January 19, 2011 _Çortlani» (Obstruer Page 15 New Prices Effective May 1,2010 Martin Cleaning Service W aziristam QJUATE ral D amage C emetery Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $45.00 A sm all distance/travel charge m ay be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area Pre-Spray Traffic Areas (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With O ther Services): $25.00 «NK M W Expanding a Covert War Drone attacks go largely unnoticed by J im C ason T he failure o f the U.S. w ar strat­ egy in A fghanistan to contain the anti-governm ent insurgency has led the O bam a adm inistration to expand the un d eclared w ar in Pakistan. A ccording to the Long W ar Jo u r­ nal, the num ber o f U.S. attacks in Pakistan, using unm anned Predator drones, has gone from five in 2007 to 117in2010. G o v e rn m e n t o fficia ls h ere in W ashington say privately that they expect the covert w ar to expand even further this year. Y et C ongress and the public have undertaken no significant exam ination o f this new w ar's consequences. M em bers o f C ongress have al­ m ost daily rem inders o f the cost o f the w ars in A fghanistan and Iraq in the form o f the dead and w ounded U.S. soldiers that return to this c o u n ­ try. L aw m akers travel regularly to attend funerals o f the fallen. T he U .S. drone strikes in P ak i­ stan produce m any casualties, but none o f those killed are citizens o f our country. T he pilots operating the rem ote-controlled drones used to launch m issile attacks in Pakistan usually sit behind com puter screens f a r fro m th e b a ttle f ie ld . F o r p olicym akers in W ashington, this is a w ar w ithout cost or hom etow n casu alties. T he E nglish language press in P akistan often relays reports o f ci­ vilians killed in these attacks. But those reports rarely m ake h eadlines in the U nited States. T he only o n g o ­ ing rem in d er o f this w ar is the occa­ sional headline that suggests the U nited States has successfully killed an o th er al-Q aed a m ilitant. F o r m ost A m e ric a n s , th a t's ju s tif ic a tio n en o u g h fo r this new w ar by assas­ sination. H aving closely follow ed the C o n ­ gressio n al in v estig atio n s o f C IA assassination attem p ts in the 1970s, I find the cu rren t shift in public attitudes alarming. Back in the 1970s, w hen in v estig atio n s led by Sen. Frank C hurch revealed that the C IA had en g ag ed in targeted killings o f foreign leaders, P resident G erald Ford felt o b ligated to sign an execu- ' ti ve order banning intelligence agen­ cies from eng ag in g in assassin a­ tions. I'm not naive enough to believe that the U nited States halted its involvem ent, but at one tim e the public attitude w as that such assas­ sinations w ere w rong. W e are a nation o f law s. As recently as 2001, w hen Israel engaged in targeted assassinations against H am as lead­ ers in G aza, the U.S. am b assad o r to Israel w as forced to go on record against the killings (although our governm ent didn't cut o ff assistance to the Israeli units involved in these m urders). Following the 9/11 terrorist attacks, President G eorge W. Bush autho- rizedU .S. intelligence agencies to kill al-Q aeda leaders operating anywhere in the world. In m y view, these cam ­ paigns were ineffective and violated international law. President O bam a's startling e x ­ pansion o f this drone assassination cam p aig n has gone by largely u n ­ noticed. M issile attacks from drones often target a single person fo r a s­ sassination, but end up killing d o z­ ens. N early 2,000 people have been killed in Pakistan by drones since 2006, yet C ongress has held only one public hearing on these w eap ­ o n s. Instead, C ongress inserts even m ore m oney than the President re­ quests fo r them into the Pentagon's b u d g et—and there's even a special cau cu s to prom ote the drones. Area/Oriental Rugs: $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool): $40.00Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: Additional $10.00 each area As the O bam a adm inistration ex­ ponentially expands the use o f re­ m ote-controlled drones for assassi­ nations, C ongress should take a sec­ ond look at this new kind o f fighting that's done in our name. You don't have to work for a Q uaker lobby to question w hether rem ote control kill­ ings in Pakistan are helping to make our country m ore secure. W ith in P a k ista n an d Y em en (w here the U nited States has also used such drones), the strikes have becom e a rallying cry for an ti-g o v ­ ernm ent political groups and a re ­ cruiting tools for the sam e violent, extrem ist organizations that the U.S. claim s to w ant to dam age. T here's a bu m p er stick er that sum s up this p roblem . It reads: "W e're m aking enem ies faster than w e can kill them ." C ongress, and the nation as a w hole, needs to d ecide if our goal is sim ply to ki 11 m ore people or to m ake this co u n try safer. If o ur goal is the latter, then assassinations by drones o r any o th er m eans doesn't belong in o u r policy tool kit. Jim Cason is an associate ex­ ecutive secretary at the Friends Committee on National Legisla­ tion, a Quaker lobby in the public interest. (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $ 109 - $ 139 Chair or Recliner $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services): $5.00 % ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949