Newspapers / The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, … / Jan. 8, 1981, edition 1 / Page 2
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I Editorials & Comments A Question Of Priorities As the nation crossed the threshold into 1981, many have followed the tradition of looking back at the year just ended to reflect, review and analyze its meaning for the future. As a result, 1980 has been described as “a year in a dark tunnel;” another has sai4 that the events— of 1980 has led ‘‘people (to feeling they) aren’t eager to embrace 1981. They are braced for it.” While we cannot ignore the immediate past, considering its impact upon the near future, an excessive emphasis on our na tion’s negatives takes the past year as well as the new year out of perspective. For example, some of President-elect Ronald Reagon’s advisors are proposed that they declare an “economic emergency.” Others have ex pressed opposition to such a declaration saying that it will cause possible unnecessary fears and that slogans don’t really solve anything. Nevertheless, the. psycholo gical dye has been cast as Reagan’s Office of Management and Budget director-designate David Stockman is proposing massive cuts in everything that falls under the heading of urban revitalization or social welfare. Stockman, along with Rep. (N.Y.) Jack Kemp, are favoring major budget reductions in Ur ban Development Action Grants (UDAG), Community Develop ment Block Grants (CDBG), Economic Development Admin istration (EDA) and housing assistance programs. Now comes the word that Stockman and the new Seante and House Budget Committee chairmen want to cut billions of dollars from basic government Ban The Bible? The Chicago Sun-Times news paper has quoted the Rev. Jerry Falwell, national leader of Moral Majority, as saying, “Textbooks are Soviet propaganda. Text books are destroying our child ren. (We must) rise up in arms to throw out every textbook not reflecting (our) values.” The Sun-Times goes on to say that since the November 4 Elec tion of Ronald Reagan the Moral Majority and its allied funda mentalist churches have as sumed a mandate to impose their values on the entire nation. While “attempting to ban books is nothing new,” the Sun-Times adds, “what is new is the in crease in the numbers and mood of the country...” Books are reportedly being banned because of a word, a phrase, a picture or even an idea that provokes the reader to think.For example, over 20 years ago the Daughters of.the Ameri can Revolution wanted to ban a high school history textbook be cause of a picture showing peo ple during the depression of the 1930s lined up to receive food baskets being distributed by the federal government. The book payments to millions of citizens. These would include cuts in such things as Social Security, Me dicaid, Medicare, Food Stamps, Unemployment Compensation, Veterans’ benefits and retire ment pay for the military and federal employees. Ironically, —this Will be_done through redp fining eligibility for these pro grams. This sounds like a Viet nam War veteran who has lost an arm or his eyesight might be told his losses are not severe enough so we are going to reduce his benefits. Furthermore, since Reagan’s aides are claiming that such budget cuts are necessary to off-set proposed defense in creases and tax cuts, it appears that the new administration is more interested in reallocating the nation’s income; that is, from moderate and lower in come people and the needs of our urban centers to defense-produc ing corporations and upper in come people. What all this means is a reordering of our nation’s pri orities. While there is a need for some change, and some would be expected with a new national leadership. However, we believe it should be a vocal concern of the American people when our priority changes place so little emphasis on promoting peace, saving our urban centers, re ducing the plight of the poor and realistically facing the conflict ing issues of inflation and un employment. While it’s all a matter of setting priorities, we hope Mr. Regan will objectively review all policy options and their eventual consequence before deciding what courses of action to take. banning was aimed at eliminat ing a picture that the “Daugh ters” felt reflected negatively on our nation’s past in spite of the fact it is a part of our history. In more recent times a book entitled “Making It With Made moiselle,” which by title, im plied in some narrow minded thinking people’s thoughts, adulterous sexual activity. How ever, after being placed on the banned list, someone finally had enough sense to look beyond the cover to find that the book was a collection of dress patterns for teenage girls. The list of textbooks, novels, new magazines and dictionaries that have been banned from our nation’s schools reads like a “who’s who.” Interestingly enough, the book banners have particular strong views against drug and sex education and, therefore, oppose books dealing with sex and drugs. Interestingly, too, is the fact that blacks favor some book cen sorship - “Little Black