Question Of The Day: Why Did Ballard Administration Turn Away Alternative Electric Car Sharing Proposals

If the mainstream media in Indianapolis had any investigative journalists left among them, they would be asking why the Ballard administration turned away other businesses interested in partnering with the City of Indianapolis to offer electric car sharing services to the public. Advance Indiana has learned that Mayor Greg Ballard's Director of Enterprise Development David Rosenberg refused to entertain discussions with at least two other businesses which could have and would have offered more favorable terms than the costly, one-sided agreement the administration entered into with Bollore's Blue Indy. One even offered the City a one-year pilot program free of charge to the City. Why was Rosenberg not interested in a less-costly approach to Indianapolis taxpayers? Was he given orders to limit his discussions to Blue Indy? If so, why? The public has a right to know.

What Donald Trump Actually Said About John McCain And Why He Said It

One of the worst offenses in American politics is quoting a politician out of context. One comes to expect politicians to quote their opponents out of context for political expediency. We should hold the media, however, to a much higher standard and be able to turn to them to set the record straight when that happens. I'm not a particularly big fan of Donald Trump, and I don't support his presidential campaign. The truth of the matter is, though, that he is being vilified for saying something about Sen. John McCain he never said. Trump has been making a lot of off-the-cuff statements as of late ala Robert Redford's character Bill McKay in the 1972 classic movie, The Candidate, to grab headlines. And it's been working for him. The latest polls show him near the top of the crowded Republican pack, if not slightly ahead of Jeb Bush.

So Trump goes out to McCain's home state of Arizona last weekend and draws a huge crowd of 15,000 Arizonans anxious to hear what he has to say. Trump, who supported McCain's 2008 presidential bid and helped raise about a million dollars for him, criticized him for being soft on illegal immigration. McCain fired back after Trump's appearance in his home state that he had "fired up the crazies," a pretty insulting and harsh comment to make about a lot of people, including members of his own party, in his home state. The war of words between the two escalated as the week progressed with Trump referring to McCain as a "dummy" for insulting the people who attended his Phoenix rally as a bunch of "crazies."

At an appearance in Iowa at week's end, Trump was asked at a Family Leadership Summit moderated by political pollster Frank Lutz about referring to a war hero like McCain as a "dummy." Trump tried to put his comment about McCain in context, which arguably justified his use of the word "dummy" to describe a sitting U.S. Senator paint his own constituents with such a negative, broad brush. "But he's a war hero," Luntz replied. Here's how Trump responded:

“He is a war hero.” 

“He’s a war hero because he was captured.” 

"I like people that weren't captured." "Okay, I hate to tell you." 

“He’s a war hero, because he was captured.” 

“I believe, perhaps, he’s a war hero. But right now, he’s said some very bad things about a lot of people.”

Almost every news media report I've read has given the impression Trump said McCain is not a war hero. He said no such thing. He emphasized why he had been characterized as a war hero, which is factually correct. It's his POW status, not his actual military service that won him war hero status. Trump even acknowledged he's a war hero; he just doesn't think we should get carried away with exaggerating who he is. But if a lie gets repeated often enough, it becomes the truth. So anyone not paying any attention to what Trump really said in Iowa would believe he said something he never said about McCain.

One of the points Trump did not bring up, which I think is quite relevant to this discussion, is the uncivil like manner in which McCain has increasingly treated anyone with whom he has political disagreements. I've been perplexed and very disillusioned by McCain's treatment of his fellow Vietnam War veterans and their families who have demanded answers about unaccounted for MIAs and POWs as he once was. Not only has he shown great insensitivity towards these Americans by insulting them and questioning their motives, he has gone to great lengths to use his position in the Senate to block the release of any information that would help them get answers to questions about their missing relatives.

Aside from his overt efforts to block the families of veterans from getting answers about their lost loved ones, McCain's own POW story can be told in a different light that paints him as anything but a war hero. His critics point out that McCain was not tortured while in captivity like other POWs; his injuries were caused by the initial shoot down of the Air Force plane he piloted over North Vietnam during bombing runs. His North Vietnamese communist captors derisively referred to him as the "Songbird" because of his willingness from the moment of his capture to provide information sought by his interrogators. McCain made dozens of propaganda films for the North Vietnamese, which included harsh statements about the American enemy the North Vietnamese were fighting. The video below is just one example of the deep-seated contempt many of his fellow veterans hold towards him, who consider him anything but a war hero.

