Sunday, October 31, 2004

Hate in Ohio

Atrios posts on a Salon article that illustrates pure hate from Bush Rally attendees up in Columbus. Did we get any of the same kind of thing from Cincinnati Bush supporters? Anyone saying "We don't want faggots in the White House?"

A Sample of Right-wing Voter Suppression

This is how you try to suppress the vote of non-Republicans.

Now, to be fair, we don't know for sure if this came from a Republican. We will likely never know who actual mailed them. This has the earmarks of Young Republicans everywhere. Kos has more examples.

Axinar's Universe Lays Down the Law

Axinar puts a thumping bigot/racist blogger from Springfield in his place by, well, pointing out that he is a racist and bigot and frankly a teenager who knows next to nothing. As adults we know next to that which is next to nothing, so we are ahead of the game only slightly, but in "Obi Ken's" case that slightness is measured in light years, something far beyond the scale of the Kessel Run. Let us hope this kid can go away to a good state college and grow out of his upbringing.

Edwards In Town On Monday

There are no details but WCPO reports at Dem VP nominee Senator John Edwards will make a stop in Cincinnati tomorrow.

Someone is likely staying at the Cincinnatian tonight; whether it is Edwards or Bush I have no idea. I say this because of the additional security in alley behind the downtown hotel. While at the rally today I observed blocked alleyways next to the building I parked in.

In case you have not figured it out, I did not go to the Bush Rally. I did not want to have to sit with a bunch of right-wing zealots for two plus hours waiting to hear Bush say blah blah blah and then have to fight traffic. Odds are that I would have gotten into the event and would not have had anyone notice me and my lack of cheering or clapping. If I find out Edwards is having a public event I will be there definitely, but at this point I would say it is more of a focused event, not for a mass crowd.

Questions by Vote Challengers

The Enquirer is reporting that these are the questions a voter could face if their vote is challenged at the polls
    • Are you a citizen of the United States?
    • Are you a native or naturalized citizen?
    • Where were you born?
    • Have you resided in this state for 30 days immediately preceding this election?
      Where have you resided?
    • Please give names of two persons who know your place of residence.
    • Have you been absent from this state within the 30 days immediately preceding this election?
    • Have you continuously resided outside this state for a period of four years or more?
    • Did you, while absent, look upon and regard this state as your home?
    • Did you, while absent, vote in any other state?
    • Do you now reside in this county?
    • Do you now reside in this precinct?
    • When you came into this precinct, did you come for a temporary purpose merely or for the purpose of making it your home?
    • Are you 18 years of age or more to the best of your knowledge and belief?

These questions differ slightly from the ones the Dayton Daily News reported last week.

Kerry Rally at Fountain Square

Overall Thought: for Cincinnati this was a pretty good rally. I would put the number of people from 500 to 1000, which is really good considering this event received no attention in the local media or PR before hand otherwise. For my first foray into live blogging I will call it success, but I must say that the Wifi on the square leaves a lot to be desired. The speed really was worse than dial-up at many times. The city and CincyBell need to get on the ball and open-up more hotspots around town.

2:55 PM: Roxanne Qualls

Write in Rucker! Write in Rucker! Write in Rucker!

2:50 PM: David Crowley tells us he would never have thought that we would have to worry about voter intimidation in Ohio.

2:45: William O’Neil Running for Supreme Court of Ohio

2:40 PM: David Pepper asks those working the polls to ask their Republican counter part, “Do you know this is a Jim Crow law you are endorsing?”

Glen Miller

Steve Brinker

2:30 PM: “I am not a Myth” so says the crowd responding to Stephanie Jones, daughter of Nathanial Jones

2:20 PM: Tim Burke

2:00 PM: Music is starting up. The rumored speakers are to include Mark Mallory, Charlie Luken, and Roxanne Qualls.


1:45 PM: My first on location live blogging event: Kerry Rally on Fountain Square.

First element: it is taking way to long to log into Cincinnati Bell Wifi, but I was at least able to easily able to connect to the network.

The crowd so far is limited, but very enthusiastic. The funniest thing is seeing the Bush people coming in for the rally at GAP tonight. They all so far have looked like they came right out of West Chester or Anderson and as I sit outside Rock Bottom Brewery they are heading in to eat before they sit and wait 6 hours for Bush to speak.

Democratic Rally Today 2 PM Fountain Square

I plan on doing some live blogging at the Fountain Square event.

Saturday, October 30, 2004

Enquirer Picks Miller Over Brinkman

What a difference two years make for the Enquirer with their endorsement of Glen Miller for the 34th District of Ohio House, my district. It is an obvious choice for any sane human being. Brinkman is an extremist ideologue who seems to be more concerned with controlling women's bodies, destroying all levels of government, and providing guns to any nut with a pulse, than with preserving the rights under the Fourteenth Amendment, the rights of the first amendment, or of keeping a basic level of government to protect the poor from having to beg from the powerful corporation just to live.

The change from the Enquirer lies in the fact that they did not list an endorsement for this race back in 2002. I guess it is either more competitive this time around, or when Brinkman pushed a law where people could carry concealed guns in Churches and day care center just may have been the straw to break the blinders off the Enquirer's face.

I join the Enquirer in stating that we must vote for Glen Miller in the 34th.

Maggie Downs Missing From Friday's Enquirer

Yesterday I read Friday's Cincinnati Enquirer online, as I do everyday.

Friday is normally the day everyone can read Maggie Downs' weekly column, but I looked all over the front page. I looked in her archived column section. I looked and looked and looked and looked.

I did not find a column for Friday. I "wonder" why I did not find a column on Friday. I guess the bumper sicker column pissed off some West Chester GOP hacks who swear they tore off every Kerry bumper sticker they saw. From their perspective her count of Kerry stickers must be the result of some kind of, oh I don't know how they put it, "liberal bias?" We all know bias has no place in an opinion column.

Why is the Enquirer trying to silence Maggie? What fear do they have of opinion, and a liberal one at that, in their Metro OPINION columns? There is certainly no shortage of conservatives. I would love to know how often they kill a Bronson column for being too right-wing.

Hot Spots?

A request for anyone out there: Where are the hotspots for WiFi downtown? I know of Hamburger Mary's, but where else can I go at night? I am will to pay, up to a point for it, so I don't need just the free-places. There are several around UC also and Panera Bread and a few fast food places have it too. Anyone else been to any and know of good places to go, with good food or beverages if applicable? I have a new laptop, in case you did not hear me say it 100,000 times over the last week, and I want to try out some remote location blogging.

Should I Stay or Should I Go?


An official ticket to the Bush rally at GAP.

I am torn on what I should do. Should I go to the event or not? I want to test out the local GOP staffers who may or may not be on the ball enough to keep me out of the event.

I will try to have a Kerry sticker on as I go in, assuming I go, but not a big one or open to see.

My real plan is to try and talk with some of the protestors and see if that gets me banned from going in.

I got the ticket from a friend who did so fairly easily. He went down to the Cincy Bush HQ and they gave him four tickets. He had to say he was a Bush supporter, but I am sure he at least supports Bush on something remote so as to not make that a lie. He had to gave his name, but did not have to sign anything.

The Enquirer gave its typical puff piece on the event showing people torn between trick-or-treating or going to the Bush event. For the record, any Parents forcing their kid to see Bush instead of trick-or-treating is either a fundamentalist (and extremist) or is just plain cruel. That goes the same for the Dems who bring their kids to protest. I hope every kid there at least was able to have beggar's night tonight instead.

Friday, October 29, 2004

19th Century Enquirer Thinking

I guess the Enquirer Editorial Staff have a concept of time forieng to most living in this century as illustrated by their Groppe endorsements:
She has used technology to counter a rush of refinancing when interest rates fell, and has kept a close eye on her budget.
I guess the 2 months it takes to process a title is good by 1878 standards.

Blackwell Asks AG To Bar Challengers From Polls

In yet another surprise move Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell has asked Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro to ban all challengers from the polls on Tuesday. Blackwell lacks the authority to do so and short of a change in the law, I don't see what can prevent them, short of the Governor using some type of emergency power.

The lawsuit that caused problems with challengers took on a nasty reality when Democrats reported that 250 of the 251 precincts the local GOP registered challengers with were in predominatly Black areas.
Republicans also submitted a list of 251 other precincts where they may put challengers. Of those, county Democratic Party Chairman Tim Burke said 250 are majority-black precincts.
I guess I will not see anyone in Cincinnati 1K. I am going to try and look up the possible precincts they could be targeting. It could just most of the City or it could pick out specific places to try and keep minority votes down.

Halt of GOP Pre-Emptive Challenges Upheld

To my surprise the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals upheld a lower court's ruling that the pre-emptive voter challenges can't go on before the election.

The real question about these challenges rests on how these people were identified as registrations to challenge. In the Akron area it appears that the reasons were at best sloppy and at worst partisan targeting.

