My response as a Christian to the legalization of gay marriage

Since the Supreme Court ruling, and even quite frankly before that, I’ve thought about what my response as a Christian should be to the legalization of gay marriage should be.

I am, of course,  disappointed by the ruling for several reasons including the fact that it is constitutionally wrong based on the 10th amendment; but I am not surprised by it.

My greatest concern at this time is that the result of this ruling will be a continued erosion of our first amendment liberties. I do think that the intent of some of those pushing this agenda is the destruction of the church by removing or limiting our religious liberty.

Please know that this is not the intent of everyone who believes that gay marriage is right, but I think it is the ultimate goal of many of those who lead this movement. I base that on my observation of what has happened to some business owners in states that already had gay marriage as well as what has happened in other countries where gay marriage exists. I think that many who support gay marriage are naïve about what the ultimate result will be. 


Given this, what should my response as a Christian be?

I need to remember to show love to those with whom I disagree. I know that this is sometimes difficult. I see a lot of anger in my friends on both sides of this issue, but I do believe that as a Christian, I need to be kind and loving even when I disagree. I don’t think though that showing love means I back away from the truth.

We need to stand firm for what God says in his Word is right. The Biblical view of marriage is between one man and one woman. That has not changed.

We must also support our pastors and our churches as they stand for what is right even if that leads to civil disobedience.

We need to keep up the fight politically to maintain our first amendment rights. One of my big fears about this ruling is that more Christians will back further away from the public square than they already have over the last eight or nine years. This is not the time to do that. In fact, I think part of the problems in our country politically are a result of Christians staying home and not voting.

I have been very frustrated by the lack of involvement of my fellow Christians in the public square. We need to be educated and involved in what is happening in our communities as well as on our national stage. While I understand that not everyone is the political geek that I am, I think Christians especially should consider it their duty not only to vote but to be educated and involved in government.

As I write this, we have just celebrated the 239th birthday of our country’s independence. I went to church last night, and we thanked God for our freedom in this country. Our founders, in spite of what is often taught these days, were men of faith. They created a country where people of faith could live in freedom. 

Our Constitution’s Preamble begins with “We the People…” Our form of government was unique. We had no king. The people would rule themselves. With that self-rule came a responsibility though. The responsibility of being educated and involved in our government. The founders did not intend for us to abdicate that responsibility. Indeed, they warned us what would happen if we did. 

Thomas Jefferson said, “If once the people become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions.”

I believe that Christians have a particular responsibility in this area for several reasons. Romans 13 is often used to justify Christians not being involved in government. In this passage, we are told to obey those who rule over us. In our country, we do not have kings or rulers.

As many of you know,  I am a township trustee. One day recently, my son after accompanying me around town where I was talking to people, said to me, “Mom, you own this town.” While it was flattering to have my son say that, the truth is my town belongs to all the people who live there. I am a public servant entrusted to make decisions to govern the town,  and  I am bound by the will of the people and laws of the United States and the State of Ohio.

In our country, our “ruler” is the rule of law and the Constitution. That is the ruler that we are to obey. And when the public officials in our country don’t obey the Constitution, we are not under a Christian obligation to obey; and in fact, we have a responsibility to correct those officials by working to remove them.   

Micah 6:8 says “He hath shewed thee, O man, what is good; and what doth the LORD require of thee, but to do justly, and to love mercy, and to walk humbly with thy God?”

Our country with its freedoms has become a “shining city on a hill” to those who seek justice and freedom. As American Christians, we have a unique responsibility to “do justly” or as some versions say “show justice” by maintaining that beacon of liberty for the world.  

I have Christian friends who believe that since we are living in the last days we should just give up worrying about this world at all. My response to that is that while we may very well be in the last days, we cannot know that for sure. We still have the responsibility as Christians to live in this world and “do justly.”  

I have had Christian friends who say that politics is all corrupt so we should completely stay away from it. To me that is all the more reason to get involved. We need to be a light in a dark world. What better way to be that light than to take the darkness head on.  

Ultimately, we as Christians need to be good stewards of what we have. As American Christians, we have a legacy of freedom, and it is our responsibility to maintain that. We do that by being involved in the public square.  

Remember the words of Ronald Reagan:

“Freedom is never more than one generation away from extinction. We didn’t pass it to our children in the bloodstream. It must be fought for, protected, and handed down for them to do the same, or one day we will spend our sunset years telling our children and our children’s children what it was once like in the United States where men were free.”

Fearleass Girl Back with a Bang.

(This was originally published in the Tribune Chronicle July 31, 2012)
I believe in the Second Amendment, but I have a confession to make. I'm really not very experienced in actually shooting guns. There are several reasons for this.

First, I am uncoordinated. To put it bluntly, I'm a klutz. I am probably the only person in the history of the world who was in special ed gym without actually being in special ed.
When I was in elementary school, I would have to stumble down to the gym a couple of times a week and walk on the balance beam. It didn't help me much. I think I fell down the steps at my house once a week for my entire childhood. There is a reason I now live in a one-story house.
I'm also very near-sighted. Although my vision is improved with glasses, I have no depth perception. I'm just not very good at shooting even though I've tried several times.
One thing that I discovered a few years ago is that my dominant eye is my left eye, but I'm right handed. Being cross-eye dominant makes shooting more difficult and explains why I've never been able to shoot well.
This year, my son was given the opportunity to attend Christian Service Brigade camp. At this camp, a boy can concentrate on one activity. My son chose marksmanship.
I was a bit nervous, but Second Amendment mom won out over overprotective mom. I also couldn't resist that fact that he would spend a week clinging to his religion and guns (that's my boy). He returned home full of enthusiasm for shooting. His first words to me were, ''Mom, I want to save up for a .22.''
The day he came home, I received an invitation for a fundraiser for Nancy McArthur, who is running for the state senate in the 32nd District. It was supposed to be a day of target shooting. As soon as he found out, my son begged to go. I relented and promised him that we would.
Almost immediately, I regretted the promise. I was scared. I wasn't worried about my safety or the safety of others. I trust Nancy and knew that she would have professionals there who knew what they were doing and could deal with anything - even a klutz like me.
I was concerned, however, that I would look like a complete and total fool. A promise is a promise, however; and a promise made to one's child is sacred. I knew I had to face my fear and go. So I went, and I shot, and I had a blast.
Teezon Wong of Newbury in Geauga County ran the shoot. He and his staff were great. They knew I was a novice, and they took great care in instructing me and making me feel comfortable. I shot a .22 pistol, and actually hit the target. I can't wait to do it again.
Some nice man even paid for my son and me to shoot a couple of rounds with a Barrett .50-caliber. Now that was awesome. The best part of the day, however, was knowing that I faced my fear and overcame it.
You know that little girl that I was once upon a time may have been klutzy, but she was also pretty fearless and spunky. She was tiny, but afraid of nothing. She gave boys bloody noses and played tackle football. She took risks and didn't care what people thought about her.
Somewhere along the way, I lost her. Sure, she came out now and then, but over the years, I quit taking risks. I made lists and I planned and organized; and I played it safe and was content in my neat, safe, little life.
A few months ago, I found out the hard way that those plans and my neat, safe, little life could be gone with the wind in the time it took for a doctor to give his diagnosis. I became painfully aware about exactly how short life is, and how it can change in a blink of an eye. By losing my security, I realized that nothing really is secure. I may as well live my life fully, taking risks, being that fearless little girl again.
You know what? I like that little girl, and I'm glad she's back. I missed her, and quite frankly, these days, I need her.

Defend Our Culture of Freedom

(This is a column that was published September 11, 2012.)
Writing a column to be published on Sept. 11 is a daunting task. I wanted to write just the right words. I thought about all the things I could say about this day. One topic that stood out for me is what this day 11 years ago did to me personally and how it changed me.

