The Public Debate Is Reduced to Misology
by Andrea Neal It’s little wonder that today’s political discourse is polarized. The folks doing most of the arguing know so little about the past that they cannot justify their views with historical evidence or data. So they appeal to emotion, name calling, stereotypes and hyperbole. A few recent examples: MSNBC’s Melissa Harris-Perry described the Read the full article…
Quick Hit: Racial Journalism
What if the featured columnist for the Indianapolis Star is wrong that Western Civilization can be explicated through the historical lens of Selma, Alabama, circa 1965? What if there is a difference between behavior and skin pigment? The columnist was so outraged that a group of black ministers would speak out against same-sex marriage that Read the full article…
Quick Hit: Discretion in Sentencing
Barack Obama’s powerful pen is now at work in the penal system — seeking to grant clemency to a number of federal prisoners imprisoned for low-level drug offenses. Why? Because they received prison terms based on mandatory sentencing. With the proposed Smarter Sentencing Act, Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois and Sen. Mike Lee of Utah Read the full article…
Indiana at 200 (18): Years Here Shaped Abe Lincoln
by Andrea Neal Three states claim Abraham Lincoln as a favorite son, but only Indiana can take credit for his formative years. As he moved through adolescence to adulthood, Lincoln worked, studied and dealt with adversity on the Indiana frontier. During this period, Lincoln handled an ax “almost constantly,” as he himself recalled. He read Read the full article…
Quick Hit: Regulating Pharmaceuticals
The effort is now under way in the Indiana Legislature to further restrict the sale of products containing ephedrine/pseudoephedrine (PSE). That is a key meth ingredient found in the most effective over-the-counter decongestants that afford relief to Hoosiers who suffer from asthma, sinus and other nasal disorders. Meth is a growing problem in Indiana and Read the full article…
Quick Hit: Super Bowl Exposes Boosterish Media
Generally, the hype and extravagance of a modern Super Bowl is approaching levels that only an Albert Speer could fully appreciate. The game, the sport, is decidedly secondary, if that. Two specific takeaways from the Feb. 2 spectacle: First, the super promises of mass transportation were shown to be super false. The ride to and Read the full article…
