Keywords by David Yonke

(I'm going to miss my daily New Yorker cartoon catalogue. I should get a new one for 2009).

Here is a link to The Blade article published today on the Ohio Supreme Court deciding not to hear Robinson's appeal.

First of all: Happy Birthday, Dana! You are such a blessing and a joy to me! It's an honor and a privilege to be your Dad.
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News from Reuters:
A new prayer for laid-off workers has been published by the Church of England. Only the British would use the phrase "being made redundant" in the title. But the need for such prayer is definitely not restricted to the United Kingdom.
Maybe this prayer will provide some hope and solace to people:

LONDON - The Church of England published a prayer Tuesday to help comfort Britons who lose their jobs in the financial crisis.
"Hear me as I cry out in confusion, help me to think clearly, and calm my soul," says the "Prayer On Being Made Redundant."
The church, part of the global Anglican church, also offered a prayer for those who keep their jobs but suffer stress and feelings of guilt when colleagues are fired.
"Who will be next? How will I cope with the increased pressure of work?" asks the "Prayer For Those Remaining In The Workplace."
As many as 600,000 Britons could lose their jobs this year, a report from the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development forecast last month.
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I went to Findlay today to cover a lecture by a professor and theologian about the didache. Have you heard of that before? I admit to ignorance on the topic. It was a manual for new Christians written sometime in the early 1st century.
I hope it will be an interesting story. It's always a challenge to take a scholarly lecture on an esoteric religious topic and make it interesting to general readers.
But I figure if I find it interesting, there will be some readers who also find it interesting. I just need to get past the narrow niche audience and put it in a broader perspective.
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Last weekend, I helped my daughter and her fiancee paint an apartment they will be moving into after the wedding. Just to make it clear, they are not living there yet! They weren't planning to rent the apartment until March, but the owners called with a deal that if they rented it now, they would not have to pay anything for two months and then would get $20 off their bill every month thereafter.
Too good to pass up. And meanwhile, they can fix the place up to their liking.
While painting, we put on some music and the soundtrack to Rent came on. I've seen a lot of Broadway musicals but this was the only one that really hit me emotionally. I was not expecting it, because the characters' lifestyles are polar opposite from me. But the play was so beautifully written and captured so much of human nature and life's struggles that it has universal appeal.
It's a tragedy that the brilliant writer, Jonathan Larson, died the night before the play opened on Broadway. He won the Pulitzer and Tony awards posthumously.
One of the most moving and beautiful songs from the play is "Seasons of Love," which breaks down a year into the number of minutes, and then poses questions about how, or whether, you can quantify the passage of time.

"525,600 minutes, 525,000 moments so dear. 525,600 minutes - how do you measure, measure a year? In daylights, in sunsets, in midnights, in cups of coffee. In inches, in miles, in laughter, in strife. In 525,600 minutes - how do you measure a year in the life? How about love? How about love? How about love? Measure in love. Seasons of love."

Since the invention of the clock, we can break our days down into quantities. But it's not a numerical unit, as Larson so aptly reminds us. It's the moments and the sights and the feelings and the experiences of being alive, of being human.
As the year 2009 gets rolling, I challenge you -- and myself -- to make the most of those 525,600 minutes. Live each one to the fullest. There is no need to waste even one single solitary minute. They are all too precious. Life is too precious.
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I've got much to say today, now that I'm back in the blogosphere groove. But I've run out of time for the moment. But stay tuned, I'll be back soon.
Thanks for reading. Happy new year and best wishes in 2009.
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Toledo, Ohio
Jan. 6, 2009

When I was a kid, I loved school and never wanted to miss a day. But I didn't love it quite as much as the 6-year-old in this news story, reported by the Associated Press. You've got to give the kid an A+ for effort. -- David
p.s. If you are under 16 years old and don't have a license, don't try this at home! Even if you have to miss Phys Ed.

Six-Year-Old Takes Family Car After Missing School Bus

Date: Wednesday, January 07, 2009, 12:36 pm
By: Associated Press

WICOMICO CHURCH, Va. - A six-year-old Virginia boy who missed his bus tried to drive to school in his family's sedan - and crashed. His parents were charged with child endangerment.

