Campaigning with the Youth

Interesting article from Maggie Downs: youth volunteers for political campaigns. Many local schools are requiring students in certain classes to participate in a political campaign of their choice. This is a great idea, as long as any candidate or issue was allowed to fill the requirement. I have seen some of these kids out on the streets and it is a great experience for them to learn and understand how the political process works. I hope all of the kids take advantage of joining the campaign parties on election night. That was something I experienced as a teenager and found to be exciting.

I had to laugh at this paragraph on Cincinnati Councilman John Cranley's efforts to get young people to work for his campaign:

"It's always good when you get a lot of boys and girls there, because they show up for the social aspect," he said. "Obviously, I'm also a younger candidate, so that's a big selling point, too. But we really go out of our way to make people feel welcome in the campaign."

Hmm, somehow being a younger candidate is something the Post found to be a problem for Nick Spencer. A difference in perspective can often show you an angle no one else can or wants to see.

UC News Record on the Council Race

The UC News Record speculates on those who might make it to council this year.

Keep Your Theocratic Culture to Yourself

A letter writer to the Enquirer seems to think "our culture" needs "saving":

Traditional family the backbone of America

On Wednesday, proponents of marriage began before the Family Law Committee at the Statehouse. It's amazing that we've reached a point where marriage actually needs to be legally defined. I urge all who care about our future to actively support H.B.272 (Defense of Marriage Act). Call your state representative and urge others to do the same.

The strength of this country is not and never has been our diversity, but diverse people forming strong families, striving for common goals and values. The traditional family has always been the backbone of American society.

Many of us tolerate the decadence around us for fear of being judgmental. Bishop Fulton Sheen once said, "America is not suffering from intolerance. It is suffering from tolerance of right and wrong, truth and error, virtue and evil, Christ and chaos. Our country is not nearly so much overrun with the bigoted as it is with the broadminded. In the face of this broadmindedness, what the world needs is intolerance."

We need to heed his words and start fighting to save our culture.

Claudia Bihl, Franklin Furnace, Ohio

Well Ms. Bihl, if your culture is one that seeks to superimpose your religious teaching on everyone in Ohio by defining Marriage in religious terms, then I think you should keep your theocratic culture to yourself. How is your marriage going to be affected by someone else's marriage? Why don't you worry about yourself, and let other's marry who they want without the state choosing for them? The Bile Ms. Bihl supports in the "Defense of Marriage Act" seeks not to defend marriage, but to shut marriage off from those her and her fellow Christian fundamentalists (evangelicals too) find decadent.

I really want to know why bigots like Ms. Bihl are against homosexuals. What beyond their religious dogma instigates their belief? Fear? Ignorance? I think that sums up most of what it all about, but their indoctrinations leave no room to see it point of view of the homosexual. Gays and Lesbians are people, just like everyone else, minus one small difference. They have the same emotions, same desires, and same beliefs as heterosexuals. Why not let them marry? Specifically how does it hurt anyone? I am not hurt if someone who I don't know gets married. Why do people like Claudia Bihl care who other people marry, other people they don't know and likely never will know?

Luken to Run for Mayor Again in 2005

Korte also reported that Mayor Luken will run again for Mayor. Luken confirmed he will run again in 2005 while appearing on the Lincoln Ware TV call in show. This will likely piss off both David Pepper and Alicia Reece, but make Pat DeWine ecstatic.

Korte Narrows Down "McTell" Suspects

Here is what Greg Korte reports about who the writer of the "Wille McTell" email (attacking candidate Nick Spencer) to local media outlets, including myself.

It's difficult to prove who's behind the attack, but the e-mail holds some clues: the author is about Spencer's age, probably works at City Hall, is involved in the local music scene and has a political ax to grind.

And he's a fan of country-blues singer Blind Willie McTell.

Let's reason this down based on Korte's information. My sources indicate there are 3 camps in City Hall with an ax to grind against Nick Spencer.

David Pepper's camp: David was alleged to be upset with one of Nick's answers to a CityBeat survey asking what council member you would most want to see to replaced. Nick chose Pepper. This is the only issue between the two that is known. It seems unlikely that anyone in Pepper's camp would worry about the Spencer campaign or any other campaign. Pepper is going to be reelected and likely will win the most votes. I doubt it came from his office.

Mayor Luken's camp: The Mayor's camp was presumably not pleased with Spencer's opposition to the John Elkington hiring. Nick played a key role in pushing the opposition to Elkington's participation in the Main Street redevelopment plan. Brendan Cull's name, the mayor's chief of staff, has been thrown about as a possible suspect. The problem with it being from the Mayor's office is that there was nothing to gain from doing it. The only reason for doing it would be out of personal spite. I doubt it came form his office, but I can't rule it out.

John Cranley's camp: Cranley has been in a feud with Nick Spencer for several weeks now over the Elkington issue. Nick and John have been going toe to toe on this issue and their rivalry has been all over the pages of the newspapers. Of the 3 camps mentioned, Cranley's would be the most upset with Spencer. What would they have to gain by smearing him? Well, personal spite would be my main guess, but Cranley has been helping out the campaign of Laketa Cole. Cole is seen as being a solid candidate but is not a lock for office like Cranley. Spencer votes eat into some of Cole's. It logically makes some sense that Cranley camp's cause would gain with damage to Spencer. If I was a betting man I would bet someone in Cranley's camp sent the emails. I wonder if Elliot Ruther knows anything about it.

I have no proof that any of the camps listed had anything to do with it, but motives are a guide to find any perpetrator.

Media Roundup

Lots of local media news this week:

WB64 News at Ten is coming finally in December. It looks like it will suck. By sucking I mean it will be local TV news, ratings driven entertainment with a dash of news. It will be mostly run by the Sinclair Broadcasting "network" news home base in Baltimore, Maryland.

Channel 19 News is 10 Years Old: They can be entertaining, but they lack the experience of the other 3 organizations. They all suck worse than month old milk, but the tabloid feel on 19 is stronger than the big 3. The whole anniversary blitz was really self-aggrandizing. It just reminds me how green behind the ears their news department is.

Face for Radio?: Lincoln Ware from 1230 the Buzz has his own TV show. I missed last Sunday's premier, but I will be getting up in time tomorrow to check it out. It airs every Sunday at 10AM on WBQC UPN-25 which in the city is only available over the air at that time of day. WBQC is reportedly moving to channel 38 soon. It was supposed to happen at the end of the October, but as of today it has not yet changed.

I am still working on my CinWeekly review. I will have it out I promise before the issue is out, but I should get it done tomorrow.

Mr. Hall is a Right Wing Idiot

I for one am glad the Mike Hall retired as a Principal of Anderson High school. Peter Bronson seems to be wetting himself in his homage to a fellow conservative bible thumper.

For the Record, I don't know this man. I did not go to High School in the area, but if Peter's characterizations of Hall's education beliefs are correct, I am jumping for joy that he is out of the Public School System. A principal who says he will only allow a state sponsored sex-education in his school over his dead body, has no business in the job. If High school kids are mature enough to be tried as adults in capital murder cases, then they are surely mature enough to know that learning how to use a condom correctly will not want them to go right out and buy them. High schools kids are going to have sex whether they are told to or not. Trying to think otherwise is just idiotic, and well, since the idea stems from conservatives like Peter Bronson and Mike Hall, I think the basis for it being characterized as idiotic stands for itself.