#Cleveland Plain Dealer

[dreaminginthedeepsouth]

A Letter from the Editor in Chief of the Cleveland Plain Dealer: The facts involving Trump are crystal clear, and as news people, we cannot pretend otherwise, as unpopular as that might be with a segment of our readers. There aren’t two sides to facts. People who say the earth is flat don’t get space on our platforms. If that offends them, so be it. As for those who equate Trump and Joe Biden, that’s false equivalency. Biden has done nothing remotely close to the egregious, anti-American acts of Trump. We can debate the success and mindset of our current president, as we have about most presidents in our lifetimes, but Biden was never a threat to our democracy. Trump is. He is unique among all American presidents for his efforts to keep power at any cost.

Personally, I find it hard to understand how Americans who take pride in our system of government support Trump. All those soldiers who died in World War II were fighting against the kind of regime Trump wants to create on our soil. How do they not see it? The March 25 edition of the New Yorker magazine offers some insight. It includes a detailed review of a new book about Adolf Hitler, focused on the year 1932. It’s called “Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power” and is by historian Timothy W. Ryback. It explains how German leaders – including some in the media -- thought they could use Hitler as a means to get power for themselves and were willing to look past his obvious deficiencies to get where they wanted. In tolerating and using Hitler as a means to an end, they helped create the monstrous dictator responsible for millions of deaths.

How are those German leaders different from people in Congress saying the election was stolen or that Jan. 6 was not an insurrection aimed at destroying our government? They know the truth, but they deny it. They see Trump as a means to an end – power for themselves and their “team” – even if it means repeatedly telling lies. Sadly, many believe the lies. They trust people in authority, without questioning the obvious discrepancies or relying on their own eyes. These are the people who take offense to the truths we tell about Trump. No one in our newsroom gets up in the morning wanting to make a segment of readers feel bad. No one seeks to demean anyone. We understand what a privilege it is to be welcomed into the lives of the millions of people who visit our platforms each month for news, sports and entertainment. But our duty is to the truth.

Our nation does seem to be slipping down the same slide that Germany did in the 1930s. Maybe the collapse of government in the hands of a madman is inevitable, given how the media landscape has been corrupted by partisans, as it was in 1930s Germany.

[thatstormygeek]

This is a tough column to write, because I don’t want to demean or insult those who write me in good faith. I’ve started it a half dozen times since November but turned to other topics each time because this needle hard to thread. No matter how I present it, I’ll offend some thoughtful, decent people. The north star here is truth. We tell the truth, even when it offends some of the people who pay us for information. The truth is that Donald Trump undermined faith in our elections in his false bid to retain the presidency. He sparked an insurrection intended to overthrow our government and keep himself in power. No president in our history has done worse. This is not subjective. We all saw it. Plenty of leaders today try to convince the masses we did not see what we saw, but our eyes don’t deceive. (If leaders began a yearslong campaign today to convince us that the Baltimore bridge did not collapse Tuesday morning, would you ever believe them?) Trust your eyes. Trump on Jan. 6 launched the most serious threat to our system of government since the Civil War. You know that. You saw it.

Personally, I find it hard to understand how Americans who take pride in our system of government support Trump. All those soldiers who died in World War II were fighting against the kind of regime Trump wants to create on our soil. How do they not see it? The March 25 edition of the New Yorker magazine offers some insight. It includes a detailed review of a new book about Adolf Hitler, focused on the year 1932. It’s called “Takeover: Hitler’s Final Rise to Power” and is by historian Timothy W. Ryback. It explains how German leaders – including some in the media -- thought they could use Hitler as a means to get power for themselves and were willing to look past his obvious deficiencies to get where they wanted. In tolerating and using Hitler as a means to an end, they helped create the monstrous dictator responsible for millions of deaths. How are those German leaders different from people in Congress saying the election was stolen or that Jan. 6 was not an insurrection aimed at destroying our government? They know the truth, but they deny it. They see Trump as a means to an end – power for themselves and their “team” – even if it means repeatedly telling lies.

