On the Other Hand

Even though Jammin' On was great, an AP feature today brings the failure to improve OTR to light. I agree that efforts to start to change OTR have failed, especially the movement to bring back Vine Street, but we are 4 years removed from a riot. We have activists who still do not want to work with anyone who does not submit to their viewpoint. We have head in the sand suburbanites who just don't care that much about the poor, especial in the City. Mostly we have people doing their own thing and not thinking big picture. We have the Kroger Garage and the Art Academy of Cincinnati going forward, but Main Street has been stagnant. I see potential, I don't see action and this year being an election year we are going to here plan after plan, but are we going to see action? Not likely.

Subtle Knocks on DeWine from Brinkman

Tom Brinkman in no way comes out directly and says anything about Pat DeWine's divorce and other personal negatives in this email reported on BCR, but he sure as hell hints that they exist:

Pat is proving once again why he is not suited to be our Congressman. Please let your friends and neighbors know what Pat DeWine is doing. Ask them to spread the word that Pat DeWine is NOT suited to be our Congressman. This has nothing to do with how he has conducted himself in the past, this is about how he is conducting himself NOW.

Now, there is one contradiction here, if he "once again" is doing something, than how is this not about both what he has done in the past and is doing now? The hint I am referring to is the question Brinkman leaves hanging: How did he conduct himself in the past? What is he talking about? The answer is left for the reader to wonder, but is a rather obvious, to politicos yet subtle to average Joes/Janes, jab at DeWine's affair/relationship with a political activist and his divorce.

Jammin' On a Success

Dylan of Buckra

Jammin' On was a great event this year, I believe the turn out was solid and the variety of music was pretty good. Jake Speed & the Freddies, Buckra, and the rock-a-billy sounds of the Kentucky Struts were my favorites.

The only complaint came from a friend who said that the sound guys in this town suck. Last night there were 6 sets of sound crews out there. I can imagine that using the C team is not the ideal. If Midpoint is to be as big as it can be and with a really great music scene in Cincinnati, we need to get our local sound guys in tune with the varied musical styles. Folk, Funk, and Heavy Metal need different mixes.

Malone Arrest Fall-Out Begins

In today's updated Enquirer article we get more details as to how Malone’s actions were reported to police. If you beat your child so much that they need to go to the hospital, yes folks, something is really wrong, and something criminal happened. The hospital staff will report you if you do these kinds of injuries to your children.

The most outlandish statement and one that should destroy his chances for a GOP endorsement for Mayor go to former councilman Charlie Winburn:

"When kids are unruly, parents have to be responsible," said Charlie Winburn, a longtime friend of Malone's family and a former councilman. "Sam is a great, responsible father. He ought to be commended for disciplining his child."

Now, I might give Charlie the benefit of the doubt only if he did not know of the details in the article, like the kid having to go to the hospital after being beaten by his father. If he knew about that and other details reported in the media, then Winburn is a monster to think that a person should be "commended" for beating a teenager. We don't live in the 18th Century Mr. Winburn.

Alicia Reece's comments should have just been to offer "no comment," but they were generally neutral, with a hint of what Winburn said.

The big hat tip goes to Republican Pete Witte. According to the article Pete called for Malone to resign. That is an extremely courageous thing to do, it is the right thing to do, and after the initial run of facts, I think it spells doom for Sam Malone's career. More facts could come out to change things, but with the information presented by medical personnel, the police, and no denial from Malone of doing the beating, the evidence is stacked against Malone. Therefore Witte's stance will become I believe the stance of the majority of Republicans. If not, then the Dems have an issue. It would be a gutter issue to use, and might in the end backfire if used incorrectly, but a subtle slam against any candidate, like Winburn, who supported Malone would be effective. A full attack on Sam Malone would be not only be fair, it would be the right thing to do.

GOP County leader Mike Barrett's response was not courageous like Pete Witte's, but he gave the totally neutral line that he had to give to the press at this point. It is only a matter of time however before Barrett will have to change his tone and then the Party will have start to pressure Malone to resign. If they don't, Leslie Ghiz may be the only endorsed Republican on council next year.

I wonder when we will get a comment from the CCV, Malone was their man on council after all.

More from WCPO here and here. It appears the rest of the local mainstream news media took the weekend off.

UPDATE: WLWT has more. It hasn't made the AP Wire yet to my knowledge.

UPDATE#2: Nick Spencer comments and joins Pete Witte in calling for Malone to resign now.

Councilman Sam Malone Arrested

First thing that comes to mind is holy shit, but that just does not put into words the change this puts into City Politics. Councilman Sam Malone was arrested for beating his 14 year old with a belt. This is not just a little beating:

A police report said Malone hit his son with a belt, causing injuries that included swelling to the chest, arms, back and buttocks.

A spokeswoman for children's services in Hamilton County said doctors at a Cincinnati hospital contacted the agency Friday night after they found welts and belt marks on the boy's body.

"Parents are allowed to physically discipline their children," said Laurie Petrie, spokeswoman for the county's Department of Job and Family Services, which includes children's services.

"But this," she said, "would be beyond what we would consider normal discipline."

What kind of a human being can beat their own child in such a way as to cause swelling to his chest, arms and back? If it was just on his buttocks, Malone might have survived this, but he should go to jail if this is true.

I hope everyone can agree on this. Some out there might be in favor of corporal punishment, but this is assault. I can understand spanking a young child who can't be reasoned with, but beating your teenager with a belt does nothing but gets your grandchildren beat up in about 20 years.

If anyone tries to defend Malone on this one, you really are reaching. I hope his son is able to get through this.

Malone should immediately resign his council seat and quit politics. If the GOP endorses him, they really will have sunk to a new low.

I hope no one calls this good family values.

Chilifest Cancelled

There will not be a 23rd annual Cincinnati Chilifest this year, but it seems the organizers will try and bring it back this year. Last years event left the organizers 90K in debt. The event occurs in September which is a hard month to contend in. College Football fans are pulled away, baseball, and Oktoberfest eats up people's attention.

More Conversations

Well, I thought I would have one last conversation post after my week of what some called weed induced rantings or reasons #112 that I need to get laid. Well, since I don't smoke anything, let alone weed, and since well the other issue is just nunabiz, I will take it that my conversation went over like a lead balloon.

You stay the same and people complain, you try something new and people complain. You call bigots, bigots, and people complain. I have learned one thing from my experience, people complain, and like to complain. I think I also learned that people don't like my rantings all that much.

Well, you have not read the last of them! I am going to try and broaden my mind a bit more than I have been. I will try and interject a little more culture into the blog than I have been doing. I don't know how or what, but when I am not posting on current events and you see photos, then you will know.

Keeping things fresh has to be something even I try and do. That is saying a lot, for me.

Congrats Wes!!!

A big congratulations go out to Wes Flinn on his new job starting this fall. We all shall miss you.

Pettus-Brown vows to rebuild theater

LaShawn Pettus-Brown almost pulls an OJ.

The Social Leagues

Something I do all the time is constantly consider if women are in or "out of my league." It is almost an instinctive response to meeting someone new. Admitting I am at least partially shallow is not going to be a popular opinion, especially to women. I think my understanding that I myself am nothing to drool over gives me a little cover coupled with my honestly. Since I have come out and spilled the beans on the leagues, I have to ask, are these leagues all in my head, or do they have something of a non-formal and certainly flexible definition that none-the-less holds true?

Now, when I say "out of my league" most people are likely going to focus on appearance. I consider that a significant portion of what I mean, but most certainly not all the factors. Is that fair? Well, from my point of view it is not so much fair, it is something of a reality. Usually it is not what I think of others, it is what I assume they would think of me. That is the interesting part, does our opinion of others really only depend on how we judge ourselves?

No matter how much people want to avoid it, appearance matters. That sucks. It is horrible, but it is reality. It is a human reaction that is not going to change. In my own biased opinion of myself, I rank kinda-sorta average, maybe a little below on some factors and little above a couple of others. What is funny, I think, is that if polled, 2/3rds of people would view themself as average, whether they are or not. If polled secretly they may have a completely different view. Appearance is very subjective and often based on comparison and sample size. Just because it varies though, does not mean it is not valued.

Beyond appearance there are other factors to consider which are really what in the end matters: intelligence, wealth or class, maturity, age, personality, interests, cultural background, and temperament. There are other categories and other variations, but these are what come to my mind most often. Does anyone ever think that people are out of their league when it comes to personality or interests? Sometimes people might say that a smart person is out of their league, but not necessarily in the sense that they are better, just different. Difference is not always valued, unless it creates an identity people can relate to.

Beyond the normal comparison of supermodels and movie stars, are there really people out of your league? Do you walk down the street and say people who might share your same interests, intelligence, temperament are beneath you in social status?

