toledoblade.com --

Seven bite-size Lemmon Drops to nibble on while waiting for TomKitten's first visit to Toledo:

Maybe it's just a coincidence, because media coverage of the Rev. Gerald Robinson's murder trial has been so prevalent, but religion has been everywhere I've turned lately.

Let me be more specific: I'm talking about instances of religion being "forced" upon the public.

So, like a tea kettle, I need to blow off a little steam.

Thumbs-down, Part 1 (from an April 14 article): Waterville Village Council is considering opening its meetings with a prayer asking for God's guidance.

Thumbs-down, Part 2 (from an April 19 article): A federal judge in Toledo ruled yesterday that a decades-old granite monument of the Ten Commandments can remain standing on the lawn of the Lucas County Courthouse.

Thumbs-down, Part 3 (heard on the radio): Betty Montgomery, who is running for state attorney general, incorporates Ohio's state motto – "With God, all things are possible" – in a campaign ad.

Of the three, only Ms. Montgomery's radio ad made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. It was a blatant attempt to mix religion and politics.

Forgive me for rolling my eyes after reading the stories about Waterville Village Council and the Ten Commandments monument, but I just don't see the point of these public displays. They seem so transparent. I mean, it's not like society's moral compass has improved since the so-called "religious right" started becoming more vocal.

Pauline Glaza, a member of the Waterville council, told a Blade reporter that she silently says the Lord's Prayer between the Pledge of Allegiance and the roll call.

Good for her.

That's the way it should be.

Toledo City Councilman Bob McCloskey was videotaped in a federal sting last week accepting $3,000? I'm shocked – shocked, I tell you.

A flag with a reddish tint flashed before my eyes last week. It happened right after reading the story about incoming University of Toledo President Lloyd Jacobs rejecting the two finalists recommended by a panel for permanent dean of the college of arts and sciences.

Little did Steven Steel know that he would be the Toledo school board member with the most power. Darlene Fisher and Robert Torres are closely aligned on one side, and Larry Sykes and Deborah Barnett are just as tight on the other side. Mr. Steel stands in the middle and, assuming the alliances hold, he will be on the winning side of every 3-2 vote.

Let's see, Toledo Mayor Carty Finkbeiner gave Pizzuti Cos. a little more than two months to secure a retail anchor for the Marina District and now, with the nonprofit River East Economic Development Corp. having taken over the project (receiving $8,000 a month for doing so), there is no deadline.

Hmmm.

Rewind to January: Mr. Finkbeiner, in a two-paragraph letter, told Ron Pizzuti that "it won't take very long for us to find a top-flight developer" if his company didn't make the deadlines (March 31 for the first retail anchor; May 31 for a second).

Apparently, this "top-flight developer" is the Carty Crony Club.

Overheard at the gas pump: "It's not right that oil companies are making record profits and General Motors is on the verge of collapse."

Please, Costco, don't judge a city by its mayor.

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