WLW's Idea of 9/11 Commemoration
WLW's Mike McConnell’s guest was Richard Miniter formerly from the Wall Street Journal and he is promoting his book blaming Bill Clinton for not getting Osama Bin Laden. The Blame Clinton crowd, of which WLW and Clear Channel are charter members, has stooped to an all time low. This guy claims to have proof of connections between Iraq and Al-Qaeda. If this exists, why was it not presented at the UN as a reason for attacking Iraq? Yes, you can now surmise that his claims of proof are just bullshit.


Everyone will be able to watch next summer during the campaign as WLW airs someone who will blame not finding WMD in Iraq on Clinton, as well as every other conservative talk radio station and FOX News. That will be their "meme" of choice to deflect Bush's WMD problem. This is the new tone of politics? It sounds like the old games of Dick Nixon. "Rat fucking" has lost the illegality and just become the Wurlitzer. Lady of Spain where are you?

Spencer vs. Cranley
The Spencer and Cranley camps have been duking it out over at cincymusic.com's message boards regarding the Main Street development issue. Lots of people stirring up the pot and just messing around, but a lot of good debate. The McMain Street battle wages on!

Kathy Y. Wilson Baffles Me
Her latest column is just all over the map. It is oddly as personal as any blogger could be and then some. She frets over being called "racist" by CityBeat News Editor Greg Flannery for criticizing other blacks. That is a ludicrous accusation on Greg's part. It is brought forward because of the revision of the meaning of the word "racism" by transnational progressives out there. I am not a tranzi, as some call them. I am an old school liberal. I don't change the rules when you want to make new enemies. A racist to some today is anyone they want to tar as bad, just because they oppose your policies or your opinions. Racism is like patriotism. Both terms are used as red herrings. Both terms are just the latest incarnations of demagoguery that was most famously illustrated in the communist witch-hunts of the late 1940's and 1950's.

I wish Greg had used a better term to classify Kathy. He could have used classist or elitist or just accused her of being prejudice. Using the "R" word is just the 50-foot pickle people like to use to beat others over the head. I just wished these comments from Kathy’s column were not really what many people believe:

"Racism is based on economics," I said. "They make more money than I do, and there's no way I can oppress them."

Racism for the record is generally the belief that a particular race of people or all other race outside of one own is inherently inferior. A race is "a group of people of common ancestry, distinguished from others by physical characteristics, such as hair type, color of eyes and skin, stature, etc. Principal races are Caucasoid, Mongoloid, and Negroid." Economics is not part of racism. Economics might play a factor in discrimination, but discrimination is not solely the result of one’s race. If a black person is poor it is not because they are black. If a white person is rich it is not because they are white. Capitalist societies have poor people. If you want to be a communist, fine, don't use race as the means to draw people into the revolution by creating a feeling of victim hood that can be blamed on your mark.

UPDATE: Greg Flannery emailed to correct me on a big point from Kathy's column. He did not call her a "racist". Instead, read Kathy's words:

He accused me of lumping all white T-shirt wearers together as dealers, of calling for their "extinction." He called my conclusions racist.

Greg's point is valid, and I apologize for the mistake. I would argue however that if a person draws racist conclusions, they would almost certainly be considered a de facto racist, so the distinction on paper is clear, in reality it is not. I still would contend my point was correct. Kathy's conclusions were not racist. She was either generalizing being prejudice, or just absolutely correct. The whole issue she talked about was about culture, not about race. That is another confusion people seem to make on purpose all to often.

Damon Lynch and Wife are "separated"
CityBeat has reported something that either I missed in the previous accounts of the Lynch residency issue or that the rest of the media did not report:

Kenneth Lawson, Lynch's attorney, presented affidavits from Damon and Johanna Lynch attesting to their marital separation.

So is this a real separation or a fake one? A minister's marriage is really in trouble, if we assume they did not lie in their affidavits, something I hope they are not willing to do. How is this not news? How come CityBeat reported this and not the Enquirer or the Post or any of the TV stations? Does CityBeat have either the inside scoop on the issue? Since this is all public record, I doubt that. Does CityBeat not fear being attacked by the CBUF, while the rest of the media does fear that?

All of my questions are interesting, but that still leaves one concern out there. Should this be an issue? I would say, in this case, it is fair game. Part of my position is clouded by the hypocrisy of any clergyman who can't keep his marriage in working order, but I think it still fair game because of the residency issue. Lynch's credibility is low, at least with those paying attention. The status of his marriage directly impacts that issue. The gory detail are not an issue, but the general status was and is. Now, does it matter if he or his wife is shacking up with anyone right now? Not at all. It makes for good blog fodder, but that is about it.

Overall the CityBeat article was a very straight forward article. It was as balanced as I have seen from one of their news stories. I hope they keep this kind of reporting up.

UPDATE: I missed the Post's report of Lynch's separation:

For Lynch, the challenge triggered an embarrassing look into his personal life that forced the Over-the-Rhine pastor to disclose publicly that he and his wife have separated. In an affidavit filed with the elections board Friday, Lynch stated that he has lived at the condo since at least mid-July.

That was very obvious, but I still missed it. Thanks to "Dolla" in the comments for correcting me.

UC "Child" Porn Professor
Ok, this guy sounds sick, but I have a question. How did people know what files he had on his computer?

Sharonville Police started investigating Luebbe two months ago after they were contacted by a computer technician at Micro Center in Sharonville, where Luebbe had taken his computer for repairs. The technician found several images of minors having sex, according to a police report. A police search of the computer turned up several hundred images of child pornography, according to police and prosecutors.

How did the computer technician find these pictures? Were the files called "child porn.jpg" or something similar? Why was this guy checking out these files? Are their known files out there that are "marked" child porn files that computer tech's can scan for? The only other way was that this technician was looking this guys files. Why would the technician look at his files? I also would like to know if these minors were teenagers or under 13 or 14. This makes a difference. If these are pictures of a 17 year old, then that is not the same thing as a 7 year old. Police don't seem to care to indicate a difference, but there is one. My grandmother was married at age 16 to my then 26-year-old grandfather, back in 1936. If they wanted to marry today instead of then, I would never have existed. My grandfather would have been labeled a sex offender and put in jail.

Now, I don't advise dating teenagers, unless you are a teenager, but this man will likely be mistreated in prison, even before he is convicted because we have a vengeful police force and a media that will exploit a sex crime faster than any other crime.

Vigilancia Politica 20030910
Well, another one. It was a slow week for stuff, but I made a little change. I included links to all of the stories I referenced for the candidates. They are organized by topic, as opposed to candidate. I am limited by some issues in the goxray.com site code. Let me know how bad this one is. I am not jumping for joy at it. I guess the stories are not as juicy as the last couple weeks have been, so I am going through a slight news withdrawal. I guess I have to go read up another fix.

Dick's in Town
Dick was in town shilling for the Kentucky GOP. I watch his motorcade roll down Sixth Street while I ate lunch. I was surprised to see an ambulance in the caravan. That might be standard issue for the VP and President, but with Chaney's health problems, it just looks like he could pop and artery over a big pothole.

I am more interested where Simon Leis's bill for extra police protection is? I saw at least one sheriff’s vehicle out securing the area. Dick was only in town to raise money for the GOP, or at least that was that was announced. When Bill Clinton did that Simon Leis sent a bill to the White House for providing security. Leis was sure to make it a big media event too. When he was not paid, he even went to court to try and recover the $8,490.34 from the Democratic Party. He wasn't playing politics with his office now was he? Is that an abuse of power? Ah, yeah, it is. Leis is getting more and more like J. Edgar Hoover everyday. If you ever see him in drag, you better leave town.

A big insult to the state of Kentucky: the VP is in town to raise money for a gubernatorial candidate and they hold the event in Ohio.

Spenser Hits Cranley Plan
Charter Committee Candidate Nick Spenser speaks out with a bite on Councilman John Cranley's plan to hire a consultant to study the Main Street entertainment district. The new little man has hit the original little man on council with a reasoned challenge to the hurry up and study an issue, instead of acting on it, plan. Nick is right on target with his criticism. Spending $100,000 bucks on a guy to state the obvious is pointless. If they guy has "contacts" then just admit what you are doing, paying a fee to try and lobby corporations to invest in new entertainment outlets in the Main Street. The better option is the fund local entrepreneurs or local corporations to invest in the city. Keep the money local, keep the control local, and you will make an authentic Cincinnati destination, not a carbon copy of someplace else.

Proof of the Ignorance and/or Stupidity of the American People
I am not surprised.

