By Las Vegas standards, New Orleans' Super Bowl victory yesterday was an upset.
But from this religion journalist's point of view, how could anyone be surprised that a team named the Saints would be victorious?

Next year I'd like to see the Saints take on the New Jersey Devils in a caged battle royale.
We'll see who's side God is on and whether He really cares about trivial matters like the outcomes of sports matches.

* * *
Trivia for the day:

The word "plumber" comes from the Latin plumbum, for lead (the chemical). The danger of working with lead was known at least since the time of the Romans, when the architect Faventinus observed the "deformity" and "dreadful anemic pallor" of plumbers.

* * *

Got a press release today about a new band called the Cancer Bats. Brings up some bizarre images, in my mind.
Band names are often meaningless anyway.
What does a band name mean, anyway? As Paul McCartney once said, the Beatles is just a name, it could have been the Shoes, and the music would have been the same. Or as Shakespeare put it, A rose by any other name would smell as sweet.

One time when I was covering the music beat there was a new band coming to town called the Ass Ponys (raise your hand if you ever heard of them... didn't think so.)
I was going to write about their upcoming concert in town but was concerned about whether my button-down editor would allow me to print the name in our newspaper.
After consulting with him about it, I could see he was very uncomfortable and struggling to find a way to accommodate my request without seeming either draconian or priggish.
On the spur of the moment, I came up with this crazy compromise: "How about if I just call them the Ponys?"
He let out an audible sigh of relief. "Can you do that? That would be great!"
So the Ass Ponys were renamed the Ponys just for one night, in one newspaper.
But their music was the same -- with or without the Ass.
(Hey, the word's in the Bible, don't be so judgmental!)

* * *
I got a phone call from someone today who went to seminary with Bishop Leonard Paul Blair of Toledo. He did not have very nice things to say about his classmate and future bishop. It was nothing scandalous, just very unflattering, and I won't repeat them in this space.
He did have something positive to say about Bishop Blair, however. He said he was "a real egghead" who got a 4.0 plus.
* * *
I received a separate phone call today from a reader complaining about the diocese's decision to rename some Fremont Catholic schools after the late Bishop James Hoffman. (Here is a link to the story).
I always liked Bishop Hoffman as a person, and he was good to the local news media. But he led the diocese during the worst crisis in modern memory for the Roman Catholic church, when the clerical sexual abuse scandal broke, and that crisis caused a lot of grief for a lot of people. The pain and suffering are still very real for many people, as I often hear while making my daily rounds.

This little amusing historical question is from my daily Car Talk desk calendar:

Question:
In 1415, English King Henry V invaded France. After months of battle without victory, Henry decided to pack his bags. His army was tired, ill, and desperate for a proper cup of Earl Grey.

The French had outnumbered the Brits four to one. They pledged to smash the invaders, then take the surviving Brits and remove certain body parts so they couldn't fight again. (Not those parts, sicko!).

Heavy rain fell, and the French got bogged down. The Brits wan! To celebrate, they displayed the parts that would have been cut off. What were they brandishing? (Hint: The gesture is now a popular symbol.)

Answer:
The English forces consisted primarily of longbow archers, while the French were bogged down in a valley. The English overwhelmed them with a rain of arrows from above.
Thye French had threatened to cut off the index and middle fingers of each bowman's right hand, which are used ot pull back the bowstring.
By holding up those two fingers, the English (not Richard Nixon) invented the "V" for Victory sign.

Sacre bleu!
After doing some quick research online, this piece of trivia is frequently cited as true, but there are some historians who express doubts. Good story, though.
My question:
How did the two fingers become a symbol for peace?

