Global
The now-forming Third Hand Bike Cooperative has received enthusiastic support at its one fundraiser and six meetings. The Co-op has adopted the Third Hand name and the mission to advocate socially and environmentally responsible transportation and recreation through the promotion of bike use, bike culture, and community education in the Columbus metropolitan area. This project is just getting rolling, and anyone who has interest is more than welcome to help. Contact info@thirdhand.org or Jason at 614-222-8933. Weekly meetings are currently at 7 PM, Thursday at 205 East Crestview Rd.
The legalization of medical marijuana is an issue that is gaining momentum on a grass roots and national level. I turned into a supporter after watching what the radiation and other drugs did to my grandfather Fred Luffman as he battled both cancer and the ‘medication’ he was given. The ‘medication’ along with the cancer robbed him of his ability to sleep and of his appetite. If you take sleep and food away from the human body it really cannot even fight more mundane illnesses such as the flu with much vigor, not to mention a disease as powerful and ravaging as cancer. Fred, in an effort to gain some appetite, sleep, and ward off the pain of his disease turned to medical marijuana. If John Ashcroft and President Bush had their way my grandfather would have spent his dying months in a penitentiary instead of with his family. While real life stories like these are compelling, every movement needs someone to stick their neck out. They need a person who is willing to call upon the powers that be and tell them to look at the issue from another perspective. That person, in the case of medical marijuana, is Ed Rosenthal.
We’re living in an era when news coverage often involves plenty of
absurdity.
That’s the case with routine U.S. media spin about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So, on the July 29 edition of NPR’s “All Things Considered” program, host Robert Siegel and correspondent Vicky O’Hara each recited scripts referring to a “security barrier” that Israel’s government is building in the West Bank. The next day, many news outlets -- including the Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, New York Times, Chicago Tribune and The Associated Press -- also used the “security barrier” phrase without quotation marks, treating it as an objective description rather than the Israeli government’s preferred characterization.
That’s the case with routine U.S. media spin about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. So, on the July 29 edition of NPR’s “All Things Considered” program, host Robert Siegel and correspondent Vicky O’Hara each recited scripts referring to a “security barrier” that Israel’s government is building in the West Bank. The next day, many news outlets -- including the Los Angeles Times, Baltimore Sun, New York Times, Chicago Tribune and The Associated Press -- also used the “security barrier” phrase without quotation marks, treating it as an objective description rather than the Israeli government’s preferred characterization.
AUSTIN, Texas -- Oh great, now we have a bunch of Texas
Democrats hiding out in Albuquerque (which is very difficult to spell), and
I'm here holding the bag, trying to explain what this particular spate of
lunacy in our state is all about. Spare me, Lord.
OK, if I really have to do this deal ... see if you can think back to when you were a kid -- 5, 6, 7 -- and you were always getting blamed for something one of your siblings had done, or you didn't mean to knock over something but your old man whopped you for it anyway.
The classic cry from the heart is, "BUT IT'S NOT FAIR!" Naturally, further on down the line, all of us experience some variant of John F. Kennedy's observation that "life is not fair." Exactly when, where and under what circumstances we give up on expecting life to be fair obviously varies from cancer to KIA to divorce to other of life's more malicious surprises.
OK, if I really have to do this deal ... see if you can think back to when you were a kid -- 5, 6, 7 -- and you were always getting blamed for something one of your siblings had done, or you didn't mean to knock over something but your old man whopped you for it anyway.
The classic cry from the heart is, "BUT IT'S NOT FAIR!" Naturally, further on down the line, all of us experience some variant of John F. Kennedy's observation that "life is not fair." Exactly when, where and under what circumstances we give up on expecting life to be fair obviously varies from cancer to KIA to divorce to other of life's more malicious surprises.
In the glow of the Iraq war's initial military success, most American peace
activists felt profoundly demoralized. Between the war's portrayal as a
glamorous spectacle and Bush's seemingly overwhelming support, many who'd
recently marched by the millions felt isolated, defensive, and powerless,
fearing their voices no longer mattered.
Week after week, Bush and his people have been getting pounded
by newly emboldened Democrats and liberal pundits for having exaggerated the
threat posed by Saddam Hussein and his still-elusive weapons of mass
destruction. One day, CIA Director George Tenet is hung out to dry; the
next, it's the turn of Paul Wolfowitz's team of mad Straussians. On the
other side of the Atlantic, the same sort of thing has been happening to
Tony Blair.
They deserve the pounding, but if we're to be fair, there's an even more deserving target, a man of impeccable liberal credentials, well-respected in the sort of confabs attended by New Labor and espousers of the Third Way. I give you Rolf Ekeus, former Swedish ambassador to the United States and, before that, the executive chairman of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) on Iraq from 1991 to 1997. These days, he's chairman of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, a noted dovecote of the olive branch set.
