Top Cincinnati Stories of 2005

Well, that's it for another one. The Enquirer lists their top local stories and the limit it to 5. They failed to cover many other important stories. These may or may not have gotten the level of press coverage the should have, but I believe these stories were the most significant in city and the region. Everyone had their chance to voice their top lists. Here are my top local stories for 2005.

1. The election of Mark Mallory as Mayor. New leadership brings with it a chance for an improved image of the city.
   
2. The election of a centrist, slightly right leaning City Council. This might make for a better run city, but one where racial division is not reduced.
   
3. Fountain Square rehab and the Banks Project Collapse. 3CDC looks good, and the county government looks inept.
   
4. Paul Hackett's showing in a GOP stronghold. He should have been trounced, but he showed that many conservatives are not pleased with the GOP and want change. Senator Hackett is not a pipe dream, it is a strong possibility.
   
5. Railcar styrene leak and the evacuation that followed. Someone is going out of business over this one.
   
6. WHO-DEY: The Bengals making the playoffs. This is important for a simple thing that will make a big difference in 2006, increased civic pride.
   
7. Jean Schmidt's shameful attack of Rep. Murtha. Schmidt is a disgrace. She will have a tough time getting the GOP nomination.
   
8. Bob Taft pleas guilty to crime. This was a first for a sitting governor who has the lowest poll rating of any governor in polling history.
   
9. Councilman Sam Malone charged with beating his son. A thug should not be on council. He nearly got reelected. That is a sad case of a misinformed electorate or a nutty one that approves of beating your son with a belt.
10. The firing of Bob Huggins. Cleaning up college sports should be the most important goal of all Division I University. UC may not win tournaments, but they have improved the ethical standards of their sports program 1000%.
    

So what did I leave off that should have made it or what did I list that should not have made my top ten?

Hmmm, Hustler Store Not Causing Harm?

I am shocked! I guess Touchdown Jesus (aka Buttery Jesus) was the counter force to keep the youth from looking at naked boobies.

Huh?

This article is so short and the headline claims so much it is confusing. Why it has a Cincinnati dateline is very strange. If anti-abortion "scientists" are putting out a study claiming RU486, then yes I think a different headline is warranted. I think far more detail is needed to now what report was issued, and who really issued it. It should also be a warning sign that the report is not very credible when it is only good enough for a website, not a print medical journal. If people want to talk about bias, this article existence is a sign of bias, its lack of detail is a sign of either lack of time or bad reporting.

Hear This Peter Bronson

Bronson speaks of bias when he really should be saying there are not enough people in Newsrooms that share his desire to push his conservative views. His list shows no bias. These are all stories and people worthy of attention. I guess the puff pieces we have read about Jean Schmidt are just the "truth?"

Peter should also face another reality about bias in the newspaper he writes for: there is not a liberal local political columnist who provides any kind of retort or balance when Bronson provides cover in print for local bigots like Tom Ullum. CRAP is well represented Peter, you just can't get everyone to accept your propaganda as truth.

Nate Turns on Mallory, Kinda

It didn't take long for Nate to come out and criticize the Mayor. He may have done so before, but here he is making it close to a race issue. Nate seems to be making it more of a religion issue. I guess an attack on a religious institution by random strangers is no big deal, but when someone is killed at a party, and little apparent cooperation from those who were there, that should get the FBI going. Never mind the fact that terrorism and murder are looked at differently. Never mind that the FBI rarely ever opens an investigation on the State crime of murder. Nate is doing his usual, fanning the flame of racial division. He appears to want outrage over a murder that has failed to outrage those in attendance enough to come forward and help catch the criminals responsible for the horrible crime. If the community doesn’t care, why would the media or public officials? The police are doing what they can. If they don't get leads, they can't do much. Announcing a big investigation is only a dog and pony show for the press anyway. If the Mosque bombers are caught, it will not be because of a massive investigation, it will be because they were stupid and left evidence behind.

The media is lazy, remember. If they can't get the family to come on camera and cry, they don't push the story. See the WCPO story that only aired because it had pictures. No video, no eyeballs. WCPO and the other local TV stations treat viewers like trained dogs. Viewers unfortunately give them reason to.

Michigan Terrace in Hyde Park Square

The old timers and purists are begrudging change. What is lacking is progress on what retail will fill the first floor of the project. Hyde Park square has a specific retail feel. Any retail added shouldn't detract from the Square's general theme, which maintains a boutique centric focus. What ever goes in should not be a store you can visit at the mall.

The Mayor Comments

Mayor Mallory issued a press statement today on the shootings at the Legacy on Christmas Eve:

"I am horrified and saddened that a teen dance on Christmas Eve could end in gun violence and another tragic loss of life. This is absolutely unacceptable. We must do everything that we can to find the people behind
the shooting and bring them to justice. I am calling on the community to help in that effort. We as a community must stand up and say that enough is enough. I encourage anyone with any information about this incident to come forward and help solve this senseless crime."

Are people holding back information on who the shooter is? If they are doing that, why?

WCPO has video footage from inside the club, but we learn little from it. It was disgusting how the reporters had to tell us the CPD was the "second organization" to view the video. Who cares! It's not even sweeps weeks.

Another Puff Piece

What is it with the local media doing constant puff pieces about extreme religious nut cases? There is no criticism about the delusional people at Answers In Genesis in the article. The even dare call people working there "Scientists." Where did they get their education and who, if anyone accredited them?

I know there are plenty of conservative Christians around here, but are there that many who are stupid enough to think the Earth is less than 10,000 years old? That many who really want to read a puff piece about these idiots?

Where's the puff piece on a local office of Planned Parenthood? They actually do good works. Ken Ham's clan is out making people ignorant, and his groups gets the Post's pat on the back. Just a little balance would be nice. Hell, in the Planned Parenthood piece I propose I would expect a similar type of opposing view present, not as a focus, but acknowledging some would not agree with what they do. In the case of Answers in Genesis, I hope most don't buy their extreme views on the age of the earth or of evolution, making criticism not only valid but imperative.

Local news?

Is the last news brief listed really a Cleveland story or does it have one big typo?:

Bodies found in trunk

Two bodies were found in the trunk of a vehicle Monday, police said. The bodies, a male and a female, were found about 10:30 a.m. on the city's east side. They were taken to the Cuyahoga County Coroner's Office to determine their identities and cause of death, Sgt. Dan Galmarini said. The car was discovered by some people looking for a missing Richmond Heights man. Galmarini said the car was connected to the man, but he didn't know how. Authorities hope to identify the bodies today through autopsies.

It this happened on the Cincinnati East side I would have thought it would have been much bigger news. If this did happen in Cleveland, then how is this "local news?"

Now Who's a Thug?

The answerman has his new Christian way to live: using fear and the threat of violence to get what you want from people who have not faced due process. This discarding of the rule of the law and the discarding of a peaceful approach to civil authority is the means of a thug. This is how third world countries operate. Bronson and the rest of the thugs pushing for pain on anyone they hate need remember a few words: the ends don't justify the means. Call it a cliché, but it holds true. If honor matters to wanna-be soldiers like Peter Bronson, then how we treat people should matter as much as the results we seek to gain. That conflicts with Christian Capitalists, where morality and ignoring profit don't make for good foreign policy.

Sad Christmas

It has been asked before and will be asked again: How do we as a community stop this? I have no answers. I have only questions.

As opposed to this

The sports department did well, while the Gannett Washington office put this GOP fluff piece in print. Mean Jean is given a make over with the meaningless actions of adding language about the Flying Pig Marathon to the congressional record. It is great that the Flying Pig Marathon was recognized as a good marathon, but why have the human interest story about someone with an orchestrated effort to rehab her image? Oh, right, they want to help rehab her image.

Nice Miami Football Story

More like this, please.

Happy Holiday's

I wish everyone a great Holiday! Please be safe if you are traveling this weekend. If you are lucking enough to get Monday off (I have to work) then take it easy and go out and pour some money into local businesses!

Next week I plan on having issue a few lists. My aforementioned top stories of the year list. I also may have my favorite local concerts/shows of the year, and my favorite local "moments" of the year. If I have time I will issue a resolution or two that I will likely break and make some predictions for 2006 that likely will not come true.

