Love on the Rocks
It appears that John Cranley, Cincinnati Councilman, was dating older woman Leslie Ghiz, who is a former city administrator now running for City Council. They are just friends at the present. I guess the sparks could not fly between a democrat and republican enough to start a fire, even here in Cincinnati. Well, maybe in springtime, things might change.

Bengals Hire Lewis
I was going to write about this, but Chris Anderson has done so, admirably.

Ohio Senate Republicans defend their new leader
The wagons are circling as expected. They are going to hunker down for the winter and hope the cavalry comes before the war drums play again.

Dead prostitute testified against cop This quote should have been a little higher in the article.

Homicide investigators said they "haven't ruled anybody out," but don't suspect that Knight is connected to Mapp's death.

This women was called by prosecutors "a brave little soul," but was wanted by police for allegedly cutting a women during a robbery. The cop she testified against, for years ago, appears to be scum, but this story has a certain yellow flavor.

MAKE SURE TO READ Chris Anderson's comments on Ohio Senator Doug White. Chris brings up White's past habit of racial insensitivity and White's self declared "Hillbilly" background reported in the Cleveland Plain Dealer. Doug White sounds more and more like what might be called the stereotypical northern prejudiced bigot. White is not a racist and is not anti-Semitic, but he just does not like black or Jewish culture much, or at least not enough to know that Jews don't like to be stereotyped as greedy, and blacks don't like to be treated like good luck charms (property). Is this the kind of person who should be President of the Ohio Senate? I am starting to consider no. Now, first I must admit that he is a Republican, and I surely am not for most Republicans, but I especially don’t like those Republican’s that try to instill on the government a sense of unsophisticated piety rooted in a faux homespun attitude. Hiding behind a rustic upbringing as the defense of personal prejudice is not going to fly, even here in caustic free Ohio.

The WhistleBlower is Gone
I do not know why the Blower is gone, but I wonder if Nate Livingston's reported threats of a lawsuit caused problems? The url http://www.thewhistleblower.net now points to http://www.newsbyfax.com. The Blower may still exist via fax and/or email, but it appears that the post from the weekend was no joke.

State senator says he didn't know remark was offensive
Leave it to the Republican’s to make stupid remarks. How could any adult not know that it is offensive to generalize about a minority, referring to the old stereotype of Jews as cheap or wheelers and dealers? This slip of the tongue is not as bad as Trent Lott’s comments last month, but it indicates a lack of tact and decorum that is not becoming of an Ohio State Senator, let alone the President of the Ohio Senate.

The Republicans here in Ohio will let this slide without a single peep. Local conservative talk radio has said nary a word about it, and will not. I was impressed with the Enquirer’s story from Sunday, but they would not miss a juicy story like this no matter whom they endorsed. It is never good for Ohio when this makes an Israeli newspaper or a British paper.

UPDATE: The Ohio Lt. Gov. Jennette Bradley (R) comments on Doug White's remarks.

Square redevelopment sought
This idea sounds great. If it can capture the feel around the main square in Cleveland it will be a boon to the local nightlife. The only problem is, what about "The Banks?" I thought this kind of development was earmarked for the space between the stadiums. Is this another sign that riverfront parking will be abundant?

It is lunch time after all.

Today in Cincinanti's Entertainment History
Hick Rock made its mark on Cincinnati:

In 1993, singer Jesse James Dupree of the band Jackyl was arrested for mooning an audience in Cincinnati. The band was touring with Damn Yankees, who also had some trouble. Damn Yankees' guitarist Ted Nugent shot a flaming arrow, which was a violation of Cincinnati's fire code. Dupree was released on bond. Nugent paid a fine.

Those were the days.

Xray Cincinnati's Media Guide I can't help but find this guide a little bit light. There seem to be a few things missing from it: Cincinnati Blog, PulpStalag, Queen City Soapbox, SpicedSass, Political Junkie, RobBernard, IntheGray, and Land of the Lost. Blogs are a growing part of the Cincinnati media landscape. We may be small, amateur, but have as much to say as any of this or this. It also might help if GoXray.com fixes their links.

The WhistleBlower Wants to Spam You!
It appears Mr. Whistleblower either wants some mula, some idea of who reads his site, or he just wants to see how many suckers will give him their email address. I wonder if he has the penis enlarger Spam ready to go, or if he still needs to revise the sales pitch and self-made testimonial photograph.

