Some Fun at DeWine's Expense

I wonder who is publishing this blog? The link is from the Blower, so Jimmy might know who is behind it. It could be him too.

National ID? Papers, Please.

Is this the direction we're moving? With the need to get a passport to get back into the USA being a requirement for US citizens in a few years, what is holding this concept up? What additional harm will occur when we already have little or no information privacy? Unless you literally live in a cave and use only cash, and don't have a bank account, the government can track you, as well as the business community. Why not make the Federal driver's license bill into a national ID? If we are going to end up like a police state, why not do it cheaper with less strain on the states?

How Not to Motivate Your Base

Jeff Sinnard may appear across party lines with some of his stances, but is not going to motivate would be the Democratic base with comments like these:

Sinnard, who was born and raised in the Cincinnati area, said he is a civil engineer by profession, but has taken time off recently to be a stay-at-home dad.

'I think I have a unique message,' he said. 'I'm a pro-life Democrat. I'm pro-life from conception to natural death and everywhere in between. I also have concerns about the environment, workers right, child safety and poverty. Politics needs to go back to the people.'

Despite a Democrat not holding the seat for 31 years, Sinnard said this is a winnable race.

'There's a group of people who are disenfranchised,' he said. 'When you touch them, they'll mobilize and show up.'

Leading off with an anti-abortion stance will play well with Community Press readers. The rest of his views are not going to sell. Playing to the Republicans is the only way Democrats can win this race, but it will not motivate the Democratic base when you push right-wing issues. His website has a much more nuanced stance on abortion. He will get attacked for this from both sides. It is a reasonable stance and his quote in the paper could be leaving out his nuances that make him look much more conservative. I wonder if this guy is same camp as Leslie Ghiz?

That was Quick: Special Election Date Set

The Special Election will be on August 2 with the primary on June 14. That leaves a short window to get on the primary ballot. I don't know what it takes to get on, but that leaves maybe a month. It also only leaves less than two weeks to get registered to vote in the primary.

More from the Enquirer. More also on Polstate.

The Devil

The man behind the man, aka the devil, aka Karl Rove was in town ginning up the GOP troops. Any reports of his speech? Lots of red meat I would guess. Will Pat DeWine get a Bush visit?

I ask for it and Bronson provides it.

Yes Virginia, a PR Junket in Iraq does get you positive coverage. Preaching to the choir doesn't cut it. Only Nixon could go to China. Someone who is a knee jerk war supporter is not going to provide you anything but what the Pentagon wants, that is all is was exposed to, so why would he know any different.

They went on about not getting the whole story and something about using terrorist vs. insurgent. Well I don't call this column journalism, I call this column propaganda.

Did Mike even leave the presences of the military and talk to any Iraqis who were not working for the US government? Did he walk around any areas that were not part of a military base without an armed escort? If he answers yes, then I hope to hear about it, if not, then how can he say things are great over there? What kind of situation is so horrid to require armed guards for right wing guys who would not face any harm walking on the worst street in the America?

For those saying this was not a screen press tour, I really want to wonder what troops are going to be sent to talk to the guys hanging out in a press tent.

Exhibit A

If you are looking for an example of the extremism of Tom Brinkman look no further than his attempt to outlaw all abortion, even in the cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother. Furthermore his law would make it a felony to transport a woman to another state where abortions were legal. The last bit likely is against Federal law anyway. This is his only way to get elected, gin up the right, get the mouth frothing anti-woman, anti-abortion voter to come out an vote.

What is sad is that this man who is supposed to be all about saving tax payer money is doing this with the intent of it getting overturned in Federal Court. This is a ploy. He wants to use Ohio tax payer money to wage his political cultural war. If you want to do this kind of thing, raise your own money, don’t use mine. I hope that is what the other half of his brain is saying. He only has two issues: cut all taxes which will destroy all governments and end all abortions. I wonder if he thinks the using the pill is an abortion. I would guess yes. I wonder if his law would outlaw the pill too.

