CityBeat: Your Negro Tour Guide "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
Kathy calls everyone out with this column. She straddles the two worlds she defines, black and white. She lives in one with internal conflict, and she interacts with the other with still more conflict. I guess she feels like her column has come to represent the house slave, thus the Uncle Tom title. I am not sure if I would use that comparison if I were going to sum up her column. She tries to be objective with her column, straddling the line, but her personal background is rooted with issue that she can't shake. Some of those issues tilt her opinions to a level that comes across as a large chip on her should she is just begging someone to try and knock off. Okay, my bad pop-psychology exercise is now complete. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, a cracker is just a saltine, and fried chicken is just lunch.

Coalition for a Just Cincinnati is Falling Apart, Again
Linda Newman has resigned as co-chair of the CJC. Her reasons result from the anti-Semitic protest carried out by the Black Fist on December 4th, 2002 which included CJC co-chair Amanda Mayes. Her letter rambles on with a political laundry list of progressive/socialist/communistic ideas masquerading as civil rights, but overall her letter is good. I am pleased that many members of the CJC have woken up to the hypocrisy that existed in their own leadership with Mayes and Livingston. Both are opportunists to the extreme, peppered with bigotry, racism, and a greed for power. Linda and the rest of the boycotters need to rethink their tactics. This protest was an obvious ends to their means of confrontation. Instead of providing solutions, the boycotters made demands like it was Dog Day Afternoon.

The real question is: Who will gain custody of the CJC website www.cincyboycott.org? According to a Whois search, it is registered to Linda Newman, so unless Nate and Amanda want to go to court, I would think Linda would get custody. Maybe Nate and Amanda could get weekend visitations, plus holidays. They better get Kenny Lawson working on that pronto.

Side note: Kabaka Oba's letter (last letter "Free Speech") to City Beat sounds like something an Islamic Jim Jones might compose.

Latest shootings underscore effort
This is a textbook illistration of irony.

King III wants event canceled

The son of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has asked the city to cancel a breakfast honoring his father, saying it would violate an economic boycott against the city by black activists.

Thanks for nothing Marty!

Coalition gathers support
This article really paints the picture of a different rally than the one painted in yesterday's Post. This article paints the picture of a group like MADD. Damon Lynch's presence is underplayed compared to the Post and the Nation of Islam's involvement is conspicuously absent.

Facelift for Princeton schools?
The question to me is will this inner suburban area agree to this action? The inner city district failed to pass a school capital improvement plan this past November, mainly due to non-city voters. Is a property tax increase easier in the city or the suburbs? I will bet that most voters in the Princeton district will push for one of these options. If Cincinnati had presented a more modest plan, would it have passed? I think it would have won easily, if they had limited it or had broken up the plan into multiple phases. Next year CPS will hopefully have a scaled down plan that will pass with ease.

Newcomer wants slice of the pie
Bruno's is only good when it is fresh and it needs no toppings, cheese is plenty. The amount of grease on it will give you a heart attack on the spot, but it is worth it. Many of my freshman nights end with a delivered Bruno's, a game of euchre or hearts, and a big grease stain on the floor.

Protest at CityBeat
Kabaka Oba and his merry band of bigots were out in "force" this hour out in front of the City Beat offices. I counted about 6 or 7 protestors, 3 or 4 people who I would guess are City Beat staff, and at least one white guy yelling back at Kabaka about "Jesus" or some other such nonsense. I think Oba was blathering on about the CIA, FBI, or KKK or some other useless propaganda. One man, who was with the protest I think, had a camera and was looking at me after I had passed the crowd and watched for a minute from across the street. I hope he does not think I was a CIA agent checking out the "mighty" Black Fist. I might have given off the narc vibes, so I can see why I would stick out. I don't know if Greg Flannery was outside or not, but he did mention this protest in his latest column, which is not online yet, but should be today. If you were there Greg, I was the white guy in the green coat with glasses who walked by smiling at this free speech car wreck. If I was a totally synical guy I would call this a PR stunt for City Beat and the Black Fist, much like the plot of the 1987 classic movie Dragnet where BAIT magazine used an anti-porn cursading preacher to gin up circulation by launing a campaign against the magazine. I honestly don't think that is true, but it sure looks like it on the surface.

All in All I give my 20 second observation of the protest a 4 out of 5 stars rating. The rebuttal protestor was the apex of the event and it would have been nothing above a trite abortion clinic stye protest without him. If there is video, I would love to see a copy. Who knew that watching a small group of racists/bigots protesting could be so entertaining.

Black coalition: Time to put an end to killing
It is time now to put an end to killing? What was wrong with last year? Why now? Are these groups embarrassed by the number of blacks killed by blacks in this city? It appears that they are, and can no longer blame it on others. When a vast majority of those who are either under arrest or suspected for murders in Cincinnati are black, can everyone see that there is a disconnect? There is a problem. I commend this group for seeing a problem exists, but I think it is late in coming. If you have to make this kind of statement you know you have issues:

The moratorium calls for an end to turf and gang warfare, elimination of illegal drugs, drug trafficking and street crimes. Also, "the return of black pride and black love."

I have a problem with some members of the coalition, yet another coalition, but it is not reported to include the Black Fist nor the CJC. They may support the effort, but some in this new coalition are not on the best of terms with the CJC leaders or the Black Fist. Whenever you have the Nation of Islam involved however, concern is still warranted. Including “black pride” is something I find offensive. It to me sounds no different than someone considering “white pride” offensive, which I find insulting as well. I wonder if the Nation of Islam or other groups with similar bigoted/racist beliefs influenced this terminology.

On a different note: I have learned that tomorrow the Black Fist’s protest of City Beat is set to go off at Noon. They appear to be upset with City Beat’s correct characterization of the Black Fist’s anti-Jewish protest last month as bigoted. When you carry around signs like this, what you expect? If I have time, I may drop by and observe the show.

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"?