As He Packs It In, Strickland Offers Words Of Woody Guthrie: Folksinger Wrote About America's Bounty, Hardships of Downtrodden

Woody Guthrie

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Outgoing Democratic Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland is telling disappointed supporters to find solace in the the words of Woody Guthrie.  Strickland quotes the folksinger who said he refused to write song lyrics "that makes you think that you are not any good."  Guthrie died in 1967, but he remains a giant who chronicled the Depression, the Dust Bowl and patriotism in the face of despair.  The quote Strickland chose to put in his concession speech Tuesday night -- and which may tie him forever to Guthrie -- is about pride, work and simple virtue overcoming ill fortune.  Strickland is from Appalachia and grew up in hardscrabble poverty; Guthrie was from Oklahoma and knew a hardscrabble existence.  Nobody is really sure where Guthrie delivered the words that Strickland is citing -- probably off-the-cuff during one of his zillions of performances.  It seems to originally appear in print in a 1965 paperback called Born To Win, a 251-page book that contains drawings, scribblings, poems and musings from Guthrie, who is listed as the author.  The book is out of print.

Here's the quote as used by Strickland:  "I hate a song that makes you think that you are not any good. I hate a song that make you think you are just born to lose.  No good to nobody.  No good for nothing.  Because you are too old or too young or too slim or too ugly or too this or too that.  Songs that run you down or poke fun at you on account of your bad luck or hard traveling.  I am out to fight those songs to my very last breath of air and my last drop of blood.  I am out to sing songs that will prove to you that this is your world and it it has hit you pretty hard and knocked you for a dozen loops, no matter what color, what size you are, how you are built.  I am out to sing the songs that make you take pride in yourself and in your work."

Strickland did not use the rest of Guthrie's words, which go on to say:  "And the songs I sing are made up for the most part by all sorts of folks just about like you.  I could hire out to the other side, the big money side, and get several dollars every week just to quit singing my own kind of songs and to sing the kinds that knock you down still farther and the ones that poke fun at you even more and the ones that make you think that you've not got any sense at all.  But I decided a long time ago that I'd starve to death before I'd sing any such songs as that.  The radio waves and your movies and your jukeboxes and your songbooks are already loaded down and running over with such no good songs as that anyhow."

Mark Allan Jackson, whose 2002 Louisiana State University PhD dissertation is considered authoritative about Guthrie's life and philosophy saw Guthrie as a beacon for essential human rights. He saw Guthrie as a man who watched people suffer hard times in dignity.

"Considering its sympathy for suffering Dust Bowlers, disenfranchised tenant farmers and abused migrant workers, Guthrie's work . . . could be denounced as being biased. Where, critics might say, are the bums and drunkards, lay-abouts and louses in his description of these people? How is it that all those whose suffering Guthrie captures stand amongst these noble poor who had had their fortunes and rights unjustly denied? . . . In effect, Guthrie wanted to express the other side of the situation in his song lyrics by describing the dehumanizing, demoralizing conditions that the Dust Bowlers, the tenant farmers and the Okie migrant laborers suffered under in America during the Great Depression. By providing these stories in a sympathetic voice, he not only exposes the unfulfilled promise of the 'Land of Opportunity' and other national myths but urges the audience to feel for the people who inhabit the songs." 

That was Ted Strickland. He felt sympathy for the people who inhabit the songs, he wanted to serve them, he wanted no one repressed and marginalized and, like Woody, dreamed of an Ohio with pastures of plenty.

EEOC Says Ohio Hampers Civil Rights Probe: State Refuses To Honor Subpoena

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- A state lawyer at the Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles says the agency cannot comply with a federal subpoena that seeks access to the driver's license photos of 1,419 Ohioans. The lawyer, Joshua Engel, contends a privacy law blocks release of the photographs. The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission subpoenaed the photos on Feb. 15 for an investigation into allegations of hiring discrimination by two Toledo companies, Modern Builders' Supply Inc. and Polaris Technologies. The EEOC says "examination of the job applicants' license photographs will allow the Commission to statistically analyze the job applicant flow by race and sex. The result of such analysis will assist EEOC in completing its investigation and make its determination on the race and sex hiring allegations."

