Archive for the ‘Misc Issues’ Category

I just got back from watching Ben Stein’s Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed. The short review is: this is an incredible movie. It is very well-made and it makes a point about freedom that must be made. Everyone should take the opportunity to watch.

The longer review below the fold
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An important movie is going to be released this Friday—Expelled, the Movie. This is a movie by Ben Stein that confronts the widespread hostility in academia to any scientific inquiry that opposes Darwinism. I haven’t seen the movie, but I have read some of the stories of people that Stein talks with in the movie.

The specific theory that is being suppressed is Intelligent Design. Some out there will support ID and some will not. The point of the movie is not that ID is fact. Rather the point is that it is a scientific theory that attempts to deal with significant gaps in Darwinian Theory and the academic/scientific community is not allowing it to be discussed. Stein may deal with the issue of being able to mention the theory in classes, but even that is not the real issue. Scientific papers on ID are not published in peer-reviewed scientific journals—not because of the merits of the research, but because the subject matter is not acceptable. Scientists are losing their jobs or having their careers cut short for even supporting the idea of discussing ID.

(Read more after the leap) (more…)

Just as we celebrate the sometimes rocky career of Coach Bob Knight for all of the right reasons - graduating players, no recruiting violations and overall winning without sacrificing the character of his programs - we learn that our Hoosiers are in deep trouble with the NCAA. ESPN is reporting “Indiana Faces Major Violations Over Calls” stemming from illegal recruiting phone calls made by IU Coach Kelvin Sampson. This type of behavior is unacceptable at IU, even in the midst of one of the best IU Basketball seasons of my lifetime. Contact the Trustees at IU today and tell them to do the right thing.

Also, check out this website -www.FireCoachSampson.com

UPDATE: The Indy Star has released a profile of the actual violations from the NCAA with more information about Sampson’s lies and false statements to the NCAA investigators. Also, stay tuned at IU Basketball’s best blog here - Inside the Hall - for updates throughout the day. No one covers IU Basketball better than these guys.

UPDATE 2: If any elected officials or candidates would like to comment on this subject, please pass your comments on to me at jim@wabashconsultants.com and I will post them at www.HoosierAccess.com. I do see this as an important political issue with huge implications to the state of Indiana and its taxpayers.

First, the afternoon newspaper disappeared in favor of television news leaving morning newspapers standing. Now, bloggers such as us and higher profile ones like RedState and Politico are leaving newspapers in the dust.

Now, the same newspaper that was left with its lower jaw on the floor after Mayor Greg Ballard won the election is now reprinting the previous day’s stories in the Sunday paper because of a “massive computer glitch“.

Dennis Ryerson’s rag is becoming more and more irrelevant all the time.

On Wednesday while the rest of us focused on work, school, or the then-up-coming Iowa caucuses, families and dignitaries were sending off the 76th Infantry Brigade Combat Team. In a ceremony at the RCA Dome Hoosier families said good-bye to 3,400 of Indiana’s finest individuals. This is the largest deployment of Indiana National Guard soldiers since World War Two.

The Indianapolis Star has a special web page here devoted to the send off and Guard history.

A special photo gallery of the event is hosted by the Star here.

Here is an excerpt of Congressman Mike Pence’s remarks to the troops:

“I couldn’t help but be struck by how incongruous it is that I should be speaking to you. Our roles today are backwards. It is I and all of us on this stage who should be sitting in your seats, and you before the microphone. It is one thing to speak of courage; it is quite another to be courageous.

“Whatever ability to inspire may exist in us is but faint reflection of what already abounds in you.

“The fact is, it is YOU who inspire ME. It is you who bring me courage. It is you who teach me-and the entire nation-about bravery, sacrifice, commitment, and honor. What it means to be an American. And like all great teachers, you teach not through words, but by example. You go knowing what it means.”

You can read Congressman Pence’s full blog entry about this here.

May God grand the 76th success in its mission and safety in its operations. It is because of the courageous sacrifices and heroism of the warriors of the United States Armed Forces that we have the opportunity to be politically active and involved in the debate of ideas.

What does 2008 hold for Indiana, the United States and the World? The Directors of Hoosier Access all took turns playing Nostradamus and came up with these varying predictions for 2008. Check it out and then let us know what you think will happen.

*Prediction Update * - This just in…see fellow Director Jim Bank’s predictions for the future below the fold.

Scott Fluhr:

-Fidel Castro will die. (To paraphrase Bill Safire, this one has to come true sooner or later if you predict it long enough.)

-The Ayatollah Khamenei, supreme religious leader of Iran, will die. The Iranian factions will squabble to replace him. Rafsanjani will win out.

-The government of Pakistan will not be overthrown, but will continue to pretend to everyone that it is on the verge of it, garnering aid money and reducing American pressure on the Musharraf regime to actually do something about Islamic radicals and Al Qaeda.

-There will be a major terrorist attack on American soil, or one will be narrowly just prevented. If it is narrowly prevented, the methods used will be decried by the ACLU and the Democratic Party. If it is not, the Democrats will say Bush did not do enough to prevent it.

