Andrew Warner

UC football dodged a bullet against Connecticut today. As we saw with West Virginia today and Louisville a few weeks ago, protecting the let-down is more difficult in college football than you might think.

None of the local sports bars on Short Vine (one block away from UC) were showing the game so I had to follow it with box scores on Yahoo while watching my former school (the University of South Florida) whoop West Virginia on ESPN2. The UC bandwagon is getting slightly more crowded, but still not crowded enough for campus bars to bother showing the game.

A winning college football team will do great things for our community so it's glad to see our boys having some success.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 4:18 PM | Permalink | Comments

Wanna-be president Mitt Romney (governor of Mass.), with no good reason of course, wants to ban gay "marriage" in the state of Massachusetts, where it has been legal since 2003.

Mormon church-going sources tell me that the church regularly encourages their membership to politically organize against gay-marriage.

What's happening to Massachusetts that would make them elect a special underwear-wearing fundamentalist like this guy?

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

I'm not sure how many of you have heard about this, but the New York Times put the spotlight on Over-the-Rhine.

When the country's best newspaper takes the time to look at one of our neighborhoods, that's just pretty cool. Definitely check it out.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 9:17 AM | Permalink | Comments

The Cincinnati Post enlightens us by making it clear that jails are not responsible for New York City's drop in crime. It's a timely article for the city of Cincinnati.

The money quote:

"If you want to drive down crime, the experience of New York shows that it's ridiculous to spend your first dollar building more prison cells," said Michael Jacobson, who served as New York's correction commissioner for former mayor Rudolph Giuliani (R) and now is president of the Vera Institute of Justice, which studies crime-fighting trends worldwide. "I can't tell you exactly why violent crime in New York declined by twice the national rate. But I can tell you this: It wasn't because we locked up more people."

Maybe it's time more creative solutions were sought after.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 8:52 AM | Permalink | Comments

In case you forgot, today is Buy Nothing Day.

While everyone else is fighting their way through lines, knocking over old ladies to get the last discounted blender, and chasing the flashing blue lights; enjoy your day at home.

There's plenty of days to shop, but save yourself the trouble today. Make a statement by not buying into the hype.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 9:08 AM | Permalink | Comments

CityLink, something that never should have been derailed in the first place, is back on track after winning its appeal.

"Urban pioneers" throughout the West End are bound to shed a tear.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 7:34 PM | Permalink | Comments

Andrew Sullivan has been throwing punches at Mitt Romney since the mid-term elections came to a close.

First he took the easy route and pointed out the obvious: A fundamentalist Mormon's lack of logic.

Romney was less charitable to McCain, who on Sunday told ABC News: 'I believe that the issue of gay marriage should be decided by the states.' McCain also said, 'I believe that gay marriage should not be legal.' Romney seized on the remarks. 'That's his position, and in my opinion, it's disingenuous,' he said. 'Look, if somebody says they're in favor of gay marriage, I respect that view. If someone says — like I do — that I oppose same–sex marriage, I respect that view. But those who try and pretend to have it both ways, I find it to be disingenuous.'

It's now disingenuous to have a position on a matter but believe it should be decided by individual states rather than by federal control? Disingenuous? Of course, Romney knows better. He's smart, he's aware of the important principle of federalism - but he's going for the Christianist wing, the wing that only supports states' rights when states support Christianist policy prescriptions. And so another conservative principle gets inverted by the allegedly "conservative" candidate.

Then, being a Catholic, Sullivan pulls the "my religion, even though it hates me, is more Christian than your religion" card:

He will be the candidate for the Christianist right, but he's not a Christian. And many Christianists may well recoil at the man's Mormon faith.

Mormons of course identify themselves as Christians and claim to use the teachings of Christ as the foundation of their belief system.

Watching these religious folks go back and forth is like watching kids argue about whether Santa Clause or the Easter Bunny is a better holiday icon.

An advocate for gays who claims to be Catholic is nothing short of sadistic (I give him props for taking on the slow-moving Catholic Church though), but a Mormon with presidential aspirations is just silly.

The country isn't prepared to handle the special underwear.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 1:25 PM | Permalink | Comments

The Roots earn plenty of cash, but a lot more respect. Read this nice little write-up and then go buy their most recent album, Game Theory, if you haven't already.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 12:59 PM | Permalink | Comments

The University of Cincinnati has exploded with unified activism after some shady racist incidents on campus.

It sucks to see racism alive and well, but it's awesome that there are some students who won't let it stand.

Nancy Zimpher, who often preaches about UC's "just community," has been conspicuous in her absence. I suppose she is just hoping the whole incident will blow over with no damage done to the school's reputation, but a public condemnation would be nice.

She could even wear red to the press conference.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 8:56 PM | Permalink | Comments

Crazy Representative Rangel of New York had me jumpy for a few days floating ideas of the draft, but I knew Nancy would come through for me.

She's too wise and Californian to give that idea legs. She's one of the last halfway decent Democrats still roaming the halls of congress.

I guess it's back to the drawing board for Democrats to come up with the next worst idea ever.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 8:49 PM | Permalink | Comments

Racial profiling, tasers, and brutal excessive force... This story has it all.

This video is tough to watch, but it lays out exactly why everyone should think twice about tasers – and putting more cops on the street.

Unsteady and at times difficult to view, this video is still absolutely disgusting.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 6:39 PM | Permalink | Comments

Remember when the Democrats were the party who looked after the downtrodden, the poor, and those in dire need of assistance from the government? I'm talking about the likes of Huey Long who believed that every man should be a king, not Bill Clinton who believes that needy families should only receive temporary assistance.

