Billy Graham says he feels weaker than ever
More ass kissing attention for the religious bigot, but hey what do you expect from the "liberal" CNN.

BRONSON: Graham's words as soft as the gentle rain
This commercial message is brought to you by Billy Graham Ministries.

CROWLEY: Porn on candidate's resume Sonny Landham is running for KY Governor. I just have to laugh at this one. I will be shocked if the GOP goes for it. They seem to want to pin Clinton's past on him, smoking dope etc. However, politics is a game for hypocrites.

Greater Cincinnati Northern Kentucky Billy Graham Mission - Cincinnati.com
The Enquirer, Post, and most all of the local media have been kissing ass left to right and front to back, giving what many call religious bigotry all the free advertising they could. All of this coverage with No! criticism of the negative aspects of its methods and beliefs. Only on The Buzz could you find some criticism of Graham, but that was limited to his problem with his past racial related stances and current effectiveness of being here. With the pledge issue it feels like this city is a religious state, bent on forcing its theocratic and fascist ways on every single human. I am sickened by it.

Liquor stores, bars slow despite crowds
Duh! How much of a non-story is this? Why not cover the negatives of this gorup, bigotry, racism, and theocratic fascism?

The Cincinnati Post: One nation, under God
The Post is wrong of course. They want majority rules over individual freedom. They hint "the judges are technically right", yet they want to ignore the law and let the majority pick a STATE religion, namely monotheism.

BRONSON: Bigotry exists
I am again disappointed that I agree with Bronson again. A good column. I was surprised he did not tackle the Pledge issue. I would guess he will on Sunday, and I will be ready to rip him a new one on what I would guess is his opinion on that issue. Until then, all is well in muddville, except for the religious bigot fest on the river this weekend, but I again digress.

CityBeat: Unsafe Refuge (2002-06-27)
They mentioned the ethnicity of the victims, but not the criminals. I wonder why????

CityBeat: Porkopolis (2002-06-27)
"With Graham, Crackers Filling the Stadium This is a racist term that has no place in the title of a column in the manner it was used. "Cracker" is a racial slur and should not be used. CityBeat seems to hate the "n" word (not Negro: see the previous post), but they don't mind the attacks on whites. However, I would surmise they fall into the trap of “blacks can use the ‘n’ word and whites can use ‘cracker’ mantra.”

CityBeat: Your Negro Tour Guide (2002-06-27)
No, I don't need "Jesus" or any religion. Kathy has point about the Graham's Jesus-stock. It is like the bible belts Grateful Dead tour of Jesus-Heads. I don't think this would help anyone with anything, unless they are looking to be told what to do. That will be available at no charge. The racial healing myths are fool hearty. No one wants to "heal" in this city. They want to feel better, they want to feel vindicated, and they want to feel justified. Both sides can't be any of these at the same time. Religion is doing nothing here but creating a new group to hate: the non-religious.

Cincinnati Fascism Rears its Ugly Head
Phil Burress and the Citizens for Community Values CCV have come up for another go at fascism. This add was run in today's Enquirer, Post, and next issue of the Business Courier. Mike McConnell on WLW gave Phil a slight beating on the radio today over this issue, but he held back a complete kill. Mike wants him back on the air in the future.

This whole thing strikes me as similar to the movie version of Dragnet. The Plot is around a religious zealot who agreed to go after a Larry Flynt type in order for both to gain PR. Could the CCV and WLW be doing the same thing? I don't think so, but it makes for a great story.

KORTE: City Hall
All of these stories seem rather petty or just frivolous. It is almost like E! at city hall.

BRONSON: Two crusades
I love it when the religious fundamentalists fight. I have no dog in the race, so I am just filling the cyberspace with some nice negative religious comments. Which is redundant, but I digress.

Gap in murder stats a mystery
Is the FBI messing up are they undercounting on purpose, or are local officials helping to hide the real number?

“It's not like we're hiding anything,” said spokesman Lt. Kurt Byrd. “We know we've had a rise in violent crime. We know how many homicides there were last year.”


