FORUM Protection: Children Need It Last year, the Children's Defense Fund did focus group research of black teens and parents to learn how they viewed teen sexuality and pregnancy. One striking result was that the teens didn't relate to the terms "family plan ning" or "contraception." Rather, they used the term "protection" to refer to birth control. I was struck by the appropriateness - and the irony - of the term, in a time when teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases are growing epidemics. The danger is that, even when well-educated about the risks of pregnancy and disease and how to prevent them, many teens consciously choose to put themselves at risk. And, in a time when crime and terrorism are turning our . that will not only equip them to better handle themselves, but hopefully, begin to decrease the violence that overshadows their lives and holds their futures in hock. We can campaign, vote for and hold accountable our political representatives at the city, state and national levels. We can work with our churches to provide not only spiritual sustenance, but after-school and weekend activities that offer a haven from danger. We can come together with others in the community and take steps, as others have, to look crime and drug-dealing and gang violence in the face and say: "NO MORE!" We can lead our social and professional organizations to the forefront by putting the neighborhoods and schools into war zones, the term "protection" takes on even more meaning. Besides the GUEST COLUMNIST By MARIAN WRIGHT EDELMAN bullets that claim ? ? more young lives every day, our children face the dangers of preventable (and sometimes deadly) disease, abuse and neglect at home, violence in and outside of school, and the epi needs of our children at the top of their agendas and at their bottom line. We can support the expansion of the Head Start program so that every eligible child can be prepared to succeed V "We can lead our social and professional organizations to the forefront by putting the needs of our children at the top of their agendas and at their bottom line." demic of hopelessness that underscores it all. How can we protect them? When they're very young, we can vaccinate them against polio, measles, mumps and other diseases. We can locate and fix environmental hazards like lead paint, polluted water, substandard housing and needle-littered yards and streets. When they get older, we can caution them against the dangers of drug and alcohol abuse and encourage them to delay sexual activity until they are matyre enough to handle the responsibilities of parenthood and possible con sequences. At any age, we can begin to demonstrate - and to teach - creative conflict resolution skills in school and in life. Protection. Our children need it. They deserve it. And, they're counting on us to pro vide it. It's a word they shouldn't need to under stand so well. The Black Community Crusade for Chil dren is dedicated to solving these and other problems. Give us a call at 1-800-ASK-BCCC to find out how you can get involved. (Marian Wright Edelman is president of the Children 's Defense Fund , a national voice for children, and a leader of the Black Com munity Crusade for Children.) Economics Through Self-Help Let us build together a friendship strong and sturdy, beginning with a collective trust that's made to last for many years. ( Author Unknown) There are two universal factors or truths about economics. First, production follows cheap labor. Second, capital follows high inter est rates.vAsk yourself the following questions: Is there an^lncentive to invest in America, if interest rates are down here and higher, else where? Is business motivated to leave this country? Is labor, the last factor in this equa tion, willing to change? Our unions should "raise" the educational and technical level of the masses, instead of striking, and supporting, strikes to hold onto would grow up to be a direct threat to their children's employment opportunities. Controlling education maintains the social status of the "upper-middle class" and the "world economic elites." Could this explain the annual Crisis, solved by cuts and take-aways in public education? We must teach our best and brightest, on Saturdays and Sundays, a sound, basic educa tion in reading, math, writing and thinking. The churches in our communities should open their doors and begin this task "yesterday." We have plenty of qualified, talented, and retiring teaching volunteers. They would be willing to help complement public education and chil dren who are willing to try. The preceding comments on self-empow erment over education and economics were written by Calvin Pearce who is executive director of The Learning Logic Foundation, "the way we were." Civil rights groups and unions should lead the charge into highly skilled and techni cal fields of work. It is counter-pro ductive to resist BUSINESS EXCHANGE By WILLIAM REED improvements. Failure to do this means that the first intergeneratjonal think-tank in Illinois. "We must teach our best and brightest, on Saturdays and Sundays, a sound, basic education in reading, math, writing and thinking." ~dur people must compete with unskilled labor, all over the global community. The North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA) is