Well, the idiots at the
News-Herald had a great journalism day today. The News-Herald is based in Willoughby, Ohio in Lake County, near the headquarters of Lew Katz, Democrat running in the 14th Congressional District against Lyin' Steve LaTourette.
I've never read the News-Herald. I'm a Plain Dealer and Akron Beacon Journal man myself. And I imagine the News-Herald has a circulation about as large as my high school newspaper, so I shouldn't be too upset at what they print, right? Well, I am.
They ran an endorsement and an article about a Katz event. And they got both of them wrong, which is not terribly surprising since some in the Katz campaign call the paper the "LaTourette News-Herald".
Lew Katz helped sponsor a Support Our Troops event in downtown Willoughby yesterday morning. While I was out of town and unable to attend, by all accounts the event went well. A local band played, several veterans got up to speak, and it was well attended. Lew Katz was the sponsor and also spoke. But you wouldn't know that Katz was even there by the coverage of the event at the News-Herald:
About a hundred people, some dressed in American Legion hats and others wearing "NAVY MOM" sweatshirts and carrying small flags, gathered Saturday morning on the square in downtown Willoughby to show their support of American troops serving overseas.
Downtown Willoughby was bustling on a sunny autumn morning, as shoppers looked for bargains at the nearby farmers' market, children giggled together on the park swings and a man dressed as Uncle Sam stood on a nearby corner and held up a sign calling for the impeachment of President Bush. Rally organizers, however, were quick to say that their event had no political agenda; the rally was merely a gesture of support for American soldiers.
After a musical interlude provided by local band Tyrone's Blues Sinsation, four veterans shared their combat experiences.
It went on to describe some of what the veterans said. Katz' name was not mentioned once. I diaried about this last week, about how Katz was involved with this worthwhile event and how LaTourette was invited. Would LaTourette come to the event? Of course not. And was that fact mentioned? Of course not.
However, the paper did decide on their endorsement for this race, and it was a whopper:
U.S Rep. Steven C. LaTourette surely is enjoying this run election season. Two weeks prior to voters go to the polls Nov. 7, Jeffrey Don Lundgren will lie down on a gurney, have his veins filled with poison, and die for killing the Avery family in Kirtland in 1989.
It's a significant moment for the incumbent Republican congressman from Concord Township because the Kirtland cult killings catapulted the then-Lake County prosecutor to his current job.
Even in a mid-term election season in which several Republicans seem vulnerable, it's unlikely LaTourette would need Lundgren's newsworthy death to aid his re-election.
But he'll take it.
LaTourette's re-election campaigns have generated little suspense and there's no reason to believe 2006 will be any different.
First of all, you might be able to ignore the grammatical errors, but the faulty logic? Why even mention a murder case from 1989?
The editorial goes on to cite LaTourette's ability to work with Democrats to save defense jobs in Cleveland. Yawn. Kucinich and Tubbs-Jones did the heavy lifting in that case, but it appears LaTourette is going to take all the credit.
And finally, this nugget of wisdom:
Based on his consistent track record, voters from the 14th congressional district should send LaTourette back to Congress for another term.
As voters in this district know, the only "consistent track record" LaTourette has is his dishonesty. "I'll only run for four terms" "I won't vote for CAFTA" "Bush's budget bill is a bad bill and I won't vote for it" "Till death do us part" These are all quotes from LaTourette, and he's gone against all of them. Hopefully the voters here will remember.
UPDATE: Lew wrote this on his blog:
Saturday, one hundred veterans and families gathered in downtown Willoughby to rally for past and present soldiers. As a former Spec-4 in the Army Reserves and a former Lieutenant in Navy JAG, I was overwhelmed with pride and honor when I was asked to host the event. Four veterans shared their stories and talked about the struggles of coming home. Organizations such as the American Legion and the VFW are invaluable for those men and women because the transition from military life to civilian life is very difficult. This day raised awareness of the importance of these organizations and the daily struggles of our men and women when they come home from the military service.
Events like this are so important. Our country has made mistakes in the past by not appropriately honoring and respecting soldiers by putting aside our political differences and recognizing their sacrifices. This event promised not to be political, and it delivered. The rally received enormous support and turnout.
I would like to send out a special thanks to the following people: Mike Lebowitz, Tom Labadie, Sam Trost, William Eville, Jim Trettin and the American Legion Post #214, Eastlake VFW, and the University of Akron Army ROTC who provided the Color Guard. Everyone's efforts added to the success of the event.
Also, I would like to thank Tyrone's Blues Sinsation for donating their time and equipment in honor of the troops. The weather was beautiful and the music was very fitting in the way it transcended generations providing entertainment for all.
Again, thank you to the men and women who serve this county.