No Indiana Democrat is running for Senate this year

I have a question for any Hoosier Democrats reading this. Are you going to vote for Richard Lugar anyway? Are you going to vote for Steve Osborn, the Libertarian candidate? Will you cast a write in ballot for Eric Cartman? Or will you simply abstain from voting for a Senate candidate?

Dick Lugar may be a wonderful guy, but he is still a Republican, and he can be usually counted upon to vote the party line in the Senate. If you're concerned about Republican control of Congress, voting for Osborn is your best chance for depriving the GOP of a seat in the Senate.

Red Cross faces critical blood shortage

The Red Cross is facing a critical shortage of donated blood. Normal they ask that I donate platlets and plasma because of my rare blood type (AB+, only 3% percent of the population has it), but they called me and asked for a whole blood donation. I would have donated, but I am taking an antibiotic for my infected finger.

I'm asking my fellow political bloggers to give blood if they are able. All of us clamor for health care reform, I push for less government involvement while other push for more. But a blood shortage cannot be solved with legislation. Anybody regardless of ideology can make a positive difference today by rolling up their sleeve.

News-Sentinel can print whatever it wants in whatever language it wants.

Neither Maria Burns nor the News Sentinel should have to apologize for publishing articles about soccer in Spanish. This is America. A newspaper may whatever it wants in whatever language it wants so as long as it is true. It may in fact be the case that there are more Spanish speakers than Anglophones in this city who want to read about soccer. Any soccer fans who speak English exclusively can get their news elsewhere.
I have forgotten most of the Spanish that I learned in college. It would be quite frustrating for me if the Sentinel decided to have the front page, editorial page, and metro section in Spanish. Since my interest in professional soccer is nil, they can publish articles about it in Sanskrit for all I care. But since it is in Spanish I try to skim it to see how many words I still remember.
Most of my mixed up ethnic heritage happens to be German, as it is with most of northeast Indiana and the country at large. In case any of you have forgotten, here is a brief summary of the history of German American immigrants.
When the Declaration of Independence was signed, there were German speaking soldiers serving in the Continental Army fighting for the freedom that we enjoy today. Baron von Steuben was one of them, helping General George Washington to bring organization and discipline to the Army. King George III had hired German Hessian mercenaries who fought for more beer money. When the war ended and England recognized the United States, many Hessians had elected to stay and become American citizens.
Prior to US entry into World War I, Fort Wayne was known as a “most German town”. There were German speaking stores and newspapers. Some German Americans advocated entering into the war on the site of Imperial Germany and the Central Powers. After Congress declared war in 1917, anti-German sentiment was rampant in the US. Having an accent or a German sounding name was often enough to get one lynched. German cabbage became liberty cabbage, German shepherds became Alsatians. Many had modified their last names to sound more Anglo-Saxon. Some immigrants, having fled Germany in order to avoid being drafted into the German Army, found themselves drafted into the US Army and shipped overseas to fight their former countrymen. Most, when forced to choose between loyalty to the country of their birth and US, chose America.
Most did not know English when they crossed the Atlantic, but made an effort to learn it once they were here. Typically it takes a immigrant family, irregardless of country of origin, a generation or two for them to become fluent in English.
In the 21st century, Germanfests and Oktoberfests are held throughout the country. In downtown Fort Wayne, German banners were displayed from lamp posts, and nobody complained.

Flag Burning Amendment Fails

"Our country's unique because our dissidents have a voice. While I take offense at disrespect to the flag. I nonetheless believe it is my continued duty as a veteran, as an American citizen, and as a United States senator to defend the constitutional right of protesters to use the flag in nonviolent speech."

Senator Daniel Inouye (HI)

The moral argument against outlawing flag desecration is that people have the right to say whatever they like in whatever manner they like. The realpolitik argument against it is that it makes it easier to identify the hardcore malcontents. A person who burns a flag has to understand that it is not a good way to gain support for one's cause. At the same time, it is probably very emotionally gratifying for a flag burner to upset onlookers. But it is a far healthier emotional outlet for a protester to burn a flag than to engage in violence or distraction of property.

Nevertheless, if the issue of flag burning is still important to you, if the three flag burnings that took place last year cause you as much grief as the rest of this country's problems, then this is my idea. Retailers and manufacturers of American flags can require customers sign a contract that requires them to refrain from intentionally abusing the flag. A person who signed such a contract and desecrated it anyway would face severe civil penalties. If anyone truly wished to burn a flag while avoiding getting sued, they would have to make the flag themselves.

It is already common practice for people to waive certain free speech rights in exchange for certain privileges. For example, I waive the right to denounce Securitas Corporation in exchange for the privilege of my continued employment with that company. Likewise, you might have the right to call your friend a jerk to his face, and he has the right to stop hanging out with you anymore. So you waive that right to call him a jerk.

Regular readers of this blog may remember when it was noted that she had supported a ban on flag desecration. She has voted against that amendment. She may believe that it is not necessary to amend the Constitution when she can simply violate it. Evan Bayh and Richard Lugar have voted for the amendment. I do wonder what Hoosier Democrats and Republicans have to say about that.

Congressman Peter King Uses the "T" Word

Congressman Peter King (R-NY 3rd) has called for the New York Times to be charged with treason. Not even Mark Souder is this crazy. If the government starts shutting down newspapers and throwing editors in prison based on what they write, then we have more to worry about than fanatics wearing turbans and living in caves. We now have despots wearing nice suits and living in Congressional housing.

Apparently Mr. King thinks that the Times reporting on the government tapping phone lines and tracking the financial records of suspected terrorists amounts to aid and comfort to the enemy. If the enemy needs the New York Times to tell them that the government is spying on them, then they are so dumb they should have been defeated a lot sooner.

If the police knock, will the dealers flush?

Some people have made the argument that knocking first gives criminals time to dispose of evidence. This of course only applies if the evidence happens to fit through the s-trap of the suspect's toilet. In that case, here is a way to make your neighborhood drug free. Start knocking on every door. If you hear a flush, you have either gotten someone off drugs or you can be confident that he is eating his fiber.

You might be able to flush a few joints down the can. Bong pipes and meth labs will not go down the drain however. A dealer with a big stash had better hope that he can think of a better way to hide or ditch the goods than using a plumbing fixture. And the fact of the matter is that junkies and dealers hate having to flush the stash. Even if the police don't make the arrest they still have caused someone to flush a lot of expensive dope.

Possible cause of obesity epidemic?

I think some teenagers and young adults are overwieght on purpose, just in case there is a draft. Plus I think that military conscription is weeding out the fit and leaving the physically unfit behind to reproduce. Think about this for a moment. Three consecutive generations of American men have been subjected to the draft. It may end up being the case that men who are 4-F are more likely to survive long enough to have kids.

I also hear that it is hard for a person with attention deficit disorder to get into the military. If its hard for an ADDer to volunteer, it's impossible to draft him. If we go to war with Iran, and have a draft as a result, we will become a nation of fat people with short attention spans.