Who Killed Indy’s comprehensive smoking ban? or a Sad day for Indy

 

Terrible.  Indy politicians have once again missed an opportunity to improve the health of our community.  There’s a lot of blame to go around about why the city council has once again failed to pass a [nearly] comprehensive public smoking ban.

Mayor Greg Ballard is one person to hold accountable.  Matthew Tully in today’s star writes that the mayor  walked into a closed-door meeting with council Republicans and made it clear he didn’t want the ordinance to land on his desk.” Tully points out that as a canidiate for Indy mayor Ballard approved of a comprehensive smoking ban.

Democrats aren’t blameless either.  First of all, if council Democrats had made a stand during the Peterson era about smoking (or anything, really), this would be a mute point. Indy would have long ago joined the 21st century when it comes to public health.  But Peterson and the council back then weren’t about taking bold stands.

And on the city council, Democrats should feel embarrassed.  Council member Dane Mahern abstained from the vote because, as Tully reported, his father is a lobbyist for the tobacco industry. Heaven forbid, you take a stand that might bump against your father’s business interests.   More so, Mahern had his father host a fundraiser for him within a week of the scheduled smoking ban vote.

This was a chance to be a truly bipartisan and  other Democrats didnt’ show up.  Council member Doris Minton-McNeal, Monroe Gray, and, already mentioned Mahern, abstained from voting.  Their abstentions helped kill the bill and  Minton-McNeal didn’t even bother to show up.

Whatever the reasons, other Democrats who voted against the bill include Duke Oliver and Vernon Brown.

Thanks should go to  Democrats Jose Evans and Angela Mansfield and Republicans Barbara Malone and Ryan Hunter for taking a strong stand for making Indianapolis a better place to live.   And don’t forget to thank Smoke Free Indy.

 

http://www.indystar.com/article/20091028/NEWS08/910280381/Tully++Ballard+threat+helped+kill+smoking+ban

Filed under: Broad Ripple, Indiana, Indianapolis, Indianapolis Star, Indianapolis politics, POlitics, city council, community, community organizing, economy, progressive , Indianapolis, POlitics, Greg Ballard, Indianapolis Star, city council, Indianapolis politics, Bart Peterson, Jose Evans, smoke free indy, smoking, ban, smoking ban, angela mansfield, ryan hunter, doris minton-mcneal, monroe gray, vernon brown, duke olliver, barbara malone, dane mahern, mayor, comprehensive smoking ban, matthew tully

Organize Your Own Movement! My problem with the far left.

The far left is starting to really bug me.  I like Noam Chomsky just as much as the next guy, but get a grip!

The following is from a column on Common Dreams entitled “After Obama”: “President Obama has become the personification of the very Bush administration policies that Candidate Obama so roundly criticized.”

Is this guy crazy?  (He seems like a nice enough guy on his website.)  But comparing Obama to Bush is almost as zany as comparing Obama to Hitler.

Anyway, here is Mr. Chomsky on a post 2008 election wrap up on Demoracy Now:

It’s brand Obama. That his army was mobilized to bring him to office. They regard that as a good thing, accepting the Lippman conception of democracy, the ignorant and meddlesome outsiders are supposed to do what they’re told and then go home.

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the tremendous grassroots army that has been developed, which is now waiting for instructions. What should they do next to press forward Obama’s agenda?

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whatever it is, the army’s supposed to be out there taking instructions, and press work.

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What they don’t seem to realize is what they’re describing, the ideal of what they’re describing, is dictatorship, not democracy.

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The goal of advertising is to create uninformed consumers who will make irrational choices.

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And when they turn to selling a candidate they do the same thing. They want uninformed consumers, you know, uninformed voters to make irrational choices

I am a big fan of Chomsky.  I get where he is coming from.  Obama will probalby fall short of creating utopia.

But where is Chomsky’s “tremendous grassroots army”?  As brilliant as Chomsky is,  he wasn’t able to beat back Nixonism or Reaganism or Bushism.  I’m not sure if Chomsky could get legislation passed at the city council level.

Prophetic works and words are not enough. It is a start but it takes getting your hands dirty and fighting back.

And that’s why Obama won the election. Not because voters were “uninformed consumers” but because they wanted change and went out and organized to get it.

