CI)e Cfiarlotte
Thursday, May 26, 1988 - THE CHARLOTTE POST - Page 6A
The Basis Of Post Endorsements
Gerald O. Johnson, Publisher
Robert L. Johnson, Co-Publisher
Jalyne Strong, Editor
Editorials
Wanted: Ethics In Government
Ethics refers to the study of staudards of
conduct and moral Judgment. We have de
fined the word ethics as a reminder of who
ought to be and to note the tragic fact of
what Is — that the foundations cf all levels
of government In our nation appear to be
cracking from the abuses of unethical prac
tices by a growing number of elected offi
cials.
From the White House to the county court
house, public officials have and are engag
ing In conduct that has resulted In Increas
ing questions about ethics and ethical be
havior. While stUl shalq/^ fron the Oliver
North Iran/Contra affair, the Reagan White
House Is hell-bent on tr)dng to help defend
Attorney General Edwin Meese against cer
tain legal and ethical questons in his pri
vate activities. Whether thi chargers and
allegations are true or falsels not the Issue.
What Is, Is the fact that as the highest law
enforcement officer In the nation, the per
son serving as the Attomo^ General should
always conduct his affairs In a maimer
that Is above reproach. Ms. Meese has
failed to do this. Likewise, there are trou-
' bllng questions about tie Reagan adminis
tration’s refusal to launch an all-out war
against drugs and at the same time playing
politics with drugs that are killing and en
slaving thousands of Americans.
In a number of corgressional elections,
ethics has raised Its beautiful head hi the
wake of, again, quesiionable activities. For
example. In Pennsylvania's 22nd District,
Democratic Rep. Austin Murphy has no Re
publican opposition hi his quest for a sev
enth term. Yet, last year Murphy was repri
manded by the House of representatives for
keeping a fictitious employee on his pay
roll, allowing someone else to vote for him
hi the House and for diverting government
resources to his former law firm.
Mary R. Oakar, a Ohio Democratic Rep.,
defeated a formidable challenger for her
congressional seat only a year after the
House Ethics Committee found her In vio
lation of a federal law Involving a salaried
aide. Another Democrat, former Rep. BUI
Boner, won election as mayor of NashvUle,
Tennessee, last year whUe still under in
vestigation for taking bribes from a defense
contractor. Another Tennessean, Demo
cratic Rep. Harold Ford, has no challenger
in his race for an eighth term representing
Memphis while behig Indicted for mail,
bank and tax fraud In early 1987.
The sad part of all this Is that Incumbents
are finding It easy to whi reelectlon in spite
of legal and ethical challenges to their cred
ibility.
Charlotte voters In the Mecklenburg
County District 2 Democratic primary run
off race on May 31 will have an opportunity
to reject these apparent Indifferences to
moral and ethical conduct by voting for
Nasif Majeed, a man of character and integ
rity, to the Mecklenburg Board of County
Commissioners. The election of Mr. Majeed
wUl hopefully send signals to other parts of
the country that it is past time for voters to
end their apathy and Indifference to the
conduct and behavior of elected officials.
Any candidate for public office, no matter
how well he or she has served previously,
who violates the public trust, abuses the
privileges of the office that he or she holds,
should not be reelected to represent any seg
ment of the population.
A vote for Nasif Majeed wUl be a vote for
good government, honesty, good character,
integrity and moral rightness. If the voters
of District 2 want to maintain their self-
respect they must vote for Majeed on May
Don't fail to vote, to do so Is equal to a vote
for Majeed's opponent. Vote for Majeed on
May 31 If you want high quality public ser
vice leadership that you can respect.
Racism On College Campuses
Last year a Newsweek articfe raised ques
tions about the possibility that many of the
nation's major colleges and universities
have set enrollment quotas to limit the
number of Aslan students that wUl be ad
mitted. As reported, Arthur Hu, an MIT
(Massachusetts Institute oi Technology)
graduate who has studied ard analyzed Ivy
League schools' admission practices, says,
"Aslans are being discrimii.ated against.
Unwritten quotas are makirg it more and
more difficult to get Into selettive schools."
Asian-Americans tend to hrve a vety high
value with regard to educaton; shown on
relative high grades and the fact that they
comprise only two percent tf the nation’s
college age population but iccount for 11
percent of this year’s colbge freshman
classes.
Ironically, the statistical data for blacks
is nearly Just the reverse witi overall lower
grade averages partly, but rot fully, rooted
in past inferior educational opportunities,
lower educational values of larents who of
ten did not get employmen opportunities
when they had university d^rees and an as
yet lingering apathy towarc higher educa
tion by far too many black people.