State police said the boy suffered only minor injuries and authorities drove him to school after he was evaluated at a local hospital for a bump on his head. He arrived shortly after lunch, Sgt. Tom Cunningham said.

It happened around 7:40 a.m. Monday on Route 360, about 61 miles east of Richmond.

The boy, whose name wasn't released, missed the bus, took the keys to his family's 2005 Ford Taurus and drove nearly six miles toward school while his mother was asleep, police said.

He made at least two 90-degree turns, passed several cars and ran off the rural two-lane road several times before hitting an embankment and utility pole about a mile and a half from school.

The boy told police he learned to drive playing Grand Theft Auto and Monster Truck Jam video games.

"He was very intent on getting to school," said Northumberland County Sheriff Chuck Wilkins. "When he got out of the car, he started walking to school. He did not want to miss breakfast and PE."

His parents, Jacqulyn Deana Waltman, 26, and David Eugene Dodson, 40, are each charged with child endangerment, Wilkins said. Waltman is being held without bond. Dodson was released on a $5,000 bond.

It was not clear if they had attorneys.

The boy and his four-year-old brother were placed in protective custody.

"This really is a story of miracles," Wilkins said. "The Lord was with him, along with everybody else on the highway."

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Sylvania, Ohio
Jan. 7, 2009

Here's a news item that would be funny if it weren't true: Toledo's shining star of the presidential campaign, "Joe the Plumber," is heading to Israel for a job as a war correspondent. He has been hired by a website I've never heard of, pjtv.com.

It all fits the mold.
Consider:
* Joe the Plumber's first name is really Samuel (last name: Wurzelbacher).
* He is not a licensed plumber.
Our friend Joe is consistent with his resume: He's not a real Joe, he's not a real plumber, and now he's not a real journalist.
He has said he might run for political office. With his kind of credentials, he probably would fit right in in Washington.
Plumbing, reporting, it's all the same, right? But if you need any plumbing done around the house ... please don't call me.
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Sylvania, Ohio
Jan. 7, 2009

Event announcement:
“Extreme Cage Fight War,” featuring the best new cage fighters including five-time UFC World Champion Team Miletich in 15 no-holds-barred fights, plus a special boxing bout featuring figure skating bad girl Tonya Harding at the Palace of Auburn Hills, on Saturday, January 24 at 7 p.m.

The Nancy Kerrigan knee-clubbing incident occurred 15 years ago this week (in Detroit), and Tonya Harding is still exploiting her moment of infamy. She's stretched Andy Warhol's "15 Minutes of Fame" comment into 15 years of cheap shots and pseudo-stardom.
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Happy Birthday, Elvis... The King would have been 74 years old today. Or if the conspiracy theorists are right, maybe he really is 74 years old and flipping burgers in Kalamazoo.
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Quote of the day: "If the church wants a better pastor, it only needs to pray for the one it has."
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Toledo, Ohio
Jan. 8, 2009

The snow has been falling, light and delicate as stardust, all night and day here in northwest Ohio. It's actually quite beautiful, despite my usual grumbling about winter storms, although we've only gotten 7 inches so far and may end up with as much as a foot of snow.
It's a nice change of pace when you can sit back and watch the snow cover the trees and fences and roads -- as long as you don't have to go anywhere. I had the whole day free, except for a few chores and some fiction writing. So I didn't have to drive, which changes my whole outlook on the snow. Usually when the snow flies I am in a hurry to get somewhere and it's no fun dealing with the nerve-wracking slippery roads. Today was a nice break.
I shoveled the driveway and took my dog(s) for a walk (I have one dog, Scotty, and my daughter Cara has one).
Here's a glimpse of what it looked like out there today:

Winter is not my favorite season but there is something to be said for the climate changes. Winter is a time for working indoors, getting things done around the house that you don't want to do when the weather is so nice it tempts you outdoors.
It's also a wonderful feeling to curl up by the fireplace on a snowy night and read a book and listen to jazz, or to watch a movie. It also seems easier to me to write in the winter, as there are fewer distractions. Sledding, toboggans, hot chocolate or cider, ice skating, skiing, these are all unique things about winter.
When I lived in Florida, I often missed the fall foliage spectacles but didn't think much about the snow and theh cold. Today I have a new appreciation for winter itself.
It would be nice if the season were a bit shorter here, though. Winter tends to lingers and just when you are in desperate need of a bit of spring, it keeps its icy grip and cloaks the sky with a steel gray lining of clouds for weeks at a time. The once-beautiful white snow turns to grayish slush and our cars become coated with a messy patina of salt and grime... You just want to get the winter over with, but it won't leave.
When all is said and done, however, it's a part of God's grand design so who am I to question it? I will do my best to enjoy it as much as possible. There are a lot of good things about winter, I just need to look at the seasons with more appreciation for God's blessings.

