Concealed and Carry Lies

Here is an article on the Conceal and Carry website that tries to claim that Cincinnati's Murder Rate would be lower if there was a conceal and carry law in Ohio. This comment is most pathetic

To fight against legislation which has such proven results is nothing less than gross negligence, and they're getting people killed.

Guess what guys, the vast majority of the murders in Cincinnati are drug/crime related. "Innocent" people are not the majority of people being killed. I would bet a large number are felons and could not carry a gun even under the law being advocated. I hope people see this as an example of lying. Most advocacy groups’ spin there message and come close to lying, but they don't do it as bad as this.

More Kids Gone Wild?

It is never good when someone brings a gun to roller skating rink.

The Strippers are Coming.....The Strippers are Coming

The rumors that a Hustler Strip Club or porn store is coming to Covington are false. I have to admit; I did not hear such rumors. Were those rumors just fund raising propaganda for the CCV?

Traffic....Anyone?

This article brings great news for Columbia-Tusculum. A revitalized area along Columbia Parkway would be great. What sucks is that this means the East Side of town will get stuck in Traffic again. Columbia Parkway was just tore up for a sewer/drainage project and resurfaced. Now it will be torn up again for this project. The traffic will suck, again. I also wonder what this new "Columbia Square" will do to Parkway traffic. Will it become clogged with shoppers and diners? I love business expansion in the city, but we also need something to help with East Side Traffic woes. We have very few ways to get downtown. We don't have 75 to go down if 71 is backed up. I hope someone thinks about traffic this time, unlike when they had construction on Beechmont and Columbia Parkway at the same time.

By the Way

I am back in Cincinnati. My trip was great. The family is good. Florida was nice. I am happy to be back home though.

Chum for Bigots?

This column in the Enquirer reports that a former CIA agent alluded in Congressional testimony that an Al Qaida terrorist cell might be brewing here in Cincinnati. Now, I find this laughable, but I am pissed more. In the opinion of the Enquirer columnist the intended connect was that the Islamic Center up in West Chester was given money by the Saudi Government. Now, this is something for the government to keep an eye on, but the Saudi government gives a lot of money to a lot of Muslim centers all over the country. Why did this former CIA have to bring up Cincinnati? I think we have enough bigotry, hate, and fear to last us through the next year without any help from Washington.

I am very disappointed that they columnist did not get a comment from someone at the Great Cincinnati Islamic Center. Instead he got a comment from the Saudi Embassy. Why not ask American Citizens themselves what they think about being linked to terrorism?

AP's Top Ohio Stories of 2003

The top one is fine, the black out, but #2 is the OSU national football championship? Please, give me a break. Sports news beat out the Ohio Troops in the Iraq war? Who voted on this list?

Enquirer's Loser of the Week

A happy New Years to this week's lone Enquirer looser, out going FOP President Roger Webster. He was booted from his post this week and I think the city is better for it.

Party Poopers

I guess standing is now a crime in Ohio. I guess sitting will be the next thing banned. All you will be able to do while at college is stand at attention in front of an adult (over age 30) and to sleep tied into your bunk at night. Meals will have to be eaten while walking, unless walking is banned too.

Battle of the GOP D's

Pat DeWine is looking to take the next political step by running against John Dowlin in the Republican primary for Hamilton County Commissioner. This will make everyone wonder two things: 1. Will Pat quite City Council? 2. If he does or if he wins the Commission seat, who will take his place on Council. I predict no on #1 and Leslie Ghiz on #2.

I have to wake up reporter Cindi Andrews to a fact about something she listed in the article

Kabaka Oba, a Cincinnati boycott activist, is the only Democrat who has filed for the seat.

It is a fact that Kabaka Oba is a militant black racist and separatist. I have no problem reporting that he is on the Primary ballot, that is reasonable. Just listing him as a "boycott activist" gives him some kind of legitimacy, when everyone with a brain knows he is just the black version of a KKK wizard.

The Post's Report.

Ohio: The Pulse of Presidential Politics

The Enquirer reports on the coming onslaught of politicking by both the GOP and Dems. Ohio is the bell -weather state of bell weather states. We always are fickle for Presidents, but this year with things looking to be a bloody battle (literally I think) the politics should be coming sooner than before.

