Daily Archives: December 29, 2021

G.A. Benton| Columbus Alive

The phrase every day is a fresh start carries seasonal weight as we careen toward a new year.

Yes, were nearing a period when resolutions are made to shed a different kind of seasonal weight. But the reason I cited that aforementioned, implicitly hopeful fresh start quote is because its part of a cheery but knowingly heartfelt mural that graces the Downtown building housing a standout operation: Freedom a la Cart Cafe + Bakery, whose April premiere made a troublesome year a little better.

Although the cafe + bakery is new, Freedom emerged about a decade ago as a food cart (thus a la Cart) that both raised money for and employed survivors of human trafficking. Freedoms compassionate mission hasnt altered, but it has evolved from a rotating cart and popup eatery with limited fare to a lovely cafe with a compelling selection of creative, delicious and skillfully prepared bakery items, coffee drinks and brunch-style dishes.

Fans of excellent Emmetts Cafe will notice overlaps here, and with good reason. Both places developed their menus which could be characterized as forward-looking yet steeped in crowd-pleasing tradition with the help of consulting chef Lara Yazvac Pipia. Consequently, both places frequently sneak healthful ingredients into imaginatively conceived bowls and sandwiches that feature a dynamic interplay between numerous components.

Stepping into Freedom's pretty space, with its relaxing atmosphere, muted tones, white bricks and paint, plentiful live plants, stylish lighting fixtures and uncommonly warm counter service, youll likely notice customers enjoying egg-and-sausage sandwiches. You should enjoy one, too.

Freedom's signature rosemary breakfast sandwich ($8.50) might not behuge, but its hugely satisfying. Inside its aptly described fresh baked croissant bun (flaky, crinkly, slightly sweet, terrific) were rich ingredients omelet-esque egg, blistered provolone, aioli, nifty house-made rosemary-lemon sausage patty leavened by arugula, herbs and citrus.

Beautifully griddle-toasted sourdough bread plus molten cheeses (Swiss, cheddar and goat) and house habanero-apricot jam add up to the grilled three cheese ($8.50), a sandwich that shames most of its milky ilk.

The snack-sized trout toast ($8) looked like a food magazine cover photo. With crisp pumpernickel topped by a creamy feta spread, plus a bit of smoked fish accented by microgreens, sesame seeds and a perfect poached egg, it tasted good, too.

Prefer something more substantial and indulgent? I found the Dont Judge Me ($9) roasted chicken, two aiolis, potato chips, arugula and melted Swiss inside toasted, good, ciabatta-like bread to be guilty of first-degree deliciousness.

Ditto for the hearty and healthful, if misleadingly named, breakfast bowl ($11). Sure, it had an egg another on-point poacher but this hefty and impressive assembly of lemony hummus, zucchini ribbons, white beans, microgreens, herbs, risotto-evoking cheesy farro and Caesar dressing-like flourishes screamed lunch to me. I look forward to hearing from, and tasting, it again.

With its tapioca-esque blueberry chia pudding, apricot jam, tangy Greek yogurt, pie-filling-like stewed blueberries and, for elevating contrast, crispy first-rate granola, the blueberry chia bowl ($9) says antioxidant-rich breakfast just as it whispers nutty, not-too-sweet dessert. Heed its call.

And believe your eyes as you gaze at the array of beautiful treats stashed behind glass. Because, from dark-chocolate-chip-with-sea-salt cookies (cookies are about $3) to croissants whose elegance might be teased by a doughnut-style glazing or chocolate and cayenne, to bacon-scallion-parmesan scones (pastries and croissants are about $3.75 to $4.50), they taste as good asthey look.

And since a few days remain until the new year begins, why not treat yourself to several worth-the-splurge, Freedom baked delights? That way, you can end an often-sour year on a sweet note, and still get a fresh start to a seasonal weight-loss resolution come 2022. However your cookies crumble, though, heres hoping you have a very happy New Year.

Freedom a la Cart Cafe

123 E. Spring St., Downtown

614-992-3252

freedomalacart.org

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Debut of high-performing Freedom a la Cart Cafe + Bakery one light in a bleak year - Columbus Alive

The Austin Public Library said it stands with the larger library community against censorship in school and public libraries.