Extreme positions will be used by most candidates running in what will be a low turnout election. You have to get out the vote with hot button issues. Nothing gets the right wing excited like controlling women.

Dems Deal Making?

While reading the Post Article on the Dem weekend meeting, which does not even mention the controversy that Damon Lynch will introduce on the party, we get words that sound like a deal or maybe a ramrod plan was forced through to get a full slate of six candidates to add to the incumbents.

During Saturday's closed-door nominating committee meeting, Burke refused to allow the committee to vote on endorsement recommendations for candidates individually, members said.

Burke insisted that the committee vote on two different slates of six non-incumbents.

Anyone know who was on the losing slate? I assume the Berding was the focus, but I will put out that adding Lynch may have been the deal to appease enough people to get them both endorsed.

This meeting was just for recommendations, but they historically have been listened to. This year we could see a fight inside the Dems. What will be sad is if people are only fighting of Jeff Berding and not Damon Lynch. For all of the pounds heaved on Berding, Lynch deserves more and before he gets my vote he will have to eat many words he has said or put his name on and reverse himself on issues he endorsed.

Lynch a Dem?

Joe Hansbauer is reporting the recommendations of the Cincinnati Democratic nominating committee and they include Damon Lynch III, Jeff Berding, Eve Bolton, Cecil Thomas, Wendell Young, and Smantha Herd.

I just don't get the Damon Lynch recommendation. I mean to say that I understand the politics of it, but not the actual logic of it. He has a following and will get votes. That is Realpolitik. I just don't see how this will do anything but tear apart the city and drive many otherwise moderate or even liberal voters into the hands of the GOP. Lynch is viewed as anti-city. Anyone who leads a boycott with the sole purpose of hurting people who live and work here can't honestly be viewed any other way.

His views on race relations are championed by many and I will of course agree that race relations need a lot of work in this town, but is a man who demanded an "Afro-centric" curriculum be taught in City schools going to be one to bridge the gap?

Cecil Thomas has far more credible credentials on race issues and I think would have strengths in that regard if he was on council. The Berding controversy appears to be over.

It is good that this time around the Dems appear to have filled out all nine slots. Not doing that two years ago was one reason for losing a seat to Charter.

05/05/05

I am surprised I have not seen much about this year's Cinco de Mayo historic date. May 5, 2005, 05/05/05 is surely gain attention from end of the world types. The Police and UC are prepare for the worst just off campus for what has been called Cinco de Stratford in prior years. Mini-riots akin to an Ohio State football victory riot have plagued prior year events. Will this bring out the hooligans? Yea, I don't see it being avoided, but I see police being out in force and ready to clear the streets at the first sign of anything.

If anything does happen, this will be an interesting test of Robert Wilson and Andrew Warner, two UC students running for city council. They walk a fine line on this and will have to make choices in how to reactive if anything happens and most importantly they should leap in front of the local TV news programs who will be out in force just in case something happens. Calling for calm does no good for the calm, but it can be free advertising if they news crews credit you as a candidate.

Mid-Day Mike in Iraq

I wonder if a military controlled Junket to Iraq by WLW's Mike McConnell will be what he says is good enough for him to judge the situation there? If he was unable to go off on his own, then how can he say they country is safe? If an average person has to take extreme actions in order to travel around the city of Baghdad or if foreigners are such danger that they can't leave the Green zone without a military escort, then how is the situation considered moving forward?

In the article most all of the comments attributed to Mike related to the troops, their quality of life and morale. He has not yet, to my knowledge, commented on state of Iraq, based on his visit. The issues he was quoted on are far different than the state of Iraq. I do have to wonder if Mike is naive enough to think the troops he met were not screened for his junket? The military is not going to show him the grunts just off the line. Also, the soldiers are smart enough to know that you don't rock the boat, especially with a bunch of conservative talk radio hosts who would likely happily point out any solider complaining to his superiors for being disloyal to Dear Leader and buying every last bit of propaganda the Pentagon can produce.