What makes up social status? How much of it is based on appearance and how much is based on other factors? Is appearance ever not a factor?

What I think plays into this is the mystery surrounding what causes two people to be attracted to one another. There are common factors and conventional wisdom that seem to hold true, but then you see a couple together and can’t fathom how they are in anyway compatible. That seems not to matter much when you notice how happy they are together. As a single guy, I can't seem to fathom that kind of happiness.

What I will laugh at now is anyone who claims to be happy, but can't put into words that which makes him/her happy.

Dems Offically Endorse Lynch and Berding

The recommendations were accepted by City Democrats for 6 additional candidates beyond the three incumbents: Jeff Berding, Damon Lynch, Eve Bolton, Samantha Herd, Cecil Thomas and Wendell Young.

Berding is causing grief among some, but to me Lynch is still a disappointment. At this point I would not even consider voting for the man. Could I change my mind? It would take a lot, but it would be possible. If Lynch publicly retracts his past statements on calling police rapists, if he retracts a call for an "afro-centric" curriculum in CPS, and if he says he does not support what was a boycott and declare once and for all that one does not exist. He does that AND his positions are reasonable AND he makes the effort to represent the entire city, then I may vote for him.

I expect some of this is part of his plan and is why the Dems are now supporting him, or at least enough Dems to get a deal to get the endorsement. What I do not expect is Lynch to meet the requirements needed for to vote for him. Because of that I think he is a big mistake to endorse, and gives a lot of fuel to the GOP and by default to Charter. The GOP will just be running against Lynch. Malone against Lynch will I think be how the TV commercials may go, subtly of course. This will pull away liberals like me into the Charter camp. Roxanne Qualls would be a great Charterite right about now, in my book.

Nate as more from the meeting. How much of it is true? Well, that depends on how much Nate spun it. It is worth a read if for nothing else than to see Nate defend Damon Lynch. I though Nate and Lynch were bitter enemies, have they made nice or is Nate just circling the race-based wagons?

Learning

How do you learn something? How long does it take you? Do you have learn by doing or can you translate instruction into action? What about observation?

Back in school I learned little or no information from the classroom, other than what the teacher was going to ask on the test had a direct relationship to the topics he or she covered in class.

I learn best by either following written directions, yes I actually read them when I buy a new bookcase at Target, or I learn by observation and then using imitation along with trial and error.

I do not learn well in teams. I personally don't function at my best in teams on most levels, unless I have no clue what is going on, or when I have people who know how to manage, which is often lacking. When I learn something new with a team it ends up that I get it, and then teach the rest by example or by a step-by-step walk through.

I would hate having someone over my shoulder telling what to type or which button to push. The funny part is that what I do for people all the time in my job.

Can anyone learn to do anything? Could I learn to perform surgery? Are there tasks that people just don't have the ability to grasp? It seems to me that if there are people who are able to document any process correctly, then I should be able to complete that process. It doesn't work that way, but conceptually if we had the directions, could we just make a nuclear bomb?

Questions for Summit Country Day School

If you are going to only allow "Catholics in public life" speak at your who school "whose positions run contrary to the church," then I guess you are going to not allow anyone gay, anyone divorced, anyone who has lied, anyone who has killed someone, anyone who supports the death penalty, or anyone who is not Roman Catholic to speak or for that matter work for your school. Those are the teachings of the Catholic Church, so then you are going to screen out everyone who has not broken those rules?

When will Summit Country Day issue a political test to its staff to determine where they stand on these issues? If they don't, are they simply going to ask who they voted for and then judge based on that? That would be an odd split. Which is more important, being anti-abortion or anti-death penalty?

Thin Skinned Cole

Laketa Cole needs to look past minor pranks. She now will be tagged as the person responsible for removing the barricade on 13th Street, all because she raise a ruckus over a flier. That pushed Enquirer reporter Greg Korte to write a news story and then make her the focus of what some view as opening back up the door to drug dealers.

She should win back her seat anyway, but she might loose a few moderate votes. This would not have been known if she would have just taken it and moved on, don't arm your opponents with your own anger.

Blue Collar, White Collar, & the Future

When I was in college I was trained a what I believe was and is one of the best public university undergraduate business programs in the country. We were taught how to be corporate soldiers. Whether it was accounting, management, marketing, or Finance, all of us learned the tools needed to run any corporation. What we didn't learn were the operations of what that corporation might do. We didn't learn how to build anything. We didn't learn to design much, beyond a few spreadsheets. Some of us can sell, but we didn't learn about what we are selling.

20 years ago it would take about 25 people to do what it takes 5 to do, in about half the time. The ratio in the future will likely increase in its efficiency. Where will that leave our workforce?

What plans are in the minds of our corporate leaders and political office holders? Are they thinking it will all just work out? Do some think that in 50 years we will not build or make anything and only provide services to the world? It appears that is the model we are heading towards. China, India, and South America will make everything, and we will sell it and buy it. The job skill sets in America are shrinking. There are fewer companies that doing fewer things. Will there be enough jobs to support our economy? How long can we make money when we are just trading sticks of butter, taking a cut in each transaction? Would it not be better to not only sell the butter, but make it too? Do we not in the long run make more money when we don't out source everything? At some point the market for outsourcing will crash, and companies will scramble to find people to answer the telephone, let alone find people to service their Servers or make their toothbrushes. What companies are looking beyond stock price? What are we going to do when consolidate everything as far as we can? Will CEO's ever care about anything other than share price?

One for 'Us,' and None For 'Them'

Abraham at Political Influentials brings up an interesting column about how Evangelical Christians are not Monolithic. This is a true statement, technically. When it comes to social issues I think it wrong. That is the point of the whole theocratic movement, to impose a social order on the society based on conservative Christian religious dogma. It will be "open" to variation, but only those where Christians can swallow it, so to speak. The reactionaries are not going to make everyone be Baptists or even be born-again, but what they don't seem to understand is that not everyone is Christian, and because they (me) are not, that should not be a reason to discriminate against them, nor should it a be license to use the government to try and either force or even just encourage religion or more likely a particular brand of religion on anyone.

I think history is missed on people. In the past the evangelical Christians oppressed Catholics in this country. The Catholics gave some back too, but catholic discrimination was not just common, it was the norm.

Today we have something relatively similar. The Evangelicals have evolved. They are tolerant of most other Christian variable, and to some degree to Jews and Muslims. Inside the evangelicals you still will get plenty of blood loss over whether you are a KJV fan or you push forward with NIV or some other heathen text. The tolerance level is far dicier and has we have seen lately in the new outright oppressive against other non-monotheists. Admitting this reality is a big debating point though.

I fully agree that the 'born-again' Christians are not going to view the same issues the same way. They do however have a slew of issues that they move in crisp step with far and above all other Christians. There is no middle ground on abortion or homosexuality or other social issues. Do they disagree on taxes? Sure they do. The political spectrum of view points in many churches though I think is shrinking.

In the column though one thing was really missing: debate on anti-gay stances. It is quite clear that evangelicals most often either out-right anti-homosexuals, or they compartmentalize the issues. Think of being against gay marriage, but not being anti-gay. I don't see a difference, they often nuance it. It is the same as the cliché: "hate the sin, not the sinner." Well, when you are not religious, you don't sin, it is not applicable as a concept, so again, it is failure to grasp that people live outside your frame of reference.

Abraham had a funny, which I don't think was intentional in his post:

Evangelicals Are Not A Monolith

I've seen quite a few references to theocracy lately. If you're interested in another point of view read this opinion article from an evangelical. He offers some insight on what they stand for.

The bold is mine. It is subtly funny. A better choice would have been "some of them” instead of "they," but I got the overall point of post.

Loss of Cinergy?

What will the effects be on the loss of Cinergy's HQ? The back office will surely lose jobs, but how much of the operation can be handled from NC?

The Soundtrack to Life

Is the intense love of music and the emotional and social connection it instills, as well as the cultural identity it can provide, a modern phenomenon? Is it something that only infects some of us? Is there a gene for music appreciation?

Music is one of the most unifying and yet deviding elements of American Culture today. We are divided by class and race. Music is an element of the identity we profess, whether we are a headbanger, a gangsta, a cowboy, or a wine and cheese taster. Yet within out subcultures we can share songs that fill you full of memory and sense of time or tone that can take you out of your current reality.

What makes music so vital to some, yet just background noise to others? To me, music is like a vital element to living. I need it as much as I need sleep. I don't need just sounds, I need music. What I think of music and of sound or of noise is what someone else might find enlightening. That variation is part of the mysticism of music that defies logic. How can people not at least like some of the Beatles? I know it is hard to fathom but it is true.