About a year ago, even mainstream, conservative columnist  George Will came around to admitting the American people had been lied to for decades about the Vietnam War and, in particular, the fact that Watergate might never have happened had President Richard Nixon not been obsessed about covering up the role of him and his chief emissary, Henry Kissinger, in sabotaging President Johnson's peace talks between the North and South Vietnamese, an act of treason by the future president and Kissinger:

. . . The treason came in 1968 as the Vietnam War reached a critical turning point. President Lyndon Johnson was desperate for a truce between North and South Vietnam.

LBJ had an ulterior motive: his Vice President, Hubert Humphrey, was in a tight presidential race against Richard Nixon. With demonstrators in the streets, Humphrey desperately needed a cease-fire to get him into the White House.

Johnson had it all but wrapped it. With a combination of gentle and iron-fisted persuasion, he forced the leaders of South Vietnam into an all-but-final agreement with the North. A cease-fire was imminent, and Humphrey’s election seemed assured.

But at the last minute, the South Vietnamese pulled out. LBJ suspected Nixon had intervened to stop them from signing a peace treaty.

In the Price of Power (1983), Seymour Hersh revealed Henry Kissinger---then Johnson’s advisor on Vietnam peace talks---secretly alerted Nixon’s staff that a truce was imminent.

According to Hersh, Nixon “was able to get a series of messages to the Thieu government [of South Vietnam] making it clear that a Nixon presidency would have different views on peace negotiations.”

Johnson was livid. He even called the Republican Senate Minority Leader, Everett Dirksen, to complain that “they oughtn’t be doing this. This is treason.”

“I know,” was Dirksen’s feeble reply.

Johnson blasted Nixon about this on November 3, just prior to the election. As Robert Parry of consortiumnews.com has written: “when Johnson confronted Nixon with evidence of the peace-talk sabotage, Nixon insisted on his innocence but acknowledged that he knew what was at stake.”

Said Nixon: “My, I would never do anything to encourage….Saigon not to come to the table….Good God, we’ve got to get them to Paris or you can’t have peace.”

But South Vietnamese President General Theiu---a notorious drug and gun runner---did boycott Johnson’s Paris peace talks. With the war still raging, Nixon claimed a narrow victory over Humphrey. He then made Kissinger his own national security advisor.

In the four years between the sabotage and what Kissinger termed “peace at hand” just prior to the 1972 election, more than 20,000 US troops died in Vietnam. More than 100,000 were wounded. More than a million Vietnamese were killed.

But in 1973, Kissinger was given the Nobel Peace Prize for negotiating the same settlement he helped sabotage in 1968.

No fewer than 20,000 American soldiers died in Vietnam and more than 100,000 were wounded in the ensuing years following the treasonous actions of Nixon and Kissinger. This is how Sen. McCain reacted to protesters at a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing who called for Kissinger's arrest as a war criminal when he was called, along with other former secretaries of state, to testify before the Senate. Watch as McCain refers to them as "low-life scums," while defending the treasonous Kissinger as someone who had served his country with "the greatest distinction". Kissinger actually won a Nobel Peace Prize in 1973 for ending a war he had actually covertly helped prolong:

Pence Orders Arming Of Indiana National Guard Facilities In Response To Chattanooga Shooting

After the recurrence this past week of yet another well-publicized shooting that gives President Barack Obama an excuse to comment on cue for the need to strip Americans of their Second Amendment rights, Gov. Mike Pence is announced today he is taking his own action to protect Indiana National Guardsmen. Criticism erupted this week immediately following the fatal shooting of five soldiers at a recruiting center in Chattanooga, Tennessee, who were unarmed when they came under attack by a lone gunman. Gov. Pence is going to change that in Indiana. Here's the statement his office released this afternoon:

Effective immediately, Governor Mike Pence has directed Indiana Adjutant General, Major General Courtney Carr in cooperation with the Indiana State Police, the Indiana Department of Homeland Security and local law enforcement to enhance security measures at all Indiana National Guard facilities and installations in Indiana, in the wake of the recent attack on military personnel and facilities in Tennessee.

