Andrew Warner

Find this article and more at The Cincinnati Beacon.

"It's not simply about winning," said Paul Hackett. "It is about the future of this country, make no mistake about it."

Paul Hackett, perhaps one of the most famous Iraqi War veterans, was tapped to rally the troops at the Hamilton County Democratic Forum on Thursday night. Though this time his troops were not United States Marines, rather they were the foot soldiers and party faithful of the Democratic Party.

Former candidate for the United States Senate, Paul Hackett was introduced with fanfare equivalent to professional wrestling. A musical mix of the Shaft theme song, "Born in the U.S.A.," and "Come Together" boomed through Oakley's 20th Century Theater, welcoming the renegade star of the Democratic Party. He swore he had nothing to do with the musical choices.

Though slightly ironic, Hackett delivered a message of party unity. "We as a party have to have the will, commitment, and leadership to fight," he said.

The evening provided a forum for the Hamilton County Commissioner Race as well as the 2nd and 1st district races for the United States Congress.

David Pepper told the crowd that he hopes "to be known as 'The Heimlich Remover,'" a slogan he admitted he was trying out for his yard signs. His opponent Stephanie Dumas stressed her experience in politics and her experience as a union member. Neither candidate seemed to acknowledge the other was in the race.

The question which generated the most audience response between the candidates for commissioner was in regard to privatization of county services. Dumas responded with a point blank "no." She went on to elaborate that "cheaper is not always better." Pepper responded by saying privatization is not the "cure-all" as he thinks many Republicans are inclined to feel. He also said that there is almost no area where giving services to the private sector would benefit the county. Pepper then went on to discuss the importance of the social net provided by the county and it's importance in this year's race.

John Cranley, the sole entrant in the Democratic Primary for the 1st district race against Steve Chabot, arrived late and left early. He told the crowd his father was just coming out of surgery and that he felt it necessary to be with him. He also assured the crowd that his father would be fine, in spite of having major surgery.

"I love my country... Thank God the Democratic Party is here to fix things," said Cranley.

Cranley's vision of fixing things included energy independence, a living wage and health care for all children. He also sank his teeth into his opponent Steve Chabot, focusing on the over $100,000 that Chabot has accepted in free trips, especially those to India. "We need a Congressman who will spend more time in Delhi than New Delhi," Cranley said.

The free for all in the 2nd district included 5 candidates at the forum: Victoria Wulsin, Jim Parker, Thor Jacobs, Gaby Downey, and Jeff Sinnard.

There was little room for disagreement amongst these candidates. However, Jeff Sinnard raised some eyebrows with his pro-life stance, holding up an ultra-sound of his child followed by a photograph of his son in his current form. He said that both pictures are of his son and that is his belief. Wary that his decision may bother some Democrats, he was quick to remind the forum that the district, which is heavily conservative, holds a similar view to his. He urged people to choose in the primary based on electability in November.

Jim Parker also captured the crowd's attention with his obvious passion for health care. He passed around an empty jar, in the tradition of the collection plate, to collect for a young girl, a stranger, with cancer. His quirky brand of speech earned many laughs. On one occasion he stopped his speech mid-sentence when the card was held up telling him his time expired; other times he would continue his speech, without a microphone, on the way back to his seat. His manner of speech has an interesting range, starting as the quiet guy in the back of your old high school classroom, transforming before the crowd's eyes into an impassioned, fiery politician.

David Pepper warned the crowd that a train wreck has been looming on the horizon. Now he said, 2006, is the last chance to avoid the train from completely crashing.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 11:35 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Senator Russ Feingold has been showing off something Democrats have been notorious for leaving at home-- a spine.

Russ Feingold took a minimal step towards holding President Bush accountable, a call for censure. Some people have had impeachment on their mind, but censure was a good step in the right direction.

So how did fellow Democrats react to a reasonable proposal to punish the President for breaking a law? They ran and hid. They sold out their boy. It's like those scenes in a shoot-em-up movie where the hero runs out into a clearly overwhelming amount of gun fire and only asks his cowering partners to 'cover him.'

