The Free Press will honor Calvin Hairston with our 2016 Award for Community Volunteer.

Calvin Hairston is well-known on the streets of Columbus, and in the halls of power for always speaking his truth -- providing facts and perspectives that makes the powerful uncomfortable and giving strength and encouragement to the weak. Calvin has been a leader in efforts to revitalize the Near East Side and advance political reform to advance African American population of Columbus. He is a member of the Columbus Action Network, has been instrumental in the effort to preserve the history of Poindexter Village and worked hard to support the three petition efforts to move to a City Council elected primarily by district including his support for last year's Issue 1. As a supporter of other advocacy groups, Calvin has been a strong and consistent supporter of police reform efforts being advanced by various groups, and is well-known by the OSU labor and student advocacy communities for the positions he takes for justice and fairness. 

The national religion of the United States of America is nationalism. Its god is the flag. Its prayer is the pledge of allegiance.

The flag's powers include those of life and death, powers formerly possessed by traditional religions. Its myths are built around the sacrifice of lives to protect against the evils outside the nation. Its heroes are soldiers who make such sacrifices based on unquestioning faith. A "Dream Act" that would give citizenship to those immigrants who kill or die for the flag embodies the deepest dreams of flag worship. Its high priest is the Commander in Chief. Its slaughter of infidels is not protection of a nation otherwise engaged, but an act that in itself completely constitutes the nation as it is understood by its devotees. If the nation stopped killing it would cease to be.

What happens to myths like these when we discover that flying killer robots make better soldiers than soldiers do? Or when we learn that the president is using those flying robots to kill U.S. citizens? Which beliefs do we jettison to reduce the dissonance in our troubled brains?

onald Trump says there were 3 million fraudulent voters in a “rigged” election he lost by more than 2 million popular votes.

But he has no proof.

The solution is obvious: He should fund a 50-state recount.