President Bush will be in Columbus late this afternoon to do a fundraiser for Senator Mike Dewine. The Columbus Dispatch reports "The fundraiser will generate more than $1 million for De-Wine's campaign and the Ohio Republican Party, with several hundred people expected to attend. Event attendees will pay at least $2,200 per person; the price for a photo opportunity with Bush at a VIP reception is $10,000." The power of the presidency translates in to major dollars on the campaign trail.

I have always found it strange that the leader of our nation, particularly in a time of war, would take the time to do fundraising like this and no one will question it. How many of these barbeque, clam bake, shrimp boil, fish fry, apple cider, pumpkin pie events does a President do in an election year and how much time does he waste?

The topic of political fundraising is one that really makes my blood boil. Our elected officials waste so much time on campaign contributions so they can keep their jobs and spend less and less time actually doing them. Mike Dewine will get $1 million dollars today to waste on T.V., direct mail, and other crap. In return, the people who wrote those checks will get access, favorable treatment, and a return on their investment in a direct or indirect way. You and I will get to watch the commercials, read the direct mail, and put a sign in our yard all to convince us that our interest are being represented.

By Guest Columnist John Kutuchief

My dad worked for his entire career in Akron Public Schools and most of it as a high school guidance counselor. He has since retired, yet remains the busiest guy I know. I asked him to share with our readers his observations from his recent trip to Toronto. Also, he took the pictures in the post.

"Last weekend I traveled to Toronto to enjoy a vibrant, people friendly city that was concluding a week long Gay Pride Celebration. Toronto hosts the largest Gay Pride event in North America, or at least so I've been told by several Canadians. It was our intent to enjoy the summer weather in an inviting city and be spectators for the annual Dyke parade on Saturday and the big Gay parade on Sunday.

"One of the many positive things Canadians seem to embrace is a clear concept of diversity and tolerance. This city is home to every conceivable ethnic group, clustered in various parts of Toronto in ways that seem to meld together in a workable tolerant community. The days that I was in Toronto, I read the Toronto Star, one of at least two dailys, and learned so much about how immigrants assimilate together in the larger community. As you probably know, Canada is really as much a 'stepping stone' to the United States....but in a legal manner, for many Asians, as Mexico is the 'stepping stone' for illegal immigrants trying to find a better life for themselves and their families. This may be one of the few similarities between immigrants coming to Canada and immigrants coming from Mexico. Lingual and cultural assimilation in Canada seems the norm.

"Toronto is a clean and vibrant city. At all hours you see people out walking, eating in outdoor cafes, sitting in open air pubs, riding the very clean and efficient subways and trams, and skateboarding, jogging, rollerblading, along the hundreds of miles of bike/walking paths that exist in the city. We were staying at a friends' home in the downtown area near Broadview and Danforth Ave, which was a 15 minute walk to the heart of the commercial and gay district in central Toronto.

"The parades at the conclusion of the Gay Pride Week are the highlights of the week and are truly a community affair. Organized by the Gay Pride community and the city of Toronto, these public displays are much 'mainstream' with the mayor, police chief, fire chief, council members, and a host of other community organizations participating in the actual parade. For example, there were a variety of organizations with people and banners or floats representing agencies in the city that serviced AIDS education or AIDS victims. Social service organizations were all part of the event and had a number of booths (large tents with displays for viewing or selling) throughout the area that attracted many of the thousands of spectators on both days. This event is so large that the last parade participants left their starting spot well over an hour after the parade had begun.

"The center of all the events was Church Street and this area plus all the side streets for a block away from Church had been cordoned off for big tents, displays, etc. It was a real conglomeration of people having fun, being outrageous, making statements in their dress (or lack of it.....many were barely clothed) and just enjoying an afternoon of "togetherness" both with the straight and gay communities.