Well, fellow Democrats didn't give him cover, they started shooting at him too. Many have even accused Feingold of putting his own political ambitions over the good of the party. How dare him to do something that might actually get peoples attention, something that most Democratic constituents probably agree with?

And now I am starting to understand where Hackett and his supporters are coming from. Exposed by the John Stewart show to a large audience and many bloggers to a smaller degree, the Democrats plan of being the party with no plan or ideology is surfacing.

It reminds me of my high school wrestling days. The coaches would always tell kids, myself included, to "wrestle" to win when many people have that natural tendency to play "not to lose." I remember being exhausted, ahead with a comfortable lead, and ready for the match to be over. You glance at the scoreboard every couple of seconds just to reassure yourself that you are winning, hesitant to produce any type of offense, fearing you may make a mistake. Suddenly, the other guy is coming after you in desperation, while you are sitting back scoreboard watching as your lead begins to melt away.

For a while the Democrats have been afraid to lose, waiting for the Republicans to make a mistake. Republicans on the other hand, for better or worse, have developed a hard-nosed, never stop coming, win at all costs attitude. Democrats may be ahead in the polls right now, but as they keep poll watching they will watch their lead dwindle away, just in time for the Republicans to win in November.

Unlike Hackett, Feingold is simply telling the Democrats to bring it on and to stop being pansy's--quite admirable. Republican spin doctors are trying to capture the momentum of the situation while most elected Democrats are running from the pressure, letting their political brother carry the burden on his own.

Most disappointing for me is Representative Brown, supposedly "too liberal" for Ohio. He's a party first guy it seems, so he must be following the assigned path for Democrats. Drift towards the center, don't say anything "controversial," hope the other guy messes up bad enough to hand the election over. Sorry, but how has that strategy worked so far? Has it ever won anything?

I suppose I expected more from Brown on something like accountability for a terrible president. DeWine, unlike Brown, isn't afraid to step out of line with the party. Remember when he almost single handedly saved ANWR against the best wishes of clearly senile Ted Stevens and the rest of the oil-loving Republicans? I personally want leadership that doesn't cower when party leaders look in their direction.

I'm with Feingold on this one. Energize your own base who wants Bush's head, don't shiver at the thought of Karl Rove's evil master plan.

Read more about the Democratic cowardice HERE.

Find this article and more at The Cincinnati Beacon.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 1:06 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Christopher Smitherman has already come out and said that he is going to try to reclaim the seat that he lost in '05. Let me add my voice to his supporters and say that this is great news for the city of Cincinnati.

Labeled a troublemaker by the rag we call a paper and the generally terrible mainstream media, Smitherman is one of the only politicians who doesn't roll over for big money and corruption. He stood up to The Enquirer, he stood up to the police chief and the police force, and he continues to be a voice of reason in Cincinnati politics.

If you want candidates who are in bed with 3CDC or any of the usual suspects, Smitherman is not for you. If you want quiet leaders without an opinion, Smitherman is not for you.

If you're tired of mediocre leadership, candidates that are available to the highest bidder, and the general lack of social justice in our city: Christopher Smitherman IS for you!

With a council that has tried to silence the people and take us out of the process, it is good to have a strong voice getting back into the game. This time around we need to be smarter and vote for more than billboards and generic TV commercials.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 6:54 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Spend a little time in Vegas and you will learn one thing: The house always wins.

No one is surprised by this fact, I've even heard a lot of good excuses and justifications for the loss of money. "Consider it a donation," one man said to me as the dealer raked my chips away. Then of course others just view it as a cost of fun, like buying a movie ticket or running up a tab at a bar.

That even makes a little bit of sense to me... In Vegas. I imagine that's why Vegas exists in the middle of a desert and not on Fountain Square. You can find a bargain flight and an overpriced hotel with a cheesy theme, and when you get home it is all over and forgotten. Unless you gambled away the keys to your car or caught something from a Nevada bordello.

