The Augusta news-review. (Augusta, Ga.) 1972-1985, July 18, 1981, Image 4

The Augusta news-review., July 18, 1981, Page Page 4, Image 4

About The Augusta news-review. (Augusta, Ga.) 1972-1985 | View Entire Issue (July 18, 1981)

Page of 6

Prev Issue Next Issue

Text PDF JP2 (3.7 MB) Clip/Print Image

Page of 6

Prev Issue Next Issue

Return to Top

Newspaper Page TextThe Augusta News-Review-July 18,1981-1 The Augusta News-Review Mallory K. MillenderEditor-Publisher Paul D. Walker Special Assistant to the Publisher Barbara Gordon Sales Representative Rev. R.E. Donaldson Religion Editor Harvey Harrison Circulation Manager Mrs. Rhonda Brown Sales Representative Mrs. Mary Gordon Administrative Assistant Mrs. Geneva Y. Gibson Church Coordinator Mrs. Fannie Johnson Aiken County Correspondent Mrs. Clara West McDuffie County Corresponsent David DupreeSports Editor Mrs. Been Buchanan Fashion A Beauty Editor Roosevelt Green Columnist Al Irby» Columnist Mrs. Marian Waring Columnist Philip Waring Columnist Grady Abrams editorial Cartoonist, Columnist Roscoe Williams Photographer Mailing Address Box 953 (USPS 887 820)- Augusta, Ga. Phone (404) 722-4555 Second Class Postage Paid Augusta, Ga. 30903 Published Weekly AMALGAMATED PUBLISHERS, INC. NAACP Doesn’t Subscribe To Views (Michigan Chronicle) In the opinion of a vast majority of Black Americans, President Reagan’s repeated expressions of faith in the private sector’s ability and eagerness to pave the way out of our nation’s economic doldrums is a lot of conservative hogwash. That opinion permeated the atmosphere at the NAA'P’s 72nd annual convention. When the NAACP Chairwoman Margaret Bush Wilson introduced the erstwhile movie star for his featured speeech at the national get-together in Denver last week, she strongly advised an already somber audience of 6000 delegates from around the country trot to expect too much. As Chairwoman Wilson put it: “The NAACP doesn’t necessarily subscribe to the views about teo be expressed.” Although the reminder in that final introductory remark was unneeded among the listeners, it was greeted by a spontaneous burst of enthusiastic applause. But from then on Mr. Reagan’s increasingly familiar claptrap was received cooly but calmly by delegates who seemed to be determined to grant him the courtesy due him as chief of state even though he was writing off millions of their Black brethern with his pontifical pronouncements about what government should not do. The chill which marked the audience response as the review of government’s programmatic flaws continued was due largely to the fact absolutely no attempt was made to match the destructive criticism with constructive suggestions for corrections and strenghtening existing services described as faulty. There must be a better solution for the failing programs than simply slashing the lives from them. Few would discount the beaurocratic flaws in CETA, food stamps, health care, welfare, school lunches and low cost housing assistance, ’but there was value in all of them. Better by far to clean them up and put them back cm the righteous task for which they originally were intended. To do otherwise only adds more weight to poverty’s burden. Mr. Reagan displays an inexcusable lack of understanding aLuut. the work world when he keeps Support The Black Press harping about the private sector's role in providing jobs for the nation’s multitude of hard-core unemployed. Industry is neither willing nor able to absorb these unskilled and untrained members of society. Furthermore, Michiganders wonder how the man in the Oval Office could be so uninformed about the auto industry’s already demonstrated determination to mechanize all possible operations in the production process. Automation may be a sad fact of life in our time and place, but it’s a convincing sign of the future. Were he to read this damning criticism, Mr. Reagan probably would say, “Yes, but there are other jobs to be had. Each and every day, the classified sections of big city newspapers are filled to the brim with enticing notices about jobs- good jobs. But, of course, those employers are looking for trained people -- all of which serves as another reminder that the provision of training is what CETA is all about- or was until it got dumped along with many other federally funded programs which were deemed useless. Those and other unpleasant thoughts must have been pounding away loudly in the minds of NAACP delegates as they sat quietly, listening to more and more of the same unrealistic utterances. And, while sitting thoughtfully twiddling their thumbs, many listners tried to think of an acceptable explanation for Mr. Reagan’s political stance an explantation which would rule out racial bias. But every time they did so, another jarring recollecton would bring back their distasteful thoughts. For many, a particularly bothersome remembrance was the Voting Rights Act extension, a sorely needed safeguard against nullification of Black political power in many of the nation’s polling places, and a law Reagan opposes. Is his opposition born of bigotry or blindness? In either case, we must agree with NAACP Executive