Devolution of a Racist
Nate Livingston continues his downward spiral into oblivion, not that he wasn’t already living in obscurity. In yet another email, Nate is doing his utmost to get the only non-black talk show host off the airwaves of 1230 the Buzz. I am fairly confident the management at the Buzz will not be swayed by Nate's disingenuous comments. Nate is trumping up a charge against John Schlagetter, trying to gin up anti-white feelings amongst listeners of the Buzz. Nate's motives are to try and control or at least influence the Buzz, which he calls a "black radio station," to keep open an outlet for the racist and bigoted ideas he and his cohorts wish to communicate to the black community. Nate does this kind of thing often. He sent copies of a bigoted radio ads for Ken Blackwell to WLW to try and put a wedge between Republicans and Ken Blackwell. To a degree it succeeded thanks to Mike McConnell's attention to the issue.

Here Nate is trying to create PR. He wants a response from the Buzz and knowing how they kowtow to many of the local black separatists/racist groups, he might get a little attention out of them. He might even build an on air feud. He might be fishing for way to file another lawsuit against the Buzz. He had little luck the last time, but I guess he has nothing better to do in his spare time.

Here is the email John sent back along with Nate's email. It is like watching a train derail, a slow motion devolution into a lower form of life:

Subj: RE: MLK III smear campaign
Date: 01/09/2003 9:14:55 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: john@foregenitor.com
To: natelivingston@yahoo.com, RPorter@radio-one.com
CC: MPowell@fcc.gov, DSolomon@fcc.gov, JGuttman@radio-one.com, jtolliver@radio-one.com, lware@radio-one.com

You bore me. As Sprocket's Dieter might say, "You're gangly adolescent attempts to intimidate me have grown tiresome."

Get a job.

-----Original Message-----
From: Nathaniel Livingston [mailto:natelivingston@yahoo.com]
Sent: Thursday, January 09, 2003 9:52 AM
To: john@foregenitor.com; RPorter@radio-one.com
Cc: MPowell@fcc.gov; DSolomon@fcc.gov; JGuttman@radio-one.com; Jerri
Tolliver; Lincoln Ware
Subject: RE: MLK III smear campaign


Rick Porter:

You are well aware of the Federal Communications Commission's (FCC's) requirement that you maintain a public file. Included with this email are copies of emails from John Schlagetter, an on-air employee of WDBZ, and my responses. I want these emails included in your public file. I will also forward to you in the next few minutes copies of letters from Doreen Cudnik, Joy Rolland, and Michael Watson concerning Mr. Schlagetter and his participation in an insidious smear campaign against Martin Luther King III. Those letters should also be incorporated into your public files.

In addition, as promised yesterday, I have begun contacting your advertisers to inform them of Mr. Schlagetter's comments, and his hostile, childish, inflammatory, and totally inappropriate reaction to a request that he apologize for making false and malicious statements about the eldest son of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This issue could have been, and should have been, resolved days ago. Unfortunately, Mr. Schlagetter has chosen not to make a thorough, on-air apology for his on-air statements which were made on Friday and repeated on Sunday. Mr. Schlagetter apparently feels
comfortable allowing such disinformation to remain in the public arena until he chooses to correct it. That, of course, is not an appropriate way to handle the placement of disinformation in the public arena. If Mr. Schlagetter made a mistake, which I do not believe to be the case, he should have moved to quickly correct that mistake. Instead, Mr. Schlagetter said untrue things about Martin Luther King III, he repeated those statements, he was advised that the statements were untrue and hurtful, and he has, to this date, refused to publicly apologize.


For some reason, WDBZ management hasn't seen the need to intervene and either force Mr. Schlagetter to do the right thing and apologize, or issue the apology on his behalf and on behalf of the radio station.

White talk show host cannot be allowed to go on the airwaves at Black radio stations and trash the names of Black leaders.

I look forward to a speedy reply.

Nathaniel Livingston, Jr.
natelivingston@yahoo.com

I will be listening tomorrow to Jay Love on the Week in Review to hear if any of this mole hill makes the air.

Bank Robberies Down in 2002
The Murder rate is up, but bank robberies are down. I am sure many could see a bigoted angle to that trend. One could claim that murder is up because police are busy investigating bank robberies. That is a preposterous claim. You might be able to say that any unsolved murder cases might be due to an emphasis on bank robberies, but the bank robbery trend needed attention. I am sure that cries of racism or of special protection of corporate interest could be made, and might be true, but bank robberies are a serious crime that is important to the security of the local economy.