To do that I need to first tell you a little story about something that happened to me recently. I have a friend who really irritated me. Actually, he went beyond irritation. I was pretty angry. I was to a point where I wasn't even sure I liked him anymore. I wasn't sure being his friend was worth the aggravation.
Then something strange happened. I was hanging out with some people who knew him. One of these people started talking disparagingly about my friend. I found myself becoming furious at this guy.
Who was he to talk about my friend this way? Doesn't he know how great my friend really is? Somewhere along the way, I realized that in spite of his faults, I care a great deal for my friend and respect and admire him.
Sept. 11 was like that for me as well. I wasn't irritated or angry with my country, but I was complacent. Growing up, I believed that my country was the greatest on earth, but somewhere along the way, I began to take her for granted.
When Sept. 11 happened, when someone attacked my country, I was angry. In my anger, just like when my friend was attacked, I realized exactly how great my country is. How exceptional she is.
When the terrorists attacked our country, they targeted symbols of what they didn't like about our country our prosperity, our rule of law, and our military. But the reason we are exceptional isn't because of those symbols.
When President Bush spoke to the nation after the attacks, he said, ''Freedom itself was attacked this morning by a faceless coward, and freedom will be defended.'' He hit the nail on the head about why we are exceptional - our freedom. Earlier this summer, Mitt Romney was criticized for daring to say that culture matters when it comes to prosperity. In particular, he talked about how a culture of freedom where free people engage in free enterprise creates an environment where a country prospers and people can be lifted out of poverty. He was right.
The Declaration of Independence set forth the idea that we are all endowed by our Creator with the freedom to pursue happiness. Our Constitution is unique in that instead of granting us rights, it restricts the government's infringement of our freedoms. It recognizes that, as Vice Presidential Candidate Paul Ryan said, ''Our rights come from God and nature not from government.'' Our founders created a culture of freedom where we were given political, economic and religious privileges. No other country had those freedoms. Our country has prospered because of them.
Gov. Romney was accused of being racist when he gave that speech in Israel. I don't really understand that charge. Culture isn't race. That culture of freedom he was talking about applies to anyone who believes in it and is willing to practice it.
The great thing about our country is that inheritance we have from our founding fathers is available to all of us. My ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War. I'm proud of that, but I'm no more an inheritor of the culture of freedom than my friends whose ancestors came here in the 20th Century.
That day, I felt renewed patriotism and love for my country. I became more thankful for the freedom that made us great, but I also became more protective of that freedom. I realized that it could be taken away in an instant.
More recently, I've discovered that the erosion of freedom can be more gradual. The last three and half years, I've seen changes in my country that frightened me more than the terrorists ever did. I've watched as the culture of freedom has started to change to a culture of dependence. I've heard the president tell me I didn't build my business and someone else is responsible for my success. I've seen religious liberty eroded. These things make me angry just like the terrorists did.
On Sept. 11, I would have signed up for the military had they wanted me. I wanted to defend my country. Today, I still want to defend my country. Now I want to defend it from those who want to change it. I want to speak up and say, ''Enough is enough! I want my country back!''
I want to work as hard as I can to make sure that we continue to have a culture of freedom where everyone can prosper, not a culture of dependency where no one prospers. I believe that there are still more people in this country who believe in that culture of freedom than in that culture of dependence. I believe that our country can still be that ''shining city on a hill.'' I encourage those who still believe that to stand with me and work with me to defend our country.

That's Just So Trumbull County

(This was my first column that I wrote for the Tribune Chronicle. It was originally published July 4, 2012.)

That's just so Trumbull County.

A friend of mine said that to me recently regarding a situation we both found humorous. Some things, however, that are ''just so Trumbull County'' are not as humorous.
Last Wednesday, I sat in a hallway outside a courtroom in Warren Municipal Court waiting for a hearing to start for Berry Meadows. Meadows was accused of felony theft by deception.
After almost an hour of waiting, Meadows' attorney announced to those of us gathered that the charge had been dismissed without prejudice, meaning that the charge can be re-filed if necessary. On Thursday, the same charge in Niles Municipal Court was dismissed.
Meadows is not some hardened criminal or con-artist. Meadows is a businessman who has had the temerity to speak against the Trumbull County Health Department.
The health department has created a situation in this county where only one of two sand filtration septic systems can be installed. Both systems are made by the same manufacturer.
Meadows, owner of Digging Dirt LLC., has a septic system that he believes would save homeowners $3,000 per installation and would produce a clean effluent. He and his wife started looking into how the health department works and soon saw things that raised questions. They made public records requests and posted the results on their Facebook page, Trumbull County Septic News. They attended meetings and confronted officials including Health Commissioner James Enyeart and posted videos of the meetings on Facebook.
One of the records requested showed the possibility that the sheriff's son may have gotten biased treatment for a non-compliant system.
The sheriff's office then brought a felony charge of theft by deception against Meadows. This charge was brought based on a civil claim and was in the process of being handled civilly. The sheriff said that he didn't initiate the criminal case but one of the plaintiffs, Angel Bennet, was quoted in the Tribune on May 30 as saying that she never called the Sheriff's office, but that ''They called me and asked if I could come in.''
The second charge in the Niles Municipal court was for a situation where a civil suit hadn't even been filed, and again in that situation the Sheriff's Department contacted the homeowner.
Although the charges have been dismissed, the Meadows family has endured humiliation and financial loss.
So, now, what do we do with this? Some folks would say it is better to just keep our mouths shut - that we can't change anything anyway so we should just give up. This is Trumbull County, after all, and that is just how it is.
Those folks are wrong. The shenanigans in this county are robbing us of our freedom. Ronald Reagan once said, ''Freedom is a fragile thing and is never more than one generation away from extinction. It is not ours by inheritance; it must be fought for and defended constantly by each generation.''
It was 236 years ago when the Declaration of Independence was signed. Those men who signed that document pledged their lives, their fortunes and their honor to declare our nation's independence. They didn't do that so that all these years later our community would be cowering in fear of retaliation by a small group of bureaucrats.
As the Declaration of Independence was signed, Benjamin Franklin is supposed to have said, '''If we don't all hang together, then surely, we shall all hang separately.'' We should heed those words today.
As individuals, we can be intimidated and silenced, but if we ''hang together'' and work together to fight the corruption in this county, it will become more difficult for them to silence us.
Over the last few years, I've realized that I have a choice. I can stay on my own little two acres in Farmington and watch my freedom being taken away bit by bit. I can hope that somehow things in this county get better - that somebody does something - or I can be one of those somebodies. I can join Berry and Deanna Meadows and try to make a difference.
I choose to make a difference. Who's with me?

Mother's Day

Mother’s Day has always been a little strange for me.

As a child, it was kind of sad for me.  My own mother was paranoid schizophrenic and was institutionalized when I was ten.  I really have no memory of her being a “real mom” to me.  When Mother’s Day came around at church, it was painful for me to hear people talk about their moms and know that I didn’t have that.  I grew to really dislike the day. 

Then I got married, and I looked forward to being a mom.  I think as a young woman, my greatest desire was to have a large family.  That did not happen.  So I kept disliking the day.  I’ve read a few blogs recently about childless women feeling so left out when they have the moms stand at church.  I get that. 

Finally in 1999, we were able to adopt Jack.  He truly was worth the wait.  God gave me the desire of my heart. I remember how blessed I felt to take care of him and how the love I felt for him healed me of the hurt in my heart at not having my mom there.  Today, he is such a blessing to me as our little family struggles with my husband’s illness.  While he is certainly not a perfect child (He IS a teenager), he has a good heart, and I know that my road would be harder if he weren’t the young man he is.  

I will never forget my first Mother’s Day.  We traveled to Colorado to visit my Aunt Cecile and attend my cousin Patty’s college graduation.  I spent a lot of time that day with my aunt.  She told me so much about my own mother and how she was before she became ill.  She gave me my mom’s baptismal certificate as well as some pictures.  I am still so grateful for her and the time she took to introduce me to my mom-to the person she was before the illness took that away. 

As I look back over my childhood now, I realize that while I didn’t have my mom, I did have many other women who helped me become the person I am today.  I was truly blessed to have these women in my life.  I have tried as an adult to do that for others as well-to pay it forward.  My son tells me I’m everyone’s mom.  A friend tells me I’m a mother hen.  So maybe I didn’t get my large family the way I planned, but I guess God had other plans for me.  Funny how that works, the plans God has for us are always better than our own even when we can’t see it.

