A look back at a wild and woolly 2002
The Post adds a full year in review to yesterday’s racial tension summary. The Post included Erpenbeck in its review, while the Enquirer did not. Both newspapers covered that story like a pimple faced girl collecting Backstreet Boys posters. I look for the Erpenbeck trial/plea to be just as over covered. Beyond those who got screwed by Erpenbeck, does anyone else care about the story? It is news, but how many weeks did they go with an Erpenbeck front-page story? I could have taken a little CCV propaganda or another white guilty story, just to break up the monotony. Where's a good OJ story when you need one?

King breakfast violates boycott, son says
Is King III serious? Does he expect the Mayor of a city to contribute to the boycott of his city? That is galling. That is ludicrous. That sounds typical for someone whoring for local credibility.

Year 2002 in Review
City Beat had several stories on the year in review on news stories and issues for 2002.
Year of the Status Quo covering the elections
Police Deals covering police-community relations
People of the Year
Sports: More of the Same
Hearing Voices a summary of letters and editorials from throughout the year.

The Enquirer provided the top stories, people, happenings, and moments of 2002.
U.S., World Year in Review: Top stories that shaped our news
Local News Year in Review: Top stories that shaped our news
Sports Year in Review: Five People Who Stood Out

Business Year in Review: Top happenings that shaped our news
Tempo Year In Review: Five moments that mattered

The Cincinnati Post settled on just a summary story on racial tensions: "City made effort to heal its racial tensions in 2002."

City Beat is not Immune
Reports are that Kabaka Oba, the main spokesperson for the racist black separatist group the Black Fist, announced last week that his group would be protesting in front of the City Beat offices. It is not clear to me why they are protesting City Beat, but it may have to due with Kathy Wilson's comments in a prior column:

Suddenly we're bigots of the loud-mouthed variety. We make generalizations based on revisionist history to further our own agendas and to reclaim the sick-hot spotlight of "they done done me wrong."

Case in point: The Dec. 4 "rally" on Fountain Square by the Black Fist, an ad hoc group of protesters and hangers-on who demonstrated against the placement of a menorah. This year it was a menorah and not a cross in the ongoing holiday festivities I like to call "Who's on First, and Is It a Religious Symbol?"

I don't know if this will turn into much of anything, but it funny seeing the Black Fist bite the hand of the only print media outlet that take them seriously.

Shooter's Wife Called 911 After Murder-Suicide
Sounds like a love triangle or a perceived one. This article has one problem. Is a suicide considered a homicide? If that is the case, I would be surprised if the number of 64 homicides includes all of the suicides from this year.

Ideas, etc.: Big Red Machine's Home Gone
Kevin Holtsberry, a fellow Ohio Blogger for the upcoming Polstate.org, comments on the implosion of Riverfront Stadium.

The Old South, Up North
In a surprise this column is not about Cincinnati. I am sure the boycotters are disappointed this story attacks Milwaukee, instead of Cincinnati, for not holding the hand of the black community there and telling them how to live their lives. This is the paradox vexing our society. The black community wants the white people to give them “stuff.” That is what the boycott is about, that is what this column advocates. The governments try and do that, and have tried to do that, but nothing short of large cash payments with no strings attached will satisfy the hotheaded boycotters (aka reparations). A No strings policy is not going to happen. Money will not cure the poor. All it will do is provide a temporary respite from suffering. If you want to reduce the number of poor people, education and personal effort are the only solutions. Additionally, boycotters expect instant gratification. Money will make their community prosper, is what they think. They are dreaming. It takes solid a community with a social structure that can function without handouts. Perpetual charity will only breed the need for more charity.

The problem that exists is the bottom line issue for the black community. Assimilate or fend for yourselves. Learn to fit into the general society, or make your own. On Friday Jim Clingman filled in for Jay Love on the Buzz. It was an afternoon filled with bigoted callers railing on what they claim has been done to “them”. They talked about assimilation, but failed to really talk about what it was. They just grunted out racist comments on why they would never allow themselves to fit into the mainstream culture. They sound to me like the Strom Thurmonds and Trent Lotts circa 1960 rallying against segregation.

I wonder how many reading me are going to say I have bigoted views or that I have made racist statements. I guess the boycotters who regularly read me will think that, which is too bad. It is understandable that they the see all white people who don’t agree with them as racist. That is a common human failing that has fallen on many conservative movements as well as this progressive-populist movement. Those who disagree are out to get you. It falls into “Themism” which I have talked about on my other blog. It spreads like a flu on a cruise ship, and will take down this city if everyone, and I mean everyone of every race/creed/color/religion etc, does not stand up to all instances of this kind of uncheck bigotry. Black separatists can’t go unchecked. Homophobic politicians can’t go unchecked. Theocratic fascist can’t go unchecked. No one can go unchecked. If you want to check me, the comments link is right below.

If Maureen Dowd is a Sex in the City columnist, then Peter Bronson is a Lawrence Welk Show columnist.

