97X and X97

Separated at Birth? Good title for the City Beat Article. I have not tried woxy.com new stream yet. I have occasionaly listen to X97 while out in Mason at work.

I guess I listen to NPR more often, so my radio habits focus on news and current events programming. I however, while in Flordia I listened to a great station playing good 80's music, and nothing but 80's music.

More on Cheney's Lies

Keving Drum runs down the whole list of the VP's lies, misrepresentations and general untruths.

Factcheck.org also give a check on the facts.

Yes Virginia, Dick Lied

I guess everything changed after 9/11, including Cheney's memory. He did not recall meeting him, I am sure. Just like he did not recall implying at every turn that Iraq had something to do with 9/11 and had strong links with al Qaeda.

Tall Stacks Debt

Should the City of Cincinnati forgive it? I can't help but thinking of Third World Debt, and the efforts to have that debt forgiven. Both situations have a very vague parallel, mostly on terminology.

I say forgive it. It was a great festival, and the city needs more like it. This is the not the best time to write off debt. Why not wait a while? Maybe have them pay some of it off? This would make a great election year issue for Fall of 2005.

"Steve_Fritsch_God"

Yea, that is the page title for Steve Fritsch's BCR column about former Judge Roy Moore's fundraiser visit to Cincinnati.

Roy Moore is a theocrat. He is in my opinion a fascist, but I am willing to debate that. His theocratic beliefs can't be denied.

Roy Moore is wrong and so is Steve Fritsch. What causes this is ignorance. Now, I say that word and it may seem harsh, but I mean it in a truly literally way. Fritsch and Moore are ignorant of other religions and of those who have no religion. Moore used a classic theme Fritsch recounts about not being able to define religion. Well I can:

Religion: A belief or beliefs or set of beliefs or system of beliefs in a god or gods or supernatural creator(s) or supernatural entities.

Was that so difficult?

Moore's claim that Christianity was the basis of our government, our laws and our country is just a lie. Our laws are based laws that predate Christianity by hundreds, if not thousands, of years. Our government and country were in part founded on the right to practice religion or not practice it as we see fit. Moore celebrates views akin those those of the Puritans, but seems to leave out the agnostic/deism of Jefferson in his review of history. If the founding fathers wanted to insure that we were going to be a theocracy, we would have in our constitution direct articles on the matter. We don't have such things. We instead have a body of case law that has thankfully grown beyond the mentality of the Scopes Trial era Moore longs for and into one where religion is a private matter. Government is a public matter. The two should not mingle.

Fritsch goes off the deep end in his column in this paragraph:

You see, the Constitution is not the problem. God is not the problem. In fact, He is the answer. The problem lies in those individuals who hijack what is good. The problem is the agenda-driven, morally empty activists, and the corrupt judges who grant their wishes, that attempt to remove the "Creator" from all things American. For if they succeed, an alarming prediction can be made: If God goes, so does America.

I for one do not need any religion, let alone Steve Fritcsh or Roy Moore's, to be "moral." I have my own morals I live by, and do quite well. I find it odd that Steve goes after "agenda-driven, morally empty activists," when he is writing about one. Roy Moore's agenda was, and still is, to promote his religion by using his government office. He chose to push his religion over all others in his state. He decided what was best for others. Now, people might counter that by keeping religion out of government, out of schools, and out of state houses is deciding for others how to live. Well, there is a simple answer to that. We do it all the time. We allow people to live their lives as they please, and keep others from interfering. My right to not have religion superimposed or forced on me as an individual supercedes another individual's actions to try and use government to force religion on others. I can't force you to like my blog. I can't force the government to make you like or even read my blog. My blog will should not get special treatment from the government over other blogs or people without blogs, even though I have the Freedom of the Press and Freedom of Speech on my side.

Religion has a place in society: in churches, homes, private property, and in your own mind if you so choose. It has no place in government. You can carry your bible around all you want. Just don't post it on public property.

Steve's final thoughts are without question very troubling:

In the words of Judge Roy Moore, now is not the time to flinch. We must stand up and fight for the reasons this country was founded to begin with. We, as a land of free people, dedicated to liberty and doing what is necessary to make it endure for countless generations, must restore and protect that of which has been lost. For the fight against those who seek to eliminate God from public discourse is a necessary battle. Because if we lose to this amoral nihilist agenda, we will not only be putting ourselves in danger, but our children and grandchildren as well.

Has a church been raided by the government for anything they preach recently? Have private schools been forced to keep bible study out of the classroom? NO! Who the hell is Steve worried about? I fear the Roy Moores of the world far more than I fear a fellow atheist or Wiccan. By the way, Steve might want to look up the difference between nihilism and atheism. Two very different things.

