Blacklisted

Welcome to Cincinnati: land of paranoia. A few local politicians looking to make some waves [and I'm sure that it's an election year has nothing to do with it] have come up with the idea of publishing a "likely killers" list. They created a database of criminals who committed a violent crime during the past year in addition to having a prior offense involving guns or drugs. This search yielded over 1500 names. The goal of the list, one of its developers stated, is that these people move out of town. "Let all the knuckleheads move to Covington," he offers.

Yeah, that would solve everything. Most criminals would get confused on how to get back to Ohio. Bridges can be confusing like that.

Now the great debate is whether or not to publish the list. The reality is that the same information is available to any citizen who searches public archives. The motivation of these politicians is to make it easy by compiling it, oh and giving it a catch title. Nothing draws in the reader like "READ THIS LIST BECAUSE SOMEONE ON IT WILL TRY TO KILL YOU."

Look, I'm all for fighting the crime, but not to the extent that we use the Bill of Rights as toilet paper. Sure, there are criminals that are beyond rehabilitation, but we can never be certain who will or won't commit crime again. That might frighten some, but that's a cornerstone of our republic. I'm not sure if sacrificing our liberties is a good exchange for safety. I sympathize with one of the politicians who proposed this, as her husband was murdered last year by someone who would've been on this list. But you can't say that a list like this made public would've prevented this murder.

I know quite a few people who would be in favor of such a list being published; it would make them feel safer. But is this really the solution that we need?

Could it be that now, more than ever, our city needs Jesus?

Justice

Not only is Mason County the birthplace of my mother, but it is now my favorite local municipality. For those of you not in the Cincinnati, you might not be aware of the Marcus Fiesel incident. Marcus was a special needs child whose foster parents left him tied up in a closet while they attended a family reunion. When they returned, the boy was dead. In an effort to cover it up, they burned the little boy's body and threw the remains in the Ohio River. The key testimony that helped convict the foster parents was that of a woman who was a live-in girlfriend. Amy Baker received full immunity for her testimony, despite the fact she was probably as equally involved as the foster parents.

But while the immunity covered Baker in the state of Ohio, it meant nothing in Kentucky, where Baker helped to dump the child's remains. Enter Maysville police who have brought up Baker on charges of tampering with physical evidence that could bring five years in prison.

Normally I don't gloat in punishment, but this is deserved. I really question whether the Clermont County prosecutor needed Baker's testimony to seal convictions. They seemed convinced that Baker was not involved, but to the general public, this seems incredibly unlikely. Many in the community were outraged that she received no punishment. This might not be much, but it is something.

The Clermont County prosecutor is ticked because he's losing face on this deal. He should settle down and realize that anyone involved in the killing of this child should have to pay for it.

They don't take too kindly to that kind of thing on the other side of the river.

Where Are You From?

Cincinnati. And I mean it. I spent a portion of my days in the suburbs north of 275 along I-75. For years it was nothing but farmland, but now its pure suburbia.

Saw some interesting things. Drove past a plot of land destined to be the sight of a Bible church bordered by a Sikh temple and a Kingdom Hall on either side. Also saw a deer stand in the middle of a brand new subdivision.

Anyway, as this area continues to grow there's continued speculation that Cincinnati/Dayton will become a huge mega-region like Dallas/Fort Worth. This would make it the 15th largest metropolitan area in the country. But ask the people in the area where they live and you get a pretty consistent answer: Cincinnati.

I continually find this interesting in the midst of continual Cincy bashing. Everyone wants the benefits that accompany an urban metropolis but they don't want to acknowledge why it even exists. Take away the city of Cincinnati and suburbs like West Chester, Mason, and Florence don't exist.

All I'm asking is that if you're going to drink the cow's milk, at least feed it some grass.

Or some rural proverb like that.

Maybe it has to be your bull.

Ten Years Later

When my dad had his workshop in our basement, I was always enamored with a metal sign he had that simply stated:

Flood Level Jan 26, 1937 79.9 feet

The '37 flood is the biggest flood of the Ohio River on record since, well, I'm guessing Noah built his boat. It's rumored that the flood level was actually higher but the statistic was manipulated because there were insurance companies that would have had to pay out if the level reached eighty feet or higher. Not only was the flood cataclysmic, it took place in the middle of winter and freezing temperatures. Here's what it looked like:

With the advent of dams along the Ohio, I never thought my eyes would witness this kind of disaster. But ten years ago the river flooded again; it was an incredible display of how a little extra precipitation can do a lot of damage.

