Blackwell watch

[MelissaB]

I decided to post the Blackwell watch seperately this week in hopes more people would see it.





I stole this from rosebud57 here:
http://bushcheated04.com/

Thanks, rosebud!

[MelissaB]

1. Popular Ohio minister walking fine line between religion, politics

Popular Ohio minister walking fine line between religion, politics

By Jim DeBrosse

Dayton Daily News

COLUMBUS | The wall-to-wall crowd of 5,000 faithful was on its feet, rocking and swaying as the Rev. Rodney Lee Parsley charged back and forth across the stage, delivering his signature brand of faith, politics and showmanship.


"Ours will be a church not only of righteousness, but a church of social justice," Parsley said.

...snip

Welcome to World Harvest Church, home of televangelist Rod Parsley, the "Raging Prophet" whose political influence is perhaps matched only by his on-stage charisma and his willingness to generate controversy.

Known as an outspoken critic of gay marriage and Islam, Parsley says his liberal detractors ignore his long commitment to fighting racism, poverty and hunger.

Parsley has been there, he says, which helps explain why his congregation is 40 percent black. He was 8 years old when his father, a coal mine construction worker, migrated from the poorest county in eastern Kentucky to look for work in Columbus. Parsley began preaching in his backyard at age 19

...snip

He declines to talk about his wealth, but records show he resides with his wife, Joni, and two children in a $1 million home on a gated, 21-acre family compound in northwest Fairfield County.

Parsley's father, James, and his mother, Ellen, who is secretary of World Harvest Church, live next door in a home of nearly the same value. Parsley also owns a seven-seat passenger jet valued at $500,000 and 98 acres of vacant land in Licking County valued at $490,000.

It's not Parsley's lifestyle but his ties to Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell — a friend and one of two Republicans seeking the party's nomination in the governor's race — that have put him at the center of a national debate on faith and politics.

More: http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0219parsley.html

[MelissaB]

3. another snip

Last month, 31 pastors from nine Ohio denominations signed a letter asking the Internal Revenue Service to determine if Parsley's church, as well as Rev. Russell Johnson's Fairfield Christian Church in Lancaster, should lose their tax-exempt status for their public backing of Blackwell.

...snip

In October, Parsley and his nonprofit Center for Moral Clarity launched Reformation Ohio, an evangelical effort to bring at least 100,000 people to Jesus, provide relief to the needy in more than 200 communities in Ohio and register at least 400,000 voters.

Parsley's critics say that bloc of voters is being steered toward Blackwell, who during the 2004 election helped Parsley mobilize voters in support of Issue 1, the ban on same-sex marriage.

The pastors' letter of complaint alleges that Blackwell was the only gubernatorial candidate showcased in church events conducted by Parsley and Johnson, including Parsley's kick-off rally for Reformation Ohio in October on the Statehouse steps. The churches also have distributed voter education literature biased in favor of Blackwell, the pastors charge.

[MelissaB]

2. Religion to play key role in Ohio elections

Religion to play key role in Ohio elections
Governor candidates: Elect me and I'll keep the faith

By William Hershey and Jim DeBrosse

Dayton Daily News

COLUMBUS | "Jesus says don't stick your light under a bushel," the speaker intoned from the pulpit. "Put it on a candlestick; not to bring attention to you, but so that others will know the magnificence of our God."

The speaker isn't a preacher.

He isn't a religious leader.

He is, in fact, a candidate for the governor of Ohio.

There is a new promise Ohio's gubernatorial candidates are making to voters: "Elect me and I'll keep the faith."

Republican Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell not only delivered a sermon at the Grove City Church of the Nazarene, he distributes copies of it on DVDs to potential campaign contributors.

And it's not just Blackwell.


More: http://www.daytondailynews.com/localnews/content/localnews/daily/0219faith.html

[MelissaB]

4. McEwen wins GOP straw poll

McEwen wins GOP straw poll
Blackwell fares well, Schmidt not so well

BY HOWARD WILKINSON | ENQUIRER STAFF WRITER

Over pancakes and bacon Saturday morning, more than 200 Republicans from Hamilton County's northeast communities heard from the two candidates battling for the 2nd Congressional District GOP nomination, and a slight majority ended up choosing Bob McEwen over the incumbent, Jean Schmidt.