Nearly seven in 10 Americans believe it is likely that ousted Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein was personally involved in the Sept. 11 attacks, says a poll out almost two years after the terrorists' strike against this country.

People do not pay attention and they generally want to believe stuff, no matter how invalid to settle their fears. This just makes me sick that these same morons are charged with picking our leaders. Well, a large number of people, not this high, do not believe in evolution, so it makes sense where the numbers come from.

UPDATE: It appears that K-Lo at the Corner is either delusional or a big fan of Machiavelli, she says in a short post "AMERICANS GET THE WAR ON TERROR." No K-Lo they don't. All of the Muslim terrorist groups are not part of some vast Islamist-wing conspiracy. Bin Laden and company don't give a rat's ass about Israel, and I know you and the rest of the Neo-Con army knows this, but why do they continue the lie? The only other possible thing is that they actually think Saddam was behind 9/11. This is the OJ-fication of the right. They have managed to convince themselves something is true, even though all known evidence says otherwise. I guess George is looking for the WMD as intensely as OJ is looking for the real killers. If it is Iraq, we can justify an attack.

UPDATE#2: Kevin Drum of Calpundit fame found similar problems with K-Lo's post above.

Details on the Lynch Residency Hearing
Korte has the details. The vote was unanimous. The GOP seems not to want to make this a real issue. Pete Witte instead indicated that he will not let the issue die. He will let the legal challenge drop, but he will go after Lynch as an outsider, using the "carpetbagging" charge leveled on Hillary Clinton in her run for Senate in NY. It did not work against Hillary, but Cincinnati is not New York, in about a million different ways.

The barbs quoted in Korte's article are harsh and bodes well for those expecting a nasty campaign. Witte's comments included

But he said he would "go on the campaign trail and show that I'm the complete opposite of Damon Lynch."

"I don't consider our police to be rapists, racists and murderers, and I don't think that kind of rhetoric is going to make sure our neighborhoods are safer places for our families to live," he said.

Lynch did not back down and surprisingly did not try and retract his letter maligning the police:

"I stand by those words. Police officers in this city have done those things," he said.

I could be haste here and throw out a Betty Davis quote, but alas I would rather just genuflect on the moment. We have a real live campaign folks. We might actually have dueling press releases, and real live arguments at a debate. With an action filled debate, might a local TV or radio station actually consider broadcasting live such debate? Could we really experience politics here in stuffy Cincinnati?
...
...
Nah! I expect to get the same tired old blah blah blah from the broadcast outlets. The papers will be sleeping through this, except for Korte. We might have 1230thebuzz do something, but they would likely only stick to Lynch's team, leaving the rest to beg WLW to care about a city that does not contain most of their listeners. Same old, same old.

More on the Lynch residency issue from the Post.

Anti-Miami Bias?
A Miami football player does something really stupid, gets busted by the cops, will be punished by the courts and by the school. This news draws a prominent Metro section article in the Enquirer? I must once again make my own personal bias known. I am a Miami graduate and I have been suffering from a Don Quixote syndrome for years in regards to the anti-Miami coverage in the Cincinnati Press. I have looked towards both a UC and Ohio U alumni as the culprits. Both schools have no love towards Miami. Now, my charge at windmills is partially tongue in cheek and partially real. I do see an overall negative spin against Miami sports and the school in general. There is no vast anti-Miami conspiracy, but when UC quarterback Gino Guidugli was arrested for assault I don't think it got this level of coverage.

The other contributing element of this is the player's name, Parseghian, which is big in college football history. This story was given far to much coverage for what the underlying crime involved. Well, Miami will, as usual, survive. I think we need a full-blown journalism school.

Simon Leis at the Harvest Home Parade
A friend pointed me to this article:

Hamilton County Sheriff Simon Leis Jr. (and the 12-foot-tall inflatable doll of him) brings out his entire arsenal, including helicopters, mounted patrols, paddy wagons and a K-9 unit with a barking German shepherd in back.

Little did we know that the mighty Simon Leis doll is something of a tradition as this articles from CityBeat can attest: 03/19/2003 and 03/22/2001. This reminds me of "Otto" the autopilot from the movie Airplane. I think I need to conjure up the "Stay Puff Marshmallow Man" to battle the Simon Leis blow-up doll. Why doesn't the Hustler store sell these? Leis has been screw the Flynts for 30 years, why can't someone else return the favor?

Lynch Officially on Ballot
With no explanation reported the Board of Elections has certified Damon Lynch III to appear on the ballot for Cincinnati City Council. This was not a major surprise. I am sure the GOP is both happy and sad. They would like nothing better than damaging the reputation of Damon Lynch, but they are equally happy to have someone that they hope will bring out the conservative vote.

My wonder know, will the gloves stay off or will Pete Witte try to bloody up his knuckles a little more? Pete can still push the issue of the alleged lack of payment of non-city resident tuition for Walnut Hills School that Lynch's should have paid for his kid(s) that attended that school. Will this issue die? Now that they ballot issue is decided will the Enquirer unless Greg Korte on Lynch, or would they prefer to keep in the race to make it fun? I would find it much more fun if they went after this issue. Where any laws broken? What political reporter can resist a case of possible law breaking by a candidate for public office? If this issue goes unsettled, I hope I never hear Damon Lynch ever utter the words "white privilege." I don't really want to be physically sick, but that level of hypocrisy would make me bring up lunch and breakfast.

Denise Smith-Amos's column was a bit wishy washy. If you want to remedy the issue, you have to dig into his personal life. If the allegation is that he is lying about where he is living, then you have to find out where he is living, thus the personal questions. I guess the Board of Elections chose to follow Denise’s formula. The details don’t matter, the overall appearance of democracy is better than the rule of law, kind of like how the Florida election was decided. Bush after all “appeared to have won,” so that was good enough for the SCOTUS.

McMain Street?
After reading this article I have the feeling that Main Street may not be a vibrant strip of cutting edge bars and restaurants and instead become a tourist trap. A Hard Rock Cafe? Are they serious? Why not just open a fast food joint? Don't make your marquee establishments outside corporate businesses. We need local business to thrive, not remote corporate cookie cutter franchises.

Again, if you want a feel for the nightlife here in Cincinnati, Cincinnati Tomorrow has a great weekly event where they take you to vibrant and "happening" places around town, with a heavy focus on the Main Street area. I have to apologize to those folks for missing last night’s event. My mind was up for it, but my body was not. I will though be joining them in the coming weeks.

My advice to the City, keep the crap the wimpish suburbanites want on the riverfront, let the urbanists have Main Street. Give Main Street the same attention you are giving it, just keep out the national chains.

The Kroger Garage
This is clearly the next issue that each council candidate has to answer. I will try and get them all to answer for my VigPol column next week, but I would guess the tap dancing on it will rival that of the Late Gregory Hines. Alicia seems like she is gunning for a grandstanding record. Here is a media round up of articles:
Enquirer: Greg Korte, Greg again.
Post: Kevin Osborne
WCPO: Here

CityBeat Error
I think Stephanie Dunlap needs to review the facts about Cynthia McKinney. She wrote

Speakers also included the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, former U.S. Rep. Walter Fauntroy (D-Wash., D.C.) and former U.S. Rep. Cynthia McKinney (D-Ga.), widely considered to have lost reelection because of her vocal opposition to invading Iraq.

Cynthia McKinney lost in the Democratic primary because she opposed the resolution authorizing use of force against Afghanistan, not Iraq. The primary was held in August of last year before the vote to authorize the use of force in Iraq. She did not support the Iraq War, but no, she lost because of Afganistan and her desire to investigate the possibility that Bush knew about 9/11 before it happened. Tin foil hats might be standard issue for some at CityBeat, but the rest of us liberals would rather keep the nut cases out of the spot light.

Sponsored by Brian Garry for Council
Greg Flannery's column this week writes this about council candidate Brian Garry:

The Rev. Damon Lynch III wasn't the only city council candidate who joined the 40th Anniversary March on Washington last week. Brian Garry, another independent candidate, also went. That's not the only activity the two candidates share. Lynch, like Garry, is reaching out to young African Americans in inner city neighborhoods. Garry has been going to "Short Vine" Street in Corryville on Sunday nights for several weeks, saying he wants to represent urban youth. Lynch also is campaigning there.

When Harry Belafonte visited last week, Lynch took him to Ollie's, a restaurant in Over-the-Rhine. If Garry and Lynch can mobilize thousands of young black voters, they might be able to channel a political force that's never really been felt in Cincinnati.

