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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Sept. 21, 2011)
Page 10 Minority & Small Business Week S eptem ber 21, 2011 Opinion articles do not necessarily represent the views of the Portland Observer. We welcome reader essays, photos and story ideas. Submit to news@portlandobserver.com. New Prices Effective May 1 ,2 0 1 0 Martin Cleaning Service 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: I sm all H allway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With O ther Services): $25.00 Area/Oriental Rugs. $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool): $40.00Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: Additional $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) Budget Cuts Don’t Touch War Funding Bring troops and $170 billion home P hyllis B ennis N o U.S. troops w ere killed in Iraq last m onth. So w hy a re n ’t w e celeb rat ing? B ecau se the w ar is n ’t o v er yet, and it costs w ay too m uch in both Iraqi lives and our m oney. W ith so m uch attention and so m any billions o f o ur tax dollars shift ing from Iraq to the devastating and ever m ore expensive w ar in A fghani stan, it's too easy to forget that there are still alm ost 50 ,0 0 0 U.S. troops o ccu p y in g Iraq. W e're still paying alm ost $50 b il lion a y ear for the Iraq W ar. A nd w hile w e d o n ’t h ear about it very often, too m any Iraqis are still being killed. by UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $ 109 - $ 139 Chair or Recliner: $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Z// W Other Services): $5.00 % ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning • Auto/Boat/RV Cleaning • Deodorizing & Pet Odor Treatment i'v • Spot & Stain Removal Service • Scotchguard Protection • Minor Water Damage Services SEE CURRENT FLYER FOR ADDITIONAL PRICES & SERVICES Call for Appointment (503) 281-3949 T h ere’s an awful lot o f discussion u n d erw ay ab o u t the su p p o sed ly m assive Pentagon budget cuts that are loom ing as part o f a new deficit deal. But those potential cuts don't even touch the actual w ar funding — $48 billion for Iraq and $ 122 billion for A fghanistan, this year alone. Im agine w hat w e could do w ith those funds. W e could create and fund new m iddle-class green jo b s for 3.4 m illion w orkers, and m any o f the thousands o f soldiers w e could bring hom e from those useless w ars could get som e o f those jobs. Barack O bam a, back w hen he was a presidential candidate, prom ised he w ould end the Iraq W ar. In 2002, he called it “a du m b w ar.” The U.S. role in the w ar has gotten sm aller, but it is n ’t o v er — and it h a sn ’t gotten any sm arter. (Observer Established 1970 USPS 959-680 _________________ ________________ 47 47 NE Martin Luther King, Jr. Blvd., Portland, OR 97211 Charles H. Washington EniTOR.Michael L e ig h to n D is t r ib u t io n M a n a g e r : M a rk W a s h in g to n C r e a t iv e D ir e c t o r : P a u l N e u fe ld t E d ito r - in -C h ie f , P ublisher : Last year, O bam a said all com bat operations in Iraq w ere about to end. But 50,000 or so troops are still there, training Iraqi security forces and, oh y es, c o n d u c tin g co u nterterrorism operations. D o n ’t “ c o u n te r te r r o r is m o p e r a tio n s ” count as co m b at? Even w orse, the O bam a adm inis tration, follow ing G eorge W. Bush's footsteps, seem s com m itted to keep ing U.S. troops in Iraq beyond the Dec. 31 deadline the U.S. and Iraqi governm ents agreed to back in 2008. T hat agreem ent w as supposed to be absolute — all U .S. troops had to leave by the end o f this year. T h ere w ere loopholes, o f course. The agreem ent said all Pentagon- paid m ilitary contractors had to leave too, but d id n ’t m ention those paid by the State D epartm ent. So guess w hich agency is taking o v er the ch eck -w ritin g to pay the thousands o f m ercenaries preparing to stay in Iraq for the long haul? W ashington is ratcheting up the pressure on Iraq's w eak and corrupt g o v ern m en t, p u sh in g B a g h d a d ’s leadership to “in v ite” U.S. troops to stay ju st a little bit longer. Iraq's elected parliam ent, like the vast m ajority o f the Iraqi people, w ants all the troops out. But dem o cratic accountability doesn't seem to operate any better in Iraq than it does here in the U nited States. So the Iraqi cabinet m ade its ow n d ecision, w ithout any m essy consu ltatio n s w ith the parliam ent, to “open n eg o tiatio n s” w ith W ash ington o v er how m any U.S. troops w ould continue occupying the coun try, but for how long? T he Iraq W ar isn't over, and we still can't afford dum b w ars. Phyllis Bennis is a fellow o f the Institute fo r Policy Studies. The Portland Observer welcomes freelance submissions. Manuscripts and photographs should be clearly labeled and w ill be returned if accompanied by a self addressed envelope. 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