The Constitution created a framework for gov’t. The first 10 amendments, called the Bill of Rights, were added soon after The Constitution was ratified to allay the fears of some who felt a Bill of Rights was necessary. The Civil War amendments, 13-15, broadened protections. 1/6

The First Amendment (“1A”): (a) protects us from & practice of religion; & (b) protects speech & right of association. 2A protects the right of the people to have armed militias. Recently 1A &…

Basis for Indiana’s Open Door Law, enacted in 1977 & amended several times, is in American const’l representative gov’t, the ppl are entitled to full & complete info on affairs of gov’t & official acts of public officials and employees. I.C. 5-14-3-1. But the door’s not so “open.” 1/5

Example: a public agency can publish its agenda ahead of a scheduled meeting, but an agenda is not required. I.C. § 5-14-1.5-4. Both the Hamilton County Commissioners and the Hamilton East…

On 9/8/22 Hamilton East Public Library (“ideas live here”) w/neither fanfare nor public notice, inserted a new member into its board. Micah Beckwith’s appointment should have been subject to public comment. In his scramble for political power he has let some know his views. 1/5

Beckwith does selfie videos in his car. On 10/24/19, he claimed those who say there is a wall of separation betw church & State just don’t know our history, but Beckwith quotes Jefferson, who is credited…

Followers of trump follow a racist. Today, 09/07/22, portraits of President and Mrs Obama were unveiled in The White House. Such unveilings have been a tradition since 1978, but the tradition was skipped 2017-21. Tee times & meetings with dictator/pals weren’t so time-intensive. 1/4

A real “tell”: Moscow’s favorite “plant” hung a portrait of POTUS #7, Andrew Jackson, in The Oval Office. Jackson was a slaveholder and was a leading force in the genocide of the indigenous peoples.…

trump’s time in the Oval Office was illegitimate. Claims that Russia planted trump’s fat ass behind the Resolute desk do not fall in the category of “hoax.” trump openly courted Russia’s help during a debate with Secretary Clinton. Speaker Paul Ryan admitted Russia’s actions. 1/4

U.S. military spends a ton of money on computers and on recruiting based on teaching recruits computer skills. The rest of the World (and Russia) have laughed at us because Putin’s theft of the Oval Office…

A few dozen masked, heavily armed thugs marched downtown in Indy a couple of days ago, in a show of what they apparently saw as “guts.” They hid their faces behind masks. If they want to spew their hate-filled rhetoric, they should remove their masks. Until then they can stuff it. 1/5

Next, Isaac Asimov wrote violence is “the last resort of the incompetent.” If you need a gun to make your point, you don’t have a point. Guns didn’t win this country liberty. British debt & her…

The “Justice Center” that houses the court systems of Marion County/Indianapolis is a marvel of absolutely bad planning. First it guts part of downtown Indy by moving, a couple of miles south east, our courts. A lot of jobs went with the building. There is a vacuum on Market Street. 1/4

Second, the building is sterile. Apparently designed by the same architects as designed the Indy airport, one has the impression that flight information will be on the videos. Third, there is no common…

Indiana Atty General Todd Rokita is claiming victory in a case he did not “win.” An email from Rokita’s office claims he won “dismissal of a lawsuit challenging” Indiana’s law requiring drs, hospitals & abortion clinics to report 25 complications to the Dept of Health. 1/5

The order is a stipulation of dismissal “without prejudice”: i.e. it can be re-filed. At best for Rokita 1:18-cv-01219 is a “tie” at the end of the half w/control & degradation of women, not improved health…

Hey! It’s another sunny Saturday afternoon and, since I’ve not heard that hell has frozen over or that pigs have acquired the ability to fly, this iteration of the GOP has not announced any plan to eliminate, or even simply reduce, mass shootings. We should be real on this issue. 1/5

The people yelling loudest about rights to guns in many instances are trying to deprive women of reproductive rights, deprive many of us our right to be free from one specific religion, and the whole…

On 8/23/22, John Schmitz aired “smalltalk,” my segment of about 3 minutes on his podcast “Mouthwash.” I try to relate my talk to John’s topic. On 8/23 the guest, artist Theodore Winters, had painted an Indiana diner in an American flag motif after an officer was killed. 1/5

You can look up the work on-line. Since the mural involves free expression & the flag, I spoke of burning the flag as protest. Mr Winters was chagrined because, he said, the flag represents all of us &…

