Alan Keyes For Reparations

Somebody call the National Coalition of Blacks for Reparations in America! Alan Keyes supports a form of reparations for slavery. Well, sort of. Anyway, who knew? Our conservative Republican friend Michael King of Ramblings' Journal - who of course is against reparations - wonders if Mr. Keyes' support is sincere. Because his blog is so complete, I quote extensively from it below (and change the color on the quoted comments to an appropriate color configuration):

Yesterday, in response to a reporter's question in Chicago, Republican US Senate candidate Alan Keyes said that he supported a form of reparations (Chicago Tribune links require free registration or BugMeNot.com).

Prompted by a reporter's question, Keyes gave a brief tutorial on Roman history and said that in regard to reparations for slavery, the U.S. should do what the Romans did: "When a city had been devastated [in the Roman empire], for a certain length of time--a generation or two--they exempted the damaged city from taxation."

Keyes proposed that for a generation or two, African-Americans of slave heritage should be exempted from federal taxes--federal because slavery "was an egregious failure on the part of the federal establishment." In calling for the tax relief, Keyes appeared to be reaching out to capture the black vote, something that may prove difficult to do, particularly after his unwelcome reception at the Bud Billiken Day Parade Saturday.

The former ambassador said his plan would give African-Americans "a competitive edge in the labor market," because those exempted would be cheaper to hire than federal tax-paying employees and would "compensate for all those years when your labor was being exploited."

Under Keyes' plan, African-Americans would still have to pay the Social Security tax, because "it's not a tax in the strict sense," said Keyes, calling it instead a payment to support a social insurance program.

This is in direct contradiction to statements he made on his former MSNBC show (Alan Keyes is Making Sense), and in a published column of his, both in 2002.

In 2002 on his short-lived MSNBC show, "Alan Keyes is Making Sense," he argued with one of his guests, an advocate of reparations, asking, "You want to tell me that what they suffered can actually be repaired with money? You're going to do the same thing those slaveholders did, put a money price on something that can't possibly be quantified in that way."

And in a 2002 column titled "Paid in Blood," Keyes called lawsuits on behalf of slave descendants against large corporations an "effort to extort `reparations' for slavery from their fellow citizens" and said that "the truth of the Civil War is that the terrible price for American slavery has been paid, once for all," when Americans gave their lives on the battlefield to end slavery. "The price for the sin of slavery," Keyes wrote, "has already been paid, in blood."

Pandering or a true epiphany? That's for Illinois' voters to decide.

It smells real fishy to me.

Michelle Malkin not only is as skeptical as I am, but she has a reparations calculator that shows how stupid the notion of reparations is.

Those of you who live in Cincinnati know that this sounds an awful lot like the silly Ken Anderson plan that he has been pushing on the radio for about 10 years. Ken Anderson and Alan Keyes, two funny looking Black Republicans with serious nap problems. Think about it.

NAACP Flunks Chabot, Portman, DeWine, and Voinovich

Some of you (yes, Dean, I get it. I get it, already!) have been complaining that I spend too much time bloggin on national issues while neglecting you, my local blog readers. Listen up. When I check my site stats, I see that people from all over the country are reading this thing. They don't just want to read about Cincinnati and I don't want to limit myself to just talking about Cincinnati. That's why I talk about things that interest me rather they have local relevance or not. Plus, most of the things I blog about do impact African Americans living in Cincinnati. I've told you before, if you don't like this blog you can always set up one of your own.

That said, let me get to one of those national stories that impact us locally. The national NAACP puts out an annual legislative report card where they rank members of Congress. The Report Card is usually released at the annual convention and is supposed to be picked up and used as a tool by NAACP supporters and groups like the NAACP Voter Fund to help educate people about their member of Congress.



This year's Report Card is out and every local member of Congress - Steve Chabot, Rob Portman, Mike DeWine, and George Voinovich - received "F" grades.

I don't know if this changes how you will vote but, in the past, it has impacted my vote. It won't this November though. This time around, unless things change, I think I'm actually going to vote for Chabot and Voinovich. (It's more like I'm voting against their opponents Greg Harris and Eric Fingerhut.) Rob Portman got an F but my personal experiences with him, though limited, have been very positive.

On another note, look for a column written by me to be picked up and nationally syndicated by the National Newspaper Publishers Association and BlackpressUSA on why I - a liberal democrat - may vote for George W. Bush this November.

Voter Intimidation In Florida?

Promethius 6 must have one of the most informative blogs around. I can't tell what kind of traffic s/he gets but it certainly can't be enough. Today, after paying my daily visits to get caught up on the news from the rest of the world, I came across this New York Times article posted on P6' log (login required to read the Times.) Here's a line from the article:

State police officers have gone into the homes of elderly black voters in Orlando and interrogated them as part of an odd "investigation" that has frightened many voters, intimidated elderly volunteers and thrown a chill over efforts to get out the black vote in November.

Did I read that right? Jeb Bush is sending State police officers into the homes of elderly Black voters? I checked the handy dandy search tool that blogger installed at the top of this blog (why thanx blogger, sure, I like it) to see if I had blogged on the NAACP Report on Voter Intimidation and found that I hadn't! (If I wasn't doing this for free, I'd dock my pay rightabout now.) Anyway, even my Black conservative friends (and foes - you know who you are) should question this. Shame on us if we, as Americans, let the cops scare African American elders into staying away from the polls.

Group Discovers John the Baptist Cave

You don't read stories like this everyday.

KIBBUTZ TZUBA, Israel (AP) - Archaeologists said Monday they have found a cave where they believe John the Baptist anointed many of his disciples - a huge cistern with 28 steps leading to an underground pool of water.

I don't need proof to butress my faith, but for all those nonbelievers in the world, it is good to have historical documentation to combat their anti-Christian bigotry. [Those of you reading this from outside of Cincinnati may not fully comprehend how visious the anti-Christian bigots are in this city. These heathens come in all races.]

I was on my way to Boston 'til I read this...

BOSTON -- Police say they are seeing a surge in the number of gang-related attacks involving machetes, the huge knives that are a ubiquitous tool in rural Latin America, with blades as thick as an axe and nearly as long as a sword.

WTF is going on in Boston? I guess if you gotta get attacked, it doesn't matter what you get attacked with, but being attacked by someone with a machetee just seems painful.

[source]

Danny Glover Gets Off The Haitian Boat

I know that title stinks, but I'm rushing through the blog tonight.

I don't know how many of you get "The Bev Smith Show" at night or listen to it, but Beverly spent several weeks pumping up the 'Cruising Into History' Haitian bicentennial cruise. I also read several news stories about it. According to this, Danny Glover and Sonia Sanchez pulled their support from the cruise and refused to get on the boat. I may (or may not) have more comments on this, and Haiti, later.

And the problem is?

Ok. Here's the problem.

MILWAUKEE -- Miller Brewing is celebrating the ''50th Anniversary of Rock 'n' Roll'' with eight commemorative beer cans that feature Rolling Stone cover shots of Elvis Presley, Blondie and others.

What's missing, some say, is a black artist.

Who are these people? They can't be the same people mad at Nelly for this.

Empowerment Zone Cleared Of Wrongdoing

The Associated Press reports:

A federal review of a nonprofit agency that oversees programs to revitalize poor neighborhoods has cleared it of claims that it misspent funds and failed to produce results.

The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development and the Office of the Inspector General have closed an audit of the Cincinnati Empowerment Corp. that began in 2002.

Just one more reason the City of Cincinnati should step up and honor their legally binding obligation to contribute $208 Million to the Cincinnati Empowerment Corporation. HUD should be investigating why the City hasn't provided these promised funds:

City of Cincinnati $208 million, including such investments as $62 million for capital
improvements; $36 million for Campaign for Safe Community initiative; $10.24 million for the Children and Family Life Enrichment Network initiative; $30.25 million for A Home For Everyone initiative; $21.8 million for Asset Building Through Home Ownership initiative; $12 million for Partners for Workforce Competitiveness initiative; and $10 million for business financing Cincinnati Metropolitan Housing Authority $20.4 million in housing preservation/modernization.

Tapes Catch Mall Plotting To "Weed Out" Blacks

I just finished smoking someone calling herself "girly66" on cincymusic.com about the University Village Association's old plan to kick Black kids off Short Vine Street in Corryville or make them pay $5 for the privilege of walking on the sidewalk (gee thanks!). I'm proud of my work back then to stop them from pimping and mistreating Black kids, but to hear girly66 tell it, I was all wrong. My language was inflammatory. Race had ABSOLUTELY NOTHING to do with the decision. (Does race ever have ANYTHING to do with it?)

Then I found this little story from Colorado.

Statements captured on tape appear to show a major corporation wanting to weed out young black customers from one of Colorado's biggest and busiest shopping malls -- the Aurora Mall.

*****

"We want to reduce the negative, um, aspects of the Center -- one of them is the young, black customer," the leasing agent said on the tape.

Now if these statements hadn't been caught on tape, you know they would be denying that race had anything to do with their decisions. You know it!

Bad Day For Gay Marriage And Article XII Repeal

All three of these developments are bad for November's national and local elections. Let's start with the California Supreme Court.

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - The California Supreme Court on Thursday voided the nearly 4,000 same-sex marriages sanctioned in San Francisco this year and ruled unanimously that the mayor overstepped his authority by issuing licenses to gay and lesbian couples.

The court said the city illegally issued the certificates and performed the ceremonies, since state law defined marriage as a union between a man and woman.

You already know this is going to get appealed. What this means is that the gay marriage issue will stay in the public's eye from now until November. Unless you are in complete denial you know that focus on this issue is bad for Democrats. If we are talking about gay marriage we are "off message" and not talking about our issues (health care, education, un/underemployment, civil rights, environment, etc.)

Let's move onto Article XII.



Supporters of a 1993 Cincinnati charter amendment that blocks City Council from passing a gay-rights ordinance say they'll go to court today to challenge an effort to repeal that amendment.

I don't know if they have the timing right. I'm told that the lawsuit may not get filed today, but that's not important. What is important is the substance of the lawsuit.

The Equal Rights Not Special Rights Committee said it's not trying to keep the repeal of the amendment now known as Article XII off the November ballot. But the group, closely affiliated with the Loveland-based conservative group Citizens for Community Values, does want to change ballot language that it calls "biased and misleading."

That language now reads: "Shall the charter of the City of Cincinnati be amended to repeal Article XII, which prohibits the city from protecting people from discrimination based on sexual orientation?"

The Citizens to Restore Fairness collected more than 14,000 signatures on a petition to repeal the law. Their proposed ballot language was approved by City Council last week and sent to the Board of Elections.

Phil Burress, the president of the pro-Article XII group, wants to strike everything after the comma, which he said is "editorializing," and replace it with the verbatim text of Article XII itself - the same language voters saw in 1993.

"The word 'discrimination' is not mentioned in Article XII. It has nothing to do with discrimination," he said. "This is the crux of the whole debate. They say it's about discrimination. We said in 1993 it wasn't, and the federal courts upheld our position, so obviously it's not."

The 1993 charter amendment, approved with 62 percent of the vote, prohibits City Council from conferring "minority or protected status, quota preference or other preferential treatment" based on homosexual behavior or orientation.

Look. I know we hate to admit it but Phil Burress and his attorney, Chris Finney, are right about this. There are dozens of cases on this point and they all say that you can't do this sort of editorializing with the ballot language. By filing this lawsuit, the anti-repeal folks get free publicity and when they prevail in court, and believe me they will, they get to paint the picture that not only do the pro-repeal folks want legislative "special rights", they want to have "special rights" with everything, including ignoring ballot language.

Here is my advice. Quit trying to cheat. Fix the language and eliminate the editorializing. Fight a fair fight. Quit pretending this effort has broad support and work to actually get a broad coalition. That won't come if the people behind the repeal effort don't show genuine respect to potential allies. (I can't guarantee that at this late date you can build the type of coalition needed to win but it never hurts to try.)

And what about the Governor of New Jersey admitting that he is gay and resigning his office?

TRENTON, N.J. (AP) - In a stunning declaration, Gov. James E. McGreevey acknowledged that he had an extramarital affair with another man and announced his resignation Thursday. "My truth is that I am a gay American," he said.

"Shamefully, I engaged in adult consensual affairs with another man, which violates my bonds of matrimony," the married father of two said. "It was wrong, it was foolish, it was inexcusable."

The Democrat said his resignation would be effective Nov. 15.

Black Radio Ad: Kerry "Rich, White And Wishy-Washy"

The Washington Post has this story [login required] about radio ads running on Black radio stations in battleground states. (We know. We know. Ohio is a battleground state and, say it with me boys and girls, NO REPUBLICAN HAS EVER BEEN ELECTED PRESIDENT WITHOUT WINNING OHIO.) One ad blasts Kerry calling him "rich, white and wishy-washy". Another ad says:

His wife says she's an African American. While technically true, I don't believe a white woman, raised in Africa, surrounded by servants, qualifies.