Any excuse for a party, right?
I don't watch NFL football very much and only care about a few teams, particularly the Tampa Bay Buccaneers because I was living in Tampa when the team was launched and lost its first 23 games. That kind of streak will separate the real fans from the posers.
So tonight the mighty New Orleans Saints and the Indianapolis Colts will square off in the Super Bowl.
A Nielsen survey showed that 51 percent of the estimated 98 million people who will be watching said they tune into the Super Bowl for the commercials while 49 percent said they watch it for the football.
(The commercials sell for $2 million to $3 million for 30 seconds. Kind of hard to fathom how that makes sense in this depression era.)
I think for most people it's a day when friends and family get together and have a good time.
At this point I think I will be rooting for the Saints because of what the city went through with Katrina and also because the team has never won a Super Bowl.
Also, how can a Christian root against a team whose nickname is the Saints?
Just kidding.
The Colts are a good team but since Tony Dungy retired as head coach there's nobody on the Colts I really care about. And I still think they should be in Baltimore... Showing my age here.
Dungy, incidentally, will be speaking in Toledo at Central Catholic High School in March. I might go see him.
So have a fun time tonight and don't eat too many nachos.
* * *
Watched a movie recently called "Serenity," and was pleasantly surprised at the quality of the writing and the sci-fi action. It was written and directed by Joss Whedon and I was trying to place that name... thanks to IMDB.com, I found that Whedon was the guy who wrote Buffy the Vampire Slayer. I never really watched that show but I have some friends who love it and I know it was intelligently written. "Serenity" had some terrific dialogue and I loved the characters, who were witty and had depth, especially the ship's captain.

Summer Glau played a big part as a pschotic government research project who shows suprising powers. She was great as a terminator in the Sarah Connor Chronicles TV series.

We had a little snow last night -- probably 2 or 3 inches. Nothing compared to the DC area. Strange how the biggest snowstorms so far have skated past northern Ohio and pummeled the more southern states like Virginia and Maryland.
I'm not complaining.
I shoveled the sidewalk and driveway this morning but it wasn't bad, especially since Dustin (my son-in-law) shoveled it last night.
* * *
Here's a word from today's Bible reading:

"Do not cook a young goat in its mother's milk." -- Exodus 23:19.

Just in case you were wondering.
* * *
I really enjoyed meeting and interviewing Leah Stern, a tv news anchor in Israel who was making a speaking tour of the United States. She was born in the United States (Detroit, actually) and grew up in Miami before moving to Israel at age 24. She's 29 now and is the news anchor of the Israeli Broadcasting Authority, an English-speaking government owned station.
She's a special person, funny and smart and very perceptive. She is someone who inspires others around her. I'm not surprised Leah moved up the ladder so quickly. I'm also not surprised she gets marriage proposals from around the world. She said one guy in Mexico proposes weekly and another guy in Jamaica always says how much he loves "the blonde blue-eyed Jew girl." Unfortunately for them, she got married a year ago.
Here is a link to the article I wrote that ran today.
* * *
Still adapting to life without facebook. I didn't use it that much but it did provide some kind of ethereal link to many old friends and relatives. Just knowing it was there was a comfort. On the other hand it was also a hassle. As you can see, I have mixed feelings about the whole thing. I will keep pondering.
* * *
I'm now reading "Brunelleschi's Dome" by Ross King, about the 14th century goldsmith-turned-architect who designed the huge and majestic dome of the Santa Maria del Fiore cathedral that still graces the skyline today of Florence, Italy.
It was an architectural wonder of its day and Filippo Brunelleschi's innovative design and scientific insights were amazing. King is a clear, thorough and concise writer, very impressive.
* * *
I'm almost done listening to the audio book (while driving) "Soul Survivor" by Dean Koontz. This is another amazingly taut and intriguing tale that keeps you gripped from the start, although it does get a little heavyhanded at moments in its descriptions. The plot takes a few really fantastic turns but it all sounds logical in Koontz's masterful hands as he blends a real-world thriller with human suffering, mourning, and paranoia that leads to an unforgettable supernatural showdown.
* * *
I'm also going back over the lessons in "Bobby Fischer Teaches Chess." Fischer was the most exciting chess player ever and it is a treat to read his thoughts on strategy and tactics.

THE WHITE HOUSE

Office of the Press Secretary

______________________________________________________________________

February 4, 2010

REMARKS BY THE PRESIDENT

AT THE NATIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST

Washington Hilton
Washington, D.C.

9:08 A.M. EST

THE PRESIDENT: Thank you. Thank you very much. Please be seated.