And, in the same straw poll, the northeast Hamilton County Republicans chose the hometown candidate for governor, J. Kenneth Blackwell, over Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro by a ratio of 2-to-1.


More: http://news.cincinnati.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060219/NEWS01/602190374/-1/CINCI

[MelissaB]

5. Judge Dismisses Penultimate Ohio Lawsuit

Judge Dismisses Penultimate Ohio Lawsuit

Staff and agencies
19 February, 2006

By JOHN McCARTHY, Thu Feb 9, 10:42 PM ET

COLUMBUS, Ohio - A federal judge has thrown out a lawsuit over Ohio‘s recount of the 2004 presidential election, leaving only one court challenge remaining from the state‘s role in the re-election of President Bush .

The judge‘s ruling came in a challenge by the National Voting Rights Institute to the recount that showed Bush beat Democratic challenger John Kerry by about 118,000 votes out of 5.5 million cast.

The institute complained that the recount would not be finished until after the Electoral College vote made Bush‘s election official Dec. 13 and thus violated federal law. The recount was completed Dec. 28.

States generally are exempt from election lawsuits unless a plaintiff can prove that a state‘s policy could affect future races, which the institute said Blackwell‘s interpretation could do.


More: http://www.heraldnewsdaily.com/stories/news-00145465.html

[MelissaB]

6. Catholics blast Blackwell

Catholics blast Blackwell

Like a nun armed with a ruler, the Ohio Democratic Catholic Caucus has come out swinging against Ohio Secretary of State and GOP gubernatorial candidate J. Kenneth Blackwell.

Caucus spokesman Jeff Sinnard is blasting Blackwell for teaming up with Jerome Corsi to co-author a new book due out in March called Rebuilding America: A Prescription for Creating Strong Families, Building the Wealth of Working People, and Redeveloping Our Cities.

Corsi is a conservative activist who is probably best known for co-authoring the Sen. John Kerry swift boat veterans attack book Unfit for Command.

Sinnard contends Corsi is anti-Catholic. He points to past Corsi comments in which he called Pope John Paul II ``senile'' and said that ``boy buggering'' is common among Catholics.

Sinnard says that Blackwell has forgotten everything he learned at Cincinnati's Xavier University -- a Catholic school.

``The message from Blackwell to Ohio Catholics is clear. Mainstream and faithful Catholics need not apply. Only those with a narrow vision are allowed at the table,'' Sinnard said.
For the record: Blackwell is not a Catholic.

-- LISA A. ABRAHAM

Link: http://www.ohio.com/mld/ohio/news/13911005.htm

[MelissaB]

7. Investigation: Church Recruits Patriot Pastors To Support Candidate

Investigation: Church Recruits Patriot Pastors To Support Candidate
Preachers Getting Involved In Politics May Be Against Ohio Law

UPDATED: 2:30 pm EST February 16, 2006

CLEVELAND -- Mixing politics with preaching -- NewsChannel5 investigator Ron Regan is On Your Side revealing how Ohio pastors are getting off the sidelines and into politics, and why they may be breaking the law.

Regan: You may not have been invited, but the 500 conservative Ohio voters at a luncheon could help elect the next leader of the state you live in.

The Rev. Russell Johnson, Ohio Restoration Project: "There has been a Jihad, a secular Jihad against expression of faith, while some in the church are sitting on the sidelines."

Regan: And getting off the sidelines and into politics is what Pastor Russell Johnson is preaching.

Johnson: "For such a time as this, I was placed upon this earth. "

Regan: It's called the "Ohio Restoration Project" -- based at a church in central Ohio.

Johnson: "We don't want to impose our ideas, we want to propose ideas."

Regan: "Johnson's ideas include banning gay marriage, opposing abortion and tax supported private schools. But how he's doing it, may be breaking the law."

Thirty-one Ohio pastors are asking the IRS to investigate Johnson's group on grounds that luncheons are mixing politics with preaching.

The Rev. Eric Williams, North Congregational Church of Christ: "They crossed the line and they're not acting as a church in my mind. They're acting more like a political organization to elect a single candidate."

Regan: And that candidate appears to be Republican Ken Blackwell.

Sure enough, we found Blackwell at a Restoration Project meeting last month near Canton, where he even received an award.

Johnson: "I want you to join me in thanking a leader of leaders, Secretary of State Ken Blackwell. Come forward if you would."