Today Governor Mike Pence issued an Executive Order directing the Adjutant General to enhance security measures at all Indiana National Guard facilities including recruiting storefronts across the state. The Executive Order authorizes the Adjutant General to permit the Guard to arm military personnel at the state's Guard facilities and recruiting offices and directs several state agencies to assist the Indiana National Guard in implementing this policy in accordance with Indiana state law. Governor Pence is the Commander in Chief of the Indiana National Guard. The Executive Order text can be found in full attached.

The Governor also issued the following statement.

"In the wake of the attacks that claimed four United States Marines and one Navy sailor in Tennessee, I have directed the Indiana National Guard to take appropriate steps to enhance security at all Indiana National Guard facilities and recruiting offices. I have also directed Major General Corey Carr, the Adjutant General of the Indiana National Guard, to authorize the arming of military personnel at all Indiana National Guard facilities and recruiting storefronts in accordance with state and federal law.

"As commander-in-chief of the Indiana National Guard, I will not permit our citizen-soldiers to remain unable to defend themselves and our citizens at facilities in our state. Hoosiers may be assured that those who have stepped forward to defend our state and nation will have the ability to defend themselves."

Governors of Arkansas, Florida, Oklahoma and Texas issued similar orders.

How Adam Livvix Duped An Israeli Defense Force Soldier From LA

Kevin Orenshein as his IDF unit prepared to destroy tunnels built by Hamas (The Boiling Point Photo)

I mentioned in a recent blog post how I was contacted by a reporter from LA Weekly seeking information about Adam Livvix, the Marshall, Illinois native charged last December in Israel on charges related to his supposed intent to blow up Muslim holy sites in Jerusalem. The Israeli soldier accused of providing explosive devices to Livvix, as it turns out, is actually an American citizen from the upscale Beverlywood neighborhood on Los Angeles' west side. The LA Weekly published a story by Gene Maddaus recently recounting from 22-year old Kevin Orenshein's perspective how he was duped by Livvix, whom he mistakenly believed was a former Navy Seal from Texas who had come to Israel to reconnect with his Jewish faith.

Orenshein grew up in an Orthodox Jewish family and wanted to follow in the footsteps of his grandfather, an employee of American defense contractor Northrup Grumman who had served in the Yom Kippur War. He enlisted in the Israeli Defense Forces upon graduating from high school and became a "lone soldier" as American soldiers serving in the IDF are referred. Orenshein, a tank operator in the Gaza Strip with the rank of sergeant, describes to Maddaus a bromance that developed between him and Livvix. "I loved the guy," Orenshein said. "I talked to everyone about him. I told everyone I knew a Navy SEAL, and he was a genius." Orenshein says he met Livvix, who used the name "Everett Adam" on a beach in Netanya during the fall of 2013 while hanging out with other Americans who were serving in the IDF. He noticed Livvix had a frogman tattoo on his back with a unit number, the symbol worn by Navy SEALS. "Sick tattoo, man," Orenshein said to Livvix. He described Livvix as a "big guy--6 feet and 220 pounds" who talked with a Southern accent. Orenshein said he ran into Livvix a few months later and from that point on the two began hanging out together whenever he was off base.

Rev. Charles Harrison's Decision Not To Run For Mayor Coincided With Ten Point Coalition Defendant's Change Of Plea

Byron Alston, an employee of Rev. Charles Harrison's Ten Point Coalition, had been scheduled to go on trial beginning this past Thursday on criminal charges of income tax evasion and perjury the Marion Co. Prosecutor's Office brought against him last year following a raid of his home. On Monday, a Marion County superior criminal court hearing his case cancelled the trial and scheduled a change of plea hearing for Alston on August 25. An order for pre-sentence investigation report was also signed by Judge William Nelson, and Alston was ordered to report for probation on July 16. Publicly-accessible online records don't state the terms of Alston's plea agreement.

Howey Politics first reported on Tuesday, July 14 that Rev. Charles Harrison, facing a July 15 deadline for filing paperwork declaring his candidacy, had decided to drop his independent campaign for mayor, which Rev. Harrison confirmed in a news release to the media early Wednesday morning and subsequent media interviews. Rev. Harrison attributed his decision not to run to family concerns and reservations church officials at his Barnes United Methodist Church had with his campaign.

