Sunday, August 31, 2003

Fireworks and XRay
I am set to go to the fireworks tonight, weather permitting, and I have to gear up my writing for www.goxray.com, so for the next couple of days blogging will be light. I might do a really short post or two, or just something silly. It is a holiday weekend so my regular audience is likely out on holiday too. Hope everyone has a safe Labor Day!

Saturday, August 30, 2003

Mixed Messages at MLK III Rally
Our esteemed editor over at XRay Magazine, Steve Novotni, has written up an excellent article on the rally last Thursday in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington. The story is excellently written and has facts you will not hear much about in the rest of the media, especially the disappointing views espoused by former congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.
Corporate Extortion
Kroger is playing hardball. How close does this threat to move out of the city unless they get a parking garage really come to extortion?
§ 2905.11 Extortion

(A) No person, with purpose to obtain any valuable thing or valuable benefit or to induce another to do an unlawful act, shall do any of the following:
(1) Threaten to commit any felony;
(2) Threaten to commit any offense of violence;
(3) Violate section 2903.21 or 2903.22 of the Revised Code;
(4) Utter or threaten any calumny against any person;
(5) Expose or threaten to expose any matter tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule, or to damage any person's personal or business repute, or to impair any person's credit.(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of extortion, a felony of the third degree.
(C) As used in this section, "threat" includes a direct threat and a threat by innuendo.
Bold Added.

Now, a creative person could construe a "person" to include the government. Kroger is arguably "threatening" to leave the city, unless they can obtain parking garage from the city ( a thing of value). Kroger's threat to leave the city it will cause the city government to be hated, be ridiculed by every media outlet, open up the city to other corporations looking for hand outs, and damage the city's credit rating by hurting city tax revenue if it does leave. Their are legal and factual reason why Kroger is not really extorting the city, but I have no idea what they are.

Wes Flinn comments on Kroger, as does Barry at CincyTomorrow. Here is the Post's article.

Friday, August 29, 2003

A Cadaver Search?
A little birdie sent me an email today with a link to the Gannett's job postings. The Cincinnati Enquirer is seeking a writer, copy editor, designer, and assistant editor "for its soon-to-be-launched weekly publication targeting readers age 25-34. "

I am torn. If they had an opening specifically for a "blogger", I would updating my resume as we speak, but I just do see this publication being anything other than "Enquirer lite". If they are only adding 1 writer, does that mean that most of the content will be wire copy or syndicated articles from other Gannett papers? Will they be just sponging off the rest of the main paper's staff for most of the local content? I am still not seeing the added value to Cincinnatians, especially us 25-34 year olds.

In case someone at the Enquirer is reading this (which at least one or two do) a serious suggestion: Create a separate web page for the new weekly publication, separate from Cincinnati.com, but make original online content. Make it a "group blog". Let all of the Age 35 and under writers at the main paper post their "unedited" comments on whatever topics they want. This works great for the Dallas Morning News Editorial Page staff. To maintain control hire a blog editor to keep the blog in check, filter out the daft commenters, and keep it up-to-date. Now, who has experience editing a blog? (cough, cough)
MLK Rally
Ok, two things from this rally. First, What the hell are Amanda Mayes and Nate Livingston doing? Can there be any doubt that their cause is one of self aggrandizing, greed, and hate? They protested MLK III !!!. That would be like Archbishop Daniel Pilarcyzk picketing a visit from the Pope.

The second issue is choice of the speakers, especially former congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. McKinney was defeated in a primary fight last year and blamed her loss on "the Jews." I don't have a full report of the content of her speech at the rally, but I am concerned it is straying from what I have perceived as MLK's message. I will not bother to go into Harry Belafonte. Mr. Belafonte's views on Colin Powel are well known, and most offensive. Including these two speakers in an event such as this would in my opinion cause Martin Luther King Jr. to spin in his grave. Dr. King fought against bigotry and racism. I wish his son could have chosen people to commemorate him, who do not have animosity towards people who are not "people of color."
Downs' Town
Glad to see Maggie doing another meaty topic this week. Downtown is a safe place for people to visit. Now, it is not crime free, but if you really want a sterile community, stay in your subdivision. If you want be in the City, come downtown. I can also attest that the Main Street area has a little bit of everything for everyone: for the hipster, for the hottie, and even for geeks like me.
Residency for Sale?
The Post reports that Damon Lynch III's Woodlawn house has a for sale sign in the front yard. Is this his plan? Move now and forget his alleged lie of the present? It is odd that he claimed to live in East Price Hill for 2 years. I wonder if there are even enough bedrooms there for his entire family. Where is Greg Korte on this issue? Can't he expose the lies? Is there a reason why the Enquirer has not slammed Lynch for his residency? Larry Frazier certainly has been slammed for his troubles. Why hasn't Lynch faced the piper?
Down Goes Frazier, Down Goes Frazier
Larry Fazier is toast. He had no real chance of winning a council seat, but this seals his fate. The Board of Election is close to forwarding his case to the county prosecutor involving fraudulent addresses on voter registrations. The man is trying to help the homeless, but he has just stabbed himself in the heart. Can a felon serve on city council? Mr. Fraizer may want to look into the ramifications of voter fraud. Tyrone K. Yates can't save him now.
Cincinnati Today
It is late, I am home, and I am feeling fine. I am just back from a night on the town with the folks from Cincinnati Tomorrow. We started at Kaldi's, went on to the Deogracias Lerma Gallery, and ended up at Plush. I had the best time I have had in months. A special thanks go out to Stacey, James, Barry, Sean, and Jay. I will be back for more after 5 events and I encourage you to get of your ass and join us. I speak as one who is totally inept at socialization, and even I was able to make new friends. If I can do it, anyone with a pea size brain can.

Wednesday, August 27, 2003

Lynch Not Certified for Ballot
Damon Lynch is not yet certified by the Hamilton County Board of Elections. On September 5th the board will meet to decide the fate of Lynch's candidacy. All 25 other candidates will be on the ballot.

Lynch's troubles seem to be mounting. The Whistleblower Newswire alleges that one of his children goes to Walnut Hills High School and claims the East Price Hills address as his home address, but uses the Woodlawn house’s phone number. Is this in jest or fact? Would Lynch be committing a crime if he pretended to live in East Price Hills to avoid paying tuition to Walnut Hills for his child? If nothing else, if Lynch did not pay tuition for his child, would the school board now be able to collect? Would they even investigate these allegations? If these allegations are true, why are they not in the newspapers? Mike McConnell of WLW today commented on other "facts" he had, as in a reference to utility bills. Mike wondered if Lynch would just get a pass. Well, if Mike has the story, when will it be in print? When will WKRC-TV run it? I will be watching for it.
Vigilancia Politica 20030827
I put my thumb in a few eyes, including my own, so if you want a review of Cincinnati politics check out my latest political column.

Tuesday, August 26, 2003

CPS Students MIA
Everyone on talk radio today had something to say about this here in Cincinnati. It is a big problem that solely rests on the shoulders of the parents of the kids not in school. No one can be blamed in the future for not teaching their kids, when their kids were not there to be taught.

