Church is a good choice for Monclova

7/15/2007

It seems that a few people in Monclova Township oppose the building of a church in their community. I can empathize with their concern. I hate to see good farmland covered up with buildings and asphalt. My family moved to Waterville Township 200 years ago and the original homestead is now a housing development. What is interesting about this whole situation is that the ones complaining about being encroached on by Monclova Road Baptist Church and Monclova Christian Academy are the same ones who have encroached upon those of us who have lived our whole lives out here in the townships.

The fact of the matter is that something is going to be built at the corner of Monclova and Coder roads. What could be better than a church and school? If more houses are built there, it will just put a heavier burden on the community as a whole. More houses mean more kids in the Anthony Wayne School system. A new school means relief for Anthony Wayne Schools. More houses mean more people, putting a heavier burden, in general, on police and fire.

When has a church or a school caused an increase in police patrol? Never. I have heard all the arguments and each one is emotional, not factual. A growing church will only bring blessings to any community. Research it for yourselves. It is a fact. I wonder how well Matthew 10:14-15 applies here.

Jesse S. Winslow

Waterville

Support for family of airman appreciated

I would like to thank each and every member of the northwest Ohio community who provided so much support to the family of Lt. Col. Kevin Sonnenberg and the 180th Fighter Wing. Unfortunately, that would be an impossible task because of the sheer number of citizens who stepped forward to help. The 180th has always considered itself to be an integral part of all the communities in the greater Toledo area, and the show of support we received from law enforcement, firefighters, local businesses, professional military organizations, and private citizens was truly inspirational and moving.

The voluntary nature of the citizen-airman in the Air National Guard today requires a very special individual with especially strong feelings of duty to their country. Kevin was one of those individuals who volunteered to go to Iraq and put his life on the line as a fighter pilot. Although my heart aches for Kevin's family, my faith in the community has been revitalized. The men and women of the 180th Fighter Wing, our former members, and I wish to express our deepest gratitude to all citizens of the northwest Ohio communities.

Again, thank you for allowing me to speak to the citizens of your community.

Col. Mark E. Bartman

Commander, 180th Fighter Wing

If job's too stressful, find another career

A June 29 letter writer, the wife of an air-traffic controller, wrote to complain about the stress her husband is under and the lack of respect he receives. I am the wife of a fired air-traffic controller. No one cares about your problem unless it affects them directly. No one helped us and things have never changed. In fact, people stepped over the top of us to take our jobs. Quit whining. Find another career. We did.

June Vendemo

Kinsale Court

Could coke plant harm water supply?

Has anyone at all looked at where the Toledo water intake is in conjunction with the coke plant? Isn't mercury harmful?

John Fite

Perrysburg

Job in UT athletics sounds enjoyable

After reading July 8 story about the University of Toledo Athletic Department, the realization hit home, dramatically, that golf, fine dinning, and riding around in furnished GMC vehicles are low-impact activities that I would so much enjoy becoming a part of.

Exactly where would one begin to get in on the athletic department's hiring process and, by the way, the family can tag along, right?

Bob Dietrich

Lambertville

Bush, Clinton both act like scoundrels

After reading Jack Kelly's July 7 column concerning "Scooter" Libby, I am now firmly convinced that President Bush is, indeed, as much a dastardly scoundrel as former President Clinton ever was. They seem to be so equal in the measures they've taken to reward friends and contributors, it's hard to distinguish between the two.

I find it hard to believe how much space has been given to the conviction of Vice President Dick Cheney's former chief of staff and how much money was spent to find he lied to a grand jury concerning governmental affairs. In fact, it's almost as much as was spent trying to convict Bill Clinton for lying about his sex life to a grand jury.

As far as Valerie Plame (the former covert CIA agent whose identity was leaked to reporters) is concerned, it is true she no longer was under cover, but I'm sure entities hostile to the United States have checked out the contacts she made, that these events possibly made life dangerous for them, and that others would certainly be wary of dealing with us when domestic politics could uncover their handlers.

The only other problem I have with those folks is that it was through The Blade and some other "liberal" publications that I learned far more than I wanted to know about Mr. Clinton's sexual escapades. I suspect that the amount of space was quite equal for both those unsavory actions.

Calvin Brauer

Ottawa Hills

Hubris of position is unconscionable

It seems that not a week goes by without a Blade editorial in which you infer that low income equals low I.Q.

Then comes the inevitable advice from "on high" (The Blade) to help those poor, wayward souls get their lives straightened out. It's pompous. It's arrogant. It's the ultimate insult. Blanket statements can be prejudicial and unfair.

It was your June 20 editorial, "No deposit, no return," that finally put me over the top. Your hubris is unconscionable!

Jean R. Snow

Swanton

Pilot is among most stressful careers

In response to the June 29 letter writer whose husband is a controller at Toledo Express, air traffic controllers do not "guide the aircraft." The pilot is responsible for all systems, crew, operations, and flight planning. He is the ultimate authority, above even the company that owns the airplane.

Stress? How about being a pilot with 250 passengers, 36,000 feet above the Atlantic Ocean at night. The outside temperature is minus 50 degrees Centigrade; useful conciseness is measured in fractions of seconds. You are two hours from an alternate field if you have an engine failure, this field you've never seen is in some fiord in Iceland, and there is a strong cross wind and fog.

The air traffic controller comes home tired and drained, but he comes home to his own bed. The crews he is "guiding" probably won't be going home tonight, or tomorrow night. Crews are gone about 16 days a month, maybe more.

Your husband has a good job with excellent pay, benefits, and, more importantly, job security. He gets retirement after only 20 years, overtime, and holiday pay. Like you said, he gets a break every two hours. Flight crews work up to 15 hours with no breaks.

If you look at the list of most dangerous jobs, firemen, policemen, and air traffic controllers aren't even in the top 10. Pilots rank number two, and when they go, so does everybody else, except the controller.

Now that's real stress.

William J. David

Caris Road

My suggested GOP dream team of Rush Limbaugh and Dick Cheney for 2008 didn't catch on. Since then, former senator and actor Fred Thompson has emerged as the Republicans' "Mr. Noneoftheabove" candidate.

Mr. Thompson does provide the party with normalcy, but in the tradition of Warren Harding and the current George Bush. Not very inspiring.

John A. Galbraith

Maumee