Then there are those who just like background noise, just a monotone movie soundtrack that adds a little foundation to their existence, but nothing they will remember the next time they hear the same song. Think of a Ritz cracker to the cheese. Bland on bland. Are those who like easy listening looking to just numb their brains to the pain? Do those who instead embrace as wide view of music reach out to it the variations that contain, dear I say it, soul? I think it is really more like emotion, depth, or something more than just contentment.

I like music that has power, emotion, beauty, complication, and is vibrant. I listen to it for the emotion it can cause me to emote. Music is not like the drapes or a seat cushion. It is art. Art is what I think separates the wheat from the chaff, and the music from the mind numbing drivel. How we tell the difference is what I think is the rub. That is where the conflict and division comes in.

Why though are more of those under say age 50 more into music, than those over it? My parents for example love music, but they don't just turn on the stereo and listen to it, while they do something else. I do that constantly. Is that just us or is it another element of just growing older?

City Cards

CNN had a side story last week on pooling of regional attractions into a discount plan in the form of a car or pass that allows users to get discounts to several places in the area.

The idea is brilliant, but they need to take it one step further, even if it has a certain Disney quality to it. What a better way to market and to steer tourists to the entertainment areas of the city than to have admission bundling. This allows places like the Museum Center, the CAC, and Newport Aquarium to allow users to buy one ticket to all three places for one price, which ends up being a discount over three individual tickets, but it means all three can be a reason for tourist to stay over night in the city, not just an afternoon. This could bring a family from Dayton or even Cleveland to downtown for a couple of days. The tickets could include transportation between each attraction, making it easy for those fearful of city street driving. Throw in a deal somehow with a sporting event, and you really could have a nice little mini-vacation. This type of trip is the only type of tourism that makes sense for areas like Cincinnati.

I would through in Kings Island, but just don't know if the tie in would work. It might work as well as the sporting event, but its location, so far out of town, takes away some of the ease added with downtown transportation. A family could park their car and be shuttled cheaply around the urban core area. Adding a trip out to Mason adds cost that may not work.

[Via SoC]

Sidenote on SoC; Publius has added a second blogger to his blog: Hayek.

Identity

Who am I? Or is the question really who are you? In society today, identity is taking on a new shape. In the past you were identified by your family, your nation, your ethnicity, or your race. Maybe sometimes by your profession, but that often overlapped with one or more of the prior classification types.

Today we have Red and Blue States, Christian Businesses, Gay Friendly Bars. We put 'ribbons' on our cars to show support for something. We don't usually do much to support that something beyond showing we support it, but we want everyone to know we support it. We are on ‘that’ team. We are one of ‘us’ not ‘them’

We are a member of the VFW or Mason's, or went to college somewhere. Why do people really have to let everyone know they are a Christian by putting the fish on the back of their car? Is it advertising? Has anyone ever really 'converted' to Christianity because of a small metal figure shaped vaguely like a fish, which people who know nothing about Christianity would logically think was the symbol or Anglers Society of America?

When did it become more important to tell others who you want them to think you are, instead of trying to figure out who you really are?

Conversation Week

In the hopes of giving people something else beyond my usual bombastic commentary, I thought I might try offering a more mental exercise. Call it philosophizin' or just plain old noggin wrestlin’. I am going to have a post each day, starting today, for a whole week that covers a topic that is philosophical in nature. It might stray into politics or religion (lack there of), but I will be off the direct current events for those posts. Don't worry, I will still have a post or two with the usual foul mouth revelry and vitriol, the red meat that keeps the blood boiling.

As an introductionary tool, I thought I might lament a bit on the current status of what we as human, or maybe just the American, society view as "conversation."

I have three basic conversation modes: philosophical (deep or at least in depth), the nice-ites (small-talk), and cold silence. What I lack is the level of conversation that is what I guess I consider pointless and mundane, the how-was-your-day-dear type conversation. Now, I added the "dear" to the end which might answer why I lack this, I am a single guy. If I was married or had a steady girlfriend I might have those types of conversations, but I don't, at least not that very often. That may also be a "guy thing," where men don't talk that much about such things to other men, while woman might do so more often. Now, lets not get all Griff-hating her for being sexist. Men and women have different conversation styles. Why? Well culture and society has fashioned it over time.

Does my lacking much ability to have meaningless, yet maybe charming conversation about nothing much at all make me a dull boring guy? Well, yes, yes it does. I fear I have been known to glass over more than a few pairs of eyes in my time. I am one to blather on for hours on the meaning of something, rather than lamenting on tone of voice my boss used on me during a meeting at work.

What is the fascination with the normal, the usual, the insignificant? Is it the ease of the conversation? You don't have to think about it and that's what makes people gravitate towards it? If true is this a natural tendency or a cultural creation?

Another area of conversation I wanted to address is subject matter, and what is and what is off limits. This goes into cultural variations and generational differences. People have always talked about everything on some level, baring your dark hidden secrets. It just has varied over time who you talk with about certain topics, at least publicly. Politics, Religion, and Sex are the top three that usually are met with the most conflict and thus don't fit as often into "polite conversation."

What does that leave? Movies, TV, music, sports, and weather. If you are married, life seems to be about your children (or when you will have them) or your house (or when will you buy one), so talking about your kids tends to fit the norm. If you are with coworkers you generally go to either the shitty copy machine or the boss from hell. The only time conversation become something bizarre and usually forbidding beyond the control of known human understand is when you have mundane conversation with your parents. It matters not your age nor your married status, but you will find it difficult and uncomfortable to talk with your parents about most things, other than trips to grandma’s house, Mom’s baked mac & cheese, and dad’s efforts to wake you up on Saturday morning to go trim the hedges..

The most important question is what do you say about yourself when engaged in a conversation, especially with a potential romantic interest or someone you have met for the first time? Is it always rude to talk about yourself? I have been either on dates or just in conversations with people and I am asking them questions and it is like pulling teeth for them to talk about themself. I guess they are fearful of being thought of as narcissistic, but then when I open up and talk about myself in hopes they will be OK with doing it too, and then they still don't talk about themself, I then look like the narcissist.

What do we want out of conversation? Are we just killing time or are we out to share ideas and gain a level of intimacy with other human beings? Yea, both would be the goal, depending on whom we are having the conversation with, but do we always shoot from the hip or do we actually know what we are going to say before we say it? The kid selling me the digital camera at the electronics store is not someone I will talk with about my stress at work. Should that be the case?

Is it about trust and fear? Yes, good old fashioned fear, that which makes humans tick. Does the level of fear drive the conversation? Comfort and fear in this case are one in the same. If you are comfortable talking with someone about a topic, you don't fear, or at least have only a little fear, saying what you say.

Ok, all of this then leads to having "The Conversation." Now, there is not just one conversation, but there are times and places where you have to tell people things and are hesitant to because it affects you or you fear having to be the one break the news. That could range from breaking up a romance to proposing marriage. It could be a job offer or being fired, or from a birth of a child to the death of a parent. It is a point of conflict put into a semi-orderly form that tends to situate some level of knots into the stomachs of the participants. Why do we fear these conversations? I sure as hell know I do. What motivates human beings into fear of exchanging information? Beyond either looking stupid, failing to impress a potential love interest, or failing to impress a potential business interest, what makes us act, well, so damn human?

Slippery Slope to Landslide

First they went after gays, and got their pound of flesh. Now the theocrats are out impose more religion on Ohio by trying to restrict divorce. I wonder if those who relished the support of the religious conservatives in the last election are at all fearful of letting the Genie out of the bottle. I mean if Newt Gingrich wants to run for President in 2008, will anyone on the right mention that he has been divorced twice? One might surmise he cheated on one or both of his first wives, so would that get anyone’s panties in a bunch?

Is breaking a commandment worse than being gay? I mean, weren’t those the top 10 for a reason? Shouldn't liars and adulterers be more of a concern then those involved in a homosexual relationship? Neither should be anyone else’s business anyway, let alone the State of Ohio. That doesn't really matter to those pushing to change divorce laws. Those religious theocrats are out to push their religion on the citizens of Ohio and are getting nearly unhindered assistance from the Republican Party.

Eve Bolton Is In

One step away from a Democratic endorsement is a great place to announce your candidacy for Cincinnati City Council. Eve ran against Pat DeWine last year for County Commissioner and put forth a good effort against a well financed candidate who is now already moving on to something else, or at least trying to.

What is most interesting is that her official announcement to run for City Council was actually her announcement. She previously had not been on the radar as a likely candidate. She I think may be moving to the City to actually run. She has been living in Mt. Healthy in the past. She is a great pick for the Dems. She has name recognition and experience running for office. She stands a good chance of getting on council.

