Tuesday, March 29, 2005

Drinking Liberally Welcomes Robert Wilson

Council Candidate Robert Wilson will be joining the folks at Drinking Liberally tonight to discuss the issues facing the city. 7:30 PM at the Comet in Northside.

More from HMS.

Monday, March 28, 2005

Brinkman Running for Congress

Steve Fritsch of Blue Chip Review is is reporting the Ohio House Member Tom Brinkman will run for Rob Portman's seat in Congress.

No other details are out there and Steve indicates he got it from the horse's mouth. This makes for an interesting choice for the GOP. Do you run DeWine and make for a big party fight? My vote, Hell Yes! Let the blood letting begin!

Slow Day

The day is starting out slow. People I suppose are not back from the holiday yet. Hope the Easter Bunny was kind.

Sunday, March 27, 2005

Nope

To answer Wes's question: "Y'think...
...the Enquirer will spend an entire Sunday Forum on what Jews, Muslims, Hindus, or Buddhists think on their holy days?" Answer: Never. Which is what really makes all of the talk about religion in this society so sad. Those who push it do so for profit reasons and/or for religious reasons. There is nothing altruistic about covering a particular religion, especially in a publication that tries to be mainstream, appealing to everyone across the board. Religion is the thing that should not be based on majority rules, therefore all shall follow. Religion should be kept in your home and place of worship. It does nothing but offend people when it is made public. Those who think that the media talking about it will somehow attract new converts prove my point that the motivations are not about journalism, but about religion.

This goes deeper than the media. It happens in the corporate world in a similar way. Most major corporations go out of their way to keep religion out of the activities of the company. This pisses off those who seek to push their religion everywhere they go, but it ultimately works best in a country where religion is not a monolith.

Now, I am sure that I will piss off some whack job who has not yet read this far in the post. It they haven't then they will miss a big point. The Enquirer has every legal right to run the forum section they wish. Corporations can go fairly far legally as well in promoting religion. They don't have as much leeway as what is printed in a newspaper when it comes to employee relations and discrimination, but they still can freely promote religion. Where you can't do it is in the government and government agencies.

What I wish people would do however is to think about how life used to be, at least how it used to be in the stories of old. Religion was not something polite people discussed in public. Why did they not want to push their religion? Well, simple, you don't want to piss people off. You don't want to go on and on about how your minister and all men of the cloth should get married when talking to a Roman Catholic. That is rude. In the same vein, it is rude to assume everyone is religious at all and act as if everyone agrees on the subject when at work or at organizational functions. It is rude to speak of a god when it can be assumed that some don't share the belief of such. When you are in your house or your place of worship, you don't need to assume to do anything. If religion were kept personal and private life in a modern media world just might be a bit easier.

Saturday, March 26, 2005

Showdown: FLA

The lengths that Jeb Bush was willing to stoop to in order to win what has become the season's biggest media event is amazing. I wonder if he was planning on using tear gas or maybe tasers on the local police department.

Friday, March 25, 2005

Puppy Killing Can Actually Be Funny

If of course it is fiction and part of political satire. Some of those spoofed reportedly found it funny. I don't know if Pepper did or not.

Let it End Soon

I truly hope the abuse and exploitation of Terri Schiavo by Jeb Bush and Randall Terry ends. Dying today however would, as a friend said, be the first step in her beatification. That would really make a mess out of a horrid situation.

Keating for Kongress?

Bill Keating Jr. is reportedly considering a run for Portman's seat. DeWine is also make more noise about running. DeWine works at Keatings's law firm. Interesting office politics in the making there.

More on the race from the AP, which reports
Other possible candidates for the 2nd District seat include former U.S. Rep. Bob McEwen, now a Washington lobbyist; WLW talk-show host Bill Cunningham; Hamilton County treasurer Rob Goering; state Reps. Tom Brinkman of Cincinnati and Tom Raga of suburban Dayton; and former state Rep. Jean Schmidt of suburban Cincinnati.
Keating must have tipped of the Enquirer directly after reading this AP article yesterday. I still am laughing about Cunningham. I actually would love it to be him. He would actually make it far easier for Springer to run for Governor. The GOP would have to eat their words if they complain about putting Talking "Trash" into office.

Great News For Maggie Downs

Glad to here that Maggie Downs is OK and does not have Cancer. Maggie, if you are reading this I think all of your friends and readers are happy to know your lump was "nothing." Keep up the smiles and keep drinking the Guinness.

Thursday, March 24, 2005

Independent Eye Re-Launch Party

The magazine Independent Eye, formerly X-Ray Magazine, is re-launching the publication with the name of the original Cincinnati alternative news magazine that first published back in the late 1960s.

Steve Novotni, top cat at the Eye, has announced a re-launch event this weekend:

WHEN: 8pm-12am March 25th and 26th
WHERE: Upstairs at Alchemize, 1122 Walnut St. Cincinnati in downtown Cincinnati

Blame the CCV and Phil Burress

In their bigoted anti-homosexual brain cloud Phil and his stormtroopers pushed a law that reduces the punishment on men beating their girlfriends. Phil's answer is to change all of the other laws to comply with his. Well, thanks there bucko, you could have avoided this by not pushing the law at all; it does nothing but hurt people. It helps no one, expect those out to push their obscure religious views into law. Someone, (ME!!!), might call that theocracy. This travesty is a byproduct of theocracy.