God Bless my friends on Mother’s Day whether you have a large brood or, like me, have never given birth and just mother the ones in your life who need it.    

RINO's.....

RINO…..I think I’m getting a little tired of that word.  Not that RINO’s don’t exist.  I believe that they do, but I think sometimes those of us who tend to be to the far right in the political spectrum that is the Republican Party apply that term to anyone who we deem less conservative than we are.

Most recently, I’ve heard the term applied to my own Congressman Dave Joyce by those who back his challenger in the primary in May.  I think that this is an unfair characterization of Congressman Joyce. 

Before I proceed to tell you why, let me explain that I have supported both men in the past.  In 2012 although I don’t live in State Representative Matt Lynch’s district, I did give him some assistance in his campaign. I grew up in Troy Township which is part of his district, and my home now is close to the line of his district.  I would let his campaign know when there were events in his district that he could attend.  I also encouraged my friends in his district to vote for him. I have appreciated his standing for conservative principles while in the General Assembly and even considered him my “adopted” State Rep since my current State Representative does not represent me very well. 

As for Congressman Joyce, in 2012 former Congressman Steve LaTourette stepped out of the race; and the Chairmen and Secretaries of the County Republican Parties in his district picked Dave Joyce to be the Republican candidate for the Ohio 14^th District.  I volunteered for his campaign and helped out wherever I could. 

Since his election, while there have been a few times I haven’t agreed with him, I’ve grown to respect him and to especially respect the fact that he has the heart of a true public servant. 

The name RINO has been applied to Congressman Joyce unfairly.  On the most important and most visible issue of our time, ObamaCare, the Congressman has voted every chance he could to repeal, defund, delay, or fix it every chance he has had. 

Congressman Joyce is a fiscal conservative who practices what he preaches. He returned $100,000 of his own office budget back to the treasurer. This is something he also did every year when he was the Geauga County Prosecutor for 24 years.  Congressman Joyce introduced a bill – THE SAVE ACT - that would cut $200 billion in government waste and duplicative programs.

Those of us who are concerned about how the Constitution seems to be ignored by our current President should take note that Congressman Joyce recently signed on as a sponsor of the STOP (Stop This Overreaching Presidency) Act, which holds Obama accountable for his Executive Overreach as well as bills to hold the IRS accountable and demand answers from the tragedy in Benghazi.

Congressman Joyce is pro-life, pro-family, and pro-gun. 

That doesn’t sound like a RINO to me.

He may not be quite as conservative as his primary opponent or me for that matter, but he is conservative. 

Some have tried to tie him to his predecessor, Steve LaTourette, and have made a great deal about the fact that he is a member of the moderate Republican organization headed up by LaTourette, Main Street Partnership.  While it is true that Congressman Joyce joined this organization when he was elected, so have several other congressmen who are considered conservative including Congressman Bill Johnson in the 6^th District.  Also Congressman Joyce joined the Republican Study Committee which is a conservative organization.  He wanted to get a full picture of the Republicans in the House.  

Joining an organization, any organization, does not mean you automatically agree with every stance they take.  Main Street Partnership pushed for a “clean” debt ceiling bill, but Congressman Joyce voted against that because it had no spending reductions.  

While I don’t agree completely with Congressman Joyce on everything, I do agree with most of what he has done and don’t believe he is a RINO by any stretch of the imagination.

I’m supporting Congressman Joyce in this primary in part because I believe it is best to vote for the most conservative candidate that can win. I honestly don’t believe that Matt Lynch can win the general election in this district. I don’t want to see a liberal Democrat win that seat. Prior to redistricting, I was in Democrat Tim Ryan’s district. I know what it is like to be represented by a liberal Democrat. I would rather have a Congressman that I agree with 80% or 90% of the time than one that I agree with 5% of the time.

But don’t think that because I cite that practical reason that I will consider Congressman Joyce the lesser of two evils in November.  I have tremendous admiration for the man that Congressman Joyce is.

As I said before, over the last year and a half I’ve grown to respect him as a man who has the heart of a public servant.  When Congress is not in session, he is in the district speaking to his constituents, finding out what they think.  He takes the time to get into the far reaches of the district.  Heck, he actually knows where Farmington is. 

In December, he participated in the swearing in ceremony that we had for several of the township trustees in the area.  He spoke from his heart when talking about his own attitude toward being a public servant. 

I know that he truly gets what many in elected office don’t -we are supposed to be servants of the people not rulers over them.

Congressman Joyce may not be a rock star, but he is a good man working hard to serve all of the people in his district.  For that, he has my vote and my support.

Fight Back Fundraiser Speech

Good afternoon.  I want to speak to you today on what makes a good citizen.  There are two different areas where we can demonstrate good citizenship.  Both are important , but I will spend most of my time today on the second. 

The first area is community involvement.  I think this is best summed up as  loving your neighbor.  All of us should be involved to some degree with making our communities better places to live.  This can range from literally helping out those who live next door when they are down on their luck to being involved in the churches and private organizations that help others and improve our communities.  I know that we have a mixed crowd here politically, but most people who know me or read my column know that I’m a conservative.  As a conservative, I believe in limited government.  I think that we as citizens have abdicated our responsibilities of caring for the poor and improving our communities to the government when it  is not the government’s job.  Government is a poor substitute for human beings helping other human beings.  We need to remember that and see community involvement as  part of being a good citizen. 

The other area of good citizenship is being involved in the public square. I think most people, if they think about being a good citizen at all, think they are doing their duty just by voting.  I thought this way for a long time.  I realize now though that good citizenship is much more than voting.  

We all know the preamble of the Constitution.  It doesn’t say, "We the government."  It doesn’t say, "We the media."  It says, "We the People. "  Our founders created a system of self government, but they intended for us to be active informed participants in that government.  We have instead become ignorant passive spectators.    I wrote  a  column recently about tyranny.  One of the commenters online said that any thinking person knows that tyranny and self governance are mutually exclusive.  That commenter is missing the point.  Self governance only works to prevent tyranny if the citizens remain informed and active.  Trumbull County is evidence of that.

 We have a health department that targets people for daring to question them.

We have the malicious ineptitude of a children’s services board (aided by commissioners who, realizing that foster children don’t vote, look the other way). 

Some of our townships are seeing their land bought up by the state of Ohio to a point where they struggle to  provide basic services to their residents.

 We are bound by a consent decree that has created septic rules in our county that are punitive and the strictest in our state.  No elected official has lifted a finger to try to get us out from under this decree. 

So what do we do?  Some look at the mess we’re in and say it is too late.  We can’t fix this.  Not enough people care.  I don’t believe that.  In the year that I’ve been writing my column, I’ve gotten to know Trumbull County much better.  While I’ve held a magnifying glass to its faults and seen those more clearly than I ever have or really ever wanted to, I’ve also seen the people here more clearly than I ever have.   When I spoke at the last fundraiser, I said that I love this county.  Seven months later, I think I love it now even more as I have met so many good decent people who are working to make this a better place to live.

But how do we do fix this?  I think we start by being the kind of citizens our founders intended.  We must educate ourselves as to what is happening locally.  Every person should know who his or her elected officials are-what they are doing right, what they are doing wrong.  Go to trustee or council meetings.  Know the issues that are facing your community.

Last year, I was speaking to someone about how people didn’t know who their state representative was.  He said, “People just don’t care.”  I replied, “I will make them care.”

I like to think that my column has done that maybe even for some of you. I can’t do it alone.  We all must work to make others care. Each of us has a circle of influence-people we can talk to and encourage to get involved and to become good citizens. 

Jefferson said, “if once the people become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and assemblies, judges and governors, shall become as wolves.”  We sure do have a lot of wolves here in Trumbull County.  We need an army of people willing to become good citizens, willing to influence others and get them involved.  We need people willing to run for office who want to be public servants.  Only then will we drive out the wolves and fix this county.

Precinct Committee People

I often hear people complain about the direction of the Republican Party. One thing that I don’t think people understand is that in order to change this direction, they need to get involved. The best way to do that is to become a precinct committee person. Most people have never heard of this office and have no idea what it is.


