Phil Burress' Citizens For Community Values: The Military Has Made Ohio A Cesspool

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The vice president of operations at Citizens for Community Values -- the anti-porn, anti-gay religious right group headed by Phil Burress -- has an obnoxious and highly inaccurate Op-Ed piece on page B-7 of today's Cincinnati Enquirer print edition. It says the "large number of colleges and military bases" in Ohio have helped turn the state into a hub of the human trafficking industry.

That is an insult to the students on Ohio's campuses, and a despicable remark to level at the Americans voluntarily serving in the armed forces during a time of war. They simply are not in league with human trafficking industry.

But Jerry Lyons, CCV's veep and the Op-Ed author, also is wrong on his facts. It is false to say Ohio is home to a "large number" of military bases. Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton is huge and the state's biggest employer with some 38,000 workers on the Pentagon payroll. But the vast majority are civilians -- fewer than 8,000 active duty Air Force personnel are at the base. Other than Wright-Pat, there are only a handful of reserve, National Guard and Coast Guard facilities left in the state.

For some unfathomable reason, Citizens for Community Values has decided to warn Ohio that its colleges and the military are in the cult of brothels and actively supporting the unspeakably evil human traffickers who capture women and use them as sex slaves. The Enquirer has not yet made the Op-Ed available on the Internet. Perhaps it is too ashamed. But this is some of what Lyons wrote:

"The ugly truth is that Ohio, primarily for two practical reasons, has become a significant hub for human sexual trafficking. Lake Erie allows easy access for trafficked victims from Canada, while the state's excellent highway grid allows movement to cities throughout the country.

"There are additional factors. The large number of colleges and military bases contribute to trafficking. Cleveland and Columbus, therefore, have been identified as cities popular among johns seeking Asian massage parlors serving as fronts for brothels."

If Lyons had really been on the ball, if he had used his brains, he might have noticed that he was describing Lake Erie as a transfer point, a porous transfer point used by smugglers to access the U.S. homeland. If traffickers really are so successful secretly shipping sex slaves to campuses and military bases around Ohio, then think of what the terrorists and drug dealers must be moving across the lake these days. Heroin and cocaine come to mind. So do explosives and radioactive materiel. Is Lyons more concerned about massage parlors than a nuclear weapon?

Now, this is not the first time CCV has made its claim about the campuses and military bases contributing to human trafficking. In fact, virtually the same words appeared last August in CitizenUSA, an apparently defunct Christian right newspaper. The story quoted another CCV official who said, "The large numbers of college and military bases also contribute to the traffic."

The complete article is still at the link above, but the pertinent part is here:

"In Cincinnati Thompson conducted a workshop sponsored by Citizens for Community Values. CCV’s representative on the Rescue & Restore coalition, Bruce Purdy said, “Ohio has become a significant hub for human sex trafficking because of geography and demographics. Lake Erie allows trafficking to move from Canada, while the various interstate corridors allow movement of victims to cities throughout the country. The large number of colleges and military bases also contribute to the traffic. Cleveland and Columbus have been identified as major cities popular among johns seeking Asian massage parlors serving as front for brothels."

Cincinnati GOP Councilman Chris Monzel: Wants Evolution Challenged In Public Schools

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Maybe speakers from the Creation Museum just across the Ohio River in Kentucky might be asked to hold forth in Cincinnati Public School biology classes. They could explain how the world is just 5,000 years old, dinosaurs were hanging around with people in the Garden of Eden, and that the Bible's Book of Genesis literally explains how humanity got its start. That might be exactly what Republican Councilman Chris Monzel --who is seeking election tomorrow -- hopes to accomplish. Who knows? Monzel says he supports requiring Ohio's classroom teachers to "present the evidence" that contradicts Charles Darwin's theory of evolution.