UPDATE: Eve has been living in the city for a couple of years, but previous was living in Mt. Healthy.

How many shopping centers does one Metro-area need?

Are we going to have freeway to freeway shopping centers by the year 2010? Is demand up or are there just so few places to shop any more that these big companies can put up a Megamart and then just swat the people away like it’s a Fourth of July picnic?

Oh Sweet Pastry

Fred Pastry over at the Cincy Dealer sends up Jeff Berding and his connections with Mike Brown and the Bengals deal with the County for the Stadium. Pastry's piece of satire levels frosting on those greasing the wheels of government for their own profit. Mike Brown and Bob Bedinghaus may have done this, would Brown and Berding do it too?

Know Theatre's Good Boys

Photo by James Czar

Get out there and see Good Boys. Reviews are good and those I talked with last night enjoyed it. Tonight is a pay-what-you-can night, so those short on cash could pay 10 bucks instead of the normal 15.

The play explores what happens after a school shooting to the families of the shooter and his victim. It is a riveting play that explores all levels of humanity.

Once More Into the Breach

Kevin Drum is forced again to do the job of the media:

According to the memo, the bottom line is this: By the summer of 2002 George Bush had already decided on war regardless of Saddam Hussein's actions; democracy promotion was not even mentioned in passing as a reason for the war; postwar reconstruction was an issue of no concern; and the "marketing campaign" for the war was deliberately timed to coincide with midterm elections.

Just for the record.

As Kevin says few will care about this, because truth is fleeting, and memories hold scant more than a thimble.

Volunteer For Fringe

I have added this linked graphic on the sidebar. It will lead you to the Cincinnati Advance website and will provide all the information you could need, at least for now, for getting signed up as a volunteer for the Cincinnati Fringe Fest. Lots of shifts are available and there are perks if you work even one shift!!

Exhibit B

I wonder how long before this type of action takes place here in Ohio. I think in many churches it has happened more subtly and over time. Mainline churches I don't think would stoop this kind of extremism, but once you start down that path, how would it end?

No, this is not going to be the start of a full fledged politicization of churches, well no more than exists now, but this action will not be the only one we hear of, assuming this news story catches fire. Stories on religion generally do.

Fire Station segregation?

The facts as to how integrated the Cincinnati Fire Houses are is an open question. It is a bit of a loaded question as well too. When words like segregation and integration have traditionally be used to show that people were forced to segregate, as opposed to self segregation. If the fire houses are segregated one could argue logically that it is self-segregation. One could argue it is not and it is wrong. No one has yet claimed that blacks or whites are being forced into racially separate fire houses.

What I wonder is why is this a major issue for council to bring up? As the article points out it is Union contract time again, so I am sure that has something to do with it, but with recent fire coverage brownouts plaguing the city, wouldn't funding be better topic? It may be true that the way firefighters are assigned to units plays a part in the coverage, level, but as far as I know, that was not mentioned in the article.

What we got instead was a campaign salvo from Chris Smitherman:

Smitherman believes where and how Fire Department personnel are assigned is a policy decision that should be made by city administrators, not a contractual issue.

The city's negotiating team is discussing the topic in the latest contract talks, which began two weeks ago and should be completed by late this month.

So, City Council knows better when it comes to who should be stationed in what firehouse? Does Mike DeWine know best what Airman should be manning the gates at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base?

U.S. Rep. Strickland May Be Back In

Ted Strickland is reportedly set to announce his candidacy for Governor next week. This puts two names into the Democratic primary that are formable candidates and with the organization and funding could defeat any of the Republicans currently running, especially after a bloody GOP primary where the extreme Conservative backed Ken Blackwell wins, which I think is unlikely at this point, but if Petro does not get it together, Blackwell will move up quick.

Scrambling for Signatures

The battle for the 2nd district will heat up this week when every candidate will be begging for signatures. The need them quick. I wonder if they will even try going door to door if they get desperate enough.

Theocracy on the March: Episode #555

A wiccan witch lost her bid in federal court to be allowed to give an invocation at a County Board meeting, taking her turn with ministers and other monotheists. It you are not in the phone book, I guess you are not a religion is what the ruling says in part. Its trust is that having only Judeo-Christian religions represented is fine, and the minority religions can pound sand.

[VIA Pandagon]

Mason Does Discriminate

Well, another argument goes out the window disputing the discrimination at the Mason Rec Center. A non-married heterosexual couple was issued a "family-pass" while the lesbian couple who have a civil union from Vermont were denied such a pass.

I give credit to NixGuy for bringing the inconsistency to light. Does it break the law? Well, under equal protection requirements it might be ruled as unconstitutional. I think it is in violation of the equal protection under the provisions of the U.S. Constitution. Under the anti-homosexual State of Ohio Constitutional amendment passed last year, giving a pass to the non-married heterosexual couple violates that law based on the interpretations I have read.

CiN Weekly - Bar Guide

Any opinions on CiN Weekly's much touted Bar Guide? It appears to be a good summary of the bars. At this point I guess I have my favorites and I know most of the well know bars they profile. The out of the way small bars I guess are what I would like to know about, but I am not their target. I am helping write the CA Wire, so I actually may get some use from this.

05/05/05

Happy Cinco de Mayo!

Please keep the rioting down to a slight pillow fight.

I hope to see everyone down at Neon's tonight for the Cincinnati Advance After 5 Walk!

Some Fun at DeWine's Expense

I wonder who is publishing this blog? The link is from the Blower, so Jimmy might know who is behind it. It could be him too.

National ID? Papers, Please.

Is this the direction we're moving? With the need to get a passport to get back into the USA being a requirement for US citizens in a few years, what is holding this concept up? What additional harm will occur when we already have little or no information privacy? Unless you literally live in a cave and use only cash, and don't have a bank account, the government can track you, as well as the business community. Why not make the Federal driver's license bill into a national ID? If we are going to end up like a police state, why not do it cheaper with less strain on the states?

How Not to Motivate Your Base

Jeff Sinnard may appear across party lines with some of his stances, but is not going to motivate would be the Democratic base with comments like these:

Sinnard, who was born and raised in the Cincinnati area, said he is a civil engineer by profession, but has taken time off recently to be a stay-at-home dad.

'I think I have a unique message,' he said. 'I'm a pro-life Democrat. I'm pro-life from conception to natural death and everywhere in between. I also have concerns about the environment, workers right, child safety and poverty. Politics needs to go back to the people.'

Despite a Democrat not holding the seat for 31 years, Sinnard said this is a winnable race.

'There's a group of people who are disenfranchised,' he said. 'When you touch them, they'll mobilize and show up.'

Leading off with an anti-abortion stance will play well with Community Press readers. The rest of his views are not going to sell. Playing to the Republicans is the only way Democrats can win this race, but it will not motivate the Democratic base when you push right-wing issues. His website has a much more nuanced stance on abortion. He will get attacked for this from both sides. It is a reasonable stance and his quote in the paper could be leaving out his nuances that make him look much more conservative. I wonder if this guy is same camp as Leslie Ghiz?

That was Quick: Special Election Date Set

The Special Election will be on August 2 with the primary on June 14. That leaves a short window to get on the primary ballot. I don't know what it takes to get on, but that leaves maybe a month. It also only leaves less than two weeks to get registered to vote in the primary.

More from the Enquirer. More also on Polstate.

The Devil

The man behind the man, aka the devil, aka Karl Rove was in town ginning up the GOP troops. Any reports of his speech? Lots of red meat I would guess. Will Pat DeWine get a Bush visit?

I ask for it and Bronson provides it.

Yes Virginia, a PR Junket in Iraq does get you positive coverage. Preaching to the choir doesn't cut it. Only Nixon could go to China. Someone who is a knee jerk war supporter is not going to provide you anything but what the Pentagon wants, that is all is was exposed to, so why would he know any different.

They went on about not getting the whole story and something about using terrorist vs. insurgent. Well I don't call this column journalism, I call this column propaganda.

Did Mike even leave the presences of the military and talk to any Iraqis who were not working for the US government? Did he walk around any areas that were not part of a military base without an armed escort? If he answers yes, then I hope to hear about it, if not, then how can he say things are great over there? What kind of situation is so horrid to require armed guards for right wing guys who would not face any harm walking on the worst street in the America?

For those saying this was not a screen press tour, I really want to wonder what troops are going to be sent to talk to the guys hanging out in a press tent.

Exhibit A

If you are looking for an example of the extremism of Tom Brinkman look no further than his attempt to outlaw all abortion, even in the cases of rape, incest, and the life of the mother. Furthermore his law would make it a felony to transport a woman to another state where abortions were legal. The last bit likely is against Federal law anyway. This is his only way to get elected, gin up the right, get the mouth frothing anti-woman, anti-abortion voter to come out an vote.