Earlier this week, U.S. Magistrate Mark R. Abel scheduled a May 30 show cause hearing in Columbus federal court. The judge gave the state until May 16 to explain why it has not complied with the subpoena. The case is EEOC v. Ohio Bureau of Motor Vehicles, 2:08-mc-00015.

EEOC lawyers contend Ohio is hampering a federal investigation. But Engel, chief legal counsel for the Ohio Department of Public Safety, parent of the BMV, said in a letter to the EEOC that, "We are not permitted to prove the records in response to this Subpoena. The Subpoena requests photographs of approximately 1.500 Ohio drivers. However, Ohio law prohibits the release of such records."

EEOC lawyers say that amounts to legal bunkum:

"Respondent grounds its refusal to comply with the subpoena on an Ohio law which prohibits release of digitized license photographs, except for criminal justice purposes or to a court . . . State laws which frustrate federal investigations under federal laws such as Title VII, however, are preempted by federal law under the Constitution's Supremacy Clause. The federal courts have rejected state privacy and other laws as defenses to EEOC Title VII subpoena enforcement actions because Title VII is the supreme law of the land, preempting those state laws . . . The Commission is proceeding with an investigation which is within its Congressionally-mandated authority."

Obama Endorser Bill Richardson: A 'Water Rustler' Eying Great Lakes For Dry Southwest?

CLEVELAND (TDB) -- Environmental activists are uneasy about New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, whose endorsement of Barack Obama made a big splash last week in the Democratic presidential contest. Some think he could be a "water rustler." Richardson's baggage -- left over from his now-scrapped White House run -- is that he suggested last year fresh water from the Great Lakes be siphoned off to the dry Southwest. Richardson recanted. But enviros still wonder if he's a straw man for development interests intent on sucking the Midwest's most precious natural resource off to the desert. Here's what Richardson said that made waves last year:

"I believe that the western states and eastern states have not been talking to each other when it comes to proper use of our water resources. I want a national policy. We need a dialog between states with issues like water conservation, water reuse technology, water delivery and water production. States like Wisconsin are awash in water."

Lloyd Alter, who writes for Treehugger.com, feels that Richardson's reappearance as a force in Democratic presidential race via the Obama endorsement should put the Great Lakes states -- including Ohio -- on notice that their water is a target:

"If the Great Lakes states and provinces don't take decisive action to prevent the raiding of the Earth's largest supply of fresh water, the water rustlers will continue seeking ways to steal it. Eventually, they will find a way . . ."

Nevada Has Gambling, Hookers And Low Unemployment: Should Ohio Legalize Prostitution?

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The sound of squeaking bed springs. Prosperity. Would opening up Ohio to the the world's oldest profession boost the state economy -- is it any worse than keno in a bar? Slate has a provocative story that wonders why prostitution is illegal in so many jurisdictions, and discusses how it works in some European nations. The question: If you can deal in guns, gamble, smoke and sell cigarettes, charge 390% interest on payday loans, well, what's so bad about having a sex industry? If there's a willing buyer and a willing seller, is there really any reason why a capitalist government should stand between that free market transaction?

Michigan Newspaper Editor Mocks Ohio: Buckeye State Towns Have Weird Names

TOLEDO (TDB) -- Dan Shaw is the managing editor of the Monroe Evening News and his undershorts are in a knot because somebody called Ohio and Michigan sister states. He recited a list of "crazy places in Ohio" -- towns with names like Buzzard Roost, Bald Knobs, Turkey Foot and Turkey Neck. Shaw thinks they're not as lyrical sounding as Michigan spots like Petoskey and Charlevoix. Worse, Ohio's place names grate on the ear and don't entice or invite new residents. Says Shaw:

"Who in Michigan, I asked, thinks Ohio and Michigan are sister states? Maybe Michiganders consider Ohio to be a black sheep second cousin, but not a sister. When I think of sisters, I think of a loving, caring relationship, with maybe a little sibling rivalry but generally warm and fuzzy feelings. How often do Michigan residents describe Ohio in warm, fuzzy terms. I'm afraid it's not sibling rivalry -- more like good old fashioned, serious, stick-in-the-eye kind of rivalry."

