1929 Redux --- Free Market Capitalism's Last Gasp

Since I have been without power since the freak wind storm on Sunday, it has felt a lot like what 1929 must have felt like on a lot of fronts. Let's see, where once there stood five major historic finance houses, now there are two. The government has nationalized the giant home mortgage loan companies and now has a majority equity stake in the largest insurance company in the world. Individual shareholders and employees at these companies who have seen their savings and their retirements and their lives wiped out in an instant have been told by the "inventor" of that great Canadian device, the blackberry, that "the fundamentals of our economy are strong." (The inventor of the blackberry realized after conferring with his staff that no stupider statement could possibly have been made and tried again a few hours later.) The Dow Jones Industrial Average has fallen almost 1000 points taking with it thousands of dollars that you and I have put away for retirement --- although likely the market will rally today with news of this societal bailout. Credit card companies overnight began slashing all of our credit lines, after decades of encouraging our profligacy --- they don't seem to understand that it is my right as an American to have stuff I can't afford, because it is not fair for people with money to live better than me.

No, the fundamentals of this economy are not strong. It is hard to know even where to begin the discussion of the events that have occurred over the last week that have led to the remarkable interference in the markets announced by Treasury Secretary Paulson and the SEC this morning.

First, the SEC and its UK equivalent announce that they will prohibit, at least temporarily, the short selling of financial company stocks, which means that no longer will these free marketers allow you to bet that the price of the stock will fall. Now you can only bet that it will go up --- hardly an unfettered market.

Treasury also will create a $50 billion fund to protect investments in some segments of the mutual fund market --- the market where most of us have our retirement money after the government's idiotic decision to drive retirement dollars to the speculative markets as a way of giving us all freedom --- freedom to be poor in old age (How much is in your 401K and how many years salary does it represent? Enough if you live to 80? Or are you counting on that "conservative" 8% annual growth?)

Next, the Congress and Treasury will work together to essentially create a "bank" to buy up and hold over a trillion dollars in bad toxic mortgage debts that financial institutions have created by putting individuals in houses and loan instruments that they could not possibly afford and then selling those loans off --- all the while knowing they were crap and that the whole system was built upon the false assumption that housing values would never fall.

So to all you free marketers out there benefiting from your government subsidized education with your money held in government protected accounts and living in your house mortgaged by a government protected entity, here's a toast to the week that the myth of free market capitalism crashed and burned. Unfortunately no one will be held responsible and we will be paying for this devastation for years.

So maybe this election will be about more than lipstick and pigs and whether McCain knows where Spain is and whether he invented the blackberry and whether Obama is a celebrity who chose hoops over troops, and whether Palin is a celebrity who had her brother in law fired because he was a cad or whether she can actually see Russia from Alaska and thus is a foreign policy expert on the Bush Doctrine --- maybe this election is about us and our children and our country and our future and what kind of country we will be and whether we will continue to be a country that tortures and one that honors its values.

Hope springs eternal, but today feels like 1929.

Map Out Oktoberfest

If you don't know where to go during Oktoberfest Zinzinnati, you'd best check out the map. Please be warned that during the peak hours, 4PM to 11PM Saturday and 3PM to 7PM Sunday (After the Bengals Game) you are going to have to fight the dreaded slow walking crowds. With that in mind, use the map to enter the 5th Street area near where you want to be. Get a beer and a brat, then just start the stroll.

Update to Ike Damage

A reader has an update on the damage from the falling street light Donald wrote about Monday. Here's the photo update:

BuyCincy Drinks Deep into Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

The Gents at BuyCincy have a nice article on Oktoberfest Zinzinnati.

Media Coverage of the Storm

While I didn't lose power, I still had no Cable or Internet at my house, therefore radio has been (and continues to be) my lifeline to the world. John Kiesewetter's piece on local news coverage during the wind storm illistrates how little news coverage we have. The public is oblivious to most of the world, but when they have a tree fall in their yard, they finally can take notice that no one is paying attention anymore. Hell, our entire storm here affected everyone in the tristate area and it barely got noticed in the national press. So, who is left to report on things locally? If you are saying not many, then you are correct. This is of course not unique to Cincinnati, but the storm here and our abundance of apathetic hyper consumerists show the cost of losing so many local news reporters. We have been abandoned by the corporate media. They don't see the profit in providing for the public good, instead they prefer to keep the Reds games on.

We have brought most of this upon ourselves. We want everything to be cheap, Wal-Mart cheap. With that kind of cheap, comes low quality and syndication. That is what most of the Cincinnati media landscape has become. We are left to rely on technology, which when the power goes out, doesn't amount to much. It would behoove us to start consuming media with a local focus. If you want more news coverage on WVXU, then give them money and they will provide it!

HYPE Haus Party - Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

Something a little different this year at Oktoberfest is the HYPE Haus Party. I am a little torn on this. I see Oktoberfest as more of a fest where you get out and mingle with the masses of people. If you are going to get drunk and dance a few polkas with an unsuspecting Suburban former fratboy, then you really should be out in the middle of 5th Street. If you are scared of crowds, then you might be more comfortable in this special area on Fountain Square. Tickets are limited.

2012 Olympic Chicken Dance Preliminaries

The London Olympics are four years away, but you can begin your Chicken Dance Training at Oktoberfest Zinzinnati Noon on Fountain Square along with thousands of your fellow Olympic hopefuls. To help with the training will be local Beijing Olympic vets Mary Wineberg and David Payne who shall lead the mid-day workout.

Please remember that the wearing of spandex during competition is strictly prohibited by the International Chicken Dance Olympic Committee. It is a safety concern, so please help prevent injury and wear something a little more festive.

Food For Thought

For most of us (well, most of you, as I'm enjoying my power-outage-free downtown apartment), losing a lot of perishable food because of the blackout is a minor inconvenience. A few minutes spent throwing out the contents of the fridge and freezer, some grumbling, and an extra trip to the grocery store.

But for many, it means the loss of food that was barely affordable in the first place. The storm probably came at the worst possible time--on a Sunday, after people had stocked up on groceries following the traditional Saturday of shopping.

I've not seen a public plea for help, but it seems to me that organizations like the Freestore Foodbank and other, smaller pantries in the Cincinnati area may well see an increased demand this week and through the end of the month.

So if you're so inclined, this would be an excellent time to donate food or cash to the food pantry of your choice.

UPDATE: This morning, we got a comment from someone who's obviously more in the know than I am, and I wanted to bump her comment to the body of the post:

I work with the FreestoreFoodbank and have to second what you said in this post. We opened yesterday on Liberty Street (despite a lack of power there...) and saw more than 550 households come through. That's more than twice the number of households served on an average day. We're estimating we served between 1,200 and 1,400 people through yesterday's distribution. So as you suggested, we're hurting - especially given the fact that our perishable foods were without power and therefore can't be distributed. Cash and non-perishable food donations are welcomed.And, if there are people who need emergency food assistance, they are urged to visit the FreestoreFoodbank from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. all week.

McCain Health Plan Again

Just an added note: the online chatter about health care has been fueled by Health Affairs (a nonpartisan journal) analysis of the candidates' plans. While the full text of the article is here, this is the conclusion the authors reach about the McCain plan (emphases mine):

Achieving Senator McCain's vision would radically transform the U.S. health insurance system. His plan would alter the nature, source, and financing of coverage for the nearly 160 million Americans who now receive health insurance through their employers. We estimate that twenty million Americans--about one in every eight people with job-based coverage--would lose their current coverage as a result of the change in the tax treatment of coverage. Initially, this loss of job-based coverage would be offset by an increase in coverage in the nongroup market (although not necessarily for the same individuals). Within five years, however, the net effect of the plan is expected to be a net reduction in coverage relative to what would have been observed if the tax treatment of employer-sponsored coverage remains as it is now. The decline of job-based coverage would force millions of Americans into the weakest segment of the private insurance system--the nongroup market--where cost sharing is high and covered services are limited. Senator McCain's proposal to deregulate this market would mean that people in it would lose protections they now have. These changes would diminish the security of coverage for most Americans, especially those who are not--or someday will not be--in perfect health.

The McCain Health Plan: Hold Onto Your Wallet!

Every cloud has a silver lining. Perhaps the silver lining of this week's economic crisis is that the candidates are once again talking about issues, rather than each other. So let's talk about an issue that McCain hasn't spent much time on: health care. And I don't understand why he isn't talking about it, as his plan will radically alter the healthcare landscape in this country.