Be Well!

Upstar Crow is now Arnie's

Arnie's on the Levee fills the space left when Upstar Crow closes. The place now will have the feel of a nice sports bar, at least from the article. It claims to be trying for a "club" crowd for late nights. It is good to see the prime space used. The theme appears to be nothing unique.

Editor on Vacation

It appears that the editor who is pushing the Lindbergh Jesus story is on vacation. Letting this gem get through is an indicator that someone is getting really bored covering this story and needs to vent some disdain on the fools concerned about it:

Asked if officers would stand among the scene's life-size figures and go undercover dressed as wise men or shepherds, Neal replied:

'Where Baby Jesus is concerned, I won't rule out anything.'

This makes the people of Cheviot look nutty, and it mocks the cops there big time. It is funny as Hell. Those making a big deal about this are really nutty. How much public money is being wasted on this while other criminals go stealing someone else's Christmas presents? Priorities need refining on the Westside this year.

Women Blogging and Leading

Listening to the radio gets you several things. It pointed me to a new blog headed by CinExer Jen Spillane called Not Your Woman. The radio also introduced Vanessa Enoch, the new YP member of the Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber Board.

Get Thee To The Store

Shop suckers, SHOP!

If you are not going to shop, then OPEN THREAD!

How Long Will It Take?

Has anyone already compared the Mosque bombing to the stolen Jesus doll? Calls will be made to charge the teenagers involved with a hate crime, that is going to happen. Bets on how long it will take?

Suspect Dies In Custody

I hope and at this point evidence indicates we don't have another Nathaniel Jones case on our hands. We have something else. What that is, we'll just have to wait and see.

Local Terrorism

A pipe bomb reportedly went off outside a Clifton Mosque last night. No one was hurt, thankfully, and damage appears to be light.

This is terrorism. The criminals who did this should be caught, tried, and put in jail. They should not be considered enemies of the Crown and sent to Cuba.

Who did this?

UPDATE: A fairly unified condemnation. I am sure there were Protestant clergy represented, but I wish they had been quoted as well. I hope very conservative evangelical sects were represented.

A New FOP?

Roberts and Fangman are out as officers of the Cincinnati FOP, but did they take their right wing politics and slow-down tactics with them? I hope Kathy Harrell can bring something new to community-police relations, something other than the arrogance and hate brought by the likes of Fangman and Roberts.

Top Stories of the Year Nominations

At the end of the year I plan on listing my top 10 Cincinnati stories of the year, so I am opening up the nominations. What do you think should make the list? Keep in mind these stories must deal with the Cincinnati Metro Area in some direct way.

Money Didn't Matter

In the mayor's race Pepper out spent Mallory $1.2M to $.4M. That is the most stunning statistic from the election.

Bengals Closing In

7:01 p.m. It's not over until the coach gets drenched. Bengals are AFC North champs.

5:55 p.m. 31-7 Bengals. Let's make some predictions for the final standings.

1. Indy. 14-2. They'll lose to Seattle, but win the last one. But they can't be moved, so it doesn't matter.
2. Cincinnati. 13-3. Win out. Sure would be nice to have that Indy game back, wouldn't it?
3. Denver. 12-4. They beat Oakland, but then they lose to SD.
4. New England. 11-5. Beat Miami and NYJ.
5. Jacksonville. 12-4. They have a weak remaining schedule.
6. Pittsburgh. 11-5. They have an even weaker remaining schedule.

Outside:
San Diego. 11-5. They win out, but they lose the tiebreaker to Pittsburgh.
KC. 8-8. Looked bad the other day and will lose out to more highly motivated teams.
Miami. 8-8. They won't beat New England.

The problem with our predictions? It depends upon San Diego beating Denver after being eliminated with Pittsburgh winning earlier in the day on the last day of the season. However, the Chargers look so good, and it's at home, and besides, the Bengals need a bye, so this is how we get to one. So there.

5: 35 p.m. Half-time, Bengals 24-7. Most of the games are already over, so we can update the standings.
Division Leaders
1. Indianapolis. 13-1. Conf. 11-1. Lost to SD, but they're the #1 seed.
2. Denver. 11-3. Div: 3-1. Conf: 8-2. After beating Buffalo, Denver still beats the Bengals on tie-breakers and control their own destiny for the #2 seed and that first round bye.
3. Cincinnati. 10-3, Div: 5-1, Conf: 6-3. Up on Detroit right now and will thereby maintain position.
4. New England. 9-5. Div: 4-0. Conf: 7-4. They looked fantastic against Tampa and clinch their division based on division record.
Wildcards
5. Jacksonville. 10-4, Conf: 7-3. Weak win, but it still counts for maintaining their position.
6. Pittsburgh. 9-5. Conf: 6-5. They now control their own destiny, as they can clinch a wildcard by winning out.
Outside Looking In
7. San Diego. 9-5. Div 3-1. Conf: 7-3. The win against Indy helps them a lot, but they still need to win out plus some help, with either Pittsburgh losing once or Denver losing twice or Jacksonville losing one or more games (SD would win the tiebreaker based on Conference record against Jax in that case).
8. KC. 8-6. Div 3-2. Conf: 7-3. Things look bleak. They can't win the division. They lose the tiebreaker with SD on common opponents, should KC win out and SD beats Denver. So, they need to win out, for Pittsburgh to lose at least once, and for SD to lose all remaining games, or to win out, Jacksonville to lose out and some other help.
Way Outside Chance
9. Miami. 7-7. Div: 2-3. Conf: 5-5. Can't win division, but they can get in with a lot of help. Pittsburg and SD have to lose their remaining games, and they need KC to lose at least once (so win vs. SD but lose to Cincinnati). Miami would then be 7-5 in the conference, KC would be eliminated by losing the tiebreaker with SD (because Division ties are broken first), Pittsburgh would be 6-6 in the conference, SD would be 7-5 in the conference. So, then Pittsburgh would be eliminated. Miami then wins the tiebreaker against SD since they beat them head-to-head. Got it?

5:00 p.m. Bengals up 24-7 with 9:20 remaining in the first half. This is about what we expected. However, the rest of the games are bizarre. While we watch this game, we'll take a look at the other results from the day and see what's going on.

Union Label for Hackett

Very big news for Paul Hackett. He lacks Northeastern appeal, and the UAW endorsement brings some with it.

Bigotry Tree Grows in Springdale

Suckers are born every minute, but these idiots were not wiped clean of placenta. I have to laugh at how ignorant people are. It is so very say at the same time though. This is not about free speech. The denials in opposition to that simple truth are not only lacking in creativity, but in credibility. You can't yell fire in a crowded theater. You can't threaten bodily harm on someone. You can't discriminate against people. The last one is not really speech, but hell, ignorance about what they are really talking about takes too long to explain to them, so I shall digress

(Maybe not) I also don't want to quibble with conservatives on constitutional law, but I will. They are the literalists here, after all. This is not about "Speech." This is at best about the freedom of the "press" is it not? Or is personal expression protected under the law? I don't see that written in the Constitution, now do I? It is there under case law, thankfully, but once again the hypocrisy of conservatives doesn't fail to impress me.

4th Amendment

Has the President of the United States ever read this?

The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized.

Based on the type of King George despot-speak we got today, I don't think he has.

It will be amazing how Bush defends will try to defend this. These will be the same type of person who cried about Ruby Ridge under Bush the Elder (yep, that wasn't Clinton's doing), but will now say they support ignoring the rights of people because they a suspected of being linked to "terrorists." How many of those will be Palestinian groups? I swear, it will take a video of Bush eat babies before some will turn against him, and even then it will be a tough choice. Admit you were wrong and move on. Bush is horrible. Accept it. Move on, and help the rest of us return the country to the rule of law.

Why Not In Cincy?

Why can't this type of thing happen with some of the crack houses in Over-the-Rhine? Why are landlords letting crack sales go on, but then others stamp out skanky girls dancing in pasties?

