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Page 8
A p ril 2, 2014
New Prices
Effective
May 1,2010
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: 1 sm all H allw ay)
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 (Wooly.
$40.00Minimum
Heavily Soiled Area:
Additional $10.00 each area
(RequiringExtensive 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
55 Years of Cuban Embargo is Enough
A failed policy
and vestige of
the Cold War
D ana B rown
D re s s e d in a
b la z e r, sw e a te r,
and gloves to p ro­
tect him from the
cold o f a W ash ­
ington, D .C. w in­
ter, p etite 79-year
o ld R e v . R a u l
Suarez loves to tell his story.
T he R everend asked us to stand
up and stretch o u r hands out to ­
w ards him , as he stretched his hands
out tow ards us.
“W e have alw ays know n w e are
very different: I am C uban, you are
N orth A m erican. W e speak differ­
ent languages and have different
cultures. B ut today, through sitting
here and talking together, I think we
all realize how sim ilar w e are. A t the
core o f it all, w e are all hum an.”
T he m an then blessed o ur group,
ju s t as he had done w ith a group o f
25 co n g ressio n al aides the day b e­
fore.
T his is how we, a group o f stu­
dents, religious leaders, and hum an
rights activists en d ed o ur in cred ­
ible encounter with Rev. Raul Sudrez.
by
T h e fo u n d e r an d d ire c to r o f
C u b a ’s M artin L u th er K ing C enter,
S u arez cam e to W ash in g to n re ­
cen tly , along w ith five oth er C uban
religious leaders. T hey m et w ith law ­
m akers and O bam a adm inistration
o fficials ab o u t o u r n a tio n ’s
ou td ated and ineffective e m ­
bargo against the C aribbean
co u n try .
T h is n e a r ly -5 5 -y e a r o ld
p olicy is actually a set o f sev­
eral law s that im pose co m m er­
cial, financial, and econom ic
restrictio n s on the sm all island
country. O sten sib ly , the em bargo
w as su pposed to build po p u lar re­
sistan ce that m ight cu lm in ate in
ousting the C astro governm ent.
T h at d id n ’t h appen w hen Fidel
C astro ran C uba.
T h at h a sn ’t h ap p en ed since his
b ro th er R aul took o v er as C u b a ’s
lead er in 2008 either.
H a lf a cen tu ry later, o u r g o v ern ­
m ent is sticking w ith this C old W ar
v estig e.
T he em b arg o has outlived the
S o v iet U nion by 25 years. C ubans
have paid the price fo r this failed
p olicy fo r decades. T h e y ’ve su f­
fered from severe restrictions in their
access to critical m ed icin es and
m eag er rationing am id food sh o rt­
ag es.
O v er the years, C u b a has found
w ays to shore up their eco n o m y by
investing in sm all-scale agriculture,
preserving th eir first-class m edical
tra in in g , an d fo rg in g e c o n o m ic
agreem ents w ith burgeoning econo­
m ies like that o f B razil and C hina.
O u r leaders m ust finally answ er a
lo n g s ta n d in g q u e stio n : H as the
C u b an em b arg o outgrow n any u se­
fulness it m ight ev er have had?
T he R everend and his colleagues
w ere invited to D C this y ear by
relig io u s and social leaders p re ­
c isely b ecau se they believ e that
there is finally a political opening on
this issue. N ot only are m ore U .S.
officials speaking ou t against the
em bargo, but recent polls show that
a m ajority o f A m ericans support an
easin g o f the restrictions p laced on
C uba. Perhaps m ost surprising is
that these polls now show o v er 75
p ercent o f C uban -A m erican s (h is­
to rically a stau n ch ly an ti-C astro
group) favoring a norm alization o f
relations w ith C uba.
I have the distinct pleasure o f run­
ning an organization that takes ordi­
nary A m ericans on educational del­
egations in Latin America. O ne o f my
favorite parts o f the jo b is hearing
from those w ho travel to C uba to find
out for them selves w hat this m yste­
rious nation is all about.
T his year, w e ’re seeing record
d e m a n d fo r th e se d e le g a tio n s .
M any o f these travelers d o n ’t re ­
turn thinking C u b a is a paradise. Yet
m ost d o find they com e hom e w ith
a new perspective. T his is the pow er
o f people-to-people exchanges. A nd
m any go back to C u b a again and
again in search o f a d eep er under­
standing o f h o w U.S. policy affects
that n earby country.
In January, a group o f U .S. S ena­
tors travelled to C uba. T hese law ­
m ak ers cam e b ack p ra isin g the
c o u n try ’s in c re d ib le h e a lth -c a re
system , w hich has m anaged to bring
C u b a ’s chiltf-m ortality rate below
our ow n. C u b a’s life expectancy also
stands w ell above ours, even though
the standard o f living there is low er.
U pon their return, these law m ak­
ers have repeatedly called for an
end to the em bargo. T hey say it’s
bad fo r U .S. businesses and is fail­
ing to change the C uban econom ic
regime.
D em ocrats and R epublicans alike
have spoken out against this failed
policy and rem inded the public that
w e hav e re-estab lish ed relations
w ith past C old W ar enem ies like
V ietnam and C hina, and should do
the sam e w ith C uba.
It’s tim e to retire this antiquated
policy. C learly, 55 years is m ore than
long enough.
Dana Brown is the executive
director o f Witness fo r Peace.