Its disheartening when I see it happen across Central Texas and the state as a whole, Roosevelt Weeks, the director of Austin Public Library, said in response to an increase in calls to remove reading materials in places like Llano County and Leander and Round Rock school districts.

Weeks said the freedom to read is a right and it's important for librarians and library workers to stand together to ensure people are not stopped or deterred from reading what they want.

He said while library staff categorize books by age appropriateness, what children read should be between a child and their parent.

One parent should not dictate what another parents child should read, Weeks said. A small group of people shouldnt dictate what the majority of people may want to read or have an option to read.

Weeks said library materials are selected by a diverse group of professional library staff who are trained on how to select books for the community. The policy in selecting materials includes providing alternative perspectives on unpopular or unorthodox [ideas] as well as popular materials.

The Texas Library Association in October said there was a substantial increase in censorship activity across the state after the Texas Legislature passed laws restricting education related to history and racism.

In order for us to succeed as a society, we must recognize that there is a diversity of people and a diversity of thought, Weeks said. Thats why its important that we have a diverse collection so that people have a choice in what they read and get information [about].

Weeks said no materials have been removed from Austin Public Library shelves, but library patrons can challenge the materials by submitting a form explaining what they find objectionable. The item will then be reviewed by library staff.

The rest is here:

Freedom to Read: Austin Public Library says it stands against book banning and censorship - KUT

Sir, Freedom of expression is probably the most valuable of civil rights, but it necessarily comes with limitations. These include libel and defamation, medical confidentiality, national security and, famously, shouting fire in a crowded building, among many.

Ultimately what the exceptions illustrate is that free expression entails responsibility toward the rights and welfare of others.

In defending Julian Assanges reputation, Jim Roche (Letters, December 27th) argues that the former is being persecuted for exposing . . . facts that powerful political leaders dont want the public to know.

It is not possible to know that definitively, nor to characterise the actions of such people as anything other than wildly reckless.

Many of the files released by Mr Assange have contained more documents than they could possibly have read. The PlusD file from 2013 had 1.7 million intelligence reports in it. Other releases have contained millions of emails.

Divulging such volumes of unread information cannot be characterised as an ideology or strategy. It is simply reckless and risky behaviour. Yours, etc,

BRIAN OBRIEN,

Kinsale,

Co Cork.

Continue reading here:

Julian Assange and press freedom - The Irish Times

ORRVILLE An organization known for promoting the separation of church and state is taking City Schools to task for praying at school board meetings.

TheFreedomFromReligion Foundationnotified the Board of Educationvia a Dec. 22 email that opening the monthly public meetings with a Christian prayer"is beyond the scope of a public-school board,according to rulings and precedents made by the Supreme Court.

The school district is reviewing the matter with its legal counsel, said Superintendent Jon Ritchie, and may discuss the issue at a future board meeting.

Car crashes into elementary school: School to resume Monday for McMullen students after truck strikes building

Karen Heineman, a staff attorney for the Freedom From Religion Foundation, said the organization was contactedin Octoberby aparent who lives in the school district and who attended a recent school board meeting that was openedwith a prayer.

The letter to the boardstated,the prayer witnessed by our complainant was Christian and ended with our savior Jesus Christ, andnoted the prayer camebefore the pledge of allegiance,thefirst item listed on many of the school boardagendas.

Holiday COVID wave is here: Hospitals, health officials urge caution as cases spike

"Board memberWayne Steinerpromotes his personal religious beliefs at board meetings and has been hostile to the expression of other religious views, according to the foundation's letter.

Heineman said that may have swayed the boards vote onmask requirements.

There had been someinitialtalk, (the board)seemedto be leaning towardthe mask mandate. The one board member promoted his views that basicallyGod decides how long we're going to be here with orwithout amask.And then the vote went the otherway.

School districtpoliciesstatethe boardis prohibited from discriminating againstanyone based on several personalaspects,includingtheir religion.Heineman said prayer at public meetings and allowing board membersto sharetheirpersonal viewsnegates those policies.

Even the district policies ... say board members have the responsibility to be representative to be responsive, and that the board doesn't discriminateon the basis ofreligion, Heineman said. I think when you haveaChristian prayer opening every board meeting, and when you have somebody expressing his personal religious beliefs, they aren't even following their own policies.