New Monitor Says City Can Be Model
Can be is the problem. Can is something we in Cincinnati sit on, not something we live up to.

Chris Anderson comments on Nate Livingston's continued emails to John Schlagetter and on Nate's mass labeling of us as racists, a notion I find sad. I have to agree with Chris on everything in this post, especially on the points over both boycotts. I especially agree with Chris that the Article XII should be repealed and I am not supportive of the boycott called trying to force that repeal.

Man accused of improperly trying to bring 25 Yemenis into country
This is disturbing, but I would assume that since this story is not getting much national attention, I assume this is your run of the mill criminal ring, not a terrorist cell.

Number Of Single Women Doubles Since 1970
I have not found where this large population of single women resides. Please give them my name and email address, if you find out where they dwell.

Baptist congregation plans vote on ordaining woman
They voted not to consider ordination at this time, in other words they said no. This church is part of the Southern Baptist Convention, which is as close to pure theocratic fascism as religion gets. Their lack of respect for the abilities of women to think is widely known and despised.

CityBeat: Your Negro Tour Guide "Leviticus: Faggot (No. 65)"
Excellent work from Kathy Y. Wilson. This column touches issue that run deep in part of black community that she exposes with brilliant clarity and sharp valiance. Having to take the abuse of bigots herself, I think Kathy shows class in sticking their words back in their eyes. What is appalling is that the Media and the Police are silent on this issue. Where is Mike Allen tooting his own horn? I hate to spoil my compliments to Kathy, but if this were a black person killed by a white person spouting racist comments, this would have been a national story. Instead, this is element of the story is hidden. One could claim bigotry in the media. I would call them derelict from doing their job, which occurs on most all local stories not spoon fed to their quivering lips. The real bigotry that is most obvious to be at fault for the under reporting of this story lies with the Police. In my opinion the police are more bigoted against gays and lesbians of any race than against blacks and other minorities. I hope Kathy's story is reported and I hope the story gets a little play on talk radio.

John Schlagetter comments on Kathy's column, and has a follow up email exchange with Nate Livingston, racist extraordinaire. It will be interesting if John can get this story discussed on Jay Love's Week in Review show Friday on the Buzz. The other members on the panel are not very sympathetic to homosexual rights issue as I think they should be if they want to be taken seriously on any civil rights issues.

Innocent Bystander?
This is another sad story of a 17-year-old girl, a mother of an 18-month-old child, gunned down in the streets of Cincinnati. I have a problem with one way in which this tragic situation has been phrased in the media. She has been characterized as an innocent bystander. She may very well have been innocent, but she was not a bystander. She was in a car and police have reported stated that the male driving the car was the target of the shooter. This should in no way take away from the tragedy of this incident. Instead this is an issue for the media. They either created this characteristic of the victim or they took the words of a police officer who early on determined that, but after additional investigation would have realized that calling her a bystander was not the best description. Here are the various reports:
Girl, 17, killed while holding child - Enquirer
1 dead in 3 shootings - Cincinnati Post
Search Continues For Teen's Alleged Killer - WLWT-NBC
West End To Add Street Security -WKRC-CBS

Nate Livingston Has Just Lost It
John Schlagetter has posted more of the emails he and Nate Livingston have been exchanging. Based on Nate's lies and his apparent delusions, I can only conclude that he has lost grip. His CJC dreams are crashing around him. His group as split and he has only racists and bigots as his friends. That might be his goal, but it can hardly be considered a quality of any respectable human being.

The biggest news to come out of this exchange is that John has determined that Nate appears to be behind the horrible website www.friendsofkarendewine.com, which is masked as a pro-conservative site, but attacks many conservatives and liberals. The amazing thing is that I am not on the website. I don't know why I am not, except that I was bashing DeWine fairly early, so I guess I had "street cred" on that issue in Nate's eyes.

This time Nate has included me in his attacks though, labeling Chris Anderson, John, and me as "Little racist white boys." Well, I am neither little, nor racist, and I am sure Chris and John are not either. What is amazing is that Nate could not even say why we are racist. Why Nate is racist is obvious. He shares the views of the Black Fist, and their views are that of black racist/separatists. The Black Fist feels whites are genetically inferior to blacks, they are the "devil", and are out to get the black man. In bizarro world they would be the Aryan Nation or KKK.

