Semantics and BushSpeak

I have a big problem with the language being used by the Administration regarding the latest uprising in Iraq:

'U.S. forces are on the offense. The United States and our partners and free Iraqi forces are taking the battle to the terrorists,' Rumsfeld told a Pentagon news conference in Washington.

The problem I have is throwing around the term "terrorist." When a car bomb blows up the UN building in Iraq, that is terrorism. When grenades are launched at civilian hotels, that is terrorism. When a "militia" rebels against an occupation army, that is not terrorism. Call it a rebellion, call it an insurgency, call it an illegal gang, but don't try and lump it in with al Qaeda, because their actions are not the same.

I am not defending the extremists, but I am defending the use of language in proper communication of factual situations. All to often the government spin things to fit their point of view. "Homicide bombers" was just such a term created for political reasons. That term is propaganda, but it was at least an attempt that announced as a change in terminology. The way the Bush Administration throws around "terrorist" is about as bad as Islamic extremists throw around the term "infidel."

Kerry Rally

A good crowd forthe rally.

Will reporters print local Democratic responses the next time Bush or Cheney comes to town and gives a speech like they did for Portman?

Crowd size: The Enquirer reports about 3,000, I think WXIX said 2,700, but someone on WVXU said 800? What is up with that difference? I think some needed some more sleep at Xavier.

More from WCPO, CPD, and DDN.

WWSSD

What would the Secret Service Do if anti-Bush protestors raised a ruckus in the front row of a Bush rally? Answer: they would start sending out their resumes because that doesn't happen to Bush. Protestors are kept far away from Bush and they even send undercover police into the protests to see who says anything “threatening” about Bush, and then have them arrested

When Bush comes to town next time and holds a public rally, oh hold on, Bush doesn't hold public rallies, he just holds screened out gatherings for supporters or fundraisers.

Something Something D-o-o Economics

So you say you want to help the economy and you are a Republican, what do you propose? Well, a tax cut for the wealthy and an increase a tax increase for the middle class. Gee, that works!!! (Cough, Cough) Oh damn, why don't we just repeal sales tax on fur coats and sports cars while we are at it, that will surely create more jobs in the tens.

[Via Pandagon]

If Only a Hamster Would Fly Out of My Ass

A Letter to the to the Editor of the Enquirer:

Try anti-violence point with WWII
In response to the letter 'Violence abroad begets more at home' (April 3), if the men and women during World War II had only applied those holier-than-thou lofty ideals instead of responding in violence with their 'puffed-chest, arms-bearing stances' against the Axis powers - had they instead spent their resources on housing, health care and education - we could be raising the children of those Axis regimes now, and with better care.
Edward Charron
Anderson Township

Mr. Charron, on that note, what if JFK had just nuked Cuba instead of the wimpy blockade how much more powerful would we be now??????? We would not be powerful at all, 99% of us would be dead from the nuclear war that would have followed.

Put the WWII what if comparisons to bed. This is not the first such letter the Enquirer has printed. Come up with some better rhetoric people!!!!

John Kerry in Cincinnati

I will not be able to make the rally. If I was still working downtown I would go, but I will have to rely on news reports and hopefully first hand reports from readers.

The Rally is getting quite a bit of coverage: DDN, ONN, Post, and CPD.

Recounts

When the is the Velvet Hammer coming to Clermont County to protest the recount about to begin for the GOP Primary election between Tom Niehaus and Jean Schmidt? Here is what the BOE plans on doing:

Before the recount started, Bare said he and Kathy Jones, board of elections deputy director, would determine voters' intent on questionable ballots. If they can't decide, the board of elections will.

Intent of the voter???? Intent of the voter????? Why oh why would we care about that? If they can't fill out their ballot correctly, then screw them! Oh, wait, you say these are Republican voters??? Well, in that case, lets make sure we count every last voter's intent. We don't want to shortchange anyone's vote. No one will confuse us with Florida.

