Local

AUGUST 6, 2018—On August 6, 1945, the United States dropped an atomic bomb on Hiroshima, Japan, followed three days later by an attack on Nagasaki. Tens of thousands perished within seconds. For some who died, the only evidence they existed was a radiation shadow found on a concrete wall. The stated justification for this horrific crime was the need to hasten the end of World War II. But not only was Japan already attempting to surrender, it made the final decision to do so because the Soviet Union declared war—Hiroshima and Nagasaki did not need to be bombed.

“Freedom is indivisible,” John Kennedy once remarked. “When one man is enslaved, none are free. In Columbus, I had the opportunity to interview four men who have been directly affected by a system of slavery and brutal racism in the West African country of Mauritania. Three are either seeking or have received asylum because of slavery.  The fourth is an abolitionist, who is running for president of Mauritania, Biram Abeid. Ahmed Tidiane raises money to support ex-slaves. Omar Wagne risked his freedom and even his life to register those recently freed from bondage, so they could vote and send their children to school.  Hassan Fall fought to save his aunt from the punishing bonds of slavery. Ahmed, Omar and Hassan have sought asylum in the U. S. Together, these four men have risked their lives to tell a story that highlights the repressive and brutal system now operating against Black Africans in Mauritania, but they also tell a story of hope for a tribe of slaves and ex-slaves.

What has become of the Columbus Dispatch, that cranky, one-sided, right-wing, influence-peddling, friend-rewarding-and-enemy-punishing, black and white with a splash of color and read all over, or at least in break rooms and doctors' offices?

Three years ago, almost to the day, the Capital City's morning friendly was sold by the Wolfe family to New Media Investments/GateHouse Media, owned and controlled by SoftBank, a Japanese conglomerate.

I wrote then that the new ownership had an opportunity to transform it into a newspaper of the people after way too long as a publisher's propaganda play toy.

My reasoning was simple. Once Republican, Columbus and Franklin County have turned dark blue Democratic while the Dispatch was still embracing the Republican good old days.

Wolfe consigliore Ben Marrison, who held the title of executive editor, departed in 2015 to become auditor and attorney general wanna be David Yost's flack. Maybe Marrison's protégé and successor Alan Miller would lead the paper's editorial stands and coverage policies in a more responsible if not Democratic direction.

Monday, Aug 6, 6:30-8:30pm
Northside branch Columbus library, 1423 N. High St.
Columbus DSA welcomes you to our ABC's of Socialism Reading Group!

In our first session, we will discuss the following chapters:
- Wouldn’t a more democratic world just mean a bigger economic crisis?
- Are socialists pacifists? Aren’t some wars justified?

There are additional articles linked within the chapters; we may touch on those as well.

Our fourth session will be held on Monday, August 6, 2018 at 6:30 pm at the Columbus Metropolitan Library Northside Branch, in Meeting Room 2.

If you do not have a copy of the book, you can get a PDF here: https://s3.jacobinmag.com/issues/jacobin-abcs.pdf.

Saturday, Aug 5, 2:30pm
Olentangy Orange High School, 2840 E. Orange Rd, Lewis Center Ohio
 

Most Columbus residents assume that our city is safe from the fracking industry. It is not. There are currently 13 injection wells of toxic radioactive frack waste in the Upper Scioto Watershed area, Columbus’ source water protection area.

This waste contains radium 226, which has a half-life of 1600 years, and up to 700 chemicals. Many of the chemicals we know about – some are hidden as “proprietary secrets” – are carcinogens, neurotoxins and hormone disruptors. Each of these injection wells contain millions of gallons of this toxic stew.

Now comes the Columbus Community Bill of Rights (CCBOR) to the rescue. To prevent Columbus residents from being exposed to these dangers and future polluters, an all-volunteer group of concerned citizens has gathered 18,404 signatures over the course of a year for an initiated Columbus city ordinance that would protect our city’s air, water and soil from frack waste. Members submitted all signatures to City Hall at the end of June. Thereafter, the Franklin County Board of Elections validated more than 12,000 signatures, much more than the 8,890 required to put the ordinance before voters for adoption.

Progressive activist Joe Motil has often gone in front of Columbus City Council on a Monday night urging them to not hand out another tax break, and he recently spoke out against a tax-abatement proposal for CoverMyMeds, which is owned by the McKesson Corporation, one of the nation’s largest corporate opioid “pill pushers.” Put more simply, a corporation that’s lead the US into a heroin epidemic.

You would think Motil’s statements before City Council would make the nightly local broadcast news stations of WSYX, WBNS and WCMH. Perhaps even lead their 11 pm broadcasts, and be often repeated the following morning.

But per usual, our local broadcast news stations ignored a concerned citizen who urged City Council to not hand out such a ridiculous tax break to the unscrupulous and undeserving McKesson Corporation.

Indeed, City Council unanimously approved a $77.7-million, 100 percent tax-abatement over 15 years for CoverMyMeds so they can build a new office in Franklinton. CoverMyMeds helped the McKesson Corporation earn over $200 billion in revenue for 2017.

It’s a hot day in July and I’m driving into Cleveland, Ohio. I’ll be staying at some nameless and faceless motel in the big-box suburbs, out there with the Home Depots and Olive Gardens. It reminds me of an old song by The Beautiful South – “[t]his could be Rotterdam or anywhere, Liverpool or Rome.”

Cleveland used to have a reputation for being ubiquitous. Tennessee Williams once said that “America has only three cities, New York, San Francisco, and New Orleans. “Everywhere else,” he explained, “is Cleveland.” In 2018, though, it seems like it would be lucky to keep even this non-distinction. Now it’s just a nearly abandoned crater, surrounded by suburbs full of white people who love their racist baseball team.

And oh yes, the Rock ‘n Roll Hall of Fame. They have that too. I can see dingy signs demanding that I take exit 195A and pay $23.00 for the chance to see some of Keith Richards’ clothing. Or perhaps a moving tribute to the “giants of the blues” or whatnot. Lifetime achievement awards to the bands of the baby boomers. And, more recently, Bon Jovi.

I want to highlight that the article “Fighting the Klan could get you 15 years in prison” is inaccurate and needs to be corrected. There are many inflammatory and inaccurate comments. I have highlighted some below and also included more information and a fact sheet.

The bill itself doesn’t apply to only one organization – it impacts any group or person that deprives somebody of Constitutionally-protected rights while wearing a mask. So the bill applies to the KKK, Antifa, and any other group that intimidates other of their constitutional rights while wearing a mask. So saying that “would have to do is claim they were triggered by counter protestors” is false.  The “injures, oppresses, threatens or intimidates” language comes directly from existing federal civil rights statutes dating from 1948.