audendi

Bob Taft, former governor of Ohio and a miserable failure, basically guaranteed a Democratic landslide for the governor’s race in Ohio in 2006. He had at one point a 17 percent approval rating.  His successor, Ted Strickland, beat the Republican Ken Blackwell by a solid 20 points or more if I recall correctly.  Besides, Ohio barely went for Bush in 2004. You do the math. Ohio slips into a budget deficit and recession under Taft’s stewardship (haha) of the state, and the Republicans get swatted in 2006 with the set up for a Democrat victory in 2008.  To make matters worse for Republicans, not one of them who has run for president has ever won a presidential election without winning Ohio.  QED, Bob Taft helped Barack Obama become president.

It looks like McCain could win a lot of support if he promised to nominate Ron Paul to Secretary of the Treasury. Would it be enough to beat a Democrat contender this election? At this stage, probably not. But if the Obama v Hillary battle continues on much longer it will hurt the Democrats a lot.

Obama can beat McCain, Hillary would have a harder time.

My congressional district, the Ohio 3rd district, is currently occupied by Republican Mike Turner. Mr. Turner is a bandwagon politician. He does nothing notable but bring pork to Dayton. That’s not useful. He supported the war on Iraq, he has supported every Bush policy that I can think of, and it is time for him to retire and move back to Dayton where he has to live like the rest of us. That said, I am endorsing David Esrati for Congress in the Ohio 3rd District. Now, you might be asking yourself why would a Ron Paul supporter and a former Republican ever endorse a Democrat of all things? Well it’s simple. Mr. Esrati is local, he’s real, and he’s honest. He cares about this community in Dayton and isn’t in it just to make money or get famous, he wants to make Dayton a better place to live and work. Let’s face it, Dayton is in trouble, and we need help. If the City of Dayton, and the Dayton Daily News, and the University of Dayton and the State of Ohio will sit idly by as this city crumbles (while lining their own pockets), then change must come from the Federal level somehow. All politics is local, but sometimes it requires a national solution and Mr. Esrati is offering that. I do not agree with him on all of his positions, but then I don’t agree with anyone on much when it comes to politics! What is important to remember is that when you vote, you are voting for a person, someone who is going to Washington, D.C. to represent your interests. Mr. Esrati served his country honorably as a veteran and owns and operates a small business in Dayton, Ohio. His credentials speak for themselves, and I like his blog based campaign style. It is the future of politics in this country, and it’s about time. My generation (18-30 yr olds) needs a voice in this country and David Esrati is the most likely candidate of all available at the moment to actually sit down and listen. Remember to vote for him in the primary March 4th, he needs your help. You can learn more about him and his positions, or donate, at his website, esrati.com. David Esrati represents change, and if anything, Dayton could use some.

Blessings,

Daniel J. Greene

There, I said it. Straussians, especially like the people at the Claremont Institute and Hillsdale College, and the Department of Defense and the White House, have all but ruined our country. I think Leo Strauss himself was much misunderstood, in fact, and the people harming America by dragging us into war, after war, after war, are the people that we must hold to account every year by going out and voting, and more importantly, by taking action. The loss of liberty in this country has gone on too long. We must make our stand, every day, and say, “Across this line you shall not pass.”

This is of course a somewhat dramatic way to make the statement in defense of freedom in the truest, best sense of the word. But I feel that in these times it is necessary to ring the bell, sound the alarm, and wake people up. It’s not too late, but we are running out of time. The fact is enemies of freedom and liberty surround us on all sides, regardless of what party badge they wear, be it Republican or Democratic.

The time to act is coming in Ohio. Vote against the war, and vote with your brain, not just your heart. Be smart about it, Ohio will be an incredibly important state the rest of this primary election season. I am calling all of you readers (as few you may be) out. The time to do the hard work to win this country back is now.

Tell me who would win in a battle of wits, my friends (and my enemies, numerous as they may be on these internets). Leo Strauss or Ron Paul?

I’m not so concerned with the Straussians or Leo himself, but the totally crazed disciples of his that made one man’s philosophy a religion of death and destruction.

