All politics is local .- Thomas "Tip" O'Neill
OXFORD, Ohio (ZP) -- Last night, Ohio state Rep. Tom Brinkman, Jr., came to Miami University's campus to hold a question-and-answer session regarding his lawsuit against the university's domestic partner benefits program.
On campus with the aid of College Republicans, the Ohio politician made his case to a Miami audience. For an in-depth editorial, read Blogbuefi's first-hand account.
The Cincinnati Republican filed the lawsuit in November 2005, citing the the state's recent ban on civil unions as the reason for the suit against the university.
Miami, located just a hour's drive from the Congressman's district, is the only university named in Brinkman's suit, despite the fact that Ohio University, Youngstown State, Ohio State and Cleveland State also offer domestic partner benefits.
The justification used to bring the suit against Maimi? The politician has touted the fact that he's doing this for "the children" - most notably, his two children currently attending Miami University. The legal basis for his suit? Ohio's Marriage Amendment, passed in 2004. The amendment reads "only a union between one man and one woman may be a marriage valid in or recognized by this state and its political subdivisions."
Sure. If anybody actually believes that motive, I'll eat my own ass.
Brinkman's lawsuit may have less to do with his personal beliefs than his desire to play stupid politician. In a Cincinnati Enquirer piece last week, Brinkman revealed that he's considering a run against fellow Republican/Murtha basher U.S. Rep. Jean Schmidt (Ohio-2nd) this year.
It must be mere coincidence that the man chose to file his lawsuit against the largest university within the Cincinnati media market to offer domestic benefits, the same media market Miami shares with the 2nd Ohio Congressional District.
Did I mention that Miami also has a sizable percentage of students from the 2nd Congressional District, who probably haven't heard of this guy until he brought his lawsuit against their university?
I'm smelling a publicity stunt here. And it smells like stupidity.
The fact that the man keeps making a stink about how he's doing it for his children turns my stomach. Oxford is a tiny community; by bringing a lawsuit against the same university they attend makes their lives difficult, puts them in a spotlight that they may or may not want.I hope he at least had the balls to discuss it with them prior to the filing.
The problem with his legal argument is clear. Are giving health and dental benefits - which require an individual to fork over a share of the cost - really a violation of the law, or simply political trickery being used to bolster an image?
Gotta love politicos. Brinkman proves the longheld ZenFo Pro theory that that species known as politician will, indeed, eat its own children to bolster its chances for publicity.
This isn't the state legislator's first foray into playing politics with equal rights. In 2003, Brinkman was the lone General Assembly member to vote against Ohio's long-delayed ratification of the 14th Amendment to the U.S. Constitution.
This lawsuit isn't really about protecting Ohioans from the tax burden of providing domestic partner benefits to the hordes of gays and lesbian Miamians (only 30 of the university's more than 3,000 employees receive such benefits.) This isn't about protecting the rights of Miami parents' tuition dollars or the students at the university.
This is about getting votes in the 2006 Republican Party primaries and a chance at sitting in the U.S. House of Representatives in 2007.
No more, no less.
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NOTE - REVISED 1/31/06 9:10 PM
14 comments:
It must be mere coincidence that the man chose to file his lawsuit against the largest university within the Cincinnati media market
Oops. Hate to tell you this, Jason, but...
Enrollment:
University of Cincinnati: 35,244
Miami University: 17,151
Not many people from outside the area realize what a monster of a school UC is, but being a native, I suspected UC was biggger.
Yer a furiner, so I forgive you. Now go eat a five-way with a side of goetta!
Oops. Correcting now.
Meant to say not actually in the second congressional.
:0
Kitchen Mailbox: Goetta recipe is the German answer to scrapple
Thursday, August 31, 2000
By Arlene Burnett, Post-Gazette Staff Writer
Goetta is of German origin, similar to mush and almost identical to what the Pennsylvania Dutch call scrapple. (Goetta is made with oatmeal and pork; scrapple is made with cornmeal and pork.)
Gail Deibler Finke tells us that goetta is very popular in Cincinnati, and everyone she knows uses this recipe.
Goetta
1 pound ground pork and 1 pound ground beef
8 cups water
2 1/2 cups pinhead oatmeal (we used steel cut)
1 large onion, sliced *
1 to 4 bay leaves, optional *
2 teaspoons salt
Pinch of pepper
In a large pot with a lid, boil the water, add salt, pepper and oatmeal. Cover and let cook for two hours, stirring often.
Add the meat, onion and bay leaves. Mix well. Cook for another hour, stirring often. Remove bay leaf.
Pour into bread pans (size doesn't matter).
Refrigerate overnight.
