The right definition of honesty

In your Sept. 1 article “Vendor is given 2-year term in Toledo Hospital theft case,” you quote attorney James Van Deilen as saying that John Briggle “is an honest guy that did some things, really stupid things.”

Honesty is defined as the quality, condition, or characteristic of being fair, truthful, and morally upright.

Briggle was convicted of defrauding the Cleveland Metropolitan School District and of theft from Toledo Hospital. Charges are pending against him in a Toledo Public Schools fraud case.

Briggle is not an honest man. Fraud is not honest by any definition. My opinion is that Briggle is not sorry for his actions. He's just sorry he got caught.

Larry Stalter

Port Clinton

A man steals $149,117.75 by falsifying bills that affect hospital patients. He's caught and sent to prison for six years, and what does his lawyer have to say about him? That he is an honest guy who did some things, stupid things.

What a nice way to call your client a crook without offending him. I wrote the lawyer's name in my address book in case I ever need an attorney.

Charlie Leininger

107th Street

Which definition of honest are we missing here? Is it stealing, defrauding, falsifying bills, or splitting proceeds with a co-conspirator? Maybe Briggle's basic sense of honesty caused him to realize that his scheming and criminal actions were hurting schoolchildren and hospital patients.

Maybe this admission came because he got caught and used just the age-old, insincere rhetoric to try to get a lighter sentence for his premeditated crimes. Maybe Mr. Van Deilen misspoke and really meant to say Briggle was “a stupid guy that did some really dishonest things.”

That might make a lot more sense.

Richard Degener

Holland

I read the entire article. Where does it say Briggle is paying back all the money, plus interest? I'll believe he is sorry when I read that.

Avolene Kohlman

Port Clinton

Glenn Beck has every right to hold a rally in any public place where rallies have been held before (“Conservatives rally for religious rebirth,” Aug. 29). He described his rally as an opportunity to “pick up Martin Luther King's dream” and “to restore it and to finish it.”

I only hope he does not get the kind of treatment that Mr. King and his followers got for ages, which motivated Mr. King to do something extraordinary: adopt nonviolence.

If Glenn Beck is true to his words, it remains to be seen whether he will at least paint his face black, if he really claims to march in Mr. King's footsteps. Let us wish him luck.

Vadaken Krishnan

Bowling Green

Reading the Aug. 31 Readers' Forum letter “Let's agree to disagree on issues” was almost hazardous to my health. When I read the writer's comment that he heard Glenn Beck “stating facts,” I choked.

Maybe you should include a warning with some of your published letters.

Wesley J. Wurm

Oregon

On yet another visit to Toledo on Labor Day, Vice President Joe Biden will rally for votes for Gov. Ted Strickland (“Biden schedules visit to Toledo for Labor Day,” Sept. 1).

Too bad those old politicians couldn't run out to Wood County to help the tornado victims. It seems they only want to take care of their own.

Shame on all who turned their backs on Americans who really could use Big Government's help.

Tania Schneider

Bellevue Road

President Obama has an analogy for our economy. It's the car that Republicans drove into a ditch.

I say the economy is like an airplane with the Democrats in the pilot seat, yanking the steering wheel left. Republicans are in the copilot seat, yanking it to the right.

Meanwhile, the plane is getting ready to crash.

Chris Trumbull

Claredale Road

A man slashes a Muslim cab driver in New York and is charged with a hate crime, which it is (“Attacked Muslim cabbie appears with N.Y. mayor,” Aug. 27).

A Muslim kills soldiers in Texas and is not charged with a hate crime, which it is.

So the definition of a hate crime is conditional and is not to be applied unilaterally? Truth is truth. It is not conditional.

Dee Krumm

Oak Park Road

Pols also need specialty degrees

Why is it not a requirement that candidates for Congress should have a four-year degree, focusing on the U.S. Constitution, the Declaration of Independence, the Founders' letters, and business economics?

Politicians want us to have a degree in most of our jobs. Why don't they? Maybe then they wouldn't show how ignorant they are about U.S. values, and would do a better job for the country.

Ted Janeda

Whitehouse

The issue of President Obama's religion simply will not go away (“Obama should attend a church,” Aug. 30, Readers' Forum). Conspiracy theorists who dabble in the nonsensical investigation of his religious background need to stop.

There has never been any evidence to support the claims that he is Muslim, or that he is in some way sympathetic to terrorist extremists or their activities.

The suggestion that he should attend church with his family to quiet the criticism is outrageous. Whether he chooses to attend church is no one's business — you know, that pesky old freedom of religion thing.

There hasn't been a President in my memory who has had to face the religious or ethnic examination that President Obama has. I wonder whether any of this is because he looks different, or has a different-sounding name.

Let this be a lesson to the smart, young, talented people who may be considering public service. If you are not white and Christian, maybe you should reconsider.

It looks as if the country is stuck in the past and can't let go of the bad old days.

Rick Fishman

Woodmont Road

I'd like to thank President Obama and the Democratic Party for improving our health care. My family pays the difference between single coverage and family coverage, which was just over $600 per month.

Our cost recently rose to just over $900 per month. Along with this came an increase in co-pays, an increase in out-of-pocket costs, and limitations on the monthly quantity of medication, with no dental coverage included.

Any extra money we once had is gone. Our coverage is through United Health Care, not some small-time carrier. Perhaps the President, Nancy Pelosi, and Harry Reid could explain the upside of this for our family.

Duane Petri

Maumee