Cleanliness Run Amuck

Street cleaners clean up evidence after shooting.

Hypocrite Chabot

Where was Steve Chabot when Jesse Helms was keeping 100+ Clinton Judicial nominees from the courts? Nowhere I would surmise. Whining about a general comment by Specter is grandstanding for the reactionaries he champions. This is yet another example of Chabot just ignoring the fact that a significant number of his constituents believe in the choice. He would say most certainly that even before he got one letter or phone call from one of his constituents with a pro-choice viewpoint, that he would vote for what ever law the anti-abortion groups tell him to vote for. That surely things fair and honest consideration.

Specter has voted for openly anti-abortion justices before. He will likely do it again. He was stating the obvious point that the Dems, if they have any spine, will filibuster any extreme right justices, and make it impossible to approve them. The right will bitch and moan about it, but the Dems should push Bush for another Sandra Day O’Connor to be appointed, not another Scalia. It does depend on who is the first to step down. If Rehnquist goes, the Dems will likely not go nuclear on a far right winger. Who they would may chief would be a battle, but not as big one. If O’Connor or one of the liberals step down, then yes, there will be a battle royal in the Senate.

Chabot frankly should worry more about idiots like Rep. Ernest Istook (R-Oklahoma) who wants to read everyone's tax return and worry about passing intelligence reform. Also, did Chabot vote to for the Delay Rule? It was a behind closed doors voice vote, but does he have the courage and honesty to come right out and say if he was in favor of accountability for GOP House leadership, or if he was willing to change the rules in midstream just because they need the “Hammer” to wield his dirty dealings in the future?

Onward Christian Airman?

Thank Zeus for a military academy with a little bit of sense. I wonder how the sheltered Larry Redwine, baseball coach at Cincinnati Hills Christian Academy, would react to this? I guess having a Christian Air Force might be his idea of good Christian government, which reflects the "political philosophy" he votes for. It is odd that he thinks people are out to get him and other conservative Christians, when he and his gang won the White House. I guess the FBI is raiding Churches left and right. Preachers are being pulled from the pulpit. Bibles are being burned. Mel Gibson's The Passion of Christ must have been banned from every theater.

No, none of those things are happening. Freedom to practice Christianity is as free as it ever was, if not more. The Freedom to not practice Christianity is not fairing so well. We have a football coach pushing his religion on his military wards. That is theocracy in action. The military has a serious problem of pushing Christianity and general monotheism on service members. That is a tool of the radicals in the Christian right. They are becoming what internationally has been a common description of foreign military forces. We have a hardline religious movement infesting itself in our military. Our military is no different than Pakistan's military which has a huge faction of Islamic extremists believed to be the source of power and money for the Taliban and in turn Al Qaeda.

Sure, people like Larry and the Air Force coach see their religion as benevolent. Well, I'm sure Vladimir Putin thinks he is doing what is best for his people by taking away the freedom of the press in Russia. Here in Ohio, I would bet in Phil Burress's warped Fundamentalist mind he thinks he is helping out homosexuals by denying them civil rights. The problem Mr. Redwine misses is that if is going to judge "Liberals" in a generality, then we can judge his "Christianity" in a generality and illustrates the hate of homosexuals, of women, of Muslims, of Jews, of Blacks, of Catholics, of Asians, of Atheists, that his religion has. Now, of course "his religion" is not all of Christianity. Christianity, which includes Mormons and Catholics, is a wide variety of sects with various views on everything. Many of the Christians in Hollywood, and yes a majority would consider themselves Christian, would agree that the Jesus Character does offer "love, forgiveness, salvation, caring and giving." What they disagree with is that Jesus would want a government that forces anyone to worship in a way they might disagree with. Jesus was written after all as a Liberal.

Wes Flinn takes Larry to task as well.

I can’t wait for someone to call me anti-Christian for this post. Any takers?

One Party Rule

Kevin Drum lists out the "accomplishments" of the Republicans since they won their "huge mandate."

