Politics and other nightmares

Organizers of the 2012 Olympic Games in London have dusted off The Clash's "London Calling" for use as a "come-see us" promo, which some are calling the most clueless use of a song since Ronald Reagan appropriated "Born in the USA."

Yet another Indiana city is having an identity crisis:

More than once in this space over the years we have described Evansville as a city with an identity crisis. Descriptions of the city have been many and varied — some complimentary, some not. There has been everything from collective complacency to fitness unfriendly, to a big small town and a good place to raise a family.

Hot dog, I feel rich now!

Mayor Tom Henry on Wednesday cheered residents who have helped the city's new recycling program net $1 million in projected savings

The town of Merrillville in northwest Indiana has said it doesn't need any more stinkin' renters with their transient lifestyles and criminal tendencies and such:

Local control? What a concept!

INDIANAPOLIS (AP) — The suggestion that Indiana lawmakers adopt a pay cap for school district superintendents doesn't seem to have much support.

Yeah, well, they've been lamenting "the death of rural America" for 50 years:

Rural America now accounts for just 16 percent of the nation's population, the lowest ever.

Eric Zorn of of The Chicago Tribune checks out the Indiana political landscape and discovers -- surprise, surprise! -- that not everyone in Indiana considers Gov. Mitch Daniels a political hero. Believe it or not, he manages to find a liberal editorial page, a left-leaning economist and the General Assembly's leading Democrat who are willing to say bad things about all the cuts made in state government. Who would have ever guessed?

Some county fairs in Indiana have stopped having competitions that result in a fair queen and/or king being crowned. Go ahead, guess why:

Any fair activity involving competition between 4-H members must be open to both boys and girls, said Renee McKee, assistance director of the Purdue Extension office.

Fascinating:

Irony abounds in the remarks of White House Secretary Jay Carney in yesterday's news conference:

But we have to do something significant. And we absolutely have to ensure that we remove the threat to our economy that uncertainty creates.

After repeatedly shrugging off complaints that businesses are sitting on billions of dollars instead of investing it because they're not sure what the White House is in store for