John McCain's plan to provide health care to Americans is essentially reform of the tax code. If you receive health insurance through your employer, you don't pay taxes on the portion of your premiums that your employer pays. McCain would change that: this "income" would now be taxable.

Instead, McCain would offer a $2,500 tax rebate to all Americans for the purposes of paying for health insurance. But Americans won't get that money themselves--the health insurance company you select would automatically get that money to cover your premiums. And to incentivize cheaper insurance plans, if $2,500 exceeds the amount of your annual premium, you'll get the excess back. Of course, you can't spend it: it will be put in a Health Savings Account that you could use to pay deductibles or co-pays. (This is all detailed on the McCain website, here.)

McCain's theory is that if people are forced out of employer-provided insurance and into the insurance market, competition will magically drive prices down and make health care affordable for all. The New York Times' Bob Herbert has this to say:

This entire McCain health insurance transformation is right out of the right-wing Republicans’ ideological playbook: fewer regulations; let the market decide; and send unsophisticated consumers into the crucible alone.
You would think that with some of the most venerable houses on Wall Street crumbling like sand castles right before our eyes, we’d be a little wary about spreading this toxic formula even further into the health care system.

To me, the McCain plan is a bad idea on its face. But regardless of its merits, shouldn't Americans know that if they elect John McCain president, every person who has employer-provided health insurance will have higher taxes taken from their paycheck each week?

Don't Come To Work Smelly Tomorrow

Two fitness chains, Fitworks, and Urban Active, are offering free showers to the public, according to the Enquirer.

So if you're without power, stop at the gym before you go to work tomorrow.

Ike Damage

Question: What's missing from the following picture?

Answer: Check out the second pole in the picture. It's a street light, just like the others. Except it's missing its light; yesterday's winds blew it off. It was tossed, unfortunately, onto a parked car below. (The car was whisked away by the time I thought to take a picture.) No injuries, but the car was totalled.

(This is Fourth Street, standing at the intersection of Plum and facing west.)

Feel free to post descriptions of damage you saw.

Snarky aside: I still don't understand why WCPO needs two tickers to list school closings. I am amused, though, that on the larger (uppermost) of the two, they didn't find a way to get rid of the snow flurry graphics.

Oh Yes, It's a Chicken Dance Off

It's Oktoberfest Zinzinnati week so let's start things off with a Chicken Dance With The Stars.

Ike Remnant Recon

If you're at home this evening reading this, then just stay there.  Don't go out before sunrise unless you have to.

I hadn't realized the power problem is as widespread as it is.  Downtown, power is mostly on.  There's a couple intersections with traffic lights out, but power never even flickered where I live.  Yes, I'd heard the big number of customers without power:  I'd simply, mistakenly assumed that most people without power were out in Clermont, Warren, and Butler Counties and across the river.

So I went out to find some fast food dinner.  Big mistake.

Power outages are, in fact, widespread in Bellevue and Newport.  (That meant that at the restaurants where power was on--McDonald's, Arby's, and Frisch's in Bellevue--lines were interminably long.)

Power in Clifton, at least as of 8:00 pm, is apparently non-existent.  And when I say Clifton, I mean Clifton, Clifton Heights, and University Heights (and even into Camp Washington).  Widespread outages.  There's probably some damage.  Police had blocked Ravine Road from Central Parkway, and also McMillan at Clifton.  I'm not sure what happened in either place.  

Things on the West Side didn't seem much better.  There were spotty outages in Queensgate.  Further north, power seemed to be mostly out at Harrison near Queen City.

Driving is tough right now.  People seem to be mostly remembering their long-forgotten traffic school lesson:  when approaching a traffic light that is out, treat it as a four-way stop.  The problem, though, is that if you or another driver is unfamiliar with a particular intersection, you might not, after sundown, realize that you're driving through a dead traffic signal.

To sum up:  stay home.  If you can't, be very, very careful.

And I've emailed family members who live in the Florida area, petitioning them to ensure that in the future, their hurricanes stay where they belong, in the Deep South and the Gulf Coast.  We don't send them our snow and ice storms, so they should extend that same courtesy and keep their damned weather to themselves. 

Good News, Bad News

The bad news: it's going to be a long, long season at Paul Brown Stadium. The next interesting thing to happen there likely will be the 2009 Macy's Music Festival.

The good news: following the next two home games (9/29 against the Browns and 10/19 against the Steelers), you'll probably be able to purchase tickets quite cheaply.

UPDATE: I just thought of more good news. Since lots of season ticket holders will likely be willing to part with their tickets this early in the season, we should see lots of hotel business from our friends in Cleveland and Pittsburgh.

That raises an interesting open thread: whose fans are more offensive when they come to town, Browns or Steelers?

More Downtown Strolling

This Summer I have rolled into morning walking rituals. Saturday I am off to Grater's for a doughnut then Tazza Mia for Coffee. Sunday morning I go right to Tazza Mia for a tasty breakfast Sandwich and coffee and off to the Yeatman's cove to sit for a while by the river. I've got to get back into the habit of going to Findlay Market on Saturdays this Fall.

Speaking of Tazza Mia, on September 17th they are having their official "Ribbon cutting Ceremony" at 8:30 AM. The first 50 customers in the door after the ribbon is cut will get a free pound of coffee. Also, you can get a free cup of regular coffee from 8:30 to 10:30.

The Problemed Park

I got into a lively discussion about this last night, so Just Past Central has a better round up on the recent news on Washington Park's problem. I really have nothing good to say about the efforts of local social services who don't provide the base service to society to do everything to keep crime from happening on their doorsteps and in the surrounding areas where the criminals go who are not let in their doors.

When you attract crime, you can't stand in the way of others who are trying to fight it.

Yes, The Enquirer's Website Sucks

Everyone has known about it since it was relaunched with Gannett's Structure. Now Enquirer Management knows about it.

Edwards Will Not Be Charged

The Enquirer reports that Hamilton County Prosecuting Attorney Joe Deters announced tonight that he will not seek an indictment against Jodie Edwards, whose infant daughter died when left in an SUV for several hours.  The flood of comments attached to the Enquirer's story serves both as a compelling argument for why newspapers should be newspapers rather than blogs (and not permit comments on news stories) and a reflection of lots of confusion over why this case turned out as it did.

First, let me express some sympathy for Joe Deters (who, I'm quite sure, doesn't need me to defend him).  Nine times out of ten, I'd tell you that a defense attorney's job is much harder than a prosecutor's.  After all, a prosecutor has, theoretically, the resources of the entire State of Ohio at his disposal.  When cases go to trial, his principal witnesses are often uniformed police officers, which translates to instant credibility with a jury.  I spend most of my voir dire just persuading potential jurors that the mere fact that my client's been charged with a crime and sitting behind a placard that says "Defendant" doesn't mean he did anything wrong.

But the Edwards case represents the rare instance when you couldn't pay me enough to be a prosecutor.  My decision on whether to represent a client in a criminal case is easy:  either a judge appoints me or a client shows up in my office wishing to retain me.  But deciding whether to charge a person with a crime, particularly in this instance, is much more complex.  How does one weigh the shock and outrage over what happened to a defenseless child with compassion for a grieving mother, all while trying to fairly apply the applicable law to the provable facts?  I doubt Deters made this decision alone.  He no doubt consulted with the attorney responsible for presenting cases to the grand jury (to assess whether an indictment would be issued if the case were presented), some of his senior trial attorneys (to determine whether a jury would convict), and attorneys in the appellate division (to be sure a conviction would be defensible on appeal).  I know a lot of people don't like Joe Deters, but this had to be an agonizing decision.  And it's a decision with no political benefit on either side.  Either choice he made would have pissed off some very vocal, emotional people.

Second, some have accused Joe Deters of inconsistency when it comes to child endangering charges.  I don't think that's fair.  There may be some systemic unfairness, but the blame for that does not lay at Deters's feet.  Much of the inconsistency is because of the way various types of crimes are handled in Hamilton County.  Here's why.

A misdemeanor offense is initiated by the filing of a complaint.  All that's needed is for an officer to sign a complaint, warrant, and affidavit.  After an initial appearance where bond is set, the case will then be set for trial.  Prosecutors don't get involved (at least in 99.9% of cases) in charging decisions regarding misdemeanors.  Felonies, though, are different.  For those cases to proceed before a judge, a grand jury has to return an indictment.  Often, police officers will file charges and wait to see what happens in the grand jury.  But any time a death occurs, the police will consult with the Prosecutor's office prior to filing anything, and those cases will often involve "direct indictments," meaning that a complaint is never filed.  So while Deters had to make a decision in the Edwards case, he would not do so in a child endangering case that did not result in physical harm (such as a "dirty house" case or a case in which a child was left in a car for a few minutes).  Edwards would have been charged with a felony; the latter examples are misdemeanor offenses.

