Indianapolis Recorder, Indianapolis, Marion County, 2 September 1978 — Page 15

Editorials and Opinions

THE INDIANAPOLIS RECORDER DArc SATUiDAY, SIPTOAiW 2, 197S PAGE 15

"Power concedes nothing without a demand — it 1 never did and it never will. Find out just what people will submit to, and you've found out the> exact amount of injustice and wrong which wiljj

Be imposed upon them.' This will continue until! they resist, either with words or blows or both. The limits* of tyrants are prescribed by the* endurance of those whom they oppress." — Frederick Dougldss

Reliving two assassinations

Kaiser Konsumer’s Kortur By Inez Koispr

With all the seasonal hustle and bustle, social engagements, outings and travel your summer wardrobe really gets used. The cost of clothing today will make you more conscientious of what you purchase - and how you care for it. ' Repeated washings can strip your clothes of their crisp look and original colors. Some of I your garments are meant to be washed but for those that do not necessitate washing, dryV cleaning is an alternative. ^ Many families spend a good e. portion of money on dryZ cleaning expenses. The items * that are drycleaned are » probably among the most ex 2 pensive in the family’s ward- ^ robe. Drycleaning can extend Z the life of a garment and there Z fore give you more value for y *_ fore give you more value for

your clothing dollars.

Z How are you going to clean 2 your garments should be con- - sidered at the time of their purchase. You can begin with the careful inspection of the tags and labels and by asking T questions before you buy. The 2 care necessary to keep a * garment looking attractive may ; * help you decide whether or not ^ to purchase it. Most garments * labeled washable can usually be * drycleaned. Drycleaning can •* save some of your garments because of it’s particular effectiveness in removing greasy, oily soils and stains from synthetic fabrics that are so

prevalent today.

Technological advancement has allowed for more creations of new fabric through the use of natural and man made materials. Some of these fabrics have certain drycleaning peculiari ties. You should question their drycleaning durability and limitations. Some such fabrics are cashmere, camel hair, mohair, and lightweight woolen fabrics that have snagging tendencies. Many imitation suedes and leathers will only be drycleaned at the owners risk. Polyester knits are more susceptible to shrinkage and snagging because of their lack of heat sensitivity. A majority of bonded fabrics may prove to be a disappointment. Separation of the face from the lining, shrinking, puckering, stiffening and adhesive staining are some problems associated with drycleaning these fabrics. Color plays an important role when considering drycleaning. Some fabrics have colors that

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are only “skin deep.” This means that they are held to the fabric with an adhesive and loss of color and design may result through use of drycleaning means. Some acetate and wool materials experience "fume fading.” This happens when these materials are subjected to combustion gases commonly present in the air of your home. The changes that occur in the fabric are noticeable after cleaning but are not caused by the cleaning itself. You must also be concerned with buttons, and other decorations and the ability to hold up during the drycleaning process. More important than the possibility of their loss is the material that they are made from. Some thermoplastics and especially polystystene softep and melt in drycleaning solvents. If you are knowledgeable about the fiber contents of your garments, you can tell the cleaner if special handling is required. Acrylic knits are inclined to stretch with heat in cleaning and finishing. This is one fabric that your cleaner should know about. When you receive your newly cleaned garments, look at them immediately. Do not make a mistake and wait a few weeks before removing them from the bag. A problem that is present may still be curable. In the event that some type of damage occurs, do not automatically blame the cleaner. If insufficient cleaning information was not supplied and the item was damaged in deanutg'the manufacturer is at fault. If the manufacturer is not known, make your problem known to the retailer. If cleaning information was supplied and not followed by you then you are at fault. If the drycleaner did not follow label instructions or the information given to him by you and the item suffers damage then he is at fault. In this case, you are entitled to recover the value of the garments remaining life expectance. The adjustment should be made between you and the cleaner based upon the cost of acquiring a new article of comparable quality. It is natural for your clothers to age due to repeated wear and cleaning but drycleaning can prolong their life. As a consumer you owe it to yourself to get your money’s worth.

