Editorial Roundup: Indiana

Kokomo Tribune. Nov. 28, 2020 The life of Ryan Many of us are taught that every life has a purpose. We’re told God never gives us more than we can handle as we endeavor to realize our full potential. If that’s true, Ryan White’s purpose was to lead us all to a better understanding of AIDS – one that required an unfathomably strong spirit and unwavering bravery. Ryan suffered from hemophilia, an inherited deficiency in the clotting of blood. At 13, that condition suddenly became less of a concern. It was 1984, and Ryan and his family lived on Kokomo’s South Webster Street. The Whites filed suit against one of the manufacturers of the blood products Ryan received three times each week for his hemophilia. Soon, the city and, later, the world learned the middle-schooler had AIDS. At that time, little was known about the virus. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention announced it only could be transmitted through sex or intravenous drug use. But others in authority, particularly President Ronald Reagan, told Americans not enough was known about AIDS for such a determination. The only certainties: The virus was a death sentence that disproportionately plagued gay men. Then came Ryan. AIDS wasn’t just a disease that affected homosexuals, we learned. Because of tainted blood products, young hemophiliacs all over the country – as many as 8,550, estimates the National Hemophilia Foundation – contracted AIDS. If a 13-year-old boy could get it, anyone could get it. Many people were frightened. Ryan was made a pariah by many in his hometown. His school barred him from attending class. He and his family, in effect, were run out of Kokomo. The Whites found a new home in Cicero. Ryan made new friends in a new school. Six years later, on April 8, 1990, he died – but not before he changed the world. Sunday, Dec. 6, is Ryan White’s birthday, and Kokomo, Indiana and the world have reason to remember him. Because of his very public struggle with hemophilia and AIDS, the nation’s blood supply was made safe, AIDS sufferers finally were humanized and an assistance program was established in Ryan’s name. Despite the pain and prejudice he endured, he realized his full potential and left a lasting legacy – all in just 18 years of life. ___ Terre Haute Tribune Star. Nov. 24, 2020 Opportunity for leadership Indiana’s two U.S. senators, Todd Young and Mike Braun, have been mostly quiet in the three weeks since Election Day. They have not mounted the same high horse of indignation as some of their Republican colleagues in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s defeat. There have been no wild claims of election stealing. No crazed fits of outrage about alleged ballot fraud, dead people voting or a rigged election. Yet neither has publicly acknowledged the election results or congratulated President-elect Joe Biden and Vice-president-elect Kamala Harris on their victory. When Young and Braun have made statements, they echo the tepid, party-line refrain about legal ballots being counted or the rule of law being upheld. It’s understandable that these Hoosier senators are treading lightly around Trump, supporting and defending him so as not to incite his ire while conspicuously avoiding the appearance of joining the chorus of unsubstantiated and false claims about widespread election fraud. Trump’s refusal to accept defeat while claiming he is a victim of a rigged election has stoked rage and resentment among his ardent followers. More restrained Republicans such as Young and Braun find themselves in an awkward position. Perhaps even more awkward than most Hoosiers realize.