Cincy Young Professionals

The Brian and Joe Show on WAIF 88.3FM will be joined by three great guests discussing young professionals in Cincinnati: The Enquirer's Maggie Downs, City Council candidate Nick Spencer, and Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber Sid DÂ?Souza. 10 AM today or check out the POD Cast.

Support For Religious Freedom

The Supreme Court refused to to hear several other cases involving separation of church and state and let stand lower court rulings that prevented religious displays in schools and one theocratic town council in South Carolina from beginning its meetings with a prayer praising Jesus Christ. It will not keep the theocrats from trying to push religion onto others, but it might make them more reluctant to waste their money. This will keep them at bay until Bush gets more Scalia type theocrats in courts.

Credit

I give full credit to the courthouses in Kentucky that quickly removed the Ten Commandments from the courthouse walls after the SCOTUS ruling. I applaud the willingness to honorably follow the rule of law.

Republican Putsch in KY

Purging Democrats from government jobs appears to have been one action taken by the Republican Administration in KY to gain and maintain power in the state. Now, who was pissed about someone being compared to Stalin? First we get torte allowed to happen under the Bush Administration, now we get a Putsch in Kentucky. Where's the next 5 year plan?

Bush Speech is Waste of Time

Here is how you know Bush is weak President. If George Bush wants to address the Country on the Iraq war, then he should be sitting at his desk talking into the camera telling us his views. He should have the courage to face on his own.

Instead he is playing to polls and marketing advisors and is holding his speech in front of a friendly military crowd at a military base and will likely be surrounded by soldiers, who will be cheering for Fearless Leader. He asked for Network air time for this, but this is just like a campaign speech, not an address to the country. THIS IS PURE PROPAGANDA. There can be no doubt of that. He will not have any new ideas or content. It will just be a rally around the president because his poll numbers have dropped like a rock and midterm elections are just around the corner.

This is the real Bush. He is worse than every other modern President and plays games with the public, especially when it comes to going to war. I hope people don't see this speech as anything more than a PR stunt. I know the faithful will eat this up like pigs at trough, so I am sure the Propaganda will work on a quite a few.

King Solomon Speaks

SCOTUS found a way to cut the baby in half.

Why Gun Violence?

What is causing the recent up tick of gun violence recently? Most of the incidents I would put on drug related idiots. This incident outside a dance club reportedly starting as an argument. Why would there be guns in the hands of these young 'kids?' I would guess they are not drug dealers. Do they have the guns on them as a result of conceal & carry laws? I doubt that. Do they have them out of fear? Maybe. Do they have guns out of some warped need for instant power and respect that they can't seem to earn any other way? I would guess yes. How is this type of problem addressed? How do young adults become ego driven fools who can't refrain from shooting people over schoolyard type conflicts?

Drum Beat Grows

Questions continue to mount over the relationship between Gov. Bob Taft and those advising on investing in the Coin Deal where millions of dollars in coins went missing. The campaign contributions to the senior state officials were huge: Petro, Montgomery, and Blackwell all got big bucks from the investment companies managing much of the state institutions' money. The questions will continue until someone is thrown overboard. There are two ways for this to happen. The first is the easiest: dump Taft. The second is for it to be a primary issue and one of the three in the race is attacked by the others. That would be more difficult, but it sure would be fun to watch and even better when a Dem would win the governorship next year.

Questions also mount for the GOP Governor in KY.

Downtown Dying

It looks like Downtown Mason is not a hot spot of activity. I guess the small town "life style centers" and big box retail are just killing everything. Well, with all of the plans to build up Downtown Cincinnati, I wonder if anyone can lend Mason a hand?

Why Does Deters Hate Cincinnati?

By saying that the city's future is 'bleak' because of the gun violence, it is clear that Hamilton County Prosecutor Joe Deters hates the city. I mean, you can't speak ill of the Luken Administration. If you do, you provide aid and comfort to the Criminals who surely will see this on TV and in the newspaper and know they have a divided county where they can just divide it more and not have to worry about ever being caught.

Yes, Virginia, I am joking. I am not joking when I say Deters cares little about the city. It is my opinion that Deter is the poster child for a large percentage of those who have left the city for the burbs and now do not care much about it. They take a Nero view to anything happening in it, not remembering they are a living in suburban Rome, where the fire won't stop because of a white picket fence.

Hamilton

Why would you jeer a peace march? The situation in Hamilton sounds and looks more like something from a 1964 newsreel showing civil rights marchers with racists yelling at them. The media reports, which are a limited means to understand the story paint a grim picture of a small neighborhood.

