Tag Archive for 'Ohio'

TAKE ACTION! Keep New Hi-Q Factory Farm Out of Ohio!

February 16, 2011 0 Comments Tags: action item, Ohio, vegan.

Today Mercy for Animals sent out a long-awaited update on the fight to stop Hi-Q Egg Products from building their new factory farm here in Central Ohio.

The short version: Hi Q’s permits are still pending approval from the Ohio Department of Agriculture and we have until February 22nd to email the ODA and speak out against this. Your voice can make a HUGE difference in the lives of SIX MILLION chickens, not to mention the community that would be left to deal with this horrific facility.

Dead/mangled/diseased chickens are normal occurrences on factory farms like the one Hi-Q wants to build.

If you’re not familiar with battery cages, check out this Virtual Battery Cage for a few minutes to get a glimpse of the hellish lives battery-caged factory-farmed chickens endure.

Another link worth checking out is Your Daily Vegan’s in-depth post on this issue, including a break-down of what exactly Hi-Q’s factory farm will bring to Ohio (hint: LOTS and LOTS of chicken poop, disease, and contaminated water.)

Here’s the full update from Mercy for Animals:

Please take a moment to contact Jim Zehringer, Director of the Ohio Department of Agriculture, who also serves as the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board Chairman, to ask him to deny the permits Hi-Q Egg Products needs to build a 15 layer-house egg-production facility in York Township, north of Marysville, Ohio that would confine six million hens.

In mid December 2010, dozens of MFA supporters crowded the Ohio Department of Agriculture’s conference room in protest over the proposed permits during a multi-day hearing. The hearing officer is now expected to hand his findings to Zehringer on February 22nd. Chairman Zehringer will ultimately make the final decision on this case.

The millions of hens who could be confined at the proposed Hi-Q Egg Farm would be forced to live crammed together inside battery cages – small, barren wire cages stacked in rows inside filthy windowless sheds. Battery cages are typically the size of a file drawer and confine five to seven hens, giving each bird only 67 square inches of floor space – an area smaller than a notebook-sized piece of paper. Sickness and disease run rampant on factory farms when animals are forced to live in dirty and unsanitary conditions.

In addition to cruelly confining six million hens, Hi-Q Egg Farm would reportedly produce at least 74,000 tons of chicken manure and 23 million gallons of manure-contaminated egg-wash water each year, creating an environmental and public food safety risk.

Hi-Q has been attempting to build its farm for years and has met much resistance from the residents of Ohio. We must continue to speak for the millions of hens that would suffer as a result of this new factory farm, but time is of the essence!

What You Can Do

Please take a moment today to contact Director Zehringer at:
administration@agri.ohio.gov

You can also e-mail your comments to the Board at:
livestockstandardsboard@agri.ohio.gov or send a letter to: Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, 8995 East Main Street, Reynoldsburg, OH 43068.

Politely ask Jim Zehringer and the Ohio Department of Agriculture not to permit Hi-Q Egg Products to build their enormous egg factory farm in our great state. Please send your letter before February 22nd and include in your correspondence your full name and the city in which you live.

Sample Letter:

Dear Director Zehringer,

As a constituent and resident of Ohio, I ask that you deny permits to Hi-Q Egg Products to keep a new battery-cage factory egg farm out of Ohio. This proposed Hi-Q Egg farm would harm the public and violate the values and ideals of Ohioans. Not only are factory farms repositories for unconscionable animal cruelty and neglect, they threaten human health, the environment and local economies. Further, sickness and disease run rampant on factory farms when animals are forced to live in dirty and unsanitary conditions.

Hi-Q is bad for animals, the environment, neighboring communities and the state of Ohio. Please don’t allow this egg factory farm to be built.

Sincerely,

Your Name
Your City, State

We need your help to give a voice to the voiceless – one email today may help save six million hens. Tell Zehringer that animal abuse has no place in Ohio!

Thank you for helping farmed animals in Ohio.

PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE take a couple minutes and speak out against Hi-Q.

After you’re done, spread the word— post this information on Facebook, Twitter, email your friends and family, anything you can think of.

We’re talking about SIX MILLION CHICKENS. The amount of pollution, suffering, and death that would result is unimaginable.

We simply CANNOT let this happen.

Six Million Chickens

Twenty Miles From the Conklin Dairy Farm…

May 27, 2010 10 Comments Tags: Ohio, vegan.

