GLBT Religious Leaders Hold Ohio Roundtable

From a well-written article about GLBT religious groups' struggle for acceptance in churches:

“Ohio really became the center of the storm of controversy on this whole moral values business,” he noted, indicating that one of the purposes of the Roundtable was to ensure that there was more than one religious voice on “moral values.”

“There’s a rather pervasive assumption that you’ve got religious people here on one side, and LGBT people over here on this other side,” he noted, saying that the Roundtable tries to “amplify the voices of the progressive religious community.”

Another conference attendee commented on the Catholic Church under the new Pope:

...teams visiting the seminaries are giving out surveys with 50 questions, many of which are designed to ferret out gay men.

“It certainly gives a clear indication of a brewing witch hunt, which is not what the church needs today,” she said. “LGBT people have served the church well for centuries. Gay men have serves [sic] as priests for centuries and continue to feel the calling, yet the Vatican appears to be about to slam the door on these gay would-be seminarians.”

Pattern of Growth Hurts All

Regional Roundtable October 1

Norwood – Overcrowded schools, congested roads, sewer moratoriums - These are the issues faced by many of the fast growing communities outside of the I-275 beltway. Population decline, crime, and abandoned buildings - Many urban neighborhoods are struggling with these problems every day. The pattern of regional growth in Greater Cincinnati - way too fast in some places and non-existent in others - is responsible for these strains on many of the communities in Greater Cincinnati. This imbalanced growth and its effects are the subject of Citizens for Civic Renewal’s Fall Regional Roundtable – Open to everyone -This Saturday, October 1 from 10:00 - Noon at the Rookwood Tower.

David Gully, Warren County Administrator, and Robert Craig, Director of the Warren County Regional Planning Commission will present the situation in fast growing Warren County. The population of one of the townships in Warren County, Hamilton Township, has grown 64 percent in the past four years. Such rampant growth has led to crowded roads and schools and some calls for development controls. Patricia Milton, President of the Avondale Community Council will present the story of a neighborhood struggling to overcome decades of population decline by partnering with nearby institutions and taking advantage of the many assets the Avondale community has to offer.

Steve Johns, Director of Citizens for Civic Renewal (CCR) said, “CCR hopes that by sharing stories from the opposite ends of the growth spectrum, we can better understand how the problems of too much growth too fast are related to the decline of some of our urban neighborhoods.” “If we can figure out ways to make our older communities attractive to development and redevelopment, we can help direct growth away from those areas with too much to areas that currently have no growth at all,” added Johns.

Citizens for Civic Renewal , the host of event, is a non-profit organization with a mission to empower citizens and serve as a catalyst for civic action.

OSU Team Finds Possible Addiction Gene

From the OSU Research News bulletin:

Scientists have learned how a genetic variation long suspected in making some people susceptible to alcoholism and narcotic drug addiction actually does so.

In laboratory studies, this variation greatly reduced the amount of protein that the DNA in a cell produced. It's the difference in protein expression that may make receptors on certain brain cells much more vulnerable to the effects of addictive drugs, said Wolfgang Sadee, the study's lead author, professor and chair of pharmacology and director of the pharmacogenomics program at Ohio State University. These particular receptors, called mu opioid receptors, serve as a molecular docking station for narcotic drugs and alcohol.

This type of discovery has the potential to be translated directly into therapeutic applications, which in turn have the potential to be widely effective. If that turns out to be the case, this could turn out to have been a major discovery.

It would be interesting to know whether OSU has any intellectual property/technology transfer rights on the gene. Until recently, universities always made discoveries, but the private sector made all the profit (from the applications). So recently some universities have decided to become a little more business savvy about their work. I wonder if OSU is one such case.

Education: Pennywise and Pound-foolish?

Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland is slashing $17 million from its operating budget to help cope with a $37 million deficit, due primarily to drop-offs in federal funding and charitable donations.

