Proud Member of The Moms Clean Air Force
Print This Post
Jan
11
PD reports that Voinovich will announce retirement tomorrow
Filed Under Announcements, Congress, Government, leadership, Ohio, Politics, Republicans | Leave a Comment
Thank you to John Kroll of the Plain Dealer for leaving the link in a comment about Ohio’s senior U.S Senator George Voinovich (R).
Here’s Steve Koff’s article about the decision to not run for re-election. Koff also posted a blog entry about how Voinovich might support Obama’s stimulus plan and there’s a poll asking you to identify who you think the Dem and GOP nominees for replacing Voinovich will be in 2010.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:46 pm January 11th, 2009 in Announcements, Congress, Government, leadership, Ohio, Politics, Republicans | Please comment
Print This Post
Jan
11
Mary Taylor for Ohio GOP U.S. Senate candidate, 2010
Filed Under Congress, Elections, Gender, Government, leadership, Ohio, Politics, Primary, Republicans, Retirement, Ted Strickland, Women | 9 Comments
Now that the word is coming that U.S. Senator George Voinovich (R) is likely to announce his retirement tomorrow (the Plain Dealer won’t confirm it but Politico says it’s so), I want to revisit an issue I raised when John McCain selected Sarah Palin to be his running mate in his quest to become the 44st president of this country: how is the primarily male GOP leadership going to deal with female ambition in the wake of Sarah Palin?
Two weeks later, I asked, “Will Ohio’s male GOP gatekeepers step aside for Mary Taylor?”
Some commenters said, step aside ? What’s that about? Suggesting that Taylor is free to run in primary against any and all other comers. And that post in response to the suggestion that Taylor would run against Ohio Governor Ted Strickland (D) though I don’t see that.
I discussed just how viable I believe Taylor would be in a GOP primary in comments at this post a few weeks ago.
But the real clincher that my suspicions about how’s it gonna be with the Ohio GOP leadership vis a vis Taylor’s strength as a candidate, versus some of the other bandied about names, comes from a column PD editorial page director Brent Larkin:
If Voinovich steps aside, three Republicans to watch would be, in order, former Bush administration official (reading those words probably makes him cringe) Rob Portman, former House Budget Committee Chairman John Kasich and State Auditor Mary Taylor.
Portman has a world-class political r sum and has been taking Voinovich’s pulse from afar for several years. Kasich is now making gubernatorial noises. But he’d begin a race against Ted Strickland a prohibitive underdog and might find the prospect of an open Senate seat more appealing. Taylor is one of the state GOP’s few stars of the future and might even be more electable than the far more experienced Portman or Kasich. But Republican leadership would exert enormous pressure on her to seek re-election as auditor instead.
Of course, if the Ohio Republican leadership was smart, they’d do exactly the opposite. Women are fired up to have someone who looks like them get elected. And Mary Taylor is a very attractive GOP candidate for a lot of objective reasons, not the least of which is how well she’s performed her job and the lack of drama around that.
What kind of leadership is the Ohio GOP going to show for 2010? How they handle Mary Taylor’s existence, appeal and success will be a big tipoff.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 5:52 pm January 11th, 2009 in Congress, Elections, Gender, Government, leadership, Ohio, Politics, Primary, Republicans, Retirement, Ted Strickland, Women | 9 Comments
Print This Post
Jan
11
Many thanks to Molly for sending this video to me this afternoon. Who would you believe, how could you believe, if you lived there and saw it with your own eyes – and lungs – and skin? I’ll embed later – I can’t quite figure out how to constrain the size and still keep a full frame.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 4:06 pm January 11th, 2009 in Politics | Please comment
Print This Post
Jan
11
Gaggle of gambling gab about Strickland’s own turnaround & turnabout on youth
Filed Under Business, Cleveland+, Debates, Economy, employment, Gambling, leadership, Ohio, Politics, Social Issues, Ted Strickland, Youth | 3 Comments
Take a look at what Google will get you this morning if you search on “gambling Strickland”:
Is this a coordinated PR effort to let Ohioans know where our governor is going on the subject of the economy? of gambling? of priorities?
Of selling out?
I guess I’m not really sure how a politician does manage a turnaround of this nature so maybe this rollout is the best way. But I can guarantee you, it’s not going to be turning around my mind. And anyone who thinks that legalizing gambling is going to solve anything related to Ohio’s economy, well – I’ve got a dirt cheap piece of Mediterranean Sea-side property to sell you – in the Holy Land.
In the best scenario, the gambling interests hope that the governor works some form of their proposals into his state budget.
That’s not going to happen, a governor’s spokesman said.
One option is that the gambling industry could go through the legislature and start off by pushing electronic slot machines before moving toward table games and eventually pitching full gambling venues with attached restaurants and hotels.
In the legislature, they would meet Senate President Bill Harris, an Ashland Republican, who opposes gambling, and House Speaker Armond Budish, a Beachwood Democrat, who supports the idea. Or they could offer up a ballot proposal and hope the governor lends his support.
Harris, like the governor, said last week that while he remains opposed to gambling, he would consider it for the sake of helping Ohio’s economy. Budish took over the House speakership last week and declared that the state should consider expanding gambling to jump-start the economy.
While the governor is feeling down on his luck when it comes to the troubled state budget, gambling opponents still say that is not a legitimate excuse for him to consider slot machines and blackjack tables.