I did not think Steve was this far over the edge on this issue. This sounds more like something Brinkman might write.

Gun Nuts Getting Hardons

Tom Brinkman is pushing for people to have the right to carry guns into:

to eliminate as premises in which a concealed carry licensee may not carry a concealed handgun public or private institutions of higher education, places of worship, day-care centers and homes, and government buildings other than schools, courthouses, law enforcement offices, and correctional facilities;

You know you are insane when you think you need to carry a gun into a church or government buildings like City Hall, colleges, and day-care centers. Who are the crazies who really want these changes? I guess there are gun nuts, and then their are insane people like Tom Brinkman's voter base. What really sucks is that I live in the guy's district. I have some loopy neighbors.

In Honor of Rodney Dangerfield

I give him no respect.

Post Debate Spin

I was not overly impressed with the whole thing. I like Gwen Ifill in general, but I did not like how she was putting out rambling questions that where both vague and specific at the same time, creating a mess.

Cheney was being a bit of an asshole and well, a liar. I have my bias, but he was saying little and just harping. Denying he never implied the 9/11 Iraq link was the lie of campaign so far. I still have heard almost nothing about what they will do on any topic, beyond fight terrorism and the blah blah blah on what they have done. Edwards was better, but did not put forth a great effort. He seemed a bit jumpy, but that may have been just because he was sitting next to Cheney, who actually less animated than Al Gore.

I would call this one a draw, as I think most pundits. It will have little impact, and as I said before usually does not. Friday will be filled with enough tension, I think would could get some tears from Bush.

Wes has comments too. Covington Jim scores a win for Edwards.

UPDATE: Andy Sullivan gives it a big win for Edwards. I don't see it as such, but hey, I will take it.

Blackwell Looking Like Boss Hog

Blackwell dismissive after Jackson blasts voting rule. Blackwell should prepare for more criticism. He is going to get it hard if people are turned away from voting, especially here in Cincinnati.

If anyone is turned away from voting, please send their stories to me. I will print them and spread the word.

I think Ohio bloggers should be prepared to help flow news from the ground after Election Day if there are any problems. Ohio will be a focus on that issue. I have tentative plans to be blogging or at least gather lots of first hand news on Election Day and election night. I hope I report no problems. I would bet I get word of many issues.

Any Estimates on Who the New Voters Will Support?

Voter signups reportedly hit a record this year in Ohio. CW points in favor of Kerry getting the bulk of those votes, where anger at the incumbent tends to pull in new voters.

Free PR for Council Candidates

Is Peter Bronson's column today considered a contribution or just charity to 2 GOP candidates for City Council? This reads like a commercial. All except for a council candidate watching a man beaten by a gang right across the street from his place of business.

Terry Deters, also a former council candidate, runs a funeral home on West Eighth. He says the city is losing the middle class in Price Hill, and council doesn't care. "In our parish, I can go down a long list of people who've left," he said. "They say, 'I'm leaving while I can still get something out of my place.'"

Deters saw a man beaten senseless by a gang of teens across the street from his funeral home last spring. "I'm a funeral director, and I thought he was dead," he said.

I hope he at least called the cops. Going out and trying to intervene would be dangerous, but if you want to fight crime you should start with you first. I also would like to point out to Terry that we live in Cincinnati, not New Orleans. We don't have parishes, other than those who are Catholic.

VP Debate

Beyond determining which campaign has the momentum, what is the political impact of the debate?

The AP says:

Usually just a campaign sideshow, this year's vice presidential debate has taken on new life as a high-stakes showdown in a tightening presidential race.

I don't see it as mattering beyond perceptions. All of politics now is based on perceptions, so maybe I am underestimating the importance of the debate.

New Cincinnati Voters

This story has gone wide on the AP wire and includes this interesting nugget:

"They're coming in, in buckets," said Pamela Swafford, deputy director of Ohio's Hamilton County board of elections. By Monday morning, the county that includes Cincinnati had 64,045 new voter registrations on hand, more than twice the 29,178 it received four years ago.

It also made the Enquirer and WCPO. I just hope Ken Blackwell does not try to keep some of them, especially minorities, from voting.

Dismissing Abuse of Power

The Cincinnati Post appears to just want to ignore abuses of power from the Bush Administration:

Perhaps complicating Fitzgerald's mission is that it's quite likely no crime was committed, even under the most relevant statute, the Covert Agent Identity Act. But like all special prosecutors Fitzgerald has been slow and thorough, again like seemingly all special prosecutors he has gone rather far a field.