An email and a phone call to Steiner through the board office were not returned.

Making change: Parkview students surpass goal, raise over $1,200 for Salvation Army

Board President Greg Roadruck confirmed the board says a prayer before eachmeeting, describing the intent of the prayeras a moment tocometogetherrather than a push for any one set ofbeliefs.

Our intent is not to force anything on anybody or anything like that, Roadruck said.The intent of a prayer, in my opiniononly, is that it's to clear our mindand make sure we're thinking not just(about)ourselves butthe entire community.

Roadruck said the prayer is said beforethe meeting is called toorderso that it is not a part of the meeting.

Norwayne treasurer to retire: Superintendent of Norwayne schools dubs retiring district treasurer 'a wonderful mentor'

While the board has not met since the letter was sent, Roadruck said, the prayer matter will be reviewedto ensure the board is following the rules.

We take an oath,I'll take it again here shortly, to uphold the Constitutionandall the laws of the state of Ohio," Roadruck said. "Sowe do have to go by that,so that's whatwe'lldo.

Heineman said thefoundation is awaiting the board's official response to theletter.

As of Dec. 27,Superintendent Jon Ritchie said all board members had received a copy of the letter and arereviewingitindependently.Ritchie also said the districts legal counsel is reviewing the letter and the matter may be addressed at afutureboardmeeting.

Masks to return in Wooster schools: Wooster school district extends mask requirements for all students with new year

Any changes to how the school board conducts itsmeetings are yet to be determined, however,Roadruck saidhedoes not wantthe matter to become a long-termissue.

Personally,I(may)have different thoughts,maybe, Roadruck said.But legally, we are bound by thelaws of the stateand I'm notgonnawaste any taxpayersmoney on fightingOhio laws or theConstitution.

Reach Rachel Karas atrkaras@gannett.com

On Twitter:@RachelKaras3

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Group calls out Orrville City Schools Board of Education over prayer before meetings - Wooster Daily Record

By Stacy M. Brown | NNPA Newswire Senior National Correspondent@StacyBrownMedia

(NNPA) Mary Alice Jervay Thatch, who often told the story of how as a baby, she used her diaper to clean the floor of the Wilmington Journal and who went on to become the editor and publisher of the historic newspaper, has died at the age of 78.

My daddy used to say that I started at 3 or 4 months old, when I started crawling around on the floor, Thatch recounted several times, often with a broad smile and chuckle. I was hired as the janitor to clean the floor with my diaper.

A teacher and educated wordsmith, Thatch had an unsurpassed commitment to providing a voice to African Americans.

She took over the Wilmington Journal in 1996, following her fathers footsteps, former National Newspaper Publishers Association Chair Thomas C. Jervay, Sr., and grandfather, R.S. Jervay.

The latter founded the newspaper in 1927, while her father ultimately took over as publisher.

R.S. Jervay moved from Columbus County to Wilmington and found that the area lacked a Black-owned newspaper for three decades because of the race riots that destroyed the Daily Record, which had served all African American residents of North Carolina.

The elder Jervay founded the Cape Fear Journal, and the paper later changed its name to the Wilmington Journal.

Thatch once recalled the early days of the Journal.

My father used to say he had printers ink in his nostrils because he grew up at the paper, Thatch once remarked.

He was the first carrier for the paper. He became editor after he graduated college.

She continued:

As a child, Thatch and her family lived on the second floor of the building housing the Wilmington Journal.

Growing up at the paper, it was a daily thing for the family. We had family chores and Journal chores.

During the struggle for civil rights, Thatch proved herself a champion for freedom and equality.

On February 6, 1971, a white-owned grocery store was firebombed, and as they responded, emergency workers were fired upon by snipers.

Ten community activists, including Dr. Benjamin F. Chavis, Jr., were falsely accused of the firebombing and convicted in 1972 of arson and other offenses.

The Jervay family were among the few to boldly and publicly support the activists known as The Wilmington Ten.

After spending nearly ten years in prison, the state released Dr. Chavis and the others.

But Thatch kept up the fight to clear their names.

In 2011, she organized the Wilmington Ten Pardons of Innocence Project and continued to push for a declaration of innocence for the group.

After a successful petition that garnered more than 150,000 signatures and with Thatch helping to uncover critical evidence, on December 31, 2012, Gov. Beverly Perdue issued pardons of innocence for each member of the Wilmington Ten.

