Meet Danielle Khalaf, 14, a Michigan student who refused to stand for the Pledge of Allegiance last January in protest of US support for the Israeli genocide in Gaza. Danielle said she was humiliated by her teacher after she declined to stand for and recite the Pledge of Allegiance, according to Washington Post.

She tried to explain to her teacher in private three times, as to why she refused to recite the Pledge. However, her teacher ignored her and told her, “Since you live in this country and enjoy its freedom, if you don’t like it, you should go back to your country.” The teacher added, "By doing so, you are disrespecting the flag and our military."

The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and the Arab American Civil Rights League said Danielle’s First Amendment rights were violated. Both groups filed a lawsuit on behalf of Danielle claiming she “suffered extensive emotional and social injuries,” including nightmares, stress, and strained friendships and are seeking a financial award in the suit.

When deciding what to make for dinner, many of us think about how to balance making something affordable, delicious, and healthy. And we might consider ethical questions, like whether our food is locally sourced, our meat is humanely raised, or our meals have a low climate impact..

We probably don’t wonder whether child labor is involved. But unfortunately, that’s increasingly likely. In recent years, federal investigations have uncovered children working in dangerous conditions to create the food we eat.

We’re reaching out with an urgent request to stand with Ohio libraries in protecting free and open access to information for all members of our community.

A new law passed in the state budget (House Bill 96) today includes a harmful, expensive and unnecessary requirement that public libraries move any materials related to sexual orientation or gender identity to areas not primarily visible to anyone under 18.

Why This Matters

Sunday, June 29, 2025, 4:00 PM
Columbus Mennonite Church, 35 Oakland Park Avenue 43214.  Free parking will be available on nearby streets and in lots owned by the North Broadway Methodist Church.  

From the 1960’s into this New Millenium, Peter Paul and Mary used music to entertain, educate, inspire, and energize Americans to work for a better world.  Three veteran Columbus musicians will pay tribute to PP & M’s legacy with songs, memories, and quips. Bill Cohen, Joanne Blum, and Joe Lambert will sing and strum the most beloved songs that PP & M seared into the hearts and minds of so many people for decades.  Among them: If I Had a Hammer, Blowin’ in the Wind, Where Have All the Flowers Gone, Jet Plane, and Day is Done. Plus, the audience will be invited to sing along on tunes like Puff the Magic Dragon and the Times They Are a Changin’.  

As industry conflicts of interest at the US National Institutes of Health (NIH) come into the spotlight, the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) merit special concern.

National Institute on Drug Abuse

While alcoholics or addicts now have “use disorders,” (and people aren’t disabled they have disabilities) NIDA retains the archaic and judgmental “abuse” in its name as in National Institute on Drug Abuse. What? Is this 1960?

Its current landing page says, “There is little scientific evidence to support the stereotype that people who return to use after a period of abstinence inevitably do so at the same intensity” and proposes using less drugs or alcohol as an addiction solution!

Worsening alcoholism or addiction after a relapse is a stereotype? Abstinence can be replaced by “cutting down”?