Shill is just too week a word for this. Ok, Greg and City Beat like Brian Garry. Fine, but honest questions are being raised about a council candidate's credibility and what does CityBeat report? They instead heap praise on him, (the him being Damon Lynch of course). Why not just roll over and endorse Damon Lynch now, save us from the suspense.

I see Greg mentioned Harry Belafonte’s visit. No mention of Cynthia McKinney, I wonder why?

Lynch-Gate
Okay folks, I think I am willing to come out and state the obvious here: this is now officially a scandal. Today's articles have the goods, just don't connect the dots: Greg Korte, Roy Wood, and Kevin Osborne. Now, all of the dots are not clear, but I think enough is there to point to the truth. The two bottom line issue are that Damon Lynch lied to Greg Korte when he said he has been living in Price Hill for 2 years, and his son's enrollment at a Cincinnati Public school without being a city resident raises the issue of out of city tuition. Now the facts.

Lynch's Lie?
What Lynch said in Korte's 08/26/2003 column:

Lynch himself seems nonplussed by the issue. "I've lived there for two years," he said of his Price Hill pad. "It's public record. It's easy to prove - just ask my neighbors. It's a real non-issue, and anyone who raises it is ignoring other issues that need to be discussed."

Now the comments from Ken Lawson, Lynch's lawyer:

Regardless, Lynch has lived in the condo for months, often staying there after working at his church until late at night, Lawson added.

and the report confirming Lynch was a resident of Woodlawn as of June 2003

But Lynch has claimed a 2.5 percent property tax credit on his Woodlawn residence, most recently in June. The state credit, which saves Lynch $77.06 yearly in taxes, may only be claimed on property that is owner-occupied.

So what does this say? To me it says that last week Lynch claimed he had lived in Price Hill for two years, but this week his lawyer says he lived there only a matter of "months. " As of June this year Lynch "declared" to the State of Ohio that he was a resident of Ohio by his act of accepting the special state tax credit. In my opinion that is clearly a lie. In an effort to get on the ballot at the last minute, Damon Lynch was not honest to the public. Is this a crime? I don't think so. Should this be reported in the big press? Well, the pieces are there, but why is no one connecting the dots?

Walnut Hills Tuition
This is a thorny issue for the Lynch family. The Post reported today:

One of Lynch's sons, Eric, attends Walnut Hills High School within the city and doesn't pay non-city resident tuition, which would be about $6,200 annually.

This is where questions need to be asked. How long as Eric Lynch attended Walnut Hills High School? Did he attend last year when his family was claiming residency in Woodlawn? If so, then did the Lynch family pay tution for last year or prior years? Will he now pay tuition for the current year? Does this rise to the level of fraud? Is anyone in a place of power asking these questions? Is the School Board asking these questions? Is Mike Allen asking?

What is keeping Greg Korte from exploring these two issues? The Post's Kevin Osborne has taken on this issue, why not Korte? Larry Frazier was torn apart in a Korte column, but not Lynch. Is he holding back or being held back? Maggie Downs had a column on Convergys held back during the debate on that issue, is Korte being held back in a similar manner until Lynch's ballot status is resolved? It would be odd since these issues directly relate to his residency status and his motives for owning two residences. This makes me wonder. If I can see these facts, I would think others would.

Jene Galvin earned the title of "Stupid Galvin" this week by doing Damon Lynch's dirty laundry.

"Politically, this is the cheapest of political shots and, sadly, it has racial overtones," said Jene Galvin, an adviser to Lynch.

Come on Jene, don't play the race card. Make Lynch do it himself. If a man is going to cry racism, one would hope he is going to make the claim himself, instead of using his white surrogate to shield him from hypocrisy. I wonder if Nate Livingston's challenge to Pat DeWine's residency has "racial overtones?" Hmm, I wonder what Gene would say about that?

UPDATE: Chris Anderson adds some comments. His opinion of Jene Galvin's tactics are akin to mine, but he brings up the hypocricy with a much more vivid view.

Chris Anderson Returns!
And with a roar towards Krogers.

Vigilancia Politica 20030903
I don't know if this one is as good as the last column, but at least it is done. I have some more fun at the expense of a few candidates and other political cast members. If anyone see any areas need address please let me know. I am considering having a theme week next week, maybe a profile of the criminal records for all candidates. I don't know, but that might be worth checking.

Fireworks and XRay
I am set to go to the fireworks tonight, weather permitting, and I have to gear up my writing for www.goxray.com, so for the next couple of days blogging will be light. I might do a really short post or two, or just something silly. It is a holiday weekend so my regular audience is likely out on holiday too. Hope everyone has a safe Labor Day!

Mixed Messages at MLK III Rally
Our esteemed editor over at XRay Magazine, Steve Novotni, has written up an excellent article on the rally last Thursday in commemoration of the 40th anniversary of the March on Washington. The story is excellently written and has facts you will not hear much about in the rest of the media, especially the disappointing views espoused by former congresswoman Cynthia McKinney.

Corporate Extortion
Kroger is playing hardball. How close does this threat to move out of the city unless they get a parking garage really come to extortion?

§ 2905.11 Extortion

(A) No person, with purpose to obtain any valuable thing or valuable benefit or to induce another to do an unlawful act, shall do any of the following:
(1) Threaten to commit any felony;
(2) Threaten to commit any offense of violence;
(3) Violate section 2903.21 or 2903.22 of the Revised Code;
(4) Utter or threaten any calumny against any person;
(5) Expose or threaten to expose any matter tending to subject any person to hatred, contempt, or ridicule, or to damage any person's personal or business repute, or to impair any person's credit.(B) Whoever violates this section is guilty of extortion, a felony of the third degree.
(C) As used in this section, "threat" includes a direct threat and a threat by innuendo.

Bold Added.

Now, a creative person could construe a "person" to include the government. Kroger is arguably "threatening" to leave the city, unless they can obtain parking garage from the city ( a thing of value). Kroger's threat to leave the city it will cause the city government to be hated, be ridiculed by every media outlet, open up the city to other corporations looking for hand outs, and damage the city's credit rating by hurting city tax revenue if it does leave. Their are legal and factual reason why Kroger is not really extorting the city, but I have no idea what they are.

Wes Flinn comments on Kroger, as does Barry at CincyTomorrow. Here is the Post's article.

A Cadaver Search?
A little birdie sent me an email today with a link to the Gannett's job postings. The Cincinnati Enquirer is seeking a writer, copy editor, designer, and assistant editor "for its soon-to-be-launched weekly publication targeting readers age 25-34. "

I am torn. If they had an opening specifically for a "blogger", I would updating my resume as we speak, but I just do see this publication being anything other than "Enquirer lite". If they are only adding 1 writer, does that mean that most of the content will be wire copy or syndicated articles from other Gannett papers? Will they be just sponging off the rest of the main paper's staff for most of the local content? I am still not seeing the added value to Cincinnatians, especially us 25-34 year olds.

In case someone at the Enquirer is reading this (which at least one or two do) a serious suggestion: Create a separate web page for the new weekly publication, separate from Cincinnati.com, but make original online content. Make it a "group blog". Let all of the Age 35 and under writers at the main paper post their "unedited" comments on whatever topics they want. This works great for the Dallas Morning News Editorial Page staff. To maintain control hire a blog editor to keep the blog in check, filter out the daft commenters, and keep it up-to-date. Now, who has experience editing a blog? (cough, cough)

MLK Rally
Ok, two things from this rally. First, What the hell are Amanda Mayes and Nate Livingston doing? Can there be any doubt that their cause is one of self aggrandizing, greed, and hate? They protested MLK III !!!. That would be like Archbishop Daniel Pilarcyzk picketing a visit from the Pope.

The second issue is choice of the speakers, especially former congresswoman Cynthia McKinney. McKinney was defeated in a primary fight last year and blamed her loss on "the Jews." I don't have a full report of the content of her speech at the rally, but I am concerned it is straying from what I have perceived as MLK's message. I will not bother to go into Harry Belafonte. Mr. Belafonte's views on Colin Powel are well known, and most offensive. Including these two speakers in an event such as this would in my opinion cause Martin Luther King Jr. to spin in his grave. Dr. King fought against bigotry and racism. I wish his son could have chosen people to commemorate him, who do not have animosity towards people who are not "people of color."

Downs' Town
Glad to see Maggie doing another meaty topic this week. Downtown is a safe place for people to visit. Now, it is not crime free, but if you really want a sterile community, stay in your subdivision. If you want be in the City, come downtown. I can also attest that the Main Street area has a little bit of everything for everyone: for the hipster, for the hottie, and even for geeks like me.