I've also been hearing a lot of talk about mothers charged with endangering for falling asleep or briefly leaving their kids alone.  I won't pass on the merits of those cases (suffice it to say that I believe we are over-using the endangering statute).  If the offense occurred inside the City of Cincinnati, then Deters's office never touches the case:  misdemeanors within city limits are prosecuted by the Cincinnati Prosecuting Attorney (really, the City Solicitor).  The HamCo Prosecutor has no authority or control over those cases.  

Maybe we should have some serious discussion about the way the system works.  Should we really permit charges to be initiated just on the signature of a police officer (or much worse, by "referral"--an officer giving a form to a citizen to permit the filing of a criminal charge, which means the officer won't be involved in the case at all, generally)? Edwards may have benefitted because she could afford to retain counsel early in the process.  An indigent defendant wouldn't be entitled to counsel until charges were filed.  Maybe we need to make counsel available at pre-filing stages.  But people who are complaining about unfairness and injustice are noticing symptoms of systemic problems, and shouldn't single out Deters as a scapegoat in this instance.

McCain's Strategery

A few days ago, the McCain campaign acknowledged that as far is it was concerned, the 2008 presidential election wasn't about issues; it's about personality.  Yesterday and today, we've seen how this philosophy will guide their campaign:  any time Obama or Biden attempt to engage on the issues, the Rove-advised McCain campaign will assert that they've attacked McCain or (more likely) Palin personally.

Yesterday, Obama repeated an old phrase he's often used in declaring the McCain, who's been in Washington for decades, can't seriously be considered a change candidate, saying "You can put lipstick on a pig, but it's still a pig."  McCain's campaign accused Obama of calling Palin a pig.  What?

At nearly the same time, Biden pointed out a potential inconsistency in Palin policy positions.  While she's promised to be an advocate for children with special needs, she opposes stem cell research.  Biden argued that one cannot be seriously committed to both positions.  While Biden's position is certainly subject to attack on its merits, the McCain campaign didn't do that; instead, it accused Biden of personally attacking Palin's family.

Obama has responded to the "phony controversy."  In part, he says:

I don't care what they say about me. But I love this country too much to let them take over another election with lies and phony outrage and swift boat politics. Enough is enough.

His full response, below, is well worth a couple minutes of your time.

concert:nova Season 2

The fresh chamber music ensemble concert:nova has announced their 2008-2009 season:

October: Where the Wild Things Are

December: Waiting for the End of Time: Messiaen's Quartet for the End of Time and abstracts from Beckett's Waiting for Godot

February: Concert in the Dark

March: Demystifying Arnold Schoenberg

May: concert:nova and Beyond Ballet

June: The Mirror Project

Details are forthcoming, so keep checking out www.concertnova.com for updates.

I'm No Journalism Expert, But . . .

The online Enquirer notes the arrest of 30 individuals accused of drug trafficking. This is the lede:

The Cincinnati Police Department is working hard to get trash off the street corners, especially when it’s the kind that sells drugs.

Really? This is considered acceptable news reporting--referring to people as "trash"? I'd understand this in an editorial or column, but a "news" article? And about people who aren't even indicted yet?

Judging from the grammatical errors in the body of the article, it appears the Enquirer had the second string editorial staff review this one. One more reason to miss the Post.

Mmm, Crepes

A few days ago, Julie blogged about the new place on Court Street, It's Just Crepes. Julie hasn't been able to make it since it's only open during the week (though that changes as of September 20th), but not having that problem, I had lunch there with a colleague today. It's in the space formerly occupied by Javier's, between Avril-Bleh and Servatii.

Yummy. (No pictures: real reviews are Julie's job; I just give my gut impression of places I like.) The waitstaff was extremely friendly and had our meals to us pretty quickly, even at the lunch rush. And their prices were very reasonable (you can check out the menu online at their website). I enjoyed watching them make the crepes, on large, circular, wall-less griddles designed just for that purpose.

I had the Hawaiian--ham, pineapple, cheese, soy sauce, and brown sugar--and my friend had the Santa Fe--chicken, swiss, mushroom, and salsa. The crepes were tasty, and the combinations that make up the fillings were good. There'll definitely be return trips for more lunch. I'm afraid to start eating the sweet crepes, though, for fear I'll never stop. So for now, I'll stick to the "savory" crepes.

Finally, let me give a "shout-out" to the Image Art Company, who apparently designed It's Just Crepes's in-store graphics and website. After visiting the restaurant, I was convinced that it must must be a locally-owned franchise of a national chain, based on how professional the menu board, window sign, and logo looked. So I Googled them. Turns out I was wrong: they were produced by Image Art Company, a local branding firm. I may have to give them a call to talk about a remake of my own firm's website and letterhead . . .

Oktoberfest Zinzinnati

Get out your lederhousen and clean out the mold from your bier stein. Oktoberfest Zinzinnati is less than 2 weeks away. September 20-21 on 5th Street in Downtown Cincinnati.

On The Flannery Five

Warning:  Long post ahead.  Sorry.  This one's been building for a bit.  And I'm bending my rule on not blogging regarding courthouse news.

I'm about to rant about Streetvibes editor Greg Flannery and the four others convicted of trespassing in Steve Chabot's office a couple years ago.  (Here's the Enquirer coverage.  I refer to them as "five" because two were juveniles, and I'm not sure how their cases were resolved.)  But I've been taught that if you're going to criticize someone, you should begin with some praise.  So let's do that first (I've been meaning to make the point anyhow.)

The praise:  For a long time, I've bought Streetvibes each month.  I've always thought that the one-dollar contribution was a terrific way to help the homeless.  But the last few months, I've been buying the newspaper for another reason:  to read it.  The writing and reporting has been excellent--often, better than its weekly alternative counterpart, Citybeat.  So if you've not bought Streetvibes in a while, pull out a buck the next time you see a vendor.  And then read.

Now, for the meat of the post.

Back in 2006, Greg Flannery and four others were arrested for trespassing in the office of Congressman Steve Chabot.  Essentially, they staged a sit-in to protest the war in Iraq.  At the time, Flannery acknowledged the group was "repeatedly invited to leave" and stayed two hours past closing.  As is their right, four of the five, including Flannery, demanded a jury trial.  They were convicted.  They appealed.  They lost.  They filed a petition for review in the Ohio Supreme Court.  It was denied.  And they were sentenced to perform 20 hours of community service.  One of the group's members, Barbara Wolf, apparently told the court she wouldn't complete her sentence, and was sentenced to 10 days in jail instead.

I oppose the Iraq war.  In my younger, badder days, I could see myself being part of their civil disobedience.  In fact, one of my fondest memories of my teenage years is marching on Washington, DC, with my dad in 1991 to protest the Gulf War.  I also proudly addressed, on behalf of a Pittsburgh coalition of high school students, a peace protest.  So I applaud the sit-in and the Flannery Five's intentions.

So what's my problem?

The current issue of Streetvibes has two pieces that stand in ironic juxtaposition.  The first, a front-page story written by Flannery called "All The Justice You Can Afford," recounts the findings of the NLADA study of the Hamilton County Public Defender.  The second, on page two, is Flannery's page-long story of his arrest.

One of the criticisms of the Public Defender that Flannery echoes is an allegation that incarcerated, indigent defendants spend more time than necessary in jail because public defenders don't have the time to go visit them in jail before their court dates.  We'll leave aside, for a moment, whether that's actually true.

Flannery's piece on his trespassing conviction brags that his trial lasted six days.  Six days.  For a fourth degree misdemeanor.  In municipal court.

I wonder if anyone was forced to spend extra time in jail because of the trial.

I didn't attend the trial.  But from Flannery's account, it doesn't appear that the group's lawyers argued that they were factually innocent of a trespass.  Instead, it seems like they were hopeful that at least one of the eight jurors would decide to nullify the law.  He writes that "we tried to convince the jury to convict the war instead of us."  He brags of the "inconvenience" caused by the "long legal struggle."  (I suspect that the defense attorneys never openly argued for nullification; they wouldn't be permitted to.  My best guess is that they couched their efforts in terms of a "necessity" defense, arguing that the sit-in was necessary to prevent the imminent deaths of people in Iraq.)

