The distinctive feature of the State—a convenient term to use for the sovereign authority of a society—is the recognition it has a monopoly on the use of violence to enforce its decisions.

   One best example is in enforcement of laws. If a person uses a firearm to rob a bank, law enforcement officers are authorized to use similar, lethal force to apprehend the person. Of course, if that bank robber had taken the time to obtain an MBA and go to work for a major bank—and if someone…

   The past few weeks, the format of "Civil Discourse Now" has changed a bit. We have tried to focus discussion on one topic, but also spend time on other events in the news. As always, we try to shoot at establishments of local merchants.

   This Saturday The Show will stream "live"—audio on IndianaTalks dot com or Live365 and go to "talk shows"; video on Ustream or this website—from the Indy Cigar Bar. The focus of our discussion will be the United States government’s use of…

   This is a tale of two trials. Of the two, pick the trial that dominated the front page of what used to be the daily newspaper with the largest circulation in Indiana.

   One trial is a Federal criminal prosecution in which the liberty of two individuals is at stake. The other trial is a Federal civil lawsuit in which a multi-million-dollar corporation has sued and been counter-sued by a multi-millionaire.

   One trial involves allegations that the defendants, one of whom has…

   Unlike Charles Foster Kane, I did not sit down one night and write a "Declaration of Principles." The Show only has two rules: (1) Don’t wears stripes and (2) Don’t talk at the same time as someone else. There are goals for what we do, although those goals never have been stated specifically as such. We seek to inform and educate—ourselves and guests as well as our audience. We seek to address topics of interest in ways and from perspectives people might not have encountered. We try to…

  Jon Easter has commented that Indianapolis faux Mayor Greg Ballard is "open to" running for a third term. Jon also notes our City’s voters have frowned on third terms for mayors, since William Hudnut ran for, and won, his third term in 1987, a third term as Indianapolis Mayor—to use Jon’s technical political science term (and I was a political science major and should know)—is a "no-no." Perhaps, more than anything, it is considered bad taste. If George Washington only served two…

   Life is a process of learning.

   I received an e-mail in which I was asked where a person could find my e-novel "Billion Dollar Ball$."  I replied on Amazon. Their platform seemed the easiest and cheapest. The return communication was that the e-novel had been found, but there was neither synopsis of the book nor reproduction of the cover at the site. The next question was: what is the book about?

   The world of publishing changes daily. I learn as I go. Today I hope to…

   Today, Saturday, February 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., we will stream "live" from Aesop’s Tables, 600 East Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis. Our topic will by LGBT rights. You can listen to The Show on "Indiana Talks" by going to their website. Or you can go to Live365 and pick up the feed there. Our video live-stream is on this website and UStream.

   There are several aspects to this topic. The most obvious, and what grabs the most headlines, is marriage equality. At present, a…

   Saturday, February 2, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m., we will stream "live" from Aesop’s Tables, 600 East Massachusetts Avenue, Indianapolis. Our topic will by LGBT rights.

   Corruption in college athletics, insanity amongst coaches, former FBI Director J. Edgar Hoover come back to life as "Mary" to root out corruption in Chicago, a first edition of Adam Smith’s two-volume Wealth of Nations—and more!

   Billion Dollar Ball$ is an e-novel that satires college hoops, gambling, and a lot of characters and themes—all fictional and any similarity with actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.

   It will appear Thursday on…

   A University of Illinois professor recently his ranking of this Country’s most corrupt cities. Without surprise, he rated Chicago as The Most Corrupt.

   I have several problems with his assessment: 1) He’s a University of Illinois prof and therefore one should presume bias on his behalf; call it a "homer" advantage; 2) More importantly, his criteria were skewed.

   Professor Dick Simpson based his rankings on officials convicted for the period 1976-2010. 

   1) Let…

   Billion Dollar Ball$ is my tenth novel, third that I will have published. It is an e-novel and will be available for $2.99. E-publishing means less overhead and greater ease of publication. Self-publishing means I have joined the great numbers of writers who have abandoned conventional publishing in which large corporations pass on the risk of previously unpublished writers.