Thank you so much. Heads of state, Cabinet members, my outstanding Vice President, members of Congress, religious leaders, distinguished guests, Admiral Mullen -- it's good to see all of you. Let me begin by acknowledging the co-chairs of this breakfast, Senators Isakson and Klobuchar, who embody the sense of fellowship at the heart of this gathering. They're two of my favorite senators. Let me also acknowledge the director of my faith-based office, Joshua DuBois, who is here. Where's Joshua? He's out there somewhere. He's doing great work. (Applause.)

I want to commend Secretary Hillary Clinton on her outstanding remarks, and her outstanding leadership at the State Department. She's doing good every day. (Applause.) I'm especially pleased to see my dear friend, Prime Minister Zapatero, and I want him to relay America's greetings to the people of Spain. And Johnny, you are right, I'm deeply blessed, and I thank God every day for being married to Michelle Obama. (Applause.)

I'm privileged to join you once again, as my predecessors have for over half a century. Like them, I come here to speak about the ways my faith informs who I am -- as a President, and as a person. But I'm also here for the same reason that all of you are, for we all share a recognition -- one as old as time -- that a willingness to believe, an openness to grace, a commitment to prayer can bring sustenance to our lives.

There is, of course, a need for prayer even in times of joy and peace and prosperity. Perhaps especially in such times prayer is needed -- to guard against pride and to guard against complacency. But rightly or wrongly, most of us are inclined to seek out the divine not in the moment when the Lord makes His face shine upon us, but in moments when God's grace can seem farthest away.

Last month, God's grace, God's mercy, seemed far away from our neighbors in Haiti. And yet I believe that grace was not absent in the midst of tragedy. It was heard in prayers and hymns that broke the silence of an earthquake's wake. It was witnessed among parishioners of churches that stood no more, a roadside congregation, holding bibles in their laps. It was felt in the presence of relief workers and medics; translators; servicemen and women, bringing water and food and aid to the injured.

One such translator was an American of Haitian descent, representative of the extraordinary work that our men and women in uniform do all around the world -- Navy Corpsman Christian [sic] Brossard. And lying on a gurney aboard the USNS Comfort, a woman asked Christopher: "Where do you come from? What country? After my operation," she said, "I will pray for that country." And in Creole, Corpsman Brossard responded, "Etazini." The United States of America.

God's grace, and the compassion and decency of the American people is expressed through the men and women like Corpsman Brossard. It's expressed through the efforts of our Armed Forces, through the efforts of our entire government, through similar efforts from Spain and other countries around the world. It's also, as Secretary Clinton said, expressed through multiple faith-based efforts. By evangelicals at World Relief. By the American Jewish World Service. By Hindu temples, and mainline Protestants, Catholic Relief Services, African American churches, the United Sikhs. By Americans of every faith, and no faith, uniting around a common purpose, a higher purpose.

It's inspiring. This is what we do, as Americans, in times of trouble. We unite, recognizing that such crises call on all of us to act, recognizing that there but for the grace of God go I, recognizing that life's most sacred responsibility -- one affirmed, as Hillary said, by all of the world's great religions -- is to sacrifice something of ourselves for a person in need.

Sadly, though, that spirit is too often absent when tackling the long-term, but no less profound issues facing our country and the world. Too often, that spirit is missing without the spectacular tragedy, the 9/11 or the Katrina, the earthquake or the tsunami, that can shake us out of complacency. We become numb to the day-to-day crises, the slow-moving tragedies of children without food and men without shelter and families without health care. We become absorbed with our abstract arguments, our ideological disputes, our contests for power. And in this Tower of Babel, we lose the sound of God's voice.

Now, for those of us here in Washington, let's acknowledge that democracy has always been messy. Let's not be overly nostalgic. (Laughter.) Divisions are hardly new in this country. Arguments about the proper role of government, the relationship between liberty and equality, our obligations to our fellow citizens -- these things have been with us since our founding. And I'm profoundly mindful that a loyal opposition, a vigorous back and forth, a skepticism of power, all of that is what makes our democracy work.

And we've seen actually some improvement in some circumstances. We haven't seen any canings on the floor of the Senate any time recently. (Laughter.) So we shouldn't over-romanticize the past. But there is a sense that something is different now; that something is broken; that those of us in Washington are not serving the people as well as we should. At times, it seems like we're unable to listen to one another; to have at once a serious and civil debate. And this erosion of civility in the public square sows division and distrust among our citizens. It poisons the well of public opinion. It leaves each side little room to negotiate with the other. It makes politics an all-or-nothing sport, where one side is either always right or always wrong when, in reality, neither side has a monopoly on truth. And then we lose sight of the children without food and the men without shelter and the families without health care.

