July Has Been A Deadly Month

July has been a deadly month for Youngstown. The city's 19th Homicide took place Tuesday on Broadway St. This death marks the fourth for July, which now ties January as the deadliest month. There are four days remaining in the month. The updated map is here.

Mayor Williams re-instituted the special interdiction patrols earlier this month but apparently it will require more than a few days to be effective.

It's too bad the Tiahrt Amendment was not repealed in funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms for 2008. While not having a direct influence on the city's homicide rate right now, repealing it would have allowed city officials to conduct studies of gun origins used in crimes. The licensed firearms dealers supplying guns to the criminals in this area need to be identified so the flow can be stopped. Not repealing this NRA loved piece of legislation made it more difficult for police to investigate those that are supplying the weapons that drive up the homicide count. Area Congressman Tim Ryan was one of the Democrats that voted to keep this terrible legislation in place.

The CNN/ YouTube Debate

This was a neat idea and executed fairly well by CNN and YouTube. Citizens made videos asking questions and submitted them to YouTube. CNN and YouTube vetted the questions and chose which ones would be posed to the Democratic presidential candidates. The questions had a little more bite than usual and the candidates needed to be a little quicker on their feet.

It's one thing to speak to a moderator about issues but it's quite another to look at the face of a mother who's son is serving in Iraq for a second tour of duty when she asks when he will come home. Similarly, it's easy for a candidate to speak in generalities about gay marriage when a journalist asks them a question but more difficult when two women who want to be married ask them directly.

Although it is easy to be overcome with debate fatigue 16 months before the election, these early discussions have a certain appeal. These are the only debates you're going to hear Rep. Dennis Kucinich and former Senator Mike Gravel come out swinging at the big guys. Obama and Clinton need to be careful about what they say because one of them will probably be the party's nominees. Edwards, Richardson, Biden and Dodd all want the vice-president seat so they're cautious. Gravel and Kucinich know they won't get the nomination so they can be honest. Gravel thinks the troops killed in Vietnam died in vain and isn't afraid to say so. Kucinich has a laser like focus on domestic issues like health care. They are the only voices telling us the unvarnished truth as they see it.

The questions ranged across the political spectrum, from health care to the Iraq war to minimum wage to campaign finance. It was a change to hear from the people and what really worries us as opposed to what the professional bureaucrats think we are worried about. The transcript is here.

Hijinx Abound at Senate Slumber Party

WASHINGTON-In an effort to pass legislation that would bring American troops home from Iraq, Senate Democrats held a sleepover in the Capital building Tuesday night. The effort was supposed to force a vote on the issue with Republicans but things soon got out of hand as the night wore on. Filibustering took a backseat to frivolity once the sun went down.

Ohio Democrat Sherrod Brown and California Democrat Barbara Boxer were spotted doing impressions of Republican Leader Mitch McConnel behind his back as he addressed a sleepy group around two in the morning. The Kentuckian grew increasingly angry and derided the two for their antics but the attention simply spurred them on. "He's asking for it," Brown said. "He's so damned serious all the time. Someone should tell him to take the stick out once in a while."

South Carolina Republican Lindsey Graham was also the target of tomfoolery during his address to the chamber. A bi-partisan group made up of Ted Kennedy, John McCain, George Voinovich , Barbara Mikulski and Jim Webb huddled in a corner playing a drinking game. Every time Graham used the words "hero" or the phrase "fight them there so we don't have to fight them here" the group would down a shot of Wild Turkey. At the close of his speech only Kennedy and former Marine Webb were still coherent enough to proceed with their own prepared statements.

The gags were not limited to opponents across the aisle. Presidential Hopeful Barack Obama could be heard making raspberries and other noises during fellow Democrat Hillary Clinton's remarks. The Senator from New York had trouble identifying her tormentor but caught on to the antics of the junior Senator from Illinois after fellow New Yorker Chuck Schumer surreptitiously pointed him out. "I'm hoping for a cabinet position if she pulls off this presidential thing," Schumer said. "Giving up Obama could get me the Secretary of State job. You never know".

Independent Joe Lieberman and Democrat Bill Nelson giggled quietly as they tugged on the hair of a sleeping Trent Lott. "I still don't know if it's real or a wig," Lieberman said silently. "If it's a wig," Nelson said, "He's got it glued on pretty good." The game ended when Lott suddenly woke up and Lieberman and Nelson rolled over pretending to be asleep on their own cots.

Republicans Sam Brownback, Saxby Chambliss and John Cornyn were seen playing a game they called "alive or dead" with a slumbering Robert Byrd. The octogenarian senator had a cat nap around 3 am and the participants took turns holding a mirror under his nose to ensure he was still breathing. They were eventually chased off by Vermont Democrat Patrick Leahy who ensured his elderly friend was all right by using the mirror once more before lying down on his own cot.