Much Ado: I am a Hamster

Dogberry: Dost thou not suspect my place? dost thou not suspect my years? O that he were here to write me down a hamster! But, masters, remember that I am a hamster; though it be not written down, yet forget not that I am a hamster. No, thou villain, thou art full of piety, as shall be proved upon thee by good witness. I am a wise fellow, and, which is more, an officer, and, which is more, a householder, and, which is more, as pretty a piece of flesh as any is in Messina, and one that knows the law, go to; and a rich fellow enough, go to; and a fellow that hath had losses, and one that hath two gowns and every thing handsome about him. Bring him away. O that I had been writ down a hamster!

Just in case you missed the obivious: yes it's from Shakespeare.

Culture Wars

Daniel Brown explores the culture wars in a column at QCF. His comments on the Gibson Movie I think are telling of some level of reality:

The Passion of Christ was a mini-sensation in March. This over publicized, over-hyped movie teaches us nothing about why people followed Jesus but much about mob violence and physical abuse. Symbolically, what is important is that it plays into the hands of the religious right, whose values pervades American society and has killed art and culture in Greater Cincinnati. Whether anyone's faith will be enhanced is up for grabs.

Indeed

Alistair Cooke

If have never seen or read it, I suggest catching Alistair Cooke's address to congress from 1974. It was on PBS last night in a tribute to the great BBC journalist. It was remarkable not only in its uniqueness, but in the guts for which it was made. Cooke said more about American Democracy and History than I have ever heard from a natural born citizen. He even addressed the Nixon scandal, which had come to a head only a month before his speech. Check your listings to see when PBS repeats the program.

Dateline is the 'Devil'

Oh great. The television show that helped kill television news is doing a story on tickets by police and they of course chose Cincinnati as a place to study. This AP story pretends to be news, but is really just a press release. Can I start a pool? How many dramatic music themes will NBC producers use for the segment involving Cincinnati? I would bet on 3.

Daily Kos

The controversy surrounding DailyKos is the "hot" news in the Blogosphere. The Blogging of the President has the best summary of what the controversy is all about and the facts surrounding it.

I hope Rob Bernard reads that link and stops stuff like this.

Rob is following the leader into a grass roots McCarthyism. I really would hope that the conservatives don't want to go down the road of death by association. Their laundry smells far worse than a couple of words from Kos.

Bob Edwards - NPR Flap

James King, director for broadcasting for WVXU has written a very telling column on how NPR handled the removal of Bob Edwards from the NPR Morning Edition program.

As a daily listener to Morning Edition I was perplexed by the change. Morning Edition and All Things Considered are the best things on radio today in America. I don't know what changes they could be trying. The only thing that could improve it would be making it more "live." That would change it, and keeping the same atmosphere while being live would be very difficult. If they are going for the same thing, I don't see why they would dump Edwards, unless there was some kind of internal contract or personal conflict.

I hope NPR does not try something stupid, like CNN did with their attempt to compete with the Today Show. If NPR wants to pull Stern's or Imus's audience I think they have gone insane. NPR is for those who like to think. Stern is for those who don't like to think. Imus is for those who can think, but want to pretend they are, without having to do any thinking at all.

Odd Cincinnati Reference

It appears that Tre Arrow, formerly known as Michael Scarpitti, who was wanted for 19 months for firebombing logging and cement trucks in Oregon, has been captured. What does this have to do with Cincinnati? Well, nothing, except for a reference in the article about Mr. Arrow:

Arrow dropped out of college and moved west, first to Cincinnati where he played in a band and fathered a child with his backup singer, and then to Frazier, Colo., where he worked in a whole foods store.

I think this would have been sometime before 1996. If you knew this guy or what band he was in, send me an email.

John Kerry Coming to Cincinnati

Democratic Candidate for President, Senator John Kerry, will be in Cincinnati for a public rally 11:00 AM on Tuesday, at Yeatman's Cove near the Cincinnatus statue.

