Bonson and Smith-Amos

Ok, Peter Bronson had a column yesterday about education in the inner city and the problem of anti-intellectualism or about being bullied for being "too white." I did not have a problem with the overall point of his column. I think that is a problem in some segments of the black community. My concern is the messenger. Peter's opinions will go on deaf ears in the black community. He is either hated or just not read by anyone who might actually gain something from the issues he raised. Why then didn't Denise Smith-Amos do a story on that issue? She does the education Q&A every week. Would it be because she disagrees with the premise? I hope she does not, because in this case Bronson is not making up a problem out of thin air. It exists. It is a problem, and it is ignored all to often.

Now, the only ironic thing about Bronson is his sudden defense of intellectualism. That is ironic from a conservative like Peter. He often attacks higher education, and education in general because it is not his brand of education. What do they lack? Well they lack the 4th "R". Yep, good old "religion." I am glad Peter kept that out of this, but I hope he will remember that historically "religion" has done more than any other element of society to hold back intellectualism and new thought. It did wonders to teach reading and basic education, but thinking for oneself, thinking that man is not mere chattel of a deity, that is just ‘heathenspeak.’ But I digress...

Priceless Mary

From CiN Weekly's review of Hamburger Mary's

"Mary's makes you feel like a queen, not a picky eater."

If the suburbanites only knew, they might run to the hills in terror!

'God' Hates Shrimp

Hilarity! I wonder what Phil Burress is doing about this bible verse, Leviticus 11:12?

Whatsoever hath no fins nor scales in the waters, that shall be an abomination unto you.

Red Lobster is sending us all to 'Hell'.

Speaking of Religion

Gina Daugherty of CinWeekly reports about Brendon Cull, press secretary for Mayor Charlie Luken becoming a "minister" in the Universal Life Church.

Brendon Cull, press secretary for Mayor Charlie Luken, became a minister through the Universal Life Church online earlier this year so he can officiate at his sister's wedding this fall.

But Rev. Cull didn't just opt for the freebie ordination - he spent a few bucks to get the certificate, laminated card, sticker for his window and - drum roll - a parking pass with "Minister" on it.

"That's my favorite," Rev. Cull says. "And it's fun in social occasions to whip out my minister card - it's come out on more than a few occasions. But it's not worked as a pick-up line yet."

Does Brendon's religion allow Gay Marriages?

If it is this "easy" to become someone who can officiate a wedding, then I have to ask, what really is the big deal about Gay Marriage? Why are we letting the right wing theocrats push their religion on every one else?

Gun Nut on Stephen Hill

Ok, the Conceal and Carry law has passed here in Ohio, something I disagree with. At this point, the law is the law. For some reason someone, ID of "cbaus", at www.ohioccw.org, is beating on reporters and citing Stephen Hill. I have to ask, what the hell does Stephen Hill have to do with gun laws? Why is this guy attacking reporters? I know conservatives bitch about the "liberal media," but this guy is going nuts, all in the cause of privacy. He does not want gun owners to have to face a background check for guns. He is pissed the media can investigate who is applying for a C&C permit. What I have to ask, "Can we trust Truck Drivers with Guns?" I mean when an out of work truck driver breaks into a Truck company and kills people, that "shows" that we can't trust truck drivers. What an ass. Give your freaking gun obsession a rest. You "won." Take your victory lap and shut the hell up. If you want to attack the media, then do it with a little class. Cite some examples of reporters doing something that conflicts with your gun rights positions, and then link to it. That is all it takes. Exploiting a child abuse case to further your need to quell your fears is disgusting.

The Rambler

Drop over and say hello to The Rambler, a new local Cincinnati blogger.

UPDATE: I also added a couple of conservative bloggers to the blogroll, Rob Bernard and the Naughty Pundit. I don't agree with there opinions, which I am sure they know, but I like having local people to link to on the other side of spectrum who are not oblivious to Cincinnati Area culture.

