Human Rights
I know that there as many tales of the atrocities committed by whites against African Americans in the United States as there are stars in the sky, but discovering this particular story blew me away. The fire at the Boys Industrial School (BIS) in Writghtsville, Arkansas, was an especially horrific tragedy that could have been averted were it not for the pathological white supremacy, naked racism, and pure hatred for blacks found in the South throughout virtually the entire history of this country. (I’m sure there are books out there that will allow me to focus on white supremacy and racism in the North; just be patient.)
When one thinks of communities that are facing the problem of white privilege head on, Bexley Ohio is probably not high on the list. With their racial demographics showing 88% white, compared to the national average of 61%, dialogues about white privilege seem distinctly out of place. Yet that is exactly what happened at the Bexley Public Library on July 11. Underground at the bottom of the library perhaps the most uncomfortable topic was thrust into the bright air by a highly eager crowd of both Bexley residents and members of surrounding communities.
A former star athlete at Columbus East High School, Steve McClure didn't give much thought to his diet. “I weighed 239 pounds,” he said, “I wasn't eating right...a lot of fried foods...” A diagnosis of Type 2 Diabetes served as a harsh wake up call, and gave McClure the motivation to not only change his lifestyle, but to help others to do the same.
Twenty years later, McClure is helping thousands of Central Ohioans get healthy. “Before my mom passed away, she told me to do something good,” says McClure, “and let the community know about getting healthy.” Her words inspired him to create Living Smart Workshops. Now in its fifth year, the Living Smart Workshops and Health Expo is scheduled for Saturday, July 28th at Mayme Moore Park at the King Arts Complex.
The event will offer free health screenings, a job fair with on-site interviews, a cheerleading, dance, step and talent showcase, a car and bike show, food vendors and various workshops. Fresh produce and some 500 bags of school supplies will be distributed, and the Ohio State Barber College will provide free haircuts.
There is a sanctuary as resistance movement across the continental United States, in Ohio and in Columbus. According to the newly emerging, Columbus Sanctuary Collective, this resistance will only Soon to be announced, a second church in Columbus will be sheltering a family into sanctuary. grow as a result of the deportation and detention machine built by former President Obama and now being exercised to its fullest by the Trump administration. With mass raids on businesses, deportations of longtime residents of Ohio and threats on legitimate green card holders, churches and organizers across the state are organizing to facilitate and initiate a sanctuary effort.
A second church in Columbus will be sheltering a Columbus resident into sanctuary in July. That will be the second case in Columbus of a person needing to be housed and protected from ICE (Immigration and Customs Enforcement). The Columbus Sanctuary Collective asked supporters, activists and the media to show up Monday, June 2 in solidarity with Miriam Vargas, a Honduran mother, as she enters sanctuary at the First English Lutheran Church in downtown Columbus.
Today an anti-worker majority of justices on the United States Supreme Court struck down 40 years of precedent permitting public sector unions to collect a fair share fee from workers who receive the benefits of collective bargaining and representation in the workplace. The ruling in Janus v. AFSCME, like similar legislation in Congress and so-called right to work initiatives in Ohio, is the result of a multi-year campaign by corporate interests and wealthy individuals who oppose the very idea that workers should have freedom of association, economic power and a voice in our system of government.
Under the high court’s decision, unions must still negotiate for and represent all workers in a bargaining unit, including those who refuse to pay a fee for the benefits and services they receive from the union. The Court’s decision also forces loyal union members who voluntarily pay dues to subsidize anti-union co-workers who refuse to pay while receiving the same wages, benefits and working conditions as union members. But the Janus decision is about more than the “free-rider” problem.
A hundred or more Columbus people stood in a single file line in front of the Omar Ibn El-Khattab Mosque to protect it from a few dozen protestors -- presumably the "God Hates Fags" folks that arrive in the city every year to preach during the Columbus Pride Parade. It was reported that at the time, Muslims celebrated Eid al-Fitr to mark the end of Ramadan a holy day. The protest group spouted anti-Muslim hatred and at one point a truck ran down the street between the two groups of people with ugle photos on the side promoting anti-abortion sentiments.
Drink Water? Breathe air? Depend on safe soil? Then this urgent message is for you.
Central Ohioans have less than a month to protect our water, air and soil from the fracking waste passing through our watershed. According to industry spokespersons, this “brine” poses little danger to those of us living downstream.
Citing state-of-the-art technology of its injection wells, they boast of their ability to direct millions of gallons of the toxic and radioactive waste safely through our watershed to a final resting place miles underground. Common sense argues that over time injections wells leak and liquids migrate. It also recognizes that the massive volume of Ohio’s fracking waste cannot be safely disposed of anywhere, and certainly not in our watershed, our city’s most precious resource upon which we depend for our very survival.
When was the last time you lost track of your friend at a protest against a US war because you were among hundreds of thousands of fellow activists also out in the streets? When was the last time you had to squeeze yourself into a teach-in against US foreign policy because the room was packed? It's been a while? Then you are not alone.
Unseen Wars
Friends, I want to tell you the very disturbing news of a new corporate-driven scheme to poison you, your family and your pets with radioactive waste.
Aqua Salina is a product you can purchase by the gallon at Lowe’s or a hardware store right now. It’s also sold in huge quantities to department of transportation regional garages for use as a de-icer. It’s bottled in the Cleveland area by an owner of several oil and gas wells. Aqua Salina has been sold for several years.
It is called "brine," marketed as “ancient sea water;” and it is bottled radioactive waste. Depending on the concentrations of radioactive toxins in this "ancient sea water," it is called "NORM" (naturally-occurring radioactive material) or "TENORM" (technologically-enhanced naturally-occurring radioactive material). Here's a page from the website of the seller and distributor of this poisonous stuff:
Thousands of labor movement activists gathered together at the 2018 Labor Notesconference in Chicago on April 6-8. We were excited to be able to join them, representing CWA Local 4502. The conference gave us many ideas to bring back to our union and community, as we enter into "the best of times, the worst of times" for the labor and other social movements.
From the Bottom Up
The labor movement in the United States faces the worst of times as the Supreme Court is poised to rule on Janus v. AFSCME, potentially dealing a heavy blow to the ability of public-sector unions, the strongest bastion of organized US labor, to collect fair share fees for the purpose of fighting for the interest of all in our bargaining units, not just union members.