Is America being pennywise but pound-foolish when it comes to education spending? If we don't make education a top national priority, how will we compete with Asia this century? At this point, the plan seems to be to lay down and enjoy getting trampled. It's a perfect example of how both major political parties are more interested in kowtowing to special interests than in actually addressing critical issues.

Where will the political will come from? Well, it could start with students. If they're not concerned, why should anyone else be?

You're a Rock & Roll Star Night 3!

3rd night of Midpoint and I am already beginning to miss it (or is that
sleep deprivation). Who cares? Either way:

9:00 Gregory Morris Group at Coopers on Main
You may think when you see the ponytails, the bare feet, the cargo
shorts, the general unwashed look and hear songs about kites that this
is some sort of Grateful-hippie-jam-phish-palozza, but you would be
wrong. This local band changed styles as fast and easily as this bar
changes names. They played everything from ballads, to blues to swing
to hard shuffle and some good ol’ rock thrown in for good measure.

While in between bands, I meet a guy who swore he shot heroin with Kim
Deal of the Pixies. He said she was pretty mellow until a song of hers
came on the radio and nobody recognized who she was and gave her
“props” for it. Then she freaked out. He told me, “I guess, overall,
that kind of made her a bitch”. God, I love Midpoint.

10:00 Million Dollar Mouth at Neon’s Courtyard
I meet these guys yesterday and I really wanted to like them. They told
me their sound was a cross between Blur and The White Stripes. Now, I
guess I should be mad at them for lying to me, because they sounded
more like a cross between Peter Murphy (look it up!) and Nickelback. In
their defense, there were some technical difficulties, but to put it
all on the line – they just didn’t rock. Sorry guys.

10:20 Cinema Star at Neon’s
So I went inside and saw a set of twins play guitar. They were playing
along side a drum track and a bass track and a keyboard track and a
lead guitar track. In my world we call this Karaoke. They even did a
cover of a Psychedelic tune. In addition, they were a carpenter’s dream
– flat. At this point, they were the worst “band” I had seen all
weekend.

10:30 Iamis at Japps
OMG! OMFG!! I can’t believe that I missed most of this band because I
was seeing Cinema Star. Cinema Star has just been moved up to “worst
‘band’ ever at any Midpoint”. To properly describe Iamis you must take
one part revival, one part Partridge Family, one party Shins, One part
“mess-o-grits”, two parts rawk and mix. Even though I only say Iamis
for 10 minutes, they are my favorite band of this weekend.

11:00 The Woos at Japps
Technical troubles seemed to follow me and a ridiculously bad mix
ruined what should have been a great set for The Woos. The bass was too
loud. You couldn’t hear any vocals. I left early to go get a slice of
pie at Harry’s.

12:00 The Spunks at Alcamize
This three-piece punk band from Japan via New York really tore it up.
Once again we are shown that rock knows no borders and rock knows no
race. However their stage banter made Dong from “16 Candles” seem
politically correct.

1:00 GitoGito Hustler at Alchemize
From the GitoGito Hustler official website: “You will think that you
wanted to meet early more certainly. Please listen to the music of
"GITOGITO HUSTLER. "Everyone will become a very fortunate feeling.”.
Damn, I wish I could write like that.

This show was packed. This was THE show to be at this weekend. And
these young ladies did not disappoint. They had chops. They had
attitude. They had distortion. They had matching outfits. I am sure
that everyone who saw the show had a fortunate feeling
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Stay Tuned.

MPMF Rundown Noche Dos

2nd night of Midpoint and the crowds started to come out. I had to work a little late tonight, so I missed the 9:00 show (damn you food and shelter for being such a necessity). But here is what I did see:


10:00 The Fairmont Girls at Club Dream
On a scale of rockin’ girl bands where one is Josie and the Pussy Cats and ten is The Runaways, The Fairmont Girls hold up a solid seven. A terrible mix marred tonight’s performance – it was dirty and full of feedback for the first half. One of my few gripes about Midpoint is the lack of time for a decent sound check for most of these bands.