Now it's all about the poor, crippled middle class; lost and desperate in suburbia.

The Republican Party, well, we all know who they're looking after (your welcome Exxon-Mobil).

Being someone from a "middle-class" suburb, I've seen first-hand the struggle of this suffering people. It's a constant plight; trying to figure out how to buy the newest hi-definition TV so Monday Night Football will be at your place instead of at Tommy's down the street. I can only imagine what it's like crunching the numbers in the checkbook trying to figure out how to pay the monthly bill on the Ford Expedition's lease. And on top of that you have to pay for 60-100 dollars per fill-up on that beast – these people need help fast.

Sorry for the over-generalization. The middle-class, as far as rhetoric is concerned, has been expanded to include, well, pretty much everyone. So, yes, there are many middle-class whiners who really have no place complaining.

But where does the middle-class really start? To be considered impoverished in America, you must be supporting a family of four for under $18,000. In reality, to provide the bare minimum for the same family, an income in the ballpark of $40,000 is needed. So this question is a puzzler. Is $19,000 per year middle class... Or is it $41,000? Or more?

Interesting sociological fact to chew on: Nearly everyone considers themselves middle-class. So perhaps when politicians speak to the "middle-class," they are just trying to appeal to as many people as possible – or maybe they are just savvy enough to appeal to those most likely to storm the ballot box on election day.

Generally, coming from my infinite wisdom, I have found it best for government to work towards improving the lives of those who need it most – not just those who want it most. This is why I have such strong beliefs towards issues like universal health-care and free college education. These additions to our society are needed by the poor. At the same time, they will no doubt be incredibly beneficial to the "middle-class" (whoever that is).

My only fear is that politicians are pandering to those whose biggest problem is figuring out how to buy a brand new car for their children on their kids' 16th birthdays. That's perfectly okay if it's a hybrid (environment first or we're all going to die). If not, we need to get our eye back on the ball.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 4:59 PM | Permalink | Comments

Mayor Mallory has a few qualms about the budget, but won't take on the council's steadfast desire to bulk up the police force.

It's a shame Mallory's ignoring the people who put him into office. There were plenty of "tough on crime candidates." We could have crowned "lock em up" Charlie Winburn mayor, or even conservative David Pepper, if that's the direction we wanted to take the city.

However, we didn't. So why aren't we getting what we paid for with the more "liberal" Mark Mallory?

Buyer's remorse yet?

If more of you would have thrown your weight behind JJ2K5, we wouldn't be scrambling to scrape up cash to throw more people in jail. Too bad some are so addicted to that big "D" they are incapable of casting a vote for a real progressive.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 1:19 PM | Permalink | Comments

Not that I will convince carnivores to drop the turkey and the pounds of butter they will consume in a few days, but I feel obligated to point out there is an alternative – even YAHOO is talking about it.

If you're tired of hormone-grown meat raised and killed with gross indifference, there are alternatives:

Nothing says Thanksgiving dinner like tofu turkey, textured soy protein stuffing, and creamy mashed potatoes made with soy milk.

Ain't that the truth.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 10:28 AM | Permalink | Comments

Democrats, after being swept into power by strong anti-war sentiment amongst voters, have proposed another unorthodox, if not ludicrous, idea: Bring back the draft.

New York Democratic Rep. Charles Rangel said Sunday he sees his idea as a way to deter politicians from launching wars. He believes a draft would bolster U.S. troop levels that are currently insufficient to cover potential future action in Iran, North Korea and Iraq.

Hmm... Slightly counter-intuitive. The first move Democrats announced was the allocation of 75 billion dollars to the Iraqi war effort. Now a draft? As super-intelligent as I may be, I am having trouble reconciling these political moves with the will of the voters who put these geniuses in office.

Representative Rangel seems to think that contrary to almost all historical evidence, the draft will indiscriminately send all eligible men and women between the ages of 18 and 42 directly into harm's way. This would deter rich folk from sending poor folk to war – so his rationale goes.

I have a little trouble swallowing that faulty logic. I see a draft more as a way to give Bush the tools he needs to wage more war, not a hurdle that will make him think twice (as if he were capable of thinking once). Aside from this trigger-happy move providing means for politicians to destroy more of the world, I can't fight the feeling that there would be exemptions that would favor the haves over the have-nots – call me crazy.

It's a shame that the draft has even entered our political discussion. But that's what we get for electing war-loving Democrats and crusade-waging Republicans.

With some, IE John McCain, calling for more troops to "finish the job in Iraq," this conversation may go on longer than I hope. Hopefully Democrats will slap some sense into their flunky representatives.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 6:45 PM | Permalink | Comments

I had to wrap my hands inside hat held on by a scrunchie. I had to hold my jacket over my face so the wind would stop stinging my cheeks. Yeah, it was freezing outside. But as I stood at the top of the student section looking down on to the field of Nippert Stadium as the unusually large crowd poured on to the field to blanket the celebrating football team, I knew I had just seen something great.

The Bearcats made every mistake they could to lose the game. They fumbled a punt. The jittery backup quarterback fumbled an early snap. The list goes on. But Rutgers, previously undefeated and ranked 7th in the nation, was up to the task of matching, and surpassing, each and every one of those mistakes, as the Quarterback seemed to throw the ball to black jerseys more than he did to his own friendly whites.

