PULLOUT SECTION INSIDE: TV LISTINGS FOR THE WEEK NOVEMBER 23-29, 1997 THE DETROIT VOL. 3 NO. 2 75 CENTS S u n d a y Io u r n a l CONTINUING THE STRUGGLE FOR JUSTICE AND CONTRACTS ©t d s j INSIDE ENTERTAINMENT If song titles as diverse as “O Divine Redeemer” and “RuPaul the Bigfoot Red-Nosed Drag Queen” appear in the same story, you know it’s holiday album time. Page 12. NEWS Journal photo by REBECCA COOK Susan Watson grew up Xiao Qiang, left, executive director for Human Rights in China, speaks with Chinese dissident Wei Jingsheng going to Hudson’s and and his sister Wei Shanshan as he leaves Hemy Ford Hospital. has plenty of warm and fuzzy memories of those days, but she can’t wait to see the old building A warrior’s respite reduced to dust. Page 3. By Martha Hindes Airport Sunday morning on the first SPORTS Journal Staff Writer Wei’s release leg of a journey to liberation. It had It was Sunday afternoon before ended nearly 19 excruciating years in The Red Wings might Chinese human rights activist won’t halt his Chinese prisons, relieved only by one finally be ready to Elizabeth King realized that some­ six-month stretch when the 47-year- thing wonderfully exciting and long old electrician was briefly free. entertain trade offers hoped-for was happening. longtime crusadeThe officials who spirited Wei away for holdout Sergei She had arrived home from church, from the tarmac tried to shield him out of touch with radio or television. from the public eye. But a bevy of Fedorov.Back page. But the messages flooding her phone for rights reporters and long-lens cameras answering machine quickly brought recorded the van that drove him away. her up to date. Soon, many more would arrive from as INDEX Word had spread rapidly through­ in China far away as Hong Kong to be close to out Detroit’s Chinese community of the story. Between the Lines Page 11 news that began half a world away. The request for a Detroit stopover, Classifieds Page 28 “Wei Jingsheng’s in town. Do some­delay. During the night, China’s mosthospital officials later would say, had thing,” the callers demanded. famous dissident would squeeze income a directly from the White House: Crossword Page 29 Wei had been released from prisonmeager two hours of sleep on theWould Henry Ford Hospital, in the Editorials Page 10 in China, then put on a Northwestdirect flight from Beijing to Detroit. New Center, take the well-known dis­ Airlines flight to Detroit that finally By the time King heard the news,sident? “Absolutely,” was the response Movie Guide Page 14 took off following an hour-and-a-halfWei already had landed at Metro See WEI, Page 9 PAGE 10NOV. 23, 1997 Co-editors: Susan Watson, Norman Sinclair — --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- M anaging Editor: Emily Everett Advertising director:Michael McBride Circulation director: JoeMerritt Published by Detroit Sunday Journal Inc. 450 W. Fort Detroit, Mich. 48226 313-964-5655 Fax: 313-964-5554 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://www.rust.net/~workers/strike.html miMlk Member Michigan Press Association Member National Newspaper Association Metro NY Labor Communications Council Communicator of the Year Promised jobs If the President asked, he could get just about better materialize any American child to hen President Bill 236,000 nationwide in July, accord­ act as a human shield— Clinton announced hising to the most recent figures avail­ decision last year to able, and by close to 2 million since especially if he paid sign a Republican-spon­Clinton signed the welfare legisla­ them in cold, hard candy Wsored welfare reform initiative, more tion last year 11 months ago. What than a few Democrats justifiably the figures don’t show yet, however, and video games. called his commitment to core is how many of those trimmed from Democratic values into question.the rolls are now employed and able Trapped by his own campaign pledgeto pay their bills. Despite the pledges to “end welfare as we know it” duringmade by all 2,500 corporations, as his term in office, Clinton essentiallyimpressive as they sound, the proof backed himself into a comer and felt is not yet come. Fewer people on wel­ compelled to sign a piece of legisla­fare is nothing to applaud if those tion that appeared in many ways topeople have no jobs to get, and so far be a serious sellout. those pledges are just pledges. It may still be too early to say Even though the president is whether signing the legislation wasnow in his second term and more as wrong as it appeared to be at thepopular in the polls than ever, and time. The true test may not come foreven though he has