The Cincinnati rebellion of April 2001 exposed the racist character of the city. Police brutality, segregation and economic inequality all contributed to an explosion of simmering anger. City Council and Mayor Luken proved unable or unwilling to address the dire issues of race in Cincinnati. Grassroots activists demanded justice and were met with beanbag guns. Segregation in the city has actually worsened while jobs for young African Americans are more difficult to find. Latino and Hispanic immigrants to our city encounter a culture of intolerance and exploitation. Arab and Muslim peoples, likewise, live in a state of fear and suspicion that cannot continue.

The August 9th Organizing Committee aims to unite the people of Cincinnati most affected by the racist climate of the city. Our voices can only be heard when we speak together. The Rally Against Racism on August 9th is a step toward building a diverse movement for justice and respect for all peoples in our community.

Join us for the next orgainizing meeting:
Sunday July 27th 4PM
Drop-Inn-Center (Elm &12th)

             Short of good news ever since the end of the formal war, Bush and Blair are naturally exultant that Saddam's sons, Uday and Qusay, have been satisfactorily incinerated in Mosul, Iraq, presumably victims of someone eager to collar the $30-million reward for turning them in.

            But though Saddam's sons deserve everything they got, and more, the news of their demise should not be cause for great rejoicing in the White House and 10 Downing Street. In the event that Saddam soon follows his sons into the Great Hereafter, that would not, in anything other than the short term, be great news for Bush and Blair either.

            For obvious reasons, Bush and his entourage have been eager to identify Saddam, Uday and Qusay as the instigators of the attacks on the U.S. and U.K. occupying forces, with attendant steady, demoralizing trickle of casualties.

            To suggest otherwise would be to concede that there might be long-term, organized opposition to the Allied occupation, which has less to do with Saddam Hussein and his clan, and more with nationalist, or Islamic/nationalist opposition to the invaders.

Whether you like Mike or not you must admit that his first term in office has been relatively smooth. Smooth is the operative word for this article. Mike…is smooth. Managing the affairs of this city would prove to be no small task for the most savvy of politicians. The constant need to balance the interests of special interests groups (who typically have agendas that conflict with the public interest) against those issues of public interest is enough to keep a person up at nights.

As the first black mayor (more on that later) of this capitol city, Hizzoner has seemingly squelched the criticisms of those who challenged his readiness for the office. Anybody should know that most big cities’ mayors typically have either tumultuous first terms, or first terms that fade from memory. Coleman has been the exception in this case by providing a first term that actually (on the surface) would appear to be neither. Not much turmoil, but only a few notable situations that warrant a commitment to memory.

Last week Democratic presidential candidate and Vermont Governor Howard Dean called out a compelling series of questions to President Bush from Des Moines, Iowa. Read the text and hear a portion of the speech at the link below.

www.deanforamerica.com/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=6998&news_iv_ctrl=1301

I attended the United for Peace and Justice conference in Chicago, on June 6-8, as a delegate of a local group Columbus Campaign for Arms Control ("over 500 participants attended, from 38 states and approximately 350 organizations," according to UFPJ). I'm happy to have attended the conference, meeting many organizers and intellectuals whom I wouldn't have been able to meet otherwise (networking is always the best part of any conference). More or less, I got what I bargained for. I chose to go to the UFPJ conference, rather than the May 17-18 International ANSWER conference (which about "850 activists and organizers" attended, according to ANSWER), because I thought that whether or not I attended the ANSWER conference would make no difference in its outcome. The politics of ANSWER is clearly determined by its steering committee, whose members are strongly united by a principle of anti-imperialism. For better and worse, there wouldn't have been much to be discussed at the ANSWER conference. UFPJ, a coalition of national and local groups with divergent perspectives on many issues, is another story. On one