The NNPA today learned of the passing of one of our leading publishers, the renowned Mary Alice Jervay Thatch, publisher of the Wilmington Journal in Wilmington, North Carolina, Dr. Chavis, now President and CEO of the NNPA, remarked.

Mary Alice Jervay Thatch was a key factor for decades demanding successful pardons of innocence for the Wilmington Ten in 2012, Dr. Chavis stated.

He noted that the Jervay family represents four generations of African American publishers in North Carolina and praised Mary Alices father and grandfather.

Dr. Chavis said the NNPA would sorely miss Thatch.

Mary Alice Thatch was a freedom fighting publisher, journalist, and activist. The Black Press of America extends our sincerest condolences to the family of Mary Alice Jervay Thatch, Dr. Chavis exclaimed.

Just as Thatch continued her fathers legacy, her daughters are current Journal staffers, and her grandchildren reportedly have also played a part in producing the paper in recent years.

A family-owned newspaper is really part of the community, Thatch previously told her biographer Amanda K. Lee.

This is not just my paper; it is the communitys paper. The community is family.

The National Newspaper Publishers Association (NNPA), known as the Black Press of America, is the federation of more than 200 Black community newspapers in the United States.

Related

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Mary Alice Jervay Thatch, Freedom Fighting Publisher of Wilmington Journal Dies - Sacramento Observer

Just six and a half years ago, Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan was plotting a Freedom Caucus response after Republican leadership stripped then-North Carolina Rep. Mark Meadows of a subcommittee chairmanship as retaliation for opposing a trade deal. In January 2021, then-President Donald Trump awarded him the Presidential Medal of Freedom.

Jordan chronicles the evolution from being a nuisance to Republican leadership to a leader in his party and a prime target for Democrats in Do What You Said You Would Do: Fighting for Freedom in the Swamp, his first political memoir.

Now, Jordan is one of the most notable and influential Republicans in the House with his eye on becoming chairman of the powerful House Judiciary Committee should his party win the House in 2022. The most recent evidence of his importance was the House select committee investigating the Jan. 6 riot at the U.S. Capitol requesting, three days before Christmas, that Jordan appear before the panel to answer questions.

Like many books written by politicians, Jordan's includes passages articulating his core principles and a highlight reel of sorts. There are several transcripts from his notable exchanges in committee hearings, including pages of his exchange with Hillary Clinton when she appeared before the Benghazi select committee in 2015.

JIM JORDAN: TRUMP DID NOTHING WRONG ON JAN. 6

But more than being an ideological manifesto, the book documents a political revolution in the Republican Party over the last decade from the perspective of one key House Freedom Caucus founder who helped make the Republican Party more uniformly conservative and confrontational.

We are now a party that I think is a populist party rooted in conservative principle, which is where we always should have been, Jordan told the Washington Examiner in an interview.

It shows an evolution, too, of Trump in how he and his administration dealt with the Freedom Caucus and how members learned to woo and influence the president. Jordan notes Trump naming him and Meadows in angry tweets because they opposed then-Speaker Paul Ryans Obamacare repeal plan, which failed just two months into his term.

He recalls being for some reason invited to a bill signing that would benefit the coal mining industry despite that not being an important issue in his district. Trump took the opportunity to compliment a Jordan appearance on CNN, prompting the Freedom Caucus to pivot to a cable news-heavy communications strategy. We could talk to him directly through Fox News, CNN, and MSNBC, Jordan wrote.

Jordan writes several paragraphs about the significance of choosing the word freedom for the caucus name. That stands in contrast to former Rep. Mick Mulvaney telling the New Yorker in 2015 that the name was chosen because it was so generic and so universally awful that we had no reason to be against it.

Asked about Mulvaneys description, Jordan said there was a real debate about the name. I think it's a good thing. We picked that term because that's what the Left is trying to destroy, the Ohio congressman said. "We picked the word that you most associate with our country, the greatest country ever."

Even if the story is pruned for the narrative, Jordans book marks a milestone in Freedom Caucus history.

