Tuesday, September 13, 5-9pm,
Studio 35 Cinema & Draft House, 3055 Indianola Ave.

The European Union, the Responsible Business Initiative for Justice, and Ohioans To Stop Executions will host a private event on Ohio’s historic chance to end the use of capital punishment. The evening will feature a screening of the film “The Penalty,” a documentary following the extraordinary journey of three people at the center of America’s capital punishment crisis. The screening will be followed by a conversation with diplomats from the European Union, local experts, and business leaders. A reception will follow the screening of this film.

The European Union stands resolute in its opposition to capital punishment and supports the bipartisan effort to make Ohio the 24th state to abolish the death penalty. Please join us for an evening with the Delegation and local leaders working towards abolition to learn more about why Ohio’s repeal of capital punishment is important for human rights, trade, and investment.

What it is. What it does. What happened to it. Is there hope for it?

Cannabis in Ohio has suddenly gone quiet. For a time, the Statehouse buzzed with action. The House had H.B. 60 (medical marijuana for autism), H.B. 356 (lower marijuana penalties from felonies to misdemeanors) and H.B. 210, 382, 498, and 628 (all to permit adult use cannabis). Late last year, the upper chamber fast tracked its approval of Ohio Senate Bill 261 to improve the current medical marijuana program, sending the bill to the House where four hearings were held in the Spring. Nothing since. What happened? The game is called stall ball.   

Where did S.B. 261 originate?

“You unpatriotic ‘9/11 Truthers’ can have annual conspiracy conventions on 9/11, with a host of speakers. To use a Russian expression, the dogs may bark as the train roars along. You are the dogs, and we are the train. Keep whining. We will keep on declaring ourselves unconvinced. We still own the TV, we still own the military, and you can chatter on the internet all you want as you fade into ineffectual obscurity.” –Tongue-in-cheek satire from fellow 9/11 Truth-seeker Greg Ziegler PhD, a former US Military Intel officer and retired professor, whose commentary inspired this column.

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Last Friday marked the 14th anniversary of 9/11/01 and the beginning of America’s bankrupting endless war against any and all so-called foreign enemies that, in the opinion of the ruling elites, need to have their sovereign nations de-stabilized so that any number of economic and corporate predators can gain access to the resources of the regions.

“As soon as I left prison, I went to Nael’s grave. It is adorned with the colors of the Palestinian flag and verses from the Holy Quran. I told my little brother how much I loved and appreciated him, and that, one day, we would meet again in paradise.”

The above is part of a testimony given to me by a former Palestinian prisoner, Jalal Lutfi Saqr. It was published two years ago in the volume ‘These Chains Will Be Broken’. 

As a Palestinian, born and raised in a refugee camp in Gaza, I was always familiar with the political discourse of, and concerning, political prisoners. My neighborhood, like every neighborhood in Gaza, is populated with a large number of former prisoners, or families whose members have experienced imprisonment in the past or present.  

Thursday, September 8, 2022, 5:30 PM
The ACLU is teaming up with friends at two partner organizations to cover the high-profile races for Ohio State School Board and Ohio Supreme Court – plus a bonus segment on the proposed constitutional amendments that will appear on our statewide ballot.  Moderator: Collin Marozzi – ACLU of Ohio.

Panelists: Cynthia Peeples – Honesty for Ohio Education, Akii Butler – Ohio Organizing Collaborative, and Patrick Higgins – ACLU of Ohio.  Register here.