Empowered by faith, consistently, prayerfully, we need to find our way back to civility. That begins with stepping out of our comfort zones in an effort to bridge divisions. We see that in many conservative pastors who are helping lead the way to fix our broken immigration system. It's not what would be expected from them, and yet they recognize, in those immigrant families, the face of God. We see that in the evangelical leaders who are rallying their congregations to protect our planet. We see it in the increasing recognition among progressives that government can't solve all of our problems, and that talking about values like responsible fatherhood and healthy marriage are integral to any anti-poverty agenda. Stretching out of our dogmas, our prescribed roles along the political spectrum, that can help us regain a sense of civility.

Civility also requires relearning how to disagree without being disagreeable; understanding, as President [Kennedy] said, that "civility is not a sign of weakness." Now, I am the first to confess I am not always right. Michelle will testify to that. (Laughter.) But surely you can question my policies without questioning my faith, or, for that matter, my citizenship. (Laughter and applause.)

Challenging each other's ideas can renew our democracy. But when we challenge each other's motives, it becomes harder to see what we hold in common. We forget that we share at some deep level the same dreams -- even when we don't share the same plans on how to fulfill them.

We may disagree about the best way to reform our health care system, but surely we can agree that no one ought to go broke when they get sick in the richest nation on Earth. We can take different approaches to ending inequality, but surely we can agree on the need to lift our children out of ignorance; to lift our neighbors from poverty. We may disagree about gay marriage, but surely we can agree that it is unconscionable to target gays and lesbians for who they are -- whether it's here in the United States or, as Hillary mentioned, more extremely in odious laws that are being proposed most recently in Uganda.

Surely we can agree to find common ground when possible, parting ways when necessary. But in doing so, let us be guided by our faith, and by prayer. For while prayer can buck us up when we are down, keep us calm in a storm; while prayer can stiffen our spines to surmount an obstacle -- and I assure you I'm praying a lot these days -- (laughter) -- prayer can also do something else. It can touch our hearts with humility. It can fill us with a spirit of brotherhood. It can remind us that each of us are children of a awesome and loving God.

Through faith, but not through faith alone, we can unite people to serve the common good. And that's why my Office of Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships has been working so hard since I announced it here last year. We've slashed red tape and built effective partnerships on a range of uses, from promoting fatherhood here at home to spearheading interfaith cooperation abroad. And through that office we've turned the faith-based initiative around to find common ground among people of all beliefs, allowing them to make an impact in a way that's civil and respectful of difference and focused on what matters most.

It is this spirit of civility that we are called to take up when we leave here today. That's what I'm praying for. I know in difficult times like these -- when people are frustrated, when pundits start shouting and politicians start calling each other names -- it can seem like a return to civility is not possible, like the very idea is a relic of some bygone era. The word itself seems quaint -- civility.

But let us remember those who came before; those who believed in the brotherhood of man even when such a faith was tested. Remember Dr. Martin Luther King. Not long after an explosion ripped through his front porch, his wife and infant daughter inside, he rose to that pulpit in Montgomery and said, "Love is the only force capable of transforming an enemy into a friend."

In the eyes of those who denied his humanity, he saw the face of God.

Remember Abraham Lincoln. On the eve of the Civil War, with states seceding and forces gathering, with a nation divided half slave and half free, he rose to deliver his first Inaugural and said, "We are not enemies, but friends… Though passion may have strained, it must not break our bonds of affection."

Even in the eyes of confederate soldiers, he saw the face of God.

Remember William Wilberforce, whose Christian faith led him to seek slavery's abolition in Britain; he was vilified, derided, attacked; but he called for "lessening prejudices [and] conciliating good-will, and thereby making way for the less obstructed progress of truth."

In the eyes of those who sought to silence a nation's conscience, he saw the face of God.