Regan: Officially, the award recognizes Blackwell's 2004 support of Ohio's gay marriage ban.

But "Restoration Ohio" is also recruiting 2,000 "Patriot Pastors," maintaining a 400,000-member mailing list and 1,700 churches across Ohio -- all supporting conservative issues and candidates.

"Are you shilling for Ken Blackwell?"

Johnson: "Let me say this, no, not at all. Now we don't endorse candidates, we do endorse issues and we affirm those who are standing with us."


Regan: On this day, Ken Blackwell was standing front and center.



Blackwell: "You tell those 31 pastors you aren't about to be whipped."

Regan: "Is this group shilling for you?"

Blackwell: "I think this group is actually advocating political participation, and if in fact they have endorsed me, I've missed it."


More: http://www.newsnet5.com/news/7120773/detail.html#

[MelissaB]

8. Blackwell uses gathering to take jab at Petro

Blackwell uses gathering to take jab at Petro

Thursday, February 16, 2006
Julie Carr Smyth
Plain Dealer Bureau

Columbus - Republican gubernatorial contender Ken Blackwell accused his GOP rival, Attorney General Jim Petro, of creating an "elaborate pay-to-play scheme" involving special counsel lawyers that has cost Ohio taxpayers more than $129 million.

Blackwell seized a potentially genial invitation to the Ohio Farm Bureau Federation's "Ag Day at the Statehouse" Wednesday to turn up the political heat on his opponent, following revelations that Petro is the subject of an FBI inquiry on claims he took legal work away from lawyers who refused to donate to his campaign.

"The fact of the matter is that he created a system that was more expensive to taxpayers," Blackwell, secretary of state, told reporters after his formal remarks.

More: http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1140082783231450.xml&coll=2

[MelissaB]

9. Fooled Again?

Fooled Again?

Wed, 15 Feb 2006 18:22:00 -0800 Sucka nation By Anthony Lappé
In his new book, Mark Crispin Miller argues Bush stole the White House, twice

Editor’s note: If you asked everyone in the U.S. whom they thought won Florida in 2000, half the country (or more) would most likely tell you Al Gore, including Al Gore. But pose the question, who won Ohio in November 2004? and it’s an entirely different story. For most Americans, George Bush earned a commanding mandate on November 2, 2004. The race in Ohio, officially decided by 118,000 votes, was close, but was no Florida. There were no hanging chads or Jews for Buchanan. Democracy worked and the guy with the most votes won. But for a small contingent of left-wing activists and progressive Democrats, Ohio was Florida Redux – a ruthless Republican coup orchestrated under the absent gaze of the lapdog media. In GNN’s new documentary American Blackout, we detail some of the more egregious examples of voter suppression. As the Conyers Report documents, there is substantial evidence that heavily Democratic (and African-American) precincts in Ohio didn’t have enough voting machines, voters were intimidated and valid votes were discarded. Yet for most on the left, it’s still an open question whether Republican shenanigans actually prevented a Kerry win. What does Kerry think? In his new book, American Vertigo, Bernard-Henri Lévy writes he met up with a “haggard, ghostly” Kerry a few weeks after his loss. According to Lévy, the defeated candidate faintly whispered in his ear, “If you hear anything about those 50,000 votes in Ohio, let me know.”

In his new book, Fooled Again, NYU media critic and outspoken Bush-basher Mark Crispin Miller (The Bush Dyslexicon) says he knows where to look. In Fooled Again, he lays out what he says is a definitive case that Kerry won Ohio, and thus the election. Recently, GNN’s Anthony Lappé conducted this interview with Miller about his controversial allegations:

..snip

GNN: In Ohio, for instance, Kerry lost by 118,000 votes, can you detail where those votes were stolen?

Miller: In all Ohio’s heavily populated areas – college towns as well as cities – the Bush machine, supervised by Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, cut the anti-Bush vote, first, by cutting back the Democratic registration rate, through a broad range of legal/bureaucratic tricks, and then by scaring countless voters off through statewide use of various disinformation and intimidation tactics. African-American voters, or would-be voters, were the major targets of such efforts, which included telling Democrats to cast their votes the day after Election Day (Nov. 3), giving out wrong addresses for many polling places, and warning folks that anyone with an outstanding parking ticket, or anyone owing child-support payments, or anyone who’d ever been in prison, or who had a relative who’d been in prison, would be arrested if they dared show up to vote. There were also people roaming through black neighborhoods, helpfully offering to hand-deliver people’s absentee ballots to the proper place.