Monzel Shills For the Party

I know he owes much to the party for leaving Malone in the gutter and for not doing much for Ghiz so that he could get the money to get back on council, but what gives with bringing national politics into the city arena? Oh, sorry, I forgot, we are talking about Chris Monzel. Chris has a few speeds. He fights Ice Cream Truck Drivers, public defecators, against women's rights, and for computers (well for a while).

Chris should let Chabot do his own dirty work. This looks so cheap. It is low and shows Chris gives more of a shit about Congress, than about the city.

Civil Right Commission Says: Discrimination

Pleasure Inn owner Tom Ullum and his bigotry got another rebuke. No help from Charlie Winburn though. It is nice to see Charlie grill someone. It is shameful he was not Grilling Ullum, and instead sought to act as an advocate for the local conservative movement darling (Ullum). Is Charlie sucking up to the local powers that be for another futile run for office? His attitude towards those filing the compliant reminds me of what a 1940's Alabama Judge might have said about a "Whites Only" sign hanging in a diner window. Times don't change, but perspectives do.

"Might" Should Be In Quotes

Don't be fooled, Bob McEwen will challenge Jean Schmidt for the 2nd Congressional District. The only question to me is will he be challenged? Will Tom Brinkman run again? There will be others, but they have no name and no organizational support to make them a serious contender.

Let it Snow, Let it Snow, Let it Snow!

I don't have much to say, now that I am finally feeling better. I hope to be getting back to regular blogging. Until then

OPEN THREAD!

Truth in Headlines?

In this article headline: What people, politicians say about Schmidt do we get the truth that politicians are not people?

Chaos in Covington?

Not really chaos, but a political infighting among MainStrasse businesses. Is it the bars vs. retail?

Sleep is the Enemy: An Open Thread

In the spirit of Christmas so elequently alluded to in the threads by Joe Wessels and by our friends and neighbors throughout our city, accept this open thread.

Be nice.

Miami: Still #2

We love to satisfy our readers wishes. Per the comment threads below asking for more Miami coverage, we offer this link: Miami is, in fact, still number 2. Insert fight song here.

No jokes about the headline, please. We intend to keep it clean in the absence of Mr. Griffin.

Enquirer: Unite to Defeat Snow Monster

The Enquirer included a lengthy editorial about how we need to plan better for the next snowstorm. Is it just us or is this weirdly late and overkill considering the huge set of editorials that ran on Friday?

This line from Friday struck us as particularly curious:

While it seems frankly silly in an urban area that has snowplows equipped with global positioning transmitters and grocery stores overflowing with food, the instinct itself has served mankind well down through the ages.

We don't know. Maybe it's entirely rational for people to hoard food so they don't have to go out for more later, considering that they may have spent five hours sitting in traffic in a relatively minor snowstorm.

Where to place the blame? Why not just blame everyone?

Commuters stuck in Thursday's rush-hour havoc wrote e-mails to The Enquirer blaming just about everyone for the traffic jams that stretched from Southwest Ohio suburbs south to downtown Cincinnati and into Northern Kentucky.

But there's no mention of Bart Giamatti? He has to be responsible, too, after what he did to Pete.

Actually, here's the interesting point:

After last year's record-breaking snowstorm, which dumped 15 inches on the city just before Christmas, the city of Cincinnati set realistic expectations: For an average storm of 3 inches and temperatures no lower than 25 degrees, residents should expect all primary routes cleared within 24 hours, and residential streets plowed within 36 hours.

So, what's the expected target with this storm? It's clear that this response time wasn't met.

Oh, no. We're complaining about the snow. We're such sterotypical Cincinnatians.

So, This Is What We've Been Missing...

Yes, Cincinnati, there is NFL football played in December, and what fun it is. We haven't watched this much football in years.

This is the promised update on the playoff chase. (NFL tiebreaker rules are pretty easy to figure out. If you took calculus in high school.) As always, Division winners get top seeds, and the Division ties are always broken first.

Division Leaders
1. Indianapolis. 13-0. Conf. 11-0. Assured of the #1 seed and home field as long as they stay in.
2. Denver. 10-3. Div: 3-1. Conf: 7-2. (Thanks, Baltimore.) Denver beats the Bengals on tie-breakers and control their own destiny. The tie-break is conference records. This is critical, #2 gets a bye in the playoffs.
3. Cincinnati. 10-3, Div: 5-1, Conf: 6-3. One more win clinches the division and a home game in Cincinnati.
4. New England. 8-5. Div: 4-0. Conf: 6-4. Bengals have a two game lead.

Wildcards
5. Jacksonville. 9-4, Conf: 7-3. They can't win their division, but they're up a game for the wildcard.
6. Pittsburgh. 8-5. Conf: 6-5. It gets confusing here. In a three-way tie for the wildcard, you eliminate all but the top teams from each division using the Division tiebreaker. San Diego wins the AFC West tiebreaker since they are up 1-0 on KC. Pittsburgh then beats San Diego on head-to-head play (1-0). Here's where it gets weird. If KC and Pittsburgh both win out, they'll be 11-5. KC would move ahead of San Diego in the process, since they play each other (SD could be 10-6 at best in this scenario), and then KC wins the tiebreaker with Pittsburgh based on Conference record.

Outside Looking In
7. San Diego. 8-5. Div 3-1. Conf: 6-3. Denver has a two-game lead on SD and KC, but either can win the division with help. Also, SD can win the wild card with help.
8. KC. 8-5. Div 3-2. Conf: 7-3. In eighth, but it appears that they control their own playoff destiny. Go figure.

Way Outside Chance
9. Miami. 6-7. Div: 1-3. Conf: 4-5. They can still win their division, under much the same criteria as Pittsburgh. Might not be eliminated from wildcard race. (But we didn't figure it out since there's too much number crunching for something so unlikely. Check back next week if you care that much.

No one else can get in. It will take at least 9 wins to get in, probably 10, and no one else can do that.

Mayor: Buck Stops Here

Yep, the mayor said it or something close.

Enquirer: "So who's the person that pulls all of that together?"

Mallory: "OK. That's going to be me. Let me be real clear about this. It's going to be me. Because a lot of what I'm hearing around the table is, it's basically a commitment to the same conversation that I have been having over the last several months. It's about each entity, each person having to do their part. It obviously takes a person to coordinate that. It takes a person to send the message that it's what has to happen. I have said consistently each of us has a responsibility. Each of us has a role to play."

Like it or not, this is going to be the issue upon which Mayor Mallory will be judged.

In the print Enquirer, they run a huge package on gun violence issues. You can find all the related stories in the link above, just look at the right of the page. (This is one way that print is still superior to the Web: big packages are easier to lay out in print.)

The redacted version: gun violence is way up (duh) and we need a multi-faceted approach to solve it (duh, duh). All right. No more snark.

Some observations:
1. It's probably a sign of how good ER is in this town that they number of shootings is way up and the murder rate is not climbing at the same rate. That's just a guess, and we'd love to see some support for that.
2. They talk a little bit about a new jail, but that's not a big part of the article. Are we keeping shooters off the street? Or are we limited by the jail limits? Aren't most violent criminals in the state prison system? What about drug treatment? Are those enough questions about jails?
3. Also, drug-related violence is a big part of the shootings problem. But, this statement seems to make people feel better about their chances without addressing the whole problem. It's not as though innocent bystanders don't get shot. So, communities with drug problems have huge problems. So, if that's the case...
4. Why aren't communities more involved? Give Mayor Mallory credit for calling out lack of community involvement. But is it fear of police, a community-wide us-against-them mentality? What's going on?
5. Just look at the clusters. We don't have anything else to say about that.

Bengals Beat Browns: 23-20

With Mr. Griffin under the weather, I'll post some good news. The Bengals have almost assured themselves of a playoff spot with the defeat of the Browns.

It was a lot harder than it should have been, but the Bengals have really helped themselves immensely with this win. The only way that Pittsburgh can win the division is to win all three remaining games and to have the Bengals lose all remaining games. The reason: Bengals have the tie-breaker against Pittsburgh (tied head-to-head, Bengals lead in Division play 5-1 vs. 3-2, with no way for Pittsburgh to surpass 5-1). So, the Bengals are in if they win any of their remaining games: at Detroit, vs. Buffalo, at KC. Pittsburgh is in trouble for reasons we'll see in a minute.