I don't know what is up, but will the Enquirer continue to ask questions? The Shadow knows!!

BRONSON: Raw bigotry
Fairly honest from Pete, but I wonder if the bigots in the Clown Posse that perform for the cameras at City Council meets will swallow this thoughtful story. I seem to doubt they will believe anything in one of the scapegoats for hate. Charlie Luken is one of the other scapegoats for hate. Chaz is the scapegoat for everything by almost everyone.

Cincinnati losing school superintendent
This seems to have come out of left field.

Slave 'Railroad' Buffs Question Museum Site
I wonder how much of this attitude results from the image of the riots and the race relation problems. I think it also may just be the big city beating out the small town for the development, or the minimalist/purist v. the mass appeal of popular formats.

BRONSON: Drug Traffic
I think I like it when Bronson presents a pseudo-news article. He seems to be out in the street more and has more control over where he goes and what he writes about, than the average cub reporter at the Enquirer. I think that is a problem for the cub reporters that they either don't know how to deal with, or are prevented from dealing with by the editors or the business management.

P&G employees nervous about outsourcing
I would be nervous too. This is a very bad trend. It is part money shuffling games played by corporations. The company I work for did this with certain departments in the corporations about 2 years ago. This year all of those functions were brought back into the company. I would guess that it cost more money in the long run, but the short run it help the stock. I would bet this will be the same outcome for P&G. Corporations are far to tied to short-run stock price increases. They should instead focus on long run stock price increases. This attitude is similar to the short-run business method that ran the US economy down in the 1970's and early 1980's. The Japanese show a better model to production methods and the rest is history. What is happening here is similar. Short run cost savings is deemed more important to long run cost savings. I don't know if this attitude will ever change.

Luken picks police review panel
I wonder win the screaming will begin? Only 3 of 7 are black. I will assume that the Buzz will be ringing with the scorn of the black bigots (aka activists).

Cincinnati Post Editorial: "More Statehouse meddling"
The Post takes a conventional position on the Pledge of Allegiance issue. I will take a bigger stance. The law that changed the pledge in the 1950's is unconstitutional. Forcing School districts to set aside time for it smells of forced patriotism. If I want to wave the flag and yell like a buck-toothed hayseed from Butt Lick County, Ohio, then I will do it. Indoctrinating children on a sense of blind patriotism is just what it appears to be, a cheap election year tactic. It is no surprise a Republican introduced this issue, but it is troubling that it passed the Ohio House overwhelmingly.

Boycotters won't protest mission
The local Cincinnati Boycotters will not be out protesting, but some other nutty fundamentalists will be protesting Billy Graham. I will gladly just stay away. My neighbor's advertisement on her door for the Graham gathering is the only forced exposure that I have to endure on this event. I will be staying away, as far as possible from it.

PULFER: Channel surfing
I don't think I agree with Laura on this one. I don't want to make this society into one geared toward children. Adults rule the world. Children should not be what we shape our life around. Children are part of a parent’s life, mostly the focus of their life, but not a control.

I also had a real life sighting of Ms. Pulfer today while at lunch. The Tower Place mall had a fire alarm go off around 12:45 PM or so and she was waiting outside the same door as my co-workers and I were. I think she was just there for lunch or shopping, but she went right to work asking the security guard what happened, ever the reporter.

CityBeat: Porkopolis (2002-06-20)
A typical Greg Flannery column. I find myself seeing more and more of difference between the progressive/populist City Beat and my liberalism.

Cincinnati Copwatch: "The Streets is Watchin"
Thanks to City Beat I ran across this website and I hope it amounts to more than it is thus far. It has a good main page, but it has no content. I would have expected to see some type of reporting of accounts of the allegations the group makes in it premise. This site appears to be the work of activists close to the boycott backers. It is unclear as to which particular faction this group belongs to, but I will keep checking the site to see if it adds any content.

