George Will has an excellent column on a ridiculous spending limit in student government elections at the University of Montana at Missoula. As Will reports, UMM limits students to a total of $100 in campaign spending. This is well below the much more reasonable $3000 limit placed on candidates [...]
——– Original Message ——–
Subject: Reforming Indiana’s property tax system
Date: Sat, 27 Oct 2007 20:11:41 -0400
From: Scott Tibbs
To: S40@IN.gov, H61@IN.gov
Senator Simpson and Representative Pierce,
The tax reform plan proposed by Governor Daniels has some interesting ideas that merit consideration by the legislature. I would like to share [...]
♣ If the Code Pink radical who confronted Condoleezza Rice wants to win people to her side, making herself look like a crazed fanatic is not the way to do it. In fact, she’s lucky to be alive after that stunt. Given her threatening pose and the split-second time [...]
On Tuesday, the Dalai Lama led an interfaith service at St. Paul’s Catholic Center as part of a series of events during his visit to Bloomington. The Dalai Lama’s visit has already stirred controversy as Christians delivered a copy of the Ten Commandments to City Hall to be included [...]
I am one of the people Chiara Galimberti complains about in her October 20 column bemoaning comments that “perpetuate myths about sexual crimes.” A 19 year old Indiana University student claimed that she was kidnapped in broad daylight, raped, and returned to the same spot where she was kidnapped. [...]
The City of Bloomington stirred up controversy this week with Tibetan artwork that included images from the religion of Buddhism. A group of Christians held an event outside City Hall on Wednesday to present a limestone tablet engraved with the Ten Commandments, which they requested be displayed in the interest [...]
Yet another reason why Congress should not pass a resolution condemning the atrocities committed by the Ottoman Empire against the Armenians 92 years ago: Turkey is considering sending troops into northern Iraq to attack Kurdish rebels who have made repeated incursions into Turkish territory and killed Turkish soldiers.
This is [...]
I read the coverage of Kelvin Sampson’s recruiting violations with disappointment. There were questions surrounding Sampson when he came to Indiana University a year and a half ago because of similar (and more severe) recruiting violations at Oklahoma. As both a Hoosier fan and an Indiana University alumnus, I [...]
As Congress considers a non-binding resolution to condemn the Turkish persecution of Armenians as genocide, the government of Turkey is loudly protesting while citizens take to the streets to protest the proposed action. (See articles here and here.) President Bush has urged the Democratic leadership in the House [...]
——– Original Message ——–
Date: Thu, 11 Oct 2007 04:52:28 -0700
From: tibbs1973@yahoo.com
Subject: New smoking ban
To: ikiesling@co.monroe.in.us; jpoling@co.monroe.in.us; pstoffer@alumni.indiana.edu
Mr. Stoffers, Ms. Poling and Ms. Kiesling,
I am writing in opposition to the proposal by the Monroe County Board of Health to ban smoking in private vehicles if a child [...]
I attended the Take Back the Night rally last night. The annual protest against sexual assault and domestic violence was postponed due to a rainstorm.Friends of Middle Way House, the Feminist Majority, RAISE and the Women’s Student Association were all there with informational tables. As one speaker said, TBTN recognizes [...]
Some local Democrats are very unhappy with the Herald-Times over the way the paper handled the Democrats for Sabbagh story, and I can’t say I blame them. The H-T ran an above the fold, front-page headline about little more than a campaign mailing piece. The placement of the headline [...]
♣ The Democrat Party continues to attack Rush Limbaugh for two words said in the course of a three hour radio broadcast. Never mind that Limbaugh was referencing someone who really is a phony soldier. While I expect Limbaugh to be regularly attacked for what he says, I [...]
Ms. Piedmont,
The race between you and Alicia Graves gives voters in Bloomington’s 5th District a clear contrast in philosophy of how city government should work, and offers the opportunity for an issue-oriented campaign with the added benefit of educating the voters on the issues the City Council faces. Sadly, this [...]
Republicans could face a major problem in 2008 if former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani wins the Republican nomination for President. Evangelical leader James Dobson said months ago that he will not vote for Giuliani, and other conservatives are expressing similar reservations. John McCain, who was the driving [...]
Right off the bat, I apologize for the lack of names in this post. I do not know the names of the people on the Board of Health.
I attended the Monroe County Board of Health meeting last night, where the board considered making a recommendation in favor of an ordinance [...]
Sometimes, I am literally stunned by the blatant, brazen, bold-faced lies that public figures will spout in order to spin something their way. Such is the case with Duke University President Richard Brodhead, who apologized “for not better supporting the men’s lacrosse players falsely accused in last year’s highly publicized [...]
And now a few words from Hillary Rodham Clinton:
I like the idea of giving every baby born in America a $5,000 account that will grow over time, so that when that young person turns 18 if they have finished high school they will be able to access it [...]