I also added a link to the Queen City Forum. I recently met both the Publisher Steve Fritsch
and Editor-in-Chief Michael D. Altman. Both nice guys with a strong commitment to opening the eyes of the city to ideas they are not getting while watching local TV news.

WCPO TV News Reporter Arrested on 'Sex Charges'

Stephen Hill a reporter with WCPO has been arrested on charges of unlawful sexual conduct with a minor. Hill faces 8 counts of unlawful sexual conduct with boys whose ages have not been disclosed. As police tried to arrest him, Hill reportedly attempted to commit suicide by slashing his wrists.

This is what can best be described as a local bombshell news story. When news like this hits home to the media, they take it hard. What will be interesting is the amount of coverage it gets nationally. It was headline news on WLW radio this morning, but was not really a topic of conversation for callers. I chalk that up to it being Saturday morning.

The man deserves his day in court, but his behavior does not bode well for innocence. I would hope his past is being investigated to determine if he has had contact with other children locally and in cities where he worked previously.

If one of children abused was any of the kids he has cared for as a foster parent, then I hope local government officials will investigate how he was screened and let into the program.

The age of the children should be a factor that I hope is made public. All to often this is called Pedophilia no mater how old the victim is. Pedophilia specifically refers to the sexual attraction of children aged 13 and younger. Those who want the 14-17 year olds fall into what is called Hebephilia. For more information on this definitions check out www.religioustolerance.org which lists some definitions and terms used. Neither of these types of behaviors are tolerable, but one is worse than the other. If Hill was abusing a 15 year old, that is one crime, while a 5 year old is a whole different crime, or rather it should be. Lumping both crimes into one umbrella is ultimately unfair. I am sure this sounds like I am trying to defend Hill, something I don't wish to do, but passing comments on WLW referred to this a pedophilia, which is not a valid term. Hills added "crime" is that these people trust Hill to help mentor their children. That makes his actions just seem more heinous, much akin to the Priest sex scandals.

WCPO issued an on air comment on the issue, which is online here.

Additional coverage: WCPO, WLWT, The Post.

UPDATE: WLW is reporting that the children's ages were between 13 and 17. The also saying he is being charged with "child molestation" which goes to the point that no, this would not necessarily be the case.

UPDATE#2: I hate to link to this, but Nate (Rhymes with Hate) is claiming Hill was set up by Keith Fangman. Here is one of his many pseudonym's full post:

Posted: Sat Feb 28, 2004 3:28 am Post subject: Channel 9's Steven Hill Arrested.

I can't believe this shit! The cops are trying to ruin another black man in this city. Steven Hill has been one of the few decent reporters in this town who wasn't afraid to tell the truth about the police department. You might remember Keith Fangman went on a crusade against Mr. Hill a few years ago and now they tell us that Mr. Hill was having sex with children. Give me a fucking break. I don't believe a word of this bullshit. This is the same type of shit they tried to pull with Ovie Mitchell.

These white boys are a bunch of devils. Fangman is a dirty dog just like Pat Dewine. They both hang around with the family values crowd and they both left their wives. Everybody knows that Pepper is a fag. The cops couldn't get Mr. Hill on anything REAL so they made some shit up. When is the Black community gonna wake up and realize that these white motherfuckers ain't worth a damn and stop letting them pick off Black people one by one.
_________________
Posted by The REAL Blog
This is protected by the 1st Amendment aaaannd the RED, the BLACK, and the GREEN !!!

Now I can't wait to see how Nate responds to my post by showing his racism and frankly his paranoia. This was post late last night, so he may not have been thinking clearly, or did not know about the attempted suicide by Hill, but the guy must really be living in a dream world, or just likes baiting people. If he's trying to bait people, I guess he hooked me, but exposing this type of comment I hope instills all of the liberals/progressives and journalists in town, and I especially hope the LOCAL AP REPORTERS, that Nate is a racist and bigot. Please see him for that and do not consider him or his organization as legitimate or worthwhile to include in any community discussion or effort. Also, for those reading this on his message board be sure to read the original at cincinnati.blogspot.com.