Here are the seeds right now. (Many games are on TV right now, so I'll update later tonight.) Seeds 3 and 4 host the wildcard games. Seeds 1 and 2 host the second round. The top remaining seed hosts the AFC championship.

Division Leaders
1. Indianapolis. 13-0. Having lost to them, the Bengals can't pass them. Denver can't either. They won their division, and they're the #1 seed.
2. Denver. 9-3, Div: 3-1, Conf: 6-2. (They're on TV right now.) There's a log-jam in this division, and we'll know a lot more based on today's games.
3. Cincinnati. 10-3, Div: 5-1, Conf: 6-3. At 4:30 p.m., Denver beats the Bengals on tie-breakers and control their own destiny. The tie-break is conference games, so the Bengals can pass them on this, depending on how the rest plays out.
4. New England. 8-5. Conf: 6-4. Bengals have a two game lead. Also, the Bengals win the tie-breaker right now, based on conference records.

Wildcards
(Top 2 make it.)

5. Jacksonville. 9-4, Conf: 7-3. They can't win the division, but they're in good shape for the wildcard.
6/7. San Diego/KC. 8-4. These two are playing right now, so I'm not going to right all this out. I'll update after their games. Either can win their division--we'll look at that tonight.
8. Pittsburgh. 8-5. They can get in by winning the division over Cincinnati (doubtful), or by winning out and getting some help.

That's enough for now. Check back later, and we'll update the results and standings.

Merry Hypocrit

I have been watching conservative Christians walk around with their panties firmly in a wad over everyone not complying with their religion. Well I firmly say Happy Winter Solstice to them!

I say shame on some of them right here in Cincinnati who are nothing but hypocrits:

"There's a national frustration," Giroux said. "Christians have kind of felt empowered to take back Christmas for Christ."

These locals folks are selling bracelets that read: "Just say 'Merry Christmas.'" These bracelets cost $2 each. So I wonder what the profit margin is on spreading the word of Jesus. 50% markup maybe? We can’t exploit Christmas on anything less than 40%.

Snow Stories?

It took me almost two hours to get home last night from Mason. Hamilton County was good by the time I got there. Mason and the local township were horrible when I left work around 7:15PM. I had to wait that long because the roads were so backed up, that no one could leave the parking lot.

Looking Ahead

Mark the Twain for the tourists! Tall Stacks is reporting that more than 40% of the 50,000 cruise tickets already sold for next year's Tall Stacks are from "outside the Cincinnati area." They don't define that, but I will interpret that as meaning outside the Metro Area, at least. This is more great news for Downtown. We should have a completed Fountain Square to show off to these tourists and their wonderful money. I for one wish to welcome them at this early point. I hope they come for the weekend and enjoy Tall Stacks and the rest of the City.

Chiquita Staying

Why they are staying is not reported, but this is great news for Downtown, the City, and region.

White Death Hits the Blogosphere

You know blogging has either reached a peak or jumped the shark when we get a "SNOWBLOG" from WCPO.

City Council Rules

Council has adopted new rules. The key passage concerning citizen speakers:

There's no change in the rules on when citizens may speak.

Cole and Crowley were grumbling about the process. The meeting reportedly ran smoothly, and quickly. Is that because of the new rules, because Reece and Smitherman are gone, or because Mallory has the reins?

Creative Dems

Kudos for National Dems for not letting a Republican run company from halting their political action. Schmidt must go!

Oh, also when you think Lamar is not Republican run, why was this billboard allowed to go up and not the anti-Schmidt one?

Voter ID Proposal

Of those who are pushing to require ID to vote, who is against either a National ID card and more importantly automatic voter registration when you get your driver's license or state ID? If they are, then it is clear they are all about keeping certain voters from voting.

Automatic registration would work wonderfully. You would be forced to ask to not be registered to vote, kind of negative registration. Additionally, you would be allowed to vote where you are registered inside the state, if you have your ID. This would increase the registration rolls and any fraud could be easily traced via the state BMV database. Adding this type of provision is the only fair way to use ID in the voting process. Without it and it is unfair.

It is clearly an attempt by the GOP to keep poor people and more importantly minorities from voting. It is a GOP tactic to reduce voting. The CW is that the lower the turnout, the better the GOP does. It is very sad that the GOP is forced to do this, but no surprising. What I want to know, how many voter fraud cases have been prosecuted in the last year? How much evidence of fraud exists? If it exists now, why is it not prosecuted? The likely reason is that there are "things" happening that no one wants to prosecute, because some of their friends my get fined and kicked out of politics. Those instances are more of a wife' tale, but it is great way for the GOP to hit the Democratic base via the back door of race/nationality, without having to overtly appear to be bigoted.

More Banks Fallout

The Enquirer hits the Banks story hard. They add in an editorial and Borgman Cartoon.

The deal appears to the media to be deader than Mike Allen's political career.

Bronson?

This column appears to be written by Peter Bronson. It is recycled information, which sounds like Bronson, but it generally has a positive tone about the city, so one must wonder who actually wrote this column.

MIAMI Hockey #2

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.

RedHawks jump to No. 2 ranking (Again in the Enquirer, and yesterday it was an update during the day, again WOW!)

As the Council Turns

For those of you who can't get enough of the Mallory-Crowley kerkuffel (and there are clearly a few of you die-hards who keep posting on this dying warhorse of a story), Korte has posted his (hopefully) final word on the whole fiasco. Korte's two questions are:

1. How is this a report if they didn't really meet?
2. On the document, Crowley's name has been added after the fact to the signatory list. Of course, he's also listed as being vice-chair on page three, which makes it look like they just added page 4 to the revised list.

Answer to 1: Don't think of it as a report; it's a motion to council on committees. In the Rules of Council, the mayor appoints chairs, but the council votes on committee members and vice-chairs. So, what this is is a full slate of members for all the positions that will presumably be approved by a voice vote at council. (Since we were not at the first meeting, it would seem based on press reports that the only votes were on Tarbell as vice-mayor and Cole as president pro tem. What does the president pro tem do, you ask? Not much, honestly, but she's third in line to the Big Chair... If this is the case, the committees get approved at the next meeting. If you were there, say something in comments.) Is it a violation of sunshine laws? Not as long as you think of it as a motion, not as a report. After all, if all the assumptions are correct, and Council has yet to appoint the committee, then Rules Committee doesn't exist right now; therefore, this isn't a report and can't be a report. Instead, it's a motion that can (and will) be passed by Council at next meeting (presumably, after asking consent to suspend the rules and vote immediately on the motion), along with the new rules.

Answer to 2: Who cares, really? If it makes this story go away faster, then wonderful. (If it's a lousy story, then why are we writing about it? Why not? That's what blogs are for, right?)

Also, there's one thing that Korte doesn't call out--on the "report", Crowley is listed as vice-chair of both Neighborhoods and Health/Education/Recreation on the PDF of the report.

After all Crowley's email supposedly read:

I learned tonight that Mayor-Elect Mark Mallory choose not to give me a chairmanship position on ANY City Council Committee for the term starting tomorrow. In fact, Mallory did not even recommend me for the vice-chair position of the committee I currently chair.

Read the whole "report" if you're interested in how the committees break down.

Cranley Making News, Already

One place Steve Chabot is going to really suffer is John Cranley's ability to make the newspaper constantly where he can drop moderate or even quasi-conservative viewpoints like this:

"We need a real energy policy to make us independent of Middle Eastern oil. We need to bring the deficit down and not give corporate welfare to oil companies making record-high profits. We need to improve our homeland security.

"None of this is being done four years after 9-11. That really is the fault of Congress and needs to be changed. Steve Chabot is part of the program - the things that John McCain talked about. He has gone along with the program."

Chabot is going to need to be back in town all the time. Cranley can just be Councilman, doing something for the community, while we never hear Chabot's name. Cranley needs to stay away from any negative city story, but be out in front of every other city story. He then needs to find a way to break deeper into the West side and Butler County. The formula exists, he just needs to find out what it is, and replicate it.