In spite of this, pressure ontInues to in
crease to get more black stuients and facul
ty members at many of th; nation’s more
prestigious colleges and uriversities. These
pressures include specific or special pro
grams to help meet some of the unique
needs of black students beyond that of their
roles In competitive sports.
These pressures parallel the pressures of
Aslan-American youth with grades that
should qualify them for admission to
many of our nation’s finest Institutions of
higher learning.
Beginning in the late 1960s it was he
"thing to do" to admit black youth Into our
major colleges and universities. Then in
the 1970s when America was trying to ex
port democracy to Asia, In the face of the
Vietnam War, it became likewise the "thing
to do" for Aslan-American and foreign
Aslan youth, too.
Now it is Ironic that In addition to what is
happening to Aslan youth, black youth are
being harassed. Insulted and told "Nigger,
go home" on many white college campuses.
Similarly, some white faculty members on
these campuses have exhibited anti-black
attitudes and make no effort to respond to
black students’ needs.
It is time for the administrative leader
ship on these campuses, mostly In the
North, to show some American leadership
to end these racist activities, what can
blacks do for themselves in these hostile
environments? Let’s talk about it next
week.
Have We Forgotten Memorial Day?
A trip to the beach.
The car races.
A family picnic.
An extra day off.
The beginning of summer.
It is a good holiday. Now hat
it comes on Monday every yar,
it means another three lay
weekend.
Great.
But why?
What does Memorial Day nean
to us anymore?
Originally, it was a day forlay-
ing wreaths on the graves oJ the
fallen on both sides o the 'ivll
War. During that war, same
southern women began to ceco-
rate soldiers’ graves each May
30. In 1868, Union Geieral
John Logan designated the
same day to be used to lonor
the graves of Union soldiers
Because it was a time to deco
rate the graves of Civil Waivete-
rans, this day of honor was first
called Decoration Day.
Later, it came to be a tine for
~rememberlng all those wk> died
in any war.
For a long time, states chose
different dates to observt Deco
ration Day, but it was oberved,
solemnly, almost everywhere.
People remembered, aid were
Martin
One-On-One
grateful.
Now, we call it Memorial Day
and we observe it on the Monday
closest to the end of May. Ob
serve it? Wfiiat will you be doing
this Memorial Day weekend?
WUl you be there, by a soldier's
grave?
Probably not.
In his famous address at Get
tysburg battlefield, Lincoln said
of those who fought there, the
world "can never forget what
they did here."
Was Lincoln wrong?
Have we forgotten? Have we
forgotten those who fought and
died for us in Vietnam, Korea,
the World Wars, and in other
conflicts?
Think about it. Think about
what they did for you. Attend
one of the grave-side ceremo
nies. Or visit the grave of a friend
and leave a wreath or a flower or
a flag. Call the family of some
one who gave his life and let
them know you care.
Say a prayer.
Lest we forget.
What's On Your Mind?
Let us hear your comments,
ideas and opinions.
Write to:
I^ers To The Post
P.O. Box 30144
Charlotte, NC 28230
Please include name,
address and phone
number .We edit letters for
clarity and grammar.
The problem with endorsing
candidates for political office Is
that it is a lose-lose proposition
for the endorser. The candidates
not endorsed and their support
ers take the endorsements per
sonally. Heaven forbid if you en
dorse a white candidate over a
black one.
Obviously, a black newspaper
is doing a dis-service to the
black community if a white can
didate gets the nod over a black
candidate.
Fortunately, it never bothered
me to have other people ques
tion my actions. It bothers me a
great deal if 1 have to question
myself To this end, I have to call
it as I see it.
My endorsements are based
purely on whom I feel can pro
vide the best leadership for the
constituents being served by a
particular office. In particular
the Interest of the black commu-
nity must be accommodated.
There are Instances when black
candidates seeking office may
not be as qualified as others
seeking that position. In some
Instances the only thing a can
didate has to offer is the fact
tliat they are black.
Supporting candidates in such
Instances is irresponsible Jour
nalism. Knowingly endorsing
less qualified blacks would les
sen the credibility of the en
dorsements. It would weaken
the credibility of the newspaper,
and it would cause me to have
second guess myself
It doesn’t bother me to have
people disagree with my candi
date choices based on differ
ence of opinion on qualifica
tions. But it is disappointing to
have someone tell you that you
should have endorsed candi
dates because they are black.