Director,e Benjamin Hooks, who said, '“Reagan’s polices are setting into motion forces which will wreak additional hardship, havoc, pain and despair on a huge body of Blacks and other minorities in America.” Page 4 ... PROMISE US {EVERYTHIN"... BOTGIVE US fWWLRIGKT?! it Going Places By Philip Waring Draft Horse Aids Blacks Thanks to television, radio and the press, millions were informed in detail about President Reagan’s address to the NAACP. Bill Raspberry, among others, did an in depth evaluation. Mr. Reagan said that “Government is no longer the strong draft horse for minority advancement.” While our group agrees that the nation should attain fiscal soundness, the Reagan cut in human service programs is not the way. Blacks have but little other than to view themselves as a despised minority, states Mr. Raspberry. They have only government to look for aid and advancement. History is so very clear in this matter. Let’s look at the record of that “Draft Horse.” (1) It pulled us out of slavery. (2) It integrated and expanded our roles and opportunities in national defense. Just look at Fort Gordon here in Augusta as an example. (3) It was government which opened the voting booths. Thanks to the Voter Rights Act over two million Southern Blacks have registered. While there are almost 5,000 elected officials, the figure represents only one percent erf the national total. And there are still voting and election barriers. (4) Affirmative action, not "States Rights” or private enterprise opened jobs, training and promotion opportunities. (5) Doors of hotels and lunch rooms were opened by federal How To Fight Reaganauts: A Call To Action By Gerald Horne Unlike most subjects, not enough can be said about President Reagan’s economic game plan. He claims to be cutting government spending but what he is actually doing is snatching dollars from social programs and glad handing them over to the Pentagon. This policy is so bizarre and murderous that even other members in good standing of the United States power structure have begun to raise tentative voices in opposition. Witness the recent documentary on CBS-TV broadcast for a precedent shattering 5 evenings in a row. This graphic portrayal, entitled “The Defense of the United States,” helped to put the lie to the false clamor about the so-called "Soviet Threat” that is the main rationale of Reagan and Secretary of State Al Haig and the main grease that skids mega-bucks to all those Fortune 500 Pentagon contractors. But it takes more than words to pin the Reaganauts to the mat and no organization realizes this more than the Ccngresiicnal Black Caucus (CBC). Their Spring 1981 "Report to the People" h if I I »- . ) I r »«: public accomodation laws. (And Southern business has realized monies it had missed by segregation). (6) It was government which opened schools, bank and small business loans, fair housing access and entry into union-based jobs and training. Yes, Mr. President, your “Draft Horse” has been one of our few hopes in the past. And all of the much critized social programs have not been failures. A writer in the Atlanta Constitution said that we often forget that millions of dollars are paid into the federal treaspr often forget that millions of dollars are paid into the federal treasury in taxes by CETA, Neighborhood Youth and other manpower training units. And think of the millions 6f dollars'these trainees and their teacher supervisors put back into local market places and tax bodies. I understand that research is being done on how these local federal funded betterment programs help local communities. PROGRESS IN MISSIPPI .... Good news from Mississippi with the election of McComb Mayor Wayne Dowdy to the U.S. Congress recently. He gives solid credit to aid from Black citizens. Mr. Dowdy supports Legal Aid and extension of the Voter Rights Act. We hope that his election portends a new day for this state. in Washington, DC and needs to be read by every churchgoer, every trade unionist, every student, every thinking person. In great detail it adheres to Ossie Davis’ admonition that “It’s not the man, it’s the plan- It’s not the rap, it’s the map.” And map out they do a vigorous counter-offensive against Reagan, that if followed will send the “Republi crats” into a scattered retreat that they may never recover from. They outline a lengthy 10 point program that, unfortunately, can only be briefly summarized here: They called for conducting “Teach-in” and or scheduling appearances at community organization meetings; initiating contacts with your Congressional representatives -- “request appointments, send letters, make phone calls. Particular attention is paid to organizing “phone bank programs” in targeted Congressional Districts. Voter registration and reverse print out telephone directories can be obtained. Voters in your district can be alerted; they can be asked to phone friends and family mobilising Tony Brown’s Journal Is The Media On Trial? When asked if total confidentiality would have been granted to Janet Cooke by the Washington Post had she reported that her fictional eight-year-old drug addict was a White youngster, 44 