They really voted to give Bush a Yacht. Yes, a freakin Yacht. We have people who can't afford college, but yes, Bush gets a Yacht. Did he ask for one or is someone in Congress trying to bring Business to a company in their district? I would not be surprised about both being true. Why haven't the Dems hit on this yet? They had all day today to nail then on both the Yacht and the idiot from Oklahoma who wants to read everyone's tax returns. It is time to stop being cordial and take out the knives. Draw a little blood. Make every step the GOP takes to destroy credibility of the country and of our money painful. We instead get bland outrage. I want someone on CNN screaming. Let some low level Congressman earn his pay and bite off some heads.

Will this accomplish much? Nothing in the short run. It will give the GOP a talking point, but it puts them on the defense and on notice that they don't have a mandate. They won a slight majority of the popular vote, that does give them the right to do as they please. Someone must keep them honest. When I say honest I fully understand that no politician is honest, but the expression still fits. Someone has to prevent the right-wing from going insane, or rather allow them to act out their insanity in the form of legislation. So far the Dems haven't been much more than commentators analyzing the fight at the Pistons-Pacers game.

MIAMI 37, Akron 27

MAC East Champions!

Love and honor to Miami,
Our college old and grand,
Proudly we shall ever hail thee,
Over all the land.

Alma mater now we praise thee,
Sing joyfully this lay,
Love and honor to Miami,
Forever and a day.

Police Contract

The Cincinnati FOP is granstanding on pay increases. The want a 6% increase for 2005 and 2006. I have no problem with that increase, IF, and only if they agree to modify the process for terminating police officers. If the FOP wants to weed out the bad apples as much as the rest of the community then they must do their part, instead of being loyal to a bunch of bad cops who just can't be fired.

6% is rather high. It is higher than all other increases in the private sector. The should settle on 4 or 5 with the modifications to the other provisions of the contract and go home smiling about that type of increase for their members.

Gannett buys Community Press

The parent company of the Enquirer is buying the Community Press, and 25 other local newspapers.

No plans have been announced as to any changes, but one can assume that eventually some consolidation would take place.

This is yet another sorry chapter in the story of Media consolidation. We will not have few news sources in this town. I am not a regular reader of the Community Press and it market is slightly different than the Enquirer, but it will surely be synergized to fit marketing models and independence will be crushed.

The only possible positive for this from the consumer's point of view is that the Enquirer could stop focusing as much column spaces to the Real News, Real Crap plan they have been working on for a couple of years. That plan created a reactive newspaper giving people the news they wanted to hear, instead of what actually is happening in the city.

Finally, will the Community Press's Printing Press location be sold eventually or maintained?

Regressive VooDoo

Kevin Drums summarizes a report about Bush's tax "plan." The Washington Post reports that Bush wants to reward the wealthy, increase taxes on the middle class, and for some strange reason provide a reason for corporations to dump health care coverage. I thought a flat tax might be Bush's trick, but this is even more regressive, almost text book Trickle Down economics.

Sounds like a redistribution of money from the middle class to the rich. The poor are left to live on peanuts, as usual.

Take Down Your Political Yard Signs

I don't care who you supported, but take down your political yard signs. I pass a Portman sign every morning on my way to work. Megan Varelmann of the UC NewsRecord contemplates how long people get to remove political paraphernalia. The answer is now.

Stating the Obvious: Episode #672

The headline reads: City mishandled aspects of failed theater project. If you call reading a financial statement showing 1.6 million in assets as Dollars when it was really in Yen and only worth about $14,000 as mishandling the project, then yes, you have some blame in the situation.

Will DNA Replace Fingerprinting?

Law makers in Ohio are pushing to sample the DNA of people convicted of a felony or sex-crime misdemeanor. How long before a DNA sample replaces or is added to being fingerprinted at each arrest, as opposed to each conviction?

Sweeps Breeds Fear

Here we have local TV news in the middle of sweep raising panic on the suburban viewer once again. No context is provided on the increase. Numbers need to be compared. Cherry picking a 10% rise in Downtown just to make the point that people have a misplaced fear of Downtown does nothing but increase the fear of ignorant suburbanites who like to live in a jail. Here WKRC is playing the part of stooge for those in the burbs who want Downtown to fail, and every business to leave. Those people are out there and every local government offering tax breaks to lure company's to Mason, NKY, and West Chester are among them.