Prison riots have social origin

To the editor:

RE: A recent article in the Indianapolis Star (August 9, 1978), “Reformatory Workers

Seek greater Security.”

The article is inflammatory and grossly misleading concerning particular conditions, specifically in the area of riots. We concur that the physical - makeup of Indiana’s prisons are delplbrable, and that prison officials are moving in enough of a direction to ward off any grave challenges to their absolute control now being •thoroughly examined and cross-examined in Federal District Court, Southern District, Indianapolis, Judge S.

Hugh Dillins’ court.

We further contend conditions that create prisoners to riot (fight back) have a particular social origin rooted, not in the prisoners’ diabolical thirst to kill and destroy, but as the only means of concretely exposing intolerable living and psychologically stressful conditions that are looked at as an inevitability of prison life. Though these conditions appear to be a phenomenon they are

not. The social conditions that exist in prison life i.e. the very intense and deliberate manipluation of racial differences; economic exploitation, the creating of hardships on family and friends of prisoners and the more blatant degradation of prison. Like our rapidly developing technological society (test tube babies/nuclear waste), the prison too has become supersophisticated. The billyclub has been substituted by chemicals of various forms that do mental as well as physical damage. Terror and the threat of terror (violence) has become the mainstay of priosn control with the ultimate being physical damultimate being physical death as witnessed at the Indiana State Reformatory in September of 1969. Because of the conditions above riots/fight back by prisoners will always be an inevitability. The contradictions of prison itself (crystal!zation of the victim being made the criminal) will make sure things/repression will increase, in turn setting the stage for September 69’s politics/Atticas and Reidsvilles. Achebe H. Lateef 8005 Indiana State Prison

UV!M£, AMP . AT THE HEART OF 6000 MANUELS IS COMSlPTOTnow OF JTHEgS WHEW XXJ 6WTE^TA«M, rr MEAMSTWMKIM6 Of Ml ■VOliK GUFS-TS AMP P1®CVIPtM& POK TW&R PARTICULAR Http* a* . UMPBTRtt^VfeLy AS POSSIBLE. \wm* SO MAMY PEOPLE WATCWIUS TMEIg VWEIOHT these PAYS, HAVIMO A Pne+GfZ OF LOW- CALOGtB ICEP tea ANP FRESH FRUIT SHACKS ON HANP , I* THE HARICOFA-niOUEHTR*. MASTTJS'

The average life span of the giant sequoia tree is about 2,500 years.

’ SLACKS RETICENCE TO SEIZE THE INITIATIVE TO ORGANIZE THEIR COMMUNITIES" SAIP DOUGLAS G.GLASGOH DEAN OF HOWARD UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF SOCIAL WORK, ISA MAJOR FACTOR AND AN IMPORTANT FACTOR CONTRIBUTING TO OUR COMMUNITIES" UNDEVELOPED STATUS" POLITICAN BUSINESS MAN DOCTORS LAWYERS ARTISTS TEACHERS MINISTERS WORKERS COMMUNITY ORGAN!ZA TIONi SOCIAL WORKERS FRATERNAL GROUPS FINANCE COMPUTER SCIENCE INSTITUTION ADMINISTRATION ENGINEERING PLANNING ARCHITECTURE BLACK PRESS

As the investigation by the House Select Committee on Assassinations into the murders of John F. Kennedy nearly 16 years ago and of Martin Luther King, Jr. on April 4, 1968 proceed, it is well that we face the reality that answers may never be provided for questions on whether the two men had been victims of conspiracies or truly the work of lone individuals. Naturally, we all hope that the committee can uncover unrefutable evidence about who definitely pulled the triggers that sent bullets crashing through the bodies of the former President and the civil rights leader. W’e hope that motives can be established beyond doubt. W’e hone that, if others were involved, that they

too will be brought to justice and punished. But, despite the natural human desire for retribution and punishment for the guilty, it should be understood that even if no new evidence is uncovered, the mere reliving of the killings does have much social benefit. The hearings and reenactments once more are making the public very aware of a very troubled period in American history. Our youth, especially those who had not yet been born or were too young to remember, are furthermore receiving an education that would not have been possible by the mere reading of history books. For the 200 spectators who watched the recent replay of the Kennedy killing, the re-

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By CHARLES E. BELLE

Black banking opportunities

BLACKS' DESTINY IN OWN HANDS...