I can't listen to Mike during the week, and rarely catch him on the Weekends. If any listeners of his show can summarize his comments on his visit, please chime in. Mike in the past was willing to not just spout off GOP propaganda, unlike most other Talk Radio hosts, but when it comes to issues of War and the military he is one who is unwilling to question the President (generally any president) or the actions of the military. That is a head in the sand attitude that many on the right have, and often leads to a lack in oversight of the military.

Independent Streak

Michael Altman of Queen City Forum has published a column with what I will call his opinion, but which likely will become a fact that when the GOP endorse Charles Winburn for mayor, Leslie Ghiz will put her support behind David Pepper.

If this happens, which like Michael I believe it will, then Ghiz could get more votes than the winner of the mayoral race will. That might be a stretch, but Independent Republicans do well. She would sweep the affluent Eastern Neighborhoods. What I find most interesting is that this will do her a world of good, but I don't see it getting Pepper than many more votes in the General election. It will help him in the primary, where a Winburn would eat away some solid GOP votes. A GOP candidate's endorsement might keep some of those votes in Pepper's camp and make him an even bigger winner come primary day.

Off We Go into the Wild Blue Theocracy

I know people will attack me for posting on the report that the Air Force Academy has aggressive religious indoctrination taking place with alleged instigation and participation by some faculty. I am going to do it anyway of course. I really would like to know if people honestly find this kind of thing acceptable. If you don't, like say a Roman Catholic might under these alleged incidents, do you have any idea then how those of us who have no religion or have a religion that is not monotheistic might feel when government is used to promote any variety of monotheism? Yea, it is not a warm feeling to be an outsider for your beliefs or lack there of. If this is not a case for people to hopefully be respectful of others when make choices in government related activities and institutions, then I don't know what would be. The government does not and should not have a stance the Jesus character nor any other religious concept. Keep it in the private world, and certainly out of the military.

This is not the first time that allegation of aggressive religious indoctrination have been made against officers of the U.S. Military. Is there a problem that needs to be investigated?

Xavier Manipulating Donors?

Did Xavier manipulate donors when they held a pledge drive knowing they were close to deal to sell the radio station? I think they did and especially with the likelihood that WGUC will destroy much if not all of the local programming on WVXU, it is disgusting that an education institution would do something as unethical as that, which trying to instill ethics on young adults.

What was missing from the story was reaction from WGUC. They have been very quiet about this and all we hear is that they are seeking WVXU listener opinions on their website. Let them know your opinion and I advise you to pressure them to keep local programming on the air. Keep the old radio on the air. Keep the BBC on the air. Keep local news on the air. Don't just make it into NPR 24 hours a day network feed, that I am sure would be cheaper to operate, but would contribute to the destruction of the American Culture so many are crying about dying out.


Full Disclosure: Yes, that is a WCPO banner ad at the top of my front page. They are a paid sponsor. Does that mean I have sold out? I thought when I had the Google ads I might have done that already, so save your anti-commercial rant for someone without a bachelor's degree in Finance. Does this mean I was paid to place this post on their news story, most certainly NOT. The topic is one I cover regularly and as a WVXU listener I am very interested in. There, you can't call me Armstrong Williams now.

Wes Flinn, NKU Today, Filmore East Tomorrow

Pretty soon NKU professor and now Concert promoter (and blogger) Wes Flinn will be pulling in act like the Rolling Stones and Deep Purple. Just no Foghat, Wes, if you please.

CFS in Trouble

Bad times for the Cincinnati Film Society. The big question is who was the donor who failed to pay up? Why did they not pay up? Is the CFS's mission what it should be? I am not a member and have never seen any of the films they put out. Looking at the current schedule it looks as though maybe they went with too many foreign films. If they planned on an audience they should have maybe gone for the Film School items or other similar English based films. People really are against subtitles. Now, if in stead you mission was to promote film making, you could use the group to show local aspiring film makers, which they may or may not have done.

Getting out from under the over $125K debt will take an act of Hollywood.

