Weekly Issues Alert

N.C. State Capitol Building at Night

September 8 - 14

"Our unalterable resolution would be to be free. They have attempted to subdue us by force, but God be praised! in vain. Their arts may be more dangerous then their arms. Let us then renounce all treaty with them upon any score but that of total separation, and under God trust our cause to our swords." ---Samuel Adams

North Carolina General Assembly (adjourned until January, 2007)

Audit Questions Some Raises For Legislative Workers

...The audit targets 15 of those staffers who received pay raises in excess of the 10 percent legislative threshold in the past year. Investigators said the hikes were given with limited or no documentation. Read
Round Two: Starling Defeats LaRoque In Unofficial Results

An incumbent state representative lost a bid to retain his seat Tuesday during a special Republican primary held after officials decided irregularities tainted initial results seven months ago. Read
Hunt Renews Call to Give Immigrants Tuition Help

Former Gov. Jim Hunt urged higher-education leaders from around the country yesterday to fight for illegal immigrants' access to higher education. Hunt threw his support behind a state bill proposed last year that would have given illegal immigrants in-state tuition if they attended a North Carolina school... Read

North Carolina Courts

Fired Trooper Finally To Get Day In Court

Questions by WRAL about the status of a former state Highway Patrol trooper's lawsuit over his firing led to a court date being set in the case. Read
Judge Says County Elections Board Violated Meetings Law

A judge ruled Monday that the Chatham County Board of Elections violated state open meetings law as it decided on a purchase of new voting machines in January and March. Read
5 Lottery Officials, Lawmaker Asked To Testify In Geddings Trial

At least five people connected with the North Carolina Lottery Commission and an influential state senator have confirmed they are in line to testify in the coming trial of former lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings. Read

North Carolina Politics

N.C. Senator's Campaign Manager Resigns After Posing As Reporter

A state senator's campaign manager resigned Friday after controversy over her posing as a reporter for a college newspaper while video recording a campaign event of the lawmaker's challenger. McKenzie Thompson, who resigned as campaign manager for Sen. Walter Dalton, D-Rutherford, last month said she worked for The Pilot, the student newspaper at Garder-Webb University in Boiling Springs, according to Wes Westmoreland, Dalton's opponent, and a Shelby newspaper reporter. Read
Easley Picks McArthur as Next N.C. Lottery Chairman

Gov. Mike Easley named energy executive John McArthur chairman of the state lottery commission Wednesday, a day after Charles Sanders left the post. Read

Other North Carolina News

Military Announces Deaths Of Three Fort Bragg Soldiers

Two Special Operations soldiers and a private in the military police were killed over the weekend in Iraq and Afghanistan, the Department of Defense said Monday. Read
Guard Support Wins Young Hearts

A program gaining traction in North Carolina and about to be developed nationally is trying to mobilize communities to help families who, because they don't live near military bases, don't always receive support to deal with loved ones' deployments...Congress is poised to pledge $5 million — in a bill expected to pass this month — to the Citizen-Soldier Support Program, a year-old project run out of UNC-Chapel Hill and aided by other universities in the UNC system. Read
National Guard Caught In Middle Of Political Power Struggle

To speed up deployments, the federal government wants more authority over the National Guard, but it is not power North Carolina and other states want to give up easily. Read
State to Set Security Priorities

Five years after the 9/11 attacks, federal grants to state and local governments to bolster terrorism preparedness are dwindling. This year, the states will split $1.7 billion from the Homeland Security Grant Program, which accounts for the bulk of such funding. That's down from $2.5 billion last year. North Carolina's allocation has shrunk from $54 million in 2004 to $30.5 million this year. Read
Chairman Resigns From State Lottery Commission

State lottery chairman Charles Sanders said he is stepping down from the commission. The move comes one year after he took charge of starting North Carolina's game from its inception. Sanders said he is proud of the lottery creation. However, he also said people should not expect it to solve education funding woes. Read
Sunday Hunting Sized Up Anew

For 137 years, a ban on Sunday hunting has allowed church bells to ring in North Carolina without competition from the crack of rifle shots or the howls of hunting dogs. Read
Highway Patrol Trooper Charged With Drunken Driving

A highway patrolman has been charged with driving while intoxicated after an early-morning accident. Read
Wayne County Deputy Fired After DWI Arrest

A Wayne County sheriff's deputy has been fired from his job after he was arrested and charged with driving while intoxicated. Read
3 Wake Deputies Resign Amid Assault Investigation

Three undercover deputies accused of harassing and beating a preacher outside a Garner restaurant have resigned, Wake County Sheriff's Donnie Harrison announced Wednesday afternoon. Read
Requiring Pledge Of Allegiance Brings Mixed Response