How does this story get printed in the Post? I mean, I've been struggling all day to find something worthy of comment but I can't think of what the point of the story is. Does anyone think the ad will be effective? Hardly! Nobody is going to hear this commercial and say to themselves "hey, Kerry is rich, white, and wishy-washy, I'm voting for Bush 'cause he is..." what? rich, white, and foolishly decisive?! The ad is totally ineffective. I would be more interested in them (1) talking about how the President's policies have helped the Black community (they can do that can't they), and (2) how Kerry lacks a Black/urban agenda.

I guess it's good that Black people are getting press for being involved in the 527, nonprofit, tax-exempt crowd. Diversity is good. And why should moveon.org have all the fun? But come on this is just childish. It's also in

Powell Won't Attend GOP Convention

We've all heard that the GOP will showcase African Americans at their convention but they won't have Colin Powell to shop around.

Washington - Secretary of State Colin Powell, a Republican centrist who is popular with moderate voters, will not attend the GOP convention in New York that will nominate President Bush for a second term.

"On White House instruction, Secretary Powell as well as others among the Cabinet, will not attend," State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said today. "This is in keeping with past practice."

And what past practice is that?

Denise Majette For Senate

It looks like Denise Majette will be the Democratic Party's candidate for the United States Senate (login required). I hope she gets some national media attention when the guy she is trying to replace, Zell Miller (Turncoat - GA) appears at the National Republican Convention.

Update: Not only did she beat her white millionaire opponent, she trounced him 60% to 40%.

Keyes Earns Buckwheat Award

[via Prometheus 6]

Since Alan Keyes, the intellectual, has resorted to name calling, I think its only fair he gets a dose of his own medicine. Expect plenty of these between now and November. The NorthStar Network bestowed upon Alan their Buckwheat Award "for conduct contrary to the interests of people of African descent and allowing himself to be posed like a lawn jockey for the enjoyment of whites who seek to maintain their privileged status in society."

Well, this sums up Keyes' campaign message.

Smitherman Running For Mayor

I just heard Councilman Christopher Smitherman on the "Tracie Hunter Show" on WCVG (1320AM) announing that he is considering running for mayor. There was also a story in this week's Cincinnati Herald with similar information as well as the announcement that former Councilman Charlie Winburn is considering a run. I'll give you my thoughts on this, John Cranley, Luken on Newsmakers, and all the other 2005 election news later...

IMAX In Avondale Revisited

After reading this story in the Cincinnati Post about a planned Imax theater in Springdale, and this story in the Business Courier, I began thinking about the Imax In Avondale plan that I helped create, and Charlie Luken helped derail.

You need a little background to understand this. Long before Newport had an Imax Theater, City Councilmen Dwight Tillery, Todd Portune, Tyrone Yates, Charlie Winburn, and Tom Luken proposed constructing an Imax Theater, a 3-D Virtual Reality Theater, and a Planetarium downtown on the riverfront. This would have been much different in size and scope than the Imax that was built, and eventually failed, in Newport. It would also have been a 3-D Imax which is a lot different than the Omnimax (The Post story incorrectly calls the Omnimax an Imax. Believe me, there is a world of difference between the two.) The plan was exciting. It would have drawn families to downtown. But, as is often the case, the City moved too slow and the project never materialized. (The Bengals had a lot to do with killing the Imax riverfront plan but I'll save that story for another day.)

In 1995, Council came back with another Imax plan. This time they proposed building an Imax on top of the Lazarus store in downtown as the "Fountain Square West" plan. That proposal went no where. The City gave the money to Lazarus and the rest is history.

Enter Newport. In 1997-1998, they built an Imax in Newport but they did it on the cheap. There was little to no connection between the AMC movie theaters or the Aquarium - two things they got right on the Levee. There was no 3-D virtual reality theater (think Universal Studios in Orlando - I hear they've got one there - meets Kings Island right in the heart of the city). There was no planetarium. Many of us suspected that the Imax in Newport would fail, but the "experts" said the region could only support one Imax.

Enter me and the Imax In Avondale steering committee. Most people don't know that the University of Cincinnati is the 2nd largest employer in the city, or that the Cincinnati Zoo is the 2nd biggest tourist draw in the city behind the Reds. (Yes, more people go to the zoo than the Bengals games.) The zoo is located in Avondale and so is part of UC. In 2000-2001, UC's Health Alliance announced that they were moving patient services from the Jewish Hospital which is located in Avondale. I got together with neigborhood business leaders and activists and crafted a plan to turn that vacant property (along with some land they had taken from the neighborhood and promised to develop into office buildings with parking garages) into an Imax In Avondale center. Our proposal called for building a state of the art Imax Theatre, a 3-D Virtual Reality Theatre, a Planetarium, a first-run movie complex (quite possibly associated with Magic Johnson's chain of inner city theaters), a community cultural center, and a parking garage to help ease the parking problem in Avondale.

The plan was supported by the Avondale Community Council, the Evanston Community Council, the North Avondale Neighborhood Association, and dozens of community leaders. It had the support of several City Council members and probably could have qualified for funding from the Empowerment Zone Corporation. Our proposal called for the educational portions of the Imax In Avondale complex to be operated by both the Cincinnati Museum Center and the Cincinnati Zoo, which would have forced needed cooperation between these two institutions. It would have sparked needed development in Avondale and the surrounding neighborhoods. It would have eased hard feelings between the zoo and Avondale residents. It would have created jobs. It would have made money for everyone involved. And it would have been a great place for families with children in treatment at Children's Hospital or the Shriner's Burn Center for Children (these families often need places to go).

Because the Imax In Avondale plan wasn't dreamed up by a City Hall bureaucrat or a Charlie Luken flunky, he derailed it. (Luken was told to derail the plan because the people pushing light rail had a competing plan for the site. Oh, but wait, light rail went down to defeat. If Luken was any sort of leader he wouldn't have caved into the light rail ganster's demands, but even if he did, once their plan was unworkable, he would have tried to have this property developed.)

Times have changed and Luken is on his way out. Reading these articles made me think about the Imax In Avondale plan. It was a good plan then and it is a good plan now. Not only are we losing projects to Newport, now we are losing them to Springdale.

One other point on this. During my research I learned that Marcus Loew, the founder of Loews Theatres - one of the largest theater chain owners in the world, started Loews Theatres in Cincinnati. That's right. Cincinnati is the birthplace of Loews Theatres. (They also co-own the Magic Johnson Theatre chain.) But don't you know there are NO LOEWS THEATRES IN CINCINNATI. One thing we hoped to do with our Imax In Avondale plan was celebrate Cincinnati's contribution to the motion picture industry and Cincinnatian Marcus Loew. Those of us who worked on the steering committee became convinced that Loews Theatres was willing to help us celebrate and make the Imax In Avondale a unique place. We even had discussions about relocating the Cincinnati Film Commission into the Imax In Avondale complex. Too bad this didn't happen. And I bet you never heard of this plan, did you?

Keyes: Obama holds 'slaveholder's' view

Now that Alan Keyes is the Republican Party's Senate candidate, you thought he would get a grasp of important issues and use appropriate language didn't you? Well, you were so wrong. It already looks like Keyes can't show self-control.

Republican Alan Keyes ripped into Democratic rival Barack Obama's views on abortion Monday, calling them "the slaveholder's position," as the U.S. Senate race roared back to life in Illinois.

People all over the country are laughing at Mr. Keyes and the GOP. I say, keep it up Alan. We haven't seen somebody like you in a long time.

FBI Finally Probing Death of Nate Jones

The Cincinnati Post had this story buried deep down in the local news index.

FBI may start probe
The local chapter of the NAACP said Monday that the FBI plans to gather information about the death of Nathaniel Jones, who died following a struggle with Cincinnati police last December. A U.S. Department of Justice spokesman told the NAACP that prosecutors would review the information the FBI gathers, and if it shows that Jones' civil rights were violated, they would take immediate action.

It's about time.

Is This A Joke?

CNN reports:

A team of international observers will monitor the presidential election in November, according to the U.S. State Department.

The Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe was invited to monitor the election by the State Department. The observers will come from the OSCE's Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights.

It will be the first time such a team has been present for a U.S. presidential election.

And hopefully the last time. This is ridiculous and embarrasing. There was some shenanigans in the last Presidential election, but is this really necessary?



On a related note, the NAACP and People For the American Way Foundation (PFAWF) have a report out titled, "The Long Shadow of Jim Crow: Voter Intimidation and Suppression in America Today". I haven't finished reading it yet, but the report seem interesting, in a sad way, and well researched.

Imitation Is The Most Sincere Form Of Flatery

Matt Drudge and The Drudge Report spawned "The Drudge Retort". Bill O'Reily and "The O'Reily Factor" have "The O'Franken Factor". And now, in less than one month, I am proud to report that someone with way too much time on their hands has created a spoof of this blog. (I do believe that is the first time this has happened in Cincinnati.) It looks like they've even set up a character - Nelson Livingman - complete with email address. Ha. Ha. Whatever. Keep it up. I'm flattered.

Denise Majette: The Other African American Running For Senate

Denise Majette with Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin

Most of us political types are focused on the Barack Obama/Alan Keyes Senate race in Illinois, but hardly pay attention to the Georgia Senate race where Denise Majette is expected to win her runoff on Tuesday and represent the Democratic Party in November's Senate race. (The seat is currently occupied by Democrat In Name Only Zell Miller.) If Majette wins the runoff she will become the first African American candidate to be a nominee for the U.S. Senate in Georgia. And if she wins in November, well... wouldn't it be nice to have the seat returned to the Democrats.

Building A Blog Team

Some of you received an email invitation to become a member of this blog team and are probably wondering why you got it. I want this to become a blog where African Americans can quickly respond to news happenings in this city. Where else can we do that? Here's a good example of why we need this. The other day Charlie Luken blasted Mark Mallory in the afternoon paper. If Mark wants to respond he only has a few options. He can call or write and try to get the paper to print his response. He can try to respond in another venue (talk radio, TV interview, etc.). Or, assuming he is a member, he can come here and instantly respond. That's just one example of how this blog can become a powerful platform for African Americans.

So if you got an email respond. If you know someone else who deserved an invitation and didn't get one, pass their name along to me at natelivingston@boycottcincinnati.org.

Alan Keyes: Did I Say That?

By now you already know that Alan Keyes is expected to announce this afternoon that he will challenge Democrat Barack Obama for a seat in the Senate. You may not know that this so-called principled conservative has criticized, as a matter of principle, candidates who "parachute into" a state where they don't live to run for the Senate. Now he is parachuting into Illinois to run for Senate. What happened to principle?

You also may not know that Mr. Keyes played the race card in 1992 and called the national leadership of the Republican Party RACIST, or that in 1999 Keyes called vocal Black leaders "bought-and-sold, step-and-fetch-its of depravity for the Democratic party.

Just last week Black conservatives were whining, crying, bitchin', and moanin' about conservative Black radio talk show Larry Elder allegedly being called a "house negro" by one of his liberal white competitors, Janeane Garofalo. (Elder - always the victim - didn't actually hear this comment, instead a caller to his show told him that he was called this name. In Cincinnati, we call that gossip.) Conservatives, especially the Black ones, are always looking down their noses while complaining about liberals playing the race card or resorting to name calling, which they claim is beneath them, but just look at their boy Keyes playing the race card and calling names when the chips are down.

Whether it's flip flopping on his principled stance against carpetbaggers, or his inconsistent position on playing the race card and calling names, Keyes entry into the race may be good if the Democrats can nationalize that race and make Keyes the face of the Republican Party - that is if you can figure out which face to focus on. This is going to be a battle between liberalism versus conservatism, and it's happening right in the heartland of America. How many years have the conservatives been telling us that they represent the "silent majority". Well if, or should I say when, Keyes gets whipped, not only does he lose, conservatism loses. It's about time that CONservatives, especially Black ones, are exposed for who they really are.

Keyes on the Republican Party
In 1992, according to the Washington Post, as Republican nominee in Maryland’s U.S. Senate contest that year, Keyes denounced the national leadership of his party as racist, saying senior GOP officials had ignored or disparaged his campaign because he is black. GOP leaders “basically are sending the message that beyond a certain level blacks need not apply,” Keyes said. “If I can work out in the fields, I think I ought to be allowed to come into the house for dinner.”

Washington Post, “GOP Hopeful Says Party Is Racist,” August 14, 1992

Keyes on Black Leaders
“ I think part of it is that the Black leadership, the vocal ones that the media concentrates on, are all bought-and-sold, step-and-fetch-its of depravity for the Democratic party.”