Shorter George Bush

When discussing Social Security Bush's point can be focused down to, "I, George W. Bush, and you the American people will pull a rabbit from this hat. I know what I want to happen, and at some point in time in the future we are going to do it, but I am not telling you how this will happen. I can't release the details because I don't have them yet. Putting the cart before the horse is the way you make a sale, and sales is what makes America Great. In conclusion: Don't mess with Texas. I will now take your questions, but make sure you leave me enough time to enjoy Donald firing people."

'Talking F-Word Blues'

Maggie Downs reflects on the word ‘Feminist’ after that being a common thread in emails she got in response to a column.

Bronson Steps Back, a Bit

I will give Bronson credit for appearing a little bit humble by airing UAW beefs with his column from Sunday. He did this part because he got some of the health benefit specifics wrong about who got what for health benefits. In the prior column he wrote:

According to industry reports, the United Auto Workers contract costs GM $2,500 for each car sold. Toyota spends $2,000 less per car - and it shows in cars that don't look as cheap.

And $1,600 of that union cost is health care for UAW members and their families. They pay just $5 for an eye exam, and $7.50 for glasses or contacts. Until this year, many UAW members had never even heard of co-pays and deductibles.

Chrysler spends $2 billion on health care. Ford spends $3 billion. GM spends $5.6 billion for 1.1 million workers, retirees and dependents.

His mea culpa, or what amounted to one was:

Others wanted to know where to find those $5 eye exams and $7.50 glasses for UAW members. "Maybe you need a pair," they said.

I'm hereby announcing a recall of that line, to install a missing part: "Those benefits are for Chrysler workers."

Didn't Sports reporter Mitch Albom get suspended by his newspaper for making a mistake like this one? I guess Peter's punishment is having to write this second column, which I will say is fair for the level of failure. Peter must have the same research assistant as Al Roker.

Moving the Primary

I am in favor of moving all presidential primaries to later in the year, like say April through June. I am not sure what good it would do to move Ohio's primary alone, without the rest of the country following suit. Iowa and New Hampshire are quaint traditions, but they harm the process. A shorter window would open up the primary to more candidates and give a chance for real debate inside the party on the issues. The fear of have variable opinions inside the parties, really hurt politics and governance. I am not talking abortion here. I am talking about the real issues, like trade, foreign policy, Social Security, and health care. If the parties hashed it out on the floor of the conventions over issues, then people on the street might actually pay attention. I hate to use TV as an example, but the West Wing's season finale covered a brokered convention that looked like a mess, but Conventional Wisdom was wrong, people watched the floor fights. The paid attention in part for the excitement, but politics is exciting. It was sport, but it was a battle of ideas, not an insignificant game. Let’s for once learn from past (and TV) and try and make the primary race and conventions matter, not just a coronation.

No VH-1 Show of Jeffre

Mayoral candidate Justin Jeffre attempt to land a TV show about his run for mayor has fail with cable network VH-1. He is not giving up his bid for office. His value to the race now has diminished. He had and has no real chance of winning. His ability to paint Cincinnati as a great place was the value he could have illustrated by filming him on the campaign trail. He still could find another cannel to cover it and he still will get some national press, but not enough and not crafted to show him enjoying life in Cincinnati.

Tony Perkins

Wow, when you court racists specifically, doesn't that make you one? This guy calls himself a 'Christian,' but buys David Duke's mailing list? Amazing.

No Lunken Air Show This Year?

Reports indicate that the Lunken Airport Benefits Association has cancelled its filing with the Ohio Secretary of State, which indicates the organization has dissolved itself. It is reorganizing? I for one have never been to the event directly, but walking by the event on the bike path and seeing the planes flying overhead every year, it looked like a great event for the community. It will be a blow to the Airport’s image. If they bring back the car racing event again, that might liven things up a bit.

Al, Al, Al

Someone needs a better producer or made hire a research assistant.