One element of bias in this article is the description of Move-on.org's commercials as "anti-Bush." If stating what they believe is the truth makes their commercials "anti" something, I guess every Coke and Pepsi ad are anti-milk.

New FOP President Speaks

The Enquirer reports on the new FOP President Harry Roberts. Some interesting facts on Sgt. Roberts: He lives in the city of Cincinnati, and he graduated from Withrow High School. Is this a break from the Elder voting block? Was this a vote against the old guard, or is they guy just an Eastside transplant to the old Westside guard? I really know nothing about this guy. Is he is new rational blood in the FOP or is he more of the same?

Rob Bernard Reponds

Rob Bernard responded to my post on a FOX News article. Rob makes the argument that religion should not be banned from public areas. I agree. Individuals have the constitutional right to make their religion known on a non-fixed basis. If you want to walk through fountain square carrying a cross, that is fine, as long as you don't interfere with anyone else. Erecting that cross (or Menorah or a 10' penis) is not something I find to be valid on public property. Secularized symbols of Christmas I have problem with having on public property. Santa Claus, Christmas Trees, etc are fine. They might indirectly refer to the religion, but they are not dogmatic teachings or divine symbols from Christianity.

What I don't think Rob sees is that from my point of view "sharing" should be voluntary.

I would argue that it is intolerant to keep religion out of public areas. The exclusion of religion from the public arena is simply taking another side in the religious debate. Putting up a big cross, nativity scene, menorah, Star of David or a giant Torah doesn't push your religion on others because they don't comply with that religious code. It doesn't say "join our religion and follow our beliefs or something bad will happen to you" it says "this is a symbol of what we hold dear and we want to share it." Opposing religious expression is as much a statement of religious beliefs as anything else.

Two points: First, a religious belief requires a belief in a god or gods or supernatural entities or supernatural creators. Opposing religious expression is not a religious belief, nor an expression of religion. Atheism is not a religion. Atheism is a belief, yet, but beliefs alone don't make a religion. A religion has to do with a god or the supernatural. Second point: in the above excerpt the "we" in the "is a symbol of what we hold dear and we want to share it" comment is what is the problem. This “we” is so varied that they only way to fairly determine it is not make it "we", but make it "me." If you want it on pubic property keep it to "me," if you want to make it "we" why not keep it in your church? If I want to share in your religion why can't I just go into the buildings with a big cross on top? Once I am there the "we" can share with anyone any type of in your face religious expression they wish, without any government intervention (except for established laws).

Keeping religion out of public places does not indorse atheism. The government should take a “don’t ask don’t tell” type view on religion. It should do nothing but protect the right of any individual to practice their religion and provide the ability to government workers (military, police, etc) who while on duty are unable to practice their religion. This is were military Chaplains come into play.

Also for the record, I don’t have anti-religious beliefs. Am I an atheistic-agnostic? Yes. Do I believe that all known religions are invalid? Yes. Am I against anyone being prevented from practicing their religion? NO! What I am against is people thinking that when they superimpose their religion on me or when they try to make me to comply with their religious dogma through law that they are practicing their religion. If pushing one’s religion on others is such a vital part of one’s religion (you know getting more members), then it sounds more like a Ponzi scheme.

Finally, if Rob or any religious person wants to celebrate their religion they have the constitutional right to do so. They can build a church and sing praises to “God” or “Satan” or “Ra” or “Odin” until their lungs turn blue. They can do that while walking down the street. What they can’t do is use the government to help them proselytize. The purpose of publicly expressing religion is to ADVERTISE it. Why do you advertise? To make people aware of your product. Outward expression of religion (mainly speaking about the big three monotheistic religions, but I think all apply) has two core purposes: to try and let others know what your religion is and to let others know you follow that religion. The first is a means of proselytization and second is a means of identification of compliance. That is a cold and clinical description of what outward expressions of religion are, but I don’t see any other valid explanation. If you don’t want to show off your religious beliefs, then you really would not need to express them. If you want people to act like you, what is often considered most pure is by acting upon those beliefs, instead of telling people you believe them.

FOP chief Update

The Enquirer has a full story today. In it Keith Fangman hints that there were sound reasons for Webster to be voted out, but did not get into it. There sounds like a huge backstory here worth telling. Will anyone ferret it out?

