Republicans Dig Up Dirt On Phony Steelworker In John Kasich's Latest Campaign Ad: Florida Actor With Interesting History

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Even Republican are aghast at John Kasich's latest campaign ad that uses a Florida actor to pose as an Ohio steelworker. They've noticed that the actor, Chip Redden, has a colorful [ed. note: I'm using a polite description] past. Right Ohio, the GOP leaning Ohio blog operated by Matt Naugle, a conservative who worked in Ken Blackwell's 2004 campaign, is taking Kasich apart today. Kasich's GOP campaign has promised to put Ohioans to work.  It seems he's delivering paychecks to Florida offenders.  Here's what Naugle has learned:

"Poor Chip… a local actor making a few bucks on the side and now he becomes a target of the Ohio Democrat Party machine.
I’m surprised they didn’t point out he has a MySpace page, with this being my favorite picture of Chip:

And although he is an Ohio-based actor, he has lived in other states where he has committed crimes. Here are all the ones I could match to his addresses, including a 1996 charge in Florida for battery!

Offender information
Name: REDDEN III, EUGENE V
Address: 225 CHADWORTH DR
KISSIMMEE, FL 34758-3041
OSCEOLA COUNTY
Case Number: CM 9500MM 003428
Case Filing Date: 01/02/1996
County: Osceola
Race: White
Sex: Male
Offenses
Case Filing Date: 01/02/1996
Court Case Number: CM 9500MM 003428
Court Offense: BATTERY
Court Disposition Date: 01/02/1996

And lots of traffic violations. Here are a few examples:

Offenses
Case Filing Date: 11/15/1995
Court Case Number: C 9500TC 037940
Court Offense: ATTACH LICENS PLATE NOT ASSIGN
Court Level/Degree: Traffic Criminal
Case Filing Date: 05/11/1995
Court Case Number: C 9500TT 017335
Court Offense: 51/35 SPEED: POSTED ZONE (MUNI
Court Disposition: VOLUNTARY PAYMENT – ADMIT GUIL
Court Disposition Date: 06/08/1995
Court Level/Degree: Traffic Citation

And at various times in Alaksa, he committed forgery, theft, driving without a drivers license, and driving drunk:

Offender information
Name: REDDEN III, EUGENE V
Address: AK
Case Number: 4FA-93-00439CR
Case Filing Date: 02/22/1993
DOB: 02/1969
Offenses
Case Filing Date: 02/22/1993
Court Description: Fourth District – Fairbanks
Court Case Number: 4FA-93-00439CR
Court Statute: FORGERY II
Court Disposition: No Contest Plea
Court Disposition Date: 10/12/1993
Court Level/Degree: Felony
Offenses
Case Filing Date: 11/12/1999
Court Description: Fourth District – Fairbanks
Court Case Number: 4FA-99-03631CR
Court Statute: NO VALID OL
Court Disposition: No Contest Plea
Court Disposition Date: 12/16/1999
Court Level/Degree: Misdemeanor
Offenses
Case Filing Date: 10/20/1988
Court Description: Fourth District – Fairbanks
Court Case Number: 4FA-88-02951CR
Court Statute: THEFT/FRAUD
Court Disposition: No Contest Plea
Court Disposition Date: 07/17/1989
Court Level/Degree: Misdemeanor
Offenses
Case Filing Date: 03/13/1989
Court Description: Fourth District – Fairbanks
Court Case Number: 4FA-89-00627CR
Court Statute: ALCOHOL
Court Disposition: No Contest Plea
Court Disposition Date: 07/17/1989
Court Level/Degree: Misdemeanor

There are a few other issue minor infractions he committed, but the point is he doesn’t have a clean record and in this tough political environment the Kasich campaign has opened themselves up to this attack.
And before you feel like starring in a political TV ad, prepare yourself to be embarrassed."

Here's more from Plunderbund, which wonders why Kasich couldn't find an Ohio steelworker to wear and hardhat for the ad attacking Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland.

Cincinnati Tea Party Founder's British Boss Can't Profit From Socialized Med If Wrongly Listed As CEO Of Firm With UK Healthcare Pact

Captured from Firstpoint's homepage

IMPORTANT UPDATE: 10/15/10 12:36 pm -- I just changed the headline.  An e-mail has arrived from PCMS Datafit Inc., the company that employs Mike Wilson, saying that the John Court in Britain who is the CEO of PCMS is not the same John Court who runs Firstpoint Healthcare.  The e-mail said the information contained in the Bloomberg BusinessWeek executive profile and biography is incorrect.  Bloomberg says, "John Court serves as the Chief Executive Officer of Firstpoint Healtcare Ltd. and PCMS Datafit Inc."   This is what came in the e-mail:
 

"There are (at least) two John Court’s in the UK.  One is “ours” and is the CEO of PCMS (partially represented below).  The other John Court is the CEO, we assume, of Firstpoint.  They are definitely different people.  While PCMS’ John Court is aware of the other John Court, they have not met and he did not know he was the CEO of Firstpoint."