I was in college and I monitored how news outlets said we were in for some flooding. In early March of 1997 I began to make almost daily trips down to the river to see the waters rise. I had never seen anything like this. It was eerie to walk across the Suspension Bridge and see the river just a few feet underneath. I watched a guy in a kayak maneuvering through the parking lots underneath Riverfront Stadium. The river was almost double its normal width. Here's what it looked like then:

I still think the craziest scene was Dayton and Bellevue, Kentucky. Dayton had built a floodwall while Bellevue didn't. Here was the result:

The river crested at a little over 64 feet, well short of 1937's record, but still devastating. The city of Falmouth in Kentucky was virtually wiped out. I worked for my dad's company throughout college and we ended up working on some houses upriver in New Richmond that were completely flooded. It was a generational flood. Not sure I'll see it like that ever again.

Living in a river town, you always have to respect the river. And this city surely does.

Cincinnati School Closings

I'm getting even more hits here from people looking for school closings. I'm betting this title will bring even more. I'm a jerk. Here's your updated closing list: Cincinnati is closed.

This weather is just nasty. While the ice-covered trees are beautiful, I fear for what it could do to us. I'm just glad we still have power; over 100,000 homes in the city are without it. They just showed some footage of the bottom of our street on the news and the lights were out. I'll probably wake up every few hours to make sure we still have juice. You never know.

I'm pretty sure there's a snow emergency out, which means my park is illegally parked. I'll applaud any officer who stops by and tickets me.

After that mild first few months of winter we enjoyed, it's time to pay the piper.

My City Is Dumb

. . . but it's still my city. We had a record number of homicides here last year. The infrastructure for economic growth is severely lacking. The most prominent acreage of Cincinnati real estate [the Banks] is still a barren wasteland. So what is City Council's response: pass a resolution disapproving of President Bush's troop escalation in Iraq.

Brilliant.

In case you are confused, the Constitution has not been rewritten giving Cincinnati's city council the power to determine national policy.

There are some who say that there is an "interconnectedness of American society" that requires local politics to influence the national. If this is the case, then why limit resolutions to the Iraq war? Where are the local municipalities voicing official positions about issues like AIDS in Africa, North Korean nukes, and the invasion of aliens [space, not illegal]? Nowhere to be found. Why? Because it's now sexy to come out and criticize the war. And some in Cincinnati don't want to be left behind.

Sidebar: Let's be honest about Iraq for a second. Ever since the poorly conceived "Mission Accomplished" banner was unfurled on the USS Abraham Lincoln, people have slowly joined the bandwagon against the conflict. It's now uber-chic to bash the war and dropping the Vietnam card is the new red ribbon. But there's a definitive difference between Vietnam and Iraq: a volunteer army. The Vietnam protests were rooted in opposition to the draft. But we forgot that because . . . well . . . we were stoned, young, or unborn then. War is hell. Our generation is finally seeing this firsthand.

But as far as City Council is concerned, this is nothing more than a waste time. It's not like there's anything else out there that our city needs. If you're that interested in Iraq, find a job that affects our international policy. This city's citizens are unimpressed.

***I refer you to an interview with a dissenter on the resolution. Councilman Chris Bortz gives an excellent explanation on why he voted against the resolution.

Bloody Valentine's Day

One of the benefits of our current abode is a beautiful view of the Christ Hospital. It's a beautiful edifice to observe, with its white-capped tower. But for a few days each year, it gets a little icky. I don't remember it well from last year since we were actually living over at Good Samaritan Hospital waiting for Kaelyn. At the beginning of February, they add filters to the lights atop Christ Hospital so that it looks like this:

Yeah, this is what we have to see for the next few weeks.