SoapBox Parking

Queen City Soapbox is Back! Ethan comments on shopping at Kenwood Town Center. He hits the parking problem and I can say that it was horrible the Saturday before this past weekend, so it must have been worse Sunday.

Let's hope Ethan and/or Chris comes back into the blogger world! The posts have been sparse over there and there commentary is missed.

Fair and Unbalanced: Faux News

A "story" on "Religious Restrictions or Religious Censorship?" is on the front page of FOX News. It is unsigned, but included a reference to a video report. I can't really find anything more biased than this so far this week. It not only paints a false picture it states this little tidbit as if it were bad:

Still, the number of bans on public displays of Christianity continue to grow. And while those symbols may have little value alone, many Christians fear that taken as a whole, that kind of intolerance will wind up creating not freedom of religion but freedom from religion in this country.

Now, first, it is not intolerant to keep religion out of public areas, that is a biased statement. It is intolerant when you feel the need to push your religion on others, just because they don't comply with your religious code. Second, what is wrong with freedom from religion? Why should I have to have my tax dollars go toward anyone else's religion practices?

What is the purpose of religious displays? The purpose and the intent are to promote the religion and gain followers, money and power. Why should certain groups be allowed to do that? I just don't understand what logical reason there would be to push religion in public areas other than to try and instill a theocracy.

What would be nice if FOX News would just give up their "Fair and Balanced" claim. With stories like this one, it is clear they don't want to be balanced, they want be biased and make the people that like them think they are being fair to "them." The "them" in this case is "us." Now when I say "us" I don't mean "them." Now again, when I say "us" I really mean "me, Al Franken."

If anyone got that poor joke/cultural reference, they might win a prize. Otherwise, just give Faux News the bird this holiday season.

Are You Shitting Me?

The Post has an editorial that sounds familiar to me. I don't know where I could have read this story before.

Oh, and you're welcome! Ah, well, you better thank Atrios instead.

A Glimmer of Hope?

The courts have dismissed a lawsuit trying to overturn the Hate Crimes Ordinance passed by City Council.

The lawsuit was brought by Sam Malone, Tom Brinkman, and CCV member Mark Miller.

Let us review here: two elected officials tried to prevent homosexuals from getting treated like the protections afford to people based on race, sex, national origin, ethnicity, and religion. Now, why would they oppose protection for homosexuals, but not oppose protections for people based on religion? Hmmm, I wonder why?

I understand how the CCV stand. They don't hold back. They hate gays. They want gays kept second class citizens or just weeded out of the society all together. What is with our two elected officials?

Brinkman is not really a mystery. He is a paleo-conservative. He wants to return to a time when a female exposing her ankles was considered public nudity.

I don't get Malone. What does he have against gays? Malone was the lone GOP pro-choice candidate for council, but he has a thing against gays. People have varied views that on some levels don't seem to go together well, at least not logically.

Webster Out as Cincinnati FOP President

Sgt. Harry Roberts is the new President. Was this voluntary or was Webster forced out? I assume it was by choice. I don't see any internal divisions in the CPD, but one never knows and the WLWT story lacks much detail.

Webster's recent actions in the wake of the Nathaniel Jones death were horrid. He fueled the flames of anger with his selfish comments at a time when he could have voiced his opinions in private, and not pissed off the black community. He will not be missed.

UPDATE: The Enquirer has the vote details. Webster was defeated in the election. He was defeated nearly 2 to 1. Fangman is back as VP. How big a deal is this? What caused the revolt?

Money Mistake

I loved how Money Magazine screwed up calling West Chester by its old name, Union Township. I find one problem calling this one of the best places to live. What they fail to mention is the problems they are having with such fast growing area. The schools and the government services can't catch up, and since the area is not a municipality, taxes are not easy to raise. This puts more stress on Bulter County, talking away from the rest of county. I would like to see what portion of City of Hamilton residents sale tax payments are used to fund police and other supports for West Chester Township. West Chester needs to incorporate into a city. That will raise taxes and keep people out though, so I guess they may sponge off the rest of the county for a while longer.

Post's Story. What is sad about this is that both papers found out about this story from a wire report.