Local
Impeachment finally under way
The long-delayed impeachment proceedings against Donald Trump are finally starting, but at present the focus is on a relatively minor crime - the Ukrane-Biden scandal. However, Trump has committed (and is still committing) major crimes, and these ought to be in the spotlight. Let us look at a few of them.
Let's look at his major crimes, rather than at minor ones
Columbus City Council candidate Joe Motil received two key endorsements today from the Columbus Education Association (CEA) and the National Association of Social Workers.
Motil stated that, “Today has been a memorable one to say the least. One where I feel that my commitment and outspokenness in supporting our Columbus Public Schools, and advocacy for those who are vulnerable and living in poverty, has been recognized by receiving the endorsements of the Columbus Education Association (CEA) and the National Association of Social Workers (NASW). I am humbled by being identified by these organizations, whose members prepare our children to become the best they can be in so many ways, committing their lives to helping people in need, and fighting for social justice. I will always continue to be a champion for these two organizations and will carry on my dedication to the CEA and NASW when elected to Columbus City Council.”
Saurday, October 5, 12 noon
Every Saturday at noon with Central Ohioans for Peace.
Locations:
161 and N. High, Worthington
AND
E.N. Broadway and N. High St., Clintonville.
Join peace-minded friends to make your voice heard.
Thursday, October 3, 2019 at 6 PM
Columbus Metropolitan Library - Hilltop Branch
511 S Hague Ave, Columbus, Ohio 43204
Register on Facebook Event page
Politicians are copy cats.
Today they are aping President Donald Trump by ignoring the will of the people and taking vengeance on their enemies.
Look no further than Liberty Township in southern Delaware County where trustee Melanie Leneghan exemplifies Trumpian behavior run amok.
You may recall my February column in the Columbus Free Press headlined "Government At Its Worst. GOP Gives Black Eye to Powell, Liberty Twp."
I described how Leneghan and a second trustee were joining with two Delaware County commissioners, all four of whom are Republicans, in an attempt to remove emergency medical services from the Liberty Township Fire Department and transfer them to the Delaware County operation.
This ran counter to the will of the people as 75 percent of voters supported a fire and EMS tax levy in 2017. Hundreds of people showed up at trustee meetings to protest.
After much anguish, one of the two commissioners, Gary Merrell, relented and the plan was suspended.
Saraga International Grocery is an expanding local trove of the exotic foods of other global cultures. As an American, even one who has served overseas for three years, I admit how ignorantly sheltered I’ve been from many palatal possibilities and abundant produce varieties in the standard flavors and diverse nutritional food profiles around the planet (in spite of unprecedented marketplace access available today). For those who do not concern themselves with organic certifications, the pricing here makes many of our more familiar fresh produce items affordably accessible.
At the end of September, hundreds of herbalists, plant conservationists and green-minded folk gathered together to celebrate the 25th anniversary of United Plant Savers (UpS). The nonprofit organization has been pivotal in efforts to protect North American medicinal plants throughout the Ohio region and beyond. Within the beautifully biodiverse Appalachian foothills sits Goldenseal Botanical Sanctuary (UpS headquarters). It is an oasis and refuge for those interested in learning about medicinal plant conservation and how to protect the legacy of earth’s ancestors. The sanctuary is a hidden gem, and one that often gets overlooked by Ohio residents.
The event connected people from across the continent, with a singular common goal: banding together to advocate for plants and the role humans play as stewards of the world ecosystem. Founded in 1994, the organization was forged from the painful realization that many medicinal and native species were becoming endangered or going extinct. The key players saw a problem and decided to take action. They were not just herbalists, but horticulturalists and farmers who were intimately observing the decline of native botanicals.
Last month, on September nineteenth, in Orlando, Florida, a six-year old girl was arrested, put in handcuffs and in the back of a police car with the intent of arresting her and charging her with “battery.” It appears that another child, eight-years old, was also arrested on the same day at the same charter school, by the same School Resource Officer (SRO).
The school resource officer just so happens to be a retired Orlando police officer who spent 23 years on the force before retiring in June of 2018. It’s reported that in 2016 this officer received a written reprimand for excessive force after he tasered a man five times, twice when the man was already down and no longer resisting arrest. His reward for retiring – being assigned to the Reserve Officer Program with other “retired” officers. His new job? Arresting your children in school.