People want simple solutions to complex problems. Simple solutions reassure. If solutions are too complex, people lost interest.

   Ignorance tends to instill fear.  Fear can lead to violence.

   People speak of the “Founders” of this country, and oftentimes use “Founders” to refer to the delegates to the 1787 Constitutional Convention held in Philadelphia.  I disagree with application of “Founders” to the convention delegates.  A “founder” is one who “founds or establishes.”  The…

   On Saturday, July 23, we shall, from 11 am to 1 pm, discuss the idea advanced by some today to hold a constitutional convention, under Article V of the Constitution.

   What type of document would such a convention today produce, as compared to the document produced by the Framers in 1787.

   For a document that established the structure of our government, the Constitution is short, even with the Bill of Rights, adopted after the Convention, are added.

   Could today’s…

   A gentleman knocked on the side door this evening. He had a padded sort of clipboard in one hand, wore a shirt with a patch of a logo for "Protection One." He said "we" are following up on Broad Ripple residents, like me, who had attended a meeting last spring and who expressed satisfaction with our home security systems. He asked if my name is Mark, if our home security system was the same as the decals in our windows, and if we are satisfied with our home system. I told him our security…

   In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson made a strong case that the Soviet Union had placed intermediate-range ballistic missiles—with ranges sufficient to hit targets, such as New York City and Washington, D.C.—in Cuba. The Ambassador used photographs taken from U-2 spy planes to show what was on an island only 90 miles or so from the tip of Florida. In regard to a response from the Soviet Union’s ambassador, Stevenson…

   In 1962, during the Cuban Missile Crisis, United States Ambassador to the United Nations Adlai Stevenson made a strong case that the Soviet Union had placed intermediate-range ballistic missiles—with ranges sufficient to hit targets, such as New York City and Washington, D.C.—in Cuba. The Ambassador used photographs taken from U-2 spy planes to show what was on an island only 90 miles or so from the tip of Florida. In regard to a response from the Soviet Union’s ambassador, Stevenson…

   Big studio movies—films that play in cineplexes and were produced with big budgets—are the primary fare for moviegoers. Four of the top five films at the box office last week make on shudder at the level of intellectual content of such works.  First was “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes.”  The first part of the original string of “Planet of the Apes” films, with Charlton (“Get your hands off me, you damn dirty ape—and you can take away my gun when you pry off the fingers of my cold dead…

   The Indianapolis International Film Festival starts Thursday. Do yourself a favor: go to indyfilmfest.org and read the descriptions of the films, then check the schedules. If you find a description or two interest you, you should try to attend.

   The films shown at the Indianapolis International Film Festival do not feature car chases or shootouts. The films have off-beat storylines and a lot of talent. You might not like some of the films you see there.

   How many films have…

   The Zionsville school board has tabled, for now, a proposal to randomly test students for drugs.  Those not familiar with such tests should realize they can consist of tests of blood, saliva, urine, or hair.  Results can indicate “false positives,” and so a positive test usually is followed by another test to confirm presence of whatever the illicit substance might have been revealed in the first test.

   One parent was quoted: “If you want to test my child, test my child!”

  …

   One’s cynicism increases with age, and as one lives each day in a City whose Mayor is Greg Ballard.

   When the town hall-type meetings were held last year to discuss the proposed Whole Foods development on College Avenue, the “Envision” plan for Broad Ripple was discussed. The people who “Envision” change in Broad Ripple wanted to convert more areas to be pedestrian-friendly. There was talk of conversion of parts of Broad Ripple Avenue to a pedestrians-only mall. Pedestrians would…

   There have been calls for the States to convene to make changes to the United States Constitution. Article V of the Constitution provides:

   “The Congress, whenever two thirds of both Houses shall deem it necessary, shall propose Amendments to this Constitution, or, on the Application of the Legislatures of two thirds of the several States, shall call a Convention for proposing Amendments, which, in either Case, shall be valid to all Intents and Purposes, as part of this…

   The States of Colorado and Washington legalized marijuana. Tax revenues and sales of Girl Scout® cookies went up. I am not sure what effect legalization has had on funds law enforcement has collected from forfeiture actions, but one would surmise those funds are down.

