Comments on Advance Indiana™: Howey Politics: Pence Trying To Dump Ellspermann With Ivy Tech Job Offer

I read an article that stated the majority of stat...

2016-01-02T13:31:01.046-05:00

I read an article that stated the majority of states in the US have community college systems. I am glad to see that Ivy Tech was made into a community college system and has arranged for credit transfers to 4 year colleges/universities. If the Ivy Tech community college is having problems with low graduation rates then why can't the state of Indiana study successful community college systems in other states which have acceptable graduation rates and then implement their model here in the state of Indiana with Ivy Tech community college?

I read an article that stated the majority of stat...

2016-01-02T13:29:51.144-05:00

I believe you have this wrong. There is a belief ...

2015-12-29T07:56:21.439-05:00

I believe you have this wrong. There is a belief that Ellspermann is dumping Pence. There is consensus that Pence is already lame duck in his first term. Much of his damage control efforts, successful or not, have been focused on RFRA. Coupled with a much maligned party that is lead by Bosma and Young, Pence has little political capital to generate traction for his own agenda. Ellspermann realizes that Pences star has faded considering Pence could have been a viable GOP Presidential option to a radicalized Trump.

Anon 9:22: The world has known & suffered fas...

2015-12-23T11:28:29.306-05:00

Anon 9:22: The world has known & suffered fascists long before your planet ride began. In the not of one mind or independent thinker category; there are gays who disagree with you, with whom I voluntarily associate & they don't conflate their orientation with the fascism of forced association; vs. voluntary associations natural to the sovereign, exercising & enjoying their liberty. It is my intent to engage you, not to offend you; which if that were my intent- I'd leave no doubt in your mind or anyone reading this.

Oh, we wouldn't want you to have to be politic...

2015-12-23T09:22:08.987-05:00

Oh, we wouldn't want you to have to be politically correct, Boggs. We know you don't want "forced association with gays". We understand you. We've known you all our lives.

Gov. Pence doesn't have to be any more conserv...

2015-12-23T08:53:34.394-05:00

Gov. Pence doesn't have to be any more conservative than former Gov. Daniels, it's his level of being conservative as it relates to his constituents. Hoosiers have become less conservative on social issues. Times are changing. And I have argued this before, but RFRA was proven to be exactly what it's critics say it was when he posed with his cast of far-right lobbyist supporters.

Downtown Doc: Your examination is the brand of mi...

2015-12-23T08:49:47.445-05:00

Downtown Doc: Your examination is the brand of misdiagnosis which creates a market for second opinions. For whatever reason, you're struggling beyond necessity. Again, this stuff isn't that hard. Most of us work with people who identify as gay & like other co-workers, some are great to work with & some aren't- you get that right? Sexual orientation is not on par with competence & any such suggestion is patently incompetent; not anti-anything. Maladjusted would be the uninvited / forced association of cultural card check; scripted in the oxymoronic slave tongue of political correctness.

Hey, don't worry Mr. Boggs, nobody is going to...

2015-12-23T08:15:54.876-05:00

Hey, don't worry Mr. Boggs, nobody is going to make you "associate" with gays against your will. What are you afraid of, anyway. Doctors work in hospitals with people of all sexual preferences, and its all very social. Downtown corporate types work in very diverse, integrated environments. Nobody is discriminating against gays. We like gays. We work closely together. And the guys above were right, gays are very integrated in the military now, and well liked there too. I don't know what your problem is. Maybe social. Maybe psychological. Did somebody get too close to you with their junk or something? You guys that are so worked up...its considered maladjusted. Why don't you just move on with your life and stop blogging against gay people. You're kind of a jerk, and if you worked in most hospitals or corporations or in the military, they'd fire you for it.

I challenge anyone to prove Pence's record has...

