Global
Ohio received an “F” from the National Abortion and Reproductive Rights Action League (NARAL) for its policies regarding contraceptives. Governor Bob Taft’s office refused to comment, but a look at the www.naral.org website for Ohio’s laws, shows that our state does not have a policy, law or regulation requiring private health insurance plans to provide coverage for contraceptives. State workers’ health insurance plans, however, cover oral contraceptives and Depo Provera. State employees may also choose plans that cover Norplant, IUDs and diaphragms.
Some people are pioneers, innovators. They cannot help it and no matter how much they may try to suppress their genius, their flaming intellect, there is nothing that can be done about it. Jim Shepard was just such an entity, except he didn’t suppress anything and truly answered to no one.
On October 16, 1998 this seminal artist took his life — and yet instead of focusing on that final act, I think the focus needs to be placed on the work this man did during his thirty-nine years of extreme and bombastic living. His music — his art — the steaming body of work he left for us to listen to and dance to and grind and sink to creates a jarring impact. Like a meteor, he burned his own fiery trail; made every note he played, every fretboard he scraped his own.
On October 16, 1998 this seminal artist took his life — and yet instead of focusing on that final act, I think the focus needs to be placed on the work this man did during his thirty-nine years of extreme and bombastic living. His music — his art — the steaming body of work he left for us to listen to and dance to and grind and sink to creates a jarring impact. Like a meteor, he burned his own fiery trail; made every note he played, every fretboard he scraped his own.
“ I would rather err on the side of being too generous.”
That is what Columbus City Councilman Richard Sensenbrenner said in 1999. He wasn’t talking about generosity to help the less fortunate or the working people of Columbus. City Council had just approved tax abatements totaling $3 million for the Brewery district. It was pointed out by opponents that the area was not blighted, and would be developed anyhow, without any tax abatements. That is when Mr. Sensenbrenner made the statement quoted above. Coincidently, the beneficiaries of the abatements, Casto Development and Schottenstein, are among the biggest political campaign contributors. Combined, they gave more than $112,000 from 1998 through 2000 to Columbus City Council members and Mayors Coleman and Lashutka. Capital Square Ltd., a business subsidiary of Dispatch publishing, was a partner with Schottenstein in the Brewery district deal. Over $53 million in tax abatements were approved from 1998 to 2000 for companies that contributed to political campaigns. The political campaigns of the public officials that granted the abatements.
Big Contributors
That is what Columbus City Councilman Richard Sensenbrenner said in 1999. He wasn’t talking about generosity to help the less fortunate or the working people of Columbus. City Council had just approved tax abatements totaling $3 million for the Brewery district. It was pointed out by opponents that the area was not blighted, and would be developed anyhow, without any tax abatements. That is when Mr. Sensenbrenner made the statement quoted above. Coincidently, the beneficiaries of the abatements, Casto Development and Schottenstein, are among the biggest political campaign contributors. Combined, they gave more than $112,000 from 1998 through 2000 to Columbus City Council members and Mayors Coleman and Lashutka. Capital Square Ltd., a business subsidiary of Dispatch publishing, was a partner with Schottenstein in the Brewery district deal. Over $53 million in tax abatements were approved from 1998 to 2000 for companies that contributed to political campaigns. The political campaigns of the public officials that granted the abatements.
Big Contributors
Last June, in a cleverly calculated political pseudo-event, Governor Bob Taft and his sidekick Secretary of State Ken Blackwell announced their long awaited “campaign reform proposal.” Their rhetoric stressed the importance of achieving “full public disclosure” of anonymous money flowing into Ohio political parties as well as electioneering communications. Still, Ohio does not require that political parties disclose of money, even corporate money, coming into their coffers.
The question of whether “electioneering communications” can be kept private however, is under litigation in Ohio. Both the Ohio and U.S. Chambers of Commerce asserted their right to run so-called “issue ads” that looked a lot like attacks on judicial candidates in the 2000 election. as long as the ads bogus “issue ads” focused on smearing judicial candidates, but never mentioned “magic words” like “vote for,” “elect,” “support” or “defeat” any specific candidate.
