F OSTER
Seattle Office Coordinator
J ULIE K EEFE
S USAN F RIED
Photographers
The Skanner Newspaper, established
in October 1975, is a weekly publica-
tion, published each Wednesday by
IMM Publications Inc.,
415 N. Killingsworth St.,
P.O. Box 5455, Portland, OR 97228.
T
his week, Scottish voters go
to the polls to decide
whether to scrap its 300-
year union with the rest of the
United Kingdom. Feelings are
strong on both sides, and with
almost 100 percent of the elec-
torate signed up to vote, polls
show voters split right down the
middle.
As a Scot living in Portland,
Ore., I’m watching the results with
interest. I don’t have a vote, but
many of my family members are
voting. And even within my fami-
ly, opinions differ sharply.
My mother and father, for exam-
ple, who have already have voted
by mail, cast one “Yes,” for Inde-
pendence, and one “No”, for
staying with the UK. That’s no
surprise to anyone who knows
them. My mother has always been
a staunch Scottish nationalist. My
father has always supported keep-
ing the union. And yes they are
still speaking.
That’s not true of everyone. The
two-year campaign has been
marked by bitterness that looks set
to continue for years to come, no
matter what the outcome. So
what’s at stake and why does it
matter to anyone outside this tiny
nation of 5.3 million people?
Since 1998 Scotland has had its
own parliament to govern every-
thing from education and the
environment to health and justice.
But the big decisions about for-
eign policy and defense are
handled in London, in the south of
England. Scotland has a say in that
parliament, but because England’s
population is 10 times larger,
Scots often don’t get the govern-
ment or the policies they want.
T HE S KANNER N EWS
Helen Silvis
In fact, Scotland’s politics have
consistently run far to the left of
England’s. When Iron Lady Mar-
garet Thatcher’s Conservative
government came to power in
1979, for example, it had almost
no support in Scotland. Yet that
government held power for 11
years. In the current London par-
liament, the Conservative party
under UK leader David Cameron
is the largest party, but not a single
Conservative member of parlia-
A sore point for Scots is that
wealth in the UK is now concen-
trated in London and Southeast
England. According to the 2014
Wealth Report, London is home to
more of the world’s wealthiest
multimillionaires than New York.
Scottish nationalists feel Scotland
should have benefited more from
its oil fields.
And the entire nation grits its
teeth when London- based media
say England when they mean the
UK, and claim Scots tennis star
Andy Murray as one of their own,
but only when he wins. When it
comes to sports, plenty of Scots
Because England’s population
is 10 times larger, Scots often don’t
get the government or the policies
they want
ment was elected in Scotland.
So if the Yes campaign wins it
will have a strong impact on the
rest of the United Kingdom. Eng-
land, Wales and Northern Ireland
may never elect another Labour
government without Scottish vot-
ers to tip them over the top.
That mismatch between English
and Scottish voters has stoked the
nationalist cause. But there is
more, much more. And it’s rooted
in history. Scotland and England
united in 1707, but only because
Scottish King James VI inherited
the throne of England from Eliza-
beth 1.
James moved the entire court
south to London. Some Scots feel
that was his biggest mistake.
will support any old team against
England.
So what about the Nos? Why
would Scots not want independ-
ence? Like many modern
relationships, it’s complicated.
England may be the “auld enemy”
but English people are also our
neighbors, business partners, fam-
ily members and our closest
friends. Many Scots went to
school in England, and around a
million live there, including my
own brother and his— English—
family.
Yes, there are cultural differ-
ences, but the nations also share a
lot of tradition, culture and history.
For two centuries their soldiers
have fought side-by-side. As much
as Scots might resent English cul-
tural dominance at times, many
also feel British. We all grew up
watching the same television
shows, and listening to the same
music.
Anyone 16 and older who lives
in Scotland can register and vote
in this election. Nobody who lives
outside of Scotland can vote. That
means a fair number of people will
be voting who are not Scottish by
heritage and have little attachment
to its history and culture.
As much as Scottish politics
lean left, the Scottish character
leans conservative. Change for
change’s sake is frowned upon.
Scots have had plenty of advice
during this campaign. Some of it
has come in the form of threats. If
they vote for independence: they
will have to kiss the pound good-
bye; reapply for NATO and
European Union membership; pay
more for goods and services; lose
the Royal Bank of Scotland to
London; and see their economy
tank.
UK Prime Minister David
Cameron pleaded this week for
voters to keep the UK family
together. He also said a Yes vote
would trigger a very messy
divorce.
But nationalists say that a “No”
vote will mean missing a once-in-
a-lifetime chance to establish
Scotland as an independent nation
with its own voice. careers have
led up to this vote.