Bingo.
The last thing I have to write this morning on this topic is, click on that Google results image – see the last item on the list? It’s this:
The Marion Juvenile Correctional Facility and the Freedom Center in Delaware are the latest budget-crunch victims. The Department of Youth Services announced yesterday that they will be shut down by July, saving $24 million annually and allowing for expansion of community-based options.
Directly impacted will be 194 juvenile residents of the two centers and 331 employees who will have to look for jobs at six other state youth facilities, in adult state prisons or in the private sector.
…
The move to close the two facilities came quickly, Strickland said after attending Statehouse swearing-in ceremonies for Attorney General Richard Cordray and Treasurer Kevin Boyce. He said such decisions are inevitable because of the severity of the crisis.
In response to a question, Strickland said that while he remains opposed to bringing casino gambling to Ohio, he would be foolish to ignore any proposal that could help solve the state’s financial crunch.
…
“This just doesn’t add up, that you would close facilities at the same time you’re hiring staff,” said Andy Douglas, executive director of the Ohio Civil Service Employees Association, which represents 1,274 youth-services employees.
“We believed this past year, as did DYS, that the reduction of overcrowding was in the best interest of youth and staff. Now, they’re taking a step backward by closing facilities.”
Don’t you just love how that’s thrown in? Juxtapose the tossing out of youths in detention with the breaking down of Strickland’s resolve against gambling as an economic panacea. Lovely. Not to mention taking actions that fly in the face of report after report about the overcrowding already in existence.
Talk about making deals with devils. Include the prison construction industry and the new detention facilities that aren’t even built yet.
Obama wanted a New Deal-style infrastructure program to get people to work, but bricks and mortar gambling facilities and prisons isn’t what I think he meant.
For more on the economic mirage of gambling, read here.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:29 am January 11th, 2009 in Business, Cleveland+, Debates, Economy, employment, Gambling, leadership, Ohio, Politics, Social Issues, Ted Strickland, Youth | 3 Comments
Print This Post
Jan
10
“Talk, don’t shoot. Talk”
Filed Under activism, Culture, Ethics, Gaza, Israel, Jewish, leadership, Media, middle east, Military, Politics | 1 Comment
I remember telling a few people last month, during a particularly difficult time I was having, that I always have thought that there’s nothing I can’t work through or work out if I just keep talking with whomever or about whatever the problem is. I said it wistfully, as in, it was feeling as though that approach was failing me, but I just didn’t want to believe that talking would or could ever fail, if you just keep communicating – no matter what. To not turn away – to force yourself to say the hard things, the painful admissions – but say them.
Anyway – the Cleveland Jewish News has a mention of a film coming out called Waltz with Bashir (I can’t find that mention online but here’s something from Forward about the film) and then someone tweeted about how tomorrow (today’s) New York Times Sunday Magazine has an interview with the filmmaker of it, Ari Folman. These excerpts…I know what he means and how he feels.
One tends to think of Israel as a country where survivalist imperatives do not allow for much antiwar sentiment.
Israelis are divided, definitely, but I think you hear too much of the louder voices that always justify any kind of act of aggression. But there is a very big crowd of people who are fed up with war. I can’t understand the word “war” anyhow.What can’t you understand?
I can’t understand people killing each other for a piece of land. Can you understand that?…
Israel’s founding generation didn’t seem to harbor ambivalence about war.
They were survival wars. They were about the existence of the country, and they were influenced tremendously by the Holocaust. But the Lebanon War had nothing to do with survival.It was a military exception?
It was not an exception. It was a turning point in the relationship between the Israeli leadership and the people, who realized for the first time that war canbe declared just for political reasons.…
You were one of the original writers on “In Treatment,” the Israeli show set in a psychiatrist’s office that was adapted by HBO.
You know the show? There is an Israeli pilot traumatized by his experiences dropping a bomb that killed 14 kids. In the American version, it was adapted to Iraq.Will he be returning for the second season?
No, he committed suicide.…
Do you find that talk is more effective in matters of war and diplomacy?
Yes. I think you should always ask yourself: has everything been done to prevent the conflict? Talk, don’t shoot. Talk.
Also, I found this transcript of a BBC broadcast that features the first-person voice of four Israelis. Please go read them.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:56 pm January 10th, 2009 in activism, Culture, Ethics, Gaza, Israel, Jewish, leadership, Media, middle east, Military, Politics | 1 Comment
Print This Post
Jan
10
Townhall.com starts Cleveland politics blog?
Filed Under Blogging, Cleveland+, conservatives, Ohio, Politics, Writing | Leave a Comment
Only one post so far – anyone know anything?
It appears to be written by Neo-Con Don. I could just email him, but that would be way too easy.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:00 am January 10th, 2009 in Blogging, Cleveland+, conservatives, Ohio, Politics, Writing | Please comment
Print This Post
Jan
10
Who wears the pants in the Obama household
Filed Under Barack Obama, leadership, Michelle Obama, Parenting, Politics, Social Issues, Women, Youth | 2 Comments
Is there really any doubt about who is at the core of leadership for the Obama family?
…During the presidential campaign, [Michelle Obama's mother, Mrs. Marian] Robinson was a family mainstay, caring for the Obama girls, Sasha and Malia, while their parents were on the road.
