With 38 years of celebrating community values and an annual feat of putting on one of Columbus' best festivals with a passionate all-volunteer crew, the Comfest organizers have our total admiration. So we were totally tickled to receive Comfest's Honored Community Organization Award for our community radio station, WCRS 102.1 and 98.3 FM this past June 26th.

In presenting the award on behalf of the Comfest Committee, Connie Everett spoke of the importance of WCRS in bringing unrepresented and underrepresented voices to Columbus listeners. Jayme Richards and Robb Ebright accepted the award on behalf of our dedicated and talented WCRS volunteers. Having just celebrated our 3rd anniversary of broadcasting, we've learned how challenging--and important--community radio is. Helpers are always welcome and needed--visit http://www.wcrsfm.org/volunteer to sign up!

Thanks to all of our dedicated helpers for greeting and talking with Festival goers at our Simply Living and WCRS booths, and for assisting the Comfest Committee with security and clean-up: Jayme Richards; Robb Ebright; Eugene Beer; Evan Davis; Pat Leonard; Joey Pigg; Adam Fleischer; Bridgette Kreuz; Cheryle Williams; Pat Roach; Ryan Branch; Kenny Acker; Carlotta Penn; Chuck Robol; Tim Anstaett; Josh Tulecke-Paulson; Kevin Menefield; and Joe Atzberger.

Here is a brief conversation with David Cobb at the First Unitarian Universalist Church of Columbus. Cobb is an activist with MovetoAmend.org. and was the 2004 presidential candidate for the Green Party.

Movetoamend.org formed in the wake of the Supreme Court’s ruling in Citizens United v. Federal Election Commission. The organization seeks to amend the US Constitution in order to abolish the legal construct of corporate personhood.

“In order to build a democratic society, we’re going to have to address the unconstitutional legal doctrine of corporate personhood. Corporations are able to overturn democratically enacted laws to protect elections, to protect the environment, to protect our safety and health, to protect workers , our food supply, water, clean air…At the end of the day, this is not just a law (for abolishing corporate personhood). It’s a legal lynchpin. It is a key to being able to create the just, compassionate and democratic society that we deserve.”

I told Cobb that some ecological thinkers, such as Richard Heinberg, reject the idea that our environmental problems would be solved simply be reigning in corporate power.

“Well, there’s no doubt about that. Reigning in corporate power or even amending the constitutions will give us the tools we need to address the problems that we have. A key problem that we have is that we are literally destroying the planet faster than it can replenish itself

“The materialistic, consumer-driven culture that is dependent on burning so-called cheap oil for energy, transportation, and even to produce to food, is going to come to an end. And we don’t have anything on the horizon to replace it. So I agree with my friend Rick Heinberg that the party is over and it’s up to us to transition to a new way of being on this planet.