2015-12-23T07:41:07.989-05:00

I challenge anyone to prove Pence's record has been any more conservative than Daniels' record. It's all a perception game. He appoints all of the people the Daniels cronies demands he appoints. He hasn't appointed conservative judges to the bench. He has continued the same corporate cronyism policies of Daniels. The only thing you can point to is the RFRA law that has been maligned and misrepresented like no other law in Indiana history.

If Gov. Pence dumps Ellspermann for a more conserv...

2015-12-22T23:40:06.374-05:00

If Gov. Pence dumps Ellspermann for a more conservative Lt. Gov., he will all but guarantee a loss to Gregg. Pence must become more moderate if he hopes to win a second term. Hoosier voters will no longer allow our state to go backwards.

Today's more Relic Roman than modern Army: Ag...

2015-12-22T21:17:16.887-05:00

Today's more Relic Roman than modern Army: Again, this stuff isn't that hard & easy to search: http://www.breitbart.com/big-government/2015/04/20/gop-rep-doug-collins-political-correctness-run-amok-in-military/

It's not Christians who want to throw gay friends & family members from rooftops- that would be another religion tied to sharia; hostile to the preferences you describe, including Jews & Christians.

Conflict in the form of disagreement is natural & frequently results in the exercise of one's right to disassociate. We all get the military's mission of working together. However, compelling heterosexuals to share certain facilities with those who have same sex attractions might be unnatural to some people; for the same reason most women don't want to shower with men.

Your arguments are perhaps much older than you're willing to consider or admit. Everyone practices discrimination, you're simply not honest about it; an acknowledgement other than condonation of bigotry or mistreatment. FYI: We're inherently diverse by virtue of our inimitable DNA; save for cloning which has other biological deficiencies as scientists are discovering. FYI II: The military recently acknowledged that standards were lowered for women in special forces, hardly progress consistent with mission: http://www.breitbart.com/national-security/2015/09/11/marines-all-male-combat-squads-perform-better-than-units-with-women/

You're an idiot Boggs; a relic. The military ...

2015-12-22T16:42:27.447-05:00

You're an idiot Boggs; a relic. The military isn't hostile to people of faith. Far from it. There is a rich tapestry of faiths celebrated in the army, and I can only assume the other branches as well. Even Islam is respected and practiced in the service, which is a great equalizer of men, and women in today's modern volunteer army. As far as bigotry goes, I see far more in Indianapolis than I ever did in the service. And there is a new diversity in the military. Why you think that is laughable is a little odd, but we have every color of person, every religion, every sex and sexual preference. Now women will be eligible for every combat assignment. And they say we will soon have trans soldiers after the details are worked out, and I believe it will work. Your first paragraph is nonsense, truly, and your second paragraph is just one more of your arguments for maintaining your horrible status quo of bigotry. We know you want the freedom to disassociate. That freedom is ephemeral. It doesn't really exist in combat. We all have to get along together. Everyone is equal, separated only by rank. You can't refuse to work with a black or gay. You can't refuse to shower with a black or gay. Or woman for that matter. There is no place for discrimination in a modern army, and if you do it too openly, you're out. Just go take a nap old man. You babble on like you have something to say, but you're just an old bigot. We aren't trying to change you. We just wish you'd shut up.

Laughable is the dipster / hipster notion that you...

2015-12-22T15:45:13.143-05:00

Laughable is the dipster / hipster notion that young people are now somehow more "diverse," the scale for which is biased & arguably bigoted. Bio-diversity is a fact of DNA- cultural diversity is an ephemeral pretense of political fashion or PC marketing.

All preference is at the exclusion of other options; a matter of discrimination & sovereignty, about which this discussion has been / is typical in its dishonesty. Preference doesn't license mistreatment of those with whom we disagree- but the right to associate is also a right to disassociate. See second definition for "discrimination" below:

2. recognition and understanding of the difference between one thing and another.
"discrimination between right and wrong"

For all those DADT stats Proud Veteran (and thank you, for your service); the military has become increasingly hostile to people of faith; bigotry at odds with the Constitution those in uniform swear to uphold.