She took them to school, to piano lesson and dance lessons, cooked their meals, ran their baths and got them to bed on time. She was a critical part of the family’s effort to keep the girls’ lives as normal as possible in the midst of extraordinary times.
…
“I’ve never lived outside of Chicago, so I don’t know,’’ said Mrs. Robinson, hesitating a bit as she considered last year whether she was willing to move into the White House. “In the end, in the end, I’ll do whatever. I might fuss a little, but I’ll be there.” [emphasis added]
I don’t trust that enough people understand just how vital Michelle Obama’s mother’s involvement has been to her daughter’s success, her son-in-law’s success and, from what it looks like, her granddaughters’ health and development. Her contribution is absolutely immeasurable, irreplaceable and, individual achievements aside, the center of what makes the incoming First Family worthy of respect.
God bless that woman.
[The Caucus item is about how it is now official that Mrs. Robinson will be moving into the White House.]
By Jill Miller Zimon at 9:41 am January 10th, 2009 in Barack Obama, leadership, Michelle Obama, Parenting, Politics, Social Issues, Women, Youth | 2 Comments
Print This Post
Jan
9
The gambling harems convene in Ohio
Filed Under Business, Economy, Gambling, Ohio, Politics, Social Issues, Ted Strickland | 10 Comments
Less than two hours ago, this article about the gambles being waged for getting the okay to gamble in Ohio showed up in my inbox and it says:
Strickland’s spokesman, Keith Dailey, said the willingness of the governor’s office to listen doesn’t imply an endorsement. Still, Dailey said, the governor would be remiss to ignore Penn National at a time when state revenue is deteriorating.
“The governor continues to believe that expanded gambling would be bad for Ohio,” Dailey said. Strickland himself had said much the same thing a day earlier.
It would be haughty of me to think that my post, The Seduction of Governor Ted Strickland (which is about how Strickland’s stance on support for legalizing casinos in Ohio may be softening as a result of the increasingly hard economic conditions in Ohio) had anything to do with this latest article from James Nash and the Columbus Dispatch, but I do expect that the reason it was sent to me is precisely because of that post from this morning.
What galls me the most is how many millions of dollars that could have been spent on real economic development have been wasted by these entities just to bring casinos to Ohio. I mean, does that demonstrate the failure or the success of capitalism?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:13 pm January 9th, 2009 in Business, Economy, Gambling, Ohio, Politics, Social Issues, Ted Strickland | 10 Comments
Print This Post
Jan
9
Gibbs says Obama will repeal “Don’t ask, don’t tell”
Filed Under Barack Obama, Civil Rights, Gender, Military, Social Issues | Leave a Comment
From Michelle Goldberg at The New Republic:
Ok, maybe this makes up for Rick Warren. A couple of months ago, Obama seemed to be walking back from his promise to undo the destructive “don’t ask, don’t tell” policy on gays in the military. But today, in a video posted on the change.gov website (a site, full disclosure, designed by my husband, who works for the Obama transition), Robert Gibbs sounded pretty unambiguous. The five-minute segment featured Gibbs answering questions that had been posted on the site and voted up by users. At the very end, he addressed this one: “Is the new administration going to get rid of the ‘don’t ask, don’t tell’ policy?” He responded, “You don’t hear a politician give a one-word answer much, but it’s yes.”
Oh, okay, it makes me feel a little bit better. But just a little.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 6:45 pm January 9th, 2009 in Barack Obama, Civil Rights, Gender, Military, Social Issues | Please comment
Print This Post
Jan
9
Ohio charter school operator gets prison for overstating enrollment, but White Hat Management gets $17 mil for kids who don’t show
Filed Under Business, Education, Ethics, Government, Law, Ohio, Politics, Taxes, Youth | 3 Comments
All I have to say is, this better not be a case of selective prosecution:
According to Cincinnati.com, Willard Wilson, “…overstated enrollment at [W.E.B.] Dubois [charter school in Over-the-Rhine] and misused state money for the school, spending some on home improvements.”
Haven’t the ghost student stories demonstrated that many of Ohio’s charters overstate their enrollment?
Thousands of students are enrolled but rarely show up for class. Even if your child doesn’t attend a charter school, you’re paying for it with your tax dollars.
Last year, that amounted to $29.9 million in state funds for students who rarely show up. Charter school students attending 17 Life Skills Centers [operated by David Brennan's for-profit White Hat Management] across Ohio are absent most often. Department of Education records show students at all 17 schools were collectively absent nearly 46 percent of the time from 2006 through 2007. Less than half graduated.
More specifically:
And enrollment is what pays off. In Ohio, every student is worth $6,000 on average. That’s what you pay for every student enrolled regardless of whether they show up, according to state education records.
Another former Life Skills teacher, who asked to remain anonymous, described what disturbed him most.
“It started really to make me believe that this was not about education, this was about someone or some business making a profit from this,” the teacher explained.
And it’s a big business. The Akron business White Hat Management is the for-profit company that operates 37 Life Skills Centers around the country.
White Hat Management declined to explain on camera why its schools have such low attendance. Instead, the company sent us this statement.
“We comply with all applicable sections of the Ohio Revised Code … we find offensive any implication that White Hat Management…has not complied with reporting and legal requirements.”
Even so, White Hat Management was paid $17 million for 2,641 students who, according to state education records, were absent in 2006-2007.