-Iraq will continue to improve. Nobody in the United States will notice, and those that do will either not be heard (Republicans) or will not admit it (Democrats). When troop reductions from Iraq are conducted, as they were before Christmas this year, they will be buried deep in the newspaper so that no one will notice. If a Democrat is elected and continues those reductions, they will appear on the front page.

-The Democratic Congress will continue to excel at the two things it does best, wasting your money and accomplishing nothing.

(Read more of our Predictions below the fold) (more…)

Happy New Year to all our readers! 2007 was pretty exciting politically here in Indiana, but I have a feeling we haven’t seen anything yet. 2008 is going to be more than exciting with an intense short session in the General Assembly on the horizon, hotly contested gubernatorial and congressional races as well as Greg Ballard’s first year as mayor of Indianapolis. Let’s not forget we also have a Presidential race going on too. So much stuff! It’s going to be a lot of fun and Hoosier Access plans to keep you updated on it all.

Thanks for a great start in 2007. We’re looking to get even better in 2008.

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That seems to be the thinking coming from some in LaPorte County government. I dropped into a LaPorte County Council meeting last night and was intrigued when I saw that an emergency appropriation request came up toward the end of the meeting. Apparently a county computer that handles county “business cards and speeding tickets” had broken down. The office was seeking to buy another computer but needed an appropriation of $3,700.00 in order to by a new Apple Mac computer to do the job.

Only one councilman sought to learn more about the situation. He raised the question of whether or not the old computer could be repaired and was told that it could not be. That may be the case, and maybe they even need an Apple to do the job right, but for that size of an appropriation you would think there should be some requirement that the office present in person its need to the council and be open to taking any questions from the councilmen regarding such a relatively large appropriation outside the office’s annual budget.

By: Brian Sikma

We’re all used to the government reminding us of things. The speeding ticket reminds us that we shouldn’t go so fast (of course, you can legally bribe the government by entering Indiana’s “Infraction Deferral Program” and making a bet that you won’t get another ticket in the next 12 months), the tax bill reminds us that we must pay taxes, for business-owners the paperwork never stops as the government sends you notices of the need to file this with this agency and that with that agency. In the midst of all of this a question can-or at least should-be asked. Who reminds the government?

What, you say, do we need to remind the government of? Well, we need to remind our elected and appointed officials that they to have some regulations to follow. This past Saturday most folks probably thought about one thing: In eleven days it will be Christmas and I’m not done buying gifts, wrapping gifts, baking etc. However, one group remembered that that December 15th is Bill of Rights day. Yes, on December 15th, 1791 the Bill of Rights become the first 10 amendments to the Constitution of the United States.

Ever the advocate of limited government, Andy Horning had scheduled a press conference at the Indiana State House to remind the public and the government that there is a check on government power. Unfortunately, although there is a check on government power there is no law that puts a check on the weather and Mr. Horning and Co. were unable to make the event. However, Andy was able to post his letter to Governor Daniels online and post a few other observations here.

Now, after making that plug for Andy let me be quick to say that I don’t endorse every policy position that libertarians hold to nor do I support Ron Paul for president. That aside, I do believe in limited government that lets the people control their lives and only intervenes when the rights of others are interfered with when private entities refuse to control themselves.

Via Mitch Harper at Fort Wayne Observed:

Indiana Governor Mitch Daniel has begun arrangements for the body of U.S. Representative Julia Carson to lie in state at the Indiana Statehouse.

Additionally, the Governor has ordered flags to be lowered to half-staff until sunset on the day of interment.

Congresswoman Carson began her career as an elected official as a State Representative and then as a State Senator before moving on to the Center Township Trustee’s office. She was first elected to Congress in 1996 following the retirement of Andy Jacobs.

With the news of Congresswoman Carson’s passing this morning, our thoughts and prayers are with the Carson family. We ask that you lift her family up in your prayers as well.

-The Directors of Hoosier Access

I remember the first time I met Congresswoman Carson. I was working in Congressman Burton’s district office and I was assigned to go down to the grand opening of the north end of the canal in Indy. It was a spring like day with lots of sun. The entire federal delegation of Indiana was invited, but Julia was the only elected official to show up. After the ceremony that saw speeches given by Mayor Bart Peterson and Governor Frank O’Bannon, I was young and decided to take the opportunity to greet some of these officials. Upon meeting Congresswoman Carson, I was floored by her. She was affable and took my hand and proceeded to give me a hug. She seemed so caring and grandmotherly that I immediately understood why people loved her so much. But eventually I also got to see her campaign side.

I always found the congresswoman to be a worthy foe in elections. Those who didn’t know any better tended to underappreciate her campaign skills, but never questioned her ability to turn out her constituents. She may have given the impression to the opposition that she didn’t have what it took to run more campaigns in her later years, but even as we all saw her health starting to fail her, we knew she was tenacious and feisty and she should have never been counted out.

Julia Carson, you were a worthy political opponent and I will miss that. I pray God’s grace on you and your families lives. May you rest in peace.

-Josh

WRTV Channel 6 is reporting that Julia Carson has died.