[meteorologistaustenlonek]

Jay Rosen:

"A newspaper editor — Chris Quinn of the Cleveland Plain Dealer — says it as clearly as he can: "Our Trump reporting upsets some readers, but there aren’t two sides to facts." https://cleveland.com/news/2024/03/our-trump-reporting-upsets-some-readers-but-there-arent-two-sides-to-facts-letter-from-the-editor.html… Quinn writes of a different kind of access. Access to our own eyes and ears:"

[mossadegh]

• Mossadegh media: newspaper & magazine articles, editorials

[muddypolitics]

(via “We All Saw It” - TPM – Talking Points Memo)

The truth is that Donald Trump undermined faith in our elections in his false bid to retain the presidency. He sparked an insurrection intended to overthrow our government and keep himself in power. No president in our history has done worse.

This is not subjective. We all saw it. Plenty of leaders today try to convince the masses we did not see what we saw, but our eyes don’t deceive. (If leaders began a yearslong campaign today to convince us that the Baltimore bridge did not collapse Tuesday morning, would you ever believe them?) Trust your eyes. Trump on Jan. 6 launched the most serious threat to our system of government since the Civil War. You know that. You saw it.

Chris Quinn, editor - The Cleveland Plain Dealer

[angelap3]

👵 Scritto da una 90enne!! ❤️ 🤙

41 lezioni che la vita mi ha insegnato 💖

Dovremmo leggerle almeno una volta a settimana! Assicurati di leggere fino alla fine! Scritto da Regina Brett, 90 anni, del Plain Dealer di Cleveland, Ohio.

Per celebrare l'invecchiamento, una volta ho scritto le 41 lezioni che la vita mi ha insegnato. È la colonna più richiesta che abbia mai scritto. Il mio contachilometri è arrivato a 90 ad agosto, quindi ecco di nuovo la colonna:

1. La vita non è giusta, ma è comunque bella.

2. Quando sei in dubbio, fai semplicemente il prossimo piccolo passo.

3. La vita è troppo breve – goditela.

4. Il tuo lavoro non si prenderà cura di te quando sarai malato. I tuoi amici e la tua famiglia lo faranno.

5. Paga le tue carte di credito ogni mese.

6. Non devi vincere ogni discussione. Rimani fedele a te stesso.

7. Piangi con qualcuno. È più curativo che piangere da soli.

8. Risparmia per la pensione a partire dal tuo primo stipendio.

9. Quando si tratta di cioccolato, resistere è inutile.

10. Fai pace con il tuo passato, così non rovinerà il presente.

11. È OK lasciare che i tuoi figli ti vedano piangere.

12. Non confrontare la tua vita con quella degli altri. Non hai idea di quale sia il loro viaggio.

13. Se una relazione deve essere segreta, non dovresti esserci dentro.

14. Fai un respiro profondo. Calma la mente.

15. Liberati di tutto ciò che non è utile. Il disordine ti appesantisce in molti modi.

16. Ciò che non ti uccide davvero ti rende più forte.

17. Non è mai troppo tardi per essere felici. Ma dipende tutto da te e da nessun altro.

18. Quando si tratta di inseguire ciò che ami nella vita, non accettare un no come risposta.

19. Accendi le candele, usa le lenzuola belle, indossa la lingerie elegante. Non riservarlo per un'occasione speciale. Oggi è speciale.

20. Preparati in modo eccessivo, poi lascia scorrere le cose.

21. Sii eccentrico adesso. Non aspettare la vecchiaia per indossare il viola. 💖

22. L'organo se*suale più importante è il cervello.

23. Nessuno è responsabile della tua felicità tranne te.

24. Inquadra ogni cosiddetto disastro con queste parole: "Tra cinque anni, avrà importanza?"

25. Scegli sempre la vita.

26. Perdona, ma non dimenticare.

27. Quello che gli altri pensano di te non sono affari tuoi.

28. Il tempo guarisce quasi tutto. Dai tempo al tempo.

29. Per quanto buona o cattiva sia una situazione, cambierà.

30. Non prenderti troppo sul serio. Nessun altro lo fa.

31. Credi nei miracoli.

32. Non fare il revisore della vita. Presentati e sfruttala al massimo ora.

33. Invecchiare è meglio dell'alternativa: morire giovani.

34. I tuoi figli hanno solo un'infanzia.

35. Tutto ciò che conta davvero alla fine è che tu abbia amato.

36. Esci ogni giorno. I miracoli ti aspettano ovunque. (Adoro questa)

37. Se tutti buttassimo i nostri problemi in una pila e vedessimo quelli degli altri, riprenderemmo i nostri.

38. L'invidia è una perdita di tempo. Accetta ciò che hai già, non ciò di cui hai bisogno.

39. Il meglio deve ancora venire...

40. Non importa come ti senti, alzati, vestiti e presentati.

41. La vita non è legata con un fiocco, ma è comunque un dono.

[cozycottagelife]

