Detroit Free Press from Detroit, Michigan • Page 68

16D DETROIT FREE PRESS FRIDAY, OCT 13. 1978 lifl 1 TT1 I Fitzgerald ti-A M- Irvv a In big business he'd be an even bigger crook As residents of the 13th Congressional District, my family and I are represented in the U.S. House by a convicted thief. "We are luckier than most citizens," I told my son. "We don't have to contend with uncertainty.

Most people suspect their congressman is a crook, but they can't be sure. We have proof. It gives a citizen a secure feeling to know he can call his congressman a thief without fear of being contradicted or sued." My son is concerned because next month he will cast his first vote for a congressional candidate. He can't believe that the incumbent thief, Charles C. Diggs is an overwhelming favorite to win.

"Diggs will win because the average voter believes A public officials shouldn be penalized for serving their country," I explained. "Diggs stole only $66,000. If he held a similar position of responsibility in private industry, he could steal a lot more than that." "Why would the average voter believe such a thing?" my son asked. "Because it's logical. When the governor of a state gets a 1 00 percent pay vt? 1 KUh Among the audience of 250 Thursday art school-aged youths (above) who were not yet born when Rosa Parks refused to surrender her bus seat to a white person in 1955.

Mrs. Parks rises to address the crowd (right), smiling as if she can't quite believe that all this fuss is for her. "I feel whatever I have done and we have accomplished will not be in vain," she said. "When I look on all the young and dedicated faces before me, I am filled with hope." Participating in the ground breaking (left) are O'Neil Swanson, president of Swanson Funeral Home (far left): Martha Jean (the Queen) Steinberg, a Detroit evangelist; Rosa Parks; the Rev. Charles G.

Adams of Hartford Avenue Baptist Church; Albert J. Dunmore. director of urban affairs for Chrysler; Detroit City Council President Erma Henderson, and singer Kim Weston. Free Press photos by Hugh Cr annum 1 ill i 3 Shrine for mother of a movement By POLK LAFFOON raise and the citizens protest, it is always explained that the governor has more constituents than General Motors has employes, so the governor should make as much as the president of GM. "The same thing goes for office furniture," I continued.

'When the mayor of a large city gets a $3,500 sauna and taxpayers yelp, the mayor's top aide points out that the chairman of the board for U.S. Steel has a $5,000 sauna. i "The average taxpayer doesn't like to feel chintzy. Civic pride is involved. Why should the steelworkers' leader sweat more luxuriously than the mayor of a large city? The taxpayer feels ashamed and quits yelping.

"This nation will never get good people to serve in public office if they aren't offered rewards comparable to what they could earn in the private sector. And when public and private rewards are compared, stealing can't be ignored. "If Charles Diggs were president of a large corporation, Instead of a congressman with even more responsibilities, he could steal twice as much as $66,000 every year just while filing his income tax return. "So voters won't punish Diggs for stealing from petty cash. They'll re-elect him to show how much they appreciate his being willing to serve his country at great personal sacrifice.

They know he could probably be stealing a lot more money in the private sector." MY SON WAS IMPRESSED, but not convinced. "There must be a better reason why people would vote for a convicted crook," he insisted. "Maybe it's because they believe Diggs didn't get a fair trial," I said. "Gerald Ford the world's most famous pardoner of suspected criminals was willing to testify for Diggs, but the court wouldn't allow it. "The problem was that Ford couldn't testify in person.

He had to be somewhere else, probably playing golf with Jack Nicklaus or attending the funeral of his wife's old face. He wanted to appear in court on film but the judge said Ford had to be live, or forget it. Diggs claims this was an unfair ruling." "Could Ford testify that he knew Diggs didn't steal $66,000 by padding his office payroll?" my son asked. "No, but Ford could testify that he served in the House of Representatives with Diggs for many years and not once did he see Diggs pick a pocket while Congress was in session." "I still don't want to vote for a thief," my son said. "Who is running against Diggs?" "A Republican named Dovie Pickett," I said.