Every few years it seems Ohio considers opening Pandora's Box and planting a casino in our backyard. This looks to be one of those years, and the fight appears to be coming right to our doorstep.

As Cincinnati gets more desperate with empty store fronts, failing businesses,and general loss; like gambling addicts, people become more receptive to the idea of risk. Charlie Luken spoke about casinos in Cincinnati as the fix-all solution while the door was hitting his backside on his way out of office. I imagine many people share the same sentiment.

Gambling proponents have gotten extra clever this time around, tying the issue to the funding of college. How appropriate, Ohio has some of the highest tuition costs of any state in the union. Certainly the idea is quite appealing to me as I have college bills and loans on my mind almost daily. It was enough to make me question my own thoughts on the issue as I read the Enquirer's article.

But then I remember the only lesson from Vegas, the thing that keeps me away from the craps tables and poker games: the house always wins. Casino proponents can make all the promises they want, but the only people who win are the rich owners of the casinos and the politicians that help them make it all possible. I am sure they will get repaid nicely when they look for contributions for the next election.

Casinos are nothing but rich people making money and people who can't afford to lose money losing it. Casinos whisper promises economic development and oddly enough even scholarships, when they really are just a vehicle for poverty to reach new heights. Another way, and possibly the most worthless way, for people to lose money they just can't afford to lose.

Cincinnati can do without that.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 11:30 AM | Permalink | Comments   

The Washington Post is saying the sentiment to impeach George W. Bush is growing in congress.

I say, it's about damn time.

America has had two impeachments in the history of our country. The first was Andrew Johnson, who was for the most part wrongfully impeached. The second was of course Bill Clinton for reasons most people now view as silly-- at least most people I talk to.

President Bush has lied and been reckless with American lives, something far more severe than indiscretions in the oval office or Andrew Johnson's challenge of an unconstitutional law. Aside from that, Bush has trampled the Constitution while telling us it is for our own good.

Like I said the first time, enough is enough. It is about time that Democrats grew a spine and called a spade a spade. Censure isn't enough either-- the American people deserve more. Especially the families of the soldiers who have died fighting for Bush's lies.

In the Washington Post they say many Republicans are welcoming impeachment charges. These Republicans are hoping it will energize their base for the 2006 elections and bring them back out to the polls. Call their bluff. Bush has broken the law and deserves to be treated in accordance with that fact, no special privileges for Presidents.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 11:14 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Intrusive government, rule by fear, unjustifiable hatred of gays... No, I'm not necessarily talking about the Bush administration. I'm talking about the Wachowski Brothers' new masterpiece, V for Vendetta-- in theaters now.

The movie gives an eerie glimpse of where our country may be heading as well as a reminder of the fascist regimes of the past. However, the movie was ultimately very uplifting to your average, wanna-be revolutionary. The movie is about a totalitarian government that runs their country in a way to only benefit 'the party' and the corrupt individuals that run it. This clearly imaginary government uses fear tactics and obvious manipulation of the media to control the generally apathetic population... Until a man in a Guy Fawkes mask attempts to show people what they have lost and topple the government that has wronged him personally, and of course all of the people living under the regime.

My favorite line and what I feel is the ultimate point of the movie: "People should not fear the government, the government should fear the people." (I may have misquoted as I am writing purely from memory).

This is the best movie of the year, especially for those concerned with the direction of our own country.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 1:36 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Has anyone been following the battle between South Park and Scientology?

If you haven't, here is a summary of what has happened:

-South Park spoofs Scientology in an episode about Tom Cruise called "Trapped in the Closet"

-"Trapped in the Closet" was pulled as a rerun episode, allegedly because Cruise threatened to boycott promotion of his new movie if Comedy Central continued to show the episode. Both Comedy Central and Tom Cruise's movie are Viacom subsidiaries (oh the tangled corporate web)

-Isaac Hayes, the voice of Chef, quit the show and show creators say it is because he himself is a Scientologist.

-South Park throws together a season opener that has Chef return as a child molester and a member of a brain washing, fruity club.