Meadows gave Jordans book a shoutout during a speech to state Republican lawmakers forming their own legislative Freedom Caucuses in mid-December mere hours before the House voted to hold Meadows in contempt of Congress for not more fully complying with the Jan. 6 investigation. He and Jordan said they had planned to write the Freedom Caucus stories together, according to Meadows, before he became White House chief of staff under Trump.

If you do what you said you would do when you campaigned for office, it will go well with you. It's the people who want to fake it that its such a hard time, Meadows told the crowd.

Partly due to the timing of its release, the shadow of the Jan. 6 riot and the select committee investigating it hangs over Jordans book.

The second chapter is devoted to Jan. 6 and its aftermath, but Jordan reveals little about his personal experience leading up to and during that day, who he talked to (including Trump), or other information that the select committee would likely want to know. He articulates his reasoning for objecting to the Electoral College count and his call for hearings into anomalies and concerns but does not fully buy into the notion that mass fraud put President Joe Biden in the White House.

Maybe everything was legit, but begins one sentence. When one-third of the voters believe the process is rigged, we have a big problem.

After his book was released, the Jan. 6 committee revealed a text message sent to Meadows described as being from a lawmaker that outlined an argument for Vice President Mike Pence to not count electoral votes from certain states. Jordan later revealed that the message was sent by him but it was an argument from a different lawyer that Jordan simply forwarded to Meadows, he said, and the committee admitted it inadvertently added a period in the excerpt it shared and cut off a full sentence.

In an interview with the Washington Examiner, Jordan did not directly say whether he agreed with or entertained the idea of Pence outright rejecting electoral votes. But asked whether Trump should have done anything more to call off rioters who breached the Capitol on Jan. 6, Jordan went further than he did in his book. President Trump did nothing wrong, he said.

Jordan prefers to focus on whats next for House Republicans if they take back power and sets the stage for such a scenario in his book. Democrats won back the House in 2018, he writes, in part because Republicans failed to deliver on repealing Obamacare and on immigration reform.

Top priorities while Biden remains in the White House include launching Republican-led investigations into issues such as border security and U.S. funding of virus research in Wuhan, China. Legitimate oversight, Jordan said, not this Jan. 6, you know, craziness.

Unlike other rabble-rouser household names in the Freedom Caucus, Jordan earns praise from a wide ideological variety of House Republicans. After Texas Rep. Dan Crenshaw ruffled feathers in early December by criticizing grifters in the House Republican Conference, he pointed out that he likes Jordan and doesnt put him in the same category.

CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM THE WASHINGTON EXAMINER

For those wondering why House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy does not publicly condemn or punish the more inflammatory members of his caucus, Jordans recollection of Freedom Caucus fights with former Republican Speakers John Boehner and Paul Ryan helps explain the dynamic. Both leaders publicly squabbled or even attacked the hard-line conservatives. Both suffered massive setbacks or were forced to resign after failing to earn or force support from the Freedom Caucus types.

Jordan has nothing but nice things to say about McCarthy, who made him the ranking member on the Judiciary Committee, in the book and in interviews.

Kevin McCarthy is, you know, the first leader to actually bring the entire team together, Jordan said, naming various conservative and centrist factions of the Republican Party. We have to be unified in our effort to stop where [Democrats] want to take us.

Original post:

The chronicles of Jim Jordan and Freedom Caucus Republicans - Washington Examiner

Happy Wednesday, everyone. Its the last Wednesday of 2021, so happy 4th day of Kwanzaa! The 4th principle of Kwanzaa is Ujamaa, which means cooperative economics. Continue to Shop Black and help stimulate business growth in Black communities.

Yesterday, there was a lot of news around Major League Soccer, so lets get to it, beginning with a couple of transfer rumors:

D.C. United interested in Wisa Krakw winger Yaw Yeboah - BRU

D.C. United could bring a Ghanaian international to Audi Field this offseason, as there is reported interest in Yaw Yeboah.

Report: Lorenzo Insigne to join Toronto FC in summer 2022 - MLS

Lorenzo Insigne could be the latest big name to head to the 6 and join Toronto FC.

Finally, Inter Miami is listening and doing something right:

Paulo Nagamura to be named head coach of Houston Dynamo FC - The Striker

The Houston Dynamo could have a new coach, 12-year MLS veteran Paulo Nagamura. That would be a nice hire for the Dynamo, who are looking to make some traction in the Western Conference.