What is sad is that this man who is supposed to be all about saving tax payer money is doing this with the intent of it getting overturned in Federal Court. This is a ploy. He wants to use Ohio tax payer money to wage his political cultural war. If you want to do this kind of thing, raise your own money, don’t use mine. I hope that is what the other half of his brain is saying. He only has two issues: cut all taxes which will destroy all governments and end all abortions. I wonder if he thinks the using the pill is an abortion. I would guess yes. I wonder if his law would outlaw the pill too.

Extreme positions will be used by most candidates running in what will be a low turnout election. You have to get out the vote with hot button issues. Nothing gets the right wing excited like controlling women.

Dems Deal Making?

While reading the Post Article on the Dem weekend meeting, which does not even mention the controversy that Damon Lynch will introduce on the party, we get words that sound like a deal or maybe a ramrod plan was forced through to get a full slate of six candidates to add to the incumbents.

During Saturday's closed-door nominating committee meeting, Burke refused to allow the committee to vote on endorsement recommendations for candidates individually, members said.

Burke insisted that the committee vote on two different slates of six non-incumbents.

Anyone know who was on the losing slate? I assume the Berding was the focus, but I will put out that adding Lynch may have been the deal to appease enough people to get them both endorsed.

This meeting was just for recommendations, but they historically have been listened to. This year we could see a fight inside the Dems. What will be sad is if people are only fighting of Jeff Berding and not Damon Lynch. For all of the pounds heaved on Berding, Lynch deserves more and before he gets my vote he will have to eat many words he has said or put his name on and reverse himself on issues he endorsed.

Lynch a Dem?

Joe Hansbauer is reporting the recommendations of the Cincinnati Democratic nominating committee and they include Damon Lynch III, Jeff Berding, Eve Bolton, Cecil Thomas, Wendell Young, and Smantha Herd.

I just don't get the Damon Lynch recommendation. I mean to say that I understand the politics of it, but not the actual logic of it. He has a following and will get votes. That is Realpolitik. I just don't see how this will do anything but tear apart the city and drive many otherwise moderate or even liberal voters into the hands of the GOP. Lynch is viewed as anti-city. Anyone who leads a boycott with the sole purpose of hurting people who live and work here can't honestly be viewed any other way.

His views on race relations are championed by many and I will of course agree that race relations need a lot of work in this town, but is a man who demanded an "Afro-centric" curriculum be taught in City schools going to be one to bridge the gap?

Cecil Thomas has far more credible credentials on race issues and I think would have strengths in that regard if he was on council. The Berding controversy appears to be over.

It is good that this time around the Dems appear to have filled out all nine slots. Not doing that two years ago was one reason for losing a seat to Charter.

05/05/05

I am surprised I have not seen much about this year's Cinco de Mayo historic date. May 5, 2005, 05/05/05 is surely gain attention from end of the world types. The Police and UC are prepare for the worst just off campus for what has been called Cinco de Stratford in prior years. Mini-riots akin to an Ohio State football victory riot have plagued prior year events. Will this bring out the hooligans? Yea, I don't see it being avoided, but I see police being out in force and ready to clear the streets at the first sign of anything.

If anything does happen, this will be an interesting test of Robert Wilson and Andrew Warner, two UC students running for city council. They walk a fine line on this and will have to make choices in how to reactive if anything happens and most importantly they should leap in front of the local TV news programs who will be out in force just in case something happens. Calling for calm does no good for the calm, but it can be free advertising if they news crews credit you as a candidate.

Mid-Day Mike in Iraq

I wonder if a military controlled Junket to Iraq by WLW's Mike McConnell will be what he says is good enough for him to judge the situation there? If he was unable to go off on his own, then how can he say they country is safe? If an average person has to take extreme actions in order to travel around the city of Baghdad or if foreigners are such danger that they can't leave the Green zone without a military escort, then how is the situation considered moving forward?

In the article most all of the comments attributed to Mike related to the troops, their quality of life and morale. He has not yet, to my knowledge, commented on state of Iraq, based on his visit. The issues he was quoted on are far different than the state of Iraq. I do have to wonder if Mike is naive enough to think the troops he met were not screened for his junket? The military is not going to show him the grunts just off the line. Also, the soldiers are smart enough to know that you don't rock the boat, especially with a bunch of conservative talk radio hosts who would likely happily point out any solider complaining to his superiors for being disloyal to Dear Leader and buying every last bit of propaganda the Pentagon can produce.

I can't listen to Mike during the week, and rarely catch him on the Weekends. If any listeners of his show can summarize his comments on his visit, please chime in. Mike in the past was willing to not just spout off GOP propaganda, unlike most other Talk Radio hosts, but when it comes to issues of War and the military he is one who is unwilling to question the President (generally any president) or the actions of the military. That is a head in the sand attitude that many on the right have, and often leads to a lack in oversight of the military.

Independent Streak

Michael Altman of Queen City Forum has published a column with what I will call his opinion, but which likely will become a fact that when the GOP endorse Charles Winburn for mayor, Leslie Ghiz will put her support behind David Pepper.

If this happens, which like Michael I believe it will, then Ghiz could get more votes than the winner of the mayoral race will. That might be a stretch, but Independent Republicans do well. She would sweep the affluent Eastern Neighborhoods. What I find most interesting is that this will do her a world of good, but I don't see it getting Pepper than many more votes in the General election. It will help him in the primary, where a Winburn would eat away some solid GOP votes. A GOP candidate's endorsement might keep some of those votes in Pepper's camp and make him an even bigger winner come primary day.

Off We Go into the Wild Blue Theocracy

I know people will attack me for posting on the report that the Air Force Academy has aggressive religious indoctrination taking place with alleged instigation and participation by some faculty. I am going to do it anyway of course. I really would like to know if people honestly find this kind of thing acceptable. If you don't, like say a Roman Catholic might under these alleged incidents, do you have any idea then how those of us who have no religion or have a religion that is not monotheistic might feel when government is used to promote any variety of monotheism? Yea, it is not a warm feeling to be an outsider for your beliefs or lack there of. If this is not a case for people to hopefully be respectful of others when make choices in government related activities and institutions, then I don't know what would be. The government does not and should not have a stance the Jesus character nor any other religious concept. Keep it in the private world, and certainly out of the military.

This is not the first time that allegation of aggressive religious indoctrination have been made against officers of the U.S. Military. Is there a problem that needs to be investigated?

Xavier Manipulating Donors?

Did Xavier manipulate donors when they held a pledge drive knowing they were close to deal to sell the radio station? I think they did and especially with the likelihood that WGUC will destroy much if not all of the local programming on WVXU, it is disgusting that an education institution would do something as unethical as that, which trying to instill ethics on young adults.

What was missing from the story was reaction from WGUC. They have been very quiet about this and all we hear is that they are seeking WVXU listener opinions on their website. Let them know your opinion and I advise you to pressure them to keep local programming on the air. Keep the old radio on the air. Keep the BBC on the air. Keep local news on the air. Don't just make it into NPR 24 hours a day network feed, that I am sure would be cheaper to operate, but would contribute to the destruction of the American Culture so many are crying about dying out.


Full Disclosure: Yes, that is a WCPO banner ad at the top of my front page. They are a paid sponsor. Does that mean I have sold out? I thought when I had the Google ads I might have done that already, so save your anti-commercial rant for someone without a bachelor's degree in Finance. Does this mean I was paid to place this post on their news story, most certainly NOT. The topic is one I cover regularly and as a WVXU listener I am very interested in. There, you can't call me Armstrong Williams now.

Wes Flinn, NKU Today, Filmore East Tomorrow

Pretty soon NKU professor and now Concert promoter (and blogger) Wes Flinn will be pulling in act like the Rolling Stones and Deep Purple. Just no Foghat, Wes, if you please.

CFS in Trouble

Bad times for the Cincinnati Film Society. The big question is who was the donor who failed to pay up? Why did they not pay up? Is the CFS's mission what it should be? I am not a member and have never seen any of the films they put out. Looking at the current schedule it looks as though maybe they went with too many foreign films. If they planned on an audience they should have maybe gone for the Film School items or other similar English based films. People really are against subtitles. Now, if in stead you mission was to promote film making, you could use the group to show local aspiring film makers, which they may or may not have done.

Getting out from under the over $125K debt will take an act of Hollywood.

Shorter George Bush

When discussing Social Security Bush's point can be focused down to, "I, George W. Bush, and you the American people will pull a rabbit from this hat. I know what I want to happen, and at some point in time in the future we are going to do it, but I am not telling you how this will happen. I can't release the details because I don't have them yet. Putting the cart before the horse is the way you make a sale, and sales is what makes America Great. In conclusion: Don't mess with Texas. I will now take your questions, but make sure you leave me enough time to enjoy Donald firing people."