Monzel, 39, is trying to hold onto a seat that the GOP appointed him to after he was voted out of office in 2005. He is an engineer and holds a masters degree in public policy from Harvard University. He was the valedictorian at parochial Moeller High School in 1986. He is a very intelligent fellow. He did not elaborate on the questionnaire exactly what it is that teachers should offer as contradicting Charles Darwin. Perhaps intelligent design, perhaps scientific creationism, perhaps Genesis or something from Greek mythology. Perhaps a script from Star Trek.

He was asked about "Alternatives to Evolution," and the question reads:

"When lessons on the origins of life are taught in Ohio public schools, do you support or oppose requiring teachers to present the evidences (sic) both supportive and contradictory to the theory of evolution?" Monzel is in the supports box.

Darwin's theory is generally accepted, and contends that organisms and species continuously make genetic adaptions to the environment. They do this by selection, either through hybridization, inbreeding and mutation (short version).

Christian Right's Ohio Election Day Voter Guide: The Computer Ate It

[UPDATE: 11/05/07 -- The guide is now online and available here. One of the questions is about teaching evolution in Ohio's schools, and whether alternatives should be presented in classrooms.]

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A statewide voter-guide that was supposed to help Ohio's evangelicals and values voters pick their candidates for the Nov. 6 election has not appeared yet because of computer problems. The guide is the handiwork of Ohio Election Central which is an offshoot of Citizens for Community Values, the Cincinnati-area Christian right organization headed by Phil Burress. Officials are reportedly hoping to get the guide out by Election Day, but the delay has no doubt undercut its usefulness as a tool to influence voters.

The guide is supposed to advise Ohioans on "where the candidates stand on the key issues that affect you, your family and Ohio" and it is compiled from a questionnaire developed from concerns important to groups ranging from the American Family Association to the Eagle Forum of Ohio. According to the Web site, the quite has been stalled by glitches that have made it impossible to tie candidates to their Zip Codes.

"We are experiencing difficulty which is preventing you from viewing an accurate sample ballot."

Often, the values voters guides work in favor of Republicans. But if it doesn't appear -- or shows up at the last minute -- the delay seems to be a break that boosts the prospects of Democrats, especially in Cincinnati where all nine City Council seats are on the ballot. Also, it may help in Columbus. And, perhaps, in OH-05 its non-appearance could hurt State Sen. Steve Buehrer. He has the backing of some evangelicals and Burress in a tough GOP primary against State Rep. Bob Latta. Clearly, not having the guide ready on the Sunday before the election means churches could not distribute downloads. Nor could they mention during Sunday services that the web guide was out and could be checked online.

Ohio State Rep. Tom Brinkman: Judge Says He's A Crook

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Sharon Coolidge of the Cincinnati Enquirer has the big story that is rocking the Hamilton County Courthouse and will cause waves in Ohio politics: Common Pleas Judge Bob Ruehlman Judge says State Rep. Tom Brinkman is a "real criminal."

Ruehlman is a Republican, as is Brinkman, but he was was livid that Brinkman reportedly changed 1,000 signatures on an anti-gay rights petition circulated in Cincinnati and wasn't prosecuted for an elections law violation.

The complaint filed with the Hamilton County Board of Elections that began the investigation originated with Citizens to Restore Fairness, an organization that favored rights for gays and others who faced discrimination in Cincinnati. Judge Ruehlman said Brinkman tried to cheat and his actions took away "the right for people to decide issues when you cheat like that."

Brinkman is a conservative pro-lifer who represents the 34th district in the state House. He has introduced bills that would outlaw abortion in Ohio. He faces term limits next year from his state House seat, which covers the East Side of Cincinnati and some suburbs.

In the past, Brinkman has told the Bellwether he didn't tamper with the petitions illegally. He said he got advice to do what he did from a lawyer, David Langdon, who was a special counsel for former Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, a Republican who was the state's top elections official. Langdon also was involved with Citizens for Community Values, the Cincinnati area group that led the fight for the anti-gay marriage amendment adopted in a 2004 statewide referendum. Langdon was co-author of the amendment.

Brinkman has made noises that he might for Congress in OH-02. But Ruehlman's blast probably cut the legs out from under any political future he might have. Opponents will always point out that a judge called him a crook in open court.