People For the American Way Foundation, “Eyewitness Report from the C-PAC Conference,” February 21, 1999

Keyes on Running for Office in another state in 2004:
Former GOP presidential candidate Alan Keyes told Illinois Republicans Monday that he is ‘‘open to the idea’’ of taking on the Democrat in the U.S. Senate race ... Keyes lives in Maryland.

Chicago Sun Times, “GOP wooing Keyes to take on Obama,” August 3, 2004

Keyes on Running for Office in another state in 2000:
“And I deeply resent the destruction of federalism represented by Hillary Clinton’s willingness to go into a state she doesn’t even live in and pretend to represent people there. So I certainly wouldn’t imitate it.”

Fox News, “Special Report with Brit Hume,” March 17, 2000

Alan Keyes on principle in 2004:
“I do not take it for granted that it’s a good idea to parachute into a state and go into a Senate race,” he said before meeting the Republican leaders. “As a matter of principle, I don’t think it’s a good idea.”

Chicago Tribune, “GOP Wants Keyes,” August 5, 2004

Alan Keyes on principle in 1996:
“This must be a terrible feeling,” Keyes tells his would-be supporters. "You make a decision based on expediency, and it doesn’t work. And then you are left without expediency and without principle. With nothing. This is sad, I never want to wake up the day after an election or any time else with that emptiness in me, knowing I have given away the things that matter most for the sake of what I thought would win and finding that I have lost and have nothing.”

Minnesota Christian Chronicle, “In ignoring Keyes, Christian voters choose expediency over principle,” Feb 22, 1996

Source

Update: During a 2:00 p.m. (CST) press conference, Keyes made it official: He's gonna take the beat down. Conservatism is gonna take a major defeat.

Luken Blasts Mallory

The lazy local media is giving Charlie Luken, the failed Mayor of Cincinnati, a million dollars worth of free publicity. Every since he announced that he is quitting his campaign for reelection, the local media can't do enough stories about him. None that I've seen have been fair or balanced. They haven't reported on his many personal or political failures. Instead, they've started to promote him for statewide office. (If you are reading this and you vote in the State of Ohio, please don't let this man destroy the State of Ohio. I'm freightened to think what will happen if Luken does to Ohio what he has done to Cincinnati!)



So, today's Cincinnati Post has this fluff piece on Luken and they let him take several shots at Mayoral candidate Mark Mallory.

"He's got a name that people know because of his father," Luken said dismissively, referring to longtime former state Rep. William Mallory. "I don't know how much personal identity he has.... I don't consider Mark Mallory one of the leading contenders for the job of mayor."

Even for a jerk like Luken, that's a low blow. You see Luken got to where he is because of his daddy and his uncle. People didn't know (and still don't know) Charlie Luken because of his accomplishments. (BTW, can anybody tell me how the City is better after having Luken serve as mayor longer than anybody else in history?) I guess it's ok for white guys to profit from their family name but not African Americans like Mallory. (Yeah, I threw race into it! If race isn't behind Luken's comments, why didn't he say the same thing about David Pepper, son of P & G's John Pepper.) Luken wants to annoint the next mayor. That's not gonna happen.

SCLC's Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth Opposes Same Sex Marriage

You won't see this headlines in the local newspapers, but Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth has come out, uh, issued a statement against same sex "marriage". If the Chamber of Commerce's position on repealing Article XII is relevant and newsworthy, why isn't the Southern Christian Leadership Conference's position on same sex "marriage"?

“...I personally strongly oppose same sex marriages,” continued Shuttlesworth, “I recognize that the SCLC is not just a civil rights organization, or human rights organization. We are also a church-based organization! And in church, we are taught to pray for all God’s children!"

Mark my words, the Democrats are going to lose a lot of votes by supporting gay "marriage", and it won't just be in the South. There are way too many Christians who cannot understand why this issue is being pushed by the extremist on the left who don't seem to understand that they are playing right into the hands of "cultural conservatives", many whom belong to the Republican Party, or that the movement last Spring forced the hand of many Democrats.

For those of you who don't know Rev. Shuttlesworth, he is a big time liberal Democrat. That's why I think this statement from him is extremely important because it makes clear that Republicans don't have a lock on God, the Bible, or the Church.

I remember Rev. Jackson telling me one time that one of the problems with the civil rights movement and it's leaders was that we (actually they) used to march with the flag in one hand and the Bible in the other, but now they've (we've) closed the Bible (or in some cases thrown it on the ground) and set the flag on fire! Rev. Jackson argued that we had conceded the moral high ground to the conservatives and let them obtain, by default, a monopoly on Christianity. Well, all liberals or Democrats haven't given up on God or America. (Some of us fight against the anti-Christian bigots on a daily basis.) If Rev. Shuttlesworth can remind African Americans that we came (most of us at least) from a background and tradition that had faith in God and believed in his word, he will put the SCLC back into the national spotlight, and like Dr. King before him, literally change America.

That may be what Rev. Jackson is trying to do by writing that "Christ wasn't a conservative".

NAACP Reaffirms South Carolina Boycott

From their website:

[The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) Board of Directors] passed an emergency resolution, renewing its position on the economic boycott of South Carolina, and called on The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) and other athletic organizations to continue their moratorium on sporting events being held in the state. Leaders of the oldest civil rights group praised those organizations that honored the boycott, and again admonished South Carolina leaders to remove the Confederate battle flag from state grounds and other publicly taxed properties.

Good work!

Deleting Dumb Comments

Some people never learn. Let me explain something to a few of you knuckleheads. This blog is written by me and other Black people. This blog isn't run by the government, so the First Amendment isn't relevant. We don't have to let you comment. We allow you do so. With all good things, there are always a few morons (you know who you are) who abuse the privilege and try to mess things up for everybody. They've been posting insulting and inflamatory comment here the last few days and I've been deleting some of them. Those comments added nothing to the discussion. We don't have to tolerate abusive comments from the peanut gallery, and we won't. If you don't like what we write, don't read it. Go visit another blog or website. Read a book. Do what you like. But keep your comments on point and free of insults, attacks, or accusations about me and the other writers, or I'm going to have them deleted. That's yer fair warning. Capiche?

This is from LaShawn Barber's blog entry titled, "Way To Build An Audience The Old-Fashioned Way":

I’ve learned a few basic things about blogging that work for me:

1. Post at least one interesting item a day for at least five days a week. I sometimes take weekends off.

2. Delete comments that cross the line, whatever that is for you, and don’t concern yourself about bone-headed accusations of “preaching to the choir” (So what if you are?). I allowed some leeway in the beginning because I was “new.” But no more. I have no patience for it now.

3. Delete trackbacks that lead to an insulting or sarcastic post about you. My rule for such nitwits: No free publicity on my bandwidth!

Ms. Barber is a politically confused, right-wing, nutcase, but her blog is tight and the above advice appears to be sage. (I didn't bother entering a trackback, LaShawn. That's one less for you to delete.)

Rick James Dead

This has nothing to do with Cincinnati but CNN and ET Online are both reporting that Rick James has died.

Hamilton County Democratic Party

As a life long democrat it is with great pains that I report that the local democratic party leaves so much to be desired that I often wonder if it exists at all! With that though in mind one must question the role that Mark Mallory has played within the party as its co-chair. Now my criticisms of the party and Mr. Mallory have been shared with the candidate himself on more than one occasion. Needless to say he has not bothered to address the concerns that I raised nor has he returned my calls. Therefore I am left to opine that Mr. Mallory was a willing participant in the non progressive nature of the party. I personally have a mixed opinion of Mr. mallory. He could not possibly be worse than Charlie Luken but really that is not stating too much. And quite frankly as a city we deserve much better and much more than either Charlie Luken or Mark Mallory could provide. One might inquire as to where Mr. mallory has been during these must turbulent times in Cincinnati. I did not notice him demonstrate a great deal of leadership from the statehouse on the issues that plague this city. Can we expect different from him as mayor? Will he lead from the front? Only time will tell...

Adding Team Members

This is a blog written by Black people for everyone, but especially other Black people. I started this blog because I think African Americans in Cincinnati need a place to give our take on the news and events of the day. I don't mind going it alone, but I really want other Black people to help. Uncle Nate wants you!

That said, I am pleased to announce that Monica Williams is the first person to join the team. She will write here whenever she want about whatever she wants. I'm sure you will enjoy her perspective. I expect to add other people in the near future.

If your want to be part of the Cincinnati Black Blog team, just let me know by leaving a comment or writing me at natelivingston@boycottcincinnati.org. There are two simple qualifications.

1. You must live or work in Greater Cincinnati.
2. You must be Black.

Easy enough. I thought so.

Cincinnati Sues To Stop Fuck The Police Rally

[Update: For a local reporter, Kevin Osborne over at the Cincinnati Post has an outstanding story about the court hearing and the City's attempt to stop the "fuck the police" rallies on Fountain Square.]

[Update II: I realize that some of you don't read or post in the comments section and you may not know that some of your fellow Cincinnatians are wondering why I would have a "fuck the police rally". It doesn't matter why, just know that when the Ku Klux Klan came to Cincinnati and called African Americans everything but children of God (I was there, I know what was said), white people, including the editorial writers at the Cincinnati Enquirer, the Cincinnati Post, and CityBeat DEFENDED THE KKK's right to exercise free speech and told African Americans to get over it. Show me where the City ever took the KKK to Court to stop them from conducting a rally on Fountain Square. You can't. In fact, the City told the cops to protect the KKK!!! Over and over African Americans were advised to just ignore the Klan. Don't believe me? Well read some of the editorials for yourself. Enquirer, Post. When you can show me where you stood up against the KKK, then, and only then, will I listen to you.]

[Update III: I have a link to the objections filed by me in a related case that is pending in federal court. This has some of the case law which supports the rally and some of the reasoning (even if you disagree with it) for conducting such a rally. The objections are 22 pages. The first part is a historical perspective. The second part has the case law.]

[Update IV: I retained an attorney to represent me in this matter and we decided that it would be in our best interest to move this case away from the elected partisan judges in state court and into federal court. The case is now pending before U.S. Magistrate Judge Timothy Hogan. Hogan seems to be a little biased, prejudiced and racist but his decisions have to be approved by federal judges. I'll keep everyone updated on the next hearing date.]

I couldn't blog as much as I wanted to yesterday because I had to spend part of my day in court defending myself against a frivolous lawsuit filed by the City of Cincinnati to prevent me from leading a "First Amendment/Fuck The Police" rally on Cincinnati's Fountain Square. [Check here for copy of lawsuit. Case number is A0406170.] Some people in Cincinnati goverment have forgotten that the very first guarantee in the Bill of Rights is FREEDOM OF SPEECH. The City doesn't have a chance of winning the lawsuit. It is just a hugh waste of tax dollars. If people in Edinburgh can hold signs like this


I'm going to go out in public and exercise my right to free speech in America. If that means holding rallies on Fountain Square and saying things that some people don't like, then so be it. The hearing was continued to today at 1:30 p.m. in Room 320 of the Hamilton County Courthouse. That's Judge Schweikert. Here are a few more pictures of people in other parts of the country using the political phrase, "fuck the police".

RONALD ISLEY SUFFERS STROKE

Lee Bailey over at the Electronic Urban Report says Cincinnati native Ronald Isley recently suffered a "minor stroke" while visiting London. Isley's ex-wife Angela Winbush (pictured below) flew to London to comfort Isley, a.k.a. Mr. Bigg. What can I say. From "fight the power" to "in between the sheets", Ron Isley has changed the face of music in America. His story is a powerful testament to what any one of us can do if we focus on our God-given talents and stay committed. I certainly hope this "minor" stroke doesn't sideline Ron for long. It's enough to make me shout and kick my heels up.

FDNY & NYPD: Mayor Bloomberg Doesn't Give A Damn

Everybody knows that part of the reason the Republican are having their convention in New York City this year is to draw sympathy from the memory of 9/11. Now how is it gonna look if the heroes of 9/11, the cops and firefighters, are walking a picket line because they can't earn a living wage, even in this age of terrorism?

Union members plan to skip a massive organized labor rally outside the convention on Sept. 1 protesting President Bush's economic policies. Instead, their strategy calls for “informational picketing” by off-duty officers and firefighters at delegation gatherings in other locations, particularly if the mayor is a guest.

“We're not interested in protesting against the president,” Cassidy said. “We want to make sure people know that Mike Bloomberg doesn't give a damn.”

Way to go, GOP. Sticking it to the working men and women of America. I hope the unions don't cave in. And I hope the American people understand that the Republican convention is designed to take our minds off the failed war on Iraq and scare us into voting for Bush.

