September 2nd. 2016


sept22016bob

by Bob Fitrakis and Harvey Wasserman

SEPTEMBER 5, 2016

Jill Stein raising her fist at the podium

So the corporate media indulged itself with the idea that Green Party candidate Jill Stein flew to the “wrong city” for a Friday rally at Capital University in central Ohio. Her lateness was in the headline, lead and conclusion of every mainstream article about the September 2 event.

As usual, they ignored the real story.

Jill originally had a speech scheduled in Cincinnati, which was moved, although the tickets weren’t. So she was in Covington, Kentucky about a half-hour before the scheduled noon start of her talk at Capital, where Harvey is in his thirteenth year of teaching (primarily UC200: Cultural and Ethnic Diversity).

No big deal. Jill hopped into a Lyft and headed north. Estimated time of arrival: about 2:30.

Compare this to when Hillary Clinton appeared in Columbus on July 31, 2016 at Ft. Hayes Metropolitan Education Center, arrived two hours late, and a dozen people had fainted in the heat in the meantime. Although the Dispatch reported on it, the article did not emphasize her lateness in the headline or lead. Buried in the middle of the article, it read: “Several in the Ft. Hayes crowd had to be treated by paramedics as they waited on the newly-anointed Democratic nominees, who were about two hours late – in part because they stopped for Grandpa’s Cheese Barn along Interstate 71 near Ashland.”

Meanwhile, Harvey told Jill’s crowd of about 100 (many of them his students) that she was on her way and took orders for pizza. Since the local media craves the details, here they are: seven cheese pies, seven with onions, peppers and mushrooms, and one vegan (for Harvey, Suzanne and two other takers) with tofu and no cheese. (Total price: $220, Harvey’s most memorable campaign donation).

We then opened the mic. Among others, long-time Green Party activist Anita Rios spoke. So did Bob, Ohio Green Party Co-Chair, candidate for Franklin County prosecutor, a professor at Columbus State Community College, and Editor of the Columbus Free Press/www.freepress.org. Bob and Harvey have co-authored seven books on election protection, dating back to the 2004 theft of the presidency by George W. Bush and Karl Rove.

At one o’clock we switched over to Harvey’s iPhone. One of Harvey’s students hooked us up to the PA and we played the Jill Stein campaign theme song, followed by a good long session from the Grateful Dead.

It was a gorgeous Friday afternoon on the large lawn at a lovely liberal arts college. People sat, talked and stretched out. Thanks to the modern miracles of the telephone, texting, email and social media, the crowd grew by half.

A klatch of about a dozen libertarians hovered in the background wearing Gary Johnson t-shirts. We asked them if it was true that Johnson, who advocates legalization of pot, had promised not to smoke it while in the White House. We told them that was a mistake.

When Jill arrived she was greeted by Capital’s much-loved President Beth Paul. Back in 2008, the school hosted an appearance from candidates John McCain and Sarah Palin. George H.W. Bush and other presidents, ex-presidents and candidates—-including Barack Obama—-have appeared here.

When Bob finally introduced her, we had a rested, happy crowd of enthusiastic students, locals and Green Party volunteers. Jill spoke of the Green New Deal and her plan to put hundreds of thousands of Americans to work to create a clean energy economy by 2030. She asked the student crowd how many had taken out student loans and more than half raised their hands. The crowd roared approval when she announced she would cancel all student loan debt, which affects 43 million Americans.

What should have been the lead was Stein’s call to cut the U.S. military spending in half. She pointed out that our nation has 900 military bases all over the world. Other than the U.S., all the other nations on the planet combined have only 30 military bases outside their borders.

We took questions after Jill’s speech, then a group photo, and a long selfie line. A good time was had by all.

By the time Jill hopped in Anita’s car to head to Cleveland for her next gig, this time just a half-hour late, the media had filed its story, but obviously missed an excellent rally.

The media are also misrepresenting Stein’s official ballot status:   A Dispatch article Monday, September 5, said:   “Green Party nominee Jill Stein is on track to make it in at least half [of the state ballots].” At the time the Dispatch published this AP report, Stein was already on the ballot in 41 states and likely to end up on at least 45 states, or 95 percent of the states. Only in South Dakota is she not on the ballot by name or as a write-in, and in only three states is she certified as a write-in only – Indiana, North Carolina and Georgia.

heyooo big chance to make some NOISE!
http://www.idevmail.net/userfiles/useac/images/emailhead.jpg
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United States Election Assistance Commission
REMINDER for WED JAN 6:

EAC emailhead

Discussion will be webcast and tweeted live; taking questions & comments

Contact: Bryan Whitener; 301-563-3961; bwhitener@eac.gov

Roundtable – Preparing for Election 2016 – EAC will host a panel discussion to explore how state and local officials from jurisdictions with experience in close election results and/or highly visible contests are preparing for the 2016 elections. The event will take place on Wednesday January 6 at the Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City in Arlington, VA. Attendees will include election administrators from nine battleground states. To see the discussion questions, list of participants and live webcast, click here.