Like many people that watched the Conklin Dairy abuse video, I hardly got any sleep Tuesday night. Those 3.5 minutes of footage evoked a level of rage I’ve never experienced in my entire life.

I was so consumed by anger I couldn’t begin to quantify it with words. I had to force myself to just copy and paste the story here, if I attempted to include any commentary it would’ve been pure expletives. Having returned to a slightly more rational frame of mind, I still continue to be haunted by its horrific images.

It helped a little to watch the next day as the story got tons of coverage by the media. Better yet was hearing about the first arrest. But that only brought up new anger about the lack of legal protection afforded to farm animals. The penalty for all of that cruelty inflicted? Only a second-degree misdemeanor in Ohio— a pathetic $750 fine and up to 90 days in jail. Nothing close to justice. Even more, we’re still waiting for Gary Conklin to be arrested. Clearly shown kicking a cow in the video, he has yet to be charged with anything.

The investigation is still in its beginning stages and there is plenty to be depressed and angry about.

Now is the perfect time to remember that 20 miles away from the Conklin Dairy Farm there’s a happy ending to one cruel chapter of the dairy industry. His name is Wesley.

Wesley No use to his owner since he’s male and therefore can’t produce milk, he was chained up, starving, and almost too weak to stand when he was rescued by Mindy Mallett, founder of Sunrise Sanctuary.

If you think cows are mindless animals with no personalities, you have to meet this one. Everyone who has will agree: Wesley is a puppy trapped in a cow’s body. Given free reign to roam anywhere on the farm, he often walks onto the back deck and peers into Mindy’s window, whining to come inside. In the winter he likes to fall asleep covered up with a blanket. Oh, and I can hardly leave out this tip— Wesley loves apple juice.

Once you meet him you’ll understand what all the hype is about. Wesley is quite the charmer. A perfect reminder of how incredibly intelligent and loving these animals can be.

Sunrise Sanctuary is home to over 80 other rescued animals, including chickens, ducks, turkeys, goats, llamas, cats, dogs, and more. Each have their own story, some more horrific than others, but all have the same happy and compassionate ending.

They’re having a fundraiser on Saturday, June 12th, it’s the perfect opportunity to come out and meet Wesley, along with all the other animals. If you need a break from the heart-wrenching Conklin Dairy story, a visit to Sunrise is sure to lift your spirits.

Wesley is a reminder that groups like Sunrise Sanctuary and Mercy for Animals deserve our energy, not pieces of garbage like Conklin and Gregg. If you’re angry about what happened, I strongly suggest:

Stop consuming ALL dairy. Conklin Dairy is not an exception, they are the rule. It does nothing to boycott whatever company may happen to distribute Conklin’s milk, the dairy industry is HUGE, there are countless more operating the same way. Even “humane” dairy farming is cruel. Like humans, cows only produce milk when they’re pregnant, so the cows are kept perpetually pregnant, the resulting baby calves taken away immediately and sold to the veal industry. If you’re opposed to eating veal, you should be opposed to the dairy industry that supplies it.
Support compassion. Whether it’s financially or as a volunteer, I highly encourage you to support Mercy for Animals and their important undercover investigations, as well as rescue organizations like Sunrise Sanctuary.
Sign the petition for Ohioans for Humane Farms, a citizen-backed ballot initiative to prevent some of the cruelest factory farming practices in Ohio. The measure will require the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board to adopt certain minimum standards that will prevent animal cruelty, improve health and food safety, support family farms and safeguard the environment throughout the state of Ohio.

Of course I’m as anxious as everyone else to see justice prevail in this story. While we wait, it helps to remember Wesley.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
- Gandhi

Ohio Dairy Farm Brutality

May 25, 2010 3 Comments Tags: Ohio, OUTRAGED, vegan.

I’m waaaay too angry to write at the moment, I can only copy this straight from Mercy for Animals’ website.

Un-fucking-believable. This happened 30 minutes from where I live.

Chilling undercover footage recorded during a new Mercy For Animals investigation exposes dairy farm workers sadistically abusing cows and young calves.

Captured on hidden camera, the shocking scenes of abuse reveal a culture of cruelty at Conklin Dairy Farms in Plain City, Ohio.