What can be done about Nate? Well we can ignore him or feed the beast. I vote to feed the beast. My reason for feeding the beast in this case is to put on display his racism and bigotry for all to see. He is considered credible in certain communities in the City. I feel that those communities need the opportunity to read about his real views, his real goals, and his real methods.

I don’t agree with many political opinions of John, but I hope people see that John Schlagetter is a good man. John does not deserve the bigoted and racist treatment Nate and cohorts aim at him. It would be refreshing if more hosts on the 1230 the Buzz would stop allowing the bigoted and racist views many callers spout on a regular basis, without a vigorous repudiation of those views, instead of a few "uh-huh's," while they sip their coffee and surf the web.

ESPN host replaces 'Wildman'
Wildman is the casualty of an increase in Christian Talk Radio at 1160. I was never a big fan of Dennis Walker, but it is bad to lose locally based programming to network programming. Kornheiser is not bad replacement, but how will 1360 balance out the FOX Sports network and ESPN network on one radio station.

I have been speculating recently on what will happen when Gary Burbank finally retires from WLW. I have been wondering who would fill his valuable time slot. I think I have the answer. I think WLW will put WEBN’s Eddie Fingers and Bob Berry in that slot, maybe with Duke Sinatra carrying on as the funny man to Eddie’s straight man, with Bob as the nut case in tow. I think WEBN’s Dawn Patrol is getting to old for the audience they are going for. Bob and Tom on WOFX is a solid team for the older morning crow. WEBN could let Dolphin loose with some younger guy, who can push the limits like the Dawn Patrol used to do in the days with Jimmy the Weasel.

Urbanists have an agenda to revitalize all Cincinnati
I am an Urbanist, are you? If you aren't, then why?

Ohio legislators face harsh reality
The thought of Nero and a fiddle come to mind when I read this:

But not even Gov. Bob Taft clapping in the Senate chamber to "Hang On, Sloopy," played by part of the Ohio State University marching band, could muffle a harsh reality.

It appears that Kevin Holtsberry had a few problem with the Ohio State Band as well.

Class Warfare Has Opened Up a New Front
The Washington Post reports the following quote:

"We could lock in the votes of the investor class for years," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform. "For the rest of the year and two years from now, it will be, 'And your low stock prices are whose fault? The Democrats' fault.' "

I for one will get nothing out of this proposed tax cut. All of my investments are in my 401(k) plan, I don't own a business, I am not married, I have a job, and I have no children. If conservatives/libertarians actual want to call this fair, just or anything other than a new class attack, then they living in land of Chance, Boardwalk, and get of jail free cards. Please ignore the propaganda from the likes of Paul Harvey, Mike McConnell, & Fox News and clearly see how this is nothing but a vote grab and payoff to Bush’s followers. If you are going to lie to me or anyone else and say something like "this will benefit everyone in the long run," then please be sure to back it up with real facts. I hope I don't here the usual rantings, but alas, I will.

Bronson's Clinton Fetish?
Chris Anderson takes on Peter Bronson and the endless stream of Clinton-Haters. Peter's Column today could be seen as evidence that Peter has a Clinton Fetish. Can Peter leave the man alone? Instead Peter perpetuates lies about the manner in which the White House. Peter wishes to paint the worst light on the so-called "trashing" of the White House. Peter needs to read this(pdf) more carefully. Peter might want to read this take on the trumped up scandal. I have to suggest that Peter needs to add a New Year's resolution. He should give up writing about Bill Clinton. There is a pending war in Iraq, economic woes, pending nutty tax plans that he can spout all of the propaganda he wants on. Peter must stop feeding the beast. If you want the Clinton nuts to go away, then don't feed them. I guess Peter needs the Clinton-haters. They are his only loyal fans.

Nate Livingston's Nutty Ride Goes On
For some unknown reason, mostly likely an attention grab that I am all to happy to provide, Nate copied me in on this email he sent out, presumbably to several groups:

Subj: MLK III smear campaign
Date: 1/6/2003 6:45:48 PM Eastern Standard Time
From: Nathaniel Livingston
To: john@foregenitor.com

Last Friday I was listening to my brother (Emanuel Livingston) hold it down on the Buzz.

A fellow named Paul (a well known racist) called in and said that Martin Luther King III was kicked out of the NAACP. This is a lie. For the record, Martin Luther King III has never been kicked out of the
NAACP.

