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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (May 27, 2015)
Page 6 New Prices Effective May 1, 2014 Martin Cleaning Service May 27, 2015 O PINION Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $45.00 $VPDOOGLVWDQFHWUDYHO charge may be applied CARPET CLEANING 2 Cleaning Areas or more $30.00 Each Area 3UH6SUD\7UDI¿F$UHDV (Includes: 1 small Hallway) 1 Cleaning Area (only) $40.00 ,QFOXGHV3UH6SUD\7UDI¿F$UHD (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) Area/Oriental Rugs $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) $40.00 Minimum Heavily Soiled Area Additional $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING 6RID /RYHVHDW 6HFWLRQDO &KDLURU5HFOLQHU $25 - $49 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) ADDITIONAL SERVICES • Area & Oriental Rug Cleaning $XWR%RDW59&OHDQLQJ • 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 Anti-gay Leaders Reach for Extreme Rhetoric The war on love P ETER M ONTGOMERY A lot of conservative religious leaders say people of faith are being “silenced” or “persecut- ed” here in the United States. They’ve sung that refrain for decades. It’s especially common in their losing battle against the grow- ing public support for the legal equality of gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) people. As more Americans have seen BY their LGBT family, friends, and neighbors come out of the closet, th the claim that gay people are o out to destroy faith and freedom h has lost its punch. So some an- ti ti-gay leaders are reaching for m more extreme rhetoric. Take Family Research Council president Tony Perkins. He warned a couple of years ago that a potential Supreme Court ruling against same-sex marriage bans “could be the straw that broke the camel’s back.” Nation- wide marriage equality, Perkins insisted, could lead to “a revolt, The Law Offices of Patrick John Sweeney, P.C. Patrick John Sweeney Attorney at Law 1549 SE Ladd Portland, Oregon Portland: Hillsoboro: Facsimile: Email: (503) 244-2080 (503) 244-2081 (503) 244-2084 Sweeney@PDXLawyer.com a revolution” that “could explode and just break this nation apart.” The Supreme Court is now weighing a landmark marriage equality case. And conservative religious advocates are amping up WKHLUFDOOVIRUGH¿DQFHLIWKH&RXUW rules that same-sex couples are indeed protected by the Constitu- tion’s promise of equal treatment under the law. A Supreme Court ruling favor- able to marriage equality would create the “groundswell of a po- tential new American Revolu- tion,” Liberty Counsel chairman Mat Staver says. “Talk about a civil war,” says Focus on the Family founder James Dobson. “We could have another one over this,” he warns. Political operative David Lane, who has GOP presidential candi- GDWHV ÀRFNLQJ WR KLV PHHWDQG greets with conservative pastors, has said Christians in America “must risk martyrdom” over mar- riage equality. His colleague at the American Family Association, governmental affairs director San- dy Rios, used the same word, re- peatedly urging opponents of gay rights to “prepare for martyrdom.” Even politicians are getting in on the game. GOP presidential contender Mike Huckabee and Al- abama Chief Justice Roy Moore DUHXUJLQJVWDWHVWRJRWKHQXOOL¿- cation route and defy a Supreme Court ruling in favor of marriage equality. Attacking “judicial su- premacy” is emerging as a central theme of Huckabee’s campaign. The “tyranny” these activists say they’re resisting is simply the effort by LGBT people and their allies to win a measure of legal protection for their lives and families. Like other social justice movements in our nation’s history, it’s a peaceful struggle to change people’s hearts and minds using the tools available in our free society. How far will Roy Moore, Mike Huckabee, and other conservative leaders go to undermine the legit- imacy of the Supreme Court? No one knows. Maybe all this “resis- tance” rhetoric is empty bluster and political posturing. %XWWKLVPXFKLVFOHDU7KHIDU right is losing the battle for the hearts and minds of Americans. And they’re threatening to bring on a constitutional crisis — or worse — if the Supreme Court rules in favor of marriage equality later this year. Peter Montgomery is a Senior Fellow at People for the American Way. (Submission courtesy of oth- erwords.org)
