Feature
Never have I seen/heard so many good solid people, unionists, progressives of various stripes, activists/fighters verbalizing feelings of extreme frustration, powerlessness. Between COVID, complete legislative gridlock, a conservative packed Supreme Court, Trump’s continuing influence over large sections of white people influenced by racism, it seems as though the corporate ruling class has done a tremendous job of blocking any way forward. Wide sections of our people are fighting depression growing out of feelings of hopelessness.
However, as the great John Lewis liked to say; “It’s darkest just before the dawn! We cannot give up hope!”
As well, it is important for us to understand that the undemocratic power-grab by Republicans/corporate pols, is ultimately based in weakness, fear of a rising people’s movement, not in strength.
In previous periods, progressive government economic programs which put money into worker’s pockets, combined with Union organizing campaigns, have turned these situations around, funneling funds to workers, and helping the entire economy.
Obstacles To Progress Are Formidable
Dear Senator. Paypal. Courage. Adult Use – Game on!
Selected bites of fresh cannabis news sliced from the headlines, with a legislative flavor and sweet Ohio twist. Sources are linked.
CannaBanking
Twas the Monday after Christmas. What was the first message in my inbox? Hint: it came from Paypal. Did it wish me a happy new year? Acknowledge my donation to the MidOhio Foodbank the night before? No, it read, “You can no longer do business with Paypal.” What??? Well, folks, this is the price you pay for being vocal about marijuana and the third time a financial institution has forced the closure of one of my accounts, the third time being the metaphoric charm. Yes, all accounts were spotless. Not. One. Issue. Ever.
Like many a Midwest metropolis, Columbus has a multitude of evangelical, Jesus-is-my-savior churches and if he’s not yours, you are going to hell because “Hell is Real,” as the sign says.
There’s Rod Parsley’s World Harvest mega-church in Canal Winchester, which the Free Press has heard purchases used cars for struggling single mothers if they were to convert. There’s the youth-focused Vineyard, which has multiple campuses around Central Ohio including a new church in Grandview. And the head-scratching Xenos, which recently changed its name to “Dwell,” the cultish church that sure-as-hell seems to prey on Ohio State campus kids.
These churches and their pop-rock bands promote, for the most part, a loving Christianity. Rock City Church, for instance, with its shiny and modern-ish locations in Hilliard and the Short North, has partnered with 30 Ohio prisons helping inmates.
But when tough times assail the flock, like a pandemic and a Democrat in the Oval Office, evangelical pastors begin to seriously push apocalyptic evangelicalism.
There are no statistics that can measure the pain and sorrow of their family members and friends of these victims of violence on both sides of this conflict. What follows is just a snapshot of the human rights violations in 2021, and suggestions for actions that we can take to help bring an end to the violence for the benefit of all people in the region.
Statistics from the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Affairs for 2021 (OCHA oPt)
Palestinian deaths - West Bank 82 (including 15 children); Gaza 264 (including 67 children)
Palestinian injuries - 17,895
Israeli deaths - 16 (including 2 children)
Israeli injuries - 158
Source: https://www.ochaopt.org/data/casualties.
There were 902 demolished building in the West Bank that displaced 1,203 people. Additionally, OCHA oPt documented that demolition of buildings resulted in the loss of livelihood for another 13,258.
According to B’Telsem, for Palestinians, this was the deadliest year since 2014.
There are no statistics that can measure the pain and sorrow of their family members and friends of these victims of violence on both sides of this conflict. What follows is just a snapshot of the human rights violations in 2021, and suggestions for actions that we can take to help bring an end to the violence for the benefit of all people in the region.
Statistics from the United Nations Office of Humanitarian Affairs for 2021 (OCHA oPt)
Palestinian deaths - West Bank 82 (including 15 children); Gaza 264 (including 67 children)
Palestinian injuries - 17,895
Israeli deaths - 16 (including 2 children)
Israeli injuries - 158
Source: https://www.ochaopt.org/data/casualties.
"We're so thankful to the Ohio justices for ruling in the people's favor. Voters deserve fair, representative, and inclusive legislative maps that include all of our voices. Black, brown, and Muslim Ohioans have always been left out of the discussion around redistricting, and therefore it's our voices that must be centered in the conversation because our communities suffer the impact of gerrymandering on a day-to-day basis. Now the process starts over again, and over the next 10 days we will make sure our voices are fully heard and represented during this new process. With this ruling in our favor, we are confident that Ohio will become a more equitable place for all of us." - Jeniece Brock, OCRC vice-chair and Policy and Advocacy Director of the Ohio Organizing Collaborative
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Did you get a notification from the Citizen app today?
Students and other adults are increasingly worried about their safety with crime seeming to rise around the Ohio State, Linden, and Easton areas.
Specifically, armed robberies are becoming the norm around the near off-campus area and other violent crimes in further Columbus zones.
To measure one's safety from a potential attack, Professor Kenneth Pence at Vanderbilt University designed several assessments on www.rateyourrisk.org. It is for the average person to measure how their lifestyle puts them at risk for potential crimes against them.
The evaluations measure the risk of serious assault, murder, and burglary.
Pence is a retired caption from the Metro Nashville Police Department, where he served 31 years and has traveled around the world to teach police and military confrontation management skills.
The inspiration for creating the threat assessments was to evaluate the risks connected to your everyday activities.
Here’s a summary of the January 2022 Free Press Second Saturday Cyber-Salon that happened Saturday, January 8 at 7pm by Zoom.
Watch the video here.
Free Press Board member Mark Stansbery facilitated the salon on Zoom and streaming Live on Facebook. First, he drew attention to the fact that we have lost a beloved and brave leader, Desmond Tutu.
Mark introduced the first speaker, Maryam Sy, of the Ohio Immigrant Alliance. The major project of that organization now is to Reunite Us – holding President Biden accountable for his promise to reunite families separated by our country’s immigration policies. Tell Biden to reunite all families! Submit a comment to the federal government there before Jan 24.
We are sticking our heads into the sand of reality on Omicron, and the results may be catastrophic.
Omicron is over 4 times more infectious than Delta. The Pfizer two-shot vaccine offers only 33% protection from infection. A Pfizer booster vaccine does raises protection to about 75%. Still, surveys show that Omicron has had very little impact on the willingness of Americans to get a booster, or even get a first vaccine dose.
As Ohio Republican Senate candidates Bernie Moreno and JD Vance malign, misrepresent, and demonize hard working Ohioans from immigrant backgrounds, the Ohio Immigrant Alliance urges all people of faith and good conscience to denounce these attacks.
Bernie Moreno, a car salesman (some used) from Cleveland, entered the crowded GOP primary race for Sen. Rob Portman’s seat earlier this year and the vote is scheduled for May 2022. Moreno (pictured above) was born in Bogotá, Colombia, moved to the US at age five and became a citizen at 18.
A self-proclaimed “pro-Trump legal immigrant,” the 54-year-old Moreno believes Democrats allow immigrants to cross the Mexican border for their vote, which is a myth.
Nonetheless, this so-called Democrat plot Moreno rails against also suggests he believes in the “White Extinction theory.” Now he’s spending $4 million on an ad campaign running this month and into January attacking those immigrants who sought Ohio for its plethora of low-paying servicesector jobs.