GOP Running Racist James Hart For Congress

Yesteday, Republicans down in Tennessee voted to have James L. Hart represent them in the November Congressional election. Have you heard about this guy? Salon.com writes:

Imagine getting a knock on your door, opening it and greeting a man wearing a bulletproof vest and carrying a gun who says: "I'm James Hart. I'm running for Congress. … I think white children deserve the same rights as everyone else."

It's happening in Tennessee, where eugenics supporter James Hart is embarrassing the local GOP, which didn't cough up a candidate to oppose the Democratic incumbent, so Hart's running unopposed in the 8th congressional district's primary. Hart believes the United States will look "like one big Detroit'' if it we don't end welfare and immigration, and he actually tells people as much when he knocks on their door.

Now, 8th District Republicans are trying to keep Hart out of the general election by organizing a write-in campaign for another candidate, financial analyst and former military officer Dennis Bertrand. "I would characterize him as a racist, an elitist," Bertrand says of his opponent. "His idea of ... genetically altering the human race in order to build a super race with super intelligence is appalling." You think?

I don't think James Hart is embarrasing the GOP at all. He is one of them. He won election after this story, and others like it, were published. The Republicans must agree with his views. And if the national Party leaders didn't like this guy, don't you think they would have done something, anything, to recruit another candidate?



I urge you to visit this guy's website and read his campaign booklet. I found this little ditty on page 7.

The only way you could have a (superior race) would be if a "favored race" evolved into and became the next more highly evolved species above Homo-Sapiens, in which case it would become a superior species. Eugenics is a moral commitment not a racial affiliation and any "race" that adopted a eugenic program could, given sufficient time, evolve into and become the next more highly evolved species above Homo-Sapiens. It is our hope that all "races" will accept that moral responsibility and accomplish that objective, but it can not be accomplished within the political, philosophical and religious milieu of the 20th century.

Wake up! This is what is going on in the GOP.

Update: The white "Black Republican" says "Whoever's leading the Republican Party in Tennessee should be shot."

CIA Asks Bush To Discontinue Blog

This is almost too funny to be true. Our friends at The Onion report that President Bush has a blog of his own and the CIA doesn't like what he is saying. Now he isn't talking about Laura's famous oatmeal-chocolate chunk cookie recipe. No.

According to [acting CIA Director John E.] McLaughlin, several recent entries on PrezGeorgeW. typepad.com have compromised military operations, while other posts may have seriously undercut the PR efforts of White House press secretary Scott McClellan.

Alan Keyes Picked To Take Beating By Obama

It's official. Alan Keyes is in the Illinois Senate race even if he doesn't live in the state of Illinois. Why let little things like residence interfere with an ambitious man's plans. Some of Mr. Keyes friends might warn him against becoming known as the man to go to when you need to put a Black face on a losing effort. Keyes has run for office four times and lost four times.

Shuttlesworth Named SCLC President

Longtime Cincinnati resident Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth has been elected president of Martin Luther King's old organization, the Southern Christian Leadership Conference. He was already serving as interim president. He beat out TV Judge Greg Mathis and former state Senator Ralph David Abernathy III. There has been a lot of fighting about this position. Congratulations to Rev. Shuttlesworth.

Update: [This Macon Telegraph story comes via The Cincinnati Nation.]

The surprise last-minute nomination - and election - of the Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, who had been the group's interim president, followed conflicts among supporters of two leading nominees, which led to one candidate walking out of the convention and the other accused of plotting a takeover of the civil rights group founded by Martin Luther King Jr.

From reading this report, you would think THEY WERE ABOUT TO COME TO BLOWS at the SCLC meeting. We know this doesn't happen, right? So much for "the elders" being united.

What's up with Rev. Jackson, Rev. Sharpton, Martin Luther King III, and Donna Brazile all skipping out on the convention? To me that seems rather unfair to Rev. Shuttlesworth.

Walter Williams: If There Is One General Characteristic Of White Liberals, It's Their Condescending And Demeaning Attitude Toward Blacks.

I've read enough of Walter Williams to know that the man is a right-wing nutcase. He makes a statement in this column though that I tend to agree with.

If there is one general characteristic of white liberals, it's their condescending and demeaning attitude toward blacks.

It's true. What Williams won't admit though is white conservatives share that same condescending and demeaning attitude toward African Americans. I'm bothered by my conservative friends who won't face reality.

GOP Anxious To Have A Black In Congress

Two reports on the Republican Party's efforts to put an African American in either the Senate or the House of Representatives.

1. From Georgia: Newt Gingrich, Bob Barr, and Jack Kemp are supporting Dylan Glenn, an African American, in his race for Congress. They aren't supporting him because he is the most qualified, they are supporting him because of his race! Where are the Black Republicans (I know you read this blog) to denouce this Affirmative Action (can you say "soft bigotry of lowered expectations) by their party leaders?

Gingrich, who'd earlier told reporters that Glenn's race didn't matter in his endorsement decision, e-mailed back that he was thinking of the good of the national Republican party.

"Our cause and our party are weakened by our inability to have representation from every aspect of America," he wrote.

Gingrich also said, "The only way as a party leader ... that I can strengthen us in our area of greatest weakness is to try to help Dylan Glenn."

*****

Barr said he didn't endorse Glenn because he's black, but he added, "He would be a very well-known person in Washington, and that is a consideration."

I believe Barr when he says he didn't endorse Glenn because he is Black. Really, I do.

2. From Illinois: The Illinois Republican Party has two (count em, two) potential challengers to Barack Obama. I mentioned yesterday that Alan Keyes was interested in running. (Uh, who cares if Keyes doesn't even live in Illinois?) Today, the GOP has a new potential candidate in Andrea Barthwell. If the report is accurate, there will be an African American Senator from Illinois next term.

CHICAGO (Reuters) - Illinois Republicans on Tuesday narrowed the field of prospective U.S. Senate opponents for Democrat Barack Obama to two, and virtually assured that the next senator from the Midwestern state will be black.

Either two-time Republican presidential candidate Alan Keyes, a Maryland radio talk show host, or former deputy drug czar Andrea Barthwell will get the nod on Wednesday from the state Republican party's central committee to face off against Obama in November, party officials announced.

Both Keyes and Barthwell are black, as is Obama, meaning the senate chamber will likely have only its third black member since the 19th Century.

I can understand why the National Republican Party - which claims to be inclusive - is so anxious to have an African American member of Congress. I just wish they would admit that, even for them, sometimes, race matters.

Update: Michael King at Ramblings' Journal comments:

It would make for an interesting race, indeed, but as one who was upset with the carpetbagging move of Hillary Rodham Clinton in New York, I have to say that I'm not comfortable with the notion of Keyes pulling the same stunt.

LaShawn Barber wrote:

Barthwell is the former Deputy Director for Demand Reduction in the Office of National Drug Control Policy. Most people have probably heard of Alan Keyes, who I think is the better choice. Barnwell has a brewing scandal to deal with at the moment.

In front of her staff, Andrea Grubb Barthwell made repeated comments about the sexual orientation of a staff member and used a kaleidoscope to make sexually offensive gestures, according to the findings of a March 19, 2003, “hostile workplace memorandum” prepared by drug policy office staff. The Associated Press obtained the memorandum.

We don’t need that right now.

Who is this "we" that Ms. Barber is talking about?

If I'm reading this right, even Black Republicans agree that Keyes is a carpetbagger. And Barthwell is a sex freak. Way to go representing "conservative" values, GOP!

Oliver Willis writes:

I've still got my fingers crossed for Keyes. Please. Make the race a national news issue, so we can see the sort of crazed loon that passes for the GOP backbone.

Black Churches Denounce Gay Marriage

More bad news for repeal Article XII supporters? Now Black churches are passing resolutions opposing same-sex marriage and declaring that it is not a civil right that can be compared to the struggle for racial equality. Isn't that last part exactly what the current leaders of the repeal Article XII movement are trying to make. I've learned that several prominent African American pastors are preparing to pass a similar resolution here.

(Louisville, Kentucky) African-American Baptists in Kentucky have adopted a resolution opposing same-sex marriage, declaring that it is not a civil right that can be compared to the struggle for racial equality.

I'm ready for the anti-Christian bigots to start calling names.

Spencer Spanking

Normally, a spanking like this would go on my personal blog. I'm just too lazy to switch over to it. That said, it's time for me to deal with Little Nick Spencer. (Before you email me or leave comments whining about my remarks, just remember that Nick Spencer picked this fight.) First, let me tell you that I'm in a good mood. Lucky for little Nicky. Otherwise, I might blast his ass with dynamite (and most of you reading this know I'm capable of using words that can make a grown man cry). Since I'm in a good mood though, I'll try my hand at being a kinder, gentler, blogger. Let's get started. Nick, pull down your pants. This is going to hurt a little...but don't cry.

Nate Livingston (A Rant)

So Nate Livingston, head of Boycott B (or whatever it is), has a blog. So, here's my opinion on Nate.

First, I co-chair an organization called the Coalition For A Just Cincinnati. We proudly lead the Cincinnati Boycott. The CJC's dedicated volunteers have fought for justice in this city. Unlike Cincinnati Tomorrow, the organization founded by little Nick, the CJC has a record of working toward improvements and getting things done. "Boycott B" is a foolish and immature mockery of the CJC created, as best I can tell, by one of little Nick's Cincinnati Tomorrow followers, Brian Griffin. The name is cute, just like little Nick.

So, who is Nick Spencer to offer his opinion of me? He doesn't know me. We've talked once or twice. He hasn't worked with me. And to put it bluntly, Nick is not my peer. He hasn't earned the right to even have an opinion of me, let alone share it. It's like some Army private having an opinion of the the Secretary of the Army. Who cares?

I've taken the time to respond to Nick for three reasons. First, CityBeat's Stephanie Dunlap came up to me at the Mallory For Mayor press conference and asked me what I thought about Nick's rant. I told her I would respond. Second, it's been a relatively slow news day and I feel like responding. Third, Nick took the time to post a comment on the board today so I figured he'd read this.

I've got a history and a public record of accomplishment. I'll save my personal history for another time. Suffice it to say, my life story is one of struggle and triumph. With God's constant mercy and guidance, I've constantly overcome every obstacle placed in my way. I'm not yet 35, but I humbly submit that I've accomplished more in those years than most people twice my age. Graduate of one of the best high schools in the country, Walnut Hills. College graduate. Honorably discharged military veteran. Civil rights advocate (former Cincinnati Chapter Rainbow/PUSH Coalition Vice President; former Cincinnati Chapter National African American Leadership Summit Vice President; founder of Black MARCHERS; NAACP life member, and now CJC co-chair). Community/Political volunteer (former Hamilton County Democratic Party Precinct Executive; Community Council member; former ROCK the Vote coordinator).

Unlike Little Nicky whose only achievement in life has been to read one book, treat it like it's the Bible, and criticize everyone who doesn't drink from the "young professional/creative class" koolaid, I haven't just sat around and complained, I've fought hard, organized, and made a difference. My work has had a positive impact on people's lives. There are way too many to name them all, but some that I'm proudest of are:

- In 1996, while Little Nick was probably still in junior high school, I found out that a 16 year-old girl named Krystal White was being prosecuted for a crime that wasn't on the books. I stood up to an extremely popular prosecutor named Joe Deters (the tyrant and crook who currently serves as state treasurer), helped Krystal retain an attorney, and when the dust cleared this young girl who had been slated to spend years in an adult penitentiary, served about 6 months.

- Also in 1996, I found out that several Cincinnati police officers, including Patrick Knight, had been forcing poor, often drug-addicted, women to have sex with them. The women were threatened and didn't believe that anyone would believe their stories. The Prosecutor, Joe Deters, wasn't taking the cases seriously. He wouldn't charge the cops with rape, and he was offering them plea bargains. I fought to make sure that crimes against women, all women, were aggressively prosecuted no matter who committed the crime and didn't rest until Patrick Knight was behind bars. I helped change the climate in the Hamilton County Prosecutor's Office.

- In 1997, I organized protests over the shooting death of Lorenzo Collins that were eventually joined by people like Rev. Fred Shuttlesworth, Rev. Damon Lynch, Jr., and Kenneth Lawson. Those protests helped change, at least temporarily, the climate in the Cincinnati Police Department that routinely disregarded Black life. My protesting forced the City to establish mental health response teams and resulted in the creation of the civilian police review panel (the precursor to the Citizens' Complaint Authority). Who knows how many lives have been saved by my actions?




- In 1998 and 1999, I fought to stop the Cincinnati Police Department from mistreating visitors to Eden Park and Corryville. I protested, filed lawsuits, filed complaints with the Ohio Civil Rights Commission, and lobbyied City Council to change the rules to ensure that all people, especially young people, were treated with dignity and respect. [I didn't see Nick Spencer or any of the "creative class" there.]