But who was inconvenienced?  The judge and his or her staff?  Nope, they're there every day, whether there's a jury trial or not.  The prosecutor?  Nope, same thing.  But how about the other litigants who had appearances scheduled during the six-day trial?  Yep, probably.  You see, once a jury trial begins, it takes precedence over everything else until it's finished.  Judges will get through the rest of their docket as quickly as possible, usually handling only guilty and no-contest pleas; everything else will typically be continued, possibly weeks into the future.

Most people know that defendants have a right to a speedy trial.  For a misdemeanor, someone who's held in jail has to be brought to trial within thirty days of his or her arrest.  But there are things that can stop, or "toll," the speedy trial clock.  One of these is the unavailability of the court.  So guess what?  If you were poor, locked up, your case was assigned to the same judge as was Flannery's, and you had a trial scheduled during the Flannery trial, your case was continued.  Your speedy trial time tolled until the next court appearance.  And you stayed in jail.

Flannery and his co-defendants are fortunate.  They could afford to take six days off of work for a trial.  But what about defendants (and witnesses and victims) who were scheduled the second, third, fourth, fifth, or sixth day of the Flannery trial and who had to come back another time who work low-paying, hourly jobs?

I guess the issue really is one of how much justice a person can afford.

The Hamilton County Municipal Court is charged with determining whether people are proven guilty of misdemeanor offenses, and then settling on a sentence for those who are.  Whether it's good at that job is a determination for others to make (most days, I'm too busy hacking at trees to see the forest).  It is not, however, well-suited to determining whether a particular military intervention is justified.

The judges and prosecutors (and we defense attorneys) are at our best when we have the time to discuss, whether on the record, in chambers, or at side-bar, the appropriate resolutions to cases.  When a judge is trying to get a jury back in the box for a trial in progress, that time doesn't always exist.  Reading Flannery's article, I was thinking about some of the people I've represented in municipal court the last few months:

• A woman in an abusive relationship, whose romantic partner figured out things might go better for him when she calls the police if he says that she assaulted him, too.  (We got the right result:  he was convicted, the case against her was dismissed.)
• A man with no criminal record but a history of mental illness who, unable to afford his psych meds, committed a non-violent though serious offense due to his mental illness.
• A young woman, initially convicted of a drug-related offense, who relapsed while on probation.
  

In each of these cases, the judges made (I think) the right call and declined to send my client to jail.  But I wonder:  if any of the cases had been called on a day when a judge was trying to get to a jury trial and was speeding through the docket, would s/he have been able to give the case enough thought to reach the same result?  I'd like to think so, but I just don't know.  It's a lot easier--and quicker--to impose a jail sentence than it is to fashion an appropriate remedy involving treatment and social services.

Greg Flannery and his co-defendants, aided and abetted by some of the best legal minds in Ohio, staged a six-day sit-in in municipal court.  Should we have launched a war in Iraq?  Probably  not.  Is a municipal courtroom the appropriate forum to litigate that issue?  Certainly not.  And doing so likely hurt only the people Flannery is usually busy standing up for.

Greg Flannery got all the justice he could afford.  How much did it cost those in the community who can't afford as much justice?

Open Thread: Where To Find "The One" In Cincinnati

Kate of Kate's Random Musings has recently been discussing her pursuit of a potential significant other.  It's reminded me of a thread I've been meaning to offer up for a little while.

Where should one go in Cincinnati to meet people of the opposite sex?  (For that matter, where does one go to meet people of the same sex, if that is what one is looking for?)  Obviously, we all know the legend of the Hyde Park Kroger, and how the store pumps lots of pheremones through the air conditioning system, ensuring matches made while perusing the sushi.

I remember that a few years ago, lots of people were consternating over an alleged perception that Cincinnati is a tough place to be single.  I never bought into that.  But I'm curious:  where should single people, post-college and -grad school (but not yet old enough to be a forty-something divorcee) go?

Please post your thoughts in the comments.  If you found your significant other in Cincinnati, let us know where (we promise, we won't try to steal him/her, we just want to know where to find others like him/her).

Driehaus Blogger Meetup

I was able to rush order my passport and I am not sitting in the Front Porch Coffee House on the West Side. Wifi is working and the chicken salad sandwich is pretty good. I made this trip for a meet and greet with 1st District candidate for Congress Steve Driehaus. I'll try and update through out the event, but I'll give full report after.


Update#1: Steve started out with great introduction about himself and his background as to how it got into politics. He pointed out clearly that he no matter what Mrs. Palin might say, he is proud of having been a community organizer.

Update #2: The most interesting accept of Steve was that he came to this event directly from his kid's soccer game.

Steve's focus while in the statehouse was on community project and housing. Steve was originally asked in 2006 to run for congress by Rahm Emmanuel, but turned it down. He thinks now he should have said yes.

The Democrats has purchased a million dollars on behalf of him which will begin to air starting later this month.

Update #3: Should you exepect more from your Congressmen? That was Steve question about Chabot. Other than his hair, we couldn't say much about him. I didn't bring up the abortion issue, which Chabot is know for, but

Dreihaus believes the government can't allow FannieMae and FreddieMac fail, there is no other option.

Update #4: The complete and utter failure of diplomacy is one of the greatest failure of Bush Administration in the Iraq situation.

Chabot Misleads Public, Again

It should be a surprise, but Steve Chabot's campaign is airing a commercial that even the Cincinnati Enquirer agrees misleads the public about Chabot's opponent, Steve Driehaus.

Open Thread: Bengals Predictions

The last time I solicited predictions, it was on the vice presidential candidates.  And I'll admit, I was wrong.  Very, very wrong.  (In fairness, no one picked Palin, though others, obviously smarter tham me, picked Biden.)

This time, I'd like your predictions on a far more pressing issue.  Now that you've seen the Bengals and we know what their roster is, how do you think they'll finish the season?

My own prediction:  the Bengals finish 6-10, and I'll be able to ride to PBS in a streetcar before I can see an NFL playoff game there.

Big College Football Weekend

Two local schools have really, really big football games later today.

In the first, the Miami (OH) Redhawks take on the Big Ten's Michigan Wolverines.  Coverage of this nationally televised game begins at noon on ESPN2.  While the Wolverines aren't ranked this year, any time Miami placed against a BCS-conference school, it's a big game.  And while my heart is with the Bearcats, in the spirit of both intra-state and intra-blog unity, I'll be cheering for the Redhawks in the early game.  Because after all, beating back the forces of Michigan is the most important issue of our time, and we must put aside politics (and my distaste for J. Crew) and put our pride as Ohioans first.

In the second game, the UC Bearcats take on the Oklahoma Sooners, currently ranked fourth in the nation.  This is ABC's featured game this week, and coverage begins at 3:30.  There's no way to overstate how significant a win would be for the 'Cats.  They would beat a top-ranked opponent on a national stage--and Oklahoma is likely the toughest team they'll face this season, so it would pave the way for really, really high expectations for the remainder of the season.  

So....let's put our differences aside, come together, and cheer jointly for the 'Hawks and the 'Cats.  (After all, the better the two teams' records are, the more interesting the Battle for the Victory Bell will be on September 20!)

WLW Local Coverage?

I was pleased to read in my neighbor's blog Just Past Central, about a feature on 700 WLW about Christian Moerlein. I am happy to have Moerlein in town and actually pleased that WLW actually covered something kinda local. I look forward to the day when Moerlein is actually brewed here.

Some Fact Checking

Via a Facebook Status (Yes and Thanks Mr. A) we can get a semi-unbiased view on statements made by the candidates.

The McCain Acceptance Speech

Senator McCain just started his speech.  Two thoughts occurred to me.

1.  He's the first person to mention George W. Bush all week from the RNC podium.

2.  The background behind the podium is terrible.  The first tight shot looked like McCain was standing in front of a "green screen" with no superimposed image.  The second was a blurry mess until the long shot revealed it to be a corn field.  This blue screen isn't much better.

Umm, there was just some really weird disturbance on the convention floor.  Not quite sure what that was about, but apparently some protestor slipped through the cracks.

More tomorrow.  Comment away, but as always, let's keep it a) clean, and b) civil.

Again Bronson Doesn't Get It

Well, once again an aging Baby Boomer fears that 18 year olds might do what he did 37 years ago. Well, if drinking at age 18 were to cause everyone to group to be as ignorant as Peter Bronson is, then I might be inclined to want to do away with drinking all together.