A local Kerry campaign official states that the event is free and open to the public, but is encouraging people to pick up tickets for preferred seating/standing. Tickets can be picked up at:

225 W. Court Street, Downtown Cincinnati, from 2-5pm on Sunday.

or

1420 Main Street, (Greg Harris' campaign office), from 2-5 pm on Sunday or 3-6pm on Monday.

Kerry's Website and Ohio Page.

Choke On This One Si!

Court: County can't file charges against Flynts

Ohio Mayors

It Appears that mayors from Toledo, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus, Akron and Dayton sent a joint letter to Treasury Secretary John Snow criticizing his comments about outsourcing American jobs. The Enquirer reported them on Tuesday:

The outsourcing of U.S. jobs "is part of trade ... and there can't be any doubt about the fact that trade makes the economy stronger," Treasury Secretary John Snow said Monday in Cincinnati.

Well, I never like "..." in the lead of story, but the context seems like comments that been attributed to Snow before.

The word "cold" comes to mind when I think of Snow, and that is not because I grew up about an hour from Buffalo, NY.

The story lacks much of any depth. He was here on a dog and pony tour to local big businesses, who support the GOP. What purpose did his visit serve?

I missed where the Editorial Board issued an opinion on Snow or his visit. It would nice to get a little bit more news than just the BushCo's view on the Economy. The Ohio Mayor's letter only made the news brief section of the Enquirer.

Another Reason For Good Public Schools

A local private school is closing its doors at the end of this school years. About 200 kids will have to find a new school to attend. This does not happen to public schools. There is and always should be a public school, a high quality one with needed funding, where a child can go for a 'free' education. I say free in the sense of tuition free. Education should be a public service as much as police protection and fire protection. If you want to pay for a private firm to give you police protection, you generally can. The same should be their for education. Voucher systems and the general motivation of some to make all schools private are things that will not best educate the majority of the youth in this country.

If you want religion in your school, then send your kids to a private school or school them yourself. That is your right, but not something we should subsidize.

The Law Dog Doesn't Dig Brown

LaShawn Pettus-Brown has fired Ken Lawson. According to the article Lawson had a plea bargain on the table that Brown rejected. The also indicates that Regina Collins, a civil attorney who has represented Brown in the past, stated Lawson forced his was onto the case.

Bottom line, when you Drop Ken Lawson as your defense attorney, you better start picking out your preferred brand of soap on a rope.

Hillbilly Lawyers?

Would this be considered legal incest?

The Dean Jams

The funniest thing Maggie forgot to include in her column was a reference to the Dean's music.

"D to the E to the A to the N!"

Bunning's Foibles

I thought this kind of ethnic bigotry died after the third installment of the Godfather?

Protest VP?

Dick Cheney is coming to town on Monday. Will protest groups have undercover agents inside their rallies down here like they did up in Dayton? With the GOP pull in this town, I would be shocked if the stroomtroopers where not out in force, both undercover and with riot gear ready to pounce on a litterbug.

Will Nate Livingston be protesting the VP? That I think is the real question, not that Bronson and Nate are becoming anti-free speech chums.

Sucker

So Peter Bronson fell for Nate Livingstone's email attacking the Know Theatre Tribe. Well folks, there you have your proof, both Livingston and Bronson seek to stamp out freedom and intellectual thought. Their form of life would be better had under their own distinct form of fascism. Nate wants a black run city where white people are oppressed, Peter wants a theocratic state, with a paper layer of tolerance easily torn.

Bronson should have seen Lips, the latest play put on by the Know Theatre. For the record I was a technical adviser on that production. In the play a fictional President (remember all of these plays are fictional) near the end of the play goes hand in hand with her Lesbian lover down the aisle of a Church, seeking acceptance, but instead gets attacked. That shows the realty of Bronson's brand of religion at its worst, but does not mock religion. Peter thinks his brand of Christianity and its fundamental/evangelical sects are tolerant of difference, but they really just seek to have those who don't conform to their religion slunk around in the shadows, neither seen nor heard.

