It Happens in Indiana

I'm not sure it made the national news, but two people recently died here in Indianapolis as the result of a sword fight.  A 39 year old man was visiting his 77 year old grandmother and her brother-in-law.  After several drinks some dispute occurred between the two men resulting in one of them brandishing a ceremonial sword, whereupon the other took up another sword which happened to be about and the two started to fight.  Trying to break up the fracas, the grandmother suffered a fatal injury.  The older man was stabbed and died several days later in the hospital. The grandson is now in prison charged with murder, but displayed a slash on his arm as he was being taken away to jail.  Police and the prosecutor are trying to sort out the details.  When was the last time a serious sword fight occurred in your town?

Sarah Palin fled some recent criticism in Alaska this last week to come to Indiana.  She spoke at a Right to Life banquet in Evansville attended by some 3,500 persons, reportedly the largest such event in the country.  She has been feuding with her State's democrats over whom she should appoint to fill a vacant democrat seat in the legislature.  Indiana conservatives gave her a warm welcome. 

Our own legislature, split with democrats in control of the House and Republicans holding the Senate, is having a hard time deciding anything.   They are however about to pass laws that would increase the age required to obtain a drivers license by 6 months to 16 and 1/2 years, and to make it illegal for teens under 18 to use a cell phone while driving.  Some States have already passed laws against cell phone use by teenage drivers, but how officers can determine whether a driver is 17, 18, or 19 is next to impossible and such laws go mostly unenforced.  In my own humble experience, it seems that hockey moms are equally guilty of talking on the phone while driving, and they are more likely to be behind the wheel of a big SUV which is a greater menace to those around them.  I agree with one of the legislators who said she favors a ban on cell phone use by drivers, but would vote against the law because it was hypocritical to single out just teenagers.  After all, kids are likely to do what their parents do.

A big local issue is how to pay for the annual operation and maintenance of our recently new professional sports facilities, Lucas Oil Stadium for the Colts and Conseco Fieldhouse for the Pacers.  After building these monsters with taxpayer money, it now turns out the teams can't afford to maintain and heat them, so who else is going to do it?  Furthermore, the cost can't all be paid out of ticket sales, so people who don't go to the games wind up bearing much of the cost.  I think the value of having a professional sports team in the city is much overstated.  Of course, this is a common problem in cities with a major league team, but that doesn't mean that that is the way it should be. 

Finally, the Archbishop of Indianapolis wrote a "scathing" letter to the University of Notre Dame objecting to the school's invitation to President Obama to speak at its commencement and receive an honorary degree.  The Archbishop reportedly used such words as appalled, embarrassed, stunned and angered by the invitation because of the President's positions on abortion and use of embryonic stem-cells.   No one seems to remember the Archbishop writing a letter to GWB against the war in Iraq, or against capital punishment when George was the Governor of Texas.  And maybe this line of reasoning doesn't make much sense to you, but what about all of those babies that might have been born if celibacy were not required of Catholic priests?  (Abstinence is a form of birth control.)  I won't even mention another argument that might be made regarding Priests and celebacy.

Comments

[jansi]

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