Just this weekend, I watched Hotel Rwanda. The movie is a great, emotional and upsetting film about how the world, including a Clinton-led US, allowed the genocide of 800,000 Tutsi Rwandans. I remember being infuriated watching the movie, thinking how sick it was that the world allowed that to happen. One clear lesson from the movie: that genocide was ignored because they were Africans.

Well, we have a new form of atrocity right in our own country. There is a modern-day, homeland genocide in New Orleans. And it is times like this where I thoroughly regret my constant use of strong language to such now-trivial issues like Rush Limbaugh or Tom Delay, because now I cannot use strong enough language to explain this utterly repulsive government-sanctioned death of thousands of innocent people. Maybe my words are too strong for some, but to me this is a partial genocide of the poor, and a partial genocide of blacks.

These people, 99% black, are being left to die. After 5 days they are left without food and water. Why are there not massive food and water drops from helicopters, or even just fliers with instructions, like we did at the start of Iraq? Why is there no plan? This is a fucking joke. Instead, these people are stranded in a pool of urine, feces, syringes, blood, and corpses.

And don't even get me going on Bush. I'll have more on him in the days to come, but I will give one comment. Yesterday, that SOB had the nerve to say "we expected a big storm, but nobody thought the levees would break." REALLY! Because I thought they would from watching the news for an hour on Sunday night! Check my audio message from that night, which I clearly feared this type of disaster. And I am just some random person in freaking Phoenix....but THE PRESIDENT COULD NOT IMAGINE IT!

Yet these refugees continue to show strength. Yes, there are problems, but that is clearly the minority. Watch the news, and you will see thousands of people standing, waiting, and begging for any sort of help. And look what those people, the thousands that played by the rules, received in return for their faith in our government: nothing. Instead of a government that is helping, they are being treated like wild animals.

I think Bush is scum, but today that is not my point. Today, I just think this entire country is a joke.

Meet Kelli Crawford. She is a Democrat running in the primary for Akron Ward 10, which is on the east side. This week she filed a police report because 14 signs totaling about $560 were stolen. I don't know how much Kelli is raising for the primary, but I do know that these signs were a major expenditure for her campaign. I've had the pleasure of meeting Kelli and she's a great candidate. Visit her website. She's out knocking on doors, attending community meetings, walking in parades, and earning her votes one at a time. The signs aren't going to make or break her campaign, but they help. If you see any Kelli Crawford signs up around town, keep your eye on them for us. I hope this online headline helps make up some of the lost publicity on the streets.

It is crazy to think that it has been two years since hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast. As some of you know, I had the opportunity to go down to Pass Christian, Mississippi on two volunteer trips. On a break from our work one afternoon we wandered around town to take some pictures. We wandered into a school that sat a block off the gulf and looked untouched since the hurricane. We wandered upstairs into a classroom and on the dry erase board was a map that apparently the teacher had drawn to show the projected path of the storm to the class hoping it would spare their school. It is was eerie. I post these pictured because they are my favorite memory of my trips and as a reminder that the region affected by the storm was much broader than just New Orleans. More photos.

Spike Lee's When The Levees Broke - I watched part one of the four part documentary last night before going to bed. It gave me goose bumps and had me so wired I had trouble falling asleep. The footage of that tragedy is astounding. Hearing the stories of the people interviewed and seeing the footage of the events organized gave clarity to the severity of the tragedy. I kept thinking about what would happen if a similar natural disaster hit my town and how much my neighbors and I would rely on federal relief because we would be helpless after a few days. It is also interesting how a little time puts an event like this into perspective. If you read this site, I strongly recommend this documentary regardless of your politics.

Ohio Floods - Though not as severe as Hurricane Katrina, the State of Ohio has suffered its own flooding devastation in 8 counties. Jenny Hanzel of the Ohio Red Cross has let me know that The Red Cross has set up a special fund to make donations for that effort. Local chapters immediately opened shelters for the hundreds of people that had to evacuate their flooded homes. Over 700 Red Cross disaster workers are serving hot meals and snacks, as well as distributing clean up and comfort kits to affected residents. Please join me in making a donation online to help our fellow Ohioans today.

On Monday, Michael Vick pled guilty to his role in the heinous dog fighting ring that he had been running. Rightfully, the public was outraged and sickened by Vick. The indiscriminate killing and sacrifice of dogs was just outrageous. Due to his crimes, Vick will be heading to prison. Additional penalties include the loss of over $100 million, along with maybe never again being able to play in the NFL. Along with the tough penalties, Vick is greeted with very little sympathy from most Americans (self included). This type of savage activity cannot be accepted.

I just want to know when are we going to put Rudy Giuliani's wife, Judi Nathan in prison?

At her old job Judith Giuliani demonstrated surgical products for a controversial medical-supply company that used large dogs, which were then killed, if they survived the "demonstration." To clarify, the "demonstrations" were not necessary, except to boost sales of tools. The company defended the practice in the 1980s, saying "a dead dog doesn't bleed...you need to have real blood-flow conditions, or you get a false sense of security." So they needed the real, live dog blood for an effective "demonstration".....to boost sales, of course.