   We will have a launch party on Thursday, January 31 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Broad Ripple Tavern.…

   On Today’s Show we will discuss several topics. Our guest panelists will be:

    -John Strinka of the Socialist Party who ran for the Indiana House of Representatives this past election.

    -Jeff Cox, Indianapolis attorney and author of "Rising Sun, Falling Skies," a history of the disastrous Java Sea campaign of World War II.

    -Miah Ankston, Indianapolis LGBT rights activist.

    Today we shall not be confined to a single topic. Amongst the topics to be…

   Why would I self-publish my e-novel, Billion Dollar Ball$?

   I started undergrad at DePauw with plans to become a lawyer. Along the course to my bachelor of arts degree in political science—aren’t those two terms contradictory?—the liberal arts aspect of my education kicked in and I learned about being a human being. I no longer wanted to be a lawyer.

   I took two courses in English at DePauw, but always had read and decided I wanted to write. My last year at DPU I…

   LAUNCH PARTY FOR MY e-NOVEL: January 31, 5-7 p.m. at the Broad Ripple Tavern.

   The Mob, a crazy college hoops coach, a would-be international super model, an obscure cult, former high school hoops stars sprung from various departments of correction, rare books "borrowed" for use as collateral to bet on the annual college basketball tournament, and a Chicago-area law school library clerical assistant with a knack for picking winners in the tournament are elements of Billion…

   I was born a fan of the Chicago Bears. I grew up watching Lindsey Nelson and CBS's broadcasts from Wrigley Field and its seemingly (perhaps actually) too-short end zones. The Bears did not win any championships during those years. Individual players were fun to watch. Gayle Sayers was awesome. The Chicago Tribune ran a front page photograph Dick Butkus as the middle linebacker sacked a quarterback and, fingers inserted through the guy's face mask, attempted to gouge at least one…

   Whatever your view about guns, firearms, the Second Amendment, gun control, may be, one aspect of the public discussion its one-sided nature. I have heard/seen programs on which one side---choose by network---prominently is featured. I have watched people yell or scream at each other, but I have yet to see/hear intelligent, civil discourse on the topic.

   That is why "Civil Discourse Now" was started. I got tired of the "rah rah our side" nature of many shows and the…

   At Grady's Championship Deli, located at 44th and Keystone (east side of Keystone Avenue, just north of Fall Creek Parkway) at 11 a.m. we will stream "live" a discussion about gun rights. My position is what some (many?) in this country would view as extreme. I believe there should be no private ownership of guns. Our guest panelists will be Andrew Kirch, well-known amongst those of the Indy blogosphere as a conservative advocate, and a very passionate advocate of gun "rights." Also,…

   LATEST ON SATURDAY'S SHOW: ON SECOND AMENDMENT. We will air at 11 a.m. sharp. Andrew Kirch will join our panel. We should be able to announce, later today, where we will have The Show.

   President Obama announced his plans to address gun violence. Senator Rand Paul characterized the President as monarchical (as did Sean Hannity, but at least Paul does not have to rely upon staff writers to spell "monarchical" correctly). Others mentioned impeachment of the President because he had…

   There were several responses to my blog yesterday about Adolf Hitler's policies toward gun control.

   I should clarify what Hitler did about guns. In 1938, the Third Reich enacted new gun laws. They superseded  a restrictive 1928 enactment by the Weimar Republic. The Third Reich's new laws prohibited Jews and enemies of the state from possession of firearms. So Paul Ogden's reference to Hitler's comments about keeping guns from certain segments of society is correct. The ability…

   Saturday's Show will address the Second Amendment and arguments for control or repeal of the Second Amendment. We stream "live" at 11 a.m.

   One common argument against any restrictions on gun ownership relies upon what is set forth as an historical "fact"---that one of Adolf Hitler's first actions as Chancellor of Germany was to require registration of ownership of guns by private citizens. To authenticate this claim, gun advocates even have a "quote" from Hitler:

      …