"I came away with a strong sense of what the notions of TOLERANCE and DIVERSITY are all about. It was a strong statement of the community of Toronto saying to the rest of the world that we embrace the cultural, ethnic, sexual, and heritage differences that exist in our city, and understand that this diversity is one of the strengths that make Toronto such a people friendly place to live.

"This feeling of community is buttressed by the city itself. There are over ten miles of parkland along Lake Huron where people go to enjoy green space, water, and all the attending goodness that comes form that. Our impression is that we in the United States could learn a great deal about the sense of strong community that exists in a city like Toronto.

Celebration.....not confrontation !!
Diversity.....not division !!
Embrace......not eschew !!
Respect......not reject!!

"Lessons to be learned from our northern neighbors seem very fundamental and worth a 'pause' in our sense of existence here in the lower 48. It was enjoyable, entertaining, and educational. A trip north would be well worth your time."

- John Kutuchief

Frustrated doctors in New York have joined the Teamsters Local 1149 in hopes of gaining more bargaining power on behalf of their patients. Doctors are upset with insurance companies (particularly the dominant area ins. co., Excellus BlueCross BlueShield) trying to dictate patient care. The Teamsters union has already gained the membership of 250 doctors, and expect to gain another 750 by year's end.

Excellus is cutting pay to doctors, and deciding which drugs the doctors can prescribe to their patients. Payments could be cut as much as 20%, which is difficult to understand when Excellus' profits increased 88% last year.

Doctors wouldn't need to unionize if there was more competition among insurance companies. With an organized group, doctors hope to gain a louder voice and negotiate contracts that would help their patients acquire the care they need. But, as it stands, doctors and patients are at the mercy of the local giant.

Yesterday the Senate rejected an amendment by just one vote "to prohibit the physical desecration of the flag of the United States." A look at the roll call of votes shows some EXTREMELY interesting decisions by some Senators. Most interesting to me were Demorats Evan Bayh (D-IN), Diane Feinstein (D-CA), Mary Landrieu (D-LA), Debbie Stabenow (D-MI), and the leader of our party in the Senate Harry Reid (D-NV) who all voted "yay" to support a ban. Feinstein and Landrieu even co-sponsored the bill. Once again, I shake my head at Harry Reid, who is becoming one of my least favorite Senators.

Thankfully, Joe Lieberman (D-CT) voted against the amendment. That will help him back home in his tough primary. Interestingly, Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) and Mitch McConnell (R-KY) both voted against the amendment. That has got to cost them some points with their base knowing that a change in their votes could have made the bill law. The Senate's only independent Jim Jeffords (I-VT) also voted against the amendment.

Ned Lamont is running against Joe Lieberman in the Democratic Primary in Connecticut on Tuesday, August 8th. This ad is a rebuttle to the bear ad we have on our site. This is a dam good commercial by the Lamont Campaign.

Hat tip: Psycobilly Democrat

President Bush said Monday it was "disgraceful" that the news media had disclosed a secret CIA-Treasury program to track millions of financial records in search of terrorist suspects. Meanwhile, conservative bloggers and talking heads have been "furious" at the NY Times, LA Times, and Wall Street Journal (a conservative paper) for telling about another secret/warrantless program.

Dick Cheney went on to basically say the New York Times sides with the terrorists by telling of this "very damaging" story. He also complained about the Times story about the warrantless wiretapping - nevermind the fact that the Times held that wiretapping story for over a year (and past the 2004 elections, despite the fact that the story could have possibly changed the outcome of the Presidential election.....why did the Times not release the story: because the White House asked them to not run the story). Fortunately, as Senator Biden (D-DE) properly points out: "Cheney's at 20 percent in the polls. No one listens to him. He has no credibility. It's ridiculous."

So lets think about this "damaging" story......
1. The government is tracking the bank records of terrorists.
2. The New York Times runs a story on how the government is tracking bank records.
3. Now, according to Bush/Cheney, because of the media, the terrorists got a big advantage......and that advantage is: terrorists know the US government is tracking their bank records.

