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The United States is not now bombing Syria.
Let’s savor that again: for the moment at least, the United States is not now bombing Syria.
That alone qualifies as an epic, unprecedented victory for the SuperPower of Peace, the global movement to end war, win social justice and somehow salvage our ecological survival.
Will it mark a permanent turning point?
That a treaty has been signed to rid the Assad regime of its chemical weapons is icing on the cake, however thin it proves to be. We don’t know if it will work. We don’t know if the restraint from bombing will hold.
But in a world that bristles with atomic weapons, where the rich get ever richer at the expense of the rest of us, and where stricken Japanese reactors along with 400 more worldwide threaten the survival of our global ecology, we must count any victory for peace---even if potentially fleeting---as a huge one.
Let’s do some history.
In last week’s cover story, Bob Fitrakis described the “command and control” nature of Columbus’s all At-Large City Council structure that came from the great industrialists of America in the 1890s – 1920’s. (“We want to make car, you screw bolt.”)
The article stated that Columbus and Seattle are the only two remaining At Large councils of the 50 largest American cities: three years ago, Detroit voters went to Districts, last year Austin voters went to Districts, and this year, even Seattle voters have initiated a reform effort to move toward Districts and which – if passed – will leave us all in our lonely backwater selves among major cities in America.
I have three rules for having good sex. 1. Communicate. Tell your partner what you want or don't want. Communicate what your boundaries and desires are. Being honest with your partner means not telling them what you think they want to hear, but what you need them to hear. Being a good sex partner means not laughing or judging. Be willing to learn what it takes to please your partner. 2. You are your own limit. Be accountable, do not blame anyone or anything for why you are not having the sex life you want. What is keeping you from this? Is it your partner, have they stopped desiring you? Is it because you are a new parent or have younger children. Are you working constantly to pay the bills and don't have time? Perhaps you're single and are holding out for a loving relationship, or have a disability where it's difficult to have sex without pain or injury. Think honestly about what it is that is limiting you, and why you want more from your sex life. How attached are you to these limits, to your reasons? What solutions are possible to tackle these limits? What would it take for you to go further? 3. Lose your fear of mess.
In modern times, more accepting of hyphenated names, Columbus should simply be called the Mike and Andy machine after our “Mayor for life” and current City Council President (heir apparent should Coleman abdicate). This machine functions essentially the same way as the older political machines, except for one key point – the new Columbus machine does not do favors for a majority coalition of various racial and ethnic groups. Instead ours rewards a handful of “titans” who do not live in the city.
Say you have made a bad investment in the Blue Jackets and need a quarter of a billion in cool cash to bail you out. Mike and Andy, like Domino’s, can deliver. Say you want to take over the city schools instead of leaving it up to elected Columbus School Board officials. The Mayor will appoint many of his major donors and political supporters to an educational commission and finance the “reform” campaign.