"I just read that she still supports Richard Nixon and believes he will be vindicated by history." "She sounds qualified," my son said, "but has she ever robbed a bank?" movement," explained Louise C. Tappes, national chairwoman Free Prm SiH Wmer for the committee. For the woman who became famous by declaring "I am not The shrine, to be built by Henry Hagood Associates, will be a one-story edifice of brick "designed to look somewhat like going to move," it will be the final move. For the City of Detroit, it will be a landmark. For American blacks everywhere, it will be a citadel of memories, and of inspiration and a two-story structure," Hagood said, "in keeping with its location in the Boston-Edison Historic District.

Plans call for construction to begin at once and for the pride. building to be completed next summer. The cost is expected to The building is the Rosa L. Parks Shrine, heralded with be $100,000, of which more than $25,000 has been raised. The dignitaries, testimonials and three gleaming steel shovels at a ground-breaking ceremony Thursday.

white could sit, two consented. Rosa Parks said, "I am not going to move. I have paid my money." When the driver threatened to have her arrested, she told him to go ahead. The incident was the beginning of the Montgomery bus boycott, led by Dr. Martin Luther King and the catalyst that resulted in the outlawing of segregation of public facilities in the South.

THURSDAY, under a bright October sun. Rosa Parks seemed hardly the heroine of tall tales. Short and soft-voiced, she was dressed in blue, and smiled tremulously, as if she could not quite believe she worthy of the fuss. But there was no mistaking the granite in her voice when she said, "I feel whatever I have done and we have accomplished will not be in vain. When I look on all the young and dedicated faces before me, I am filled with hope." The shrine in Mrs.

Parks's honor represents the fruition of a mission undertaken by the Rosa L. Parks Foundation when it was established last April. "We wanted a place to house her artifacts and papers, and some memorabilia of the civil rights entire project, officials explained, is to be funded with donations. Their goal is to raise $250,000 for building and mainte To be constructed at the corner of Rosa L. Parks Blvd.

and nance of the shrine until Mrs. Park's death, when they hope Edison, the building will be primarily a museum and gallery, but also for as long as she lives a home for the Detroit that a foundation will take it over. woman who has come to be known as the "mother of the civil rights movement." Before the approximately 250 people gathered for the ceremony, a group of elementary schoolchildren recited a poem in honor of Mrs. Parks is for the rights she fought to Rosa Louise Parks, as so many of Thursday remarks acnieveu is lor the oppression she sought to relieve. )and recalled, is the woman who refused to surrender her seat on a Montgomery, bus to a white person forced to stand.

That sang "We Shall Overcome." was on Dec. 1, 1955. On the speakers platform, the guests, including singer Kim When the driver asked three blacks to move so that the weston, locked arms with Rosa Parks and sang along. Travolta visits Amy; Rona sued for millions Billy Graham iV Tii --1 names 8 faces "GUESS WHO'S coming to dinner?" was the question that had the White House press corps excited Wednesday. The answer was John Travolta.

The sexy star of "Saturday Night Fever," "Grease" ing, "Many of us are interested in the work, in the person of Billy Graham." It was a marked change from Graham's just-completed Scandinavian crusade, where Swedes and Finns didn't take kindly to his hellfire and brimstone. and "Welcome Back, Kotter" supped with the president, first lady Rosalynn, sons Chip and Jeff and their wives, but most of all. Amy. It seems the White House moppet has a crush on Travolta. "Amy admires his music very much," chirped press aide Mary Hoyt.

The menu? Spaghetti, in honor of Travolta's Italian ancestry. men often stress the differences between peoples, God stresses the similarities. God created all people, regardless of racial differences. The Bible says that God "hath made of one blood all nations of men" (Acts The New Testament tells us that when we come to Christ all the distinctions which seem to separate us begin to disappear. "For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" (Galatians 3:26, 28).