During a four-week investigation between April and May, MFA’s investigator documented farm workers:

Violently punching young calves in the face, body slamming them to the ground, and pulling and throwing them by their ears
Routinely using pitchforks to stab cows in the face, legs and stomach
Kicking “downed” cows (those too injured to stand) in the face and neck – abuse carried out and encouraged by the farm’s owner
Maliciously beating restrained cows in the face with crowbars – some attacks involving over 40 blows to the head
Twisting cows’ tails until the bones snapped
Punching cows’ udders
Bragging about stabbing, dragging, shooting, breaking bones, and beating cows and calves to death

After viewing the footage, Dr. Bernard Rollin, distinguished professor of animal science at Colorado State University, stated:

“This is probably the most gratuitous, sustained, sadistic animal abuse I have ever seen. The video depicts calculated, deliberate cruelty, based not on momentary rage but on taking pleasure through causing pain to cows and calves who are defenseless.”

Immediately upon completion of the investigation, Mercy For Animals contacted the City Prosecutor’s Office of Marysville regarding the ongoing pattern of abuse at Conklin Dairy Farms. MFA is pushing for employees of the facility to be criminally prosecuted for violating Ohio’s animal cruelty laws.

The deplorable conditions uncovered at Conklin Dairy Farms highlight the reality that animal agriculture is incapable of self-regulation and that meaningful federal and state laws must be implemented and strengthened to prevent egregious cruelty to farmed animals.

Although many of the abuses documented at Conklin Dairy Farms are sadistic in nature, numerous MFA undercover investigations at dairy farms, pig farms, egg farms, hatcheries and slaughterhouses have revealed that violence and abuse to farmed animals – whether malicious or institutionalized – runs rampant nationwide.

Compassionate consumers can end their direct financial support of farmed animal abuse by rejecting dairy, and other animal products, and adopting a vegan diet.

Issue 2 Update

October 29, 2009 2 Comments Tags: issue 2, local, Ohio, political.

With less than a week to go before the November 3rd election, here’s a quick update on Issue 2.

Some noteworthy news articles:

NO on Issue 2 – Toledo Blade, 10/28/09

“Regardless of how anyone feels about the treatment of farm animals, Issue 2 is poor public policy, and it should be defeated.

The Ohio Constitution should never be used to promote the interests of specific individuals, businesses, or industries. The reasonable approach to balancing the needs of Ohio’s farming industry and the concerns of animal-rights groups would have been to follow Michigan’s example and work out a compromise in state law that would protect both farmers and farm animals.”
Livestock care is key in Issue 2 debate – Columbus Dispatch, 10/25/09

In case there’s any doubt about this being big business, consider Ohio’s 2008 agriculture numbers:

• 4 million pigs were raised on 4,000 farms. Another 170,000 sows were used for breeding.
• 27 million hens laid 7.1 billion eggs. There were 57.5 million chickens and 6 million turkeys raised for meat.
• 1.2 million beef cattle came from 15,000 farms. Another 700,000 calves were marketed for veal.
Controversial proposal is battle over who regulates agriculture industry – Dayton Daily News, 10/25/09

While the Ohio Constitution authorizes a state board of education, boards typically aren’t prescribed in that document, said Charles Hallinan, a University of Dayton law professor and constitutional scholar.

“It’s an oddity,” Hallinan said of Issue 2. “It is unusual enough that it would give me pause to include it in the constitution.”
Issue 2 Spending – Columbus Dispatch, 10/23/09

Backers of state Issue 2, the proposed constitutional amendment to create the Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board, gave more than $4 million to that cause.

“Contributions to Issue 2 are about much more than just supporting a ballot measure,” said Jack Fisher, executive vice president of the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation and treasurer of Ohioans for Livestock Care Political Action Committee.

“They are really an investment in educating all Ohioans on farmers’ commitment to excellent animal care and to providing safe, affordable, locally grown food for our consumers.”

Issue 2 supporters said about $3 million of the total came from Ohio family farmers and groups representing farm organizations.

Records show about $1.2 million came via more than 100 donations from out-of-state organizations, ranging from the Delaware Farm Bureau to the Arizona Pork Council to the Texas Turkey Federation to the Hawaii Cattlemen’s Council. Eli Lily Co. of Indianapolis added $25,000.

The drive to pass state Issue 2 was led by a dozen six-figure donations. The Ohio Farm Bureau chipped in about $535,000 overall, although the largest single contribution, $200,000, came from United Egg Producers in Alpharetta, Ga.
Justice calls State Issue 2 misuse of constitution – Columbus Dispatch, 10/20/09

O’Connor said the state constitution is a “much bigger document” that should not be amended to include policy decisions, such as livestock care, that are best left to lawmakers.