🤙42 lessons life taught me 💖

Written by Regina Brett, 90 years old, of the Plain Dealer, Cleveland, Ohio.

1. Life isn't fair, but it's still good.

2. When in doubt, just take the next small step.

3. Life is too short – enjoy it..

4. Your job won't take care of you when you are sick. Your friends and family will.

5. Pay off your credit cards every month.

6. You don't have to win every argument. Stay true to yourself.

7. Cry with someone. It's more healing than crying alone.

8. Save for retirement starting with your first pay check.

9. When it comes to chocolate, resistance is futile.

10. Make peace with your past so it won't screw up the present.

11. It's OK to let your children see you cry.

12. Don't compare your life to others. You have no idea what their journey is all about.

13. If a relationship has to be a secret, you shouldn't be in it...

14 Take a deep breath. It calms the mind.

15. Get rid of anything that isn't useful. Clutter weighs you down in many ways.

16. Whatever doesn't kill you really does make you stronger.

17. It's never too late to be happy. But it’s all up to you and no one else.

18. When it comes to going after what you love in life, don't take no for an answer.

19. Burn the candles, use the nice sheets, wear the fancy lingerie. Don't save it for a special occasion. Today is special.

20. Over prepare, then go with the flow.

21. Be eccentric now. Don't wait for old age to wear purple.💖

22. The most important sex organ is the brain.

23. No one is in charge of your happiness but you.

24. Frame every so-called disaster with these words 'In five years, will this matter?'

25. Always choose life.

26. Forgive but don’t forget.

27. What other people think of you is none of your business.

28. Time heals almost everything. Give time time.

29. However good or bad a situation is, it will change.

30. Don't take yourself so seriously. No one else does..

31. Believe in miracles.

32. Don't audit life. Show up and make the most of it now.

33. Growing old beats the alternative -- dying young.

34. Your children get only one childhood.

35. All that truly matters in the end is that you loved.

36. Get outside every day. Miracles are waiting everywhere. (I love this one)

37. If we all threw our problems in a pile and saw everyone else's, we'd grab ours back.

38. Envy is a waste of time. Accept what you already have not what you need.

39. The best is yet to come...

40. No matter how you feel, get up, dress up and show up.

41. Yield.

42. Life isn't tied with a bow, but it's still a gift.

[porterdavis]

Truth doesn't have 'both sides'

“The facts involving Trump are crystal clear, and as news people, we cannot pretend otherwise, as unpopular as that might be with a segment of our readers,” he wrote. “There aren’t two sides to facts. People who say the earth is flat don’t get space on our platforms. If that offends them, so be it.”

Quinn wrote that President Joe Biden’s “mindset” and “success” are up for debate, but he cited the “false equivalency” by some readers who equate him to Trump.

“Biden has done nothing remotely close to the egregious, anti-American acts of Trump,” the editor wrote.

Chris Quinn, Cleveland Plain Dealer

[rock-and-roll-hell]

February 22, 1983

Creatures of the Night Tour

Richfield Coliseum - Cleveland, Ohio

“It was excitement and movement and unexpected sounds and outrageous doings they came for. And of all the heavy metal groups, KIϟϟ still does it best… One of the surprises was a softer song. Stanley sang ‘I Still Love You’ from the latest LP, 'Creatures of the Night.’ You might not have expected the group to do this one. All right, it wasn’t a real ballad, but it was as close as this group is going to get. Soulful, almost… At first pairing KIϟϟ and the Plasmatics seemed like the mismatch of the decade, as bad as the Beatles’ opening for Roy Orbison…” (Plain Dealer, 2/23/83).