Yes, there are crimes of conscience that call us to action. Yes, there are causes that move our hearts and offenses that stir our souls. But progress doesn't come when we demonize opponents. It's not born in righteous spite. Progress comes when we open our hearts, when we extend our hands, when we recognize our common humanity. Progress comes when we look into the eyes of another and see the face of God. That we might do so -- that we will do so all the time, not just some of the time -- is my fervent prayer for our nation and the world.

Thank you, God bless you, and God bless the United States of America. (Applause.)

(9:25 AM)

I deactivated my Facebook account. It was getting to be too much hassle for a number of reasons. One of the main reasons is that people were sending me stuff related to my work and expecting me to act upon it. I only did FB for fun and want to separate my private life from my professional life.
I also was too lenient in letting people be my "friend". I didn't know everyone who signed on and figured some of them read my book or some article I had written. When one of them happened to be an attractive young lady it created some tensions at home and I didn't need that.
Besides, I rarely was on FB. I never look at people's profiles. I posted updates once in a while from my blackberry and the blog on davidyonke.com was linked to FB, so whenever I posted a blog it would pop up on Facebook and I'd often get comments about it.

Now people can just go to my website if they want to read my blog. Here is a link.

That will be better for me anyway, because it will give me a more accurate account of how many readers and hits the blog is getting. Last week my blog had more than 4,300 unique visits, and that doesn't count the people who read it on FB.
Anyway, if you were a FB "friend" and want to stay in touch you can read my blog and send me emails. My work email address can be found all over the internet. My personal email is davidyonke@hotmail.com.
Or you can follow me on Twitter. I might be using that more frequently now. My Twitter name is Whirlpeace.
Hasta la vista, amigos y amigas.

Today's the anniversary of the 1959 plane crash that killed Buddy Holly, Richie Valens and the Big Bopper. Sad day in pop music history. Buddy Holly had an enormous impact on rock and roll in his all-too-brief time on this planet.
* * *
A few news stories that came up recently made me think again how suddenly someone can be thrown into the midst of difficult or impossible circumstances, without warning or preparation.
One woman was driving along a Toledo street last month when she witnessed a rape being committed in broad daylight. She called 911 and the alleged rapist was caught within a few hours. But the woman who saw the crime said she has been haunted by it and has had trouble sleeping. She wishes she had intervened. Police said she did the right thing, however. It's best for citizens to call police rather than put themselves at risk. Still, a tough situation for anyone. And who knows how many people drove by without doing anything at all.
Second, a Fremont man was in his yard near the semi-frozen Sandusky River when he saw some children go through the broken ice. The man tried to rescue them by throwing the kids a rope but it was to no avail.
The man talked to a reporter, crying the whole time, about how he tried to help but could not save the boys. He said he is not a good swimmer, wished he could have done more. One boy survived but three drowned.
What a pressure situation to be in. What would anyone do? At least the man tried.

Two different scenarios, two innocent bystanders find themselves thrust into emergency scenarios -- one a horrible crime and the other literally a life-or-death moment. The memories of those moments will stay with these people for the rest of their lives.

I have no answers, just the observation that life is full of surprises that you cannot prepare for, except to do whatever you can when the situations arise.
* * *
We're going to miss Kurt Warner on the football field. His story is unique and inspiring -- going from stocking shelves at a grocery store to throwing footballs for millions of dollars in the NFL and even winning the Super Bowl.
All the while, Warner was upfront and bold about his Christian faith, without being obnoxious. My wife Janet is one of his biggest fans, mainly because he's a fierce competitor, a good Christian man, and, as she points out often, he's good looking.

I may have pulled a little sleight-of-hand trick with that headline, but here's what it means:
We went to Rockford this weekend to see our precious daughter Lisa who celebrated her birthday today (Happy Birthday, Darling!). We had a great time, the whole family was there for part of the weekend.
Rockford, where Lisa is on staff at Rockford First church, is the hometown of Cheap Trick. When we got back home to Sylvania tonight, I decided to skip the Grammys and watch "It Might Get Loud." That guitar-centric documentary features three musicians including the Edge -- hence the headline -- along with Jack White and Jimmy Page.
It's sort of an odd, but interesting, trio of guitarists from three different eras each with his own distinctive style and voice.
The documentary is interesting especially for a guitar fan with an interest in rock and blues history like myself. I thought the film would feature more interplay among the three musicians but it basically consists of three separate stories woven together with a few brief moments of the three together. Still worthwhile for serious music fans.
(As a side note, I've never had the pleasure of interviewing Jimmy Page or Dave Evans aka the Edge, but I did get to ask Jack White a few questions by e-mail).
* * *
Here are two great quotes I scribbled down while watching the film:

"'Spinal Tap,' that's a movie that I watched. I didn't laugh, I wept. It was so close to the truth."