To serve: Slice the goetta and fry it until crispy or just until heated through. Goetta may be served with pancakes and eggs, on sandwiches or in place of meat at dinner.
* Two teaspoons of savory may be substituted for the onion and bay leaf.
That is a pretty sickening story, that man is pathetic. Will they ever stop?
Maybe we can grind him up and make goetta (pronounced GET-a) out of him!
MM:
Yeah, I've had goetta before...sorry, but, eewww! Wouldn't touch the stuff these days. Won't touch the five-ways either...yeah, the beef would kill me.
(what's the big deal about Cincinnati style chili anyway? Refuse to eat anything called chili lacking in sufficient seasoning, like habaneros. I had a turkey version and it tastes like canned chili with pickling spices. :)
Alice:
Yup.The debacle drew media attention, thus the guy got a free campaign ad.
VC:
Lol...MU students are already considered some of the most sheltered in the state. Of course, I question higher ed's value in terms of teaching critical thinking skills anymore. Very good point, man.
The "protect the children" thing is always a sure sign of a weak political argument. That's why censors use it.
MM:
Given the pork he's likely to bring to Washington if he somehow wins the primaries and 2006 midterm election, he'll be making goetta out of the U.S. taxpayer.
Anybody who's thinking this is somehow a sign that the Dems stand a chance in the Second Congressional, well, that district has been controlled by Republicans for all but nine years since 1879. It'll be Schmidt or a guy like Brinkman. Mike Tyson will be asked to be a spokesperson for NOW before OH-2 goes to the Dems.
Oh, I can't stand goetta, either, but I fess up to liking Cincinnati chili. Growing up, i didn't know chili was served any other way than over spaghetti. I like Texas-style chili, too. People from elsewhere need to get over the "chili" comparisons and just enjoy it. Of course, I'm not eating meat at the moment :-)
You know what's really tasty? Medjool dates stuffed with cream cheese and rolled in sugar. Jungle Jims has good medjool dates. Ah, Jungle Jim's, the Food Museum.
Its liberal shitheads like you who make this town a shitty place. Ohio voters passed that amenment fair and square. LEt the homosexuals move to California if they want rights.
MM:
Shit, recipe debates and politics. Can't get past the smell of Cincy chili. I'm told I make a good soy protein version, but it looks and smells like poo. Sorry :) Mmmm...haven't been to Jungle Jims in months...
Anon:
Lol. I'd throw some profanity back at you, but, yeah, I just did that on IM. And I've blocked you. I figured that it must be you, dude, because I bumped you while I was updating my post - incorporating the Ohio Marriage Amendment changes you suggested, BTW - and then I get some ZenFo hate.
Note - here's a secret to anonymous posting. DON'T FUCKING IM SOMEBODY AND INTRODUCE YOURSELF BY NAME.
I may be a shithead, but at least I'm not a chickenshit.
Good points, VC. And I'm sure that had there had been a voter referendum on school desegregation in 1954, Ohioans would have voted against it. Probably most states would have.
p.s to ZP -- Cinti chili does have an unfortunate appearance, but so do most Indian curries, and I eat them! (though my friend T. had to close her eyes while she ate it when she was pregnant)
So if someone doesn't agree with miami's illegal activities then they're a chickenshit? That real mature. I think it unfair to call Tom Brinkmana stupid politician because he was nice enough to come to miami and make his case. where were all the stupid wacko liberals? Howard Dean came to campus, and I'll bet you didn't call him a stupid politician
i know where you work btw and i personally don't see why people read your rag anyways. i should complain because you're probably wasting taxdollars like the faggots.
anon- gays do not have the protection and rights in california that you might think. for the time being, homosexual marriage is illegal, and there are domestic partnership laws but they do not have all the same protections as marriage.
vc- you said it better than i could have.
and cincinati chilli scares me. the spices are a little too off and i can't handle the noodles.
VC:
Second thatemotion, holmes.
MM:
Actually, that's the problem with applying popular vote to civil liberties. Jim Crow was legal in the south because, well, the people in power demanded it. Same with the Marriage Amendment. Just because its a law doesn't mean its a good law.
Re: chili. Lol...wish I could get past the smell. Can't even walk by a skyline or gold star ;)
Tim:
Brinkman wasn't nice enough to come to MU because he was trying to stand up for Ohioans. If that were the case, and he really wanted to fight this out, why not take on OSU? Oh, duh! State capital.
VC:
Good points about health coverage, dude.
Kendra:
Very excellent point. You know, I can't figure out why everybody outside of California thinks gays and lesbians are just dancing in the streets on the West Coast because of "freedom." I've heard more gaybashing in Orange County than I heard in the South.
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