I am happy for once the conservatives are not blaming the schools, which is the normal whipping boy. Schools can't force kids to come to school, parents and the police must do it.

The only problem I have with the number is it validity. Does this number account for kids who are at different schools or move out of the district? From the Enquirer's article:
Of 39,784 students expected to show up for school, 30,492 made it to class, according to figures called in by each school. The rate of attendance for last year's first day was not immediately available.
What qualifies as a student "expected" to show for school? I wonder if they will publish attendance for the following days? Will the total number of kids change? Something is missing, but when has a press release every told the whole story?
Cockfight?
No, I am not talking about the city council race. Seven men have pled not guilty to charges stemming from a cockfight. If anyone says the tri-state is not stuck in the 19th century, send them this link.

Monday, August 25, 2003

Garnering Attention?
Former assistant police chief Ron Twitty got a sweet deal for admitting he was not totally forthright about an incident with his police issued vehicle after it was damaged. Now a police sergeant faces similar action. Unlike Twitty, this officer quit the next day. An investigation is still pending. I wonder the reaction. Will she play the race card? Well, she is white, so I doubt that. She could play the sex card, but that does not get as much media attention. I would guess she will not be getting a nice retirement deal for being at fault, unlike Mr. Twitty. I guess equity is subjective. Will the CBUF support her? Will Candidate Lynch come out to support her? Will her community rally around her for being oppressed by the "man"? I doubt it. She deserves to be prosecuted under the law and could still face punishment.

Sunday, August 24, 2003

Boycott B Takes a Turn at Bat
A blueprint for ending boycott is what the CJC is offering the city, which in really is just yet another call for the city to "meet their demands." In the game of PR I often wonder why reporters don't ask more questions of those whose only purpose in talking with the media is to use them to gain power, which in the case of the CJC is a relative thing. They have little power, so any negligible gain in power will be a 10 fold increase that they will crow about for months.
CCV Letter in Enquirer?
This letter (last) from today's Enquirer laments Maggie Downs' Dustin Flynt Column:
What's so charming about young Flynt?

Whatever college that reporter Maggie Downs received her journalism degree from needs to beef up the curriculum with a few classes in logic.

Her Metro section front-page story ["He's a different Flynt off the old stone," Aug. 22] extolling pornographer Dustin Flynt's charm, diligence, and commitment to his work as virtues that should somehow elevate him to the level of being "just like all other young, thriving entrepreneurs" is a new low in journalistic taste - not to mention an insult to all young, thriving entrepreneurs with a conscience.

It's a shame that, as a younger man, Dustin once had to bear a stigma for the actions of his family; however, his choice as an adult has been to dive head first into the family cesspool instead of walking away from it.

This charming, committed, diligent, polished "entrepreneur" makes his living in an industry that exploits women and appeals to our basest instincts.

What exactly is it that Maggie finds redeeming and charming about that, and what makes her think we want to choke down such drivel with our morning coffee?

Interesting to note that the article lauding young Flynt was juxtaposed with one lambasting the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for not acting severely enough in the case of a priest who was allowed to remain in ministry after undergoing treatment for alcoholism and sexual issues.

Someone who has presumably been treated, faced and resolved his issues, and gone on to a life of helping others might be worth reading about, but then again, a story like that might take looking below the surface and considering the truth.

Bob Furia, School counselor, West Chester


Two questions arise, How long has Bob been a supporter of the CCV? (yes, a leading question your honor) Was printing this letter either an appeasement to the factions at the paper that did not want this column published or was printing a letter like this part of the deal made with Maggie to allow the column to run? What I found odd was how person the letter got with Maggie. Bob Furia was down right belittling Maggie. This coming from a school counselor, or what I used to call a school guidance counselor, often considered the low man on the educationally qualified totem pole. Well, if Bob can get personal, why can't I?
Bronson's Almost Correct
What, no 10 commandments? I guess his editors wanted him to stick to local issues. Today he gnaws on Damon Lynch III. I have to say that I agree with many of Peter's points. I really hate that, but Lynch's candidacy begs many questions, which Peter raises, but Lynch poorly answers.

1. How can a man who owns 2 homes, had to move into the city to run for office, and drives a nice car really feel he can speak for the poor better than the Democrats? (Peter's ad hominem attack on the "tax and spend" Dems was his token propaganda for the day)

2. How can a person leading a boycott against a city then become one of its political offices in charge of bettering the city? Will Lynch renounce the boycott if he wins? If he does not make that pledge before hand, how can anyone trust him? How can a council candidate advocate harming the city? Does that violate his oath?

3. How does a person who demands Cincinnati Public Schools teach an "Afro-centric" curriculum not be considered at least a bigot? Do immigrants from Australia require and "Oceanian-centric" curriculum?

I am surprised Peter did not push the Pete Witte position on the validity of Lynch's city residentcy. It will be interesting to measure the level of positive vs. negative media attention Lynch will get this fall. The Buzz will be giving him basically free advertising that should be investigated if it is not considered an in-kind contribution. WLW will bash him at every chance. The local TV will ask the question "what election?" The papers will give the most mixed coverage. I can see both the Post & Enquirer bashing Lynch while giving him tons of space to voice his opinions. XRay Magazine will of course be fair and balanced. This blog will likely be negative on Lynch. I don't see what good his candidacy can brings, except entertainment value to us political junkies.

Saturday, August 23, 2003

Missing Question for Alabama Judge
In the mess that is the Supreme Court of Alabama, I have wondered about one of the claims of Chief Justice Roy Moore. Many times in interviews Moore made a George Wallace style state's rights claim where he swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of the State of Alabama. During those interviews why has he not been asked whether or not he swore an oath to also uphold the Constitution of the United States of America? According to this from the Alabama Constitution, this shall be the oath of office for “All members of the legislature, and all officers, executive and judicial, before they enter upon the execution of the duties of their respective offices, shall take the following oath or affirmation:“
"I, …, solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Alabama, so long as I continue a citizen thereof; and that I will faithfully and honestly discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, to the best of my ability. So help me God."
I seem to see the US Constitution there listed before that of Alabama. Now of course you see the "so help me god" part and you may wish to throw that back into my face, well I will point your eyes to the inserted reference to "affirm" instead of swear, which to me allows one to affirm support and skip the "god" at the end, as is allowed in all courts under law.

It seems that journalists on TV have been lazy in reporting this and Judge Moore has been dishonest for not stating this. I wonder if this will be included in any possible charges for failure to carry out his duty as Chief Justice.
Trouble for Lynch?
The residency controversy involving Council Candidate Damon Lynch III is heating up. Republican candidate Pete Witte is pushing the issue of Lynch's residency. Witte is questioning the validity of Lynch's change in residency to East Price Hill. The laws here are odd. The city only requires 30 days, but a state law indicates that a married couple must share the same residence, unless they are separated. The Post reports that Lynch's kids go to Princeton school, not Cincinnati Public. Now, doesn't at least one parent have to live in Princeton district for his kids to be allowed to go to that school with out some kind of special tuition or does property ownership over rule that? Are the kids able to claim self-residency because of where they reside?

