I am in Indianapolis for a week-long stay, and my first impressions are not good.
I was aware of Indiana being more Republican than similar surrounding states, though a prominent Democrat, Senator Evan Bayh, also calls Indiana home. But nothing prepared me for all the "In God We Trust" license plates here - up to one in four of all privately-owned cars. While "In God We Trust" could be considered a generic nonpolitical message, like "Choose Life," everyone knows that these messages are the work of Christian theocrats.
Though I have to say that I can easily see the same happening in California, especially Southern California, and it's the liberal ideologues of Northern California that prevent such plates from becoming reality in California.
I am heading over to Chicago tomorrow to attend a Unitarian church and do sightseeing. If I wanted only the Unitarian church, there are a few here in Indy, but I'd rather venture out to Chicago. I also got a marvelous view of Chicago today as I changed planes there, and it only makes me want to get out there tomorrow even more.
My ride here is a Ford Fusion V6 that was built only this month, with 370 miles on it. It's a much nicer car than its predecessor, the miserable Contour that I used to drive, though I was expecting a four cylinder model for fuel economy. The rental car company offered me a Hyundai Sonata for a few dollars more, and it is an even nicer car, but I didn't want to risk looking like a Moonie. I hope the Fusion will let me visit Chicago tomorrow in style.