[ofliterarynature]

TBR TAKEDOWN: Week 9 (July 28)

TLDR: I have too many unread books, and I’m asking tumblr to help me downsize. Pick one or none, and comment if you can - a convincing sentence is worth a dozen votes! You’re also welcome to just choose the one that sounds the worst :D Book descriptions below the cut, see my pinned post for more info.

I Am Princess X by Cherie Priest

Once upon a time, two best friends created a princess together. Libby drew the pictures, May wrote the tales, and their heroine, Princess X, slayed all the dragons and scaled all the mountains their imaginations could conjure.

Once upon a few years later, Libby was in the car with her mom, driving across the Ballard Bridge on a rainy night. When the car went over the side, Libby passed away, and Princess X died with her.

Once upon a now: May is sixteen and lonely, wandering the streets of Seattle, when she sees a sticker slapped in a corner window.

Princess X?

When May looks around, she sees the Princess everywhere: Stickers. Patches. Graffiti. There's an entire underground culture, focused around a webcomic at IAmPrincessX.com. The more May explores the webcomic, the more she sees disturbing similarities between Libby's story and Princess X online. And that means that only one person could have started this phenomenon---her best friend, Libby, who lives.

Tinkerbelle by Robert Manry

This book tells how a dream became a deed: how a middle aged, married and presumably sober copy editor of the Plain Dealer, of Cleveland, Ohio, happened to get the idea of sailing across the Atlantic Ocean in a small boat, how he acquired the boat, and how he executed the voyage that made his idea a reality. It is the story of the 13 1/2 foot sloop Tinkerbelle, believed to be the smallest boat ever to cross the Atlantic nonstop.

The author, having undertaken to explain why he made the voyage, describes his adventures during the 78 days it lasted: being awakened by a submarine, being knocked overboard by big waves, meeting three Russian trawlers, suffering weird hallucinations, repairing a broken rudder in mid-ocean, receiving a feast from a Belgian ship captain, trying to get dry, being interviewed by a Cleveland TV newsman 250 miles from journey’s end, and receiving a welcome from an armada of small boats at his destination, Falmouth, England.

Quite apart from the thrill of the exploits it reports, Robert Manry’s story has the happy effect of persuading the reader that he too could sail a small boat single-handed across the Atlantic… if only he could find the time.

The Cantaloupe Thief by Deb Richardson-Moore

It's ten years since wealthy matriarch Alberta Resnick was found stabbed to death in Georgia. Local reporter Branigan Powers sets out to investigate the city's only unsolved murder.

Branigan knows that the homeless often have information, but are rarely asked. She gets in touch with Liam, a pastor who runs a shelter. As they start to ask questions, secrets begin to surface. Then homeless people start dying.

Clearly the killer won't stop until all tracks are covered. But what the killer doesn't know is that someone is watching, someone who is used to being ignored and unseen…

[mybeingthere]

George Mauersberger completed the foundations program at Pratt Institute in Brooklyn, NY in 1974. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Drawing from Carnegie-Mellon University in Pittsburgh, PA in 1978, and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Painting from Ohio University, Athens in 1983. He worked as a Professor of Drawing at Cleveland State University from 1987-2019, while also serving eight years as Art Department Chair. He was named Professor Emeritus in 2019.

After beginning his career as an illustrator with clients including Ketchum, Inc., Industry Week, and The Plain Dealer, Mauersberger began exhibiting drawings and works on paper in 1983.

[rjzimmerman]

Ohio opens another wildlife preservation area to fracking for oil and gas. (The Plain Dealer Cleveland)

A panel of state officials on Monday sold rights to drill for oil and gas under a preserved wildlife area in Harrison County.

The Oil and Gas Land Management Commission, comprised of a slate of gubernatorial appointees, sold about 85 acres underneath Keen Wildlife Area for nearly $212,000, plus 18% royalties on the oil and gas produced, to Houston-based EOG resources.

The vote comes despite the commission receiving hundreds of public comments that are overwhelmingly, if not entirely, opposed to allowing fracking in the preserved area.