Banks Deal Dead?

The Enquirer is reporting that Corporex has withdrawn from negotiations with the county. They were partners with Vandercar Holdings to create The Banks Development Company. The BDC pulled the fast one and got a "secret" deal with the county.

The reasons why the deal allegedly is falling through is unknown.

Does this kill the Banks? It has been called dead many times. This certainly makes the County look like fools, unless they and Vandercar Holdings (Cincinnati-based developer Rob Smyjunas) can pull a 10 million dollar rabbit out of a hat.

Calling 3CDC! Will anyone answer?

Brinkman Dancing On The Head of a Pin

Tom Brinkman is posturing for the chance to wipe Jean Schmidt off the map in next year's GOP Primary for the 2nd District. He is giving a "by-your-leave" to Bob McEwen, who finished ahead of Brinkman in the primary earlier this year. Brinkman must face some reality; he is not well liked in the 2nd District. Is he that much less disliked than Jean Schmidt? That is the saddest thing to have to consider. When does David Pepper get into the race for the Dems?

Message Boards at Cincinnati.Com

I knew they had sports message boards, but the Enquirer's website has message boards on politics too. Few are using them currently, but that may change. Their boards used to be hoping. Before and during and after the riots they were a hot place for discussion.

John Cranley for Congress

City Council top vote getter John Cranley has taken an unsurprising move, but still one that carries a sense of oomph when you read it in print.  This a great move for Cranley and for the Democrats.  Every race should be contested and in this case Cranley has more than just a shot, he stands a good chance of winning.

The GOP faithful may think that this district is a safe one.  Well, it is safe when the Dems run a mainstream liberal like Greg Harris. Greg was a great candidate, but he hit bad timing when running against the fear campaign of 2004.  The district wasn’t ready for a candidate like him.

Cranley is a far different Democrat than Harris.  Cranley is anti-abortion, which on the Westside is more important than where you stand on taxes, foreign policy, and even gay rights.  District 1 is a conservative district, but it is not as Republican as District 2 is, and there a socially “liberal” (He is moderate for Dems, but liberal for GOPers) Democrat, Paul Hackett, came very close to beating what turned out to be a horrible candidate in Jean Schmidt.

Cranley will make it difficult for people like Pete Witte to vote again him.  Witte will support Steve Chabot, he is a good party guy, but he will not stand for the trashing Cranley by Chabot’s campaign or by the RNC.  The people of this district, at least the City residents, know Cranley, and like him.  Chabot will not be able to attack Cranley and tar him with the national political issues, as is the norm for congressional races.  In this case the politics is indeed all local.  Chabot has not been around much, Cranley has been here and been getting elected easily.  Chabot is going to need a lot of money and big media buys to beat Cranley.  He will likely get that, but if Cranley can match him, he will win.

Just Kill the Bar Business, Why Don't Ya

Only in Cincinnati would anyone in power consider a ban on serving alcohol outdoors after 10PM. If you want new development, this kind of law puts handcuffs that are just not warranted. I don't know if this law incorporates zoning laws, where the only places affected would be bars in "residential areas." This might affect Places like City View Tavern, but should not affect Christy's Rathskeller, Neon's, or the Pavilion in Mount Adams.

If there is going to be a smoking ban, then there MUST be outdoor drinking, or bars in Ohio will not survive long, which Northern Kentucky booms. Council should just put this to rest now and over-rule it.

"Is that you Mo-Dean?"

Very Shiny.

Crowleys and the McCoys

Is there a family feud brewing for City Council Dems?

Club Clueless

Classist, snobs, pretentious idiots. That is what came to mind when I read about The Continental Lounge. In a city where we are striving for some sense of common good, common development, and common futures comes a club seeking to suck out what little vibrancy we have here in town and lock it in their own little world. “Cool” is the combination of selfishness, greed, and being fickle. It sure can be fun, but when you cut it off behind a big velvet rope, you are no longer cool, you are dicks.

The good thing about this club is that I know where it is and I know where not to go. The old adage about not wanted to join a club that would have me as a member is flipped on its head. People who want to join this type of club really should think about leaving town. Seriously, you are no good to this city/region if you can't stand in line with the rest of us for a beer or you can't bare to wait 15 minutes for a table.

Call it the creeping in of a Midwestern sensibility into my mind, but I really can't stand this type of thing. Places like the Banker's Club are around town and they have been here for years. They don’t creep into life much. They add little, but don’t take away much. They are the Little Rascals Clubhouse for those who are seeking to be rich or thought of as rich. They have a purpose, but they are viewed as stale uber-establishment venues. They reek with social order, the adult version of high school popular kids. The bottom line is that they have been here, don’t matter, and won’t matter. A new “club” whose entire purpose is to keep people out of it, hurts the region. I can honestly say I hope it fails, and my conscious is better for that hope. When Dick & Jane VIP wannabe shell out their limited money to join this group, thinking they will become cool for having $2,500 to waste, and then realizing that when the place closes its doors and their membership closes with it, being "cool" like being respected is earned, not purchased. I hope they only used play money.

CinAd Radio

Joe Wessels will be broadcasting live on the Internet at 11:30 AM today. Joe's line-up today includes: Photographer and editor of Street Vibes, Jimmy Heath, Pat Clifford, director of the Drop Inn Center, and Victoria Morgan, artistic director for the Cincinnati Ballet.

GOP Prays For Smoke Filled Room

In the race for Ohio Governor, the GOP is praying that someone will drop out. Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell, Attorney General Jim Petro and Auditor Betty Montgomery are all declared candidates that if things stay the way they are, will result in a bloody primary fight.

Ted Strickland is loving it. With Coleman out of the race, Strickland will win the Dem nomination with money not wasted on a primary fight. Add a close DeWine-Hackett race and a shift away from scandal racked Ohio Republicans, and Strickland looks like he will fair very well next November.

Snowball's Chance

This guy has Zero Chance. This is likely all the free press he will get if he actually appears on the GOP primary ballot.

Bronson Perpetuates Schmidt Lie

Peter Bronson has let the power get to his head. He hates Bill Clinton so much, that he is now is doing what Bill Clinton did over the meaning of words. Jean Schmidt called Rep. Murtha a coward. Did she literally or "technically" do it? That depends on the meaning of "is." Her intent and her inference are ABUNDANTLY CLEAR. Bronson shouldn't be allowing Jean Schmidt to continue to lie to the voters in her district. She intended, fully intended, to paint Murtha as a coward, and in turn paint all Democrats and those who don't blindly follow Fearless Leader™ as cowards as well.

To play a game of semantics is not only dishonest, it is foolish. Bronson shows he is more about party than about truth. This is plain cold truth. She did it, end of story. This is not a debate about what should be in the budget or over Federal regulator policy. This is about an individual who lacks the skills and temperament to hold a Federal Public Office. If she wants to run for dogcatcher, than she might do a good job. Every Toto in Milford would live in fear. Don't let the truth live in fear when she is on the floor of the House of Representatives.

Secret Start to New Council

Soon to be Mayor Mark Mallory showed his skills at Roberts Rules of Order with the manner in which the new rules of Council were chosen. This maneuver included picking chairpersons of Council Committees:

New City Council committees, and their chairmen, are:

Finance: Democrat John Cranley.

Law and Public Safety: Democrat Cecil Thomas.

Economic Development: Charterite Chris Bortz.

Vibrant Neighborhoods, Environment and Public Services: Democrat Laketa Cole.

Arts, Culture, Tourism and Marketing: Charterite Jim Tarbell.

Education, Health and Recreation: Republican Chris Monzel.

Rules: Democrat Jeff Berding.

Mallory showed a different side by appointing Chris Bortz and Chris Monzel to committee chair positions over that of Democrat David Crowley. Why does Chris Monzel, the guy who led the fight to make Abortion rights a city issue, get the Education, Health and Recreation committee?

Greg Korte has much more on the "secret meeting."