That’s because Ohio reimburses solely on enrollment, not attendance.
Why aren’t the operators of those charters getting prosecuted? What makes their overstatement of enrollment different from Dubois? Is it just a fudging of defining absent v. enrolled in favor of David Brennan and against Willard Wilson?
I’m here, just waiting for an answer.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:57 pm January 9th, 2009 in Business, Education, Ethics, Government, Law, Ohio, Politics, Taxes, Youth | 3 Comments
Print This Post
Jan
9
[update] [action] Ledbetter Fair Pay Act passes U.S. House, contact your Senators
Filed Under activism, Business, Congress, Economy, employment, Gender, Law, Politics, Voting, Women | 4 Comments
UPDATE: Over at Jen Nedeau’s post on this subject at Change.org, she’s included a link to a career wage gap calculator. Mine? $657,00! That’s based solely on living in Ohio and having an above bachelor’s degree education. Oy.
Workers who are underpaid by discriminatory employers are one step closer to getting stronger legal recourse after a Friday vote by House lawmakers to amend civil rights legislation. Representatives voted 247 to 171 in favor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which would amend the Civil Rights Act, and impact other civil rights legislation, to clarify that each discriminatory paycheck creates a new opportunity for workers to file charges against employers. Lawmakers also voted 256 to 163 to approve the Paycheck Fairness Act, which would: help women receive more damages, make it easier to bring class action lawsuits, and prohibit employer retaliation against employees who share salary information, among other actions. The Senate is expected to vote on the Ledbetter bill as early as Jan. 21, and could also take up the Paycheck Fairness Act soon.
Why is the law necessary? PunditMom writes at BlogHer.com,
On average, women still only earn around 78 cents for every dollar earned by a man. And depending on the type of job you have and your level of education, pay discrimination over a lifetime could add up to between $400,000 and $700,000, or more, according to a study from the Center for American Progress. Even if you have to hire a lawyer to fight to get that back, I’d say that’s worth it, especially in these economic times.
And, as you might guess, it’s not just about a weekly salary. Getting paid less every week means getting lower contributions to pension accounts. And, yes, corporations have their eye on that ball. AT&T recently argued to the Supreme Court that, based on the Ledbetter decision, AT&T was fully within its rights to reduce the amount of pension contributions for women employees who had taken maternity leave.
And, from Momocrats:
…it’s more than forty years past when Congress outlawed wage discrimination and we’re one full generation at a minimum past the Women’s Liberation movement (depending upon which wave you mean). Women are as crucial to the workforce as men.
And yet, as I cited in the article I posted yesterday, compared to white men, women are way underpaid:
- Caucasian women earn 77 cents for every dollar paid to their white male counterparts
- African-American women earn 63 cents for every dollar paid to their white male counterparts
- Latinas earn 53 cents for every dollar paid to their white male counterparts
And why is that?
I’m just old enough to have been in the workforce long enough to recall hiring managers talking about preferring men over women because they’re “more stable, reliable, and less likely to quit once they get married or have kids.” I’m just old enough to recall being asked if I planned to get married or have kids…in a job interview. Some employers thought it made it “fair” if they asked that question of men, too, but it doesn’t. It only made it worse. Also, I don’t think the mens’ answers were weighted in a negative way as the womens’ were.
Although, as the MarketWatch item states, the bill has cleared the U.S. House, the Senate may be different, in large part because of the lobbying efforts by businesses:
“We hope to get to Lilly Ledbetter in the next week or so,” says Jim Manley, spokesman for Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid. “But, as always, it depends on how much cooperation we get from Republicans.”
The U.S. Chamber of Commerce has launched an all-out offensive against the measures, saying they would be a boon to trial lawyers and undermine the rights of employers.
“The bottom line for the business community is that we entirely agree in creating fair play in the workplace,” says chamber spokesman J.P. Fielder. “But we oppose opening up the process to litigation that will hurt small businesses.”
Trust me – when the best the opponent can do is say that a bill, if it became law, will be a “boon to trial lawyers and undermine the rights of employers,” you know they have a very weak argument against the legislation.
Please go here and send your U.S. Senator the message that he or she should vote in favor of the Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act (HR 11) and the Paycheck Fairness Act (HR 12). You can read the bills here.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:19 pm January 9th, 2009 in activism, Business, Congress, Economy, employment, Gender, Law, Politics, Voting, Women | 4 Comments
Print This Post
Jan
9
The Seduction of Governor Ted Strickland
Filed Under Politics | 11 Comments
Read it and weep, well, depending on your position on gambling:
“I can tell you if our economy was robust and growing and we were seeing job development occur without having expanded gambling in Ohio, that would be my preference,” [Ohio Governor and Democrat and minister and mental health professional, Ted] Strickland said.
“But I am trying to be a realist and understand that the circumstances that we are facing I believe are unprecedented.”
He might be calling himself a realist, but it’s Republican Senate President Bill Harris who is going to make this issue and change in Strickland’s position play political:
Another influential state leader and gambling opponent, Republican Senate President Bill Harris of Ashland, also softened his stance Thursday. Harris and Strickland both said in interviews that they still frown on the idea of casinos in Ohio but would consider legalizing more gambling here to bring in new revenue to deal with an expected $7 billion hole in the state budget over the next two years.