Witte is pushing the issue because Lynch is high on the list to make it on council. Witte is one of two GOP candidates thought by many to have a good shot to get on council, along with Leslie Ghiz. Witte seeks two things here, to either force Lynch out of the race (or tarnished enough to not be a factor) or to paint him as an outsider to gain more west side support.


More from the Enquirer (2nd item).
Yet Another Bronson Hack Job: Redskins Today, Redskins Tomorrow, Redskins Forever
A few notes to Peter Bronson on his column.

1. I have to wonder where your self rule for school districts went? The school Board in Anderson Township acted. Guess what? If the residents of that school district don't like what happened they can be voted out. I would like to remind him of something else. I bet the entire school board in Anderson are REPUBLICANS, so he should call his masters at the county GOP and complain.

2. Does Peter really think "liberal" is an insult? Well no, it is not an insult, unless you call a conservative one, so keep us out of your inter party crusades.

3. I also have to point out one PC thing that Peter seems to miss: THE FUCKING CCV AND PHIL BURRESS!!!!!!!! Where are attacks on Phil and his army of fascists out to rid this city of all things "objectionable?" Oh wait you are part of that army. You are a firm believer of "do what I say, not what I do." Political Correctness is bad when liberals do it, but when a pious theocrat goes on a tirade you stand up and cheer. Hypocrisy to the extreme.

4. Your direct line to the Miami College Republicans goes back years. I wonder if you have ever even met anyone else not a Republican from Miami. Well your buddy Brad Beckett brought up an interesting point:
"There are professional folks who go around the country whipping up political correctness," Beckett said. "It was swift and silent."
Now who else goes around the country whipping up PC cries? Well just go visit the crowd standing outside the Alabama Supreme Court and you will see religious zealots from all over the country sticking their noses in to Alabama’s pot. Now, where's the outrage for Theocrat Judge Moore Peter? I will not be surprised to read Peter's Sunday Column to find him defending Judge Moore, but I think instead he will use this a reason for confirming AG Pryor of Alabama to the Federal Court. I would bet Peter might even say this proves Pryor is fit to serve. Pryor will be investigating Moore for defying a Federal Court. This is politically convenient for Moore, who has been criticized for his views on religion in government, which are basically the same as Moore.

Bottom line: Don't piss into the wind. In this case, I am the wind and I am pissing back.

Friday, August 22, 2003

Business Courier "Survey" on Luken
The Cincinnati Business Courier did a survey and only 29% of respondents approved of the way Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken's was performing his job. Now before you start sawing wood for Charlie's political coffin, you might want to know that this survey was of Business Courier readers. Now if you generalize about Business Courier readers, which is not difficult to do, you can understand that they are going to be mostly business and corporate types. A overwhelming majority people like that in this town are two things, Republican and not city of Cincinnati residents.
Boycott B Shut Out of Council Race?
According to the Enquirer the 26 council candidates to officially file include:

Democrats: Howard Bond, Samuel Britton, Y. Laketa Cole, John Cranley, David Crowley, David Pepper, Alicia Reece

Republicans: John Connelly, Terry Deters, Pat DeWine, Leslie Ghiz, Tom Jones, Sam Malone, Chris Monzel, Barbara Trauth,
Pete Witte

Charterites: John Schlagetter, Cristopher Smitherman, Nick Spencer, Jim Tarbell

Independents: Larry J. Frazier, Brian Garry, Glenn Givens Sr., Marilyn Hyland, Damon Lynch III, Eric Wilson

Who is missing? Hal Mckinney and William Kirkland. Mr. Kirkland is a member of Boycott B and his own personal extremist group. He is a regular member of the clown posse who infests city council meetings. I know he was getting signatures, Glenn Givens even said he signed Kirkland's petition. Kirkland made the ballot in 2001, so I am actually surprised he did not make it this year.

Next Wednesday the Board of Elections will make the ballot official. At that point we will confirm if all 26 people got 500 valid signatures.

The Enquirer also reports here on other races and issues in Hamilton County.

UPDATE: The Post gives an additional summary along with word that the GOP may challenge Lynch's residency. Also a Post Story on Larry Frazier's signature problems and a new allegation of misuse of public equipment for political purposes.

UPDATE#2: Wes Flinn has some comments on one of the issue from the Post article, the disolving of the village of North Bend, birth place of Miami University's own Benjamin Harrison, as well the grave site for Ben's Grandfather William Henry Harrison.
Flint the Younger
This column had, according to "sources", a long and difficult journey to the publication. I am glad Maggie was able to write this column and it was given the light of day. I am sure the hate mail will fly in from Burress and his army of brown shirts, but this story shows that for every hot button issue that permeates up into the media maelstrom there are human beings living inside and with those issues.
26 Filed for City Council
WCPO reports that 26 candidates filed paperwork for Cincinnati City Council. 28 candidates had announced they were running. If I speculate I would say Hal McKinney and Eric Wilson were the candidates not getting the signatures. Larry Frazier has possible issues with some of his signatures, but likely still had enough to get on the ballot.

Thursday, August 21, 2003

Nothing to Worry about for CityBeat?
According to quotes from this Boston Globe story, the mainstream free newspapers started by the Tribune and Sun-Times in Chicago did not hurt the Alternative weeklies, at least according to the publisher of the Chicago Reader:
Jane Levine, publisher of the 32-year-old Chicago Reader, says the new Chicago tabloids have not eroded her readership. ''They're supposed to be youth-oriented publications, [but] they don't want to be alternative at all,'' says Levine. She adds that a healthy dose of ''attitude'' distinguishes the truly alternative press.
If the Enquirer weekly mimics every other similar "youth" targeted mainline paper, then CityBeat will survive with only a few revenue scrapes.
They're Looting the Food King!
I guess we don't need to buy the 500 pack of "D" batteries or the jumbo size adult diapers when we read headlines like "Officials: City prepared for power outage." I feel safer just thinking about our wonderful city council on the watch for power outages. I have to panic a bit when my power, along with all of Mt. Washington, was out for at least a half an hour this past Monday. It did not even make the news. Damn, I figured the local TV news would have interrupted regular programming to tell me that I had no power.
Making a Claim of Responsibility
Did I have anything to do with indirectly prompting John Fox, CityBeat Editor, to write this editorial on why he moved Savage Love to a Web-only column? It seems as if a day or so after I posted this, a special PR link was add to the CityBeat website. It is perfectly reasonable to think that many staffers at CityBeat were simultaneously drawing the same conclusion I did from last weeks CityBeat letters to the editor. CincyNation.com ran with what I observed, so it was news to at least one other person.

If anyone at CityBeat did read my blog and checked out my conclusion from the source, than I make a full claim of responsibility for the reaction, otherwise I am just a blogger with an over blown ego.


Wednesday, August 20, 2003

New Local Blog
I have added Wes Flinn's blog, Walk in Brain, to my blog roll. Wes does a good job with it. It is still new, but he keeps it updated regularly. He covers mostly national issues, but he throws in local references when ever possible. Please welcome him to the Cincinnati Blogging Community.

