Local
On Friday, September 14th, the Ohio Supreme Court rejected the peoples’ arguments that the Franklin County Board of Elections (BOE) had violated the rights of the people to legislate directly by initiative and sided with the BOE to keep the Columbus Community Bill of Rights off the November ballot. The proposed ordinance, if enacted, would assert resident’s rights to clean water, air, and soil and ban oil & gas extraction infrastructure, particularly regarding radioactive, toxic waste disposals in the city of Columbus as a violation of those rights.
The court arbitrarily determined that the municipality and the people of Columbus do not have the same rights that the cities and people of Youngstown and Bowling Green have in placing initiatives on the ballot. After precedents set by the court’s own decisions for these cities, the Ohio high court reversed logic in Columbus and stated that municipalities do not have the rights to create new causes of action, based upon statements by a member of the Franklin County Board of Elections and reiterated by two citizen protesters.
Sunday, September 16, 4:30-6:30pm, Gateway Film Center, 1550 N. High St.
“Breathe Free,” the Columbus Crossing Borders documentary, is a powerful and beautiful film that spotlights the stories of refugees and the art exhibit that has been inspired by those stories. Through the lens of filmmaker Doug Swift, we meet several courageous people who have fled war, terror, and devastation. We are introduced to the dedicated souls who offer them comfort, support, and advocacy despite the backlash of unease and restless fear surrounding U.S. border issues. And we ultimately learn how 34 artists came to create a humanitarian project based on the timeless plight of forced migration.
View the film trailer here.
Hosted by Columbus Crossing Borders Project.
I’m a member of the Central Ohio chapter of Jewish Voice for Peace. JVP was founded in 1996 to further the cause of peace in the middle-east. I’ve been asked to write about the ongoing Boycott-Divest-and-Sanction, or more simply, BDS movement, that has been in the news for quite a while, and how it affects your 1st Amendment rights.
So, I’d like to ask: Were aware of BDS before today?
BDS didn't really appear on most folk's radar until about 2 years ago, however, it's origins are found in the controversial behavior of the State of Israel regarding the Palestinian people that live under Israeli control. BDS is the peaceful response of the Palestinian population of Israel/Palestine to the abuse they have suffered, and continue to suffer, at the hands of the Israeli government. BDS is non-violence and free speech in a single package that is designed to regain basic human rights, legal standing, freedom, and respect, for the Palestinian people living in Israel/Palestine.
Urgent: Please write or call Senators to urge them to advocate and vote against his confirmation. The likely order of effectiveness:
Two Republican Senators are considering not voting for Kavanaugh because he is against women’s health issues: Susan Collins phone 202-224-2523, Fax 202-224-2693 and Lisa Murkowski phone 202-224-6665, Fax 202-224-5301.
Three Democratic Senators from red states are considering voting for him because they are afraid of not getting reelected: Heidi Heitkamp North Dakota phone 202-224-2043, Fax 202-226-7776, Joe Donnell Indiana phone 202-224-4834, Fax 202-224-5011 and Joe Manchin III West Virginia phone 202-224-3944, Fax 202-228-0002.
The other Democratic Senators will vote against Kavanaugh’s confirmation.
Also write or call Senators Rob Portman who helped Kavanaugh rehearse for the hearings in the Judiciary Committee phone 202-224-3353, Fax 202-224-9075.
A picture of his penis from the White House. Sex toys, $2,200 worth, delivered to his office where he had sex with a secretary. Taking high school coaches to strip clubs. Oh, and let’s not forget the victim. Zach Smith’s ex-wife, Courtney, had a number of serious looking bruises.
So this is our sacred Buckeye football team, so proud of its winning ways and its “core values.” We have a head coach, a self-touted man of faith, allowing a nepotistic toddler man run amok. Our head coach, a father of two daughters, turning a cold shoulder to obvious domestic violence so OSU can recruit the best wide receivers.
And this is our prestigious University. Slapping Urban Meyer on the wrist during the #MeToo movement. Ohio State University (OSU) claimed Urban had memory issues but he remembered to delete his text messages.
Wednesday, September 12, 2018, 4:00 – 7:00 PM
Tuesday, September 11, 2018
6:00 PM Open business meeting
7:00 PM General Meeting and speaker. Join the Franklin County Greens - we meet on the second Tuesday of each month. Program: Sandy Bolzenius will update us on the Columbus Community Bill of Rights efforts to have a Community Bill of Rights for Pure Water, Clean Air, and Safe Soil on the Ballot in November. Location: Northwood Building, 2231 N. High St., Room 100. Parking available behind the building in “R” spaces. For more information, contact: fcgreenparty@gmail.com or facebook.com/FCgreenparty.
Monday, September 10, 6:30-7:30
Page Hall, 3rd Floor, 1810 College Road, OSU
If you're interested in learning more about the prison-industrial-complex, policing or hyper-incarceration, please join us for a political education series called, 'Abolition Study Group.' The purpose of this group is to learn the theoretical frameworks necessary to build an abolitionist practice.
Each week, we'll meet on the 3rd floor for a discussion and that discussion will include commentary/questions provided by our incarcerated accomplices.
For Abolition Study Group #1, we will read 'Are Prisons Obsolete?' by Angela Y. Davis. The pdf is available here: bit.ly/2m6ihNa
If you're interested in co-hosting this event please advise.
Great Financial Crisis
On September 15, 2008, Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy. It was the largest bankruptcy in the history of the United States, a key moment of mounting panic during what came to be known as the Great Financial Crisis. In London this year, some of the alumni of the bankrupt bank are reportedly planning to hold a party to "celebrate" the anniversary of the bankruptcy. That pretty much sums up the attitude of the rich.
The rich have certainly much to celebrate. Just about all assets they own -- from stocks to real estate -- in many countries command higher prices than ever. For the rest of us, however, the crisis has never ended. Our real wages, in fact, are declining, lagging behind inflation. Our pensions and health care benefits are being cut. Our housing costs are soaring.
Housing Crisis Today