A former employee of the company gave details: "That was really brutal...they spent days and days with dogs, taking out the spleen or stomach or the lobe of a lung. Then if the dog started moaning or fidgeted, whoever was closest would push more sedative into him from the syringe. It was horrible. Then the dog would be killed with potassium chloride."

Gruesome. So when again is she going to prison?

Amongst the busy day in news (Alberto Gonzalez resigning and Michael Vick pleading guilty) a new Republican sex scandal has emerged. And we are not talking about hooking up with an intern....that would be too normal (too much like Clinton I guess). It was just discovered that back in June Republican Senator Craig was arrested at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport on suspicion of lewd conduct. He pleaded guilty to a misdemeanor, paid a $1000 fine, was given one year of probation, along with 10 days of jail (which he did not have to serve).

What was the lewd behavior? According to police, "at 1216 hours, Craig tapped his right foot. I recognized this as a signal used by persons wishing to engage in lewd conduct. Craig tapped his toes several times and moves his foot closer to my foot....The presence of others did not seem to deter Craig as he moved his right foot so that it touched the side of my left foot which was within my stall area. Craig then proceeded to swipe his hand under the stall divider several times."

I am not sure how a criminal conviction of a US Senator remains a secret. But now that it is public, the Republican Senator is proclaiming innocence.....DESPITE ALREADY PLEADING GUILTY!

This man should lose his job immediately. He is criminal that was trying to illegally solicit gay sex in a public bathroom. Yet, I do hope he has the guts to stay in office, because he is up for reelection in 2008 - making his seat an easier pickup for the Democrat Representative Larry LaRocco.

We all remember Mark Foley, the Republican pedophile of 2006 - a hall of fame level pervert. Then there was Senator Vitter of Louisiana. Then, more recently, an Indiana Republican leader was sent out amidst accusations of trying to rape a 22-year old. That was within days of a Florida Republican rep that solicited an undercover male officer inside the restroom after offering to perform oral sex for $20.* Amazingly, these are just a few of the many similar Republican scandals.
*Note: the Florida Republican's defense was, and I am freaking serious, that the cop was black, so he feared he was going to be killed....so (instead of being murdered be the 'stocky' black man) he would force the 'stocky' man to take his $20 and a blowjob.

Well, now add Republican Senator Larry Craig to the list of gay Republicans that turn to criminal conduct, because they are so messed up from their years of repressing their gayness. It is really sad.

Yesterday Democratic challenger Joe Finley took on incumbent Mayor of Akron Don Plusquellic in a luncheon debate at the Martin Center at the University of Akron. Yours truly was seated in the back of the room and watched most of the debate on the television in the corner. Finley began by thanking god, his large family, his sons who are serving in the military, his wife who is managing his campaign... and then it was right into the parking attendant story. The timing was really awkward and was the first of many indications of the inadequate debate preparation by team Finley. After that, it was all down hill for Joe. He had nothing to say. It was almost like he was ad libbing policy answers and character attacks from the podium and didn't really have much planned.

Plusquellic just outclassed his opponent. It wasn't even close. Whether it was the city's partnership with The University of Akron, regionalism, budgeting priorities, the stadium downtown, or a plans for the future, Plusquellic's experience and understanding of the issues affecting our community was evident in every answer. Without any real time constraints from the moderators, the Mayor was able to discuss in great detail some of the things he has accomplished in the city. He also had time to scan the audience from the podium and point to many different people in attendance he had worked with to get things done. The Mayor looked like a leader. Finley's only theme was trying to attack the Mayor's temperament. Plusquellic openly admitted to having disagreements with people, but explained how that is part of the process of negotiation and that just because he disagrees with someone doesn't mean he doesn't like them personally. I think one exception to that rule is his relationship with Finley. These two men clearly don't like each other personally. However, Plusquellic kept his cool and didn't go for a knock out punch on Finley, would have come across as picking on someone who wasn't his size.

I don't mean any disrespect to Joe Finley with the title of this post. I just call it like I see it and there was nothing yesterday that leads me to conclude anything other than Plusquellic whooped him. I suppose Finley deserves credit for getting into this race, but just because he is participating does not mean he is at all qualified. He certainly didn't show it today. Finley's going to get some votes in the primary from people who will vote for anybody but the mayor. Yippee. The question facing Democratic voters in the Primary on September 11, 2007 is: Do you think the City of Akron is on the right track? My answer is a strong yes and that is why Mayor Plusquellic will have my vote.

***Watch the debate online and make up your own mind - viewable with RealPlayer

Zbigniew Brzezinski, one of the most influential foreign-policy experts in the Democratic Party, threw his support behind Barack Obama's presidential candidacy, saying the Illinois senator has a better global grasp than his chief rival, Hillary Clinton. Brzezinski dismissed the notion that Hillary Clinton is more seasoned than Obama: "Being a former first lady doesn't prepare you to be president."