'Talking F-Word Blues'

Maggie Downs reflects on the word ‘Feminist’ after that being a common thread in emails she got in response to a column.

Bronson Steps Back, a Bit

I will give Bronson credit for appearing a little bit humble by airing UAW beefs with his column from Sunday. He did this part because he got some of the health benefit specifics wrong about who got what for health benefits. In the prior column he wrote:

According to industry reports, the United Auto Workers contract costs GM $2,500 for each car sold. Toyota spends $2,000 less per car - and it shows in cars that don't look as cheap.

And $1,600 of that union cost is health care for UAW members and their families. They pay just $5 for an eye exam, and $7.50 for glasses or contacts. Until this year, many UAW members had never even heard of co-pays and deductibles.

Chrysler spends $2 billion on health care. Ford spends $3 billion. GM spends $5.6 billion for 1.1 million workers, retirees and dependents.

His mea culpa, or what amounted to one was:

Others wanted to know where to find those $5 eye exams and $7.50 glasses for UAW members. "Maybe you need a pair," they said.

I'm hereby announcing a recall of that line, to install a missing part: "Those benefits are for Chrysler workers."

Didn't Sports reporter Mitch Albom get suspended by his newspaper for making a mistake like this one? I guess Peter's punishment is having to write this second column, which I will say is fair for the level of failure. Peter must have the same research assistant as Al Roker.

Moving the Primary

I am in favor of moving all presidential primaries to later in the year, like say April through June. I am not sure what good it would do to move Ohio's primary alone, without the rest of the country following suit. Iowa and New Hampshire are quaint traditions, but they harm the process. A shorter window would open up the primary to more candidates and give a chance for real debate inside the party on the issues. The fear of have variable opinions inside the parties, really hurt politics and governance. I am not talking abortion here. I am talking about the real issues, like trade, foreign policy, Social Security, and health care. If the parties hashed it out on the floor of the conventions over issues, then people on the street might actually pay attention. I hate to use TV as an example, but the West Wing's season finale covered a brokered convention that looked like a mess, but Conventional Wisdom was wrong, people watched the floor fights. The paid attention in part for the excitement, but politics is exciting. It was sport, but it was a battle of ideas, not an insignificant game. Let’s for once learn from past (and TV) and try and make the primary race and conventions matter, not just a coronation.

No VH-1 Show of Jeffre

Mayoral candidate Justin Jeffre attempt to land a TV show about his run for mayor has fail with cable network VH-1. He is not giving up his bid for office. His value to the race now has diminished. He had and has no real chance of winning. His ability to paint Cincinnati as a great place was the value he could have illustrated by filming him on the campaign trail. He still could find another cannel to cover it and he still will get some national press, but not enough and not crafted to show him enjoying life in Cincinnati.

Tony Perkins

Wow, when you court racists specifically, doesn't that make you one? This guy calls himself a 'Christian,' but buys David Duke's mailing list? Amazing.

No Lunken Air Show This Year?

Reports indicate that the Lunken Airport Benefits Association has cancelled its filing with the Ohio Secretary of State, which indicates the organization has dissolved itself. It is reorganizing? I for one have never been to the event directly, but walking by the event on the bike path and seeing the planes flying overhead every year, it looked like a great event for the community. It will be a blow to the Airport’s image. If they bring back the car racing event again, that might liven things up a bit.

Al, Al, Al

Someone needs a better producer or made hire a research assistant.

History Lesson on Filibuster and Judicial Nominations

Here is a great lesson in history on what occurred before the current battle on Judicial Nominations:

"Prior to 1996, when the Senate majority and the president were from opposing parties, senators usually deferred to the president with respect to lower-court judicial nominations. With the notable exceptions of the 1968 Fortas nomination and a failed Republican filibuster of H. Lee Sarokin in 1994, neither party filibustered the other's judicial nominations, and virtually all nominees received a hearing unless they were sent up after the presidential nominating conventions.

All this changed in 1996. Rather than openly challenge President Clinton's nominees on the floor, Republicans decided to deny them Senate Judiciary Committee hearings. Between 1996 and 2000, 20 of Bill Clinton's appeals-court nominees were denied hearings, including Elena Kagan, now dean of the Harvard Law School, and many other women and minorities. In 1999, Judiciary Chairman Orrin Hatch refused to hold hearings for almost six months on any of 16 circuit-court and 31 district-court nominations Clinton had sent up. Three appeals-court nominees who did manage to obtain a hearing in Clinton's second term were denied a committee vote, including Allen R. Snyder, a distinguished Washington lawyer, Clinton White House aide, and former Rehnquist law clerk, who drew lavish praise at his hearing -- but never got a committee vote. Some 45 district-court nominees were also denied hearings, and two more were afforded hearings but not a committee vote.

Even votes that did occur were often delayed for months and even years. In late 1999, New Hampshire Republican Bob Smith blocked a vote on 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals nominee Richard Paez for months by putting an anonymous hold on the nomination. When Majority Leader Trent Lott could no longer preserve the hold, Smith and 13 other Republicans tried to mount a filibuster against the vote, but cloture was voted and Paez easily confirmed. It had been over four years since his nomination.

When his tactics on the Paez and Marsha Berzon nominations (Berzon was filibustered along with Paez, more than two years after her nomination) were challenged, Smith responded with an impassioned floor speech in defense of the judicial filibuster: 'Don't pontificate on the floor of the Senate and tell me that somehow I am violating the Constitution of the United States of America by blocking a judge or filibustering a judge that I don't think deserves to be on the circuit court ... . That is my responsibility. That is my advice and consent role, and I intend to exercise it.' "

Now, if you still think Senator Frist is not full of shit, then you might just want to rethink the whole "leaving the mental institution thing."

Six Democrats?

From none to Six . That will be crowed.

Digging a Hole

The City of Mason has dug a deeper hole. Yep, that's how you attract positive feedback from bigots, appeal to their bigotry.

Classic line:

"It's sound, valid and within the constitutional provisions," Schneider said of the policy.

In 1861 so was slavery. In 1918 so was preventing women from voting. Sure, people still don't think homosexuals deserve any consideration, but actions like this, even as small as it is, are discrimination and oppressive and thanks to the CCV legal.

UPDATE 7:15PM: In hopes of driving home my point, and not beating a dead horse, let me pose this idea: What if a couple was not considered a family because they were not married in a Christian Church by an approved minister? That is the basic anti-homosexual marriage point anyway, it is about religion and its views on homosexuality. What if Mormon marriages were not considered valid? What if Jewish or Catholic or Church of Scientology marriages were written into law as invalid? I see no difference with this situation.

Employers Unite!

Bronson's column today is cliche for Conservatives. Conservatives love Corporations and somehow don't see how workers need to fight for every scrap of pay & benefits they can. They do not get profits passed to them, that goes to corporate officers and shareholders, which tend to be institutional owners. Bronson types only see the dividend checks the get or the overnight gain they after an earnings announcement. They don’t care about what the stock price will be in 5 or 10 years, because they got theirs.

Taking care of the worker should be as important as taking care of the shareholder. If we give a corporation as much power, in reality far more power, than an individual human being, then the community should be a vital concern in any choice a corporation’s officials make. Somewhere in there the customer matters too. When you lean on workers, guess what, they lean back. You can only increase the cost of health care so much before something gives.

Actions of unions are just capitalist in nature. They are offering a good and negotiate a contract to 'sell' it to the corporation. If the corporation 'overpays' then they fail and someone else will produce the goods. That should be a free-market capitalist's wet dream.

Mr. Anti-Union man should take a look at the actions of the Cincinnati FOP (a Union), and ask himself if his undying support of their effort to not only thwart the will of Cincinnati voters, but to put public safety at risk with a police slowdown all in an effort to just get a handful of supervisors a possible promotion to assistant chief, or chief.

GOP Internal Feud

The extreme right wing is willing toeat their own to create havoc in the U.S. Senate. The CCV and other right-wing Christian groups are running attack ads against Republican Senator Mike DeWine. Are moderate Republicans starting to fret over their Faustian bargain with the radical right wing of the party or have the fundamentalists just taken complete control of the party, and all varied opinion is being drum out, even sitting United States Senators with fairly mainstream Conservative views, not extreme views, which I guess makes him an enemy of the party.

Mike's son Pat is facing the same type of attack from the extreme right wing. The attack ads against Pappa DeWine could be a revenge for his alleged strong arming in local political circles, trying to get his son the GOP nomination to fill the soon to be open Congressional seat of Rob Portman.