Residency for Sale?
The Post reports that Damon Lynch III's Woodlawn house has a for sale sign in the front yard. Is this his plan? Move now and forget his alleged lie of the present? It is odd that he claimed to live in East Price Hill for 2 years. I wonder if there are even enough bedrooms there for his entire family. Where is Greg Korte on this issue? Can't he expose the lies? Is there a reason why the Enquirer has not slammed Lynch for his residency? Larry Frazier certainly has been slammed for his troubles. Why hasn't Lynch faced the piper?

Down Goes Frazier, Down Goes Frazier
Larry Fazier is toast. He had no real chance of winning a council seat, but this seals his fate. The Board of Election is close to forwarding his case to the county prosecutor involving fraudulent addresses on voter registrations. The man is trying to help the homeless, but he has just stabbed himself in the heart. Can a felon serve on city council? Mr. Fraizer may want to look into the ramifications of voter fraud. Tyrone K. Yates can't save him now.

Cincinnati Today
It is late, I am home, and I am feeling fine. I am just back from a night on the town with the folks from Cincinnati Tomorrow. We started at Kaldi's, went on to the Deogracias Lerma Gallery, and ended up at Plush. I had the best time I have had in months. A special thanks go out to Stacey, James, Barry, Sean, and Jay. I will be back for more after 5 events and I encourage you to get of your ass and join us. I speak as one who is totally inept at socialization, and even I was able to make new friends. If I can do it, anyone with a pea size brain can.

Lynch Not Certified for Ballot
Damon Lynch is not yet certified by the Hamilton County Board of Elections. On September 5th the board will meet to decide the fate of Lynch's candidacy. All 25 other candidates will be on the ballot.

Lynch's troubles seem to be mounting. The Whistleblower Newswire alleges that one of his children goes to Walnut Hills High School and claims the East Price Hills address as his home address, but uses the Woodlawn house’s phone number. Is this in jest or fact? Would Lynch be committing a crime if he pretended to live in East Price Hills to avoid paying tuition to Walnut Hills for his child? If nothing else, if Lynch did not pay tuition for his child, would the school board now be able to collect? Would they even investigate these allegations? If these allegations are true, why are they not in the newspapers? Mike McConnell of WLW today commented on other "facts" he had, as in a reference to utility bills. Mike wondered if Lynch would just get a pass. Well, if Mike has the story, when will it be in print? When will WKRC-TV run it? I will be watching for it.

Vigilancia Politica 20030827
I put my thumb in a few eyes, including my own, so if you want a review of Cincinnati politics check out my latest political column.

CPS Students MIA
Everyone on talk radio today had something to say about this here in Cincinnati. It is a big problem that solely rests on the shoulders of the parents of the kids not in school. No one can be blamed in the future for not teaching their kids, when their kids were not there to be taught.

I am happy for once the conservatives are not blaming the schools, which is the normal whipping boy. Schools can't force kids to come to school, parents and the police must do it.

The only problem I have with the number is it validity. Does this number account for kids who are at different schools or move out of the district? From the Enquirer's article:

Of 39,784 students expected to show up for school, 30,492 made it to class, according to figures called in by each school. The rate of attendance for last year's first day was not immediately available.

What qualifies as a student "expected" to show for school? I wonder if they will publish attendance for the following days? Will the total number of kids change? Something is missing, but when has a press release every told the whole story?

Cockfight?
No, I am not talking about the city council race. Seven men have pled not guilty to charges stemming from a cockfight. If anyone says the tri-state is not stuck in the 19th century, send them this link.

Garnering Attention?
Former assistant police chief Ron Twitty got a sweet deal for admitting he was not totally forthright about an incident with his police issued vehicle after it was damaged. Now a police sergeant faces similar action. Unlike Twitty, this officer quit the next day. An investigation is still pending. I wonder the reaction. Will she play the race card? Well, she is white, so I doubt that. She could play the sex card, but that does not get as much media attention. I would guess she will not be getting a nice retirement deal for being at fault, unlike Mr. Twitty. I guess equity is subjective. Will the CBUF support her? Will Candidate Lynch come out to support her? Will her community rally around her for being oppressed by the "man"? I doubt it. She deserves to be prosecuted under the law and could still face punishment.

Boycott B Takes a Turn at Bat
A blueprint for ending boycott is what the CJC is offering the city, which in really is just yet another call for the city to "meet their demands." In the game of PR I often wonder why reporters don't ask more questions of those whose only purpose in talking with the media is to use them to gain power, which in the case of the CJC is a relative thing. They have little power, so any negligible gain in power will be a 10 fold increase that they will crow about for months.

CCV Letter in Enquirer?
This letter (last) from today's Enquirer laments Maggie Downs' Dustin Flynt Column:

What's so charming about young Flynt?

Whatever college that reporter Maggie Downs received her journalism degree from needs to beef up the curriculum with a few classes in logic.

Her Metro section front-page story ["He's a different Flynt off the old stone," Aug. 22] extolling pornographer Dustin Flynt's charm, diligence, and commitment to his work as virtues that should somehow elevate him to the level of being "just like all other young, thriving entrepreneurs" is a new low in journalistic taste - not to mention an insult to all young, thriving entrepreneurs with a conscience.

It's a shame that, as a younger man, Dustin once had to bear a stigma for the actions of his family; however, his choice as an adult has been to dive head first into the family cesspool instead of walking away from it.

This charming, committed, diligent, polished "entrepreneur" makes his living in an industry that exploits women and appeals to our basest instincts.

What exactly is it that Maggie finds redeeming and charming about that, and what makes her think we want to choke down such drivel with our morning coffee?

Interesting to note that the article lauding young Flynt was juxtaposed with one lambasting the Archdiocese of Cincinnati for not acting severely enough in the case of a priest who was allowed to remain in ministry after undergoing treatment for alcoholism and sexual issues.

Someone who has presumably been treated, faced and resolved his issues, and gone on to a life of helping others might be worth reading about, but then again, a story like that might take looking below the surface and considering the truth.

Bob Furia, School counselor, West Chester

Two questions arise, How long has Bob been a supporter of the CCV? (yes, a leading question your honor) Was printing this letter either an appeasement to the factions at the paper that did not want this column published or was printing a letter like this part of the deal made with Maggie to allow the column to run? What I found odd was how person the letter got with Maggie. Bob Furia was down right belittling Maggie. This coming from a school counselor, or what I used to call a school guidance counselor, often considered the low man on the educationally qualified totem pole. Well, if Bob can get personal, why can't I?

Bronson's Almost Correct
What, no 10 commandments? I guess his editors wanted him to stick to local issues. Today he gnaws on Damon Lynch III. I have to say that I agree with many of Peter's points. I really hate that, but Lynch's candidacy begs many questions, which Peter raises, but Lynch poorly answers.

1. How can a man who owns 2 homes, had to move into the city to run for office, and drives a nice car really feel he can speak for the poor better than the Democrats? (Peter's ad hominem attack on the "tax and spend" Dems was his token propaganda for the day)

2. How can a person leading a boycott against a city then become one of its political offices in charge of bettering the city? Will Lynch renounce the boycott if he wins? If he does not make that pledge before hand, how can anyone trust him? How can a council candidate advocate harming the city? Does that violate his oath?

3. How does a person who demands Cincinnati Public Schools teach an "Afro-centric" curriculum not be considered at least a bigot? Do immigrants from Australia require and "Oceanian-centric" curriculum?

I am surprised Peter did not push the Pete Witte position on the validity of Lynch's city residentcy. It will be interesting to measure the level of positive vs. negative media attention Lynch will get this fall. The Buzz will be giving him basically free advertising that should be investigated if it is not considered an in-kind contribution. WLW will bash him at every chance. The local TV will ask the question "what election?" The papers will give the most mixed coverage. I can see both the Post & Enquirer bashing Lynch while giving him tons of space to voice his opinions. XRay Magazine will of course be fair and balanced. This blog will likely be negative on Lynch. I don't see what good his candidacy can brings, except entertainment value to us political junkies.