-South Park fans (Mission Impossible III's core demographic) threaten to boycott the movie until "Trapped in the Closet" is returned to Comedy Central's rotation.

So why am I bringing this up? It's a simple free speech issue for me. Caricature and comedic interpretations of religion are a big part of our American culture. South Park is some of our country's most biting and intelligent satire and it needs to be given free rein.

I am going to boycott Mission Impossible III and I encourage everyone to do the same. Personally, I probably wouldn't have seen it anyway, but we need to show Viacom that they can't filter what the viewer sees because one of their biggest stars throws a hissy fit.

If we lose South Park (in any way), then we humans lose one of the best ways to see how stupid we really are. And these days, we really need something to show us how silly and trite we can be.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 9:55 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Reading the New York Times I learned President Bush has conceded the fact that the Iraq War is "eroding his political capital." True. However, he misses the point as usual: The war is eroding the greatness of our country.

I'm not a military expert and I will never claim to be. The limited knowledge I do have is simple: Everything in the military is based on objectives. Objectives are established in every activity from the simplest exercises in boot camp to the most complex and secretive mission. Run a mile in X amount of minutes. Do 50 pushes in a minute. Whatever it may be, the objectives and ultimate goals are clear.

Every time I listen to a debate about the war we are subject to the same rhetoric on each side. Us anti-war folk will tell everyone that will listen that the President and his administration lied to the American people and we shouldn't be in Iraq in the first place. Bush supporters and Republicans will tell you we are there and we must stay the course until democracy reigns supreme for the Iraqi people.

Where the pro-Bush people lose me is when they try to define what victory will look like. Originally I was under the impression that we were there to eliminate an evil dictator with nuclear weapons. Check. Like running the mile in boot camp, the objective was clear. As we all know, for some reason the United States presence lingered in the area and new objectives were created. These new objectives are not as clear as 'remove a dictator' or 'eliminate a weapons program.' These goals are lofty and abstract. So much so that some have come out and said we will have to be there for ten years or more.

So, what will victory look like in Iraq? How do we even know when we have achieved the perfect democratic system in the middle east? Most importantly, with our fraud and recent history of stolen elections, should we be trying to show others how to run such a system?

How do we find the truth about Iraq? Pro-war people will say that Iraqis are welcoming American soldiers while anti-war people will quote statistics about Iraqis wanting Americans to leave their country alone. It seems evident that the truth is flexible at best and the absolute truth will continue to allude anyone who seeks it.

We can find pieces of truth if we look for them though. One small piece of truth is the near $250 Billion that the American tax payer has spent on a war that was unjust from the beginning. Go to costofwar.com and get some perspective on how much money that really is. A few examples of what that money could have been used for:

Over 12 million college scholarships
Health insurance for 150 million children
Over 2 million housing units for the needy
10 full years of completely fighting world hunger

There is a lot the government could do with the money that has been spent on a war the country doesn't even believe in. A war that started with a lie and is set to continue indefinitely at the cost of so much good and so many promising lives.

President Bush is slowly admitting the war that he created is indeed a complete disaster that he has lost control of. He has admitted that it is hurting his political capital, and as a result we know it will hurt the capital of the Republican Party. Will the Democrats be able to capitalize?

Sherrod Brown, who I have supported, has little to say about the war on his campaign website. His official stance from his campaign website:

We need a winning exit strategy for Iraq that will bring significant troop withdrawals starting this October.

A true statement, but not strong enough. As a country we can not afford the cost in dollars, lives, or morale that we will have to pay if we stay in Iraq. For all his faults, Paul Hackett seemed to understand the country was ready for a strong, anti-war message. Sherrod Brown hopefully will take advantage of the president's dwindling clout and deliver an anti-war message that can help knock out the already wobbling Republican party.

Even further in the future it doesn't seem as if either party will present the country with an anti-war candidate. Perhaps by 2008 the country will be ready for the "radical" message of Ralph Nader, a candidate who recognizes that the Iraqi people are intelligent and capable of building their own democracy-- even without our 'friendly' presence.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 11:21 PM | Permalink | Comments   

As the 2006 races heat up people are beginning to engage the political process with enthusiasm again.