When law enforcement raided Alston's home in January 2014, he told reporters investigator were asking questions about an alleged $3 million payment offered by an unnamed Republican. Mayor Greg Ballard had given the Ten Points Coalition over $340,000 in crime prevention grants before its funding was cut off. Alston also asked whether he had been the victim of an extortion attempt. Rev. Harrison denounced the investigation at the time as a "witch hunt" carried out by a Democratic prosecutor in retaliation for his support of Mayor Ballard's re-election in 2011. Rev. Harrison told Fox 59 News at the time that Alston worked as a street outreach coordinator for the Ten Point Coalition and was paid a salary of $961.53 every two weeks

A Franchise Agreement For Blue Indy?

UPDATED: I'm not cracked up about this idea, but some council members are discussing the possibility of requiring Blue Indy to enter into a franchise agreement with the City of Indianapolis to convert their illegal use of public assets for the French-owned company's exclusive use into something that is legal. Franchise agreements were used for the two cable TV companies that were given exclusive territories to operate in the city in consideration for annual franchise fees that were paid to the city for a period of time. That arrangement made tens of millions for political insiders who were allowed to buy shares of stock in the two cable TV companies for nominal fees, which they later sold at grossly-appreciated prices. It is our suspicion that Mayor Greg Ballard entered into illegal agreements on bad terms for the public with both Blue Indy and Vision Fleet so political insiders could make tens of millions of dollars at our expense. At this point, the public has no idea who all owns a beneficial interest in either of these companies.

The Indianapolis Star's John Tuohy, who has not hid his disdain towards any council members or other public officials who have questioned the Blue Indy and Vision Fleet agreements, discusses the potential franchise agreement skeptically.

Some City-County Council members are threatening to unplug Mayor Greg Ballard’s prized BlueIndy electric car-share program before it even gets rolling.

Public Works Committee Chairman Zach Adamson said the Democrat-controlled council may require BlueIndy to register as a franchise and pay the city an annual fee. If it doesn’t, the city could tow BlueIndy’s cars from charging stations across the city — a direct attack on the outgoing Republican Ballard administration’s eco-friendly initiative.

The franchise agreement would give the city yearly revenue from the car rental service for the life of the venture. Maverick Republican council member Christine Scales also is pushing for the franchise fee, an approach that has been researched by the council’s chief financial officer, Bart Brown.

Both the mayor’s office and BlueIndy officials dismissed the feud as election-year politics. They contend BlueIndy received permits that exempt the car rental service from the need for a franchise agreement.

The franchise agreement would be similar to ones the city had until 10 years ago with cable television companies. The city was able to collect fees if companies were using city property to install long-term infrastructure, Brown said. BlueIndy is building 1,000 electric car chargers at 200 locations on public streets across the city.

“Those who want permanent structures for more than a year need to enter these agreements,” said Brown. The agreement could also mean public hearings where charging stations are planned. Many residents and businesses have complained the stations are hogging valuable parking spots and they had no say in their placement.

Brown said BlueIndy was, at first, considering going along with the agreement because it would mean the car-share program could proceed on schedule. But Hervé Muller, president of BlueIndy, said this week he wouldn’t be inclined to agree to it if it is proposed.

“At this moment, we have no specific knowledge of why such an additional franchise agreement would be needed, nor have we agreed to enter in such an agreement,” Muller said, insisting that the 15-year contract it signed with the city was valid. “From our standpoint, we have necessary authorization from the city to operate where we do.” . . .  

Ballard Deputy Chief of Staff David Rosenberg said BlueIndy, like hundreds of other businesses, received permits that exempted it from the parking code or the need to be franchised.

One variance was a right-of-way permit and one was an encroachment permit. Together, they let the cars stay parked and the chargers be built and are good for several years. Council approval isn’t needed for either permit, he said . . .

What we know is that the initial agreement was illegal on its face because it was not competitively bid. Mayor Greg Ballard has no legal authority to steal the most valuable public parking spaces across this city and give them to a company with whom he has a corrupt relationship for their exclusive, for-profit business use. Mayor Ballad has no legal authority to steal sidewalk space and give it to Blue Indy to operate their power charging stations, which are essentially being billed to the taxpayers either through fees passed on to us by IPL on our electric bills or by money he stole from the downtown TIF district for this purpose. He also does not have authority to unilaterally change no parking zones for Blue Indy's use. As I've said before, Mayor Ballard is Rod Blagojevich on steroids. He's committed more crimes than Blagojevich talked about doing, but this is Indianapolis where our public officials have a license to break any laws they want for purposes of making them and certain political insiders very rich at the public's expense because we have no federal or state prosecutors who will enforce our laws.