Filed under: Barack Obama, POlitics, community, germany, history, jesus, progressive , George W. Bush, Noam Chomsky, Democracy Now, Barack Obama, Obama, social justice, hitler, democracy, change, organizing, grassroots, social change, advertising, dictatorship, grassroots army, after obama, chomsky, critique, adolph hitler, far left

An Emergent Church Wins Best House of Worship

This week’s 2009 Best of Indianapolis Nuvo came out.  Nuvo is Indianapolis’ alternative weekly and averages about 250,000 readers a week.  Our small emergent church, Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church, won Best House of Worship.

Last summer our church lost its pastor, lost most of its membership, and, now  a year later, we were voted Best House of Worship. Not only that, our cultural partner, Earth House (we decided to transform our large downtown church space into an ecumenical gathering space for wellness, arts, and social justice) was voted Best New Restaurant and our sanctuary was voted Best space.

Best house of worship: Lockerbie Central UMC

At Lockerbie Central, worship is just one form of expression for a community with a conscious. These progressive Methodists also clothe and feed the homeless, run an organic café, screen documentaries about social issues, display local artwork and host poetry slams, yoga, dancers and drum circles. They describe themselves as a “lay-led” congregation and “strive to worship in a communal and conversational manner,” designing services based on discussion in meetings and on their blog. It’s hard to find the line between their congregation and their community space — and that’s a good thing. www.lockerbiecentral.com, 237 N. East St., 637-2716
Second: St. Luke’s UMC
Third: Jesus Metropolitan Church

Best new local restaurant: Earth House Café
As a collective, Earth House Café is the perfect place to stay in touch with the community and important issues. Earth House is Indiana’s only 100 percent organic and fair trade coffee shop, offering coffee and tea drinks as well as organic foods on Friday nights and during events. Along with delicious food and drink, Earth House also offers classes like yoga and African drumming as well as exhibiting local artists, musicians and films. Earth House creates a community of like-minded people working together to make positive changes through art, music, creativity and communication. Check out the Web site for a great supplement. www.earthhousecollective.org, 237 East St., 636-4060
Second: Stanley’s New York Deli
Third: Euphoria

(Editor’s) Best space: Earth House sanctuary
There’s something about the echoing, enveloping acoustics in old churches that moves even this non-believer. The Earth House has lucked out in getting two performance spaces, both a stage at the first floor café and a high-ceilinged sanctuary on the second floor. With pews removed and organs unplugged, the refurbished sanctuary has become a versatile performance venue, big enough for a theater piece but also great for a more unconventional setup, like bands playing one after another in each corner of the space. Kudos to the Earth House crew for putting in the time to renovate both floors; now it’s time for some more bands and troupes to take advantage of the space. www.earthhousecollective.org

One of our Earth House members won an award too:

(Editor’s) Best series, flannel shirt category: Indianapolis Songwriters Café
The Indianapolis Songwriters Café, Cliff Snyder’s showcase of the best Indiana singer-songwriters and a select few from farther abroad, has trudged through multiple venues in its first year while maintaining a consistently high level of talent and clarity of vision. It’s a familiar setup, though too rare in this town: three performers in the round, swapping songs and stories. After beginning life at the now-shuttered Boulevard Place Café, the series has found a new home at the Earth House, a perfect, relaxed coffee house setting for a show that’s too quiet and intimate for any old bar. www.indianapolissongwriterscafe.com

Filed under: Christians, Earth House, Indianapolis, Lockerbie Central United Methodist Church, POlitics, Thursday Night Film Festival, bible, church, community, documentary, emergent church, environment, film, united methodist , Indianapolis, Indiana, Earth House, homeless, lockerbie central, NUVO, social justice, emergent, film, united methodist, lockerbie central united methodist, documentary, music, best house of worship, alternative weekly, collective, sanctuary, best space, best of indianapolis, award, coffee house, best new restaurant, lay-led, yoga, dance, wellness, drumming, african drumming, organic cafe, organic, fair trade, screenings, St. Luke's UMC, Jesus Metropolitian church, local art, no pews, pews, theater, performance venue, Indianapolis song writer's cafe, coffee hosue