Canadian Prime Minister Jean Chretien Resigns

Ok, why did Chretien resign? I can't find a simple sentence or two explaining why he resigned. I think I have pieced together that he is resigning ahead of next year's elections, and by resigning now he gets out of the way for a new person to take over from his party. The assumption is that he is retiring and this is the traditional way to leave power in Canada.

I would hope that news stories might just explain that simple fact, especially for us Americans who don't know the details of Canadian politics.

Chewbacca Offense in the Making?

Ken Lawson has tipped his hat as to what his plan of attack will be in a soon to be filed lawsuit against the city by the family of Nathaniel Jones.

The key phrase is "Positional asphyxia" which basically means being positioned in a manner to stop breathing. "Cardiac dysrhythmia" was the official cause of death from the Hamilton County Coroner.

I predict if there is a trial, the Coroner's office will be put on trial along with the City. Lawson will seek to try and discredit them as much as possible, which he did last week right after the autopsy results were released.

The Chewbacca Defense is a growing concept in blog circulars that describes the typical method of confusing juries with meaningless points to try and get defendants without a good defense. I through out the phrase "Chewbacca Offense" as a similar concept that is used by civil trial lawyers to try confuse or mislead juries into wanting to punish Organizations, Governments, or other perceived faceless Institutions for doing wrong on society in general or a segment of society.

Now, don't get me wrong. Often those big behemoths do wrong and need to be punished, but trying in this concept they bring claims or theories that fit historical assumptions that have no basis in fact outside the plaintiff’s own "experts."

I wonder if Lawson will actually get a reputable pathologist to say in this case that Hamilton County Coroner was totally wrong. He would need that if he goes to trial and hopes to win. If he hopes to get a settlement out of City, then all he needs to do is to make the city think it will cost more to prove he does not have such pathologist to state the cause of death was certainly wrong.

Top News Stories of 2003

I am working on my list of the top 10 locally based stories for GoXRay.com. I would love some suggestions on stories or which ones people think were the most important.

The Enquirer is doing the same thing, and you can vote here. Their list is odd. They are asking for the stories that "engaged" Cincinnati most this year. They list the Governator, Bob Hope's death, the Space Shuttle disaster, and SARS. I would have thought that the WAR IN IRAQ just might have been a international story people would have been "engaged" locally.

My list will stick with stories locally. There will be a ton of lists of National stories around. Lists are fun and easy to write, but if you are going to do one, try to make it unique. I am trying for that.

Also, any suggestions for Cincinnatian of the Year? That would the person, group, entity, or thing that most impacted the Cincinnati Region this year for good or bad.

Pissing Off the Chamber of Commerce

One way to piss of the Cincinnati Chamber of Commerce and every merchant in town is by running a story on how great the shopping is in Chicago two weeks before Christmas.

Rev. Al Sharpton's Coming to Town

You better watch out. You better not cry. You better not pout. Al's going to be at Joseph-Beth Booksellers tomorrow afternoon promoting his book. No word if he will appear anywhere else in town, or if he will address the Nathaniel Jones case. I can’t imagine that he would not at least discuss it at his book signing.

Ok, will the CJC big protesting this? Will Nate make the trip to Norwood to protest? This should fit their boycott criteria: outside "celebrity" making a commercial appearance in the city. I would pay money to see Nate and Kabaka Oba denounce Al Sharpton. That would be a stunt that could get Nate back on the national news. Well, Nate? Are you up for it?

Fluff Jackpot!

The Enquirer hit the jackpot with a joint interview of all of the singles on City Council. To use a remote line from SNL: "Who were the ad wizards who came up with this one?"

I appreciate the attention to single people, but could they have maybe instead picked other people to talk to, or better yet, focused an interview with city officials to real issues, not this "Real Life, Real News, Real Crap" stuff?

I have to credit Pepper with a good answer on the state of single life here in the city, especially those who are not from the area:

I disagree with John a little bit. I think it's maybe not as bad as 39th out of 40 ... But of people I know here, especially ones who aren't from here, their social existence really revolves around their workplace. If socially you don't get beyond your workplace much, people think (the singles scene) is pretty stagnant.

We as a community need to figure out how to get different sectors and groups to mix together in a more natural way than they do today.

Sam Malone really needs to get a life. His ideas of fun seem to be limited to the movies and going to a a Gameworks. I think we have enough glorified sports bars around town to meet demand.

[Link via Reader: Stacey]

"Youth" Protest Coverage

This story got a plethora of coverage. Does the number of participants have an indirect relationship to amount of news coverage? All of the stories carried a reasonable description of the turnout. Some of the stories were treating like they were having a bake sale for starving children. WCPO's was most odd:

Although the group was small it was not about to let bad weather or rules against leaving school prevent them from speaking out on the street or at city hall.