Sometime around 1999 or 2000, I began writing to Congressman John Conyers (D-MI) and my friends in the Pittsburgh NAACP. I came up with the idea of filing a class action lawsuit against the City for police brutality and working together with William Kirkland, we convinced Kenneth Lawson to file the suit. Together, we did the research and crafted the plan that resulted in the lawsuit settlement that today is known as the "Collaborative Agreement". As you know, the Citizens' Complaint Authority came from the Collaborative and yesterday they recommended that severe disciplinary action be against the cops who killed Nathaniel Jones. Hopefully, this action will cause other cops to think before beating another person to death. My actions help save lives.

Before their was an official Cincinnati Boycott, I was planting the seeds of economic resistance in the minds of Cincinnati's activist. I told them that it is not good enough to say "No Justice, No Peace" and turn around and give your oppressor your money. We worked to stop the Olympics from coming to Cincinnati and I started the "No Justice, No Peace, No Olympics" movement. That movement led to what is now known as the Cincinnati Boycott. When Rev. J.W. Jones came to me, told me he had a set of reasonable demands, and asked me to help him boycott this city, I prayed on it, and eventually agreed.



The Cincinnati Boycott has changed Cincinnati. Before the boycott, Charlie Luken was against a living wage. I know because I was the only City Council candidate in 2001 who challenged Luken to support living wages. Since the boycott, he changed his stance, so did Council, and now we have a living wage ordinance. On so many issues, the CJC has made a difference. Check our demands and count how many have been enacted, despite Charlie Luken fighting us tooth and nail. We have set a positive agenda for the City and I'm proud of it. I know that my work, before and during my association with the CJC, has made people's lives better.

Now, different people tell different stories about how involved Nate was in the whole "Nick Spencer worked for John Ashcroft" thing, or the "Lindner endorses Lynch" thing, or whatever. I know he doesn't get a long with CityBeat or John Schlagetter very well, and was pretty angry about Stephanie Dunlap, a Citybeat reporter, contributing to my campaign. I don't take it personally, really, and just found it confusing more than anything.

For those who don't know, little Nick is a Republican. He ran for City Council in 2003. He made a lot of friends along the way who helped his campaign, or so it seemed. little Nick's friends gave him a free pass. The media never scrutinized little Nick's plans or challenged his record, they simply fell in love with him, and gave him lots of free publicity. As a result, little Nick didn't do the hard work necessary to win a seat on Council (build coalitions, raise money, actually go into neighborhoods and ask people for their vote, work to change things before running for Council). You see little Nick read this book by Richard Florida and thought this band of "young professionals" in the "creative class" was going to propel him into Council. little Nick didn't reach out to older voters, African Americans, women. Seems like little Nick became convinced that he was in the "silent majority". Anyone who didn't agree with little Nick got attacked. (John Cranley, Charlie Luken, Pat DeWine, etc.)

Somewhere along the way, somebody, probably Pat DeWine for whom little Nick worked, put out an email calling little Nick a liar and accusing him of being deceptive. I got a copy of the email and posted it on the CJC's bulletin board. He was telling his fellow Republicans that he worked with or for John McCain and John Ashcroft. But little Nick was endorsed by the Charter Committee, a liberal organization, and according to the email he never mentioned his Ashcroft affiliation on his campaign literature or his campaign website. Somebody didn't like it and decided to expose little Nick. As far as dirty tricks go, this was nothing. It didn't cause little Nick to do so poorly in the race (with all that help, little Nick got less than 7,500 votes). little Nick is responsible for his failure.

The problem I have with people like little Nick is they aren't willing to work hard to get what they want. They don't want to pay their dues. They want to go to the front of the line. And nobody ever tells them that they don't deserve to be there. There were people more qualified to serve on City Council than little Nick but the Charter Committee and good old CityBeat endorsed him. Based on what qualifications? White privilege? You bet. little Nick didn't have a record of service to the Charter Committee, I mean he was a Republican until they refused to endorse him. And he certainly hadn't served the City, which you would think would be a qualification for a CityBeat endorsement. People who help guys like little Nick really aren't helping them at all, they are enabling and encouraging them. From what I've seen of little Nick, not only is he lazy, he is arrogant and disrespectful. I guess that's what gives him the balls to speak so negatively about me. And I guess that's why he feels comfortable disrespecting the CJC and the efforts of so many committed people.

You know, little Nick is like so many young people these days. To borrow from the email writer mentioned above, little Nick is self-absorbed. Young people used to get involved with civic causes. Rather it was the environment, politics, civil rights, education, whatever, young people were involved. They were also sensitive to other young people's fight. What you have with little Nick is just the opposite. Of all the things to work against, what would make an apparently reasonably intelligent young man, a Xavier student no less, focus his efforts on busting a civil rights boycott? It doesn't make sense. Yet, little Nick and his Cincinnati Tomorrow gang - who have never sat down with the CJC or anyone fighting for justice in this City and offered to help - pride themselves on being weekly boycott busters. It's not just the boycott, where is little Nick's voice against the ongoing war on the poor in Cincinnati? Gentrification of Over The Rhine? Economic apartheid? little Nick only cares about himself and his one issue.

Nate mostly just makes me kinda sad. He is a bright guy, with sometimes offensive, sometimes insightful views. But he's alienated so many people that basically agree with him, through this gossip mongering, conspiracy theory bullshit. Its not the radical views that get me. Hey, I even like them. I'm a pretty thorough reader of Newton, Hilliard, Cleaver, etc. I think there is an important place in society for informed extremists. Its the personal attacks on the wrong people that bug me. Its the anonymous, hateful attacks on people who might otherwise be sympathetic to the cause.

These patronizing comments border on racist. There are a group of white people who alway use the "alienation" card on African Americans. "Rev. Sharpton has some good views but he alienates people." Yeah, right. I know people who have heard John Pepper (yes, David's daddy) curse at Black Baptist Preachers as if they were little children. (He better be glad I wasn't there because he would have gotten more than a pie in his face.) Charlie Luken, and his daddy Tom, are known for alienating people. I could name dozens of white people who either through their language or by their views have alienated groups of people who should otherwise be their allies. The thing is, I've noticed that white people move beyond personalities and work together for common causes. Even little Nick has reportedly personally attacked certain people, and with the blog that got this response started, alienated me and all those who listen to me. So, you see little Nick, you too have a cause that you should be building support for, but you aren't. As for you accusation that I engage in anonymous hateful attacks, you just don't know what you are talking about. Just as I associate my name with this blog, I associate my name with everything I do. When you saw me spank your fellow Charterite John Schlagetter, I used my name. I'm not afraid of you chumps. And I'm not afraid of losing your support because (1) I never had it, and (2) if your support for my issues was genuine, my personality wouldn't matter.

A lot of people say Nate doesn't really have any views, that he's just looking for attention. If so, I'm sure he's loving this post. I do think a blog is a good thing for Nate. It'll help him put forward his views with his name in front of it, and maybe people can figure him out a little better. I'll be the sucker here and keep an open mind, I guess.... At the end of the day, if I could give Nate a little unsolicited advice, it would be this: always attack from the front, and don't do it just to get attention. Don't alienate other minority groups, like the GLBT community, and focus on what you want most-- which is either attention or real change in the city. You get to pick.

This shows that little Nick doesn't know anything about me. As stated above, I've been on the scene for a long time. Anyone sincerely interested in my views already know how to find out about them. I've hosted a talk radio show, written a newspaper column, and campaigned for political office. Even when the City was debating some of my ideas, you probably didn't know about it because I haven't sought or received credit. I'm satisfied knowing that I've made a hugh difference for all Cincinnatians and that I didn't have to run away from the African American community or serve in a particular position to do it.

Two last things. First, earlier today Nick commented:

Just curious: how am I one of the "most hostile and vocal opponents of human rights for African Americans?" I really shouldn't ask, but hey, I am curious.

See my comments above about you and Cincinnati Tomorrow working against the Cincinnati Boycott. I take the CJC's work seriously and consider your opposition to our efforts tantamount to taking a leak on the graves of Black people. I addressed the GBLT issue earlier today. Leaders in the GBLT community stabbed the Black community in the back.

Lastly, Nick, at the end of the day, we could learn a lot from each other. The reason that hasn't happened, and maybe won't happen, is because there is a sort of condescention that comes from you toward me. How dare you lauch a rant against me when you don't even know me. Where does that come from? What is about you that makes you think you are better than other people? You and I both ran for Council. When I started my campaign I was locked up for protesting on Fountain Square. I had to struggle just to get my name on the ballot. I got such a late start that I could hardly raise any money. I never had a campaign office. I had to print my own campaign literature. I didn't have one yard sign. No radio. No TV. My former employer, WDBZ, blasted me. My party, the Democrats, worked against me. And I had just gone to jail for allegedly interrupting the Mayor's speech. No one expected me to have a decent showing. They thought the election would show that I didn't have a following, and if I didn't have a base, they could tell me to shut up once and for all. But I worked hard. I argued my case. I walked door-to-door. In the end, despite the many efforts to embarras me, I got nearly 13,000 votes. I held my head up high at the end of the night.

Two years later you ran for Council. You had the Charter endorsement. You had CityBeat's endorsement. You had campaign money. And you had access to money. You had a lot of support but you didn't have the people. You didn't reach out and build coalitions because you didn't care about helping people or working on their issues. You didn't expand your platform beyond the "creative class" (and you no matter what you say, the term isn't inclusive of young Black people). I'll tell you like I've told John Schlagetter dozens of times, you didn't have a record of accomplishment, and the support you had (especially from the media) wasn't from the people. You didn't bust 8,000. It looks like you were crying when they counted the votes. I suspect it's because you knew you could have done better.

Instead of joining the forces of evil who fight against me, you should try to get on my side, and try to get me on your side. This certainly isn't the place for this, but Nick I am extending an offer to you: once you get over this little spanking, let's sit down and try to work together. As long as you are for what's right, we can get along. Don't ever disrespect me again. My record speaks for itself. If you didn't know before, you know now.

Obama vs. Keyes

This would be a great matchup. The Chicago Sun Times reports:

Former GOP presidential candidate Alan Keyes told Illinois Republicans Monday that he is ''open to the idea'' of taking on the Democrat in the U.S. Senate race -- a move that would pit two eloquent, nationally known African Americans against one another.

Who can forget the classic scene of Alan Keyes being hauled off and arrested after trying to participate in the Presidential debates? Remember this complaint filed with the Federal Elections Commission against the Commission on Presidential Debates.

When are white people going to stop insulting African Americans with this comment about us being "eloquent"? "The Niggras sure can speak well, Jeb."

Mark Mallory Stepping Down As Dem Co-Chair

Kevin Osborne adds something new to the story on Charlie Luken quitting as Mayor of Cincinnati.

Meanwhile, Mallory said Monday that he would resign as co-chairman of the Hamilton County Democratic Party after this fall's election. Luken had criticized Mallory for not stepping down when he joined the mayor's race.

"I didn't want to have any distractions," Mallory said. "I want to focus on running for mayor next year."

Mallory said Luken's decision surprised him, but said it wouldn't affect his campaign.

"The issues that are important in this race remain the same," he said. "Economic development and creating a job base, dealing with rising crime and bringing the city together.

"I look forward to a spirited campaign where we discuss the issues that matter to Cincinnati," Mallory added. "It won't be a negative campaign on my part."

Mark wouldn't have to step down and focus exclusively on running for mayor if he hadn't taken the position against Laketa Cole two years ago. I guess this decision finally puts that dispute/decision to rest.

Chamber of Commerce To Focus On Retaining "Creative Class"

Ah, the Chamber of Commerce's Regional Leadership Forum is going to spend ten months studying how to build and retain Cincinnati's creative class. Another group engaged in studying. We study everything. After all this studying, we must have some the smartest people in the world. Oh, I know most of the people named to be part of the Forum and I have to ask if any of them are strong enough to ensure that this focus on the "creative class" doesn't mean "young white professionals".

Why Article XII Will Not Be Repealed

On Sunday I told you that the campaign to repeal Article XII lacked any significant support in the Black community. One of you, who wished to remain anonymous, said:

Do you really think that Article 12 has that poor amount of support in the
Black community? And why? I'm curious to know.

Yep. Not only do I think it lacks support in the Black community, I think the organizers put it on the ballot at the wrong time and the effort is going to fail.

Timing

Phil Buress and the folks at Citizens For Community Values have worked to get 400,000 signatures and intend to place a constitutional amendment banning gay marriage on the ballot in November, the same time as the repeal Article XII initiative. Republican have successfully focused the entire country's attention on the issue of gay marriage. From now through November, Hamilton County and the City of Cincinnati are going to be the nation's battleground in the new culture wars. No matter how hard they try to convvince people that the two issue have nothing to do with one another, people are going to think about gay marriage (which a vast majority of Cincinnatians oppose) when they vote on the repeal amendment. The question of what impact the gay marriage issue would have on the repeal effort was raised at last week's big - really big - press conference. The two issues are going to be linked together and that's bad for those people who support the repeal. People think that the GBLT community has overreached. As my friend General Kabaka tells me all the time, "the gays have gone too far".

