Riverfest 2004 Waterfalls

Waterfalls

I had a great time with a tremendous view. I have to thank Mr. H for the invite to his party. I also have to retort to Wes by just pointing to the picture. :)

Riverfest

I am declaring myself the official blogger for Riverfest 2004. I am typing now live from the 24th floor of One Lytle Place overlooking the river. We are having a great little party with one of the best views of the fireworks. If you care to watch them live I suggest tuning in to channel 12. If you have not left for the fireworks, I suggest staying home. If I can I will have some pictures on here later.

Four More Wars! Four More Wars!

Kevin Drum comments on an up coming Time article (not yet online) where plans for a second term of a Bush administration indicate that "at least five or six foreign countries" are possible targets for military action.

Kevin comes up with the obvious yet often overlooked reality of this election,

A vote for Bush is a vote for more wars, and with this crew in charge it's unlikely they'll turn out any better than Iraq has.

The beloved Bush, George the Lionhearted, is planning to further his crusade against the Muslim world. How he can plan on doing this and not either create a massive push for an expanded number of enlisted soldiers or reintroduce the Draft is a mystery you will not hear anyone on the right talk about before the election.

Collins-Allen Imbroglio

The Enquirer went all out today in reporting on the Collins-Allen affair. The headline with interview based story on Collins. What followed was something that I have never seen from a newspaper, a story about a person's former tenure with that newspaper. The trifecta is completed with an acticle foreshadowing possible change with its report about the Hamilton County GOP holding a "Come to Jesus Meeting" with Mike Allen in the near future.

The spin is getting so thick we'll need to dig out the waders. I am amazed at the Enquirer's article with a headline of "While admired by some at Enquirer, Collins no stranger to office gossip." How better to get gossip in the press than to use it as a self-reflective tool showing one's own humanity. This is a smear, plain and simple.

Some in the newsroom said those efforts made her seem manipulative. Collins acknowledges she was the subject of office gossip, most of which, she says, was ridiculous. But some of that gossip is now of interest to Allen's lawyers, who want to know more about Collins' past relationships and conduct in the workplace.

Of particular interest are any relationships she may have had with supervisors.

If they are rumors, then name names. Don't put Collins out there with hints that she was one to sleep with her bosses to get ahead, without naming those bosses.

No one in the mainstream local media has picked-up with the Blue Chip Review's story about there being two other women who are or could come forth and claim sexual harassment against Mike Allen. Does Allen have other affairs? What about his days as a police officer? Where are the stories of him back in law school or back in the CPD?

Other interesting side note from the story about Collins' past at the Enquirer, it notes that Peter Bronson and Mike Allen are or were friends many years ago. Does Nate Livingston's gossip story hold up about the Enquirer holding back a Bronson column calling for Allen to resign?

The Circus is Coming

All signs are indicating that Charlie Luken is going to run for Hamilton County Prosecutor as a write-in candidate.

It is going to be fun folks. Get out your rally caps and lets watch politics at it best. Nothing beats a write-in campaign, nothing short of a resignation. We still may have that coming too.

UPDATE: Guess who is shaking in his shoes at the prospect of Charlie Luken as County Prosecutor? If you guess Nate Livingston, you may just be right.

Amateur Politicos

I was out this morning getting coffee and as I waited for my Venti-Moca-Skim-No Whip I observed a couple talking to another woman about politics. This couple was wearing "Firefighters for Bush" t-shirts. Yes, I had to hold back the vomit. They smell of coffee helped. I did not hear much of their conversation, but one phrase caught my ear, "Where was John Edwards?" The female in the couple was asking the woman. I don't know the exact context, but my overall impression was that they were tossing back and forth trite rhetoric they heard on TV.

I often have the urge to interject into almost any political discussion, especially those who come across as what I will call amateur politicos. Now, I use amateur not in the sense of being paid vs. not being paid. What I mean is those who only read the headlines and party fliers and then try to argue politics with people, instead of those who know the complexity of the issues. Most people reading this blog, I would surmise, are fairly well read, and at least are smart enough not to be gung-ho without knowing your shit. These people seemed convinced of their point, but likely know only the superficial talking points, and know little beyond what the candidate wants them to know. I really can't stand people like this. I guess I could compare it to "fair weather" fans, or to band wagonieers.

These type of voters are what makes me just want to give up following politics. I held back from interrupting their conversation. That would have been rude, and I am not a rude person in public. I was very tempted however to put them in their place.

What do people think about those who really don't know a damn thing about politics? Now, I don't mean those who are on the other side of your position, although all too often they are just as bad, I mean those who only pay attention once every four years.

100,000 Vistors!!!

I just noticed I reached over 100,000 visits on my site! I thank all of my readers!

For some reason people keep coming back. I don't sell drugs, I have no porn. I do swear a lot and bash people on occasion. What makes people read my blog, or for that matter any blog?

FunnelCake Dream

Via Maggie Downs I think I have found regular poster Funnel Cake's dream website, called www.lamehappyhour.com.

Yes, Luntz Gives More Biased Focus Group Fodder

"Swing" voters in Cincinnati are Conservatives nearly everywhere else. Frank Luntz's spin from Cincinnati is more of the same. What was funny is this quote from the GOP stronghold of Anderson Township:

Patricia Kraps, a 44-year-old human resources supervisor from Anderson Township, said the speech was positive because "It wasn't negative."

I guess she missed the rest of the primetime speakers at the RNC Convention.