   Hoosiers who want to travel to Colorado or Washington or both should give serious consideration as to whether to indulge in cannabis sativa. “Weed” might be legal in Denver and Spokane, but the effects of consumption…

   The numbers and rates of unplanned teen pregnancies and teen abortions have dropped over the past several years.  Colorado’s numbers and rates have fallen at a quicker pace than other States. In 2008, Colorado was ranked as having the 29th lowest teen birth rate.  By 2012, Colorado was 19th.

   Part of Colorado’s success has been provision of free birth control, without necessity of parental consent, to teenagers. The Colorado Family Planning Initiative “has provided more than 30,000…

   Value for the entertainment dollar is a matter much sought after. The admission price of a feature film at an area theater plus popcorn plus a beverage can easily top twenty bucks per person. If the movie sucks, one has experienced rolling the dice of seeing only “snake eyes.”      There are a few entertainment bets that produce “wins” for less of an investment.  

   The Indianapolis International Film Festival starts Thursday, July 17 and runs until Saturday, July 26. This will be…

   Music!
   Steven Hayes, bassist for The Common, will be our guest as Matt Stone and I discuss music.
   We stream from 11 am to 1 pm on Live365. You also can hit the icon on this website or go to Civil Discourse Now on Face Book.

   States do not have “rights.” States have powers.  Human beings have “rights.”

   This is an important distinction. When some people argue that the Federal government overreaches, often they do so in the context of an issue in which a violation of the rights of “States’ rights” is claimed.  “States rights” often was raised in regard to Federal legislation in the 1960s aimed at racial discrimination. More recently advocates of greater restrictions on reproductive rights and greater…

   Do you want to know the nuts and bolts of political campaigns, the various items to be planned even before a candidate announces her or his intent to run?

   We will stream "live" from the offices of the Englehart Group, 405 Mass Ave, Suite 300 from 11 am to 1 pm to discuss political campaigns and the roles political consultants play in the campaigns.

   Our guests will be Blair Englehart and Adam Kirsch.

   Blair Englehart is a co-founder of the Englehart Group, a…

   In DePauw University's Memorial Student Union each week, a feature film---complete with three or four minutes of cartoons as an intro---was shown, twice on Friday night and twice on Saturday night. Admission cost a dollar. The experience was communal.

   "The Candidate" was one week's film. Robert Redford played the hippie-ish son of a former governor of California whom Peter Boyle's character recruits to run for United States Senate. The film is a classic. Redford devolves from…

   The contrasts would be sharp.

   In 1787, delegates to the Constitutional Convention met in Philadelphia over the summer. Of 73 men chosen by their respective States, only 55 participated. Of those, 39 were present to sign the document. Many delegates stayed in taverns. Inns and sleeping rooms were common amenities of taverns. Delegates had been sworn to secrecy about the proceedings and deliberations. Many of the delegates attended dinner parties, during which copious amounts of…

   Yesterday on InForeFront, Andrew Downs, a professor at IPFW, blogged about the effort to convene a convention to amend the United States Constitution under Article V, the text of which is set forth at the bottom of this blog.

   Professor Downs apparently advocates for such a convention. He “spoke briefly with a protestor who gave me two reasons why she was opposed to the idea. One reason echoed one of the protestors’ posters. ‘We don’t need law changers. We need law keepers.’ The…

   Sometimes it is difficult to agree with a specific person. There might be a list of such people one keeps, if not on paper or on a hard drive, then at least in one’s head.

   Pat Robertson has said things that secured him a place on my list of such persons. Glenn Beck is on that list, too. Apparently both Pat Robertson and Glenn Beck this week have stated the United States was wrong to invade Iraq and would be wrong to commit more troops to attempt to stop the chaos there. Mr. Beck…