Jacob Rzepka (IDS, September 27) has an interesting definition of “police brutality”. No, Mr. Rzepka, the punishment for free speech is not 50,000 volts. The punishment for resisting arrest and creating a dangerous situation, however, is a well-deserved Taser.
It is legitimate to question whether or not the police should [...]
The Indiana Daily Student made a good point in advocating for a more consistent set of policies for speakers on university campuses. Universities clearly need to have a plan in place for speeches by politicians, pundits or others who are likely to express a controversial viewpoint.
As the IDS points [...]
♣ Well, I’m finally off the fence. I’ve chosen a candidate that I will be supporting to win the Republican nomination for President in 2008. I believe Fred Thompson represents the right mix of fiscal and social conservatism to win the nomination, defeat Hillary Clinton, and serve a distinguished [...]
There has been quite a bit of buzz (pun intended) over a student who was hit with a Taser at a speech by Senator John F. Kerry, who was the Democrat Party’s candidate for President in 2004. After watching a YouTube video of the incident, I am convinced [...]
Representative Hill,
As you know, Representative Barney Frank (D-Mass.) has introduced a bill to prohibit private employers from discriminating against people based on sexual orientation or “gender identity”.
The first and most glaring problem with this, Mr. Hill, is that Representative Frank’s bill is not compatible with the United States Constitution. The [...]
♣ In the wake of the murder of a police officer in Florida, Republican candidate for President Fred Thompson stood up for Second Amendment rights. I applaud Thompson’s courage in taking this stand at a time when it is politically inconvenient to do so. As I learn more about [...]
About 130 people attended the Fall Rally for Life yesterday on the Monroe County Courthouse lawn, protesting abortion and a government that allows abortion to continue. David Talcott welcomed people to the event and challenged the crowd with a with a Bible verse: Learn to do well; seek judgment, relieve [...]
Dear Mole,
For a few years now, I have watched as you have attended the weekly conservative Friday Lunch Bunch and then ran to one Internet discussion board or another to gossip about what happened there. You have personally attacked two different chairmen of the Monroe County Republican Party, attacked various [...]
Six years ago yesterday, fewer than two dozen men managed to change the world. I’m not going to bore you with another retrospective on September 11 like the ones on every other news web site and blog out there. Anyway, I’ve already done one of those. What I [...]
♣ Mike Nifong spent a pathetic 24 hours in jail for his criminal behavior in the fabricated “rape” case involving the Duke lacrosse team. While no “rape” took place at that fraternity party, a rape did take place afterward. Nifong withheld evidence “showing that DNA of multiple men, none [...]
Reaching back to right wrong of millennia past, a group of Christians in Kenya are searching for justice:
A CASE on behalf of Jesus Christ has come knocking on Kenya’s High Court door, lodged by a fervent Christian group that wants his conviction declared null and void and his [...]
We have all seen people knowingly make false claims in order to gain a political advantage. It is an unfortunate reality in politics, and sadly both Left and Right are capable of such dishonesty. But some Leftists here in Monroe County are taking lies to a new and shocking extreme. [...]
The IDS editorial board whines that it is an “injustice” for Indiana University to hold classes on Labor Day. After all, both Purdue University and IU’s satellite campuses get the day off, so why shouldn’t Bloomington students have the opportunity to rest on this holiday?
First, let me put the [...]
To the Editor:
It has been nearly 35 years since the U.S. Supreme Court threw out all state laws against abortion, deciding that those not yet born are unworthy of equal protection under the law as required by the 14th Amendment to the Constitution.
The fact that Martin Luther King Day falls [...]
On AM 1370 yesterday, the hosts of the Afternoon Edition discussed my open letter to Mayor Kruzan and my follow-up post regarding whether or not this fiasco should be classified as a “hate incident”. The discussion moved into a general discussion of “hate crimes”, but I want to [...]
Several weeks ago, I took a stroll through the animal shelter. What I found there angered me. The conditions of the shelter itself were fine; the staff does a good job of caring for the animals. What angered me was the stated reasons why many of the dogs were dropped [...]
I got an e-mail in response to the letter I sent to Mayor Kruzan urging him to take a leadership role in promoting civility. Barbara McKinney said that the Bloomington Human Rights Ordinance defines a hate incident as one motivated by bias based on “race, sex, religion, national origin, [...]
Brent Bozell has a good column about what some are calling “torture porn” - horror movies where the villain makes his victims suffer in sickening ways before finally killing them. Examples of this are Hostel, Wolf Creek and the latest Texas Chainsaw Massacre movie.
Compare this to the days of [...]
It is a common theme in politics that if someone is cornered, he will attempt to draw the attention away from himself and onto something else. It is a natural response: if you are losing an argument, you would much rather shift the topic to something else. This is known [...]