O’Connor, who plans to run for chief justice next year, said backers of Issue 2 understand that once something is added to the constitution, it will take “an arm and a leg” to overturn it, the paper reported.

The most recent list of groups who officially oppose Issue 2 (I’m sure I’m missing some):

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
Capital Area Humane Society
Center for Food Safety
Cleveland Animal Protective League
Clintonville Community Market
Coalition to Ban Ohio Dog Auctions
Columbus Top Dogs
Cornucopia Institute
Family Farm Defenders
Farm Sanctuary
Food & Water Watch
Geauga Humane Society
Grand Lake St. Mary’s Improvement Association
Humane Society of the United States
League of Humane Voters of Ohio
League of Women Voters of Ohio
Libertarian Party of Ohio
Local Matters
Mercy for Animals
Ohio Conference on Fair Trade
Ohio Connections to Whole Food and Nutritional Healing
Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association
The Ohio Environmental Stewardship Alliance
Ohio Environmental Council
Ohio Farmers Union
Ohio Freedom Alliance
Ohio Sierra Club
Organic Consumers Association
Progress Ohio
The Wellness Forum
Toledo Area Humane Society
Western Lake Erie Water Keepers Association
Weston A. Price Foundation
Williams County Alliance
Wood County Citizens Opposed to Factory Farms
Working Families Win – Ohio Chapter

Continue reading ‘Issue 2 Update’

Ohio’s Issue 2: Why I’m Voting NO

October 3, 2009 4 Comments Tags: issue 2, local, Ohio, political.

10/29/09 UPDATE: Please read my Issue 2 update here.

10/17/09 UPDATE: Welcome everyone who is researching the 2009 Ohio ballot issues! An educated voter is a wonderful thing.

Here is the most recent list of groups who OPPOSE Issue 2 (please note, PETA is NOT listed or involved in this issue, that’s a myth designed to scare voters):

American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA)
Capital Area Humane Society
Center for Food Safety
Cleveland Animal Protective League
Clintonville Community Market
Coalition to Ban Ohio Dog Auctions
Columbus Top Dogs
Cornucopia Institute
Family Farm Defenders
Farm Sanctuary
Food & Water Watch
Geauga Humane Society
Grand Lake St. Mary’s Improvement Association
Humane Society of the United States
League of Humane Voters of Ohio
League of Women Voters of Ohio
Libertarian Party of Ohio
Local Matters
Mercy for Animals
Ohio Conference on Fair Trade
Ohio Connections to Whole Food and Nutritional Healing
Ohio Ecological Food and Farming Association
The Ohio Environmental Stewardship Alliance
Ohio Farmers Union
Ohio Freedom Alliance
Ohio Sierra Club
Organic Consumers Association
Progress Ohio
The Wellness Forum
Toledo Area Humane Society
Western Lake Erie Water Keepers Association
Weston A. Price Foundation
Williams County Alliance
Wood County Citizens Opposed to Factory Farms
Working Families Win – Ohio Chapter

Also, be sure to read the final text of Issue 2, exactly as it will appear on your ballot November 3rd.

I’ve been meaning to write about Issue 2, a sneaky little campaign (backed by factory farms and Big Ag) that would create the “Ohio Livestock Care Standards Board.” Since this op-ed letter I just wrote to Outlook News pretty much summarizes where I stand, I’ll go ahead and copy it here.

For more information on this issue, please check out OhioACT.org (Ohioans Against Constitutional Takeover) and the Facebook group I’ve created: Ohioans Against Issue 2. On both sites you can download flyers, view recent news articles about the issue, and more.

To: hayes@outlookmedia.com, mdaniels@outlookmedia.com
Subject: Issue 2 endorsement

Dear Mr. Daniels,

I was highly disappointed to find an endorsement of Issue 2 in the latest issue of Outlook. Disappointed for many reasons.

The first reason is the obvious lack of research on the issue. Did you take your summary of the issue straight off the Farm Bureau’s website? Did you read ANY opposing arguments? Did you look at the list of groups who oppose it? This list includes the Capital Area Humane Society, Ohio League of Women Voters, Organic Consumers Association, Ohio Sierra Club, Ohio Farmers Union, Food & Water Watch… the list goes on.