…
But Harris said if Strickland wants a conversation about expanded gambling, the governor’s office, not the Senate, will have to take the lead.
“It is not going to come from our chamber,” Harris said. “But I want to be clear that I have some members who have supported passing gambling legislation in the past, and so we would listen to anything the governor proposes.”
But, Harris said, “It is his call.” [emphasis mine above]
You betcha – can you imagine what the conservatives in Ohio would do if Harris outright proposed and pushed a gambling initiative as a way to save the economy?
Strickland’s movement should not surprise anyone. He made his feelings about supporting or not supporting gambling clear (as mud, but clear nonetheless), three years ago.
Here is the exact transcript of what he said during his March 19, 2006 Democratic primary debate with opponent Bryan Flannery, hosted by Meet the Bloggers:
[the context of my one word question, "Casinos," is that we were doing a free association/lightening round kind of thing to elicit answers]:
Jill Miller Zimon: Ok. Casinos.
Ted Strickland: Do you want me to go first, Bryan?
Bryan Flannery: I can go, if you want.
Tim Russo: Nobody wants to touch that one!
Ted Strickland: It is a question that I get frequently. I don’t believe that casino gambling represents the future economic… Ohio’s economic future. I approach this matter, not from a moralistic point of view. You know some people see gambling as sinful or not sinful. I am fairly libertarian in the way adults can choose to spend their recreational dollars, but I am also aware of the detrimental effects that casino gambling brings to a community or to a state. So I am not a candidate for Governor who is enthusiastic about casino gambling.
Tim Russo: Would you support legalized casino gambling in this state in any way?
Ted Strickland: I would not be an advocate for it. If it appeared on the ballot and the people voted for it, I wouldn’t have the capacity to veto that. So I believe that’s the only way that casino gambling could become a reality in Ohio, if I were Governor, for the people to say we want it through an initiative.
Now, that stance has gotten massaged plenty since then, but Strickland’s position has mostly stayed the same.
Until today’s article, quoted at the top of this blog post.
Strickland has some strong backing: Chancellor of Higher Education, Eric Fingerhut, supported Issue 3, the Ohio Learn and Earn initiative. Put that next to the fact that, this week, we heard that, despite the Ohio budget crunch, higher education is not getting a bum rap. How can that be? I don’t know precisely, but you can bet that if Strickland is going along with the “need it for the economics” argument for casinos, it’s got a lot to do with a tie-in to education.
We’ve been down this road before – you, me and Ohio. Ed Morrison extensively covered the blue smoke and mirrors of perceived economic benefits of gambling – you can read all of it here.
I’ll conclude with this short anecdote:
When I was pregnant with my third child and telecommuting as an independent contractor with Bellefaire JCB, doing in-service training, contract review, case triage and other legal work, the folks there were trying to figure out how to replace me – that is, how to cover the work that I did. And we talked about still retaining me on a case by case hourly basis as issues came up and they wanted to consult with me, particularly on cases that I’d already worked on or was in the middle of working on.
And, knowing what my colleagues in the legal profession were, by then, earning, and knowing that I had a second professional degree and license, and knowing that I was pretty much the only person anywhere doing what I was doing for a place that did what Bellefaire does, and that I now had two school-aged kids and was about to have a newborn, I knew that the value of my time had increased exponentially.
And so, when I told them what I would cost, per hour, I told them honestly, but knew it would sound exorbitant. The actual number is irrelevant because this is almost ten years ago. But regardless, my number was of course met with silence and in fact it turned out to be the deterrent I really had intended it to be: for me to work, given the life circumstances I was facing, whomever wanted my services was going to have to pay for them, dearly, because my time had become that valuable a commodity. So, to get me – and my time, I had to get a helluvah lot in return.
My advice to Governor Ted Strickland, and all the individuals who think they are going to get some kind of casino legislation passed, especially with newly installed Democratic House Speaker Armond Budish also coming out on the record today as being in a position to approve gambling:
Armond Budish, the speaker of the Ohio House of Representatives, weighed in by telling the paper, “I have no inherent opposition to gambling by any means. And we’re sending the money out of state anyway.”
is to: Read more
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:44 am January 9th, 2009 in Politics | 11 Comments
Print This Post
Jan
9
This is Your Life…on Coal: Energy giant Dynergy abandons coal plant construction
Filed Under Business, coal, Energy, Environment | Leave a Comment
From the Christian Science Monitor:
Battered by the financial crisis and under pressure from the Sierra Club and other environmental groups, the Houston-based energy giant Dynegy announced that it is abandoning plans to construct six coal-fired power plants.
The company announced that it would be dissolving the 50-50 joint venture with LS Power, a New York-based energy company. That venture, launched in 2007, sought to build coal-fired plants in Arkansas, Georgia, Iowa, Michigan, Nevada, and Texas.
…
Needless to say, environmentalists are delighted. The Sierra Club, which in February 2008 launched its “Clean Up Dynegy” campaign to pressure the corporation into ditching the proposed power plants is calling Dynegy’s decision “a victory for public health.”
Hattip to Progress Ohio.
