Opinion

ake news” as a denunciation peddled by Republican and Trump apparatchiks is an old-fashioned, fascist-style Big Lie with a neat capitalist twist. The obvious lie is that most of the media, accused of reporting “fake news,” actually report real news – with real corrections when they get something wrong. This is the antithesis of the way the “conservative” con machine has operated for decades. Among the world’s shortest books would be “Setting the Record Straight by Republican Senators” or “The Collected Corrections of Donald Trump.” These are people whose common currency is falsehood rooted in deceit for the good of themselves and not much of anyone else, certainly not most of the people that they were elected to represent, wink-wink. Chronic right-wing lying is hardly a new phenomenon. Lies about FDR and the Red Menace live on long after the imaginary threats have passed into history.

And the word of the moment is . . . opportunity:

“What unites our party is a belief in opportunity, the idea that however you started out, whatever you look like, whoever you love, America is the place you can make it if you try.”

Could you be any more tepid? The words were those of the former president the other day, giving his blessing to the naming of Tom Perez as the new chairman of the Democratic National Committee. Perez is the safe, establishment choice to lead the party forward into the maelstrom of Trump, under a banner that seems garishly inoffensive: Tolerate our differences, give everyone a chance.

A rational and moral person might think of the recent U.S. raid in Yemen this way.

We live in surreal times. Columbus’ Mayor pronounces our city safe for immigrants and an area of opportunity for all – on the same day Columbus police corral and mace anti-Trump travel ban demonstrators putting protestors, including children, at risk. Ginther pledges to make Columbus a premier middle-class city at his State of the City address – when at the same time giving away $68 million in tax abatements to wealthy Easton developers.

A city-sponsored review of the city charter pays lip service to the fact that Columbus should finally become more democratic and representative through district elections joining every other major city nationwide – but recommend all district-based candidates run citywide.

I learned on the radio today that had he lived, Kurt Cobain would have been 50 years old on February 20, 2017. While it didn't really tug at the heartstrings or inspire a nostalgia trip, it brought to mind a conversation I had a few years back.

I was sitting at the Little Palace with a Dennison student who had some sort of connection with my Uncle Bill. She was taking a bus to NYC that would be picking her up down the street, and my wife had insisted that I stay with her she got on board. We got to talking about music. She was an enthusiastic proponent of the string band revival which at the time was approaching its high water mark, and in my view also approaching tedious. At some point she asked me what I was listening to when I was in High School, paused a split second, and said “Nirvana, right?” Well, I thought, that’s a really interesting question.

I learned on the radio today that had he lived, Kurt Cobain would have been 50 years old on February 20, 2017. While it didn't really tug at the heartstrings or inspire a nostalgia trip, it brought to mind a conversation I had a few years back.

I was sitting at the Little Palace with a Dennison student who had some sort of connection with my Uncle Bill. She was taking a bus to NYC that would be picking her up down the street, and my wife had insisted that I stay with her she got on board. We got to talking about music. She was an enthusiastic proponent of the string band revival which at the time was approaching its high water mark, and in my view also approaching tedious. At some point she asked me what I was listening to when I was in High School, paused a split second, and said “Nirvana, right?” Well, I thought, that’s a really interesting question.

Just days after the Columbus police pepper-sprayed hundreds of protesters near the Statehouse who were rallying against Trump’s executive order on immigration, two Street Medics led a Health and Safety Workshop for protesters in a packed room at the Free Press office. Interest was intense in the workshop, organized by Columbus Citizens for Police Review (CCPR). Many workshop participants had also participated in the protest.  Below is a smattering of the wisdom from presenters Gabriel and Allison, who declined to have their last names used or to be photographed, since police have been known to target Street Medics.

Biggest Medical Issues.Over many years and many protests, Gabriel and Allison have found that the biggest medical issues are dehydration and sunstroke. Advice: Hydrate. Drink a lot of water beforehand, for days – hydrate well because cannot rehydrate quickly in the moment – no caffeine, no alcohol. You may need a liter of water per hour during a protest. Pepper spray and mace are exceedingly painful but rarely cause permanent harm (unless you are wearing contact lenses or have a medical condition such as asthma).

Sometimes the real world needs heroes. And sometimes those heroes need inspiration.

To anyone only passingly familiar with Captain America, it's easy to assume he's nothing more than the embodiment of blind patriotism. A muscled-up blond white man in stars and stripes, he looks like an American fascist's dream.

But Captain America was created to fight fascism in America’s name, and for that, he’s a perfect icon for the modern-day resistance.

The early days of the comic book industry were deeply rooted in New York City, so it's no surprise that most superheroes with a pedigree that old were created by the children of Jewish immigrants. Plenty of scholarly examinations of Superman have made a big deal of that aspect of that superhero’s creation. Though Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster started in Cleveland rather than New York, their experiences growing up in immigrant Jewish families influenced the creation of the ultimate immigrant character.

Sam Husseini just asked Nancy Pelosi why she won't support an impeachment investigation for Trump.

Even though its subject matter is completely different, I can’t help comparing A United Kingdom to 2016’s Hidden Figures.

Both films uncover an obscure chapter in the history of racial injustice. And both films are fascinating and enlightening despite the fact that neither is quite as good as it could be.

A United Kingdom is directed by Amma Assante, who also helmed 2013’s Belle, the story of a mixed-race woman who struggled to find love and gain equality after being raised among the aristocracy in 18th-century England. In Assante’s new film, romance also plays a role, but it’s only one part of a complex tale involving political intrigue, colonial exploitation and the early days of South African apartheid.

When young Londoner Ruth Williams (Rosamund Pike) meets an English-educated African named Seretse Khama (David Oyelowo) in 1947, it’s clearly love at first sight. Ruth literally can’t take her eyes off this handsome stranger, and he becomes equally entranced. The two know their respective families won’t approve of an interracial romance, but they immediately make arrangements to meet again.