As many people know, a precinct is the lowest level government division. Counties are divided into precincts by the County Board of Elections based on population. In the cities, usually a ward is divided into several precincts. In the townships, there may only be a couple of precincts for the entire township. (My precinct is the only one in the entire township.)

Local County Parties are made up of a central committee with a representative from each precinct-the precinct committee person. In Trumbull County, these individuals are elected every four years in the primary. After the primary, the county party will reorganize and elect officers and an executive committee. The central committee plays a big role in determining the direction of the party. In some counties, they also vote to endorse candidates. (Trumbull GOP does not do this.)

One responsibility that precinct committee people have is appointing the two Republican poll workers for their precinct. This is important because we need to have good well trained poll workers in each precinct. It is certainly NOT the most important thing though and is definitely not the only responsibility that precinct committee people have.

Central Committee members should be the direct link between voters and the County GOP. They should get to know the people in their communities. Getting involved in community events is a good way to do this. With a precinct in a more densely populated area, using a walking list of all the Republicans and Independents in the precinct and going door to door to canvass the precinct can be done. In less densely populated areas, phone or mail can be used. Social media is another way to get to know those in the precinct. A Central Committee person should also know what is going on in their neighborhoods and communities. He or she should attend trustee and council meetings.

Really, when you think about it, a big part of what a Central Committee person does is just basic good citizenship.

During campaigns, the precinct committee people are the boots on the ground in each precinct for the candidates. The relationships they form with the Republicans in their precincts will help them recruit others to work in campaigns.

This seems like a lot of work, and it can be. The hardest part is forming relationships with your fellow Republicans. Once that is done, you can draw on others who want to be involved to help you.

There are 210 precincts in Trumbull County. Many of these precincts do not currently have a precinct committee person. 2014 will be our next election in Trumbull, but if you live in an open precinct, you can be appointed. If you live in Trumbull County and are interested in serving as a precinct committee person, please contact me at mcyoder@aol.com.

Election and appointment of precinct committee people varies from place to place, but they are needed everywhere.

If you are concerned about the direction of our party and want to change it, get involved. I encourage my friends who want to get more involved to contact their local county GOP.

The Perfect Example

Trumbull County Commissioner Frank Fuda is a perfect example. He is a perfect example of what’s wrong with Trumbull County. Fuda is smooth. I will give him that. I’ve seen him in action as the consummate politician- nicely dressed, the big toothy smile, glad handing, campaigning every place imaginable. I’ve been told he is quite charming, but the charm is a veneer. The veneer is thin in some places, and if you look closely, you can see what Frank Fuda really is-guardian of the status quo of arrogance, corruption and ineptitude that is Trumbull County government.


I got a glimpse of this about a year ago when I attended the public hearings on the court consolidation. I questioned the commissioners about the fact that they had delayed recommending the consolidation knowing there was a small window of opportunity to accomplish the consolidation. I pointed out that they had been asked to consider the proposal back in October and waited until April to have public hearings. Mr. Fuda became quite angry and insisted, in spite of documentation to the contrary, that he not known until February that Judge Rice would not be seeking another term at Eastern District Court thereby opening a window for consolidation without displacing a sitting judge. Aside from the fact that Central Court Judge Tom Campbell had relayed this information to the Commissioners in his initial proposal for consolidation in October, Judge Rice had also filed petitions to run for Common Pleas Court in December 2011. When Mr. Fuda doesn’t like the facts, I guess he creates his own.

Mr. Fuda’s background is in education. I think sometimes that he forgets that we are citizens and thinks, instead, that we are children to be controlled. Those who attended the Board of Health hearing on the revocation of Berry Meadows’ septic installer’s license also got a front row seat to Mr. Fuda’s real personality. The hearing was held in the County Administration Building. When the hearing was abruptly halted, it became somewhat heated. Things were calming down when Mr. Fuda reportedly entered the room and shouted that he wouldn’t have yelling in HIS building. Mr. Fuda apparently doesn’t realize that the building doesn’t actually belong to him, but it does belong to the tax payers who are his employers. Later, when a constituent tried to talk to him about the Health Board, commenting that although he didn’t have governance over the board, he could have some influence on them. He brushed her off, telling her to talk to his attorney.

One of the most disturbing things that I’ve heard any public official say is something Mr. Fuda reportedly said to Attorney David Engler. Attorney Engler was talking to Mr. Fuda about the inordinate number of murdered children in Trumbull County’s foster care system. Mr. Fuda’s response was “these sorts of things happen to kids in Children’s Services.” This quote not only betrays an acceptance of the status quo, but it also demonstrates Mr. Fuda’s true callousness and indifference to the most vulnerable in our community. How a society treats those who are the “least of these” is an indication of its character. Mr. Fuda’s comments reveal his character as well. Mr. Fuda, children in foster care are not expendable simply because their parents can’t or won’t take care of them. They deserve public officials who will fight to make sure they are safe, not accept the status quo of ineptitude and corruption in the agency charged with protecting them.

Mr. Fuda is a very good politician, but he is certainly not a very good public servant. I’m not so sure he’s a very good person, either.

Something in the water

Is there something in the water in this area that makes people continue to elect public officials whose transgressions range from the inept to the criminal?


Let us go back in time and visit a few ghosts of politicians past. Jim Traficant is well known throughout the country, and not in a good way. Infamous, not famous, is what he is. Traficant faced charges of racketeering for accepting bribes while Sheriff of Mahoning County. He defended himself, saying that he accepted the bribes as part of an undercover operation. He was acquitted, but in any other place, those charges would have resulted in a complete retreat from public life. Not here, though, no, the Valley elects those people to Congress.

His career as a Congressman ended only when he was convicted of ten felony counts including bribery, racketeering, and tax evasion. After his expulsion from the House in 2002, he ran as an independent. In spite of the fact that he was in prison, 28,045 people still voted for him! Beam me up, Scottie!

As a local attorney, Marc Dann was reprimanded in 2004 for failure to prepare for handling a 2002 alimony case without proper preparation. He was appointed to the State Senate when Tim Ryan was elected to Congress in 2002. He won election to a full term in 2004.

In 2006, Dann was elected to the position of Attorney General , ironically, in large part due the Coingate scandal of the Taft administration.

After his election, Dann pushed for Capri Cafaro to be appointed to take his place in the State Senate. But it wasn’t because her family had donated over a combined $56,000 to his campaigns. After all, she was an experienced public official……oh, wait, nevermind. Cafaro was a twenty something who had run for Congress twice in two different districts and worked as president of her daddy’s company. By the way, her father pleaded guilty to bribing Jim Traficant to push for legislation to benefit that company.

Dann then tried to make Columbus “just so Trumbull County.” Epic Fail! He started right off the bat by missing a filing deadline for Ohio to join in an appeal of a Medicaid related case. It also soon became evident that Attorney General’s office had become a frat house for Dann’s friends who were now his employees. Amid allegations of sexual harassment against his Communications Director Leo Jennings and another employee/friend Anthony Gutierrez as well as the revelation that he himself was having an extra marital affair, Dann resigned in May, 2008.

He only did so, however, when it became clear that he would be impeached if he did not. In the days before his resignation, he first blamed the problems of his office on his lack of preparation for the job. He also said that his admission and punishment were enough. That might be so in the alternate universe that is Trumbull County, but it isn’t in Columbus.

In addition to the allegations for sexual harassment, a report by the then Ohio Inspector General Thomas P. Charles, cited 25 specific acts of wrongdoing including improperly using money from the state, a transition corporation, and campaign funds.

“Regrettably, Marc Dann used his position as attorney general to indulge himself, his family and his friends,” the report reads. Among the questionable purchases made from Dann’s campaign and transition funds was $12,263.47, paid to a dinnerware sales company owned by his wife. In the end, Dann reached a plea deal where he admitted to one violation of misusing campaign funds and was fined $1000. Recently, the Ohio Bar Association suspended his license for six months as a result of that conviction.

What about the present in Trumbull County? We still have public officials who don’t seem to realize they’re public servants, and we still reward them by reelecting them.

