We can debate all day if what the man behind The Rooster blog does is real journalism.
That’s a very big dispute.
What isn’t in dispute is that Columbus’ D.J. Byrnes ― that’s The Rooster ― has a knack of crawling under the skin of the politicians he writes about and creating little burrows they can’t excavate, though they scratch and scratch.
The pimple came to the surface this week when Byrnes was jailed for 23 hours for allegedly sending sexually explicit cartoon porn to a state lawmaker. You read that right, explicit cartoon porn.
It was the second time in days that The Rooster ruffled Republican feathers.
GOP Ohio gubernatorial candidate Vivek Ramaswamy was so irked by Byrnes’ account of him and his wife attending Game 4 of the NBA playoffs in Cleveland that on May 28 he called Byrnes a “leftist blogger with mental health issues” on X, formerly Twitter.
“My team sensibly told me to not to dignify it by commenting on it. Politically, they’re probably right,” Ramaswamy wrote, as part of a lengthy post that only elevated a story about him trying to get in the Knicks’ locker room, which he called “100% nuts.”
Ramaswamy’s reaction to Byrnes’ story was one thing. The wheels apparently set in motion by State Sen. Jerry Cirino, R-Kirtland, are another.
What would Donkey do?
The Ohio State Highway Patrol arrested Byrnes at the Ohio Statehouse on June 1 on a misdemeanor warrant and held him in jail overnight.
If what Byrnes’ colleague Max Littman says is true, Cirino’s very, very, very, very thin skin and oversized ego led to an alarming abuse of power.
Littman claims Byrnes was arrested because he texted photos of the cartoon character Shrek’s penis to a state senator.
A warrant obtained by the Dispatch seemingly aligns with that. It alleges that Byrnes sent two photos to “J.C.” on May 16 with the intent to harass.
Sending such vulgar images to an elected official would, and should, get a journalist employed by a reputable news organization canned. Under the right circumstances, sending such images could potentially justify someone charged with a misdemeanor.
I can’t imagine a world, however, where such childish images (I was shown one) would justify someone being hauled off in handcuffs and jailed for 23 hours. Byrnes’ offense seemingly boils down to being crude and disrespectful to one of the most powerful men in Ohio. Where is that listed as a crime in the Ohio Revised Code? Where is Porky’s Revenge-style justice listed as a punishment?
Many alleged offenders allegedly do a lot more and never actually spend a second in a jail cell.
Littman says a text exchange between The Rooster and Cirino included the nude Shrek image. Cirino’s alleged reply: “I don’t know who this is, but I’m certain you’re a moron.”
What a waste of taxpayer resources. What a ridiculous show of “strength.” Donkey would utterly be embarrassed.
“Eh-aw.”
So many crossed lines
It could be argued that the politicos have a reason not to like Byrnes and his colleagues for the no-holds-barred, confrontational way they often get all up in their grills.
John Fortney, a frequent Rooster target and director of communications for the Ohio Senate Majority Caucus, virtually pulled out the pom poms and did a cheer routine in his Columbus Dispatch guest column, defending Ohio State assistant professor Luke M. Perez.
As depicted in an insane video, Perez tackled independent cameraman Mike Newman, an associate of Byrnes, during a Feb. 16 incident at the Salmon P. Chase Center for Civics, Culture and Society.
Newman was trying to ask former university president E. Gordon Gee a question when he was tackled.
How dare he!
Perez is facing one count of assault, a first-degree misdemeanor. A jury trial is set for July 21.
Time will tell if and when Byrnes gets his day in court for his intent to harass charges.
In a June 1 statement to supporters, he proclaimed his belief that the facts presented in court will show his innocence.
“The work of shining a light on the wretched and decaying underbelly of Ohio politics is too important to be sidetracked by this attempted interference,” he writes.
Shrek likely won’t be called to the stand, but the emperor will be unclothed. It won’t be a good look for The Rooster, state senator or the people of Ohio.
Someone on Cirino’s team should have advised him not to take this here. Like Ramaswamy, chances are he wouldn’t have listened.
Whether Brynes is or isn’t a journalist isn’t the issue. Justice and misuse of power are even if he crossed a line.
Does he annoy politicians and the press? Yes. Should that land you in jail for a non-violent misdemeanor? Hell no.
You don’t have to like the tactics The Rooster uses to tend the Statehouse flock to see the dangerous precedent his arrest has set. Taxpayers must ask if we are now funding vengeance and retribution.
If the answer is “yes,” a line has been crossed beyond anything Byrnes has done.
That’s worse than a dirty Shrek pic.
Amelia Robnison is The Columbus Dispatch’s opinion and community engagement editor.
This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Columbus blogger’s jailing over sexually explicit cartoon porn an abuse of power | Opinion
Reporting by Amelia Robinson, Columbus Dispatch / The Columbus Dispatch
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