Peter writes:

Council should encourage free expression and help the arts downtown. But if it gives cash to the Know Theatre Tribe, even indirectly, arts groups will never find the integrity to respect religion the same way they curtsey to more politically correct "sensitivities."

What Bronson forgets, oh so intentionally, that religious groups where pushing "politically correct" ideas for hundreds of years before the conservatives starting whining about being chastised for saying "redskin." I point to Blue laws as the ultimate in religious PC efforts, getting the sale of alcohol ban or limited on Sundays. What motivated the laws???? Yep, Political correctness.

I hope Peter does not forget something: Churches are afforded non-tax status. Why is that done? It is does because of political correctness. What does not having to pay taxes do for churches? Well, they can use more funds to evangelize or run their religious activities. The taxpayers are then indirectly supporting religious activities. I don't like that. If I ran the world I would tax churches as any other Business, because that is what I seem them as. Guess what, that is not going to happen. Bronson should look at what I do, learn to live with the reality that everyone will not think like I do and let groups like the Know keep up their work of keeping live theater going in this town and making a stand for new and diverse art.

UPDATE: The Post has a story on the Funding, and they too fell pray to Nate's charms by mentioning his email. I guess if on a slow news day I send out a mass email, then I would get my name in all of the papers too?

UPDATE#2: Wes Flinn also comments.

More Bad ReportingBlogging

Matt Leingang has written an article about binge drinking in Cincinnati. That is fine. I have no problem with the article, except no where in the article does he define what was considered binge drinking by the study. I looked in a sister article on the topic and found nothing.

Matt might have looked for something like this note on the Rutgers Journal of Studies on Alcohol's website.

Binge drinking has been defined by some temperance movement activists as 5 drinks in a night for men and 4 for women. That has become a common definition by many in the media who are often too lazy to a little research on the internet. I found the above page in a 10 second search using Google.com. Don't you think Matt might have spent that time? Better yet, do you think Matt did spend that time and his editors stupidly cut that part out? That is possible. The bias and/or stupidity of editors often outweighs that of the reporter.

UPDATE: Yes, I missed it. Yes, I was careless. Yes, I apologize to Matt.

Now, one critique that I honestly think threw me for a loop. Matt switched between using numbers in like "20" and 8.8" to using the word "five." Is that an excuse? Well, not much of one. I do still hold my opinion that the story should have held some critical opinion that disputes the study, which frankly is not worth the paper it is printed on, mostly because it defines "binge" drinking on such a narrow view that it holds no meaning.

Personal Jesus

The shot of the week goes to Greg Korte who wrote about theCincinnati Human Relations Commission:

"Councilman Sam Malone is performing his personal audit of the organization."

Nice to see Councilman Malone has found way to express himself to someone who really cares. If he would only do this more often and just keep his findings to his personal committee, we all might sleep better at night.

Hmmmm

Can we say Flip-Flop? Wow, a politician changing his mind based on political pressure. What a shocker.

Nader-Kerry Deal?

Rumor or Truth? Via TPM.

Kentucky Theocracy

Kentucky's Brand of Theocracy is on the march in Lexington. I really don't get why people cheer when people try to ban Gay Marriage. Why are the so gleeful? I guess doing their "religious duty" is what drives them into emotional fits. The only thing missing in this article is the fact that most of the Democrats in Kentucky's Statehouse would not favor Gay Marriage; just don't want to ban it outright in their Constitution. A technical difference that is political fodder, but not a substantive variation.

Pols on Movies

People get pissed when Movie Stars give their political opinions. Why then are we forced to hear about politicians given their opinions on a movie? I was pleased to see actually that most of those asked about the movie, which was the Passion by the way, had not seen it. That included well the more moderate Republicans and the Democrats. Chabot and Bunning made it into a big deal. Gee, now who is using religion and the "scriptures" for political gain?

Blog Round Up

Wes Flinn has info on some domestic spying up in Dayton.