The case against Congress

BT; VERNON.E, JORDAN JR. htorthro Wrvctor ■' Notional Urbonloofoo >

The President of the United States operates out of a goldfish bowl -his every move is subject to public scrutiny and criticism. Because the Executive Branch has responsibility for carrying out the laws and for initiating new programs, the White House becomes a lightning rod for critics of federal policies. Congress manages to escape that kind of pressure. It’s easier to focus on the long figure of the President than on 535 Representatives and Senators. But much of what is wrong with the country today can be traced to Congress’ inaction and to its often callous attitude towards the needs of the poor. In the wake of Vietnam and Watergate there has been a massive shift of power from the President to the Congress. The loosening of party ties has increased the numbers of maverick Congressmen answerable only to themselves. And some nominally liberal Congressmen

elected from more conservative districts after the backlash against the Watergate scandals have abdicated the responsibility to educate their constituents and instead have turned further to the right. This Congress is relatively inexperienced as well. Ob sessed by local concerns, many Representatives lack the breadth of vision to transcend political expedience and act for the benefit of the whole nation. And many are overly sensitive to single-issue lobbyists, fearing to act right on issues like abortion, gun control and others that arouse emotional voter responses. The result has been that this Congress is a big bus. Unable to produce a substantive record, some of its leaders just go after easy headlines. So Senator Byrd, the Majority Leader of the Senate, makes pompous statements about giving Andrew Young “one more chance,” when he should be pleading himself for just one

There will be life after Bakke...but what kind?

The question many folks concerned with equal opportunity are pondering these days can be summed up as: After Bakke, what? Now that the dust is beginning to settle following the U.S. Supreme Court’s decision in the famous case of Bakke vs. University of California at Davis, the postBakke environment is coming into focus. Benjamin L. Hooks, Executive Director of the NAACP described the decision as a “mixed bag,” and condemned the immediate gloom that some saw in the decision. Others, found that there was something of a victory for the backers of both sides of the controversy. Although the decision caused much furor and a wide variety of interpretations, it is clear that the court held that race can be used as a factor for consideration in determining who will be admitted to graduate and professional schools in American universities. That is, since race was a factor in creating the problem of disadvantaged status for blacks, race would have to be part of the solution in correcting the inequities. Another disturbing development of the “Bakke fall-out” surfaced recently in California with a white nude law student suing the university for alleged discrimination by the Graduate Minority Program. The suit filed by Donald Driscoll, a second-year student, alleges that he was excluded from consideration for aid by the program on the basis of race.

Surely it’s no coincidence that Driscoll’s suite cites Title VI of the 1964 Civil Rights Act, one of the acts under which Bakke sued the University of California at Davis Medical School. The Act states that no one shall “on the grounds of race be excluded from participating, be denied the benefits of, or be subjected to discrimination under any program” receiving federal aid. Although the University of California’s Graduate Minority Program receives no federal aid, the whole concept of special aids to minorities is being assaulted. The Graduate Admissions Program at this one university distributes $1.2 million in financial aid per year to eligible minorities.