Mallory Snubs Crowley

Mark Mallory, who officially become Mayor of Cincinnati today, snubbed fellow Democrat David Crowley for a Chairmanship of a council subcommittee. Crowley issued an impassioned email to supporters:

Friends:

I learned tonight that Mayor-Elect Mark Mallory choose not to give me a chairmanship position on ANY City Council Committee for the term starting tomorrow. In fact, Mallory did not even recommend me for the vice-chair position of the committee I currently chair.

As the current chairperson of the Economic Development Committee and former chairperson of the Education Committee, the 4th top vote getter in this month's election, one of the most senior members on Council and a fellow Democrat, I am very disappointed and disturbed with Mallory's decision.

In fact, Mallory recommended two Charterites and one Republicans for chairmanships over me, a Democrat.

I urge you to contact Mayor-Elect Mallory TONIGHT and let him know that you are angered and frustrated with his decision to completely overlook me. He can be contacted at mark.mallory@cincinnati-oh.gov or 352-3250. The quickest way is to call the office and register a complaint because we are not sure whether or not Mallory is checking his email yet.

Thank you for your continued support,
David Crowley

Queen City Forum had this last night.

UPDATE: Korte has more.

Portune Wants State Democratic Chairmanship

County Commissioner Todd Portune is running for state Democratic chairman. I don't think I am the only person surprised about this.

I have a question, does this mean he will be required to leave his post as County Commissioner?

Council Rule Changes

With a new council we get new proposals:

1. Allow the chair of a council meeting to limit citizens who want to speak before Council to one public appearance a month.


2. Eliminate by-leaves, or unscheduled motions, communications, resolutions and ordinances.


3. Prevent council members from requesting reports from the administration unless four council members or a committee chairperson and one other council member agree to the request.


4. Ban council members from speaking more than once on any one subject and limit comments to three minutes.

I want an orderly council meeting, but I don't want a rigid meeting.  Citizens should be respectful of everyone on council.  We don’t need the Boycott B clowns making fools out of themselves and insult everyone in attendance with their childish antics and meaningless stunts.  I don’t want things so closed down to allow for opinions not to be heard.  If you are disruptive, then you loose your ability to address council.  If you are respective you should be allowed to address council at every meeting.

Tarbell Name Vice Mayor

Mayor Mark Mallory has picked Councilman Jim Tarbell to the city's next Vice Mayor. Isn't Tarbell term limited after the term ending in 2007?

More Idiotic Bronson

Fingerprint Everyone! Get DNA samples before the terrorists strike again! Who does Peter Bronson think is going to attack Cincinnati? Well, the only people to be worried about are home grown terrorists. Osama is not going to target a Cincinnati Bengals game. There is not a plot to prevent them from going to the playoffs.

We don't need pat downs here. If the NFL wants to increase beer sales by screening out flasks, then just say so, and don't hide behind "terrorism" which sends the Peter Bronsons of the world into panic mode, making his cave seem all the more homey.

More Vice Mayor Rumblings

Korte has no more idea who is going to be the next vice mayor, but he makes the point that it will likely not be John Cranley. I don't know if that is true. I don't think Cranley really wants to be mayor. I think he wants more. I think he may want another crack at Chabot or at least he wants a shot to become County Commissioner.

1st Dem Challenger to Face Schmidt

I have never heard of Jim Parker and I don't know how he'll do in the race. He did get some free press and that always helps.

A Soldier Speaks

Jean Schmidt should avoid speaking about the opinions of Iraq soldiers and their moral. If she continues to do so, then instead of talking with an extreme right wing Ohio politician who served desk duty during the Iraq war, Jean should talk with solders like Major David Grundy. Major Grundy's opinion is his and I don't know how common it is, but if a Major has the courage to speak out against a Republican on the War, then his opinion should be respected and should be strongly considered. I hope he does not feel pressure or even worse this hurts his career for exercising his rights as a citizen and soldier.

Mark Mallory Profile

Interesting profile piece on Mark Mallory from the Enquirer's Chuck Martin. It is interesting to know about the personality of Mark Mallory, but this side of his personality is not relevant to his job as mayor. I hope this is the last type of personality profile we see on the Mayor. I hope to hear more him discussing the type of person he wants for Vice-Mayor and City Manager.

I really could have done without the Bill Cunningham quotes and knowing Mark's waist size. Cunningham's quotes were complimentary and benign, but Cunningham adds nothing to the City in anything he does, so why ask him about Mallory? I really don't need to know Mark's waist size or suit size. Saying he dresses well is fine, I don't need to know the details.

Purple People Bridge Entance Wins Award

Today's Enquirer reports (but the story is not online) the vilified 'artwork' won a Cincinnati Design Award. I find that very hard to believe that something that caused WCPO to do a tabloidish expose on it is deserving of an award. I would call it rather ugly.

Ladies, Just In Case

If the ladies are out and about at a night club around Cincinnati this weekend and Nick Lachey starts hitting on you, don't be shocked nor upset. I bet you should be flattered to be the potential rebound girl.

Bad Apple Still Bad

The courts were no help to a bad situation. Patrick Caton should not be a police officer, especially in Cincinnati.

What is next? Will he actually rejoin the force? Does he have another job and is this just a matter of paperwork and back pay? It sounds and looks horrible, but I would be willing for the City to pay a settlement to the guy to keep him off the police force.

More from the Post.

Hating the Nati

In today's letters to the editor we get this anti-city gem from an inner-suburb dolt:

Keep sheriff out of Over-the-Rhine

I do not feel it is fair to the outlying communities to have former Cincinnati councilmen acting as Hamilton County Commissioners to authorize paying a million and a half for police protection in the Over-the-Rhine. As far as we are concerned this is another way to use the taxing authority of Hamilton County to pay for the Cincinnati operating expenses.

Why not use the funds to assist the city of Norwood or other communities? If the sheriff is over-funded, he should return the money to the county.

Fred J. Benz
Montgomery

Fred is not alone. He has many friends who would be happy to leave the city out to fail. Fred might need a slight geography lesson. The City of Cincinnati is in Hamilton County. The city residents pay the same taxes he does. How often does a Sheriff patrol the City of Montgomery? Well, when I view the City of Montgomery's Police Department's web page, and on it they have a prominent link to the Hamilton County Sheriff's website, then I will conclude that the Sheriff does quite a bit of patrolling in Montgomery. Mr. Benz, I suggest you request your city to either increase their police force & stop using the Sheriff Department to supplement its budget or shut up.

Worst of all, the Sheriff is not patrolling OTR for other reasons completely, not that Mr. Benz noticed.

Get Off Your Ass and Shop

Today is the day that everyone should be out there shopping. You are doing two things: one you are earning me a salary increase and two your are clearing out the stores so I can do my shopping in peace next weekend.

Gobble, Gobble

Happy Thanksgiving Day!!

More Schmidt Lies

We have a new report that states Jean Schmidt lied again. From Howard Wilkinson's article:

U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt said this afternoon she had “no idea’’ when she created an uproar on the House floor by saying “cowards cut and run, Marines never do’’ that she was addressing the remark to a fellow House member who is a much decorated Marine veteran of Vietnam.

“I did not know he was a Marine or I would not have said it,’’ the newly elected Republican congresswoman told The Enquirer this afternoon in an interview at her Kenwood district office.

Well, Jean either has bad hearing, does not pay attention, or is lying. I vote for the third. She clearly new he was a Marine and was present during a news conference when a it was stated.

In the UA Progressive article above we are lead back to the transcript in which I posted on Jean's nutty anti-Muslim rant. In that news conference, which took place within 24 hours of Jean's Murtha comments, one of her fellow GOP Congressman said that Murtha was a Marine right in front of her:

DREIER: I have the utmost respect for my colleague Jack Murtha. My father was a Marine. Jack Murtha was a very proud Marine. And I have worked with him for the last quarter century on the struggle for liberation in Central America and in other spots throughout the world -- in military conflicts.

Later in the news conference Jean went nutty and poured into the anti-Muslim rant I posted on previously.

