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A new freely downloadable book
I would like to announce the publication of a book which presents the reasons why we urgently need immediate and drastic climate action The book may be freely downloaded and circulated from the following link:
Use of fossil fuels must stop!
The IPCC Report
The 4,000-page report by the International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) was not due to be released until February, 2022, but a copy was leaked to Agence France-Presse. The report calls for a total transformation of our way of life if we wish to avoid catastrophe. The window of opportunity is closing rapidly. Urgent action must be taken within less than a decade.
The Report states that “We need transformational change operating on processes and behavior at all levels: individual, communities, business, institutions and governments. We must redefine our way of life and consumption.”
I was just thinking -- I haven’t seen a single monarch butterfly in my garden this year. And I’m betting I’m not the only one. Monarch populations have plummeted by more than 80% in the last two decades, and toxic pesticides are a key driver of this decline. Take action now.
Glyphosate -- aka Bayer-Monsanto’s Roundup -- is wiping out milkweed, the only food source for young monarchs, and pushing this iconic pollinator toward extinction. And researchers have found this toxic weedkiller can impede the growth of bee larvae and impact bees’ ability to navigate and find food.
Central Ohio Workers Center has produced videos on Essential Protections for Essential Work and Navigating Unemployment and Pandemic Assistance. There will more coming. Access the videos here.
Central Ohio Workers Center has produced videos on Essential Protections for Essential Work and Navigating Unemployment and Pandemic Assistance. There will more coming. Access the videos here.
Columbus Police Chief Elaine Bryant repeatedly stated during her first four months of leadership that she will hold her officers accountable for any misconduct.
As recently as October 6 at the meeting of the Columbus Metropolitan Club, in response to the recent arrests of two Division of Police narcotics officers accused of selling large amounts of fentanyl and cocaine, Bryant told the audience, "Any time we find officers that are doing wrong we want to hold them accountable so if these allegations are proven to be true we will hold every single person accountable for everything they are found to do that are not within the standards of this division. Period."
One month ago, she was given the opportunity to discipline three supervisors who participated in retaliatory actions against Columbus Police Lieutenant Mellissa McFadden in connection with her book, Walking the Thin Black Line: Confronting Racism in the Columbus Division of Police, released September 2020.
Protest for Public Transit
Saturday, October 16, 1-4pm
Ohio Statehouse; 1 Capitol Square, Columbus, OH 43215
A rally to demonstrate the importance of public transit. We are rallying a few days before Congress is back in session to demand that the Reconciliation Bill pass with 3.5 trillion dollars over 10 years. We want Senator Sherrod Brown to know that cutting corners with climate and transit is not an option. We need financial and political investment in public transit nationwide. Public transit is an economic engine, civil right, and a climate imperative. We are calling on Sherrod Brown to support the passage of the reconciliation bill and to keep the pressure on so that funding for transit remains in the bill.
Kellogg threatened to outsource its workers' jobs to Mexico if they didn’t accept a terrible labor deal—including threatening not to provide pensions to new employees, making changes to vacation and holiday time, and more.
That’s why over 1,400 Kellogg workers from all four cereal plants in the US are on strike. We stand in full solidarity with them—and we hope you will too by not crossing the picket line and boycott Kellogg products.
Here are Kellogg’s brands to stop buying:
If you're interested in serving as a sponsor for an asylum-seeker, simply fill out the form below with your information and your capacity to help out. One of our volunteers will be in touch with you soon -- though please be patient, as we're an all-volunteer team handling hundreds of sign-ups!
While all asylum-seekers must have an individual named sponsor in order to secure release, we have heard from an increasing number of congregations that are interested in housing folks currently being detained, especially now that coronavirus is posing an increased threat. If you are part of a faith community that is interested in sponsoring/housing someone currently in detention, please email asylumcongregations@gmail.com to learn more about that process.
I’ve just read through three of the most boring but potentially most important documents around. One is the War Powers Resolution of 1973 which you can print on 6 pages and is what’s referred to as existing law even though it’s violated as routinely as air is breathed. Another is a war powers reform bill that has been introduced in the Senate and seems very likely to go nowhere (it’s 47 pages), and the third is a war powers reform bill in the House (73 pages) that seems virtually certain to go nowhere.
We have to set aside a couple of major concerns, beyond the unlikelihood of Congressional “leadership” allowing such bills to pass, before taking these things seriously.
The saga of Gov. DeWine’s Covid failures progresses. [https://www.dispatch.com/story/opinion/columns/guest/2021/06/25/harvey-j-graff-dewines-blundered-coronavirus-response-vax-million-didnt-help/5335280001]
Its downward spiral accelerates with the surging Delta variant, the relatively low rate of vaccinations, and the Governor’s unwillingness to act. The daily news conferences and active role of the Department of Health ceased, and policy making stopped. The Governor surrendered to opposition, reelection concerns, and the virus itself.