Greg Mann comments on Bronson's latest column, and agrees. No, I have not seen the flying monkeys yet.

Matt Sledge has a future after 97X. I don't know if all the peanuts in the world would tell us what we be the new format of 97.7.

Mike at Rantophilia comments on Safire and his attempt to be a moderate on the Pledge issue.

Mark at the Rambler has an update on featured Dinosaurs.

SadGirlSeven just might have a thing for Anderson Cooper of CNN.

Monkey's Could Do Better

Some really bad reporting from the AP:

In Wisconsin, the Kerry advantage in a three-way contest was three percent in an American Research Group survey. Four years ago, both Ohio and Wisconsin went to Al Gore.

Of course you know Bush won Ohio in 2000. The report from UC (pdf) is really rather striking. If this poll holds through the summer and Kerry stays within the margin of error until November, I don't see how Bush can win nationally.

Brains.....Brains

A CT regular, let's call him "Bill," came up with a very interesting similarity with Mel Gibson's Movie "The Passion of the Christ" and the new remake of the "Dawn of the Dead." I did not write this, so don't blame me for it. You can just blame me for publishing it. Here is what he wrote:

Some friends had mentioned that 'Dawn of the Dead' had unseated 'The Passion of Christ' this past weekend as the top grossing box office movie.

And I thought, Wow, two hits in a row about dead people. Wait a minute. That's not quite right. That’s TWO BOX OFFICE HITS IN A ROW ABOUT THE UNDEAD. Movies about the undead, really seems to be a hit for moviegoers this movie season, but who can blame them for their insatiable appetite for blood and gore.

What am I talking about? It’s obvious, Christ was dead and then he came back from the dead. I think that definitely meets the definition for undead.

But wait, there’s more! Both groups strongly advocate the eating of flesh. Both groups hold the promise for life after death for followers.

Early followers were known to hide out in the catacombs. Coincidence? I think not.

The bible is strewn with references of his undead nature. The parallels are uncanny. Christ brought Lazarus back from the dead. Miracle or midnight snack? You decide!

5000 people, 5 loaves of bread, 2 fish – How did he feed them all? It’s not hard when you are undead.

Average person needs 2000 calories/day
Average person eats 3 times/day
Average requirements for 1 meal = 2000 Calories / 3 =
667 calories per meal
Average weight of human brain = 3 pounds
Calories for 1 pound brain = 503

# Lunchables = TotalPeopleAliveOrUndead - #Undead
X = #Undead

Solve for X!

#Undead * CaloriesRequirementsPerUndead = (TotalPeopleAliveOrUndead - #Undead) *AvgBrainWeightPerPerson * CaloriesPerPoundOfBrain

X * 667 Calories = (5000 People – X) * 3 lbs * 503 Calories

667 / 3 / 503 * X = (5000 – X)
.442 * X = 5000 – X
.442X + X = 5000 – X + X
1.442X = 5000
X = 3467

#Undead = 3467
#Lunchables = 5000 People – 3467 Undead = 1533 Lunchables

You can consider the bread & fish an appetizer.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

This is crazy you say? I think not! I found proof in the Bible! Everyone knows the living dead just love to eat brains. Look at these passages below.

1 Peter 5:2 King James Version
"Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind;"

Biblical speak for “More Brains...”

Romans 15:6 King James Version
"That ye may with one mind and one mouth glorify God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ."

See! God wants you to eat brains.

Philippians 2:5 King James Version
"Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus:"

Christ is cool. He shares his lunch.

Ezekiel 23:22 King James Version
"Therefore, O Aholibah, thus saith the Lord GOD; Behold, I will raise up thy lovers against thee, from whom thy mind is alienated, and I will bring them against thee on every side;"

Sounds like a scene of night of the living dead to me.

- - - - -

Whew, all that made me hungry. I think I’ll go grab a bite to eat now. I’ll catch you later.