It was exciting to see the return of one of Cincinnati's best bloggers, Josh Nelson. His new project, Swing State Ohio, intends to cover the 2006 elections as well as the general intersection of the internet and politics.

It is great to see one of Cincinnati's best bloggers back in the game and another site that is sure to provide in-depth coverage of the information we need to know.

In case you haven't clicked already: Visit the new Swing State Ohio Blog!

Posted by Andrew Warner at 8:34 AM | Permalink | Comments   

Pardon the absence for the last few days. I was gone on a surprise vacation with no access to the internet. Luckily, I am back in Cincinnati-- every time I leave I look forward to coming back more. I will take a few hours to catch up on the news I have missed and get back into the swing of things. I sure have missed the excitement of the blogosphere.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 9:58 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Nick Spencer has added his Pandora station to his blog. Pandora is a pretty neat project, one of the best ways to listen to music on the internet if you ask me.

I decided to run with Nick's good idea and added a link to my radio station in my link section. You can also get to my station by clicking here. I am sure once you get there you will create your own station-- and why not? It's a good time.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 6:21 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Find this article and more at The Cincinnati Beacon.

Yes, it has been three years since the war in Iraq began.

I remember a group of us were sitting in our dorm room with our eyes glued to the TV well into the later hours of the night. We paid no attention to the fact that we all had to be awake the next morning.

My memories are slightly fuzzy, as it seems so long ago, but the emotions are easy to conjure up with a few seconds of reflection. I remember Saddam putting on his military uniform to show his people he would not back down from big bully down the street-- at least this is how the two Muslim students down the hall plead his case. I remember the CNN coverage: the black stillness over Baghdad shown by the fixed CNN cameras. The way the first bombs lit up the skies like fireworks.

Things were different then. Many people were still reeling from the September, 11th attacks and the confusion that set in as a result. Many of us, slightly younger then, still believed that our government had our best interests in mind; It's amazing how a few years can change so much.

The years that followed revealed more and more facts that have made the war more and more wrong. WMD's: we were mistaken or lied to-- depending on which side you're on.

Anti-war groups formed on campuses, progressive groups have organized protests, Ralph Nader's anti-war message was again ignored in favor of two candidates who approved of the war.

We're at a point where there is only a hand full of people who know why we are still there. This hand full consists of Karl Rove, Haliburton, and maybe Dick Cheney. The rest of us: we just have to take the word of proven liars over and over again.

Ironically, while more people clearly are disapproving of the war, the anti-war effort seems to be dwindling. Perhaps I am just missing the big events, the big protests, the big voices on the issue. Cindy Sheehan, who is awkward at best, was the last figurehead to gain attention on how wrong the war is. Someone, something, anything needs to get people fired up about the injustice that continues to flourish in the name of so-called democracy.

Now the anniversary of the war is upon us again. Next weekend. I did a quick search for protests in our local area and found the Intercommunity Justice and Peace Center is holding a rally and march on Sunday at Burnett Woods starting a two. The day before, the Central Ohio Peace Network is holding a Statewide Rally to end the occupation of Iraq. We need to raise our voices so we can bring our friends and family home from this war that is going nowhere. I've heard protests helped end another everlasting war.

Show the world the American people don't want a 4th or 10th year of this war. Get involved locally to end the injustice globally.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 11:19 AM | Permalink | Comments   

One of my closest friends, Tristan Wheelock of the USF Oracle, recently wrote a piece about the 2nd Congolese War.

Don't know what the Second Congo War is? Trust me, you're not alone. Follow the link and you will learn it is one of the bloodiest wars in history, only behind WWII.

For some reason most Americans haven't even heard of the conflict. Which reminded me of a joke.

The joke goes like this:

I saw president Bush sitting with Colin Powell in a coffee shop so I went up and asked them about the war effort: How's the war going Mr. President?