“I strongly oppose opening ANY of our state park and wildlife areas for fracking, as they were created for the preservation of nature – plant/animal/mineral – and for human enjoyment,” wrote Susan Righi in April to the commission. “The proximity of frack pads, heavy truck traffic, flaring, off-gassing, spills, noise and other inescapable effects of fracking is in direct conflict with the purposes of these area. Vote NO on fracking at Keen Wildlife Area.”

EOG declined to comment on its planned operations or the broad opposition to the project in the public comments.

According to a rendering from the “land nomination” form, gas underneath the wildlife area will be accessed via a well pad about three-quarters of a mile away from the parcel currently owned by the Department of Natural Resources. This is possible by a technique called hydraulic fracturing, or fracking, in which a company drills vertically downward thousands of feet from a well pad before turning laterally and reaching for minerals underground. From there, operators pump a mixture of water, sand and chemicals at extremely high pressures through the bore, freeing methane from shale deep underground.

Additionally, the OGLMC voted at its Monday meeting to allow oil and gas drilling underneath about 366 acres of Egypt Valley Wildlife Area in Belmont County. State law shields the identity of the company that submitted the land nomination. That swath of land will go out to bid in October.

The sales of mineral rights underneath public land were effectively enabled by legislation passed by Republicans along party lines in 2022 and signed by Gov. Mike DeWine. The legal process it enabled, subject of heavy oil and gas lobbying both at the General Assembly and the OGLMC, also contained language that legally redefined natural gas as “green energy” despite its inherent heat-trapping properties.

[thislovintime]

The Monkees with WIXY DJ’s, and Peter and Micky onstage in Cleveland on January 15, 1967. Photos by George Shuba. (Other photos of Mike and Micky by Shuba were also sold in an auction some time ago; you can view preview images here.)

“I think they’re four of the grooviest guys around and I know that before long they’ll be the biggest things on television. I was privileged to meet them and I want to tell everyone how nice they are. They gladly take time to talk to their fans and sign autographs. They seem to genuinely appreciate their fans — something that a lot of groups don’t do.” -Lisa G., KRLA Beat, October 22, 1966

“The legendary Jane Scott of the Cleveland Plain Dealer was there at Public Auditorium to document the mayhem, which included fainting girls, police protecting the stage, and the ejection of disc jockeys! WIXY 1260 sponsored the show and was emceed by the WIXY Supermen Al Gates, Dick ‘The Wilde Childe’ Kemp, Larry Morrow, Bobby Magic, and Jerry Brooke. WIXY 1260 just celebrated their first year on the air, and they were already taking the town by storm. A few months earlier, WIXY brought the Beatles to town as they played Cleveland Municipal Stadium, stealing the thunder from rival WHK, who first brought The Beatles to Cleveland in 1964. WHK tried to fight back as three of the WHK Good Guys snuck in backstage, perhaps an attempt to one-up WIXY and get the Monkees to record some liners or perhaps do a quick interview. They didn't make it that far because they were quickly tossed out of Public Auditorium. However, someone other than the WIXY Supermen did get to interview the Monkees before the show. Maureen McCloskey of Lakewood and Cathy Aranyos of Cleveland Heights (both 13 years old) won a contest on WIXY to meet and interview The Monkees in their ninth-floor suite at the Hotel Sheraton-Cleveland.” - basementradioshow dot com, May 27, 2021

[weirdlookindog]

Werewolf by Charles Lee Swem. Illustrated by Noel Holmes.

Fiction & Feature section of Cleveland Plain Dealer, Sunday, October 27, 1929.

[gotankgo]

«The Butthole Surfers pose with veteran Cleveland Plain Dealer newspaper critic Jane Scott, age 68, who was reviewing their show that night, People magazine, June 1987, by James Depree. Note the caption does not name the band.»

[a-queer-seminarian]

big ol' worry dump, i promise i'll post something rebloggable soon but i'm still processing everything and have not had time to write it coherently! cw queerphobia from the pulpit, church hurt, verbal violence, and brief csa mention (not a specific case)

SO. for anyone not keeping up, this past Sunday i visited my childhood church in ohio, and was devastated when near the end of his homily (Catholic word for sermon haha) my childhood pastor suddenly switched from celebrating the Spirit who bursts through closed doors to proclaiming that The Church Is Under Attack from people like the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. :/

After he finished and sat down, i stood up and got behind the lectern/pulpit to remind him and everyone in the room that queer and trans people have the Holy Spirit too, because his words implied otherwise. And i could not risk that any other person there felt suddenly and utterly alone — i had to make sure they knew that not everyone agreed with our priest's message.