11:00 Bel Auburn at Jefferson Hall
One of the worst “frat rock” bands that I’ve heard in quite a long time. And yet another band that insists on wearing ball caps on stage. I stuck around for three very banal songs and then I left (a friend told me I was very kind and should have left as soon as they shouted “Are you ready to have a good time? Woo Hoo!”)

11:15 Bishop Don at Red Cheetah
A very energetic trio from Atlanta, that beneath their genre shifting façade seemed to me like a damn dirty hippie jam band. And to top it off the drummer wore a ball cap.

11:45 I went and got coffee. While I was drinking my beverage of choice, I meet the band Million Dollar Mouth who had just flown in from California. They are playing Saturday at Neon’s at 10:00pm. They were awfully nice fellows. It just goes to show you, you never know who you might meet at the Midpoint Music Festival. I also saw Nick Spencer call the police on a drug dealer. Now my trip downtown is complete.

1:00 Girls On Film at Club Dream
What could you expect from a band that named itself after a Duran Duran song? Well if you were expecting synthesized drums, choreographed hip thrusts, organized hand clapping, no guitar, action poises and ladies that look like they have just jumped out of a Nagel print, then you would be right. This all female band from Florida is awesome. But please don’t take my word, check out their website at: http://www.girlsonfilm.nu/. And best of all, nobody wore a baseball cap.

Mad Mack's Report on Night 2:Right out the gate I’m batting 0-3 tonight. All the opening acts at Jefferson Hall, Neon’s and The Courtyard Café that I wanted to see bailed. So I mosey on up to Jekyll and Hyde’s to catch Two Turntables and a Saxophone...

Mad Mack Bonus MPMF

Mackenzie McAninch, one of QCF Mag's staff writers will be covering MidPoint Music Festival, but not for QCF Mag. He also writes for the online Randomville. He will be reporting for the music website all weekend.

His suggestions for who to see:

Friday=
Recommend: Clabbergirl, Shrug, Buckra, Messerly and Ewing, and especially Captain of Industry

Bands I'm going to see for sure: The Informers, Otis, Kevin Shima and Aether

Saturday=
Recommend: The Turnbull ACs, My Left Arm, Ryan Adcock, Goose.

I'm going to see for sure: Million Dollar Mouth, Stampead, Michael Jantz

Here is his report from Thursday Night.

MidPoint Night 1

1st night of Midpoint Music Festival and I have just picked up my pass. It is hot and I gave up smoking 8 months ago. My trusty photographer is running late and I'm waiting for him in front of alchemize, afraid that at any minute Nick Spencer is going yell at me for loitering in front of his place (just kidding Nick). So here was my night:

9:00 Black Tractor at alchemize
There was too much anger for one band. Beside the anti-Semitic remarks in their stage banter, it was hard to understand any lyrics. I did catch some of the words to "Cut That Shit"-- a catchy one-chord odyssey into hair care. I will never get my time or hearing back again.

10:00 Wussy at Club Dream
Wussy defines Cincinnati music and a lot of that has to do with local legend Chuck Cleaver. It's hard rocking with just a slight "twang" and oh so much heart. The only bad thing I could say about the show was the fact that there was not attendance. In fact it seemed like there were more reporters than fans.

11:00 Patchwork at alchemize
Long ago some of these guys were my students. It is amazing to see how far they have come. They straddled the riff between rock and heavy metal and could go either way very easily. I like to think that I taught them their pop sensibility, great time keeping and wicked solos. Ididn'tw I didn't teach them to wear ball caps on stage (you're rock stars, c'mon, dress like it)

UC is One of the Most Expensive Public Schools

UC ranked as the 9th most expensive public school in the country, although not every school was included (Miami, for example, is more expensive but wasn't included). UC is receiving diminishing levels of funding from the state, so it has to make up the difference by increasing tuition.