Up I-71 a little less than two hours away, the Buckeyes wrapped up a crucial victory of their own. No doubt there were many Cincinnatians who were too wrapped up in this game to see their own team turn a historical corner. Mark Dantonio though, the UC coach who won a national championship as defensive coordinator of the Buckeyes, seemed to savor the UC victory as much as any Ohio State win.

How do I know? He smiled. He smiled even as he was drenched with ice cubes and purple Gatorade. For someone who's constantly projecting the image of a complete bad ass, standard square jaw-line and perma-scowl included, that's a stretch. When the student body answered his call, perhaps a few weeks too late, to not only be in attendance but to be enthusiastic, he must have been too overwhelmed to play the bad-ass all night.

Congratulations UC football! It's the first big win of many.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 9:06 AM | Permalink | Comments

The death of the old media, is the birth of a new media.

I'm not breaking ground with this one, but check it out.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 1:59 PM | Permalink | Comments

The new look of the Beacon makes it the best looking news site in the state if you ask me.

The sleek new design will go a long way in deflating the mainstream media's on-line presence. The fact of the matter is that independent media is just flat-out better: More in-depth, more sophisticated, more cutting edge and less hindered by out-of-date, faulty conventions.

Good things are happening.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 12:35 PM | Permalink | Comments

Nader continues to call us to action. Check out a speech he gave this summer:

Posted by Andrew Warner at 8:06 PM | Permalink | Comments

In a first-ever out of character interview with Rolling Stone, Sacha Baron Cohen, now infamously known as "Borat," points out what should have been obvious all along: The joke's not on Kazakhstan or people of Jewish faith; the joke's on the rest of us.

Borat, who makes his way across the country from streets of New York to the beaches of Baywatch and everything in between, exposes the ugly underbelly of America.

At a time when satire is either dead, or at least in a desperate critical condition, Baron Cohen is able to revitalize the seemingly long-lost art form. Being who we are, of course the unlikely masterpiece is misunderstood. Of course there are several lawsuits that are growing in the wake of the surprise smash premier two weeks ago.

When Baron Cohen first heard that the Kazakh government was thinking of suing him and placing a full-page ad promoting the country in The New York Times, he was editing his movie in Los Angeles. His reaction: "I was surprised, because I always had faith in the audience that they would realize that this was a fictitious country and the mere purpose of it was to allow people to bring out their own prejudices. And the reason we chose Kazakhstan was because it was a country that no one had heard anything about, so we could essentially play on stereotypes they might have about this ex-Soviet backwater. The joke is not on Kazakhstan. I think the joke is on people who can believe that the Kazakhstan that I describe can exist -- who believe that there's a country where homosexuals wear blue hats and the women live in cages and they drink fermented horse urine and the age of consent has been raised to nine years old."

If you are yet to see the film, see it soon. It should come to you pretty quickly that we are wrong to be worried about the hyperbolic character who is too outlandish to be believable (though he is always believed). Instead we should worry about the overly-stereotypical cowboy character with a shoe-lace tie and a ten-gallon hat who manages a rodeo and is working towards an America where homosexuals are killed – unlike Baron Cohen, that particular character in the movie isn't an actor.

Or maybe we should be concerned about the two fraternity brothers who are trying to tie Baron Cohen up in a lawsuit. These particular characters made racist and sexist remarks in front of the camera and are blaming Borat for liquoring them up beforehand in attempt to loosen their lips. Though, if indeed they are the fraternity brothers I think they are, they were the ones who suggested Borat should throw down some beers while cruising down the freeway.

Baron Cohen may just be the most intelligent comic of his generation and all he did was provide a way for racists and bigots to feel comfortable in an attempt to teach us about our culture. No reason to shoot the messenger.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 3:53 PM | Permalink | Comments

Check out Bearman's latest cartoon over at the mother-ship. They just keep getting better.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 9:09 AM | Permalink | Comments

METRO is asking for yet another fare increase, this time from $1 to $1.25.

Raising the rates again on our only form of public transportation is unacceptable. Not so much from a cost perspective, but a convenience perspective. A lot of people carry a one dollar bill around, but $1.25 is an abnormal amount when angry commuters are trying to hurry you on to the bus.

Council should find an alternative solution. I have already thought of one: Take the $6 million scheduled to go towards the bubble jail and put it towards the public transit system.

After all, it's better to help people get to work than to put them in jail where they can't work.

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

TIME Magazine writes eloquently about the new media. Through a focused lens staring directly at YouTube, the article captures the rise of new media so well it will make you cry.

A few excerpts:

The third revolution is a cultural one. Consumers are impatient with the mainstream media. The idea of a top-down culture, in which talking heads spoon-feed passive spectators ideas about what's happening in the world, is over. People want unfiltered video from Iraq, Lebanon and Darfur—not from journalists who visit there but from soldiers who fight there and people who live and die there.

The videos may not be slick, but they're real—and anyway, slick is overrated. Slick is 2005. The yardstick on YouTube is authenticity. That's why celebrities like Paris Hilton and P. Diddy can compete with a cute sleepy kitty and a guy doing a robot dance—and lose.

------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

YouTube is ultimately more interesting as a community and a culture, however, than as a cash cow. It's the fulfillment of the promise that Web 1.0 made 15 years ago. The way blogs made regular folks into journalists, YouTube makes them into celebrities. The real challenge old media face isn't protecting their precious copyrighted material. It's figuring out what to do when the rest of us make something better. As Hurley puts it, "How do you stay relevant when people can entertain themselves?" He and his partners may have started YouTube, but the rest of us, in our basements and bedrooms, with our broadband and our webcams, invented it.