Former Ohio GOP U.S. Rep. Bob McEwen: Yes, My OH-02 Republican Friends Voted For Vic Wulsin And Hillary

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- OH-02 Democratic Congressional candidate Vic Wulsin remarked Wednesday in a blog comment that conservative Republican Bob McEwen told her his guests at a dinner party earlier this week had abandoned the GOP. The six picked up Dem ballots on primary day March 4 and joined the crossover crowd. McEwen, who spoke to The Daily Bellwether about the big switcheroo, confirms Wulsin's account is correct. He said he phoned her Wednesday morning with the news. Says McEwen:

"I guess she left out the other part -- that they voted for Hillary, too. I had six people over for dinner that night and we talked about the voting. They all picked up Democratic ballots. Everybody was Republican, and they voted for Hillary and for her [Wulsin]. The reason they took a Democratic ballot? They wanted to help Hillary. I think it really was the Rush stuff."

Conservative talk show host Rush Limbaugh urged listeners to vote for Hillary rather than John McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee. McEwen told the Bellwether he stuck with the GOP on primary day. He also wonders if his friends -- the half dozen new Democratic converts -- would switch back to their original party by November's general election. "Only time will tell. I guess we're going to find out."

Wulsin's comment about McEwen's dinner party appears in this thread on FireDogLake. Here's what she said:

"The 2nd District has some very interesting dynamics. Congressman Bob McEwen [OH-R]called this morning to congratulate me. He said that at his dinner table last night, the other six guests-- all Republicans -- had chosen Democratic ballots and voted for, yep, Vic Wulsin! He says the Repubs want her OUT (he barely lost to her in the '06 primary so remember where he's coming from) and want a reasonable alternative. So, I'd like to think some of the crossing over comes from a desire to get Schmidt out. As an epidemiologist, I look forward to crunching some numbers to where the biggest 'crossing over' occurred and how that affected the Clinton:Obama ratio and the Wulsin:Black ratio."

Obama Runs 2-Minute TV Ad Across Ohio And Texas: Script And Video Available On The Daily Bellwether

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Click here to view the ad, an appeal for votes with some pointed words about the "obscene influence of lobbyists." The complete text of Obama's script follows:

"For years, we've watched politicians divide us, seen lobbyists put their interests ahead of ours, and heard our leaders tell us what we want to hear, instead of what we need to hear.

"The question you have to ask yourself is this: Who can take can take us in a fundamentally new direction? I'm running to finally solve problems we talk about year after year after year. To end the division, the obscene influence of lobbyists and the politics that value scoring points over making progress. We can't afford more of that -- not this year, not now.

"I've spent my life working for change that's made a real difference in the lives of real people. That's why I passed up a job on Wall Street -- to fight joblessness and poverty on the streets of Chicago when the local steel plant closed. That's why I turned down the corporate law firms to work as a civil right lawyer -- to fight for those who have been denied opportunity. That's why I fought for tough new ethics law in Illinois and Washington -- to cut the power of lobbyists -- and I won. That's why I brought Democrats and Republicans together to provide health care and tax relief to working families. And that's why I opposed this war in Iraq from the start. It wasn't popular, but it was right.

"This country is ready for a leader who will bring us together. That's the only way we're going to win this election. And that's actually how we'll fix health care and make college affordable, become energy independent and end this war.

"I'm reminded every day that I'm not a perfect man. And I won't be a perfect President. But I can promise you this: I will always tell you where I stand and what I think. I will listen to you when we disagree. I will carry your voices to the White House and I will fight for you every day I'm there.

"On Tuesday, help change Washington; let's bring Democrats, Republicans and Independents together, not just to win an election, but to transform a nation."

Nosing Around The Campaign Trail: No, Obama Didn't Dig For Gold

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A producer at Chicago's CBS affiliate -- WBBM-TV, Channel 2 -- has created an online slideshow of 26 candid shots of candidates on the 2008 campaign trail. You can see it by clicking here.

Ohio Presidential Primary Warning: Don't Believe Everything In The New York Times

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Civil rights icon U.S. Rep. John Lewis, an Atlanta Democrat, appears not to have endorsed Barack Obama as the Times reported yesterday. His office released a statement to the Atlanta newspaper this morning that says the Times was incorrect. Does this mean that the African American superdelegates won't be breaking away from Hillary as widely speculated?