Thursday, October 28, 2004

CiN Weekly One Year Later

CiN Weekly is one year old and wants you know it. Well, what do people think of it after they have lived through 52 weeks of it?

I myself can say it a nice light publication and objectively speaking it serves its purpose. CityBeat is still better as publication, but CiN adds a CNN morning show style cultural feel, which is at least hipper than the Today Show. I hate to say it but there is a market for CiN. Think of CiN as Starbucks to CityBeat's Kaldi's.

HypoSpeak Challenges Ohio Reporters

Hypothetically Speaking is asking if you, a professional journalist, have the guts to seek out the alleged fraud the GOP is claiming. $100.00 American Dollars await the first reporter "who can document that 'massive and systematic voter fraud' has been conducted by pro-Kerry forces in this campaign." There are rules so have a look and take your best shot.

Ohio AG Carrying GOP Water?

The Ohio Attorney General is reportedly appealing the federal court order halting BOE hearings on voter registration challenges. Will this do any good? Well if the Conservatives on the 6th Circuit Court of Appeals here in Cincinnati get their way, they will be having hearings the second they can overrule the lower court order.

Shine a Light on the Vote Challengers

Covington Jim has put forth an idea of capturing a photograph of vote challengers at each precinct, forever documenting who is going to be trying to suppress the votes. Now, there are going to be both Dems and GOP challengers, but only the GOP have stated they will challenge votes. Dems here in Ohio have stated they will not challenge votes at the poll.

I am willing to snap a photo at my poll station, but I doubt they will have anyone there, since I live in a GOP area. What I think is more interesting is to see the face of those challenging votes in mostly black precincts. I don't know if you have to be registered in the precinct to be a challenger in that precinct or not, but if not I expect some very white faces to be in OTR, the West End, Walnut Hills and Avondale challenging voters.

I will accept some photos and post them, but I would want some verification of who you are, your polling location, and verification that this was taken on Nov. 2nd. I will not be able to post all of them.

If some enterprising young person (or old person) out there wants to set up a website to accept and display this collection, I would be happy to promote it.

REM at the Taft

Did anyone see REM at the Taft last night? I did not go, so I would not mind a review, and maybe some without the politics. I wished the Post could have kept it to the music, but this was a political concert, so I guess I can't get my music separated. It would have been better to have a political story on the event and then a music story.

I Contain Multitudes

I commented today in comments that Cleveland was not as Pro-Kerry as Cincinnati was Pro-Bush HypoSpeaks as poll numbers that prove me wrong. What it also says is that Cincinnati has more Kerry Support than I could have ever imagined. My only assumption is that these are metro numbers, not city proper numbers.

I have been reading HypoSpeaks for a while and have been meaning to add them to the blog roll. Sorry for the delay in do so!

Bias or Bad Journalism? (yet again)

We have an article on Michael Moore's visit to UC yesterday. We hear quotes from Moore, which is good. We get a report of who else appeared with Moore, which included REM. What we then got where quotes from Republicans: Susanna Oakley had tepid yet anti-Moore comments:
Susanna Oakley, an art history senior from Montgomery, said she was not impressed.

"He didn't say anything of substance. He's ridiculous," she said.
That was fine on the surface. That is her opinion and it would have been fine giving the opinion of someone who does not like Moore.

Then the writer ends with an indirect comment that was supposed to fact check Moore, but instead was just propaganda
Moore is twisting the facts, said Lindsay Quinn, a UC senior and organizer of the College Republicans. Those poll watchers will be impartial observers, she said, adding that Democrats will be observing too.
Now, first these are not poll watchers or "observers," they are challengers. They are there to challenge voters, not just watch the polls. They can't do anything but use their cell phone if they think something is wrong at the polls. What sets me off more is that this came from an "organizer of the College Republicans." Why not wake up and fact check what this person says before you publish it as a retort?

Where were the comments of someone who likes Moore and what he said? There were surely plenty of Young Democrats at the event, and the reporter could have gotten a quote, and if she did get a quote and the editor did not print it, well there is your clear cut bias from the Enquirer.

Wednesday, October 27, 2004

The Columbus Dispatch On Web?

I don't subscribe to the The Columbus Dispatch, but I was able to read this story about the Dems suing the GOP over their pre-emptive hearings trying to kick over 2,000 people off the voter rolls.

In the past the Dispatch limited access to subscribers on all stories. They have been added to Google News, so I guess they don’t know or no longer mind.

Desperation?

Bush won Ohio in 2000. Bush won the Cincinnati area very easily in 2000. Why would he waste time holding a rally here 2 days before the election when he could be in a location where he might sway some voters?

Does Bush's base around here need any more motivation? I guess he needs a big crowd for good video shots, but I would have thought that a visit to Iowa might do him better. I think Bush's chances are fading in Ohio, but in Iowa he is doing much better. But Hell, I hope Bush spends all day Sunday right here in Cincinnati. It does not look good if you spend time in the last days of the campaign in places where you already are supposed to have won without question and without much effort.

Since it is on Sunday, maybe I will try and get tickets. I wonder if you will need to sign an oath or pass a FBI background check to go to it. I have been getting almost daily auto-dialer recorded propaganda from Bush, so someone foolishly has me on a list of undecided voters or something.

QCF Interview Fanon Rucker

Michael Atlman interviews the Democratic endorsed write-in candidate for Prosecutor.

Cyber-Jingoism From Bush

Funnel Cake reports that the Bush Campaign web site is rejecting Non-US visitors. He also provided a link to some confirmation from international users. Why would this be happening? Why would he keep people out? Are people being blocked only in certain countries? I could see this would be a way to stop a denial of service attack, but I would like to know if IP's from Israel are being block, because they UK's are being blocked. How are international Bush voters, Americans abroad, supposed to read his website? Now, I am not saying they should, but I am all for people having the chance to read what all candidates are saying.

Tuesday, October 26, 2004

Mullane's Back?

We have hope Mullane's Parkside Café will reopen.

Let the Lies of Bigots Begin!

Well, this is not the start but the Zenith of lies from the anti-homosexual crowd pushing another level of theocracy on the state. Their goal is to make homosexuals subhuman, denying them every possible person right or protection any lawmaker could give them. Phil Burress is out to rid the state of gays. Burress is nothing but a theocratic fascist. He and his minions, which include the likes of Carl Linder and Anthony Munoz, hate gays and want to crush their lives so badly that they leave the city and the state.

Hyperbole you ask? Am I overstating things? No, I am not. If I has said genocide was going on, that would have been hyperbole in this case. Here we have a group of people who do not like gays, do not support freedom for gays to be full citizens of the United States or of Ohio.

They also are out to limit the rights of unmarried heterosexuals, but hey, they are living in sin!!!! Let's smite them! Down into the pits of HELL all ye Heathens must go! We can't stand two adults living together who don't get permission from Jesus!!!! We must stamp out all sex!

Ok, that was hyperbole. Or was it?

Monday, October 25, 2004

Meltdown

Yes, we are in the middle of a heavy campaign. Everyone's emotions are a bit high, but one shows signs of serious problems with comments like these:
I've never had a problem with Wes. But I think it's funny that he'll sit in his room and write this on his blog, but cannot even confront me with it when I see him at events. Wes, you can be tough behind your computer screen, but can you be tough in person??
Steve Fritsch just might want to reconsider running for office. When you try and steal Zell Miller's act you not only look foolish, you come across like a schoolyard thug. You know the episode...bully is made to look bad...comes looking for the smart kid...lunch money tends to change hands. I guess Steve wants to rumble behind the monkey bars.

What to Do If You Are Challenged at the Polls

The Dayton Daily News, the best newspaper in Southwest Ohio, does something practical and a public service to the community. They give advice about what to do if you are challenged at the polls, presumable by a Republican operative.
1. The challenger will have to state why your right to vote is being challenged. The four reasons they can challenge are that they believe you are either not 18 or older, not a U.S. citizen, not a Ohio resident for the past 30 days or not a resident of the county and precinct in which you are trying to vote.

2. One of the poll workers and you will move no less than 10 feet from the challenger.

3. You will be asked to take this oath: "Do you swear or affirm that you will fully and truly answer all of the following questions put to you, touching your place of residence and your qualifications as an elector at this election?"

3. You will be asked a series of questions about one of the four areas in which you are being challenged.

4. If you refuse to answer fully all questions or are unable to answer them fully, or your answers indicate you are too young, not a resident or a citizen, you will not be able to vote.

5. If you answer the questions to the satisfaction of the poll worker, you will be given a ballot and will be allowed to vote.

What if you want to appeal? The decisions of the poll workers are final.

What if the challenger appears to be attempting to cause delays or intimidate voters? The chief poll worker, the presiding judge, can expel them from the polling place.