We should know the result of the
election by this Friday or Satur-
day. Till then you’ll find me taking
a wee dram of whisky and
whistling Scotland the Brave.
Telephone (503) 285-5555.
E-mail: info@theskanner.com
World Wide Web site:
http://www.theskanner.com
Fax: (503) 285-2900
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National Newspaper Pub lishers Associ-
ation and West Coast Black Pub lishers
Association.
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spon sible for lost or damaged photos
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REPRODUCTION IN WHOLE OR IN PART
WITHOUT PERMISSION PROHIBITED.
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NFL Domestic Abusers Get Tap on Wrist
T
he NFL – which has been
referred to as everything
from the National Felons
League to, in the cases of players,
Not For Long – has imposed a
lifetime ban on Ray Rice yet
rarely disciplines other brazen
offenders. And when a team takes
the rare action of disciplining a
player for striking a woman, it
usually results in a tap on the
wrist.
The National Football League
initially imposed a two-game sus-
pension of Rice after it was
disclosed that he had abused his
then-fiancée, Janay Palmer, in an
Atlantic City, N.J. casino hotel
elevator. But after the celebrity
website TMZ aired the full video
showing Rice knocking out his
future wife with a strong blow to
the face, rendering her uncon-
scious, the Baltimore Ravens
voided Rice’s contract and the
NFL banned him from pro football
for life.
Commissioner Roger Goodell,
who is in charge of protecting the
nation’s most popular sport’s $10
billion in annual revenue,
acknowledged that the NFL “got it
wrong” when it imposed only a
two-game suspension on Rice.
But what Goodell, who earns
$44 million a year, didn’t admit
was the NFL continues to get it
wrong while serving as a high-
profile enabler for other domestic
abusers in the league. For exam-
onto a couch filled with assault
and shotguns. Hardy was
T HE C URRY rifles
found guilty of misdemeanor
R EPORT
charges and sentenced to a 60-day
suspended sentence and 18
months of probation. He is appeal-
George E.
ing the verdict. Hardy was
Curry
deactivated for last Sunday’s game
against the Detroit Lions.
San Francisco 49ers defensive
end Ray McDonald was allowed
to play in last Sunday’s game,
ple:
being
arrested
Rice’s teammate, All-Pro Line- despite
backer Terrell Suggs, continued and charged with felony domestic
playing after Candace Williams, violence connected with allegedly
the mother of his three children striking his pregnant fiancée. A
and his future wife, filed for two hearing scheduled for Monday
The NFL continues to get it wrong while
serving as a high-profile enabler for
other domestic abusers in the league
protective orders against him in
the last five years. Carolina Pan-
thers All-Pro Defensive End Greg
Hardy was convicted last summer
of assaulting and threatening to
kill his former girlfriend, Nicole
Holder, but no action was taken
against him until the Ray Rice
story exploded on the national
scene. In her request for a protec-
tive order, Holder said Hardy
threw her into a tile tub, pulled her
from the tub by her hair, choked
her with both hands and picked
her up over his head and threw her
Page 2 The Portland and Seattle Skanner September 17, 2014
was postponed, pending further
investigation.
These are not isolated cases.
A database maintained by USA
Today shows that there have been
713 arrests of NFL players since
2000 – 85 for domestic violence.
The database covers only inci-
dents reported by the media.
Of the 56 known domestic vio-
lence cases that occurred on
Goodell’s watch, players were
suspended only a combined total
13 games, excluding Ray Rice.
Typically, players involved in
domestic disputes had charges dis-
missed after they were placed in a
diversion program for first-time
offenders, completed anger man-
agement counseling or performed
community service. In many
cases, the abused woman refused
to file charges. Only 10 players
were released by their team and
three of those landed on other
squads.
Overall, arrest rates among NFL
players are lower than the national
average for men in their age range.
Among NFL teams, according
to the New York Times, the Min-
nesota Vikings had the most
players arrested since 2000, with
44, followed closely by the
Cincinnati Bengals and the Den-
ver Broncos. The Arizona
Cardinals and the St. Louis Rams,
with 11 each, tied for the lowest
mark. Baltimore had 22 players
arrested over that period, mirror-
ing the league average.
Though the most common
offense was driving while drunk,
domestic violence has taken center
stage.
The domestic cases are chroni-
cled by Sidepin. The website
stated, “Goodell is perceived as
being tough on players. He’s an
authoritarian, the likes of which
the league has never seen!! But
there’s one thing Goodell will tol-
erate, and that’s NFL players
abusing women.”