The Daily Bellwether passed along a link that would allow Bloomberg to correct its data, and the PCMS e-mailer said she would seek a correction:  I appreciate the link as I will attempt to contact Bloomberg to rectify the inaccuracy on their end.

Hopefully, that straightens out any confusion over the two CEOs in Britain who are named John Court.  PCMS is working to show Wilson's CEO does not have anything to do with FirstPoint, the National Health Service contractor.      

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Investment research data compiled by Bloomberg lists Cincinnati Tea Party founder Mike Wilson's British boss as CEO of Firstpoint Healthcare Ltd., which holds contracts with Britain's National Health Service. On its website, Firstpoint describes itself as "proud" to have a contract with England's governent-run healthcare system, as the accompanying document shows.  Wilson is running as a Republican for the Ohio House (District 28) in suburban Cincinnati. Wilson is challenging State Rep. Connie Pillich, a Democrat who is a lawyer and former U.S. Air Force captain. Wilson says he will: "Support nullification legislation should Congress pass a health care bill that requires consumers to purchase government-approved insurance." Wilson paints Pillich as backing out of control government spending programs, yet corporate financial data makes it looks like Wilson's bread is being buttered by execs profiting from socialized medicine in England. Wilson says he works for PCMS Datafit Inc., an IT and data-mining firm. Bloomberg says the CEO of Datafit also holds the same job at Firstpoint, which is based in Birmingham, England.  Here's a snippet from Bloomberg:

"Key developments for Firstpoint Healthcare Limited

Firstpoint Healthcare Limited Wins Multiple Awardees Contract for Nursing Services

12/19/2009

Firstpoint Healthcare Limited won a multiple awardees contract award from NHS Purchasing and Supply Agency for the supply of nurses of all bands and sub-job families including community services nurses, dental nurses, health visitors, midwives and theatre nurses to all NHS bodies within England and any other named organizations within the United Kingdom. No contract amount was specified (Ref. No.: CM/ANS/08/4961)."  Firstpoint is a subsidiary of Servoca, another British corporation that has numerous government contracts, including some with the National Health Service.

Meanwhile, Wilson says he's going to oppose government programs here: "Our Constitution was written based on the principle that governmental power is derived from the consent of the governed and that the most effective government is exercised as close to the people as is possible. Over the last 120 years, arrogant politicians have subscribed to the fatal conceit that a one-size fits all federal government could more effectively direct our country than the 50 states or hundreds of millions of people scattered across our fruited plains. As a result, the federal government has continually asserted new powers beyond those enumerated specifically, and contrary to the 10th amendment."

Wilson has been endorsed by the Ohio Tea Party PAC.  Its candidate survey says endorsed candidates have to support limited government, and candidates are expected to "support the Healthcare Freedom Amendment of the Ohio Constitution that would overturn the recently passed federal health care mandate."  But the Bloomberg data shows he works for British bosses, who run businesses that make money from nationalized health care.

UPDATE: 11:50 am -- Just noticed the comments.  Yes, Britain's National Health Service does pay for abortions.  This link will take you to the NHS and its abortion policies. I don't know that the Tea Party has a position on Roe v. Wade, the Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion in the United States.   The first anonymous commenter makes an interesting point, but there is a counter argument.  If you work for a company that owns casinos, it would be difficult to say you are opposed to gambling; if you work for a gun maker, it is hard to say you are opposed to guns; if you work for the government, or a company that derives income from the government, it is hard to say that you really believe the government should go out of business.

UPDATE 2: 10/08/2010 5:10 pm -- Righty Ohio blogger Matt Hurley at
Weapons of Mass Discussion is hacked at me for posting about Mike Wilson and his British CEO's contract with Britain's socialized healthcare system. Hurley thinks it is the kind of stuff that will drive good citizens away from seeking public office. Hmm. Not quite up there with "Ma, ma where's my pa. He's in the White House, ha, ha, ha." But Hurley is entitled to his opinion and you should read it. That is the point of the Internet and blogs -- to let it all hang out, to unplug the corks that bottled up the flow of information.  That way you get to decide what is interesting or useful, or not.  So click on the link above to see what Matt Hurley has to say.  Here's a sample: "Complete nonsense from top to bottom.  Really, Bill, you are better than this... Is it just me or is all the stupid people out with the most frivolous and irrelevant rubbish they can find during this election cycle?  Or am I just getting too old for this crap?" By the way, Matt Hurley's blog has the coolest name in the blogosphere.