In case his name sounds familiar you might remember him from his 2001 Cincinnati City Council campaign. I hope to hear his thoughts on this year's race. If Lynch gets the signatures by Thursday, it will be raucous.
Ohio Redistricting
It appears we have some power hungry Republicans here in Ohio. A gaggle of GOP State legislators is trying to change the North Eastern congressional districts to try and help solidify the GOP's hold on the US House. Calpundit had thoughts on this, as does Kenneth Cavness, and Wes Flinn. I think this is all talk. GOP power in this state is shallow. They have all of the statewide offices because voter turn out stinks like Lake Eire in July. The Libertarian leaning Republicans would not support this and it could actually backfire. I think DeWine and Voinovich can keep it from happing.

[Via Atrios]
Remind Me Never to Hang Up on Greg Korte
Larry Frazier, council candidate, seems to have a few problems. Greg Korte of the Enquirer smells blood in the water and is going in for the kill. His column yesterday basically sunk Frazier's campaign, which was dinky to begin with, but this story could bring criminal charges against Frazier, adding to his prior problems with the law. Will Frazier be the first independent candidate to fall?

UPDATE: Further Media coverage - WCPO, WLWT, and ONN.

Tuesday, August 19, 2003

Turning Water to Wine
It appears the NAACP has awoken from its slumber and wants Charlie Luken to pull a miracle out of his ass. While Charlie is at it I demand that he provide a clean and economical energy source to replace the combustible engine and produce world peace. What I really do not get: how can one demand that you meet the demands that someone else wants you to meet and which you do not have the power to meet? It is so bizarre that the boycotters think there is a man behind the curtain pulling the strings running the city, keeping them down. There are no secret meetings where the "man" plots to keep the "black man" down. Tin foil hats anyone?
Damon Lynch III to Run for City Council
Lincoln Ware reported on his radio program that Damon Lynch III is running for Cincinnati City Council. A press conference is scheduled at this hour (10:00 AM) with an official announcement.

This shakes up the race and messes up my debut of Vigilancia Politica (tongue in cheek). At this point he will only be an Independent candidate and only has until Thursday to get the signatures needed to get on the ballot. Lynch reportedly will be on air with Lincoln on the Buzz after his press conference.

UPDATE: Lynch on the Buzz stated that he will be working until 4 PM on Thursday to gain signatures. This sounds like a truly last minute push. He appears to have Ken Lawson in his corner. Will that be source of funding?

UPDATE#2: Media Round up - Enquirer, Post, WCPO, and WLWT. The big news that needs more attention is from the Post's story:
It remains unclear how Lynch, who works in Cincinnati but lives in Forest Park, will qualify for city residency to seek office.
Would he consider sharing an apartment with Nate Livingston?

Vigilancia Politica 2003-08-19
I have started a new politcal column over at GoXRay.com. I am looking for any feedback and tips on what candidates are doing on the campaign trial, so let me know.

Sunday, August 17, 2003

Black Family Reunion
Organizers made every effort to avoid a repeat of last year's melee. Last night they could not stop a group of what WCPO reported were 500 teenagers converging on downtown. There were some minor scuffles, but no injuries or property damage was reported. A few fights were reported and a few arrests were made. Pictures show a large group of kids on Government Square presumably waiting for bus rides home. It appears the same problem existed as last year. Parents either left their kids down at the family reunion, or did not go with them at all, forcing the kids to travel home in mass by bus. This year trouble was avoided because police and other security were better prepared and kept order. Last year they were not prepared. What will the response be after the event? What will happen tonight after the event? If organizers keep up their efforts and police keep up their efforts, then nothing worse than a few kids will get out of hand. I hope the police will be thanked for keeping things from getting out of control, and not vilified for doing what parents should be doing.

Saturday, August 16, 2003

Friends of Simon Leis?
Are the Troy, Ohio Police friends of the Hamilton County Sheriff? If they are not friends, they seem to have the same target: porn. This time though it is a strip club, not video stores. I have to ask, is this an election year in Troy? I also must ask, have they solved all crimes with actual victims in Troy? If not, why are they grandstanding with a PR induced prosecution? Yes, Virginia, yet another rhetorical question.
Commissioner Dowlin to Run Again
The 73 year old will seek another term next year for Hamilton County Commissioner. Dowlin is anti-rail and it would be nice to get someone not as set in his ways, yes you can read old in that comment. Age is not a factor, but when based on age you don't wish to change, that becomes a problem. This fellow thinks "Even though he opposes light rail, he says were it adopted today it would take 30 years to implement and he was[sic] other, faster alternatives." Just because he will not alive to enjoy a rail system is not a reason for it not to pass.

This announcement will surely piss off some Republican upstarts from the Northern Suburbs, who are surely itching to run.

UPDATE: The Enquirer reports that Dowlin will likely face a democratic challenge from former state Representative Wayne Coates. The Post reported that the GOP chairman Mike Barrett felt there would be no competition. Barrett thinks Dowlin's name will carry him through. What name? Sure, his has the advantage of incumbency, but it is not like his name is Luken, Deters, or Heimlich.
More Power Outage Fodder
It is not newsworthy, but the rain yesterday knocked my power out here at the palatial Griffin Estate. I was at work at the time, but I had to reset a clock and my stereo was on "demo," a sign the power was out.

Giz over at afternoon.para-bellum.net reports of some more significant power outages recently in Delhi, but still relatively short. Giz's blog needs permalinks. Both incidents are noteworthy for local news, not national news. 50 million people losing power is national news and demands coverage. Some talk radio folks were scolding the media for making to much of this. I guess they don't know anyone in the area's hit. This was huge news and it got big coverage in part do to the simple fact that the TV networks are headquartered in the affected areas. When news is close to home, human journalists are opted to give it more attention. That is in part why Detroit and Cleveland's troubles got little attention. This power outage makes it clear that local news coverage is not well served by national networks. The Ohio News Network (ONN) did a good job here in Ohio with Ohio specific news, mostly carrying feeds from Toledo and Cleveland TV stations.

The Cincinnati Post has the typical "are we ready" story. Here's the Enquirer's story.

Lawmakers are "demanding" answers. Give it a rest folks. Let the water pressure build up before you start the blame game. Both Democrats and Republicans in Washington are playing this game, so if anyone tries to say one side is worse than the other you might want to correct their ignorance.

UPDATE: Ethan Hahn has some thoughts.

Friday, August 15, 2003

Not MY Bag
I am sure to be pressured by my co-workers to try this, but I will not join the insta-date group described in Maggie Downs' latest column. I hate first date chitchat and doing it over and over again in one evening is about as appealing as having my teeth drilled. I will stick to randomly meeting women in bookstores. Judging a person by what they read and how they drink expensive coffee is more my style of date screening. I guess I better start setting foot in bookstores more often, and keep my nose out of my book. I have had no luck with this approach, but hey, it beats having to expose one's inability to socially interact with other human beings. (I have to work on that inner monologue.)

