The liberals only want to regain power

1/16/2005

The liberals and The Blade can't get over losing.

In protesting congressional ratification of the 2004 election, Sen. Barbara Boxer waxed eloquent that not all votes matter, are counted, or have equal weight. Every vote is indeed equal to the liberals - as long as they are liberal votes. Republican votes are considered inferior. Witness the mass disqualification of military absentee votes in Florida for George Bush in 2000.

In its editorialized coverage of the protest, The Blade repeated the lie that the Supreme Court decided the 2000 election. The Supreme Court intervened to end the illegal efforts of Democrat-controlled Florida courts to throw recounts for Al Gore by retroactively changing election rules.

The liberals are all for the Electoral College now because, had Ohio voted for John Kerry, he would have won, in spite of Mr. Bush's clear popular majority. Yet after 2000, they demanded its abolition because Mr. Bush won its vote with a slight minority of the popular vote.

Even a horrific natural disaster is used to attack the President. The Blade ran a cartoon bewailing the current - and by no means final - relief amount pledged by the government compared to spending in Iraq. The President stated that frivolous lawsuits cost our economy $240 billion a year, almost five times the Iraq expenditures. It certainly shows where liberal priorities lie.

The liberals aren't concerned about the electoral process or disaster relief. They want only to regain the power that continues to evaporate as voters perceive the bankruptcy of their agenda: to smear the President and cast doubts on the legitimacy of his second term; and by falsely implying that election problems occurred only in Ohio, to hypocritically discredit Ken Blackwell, a black Republican conservative, as a gubernatorial candidate.

THOMAS BERRY

Watova Road

This letter is sent on behalf of the following pastors who serve the United Church of Christ in this area: Wayne Brass, Char Burch, Ken Heintzleman, Jim Latimer, Susan Rowland Miller, Michelle Stecker, and myself. We, too, were puzzled and surprised by the rejection of our denomination's "God is Still Speaking" ad by CBS and NBC, as noted in an article by The Blade's David Yonke.

Because the UCC's message is that everyone is welcome, we feel it is important to publicly state our personal conviction regarding the extent of that inclusiveness. We think it is essential that we distinguish ourselves from those who would define homosexuality as a "lifestyle choice" and then attempt to exclude those individuals from God's grace. It is our belief that our sexuality is not a lifestyle but a gift of God.

Our hope is to return the focus to the broader message of our ad campaign which is inclusiveness: "Jesus didn't turn people away. Neither do we." We believe that each person has been created in the image of God and is included in the breadth of God's grace. We are called to celebrate that God has made each of us - with all the diversity of our giftedness. God's radical hospitality is offered to all people.

We will continue to seek to dialogue with each other on these important issues, while together pursuing our ultimate goal of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ with all people.

WILLIAM CHIDESTER

Sylvania

So Jerry Chabler wants to run for Sylvania Township trustee. The citizens of Sylvania Township should beware. Township residents should take notice. Mr. Chabler resigned from the Toledo-Lucas County Port Authority. Now he has resigned as finance chairman for the Lucas County Democratic Party.

One word describes Mr. Chabler: quitter!

CHAD ARTHUR

Maumee

Two weeks ago, much of the 4th Congressional District was without power, running water, and other basic necessities of life because of the ice storm. The people of the district have suffered and most of the district was declared a disaster area because of the many hardships. While times have been tough, I'm sure the strength of the community that I got to know so well during the campaign can overcome the adversity brought upon it by Mother Nature.

I sincerely hope that my opponent in last November's election, Mike Oxley, came back to the district to help facilitate disaster relief assistance and offer moral support. I strongly believe that the role of a representative entails more than just attending ribbon cuttings and campaign events. The natural disaster that affected our community is when a true representative is needed most.

I was honored in this last election to receive more than 118,000 votes and win in Allen County despite being outspent by $1.5 million during the campaign.

I hope that my strong showing will serve as a wake-up call to my opponent to get more involved in the district, be a representative of this community, and fight for us instead of Enron, WorldCom, and Halliburton.

That's what this community needs, especially during these difficult times.

BEN KONOP

Adjunct Professor of Law

Ohio Northern University

Ada, Ohio

Repeated articles have highlighted the serious air pollution problems we are facing in Ohio, yet unfortunately little is being done to stop the pollution that is killing hundreds of Ohioans, and causing thousands more to become sick each year. With 28 coal-fired power plants in Ohio, we must confront the facts that link these plants, and the fine particulate pollution they emit, to the premature deaths of many innocent citizens.

Each year in Ohio, approximately 1,700 premature deaths are attributed to this fine particulate pollution, shortening victim's lives by an average of 14 years. Coal-fired power plant pollution is to blame for more deaths than homicides (318) and fatal car crashes (1,168) combined. Yet, these companies continue to find favor in the eyes of our state's leaders.

These plants pose serious health risks. We should not be forced to endanger our lives when we have the technology available to dramatically reduce the amount of pollution these plants produce. Our lawmakers must hold dirty industries accountable, and must oppose the Bush Administration's air pollution plan, which would delay pollution cuts already required under current law and create new loopholes for big polluters.

As Ohio citizens we have the fourth highest chance of dying from power plant pollution in the country, and with this "prestigious" status we must be among the first to urge our state leaders to support stronger clean air protections, by voting against President Bush's dirty air plan.

MARA FRIEDMAN

Ohio Public Interest

Research Group

Columbus

I object to a section of Personality Parade in the Jan. 2 Blade. As its name indicates, Walter Scott's section is celebrity gossip. I was surprised to see his response to a question about Porter Goss, new head of the CIA. Not everyone believes the CIA's (bad) data is the reason the war in Iraq is not going as well as expected.

The topic is certainly worthy of discussion, but I would rather see it on the op/ed pages, rather than in a gossip column where I question the quality of the research involved. This is a serious matter and it should not be trivialized by inserting it among snippets on the Lennon Sisters, Julia Roberts' babies' names, and Desperate Housewives. Have we been outfoxed?

JO HOLLINGSWORTH

Fostoria, Ohio

I wonder how many of those $100,000 and $250,000 corporate sponsor costs for the inaugural balls are from stockbrokers, banks, and insurance companies salivating at the idea of privatized Social Security accounts.

Should it happen, the fees for maintaining those accounts will be interesting, probably comparable to privatized health and car insurance.

PETER ERDMAN

Temperance