Subjective Freedom of Speech and Property Rights
Denise Smith Amos's heart may be in the right place, but her opinion in her Enquirer Column is wrong. People can hate burning a cross. They can view it as intimidation. They can view it as hatred. Flag burning brings the same level of opposition. People hate it and people clearly view it as a hatred of the country. All forms of boycotting, especially the current type in Cincinnati, can be viewed, and in my opinion are, a form of intimidation. Should we ban flag burning? Should we ban Boycotting and the right to assemble to protest?

The biggest issue Ms. Smith Amos failed to identify is the difference between the two Virginia cases. Each has a different set of facts, and the only issue really decided by the court was the act of “burning a cross". One case should be legal to me in all aspects. That is the case of burning a cross on private property. The only reason they were caught is that they were seen. If I burn a flag or wave an anti-Cincinnati sign from my front lawn, should I be punished? The clear answer is no. The other case cited has two factors. This is the case where a cross was burned on another's property, where no authorization was given for the act. The act of burning anything on that property without permission is illegal. Harassment or threatening an individual is against the law, and burning a cross can be considered a threat. Additionally, burning a menorah, a tire, or a pile of dry leaves could be considered a threat. The item burned should not itself be a crime, how it is used or where it is burned can be.

The example that fits this concern is talking on the telephone. Is it a crime if I call my girlfriend and we talk dirty to each other? No, it is not. If I instead call someone else and talk dirty to them, that could be a crime. In your yelling fire in a crowded theater example, yelling the word "fire" alone is the not the issue. I could yell, "there's a nude girl in the lobby" or "the first person out side win 1million dollars", or "free beer", and all three things could cause the same result in that crowded theater. The bottom line is not banning the actions if no none is harmed. The actions are just tools of different goals. Reaching that goal by whatever means is the concern. How you get there is not the issue.

Another Reason I live on the East Side
Peter Bronson has a good column describing life in a "stereotypical" west side town, St. Bernard. This seems to rival the clown posse the congregate at City Council meetings.

Teacher's Union Rejects Performance Pay Plan
An older story, but it made a national education magazine, Education Week.

Oprah makes Grater's Ice Cream Big News
Local ice cream maker is riding high on the big O, not Oscar Robinson you silly fool, Oprah! The press across the country is hopping out of their ice parlor chairs over this grating story. WCAT-TV Burlington, Vermont and ABC28 Lubbock, Texas both carried the tiny AP wire story.

Cincinnati Post and WNKU to Join Forces
Rick Bird of the Post reports about the Post providing news gathering and on air news reports for WNKU an NPR affiliate. The question arises: is this a signal of things to come? Will the Cincinnati Post become only the Kentucky Post when the Enquirer/Post printing agreement runs out in a few years as has been rumored?

This is Just a Disgrace
From ChannelCincinnati.com via Yahoo.com: report. Taking the pictures of women going in and out of reproductive clinics is legal but stupid. Putting those pictures on a website is just reprehensible. People can have political or social views on any subject they wish, but when they try and force it on others, they should be stopped. There is a free speech issue in this case, but scum like this should be root out of the society. This was a national story, but WLWT covered it and reported some locals took part in the picture taking.

Peter's Throwing Stones
Peter Bronson is attacking the "press" in his column today, but I wonder if he looked into the mirror this morning? Last time I read his column, before today’s, he was a member of the press. Now he is off on a gun rant. Pete must be of the gun nut persuasion that believe the only solution to fear is adding a gun to situation. This type of person also tends to think that Tax Cuts will cure cancer and run the mile in under three and a half minutes.