Follow-up: Couldn't I have found a better cliché than "having my teeth drilled?"
Hispanics vs. Whites
Here is the problem with this article about housing discrimination. I am 1/8th Latino. My Great Grandmother was from Panama/Columbia. She was "white." So, like most others out there, the Enquirer wants to paint Hispanics/Latinos as one monolithic group to compare with monolithic whites, a nice simple "black and white" story. I would surmise that most of the Hispanics in question were Mexican, and were mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white). So what are we trying to compare here, ethnic groups or races? There is no "Hispanic Race," and comparing race is really a no win action. Ethnic discrimination would have required the disclosure of the white people's ethnic groups, unless they are some how considered falsely blanketed as "ethnic Americans." I therefore find this report to be comparing apples and oranges. I would consider without much evidence that Mexicans and other Latin-American ethnic/nationality groups are treated poorly by landlords and often discriminated against. I wonder how many non-white landlords treated the Hispanic people differently than white landlords.

UPDATE: Similar treatment in the Post.

Thursday, August 14, 2003

FOX News is a Sucker for Power (Blackout Story)
FOX News just reported they had reports that the power was out in Dayton and even Cincinnati. At this point no one else is reporting Dayton, and none of the Dayton outlets are reporting that. I can surely testify that Cincinnati's power is working fine. Rumors really have no place being reported on a story as big as this. People in this part of the state clean out Kroger’s when an inch of snow is forecasted. If even a few ignorant souls believed the faux reports, it might turn tragic. Jumping the gun is a fault of most Cable News Outlets, and FOX is known for hyperbole.

UPDATE: WLWT-TV is reporting no local outages. A Dayton TV station did report a report in Middletown, Ohio (between Dayton and Cincinnati.

UPDATE #2: The Enquirer is reporting there was an unrelated power outage in Middletown that cut power to the south side of town due to a transformer going down after 5 PM tonight. This outage was not related to the larger outage affecting NYC.
Theocracy Today, Theocracy Tomorrow, Theocracy Forever
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore is refusing to comply with a Federal Court Order. The difference now as opposed to 40 years ago is the President in the White House. Bush wants a country like Roy Moore wants: One Nation, One Religion: No Exceptions. George Wallace veiled his beliefs under "states rights." Will Roy Moore do the same? Religious bigotry is growing in this country, and those who don't bow down will find it more difficult to live as they choose. Roy Moore and his allies will likely veil their actions under the banner of victim hood, the poor Southern Christians can’t seem to rid themselves of those Northern Heathens. History repeats itself, and the culture wars will wage on in earnest. I plan on defending mine, but I wonder why I have to. Why does my culture worry Mr. Moore? I don’t share his religion, and I legally can’t be judged under his religion in a government court, so why does he seem to think otherwise? Rule of Law is a bedrock of our society. It does not bend for a religious zealot.

Wednesday, August 13, 2003

CityBeat Sells Out?
Ok, I read this letter to the editor in today's CityBeat and I had to re-read the editor's response a couple of times to make sure I read it straight.

Where's the Love?
I'm writing to ask you to please reinstate Savage Love in your weekly print edition. This was one of my favorite columns in your paper.

I'm disappointed to learn you have made this a Web-only column in order to increase traffic to CityBeat's site. Dan Savage's column is available online at many Web sites and will not necessarily increase traffic to your site.

I wrote a protest letter to Kroger when they removed your paper from their stores because of the addition of Savage Love. Asking your readers to jump through this extra hoop now seems unfair.

-- Charles Mitchell, Mount Washington

Editor Responds: Yes, we're making Savage Love a Web-only column in order to increase traffic to our site, but it's been moved from the paper primarily in order to help us increase CityBeat circulation.
I read this and it says to me that CityBeat pulled the Savage Love column from the print edition in order to get the newspaper back into Kroger stores. Savage Love is a syndicated love/sex advice column run in many alternative weekly newspapers across the country. It's content can be "graphic "at times, and I mean graphic in the sense that most parents would not want their young kids to read it. Removing the content that might be considered "objectionable" would make the publication more retail friendly.

I am floored that CityBeat would basically admit that they removed the column in order to increase circulation. Are they positioning themselves to better compete with the Enquirer's weekly? The new Enquirer weekly will surely be available at Kroger's and every other grocery stores in the tri-state area. Compromising content for the sake of sales is the best way to maintain your market position. The activist friends of CityBeat call it selling out.
A Sting, Not a Plot
Josh Marshall writes on the arrest of weapons smugglers and points that there was no "plot" against America, this was a sting operation. There were no terrorists involved, just faux ones. Now, where is the righty bloggers attack on the media for spinning the story?.........I am waiting.............opps, my bad. The story that was spun favors the Bush Administration and favors the positions taken by rightwing bloggers, so we can't expect them to cut off their own heads now, even though it would mean good journalism. Consistency in reporting is subjective so, we can't expect them to point out everything now can we? They spend their time watching to see if the New York Times' spelling is correct, so facts in other outlets are just as important as spelling at the Times.

I wonder if the righty bloggers are going to post on the Franken-Fox story. A few of them have made comments, but if CNN was suing Ann Coulter, war would be declared and Ted Turner would be burned at the stake. Yes, even though he no longer works for CNN or AOL-Time Warner. It would be that big of a deal. Blogging history would be made. Blog Harbor? Bridge Over the River Blog? I can see the movie version now. Andrew Sullivan battling Aaron Brown in a space station with laser pointers.

Tuesday, August 12, 2003

Is Convergys Pulling a Fast One?
Per reader Sam: The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting "Convergys Corp. a week ago confirmed plans to move at least 100 technical support jobs at its Taylorsville call center to an overseas center." Taylorsville is in Utah just to keep it in perspective. What does this mean for keeping jobs here in Cincinnati? The jobs going overseas are mostly professional jobs. What kind of jobs are they planning on adding downtown? Only call center jobs? I am sure people will be happy to get any job they can get, but that will not add as much to our tax base if they are only hourly jobs, with significant pay limits. Call center's in downtowns are difficult to keep staffed. The costs of getting downtown and working downtown are often prohibitive for lower level jobs, which make up the bulk of call center staffs. It sounds as if Convergys’s promise to increase the number of employees downtown will not create new jobs, it will just be a transfer of staff from the Norwood Convergys call center. Who's the sucker now? (We are, We are)
Following My Lead?
The Enquirer and the Post have similar stories about Larry Flynt's hearing being scheduled after the special California election. I seem to recall that I mentioned that very fact yesterday.

Advantage: Blogs!

Monday, August 11, 2003

Solidarity!
"Eschaton - Fair and Balanced" walks arm in arm with Al Franken and his FOX News troubles. Some one at News Corp has really lost all sense of reality. I would like to see FOX try and prove they are "fair and balanced." That would be a miracle worthy of a saint. [LINK via Calpundit]
Larry Flynt
Well at least the hearing date for Larry Flynt is after the special California election. Nothing should hold Larry back from winning 1% of the vote. That 1%, could make the difference in a field of 200 people.
Talent for a Melee
I don't understand how this kind of thing can happen again. How is there not enough adult supervision to control a crowd of teenagers that large from getting out of control? I think the venue chosen for the "talent show" put on by a group called "Putting' Cincinnati on the Map" was poorly chosen. High School Dances are not held in a public square where the kids can come and go, and any troublemaker can get in. Poor planning led to a disgraceful outcome. I wish the kids were better behaved, but who puts on such an event in the middle of downtown? I hope planners of the Black Family Reunion learned from their mistakes last year. All statements indicate they did and will be prepared to handle the kids. I hope so. Image is a shallow thing, but it can matter, and a wild bunch of kids running through town is not a good image for a Family Reunion event.

