Keywords by David Yonke

If anyone was wondering if John McCain might have made a mistake in picking Sarah Palin as his running mate, all doubts were erased in Minneapolis tonight.
The Alaskan governor "knocked it out of the park," as one CNN commentator said.
No matter which side of the aisle you're on, it's undeniable that Palin showed she is a phenomenal speaker and a refreshing change from the old school politicos. What a marked contrast from the measured moves and stilted gestures of most candidates.
On the home front, Palin didn't directly talk about her pregnant 17-year-old daughter but the girl was in the seats with her boyfriend -- and later on the platform -- and the gov did mention that every family has its challenges and that those challenges can bring blessings.
Palin's precision attack on Obama's lack of experience as a chief executive and his meticulous attention to image was impressive because these are the key issues that Republicans need to make if they hope to win in November.
So this relatively unknown politician stepped into the spotlight and, under pressure, was extremely impressive, not just in my humble opinion but in the consensus opinion of the network commentators who spoke afterward.
Of all Palin's zingers, I thought her most stinging and clever remark was that Obama is a man who has written two memoirs but not a single piece of legislation either as an Illinois state senator or U.S. senator.
Ouch.
Her line about the presidency not being a place for people to make a journey of personal discovery also was a feisty one. I am guessing that her sports background, having played on a state champion high school basketball team, contributed to her fighting spirit.
Governor Palin adds a new dimension to this arduous campaign and one that gives McCain a major lift.
Both political parties have presented formidable tickets and this race for the White House is historic and one of the more interesting ones in modern history.
* * *
Sylvania, Ohio
Sept. 3, 2008

This religious biography of Sarah Palin, Republican candidate for vice president, was posted today by the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life. This excellent website posts the same kind of biographies on all the candidates. You can read them here.

In Her Own Words

"Faith is very important to so many of us here in America, and I would never support any government effort to stifle our freedom of religion or freedom of expression or freedom of speech."
Debate, Aug. 2006
Palin was baptized a Roman Catholic as an infant. When Palin was a teenager, she and her mother began attending Wasilla Assembly of God, a church affiliated with the Assemblies of God, a pentecostal denomination that claims more than 52 million adherents worldwide. According to Kaylene Johnson, the author of Sarah: How a Hockey Mom Turned Alaska's Political Establishment Upside Down, Palin asked to be re-baptized and was immersed in Beaver Lake in a ceremony that included her mother.

A point guard on the varsity basketball team, Palin led a Wasilla High School chapter of The Fellowship of Christian Athletes. Palin's biographer recounts a story about how Palin, then a junior, followed up on a close loss at the state basketball tournament. The morning after the game, when the coaches didn't see any of the players at breakfast, they wondered whether the team had stayed up partying. But later they discovered Palin and her teammates returning from a church service, Bibles in hand. The next season, Palin made the free throw that won the Wasilla Warriors an Alaska state championship.

Wasilla Assembly of God's website says Palin attended the church until 2002. Media reports have connected Palin with several churches since then, including Juneau Christian Center, which has a pentecostal history; The Church on the Rock, a nondenominational, evangelical congregation; and Wasilla Bible Church, a nondenominational, evangelical church where the Palins' baby, Trig, was recently part of a dedication ceremony in which parents ask for a congregation's help to raise their child as a Christian.

A spokeswoman for the McCain-Palin campaign has said Palin attends different churches and does not consider herself a pentecostal. Shortly before her surprise selection as McCain's running mate, Time magazine asked Palin what her religion is. Palin responded, "Christian." When asked if she was any particular type of Christian, she answered, "No. Bible-believing Christian."

