Comments on Advance Indiana™: Why You Can't Believe Everything You Read In The Newspaper

rGary, when I tried to tell you a few months ago t...

2007-01-23T22:59:00.000-05:00

rGary, when I tried to tell you a few months ago that a Star article which claimed someone said they were targeted because they were black was not true, you argued back with me that it had to be true if the Star said it was. The Star was wrong, it misrepresented statements from the interview.

Glad you now 'get it' that one can't believe everything one reads in the newspaper.

When you're rigiht, Wilson, you're right.Ike is a ...

2007-01-23T21:28:00.000-05:00

When you're rigiht, Wilson, you're right.

Ike is a snake.

I just read RiShawn's lengthy riposte - it looks l...

2007-01-23T21:16:00.000-05:00

I just read RiShawn's lengthy riposte - it looks like I hurt poor Ike's feelings by repeatedly pointing out his pandering for the LGBT vote but then his flip-flopping and voing twice against us. My repeated highlighting seems to have bothered Mr. Biddle's idea of decorum. Ike Randolph was a lying snake who shouldn't be trusted by any voters whatsoever based on that obvious and egregious flip-flop.

RiShawn Biddle is a good example of what's wrong w...

2007-01-23T17:54:00.000-05:00

RiShawn Biddle is a good example of what's wrong with the Star.
He doesn't check out his so-called "facts". I had a specific incident several months ago and after pointing out his error, not only was my comments not printed, but his entire Expresso article disappeared. Not until I complained to Ryerson did it reappear with my comments.

histrionics? Just goes to show how ditzy and flamb...

2007-01-23T15:22:00.000-05:00

histrionics? Just goes to show how ditzy and flamboyant queens are ... glitter and be gay!

He calls the response to his post "histronics" and...

2007-01-23T12:56:00.000-05:00

He calls the response to his post "histronics" and then tells us that we hurt our cause because we stand up for ourselves. Another page taken from the religious right. Typical. (yawn)

Since apparently Rishawn wishes to respond to my l...

2007-01-23T12:45:00.000-05:00

Since apparently Rishawn wishes to respond to my legitimate question to him on the Expresso page by referencing this blog- Rishawn, answer the question that I posed to you instead of doing your usual condescending routine. Why do you feel that disproportionality is the issue addressed when no one has argued that red herring?

RiShawn has no credibility with me. Several times ...

2007-01-23T10:16:00.000-05:00

RiShawn has no credibility with me. Several times he has written things on which he did not bother to check the facts or the law. He has also played the race card without stopping to think what the real situations were. He is dumbing-down the public rather than helping to educate.

OK, here's one more swipe at this:RiShawn is one o...

2007-01-23T09:18:00.000-05:00

OK, here's one more swipe at this:

RiShawn is one of the only windmill-tilters at The Star. If you don't believe it read the body of his work. Jane, Tim, et al are either drinking the Kool Aid or writing a bunch of stuff that isn't getting printed. Cause their printed stuff isn't that great.

I disagree with RiShawn almost half the time. But his writing is crisp and sharp. He makes me think. I'm pretty sure he and Matt Tulley agree on almost nothing, obviously including work ethic, so that is a gold star in my book.

Why are we so obsessed with 100% agreement on these issues? Can't we listen to those with whom we disagree, learn from their arguments, and move on?

I learned form RiShawn's post, that he's woefully under-informed on hate crimes. I view that as an opportunity.

And he's representative of a lot of people.

His race, frankly, is a non-issue to me. Ignorance knows no racial boundary.

The hate crime bill is great. To get it passed through the Senate, the House authors are going to have to do a lot of listening and altering. Maybe, at some point, they'll conclude they have compromised enough and cannot compromise any more. They're smart reps, and I trust their judgment.

And the public debate is serious enough that there just isn't room for hyperbole and lynching references. Alarm-bell phrases don't do anything to gain support.

Arnie- Ruth Holladay is reporting that Jane (sorry...