The City of Warren Law Director Greg Hicks rents office space from Robert Crager, a bail bondsman, and says there is no conflict of interest. Apparently, if he says there is none, there is none, right? Meanwhile, charges have not been filed in a case of a man who is reportedly an employee of the bail bondsman. There have also been delays in a hearing of the shutting down of the Sunset Lounge, which is housed in a building owned by another of Cregar’s employees.

We have our State Representative from the 64th District, Tom Letson, who has insisted that he has paid his back taxes, but has not provided any proof of that. As of this writing, a lien is still on his property for those unpaid taxes.

Then there’s Teflon Tim Ryan. Nothing sticks to him. During the time he was a student at Bowling Green State University, Ryan faced three different charges of disorderly conduct. He was actually found guilty of one charge in 1993 for having a fake ID, but the two other charges were dismissed. He worked in Jim Traficant’s office after graduating from Bowling Green. With this resume, he ran successfully for State Senate in 2000. He reportedly told audiences during that campaign that he had a law degree, but he actually obtained that degree sometime later in the year 2000. Ryan was young, handsome, and charming. This seemed to make people blind to the fact that he had a record; and he had never had a real job, something he reportedly bragged about when he was campaigning. Ryan faced an opponent who was intelligent, had more life experience, was a business owner, had actually worked a real job, and had no criminal record. That didn’t seem to make a difference.



In August, now Congressman Ryan was arrested for public intoxication in Virginia. The public was never made aware of this arrest until December 4, after his reelection, when the charges were dismissed. Ryan had refused to take a breathalyzer test, and it is very hard to prove a case of public intoxication without that test. I would think taking a breathalyzer would be a way to show conclusively that one is innocent, preventing an arrest; but Ryan refused.

When the story finally did come out, Ryan kept coming up with different stories: It was after a wedding reception, but the wedding didn’t take place till the next day. He was taking medication for his back, but wait, no he threw his back out, and that’s why he was walking funny. I don’t know about you, but every time I throw my back out, I always take walks at 2AM. My thirteen year old comes up with better excuses than these.

Ryan is talking about running for governor. I don’t think Ohio is ready for another Trumbull County politician Hopefully, they will remember what we’ve given them in the past and not fall for Teflon Tim.

In my last column I wrote that hope would not be found in political parties or candidates. I believe that, however, I do think one of the causes of hopelessness in this county is the corruption and ineptitude of some of our public officials. We need to wake up, realize that we deserve better, and do something about it.

Hope and a future for Trumbull County

I’ve been reading a bit about the history of Trumbull County. Our county really has a rich history, and it makes me a little sad when I compare that to what we are today. I hear people who say that our best days are behind us. I have friends who feel like this place is hopeless-that it will never be better and will only just keep getting worse. Some have talked of moving away when they can.


I have to admit, we have some big problems here. We have public officials who have forgotten they are public servants. There are corruption and ineptitude in our public agencies. Our housing market is awful-compounded by the horrible septic rules. We have poverty, unemployment, and a depressed economy. We have abandoned houses throughout the county. There are crime and blight in the cities. Even in my little town of Farmington, I’ve been told the top three calls for the paramedics are drugs, suicide, and domestic violence. It looks bleak even to a naturally optimistic person like me.

It doesn’t have to be that way. One of my favorite Bible verses is Jeremiah 29:11: “For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.” (NIV)

Hope and a future….Wouldn’t it be great if THAT were “just so Trumbull County?” That’s what we need here, isn’t it? I believe it can be that way. In fact, in some ways, we have small glimpses of it already.

I wrote a column during the summer about the wonderful work that the Warren Family Mission is doing. They don’t just feed people. They help people to lift themselves out of poverty. One person a time, they are changing lives. By doing that, they are helping to slowly change the face of this county.

Another new organization is the aptly named Mahoning Valley Hope Center. They are also working with the homeless and others to improve their lives. They offer recovery, education, and wellness programs. They are planning to open a halfway house in 2013. Like the Mission, they are faith based and operate without government funding.

There are individuals who are trying to make this county better by crusading against the corruption and ineptitude of our public officials. I’ve written about Berry and Deanna Meadows and their fight to fix our health department. Their attorney David Engler has also been involved in trying to clean up our Children’s Services Board. He is representing some young women who were abused in a Children’s Services group home. Attorney Engler and the Meadows’ aren’t doing what they’re doing to make a name for themselves or to enrich themselves. They are fighting for the citizens of this county and to make this a better place to live.

Individuals, churches, and other organizations all over this county are doing big and small things everyday to try to improve our area. That should give us hope and motivate us to do more as well.

This is the season for hope. Christians will soon celebrate the birth of a baby born to give hope to a lost and dying world. Not only 2000 years ago, but still today, hope can be found. Hope comes from God, but He uses humans to impart that hope.

I think we all want “hope and a future” for this county.

It won’t come from a government program or a political party or a candidate but from ordinary people who are willing to work to provide hope.

If enough of us do that, our hope and our future will follow.

The Tangled Web

“Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive!”


The Trumbull County Health Department has created one heck of a web in their dealings with the septic issues in this county. As mentioned in previous columns, they’ve created a monopoly for off-lot systems. They’ve also seemed to show favoritism in enforcement of regulations. They’ve delayed and denied requests for public documents and discontinued public participation in meetings.

When Berry and Deanna Meadows began to uncover the corruption and use social media to expose it, the Health Department tried to use intimidation to attempt to shut them up and in the process has made a very tangled and complicated web. As noted in my first column back in July, when the Meadows’ uncovered some documentation that seemed to point to Sheriff Altiere’s son getting special treatment by the Trumbull County Health Department, they posted that information on Facebook. Shortly afterwards, felony charges of theft by deception were brought against Berry Meadows. These charges were eventually dropped. Berry Meadows still suffered from this retaliation though-public humiliation, a tarnished reputation, and of course the financial cost of defending himself.

Now, the Health Department has further tangled the web by attempting to take away Mr. Meadows’ installer’s license. This would shut down his business and take away his livelihood. Mr. Meadows received a notice in August that he would have a hearing regarding revocation of his installer’s license. Now, a big part of their grounds for revocation (and what was focused on in the hearing) is that some of the tanks that Mr. Meadows installed floated out of the ground. Mr. Meadows is not the only installer who has had this problem though, and he contends that the problem is with the tank itself and not a problem with the installation. He has witnesses including a fellow installer and a professional engineer who would testify to that fact. However, he won’t have the opportunity to present any evidence to defend himself-more of that tangled web.

The first day of the hearing was September 28. The health board wanted to have a closed door hearing, but the hearing officer said that it would be open to the public. During that first day of testimony, Rebecca Fugitt of the Ohio Department of Health testified about the floating septic tanks. She referred to a letter from Stark Aeration of Canton, a distributer of the Enviro-guard system which is the only system that has had problems with floating tanks. Stark Aeration blamed faulty installation for the problems. Well, duh! Of course they would say that. Presenting proof from Stark Aeration is like someone’s mom testifying in court that her baby didn’t do the crime.

The next day of the hearing was November 15. Mrs. Fugitt continued her testimony. She admitted that the only tanks that floated were Enviro-guard. Other witnesses for the Board also testified as well, including the homeowner for whom a bond claim was pursued by the Board regarding the floating tank. The bond company rejected that claim because they believed that the problem was with the product not the installation. Overall, the case against Mr. Meadows was not going so well, and he hadn’t yet had the opportunity to present his case or his witnesses.

On the morning of November 16, the board had not yet presented all of their witnesses, and Mr. Meadows had not yet had the opportunity to present his defense. Abruptly, the Board decided that no more witnesses would be presented, and the attorneys for both sides would only be allowed to present their closing arguments. Mr. Meadows, who had been told that he would have an opportunity to present witnesses and evidence for his defense, has not been given due process. The Board has stated that a decision will be made in January. Any guesses as to what the decision will be?

So what do we do? We have this tangled web that the Board of Health has created. How do we stop it?

We pull those threads and keep on pulling until the web is gone.