Essentially, I dare you to comment coherently in this blog. I’m sure you know I’m biased one way, and you know whom I would pick in this grudge match. Win, lose or draw, say your piece.

Your Internet Pal,

Daniel Greene

They deftly maneuver, and muscle for rank
fuel burning fast on an empty tank

Well, those barbarians finally did it. They finally got what they wanted. The extremists murdered Benazir Bhutto in cold blood. What a loss, what a tragedy. I remember seeing Prime Minister Bhutto speak at Hillsdale College on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. She delivered her address on September 15, 2002..

In light of the seemingly chaotic political climate around the globe, I think it would be good for all concerned to set aside a moment and consider what she had to say - it was a message of hope and peace, in contrast to the hate and murder promoted by religious extremists:

” …The microcosm of America that was destroyed on September 11—people of all races, ethnicities and religions—is everything the extremists abhor: men and women, working side by side as equals; Muslims, Christians, Jews and Hindus, together building worldwide trade and communications. America is a symbol of what can be to millions of oppressed people all over the world. America means everything to those deprived of human rights and the rule of law. America symbolizes modernity, diversity and democracy, and it is these three things which are the fanatics’ worst fears.

At this time of continuing crisis, the American people and their leaders must understand that those who would use violence and terror in the name of Islam are heretics and hypocrites. They are criminals, not clerics. Their actions contradict the teachings of the Holy Prophet of Islam, who wrote, “Whenever the prophet of God sent forth a detachment, he said to it, ‘Do not cheat or commit treachery, nor should you mutilate or kill children, women, or old men.’” And there is a specific prohibition in Islamic law that bans killing by stealth and targeting a defenseless victim in a way intended to cause terror in a society.

It grieves me that included in the list of the victims of the perfidy of September 11 is the image of Islam across the world. Our religion is not what these people preach; in fact, it is the opposite. Islam is committed to tolerance and equality, and it is committed by Koranic definition to the principles of democracy. It is ironic that despite the strong commitment to democracy in Islam, most Muslims today are living in dictatorships. The Muslim people want freedom, and they need support in their search for political, economic and social empowerment. Much like the people of the communist world of the past, the Muslim people today are hostages in totalitarian regimes that flourished during the days of the Cold War.

In the West, there is often talk about the “Muslim street.” The street most often seen here on television is the street of fanaticism whipped into a frenzy. But there is another Muslim street. It is a silent street of women who suffer discrimination in every aspect of life. It is a silent street of students who are not educated. It is a silent street of businessmen and businesswomen who are not allowed to compete freely. It is a silent street of human rights activists who are jailed, political parties that are decimated, and political leaders who are either prisoners or exiles. It is the street of the people constrained by the totalitarian powers of the state. It is the street of the future in the chains of present-day intolerance, ignorance and dictatorship. And it is the street far more likely to explode than the street of the religious extremists.

Continued »

Erik Prince, co-founder and owner of Blackwater USA, and a graduate of Hillsdale College, is in a lot of trouble right now. Blackwater is, in essence, the U.S. government’s biggest provider of non-uniformed soldiers (mercenaries) inside Iraq. Is he George W. Bush’s Remirro de Orca? His sacrificial lamb, if you will? What will happen if (more likely when) a Democrat becomes the next President?

Ron Paul ‘Boston’ Tea Party in Columbus, Ohio on December 16, 2007

We raised over 4 million dollars for Ron Paul’s campaign in one record-breaking day. Truly incredible. I was privileged enough to be there today Sunday to see a group of 60 plus patriots brave the weather to throw our own tea party. The boxes of ‘tea’ were thrown into the river, representing all the things Ron Paul would help us get rid of were he President. We did not litter, however, the boxes were firmly connected to strings, so don’t worry. We had a great time supporting the revolution! Here’s a write-up about this event and the relevance of Ohio, from lewrockwell.com. Viva la revolucion!