Reporter Greg Korte gets kudos for giving us truth:

To be sure, the focus group leaned right of center - a reflection of a mostly conservative base in southwestern Ohio. But with very few swing voters in play - pollsters say the number is 4 percent to 8 percent of Ohio voters - Bush can't afford even a few defections from weak Republicans.

MSGOP gets another shot or did Frank just pull the wool over timid NBC's eyes?

Dems To Support Write-In To Beat Allen

The Democrats are going to put out a candidate for Prosecutor. Who will it be? Three names come to mind: David Pepper, John Cranley, and believe it or not Charlie Luken. Who else would the Dems put out there who can raise money quickly?

One of these three would certainly start to clear up the race for Mayor.

Nick Spencer has more. Also, wish Nick well on surviving a crime.

Violence Is Upon Us

Atrios reports on two incidents recently of vandalism at Democratic locations. One is in Michigan and one in Pennsylvania. This I fear is only the beginning.

A Hoax??? A Lie Is More like it.

Wille Cunningham, local talk radio hack was never selected to lead the Pledge, yet press releases and news reports said otherwise. It appears it was all just a lie put forth by Cunningham to gain attention. Well, media whores do that kind of thing, and well, Willie is a media whore.

Now, I know Cunningham is full of shit 75% of the time, but what is sad, many people don't know that, and even some do and don't care. Cunningham is the poster child for bad media. People complain about Hollywood. They would do better to push Clear Channel to keep Burbank on the comedy side, keep McConnell on the serious side, and just ditch Cunningham and put on something that is not just media whoring.

I wonder Why

Korte reports about GOP Pollster and Talking Points King regarding why he chose Cincinnati for his focus groups:

For Luntz, Cincinnati has become a favorite place to take America's pulse.

Ah, Greg may wish to rethink that. Cincinnati is not the pulse of America. I am sure no one living here actually thinks that. Cincinnati is conservative, loyally so, and the people are fickle, easily influenced. What better target to go after for a focus group you want to spin your way, assuming you are a Republican.

Mum's the Word From Bronson

Peter Bronson of the Cincinnati Enquirer still is silent on the Mike Allen hubbub.

Traitor

It is a lie to call Zell Miller a Democrat. The guy is more Republican than 4/5ths of the primetime speakers at the convention. He disgusted me. I don't mind a Republican saying what they will, fine. That is their convention, that is their choice. What is bullshit is Miller pretending to be a Democrat. He is not. He is what I can call a traitor, especially after his speech tonight. He spewed nothing but crap attacks on Kerry and then kneeling at the foot of Bush.

What is worse is that Miller is a lame duck. The Dems can't do a thing. What is brutal about Miller is how he turned on the Dems. It is like the guy has a hardon for Bush. I mean what could make you turn that fast??? Well, fear of Muslims could do it. Fear and hate, that is. I wonder if he favors a crusade too? Artios had it best:

Wow, I never thought Zell would be able to improve on the original German version of Pat Buchanan's '92 speech, but he did.

Goosestepper's unite!

Rumors from Nate

Now, Nate knows how to turn the media on its ear and say uncle, especially the AP. Here he "reports" that the Enquirer refused to run a Peter Bronson article calling for Mike to resign. Now, I don't know if Nate is baiting the media, maybe he is just baiting me, but Bronson's take on this would be most poignant. That is why not having him spout off either in defense or on the attack of Allen is not typical Bronson. What would really motivate the Enquirer to pull it, if they indeed did?

Now, how many degrees of separation are their between Nate’s “friend” and Bronson? That would be interesting and would indicate how factual this claim is.

Fear

I hear many Bush supporters talking about fighting terrorism and from that I would follow they fear terrorists. Ok, fine. Who do they fear will attack them? Who do they think in Iraq circa March 2003 was going to attack them?

I don't want to hear the idiots who still think al Qaeda was working with Iraq, just please don't bother with that myth. What terrorists were stopped by invading Iraq? What terrorists in Iraq could attack the USA? Now, I am sure the right-wingers are still dying to shout out Iraq was link to Osama, but nope. That is part of the propaganda their president and his minions created to make fear their political motivator of choice.

Fear is Bush's hope. Bush is betting that people fearing terrorism will vote for him more than Kerry. He does this because he is willing to use a war that has nothing to do with 9/11, and then make it all the same thing. Unless that same thing is a religious crusade against all Muslims, then they are apples and oranges. There are some who want to wipe out Muslims. I wonder how many of those people are in the government, and how many are just talk radio nuts. Some days I can't tell the difference.

Cheney Predictions

Does anyone care to make a prediction or two on how many timesCheney attacks John Kerry? I mean this team of positive candidate's has to show how positive and optimistic they are and how great their plans are by going negative on Kerry.

Lisa Allen: Victim and Pawn?

Lisa Allen, local judge and Mike Allen's wife has spoken out on her husband's affair. Her views were understandable about what her husband did to her, but what I seem to miss is her rage that Allen lied to her twice. She found out about the affair, Allen said it was over, but it did not end. When did she find out it did not end? The article paints the other woman as the one Lisa Allen blames, not so much Mike. That simple fact sounds like she made this PR run to help her husband's defense against Collins. That I think makes her a pawn. Did Mike Allen put her up to the PR tour?

Flip-Flopping

I guess George believed we could win a war on terrorism before he believed we could not win a war on terrorism, but now he is back to believing we can win a war on terrorism.