average JoeOhio Tour cont.: I traveled into Findaly, Ohio, where our campaign was recently featured in the Findlay Courier newspaper. Our campaign vehicle’s horn had gone on the blink recently, and Carl Stein of Traucht Electric here fixed it as a campaign donation. While he did it for free, Carl and his wife Sue wanted a bumper sticker that was signed on the back. He said they’d been selling quirky things on e-bay as a hobby, and wondered what would happen with an auction on the bumper sticker. I signed it: “Joe Schriner, the most well traveled (domestic road miles) presidential candidate in the history of America… 200,000 miles, and counting.” Let the bids begin… Note: Findlay was just hit by the worst flood they’ve had in more than 100 years. Carl said he saw one man jet skiing up a side street to get medicine to someone who was trapped in a house. FEMA, churches and the Red Cross have been working the past three weeks here on disaster assistance.
9/12/07
average JoeOhio Tour cont: I went to Columbus Grove, Ohio, to stump. Got in a great conversation with a group of locals at “The Gas Station.” (Simple and to the point.) One of the issues that came up was the fact a school levy had failed three times here. I suggestted an ad hoc committee be formed to set up a fund for all those who voted for the levy. They could voluntarily put the money they’d been assessed — or even more — in the fund for the schools. I mean, wouldn’t that be common sense? …I was then interviewed by the Putnam County Sentinal newspaper. In referring the the ‘voluntary levy’ idea, I said some people have a tendency to do the right thing — if they are given that option… Later today I was interviewed by Nancy Kline from the new Voices newspaper in the area. She told me about a priest from Nigeria that she recently did a story about. He is here trying to raise money for his impoverished country. I said our platform calls for people in America to sacrifice significantly so people in the Third World can have the basics in food, medicine, shelter… There’s enough to go around.
9/11/07
We did a whistle-stop in Pandora, Ohio. A reporter from Fox News came to do an interview — straight from the “State of the University Address” at Bluffton University. To stay with that theme, I gave him an unsolicited “State of the Nation Address.” I said we stand at the precipous of catastrophic global warming; little kids daily dodge hunger, drugs and bullets in our inner cities; we have 48 million people without healthcare insurance, we have a nine trillion dollar national debt… I added that maybe it’s time to look to someone outside ‘the beltway’ for new answers to these issues. And that person? Me.
8/10/07
average JoeOhio Tour cont.: We headed to Delphos, Ohio, where I was interviewed by a reporter from the Delphos Herald. While talking about the economy, he said it was his belief that the core of our current state of capitalism is conflictual. That is, it’s for the most part about cut-throat competition. I said we had researched a Christian business paradigm called the Economy of Sharing, where businesses across the country are committing the first third of their profits (off the top) to humanitarian aid agencies into the Third World. These businesses also commit to paying their employees a “living wage,” commit to be good environmental stewards, and so on. What’s more, if they find out a competitor is in trouble — they offer their help. I mean when you think about it, would Jesus ‘turn the screws’ to help push a hurting competitor out of business? Common sense would say no on that one… When then went to Jim’s Restaurant in Delphos for lunch. (Great ‘Mom & Pop’ place!) NBC News out of Lima caught up to us there. During the interview, I said that: “Instead of joining the PTO, Liz and I decided to run for president.” (Liz always rolls her eyes when I say that.)… Later that night I gave a talk at a prayer group in Delphos. Afterward, the prayer group leader told me his daughter was at a college in St. Louis majoring in: social justice. How absolutely refreshing.
8/9/07
We traveled to Lima, Ohio, where I talked with C.L. Geiger who started the company Healthy Green & Smart. She said the general public (in the face of global warming, vanishing species, toxic pollution…) is starting to wake up to the fact that their consumer purchases are “morality based.” For instance, Healthy Green & Smart sells a line of pesticide free clothing because buying the other promotes the polluting of soil and groundwater… At Mass at St. Charles in Lima this morning, the priest said we are called to be “good stewards” (and that includes good stewards of the environment)… In the afternoon, we all went of a Lima park where we taught my wife Liz’s parents — who are from New Zealand and along with us on the tour — a little about American football. And in turn, they taught us some about rugby. It was a lot of fun.
9/8/07
We went to the “Black Swamp Arts & Crafts Festival” in downtown Bowling Green, Ohio. The kids and I walked around passing out flyers. Several people said they’d seen the Toledo newscast about the campaign. Artist Michael Jasinski was one of them and did a caricature (the first) of me. (I’ll probably have to get used to that.) Walking down a side street after the event, I spotted a group of Bowling Green State University college students doing a cookout on their porch. I walked up, passed out some flyers and promised when I get to D.C. that I’m going to change the national symbol from an eagle to a: falcon (BGSU’s mascott). They laughed… We then headed north to Beaverdam, Ohio, where we stayed at a Flying J Truck Stop for the evening.