Since the U.S. went to war in Afghanistan in 2001 ...

2015-12-22T14:01:39.340-05:00

Since the U.S. went to war in Afghanistan in 2001 and Iraq in 2003, about 2.5 million members of the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force, Coast Guard and related Reserve and National Guard units have been deployed in the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, according to Department of Defense data. Of those, more than a third were deployed more than once.

“When I say 2.5 million people have served in Iraq and Afghanistan, jaws drop,” said Paul Rieckhoff, the chief executive officer of the advocacy group Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America. “I know which lines are going to get gasps, and that’s one of them. I don’t think they appreciate how many people have served, and particularly the number who have had repeated deployments. You’ve had an unprecedented demand on a small population. The general public has been incredibly isolated from those who served.”

It is estimated that 4% of active duty servicemen and women deployed in Afghanistan and Iraq wars are gay and lesbian.

If we're talking about military issues now, wi...

2015-12-22T13:59:52.512-05:00

If we're talking about military issues now, will somebody please get Greg Garrison off the air at wibc. You should hear the way he disrespects gay vets, particularly gay combat vets.

Department of Defense officials confirmed today th...

2015-12-22T13:41:23.077-05:00

Department of Defense officials confirmed today that the first openly gay female active duty service member was killed in action. According to officials, SAF Major Adrianna Vorderbruggen was killed in Afghanistan on Monday, making her the first openly gay female air force officer killed in action since the repeal of "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" provisions allowed openly homosexual people to serve. The signing of the repeal happened five years ago today. At least two members of the National Guard who were openly gay women have been killed in action. And an untold number of service members who were open to their friends, but not the military, also have been killed. Vorderbruggen was one of six troops killed yesterday by a suicide bomber on a motorcycle who approached the troops while they were on patrol in eastern Afghanistan.

It has been five years ago today that Don’t Ask Do...

2015-12-22T13:06:19.062-05:00

It has been five years ago today that Don’t Ask Don’t Tell was repealed. The sky did not fall. Gays and lesbians serve with distinction in every branch and in every war and conflict zone. They are also moving up the chain of command, both in the military and civilian defense positions.

The former congressman who took a lead role in “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell” repeal was confirmed Friday to the No. 2 civilian position in the U.S. Army. Just before adjourning at the end of the year, the U.S. Senate approved Patrick Murphy, who served in the U.S. House from 2007 to 2011, as under secretary of the Army by unanimous consent as part of group of six presidential nominees.

Still pending before the Senate is the nomination of Eric Fanning as Army secretary, who would be the first openly gay person confirmed to the role. Fanning is currently serving as acting Army secretary.

Gay and lesbian service members in the U.S. military will be given protection from discrimination under the military’s equal opportunity policy, Defense Secretary Ashton Carter announced Tuesday.

For the first time in its straight-laced history, the Pentagon will treat discrimination based on sexual orientation the same as it considers race, religion, color, sex, age and national origin when investigating complaints.
“Recognizing that our openness to diversity is one of the things that [has] allowed us to be the best in the world, we must ensure that everyone who's able and willing to serve has the full and equal opportunity to do so,” he said. “And we must start from a position of inclusivity, not exclusivity.”

The shift came as the Pentagon celebrated Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender Pride Month at a ceremony that was broadcast on an internal TV network to U.S. military bases around the world.

The move came nearly four years after the formal end of "don't ask, don't tell," a 17-year-old law that barred gays and lesbians from serving openly in the military. If they revealed their sexual orientation, they could be kicked out, according to the law.

Over the years, thousands of men and women in uniform were expelled. Openly gay civilian employees at the Defense Department faced similar discrimination until 1995 because they often could not obtain security clearances needed to work in national security agencies.

“Young Americans today are more diverse, open and tolerant than past generations,” Carter said. “If we're going to attract the best and brightest among them to contribute to our mission of national defense, we have to ourselves be more open, diverse and tolerant, too.”

Presidential candidate Ben Carson would like to reinstate DADT.

