2008 May 19 | Rowsey Blog

Alleged Nazi Guard Demjanjuk of Cleveland to be Deported

May 19, 2008

The Columbus Dispatch has a very interesting article that updates on the story of an alleged former nazi guard, Demjanjuk, who currently resides in Cleveland.  I remember reading about this story years ago and had more or less forgotten about it.

According to the article, Demjanjuk has exhausted all legal avenues to remain in the United States and to avoid extradition to Germany, Poland, or the Ukraine.

Demjanjuk claims to have been an officer in the Soviet Army but was caputred by the Germans and held as a prisoner.  However, in 2002 he found to have been a guard at various death camps run by Nazi Germany.

This is another interesting example of how very slow our justice system works in the United States.  This man is now 88 years old.  But, if there is evidence of his guilt, he should be sent back to one of those countries to stand trial.  We know that many fled after the defeat of Germany.  In fact many settled in South America’s Argentina.  No matter where they now reside or how old they might be at this time, It is never too late to punish any of the monsters that perpetrated such horrible crimes of humanity on the Jews during World War II.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under ohio | Leave a Comment 

Help For Myanmar

May 19, 2008

A Time Magazine correspondent describes the situation in Myanmar as desperate. According to this reporter, the monks are helping the victims of the devastating cyclone, but more help is urgently needed. Local residents of Burma are working to try to ease some of the misery of its people. But according to a local relief agency:

The junta doesn’t want foreigners distributing aid in the delta, but neither does it feel comfortable with Burmese distributing it. “The government is scared that relief workers will get involved in politics,” says a co-founder of one Burmese relief group.

Since many of the survivors live near water, Burmese people are unable to reach these people because they do not have the necessary equipment.

Burma desperately needs more boats and helicopters from abroad. Not even the nation’s richest private donors - who include junta cronies like tycoon Tay Za, who was put on a U.S. sanctions list last year - have the means or expertise to meet even a fraction of the needs in far-flung delta areas.

Please consider making a donation to the American Red Cross.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Social Causes | Leave a Comment 

Pay-Day Loan Sharks Out of Buisness in Ohio

May 19, 2008

Much debate has centered around the practices of the so-called pay-day lenders.  These are the little stores that you often see in shopping centers around Ohio that offer customers a loan guaranteed by their pay check. Many people throughout the country are facing very hard economic times.  In these times, many have turned to these companies to make it through until the next pay day arrives.

As we have all heard, the problem presents itself when the customers cannot afford to pay back the loan.  John Doe may need $250 to be able to afford to live and borrows that money from one of these centers.  He is given a loan and charged interest.  Too many times he then must take a second loan to pay back the first, and thus the dangerous cycle begins.

It has been reported that interest rates can soar to as much as 310%.  Can you imagine?  It is like a black hole from which you could never escape.

To confront these problems, the Ohio House and Senate have both passed bills to regulate these companies out of business.  Is that the right answer?  Where will these people go when they need to borrow money in the future?  Do we allow them to just starve?  Or continue to be delinquent on their bills each month?  What happens to the jobs of all of the employees that work for these companies?  Do the employees turn to food stamps and other forms of welfare?

I’m not sure what the answer is to this problem.  I believe that perhaps a smarter thing for the state of Ohio to have done could have been to set a limit on the amount of interest that these companies could charge.  What do you think?

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Money Matters, Ohio Government | 17 Comments 

Obama tells Tenn.’s GOP: ‘Lay off my wife’

May 19, 2008

An Associated Press reporter has written a very interesting article in which it details Barack Obama telling the Republican Party that his wife is off limits.

“The GOP, should I be the nominee, can say whatever they want to say about me, my track record,” Obama said. “If they think that they’re going to try to make Michelle an issue in this campaign, they should be careful because that I find unacceptable, the notion that you start attacking my wife or my family.”

I understand Obama’s need to protect his family.  That is a very innate feeling that most of us have.  Traditionally, however, it has been the children that have been out of bounds, not the spouse.  Think back to how relentlessly Hillary Clinton was attacked while her husband was president.

I do believe that the G.O.P. and the media should stay away from his children, but Michelle Obama has put herself out in the public sphere as she has campaigned throughout this country on behalf of her husband.  She is not off-limits.  Her controversial statements should be examined.  She is a very intelligent and capable woman that is more than able to defend herself.

Obama cannot continue to have it both ways…use his wife to campaign but make attacking her views somehow scandalous.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Barack Obama, Politics | Leave a Comment 

Response to Natural Disasters

May 19, 2008

I’ve been watching the coverage of the horrible disasters that took place recently in Myanmar (Burma) and China.  It is heartbreaking to say the least to see all of those people suffering.  Many of those that were lucky enough to survive the initial destruction have now lost new battles to starvation, disease, and lack of shelter.

All of this happens as the governments sit by and do very little.  I have been quick to judge the governments of these two countries, but now I am seeing a lot of connections to the response of the U.S. after hurricane Katrina.

Pictures of the devastation flooded the world-wide media and it is very probable that people throughout the world thought the same of us…why aren’t they helping their people?

In all of these situations the response seems to have been too little too late.  I pray that the citizens of Myanmar and China do not have to wait years to complete rebuilding as our own fellow citizens of Alabama and Louisiana continue to wait.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Social Causes | Leave a Comment 

Election Day Holiday

May 19, 2008

Today’s Columbus Dispatch details plans by many central Ohio school districts to give students the day off on election day, Nov. 4, 2008.

According to the article, this will be the first day off that most students have had for a general election in recent history.

Traffic in the parking lot and in the hallways can get congested, which could pose a problem during dismissal times, Hibbert said. And children might not be able to use the gym or cafeteria if polling booths are placed there.

Some states have recognized the concern: Connecticut, Delaware, Hawaii, Illinois, Maryland, Rhode Island, South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia close some or all of their schools for elections, says the U.S. Election Assistance Commission, a national clearinghouse created by the Help America Vote Act of 2002.

In schools that host polls, officials said they review safety plans to keep the crowds from becoming a distraction. They try to limit access to the buildings and ensure that school entrances feed directly into polling areas.

In my opinion, it would be a far better opportunity to have students in school learning about this process.  Schools generally can accommodate having large crowds as they often do during sporting events, pep rallies, and theater productions.  Voters are kept away from students and the odds of them commingling are not very high.

We should engage our students in this process and not teach them that it is another day stay home.

Posted by Jason Rowsey | Filed Under Ohio Government, Politics, ohio | 1 Comment