History Lesson on Filibuster and Judicial Nominations

Here is a great lesson in history on what occurred before the current battle on Judicial Nominations:

"Prior to 1996, when the Senate majority and the president were from opposing parties, senators usually deferred to the president with respect to lower-court judicial nominations. With the notable exceptions of the 1968 Fortas nomination and a failed Republican filibuster of H. Lee Sarokin in 1994, neither party filibustered the other's judicial nominations, and virtually all nominees received a hearing unless they were sent up after the presidential nominating conventions.

All this changed in 1996. Rather than openly challenge President Clinton's nominees on the floor, Republicans decided to deny them Senate Judiciary Committee hearings. Between 1996 and 2000, 20 of Bill Clinton's appeals-court nominees were denied hearings, including Elena Kagan, now dean of the Harvard Law School, and many other women and minorities. In 1999, Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch refused to hold hearings for almost six months on any of 16 circuit-court and 31 district-court nominations Clinton had sent up. Three appeals-court nominees who did manage to obtain a hearing in Clinton's second term were denied a committee vote, including Allen R. Snyder, a distinguished Washington lawyer, Clinton White House aide, and former Rehnquist law clerk, who drew lavish praise at his hearing -- but never got a committee vote. Some 45 district-court nominees were also denied hearings, and two more were afforded hearings but not a committee vote.

Even votes that did occur were often delayed for months and even years. In late 1999, New Hampshire Republican Bob Smith blocked a vote on 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Richard Paez for months by putting an anonymous hold on the nomination. When Majority Leader Trent Lott could no longer preserve the hold, Smith and 13 other Republicans tried to mount a filibuster against the vote, but cloture was voted and Paez easily confirmed. It had been over four years since his nomination.

When his tactics on the Paez and Marsha Berzon nominations (Berzon was filibustered along with Paez, more than two years after her nomination) were challenged, Smith responded with an impassioned floor speech in defense of the judicial filibuster: 'Don't pontificate on the floor of the Senate and tell me that somehow I am violating the Constitution of the United States of America by blocking a judge or filibustering a judge that I don't think deserves to be on the circuit court ... . That is my responsibility. That is my advice and consent role, and I intend to exercise it.' "

Now, if you still think Senator Frist is not full of shit, then you might just want to rethink the whole "leaving the mental institution thing."

Six Democrats?

From none to Six . That will be crowed.

Digging a Hole

The City of Mason has dug a deeper hole. Yep, that's how you attract positive feedback from bigots, appeal to their bigotry.

Classic line:

"It's sound, valid and within the constitutional provisions," Schneider said of the policy.

In 1861 so was slavery. In 1918 so was preventing women from voting. Sure, people still don't think homosexuals deserve any consideration, but actions like this, even as small as it is, are discrimination and oppressive and thanks to the CCV legal.

UPDATE 7:15PM: In hopes of driving home my point, and not beating a dead horse, let me pose this idea: What if a couple was not considered a family because they were not married in a Christian Church by an approved minister? That is the basic anti-homosexual marriage point anyway, it is about religion and its views on homosexuality. What if Mormon marriages were not considered valid? What if Jewish or Catholic or Church of Scientology marriages were written into law as invalid? I see no difference with this situation.

Employers Unite!

Bronson's column today is cliche for Conservatives. Conservatives love Corporations and somehow don't see how workers need to fight for every scrap of pay & benefits they can. They do not get profits passed to them, that goes to corporate officers and shareholders, which tend to be institutional owners. Bronson types only see the dividend checks the get or the overnight gain they after an earnings announcement. They don’t care about what the stock price will be in 5 or 10 years, because they got theirs.

Taking care of the worker should be as important as taking care of the shareholder. If we give a corporation as much power, in reality far more power, than an individual human being, then the community should be a vital concern in any choice a corporation’s officials make. Somewhere in there the customer matters too. When you lean on workers, guess what, they lean back. You can only increase the cost of health care so much before something gives.

Actions of unions are just capitalist in nature. They are offering a good and negotiate a contract to 'sell' it to the corporation. If the corporation 'overpays' then they fail and someone else will produce the goods. That should be a free-market capitalist's wet dream.