My disappointment is because
if you think I should endorse
this way, obviously you must
vote this way. Consequently, you
are abusing, rather than using
the electoral process. As a re
sult we end up with self serving.
Instead of community serving
politicians.
Like most things in life, you get
out of politics what you put into
it. Irresponsible participation
breeds irresponsible politi
cians.
My endorsements and your
voting practices should follow
file teachings of Martin Luther
King which states that "a person
should be Judged not by the col
or of their skin but by the con
tent of their character". This
statement seemingly had mean
ing to many of us only as it ap
plied to how we were being
treated by others, and not how
we treat others.
Having said all this. Here is
what I think about the run-offs.
Arthur Griffin is by far the
best candidate in the school
board run-off. Griffin has been
Involved with the school board
In some form or fashion for
many years. As a concerned
parent he brought many Issues
and concerns to school board
meetings. He was later appoint
ed to a vacated seat on the
board and served for a year. He
is veiy familiar with the system
cuid the city and would be a
great asset to the board.
Judy Gibson is my choice for
Register of Deeds over Kelly Al
exander. Gibson has worked for
the Register of Deeds office for a
number of years and should be
quite familiar with its workings.
Though Kelly is a fine gentle
man in his own right. Mrs. Gib
son’s experience makes her
ideal for the post. I eim not sure
why this is an elected position
in the first place.
Nasif Majeed is my choice
for District 2 County Commis
sioner over Bob Walton. His di
rect Involvement with and gen
eral vision for economic
development in the black com
munity provides a new dimen
sion of leadership that’s long
overdue.
The run-off election is very
Important. Regardless of what
you may think of my endorse
ments, you need to go vote.
When election results are deter
mined by a hand full of voters,
then it is not representative of
the total eligible electorate.
Star Dust Gets In Your Eyes
Guest Editorial
By Cong. Augustus Hawkins
"The fault, dear Brutus, is not
in our stars. But in ourselves..."
This quote, from Shakes
peare’s Julius Ceasar. should
send a signal to this Adminis
tration that we need moral lead
ership on the real world prob
lems facing our people.
Perhaps too much hoopla was
made by the media of Donald T.
Regan’s memoir. For the Record,
about the First Lady’s reliance
on astrology to plan the Presi
dent’s schedule. Although this
was an interesting, if not bizarre
revelation, the real bombshell
was not the White House’ atten
tion to the zodiac, but rather the
passive manner in which the
President dealt with domestic
issues.
For example, in his memoirs,
Don Regan writes:
"in four years as Secretary of
the Treasury, I never saw Ronald
Reagan alone and never dis
cussed economic philosophy or
fiscal and monetary policy with
him one-on-one. From first day
to last, 1 W21S flying by the seat of
my pants."
This statement is Incredulous!
One of the precepts of the Hum-
phrey-Hawklns Full Employ
ment and Balanced Growth Act
was that in order to best man
age the economic affair, of the
nation we should embrace a mu
tually reinforcing relationship
between the President the Con
gress, and the Federal Reserve
System. According to Donald
Regan’s observations, however,
this type of relationship could
never work. No one is suggesting
that a President should be in
volved in every facet of policy
setting or decision-making. But
he should be responsible for es
tablishing a set of policy goals
to move the nation forward.If
this Executive passivity had
been revealed during the middle
of the severe recession which
occurred in Reagan's first term,
there would have been an in
credible backlash of public an
ger. Now that the unemploy
ment data show a decrease from
tliat lofty level there is less re
sentment.
We must not forget however,
what a tremendous price our na
tion paid during that crisis -
long term layoffs; record home
foreclosures: small business
bankruptcies; and family break
ups. The swelling crowds of new
homeless represent a sad testi
mony to this devastation. No
one can put a price on the hu
man agony these individuals
suffered as this Administration
was stumbling through the re
cession with slogans instead of
coherent policies. Remember
"Stay the Course...’?
There were other perplexing
signals from the Administration
during the Jobless crisis such as
the President scratching his
head suggesting that the unem
ployed should look at all the
listings in the want ads. Tty tell
ing a displaced auto worker with
a family to feed that he must go
from a $25,000 annual salary to
slapping hamburgers on a bun
at McDonalds for $6,900 a year.
As the quote from Julius Cea
sar states, "the fault lies in our
selves" to address these press
ing problems. The education of
our children, adequate shelter
for the homeless, the decline of
America’s manufacturing sector,
drug abuse and infant mortality
are real life Issues. We must
cease using these problems as
political footballs. We must pro
vide leadership and advocacy on
every one of them. Perhaps this
November, when the nation
picks their new Chief Executive,
the stars will have a different
answer.