Drinking is not the issue. The deification of drinking so much so fast that you can't stand up is the problem. I drank at age 18, illegally (thank Zeus for the statute of limitations!!) and I am just fine. What I don't get is that on one hand Bronson is in favor of allowing 18 year olds to own guns. He trusts them with that responsibility. He's not against them driving, as far as I know. But, 18 year olds can't be trusted with booze. It just makes no sense. This was a veiled temperance movement that never got off the ground. If Peter fears abusive drinking, then two things are key, don't make drinking such a vice and educate kids to be responsible drinkers. If there were a passing-out-condoms type method (one as proven as condoms to help keep people safer but takes in the reality of life that) then that should be taught in High School. I guess if it ain't abstinence,however, Bronson is not going to educate you on it.

Blah Blah Sarah Palin Blah Blah Blah

I didn't watch the speech last night. I don't like getting pissed off by hollow and pointless pontification, so I avoided the entire GOP Convention. I'm feeling like I need to get my hits up today, so I thought I bury this post and see how many comments I can generate without really commenting on anything.

Javier's open for Happy Hour

Terry and I swam our way (it felt that humid, anyway) towards GABP for our second-last ball game last night, but we got a little sidetracked-- I saw that Javier's was open AND they had a happy hour!

We were the first guests the bartender, Jonathan, had had for Happy Hour. Ever. Since both Terry and I love margaritas, we ordered two of his best.

Damn.

They were good.

They were really balanced, and Jonathan doesn't believe in sour mix, so it was made with fresh orange and lime juice. This kicked the rear ends of Nada's 'ritas all over downtown. At $6 for their happy hour price and $8 for their regular price, it's a steal.

He has huge plans for the bar-- mojitos, margaritas and other beverages with fresh juices, both by the glass and by the pitcher. Me, I'm just excited about the lack of sour mix behind the bar. I hate that stuff. There's talk of half price appetizers as well-- not sure if that will include the really fascinating seafood selections-- but I'd definitely stop in. Right now, the only advertising they're doing for Happy Hour is a sign on a board outside the restaurant-- I'm serious. No PR, no advertising.

The menu looked pretty good too-- they're not quite open for full dinner yet. They have everything from ceviche to octopus tostadas, to barbacoa and chiles rellenos. The entree prices run from $18-25 (including a salad) and the appetizers from $3-11. Their soup is all in the $10-11 range-- which seems a bit high-- but the rest of the menu seems to be priced well. It's more than, say, La Mexicana and a lot less than Nada. I'll be really interested in trying it out. I've heard nothing but good things about Javier's food during the day-- I can't wait to try it for dinner.

Universal Grille Closed

As I walked past today, I noticed that the Universal Grille, formerly known as Hamburger Mary's, has closed its doors. There'd been a sign on the door (to which I was oblivious) announcing that this weekend would be its last. Its website also announces the closing.

I've not seen any plans for the space.

Borgman Takes Buyout

Is the Enquirer going to have anyone local doing anything anymore with word that Borgman has taken the buyout.

We can be assured that they will not replace him, and the opinion page will suffer with syndication.

Why a Cincinnati Dateline?

This Reuters article on the Sarah Palin controversy is dateline Cincinnati and I can't figure out why. Can anyone shed some light on this?

America Votes Meeting September 4th

Looking for a great volunteer effort to help get out the vote? Check out America Votes.

America Votes is the largest grassroots voter mobilization effort in the country today, and we will be introducing their volunteers to our political organizers in a discussion of how to make Ohio a greener state with better jobs and affordable health care.

The meeting is from 6-8 pm this Thursday (Sept. 4) at the America Votes office at 2300 Montana Ave (Suite 110). There will be a strategy session, followed by a short phone bank, then dinner and mingling.

RSVP by emailing Randy at mwilson@americavotes.org or calling 513.481.7108.

If you can't make it to the meeting but are interested in volunteering, they'll be phone banking every Monday and Thursday from 5-8 pm, and we'll be canvassing on Saturday, September 20, from 10 am-2 pm. The month of October will assuredly be ripe with volunteer opportunities.

America Votes is a permanent local coalition of some of the largest national progressive organizations; our partners include ACORN, Planned Parenthood, AFL-CIO, the Sierra Club, EMILY'S List, and many others.

Cost of PR

WCPO is reporting proportional representation could cost the County 3 million dollars. Where will the money come from?

Holiday Weekend, Cincinnati Style

My parents (who presently reside near Tampa, Florida) were in town visiting over the long weekend. So we decided to enjoy ourselves, Cincinnati-style. Highlights of the weekend:

Ice cream (well, a chocolate soda for Dad) at the Fountain Square Graeter's;
A Reds game (Saturday's game, which the Reds won in more dramatic fashion than they should have);
A meal at Mitchell's Fish Market in Newport (all right, maybe that's too chain-y to be a Cincinnati meal);
Watching the fireworks from a Queen City riverboat;
Sunday brunch at the Greyhound Tavern in Ft. Mitchell (Julie: if you haven't been, you ought to give it a try);
An afternoon at the Contemporary Arts Center; and
(Without me) a meal at First Watch and some book-shopping at Joseph-Beth.

What did y'all do with your weekend? Feel free to critique my failures as a host (but remember, the folks have been to Cincinnati plenty of times, so we've done lots of other stuff previously).

Open Thread: Take That, Beijing!!!

Last night, I watched the fireworks from a Queen City Riverboat, moored just east of the Purple People Bridge. Pretty darned spectacular.

So here's an open thread. What did you like best (or least)? If you stayed home, was WLWT's coverage any better than last year?

WLWT Reporter in New Orleans

WLWT's John Bateman is blogging from New Orleans during the storm. Check in for firsthand info on what is happening on the ground.

Earth Shattering News

Stop the Presses! Chad Johnson is now legally named Ocho Cinco. This news will certainly affect us all greatly, jersey sales aside.

More from Bengals.com.

Breen on the Bastards

No, CityBeat's Mike Breen has not joined the circus and is not going to be playing triangle in the traveling version of the Heartless Bastards, which I think might be best called the New Old Heartless Bastards, or NOHB, which is going to be my new weekend acronym that I will use incessantly, to the disdain of my readers.

Obama Speech

Thoughts?

DAAP Fashion

I never went to UC (in case you missed my Miami coverage) so I don't know much about UC's various programs. What I never fully understood was the level that DAAP includes fashion design. I am impressed.

A Repsonse on Streetcars

I was working on a response to this post over the weekend, but UrbanCincy.com took care of that.

Here is most of my rant anyway:

Here's a blog post from QueerCincinnati.com against the streetcars, which I am posting in part so people can't say I aways only give attention to things I agree with. The other reason is because it is a thoughtful post. I think the is assumption that Streetcars must be looked at from a Public Transportation for the poor point of view. The Streetcar plan is not designed to replace the bus. It is designed to help with economic development and create a better and more environmentally sound way of living. The problem with comparing it to bus service creates the false pretense that it is a means to serve those without a car. It instead should be viewed as a way help reduce the use of cars and maybe even reduce the need for a car. More importantly it should be viewed as a tool to further push the revitalization of the OTR and the Banks and the Uptown area into a more vibrant urban living corridor.

CEA Theatre Winners

In case you missed it the CEA's for Theatre were announced Sunday Night. A great showing for the New Stage Collective with 7 wins for 4 different shows.

MidPoint Blogging

Check out a newish local music blog by Nate Rosing covering the 2008 Midpoint Music Festival and the local music scene. The blog has a great listing of local band links.

"North of the Border" Info

In addition to the event Brian has posted below, the Obama campaign will be hosting a "watch party" for the senator's acceptance speech to the DNC convention on Fountain Square this Thursday, August 28, 2008, beginning at 9:00 pm.

The gathering on the Square for hiss address to the NAACP convention was a blast, and I expect a similarly festive atmosphere on Thursday.

NKY Obama Speech Watch Party

For those North of the Border, I'll keep you posted on events, as soon as someone tells me!!!

Monzel Vindicated? Maybe?

This didn't happen in the City of Cincinnati, but an ice cream truck driver allegedly tried to lure 2 girls to his home in exchange for ice cream. Chris Monzel, councilman, made a big stink a few years ago about requiring screening of Ice Cream truck driver/operators. Does this in any way vindicate his actions? I think a little bit? What will be interesting to see next year is how much Chris uses this. Will that issue be brought up again for the 2009 council elections? Will he use it to get some attention this year? If he doesn't us it, I'll be surprised, even though I've brought the issue up here.

I'm A "Wing-Tipped Phony," And Proud Of It!

Today, Peter Bronson takes on the contoversial issue of . . .

Crocs.