Down Goes Riverfront

It feels good getting back from vacation only to turn around have another one Monday and Tuesday of this week. It will take me a little time to get back into the Blogging routine, and with the holiday the news is light anyway.

Two sought in Lazarus robbery
They only took "food items"?

Bronson: Why Lott quit
Peter is playing the same game of moral equivalency that the Palestinians play.

Many Republicans in the Senate were disgusted by the double standard of media and the Democrats. Mr. Lott was barbecued while Democrats who have done much worse got a pass.

Peter and his ilk have been whining that the media did not treat Senator Byrd, who used the term "white nigger" within the last year or so, while "attacking" Lott. First, the media did not attack Lott. Columnists and pundits did. All the news outlets did was to heavily cover the issue after it was made into a story by the blogosphere and conservative pundits. Second, Byrd and Lott are not on the same scale with their comments. Byrd gets the same old man bye that Strom Thermond gets. His comments also were not as bad as Lott's. Using a racial slur in a bad context is wrong, but far from inferring that segregation should have been in place for "all these years." Also, Lott is the incoming majority leader of the Senate, while Byrd has little leadership in the Democratic Caucus. Peter is now following the lead of other conservatives and now blaming Democrats and liberals for this problem, not Trent Lott and the race baiting strategies of the GOP for the last 30+ years. He instead says:

Mr. Lott has taken a beating, but he has regained some respect by staying in the Senate, keeping Democrats from destroying his career and reducing the GOP majority.

I guess this means the real reason Trent had to be admonished a little bit was that it was bad politics to keep him majority leader, not his current and past statements/actions on race issues. Peter is more concerned with keeping the GOP majority, than cleaning out the image of bigotry in the GOP. Peter can now whine that the Democrats are really the party of segregation, but would be pulling a Clinton. He would label the party for actions, not the members who took those actions. If Peter were to ask today what party nearly all of the segregationists and their offspring are now part of, there is one party that would hold a vast majority, the GOP. The GOP of Lincoln is not in control of the GOP today. The moderate Republican is a dying breed. They are defecting to the Democrats, or joining the growing ranks of independents. Peter needs to get off the talking points of the Conservative Pundit's Union, and start taking an independent track.

UPDATE: I see Rob Bernard is a conservative dressed in Palestinian clothing as well with this post.

Robbers Break In To Police Chief's House
Dozen's of police officers are working on this case? Are you kidding me? If my house was robbed I would be lucky to have a cop file a report. I would never see anything stolen ever again. The robbers would never be prosecute for the robbery of my house, unless they are really stupid or if chance played a part. The police chief should get the same level of police attention as the rest of us, not special treatment by his friends. The Enquirer version of the story.

Fire Destroys Former Fortune Teller Business
I will ask the obvious quesiton. Didn't the fortune teller know this was going to happen? Or is that why she is a former fortune teller?

Support for Lott is firm
Key section:

"Sen. Lott's remarks were out of line,'' said Rep. Rob Portman, the Terrace Park Republican. "Nearly everyone acknowledges this, including Sen. Lott. -- While what he said was inappropriate, the senator has apologized and Congress should now move on and focus on its important work, including getting the economy on track and combating terrorism.''

I wonder what Rob is saying now?

Judge throws out Jorg defamation suit
Police are public figures? I assume then Postal workers and City garbage collectors are open for public ridicule as well? One might argue that Jorg himself is a public figure because of the media attention of his case, but his position as a police officer is not one that is open to slander and libel statements.

Read this article, then read this article. I guess a good and free press is not something Ohio excels in.

Supporting Cops???
What is Peter Bronson smoking? His column today: Don't shoot takes on the treat of police by the city. He thinks that council's rejection of the contract for supervisors is a lack of support for police? Peter, wake up and smell the Union! Peter, you and your right wing brethren hate unions. They make you vomit up your dividends. How could any GOPher possibly support a contract that ties the hands of management? Peter's own beloved George Bush held up the Homeland Security Bill because he did not want his hands tied by unions. Mr. Bronson let me reintroduce you to your old friend: HYPOCRISY.

Wells' A Grinch for the Republicans has a providential aura around it.

Whitehouse Claims to Have Helped "Heal" City's Racial Tensions
In today's White House press briefing, Presidential spokesman Ari Fleischer touted George Bush's actions in the aftermath of the riots in Cincinnati. He claimed that the Bush administration played a role in helping the city heal the racial problems after the April 2001 riots. How exactly did they do this? Bush considers investigating the Police department as healing? Bush has done little to help the City of Cincinnati. If he thinks that giving a speech here in front of a partisan crowd is a way of "healing", then he has had one too many pretzels. Bush, or more likely Fleishcher, should not boast about doing nothing for a city he couldn't care less about. He has this region's votes locked up solid no matter what he does. He will just let those in power here rule as the despotic tyrants they like to be.