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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Aug. 19, 2015)
Page 6 1HZ3ULFHV (IIHFWLYH 0D\ Martin &OHDQLQJ 6HUYLFH August 19, 2015 O PINION &DUSHW8SKROVWHU\ &OHDQLQJ 5HVLGHQWLDO &RPPHUFLDO6HUYLFHV 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 Our Democracy is Increasingly Unhealthy Where there are signs of hope T OM H. H ASTINGS In our wonderful land of America we have ongoing debates, discussions, and prin- cipled differences. To the extent those are happening by citizens focused on the issues and not on char- acter assassination or violent threat, those robust modes of discourse are the heart of a healthy democracy. Our democracy is increas- ingly unhealthy. And we are degrading the image and de- sirability of democracy around the world as a result. This is a reversal of a century-long trend around the world of more de- mocracy that peaked in the 1990s. Autocrats are not only mak- ing a comeback, they are doing so with more populist support. From the racist frontrunner can- BY didacy of Donald Trump to the atavistic emergence of a caliph- ate in the Middle East, we see a rollback of engaged, respectful, vigorous citizen partici- vi pants pa in politics. Where there is a resur- gence of focus on civil ge society participation, so however, we see signs ho of hope, such as pockets of socia social activism in West Af- rica that focus on the lessons from Martin Luther King and the US civil rights movement, or a consortium of Palestinians struggling to transform their liberation struggle to democra- cy-friendly nonviolence. Rightwing politicos declaim on American exceptionalism; they name the USA as the one nation that offers the best hope for humankind. Sadly, they then practice the “might makes right” model of imposed de- mocracy—an oxymoronic enterprise indeed. Democra- cy cannot be installed at gun- point any more than love can, or empathy, or altruism—all of which drive more and bet- ter democracy, while guns and bombs—Francis Scott Key notwithstanding—erode it. Metrics of democracy—citi- zen participation, inclusion, minority rights, transparency, nonviolent transition of pow- er—are all best promoted and practiced without death threats. Citizen engagement is at the heart of the free press— the very paper you hold or are reading online is the pulse of a democracy worthy of the name. When you engage— read it, write a letter, share it with others—and do so in a way that maintains healthy re- spect alongside healthy debate, you are bolstering our democ- racy and showing the rest of the world a better model that they will emulate. The true “arsenal of democ- racy” is not a nuclear navy nor D+HOO¿UHPLVVLOHUDLQRIGHDWK from the sky. It is you, seek- ing information, sharing your thoughts, caring for the hearts and minds of your neighbors, even the ones with whom you disagree—especially the ones who anger you with an opinion \RX¿QGREMHFWLRQDEOH I teach several courses that revolve around these concepts and I love watching students evolve from apathy and fa- talism to outrage and violent ideation to care, capacity, and human agency. True, some never move off the cynical dime, some get stuck on pugnacity and demo- nization, but those who pass into the stages of engagement and rational, careful analysis and discourse are the ones I am FRQ¿GHQWZLOOGRWKHPRVWJRRG for democracy in our land, and, by extension of this evolving American experiment, the rest of the world. Dr. Tom H. Hastings is core IDFXOW\LQWKH&RQÀLFW5HVROX- tion Department at Portland State University and is found- ing director of PeaceVoice.