2007-01-22T23:14:00.000-05:00

Arnie- Ruth Holladay is reporting that Jane (sorry, I really don't know what her last name is) and Tim Swarens are both being removed (maybe reassigned?) from the editorial page. Gives even more credence to your statement. Did Rishawn really say that? Wow.

AI, thanks for posting this. Odd to think of Biddl...

2007-01-22T21:51:00.000-05:00

AI, thanks for posting this. Odd to think of Biddle as a bigot, but it seems to fit.

Interesting erin, and my point exactly. So where d...

2007-01-22T21:28:00.000-05:00

Interesting erin, and my point exactly. So where does the star stand on this? I believe RiShawn told us.

Funny enough, the post right below Rishawn's (writ...

2007-01-22T21:04:00.000-05:00

Funny enough, the post right below Rishawn's (written by Jane Lichtensomething or other) says:

"The Star's Editorial Board just got out of a meeting with Marion County Prosecutor Carl Brizzi, who came to talk about his legislative agenda..."

She goes on to talk about the 'truth in sentencing' part of Brizzi's agenda, not hate crimes legislation. But, point being, the two posts combined present a pretty disingenuous picture of Brizzi's agenda.

Excellent post Gary. Rishawn is a perfect example ...

2007-01-22T20:38:00.000-05:00

Excellent post Gary. Rishawn is a perfect example of Joe-public. If it doesn't happen right under his nose, it doesn't exist. He needs to be confronted with this and you did it well.

Anon- my understanding from AI's post is that Rish...

2007-01-22T20:13:00.000-05:00

Anon- my understanding from AI's post is that Rishawn did have all of this information presented to him by none other than Prosecutor Brizzi. The Star did full coverage of the specific fact that this legislation was one of Brizzi's top priorities this session. If Rishawn didn't understand something he had plenty of opportunity to ask questions then.

AI- thank you for the excellent explanation/post on this issue!

Final thing- as I stated to Rishawn on the Star site- if he has an issue with hate crime legislation as a whole, then that is one area where I think education/discussion can play a role. But, the flagrant misrepresentation of what HB 1459 represents is quite another thing. No one has ever suggested this legislation has anything to do with disproportionality. Address the issue on it's merits, please, instead of confusing people.

Lynching was the classical and ultimate hate crime...

2007-01-22T19:51:00.000-05:00

Lynching was the classical and ultimate hate crime so the Anti-Lynching Bill was the specialized precursor to the current Hate Crimes legislation. The point is that the same arguments against Hate Crimes legislation have been used for over a century now by reactionaries while society is terrorized and disrupted.

RiShawn is one of the only true thinkers at The St...

2007-01-22T19:40:00.000-05:00

RiShawn is one of the only true thinkers at The Star.

He's wrong on this one, but sometimes, he's right.

Let's cut him some slack.

And Wilson, the comparison to lynchings is way over the top.
Way. Can we dial this back down to reality?

Reps. Porter, Crawford, et al, are supporting a great bill. RiShawn is one columnisnt who's underinformed. Let's get him the information he seeks.

And if he still opposes the bill, well, he's still wrong, but he has hit some good ones out of the park.

It's a baby-and-bathwater thing, ya know?

RiShawn has told me he speaks for the Stars Editor...

2007-01-22T19:23:00.000-05:00

RiShawn has told me he speaks for the Stars Editorial Board. Is this the is the real shame behind this article.

So RiShawn Biddle, a man of color, opposes this bi...

2007-01-22T19:12:00.000-05:00

So RiShawn Biddle, a man of color, opposes this bill because it includes other minorities that he apparently doesn't care for, namely GLBT people?

I know he reads your blog, Gary, maybe he'll post a clarification here as to what he was trying to convey. If not, then all I can say is thank you for taking his bigoted ass to the carpet.

Joseph Pulitzer also would have been aware of the ...

2007-01-22T19:08:00.000-05:00

Joseph Pulitzer also would have been aware of the lengthy battle started in the early 1900s by African-American activists for an Anti-Lynching Law. This legislation was opposed for decades by the most odious of legislators with the same tired arguments used today ... meanwhile people died gruesomely.