John Schlagetter (fast becoming the new minister of MISinformation over Greg Korte) repeated this lie several times and then proceeded to embellish the original lie. John Schlagetter falsely claimed that he
knew the reason Martin Luther King III was kicked out of the NAACP: inability to raise funds for the organization.

We all know that John Schlagetter does not support the Cincinnati Boycott. We know that John Schlagetter prides himself on being well-informed and presenting factual information. So, I do not believe John
Schlagetter's presentation of false information about Martin Luther King III on the Buzz was a mistake. I believe John Schlagetter intentionally lied about Martin Luther King III's record with the NAACP in order to bolster his position against the Cincinnati
Boycott.

I also believe that this is further proof that John Schlagetter has no respect for Black people and the leaders we choose. John is angry that we can see the racist hiding behind that smiling face of his, and we
haven't selected HIM as our leader. That said, it is one thing for John Schlagetter to be jealous of, and hateful towards, local and national Black leaders. It is something altogether different for John Schlagetter to get on Black radio and tell lies about the son of
Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr!

Wake up Black people. We have to stop letting white people, like John Schlagetter, come into our community, tell lies about our leaders, and not be held accountable! (We also ought to do something about people like Peter Bronson, Denise Smith-Amos, Greg Flannery and Kathy Y. Wilson who use newspapers to spread their lies and misinformation.)

John Schlagetter and the Buzz both owe Martin Luther King III and his family a public apology for telling such a malicious lie about him. I ask you to join me in making that happen.

Nathaniel Livingston, Jr.
natelivingston@yahoo.com

Now this email is nothing new. Nate is out to discredit John Schlagetter for some bigoted/racist reason. What is a shocker is that Nate did not include me with his list of local media pundits that have correctly attacked him and his partner in racism Amanda Mayes for their repeated blunders as human beings. I guess I don't rate with the professionals. My amateur status is still intact.

Notes from Talk Radio:
1230 the Buzz aired a commercial calling for current crack addicts to volunteer for a study of an experimental treatment for crack addiction. They will be compensated for their time. Are crack addicts known to be regular listeners of the Buzz?

Speaking of people on crack, Rev. Shannon from the Church of the Ham Sandwich went on a rant while on the Buzz today claiming every conspiracy in the book. The claims of the murder of Paul Wellstone and of American Troops on a tear in Senegal being the most entertain examples.


Baghdad Jay Love is making Iraq into a desert paradise, where the people are happy, carefree and love life under Saddam. He wants to know what we are going to tell a little 15 year old Baghdad kid why he is being “bombed”. Unless that 15-year-old kid is in the Iraqi Armed Forces or is sitting in a military target, he is not going to be bombed. Guess what Jay, almost no citizens of Baghdad have access to foreign news media. They are not informed of what is going on. If they claim to be happy it is because they either are scared not to be, or they don’t know better. I think Jay does not play the part of Talk Show Host very well. He can’t take illogically positions very convincingly, or he is just ignorant.

1st Annual International Peter Bronson Hack Conservative Columnist Awards
At this time of year I guess there can be nothing better than the International Peter Bronson Hack Conservative Columnist award. We have a unanimous winner this year and low and behold it is Peter Bronson himself, winning all categories with today’s column. Please be sure to read his column before judging how he faired in the awards. Here is a look at all of the categories:

Gall: Peter has illustrated his gall in attacking Tom Daschle for referring to the threats he has been receiving. Peter’s seem to take pleasure in forgetting the deadly anthrax letter addressed and delivered to his office.

Hysteria: Peter’s hysteria and fear that a non-paleoconservative actually has a program on TV and that television station is partially funded, under funded at that, by public funds can only be eclipsed by his glee that his überleaders now have control over all three branches of government.

Prozac: Peter went on Prozac as soon as he learned that Al Gore was not running for President. Peter thought Gore would have been the only sure fire way his boy Bush could get reelected.

Pacifism: Peter’s hatred of pacifism took shape during his vast years of military service. Oh wait, that would be the lack of his vast years of military service.

Lame Excuses: What is Peter’s excuse for bashing Ohio State, the rival of his school’s rival Michigan? Isn’t the rival of your rival your friend?

Slick Hooey: The slick way that Peter denies how GOP in the South, and sometimes in the North and West, uses race as a subtext to play politics. It is odd they don’t think people noticed George Bush at Bob Jones University, or the way John McCain was destroyed in the 2000 South Carolina primary.

Name-Calling: The names and lies that Peter’s brother in arms Phil Burress and the CCV use to defame homosexuals, atheists, and pornographers. The CCV is the American Taliban. They are theocratic fascists just like Osama bin Laden.