become the stan­Jaye deserves sound defeat another decade or so. By then it willdard bearer for the “new” Democrats On Tuesday, Nov. 25, a special be more evident whether all those(Republicrats), Clinton still does not election will take place in Macomb thousands of poor people forced fromwant to go down in history as the County to fill the state Senate seat of letters the welfare rolls will have disap­ first Democratic president who Doug Carl, who passed away in peared into the streets and shelters, shoved the poor into the cold. Once September. chance, we need to make sure to vote or whether they will have managedhe signed that welfare reform bill, he This will be a very close election. against him. to find decent employment. was obligated to find a way to prove Every newspaper worker, supporter The AFL-CIO-endorsed candi­ More important than merely get­that what he’d done was the right and union member in this districtdate, Becky Higbie, was an 11-year ting a job, however, will be to seething. should be sure to vote, because one memberof of the Utica School Board. whether the jobs found by the former Like most presidents, Clinton is the candidates is our greatest enemyShe has declared her support of our recipients were lucrative enough forconcerned with how he goes down inin the Michigan Legislature. struggle against Detroit’s newspapers single mothers to support their fam­history. Ultimately it will be how he As a state representative, David and will be an advocate for issues ilies and whether they were able to is judged by other Democrats that Jaye has voted against our interestsimportant to all working people. keep those jobs for a decent lengthcarries of the most impact since it is on almost every issue. He has voted to We should all be sure to vote for time. Entering the job market is onethe Democratic party that both he cut unemployment benefits, toBecky Higbie on Nov. 25 for two rea­ thing, but it’s another thing altogeth­and Vice President A1 Gore have increase the interest rates on credit sons. First of all, we should have a er to stay there and become accus­worked so hard to transform. cards, against transportation budgetsstate senator who will be a voice for tomed to it. Welfare reform is without question that would fund more road repair andyour interests in Lansing, and Becky In the meantime, Clinton seemsamong the top five most important construction in Macomb County andHigbie will be that kind of legislator. to be following up on his pledgeissues to he is faced with, and perhaps has opposed increasing the minimumBut we should also take this opportu­ twist the arm of corporate America one of the top two. A failed welfare wage. nity to defeat David Jaye, because he in assisting him with providing thereform policy will have tremendous As bad as he has been on thosehas tried to defeat us. job opportunities he knows will negativebe impact on numerous areas issues, he has been even worse on A1 D erey necessary to justify his signature onof American life from crime to educa­ issues related to our fight against Chair; Metropolitan Council that piece of welfare reform legisla­ tion to health care. Gannett, Knight-Ridder and Detroit of Newspaper Unions tion. Ever since the Clinton adminis­ So this had better work, Mr. Newspapers. He voted against tration and big business joined forcesPresident. restraining the activities of private to launch the “Welfare to Work security firms such as Vance and Partnership” in May, more than Huffmaster. And he tried to pass a law Write us 2,500 companies have pledged to declaring that “a person engaged in a hire and train workers directly from 10-second editorial strike and any agent or employee of a at the Journal the welfare rolls. The partnership, person engaged in a strike shall not The Detroit Sunday Journal which includes 24 of the largest com­ We’re thankful this engage in strike activity outside the welcomes letters to the editor. panies in the United States, had an holiday that Coleman property of the labor organization orThey must be signed with the original goal of only 1,000 business­Alexander Young appears the property of the employer againstauthor’s name, address and es. The U.S. Chamber of Commerce whom the strike is directed.” In other telephone number for verifica­ also has announced that its 3,000 to be once again defying words, we would be prohibited from tion but will be published local chapters will be urging even the odds and is battling doing anything related to the strike with author’s name and city more corporate members to hire wel­ back from his most recent except picket on company property oronly.