CityBeat: Your Negro Tour Guide (2002-06-20)
O Brother, Where Art Thou?
Kathy Wilson wrote a fairly honest open letter to "black males ages 13-55 years old." Ms. Wilson has in the past not been as direct in address a big issue facing many people in this city. The only problem is that from my perspective she only pointed out a problem, and did not indicate any tangible solutions.

Suspicious package causes evacuation
I saw the bomb squad roar down Seventh Street. That is never a good sign. This is a very detailed story. I think it took me all of 3 seconds to read.

UC recruit Eric Hicks shot in leg
UC seems to have no luck with basketball players.

Quake rattles region

I live in Cincinnati, and work downtown. I felt nothing.

No jail for man in theft at paper
This is just an interesting story about the Cincinnati Herald. What I wonder more is why the Herald does not have a website? They could make one fairly easily and on the cheap. I wonder if the reason lies in the popular belief in the "digital divide", meaning the gap between blacks and whites regarding Internet usage or access. The Herald is market mainly to the "black community".

TV no prime time for real families
I have to say that Lynn Elber is either just really biased against nontraditional families, or she is just not careful in what she writes. She seems to not like nontraditional families, and considers them not to be “real” I guess they are just “fake” families. This is an AP story written for the Cincinnati Enquirer, so Lynn may not have written that part, and the Enquirer's Ann Hicks, who is credited in the story, may have the bias instead. What Lynn and Ann are really guilty of are being lazy reporters. They took a partisan special interest group’s biased report, and wrote a plain story about it without any research into its motivations or agenda. I am surprised the editors at the Enquirer let this pass, it is even in the title.

Now, if you read between the lines you see it was just a poor choice of words. It had a meaning that incorrectly reflected what I perceive as the point of the article. The point being most TV families are nontraditional, while in real life most families are traditional. There you go gals, that is how “real” should have been used.

Clear Channel donates air time to Freedom Center - Cincinnati Business Courier
Clear Channel is cheap. They could have shelled out more than 3 million worth of advertisements.

First lady wants students to hear tales of freedom
This type of attention can't hurt the city at all.

Ky. Agency to Vote on Birth Control
I hope these people don't go nuts on this issue. It is a no brainer. The pill has been demonized by the extremists, and should be funded by the government. Reproductive choice is not something to be trampled on by religious zealots.

The Graham makes Cincy Plans
This is included in a "Buzz" column in a South Mississippi newspaper. If this is their idea of a "buzz" issue, then I am very glad I do not live in Southern Mississippi.

Underground Railroad museum to trace road to freedom
This museum should be great, as long as it sticks to history, and not politics. It could go much further if it also covered the history of "freedom" movements or activities, instead of just the specific Underground Railroad.

Friday's Enquirer Editorial
In the weekly Weekend Memo editorials where individual editorial board members "express their own opinions", Linda Cagnetti seems to have a new manner in which to determine science. Linda wants Science to be up to a matter of a popularity contest. Since a majority of the mail to the State Board of Education favors including the "Intelligent Design" philosophical/theological argument for a god or gods as part of the State Science curriculum, then the major should rule and include the non-science philosophy/theology in with science. Linda wants religion in schools. She will say this is not religion, I would surmise, because it is not formally part of an established institutionalized religion, but is still a religious teaching. It is not science. It is so clear not science is laughable.

ID is nothing but assumptive circular reasoning. It forces students to assume there is a god, gods or supernatural creator(s) in order for the concept to even be comprehendible. Secondly it assumes that complexity is a sign of intelligence. Complexity is a relative concept, so is order. The assumption that a derived purpose can be construed simple from the existence of an assumed complex structure is just drivel. You can't assume that just because an apple exists, that is "had" to have a purpose created by someone or something intelligent. A tornado is a complex thing in my opinion. Tornados are not created by supernatural forces. They are created by specific meteorological events and conditions. ID supports instead want you to believe that, unless you can prove otherwise, it was an act of a supernatural creator that usually is personified to fit the emotional needs of the believer.