Somehow, he segues his ode to Crocs into a jibe at every Democrat he can think of while arguing that Senator McCain wears Crocs (I'll look for this at the RNC convention). We'll put that aside, for the time being. Instead, let's focus on Crocs as fashion.

I'm convinced that the rubber-like shoes with holes should not be worn by anyone over the age of 7. They might be OK for adults on the beach or a boat. But that should be about it. If you're over seven and don't go to the beach or boating at least monthly, Crocs should not be part of your wardrobe.

Bronson's insistence that Crocs are acceptable public attire reminds me of the popular Jenny Joseph poem that opens with "When I am an old woman I shall wear purple." I don't think that Bronson is old enough, though, to have earned this amount of eccentricity.

Restaurant Week

Yay! Another Restaurant Week. I'm glad they're doing this twice a year, now. The list will be announced next week, but I'm sure that it will be similar to last time.

It looks like they're redoing the website, too: The Greater Cincinnati Originals.

OTR in the NYT

A wow article in the New York Times about street cars and how it helps out communities. It includes comments from Jean-Robert de Cavel while being interviewed at Lavomatic. Great press for street cars, OTR, Cincinnati, and urban development.

Chabot Wasting Time

As usual, Steve Chabot cares more about controlling women than he does about helping his district combat crime and a whole list of problems. Why do I say that, because as the article points out clearly, the clinic moving WILL NOT PERFORM ABORTIONS. It will provide help and assistance to women. That help I believe would include providing education and assistance on birth control. What does birth control do, HELP PREVENT ABORTION. If the extremists like Chabot really cared about prevent abortions, they would be handing out condoms and paying for women's birth control pill prescriptions. Instead we get the most crass election politics from a hack like Chabot who has no campaign other than pushing the buttons of the idiot once issue voters to get them all frothed up to actually get off their ass and vote for him. They have another anti-abortion candidate to vote for this time, so Chabot had to take extreme action to get their attention.

Motorin' . . . To Phoenix

Adam Dunn has been traded to the Arizona Diamondbacks for a pile of navel lint and two dust bunnies to be named later.

Sounds like the Reds got fair trade value for Dunn, who is currently batting .233.

While the Enquirer report doesn't cover it, under the terms of the deal the D-backs are paying Dunn a $40.00 signing bonus--just enough to purchase a map and compass to help him find his way around left field. Those items weren't in the Reds' budget this year.

We now resume our regular programming.

MidPoint Venues Take Shape

A scan of the Midpoint website lists out the venues for the festival. I am very impressed with the structure and the varied locations. The multiple hubs of OTR, Downtown, and Newport will add a unique vibe that will differ from prior fests. I look forward to seeing how the schedules and the musical style mix at each venue/hub. Part of the fun of Midpoint is walking around from place to place catching a song from an artist you might never have thought you would want to hear. This venue plan still allows this key element and with the transportation I've heard about, I will tell you to get your 3 day pass now!

Alleged Police Misconduct Costing Cincinnati $500,000

According to the Enquirer, the City has agreed to settle a civil rights lawsuit against it brought by former Bengal Matthias Askew for $500,000. As you may remember, in 2006, Askew was tased by police following an encounter that began with a parking ticket. He was charged with resisting arrest (always charged after an officer uses force), obstructing official business, failing to comply with the order of a police officer, and disorderly conduct.

Initially represented by Ken Lawson (now serving an indefinite suspension from the practice of law), Askew was acquitted on all counts by Republican-endorsed Municipal Court Judge John Burlew (who narrowly lost his re-election bid to Dwane Mallory in 2007).

The Enquirer reports that the Citizen Complaint Authority found that the arresting officer used excessive force. (For CCA's summary, click here and scroll down to page seven. For what it's worth, it'd probably be difficult for the City to defend the suit, given the City's Manager's concurrence with CCA's finding of excessive force.) Apparently, the high-dollar settlement (excessive force claims are rarely worth this much in the absence of permanent injury) is because the City feared that a jury could have determined that Askew was released by the Bengals because of his arrest, and awarded him lost wages accordingly (which may have run well into the millions).

Congratulations to Lisa Meeks of Newman & Meeks for achieving this excellent result on behalf of her client. No word on whether Lawson had worked on the civil rights case prior to his suspension (which might entitle him to a share of the attorney's fees).

Foolish People

I never ceased to be amazed by people who take extreme actions without thinking about repercussions. The efforts of anti-government zealots who will do anything to create a community based only on self reliance does more to destroy a community than a natural disaster. Furthermore, what these fools don't understand is that their township or their county government will have to pay for what ever Amelia is trying to pay for with the tax increase. You can dodge responsibility only so long.

The Collaborative: Kalmanoff Gets the Last Word?

It's interesting what Google turns up. In searching for something that had nothing to do with the topic of this post, I found this document, published sometime in the last year (I can't figure out exactly when).

Some of you may remember that after the City, the FOP, the ACLU, and the BUF negotiated the Collaborative Agreement in 2002, Judge Dlott appointed a monitor to oversee police reforms. Her pick was Dr. Alan Kalmanoff of California, whose tenure lasted only a few weeks before he imploded in spectacular fashion.

The linked document is a report he's written on his brief experience as Collaborative monitor. It's essentially a 38-page recrimination: he blames everyone (but himself) for his lack of success: Judge Dlott, the City, former Ohio Supreme Court Justice Douglas, the Enquirer, and the Loch Ness Monster.

I didn't find the document terribly persuasive, but it was at least interesting to read his account of why he was run out of town on a rail. This article from the Seattle Times suggests, though, that Kalmanoff doesn't typically make friends or win admirers in his projects, and doesn't seem to have much of a record of success. But at least we now have his side of the story. His perceptions, though, seem flawed in light of the fairly glowing report Saul Green, who ultimately ended up as Collaborative monitor, issued last month.

On the Docket: New City Solicitor

City Manager Milton Dohoney announced the hiring of a new City Solicitor, a position vacant since Rita McNeil's resigned this past February to become Cincinnati USA Regional Chamber's vice president of government affairs.

John Curp, now a partner at Taft, Stettinius & Hollister, begins his duties as City Solicitor next month. Here's an excerpt from Taft's biography of Mr. Curp:

JOHN P. CURP is a partner in the Columbus office of Taft Stettinius & Hollister LLP. He graduated with University Honors and as a member of Beta Gamma Sigma from Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, where he received his undergraduate degree in business finance. Mr. Curp earned his law degree from the Indiana University School of Law. He has a multidisciplinary business practice with an emphasis on real property, commercial transactions, land use, enterprise zone, tax issues and creditors' rights. He is a member of the Ohio Bar Association, and as a member of the Columbus Bar Association, he serves as Chair of the Professionalism Committee and as a member of the Admissions Committee. Mr. Curp is also a Fellow of the Ohio State Bar Foundation and a member of the 2008 class of Leadership Columbus.

No doubt Griff will be pleased by the relocation of another Miami grad to Cincinnati. Seriously: congrats both to Mr. Curp and the City, and welcome to the River City!!!

Good Eats: Javier's Getting Even Awesomer

One of my favorite downtown lunch spots is Javier's. I don't go there nearly often enough, but I'm never disappointed when I do.

Javier (yes, there's an actual Javier) recently installed a bar in the restaurant. I stopped in for lunch yesterday (after a tough morning, I needed some comfort food, and there's nothing more comforting than Javier's chicken enchilada with mole sauce). I asked when the bar would open. The answer? In the next couple weeks.

When the bar opens, look for lots of new stuff at Cincinnati's best Mexican restaurant (located at Walnut and Eighth, for those who don't know). Expanded hours: the bar will be open until 2:00. Dinner service will last until 10:00. And with the extra hours will come an expanded menu. And finally, Javier's planning to have Latin music on Friday and Saturday nights.

So for those of you who "hate" the chains, make sure to pop into Javier's to support a truly locally-owned business. And even if you like chains, visit Javier's to find out how good Mexican food can taste even if it isn't prepared by someone named Don Pablo.

You can check out the Enquirer's 2004 review of Javier's here. Back then, the restaurant was in a small storefront on Court Street. Now, it's in a space previously occupied by Busken's, and is much larger and more airy.

NB: When I got the scoop on Javier's plans for the future, I was just having a casual conversation (he was actually washing the windows at the time). I never thought about blogging the info until much, much later, so any errors are mine or my fault: Javier had no idea he was speaking for public dissemination.