Mayoral Update

The Cincinnati Post has another update on who is and is not or might be running for Mayor. A recap of press accounts:

Running
Mark Mallory
David Pepper

Maybe
Alicia Reece
Jim Tarbell
Chris Smitherman
Mark Painter
Charlie Winburn

Not Running
Charlie Luken
John Cranley
Donald Duck

Nick Spencer on the Move

Nick Spencer has moved his blog to his campaign website. Update your favorites.

He Hate Me? (No)

I guess some people believe I am polarizing or that is what I take away from a post from Michael at Cincinnati Group. I really don't see myself as polarized. I have opinions and people agree or disagree with them, but I don't think I am extreme on any big issue. I don't think being confrontational on issues or even heavy handed is polarizing. I also don't think when I state what I believe are facts, but do so in a manner people find harsh or shrill, that I am polarizing. I take sides on issues. I am not stuck on every element of most issues. There are a few I will not budge on, but that makes me stubborn, not out on a polar extreme. Additionally, I don't think people really hate me. They may think I suck and am a waste of time, but don't hate me. So I guess I would have said "love him or think he sucks" instead of "love him or hate him." It is a matter of semantics.

The post ended up having little to do with me, except that I guess I got lucky in naming my blog what it is. I guess no one would be reading me if Cincinnati was not in the name of my blog, not that many read me now as it is. I think my parents are just hitting refresh 50 times a day. I got indirectly slammed (or directly), but CiN took the brunt of it.

I do really disagree a lot about Michael's comment that I don't that much to do with Cincinnati. I have a lot to do with Cincinnati, but I am not niche blog about Cincinnati. I comment on local media, local news, local politics, and local cultural events mostly. During the Presidential race I did talk about national issue a lot, but I still hit the issues affecting people in the city.

I am not from Cincinnati, that is clear. I happily am from Western New York State. I think I bring a perspective on the city that is different and not filled with either assumed knowledge or historical bias. I have bias; just not one where I assume things here in Cincinnati will never change. It just may take years.

Someone Gets Leis

In a letter to the Enquirer we read:

Sheriff's response to chase heartless

In regard to 'Sheriff: Chase was right call' (Nov. 13): So Sheriff Simon Leis sees nothing wrong with chasing after a kid stealing gas that results in a woman's death. 'There could have been a body in the trunk' is his response. Sure, and there might have been a car bomb in the trunk, too, but highly doubtful. Wearing a 'tin star' doesn't condone such egregious overreaction that ends in an innocent bystander's death. The sheriff's self-serving, heartless and totally out-of-touch response condoning the officer's movie car-chase mentality strongly indicates why he has outlived his usefulness to Hamilton County.

John Gunselman
Anderson Township

Indeed!

I hope John is a Republican. Only Republicans can get J. Edgar HooverSimon Leis to quit.

Provisional Ballots

The real question that should be asked while the provisional ballots are counted is why do we have so many? An investigation should be made to determine why so many provisional ballots had to be cast. What I would guess is clerical errors brought on by the increased registration this year taxing an understaffed Board of Elections. We still do not properly fund the elections process in this state. As long as we have one party rule, will never will.

Both Allen and Collins Want Tax Money

Rebecca Collins has now joined Mike Allen in asking Hamilton County Taxpayers to cough up cash to defend her. Mike Allen did this earlier this fall.

Mayoral Race Still a Mess

Korte's latest column reports that John Cranley is not running for mayor, Alicia Reece is on the fence, and Jim Tarbell is considering it.

Jeff Berding is also likely running for council as a Dem. I have never heard of Jeff by name, but come February we may hear more. He works for the Bengals which may or may not be a liability, depending on how many games they end up winning this year.

Tall Stacks Back

In 2006 Tall Stacks will return a year earlier than thought. I welcome this event to the area. I went last year and really enjoyed the night I spent there. I was not able to go on a cruise, but from what I heard last year the riverboat cruises were mostly worth it. The price may have been too high for some, but the experience was to have been worth the lines.

I am sure some will harp on this event for not making money. This is the kind of event that the city and county should chip-in with, where millions of revenue can be generated.