Hypocrisy: Well, Peter is a hypocrite on many things, but when it comes to Amanda Mayes he is correct.

Denial: I think Peter is in denial if he claims the Bengals have or had any real coaches.

Paranoia: Peter is not paranoid, except when it comes to the all of the black activists out to get him. Well, they are out to get him.

Dishonorable Mentions: Peter’s many other hack columns:
Miami U. - Free Bill O'Reilly
Conservatives rare species on campus
Antiwar dictionary - Hooray for unilateralism by a cowboy president
Religious freedom - It's not easy being Christians
Pornography victimless? - Listen to these horror stories
'The right to life...'

Downtown's retail picture dims
The Sky is Falling!!! The Sky is Falling!!!!

Retailers worry about loss of another elite store
This kind of store sounds like a very specialized type of store. It would not rely on foot traffic or location as its means of attracting business. Instead it would rely on targeted advertisement and reputation. This store stayed downtown out of ease. Why more when it matters not where their store is (with in reason). I would bet their rent went up, or property taxes went up if they own, or they wanted a newer facility. I really doubt they left because of downtown. If we really ask why, I think the answer is they felt slighted. Saks got help, and they got the cold shoulder.

Hot Seat Notes:
Kathy Wilson gives her support to the "Moratorium" meeting while appearing on Hot Seat. Kathy also named an up and comer for 2003 and it was Jason Fagone of Cincinnati Magazine. I am currently reading his two articles in the January issue, and hope to have a few comments posted in the next few days.

Eric Kearney also stated there were 600 shootings last year in Cincinnati and 70% were blacks? WOW, that is a huge number of shootings. I wonder if that included all from the county or the metro area. I think his source was from University Hospital, so that might include shootings never getting reported to the police. The number that he was not able to report was how many of the 600 shooters were blacks? The percentage would likely be 70% or higher. The figure was also missing from other year-end summaries of the races of homicide victims.

No one appears to be updating Hot Seat’s website to often, it has a limited description of the show and lists only the regular panelists.

Spiced Sass goes on a tear with a rehash of the riots while discussing the "moratorium" and harps on the downtown decline of retail.

City to Congress: Where's our money?
Why not just say it like you mean it Chaz: "SHOW ME THE MONEY." If that does not get their attention, nothing will. Well, Charlie Luken would be lucky to get Rep. Chabot or Rep. Portman to return his phone calls, let alone come through with Federal dollars for Cincinnati. Portman and Chabot are in safe districts and don't need to be prodded by the GOP leadership to vote with them. Therefore Cincinnati will get nothing and better like it, or we will less than nothing.

Cincinnati's mean streets: 65 lives in 365 days
One big problem with this list. When the alleged murders are listed, the race of them is not identified, but the victim's race is identified. I realize most of these are unsolved and not know, but why not list a description of the person(s) wanted? It is a common belief that the media tends to hide or shield the race of alleged criminals, but in this case when providing a summary, why not include the information? Why also doesn't the Post or the Enquirer keep a running report of the victims and alleged or accused perpetrators of crimes? In the age of the Internet, why isn't the police blotter online? Maybe the CPD should publish its crime reports? No, they couldn't do that. Well, if the County Clerk can do, why can't the CPD? Why didn't the collaborative agreement include such a thing? If people think the police are coving up incidents, why not put it all on the Internet? They don't have to include evidence, but they can at least say what happened, whom it happened to, and who was arrested for it.

Undercover drug officer stabbed in possible 'hit'
The headline and the story are misleading. If the officer had just left the FOP gym I would assume he was not undercover. He works undercover, but if he was attacked 13 minutes after he left the FOP lodge, I would logically surmise he was not undercover. I am not sure if the media is playing this story up into a real life cop show, or if they are misunderstanding the terminology the police are referring to with terms like "undercover." The next thing I might see is a reference on one of the Local TV News (infotainment) broadcasts comparing this inducement to the police in the upcoming moving NARC. I sometimes can't tell if local TV news gets pointers from the folks at E! or not.

Notes to the Media:
Buckeyes Win Title, Ending Miami's Streak
No, Miami University lost 5 games this year.

Ohio State Tops Miami in Thrilling Double-Overtime Fiesta Bowl
Miami University did not play in the Fiesta Bowl. Miami; at 7-5 was passed over for a bowl game by the BCS Machine.