This is a must read for both the skill in which it is written, as well as the crucial importance of the topic.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 1:20 PM | Permalink | Comments

Current Senate minority leader Harry Reid tells the Washington Post about the Democratic agenda:

But it was on the issue of Iraq that he was most passionate. Voter anger over the war swept his party to power with the unlikely defeat of six Republican senators, he said. Democrats must respond to that anger, he added, with hearings to keep the heat on the Bush administration, and with calls for a regional Middle Eastern conference and a revitalized Iraqi reconstruction effort.

To that end, he said, one of the first acts of the new Democratic Congress will be a $75 billion boost to the military budget to try to get the Army's diminished units back into combat shape.

Democrats will not try, Reid pledged, to play the strongest hand they have -- using Congress's power of the purse to starve the war effort of money and force the president to move. Such an effort would only elicit a veto from Bush. But he said Democrats will marshal their newly acquired power -- in hearing rooms and on the Senate floor -- to stoke public opinion and drive the debate.

This is what I've been trying to tell you gullible Democratic supporters all along. The Democrats are enablers. With the Republicans fumbling Congress right into the lucky arms of the Democrats, it's clear the donkeys are lost in their new position of power. However, after a few days of deliberation with his corporate masters, Senator Reid is now able to articule the Democrats intricate plan to accomplish nothing while looking busy. Basically this is what he is saying in paraphrased form: We're so angry with the Iraq war and the budget deficit that we are going to give the war effort 75 billion more dollars. We're not going to deprive the President of money to stop the war, but we will probably hold a hearing, or something – you know, so the TV cameras catch me calling the President names.

It's a shame that the Democrats are sitting on the momentum that their base worked so hard to conjure up. With this lackadaisical approach to governing, it's only a matter of time before voters realized they elected a bunch of wimps.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 11:29 AM | Permalink | Comments

Check out my latest.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 7:42 AM | Permalink | Comments

Reading this article, in which the new budget for the city of Cincinnati is discussed, I couldn't help but think of one of 'Mos Def's most poignant tracks.

From "Mathematics":

so frontliners got they gun in your back
bubblin crack, jewel theft and robbery
to combat poverty
and end up in the global jail economy
stiffer stipulations attached to each sentence
budget cutbacks but increased police presence
and even if you get out of prison still livin
join the other five million under state supervision
this is business, no faces, just lines and statistics
from your phone, your zip code, to S-S-I digits

Joe Wessels and the Cincinnati Post spell out the loss for us: We're cutting the arts, swimming pools, community centers, and trash clean-up in Cincinnati's grimiest neighborhoods. No fear though, there's money enough to add more 5-0. And of course they'll find another 6 million dollars lying around the city treasury to build a bubble jail for all those damn pot smokers who were kicked out of their closing community centers and forced on to their un-cleaned neighborhood streets.

This council is clueless. To save a city you need to attract people. The best way to make that happen is by making downtown a place worth seeing. No one wants to spend their weekend in streets littered with tossed out fast-food bags where there's nothing but closed art galleries and remnants of bars long moved on to greener pastures. Even if there is a horse-cop on every corner.

As usual, short-sighted thinking by a council (and mayor/manager) that continually lacks vision to try anything that might stop Cincinnati's bleeding.

And John Cranley, who has been a strong supporter of toughening up on crime with a pricey police upgrade, wonders why he couldn't take down conservative Steve Chabot.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 9:54 PM | Permalink | Comments

Hey Cincinnati! Did you know that we have a college football team and their last home game is on Saturday? They've even hung a cool nickname on to the game: The "Showdown in the Nati."

If you're not one of the Benedict Arnold locals who ogles Ohio State Football from Cincinnati, then maybe you should take this coming Saturday to support your community team.

It's great. UC football has a nice stadium, real uniforms, cheap tickets, and unlike our neighbors to the north, we have alcohol at our games (for those of you that are into that sort of thing).

In all seriousness, the team has put up a great effort and too often in front of a meager crowd. We've come close to putting ourselves on the map with unlikely upsets, but have yet to actually put one under our belt. Against undefeated Rutgers, there's a chance we may finally get over the hump. It will be a lot more likely if we pack the house.

Check this page for discounts.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 4:42 PM | Permalink | Comments

In case you haven't noticed, there's a wise-guy troll named Yossarian who passes his time by dropping lame, repetitive quips all over the progressive blogosphere.

From time to time his comments actually make me crack a smile. It's rare, but it happens.

However, other commenters seem to take issue with his jokes (not just that they generally fall flat). Recently there was an exchange, a series of questions really, directed towards the walking punchline machine himself. He couldn't, or chose not, provide a solid answer.

What were these questions/statements Yossarian dodged?

Bob Fitrakis and the Greens stand for peace, living wages, clean elections, alternative energy and the bill of rights. If those are "fringe" ideas than we are proud to represent them. Please remind us of what the corporate democrats stand for again, or do you even know...

Which part of the platform don't you like? Withdrawal from the bipartisan qagmire? Health care? Clean elections? Or living wages???I think you love the platform, but are just a sad and bitter person that needs to belong and the Dimocrats will take anyone. You don't know anything about the issues or you would admit the Dims are wrong.

These questions were spattered across separate entries of my blog, but none of them received an answer. At first I assumed Yossarian just couldn't come up with a corny joke to deflect the serious issues addressed by the anonymous commenter. Then another thought occurred: Maybe Yossarian (and perhaps Democrats in general) don't know the answer any more.

