ESPN Analyst Criticizes Redskins Quarterback Robert Griffin, III For Not Being Black Enough

ESPN analyst Rob Parker stirred controversy with critical comments he made about standout rookie Washington Redskins quarterback Robert Griffin, III, questioning whether he was truly a black. "Is he a brother, or is he a cornball brother?" Parker asked. "He's not down with the cause . . . he has a white fiance', there's all this talk that he's a Republican . . . I just want to dig deeper to find why he has an issue . . . " Parker added, however, that he was okay with Griffin wearing braided hair. "That's very urban . . . wearing braids, you're a brother. Apparently these comments made by Griffin, which could have just as easily been spoken by civil rights legend Martin Luther King, Jr., caused Parker to become unleashed:

For me, you don't ever want to be defined by the color of your skin. You want to be defined by your work ethic, the person that you are, your character, your personality. That's what I've tried to go out and do.

I am an African-American in America. That will never change. But I don't have to be defined by that.

An ESPN spokesman called Parker's comments "inappropriate" and indicated the network was "evaluating our next steps."

Poll Shows Majority Of Hoosiers Oppose Constitutional Ban On Same-Sex Marriage

A new poll taken by WISH-TV and the Bowen Center for Public Affairs at Ball State University reflects changing attitudes among Hoosiers towards the recognition of same-sex marriage. A majority, or 55%, said they would support state recognition of civil unions between same-sex couples. At the same time, 54% opposed a proposed constitutional amendment that would ban same-sex marriages, while only 38% expressed support for the amendment. Indiana's Defense of Marriage Act already bans same-sex marriages in Indiana, a law that has been upheld as constitutional. Nonetheless, some social conservatives are pushing for passage of the proposed constitutional amendment by the legislature this year in order to put it on the ballot next year. That amendment would also bar recognition of any rights similar to marriage for unmarried couples, straight or gay, a change that many believe could adversely impact domestic partner benefits offered by many employers to unmarried couples.

The U.S. Supreme Court last week agreed to hear two cases on the subject. One involves a same-sex marriage ban adopted by California voters, while the other case involves a challenge to a portion of the federal Defense of Marriage Act. Some argue that Indiana should avoid any further law changes in the area until the high court has issued ruling in these cases, particularly since Indiana's current law has already been deemed constitutional by our state courts. Republican leaders hinted this week that the issue will be taken up. Senate Majority Leader James Merritt said he expects the measure to be introduced in the Senate, and the leadership will follow the wishes of the 37-member Republican caucus. House Speaker Brian Bosma has said the amendment is not a priority issue, but he expects it to be introduced and treated like any other bill.

Council Democrats To Lose Stongest Member Of Leadership Team

City-County Council Vice-President Brian Mahern stands heads and shoulders above the leadership team of the Democratic-controlled council and most other members of the council for that matter. It is disappointing and troubling to learn that he will step down from his leadership role next year due to differences with the leadership of President Maggie Lewis, who appears to be completely under the thumb of the Ballard administration despite being a leader for the opposition party. Mahern told the Star his differences with Lewis over her support of another $10 million public subsidy for the Indiana Pacers and economic development matters. Mahern has been an outspoken advocate for curtailing the use of TIF districts as an economic development tool and implementing substantial reforms to protect against their misuse and further erosion of the tax base.

In part, Mahern cited disagreements with President Maggie Lewis on some issues. Those include on economic development and Lewis’ support this week for a $10 million, one-year extension of the city’s arrangement to help offset the Indiana Pacers’ operating  costs at Bankers Life Fieldhouse.

Though he still supports Lewis as president, he said, it’s become apparent that “Maggie and I share some principled, philosophical differences.” He says he’s stepping down from the leadership position next month so that the party, which has a 16-13 edge on the council, can select someone else for the VP role who is on the same page as Lewis.

“It goes back to a recognition on my part that there may be different world views between myself and Maggie,” Mahern said. “It ends up being a simple question: Am I able to contribute?”

Mahern is the only articulate and well-studied member of the Democrat's current leadership team. The Star's Jon Murray speculates that Mahern's hold on his leadership position may have been at risk due to his aggressive and outspoken posture on issues about which he feels passionately, particularly when most of his fellow colleagues could care less about his passion for good government. Murray notes Mahern's vocal criticism of Lewis' support of the $10 million subsidy for the Indiana Pacers, which was done in a fashion "to avoid scrutiny of the deal by the council" because it was done in between budgets, as well as her agreeing to allow the expansion of the controversial downtown TIF district to go forward before the council addressed the larger issue of the negative impact the creation of so many TIF districts had already inflicted on the county's tax base.