The question of whether “electioneering communications” can be kept private however, is under litigation in Ohio. Both the Ohio and U.S. Chambers of Commerce asserted their right to run so-called “issue ads” that looked a lot like attacks on judicial candidates in the 2000 election. as long as the ads bogus “issue ads” focused on smearing judicial candidates, but never mentioned “magic words” like “vote for,” “elect,” “support” or “defeat” any specific candidate.
written 19th February 2002
Today they killed a friend of mine
for a crime he didn’t do
John Byrd was an innocent man
and THAT they certainly knew!
The Ohio courts and Governor Taft
didn’t give a bloody damn
They gleefully sent John to his death
and killed an innocent man.
Why did they ignore the facts
and send John to his death?
Why did they ignore the truth
and steal my friend’s last breath?
Where was this so called justice
that American’s boastfully claim to possess?
Obviously it’s just another fallacy
American hypocrisy at it’s best
www.kennyrichey.org/
Today they killed a friend of mine
for a crime he didn’t do
John Byrd was an innocent man
and THAT they certainly knew!
The Ohio courts and Governor Taft
didn’t give a bloody damn
They gleefully sent John to his death
and killed an innocent man.
Why did they ignore the facts
and send John to his death?
Why did they ignore the truth
and steal my friend’s last breath?
Where was this so called justice
that American’s boastfully claim to possess?
Obviously it’s just another fallacy
American hypocrisy at it’s best
www.kennyrichey.org/
Columbus Dispatch editors are at it again. In a Sept. 10 headline, the Big D proclaimed “Hagan wouldn’t execute child killer.” Similar headlines have appeared in the past against other disfavored politicians, usually substituting words such as “Candidate X won’t execute cop killer.” Despite the sensational nature of the Hearst-style yellow journalism headline, the article by Alan Johnson is quite revealing. The second paragraph reads: “But if Timothy F. Hagan were governor, Buell’s life would be spared — along with those of the 204 others on Ohio’s Death Row.”
Johnson explains: “Hagan, the Democratic candidate for governor, is a lifelong opponent of capital punishment on personal and religious grounds.” Johnson writes, “If elected, Hagan vows to invoke a moratorium on executions, as the governors of Illinois and Maryland have done.”
Hagan told Johnson, “I don’t think the state should take the life of an indiv-idual.” Some suggestions for Dispatch headline writers: “Hagan wants Ohio to join European Union on human rights,” “Hagan says ‘Thou shalt not kill’,” and “Hagan wants moratorium on death penalty like Illinois and Maryland.” Or, see above.
Johnson explains: “Hagan, the Democratic candidate for governor, is a lifelong opponent of capital punishment on personal and religious grounds.” Johnson writes, “If elected, Hagan vows to invoke a moratorium on executions, as the governors of Illinois and Maryland have done.”
Hagan told Johnson, “I don’t think the state should take the life of an indiv-idual.” Some suggestions for Dispatch headline writers: “Hagan wants Ohio to join European Union on human rights,” “Hagan says ‘Thou shalt not kill’,” and “Hagan wants moratorium on death penalty like Illinois and Maryland.” Or, see above.
The state of Ohio killed Robert Buell on September 25. The mainstream mass media made sure that everyone knew that Buell was sentenced to death for the sexual assault and murder of 11-year-old Krista Harrison. During Buell’s eighteen years on death row, he was unsuccessful, with few exceptions, in getting out the facts of his case.
In January 1995, the Columbus Free Press uncovered a State Highway Patrol report authored by Marc Rogols documenting that investigators from the Ohio Public Defender’s Office (OPDO) were falsifying records on a fifteen or so death row inmates. Chester “Briss” Craig, a former supervisor at the OPDO, told the Free Press that Buell had probably been denied a proper investigation of his claims of innocence. Buell maintained that he did not kill Harrison.
In January 1992, Craig filed a complaint with the Ohio Inspector General’s Office that said: “Some of our investigators previously assigned to Ohio Public Defender’s clients before they were convicted had not met with or conducted any kind of investigation on behalf of these clients.”
In January 1995, the Columbus Free Press uncovered a State Highway Patrol report authored by Marc Rogols documenting that investigators from the Ohio Public Defender’s Office (OPDO) were falsifying records on a fifteen or so death row inmates. Chester “Briss” Craig, a former supervisor at the OPDO, told the Free Press that Buell had probably been denied a proper investigation of his claims of innocence. Buell maintained that he did not kill Harrison.
