Local
I was attending my first meeting of the Columbus Democratic Socialists of America on November 22 when I heard an observation that resonated with me.
I had spoken to Columbus City Council in the past.
It’s intimidating – your first time standing in front of City Council all sitting in elevated seats far away from you. Sometimes they get out their cell phones when you’re speaking and never actually ask you any follow up questions. They also don’t tell you that there’s free parking next to City Hall if you’re scheduled to speak. Anyway…
Someone at the Columbus Democratic Socialists of America meeting complained that City Council turns off the online video during the public testimony part of the meeting. It’s happened to me as well.
They just choose to not broadcast or record it. Unfortunately, I’m a guy who loves to solve problems; that’s how I’m hard-wired.
Monday, December 1, 2025, 12:00 – 1:00 PM
Ohio Statehouse, Rotunda
Retired pastor Lea Austin will lead with a Litany for the Eulogy of Policy Violence.
We refuse to accept policy violence as normal or inevitable.
James Heddle, part of a social justice documentary filmmaking team with his wife Mary Beth Brangan, passed away in November 2025. The Free Press will forever be indebted to Jim and Mary Beth for documenting the election integrity movement that began after the stolen 2004 presidential election in Ohio.
In the chaotic days following the W Bush “victory” in 2004, Jim and Mary Beth joined dozens of activists in Columbus to help in the Free Press struggle to expose election fraud and refute the results. Their video “A Little Light’ll Do Ya” depicted the January 5 challenge to Ohio’s electoral votes in Congress. Jim and Mary Beth continued to partner with the Free Press and Ohio’s election integrity community for the next three election cycles. They covered election conferences, election protection activities, and election-related lawsuits brought by the Free Press’ Ohio Litigation project.
Tariq Ali’s book Extreme Center discusses various factors which led into Donald Trump and Brexit since 1989 from a British-Pakistani Muslim Marxist perspective.
Islamophobic western imperialism combined with neo-liberalism are inflaming a fascist populism.
Extreme Center points out white supremacist Donald Trump is a leader with both Nazi and Romney's moderate Republican support. Trump's administration oppresses because moderate Republicans didn't reject an extreme leader from white nationalist culture and weltanschauung.
Tariq doesn't believe the working class are Nazis. The working class are exploited and treated with negligence by the same leaders who are committing atrocities with foreign policy.
Tariq Ali believes both Barack and Trump are imperialists.
Tariq contrasts Trump's white supremacy culture with quotes about Barack Obama's social life. Barack is natural in diverse cultures which aren't Nazi. Trump is organically white supremacist.
Tariq is acknowledging people like me prefer Barack because I live in America.
Ali is from Pakistan.
House Bill 42 would require certain agencies, including school districts, to collect and report data concerning the citizenship or immigration status of persons with whom they come into contact. An amendment requires law enforcement agencies to collect and maintain citizenship status from “those detained” to “those arrested.” It is being heard in the House Government Oversight Committee – calls to our legislators are needed!
Friday, November 28, 2025, 7:00 – 8:30 PM
Maple Grove Methodist Church, 7 W. Henderson, Columbus.
Free parking is available in the parking lot just South of the church.
It’s accessible from Aldrich Road, one street south of Henderson, off of north High Street.
Walk into the church from the parking lot through the back door.
Despite political turmoil and a divided nation, we have so much to be thankful for. Join Bill Cohen as he sings a unique concert of songs that express gratitude for all that we have. Playing piano and guitar, Bill will sing songs linked to a wide variety of folks --- John Denver, Bing Crosby, Phil Ochs, Louis Armstrong, and Don McLean. Even Johnny Appleseed, Jiminy Cricket, and the TV show, “Golden Girls.”
On several songs, Ann Fisher will add beautiful flute accompaniment, David Maywhoor will add percussion, and Joe Lambert and Joanne Blum will add soothing vocal harmonies.
We’ll ask for $15 per person donations at the door, but all contributions, large and small, will be welcomed.
The recent City Council tax dollars giveaway to the Fury Women’s Volleyball team is another ugly example of how decisions are produced inside the secret walls of City Hall.
Your gerrymandered City Council voted 5-4 to approve $500,000 to the for-profit professional sports team – all while the thousands of homeless are living in tents around the city. The most important priority is to support women’s sports and not their actual lives. This was a stupid and selfish decision by your City Council.
What made it all the more sinister was how your gerrymandered City Council voted: 5-4. They want your reaction to be, “Wow! That was a close decision! It could have gone either way!”
Wrong. Dead wrong.
The 5-4 decision was an example of “political theater” designed to give us the appearance that decisions are not already made before each and every vote.
It’s cooked to recipe by people who are most concerned with their next campaign donation and photo opportunity.
This year, we have given over $12,200 directly to low wage and immigrant workers through stipends, creating the opportunity to fully participate in education, empowerment, and community building. This video helps show the work we do during our Know Your Rights programming. To be frank, we were unable to secure one of the 2026 grants that made these events possible in 2025, and we need your support to ensure we can continue and build upon this work.
Here are 5 ways to support the work we do:
the AEP Ohio just filed for a last-minute change at the Public Utilities Commission of Ohio (PUCO) that would drastically reduce or eliminate fair compensation for solar homeowners who send extra electricity back to the grid. That means lower credits, longer payback periods, and thousands of Ohio families losing the benefit of their rooftop solar investment.
Before you installed solar, you counted on stable net-metering rules that let you export extra solar at a fair value. But now AEP and others want to rewrite those rules behind our backs — just as the economy tightens and energy costs rise.
If you support rooftop solar, clean energy, fairness, and a strong, decentralized grid, please take two minutes and submit a comment to PUCO:
