Global

On Oct. 2, members of Hindu Students Council celebrated Mahatma Gandhi's birthday throughout America. When most people think of Gandhi, the first word that comes to mind is "nonviolence". True, Gandhi did inspire a nonviolent movement that eventually led to the peaceful overthrow of British colonial rule in India. But today, Gandhi's approach is considered by many to be overly idealistic.

Gandhi's doctrine of "ahimsa", or nonviolence, is often misinterpreted as a refusal to confront evil. When we understand its true meaning, "ahimsa" refers specifically to nonviolence in thought. Thus "ahimsa" refers to a state of being, and not necessarily to the actions that arise from that state of being.

It is this spiritual approach that allowed Gandhi to lead an effective resistive force against what was the most powerful empire of that era. Nonviolence-in-thought also allowed Gandhi to choose a course of action based on a vision of the future, and not on the emotions or rhetoric of the past. Gandhi believed that evil must be resisted, but with ill will towards none.

I've been surprised here in Petrolia, Calif., to hear some people say they're afraid. Afraid of what, I ask. Remember, even in the days when the imminent possibility of nuclear holocaust was dinned into schoolkids, ducking and covering, California's north coast was held in high esteem as a possible sanctuary. It's a reason why many nutsos, like the Reverend Jim Jones, headed up to Mendocino or Humboldt counties in the years when Mutual Assured Destruction seemed just around the corner.

In this case, after the terrible Sept. 11 attacks, people amid the daily mill round our post office and local store were concerned about further terrorist attacks, dire onslaughts on the Bill of Rights, war, or a blend of all three.

We may yet see just such a dread combo, but to be honest about it, I've been somewhat heartened, far beyond what I would have dared hope in the immediate aftermath of the onslaughts. Take the pleas for tolerance and the visit of President W. Bush to mosques. Better than FDR, who didn't take long to herd the Japanese-Americans into internment camps.

AUSTIN, Texas -- Back from a month in Europe, I meant to begin by suggesting it's time to start thinking outside the box. Then I got back to Texas. The sign outside our neighborhood strip joint says, "Hot Babes, Cold Beer, Nuke 'Em, GW." Actually, let's start by thinking.

Bush's "bomb them with butter" campaign in Afghanistan is a good start. One step we might usefully ponder is announcing that Osama bin Laden, when smoked out and rounded up, will be turned over to the World Court in The Hague to be tried for crimes against humanity.

First, bin Laden and his terrorist network are guilty of crimes against humanity; second, this would emphasize that it's the whole world against the terrorists; third, we're more likely to get bin Laden that way. The few extreme Arab states might hesitate to turn him over to the Great Satan, but turning him over to the World Court would be much easier for them. The government of Pakistan, in particular, which is between a rock and hard place, would find this helpful -- and Pakistan is in a position to be very useful to us.

POET works to protect us
Former OSU quarterback Bill Long and animal-rights activist Rob Russell planted themselves at OSU’s Vet School in the middle of September and swore off food until the university pulls the plug on a “scientifically unjustified and cruel experiment that will cause the suffering and death of defenseless animals,” says Russell.

This is the fifth in a series of protests scheduled by the animal-rights organization POET against Michael Podell’s FIV/methamphetamine research that, if allowed to continue, will infect, drug, and destroy 120 cats at OSU’s College of Veterinary Medicine.

“Sure I’d rather be sitting down to a pre-game meal on this home game weekend” says 1969 OSU graduate Bill Long who played on both the football and baseball teams. “But knowing that my alma mater is behind this unnecessary killing is killing not only my appetite, but my long-standing school spirit and devotion.”

Why do you think these attacks happened?

To answer the question we must first identify the perpetrators of the crimes. It is generally assumed, plausibly, that their origin is the Middle East region, and that the attacks probably trace back to the Osama Bin Laden network, a widespread and complex organization, doubtless inspired by Bin Laden but not necessarily acting under his control. Let us assume that this is true. Then to answer your question a sensible person would try to ascertain Bin Laden’s views, and the sentiments of the large reservoir of supporters he has throughout the region. About all of this, we have a great deal of information.

Imagine your cousin shot in the eye, dead at the age of 22. Picture your parents, huddling in the pitch-dark house, fearful of gunshots outside. For those whose families and relatives live under Israeli occupation, like Nasri Elwawi and Jad Humeidan of Central Ohio, such nightmarish visions have become traumatic everyday realities. According to the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, 636 Palestinians have been killed and 15,543 injured since September 29, 2000 (figures reported at midnight on September 8, 2001). Roughly a third of those killed are children 18 or under. Numbers alone are horrendous, but remember, also, that behind each death and injury there is the invisible anguish of countless Palestinians in Israel, the occupied territories, and diaspora — yes in Columbus, Ohio as well.

Many Americans — unaware that the number of Israeli settlers in the West Bank (not including East Jerusalem) has doubled in the past decade during the so-called “peace process” — are surprised by the intensity of the Al-Aqsa Intifada.

There are so many people with important ideas, viewpoints and opinions about the events of September 11, 2001 that the Free Press could not print them all.

Here are some excerpts from the numerous articles, letters and writings we have received in the week following the terrorist attacks.

“Since the U.S. has become a world power, it has deviated from the path outlined by its founders. It was Thomas Jefferson who said: ‘No nation can behave without a decent respect for the opinion of mankind. (I quote from memory). When the U.S. delegation left the world conference [on racism] in Durban, in order to abort the debate about the evils of slavery and in order to court the Israeli right, Jefferson must have turned over in his grave.” – Uri Avnery, Israeli peace activist.

Usually on Labor Day weekend, Grover T. (Tom) Crosslin and Rolland Rohm are putting in long hours on the Rainbow Farm end of the season “Hemp Festival” in Vandalia, Michigan. Not this year. During the Labor Day weekend, according to news accounts, Crosslin, the owner and operator of Rainbow Farm, and Rohm deliberately set fire to ten structures at the hemp haven. Law enforcement reports claim that Crosslin and Rohm allegedly fired at a news helicopter that was videotaping the fires and at a police surveillance plane. This allowed local law enforcement officials to call in the FBI under the guise of “weapons” charges.

On Labor Day, following a four-day stand-off with the FBI and state and local police authorities, Crosslin was shot and killed by an FBI agent. The next day Rohm was shot and killed as well.

Marijuana activists in Michigan and the Midwest are comparing this to Waco and Ruby Ridge. Increasingly throughout the region, militant activists infused with an angry populism, radical environmentalism and a leave-me-alone libertarianism have defiantly held rural hemp festivals once the exclusive domain of liberal college towns like Ann Arbor.

Columbus marijuana activists that were denied November ballot placement have not lost hope. They plan to file a mandamus court action requiring the City to order the Franklin County Board of Elections to conduct a full recount. If the court provides relief and when 1850 more signatures are validated the issue will be placed on the May ballot.

Petitioners and many others believe that a court action is necessary because the democratic process was hindered due to the Board of Elections preparing to move buildings during the counting procedure. Throughout the ten days, which is the amount of time granted by law, the Board was overloaded and had a skeleton staff due to the 4th of July holiday, prompting them to recruit warehouse workers to help with the count in order to meet the deadline. In addition, they procedurally always double check a petition counters work, but on this occasion there was no such effort.