And remember, the next time I am slowly shuffling up the aisle for communion, I will be thinking the same thing you are... “More Brains...”

To Contact "Bill" you can email him at morebrains2004@yahoo.com.

Oh the Humanity

The Richard Clarke Character Assignation has just really gone too far. I understand BushCo needing to defend itself. Fine. It is fruitless how they are doing it and only Andy Card, WH Chief of Staff, did it in a politically viable way, just brushing off Clarke's allegations as sensational book promotion. That is wrong, very wrong, but it would have passed the smell test if everyone from BushCo did that. Instead Rice makes spurious claims, then Cheney out right lies, now Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has gone off the deep end. Josh Marshall posts on Frist's unsupported and bogus grandstanding tactics on the Senate floor yesterday. I was sickened most by Frist's attack on Clarke for apologizing to the victims and families of the 9/11 attacks:

In his appearance before the 9-11 Commission, Mr. Clarke's theatrical apology on behalf of the nation was not his right, his privilege or his responsibility. In my view it was not an act of humility, but an act of supreme arrogance and manipulation. Mr. Clarke can and will answer for his own conduct - but that is all.

Clarke did the honorable thing and accepted responsibility. No one in the Bush administration took responsibility or apologized for not doing a better job. That human trait, humility, is void from this Administration. Mr. Frist should be asking why a retired member of the Administration had to publicly admit he was part of the government that fail the American public, but the President refuses to admit that he and his people did anything wrong or made any unwise choices. No one can hold Bush legally liable for what happened, but if I am the person in charge, the Buck stops with me. For this Administration dodging blame is not only part of all appointee's job descriptions, it seems to be becoming the only thing they do.

Simple Yet Elegant

Jeff Stahler from the Cincinnati Post hits the broad picture well:

My only beef, they tried to discredit him, they have not succeeded and infact are becoming even pettier and bigger liars.

Bad, Bad Joke

A joke is a joke, and if Bush had previously made the admission that we are not going to find WMD's and then taken the heat for that, then he would not have gotten the level of criticism for his joke currently under way.

What this shows to me is yet another example of the arrogance this President possesses. He seems to just not really care what has become obvious about him, that he openly misleads the public to get what he wants done, and cares not about the ethical implications of his actions, especially on his claims to change the tone and bring "honor" back to the Oval Office. This man has no honor. He is a ruthless Pol bent on keeping power at nearly any cost while still pushing his selfish and "nothing to see here" policies.

Ok, got that off my chest. This tasteless joke will get a little play, but the media will ignore the implications of it and how much it really says about the Iraq war and Bush's attitude about it.

If commenters are going to give me grief about Clinton and his "honor," save it. Clinton never claimed as center point of his Presidency the goal of bringing honor back to the Oval Office. Bush did that and I believe deserves my scorn.

I normally don't really care about the personality of the President, as long as it does not affect policy. In this case I see the personality and policy merging into a Smog Monster type blob that rides in Air Force One.

Cincinnati Flirting (With disaster?)

DoYouFlirt, a new non-profit organization bent on changing Cincinnati's image as one of worst places to be single, has really turned on the charm by landing two media stories this week: Maggie Downs and Donna Covrett.

Here is the problem with this group. They want to improve life for singles, but their purpose seems to be making it easier for single people to find dates, thus no longer being single.

Who's Freedom?

The Enquirer's Editorial states: 'Under God' no risk to freedom. I have to ask who are they talking about? If they mean it does not hurt their freedom, they are right. It hurts my freedom. I am the person who can not get elected to public office in the this county, not because of my race or gender or because of my ethnicity. I can't get elected because I have no religion.

I am offend at their closing line "If the words "under God" offend you, don't say them. It's a free country." I say then, if I want my kids to say the pledge in class, yet adhere to the beliefs I have, they can't. They can't invoke their patriotism. They can't join and united in a pledge to defend the county because the country the Enquirer editorial board wants is one where everyone is a monotheists and the rest are just tolerated and left out of the public discourse.

