by Mark Franke Anne Perry is a popular author of Victorian era mysteries. She writes several series using her stable of inter-related characters. I’ve read some and understand why she has such a fan base. Every Christmas she releases a novella using her regular characters but not in their usual milieu of murder and depravity. The focus of these short books is on charity, redemption and forgiveness. She writes them for the Christmas season, after…

by Leo Morris You realize that it’s not a proper Christmas season unless the realist killjoys among us start whining about “It’s a Wonderful Life.” This year, we have two contenders for top curmudgeon. The saga of small-town hero George Bailey saving Bedford Falls from the despicable Henry Potter “grievously misrepresents the truth,” writes George Michelsen Foy in Psychology Today. “In the real world, I would argue, Potter is winning . . . In the…

We Have Questions I’M NOT PROUD OF IT but I sent another of my ineffectual, never-to-see-the-light-of-day screeds to the local newspaper, this one asking why coverage of the city council couldn’t include at least a thumbnail account of the dissenting votes. What set me off was a glowing account of the council’s passage without debate of an almost $2 million tax break for an eco-devo scheme or scam (depending on your perspective). The degree of acclamation was…

The Secret to Reelection: Money and Malleability  SOME HOLD HOPE that the Indiana Republican Party in its supermajority or even democracy in general is going to get us back on course. That hope doesn’t appear to float. Transparency USA tells us that the top three Indiana GOP Senate fundraisers all won reelection outspending their opponents in both the primary and general elections by at least 2:1. Their positions on the issues didn’t seem to be a factor. All…

by Mark Franke “O, Wisdom, proceeding from the mouth of the Most High, pervading and permeating all creation, mightily ordering all things. Come, and teach us the way of prudence.” For liturgically minded Christians the Great O Antiphons mark the most contemplative part of Advent. Meant to be chanted one each day beginning on Dec. 17, these short reflections focus on various characteristics of the anticipated Messiah.  Their origin is unknown but the tradition for early…

by Eric Schansberg, Ph.D. This year is the 100th anniversary of the term “stereotype” in its modern sense. The term was coined in the late-19th century to describe printing plates and the setting of “type” to produce printed materials. Back in the day, paper and ink were pressed against a plate to produce sheets for newspaper, books, fliers, etc. The word was derived from the Greek for “firm or solid” (stereos) and “impression” (typos). So, the term…

by Mark Franke Most people probably think of the ideological spectrum as a straight line, running left to right or right to left depending on one’s perspective. This places the extremes at the edges, furthest from each other. The middle holds the moderates, those who are considered the most reasonable and open-minded, if one identifies with them, or as the just plain mushy and unprincipled when one views them from either extreme. That is the…

by Leo Morris Poor Eric Doden. The Fort Wayne businessman has been hugely successful in large part because of his ability to maneuver through bureaucratic government mazes. He calculated that his close ties with the ruling class, an early announcement and a campaign war chest approaching $3 million might give him an easy run as Republican candidate for governor. But as familiar as he might be with the club, he is not yet a member,…

Knock, Knock . . I READ A LOT OF HEADLINES. To save time, I’ve learned to sort them into three stacks. The one is announcing that someone has devised a way to help absolutely everybody absolutely equally. The other is that the Biden administration, which has promised to destroy the nation for reasons that only future historians will understand, is in fact destroying the nation. I don’t need to read those stacks. The remaining stack is much,…

by Leo Morris No sentence should strike more fear into the hearts of Hoosier parents than this one, variations of which have appeared in numerous recent news stories: “Speaker Todd Huston, R-Fishers, said a top priority for House Republicans is to ‘re-invent’ high school, so that students can work and use job-based opportunities to receive credit toward graduation.” I’d love to list all the things high schools do well and poorly so I could fairly…