The Honorable Mayor Mark Kruzan
401 N Morton Street, Suite 210
Bloomington, IN 47404
August 23, 2007
Dear Mr. Mayor,
As you know by know, a planning meeting for Interstate 69 this past Tuesday degenerated into a farce as anti-highway protesters hijacked and then shut down the meeting. It was an embarrassing display [...]
I attended the “Interstate 69 community planning meeting” at Bloomington High School North this evening. The meeting was not intended to be a discussion of the merits of the I-69 project itself, but a workshop to offer information about grants and resources communities can use to plan for the [...]
A headline on WorldNetDaily.com proclaims “Hillary gags woman critic on campaign website.” The article opens with this paragraph exposing the shocking behavior of Hillary Clinton:
A critic of Sen. Hillary Clinton’s proposals for expanded health care guarantees took advantage of a blog function on Clinton’s campaign website to express her [...]
Brad Devore concluded his letter to the editor last month by directing this phrase at the local Republican Party: “War IS your platform.” This is the primary focus of his argument against electing David Sabbagh as Bloomington’s next Mayor.
The most obvious flaw in this argument is that when [...]
Kia Vaughn, who played for the Rutgers women’s basketball team, has filed a lawsuit against Don Imus, who called the team “a bunch of nappy headed hos” on his radio program. Imus was released by CBS as the rhetoric over the manufactured crisis became very heated and [...]
Rebecca Robbins takes on one of the local newspaper’s favorite boogeymen, anonymous comments on web forums and website comment sections. Herald-Times editor Bob Zaltsberg has complained about anonymous postings before. Last year, he directly addressed criticisms of the H-T posted online “that include false statements, innuendo and unproven [...]
Before I begin, let me express my condolences to the family and friends of Brian Adams, who wrestled under the name “Crush” in World Wrestling Entertainment and under his real name in World Championship Wrestling.
The death of Adams has been treated poorly by the mainstream media. The front page of [...]
In a ridiculous display of Political Correctness, the city council in New York City is actually considering legislation to ban the word “bitch”. But while the NYCCC (and the sponsor, Darlene Mealy) will be mocked and ridiculed for this silly legislation, it is a very serious matter.
First of all, [...]
A few weeks ago, the Indiana Daily Student noted in an editorial that the extremist group Earth First “claims to represent the 94 percent of Indiana residents who oppose the road”. The IDS was right in stating that claim is “delusional”. Where would that 94% number come from? The [...]
“When you come to school dressed to play, you’ll play. When you come to school dressed to work, you’ll work.”
That was the explanation given for the dress code policy at my high school, Grace Baptist Academy in Angola, Indiana. There were other benefits too, such as enforcing a modesty standard. [...]
I sent the following e-mail to the three members of the Monroe County Election Board.
Mr. Loftman, Mr. Schmit and Mr. Fielder;
Two recent articles regarding MicroVote (July 28 and August 5) have pushed me to the position that direct-recording electronic (DRE) machines should be replaced by machines that keep [...]
Two hot cars. Two dead infants. Two grieving fathers. Two very different outcomes.
That’s the way a July 30 Associated Press article article starts out regarding two fathers who left their infant children in a hot car. Both children died. Mark Warschauer is a college professor while Antonio Balta was a [...]
—-Original Message Follows—-
From: Scott C. Tibbs [mailto:tibbs1973@hotmail.com]
Sent: Sat 7/21/2007 4:19 PM
To: h61@in.gov
Cc: s40@in.gov
Subject: Wrongful death lawsuits
Representative Pierce,
You may recall the California case involving a woman named Diane Whipple who was murdered by avowed white supremacists Robert Noel and Marjorie Knoller. I closely followed this case [...]
During that testimony, he said he still believed that “something happened” in the bathroom where the stripper claimed to have been assaulted, although he said it might have been a nonsexual assault or an act of intimidation that resulted in the breaking up of the party. — June 16, 2007 [...]
In her July 22 letter to the editor, Billie Moore argues for nonviolence. The problem is that the brand of pacifism she espouses in her letter is simply not realistic. She presents a black and white view that makes no room for shades of gray, when violence, while regrettable, is [...]
I have come to the conclusion that the National Football League should look the other way regarding Michael Vick and dog fighting. He should be allowed, no, forced to play. When he takes a late hit or an illegal hit, the referees will simply look the other way. This fall, [...]
On a recent edition of Fox News Sunday, Senator Dianne Feinstein of California said this of talk radio, before going on to advocate for the so-called “Fairness Doctrine”:
In my view, talk radio tends to be one-sided. It also tends to be dwelling in hyperbole. It’s explosive. It pushes people [...]
Yesterday’s letters section in the Indiana Daily Student contained some eccentric arguments that merit a rebuttal. I thought it was interesting that the IDS published two letters on the same day from the same person. They did this earlier this summer, but yesterday two people had two letters each. On [...]
