One Southern Indiana: Much to answer for, and most (perhaps all) of it at taxpayer expense.

At NAC on Tuesday: Photos: No torture for a downtown bridge.

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Readers know where to go for coverage of yesterday’s visit by George W. Bush to New Albany, so those in need of the recap, consult the usual Courier and Tribune sources.

Meanwhile, the presidential visit was a surreal exercise in boarded tight window art at taxpayer expense, a massive logistics boondoggle at taxpayer expense, a transparent campaign rally for Mike Sodrel at taxpayer expense, a celebration of petro-imperialism overseas at taxpayer expense, and worst of all, a striking example of One Southern Indiana’s fawning and obsequious approval of outrages ranging from Constitutional erosion to institutionalized torture … and, yes, also at taxpayer expense.

With all these examples of tax revenue gone horribly awry, you’d have thought that the slumlord lobby would have been out in full force to protest. How incredibly strange that they weren’t.

How do you account for that? Truly, irony must be dead hereabouts.

Here are two of yesterday’s comments, lifted here to the marquee.

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Mr. G wrote:

Add the link to Bob Hill's column in (Tuesday’s) Courier-Journal. It pretty accurately represents all the questions attendees were asking about this "event".

(Here is Hill's column)

Where is ISI's head in conceiving of this as useful or representative of our region's aspirations or needs?

It's entertaining to look at the enlarged photo of the Secret Service guys and imagine some captions: "Where will he have us going next?" "Is this what we have to do to find a 'friendly' audience?" "Small enough town equals dignitaries willing to appear enthusiastic." "Do these people know he's just vetoed spending for human services, education and job retraining?"

None of, not one, of the SS agents looks like he's having a good time and it's not because they think a sniper is going to jump up on the roof of The Fair Store building.

Also puzzling was ISI's press release claiming sponsors for today's visit was ISI, the chamber of commerce and local economic development groups--as if they were separate entities and not those who merged to create ISI.

Who's drunk the Kool Aid and who’s zooming who?

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NAC’s Bluegill agreed:

Exactly, mr g.

I'm very sorry I couldn't make it today. Thank you for your sign, Roger.

Hopefully, Develop New Albany, who recently signed on as a 1SI member, and Mayor-elect England, who mentioned them repeatedly while campaigning, will have the wherewithal to speak out against such an egregious abuse of development dollars and the public trust.

The entire event amounted to nothing but partisan politics on behalf of a man and his minions who've consistently implemented policies of and advocated for (usually in that order since they had to be caught first) Constitutional destruction and the torture, maiming, and killing of hundreds of thousands.

1SI should be ashamed. It will be interesting to see what the heavy hitters on their board have to say about today's embarrassment.

1SI Chair Kerry Stemler even announced "They love you" from the stage during the introduction.