County GOP out of Wack with times

5/12/2008

The Lucas County Republican Party is in shambles. Scandal after scandal, from Donna Owens to Tom Noe, and nothing seems to change.

Now, in the midst of a power struggle to redefine the GOP and bring in new leadership, we learn that the current party executive director, Joanne Wack, is a convicted felon.

But it gets worse. Not only is Ms. Wack a convicted felon, she also has been charged with passing bad checks, forgery, and was even taken to court by the Maumee Valley Girl Scouts to recoup money that didn t rightfully belong to her.

Apparently Ms. Wack has no problem lying in open court, either, as she was recently reprimanded by a Lucas County Common Pleas Court judge for her less-then-truthful testimony regarding her checkered past. Some say this amounts to perjury, and rightly so.

Even more alarming, however, is the response by county GOP leaders regarding this type of behavior. To quote party Chairman Bob Reichert: It s irrelevant to the issue and basically to anything else that s going on.

Really, Bob?

Then we have Republican Board of Elections member Lynn Olman stating Nobody cares about this followed by a taken-out-of-context biblical quotation.

Perhaps Mr. Olman and the Republican leadership have never heard these words: Thou shall not steal; thou shall not bear false witness nor covet.

To become a viable force for change in this area, the Lucas County Republican Party needs to clean house. And the first order of business should be kicking the Wacks, Olmans, and Reicherts to the curb.

Mike MacGuffie

Harley Street

A recent wrong-headed letter in The Blade by an Israeli writer blaming Palestinians for their predicament requires a history lesson.

Prior to World War I, Palestine had been under the thumb of the Ottoman Turks for over five centuries. Palestinians were a mixture of Jews, Christians, and Muslims.

Many Christians and Muslims were themselves Jewish converts to Christianity or Islam. A remarkable degree of tolerance was practiced; it was not uncommon to see all three Abrahamic faiths represented at family reunions as late as the 20th century.

The Palestinians problems began when the British approached them with the promise of independence if they helped the British against the Turks, who had allied with Germany. The Palestinians agreed.

After the war, the British reneged. T.E. Lawrence was incensed that his government was out to betray the Palestinians. He complained loudly at Versailles. Lawrence of Arabia did not know that the British made a deal with Lord Walter Rothschild who had agreed to bankroll Britain s war effort in return for a Zionist state in Palestine.

Lawrence was later killed in a suspicious hit-and-run accident.

There was much opposition to Rothschild s dream. It would take World War II and Adolf Hitler s death camps to bring European Jews to Palestine. When they arrived, they too often allowed Hitler s faults to take revenge on themselves. They terrorized the Palestinians, who fled for the hills, then promptly occupied their homes. Today Palestinian Christians and Muslims, many more Hebrew-blooded than their oppressors, live under apartheid in tent cities.

Robert Williams

Oberlin, Ohio

What can we expect of Attorney General Marc Dann when he is experiencing a difficult time professionally?

Mr. Dann should do what is right and indict himself before he accepts his resignation.

Stanley C. Theisen, Jr.

West Alexis Road

Why are we subjected to front-page headlines every time some politician gets caught with his pants down? This isn t news. It happens all over the country every day but if it s a politician, look out, they are fair game. To subject their families and friends to an embarrassment they had nothing to do with is ridiculous.

Carl Taber

Winston Boulevard

What is it about power that changes people s behavior? Is there some chemical change in the brain or some type of adrenaline rush in the body? Is it the limelight or the attention they receive? For some reason, most people who become powerful change their behavior.

It happens in all walks of life. It occurs in corporate America and political life. It happens in education and in the media. Why do people who spend most of their life doing the right thing all of a sudden start doing the wrong thing? For whatever reason, Marc Dann s behavior went in the wrong direction. The attorney general of the state of Ohio should be a role model for the 10 million people who live in Ohio.

He represents the people. His behavior and values should be above reproach.

Now what do we do? The only thing we can do in a democratic society is to show Mr. Dann there are consequences for unethical behavior. The legislative body at the state level needs to move swiftly to impeach Mr. Dann. Fortunately, in a tripartite system of government, there are checks and balances to protect the people from abuse of power.

If people in all walks of life realize that there will be consequences for illegal and unethical behavior the system is working. Power must be balanced with integrity and proper jurisprudential philosophy.

George W. Weidner

Barrows Street

As a retired University of Toledo professor, I was disappointed with the decision of Dr. Lloyd Jacobs to place Crystal Dixon on administrative leave. Whether one agrees or disagrees with her views, she certainly has the right to freely express them. When a university, of all institutions, denies the free expression of opinion, we are indeed in dire straits.

Larry Konrath

Monclova

How absolutely appalling that an administrator from an institution of higher education could be placed on administrative leave for expressing her opinion. She did not claim to be representing the University of Toledo in her discourse.

As an American citizen, does Crystal Dixon not have the right to publicly convey what she believes? Whatever happened to free speech in this country? And freedom of thought?

Shame on the University of Toledo! Ben Stein is right on. It s only going to get worse.

Cheryl Page

River Road

Airlines lose billions and lack amenities

For $350 you can spend three wonderful days on a cruise ship with all of the amenities: your own room with a king-size bed, entertainment, unlimited choices of food and drink, and a pool, complete with lounge chair.

Or, you might spend $350 to take a plane to where you re going. Two and a half hours in a cramped seat, a snack (if you bring your own), a can of soda, and no entertainment, unless you count people-watching.

And it s the airlines that are losing billions of dollars a year.

Mark Ridenour

Lambertville

Limbaugh attitude bad for democracy

So Rush Limbaugh has encouraged Republican voters to vote as Democrats? It is this win-at-any-cost, lie if you have to, deceitful, underhanded actions and attitude that will end any shred of democracy that we have left.

Leah Hafemeister

Commonwealth Avenue