Guess what folks: You can say the pledge any way you want on your own time, on public time, leave religion out of it.

Discussing what a religion is with some people is difficult when they can't or are not willing to understand a person without any religion. When I say religion, I mean belief(s) in a god or supernatural creator.

Also, no, I don't have kids. I was using a rhetorical device.

Wimps

From the Enquirer's News Briefs: WEBN apologizes for airing clips

Radio station WEBN says, 'We blew it.' Their 'Throw out the first bitch' contest using Reds announcer Marty Brennaman's voice without permission was 'an unfortunate lapse of judgment' and 'crossed a line which many might consider 'bad taste,' ' the rock station's Web site now says. The text of the ad has also been changed, to 'ditch your witch.' A station spokesman said apologies were also being made on the air to Brennaman, who called WEBN to demand they stop using clips from his Reds broadcasts.

Ok, apologizing to Marty was required, but changed the name from bitch to witch? What a bunch of wimps. They have literally lost their balls over at WEBN.

I still wonder if this whole cracking down by Clear Channel is not just some big stunt like when WLW's Cunningham was "suspended" the same week he happened to be on vacation.

Bronson's story could have been handled with the same facts listed from his article if he had just taken out the Eddie Finger's reference. The above brief gives us the summary of the incident as news, not adding in the irrelevant and irrelevant personal comments.

Germans Bombing Pearl Harbor

Classic line from a judge hear an appeal in the Flynt Brother's Case.Flynt Brother's Case

'I'm having a hard time with this,' Judge Mark Painter said. 'If you dismiss a case, it's over. If this were proper, it seems to me you could have everybody in the county on super secret probation indefinitely.'

Toga! Toga! Toga!

In case you missed it, I think the judge was going for the "Double SECRET Probation" line from Animal House. I love it when pop-culture is brought into the judicial system.

Under Oath

If Clarke lied at the 9/11 hearing then I assume the DOJ will charge him. If I don't see any charges then either he did not lie, or that BushCo wants to keep this as quiet as possible, while still making Clarke into a baby killer.

More, More

Hey a Bronson column I don't have a problem with: Lack of faith in City Council leads to Angels. I have praised Bronson for his columns more often than people think. I just don't get the attention when I do.

Fuck or Cunt?

The Enquirer asks: The dirtiest word? They focus in the on the word "fuck." I bring up the word "cunt" as another. Would "cock" be the same? Since it has a non-offensive use I would guess not.

Sorry If I blocked anyone's swear word filters. If I did and you can't access my site, let me know and I will try to change things. Wait, second thought, hell no, I will not censor myself. Sorry again.

Willie's Ego

Can Bill Cunningham's Ego possibly get an bigger?

"As for the those non-autograph seekers, Cunningham doesn't mince words. 'The readers of CityBeat do not represent the population of Greater Cincinnati,' he states broadly. 'Most of your readers can go to hell.'"

Does he ever break character?

Lying

Glenn Reynolds is asking whether Richard Charled is lying then or now. I have to ask Glenn, did Clarke lie under oath to the 9/11 commission? If yes, send him to jail. If not, then listen to what he says and come to the understanding that BushCo did not take terrorism as seriously as it could have and after 9/11 they were obsessed with Iraq to the point of looking for any mythical link to 9/11 or Al Queda they could conjure up.

One Nation, Indivisible

My views on the Pledge Case are not going to be a shock to anyone. I believe the laws adding "under God" to the Pledge are unconstitutional. I think why most people disagree with me are for two reasons, either they want a theocracy or they have a different view on what religion is.

To me a religion is the worship and/or acknowledgment of a god or gods or supernatural creator(s) or supernatural entities. That worship and/or acknowledgment can take the form of a belief or beliefs or set of beliefs or system of beliefs or ideas about a god or gods or supernatural creator(s) or supernatural entities.