Missing Question for Alabama Judge
In the mess that is the Supreme Court of Alabama, I have wondered about one of the claims of Chief Justice Roy Moore. Many times in interviews Moore made a George Wallace style state's rights claim where he swore an oath to uphold the Constitution of the State of Alabama. During those interviews why has he not been asked whether or not he swore an oath to also uphold the Constitution of the United States of America? According to this from the Alabama Constitution, this shall be the oath of office for “All members of the legislature, and all officers, executive and judicial, before they enter upon the execution of the duties of their respective offices, shall take the following oath or affirmation:“

"I, …, solemnly swear (or affirm, as the case may be) that I will support the Constitution of the United States, and the Constitution of the State of Alabama, so long as I continue a citizen thereof; and that I will faithfully and honestly discharge the duties of the office upon which I am about to enter, to the best of my ability. So help me God."

I seem to see the US Constitution there listed before that of Alabama. Now of course you see the "so help me god" part and you may wish to throw that back into my face, well I will point your eyes to the inserted reference to "affirm" instead of swear, which to me allows one to affirm support and skip the "god" at the end, as is allowed in all courts under law.

It seems that journalists on TV have been lazy in reporting this and Judge Moore has been dishonest for not stating this. I wonder if this will be included in any possible charges for failure to carry out his duty as Chief Justice.

Trouble for Lynch?
The residency controversy involving Council Candidate Damon Lynch III is heating up. Republican candidate Pete Witte is pushing the issue of Lynch's residency. Witte is questioning the validity of Lynch's change in residency to East Price Hill. The laws here are odd. The city only requires 30 days, but a state law indicates that a married couple must share the same residence, unless they are separated. The Post reports that Lynch's kids go to Princeton school, not Cincinnati Public. Now, doesn't at least one parent have to live in Princeton district for his kids to be allowed to go to that school with out some kind of special tuition or does property ownership over rule that? Are the kids able to claim self-residency because of where they reside?

Witte is pushing the issue because Lynch is high on the list to make it on council. Witte is one of two GOP candidates thought by many to have a good shot to get on council, along with Leslie Ghiz. Witte seeks two things here, to either force Lynch out of the race (or tarnished enough to not be a factor) or to paint him as an outsider to gain more west side support.


More from the Enquirer (2nd item).

Yet Another Bronson Hack Job: Redskins Today, Redskins Tomorrow, Redskins Forever
A few notes to Peter Bronson on his column.

1. I have to wonder where your self rule for school districts went? The school Board in Anderson Township acted. Guess what? If the residents of that school district don't like what happened they can be voted out. I would like to remind him of something else. I bet the entire school board in Anderson are REPUBLICANS, so he should call his masters at the county GOP and complain.

2. Does Peter really think "liberal" is an insult? Well no, it is not an insult, unless you call a conservative one, so keep us out of your inter party crusades.

3. I also have to point out one PC thing that Peter seems to miss: THE FUCKING CCV AND PHIL BURRESS!!!!!!!! Where are attacks on Phil and his army of fascists out to rid this city of all things "objectionable?" Oh wait you are part of that army. You are a firm believer of "do what I say, not what I do." Political Correctness is bad when liberals do it, but when a pious theocrat goes on a tirade you stand up and cheer. Hypocrisy to the extreme.

4. Your direct line to the Miami College Republicans goes back years. I wonder if you have ever even met anyone else not a Republican from Miami. Well your buddy Brad Beckett brought up an interesting point:

"There are professional folks who go around the country whipping up political correctness," Beckett said. "It was swift and silent."

Now who else goes around the country whipping up PC cries? Well just go visit the crowd standing outside the Alabama Supreme Court and you will see religious zealots from all over the country sticking their noses in to Alabama’s pot. Now, where's the outrage for Theocrat Judge Moore Peter? I will not be surprised to read Peter's Sunday Column to find him defending Judge Moore, but I think instead he will use this a reason for confirming AG Pryor of Alabama to the Federal Court. I would bet Peter might even say this proves Pryor is fit to serve. Pryor will be investigating Moore for defying a Federal Court. This is politically convenient for Moore, who has been criticized for his views on religion in government, which are basically the same as Moore.

Bottom line: Don't piss into the wind. In this case, I am the wind and I am pissing back.

Business Courier "Survey" on Luken
The Cincinnati Business Courier did a survey and only 29% of respondents approved of the way Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken's was performing his job. Now before you start sawing wood for Charlie's political coffin, you might want to know that this survey was of Business Courier readers. Now if you generalize about Business Courier readers, which is not difficult to do, you can understand that they are going to be mostly business and corporate types. A overwhelming majority people like that in this town are two things, Republican and not city of Cincinnati residents.

Boycott B Shut Out of Council Race?
According to the Enquirer the 26 council candidates to officially file include:

Democrats: Howard Bond, Samuel Britton, Y. Laketa Cole, John Cranley, David Crowley, David Pepper, Alicia Reece

Republicans: John Connelly, Terry Deters, Pat DeWine, Leslie Ghiz, Tom Jones, Sam Malone, Chris Monzel, Barbara Trauth,
Pete Witte

Charterites: John Schlagetter, Cristopher Smitherman, Nick Spencer, Jim Tarbell

Independents: Larry J. Frazier, Brian Garry, Glenn Givens Sr., Marilyn Hyland, Damon Lynch III, Eric Wilson

Who is missing? Hal Mckinney and William Kirkland. Mr. Kirkland is a member of Boycott B and his own personal extremist group. He is a regular member of the clown posse who infests city council meetings. I know he was getting signatures, Glenn Givens even said he signed Kirkland's petition. Kirkland made the ballot in 2001, so I am actually surprised he did not make it this year.

Next Wednesday the Board of Elections will make the ballot official. At that point we will confirm if all 26 people got 500 valid signatures.

The Enquirer also reports here on other races and issues in Hamilton County.

UPDATE: The Post gives an additional summary along with word that the GOP may challenge Lynch's residency. Also a Post Story on Larry Frazier's signature problems and a new allegation of misuse of public equipment for political purposes.

UPDATE#2: Wes Flinn has some comments on one of the issue from the Post article, the disolving of the village of North Bend, birth place of Miami University's own Benjamin Harrison, as well the grave site for Ben's Grandfather William Henry Harrison.

Flint the Younger
This column had, according to "sources", a long and difficult journey to the publication. I am glad Maggie was able to write this column and it was given the light of day. I am sure the hate mail will fly in from Burress and his army of brown shirts, but this story shows that for every hot button issue that permeates up into the media maelstrom there are human beings living inside and with those issues.

26 Filed for City Council
WCPO reports that 26 candidates filed paperwork for Cincinnati City Council. 28 candidates had announced they were running. If I speculate I would say Hal McKinney and Eric Wilson were the candidates not getting the signatures. Larry Frazier has possible issues with some of his signatures, but likely still had enough to get on the ballot.

Nothing to Worry about for CityBeat?
According to quotes from this Boston Globe story, the mainstream free newspapers started by the Tribune and Sun-Times in Chicago did not hurt the Alternative weeklies, at least according to the publisher of the Chicago Reader:

Jane Levine, publisher of the 32-year-old Chicago Reader, says the new Chicago tabloids have not eroded her readership. ''They're supposed to be youth-oriented publications, [but] they don't want to be alternative at all,'' says Levine. She adds that a healthy dose of ''attitude'' distinguishes the truly alternative press.

If the Enquirer weekly mimics every other similar "youth" targeted mainline paper, then CityBeat will survive with only a few revenue scrapes.

They're Looting the Food King!
I guess we don't need to buy the 500 pack of "D" batteries or the jumbo size adult diapers when we read headlines like "Officials: City prepared for power outage." I feel safer just thinking about our wonderful city council on the watch for power outages. I have to panic a bit when my power, along with all of Mt. Washington, was out for at least a half an hour this past Monday. It did not even make the news. Damn, I figured the local TV news would have interrupted regular programming to tell me that I had no power.

Making a Claim of Responsibility
Did I have anything to do with indirectly prompting John Fox, CityBeat Editor, to write this editorial on why he moved Savage Love to a Web-only column? It seems as if a day or so after I posted this, a special PR link was add to the CityBeat website. It is perfectly reasonable to think that many staffers at CityBeat were simultaneously drawing the same conclusion I did from last weeks CityBeat letters to the editor. CincyNation.com ran with what I observed, so it was news to at least one other person.

If anyone at CityBeat did read my blog and checked out my conclusion from the source, than I make a full claim of responsibility for the reaction, otherwise I am just a blogger with an over blown ego.

New Local Blog
I have added Wes Flinn's blog, Walk in Brain, to my blog roll. Wes does a good job with it. It is still new, but he keeps it updated regularly. He covers mostly national issues, but he throws in local references when ever possible. Please welcome him to the Cincinnati Blogging Community.

