BuckeyeBlog

Raided

Where is the New York Times on the Cuyahoga County corruption story? By my count this morning there were 17,000 hits for “Ted Stevens” in the NY TImes site for the past seven days (yes, 17,000, counting all articles, blogs and comments) and nothing for “Dimora“.

Now I get it that a Senator may be a bigger target than a Midwestern Commish for the national media, and perhaps our expectations for the ethics of the US Senate are greater than those we hold for a county position.

Still, we are talking about a county that is home to one of America’s poorest cities, one plagued by all kinds of evils the lefties ascribed to too little government, such as unemployment and the mortgage meltdown. A county that is the political cornerstone to a Democratic victory in Ohio and thus nationally in the November presidential election. A county that is nearly twice the size of Alaska in terms of population.

17,300 cites to 0 is simply out of whack, but then again, it is the New York Times.

BTW, Cuyahoga County also costs all of the honest, hard-working taxpayers of the rest of Ohio dearly to support. So that’s why it is also disconcerting about the silence of our Governor Ted Strickland on this issue, and our new Attorney General Nancy Rogers. Where’s the outrage over the foul smell of offenses which draw in 200 federal agents from across two states to investigate?

Forget this nonsense put up by Strickland about leaving this all to the FBI and the feds. Think of all of the times you’ve read of state and local authorities, smelling blood in the water, jump into cases looking for their own chance at a pound of flesh, like Michael Vick facing VA charges after the federal case was prosecuted. Any good prosecuting authority can figure out how to get into a game as good as this one is.

And then there’s Marc Dann, whose impeachment Strickland, et al. were jonesing so hard after. Not because Dann had been found to have done anything “impeachable”, but because, well, Marc had been kind of a slob in running his office.

Where is the alacrity in running Dimora and Russo out of office shown by Strickland in the Dann Affair?

The Cleveland Plain Dealer has done a great job in covering this story and should be commended for pursuing accountability of government to the people so vigorously. Too bad other media outlets in Ohio and nationally aren’t following suit. Yet.

Today is a day of celebration as well as a day of thankful reflection.  Take a moment to reflect on the good character of Horatio Bunce of Tennessee. Mr. Bunce held his representative accountable for his actions, refusing to support his re-election after learning that the representative had voted to use public treasury funds of the many to finance the rebuilding of private homes of a few.  Mr. Bunce eventually voted for his representative again, after convincing him of the error in his ways. This decision was again a wise one, as his representative was able to correct his mistake several years later by convincing his fellow representatives to reject a proposal of the same nature. You may have heard of that representative; he was the famous Colonel David Crockett. The full story is related in an essay entitled “Not Yours to Give,” and is a wonderful example of what true patriotism requires.

On this day, many Americans thankfully remember the likes of Thomas Jefferson, George Washington, James Madison, and many others who waged war for eight long years against Britain. But few remember to thank the countless ordinary men and women among us who have waged war for the 200+ years since against our own human faults.