Al Qaeda’s Summer Plans
Did they include Ohio? This paragraph from the Newsweek Article indicates that there is an Ohio connection:

The Feds have identified a few Qaeda soldiers already in the United States. Intelligence sources tell NEWSWEEK that during his interrogation, Khalid Shaikh Mohammed fingered an Ohio truckdriver. In a major breakthrough, the Feds picked up the truckdriver, who began to cooperate. According to law-enforcement sources, the truck- driver was involved in plots to bring down a bridge and blow up an airliner. The truckdriver was asked by his Qaeda masters to obtain the proper tools for loosening the bolts on a suspension bridge. As for the airliner, the truckdriver said that cargo trucks could easily drive underneath passenger jets without arousing suspicion.

Cleveland has a significant Arab and Muslim population, so logically speaking the truck driver would be from the Northeast Ohio area, but he could have lived anywhere. What the article does not indicate is where the bridge or airport are located. The truck driver could simply live in Ohio, but could have been planning the attack anywhere he ran his route. Ohio has 43,075 bridges statewide, second in number only to Texas, according to this ODOT report(pdf). Most of those are small minor bridges. Logically in Ohio the bridges to attack would be on a major highway in a major city. I don't know of any major bridges in Columbus, and there are not that many in Cleveland. If you are going to go after a bridge in Ohio is would be in Cincinnati. The only other place would be trying to close down I-70, I-75, or I-90, causing the price of freight to jump in the region sky high. Gladly this person was caught, but this does mean that terrorists can target anyplace. Ohio is still much less likely to be a place where civilians would be targeted. Industry and commerce are the soft underbelly of the State and the country. I do wonder if this relates at all as to why Cincinnati and Cleveland got Federal anti-terrorism funds, but not Columbus. The more likely bottom line reason is that both Cleveland and Cincinnati have major Federal facilities to target, that Columbus does not. Targets include Federal Reserve Branches, the United States Court of Appeals for the Sixth Circuit, a NASA facility, and an IRS processing center. Those would be bigger targets for domestic terrorism, instead of the Al Qaeda brand, which still is more likely in the this part of the country.

U.S. to host 2003 Women's World Cup
This is great news for women's soccer, but great news for Columbus, Ohio. Crew Stadium was listed as a site in the orginal proposal for the revised tournament.

Stars and Stripes: BBC, DOD differ on Lynch rescue news
Fair and Balanced reporting on the Pfc. Jessica Lynch rescue from a newspaper that is affiliated with the U.S. military, but is nearly exclusively published for the members of the U.S. military. This story is mostly a summary of the facts, but it presents them in an objective manner. This story is getting minor coverage in the U.S. media, and will likely get little more. The press is scared to death to dare question the veracity of the story surrounding an American "hero." This young woman's story is riddle with problems, none of which are her doing. The military PR machine at a minimum pumped up the story. The report that she has amnesia is the cherry on a skeptical Sunday. I was please to see that FOX News Watch did cover the story, and did so fairly credibly.

Taste of Cincinnati

Above you can see the mighty boycott B in action. Can't make them out in the crowd? Well, there were less than 10 present, so they were easily missed. As I took this picture the man with the video camera trained in on me. I guess I made him suspicious. You never know when the "man" may try something dangerous with a digital camera. I was sure to wave back at the camera once I had taken my picture.

City Council candidates were also out campaigning. I had a very nice chat with Charter candidate John Schlagetter on his chances and city politics in general. I also briefly met Nick Spencer, an independent candidate for council. Pat Dewine was also out, but I doubt he would have been open to wasting his time talking to a blogger, even a fellow Miami Alumnus.

Oh the Things You Get in Emails
When someone calls you a white supremacist it can sting. When that someone is a black supremacist it tells you that you are in the right. In an email I was call just that. The email writer was a hotheaded boycott B bigot. Saying the pot is calling the kettle black does not do this irony justice. I am the furthest thing from a racial supremacist as most anyone can be. I am an individualist, if anything, but a humanist as well, creating one entertaining combination. What I am not, is supremacist. I am a bit of an intellectual snob, but I make up for that with my countless other faults. I laugh when I am labeled. I laugh because I am lumped into one group by one nutcase, and in another group by some other hardliner. Being called names is fine. I call people names all the time. I usually mean it when I do, at least when I being serious. When I am called a white supremacist simply because I refuse to bow towards a fringe group of black nationalists/racists bent on seeking revenge on non-black people for all of their personal failures, I tend to chafe a bit. I can be magnanimous however. When someone has to call me a racist, they must have little other ammunition to through at me. When I point out anti-Semitism and anti-homosexual beliefs in people and groups, they try to dodge my charges, but making stuff up, but I will not be fooled. I will maintain my observation and commentary. Bigots can hide, bigots can fool most people, but when you don’t worry about gaining influence on image, you can’t be muted. I guess Mr. “wanna be” Al Sharpton will have to find a new name to call me.

Tristate Fire department worker held in beating (last item)
I meant to link to this earlier. People wonder why the hate crimes law was passed? Here a fireman is accused of assault. The problem so far is that at this point no there's no indication that the hate crimes ordinance is being considered. He is being charged with misdemeanor assault, so when would the Hate Crime ordinance come into play? I think this case is set to go to the grand jury. I hope they are not swayed by the uniform.

My XRAY Cincinnati column on understanding the media is up.