Big Condemnation

I am impressed with Ray Cooklis Hot air Editorial about the Bush campaign's use of Hitler in an internet commercial. Ray put out both sides, citing moveon.org's inclusion of a commercial with a Hitler reference in its national contest for political ads made by individuals. He showed correctly how Bush's people showed no class in using the Ad knowingly and with the intent that went beyond what a couple of people at moveon.org did, a group not part of the Kerry campaign. Kudos for Ray.

Tall Stacks 2007: World Series of Poker?

Mayor Luken has called for riverboat gambling on the Ohio here in Cincinnati. Part of me, the freedom side, says sure, why the hell not? The image conscious side of me, one I am not so proud of, says, hell no. I have to agree with my image conscious side. The economics of riverboat gambling would be good for the city, but casinos change what the riverfront was gearing up to be, the family destination. If the Mayor wants to create new places to the West, past the Brent Spence Bridge, for gambling centers, then fine, I can live with that, but that will not bring in as much money as having them parked right outside Paul Brown Stadium.

Know Your Blog

Why are you reading this? Well, for those of you who are new to my blog or blogs in general, I welcome you! Some of you may have ventured over from Gina Daugherty's story on blogging in CinWeekly, so if you are new here and want the skinny on me please check out my FAQ or my Blogger Profile.

I have to thank Gina and the folks at CinWeekly for including me in their story on blogging. I appreciate the exposure. I do have one quibble: I don't think I "mostly" rail on Peter Bronson. I do write about other writers, other topics, and other things that often get people riled up. I am up to 48 comments on my Dick Cheney post, which may just be a record for me. Now, that being said, I take every opportunity to retort Bronson’s often trite GOP drivel posing as a column. We have few local liberals given much of a voice and the rest of us with tiny media voices need to shout against the beast.

If people read what I write and take everything I say literally, I really have to ask you do just not bother reading anything ever again. I am harsh, but 90% of my harshness is hyperbole. My disdain for the CCV and to a lesser degree BushCo are where my vitriolic language have little intended hyperbole and every intention of seriousness, while still trying to have an once of humor where I muster it up.

I hope those reading for the first time are not scared off by any of the commenters. I try to let things go free form. I will not edit anything unless I feel I need to or want to. Will I be consistent? I will be consistent with my own wishes. That is about all I can hope to do. Everything else on the rhetorical front is all gravy.

On a side note, if you have things you find out and about that are not getting play in the news media, drop me an email and I will take a look at it.

Now for those of you who are regular readers of the blog and don't really care much about this post, I can only say with a warm heart: kiss my Haloscan.

Altman Out as QCF Editor

As of July 5th Michael D. Altman will no longer be Editor in Chief of Queen City Forum Magazine. In an email Steve Fritsch, Publisher of QCF, states:

Due to Mr. Altman's removal as Editor in chief, QCF will be searching to fill his position to join newly appointed editors Jack L. Klinger and Daniel Brown on the Executive Editorial Board. In particular, however, we will be looking to fill the editor role with a liberal-minded individual, in an effort to keep balanced political perspectives on "the Board."

The Reasons given for the removal center on the changes to the board with the addition of Brown and Klinger in relation to Altman.

This change comes as a shock to me. I felt that both Fritsch and Altman worked well together and shared a similar view on what the magazine should be. I wonder what direct this will take QCF. Will it move to the right? Steve's email indicates he wants to keep a balance, but that will depend on whom he chooses. For the record, I am not interested.

Gangsta Tooth Fairy

Thieves Steal Man's Wallet, Gold Teeth

I am sure to get some grief for this one, but damn, how can I let it pass?

Something Missing?

Cheney visits but the news article has no Democratic response. How about a Nick Clooney quote to retort the free press for Geoff Davis??? It could have been buried at the end of article, not the headline, but it would have been nice to see something in the article letting people know that Clooney is ahead in the race. Instead we get mention that Clooney's fundraiser was in Cincinnati and not open to the press, which sounds like the reporter might have been pissed for not getting in to see his favorite movie stars.

Maupin Tragedy

News is not good for the family of Matt Maupin. Reports are growing that he was killed by Iraqi militants.

I personally wish to express my condolences to his family and friends. I hope that the media respects their privacy and leaves them alone.

I also hope that no one uses Mr. Maupin or his family as a political tool as a means to build support for revenge or more war.

Bronson: Propaganda Piece #44559

Peter Bronson has put forth the GOP myth that Iraq is comparable to WWII. Sorry Peter, Baghdad and Berlin may both begin with the letter "B," but they are not similar, and neither are the two wars or occupations.

