The Crossroads of America—For Terrorists!

Ah, Indiana, homeland of such homespun heroes as Wendell Wilkie, Jean Shepherd, Booth Tarkington, John Cougar Mellencamp, Larry Bird, Axl Rose, Florence Henderson, David Letterman, Garfield, Radley Balko, and so many more…

No wonder the terrrorists hate it. And no wonder, then, that the Hoosier State boasted over 8,500 entries on the National Asset Database, which the Department of Homeland Security uses to assess who gets what in terms of anti-terrorism grant money. According to the list, reports the NY Times, Indiana has 50 percent more "potential targets" than New York and twice as many as California. One knee-trembling target in Indiana? Berne's "Amish Country Popcorn."

A DHS inspector's general report has reviewed the list and pronounced, "The presence of large numbers of out-of-place assets taints the credibility of the data."

Whole story and list of "potential targets" in each state (Wisconsin has second-highest total in the nation, btw), thanks to reader John Gilmore, here.

Back in June at Reason Online, Veronique de Rugy cast a cold eye on DHS's grant-making process here.