Though Governor Daniels is of the “compassionate conservative” brand of Republican Indiana could have done far worse and I often wonder if the direction of the Nation today would be different would Daniels stayed with the Bush administration. But seeing where the Nation as a whole has gone since 2006 I am thankful to have Governor Daniels where he is - keeping Indiana solvent and functioning.

There has been intimations of Mitch for Prez and while I can think of better candidates I can also think of worse candidates as well. HB1065 is a chance for the Governor to distance himself from his moderate proclivities and stand with the People of Indiana. If he does have further political aspirations I can assure you if he fails this test Hoosiers have a long memory, just ask Dan Coats.

With the President being the unofficial firearm Salesman of the Year we hear how he’s not actually done anything in the direction of gun rights. But this is HIS department so add this to the UN firearms treaty and apparently he IS moving against American gun owners. Though I never expected he’d come through the legislative front door anyway.

On these I have two points as the Indiana Law Blog tends to report only and not persuade or dissuade on the issues.

First, the shooting in Portage is an example of the exact opposite of what the opponents are pushing. The gun in your car bill is not law yet and workforce development offices are posted no firearms. Yet this person brought a firearm into the offices….

Second, this issue has the potential of determining Governor Mitch’s “creds” in the Hoosier shooting community. Fail this one and any aspirations of higher office (*cough* *cough* *president* ) may prove to be very short lived.

But back to spending money… we know where there is a large population of criminals soaking up our tax dollars and they’re brushing those expenses, which dwarf a more immediate problem of why the USA is bankrupt.

Now before someone comes and calls me a “nativist” or other such crap consider this. If you want to let more people from
into the United States, that’s fine - go through the legislative process and up the quotas for that nation. I’m fine with that. There are a set of rules by which people can come here and be Americans such as having a marketable skill, not being a carrier of a contagious disease, and not being a terrorist… these must stay in play.

Coats’ remember is the seat Bayh took, who now wants it back, but who hasn’t lived in Indiana since he retired after stabbing Indiana gun owners in the back in a 1994 vote on Clinton’s “crime bill” which banned semi automatic weapons and magazines over 10 rounds for ten years in this country.

So much for that NRA sponsored Sportsmen for Coats bumper sticker so many of us sported for years….

As for “root for Coats” this from the people who were largely responsible for handing us McCain as a candidate by crossing over in the early primaries. The same who whined incessantly when the Republicans turned the tide and tried to stick them with Hillary…. I rather like the idea of closed primaries…. it is the height of stupidity to allow your opposition to stick you with the candidate they believe they can more easily defeat.

Anyway… John Hostettler for U.S. Senate!

Reading the full decision I believe the Court found a good balance between individual rights and officer safety. Could it be better? Sure, but it is realistic and a reasonably simple litmus test to apply to a situation. The ruling isn’t that long so if you carry a firearm go read it.

“If you love wealth better than liberty, the tranquillity of servitude better than the animating contest of freedom, go home from us in peace. We ask not your counsels or arms. Crouch down and lick the hands which feed you. May your chains set lightly upon you and may posterity forget that ye were our countrymen.”
– Samuel Adams

–James Madison, letter to Edmund Pendleton, 1792

– Cornered Cat’s Kathy Jackson