Source: Oct. 20 memorandum, "Challenger and Witness Guidelines," Ohio Secretary of State's Office and the Ohio Association of Elections Officials.
I looked for a copy of this memo online at Secretary of State's website, but could not find it. I would have thought this would have been part of their PR, but I guess they might hope people are fearful and don't vote? I can find no other links or even mention of this memo but in the DDN.

Mixing Politics

For some reason I feel this article had me in mind. Now, I know they didn't. I am read by a handful at the Enquirer, but not most, but I guess I don't mind speculating about some conspiratorial jab telling me that I guess I had better stick to my own kind.

I would honestly find it impossible to marry a conservative. I have dated a conservative before and my opinions were not a boon to the relationship, neither were hers. What is missing from these examples are how they feel on social issues. I think that is mostly where people can find common ground. I could handle differences on economic policy and foreign issues, but on big social issues like Church-State, abortion, free speech, freedom of the press, I really could not put with a hard right-winger. I guess I want a woman who has a brain, and is not afraid to use it on the same level I am. I see the hard right-winger females as one who thinks her role in life is to be a modern June Cleaver.

I am sure I have just disappointed a great many conservative women out there, but oh well.

Rucker TV and Radio Ads

Hamilton County Prosecutor write in candidate Fanon Rucker has produced a television and a radio ad.

Oh, and he got the Enquirer Endorsement.

Vote Challengers; Poll Watchers

It is an outrage that people would stoop to such a thing here in Cincinnati. Dayton was to be free of it, at least organized by the GOP, but now they will. There is nothing stopping some idiot from doing trying this on their own, even though people are supposed to be registered before hand. I would not be surprised if we don't see this kind of thing from some crackpot around the city. The Observer reports on the trouble Ohio is going to be having. That trouble will not be from people trying to double vote, but instead from those trying to suppress the vote in the name of prevent double voters.

What I want to know, are the GOP putting poll watchers in every location? Will be asking in my precinct who the watchers are. I may wander by some other locations and see if there are watchers stationed out in Anderson Township.

The GOP has dropped some challenges to registrations, but the headline is misleading, of course.

Jesse Taylor of Pandagon chimes in with a lament on the disenfranchisement the GOP is angling towards.

Sunday, October 24, 2004

Culture of Fear Rules Editorial Pages Too

The Toxic Twins of the Cincinnati media landscape have put out their endorsements for President and wouldn't you know it, but they backed Bush. Yes, shocking I know. (cough, cough)

What is not so laughable is that both newspapers base their endorsements on fear. They don't come out and say it directly, but their motivation is quite clear. They have fallen into Bush's plan. Bush has perpetuated the fear of terrorism on the entire country. He has shown us no way to ever defeat it and his actions have helped solidify a future with an increased number of groups and countries out to do the USA harm. For a reason I can't fathom both editorial boards (or just publishers) think that the guy who knows how to make more terrorists want to kill Americans can somehow defeat them. If this attitude exists on a wide enough scale, which it does in most Bush supporters, then we as a nation are doomed to a new Cold War. Islamism (the war blogger term for Muslim terrorists or all stripes) will be or is the new Communism. A new enemy has been created to fear, and Bush has succeeded in making the Enquirer and Post fear it like a child fears the bogeyman. No wonder they fear OTR. Here is a critique of both.

The Cincinnati Post
I really am perplexed by the poorly written (on a contextual basis) editorial in the Post. It felt like a bad casserole, with chunks of really rotten meat stinking up rather bland pasta. They praise Bush, but somehow find him blameless for Iraq:
In his first major execution of that policy, the war in Iraq, we believe Bush was led astray. It is deeply troubling that, having won the battle we were unprepared to win the peace.

...

He is an honorable man who, without precedent to guide him, made a difficult decision to invade Iraq as one early step in a struggle with terrorists that, sadly, may last for decades.
So, let me get this straight, they believe in Bush's leadership, but think he led us astray in the war on Iraq. Now, they do for some unknown reason say Bush was led astray. I thought the President was the leader. If he is not the leader, then who is and why are they not President? I thought the President was the person who they praised for his leadership, but now they say he FAILED by letting someone else lead us? Their logic here is confusing doubletalk at best, and well, just plain crap at worst. Their last line should read "With George W. Bush we choose stability, continuity and decisive leadership (well except on that Iraq thingy)."

What was most disappointing is that they filled it with propaganda. They used anti-Kerry talking points right from the GOP as crib notes for their writing session. Are they really are fooled by the Bush/Cheney line about Kerry's position on Iraq? It is one thing for a politician to say them or one of their flunkies or even for a Bush worshiper, but for professional journalists? They even trout out the bullshit comparing Bush's "legislative" record to Kerry's. It was as if they just reworded Bush's debate prep. Why not just put a picture of Flipper in there in be done with trying to appeal to a literate crowd. Did Portman write this?

The Cincinnati Enquirer
In their editorial today I just don't grasp what the hell they are saying:
The next four years will require a president who has the fortitude not to waver in the face of terror. George W. Bush and John Kerry are both strong and patriotic men, but we believe the times call for America to be consistent. For that reason we support Bush.
Consistency? That's the reason for wanting Bush? They don't want to change? So more of the same, as Kerry puts it, is just what they want? I hate to whip out my favorite quote from RWE but:
"A foolish consistency is the hobgoblin of little minds."
~Ralph Waldo Emerson
They then put forth lies
We wish the president were willing to acknowledge the mistakes that were made, and to hold accountable those in his administration who made them. But other nations and past administrations all believed Saddam had the weapons and was willing to use them.
It is true that most countries agreed that Iraq had failed to account for all of his WMD after the first Gulf War, but not that he still had them in any volume to harm us or that he had any significant programs to build more. Bush said all of that was true, but like the Post, they put the blame on someone else in the Administration, not on the man at the top. Why? Why allow Bush to dodge responsibility? Again like the Post the Enquirer can't seem to be consistent itself in praising real leadership, instead of Bush's brand of walking in front of driverless bus.

On homeland security they don't say why Bush is good, they say that Kerry can't pay for anything he wants to do. WHAT ABOUT YOUR CANDIDATE? What the hell? It is as if Bush just did everything wrong but we can't fix it, and neither can Kerry, so lets stick with the bad President we have just because he gave us a false sense of security 3 years ago and that can sell us more newspapers.

On economics they just lie:
He's wrong. The over-$200,000 category isn't just "the rich." It's also the bulk of the small and independent business owners in America - a segment of the economy that creates many of the new jobs we need.
A small business man who has revenue over $200,000 does not have taxable income over $200,000. They will not be effected by this. If you have taxable income over $200,000 then you are fucking rich. 99% of Enquirer staffers, if not a higher percentage, do not have taxable income over $200,000, so don't play games here. If the publisher can't make the payment on her third home, well don't spend more than you earn. I don't shed tears for the rich paying a little more than I do.

On Social Security the Enquirer is just ignorant. I have a 401K plan. I don't need another one, as Bush wants me to have. I need an insurance program to help provide me a guaranteed base income when I retire. I need it to be there when I retire. I don't need to put money into stock brokers and Wall Street Banker's pockets.

Neither paper was willing to touch on the social issues. They value money and killing more Muslims over freedom from theocracy, reproductive freedom, and equal citizenship for homosexuals. I guess they don't value those freedoms because they don't fear things that don't personally affect them. Now, to be fair the Enquirer does support the repeal of Article XII and they oppose Issue 1, but both issues conflict with Bush's positions. Not to mention they don't address Bush's future Supreme Court picks which will put this country back in a pre-bellum mindset.

I was not shocked by either editorial. Both papers have conservative editorial boards, all be it not extreme right-wing ones, but more importantly they fear pissing off the West Chester person who sees Bush as a deity, with no flaws. That means they have to back Bush to avoid local flack and a drop in circulation. I wish these newspapers could learn something from the glowing coverage they give the President, be "bold" and don't fear the burbs. Instead, fear your own conscience when you don't tell yourself and your readers the truth.

Wes Flinn and Nick Spencer also comment.