In case his name sounds familiar you might remember him from his 2001 Cincinnati City Council campaign. I hope to hear his thoughts on this year's race. If Lynch gets the signatures by Thursday, it will be raucous.

Ohio Redistricting
It appears we have some power hungry Republicans here in Ohio. A gaggle of GOP State legislators is trying to change the North Eastern congressional districts to try and help solidify the GOP's hold on the US House. Calpundit had thoughts on this, as does Kenneth Cavness, and Wes Flinn. I think this is all talk. GOP power in this state is shallow. They have all of the statewide offices because voter turn out stinks like Lake Eire in July. The Libertarian leaning Republicans would not support this and it could actually backfire. I think DeWine and Voinovich can keep it from happing.

[Via Atrios]

Remind Me Never to Hang Up on Greg Korte
Larry Frazier, council candidate, seems to have a few problems. Greg Korte of the Enquirer smells blood in the water and is going in for the kill. His column yesterday basically sunk Frazier's campaign, which was dinky to begin with, but this story could bring criminal charges against Frazier, adding to his prior problems with the law. Will Frazier be the first independent candidate to fall?

UPDATE: Further Media coverage - WCPO, WLWT, and ONN.

Turning Water to Wine
It appears the NAACP has awoken from its slumber and wants Charlie Luken to pull a miracle out of his ass. While Charlie is at it I demand that he provide a clean and economical energy source to replace the combustible engine and produce world peace. What I really do not get: how can one demand that you meet the demands that someone else wants you to meet and which you do not have the power to meet? It is so bizarre that the boycotters think there is a man behind the curtain pulling the strings running the city, keeping them down. There are no secret meetings where the "man" plots to keep the "black man" down. Tin foil hats anyone?

Damon Lynch III to Run for City Council
Lincoln Ware reported on his radio program that Damon Lynch III is running for Cincinnati City Council. A press conference is scheduled at this hour (10:00 AM) with an official announcement.

This shakes up the race and messes up my debut of Vigilancia Politica (tongue in cheek). At this point he will only be an Independent candidate and only has until Thursday to get the signatures needed to get on the ballot. Lynch reportedly will be on air with Lincoln on the Buzz after his press conference.

UPDATE: Lynch on the Buzz stated that he will be working until 4 PM on Thursday to gain signatures. This sounds like a truly last minute push. He appears to have Ken Lawson in his corner. Will that be source of funding?

UPDATE#2: Media Round up - Enquirer, Post, WCPO, and WLWT. The big news that needs more attention is from the Post's story:

It remains unclear how Lynch, who works in Cincinnati but lives in Forest Park, will qualify for city residency to seek office.

Would he consider sharing an apartment with Nate Livingston?

Vigilancia Politica 2003-08-19
I have started a new politcal column over at GoXRay.com. I am looking for any feedback and tips on what candidates are doing on the campaign trial, so let me know.

Black Family Reunion
Organizers made every effort to avoid a repeat of last year's melee. Last night they could not stop a group of what WCPO reported were 500 teenagers converging on downtown. There were some minor scuffles, but no injuries or property damage was reported. A few fights were reported and a few arrests were made. Pictures show a large group of kids on Government Square presumably waiting for bus rides home. It appears the same problem existed as last year. Parents either left their kids down at the family reunion, or did not go with them at all, forcing the kids to travel home in mass by bus. This year trouble was avoided because police and other security were better prepared and kept order. Last year they were not prepared. What will the response be after the event? What will happen tonight after the event? If organizers keep up their efforts and police keep up their efforts, then nothing worse than a few kids will get out of hand. I hope the police will be thanked for keeping things from getting out of control, and not vilified for doing what parents should be doing.

Friends of Simon Leis?
Are the Troy, Ohio Police friends of the Hamilton County Sheriff? If they are not friends, they seem to have the same target: porn. This time though it is a strip club, not video stores. I have to ask, is this an election year in Troy? I also must ask, have they solved all crimes with actual victims in Troy? If not, why are they grandstanding with a PR induced prosecution? Yes, Virginia, yet another rhetorical question.

Commissioner Dowlin to Run Again
The 73 year old will seek another term next year for Hamilton County Commissioner. Dowlin is anti-rail and it would be nice to get someone not as set in his ways, yes you can read old in that comment. Age is not a factor, but when based on age you don't wish to change, that becomes a problem. This fellow thinks "Even though he opposes light rail, he says were it adopted today it would take 30 years to implement and he was[sic] other, faster alternatives." Just because he will not alive to enjoy a rail system is not a reason for it not to pass.

This announcement will surely piss off some Republican upstarts from the Northern Suburbs, who are surely itching to run.

UPDATE: The Enquirer reports that Dowlin will likely face a democratic challenge from former state Representative Wayne Coates. The Post reported that the GOP chairman Mike Barrett felt there would be no competition. Barrett thinks Dowlin's name will carry him through. What name? Sure, his has the advantage of incumbency, but it is not like his name is Luken, Deters, or Heimlich.

More Power Outage Fodder
It is not newsworthy, but the rain yesterday knocked my power out here at the palatial Griffin Estate. I was at work at the time, but I had to reset a clock and my stereo was on "demo," a sign the power was out.

Giz over at afternoon.para-bellum.net reports of some more significant power outages recently in Delhi, but still relatively short. Giz's blog needs permalinks. Both incidents are noteworthy for local news, not national news. 50 million people losing power is national news and demands coverage. Some talk radio folks were scolding the media for making to much of this. I guess they don't know anyone in the area's hit. This was huge news and it got big coverage in part do to the simple fact that the TV networks are headquartered in the affected areas. When news is close to home, human journalists are opted to give it more attention. That is in part why Detroit and Cleveland's troubles got little attention. This power outage makes it clear that local news coverage is not well served by national networks. The Ohio News Network (ONN) did a good job here in Ohio with Ohio specific news, mostly carrying feeds from Toledo and Cleveland TV stations.

The Cincinnati Post has the typical "are we ready" story. Here's the Enquirer's story.

Lawmakers are "demanding" answers. Give it a rest folks. Let the water pressure build up before you start the blame game. Both Democrats and Republicans in Washington are playing this game, so if anyone tries to say one side is worse than the other you might want to correct their ignorance.

UPDATE: Ethan Hahn has some thoughts.

Not MY Bag
I am sure to be pressured by my co-workers to try this, but I will not join the insta-date group described in Maggie Downs' latest column. I hate first date chitchat and doing it over and over again in one evening is about as appealing as having my teeth drilled. I will stick to randomly meeting women in bookstores. Judging a person by what they read and how they drink expensive coffee is more my style of date screening. I guess I better start setting foot in bookstores more often, and keep my nose out of my book. I have had no luck with this approach, but hey, it beats having to expose one's inability to socially interact with other human beings. (I have to work on that inner monologue.)

Follow-up: Couldn't I have found a better cliché than "having my teeth drilled?"

Hispanics vs. Whites
Here is the problem with this article about housing discrimination. I am 1/8th Latino. My Great Grandmother was from Panama/Columbia. She was "white." So, like most others out there, the Enquirer wants to paint Hispanics/Latinos as one monolithic group to compare with monolithic whites, a nice simple "black and white" story. I would surmise that most of the Hispanics in question were Mexican, and were mestizo (mixed Amerindian and white). So what are we trying to compare here, ethnic groups or races? There is no "Hispanic Race," and comparing race is really a no win action. Ethnic discrimination would have required the disclosure of the white people's ethnic groups, unless they are some how considered falsely blanketed as "ethnic Americans." I therefore find this report to be comparing apples and oranges. I would consider without much evidence that Mexicans and other Latin-American ethnic/nationality groups are treated poorly by landlords and often discriminated against. I wonder how many non-white landlords treated the Hispanic people differently than white landlords.

UPDATE: Similar treatment in the Post.

FOX News is a Sucker for Power (Blackout Story)
FOX News just reported they had reports that the power was out in Dayton and even Cincinnati. At this point no one else is reporting Dayton, and none of the Dayton outlets are reporting that. I can surely testify that Cincinnati's power is working fine. Rumors really have no place being reported on a story as big as this. People in this part of the state clean out Kroger’s when an inch of snow is forecasted. If even a few ignorant souls believed the faux reports, it might turn tragic. Jumping the gun is a fault of most Cable News Outlets, and FOX is known for hyperbole.

UPDATE: WLWT-TV is reporting no local outages. A Dayton TV station did report a report in Middletown, Ohio (between Dayton and Cincinnati.