"Thou shall not speak ill against a fellow Republican" appears to be a dying GOP Creed.

Another Reason Not to Live In Mason

Homosexuals never get a 'warm' reception in the suburbs. In Mason, public institutions hold no punches and just discriminate against them and their families.

The right wing suburban bloggers come right out of the wide open closet and embrace the discrimination: here and here.

More Milquetoast Living

If people want city living, why do you need to build it from scratch? Already in the City of Cincinnati, and in inner ring suburbs we have areas like Hyde Park, Mt. Lookout, Mt. Washington, Northside, Montgomery, Blue Ash, Covington, Newport, OTR, Downtown, and Clifton all offer places where you can walk to a restaurant, bar, store, or coffeehouse. No one needs to spend a dime to create these places.

What those areas can't provide is either a gate to keep people out, or a stale brand of milquetoast retail picked right out of Disneyworld, or it might be both. Each of these areas will not be a self contained unit, ala BioDome, where you never have to leave to get what ever you want. That assumes that you want a stale life where the only thing to fret over is the rude server at First Watch.

I know this kind of place by another name, a Retirement Community.

Downtown Joseph-Beth Store?

Nick Spencer posted on news from Joseph-Beth Booksellers that they are interested in opening a Fountain Square location.

This is wonderful news for downtown retail and the movement to build up the Fountain Square area as a beacon for entertainment and shopping. Where might it go?

Housekeeping

I have added several additional local blogs to the blogroll, including a couple right leaning bloggers and a couple of extreme right wingers. I also added two blogs of folks who helping out with some web work for the Fringe Fest.

In addition, I have updated my comments to include a "preview" function to allow people to see what their post will look like before publishing it. That is most useful for those will to post links. If you do post links, try to use the "a" tag when possible. Long URLs tend to look bad and cause havoc when trying to read the post.

If there are other blogs out there I am missing or if there are other improvements I could easily make to the blog, please let me know.

If It Doesn't Bleed Gallons, Don't Bother?

Why is that when a car bomb goes off in Iraq it just gets a quickly little headline, the number of dead, and that's it. Every time a car bomb goes off in Israel we get the cable channels going live with breaking news?

There are some factors at play here that are structural bias. Israel has a bigger media community of its own, so they of course will carry it live and the cable channels can just feed off them for coverage. The second reason is that at this point in time there are fewer bombings in Israel, so when one happens it is more newsworthy.

What may be the biggest structural problem is that no television journalists are really in Iraq on a big scale doing much on the ground reporting. I don't know if I have seen much more than random footage of events in Iraq recently and that is when the journalists are on patrol or escorted by US troops.

Those aside, why is that when multiple car bombs go off on a single day in Iraq we don't get live Baghdad coverage of it? Are we so unphased by 10 killed or 8 killed because we now only get on our ears about terrorist acts that kill in the hundreds? Now, if those 10 or 8 were Americans you get more attention, but now a days even that is not enough.

The news media, ALL if it from FOX to CNN to NBC to Talk Radio, have illustrated their callousness and total attention to ratings (or other agendas), not to journalism. The print media, as usual, has done a better job, but if its not on TV it just doesn't matter to most Americans.

Small World

John Bolton, nominee US Ambassador to the UN was one of the GOP Lawyers in Palm Beach County, FLA in 2000 for the post election maneuvering. This has no real bearing on his confirmation, but it is interesting. I first thought this was a fake picture, but apparently not. I do wonder, did every lawyer or activist who went to Florida in 2000 get a spot in the Administration?

[VIA Kos]

Susquehanna Media Co. For Sale

Media division of Susquehanna Pfaltzgraff Co. is looking sell all of it's media holdings. Locally it includes radio stations WRRM-FM (WARM 98), WYGY-FM (96.5), and WMOJ-FM (MOJO 94.9). Which media giant will get them? Would a major radio ownership shift cause more format changes?

Kaldi's Closed

In what can't be deemed a surprise, Kaldi's closed. When you give up your liquor license, close at 7 PM, and then expect to make money with a location in the Main Street Entertainment District, it should not shock you when it does not work.

Word is that a deal is close on a new owner who hopefully will get a liquor license, and then return it to a similar, yet improved structure. Speed of the service staff would be priority number 1.

I'm So Vain, I Do Think This Song Is About Me

Call me vain, but I think this is about me.

My response: hmmmm. Do I have to be kind, courteous, and forgiving? Can I spew some venom? Do I always do that? I have my regular targets. Everyone knows, well those who read me regularly that is, that I rebut Peter Bronson. Do I do it to every column? No, I do not. Do people have to like what I write? No, they do not.

To be honest for a minute: Let me say that I am not doing this to win an award. I am not doing this to get a job writing professionally. I don't write well enough for that. I do this because I enjoy it. It is an outlet for me. I can say what I want, and surprisingly there are a few people who read what I write. Am I out here in some kind of altruistic crusade to improve the world, hell no. I am hear to render my opinion. People are generally free to bitch back. When I get bitched at, like now, I might bitch back, like now.

I say what I think. I also say things to piss people off. I try to parse my words as carefully as I can, and often people do not want to catch on, because they assume I am just like every other person on my side of isle. Those who know, I think know differently. I am not out here trying to be Mr. Universe, though I do have the legs for it. I am out here to put my two cents into the fray. If I can air ideas that you can't read about any other place in town, then good. I will not be what others want me to be. I try to be what I want to be. Call me vain, call me an ego maniac, call me Fred. I will not stop you. Don't call me a one trick pony. You can say I am beating a dead horse (when you have a belief and stick to it, that is what it can look like), but for fuck sake, if I suck so bad, and people hate posting here, then don't do it.

Otherwise, have a nice evening!

'The 'Christian' Journalist Get His Retort

I was wondering when the Enquirer would unleash the anti-abortion voices. Let the propaganda Soar! Nice to see the support offered to Maggie Downs from the Editorial Page. What friendly co-workers they must be. I mean they could have just let Randal Terry write this instead. The only thing Terry may have added was to say Maggie was going to 'Hell'. As one who has been told I am going to 'Hell', she should know we are in good company.

Younger Feel?

Is the new Maisonette going after Generation Y and Z? Are they looking to attract the 21 year old college kid wants to blow $200 bucks on dinner?

Religious War

I have to wonder what could make Peter Bronson write a column that totally politicizes religion. Do people wonder why Senator Frist is being criticized for speaking to group taking the initial steps of forming an openly religiously based political party bent on theocratic rule? This odd alignment of the fundamentalist/evangelicals and the Conservative/Orthodox/Radical Roman Catholics is starting to take the same shape as a Sunni Mosque and Shiite Mosque both working together to oppose Israel.

Tyrone Yates?

He said to the Enquirer that he is 'available' to run for congress in the 2nd District. It appears that there is some life in the Dems after all. Yates would be a very viable candidate. He would have problems in the rural Eastern counties. He would have those problems because he is Black. Sad to say it, but that will hurt him in the rural area, and might actually bring out the bigot/racist vote that would ignore this special election otherwise.

Painful for Downtown

The loss of the Maisonette for Downtown will bring cheers in many quarters. Nate will jump for joy, one less white owned business to picket. Bronson will smile with glee, one more place of culture that will not be where those damn liberals live. He still will not go there unless someone else picks up the check. The rest of us will sigh and shake our heads with the usual disgust and disappointment in the city and in the region failing to work together. This morning we shall learn where it goes. Another location in the city has not bee ruled out, but no money has been promised by council. If it ends up in the city, someone else gave them a deal. Since there are few who care to do that, it will likely be going to NKY or a Suburban Mall.

UPDATE - 7PM: The Maisonette is going to Kenwood, fairly close to the Kenwood Mall. Will they totally loose all of the Downtown big-wig clients, celebrities, and tourists? Who would drive up to Kenwood for that? Are they instead going for Indian Hill crowd and hope for more frequent diners?

Also, yes, Nate is taking credit for this, and appears to be happy as a fly on shit.

George Voinovich Has Balls

In a surprise announcement today during a Senate hearing it was learned that U.S. Senator George Voinovich of Ohio has balls.

Tragedy on the Highway

The Beer Gods are angry

"It was a sad morning for beer drinkers and southbound Interstate 75 motorists alike today in Boone County.

A tractor-trailer carrying 47,000 pounds of beer tipped over near the Mount Zion Road interchange about 3 a.m., blocking the left two lanes, police said.

The lanes remained blocked throughout the morning while the beer was unloaded from the truck so it could be uprighted.

No injuries were reported."

The only thing that can appease me now is knowing that it was a really cheap light beer.

Are the Knives Out Against DeWine?