I could go on and on about this. It makes me think that we have not come very far since the Scopes Trial. We instead have a revised religious theocracy underway here, a pan-monotheism that is trying to take root. It is a really just a tenuous coalition of denominations of Christianity with Jews and Muslims. It will not succeed in the end. The groups will just turn on each other once their common goal of pushing out the “non-Abraham” based religions and non-religious people from any level of freedom of expression in this country, but that is can of worms that I will save for another day.

The Cincinnati Post Editorial - 'More risky secrets'
The Post is on mark in Friday's editorial. This issue is not being covered, as is much news in this country and the world, by the American news media. Whether you agree with missile defense or not, the secrecy must stop. The Bush administration is starting to rival the near despot status of Nixon

BRONSON: Top complaint about cops: 'There aren't enough'
Today's Column from Pete is more of an interview, than a column. Pete is not a bad reporter when he leaves his opinion out of it. He basically left out his opinion in this, except to say "amen" to most of the comments he listed from the Mayor.

Falwell's speech focuses on dignity
I find no dignity in this bigot visiting Cincinnati. I am shocked it had no other news coverage beyond this little story that was limited to simple coverage of the event. It comes across as an unopposed commercial for the Bigotry of Falwell and his ilk.

Luken Showing off?
Luken touts new powers at meetings Charlie is off gaining some knowledge about being mayor. He has done well so far, under the circumstances. Everyone seems to use poor Chaz as a whipping boy, but he has gotten treated far to harshly.

UC Attracts Some Winners
UC student Jesse J. "J.J." Wilson, 20, of Sharon, Pa, was recently sentenced to 60 days to 18 months jail and ordered to pay a $100 fine for his involvement in a brawl February 2 at a Sharon, Pa area high school basketball game. This kind of person would not be the ideal student at any university. I wonder if he will return?

Fluff News Article
Here is an example of a TV News station running a fluff news article about something that is meaningless to the average viewer. This is a story about a local case of animal abuse, but his link comes from a Cleveland TV station. This should not be on their website. It should not be on mine either, but I chose to show an example of the pure drivel Local TV stations are covering these days.

City Beat Discovers there are Republicans
Greg Flannery of City Beat has discovered there are Republicans to criticize in his Porkopolis column in the June 13, 2002 Issue.

Bronson
Even a blind chipmunk can find a nut, link. I hate it when I agree with Bronson, but I can't automatically take the opposite position than he does. It seems that I do, but it is just a coincidence. No, really it is.

Gun Lawsuit
This story is a hot button issue that people seem to go nuts over. So here is the Link to it. This issue is as meaningful to many as reproductive rights (abortion for the confused). I find it to be a meaningless issue. Gun nuts will never cease to obsess on their need for power. A little metal will make them feel better. I don't care. As long as they keep their guns on private property, they can keep them. The bullshit issue is really the "conceal and carry" movement. If they want to strike fear into their neighbors, why not strap on a leg iron and go Old West. Get the Billy the Kid style gun belt, some spurs, and ten-gallon hat. If you want people to know you have a gun, show them the hard steel with a shine that could freeze a jumping bean on a hot pan. Now I am sure to be labeled as anti-gun. I am anti-gun. I hate guns. I am related to people who have died via guns. Keep your guns to yourself is what I believe, and you can keep them until they pry them from your cold dead hands, or from the hands of the person who kills you with it, which ever comes first.

City Beat is Off the Reservation?
Does City Beat even attack any of the Republicans anymore? The last Porkopolis Column seems to just beat on little Johnny Cranley, a Democrat. I bet they call me a racist, if they read the headline of this post.

City Beat has a Problem
It appears the Editor can't tell the difference between a news story and a column, which is opinionated. The evidence lies with this "news" story in the June 6th, 2002 edition of the City Beat. In this column two writers proceeded to slam a Peabody award winning television documentary originally aired on WCPO TV, the local Cincinnati ABC affiliate. They basically are trying to claim the same dogma the "Restoc" group claimed about development of Vine Street. That claim is simply gentrification. They are of the opinion that poor people can afford new and refurbished housing. That is just a misguided belief. Poor people can only afford low rent housing. That will never change, until we live the Star Trek future of economic utopia. If one can't see this column to be more opinionated than the New York Post editorial page, then one must believe that monkeys have powered wigs and can sing all the arias from The Magic Flute while floating two feet of the ground

Rick Bird has it Right!
Rick Bird has it right about what MSNBC is becoming and what FOX News is, nothing but talk radio with pictures. He is also right that CNN is slipping in the same direction. TV cable news is quickly loosing all of the gains it made in coverage and credibility after 9/11.

