Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 21, 2016)
Page 6 December 21, 2016 Your Carpet Best Cleaning Choice O PINION Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $45.00 A small distance/travel charge may 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 Other Services) : $25.00 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 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 CIA Engaged in Foreign Vote Meddling for Years A gauge to remember how this feels P eter C erto Even in an election year as shot through with conspiracy theories as this one, it would have been hard to imagine a bigger bombshell than Russia intervening to help Donald Trump. But that’s exact- ly what the CIA believes hap- pened, or so unnamed “officials brief on the matter” told the Washington Post. While Russia had long been blamed for hacking email ac- counts linked to the Clinton campaign, its motives had been shrouded in mystery. According to the Post, though, CIA officials recently presented Congress with a “a growing body of intel- ligence from multiple sources” that “electing Trump was Rus- sia’s goal.” Now, the CIA hasn’t made any of its evidence public, and the CIA and FBI are reportedly by divided on the subject. Though it’s too soon to draw conclu- sions, the charges warrant a seri- ous public investigation. Even some Republicans who backed Trump seem to agree. “The Russians are not our friends,” said Senate major- ity leader Mitch McConnell, announcing his support for a congressional probe. It’s “warfare,” added Senator John McCain. There’s a grim irony to this. The CIA is accusing Russia of interfering in our free and fair elections to install a right-wing candidate it deemed more favor- able to its interests. Yet during the Cold War, that’s exactly what the CIA did to the rest of the world. Most Americans probably don’t know that history. But in much of the world it’s a cru- cial part of how Washington is viewed even today. In the post-World War II years, as Moscow and Wash- ington jockeyed for global in- fluence, the two capitals tried to game every foreign election they could get their hands on. From Europe to Vietnam and Chile to the Philippines, Amer- ican agents delivered brief- cases of cash to hand-picked politicians, launched smear cam- paigns against their left-leaning rivals, and spread hysterical “fake news” stories like the ones some now accuse Russia of spreading here. Together, political scientist Dov Levin estimates, Russia and the U.S. interfered in 117 elec- tions this way in the second half the 20th century. Even worse is what happened when the CIA’s chosen candidates lost. In Iran, when elected leader Mohammad Mossadegh tried to nationalize the country’s BP- held oil reserves, CIA agent Ker- mit Roosevelt led an operation to oust Mossadegh in favor of Shah Mohammad Reza Pahlavi. The shah’s secret police tortured dissidents by the thousands, leading directly to the Islamic Revolution in 1979. In Guatemala, when the democratically elected Jacobo Arbez tried to loosen the U.S.- based United Fruit company’s grip on Guatemalan land, the CIA backed a coup against him. In the decades of civil war that followed, U.S.-backed security forces were accused of carrying out a genocide against indige- nous Guatemalans. In Chile, after voters elected the socialist Salvador Allende, the CIA spearheaded a bloody coup to install the right-wing dictator Augusto Pinochet, who went on to torture and disappear tens of thousands of Chileans. “I don’t see why we need to stand by and watch a country go communist due to the irrespon- sibility of its own people,” U.S. Secretary of State Henry Kissing- er purportedly said about the coup he helped orchestrate there. And those are only the most well-known examples. I don’t raise any of this history to excuse Russia’s alleged med- dling in our election — which, if true, is outrageous. Only to sug- gest that now, maybe, we know how it feels. We should remem- ber that feeling as Trump, who’s spoken fondly of authoritarian rulers from Russia to Egypt to the Philippines and beyond, comes into office. Meanwhile, much of the world must be relieved to see the CIA take a break from subvert- ing democracy abroad to protect it at home. Peter Certo is the editorial manager of the Institute for Pol- icy Studies and the editor of Oth- erWords.org.
