Cincinnati Guard Unit Questioned on Prison Deaths

A military police unit based in the Cincinnati Area has been questioned regarding the deaths of two prisoners back in December of 2002 in Afghanistan. The unit has been home since March of 2003.

'Cops!' is Out

Grandstanding, Grandstanding, what you gonna do? What you gonna do when the voters come for you? Council members Alicia Reese and Chris Smitherman had a case of the "Goo" over the Cincinnati Police allowing a filming of the TV show 'Cops!'.

I must officially announce that I have lost respect for Chris Smitherman. I was pleased he got on council, adding another Charterite was a big plus to council, but I did not see coming was his anti-police stances and his media whoring. All politicians put out for the news media to a degree, but Smitherman is whiling to do just about anything to piss people off and get the cameras on him. Is he thinking he could run for Mayor next year?

Positive

Pat DeWine "can't think of anything positive" that could come from filming 'Cops' here in Cincinnati. I for one can think of one positive: we could see the boycott B people arrested for breaking the law and then handled with proper care, giving them no reason to sue, but reason to go to jail.

This does assume that Nate Livingston takes up my challenge to get himself arrested in front of the 'Cops' film crew. I don't support breaking any laws, but if Nate wants attention, that is one way to get it. I would even provide him with free gift VHS or DVD copy of the episode in which he or any boycott B member stars in, and when I say "star" I mean staring in the role of "shirtless man in handcuffs."

Bronson Misses the Obvious

Peter Bronson misses the obvious solution to ridding the city of criminal drug dealers, legalize drugs. You don't want people getting rich from bootleg crack? Simple, sell it cheaper at a sanctioned junkie store, one with clean needles and sources of information on kicking the habit.

Having the police come down heavy on drug dealers will not rid the city of drug crime, it might soften for a while, but like weeds it grows right back. You must get to the root of the problem, cut out the high bootleg prices and you drop the incentive for girls to get pregnant at 15 and hook up with an 18-year-old drug dealer with money. No drug dealer with illegal money, then less crime and less people doing what ever it takes to be with the man with "easy" money.

Miami Leads the Way

Miami U. leads the way in local graduation rates

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.

The Exile of Main Street

Has the city dumped Main Street as its premire bar district? Two bars close, any new bars open?

Food

Here's the Taste of Cincinnati Menu. I plan on making at least one trip down this weekend.

John Dowlin, Lame Duck County Commissioner & Bigot

What the hell got into Dowlin's coffee? Since when is this guy a hardcore anti-homosexual bigot? I would not bat a lash if this was Phil Heimlich or Chris Monzel, but since when has Dowlin been a bible-thumping bigot? I agree with Kevin Osborne on this:

Although Heimlich has a reputation as a staunch conservative, much of Dowlin's political career has been spent as a moderate with a focus on economic issues, prompting surprise among observers that he would introduce such a resolution as his term ends.

All I can say is good riddance come November to this asshole theocratic bigot, who is just wasting tax payer money with his crusade.

Heimlich will be a total hypocrite if he supports this, but I am sure that's one principle he will gladly sacrifice on the way to his form of theocracy.

Nick Spencer has more.

Non-Bronson Thread

Ok, I know I posted a boat load on Bronson today, so here is a thread to rant on what ever else you might want, Bush's Speech and its failure to do much of anything or you can just sound off on the loud cicadas. Did I mention they were really loud?

Bronson's Opps

Rebecca Bowman of the CSF educates Peter Bronson on his Oklahoma crack in prior column unfairly bashing the Fringe Festival. As a volunteer at the Fringe Fest, I was rather pissed at both his ignorant slam of the Fringe and his trashing of Oklahoma. I applaud Rebecca's history lesson for Peter, who seems to have been suckered by those 'pinko liberals' Rodgers and Hammerstein.

Bronson Hates Business Development

If it was not Tim Burke, leader of the Hamilton County Democrats, representing businesses trying to take home owner's land for a big development Bronson would likely have not given a damn about a handful of residents holding up jobs for Americans.

What would Bronson say if they wanted to expand in West Chester and take some houses a mile from his house? I am sure he would not waffle an inch and support the business development. Here he flip-flops on what to do. Well, I hope I never read Bronson pull the faux flip-flop charge on John Kerry.

Battle Royal, GOP Style

Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, Cincinnati Republican, has called for the Republican Party to seek the resignation of Ohio House Speaker Larry Householder. The head of the Party has rejected Blackwell's demand. Householder's campaign had prepared a memo outline a plan to "possibly destroy the political career" of Blackwell, a rival of Householder for statewide office.

Householder is being investigated by Federal Officials regarding speaker's campaign practices.

More from the Akron Beacon-Journal.

Derf Makes it Big

The New York Times has taken notice of www.cicadaville.com the creation of Cincinnati satirist Brandon Breedon, a writer at Derf Magazine.

And another, the Cicadas are really fucking loud.

No Big Deal?

Rob Daumeyer at the Cincinnati Business Courier writes on why Abu Ghraib became a bigger deal that he thinks it deserves:

Abu Ghraib, the Department of Defense, Wall Street and just about every other institution you can think of, are being derided as symptoms of a debased, faded civilization.