(Here's a place you can watch a clip of the homily — obviously mega content warning for homophobia, please keep yourself safe and remember you are loved!! — as well as my response)

Not long into speaking, I was escorted peacefully out of the building. Two parishioners followed and found me outside, and thanked me for what i said. They were very sweet <3

As we were talking, another parishioner stormed out and got very, very verbally violent. It was scary shit.

Other parishioners eventually came out and led Scary Man away, thankfully. The church's other, younger & newer priest, Father Jim, also came out to apologize profusely to us. Then i went home. My wife and i flew home to Georgia the next morning.

____

and...stuff keeps happening.

i did not expect this to make the news, but it did. the Cleveland Plain Dealer wrote on it, and so have other papers across the country.

an officer called me to ask if i wanted to press charges on Scary Man. I don't, because i'm just not convinced the results would be helpful to actually stopping him from doing what he did again.

if anyone has resources or someone smart i could talk to for advice on alternatives to cops & court for a situation like this, please hit me up!!!

after agreeing to an interview with the Plain Dealer reporter, which used my first and last name, folks have been finding me on social media to offer their support, which actually has been so uplifting and i plan to post some of the messages later!

my parents are proud of me and support me BUT my mom is worried sick that someone is going to, like, find out where i live and come attack me. i'd be more worried that they find out who my parents are and go attack them, tbh.

i've had more sudden spikes of adrenaline in the past five days than i have in the past like, 2 years lol

i've also talked with more different individuals on the phone in the past five days than i had over the rest of 2023 so far

i was scrolling through twitter last night and randomly came across a tweet featuring a TikTok of a cut-down version of my priest's homily + my response...i really don't like what parts they cut out, or what they titled it. and it's got over a million views. :OOO

there's a lot of confusion in the replies — people who don't realize i'm a former parishioner, not an active one; people not knowing how to gender me which is fine but it's, you know, getting a little grating; and of course, people resorting to saying Father Tim must be "closeted gay" or otherwise have a Sinister Secret himself to say what he said...I hate that kind of rhetoric.

Not every person who spouts homophobia is secretly gay. The Biggest Homophobes are usually, shockingly, straight.

And flippantly suggesting that anyone, even a Catholic priest, is a pedophile without facts to back that accusation up only serves to harm csa victims — because then when there really is a case that needs to be pursued, people may not take it seriously.

one big thing that's bothering me about how everyone on every side of the debate is interpreting Father Tim's homily is they are focusing mostly on his condemnation of the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence — and while I certainly oppose what he said about them, it's actually the first half of his message that scared me more: the stuff about the church being under attack and how Christians must defend it. He ended with a vague reminder to do so "peacefully," without any examples about how that's even done. And obviously, Scary Man didn't absorb that part of the message.

sigh. i was really hoping that agreeing to an interview with the plain dealer reporter who wrote the first article would give me a chance to explain why i felt i had to interrupt Mass, but unfortunately they didn't include those quotes. i'm really disappointed.

that article's title also says "attendee fired back," using exactly the kind of violence-coded language that I had a problem with in F. Tim's homily. So that's really unfortunate.

which is why i want to write up my perspective. i did send a long ass email to father tim the other night explaining what i did, why his message was hurtful AND fueled his parishioner's violence, and asking if we could talk about alternative ways to hold Scary Man accountable beyond the law. he hasn't responded yet.

anyway. yeah. it's been. a lot. good vibes and prayers are so very appreciated! and seriously, if anyone has resources about alternatives to legal action when we're dealing with someone who got very verbally violent and physically aggressive, i'd love some help figuring out what to do. also any thoughts about like, keeping myself safe? yeah

Anyway, gonna end with the affirmation that God made us Good; human diversity is what it looks like to be in the image of an Infinite creator; and queerness is a holy gift that the Body of Christ can't do without!!

Amen and amen.