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I watched a very powerful drama last week entitled "God on Trial," a show that was originally broadcast on PBS. It's set in the Nazi death camp of Auschwitz. The inmates are stridently debating why they are in such a place, how could God have abandoned them, and so they decide to hold a mock trial with God as the defendant.
It raises a lot of powerful questions and really, how can we ever understand why a good and benevolent and almighty God let his chosen people die such a horrific death and on such a large scale.
It's a drama that is not easy to watch but one that makes you think deeply about the meaning of life and the intentions of God.
Here is a link to the article I wrote about it that was published today.
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I have made it through the first step in an application for a Templeton-Cambridge fellowship, to do an independent study on religion and science. I have an interview coming up in New York City. It would be such an honor and a privilege to win this fellowship. I'll let you know how it goes.
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Sylvania, Ohio
Jan. 10, 2009

As reported recently, Gerald Robinson lost his appeal to the Ohio Supreme Court. His next step will be to file an appeal with the United States Supreme Court.
I just read a news article today about the Supreme Court and was surprised that the justices choose to hear only 1 percent of the cases submitted to them.
The odds are definitely against Father Robinson's attorneys getting to argue his case before the Supreme Court. But of course the odds are not the issue. They strongly believe their client is innocent and their only option to move forward at this point is to take it to the nation's highest court.
I wish them well. I know the lawyers are good men who are putting in a lot of hours without pay, strictly in pursuit of justice.
You can't let the odds get you down when you're on a mission.
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Sylvania, Ohio
Jan. 10, 2009

Spending four hours or so on a golf course with someone can be a revealing experience. You can learn a lot about a person's character -- how they handle adversity, how they celebrate achievements. The intensity of their competitiveness. Their honesty. Their sense of humor. Humility. Anger management. Grace under pressure. The language they use when things don't go their way... Temper temper!
They all can come out during a round of golf.
According to an article in the February '09 issue of Golf Digest, President-elect Barack Obama is extremely honest and realistic on the golf course.
When he was starting out, if he shot an 11 on a hole, he would tell the scorekeeper to give him an 11. A lot of people shave a few strokes off such a high score, feeling that they've suffered enough and they're not going to win anything anyway... some casual golfers say they never give anyone in their foursome more than a 9, or an 8, or a 10, just out of compassion. But Obama takes an 11 when he shoots an 11. That's impressive.
He also was realistic enough to know his limitations and worked hard to improve his game. He shoots in the 90s, his aides say, and the worst part of the game is his long irons -- I can relate.
Obama took up golf after his wife was worried about him getting hurt playing basketball. He ended up doing both. He loves the game, enjoys being outdoors, and insists on walking the course rather than riding when possible. I also thought it was great that he has a rule: no cell phones or blackberrys on the course. They turn them on after 9 holes and check in, then shut them off for the back 9. Of course that won't be possible once he becomes President, but I like the thought.
Obama is also very competitive and makes small wagers while golfing, and hates to lose. He also tends to boast after winning, some of his friends say. Friendly trash talk, that is.
That combination of discipline, honesty, and competitiveness he exhibits on the golf course is the same sort of character traits, in part, that helped him get to the White House.
The only bad thing about Obama's golf game is that he's a lefty. I've never really trusted left handed golfers....
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Sylvania, Ohio
January 11, 2009