Palin On the Issues
Abortion
Palin, whose youngest son has Down syndrome, opposes abortion in all cases, except to save the life of the mother. She called herself as "pro-life as any candidate can be" during her campaign for Alaska's lieutenant governor in 2002. In April 2008 she said, "Alaskans know I am pro-life and have never wavered in my belief in the sanctity of every human life."
Compare McCain and Obama

Church and State
In response to a question about religious leaders endorsing political candidates, Palin said, "Faith is very important to so many of us here in America, and I would never support any government effort to stifle our freedom of religion or freedom of expression or freedom of speech." During her 2006 campaign for Alaska governor, Palin said her interpretation of the Bible would not "bleed over into policy."
Compare McCain and Obama

Death Penalty
Palin supports capital punishment. During her 2006 gubernatorial campaign, she was asked whether she would introduce legislation – or support a bill introduced by a legislator – to adopt the death penalty in Alaska, and if so, to which crimes it should apply. She responded, "If the legislature were to pass a bill that established a death penalty on adults who murder children, I would sign it."
Compare McCain and Obama

Education
In a 2006 debate during her gubernatorial campaign, Palin said she favored schools teaching both evolution and creationism but that she would not push Alaska's state board of education to add such alternatives to school curricula, saying, "I won't have religion as a litmus test, or anybody's personal opinion on evolution or creationism." She has not pushed the issue while in office.
Compare McCain and Obama

Environment
Palin supports drilling in the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge, as well as offshore drilling, to help America reach energy independence. In her 2007 state of the state address she said that "to sustain our future, we must look to ramp up responsible resource development." She was instrumental in securing a license for a natural gas pipeline that will run from Alaska's northern Prudhoe Bay to Canada. In a June 2008 speech at her former church in Wasilla, Palin said, "I think God's will has to be done in unifying people and companies to get that gas line built, so pray for that."
Compare McCain and Obama

Faith-Based Initiatives
As governor of Alaska, Palin increased the role and authority of the Alaska Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives, which had been set up by the previous governor. Palin's proposed 2007 budget caused some controversy by eliminating $1.5 million in social service grants for three Alaska communities and instead giving a similar amount to the state Office of Faith-Based and Community Initiatives. That proposal was ultimately dropped.
Compare McCain and Obama

Gay Marriage
During her 2006 gubernatorial campaign, Palin said that she had supported a successful 1998 Alaska state constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. In December 2007 Palin issued her first gubernatorial veto on a law that would have denied health benefits to same-sex partners of state employees, stating she had been advised that the bill was unconstitutional. Also in December 2007 Palin signed a bill calling for a nonbinding advisory vote on the issue of benefits for same-sex partners and said she supported a constitutional amendment to deny the benefits if the advisory vote showed the public wanted such action.
Compare McCain and Obama

Health Care
Palin favors more competition in Alaska's health care sector. In her 2008 state of the state address, Palin argued for doing away with a program that limits the creation of new medical facilities and criticized the program as "broken and expensive." In the same speech, Palin supported a youth health education program to combat alcoholism, suicide and child abuse but emphasized personal choices in health care, saying that "government cannot cure all ills."
Compare McCain and Obama

Immigration
Palin's position on immigration is unknown at this time.
Compare McCain and Obama

Iraq War
In a March 2007 interview with Alaska Business Monthly, Palin, whose oldest son is scheduled to deploy to Iraq in September, said, "while I support our president, Condoleezza Rice and the administration, I want to know that we have an exit plan." In a June 2008 speech at her former church in Wasilla, Palin requested that attendees "pray for our military men and women who are striving to do what is right. Also, for this country, that our leaders, our national leaders, are sending [U.S. soldiers] out on a task that is from God. That's what we have to make sure that we're praying for, that there is a plan and that that plan is God's plan."
Compare McCain and Obama

Poverty
In 2007, Palin introduced legislation to continue the Alaska SeniorCare Program, which provided support for low-income senior citizens in Alaska. "I'm pleased to present a plan that continues this important assistance to Alaska seniors, and helps keep pace with cost-of-living changes," she said. The bill failed to pass at the end of the legislative session, but the Alaska legislature held a special session and voted to expand aid to seniors. To strengthen the economy, Palin supports reducing small-business and property taxes.
Compare McCain and Obama

Stem Cell Research
Palin opposes stem cell research.
* * *
Toledo, Ohio
Sept. 5, 2008

In 2004, I had the opportunity to interview Pearl Jam when the band played in Toledo to "Rock the Vote" for the Kerry campaign. I even got within two feet of Neil Young during the interview when he walked into the room, looked around, and walked out without a word. Strange looking dude up close, with a weird floppy hat on his oversized head, but a genuine legend and one of my personal musical heroes.