percent of a television opinion poll said “no,” the story would never have been run. Also on Tony Brown’s Journal, 57 percent erf the poll did not believe that the press does a satisfactory job of reporting news that is not biased. In a very rare media event, the media was used to critique the media. On a special television program, “Is The Media On Trial?,” Host and ■Executive producer Tony Brown examines the implications of the Washington Post scandal which involved a Post story that won a Pulitzer Priz ; e and how this has affected the press' reputation, Black reporters and affirmative action. To help judge the situation in question, Tony Brown interviewed a variety of media types: Bill Green, Washington Post ombudsman; Petey Greene, D.C. activist and TV Host; Roger Wilkins, Washington Star Associate Editor and member of the Pulitzer board; and Richard Cohen, Washington Post columnist. Brown’s Associate producer Jim Cannady joined in the discussion from New York. Roger Wilkins, one of the Pulitzer board members who voted in favor of Washington Post reporter Janet Cooke unemployed, senior citizens, housewives and others can be recruited to make calls during the day. Youth can be organized for door-to-door distribution of information and recruitment of other volunteers. Letter-writing campaigns can be organized in churches, clubs, fraternities, sororities, colleges, schools, labor unions. Public service announcements about your organizing efforts can be prepared for radio and television. The Congressional Black Caucus in a typically smart move advises that the dergy should be urged to address the question of budget cuts from the pulpit. .... Rallies can be convened in support of the Congressponal Black Caucus ‘‘Constructive Alternative” budget. Letters can be written to local newspapers and appearances on the many radio and TVtalk shows can be hocked up. A visit to your congressional representative is a must. You don’t have to trek to Washington for this since he or she has an office in your vindnity. A gizeable, repreiantatlva getting the prize, said that despite public perception, “The Janet Cooke failure is The Post’s failure ,it is not the failure of the Pulitzer board.” When asked if they agreed with Wilkins, 70 percent of the QUBE two-way electronic audience said yes. Bill Green, The Post’s ombudsman, wrote an 18,000 word front-page story on the Janet Cooke hoax. In it he critiqued the Post’s role in the scandal. Although Green admitted that the editors at The Post should have demanded sources from Cooke, he was not sure to what degree “confidentiality” should be given to a reporter. Petey Greene and Richared Cohen, both agreed that Cooke’s story seemed like a set of unlikely circumstances from the beginning. Greene, an ex-narcotic addict himself, explained that much heroin would have killed the eight-year-old boy over a three-year period. Cohen explained that anyone, Black or white, would have found the story hard to believe and that he didn’t believe a junkie would “give the stuff away to some kid.” On the issue of affirmative action, Roger Wilkins felt that it was under “very heavy attack’.’ Tony Brown's Journal, the longest running national Black television series, is sponsored by Pepsi-Cola Company. It can be seen in the Atlanta area on Sunday on channel WXIA II al noon. together for this. On the all-important House Budget Committee there are at least 9 Congressmen who have a district at least 15 percent Black. This includes James Martin, Euguene Johnston and Bill Hefner of North Carolina Paul Trible of Virginia and a big fish, Jim Wright of Texas-one of the House leaders. If your Congressperson is in the Congressional Black Caucus or already in line, then visit your Senator. Letters are the life blood of any organizing effort. It can be done without at least some writing. The only address you need is the name of the Representative, then United States House of Representative-Washington, D.C. or the name of the Senator, the U.S. Senate- Washington, D.C. Though some who don't know any better try to deny it, letter wrlting-particularly a massive, organized effort can be extremely effective. Even if your Congressperson already agrees with you, he or she should be written because it helps to stiffen the spine. When you write, note any association*, churches, union*, ate, you belong ta ( Walking With Dignity Blacks Accepted The President, Grudgingly, In Denver President Reagan’s sales skill was put to test before a skeptical NAACP audience in Denver. Every concerned Black was wondering what was Reagan’s policy toward the nation's Black citizens and their problems. The answer came when the President mounted the hostile rostrum to address the (NAACP) at i ts 72nd national convention in beautiful Denver. During his 1980 campaign, he was scolded by the NAACP leadership for “ignoring” an invitation to speak before the organization’s convention in Miami Beach. TROUBLED TIMES FOR THE ORGANIZATION .... But, currently, Congress is clashing over the President’s truncated 1982 budget. Critics charge that it pulls the rug from under programs that have helped Black Americans gain a more