That's right, why does everyone say Hillary is the experienced one? She has been a Senator since 2001. That's it. I mean, she did some work for her husband....big deal. Does that make Laura Bush an experienced politician?

Barack Obama was a Illinois State Senator for 8 years, prior to his time in the US Senate. That time in the State Senate counts! And I am positive that it counts more than being the wife to some actual elected official. So don't drink the Kool-Aid everyone is being given on Obama being the inexperienced one. Hillary may have longer history (of pissing off Republicans), but that does not equal experience. Barack has over 11 years of experience as an elected official, which is more than Hillary or John Edwards.


Unrelated: During a recent speech, President Bush commented on a meeting with a veteran who had lost both legs in Iraq. Bush told an audience "he's a good man, we're gonna get him some new legs." Classy.

New York City Moment #1:
Tonight Patty and I went, spur of the moment, to a small comedy club nearby where we live. After 3 solid comedians we were expecting to just file out of the club when the host told us that there was a surprise 4th comic: give it up for Chris Rock! There we were in an audience of about 80 people, 15 feet from the stage and Chris Rock did a 40 minute set of all new test material.

Really, really funny shit.

The set kicked off with great dog fighting material and was surprisingly political; with a bit about Hillary, Obama and Giuliani. For Obama, Rock joked that he couldn't win cause of one little known fact...he has a black wife.

Rock said he was all for a female candidate but asked if we couldn't find a more self-made, accomplished woman than Hillary, like one who without the help of her husband had risen in the ranks to Macy's manager. The crowd ate up the Hillary jabs.

Rock said Rudy was great on 9/11, but asked where the f*ck he was on 9/10? 7/12? 8/04? 6/30? He laid into Rudy the hardest and compared him to a pitbull: good when a prowler breaks in, but just a baby-mauling machine the rest of the time. The crowd was mixed, but of the three, Giuliani surprisingly had the most supporters.

On a side note, Rock said in his act that he was going to kill Flava-Flav. He literally said that he was going to shoot and kill Flava-Flav. He actually said the words, "Flava-Flav must die!" I tried to catch him after the show to pass along the legal advice I received from Mr. Sloat regarding my Fatwa on Larry King, but he slipped out of the club before I could warn him.

Sen. John W. Warner, one of the most influential Republican voices in Congress on national security, called on President Bush to begin withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq in time for Christmas as a new intelligence report concluded that political leaders in Baghdad are "unable to govern effectively." He does not like the fact that troops keep dying for nothing....now that's a pro-life Republican!

College Football preseason rankings are out. I personally think the polls should be banned by the NCAA until October. Such a ban would eliminate nonsense where 4 loss teams like Florida State or Notre Dame are ranked above upstart teams like Wake Forest, just because the team was ranked higher in August. For what it's worth, USC is #1 and Ohio State is #11. Ohio State does not seem very good this year, but with a joke schedule, they could easily be back in the title game.

I think I already mentioned this at some point, but it bears repeating: the Republican-led FEMA has been suppressing health warnings to Katrina victims and recovery workers. Sad.

Rudy Giuliani refused to participate in much celebrated (and Bush-ignored) Iraq Study Group led by James Baker. He actually explained he couldn't help this group (that was designed to fix the mess in Iraq and save lives) because it conflicted with his fundraising schedule. I guess this is what it takes to be considered strong on national security for Republicans!

Tim Donaghy pled guilty to giving gambling tips to games he officiated. Those games were in December of last year, I believe. I hope that jerk David Stern is happy. This guy cops to a plea which stops all the real details from coming out, and now Stern can say this was no big deal. And does anyone really believe the NBA will investigate (and reveal) more info on the scandal? No shot - it is against their best interest to tell the paying fans what actually happened. What a joke.

Report: "Half of the nation's eligible poor aren't getting the food stamps to which they're entitled." Stuff like this just has to get fixed. I don't know if it bureaucracy's fault or something else, but stuff like this cannot be tolerated.

Obama gave a recent speech and explained how Bush is not solely to blame for America's problems. He went on to talk about a need for real, big change in Washington. It is that big talk that I like. Critics will just say its empty rhetoric, but I say it is inspiration to fellow Americans to call and push for change.

Political Wire:

According to the latest Evans-Novak Political Report, "important supporters" of Senator Hillary Clinton "are laying the groundwork for a campaign against Senator Barack Obama (D-IL) for Vice President on grounds that he adds nothing to the ticket. Prominent names offered as alternatives: Former Virginia Governor Mark Warner, Senator Evan Bayh (D-IN) and Ohio Governor Ted Strickland."

I cannot see Strickland actually being the VP nominee, but if it does, I am pretty sure it will cause the staff members at the Keeler Report to retire from political commentary.

Also, what is wrong with those Clinton staffers? Obama has nothing to offer? Jerks.