Mike McConnell Can Whine with the Best
Todat on his WLW-AM Midday talk radio show, host Mike McConnell was whining about a newspaper Column from John Kiesewetter of the Cincinnati Enquirer. Mike was acting like a child. I sent an email while he was on the air. Here it is:

Mike,

Could you whine more? Is it possible for you to actually break out into
tears over a newspaper column? Kiesewetter was right for the wrong reasons
and has attracted the real fascist police to his cause. The ads are
tasteless, but they fit your WWF world that WLW seems to live in now (my
Cincinnati blog covers that point http://cincinnati.blogspot.com). John's
tired old "for the children" rant was tired and just vomit inducing but
your whine has missed the real story. He got tons of support from Phil
Burress of CCV!!! I advise taking the free publicity with a smile, and add
a bit more overt sarcasm to your on air bitch session.

Brian
Mt. Washington
http://pulpstalag.blogspot.com
http://cincinnati.blogspot.com

I got no reply so far, and I did not hear one on the air, but I he has read one of my emails the next day on the air so I will wait and see.

Roxanne Qualls Lost?
Laura Pulfer asks that question in her latest Column. Has Cincinnati lost Roxanne to Boston? I fear yes. I think Ms. Qualls would be the new scapegoat if she came back into town. Everyone needs a scapegoat. The GOP would gladly blame her; she was their whipping gal before she left. I wish she would return, she might me an interesting change to city or maybe Congressional Politics.

Profiling
I am torn on the issue of profiling. Denise Smith Amos appears not to be torn on it, based on her column.

Bronson has been Sniffing to much Flag
Peter Bronson appears to be getting lazy again. In today's Column he is whining about everyone and our inabilities to take things seriously, instead focusing on the superficial aspects of personal gain. He does attack everyone, Democrats and Republicans, but he ends the whole thing on this blind patriotism note. Has Pete been smoking his flags as well as waving them? He is more concerned about have his kind of superficial and meaningless patriotism at public events, than to honestly discuss the structure of the Federal Government. I think Pete is just being Pete, once again. Let your freak flag fly Petie!!!! Don't forget to salute, but don't bogart the flagage.

John Kiesewetter is on the Mark about TV News
John's column today points out the obvious about local TV news, but someone needs to say it again and again. John's message will go on deaf ears, because the public eats up the smoke and mirrors the local TV news puts on every day. If the public cared about information and the events of the day, instead of being entertained 24 hours a day, we might get local news at 6 and 11 everyday, instead of entertainment.

When is WLW Changing its Call Letters to WWE?
Since the World Wrestling Federation lost the WWF abbreviation to the World Wildlife Fund, when is WLW changing its call letters too? WLW is the WWE of talk radio. Or is WLW just a wannabe WWE? Darryl Parks, the program director, seems to worship Vince McMahon. Darryl appears to wish people could see the wrestling tights he wears while on the air.
Willie Cunningham is even trying to recruit some wrestlers to be on air "talent":

Cincinnati Tourism Groups are Reaching Out Far
The Louisville Business Journal reports on Officials from the Greater Cincinnati Convention and Visitors Bureau actions to target Louisville as a source of tourism for Cincinnati. I hear the hour and a half trip is a killer.

Cleveland Based Church Joins Boycott
The Plain Dealer reports on the latest group to join the bandwagon. The AP joined in with a report. This group had no plans to hold any meetings in Cincinnati and appear to not have intended to either.