Scandal Rumors Percolate At Hamilton County Courthouse: Feds Said To Be Probing $4 Million In Uncollected Bail Bonds

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The wraps seems to be coming off a closely guarded secret: Feds are reportedly poking around the courthouse to learn if up to $4 million was scammed from the public coffers.  Allegedly, the missing money involves forfeited bail bonds that haven't been collected through the court clerk's office in Hamilton County.  If true, this is huge.  The rumor mill cranked up after U.S. District Judge Michael R. Barrett yesterday placed on hold a civil lawsuit that accused county and state officials of  blocking bail bondsmen from soliciting business on the courthouse grounds.  While that lawsuit, Case No. 1:10cv285, has nothing to do with the rumored FBI investigation, it indirectly may have played a role by stirring interest in Cincinnati's bail bonding operations.

WKRC-TV, Channel 12 has reportedly been working on an investigative news story about a massive breakdown in procedures to collect forfeited bond money.  In Cincinnati, judges set bonds.  But if  accused criminals skip town or dodge their court dates, bond money is forfeited.  The paperwork processing the forfeitures is done in the Hamilton County Clerk of Court's office.  At this point, it is not clear if there was an administrative breakdown or corruption.  Another possibility:  Nothing is amiss, the rumor mill has just gone wild.  But the opinion here is that there is more to this than smoke.  Reportedly, Democratic officials in Hamilton County are getting ready to file public records requests with Court Clerk Patricia M. Clancy that would seek open documents about bond forfeitures and sums owed to the county.  In addition, the Democrats are said to plan on seeking all records showing payments made by bonding companies on forfeitures since Jan. 1, 2009.  Interestingly, the Democrats could turn up public records requests made by Channel 12 -- Cincinnati's ABC affiliate -- during the course of any digging done by the TV station.  They also might find out what the FBI is up to, if anything.

All this rumor and etc. comes at a time when John Williams, a top aid to Clancy, is running for a seat on the Hamilton County Juvenile Court.  Williams is a Republican who has a Democratic opponent.  Nobody suggests that Williams has done anything improper.  The Daily Bellwether has known Williams for years: His reputation is impeccable, he's always been ethical, he is a square shooter.  Williams, a former prosecutor, was the Hamilton County Board of Elections director during some very partisan contests, especially the 2004 Bush v. Kerry contest.  He emerged with his reputation intact.  But if there really is a scandal about millions of dollars in uncollected bail bond money, the juvenile court judge campaign would be impacted.  Political opponents would move quickly to depict Williams and Clancy as asleep at the wheel, or inept.  The Daily Bellwether is of the opinion that the efforts to seek records about bail bonds dating back to Jan. 1, 2009 are aimed at Williams and Clancy -- she took over the clerk's office after winning the job in the November 2008 general election.

The flap seems to have its roots in an Ohio Department of Insurance proceeding against A-1 Bail Bonds owner Debra Henneke, who is challenging her bail bondsmen license revocation. Competitors and clerk's officials said she was soliciting business on the courthouse grounds.  Henneke fought back.  She hired lawyer Robert Newman, and apparently private investigators who reportedly uncovered the irregularities.  At least, that's what is being spun around the courthouse and political circles.  In his ruling yesterday, U.S. District Judge Barrett said he was temporarily staying out of the litigation to allow bail bondsmen to solicit business from bail bondsmen in the courthouse:  "This matter shall be stayed pending the conclusion of state administrative proceedings brought against Debra Henneke."

UPDATE: 10/7 4:22 pm -- CityBeat has heard the rumors, too. Kevin Osborne is reporting that Hamilton County Democratic Chairman Tim Burke has filed a formal public records request seeking  fnancial records about bond foreitures at the GOP controlled courthouse.  The Bellwether has heard from two sources today who said there is a federal probe.  They also said Channel 12's Jeff Hirsh has been working on the story.  I tried to call Hirsh for comment.  No luck.

Phil Heimlich Registers As City Hall Lobbyist: Dead GOP Political Career Puts Heimlich To Work For Concrete Company

Heimlich's Lobbyist Registration

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Almost four years after he was voted out of office as a Hamilton County Commissioner, Phil Heimlich is back, or sort of back.  The one-time star of conservative GOP politics in SW Ohio has signed on as a City Hall legislative agent -- lobbyist -- for Hilltop Companies, which runs a ready mixed concrete business in Cincinnati.  Heimlich used to be a city council member.   Hilltop says it is the only ready mixed supplier with a plant in the downtown market.  The company's website is available here. The new gig for Heimlich -- the son of Dr. Henry Heimlich -- marks another leg on the long downward trajectory of his political career. In 2006, Heimlich was riding high and was the running mate of former Ohio Atty. Gen. Jim Petro, who wanted to move into the governor's mansion. Their campaign flopped.  Heimlich quit the ticket and sought reelection as commissioner. He was whipped by Democrat David Pepper. Two years ago, Heimlich tried to run for Congress in OH-02 against Jean Schmidt. He quit that race, too.