In January 1992, Craig filed a complaint with the Ohio Inspector General’s Office that said: “Some of our investigators previously assigned to Ohio Public Defender’s clients before they were convicted had not met with or conducted any kind of investigation on behalf of these clients.”
Soon we hope to have hearings on the
pending war with Iraq. I am con-
cerned there are some questions that won’t be asked, and maybe will not even be allowed to be asked. Here are some questions I would like answered by those
who are urging us to start this war.
1. Is it not true that the reason we did not bomb the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War was because we knew they could retaliate?
2. Is it not also true that we are willing to bomb Iraq now because we know it cannot retaliate, which just confirms that there is no real threat?
3. Is it not true that those who argue that even with inspections we cannot be sure that Hussein might be hiding weapons, at the same time imply that we can be more sure that weapons exist in the absence of inspections?
4. Is it not true that the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency was able to complete its yearly verification mission to Iraq just this year with Iraqi cooperation?
1. Is it not true that the reason we did not bomb the Soviet Union at the height of the Cold War was because we knew they could retaliate?
2. Is it not also true that we are willing to bomb Iraq now because we know it cannot retaliate, which just confirms that there is no real threat?
3. Is it not true that those who argue that even with inspections we cannot be sure that Hussein might be hiding weapons, at the same time imply that we can be more sure that weapons exist in the absence of inspections?
4. Is it not true that the UN’s International Atomic Energy Agency was able to complete its yearly verification mission to Iraq just this year with Iraqi cooperation?
1. “Our principals and our security
are challenged today by outlaw
groups and regimes that accept no law of morality and have no limit to their violent ambitions.”
• Conservative commentator Samuel Huntington has pointed out that many people worldwide consider the U.S. to be “the single greatest external threat to their societies” (Foreign Affairs, 1999).
• Under Bush, the U.S. stands in violation of international law for its bombing of Afghanistan and ongoing bombing of Iraq (violating Article 51 of the UN Charter); its treatment of the Guantánamo Bay prisoners (violating the Geneva Convention); and for its “first strike” nuclear weapons doctrine (violating the UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty). Bush has declared his willingness to commit another grave breach of international law by bombing Iraq without authorization from the Security Council.
• The Bush Administration has also undermined the U.S. Constitution by declaring the War Powers Act (requiring Congressional authorization to launch a war) irrelevant.
• Conservative commentator Samuel Huntington has pointed out that many people worldwide consider the U.S. to be “the single greatest external threat to their societies” (Foreign Affairs, 1999).
• Under Bush, the U.S. stands in violation of international law for its bombing of Afghanistan and ongoing bombing of Iraq (violating Article 51 of the UN Charter); its treatment of the Guantánamo Bay prisoners (violating the Geneva Convention); and for its “first strike” nuclear weapons doctrine (violating the UN Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty). Bush has declared his willingness to commit another grave breach of international law by bombing Iraq without authorization from the Security Council.
• The Bush Administration has also undermined the U.S. Constitution by declaring the War Powers Act (requiring Congressional authorization to launch a war) irrelevant.
“Doomed if you do, doomed if you don’t.”
That’s how a Bushwhacked-sounding Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz described the box President Bush has put Iraq in to American journalist Norman Solomon.
Solomon is one of the few American journalists who has tried to get Iraq’s side of the crisis over whether the Mideastern country’s purported “weapons of mass destruction” are such a threat to world peace that the United States has a right to take preemptive military action against it.
Of the many tragedies of last year’s terrorist attacks on America, one of the worst was that it turned a war wimp like President Bush into an international bully. Bush is intent on telling the world what to do, and if the rest of it won’t go along with him he will go it alone.
That’s how a Bushwhacked-sounding Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tariq Aziz described the box President Bush has put Iraq in to American journalist Norman Solomon.
Solomon is one of the few American journalists who has tried to get Iraq’s side of the crisis over whether the Mideastern country’s purported “weapons of mass destruction” are such a threat to world peace that the United States has a right to take preemptive military action against it.
Of the many tragedies of last year’s terrorist attacks on America, one of the worst was that it turned a war wimp like President Bush into an international bully. Bush is intent on telling the world what to do, and if the rest of it won’t go along with him he will go it alone.