It's almost painful to watch Lewis, who is obviously in over her head, try to preside over meetings at times. Her ability to act independently has been compromised by her employment as the executive director of a nonprofit agency, The Dove Recovery House, that is dependent on city funding for its viability. Mahern's departure creates a real void for the Democrats. The other member of the leadership team, Majority Leader Vernon Brown, is a city firefighter batallion chief who must answer for his job to Mayor Ballard. Murray, who almost appears to revel in Mahern's departure from the leadership team, knocking his "penchant for calling press conferences and his perceived political ambitions," doesn't speculate on who will succeed Mahern.

Harry Belafonte: Obama Should Jail Political Dissidents

According to Harry Belafonte, anyone who opposes the political agenda of Barack Obama is corrupt and violating the will of the American people. Belafonte's advice to Obama is to act like a third world dictator and imprison his political opponents. The Omedia will ignore this outrage just like it has ignored the outrageous thug behavior of union activists in Michigan, who have been physically assaulting people and threatening persons with opposing views in response to the legitimate, democratic action of Michigan lawmakers and that state's governor to enact a right to work law as 22 other states have already done. So much for the civility Obama claims to support. When he told his supporters that if your opponent brings a knife to the fight, you bring a gun, he meant it. That's how he governs, and that's how his supporters think.

Media And Public Barred From Simon Estate Hearing: Where's The Outrage?

In a highly unusual move, former Indiana Supreme Court Justice Ted Boehm, who was appointed as the trustee of the estate of Melvin Simon, requested and obtained a closed hearing in the Hamilton Co. Superior Court presided over by Judge William Hughes at which a settlement agreement in a dispute between Simon's second wife and children over the distribution of Simon's estate was approved. Apparently only one local news organization found the unusual move to bar reporters and the public from the hearing objectionable. As the IBJ's Cory Schouten reported:

A bitter battle over the $2 billion estate of the late shopping mall tycoon Melvin Simon has ended with a confidential settlement . . .

An IBJ reporter attending Wednesday's hearing was asked to leave shortly after it began around 10:45 a.m. Closed hearing are unusual in estate cases, and the newspaper registered its objection.

An attorney for trustee Theodore R. Boehm, the former Indiana Supreme Court justice, requested the hearing be closed, and none of the other parties objected . . .

An Indianapolis Star report by Jeff Swiatek doesn't even mention the fact that reporters were barred from the court hearing. Swiatek, instead, reminded readers of efforts by Simon's wife, Bren, to have Judge Hughes removed from the case after the probate contest was initiated by Simon's children.

The judge himself became a subject of the infighting when Bren Simon’s former attorneys asked him to step down after he got arrested for drunken driving in North Carolina during the case and briefly hired attorneys from the same law firm that represented Simon Property Group in its case.

The Indiana Court of Appeals ultimately decided Hughes should stay as judge in the estate dispute. In the North Carolina case, Hughes pleaded guilty to misdemeanor reckless driving.

The appeals court also ruled in the judge’s favor on his removal of Bren Simon as trustee. The judge replaced her with former Indiana Supreme Court Justice Ted Boehm.

Other local news outlets reported on the settlement of the estate without even mentioning the hearing was closed. This blog alone complained about media bias when it comes to coverage of the Simons. One of the dirty little secrets is how the Simons use their Pacers Sports & Entertainment business entity to take local reporters and other members of the downtown mafia on an annual all-expense paid trip to exclusive resorts in places like Mexico to curry favor with them. This is one of the reasons the news media's coverage of giving subsidies to the Indiana Pacers is so biased in favor of the Simons. The media always reports as fact that the Simon family loses tens of millions on their NBA franchise without any substantiation. They ignore the fact that the recently-negotiated collective bargaining agreement between players and owners netted smaller city teams like the Pacers tens of millions in additional revenues annually. And they ignore the fact that Herb Simon was very anxious to exercise his right to buy out Mel's 50% stake in the Indiana Pacers shortly after he died. Wouldn't the value of how much Herb paid to Mel's estate for his share of the NBA franchise say something about the discussion in whether taxpayers should be paying him $10 million a year in annual subsidies? Has anyone in the media made any attempt to find out what that buyout cost was? Absolutely not. I suspect that if we knew the truth we would find out that the additional subsidies the CIB has approved for the Pacers are actually intended to cover Herb's payments to Mel's estate to cover the buyout of his shares. Note too, that the CIB's counsel, also represented Simon Property Group in the Simon estate matter, another fact ignored by the media. If the media reported the truth you would learn that your taxpayer dollars are being given to Herb so he doesn't have to pay one dime to buy out his late brother's share of the NBA franchise. Only in Indianapolis, one of the most corrupt cities in America, could such an outrageous event occur and be ignored by the news media.

