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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 6, 2010)
January 6. 2010 îhc idnrtlanh (Obstruer Page 9 New Prices Effective May 1 ,2 0 0 8 V te in UUBAÌ M I E BOiCT 5ME truest <W wow » Z YOU BW UMrtGr 'RTMEWORU) ARABIANS A R E SO VARÎHG, v W E WAJE INPOOR S K IÏH O ÎM T ^E M PPU E OFTM E .DESERT. WoWJ YOU ARABIANS ARE SO TARÌHS/ r toE'ME îaâlt OUR f&RTUNES. ON TUE bAtKS OV wfouotfô. OF s o v n u ASIAN OUASf- SLAMR Wow» YQÜ ARABIANS ARE SO DAfcÎNG^ Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services 1 1 Ì ■ I WE'ME R U IN E D O UR N A TU R A L. q W vro HM e W t to PUT to UUSUSWNft&lE S V E O W W E REAL ESTATE VN T H E f*W 0U E '< - * * * - o T flfE SEA W0W» YO U ' ARABIANS A R E SO P A R IN G / WE ME PILED U P A V - $ 6 0 B iw ioN D E B T ' AND W f u , REPAY OUR C R E D IT O R S ONLY VIHEN W E 'R E GOOD ANO •READY S Minimum Service CHG. $45.00 f e • ( Carpet Cleaning 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: I sm all H allw ay) I THE PUPIL oirfocf Tbe 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 (Includes Pre-Spray’ Traffic Area • Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs) $25.00 (With Other Services) 21st Century McCarthyism: Intimidation and character assassination by P eter M ontgomery Fifty years ago, the U.S. Senate voted to censure W isco n sin Sen. Joe McCarthy, who achieved notoriety in his time for a ferocious campaign against supposed communist infil tration o f the U.S. government. The W isconsin R ep u b lican played on the era's fears o f global com m unism beginning w ith a speech in West Virginia, in which he falsely claimed to have a list o f 205 people in the State Department known to be members o f the Com munist Party. For nearly four years, he built power and a massive national fol lowing by exploiting the fear o f com munism, destroying the lives and careers o f many along the way. McCarthy's irresponsible cam paign, boosted by conservative think tanks, media figures, and some clergy, brought down sitting senators and intimidated even President Dwight D. Eisenhower and his advisors. McCarthy was only able to do as much damage as he did - and ruin as many lives as he did -- because too many other public officials knew what he was doing was wrong, but were unwilling to stand up to him. Today, right-wing pun dits, think tanks, activists, and some Republican Party o ffic ia ls are tak in g M cC arth y ism to new heights. T ogether, they engage in character assas sination and challenge the loyalty and patriotism o f their t^r- gets, with rhetoric aimed at Presi dent Barack Obama such as, "I don't know whose side he's on." doesn't appear to love America." This outlandish claim is based on the fact that Chen expressed con cern following the 9/11 attacks that many would place the blame on in nocent Muslim Americans. They use guilt by association to attack the patriotism and integrity o f targets who opposes them or their political goals. After engineering a public drub bing of ACORN, including Sen. John M cC ain a ccu sin g A C O R N o f "maybe destroying the fabric o f ■ ~ — --------- w Right-wing pundits, think tanks, activists, and some Republican Party officials are 9 taking McCarthyism to new heights. « The right wing has seized on the "elites vs. real Americans" theme, charging that America is threatened from within by "elites" within the Obama administration and the me dia who are w illing to subvert America's interests. For exam ple, a W ashington Times editorial attacked Obama's nominee to a judicial seat on the Northern District of Cal i fomia. Judge Edward Chen, saying "Another day, an o th er O bam a nom inee who democracy" during a televised de bate during the 2008 election sea son, the right wing has tried to use even the most marginal relationships to the organization as a means o f disqualifying people for public ser vice. Conservatives attacked judicial nominee David Hamilton for can vassing for ACORN for one month while he was 22, as if it were a major portion ofhis career-never m ind that it was 30 years ago. Some o f their most egregious at tacks were targeted to innocent Muslim interns on Capitol Hill, who four Republican members o f Con gress warned could be "spies." Like McCarthy's attack on Presi dent Harry Truman's Secretary of Defense, Gen. George Marshall, who McCarthy accused o f being part o f a "great conspiracy" to "diminish the United States in world affairs" and "to weaken us militarily," right- wing leaders today are impugning the integrity and patriotism o f mili tary leaders they disagree with. Recently, Pennsylvania state Rep. Daryl Metcalfe blasted veter ans who disagree with his opposi tion to climate change legislation, calling them, "a traitor to the oath he or she took to defend the Constitu tion o f our great nation!" McCarthy was final ly exposed in the televised Army-McCarthy hear ings in 1954 as a reckless and vi cious bully. The full Senate eventu ally voted overwhelmingly to con demn him. Who will stand up to the Glenn Becks and Rush Limbaughs who are carrying on McCarthy's legacy ofpolitical intimidation and charac ter assassination? Peter Montgomery is a senior fellow at People fo r the American Way. Heavily Soiled Area: Additional $10.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa $79.00 Loveseat $59.00 Sectional $ 1 0 9 -$ 1 3 9 Chair or Recliner $35 - $49 Throw Pillows $5.00 (With Other Services) See Flyers for Additional Prices Call For Appointment (503) 281-3949