Anti-Republican?… Not At All

I’ve had several readers ask me if the reason I’m so harsh on Trustees Liedel and Hanley has anything to do with their political persuasion. Let me make this clear… I have no problem whatsoever with the fact that Pam Hanley and Dee Dee Liedel are Republicans, nor am I in any way anti-Republican. My problem with the two ladies is that the decisions they make are dangerous for Sylvania.

I have voted for Republicans in the past, and I have voted for Democrats in the past. I don’t vote for someone because they have a (D) or (R) or (I) behind their name – I vote for the person themselves. My votes are cast for people who I think will be a good steward of the public trust and who’ll make a positive impact on the community, state or nation. I’ll even share this with you… I voted in the 2005 Sylvania Township Trustee race for Dee Dee Liedel. I don’t regret that vote… nor do I regret any vote that I’ve made. I refuse to regret things that, at the time they occurred, I had no way of knowing how they would turn out and in fact that I was being shammed. In 2005, I cast my vote based on the job I thought Liedel would do. She certainly had the wool pulled over my – and a lot of other peoples’ – eyes. I would regret, however, if I stood idly by and did nothing while her and Hanley slowly destroy the quality of life in Sylvania.

From the denials of funding to community organizations and events to their intent to destroy the Sylvania Township Fire Department, Hanley’s and Liedel’s actions have long-lasting, less obvious repercussions. If Sylvania earns a reputation (it’s already starting) as a community with dangerously unsafe levels of fire protection and police protection (mark my words, the Sylvania Township Police Department is next in line for their decimation), people will move out in droves and no one will want to move here. Businesses won’t even think of locating here, and existing businesses will relocate to safer areas.

Liedel and Hanley think that they’re on some sort of Republican anti-taxation crusade by refusing to put a tax levy on the November ballot. In reality, they’re disenfranchising the very voters who put them into office in the first place and damaging the community’s long-term economic outlook. Ronald Reagan may have disliked taxes, but he (as any reasonable person would) understood that some taxation is necessary. Otherwise, anarchy would rule because government can’t exist in a vacuum.

The quality of life and safety of Sylvanians are not political (or religious, Liedel) issues, nor is it I who’s trying to make them so. I’m not anti-Republican, anti-Democrat, anti-Green, anti-Libertarian… but I am anti-stupid and anti-danger. Thus, it's because of their dangerous and stupid policies that I’m against these two women.

Patti Baidel

Patti Baidel, executive director of Sylvania Area Family Services, passed away Monday of a heart attack. I didn't have the privilege of knowing her, but I'm familiar with her staunch dedication to helping those in need and the legacy that she leaves behind. The Sylvania community has lost a true friend and benefactor, and my thoughts and prayers are with her and her family and friends. [Obituary]

Restaurant Review: Organic Bliss Deli & Bakery

Ever since I lived in Maryland, I’ve been something of a Smoothie Connoisseur. I love a good all-natural fresh-fruit smoothie, and relish the opportunity to try a new smoothie place when I run across one. I decided to try Organic Bliss Deli & Bakery, 3312 Secor Road just south of the I-475 overpass, solely because they had smoothies on their menu. I was intending to go to the Subway® next door, but saw Organic Bliss’ menu posted in its window and promptly changed my plans.

The interior of the restaurant is rather pleasant, and I was immediately enamored of the fact that an episode of Seinfeld was playing on the numerous LCD screens. The food order is placed at the end of the counter, behind which the menu is stretched out over a lengthy span of wall. I ordered a New York Club (roasted turkey breast, black forest ham, lettuce, tomato, mayo) sandwich and a Very Berry Chill (strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, honey, ice) smoothie. Though in the establishment less than five minutes, I was already displeased with the staff and service. The girl that took my order did not seem at all happy to be there, and was rather surly when I asked her for any input she may have had on my menu choices. Indeed, as I watched the other counter-staff while I waited for my food, I noticed that none seemed too pleased to be there.

My smoothie was made immediately, and I must say that it was one of the worst I’ve ever had. It was way too tart – I assume that the berry ratio was vastly incorrect. As I was watching Jerry Seinfeld in his Puffy Shirt while trying to choke down the horrid smoothie concoction, I realized that my sandwich was taking way too long. Noticing that some patrons who arrived after me were already eating, I asked one of the counter-staff about my order. She was none too pleased to have to drop what she’d been doing to find out where my food was. Evidently, it had been sitting at the window for some time, and she gave it to me without a word of apology. Despite the wait and the staff-members' poor attitudes, the sandwich was absolutely delicious, though at $6.95 a bit overpriced. The $4.95 that I paid for the smoothie was certainly not worth the price.

