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"The first messenger that gave notice of Lucullus' coming was so far from pleasing Tigranes that he had his head cut off for his pains; and no man dared to bring further information. Without any intelligence at all, Tigranes sat while war was already blazing around him, giving ear only to those who flattered him." The Founders were eminently wise to enshrine a free press in the Constitution. For many, the 24 hour news cycle may be exhausting in its insatiability and in its love for scandal and in its relentless pursuit of ratings. At its core, however, the press performs an invaluable, irreplaceable public service. Thomas Jefferson spoke often about the importance of the press, but one quote particularly resonates: "The only security of all is in a free press. The force of public opinion cannot be resisted when permitted freely to be expressed. The agitation it produces must be submitted to. It is necessary, to keep the waters pure." The more information a government controls, the greater its capacity to mold public opinion against its own interests, and the greater its capacity to quell dissent. Reporters act as guardians of truth, rooting out corruption and incompetence. Regardless of the political leanings of individual journalists and news outlets, independent news media as a whole works without regard to partisan interests, and a robust press is the only source of unbiased information that can help ensure the public is informed about our government. If that government is permitted to operate in the shadows, then greed, nepotism, waste, cronyism, and oppression are inevitable. While an independent news media is critical to American democracy, we must stay on our guard for hoaxes, lies, omissions, biases, and agendas. We the people must “watch the watchmen.” With the presid

With early voting now underway in Ohio, the potential that marijuana may be legalized remains the hottest political topic in our state. With Colorado reporting sales of $100 million in just the last month, it’s ensured that legalization will remain on peoples’ minds here and everywhere else. Seemingly lost among the debate is a related effort by Responsible Ohio, the group behind Issue 3. It’s known as the Fresh Start Act.  The idea is this: if Ohio voters approve Issue 3 then the Fresh Start Act will allow those who ran afoul of various marijuana laws to petition to have their records expunged. A successful expungement essentially means life continues as if the offense never occurred, at least in the eyes of the court.

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