Now he's the lobbyist for a company that says this about concrete: "Hilltop management realizes the importance of aggregates in our daily lives. Mining of sand and gravel in our modern world is only a transitional use of the land, one which provides vital resources for community needs. This land, however, will achieve future use through reclamation and the results of this process will greatly benefit future generations. By unifying mining with community interest and implementing land use planning, Hilltop will continue to work in partnership with the communities in which it is located to address their long term needs."

Heimlich has dabbled as a radio talk show host, and runs a website called Hard Truths, which is Christian oriented. He talks about his life's journey being paved with "distinguished public and community service." Now it is being paved with concrete. Here's an excerpt from Heimlich's Hard Truths:

"As host of Hard Truths with Phil Heimlich, Phil “seeks the difficult answers where they can best be found: through the pages of history; through our own common sense; and most importantly, in the Word of God.  Phil’s journey to hosting Hard Truths has been long, paved with distinguished public and community service. It is his unique experiences and commitment to faith which drives Phil to continue his service.

"A graduate of Stanford University with Distinction in 1975, Phil went on to earn his law degree from the University of Virginia in 1979. While serving as Assistant Hamilton County Prosecutor in Cincinnati, Phil specialized in felony criminal prosecution, including murder, rape, robbery, assault and white-collar offenses."

University of Cincinnati Opens Research Center in Singapore: State School Will Help Asian Nation Generate New Jobs

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Ohio is mired with a drowsy industrial economy and high unemployment.  But that hasn't stopped the University of Cincinnati -- a tax-supported state school in Ohio -- from teaming up with government economic development officials in Singapore to generate new jobs in the Asian city state.  Singapore says it is looking for a competive edge.  The question:  Will the Cincinnati school's overseas venture end up threatening the U.S. workforce?  UC is boosting an offshore economy by opening  a research center in Asia at a time when the U.S. is struggling to compete in the global marketplace and the state jobless rate is around 9.5%.    Cincinnati itself is ranked as among America's most poverty wracked cities by the U.S. Census Bureau.

Thien Kwee Eng, an official with Singapore's Economic Development Board, makes it clear that the Cincinnati school's presence will help that nation produce products for Asian consumers.  It's about jobs, job, jobs for Singapore.  In fact, that's the duty of the Economic Development Board, which says in its mission statement:  "EDB is the lead government agency responsible for planning and executing strategies to enhance Singapore’s position as a global business centre and grow the Singapore economy. We dream, design and deliver solutions that create value for investors and companies in Singapore.  In so doing, we generate economic opportunities and jobs for the people of Singapore; and help shape Singapore's economic future."

The Daily Bellwether has the complete text of Eng's speech welcoming the project, which is available at the link below.  But here are a couple of pertinent paragraphs from the Singapore official's speech:

"We recognise that Design is exceedingly growing in importance to companies as a competitive edge to creat products and services that enhances the quality of life of people and also makes business sense.  To come up with a successful product requires more than the ability to sketch and build things.  Instead, a deep understanding of consumer needs and deriving consumer insights, coupled with the ability to translate those insights into a useful product is the key.  To address this EDB [Singapore's Economic Development Board] plans to build up capabilities to establish Singapore as a leading base to gather and analyse consumer insights, as well as to develop products for Asian consumers.  This was the result of a recommendation from the Economic Strategies Committee earlier this year, and would enable companies to anchor consumer-centric innovation activities out of Singapore."

Here's the link mentioned earlier: http://webcache.googleusercontent.com/search?q=cache:-pgmFMQp6BMJ:www.cepo.sg/etc/medialib/downloads/pdf_documents_for.Par.72533.File.tmp/Speech%2520by%2520Ms%2520Thien%2520Kwee%2520Eng,%2520Director,%2520Lifestyle%2520Programme%2520Office,%2520Singapore%2520Economic%2520Development%2520Board.pdf+thien+kwee+eng&cd=3&hl=en&ct=clnk&gl=us

Ohio Gov. Candidate John Kasich Says He Brought Google To Wall Street: Maybe He Was a 'Little Shriveled Walnut' On the IPO

Walnuts or Wall Street?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- GOP candidate John Kasich holds a shriveling lead in the race for Ohio governor, and he also may lead in giving himself a pat on the back for putting Google on the NASDAQ stock market.  But a former Google exec who oversaw the company's initial public offering calls the big Wall Street firms where Kasich worked "little shriveled walnuts"  who didn't truly comprehend the technology industry.  She contends Wall Street's hunger for fees and profits left growth companies SOL.  Google became a public company in August 2004.  A team of 21 investment banks, including now defunct Lehman Bros., where Kasich worked as a managing director, helped prepare Google's initial public offering.  Although Kasich does not mention his Wall Street ties in his official campaign biography, Kasich did say in the Sept. 14 debate with Democratic Gov. Ted Strickland that he had a hand in Google's success.  A link to a tape of the debate is available here. The Daily Bellwether found Kasich talking about Google at the 21:48 mark:

"I was part of the team that took Google public. We know what Google means."

