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“Waiting is full.” That’s what my husband Eric says: waiting is full, of whatever you do with that time. It could be irritation, anxiety or anger or it could be meditation, for example.

We are all in a waiting game here. Waiting to see what’s going to happen next. Hour by hour things are changing and evolving, the outcome uncertain.

Not only are we waiting, we are being asked/ordered to do it inside, away form others, to “shelter in place.” We’re told to stay home, keep a safe distance from others. For most of us, our jobs are on hold or worse, gone! For most that is a very scary thing. So, there’s fear in the waiting.

But you know what else there is in there? So much love! It’s everywhere from the balconies of Italy to our own communities. People are loving on each other via social media, on TV and by reaching out to friends and family. Through podcasts and reporting from their living rooms, talk show hosts and reporters are letting us into their homes like family. It’s personal. Because we ARE all in this together. all humans are susceptible to this bug.

Yesterday, the Northeast Ohio Coalition for the Homeless delivered a letter to the Governor’s office signed by 80 organizations and leading individuals from across the state calling for a state-wide moratorium on evictions and utility shut-offs, and an immediate influx of emergency housing dollars.

The letter states that the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic demands urgent need for immediate state-wide action.  “We have already seen shelter-in-place orders come from the Bay Area and it seems other large cities are next. We cannot possibly put quarantine measures in place at the same time that we forcibly remove Ohioans from their homes, for any reason, or make it impossible for them to remain there because of utility disconnections” said Demitra Brown, Housing Justice Co-Chair of the Cleveland Democratic Socialists of America.

Mom Bomb supports moms in need through a portion of proceeds from bath bomb product sales, along with generous donations. We would like to introduce our latest mom. Meet Jordan, a single mother who had recently lost her job and was desperate for childcare for her 3-year-old son. She did not want to have to pull her son out of daycare while she was searching for a new job or transitioning into her new position, as she did not have anyone else to take care of her son. Being a single parent is difficult enough on a daily basis. When an unexpected event occurs like losing a job, it really throws a wrench in things.

Jordan is a hardworking mother. When she had nowhere to turn, she reached out to Mom Bomb. We jumped in to help Jordan, as we understand that unstable cycle of trying to figure out how to secure a new job while trying to maintain a child in daycare without an income. We were able to connect with the daycare that Jordan’s son was already enrolled in. We asked to provide childcare services. We were able to help her with three full weeks of childcare for her son, taking a huge weight off of her shoulders while she settles into her new position. 

Ohio immigrants, detained people and family members, lawyers, and grassroots leaders have four demands of federal, state, and local law enforcement agencies/courts to protect incarcerated people and immigrants from COVID-19.

1) Immediately and dramatically reduce the number of people in Ohio jails and prisons, including (but not limited to) immigration detainees;

2) Suspend deportations, immigration arrests, and in-person ICE and USCIS appointments;

3) Close the Cleveland Immigration Court, except for detained bond hearings conducted remotely; and

4) Ensure inmates have access to free soap, hand sanitizer, health care, and phone and video calls.

The urgent need for a vaccine

Public health experts say that if the COVID-19 epidemic is not successfully contained, it could become a global pandemic, perhaps spreading to 80% of the world's population. With a 1% mortality rate, this would mean that 70 million people would die of the disease. With a 2% mortality rate, the total number of deaths would be twice that number, 140 million people. Comparable numbers of people have died in the tragic wars and pandemics of the past. There is a serious danger that it might happen again.

Perhaps the best way to avoid such a tragedy would be to quickly develop an inexpensive and effective vaccine against the COVID-19 virus, and to distribute it very widely, free of charge, with the support of government funds. The most promising techniques for doing so, in my opinion, are the methods of monoclonal antibodies and gene-splicing.

Monoclonal antibodies

Progressive voters in central Ohio know that they should take the time to investigate the candidates and issues before they cast a ballot in the March 17 primary election. Being an educated voter is essential for the democratic process to work.

But people have very busy lives. Work and family obligations can take a lot of time and energy. It’s even harder if you’re a single parent, or you have to work several low-paying jobs to make ends meet. It’s much easier to vote with the sample ballot that the Franklin County Democratic Party mails to your home and distributes at your polling location.

The FCDP sample ballot lists the party’s candidate endorsements for the U.S. House; the Ohio House, Senate, and Supreme Court; and local offices, including the FCDP Central Committee who represent the 152 wards in Franklin County.

The sample ballot doesn’t encourage voters to educate themselves about the candidates and issues. It includes one simple directive: “Vote for every endorsed Democrat on your ballot.”

In other words, trust us. We’re looking out for what’s best for you, your family, your community, and the nation.

Nothing like an impending apocalypse to let us know what’s truly important to our politicians. We commend Gov. Mike DeWine for his much-needed actions fighting the coronavirus, but he hasn’t forced the closure of the state’s casinos, which, as we all know, are a hotbed for seniors.

“I am surprised the state hasn’t closed casinos if the City of Columbus has closed the libraries,” says Eddie Hamilton, who’s running a Franklin County Democratic Party Central Committee seat this Tuesday in Ward 29, an area roughly from South High to Lockbourne, and along Rt. 104. “There are hundreds of people in a casino at any given time and they don’t clean the machines thoroughly.”

Freep tried to reach out to the Governor’s Office but did not hear back. However, the Governor’s Office on Thursday said they could enforce their ban on “public gatherings” of more than 100 people, and casinos are not exempt.

Friday morning we spoke to a representative at Hollywood Casino and they said at this time their casino is exempt from the 100 people ban, and thus their doors are open.

A new bill, House Bill 538, was introduced that would automatically ban abortion in Ohio following a decision by the U.S. Supreme Court overturning or severely limiting the Roe v. Wade decision. Addressing this new legislation, NARAL Pro-Choice Ohio Executive Director Kellie Copeland said: “Abortion care is fundamental to equality and autonomy. Representative John Becker, Senator Kristina Roegner, and their ultra-conservative cronies despise those personal freedoms and want to make people in Ohio bend to their will. We won’t do it. Every person deserves to be able to make their own reproductive health care decisions so they can chart their own paths and futures. All people deserve quality affordable abortion care in their communities without stigma, shame, or delay.” Copeland continued, “It’s every Ohioans’ human right to make their own decisions about their bodies, their lives, and their futures. The abortion restrictions we’re seeing debated at the Ohio Statehouse and at the U.S. Supreme Court would deprive people of their ability to make their own health care decisions.

A new freely downloadable book

I would like to announce the publication of a book, which discusses the most serious dangers which the world faces today. The book may be freely downloaded and circulated from the following link:

http://eacpe.org/app/wp-content/uploads/2020/03/Linked-Dangers-to-Civilization-John-Scales-Avery.pdf

Contrasting rates of change

Cultural evolution depends on the non-genetic storage, transmission, diffusion and utilization of information. The development of human speech, the invention of writing, the development of paper and printing, and finally, in modern times, computers and the internet: all these have been crucial steps in society's explosive accumulation of information and knowledge. Human cultural evolution proceeds at a constantly accelerating speed, so great in fact that it threatens to shake society to pieces.

Wed, March 11, 6:30pm
First UU Church, 93 W Weisheimer Rd.
We invite you to join the Ohio Poor People’s Campaign in Columbus on Wednesday, March 11th for the Mass Poor People’s Assembly & Moral March on Washington (June 2020) Mobilization Meeting to learn more about this generationally transformative event and how you and your organization can organize a delegation to attend and ensure that Columbus is fully represented in DC on June 20, 2020.
RSVP: