• On Saturday morning, cleveland.com will have live streaming video from the funeral of Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Hillary Clinton, Barack and Michelle Obama and Joe and Jill Biden are among those who plan to attend. DENVER -- With tributes, songs...

Public viewing and memorial services will be held for former Cleveland congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones on Friday August 29 and Saturday August 30. All events on Friday will take place at Bethany Baptist Church, which is located at 1211 E 105th St, Cleveland, OH 44108.

Public viewing on Friday will be from 9:00am to 2:00pm and will resume again from 6:00pm to 8:00pm. Parking will be made available to the public at the following church lots on East 105th Street: Greater Abyssinia Baptist Church, St. Luke's Missionary Baptist Church, Cory Methodist Church, Cleveland Church of God in Christ, and Lee Memorial Church. There will be no street parking on East 105th, which will be closed between Olivet Avenue and Tacoma Avenue.

Events on Saturday will take place at Public Hall, Cleveland Convention Center, 500 Lakeside Ave., Cleveland, OH 44114.

Public viewing will be available at Public Hall from 8:00am to 10:30am. Parking for the public will be available at the Willard Building Garage on Lakeside Avenue. East 6th Street will be closed between St. Clair and Lakeside Avenues.

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Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church have planned to picket former congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones memorial service this Saturday. Local police are preparing for their arrival and the potential conflicts which may arise.

The WBC is perhaps best known for picketing gay pride events and funerals, and were put in the national spotlight for picketing funeral processions for soldiers killed in the Iraq War. Although the WBC claims to be a Baptist church, they are officially an independent church with no affiliations to any known Baptist associations or conventions.

So why are they targeting Stephanie Tubbs Jones? One of the reasons is who her husband was, Mervyn L. Jones Sr. Less than a year before he and Stephanie married, he was convicted of manslaughter. Of this the WBC said: “(L)ike her forefathers who slayed Jesus Christ, she would rather company with murderers (birds of a feather, and all that) that the servants of God.”

Another reason the WBC says they are picketing her memorial service is her service to this country and her voting record:

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DENVER -- Soon into her speech Tuesday night before the Democratic National Convention, Hillary Clinton honored the life and work of the late U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones. Clinton said: Along the way, America lost two great Democratic champions who...

If you’re a Congresswoman, you can get the city to send out workers to try to save your home from flooding. Just ask Connie Brown (D-FL / Jacksonville).

If you’re simply the congresswoman’s next door neighbor, don’t expect your calls to be returned.

The more of the economy subject to government intervention, the more political connections will weigh in decisions prioritizing service.

Indeed, Adam Hollingsworth, Mayor John Peyton’s chief of staff, seems to have been working from a checklist of the politically connected.

2008 Democratic Presidential ticket Barack Obama and Joe Biden will pay their respects to Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones at a memorial service downtown on Saturday. The service will be held at Public Hall from 11 am to 1. Tubbs Jones, who played an integral role for Hillary Clinton during the primary season, died of a brain aneurysm on Wednesday.

• See The Plain Dealer's full report and add your comments.A memorial service in Cleveland could be held a week from Saturday for Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the congresswoman whose sudden death saddened the Ohio and Washington, D.C. political worlds. Plans...

But be sure to have a tissue box handy.

Go here. Thanks to CPN for getting the audio up in less than 45 minutes. Show description:

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones died Wednesday night at the age of 58. She was Ohio’s first African American woman elected to Congress. Tubbs Jones blazed several career trails. She also was the first African American and female to serve as Cuyahoga County Prosecutor and on the county Common Pleas bench. On our program, we’ll remember her with those who knew her and worked with her. You’re invited to join us on The Sound of Ideas®.

Guests:
Sherrod Brown, United States Senator for Ohio
Cuyahoga County Commissoner Peter Lawson Jones
Former Ohio Senator C.J. Prentiss
Cleveland Municipal Judge Larry Jones
Plain Dealer columnist Connie Schultz
Congressman Steven LaTourette
Cleveland City Councilman Roosevelt Coats

The site also includes a variety of statements about her passing.

And from the Plain Dealer, a very nice editorial.

• See The Plain Dealer's full report.• A savvy, fair, inspiring prosecutorEven people who didn't know U.S. Rep. Stephanie Tubbs Jones responded to her as if she were a friend. "Stephanie, Stephanie," was the constant refrain that followed the congresswoman...

Thank you to Marc Kovac.

From Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland:

Columbus, Ohio – Governor Ted Strickland today issued the following statement on the loss of US Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones: 

“Frances and I are heartbroken to learn of the passing of Congresswomen .  We served together in the Congress, where I witnessed her passionate and selfless commitment to her constituents.  I am grateful for the opportunity to have called Stephanie my colleague, and I am proud to have called her my friend.  Our friendship deepened during the long primary season as we worked together for Senator Clinton.  Stephanie was a strong, courageous and compassionate advocate for the poor and vulnerable.  Our thoughts and prayers are with her family and the people of Ohio’s 11^th Congressional District during this difficult time.”

Visit Marc’s blog (a great blog btw if you’re following Ohio) for the Ray Miller video.

Stephanie Tubbs Jones, the congressional representative for Ohio's 11th district, was hospitalized Tuesday evening and remained unconscious Wednesday at Huron Hospital in the Cleveland area. Her car veered off the road Tuesday evening, where police found her unconscious behind the wheel.

A spokesman for the hospital said that family members requested that no other information on Tubbs Jones be released, and a spokesman for the Democrat said that she has "no information" about the accident "at this time."

Tubbs Jones, 58, was the first black woman to represent Ohio in Congress when she was elected in 1998. She is currently serving in her fifth term in Congress, where she is the chairwoman of the House Ethics Committee.

Tubbs Jones was also one of Hillary Clinton's biggest supporters during the Democratic primaries. She is set to be a superdelegate at the Democratic national Convention in Denver next week. She shifted her support to Barack Obama after Clinton dropped out of the race.

Deutsche Post World Net Chief Executive Officer Frank Appel today sent a formal response to U.S. Sen. John McCain and Rep. Mike Turner, who had asked the head of the cargo company to come to Wilmington, Ohio, and explain the...

Thank you Speaker Pelosi. Thank you for everything...

Attorney General Michael Mukasey confirmed plans Wednesday to loosen post-Watergate restrictions on the FBI's national security and criminal investigations, saying the changes were necessary to improve the bureau's ability to detect terrorists.

Mukasey said he expected criticism of the new rules because "they expressly authorize the FBI to engage in intelligence collection inside the United States." However, he said the criticism would be misplaced because the bureau has long had authority to do so.

Which begs the question. If the Bureau has had the authority for so long, why the need for new rules to expand upon what already existed?

Dispatch file photoThe front of the DHL administration building in WilmingtonWILMINGTON, Ohio -- Today's Wall Street Journal reports that DHL's top executive has no immediate plans to visit Wilmington, Ohio, despite an invitation from Republican presidential candidate John McCain to...

AP PhotoJohn McCain greets DHL employees during a visit Thursday in Wilmington, Ohio. Click below for new Barack Obama radio ad (mp3) on John McCain's involvement in the DHL Wilimington deal. or click here . (See story below for more...

I hope he got his money up front. 2,700 copies isn’t much, but given Congress’ dismal record and approval ratings under Pelosi, it can’t be a surprise.

Congresswoman Stephanie Tubbs Jones attended one of the recent meetings the RTA is holding regarding proposed cuts to service and today released this statement on the matter:

"While I understand the budget concerns of RTA, my greatest concerns are for those whose only means of transportation is our public transit system such as the disabled and low-income residents of our community," said Rep. Tubbs Jones. "Additionally, with the issues of rising fuel costs, traffic congestion, and global warming and its affects on our environment, it is important that we do all we can to ensure that the rapid transit, bus, circulator and especially our Paratransit systems continue to provide services to the people of this community.

"Local, state and federal elected officials along with RTA must come back to the table and work to figure out a solution to this critical issue that will be acceptable to all involved. RTA will be extremely important as we work to strengthen our infrastructure in Northeast Ohio. I plan to do all in my power to see that we keep out transit system solvent and operating at full capacity."

If more off-shore oil drilling would be so bad — like Nancy Pelosi and Betty Sutton believe — then why is Barack Obama claiming to be open to the idea?

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One shot across the bow before I partake of my toothiness tour...

Kinda feeling like the early 80's all over again, isn't it?

Consumer spending, after adjusting for inflation, fell in June as shoppers were hit with the biggest increase in prices in nearly three decades.

The Commerce Department reported Monday that consumer spending dipped by 0.2 percent in June, after removing the effects of higher prices, the poorest showing since a similar drop in February. The higher prices reflected a big surge in gasoline costs and helped to drive an inflation gauge tied to consumer spending up by 0.8 percent in June, the biggest increase since a 1 percent rise in February 1981.

The big rise in inflation ate up a part of the billions of dollars in stimulus payments delivered during the month. Personal incomes rose by a tiny 0.1 percent in June following a giant 1.8 percent increase in May.

And for those of you who drive - anywhere - please note the difference in oil valuations on the regulated ICE market in London, versus the unregulated NYMEX.

I think Republicans holding up Congress is a good idea - too bad they're doing it for the wrong reason.

Cheers...

[Update: And yes, my tires are properly inflated, I thank you.]

Former Rep. John F. Seiberling, who served the Akron area as Congressman from 1971-1987, passed away. He was 89 years old.

Seiberling, who was a Democrat, will forever be remembered in Northeast Ohio as the man who had the foresight to preserve Cuyahoga National Park which is the only national park in the entire state of Ohio. Seiberling led a House subcommittee on public lands and national parks that also preserved areas in Alaska.

Seiberling gained his seat by ousting Republican William Ayres. An Akron native who gained name recognition by working for Goodyear Tire Company, Seiberling ran because he was fed up with the war in Vietnam and won his seat on an anti war platform. He also famously sat on the House Judiciary Committee which led impeachment hearings against President Nixon. The influential Congressman retired from office in 1987.

He was the grandson of Franklin Augustus Seiberling, founder of the Goodyear Company. John F. Seiberling also spent his childhood growing up in the Stan Hywet, the magnificent country estate built for F. A. Seiberling, which was donated to a non-profit in 1957 and now operates as a museum.

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Gas prices remain near $4 per gallon and major Lorain County and Northeast Ohio employers are fighting for their lives because of it.  Just this morning, GM posted a $15.5 billion loss for the last quarter largely because of high gas prices: “The trends that are out of their control, those are the things that have the potential [...]

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I guess a majority of Republicans feel that pleasing the oil companies is more important that funding the troops.

I must also assume that cheaper gas is worth the lives of American soldiers to the general public, since a large proportion of them appear to support this foolishness.

Or will America prove me wrong?

[And yes, I'd like to where all but three of the ten Senators (Obama, McCain, and Kennedy) were, who didn't vote at all.]

File photo/Dennis Cook APSen. John McCain, R-Ariz., left, and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill. greet on Capitol Hill. The presidential election in Ohio appears to have tightened over the last month with Barack Obama and John McCain virtually neck and neck,...

To borrow from Rev. Jackson:

Hey, Hey,
Ho, Ho,
Mr. Bridge to Nowhere’s gotta go!

The only shocking thing is the trivial amounts involved. But, home renovations seem to be the graft of choice.

The Republican answer to William “Freezer” Jefferson and Allan Mollohan.

Resign already.

This would be what I've been looking forward to hearing (once again). However, there's still one problem...

Stating this publicly, not through third-parties, would go a long way towards shoring up his support with his own party faithful.

If Obama wants to win this election, he has to work for it this time.

Is delusional. You knew that, but here’s confirmation, as if any more were needed:

“’I’m trying to save the planet; I’m trying to save the planet,’ she says impatiently when questioned. ‘I will not have this debate trivialized by their excuse for their failed policy.’”

An interesting bit of petty fascism. Can’t go mucking up democracy with things like votes, amendments, or worse yet, debate.

By the time Pelosi, Gore, and Obama are done, America and the world will be prosperity proofed.

John Boehner, the House minority leader from southwest Ohio, is with President Bush this evening at the fund-raising reception in Gates Mills, where 110 attendees have paid or promised to pay a total of $530,000, Republican sources say. The money...

I've already contacted my senators and representatives, urging them to support the Internet Radio Equality Act.

It's good to hear that efforts to combat the new royalty agreement that threatens the incredible diversity to be found on Internet "radio" stations as reported in NPR, Others Challenge Online Royalties, from Yahoo Finance.


This quote from that article puzzles me:

Normal radio stations don't pay those royalties for regular broadcasts since radio airplay is seen as having value for promoting sales of music CDs.

Is it possible that the people behind this boneheaded royalty plan can't see the promotional value of Internet music broadcasts? Given that sites like Pandora and others make it so easy to purchase songs/CDs from iTunes or online retailers, it's clear that the people behind the royalty plan have: a) never visited any of these sites, and/or b) have an interest in driving Internet music services out of business.

Dear WoMnation - Given the recent news around the potential of commuter rail in our area, I asked commuter rail expert, Dennis Lamont, to discuss the critical success factors needed to bring such a complex project to fruition. I would encourage everyone to read what Dennis has to say and share your thoughts, comments, questions [...]

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Help me out, America. Since I don’t watch, follow or care about professional sports, I don’t know whether anyone has yet proposed this obvious and All-American solution to the MLB steroid logjam: let the markets decide.

The righteous show trial being held against Major League Baseball’s athletes by (the 10% popular) Congress is ridiculous and, despite what D.C.’s finest insist, un-American in its impulse. These Congressman are public servants and should be dealing with public affairs like war and peace; the MLB is a private company and should be left the hell alone.

I can hear the protests, some of them even sincere: “Baseball is America’s past time – a sacred institution! If Americans lose faith in pro baseball, we’ll have lost confidence in ourselves.” There is a lot of truth in this sentiment. No one wants to find corruption in their own house, and no one wants cheaters to win. But the fact that Congress (and even some real Americans) believes that the State is the tool by which this corruption should be corrected speaks volumes about America’s lack of faith in another, more important institution: Capitalism.

So, how should Congress let the markets fix the steroids scandal? It has to do nothing – simply stop with the public hearings. That and the immediate legalization of all of the controversial steroids in question.

This is what I believe would naturally happen. Either from a decision by the MLB or because of an upstart competitor, pro baseball would split into two leagues, one strictly natural and the other full-boar juicing. Babe Ruth vs. Nitro from American Gladiators. Major leaguers would fan out to whichever league most attracted them. Both organizations would have their obvious market appeal, and there would be an exciting ethical debate created by their competing for audiences.

More importantly, the genuine credibility crisis in the AL and NL would be largely resolved. You may not personally approve of massive, hulking ballplayers shattering bats and having palpitations on the field – but in the free market scenario you could vote with your dollar and take it to the old school, dope-testing fields. Each league would have a very simple legitimacy derived from having represented itself and its rules honestly, so that Americans could enter the contract of buying a ticket or a jersey knowing what they were getting into.

These ballplayers, our “heroes”, are grown men and can make informed personal decisions about whether to dope or not. The key is transparency. Besides, the last time I checked, utilizing discipline and technology to push human performance to its limit, without regard to personal risk, was a pretty American thing to do.

[Note: As noted in the comments, the hearing was postponed. Still time to get your calls, letters and emails in.]

The House Commerce & Telecommunications Subcommittee is scheduled to hold a hearing today, Thursday, Feb. 15th, to review the FCC. Among the many issues of concern is the FCCs December 20th FCC Ruling on Video Franchising. The ruling:

(1) imposes a 90-day shot clock for new entrants with existing rights of
way;
(2) requires the grant of a new entrant’s franchise after 90-days;
(3) limits the scope of a new entrant's build-out obligation;
(4) authorizes a new entrant to withhold payment of fees that its deems to be in excess of the 5 percent cap;
(5) undermines support for public, educational and government (PEG) access channels PEG and local, institutional networks (INET);
(6) authorizes a new entrant to refrain from obtaining a franchise when it is upgrading mixed use facilities that will be used for the delivery of video content.

FCC Commissioner Adelstein offered these dissenting comments:

“The policy goals of this Order, to promote competitive video offerings and broadband deployment, are laudable. But while I support these goals, today’s item goes out on a limb in asserting federal authority to preempt local governments, and then saws the limb off with a highly dubious legal and policy scheme that substitutes our judgment as to what is reasonable for that of local officials – all in violation of the franchising framework established in the Communications Act.”

Commissioner Copps dissented and wrote:

"My goal was to encourage an item that preserves a local authority’s statutory right to seek specific and far-reaching build-out requirements, protects each community’s ability to negotiate for PEG and I-NET facilities, and maintains truly meaningful local ability to deal with the huge companies that are coming into our cities and towns toPublish build important infrastructure."

Save Access.org has a online letter writing tool you can use to voice your opinion with the key house members of the subcommittee.

Technorati Tags: FCC, Broadband, Telecom

To paraphrase the “Freecreditreport.com” commercials, you should have seen this commin’ at you like an atom bomb.

Here’s the WSJ’s Paul Gigot on the inherent corruption at Fannie and Freddie. One thing is clear – this level of fraud and deceit is completely bipartisan.

On an only-in-America note, there’s an effort to rehabilitate Franklin Raines.

No, really, I’m serious. This is a man, who, at best, presided over an entity engaging in accounting shenanigans that makes the Enron Gang look like a bunch of small time hoods trying to run a numbers ring in Grasmere, Idaho.

What’s even more amazing is that this effort is being made now, that the incompetence of Fannie and Freddie is poised to cost the taxpayers billions of dollars.

And he’s betting on his constituents. And that he can intimidate the press.

It’s pretty safe bet that no ethics committee controlled by Democrats is ever going to conduct a real, impartial investigation of Charlie Rangel. For that matter, the Republicans wouldn’t investigate Rangel either.

Case in point: William “Freezer” Jefferson. Many Republicans went to bat for this kleptocrat.

A minor point – It would be an interesting debate if some enterprising Congressman introduced a proposal to prohibit naming anything after any government official until 25 years after that person had died.

I mean, if your goal is to do the right thing for your constituents and the nation, it shouldn’t matter, right? On the other hand, if you want to have everything in West Virginia named “The Robert Byrd XXXX”….