Yes, we all know what Google means.  What we don't  know is what Kasich means.  Does he mean he was an important investment banker at Lehman Bros., the Wall Street company whose collapse in September 2008 helped pull down the U.S. economy?  Did he mean he was a player?  There is just not much information available about Kasich's role.  We do know that Lise Buyer was the investment banking guru at Google who was charged with taking the company public. She would have known Lehman Bros. and Kasich's role. I've not been able to contact her, but I do know she has a low opinion of the investment banks, and said firms like Lehman "emulated Audrey, the man-eating plant from 'Little Shop of Horrors,' demanding ever larger revenues to sustain their mass . . ."

Here's what Lise Buyer said about the investment banks on Feb. 9, 2009 in a column for All Things Digital:

"2. The demise of investment banks is good for IPOs. Today, we lambast investment banks because they earned it. Formerly sure-footed firms ran full speed into a bog they didn’t understand. Those whom Tom Wolfe once christened “Masters of the Universe” and “BSDs” have morphed into LSWs (little shriveled walnuts).

"How does this help the IPO market? In the heyday, technology IPOs were shepherded by boutique investment banks focused on, and economically aligned with emerging growth companies. Those banks didn’t invent, sell or swap CDOs or SIVs. Rather, in the 1990s, following the wisdom of the day, they sold out to diversified, theoretically better-capitalized, larger banks. Those acquiring banks emulated Audrey, the man-eating plant from “Little Shop of Horrors,” demanding ever larger revenues to sustain their mass, leaving new issuers who generate small fees with little IPOs, an acronym of their own; SOL.

"Now, with large investment banks hanging with the pterodactyls, there’s an opportunity for boutiques to rise again, a turn that could be very good for the IPO market."

Elite Catholic Cincinnati Prep School Summit Country Day: Jewish Bias Lawsuit Dropped By Former Worker



Prep School Pinched By Sour Economy

 CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A private prep school that caters to wealthy and prominent families in Cincinnati admits it took a major financial hit and had to lay off staff during the economic collapse that started under former President George W. Bush.  The details surfaced in Hamilton County Common Pleas Court filings.  They came just before longtime Summit Country Day librarian Alice Finkelstein dropped her religious bias lawsuit that asserted she was targeted for dismissal because of her Jewish faith.  Throughout more than a year of litigation, the elite Catholic prep school -- whose alums include HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius -- denied all allegations of discrimination.  Finkelstein was laid off in 2009 after 10 years at the school.  Finkelstein claimed she was subjected to harassment and retaliation at the Catholic school, and said that a co-worker once told her, "Jews don't believe in the power of prayer."  She also said she was not given time off for Jewish holidays.

Summit said it let her go solely due to a deteriorating financial condition.  It said the "collapse of the economy" in the fall of 2008 was behind staff reductions at the K-12 school.  Here's Summit lawyer Paul Dorger's recounting of events [from a motion to have the case tossed out of court]:

"Summit hired Jerald Jellig as its head of School in July 2007.  One of the tasks he was charged with was to reduce costs.  At the end of the 2007-2008 academic year, Jellig reduced the work force by terminating the employment of several staff members.  Plaintiff's position was retained, and she was not effected by this first reduction in staff.

"In October 2008, Summit experienced a deteriorating financial situation as a result of the collapse of the economy.  At that time, Summit anticipated significant drops in both charitable gifts and student enrollment for the following academic year.  Additionally, Summit's investment committee indicated that the school's endowment would suffer considerable losses,  By early 2009, Summit determined that further personnel cuts were necessary.  Therefore, at the end of the 2008-2009 academic year, it was necessary for Jellig to let go of more employees . . .

"On June 8, 2009, Jellig informed plaintiff that her contract would not be renewed due to budget cuts,  Jellig gave plaintiff a letter detailing Summit's severance offer which was based on the same severance formula as the other employees whose employment was terminated by the RIF.  Jellig was unaware of the faith traditions of his staff members selected for layoff, and he did not know that plaintiff is Jewish."