Because of their poor timing, the repeal people will have a great disadvantage in fundraising. CCV has already raised money from all over the country to get their issue put on the ballot. They will have tons of money to get the gay marriage amendment passed. I don't care if the repeal Article XII people do have verbal support from P & G and the business community, they are going to be outspent by a wide margin.

Another reason this is bad timing is because they chose to put the repeal on the ballot in a year when City Council is not running for election. The organizers didn't have to put it on the ballot now, they chose to do so. I suspect they wanted to give cover to those members of Council who support the effort. But by placing the issue on the ballot this November, all they've done is risked firing up conservatives in the county and possibly costing Todd Portune his seat on the County Commission. This move is really unfair to Todd, but selfishness is a triat associated with the repeal Article XII folks.

Article XII Lacks Support In The Black Community

The people trying to repeal Article XII try to sell the issue as a human rights issue, yet over the last 10 years or so since Issue 3 passed, the GBLT community hasn't shown concern for other "minority" groups including African Americans. In fact, some of the most hostile and vocal opponents of human rights for African Americans have been people linked to groups like Stonewall Cincinnati (i.e., John Schlagetter, Nick Spencer, Doreen Cudnik, Brian Griffin, Wes Flinn). Instead of building a coalition with the Black community, and standing with African Americans in support of our human rights, large segments of the GBLT community have shown themselves to be arrogant opportunist determined to selfishly link themselves with the civil rights movement which they never participated in and do not support today.

(My good friend Monica Williams told me about a meeting of Stonewall Cincinnati that she attended. According to Monica, one fellow begged his fellow Stonewall members to stand up and speak out on the injustices happening in the Black community. Doreen Cudnik told Monica and this gentleman that she, and Stonewall, were only interested in advancing GBLT rights and causes. Her sentiment prevailed in the meeting and the gentlemen who had tried to persuade the group was emotionally crushed. Monica says he told them in clear terms that they were making a mistake which would come back to haunt them in the future. Please note: Doreen didn't want to volunteer her time working on issues involving the Black community and she fought hard to stop Stonewall Cincinnati from focusing on "Black" problems, but now she has a job working as a "Community Organizer" as a result of police misconduct directly primarily at African Americans and the "Collaborative Agreement" aimed at improving police/Black Community relations. Once again, Black people suffer, struggle, and fight for change only to see someone like Doreen benefit financially from our struggle. And people condemn Rev. Jesse Jackson as being a shakedown artist.)

The Coalition For A Just Cincinnati (comprised mostly, though not exclusively, of African Americans) made repealing Article XII one of our boycott demands. It was a decision that cost our organization support in the Black community because large segments of the Black community, many who had experience working in coalitions involving the GBLT community, never trusted the GBLT leaders to stay the course. There was always a belief that the GBLT members of the coalition were only interested in one thing - repealing Article XII, and that they would bolt once that objective was achieved or when a better partner came along. In addition, for months certain members of Damon Lynch's Black United Front waged a public campaign to claim that "them gays" had taken over the CJC and were determined to "control the 'Black Struggle'". The arrogance of certain GBLT community leaders did nothing to counter this growing public sentiment. Nevertheless, CJC leaders never dropped our demand that Article XII be repealed because the organization supports the repeal effort in principle. When the repeal effort fails, and again I think it will, it will be because the leaders of the effort were hard-headed and selfish.

More Reagan Butler Fallout: WLWT Hiring New Web Site Editor

Billye Hill, Darnell Wilburn are you reading this? Readers of this blog know that Channel 5 had to fire their last online editor, Dave Thomas, after he did this. Well, WLWT is hiring a new web site managing editor. Wouldn't it be nice to have a Black woman take this position considering the person slandered by Channel 5, which led to the position opening, was a Black woman.

CCA Conclusions On Nate Jones' Death

Just got back home from City Hall with a copy of the Final Investigative Report on the death of Nathaniel J. Jones (No link. I will try to have scanned and linked to blog by morning).

Here are the conclusions.

1. The Officers' Initial Approach to Mr. Jones
   
   ...CCA has concluded that the officers' initial approach to Mr. Jones was inappropriate because they failed to exhaust all their options and properly keep their distance.
   
2. Officer Pike's Use of Chemical Irritant
   
   ...CCA has concluded the use of chemical irritant complied with CPD 12.545....
   
3. The Struggle and The Officers' Use of Their PR-24's
   
   CCA has concluded the thirty-three (33) PR-24 strikes administered by Officers Pike, Osterman and Abrams were not consistent with Mr. Jones' level of resistance and were, therefore, "excessive." The officers failed to "disengage" as a reasonable option to allow Mr. Jones time to submit.
   
4. Officer Slade's Use of Chemical Irritant
   
   CCA has concluded this second deployment of chemical irritant by Officer Slade was unwarranted and unreasonable.
   
5. The Conclusion of the Handcuffing Process
   
   At the conclusion of the handcuffing process, CCA has concluded Sergeant Waites, Officers Pike, Osterman, Abrams, Slade, Reese and Johnstone failed to follow correct procedure as outlined in CPD Training Bulletin 2003/1. The officers failed to act for approximately forty seconds as Mr. Jones lay prone on the ground.

Findings

CCA has concluded that Officers Pike, Osterman and Abrams used an excessive number of PR-24 strikes during the arrest of Mr. Jones. The force used was excessive and not consistent with Mr. Jones' level of resistance. CCA recommends that the allegation of Excessive Force be SUSTAINED against Officers Pike, Osterman and Abrams. The actions of these officers should result in severe disciplinary sanctions.

Charlie Luken Won't Run For Mayor: Ding Dong The Witch Is Dead

According to a local black talk radio host, Charlie Luken is set to announce later today that he will NOT seek re-election as Mayor. Of course, that's GREAT NEWS. The question is, does it have anything to do with the Nate Jones report being released tonight? Or is does this have anything to do with complaints seeking to have Luken permanently disbarred from engaging in the practice of law after committing perjury on the stand? Either way, the City should rejoice tonight.

Update: Channel 9/WCPO reports that Luken has called a press conference for 2:30 p.m.

CHARLIE LUKEN THREW IN THE TOWEL AT TODAY'S PRESS CONFERENCE.

Charlie Luken is a quitter. He quit City Council and went to Congress. Then he quit Congress and went to Channel 5. Then he quit Channel 5 and went back to City Hall. Now he quit his job as Mayor. A quitter through and through. My take is that this decision is good for the City. Luken is just not a leader. He couldn't lead City Council. He couldn't bring the City together. Under his "leadership", population is down, taxes are about to go up, the City is facing a budget defecit, murder is at an all time high, businesses are closing, the riverbank is undeveloped, HUD is demanding $4 Million, the Owensby family is set to win their lawsuit and cost the City Millions of dollars, and last year the City was forced to pay police brutality victims millions of dollars.

With such a terrible record, Luken had the nerve to say, "the City is moving in the right direction". Puh-lease!!!

Jeff Wyler Employee Called "Porch Monkey"?

Have you ever bought a car from Jeff Wyler? I found this Complaint that accuses Jeff Wyler employees of calling a Black man a "boy" and "porch monkey". Before you say, "oh, Nate, these are just accusations from a disgruntled employee!" consider this: Bradshaw filed a complaint with the EEOC and they found probable cause that the claims are true.

This is the same Jeff Wyler who is a member of the University of Cincinnati Board of Trustees. With people like him and Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen sitting on the BOT is there any wonder why UC has so many race problems?

Nate Jones Report Released Today

The Cincinnati Citizens' Complaint Authority (CCA) is supposed to release their final report on the death of Nathaniel Jones tonight at 6:00 p.m. The report was done on Wednesday and given to the City Manager but it has not been given to the public yet. My sources tell me the CCA bowed to pressure from Charlie Luken. We will see tonight.

Tonight: 6:00 p.m.
Cincinnati City Hall

Post Office Lawsuit

This Complaint has to be one of the shortest I've ever read. You read it and tell me if you think this is a valid claim?

1. Plaintiff was employed at the Cincinnati Bulk Mail Center (DBMC) from 1993 until her discharge from employment effective November 23, 2002. During the period relevant to this action, Plaintiff was employed at the facility as a mail handler.

2. The termination of Plaintiff's employment resulted from an allegation by a co-worker, Mark Brunswick, that Plaintiff had accused Brunswick of being homosexual and having a homosexual relationship with another employee, Tyrone Cruthcher. It was further alleged that Plaintiff had told Brunswick that her husband, Michael Chandler, also employed at CBMC, would beat him up.
3. These allegations were false, but were used by Plaintiff's superiors at CMBC as a pretext for terminating Plaintiff's employment, because Plaintiff was viewed by them as being a troublemaker due to previous EEOC complaints made by Plaintiff concerning incidents and conditions at CBMC.
4. The termination of Plaintiff's employment was in retaliation for her earlier EEOC activity complaining about incidents and conditions at CBMC, in violation of 42 USC 2000e-3(a), made applicable to Federal agencies by Executive Order No. 11478.

WHEREFORE, Plaintiff prays judgment against the Defendant as follows:

For an order restoring her to full employment at the Cincinnati CBMC; for back pay for the period of time from November 23, 2002 until the date of reinstatement; for compensatory and punitive damages; for all other relief of a legal or equitable nature to which the Plaintiff may be entitled in the premises.

What if Mark Brunswick was homosexual and having a homosexual relationship with Tyrone Crutcher, what possible post office rule can the plaintiff's comments violate? If Mark was gay why would the plaintiff threaten to have her husband beat him up?

MTV's Rock the Vote: Beyond useless

The folks over at The Raw Story analyzed MTV's Rock The Vote campaign and concluded that it was ineffective. There are lots of reasons young people don't vote. The main problem is that they don't have anyone or anything worthwhile to vote for. Neither John Kerry or John Edwards are going to change that. The Kerry/Edwards agenda doesn't speak to young people. (And as the L.A. Weekly Times points out, there is no organizing or message aimed at America's city dwellers or African Americans.) Back to Rock The Vote:

Youth voting has actually declined since RtV has been in existence. Only in 1992 did youth voting tick upward from its continuing downward descent (but so did all other age groups that year). Voter turnout among 18-24 year-olds was around 45% in 1990, RtV’s first year in business, but by 2000, this age group was voting in the range of 38%. There were about 27 million young people aged 18-24 in 1990 and around 29 million in 2000. That means around 11 million young people voted in 2000, and 12.1 million young people voted in 1990, for a net loss of one million young voters.)

And what ever happened to the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network? Well, the Weekly Standard was nice enough to give us this. I thought this passage was funny:

Founded in 2001 by Russell Simmons and former NAACP director Benjamin Chavis, he Hip-Hop Summit Action Network, if you want to get wordy about their mission as their promotional literature does, "is dedicated to harnessing the cultural relevance of hip-hop music to serve as a catalyst for education advocacy and other societal concerns fundamental to the well-being of at-risk youth throughout the United States." In reality, they afford rappers, at conferences staged throughout the country a chance to pop off about politics, all in the hopes of turning out 2 million additional young voters in this election, under the prom-theme, "Taking Back Responsibility."

Bush and his Black Republicans

Bush's headpat puts a grin on this Negro's face. I just can't bring myself to do it...
You make the caption for this picture.

Article XII Repeal Effort Lacks Black Support

I blogged on the big (less than 50 people, really big) Repeal Article XII press conference where only a handful of African Americans showed up. Then today I was listening to City Councilman Christopher Smitherman on the black talk radio station today and heard Curtis (radio name "rabble rouser") ask Smitherman why he attended the press conference. To his credit, Smitherman didn't duck the question, he said he was there because he supported the cause. His position is consistent. He doesn't say one thing in the Black community and another in the white community. Then Smitherman flipped the script on Curtis and asked him why his leader Rev. Damon Lynch, III was at the press conference?

The Black United Front is trying to have it both ways. The members are publicly blasting the repeal effort in the Black community while remaining nuetral in the white community. The members never mention that their leader Damon is campaigning to repeal Article XII. [For those non-Cincinnatians reading this, it may help you to know that Article XII is a part of our City's Charter (sort of like our Constitution) that prohibits the City from providing homosexuals, lesbians, or bisexuals minority or protected status, or from granting them preferential treatment.] Repealing Article XII is extremely unpopular in the Black community so Curtis, Dwight Patton, Juleana Frierson, Iris Roley, et al jump on Black talk radio and talk against "them gays". All the while, their leader Damon is meeting with "them gays", pledging his support to "them gays", and taking money from "them gays". Those Black leaders who publicly support the repeal effort will lose some of their support in the Black community. Too many (not all) members of the City's GBLT community are selfish bigots who do not now, and never will, support people like Smitherman and Lynch. That doesn't mean African Americans, who are so inclined, can't benefit from supporting the repeal effort. The business community, led by Procter & Gamble, has pledged a ton of money to support this repeal effort so certain unprincipled Negroes will trade a loss of voter support for financial support.