Have you ever heard of the phrase “Ballots not Bullets” - a phrase used in the 19th century? If not, it was the idea that paper ballots, not use of violent arms, was the appropriate way to settle political disputes large and small. If you look at the evolution of the political process in America, you see the overriding importance of the use of the ballot box. Concomitant with this is the importance of free access to the ballot box, the right to free association, the right to a free news media, the right to life, and so on. It seems that anymore these days, our public officials abuse their positions of power without but a peep from the people. It seems that things are falling apart and that the operators of our public institutions are asleep at the switch. Some people feel that this process is inevitable, the sign of some sort of end times, some apocalypse that will, nay must, befall our dear republic. Well, to hell with that notion. There is hope. There is a way out. But the answer must come from within ourselves. We have to lay aside our apathy, our avarice, our sheer laziness and greed. We must come together and defend this country not with violent revolution but with loving, peaceful persuasion, hard work, and consistent voting. But what does this have to do with Dr. Ron Paul, Texas Congressman running for the Republican nomination, and for President of These United States?

Well, I’m just some guy you probably have never met from Dayton, Ohio. I wasn’t born here, but I was raised here, and I love where I’m from - ok, technically I live in Beavercreek but I went to school in Downtown Dayton, so there. I don’t have a college degree, yet, but I know enough to tell you that the vast majority of the people running for president in both parties have a lot of trouble saying what they mean, and even worse, meaning what they say. You know this to be true, just watch the television for five minutes, look at their faces, watch their expressions. Most of them don’t mean a word of it, and you know it.

Ron Paul is different. Now, I don’t agree with him on everything, but he is clearly a hardworking, honest man. He has put his time in serving this country, and now that he feels the time is right, he has decided to run for President. Almost eleven months ago he announced, and people everywhere didn’t even hear about him, because he was not taken seriously by the ‘mainstream’ media. Well, that doesn’t matter as much anymore, because the media is being democratized before our very eyes, the power of information is being handed down to the regular people. People like you and me.

I am a registered independent and I really want someone that I can support in the March 4 primaries here in Ohio. Ron Paul doesn’t just stand for a lot of the things I stand for, he stands for them with great courage and conviction. He is the only candidate this election cycle that should, no, that deserves, to be Chief Executive of the United States of America.

- D. Greene
Friday, December 14, 2007

Beyond my problems with their content and editorial practices, my problem with the Dayton Daily News and Dayton City Paper is that their websites are difficult to use and in general, not very good at all. For a paper with a huge budget, DDN’s website is a disgrace. For DCP, their website is understandably bad as they have a comparatively meager budget. But still, it could be a whole lot better without increasing their costs too much.

To sum up, they don’t care enough about their work to present it well on the web.

Which says a lot about how they report the news. I get the impression that the Dayton Daily News’ ownership does not give a rip about our community. Which is really too bad, because their print edition is very nice. The web edition just needs a lot of help.

Without a doubt, the best Dayton blog is run by Jeffrey over at Daytonology (http://daytonology.blogspot.com/).

His blog is accessible, stylish and cogent - along with coverage of the local cultural scene, he provides easy to understand analysis of political, economic, and social issues that affect Dayton, using statistical trends and data relevant to Dayton’s various contemporary issues. He manages to do it in a visually appealing and readable way - you can scan an article in 30 seconds and get a good impression of what he is getting at, or you can spend 10 minutes reading a single entry if you want to get that deep. Plus, his politics aren’t bad either.

His article, Considering the Core Creative Class in Dayton, best sums up what I’m talking about.

In my opinion, in almost eight years of blogging, Jeffrey’s Daytonology is the best overall blog in Dayton today, without question. Most importantly, I have fun reading it.

What do you think is the best overall blog in Dayton? How about the best Dayton music blog? (I pick Buddha Den!)

Things I liked: the music, the cinematography as homage to Gordon Willis, especially in a later scene in the filmthat takes place on Christmas, and much of the acting - TI, Common, Armand Assante, and the rest of the cast in general were solid if not great. Once again, Josh Brolin demonstrates why he is one of the best character actors working in Hollywood today. I can’t wait to see him in No Country For Old Men. But Back to American Gangster - the writing. It was solid - the dialogue was decent in terms of pacing and style, in my opinion, and there are some pretty memorable lines. This film will be an Oscar Contender, whatever that means. Hollywood is eating itself anyways.