Court records show Finkelstein voluntarily dropped the lawsuit in mid-September.  She did so without prejudice, which means she has the option of refiling the case within a year.  Information about the school is available by clicking here.

Chicago, Cleveland Neighborhoods Rated More Dangerous Than Over-the-Rhine: Cincinnati Anti-Crime Effort Shows Progress

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- We're not No. 1.  That could be the cheer after new local crime stats were published by AOL.com/WalletPop.com that ranked the nation's most crime-ridden neighborhoods.  Moore Street came in 24th on the list of 25.  The ranking is based on data compiled by the FBI from 17,000 local law enforcement agencies across the nation.  Here's what The Daily Bellwether was able to glean:

24. Cincinnati, Ohio
Neighborhood: Moore St.
Found within ZIP code: 45210
Predicted annual violent crimes: 150
Violent crime rate (per 1,000): 81.92
My chances of becoming a victim here (in one year): 1 in 12
More on This Neighborhood



Here's the list of the top 10 most crime ridden neighborhoods:
1. Chicago / W. Lake Street
2. Cleveland / Scovill Avenue
3. Las Vegas / Balzar Avenue
4. Las Vegas / N. 28th Street
5. Atlanta / Carter Street
6. Philadelphia / N. 13th Street
7. Atlanta / Marietta Street
8. Las Vegas / D Street
9. Washington D.C. / L St. SE
10. Chattanooga / King Street
You can see the complete list of 25 by clicking here. Cincinnati has been trying to cut its crime rate through the Ceasefire program, which is described here.

Quran Tearing Planned For Cincinnati's Fountain Square: Islam-Bashers Say They'll Show Up Oct. 7



Is Tearing Less Worse Than Burning?



CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The local protest will coincide with the date the U.S. invaded Afghanistan, although nobody seems to have noticed the connection.  Randall Terry, the anti-abortion protester who founded Operation Rescue, says his followers plan to read and destroy passages from the Quran this week in at least seven U.S. cities,  including Cincinnati.  Terry calls the protest "Hear Muhammad Speak,"  and it is scheduled to start at the proposed mosque near Ground Zero on Wednesday.  A day later the protest is supposed to show up on Fountain Square at the noon hour.  Nobody is sure what will happen, if anything.  Terry's website lists this information about the local organizer:

"Contact: David Smith
Email: david_smith@milacron.com
Thursday, October 7, 2010
12PM -1PM
Meet at: Fountain Square
Fountain Square
W 5th St
Cincinnati, OH 45202"

Terry has an instructional video on YouTUBE that shows how to print-out and crumple up passages from the Quran. Organizing materials say that the the quotations are words "in which Muhammad calls for the murder, beheading, torture, execution and more of Christians, Jews, and Muslim 'apostates' who leave Islam."  Terry has turned into a fringe player on the far out Christian Right.  He seems to be trying to jump back into the headlines by piggybacking off the Florida preacher's threat to burn the Quran.  Some would say he's looking for a second act.  Terry says:  "One of our goals is to urge Americans to study the words and deed of Muhammad.  Americans are rightly concerned about Sharia law; we must connect the dots between the Quran, Muhammad's actions, and Sharia law."  Additional details are at http://www.terrycast.com/; you have to click on the headline Hear Muhammad Speak.

Terry says October 7 is an important date in Christian history because on that date in 1571 the naval battle of Lepanto took place.  He also says October 7 is the Catholic Feast of Our Lady of the Rosary.  In the battle  of Lepanto, a fleet from the Holy League -- an alliance of Mediterranean nations that included Spain, Venice and the Papacy -- defeated the Turks, who were bidding to occupy Italy and Rome.  Wikipedia has an entry about the battle, which apparently was the last big naval engagement involving fighting ships powered by rows of oarsmen.  Terry doesn't mention that Oct. 7 is also the day the United States invaded Afghanistan in 2001, starting the longest war in American history, an event meant as reprisal for Al Qaeda's attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.  Since the fighting started, at  least 1,239 Americans have lost their lives in that war.

OH-01: Flawed Cincinnati Enquirer Poll Undercounts African Americans To Give Steve Chabot Lead Over Dem Driehaus



Oho 1st District Demographic Data (2008)



CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Nearly a third of the residents in Ohio's 1st Congressional District are black.  Most are clustered in neighborhoods on Cincinnati's urban west side and older Hamilton County suburbs.  The Census Bureau estimates about 599,000 Ohioans live in OH-01, and says 180,000 are African American.  Because it covers Cincinnati's urban core, the 1st District has one of the highest concentration of black voters in the United States.  A demographic data fact sheet is easily accessible online from Ohio State University(pdf), which published the info for a previous election cycle.  The district's racial makeup is a widely known fact.