Such disinformation and intimidation tactics at the grass-roots level were often carried out by party operatives bused into Ohio, and their lodging paid for, by the Republican National Committee. “The Texas Strike Force” was one such drive, comprising goons from Bush/Cheney’s home state, who were very active in Franklin County on Election Day.

Far more effective than such old-fashioned Jim Crow stratagems was the systematic use of DRE machines – touch-screen voting machines – to wipe out thousands upon thousands of anti-Bush votes. On the one hand, there was a deliberate under-supply of such machines to Democratic areas throughout the state, so that there were especially long lines in those places, forcing lots of people to leave without voting. In pro-Bush precincts this did not occur. We also know of several thousand such machines being purposely held back in warehouses even though they were very badly needed in Ohio’s cities and college towns.

More: http://www.gnn.tv/articles/2113/Fooled_Again

[MelissaB]

10. Meet “Jesse Jackson’s Worst Nightmare”

FYI: This is from National Review

Meet “Jesse Jackson’s Worst Nightmare”
Ken Blackwell’s potential.

Black Republicans are making a run for a number of big elections this year. In Maryland, Michael Steele wants retiring Democrat Paul Sarbanes's U.S. Senate seat. Keith Butler, a Detroit-area pastor, is also running for Senate, from Michigan. Lynn Swann, the former Pittsburgh Steelers star, wants to be governor of the Keystone State. Randy Daniels would like to be governor of New York. And gunning for governor in a key presidential electoral state there is the great black hope for the Republican party, Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

The "great black hope" is probably the last phrase Blackwell would use to describe himself (I, myself, cringed while writing it). It actually both unnecessarily cheapens and ghettoizes; in truth, Ken Blackwell is a great hope for us all.

In a profile in the winter issue of City Journal, Steven Malanga calls Blackwell "Ronald Reagan's Unlikely Heir." Malanga writes, "Ken Blackwell has so many people worried because he represents a new political calculus with the power to shake up American politics."

Who can have a power like that, you ask? "For Blackwell is a fiscal and cultural conservative ... who happens to be black with the proven power to attract votes from across a startlingly wide spectrum of the electorate." Malanga continues, "Born in the projects of Cincinnati to a meat-packer who preached the work ethic and a nurse who read to him from the bible every evening, Blackwell has rejected the victimology of many black activists and opted for a different path, championing school choice, opposing abortion and advocating low taxes as a road to prosperity. The 57-year-old is equally comfortable preaching that platform to the black urban voters of Cincinnati as to the white German-Americans in Ohio's rural counties or to the state's business community."


More: http://www.nationalreview.com/lopez/lopez200602150839.asp

[AndyTiedye]

14. It is Blackwell's Potential to STEAL VOTES That Worries Me

Last November, he demonstrated that he can steal THEM ALL,
and turn a LANDSLIDE FOR US into a MUDSLIDE FOR THEM.

[MelissaB]

15. Me, too, AndyTiedye.

I think the republicans in Ohio are rotten to the core. Voting republicans need to throw them all out and start fresh.

[MelissaB]

11. The Diebold Syndrome Must be Overcome

The Diebold Syndrome Must be Overcome
By Bill Hare
02/12/2006 07:41:19 PM EST

As the 2006 campaign season beckons one important element must be confronted. Let us call it the 6 percent factor. While this term might sound like something more akin to Ian Fleming or John Le Carre international intrigue novels, it relates in this case to national intrigue and behind the scenes legerdemain.
Analyze the 2004 presidential election cycle as well as the 2002 mid-term elections and the number assumes momentous significance.

As has been pointed out by mathematicians such as Dr. Steven Freeman of the University of Pennsylvania and Kathy Dopp of Utah as well as certain pollsters, 6 percent was the disparity level between the result forecast in the race between John Kerry and George W. Bush and that ultimately posted as official.

...snip

To ascertain circumstances behind the sudden turn of events as described by Mehlman and Novak, whose reports were ultimately confirmed by developing events, it is necessary to turn the clock back to the spring of 2003.