"Wanna figure out how you want to play guitar, what your niche would be, you just start digging deeper. When you're digging deeper into rock and roll, you're on a freight train headed straight for the blues."

I didn't write this one down but Page said music critics just never understood Led Zeppelin, and when Led Zep IV came out they (Rolling Stone? he didn't say) wrote a mere one paragraph review.
The album "had a lot on it," Page commented, citing "When the Levee Breaks," "Black Dog," and "Stairway to Heaven." That really IS quite a lot, deserving of some serious musical criticism.
He stopped reading reviews after that.
Page had a reputation as a real wildman when he was in Zeppelin, living life to the max and beyond. He rarely gave interviews and had this mysterious aura about him. There were all kinds of rumors about him and the occult, living in Alistair Crowley's house and writing "Stairway" through "automatic writing," which some would say is demonic possession.
I have no idea if there was any truth to any of those rumors, but Jimmy Page seems very normal and very sober in "It Might Get Loud."
And the former London session guitarist is an awesome musician. His sound and fury on "Whole Lotta Love" is one of the most primal and powerful guitar riffs in rock and roll history.

* * *
While in Schaumburg we went to a movie, which some say is a cute chick flick but as far as I'm concerned it was one of the worst movies I've ever seen: "When in Rome."
It ranged from predictable to ridiculous to pathetic. I think I almost laughed once and was constantly fighting the urge to get out my blackberry and surf the net.
Danny DeVito's role as "the sausage king" is destined for the Hall of Shame.
Don't be a fool with your hard-earned money and don't encourage Hollywood to make more drivel... Do your part and stay far away from "When In Rome."

You're probably wondering where I've been lately. My usually endless meanderings have been few and far between the last few weeks.
The reason is simply that I am working new, later hours and have several additional duties at work and the combination of the extra work and the weird schedule have crimped my blogging time.
In addition, I am working on my novel fairly diligently in the mornings.
But as I settle into this world in which craziness and stress are "the new normal," I pledge to get my blog back into high gear.
So we've got some catching up to do.
* * *
Here are a few quick thoughts...
Did you see President Obama's State of the Union address? I watched the whole thing and was disappointed. He made a strong point that he is trying to do away with politics as usual and build unity and respect among both parties, then he proceeded to blame most of the nation's woes on his Republican predecessor. Sounded like doublespeak to me.
The man is brilliant and a good orator but his approval ratings are dropping fast and he sounded to me like someone who wants to point fingers at everyone else while patting himself on the back. I guess that's politics as usual in the White House.
* * *
Did you watch "Hope for Haiti Now" on the tube last weekend? It was a nice effort and last thing I heard was it raised $57 million -- probably more by now. We pledged what we could. That nation has been in dire straits for decades and that terrible earthquake pushed it over the edge.
I was extremely disappointed in the performance by Bono and the Edge of U2 with Jay-Z. Bono was reduced to a background singer as Jay-Z rapped in the main spotlight. It was a song I would never, ever buy or listen to. As much as I respect and appreciate Paul & Dave, they could have stayed home and mailed it in.
Some of the performances that night were terrific, particularly Neil Young and Dave Matthews as a duo, and Bruce Springsteen did a nice job on "We Shall Overcome." Jennifer Hudson's interpretation of "Let It Be" was beautifully done, although I question whether the lyrics are appropriate for a disaster relief benefit ("let it be" in Haiti?).
To my surprise, I thought the best performance of the night was Madonna's "Like a Prayer."
* * *
It was 3 degrees in Toledo when I woke up this morning. Yikes. That's getting downright chilly. I wish I was in Florida right now, with my brother and friends who are heading to Daytona for their annual prilgrimage to the Rolex 24 Hours auto race. I've gone a few times in recent years and it's great to witness men (and women) and their machines in such a grueling contest. But it's more fun just hanging out with Rick, Peter, Duane, Roland, Randy, Justin, Adrian, Mike, and the rest of the motley crew.
* * *
Have you been watching "American Idol"? Don't you just love the early rounds with all the weirdos, wackos, and no-talent wannabes? This year gave us "Pants on the Ground" and one contestant led away in handcuffs. What fun!
* * *
Among my current jumble of books I'm reading is Dean Koontz's Sole Survivor. He had a powerful line in it about a guy who grew up Catholic (Koontz is Catholic). I don't have it in front of me but it went pretty much like this: "He went to church with his parents faithfully, but without faith."