Under this illegal scheme concocted by our corrupt mayor, Blue Indy will have at least 500 of its electric cars parked in the most prime public parking spaces across the city with 1,000 power charging stations and 200 kiosks. The franchise agreement is being offered as a carrot and stick approach to forgive all of the laws the Ballard administration has broken to commit the City to this one-sided deal in exchange for some fee sharing agreement with the City. If Blue Indy turns down the proposal, the council members say Blue Indy cars parked in no parking zones like those spaces it currently occupy in downtown Indianapolis on Washington Street will be towed. Marion Co. Sheriff John Layton has apparently agreed to enforce the no parking zone law on the city's books so IMPD officers won't have to risk being fired by our corrupt mayor for enforcing the law.

When you talk to people outside Indianapolis, they are simply shocked by the illegal acts our public officials get by with committing. What's the point in limiting the municipal executive's powers if he can simply act as a dictator and do whatever he pleases without consequences? They are even more surprised at how the media treats these transgressions with kid gloves, or even worse as with the Indianapolis Star, actually defends the usurpation of power. I think we're rapidly approaching the point where members of the public will have to take matters into their own hands.  Clearly, the rule of law has completely broken down and our public officials feel undeterred in their efforts to break as many laws as possible and steal our public assets by the hundreds of millions of dollars.

UPDATE: It turns out there is a somewhat comparable situation from our not so distant past when the City of Indianapolis entered into a franchise agreement with Clarian Health to permit its use of the public right-of-way for building, maintaining and operating the people mover between Methodist and the IU Hospitals. That franchise agreement was subject to the approval of the City-County Council. It cost taxpayers nothing. Clarian received a non-exclusive use of the people mover; it was required to allow the public the same free access to its use that it provided to its own employees. The City-County Council reserved the right to terminate the franchise agreement in the future if Clarian failed to comply with its terms. If at any point it decides to charge fares for its use, those fares must be comparable to fares charged for other forms of public transportation, such as city buses. Clarian was required to hold public hearings regarding the placement of support columns and further approvals were required by the appropriate authorities for the design.

Hat tip to Councilor Christine Scales for bringing this to our attention.

Pence Appoints Judge Robert Altice To The Court Of Appeals

This probably won't come as a big surprise to most observers. Gov. Mike Pence chose Marion Co. Superior Court Judge Robert Altice over Wabash Superior Court Judge Christopher Goff and Indianapolis attorney Patricia McMath to fill the Court of Appeals spot being vacated by retiring Judge Ezra Friedlander of the Second Judicial District. Gov. Pence said of Judge Altice in today's announcement:

“Judge Robert Altice’s extensive work in the Marion County judicial system and experience presiding over civil and criminal cases make him a uniquely qualified candidate to serve on the Court of Appeals,” said Governor Pence. “The Court of Appeals serves an important role in the judicial system for the state of Indiana, and I’m grateful to Judge Altice as he carries his work to a higher judicial court. His varied legal experience in both criminal and civil law will serve him well as he continues to serve the people of Indiana as a fair-minded and measured judge.”

Is Glenda Ritz The Next Charlie White?

Anyone who has been paying the least bit of attention to Indiana politics the past couple of years knows there is an organized effort by the corrupt ruling elites in both political parties to discredit and destroy Supt. of Public Education Glenda Ritz in any way possible because she doesn't support the agenda of the folks using education reform as another excuse to use our public tax dollars for self-profiteering. In my previous post, I talk about how the corrupt elites who control our state twisted and warped a long-standing, lenient voter residency legal standard to mean something entirely different than it was ever intended to be applied, as well as the state's criminal law against theft, to turn an otherwise innocent man, former Secretary of State Charlie White, into a political pariah and felon. Now watch as they give Glenda Ritz the Charlie White treatment. From WRTV's Rafael Sanchez:

Just one day after the Glenda Ritz gubernatorial campaign revealed it had only raised $30,000 so far this year, there are now new questions surrounding that money.