The Meadows are doing that. They’ve filed a federal lawsuit against members of the Board of Health; Dr. James Enyeart, director of the Trumbull County Health Department; Frank Migliozzi, director of environmental health; Sheriff Tom Altiere; sheriff's office employees Maj. Tom Stewart and Sonny Schulyer; county commissioners; and attorney Rob Kokor, who represents the Board.

We can support the Meadows in their effort. Apply pressure to the Board of Health. Attend their meetings with signs in support of the Meadows. By the way, due to recent ruling, the public are allowed to have signs at these meetings, but they must be no bigger than twelve inches by eighteen inches. Donate to the Meadows’ legal fund. Join their group on Facebook.

One issue that has recently come to light is that the elections for the Board of Health for the last several years may have violated Sunshine Laws by using a secret ballot. David Engler, attorney for Berry Meadows, has filed a complaint on behalf of the Meadows’ and others, which requests among other things that “the current board members be disbanded.” Judge Logan did grant an order that future elections for the board not be done by secret ballot, but has not yet ruled on whether the current board be disbanded. If the board is disbanded, it is crucial that we have a new board that will work to seek to be public servants and to solve problems instead of making them worse.

The trustees from the townships, the mayors of the villages, and the mayors of the cities of Cortland and Hubbard elect the members of the Board of Health. Make calls to your trustees or mayors and find out where they stand on this current Board of Health. If we are able to elect a whole new Board, make sure they support people who will be public servants. If we can only elect one new board member in March, pressure them not to re-elect anyone on the current board. If they don’t cooperate, come re-election time for them, throw them out.

We need to send this Board of Health a message.

We need to yank those threads!

We need to unravel this web!

Let's Make Ourselves Uncomfortable

When Deanna asked me to speak, I was of course honored. People don’t usually ask me to speak. They generally want me to just shut up. I also felt a bit anxious. Deanna wanted me to tell my story. I don’t like talking about myself. I’d rather talk about issues or ideas, but I will do my best.


I guess if I had to give this speech a title it would be Make yourself uncomfortable. First, let me tell you a little about myself and what makes me comfortable. I grew up with a lot of chaos. My mom was ill during my entire childhood so our home was very disorganized and chaotic. I like order and peace and quiet. I like organization and lists and plans. Until not too long ago, my life was pretty orderly and organized.

Not that I have always had my life go as planned. All I really wanted was to get married and have lots of babies. I got married 23 years ago, but the babies didn’t come. So I kind of fell into a career. I ended up starting my own business 18 years ago. In 1999, I finally got my hearts desire when we adopted our son, Jack. My life was pretty perfect by my standards. I had my family and my business. I was active in my local church and homeschooling Jack. Life was pretty good.

Before I go on, you need to understand some things. My husband and I both grew up in Geauga County. When we got married, we bought our house in Farmington almost on the Geauga line. We both worked in Geauga and we also went to church there. Our orbit and our circle of friends were in Geauga County. We knew there were problems in Trumbull, but we sort of pretended we didn’t live there. In the last few years, though, some things happened that began to wake me up to some of what was happening here in Trumbull.

One thing was that we left a church we’d been members of for 20 years. This church was a small church maybe 30-40 people attending on a Sunday. I had been very active-played piano, taught Sunday School, planned the music each Sunday. I was a big fish in a very small pond. The church we ended up at is Grace Fellowship. Some of you might be familiar with Grace. It seats around 1000 people and is close to full most weeks. This was quite a big change and significant for a couple of reasons. First, my circle of friends enlarged to include folks who were far more Trumbull County than I am. Our orbit changed so that we were spending more time in Trumbull County. Also, the change from a small church where I was always busy to a large church where I had some difficulty figuring out where I could serve gave me some time to get involved in other things.

Another thing that happened to me and probably to lots of you was Facebook. The interesting thing that happened with me and facebook is how it led me to meet people in my own backyard. I met Deanna and Berry on Facebook. One other big thing that came from Facebook and had an impact on me is that I got involved with volunteering for Jim Graham’s campaign for Congress. Now understand I’ve been interested in politics since I was 15 years old, but I’d been busy with my perfect little life so I’d never gotten very involved. I did volunteer in the 2004 and 2008 presidential campaigns, but this was the first local campaign I had ever been involved with. Through the campaign, I met more Trumbull County people who knew way more than I did about the issues we have here in Trumbull County. I was starting to realize that maybe I needed to get more involved.

One thing that happened during that campaign is that I became a precinct committee person and executive committee person for the Trumbull County GOP. At the beginning of this year, I was asked to be a part of their communications group. Now the purpose of this group is to try to communicate conservative ideas through letters to the editor, social media,etc. We study the issues, not just national and international, but also local. One of the local issues that we became involved was the court consolidation. I ended up not only writing about this issue but getting involved in pressuring our Commissioners to move forward on it.

Also, out of the communications group came the opportunity to write for the Trib as a Community Columnist for a year. My goal in writing this column is to try to speak to people who are like I was-kind of out there busy with their own little lives not really involved in what is happening. I knew about some of what was going on, and I thought that somebody should do something. Over the last few years, I realized that I needed to be one of those somebodies. In the last 7 or 8 months, I guess I’ve done just that. However, it has come at a cost to me. I’ve always been a busy person, but as I have gotten more involved not just with writing the column, but also with campaigns, and going to meetings, etc.,-all the while running my business and homeschooling my son- I have become busy to a point where my life is very chaotic-exactly the opposite of my comfort zone. I don’t have any peace and quiet and calm. I’ve become less organized than I like, and often my plans and lists get thrown out the window.

I need to tell one other thing that has happened over the last few years. It is a little bit personal but I need to share because of the truth that it revealed to me. In the last several years, my husband began to change physically and mentally. I made excuses for these changes but realized in May of this year that something was truly wrong with him. I took him to the doctor and after ruling out a few other things, he was diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

All of my organization and lists and plans for our future were gone with the wind. What was left of my comfort zone had been carried away like a house in a twister. Like Dorothy in the Wizard of Oz, I wasn’t in Kansas anymore. Unlike Dorothy, I would never return. I would never have my perfect little life back. I would forever be uncomfortable. In the last couple of months though, I’ve realized some things about being uncomfortable. First, it is not the end of the world. I can survive this. Also, and this is the big one: Nothing important gets accomplished when you’re comfortable. Think about it. A pearl is formed when sand irritates the oyster. A diamond is just a lump of coal under pressure.

Tonight I want to challenge you to make yourself uncomfortable. Now I know that everyone in here knows that we have big problems here in Trumbull County-not just septic problems not just health department or CSB problems. We have a pervasive culture among our public officials that makes them think they aren’t really public servants-that they are above the rules. They are little kings in their castles, and we are just allowed to live here. We need to change this, but we can’t change this until we change ourselves-make ourselves uncomfortable. Now not everyone has to be as uncomfortable as Berry and Deanna have been or even I have been. I do think though that there are some things that everyone needs to be doing. These are things that might be out of your comfort zone, but are really things that all good citizens should be doing.

First we need to inform ourselves. Thomas Jefferson said “ An informed citizenry is the only true repository of the public will.” If we the people want to truly be in charge we must inform ourselves. If we don’t there are consequences.

Jefferson also said, "If once (the people) become inattentive to the public affairs, you and I, and Congress and Assemblies, Judges and Governors, shall all become wolves. It seems to be the law of our general nature, in spite of individual exceptions."

Wolves, that’s just so Trumbull County.

But we have to do more than just inform ourselves and this is where it can get uncomfortable. We need to also inform others. It can be writing letters to the editor or just talking to our friends. This may mean bringing up touchy topics with our friends. Nudging them to find out for themselves what is really going on. It may be uncomfortable, but it is necessary that we inform others. I don’t think that we need to beat people over the head with stuff, but we need to work at making sure people know what is going on.

Finally, we need to get involved. Go to meetings. Find out who your trustees are and what they are doing. Go to commissioners meetings. Go to health department meetings. Support Deanna and Berry in their effort as this thing goes on. They are sacrificing a lot to do this and will need our support to help them.

