Progressive activists often see a frustrating pattern. Many Democrats in office are good at liberal platitudes but don’t really fight for what we need. Even when constituents organize to lobby or protest, they have little leverage compared to big campaign donors, party leaders and corporate media spin. Activist efforts routinely fall short because -- while propelled by facts and passion -- they lack power.

Right now, in dozens of Democratic congressional districts, the most effective way for progressives to “lobby” their inadequate representatives would be to “primary” them. Activists may flatter themselves into believing that they have the most influence by seeking warm personal relationships with a Democratic lawmaker. But a credible primary campaign is likely to change an elected official’s behavior far more quickly and extensively.

In short, all too often, progressive activists are routinely just too frigging nice -- without galvanizing major grassroots power.

BANGKOK, Thailand -- Cambodia's fugitive opposition leader Sam Rainsy
says he will return from France on November 9 to his Southeast Asian
homeland, where he faces at least 15 years imprisonment.

Not many people expect Mr. Rainsy, 70, to arrive in the capital Phnom
Penh after authorities warned they have "prepared handcuffs" for him.

"I don't see how Sam Rainsy braves the risks on his own and returns to
Cambodia unless he is well-protected diplomatically and well-escorted
physically, like a puppet to someone," Chhang Song said in an
interview.

Mr. Chhang was former Washington-backed President Lon Nol's
information minister before they fled together to America in 1975 when
the U.S. lost its wars in Cambodia, Laos and Vietnam.

"Though having been initially strongly popular, Sam Rainsy is an
aristocrat to the teeth and is losing considerably his support from
the Cambodian people as he has failed many of his promises," said Mr.
Chhang, who recently retired as advisor to Cambodia's authoritarian
Prime Minister Hun Sen.

When Westboro Baptist protestors descended on St. John's United Church of Christ on Columbus' near east side to demonstrate again the "Jezebel Preacher," over 130 counterprotestors showed up to peacefully defend their female pastor. The Rev. Virginia Lohman Bauman, targeted for being a female preacher who opens up the church to a congregation that includes LGBTQ people, called it "an amazing spiritual experience" as she was joined by so many supporters on very short notice, according to the United Church of Christ website. According to the website, Columbus Police tipped off the church that the notorious anti-gay Westboro Baptist protestors were coming their way on Friday, August 30. The demonstration happened Sunday, September 1. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church was the second target of the Westboro group and counterprotestors kept up their viglance against the haters there. Rev.  Gary Witte and his wife Winifred Wirth joined in the counterprotest and supplied the photos displayed here for the Free Press. Witte reported that the huge outpouring of support by the community for the churches far outnumbered the members of the Westboro Church protest. 

In the abandoned hinterlands of Stripmallovia, aka the outskirts of Columbus near Reynoldsburg, a group of artists have transformed an empty big box store into a sprawling interactive weird choose-your-own-adventure art exhibit you can explore. I finally got a chance to visit this weekend with my family and teenage stepson. I found it to be a pretty cool experience and certainly an improvement over its previous use as a Sports Authority.

First, when driving in you are reminded of the decline of the American dream, as you see a huge decaying parking lot and numerous big box stores that their corporate builders have abandoned for greener or, should we say, virtual pastures. But Otherworld sticks out as quite a few people are parked in front of it. Walking in behind dark curtains and a giant projector, you do feel like you are leaving the reality you entered from, as you see what seems like a giant window on the all-black background.

Nineteen years ago, I graduated from the Ohio State University. As a somewhat lackluster student, I wasn’t able to pull things together to graduate on time and missed the big ceremony that used to be held on the Oval. Instead I was stuck with the rather grim winter quarter graduation at St. John Arena. Winter quarter graduation speakers were selected by the faculty, who unsurprisingly picked one of themselves.*

The speaker, whose name I unfortunately can’t remember, was a voice professor from the music school. His speech was a combination of talking, poetry and singing, with a soaring list of musical comparisons to an unstated something (i.e. calling down the defiant beauty of contralto Marian Anderson’s 1939 rendition of “My Country ‘Tis of Thee” at the Lincoln Memorial). He didn’t bother to tie any of it into the idea of graduation, it just sort of rolled.

But one thing he said sort of stuck with me. He mentioned the power of Big Mama Thornton’s “Hound Dog” before Elvis Presley “stole her song.” My first exposure to the concept of cultural appropriation.