Not quite sure how I feel about this. I understand the desire to be seasonal, but is Valentine's Day the best choice? Instead of making me feel amorous, it makes me think of a horror flick. And I'm pretty sure that if I were being rushed to the hospital and observed that spire, I'd suggest that the driver head on over to University Hospital.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Observe The Goodness

Very good day today. Started out with the snow fall. About three inches or so. I feel the need to apologize to all my friends who are new to Cincinnati that think we've never seen the white stuff before. I'm not quite sure when my town became snow ignorant, but the noon news warned people about leaving the house today. It's embarrassing.

Anyway, I have a new digital camera so I took it out to get some pictures of the park. I've not taken many snow pictures, but it was a good first try. Here are some samples. I did give them the black and white look because I liked it better.

Took the following pictures to show how the zoom lens works. Here's the actual distance:

And here's how it looks in the zoom.

Came back home and let Kaelyn have her first snow experience. Kelly said she was staring out the window at it all morning and she was excited to take a look at it. So here's how she reacted being near to it:

And here's how she reacted when she finally touched it:

I guess Kaelyn didn't realize the snow is cold. At least she learned a valuable lesson today.

So I thought that the snow would hamper our gathering tonight. For awhile I even pondered about switching my message to something different. Of course, I was clueless and we had one of our best crowds of the year. There was a great vibe and it brought a smile to my face.

I've had a difficult time getting into this new year. Not quite sure why. But tonight was just what I needed to get me excited about what this year holds for us. I'm definitely blessed.

Yes, Ice Cube spoke the truth: today was a good day.

Losing A Buddy

Felt a bit nostalgic this week with the passing of Burton Kallick. You might know him better as Buddy of Buddy's Carpet Barn. If you're from Cincinnati you're all too familiar with Buddy and his commercials. In the early 1980's he started his carpet business and inundated the local airways with goofy commercials. He starred in all of them, with his distinct voice, a kind of Cincinnati draw. Buddy never scripted his commercials, which was very apparent. They were always horrible, as if by design. But they were always on television; it was vintage Cincinnati.

After selling off the business in 2000, he had been fighting cancer the past few years, finally succumbing to it this past Wednesday. I never personally purchased any of his carpet, but will always consider him to be my Buddy.

Jim Borgman drew the following cartoon to observe Buddy's passing:

Taking Our Lumps

You know that things have really gotten bad when I'm thrilled with UC losing by one point on the road at Syracuse. A lot of Bearcats fans are jumping ship, not sure if they want to wait until they make it back to the top of the mountain. I, however, am sticking with 'em. Again, I declare that Mick Cronin is the right man for the job. It may take awhile, but we'll be OK. We're building character here people. In a related note, we got the latest issue of Cincinnati Magazine this week. The good news is that the cover is red, heralding "Bearcat Pride." The bad news is that the mascot is posing with President Zimpher. Could've done without that.

Poet Tree

Didn't get to go to the Fountain Square reopening on Saturday, but I have been tracking the controversy concerning a poem by local poet Nikki Giovanni. Giovanni sounds Italian, but she's African-American [I usually don't bring up the race of an individual, but I think it's pertinent to this story]. Giovanni was asked to prepare a poem about the city to set the tone for the new Fountain Square. In the midst of praising the city's attributes while using "I am" statements, she said the following about our African-American Secretary of State, "I am not a son of a bitch like Kenny Blackwell." First, Giovanni's poem "I Am Cincinnati" was just dumb. I swear, it wasn't worthy of middle school English. Read the entire text here and tell me I'm wrong. Here are some other lines that Giovanni dropped in this poem:

"I am Findlay Street market." "I am the best 3-way chili in the world." "I am Montgomery ribs."

And my personal favorite,

"I am the Cincinnati Western and Southern Tennis Championships, though I am played in Mason."

If these are the best lyrics that a Cincinnatian can pen about our wonderful metropolis, then we're screwed.

I have no problem with her calling out Blackwell. Work your free speech, lady, it's America. But find another venue; using a family/community oriented even to roll out your personal politics is tacky. And, while you're at it, find another medium. You're giving poetry a bad name.

Organizers of the event said they received the inspiration for this poem from Maya Angelou's poem at Bill Clinton's inauguration. Giovanni is no Maya Angelou. No one knew who this lady was before her poem. And now, they'll only know her as the loon who called the gubernatorial candidate an SOB.