Ya don’t suppose the decision had anything to do with this?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 7:31 am January 9th, 2009 in Business, coal, Energy, Environment | Please comment
Print This Post
Jan
8
[video] This is your life on coal: Before & after Harriman/TVA fly ash disaster
Filed Under activism, Business, coal, Congress, Crime, democracy, Economy, Energy, Environment, Government, Health Care, Illness, Law, leadership, Media, Politics, Scandal, Social Issues, Utilities | 4 Comments
If you still haven’t been able to wrap yourself around what it means to have more than 1 BILLION GALLONS of coal ash full of heavy metal and chemicals flood, flow, crash and destroy everything around you, first check out these photos by NASA, from before and after:
Before:
After – the paler blue indicates the extent and location of now-polluted water:
And if those images are still too abstract, the ones in this video, that show life on the water in what was a typically gorgeous part of Appalachia in Tennessee, before and after the spill, will disabuse you still:
As I tweeted earlier today, there was a hearing on Capitol Hill regarding this disaster and supposedly the TVA chief was worked over hard. But the state elected officials, like senior US Senator Lamar Alexander? He couldn’t be bothered – he is actually on the committee. But he needed to attend a congressional GOP retreat instead.
Really makes you feel like the people you voted for care, huh?
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:25 pm January 8th, 2009 in activism, Business, coal, Congress, Crime, democracy, Economy, Energy, Environment, Government, Health Care, Illness, Law, leadership, Media, Politics, Scandal, Social Issues, Utilities | 4 Comments
Print This Post
Jan
8
Gaza, Israel links and updates
Filed Under Blogging, Gaza, Israel, Jewish, Writing | Leave a Comment
Jack at Random Thoughts, Do They Have Meaning?, has been posting blog entries at least twice a day every day since the conflict began last month that include a range of MSM and blog fodder, much of it firsthand from the Middle East.
His latest round-ups are here (today) and here.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:19 pm January 8th, 2009 in Blogging, Gaza, Israel, Jewish, Writing | Please comment
Print This Post
Jan
8
Cleveland Public Square Rally for Israel, 1/12/09, 12noon
Filed Under activism, Announcements, Cleveland+, democracy, Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, Jewish | 28 Comments
Rally for Israel – Monday, January 12 at noon at Public Square
Dear Friends,
I am writing to urge you to stand with me at the rally in support of Israel this coming Monday, January 12 at noon at Public Square.
Right now, your presence and voice are urgently needed. It is critical that we produce a significant turnout for this rally. The Arab community has held public rallies which have been well-attended and have garnered considerable media coverage. It is imperative to send the message that even greater numbers support Israel’s right to legitimate self- defense.
Please encourage and recruit other congregants and members of the community to join us at the rally. This includes non-Jews that you know of who are supportive of Israel. We are seeking to get a significant non-Jewish presence at the rally.
Sincerely,
Rabbi Stephen Weiss
DATE: Monday, January 12, 2009
TIME: 12:00 p.m.
LOCATION: Public Square
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:13 pm January 8th, 2009 in activism, Announcements, Cleveland+, democracy, Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, Jewish | 28 Comments
Print This Post
Jan
8
Gaza, Israel: Who you callin’ one state?
Filed Under Culture, Debates, Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, Jewish, middle east, Politics | 3 Comments
Yesterday, on WCPN’s Sound of Ideas, Nour Chammas, Executive Director, AACESS-Ohio (The Arab American Community Center for Economic and Social Services – that link might be old, or Mr. Chammas is new – he’s not listed yet) said that he supports a one-state solution. As I wrote, I had not, until then, heard anyone who was representing a organization enunciate, in the press, a one-state solution. And, as I wrote, this is where I believe we need to be starting the discussion because it is this haggle over one-state or two, and what they would look like, that really is at the core of the conflicts. So it should be what we argue about – the violence is truly without value other than to obliterate one another.
So, because of my theory about how, if you say that the conflict is the result of forever and a day occupation, then you’re most likely a one-state solution kind of person, I wanted to learn more about Mr. Chammas – to better understand his reasoning for a one-state solution.
What I learned was completely new to me – and I don’t know if I’m just naive or if there is purposeful obfuscation of the concept of a one-state solution that also gives rise to why I’ve heard people say that a one-state solution is a means to eliminate not just Israel but the Jews.
Where’d I get that?
Well, apparently, to some, like people who subscribe to ideologies like that of the Syrian Social Nationalist Party (read this post and fascinating comment thread to understand more about the SSNP – there is a Nour who comments there, but I do not know if its Nour Chammas or not; hattip Syria News Wire for the link), a one-state solution means, basically, the unification/reunification of Lebanon, Israel, Gaza, West Bank, Jordan, the Sinai and Syria.
Yeah. No. That’s not what I think of when I hear a one-state solution, and it’s not even what people whom I’ve been following on a Syrian news blog seem to believe. But this is a very new area of thinking to me, the one-state all Syria-all the time concept and I have no handle on how prominent it is.
So, again, where’s this all coming form? It started with finding some writings attributed to Mr. Chammas’ name in a discussion about the Syrian Social Nationalist Party, a party that, according to Wikipedia, is:
..a nationalist political party in Syria and Lebanon. It advocates the establishment of a Greater Syrian national state, including present Syria, Lebanon, the Hatay Province of Turkey, Israel, the Palestinian territories, the Sinai Peninsula of Egypt, Cyprus, Jordan, Iraq, and Kuwait.[1]
I’d never heard of this party or its goal – clearly, a one-state solution, but not the same as this one-state solution – which I always thought was what people meant.