Yet the Cincinnati Enquirer massively headlined a poll Sunday that looks to have seriously under counted African American voters in the Gannett Co. Inc. newspaper's own backyard.  Its sample of 594 likely voters skewed 16% black.  That is a huge divergence from reality in OH-01 -- which is 30% African American.  The poll sample was 78% white, again a tilt away from reality on the ground.  The newspaper reported Republican Steve Chabot had a 12-point lead over U.S. Rep. Steve Driehaus, the Dem elected in 2008.  It did not report that a prior poll showed Chabot with a 17-point lead.  The Enquirer is supporting Chabot.  And some are wondering:  Has the GOP bias that is openly practiced on its editorial page tiptoed into its news pages?  Driehaus beat Chabot in 2008 and is finishing his first term.  Their rematch is the most closely watched contest in SW Ohio.  Data in the SurveyUSA election poll tabs show that only 16% of those queried about the Driehaus-Chabot contest were black. SurveyUSA has made the full-text of its most recent Driehaus-Chabot poll available online. SurveyUSA contends black voters are not motivated to turn out this year, thus giving a huge edge to Chabot.  The poll was conducted last week.

But there is more to the story.  If an earlier SurveyUSA poll is analyzed -- which is something the Cincinnati Enquirer failed to do -- the numbers show Chabot is less popular today than he was before he started running to reclaim OH-01.  Ten months ago, a Driehaus-Chabot race went to Chabot with 56% of the vote -- Chabot had a 17-point margin.   In that SurveyUSA poll, which was conducted for the left-leaning political blog Firedog Lake, Chabot was a shoo-in. Those results are here. The poll noted the importance of the black vote, and 21% of those surveyed were African American. That is a much higher percentage than were contacted for the Cincinnati Enquirer poll, a poll that was so highly touted by the newspaper. Indeed, the earlier poll placed a prime emphasis on the black vote on OH-01:

"African Americans are estimated to be 21% of likely voters in this model. For every percentage point that black turnout is higher in 2010, the Democrat will outperform these results by approximately 1 percentage point. For every percentage point that black turnout is lower in 2010, the Democrat will under perform these results by approximately 1 percentage point."

That means OH-01's black voters are a critical component of the Driehaus electoral base. If they show up, he wins. It is a fact that the Cincinnati Enquirer seems to have ignored. There is a month to Election Day, and Driehaus is not toast. He's in a huge battle with Chabot, whose own popularity has faded by three points since January, according to SurveyUSA.

The polling firm does issue a caveat about its numbers.  It says that many people couldn't be contacted because they don't have home phones, and its numbers are accurate only to the degree they involve those with home phones.  In OH-01, many people use cellphones, it is a fact of life in urban America.   SurveyUSA noted:

"In theory, one cay say with 95% certainty that the results would not vary by more than the stated margin of sampling error [+/- 4.1%], in one director or the other, had the entire universe of respondents with home telephones been interviewed with complete accuracy.  There are other possible sources of error in all surveys that may be more serious than sampling error:  These include the difficulty of interviewing respondents who do not have a home telephone; the refusal by some with home telephones to be interviewed; the order in which questions are asked; the wording of questions; the way and extent to which data are weighted; and the manner in which specialized populations, such as likely voters, are determined.  It is difficult to quantify the errors that may result from these and other factors."

UPDATE: 3:27 pm --  CityBeat's Kevin Osborne has a link to the Daily Bellwether's take on the Enquirer poll conducted by SurveyUSA. Osborne's headline agrees that the there was a flaw that undercounted African American voters in Cincinnati's West Side congressional district. I will also add that there are several black candidates who are running for various offices in Hamilton County that could gin up Democratic turnout in OH-01. Judge William Mallory is seeking election to the Ohio Court of Appeals, where he is the first African American to sit in the court's history. Judge Nadine Allen is running countywide, too, for a seat on the Common Pleas Court. And State Sen. Eric Kearney is running for reelection to a legislative post whose district boundaries overlap in part with OH-01. The presence of Mallory, Allen and Kearney on the ballot should help Driehaus by drawing black Democrats to the polls.

Stink Bugs Are On Their Way To Cincinnati: If You Hate Bedbugs, Catch A Whiff Of This



From New Jersey.com


CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Holy halitosis!  These pests are said to give off an odor that resembles sweaty socks, or ammonia, or cilantro.  And the Asian insect invader known scientifically as the brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys, is headed to our town.  In fact, it already is around, although not in  swarms currently driving Americans bonkers in West Virginia, Pennsylvania and Maryland.  They are about an inch long and are making themselves comfortable, way too comfortable.  News reports are describing a plague of stink bugs skittering into homes and workplaces as they seek shelter from the coming winter. The headlines are squeezing Cincinnati's bedbug infestation into a footnote.  The bugs look for cracks to crawl through.  They line up on roofs that face South.  They don't bite.  And they don't use Old Spice.   Stink bugs get their name from a foul smelling liquid they create to deter predators.  If you find a stink bug in the house, it is best to flush it down the toilet.  Freeing it outdoors is not an option -- it will help the swarm reproduce quickly.