I want to say something about this fight. I’ve heard people refer to it as a David and Goliath fight. It is, but not just because the little guy is fighting back. When David fought Goliath, he wasn’t just fighting for himself, he was fighting for the whole nation of Israel. We need to remember that Berry and Deanna are fighting for all of us-for every citizen of Trumbull County.

I love this county. It is beautiful, has a wonderful history and has great people, but it is dying in front of my eyes because of the corruption and ineptitude of its leaders. My son often tells me he wants to buy my house and live here forever. I would like that, but I fear that it won’t be possible if we don’t make some changes. This county is not going to change if we do nothing. Washington and Columbus aren’t going to save us. We must do it ourselves. If we want change, we must change. This is my challenge to you:
Let’s change Trumbull County.
Let’s change ourselves.
Let’s all make ourselves uncomfortable.

Pick Up Life Where it is Broken

I confess. I am a genealogy nerd. I have been researching my family tree for about twenty years. The thing that I love the most about doing this is the little stories I discover and sometimes the little artifacts I find. One of my most treasured finds is a letter written by my great-grandmother.


My grandparents were killed in a traffic accident in 1961. They left behind my mother and her sister who were both adults and married, as well as my Uncle Mitch who was a young teenager. My great-grandmother wrote them a letter to try to comfort them in their grief. I have a copy of that letter, and I treasure it for its simplicity and power.

She opened the letter with this sentence, “My heart is breaking with sorrow, and I don’t know what to say except to pick up life where it is broken, and try to live a life worthy of the parents who have gone before.”

My great-grandmother’s advice to “pick up life where it is broken” was not a simple platitude. She had experienced many times of picking up her own life. When she was a eight years old, her mother died in childbirth, and she was left to help take care of the household and mother her siblings. This was the 1880’s, and her life was not easy. Her family moved around from Kentucky to Missouri and finally to Oklahoma to homestead.

She met her future husband in Oklahoma, and together they homesteaded. They were original Sooners, having participated in the land run in 1890’s. She lost a four year old son to an infection. She watched another son, my grandfather, go off to fight in World War I. She lived through the Great Depression.

When she wrote this letter, she was suffering the greatest grief a mother could know-the death of her child. Yet, she reached out to comfort her grandchildren with her own simple words born of experience-“Pick up life where it is broken.”

I’ve heard a story of my great-grandmother her that shows what she was made of. She had been told by a doctor that she was dying. The family took a final family trip to Pike’s Peak. When they returned, she announced, “I’m not going to die.” She ended up living into her nineties.

Recently, I’ve been undergoing my own trials. In May, my husband was diagnosed with Parkinson’s. The day he was diagnosed, I re-read that letter. I had always treasured that letter for its history and beauty, but that day I felt like my great grandmother reached out from the past to comfort me and advise me. I knew that I needed to “pick up life where it is broken.” I had to keep moving forward.

In the months since the diagnosis, life has at times been difficult. I have often felt like giving up, but I know that I can’t do that. I have to, as a good friend likes to say, “keep plugging away.” I’m so grateful for the legacy I have from my great-grandmother, and for the advice that she left for me. I hope that I’ve inherited a bit of the resilience that she had, and that I can keep picking up life where it is broken, and leave that legacy for my own child.

Give the Class Act an Encore!

One of the big problems with one party rule is that the majority party begins taking the voters for granted. They think, sometimes correctly, that the voters will vote for anyone who is in the “right” party no matter who he is. A good example of that in our area is State Representative Tom Letson in the 64th District.

Let me start with my limited personal experience with Mr. Letson. Back in August, I attended a Northwest Neighborhood Association meeting where he spoke and answered questions in a town hall type setting.

Mr. Letson treated his constituents with disrespect and rudeness. At the beginning of his remarks, he referred to someone who wasn’t present with a vulgar word. A gentleman in the audience reminded Mr. Letson that he was in a church. Mr. Letson repeated the epithet. The gentleman again reminded Mr. Letson of where he was. Mr. Letson’s response was to make a smart aleck remark about Jesus riding a “donkey.”

Later, someone asked a question about upkeep on vacant lots. That person referred to the fact a weed filled lot could be both unsightly and dangerous. Mr. Letson responded with a rather bizarre statement about growing up on a farm and how beautiful a wheat field is. His attempt at humor was both strange and disrespectful to the person who asked the question.

When discussing Mr. Letson’s faults, I guess the most glaring are his personal issues. Some would say that his previous problems with taxes and his substance abuse issues are in the past, and it is not fair to bring them up in this election. However, I disagree. While I feel compassion for people who struggle with addiction-in fact two of the people I love most in the world have had these struggles-the skeptic in me cringes each time I see a public figure follow this same tired script that Mr. Letson followed back in January, 2011. It goes like this: public figure has an embarrassing mishap, accident, tax problem, etc.; public figure goes to rehab. Quite frankly, I think using the rehab card is a mockery to people who sincerely seek help.

Mr. Letson’s tax problems are a matter of public record, but let me review the facts for those who haven’t paid attention. In January of 2011, it came to light that Mr. Letson had a tax lien placed on his property by the IRS for $37,416.58 for taxes, interest, and penalties for the tax year 2006. WhiIe I understand how easy it can be to get into trouble with the IRS, my issue with this is not just that he owed that tax. In February of this year, Mr. Letson spoke to another newspaper about the tax issue. He said that he spent money he that he needed for his own taxes on his parents’ care, but that now all of his taxes have “since been paid.” As of September 13, 2012, the county recorder’s office still had the federal tax lien listed as unpaid. It is my understanding that once the taxes have been paid, and a form filed, that the lien must be released within 30 days. It seems to me that a sensible person, having paid those taxes, would make sure that he filed any forms necessary to have the lien released as soon as possible. I’m not sure if Mr. Letson was being dishonest in his interview; or if he doesn’t have the good sense to take care of the paperwork and get the lien off of his property. Neither option inspires much confidence.

More important than Mr. Letson’s personal deficiencies is his history of not putting the best interests of his constituents first. As a member of the Warren City Board of Health, he voted to approve the renewal of the Warren Recycling Landfill in spite of the Ohio EPA’s recommendations and the concerns of the community about the hazards posed by the landfill. It was eventually shut down and declared a Superfund cleanup site.

In 2009, Letson co-sponsored a bill to raise state income taxes by 4.3% and delay a planned tax decrease. In his version of the bill, the pay for state representatives was also increased. That’s right, folks, he co-sponsored a bill to increase taxes on his constituents while raising his own pay.

More recently, as outlined in a previous column, Mr. Letson assisted in successfully blocking the consolidation of the Eastern and Central District Courts. He and his fellow Democrats cared more about making sure the Democrats keep power than saving the taxpayers $150,000-$200,000 a year.

So do the people of the 64th District have an alternative this year? Yes, they do. Former State Representative Randy Law is Mr. Letson’s opponent.

While Mr. Law doesn’t come from a family of attorneys like Mr. Letson, he is a lifelong resident of this area. He has owned several businesses over the years and has been very involved in the community.

Mr. Law was elected to the Ohio House in 2004, and during his time there, he voted for the largest tax cut in state history. Representative Law also sponsored the Landfill Reform Bill as well as the Firefighter Safety Training Bill. It is especially important to note Mr. Law’s work on the Landfill Reform Bill in light on Mr. Letson’s failure in this while on the Warren City Board of Health. Mr. Law had to fight hard for this legislation working to convince his own party that it was the right thing to do. As a true public servant, he put the needs of his constituents before partisan politics.

This year the citizens of the 64th District need to realize that they deserve better than what they have. They have a choice between Letson and the better man. I’ve heard Mr. Law referred to as a “class act.” That is an apt description. I sincerely hope the voters choose to give the “class act” an encore.

Trumbull County, We have a problem...

Most people in Trumbull County know we have a septic problem. A few people understand why we have that problem, and even fewer people know how we can fix it.


First, a little Septic 101 for everyone: If a home can’t be tied in to a centralized sewer system, it must have a septic system. On lot septic systems have a tank for solid waste and the liquid waste or black water is filtered through the soil. All of the waste is contained to the property and none enters the streams and rivers (waters of the state). Off lot systems have a tank for solid waste and a filtering system that cleans the liquid waste before it enters the streams and rivers.