Concern, fear began before blaze broke out
City leaders denounce vigilantism
Pastor from Mexico helps sooth residents’ spirits
Suspect identified
Unity Prayer Walk briefly interrupted
Latino community worries as tensions continue

The father of girl does not appear to be helping much. I at first thought he was trying to calm things down, but when he joins the crowd yelling at a peace march, then he becomes part of the problem facing that community. His daughter should get all of our sympathy for the horrible crime done to her, and every action must be taken to catch the person responsible, but the father should not turn that into an "us vs. them" belief that has no relation to justice for his daughter.

GOP Needs Turnout, Dems Need Money

What I get from this Enquirer Article "GOP counting on ads, Dems on shoe leather" is that the GOP is using mass marketing to gain in as many of their base, which in this district is high, to gain votes. The Democrats don't have the bread yet to do that and are instead going door to door to make the personal connect ion to voters, which in the end may get more new voters out to vote. Whether they vote for the Dems or not is what the Dems have to worry about.

Schmidt is running this campaign like she is the incumbent, which not only is offensive to liberals, it should offend regular Republicans who don't want to be taken for granted. Filming a TV ad in Washington? What kind of arrogance does a person have to possess to take off a day of a campaign to fly to DC to shoot a commercial, when she has just over a month before the election? Schmidt should have to earn the seat, not just be awarded it because she pulled off an upset in a divided primary.

Hackett needs cash. If he can match television ads with her, tout his military service in Iraq, and connect on a personal level with voters face to face, he has a chance. He will not get any help from the mainstream political opinion makers in town, which will either back Schmidt or just ignore it altogether as a perceived exercise in futility. Hackett is not an experienced enough politician to really be underestimated, but he is setting the ground work for 2006. Don’t count him out this time around yet, but I think the more effort he puts in, the better off he will be either this year, or next.

Newsworthy?

The facts presented in this WCPO story about an alleged sexual assault paint a picture of something that seems like something other than how it is presented. The headline indicates something approaching rape occurred in a class room at UC. In reading the details of the story it sounds like a guy got aggressive and touched and kissed a woman when he should not have.

This is an attack? This is News? I don't want to trivialize improper sexual advances, but touching a breast does not rank a story on WCPO. The guy sounds like a dirt bag, but this is the kind of thing that warranted a slap across the face, not a police report. I am basing this totally on the news story that while it sensationalizes the fact it reports, it may not be reporting all of the facts. This type of thing surely happens every night at local college bars and parties. Just because it happened in a class room, WCPO has chosen to make this a story and ride the hype and fear of UC parents who might be more inclined to watch WCPO or read the website.

Traffic Camera Plan Vetoed

Charlie Luken vetoed a plan this week that would have installed cameras at street corners to catch traffic violations on film and then ticket the offenders by mail. I generally don't like big brother creeping in on me as I walk or drive the streets. I was not up in arms over this one. I don't drive through red lights. If they started to record your speed down Columbia Parkway, and started issuing tickets, well, I would be out with picket signs and megaphones. Here I don't like it, but I am doing that which most Americans live by: if it doesn't affect me, I don't care. I do care, just not enough to take action. Mayor Luken, however, took action for me. I agree with this action.

Why not Wi-Fi outside?

Outdoors computing, do you do it? I have done it on Fountain Square and was not impressed. On my next day off, I may try out Piatt Park downtown. I am more interesting in indoors Wifi, mostly because I can there rain or shine, year round.

WVXU Buyout Approved

The FCC has approved the sale of WVXU to WGUG (2nd item). WVXU will change formats by Aug 24th. That format reportedly will be a drop of music and much, if not nearly all, of its locally based programming.

Free WiFi Coming to Four Locations in July

Project Lily Pad will by mid-July have free WiFi in Fountain Square, Government Square, Findlay Market, and Hyde Park Square. Excellent!

Bigotry Running Wild in Hamilton

The alleged rape of a nine year old white girl by a Hispanic man has unleashed ethnic hate in some Hamilton neighborhoods. Reports of threats against Hispanics are coming in, and the ugly face of bigotry is once again clouding Bulter County. It is amazing how quickly blame can shift from the actual suspect to anyone who shares an ethnic or racial background with that suspect.

Airman, Jesus Is The Only Way You Will Fly Jets

Will this be called an attack on Christianity because people are taking steps to keep religious freedom alive in a public institution? How can one practice one's religion freely if they can't force and pressure others into following it? (Feel the sarcasm)

Outsider Police Chief

It has taken forever and has been met with near rebellion from the police union, but the city is expected to hire a new assistant chief from outside Cincinnati. That will be a first for Cincinnati. I hope it is the first step in building a new atmosphere in the police force and ushers in a new age of cultural diversity in the CPD management.

How will people complain about it? They will find a way, but I just wonder how.