Provisional Ballots

In comments someone brought up the Enquirer's editoral on the "provisional ballot mess." The ruling of a Federal Court has been overturned by 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The relevant text of the Help America Vote Act is Title III Section 302(a) as follows:
(a) Provisional Voting Requirements.--If an individual declares that such individual is a registered voter in the jurisdiction in which the individual desires to vote and that the individual is eligible to vote in an election for Federal office, but the name of the individual does not appear on the official list of eligible voters for the polling place or an election official asserts that the individual is not eligible to vote, such individual shall be permitted to cast a provisional ballot as follows:
(1) An election official at the polling place shall notify the individual that the individual may cast a provisional ballot in that election.
(2) The individual shall be permitted to cast a provisional ballot at that polling place upon the execution of a written affirmation by the individual before an election official at the polling place stating that the individual is
(A) a registered voter in the jurisdiction in which the individual desires to vote; and
(B) eligible to vote in that election.
(3) An election official at the polling place shall transmit the ballot cast by the individual or the voter information contained in the written affirmation executed by the individual under paragraph (2) to an appropriate State or local election official for prompt verification under paragraph (4).
(4) If the appropriate State or local election official to whom the ballot or voter information is transmitted under paragraph(3) determines that the individual is eligible under State law to vote, the individual's provisional ballot shall be counted as a vote in that election in accordance with State law.
(5)(A) At the time that an individual casts a provisional ballot, the appropriate State or local election official shall give the individual written information that states that any individual who casts a provisional ballot will be able to ascertain under the system established under subparagraph (B)whether the vote was counted, and, if the vote was not counted, the reason that the vote was not counted.
(B) The appropriate State or local election official shall establish a free access system (such as a toll-free telephone number or an Internet website) that any individual who casts a provisional ballot may access to discover whether the vote of
that individual was counted, and, if the vote was not counted, the reason that the vote was not counted.
The crux of the issue with the law depends on how you define Jurisdiction. From my viewpoint I see the county as the definition of Jurisdiction for the State of Ohio. The county is where voter registration is controlled. It can't be voting precinct, which I don't think can quality as any type of jurisdiction. There is no foundation to claim any control or jurisdiction over a precinct, other than by the county. It could be the local jurisdiction (city, village, township), but that would actually be much more complicated than county. I could live in the city of Cincinnati, but fall among multiple state office boundaries. I would still have to have some variable type of ballot including all offices and issues for everyone in the city. The county would then have to have provisional ballots for precincts with the same races and issues.

The remedy is rather simple. All you need, which is what I think the Judge advised, is that each county create a standard county wide ballot. It would include all offices and issues, which are listed in every precinct in the county. That becomes the provisional ballot used for the person who thinks they should be registered in the county. As long as they are registered in the county, that ballot then counts. They do miss out on voting for many local races and issues, but they still can vote.

An additional solution that should happen before provisional ballots are brought up would a system (which partially exists, but needs to be improved) to help people find and then get to the correct precinct. We have a system now to help people fine the right voting location, but no way to get them there if they can't get there on their own. If they can't make it to the other location they will just not vote, making the provisional ballot a good second choice for that person, allowing their vote to count at least on some level. This is not rocket science. This would not cause confusion. This would not increase fraud. A person could commit as much fraud with Blackwell's restrictive provisional ballot as with this fair version. So claims of such are false and just cover for the real desire, suppressing the vote of poor and minority voters.

As of this morning I can't find a copy of the 6th circuit ruling online, I would guess it might hit tomorrow. I do not know their rationale for reversing the ruling. At this late date we are facing a mess because we have people following different guidelines and Blackwell lost his credibility and thus any real authority by his push to suppress the vote. We will have a mess.

Saturday, October 23, 2004

Anti-Rock-the-Vote Republicans

Was this part of the reason why a local Republican threw a hissy fit and caused a local Rock-the-Vote to me moved from the Public Library? Did a local College Republican group forward propaganda like this article to her? That is the last issue that we don't know, why at the last minute did Deliaan A. Gettler worry about this event? Who put her up to it?

Bad Journalism and Lies from the GOP

Ok, a thief broken into local Bush Campaign HQ. That is horrid, terrible, and just sad. Ok, fine, got that out of the way.

What is disgusting about this Enquirer article and all other coverage on it is that no one mentioned if there was any of the typical political damage done to the place, like signs destroyed, graffiti on walls, etc. A window was broken and money was stolen. That sounds like your run of the mill robbery, yet a local Bush spokesperson is allowed to say:
"We don't know if it's politically motivated or not."
That is technically true. It is technically true that I don't know if I am actually the natural born son of my parents. Now, pictures of my dad when he was younger look exactly like me. You know, all of the pattern's fit, but I don't "know."

In this incident the pattern of a typical robbery fits perfectly. If this was politically motivated, the perpetrators would have left the money and destroyed all of the political paraphernalia, which based on the picture with the article, they did not do. The article lacks information telling us whether anything else was done inside the office. Anyone walking inside could have clear seen if something like "Bush is a Nazi" was spay painted on the wall. It does not surprise me that the Republicans would want to milk this for all it was worth, and they did so very smoothly in this article. They provide just enough room for fools to think it was caused by the Democrats, but without saying so. Jane Prendergast and her editors failed to either ask the question about other damage that would indicate if it was a political based action.

WCPO's article was almost as bad, they at least did not include the quote or anything like it in the article. The on-air story was far worse than the Enquirer, and showed bias. I could not believe the lead spoken by the anchor:
"Someone is apparently out to get the Hamilton County Bush/Cheney re-election campaign."
That is beyond bias and is frankly just a plain old lie. The worst lie comes from GOP spokesman Alex Triantafilou:

"Never-the-less it does fit a bit of a pattern across the country that we've seen with vandalism and ah disruptions at some of our offices and our operations."
Ah, Alex my man, if there is some kind of a pattern, where your stock of signs or stickers destroyed or stolen? Were anti-Bush slogans painted on anything? Did they do anything else to damage the progress of your campaign other than steal money like common criminals? There was nothing fitting a pattern other than a window being broken, which by the way was not the main window, but instead the one near the door so the criminals could get in and steal money. This had nothing to do with politics and when you say you don't know, you are in my opinion lying.

WKRC had little on the incident.

WLWT did the best by reporting by including other incidents that don't fit this case and mentioning Kerry's campaign having problems up in Toledo. They did have the most ignorant quote from Jenny French:
Jenny French stopped by the building for a few yard signs and said the fact that there was no indication of partisan motivation didn't interfere with her first thoughts when she saw the bits of broken glass, WLWT News 5's John London reported.

"I don't think there would be any other point but political," French said.
I am guess that even though all reports show that there were no WMD and no link between Iraq and 9/11, Jenny still thinks we will find WMD and that Saddam was behind 9/11. That kind of ignorance is not as rare as it should be.

Friday, October 22, 2004

Blackwell Grandstanding

Ken Blackwell is now grandstanding against a Federal Judge. Defying a judge is surely a great way to win support for a legal case.

Blackwell and GOP's attempts to suppress the vote is not a new occurrence, but in today's age of inclusion it shows a disdain for the poor and a disdain for the less educated that perplexes me. Why do people feel there should be an intelligence test for voting? Why make it more difficult to vote? If we are going to exclude people because of being ignorant on the issues or being askew of reality, then most of those supporting Bush would be disqualified.

Steve Fritsch's Cheap Tricks

Just so you know that when Steve Fritsch wrote a column attacking Todd Portune he was "not" trying to make a back hand claim that Todd Portune is faking his injury to gain political votes. Steve is "not" using double talk:
Again, I'm not claiming that Portune still doesn't need his wheelchair. I don't know if he really needs it or not. But coming from a man who is as deceitful as Portune is, a man who personifies "politician" in its negative connation, it wouldn't surprise me if he was using it for political gain.
Steve surely is "not" bring up the issue of Portune faking his need for a wheelchair by saying it is possible but he doesn't know.

It is possible, I don't know mind you, that since Tom Brinkman voted against ratifying the 14th Amendment he is a theocratic racist. It is possible with his prior stances on religious issues. Hey, I don't know either way. I really don't have any insight into man at all. I just have to point out that it is possible and would in no way surprise me.

Stick with Kerry

That is exactly what I have been waiting for from Maggie Downs. I would like this type of politically based, yet fun to read column that can balance out Bronson's right wing tripe.

Her sticker counts are similar to what I see, which even though she stuck to more "liberal" parts of town (stayed out of StepfordWest Chester) shows me that either Kerry folks locally are more energized or the Bush campaign is taking this area for granted. I will be interested to see how Bush's numbers inside Hamilton County compare with 2000. I would bet Kerry far exceeds the votes Gore received.

Thursday, October 21, 2004

Open Thread

Chime in on stuff.

CT is in Covington tonight, come on out!

Letters from Europe

I wonder if the right wing is screaming about letters from a British Newspaper to the people of Ohio trying to influence the election. When our military influenced local elections in Iraq and we surely influenced the election in Afghanistan, I am sure the right wing said nothing or rather they cheered on the military for doing it.

Wednesday, October 20, 2004

Sarah Jessica Parker at Alchemize

Nick Spencer had announced that Sarah Jessica Parker will attend a alchemize Tomorrow for an event coordinated by Ohio Women for Kerry.

It will at a special time of 12:30 PM at 1122 Walnut in OTR.

Shuttlesworth Shame

In a letter to the editor:
Supporting Article XII lessens Shuttlesworth

Nothing will ever change the fact that the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth has done our nation great service with his courageous stands for the rights of African-Americans ('Gay-rights sides target black vote,' Oct. 14).

But has the reverend no sense of irony? As he stands in opposition to the repeal of Article XII, he aligns himself with direct-line descendants of the right wing, clergy-backed groups who fought so hatefully and bitterly against his cause in the '60s.