"Liberal," a word that once defined those squatting on the left side of the aisle, has been processed by the conservative propaganda machine and that machine churned it out as a dirty word. So much so that Democrats won't even use it any more. Hell, Democrats, in Ohio especially, won't even run "liberals" any more (I know Democrats, you will call torture-supporting Sherrod Brown liberal. Those who support torture automatically lose a progressive/liberal label as far I'm concerned).

So Yossarian, what is the answer? Now that you and your party have shunned the left and crawled on your knees towards the center, what does your party stand for? What do you hate so much about the Green platform?

Any Democrats are welcome to throw Yossarian a life preserver and answer for him. By his previous lack of response, he probably needs it.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 1:04 PM | Permalink | Comments

Given the Democratic Party's scorn for progressives, I'm not at all surprised Russ Feingold has withdrawn his name from presidential consideration.

His run would probably have been quite similar to the candidacy of Dennis Kucinich. it would have been a long shot, but it would have kept the progressive wing of the party content until some moderate candidate won the primary.

Now the incentive for progressive Democrats to support the party is not there. I'm continually disappointed by those who share similar progressive values – too many of them mindlessly get behind whatever crap candidates the Democrats offer up.

Maybe by 2008, with the loss of boogeyman Bush, it will be different. Perhaps the prospect of a McCain or a Guiliani won't be scary enough to make voters blindly support another corporate chump with a D by his or her name.

The loss of the somewhat progressive Feingold makes it even more important for the Greens to run a solid candidate. That, or Nader will need to brush himself off and step into the ring one more time (I'd be shocked if this happened). Either way, independents and third parties need to set the wheels in motion soon. Giving the Democrats and Republicans a sizable head start won't help anyone but those who need it least.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 3:05 PM | Permalink | Comments

So, the President promises an "open mind" on Iraq. Well, open as long as it doesn't mean withdrawal:

"We clearly need a fresh approach," conceded Josh Bolten, Bush's chief of staff.

The president's top aide said the administration is willing to talk about anything, but added: "I don't think we're going to be receptive to the notion that there's a fixed timetable at which we automatically pull out, because that could be a true disaster for the Iraqi people."

This is quite an open mind. I am glad that the White House is willing to listen to the new congress as long as they don't attempt to enact the will of the voters.

What exactly does President Bush expect? An increase in troops? A surprise withdrawal date? At this point the President just needs to be grabbed by the shoulders, shaken, and set straight.

It's over President Bush. Let it go.

If anything was made clear from last Tuesday's sound drumming of blind and ignorant Republican leadership, it's that we're ready to wash our hands of this illegal war.

Just pull out and apologize for the sticky mess. Quit assuming the Iraqis are incapable of molding their own government. Remember, it's not our place to dictate to other countries they need democracy.

Looks like we're gearing up for a governmental showdown.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 2:36 PM | Permalink | Comments

If you pay close attention to URLs (or if you found the new button at The Cincinnati Beacon's front page), you know that AndrewWarner.org is now hosted by The Beacon.

We are pleased to see this operating merger between two of the area's leading bloggers.

If you liked the traditional approach of Andrew Warner's blog, you still get all that you ever wanted. But now he's teamed up, at the root level, with the City's leading source for independent news.

So welcome to The Beacon, AW.org!

Posted by The Dean of Cincinnati at 12:31 PM | Permalink | Comments

Courtesy of The Onion:

Claiming the American consumer is in crisis, third-party soft drink Royal Crown Cola called for an end to two-brand dominance, demanding an equal playing field for all and urging sweeping restrictions on the amount Coke and Pepsi are allowed to spend on advertisements.

"Over the past several decades we've seen smaller, independent brands pushed to the sidelines," RC Cola President John Sunderland said Monday. "We cannot compete with the massive amounts the big sodas spend on their ad campaigns—campaigns that obscure the truth and drown out alternative voices in American cola. Rather than an honest, open dialogue, we are instead subjected to a horse race between two giants that ignores the key issues of improved taste and refreshingness."

It's so true. When will we finally rid outrselves of this corporate duopoly?

(sent in by Brendan)

Posted by Andrew Warner at 5:07 AM | Permalink | Comments

Over the past few months activists have been cranking out blog entries, burning dollars, and harassing our neighbors in a desperate attempt to incite the same level of excitement in them that we see in ourselves.

Regardless of party, everyone has the chance to exhale.

Some people, tireless workers that they are, won't. They're already gearing up for local elections in 2007 (Cincinnati City Council may be exciting this year) or 2008 even. What are the poll numbers for the presidential primaries? Is X throwing his name in for city dog catcher? A lot of us are already spinning those wheels.

Others may burn out and never touch politics again – especially looking at the "political reality" of choosing between Corporate Candidate 1 or Corporate Candidate 2. That's especially true in my progressive circle. When the only candidates worth voting for are deemed "fringe," some may wonder: "What's the point?"

It may not seem clear to this crowd, but I assure you: There is one.

So enjoy the next couple of weeks, but don't get too lazy. It's only a matter of seconds before we're consumed by another political blitzkrieg.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 10:01 PM | Permalink | Comments

Testing the new server. We'll have this thing operating flawlessly in no time.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 9:01 PM | Permalink | Comments

The constant media shut out. The baseless criticisms of party first, ideas last, Democrats. The empty war-chest of a third-party campaign. There were a million reasons the 2006 campaign was painfully frustrating.

But when you're right, it makes all the BS worthwhile. Well, Bob Fitrakis was right – about almost everything.