WHO: Election administrators from nine states across the U.S. (Colorado, Florida, Iowa, Nevada, New Hampshire, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Virginia, Wisconsin)

WHAT: Roundtable discussion on 2016 Election Preparations in Battleground States.

WHEN: Wednesday, January 6, (2:30 – 5:00 PM – EST)

WHERE: The Ritz-Carlton Pentagon City; 1250 S. Hayes Street; The Diplomat Room; Arlington, VA 22202; Phone: (703) 415-5000.

WEBCAST: This event will be webcast live from 2:30 – 5:00 PM and available later for playback. Viewers can provide input by sending tweets, comments and questions during the roundtable. Watch the Webcast! (also available archived after event)

NOTE: Just prior to the roundtable, EAC will also hold a public meeting from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM..

EAC is an independent independent bipartisan commission created by the Help America Vote Act (HAVA) of 2002. HAVA was passed by the U.S. Congress to make sweeping reforms to the nation’s voting process, address improvements to voting systems and voter access that were identified following the 2000 election, and to provide federal funding to states for new voting equipment. HAVA mandates that the EAC test and certify voting equipment, maintain the National Voter Registration form, conduct research, and administer a national clearinghouse on elections that includes shared practices, information for voters and other resources to improve elections. More information is available at EAC.gov.

To Cuba with Love
Report Back by Bob Fitrakis and Suzanne Patzer

Monday, August 24, 2015 – Central Ohioans for Peace meeting
Columbus Mennonite Church
35 Oakland Park Avenue
BobWPic
The Central Ohioans for Peace meet regularly on Monday evenings at 7pm at the Columbus Mennonite Church, 35 Oakland Park Avenue. Each meeting has a different peace-oriented presentation. On August 24, Columbus Free Press Editors Bob Fitrakis and Suzanne Patzer will present on their week-long “To Cuba with Love” delegation with Code Pink. In February they joined in the first large U.S. people-to-people visit to Cuba since the warming of relations last December. They will share their experiences touring the country, meeting with public officials including Mariela Castro, visits with Cuban people and impressions of the state of the nation under the U.S. embargo. Also presenting will be Lisa Valanti, longtime Pastors for Peace activist. They will lead a discussion on the future of U.S.-Cuban relations.
Free and open to the public.
614-253-2571 or colsfreepress@gmail.com

WCRSscrcap

The Other Side Of The News / FightBack

http://www.talktainmentradio.com/shows/fightback.html

The Columbus Free Press . Com

https://freepress.org/

Join us for the June Free Press Second Saturday Salon
Saturday, June 13, 2015
6:30 – 11 PM

Pressing Columbus, Ohio, Not Bought Out By US Investment Firm

The June Free Press Second Saturday Salon
Saturday, June 13, 6:30-11pm @ 1021 E. Broad St.
Free. No RSVP necessary.
Socialize and network with progressive friends for hors-d’oeuvres, drink, art and music. Meeting both inside and outside weather permitting.
colsfreepress@gmail.com, (614) 253-2571.

| voteyourself |

Salon treatment
vote-salon
Will Shilling photo

Second Saturday Salon organizers Bob Fitrakis and Connie Harris

By John Ross
From the 10/22/2008 edition

John Ross
Second Saturday Salon

You might not love talking politics. But you might not mind talking politics over a few beers, soundtracked to live music, with a friendly group of people from both sides of the spectrum.

That’s the thinking behind Second Saturday Salon, a monthly discussion group that first coalesced around a group of Olde Towne East voters unhappy with the results of the 2004 presidential election.

“The question was how to keep these people together,” said Bob Fitrakis, an election-protection attorney and publisher of local independent newspaper The Free Press. “If movements are nothing more than political drudgery and torture, no one sticks around.”

Since early 2005, the group has met at Free Press headquarters on the second Saturday of every month — and it’s come to include a wide range of people and ideas.