I recently dusted off one of my all-time favorite albums, "Mingus" by Joni Mitchell. This 1979 album had some of the finest jazz musicians of the day working with Mitchell on a tribute to the great jazz bassist Charles Mingus.
Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, Peter Erskine, Don Alias, and Emil Richards performed on the disc, along with the incredibly funky and highly expressive genius Jaco Pastorius on fretless bass.
Mingus had contacted Mitchell, thinking she would be an artist he'd like to work with. He had written six songs for her, but by the time she linked up with Mingus the bassist was very ill -- in a wheelchair with ALS. He died in January, 1979, before the album was completed.
The "Mingus" disc is a classic collaboration of jazz and pop artistry at the pinnacle. It's a thing of beauty and a timeless bit of joi de vivre.
For the last few days, I've been obsessed with one single track, "The Dry Cleaner from Des Moines," featuring Joni Mitchell's brilliant lyrics, her scat-like vocals and Jaco's amazing bass lines.
Here's a link to them performing the song live. The studio version is "more perfect" but it's nice to see this super jazz band on video. Few singers can jump from the lows to the high notes as fluidly as Mitchell, and her timing is impeccable.
On the album, you hear Mingus' raspy voice saying after the music ends: "I was lucky. I was blessed by God. God blessed me."
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Here are the lyrics, reprinted from the official www.jonimitchell.com, to show the sheer poetry of this whimsical composition.
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The Dry Cleaner From Des Moines
By Joni Mitchell

I'm down to a roll of dimes
I'm stalking the slot that's hot
I keep hearing bells all around me
Jingling in the lucky jackpots
They keep you tantalized
They keep you reaching for your wallet
Here in fools' paradise

I talked to a cat from Des Moines
He said he ran a cleaning plant
That cat was clanking with coin
Well he must have had a genie in a lamp
'cause every time I dropped a dime I blew it
He kept ringing bells
Nothing to it!

He got three oranges
Three lemons
Three cherries
Three plums
I'm losing my taste for fruit
Watching the dry cleaner do it
Like Midas in a polyester suit
It's all luck!
It's just luck!
You get a little lucky and you make a little money!

I followed him down the strip
He picked out a booth at Circus Circus
where the cowgirls fill the room
With their big balloons
The cleaner was pitching with purpose!
He had Dinos and Pooh Bears
And lions pink and blue there
He couldn't lose there!

Des Moines was stacking the chips
Raking off the tables
Ringing the bandit's bells
This is a story that's a drag to tell
(In some ways)
Since I lost every dime
I laid on the line
But the cleaner from Des Moines
Could put a coin
In the door of a john
And get twenty for one
It's just luck!

Copyright © 1978-1979; Crazy Crow Music
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I am amazed at how pathetic the "celebrity gossip" is today, when I went to yahoo.com and the big headline is about how Brangelina (Brad Pitt/Angelina Jolie) "snubbed" Ryan Seacrest on the red carpet at the Golden Globes.
First of all, who cares? Second of all, it would have been worth a blurb if Pitt had slugged Seacrest or something. But all they did was not grant an interview. This is so lame, it's a disagrace to American journalism that anyone is even reporting it.
Next thing you know, they'll have a big story on what entrees Matt Damon didn't order at a restaurant.
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Sylvania, Ohio
January 12, 2009