This iteration of the Republican Party hawks policy positions so its MAGA followers believe up is down and “right” isn’t what you think it is. The GOP lauds itself as “pro-life,” but embraces policies that kill a hell of a lot of people. Mass shootings at schools don’t concern the GOP. 1/5

No comprehensive plan to stop shootings is offered, but GOP Congress people wet themselves at the thought of NRA-incited throngs so the result: more kids die. This iteration of the GOP nearly…

With the start of the NFL® pre-season, now is a good time to discuss why public monies should not be paid to professional sports franchise owners. Since Mayflower® brought the Colts to Indy in the dead of night in 1983, Indiana & Indy have made Colts owners rich. We gave them: 1/6

a new stadium, tax breaks and so many goodies that for a while the Colts were the NFL®’s most profitable franchise. Indy extended largesse to the Indiana Pacers. Studies show gov’t investment in pro…

Just in case one wondered, this iteration of the GOP has not announced any comprehensive plan to address mass shootings. An October, 2015, article in Rolling Stone noted “Republican presidents from Richard Nixon – who wanted a federal ban on handguns... 1/4

“to Ronald Reagan to George W. Bush all voiced support for gun control. George H.W. Bush was so furious at the NRA’s extremism that he renounced his lifetime membership during his term in the White House.” Guns kill people. Gun…

“Alleged event that happened”: how a guest on “Mouthwash,” John Schmitz’s podcast, referred to Jan 6, 2021. That guest holds to a crazy notion that the MAGA hordes did not march to The Capitol to “stop the steal.” He’s wrong. I know it. God said it to Micah Beckwith. 1/5

Beckwith, a Noblesville preacher, ran for U.S. House in 2020. God, Beckwith claims, talks with Beckwith a lot. Beckwith knows quotes from authoritative sources must be accurate. Beckwith, on Jan 7, 2021, reported in a…

People died to secure the right to vote. If you (1) are eligible to vote (2) and fail to register or (3) register but fail to vote, you’ve repulsively raised your middle finger, as you sit on your butt, and demeaned their efforts. At this moment I don’t care for whom you vote. 1/4

If you lean Democratic Party: register & vote (R & V). Fair notice: I’m GOP precinct committee chair (PC), Marion County, Indiana, Washington Township, precinct 21-01. If you lean GOP: R & V. If…

After court in Laughalot this afternoon, a pit stop at The Frozen Custard clearly was mandated. Frozen custard is like ice cream, but with greater fat content plus magic dairy powder the formula for which has been a secret for generations, its disclosure punishable by death. 1/3

I pulled in the out lane. The driver of a rusted mini-van didn’t cut me slack & sneered at me over a rapidly disappearing cone. I backed up. She had right of way. I realized that in years (80-82 &…

“The Grey Man,” a Netflix movie about a rogue CIA killer (Ryan Gosling). Screen time spent in shoot-outs was significant. With scores of actors “dead” and big chunks of Prague and Vienna depicted as lying in ruins, guns are used to shoot the main guy at the end. Why? 1/4

Movies are produced to meet demand, but then perpetuate the demand. Acting, scenery, special effects of “The Grey Man” were good. The vicious cycle to meet demand created by prior flicks is mundane and harmful.…

Gun culture advocates say the Second Amendment was written to protect an individual’s to own a gun as a way to stop tyranny. These same people usually say The Constitution must be strictly construed, with nothing read into it. For a moment, consider how tyranny would be fought. 1/4

Actually, we saw how the 2A would play out, on January 6, 2021. The mob that day even had a leader. So weigh, in one hand, is preservation of gun “rights” to arm people like the January 6 mob that stormed…

UPDATE: Final score in the Greenwood Mall shooting was Gunman 3 + several wounded + the scars to anyone who experienced this crap. If you want to point out that “a good guy with a gun stopped the bad guy,” that only happened AFTER the people were killed or wounded. 1/4

Let’s not forget about the good guy with a gun. He will have to deal with PTSD from shooting the “bad guy.” The PTSD is real. Studies of combat veterans after WWII showed most people do not like to kill other people,…

When people die from gun violence, opponents of gun culture are supposed to feel guilty for not giving thanks to guns for U.S. independence from the British. We owe no such thanks for several reasons. First, there is no quality of guns, unique to the colonists, that brought victory. 1/4

In fact the British had more guns. Second, a lot of guns, cannon & ships used against the British were French and in French hands. Third, distance played a greater part than guns in the outcome.…