It's rare that there's a candidate worth voting for, blogging for, organizing for, or busting your knees campaigning the hills of Cincinnati for; Bob Fitrakis was one of those rare candidates.

As Bob touched on in one of the two nights the GP spent at Mac's Pizza Pub over vegan pizza and green beer, real change is never brought to the table by power-brokers in three piece suits. Genuine change comes from the people rallying around a makeshift podium in a cramped bar. The type of event where 8 people gather around 4 person tables for a righteous idea like social justice to do something new in the world – unlike the "real party of the people," it never costs $1000 to get a spot at a table like that.

The vote total was one percent. Whatever. 37,000+ is a lot of people. It's only the beginning. Greens are picking up offices all over the country (I'm looking mainly at California and other enlightened states) and Ohio will come in time.

Bob Fitrakis is a trailblazer. While big-money politicians talk about it, Bob Fitrakis actually ran a pure grassroots campaign. No money, a limited staff, and only a small built-in infrastructure of Greens equals a real pain in the ass. But he slipped on his superman tights (figuratively) and fought the good fight.

I had the chance to ask him why one time. "What else are you going to do?" he said. Simple worlds that he elaborated on, but that's the answer. When the two major parties are wrong, and they are, someone has to step up and say so. It takes guts.

So thanks to Bob and everyone who was willing to put in the time to help him. It takes a courageous person to put their time and money behind a candidate who probably isn't going to win. But like I said, when something is right, it's right – whether you win or lose that never changes.

Thanks to Tim Kettler for all the same reasons. I didn't get to work with him as much, but this guy was as blue collar as a candidate could be. If you gave him a time and a place, he showed up in his suit ready to shake hands and answer questions. He'd drive himself across the state and back again in the early morning to get home to his family or to get ready for his next event.

The effort is appreciated more than I can express. We heard the message and we'll help keep it alive.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 10:28 PM | Permalink | Comments

Just two days after his no-contest election, Ohio Citizen Action is already sticking it to King Coal Ted. They have put Ted Strickland and the people of Ohio on notice: Ted Strickland owes the coal industry big for their overly-generous contributions.

Of course this is what I, along with Bob Fitrakis, and countless other environmentally conscience people, have been saying for quite some time. Don't listen to us though; we can't finance multi-million dollar campaigns.

In short, if you voted for Democrats because you care about the environment – not just enough to squander ten bucks on An Inconvenient Truth – you got punked. For those of you who don't know what I'm talking about, coal mining is just about as destructive of a process as bombing. Probably even worse.

Don't worry though Democrats, Bryan over at BSB has just the answer you are looking for:

Note to OCA (and other lefties): We just took back Ohio for the Democrats. Back off. Try working with someone for once. Ted won't be perfect on the left-o-meter. And that's a good thing because Ohioans don't want that. In fact, if he was, he wouldn't be fulfilling the mandate given him by a clear majority of Ohioans.

Fall in line with the party. Don't worry about the Democratic platform. Don't take a bold stand on the most important issue facing our state and country (environmental protection and alternative energies).

Way to carry that momentum into office.

(Hat tip to Right Angle Blog and BSB)

Posted by Andrew Warner at 2:46 PM | Permalink | Comments

We're back... Almost.

Youth Voters turned out to vote in the largest numbers in at least 20 years (non-presidential elections).

Even though that record turnout is only 24%, it shows that young people are waking up and smelling the corruption. With the Iraq war sucking in our friends and peers that number will escalate until the United States finally builds up the nerve to do what we should have done long ago – cut and run.

Hell. By the time "the youth" is voting in respectable numbers, I won't even be in the category any more. But it's good to see that at least one in four of us can sneak away from work and class to vote like the rest of the working stiffs.

(Hat tip to Cincy Nation)

Posted by Andrew Warner at 2:21 PM | Permalink | Comments

In the comments on an earlier post, "steve-o" reports:

Before I left to vote yesterday afternoon with my wife I looked at the State of Ohio's website to make sure about the ID situation. We moved a year ago and my driver's license still has our old address. It is however a valid driver's license. I told my wife about the Chabot thing so she grabbed a bill just in case.

Of course, at the poll I was told my license wasn't sufficient. I told the workers that they were mistaken, that ORC 3505.18 stated my ID was valid, but they weren't having it. My wife, not wanting to watch my argue with a bunch of senior citizens, pulled out the bill and they let me through.

This was at 3pm, long after the Secretary of State office was supposed to correct the problem.

Steve-o, aka Steve Carr, recounts the problem in detail on his own blog.

It appears this problem is a little more widespread than is being reported... Surprise, surprise!

Posted by Andrew Warner at 2:38 PM | Permalink | Comments

Another hot edition of the News Record means another award winning column by me.

Check it out.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 2:10 PM | Permalink | Comments

Bob Fitrakis didn't pull off the upset victory. We still have a partisan Secretary of State. But those were expected losses – Americans/Ohioans just can't seem to kick their addiction to a crumby two-party system.

That being said, at last count there are 106,185 Ohioans who voted for an alternative to the money-loving parties that dominate American politics. Those votes of course were spread out between the Green and Libertarian Parties' candidates.

That's a starting point.

What's more exciting, and even a little surprising, is that Ohio voters proved we're not morons. We didn't fall for Learn and Earn's bait and switch, nor did we fall for a smoking "ban" written by smoking companies. Both of these amendments depended on the stupidity and the gullibility of the mob – characteristics that just weren't there.