Even Less Local News

The fewer the employees the Enquirer has, the less local news they can cover. It is just that simple. Sure, they can claim they've reduced staffing in areas that were non-content and were either outsourced or eliminated via technology, but in the end, with less hands on deck, there is more swabbing for the rank in file reporter. The more swabbing, the less reporting. With the increase in apathy about local news from many quarters, it isn't a wonder.

Fire at Bootsy's

I am glad they have made an arrest for the fires set, but is there any word on the level of damage at the under construction restaurant on Walnut Street in Downtown? It was reported to be opening in November (other reports said September), any word on how much will this delay it?

More Portman Speculation

The Enquirer is fueling the effort to get Rob Portman chosen for McCain's VP. I'm not seeing it. Portman is too unknown. All he can do is help get Ohio. Even if McCain get's Ohio, that may not be enough. That assumes McCain even has a chance to get Ohio, which could turn into a long shot.

Portman was on CNN's Late Edition today, so it is likely Portman would like the job.

Congrats to Councilmember Leslie Ghiz

She gave birth to a son.

Steak with Black Beans, Hot Salsa, Sour Cream, and Cheese

Yes, most of Cincinnati is talking about the news that Ken Griffey, Jr. has been traded to the White Sox.

Whatever. I like watching him play, but it's not going to have an impact on my life. Or yours.

The bigger news of the day--the exciting news, the news that made me giggle with glee as soon as I read it--is about two of my favorite places: Fountain Square and Chipotle. And now they're going to be together. At last. I feel like the first person to taste peanut butter and chocolate together in the same bite. Can you imagine: sitting on the Square, eating a Chipotle burrito on a glorious spring day?

There are those who hate the encroachment by national chains into downtown. I wish I had comforting words of wisdom for them. I don't. I like Chipotle, and I'm not ashamed of it. I'm glad they're coming downtown. Now I can get a burrito, follow it up with a Graeter's ice cream cone, and wash it all down with a beer from Rock Bottom.

I might never leave downtown again . . .

Ah.....Sprockets?

SoapDish Lathers Up in the Fountain

Casey Coston sings praise for Fountain Square in a Soapbox Column.

A Week After

I posted a snarky dig at The Morning After blog from CityBeat. After a week of reading the rest of the blog, I need to give the blog props. It is a huge positive to see young people out having fun in Cincinnati. I hope they fight the urge to stay where they know, and instead branch out and see the rest of the city. People don't explore enough. Take the lead and just try something you know little about.

Open Thread: VP Predictions

With just a few weeks until the Democratic and Republican National Conventions, I wanted to provide everyone with an opportunity to predict the vice presidential candidates. If you're right, you'll then be able to have some concrete record of having been right, rather than just having to rely on your friends' memories. My own predictions:

For Obama: It's a little bit of a dark horse pick, but I really believe it's going to be Kathleen Sebelius, the governor of Kansas. That choice might be attractive to Obama for several reasons. First, her gender (female) may win over some of the PUMA's. Second, it puts someone on the ticket with executive experience who still doesn't overshadow Obama. Finally, her genealogical ties to Ohio (her father is fomer Governor John Gilligan) may win him some votes in the Buckeye State.

For McCain: I freely admit I haven't given much thought to this question. But as much as McCain likes to consider himself a maverick, I think he makes a traditional choice: a governor from a Southern state. My pick is Charlie Crist of Florida, with Bobby Jindal of Louisiana being a strong contender.

Oh, shoot, I forgot to use the one word that makes sure we gets lots of comments here. So let me rephrase the question: If you were able to get on a streetcar and meet the vice presidential picks of Obama and McCain, who do you think they'd be?

Fountain Square Magic

Last night, something pretty special happened on Fountain Square: two of the nicest people you'd ever want to meet became engaged to be married, all while being watched by people they knew, and some bemused onlookers who were no doubt surprised by the mini-drama.

Both the groom-to-be (the GTB) and the bride-to-be (the BTB) are friends of mine. I'm leaving their names off the post, so they can tell their friends and colleagues who weren't lucky enough to be on the Square Saturday night in their own time and in their own way. I've known the BTB for several years. She's one of the nicest (yep, said it again!), most intelligent, hardest-working people I've ever known. I've not known the GTB for nearly as long. But along with the BTB's other friends, I was happy for her when she got involved with the GTB--finally, a man who is worthy of her.

About a week ago, the GTB sent out an email to the couple's friends, informing us of his intention to propose. He invited us to sneak into Rock Bottom Brewery ahead of time (with warnings to be on-time, lest his subterfuge be foiled). He put together a video montage of their life as a couple, which concluded with his proposal, that was played on the Jumbotron. The camera operator then, in real time ("live") , zoomed in on the couple, as their body language made clear that the BTB had happily accepted. (We had snuck out of Rock Bottom to the far eastern edge of the Square, where we were able to watch without the BTB seeing us.) Both the GTB's and the BTB's families were present, as well. Most of the women present teared up.

It was a really nice moment on Fountain Square, and hopefully was a little bit of fun even for those who were just enjoying their weekend and had no idea what was about to unfold. And the men in the gathering were nice enough not to beat the snot out of the GTB, who has now raised the bar way too high for the rest of us single guys. (How do you top that? Get a marching band to spell out a proposal at half-time of the OSU-Michigan game?)

This certainly can't be the first wedding proposal in the history of Fountain Square, but does anyone know: is this the first time the Jumbotron has been used for that purpose?

And it's another sign of how much a part of Cincinnati's life, culture, and community the "new" Fountain square has become.

Do the Math

Another great addition for the Know Theatre arrives in their production of the National tour of Calculus: The Musical! The addition of Sadie Bowman as Education Coordinator for the Know is a good move. I don't know if that will bring her to Cincinnati full time or part time, but it will be great way to pump up the Know educational programs.

1st Annual Cincy Blogger Convention

A big thank you go out the folks at the Mercantile Library for hosting the Blogger Convention last night. It was a nice casual event were people got to put names/urls to faces.

I look forward to a repeat event next year. I think it would be great next year to have more of a discussion or activity that might spawn more focused learning about the best practices for blogging or for discussion as where blogging is going.

I was happy to meet several bloggers I've not met before and it was great catching up with friends.

For those where were there, would you say there are any overall traits you could perceive about those in attendance? Is there something that makes people become bloggers?

Will This Translate to Locals?

It was wonderful to read about the recption Cincinnati police received from the NAACP convention. Will this be repeated by local Cincinnati residents? Will it depend on where you live or what you look like?

We have not heard much about the state of CPD community relations for a long time. I don't know if that means the police are making progress in relating to the public or if there are other reasons. I am sure the police still have detractors, but they are getting as much attention. Articles like this will not fuel confrontations.

Cincinnati's Blogosphere

Soapbox digs into the rich blog landscape in Cincinnati. Yea, you can read about me and see my picture, so don't complain here if you don't like it! Ha!

It is a nice article that gives a good base background on blogging in Cincinnati. It is, however, only one pass at the huge list of local bloggers. Many more blogs, most of which you can see on my blog roll to the left, speak to a great many ideas and topics. Are there other local blogs out there people have read and think should have been mentioned on Soapbox or be included on my blogroll?

A Great Downtown Video

Soapbox Cincinnati has produced a great video of Summer in Downtown Cincinnati.

A Trolley?

So, who in the anti-public transportation camp is going to come out and oppose this idea being considered by the City of Wyoming in Western Hamilton County? This wouldn't be considered a Green part of town, with the GOP holding a firm grip on Wyoming City Council, just in case someone wants to be "blame" this intelligent idea on the Liberals.

Sunday Sundae Battle

Brian's post below reminds me that I've been meaning to ask our intrepid readers the following question for some time:

Which ice cream is better, Aglamesis or Graeter's, and why?

This is, of course, one of the most important and divisive questions facing the Queen City.

I'll post my own opinion in the comments.

Iris Book Cafe Opening on Main Street

Last Weekend those who hit Second Sunday on Main were treated to preview of the Iris Book Cafe slated to open by this month's Final Friday. This wonderfully redone space at 1331 Main Street has a front and back room and courtyard out back. Offerings will include Coffee Emporium Coffee, Aglamesis Ice Cream, a lunch menu, a small amount of vinyl for the hardcore music buffs, and ton of great books. Hours I was told will be 7 AM to 11 PM! With Kaldi's closing, the evening hours should do gang busters with the coffehouse crowd. This is a traditional coffeehouse, so without the bar the vibe will not have the edge of Kaldi's.

Who Knew???

Did anyone else in the world know that young adults graduate from college (UC) and then get work out of town? I just assumed that everyone who went to college here stays in town. I mean, isn't Oxford's population something like 200,000 people by now?