Funny how things develop...
I was considering taking next Tuesday off to go to the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, figuring there would be no "religion" angle for President-elect Obama's inauguration and it would be a good day -- not crowded -- for the auto show.
(I am writing an advance for Monday about local churches and pastors and their views on the new presidency.)
But it was decided I should be around the office just in case something happened, and maybe find a local angle for an Obama story.
I made a few calls and next thing I know, I'm talking to a guy from Toledo who rented a bus ... he's got an extra seat ... I'm going to DC with this group on their bus.
We leave Monday evening, arrive early Tuesday. The inauguration is at noon. We leave Washington around 5 and get back to Toledo in the middle of the night.
Not a very lavish set-up but I'm always up for a good story and I think this will be a good one. I'm not going for any personal political reasons, only in search of a great human-interest story. I will do whatever I can to get a good story and I am sure it will be quite a scene in D.C. I'm thrilled to be able to cover such an historic event.
Probably won't get a chance to play golf with the new president ;-)
(see blog from a few days ago)
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I interviewed Dr. Kenneth Pargament yesterday, a Bowling Green State University professor of psychology whose expertise is religion and psychology. I think Dr. Pargament's work is fascinating and, in many ways, pioneering.
In a nutshell, he felt that pscyhology had ignored religion and spirituality, an element of life that is so important to many people especially during difficult times. He has spent decades doing scientific research on how religion impacts people's lives and well-being. Most of the time it is positive but there are some negative examples.
I always enjoy talking to Dr. Pargament and writing about his work.
In fact, I applied for a fellowship this year that would involve research on this topic. I have an interview in New York City this month for the fellowship.
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One of the most disturbing stories I've read in a long time was the Idaho man who was driving his two young children to their mom's house for Christmas, got stuck in the snow, and told them to walk the rest of the way -- 10 miles in bitter cold winter weather.
The 11-year-old girl died and the 12-year-old boy was delirious when he was found.
I can't imagine anyone being so stupid. What kind of thought processes were going on in this guy's head? He's been charged with second-degree murder.
This is a case where justice cannot be done. Sending this idiot to prison won't bring back that poor little girl. There's no punishment to fit the crime.
It's just a sad, sad story.
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I was all over the place yesterday, twice to Bowling Green and then to the mosque in Perrysburg for a presentation by people who made the hajj. It was one of the worst winter days we've had thus far, with temperatures in single digits and just enough snow to make the roads dangerous.
I saw three seriously damaged cars, one that was so mangled I wonder if the person survived, and dozens of cars in ditches. It's no fun driving on a day like that ... you grip the wheel tight and are on high-alert the whole way.
This "Alberta Clipper" that roared into Ohio is really a cold one. My digital thermometer was -2 degrees a minute ago and now it's down to -1.7 degrees.
One good thing: At least it stopped snowing.
I saw a funny sign yesterday on a car-repair shop's marquee that kind of summed it all up: "Welcome to Ohio!"
This is Ohio in January. It can be -10 or it can be 60 like it was last year when I went golfing in early January. Most of the time, it's plain cold.
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Sylvania, Ohio
January 15, 2009

Sorry I've been away from the blogosphere for awhile. I just got back yesterday from Washington, where I watched President Obama take the oath of office from among the crowd of several million people standing in the cold on the National Mall.
It was a historic moment and I was glad to be able to go there and write news stories about average joes from Toledo who made the trip.
I'll be catching up on a number of things in the near future, including the latest Father Robinson court motion, my bus trip to Washington (including having to undergo a test for possible carbon monoxide poisoning), and the North American International Auto Show in Detroit, where I'll be heading tomorrow.
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Meanwhile, here is an interesting video from the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America's website, where I was doing some research for an interview with bishops who just got back from the Middle East:

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Toledo, Ohio
Jan. 22, 2009

Below is an article published in The Blade 1/17/09 and a subsequent letter to the editor, which I am posting without comment although I do have a lot to say about it. I will post a separate blog with comments later. -- David

Lawyer claims priest's rights were trampled

An attorney for Toledo Catholic priest Gerald Robinson filed a motion yesterday claiming that his client's constitutional rights were violated in the 2006 trial that led to Robinson's conviction for the 1980 murder of a nun.

John Donahue of Perrysburg asserted in an amended petition for postconviction relief, filed in Lucas County Common Pleas Court, that Robinson's trial attorneys were ineffective, that the State of Ohio withheld key evidence, and that pervasive media coverage deprived the priest of a fair trial.

"I believe he is innocent and the highest calling for me is to assist a wrongly convicted person," Mr. Donahue said.

He said he spent two years and donated more than $400,000 of his time in compiling evidence for the 56-page motion and an appendix containing hundreds of pages of police reports, coroner's files, affidavits, and other documents.

Robinson, 70, is serving a 15-years-to-life sentence at Hocking Correctional Institute in southern Ohio for the April 5, 1980, murder of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl.

He lost an appeal in the Sixth District Court of Appeals, and on Dec. 31 the Ohio Supreme Court declined to hear his case.
Mr. Donahue said he will appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court in a "two-pronged attack," along with the amended petition, seeking to overturn his client's murder conviction.

Robinson retired in 2004 and has been barred from ministry by Toledo Bishop Leonard Blair, but remains a priest because he has not been laicized by the Vatican.

Dean Mandros, assistant Lucas County prosecutor, said the motion "is primarily a continuation of the arguments raised at trial and on appeal when they tried to blame a dead priest, Father Jerome Swiatecki, for this murder. The trial jury didn't buy that. The court of appeals didn't buy it. And we'll see if this judge buys it, but I don't think so."