Another Catholic Sex Scandal Column
I have nothing much to add to the sex scandal, but here is Denise Smith Amos's Enquirer column on that subject.

Wells Gets to the Bottom of the Amnesty
In today's Enquirer Column by Associate Editorial Page Editor David Wells, the valid point to the anti-CAN fanatics was made clear. The actions being taken by CAN are nothing it has not been doing already for first time offenders. Since one of the CAN bigwigs is a bigwig at the company I am employed at, I was well informed of CAN's activities. It is making a small, very small dent in things so far, but it has potential.

Bronson and Homophobia Appear to Go Hand in Hand
Not that there's anything wrong with that, so to speak. Peter can hold hands with anyone he wants to, but in his latest column he once again perpetuates the myth of the connection between homosexuality and pedophiles. He tries to dispel his allusion to the myth at the END of his column, but the damage is done in earlier on. Bronson is just being Bronson.

Home Town Reporter in Harm's Way
The Enquirer reports about AP reporter and Butler County native Paul Alexander who is currently on assignment in Pakistan. This story also made its way to Jim Romenesko's MediaNews.

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.

Ad for Tom Jones for Office
Today's Peter Bronson Column is brought to you by the Committee to Elect Tom Jones.

Alicia Reese in Bigger Trouble?
City Beat places credence in a report filed by Nate Livingston a local "activist" who is known better as a convicted criminal with a history of domestic abuse related court appearances. The report was filed with the Ohio Ethics Commission and accuses Reese of a conflict with her votes on Council and the business interests of her Father's (Steven Reese) company, of which she is also an employee.

Tour of Religion
Kathy Wilson's column in this week's City Beat was entertaining. I lucky do not get visited by any J Dubs in my current abode, but as a kid we were targeted. I was surprised to read an awkwardly added comment that her commentaries can be heard on NPR's All Things Considered, my favorite radio program. Searching in on the NPR website I only found only one commentary from her listed back on 12/17/2002.

Porky's Revenge?
City Beat's Porkopolis column this week goes on the war path against the Enquirer, the CCA, City Hall, and the Police. Cheap shots mostly, but entertaining.

Fear impedes the Mail
The Cincinnati Post reports that the US Postal Service has removed drive up mail drop-off boxes around the Federal Court House in Downtown Cincinnati. The reason given was "a general concern with bomb threats." No specific bomb threats have been reported. The Federal Court House was also previously the Post Office, but was moved to a new and larger building west of downtown.

Soccer and the Pill Debate
Karen Samples seemed to be short on information for her column, so she combined two unrelated topics. My opinion: I like soccer and will watch the World's Cup. I also am in favor of public funding of the pill and all other contraceptives. The nuts that oppose it are in my opinion just religious zealots or in some cases theocratic fascists. Am I laying it on too thick? Maybe for some, but not as much as a reasonable person might believe.

Boycotters Backsteps
It appears one of the many fringe groups part of the "boycott" of Cincinnati are objecting to the Collaborative Agreement to help settle the class action racial profiling lawsuit against the city, so reports the Cincinnati Enquirer.

Tragedy on the Highway
A truck carrying beer overturned on I-71 in downtown Cincinnati. The driver was not seriously injured, the status of the beer is not known. Funeral arrangements for the beer were not disclosed.

Black Wig Bandit Dead
An alleged bank robber, who was out on bail awaiting trial, died from the result of a car crash on I-275. He was not allowed to leave his home, and was wearing a monitoring device that had indicated to probation officers that he was not complying to his house arrest.

Veiled Bigotry
The Cincinnati Enquirer's Peter Bronson appears to be frothing at the mouth from the latest continuation of his Religious Crusade hidden in the form of a newspaper column.

Local Dare Devil Dies
MSNBC reports on WLWT's story about Timothy "Lee" Werling, aka "SkyPunk", was found dead Thursday from an accident involved in a sky diving stunt. Werling had gained local notoriety after making several jumps from atop Carew Tower, the tallest building in downtown Cincinnati. Here is the Enquirer's take, the Post's, and a take from the South Florida Sun-Sentinel.