Where there are no central sewers available, the method preferred by the Ohio EPA is an on lot system. Unfortunately, in our area, we have a clay soil that does not filter the liquid waste well. In order to make an on lot system possible, work has to be done to the soil to make it filter. There is also usually a larger footprint required for this system; and of course, it can get very expensive. Usually it is impossible to have an on lot system for lots less than one acre. The Ohio EPA requires that all options be exhausted before an off lot system be installed.

From 1992 to 2002, the Trumbull County Board of Health did not follow Ohio Administrative Code for approving permits for off-lot systems. They also subdivided property into lots smaller than five acres without a plan for a central sewer system or a determination that such a system would be impracticable or inadvisable. As a result, in 2006, the Trumbull County Board of Health was sued by the State of Ohio. To settle that lawsuit, the parties entered into an agreement-the “consent decree.” In this agreement, the Trumbull County Board of Health agreed among other things to only allow off lot systems when it is impossible for the homeowner to connect to a central sewer system or to install an on lot system. They also agreed to only allow sand filter systems for off lot systems. In 2008, the agreement was amended to allow other filtration devices that are “certified by the manufacturer to meet or exceed the performance of a sand filter.” However, the guidelines for accepting these devices are established by the Trumbull County Board of Health.

To date, only two devices have been approved by the Trumbull County Board of Health. One of these is more expensive than the sand filter system. It is also even more unsightly than the sand filter system. We effectively have one system outside of the sand filter system that can be used in an off lot system. The Board of Health has created a monopoly for that manufacturer. Because we have the consent decree which gives TCHD the final authority to regulate competition, it costs more in Trumbull County to have an off lot system installed here than it does anywhere else in Ohio.

The Trumbull County Board of Health has rejected requests to approve another system that was approved by the Ohio Department of Health in 2010. This system was approved for use in all the other counties in Ohio. Our Board of Health believes that it doesn’t conform to the consent decree. Because of the consent decree, they have the power to set the guidelines for approving the systems.

What are the effects of this situation? The cost of putting in an off lot septic is higher here than anywhere in the state. We live in an area where home values are not that high to begin with. Often, when a property is sold, the septic needs to be replaced. Sometimes the cost of the new system is actually close to what the home is actually worth. Also, because our Board of Health now has the reputation of being unfair and heavy handed, people don’t want to buy in Trumbull County. By the way, the heavy handed reputation is earned. They have jailed people for not replacing their septic system. The sales of homes have been stalled making our already depressed economy even worse.

So what is the solution? First, we need to get out from under the consent decree. The intent of the decree was to make us compliant, but it has now become punitive with Trumbull County’s rules now being stricter than the rest of the state. The decree has been amended; why can’t it be revoked? The candidate for 64th District State Representative Randy Law thinks that it can. He believes that as state representative, he would be able to help put pressure on the Administration and the Ohio EPA to bring the parties to the table to agree to revoke the decree. In a candidate meet and greet in September, he vowed to be relentless in trying to solve this problem. Please note in 2005, when he was in the General Assembly, Mr. Law worked diligently to sponsor and pass the Landfill Reform Bill. So he has a history of working hard to solve difficult problems. Tom Letson, the incumbent in that race, hasn’t addressed this issue in the three terms he has been in office.

We also need to realize that we don’t just have a septic problem. We have a Trumbull County Board of Health problem. They have been heavy handed in the enforcement of this decree. Their creation of the monopoly for off lot systems has added to an already difficult situation. They need to be replaced. How do we do that? Understand that your township trustees and some village officials elect the Board of Health. Find out who your trustees are. Go to their meetings. Make sure they understand what is happening at our Board of Health. If they don’t listen, replace them. Remember this: two trustees from each township are up for re-election in 2013.

These people-the State Representatives, the trustees, the Board of Health- are public servants. If they forget that, we need to remember that We the People have the power to replace them. We need to use that power, or we will lose it. We need to pay more attention to what our public officials are doing and hold them accountable for their actions. If we don’t, things will just get worse; and we will have only ourselves to blame.

Hope

This past Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent, traditionally the Hope Sunday. I have been feeling pretty hopeLESS lately. Aside from being very overwhelmed by all that I have to do, I have a dear friend who is dying before my eyes. But as I've pondered Advent, I realize that it for just this hopelessness, that Jesus came to our earth. I went to the Creation museum in last week with my family. One of things that struck me as we looked at the exhibits is that the results of the first sin are the causes of hopelessness-illness, death, destruction. Jesus came to deliver us from sin and its resulting hopelessness. We can have hope in Him. I'm so thankful that I can see and feel that hope in the actions of people around me-my spouse who sees my pain and does all he can to help me, my Pastor who prays the prayers for me that I can not even form the words to say, my employees who sacrifice so I can spend time with my friend, and my friends who remind me they are praying for her and for me. I'm especially thankful for the Blessed Hope I have in Him that this world is not all there is.

Size 2

I want to be legally recognized as a Size 2. I know that historically the measurements of my jeans and me have not been recognized as the definition of a Size 2, but shouldn’t our definitions of such things evolve with the times in which we live. I shouldn’t have to conform to some narrow definition of a size 2 made of years ago by narrow minded bigoted people who don’t understand the way we modern people live our lives. For a while some judges ruled that I was legally a Size 2, and my jeans and I had a big party and invited all of our friends. Then some bigoted skinny people decided to put a measure on the ballot denying me my right to be legally recognized as a size 2.l and it passed. I can’t believe how fataphobic some people are. What does it hurt them if even though I weigh a hundred pounds more than a size 2 that we are both legally a size 2?

Random Thoughts on my week and current life

Okay, I have posted for a while. I've had a busy....er...three months. I decided I better post something, anything so here are some random thoughts....
I volunteered to be music minister at my church because nobody else wanted it. Mostly what I do is pick out the songs based on the sermon. My pastor has been using the Old Testament scriptures from the lectionary. This has presented challenges for me in picking out songs. This week is the worst. The sermon is on Deborah including where Jael puts a spike in Sisera's head. I came up with a few songs that somewhat fit the theme. Today I thought of a great one...If I had a hammer.
School has been challenging given my aforementioned busy-ness, but we're settling down to our new year in earnest now. I've made a bit of a switch to a more Latin centered classical. I'm using The Latin Centered Curriculum as a guide. It's more of a challenge for both of us, but I'm seeing some results. One of the recommended books is Tales of Shakespeare by Charles and Mary Lamb. The plays are re-written as stories, but they are at about a 6th grade level. Jack's been reading it and the other day he said, " Mom, wouldn't it be cool to go back and see a play by Shakespeare when he wrote it." It just warmed my heart to hear that. This book was in the "youth" section of the library we use. The children's librarian at the library tried to steer me to some easier versions of Shakespeare's plays. I politely told her that I wanted this book. I'm glad I did. Another thing we're doing is reading our way through American History. We're still in the early explorers stage, reading mostly biographies. We're reading a biography of Magellen right now. I usually try to read the book before Jack, but I've had to read it while he's reading this time. He's gotten ahead of me part of the time. The other night I was reading a chapter he'd already read. He asked, "Did you get to the mutiny, yet?" I hadn't, but then I told him when I had. He said, "Isn't it exciting?" I'm so glad he gets excited over history. This year for science, we're doing Botany. I'm very impaired when it comes to growing things. We planted herbs over a month ago and well, I'm pretty sure I'm just watering dirt these days. We're going to try again with some system my sister said is fool proof-We.. shall...see.... One thing that did grow is a bean seed we "planted" in a zippy bag with a wet paper towel and taped to the bathroom window. It's still growing long after the experiment was over. We've named it Jack's beanstalk.
Well I can't think of anything else to rattle on about so I'll close.

Jack's Baptism

Here it is: My first effort at Window's Moviemaker-a slide show of stills and video from Jack's baptism. He at first wanted "I'll Fly Away" as done by Jars of Clay but later decided he liked this song better. It definitely fits the theme better. By the way, some of these stills were taken by my pastor's wife, Carrie Miller, although I did do some editting on them.