Finally, Senate stick-in-the-mud John McCain brought the fun to a close by loudly arguing with fellow Republicans Gordon Smith, Olympia Snowe and Chuck Hagel over their decision to side with the Democrats on the issue of redeploying the troops back to the U.S. "You're all a bunch of pansies!", the Arizonan could be heard saying loudly. "I bet none of you would last thirty seconds in the cockpit of an A4-E Skyhawk with a pair of MiG's screaming down on you. You'd bail out and wet your pants!" In return, Hagel remarked that maybe McCain should ask House Republican Ron Paul for some advice on how to run a successful campaign because "he has a better chance of sitting in the Oval Office than you do, loser." McCain was physically restrained from assaulting Hagel by several Senate pages. Snowe refrained from commenting but could be seen making an obscene one-fingered gesture at the presidential contender.

By morning though, the Democrats had failed to convince their Republican colleagues and lost the opportunity to bring the troops home by a vote of 52-47. The constant pestering of Republican Senators by Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice finally wore down even those Republicans who have voiced opposition to the war. "I voted no just to get her the hell out of my office," muttered Ohio republican George Voinovich. "I know and you know I'm against the war but she just wouldn't shut up until I promised to oppose the Democrats. I don't know how the president puts up with that kind of nagging."

CNNMoney.com Ranks Boardman as 19th for Most Affordable Homes in the U.S.

Part of that up-and-coming Pittsburgh-Northeast Ohio region, the sprawling town is known mostly for farming and its banner crop of athletes, which include former Cleveland Browns quarterback Bernie Kosar. On the real estate scene, an array of cute single-family homes goes for under $100,000, with an abundance of fixer-uppers for half that price. There are also quality higher-end properties available around this charming town.

Click here to see the entire list. It's not surprising to see Boardman on this list. Housing prices there are not as high as they are in neighboring Canfield and Poland yet the township offers good community services and nearby retail outlets.

It's also nice to see the Northeast Ohio region referred to as "up and coming" in the national press.

Senator Jim Webb & Senator Lindsey Graham On Meet The Press

Click play and watch Sen. Jim Webb debunk Sen. Graham's claims that the military in Iraq blindly supports President Bush's failed policies. You know, it just gets tiresome to here people like Sen. Graham say that the soldiers could win if we would just let them. As if the debate about whether we should pull out or not is more detrimental than launching this invasion with too few men. If Sen. Graham wants to point the finger at the people not supporting the troops he needs to start with the White House.

Homeland Insecurity: Our Confusing Priorities

As the cost of the Iraq War approaches half a trillion dollars, now may be a good time to review the security priorities of the Bush administration and how they specifically relate to urban areas like the Mahoning Valley.

In 2005, an estimated 16,692 people were murdered in the United States according to the FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program. There were 93,934 forcible rapes. There were 417,122 robberies. In short, there were a heck of a lot of people doing very bad things to their fellow citizens.

It is important to note that no amount of money will ever get those numbers to zero. People will always commit crime. However, half a trillion dollars can certainly make a dent in those statistics. Our president and congress have determined that their goals in Iraq are worth the money spent there rather than spending it here. That's the choice they made over and over when voting to approve war in Iraq and funding for the war.

They have chosen to leave immigration a mess and the borders of the country open to those determined enough to cross them. While American citizens take off their shoes in airports, illegal immigrants walk across the border and enter the country. The next group like the 9/11 terrorists won't have to bother overstaying their visas. They'll simply need to pay a smuggler in Mexico a few hundred dollars and enter the U.S. way.

Congress, especially, has decided that the future expenses of the country can be paid by Americans making less money. As jobs are outsourced overseas and corporations are rewarded for bad citizenship with tax breaks, real income in the United States is falling. It is true that investors are making some money due to those corporate decisions but the majority of Americans are bringing home less money. According to The Economic Policy Institute, in 2005, "the inflation-adjusted income of the median household was unchanged and remains $1,700, or 3.8%, below its most recent peak in 1999" and "The main factor explaining this significant, ongoing decline in household income appears to be the faltering job market". So Congress has chosen to run up the debt and plans to pay it off with a constituency making less money. Such a policy will leave us vulnerable to the countries that fund our deficit spending.

Cities like Youngstown, Gary, Indiana and Milwaukee, Wisconsin all have rising crime rates and most importantly, rising murder rates. The mayors in those cities would gladly accept the money and attention Baghdad has received. More police and bigger jails could help curb crime while more teachers, smaller class sizes and additional funding for college education and technical schools could lead people out of poverty. Juvenile diversion programs for those at risk of committing more serious crimes could interrupt the prison cycle that captures so many young people.

What's the use in going a half-trillion dollars in debt protecting ourselves from Iraq when you could be killed in your own neighborhood tomorrow? Homeland Security must mean something entirely different to the Congress and President Bush.

News from All Around

1. Joel Stein of the LA Times has a great article on the Democratic senators who voted for the war. Here's the link and a small bit:

STOP BLAMING George Bush. "He lied to us." "He tricked us." Suddenly everyone — Hillary Clinton, John Edwards, all of my friends — is claiming to have been a dove who was bamboozled by the cleverness of our president. When "American Idol" drops to a 30% approval rating, I predict you all also will claim that Paula Abdul outsmarted you into watching two hours of karaoke each week.