NB: The online discussions I found are from ten years ago. I have no idea who the people are and have not verified that the writings are those of the same Mr. Chammas, but he went to UC San Diego and the writings are from a Nour Chammas with an email at UCSD) and whether these individuals continue to maintain these ideas. Again, the value is in understanding what people have in mind when they say, “one-state solution.”
Here’s the group’s English language site. In the forum, you can find a couple of responses by Mr. Chammas that reveal more about this concept of unification or reunification of several territories around Syria, though again, I must restate that this writing is from ten years ago – so I have no idea 1) if it is the same Mr. Chammas, though it looks likely, or 2) whether Mr. Chammas still is active with SSNP or 3) currently holds these precise beliefs, but the wording gives a sense relevant to the idea of a one-state solution that isn’t anything like what I think most people think of when speaking of a one-state solution:
When we speak of Syria, we do not, in any regard, mean the government of Hafez Al-Assad, nor do we even imply what is today the Syrian Arab Republic. When we refe[sic] to Syria, we refer to all of Natural Syria, which includes Lebanon, Palestine, Jordan, Iraq, and what is today the Syrian Arab Republic (Al-Sham). This area constitutes a single socio-economic unity known as Syria.
Palestine refers to Israel, Gaza, the West Bank and the Sinai.
Second, Mr. Chammas wrote and had published this column for a college paper in 4/2001. In part:
These facts [he goes through a historical review, going back to 3000 BC, of who has lived in Israel over the centuries], however, were completely ignored when the British government decided to give its support to the creation of a Jewish state in Palestine. This led to a policy of mass Jewish immigrations to Palestine, organized by political Zionists, in an attempt to change the demography of the land and justify their illegitimate creation of the state of Israel.
Nevertheless, in 1947, the Jews only made up 25 percent of the population of Palestine and owned less than 7 percent of the land, when the United Nations partition proposal awarded them 54 percent of the country, including the best lands. In 1948, however, the Jews declared an independent state after seizing 78 percent of Palestine and driving out most of the Palestinian population through a process of violence, including some of the most gruesome massacres, such as that committed in Deir Yasin. Nineteen years later, in 1967, Israel expanded its borders as it occupied the regions of Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza, again causing the flight of Palestinian civilians, exacerbating the refugee problem.
Since its creation, Israel has followed a consistent policy of land dispossession, house demolition and settlement building. In addition, its brutal occupation has included acts of murder, rape, torture and maiming of civilians.
For this reason, although many find it hard to comprehend, the Palestinians find little pleasure living under Zionist occupation, and it is on these facts that we base our opposition to Zionism. Our position on this issue, along with our continued struggle for justice, is not based on hatred for anyone, but rather on love for our people, as well as our deep and genuine belief in human rights. In accordance with this position, we declare that the right to struggle is the right to advance, and thus, we shall never surrender this right to those who, on the one hand, preach to us about peace, and, on the other hand, prepare for war.
Now – I can understand what Mr. Chammas has described and how it is that he finds this perspective to be the one that should govern behavior. But clearly, when, on WCPN, he says that he prefers a one-state solution, there was no follow up but I bet that’s because the host and other guest thought what I thought – which is the one-state solution of Israel, Gaza and the West Bank under one government, not the unification of Lebanon, Jordan, Israel, Gaza, West Bank and the Sinai. And Mr. Chammas didn’t specify which one-state solution he was intending – so we don’t know for sure.
The beliefs that Mr. Chammas (who was born in Lebanon but has lived in the U.S. since he was age nine) holds regarding the illegitimacy of occupation since 3000 BC (as written in the college paper column) may echo some people who support a one-state solution, but I have no idea how many people or how many people who want what the SSNP appears to want. I’m looking into that.
Anyone who can clear some of this up re: which is the more predominant one-state solution when we use that phrase, please pipe in. Again, I think, when it’s being stated by someone as their preference, they know exactly what they mean – but if it’s this larger pan-Syrian concept, I feel quite confident that many people do not envision that, particularly non-Semitic natives or travelers or individuals who haven’t studied the Middle East.
My concern? Any obfuscation could give rise to horrific misunderstandings: convincing well-intentioned peace activists who plead the Palestinian or Israeli cause that one-state is the answer, when in fact those individuals had no clue that the one-state was the pan-Syrian concept.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 10:57 am January 8th, 2009 in Culture, Debates, Foreign Affairs, Gaza, Israel, Jewish, middle east, Politics | 3 Comments
Print This Post
Jan
7
[update] Eight dumping sites in Ohio could be TN coal ash disaster waiting to happen
Filed Under activism, Business, coal, Economy, Energy, Environment, Law, leadership, Media, Midwest, Ohio, Politics, Resources, Science, Tech, Ted Strickland | 1 Comment
Nearly 100 largely unregulated “wet dumps” across the United States that are comparable to the Tennessee Valley Authority’s breached site in Harriman, Tennessee for the storage of toxic pollution from coal-fired power plants have a place on one or more of the “worst site” lists for six toxic metals, including arsenic and lead, according to a new data analysis from the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project [EIP].