Obama's Ohio Campaign Director Paul Tewes: Has Roots In Clinton/Gore '96

COLUMBUS (TDB) -- Paul Tewes, the Minnesota native now running Sen. Barack Obama's Ohio operation, is a partner in Hildebrand Tewes Consulting Inc. His firm has led efforts against the war, Social Security privatization and has tried to raise awareness about climate change. It has offices in South Dakota and D.C. and has been close to former Senate leader Tom Daschle. Tewes is a 1993 grad of Carleton College and is viewed as a top-notch operative whose field-organizing in Iowa was critical in delivering Obama's Jan. 3.

The Daily Bellwether hears that Tewes is a hot commodity right now. Huffpo reporter Beverly Davis is said to be preparing a piece on the Obama strategist and the Ohio ground game he is putting in play to defeat Hillary Clinton. Hildenbrand Tewes was formed in 2005 to lead Americans United To Protect Social Security, which mustered national opposition to President George Bush's Social Security privatization plans. Tewes first worked with his partner, Steve Hildebrand, as an organizer for Clinton/Gore. He was Gore's Iowa caucus manager in 2000.

There is background information about Tewes and his political consulting firm available here on the company's web site. Besides opposing the Bush Social Security reform -- which many Dems viewed as an effort to steer money to Wall Street -- Tewes and Hildebrand have been involved in organizing opposition to the Iraq War. A brief bio says Tewes spent time as the political director of the Democratic Senate Campaign Committee while Daschle served as the Senate's leader:

"During the 2006 cycle, Paul served as a general consultant in the successful re-election effort of Democratic U.S. Sen. Maria Cantwell (WA) who was considered the most vulnerable Senate Democrat facing re-election in 2006. He was also a General Consultant in the successful re-election effort of Democratic U.S. Sen. Daniel Akaka of Hawaii, who was being challenged in the primary by a popular Democratic congressman. Paul also directed a nationally recognized environmental coalition on climate change strategy. Before Hildebrand Tewes Consulting, Paul was the political director of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) from 2003-2004 and was the National Coordinated Campaign Director for the DSCC the previous election cycle. A native of Minnesota, Paul began his career in 1994. He spent time managing, running and winning campaigns in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Washington State and Iowa where he first worked with Steve Hildebrand in 1996 for Clinton/Gore."

Starry Eyed Over NASA? Both Obama And Clinton Support Manned Spaceflight

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The first American to ride a spacecraft into orbit -- former Sen. John Glenn -- hopes to launch Hillary into the White House with his endorsement in Ohio today. NASA's Glenn Research Center near Cleveland is a massive lab that pumps about $1.1 billion into the state's economy each year. It accounts for 7,360 jobs. John Glenn's new role in the Democratic presidential race is bound to highlight the space policies of Clinton and Barack Obama -- policies that could loom more important as the March 4 primaries draw near. Ohio is the birthplace of aviation and has a huge economic stake in the industry; Texas, which votes the same day, has Houston and NASA's Johnson Spaceflight Center where the astronaut corps is based.

Both Hillary and Obama have issued position papers expressing support for manned space flight and next generation vehicles that will replace the 1970's technology space shuttle fleet by the end of this decade. Both favor staffing and flying the International Space Station. Their words indicate they want Americans to return to the moon -- where Ohioan Neil Armstrong was the first human visitor in 1969 -- and eventually explore further into cosmos. Hillary, perhaps, has more enthusiasm. Obama says:

"The retirement of the space shuttle in 2010 will leave the United States without manned spaceflight capability until the introduction of the Orion Crew Exploration Vehicle (CEV) carried by the Ares I Launch Vehicle. As president, Obama will support the development of this vital new platform to ensure that the United States' reliance on foreign space capabilities is limited to the minimum possible time period. The CEV will be the backbone of future missions, and is being designed with technology that is already proven and reliable. The International Space Station is an example of what we can accomplish through international cooperation. Barack Obama is committed to the completion of the International Space Station."

Clinton says:

"Hillary is committed to a space exploration program that involves robust human spaceflight to complete the space station and later human missions, expanded robotic spaceflight probes of our solar system leading to future exploration, and enhanced space science activities. She will speed development, testing, and deployment of next-generation launch and crew exploration vehicles to replace the aging space shuttle. And in pursuing next-generation programs, Hillary will capitalize on the expertise of the current shuttle workforce and will not allow a repeat of the 'brain drain' that occurrred between the Apollo and shuttle missions."