Bennett Lands Florida's Top Education Job

As it turns out, losing re-election as Indiana's State Superintendent of Public Instruction may have been one of the best things to happen to Tony Bennett. Today, the Florida Board of Education chose Bennett to serve as the state's new education commissioner, a post that pays $275,000 a year compared to the $79,400 he currently earns in his Indiana post. The Florida board's vote to hire Bennett over nearly 50 other applicants for the job was unanimous. Proponents of education reform in Florida have dubbed Bennett a "rock star" figure who had the strong backing of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a key proponent of efforts to reform education in the Sunshine State. The Tampa Bay Times reports on Bennett's selection:

"His ability to be up to speed quickly would be very important for the state of Florida," board member John Padget said of Bennett.

Board member A.K. Desai praised Bennett for his pledge to stick to accountability and reform efforts, but also travel the state to hear how stakeholders can be more a part of the system.

"Bringing them on board will be absolutely necessary," Desai said. "He heard that from all of us … and he has expressed his willingness to take on that very important task."

"We have a great opportunity to continue Florida's moment," Bennett said, receiving applause after the unanimous board vote.

In his interview with the board on Tuesday, Bennett talked mostly about philosophy and policy.

He spoke about the importance of keeping students first in mind and not letting any fall behind. He argued that there's no such thing as teaching to the test if a state is using a valid assessment to determine whether students have learned the academic standards that teachers are supposed to be teaching.
"Assessment doesn't sit aside from instruction," he said. "It is part of instruction."

Bennett also spoke passionately about the need to implement the Common Core standards, which Florida has adopted. His support of the standards contributed to his election loss in Indiana, as some in the tea party opposed the idea of a "national curriculum."
Bennett and others have rejected the idea that the Common Core, which provides optional academic guidelines, is a national curriculum.

To make good policy work, Bennett stressed, the state must pair its policy discussion with its budget discussion to ensure money gets to the right programs. He said he would "absolutely" tell the board and governor if he felt they were heading in the wrong direction.

Illinois' Concealed-Carry Ban Tossed By 7th Circuit

Illinois' law making it illegal for its residents to carry concealed firearms on their person or in their vehicles has been struck down by the 7th Circuit Court of Appeals in Chicago as a violation of the Second Amendment. The ruling also casts doubts on the legality of a Chicago ordinance that bans possession of a firearm outside the home. Judge Richard Posner wrote the 2-1 opinion.

"We are disinclined to engage in another round of historical analysis to determine whether eighteenth-century America understood the Second Amendment to include a right to bear guns outside the home. The Supreme Court has decided that the amendment confers a right to bear arms for self-defense, which is as important outside the home as inside." . . .

"The theoretical and empirical evidence (which overall is inconclusive) is consistent with concluding that a right to carry firearms in public may promote self-defense. Illinois had to provide us with more than merely a rational basis for believing that its uniquely sweeping ban is justified by an increase in public safety. It has failed to meet this burden." . . .

 "A gun is a potential danger to more people if carried in public than just kept in the home. But the other side of this coin is that knowing that many law-abiding citizens are walking the streets armed may make criminals timid." . . .

Judge Posner has given Illinois lawmakers six months to rewrite a state law that complies with the Second Amendment. "We went to court," said Todd Vandermyde, an NRA lobbyist. "We won. … Illinois will have a carry law by the Fourth of July. And if the mayor or the governor or anybody else doesn't like it, well, that's just too bad."

Jackson's Wife Not Resigning Chicago Council Seat And Unsure If She Will Move Back To Chicago

Chicago alderman earn about $115,000 a year, but the pay isn't good enough to keep at least one of them from being under indictment at any given time for public corruption. Former U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson, Jr.'s wife, Sandi, is a city council member. Jesse was earning $174,000 a year before he resigned his seat after news reports surfaced that he might be facing criminal charges for misusing his campaign funds for personal uses, including questionable consulting payments paid to his wife totalling in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, payments which continued even after she was elected to her full-time job as an alderman. Apparently the couple couldn't live on a measly $300,000 a year. Despite her responsibilities as a Chicago alderman, Sandi resides primarily in Washington with her husband and children in their $2 million home in the nation's capital. So if her husband is no longer a member of Congress, why is she still living in Washington? Check out these comments she made to reporters about whether she plans to resign her council seat or move back to Chicago:

Ald. Sandi Jackson told reporters today that she won't resign from the City Council unless "something catastrophic happens," that she's not a candidate to replace her husband in Congress and that she's undecided about whether to move back to Chicago permanently from Washington, D.C.

Speaking outside her City Hall office, Jackson pushed back against the notion that she has neglected her duties as an alderman and missed important meetings while her husband, U.S. Rep. Jesse Jackson Jr., has been out of the public eye during his diagnosis of bipolar disorder and a federal investigation.

"I think my constituents understand this. I'm not going to respond to one or two people who have some angst about my attendance in City Council," Jackson said. "This has been a tough year for me, there's no doubt about that."