The rhetoric sounds the same to Peter because that is what BushCo is trying to do, make people think this is like WWII, and using language and tapping into the conservative blood lust, it works on some.

Yesterday, with the transfer of faux sovereignty, Iraq took a closer step to a Vietnam model, where the US propped up a government hanging on to power by their fingernails.

Now, before the right-wingers complain, yes, I am comparing Iraq to Vietnam, just like Bronson did to WWII. The problem here is folks that in my opinion, my comparison has 100 times more parallels than Bronson's. You may disagree, but don't try to say I am a hypocrite. Bronson can compare Iraq to the War of 1812 if he wants, that does not mean I will not call it incorrect and question his motives for it, which I feel are based on its value in manipulating support for Bush instead of the sound logic of the facts.

Fountain Square Redux

I am not a fan so far. It seems to remind me of oh, I don't know, Piatt Park on Garfield maybe? Been there, done that, and still have the faded anarchy symbol to prove it too.

Waiter, Check Please

Now, you can rest easy folks. BushCo is all but ready to pay the bill, but with one big ass coupon Congress foolishly gave them. As fast as possible Bush will beat his feet towards the door, hoping not to have to leave a tip.

The game of lying begins again. The name of this game will be pin the sovereignty on the donkey. Sovereignty in Iraq is a long way from a reality. What happened today in Iraq was a Geopolitical dog and pony show meant to provide rhetorical fodder for Bush, but no real change on the ground.

What will be telling is how BushCo reacts to the coming violence. Well they say much about bombings against Iraqis? Will US troops just hang out in their green zones while a civil war brews out in the streets? I fear a disengagement on the part of the US military and government on Iraq in the coming months. Bush will push the economy and do his best to have no news out of Iraq. Starting now the ugliness of politics will begin a journey to reach a new zenith. My comments section is not immune either. I hope everyone can take deep breath before letting the blather slip out over the gums.

Cheney Visits Tri-State

When Cheney visits I hope to see some "Fuck You Too, Dick" signs in the protests outside the fundraiser. If the GOP says it is OK if you are pissed off, then hey, there are a hell of lot of people pissed off at Cheney.

Paging Mr. Allen

I hope Mike Allen saw the news that Fahrenheit 9/11 did well here locally, despite being limited on the number of theater's showing it. He thought it would not do so well, when quoted in the paper last week.

I was disappointed in this article, however. This part has the strong odor of bias:

Some moviegoers who agreed with the message had a problem with the film's delivery.

"I know what Moore's about, so it wasn't surprising that it was pretty manipulative," said Adnan Mir, 25, whose family drove from Akron to see it with him. "It's more sensationalist fodder for arguments against the war."

Some? I would bet this was the only guy who had such a point, and if the reporter had more, he should have listed them or at least chose them more wisely. He had to get the quote with "Manipulative" in there, didn't he? WHY? I did not find it manipulative and any criticism I have for the film would be the deliver in artistic terms, not political terms. It felt like two movies and the transition had issues, but that was not an element of "manipulation," but likely more of what views could have seen as problems with the delivery.

I wonder who edited this story. I wonder who is getting their vote.

Oh, Canada

The Hegemo has a full summary and analysis of tomorrow's Canadian Federal election. Sarah reports that for the first time in 10 years it will be close, with multiple parties splitting the vote, and forcing odd coalitions to be formed.

I shall be watching on C-SPAN and Newsworld International.

Main Street Disturbance

CincyNation.com reported the following:

Over 20 police cars were called in to quell a disturbance last night in the Main Street Entertainment District. The trouble began when a nightclub was pressured not to open for an after-hours hip hop event, which left upset patrons with nothing to do but hang out around 12th and Main Street. The crowd eventually became unruly and police had to break it up.

No sources or the name of which nightclub did not hold the after-hours event were indicated. I will assume this story is based on limited information and that CincyNation is holding back the name of the establishment or those who "pressured" it to not hold the after-hours event, because of libel.

I have to wonder though, how can a bar stay open for an after-hours event and expect to keep its liquor license? Were there any arrests? Was there any damage to the club or surrounding areas? Were there any other witnesses to the incident? I will surmise that it took place on or around 2 AM. I hope to read about this in the papers tomorrow, but I will not hold my breath.

The Battle For NKY

A media struggle for Northern Kentucky news readers seems to be taking shape. Dennis Hetzel has been named General Manager of the Kentucky Enquirer. This comes on the heels of the announcement of a new weekly NKY newspaper. Along with the vibrant Kentucky Post things should be fun to watch.