UC president Nancy Zimpher hopes to open talks with state legislators to improve the situation.

A Cool Look at Cincinnati History

Looking at old photos of places I'm familiar with to see how they've changed can be very interesting. There's a small gallery/store in Hyde Park Square that has old-time photos, and I go in there sometimes just to look around and listen to Bill Cunningham. I bought a photo of fountain square when there was no square, just a fountain in the middle of a boulevard.

Tomorrow from 6-8 p.m. the historic Betts House "will have its grand opening of its new exhibit, Lost Cincinnati: Why Buildings Die. The exhibit will showcase our lost landmarks. Among buildings lost are canals, parks, houses, schools, theaters, inclines, and churches. The exhibit will also explore the reasons why buildings come and go, such as fires, floods, and earthquakes."

For info email bettshouserc (at) fuse dot net.

Why not check it out? Maybe your date will think you're deep or something.

Munoz to Run for Office

24-yr old Michael Munoz, son of Anthony, will run for trustee in Hamilton Township (in Warren County). Munoz graduated from Moeller and was one of the country's top high school recruits, according to ESPN.com. He played college football at U of Tennessee and was again one of the country's best players, but injury problems made pro teams balk at the idea of drafting him, so he wasn't drafted.

But it doesn't seem that will set Munoz back much, since he graduated (early) with a Poli Sci degree. He was also named the country's top scholar-athlete. He is currently working on a Masters in Public Administration. His wife is a nurse (talk about picking the right job at the right time).

The Post brief doesn't give Munoz's party affiliation, but his father is a Republican and Bush supporter. That makes Munoz well-connected, so if he can make a name for himself as an official he could be a rising star in the years to come.

Goofy Comment Bots

On our most recent official blog, the now defunct "war all the time", we started getting comment bots which troll around different comments and post and advert for some product. There is probably some program that does that.

At any rate, we started a new blog when St. Charles dropped off of the face of the earth and unbeknownst to us--due to protective measures--we accidentally shut anyone who wants to comment out of the blog. Not any longer. You can comment now.

Thanks for understanding!

Pepper "White Candidate" Perpetrator Known

Shortly before the September 13th mayoral primary, automated phone calls went out to voters in Cincinnati saying that Pepper was the only white candidate, attempting to make the Pepper campaign seem racist and... well, stupid.

Everybody in the know had an opinion, as they always seem to, and a lead clad reason for that opinion. Now, the answer has turned up. The Hamilton County Board of Elections investigation snuffed out the perpetrator(s) through phone records and though select people around the city know who it is, they are sworn to secrecy for the time being.

Who was it not? General Kabaka Aba, one of the founders of the Black Fist denied any involvement on his part or of the organization.

He told QCF Mag Tuesday night that when the Black Fist did things, they did it out in the open where people knew who was doing it. He said that it was no secret that the Black Fist "hates" David Pepper (and Chief Strieker, Mayor Luken, etc., etc.).

"Even David Pepper will tell you that backhanded, sneaky stuff isn't our style. He'll tell you: what we do, we do out in public where people are cameras are."

More on the Transportation Future: Western Hamilton County

The Western Hamilton County Transportation Study, an initiative of the OKI Regional Council of Governments, is nearing the end of the first year of its two-year study.

It's a major undertaking, as the long list of advisory committee members indicates. In addition to municipal and county citizen and government groups, there are some members of the advisory committee that seem to come out of left field, at least at first glance: the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, League of Women Voters of Cincinnati, NAACP, Ohio Committee on Hispanic/Latino Affairs, Urban League of Greater Cincinnati, and the Women’s Chamber of Commerce.

These may be odd additions, but the list overall is comprehensive and is clearly intended to give as many groups as possible a seat at the table. This is how good policy is made (assuming their presences aren't token).

Interestingly, there is no mention on the HCTS page about light rail, which is generally the first idea when considering transportation options for large metropolitan areas.