Anyway, check out the picture and see how many dark faces you see? This could be better than "Where's Waldo?" If necessary, I'll post a link to the video I shot at the press conference.

Payback: Cleveland Editor Takes Heat For Publishing Gun List

Before you make a pro-2nd Amendment group mad and publish their names and addresses in your newspaper, you might want to consider that their members and supporters may be armed and may post your name and address on their website. Cleveland Plain Dealer Editor Doug Clifton is learning this lesson the hard way.

Why did a pro-gun group post directions to a local newspaper editor's house on its Web site?

When Ohio legislators approved a new law allowing residents to carry concealed weapons, but allowed only the media to find out the names of those obtaining such permits, The Plain Dealer in Cleveland decided to let the public know which of their neighbors were on the list.

*****

...that did not sit well with a local gun rights group, which aimed its opposition to the publication effort directly at Clifton. Ohioans for Concealed Carry (OFCC) posted Clifton's home address, phone number and even a map to his house on its Web site Wednesday. The group claimed that if readers have a right to know who has concealed weapons, they have a right to know Clifton's personal information.

[Via The Cincinnati Nation.]

Rosa Parks' Doctors Must Tell Why She Can't Testify Against OutKast

This could easily have been titled, "OutKast Needs A Beatdown". I didn't know this lawsuit was still active.

DETROIT -- A federal judge has ordered a doctor for civil rights pioneer Rosa Parks to explain why Parks cannot testify in a lawsuit she brought against a rap group that used her name without permission.

Parks' lawsuit claims the 1998 song ''Rosa Parks'' by OutKast constituted false advertising and infringed on her trademark rights. The Detroit resident alleges OutKast and record company BMG exploited her name for commercial purposes.

Lawyers for the defense have asked to interview Parks to explain claims that she suffered emotional and mental distress because of the song. But Parks' lawyers said the 91-year-old woman suffers from an unspecified medical condition and her doctor does not recommend that she testify.

U.S. Magistrate Judge Donald A. Scheer said during a Thursday hearing that Parks' doctor must release records relating to her medical condition and explain why she cannot be questioned by the defense.

Scheer also excluded OutKast from the lawsuit -- leaving only BMG as a defendant -- because the individual members were not named in the suit, and the group's name was incorrect.

It doesn't look good for Rosa Parks. If you read the entire story you learn that Mrs. Parks lost the first round of this battle in District Court and had a portion of it reinstated by the 6th Circuit last year. Still, her claims for defamation and interfering with an ongoing business relationship have been thrown out. Now her claims against OutKast are dismissed. So what is the dispute? That BMG's actions somehow constitute false advertising and trademark infringement? Ridiculous! I don't see how Mrs. Parks' attorneys can win this.

On the other hand, OutKast and BMG should have sought Mrs. Parks' permission before they used her name. The mere allegation that this frail, sick, 91-year-old, elder and civil rights pioneer is being dragged into court to defend herself from these young knuckleheads in OutKast who have already caused her to suffer emotional and mental distress is something that shouldn't be tolerated. I'm a big fan of "The Sopranoes" and I can't imagine what Tony & Co. would do if this happened on one of their shows. Yes, that's only TV, but can you envision this happening in any other community in America? Absolutely not. You don't mistreat living icons. But OutKast gets a free pass. If I was handling the sit down here's what would happen: BMG and OutKast (even if they have been dismissed from the suit) would settle up with Mrs. Parks. The community lacks order and respect. By right, the Rosa Parks lawsuit should have been bad business for OutKast. Everytime Andre showed up at an event in any city, there should have been people there using any means necessary to let him know that you don't disrepect the Mother of The Movement. Just think how different things would be if every week or so you read headlines like: "OutKast gets booed off stage at the BET awards show", "OutKast's Andre recovering in NY hospital after crowd gets physical and demands lawsuit settlement and apology to Rosa Parks", "Police look for unidentified Rosa Parks supporters responsible for injuring OutKast members in Atlanta shopping mall after warning 'You won't be safe anywhere in America'".

Where is Russell Simmons and the Hip-Hop Summit Action Network when you need them?

The Boondocks Moving To Cartoon Network

Fox TV can have "The Simpsons" but they couldn't handle "The Boondocks". What else is new? Michael King over at Ramblings' Journal tells us the Cartoon Network is finalizing a deal to pick up the cartoon.

Here's a classic strip:



With the move to the Cartoon Network, Kathy Wilson won't have to complain about the Cincinnati Enquirer refusing to carry the comic strip. None of us will have to bother searching for the Boondocks in Cincinnati Post (which nobody reads).

Hallelujah!

Ambra Nykol is fast becoming one of my favorite bloggers. Although clearly confused politically and philosophically -- she belongs to the Conservative Brotherhood, a band of African American Republican propagandist -- her writing is fresh, humourous, and pointed. She posted this ditty last Friday:

Aside from his vapid pseudo-sermonizing and this here "halleluiah" picture, I'll give him credit for waking up the front row and bringing a little "spice" to what otherwise seemed to be a dry concoction of conservative bashing.

When I clicked the link and viewed the picture, I had to admit she nailed the caption. A "hallelujah" picture, indeed.

Ralph Nader Anti-Semitic

John Paul has three different "Nader/New Anti-Semitism Installments". Yeah, I thought you knew, they are calling Ralph Nader an anti-Semite. Way to go.

Smoking The Deck

Can anyone look at the panel named to "study" whether or not to create a smoking ban and think that there is any chance that they will recommend against it? Yeah, let's get the Cancer Society, the Lung Association, Tabacco-Free Ohio, Tabacco Prevention Coalition of Northern Kentucky, Greater Cincinnati Coalition on Smoking and Health, and a few assorted old-school liberal, they will keep an open mind.

Another Non-Story

The Post has a fluff piece on the Freedom Center and the Cincinnati Enquirer has a fluff piece on Mike Tyson fight promoter Chris Webb saying:

"... There's a lot of people here from Cincinnati. The phone's been ringing off the hook from Cincinnati all week. I love Cincinnati. And I would say over the next six months, Straight Out Promotions will definitely be looking to do an event in Cincinnati."

It's not like there isn't news to cover in Cincinnati. It's just that when your executives are in downtown tourism groups, your reporters get mixed signals. Instead of the paper reporting the news, it pushes "stories" that come straight from the Chamber of Commerce. That's the only explaination for why the newspaper would do what is in essence a commercial for Mr. Webb.

Freedom Center "An Utter Disgrace"

In their continued deviation from news reporters to downtown cheerleaders, the Cincinnati Post has this story about the National Underground Railroad Freedom Center.

Similarly, Amanda Mayes, of the Coalition for a Just Cincinnati, left a recent preview tour of the museum disappointed by what she considers a "sugar-coated, whitewashed version" of history that trumpets the Underground Railroad's successes while downplaying the grim stories of the many slaves who were caught, beaten and killed while trying to escape. "The whole thing is just an utter disgrace,'' she said.

As usual, Amanda is absolutely correct. I also went on a tour of the Freedom Center and believe me when I tell you, this is designed by Procter & Gamble to make white people feel good about slavery. They ought to rename this the Ivory Soap National Underground Railroad Freedom Center because, like Ivory, the exhibits are 99.99% pure of reality.

Huntington Meadows Not Going Away

There will probably be plenty of stories about HUD's attempt to recoup the $3.95 Million in grants given to the City for low income housing or obtain proof that the City tried to correct problems at Huntington Meadows before they closed it.

Here is the dilemna for the City. A separate civil lawsuit alleges , in layman's terms, that the City schemed to kick the low income residents out of Huntington Meadows so that Vice Mayor Alicia Reece and her family business could get paid. The people who filed that lawsuit want the documents that HUD is demanding. So does the City give the documents to HUD to get around repaying the $3.95 Million, or does the City give the documents to HUD and the lawsuit plaintiffs and risk losing the lawsuit and paying millions of dollars for their wrongdoing.

Either way, it looks like the City is going to have to pay up. The question is, does the City give up the documents and throw Alicia Reece to the wolves or does it withhold the documents while protecting Reece and repay HUD?

[Note: since the lazy local media won't let you read the lawsuit, I'm providing a link here.]

Blog Problems Fixed

It took me ... what ... a week ... ten days ... two weeks ... to get my personal blog back up and running? Well, it's back up!

I'm not sure how I'll decide what content goes on which blog. I also don't want to make any rules (except simple guideline on how you contribute postings). One major difference between the two blogs is that I'm going to allow other people to make comments on this blog. (For example, my fellow Coalition For A Just Cincinnati member Monica Williams wanted to make comments about the City closing a street in Over The Rhine. In the future, she can post comments here.) I'll maintain exclusive use of my personal blog. If you want to know what's going on, READ BOTH BLOGS EVERYDAY!

http://natelivingston.blogspot.com

http://blackcincinnati.blogspot.com

Gov. Fletcher Finally Finds A Token

I wouldn't expect the white liberal over at Covington to address this issue, but Republican Gov. Ernie Fletcher who "says he was 'rightly criticized' by civil-rights leaders for appointing an all-white executive cabinet after taking office" has finally appointed an African American as a member of his cabinet. Let's all sing together now, "We Shall Overcome ... some ... day..."

Even Conservative Republicans Admit Rev. Sharpton Is Brilliant

Well, the National Review's Managing Editor Jay Nordlinger actually calls him "poisonous and brilliant" but when dealing with the far right-wing you have to take what you can get. I found myself laughing while reading his take on Rev. Sharpton's DNC convention speech. Anyone who can make me laugh is alright.

Say It Ain't So.

Actor Anthony Anderson from "Barbershop", "Romeo Must Die", and what was that movie about a Kangaroo (?) is accused of raping a woman in Tennessee. The Smoking Gun has Anderson's mugshot and the criminal Complaint.

Slam Bush?

From AllHipHop.com:

Chuck D., Wordsworth, Medusa Team Up To 'Slam Bush'

*****

"Slam Bush is an opportunity for the Hip-Hop generation to use its own voice to stand up against George W. Bush," organizer Rob "biko" Baker told AllHipHop.com in a statement. "For years Hip-Hop has been an informal political voice, now it's time to show we can make change at the polls."

Baltimore Sun: Black Voters Oppose Bush - But Aren't Sold On Kerry

You have to register with the Baltimore Sun to read the article but I think it raises important questions. There are hundreds of thousands of people like 18-year-old Job Corp member LaShonda Jackson who "hasn't registered to vote and - despite the best efforts of Congressional Black Caucus Chairman Elijah E. Cummings, leading a panel of political experts in the front of the room who weigh in on the urgency of black voters going to the polls on Nov. 2 - she remains ambivalent about taking part in this year's elections." LaShonda is hardly alone. Look at Avery Tooley who says "I vote solely because my grandparents couldn't."

My friends in the Democratic Party don't want to face facts but (1) John Kerry has few, if any, African Americans in senior positions within his campaign, (2) a recent BET-CBS News poll questioning 986 black adults on their feelings about Kerry and Bush found the Massachusetts senator on shaky ground, and (3) another poll by Black America's Political Action Committee (BAMPAC) found only 32% of African Americans Think Kerry Should Replace Bush. I'm sure my inbox will blow up for telling the truth, but, uh, have you ever known that to stop me from doing what I do?

When Did John Edwards Turn Black?

I never liked the whole "Bill Clinton is the first African American President" comments. Believe me, I'm not alone. And now the Associated Press has this story.

Watt compared his party's vice-presidential nominee to Bill Clinton, whom some in the black community refer to as "the first African-American president."

I live and work in the Black community and I'm Black. I've never heard ANY BLACK PERSON refer to President Clinton as "the first African American President". Now I've heard some white people who don't live in the Black community claim that Blacks use this phrase. I just bet this writer, Tim Whitmere, is white.

We need more people like Emory University political scientist Merle Black asking, "What specific policies is (Edwards) advocating?" I want to know, don't you? "Other than saying he wants to talk about (race), what specifically does he want to talk about?"

Why Isn't GOP On BET?

The Republican-leaning Wall Street Journal's Jason Riley has this in today's paper. I don't agree with the central premise which seems to be that African American voters support the Democratic Party because the party does a better job of outreach through media.

Meanwhile, the Republican elites will sit back, carefully assess the demographic trends and reach the wrong conclusion. They will note that more and more blacks are stockholders, own homes, graduate from college and earn middle-class incomes. They will cite data showing high approval, particularly among black GenXers, for Republican hobbyhorses like school choice and personal retirement accounts. They will point to Colin Powell and Condi Rice as GOP role models. And they will tell themselves that it's only a matter of time before voting blacks break with Democrats in significant numbers.

