Everybody in town knows who Cameron Mitchell is and many have dined at his local establishments, such as Cap City Diner. His meteoric rise from dishwasher to nationally recognized restaurateur is also well-known. His restaurants, while pricey and bougee for some, have given Columbus a je ne sais quoi flavor (kinda).

Ask anyone who has worked in one of his kitchens or carried his golf clubs at a local country club and they’ll tell you he’s a down-to-earth guy. Cameron also has significant influence over Ohio’s restaurant scene. The Free Press heard he had a big say on re-opening protocols during the pandemic. His restaurant group, Cameron Mitchell Restaurants, sits on the Ohio Restaurant Association’s board, as does Wendy’s, White Castle and the ole’ Rusty Bucket, which Cameron is part owner.

When Japan invited the leaders of Brazil, India and Indonesia to attend the G7 summit in Hiroshima, there were glimmers of hope that it might be a forum for these rising economic powers from the Global South to discuss their advocacy for peace in Ukraine with the wealthy Western G7 countries that are militarily allied with Ukraine and have so far remained deaf to pleas for peace.

But it was not to be. Instead, the Global South leaders were forced to sit and listen as their hosts announced their latest plans to tighten sanctions against Russia and further escalate the war by sending U.S.-built F-16 warplanes to Ukraine.

My late mother’s only brother, Willie D. Grandy–she and her sisters fondly called him WD or Broboy–fought in World II. My mother on occasion talked about missing him while he was away, and how they often didn’t know where he was. I never heard him talk about the war, and it never occurred to me to ask about it. Because of that missed opportunity, I was delighted when a dear friend recommended Half American, which offers a long overdue correction of the narrative of the so-called “Good War” by focusing on the crucial roles played by black Americans at home and abroad.   

This week the window opened for oil and gas companies to submit nominations to the Oil and Gas Land Management Commission for parcels of Ohio public land – including our state parks, forests, and wildlife areas – to be leased for oil and gas extraction. 

Even before today’s opening, out-of-state company Encino Energy submitted a proposal to the Ohio Department of Natural Resources, asking to build 14 fracking pads housing up to 89 frack wells around Salt Fork State Park. 

Today the Ohio Oil and Gas Association called the opening of all of our taxpayer-owned public lands to oil and gas extraction a “ribbon-cutting” – as if our most treasured public lands are there for the industry to take what they want.