Hoosier lore

Living in Indiana, we are familiar with the stubbornness of the people who live in Brown County's Nashville in wanting to keep their town a certain way. But on occasion an outsider like USA Today stumbles in to observe the quaintness of it all:

Perhaps we're all mired in politics right now, which can be pretty shallow. So let's take a break and, as they say in football, go deep. In the "My Turn" column in this week's Newsweek, DePauw University philosophy professor Erik Wielenberg complains, "I think, therefore I am misunderstood." People are always asking him, "But what do you do?"

He also throws out this tidbit:

I guess you could file this one under "technology isn't everything."

Some lowlife torched the four-year-old Williamsport Library in northwestern Indiana. I don't know how many books a library in a 2,000-population town would hold -- probably not many by Fort Wayne standards. Almost any of our branches would likely have more.

Third District Rep. Mark Souder has been running his radio attack ads for weeks now, which are so mean-spirited they seem to be turning off even some staunch Republicans. The spots accuse Democratic opponent Tom Hayhurst of being a millionaire doctor who wants to "retire to Congress" so he can spend all your money, nationalize everything and hand Nancy Pelosi the keys to your children's future. And that's just one of the mild ones.

Today's entry for the "If there is no solution, there is no problem" file: A Fort Wayne man, in a letter to the Indianapolis Star, complains about Indiana's political image:

I have no idea whether the Black Diamond Coal Co. should be allowed to operate in the Glendale State Fish and Wildlife Area. I've never seen the place, so I might like to know what kind of operation there would be and how that would affect what's there. I might also like to know what percent of Indiana is public land and how that might compare with other states, both in total acreage and on a per-capita basis. Lots of information is still needed.

Yes, there is another side to the all-day-kindergarten debate:

The great beer-and-wine debate, I trust most Hoosiers realize, is about people fighting for market share and sales territory, nothing more and nothing less:

More Indiana convenience stores are seeking permits to sell beer and wine - a move the store owners say will help them expand sales, but the package liquor industry says could essentially deregulate the sale of wine and beer.

Does this bother anybody else?

And, Van was receptive to the DNR's plan to handle the swans by destroying eggs in the spring.

"It's better then shooting them," Van said. "I'm happy with that solution. It's a good compromise. If they can convince me that the swans really are hurting the lake, then I say shoot them or whatever you have to do, but you have to convince me of that before I change my mind."

Earth to Purdue Exponent editorial board: It ain't gonna happen:

Indiana should work with SAFER to adopt a legal limit for marijuana possession. The proposed limit is "... making legal the possession of one ounce or less of marijuana for any person 21 years of age or older."

Since Indiana has a legal limit for alcohol, .08 blood alcohol content, it should also adopt a legal limit for a drug that is statistically less harmful short-term.