Dad: [via e-mail] That article has caused quite a stir here. Lots of back tracking and claims of being misquoted. The Courier called it a hatchet job.

Against my better judgement I’ve been reading the Letters to the Editor section (and on-line comments) of Hometown Ohio/Flag City/Findlay’s paper since the Washington Post Article. I e-mailed Mom to let her know I’d written and submitted my own Letter to the Editor (something I’ve never done before).

Mom: [via e-mail] Should I pack my bags and be ready to leave once it hits print?!?!?

It hit print today. Here’s what I wrote:

“I read the (June 30) Washington Post article that used Findlay as a microcosm of an issue that is affecting the whole nation. I can see how some would be upset. Findlay does come off looking uninformed and quick to believe the worst of people who don't live the same lives they do.

“I was curious to see if responses from the people of Findlay would rise to the challenge of giving a better view of the town. While there have been level-headed responses on both sides, sadly, most of what I read made Findlay look just as bad as anything in the original article. (To be fair, some of this was on the Internet, which brings out the worst in people).

“For me, the subtlety of the problem is best illustrated by Scott Rothey's letter to the editor. He complains about ‘out-of-towners’ chastising Findlay, taking umbrage at them making false assumptions about his town. Then he writes, ‘These letters simply reflect the attitudes of angry, educated but benighted Americans who cling to their chardonnay and brie, read their Marx and Hegel, but don't particularly like people who don't think or act like them.’ Hmm. So, basically he's making sweeping generalizations about out-of-towners that are as cartoonishly ridiculous as the Larry the Cable Guy image he worries the rest of the country is placing on him.

“And that's, unfortunately, where we are right now in this country. One side calling the other ‘backwards.’ The other side yelling back ‘elitist.’ And both are equally wrong (or is it equally right?).

“Politics aside, inviting Obama to speak is the right gesture to show the world that Findlay is willing to listen and not just shake its head and scream, ‘Nuh-uh!’”

[A quick aside… a few Findlay residents, along with the mayor, drafted a letter formally inviting Senator Obama to visit Findlay. Now back to what I wrote…]

“Rothey ends his letter by responding to the question, ‘Are the people of Findlay this stupid?’ He answers, ‘No.’ My answer would be the same as my answer for any town or city. Only some of us are stupid. And some of us are working on it.

“By the way, I skimmed Marx and Hegel in college, prefer beer to chardonnay and I don't have brie that often but greatly enjoy it when I do. Seriously, it's delicious. Try some brie.”

Mom: [via e-mail] Dad thought that your Letter to the Editor was good. Sherry & Julie don't know why you wrote it. I haven't heard from Allie. I thought it was funny. I went to mass at Carey and even though I shouldn't have, I thought about your letter and how people like [list of some of my old teachers] probably really enjoyed it. I also thought about how Grandma Dottie would have liked it, and how grateful I am that you are like her. . . open-minded, willing to give your opinion even if others may disagree. I thanked God for a son that is intelligent and has made my life interesting and that has a great sense of humor and is an independent thinker.

Mom was kind enough to take this picture of Dad reading the letter in today’s Courier.

Mom: Dad thought that it would be funny to act shocked for a couple of photos. I said wait until one of those are on the blog.