Neo-Nazis recruiting for return engagement

12/4/2005

Seven molasses-coated Lemmon Drops to nibble on while waiting for the Indianapolis Colts to stumble:

  • The National Socialist Movement is pretty proud of itself.

    The neo-Nazi group's Oct. 15 appearance in Toledo sparked a riot that cost taxpayers an estimated $336,000.

    The NSM's Oregon state chapter, which spreads its message of hate through the Web, is using that figure to recruit bigots for Saturday's return to Toledo. For more than a week, a "help wanted" ad has been prominently displayed on the Web site.

    An excerpt:

    Toledo rally #1 and the [ensuing] riot cost the city $336,000!

    How much will the Toledo rally #2 cost? Join us and find out!

    Then, after giving contact information for those interested in making the trip to Toledo, it provocatively asks if the hoped-for rioters will "succeed in burning down the town."

    Apparently, anything short of anarchy will be a disappointment for these white supremacists.

    It seems so surreal, doesn't it?

    We see Toledo as a great place to raise a family. The neo-Nazis see Toledo as a place that is receptive to its divide-and-conquer strategy.

  • With its national headquarters in Minnesota, its national spokesman in Virginia, and its Oregon chapter recruiting members for the Toledo rally, NSM appears to be all about NIMBY ("Not In My Back Yard").

    They travel to a faraway city, try to stir up trouble, then head home leaving others to pick up the tab. Thus, the apparent giddiness over costing us $336,000.

  • A question for the Toledo Police Patrolman's Association: Could you be any more petty asking for an apology from Capt. Diana Ruiz-Krause? (Yes, she left the command post for the Oct. 15 riot, but she did so with Chief Mike Navarre's permission. Moreover, she was not involved in the tactical operation.)

  • I was slowly warming up to the idea of Ohio Attorney General Jim Petro becoming governor after watching his first wave of TV ads, in which he talked about being a responsible steward of taxpayer dollars.

    But his second ad hit me like a blast of cold air. He went the polarization route, talking about his views on abortion and same-sex marriage.

    Next thing we know he'll be telling us that he's a uniter, not a divider.

  • The Country Palace received more than its allotted 15 seconds of fame in the 1970s, thanks to the song Lucille by Kenny Rogers. (I know it's early, but hoist a glass and sing along: "In a bar in Toledo, across from the depot. On a barstool she took off her ring. ...")

    On Tuesday, a TARTA bus crashed into the building that was once home to the Country Palace. For years, the space has been occupied by Caesar's Showbar.

    Obviously, I didn't know the history of 725 Jefferson Ave. when I asked Gary Shores, co-host of the WKKO-FM (99.9) morning show, if Caesar's which features female impersonators was the setting for Lucille.

    "No," he said, "otherwise the name of the song would have been Larry."

  • Whoever came up with the "I Love My Zoo" advertising campaign deserves a raise. The TV commercial is a winner.

  • Not that we're going to brag about it in our holiday letter to out-of-state family and friends, but it is pretty neat that Toledo ranks 26th on the list of America's most literate cities.