Things I didn’t like: it was historically inaccurate to a fault - some of the dramatizations were just…wrong. It would have been great to truly explore Frank Lucas’ Southern roots - he is from North Carolina. It seemed wrong that in a film that ran 2 hours and 40 minutes, there were times Denzel’s Southern roots were ignored, and when they were brought up, his Southern background was stereotyped and diluted… Denzel is at least part Southern, he should have been allowed to demonstrate his understanding of that more often in the film, but instead, we get this stylized, James Bond heroin kingpin with a bad temper and a rough upbringing. Fuck you Ridley Scott, seriously. What were you thinking? Yes, it’s fiction, but I think the real Frank Lucas is far more interesting and layered than the Godfather imitation you were pushing here.

On another note, Hollywood’s editors need help. A lot of help. Have they handed the job over to computers or what?

Overall, I enjoyed watching this film in the theater, seeing the richness of the color on the big screen, it is still a magical experience for me. Russell Crowe was pretty damn good in this pic too. I’m not sure what to think about it entirely. This may call for a longer film review. Maybe I’ll watch it again. In any case, if you have to see it in the exorbitantly priced theater, sneak popcorn in, or at least your own bottled water or candy. Regardless of the box office haul, I think this film will have a deep impact.-

• The impact and importance of Ron Paul’s record breaking one day 4.3 million dollar fundraising total
• Ron Paul on Kudlow and Company, talking about monetary policy after his public scolding of Fed Chief Ben Bernanke
• Ron Paul Videos for the Deaf with subtitles
• Ron Paul’s 3rd New Hampshire TV ad, as described by the NYT
• Why Washington Lobbyists don’t like Ron Paul
• Ron Paul Graphs - quarterly donation statistics and lots of fun graphs about his fundraising rates and more
• Drew Carey on medical marijuana - Ron Paul supports legalizing marijuana and would stop DEA raids on legal (by their local state law at least) cannabis clinics and pharmacies

That’s right, folks, Pat Robertson, all around asshole and superfan/business partner of murderous Liberian dictator Charles Taylor, has endorsed Rudy’s candidacy. That’s right folks, Pat Robertson. The guy who said America deserved 9/11 as a punishment for it’s sins. Isn’t it ironic that Robertson, who cited abortion as one of the reasons for 9/11, has endorsed Giuliani, who has been pro-choice his entire political career? Answer: no, it’s just sad and predictable. Robertson only cares about money and power. Oh, and here’s the video where Robertson offers his brilliant theological treatise on the root causes of 9/11, an angry and vengeful God:

We’ve opened up a new front on the war on terror. It’s an attack on the unique, the unorthodox, the unexpected; it’s a war on different. If you act different, you might find yourself investigated, questioned, and even arrested — even if you did nothing wrong, and had no intention of doing anything wrong. The problem is a combination of citizen informants and a CYA attitude among police that results in a knee-jerk escalation of reported threats.

This isn’t the way counterterrorism is supposed to work, but it’s happening everywhere. It’s a result of our relentless campaign to convince ordinary citizens that they’re the front line of terrorism defense. “If you see something, say something” is how the ads read in the New York City subways. “If you suspect something, report it” urges another ad campaign in Manchester, UK. The Michigan State Police have a seven-minute video. Administration officials from then-attorney general John Ashcroft to DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff to President Bush have asked us all to report any suspicious activity.

The problem is that ordinary citizens don’t know what a real terrorist threat looks like. They can’t tell the difference between a bomb and a tape dispenser, electronic name badge, CD player, bat detector, or a trash sculpture; or the difference between terrorist plotters and imams, musicians, or architects. All they know is that something makes them uneasy, usually based on fear, media hype, or just something being different.

Even worse: after someone reports a “terrorist threat,” the whole system is biased towards escalation and CYA instead of a more realistic threat assessment.
- Bruce Schneier

Read the rest here.