Ohio lawmakers will vote this Wednesday October 29 on
Ohio House Bill 188 which calls for investing $10 million of
our tax money into Israeli bond. That means if the bill
passes, Ohio taxpayers would have effectively loaned
Israel $10 to use how it sees fit.

Therefore, I want my Ohio State Rep. to vote against Ohio
House bill 188 that could be used to fund the current
Israeli genocide with my tax money.

I should note here that on November 21, 2024, the
International Criminal Court (ICC) issued arrest warrants
for two senior Israeli officials, Benjamin Netanyahu, the
Crime Minister of Israel, and Yoav Gallant, the former War
Minister of Israel, for the war crime of starvation as a
method of warfare and the crimes against humanity of
murder.

The Republicans who control state government in Ohio
have a deep political and ideological affinity for Israel.
Ohio politicians regularly get free propaganda trips to

Israel paid by the Israeli lobby to meet with Israeli officials
and offer statements of support for Israel.

Celebrating our 55th year, the Columbus Free Press will honor five outstanding community activists and a community organization at our November 2025 Salon and Awards event on Saturday, November 8 from 1:30-4:30pm at the First Unitarian Universalist Church, 93 W. Weisheimer Road. One of our "Libby" Award honorees is Palestinian activist Jawhara Qutiefan.

Jawhara Qutiefan (Jay) is a writer, activist, and community organizer whose work bridges advocacy, journalism, and grassroots mobilization. Raised in Ohio, she is guided by a deep belief that writing and sharing information are acts of resistance

I met with Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez just days after he was kidnapped. I’ll tell you about that, and the current President Nicolas Maduro’s visit to my New York office. But first, you must know three things about Venezuela to understand why Donald Trump has ordered a covert operation to overthrow their government.

• 1.     Venezuela has the largest reserves of oil on the planet.

• 2.     Venezuela has the largest reserves of oil on the planet.

• 3.     Venezuela has the largest reserves of oil on the planet.

Look it up: According to OPEC’s own site, Venezuela’s 303 billion barrels in proven reserves are four times the reserves of Saudi Arabia.

(By the way, Donald, when you announce a “covert” operation, it’s no longer covert. But never mind.)

For years, I was BBC Television’s correspondent covering Venezuela and US attempts to overthrow their elected government. Trump invented nothing. This is at least the fourth US-backed attempt at overthrow and assassination of a Venezuelan president.

One of the symptoms of late state capitalism is CORPORATOCRACY; the merging of government with the greed of the business world. Now you know what to call it!

Ohio experienced this when Republicans sold their souls to AEP and coordinated the largest corruption scandal in state history. Not to be outdone, Columbus City government has adopted the same strategy embracing Zone-In as a disguise for the corporate take-over of the city. Phase one was a MASTERPIECE of political theater coordinated by a professional marketing company (that worked behind the scenes with developers and real estate investors). Still no master plan, less than 4 percent of the city involved in the decisions, and MILLIONS of TAX-PAYER DOLLARS spent on hiring outside consultants to help make the decisions. Need another example?