UPDATE #2: The Enquirer is reporting there was an unrelated power outage in Middletown that cut power to the south side of town due to a transformer going down after 5 PM tonight. This outage was not related to the larger outage affecting NYC.

Theocracy Today, Theocracy Tomorrow, Theocracy Forever
Alabama Chief Justice Roy Moore is refusing to comply with a Federal Court Order. The difference now as opposed to 40 years ago is the President in the White House. Bush wants a country like Roy Moore wants: One Nation, One Religion: No Exceptions. George Wallace veiled his beliefs under "states rights." Will Roy Moore do the same? Religious bigotry is growing in this country, and those who don't bow down will find it more difficult to live as they choose. Roy Moore and his allies will likely veil their actions under the banner of victim hood, the poor Southern Christians can’t seem to rid themselves of those Northern Heathens. History repeats itself, and the culture wars will wage on in earnest. I plan on defending mine, but I wonder why I have to. Why does my culture worry Mr. Moore? I don’t share his religion, and I legally can’t be judged under his religion in a government court, so why does he seem to think otherwise? Rule of Law is a bedrock of our society. It does not bend for a religious zealot.

CityBeat Sells Out?
Ok, I read this letter to the editor in today's CityBeat and I had to re-read the editor's response a couple of times to make sure I read it straight.

Where's the Love?
I'm writing to ask you to please reinstate Savage Love in your weekly print edition. This was one of my favorite columns in your paper.

I'm disappointed to learn you have made this a Web-only column in order to increase traffic to CityBeat's site. Dan Savage's column is available online at many Web sites and will not necessarily increase traffic to your site.

I wrote a protest letter to Kroger when they removed your paper from their stores because of the addition of Savage Love. Asking your readers to jump through this extra hoop now seems unfair.

-- Charles Mitchell, Mount Washington

Editor Responds: Yes, we're making Savage Love a Web-only column in order to increase traffic to our site, but it's been moved from the paper primarily in order to help us increase CityBeat circulation.

I read this and it says to me that CityBeat pulled the Savage Love column from the print edition in order to get the newspaper back into Kroger stores. Savage Love is a syndicated love/sex advice column run in many alternative weekly newspapers across the country. It's content can be "graphic "at times, and I mean graphic in the sense that most parents would not want their young kids to read it. Removing the content that might be considered "objectionable" would make the publication more retail friendly.

I am floored that CityBeat would basically admit that they removed the column in order to increase circulation. Are they positioning themselves to better compete with the Enquirer's weekly? The new Enquirer weekly will surely be available at Kroger's and every other grocery stores in the tri-state area. Compromising content for the sake of sales is the best way to maintain your market position. The activist friends of CityBeat call it selling out.

A Sting, Not a Plot
Josh Marshall writes on the arrest of weapons smugglers and points that there was no "plot" against America, this was a sting operation. There were no terrorists involved, just faux ones. Now, where is the righty bloggers attack on the media for spinning the story?.........I am waiting.............opps, my bad. The story that was spun favors the Bush Administration and favors the positions taken by rightwing bloggers, so we can't expect them to cut off their own heads now, even though it would mean good journalism. Consistency in reporting is subjective so, we can't expect them to point out everything now can we? They spend their time watching to see if the New York Times' spelling is correct, so facts in other outlets are just as important as spelling at the Times.

I wonder if the righty bloggers are going to post on the Franken-Fox story. A few of them have made comments, but if CNN was suing Ann Coulter, war would be declared and Ted Turner would be burned at the stake. Yes, even though he no longer works for CNN or AOL-Time Warner. It would be that big of a deal. Blogging history would be made. Blog Harbor? Bridge Over the River Blog? I can see the movie version now. Andrew Sullivan battling Aaron Brown in a space station with laser pointers.

Is Convergys Pulling a Fast One?
Per reader Sam: The Salt Lake Tribune is reporting "Convergys Corp. a week ago confirmed plans to move at least 100 technical support jobs at its Taylorsville call center to an overseas center." Taylorsville is in Utah just to keep it in perspective. What does this mean for keeping jobs here in Cincinnati? The jobs going overseas are mostly professional jobs. What kind of jobs are they planning on adding downtown? Only call center jobs? I am sure people will be happy to get any job they can get, but that will not add as much to our tax base if they are only hourly jobs, with significant pay limits. Call center's in downtowns are difficult to keep staffed. The costs of getting downtown and working downtown are often prohibitive for lower level jobs, which make up the bulk of call center staffs. It sounds as if Convergys’s promise to increase the number of employees downtown will not create new jobs, it will just be a transfer of staff from the Norwood Convergys call center. Who's the sucker now? (We are, We are)

Following My Lead?
The Enquirer and the Post have similar stories about Larry Flynt's hearing being scheduled after the special California election. I seem to recall that I mentioned that very fact yesterday.

Advantage: Blogs!

Solidarity!
"Eschaton - Fair and Balanced" walks arm in arm with Al Franken and his FOX News troubles. Some one at News Corp has really lost all sense of reality. I would like to see FOX try and prove they are "fair and balanced." That would be a miracle worthy of a saint. [LINK via Calpundit]

Larry Flynt
Well at least the hearing date for Larry Flynt is after the special California election. Nothing should hold Larry back from winning 1% of the vote. That 1%, could make the difference in a field of 200 people.

Talent for a Melee
I don't understand how this kind of thing can happen again. How is there not enough adult supervision to control a crowd of teenagers that large from getting out of control? I think the venue chosen for the "talent show" put on by a group called "Putting' Cincinnati on the Map" was poorly chosen. High School Dances are not held in a public square where the kids can come and go, and any troublemaker can get in. Poor planning led to a disgraceful outcome. I wish the kids were better behaved, but who puts on such an event in the middle of downtown? I hope planners of the Black Family Reunion learned from their mistakes last year. All statements indicate they did and will be prepared to handle the kids. I hope so. Image is a shallow thing, but it can matter, and a wild bunch of kids running through town is not a good image for a Family Reunion event.

Why didn't the Enquirer have an article on this story?

UC News Record
It appears the Enquirer(3rd story) and WXIX know how to write a more accurate headline than the Post, or at least they know how to check a website for some basic information. The News Record now has the story as well.

Scribble Jam
I do not know much about what this event was about, but it looked interesting. I wonder how it got elevated to Vandelism.

Bronson has Been Drinking to Much Wine
Peter must have been drunk when he wrote this. Now, when you are drunk often one tends to let down their guard and speak one's mind freely without limit. Here Peter is doing two incredibly stupid things. First he is letting his bigotry out with a vengeance. How can a man who is supposedly educated and an informed person state the following?

The Catholic Church can't seem to connect the dots that link homosexual priests to sexual assaults on boys.

Peter, you need to for once look up the difference between homosexuality and pedophilia. You will note they are not the same thing. They are not linked. Bigots who wish to attack homosexuals try to link them, but offer no factual data to support their unfounded claims, which sounds like what Bronson did. Peter then exhibits his own ignorance about his own religion wit this statement:

The Bible is unambiguous: Homosexuality is a sin like adultery.

Did Peter rewrite the Ten Commandments? Are the Ten Commandments now not the highest Christian dogmatic law? Where is the reference to homosexuality in the Ten Commandments? I can find the commandment on adultery in there. That is clear. Homosexuality is not a comparable sin to adultery. First of all it is not even treated the same in most churches. When was the last time a minister or a politician or any individual denied rights or kicked out of a church for committing adultery or for getting a divorce? Adultery is not considered a big deal to people like Bronson, if it was he would never have supported Ronald Regan. Homosexuality is a footnote in the bible. There are plenty of other rules, no pork, how you grow crops, circumcision, and killing adulterers that are not practiced by nearly all Christians. Those rules are just as clear as the homosexual decrees, yet I bet Peter Bronson does not comply with all of those requirements. If I see him at next month’s Oktoberfest eating a Brat I will be sure to shun him for "breaking God's law."

I am not the only one with an opinion on Bronson's column. City Council Candidate John Schlagetter sent me a copy of the email he sent to Bronson:

Peter: whatever happened to "hate the sin but love the sinner?"

Opinion pieces are one thing; these unrelentingly uninformed and poorly-constructed assaults upon the Enquirer's readers' intelligence are growing tiresome.

As I understand it, the Bible contains half a dozen remonstrations against homosexual "acts" but over two hundred against heterosexual acts- what's the bigger problem here?