Buckeyes Upset Miami to Take Title
Miami University did not play Ohio State this year, all though both schools do play every year in Hockey where they battle for the Ohio Cup.

Miami QB struggles in final game
Ben Roethlisberger did struggle in his final game against UCF, but that game was over a month ago.

Bottom Line:
Miami is in Ohio, Coral Gables is in Florida.

Cincinnati Radio Notes:
Mike McConnell is advocating debtor's prison now. His prior support for Feudalism is starting to take shape. Mike's blossoming ideology is budding into a new/old idea needing a new name, maybe neo-fuedalism. Their followers are neo-aristocrats. Maybe we can call them neo-nobles. When Mike starts calling himself the Earl of West Chester, I think I will call myself Robin Hood.

Kabaka Oba talking with Ken Lawson on 1230theBuzz today says that spouting anti-Semitism is not bigotry, like the KKK, it is just exercising free speech. I have to ask: does anyone honestly take this guy seriously? I know in public many in the black community will not denounce other blacks unless they are personal maligned, but in private to they see this guy's a crackpot?

WSAI has ditched the elderly. 1530AM is switching to 1950's and 1960's music, instead of 1940's music. Dusty Rhodes is reported to be heading to WSAI as a DJ. The real question is, will WSAI still run its overnight nutty religious programming?

1160 WBOB has dumped ESPN for conservative talk radio, make that paleo-conservative talk radio. What does that make WLW and WKRC? WBOB also needs to update its website. WBOB is now "News/Talk 1160 WBOB. 1160 is owned by Salem Communications who also own 1050 WTSJ. Salem Communications is basically a for profit Christian broadcasting company. They include other non-religious programming but that mainly consists of sports or conservative talk radio. There is no online listing of their new programming schedule, but I for one will be sure to ignore this station at every chance I get. WBOB will most likely become the radio whipping boy for me. WLW and WKRC will start to look moderate in comparison. What a great day for radio. Diversity in radio is such a new thing, but when you have neo-conservatives, paleo-conservatives, and libertarians, what else can a intellectual want? I thanks Zeus for NPR.

CityBeat: Your Negro Tour Guide "Uncle Tom's Cabin"
Kathy calls everyone out with this column. She straddles the two worlds she defines, black and white. She lives in one with internal conflict, and she interacts with the other with still more conflict. I guess she feels like her column has come to represent the house slave, thus the Uncle Tom title. I am not sure if I would use that comparison if I were going to sum up her column. She tries to be objective with her column, straddling the line, but her personal background is rooted with issue that she can't shake. Some of those issues tilt her opinions to a level that comes across as a large chip on her should she is just begging someone to try and knock off. Okay, my bad pop-psychology exercise is now complete. Sometimes a cigar is just a cigar, a cracker is just a saltine, and fried chicken is just lunch.

Coalition for a Just Cincinnati is Falling Apart, Again
Linda Newman has resigned as co-chair of the CJC. Her reasons result from the anti-Semitic protest carried out by the Black Fist on December 4th, 2002 which included CJC co-chair Amanda Mayes. Her letter rambles on with a political laundry list of progressive/socialist/communistic ideas masquerading as civil rights, but overall her letter is good. I am pleased that many members of the CJC have woken up to the hypocrisy that existed in their own leadership with Mayes and Livingston. Both are opportunists to the extreme, peppered with bigotry, racism, and a greed for power. Linda and the rest of the boycotters need to rethink their tactics. This protest was an obvious ends to their means of confrontation. Instead of providing solutions, the boycotters made demands like it was Dog Day Afternoon.

The real question is: Who will gain custody of the CJC website www.cincyboycott.org? According to a Whois search, it is registered to Linda Newman, so unless Nate and Amanda want to go to court, I would think Linda would get custody. Maybe Nate and Amanda could get weekend visitations, plus holidays. They better get Kenny Lawson working on that pronto.

Side note: Kabaka Oba's letter (last letter "Free Speech") to City Beat sounds like something an Islamic Jim Jones might compose.

Latest shootings underscore effort
This is a textbook illistration of irony.

King III wants event canceled

The son of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. has asked the city to cancel a breakfast honoring his father, saying it would violate an economic boycott against the city by black activists.

Thanks for nothing Marty!

Coalition gathers support
This article really paints the picture of a different rally than the one painted in yesterday's Post. This article paints the picture of a group like MADD. Damon Lynch's presence is underplayed compared to the Post and the Nation of Islam's involvement is conspicuously absent.