Most Americans can't locate Britain on a map, but I'm supposed to believe that back in January of 2003, everyone became an honorary member of the Council on Foreign Relations and followed the details of reports of yellowcake from Niger? I don't think so. Even now, I'm pretty sure that if the Cheesecake Factory put "Yellowcake from Niger" on the menu, people would order it.

2. Crazy guy floats 193 miles in a lawn chair attached to helium balloons. No, really. I'm not kidding. He's got some brass ones, this guy.



3. The New York Times understands that The House of Representatives has a chance to do some real good by removing the dreaded Tiahrt amendment from the funding for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives in 2008. Here's hoping Congressman Ryan and House Speaker Pelosi are more successful than their Senate colleagues. Removing this amendment will allow law enforcement agencies and interested parties to have access to information that can be used to track illegal gun sales. This would be good news for cities like Youngstown that are fighting violent crime.

4. The pigs are feeding at the trough again. I didn't see much about this two weeks ago but the House of Representative just gave itself a raise of $4400.00 a year. That brings their yearly salary up to $170,000. You would think there would be some embarrassment over this at a time when the country has a 9 trillion dollar debt, but no.

5. Finally, the Youngstown murder rate continues to climb despite the efforts of the mayor and police chief but things could be worse. The Homicide Blog at the LA Times has some truly terrifying stories of innocent people gunned down for simply being in the wrong place at the wrong time. Hopefully people see this and see it for the warning it is. We do not want the Mahoning Valley to get to this point. While you're there, compare their homicide map to our local one. There are too many bodies on both.

Free Jimbo? No Way

It was with dismay that I read this Vindicator article discussing State Rep. Bob Hagan's stance that Jim Traficant deserves to have his remaining sentence commuted and be released from prison. What is this shocking new evidence that Hagan has discovered? Surely he has a smoking gun that proves all of the Traficant conspiracy theorists correct.

Well, no, he doesn't.

Bob Hagan's argument boils down to this: "Scooter" Libby did worse things than Jim Traficant and had his sentence commuted by President Bush so Traficant deserves to have his sentence commuted. State Rep. Ronald Gerberry agrees with him, as does Mahoning County Commissioner David Ludt.

What these gentlemen fail to realize is that Jim Traficant's case has nothing to do with Scooter Libby's. The former Congressman's case has to stand on its own. He was convicted of accepting bribes, having staffers do work on his boat and farm and demanding kick backs from staffers salaries. He did this while serving as the people of Youngstown's representative in Congress. The evidence was presented to a jury and he was found guilty. His sentence for these actions will see him released in 2009.

Jim Traficant betrayed the public's trust by servicing the mob image that Youngstown struggles with to this day. The Mahoning Valley has made great strides in cleaning up the corrupt government that used to be a hallmark of the area. Releasing Jim Traficant would send a message that it's all right to be a little corrupt if you are a public office holder. Well, it isn't.

If our elected officials are to learn anything about remaining corruption free and if the Mahoning Valley's recovery is to proceed, Jim Traficant must finish his sentence.

A Youngstown Wedding

I had the honor of being a groomsman in a good friend's wedding this weekend. It was a fabulous, by the numbers Youngstown wedding that not only celebrated the beginning of the bride and groom's life together but impressed upon me how certain areas of the city shine during special occasions and how wonderful certain local traditions are.

The ceremony took place downtown at Trinity United Methodist Church on West Front St. The church is the second oldest in Youngstown, originally constructed in 1883. The church is a beautiful building, certainly more prestigious than any new construction would be if built today.



This being Youngstown, our journey to take pictures took place in a Fab Limo. Our luxurious white Suburban stretch was expertly piloted throughout the area from location to location until the bride was certain enough pictures had been taken to commemorate the day.


Mill Creek Park's iconic Fellowship Riverside Gardens was our first stop and provided a beautiful backdrop for the mid-afternoon photo session. As always, the garden was populated by crowds of people who wished the bride and groom well and were kind enough to make room for us to take our pictures.





The next stop was Stambaugh Auditorium. This magnificent structure served as the location of our second set of pictures. The high, wide steps of the main entrance across from Wick Park are a great spot for pictures. The tall, Romanesque pillars provide a classic setting for a formally attired wedding party. The folks in the area were friendly as well. We received more than a few horn honks, congratulations and good wishes from those driving by.



Finally we ended up at the venerable Mahoning Valley Country Club for a splendidly cooked dinner followed by drinks and dancing. On a special note, the author of the Shout Youngstown blog recently had a post recalling one of this area's best traditions, the cookie table at a wedding reception. This reception had the largest cookie table I have ever seen. Easily 24 feet long. When these folks throw a party, they don't mess around.


It's always a happy occasion when one of your best friends finds someone he can be happy with for the rest of his life. It's even better when he asks you and your wife to be a part of it. Best wishes you guys.