Call 6 Investigates dug into the records Thursday and found possible violations of state election law.

As is required for all statewide candidates, the Ritz campaign filed a mandatory finance report earlier this week with the Indiana Election Division.

Several sources and records suggest the Ritz campaign may have violated state election law by accepting donations while the Indiana General Assembly was meeting.

The specific law prohibits a person serving as a legislator or a statewide office holder from soliciting or accepting campaign contributions – and from conducting other fundraising activities – during the regular legislative session.

This year, the legislature was at work between Jan. 6 and April 29.

A look into Ritz’s campaign fundraising filing shows that her campaign received 28 contributions totaling $8,775 while the legislature was in session . . .

So, yeah, Indiana has this law that says you can't solicit and accept campaign contributions while the General Assembly is in session. The arbitrary days the rule applied this year extended from January 6 to April 29. Mike Pence raised over $20,000 the first few days of January before the barred period commenced and over $30,000 during the first two weeks of May after the period ended. Glenda Ritz received 28 contributions during this artificially-created period totaling $8,775 so she's a felon, she must be prosecuted and forced from political office. If anyone believes that any of the lawmakers or statewide elected officials aren't raising campaign dough during that supposed period campaign contributions are barred, I've got a bridge in Brooklyn I will sell you. They're just smart enough not to record dates on their campaign finance reports those contributions were solicited or received that would fun afoul of the law. There's also a law that bars casino operators from making campaign contributions, but the lobbyists and law firms who represent their interests before state officials are among the largest campaign contributors in the state. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out how the law is evaded, but nobody will ever be prosecuted for skirting the law.

The law is a total joke when you think about it. Decisions regarding legislation considered during any legislative session are made months ahead of the start of the legislative session when the drafting process begins. Governors of all political stripes condition their support for legislation approved by the legislature based upon a financial commitment to raise or contribute funds for his re-election so the period contributions are barred has no impact on his fundraising activities whatsoever. Glenda Ritz doesn't have a vote or veto over any legislative decision, but she's the one the law will be used to ensnare to finish her off. The education profiteers who control the state will finally exact their revenge for defeating their stooge, Tony Bennett, who got a free get-out-of-jail card after committing multiple felonies by using employees and resources of his political office for the purpose of raising campaign contributions, but Glenda Ritz is the bad guy. See how the system works for the corrupt insiders, folks?

UPDATE: The Indianapolis Star joins the fray. Ritz's folks say the contributions were received prior to the period in question but not deposited until later. A state elections official says that doesn't matter.

. . .  Ritz campaign spokesman Pat Terrell said the contributions in question were actually received before the legislative session, but weren’t deposited until after the session began.

But that may still be a violation.

“The critical moment is when the check or cash is deposited into a bank account,” said Bradley King, co-director of the state election division . . . 

Indiana Supreme Court Denies Transfer To Hear Charlie White's Appeal

It's just one more confirmation that the rule of law is dead in Indiana. The Indiana Supreme Court on a 4-0 decision signed by Chief Justice Loretta Rush (Justice Massa not participating) denied Charlie White's petition for transfer to review the decision of the Indiana Court of Appeals affirming two of White's erroneous felony vote frauds convictions and a felony theft conviction. The courts adopt special voter residency laws which spring into existence as needed to protect political elites like Evan Bayh, while a lowly guy like Charlie White will face the most arbitrary and capricious interpretation of those same laws as retribution for stepping out of line by the political establishment.

What today's decision means is that you should consider the risk of registering and casting votes in Indiana unless you are among the chosen class. As a person who has worked as an election judge at many elections, I could pick out voters in every election I've worked who could be prosecuted under the same circumstances under which White was prosecuted. If you aren't favored by the ruling political class, don't even think about running for political office. They will do whatever it takes to destroy you to stop you from succeeding. It's just not worth the risk. Prosecutors and judges can twist the laws to mean something they do not say to turn any innocent person into a criminal if they want to destroy you for not conforming to their dictates. I defy anyone to square the decision in Charlie White's case with the application of these same laws to a long line of other prominent Indiana politicians who played far more fast and loose with the state's voter residency laws than White's supposed transgressions. It can't be done with a straight face. If you aren't alarmed by today's decision, you should be.