They deserve the pounding, but if we're to be fair, there's an even more deserving target, a man of impeccable liberal credentials, well-respected in the sort of confabs attended by New Labor and espousers of the Third Way. I give you Rolf Ekeus, former Swedish ambassador to the United States and, before that, the executive chairman of the United Nations Special Commission (UNSCOM) on Iraq from 1991 to 1997. These days, he's chairman of the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, a noted dovecote of the olive branch set.
The Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee [AFSC] announces the
documentary release of...
CorpOrNation: The Story of Citizens and Corporations in Ohio
Do we live in a true democracy?
CorpOrNation exposes the historic corporate rise to power in Ohio, the barriers citizens have fought to create a true democracy for themselves, and detailed assessments of government influence by corporations through "corporate globalization." Spanning Ohio’s history from 1803 through present-day struggles between citizens and corporations, CorpOrNation suggests strategies for citizens to overcome current threats to citizen-led democracy and the corporate takeover of society.
Rich with analysis and history, CorpOrNation, produced by the Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee, features interviews with people from the Ohio AFL-CIO, Ohio Public Interest Research Group, United Steelworkers, Ohio Family Farm Coalition, Farm Labor Organizing Committee, Program on Corporations Law and Democracy, and student activists discussing corporate farms, factory lockouts, “veggie libel” laws, and regional “free trade” agreements.
CorpOrNation: The Story of Citizens and Corporations in Ohio
Do we live in a true democracy?
CorpOrNation exposes the historic corporate rise to power in Ohio, the barriers citizens have fought to create a true democracy for themselves, and detailed assessments of government influence by corporations through "corporate globalization." Spanning Ohio’s history from 1803 through present-day struggles between citizens and corporations, CorpOrNation suggests strategies for citizens to overcome current threats to citizen-led democracy and the corporate takeover of society.
Rich with analysis and history, CorpOrNation, produced by the Northeast Ohio American Friends Service Committee, features interviews with people from the Ohio AFL-CIO, Ohio Public Interest Research Group, United Steelworkers, Ohio Family Farm Coalition, Farm Labor Organizing Committee, Program on Corporations Law and Democracy, and student activists discussing corporate farms, factory lockouts, “veggie libel” laws, and regional “free trade” agreements.
After all these years, it still amazes how Americans can remain so disconnected from the world events in which we play so central a role. I use the term "world events" loosely, since the US today seems to have lost even its historically tenuous connections with the reality of the rest of the world. We continue to call our baseball championships the World Series, oblivious to how quaint and naive, at best--or arrogant and self-absorbed, at worst--it has always seemed to the rest of the world. This has been the hallmark of Americans' role in the world--a curious blend of ubiquitous involvement paired with near-total ignorance.
My dear Democratic candidates for the Presidency in 2004!
Recently I watched some of your debates, saw you all and listened to your
speeches. It was a pleasure to watch you. Mr. Graham was solid, Mr.
Lieberman was experienced, Mr. Kerry was handsome, Mr. Kucinich was
persistent, Mr. Gephardt was stately, Mr. Edwards was southern, Mrs.
Moseley- Braun was articulate, Mr. Sharpton was dedicated, Mr. Dean was as
cool as a cucumber. All of you, folks said proper words, made proper
statements, agreed to disagree and promised what you usually promise. Oh
yes, it was a pleasure. Also it was a total disaster. You can't win, you, a
bunch of sissies. And the reason is simple: you don't want to win. Either
you have no guts or you are very foolish. You think it is the politics as
usual? You think you make your day, look cool and maybe have a chance to
win. But if you don't win, why worry? Nothing will change, right? You still
will retain your positions, perks, salaries and constituents, right?
WRONG!
In statements from his Congressional office and on the campaign trail,
Kucinich continued today to urge a change of direction in Iraq. His
advocacy of a U.S. to U.N. transition is in stark contrast to other
Democratic candidates; Howard Dean, for example, supports sending
additional U.S. troops to Iraq (Meet the Press, 6/22).
Kucinich said today: "This weekend, with the deaths of 5 US troops, we were once again reminded of the dangers facing US troops in what has become a quagmire. To date 243 U.S. troops have died in Iraq. It is time that the United States begins the process of withdrawing our troops, and allow a UN peacekeeping force to take over the reconstruction of Iraq.
"In their rush to war, the Administration failed to adequately prepare for the post-invasion period. Negotiations for an exit must begin now. An exit agreement with the United Nations must involve the US letting go of the contracting process.
Kucinich said today: "This weekend, with the deaths of 5 US troops, we were once again reminded of the dangers facing US troops in what has become a quagmire. To date 243 U.S. troops have died in Iraq. It is time that the United States begins the process of withdrawing our troops, and allow a UN peacekeeping force to take over the reconstruction of Iraq.
"In their rush to war, the Administration failed to adequately prepare for the post-invasion period. Negotiations for an exit must begin now. An exit agreement with the United Nations must involve the US letting go of the contracting process.