The first meeting of the HCTS will be Tuesday, Sept. 27 from 5-8 p.m. at Whitewater Township Community Center, 6125 Dry Fork Road.

Getting Around in Uptown in the Year 2025

The uptown area (Avondale, Clifton, Corryville, East Walnut Hills, Evanston, Mt. Auburn, North Avondale, Walnut Hills, and Clifton Heights, University Heights and Fairview) has seen consistent residential and commercial growth in recent years and anticipates more in the future. A consortium of groups have established the Uptown Transportation Study to investigate and plan transportation needs for the future.

It's a great example of citizen-driven urban planning and is just the kind of thing that helps obviate Mark Twain's comment about Cincinnati being 10 years behind the rest of the world.

Learn more and get involved at the study's site.

Citizens & Council Clash Over Oberlin Wal-Mart

It seems like every Wal-Mart project brings on controversy and disagreements, and this one in Oberlin is no exception. The company's lousy record in the area of worker rights are becoming more of an issue with the public. Wal-Mart is the target of the largest class-action employee discrimination suit in history right now, and it's deployed a marketing campaign to improve its image (those ads air mainly in the south).

In Oberlin, a citizen's group wants to deal with this issue by having council pass a living wage law. An interesting idea, but it's viability is uncertain.

There's also the matter of negative effects on other local enterprises, often driving them out of business completely.

Civics, Shmivics

The Reading Eagle newspaper has an old editorial on an unrelated matter, but this is what caught my eye:

...a survey by the National Conference of State Legislatures found that 64 percent of people between the ages of 15 and 26 could identify the winner on American Idol, but only 40 percent could name the party that controls Congress.

Well, that's inspiring: given a 50-50 chance to name the correct party, GenY got it wrong more than half the time.

Cities Pass Resolutions Calling for War's End

From the NewStandard:

Chicago’s city leaders Wednesday overwhelmingly approved a resolution calling on the "United States government to immediately commence an orderly and rapid withdrawal of United States military personnel from Iraq." In doing so, the city joined hundreds of others cities, including Washington, DC and San Francisco in opposing the war.

Is Bush's focus on Katrina (happily followed by the media) a thinly veiled attempt to distract from Iraq? Should Britney Spears have her tubes tied?

The latest NBC/Wall St. Journal poll gives bad numbers for Bush for both his handling of Katrina as well as the question of whether the country is "headed in the right direction." Fifty-three percent said "no" to the latter.

It wouldn't be the first time the Bush team has made an effort to conceal its actions by distracting the public.

Bush Accepts Responsibility

President Bush accepted responsibility for the delayed help for the people in New Orleans in his speech last night.

He has pledged that the government will fund the rebuilding of the City. Will he address the administration's image of helping the big guys? Will he start looking into cities or parts of the nation that do not benefit high society?

That is where the real action will begin. If they can see that the lack of care for low income Americans is what got us here, not simply Bush not being able to talk or act without Cheney or Rove in the Country.

Reaction here, thanks to the Enquirer.

Pew Poll: Americans Want More Energy, Less SUVs

A new poll from the Pew Research Center for the People & the Press reveals 8 out of 10 people think we should reduce our dependency on foreign oil, and that SUV drivers should help by dumping their guzzlers for something more efficient.

Among the other results:

Almost seven in 10 want the government to establish price controls on gasoline and want more spending on subway, rail and bus systems.

Just over seven in 10 want to give tax cuts to companies to develop wind, solar and hydrogen energy.

Just over eight in 10 want higher fuel efficiency required for cars, trucks and SUVs.

Slightly more than half, 52 percent, favor giving tax cuts to energy companies to explore for more oil.

Read the AP article here. Perhaps what this poll really reveals is the sudden onset of common sense among Americans. Where did that come from?

InkTank's Movable Feast New, Improved... Tuesday!

