Why Bernie and Hillary Must Address America’s Dying Nuke Reactors

As the first Democrat presidential debate finally approaches (on Oct. 13), America’s nuke power industry is in accelerated collapse.

The few remaining construction projects in the U.S. and Europe are engineering and economic disasters.

Presidential candidates Hillary Clinton and Bernie Sanders may address this in broad terms.

16 Civilians Killed as US Warplane Attacks Afghan Hospital

 

The Pentagon is promising an investigation today after it was revealed that an AC-130 warplane carried out sustained fire against a Doctors Without Borders-run hospital on the outskirts of the Taliban-held city of Kunduz, killing 19 including 12 staffers and three children.

The hospital was already overwhelmed by the huge number of casualties from the past week of fighting over Kunduz, which the Taliban seized Monday. Doctors Without Borders is demanding clarification on what happened, noting they contacted the US after the first strike near their hospital to warn them it was so close, and sustained attacks against the hospital continued for over 30 minutes after that.

Ohio State students ‘school’ Wendy’s in Fair Labor Practices 101

In the fight for fair labor practices in the U.S. food industry, grass-roots organizing by conscientious consumers has been taking an increasing role. A case in point is Friday afternoon, when a dozen members of the Student/Farmworker Alliance (SFA) gathered at Mirror Lake on the OSU campus and marched to the Wendy’s restaurant in the Wexner Medical Center as part of the “Schooling Wendy’s” national week of action.

“Our march to Wendy’s today is one of over 20 marches, letter deliveries, and demonstrations at campuses across the country — campuses with Wendy’s on campus and near campus — to tell Wendy’s to listen to what students and farmworkers are asking them to do: join the Fair Food Program,” said SFA member Ben Wibking.  “Until then, students across the country will be boycotting Wendy’s and getting our universities to cut ties with Wendy's until they do the right thing by farmworkers.”

The Good, the Bad and the Ugly: Truth, Lies and Distortions in the Coverage of Shaker Aamer, Soon to be Freed from Guantánamo

In the week since it was announced that Shaker Aamer, the last British resident in Guantánamo, is to be released, to be returned to his family in the UK, there has been a huge sigh of relief from the many, many people who campaigned for his release — supporters of the long-standing Save Shaker Aamer Campaign, which I have been involved with for many years, attending protests and speaking at events, of We Stand With Shaker, the campaign I established with Joanne MacInnes last November, which drew huge support for photos of celebrities and MPs standing with a giant inflatable figure of Shaker, and supporters of the Shaker Aamer Parliamentary Group, established last November by John McDonnell MP, who, at the time, was a persistent supporter of worthy causes and fighter against injustice, and, with Caroline Lucas (our sole Green MP), Jeremy Corbyn and Shaker’s constituency MP, Jane Ellison, the most consistent MP suppor

Hillary Offers Syria a Libyan-Iraqi-Style Paradise

Americans may find Syria a bit confusing. David Petraeus, sainted hero, has proposed arming al Qaeda, organized devil. Vladimir Putin, reincarnated Hitler, is bombing either ISIS or al Qaeda or their friendly democratic allies, but he shouldn't be because he's against overthrowing the Syrian government, also run by Hitler living under the name Assad. Hillary Clinton, liberal socialist, wants to create a no-fly zone, but wouldn't that make it hard to bomb all the scary Muslims? Wait, are we against Assad or the scary Muslims or both? Aaaaaarrrrgghh! How does this make any sense?

Let's start over, shall we?

Some basic facts?

We'll start with the most uncomfortable fact, but one that helps begin to make sense of everything, OK?

The Record U.S. Military Budget

War Abolition Books Proliferate

In Memoriam: David Sturtz (1937-2015)

Photo of David Sturtz as Highway Patrolman

   Perhaps the greatest law enforcement officer in Ohio history died on September 18, 2015. David Sturtz served for 31 years with the Ohio State Highway Patrol, retiring as a major. In 1988, Governor Richard Celeste appointed him the state’s first Inspector General to investigate public corruption plaguing Ohio’s state agencies. Republican Governor Voinovich, elected in ’91, retained Sturtz as Inspector General until he began to uncover serious scandals involving the Governor’s family business in 1994.
   Sturtz uncovered a vast network of corruption in Ohio involving unbid jail contracts going to the so-called “V” Company owned by Voinovich’s family; ties between Les Wexner and Carl Lindner, Jr., organized crime and the CIA; the “Coingate” scandal connected to the Ohio Bureau of Worker’s Compensation and their money laundering into the George W. Bush campaign. As a result of these investigations, Voinovich fired Sturtz in 1994

Farewell to a community gem – the Clintonville Community Market announces its closure

Guy shopping at Co-op

   The Free Press is distressed to learn that the long-time stalwart resource for healthy foods, progressive literature, and ecologically sustainable products – the Calumet Natural Foods Cooperative a.k.a. the Clintonville Community Market – plans to close its doors no later than October 31 this year. Some of us at the Free Press remember its roots as it began as a germ of an idea at the King Avenue United Methodist Church.
   The reason for its demise is summed up in a letter to the community that reads: “During the past decade, the retail organic/natural food landscape has changed drastically with more competitors, including the larger conventional chains placing much more emphasis on the organic/natural products arena.”
   True, the community now has several Whole Foods stores, Trader Joes, and there are health food sections in Kroger and Giant Eagle (I still wonder at how the rest of the food in the store is categorized, if not for health). But, the suspect forcing the closure in the Clintonville area is more likely Lucky’s Market.          

Free Press Salutes The Sensible Marijuana Ordinance: Fire one up for our friends in Toledo

Photo of people with political sign

   The voters of Toledo are to be congratulated! By more than a 2 to 1 margin of victory, they abolished any jail terms and penalties for possession of marijuana up to 200 grams. Toledo’s Issue 1, The Sensible Marijuana Ordinance passed on September 22, 2015, establishes complete decriminalization for misdemeanor marijuana offenses. Sensible indeed! The Free Press wishes Columbus would come to its senses soon.
   Campaign manager Sean Nestor, Ohio Green Party Political Director, was correct when he told the Toledo Blade that: “I do think what we have is pretty potent as far as protecting cannabis users. We feel this is important even on a national scale.”
   One big difference between Toledo and Columbus is that their mayor and city councilmembers believe in citizen’s initiatives and democracy. Had this effort been attempted in here, Columbus City Council President Andy Ginther backed by City Attorney Rick Pfeiffer would have dreamed up a technicality to keep the people from voting on the measure.

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