Do you know how quickly the ballot measure was pushed through the Ohio legislature, passing through the House and Senate in just 6 days? Talk about suspicious. Issue 2 came about as a knee-jerk reaction to the idea of dealing with the Humane Society’s potential focus on expanding animal welfare laws in the state of Ohio. Rather than leave the decision up to voters who may decide farm animals deserve better treatment (as was recently the case in Michigan and California), the Farm Bureau decided to take matters into their own hands and shrug off the democratic process completely, saying they will regulate themselves. The fox wants to guard the henhouse, literally.

Issue 2 would amend the Ohio Constitution, an action that should NEVER be taken lightly. Creating a Livestock Care Standards Board takes away power from the voters, as all future animal-welfare decisions would be decided upon and handed down by this unelected 13-member group. Did Outlook investigate the would-be members of this board? To put it simply: they’re not looking out for animals or food safety, they’re pawns for Big Agribusiness. Not to mention the cost of creating this new board. Can Ohio really afford this right now? Expanding government always means expanding the budget.

Also worth mentioning is the effect it will have on Ohio’s small farmers, who would have even more regulation to deal with if Issue 2 passes. That does not mean safer food, historically this has resulted in increased costs for small farmers who end up going out of business, then factory farms and Big Ag gladly take over. Factory farms certainly do not provide safer food, and absolutely do not provide better care for animals.

This is not “Ohioans taking care of Ohioans” — this is Big Agribusiness taking care of themselves. I can’t believe Outlook News fell victim to the Farm Bureau’s campaign. You’ve done a disservice to your readers by taking the lazy road to arrive at your endorsement decision, and it will be Ohio’s small farms and animals that suffer.

It’s convenient that Outlook is now a monthly publication, since even if this letter made it to print, it would be too late for anyone to see. Nevertheless, I feel obligated to speak out against this ignorant endorsement.

“The greatness of a nation and its moral progress can be judged by the way its animals are treated.”
- Mohandas Gandhi

Support Raw Milk Freedom in the Buckeye State

January 21, 2009 0 Comments Tags: health, libertarian, Ohio.

Hey Ohio, did you know the state’s raw milk ordinance essentially makes it illegal to sell non-pasteurized milk?

“No raw milk retailer shall sell, offer for sale, or expose for sale raw milk to the ultimate consumer…”

We’ve been brought up to believe that milk HAS to be pasteurized or else you’ll get sick. But is that really true? A lot of evidence suggests no, I’d suggest you go Googling if you want to learn more. Obviously, as a vegan I personally don’t want to consume raw milk. I don’t think it’s natural to drink the milk of another animal — NO other species does this besides humans. And no other species drinks milk beyond infancy. But — as a libertarian, I support the political aspect of this fight.

From a political perspective, what business is it of the State to tell you what’s safe to eat and drink? Just last month we saw what Ohio does if you sell food they don’t approve of.

Why not let the State and their “experts” do the thinking and regulating for you? Keep in mind the people determining safe milk vs. unsafe milk are the same ones telling you that every day you should drink 8 glasses of fluoridated water, consume 2-3 servings of fattening, diseased, and tortured meat, use aspartame (rat poison) and saccharin (carcinogen) instead of sugar if you want to lose weight, accept genetically-modified corn as a modern marvel that will save the planet from starvation, consume 3-5 servings of fruits and vegetables sprayed with pesticides, and keep using high-fructose corn syrup because it’s “fine in moderation” and better than natural alternatives like stevia or xylitol. Not a very good foundation for trust here.

To illustrate the utter (or should I say “udder”) ridiculousness of the State’s power over our food, I’d like to share a video that a friend of mine is entering into the Sammy’s Contest. Please watch and rate it so we have a better shot at winning.

Without further ado, I give you “Secret Agent Pam” (also my first theatrical debut):

(Can’t see the video? Click here.)

Update on Ohio’s HJR 8 Call for Constitutional Convention

December 10, 2008 0 Comments Tags: Constitution, Liberty, Ohio.

Thanks to Infowars and The New American for picking up this story!

12/22 Update #3: The fight against the Ohio Con-Con now has its own website: StopTheConCon.org, check it out!

12/12 Update #2: Thanks to Anthony from We Are Change Ohio here are videos our testimonies (7 total):

12/12 UPDATE: Just got this update from Teri, one of the ten who testified on Monday — THE CONSTITUTION HAS PREVAILED! …But only for now. This battle WILL resurface next session, which means we must KEEP CALLING AND EMAILING, be ready for January!!

I have personally gotten confirmation from both Senator Carey’s office (chairman in Senate committee) as well as Representative Huffman’s office (sponsor of House bill) that neither committee will be having any further meetings or votes on the con-con bills for the remainder of this legislative session.