Moveable Feast Gets New Name and Look

InkTank's Loudnmobile Poetry Series (formerly Moveable Feast) returns for a second season in September, with monthly feature-open readings at various venues throughout Cincinnati. The readings, scheduled through May, 2006, will be presented in a different bar, coffeehouse, or gallery space each time, usually on the third Tuesday of the month.

The inaugural reading will take place at 8:00 p.m., on Tuesday, September 20, in the outdoor courtyard of the historic Arnold's Bar & Grill, 210 East Eighth Street (513-291-6234), in downtown Cincinnati.

The September reading will feature two Latin American writers, Columbian poet and novelist Armando Romero, and Nacasio Urbina a Nicaraguan poet and essayist, and an open reading. The event will kick off with an short open reading in which anyone is welcome to read their own work. Romero and Urbina will follow. After the feature readers the open reading will resume.

Romero is the author of several collections of poetry, and has also published a book of short stories. He recently was awarded the 2005 Latino book award for his novel, La Rueda de Chicago (Chicago's Wheel). His poetry collections include De Noche el Sol (At Night the Sun) and Hagion Ores: El Monte Santo (Hagion Oros: The Holy Mountain). Romero is currently a professor in the Romance Languages Department at the University of Cincinnati.

Nacasio has written several books, among them a collection of poetry, Sintaxis de un Signo (Syntaxis of Signs) and two short story anthologies, El Libro de las Palabras Enajendas (The Book of Senseless Words) and El ojo el cielo perdido (The Eye of the Paradise Lost). Nicasio is an Associate Professor of Spanish American literature at the University of Cincinnati.

Xavier Men's Basketball Schedule is Up

For those who've completed the first few rounds of post-Huggins therapy and are ready to move on, we call your attention to the other hoops show in town, Xavier University. The men's schedule is now available for your perusal.

The schedule starts out tough and doesn't really get any easier. They'll have to hit the ground running. The first 3 opponents are Purdue, Coppin State, and Illinois.

The crosstown shootout, if that's all you're looking for, is Jan. 19.

Top 25 Censored News Stories of 2005

Project Censored, which makes an annual compilation of "the news that didn't make the news," has come up with its list for this year (for some reason called "2006"). Project Censored has been doing great work for years and this year is no exception. Highly recommended.

Keep stories #14 and #15 is mind as you contemplate how SCOTUS nominee John Roberts may influence national policy, and how a right-leaning judiciary in general may do so. To a large extent, the media's focus on social issues detracts from the more fundamental issue of transforming the only branch of government that is not yet firmly under corporate control.

If you want to become media literate, the Clark Street blog has some good media links and is a good place to start.

Campaign V-partys

They all start around 7:30/ 8 pm

Winburn: Campaign Hdqtrs 5922 Hamilton Ave.

Mallory: McFaddens 7th Street Downtown

Pepper: Martini Club 6th Street Downtown

Reece: Integrity Hall 2181 Seymore Ave. Bond Hill

Justin Jeffre: The Lab on 12/ Main St.

Torn?

Why are people looking for guidence from a higher father in politics today? Because it is Primary day for Mayor and people are torn. Dems have been going to the booth not knowing who to vote for: Pepper or Mallory.

The added angle is that Dems have wanted to use strategy to ensure that it is Pepper against Mallory in the general. So they have been calling around asking which way the smart vote will go under the belief that the city is best suited with the two running against each other.

On the other side of the ball, are Republicans torn? Presumably good government Republicans will vote for Pepper while the far right in the city will go Winburn's way.

My prediction: Reece vs. Pepper.

Will a wild card rise a la Jean Schmidt in the Repub Congressional primary?

Will Jeffre have his dancing shoes on?

Bill Clinton: First Lady!