Ohio State University researchers say they found the first sign of stink bugs in Ohio just under three years ago. At that time, the colony wasn't breeding -- that's changed. The stink bug is a plant pest that immigrated into the United States from its home range in Japan and China. Another global import. Here's what OSU Extension Service reports:

"Sometimes called the yellow-brown stink bug, or the East Asian stink bug, it was first reported in the United States in 2001 from Allentown, Pennsylvania. It has since spread to New Jersey, Maryland, Delaware, Virginia, West Virginia, the District of Columbia, New York . . . Specimens have also been found in Massachussetts and Ohio . . . The brown marmorated stink bug feeds on fruits and seed pods of a wide range of plants. It is also a nuisance pest that invades buildings in the autumn."

That nuisance pest part looks like an understatement. In today's Pittsbrug Post Gazette, Doug Oster said the bugs smell when they're crushed or become alarmed. Some say the odor can make your eyes water. Supposedly, they can be killed by spraying them with soap and water. That means Dawn detergent is in the arsenal. Hoppy Kercheval in West Virginia reports the infestation really, really stinks:

"The stink bug has reached Biblical plague proportions in the eastern portion of West Virginia, parts of Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. My brother, like everyone else in the region, is overwhelmed. 'Oh, God, it’s horrible. They’re everywhere,' he told me. 'I’m not even holding ground. I’m losing ground.' As he spoke to me by phone Thursday, there were a dozen or more stink bugs flying around the light above his head in his office."


"Jefferson County Extension Agent Craig Yohn talks about the stink bug as though he were referring to a nuclear blast. 'The epicenter for this year is in Smithsburg, Maryland,' Yohn said on Metronews Talkline this week. Yohn told me the stink bug has also moved into the crop fields, hitting peach and apple orchards particularly hard. 'When they find something good that they like, they send out a message of a pheromone that... stinks and draws their friends,' Yohn said. The infestation is worse now because the bugs sense winter is coming. As the days shorten, they start moving indoors, looking for places to spend the winter."

Chad Ochocinco's Feed The Children: Huge U.S. Charity Rocked By Scandal Bigger Than Sex Line Snafu

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- At least 1-800-HELP-FTC wasn't the number to the charity's $1.2 million house in Los Angeles.  Kroger grocery supermarkets in Cincinnati Bengals country are pulling Chad Ochocinco cereal boxes -- the "honey nuts" -- off the shelves because a snafu has the phone number for the sex line printed on the packages.  But there is a much larger scandal engulfing Chad's favorite charity, Feed the Children, which was supposed to benefit from the cereal sales.  Oklahoma-based Feed the Children is embroiled in a bitter court battle with its founder Larry Jones, who was fired last year.   The American Institute of Philanthropy, a charity watchdog organization, calls Feed the Children the nation's "Most Outrageous Charity," because of dirty linen that is emerging through the lawsuits.  Charity Watch has a lot of the background. Here's a tidbit:

"Since Jones was fired from FC, he has gone from being a defender to a critic of the charity. Last summer Jones defended the Oklahoma City based charity's purchase of a $1.2 million house in the Los Angeles area 'to reach out to celebrities' and told the Oklahoman that his daughter 'lived and worked out of the house as intended.' Yet in legal papers filed 1/19/09 against FC, he accused his daughter of 'treating a business residence in California as her personal residence.' In the same lawsuit he criticized other employees who worked for him for many years when he was head of the charity, including accusing FC's chief financial officer, Christy Tharp, of being incompetent even though she had worked for him as FC's CFO since 2002."

None of the turmoil seems to show up on Feed the Children's website, although something might be there that was overlooked by The Daily Bellwether. The Associated Press had a long piece by reporter Sean Murphy about the issues confronting Feed the Children. The AP piece was distributed in mid-September.

In Ochocinco's case, the charity seems to have supplied the wrong phone number, which is odd. It should know its own phone number. Today's Cincinnati Enquirer reported that Feed the Children admitted it made the mistake about the phone number: "A spokesman for the Oklahoma City-based Feed the Children conceded the error appears to be the organization's mistake, one they are working to fix. 'We didn't even know the other number existed,' said spokesman Tony Sellars." Ochocinco apologized but said the boxes were printed in Pittsburgh -- city that is home to the Steelers, the Bengals rivals: "Something isn't right."