Popular Mechanics has looked into the space policies of all the presidential candidates, GOP and Democratic, and found that
the Republicans haven't said much, if anything, on the topic. The Democrats appear to own this issue, and probably have ever since John Kennedy pledged the USA would put a man on the moon.

Obama Opens Ohio Campaign: Web Site Up, State Director Named

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- The Obama Web site is already beginning to list events around the state. And the presser reprinted below is being distributed. It emphasizes the grassroots nature of the campaign in the days ahead:

CHICAGO, IL -- The Obama for America campaign today announced that it will begin to dispatch resources and staff to Ohio in preparation for the primary on March 4th. Paul Tewes, the Obama campaign’s Iowa State Director, will serve as the campaign’s Ohio State Director, and field staff is expected to begin work in the state in the coming days.

“While Senator Clinton begins her Ohio campaign with support from much of the political establishment, we are confident that the strength of our longstanding grassroots support in the state will translate into a formidable organization,” said Tewes. “As has proven true across the Midwest, Ohioans are looking for a candidate who is able to work with people of all parties and all viewpoints to get things done, and a candidate who will stand up to special interests on behalf of working families who know too well how poorly our economy is performing. Barack Obama began his career by working to bring hope and opportunity to a community devastated by a steel plant closing, and as he travels the state, Ohioans will recognize that he is the candidate who can bring change we can believe in."

Last weekend, Senator Dick Durbin and Columbus Mayor Michael Coleman kicked off a statewide organizational meeting that attracted over 500 activists. Grassroots chapters from Toledo to Marietta and Ashtabula to Cincinnati have been organizing for months to lay the groundwork for a field operation. Key elected officials supporting Obama throughout the state have helped spur the grassroots organization, including Mayor Coleman, Legislative Black Caucus Chair Tyrone Yates, Cuyahoga County Commissioner Tim Hagan, Cincinnati Senator Eric Kearney, Youngstown Mayor Jay Williams, Cuyahoga County Commissioner President Peter Lawson Jones, Warren Representative Tom Letson, Akron Representative Vernon Sykes and Dayton State Senator Tom Roberts. Senator Obama has visited Cleveland, Columbus, and Cincinnati twice each since the beginning of his presidential campaign, as well as Boardman. Michelle Obama also visited Cincinnati in 2007.

West Virginia Writer Slams Ohio: Too Much Taupe And Beige

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Maybe the legislature needs to appoint a special commission, or beg Cleveland-based paintmaker Sherwin Williams for help. Or maybe Charleston Gazette-Mail columnist Karin Fuller needs to see a shrink. You decide. Fuller says she doesn't like to visit Ohio because too many homes and buildings in the state are painted either beige or taupe. Taupe is a dark gray that is tinged with brown, purple, yellow or green. Who knew?

"There's something sad about sameness, about visual political correctness. About adhering to a color palate that strives to be only un-offensive. The heck with originality or individuality or going out on a limb. Heaven forbid anyone try something daring or new."

For years, Ohioans have been trying to sort out whether the state is blue or red. Now we learn from West Virginia we are actually a bunch of taupes. Fuller dredges up an old Steven Colbert interview question with Cleveland U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs-Jones: "Twenty-two astronauts were born in Ohio. What is it about your state that makes people want to flee the Earth?"

Fuller writes her own reply: "Maybe it's because they want to see something other than beige."

Ohio Clinical Study Seeks Toilet Paper Testers: Get Wiped Out On The Job

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Hill Top Research in Cincinnati says it is looking for men who are ready to sit down on the job and commune with a commode. And it will even pay them for the potty breaks. A recruiting ad appeared on page A-8 of today's Cincinnati Enquirer:

"If visits to the throne are making you feel like a king, you're the man for us! Test toilet paper at Hill Top Research! Qualifying men 18 to 65 years of age will receive up to $125 for their time & travel."

No details on what the exact qualifications might be when the testers start work on January 21. Perhaps being full of it is a requirement? Hill Top does market research and product testing for major corporations, including Cincinnati consumer products giant Procter & Gamble. It appears the poopers who will turn pro for the toilet paper tests are being sought in Cincy, Miamiville, St. Petersburg, Fla., and in Arizona and Manitoba.