These right-wingers - fronted in Cincinnati today by Citizens for Community Values - have not changed their stripes. And in joining CCV to encourage continued discrimination against gays, the once-great reverend looks sadly small.

John C. Brennan
Clifton
Freedom knows no sexual orientation. Freedom is not exclusive to one sect of religion. Freedom and equality are for all humans. Vote YES on Issue 3.

Dodgeball!

I would have thought Maggie Downs would have been all over this story. Is this life imitating art?

Misleading Article, Lazy Journalism

This news story starts out with two paragraphs about the headline based on no direct quotes from an official of the BOE. The rest of the article is just press releases from the party officials, prompted by the GOP attacks on new voters. This is part of the GOP suppress the vote campaign. Don't let it work.

Tuesday, October 19, 2004

Rosey Glasses

Paul Szydlowski of West Chester seems to live in an alternative world where everything is just coming up roses. I guess living in West Chester means your cup staff half full all the time, or rather full all the time.

Lost in the Shuffle

The Cincinnati Post reports that Jeb Bush stated he will not run for President in 2008. That opens up the floodgates for the GOP. No matter who wins this November, it will be a bloody battle royal for what I think will be a fractured GOP in 2008.

Monday, October 18, 2004

Bronson: Torn?

I got a request to comment on Bronson, so I shall meet that request.

After reading his column yesterday I was torn on what to think about it. On the surface I was impressed with Bronson's approach to the issue of gay rights by meeting with several homosexual couples. I was impressed with his half-assed agreement that the Article XII repeal is not bad. I was still dismayed by Bronson’s overall anti-homosexual stance.

I am still flabbergasted by his bigotry and his unfounded views on homosexuality. He has gall, but no shame. I don't expect bigots to feel shame for being bigots, that would mean they had a conscious on the issue. From the column:
I argued that gay marriage would destabilize society, by undermining families. The unintended consequences could be devastating - especially for women and children - if marriage is remodeled to add a new bedroom for gays and anyone else who wants to move in.
Once again, as Bush does, Bronson chimes out his claims as to what Gay Marriage will do. He can't seem to describe how his claims would occur. Some empirical examples might just go farther than trite myth. What is missing is fact. We know hard right Christians are anti-homosexual based solely on a few passages in the Bible. From that they build a whole panic and fear about an issue that, well, was not even important enough to make the Top Ten Laws of their religion.

What are threats that homosexual marriage poses on heterosexuals? Will Bronson suddenly divorce his wife after reading a gay marriage announcement in the Enquirer? Will Gays try to stage a revival of the Newly Wed show? Will children of divorced parents seek out married homosexual households because they are more stable than single parent households?

What Peter showed most was his homophobia. He did it when he mentioned "especially for women and children." This is the sign that I think most male homophobes give away. Men like Bronson fear gay MEN, not women.

They fear either being raped, or being hit on and somehow they could be "turned gay." Laugh if you must at what I agree is a bit a hyperbole, but for what other reason would Bronson claim that women will be hurt by gay marriage, but not men? What about lesbians? Will they not hurt heterosexual marriage as much as two gay men being married? I guess Peter does not mind Lesbians. I will admit that the thought of two women going at it is something that most men have been culturally trained to find appealing. Gay men are what anti-homosexual men fear. They fear other men being stronger than they are and forcing them to be gay. These same men don't fear women, so the same fears are not there. As for anti-homosexual women? Well, I can’t figure out women when it comes to romance, so I don’t think I will have much luck here. I would surmise it would be similar to what motives Bronson’s bigotry, but from a perspective I can’t speak on with the same insight.

Mostly this column being written at all struck me as strange. I guess I don't like it when the Enquirer has a theme day. I like the coverage of gay rights issues, but I don't like it when columnists are assigned topics. Let Bronson and Downs write what they want. I don’t need 10 articles on one issue jammed into a single issue or week. I would like to read about these issues on a regular basis, not just as titillation.

'What would you do if your child were gay?'

Well, if you are they VP and your child were gay, then you would use your child as a prop in your campaign and then whine (faux anger) about one of your opponent mentioning that your child was gay. You would do this after not getting pissed when your opponent’s running mate said nearly the same thing.

I hate bring up this topic, mostly because it is one of the biggest non-issues ever to exist in a campaign. I wonder why Bush did not get all hacked off about Kerry quoting his father to him in the debate? I mean, I thought families were all off limits and all?

Is the Fix In?

Would you trust an election run by this BOE?

UPDATE: The AP has the story.

Dubya's 700 Club

Dr. John S. Hutton lays it on hard to George Bush who is sounding more like Jim Baker than James Baker. Ron Suskind would agree.

Grossmann on the Fringe of the Right-Wing

David Grossmann is running for County Commissioner. How the media not seen fit to mention his support for Creation Museum in Northern Kentucky? He gave his support to build it. He is a Creation Museum reference board member.

Now what does this matter do you ask? Well, his religious beliefs do not matter. He has very little power to push a Christian Crusade from the County Commission. What his beliefs in the Creation Museum show are in my opinion a sense of bad judgment bordering on delusions. Yes, he was a judge too. I wonder how much he agrees with Roy Moore of Alabama. Now, don't get all in huff for me calling him delusional for his beliefs. I am not harping on his brand of extreme Christianity. I am harping on people who based on a delusion believe the Earth is only about 6,000 years old. I am harping on people who believe evolution is racism. I am harping on nut cases like Ken Ham who are not living in a reality that sane humans can comprehend.

Grossmann provided support for Ken Ham's fringe group. That may not mean he fully buys into all of his beliefs. One really odd thing is that Grossmann's church has a website with password protected members section. What are they keeping private?

How could people consciously vote for this guy? Why would they support the fringe of the GOP? Well, unless you are on the fringe of the GOP.

Sunday, October 17, 2004

Cincinnati is Bigoted Towards Gays

When reading the results of SurveyUSA poll there is no other conclusion to draw other than Cincinnati is bigoted towards gays. When 57% think homosexuals should not be raising children, then yes we have a bigoted town. What is so sad, is that people don't see this to be wrong. Those 57% think they are doing something "right." This is why people fight for gay rights. This is why I believe that homosexuals are being discriminated against. They are allowed to exists. They are not allowed to be full citizens of the city or the state or the country. A large majority of Republicans and way too many Democrats are guilty of supporting anti-homosexual laws like Article XII. Phil Burress is not an aberration. He has a following of theocratic bigots that are trying to vote in their religious belief into law. We have a long way to go to make homosexuals equal under the law and in the eyes of this community. With this level of bigotry, I fear it will be a long time before homosexuals can move beyond just existing and living full lives like everyone else.

Back Up and Strong


Sign Repaired Less than 12 hours later

Last night as I was driving to the Rock the Vote after party at Neon’s I was glad to see the sign back up and looking good. It still a bit damaged, but it gets the job done. Now, I will bet that this sign goes down again before Nov. 2nd. If it does I will personally repair it.

Oddest thing about Neon's after party: the news crew there was from WSTR. I think the reporter got several questions about her employer. I left her alone. I am not one for conflict, especially when it is very indirectly related.

Saturday, October 16, 2004

GOP Pulls Strings: Rock the Vote Out Kicked Out of Library

Deliaan A. Gettler GOP party member and delegate to the GOP National Convention got a bee in her bonnet and got the Library to pull out at the last minute from a Rock the Vote Event they were hosting.

Deliann Gettler is a GOP Contributor of over $5,000 to various GOP Candidates and the various levels of the Party.

It amazes me that one person can pull strings and do this. What a spineless Library we have, or either one with a bunch of Republican. Well, a majority of them have given to GOP candidates.

I am rather pissed at the library. I was sent a press release just a week ago Friday directly from Phyllis Hegner Assistant Manager, Public Relations of the CPL asking me to promote this event. I did so gladly with a full understanding that this group was a non-partisan group, which it is.

From now on I shall make sure that I check up on any all groups who hold events at the public library. Anyone that even has the appearance of being partisan, should be banned from using the libraries facility.

I wonder what people like Deliaan A. Gettler would do if she found a partisan book in the library. Where there's smoke, there's often fire.

more from WLWT, Miami Hearld, and WCPO.

GOP Jack Booted Thuggery in Cincinnati


A Kerry Sign damaged a Second Time on Beechmont Avenue

This type of thing is happening everywhere in the county. Both sides are doing it. I just have to ask the GOP jerks who did this: are you proud of yourselves? I would ask secondly did anyone in the party ask you to do it, like maybe a friend of your parents who also happens to be a local party hack? I am assuming this was done by high schoolers. It might have been college kids, but we are not in a big college area, so I narrowed my guess a bit.

What I wonder most though about Republicans who have seen this sign as they drive home to Anderson Township everyday. What will they be thinking the first time they notice the sign was knocked down? Will they smile, maybe laugh a little? Some might, but some might feel ashamed. Some might want to even say it was done by the Democrats just for attention. Most will not like it if you ask them publicly, but not care enough to do anything about it.

