Local
Unprecedented. Traumatic. Heartrending. 20XX* is the year many want to forget, never speak of again. It was beyond stressful. From a frightening pandemic to escalating poverty to police brutality to political drama. For cannabis, it was memorable. Let’s take a look:
The pandemic. A newly discovered virus called CO (corona) VI (virus) D (disease) 19 (year of discovery) – aka COVID-19, arrived in the U.S. on January 22nd. It was more than the bad cold caused by its cousins. And it’s effects can linger long into the future. Social distancing, masks and stay-at-home orders became unheard of norms.
Tuesday, December 22, 2020 was the last day for meetings at the Ohio Statehouse, with the full senate scheduled to meet in the afternoon to pass any remaining legislation. Only one committee was scheduled to meet in the morning – the Ohio Senate Energy and Public Utilities Committee. And the committee had only one item on their agenda – Ohio House Bill 104.
HB 104 had passed the Ohio House in June with a vote of 80-11. All Republicans voted yes, and all the nay votes were from Democrats. Why 22 Democrats would vote in favor of this Republican-sponsored boondoggle has its opponents stymied.
Opposing this bizarre nuclear subsidy was a long struggle, lasting over 2 years and continuing until the very last minute. And the way it was sneaked through the legislature, managing to move along with an extremely low profile, and popping up unexpectedly, is nearly unique in the long history of outrageous Ohio legislation.
In 10 poorly-written pages, reduced from 34, House Bill 104 laid out obligations for the state that would have:
From Death Penalty Action: Many problems exist with federal, military and state death penalty laws. These issues are explored in great detail, here. Death Penalty Action believes the death penalty is not necessary to be safe from dangerous offenders or to hold them accountable. In an era where support for capital punishment is waning and states are abolishing the punishment, the federal government began an execution spree in July, 2020 with the first federal executions since 2003.
Zoom Press Conference Today, 4pm EST/1pm PST
Now is the Time to Act. No Fascist Coup! TRUMP/PENCE OUTNOW!
In the Name of Humanity, We REFUSE to Accept a Fascist America!
RefuseFascism.org is hosting a virtual press conference via Zoom today, Thursday January 7, at 4PM EST/1PM PST that will present a diverse group of people speaking on the attempted coup and its short and longer term consequences. The press conference will also announce protests in several cities at 5PM local times for the above demands.
Participants in the Press Conference include:
Andy Zee, co-initiator of RefuseFascism.org and host of The RNL – Revolution Nothing Less – Show; Lilly Wachowski, filmmaker; Jodie Sweetin, actress and activist; Arturo O'Farrill, musician; Rosanna Arquette, actress and activist
Donald Trump has summoned the first violent fascist attack on the American government, which is now under way.
Thousands of Trump-inspired neo-nazi attackers have physically assaulted the Capitol with the explicit goal of stopping the Electoral College from certifying the election of Joe Biden to be the next President of the United States.
In US history, this is the first physical attempt by fascist forces to overthrow American democracy by force.
Under Trump’s direction, law enforcement has been virtually absent. Had this been a Black Lives Matter assault, or one coming from the Peace Movement, the Capitol grounds would be littered with dead bodies.
Media reports now indicate a woman has been shot and seriously wounded.
Meanwhile, Donald Trump has issued feeble tweets and is now allegedly calling out the National Guard.
Stay tuned….
The combination of over-policing by officers who weren’t raised or reside in our community has proven deadly for decades and made Columbus the current epicenter to one of this nation’s most important social justice movements ever.
Many activists and African-Americans were already in the know, but what many others learned in 2020 is that certain neighborhoods of Columbus are over-policed. And in too many situations by officers with no roots to Columbus who were raised in rural Ohio to have prejudices against the community and many of those who live here.
“Are you aware how many black children fear and hate the police?” asks De-Escalate Ohio’s director Cynthia Brown, whose nephew Kareem Ali Nadir Jones was shot and killed by Columbus police in 2017. Police body cam footage shows the white officers did not have good reason to approach Jones who was unarmed, and when they did, they overreacted.
According to Brown, just 20 percent of Columbus police live in Columbus. The Ohio Supreme Court removed any residency requirements roughly five years ago, and before that an officer could live in any neighboring county.
Tuesday, January 5, 2021, 5:30 – 6:30 PM
Locally, two key inflection points have risen to the top of public conversation when talking about police reform: the City of Columbus’ 2021 budget and the renegotiation of the Fraternal Order of Police union contract. To shed light on these processes and how they form the parameters of what’s possible, the New Leaders Council of Columbus is (virtually) assembling activists, policymakers, and other experts for a deep-dive conversation on the FOP contract. Panelists will explain how these labor contracts work, what's in them, and answer questions from viewers. Join New Leaders Council Columbus on January 5th, 2021 at 5:30 pm via Facebook Live for this much-needed discussion. Facebook.
In the USA, hospitals are closings, health care workers are being laid off, substandard working conditions for nurses exist, lack of protective equipment, insurance companies’ massive profits without paying for hospital costs, millions uninsured and unwilling to have COVID-19 tests because of the cost. All these conditions are a result of hospital and staffing decisions are made on financial basis. Since elective surgeries were cancelled or postponed, hospitals have lost their primary funding source.
It is no wonder COVID-19 death rates are increasing, and are out of control.
Here are some numbers and facts:
* Eighty hospitals in the USA have closed this year.
* 80,000 nurses and health care workers were laid off or furloughed.
* 58,025 of the 138,707 private practice doctor’s offices closed from 3/2020 to 6/2020.
That is a reduction of almost 42%.
From Our Revolution Ohio:
Right now Americans are suffering, struggling to put food on the table, keep a roof over their heads, find good paying jobs that might never come back. Congress failed to pass a stimulus package until the last minute and left out Survival Checks. Offering a measly $600 to Americans who are facing bankruptcy, foreclosure, hunger, reduced to levels of poverty unseen in generations.
This coming tax season, because of the heartless act of forcing Americans to pay taxes on Unemployment Compensation, millions of Americans will be unable to afford to pay it and will be left with the choice between food, housing or medication or paying taxes. We call upon Congress to implement a Tax Forgiveness program during the pandemic to help struggling Americans.