Springer Going National

Jerry Spring radio show is going national on the Air America Network. We can forget about any coverage of Cincinnati or Ohio topics on his show. I don't get to listen to it because of work, but when I did listen the few times I have I heard nothing but national topics. The original spin of the show indicate they would cover some local issues. I guess that meant only when they make the national news.

What I wonder most is how long will the show continue to be broadcast part of the week in Cincinnati? If Jerry is not going to run for office in Ohio or at least chair the State Democratic Party, then I don't see him wanting to base his show here for long.

The editorial comment in the Enquirer news brief on this is small but promment:
Springer's radio stint goes national

No fooling, Jerry Springer's radio talk show will go national April 1 on the Air America network. The liberal talk-radio network provides the "Al Franken Show" and "Morning Sedition" to WCKY-AM (1530), Springer's flagship, and 50 other stations nationally. The daytime TV talk host and former Cincinnati mayor and TV anchor gives "a unique and powerful voice that is a major step in developing our network," said Danny Goldberg, CEO of New York-based Air America. "Springer on the Radio" will air 9 a.m. to noon.
You couldn't fool me, the Editors of the Enquirer love Springer. (cough, cough)

Wednesday, March 23, 2005

Candidates for Ohio 2nd?

Who is left to run for the GOP? Brinkman said he was not running for congress, but is he back in the picture now? Is it DeWine in a walk? Do we see other GOP dark horses from outside the Metro area?

Will the Dems get someone to run and run early enough to get their name known? Is it Yates? Would a Glen Miller fair better? Special elections for a house seat are always a wild card. It comes down to getting someone to actually come out and vote. The only way people do that is if outside forces dump money and advertising into the area.

Phil Heimlich is Running for Lt. Gov.

Phil has mae it official and is running as Attorney General Jim Petro's running mate for the GOP Nomination for Ohio Governor. They look like they have a good shot for the nomination, but Ken Blackwell still is in good shape with the party. He has national attention. He has many enemies that might want to stick it to him.

More from the Enquirer.

It appears from the Enqurier article that Phil Burress is pissed with Phil Heimlich:
Blackwell, a Cincinnatian, is the choice of Southwest Ohio's social conservatives, activist Lori Viars of Lebanon said. News of Heimlich's affiliation with Petro came as a blow to that crowd, many of whom have been core Heimlich supporters over the years.

"Phil has been a dear friend of mine," Viars said Tuesday. "I am absolutely shocked. I can't believe he would join with someone who's liberal on gay-rights issues."

She and Phil Burress, president of Citizens for Community Values, both canceled plans to attend Tuesday's event - which had been planned months ago as a Heimlich-for-commissioner fund-raiser. Joining with Petro could cost Heimlich rather than helping Petro, they said.

"Phil Heimlich does not realize that he has been co-opted in this, because that's the only reason he was picked," Burress said.

Burress said he told Heimlich in a phone call: "I am extremely disappointed. You have made a serious error that could end your political career by turning your back on your base."
It seems odd that Ken Blackwell will be push by extreme right-wingers. On race issues, Ken is a GOP rubber stamp. He is no liberal, but I don't see him as a CCV puppet, like Heimlich is (or was?).

Damon Lynch Running for Council?

Queen City Forum reported yesterday that Damon Lynch III told the magazine he is running for Cincinnati City Council this year. No details yet on his candidacy, but his website from 2003 is still up and running.

Tuesday, March 22, 2005

Moooo!

Asked for a comment on the escaped cow caught and killed, Guernsey Pete, local cow expert, was heard to utter "Moo Moo Moo, Baa Baa Baa." No Sheep was available for a rebuttal.

Heimlich Runnning for Lt. Governor?

The Enquirer is reporting that Phil Heimlich is considering being Jim Petro's running mate for governor. What happened to Congress? Is DeWine the behind the scenes winner or is someone just playing fake out games? I don't see Phil taking a back seat to Petro. I see him wanting Congress, not Columbus's number 2 job.

What the hell is Phil fund raising for anyway? For Commissioner?

Luken's Corporate Tax Breaks

On the surface the idea has some merit, but in practice, who enforces this? How do we not get companies playing games with payrolls? They can claim people work downtown, get a tax break, the city can get payroll taxes, but the worker could actually be working any number of places. What city department would audit this and will they have the people power to do it correctly?

Shhhh! Don't Tell Anyone This

This is not local news. It is only a marketing ploy for the extremists anti-abortionist actives who unfortunately have a large following here. To bad Congress did the same thing as the Enquirer, cater to the right wing.

When do we get an act of congress or hell even a website for this case? I guess they need video to make the marketing plan work. Can someone please get these people a camcorder?

Questions For Bronson

Does he just hate all education?

Peter, when is Communism going to be offered as an alternative in Business Schools? Your fight for Academic Oppression does nothing for local control of education, and puts it in the hands of the State to set curriculum. Does that not contradict your fight for Creationism indoctrination in local schools, or rather the right for local schools to indoctrinate kids on Christian views on origins of life?

It not that communism is a viable system, but why should business students indoctrinated into capitalism? Why not present all sides of how economics and business should work, and let the student decide?

I mean if a sexist, racist, or religious bigot has the right to push their dogma in a class and not be failed for their views, then surely a communist who finds stock options wrong should not get an “F” if they denounce them or better yet compute a way for the buyer to lose money on them.