Public trust is at an all time low. Every corner this White House turns in the last few weeks have shown ineptitude, inadequacy and disregard.

who has the best shot at the White House right now. Hillary Clinton looks strong right now on the Dem side for candidacy. But what about the GOP? Did McCain campaign for a reason, selling himself out? Is Giuliani getting the call from the bullpen? Who would win Giuliani or Clinton?

Remembering 9-11

An anonymous poster brought up the questions of the signs remembering September 11, 2001 and the integrity of them.

Here's the question I'm charging: has the left grown so paranoid that it jumps at everything or the right so complacent that it is a fraid to question anything?

Is the hurricane's staggered reaction a result of that complacency?

I think it is.

Bring Them Home Press Release

Bring Them Home Now Tour
> From Camp Casey, Crawford to Washington DC

On August 31st, the last day of the encampment, the Bring Them Home Now
Tour launched three buses from Crawford, Texas, each carrying military
and Gold Star families, veterans of the Iraq War and veterans of
previous wars. These buses are travelling different routes across the
country, converging in Washington, DC on September 21, for the United
for Peace and Justice Mobilization September 24th-26th.

IN CINCINNATI . . .SEPT 7
The tour will arrive around 3pm. A press conference is scheduled at 4pm
in the parking lot at Mt. Auburn Presbyterian Church. All are welcome

WEDNESDAY, SEPT 7
BRING THEM HOME NOW TOUR SPEAKS OUT! (and Answers Questions)
7PM
HALL of the Catholic Center at St. Monica St George (328 W. McMillan
behind Hughes High school and Deaconness Hospital)
DON¹T MISS THE CHANCE TO HEAR FROM . . .

* VINCE GEORGE, MFSO.
* LIETTA RUGER of Bay Center, Washington, whose son-in-law and nephew
serve in the 1st Armored Division of the U.S. Army and are currently in
Germany. They have both served extended 15-month tours of duty in Iraq;
they are both under stop-loss orders and due to re-deploy to Iraq this
fall.
* MONA PARSONS, MFSO, who is from Mt. Vernon, OH, and her son is
currently in Iraq.
* BILL MITCHELL of Atascadero, CA, whose son Sgt. Michael Mitchell was
killed in action in Sadr City, Iraq on April 4, 2004, along with Cindy
Sheehan's son Spc. Casey Sheehan. Bill is a co-founder of Gold Star
Families for Peace.
* KALISSA STANLEY of Killeen, TX, whose husband is in the Army and
currently stationed at Ft. Hood. He served one year-long tour of duty
in Iraq and is scheduled to be redeployed to Iraq next year.
*HART VIGES of Austin, TX, who served in the 82nd Airborne Division and
was deployed to Iraq from February, 2003 to January, 2004. After
returning home, Hart applied for and was awarded Conscientious Objector
status.
* STEVE FRYBURG of Dayton, OH, may be joining the tour in Ohio as a
representative of Veterans for Peace and MFSO. His son was deployed to
Iraq and has returned.
(Please bear in mind these speakers are subject to change as the tour
progresses.)

THANKS TO ALL THE PEOPLE HELPING TO PREPARE DINNER FOR THE TOUR
PARTICIPANTS AND OFFERING TO GIVE THEM A SPACE TO SLEEP!! If anyone
else would like to offer housing FOR THE NIGHT or would like more info
about local events, please contact Kristen at 513-579-8547.

For more info about the Bring Them Home Now Tour read below or see
www.bringthemhomenowtour.org

Direct Affect

Public trust in the government is remarkably low. Where does the buck stop? Are Republicans going to continue to defend the president in his delayed reaction? Are Democrats going to accept their responsibility?

Does the Mayor of New Orleans get the blame?

Do the rioters?

It doesn't matter what City this happened to, if it were Boston, NY, LA, the poor in urban areas don't have the transportation and, in urban areas, they are black. So, when Kanye West stated that the president does not care about black people, was he wrong?

The divide in class is now greater and more evident than it has been in my lifetime (26 yrs). Racism is in this country is real... are we going to face it yet?