Creating a law that both acknowledges their is a god and only one god (monotheism) is in view unconstitutional. This does not mean you can't say the pledge any way you can. I today will say "cod" instead of "god" if in public or "Zeus" if I feeling like making a stink. Otherwise I just don't say it. What is wrong is that I have to make that accommodation and set myself apart. That is where the harm comes in and why we should go back to to prior form of the Pledge.

Any time you see Newdow, the plaintiff, question about where laws come from or questioning why he does not believe in "God," then you know why this is a religious point of view. The intent of the law in 1954 was religious. The history argument does not hold water. It is a compromise position that avoids conflict. I can respect that position on the grounds that outlash against atheists resulting from this case has been amazing. I would expect far worse if the SCOTUS rules in Newdow's favor.

I don't think Newdow will win. I hope he does, but I don't think the Supremes will be able to sever themselves from their religious views. Even with Scalia recusing himself, I think 5 justices will not be willing to take the heat of the theocrats in the country.

What ever happens I expect things to get ugly in the world of public discourse. The Theocrats will react harshly no matter what happens, either by gloating and an emboldened appetite or by anger and fear.

I understand why many liberals felt Newdow was fighting a no win and not worthwhile battle, but I support him and am glad he has the courage to take the heat. I hope that the media tones down the exchanges on this issue. I know they won’t but I hope they don’t pump up the fears of the ignorant just for the sake of ratings. I could “pray” all day for that but 100 “gods” could not change the media in that respect.

Jerk

Ok, I regularly hit Peter Bronson hard on his columns. I really disagree with him on a majority of issues. From what I understand about Peter from those who know him personally is that is a "nice guy." With his latest column I see public opinion and personal lives affect directly by the actions of Bronson.

Peter wrote a column today about Reds announcer Marty Brennaman's voice being used in a WEBN commercial. Based on the quotes from Marty in the column it appears that Bronson was the person breaking the news to Marty that WEBN did that.

In reaction to the news Marty made this comment to Bronson:

Brennaman agreed. "I'm going to get on the phone right now and tell Clear Channel to take my voice off that thing. The last thing I would ever do is reflect poorly on this organization,'' he said of the Reds.

WEBN shock jock "Eddie Fingers is a buddy of mine, but not anymore,'' Brennaman said.

So Peter has alienated two men who were friends. Bronson facilitated that by springing his news on Marty in hopes of just such a reaction and repudiation of WEBN, who seems to have offended Bronson's buddy and fellow theocrat Phil Burress.

For this action that makes Bronson a jerk. He did not have to bring the personal lives of Marty and Eddie Fingers into his column, but still write about the subject. That shows to me that he is trying at all costs to make WEBN look like the boogey man on all levels. I guess he will say they are baby eating Satanists who are sending the devil's music into the year of "our youth." I hope Bronson can make up for his actions by either publicly apologizing to Eddie Fingers or by maybe just dropping this anti-WEBN silliness.

For the record Marty Brennaman does have really thin skin. He can get his shorts in a wade at the drop of a hat and can hold a public feud better than anyone locally. His "fall-out" with Johnny Bench is legendary.

Not Real, Not Now

MTV's "The Real World" will return to Philly after all. It would have been fun to see the kids making fools of themselves while at a bar somewhere, but alas not this year. I hope the Mayor and his PR man Brandon are pushing the idea for a future season of the real world. Cincinnati would really be a great place to have it, but we might be too small. The city would not be big enough for the caste to blend in. Everyone would want to see them in action, so they would be hounded were ever they went.

Sadgirlseven Live

Karen from sadgirlseven.net reports that she will be performing this Saturday the 27th at Pleasant Perk in Pleasant Ridge.

Grasping at Straws

Rob Bernard links to a Washington Times Article that claims to list bin Laden as a "collaborator." I guess if I were to find a CIA memo stating Mao was an American Spy that would be proof of something too. It is just amazing to lengths that right wing news outlets will go to try and buttress their deal leader. Well, in this case Dear Leader is not the one needing support, it is Number Two that needs the help.