At that time Walden O'Dell, the CEO of Diebold, which provided voting machines, announced in a letter to prominent Republicans in Ohio, where the company was based, that he was determined to do all in his power to secure victory for George W. Bush in the buckeye state.

In that Ohio's Republican Secretary of State Ken Blackwell, shortly after O'Dell's statement, announced that Diebold was on the list of companies being considered to service the upcoming election within the state, the prominent CEO was then asked what he meant when stating that he would do all in his power to help assure a Bush victory.

An embarrassed O'Dell was compelled to backtrack that he did not mean to indicate that he would tamper with results to assist the Republican ticket.

Yet that nagging 6 percent factor was much at work. Noted political operative Dick Morris, who supported Bush in 2004, had stated his opinion that exit polling results were the most reliable of barometers.

More: http://www.politicalcortex.com/story/2006/2/12/194119/078

[MelissaB]

12. LTTE: Ohio Restoration Project’s goal is to control state government from

Ohio Restoration Project’s goal is to control state government from its pulpits

Saturday, February 11, 2006

“Blackwell urges Christians to be politically active” (Jan. 18) was another article on the radical religious-right organization called the Ohio Restoration Project and its support of Ken Blackwell for governor.

The article stated that this organization is mobilizing a plan to take back our country for Christ through its religious philosophy concerning marriage, abortion, school prayer, etc. After researching more about this organization, I’ve learned that its goal seems to be to take over all three branches of Ohio government and run them through its pulpits.

It is this organization that has made numerous unfounded rhetorical statements attacking democracy in our public schools. They blame public schools for banning the teachings of creationism, Bible reading and prayer. Didn’t the Supreme Court do this?

They say that the nation’s youth must be taught Christian religious-right values. What about teaching the democratic values of our nation, established by our Founding Fathers in our public schools regardless of religion? What about the rights of all religions in America that our U.S. Constitution guarantees?

...snip

There is one vast difference between them: Dr. King fought and died obtaining rights for Americans. Ken Blackwell and the Ohio Restoration Project want to legislate rights away from Americans.

MARY BETH MEDFORD, CANTON



Link: http://www.cantonrep.com/index.php?ID=268721

[MelissaB]

13. The Odd Couple

The Odd Couple
Gay-bashing Blackwell hires homo to chair his campaign.
Article Published Feb 8, 2006

Ken Blackwell has long gay-bashed for God, contending that homos resort to acts beneath even farm animals -- such as same-sex sex and really good interior-decorating. So it's curious that he recently tapped Summit County Republican chairman Alex Arshinkoff to co-chair his gubernatorial campaign.

Arshinkoff has a history of frequenting leather clubs and propositioning young men <"The Godfather in the Closet," June 11, 2003>. Despite Arshinkoff's obvious inferiority to cattle, Blackwell nonetheless decided to jump into bed with one of the GOP's most formidable fund-raisers, proving that Blackwell's "strong" Christian convictions carry less currency than cash.

Presumably Blackwell can now sympathize with what it's like to be a male prostitute. Or maybe he's just sending out the message that there's nothing wrong with being queer -- so long as you keep it in the closet.

Link: http://www.clevescene.com/Issues/2006-02-08/news/firstpunch.html

[DanCa]

16. Please let me know who is running "against" Blackwell.

If you have any links where I can donotate five or ten bucks to his Dem Challenger please let me know. Thanks Danny

[OhioBlue]

17. Ted Strickland

link:
http://www.tedstrickland.com/

He also has a primary challenge - Jim Petro, current AG

[Algorem]

18. Rasmussen poll claims Strickland opens lead on Blackwell, 47-35

http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/gov/

Latest poll: Strickland opens lead on Blackwell

U.S. Rep. Ted Strickland, a Democrat from Lisbon, has widened his lead over potential Republican opponents in the Ohio governor's race, according to the latest independent poll.

Strickland leads Ohio Secretary of State Ken Blackwell of Cincinnati, 47 percent to 35 percent, according to Rasmussen Reports.

The results released Sunday indicate a gain of 8 percentage points for Strickland over Blackwell since Rasmussen's last matchup released in January.

Strickland also leads Attorney General Jim Petro 44 percent to 37 percent, according to the monthly poll. That marks a slight gain since the previous Rasmussen poll...