The impact on blacks and other disadvantaged minorities of closing down special efforts programs in higher education including financial aid and other compensatory arrangements such as work-study, student loans, etc., could seal off a valuable and proven route to equal opportunity. Needless to say, we can not afford to allow this to happen. During the NAACP Sponaored Bakke Symposium in Detroit a panelist raised the question, “Will there be life after Bakke?”

more chance to get needed legislation through the Senate. On both domestic and foreign policy the Congress has drag ged its heals. It has failed to deal constructively with such important issues as welfare reform, energy, and tax reform. preferring instead to take a piecemeal approach by pass ing isolated amendments that often sabotage the intent of progressive legislation. For example, the law authorizing community development bloc grants clearly labels the programs as intended for the benefit of low and moderate income people. But when HUD tried to enforce the letter and the spirit of the law by issuing regulations forcing local gov ernments receiving those bloc grants to spend at least 75 percent of the money of the benefit of poor and moderate income people. Congress reacted. It came up with an amendment that would cancel the regulation, and mounted an effort to override Cabinet Department regulations. The intent is clearly to remove from the Executive Branch the ability to enforce the laws of the land. The same process is behind amendments that would end federal affirmative action compliance efforts. Congress stripped from poor women the freedom of choice affluent women have regarding abortions. It is trying to weaken the Humphrey-Hawkins full employment bill, which should have been passed intact weeks ago, with amendments that would render it ineffective. While practically every Congressman gives lip service to the need for fiscal responsibility and efficient use of federal funds, Congress refuses to endorse targeting those funds where they’ll do the most good. The CETA program of public job-creation was intended for the benefit of the unemployed economically disadvantaged, but it now is primarily a vehicle for helping temporarily jobless better-educated skilled workers, most of them white males. The Administration wants to target CETA funds to the poor and many Congressman are resisting. Instead of pulling the teeth of the tax revolt by reforms that would make the tax system more equitable, Congress is bent on cutting capital gains taxes for the affluent and ramming through a tuition tax credit that would help relatively few moderate income families. Congress is supposed to be the voice of the people to be the Congress seems to be the captive voice of special interests and of forces determined to resist efforts to help poor people and the cities.

I. Owen Funderburg, chief executive officer of the nation’s 6th largest black bank. Citizen’s Trust Bank, Atlanta, Ga., provides banking expertise to people all over the country. Commanding attention as a trustee of the Cooperative Assistance Fund (CAF) in Washington, D.C., Funderburg finds . time to aid in the economic development vehicle which makes investments and loans intended to increase low - income and minority ownership of businesses and property. CAF and black banks are not the only financial institutions for minorities to find capital funds. Opportunity Funding Corporation (OFC) and the proposed National Develop ment Bank (NDB) to be alternately chaired by the Secretary of Commerce and the Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, Patricia Harris, are bright spots for the black American businessman or woman. W’hile one is private. OFC. and the other government controlled, both will provide much needed finances for the black community. OFT began operation in 1970 with initial capital of $7.4 million as a private non-profit corporation to develop, test and demon strate means of channeling private investment into capital poor communities. Last year cumulative funds generated $55 million. It works to lower the levels of risk

assumed by private investor by risk sharing arrangements and flexible structured guarantees. The National Development Bank, however, needs your congressional support to be come a reality. By making financial incentives to businesses to remain, expand or locate in economically distressed districts it aims to increase employment and strengthen economic conditions in the cities. Naturally. NDB will be in a better position to deal with other federal, state and agen cies than private banks in rural or urban areas. NDB will provide financial assistance by loan guarantees. (75 percent protection for private lenders) interest rate subsidies (discount of 2.5 percent), grants (of some $1.65 billion in three years), development bonds to finance capital costs of projects in distressed areas, and liquidtiy facility by buying banks loans in economically depressed districts, thereby freeing funds for further investment in the

The NDB is a necessary act of Congress to resurrect the economics depressed areas of our country which may begin the evolutionary erasure of the effects of economic racism. Run to your Congressman and call for its establishment, thereby converting your political power into real economic power.