WLW Midday
Mike McConnell 9 AM to Noon host on 700WLW-AM was upset on this morning’s show with the "media's" lack of coverage of the Alicia Reese issue (Vice Mayor of Cincinnati being investigated), while going nuts about the Erpenbeck Co., a local home builder being investigated for fraud and other crimes. This is a very disingenuous comparison. It seems to be a typical instigation tactic to get the callers jumping up and down mad. The two stories differ for many reasons. The Reese story is old and had no interest, while Erpenbeck's alleged fraud hits home for more news consumers. Mike's claim was that Reese was not being covered because she is black and a female and the media does not like to shed bad light on those groups if "possible". Mike is crying wolf. His complaints have no merit. He is grandstanding for effect, which is driving him closer into the style of the laughing stalk of the radio, Willie Cunningham.

Bronson Dusts off FOP Booster Column
Peter Bronson seemed to feel the need to pat the police on the back, and maybe to earn some brownie points the next time he is stop for doing 21 mph in a school zone. Cincinnati Enquirer Link

Congressional Boobs from the Grand Old Puritans
Local Representatives Chabot and Boehner have gotten on the theocratic bandwagon. The Washington Post reports on a letter they sent to the State of Ohio Board of Education in hopes of encouraging them to include "intelligent design" in the science curriculum along side evolution. This is yet another reason why I don't vote for Republican's. The only thing keeping me from tearing off my ears is that I don't live in either Congressman's district. Thus far, my Representative has not said anything publicly on the subject. I hope he does not, but he is another GOPher. They tend to conform like little storm troopers. Help me, Obi-wan Kenobi. You're my only hope.

Tragedy for Chicago Boy in Cincinnati Pool
The Chicago Tribune reports about the father of the Chicago boy who drowned in a Hotel pool near Cincinnati. The circumstances are not clear to the father and evidence was sent to the DA's office for further review and possible investigation.

Another Reason not to Live in Kentucky
A former deputy sheriff, Jeff Morris, of Pulaski County who was running against the current sheriff for the Republican nomination for sheriff of Pulaski County was charged in complicity of the murder of Sheriff Sam Catron, that afore mentioned current sheriff. Of all places to have this story, one has to cross the pond to the BBC for the interesting yet tragic tale. I could bash the GOP and Kentucky a great deal more right now, but I think the mere linkage takes care of all one could hope to gain, which is marginalized on this type of horrible story.

The vote is final for the GOP primary and the results are:
TODD WOOD 8,644 73%
KAY STRINGER 2,885 24%
MARTIN CALHOUN 245 2%
JEFFERY MORRIS 123 1% *Under arrest for murder of Sam Catron
SAM CATRON 0 0% **Deceased

What were these 123 people thinking?

Dayton Newspaper Covers News Cincinnati Ignores
Tony Johnson, 22, of Cincinnati was shot and killed on Saturday night. No one in the Cincinnati media cared to add that to their websites. The Dayton Daily News was on the ball however, a few days late, but they at least covered the story. The Cincinnati Enquirer has a headline reading "Serious crime leaps 19.4% downtown", which is the focus of the main story, but nothing in their online paper reports the 30th murder of the year in the city. Vacation seems to shut down the media in this town.

Taste of Cincinnati
I had a great time there, good food, big crowds, a handful of emotionally challenged protestors good for a laugh. Something for everyone!!!! The Enquirer reports it may have set some records, or at least come close to setting some records. The weather was the biggest help to attendance, which hurt it last year more than the riots.

Sign of Insanity?
Rick Bird reports in the Cincinnati Post about TV and has found a reason why Cincinnati may be nuts. Here is the relevant quote ''Friends: Rachel's pregnancy captured viewers' attention (except in Cincinnati where Survivor routinely beat Friends, bucking the national trend.)" That is evidence enough for me.

PETA Extremists Target Kroger
The Bakersfield Californian reports that animals rights extremist group threatens Kroger with 'cruelty boycott' unless it accepts standards they have agreed to adopt from the Food Marketing Institute. Someone appears to be hunting for a headline.