Mr. Anti-Union man should take a look at the actions of the Cincinnati FOP (a Union), and ask himself if his undying support of their effort to not only thwart the will of Cincinnati voters, but to put public safety at risk with a police slowdown all in an effort to just get a handful of supervisors a possible promotion to assistant chief, or chief.

GOP Internal Feud

The extreme right wing is willing toeat their own to create havoc in the U.S. Senate. The CCV and other right-wing Christian groups are running attack ads against Republican Senator Mike DeWine. Are moderate Republicans starting to fret over their Faustian bargain with the radical right wing of the party or have the fundamentalists just taken complete control of the party, and all varied opinion is being drum out, even sitting United States Senators with fairly mainstream Conservative views, not extreme views, which I guess makes him an enemy of the party.

Mike's son Pat is facing the same type of attack from the extreme right wing. The attack ads against Pappa DeWine could be a revenge for his alleged strong arming in local political circles, trying to get his son the GOP nomination to fill the soon to be open Congressional seat of Rob Portman.

"Thou shall not speak ill against a fellow Republican" appears to be a dying GOP Creed.

Another Reason Not to Live In Mason

Homosexuals never get a 'warm' reception in the suburbs. In Mason, public institutions hold no punches and just discriminate against them and their families.

The right wing suburban bloggers come right out of the wide open closet and embrace the discrimination: here and here.

More Milquetoast Living

If people want city living, why do you need to build it from scratch? Already in the City of Cincinnati, and in inner ring suburbs we have areas like Hyde Park, Mt. Lookout, Mt. Washington, Northside, Montgomery, Blue Ash, Covington, Newport, OTR, Downtown, and Clifton all offer places where you can walk to a restaurant, bar, store, or coffeehouse. No one needs to spend a dime to create these places.

What those areas can't provide is either a gate to keep people out, or a stale brand of milquetoast retail picked right out of Disneyworld, or it might be both. Each of these areas will not be a self contained unit, ala BioDome, where you never have to leave to get what ever you want. That assumes that you want a stale life where the only thing to fret over is the rude server at First Watch.

I know this kind of place by another name, a Retirement Community.

Downtown Joseph-Beth Store?

Nick Spencer posted on news from Joseph-Beth Booksellers that they are interested in opening a Fountain Square location.

This is wonderful news for downtown retail and the movement to build up the Fountain Square area as a beacon for entertainment and shopping. Where might it go?

Housekeeping

I have added several additional local blogs to the blogroll, including a couple right leaning bloggers and a couple of extreme right wingers. I also added two blogs of folks who helping out with some web work for the Fringe Fest.

In addition, I have updated my comments to include a "preview" function to allow people to see what their post will look like before publishing it. That is most useful for those will to post links. If you do post links, try to use the "a" tag when possible. Long URLs tend to look bad and cause havoc when trying to read the post.

If there are other blogs out there I am missing or if there are other improvements I could easily make to the blog, please let me know.

If It Doesn't Bleed Gallons, Don't Bother?

Why is that when a car bomb goes off in Iraq it just gets a quickly little headline, the number of dead, and that's it. Every time a car bomb goes off in Israel we get the cable channels going live with breaking news?

There are some factors at play here that are structural bias. Israel has a bigger media community of its own, so they of course will carry it live and the cable channels can just feed off them for coverage. The second reason is that at this point in time there are fewer bombings in Israel, so when one happens it is more newsworthy.

What may be the biggest structural problem is that no television journalists are really in Iraq on a big scale doing much on the ground reporting. I don't know if I have seen much more than random footage of events in Iraq recently and that is when the journalists are on patrol or escorted by US troops.

Those aside, why is that when multiple car bombs go off on a single day in Iraq we don't get live Baghdad coverage of it? Are we so unphased by 10 killed or 8 killed because we now only get on our ears about terrorist acts that kill in the hundreds? Now, if those 10 or 8 were Americans you get more attention, but now a days even that is not enough.