He said Mr. Donahue made at least 225 assertions in the motion, and the state will ask the court for "an adequate amount of time to respond properly."

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In Robinson case, truth has been lost

God bless you, attorney John Donahue, in your efforts to free the Rev. Gerald Robinson.

I'm among the many who believe this priest is innocent of this murder and I do not think he received a fair trial.

According to an article in The Blade, his attorneys were working on this case plus another at the same time. Did they really have enough time to make a strong case for the defense?

I read one article in The Blade that stated the DNA from Father Robinson did not match the DNA found on the nun. Isn't that a major factor? Yet that was not stressed. You read that in many cases, DNA evidence is a factor in proving the guilt or innocence of the accused.

Our laws are predicated on the belief that you are innocent until proven guilty. Once you are accused, our society? rushes to judgment and deems the accused guilty even before the trial. Thus it seems you are guilty until proven innocent.

Recently, I was disappointed when the three appeals court judges found nothing wrong with this trial. It is too bad that the cost of a con?viction is more important than getting at the truth.

Rita Ann Carleski
Waterville

Father Gerald Robinson being led out of the courtroom in handcuffs after his murder conviction on May 11, 2006.

Attorney John P. Donahue of Perrysburg, Ohio, has done an extraordinary job in attempting to prove that his client, Father Gerald Robinson, is an innocent man.

No matter what one may think about Father Robinson's 2006 conviction for the 1980 murder of Sister Margaret Ann Pahl, it is beyond dispute that Mr. Donahue has gone to incredible lengths to assemble evidence and make a case that the Toledo diocesan priest is not guilty.

The latest legal filing was an Amended Petition for Post-Conviction Relief, filed in Lucas County Common Pleas Court on Jan. 16, 2009. The petition itself is 56 pages long and the accompanying appendix is literally two inches thick (I measured it), approximately 400 to 500 pages long.

Donahue, a 62-year-old Vietnam War veteran and chain-smoking attorney, spent two years putting this petition together and estimates he has invested more than $400,000 of his time in the Robinson case, and all pro bono.

Why?

Because he is convinced Father Robinson is innocent.

So far, he has not persuaded the appeals court judges nor the Ohio Supreme Court justices to agree with him. The former court rejected his appeal in a lengthy ruling, and the latter declined to even hear the case.

Mr. Donahue plans to file with the United States Supreme Court, which hears approximately 1 percent of the cases submitted to it.

In the meantime, he filed the latest petition in Lucas County Common Pleas Court. In the petition, Mr. Donahue argues may points that he considers crucial to proving Robinson's innocence. Here are the primary points he makes in the document:

* First, that another Toledo diocesan priest, the late Father Jerome Swiatecki, was the murderer.
* Second, that the murder weapon was a pair of scissors missing from the sacristy where Sister Margaret Ann was murdered.
* Third, that Robinson's trial attorneys were ineffective.
* Fourth, that the prosecutors withheld evidence that potentially could have proved Robinson's innocence.
* Fifth, that the 24-year lapse between the murder and Robinson's arrest prevented the priest from getting a fair trial.
* Sixth, that the suggestions that the nun was the victim of a ritual killing and that there was an occult element to the murder prejudiced the jury.
* Seventh, that pretrial publicity made it impossible for Robinson to receive a fair trial in Lucas County.

All these arguments are interesting in their own right, but most of them have been addressed in the initial trial and in the appeals process thus far.

It will be interesting to see what, if anything, happens with this latest petition. The prosecutors have asked Judge Gene Zmuda for a sufficient amount of time to respond, and based on the sheer volume of legal points raised by Donahue, it may take a long time to properly address each of the issues.

I will look into some of them in detail here and hope to write an in-depth article for the newspaper soon.

Meanwhile, Gerald Robinson's May 9 hearing in the civil suit filed by Survivor Doe apparently has been delayed, according to Donahue.

Donahue said his client, now 70 years old, has adjusted to prison life and is not angry at anyone for his incarceration, The Toledo priest sees this as a test, something similar to what Job experienced when he endured all kinds of suffering that was not deserved.

Donahue is convinced Father Robinson ultimately will be exonerated. He is not sure, however, that his client will live long enough to see it in court.
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Sylvania, Ohio
January 25, 2009
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p.s. Do you realize that one month ago today was Christmas?