For more details, go to: http://www.tedstrickland.com/page/m/xsjrfqgrj6m/mG1zwk

[Algorem]

19. Hey,they're cancelling a pre-primary poll,should it seem suspicious?

or should I be comfortably numb?

http://www.cleveland.com/weblogs/openers /

The Nohio Poll

Don't look for an Ohio Poll later this spring as the GOP primany race for governor between Jim Petro and Ken Blackwell roars to its May 2 denouement. Pollsters at the University of Cincinnati say they just don't have the money to sample the public's pulse and predict a winner.

The Ohio Poll, which began in the 1980s, is an independent survey that's been remarkably reliable over the years: In November 2004, last-minute numbers showed President Bush would beat John Kerry in Ohio, a correct call that contradicted some national polls coloring the state blue.

There will only be 4 or 5 Ohio Polls in 2006, says Eric Rademacher, the U.C. professor who runs it. He'll put one out in March, then save the rest for after the primary.

''It's money," he lamented. "In some years we've done up to 12 polls, but not this year. It would really be nice to predict who's going to win the primary."

--Bill Sloat

[Algorem]

20. Blackwell steps up offensive on Petro, party chief disapproves

http://www.cleveland.com/newsflash/cleveland/index.ssf?/base/news-23/11405336483460.xml&storylist=cleveland

Blackwell steps up offensive on Petro, party chief disapproves
2/21/2006, 9:47 a.m. ET
By JOE DANBORN
The Associated Press

COLUMBUS, Ohio (AP) — Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell has stepped up his offensive against Jim Petro, his opponent in the Republican primary for governor, with new attack ads that immediately drew the ire of the state party boss.

Taking to the airwaves with comments Blackwell made at a forum last week, the spots hammer on allegations that Petro, the attorney general, took away state business from lawyers who wouldn't contribute to his campaigns, which Petro has denied.

Blackwell's ads also lump Petro in with Republican Gov. Bob Taft, who pleaded no contest to ethics violations last year, as well as the scandal over investments made by the state's insurance fund for injured workers.


Blackwell's campaign announced the ads Monday. They were to start this week...


http://www.kenblackwell.com

http://www.jimpetro.com

http://www.tedstrickland.com

[roseBudd]

21. Don't forget this one...

[roseBudd]

22. We need Ohio DUers to visit barber and beauty shops in African American

neighborhoods. They will display these type of derogatory flyers. I never had anyone say no amd when I returned with a new flyer my stuff was still hanging on the wall.

[Algorem]

23. Blackwell voting machine counsel was Jeb Bush/Schiavo parents lawyer

Blackwell Hires Schiavo Figure

http://www.cleveland.com/weblogs/openers/

...

A year ago this month, Destro, of Arlington, Va., was a major player in the nation's biggest court fight: he represented Florida Gov. Jeb Bush and Terri Schiavo's parents in the battle to keep her alive.

Destro, an Akron native and law professor at the Catholic University of America in Washington, D.C., got an unbid $75,000 state contract through Blackwell's office on Jan. 9. He is special counsel for the Ohio Secretary of State in legal issues with county board of elections about electronic voting machines.

Blackwell is active in the right-to-life movement, and Destro is a promiment lawyer in that cause.

Destro was all over the airwaves last March contending that Terri Schiavo should not have her feeding tube withdrawn because she might recover someday from a brain injury...

--Bill Sloat


It's official: Blackwell endorsed by Right to Life, too.

http://frontier.cincinnati.com/blogs/gov/

Continuing what he called the unbroken chain of Right to Life support he has received over his 30-years career in public service, Ohio gubernatorial candidate Ken Blackwell announced today that he, too, received the endorsement of the Cincinnati Right-to-Life Political Action Committee this week.

"They're spinning you, Jon,'' Gene Pierce, Blackwell's campaign spokesman told an Enquirer reporter Tuesday night when Blackwell rival Jim Petro tried to pre-empt the dual endorsement by publicizing his first. (Indeed, I got played!)

Paula Westwood, executive director of Right-To-Life of Greater Cincinnati said, "Ken Blackwell has a long, proven record as a champion for the rights of all innocent human beings regardless of size, age, race, residence, or abilities. He is a leader of integrity who has never compromised his pro-life commitment.

