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1 week ago | 
indypolitics.org | Abdul-Hakim Shabazz |Abdul Hakim-Shabazz
by Abdul-Hakim ShabazzAfter more than 20 years of teaching in higher education, I still enjoy graduation season. The inspiring speeches, the pride on students’ faces, and the subtle relief from parents never get old. I also reflect over what I learned in college. We’re not just talking about journalism, government, or law per se. But the things you learned that weren’t necessarily taught in a classroom. College taught me how to manipulate a bureaucracy.
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3 weeks ago | 
indypolitics.org | Abdul-Hakim Shabazz |Abdul Hakim-Shabazz
by Abdul-Hakim ShabazzMuch to the dismay of my uninformed detractors, we turned another year older this week. How old? Well, I’ll be old enough to know the difference between right and wrong and old enough not to care. But as I get older, I’ve noticed that my political philosophy is becoming a lot more liberal than it used to be, a classic liberal, that is. Yup. I have become a more free market, more free trade and even free people.
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1 month ago | 
indypolitics.org | Abdul-Hakim Shabazz |Abdul Hakim-Shabazz
While Easter Sunday might be about resurrection, Sunday is also 4/20—a high holiday (pun intended) for marijuana legalization advocates. And believe it or not, Indiana’s been inching toward the green light, even if it still pretends to be the sober cousin at the family reunion. Let’s start with the basics: craft hemp flower. This session, lawmakers passed regulations surrounding its production and sale. It’s not weed, but it’s weed-adjacent enough to make regulators sweat and entrepreneurs hopeful.
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2 months ago | 
indypolitics.org | Abdul-Hakim Shabazz |Abdul Hakim-Shabazz
by Abdul-Hakim ShabazzYou may have noticed quite a few recent stories regarding the 10th anniversary of the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, or RFRA. If you were around during that time, a chill probably ran down your spine, as it was one of the most significant unforced errors I have ever seen in my 30 years of covering politics. For those of you who weren’t fortunate enough to be around then, let me give you a quick recap. RFRA was pushed and promoted by then-Governor Mike Pence.
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2 months ago | 
ibj.com | Abdul-Hakim Shabazz
Listen to this story This audio file is brought to you by 0:00 0:00 Loading audio file, please wait. 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 Please subscribe to IBJ to decode this article.
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Feb 28, 2025 | 
indypolitics.org | Abdul-Hakim Shabazz |Abdul Hakim-Shabazz
by Abdul-Hakim ShabazzRunning for Marion County Republican Chair is sort of like trying to be valedictorian in summer school; at the end of the day, what do you really win? Let’s face it, this is Marion County, a solid Democratic stronghold. Granted, Republicans tend to do relatively well south of I-70, but as two-thirds of the county’s population tends to live north of I-70 and tend to vote Democratic.
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Feb 14, 2025 | 
ibj.com | Abdul-Hakim Shabazz
Listen to this story This audio file is brought to you by 0:00 0:00 Loading audio file, please wait. 0.25 0.50 0.75 1.00 1.25 1.50 1.75 2.00 Why is it that, whenever my Republican friends in the General Assembly use acronyms to describe legislation, it usually doesn’t end well? Remember CRT (critical race theory)?
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Feb 2, 2025 | 
indypolitics.org | Abdul-Hakim Shabazz |Abdul Hakim-Shabazz
by Abdul-Hakim ShabazzWhy is it that whenever my Republican friends in the Indiana General Assembly use acronyms to describe legislation, it usually doesn’t end well? Remember CRT (Critical Race Theory)? My personal favorite from 10 years ago is the Religious Freedom Restoration Act, otherwise known as RFRA. This time, the new three-letter issue is Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, heretofore known as DEI.
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Jan 24, 2025 | 
winchesternewsgazette.com | Abdul-Hakim Shabazz
This one was interesting. As Indiana House Republicans unveiled their 2025 legislative agenda, one item caught my attention for several reasons. No, it wasn’t fiscal responsibility or more transparency regarding health care costs; it was a measure that would create a commission that would “embrace” those counties in Illinois that would want to relocate and become part of Indiana literally. Now, being from Illinois, this caught my attention.
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Jan 23, 2025 | 
commercial-news.com | Abdul-Hakim Shabazz
This one was interesting. As Indiana House Republicans unveiled their 2025 legislative agenda, one item caught my attention for several reasons. No, it wasn’t fiscal responsibility or more transparency regarding health care costs; it was a measure that would create a commission that would “embrace” those counties in Illinois that would want to relocate and become part of Indiana literally. Now, being from Illinois, this caught my attention. kAmx 8C6H FA :?