Today I had the chance to interview Donald Miller, author of "Blue Like Jazz," one of my favorite "outside the franchise" books on Christianity, when he came to the University of Toledo to stump for Barack Obama.
Although I sit across the political aisle from these celebrities, I respect their opinions and the fact that they are out there doing something to promote their causes. It would be much easier to sit home and carry on their normal activities than to grind it out on the road for political ideals.
Miller was particularly interesting in that he is an evangelical Christian who supports a pro-choice Democrat. I think it shows how there is diversity within every group, that you can't go by stereotypes or paint with a broad brush.
He gave an articulate, reasonable and heartfelt explanation of why he so strongly supports Obama. It is quite involved and it's late and I don't want to dig into it here, but I wrote about it for tomorrow's paper (I'll post a link when it's online) and will summarize it thusly:
According to Miller, Obama is a man of faith, a Christian who talks about Jesus and the cross and redemption, and he goes to church and puts his faith into action. Although he supports abortion rights, he wants to take steps to reduce the number of abortions by promoting social justice programs and combatting poverty.
McCain, meanwhile, doesn't go to church and doesn't talk about faith and doesn't have a plan for reducing abortions. He would be "the first secular president," all this according to Miller.
That's it in a nutshell... And it is getting pretty nutty in Ohio as the election draws near.
I do like Miller personally, though. He speaks to college students where they're at. And I like that he not only urged them to vote, but to always be nice to people. "There's never any reason to be unkind," he said, then later said that was something he got from Ravi Zacharias.
* * *
Late-breaking news, the Toledo diocese removed a priest from ministry yesterday. Father Lawrence F. Varney, 75, retired since 2002, was barred from ministry over credible allegations that he abused a minor nearly 30 years ago. That would have been in the late 1970s, a time when he was teaching at Toledo's Central Catholic High School.
* * *
One more quick note: A colleague told me he and his wife went to see Fireproof because of my review. He is a Unitarian and said that at first he was put off by the Christian content of the film. But after a while he got into the story and by the end of the movie "I was weeping like a baby," he said.
After the movie, he and his wife talked for hours not only about their marriage but about the meaning of life and God and all the Big Questions.
If Fireproof can touch this couple that deeply, I think there's no limit to what the movie can do. There are hundreds of such testimonies on the movie's website but this is the most dramatic one I've heard personally.
* * *
Denny Schaffer, the controversial radio personality who dominated the Toledo airwaves for 10 years or so, is speaking tonight at a banquet to raise money for YES-FM Christian radio. I'm looking forward to hearing Denny's testimony.
* * *
Sylvania, Ohio
October 11, 2008

Toledo has produced a handful of internationally known stars, First there was Teresa Brewer and her song "Nickelodeon," then Danny Thomas of "Make Room for Daddy" TV fame, then Jamie Farr with "M*A*S*H," and topping them all is Katie Holmes of "Dawson's Creek" and Hollywood fame and her hubby Tom Cruise and their daughter Suri.
But now ... the newest blazing star from Toledo is ... Joe the Plumber.
His real name is Joe Wurzelbacher, and he's actually from the Toledo suburb of Holland, Ohio. But he was mentioned 23 times in the presidential debate Wednesday night and has appeared on TV and in newspapers worldwide.
It all started with his complaint to Sen. Barack Obama about having to pay higher taxes if you earn more than $250,000 a year.
That quote was picked up by my colleague Tom Troy who quoted Joe in the paper, which led John McCain to jump on it as an example of his tax policies, and suddenly there was a media firestorm swirling around Joe the Plumber.
You can even buy Joe the Plumber T-shirts at Cafe Press now.
In the New York Times photo above, Joe, at right, is speaking to Toledo Blade reporter Tom Troy and photographer Amy Voigt, and Associated Press reporter John Seewer. The photo ran at the top of the New York Times' front page yesterday.

