Subcommandante Marcos and the Zapatistas

As the Zapatistas say, “Our struggle is yours.” As we go to press, Subcommadante Marcos and the Zapatista delegation are in Mexico City attempting to negotiate an indigenous Bill of Rights, long overdue after 509 years of the conquistadors. We salute their efforts and stand in solidarity with their struggle against corporate “neo-liberal” economics ravaging Central America under the guise of “Free Trade.”

THE FREE PRESS SALUTES

Columbus City Councilwoman Charleta Tavares

Once again, we salute Charleta Tavares. With the School Board moving in the opposite direction in restricting citizen input, Tavares has courageously opened up the committee she chairs on Council, the Health, Housing and Human Services Committee, to more citizen’s input. Tavares understands that when democracy isn’t working just right the solution is not to hide in the bunker, but to invite more participation.

ENEMIES OF THE PEOPLE

Ex-Columbus Public Schools Superintendent Rosa Smith

Oh no, how will we ever replace her? School Board members like Mark Hatch babble incoherently about her legacy. Let’s see. As the Freep recalls, she came to town, and within a year demanded and got a huge raise despite a multi-year contract. She then tried to steer part of an unbid $30 million computer contract to a firm where her son worked. She fired the popular principal at the Africentric School, Wanda Knight. Moved all the time. Spent a disproportionate amount of her time out of the district “networking” and hoping to land a better job. Thankfully this worked, and she bailed out leaving the district worse off than when she came and in a state of academic emergency. Of course the five out of seven Board members (all white) still sing her praises, while Loretta Heard and Bill Moss (both black) see the Clarence Thomas parallel.