This from the same newspaper who called for Bill Clinton to resign because he mislead the public about an affair.

Ah, I wonder first how they think it is "quite likely no crime was committed." So what Scooter Libby allegedly told Bob Novak and why he did it are legal? So anyone can out a CIA agent and feel no wrath? We all know that National Security is so stellar and all, we don't need to keep strong control on who talks about classified information. If that is the case then why not release every intelligence source for who stated Iraq had WMD and had active programs to build more?

'Bad Things Happening' For Journalism

Now, this column is nothing but fluff for people who prefer white picket fences and "Leave it to Beaver" over reality and truth. With that in mind I don't read it, but the headline caught my eye "Baby gets photo with president." I thought, gee, it sounds like a PR stunt and guess what campers, it was. Low and behold it cam from a GOP politician to boot: Butler County Judge Stephen Powell. It is good to see what $5,000.00 buys you. What is a VIP section at a political rally anyway? Do they get their own George Bush fun pack? Contents include: magic beans, crazy straw, and an autographed Bible from the President himself.

Simon Leis Fit for Office?

Was it just ego that caused Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis to issue a local terror alert? The FBI knew nothing of what he was doing. Chief Tom Streicher also signed off of the alert, or did he? He is not saying much about this.

Yesterday we got a bomb threat at Tower Place Mall, luckily a hoax. I don't like to bring in black helicopter stuff, but has Leis out of his mind and making people scared on purpose, using the fear of a bomb attack on a Mall to drive fear up to meet his warnings of a threat? That is just a question, or hypothesis, not anything I could ever back up. The circumstances do give me slight pause to create a conspiracy theory.

Enquirer Bias Again?

In the print edition of Friday's paper this story of 'local voices' had only Bush Supporters in it. Where the Kerry supporters on a back page I missed? This section has them mixed up. What gives?

Bronson's Imitation

Peter Bronson tries his best to imitate Carl Cameron. At least Peter doesn't pretend to be 'fair and balanced.'

20 Questions You Should Ask About Poll Results

NCPP - National Council on Public Polls

Origin of a Lie

As I am sure most of you have read or heard, BushCo's spin from the debate is to go after the "Global Test" comment made by Kerry. For the sake of honesty, here is the full point Kerry made:

Q: What is your position on the whole concept of preemptive war?

KERRY: The president always has the right, and always has had the right, for preemptive strike. That was a great doctrine throughout the Cold War. And it was always one of the things we argued about with respect to arms control.

No president, though all of American history, has ever ceded, and nor would I, the right to preempt in any way necessary to protect the United States of America.

But if and when you do it, Jim, you have to do it in a way that passes the test, that passes the global test where your countrymen, your people understand fully why you're doing what you're doing and you can prove to the world that you did it for legitimate reasons.

Now this has been turned into this talking point from BushCo:

Today, Bush-Cheney '04 announced the release of the campaign's newest television advertisement, "Global Test." The ad contrasts the Kerry doctrine that America must pass a 'global test' before defending itself with President Bush's belief that decisions about defending America should be made in the Oval Office, not in foreign capitals.

Now, in Kerry's comment above where does it say anything about a having to go to foreign nations before defending America? It doesn't. That is how political lies are started. Misrepresent the truth, and then the usually idiots will eat up the lies like good brownshirts.

What is truly most disheartening is the lack of respect BushCo has for the telling the county the truth. What Kerry said he would do is if he were to wage pre-emptive war he would make sure that before he started it he would have ready the proof and the rationale to support his actions. That is what BuchCo is mocking. That is what I think is the most important reason Bush is a horrible President. He took us to war without knowing that what he was doing was correct. He wanted to go to war, and grabbed on to any rationale that might give him PR cover to keep us logical people of his back. You know us, the ones, like Colin Powel, who only like to wage wars where the USA is directly threatened or where an ally is directly threatened, or when we have honest purposes and justice on our side. Declaring yourself judge, jury, and revenge seeker in chief is not an honest purpose. "Gathering" threats are something that cause people to be prepared, but not to strike. If you think you are oing to be attacked by Iraq, that is just the cover some other foe would want to have when they come in to get you. But, if you goal is just to control all of the Muslim world, or at least those with oil, then he, nothing matters but the black gold and bottom line. The means are just a way to get what you want, and getting what you want is bedrock dogma for BushCo. Oh, when I say "you" getting what "you" want, you can't be one of "them" as defined by BushCo. "Them" knows what I am talking about.