How about Bart Peterson? He has a good relationsh...

2015-12-22T12:26:22.362-05:00

How about Bart Peterson? He has a good relationship with the gay community. And as a Lilly VP he brings a lot of corporate access and goodwill. Pence probably hates his politics, but his lieutenant is going to be on a short leash anyway; what harm could he do to Pence. The upside would be a huge boost to Pence's credibility when he says he's not a bigot. Its called putting your money where your mouth is. There aren't many Republicans that will help his ticket. He has to ask himself, where am I really weak, what am I perceived to be doing that's wrong, and how do I fix that by selection of a new running mate. It has to pass the sniff test. And it has to appeal to the national media. He'd better start looking for someone with a gay child or with some real credibility for crossing the aisle to work positively with gay issues. I don't think of this as a Republican or Democrat thing. Its just representing his constituents, half of whom truly support gay marriage and such. And trying to keep himself out of the national news as a laughing stock. If you're like me you're tired of hearing people call us bigots and stupid and backwards. If Pence wants my vote he should assure me he will not humiliate us again.

IVY Tech is the place where inept and ineffective ...

2015-12-22T11:44:22.107-05:00

IVY Tech is the place where inept and ineffective politician and cronies end up. Conflict of interest since Ivy Tech nurses off the public dollar.

Marlin Stutzman is not going to play second fiddle...

2015-12-22T11:15:53.833-05:00

Marlin Stutzman is not going to play second fiddle to Pence. Marlin seems more eager to keep duking it out with people in Washington. Even if he loses the Senate Primary he would be a good choice to run against Donnelly in 2018. Marlin also has built up a decent reputation nationally with conservatives for standing up to the GOP Establishment. Sorry but he is not going to give that up to babysit Mike Pence.

One other option: Mayor Ballard. Think about it. H...

2015-12-22T11:00:48.405-05:00

One other option: Mayor Ballard. Think about it. He brings plenty of anti-RFRA bonafides, and is very popular in Marion County (despite all the municipal critiques constantly enumerated in this blog) which could help Pence pick up a few desperately needed votes in Indiana's most populated city, he won't have to give up a seat in Congress or the Legislature, would likely want the job, has nothing else to do and could head off a primary challenge to Pence from the RINOs. Not advocating it, just putting it out there.

Rumor has it that one of the Chicks on the Right w...

2015-12-22T10:58:44.294-05:00

Rumor has it that one of the Chicks on the Right will be appointed to serve out the LG term, as they better fit the intellect of the current GOP than PhD Ellsperman. Just not sure if it will be Mock or Daisy. Like totally!

Anon 7:19: Your expression is one of incoherent f...

2015-12-22T09:33:10.147-05:00

Anon 7:19: Your expression is one of incoherent frustration, anti-intellectual vomitribe. We all work with people who won't do what we want or expect them to do, for who knows what reason & guess what- we hire other people. Again, this isn't about civil rights, but barbaric retribution, against those who may disagree with you; as though it will somehow make you "right."

And welcome to Indiana!

2015-12-22T09:25:15.970-05:00

And welcome to Indiana!

8:02 doesn't think the Supreme Court has any a...

2015-12-22T09:15:26.494-05:00

8:02 doesn't think the Supreme Court has any authority. Kind of a stupid thing to say, isn't it? Since its the ultimate authority. I get a kick out of religious conservatives saying they don't have to follow the law, but they always end up following the law in the end because they don't want contempt fines, so their silly protestations are kind of toothless. And 8:02 imagines gay voices as lispy and hands with limp wrists. That's kind of stupid too. I know at least a dozen gay veterans who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq who came home to Indianapolis after service, and they're seriously tough guy soldiers. Sometimes these straight guys who put down gays are kind of lispy and weak themselves. These focus on the family religious freedom types all look like closet cases; hard to believe there's actually any action with that fat wife.

Bigots are funny. They want religious freedom to be bigots. Why don't they just wear white hoods?