…
Using industry-reported data collected by the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Toxic Reporting Inventory (TRI) data system for 2000-2006 (the latter being the most recent year for which complete data is available), EIP looked at the presence of arsenic, chromium, lead, nickel, selenium and thallium in the waste at Tennessee-style pollution dumping sites across the nation. The EPA has determined that these “surface impoundment” ponds (also known as “wet dumps”) are the most likely storage sites to leak pollution into groundwater and surface water, even without a catastrophic failure such as the one before Christmas at the TVA’s Kingston Steam Plant coal ash retention pond, which burst and covered the nearby area with more than a billion gallons of toxic-laden sludge.
The EIP analysis shows that a total of 13 states were found to have at least three coal-fired power plant “surface impoundment” dumping sites on the six 50-worst toxic chemical lists: Indiana, 11 dumps; Ohio, eight dumps; Kentucky, seven dumps; Alabama, seven dumps; Georgia, six dumps; North Carolina, six dumps; West Virginia, four dumps; Tennessee, four dumps; Illinois, three dumps; Michigan, three dumps; Pennsylvania, three dumps; Florida, three dumps; and Wyoming, three dumps.
And look at what we’re tops in when it comes to toxic chemical lists:
* Chromium. The #1 spot on the list goes to the J.M. Stuart Station, Manchester, OH. The Stanton Energy Center in Orlando (#3) and the Duke Energy Corp Gibson Generating Station (#4) follow closely behind it. A total of 16 facilities reported disposing of more chromium in surface impoundments than Kingston.
* Selenium. The top three spots on this list are as follows: First Energy Bruce Mansfield Power Plant, Shippingport, PA.; J.M. Stuart Station, Manchester, Ohio; and the Barry Steam Plant, Bucks, AL. A total of 15 facilities report releases of selenium between 2006 and 2006 that exceed the Kingston reports.
Just a note to the Ohio MSM: I’ve got google alerts set to any number of permutations of words and phrases connected to Harriman, TN and the Kingston coal ash disaster. So far, not a one of you has done a damn thing along these lines re: what the hell is the exposure to the residents of Ohio? What should we be doing about it? What if anything are we doing about it? What is our governor going to do about it? When are the clean coal proponents going to address this?
Don’t we have enough problems in Ohio? This problem is energy & environment but it’s also food supply, water supply and, saddest of all – socioeconomic and political.
Ohio politicians and news outlets – you should be ashamed of every day you aren’t doing something to address what is clearly a known possibility.
UPDATE: The Akron Beacon Journal published this article yesterday regarding the status of Ohio’s wet dumps and other coal waste storage facilities. The information is based primarily on the same report linked to below.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 11:32 pm January 7th, 2009 in activism, Business, coal, Economy, Energy, Environment, Law, leadership, Media, Midwest, Ohio, Politics, Resources, Science, Tech, Ted Strickland | 1 Comment
Print This Post
Jan
7
Pajamas Media sending Joe the Plumber to the Middle East
Filed Under Blogging, Gaza, Israel, Media, middle east, Politics, Republicans, Sarah Palin, Writing | 7 Comments
Now this pisses me off at Israel:
[Joe the Plumber] Wurzelbacher plans to spend 10 days in Israel reporting on the conflict for pjtv.com, a Web site run by conservative media outlet Pajamas Media.
The famous plumber will be focusing on the Israeli perspective on the situation. “It’s tragic, I mean it really is,” Wurzelbacher told CNN affiliate WNWO “I don’t say that in any little way. It’s very tragic, but at the same time what are the Israeli people supposed to do.”
Wurzelbacher told WNWO he’s not worried about the potential dangers of his new gig. “Being a Christian I’m pretty well protected by God I believe. That’s not saying he’s going to stop a mortar for me, but you gotta take the chance,” he told the CNN affiliate.
“Israeli officials are very excited to have him,” [Joe's publicist, Thomas] Tabback told CNN.
I see Joe’s been taking classes from the Sarah Palin School of Conclusory Responses.
Oh! Must not forget: Hattip to Jillian C. York’s tweet.
By Jill Miller Zimon at 3:57 pm January 7th, 2009 in Blogging, Gaza, Israel, Media, middle east, Politics, Republicans, Sarah Palin, Writing | 7 Comments
Print This Post
Jan
7
Deadline coming: Dart Award for reporting, radio journalism on impact of violence
Filed Under Crime, Media, Social Issues, Women, Writing, Youth | Leave a Comment
The Plain Dealer received great recognition last year through its receipt of a Dart Award. Here’s an announcement for submitting entries this year:
Dear friends and colleagues – Just a reminder that the deadline for entries in the 2009 Dart Awards for Excellence in Reporting on Trauma is January 28.
The $5,000 Dart Awards recognize exemplary daily newspaper reporting (spot news and in-depth) and radio journalism on the impact of violence on individuals and communities. Details at: http://www.dartcenter.org/dartaward/guidelines.html. Please pass the word along!
Best, Bruce
Bruce Shapiro
Executive Director, Dart Center for Journalism & Trauma
Daily newspaper and radio journalism – nothing for online? Hmmm…
By Jill Miller Zimon at 2:53 pm January 7th, 2009 in Crime, Media, Social Issues, Women, Writing, Youth | Please comment
Voted into Top 25 Political Mom Blogs
Now on sale-WLST essay included!
Posts About Pepper Pike City Council2010 WE Magazine 101 Women Bloggers to Watch
Category Specific RSS
Pepper Pike Cleveland+ Politics Women Ohio Elections Law Jewish