Sambo,” and “Mary Popins,” because of their stereotypical portrayal of blacks. THE CHARLOTTE POST Second Class Postage No. 965500 “THE PEOPLE’S NEWSPAPER” Established 1918 Published Every Thursday by The Charlotte Post Publishing Co., Inc. 1524 West Hlvd., Charlotte. N.C. 2H20X Telephone <704 ) 376-0496 Circulation 9.200 62 Years of Continuous Service Bill Johnson...Editor, Publisher Bernard Reeves...General Manager Second Class Postage No. 965500 Paid At ( harlotte, N.C. under the Act of March 3, 1878 m Member National Newspaper Publishers Association North Carolina Black Publishers Association Deadline for all news copy and photos is 5 p.m. Monday. All photos and copy submitted become the property of the POST and will not be returned National Advertising Representative Amalgamated Publishers. Inc. 45 W. 45th St., Suite 1493 New York. N.Y. loo:«5 (212) 489-1220 2100 8. Michigan Ave. Chicago. III. 60010 Calumet 5-0200 From (xipilol Hill Single Six-Year Presidential Term Is Advocated Allreds I,. Madison Specisl To The Post Because presidents are elected for four years and can succeed themselves for another four years, the first term in office is usual ly spent with a great con cern over actions that will encourage reelection for the next four years. With this in mind Congressman John Conyers has intro duced a constitutional amendment which will limit the president's ten ure to a single six-year term. Conyers stated that the long and taxing recent pre sidential campain makes a change appropriate. A single six-year term would free the president from electoral and political pres sures which most often force the encumbent to compromise on major is sues. The six-year term could limit the role that money and news media play in the electoral pro cess. This amendment has the potential for promoting new talent for the presi dency. This would not place a candidate in the position Alfreds L. Madison to attack the encumbent's record, but instead arge their own merits while campaigning. Conyers stated that the complexities of governance and the circumstances of the world make this pur pose all the more urgent. He said this amendment will not apply to the encum bent president at the time of its ratification The amendment will require approval by three fourths of the state legislatures and will have the effect of repealing the twenty second amendment to the constitution, which limits a president to two four-year terms Representative Conyers has been a long-time pro moter of this six-year pre sidential idea The last ma jor House hearing on the issue was held in 1973 be fore the House Judiciary Subcommittee, chaired by the congressman. Conyers stated that in hearing from citizens around the country, he feels there is wide support for the amendment, at this particular time. Even though the Con gressman has just intro duced the amendment, he states that many of his congressional colleagues of both parties have ex pressed, to him, that they will happily become co sponsors of it. While hearings will have to be held on the amend ment the House Judiciary Committee, Conyers feels certain that the Judiciary Subcommittee, on Civil and Constitutional Law chaired by Congressman Don Edwards of California will hold hearing during the 97th Congress On learning-that .Senator Strom Thurmond strongly supports the six-year pre sidential term, Conyers said he is highly delighted to have the Senator’s sup port and that he sincerely hopes Senator Thurmond will appear as a witness before the House Judiciary Subcommittee and that, he, Conyers will be happy to appear before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the amendment. A member of Senator Thurmond’s staff stated the Senator has felt for some time that since a pre sident can succeed himself, much of the energy in his first term is focused on winning a second term election and as a result most of the attention is away from important is Letter To The Editor sues of the country. So the Senator feels that one six-year term will allow the president to concentrate, during his full term of office, on the best solutions of solving the country's problems. This single six-year term idea has had the support of every president beginning with Eisenhower. Pleasure To Be US Gtizen ♦ Dear Editor: It is a pleasure to be a United States citizen. Even though we are frus trated by bureaucracy, and the citizens are exasperat ed by inflation, hardship and government-originated misfortune, we can look forward to future elections to replace the people in office in hopes that situa tioas will improve This year, the voters showed their need and con cern, by their spirited at tendance at the polls. However, the referen dum concerning judges' re quirements, whether to, or not to be lawyers, was of importance enough to be placed on the ballot, but no emphasis was exercised to make the voter aware of how critical the outcome might become. The need for better government was their prime concern, and the referendum was a strong unrecognized part of it. The state of North Caro lina has removed another one of the “People’s Rights" by