IME Coverage

I will be providing coverage of the 2003 Indy Media Expo tonight and tomorrow from Media Bridges in Downtown Cincinnati. It is not to late to attend. Just show up and you should have no problem attending most sessions. For more information check out XRay Magazine.

Missed Conclusion on Traffic Stop Data

Well, no one can prove much of anything from the analysis of the traffic stop data made public today. One point that this story reports sums up one conclusion that was missed from the beginning:

Scott Greenwood, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union of Ohio, said the report wasn't intended to provide the yes-or-no answer many Cincinnatians have looked for since the 2001 riots put police-community relations at the top of the city's agenda.

"The issue is not, and never has been, whether white officers deliberately discriminate against African-American motorists out of racial animus," he said. "The discussion is whether race is used inappropriately - at whatever level - in policing decisions."

The bold was added for emphasis. I think this point is not clear to most people. The ACLU never claimed there was a "racist" plot to target blacks. I think some of the folks on the Buzz should be reporting this fact and not do what I think they were doing this afternoon, which had been a bit of race bating. Jay and Emmanuel are in my opinion pushing their unsubstantiated claims that the real problem is racism. This report clear proves one thing. There is not a grand "Elder/KKK" plot to target blacks in this city. If there was a huge plot, one might think the numbers would show this grand plot without question.

The positive quote from the article that I hope everyone read and strives to keep as a reality

Other findings suggested no unequal treatment: Stop durations were almost identical, after factoring in that vehicles driven by African-Americans were more likely to have more passengers. Black and white motorists were equally likely to have their cars searched, and the probability of finding drugs or guns was almost identical.

If this element was not reasonably balanced, then we would have a real problem.

I wonder why people in Damon Lynch's camp wanted this keep under wraps before the election? Is it because the report was not the smoking-gun they hoped for and the lack of a zinger to hit the police with would have been a political blow to his campaign?

UPDATE: Wholly Shit. Did the Post read the same report? If you read their story we are headed towards a race war. What gives? I can't find the actually report online yet.

Move Coverage: WCPO, WLWT, and AP.

Rule of Law Prevails

I have to tip my hat to the Alabama Supreme Court and State Attorney General for upholding the rule of law and removing Chief Justice Ray Moore from office. Theocracy has taken a small blow and I am very thankful. I wish people would stop following his brand of religious politics, but this will froth up the fundamentalists into a stupor worthy of Benny Hinn.

MIAMI 45, Marshall 6

Love and honor to Miami,
Our college old and grand,
Proudly we shall ever hail thee,
Over all the land.

Alma mater now we praise thee,
Sing joyfully this lay,
Love and honor to Miami,
Forever and a day.

Coverage: Oxford Press, Enquirer, DDN, more DDN, Buffalo News, Post, CDM, PD, goHerd.com, HJN.

All I can say it that the game was damn cold! I am glad we had a blanket, but I wish I had worn gloves. This victory was extra special for Miami Fans. Winning the MAC East with a win over Marshall is sweet revenge for years of falling short to them. Miami is almost a cinch for a bowl game this year, no matter if they win the MAC Championship game or not. I am one proud alumnus today.

Wes Nails It!

Wes Flinn comments on the letter I referenced yesterday by bring up the Showtime "Movie" DC 9/11: Time of Crisis. How much of this contained "factual" quotes? How much was the content fictionalized to provide a clear theme to fit the overall concept of the movie, or just something more entertaining? Based on all accounts there were many historical facts left out of this production and surely some that Bush does not want known for various reasons. Some of those missing facts are being sought by Congress in its attempt to investigate the 9/11 intelligence, with little assistance from the Administration.

Where's the outrage on the Bush Movie? How many quotes were not valid? Why did Viacom let this on the air if it was not absolutely true? Hmm... ya think it might have just been a movie, and most people did not care about it? I guess the all-powerful "liberal media" was sleeping when that movie was made.

Local Media History and Future

Kathy Y. Wilson takes us on journey through her past. Kathy looks inside CityBeat with a harsh insight:

We've gotten fat and lazy since EN packed it in. It's almost like we're sometimes in a diabetic haze. We're sweet on ourselves, and our sweet tooth is rotting.

I think CityBeat could use a kick in the ass, but I don't know if Kathy and I would agree on what that would be. I would say CityBeat needs a group blog. This was my advice for CinWeekly, but they will get to it once it can make money. CityBeat might try it and use it to build a national web presence that could augment the publication. Just a thought, but I think "professional group blogs," like the Dallas Mornings News has, will become a standard structure of every newspaper in the country.

Another Blind Fool

From a letter to the editor of the Enquirer today:

Syndicated columnist Tom Teepen ["Conservatives new playground bully," Nov. 7] and other liberal columnists are going quite mad over the way CBS dropped the highly slanted The Reagan movie when the network got caught bending the truth. What if I were to make a documentary on Margaret Sanger or Martin Luther King, Jr., and include a few dozen quotes that they never said?

I have to ask my neighbor Andrew Bartmess of Mount Washington, did he watch the Jessica Lynch story? Did he watch the movie Tora! Tora! Tora!? Did he see Thirteen Days? Does Mr. Bartmess believe those movies included a few dozen quotes never said by Jessica Lynch, Adm. Husband E. Kimmel, or JFK? The Reagan movie was not a documentary. Drama always makes stuff up. I also wonder were Mr. Bartmess learned there were "a few dozen quotes" Reagan never said in the movie. There has been a complaint over one quote about Reagan's views on gays and AIDS. There is not proof that I have seen that Reagan comments were totally made up. Now, it is likely that since a large part of the movie is about the person conversation of Nancy and Ron, it is likely those comments were made up. The funny thing is, it is a movie. Movies are dramatic representations of a writer's story. I hope the Reagan flock will get over this, or better yet, start getting pissed whenever someone on talk radio repeats lies about Clinton, Carter, or JFK over and over again.