What makes me sick about this one in particular is that it happened near to where I live, so I take it personally. Also, this sign was replaced because the first one was also damaged. It was about the same size but made of a poster like material, not extremely sturdy. The replacement was a solid wood sign with metal posts holding it up. This was not damaged by someone just running by and knocking it down. The thugs stopped and literally stomped this sign down under their boots.

People will chime on here and presumably say this was no big deal or just some dumb kids. Well, that might be true, but it brandishes the stereotype of the GOP that I hold out as my perception that has now anecdotally been made reality right in my face.

CLAU to Close?

The Cincinnati Post, the Enquirer, and WCPO all are reporting that Club Clau will close it doors on January 1st.

Rick Bird reports on speculation that this is a PR stunt.
One longtime Main Street club owner, who did not want to be identified, questioned whether the announcement was sincere, suggesting the owners may just want to attract attention to the exclusive club with the intention of relaunching in January.

Club Clau owners and business managers insisted that is not the case, that they want to pursue other marketing and advertising ventures with a possible eye toward opening a new club somewhere in the area next year. Hueser said any new venture would not be in the Sycamore Street location.
This sounds like a big PR stunt to me, but with what purpose? What this likely comes down to is money. When does their lease expire? Are they facing a big rate hike? If they are, then it is understandable why they are closing. Image to this type of business is everything, and if you are perceived to be weak, you lose the image you need.

This way they can reopen at a new location, maybe even expand, and then start with a new model.

This could prove to be a boon to Alchemize and Crush, both places have a different market, but could inherit the buzz as the place to be seen.

UPDATE: Nick Spencer has more.

WB64 Feeling the Heat

The outrage over Sinclair Broadcasting making what I would call an in-kind campaign contribution to Bush is starting to be felt by WSTR - Channel 64. National Blogger Josh Marshall at Talking Points Memo posted directly about WSTR and put out links to WSTR's major advertisers. I myself sent an email to the sales manager voicing my hope that Sinclair will change its mind.

I feel bad for Sinclair's local station staffers. They did not make this decision, but they are the ones feeling the direct pinch from their customers and viewers.

If you have not done so, make your voice heard. Hypothetically Speaking as the list of WSTR advertisers.

Friday, October 15, 2004

Blackwell is Rebuked

Ken Blackwell's efforts to suppress new voters has taken a hit from a Federal Judge. The Judge ruled that any provisional ballot cast in the correct county but incorrect precinct should be counted. Blackwell ruled that the provisional ballot must be cast in the correct precinct to be counted. Blackwell's ruling was a farce and a direct attempt to limit the rights of voters who are new to voting and did not correctly get notification where their precinct is located.

Blackwell is going to appeal. This issue could help to make Ohio into another Florida. A Bumpy ride is awaiting us.

Cynical Maggie Downs

Now, I consider myself to be a world class cynic, but Maggie Downs gives me a run for my money.
Ten years later, I thought things would be different. I was in a room with mature adults, many with children, who had careers and lives far beyond our small Ohio high school. We had all changed for the better. We were all ready to be open, accepting and welcoming of each other and our various places in life, right?

Whatever.

At my reunion, I learned that mean girls will always be mean girls. Pasty, aging jocks will always think they're more attractive than they really are. And high school cliques - more so than the pyramids and the Rosetta Stone - will always stand the test of time.
I don't think It was this bad for me at my tenth year reunion, but then again I always thought of myself as geek. While at my reunion a girl I was friends with back in school said I was "preppy." My perception of myself was shattered and I spent the rest of my time at the reunion wondering if this was true. I gave up when I remembered where I went to college. Perceptions are often reality.

Kroger Strike Avoided

Kroger and the Union have agreed to a contract extension, which pushes back a possible strike. It appears things are tenuous as to what will hold back a strike, but the two groups will continue to talk. That is a good sign, and a good choice for both groups.

Eschaton on Ohio

Atrios believes Kerry won Ohio last night. I don't think I will put Ohio over the top yet, but Ohio being in play is bad bad news for Bush.

Thursday, October 14, 2004

Wednesday, October 13, 2004

Kerry: 3 for 3


Chaz Looks On as Kerry Debates

I watched the debate at Crowley's tonight and had a very nice time. I feel Kerry yet again won. He equalled his efforts of the prior two debates and Bush was not as strong as he was last Friday.

Wes Flinn has more.

UPDATE 10-15-2004: MindVillage as more.

Failing Logic

Paula Charles writes in a Letter to the Editor:
Miami deserves to lose federal funds

While I applaud the editors of the Enquirer for chastising officials at Miami University for their failure to comply with the Campaign Security Act ('Miami's failure to notify disgraceful,' Oct 9), I do disagree with the Enquirer's stance on possible punishment facing Miami. How else can the university collectively be effectively punished beyond monetary sanctions? If students cannot be assured that convicted sex offenders will not be welcomed back with open arms to a campus, then what good is federal funding unless it is used to issues firearms to sexual assault victims?

Paula Charles
Mount Washington
So, students should have to pay more because of the elimination of school funding or worse yet, the school reduces security funding because of the loss of Federal money? While I agree that officials need to be punished, how can she logically think that cutting funding of the school will help anyone? How would a girl being date rapped benefit from having a gun in her purse or her dorm room while she is drugged by her attacker? Also, what good do guns do to victims of the crime? You are a victim of the crime after the crime takes place. I hope Ms. Charles was not suggesting that sexual assault victim resort to vigilante justice as a resolution.

Rucker - Deters Debate

Anyone go to the debate? I don't think it was on the radio or TV, only a limited story in the paper. Will it be on public access maybe?

Few still seem to be talking much about the logical nightmare this race is going to be. We will be debating ballots and how they are filled out all night on Nov 2 if the race is close. How will that affect the Presidential race if Ohio is close? We are going to have a bumpy ride.

Bush vs. Kerry III

I was thinking of a good tag line for this debate if were a movie like say "Bush vs. Kerry III: The Final Lesson."

That one kind of sucks, so who has something better?

"Bush vs. Kerry III: Revenge of the Gore"

Tuesday, October 12, 2004

Howard Dean Coming to Miami

The Miami Student is reporting that Howard Dean will speak at 8PM on October 21st in Millett Hall. It is free, but you need tickets that you can get at the Res. If you don't know what the "Res" is, you might not even know how to get to Oxford, so don't bother going all of you West Chester Reactionaries. (cough, cough)

Oh, and Springer is going to be at Miami on Oct. 27th.

Speak Out to Sinclair Advertisers

Josh Marshall has a Cincinnati reader who has contacted LaRosa's and King Automall.

Let WSTR's Ad department hear from you: sales@wb64.net

Missing Piece of Health Care Puzzle

Now, his "series" is not yet over, but Bonefield's stories on the rise in health care costs are missing something. His articles so far do not mention de-mutualization of insurance companies. This is where they become full tilt corporation out for the profit of share holders, instead of for policy holders.

My health insurance has risen in cost about 20%+ percent PER YEAR over the last 4 years. I went from paying $58 a month, up to $120 dollars a month over about 5 years (my numbers are approximate). This was not cause by malpractice insurance. There have not been increases in costs that much over the last 5 years in court settlements. We are not going to see our costs go down if we cap tort settlements.

Someone is gouging the American public. Whether it is the HMO or the Insurance company or the doctors or health care manufacturers, I don't know. I do not it is not because of lawyers. 20% a year is not caused by 1,000,000 settlements or doing X-ray's. HMO's have strict rules as to what tests are run on a patient. If it falls outside the guidelines they have to justify it. Those guidelines are not something causing costs to rise, they are keeping HMO's costs down. They may or may not be bringing down the level of care, but that is a different issue.

Bronson: Good, Bad, and Well, Typical Bronson

Bronson, who is doing what his column title (Scary attempts to influence your votes) say, shows a mix of good and bad information. He surprises us with an honest presentation of the stupid mailer Carl Parrott mailed out to voters, showing mostly black felons who will not be voting for challenger O'dell Owens. According to Bronson Parrot made a post card similar to this page on his website. Bronson actually had a good piece with a comment from Owens:
Parrott said the flier emphasizes that, unlike Owens, he is a forensic pathologist who has produced evidence to solve crimes. "It's not about race, it's about crime,'' he said.

Owens said it's a reach for Parrott to take credit for what the police and prosecutor do. "I think it was just poor judgment,'' he said. "I don't interpret it as racist. I just wonder what has this got to do with the coroner's race?''