To which I reply, stop with the crazy talk. That argument is emptier than the soul food line at the Republican National Convention.

Look, I'm not saying things are super terrifically splendidly great, but let's get serious. The Abu Ghraib torture -- or fraternity hazing, as Rush Limbaugh calls it -- isn't anything we didn't do in other wars. I shudder to think what we did with the few Japanese we managed to get our hands on. We just didn't have tiny little digital cameras and the Internet to duplicate them a bazillion times.

I think Rob's point on how what was done by Hitler or Stalin was worse than Abu Ghraib is "true", but the difference that apologists for Don Rumsfeld miss on this point is that it was our military. Rob is wrong, this is a big deal. He agrees that the situation was horrid and Rumsfeld and Co deserve criticism, but even though attention has been focused on this one prison, it still does not take away that our soldiers did this and did it knowingly. Another person's crime is horrible, but a crime your commit yourself is then end of one's moral stature.

Boycott B Website is 'Suspended'

The website "www.boycottcincinnati.org" only has this comment as a banner, "This Account Has Been Suspended." Nate Livingston must be on vacation.

Bush Speech, Little New

There were a few dates that he committed to meeting for elections in Iraq, but other than wanting to demolish the Abu Ghraib, there was nothing new. He was a little bit more specific about what he wants, but how he plans on doing it, well that is still a mystery.

His big lie was saying that on June 30th Iraq will have "full sovereignty." That is just crap and he and everyone else knows that. He knows that having 138,000 troops in Iraq under his control means it is in no way a sovereign county.

Will the media keep the pressure on Bush if what he said does not come to pass? We'll just have to wait and see.

Change any opinions? Nope. It was not carried by the 4 networks, so few likely were to have seen it.

Washingtonienne Picture

"Washingtonienne" is on the right. More from WaPo.

UPDATED by the directionally challenged writer.

Kill the Messenger

We get the typical anti-free press idiot in the Letters tot he Enquirer (2nd letter):

Showing photos aids the enemy

The photographs of abuse of 'Iraqi detainees' by American soldiers are a sad tale. Having served in the United States Air Force for 11 years and now serving in the Kentucky Army National Guard, I know this is not the norm for U.S. troops. I'm not excusing their actions by any means and disciplinary actions have already begun.
But should a man, a non-combatant there to help rebuild a nation in turmoil be decapitated for crimes of others? What is the media's hand in this matter? Anyone with the slightest bit of common sense knows the answer. By non-stop coverage and viewing of those prison photos the media has put every American in Iraq and probably in most Middle Eastern countries at risk. ?
Irresponsible journalism is aiding and abetting the enemy. Please stop handing them ammunition.
Steven Banfield
Taylor Mill

I guess Mr. Banfield prefers only the news that helps out the Army by hiding the truth. We all know that the truth kills people after all. An honest man dies first is what I always say.

He is right about one thing: the US government is just handing this crap to the media. That is however not the media's fault. If he wants to blame the bad actions of the military on someone, why not try blaming it on the military? I myself blame the civilian leadership of the military, which is one of many reasons I do not support this Administration.

Prophetic Woodward

Well, Bob Woodward did not conjure up the claim in his book,“Plan of Attack,” that the Saudis planned on lowering the price of oil in time for the election. He got it from their US Ambassador. So, here starts their "contribution" to the Bush reelection campaign. There may not have been a provable "deal," but Bush is the Saudi choice for President. Their financial contribution to his campaign goes far more than money for attack ads, it goes right into his manipulation of the perceptions of the American people. When the price of gas comes down, what will Bush say? His tax cuts did the trick, but of course. Now, he would be right, if by tax cuts he really meant his personal ties with the oppressive anti-human rights government of Saudi Arabia. A government that turned a blind eye to Anti-American terrorists brewing within its own borders. That is a foreign policy only Henry Kissinger could love.

Details

The keyword to remember about Bush's speech on Iraq tomorrow is details. The media has that word all over the place when describing what he will be talking about. Will he break with tradition and get specific? I seriously doubt it. If we get anything more than "stay the course" I will be surprised. I believe though that if he does not start giving specifics on what his short and long term plans are on Iraq, he will be in trouble, even with many Republicans.

Bush can't just punt on Iraq until November. He has to survive a long hot summer of militant attacks. He must lay his cards out there. I predict he will try what used to be called a “limited, modified hang out.” He will say stuff that his supporters will eat up as detail, but in reality is only a small portion of what BushCo is planning to do in Iraq. That of course assumes they have any plans other than getting relected.

The speech tomorrow is nothing but a political rally disguised as Presidential address, but how will the media react? Is the bar set where reporters actually expect Bush to say something more than the usual "stay the course" and pat the military on the back dogma? I don't know if they will be suckers or not, but my feeling is that they might pounce if doesn't through them at something new to write about.

Why is Bush scared of making this a full fledged national address from the Oval Office? If he really was planning on a change to his policy would he not actually ask for network air time, which he has not, and start setting things up in a true Presidential forum, not a campaign forum? It is just a sign of the double talk from BushCo. They call themselves strong and decisive leaders, but they don’t really want to announce anything, just make people think they have, while not really changing anything. Is that the actions of anything more than a manipulator?