The news media, ALL if it from FOX to CNN to NBC to Talk Radio, have illustrated their callousness and total attention to ratings (or other agendas), not to journalism. The print media, as usual, has done a better job, but if its not on TV it just doesn't matter to most Americans.

Small World

John Bolton, nominee US Ambassador to the UN was one of the GOP Lawyers in Palm Beach County, FLA in 2000 for the post election maneuvering. This has no real bearing on his confirmation, but it is interesting. I first thought this was a fake picture, but apparently not. I do wonder, did every lawyer or activist who went to Florida in 2000 get a spot in the Administration?

[VIA Kos]

Susquehanna Media Co. For Sale

Media division of Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Co. is looking sell all of it's media holdings. Locally it includes radio stations WRRM-FM (WARM 98), WYGY-FM (96.5), and WMOJ-FM (MOJO 94.9). Which media giant will get them? Would a major radio ownership shift cause more format changes?

Kaldi's Closed

In what can't be deemed a surprise, Kaldi's closed. When you give up your liquor license, close at 7 PM, and then expect to make money with a location in the Main Street Entertainment District, it should not shock you when it does not work.

Word is that a deal is close on a new owner who hopefully will get a liquor license, and then return it to a similar, yet improved structure. Speed of the service staff would be priority number 1.

I'm So Vain, I Do Think This Song Is About Me

Call me vain, but I think this is about me.

My response: hmmmm. Do I have to be kind, courteous, and forgiving? Can I spew some venom? Do I always do that? I have my regular targets. Everyone knows, well those who read me regularly that is, that I rebut Peter Bronson. Do I do it to every column? No, I do not. Do people have to like what I write? No, they do not.

To be honest for a minute: Let me say that I am not doing this to win an award. I am not doing this to get a job writing professionally. I don't write well enough for that. I do this because I enjoy it. It is an outlet for me. I can say what I want, and surprisingly there are a few people who read what I write. Am I out here in some kind of altruistic crusade to improve the world, hell no. I am hear to render my opinion. People are generally free to bitch back. When I get bitched at, like now, I might bitch back, like now.

I say what I think. I also say things to piss people off. I try to parse my words as carefully as I can, and often people do not want to catch on, because they assume I am just like every other person on my side of isle. Those who know, I think know differently. I am not out here trying to be Mr. Universe, though I do have the legs for it. I am out here to put my two cents into the fray. If I can air ideas that you can't read about any other place in town, then good. I will not be what others want me to be. I try to be what I want to be. Call me vain, call me an ego maniac, call me Fred. I will not stop you. Don't call me a one trick pony. You can say I am beating a dead horse (when you have a belief and stick to it, that is what it can look like), but for fuck sake, if I suck so bad, and people hate posting here, then don't do it.

Otherwise, have a nice evening!

'The 'Christian' Journalist Get His Retort

I was wondering when the Enquirer would unleash the anti-abortion voices. Let the propaganda Soar! Nice to see the support offered to Maggie Downs from the Editorial Page. What friendly co-workers they must be. I mean they could have just let Randal Terry write this instead. The only thing Terry may have added was to say Maggie was going to 'Hell'. As one who has been told I am going to 'Hell', she should know we are in good company.

Younger Feel?

Is the new Maisonette going after Generation Y and Z? Are they looking to attract the 21 year old college kid wants to blow $200 bucks on dinner?

Religious War

I have to wonder what could make Peter Bronson write a column that totally politicizes religion. Do people wonder why Senator Frist is being criticized for speaking to group taking the initial steps of forming an openly religiously based political party bent on theocratic rule? This odd alignment of the fundamentalist/evangelicals and the Conservative/Orthodox/Radical Roman Catholics is starting to take the same shape as a Sunni Mosque and Shiite Mosque both working together to oppose Israel.

Tyrone Yates?