D.C. United Acquire $250,000 in GAM from Charlotte FC - DCU

Charlotte FC wanted an international roster slot, so they paid D.C. United $250K for it. Nice doing business with you, Charlotte.

In more Black-and-Red news, it looks like the team will be headed to both Florida and California for their preseason.

Report: Palmeiras make $12.5m bid for NYCFC striker Taty Castellanos - MLS

MLS Golden Boot* winner Taty Castellanos may be leaving the league for Brazil, as Palmeiras makes a huge bid for the striker.

*he tied with Ola Kamara on goals, all hail Ola the Great!

AFCON 2021: Cinderella Equatorial Guinea set for landmark tournament - BBC

Equatorial Guinea have qualified for a tournament on the field for the first time ever, and theyre looking to make the most of their opportunity in the upcoming Africa Cup of Nations.

Happy New Year, everyone! Well catch you in 2022!

See more here:

Wednesday Freedom Kicks: D.C. United interested in Yaw Yeboah, Lorenzo Insigne to sign with Toronto FC - Black And Red United

Half a century ago, the Supreme Court settled the matter of when a court can stop a newspaper from publishing. In 1971, the Nixon administration attempted to block The Times and The Washington Post from publishing classified Defense Department documents detailing the history of the Vietnam War the so-called Pentagon Papers. Faced with an asserted threat to the nations security, the Supreme Court sided with the newspapers. Without an informed and free press, there cannot be an enlightened people, Justice Potter Stewart wrote in a concurring opinion.

That sentiment reflects one of the oldest and most enduring principles in our legal system: The government may not tell the press what it can and cannot publish. This principle long predates the Constitution, but so there would be no mistake, the nations founders included a safeguard in the Bill of Rights anyway. The First Amendment says, Congress shall make no law abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press.

This is why virtually every official attempt to bar speech or news reporting in advance, known as a prior restraint, gets struck down. Any system of prior restraints of expression comes to this court bearing a heavy presumption against its constitutional validity, the Supreme Court said in a 1963 case. Such restraints are the very prototype of the greatest threat to First Amendment values, Justice Antonin Scalia wrote a generation later.

On Friday, however, a New York trial court judge broke from that precedent when he issued an order blocking The Times from publishing or even reporting further on information it had obtained related to Project Veritas, the conservative sting group that traffics in hidden cameras and fake identities to target liberal politicians and interest groups, as well as traditional news outlets.

The order, a highly unusual and astonishingly broad injunction against a news organization, was issued by Justice Charles D. Wood of the State Supreme Court. He wrote that The Timess decision to publish excerpts from memos written by Project Veritass lawyers cries out for court intervention to protect the integrity of the judicial process. This ruling follows a similar directive Justice Wood issued last month in response to a story The Times published that quoted from the memos. The Times plans to appeal this latest ruling.

In requesting the order from Justice Wood, Project Veritass lawyers acknowledged that prior restraints on publication are rare, but argued that their case fits a narrow exception the law recognizes for documents that may be used in the course of ongoing litigation. This exception recognizes that because parties are forced by the court to disclose materials, courts should have the power to supervise how such forced disclosures are used by the other party. The litigation here is a libel suit Project Veritas filed against The Times in 2020, for its articles on a video the group produced about what it claimed was rampant voter fraud in Minnesota. The video was probably part of a coordinated disinformation effort, The Times reported, citing an analysis by researchers at Stanford University and the University of Washington.

The groups lawyers also argue that the memos are protected by attorney-client privilege and that The Times was under an ethical obligation to return them to Project Veritas, rather than publish them. This is not how journalism works. The Times, like any other news organization, makes ethical judgments daily about whether to disclose secret information from governments, corporations and others in the news. But the First Amendment is meant to leave those ethical decisions to journalists, not to courts. The only potential exception is information so sensitive say, planned troop movements during a war that its publication could pose a grave threat to American lives or national security.

Project Veritass legal memos are not a matter of national security. In fact, but for its ongoing libel suit, the group would have no claim against The Times at all. The memos at issue have nothing to do with that suit and did not come to The Times through the discovery process. Still, Project Veritas is arguing that their publication must be prohibited because the memos contain confidential information that is relevant to the groups litigation strategy.