Why didn't the Enquirer have an article on this story?
UC News Record
It appears the Enquirer(3rd story) and WXIX know how to write a more accurate headline than the Post, or at least they know how to check a website for some basic information. The News Record now has the story as well.
Scribble Jam
I do not know much about what this event was about, but it looked interesting. I wonder how it got elevated to Vandelism.

Sunday, August 10, 2003

Bronson has Been Drinking to Much Wine
Peter must have been drunk when he wrote this. Now, when you are drunk often one tends to let down their guard and speak one's mind freely without limit. Here Peter is doing two incredibly stupid things. First he is letting his bigotry out with a vengeance. How can a man who is supposedly educated and an informed person state the following?
The Catholic Church can't seem to connect the dots that link homosexual priests to sexual assaults on boys.
Peter, you need to for once look up the difference between homosexuality and pedophilia. You will note they are not the same thing. They are not linked. Bigots who wish to attack homosexuals try to link them, but offer no factual data to support their unfounded claims, which sounds like what Bronson did. Peter then exhibits his own ignorance about his own religion wit this statement:
The Bible is unambiguous: Homosexuality is a sin like adultery.
Did Peter rewrite the Ten Commandments? Are the Ten Commandments now not the highest Christian dogmatic law? Where is the reference to homosexuality in the Ten Commandments? I can find the commandment on adultery in there. That is clear. Homosexuality is not a comparable sin to adultery. First of all it is not even treated the same in most churches. When was the last time a minister or a politician or any individual denied rights or kicked out of a church for committing adultery or for getting a divorce? Adultery is not considered a big deal to people like Bronson, if it was he would never have supported Ronald Regan. Homosexuality is a footnote in the bible. There are plenty of other rules, no pork, how you grow crops, circumcision, and killing adulterers that are not practiced by nearly all Christians. Those rules are just as clear as the homosexual decrees, yet I bet Peter Bronson does not comply with all of those requirements. If I see him at next month’s Oktoberfest eating a Brat I will be sure to shun him for "breaking God's law."

I am not the only one with an opinion on Bronson's column. City Council Candidate John Schlagetter sent me a copy of the email he sent to Bronson:
Peter: whatever happened to "hate the sin but love the sinner?"

Opinion pieces are one thing; these unrelentingly uninformed and poorly-constructed assaults upon the Enquirer's readers' intelligence are growing tiresome.

As I understand it, the Bible contains half a dozen remonstrations against homosexual "acts" but over two hundred against heterosexual acts- what's the bigger problem here?

Your comparison of homosexuality to adultery is logically flawed. Homosexuality is a state of being; it can exist without volitional action. Thus we have homosexual (and heterosexual, et.al.) virgins. One is homosexual simply by virtue of sexual attraction or affectional preference for others of one's own sex. Age here is not an issue unless the attraction is acted upon.

By contrast, adultery cannot exist without the commission of an act. One cannot be an adulterer without first committing an act of adultery.

Once again, your attempt to causally link pedophilia to homosexuality is beyond the pale. Yes, pedophilia and ephibophilia (I'm not bothering to
spell check this morning) are problems in the Catholic priesthood. Is the incidence rate of pedophilia higher in this population than the general
population? Possibly. Is this causally the result of homosexuality? Of course not, no more so than different-sex pedophilia is causally the result
of heterosexuality.

Two points come into play to refute your argument (hysterically shared by CCVers et.al. which they find necessary for effective fundraising):

1. Pedophilia is not about sex, it is about power. It is about the ability to control and manipulate one who lacks the emotional and intellectual development to consent to sex with an adult.

2. The incidence rate of same sex behavior will of course be higher among single sex populations: prisons, the military, et.al. This will have much to so with the use of sexual substitutes, "making due." You've also reported on the problem of rape in prison, to your credit. Of course rape is about violence not sex and does not comport with this discussion. Others may be "gay for pay," intrinsically heterosexual but willing to perform mechanical sexual acts for compensation. Thus the incidence rate of "gay sex" must be considered separate from the incidence rate of homosexuality per se.

Should homosexuality ever be generally accepted (different from behavior tolerance) as what I characterize "common cause variation," a one to two percent incidence rate in the otherwise statistically normal heterosexual population, then maybe closeted and conflicted individuals will be more comfortable openly pursuing healthy and consensual adult relationships rather than pursuing what they might consider "easy marks" (the young) or furtively skulking about public restrooms (many closeted men, including those who are married, are too afraid to be seen in known gay-friendly establishments to socialize, seeking instead short-term gratification concommitant with risky and socially unacceptable behavior).

As "common cause variation," homosexuality is never going away. We are hard wired this way; this is the crux of the "nature" argument. Compare this to the reparative or restorative therapy camp believing that homosexuality can be "unlearned." They believe homosexuality is "special cause variation," existing outside the statistically normal process of sexual orientation and that it can be done away with; this is the "nurture" argument confounding same-sex behavior with orientation. The inability to distinguish between the two dooms this approach.

If the Church were generally to relax its restrictions on the ability of its priests to marry or otherwise engage in healthy consensual adult relationships, I predict the incidence rate of same sex pedophilia in the Church would plummit. Be sure, I am not excusing any such misbehavior, I simply think there are intelligent ways to reduce it rather than pounding sand about the "menace" of homosexuality.

As our friends in quality management remind us, "Fix the problem, not the blame."

Hope you a great vacation!

Regards, J.

John Schlagetter


Peter's second stupid thing, is his embrace of the Vineyard as the next generation of Christian Churches. I don't know much about that church and its teachings. I would on the surface make one judgment about it. I think they might not care much about homosexuality, and they might even welcome homosexuals, without the worry about "changing" them. They might even ordain gay/lesbian ministers. I don't know this as a fact, but their website really is not concerned about putting forward a fundamentalist Christian Agenda, and I would surmise they at a minimum don't share Peter's crusade against gays.

Bronson still must be in vacation mode.