Holy Shit! If the terrorists just learned this, then we are dealing with the dumbest damn "terrorists" in the history of man. Seriously, think about how damn dumb the terrorists would have to be just realize the US government is trying to track their money down. Picture this scenario.....
1. Terrorist are going along, terrorizing and making plans.
2. Last week they open their copy of the New York Times and read about us tracking bank records.
3. The terrorists freak out, saying "oh my god, they might be trying to track our bank records. We have to do something because we never thought of that."

This is obviously absurd. Of course the terrorists already knew their money trial was being chased. I knew that (or at least hope, despite the incompetence of the pursuit of terrorists) we were tracking bank records. Yet, Bush & Company (and their sad followers on talk radio and conservative blogs) are acting like the terrorists just got some big news.

All Bush is doing is avoiding a debate on another secret, and possibly illegal, program. Another distraction and finger pointing at the supposed "liberal media," instead of assuring Americans our rights are being protected. Listen up conservative garbage: not one sane person on this planet questioned whether we tracked and searched the bank records of suspected terrorists......we just wonder if the searches were legal! But again, the Bush folks have left us in the dark. We are just suppose to follow their "trust me" philosophy. Well, it is pretty clear: there is no way in hell I am going to be expected to trust any Republican......let alone these proven liars!

Click each picture for a larger view.

I saw this car parked at McDowell public library last week. I have no clue on the story behind it, but I found it interesting to say the least. Does anybody know anything about this car? Have you seen it? If not, look for it around Akron.

Hakos teaches Social Studies here in Akron. He is leaving for Kosovo in a couple days and will post on his experience when he returns. Consider this an appetizer.

"For the past 15 years or so, Yugoslavia has slowly crumbled apart like one of those glaciers in Al Gore’s film An Inconvenient Truth. From Slovenia’s rather peaceful exit from the union to the reckless violence in Croatia and Bosnia, the past two decades have illustrated (often grotesquely) the strong ethnic divisions that exist in this land of Slavs. Most recently, Montenegro voted to separate from Serbia, wiping away any remnants of Yugoslavia; however, within Serbia divisions still exist.

"In the most southern region of Serbia, sits the nearly autonomous province of Kosovo. Made up of about 90% Albanians, this province has often caused headaches for the Serb government in Belgrade. In 1998-99, bloodshed erupted when Serbian forces violently suppressed rebelling Albanians in Kosovo. NATO eventually intervened and shattered Serbian president Slobodan Milosevic’s dreams of creating a stronger Serbia. (Milosevic eventually was ousted by strong protests and found himself in custody at The Hague, where he recently died). Since 1999, the UN has monitored Kosovo, and, after seven years of being in limbo, 2006 looks to be the year when a decision on the fate of Kosovo will be made—whether it’s with the support of Serbia or not.

"Simply put, Kosovo can go one of two ways: the province can either gain autonomy within Serbia or become its own fully independent country. Why won’t Serbia let Kosovo go? Well, there are many factors, but most importantly, many Serbs see the legendary Battle of Kosovo that took place in 1389 as the key to their rich ancestry. Letting go of Kosovo would be like letting go of Gettysburg or Yorktown (kind of). The next few months should be very telling in the outcome of Kosovo.

"Next week I make my trip to this war torn region of the world. The Balkans has lost its news-worthiness, but the developments of this region are dire for Europe, as well as the rest of the world. Many feel the current debate over Kosovo’s future will cause others around the world to catch the self-determination bug.

"I’ll try not to blow your mind here, but what constitutes a nation? When should people be allowed to break away from their country and create a new country? In most cases, ethnic groups do not want to gain independence from their mother country. Usually people don’t see the need for such extremes. On the contrary, when certain groups are persecuted and discriminated against, they seek alternatives—independence is one of those alternatives. But when and for whom should independence be granted. For instance, Russian President Vladimir Putin questions why so much importance is placed on Kosovo, while others regions, such as those in Georgia, are overlooked. Putin has said, "We need common principles to find a fair solution to these problems for the benefit of all people living in conflict-stricken territories.... If people believe that Kosovo can be granted full independence, why then should we deny it to Abkhazia and South Ossetia?"