He said to the Enquirer that he is 'available' to run for congress in the 2nd District. It appears that there is some life in the Dems after all. Yates would be a very viable candidate. He would have problems in the rural Eastern counties. He would have those problems because he is Black. Sad to say it, but that will hurt him in the rural area, and might actually bring out the bigot/racist vote that would ignore this special election otherwise.

Painful for Downtown

The loss of the Maisonette for Downtown will bring cheers in many quarters. Nate will jump for joy, one less white owned business to picket. Bronson will smile with glee, one more place of culture that will not be where those damn liberals live. He still will not go there unless someone else picks up the check. The rest of us will sigh and shake our heads with the usual disgust and disappointment in the city and in the region failing to work together. This morning we shall learn where it goes. Another location in the city has not bee ruled out, but no money has been promised by council. If it ends up in the city, someone else gave them a deal. Since there are few who care to do that, it will likely be going to NKY or a Suburban Mall.

UPDATE - 7PM: The Maisonette is going to Kenwood, fairly close to the Kenwood Mall. Will they totally loose all of the Downtown big-wig clients, celebrities, and tourists? Who would drive up to Kenwood for that? Are they instead going for Indian Hill crowd and hope for more frequent diners?

Also, yes, Nate is taking credit for this, and appears to be happy as a fly on shit.

George Voinovich Has Balls

In a surprise announcement today during a Senate hearing it was learned that U.S. Senator George Voinovich of Ohio has balls.

Tragedy on the Highway

The Beer Gods are angry

"It was a sad morning for beer drinkers and southbound Interstate 75 motorists alike today in Boone County.

A tractor-trailer carrying 47,000 pounds of beer tipped over near the Mount Zion Road interchange about 3 a.m., blocking the left two lanes, police said.

The lanes remained blocked throughout the morning while the beer was unloaded from the truck so it could be uprighted.

No injuries were reported."

The only thing that can appease me now is knowing that it was a really cheap light beer.

Are the Knives Out Against DeWine?

Peter Bronson's airing of Pat and Mike DeWine's dirty laundry regarding their political push to get Pat the GOP nomination are starting to ruffle some feathers. Does this represent the anti-DeWine movement that is simmering below the surface of the local GOP? Is this a social conservative effort? Is that where DeWine is considered weak? Are we seeing a similar effort to oust DeWine's congressional efforts as we saw with the successful effort to block Leslie Ghiz from being appointed to council, when she had earned the right to be appointed in any fair world? This isn't a fair world we are talking about however, this is internal GOP Politics, where power rules, and individuals are consumed like cannon fodder.

Berding on the Bubble?

The Post reports Jeff Berding is not a lock as a Democratic supported candidate. This is according to "members of the party's nominating committee." No names to go with the members, nor any numbers as to how many a "members" makes.

Could this be some of the far left leaning Dems throwing some dirt on Jeff Berding, who should be a well funded candidate? With Pepper and Reece out of the race, are the Dems going to fall short of fill a full slate of 9 candidates again? Who do they have so far, Cranley, Cole, Crowley? Samantha Herd will likely get an endorsement. Who else do the Dems have running?

We Have a Democrat

We now have some running for Portman's seat as a Democrat a barber, Russell Hurley. Well, he has no experience, no known source of funding, but he was able to get this much attention from the media, so that's a start.

He is fairly new to the area, which will be a negative, in amongst Dems.

Springer's Radio Gal Pal

Kimberly Shroyer of QCF has an interesting feature article on Megan Hils, the actress and talk radio diva in the making playing for a few laughs on Jerry Springer's radio show. I agree with Kimberly that Mils is very important to the overall production of the Springer-Galvin talk show. She does give them a youthful voice and perspective. Both guys are, almost to a flaw, very in tune with the youth of today. They just can't always connect with younger listeners. Also, well, you just need a gal to liven things up. Listening to Jene and Jerry talk about stuff could get boring to the MTVer's.

Greg at The Cincinnati Group is Saying Bye

Sad to see Greg hang up his blogging tights over at the group blog: The Cincinnati Group. His writing was good and his voice will be missed.