"Ken Blackwell consistently demonstrates deep respect for the basic moral principle of the the right to life for all human beings identified in the U.S. Declaration of Independence. He has repeatedly upheld this right in the political and legal arenas."...


posted by Jon Craig @ 12:12:00 PM 0 comments



Women in Ohio face hurdles to birth control, survey says

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1141206117140360.xml&coll=2

Wednesday, March 01, 2006
Regina McEnery
Plain Dealer Reporter

...In a state-by-state report card judging contraception policy, the New York-based institute ranked Ohio 48th overall for failing to provide adequate health insurance coverage or family planning money for birth control. The state's mandate for abstinence education in schools contributed to its low marks...

The state drew high marks for not instituting policies that allow drugstores, clinics and doctors to refuse to fill orders for contraceptives. However, a bill moving through the Ohio legislature would permit pharmacists to decline to dispense birth control pills if they find the practice morally objectionable.

The Guttmacher Institute is an abortion-rights proponent that researches abortion, contraception, pregnancies and other reproductive issues...

The report ranked Ohio 39th in contraceptive services, 48th in laws and policies affecting contraception and 44th in the amount of public money available for contraception.



The Road To Bexley-

The race for Ohio Governor and all other things political in Ohio

http://blogs.ohio.com/governor/

How special are the counsels?

The issue of special legal counsels hired by the state attorney general has flared again in the governor's race, this time at a meeting of the Controlling Board. Attorney General Jim Petro, who is running against Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell for the Republican nomination, made what appeared to be a routine request for $2 million to hire private lawyers for a number of state agencies.

Democrats on the board noted that some of the lawyers had made $157,000 in contributions to the attorney general. That revived the "pay to play" argument being made by Blackwell against Petro. In television and radio ads, Blackwell has said Petro has used the special counsel program as "a fundraising ATM."

Petro did not attend. His representative noted that Petro hires special counsels at the request of state agencies who need the legal expertise. Sometimes the AG's office makes a recommendation on whom to hire; sometimes it doesn't.

In a letter, Petro jabbed back at Blackwell, saying the secretary of state's office, if it stays on budget, will spend $1.3 million on special counsels when Blackwell completes his second term. By comparison, Petro just happened to note that during Gov. Bob Taft's two terms in the same office, he spent slightly more than $500,000. That's a 161 percent increase under Blackwell. Petro has had several lines of attack against Blackwell's spending in office, a counterpoint to Blackwell's well-known anti-tax stands...

[Algorem]

24. 100's of S. S. #'s illegally on Blackwell site,including an opponent's

http://news.enquirer.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060301/NEWS01/303010012/1056

Hundreds of Ohioans Social Security numbers online

BY JON CRAIG | ENQUIRER COLUMBUS BUREAU

COLUMBUS – Hundreds, if not thousands, of Ohioans’ Social Security numbers are posted on the Secretary of State’s web site -- despite state and federal laws barring their public release.

In fact, the newspaper randomly stumbled on the Social Security number of one of Blackwell’s Democratic opponents in the governor’s race – former state Rep. Bryan Flannery.


“That’s unbelievable,’’ Flannery said when he was called today. “It’s ridiculous.’’

Flannery said he was a victim of identity theft in 2002 - the same year, by coincidence, when he lost a race for secretary of state against Blackwell...



Special counsel for Blackwell is suing state
Lawyer in anti-benefits suit got $225,000 in state work

http://www.cleveland.com/news/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/news/1141119132121440.xml&coll=2

Tuesday, February 28, 2006
Bill Sloat
Plain Dealer Reporter

Cincinnati- A lawyer handling a lawsuit against state-owned Miami University for granting benefits to same-sex couples also collects $175 an hour from the state as a special counsel for Secretary of State Ken Blackwell.

State records show David Langdon's Cincinnati law firm, Langdon & Shafer LLC, got unbid government contracts worth about $225,000 starting last spring.

Internal e-mails suggest Blackwell's staff requested that Langdon get the work, and a spokesman for the secretary of state confirmed Blackwell wanted him hired. Langdon represents Blackwell in legal wrangling over new voting machines, Election Day exit polling and access to provisional ballots.

"He's a very competent and aggressive lawyer. He's a constitutional scholar," said Carlo LoParo, Blackwell's spokesman. "He's a trusted legal adviser."...


March 01, 2006
No, I'm Not Going To "Get Over It", Nor Should You
http://drinkingliberally.org/blogs/louisville/archives/2006/03/no_im_not_going.html