Going Home

Big Three turkeys talk; turkeys for the neighborhood secured

A couple of final thoughts on the bridge loans for the domestic auto industry:

– Nardelli, Wagoner and Mulally are the wrong people to be the voices for Joe the Autoworker. Geez, these guys make Bush look good. They are so far disconnected from the people they employ on the line, N-W-M could not communicate to Congress and the American people that we’re fighting for our very lives in Detroit and throughout the Midwest.

– Because of this, I fully support the lawmakers’ decision to force the auto companies to present a plan by Dec. 2 for restructuring their businesses. I wouldn’t trust these guys to do the right thing with $25 billion either.

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What's Alabama got against Detroit?

For the second time this week, a politician from Alabama made want to jump through the television screen on Wednesday.

Bachus

Rep. Spencer Bachus, R-Ala., ranking member of the House Financial Services Committee, is on my naughty list this Christmas season. Hell, in my opinion, he’s public enemy No. 1 in Detroit.

“The Big Three stands as emblems of the American dream and they have been an integral part of the American economy for generations,” Bachus said, adding however that the bailout “raises fairness issues, does not solve the problem… and is not the American way.

“The American people have bailout fatigue. We need an exit strategy from the string of bailouts.”

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Sunshine gang

There are certain people who walk into a dimly-lit room and, suddenly, everybody needs sunglasses.

For me, it’s the opposite. When I walk into a room occupied by a certain group of people, I often go from glum to glow.

Putting together the baskets.

It happened again yesterday evening at Shield of Faith. I was coming off a long day at the office, followed by a long night at work. All I wanted was a hot dinner, a glass of wine and a warm bed. But I had made a commitment at the church and went straight there after leaving The Detroit News around 7 p.m.

Friends of Fletcher Field and Shield of Faith were putting together Thanksgiving baskets for people in the neighborhood who need a lift this holiday season. As soon as I entered the basement of the church’s activity building, formerly the Holy Name convent, I got a lift.

These people, who have become like a second family to me during the past year, are simply amazing. Their smiles, energy, can-do attitudes – they inspire me to be the best person I can be, make me truly live up to my last name.

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Detroit deserves auto loans

The question of whether to rescue Detroit’s Big Three is one that has my blood boiling these days.

Look, just like the fat-cat financial institutions Congress decided to help, the auto industry is far from perfect. I found this little gem in a Detroit News story last week about how-do-we-forge-ahead meetings held by Ford’s best and brightest:

With gasoline prices falling, some argued that Ford should abandon its costly plan to retool North American truck factories to produce smaller, more fuel-efficient cars from Europe.

No wonder they’re in trouble.

Still, that doesn’t mean the industry should be allowed to fail – not when Uncle Sam already said yes to saving the suits in the financial industry.

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Finding my grandfather in River Rouge

In honor of Veteran’s Day and my grandfather’s recent passing, I decided last week to investigate some of his past.

My grandfather, Robert F. Wagensomer, after returning from the Korean War

My grandfather, a veteran of World War II and the Korean War, was never a man who revealed the details of his life, and, accordingly, I didn’t know much about his youth. Grandpa was a great storyteller, but the problem was that he told two stories over and over. One was about how he was once a great baseball player, and the other was about his experience as a military policeman in Japan.

After some Veteran’s Day reflection on him and his service, I decided to see what other stories about him that I could discover.

Grandpa grew up in River Rouge, and according to his discharge papers, lived there until at least 1946. After that, he lived in Lincoln Park. After some digging through paperwork and old love letters my grandmother had sent him, I finally found his address and some photos of him during that era.

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El Central - Mexicantown's community newspaper

Standing inside the courtyard of El Club Mexicantown Fiesta Center at 4114 W. Vernor Highway, in southwest Detroit’s Mexicantown, one feels as though they are in old Mexico.

Networks of ivy grow up exposed brick walls and a variety of flowers planted from seed seem to pop out from everywhere among scattered decorations and ornaments that were saved from the trash.

One of the barriers of the garden, a fence with barbed wire wrapped around the top of it, however, reminds visitors of the realities of the surrounding urban area.

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River Rouge, MI

Kindness is often overlooked and underrated. However, when entering an unfamiliar area, it’s the first thing we wish for and the last thing we expect.

In trying to decide on a community to cover, I researched different areas of Detroit, both online and on foot. The first things I read and heard were disparaging. I even read a post on an online board that said, “Just to be safe, stay north of M-59.” Safe was the one constant word I came across.

“How safe is it?”

“It’s not very safe there.”

“It’s safe if you act like you belong.”

It came to be that the very word “safe” no longer had a definite meaning. After so much repetition, it sounded ridiculous.

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Clintondale goes down fighting

Croswell-Lexington 27, Clintondale 26.

The thing that has kept me a sports nut for so many years is that the games inspire me – seeing athletes playing their guts out, leaving it all on the field, rising above their talent level.

I saw that from both teams on the gridiron at Clintondale High School tonight.

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Weekend reminders

The blog’s home team, Clintondale High School, plays host to Croswell-Lexington in a regional championship football game Friday at 7 p.m. Clintondale is located at 35200 Little Mack, Clinton Twp., 48035.

All are welcome to attend Monday’s Friends of Fletcher Field meeting at the Shield of Faith activity building, formerly the Holy Name convent, at 7 p.m. We will be putting together the Thanksgiving baskets for distribution in the neighborhood on Nov. 23. We will also discuss the Dec. 6 living nativity at Fletcher Field.

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'Bowling for Dollars' flashback and the Rotary Club

“Bowling for Dollars.”

Bob Allison

It was my favorite game show as a kid, watching casual bowlers attempt to string strikes together for prizes. The more strikes in a row, the bigger the prizes.

Bob Allison, who had a voice made for radio, was the host of the show, which took place at Thunderbowl Lanes in Allen Park. It was broadcast on WDIV Channel 4 around 7 p.m., if memory serves me correct, just before “The Muppet Show” – another favorite of mine.

I hadn’t seen or heard from Mr. Allison since the heyday of “Bowling for Dollars” in the 1970s – that is, until yesterday.

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