Perhaps most importantly, voters resoundingly told the world that people are worth more than $5.15 per hour. Not to say that anyone's work is only worth $6.85, because I strongly believe voters would have given a higher minimum wage if Demorats were willing to really rattle the cages of their corporate masters, but it's higher than it was yesterday.

And we can all breathe a little easier now that the air will be a touch less nasty (I still heart Issue 5!).

The only major disappointment is that too many progressive Democrats (I assume there are some in Ohio) stayed loyal to their party instead of to their values. In a year where everyone knew Blackwell had a snowball's chance in hell, progressives missed a great opportunity to remind the Democratic Party where they came from.

But they'll have conservative/moderate Ted now. Progessive buyer's remorse is inevitable.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 10:38 AM | Permalink | Comments

Last evening on WLWT's coverage of election night, Paul Hackett told his voting story. It goes like:

Well known Paul Hackett walks next door to his usual polling place. He presents his driver's license and is turned away. Oh no! His driver's license has his business address, but he is registered to vote at his home address. Hackett then walks next door, grabs his conceal/carry license and rushes it back to the zealous poll worker. This identification works because it has his home address displayed prominently.

So what went wrong?

Please look at the BOE's identification requirements:

A photo ID must be issued
by the United
States government or
the state of Ohio and
must show all of the
following:

• The name, current
address and photo
of the person to
whom the ID was
issued.

• An expiration date
that has not passed.

Exception: A driver’s
license or state ID may
show a current or former
address.

The King of the Combover had the same problem:

Chabot went into the polling place at Westwood First Presbyterian Church about 9:30 a.m. and pulled out his Ohio driver’s license to show the poll workers. They looked at his license, and told the congressman that, even though they know perfectly well who he is, his driver’s license was issued to his business office, not his home, which is his voting address.

Somewhat sheepishly, Chabot went back out into the parking lot, jumped in his 1993 Buick - the one he talked about on his campaign commercials - and started heading back to his home a few blocks away to find a proper ID.

“I guess I’ll see if I can find a utility bill,” Chabot said. “That’s the law. You have to have proper ID.”

The only problem, Congressman Chabot, is that apparently isn't the law.

The only question now: Was this a widespread problem or a few overzealous and confused poll workers? How many people were inconvenienced by the mix up? Any stories? Send 'em in.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 10:22 AM | Permalink | Comments

Amid increasingly desperate claims by conservative pundits to frame a Democratic takeover of the House as a loss for the opposition party there is a question that begs to be asked: who, exactly, do they think they are fooling? As the 2006 mid-term cycle draws to a close, Republicans and the “liberal media” alike are working overtime making the case that anything short of a major landslide victory should be considered a failure for the Democratic party.

Ann Coulter, appearing on Fox News on October 25th, made the mendacious claim that if Democrats don't gain 60-70 seats in the house they “might as well go away as a party.” This laughable assumption, which was thoroughly debunked by Media Matters for America, rested on the false premise that since World War Two the average gain by the opposition party in a mid-term election is 40 seats. The facts, however, tell us otherwise. Not only is the average considerably lower (25.7), but a gain of 40 seats in such a situation has not taken place since 1974.

By making such an outrageous statement, Coulter is trying to frame expectations in such a way as to save her party some semblance of political capital after they suffer what most discerning people will undoubtedly consider a devastating loss. More respectable voices within the conservative community, and by this I mean nearly everyone with more sense than Ann Coulter, disagree with her radical assessment. RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman, in a CNN Interview over the weekend, predicted that Republicans will hold their majorities in both the House and the Senate. Senator John Thune (R-S.D.) made a similar prediction while campaigning in Tennessee, although he did so with less confident language than his party chairman.

On the Democratic side of the aisle the predictions are considerably more in tune with recent polling trends. New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson and former President Bill Clinton are both confident that their party will gain control of the House. Independent pollster Charlie Cook, of the Cook Political Report, believes that despite a superior Republican voter contact campaign, Democrats will take the House by a “healthy margin.”

Regardless of how Coulter or anyone else tries to portray the situation to the American public, the fact remains: Any Democratic gains in the House or the Senate should be considered a victory for the opposition. The likelihood that Democrats will take the House and reduce the margin in the Senate to just one or two seats is a major victory. Anyone who thinks otherwise should be reminded of disgraced former House Majority Leader Tom Delay's not-so-distant assertion that Republicans would hold a permanent majority in Congress.

Coulter, who earlier this year made a mockery of herself by insinuating that both Bill Clinton and Al Gore are homosexuals, seems to be trying to squander her final remaining scrap of inconsequential credibility on pre-election predictions. This miserable attempt at expectation framing should be seen as just that. I have a feeling that sometime early Wednesday morning, after the dust settles, that will be the case.

Posted by Josh at 6:46 PM | Permalink | Comments

I've heard it on CNN and I've heard it from the prestigious Cincinnati Blog:

Congressman Steve Chabot was denied at the polls due to a supposed lack of proper ID (clarified) – sweet irony.

Governor Sanford of South Carolina is dealing with the sting of rejection as well.

Next time these guys should all consider the ramifications of the stupid legislation they pass. I guess we reap what we sew.

**UPDATE** Jean Schmidt had the same problem as the Dean. These sharp new ballot machines are the hottest technology since 8 tracks and Laser Discs.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 12:56 PM | Permalink | Comments

It appears the Board of Elections DID send out voters' new polling locations. They did it in a very sneaky way though, similar to a "rider" on a piece of legislation. It was a "rider" (or an extra attachment) on a voter identification post card:




Did you catch it on there? Apparently amidst all the bold, highlighted, and red writing discussing voter identification; the poll place was switched as well. Nine tenths of the post card, including the entire front, is dealing with the new voter identification law. The upper left-hand corner on the reverse side did have the new location.