Today I'm feeling sorry for Mr. Wurzelbacher.
He didn't ask for the attention and now he is the brunt of cruel jokes by late-night comedians, and his dirty laundry is national news. It turns out he's not a licensed plumber, he owes back taxes, and there are liens on his house.
No wonder Joe has issues with tax rates, he's already mired in tax trouble.
As far as earning more than $250,000 a year, he's a long way from that salary, he's said on TV. This whole political frenzy over Joe the Plumber's worries about hitting a higher tax bracket are pretty crazy because really, it's all just a pipe dream for the plumber, so to speak.
* * *
Twenty eight years ago today, Janet and I were married in a small Catholic Church in Tampa, Florida.
We are spending our 28th anniversary at Pokagon Park in Indiana, one of our favorite places and where the autumn leaves are at their peak right now.
I am grateful to God for bringing Janet and me together in the first place, and for being with us each and every step of the way through the years.
* * *
Oct. 18, 2008
Sylvania, Ohio

As we watch the election results come in, here's an interesting election note:
My daughter Cara went to college in Australia and keeps in touch with her friends Down Under. One of them recently was fined $940 for not voting.
How's that for motivating people to get to the polls?
* * *
Toledo, Ohio
Nov. 4, 2008

I received an email with these notable quotes today and thought the compilation was good enough to share with you, no matter your political persuasion. Hope it helps you decompress from all the election stress. -- David

If you don't read the newspaper you are uninformed, if you do
read the newspaper you are misinformed.
-Mark Twain

Suppose you were an idiot. And suppose you were a member of Congress....
But then I repeat myself.
-Mark Twain

I contend that for a nation to try to tax itself into prosperity is like a man standing in a bucket and trying to lift himself up by the handle.
-Winston Churchill

A government which robs Peter to pay Paul can always depend on the support of Paul.
- George Bernard Shaw

A liberal is someone who feels a great debt to his fellow man, which debt he proposes to pay off with your money.
-G Gordon Liddy

Democracy must be something more than two wolves and a sheep voting on what to have for dinner.
-James Bovard, Civil Libertarian (1994)

Foreign aid might be defined as a transfer of money from poor people in rich countries to rich people in poor countries.
-Douglas Casey, Classmate of Bill Clinton at Georgetown University

Giving money and power to government is like giving whiskey and car keys to teenage boys.
-P.J. O'Rourke, Civil Libertarian

Government is the great fiction, through which everybody endeavors to live at the expense of everybody else.
-Frederic Bastiat, French Economist (1801-1850)

Government's view of the economy could be summed up in a few short phrases: If it moves, tax it. If it keeps moving, regulate it. And if it stops moving, subsidize it.
-Ronald Reagan (1986)

I don't make jokes. I just watch the government and report the facts.
-Will Rogers

If you think health care is expensive now, wait until you see what it costs when it's free!
-P.J. O'Rourke

In general, the art of government consists of taking as much money as possible from one party of the citizens to give to the other.
-Voltaire (1764)

Just because you do not take an interest in politics doesn't mean politics won't take an interest in you!
-Pericles (430 B.C.)

No man's life, liberty, or property is safe while the legislature is in session.
-Mark Twain (1866 )

Talk is cheap...except when Congress does it.
-Unknown

The government is like a baby's alimentary canal, with a happy appetite at one end and no responsibility at the other.
-Ronald Reagan

The inherent vice of capitalism is the unequal sharing of the blessings. The inherent blessing of socialism is the equal sharing of misery.
-Winston Churchill

The only difference between a tax man and a taxidermist is that the taxidermist leaves the skin.
-Mark Twain

What this country needs are more unemployed politicians.
-Edward Langley, Artist (1928 - 1995)

A government big enough to give you everything you want is strong enough to take everything you have.
-Thomas Jefferson

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