Blog-O-Rama

Fulton's Friends Furious Over Flap

David T. Young, who was one of the Habitat for Humanity supporters that witnessed Fulton Sheen's failure to pay for dinner or to make a contribution at March 24 Habitat dinner, wrote a letter to the editor to the Allegan County News & Gazette to outline his objections. The News & Gazette received two letters this week, circling the wagons and defending Sheen, one from longtime GOP member Lee Murray of Hopkins and the other from Jerry Bohl, president of Allegan County chapter of Habitat for Humanity.

Young said in his letter he doesn't think it's appropriate for the president of a non-profit organization to endorse or give testimonial on behalf a political candidate in an election year.

The following is Bohl's letter, as printed in this week's edition of the Allegan County News & Gazette:

"In regards to the letter with the headline of 'Politicians should contribute to charities, not use them.' "We, at Allegan County Habitat for Humanity, wish to take issue with Mr. Young on his assessment of State Rep. Fulton Sheen. Several of our board members attended the dinner in question and can assure Mr. Young and your readers that Fulton Sheen was not 'using' that dinner for his own benefit.
"Hasn't everyone forgotten their wallet at one time or other?
"Habitat received a check from Fulton on the following Wednesday, and it was for much more than the $8 cost of the dinner.
I know for a fact that Fulton supports many Allegan County non-profits-not just with money, but with time also. He's very active in his church and has worked-meaning grubby-clothes, get-dirty work-on several of the houses Habitat has built.
"Mr. Young, we already have a state representative who has 'common sense and integrity' — his name is Fulton Sheen."
- Jerry Bohl, President, Allegan County Habitat for Humanity

Walking the Tightrope

Speaking of what might be considered inappropriate endorsements, there are some within the ranks of the Barry County Republican Party who aren't happy with Barry County Chamber of Commerce Executive Director Julie DeBoer introducing local businessmen and women to State Rep. candidate Brian Calley, the anointed one from Portland to succeed term limited State Rep. Gary Newell in the 87th District. The chamber director, wife of former State Police Commander and Sheriff Steve DeBoer, was a supporter of Newell and has had to walk a tightrope to avoid appearance of impropriety in the political arena. After all, the chamber, like Habitat for Humanity, is supposed to be politically neutral. In her defense, Calley bought a membership into the Barry County Chamber, a politically savvy move that got him an appearance at Hastings Kiwanis. Calley sure seems to be lining up the supposed power brokers who think they are hitching their wagons to the next State Rep.

Lincoln Day Doings

The Barry County GOP Lincoln Day dinner will be Friday, May 19, and as promised, it excludes Michigan Attorney General Mike Cox, who snubbed the local party at previous dinners. The Barry Republicans invited the Rev. Keith Butler, one of the sacrificial lambs seeking the nomination to go down in November to Democratic U.S. Senator Debbie Stabenow. At least it wasn't a return appearance of Betsy ("Michigan workers are paid too much") DeVos, former party chairwoman and wife of GOP gubernatorial candidate and billionaire Dick DeVos (who somehow seems to claim he's not a politician despite years of lobbying on behalf of such causes as privatizing public schools while contributing millions to the politically dominant radical think tank, the Mackinac Center for Public Policy, whose ideas got us in the mess we're in with regards to shrinking state coffers and cuts to local communities via revenue sharing- we could respect him more if he was at least honest about who is is and what he stands for instead of pretending he's a self-made man who is a newcomer to the political arena).