Chiquita plantation workers on strike
The Bakersfield Californian reports that 2,000 workers in Honduras are striking against Cincinnati based Chiquita.

Post's Editorial has Guts
The Cincinnati Post comes out swinging against the actions of the DOJ regarding one of the "detainees" in GITMO. This is not a popular position, especially for the region in which it publishes. A tip of the hat to the Post for agreeing with idea of Civil Rights for all Citizens.

Taste crowds up despite protests
The Cincinnati Post reports the crowds for Taste of Cincinnati are good as ever. The protestors and the boycott have done nothing to sway people from coming downtown. One of the protestors quoted was funny. Berta Lambert of Over-the-Rhine stated "'The fact that we don't have much of a racial mix here shows the boycott is working.'' Ms. Lambert must not be the brightest bulb. She thinks it is a good thing that the races do not mix. I think she might have an ulterior motive, like many of the hardcore protestors, Black Separatism or Black Nationalism.

Bronson is Not Profiling
Peter Bronson is back to the issues from his religious epiphany. He makes some sense here with this story. He does operate from one side of the polarized city, but in this case he has more facts on it than the other side.

Twist on Slave Reparations
Denise Smith Amos writes on the change in methods of some seeking reparations for black slaves. The change switches from getting money from the Government(s), but instead going after the corporations who may have profited from slave labor. This parallels the successful methods used by Holocaust survivors and offspring who are in negotiations on payment from European companies who profited from Slave labor before and during WWII. I agree with Denise this idea is more in the realm of the possible, but legally it is not meet the standards needed for a positive judgment.

Bronson has stooped to Evangelizing in his Column
Bronson seems to out of things to say. He mentioned his pilgrimage and his "love". Bronson got all touchy feely with 30 other men, and now says he knows how women are able to lover their fellow women. I am surprised he did not mention "Jesus", but I guess he is trying to reach out to his monotheistic community. I am starting to think Bronson has lost it, or is at least getting sick of current events as writing subjects. Pete, get back to real topics, cease and desist the evangelism.

NKY appears to be nuts
The abortion issue has come back in a new form and the anti-abortion forces have a subgroup of religious theocrats out to rule the country with their twisted lies and fascist propaganda. The Enquirer has a detailed story on the pending issue of using federal funds to provide birth control pills at local clinics in Northern Kentucky. The vote appears to be close. I am so very amazed that people are this fascist in dealing with public policy. I am sorry to all of the conservatives who hate that word, but no other word conveys the reality with these groups.

Is there a reason to go to local TV news sites for "Real News"?
These websites seem to not be staffed by anymore than one person. That person seems to update them once or twice a day, unless there is some "big" story needing updating. On the weekend the city could be hit by a tornado and not much would be updated. These sites seem only to be used as tools for the TV station, providing no content that does not appear on TV. Seems like a waste of space to me, but for the short run profit obsession of the modern media management, it is not a shocker.

Cincy Post's Memorial Day
From the Cincinanti Post: The Post is advocating a somber day. Prayers and moments of silence for everyone!!!! That sounds like as much fun as sitting through a six year old Southern Baptist give a sermon. Drink and be Merry!!!! Eat too much! Live Live Live!!!

Karen Samples "World Cup"
From the Enquirer: Karen feels the pain of the soccer fan. No major coverage in the US of the world’s biggest sporting event. I for one will be watching some of the games. Soccer is a good sport. It will never take off in the US because of the history of our other sports. I am glad it will always be a second tier sport. Baseball and Football should always be King, but make a little room for the other "football."

Cliff Radel "Memorial Day"
From the Enquirer: Cliff takes on the ignorant masses in remembering what Memorial Day is or was supposed to be.

Cincinnati Stock Exchange
Yes, there is an active Cincinnati Stock Exchange, but it is not located in Cincinnati, Ohio, at least not anymore. The Chicago Sun-Times explains the interesting historical footnote to the city, but a current financial upstart.