She contended that 7th Ward residents know she's working hard for them.

Asked whether she is considering resigning her council seat, Ald. Jackson acknowledged "it's been a very exhausting period for me."

"I think it's fair to say it would be hard for any family to go through what we've gone through publicly," Jackson said. "And so, there may have been times when I was overcome with exhaustion."

Later, Sandi Jackson said she isn't resigning.

"I'm here, I'm working, I'm going to continue to work, and whoever these people are who purport to speak for me should stop," she said.

"I will finish my term. I intend to finish my term," Jackson added. "Unless something catastrophic happens -- I could step outside and get hit by a bus today."

Asked whether her husband getting sent to prison would constitute "something catastrophic," Jackson said she would not discuss that.

"I'm not going to entertain questions like that, I really am not," she said. 

The only good thing Sandi Jackson had to say to reporters is that she won't be seeking election to her husband's seat in Congress. She would probably win simply because of her last name. Instead, voters will probably choose State Sen. Donne Trotter, who is currently facing felony gun charges and questions about his failure to identify his job working for a private security company on his financial disclosure form he filed with the Illinois Senate. "I don't think they care about how they look," said Professor Robert T. Stark of Northeastern Illinois University. "I mean, Chicago politics is unique among politics of any city in this country and it's known as the politics of Chicago."

Can someone explain to me why Chicago Democrats tolerate so much corruption from their elected representatives? A Republican official wouldn't last a week under the cloud of misconduct that has enveloped the Jacksons. It's almost as if the more corrupt you are the more popular you are. When Chicago elected its first African-American mayor, Harold Washington, his biggest claim to fame was being suspended from the practice of law for taking money from his clients and then refusing to perform any services for them, in addition to a federal conviction for failing to file his income tax returns. Former Gov. James Thompson, the federal prosecutor in his case, commented at the time that there was no evidence that Washington had ever filed a federal tax return, not even after becoming an attorney. Washington wore his transgressions like a badge of honor, and he was and still is viewed as a hero by many in Chicago's black community and among the city's limousine liberals. There's a college, a library and a city park all named after him. Barack Obama cited Washington's historic election as mayor as one of the reasons he decided to move to Chicago.

Council Ready To Approve Yet Another TIF Area

The Metropolitan and Economic Development Committee of the City-County Council heard compelling testimony from a number of neighborhood residents on the City's north side. The problem, as usual, is that the only persons whose message they heard were the proponents of a North Midtown Economic Development Area TIF who stand to gain financially from the creation of yet another TIF district. To hear them speak, Broad Ripple and Meridian-Kessler are on the verge of total economic collapse unless land extending across many blocks and covering many acres is removed from the tax base and placed in a protected status so that all property tax revenues are captured for future redevelopment projects, including a boardwalk along White River, described by some neighborhood residents as frou-frou.

Opponents of Proposal 291 pointed out that 12% of the county's assessed valuation is already located within a TIF area, and that in municipalities where restraint is exercised in designating areas for TIFs it is capped at 5%. Opponents pointed out that TIFs affect 20% of the tax base relied upon by IPS and IMPD. Opponents pointed out that most TIF districts are under performing and are bailed out using tax revenues from areas not within TIF districts. Opponents from the affected neighborhoods described their area as booming, with home values nearly double the county as a whole and vacancies for commercial properties at about 5%. The opponents criticized the plan for even including the new Broad Ripple parking garage being built with nearly $6.5 million in public funds. Aren't we told that TIFs only consume what they create?

One had to suspend disbelief and take a journey through a parallel universe to understand the questions and comments from councilors at the meeting. There were no tough questions for those proposing the TIF district; only for those opposing it. The onus was on them to prove that a new TIF district wasn't created because the proponents had spent many years putting together their redevelopment plans for the affected neighborhoods. The councilor sponsoring the new TIF district, John Barth, complained that when he moved into his new home south of Broad Ripple that his neighbor behind him was in the process of moving to Boone County. He feared other neighbors were going to make the same decision. Apparently it hasn't occurred to Councilor Barth that his neighbors may be moving to the suburbs in search of better schools or less crime, problems that are only made worse through the creation of yet another TIF district that will remove more taxable property from the tax base that supports our schools, public safety and other basic city services. Councilor Barth is the same councilor who gutted through amendment a TIF reform measure proposed by Councilor Brian Mahern that would have imposed some measure of restraint in adopting future TIF districts to the point that Councilor Mahern no longer wanted to claim ownership of his reform measure. The committee passed Councilor Mahern's unrecognizable proposal over his objection.

There is simply no hope for this city when those elected to represent us wear blinders in carrying out their official duties. They hear only what they want to hear, and they act only upon what those who are contributing to their campaigns, providing them free tickets to sporting events or otherwise helping them financially want. The rest of us are just background noise interfering with their greater plans.