Facelift for Princeton schools?
The question to me is will this inner suburban area agree to this action? The inner city district failed to pass a school capital improvement plan this past November, mainly due to non-city voters. Is a property tax increase easier in the city or the suburbs? I will bet that most voters in the Princeton district will push for one of these options. If Cincinnati had presented a more modest plan, would it have passed? I think it would have won easily, if they had limited it or had broken up the plan into multiple phases. Next year CPS will hopefully have a scaled down plan that will pass with ease.

Newcomer wants slice of the pie
Bruno's is only good when it is fresh and it needs no toppings, cheese is plenty. The amount of grease on it will give you a heart attack on the spot, but it is worth it. Many of my freshman nights end with a delivered Bruno's, a game of euchre or hearts, and a big grease stain on the floor.

Protest at CityBeat
Kabaka Oba and his merry band of bigots were out in "force" this hour out in front of the City Beat offices. I counted about 6 or 7 protestors, 3 or 4 people who I would guess are City Beat staff, and at least one white guy yelling back at Kabaka about "Jesus" or some other such nonsense. I think Oba was blathering on about the CIA, FBI, or KKK or some other useless propaganda. One man, who was with the protest I think, had a camera and was looking at me after I had passed the crowd and watched for a minute from across the street. I hope he does not think I was a CIA agent checking out the "mighty" Black Fist. I might have given off the narc vibes, so I can see why I would stick out. I don't know if Greg Flannery was outside or not, but he did mention this protest in his latest column, which is not online yet, but should be today. If you were there Greg, I was the white guy in the green coat with glasses who walked by smiling at this free speech car wreck. If I was a totally synical guy I would call this a PR stunt for City Beat and the Black Fist, much like the plot of the 1987 classic movie Dragnet where BAIT magazine used an anti-porn cursading preacher to gin up circulation by launing a campaign against the magazine. I honestly don't think that is true, but it sure looks like it on the surface.

All in All I give my 20 second observation of the protest a 4 out of 5 stars rating. The rebuttal protestor was the apex of the event and it would have been nothing above a trite abortion clinic stye protest without him. If there is video, I would love to see a copy. Who knew that watching a small group of racists/bigots protesting could be so entertaining.

Black coalition: Time to put an end to killing
It is time now to put an end to killing? What was wrong with last year? Why now? Are these groups embarrassed by the number of blacks killed by blacks in this city? It appears that they are, and can no longer blame it on others. When a vast majority of those who are either under arrest or suspected for murders in Cincinnati are black, can everyone see that there is a disconnect? There is a problem. I commend this group for seeing a problem exists, but I think it is late in coming. If you have to make this kind of statement you know you have issues:

The moratorium calls for an end to turf and gang warfare, elimination of illegal drugs, drug trafficking and street crimes. Also, "the return of black pride and black love."

I have a problem with some members of the coalition, yet another coalition, but it is not reported to include the Black Fist nor the CJC. They may support the effort, but some in this new coalition are not on the best of terms with the CJC leaders or the Black Fist. Whenever you have the Nation of Islam involved however, concern is still warranted. Including “black pride” is something I find offensive. It to me sounds no different than someone considering “white pride” offensive, which I find insulting as well. I wonder if the Nation of Islam or other groups with similar bigoted/racist beliefs influenced this terminology.

On a different note: I have learned that tomorrow the Black Fist’s protest of City Beat is set to go off at Noon. They appear to be upset with City Beat’s correct characterization of the Black Fist’s anti-Jewish protest last month as bigoted. When you carry around signs like this, what you expect? If I have time, I may drop by and observe the show.

A look back at a wild and woolly 2002
The Post adds a full year in review to yesterday’s racial tension summary. The Post included Erpenbeck in its review, while the Enquirer did not. Both newspapers covered that story like a pimple faced girl collecting Backstreet Boys posters. I look for the Erpenbeck trial/plea to be just as over covered. Beyond those who got screwed by Erpenbeck, does anyone else care about the story? It is news, but how many weeks did they go with an Erpenbeck front-page story? I could have taken a little CCV propaganda or another white guilty story, just to break up the monotony. Where's a good OJ story when you need one?

King breakfast violates boycott, son says
Is King III serious? Does he expect the Mayor of a city to contribute to the boycott of his city? That is galling. That is ludicrous. That sounds typical for someone whoring for local credibility.