It appears that the Con-Con is dead – at least for this legislative session. But we still need to keep our eyes open and keep the pressure on until the end of the year when the legislature adjourns.

“Anything can happen until the general assembly adjourns sine die,* which may be held off until the very end of the year, given the instability of the state’s budget…they may, or the governor could, call an emergency session to deal with issues, so we need to stay on guard until that last gavel drops on the 127th G.A.” – Barry Sheets of the Institute for Principled Policy.

I had a lengthy conversation with Lisa Valentine of Huffman’s office regarding what they expect to do in the next general assembly. I will be posting that next. In short, they will be re-introducing the legislation in the next assembly.

We MUST stay on top of this, keep calling and emailing our Reps and Senators, keep making YouTube videos, be ready for the next legislative session! This is not “The End”, this is only “To Be Continued.”

——————-

12/11 UPDATE: THE FIGHT ISN’T OVER YET, remain vigilant!

The Senate version was introduced on Tuesday and could potentially have a hearing next week. Anyone in Ohio, please GET THERE and TESTIFY against it!

If you can’t make it here to Columbus, I strongly urge you to use the Ohio Freedom Alliance e-mail tool, SLAM (State Liberty Action Mailer), to contact all the Ohio Senators and tell them to vote NO: http://www.ohiofreedom.com/SLAM/issue.php?issueid=3. It’s so easy and will only take a minute of your time, please use it!

And don’t forget, we must keep up the House front of this fight as well, please use the SLAM tool to email the Ohio House too: http://www.ohiofreedom.com/SLAM/issue.php?issueid=2

If you prefer calling and emailing individually, here are the numbers and email addresses for the House Judiciary Committee and Senate Finance Committee members, where the bills have been assigned:

HOUSE JUDICIAL COMMITTEE
Louis W. Blessing, Jr. (614) 466-9091, district29@ohr.state.oh.us
Kevin Bacon (614) 644-6030, district21@ohr.state.oh.us
William G. Batchelder (614) 466-8140, district69@ohr.state.oh.us
William P. Coley, II (614) 466-8550, district55@ohr.state.oh.us
Larry L. Flowers (614) 466-4847, district19@ohr.state.oh.us
Josh Mandel (614) 644-6041, district17@ohr.state.oh.us
Sandra Stabile Harwood (614) 466-3488, district65@ohr.state.oh.us
Armond Budish (614) 466-5441, district08@ohr.state.oh.us
Stephen Dyer (614) 466-1790, district43@ohr.state.oh.us
Mark D. Okey (614) 466-1464, district61@ohr.state.oh.us
Michael Skindell (614) 466-5921, district13@ohr.state.oh.us

SENATE FINANCE AND FINANCIAL INSTITUTIONS COMMITTEE
Keith Faber (614)466-7584, SD12@senate.state.oh.us
Tom Niehaus (614)466-8082, SD14@senate.state.oh.us
Joy Padgett (614)466-8076, SD20@senate.state.oh.us
Mark Wagoner (614)466-8060, SD02@senate.state.oh.us
Capri S. Cafaro (614)466-7182, senatorcafaro@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Eric H. Kearney (614)466-5980, Senatorkearney@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Tom Sawyer (614)466-7041, senatorsawyer@maild.sen.state.oh.us
Jason H. Wilson (614)466-6508, senatorwilson@maild.sen.state.oh.us

Good news: we were all able to testify against the bill today, and we gave them a response they weren’t expecting. There were 10 of us who spoke out against it, ZERO who spoke in support.

Members from Campaign for Liberty, Ohio Freedom Alliance, We Are Change Ohio, John Birch Society, Institute for Principled Policy, Constitution Party of Ohio, and the Libertarian Party of Ohio showed up in support, most of them testified.

After seeing how many of us came, Committee Chairman Blessing changed his mind and decided not to vote on it today. In fact, he acted like it was a mistake that the paper said “possible vote.” Teri (OFA, JBS, CPO) thinks it’ll probably be voted on at the next committee meeting (which will also probably not include further testimony) so we’ll need to keep watching. The Senate version (SJR 9) was introduced yesterday as well, but last I heard it hasn’t yet been assigned to a committee. Still another thing to keep an eye on.

The committee had some questions and a couple repeatedly voiced concerns, enough so that I definitely think we have a good shot at getting this defeated.
Continue reading ‘Update on Ohio’s HJR 8 Call for Constitutional Convention’