Posted on 02/10/2008 7:56:49 AM PST by TomB
They were gone but not forgotten.
A day after Mayor Carty Finkbeiner ordered 200 Marine Corps Reservists out of downtown Toledo, residents here and elsewhere expressed disappointment, disbelief, and even outrage.
His last-minute call Friday resulted in the unit canceling its planned training exercises and returning to Grand Rapids, Mich.
And by yesterday afternoon, the mayor's reaction had become a national news story picked up by Internet blogs along with the popular Web site, The Drudge Report. Media phone lines and e-mail boxes kept busy as keyboard-tapping critics sounded their opinions on what some have billed the "Carty vs. Marines" controversy.
Some compared the flap to the one Mr. Finkbeiner set off during his first term in 1994, with his proposal that the city move its deaf population to land near Toledo Express Airport.
"It makes Toledo look like a national disgrace," said Steve Baxter, 47, of Columbus, who learned of the ordeal through a national political blog. "And it reflects poorly on your mayor."
Former Marine Brian Thompson, 40, of West Toledo said he was in disbelief when he first picked up the newspaper. Soon his feelings turned to anger.
"My perception now is that Carty feels it is OK for Marines to die in Iraq, but just don't come to Toledo," said the 13-year Marine Corps veteran. "The better trained the men and women are, the better chances that they'll come home alive."
In response to his critics, Mayor Finkbeiner declared his absolute support for the Marines Corps as well as all of the nation's armed forces - yet still defended his decision to send the Marines packing.
(Excerpt) Read more at toledoblade.com ...
Thank you for sharing this, and I hope that they get rid of this Mayor....
Once upon a time, not so very long ago, an event like this would have remained a local Toledo story only. Thanks to the Internet, it isn’t, and due pressure is being applied from all over.
Given the condition of Toledo these days, it would seem appropriate for the marines to be there. They, after all would mantain a sense of security and order. Toledo is another armpit of America, a step child of Detroit....
Toledo Mayor Carty (”Tailgunner”) Finkbeiner says:
“What’s an Internet and why am I getting all these phone calls?”
The Marines should have removed Mr Rat fink from City Hall and taken control.
What a disgrace Mr rat Fink!
No, the problem is that the drug dealers, gangsters, gangs are afraid of the Marines! Not the people!
CNN showed interviews with some of the residents of Toledo this morning, and they said they were much more afraid of the mayor than of the Marines....
Well, I could support him proposing the city move all the Moslem population to land somewhere, but of course not near an airport. Perhaps near a land fill?
A good place to start would be Toledo city hall.
The mayor (or, is it mullah?) could put a rag on his head to make the scenario and training more realistic.
Either the Mayor doesn't watch or listen to the local news on TV or radio, and he doesn't read the paper. If that's the case, I'm wondering how he can be Mayor of such a big city and not know what's going on there.
I'd be more willing to guess that he did know, and in light of the Berkeley press coverage, decided to play dumb and wait until the Saturday of their arrival to turn them away. Perhaps he felt that claiming ignorance, and waiting until the weekend to tell them to leave, wouldn't create that big of a deal in the press. I guess he was wrong.
I posted additional comments on Drudge’s link, but I also wanted to “congratulate” the voters of Toledo for achieving Berkeley-like status as a place to be shunned. It always amazes me that turds like this mayor keep getting re-elected. Says as much about the voters as the guy himself.
None of the calls to "storm Toledo" and "take city hall" etc., are actual calls to arms. They are what is known as "hyperbole", i.e. "obvious overstatement with the purpose of making a point". Nobody want the marines to overthrown the mayor, no matter how appealing that thought is.
Please stay calm and return to your bunker, or crawl back under your bed.
Or on a pig farm.
Even better.
Godfrey Daniels! You would think he could come up with something more imaginative, like:
Effingham Bellweather
Otis Criblecoblis
Egbert Sousé
My brother said that he thinks that the Marines should practice in Rome, NY. Rome is a very patriotic city and there are Zero people downtown ever. It is like a ghost town. There are tumbleweeds blowing with the help lake effect winds through the dead and dreary downtown.
“Given the condition of Toledo these days, it would seem appropriate for the marines to be there. They, after all would mantain a sense of security and order. Toledo is another armpit of America, a step child of Detroit....”
And yet conservatives like me STILL live, work, and raise our children here....go figure...
The mayor is an assclown...
And you dont live here...
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