Peter Bronson's airing of Pat and Mike DeWine's dirty laundry regarding their political push to get Pat the GOP nomination are starting to ruffle some feathers. Does this represent the anti-DeWine movement that is simmering below the surface of the local GOP? Is this a social conservative effort? Is that where DeWine is considered weak? Are we seeing a similar effort to oust DeWine's congressional efforts as we saw with the successful effort to block Leslie Ghiz from being appointed to council, when she had earned the right to be appointed in any fair world? This isn't a fair world we are talking about however, this is internal GOP Politics, where power rules, and individuals are consumed like cannon fodder.

Berding on the Bubble?

The Post reports Jeff Berding is not a lock as a Democratic supported candidate. This is according to "members of the party's nominating committee." No names to go with the members, nor any numbers as to how many a "members" makes.

Could this be some of the far left leaning Dems throwing some dirt on Jeff Berding, who should be a well funded candidate? With Pepper and Reece out of the race, are the Dems going to fall short of fill a full slate of 9 candidates again? Who do they have so far, Cranley, Cole, Crowley? Samantha Herd will likely get an endorsement. Who else do the Dems have running?

We Have a Democrat

We now have some running for Portman's seat as a Democrat a barber, Russell Hurley. Well, he has no experience, no known source of funding, but he was able to get this much attention from the media, so that's a start.

He is fairly new to the area, which will be a negative, in amongst Dems.

Springer's Radio Gal Pal

Kimberly Shroyer of QCF has an interesting feature article on Megan Hils, the actress and talk radio diva in the making playing for a few laughs on Jerry Springer's radio show. I agree with Kimberly that Mils is very important to the overall production of the Springer-Galvin talk show. She does give them a youthful voice and perspective. Both guys are, almost to a flaw, very in tune with the youth of today. They just can't always connect with younger listeners. Also, well, you just need a gal to liven things up. Listening to Jene and Jerry talk about stuff could get boring to the MTVer's.

Greg at The Cincinnati Group is Saying Bye

Sad to see Greg hang up his blogging tights over at the group blog: The Cincinnati Group. His writing was good and his voice will be missed.

Subtle Truth

In an editorial from the Enquirer today about population growth in the exurbs, a hard truth slipped out in a very subtle way:

Not only do many of us want to be close, but not too close, to principal cities, we want to be near interstates.

What's so subtle? Well, the truth that comes out is that many, I would say most, living in the exurbs around Cincinnati are searching for some time of perfect flux of life, where everything is available to them. They want the little town to live in, but want a life line of the big city’s excitement once in a while to break up the monotonous life. They problem is, that they can’t have their cake and eat too. They can’t just neglect the city, except when they want to go to a game, and expect everything to be perfect, or forget going. If you want something to be there for you, you have be there for it, and those living the city are escaping their ill found fears for the faux safety and prosperity of the exurbs.

The other subtly to read into the line “but not too close” rings of socio-economic bigotry (or even more subtly a slight racial bigotry). The cultural milquetoast world that is the exurbs is what I believe is a reactionary desire for Boomers (and a growing number of Xers) to relive the small community feel they grew up in, where everyone knew everyone in their neighborhood, nothing changed, and people lived happily ever after, without fear or at least in the denial of the existence of fear. Well, except the fear of outsiders.

It is as if TV fiction were their guides to living. Be it the cliché of Leave it to Beaver or the modern cultural pariah of Reality TV. Reality TV even has been accepted by many as a sense of “living.” If they can’t risk escaping the blandness of the same houses with different colored SUVs in the driveways, then why not live out extreme make-overs on television, where you only risk missing out on some other program selling you the latest way become something you are not, and never will be.

It is sad. It is what I think is really killing culture in America. The exurbs reject most of original culture coming form the city, and instead consume the national diet of marketed mainstream media product. In the city people are making their own art, music, dreams, and lives. We still get fed off of much of the same media diet, but we also don’t limit it to the media that is out to feed off us, not feed us. If the exurbs started interacting with the culture in the city and maybe celebrating where they live by creating home grown media ideas, or just simply not worrying about how close you are to the city, their lives might be enriched a little. A little change can go a long way, even for a desperate housewife living out in Mason. Interacting with the City of Cincinnati is the only thing that makes it worth while living near it. If the exurbs don’t do that, and do it often, they will become what I fear will be the intellectual ghetto of the 21st Century America, if it is not there already.

Someone Else is Using the Theocracy Word

Once again it is not me, but I sure wish it was. From Howard Dean:

"The issue is: Are we going to live in a theocracy where the highest powers tell us what to do? Or are we going to be allowed to consult our own high powers when we make very difficult decisions?"

Indeed!

[Via Atrios]

Don't Blame Me

I am not the one saying that Sen. Bill Frist is flirting with theocracy. I agree with it, but I am not saying it.

Sen. Reid (Mormon) I think is saying it much better than I could.

UPDATE: More at DailyKos.

Brinkman Makes It 'Official'

Tom Brinkman, is running for the US House. Where is Si Leis to tell him to resign his current office? He was just re-elected after all.

I don't know anything about Former U.S. Rep. Bob McEwen, who also is running. He sounds like a district jumper, looking to make waves.

The GOP blood bath should be fun, will there be time for a debate?

WOW!

I am pleased Maggie Downs was able to write this column, especially on the heels of Bronson's anti-woman diatribe earlier in the week.

White Flight

Call it green flight, cultural flight, idiot flight, but people are leaving Cincinnati, yes they're suburb bound, they're leaving Cincinnati, cause they're scared of downtown. Yes, I am referencing a song, and if you don't know it is by Jake Speed, then you should be listening to it.

The SUV line near the end is subtle, but hilarious.

Brad for Mayor?

I don't know anything about Cincinnati Mayor 2005, but have fun!

This is My Rifle...This is my Gun

Original thought is not something you will find in Bronson's latest column where he seeks to oppress and control women. This all part of an effort to try and outlaw the legal actions of Planned Parenthood. If Peter is all for making sure everyone can know the personal and private medical records of women, why not tell me where every single person who owns a gun lives? Oh, sorry, that is a 'real' privacy. It is one thing to oppress a woman (the right-wing does it at the drop of a hat), but to get in the way of a man and his gun is a cardinal sin.

Tax Man

Make sure you get your taxes done. I did mine last night. Ohio's are all online. I did my Federal return over the telephone, and at the end of the call a recording said this year is the last year to file by phone? Who is the idiot who chose that? The are going to the Internet, instead. How many poor people own a computer? Not many. How many own a telephone? Nearly all. Why not make it easier for them and keep the file by phone option??? There are idiots out there who think that the Internets® is the answer. What they forget to think about is the cost of OWNING A COMPUTER AND PAYING FOR INTERNET ACCESS. What about the blind? Some do use computers, but wouldn't a blind person find it much easier to use the phone system? How is this not a violation of the Americans with Disabilities Act?

Anyway, make sure you get your taxes done today, and mailed by tomorrow night at midnight.

Miami Football Schedule Out

Get your tickets while they’re hot. TheRedHawks 2005 Football Schedule is as follows:

Sat., Sept. 3 - at Ohio State
Sat., Sept. 10 - CENTRAL MICHIGAN, 2 p.m.(Homecoming)
Sat., Sept. 17 - at Kent State
Wed., Sept. 28 - CINCINNATI (ESPN2), 7 p.m.
Wed., Oct. 5 - at Northern Illinois (ESPN2)
Sat., Oct. 15 - AKRON, 2 p.m.
Sat., Oct. 22 - at Eastern Michigan
Sat., Oct. 29 - at Temple
Sat., Nov. 5 - BUFFALO, 2 p.m. (Parents' Weekend)
Tues., Nov. 15 - BOWLING GREEN (ESPN2), 7 p.m.
Mon., Nov. 21 - at Ohio
Thur., Dec. 1 - MAC Championship (Ford Field; Detroit/ESPN)

The UC game on a Wednesday? That is very odd. Miami is playing way too many weekday games, all for a "good" reason: TV. Having national attention for the battle of the bell will be good, as will Miami's upgraded football stadium.

Taking Jeffre Seriously?

I am not sure if Greg Korte is forcing himself or was forced by the PTB to take Singer Justin Jeffre serious as a candidate for Mayor. At this point I still do not take it that seriously. This article illustrates that Jeffre has what can be described as an eclectic political point of view. He pushed for Nader, but did not vote for president in 2000. He has never voted in a city election. He might think he is serious, but he has yet to demonstrate it.

He might be smart to seek the Charter endorsement, and Charter might be crazy enough to give it. With Smitherman out, Charter only has Tarbell left to run for them, unless Curtis Fuller wants another bite at the apple. Jeffre might end up a Charterite. I will not wait with baited breath.