Good question. We don't need CSI to tell us the coroner's ads scare voters stiff.
Now on next matter Bronson was bad, up to his usual tricks, but with a twist. I would guess either he read Nathan Colvin's column from last week or both got their talking points from David Horowitz, or another anti-intellectual conservative. We have dogma that professors are bad. I wonder if we were to go to a Conservative school, other than Miami, where religion or puritanical issues are pushed by professors in class and go unchallenged. I would bet in a few business classes at Miami we would see professors saying Kerry's election will kill the market or raise "your taxes" where "your" is the parents of the rich kids who make up a large portion of Miami's student body.

I guess those issues where students are being scared into voting for Kerry are so effective, but when Cheney says if you vote for Kerry the terrorists will strike again. That is just honest far rhetoric, without a any sense of fear mongering.

Monday, October 11, 2004

Blameless Minister

The Enquirer had an article yesterday touting a 'Church arsonist' becoming church minister. In this article the man blames 'Satan' for him setting fire to the church, it did not burn down only damaged. He also blames the music he was listening to:
Murphy was just 17 when he and some friends splashed gasoline around the foundation of Fairview Christian and set it ablaze.

Their crime came after a night of drinking whiskey and drenching their minds in music of what Murphy now calls satanic bands - the likes of Trent Reznor's Nine Inch Nails and Marilyn Manson.
He's not to blame, blame Marylyn Manson!!! Don't blame druken behavior, blame Trent Reznor! Don't take responsibility, just change your religious convictions and remove all responsibility! He said more:
Murphy didn't deny his role. He simply told authorities that satanic beliefs prompted him.

"I believe I was possessed by demons," Murphy said, recalling the incident last week as he cuddled his 8-month-old daughter, Jayda. "They infused me with that kind of darkness. I lost control - and I didn't care."


This story comes across as niche targeted journalism. This is the type of article one might find in CCV newsletter, not a local newspaper. I guess the fundamentalist dollars are something the Enquirer needs to get as much as the mainstream Christian. They are targets so much that they did a follow-up article today which adds nothing but a pat on the back to someone who in print takes no personal responsibility for his actions.
"I'm sure everyone has something in their past that they're not proud of. God forgives and forgets."
Unbelievable.

The Basics on the Coroner's Race

Mark Mallory sums up the bottom line issue in coroner race's:
'He either knew (about the photos) and allowed it, or he didn't know it and he should have,' said state Sen. Mark Mallory, co-chairman of the county Democratic Party. 'In either case, it is horrific. This has been one of the more grim and gruesome stories to ever come out of county politics.'
That reminds me of Bush. Either bush new there was no WMD and misled us into war, or has incredibly poor judgment in evaluating the reason for going to war.

Bush's Silver Spoon Rears Its Ugly Head

Carl Weiser reports that Bush was touting his Ohio 'roots' whileon yet another campaign stop in the state:
Bush's great-grandfather, Samuel Bush, was president of Buckeye Steel Castings Co. from 1905 to 1927 and a founder of the Scioto Country Club. Buckeye Steel is no more - it filed for bankruptcy in 2002 and is now Columbus Steel Castings - but the Scioto Country Club is still going strong.
The man from Crawford, Texas, but really from New England, now pushes his Ohio roots. Where's the consistency?

One thing is consistent, Bush comes from a long line of rich people. Founding Country Clubs is a great thing to show how he connects to the average worker. I wonder how many union-busting thugs Samuel Bush hired to beat down steel workers back when that was normal for steel barons.

Do You Feel Like I Do?

Peter Frampton comes alive.

Sunday, October 10, 2004

Lincoln Ware on CNN

WDBZ's own Lincoln Ware appeared on CNN this evening discussing amending the constitution to allow foreign born residents to qualify for the Office of President. He opposed it, surprisingly. He even pulled out the race card, which is not normally something I would guess Lincoln would do, especial on this issue.

I am surprised that most of the GOP are not in favor of it. I guess that Arnold is no longer the darling of the GOP. On Capitol Gang last night, both conservatives on the panel were against it.

Deconstructing Nathan

Regular commenter, Miami University Student and Republican activist Nathan Colvin has penned a column in the Miami Student, the campus paper.

Nathan starts out with a whopper of a statement:
As in elections past, democrats and liberals are once again using scare tactics to sway voters in this presidential election.
Is Nathan this myopic? Does he only see Democrat's mild use of what he calls 'fear' and not see his candidate's campaign based on nothing but fear? Let's list out what George Bush wants you to fear:
  1. Muslim Terrorists
  2. Homosexual Marriage
  3. The United Nations
  4. John Kerry
  5. Anyone who dares criticize him
  6. Anyone who does not want to kill Muslims
Nathan is upset that some 'liberal' professors are repeating 'lies.' First thing, you don't need to tack on the 'liberal' label to a college professor. If liberals read it, like me, the liberal label will just make us laugh. If conservatives read it, well, to them the term liberal professor is redundant.

What is missing most are examples of what he alleged the professors to have said. He should have had quotes. He could even have named names. Then we could better assess whether these comments were opinions or statements of fact. Also if the assertions made were something the students were required to know as part of the class.

If these were in a discussion, then I see no problem with them. Why can't a professor express an opinion? Especially an opinion in the form of a question: "Ok class, How could President Bush fight another war beyond Iraq without reinstating the draft. I tell you it can't be done." Is that the type of horrible hippie propaganda Nathan is complaining about? Well, it could be, but we have nothing to examine, so I guess we will never know.

Rock the Vote at the Public Library



The Cincinnati Libraray, one of the best libraries in the country, is a stop next weekend for Rock the Vote.

At the Main Branch:
1 to 5 PM will see "open discussions and information booths staffed by area organizations."

6 to 9:30 PM will have music from locals musicans:
Brenda Weiler
Animal Crackers
The Walker Project
Marvin and the Experience
KMS
Seven
Uneek
NSPCrew


At the Groesbeck Branch: Rock the Vote a lo Latino
2 to 4 PM Salsa dancing contest to music provided by DJ Rudy Alvarez

Not Even Conservative Fox News

I don't think that conservative FOX News would be this partisan in its programming, and for a network as biased as Fox that is saying something. The FOX broadcast network has generally kept to entertainment and has not let the news division interfere with its programming. Newscorp, after all, has to make a buck.

What would the usual suspects (right wing bloggers: i.e. Instahack) be saying if say Raycom was going to Air a Michael Moore Film on its stations the night before the election? We would be hearing the calls of bias and calls for Raycom to have all of their broadcast licenses revoked. Here we have Sinclair doing the same thing, from their side, and we hear nothing from the right. That is expected, but it shows how bias is only in the eye of the partisan. If you hear what you want to hear, then it is not biased in the mind of conservatives.

Kevin Drum has more along with Atrios.

The LA Times has the details.

Let local Sinclair station WB64 know what you think about this unprecedented action bordering on campaign contribution. Tell them objectivity is a goal that can't be achieved when you do one side's bidding.

Phone: 513-641-4400
Contact "local talent" and ask if they agree with their corporations tactics.
KOS has the info about contacting Sinclair directly.

What's Up With Bronson?

Did Naomi Wolf get to him? Is this his alleged former hippie side coming back to haunt him?

Saturday, October 09, 2004

MIAMI 47, Kent 27

Love and honor to Miami,
Our college old and grand,
Proudly we shall ever hail thee,
Over all the land.

Alma mater now we praise thee,
Sing joyfully this lay,
Love and honor to Miami,
Forever and a day.


Details here.

Queen City Soapbox Returns!

Ethan Hahn is back and blogging. Welcome back!

Kerry Won

On the issues and on style Kerry won last night's debate. Bush's only benefit was that he was actually appearing to be participating in this one, as compared to last week's debacle. He was angry and showed his naked aggression quite overtly in the first part of the debate. It smelled of desperation. The kind of desperation that I fear will trickle down to his storm troopers and cause some problems with the violence issue I keep bringing up.

Kerry performance was even with his performance last week on style. I think he had better points and gave a great answer on Abortion to use with someone radically opposed to it.

Bush was overcompensated for his numb performance last week. He did was Gore did for years or rather what the press said he did, over-react to the spin.

Bush made several gaffs that have not been reported by pundits after the debate. The biggest one was when he flashed back to this youth and though he was Richard Nixon in 1960 when he called Kerry Senator Kennedy:
BUSH: Let me see where to start here.

First, the National Journal named Senator Kennedy the most liberal senator of all. And that's saying something in that bunch. You might say that took a lot of hard work.


The political reasons for Kerry winning are that he seemed Presidential. He was consistent with his prior performance. He showed that he could be trusted as the President and people would be comfortable with him as the commander-in-chief. Bush's only plus was to re-energize his base, which is where conservatives think he won. Bush hurt himself with moderates. He pushed on right wing social issues, was very angry and at several times lost his composure, especially in how he pushed around Charlie Gibson. Bush just took his extra time to speak with out asking for it. That was a sign of complete arrogance. It make have been a minor violation of the 32-page agreement, but it was to me a sign of Bush thinking he was above the rules. He is think he is more important in the discourse of American politics.

