Online Clock Desktop Calendar

 
UPCOMING EVENTS



COLUMBUS ARTS FESTIVAL NOW ACCEPTING SUBMISSIONS FROM LOCAL ARTISTS FOR 50th ANNIVERSARY COMMEMORATIVE PRINT COMPETITION - 2011 will mark the 50th Anniversary of the Columbus Arts Festival presented by Time Warner Cable. To celebrate this momentous occasion, local artists from Franklin and surrounding counties are called to submit designs for the Columbus Arts Festival Commemorative Art Print. The ideal work will capture the spirit and vibrancy of the arts in Columbus—and represent the impact the Columbus Arts Festival has had on the city over the past 50 years.  The deadline to submit work for the competition is Tuesday, November 30, 2010. For official guidelines and to download application, please go to ColumbusArtsFestival.org. For more information contact Leah Alters, Columbus Arts Festival director at lalters@gcac.org.

The Arnold Sports Festival, co-produced by California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jim Lorimer, is the largest multi-sport festival in the nation. The March 3-6 event will attract an estimated 175,000 attendees to see nearly 18,000 athletes competing in 45 sports and events, including 12 Olympic sports.



Greenlee Personal Fitness is hosting an exciting event! Fall Forward into Healthy Habits will take place on Saturday, October 2, 2010 from 9:00 AM to 1:00 PM at the Greenlee Personal Fitness studio located at 4425 North High Street, Suite 100. Contact 614-264-7626 or via email for more information or with any questions.


Thiossane Fall Community Dance & Drum Classes FALL SHOWCASE CONCERT – NOV 12 & 13, 2010 @ King Arts Complex - class participants to perform
 
 
Let’s Be More Like George W. Bush. Seriously.

Columbus Mayor Michael B. Coleman

Demagoguery has always flourished during times of national unease. And so it is not surprising that while Americans grapple with the consequences of war and recession, media personalities and future presidential hopefuls are preying on their fears.

For the past several weeks, talk radio and cable news has been abuzz with the controversy regarding the proposed Islamic center in lower Manhattan, not far from the site of the 2001 terrorist attacks that killed thousands of people and destroyed the World Trade Center.

Because of the hyperbole with which this topic has been discussed in the media, it is understandable—though regrettable—that many Americans have a negative reaction to the proposal. It is extremely unfortunate, however, that some of our would-be leaders are using this moment to fan the flames of division and intolerance.

The question of whether Muslims in New York have the right to build an Islamic Center near Ground Zero isn’t really a question at all: Of course they do; this is America. Religious freedom is one of the foundations upon which this nation was built. Every American has the right to worship how and where they see fit.

This principle, enshrined in the First Amendment to the Constitution, is one of many that make me proud to be an American. But others apparently think it should be revisited. For example, former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich recently suggested that when it comes to religious freedom, America should follow the lead of Saudi Arabia.

“There should be no mosque near Ground Zero in New York so long as there are no churches or synagogues in Saudi Arabia,” Gingrich said.

Gingrich is clearly hoping to ride this issue all the way to the 2012 Republican presidential nomination, though I don’t know that suggesting that America take its cues from an Islamic theocracy is the best strategy.

Not all opponents of the New York mosque are making as radical a case as the former House speaker. Some have acknowledged that Muslims have the right to build a mosque in lower Manhattan, but say they should have the decency to refrain from exercising that right because of the attacks of nine years ago.

That argument runs counter to the spirit of our country—a land where all are welcome, despite cultural, ethnic and religious differences. It also runs counter to the message of tolerance toward our Muslim brothers and sisters that was espoused immediately after the 9/11 attacks by President George W. Bush.

Bush did a lot of things wrong—disastrously so—after the 2001 terrorist attacks. But much to his credit, he understood the importance of embracing American Muslims at that delicate time, rather than marginalizing them.

I cannot believe I’m about to say this, but on this issue, we should be more Bush-like. Okay, I said it.