Local
Friday, March 15, 2024, 3:00 PM
Organized by Zerqa Abid for Congress.
Bring your Keffiyehs and ballots.
Location: 1700 Morse Road, Columbus 43229.
https://www.zerqaabid.com/
Franklin County Treasurer Cheryl Brooks Sullivan has purchased $10.5 million in Israel Bonds since Israel began bombing Gaza in the aftermath of October 7, bringing the total 2023 investment to $14.5 million and pushing the county’s total holdings to $33 million.
Introduction
One of the paradoxes of the U.S. political system is how an anti-democratic Trump can win the support of sections of the white male working class, despite Biden’s relatively strong economic policies in support of this class. The present post explores this paradox.
It may not make that much of a difference in the November presidential elections how these workers vote, but their vote totals are still significant because of the number of white male working class people. And it is worrisome that they are presently a major Trump constituency and have been influenced by his MAGA rhetoric, with its anti-immigrant, racist, anti-democratic, and pro-gun, rants as well as his strongman image. If the trends of the last few decades continue, whether Trump wins in November or not, their support of Trump appears, unfortunately, to be unwavering.
Biden’s State of the Union speech
Franklin County is poised to elect its first-ever African American county prosecutor this year, but just days before the Democrat primary vote, many African Americans and others in the community are still weighing their options and unsure who is best for the position in this post-George Floyd era and out-of-control gun violence.
But the fact that whoever wins the Democrat primary for prosecutor in the year 2024 will likely be the first ever African American prosecutor for as diverse as Franklin County is speaks for itself.
“Way overdue,” says former City Council candidate Adrienne Hood who lost a son to the guns of Columbus police. “It will bring cultural awareness that cannot be learned in books of the selection is someone who truly is committed to changing the office thru not only diversity but also accountability.”
Wednesday, March 13, 2024, 3:00 – 7:00 PM
Stop by the ACLU of Ohio office in Columbus to pick up petitions for the Citizens Not Politicians redistricting amendment and/or sign the petition.
Location: 1108 City Park Avenue, Suite 203, Columbus 43206.
We, the undersigned residents of communities surrounding the Portsmouth Gaseous Diffusion Plant (PORTS) in Piketon, Ohio, petition the United States Congress to expand the Radiation Exposure Compensation Act (RECA) to include individuals who have developed health problems due to their proximity to the plant. More information here.
Free Press readers gathered Saturday evening, March 9 for a Cyber-Salon.
Mark Stansbery, Free Press Board member, started out the salon by introducing the Board President, Pete Johnson.
Pete introduced the primary speaker, Ramzy Baroud, a US-Palestinian journalist, media consultant, an author, internationally-syndicated columnist, Editor of Palestine Chronicle (1999-present), former Managing Editor of London-based Middle East Eye, former Editor-in-Chief of The Brunei Times and former Deputy Managing Editor of Al Jazeera online. Baroud is the author of six books and a contributor to many others; his latest volume is Our Vision for Liberation: Engaged Palestinian Leaders and Intellectuals Speak Out. His books are translated to many languages including French, Turkish, Arabic, Korean, Malayalam, among others. The Free Press has been running Ramzy’s articles for a decade.
Is It You?
I woke up early this morning without the aid of my mother calling me or Jean pulling the covers off of my body. I was eager to get to Annie to find out if she was the girl in the picture I took from Mr. Jimmy’s room. I avoided Mr. Jimmy’s questions as I ate my breakfast, grabbed my books, and rushed out of the house, dragging Jean with me.
“So, what are you going to say to her?” Jean asked me as we approached Annie’s house.
“I’m gonna say, is this you, and then show her the picture.”
“Well, now, big Sis is following little Sis’s directions. About time.”
“You have a good thought now and then.”
“If it’s not her, then what?”
“Then nothing. It’s not my business if it isn’t Annie.”
“It’s not your business now? If you hadn’t been snooping in the first place you wouldn’t even know about the picture. You’re just being nosy that’s all.”
Monday, March 11, 2024
Facebook event
For the 13th year in a row,
we will be protesting nuclear power by boycotting grid supplied electricity. This is a direct action you take in your own home. Join thousands of others around the world in conserving electricity for the 24 hours of March 11, in remembrance of the victims of Fukushima, past, present, and future and to protest the continued use of nukes.
There are four levels of participation:
1) Basic Conservation. Just make a conscious effort to turn off extra lights, turn the heat down a degree or two and reduce your screen time. Since nuclear power now produces less than 10% of the world's electricity, this level alone is enough to eliminate the need for nukes completely.
2) Severe Conservation. Only use electricity for absolute essentials like heating or refrigeration. Turn off all your screens, lights, and entertainment for the day. This demonstrates how little power we actually need to survive.
The twin slaughters in Gaza and Ukraine spew from the ghastly evil of four awful men focused on destroying democracy itself---Netanyahu, Sinwar, Putin and Trump.
Ending those wars demands naming and ousting the perpetrators.
Putin’s monstrous mass murder in Ukraine has been punctuated by the awful execution of Alexi Navalny, the beloved activist he imprisoned, tortured and left for dead. Putin has followed by arresting those who merely leave flowers at Navalny’s memorial site, or who dare show the slightest opposition to the Ukrainian carnage. His homophobia extends to arresting anyone who display rainbows on flags, clothing, art, or even earrings.
Putin has made clear he’ll tolerate nothing resembling freedom or democracy, even when sham “votes” are under his thumb. A brutal Tsar in Russia’s worst totalitarian traditions, he is regularly serviced by useful American idiots like Donald Trump and Tucker Carlson.