The politicians never rest:
Perhaps caught up in Super Bowl fever, Sen. Evan Bayh says he wants outgoing Indianapolis Colts coach Tony Dungy to be President-elect Barack Obama's point man for promoting responsible fatherhood.
It's unclear exactly what he wants Dungy to do in that role. But as Washington has a czar for most everything, a fatherhood czar might not be far off.
Fatherhood czar. Right.
If you're going to put your plane on autopilot, then jump out with a parachute in order to fake your own death:
1. Don't approach a police officer afterward.
2. Don't tell the officer you were in a canoeing accident with some friends.
This would seem like common sense. But Marcus Schrenker is a Hoosier con man apparently unable to believe his careful schemes were unraveling:
Some common sense from a guest columnist in the San Francisco Chronicle:
Obama will need all the help he can get in managing the presidential workload. It hardly seems in the public interest to deprive him of communications devices and productivity tools that millions of Americans take for granted in their own lives. Does Obama really have to give up his beloved BlackBerry? I think not.
Barack Obama just doesn't think outside the box -- now, this is a stimulus plan:
Another vacant building in Marion, another demolition, another hole in the downtown landscape. But, hey, let's look on the bright side.
Once the demolition is done and safety considerations are taken care of, putting in a green space with grass, trees, flowers, a path and a few benches should be relatively cost-effective.
It would also add a nice flavor to the downtown area, a place where those who work downtown could enjoy lunch and a little fresh air.
An editorial in the Exponent, student newspaper of Purdue, laments Gov. Daniels' proposed budget cuts, including a 4 percent one for universities:
Economic times are tough, and spending cuts will have to be made somewhere. But education is one of the last areas that should be cut. It's vital to the state and its economy.
The Indiana Supreme Court is letting Gary proceed with its lawsuit against gun manufacturers and distributors for providing guns they knew would end up in criminals' hands, thus encourgaing the "bad things are the fault of anybody with deep pockets" mentality. This is just fine with Paul Helmke:
The Brady Center to Prevent Gun Violence, which represents the city of Gary in the case, called the state high court's decision today a landmark. Attorneys for the gun manufacturers could not immediately be reached for comment tonight.
From the future history archives, Sept. 9, 2011 -- President Barack Obama is urging Congress for the 15th delay in the planned switch from analog to digital television broadcasting, arguing that too many Americans who rely on analog TV won't be ready.
Just in case you don't yet realize that cameras are everywhere:
The manager of an upmarket restaurant used CCTV footage to eavesdrop on a customer's lunch conversation and dispute the woman's complaints about poor service.
Great news for those of us who are fans of Hartley's. You might recall that the restaurant was planning to close at its location and merge with Chappell's. The latest story we had said that talks had stalled. Now, it looks like they've collapsed. I had lunch there last week and asked how much longer I'd be able to eat there. "As long as you want," was the answer.
Now, please patronize the place! Help see a good restaurant through a troubed economy. And keep me from having to face change.
Panicky Americans: Oh, God, this is the worst economy since the Great Depression, and we're all going to be standing in bread lines with holes in our shoes! Save us, federal government, please save us now! Hoosier seniors who actually lived through the Great Depression: Suck it up, you whining wusses. You ain't seen nothin' like what we lived through:
Badges? City Council members get badges that "are identical to the one that police officers use"? What could possibly go wrong?
Terre Haute City Councilman Ramon "Turk" Roman turned himself in to Terre Haute City Police just after 2 this afternoon.
[. . .]
According to police reports Roman is being charged with impersonating a police officer.
Police tell WTWO Roman was cut off by a driver on Wabash Avenue last month.
For the "What you see depends on where you stand" file:
Gordon Brown today described as "unacceptable" the moment when Prince Harry zoomed his camcorder in on the face of a fellow Sandhurst cadet and mused: "Ah, our little Paki friend, Ahmed".
But the Prime Minister predicted that the British public would give the prince the benefit of the doubt over his use of racist language in the 2006 home video.
[. . .]
Things I read about in other Indiana cities are starting to remind me of Fort Wayne. In Indianapolis, for example, Lafayette Square is a mall said to be "struggling" (which I think is just a more polite way of saying "doomed"). It was the city's first enclosed mall, but it's losing three anchors and more than a third of its 1.2 million square feet of retail space.
I got an e-mail "action alert" today from the American Family Association urging me to think bad thoughts about the Campbell Soup people and then, by God, do something about it, because they refuse to "remain neutral" on gay marriage.
After sending your e-mail, please call Campbell Soup Company (1-800-257-8443) and their Swanson division (1-800-442-7684) and express your disappointment that Campbell's is supporting same-sex marriage.
Celebrate the good news:
The preliminary figures show 808 people were killed on Indiana roadways in 2008, down from 898 in 2007.
That extends a downward trend that began several years ago.
I wonder if it's possible to rehabilitate the image of "institutions," as in, "Let's do away with those awful mental institutions so those poor people can be treated in the community." Well, that one didn't work out too well, did it? Or there's, "Orphanages are such cold, heartless places. We must get children into families." Yes, foster care has worked out so much better.
So hoorary for the Indiana department of the American Legion for speaking out for the institution it has helped support for 143 years:
Do you realize what danger your neighborhood might be in if people aren't burping their one-potters? If not, you haven't been keeping up with the drug culture and the fascinating ways it keeps adding to the language.