Democratic Party: Be Fair To Jackson
Jesse Jackson is breaking all
records as he continues to win
votes and delegates in the race
for the Democratic nomination
for President. The last state pri
mary elections will be held on
Tuesday, June 7th. In Califor
nia. New Jersey, Montana and
New Mexico 466 delegates are at
stake.
In both Los Angeles, Califor
nia and Newark, New Jersey, I
saw thousands of people rally in
support of Jackson as he con
tinues to define the key Issues of
this presidential campaign. Du
kakis and Bush are Increasingly
being forced to respond to Jack-
son on tire critical Issues of the
day: the drug epidemic, full em-
plo3nnent, equal Justice, a com
prehensive national child care
program, quality education for
everyone, comprehensive sanc
tions against South Africa, and
nuclear disarmament and world
peace.
Since 1983, Jackson has been
responsible for registering mil
lions of new Democratic voters.
In fact, Jesse Jackson has done
more to pump new life into the
Democratic Party than any oth
er person alive. The building of
the Rainbow Coalition has not
only expanded the Democratic
Party; it has transformed the
character of rank and file Demo
cratic voters.
Now, as we move closer to the
Democratic National Conven
tion, to be held in Atlanta, Geor
gia, from July 18-21, one fimda-
mental question needs to be
raised. This is the question of
fairness.
After all that Jesse Jackson
and millions of his supporters
have done to show their explicit
support for a Democratic win in
the upcoming Presidential elec
tion, will the leadership of the
Democratic Party be fair to
Jackson?
Better yet, can the leadership
of the Democratic Party afford
not to be fair to Jackson?
Fairness means giving respect,
but fairness should be meas-
Civil
Rights
Journal
By Benjamin Chavis
ured in concrete terms. For ex
ample, the Democrats now con
trol the United States Senate, in
part because of the central role
that Jackson played in register
ing and mobilizing the black
vote throughout the South in
1986. The Democratic Senate
has directly benefited from
Jackson’s efforts by acquiring
the chairs of the major Senate
committees, due to the Demo
cratic victory in 1986.
Fairness means that a reason
able number of United States
Senators should openly an
nounce their support of Jackson
for President. Yet, to date, not
one United States Senator has
formally endorsed Jackson's
candidacy for President, Sena
tors fall into the category of
"super delegates" to the Demo
cratic Convention and they have
a responsibility to support the
political mandate of their con
stituents. Why is it. then, that in
the case of one who has done so
much to help the entire Senate,
no Senator has yet come for
ward to do what is right and
fair?
Jesse Jackson won all the fol
lowing Primaries and caucuses:
Alabama. Georgia, Louisiana,
Virginia, Mississippi. Puerto
Rico, Michigan. Alaska and Ver
mont. Yet, to date, not one Dem
ocratic Governor has endorsed
Jesse Jackson for President.
And in Puerto Rico, though
Jackson won the Primary, the
Governor gave all of Puerto
Rico’s delegates to Dukakis.
Fairness means that, at the
least, in those states where the
electorate overwhelmingly voted
for Jackson, the Governors who
are also "super delegates" —
should throw their support to
Jackson.
Of course, we are only able to
make the argument for fairness
because of prior massive turn
outs of voters for Jackson on
primary day. Every vote - par
ticularly on June 7th in Califor
nia. New Jersey. Montana and
New Mexico -- will count and
will increase Jesse Jackson’s
leverage at the Democratic Con-
yentlon.
I Jesse Jackson deserves to be
President. The Democratic Parly
must face this reality. The lead
ers of the Democratic Party have
respected Dukakis: Jackson de
serves no less. If, by chance, the
leaders of the Party are willing
to gamble with the future of the
Democratic Party by being un
fair to Jackson, then millions of
Jackson supporters should not
be expected to come out on
Election Day in November. And
this will not be Jackson's fault;
it will be the fault of the Party
bosses.
When I was in southern Africa
recently, hundreds of people
spoke to me of the Importance
of the Jackson candidacy. They
saw it as a campaign with
worldwide significance for the
cause of justice and freedom.
Jesse Jackson is the only presi
dential candidate who has lifted
up the fact that South Africa is a
terrorist state. Jesse Jackson
has literally Increased the
hopes and aspirations of mil
lions of people throughout the
world, particularly in Latin
America, the Middle East and in
Africa. We, who have an oppor
tunity to vote, must take this
historic opportunity seriously.
The future of the world is at
stake.