MidPoint Showcase Artists Announced

CityBeat's Spill It has a big updated on who is playing MidPoint this year.

The national acts confirmed so far are:

Robert Pollard and the Boston Spaceships
The Purrs
Why?
Backyard Tire Fire
The Swimmers
Headlights
Oh My God

The showcase list is also here.

Some local bands not on the list that are surprising: Wussy, Lion's Rampant, White Girls, Eat Sugar, Pomegranates, Straw Boss, and the Star Devils - what gives? Are these bands opting out of MidPoint?

McDowntown

Wow, I really would be so 'proud' of a downtown that you could put into the microwave and woosh! there it is, read to it. Who in this world values a home cooked meal anymore?

Broke As A Joke, But It Ain't Funny

The Hamilton County Commissioners have ordered all departments to cut their budgets by six percent for the last five months of the year. According to the Enquirer, Sheriff Simon Leis says he'll comply, but it's clear that he'll make sure we all notice:

Effective August 1, there will be less room in the Hamilton County jail, fewer deputies patrolling county communities and no one manning metal detectors at the courthouse or other county buildings.

Based on the comments linked to the article (I'm still not sure why it's a good idea for a newspaper--as opposed to a blog--to permit reader comments), a lot of people think Leis is whining, bluffing, or both.

I don't think he is.

We've already noticed one conspicuously absent guard in the Justice Center. For those of you who haven't been there, it's comprised of two buildings, connected to each other by a covered bridge at the second floor level. One of the buildings is connected to the courthouse by a covered bridge, as well. Typically, a deputy sits in a control room outside the secured areas of each of the buildings. Until this week. That's when Sheriff Leis eliminated the schedule for the deputy assigned to sit in the control room in the "South" building. So to visit inmates in the South building, attorneys (or probations officers, medical professionals, clergy, etc.) must now go to the North building, check in with the control room there, ride to the second floor, walk across the tunnel to the South building, and then take the South elevator to their final destination. This includes people trying to see inmates in the holding cells on the first floor of the South building, behind the courtrooms where defendants make their initial appearances.

I can't believe that Sheriff Leis is happy about this change. Visitors are all issued badges that show where they're headed. So if someone wanders away from the area to which their access is approved, it's always been easy for the corrections officers to tell at a glance. Now, though, the CO's will have to deal with people walking through the North building even though they have no business there--because it's the only way to get to the South building. The situation has to raise grave security concerns.

I've been interested by my own reaction to the announced elimination of metal detector coverage in the courthouse. I've always had a distaste for the increased security in government buildings over the past fifteen years, and have felt it unfair to have to subject one's self to a search as a condition of entry. But I'll admit: I'm unnerved by the thought of everyone entering the courthouse without passing through security. Lots of emotionally volatile things take place in our courtrooms every day. Once security is gone, lots of us will fear that an overwrought crime victim or family member will show up in a courtroom ready to exact his or her own form of justice.

The county is broke, folks. The question isn't whether it is, or whether to cut the budget. It's not even how we got here. (HamCo Republican Boss Triantafilou has decided to blame the Democrats. Apparently, he's forgotten that it's his Republican President's failed policies that have put our economy (and thus county revenues) into a death spiral, and Republican Bob Bedinghaus who was largely responsible for the terrible stadium deal.)

Now, we have to ask ourselves some real questions about revenue. How do we get more of it? How do we raise enough to provide at least a bare minimum of government services? I'm not sure anyone has the answer.

Flannery Attacked by Extremists

I don't think anyone would be surprised to find out that Mary Kuhl would try to stick it to CPS Board Member Michael Flannery over an email he sent regarding development in Westwood.

Does Westwood Concern (Mary Kuhl's micro-jingoistic organization bent on ridding Westwood of non-Aryans) oppose development everywhere, including in Westwood? Are jobs bad? Does opening a Bed & Breakfast attract the poor blacks too much for their taste?

Something Inside Of That Man Is Broken

With Sunday's column, Peter Bronson has finally jumped the shark. He's gone from merely being a conservative who often misses the point to revealing himself to be a man who displays a total lack of human empathy and whose venom towards people who he can't--or won't--understand is worthy of our condemnation.

Apparently, Bronson spent a few hours following Lou Strigari, the Hamilton County Public Defender, while Mr. Strigari handled felony arraignments for his office's incarcerated clients. Bronson's conclusion? Take a look:

Contrary to what you hear from people who talk a lot about injustice, these guys belong behind bars and they know it.

Keep in mind that Bronson is writing here about pretrial detainees--that is, individuals whose guilt has not yet been established. Moreover, I'm not sure which inmates Bronson talked to, but certainly not any of my clients. I've yet to sit down in the Justice Center or Queensgate (or any other jail, for that matter) and have a client say to me, "Mr. Caster, thanks for coming, but you know what? I belong in here." Instead, my clients--even the ones who acknowledge their guilt--are worried about how to take of their families, about how to change their lives so they're not back in the justice system again after they finish paying for the mistake they've just made, or about that their future will look like if they have to serve time in prison.

What makes Bronson's judgment particularly reprehensible is that he was around inmates and corrections officers long enough to find out that some of the people he met need help. Again, from Bronson's own poison pen:

The jails would be nearly empty without mental illness and drugs. The guards agree that two-thirds of the prisoners have mental health issues, and 75 percent arrive under the influence of something.

(Emphasis mine.) I'm not sure if those numbers are really accurate (they're obviously anecdotal and rough estimates). But for Bronson to write that "these guys belong behind bars" while at the same time acknowledging that the majority of them suffer from mental health issues seems beyond comprehension. Is that what "compassionate conservativism" is about? Incarcerating people who need treatment? I don't understand how to reconcile those two excerpts from Bronson's piece.

This is a difficult week for attorneys who provide indigent defense in Hamilton County. Everyone involved knew that the system wasn't perfect. But reading the National Legal Aid & Defenders Association's hundred-plus page assessment of the provision of legal services here and how much it differs from a lot of places around the country makes me want to go back to bed, pull up the covers, and not come out until the system is fixed. (I certainly don't agree with each of NLADA's findings and recommendations, but overall, they get more right than they get wrong. And remember: the report isn't done by a bunch of nosy outsiders who should have minded their own business; the Hamilton County Board of Commissioners requested and paid for this assessment.) But as tough as it is to read the NLADA's report, it's even harder to read Bronson's hatred of all things--and people--that aren't suburban and just like him.

Griff: sorry about this. I know it's your job to beat on Bronson, but I couldn't hold back on this one.

Obama a Hit on the Square

For the thousands that were on Fountain Square to see Barak Obama speak to the NAACP Convention it was an electric event. I have never been on the square with a bigger crowd, so if you have pictures from above, please post them on line and share the links.

The most entertaining part of the event was hear the WLWT announcers astonishment at how big of a crowd was on Fountain Square for the speech. They thought maybe a few hundred would show up. Instead it was a few thousand.

John McCain speaks tomorrow and I will be surprised if he gets this type of crowd, especially since he is speaking in the morning vs. the evening.

I was greatly impressed with the speech. It wasn't full of a lot of details, which needs to change when he gets to the Democratic Convention. The way the crowd was really interested in what he said was refreshing. People far too often seem uninterested.

As I walked to the Square last night, I was confident that Obama would carry Hamilton County. Afterwards, I am certain Obama will carry Hamilton County.

Chime in if you were there.

Summer Reading

I know that Jack is our resident book reviewer, but I thought I'd commend two books (that couldn't be more different) for your summer reading needs:

1. Kafka Comes To America: Fighting for Justice in the War On Terror. This book is written by Steven Wax, a Federal Public Defender charged with representing some of those who have been held by the United States at Guantanamo Bay. He also represented Brandon Mayfield, the Oregon lawyer who was falsely accused of participating in the Madrid train bombings in 2004. It's a terrific insider's account of the process of defending accused terrorists. One of the details in the books that particularly surprised me: lawyers were permitted to bring food to their clients in Gitmo.

2. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle. This is the debut novel of David Wroblewski that has taken up residence on the bestsellers' list for the last several weeks. The bulk of reviews will tell you that the novel evokes Hamlet and White Fang. But I also sense (though I'm far from a literary critic) the influences of Catcher in the Rye and John Steinbeck. It's a terrific story, wonderfully told, that you won't be able to put down until you're through. The last week, I literally haven't been able to wait to finish up at the office to get back home to the book. It's a must-read for anyone who loves either dogs or good stories or both.