Hoosier lore

I'd say this qualifies as having a really bad day:

INDIANAPOLIS -- A man pretending to be a police officer was arrested after he pulled over an off-duty sheriff's deputy who was in his personal vehicle, authorities said.

Evan Bayh shows his "mellow demeanor" and "folksy Midwestern charm" off in Iowa but still has to explain his vote for the Iraq war to members of the Democratic base who just ain't buying it. For the most part, Bayh apparently was "remarkably non-ideological," sticking with the message that he has proven five times he can win in a Red State.

I have mixed feelings about this:

Indiana and Ohio are in hot competition to get a new Toyota plant. Fort Wayne Observed asks an interesting question: If the choice comes down to southeastern Indiana and Van Wert, Ohio, shouldn't those of us in this part of the state really be rooting for Ohio to win? The answer is certainly yes.

So, is full-day kindergarten an educational necessity? The state is saying as much in its commitment to try to start funding it. But that require it to be free under the state constitution. Or is an option, nice but not necessary? In that case, school systems that offer it could charge extra for it.

Gee, do you think?

How nice for the people of northwest Indiana to have options. Because of higher gas prices:

Ah, the Indiana welcome mat is out, and so many people undoubedly have so many wonderful memories of Hoosier hospitality. First, let's consider the case of Bryan Northern, who . . .

Here's another example, I suspect, of a poll's sponsor getting exactly the results the poll sponsor wished to get. Indiana Equality, "a coalition of groups focused on ensuring basic human rights for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender Hoosiers," commissioned the poll, which found, surprise, surprise, strong support among Hoosiers for equal rights for gays:

This study from Indiana Unversity was well-designed and meticulously researched, but because it started from a faulty premise -- that "objective" reporting is the greatest journalistic good and anything less is somehow faulty -- it naturally reached the wrong conclusion. The study focused on field reports by CNN TV journalists early in the Iraq War, 64 by embedded reporters and 46 by non-embedded reporters. Julia R.