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1980 – Public, educational and governmental access channels begin programming on Columbus’ cable systems.

1984 – Public access becomes a separate entity; a non-profit organization, Columbus Community Cable Access, Inc. (CCCA), is formed to administer the city contract funds. CCCA moves into 394 Oak Street and Carl Kucharski is hired as Executive Director.

The very definition of a “swing” state, Ohio has a record of backing presidential winners. The state’s varied population and economic base reflect a rough approximation of the nation as a whole, and its politics typically reflect national trends. Though every statewide elected office has been held by Republicans for several years, President Clinton still won the state in both of his elections. Ohio’s majority swings from one party to another, depending on the strength of the candidate and the hot issues of the day. This is similar to the split evidenced currently in national politics, where the White House and Congress are held by different parties. In many ways, the fledgling Green movement here reflects national trends, as well.

In the early 1990’s the Greens were a growing force with a strong core organized around opposition to a planned low-level radioactive waste dump backed by then-Governor, now-U.S. Senator George Voinovich. Though the nuclear dump was defeated, the Greens’ momentum for further political or social activism foundered on the rocks of political controversy. The group splintered over the 1996 election and what to do with Candidate Nader.

Native American activist, Leonard Peltier, recently underwent surgery by a Maxillofacial expert at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota. Dr. E.E. Keller performed a five hour surgery on Peltier who had been suffering for the last four years from a severe condition which caused his jaw to be frozen open 13 millimeters. X-rays taken on Monday, March 20 showed that Leonard Peltier suffered from ankylosis on both sides of his mandible, meaning that his jaw was completely frozen and immobile, according to Keller. Keller reported that the surgery went smoothly and Peltier’s jaw has been returned to normal. He said that Peltier is happy and recovering comfortably.

Leonard Peltier was suddenly transferred from Leaven-worth Federal Penitentiary to the Rochester Medical Facility on Monday, March 20. Neither Peltier nor his attorneys knew that the transfer would take place. Prison authorities have denied Peltier’s attorneys access to Peltier by phone or visit thus far. Until today, they were given no information by the Bureau of Prisons about Peltier’s current situation.

These are excerpts from a speech delivered at a Columbus Metropolitan Club Luncheon Debate on Wednesday, March 29, 2000. Presenting the Refuge Opposition perspective was Madison County Commissioner David Dhume.

Hello, my name is Paul Dumouchelle. I am Secretary of Darby Creek Association, a local volunteer group of 150 citizens living throughout Central Ohio. Our mission is to preserve, protect and restore the entire Darby Creek Ecosystem. Darby Creek Association was founded in 1972.

The Michigan Law Reform Group and hundreds of activists in the state of Michigan are pushing a historic Personal Responsibility Amendment -- “Asserting the private jurisdiction of the individual!” -- to change the laws concerning private drug use and possession.

PRA2000 ends marijuana prohibition and forfeitures. PRA2000 will stop prosecutions, license suspensions and asset forfeitures for the limited adult or medical use and possession of:

• three mature cannabis plants (less than 10 ft. tall), seedlings, and three ounces of homegrown cannabis
• within theprivacy of a person’s private residence
• in a non-public manner not accessible by or visible to children.
• non-profit purposes only, and yes, you must be 21years old.

The initiative does not allow driving under the influence or the purchase/sale of marijuana. It earmarks other forfeiture for voluntary treatment and education and eliminates exposure of cannabis users to dealers.

Petitions are available online at www.ballot2000.net

Quietly, and very strategically, the ultra-right is making its way into classrooms across the country—and many here in Central Ohio. The “pro-family” mission to promote “community values” sounds innocent enough, but beneath the plastic smiles and glossy brochures is an anti-choice, anti-sexuality education agenda that seeks to dismantle and eventually ban basic sex education.

These small, but well-organized groups have big budgets and big buddies in state legislatures and on school boards. Locally, right-wing groups have spearheaded several attempts at discrediting the Ohio Department of Education’s comprehensive sexuality education curriculum and cutting off unrelated federal funding for health education. These moralist, fundamentalist leaning groups have denounced sex-ed curricula as “better suited for Hustler than for health class” which fuels their fervor for spreading abstinence-only curricula and “born again virgin” programs.

This is a testimonial, brothers and sisters, on behalf of the Rainbow Farm in Vandalia, Michigan, an institution keeping alive the dream of the rainbow people in the Hempstock nation. I’ve been to the festivals at the Farm and witnessed the sacred rituals and magical rites. There’s no better place to be in the Midwest on Memorial Day then somewhere floating over the Rainbow encampment thinking about our heroes and warriors that have sacrificed so greatly for freedom. Those who’ve been arrested or broken in the insane and reactionary war on a weed.

The freedom to enjoy music, to be left alone, not to be criminalized in the fascist war on drugs for smoking a joint. The freedom from mindless consumerism, materialism and selfishness. The freedom to establish our own liberated zones without being profiled by Rambos with a badge and a gun. The freedom to dream of a society with kinder and gentler buds and the widespread use of organic hemp.

Hemp is the proverbial “pot of gold,” riches beyond belief that can move us away from the artificial petrochemical culture. The miracle weed that we can wear, burn, eat and write on — can I get a “Right On” brothers and sisters?

“Yeah, they got us listed as subversive. We expect a police helicopter to follow the march,” James Moss, President of Police Officers for Equal Rights (POER) assured me as we lined up to march to the Stand Up For Justice Rally. At first I thought he was joking. What was so subversive about a bunch of black people marching for civil rights on the predominantly black Near East side from an attorney’s office to a church?

Marching from Hamilton Park toward East Broad Street with a black police helicopter hovering overhead seemed a bit odd in everyone’s all-American city, Columbus, Ohio. It did stimulate a quick flashback to my stint as an election observer and journalist in Suchitoto, El Salvador. But hell, I’d expected military and police helicopters to intimidate people in a repressive Third World sham-democracy undergoing its first real democratic elections. After we crossed Broad Street, we were treated to Soviet-era police state tactics: undercover cops in church parking lots, plainclothes officers lurking in alleys with videocameras and a massive display of squad cars on a street where crack houses usually operate openly.

My interest grew, and I took a couple of classes and learned how to operate a camera. Finally I was worthy of getting hit on the head with the bars and tone tape, making me an official ACTV volunteer. (Now maybe that was just done special for me, but the atmosphere was spontaneous and whimsical at that time.) Whenever I could make time, I would gladly volunteer to run a camera or the cranky chyron graphics generator for anyone who needed help and was willing to put up with a beginner. To my delight there were a number of producers who welcomed me.

A year or so later, some friends suggested that a group of us do our own show, and for over 10 years, Vast Wasteland was central Ohio’s (insert tongue in cheek here) video guide to pop culture. But in the fall of last year (1999), we made the decision to stop production despite the warm positive response we were still receiving from the majority of the viewing community. Anyone who has every participated in a public access production knows that the reward comes from learning that you have reached your audience and they have responded as you had hoped. Over the years we were well rewarded.