They are kidding themselves. This isn't about issues; it's about perceptions.

Why don't people like Riley listen to people like Rev. Al Sharpton? Rev. Al addressed Bush's remarks at the DNC convention:

Mr. President, as I close, Mr. President, I heard you say Friday that you had questions for voters, particularly African- American voters. And you asked the question: Did the Democratic Party take us for granted? Well, I have raised questions. But let me answer your question.

You said the Republican Party was the party of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, after which there was a commitment to give 40 acres and a mule.

That's where the argument, to this day, of reparations starts. We never got the 40 acres. We went all the way to Herbert Hoover, and we never got the 40 acres.

We didn't get the mule. So we decided we'd ride this donkey as far as it would take us.

Mr. President, you said would we have more leverage if both parties got our votes, but we didn't come this far playing political games. It was those that earned our vote that got our vote. We got the Civil Rights Act under a Democrat. We got the Voting Rights Act under a Democrat. We got the right to organize under Democrats.

Mr. President, the reason we are fighting so hard, the reason we took Florida so seriously, is our right to vote wasn't gained because of our age. Our vote was soaked in the blood of martyrs, soaked in the blood of good men (inaudible) soaked in the blood of four little girls in Birmingham.

This vote is sacred to us.

This vote can't be bargained away.

This vote can't be given away.

Mr. President, in all due respect, Mr. President, read my lips: Our vote is not for sale.

While I don't agree that the modern Democratic Party has earned the African American vote, I do understand and respect Rev. Sharpton's perspective. The view that the GOP simply needs to do a better job of advertising is nonsense.

Smackdown

I don't like Stanley Crouch but something about this incident makes me smile. I don't know what it is ... but ... I've got to admit ... I've had to r-e-s-t-r-a-i-n myself from smacking the shit out of a few people in this city.

... it went down like this: On a warm mid-day at a West Greenwich Village restaurant called Tartine, Stanley Crouch, jazz aficionado, New York Daily News columnist, novelist, and perpetual enfant terrible of New York's literary set, came upon a New Republic book reviewer named Dale Peck lunching with writer Linda Yablonsky. Now, Crouch is a formidable dude — slightly over six-feet tall and stocky, with an imposing bald head punctuated by large Lew Wasserman-style Mogul Eyeglasses. He is also African American, and not known for mincing — his words or his steps. Peck, from the photos I've seen, anyway, is a slender, athletic-looking white man with a fashionably bald head and a jazz dab-style goatee favored by lower-Manhattan types. He appears to be at least a decade younger and perhaps twenty pounds lighter than Crouch, who is fast approaching age 60. As first reported by Yablonsky on Gawker.com, Crouch spotted Peck, rolled up on him, and introduced himself. So far so good. But, after Peck shook his hand, Crouch slapped Peck across the face and said, "If you ever did anything like that again, it'll be much worse."

A couple of you local bloggers -- you know who you are -- really need a good smack in the face!

Why Isn't GOP on BET?

The Republican-leaning Wall Street Journal's Jason Riley has this in today's paper. I don't agree with the central premise which seems to be that African American voters support the Democratic Party because the party does a better job of outreach through media.

Meanwhile, the Republican elites will sit back, carefully assess the demographic trends and reach the wrong conclusion. They will note that more and more blacks are stockholders, own homes, graduate from college and earn middle-class incomes. They will cite data showing high approval, particularly among black GenXers, for Republican hobbyhorses like school choice and personal retirement accounts. They will point to Colin Powell and Condi Rice as GOP role models. And they will tell themselves that it's only a matter of time before voting blacks break with Democrats in significant numbers.

They are kidding themselves. This isn't about issues; it's about perceptions.

Why don't people like Riley listen to people like Rev. Al Sharpton? Rev. Al addressed Bush's remarks at the DNC convention:

Mr. President, as I close, Mr. President, I heard you say Friday that you had questions for voters, particularly African- American voters. And you asked the question: Did the Democratic Party take us for granted? Well, I have raised questions. But let me answer your question.

You said the Republican Party was the party of Lincoln and Frederick Douglass. It is true that Mr. Lincoln signed the Emancipation Proclamation, after which there was a commitment to give 40 acres and a mule.

That's where the argument, to this day, of reparations starts. We never got the 40 acres. We went all the way to Herbert Hoover, and we never got the 40 acres.

We didn't get the mule. So we decided we'd ride this donkey as far as it would take us.

Mr. President, you said would we have more leverage if both parties got our votes, but we didn't come this far playing political games. It was those that earned our vote that got our vote. We got the Civil Rights Act under a Democrat. We got the Voting Rights Act under a Democrat. We got the right to organize under Democrats.

Mr. President, the reason we are fighting so hard, the reason we took Florida so seriously, is our right to vote wasn't gained because of our age. Our vote was soaked in the blood of martyrs, soaked in the blood of good men (inaudible) soaked in the blood of four little girls in Birmingham.

This vote is sacred to us.

This vote can't be bargained away.

This vote can't be given away.

Mr. President, in all due respect, Mr. President, read my lips: Our vote is not for sale.

While I don't agree that the modern Democratic Party has earned the African American vote, I do understand and respect Rev. Sharpton's perspective. The view that the GOP simply needs to do a better job of advertising is nonsense.

Calling Judicial Watch...

I was notified today that Judicial Watch, the public interest law firm that investigates and prosecutes government abuse and corruption, may help with the Luken/McAdams perjury case. Some people think Judical Watch is an extreme right-wing activist group that only attacks liberal Democrats like President Clinton. I'm not so sure. As you can see here, Judicial Watch filed suit against Vice President Cheney and Halliburton. I certainly hope Judicial Watch, whose slogan is "because no one is above the law!", joins the fight to bring Charlie Luken and Ernest McAdams (and Judges Guckenberger and Painter) to justice.

Calling Judicial Watch...

I was notified today that Judicial Watch, the public interest law firm that investigates and prosecutes government abuse and corruption, may help with the Luken/McAdams perjury case. Some people think Judical Watch is an extreme right-wing activist group that only attacks liberal Democrats like President Clinton. I'm not so sure. As you can see here, Judicial Watch filed suit against Vice President Cheney and Halliburton. I certainly hope Judicial Watch, whose slogan is "because no one is above the law!", joins the fight to bring Charlie Luken and Ernest McAdams (and Judges Guckenberger and Painter) to justice.

Prosecutor Pushed To Probe Perjury

I'm proud to tell you about a few new developments in the push to get Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken and Cincinnati Prosecutor Ernest McAdams, Sr. investigated and prosecuted for lying on the witness stand in Hamilton County Municipal Judge Guy Guckenberger's courtroom.

1.) Today I wrote to Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen asking him to appoint an independent prosecutor to review the perjury allegations. A few points on why I asked for an independent prosecutor.

• Political Motivation - Because of the politics involved, I don't believe Republican Mike Allen can, or should, handle the investigation himself. An independent prosecutor isolates him and his office from the inevitable charges that any investigation and subsequent prosecution is politically motivated. You might expect Luken, a Democrat (even if in name only), and his supporters to claim parisanship is behind any investigation. While Guckenberger, a Republican, may claim any investigation is designed to prevent him from advancing to the Court of Appeals if Mark Painter steps down and declares himself a candidate for mayor.


• Race - Very few people that I know believe Mike Allen is as tough on alleged white criminals as he is on alleged African American criminals. By asking for an independent prosecutor, I seek to have someone who will look at the charges and prosecute accordingly.

2.) Today I also publicly announced my intention to file complaints against Luken, McAdams, Guckenberger, and Judge Mark Painter with the Ohio Supreme Court's Disciplinary Counsel. The Ohio Supreme Court's Rules require that investigations be confidential and limit what I can say once the complaints are filed. If you are reading this you probably already know that the four people named above wield an enourmous amount of power in the City and at the State level. You probably want to know what's the use? Do I really think that anything is going to happen to these people? Do I honestly believe that four of the City's most powerful people will be treated like you or I would be treated if we took the witness stand and lied? (On a brief sidenote, I've been in court more times than I care to remember and witnessed judges throw the book at people for using fake documents or committing fraud. So get your facts together before you tell me that the courts don't take lying seriously.) While I don't believe for one moment that Jonathan E. Coughlan, the Supreme Court's Disciplinary Counsel, has the fortitude to properly deal with this situation and appropriately sanction these individuals, I feel compelled to file the complaints anyway. You never know what might happen.

3.) You are hearing this here first. Over the past few weeks I've been considering filing a lawsuit (actually called an Affidavit of Bias and Prejudice) against Judge Guckenberger. The consultations are over with and I'm filing the lawsuit (may have it done by morning). Even though Guckenberger didn't actually encourage people to lie under oath (at least I don't have proof that he did), the Judge had a responsibility to do something about Luken's and McAdams' perjury once he became aware of it. Instead of doing that, Guckenberger has become an apologist for Luken and McAdams. In open court, Guckenberger has pretended that Luken just misspoke. Seriously! That's why I put the seven Luken video clips up for you to see for yourself. I figured someone might try to tell you that your eyes were playing tricks on you.

4.) I've arranged to provide copies of the courtroom video to the media tomorrow morning. So the lazy local media might do something with this story after all.

Prosecutor Pushed To Probe Perjury

I'm proud to tell you about a few new developments in the push to get Cincinnati Mayor Charlie Luken and Cincinnati Prosecutor Ernest McAdams, Sr. investigated and prosecuted for lying on the witness stand in Hamilton County Municipal Judge Guckenberger's courtroom.

1.) Today I wrote to Hamilton County Prosecutor Mike Allen asking him to appoint an independent prosecutor to review the perjury allegations.  A few points on why I asked for an independent prosecutor.

• Political Motivation - Because of the politics involved, I don't believe Republican Mike Allen can, or should, handle the investigation himself.  An independent prosecutor isolates him and his office from the inevitable charges that any investigation and subsequent prosecution is politically motivated.  You might expect Luken, a Democrat (even if in name only), and his supporters to claim parisanship is behind any investigation.  While Guckenberger, a Republican, may claim any investigation is designed to prevent him from advancing to the Court of Appeals if Mark Painter steps down and declares himself a candidate for mayor.
• Race - Very few people that I know believe Mike Allen is as tough on alleged white criminals as he is on alleged African American criminals.  By asking for an independent prosecutor, I seek to have someone who will look at the charges and prosecute accordingly.

2.) Today I also publicly announced my intention to file complaints against Charlie Luken, Ernest McAdams, Sr., Judge Guy Guckenberger, and Judge Mark Painter with the Ohio Supreme Court's Disciplinary Counsel.  The Ohio Supreme Court's Rules require that investigations be confidential and limit what I can say once the complaints are filed.  If you are reading this you probably already know that the four people named above wield an enourmous amount of power in the City and at the State level.  You probably want to know what's the use?  Do I really think that anything is going to happen to these people?  Do I honestly believe that four of the City's most powerful people will be treated like you or I would be treated if we took the witness stand and lied?  (On a brief sidenote, I've been in court more times than I care to remember and witnessed judges throw the book at people for using fake documents or committing fraud.  So get your facts together before you tell me that the courts don't take lying seriously.)  While I don't believe for one moment that Jonathan E. Coughlan, the Supreme Court's Disciplinary Counsel, has the fortitude to properly deal with this situation and appropriately sanction these individuals, I feel compelled to file the complaints anyway.  You never know what might happen.

3.) You are hearing this here first.  Over the past few weeks I've been considering filing a lawsuit (actually called an Affidavit of Bias and Prejudice) against Judge Guckenberger.  The consultations are over with and I'm filing the lawsuit (may have it done by morning).  Even though Guckenberger didn't actually encourage people to lie under oath (at least I don't have proof that he did), the Judge had a responsibility to do something about Luken's and McAdams' perjury once he became aware of it.  Instead of doing that, Guckenberger has become an apologist for Luken and McAdams.  In open court, Guckenberger has pretended that Luken just misspoke.  Seriously!  That's why I put the seven Luken video clips up for you to see for yourself.  I figured someone might try to tell you that your eyes were playing tricks on you.

4.) I've arranged to provide copies of the courtroom video to the media tomorrow morning.  So the lazy local media might do something with this story after all.

WLWT Editor Fired Over Reagan Butler Comments

The Cincinnati Enquirer has finally caught up and reported on the Reagan Butler situation at Channel 5.  Here are links to my blogs to the original comments and the apology.  The Enquirer reveals that Dave Thomas was the online editor who inserted the defamatory comments into the story.

The former online editor, Dave Thomas, 33, said he did not write the comment but did accidentally place it in the story.