Christians, of all people, should not be prejudiced against people of other races, because they know God's love for all. QUESTION-What does the Bible say about the origin of the various races? D.R. ANSWER-The Bible gives very little background on the origin of the various races. In the 10th chapter of Genesis the writer tells us Noah had three sons, each of whom seems to have founded one of the races. The descendants of Japheth, for example, became some of the Caucasian peoples.

But the Bible is silent on the reasons for the various races. Many scientists feel such things as climate may have influenced racial development, and I find nothing in the Bible which would contradict that. The Bible is more concerned about how we view people of other races. While ABC'S LAWYERS will be busy, thanks to gossip Rona Barrett. Back in July, Rona reported on ABC's "Good Morn Travolta: invitee ing America" show that St.

Louis attorney Warren Moseley had generally taken Butterfly Records for a $20,000 ride. Moseley turned up in federal court in WHEN LAUREN HUTTON talks, women listen. The model and actress, who turned her beauty into millions thanks to Revlon, says in Working Women magazine that money hasn't affected her life-style. Living tamely gives her hectic life a needed sense of equilibrium. "I devised a standard of living that was right for me," said Ms.

Hutton. "Good serviceable clothing, furnishings, towels, everything. Although my Income has changed drastically in the past eight years, my standard of living hasn't." BETTE DAVIS says she'll be forever greatful to Dinah Shore for getting to kiss Anwar Sadat. It's no sordid menage a trois either. Misses Davis and Shore were in Washington last month for a White House interview with Rosalynn Carter.

Sadat was also there after the Camp David summit. "The security man told him I was there," Miss Davis recalled, "We met and we kissed each other." President Carter also added a buss. Said the excited movie star: "I will thank Dinah Shore for that all my life." dpi pno St. Louis the other day with his reply a $3.5 mil to ih -one nous lion lawsuit which insists Miss Rona's scoop was false, libelous and thoroughly damaging. One can honestly say that singer Tony Orlando has gone to the dogs.

The popular singer is now involved in King Mutt a Chicago firm pushing a variety of baubles for dogs who have everything. Above, Orlando tries his THE ROLLING STONES may have met their match in black civil rights leader Rev. Jesse Jack Lockhorns doggie T-shirt sales pitch on Keegan, a four-year-old Windy City terrier. Other products in Orlando's line: sequined evening gowns for doggie son. Atlantic Records President Ahmet Ertegun says that no more copies of the Stones' smash album, "Some Girls," will be pressed with objectionable debutantes, sequined leashes and disco suits for disco dogs.

lyrics. Jackson says a line in the title tune which Now it can be told: Why Sally fried Hani over Jordan's penchant for referring to Post executive editor Ben Bradlee. 57. as "Misfpr says "Black girls just want to alt night" is blatantly racist. The action may be like closing the barn door after the horse escaped, what with the album an already multimillion seller.

Ertegun is still trying to set up a face-to-face meeting between Jackson and Stones' leader Mick Jagger to talk things over. Ertegun also vowed to prevent similar lyrics from finding their way into wax in the future. BILLY GRAHAM continues to get a warm welcome in Poland. Wednesday, more than 6,500 faithful packed Christ the King Roman Catholic Cathedral in Katowice to hear Graham. Catholic Bishop Herbert Bednorz opened the prayer session by say Jordan, 34, told Ms.

Quinn he had been brought up White House aide Hamilton Jordan was done wrong for a reason by Washington Post columnist Sally Quinn when she reported that he wisecracked about the "twin pyramids of Egypt" while peering down the bodice of the Egyptian envoy's wife. So says press secretary Jody Powell in the new edition of Playgirl magazine. It seems the story roundly denied by Jordan was reported after Ms. Quinn and Jordan were feuding to rerer to people that much older than himself, as "mister." Powell says he's still itching to settle the score for friend Ham. "Since I can't punch Sally Quinn," he mused, "maybe I could punch Ben BETTER OFF WITH LOP? ETTA Sally: miffed Bradlee and see if she cared." Ms.

Quinn and Powell: Bradlee have shared an abode for a few years, itching GOSSIPING ANP STAYING OUT OF THE KITCHEN, BELIEVE ME.