Bush replied: Well, we have to kill 40,000 Iraqis and one blonde.

I was perplexed. I quickly followed his statement with a series of questions: What? Why do you have to kill a blonde?

At this point President Bush turned to Colin Powell and said: I told you no one would care about the Iraqis.

Would America and American media ignore a conflict like this if it were happening in Great Britain? Have we become so apathetic that we can continue to turn a blind eye to the countries that could benefit from the privilege and power we have to offer? Or does America really not care if this sort of thing happens to people with darker skin?

If you are one of the many people who have never even heard this war mentioned, then you should be asking these questions.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 9:24 PM | Permalink | Comments   

I have been promoting Ordinary Peoples' return to Cincinnati for a while now. The more people that go out to their shows when they come, the more likely they are to come back-- so I push it hard.

For those of you that need convincing you have to check out this freestyle. To see a good MC freestyle is truly mesmerizing.

The show is downtown at the Poison Room on April 1st.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 1:08 PM | Permalink | Comments   

I check out My Space every so often to hear some of the new bands I haven't gotten a chance to hear yet. One of their recent featured bands, The Streets, have a really unique sound that is worth checking out.

I am a fan of hip-hop, and this puts an interesting British twist on the genre. They describe themselves as a mixture of Hip-Hop/Garage/Electronica. It's definitely worth a listen or two if you are looking for something to add to your playlist.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 1:38 PM | Permalink | Comments   

Find this article and more at The Cincinnati Beacon

Colorful speakers have gone by the wayside in politics. In the 2004 Presidential election George Bush fumbled through his pre-written speeches while stumbling back into office. His opponent John Kerry put people to sleep with a stiff tone that the heartland viewed as pompous.

Cincinnati even showed a surprising distaste for fiery stump speeches when the voters bucked Christopher Smitherman from his council seat in 2005-- leaving us with the bland flavor of Leslie Ghiz and Co.

Bob Fitrakis, Green/Independent candidate for Governor, had the intimate crowd of a few dozen up in arms as he met with the Democratic faithful of the group Democracy for Cincinnati.

Fitrakis arrived after the crowd had sat through a few speeches from unendorsed candidates of the Democratic Party. The crowd was respectful. With the exception of Subodh Chandra that was the best that they deserved.

No one in the room seemed to know what to expect from Fitrakis. He seemed like a smiley, friendly guy with the fashion sense of someone who has spent their life in academia. He wore a sports jacket and khakis to match a pair of Reeboks.

When the time keeper held up her finger to indicate the time to perform his routine he dropped the smiles, harnessed the energy in the room, and spoke about the frustration that all progressive activists feel. He said the things these loyal Democrats wished their own candidates would say, and he said it with conviction. The crowd would applaud, say "amen" or yes" at each and every turn of his speech-- desperate to somehow show this candidate they will never vote for that they agree with every word of his speech.

Whether it was the living wage, the preservation of the environment, the cleaning up of elections, or just speaking to the fact that J. Kenneth Blackwell is a criminal; this crowd of active Democrats needed to hear someone say what they have been feeling and they responded accordingly.

Howard Wilkinson of the Cincinnati Enquirer painted Fitrakis as pandering to the conspiracy theorists-- in spite of the fact that Fitrakis is an elections expert who has all the numbers and figures to back up his claims. He also privied the crowd to the fact that in the next month a prominent Democrat and a respected pollster will come out and say that the election in 2004 was indeed stolen.

Part of being an independent candidate is the ability to say what the other parties are contractually bound to their investors not to say. But does the truth earn you votes? Do your values earn you votes? Does being a superior speaker earn you votes?

We all know the answers to these questions and we know that in November D's will pull the lever for D's and R's will pull the lever for R's. But the Fitrakis' and the Naders exist to keep the two parties of corruption honest (at least more honest) and say what needs to be said on the campaign trail. And I, with my undying idealism, will continue to believe that one day people will vote the issues instead of the letters next to the candidate's names.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 8:01 PM | Permalink | Comments