That seems like a bit of an endorsement from the reporter. He could have reworded and used a quote from the protestors or at least attributed the tone to them, not to what comes across as admiration of their spirit, if not their goals.

Coverage: Post, Enquirer, WCPO, and GoXRay.com.

Eight Reindeer Monologues

If you like theater, then check out:

THE EIGHT: Reindeer Monologues by Jeff Goode

December 8-9, 14-16 & 21-23 Sunday-Tuesday Performance Runs!

The Courtyard of Arnold’s Bar & Grill
210 E. 8th Street Downtown 513.300.KNOW
FOR IMMATURE AUDIENCES ONLY!
There is Smoking at the shows except Tuesday Dec 16

EAT AND DRINK AT THE SHOWS!

Dinner available 6:30-7:45 p.m.

Reservations only for 6:30 p.m. dinner/drinking time
Reservations are null and void at 6:50 p.m.

Other tickets will be sold on a first come, first serve basis.

$15 General Admission & $12 Student/Senior

www.knowtheatre.com 513.300.KNOW

I saw it Monday and loved it. Great actors, good food, try the lasagna.

Student "Protest"

Well, initial reports from WLW at 12:00 indicated that no protest was going on. At 12:30 WLW reports only 4 kids who were "regular" protestors at other prior rallies.

This sounds like PR coup. For what ever reason this story made the local news today. I would say they did nearly everything but just ask the kids to go down so they could have a hot story.

Coverage: Cincinanti Post, WCPO.

UPDATE: While eating lunch I saw the group walk towards city hall at around 12:50 or so. I would guess there were 25 to 30 young people. I don't know if they were high school or college age. There were also 10 to 20 over 25-year-old adults, including Damon Lynch.

Of the "kids" I would estimate that at least half if not more like 75% were "white."

Where Are They Now?

Ever wonder what Cincinnati Council Candidates do after they don't make the cut? Well, one candidate, Leslie Ghiz, was in the news representing someone in an employment dispute with the City of Oxford. What makes this case noteworthy is one of the allegations from Ghiz's client that while working she "found an 11-foot wooden penis statue in a flowerbed that she had gardened for the city of Oxford." Part of the dispute hinders on charges of creating "a prejudiced and sexist work environment directed toward Baxter."

You don't hear of a an 11 foot wooden penis on public property too often. I hate to make light of her case. It sounds like there is something to that case, at least enough to go to arbitration. I must have a few tabloid tendencies in me after all.

There Goes a Billion Dollars

The City of Cincinnati has settled for 1 billion dollars "to address long-standing sewer system violations and bring its aging sewer system into compliance with federal and local clean water rules?" Is this for real? A guess a million on stun guns will not matter much after all.

I hope we have insurance, or some other sources of income to offset this settlement amount.

Further details here.

Jess Jackson on Cincinnati: Lots of Ham

The usual sentiments? Yes. There are too many elements to criticize in this column. Mr. Jackson makes a slightly toned down version of the recurring dogma, 18 black men killed.....what if it was a white man.....97 second gap. This type of unified propaganda rivals that of the GOP. How does the same story get around? The same way it does in the GOP, talking points. An email or a FAX, or a telephone call with the same set of facts that are used to spin the media. It is textbook political spin. The Dems did it for Clinton, the GOP are the kings of it for their deities Reagan and Bush.

Unfortunately Mr. Jackson gets several key facts wrong from his nice home in Chicago. He might do well if he stepped back from the emotional propaganda and look objectively at what is happening here.

New Police Video Released

It is not online yet, but WLW-AM is reporting that not much is seen in the video. In this case the officer hit was black, as was the suspect. That simple fact will likely not make this a situation the "activists" will give a damn about. Not much will come of the tape. The press will run it on the local news tonight, but the national media will likely not give it much attention.

Enquirer Story, WLWT Story, WCPO Story.

Local GOPer's Pissed at Bush

Carl Weiser writes that a slew of local Cincinnati area Republicans are pissed at Bush. Ohio Rep. Tom Brinkman, Chris Finney vice chairman of COAST, Jim Urling, COAST chairman, Hamilton County Commissioner Phil Heimlich, and Indiana Rep. Mike Pence all have varying levels of anger with Bush fiscal policies. Whether it is Steel Tariffs, Medicare Drug Plans, or the No Child Left Behind law conservatives think Bush has abandoned their cause. Will this keep them from voting for them? Pence and Heimlich seem to be less than enthused with Bush:

Pence and Heimlich say they will vote for Bush because the Democratic alternative would be even worse. But the worry isn't Republicans voting for the Democrat. It's Republicans staying home.

Urling even calls Bush a "fraud." Does that make him anti-American? In a time of war, has Urling committed treason? Where's Ann Coulter? Call the National Guard and lets round them up!

