Politics and other nightmares

Apparently, the General Assembly won't have enough to do in the coming session, so Republican state Sen. Vaneta Becker of Evansville is helping fill the void. A constituent told her of being upset over the "disrespectful" changing of words in the singing of "The Star-Spangled Banner"at a school program. Now Becker has introduced a bill proposing that the state set standards for singing and playing the national anthem. I find myself in rare agreement with the ACLU:

Just because he's paranoid doesn't mean we shouldn't be out to get him:

A day after officials announced the cancer diagnosis of Argentina's president, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez wondered Wednesday if the United States could be infecting the region's leaders with the illness.

When the scary stuff happens, who we have as commander in chief matters:

The United States is in no position to advise Iran against cutting global oil supply in case of sanctions against its petroleum industry, a top Iranian commander said on Thursday.

Geez Louise. After all the histrionics about reinventing government and making Washington less important, Mitt Romney is the best Republicans can do? But he's been around, put in his time, so it's his turn, and that's what the GOP does. Or maybe he does fit Bill Buckley's definition of "most electable conservative." Still, this is not exactly encouraging:

Washington Post columnist E.J. Dionne, whose column appeared in this morning's Journal Gazette, gets the prize for most brazen twisting of words to make them say what he wants them to say instead of what they actually mean:

For the first time since Barry Goldwater made the effort in 1964, the Republican Party is taking a run at overturning the consensus that has governed U.S. political life since the Progressive era.

Indiana is among the states with the toughest ballot-access requirements for third parties and independent candidates, a fact discussed here a few times. Virginia also belongs to that elite group, with requirements that make it tough even on major-party establishment types, and Rick Perry failed to get enough valid signatures to have his name put on the ballot.

What a rare and welcome display of common sense:

PHOENIX -- An administrative law judge ruled Tuesday that a Tucson school district's ethnic studies program violates state law, agreeing with the findings of Arizona's public schools chief.

Judge Lewis Kowal's ruling marked a defeat for the Tucson Unified School District, which appealed the findings issued in June by Superintendent of Public Instruction John Huppenthal.

You have to feel sorry for the people at Kroger who must make the decision on what to do about this. They're going to make thousands mad no matter which way they go (just different sets of thousands):

The actions of a Kroger store manager who shot and killed a would-be robber inside the grocery store are being hailed by many as heroic.

So, want to talk about the "1 percent"? Indiana has one member on this list of congressmen who haven't been corruped by money -- the "25 members of Congress with lowest net worth" compiled by the Washington Post:

19. Rep. Marlin A. Stutzman (R-Ind.)

Stutzman had an average net worth of -$84,495 in 2010.

Been there, haven't done that:

Americans won't be seeing a huge ticker-tape parade in New York City anytime soon for troops returning from Iraq.

It's not clear if veterans of the nine-year campaign will ever enjoy the grand, flag-waving, red-white-and-blue homecoming that the nation's fighting men and women received after World War II and the Gulf War.