equal footing with their white counterparts in United States society. Mr. Reagan was briefed by the NAACP’s two top officials, board chairwoman Margaret Bush Wilson and executive director Benjamin L. Hooks, at the White House on June 23. Noting that Reagan's economic program appears to be "cutting out those things we need unitl we get to the place where we ought to be,” Blacks are a peculiar breed, when it comes to politics as played in these United States. They are innately democratic, but when their breed is in power, they raise more hell, than they do for their adversaries. For example, when Jimmy Carter and his liberal pro- Black regime was in the Oval Office, Vernon Jordan, the top skipper of the Urban League Harassed his old Georgia comrade to the inth degree; and Blacks in New York City insulted Miss Rosalyn Carter, and would not let her speak. So, the question arises, what do Blacks really want when they are the worst voting minority in America? Mr. Hooks advised the President to keep his communication lines open with Blacks. He assured the President that ultimately our goals are his goals. The NAACP leader continued, however if his economic program has not changed from what he has presented to Congress, I’m su re NAACP delegates will be skeptical.” more attention to members of organizations than isolated individuals. Note that you have been discussing this matter with friends, neighbors, co workers, etc. Underline it. It will definitely make them sit up and take notice. Always ask for a response and always incidate you’ll be keeping a close eye on what's happening in Washington, D.C. Fortunately, the Congressional Black Caucus does not only spell out a detailed battle plan of attack against the “Republo-crats” but they proposed their own “Constructive Alternative” budget. Strikingly, a number of white Congresspersons-especially those from districts with Black and Latino population -- have signed on to their program. It is not surprising that their budget should get such support for it is a positive and forward-locking document. For example, they call for the closing of the tax loophole that allows fat-cats to make a deduction for “three martini lunches" -a whopping $l.B billion- and ualng tnat amount tor WANTS TO RE-EDUCATE MR. REAGAN .... The talented lady sees in Mr. Reagan a sensitivity to help Black people, but Mrs. Wilson made this pithy statement: ”1 think the President needs to have that sensitivity deepened.” Concern over the depth of the President’s sensivities is growing because of a number of minority-related issues that he will face ■ during his first term, including: Proposed changes to the Voting Rights Act of 1965. This is perhaps the preeminent issue among civil rights. When President Reagan requested a review of the act, which expires in August 1982, he explained that his administration is committed to the spirit of that law. But there remain questions on whether the act “continues to be the most appropriate means of guarantee’’ Blacks’ franchise. NATIONWIDE IS DILUTING . . . .Civil Rights advocates argue that proposed changes would seriously compromise voting rights safeguards. Those who wish to change the act, including Sen. Strom Thurmond, (R) of South Carolina, chairman of the Senate Judiciary Committee, have advocated approaches ranging from making it nationwide - Blacks call this dilution -- to letting it expire. The NAACP strongly supports strengthening current regulation Reagan’s federalism calls for a review of the Federal Contract Compliance Policy, which deals with hiring practices for federally funded projects, and rules implementing. Executing Order 12250 (coordination of all federal antidiscrimination laws). Strengthen Black colleges, and bolster public school systems and school desegregation, says the NAACP. It opposes tax credits or voucher payments, both favored by Reagan. The President has pledged help for Black colleges. But his supporters also favor restricting Supreme Court jurisdiction and United States Justice Department participation in school desegration cases. Will Black throw off the bondage of welfare paternalism, and rely upon the salvation of free enterprise. stamps. They call for taking the $1.3 billion wasted on the notoriously slick tax loophole called “tax straddles" and using that amount to restore funds slashed for loans and grants to college students. The Congressional Black Caucus budget is too lengthy and detailed to summarize here but mention should be made of it in every Congressional visit, every letter, every speech, every media appearance. Though we should not procrastinate, time is left. Congress is scheduled to complete action on all spending bills one week after Labor Day. On September 15 Congress is scheduled to complete action on the second budget resolution. On September 25 Congress is scheduled to complete action on the so called “reconciliation ” bill. And on October 1 the new fiscal year begins. But what about after October 1? Do we fold up our tents and go off silently into the night at that point? Os course not. One lesson that should be learned by now is that the decline of marching and picketing, the