It's been 235 years, and the British still aren't over the Declaration of Independence. A bunch of American and British lawyers had a debate in Philadelphia recently over whether the declaration was "legal." The British viewpoint:
The Declaration of Independence was not only illegal, but actually treasonable. There is no legal principle then or now to allow a group of citizens to establish their own laws because they want to. What if Texas decided today it wanted to secede from the Union?
Here is a chart I copied from a Tim Cavanaugh post at Reason magazine's hit & run.
I was just going to ignore Joe Biden's silly "pass this bill or you're in favor of rape" argument:
I've though some of the people who contribute items to The News-Sentinel's "Rants" feature must be the most dyspeptic cranks in the state, but whoever was responsible for this takes the prize:
BLOOMINGTON, Ind. — The mother of an Indiana University student missing since June says she was hurt by an anonymous letter complaining about Bloomington being littered with search posters.
Mitt Romney succumbs to the Guilty Republican Syndrome:
Today's video focuses on the City Council's 4th District race between incumbent Republican Mitch Harper and Democratic challenger Mike Avila. This may be my favorite set of answers. Both candidates answer succinctly -- about six minutes total -- but not too briefly.
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid finally let the fat-cat out of the bag yesterday, confirming what's been apparent for some time:
Democrats, led by President Obama, aren't interested in more jobs for all Americans. They just want more government jobs.
I'm afraid The Associated Press has irritated my inner nitpicky word curmudgeon to life:
DETROIT — Workers at three Indiana facilities comprising Chrysler's largest United Auto Workers local have voted in favor of a new four-year contract, a sign that the deal will be approved when voting ends next week.
Today's video is for the 3rd District, featuring incumbent Republican Tom Didier and Democratic challenger Christian Nagel. As a point of historical interest, the 3rd is the district served by Mayor Tom Henry when he was on the council. Henry represented the district for five terms between 1984 and 2004, losing the seat to Didier.
Let's go for the big one with today's video -- the mayor's race. In addition to incumbent Democrat Tom Henry and Republican challenger Paula Hughes, it features Haley Arendt. This might be one of your few chances to see him -- as an independent, he isn't getting much coverage.
After nearly three hours of discussion Tuesday on a $180 million budget, City Council didn't cut a dime.
While council did not cut any spending from Mayor Tom Henry's proposed 2012 plan, it unanimously approved a motion to freeze property taxes at this year's level, meaning the city will likely draw $3 million from its cash reserves to balance the budget and avoid a slight tax hike.
Soft economy? What soft economy?
DALLAS — For shoppers seeking a bit — or a lot — of holiday extravagance, the Neiman Marcus Christmas Book unveiled Tuesday is offering options like a $420,000 tour of European flower shows on a private jet and a $250,000 handcrafted mahogany speedboat.
Somebody is unclear on the concept:
Here's a case of "experts" overreaching a little:
WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind.— Scientists at Purdue University and two other schools are developing detailed computer models intended to predict how people behave in the panic-filled hours after local officials issue hurricane evacuation orders.
Some in the Occupy Space movement seem to be turning on each other:
It's a den of thieves!
Occupy Wall Street protesters said yesterday that packs of brazen crooks within their ranks have been robbing their fellow demonstrators blind, making off with pricey cameras, phones and laptops -- and even a hefty bundle of donated cash and food.
Wow, who could have seen this one coming? Israel cuts a deal to release 1,027 Palestinians in exchange for one captured Israeli soldier. And then:
Does this seem like a pretty big number to anybody else?
ANDERSON, Ind.—Nearly 4,200 people have asked the Indiana Gaming Commission to bar them from entering casinos across Indiana.
The way the Supreme Court has been going lately, this will probably be another 4-4 vote with Anthony Kennedy casting the tie-breaker. But it really deserves to be 9-0 in favor of lying liar Xaviar Alvarez:
WASHINGTON, D.C. -- The Supreme Court says it will decide whether a federal law making it a crime to lie about being awarded a military medal or decoration violated free-speech rights.