Activist Connie Harris, who Fitrakis tapped to create the event, agreed about the need to keep things interesting.

“It’s been a really important event for people,” Harris said. “One of the beautiful things about this event is that people of all ages come out — high-school students to people in their mid-nineties.”

Keeping elections free and open remains part of the salon, but other topics have included the Iraq war, third-party candidates, techniques for grassroots activism and energy policy.

Typically, events start around 6 p.m. and run for several hours. Formats vary greatly — from formal presentations to casual discussion groups — and this year have included artists, filmmakers and national activists, as well as Green Party presidential candidate Cynthia McKinney on Aug. 9.

What: Second Saturday Salon

When: Second Saturday of every month

Where: Hanna House, Olde Towne East

Web: freepress.org

“We wanted to have a place where people felt comfortable to talk about things,” longtime attendee Mark Stansbery said. “We’ve had discussion about a wide variety of topics. We get our lunatics there, too, but there’s always good conversation.”

A new location in the historic Hanna House, 1021 E. Broad St., should give the event new life. The mansion has meeting rooms, a ballroom for screenings and a carriage house that serves as a hub for the Columbus Indymedia Center.

On Nov. 8, the salon will host a post-election analysis party. Hopefully, Fitrakis said, results will mean a celebration. If not, artists, politicians and local activists will be ready for another challenge.

“This is going to continue,” Harris added about maintaining momentum after the campaign dies down. “There’s a lot of repair that needs to be done.”

Monday, October 21, 2013
50 Years: Project Film Festival
7:00 pm. Our first film in this series is “A Place at the Table,” which weaves personal stories and policy-level issues to tell the story of U.S. hunger and its serious economic, social and cultural implications. It further makes the case that ensuring healthy food is available and affordable is in the best interest of us all and discusses the nature of policies impacting our food system. For more information, contact Keith Kilty at kilty.1@osu.edu
Location: 100 Stillman Hall (1947 College Road) on the Ohio State campus

Tuesday, October 22, 2013 – 7:30pm
Free Press Fourth Tuesdays Free Films return to the Drexel!
Love Hate & Propaganda: The War On Terror Propaganda, the weapon of mass persuasion, is a powerful force and has helped shape events of the 20th century. This film examines how propaganda influenced significant moments in history, and the lives of the people who lived through them. Hosted by George Stroumboulopoulos, Love, Hate & Propaganda is a primer on the art of mass persuasion, aimed directly at a media-savvy generation. Nine days after the 9-11 attacks on America, President George Bush declared War on Terror. This film examines the role propaganda played leading up to Bush’s declaration and the subsequent invasions of Afghanistan and Iraq. Co-sponsored by The Columbus Film Council. Admission is free, donations encouraged. 90 min film followed by discussion.
Location: Drexel Theater, 2254 E. Main Street, Bexley

Journey to Planet Earth Plan B: Mobilizing to Save Civilization
Thursday, August 15 – 7pm
Northwood-High building, 2231 N. High Street, Room 100, parking in rear.
This film provides audiences with hopeful solutions — a road map that will help eradicate poverty, stabilize population, stabilize climate, and protect and restore the earth’s forests, soils and fisheries. It includes ways of protecting and restoring soils, forests, rangelands, and oceanic fisheries, plus conserving the earth’s biological diversity. It also features case studies that clearly show signs of a new energy economy emerging.

Hosted by Matt Damon, which features Lester Brown, environmental visionary and author of “Plan B” this documentary delivers a clear and unflinching message – either confront the realities of climate change or suffer the consequences of lost civilizations and failed political states.
Brown, together with other notable scholars and scientists, including Nobel Laureate Paul Krugman, Pulitzer Prize winner and New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman, former Governor and Secretary of the Interior Bruce Babbitt, provides a glimpse into a new and emerging economy based upon renewable resources as well as strategies to avoid the growing threat of global warming.
This is the third in a 3-part movie series by the Franklin County Green Party and Environment Ohio. fcgreenparty@gmail.com

Free Press Second Saturday Salon
Saturday, March 9
6:30-pm-midnight
1021 E. Broad St., east side door, parking in front or rear

Welcoming progressive friends with refreshments, music, art, networking, presentations, and socializing.
Presentations on Re-examining Lucasville conference, efforts to reform Columbus City Council and more.
truth@freepress.org, 253-2571

Green Party Presiodential Candidate Jill Stein At Ohio Statehouse

Green Party Presiodential Candidate Jill Stein At Ohio Statehouse