It has been a good couple of weeks at the World Wide HQ of IndyContrariana.    With this post, we expect to cross the threshold of 5,000 viewers!  So, what better time to leave the old Google spot and open up our new website.  The archives will be moved over during the next couple of weeks as we approach the end of our first year.

To get the fun started last week, I truly angered my first anonymous “fan” on Twitter for so recklessly using the word “hate” in reference to the most hatable thing around–the New England Patriots.  This soccer fan kept bouncing back and forth between referring to me as an “ass” and as an “asshole.”  He did it so many times, I got confused over which title I preferred.  How ironic to be attacked so hatefully for my careless and callous use of the very word, hate.  Luckily, this was just the start of my winning streak.

This week, I also earned the title of “f****** idiot” for being so “stupid” as to suggest that IU Fire Tom Crean.  I feel a little guilty about this one since my Twitter friend @FireTomCrean also got dragged into it.  For whatever reason, I am now intellectually challenged because I think the coach of my alma mater should be able to coach, beat Purdue, and simultaneously keep his kids out of jail, hospitals, and off drug suspension.  Well if that makes me an idiot, consider me happily f****** stupid.  Provoking such attacks equals success in the blog world.

Having written all of that, I hope my two newest friends read this week.  Unless, of course, either of them work in Governor Mike Pence’s communication/newspaper department.  Someone, or some small group of someones in the executive branch of Indiana government thought that creating a state government led media outlet was a good idea.  This outlet, nicknamed “Pence’s Pravda,” would compete with main stream media–particularly in areas of Indiana where statehouse coverage was limited today for whatever reason.  Now I don’t believe for one minute that this was the instruction given them by the Governor.  I also think the biggest mistake was their inability to see the public outrage and react accordingly.  It was refreshing though to see some public outcry around here about something that truly does matter.

For people in the real world who are keeping track, it only took three days for the Governor and his team to back off of their terrible idea.  But in the political world, three days is a lifetime.  It is my contention that this mistake will hang around Pence’s neck permanently.  If an upper level flack doesn’t find themselves unemployed over this in the next month, our Governor will have earned his nice guy reputation the hard way.  Although that is not my point here today.

The Contrarian provoked some hostility the last few days and was called out by people that disagreed with me in a nasty way.  All in good fun.  I read a lot of outrage about Pence’s folly, but didn’t see anyone cross the line of decorum. We should be proud of that.

It is a new high–while going low.  As the first month of the Indiana General Assembly comes to a close, we have seen plenty of bad ideas in the Statehouse.  It is awesome to see some outrage at one of them get the job done.  We really should do this more often.