WEEKLY COLUMN ARCHIVES
Ending the public service ethic is an abhorrent part of the new GOP
I left public service in 2002. The experiences of the thirteen years I spent as an employee of the State of Indiana help define me. On paper, my career path wouldn’t make immediate sense to most people today. But it makes perfect sense to me. Why? Primarily because I...
Read all about it: Imagine Indiana becoming less cool than it already is
There are so many stars and influencers surrounding us these days, it’s difficult for the uncool to keep up. I don’t know exactly when I crossed over into that territory, but I’m guessing it was shortly after my first son was born. He celebrated his 30th birthday this...
It’s been less of a transition and more of a turf war
An abundance of adjectives can be used to describe the first 30 days of the second Trump administration. “Chaotic” would be my first choice. But Thesaurus.com provides a list of synonyms to consider in my search for the perfect word. The six strongest matches to my...
Beckwith and Trump are crossing new lines in their quest for clicks and cultural validity
I have been thinking about Winston Churchill since Donald Trump announced his planned seizure of the board of trustees of the Kennedy Center last Friday. In 1938, Churchill said, “The Prime Minister (Neville Chamberlain) …has reminded us of the old saying that it is...
Haggling over the price is not going to make us any healthier
It's an old joke, and though I made a reasonable effort to track down the original source, I failed. However, I did find that early versions of it, dating back to at least 1930, centered on indecent proposals for sex. Not surprisingly, and nearly a century later, the...
Braun puts others in their place, just by othering them
The word Indiana is literally defined as “the land of the Indians.” When Congress divided the Northwest Territory in 1800, it named the western section the Indiana Territory, and when it became a state in 1816, Indiana became its name. In 2025, new Governor Mike...
America has a new president, even if it doesn’t know what that means
Hear ye! Hear ye, America! It’s Inauguration Week! But please don’t confuse it with infrastructure week. The swearing in of a convicted felon actually did happen on Monday. The striking components of Donald Trump’s second inauguration speech weren’t filled with...
The trouble with flags is that they often do what they’re meant to do
At a beach in south Florida ten days ago, I was halfway through my daily walk, listening to an excellent book, and occasionally scanning the Gulf of Mexico for any passing dolphins. Public parking at this particular beach is located at both ends, so that’s where the...
The trouble with extreme legislation is it often keeps getting worse
I vividly remember the first time I heard the expression, “this bill is a solution in search of a problem.” I was a young legislative liaison for a state agency, and we were supporting legislation that the industry we regulated believed was unnecessary. Their...
In 2025, we should learn that ‘no one gets out alive’
Maggie Rose has landed her first Grammy nomination for her latest album, “No One Gets Out Alive.” It’s nominated for Best Americana Album, a fitting category, though on my first listen of it earlier in the year, I declared it to be the album of the year in every...
It’s the most wonderful time of the year, if we keep it simple and kind
I remember when, as a child, this time of year was filled with unmitigated joy. Like Ralphie in “A Christmas Story,” dreams really could come true. But as a nine-year-old boy, I never thought to ask Santa for a Red Ryder Carbine Action 200-shot Range Model Air Rifle....
Indiana, you know, the state, is again preparing to kill a man
It’s been fifteen years since the state of Indiana violated the sixth commandment, “you shall not kill,” from Exodus 20:13. The translation of the original text to “you shall not murder” in the last century by many churches is not without controversy. Professor Wilma...