Saturday, August 09, 2003


My latest XRay column is now online: "Cheerleaders, Tanks, and Blogs, Oh My: The Good, the Bad, and the Propaganda from the War."
The Ballad of Hannity and Livingston
Last night Sean Hannity appeared at Xavier University. Not much has been reported on what happened. All I could find was the following quote from the front page of 55KRC's web page:
Sean Hannity and 55KRC Thee Talk Station would like to thank everyone who made the night a complete success. Neither rain nor protests (8 protestors...WOW!...that proved a point. Nice job Nate!!) could keep us down. Thanks from 55KRC Thee Talk Station
8 protestors sounds about right. I was hoping for a little more action. When you put two groups of buffoons together (Boycott B and Hannity Fans) at one venue, one would have expected some fireworks. Well, I guess it was the weather that kept the conflict to a minimum. I am sure the Boycott B group were there with the usual racist rhetoric, and Hannity's brand of theocracy was surely being preached with the usual fire and brimstone and bigotry. If these folks were all the same race they would fit in like syrup and pancakes.
Fascist is as Fascist Does
Yes, I do use the word Fascist a whole hell of a lot. I use it generally as an adjective, not as meaning "one who practices fascism." It seems the right wingers are a little pissed about liberals using the word so much. Well, when conservatives stop using communist and socialist incorrectly on any liberal who is not in favor of capital gains tax cuts, then maybe I will give a rat's ass. Until then, and likely even after, I will use fascist where it fits.
UC News Record Former Editor Arrested
Dale F. Smith, editor for the 2002-2003 school year, was arrested for stealing thousands of dollars using a credit card processing machine from the UC News Record. Smith is not the current editor, which was not clear from the headline of the Post. This is a blow to a vibrant publication. I hope at least some of the money can be recovered or at least in this case the News Record will not be held liable for the missing money. If found guilty, I hope Smith sees jail time.
Peter's Sin of Omission
I read Peter Bronson's Enquirer column today and it was not much of a surprise. I said much of the same in my blog about Springer possible motives. I agree that the media, including the Enquirer, are suckers for celebrities, which is why Springer was covered so heavily. Peter later on referenced Larry Flint's run for governor of California as another example of the media being suckered. Peter also laments how the GOP candidates would never get such gushing treatment. I thought for a second and then two ideas came to mind. Either Bronson is a manipulative hack just like George Bush, or he turned in this column early on Tuesday, because unless he has been a coma since Wednesday night he might have noticed the media's obsession with another candidate for governor named Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Springer's attention is nothing compared to Arnold’s wall-to-wall coverage. Arnold suckered the media into covering him with what is considered the best political announcement for office by any candidate ever. That is best in terms of coverage and spin, not on rhetoric or political platforms. If you were to read Arnold's comments to Jay Leno, one might think a Peter, I would surmise, considers Arnold's treatment fair because he is a "good" man, and Springer's bad because he is a "bad" man. It would not have anything to do with their party affiliation would it? Arnold is getting great coverage with no questions on what his platform or his real motivations are. Arnold has a movie out this summer and there is just as much of a chance this is just a PR stunt to promote his movie, pushing up his numbers. It goes to show that Bronson cares nothing for being a fair and balanced journalist. If he did, even if he had turned in his column earlier this week, he could have asked he editors to include a single sentence referring to the level of celebrity coverage of Arnold. This did not happen. So when Peter whines about media bias, even bias in opinion journalism, he needs to look in the mirror and wake up to the fact that his side of the isle spins as much, if not more, than the liberal side. He will not admit that. He can’t deviate from the talking points. He does not want to lose his place in the GOP pecking order.

Friday, August 08, 2003

OSU Arson
The man suspected in the Arson that killed 5 college kids in Columbus may have the charges dropped against him. How does that happen? How do you arrest someone for the crime, charge him, and then backtrack all within a couple of weeks? If you had the goods on him, lock him for a long long time. If you are looking for a scapegoat and found a low life who was stupid enough to admit to the crime, then someone in the Police department up in Columbus needs to loose their job.
Queen City SoapBox Q&A with Nick Spenser
Ethan Hahn has questions to Nick Spenser, city council candidate, with answers from Nick.

Thursday, August 07, 2003

Giddy Boycotters
I was sent an email today from one of the Boycott B leaders with a link to this story from the Post. The Boycotters are gleeful that the local NAACP is again not holding its annual Freedom Fund dinner in downtown. Instead they are holding it at the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, a gun shot from downtown. I guess I don't really see this as meaningful. It is still in the downtown general area, within the City, so in reality, the same group of businesses they seek to destroy in their campaign of revenge will be putting on the event, and getting paid. All they are doing is shifting the money to a different group within the city. What will this accomplish? Nothing, because no one is really paying much attention. The Hannity event will attract more attention tomorrow night. I am still betting on less than 12 protestors from the Boycott B group. It is on a Friday night so I think they might get all of their members, and a few friends out, thus the 12. The normal number of 6 or so will likely be the most vocal. I look for some sort of confrontation with some of the Hannity Fans, who are foaming at the mouth Republican zombies. They will yell back at the boycotters without ignoring them. They after all have a similar mentality: personal problems resulting from hateful ideas and a massive chip on their shoulder. It should be a hoot to watch. I hope the local TV sharks are out in full force looking for a nice screaming match to film.
Editorial or Prejudice?
Rev. Raymond Larger resigned as a Roman Catholic Priest after he was convicted of public indecency, involving a police officer working a sting operation. The police officer was a man. The Dayton Daily News ran this headline in their regular story: "Priest resigns in indecency case." In the Enquirer they ran an editorial with this headline: "Gay priest removed." In the editorial they also indicated the following:
The Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Cincinnati took swift action against a west side pastor convicted of soliciting an undercover male police officer for sex at a Dayton park.
Now was he convicted of solicitation or indecency or both? The Post's headline on its story read: "Priest resigns after sex charge." The Enquirer's news report read as follows: "Priest resigns after verdict."

Where does the prejudice come in? Well one could argue the implication of the Enquirer's editorial is that they are happy the Archdiocese of Cincinnati took quick action on a "wayward" priest. This quote links this action to the child sex abuse scandals
Decisive action is exactly what's needed to put wayward clergy out of commission, and it was sorely missing in recent years in such scandal-plagued dioceses as Louisville, Boston and Los Angeles.
This case is linked in the sense of the priest is not living up to his convictions, but lumping him with child molesters is unfair, and add the headline and the implication is that "gay" priests are the real problem with all of these sex scandals. This is the opinion of many conservatives, but is this what the Enquirer is intending to portray? If so, I think their bigot meter just went up a few bars. The Post story more directly linked this case to the child sex scandals by listing the widely known cases recently resolved or still pending of priests who sexually abused children. The implications of the Post story is just as unfair, but the only difference was those cases were buried at the end of the story, and not in the headline.

Wednesday, August 06, 2003

Springer Not Running for Senate
Jerry Springer has announced that he will not be running for U. S. Senator of Ohio. I am not surprised. He had horrible numbers, but he could have spent a boatload of money and pulled enough new voters in to help out the Democrats. I guess he was not willing to spend his own money and he did not want to give up his show to campaign. Greed won out. Springer lived up to his image. Instead of gaining attention for a senate race, Fingerhut will be the next under funded candidate to be sent up for slaughter against the Ohio GOP Machine. Voinovich looks like a lock, unless someone else comes out of the woodwork with a truck full of money.

More Coverage: Post, FOX, Bloomberg.
Good Dowd: Neocons Coup at State
More good Dowd. I am sure she will be attacked by the 800-pound gorilla and his minions for not used italics at a certain point, but she is still a great columnist.
More Springer Coverage
These stories will all be moot by midday. Enquirer here, and here. The BBC covers both Jerry and Arnold. AP's take.

