AP Wire: Ohio Anti-War Protests
Not much significant actions from the protestors today. NYC seemed to have more of an impact, but is still seems to be a super minority now. I think the only ones left protesting now are your professional protestors, Marxists, and anti-everything gadabouts.

Showdown in Iraq: A Special Section from The Enquirer, The Post and WCPO
This is actually a good site for general information on the Iraq War. There is a good mix of reference websites, news, and links to locally related information, including a place to post messages of support to the troops.

CincyNation.com: WCPO needs to let Networks cover the war
CincyNation provides the following commentary:

We're told that WCPO has taken it upon itself to "cover" the war. Very interesting development from a station known for sensationalized local reporting. Fact is, WCPO is reading Associated Press reports and running tapes from ABC News and CNN. So why not let the networks do what they are trained to do? Extra annoying is a blue scroll Channel 9 is using at the bottom of the screen for 'breaking news.' The color is distracting and the scroll information, we're told, tends to be older news rather than breaking.

I think I agree with this assessment of WCPO. I would prefer they refrain from the crawler and from the local updates on the international story. If they have relevant local news, fine, but let the national journalists do their job. I do not mind WCPO switching to CNN if ABC is lacking in coverage, which last night (03/19) was the case when ABC delayed interrupting regular programming longer than the rest of the networks. ABC does provide good coverage and has had good front line report thus far.

Updated News Outlets still in Baghdad
Still in Baghdad (as reported)
CNN: Nic Robertson & Rym Brahimi - total of 4 people
NPR: Anne Garrels - Plans to stay throughout
Peter Arnett - freelance for MSNBC and National Geographic. - Plans to stay throughout
ITN
BBC: Total of 7 including 3 reporters - Rageh Omar -Plans to stay throughout
Washington Post -Anthony Shadid
AP - Hamza Hendawi
Reuters - Staff of 19
Sky News
Independent - Robert Fisk (what an ass)
Christian Science Monitor -Scott Peterson
ZDF (Germany)
Al Jazeera
Sydney Morning Herald/The Age - Paul McGeough
San Franscisco Chronical - Robert Collier
Los Angeles Times - John Daniszewski
Irish Times - Lara Marlowe
New York Times - John Burns and Photographer Tyler Hicks
Al-Arabiya (Dubai)
Abu Dhabi TV
Lebanese Broadcasting Company
Richard Engel - Free lance for ABC (and BBC?)
and other various French, German, Japanese and Dutch media outlets.
Guardian - Suzanne Goldenberg

Not in Baghdad are NBC, ABC*(has free lancer in Baghdad), CBC Radio, FOX News (kicked out), China's official Xinhua news agency, Boston Globe (kicked out), USA Today, Daily Telegraph, London Times, Newsweek (at least ordered to leave by Bosses), US News & World Report, Time, Wall Street Journal, CBS .

Boston Globe, LA Times, and USA Today stories.

AP Story from Baghad on problems of reporting from Baghdad.

Anticlimactic to the Max
I am taken aback that the President of the USA would announce war, shut down the White House and then go to bed.

WAR!!!

Group intends to expand its boycott
Here is the bottom line motivation of the CBUF's action:

Frierson said the group plans to expand its boycott by enlisting people outside of Cincinnati to boycott businesses that are based here.

The word that comes to mind is extortion. I can only speculate what business will be targeted. Do they want to target Kroger? or P&G? or 5/3 Bank? Who is their mark? I seriously wonder if that the CBUF organizes people in other cities to picket, boycott, or otherwise defame, damage, or defile innocent third party companies located in Cincinnati, will they be investigated for potential civil/criminal RICO statute violations? I will not hold my breathe while I wait to find out.

What is their new and ever changing set of demands? Would it be enough if they get a million dollars each and then every white person agrees to move out of the city? Are we seeing the beginnings of the Balkanization of Cincinnati and racial politics? I see no purpose but a movement to segregate from the whole community, while tearing it down and instilling revenge. From my viewpoint this revenge seems to stem from the anger of not being accepted for being segregationists. It is astonishing that the self anointed inner city black community leaders actually think people would understand the attitude they put forth where they refuse to be part of a society where blacks are not the dominating force.

This episode is yet another step back in race relations. The CBUF appears to not want good relations; they just want to help "their own." Greed and selfishness sometimes get you ahead and sometimes is all you can do to survive, but when others want to help, it only drives that help away when you demand help only under your own direction. I am close to knocking down the brick wall my head has been beating against for the last 2 years. I wonder if they will postpone any more protests until after the war. I somehow doubt that. The real question is how they will deal with extreme racist wing of their “movement.” Will their new tact for relevance be sidetracked battling it out with the clown posse? If you live by the bigoted comment, you will die by the bigoted comment.