Hoosier lore

The Sixth Amendment guarantees, among other things, that an accused person "shall enjoy the right . . . to be confronted with witnesses against him." The Supreme Court in 2004, in an opinion written by Justice Antonin Scalia, also applied that standard to "testimonial statements" in criminal trials, but it left unclear what would be considered "evidence," which does not require being able to cross-examine one's accuser, and what would be considered "testimony," which does. What about 911 calls?

Have you ever paid the state's $2-a-year dog tax? Did you even know the state had a dog tax? Well, don't worry. It's going away. One of the state's most obscure (and possibly most ignored) provisions, the tax was instituted to create a pot of money to pay out to those whose livestock was killed by dogs, not exactly a big threat these days.

Talk about your one-stop shopping:

It's nice to know some small-town institutions aren't being obliterated in the wired world:

Those of us who occasionally speak out against collectivist intrusions into what should be private decisions are often seen as paranoid loners, anti-communitarian cavemen who are just one missed dose of medication away from standing on the front porch with a shotgun, shouting at the moon about that no-account gov'ment. But, really, how paranoid are we when they don't even try that hard to hide their real agenda?

Just when we think we're making headway against eminent domain, here it comes again:

Thank goodness Indiana has just reworked its fireworks law:

HAMMOND, Ind. -- Investigators believe the fire that completely destroyed a fireworks store Thursday morning was arson.

The blaze began at 4:45 a.m. at the Big Cheap Bombs, on the 1000 block of 5th Ave. in the northwest Indiana city, according to Hammond Fire Investigator Rich Wheeler.

So, Princeton got a Toyota plant, and the money gushed in, and everyone lived happily ever after. Well, not quite:

Downtown Princeton, while quaint, might strike a visitor as being just one round of layoffs away from extinction.

While the city has profited from increased tax collections and property assessments, its sidewalks are crumbling, and some of its buildings show telltale signs of distress: boarded windows, empty storefronts, degenerating facades.

If the cows are freaked out by daylight-saving time, wonder how they'll handle this?

Columnist Pat Buchanan is not impressed with Indiana U.S. Rep. Mike Pence's illegal-alien offering, which he calls a stealth amnesty plan:

Which brings us to the Pence plan, named for the conservative congressman from Indiana who heads the House Republican Conference and was the 2005 Man of the Year to the conservative Human Events weekly.