Its an absurd argument and a deeply threatening one to a free press. Consider the consequences: News organizations could be routinely blocked from reporting information about a person or company simply because the subject of that reporting decided the information might one day be used in litigation. More alarming is the prospect that reporters could be barred even from asking questions of sources, lest someone say something that turns out to be privileged. This isnt a speculative fear; in his earlier order, Justice Wood barred The Times from reporting about anything covered by Project Veritass attorney-client privilege. In Fridays decision, he ordered The Times to destroy any and all copies of the memos that it had obtained, and barred it from reporting on the substance of those memos. The press is free to report on matters of public concern, he wrote, but memos from attorneys to their clients dont clear that bar.

This is a breathtaking rationale: Justice Wood has taken it upon himself to decide what The Times can and cannot report on. Thats not how the First Amendment is supposed to work.

Journalism, like democracy, thrives in an environment of transparency and freedom. No court should be able to tell The New York Times or any other news organization or, for that matter, Project Veritas how to conduct its reporting. Otherwise, it would provide an incentive for any reporters subjects to file frivolous libel suits as a means of controlling news coverage about them. More to the point, it would subvert the values embodied by the First Amendment and hobble the functioning of the free press on which a self-governing republic depends.

Read more from the original source:

Opinion | A Dangerous Ruling About The Times, Project Veritas and Press Freedom - The New York Times

To the Editor:

Happy New Year! While the Spring 2022 Elections might seem a ways away, they are just around the corner with the Spring Primary on February 15, 2022 and the Spring Election on April 5, 2022.

Make it our New Years Resolution to vote in every election in 2022 and take the pledge. Take two minutes today to get a head start on this goal by requesting all your absentee ballots for the year. Visit myvote.wi.gov today to make sure you are registered and to request all of your ballots. They may be requested at https://myvote.wi.gov/en-us/VoteAbsentee

Encourage your friends and family to take up this resolution and check-in with one another as we get closer to elections. Post the link to myvote.wi.gov on social media and tell your circle that they can request their absentee ballots today.

Check something off your to-do list by requesting all your absentee ballots for the year at myvote.wi.gov today!

The League of Women Voters, a non-partisan political organization, encourages the informed and active participation of citizens in government, works to increase understanding of major public policy issues, and influences public policy through education and advocacy. The League was founded in 1920 by Carrie Chapman Catt who was born in Ripon, Wisconsin.

For more information on local the League of Women Voters of the Ripon area please visit our Facebook page, email lwvriponarea@gmail.com or call Ellen Sorensen at 920-960-3397.

Ellen Sorensen

Ripon

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Letter: Celebrate the New Year and the freedom to vote in 2022 - Ripon Commonwealth Press

AMMAN Jordan ranked first regionally and 94th globally on the 2021 Human Freedom Index (HFI).

Co-published by the Fraser Institute and the Cato Institute, the 2021 Human Freedom Index measures personal freedom the rule of law, safety and security, identity and relationships, freedom of movement, speech, assembly and religion alongside economic freedom and the ability of individuals to make their own economic decisions.

When people are free, they have more opportunity to prosper and pursue happier healthier lives for themselves and their families, said Fred McMahon, resident fellow at the Fraser Institute and co-author of this years Human Freedom Index.

Representing 98.1 per cent of the worlds population, the index covers the period from 2008, which is the earliest year of comprehensive data, to 2019, the most recent year of comprehensive data.

The index also shows that there is an unequal distribution of freedom in the world, adding that freedom plays an important role in human wellbeing.

The Kingdom ranked 50th in economic freedom, and 115th in personal freedom, which are sub-categories in the seventh annual index, which showed that 83 per cent of the worlds population live in countries where freedom declined.

Jordan is making clear progress in the area of freedom and justice, Balqees Wasfi, a Jordanian life coach who is also experienced in the human rights and freedoms arena, told The Jordan Times on Monday.

Wasfi said that the index is important as it makes it possible for people to be more familiar with the status of world states in regard to freedoms.

Switzerland topped this years freedom index followed by New Zealand, Denmark, Estonia and Ireland. The five least-free countries are (in descending order) Egypt, Sudan, Yemen, Venezuela and Syria.

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Jordan ranks 1st regionally, 94th globally on 2021 Human Freedom Index - Jordan Times