Now, it is in print that she heard Murtha was a Marine. Is she foolish enough to think we are not going to conclude that she knew fully well that Murtha was a former Marine because she either can’t hear or does not pay attention? I guess she thinks her voters are stupid. I am glad to help rid them of their stupid. I hope to be rid of Jean Schmidt. What we get in her place will be just as bad (Brinkman), but might finally make for a rational District 2 to break freed of the nutty GOP wing that controls the district and instead of more of the same. Hackett would have been a good congressman. I think Pepper could be too. I just want new blood and non-nutty and non-antigay non-antiwoman candidates.

Fake GOP Site OK

www.hamiltoncountyrepublicanparty.com has survived an initial legal test.

Leslie, Leslie, Leslie

Oh the friends you choose. Korte is reporting that Councilwoman-elect Leslie Ghiz will be sworn in as Councilwoman by Rep. Jean Schmidt. Leslie said it herself-

"I'm sure I'’m going to catch 10 kinds of hell, but since when have I started worrying about that?" Ghiz said. "She's a good person. She's a female Republican. We have to support each other."

Leslie needs to just break free from the GOP. Schmidt is not the person you want as a mentor. What I hope Leslie learns now from Jean is how NOT to act as a public official.

New Vice Mayor?

Who will be Vice Mayor? One Assumes that it will be John Cranley, but one be sure. Luken picked Reece over Pepper last time. Mallory could pick Cole or even Crowley. I would surmise he would not pick "rookies" Berding and Thomas. I would assume he would pick a Democrat too.

The Committee Chairs are where things will get interesting.

Anti-Gay Tom Brinkman

The slippery slope is getting slicker. It shouldn't surprise anyone that the bigoted right wing is doing everything they can to oppress gays and lesbians and drive them away from Ohio. It is a little bit surprising that Tom Brinkman it leading the charge. Well, I guess maybe it's not surprising. Being anti-gay is still OK with the majority of Republicans. That is not a stereotype. That is a simple observation.

This is a theocratic fascist crusade against gays and lesbians. Say what you want about why this is being done, but there is no other way to honestly put it to words.

Those "moderates" who somehow thought the anti-gay amendment was anything other than a way to oppress gays were just not paying attention. This is only the beginning. The theocrats are going to do what ever they can to use the government to enact religious law. This proves I must live in the most idiotic area in the state. Brinkman and Schmidt are my representatives. They are extremists, and horrible public officials.

Cincinnati Advance Radio: Drive Time!

Joe Wessels is live on WAIF tomorrow morning at 8AM with CinAd Radio. Joe's guests this week are Fitness expert and writer of CinWeeklyÂ?s Ask Rocco, Rocco Castellano plus local authors and Enquirer staffers Rebecca Goodman and Barrett J. Brunsman discuss their book Â?This Day In Ohio HistoryÂ?. Tune in to 88.3 FM for a special Wednesday morning edition.

Something Doesn't Add Up

Someone is lying and I am betting on Jean Schmidt. If she didn't know that Murtha was a long time Marine, then why the hell was it a big story that he had changed his stance on the Iraq war? Why was she giving a speech in opposition to him? Who arranged or asked for her to speak? Was she at all coached about what to say? Could Bubp be lying? Maybe? I don't see why he would be. It is amazing how either ignorant she is or how stupid she things her voters are.

Official Council Results

Greg Korte has the offical results from the City Council race and the same 9 are getting, but the order of finish greatly changes. It Laketa Cole moved up to third, which puts her closer to where people thought she would finish. What this points out is that the election was much more even than noticed. Only a couple hundred votes separated 3-4-5, but the perception of who won changes a bit. Cole did well. She finished strong and gained votes when Bond Hill came in, the same way Mark Mallory did.

The Lies of Rep. Jean Schmidt

Here is her latest statement (and almost an apology, but not very good in my opnion). Let's start with her first lie in the statement:

Last week as I returned to the Capitol Building after attending a funeral at Arlington National Cemetery for a local fallen Marine, I found out that the Democrats had just announced their policy position to immediately withdraw troops from Iraq.

The Democrats did not put forth a proposal to "immediately" withdraw troops from Iraq. That is the lie being told consistently by the GOP and the media, but is false. See Murtha's resolution here. Additionally, you know it is a lie because of the simple fact that the GOP created a new resolution. They created a one sentence resolution which put in and created the "immediate" phrase. It was a stunt, but if Murtha had proposed an immediate withdrawal, why not VOTE ON HIS RESOLUTION? Instead the GOP created their own myth of what he was supposed to have proposed with their new resolution. That is a crafty way of playing politics, but it is a misleading and dishonest way.

Next:

Since that moment I have been attacked from across the country by the left.

This is not a lie, just a half truth. The Cincinnati Enquirer's editorial page, a conservative group who endorsed Schmidt, hits her fairly hard in today's paper. She is also being attacked by liberals right here in her own district. (Yea, I mean me)

Next:

I never meant to attack Congressman Murtha personally.

This is the second time she has claimed this and it will continue to hold no water no matter how many times she repeats it. There is no way she could have said what she said without full knowledge that what she was saying was a personal attack. Calling a man a coward is about as personal of an attack as one can get without bring up the footwear of his mother, or by using a few four letter words.

The final lie might be the most telling. It appears that Danny Bubp is cutting Schmidt adrift. He is denying ever saying anything about Murtra:

"There was no discussion of him personally being a coward or about any person being a coward," Bubp said. "My message to the folks in Washington, D.C., and to all the Congress people up there, is to stay the course. We cannot leave Iraq or cut and run - any terminology that you want to use."

Talk about cutting and running. If she has to make stuff up just to get in the Â?cut and runÂ? line into her speech, then she really needs to just stop talking. If you canÂ?t speak truth, then donÂ?t speak at all.

I think this removes any chance she has of betting a ham sandwich in the GOP primary. I think I could run as a Republican a defeat her, and boy that is a scary thought.

Havana Martini Club Moving

No, its not moving out of downtown. Instead they are moving to Tower Place Mall. Yea, this does seem kind of weird to me. I liked the club. It had pricey Martinis, and I am a beer drinker, but it provided an interesting offset to the Backstage area around the Aronoff and CAC. The location they are going to is right on 5th Street across from Macy's. This fits well with the Fountain Square Plan. It does not work for business around 6th street, which has now lost the Masionette, La Normandie, and Skyline recently. Shifting business around downtown is an expensive game of musical chairs, but in the long run is what will have to happen for the Fountain Square Plan to work.

I would like the lower Main Street area to bloom, which comes close to the 6th Street area. That could be a great residential/retail area, with small business thriving on what could be a huge downtown populace.

"I'll Get You My Pretty"

Great cartoon on Schmidt and the GOP from Jeff Danziger. It's several days old, but still good.

Catholic Services Discrimination?

On the surface the Catholic Social Services of Northern Kentucky could be discriminating in against homosexuals. Yes, I am sure that is a shock to everyone. A Christian Church invoking bigoted policies? You don't say!

Well, there is more at stake. In the cases of birth control and abortions, the Catholic services has a default out. They don't perform those services
for anyone, so no clear way to invoke discrimination. If Catholic services does offer couples counseling to non-married people, then that is discrimination to not to so for homosexuals.

If they only offer counseling to "married" couples, then they may have legal cover. It is bigoted discrimination, but it may not be illegal.

The humorous part is that the Agency director Bill Jones thinks that the requests for counseling did not come from actual gay or lesbian people, but instead from those trying to "test" the agency:

"I think there are some other people who will be really distressed that we are serving anyone who is gay or lesbian," Jones said.

He suspects the four phone calls that prompted the formal policy review this spring were from people "trying to catch us," violating church teaching, Jones said. "In the past people have called to ask where to get an abortion and to ask us to buy birth control pills. ...

"We feel some of those were test calls, to see what we would say."

That sounds like the prudes don't trust the "liberals" who well are feeding gay homeless people. I guess they are supposed to die in the streets like the heathens they are. WTF.

Schmidt Roundup

Westender has a great round up on all things Jeannie-cakes over at Clark Street Blog.

They're in College

I have to wonder how embarrassed this kid is after his parents are pissed that their goody-goody son saw people having sex on a video in a class IN COLLEGE.