To bet or not bet, let voters decide

To the Editor: - An open letter--As you may know, the legislature enacted IC 4-25-1-1 and established a commission to oversee a pari-mutuel system of wagering in Indiana. This controversial piece of legislation requires that there be established an “Indiana Racing Commission Fund.” The Commission is required by law on the first day of February to transfer seventy percent (70%) of the “dedication fund” to the State Superintendent of Public Instruction to be distributed to school corporations based on average daily membership. The ordinance which I have directed minority counsel to prepare will, I hope, be passed by the full Council to allow the citizens of Marion County to decide the question of whether they desire “pari-mutuel” wagering in the upcoming general election in November. In this day and age of inflationary dollars and rising property taxes, we as elected officials must consider bonafide proposals to increase revenues while, at the same time, looking toward viable and meaningful industrial growth in our community. My proposal for a race track in Marion County is as follows: 1. We could locate the track at the old Riverside Park if a “feasibility study” supports it; or, 2. We could suggest to the State of Indiana that they can have Eagle Creek park in return for the property at the State Fair Grounds. Eagle Creek, while owned

by Indianapolis, is utilized by citizens throughout the State, and I have some questions regarding the amount of revenue it generates. The State Fair property, I feel, would make an excellent site for the track since one is already there which is not being used to its potential. This open letter is intended to generate community debate. If you agree that the parimutuel wagering should, at least, be submitted to the citizens of Marion County by way of referendum, please contact your Council representative encouraging him or her to support this ordinance. Glen Howard City-County councilman

In 17th century Holland, the passion for tulips was so great a single root of one plant sold for the equivalent of about $1,500.

peated firings by sharpshooters of 56 rounds of live ammunition into sandbags along the motorcade route in Dallas was a chilling experience. Utilizing all the available advances in accoustical and scientific technology that was not available on the afternoon of November 22, 1963, when the young President was killed, the inves tigators hope to determine whether three or four shots were fired in those brief seconds. The Warren Commission in its official report, said that Lee Harvey Oswald had fired three shots from a window in the Texas Schoolbook Depository building. Other theories that refuse to accept this finding claim that at least one other shot came from elsewhere, possibly a grassy knoll near the building. More than 500 microphones recorded the test firings so that "the sound might be compared to the Dallas police tape recordings of the original gun fire. Unlike Kennedy’s killing, there seems to be no doubt about the number of bullets tha killed King. Dr. Michael Baden, a prominent patholo gist, testified that the head of the SCLC was hit by a single 30.06 bullet which tore into his right cheek just below the corner of his mouth. It ripped out the bottom of his chin, reentered his body at the base of his neck, smashed his ribs and spine and finally settled under the skin in his upper left back. James Earl Ray, King's convicted killer, recanted his earlier testimony and confession that he fired the fatal shot and has for years demanding a new trail. He claims that he was framed, because he was nowhere near the Lorraine Motel, on whose balcony King was shot and killed. Ray's 12 hours of testimony which was carried live by public television, only seemed to have cast more doubt on his claim about a frame-up. Under the pointed questioning of such committee members as Chair man Louis Stokes (D Ohio), Ray was led through the recreation of his extensive travels. In the process, the alibi simply unravelled. Exist ence of the mysterious smug gler Roual.'who was key to his story,became ever more doubtful. Clearly,what Ray is getting is the trail that he has been seeking since he was sentenced to 99 years for Dr. King’s Killing. He is scheduled to reappear before the committee in mid November. We hope tor his and history s sake that with the help of his colorful lawyer Mark Lane that he can make a better case in his defense than he has so far done.

What Are The Odds?

Fes school vision peofAcrws * Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q Q $ 4' ^

The odds are 1 in 20 that a preschool child suffers from a vision problem. * * * The odds are best of all that you can get important information on preserving your sight from your state Prevention of Blindness Society or the National Societ/y for the Prevention of Blindness. 79 Madison Ave.. N Y„ N Y. 10016.

PACTS i'FANClE& Many people think that in order to earn interest, money deposited in a bank must be put into a savings account. And they were right—until recently. Now many people are earning interest on their checking accounts!

In the 1700's doctors believed umbrellas could help avoid vertigo; epilepsy and sore eyas.

Negotiable Order of Withdrawal or NOW checking accounts pay 5 percent interest to depositors on their average daily checking account balance. Although only banks in New England are legally permitted to offer this service, anybody—any where— can take advantage of it by mail!