No period of our history has had more books written about it than the US Civil War. However, the diplomatic struggle, international aspects of this fight, has not been included. That gap in our historic record has now been magnificently filled by Dan Doyle’s A Cause of All Nations (2015, Basic Books).

While not a history of battles and heroic generals, this topic may sound like a dry, uneventful read, it is anything but! It is a page turner, covering a key, central, but previously uncovered, chapter in our nation’s struggle against secession and slavery. For the slave-holding Confederacy, the ability to gain international recognition was a struggle for survival. The Union, on the other hand, had to block recognition of the Confederacy if the Union was to survive.

Confederate Secretary of State Judah Benjamin is quoted as stating that the Confederacy would either “win the war peacefully overseas or lose it by arms at home!”

It was a contest at which the arrogant slaveowners proved to be woefully short of skills.

Friday, March 3, 2023, 5:00 PM – Sunday, March 5, 2023, 3:00 PM
For more than 60 years, Amnesty International USA has hosted our Annual General Meeting. Amnesty International is a global movement of people fighting injustice and promoting human rights. We work to protect people wherever justice, freedom, truth, and dignity are denied.  

Our Annual General Meeting (AGM) is an opportunity for members and activists to come together and inspire one another, learn about each other’s efforts and campaigns, share stories and experiences, and listen and participate in our sessions and panels. Throughout the weekend, you will meet and interact with individuals and groups who share your commitment to human rights. We hope that when you leave AGM, you leave with new skills, inspiring stories, and a refreshed sense of hope and determination. Join us for AGM in March!  

City of Columbus mayoral candidate Joe Motil states, “Incumbent Chicago Mayor Lori Lightfoot’s runoff election loss yesterday is part of a pattern across the country. In one term, she lost the unprecedented diverse backing that elected her four years ago. Voters in cities east and west, north and south, large and small are rejecting new leaders and handpicked politicians who are joined at the hip with developers and corporations. Chicago voters overwhelmingly made it clear that those who are not delivering on their promises to provide safe neighborhoods, truly affordable housing, fixing our crumbling infrastructure, solving homelessness, and quality of life for all no longer will remain in office.”           

Motil says, “Last year’s Los Angeles, California mayoral election loss by businessman Rick Caruso, who spent over $100 million on his campaign, is also a sign that money by itself isn’t going to fool Columbus voters. We see similar patterns in New Orleans, Atlanta, San Francisco, even Cleveland and Cincinnati.  

GREEGREE #127 starts with the great ANDREA MILLER of the Center for Common Ground as she explains her legendary organization’s grassroots work in the upcoming Wisconsin Supreme Court  race. 

Because the Court in WI is evenly divided (3-3) between progressives v. conservatives, this oddly timed (April 3) election will have huge impact.  

As Andrea explains, a woman’s right to choose is on the line, as is redistricting, voter registration and much more in a state that could well decide the 2024 presidential campaign.

We hear further from KARLA SAND in Minnesota, who gives important detail on the unexpected victory of KEITH ELLISION for the AG office in Minnesota.

DR. RUTH STRAUSS asks Andrea about the Virginia election that has now sent the state’s first woman of color to the US Congress.

DOROTHY REIK and CYNTHIA PAPERMASTER also add to our discussion, in particular about the potential US Senate candidacy of Rep. Barbara Lee, the only Congressperson to vote again the Afghan War.

The reasons why a loved one takes their own life is an agonizing question a bereaved family has to deal with for the rest of their lifetime. But if a person decides to take their life at their place of employment, it’s a distinct possibility the stresses of the job played a role.

On the Westside of Columbus, sandwiched between Upper Arlington and Hilliard, is a mostly industrial area where one of the region’s largest employers – the United Parcel Service or UPS – has a massive hub. A 90-acre packaging distribution center to be exact, which employs roughly 800 full-time and part-time workers, and processes over 60,000 packages an hour. The hub’s address is 5101 Trabue Road and can be seen driving west on I-70.

Late last December, a full-time UPS employee, believed to be an assistant manager, took their own life at the hub while on the job. A large Columbus police presence showed, and according to several UPS workers there that night, the incident was severely traumatizing.