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Focus on service in Secretary of State race
In the Secretary of State race, the commitment to service matters. I find myself teaching this simple lesson with more enthusiasm lately: elected positions in American government exist as opportunities to serve. “Yea, yea, old man, we know that” is often the expression I see on the faces of my students when I start. Occasionally, […]
Royal coverage should help us learn how ‘royalty’ even exists
For many Americans, including me, the attraction to the exhausting news surrounding Great Britain’s royal family is dumbfounding. The mere existence of a “royal” family is so antithetical to my view of our culture, I usually open my participation in any conversation about the Windsor’s with an eye roll, not a bow. Elizabeth II’s passing […]
Todd Rokita could use a friend to stand by him
Stephen King’s 1982 novella, “The Body,” was adapted into the award-winning, 1986 film, “Stand by Me.” There are significant differences between the two versions of the story, but both are primarily about friendship. It is a tale about Gordie LaChance, his friend, Chris Chambers, and two other 12-year-old friends, who go on a journey to […]
From Atlanta to Mar-a-Lago, this lawlessness can’t be allowed to continue
“As far back as I can remember, I always wanted to be gangster.” It’s one of the greatest opening lines in cinematic history. It opened the classic film, “Goodfellas,” and was spoken by the late Ray Liotta, in his portrayal of Henry Hill, an associate of the Lucchese crime family before he became an FBI […]
The love of teaching – and the first day of school
It’s too hard for too many to love the first day of school. I am old enough to have forgotten whether I loved the first day of school when I was a young student or not. I might have been too cool for that then, but clearly, I have changed. There is no question that […]
Facts, prefacts and truth
It’s time to have a heart-to-heart talk about truth, lies, facts and fiction. A whole new season of make-it-up-as-Trump-goes began last week. So, I felt obligated to share some research about how bad many of our countrymen, and yes, they are mostly men, have gotten in recognizing nonsense when it lands on them. First, a […]
Lilly and Cummins a day late; Hoosiers a dollar short
On Friday night, while the Indiana General Assembly was turning back the clock on human rights, I was at the Egyptian Room of the Old National Center to see a comedy show. With all of the tragically unfunny things going on for the last few weeks under the dome a few blocks away, the timing […]
The chaos in the Senate is only the beginning
“I am here today to represent Jesus,” was the most baffling utterance I heard last Thursday night. It was Senator Mike Gaskill’s opening comment made on the floor of the Indiana Senate during the debate on an amendment to a proposed new abortion law. Gaskill is a Republican, representing Senate District 26, which covers portions […]
The legislature’s big mistake is coming “in the air tonight”
“I can feel it coming in the air tonight,” went the classic Phil Collins song from 1981. That’s right, it rang out on repeat all four of my high school years. It’s often referred to as his signature song, and there are plenty of theories as to what it means. Spoiler alert! Collins has often […]
$6.1 billion surplus shows an absence of ideas
It’s not a surprise to those of us who have been watching it grow, stagnate, and then grow some more. But when the State of Indiana closed out its books for the fiscal year last week, the news about it still should have made more of an impression on Hoosiers than it did. Indiana ended […]
Indiana keeps investing in its bad reputation
I was speeding through Georgia this past Sunday and I couldn’t help looking for political billboards. Then I saw it. A “Now Hiring” billboard for state troopers, with instructions to apply at gatrooper.com. As an occasional government watchdog, I was fascinated by this whole new strategy for filling one of any state government’s toughest jobs. […]
The difference between ‘Greenlights’ and ‘red lines’ is simple
Matthew McConaughey’s 2020 memoir, “Greenlights,” was definitely alright. I recommend listening to McConaughey reading it on Audible–his version of the voices of his past made the autobiography wildly entertaining. The book’s title and theme refer to green lights as opportunities to seize. He says, “a green light is being kind to our future self.” In […]