9/7/07
Yesterday while in Sandusky, we stopped at the Stillwaters Coffee Cafe. If you want, there is a table where you can write stuff on with a black magic marker. I wrote: Vote “average Joe” Schriner for president. Then smiled. While Hillary, Rudy, Barrack… are designing multi-million dollar TV adds, I’m writing on a table in Sandusky. And such is the lot of an independent presidential candidate who’s not getting, oh, as many donations. (Hint to all my constituents.)… Today we drove to Whitehouse, Ohio (pop. 7,000), to do a whistle-stop there. A reporter from Channel 11 News asked me about the campaign. I said as much as many people would think Whitehouse, Ohio, is as close as I’m going to get to the Whitehouse this election — “I wouldn’t be too sure…” After the event I talked with John Wittes, a quite enthusiastic fellow who is running for mayor of Whitehouse this election. He said one of his issues is new zoning that requires every residence in town to have concrete or asphalt driveways. He said common sense says that salt and oil dripping from cars is filtered in a gravel driveway, whereas these substances on asphalt and concrete run off into storm sewers, then into the water ways… Afterward, our kids caught about six blue gill (and threw each one back — for the next kids) at a nearby pond. I took the fish of the hooks for them, then we drove to Waterville, Ohio, where I was interviewed by a reporter from the Mirror newspaper. I said I was vying to be the presidential candidate nominee for the Green Party because I believe the Green Party has the best position (conservation, alternative energy, decentralism…) for ending Global Warming — which seems a clear and present danger at this point.
9/6/07
average JoeOhio Tour cont: We went north to Vermilion, Ohio, on Lake Erie. I gave a talk at St. Mary’s Church, then we did a whistle stop event in the downtown area at noon. Afterward I interviewed Mayor Jean Anderson. She is a year and a half into her first term, and quite a dynamo. Her administration has helped pave the way for a new company, Cleveland Quarries, to locate in Vermilion — providing 73 new jobs. She also told me about a new Youth Center that is designed as an after school place for physical recreation, tutoring and just a “safe environment to hang out in.” Among a number of other projects, Ms. Anderson said her administration is working to make Vermilion a commuter rail stop to Cleveland. In the context of strategies to reduce global warming, this is something our administration would push for as well, nationwide… We then headed west to Sandusky, Ohio, where I was interviewed by a reporter from the Sandusky Register newspaper. I said we’re spending billions to go to Mars to see about water, and so on — while meanwhile Lake Erie is still quite polluted. What’s up with that… And as if to underscore this, we camped at East Harbor State Park that night. And a sign at the beach said “No Swimming” because the bacteria count was extremely high in the lake.
9/5/07
average JoeOhio Tour cont: I stopped back in Berlin Heights, Ohio (pop. 800), where I stumped some more in the downtown. (It’s our belief, if you don’t carry Berlin Heights — you won’t carry the country.) I got in a conversation with a man who owns the clock shop in Berlin Heights. He said he and his wife have two 1980s cars that they take great pains to keep up. He said he sees it as “recycling,” given all the natural resources that go into making a car… Later I met two motorcyclists from Columbia Station, Ohio. One, named: “Hammer” (probably not his birth name) asked me what I did for a living. I said some house painting and handyman work. He turned to his buddy and yelled: “He’s one of us!” Hammer then put one of our bumper stickers on the back of his motorcyle.
9/4/07
For Labor Day yesterday, I labored. I stumped in downtown Berlin Heights, Ohio. I also interviewed Jack Vandebemt. He was collecting signatures for his 71-year-old, soon to be father-in-law, Albert Maynard. (The family was collecting signatures to help keep Mr. Maynard in his home of 17 years.) Jack said Mr. Maynard’s home is on Metro Park property. And although he was verbally told he could stay in the home the rest of his life, Jack continued, the Parks Department is now asking him to leave. (The story has been featured in a couple local newspapers.) In the past two days, the family had collected a phenomenal — for these parts — 600 signatures. Mr. Maynard is somewhat of a local hero, having once saved a local couple from a burning house. What’s more, his wife had recently died. “It’s just the idea of his age and health,” said Jack, explaining he would do everything he could on a grassroots level to help Mr. Maynard stay in his home… I then headed down a back road out of Berlin Heights, ending up at Tim Tullinghast’s fruit and vegetable stand. Mr. Tullinghast and his family have been in their house — for eight generations. “I’d never sell the house,” he said. “It needs to be passed on because of all the heritage.” Note: While at the stand, a good number of people pulled up — including many who were interested in the campaign. I passed out flyers and posed for cell phone pictures. This went on for the better part of an hour. By the time I left, I had a watermelon and at least a few more votes.