mixing it into a panel of confusing final decisions. The voters have been misled by a coinci dental "side effect" of the election process. Justice administered by professional patterns leaves little chance for the unfairly accused. Profes sional people are, usually, educated machines, not ne cessarily accustomed to mercifully dealing with the compassionate phase of true justice. Attorneys have led the people to believe every judge had to be. first, a lawyer BUI Rooks. |__Wilmington Let’s Work Together For A Safe Community ■— — ■ I Nothing Is Forever “You may run on for a long time, but God al mighty will cut you down.” Old timers from the little wooden churches out in the rustic regions of the south and in the storefront urban churches will remember that line; sometimes in a prayer, sometimes in an unwritten hymn. The fact is, "change is inevitable.” Because of the temper of the times, new forces come into play and the drama closes on unfinished activi ties of the actors. Certainly the liberals, the coalition of blacks and whites, Jews and Gentiles, Catholics and Protestants, who were in the streets with Dr. Martin Luther King in the early sixties, had to run their course and for the time being, the steam has run out. The conservative forces are in, much to the satisfaction of those who never accepted the liberal philosophy on social, eco nomic, educational or theo logical issues. Nothing could be more complete and definite than the defeat of liberal phi losophical ideology as in the 1980 elections. Not only did the peanut farmer go down in" a resounding defeat, a majority of li beral and lukewarm mid dle of the road moderate congressmen went down. And in many ways this was one of the best things that could happen to the nation and the struggle for justice. In the past decade we heard much about the death of the civil rights movement. It had its de mise under the “law and order” regime of Richard Milhous Nixon, an admin istration of lawlessness and disorder, to say the least. The liberals lost much of their steam when civil rights moved from lunch counters and street demon strations to fair housing and quality education, which meant either living next door, or riding a Dus across town to make inte gration work. Liberals and moderates took another dive in the Bakke case, and other af firmative action programs, when the screams of re verse discrimination went up to the high heavens. When racists started cry ing reverse discrimination, that was the first time they admitted that discrimina tion existed. All of this took its toll on the liberal syn drome, and the spirit of the times began drying up. People who really care about the future of the people are digging out their walking shoe*, and demon strations will begin all over again in January of 1981. It will be the beginning of a ne^', massive buildup while pointing out the pitfalls that the conservatives will certainly dig. A new bunch of liberal senators and con gressmen will be coming up in the next few years, and innovative activists will demand that black professionals become ac countable. The conservative mood, and the unfounded fears of the times, will drive many nonchurchgoers back to church once again. Nothing is forever. As we look at what it all around us, we might take heart and dig in, for this, too, will pass. Retraining Is A Must! witn all thy getting, get some understanding,” don’t remember where ex actly it’s written, but it works. These days only about half of the Black American male adults are able to find a job. It’s not only bad luck and being Black that is holding them back. Each one needs to sense the necessity for meaningful labor in life and possess the skills to sell that labor after some form of the proper schooling. Some two million addi tional Black American adult employees are cur rently pounding the pave ment looking for product ive work. When one watch es the way foreign coun tries recareer train their people, it puts tears into the eyes of even taxi drivers in America. Especially when a few of them have Ph D.’! At one time or another nearly all of the people in any given profession on the decline decide to become cab drivers. Unfortunately, today., taxi drivers and chauffeur jobs are showing a decline for prospective number of job openings in this decade of the 80s. A drop of almost 9.8 percent is decreed in unpublished data from the U.S. Labor Department's Bureau of Labor Statistics. To tell the truth this is nothing like the decline in prospects for people who used to take pleasure and certainly little pocket money from positions such as teachers' aides, tele graph messenger or oper ators. These job prospects are expected to decline 51.8 percent, 72 percent and 44.5 percent respectively dur ing the next 10 years. Yearning for a new job will not just be unskilled workers and farmers, but college and university pro fessors, down 14.3 percent as well as secondary school teachers, down some 26.5 percent. Sales work, es pecially advertising agents expected to jump 42.4 per cent followed by bank, fi nancial managers, expand ing over 50 percent