Vol. 70, No. 18, May 8, 1970. 6 pages. View this issue
The coming House hearings on repealing Title II of the Internal Security Act ran through this six-page issue. Congressional testimony resumed on May 11 with the Justice Department scheduled to appear. Mike Masaoka previewed the questions Congress was likely to raise and argued for repeal. The Compton City Council voted unanimously to back repeal at the request of the Gardena Valley JACL committee. JACL’s own direction was the other main subject. District council representatives met to discuss social service needs, and Victor Shibata and Ron Wakabayashi asked whether the organization could make room for Sansei.
Other pieces looked at Senator Daniel Inouye’s criticism of the move into Cambodia, Riverside JACL’s call for fair housing funding, and Rep. Edward Roybal’s request to remove a judge over an ethnic slur. Columns by John M. Ito, J. Kurose and John Ono took up school policy, Sansei activism and ethnic studies. Allan Beekman reviewed The Great Betrayal.
What’s in this issue
Community
- What Are Social Service Needs in the Community?, by P.C. Staff, page 1. JACL district council representatives met in April 1970 to discuss the organization’s future and identify community social service needs. Participants stressed that field directors and chapter leaders must better recognize local problems and that JACL should engage directly with community programs.
- Seattle Central Area Residents Frightened by Bomb Terrorism, by P.C. Staff, page 1. Central Area organizations in Seattle condemned a series of bombings and called for stepped-up investigations. They said the bombings harmed average residents and threatened community safety and insurance coverage.
- Ushijima Films TV Documentary for Police Dept., by P.C. Staff, page 3. Chicago filmmaker Ushijima produced a police department documentary financed by local businesses. Critics praised it as a solid, if somewhat self-conscious, account of police work.
- Riverside JACL Asks City Council to Act on Fair Housing Bureau Funding, by P.C. Staff, page 4. Riverside JACL commended the city’s request for a housing discrimination report but criticized the council for tabling a $20,000 funding request for the Fair Housing Bureau. The chapter also urged hiring a full-time housing specialist and creating a city housing authority.
National
- Title II Hearings Resume May 11 with Nixon Man on Call, by P.C. Staff, page 1. House Internal Security Committee hearings on repealing Title II resumed with the Justice Department scheduled to testify. Witnesses in April included Congressmen, constitutional scholars, and a former informer, with most favoring repeal.
- Inouye Regrets U.S. Troop Moves into Cambodia, by P.C. Staff, page 2. Senator Daniel Inouye criticized President Nixon’s order sending American troops into Cambodia as an escalation of the Vietnam War. He argued that Asian nations should resolve their own conflicts.
- Roybal Asks State Supreme Court to Remove Judge for Latin Slur, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Rep. Edward Roybal urged the California Supreme Court to remove Judge Gerald Chargin for an ethnic slur against Mexican Americans. He criticized the Judicial Qualifications Commission for recommending only censure.
Commentary
- Title II Hearings Resume May 11, by Mike Masaoka, page 2. Masaoka previews the Justice Department testimony on repealing Title II of the Internal Security Act and the questions Congress is likely to raise. He argues Title II should be repealed and that presidential war powers should be debated separately.
- Looking Forward to Chicago, by Victor Shibata and Ron Wakabayashi, page 4. Two young JACL members raise concerns about the organization’s future and whether its adult structure can accommodate Sansei. They urge that youth be decision makers in their own programs and call on adults to make real commitments to support them.
- The Neighborhood School Policy Hypocrisy, by John M. Ito, page 6. Ito argues that the neighborhood school policy is used to justify segregation while residential patterns are kept exclusive through housing barriers. He contends that quality education cannot be separated from integration.
- In Defense of the Sansei, by J. Kurose, page 6. Kurose defends young Sansei activists against criticism, praising their social consciousness and the dedication of figures like Dr. Joe Okimoto. He argues the younger generation is mature in its concerns about civil rights and justice.
- Ethnic Studies, by John Ono, page 6. Ono, a Sansei, criticizes Asian American studies programs as separatist and retrogressive, arguing that harmony rather than fragmentation should guide society. He suggests the programs lack scholarly rigor.
- Doesn’t Pay to Win on a Night Out with the Boys, by Stirling Sakamoto, page 6. Sakamoto offers a humorous account of a Friday night bowling league gathering that ends with the high-game winner paying for the team’s chili dinner. The piece is a lighthearted guest column.
Military & Veterans
- Black-Dominated City Council Backs Title II Repeal, by P.C. Staff, page 3. The Compton City Council unanimously voted to support repeal of Title II after a request from the Gardena Valley JACL committee. The action drew enthusiastic support from black community members present.
- Okinawa Representation in Japan Diet Approved, by P.C. Staff, page 3. Residents of U.S.-administered Okinawa will elect seven delegates to Japan’s Diet, five to the lower house and two to the upper house. The measure took effect immediately after approval.
Arts & Entertainment
- Female Killer More Ruthless, by Allan Beekman, page 5. A review of Gerald Sparrow’s book Women Who Kill argues that women plan murders more ruthlessly than men. The review recounts a particularly brutal case from Bangkok and Sparrow’s view on capital punishment.
Obituaries
- Father Hugh T. Lavery, by P.C. Staff, page 6. Father Hugh Lavery, a Maryknoll priest who served Los Angeles Japanese Americans for thirty years, died in Connecticut. He was remembered for his wartime service during Evacuation and his fluent Japanese.
In-Depth
- Evacuation History Misses Main Point, by Allan Beekman, page 6. Beekman reviews The Great Betrayal, a history of the Japanese American evacuation, and faults it for missing the central point. He discusses how Nisei veterans and legislators reacted to the wartime removal.
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