It's college! They are adults! Let them grow up and stop babying them! Also, just so we are clear: THIS IS FUCKING COLLEGE. The woman complaining, Mary Lenke, went to the length of withholding her son's name. Lucky for him. Not because it will affect his grade, because it will save him the trouble, for now, of facing the horror of public embarrassment from his classmates. Where will the idiotic prudes end their crusade against porn? Is this woman connected with Phil Burress?

Schmidt Makes SNL

You know you are a national laughing stocking when you make the Weekend Update section of Saturday Night Live.

It's official: Jean Schmidt is a national laughingstock. She was just lampooned on the "Nightly News" portion of Saturday Night Live. Tina Fey compared Ms. Schmidt with Mr. Murtha, noting that the latter had served in the armed forces for 37 years before being elected to the House. She speculated that prior to becoming a congresswoman, that--judging from her outfit--Ms. Schmidt had probably been a "1970's American gymnast."

The only thing likely missing from the SNL bit were references to Schmidt’s roles in Gymkata and American Anthem as the evil East German Judge bent on foiling the chances of the Western powers to triumph again!

Liar or Stupid?

Jean Schmidt is either a liar or stupid. Well, she could be both, but in this case I am going to choose liar. Her answers don't add up. In the article in reference to her floor comments she states:

"I did not intend to suggest that they applied to any member, most especially the distinguished gentleman from Pennsylvania. I therefore ask for unanimous consent that my words be withdrawn," Schmidt said.

When she claims to not have intentionally singled out any Democrat, that is clearly not the case when she said this on the floor of house:

A few minutes ago I received a call from Colonel Danny Bubp, Ohio Representative from the 88th district in the House of Representatives. He asked me to send Congress a message: Stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message, that cowards cut and run, Marines never do. Danny and the rest of America and the world want the assurance from this body - that we will see this through.

She clearly LIED! On the floor of the US House she relayed a message DIRECTLY toward Rep. Murtha. She choose it and she INTENDED it as an attack on Murtha. She is surely sorry that she did it, not for doing it, but for the response she got.

More shame is that the “Colonel” she referenced is not in Iraq, he is sitting on his ass in Columbus, Ohio as a theocratic-fascist Ohio House of Representatives member. The impression she gave and that much of press is giving is that the “call” was from a solider in Iraq. This was from another right wing idiot here in Ohio. The shame for Ohio just keeps on piling on.

Stupid, Nutty, Shameful Jeannie-Cakes

That is my new term of non-endearment for Congresswoman Jean Schmidt, "Jeannie-Cakes":

SCHMIDT: I'm Jean Schmidt. I'm from the 2nd District in Ohio. I'm the newest person on the block. And this morning I spent time at the Arlington National Cemetery watching, witnessing, being part of a funeral of one of my fallen heroes in my district.

SCHMIDT: And I walked away from there seeing the glorious graves of the people that have fought for our freedom more resolved than ever to make sure we keep the enemy on their shore and not ours. You know, you all are not getting the big picture. The big picture is that these Islamic insurgents want to destroy us. They don't like us. They don't like us because we're black, we're white, we're Christian, we're Jew, we're educated, we're free, we're not Islamic. We can never be Islamic because we were not born Islamic. Now, this isn't the Islamic citizens. These are the insurgents. And it is their desire for us to leave so they can take over the whole Middle East and then take over the world. And I didn't learn this just in the last few weeks or the last few months. I learned this when I was at the University of Cincinnati in 1970, studying Middle Eastern history. And I was told by a very valuable professor, one that I still remember, Wie Zuefabushi (ph). He was Palestinian. He said, If we don't create freedom in that region it's going to come back and attack us. And this was during Vietnam, when everybody thought the issue was Vietnam. And he said, No, the issue is not Vietnam, it's the Middle East, it's Islamic insurgents that will come back and destroy us.

Well, ladies and gentlemen, 9/11 proved that they can come here and they can attack us. We must continue the course, not just for the sake of the soldiers that have given their time, their talents and their lives to protect our freedom, but for ourselves and our children.

We are the best nation in the world, and it is incumbent upon us at all levels, whether we are soldiers, whether we are in Congress, or whether we are the press, to protect our freedom.

I'm doing it. The soldiers are doing it. I hope my Democratic colleagues will do it. And I hope you will, too.

She brings shame not just on the 2nd district (and we deserve the shame for electing her), but she brings shame on me. I hate this kind of crap, but I live in her freaking district and I can't leave right now. It is like the woman is a walking skeleton of human thoughtlessness, and I have to walk the streets she represents, and that brings venom to my fingers as I type this rant.

Did she actually write down those comments or was she shooting from the hip like the amateur national politician she is?

It is disgusting to have to live in her district, but what is more disgusting is the simple fact that her views are shared by thousands of complete ignorant (I hope) or just plain bigoted citizens of Ohio. They don’t see themselves at bigots or hatefilled, or still suffering from “kill all Muslims” syndrome, instead sing this crap with pride as they are hurting or are using this as a crutch to quell their bloodlust or vote-lust.

Well, monkey's and squirrels, Jean has proved that not only can you be a bigot, you can exploit 9/11 once again and link it to the Iraq war.

This is propaganda at its worst. This takes advantage of those who don't pay attention or at least don't pay much attention. At every turn, many Republicans are saying 9/11, terrorism, Iraq. 9/11, TERRORISM, IRAQ!!!! Again and again. They are not trying to convince anyone who is paying attention that there is any kind of link between 9/11 and Iraq. They being subtle and are planting the seeds of misinformation. Over time, those not paying attention enough, flip past FOX and catch a flashing graphic and think that Saddam made 9/11 happen and we must punish Iraq. This comes from the top of the party. This was in part how Bush mislead the country about why we went to war in Iraq, and is how he continues to do it.

Jeannie-cakes should fatten up on a little truth. She was not around in Congress when this all went down, so her opinion only matters to me because I am unfortunate enough to live in her district. What she needs to do instead of repeating hated filled dogma is to listen to the other side, but a representaive, not a grandstander.

If anyone on her staff or one of her supporters is reading this, I challenge them to get her to respond to me, and tell me, her constituent, why on Earth she stooped so low to attack Democratic War Heroes with her hate filled speech on the floor of congress:

The fiery, emotional debate climaxed when Rep. Jean Schmidt, R-Ohio, the most junior member of the House, told of a phone call she received from a Marine colonel.

"He asked me to send Congress a message _ stay the course. He also asked me to send Congressman Murtha a message _ that cowards cut and run, Marines never do," Schmidt said.

Democrats booed and shouted her down _ causing the House to come to a standstill.

Hear some of it in this NPR Report. It was sickening what she did. I have to wonder, did she do it on her own, or did someone put her up to it? I am ashamed to live in her district (I can't say that enough). I can respect most republicans as people. I bash Steve Chabot, for example, and think his views and his tactics are loathsome, but I can rationally understand where he is coming from, most of the time. I don’t like it, but I can on a human level respect the guy, as a human with human failings.

Schmidt sunk in her first outing on a national stage and became the hack’s hack of political hatchets. If you know anything about the congressman she ignorantly attacked, it would be clear that this sack of bones knows little of what she speaks. I would love it if Paul Hackett got Congressman Murtha to come to town and then both men could speak in her district about how both men faced life in war, and how anyone calling them cowards are not only ignorant fools, but are pure scum. Jeannie-cakes is the scum that lives in bowels of run of the mill scum.

UPDATE: Kos Reports Schmidt is forced to retract some of her comments.

Kettle Me This

Nate opines today on his blog:

"For the last 12 years or so, Burke has shown that he doesn't have the ability to discipline "bad" Democrats..."

Ok, campers, does that include Burke not kicking Nate out of the party for all the of the damage he  tries to do to it?  He doesn't really do any damage to it, since, well, he does really have that much influence over anyone.  I am just wondering that since Nate is hitting Burke for not being a good leader, that he take that inward and admit that Nate offers nothing to the party and only seeks to prop up his own designs on power. Burke really can't kick Nate out of the party, but he could "discipline" Nate every time he says(writes) something "bad." But, I am just thinking out loud here....