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Democracy in Ohio ain’t dead yet -- voters ensured that yesterday by overwhelmingly rejecting Issue 1. The people’s right to democratically amend the Ohio Constitution prevailed despite relentless attacks from far-right schemers and big business owners.

As of the morning after the election (August 9), the unofficial results from the Secretary of State (who, it should be noted, campaigned hard for Issue 1 to pass) show 1,315,346 votes in favor of Issue 1 and 1,744,094 against – showing that overwhelming 57 percent of voters said “hell no” to the Statehouse power grab.

These results are quite a debacle for Ohio Republicans. In January, they made August Special Elections illegal. They argued that, especially due to low turnout, elections in August were a “waste of money.”

It’s been over two years since Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated that the Department of Homeland Security was exploring Temporary Protected Status (TPS) for Mauritania. This measure would save lives, and has bipartisan support. Instead, the Biden administration has resumed deportation charter flights to Mauritania, despite long-standing bipartisan agreement to not deport Mauritanians from the U.S.

Part Two

(Anti-)Zoning (Anti-)Enforcement, under the auspices of City Attorney and City Council, forms one leg of the evil, broken triangle, the misnamed Division of Public (aka Private) Service is the second.

Led by Jennifer Gallagher, an engineer not an administrator by background, the Division is devoted to private interests not the public. Gallagher herself, who responds to no communications from the public, is under longtime investigation by the Ohio Ethics Commission for awarding contracts for the controversial controversial Little Turtle redevelopment to her husband’s construction business. Even by Andy Ginther’s thin statement of ethics, Gallagher should resigned or been immediately removed from office following those revelations. (See my “J’accuse: The City of Columbus Division of Public (aka Private) Service,” Busting Myths, Columbus Free Press, Mar. 3, 2023 https://columbusfreepress.com/article/busting-myths-j%E2%80%99accuse-city-columbus-division-public-aka-private-service )

Tuesday, August 8, 6:30am-7:30pm, many locations in Franklin County and elsewhere

On August 8, 2023, Ohioans will be asked to decide one of the most consequential elections in our lifetime. The question is: Should Ohioans break from 110 years of our history and make it harder for citizens to amend our constitution?  

On August 6, 1945, the United States denotated an atomic bomb over Hiroshima, Japan. This was followed by the bombing of Nagasaki on August 9. These bombings resulted in the death and maiming of hundreds of thousands of people, and their effects are still being felt today.  

By the end of 1945, the bombing had killed an estimated 140,000 people in Hiroshima, and a further 74,000 in Nagasaki. In the years that followed, many of the survivors would face leukemia, cancer, or other terrible side effects from the radiation.  

You can watch the video, If You Love this Planet, with Dr. Helen Caldicott and an interview with Dr. Caldicott on her website. 

Hello Letter to the Editors:

The global community reaches its 78th year of the nuclear age. What arose out of scientists' minds, militarists' strategies, and political strongmen ambition (Hitler, Stalin, Churchill, and Truman) brings the global community to the point of no return.

The bomb that exploded over Hiroshima, Japan on August 6, 1945 and then again another explosion over Nagasaki, Japan on August 9, 1945, was preceded by the Trinity explosion in Alamogordo, New Mexico on July 16, 1945,
(https://www.afnwc.af.mil/About-Us/History/Trinity-Nuclear-Test/),

Those detonations caused the immediate death of over 200,000 people and began long term exposure of radiological material which continues to harm the Human genome and historic recollection (https://thebulletin.org/2020/08/counting-the-dead-at-hiroshima-and-naga…).

Sunday, August 6, 12-6pm
Franklin Park Conservatory

Join Plant The Power for our 2nd Annual VegFest on Sunday August 6th from 12 pm to 6 pm at Franklin Park Conservatory for a day full of plant-based food, live music, family friendly activities, speakers, cooking demos, performances and more all with the intention to expose, educate and empower individuals on the holistic and intersectional benefits of plant-based living!

PBD Grey, hip hop lyricist, vegan activist and serial entrepreneur will be our headliner for the day traveling all the up from Atlanta, GA! Grey became one of the most talked about acts after his vegan thanksgiving freestyle and music vedoe that took the internet by storm went viral with 30+ million views catapulting him local stardom to the global stage. His music and clothing line, Plant Based Drippin, is creating a new energyin the vegan community and beyond!

All eaters are welcome! Flexitarian, Veg-curious, Vegan, and lovers of good food. This food and wellness festival will center the experiences and needs of communities of color, however is open and welcome to all.

Saturday, August 5, 12noon, Fort Hayes Metropolitan Education Center, 546 Jack Gibbs Blvd.

Get ready to be swept off your feet and immersed in a kaleidoscope of vibrant colors, infectious rhythms, and electrifying performances at the highly anticipated “Grand Festival” of the Adonko Ohio Ghana Festival. Brace yourself for an extraordinary showcase of Ghanaian traditions and cultural expressions that will leave you awe-inspired and yearning for more.

As the sun sets on the picturesque Ohio landscape, the stage will come alive with a dazzling array of traditional dances, live music, and mesmerizing performances that will transport you straight to the heart of Ghana. The energy in the air will be palpable as renowned Ghanaian musician, the legendary Samini, takes the stage and sets it ablaze with his electrifying presence and chart-topping hits.

Part One

My focus in this essay is what I name “the broken—or the evil—triangle” of Columbus versus its residents. Let me be clear. Although many but far from all of my examples begin with my own neighborhood, the historic but City and OSU abandoned and destroyed University District, my object of scrutiny and criticism is the entire city. To a greater or lesser extent, all the issues—the crimes of commission and omission--exist throughout Columbus. If not recognizable at first or second glances, Weinland Park, Franklinton, Linden, The Hilltop, south Clintonville, the west and east sides excepting much of Victorian and German Village take their place in the puzzles of Columbus.

Indeed, my overarching argument is that recognition of the misconduct, often illegal actions of the Divisions of (Anti-)Zoning and (Anti-)Neighborhoods; Public (aka Private) Services; and the dis-connecting broken thread of 311, one of the City’s jokes on its residents, is critical to understanding Columbus’ public and private collusion and the anti-democratic administration’s priorities. (Every statement is factual and can be supported with documentary materials.)

Tell the Ukrainian Government to Drop Prosecution of Peace Activist Yurii Sheliazhenko