Your comparison of homosexuality to adultery is logically flawed. Homosexuality is a state of being; it can exist without volitional action. Thus we have homosexual (and heterosexual, et.al.) virgins. One is homosexual simply by virtue of sexual attraction or affectional preference for others of one's own sex. Age here is not an issue unless the attraction is acted upon.

By contrast, adultery cannot exist without the commission of an act. One cannot be an adulterer without first committing an act of adultery.

Once again, your attempt to causally link pedophilia to homosexuality is beyond the pale. Yes, pedophilia and ephibophilia (I'm not bothering to
spell check this morning) are problems in the Catholic priesthood. Is the incidence rate of pedophilia higher in this population than the general
population? Possibly. Is this causally the result of homosexuality? Of course not, no more so than different-sex pedophilia is causally the result
of heterosexuality.

Two points come into play to refute your argument (hysterically shared by CCVers et.al. which they find necessary for effective fundraising):

1. Pedophilia is not about sex, it is about power. It is about the ability to control and manipulate one who lacks the emotional and intellectual development to consent to sex with an adult.

2. The incidence rate of same sex behavior will of course be higher among single sex populations: prisons, the military, et.al. This will have much to so with the use of sexual substitutes, "making due." You've also reported on the problem of rape in prison, to your credit. Of course rape is about violence not sex and does not comport with this discussion. Others may be "gay for pay," intrinsically heterosexual but willing to perform mechanical sexual acts for compensation. Thus the incidence rate of "gay sex" must be considered separate from the incidence rate of homosexuality per se.

Should homosexuality ever be generally accepted (different from behavior tolerance) as what I characterize "common cause variation," a one to two percent incidence rate in the otherwise statistically normal heterosexual population, then maybe closeted and conflicted individuals will be more comfortable openly pursuing healthy and consensual adult relationships rather than pursuing what they might consider "easy marks" (the young) or furtively skulking about public restrooms (many closeted men, including those who are married, are too afraid to be seen in known gay-friendly establishments to socialize, seeking instead short-term gratification concommitant with risky and socially unacceptable behavior).

As "common cause variation," homosexuality is never going away. We are hard wired this way; this is the crux of the "nature" argument. Compare this to the reparative or restorative therapy camp believing that homosexuality can be "unlearned." They believe homosexuality is "special cause variation," existing outside the statistically normal process of sexual orientation and that it can be done away with; this is the "nurture" argument confounding same-sex behavior with orientation. The inability to distinguish between the two dooms this approach.

If the Church were generally to relax its restrictions on the ability of its priests to marry or otherwise engage in healthy consensual adult relationships, I predict the incidence rate of same sex pedophilia in the Church would plummit. Be sure, I am not excusing any such misbehavior, I simply think there are intelligent ways to reduce it rather than pounding sand about the "menace" of homosexuality.

As our friends in quality management remind us, "Fix the problem, not the blame."

Hope you a great vacation!

Regards, J.

John Schlagetter

Peter's second stupid thing, is his embrace of the Vineyard as the next generation of Christian Churches. I don't know much about that church and its teachings. I would on the surface make one judgment about it. I think they might not care much about homosexuality, and they might even welcome homosexuals, without the worry about "changing" them. They might even ordain gay/lesbian ministers. I don't know this as a fact, but their website really is not concerned about putting forward a fundamentalist Christian Agenda, and I would surmise they at a minimum don't share Peter's crusade against gays.

Bronson still must be in vacation mode.

My latest XRay column is now online: "Cheerleaders, Tanks, and Blogs, Oh My: The Good, the Bad, and the Propaganda from the War."

The Ballad of Hannity and Livingston
Last night Sean Hannity appeared at Xavier University. Not much has been reported on what happened. All I could find was the following quote from the front page of 55KRC's web page:

Sean Hannity and 55KRC Thee Talk Station would like to thank everyone who made the night a complete success. Neither rain nor protests (8 protestors...WOW!...that proved a point. Nice job Nate!!) could keep us down. Thanks from 55KRC Thee Talk Station

8 protestors sounds about right. I was hoping for a little more action. When you put two groups of buffoons together (Boycott B and Hannity Fans) at one venue, one would have expected some fireworks. Well, I guess it was the weather that kept the conflict to a minimum. I am sure the Boycott B group were there with the usual racist rhetoric, and Hannity's brand of theocracy was surely being preached with the usual fire and brimstone and bigotry. If these folks were all the same race they would fit in like syrup and pancakes.

Fascist is as Fascist Does
Yes, I do use the word Fascist a whole hell of a lot. I use it generally as an adjective, not as meaning "one who practices fascism." It seems the right wingers are a little pissed about liberals using the word so much. Well, when conservatives stop using communist and socialist incorrectly on any liberal who is not in favor of capital gains tax cuts, then maybe I will give a rat's ass. Until then, and likely even after, I will use fascist where it fits.

UC News Record Former Editor Arrested
Dale F. Smith, editor for the 2002-2003 school year, was arrested for stealing thousands of dollars using a credit card processing machine from the UC News Record. Smith is not the current editor, which was not clear from the headline of the Post. This is a blow to a vibrant publication. I hope at least some of the money can be recovered or at least in this case the News Record will not be held liable for the missing money. If found guilty, I hope Smith sees jail time.

Peter's Sin of Omission
I read Peter Bronson's Enquirer column today and it was not much of a surprise. I said much of the same in my blog about Springer possible motives. I agree that the media, including the Enquirer, are suckers for celebrities, which is why Springer was covered so heavily. Peter later on referenced Larry Flint's run for governor of California as another example of the media being suckered. Peter also laments how the GOP candidates would never get such gushing treatment. I thought for a second and then two ideas came to mind. Either Bronson is a manipulative hack just like George Bush, or he turned in this column early on Tuesday, because unless he has been a coma since Wednesday night he might have noticed the media's obsession with another candidate for governor named Arnold Schwarzenegger.

Springer's attention is nothing compared to Arnold’s wall-to-wall coverage. Arnold suckered the media into covering him with what is considered the best political announcement for office by any candidate ever. That is best in terms of coverage and spin, not on rhetoric or political platforms. If you were to read Arnold's comments to Jay Leno, one might think a Peter, I would surmise, considers Arnold's treatment fair because he is a "good" man, and Springer's bad because he is a "bad" man. It would not have anything to do with their party affiliation would it? Arnold is getting great coverage with no questions on what his platform or his real motivations are. Arnold has a movie out this summer and there is just as much of a chance this is just a PR stunt to promote his movie, pushing up his numbers. It goes to show that Bronson cares nothing for being a fair and balanced journalist. If he did, even if he had turned in his column earlier this week, he could have asked he editors to include a single sentence referring to the level of celebrity coverage of Arnold. This did not happen. So when Peter whines about media bias, even bias in opinion journalism, he needs to look in the mirror and wake up to the fact that his side of the isle spins as much, if not more, than the liberal side. He will not admit that. He can’t deviate from the talking points. He does not want to lose his place in the GOP pecking order.

OSU Arson
The man suspected in the Arson that killed 5 college kids in Columbus may have the charges dropped against him. How does that happen? How do you arrest someone for the crime, charge him, and then backtrack all within a couple of weeks? If you had the goods on him, lock him for a long long time. If you are looking for a scapegoat and found a low life who was stupid enough to admit to the crime, then someone in the Police department up in Columbus needs to loose their job.

Queen City SoapBox Q&A with Nick Spenser
Ethan Hahn has questions to Nick Spenser, city council candidate, with answers from Nick.

Giddy Boycotters
I was sent an email today from one of the Boycott B leaders with a link to this story from the Post. The Boycotters are gleeful that the local NAACP is again not holding its annual Freedom Fund dinner in downtown. Instead they are holding it at the Cincinnati Museum Center at Union Terminal, a gun shot from downtown. I guess I don't really see this as meaningful. It is still in the downtown general area, within the City, so in reality, the same group of businesses they seek to destroy in their campaign of revenge will be putting on the event, and getting paid. All they are doing is shifting the money to a different group within the city. What will this accomplish? Nothing, because no one is really paying much attention. The Hannity event will attract more attention tomorrow night. I am still betting on less than 12 protestors from the Boycott B group. It is on a Friday night so I think they might get all of their members, and a few friends out, thus the 12. The normal number of 6 or so will likely be the most vocal. I look for some sort of confrontation with some of the Hannity Fans, who are foaming at the mouth Republican zombies. They will yell back at the boycotters without ignoring them. They after all have a similar mentality: personal problems resulting from hateful ideas and a massive chip on their shoulder. It should be a hoot to watch. I hope the local TV sharks are out in full force looking for a nice screaming match to film.