Iowa Too Important? Obama Wonders If Ohio And Florida Carry Too Much Clout

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A lot of people who don't live in Iowa seem to be saying the rural prairie state carries too much clout in presidential politics with its quadrennial candidate-winnowing caucuses. But Illinois Sen. Barack Obama -- who is leading in the Iowa polls -- has wondered aloud if key swing states Ohio and Florida get too much attention after the major party nominees are chosen. It is a fact that in 1976, 1980, 1988, 1992, 2000 and 2004, Ohio and Florida were the big battlegrounds. In 2004, President Bush and John Kerry seemed to be somewhere in Ohio every week, and they appeared ready to apply for residency, or start wearing sweater vests if it would give them an edge. It is widely believed by political strategists of all stripes that a candidate probably cannot reach the White House without carrying Ohio.

Democrat Obama told an Iowa audience earlier this week that a presidential campaign should be fought across more states than Ohio and Florida, because doing so creates a risk an election can be stolen. He decried the focus on the two. He did not say the 2000 or 2004 elections were stolen, but his comment could be viewed as feeding off suspicion among numerous Democrats that something must have gone terribly awry to put Bush in office. The Chicago Sun-Times reported that Obama would build a coalition of Dems, Republicans and independents nationally. That coalition would lessen his need to rely on votes from Ohio and Florida.

"We aren't going to have 47 percent on one side, 47 percent on the other side, 5 percent in the middle and they all live in Ohio and Florida and you only campaign in two states."

He also sounded like he would wage trench warfare if there was any suspicion of voter fraud.

"If for any reason this thing is close, we will fight it tooth and nail till the end. The nice thing is, I'm a voting rights attorney as well as civil rights attorney."

Shuttering Ohio's Red-Light Cameras: There's Now A Way To Beat Them

CLEVELAND (TDB) -- Cities from Cleveland to Columbus and Toledo have been sticking cameras on stop-lights to catch motorists who run red lights. The snap shots that catch license tags, but not drivers, are controversial and seen by many Ohioans as nothing but a way to fatten municipal budgets over enforcing traffic laws. Now a company that makes highway radar and laser detectors said it has put a GPS locator in the package to display the location of red light cameras.

Cobra said the move is to boost safety on the roads. Others might see it as a way to beat the system. Cobra says its research shows 88% of Americans have run a red light. And half reported in a recent poll sponsored by the radar-detector manufacturer that a traffic light changed too quickly to stop at the stoplight. Cobra's poll found that some drivers admit they run five red lights a year. It said 76% of drivers age 18-34 admitted they went through a red light in the past year.

Cobra says its $449.95 XRS R9G displays the locations of the cameras. The Chicago company says the gizmo isn't intended to help drivers skip the intersections, but instead is to remind them to slow down and stop on red.

"A national survey commissioned by Cobra reports the vast majority of Americans admit to having run red lights, and consistently driving through yellow ones. To curb the red-light running epidemic, cities across the United States are encouraging safe driving by installing speed and red light cameras at dangerous intersections.

"While a few well-place cameras may slow some lead-footed drivers, four in five Americans agree that knowing the location of photo-enforcement cameras in advance would make them put the brakes on. According to Cobra's national survey of 1,000 Americans, more than three-quarters (77 percent) of respondents admit they would fell safer if they had an extra security -- a device in the car -- to supplement their cities' efforts to increases safety of these dangerous intersections."

Ohio's Open Gov't Report Card: Average, But D+ For Lobbying Data

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- A report that examines the quantity and quality of online information made available by state governments across the U.S. grades Ohio with a "C," or solidly average. The study was released today by Good Jobs First, a Washington non-profit that reviewed Internet disclosure practices in all 50 states. Ohio received an "A-minus" for giving the public Web access to state procurement contracts. But the grade fell to D-plus for disclosure about economic development subsidies for business, and D-plus for state lobbyist and lobbying activities.

Neighboring states had these overall grades: Indiana, B; Pennsylvania, C; Kentucky, F; Michigan, F, and West Virginia, F. The overall grade for all 50 states was a D-minus.