I’ll point out that Organic Bliss has been open less than two weeks and that it’s still in its infancy, however proper customer service should have been a priority since Day 1. The overall quality of the food definitely needs to catch up to the price of the food. As I drove away, I felt that I'd have been much more satisfied had I gone to Subway®.

My rating (out of a possible 5.o): 2.0

Cool Hand Tom

After what seemed like an absence of several months, the antics of Jailbird Tom Noe are back on the front page. As I read the print version of the story yesterday, the sheer absurdity of it all made me laugh. I couldn’t help but picture a Shawshank Redemption-type scene in which Noe is telling the warden that he’ll never tell anyone about the money he helped him to launder, and the warden violently erupts and sentences Noe to a month in “the hole.” I can also hear Morgan Freeman’s voice – not talking about Ol’ Andy Defresne this time, but rather Ol’ Tommy Noe: “His first night in the joint, Ol’ Tom Noe cost me two packs of cigarettes. He never made a sound.”

Noe has a great quote in the article: “I've got to talk fast. I'm getting moved. They told me they counted my points wrong in Texas. I'm not supposed to be here and I'm being put in the hole.” Maybe “the Texans” (read: George W. Bush and Administration) were using the same counting system that Noe himself used when he was playing around with rare coins and Bureau of Workmen’s Compensation money. Another plausible explanation is that Tom made up “the hole” story so he wouldn’t have to put up with Bernadette for the next several months. I’ve never been incarcerated, so I may be wrong, but my impression is that “the hole” is for those prisoners who misbehave, not victims of bureaucratic screw-ups. That being said, perhaps Tom was caught with a shiv that he crafted out of melted rare coins...

What I really love about this whole situation is the subtle game of politics that Bernadette “Didn’t Have a Clue What My Husband Was Up To” Noe is playing. Though she lives in Florida, in a seaside mansion courtesy of my tax money and the Ohio Bureau of Workmen’s Comp, she comes running to The Blade – the very media outlet that was the catalyst of Tom’s downfall – when she thinks her hubby is being treated unfairly by the Federal Prison system. Perhaps she’s trying to make Tom seem like a sympathetic figure so that Ohio forgets his past transgressions – “You’re not such a bad guy, Tom… after all, you spent some time in the hole!” She claims that Noe's alleged visit to solitary confinement is "a development that is upsetting her and her children," though I'd think that the fact that he so grandly earned a prison stay in the first place would be pretty damn upsetting (considering that they "had no clue what he was up to"). Bernadette needs to come to grips with the fact that he’s not shacked up at a high-priced spa, and that the Noe Supper Club has been replaced by the Noe Shower Club. Better not drop the soap, Tom…

Fire Info

There's a great comment from "mike" following this post - it's the third comment down. It gives some great information and statistics. In fairness and for the sake of objectivity I can't immediately vouch for their accuracy, but I'll do some research and will closely examine them. From all that I've read so far, however, the information that "mike" gives seems to be right on the money.

Sylvania Temple Torah Project

This article caught my eye. Ever since I read Leon Uris' Exodus, I've been fascinated by Jewish history. This seems to me like a wonderfully ornate and beautiful undertaking, and my congratulations to Temple-Congregation Shomer Emunim. On a related note, the new building along Sylvania Avenue (the name escapes me, even though I just saw it yesterday) is very handsome - a fine addition to the Sylvania Jewish Community's campus.

Virginia Tech and Guns...

First of all, my thoughts and prayers are with everyone affected by the horrible tragedy at Virgina Tech. Inevitably, any time that there's an incident involving guns the media turns to and highlights the gun debate - and they tend to steer the discussion towards the two extremes: abolish 'em altogether or M1 Abrams in every driveway. CNN.com, for example, had commentaries (both interesting reads) by gun-rights advocate Ted Nugent and gun-control advocate Tom Plate. Personally, I'm somewhere in the middle. In fact, I think a lot of average Americans are somewhere in the middle on the gun issue, but we rarely hear in the media that there could possibly exist a middle ground. I guess it's the extremes that sell newspapers, and any sensible debate be damned...

My 1st Blog Post - Ever!

Before I start to discuss the stuff [read: mounds of controversy] going on in Sylvania, let's take care of some housekeeping:

1. To save you the trouble of having to ask, go ahead - make this blog your homepage!

2. Make sure to share this blog with your friends... I guarantee they'll love you forever.

3. If you have comments, I'd love to hear them. If you want to tell me off, do that too...
I'd love to make fun of you.

4. If you can, attend the Township Trustee meetings (1st Tuesday of every month at 4 pm
and 3rd Tuesday at 6 pm) at the Township Administration Building [boots and shovels
recommended] and/or the City Council meetings (schedule) at the Municipal Building.

5. Blogging is, thus far, pretty fun.