BANGKOK, Thailand -- When the CIA, Thai police, Chinese guerrillas and
others were linked to Southeast Asia's wealthy heroin dealers during
the 20th century, no one imagined fruit and vegetables would provide
delicious replacement crops to fight the official corruption and
rescue impoverished tribes growing opium in northern Thailand.
   "Our project is the only one in the world that has succeeded in
replacing opium with other crops. No other country has done it,"
Prince Bhisadej Rajani, director of the Royal Project opium crop
replacement program said in an interview.
   The project claims to enable more than 100,000 indigenous Hmong,
Yao, Akha, Karen and other ethnic tribal people to grow fruit,
vegetables, herbs, flowers, mushrooms, tea and coffee instead of
opium.
   Initiated in 1969 by King Bhumibol Adulyadej, the project was
helped by U.S. taxpayers but is now supported by Thai government
subsidies, packaging and marketing.
   The farms on land formerly used for opium fields also attract

At this delicate moment in the primary season, we all need to take a deep breath and evaluate what comes next.

Bernie Sanders has a mathematical chance to win. But Hillary seems the likely Democratic nominee.

Donald Trump has an army of delegates. But if he doesn’t win on the first ballot, Paul Ryan could be the Republican nominee.

Oy!

For a wide variety of reasons, we believe Hillary and Bernie could beat Trump. But we’re not sure about Ryan, who we find absolutely terrifying.

Key is the stripping of our voter rolls. Millions of Democrats have already been disenfranchised. In a close race, that could make the difference.

Also key is the flipping of the electronic vote count, which few on the left seem to be willing to face in all its depressing finality.  

Both are explored in our new Strip & Flip Selection of 2016: Five Jim Crows & Electronic Election Theft (introduced by Mimi Kennedy and Greg Palast) at www.freepress.org and www.solartopia.org.  

May 1st, (“May Day” - International Workers' Day), the Central Ohio Worker Center and other solidarity organizations will be celebrating collective resistance and #ReclaimColumbus for a dignified voice for workers, students, and community. Inspired by Ohio State students with Reclaim OSU, we will show solidarity highlighting the intersection of JUSTICE, FREEDOM and DIGNITY in Columbus. While The Ohio State University ignores the voice of its students, the community will gather in solidarity with them. Together we will reclaim the voice of workers, allies and Freedom Fighters.

WE WILL NOT BE SILENCED.
1:00 PM - Gather at the CWA Hall near the Ohio State campus celebrate the history of May Day - March up North High Street with stops at Verizon, Wendy's and the Ohio Union - Back at CWA Hall for brief presentations, tabling, announcements and share a meal together.
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Nearly 200 people of faith gathered on the Statehouse steps last Wednesday to call for an end to the freeze on green energy standards in Ohio. But it seems that State Senator Bill Seitz (R-Cincinnati) is unmoved by the convictions of faith communities about the sanctity of creation and the value of human life. On April 25 Seitz introduced Senate Bill 320, which would continue the freeze for another three years, and then re-introduce the green energy standards at a slower pace.