are refreshing action areas. Determining what field of employment to become engaged in is no easy matter, no matter what the growth prospects in the near term. Affirmative Action Stopping Violence Against Blacks By Gerald C. Horne, Esq. Special To The Post If anything is becoming clear nowadays, it is the violence against Blacks is on the rise and is suscept a president supported by Birch-ites and Klansmen of all stripes has been elected. Indeed, the latest joke sweeping Washington is that the only Black to be appointed by Reagan will be Shirley Temple Black. The usually moderate Ben Hooks of the NAACP, who is a Republican, has spoken in the New York. Times of “hysteria” and mass buying of guns in the Black community. It is bitterly true that more seem to be concerned with who shot J.R than who shot Vernon Jordan. Some have criticized Hooks for making intem perate remarks but it is not difficult to see why he would be moved. For the fact is unavoidable that by a number of objective mea sures, the thrust of his concern can be substan tiated. Los Angeles, for exam ple, has been compared by some to “Rhodesia...with those pictures of house wives getting target prac tice at swimming pools during the civil war.” In 1979 Los Angeles posted 2.8 homicides per thousand re sidents, to lead the nation; -it also leads in the rate of rapes and assaults. Watts recalls the fatal shooting of Black mother Eula Love in a minor dispute over a utility bill. new twist A new twist in the stepped-up violence against Blacks is the in crease in attacks against Black youth. Many are familiar with the murders of youth in Atlanta. But less publicized is the rise of the Klan Youth Corps, which as CBS-TV has reported, operates camps in Ala bama for little racists. And recently it was reported that instruction was being given to Boy Scouts and Civil Air Patrol cadets on the art of “how to strangle people and fire guns.” Their teacher avers, “I am proud to be a member of the Ku Klux Klan." Thus, it is not altogether surprising that in San An selmo, California’s pre dominantly white Drake High School, nine mem bers of the football team were suspended recently for shouting pro-KKK slo gans at a game; or how in Durham, North Carolina s Northern High School a football game was disrupt ed with a cross-burning or how Black elementary students at Brown Alter native School in Jackson, Mississippi were sprayed with tear gas by white classmates said to be mem bers of the "Junior KKK.” Exacerbating the situa tion is the lax punishment dished out to those young criminals who are caught. Two 17 year old white youths burned a cross on the lawn of a Black postal worker in Long Island, N. Y. The punishment hand ed out by the court in cluded making three p..hijc _ appearances to condemn racial vandalism. Though convicted in December 1979, as of October 1980 they had not complied and apparently will not be brought to book. But unsettling as the situation involving violence and Black youtMi also worth watching is the link ing of the KKK, the police and military. In Harris burg, Pa., there have been substantial allegations con cerning members of the police force “wearing white supremacy medal lions with their uniforms” and participating in the local Klavem. The Boy Scouts being trained in Houston by the KKK were members of Post 2125, sponsored by the Marine Corps Reserve at Ellington Air Force Base. new wrinkle A new wrinkle in the wave of violence against Blacks is the issue of po lice retaliation. For in stance, in New Orleans on November 8, a policeman working alone was found shot through the neck and bleeding to death in a ditch in the predominantly Black Algiers section. In rapid succession four Blacks were killed by police, one in his bedroom. Fortunately, federal, state and local agencies, plus civil rights groups are investigating. Other examples have been cited throughout the country. Once again, after the clarion call is sounded the question becomes, “what is to be done?” The Center for Constitutional Rights (CCR), a sponsor of the Affirmative Action Coor dinating Center (AACC), has come up with one novel approach that Black and progressive lawyers might want to emulate. CCR has filed private lawsuits against the KKK claiming that Klansmen have conspired to deprive Blacks of their civil rights in violation of the so-called Ku Klux Klan Acafl|f 1871. The suits demanamoney damages and seek to win injunctions against further Klan violence and intimi dation. The entire organ ization can be found in contempt if it could be shown that violence oc curred within the court’s juridiction. On November 3 the Southern Poverty Law Cen ter in Alabama filed a class action in federal court in Birmingham, Alabama. The suits, “The People’s Association ot Decatur vs. the Invisible Empire, Knights of the KKK, 80-C 14498“ asks for injunctive relief and $1 million in damages for each of an undetermined number of plaintiffs.
The Charlotte Post (Charlotte, N.C.)
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Jan. 8, 1981, edition 1
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