Bush gave me the creeps at the end of the debate with his allusion to what I fear is the goal of social conservatives:
These are reasonable ways to help promote a culture of life in America. I think it is a worthy goal in America to have every child protected by law and welcomed in life.

I also think we ought to continue to have good adoption law as an alternative to abortion.

And we need to promote maternity group homes, which my administration has done.

Culture of life is really important for a country to have if it's going to be a hospitable society.
"Culture of Life?" Is that the new phrase being used for the culture wars? What is a maternity group home? That sounds like something out of the 19th century where unwed mothers are forced, forced to go off to homes to have their kids. I guess this a government program some conservatives will want if they are able to stack SCOTUS and remove the rights of women, further giving an excuse to criminalize women who are not married and get pregnant.

The spin game and overall impact of the debate will be greatly diminished by having the debate on a Friday night. I believe fewer people watched it last night and if they did, they are not going to be watching TV about it today or tomorrow.

Overall I think the race remains even, but Kerry is getting back his electoral vote edge. The national polls will stay within the margin of error the rest of the way to Nov 2nd, which will raise the level of tension and I fear still cause some isolated incidents of significant violence.

The real test of Nov 2nd will be the ease with which people can actually vote. If we have widespread screw-ups on Election Day, then there will be long-term repercussions on the country that will cripple our Democracy.

Bait and Switch

In the front page of the Enquirer's website we find a link with the hypertext of Transcript: In their own words. Go to that link and you get an article entitled "In their own words" with the first sentence of "Excerpts from Friday's debate:".

The front page said it was a transcript, not excerpts from the debate. Come on guys, label your stories correctly. If you want a transcript of the debate, the whole thing, try the Washington Post.

Friday, October 08, 2004

Deters vs. Rucker Is Back On

Their debate scheduled for a downtown church this past Wednesday was canceled for unknown reasons, but the Business Courier is reporting a debate will take place between the two write in candidates for County Prosecutor at Xavier University on Oct. 12. The article states no tickets are needed for the Cintas center event, but the time is not listed. I think the time is a rather important element to getting an audience to show up.

Deters does have a campaign website and just opened his HQ this week. Rucker is going to have a website, but is is not up and running yet. They both are using a similar web site name. Will both be using the pencil as the campaign handout? A friend brought that up as a great tool, have "Fanon Ruck for Hamilton County Prosecutor" written on the pencil. I don't know if pens are allowed or if they are cheaper.

Signs

Here in Cincinnati the Kerry signs/stickers are in my opinion disproportionally more visible in the places I visit than Bush signs/stickers, slightly contradicting .this sotry. Any rationale to why the Bush campaign has not flooded Cincinnati with signs? I assume they feel they have this area in the bag. I would think turnout might still be a challenge they should worry about. I hope they just take us all for granted.

Bush vs. Kerry II

We have a Town Hall debate this time. The questions that remain open are: will Bush be so aggressive that blowback hits him? Will Kerry appear stiff to the audience? Will the audience's questions be bland, pre-screened, or pointless? Do the candidates know the questions in advance?

Bush's bar is very high for this event. He can't play for a draw. He must go for a win, and he really has no rhetoric that will win it. He can only hope Kerry is flat or makes a gaff.

The race is basically a tie at this point with Kerry having the Big Mo.

Thursday, October 07, 2004

The Basics

No WMD
No WMD Programs since 1991
No Threat to America
Bush either misled the public(lied), or has really bad judgement.

I would say both.

Who is a GOP Puppet?

Answer: Geoff Davis.

Wes Flinn has more.

Tall Stacks Debt Gone

Carl Linder is paying half and the city will write off the rest. A good deal for the city, for Tall Stacks, and a big kudos to Car Linder. Hey, that is $125K that will not got the GOP, but that is not like he doesn't have a few spare millions lying around the bathroom that he could spend from his budget for q-tips.

Bronson: More of the Same

Bronson's column today sounds like a broken record:
If Cincinnati and Hamilton County keep leaking population to the suburbs, we might need a sign on Interstate 75: 'Last one out, please turn out the lights.'
Why does this guy want the city to fail? Why does he want a big black hole to exist inside the "loop of stale dreams" (I-275)?

Ken Blackwell Being Watched

Well he certainly has better style than Katherine Harris.

97X and X97

Separated at Birth? Good title for the City Beat Article. I have not tried woxy.com new stream yet. I have occasionaly listen to X97 while out in Mason at work.

I guess I listen to NPR more often, so my radio habits focus on news and current events programming. I however, while in Flordia I listened to a great station playing good 80's music, and nothing but 80's music.

Wednesday, October 06, 2004

More on Cheney's Lies

Keving Drum runs down the whole list of the VP's lies, misrepresentations and general untruths.

Factcheck.org also give a check on the facts.

Yes Virginia, Dick Lied

I guess everything changed after 9/11, including Cheney's memory. He did not recall meeting him, I am sure. Just like he did not recall implying at every turn that Iraq had something to do with 9/11 and had strong links with al Qaeda.

Tall Stacks Debt

Should the City of Cincinnati forgive it? I can't help but thinking of Third World Debt, and the efforts to have that debt forgiven. Both situations have a very vague parallel, mostly on terminology.

I say forgive it. It was a great festival, and the city needs more like it. This is the not the best time to write off debt. Why not wait a while? Maybe have them pay some of it off? This would make a great election year issue for Fall of 2005.

"Steve_Fritsch_God"

Yea, that is the page title for Steve Fritsch's BCR column about former Judge Roy Moore's fundraiser visit to Cincinnati.

Roy Moore is a theocrat. He is in my opinion a fascist, but I am willing to debate that. His theocratic beliefs can't be denied.

Roy Moore is wrong and so is Steve Fritsch. What causes this is ignorance. Now, I say that word and it may seem harsh, but I mean it in a truly literally way. Fritsch and Moore are ignorant of other religions and of those who have no religion. Moore used a classic theme Fritsch recounts about not being able to define religion. Well I can:
Religion: A belief or beliefs or set of beliefs or system of beliefs in a god or gods or supernatural creator(s) or supernatural entities.
Was that so difficult?

Moore's claim that Christianity was the basis of our government, our laws and our country is just a lie. Our laws are based laws that predate Christianity by hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Our government and country were in part founded on the right to practice religion or not practice it as we see fit. Moore celebrates views akin those those of the Puritans, but seems to leave out the agnostic/deism of Jefferson in his review of history. If the founding fathers wanted to insure that we were going to be a theocracy, we would have in our constitution direct articles on the matter. We don't have such things. We instead have a body of case law that has thankfully grown beyond the mentality of the Scopes Trial era Moore longs for and into one where religion is a private matter. Government is a public matter. The two should not mingle.

Fritsch goes off the deep end in his column in this paragraph:
You see, the Constitution is not the problem. God is not the problem. In fact, He is the answer. The problem lies in those individuals who hijack what is good. The problem is the agenda-driven, morally empty activists, and the corrupt judges who grant their wishes, that attempt to remove the "Creator" from all things American. For if they succeed, an alarming prediction can be made: If God goes, so does America.
I for one do not need any religion, let alone Steve Fritcsh or Roy Moore's, to be "moral." I have my own morals I live by, and do quite well. I find it odd that Steve goes after "agenda-driven, morally empty activists," when he is writing about one. Roy Moore's agenda was, and still is, to promote his religion by using his government office. He chose to push his religion over all others in his state. He decided what was best for others. Now, people might counter that by keeping religion out of government, out of schools, and out of state houses is deciding for others how to live. Well, there is a simple answer to that. We do it all the time. We allow people to live their lives as they please, and keep others from interfering. My right to not have religion superimposed or forced on me as an individual supercedes another individual's actions to try and use government to force religion on others. I can't force you to like my blog. I can't force the government to make you like or even read my blog. My blog will should not get special treatment from the government over other blogs or people without blogs, even though I have the Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Speech on my side.

Religion has a place in society: in churches, homes, private property, and in your own mind if you so choose. It has no place in government. You can carry your bible around all you want. Just don't post it on public property.

Steve's final thoughts are without question very troubling:
In the words of Judge Roy Moore, now is not the time to flinch. We must stand up and fight for the reasons this country was founded to begin with. We, as a land of free people, dedicated to liberty and doing what is necessary to make it endure for countless generations, must restore and protect that of which has been lost. For the fight against those who seek to eliminate God from public discourse is a necessary battle. Because if we lose to this amoral nihilist agenda, we will not only be putting ourselves in danger, but our children and grandchildren as well.
Has a church been raided by the government for anything they preach recently? Have private schools been forced to keep bible study out of the classroom? NO! Who the hell is Steve worried about? I fear the Roy Moores of the world far more than I fear a fellow atheist or Wiccan. By the way, Steve might want to look up the difference between nihilism and atheism. Two very different things.

I did not think Steve was this far over the edge on this issue. This sounds more like something Brinkman might write.