Image provided by: University of Oregon Libraries; Eugene, OR
About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (July 26, 2017)
Page 6 July 26, 2017 New Prices Effective April 1, 2017 O PINION Martin Cleaning Service Carpet & Upholstery Cleaning Residential & Commercial Services Minimum Service CHG. $50.00 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) $50.00 Includes Pre-Spray Traffic Area (Hallway Extra) Stairs (12-16 stairs - With Other Services) : $30.00 Area/Oriental Rugs: $25.00 Minimum Area/Oriental Rugs (Wool) : $40.00 Minimum Heavily Soiled Area: $10.00 each area (Requiring Extensive Pre-Spraying) UPHOLSTERY CLEANING Sofa: $69.00 Loveseat: $49.00 Sectional: $109 - $139 Chair or Recliner: $25.00 - $49.00 Throw Pillows (With Other Services) : $5.00 ADDITIONAL SERVICES • 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 Trump’s Pro Torture-Friendly Administration Appointments set off alarm bells M edea b enjaMin It should come as no surprise to anyone that Donald Trump is pro-torture. He said on the campaign trail he’d approve water- boarding “in a heart- beat,” plus “a hell of a lot worse.” He added: “Only a stupid per- son would say it doesn’t work.” There are certainly a lot of stu- pid people then, because everyone from interrogators to researchers have repeatedly concluded that torture doesn’t work. People will say whatever you want them to say to make the pain stop, mak- ing torture not only inhumane but also bad for intelligence. A 2009 Senate Armed Ser- vices Committee review con- cluded that torture “damaged our ability to collect accurate in- telligence that could save lives, strengthened the hand of our enemies, and compromised our moral authority.” That’s why the Senate voted in 2015 to turn the presidential ban on torture into by official law. To his credit, Trump did wa- ter down his original support for torture, allowing Defense Sec- retary James Mattis — who opposes torture — to override him. But if the Trump ad- ministration is now op- posed to torture, why are they nominating the architects of America’s torture fiasco to key posts? Take Steven Bradbury, nomi- nated to be general counsel for the Transportation Department. Bradbury is infamous for writ- ing the legal memos authorizing CIA torture at the Bush Justice Department. Bradbury’s confirmation was placed on hold by Senator Tam- my Duckworth, an Iraq veter- an who lost her legs in the war. “The actions you helped justify put our troops in harm’s way, put our diplomats deployed overseas in harm’s way, and you compro- mised our nation’s very values,” she said angrily at his confirma- tion hearing. Or what about Donald Trump’s nominee to head the FBI, Christopher Wray? Wray was at the Justice Depart- ment when attorney John Yoo and others were drafting their torture memos. Wray knew about de- tainee abuse and did not, as head of the criminal division, bring charges against any of the Bush administration torturers — except for one low-level CIA contractor who beat a prisoner to death. A third person connected to torture is Gina Haspel, who was appointed deputy director of the CIA. Haspel ran a “black site” prison in Thailand where sus- pects were waterboarded — and then helped destroy video of the interrogations. The Senate Intelligence Com- mittee meticulously documented the sordid U.S. record of torture under the Bush administration in a 6,770-page report. But the pub- lic hasn’t been able to read it — only the executive summary has been released. Yet this isn’t just an exer- cise in history. In June, Human Rights Watch and the Associat- ed Press published explosive re- ports revealing a secret network of prisons in southern Yemen run by U.S.-allied United Arab Emirates and Yemeni forces. The reports reveal horrific practices in which prisoners, in- cluding children, have been arbi- trarily detained, forcibly disap- peared, sexually assaulted, and tortured. One torture method, known as the “grill,” had victims tied to a spit like a roast and spun in a circle of fire. Reports indicate that the U.S. military knew about the torture, received transcripts of the inter- rogations conducted by Yemeni interrogators, and interrogated several detainees themselves. According to one Yemeni securi- ty officer, American forces were only yards away from a facility where torture took place. Senators John McCain and Jack Reed immediately ex- pressed outrage, calling on the Trump administration to inves- tigate the allegations. But the reaction of the White House to these revolting reports is telling: radio silence. Trump’s refusal to publicly condemn these secret prisons, together with the appointments of people who played a role in George W. Bush’s torture pro- gram, should set off alarm bells. Only stupid people say torture works, and one of them is sitting in the White House. Medea Benjamin is co-found- er of CODEPINK for Peace. Distributed by OtherWords.org.