Sneaky sneaky.

Let me be the first to go on record saying that something as important as a polling location change deserves its own post card. At least an asterix or identifying mark.

Thanks to the unnamed e-mailer who sent this in. Keep it coming people.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 11:51 AM | Permalink | Comments

I've been to a few polling places this morning and I've already detected one problem. At one of the largest, liberal-leaning, precincts there have been a few people turned away from their usual polling spot.

Why you ask?

Without a noise or notice, people's polling places were moved blocks or miles away. I'm talking people who voted at one place in May, have been forced to walk a few extra blocks in the rain to cast their vote now that it's November.

Interesting stuff... Double check that polling place so you don't get caught with your pants down!

This was at St. John's UU Church in Clifton.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 10:20 AM | Permalink | Comments

Election day is here. I will be out and about doing my small part to make sure another election isn't stolen from the often ripped-off people of Ohio. If there's any funny business, e-mail me ASAP and I will investigate it on the double.

Peaking out my window it looks like a cold drizzle that is likely to discourage anyone from waiting in line – if there is one. When I see cold rain, I see irregularities on the verge of being born. Especially with Hackwell overseeing the very same election in which he is running.

So here are my three requests:

1) Vote for Fitrakis for Governor and Tim Kettler for SOS

2) Notify me ASAP as to any irregularities you hear of or see.

3) Donate some money to the save Magic fund.

Other than that, happy voting day. Hope you did the right thing and called of work/school – those bastards should have given you the day off anyway.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 7:46 AM | Permalink | Comments

I spent my Saturday night in an emergency hospital for animals. My cat, rescued from the streets a little more than a year ago, suddenly came up with a gimp leg. Apparently he has been in pain for quite some time while his hip socket has been deteriorating – just not visible to the naked eye.

After he began shouting cat noises from across my studio apartment, and after a while of Magic (that's his name in case you haven't picked it up from the title alone) lying in the same spot in the same position, I rushed him to the hospital.

Two hours, and two hundred dollars, later they gave me a diagonis and told me to take him to a regular veterinarian (during regular hours) for his much needed surgery. It should cost at least $300 more.

So if you ever wanted to make a donation to andrewwarner.org, now would be the best possible time.

Please consider donating a few dollars. At least you know it is going towards a good cause.

Thanks for helping.

-To donate, just click under "Support the Underground" directly to the right.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 12:37 AM | Permalink | Comments

The 11:40 PM showing of Borat at Newport on the Levee was a raucous scene.

It was "please move towards the center seats crowded," and stragglers peeked around 10 minutes after the film's beginning looking for that perfect set of 4 seats that somehow got left behind.

But there were none. I should know. I got stuck next to the girl who bathed in floral perfume to impress her boyfriend. Careful girls when you're slabbing Clinique on your hot spots; it's more than likely it will just end up giving anyone near you a headache (be considerate in sold out movies).

Released on 800 screens throughout the country, Borat is packing crowds in everywhere. Originally thought to be a limited appeal film, the crude satire is going to top The Santa Clause 3 (woo hoo!) in opening weekend box office cash, and prove that Borat appeals to more than a niche audience. It's also going to prove that "media experts" who thought this movie would bomb don't know jack.

Borat's naivete and exploratory mission is aimed to teach America more about itself than it is to teach Kazikstan about America (obviously). There's a lot of material in this film that will make you laugh with indignation – racism, gay-bashing, evangelicals speaking in tongues – no one is spared.

It's the kind of film that will have you shaking your head in disbelief. But alas, this is our country after all. See the film if you want to take a peak at our strangely diverse nation's underbelly... If, of course, you can stand watching incredibly obese men masturbate and then wrestle naked.

Posted by Andrew Warner at 5:04 PM | Permalink | Comments

Using his super-popular status as President of the United States, President Bush is carrying his electoral kryptonite to tight races in an effort to retain some hotly contested seats.

In an article over at CNN, President Bush's key points were wrapped up in coherent English (translating the President's Texas-Talk must be a difficult beat):

Bush said Democrats calling for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq aren't unpatriotic, just wrong. He said Democrats who voted against legislation to detain and interrogate suspected terrorists, the National Security Agency's eavesdropping program and the Patriot Act don't understand the stakes in the war on terror.

I'd take not understanding the "war on terror," something Bush just made up (the war against Iraq or Afghanistan is a different story), over someone who doesn't understand the simple premises that constitute being an American. Eavesdropping programs (not sugarcoating the title any more I see), detaining and interrogating "suspected terrorists," IE Muslims, for no reason, and the liberty wrenching Patriot Act all display a hatred and disrespect of truly American values.

Stupid Bill of Rights. Never stops real Americans.

But yes Bush, the Democrats are wrong. As Greg Palast points out, sometimes, of which Iraq is a perfect example, the best thing to do is cut and run.

Democrats won't touch that phrase with a ten foot pole. It would make them look "weak on terror." No one wants a peace monger on the campaign trail – even when Americans are clamoring for an end to this senseless violence.

So come Tuesday, we'll be stuck with a bumbling President who prides himself on running into brick walls without flinching, and a congress that will demand a timetable that may get us out of Iraq sometime. Probably. Maybe.

Now that's progress!

Posted by Andrew Warner at 3:35 PM | Permalink | Comments

John Kerry? No...

How about the idiot whose incompetence is getting them killed? Nader takes Bush down again.