"Will the future witness more breakaway states? Will the disgruntled Hispanic-dominated American Southwest seek independence by the year…let’s say…2050 and create TexMexville? What violence will this cause? Will President Kutuchief win on a platform emphasized by the phrase “War ON Independence?” I aim to gain some insight into these questions and others as I work with the people of Kosovo for the next few weeks. It is a poverty-stricken area that has seen much violence over the centuries. Moreover, the Balkan region is a forgotten child on this planet who needs a new voice. For all of our sakes, take an interest." - Hakos

Good (kind of)
The Pentagon has declared that being gay is not a choice! Actually, the Pentagon classified homosexuality as a mental disorder. This is a horrible declaration by the Pentagon, but there could be a silver lining. The main argument against gay people is that they choose a lifestyle that is prohibited by the Bible. People don't choose mental disorders. People are born with disorders. I know the gay-bashing will continue, but you can't have it both ways. (By the way, the British don't prohibit homosexuals from serving in their military, and we had no problem invading Iraq with them by our side.)

Bad (kind of)
America's Episcopal church has declared that it will no longer appoint openly homosexual Bishops, and they apologized for the pain it caused members of the church. Although the church was the first in America to accept openly gay ministers, they've taken a step back in prohibiting the appointments in the future. They're still on the fence on this issue. The newly appointed female Bishop said that homosexuality is not a sin, and congregations have declared that they will still appoint gay leaders.

Bogus
An Ohio blog run by Scott Pullins, The Pullins Report, questions Ted Strickland's sexuality because he and his wife were in their 40's when they were married and never had children. Is he kidding? Blackwell supporters have had to sink so low as to suggest that Ted Strickland is gay. Psychobilly Democrat and Pho have a good response.

Speaking of Polls: Sherrod Brown leads Mike DeWine 46.7% to 34% in a recent Zogby poll.

This story is new to me, and relevant in 2006 because of the Republican effort to ban flag burning. Basically, the picture [right] says it all: Bush was signing an American flag, which violates the federal code for handling a flag.

TITLE 4 > CHAPTER 1 > Section 8 (g) - Respect for flag: The flag should never have placed upon it, nor on any part of it, nor attached to it any mark, insignia, letter, word, figure, design, picture, or drawing of any nature.

Section 3 of the code goes on to finds violators guilty of a misdemeanor. The only catch is that this only covers conduct in the District of Columbia - this picture was taken from a gathering in Michigan.

This is not exactly a Valerie Plame type scandal, or stealing the 2000 election scandal. Its just a feel good story about Bush doing stuff he shouldn't be doing. Moreover, I love the idea I read saying Democrats should offer an amendment to the Republican "flag burning amendment" including that writing on the flag is also illegal - then just blow this picture up all over the halls of Congress. Hey, when you are the minority party and cannot do anything else, why not have some fun with these clowns for once?


Unrelated: In a much more important story (but much less funny), another secret Bush program has been uncovered. This time the Bush program is secretly going through millions of bank records. Again, no warrants were obtained. I guess these guys just really hate search warrants. Maybe the new Bush Supreme Court can just eliminate the warrant requirement completely (and based on a ruling last week, the Court is its way).

Finally: We know that Republicans make all sorts of sinister claims that questioning the failing Republican policy on Iraq is "hurting the troops" and is could cause us to lose in Iraq. That is clearly BS just intended to minimize dissent. Well, Republican Senator Lindsey Graham stepped up the lunacy with this claim: "If we do shows every Sunday talking about every mistake, we're going to lose this war." That's right, going on a talk show is now enough to cost us victory in Iraq.