Opinion
Retired Army and Air Force Reserve Sergeant Adrienne Hood waited five years and five months to prove to a jury that Columbus Division of Police officers Zachary Rosen and Jason Bare used excessive force causing the death of her son, Henry Green V, during the summer of 2016.
After the first full day of deliberation on Tuesday at the federal courthouse in Columbus, the three men and five women on the jury claimed they could not reach a consensus. US District Judge Edmond A. Sargus, Jr., instructed them to return the next day and try again. Two jurors left the courtroom in tears.
The following morning the only Black juror explained to the judge that she and other jurors felt pressured by some of the jurors. She insisted that she was not going to change her vote. Sargus sent her back to the jury room to work toward a consensus one more time.
The revelation, a few years ago, that the US National Security Agency (NSA) has been conducting mass surveillance on millions of Americans has reignited the conversation on governments' misconduct and their violation of human rights and privacy laws.
Until recently, however, Israel has been spared due criticism, not only for its unlawful spying methods on the Palestinians but also for being the originator of many of the technologies which are now being heavily criticized by human rights groups worldwide.
The AFI Fest returned to Hollywood for live, in-person screenings and events, although there was also a virtual component for watching many of the feature, documentary, short, indie, studio, and foreign productions that Los Angeles’ largest annual film festival is presenting in 2021. Some of the screenings were accompanied by talent who introduced and/or spoke about their films when they were shown at the TCL Chinese Theatres in Hollywood. Here are reviews of some of the films I saw:
MEET THE PRESS FILM FESTIVAL AT AFI FEST
According to the AFI’s website: “In partnership with NBC’s Meet the Press, these short documentaries spotlight compelling stories about pressing issues facing our society with conversations moderated by NBC News journalists.” Meet the Press, of course, is the long running TV program where newsmakers are questioned by a moderator and a panel of journalists hold forth on topics of the day. Accordingly, all of the nonfiction films screened at AFI Fest in collaboration with Meet the Press were topical in nature, and this is the fifth year that MTP participated as a media partner of AFI.
A new defense budget looms. Maybe we’re running out of wars to fight, but no matter. The proposed figure before Congress is bigger than ever: $778 billion.
Two and a half months ago, I published this letter to the editor in the Toledo Blade, Aug. 29, 2021:
Where is the Ohio Democratic Party?
“Where is the Ohio Democratic Party? Commentators like me address Ohio’s unusually severe gerrymandering and the outpouring of partisan, often dark-money and questionably legal campaign contributions for the right-wing Republican dominance in the state. This is certainly true.
“But there is another reason: the seldom discussed absence of the state Democratic Party. To speak for myself: I am literally bombarded with emails and postal mailings (despite the failings of USPS) for the national Democratic Party (in many different forms), progressive advocacy groups (MoveOn and CommonCause, for example), and more traditional groups like the ACLU. I have never heard from the Democratic Party of Ohio. I receive mailings, including personal notes, from only one elected Democrat, Sen. Sherrod Brown.
“I have attempted to contact the state party and reached out to candidates ranging from Tim Ryan and Nan Whaley to District 15’s Allison Russo. I have never received a response.”
As a medical virologist for over 30 years, I and many of my colleagues have been amazed what we have heard about the COVID-19 vaccine and natural immunity after infection by the virus that causes COVID-19, called SARS-CoV2. So much clear-cut information is known about this disease process, yet policies are being made that ignore this information. So, let’s discuss these facts in simple terms. Here are the six basic facts of viral immunity, regardless of the virus:
I want to recommend a new film and a new book. The film is called The Boys Who Said NO! There’s more courage and moral integrity in this documentary than in any fictional blockbuster. With the wars now underway and threatened being as unjust as those 50 years ago (and with women now being added to U.S. draft registration) we need more saying No! We also need to recognize, as depicted in this film, the scale of the horror of the war on Southeast Asia 50 years ago, not yet repeated anywhere, and avoid the foolishness of desiring a draft in order to say no to it. Our planet is imperiled by military spending, and the time to learn from and act on the lessons of this film is not in the future. It is right now.
Here’s what happened at the November Free Press Second Saturday Cyber-Salon on November 13.
Free Press Board member Mark Stansbery kicked the salon off by showing a map of Africa and how the US has exploited it. See image below.
Mark also gave a tribute to Free Press volunteer from the 70s, Sue Urbas. See image below.
He then played a great music video about unions, called Hold the Line (scroll down page to see video).
Best known for his 1742 oratorio the Messiah, with its immortal, glorious “Hallelujah Chorus,” George Frederick Handel was also a prolific composer of operas. Earlier this month, Angelenos had a special treat, an opportunity to enjoy a concert performance of Handel’s 1735 opera Alcina, presented by London-based The English Concert. The plot and theme of this delightful 18th century work would be familiar to devotees of Woody Allen movies – infidelity and shifting romantic partnerships, a sort of sexual musical chairs.
The story, which Handel adapted from Riccardo Broschi’s 1728 Rome-set libretto of L'isola di Alcina, takes place at an enchanted isle presided over by the eponymous enchantress Alcina. Spells are cast, identities are mistaken, there are some gender bender twists and shapeshifting, as star-crossed lovers have their faithfulness (or lack of) challenged. An interesting plot point is the introduction of “The Ring of Truth,” a sort of ancient lie detector enabling the bearer to determine whether one’s beau or belle is being honest or, as the libretto puts it, “a cruel deceiver.” Ahh, the fickle finger of fidelity!