How dare they show division in the GOP ranks! Regan's commandment be damned I guess. Thou shalt speak ill of a fellow Republican, when money is involved.

WB64 News?

The long awaited new primetime "local" news cast finally premieres tonight on WB64. We will all surely be tuned into to watch the Sinclair Broadcasting news packages on the I270 shooting, Snow Storm in the Northeast, and the Scott Peterson Trial Update. Will we see anything new on the Nate Jones situation? Fate put a big story in their lap, and they had all week to prep the story. Will it be worth the wait? I am betting it will be a waste of time. We already have plenty of Raycom Media reports on at 10PM on train wrecks; why not just give us more sitcom reruns? Cut out the middleman, and just go right for the entertainment.

Ken Lucas

Ken, NKY House Rep., has returned from the Dark Side and is now "attacking" the President again. Well, not so much attacking, but just not so lock step with him.

[Via Atrios]

Sidebar: Atrios's post on Bush's past use of the word "Fuck" are most entertaining. This stems from the White House complaints about John Kerry's use of "fucked up" when referring to Bush's Iraq policy.

Another Police Altercation

WLWT is reporting that last night at least one police officer was in an altercation with a person while trying to break up a fight. At least one man was arrested. The officer was injured while trying to arrest the suspect. WLWT reports that there is video footage from the cruiser and pictures of the officer's injuries, but the police are holding it back. The alleged reason for holding it back was the anger several council members expressed when they did not get to see the videos before the media. Let's just bet that activists will be pissed once the video is shown and not happy they did not get it sooner.

As of now there are no online stories about this incident and the press has limited information. Will this hit the media big tomorrow or not? It depends on what the video shows. If the cops are beating the man, it will air.

UPDATE: WLWT has posted the story.

Ignorance & Bigotry

Yes, State Rep. Bill Seitz is an Ignorant man:

These facts do not warrant redefining the institution, nor alter the biological fact that heterosexual relationships are, alone, capable of the miracle of natural birth.

Bill you seem to negate the fact that you don't need a husband to make a baby. All you need is some sperm. Now, if you don't think that is "natural," well I guess you might just alienate a few voters who can't conceive on their own.

This article is typical. We can't afford to pay for homosexual benefits, blah blah blah. It is not traditional, blah blah blah. It will open up people marrying goats, blah blah blah.

Bill, it is simple. You don't care about homosexuals. You don't think they should be treated like everyone else. You want to make them a second-class citizen. You are bigoted to homosexuals.

You even try to play the race card with this comment:

Gays were never enslaved or subject to the same invidious discrimination as were African-Americans. Reversing the ban on same-sex marriage is thus different than reversing the ban on racially mixed ones.

I guess you are counting on the high level of homophobia in the black community to push this over the edge?

Civil Unions are barely addressed. It is simple. If you want to keep marriage “holy” either make everything secular, or create Civil Unions for only 2 non-related people of either sex. There, done. No polygamy, no incest, no bigamy. What that so hard Bill?

Here is the pro-argument from the Enquirer.

UPDATE: Greg Mann comments.

Just Call Me the Amazing Kreskin

Mayor Luken is working to spend 1 million bucks on new stun guns:

The money could come from not filling 34 middle management city vacancies that Luken expects within the coming year, he said at City Hall on Sunday. He said the money should be enough for 1,000 stun guns for the 1,050-officer department.

So, we get more stun guns in police hands, but fewer people managing the city. More weapons, less supervision. Gee, that sounds like a "great" plan.

My prediction is that once police start using stun guns often, then there will be a call by some of the same people crying for the stun guns to stop using them. Stun guns are a short-term appeasement to squeaky wheels. In the long term people need to do two things. One is accept that police work is not a garden picnic. You can't make so no one gets hurt, unless people stop breaking the law. The other long-term thing people need to do, is stop breaking the law.

Lazy AP Reporter, Again?

Did the AP's Terry Kinney bother to consider who he/she was quoting when adding this portion of the story listed in several outlets:

"We're going right to the doorstep of the criminals," said Malik Zulu Shabazz, a Washington, D.C., attorney and president of Black Lawyers for Justice. "This shows absolutely a pattern of police activity."

Terry Kinney seems to be rather lazy not to do a little bit of research on who Malik Zulu Shabazz is. A Google search turns up a few things. Like say Shabazz’s affiliation with the New Black Panther Party. What is the New Black Panther Party you might ask? Well, according to Tolerence.org it is only a hate group. You know, a racist group. The New Black Panther Party has exhibits like this on their website, right along with a profile of Malik Zulu Shabazz.

So the black separatist/racist Malik Zulu Shabazz comes to Cincinnati to join a "civil rights" cause and the AP reporter quotes him and does not even list his widely known affiliation. Are you just lazy Terry?, Or are you just that ignorant?

UPDATE: If a Cox News Service report can identify Shabazz, why can't the AP?