Gerald Robinson, the Toledo priest convicted of murdering a nun, was back in Lucas County Common Pleas Court yesterday for the first time since he was led away in cuffs in 2006.
This time, the priest was watching proceedings by video camera from Hocking Correctional Facility in southern Ohio.
The two-hour hearing was very focused on the fine lines of his legal efforts to get a new trial. Judge Gene Zmuda questioned prosecutor Dean Mandros and defense attorneys Rick Kerger and John Donahue over important legal points that for lay persons sounded like a law school symposium. But of course this is the American system at work, and the weight of the arguments and the ultimate decision by Judge Zmuda affect people's lives in profound ways -- not the least of whom is Gerald Robinson. The judge's ruling will determine whether the priest will walk out of prison a free man, or spend the rest of his life condemned behind bars.
* * *
One of the new issues raised in court yesterday was the discovery of an unknown number -- some say 70 -- police reports from the 1980 investigation into Sister Margaret Ann Pahl's murder that had been misfiled.
Dean Mandros said the information contained in those reports was nothing significant, but so far the judge and the defense attorneys have not reviewed the documents. As Rick Kerger said, he is not doubting Mr. Mandros' integrity but he would like to have the opportunity to make his own determination whether the newly discovered police reports are significant.
Mandros told me they did not include notes from police interviews with Father Swiatecki -- whom Robinson's appeals team asserts is the real killer -- nor the interrogations of Father Robinson, of which no copies have been seen since the cold case reopened its investigation in 2003. Those documents may not even exist because there are some who say the police official charged with filling out the paperwork had a habit of letting the reports slide.
* * *
If Judge Zmuda does grant an evidentiary hearing, that does not mean he feels Robinson deserves a new trial, only that more evidence needs to be reviewed and discussed in the case.
He would then decide whether or not to grant a new trial.
* * *
Arguments by the defense attempting to implicate Father Swiatecki have really dredged up some unflattering allegations.
The deceased priest's former housekeeper, Sister Dorothy Marie Balabush, signed an affidavit on Robinson's behalf saying Fr. Swiatecki was an alcoholic with a "hair trigger," a wood carver who collected knives, and that he deliberately left hard-core pornography out for her to see when he she was scheduled to clean his apartment.
* * *
Late last year, the Ohio Innocence Project tested the DNA of Fr. Swiatecki to compare it to DNA found on Sr. Margaret Ann's fingernails. It was not a match.
That does not prove a whole lot because DNA has not played a role in this case, but one Robinson supporter told me recently that he has doubts about whether the DNA really was from Swiatecki. The prosecutors obtained the DNA sample from the hospital, from lab tests when Swiatecki underwent surgery to have a tumor removed.
The sample could have been mislabeled, the Robinson support suggested.
The only way to be sure would be to exhume the dead priest's body and obtain a new DNA sample.
While it is possible that a lab specimen could be mislabeled, I would consider that a longshot. But then again this is a case full of longshots.
* * *
The gallery at the hearing yesterday was fairly small but there were some Robinson devotees there, including a trio of blue-haired ladies and a couple who are close friends and attended every day of the 2006 trial.

Here is a link to the article that ran today.

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Robinson looked more attentive at yesterday's hearing than he did at his trial in 2006. He looked at the camera, seemed to show interest, and you could see some facial expressions in reaction to testimony.
During the murder trial, he stared blankly, with virtually no expression on his face, almost the entire time. He even seemed to doze off periodically. Many observers thought he was taking some kind of mood-altering drugs or some sedatives, but I've been told by his defense attorneys that was not the case.