The subsidies have sometimes been called corporate welfare. They include loans, grants and tax breaks and other financial assistance to businesses. Good Jobs said there is wide agreement across the political spectrum that states should be more transparent. It said the National Taxpayers Union, along with consumer advocate Ralph Nader, have been allies in promoting "Google Government." Records would go online showing companies that receive tax breaks and financial assistance from government. The argument is that the public should be able to take advantage of the increased degree of openness that the Web can allow.

Good Jobs First said its goal was to show which states are moving to make full use of the Internet to disseminate information.

"State government's are critical arenas for the public's right to know, in part because they are a major force in the country's political economy. They employ about five million people and spend some $1.5 trillion a year. They play a major role in regulating business and protecting the public, and they are often in the vanguard of public policy innovation. Making those activities more transparent is a vital public benefit."

Lobbying records should be online and easy to decipher, the group said, so the public can see "which companies are spending money to exert influence over state policy making."

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."

Ohio's Crooked Dem Jim Traficant: Racist Anti-Semite David Duke High-Beams His Cause

YOUNGSTOWN (TDB) -- Sleaze supporting sleaze is how it looks with David Duke -- the Jew-hating Louisiana race-baiter -- sticking up for imprisoned former U.S. Rep. James Traficant. Material was distributed last week on Duke's official Website that portrayed the corrupt former Ohio congressman as victim of a massive government conspiracy. The material includes a letter from prison by Traficant, who said he was placed behind bars because he knows too much, including what happened to former Teamsters Union leader Jimmy Hoffa and who really was behind the murder of John F. Kennedy in 1963.

Duke's official site urged visitors "To Write Jim Traficant A Letter."

Traficant's own missive from a federal pen seems to date from December 2003, but appeared on Duke's site only six days ago. The letter contends things began to disintegrate for Traficant after he defended John Demjanjuk, the Cleveland autoworker who was cleared of running the gas chamber at Treblinka during World War II. According to the letter, the Jewish community had it in for Traficant, who is an innocent political prisoner.

"The government agents that destroyed Demjanjuk's life should be in jail! That was just the tip of the iceberg. When people saw what I had done for the Demjanjuk family they came to me with unbelievable information. The information is so powerful that it is hard to believe, and the government knew I was getting sensitive information that could damage the American people's confidence in the government. People came to me with facts about Waco, Ruby Ridge, Pan Am Flight 103, Jimmy Hoffa and the assassination of President John F. Kennedy. It may all sound far-fetched, but I do know what happened to Hoffa and JFK. The government knows that I know -- and so they had to ruin my voice by destroying my credibility. I may yet divulge this information if I can get the proper forum."

Duke's Website may be the perfect forum for Traficant. Or a new episode of the Twilight Zone. As Traficant often used to say from the floor of the U.S. House when he ended his speeches: Beam me up, Scotty.

Ohio Concert By Flag-Waver Lee Greenwood: Country Singer Likes Fred Thompson Over GOP Field

CINCINNATI (TDB) -- Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani barnstorms across the Cincinnati-area today: A fundraiser, a Reds game, a political rally in a pub, then on to conservative talker Sean Hannity's touring show at the Kings Island amusement park in Warren County. One of the acts performing is country music star Lee Greenwood, who is famous for God Bless the USA. Turns out that the flag-waving singer is not a Giuliani fan -- he likes Fred Thompson, the former senator from Tennessee who is expected to jump into the GOP race by September.

Greenwood bills himself as America's Most Recognized Patriot, and he has a huge following that loves his way of praising the red, white and blue values. They are generally conservative folks, sometimes with ties to the military. Greenwood spoke to a Cincinnati freelancer, Chris Varias, for a piece promoting Hannity's Freedom Concert, which is touring this summer to raise money for military families.

Varias asked Greenwood: "Are you endorsing any presidential candidates?" Greenwood's reply ladled out praise like red-eye gravy on biscuits for Thompson, but noted Fred's not running. Yet.

"No. We haven't aligned ourselves with anyone, but at this time in the world we need a strong leader. It would be Fred Thomspon, but he's not running. He's a Tennessean, of course."

All of Varias interview with the singer is posted online HERE. Political observers who are Nashville cognoscenti know Greenwood's words conjured up another song, a tune by Hank Willians Sr., that goes " move it on over, move over little dog because the big dog's steppin' in."