This story on a guest on his show being arrested sure does not help either.

UPDATE 11:05 AM: On RunJerryrun.com Springer's next media appearance is listed as CNN's Crossfire Today (Wed Aug 6th). This is an indication that he still wants to get into the mix of political discussion no matter what he annouces today.
Is this what we can expect?
The Washington Post has introduced its new tabloid geared towards the 18 to 34 year olds and commuters. The Express as it is called is best described as a daily tabloid with condensed news, made up from wire reports and retreads. Jack Shafer at Slate called it "The Washington Post Lite." In Shafer's article he described how the local Alt weekly's satirical issue the created in response to the Express call "Expresso." The satirical issue had as its cover lead "For those who will not read, we salute you!" This was obviously a slam on the Express's format of condensed news, a McNews style.

Is this a sign of what the Enquirer's Weekly will be like? Will it be just recycled Gannett News Service articles cut down to 400 words or less? I hope this is not what they have in mind. I hope they make it worth reading, not just worth browsing. I fear that the Washington Post model is what the business side of the Enquirer has in mind to help build up revenues. If this is all that the Enquirer's Weekly is going to be, then editorially CityBeat will have nothing to fear in the battle of quality. However, in the marketing game the Enquirer may be able to tap into the mass audience's laziness and ignorance. McDonald's, after all, has a boatload of customers, just not the quality worthy of a good meal.

Tuesday, August 05, 2003

D-Day for Springer
Wednesday is the Day for Jerry to announce his intentions. I am torn. I do not know what he will do. He has cut himself off from contact with the media, to the point of not even updating his blog with new posts. I don't know if Springer is really another Ventura. The two do have similarities in the demographic they need as their base, but Springer can be a slick politician when he needs to be.

At this point I am predicting that Springer will not run, but I am not sure. Springer could just be using this as a contract renegotiation tactic, or he could be serious. I predict a low media turnout at his news conference, but a big dose of blogdom repudiation.

Monday, August 04, 2003

Buzz Agents
Dwight Patton of the CBUF called into Lincoln Ware's radio program today and made what appeared to be a claim that the Boycott B, Nate and Company, are some kind of "agents" or counter-intelligence group out to presumably disrupt the boycott and the Boycott A groups.

I don't know who has the nutty members, Group B or Group A. Flip a coin.
Racial Healer Coming to Town?
Mary Clare Rietz, founder of "Building Relationships Toward Racial Harmony", is moving to Cincinnati from Toledo. I have never heard of her before, but one can surmise that if her leaving town warranted this article in the Blade, then she must have done something worthwhile. I just hope it was not a slow news day. I do not know if she plans on continuing her work to help race relations, but she could not have picked a better place to try and do some good in that area. We sure can use the help. I just hope that if she does want to help, that she does not have a preconceived notion of Cincinnati, the problems here, or the overall problems with race relations.

Sunday, August 03, 2003

Observation
Is the Steve Stifler character from the American Pie movies based on George Bush? I mean the drinking, the arrogance, the total inability to think that anyone who is not you matters, they could be twins.
New Blog to Cincinnati Area
Barney McClelland, a local freelance writer, has started a new blog called As I Please. Barney has some new interesting writing that I will have to dig into a bit more. He does need to learn how to add links to his blog though.
How to Write a Fluff Piece on Politics
Carl Weiser from Gannett gets a gold star for writing a most useless political article. If I wanted E! on Washington I might have asked for at least some sex and drugs to go along with the PR drivel.

There are tons of issues to write about regarding Jerry Springer’s potential Senate run, but this is type of People Magazine story we get from a Washington reporter? The Enquirer is going of the deep end of Pop Culture. This article belongs in the Temp section, not a news section.
Grasping at Straws?
Has Glenn Reynolds reached the bottom of his bag of tricks to try and defend Fearless Leader that he will listen to the Swedes? Glenn also needs to take a pill on the "dirty nuke" claim as somehow evidence of anything. Please note I used "dirty nuke" not "dirty bomb" as some idiots in the press started using. A "dirty bomb" sounds like TNT wrapped in dog shit.

UPDATE: Oliver Wills drew a similar conclusion, and beat me to it by about 2 minutes.

Saturday, August 02, 2003

Religious Bigotry
The Conservatives are screaming about people being Anti-Catholic, many of those conservatives are Southern Baptists who spout openly anti-catholic dogma all the time. Why aren't these same conservatives defending Satanists when the Dayton Daily News attacks their religion with this bigoted headline: "Satan worshiper says death toll at 11." Since when do we label murderers by their religion? Was Tim McVeigh called a Christian Terrorist? Conservative Christians are the most bigoted of all sectors of religion in America, in general of course, by any means of measurement. Sure, I am judging them in mass, but their record of bigotry in their teachings is up front and out in the open. The recent statements on gay marriage should be enough for people to agree my assessment is valid.

Now, before I get jumped on, I am not trying to defend the person who the article claims confessed to multiple murders. I am just trying to show hypocrisy when it happens.
Mormons in the Crossfire
According to a couple of Mormon missionaries who are finishing up their "tour of duty" here in Ohio, they got caught up in a drive by shooting in downtown Cincinnati. I would guess they mean Over-the-Rhine, not downtown, but other than that, they story sounds credible.

Friday, August 01, 2003

Gay Marriage
The Enquirer ran a story on this issue today, and the Post had one yesterday. Both of these stories stem from Bush's comments on the issue yesterday and the Pope's ramblings. In the media this issue has been discussed in several areas, and both conservative/religious and liberal/homosexual views have been espoused. What is missing is any question of the conservative/religious viewpoints that are vehemently opposed to this. They, like the Pope, give no real reasons as to what is wrong with gay marriage. If you have no problems with gay or lesbians existing, why do you care what they do with their private lives? How does gay marriage hurt anyone? The bottom line issue can be nothing but anti-homosexual bigotry. Those who are strongly against gay marriage are opposed because their religion dictates that it is "wrong." This is not a real reason. Religion says many things are "wrong" yet no one seeks to outlaw them, well at least not serious numbers of people. Committing adultery is one of the top ten “sins” in Christianity, yet it is not against the law. How is homosexuality more of a threat to marriage, than heterosexual adultery? Where is the constitutional amendment outlawing premarital sex? I hope I don't give "Fearless Leader" any ideas. Bush superimposes his religion on the populace much to often as it is.
Maggie Downs Mystery Column
The Enquirer has released Maggie's Convergys column. I don't really see the problem as to why it was held for a couple of weeks. Does the Enquirer really fear the views of the future business leaders of the city? We do have conflict however. All but one of the Generation X council members (5 of 6) voted for the deal. Everyone in Maggie's column had better ideas with what to do with the money, including myself. What is the disconnect? Why does the youthful council not jive with the young professionals? Could it be that old money still matters more? Could the Boomers running the big corporations care more about short-term profits than they do about a long-term viable city? Hmmm, ya think maybe?