better understood with these factors clarified. As a community, we are responsible for the education of our children. Not the "they" we always blame. "They" are the "world eco nomic elites." "They" always get more than their share of the wealth and services around the world. "They" have no countries or bound aries. Their support base is the "upper-middle class." The "upper-middle class" has a creed they live and die by: Make sure their children do better than they did. This "upper-middle class" under the lead ership of the "world economic elites," do not want public education to educate more than 50 percent of the masses. If the masses are edu cated anymore than this, you can no long tell them what to think. If the "elite" and "upper middle class" allow great numbers of "unlearned masses" an opportunity to the same educational conditioning, those "unlearned" The think-tank's purpose is to promote educa tional discussion and experimental programs between senior citizens and school-age youth. The mission of the Foundation is to decrease illiteracy, homelessness, drug addiction and domestic and gang violence. Pearce's group is trying to organize objec tives around the social problems of the com munity. A community needs to hear its own voice. Our communities need voices publiciz ing mutual feelings, problems and hardships. But, the majority of a community's time can be spent reacting to the negative effects of prob lems highlighted by the media. Thg actual quality of life in a community depends on how well it maintains the standards, morals and val ues of its people. * * * (Want to do more toward building together with people where you live? Contact the Learning Logic Foundation , P.O. Box 805233, Chicago , III 60680-4133. Or catt (312) 233-4442.) \ nal-Tex: A lucKy break "Dute" is on tteHetlWty riot contact * Exit Wound. Exittofound* Good idea. Will try. Dal -Tex. ! m 0 f r i i I 363, HONSY I'M P0IN6 THB 7HEQRJ5T5 A FAVOR. WITHOUT PtOPie UKS Ma TOKSBP TH&R FAHTA5IZS ? ALivz.avew THIN6 THZY... f \ ACTUALLY, IT IS. I tPOCTOREP UP THAT PHOTO BACK IN 1967. IbUAS TRY/NO TO PUT MYSELF- THROUGH 6RAV SCHOOL, ANP CONSPIRACY NUTS UJERE PAYING TOP POP LAR FOP NEW EVtPENCB . Send to user PuKe? Have seen photo of "Cigarette RotaerMan." Believe him to be you. TAP/ TAP.' T4f>/ r Am now scanning photoofmefcalking, to Oswald behina the Depository short ly after shooting, You may downlead. WHAT WAS PUKS 60/NG TO SAY ? WHO KNOOUS * THAT WAS THE LAST PANEL THIS FEATURE'S CREATOR PRBW BEFORE HE FELL "ILL" WTTH THE \ '! FLU : I THOUGHT TP MILK3P THAT SCAM PW, BUTIGUESSPY NOUI THERE'S A UJHOC&, BRIGHT NEW GENERATION OF TINY TOONS SCURRYING ABOUT FOR. L?APS! IF OSUJALD ACTED ALONE, THEIR UV& HAVE BEEN A FAFCB ? AN UTTER. UJASW! THETRUTH UJOULPPeSrWY THESE PEOPLE.. PRETTY BAD "TIMING, " UJOUUm YOU SAY? JUST A5 HE tUAS ABOUT TO BUM THE WHISTLE ON THE JFK NUTCASES, THE'FUr NAILS HIM! A'CaNOPENCB, "YOU SAY* WELL, EXCUSE ME, BUT... ? Dal- Tex: Can you locate. "PukeV BooK Rights. 9TBP BOOK . 1 HOW. RjQKVSr?} Dal-Tex You opt me. I want to come clean. 7HATS U, 6/R APP707HB ueBOfues. B w JAP ' TAP ' I ON OCCA SION. I ALSOON&. | SOU? HAS A PICTURE OFW6FOOT. FOUR SHOOTERS SPRAY AT l?AST\ &6HT BULLETS 47 JFK. fiM0N6 OSWALD ISFXAM5D, 1K5N KILUPKX600PMM5U&. NUMBER OF CON5RR ATDRS>: HUNVRBVS. HUMBBR.OF WST5RJ0U5 MATHS'- m ANPCOUNVNO.l A Government Above the Law For all of those who break the law and try to get something for nothing, President Bill Ginton put on a textbook seminar in breaking the law legally. Beyond a shadow of a doubt, he showed us just how corrupt our system of government has become as he paid for votes for NAFTA with tax -collected money. The last estimate was $1.7 billion ? or an average of $7.5 million for each of the 218 House votes needed to win. Compare that to the $500,000 the Republicans allegedly paid to keep the black vote down in New Jersey and you'll get "peanuts," says Ross Perot. Thing like giving $1.4 billion to build two C-17 cargo planes to win the vote of Rep. Eddie Johnson, a Democrat from Texas, bothers Perot so much that he wants a Justice Department investigation of corruption. Fat chance that Clinton's justice will seek justicefbr the taxpayers. And we can expect the Democrats and all politicians to duck the question that wonders why if it's wrong for the Republicans to buy an election in New Jersey, it is not wrong for Clinton to use public funds to buy votes? This taxpayer-financed pork barrel should embarrass politi cians. but is doesn't Rep. Floyd Flake, a minister, calls his $580 million payoff a "bridge to economic development" 4 In addition to playing Russian roulette with the jobs of Americans, Clinton has demonstrated once again that he has no principles. Buying the NAFTA vote must be added to Clinton's lying about raising taxes; his phony promise to cut the deficit by $500 billion when in effect, he is raising it to $300 billion over five years; and his promise to save S5.6 billion "reinventing TONY BROWN Syndicated Columnist government" when it really adds up to only $305 million. These is not enough space to mention all of his broken "promises." But his image as the leader of a country founded on ethical principals is a disaster in progress. (Tony Brown's Journal TV series can be seen on your local public television station PBS.) i