RUSTHOVEN: If this doesn’t wrench your gut …
By now, you know about videos showing Planned Parenthood officials discussing selling organs from aborted fetuses. At this writing, there’ve been three.
Taking Issue
Articles
KENNEDY: Playing ‘Who’s the Bigot?’
Opponents of the 1964 Civil Rights Act claimed that their religious beliefs required separation of the races, and that those beliefs should trump the rights of black citizens who wanted to shop in their stores or eat in their restaurants.
RUSTHOVEN: Obama’s Iran deal opens Pandora’s Box
Among other things, Obama's deal with Tehran lifts economic sanctions and the arms embargo; yields over $100 billion for the leading state-sponsor of terrorism; and allows it nuclear weapons in 15 years.
KENNEDY: Same-sex ruling wasn’t activism
The charge that the same-sex ruling was activist rests on a belief that the court should have left the decision to the voters. But in America, fundamental rights are not subject to vote.
RUSTHOVEN: Same-sex decision all about judicial activism
Reaction to the Supreme Court’s 5-4 gay marriage decision (Obergefell v. Hodges) has focused on its outcome. If you favor same-sex marriage, you’re delighted. If you oppose it, you’re dismayed.
RUSTHOVEN: Trump isn’t the adult GOP candidate
The Donald makes Ross Perot look like a reflective statesman, personifying the tawdry “reality show” character of much of modern culture and politics.
KENNEDY: Change impatiently confronts government
Innovations typically introduce new ways of doing things we’re already doing—we Google that question rather than consult a reference book, or we socialize via Facebook rather than face-to-face.
RUSTHOVEN: Everyone stop picking on the Clintons
It’s time we took some pity on the sadly misunderstood Clintons.
KENNEDY: Puritans, ‘Planting Fathers’ and RFRA
I know Hoosiers are getting tired of postmortems of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act debate, but if we are going to avoid similarly divisive conflicts in the future, it behooves us to debrief, and consider the warring worldviews that generated this one.
RUSTHOVEN: Legislative session was underrated
From some media coverage of the General Assembly’s 2015 session, one might think nothing happened beyond passage and subsequent clarification of a Religious Freedom Restoration Act, which—contrary to a fortnight’s hysteria, a fair portion of it posturing and manufactured—paralleled the laws of the federal government and 30 other states (19 by statute and 11 by judicial decision).
KENNEDY: Monied megaphones drown debate
In the wake of a precipitous decline in his approval ratings, and the subsequent resignation of his communications director, Gov. Pence has reportedly asked the person who served that function on his congressional staff to leave his position with Koch Industries and come to Indiana to help him recover.
RUSTHOVEN: Walker yields to Republican fringe
Scott Walker's recent 180 on immigration was a troubling sign. Two years ago, Walker said things like, "The vast majority of people want to come here for the right reasons." And, "If somebody wants to come in and live the American dream and work hard … we should have a system that works and lets people in."
KENNEDY: About that arc of the moral universe
There’s a famous quote by Martin Luther King: “The arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”
RUSTHOVEN: Media succumb to RFRA madness
When law and politics intersect, media coverage can be superficial and misleading. An example is House committee approval on April 7 of the proposed Indiana balanced budget amendment.
KENNEDY: The perils of tunnel vision
The only thing one can say with any certainty about Indiana’s “religious freedom” bill is that Mike Pence didn’t have a clue.
RUSTHOVEN: Coats among dwindling, respected breed
Sen. Dan Coats’ decision not to seek re-election sparked immediate speculation about a raft of potential candidates for what was a “safe” Republican seat, and whether that seat is now in play in 2016. A flurry of articles and emails on this were circulating within hours of Coats’ announcement.
KENNEDY: Indy doesn’t need another technocrat mayor
We need a mayor who genuinely loves this city, a mayor whose roots and heart are here.
KENNEDY: If more lawmakers could be like Spock
During the past couple of weeks, we’ve said goodbye to Spock in more ways than one.
RUSTHOVEN: Preschool works; let’s move ahead
Our City-County Council will soon address funding for Mayor Greg Ballard’s preschool education initiative, the next step toward making it a reality. That step should be taken.
KENNEDY: Indiana Legislature should debate real issues
The General Assembly is in session, and citizens who follow legislative matters are watching this year’s antics with reactions that run the gamut from bemusement to impatience to you’ve-got-to-be-kidding-me.