Hetzel was quoted as saying he wanted to "make their online presence stronger." I hope that starts out by registering a domain name unique to the Kentucky edition.

This leaves me thinking though, who is going to keep on reporting news for the City of Cincinnati? We have CityBeat, but their news coverage is limited to three or four stories a week. Each suburban area has its own community paper. The Enquirer and the Post just don't give much of a damn about the actual day-to-day life inside the city. How much longer before we don't get any coverage of City Council? Is there room for a City of Cincinnati community newspaper?

A Religious Based Business?

A story on a coffeehouse started by religious people and its billed as a "Christian Cafe?" The reality and the journalism seem to me to be amiss or if not, then I am quite put off. If a couple has a business and their clients are built around their church and/or friends who share their religious beliefs, then I have no problem. If their business is billing itself and infusing religious dogma into the operation of a coffeehouse, then I for one will not be going there.

Why would I stay away? Well, when you base a business on difference, then I want no part of it. By differences I don't mean niches that cater to a particular market, like a Christian Book Store. There they sell Christian Books. That is fine. That is no different than having a market niche for Children’s books or Comic Books, or Rare Books. If a dry cleaner tried to say they were a Christian Dry Cleaner, then I would find that offensive, especially if I was a Christian.

In the case of this couple's coffeehouse, I do not feel they are trying to bill themselves as owning a "Christian Cafe." The article does not support that directly, as the title implies. There are a few comments that seemed odd and out of place like:

Poet Charlette Perry stopped in at Reality four years ago to get a doughnut and coffee. She's been coming back ever since to do poetry readings on open mike night and to enjoy the wholesome atmosphere.

Wholesome atmosphere? Is Starbucks really corrupting the morals of children when they play Jazz? This along with the title seem to be a shaping of the story that does not fit with the reality of the situation. I don’t think this a business that is trying to attract Christians just because they claim to be Christians. If I am wrong, please let me know.

The other odd part about this story was that it was in the business section of the paper. What is odd is that the cafe was created and is maintained in part much like a collective organization, where patrons give to it to keep it going. That smells of communism and any "good Christian" of the "appropriate" sects knows that communism, as an economic structure, is just plain "evil."

Taft on Toast

What is Bob Taft going to do after his term as Governor ends in early 2007 and he can't run again because of term limits? In most cases one would think he would try for the US Senate, but since Mike DeWine is not term limited, I don't see that happening. They are fairly close in political persuasion as mainline conservatives, leaning a bit moderate, so Taft really would have a hard time challenging him. Today's Enquirer has two editorials on Taft, one by the Enquirer and one by Taft himself, plus a whole section of letters to the editor about Taft which all paint him with a big negative sign. Now, I would have liked to hear something positive on Taft and I am sure there is someone out there with that view, but Taft has achieved something that is very difficult, making many in his own party dislike him more than the Democrats do.

The mood that one feels on the political street suggests rather strongly that Taft would be lucky to be elected Garbage Commissioner. His political future appears dead, and the Ohio GOP is set for the bloodiest primary in memory to fill his seat. Jerry Springer is running for Governor for the Dems, in case you missed the writing on the wall. It is not official, but with JerryforOhio.com, you can bank on an attempt. Those add up to a fun 2006. At that point Taft will have to look at either a cabinet post in future GOP Administration, which I hope is long after he's hit retirement age, or just go into the private sector. It would appear to me that the Taft family dynasty is dead, or on its last rope.

WOW!! 'Fahrenheit 9/11'

Saw it this afternoon and yes it lives up to the hype. I found it powerful. The movie will hit your guts hard, no matter what your party affiliation. Anyone who thinks otherwise after seeing it is a cold-blooded son of a bitch. The theater in Newport was close to full, I would say about 4/5ths full of one of the larger theaters AMC has. It was also odd that a security guard was posted inside the theater during much, if not all, of the movie. I am not sure as to why: young faux anarchists or Hitler youths would be my guess.

I saw nothing that was really "fact-checkable," even though many have tried and failed.

South of the Border

Northern Kentucky has a new Challenger for king of news. The Sunday Challenger will become a weekly starting on July 4th. Check out the staff of the paper here. You will see some familiar names from the local media.

Forbes Can Suck On These Cicadas

Maggie Downs slammed the Forbes article on Single life in cities released yesterday. This is the best column I have read from Maggie. She knows the topic better than any journalist in town and sums up wonderfully the failings of Forbes Magazine and its biased conclusions.

Let Maggie loose on other topics!!! Let her provide a retort to Bronson's tripe.