A shortage of flags, questions about patriotism, and confusion among teachers have greeted a new state law requiring public school students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in the classroom. Some teachers said they were unprepared for the requirement and not sure what directions to give students. For many, the biggest issue has been a shortage of flags. Read
(N. C.) U.S. Officer Who Went Missing Arrives In Germany

A U.S. Air Force major who went missing for three days arrived at a U.S. military hospital in Germany on Sunday, and a senior Kyrgyz police official said that her departure "strongly complicates" the probe into her disappearance. Read
Water Problems Close Schools, Restaurants In Halifax County

The town of Scotland Neck has little or no water as crews are working to repair a water line break. Read
Non-Stop Flights To Florida Scheduled At Fayetteville Airport

Around 300,000 passengers step through Fayetteville's airport each year, compared with roughly 10 million at Raleigh-Durham International Airport. Currently, they can use only a pair of airlines: U.S. Airways and Delta. Beginning Nov. 7, Allegiant Air will begin flying to Orlando's Sanford Airport on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays. The cost: $49 one-way until Jan. 31, when the price throttles up to $79... The airline also announced it will fly out of Kinston's airport direct to Orlando. Read
2 Missing Boys Found Dead in N.C. River

Searchers found the bodies of two young brothers in the Dan River on Friday, three days after the boys disappeared from their grandparents' home near the storm-swollen stream. Read
Two N.C.-Based Grocery Chains Earn Top Rankings

Consumer Reports has ranked two North Carolina-based grocery stores among the best in the nation. According to a survey in the magazine's October issue, Matthews-based Harris Teeter came in at No. 6, while Winston-Salem-based Lowes Foods was ranked at No. 8. Read
GSK To Pay $3.4 Billion To Settle Tax Dispute

The Internal Revenue Service announced Monday that it had settled a dispute with the pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline Holdings (Americas) under which Glaxo will pay $3.4 billion in the largest tax dispute in IRS history. Read
Ex-Duke Star Redick Pleads Guilty to DWI

Former Duke University basketball star J.J. Redick pleaded guilty today to driving while impaired. Read
Development Claims 100,000 Acres a Year of N.C. Woodlands, According to Watchdog Report

North Carolina is losing nearly 100,000 acres of privately owned woodland a year to development, according to a report released today by Environmental Defense, an environmental watchdog group. Read
Hanesbrands to Move More Jobs Offshore

The company will close plants in Monclova, Mexico, Lumberton, and Marion that primarily make fleece sweatshirts and pants, outerwear T-shirts, sport shirts and sheer hosiery. The closings will result in a reduction of about 2,185 jobs at these locations. Read
Winston-Salem Preacher Held on Sex Charges in Burke County

A Winston-Salem preacher was charged in Burke County yesterday with having sex with a 15-year-old girl. Read
Art Museum Sculpts Expansion Plan

North Carolina Museum of Art officials will unveil plans Thursday for a $75 million expansion that will increase the size of the state-supported museum by about a third.The General Assembly allocated $40 million for the museum expansion earlier this year, and Raleigh and Wake County also have earmarked money for the project. Read

Congress

Democratic Effort to Limit Surveillance Bill Is Blocked

The developments come amid a sustained White House campaign to persuade Congress to give the administration broad authority to monitor, interrogate and prosecute terrorism suspects. Read
House Republicans Will Push for 700 Miles of Fencing on Mexico Border

The legislation would require construction of two layers of reinforced fencing along stretches of California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. Read
Sen. Russ Feingold Objects to Bush's 'Islamic Fascist' Term

Democratic Sen. Russ Feingold called on President Bush to refrain from using the phrase "Islamic fascists," saying it was offensive to Muslims and has nothing to do with global terrorists fighting the United States. Read
New Senate Reports Reject Saddam-al Qaeda Link

Even before the two long-delayed reports on prewar Iraq intelligence were posted on the Senate Intelligence Committee website this afternoon, drafters from both parties were already condemning them. Read
House Judiciary Committee Passes Hostettler's Public Expression of Religion Act

The House Judiciary Committee yesterday passed H.R. 2679, the Public Expression of Religion Act, also known as PERA. Read
BP Tells Senate Panel of Plans to Resume Operation of Alaska Pipeline

BP PLC plans to ask federal regulators this week to resume operation of a segment of its pipeline so further tests can be made in hopes of restoring full production on Alaska's North Slope, a company executive told a Senate hearing Tuesday. Read
Primary Analysis

The blizzard of primaries on Tuesday produced results in three key races that will help you track the battle for control of the House and the Senate this campaign season. In Rhode Island, Senator Lincoln Chafee — with a huge assist from national Republicans Read
Mormon Senator Calls for Polygamy Probe

(AP) — The U.S. Senate's top Democrat is calling for a federal investigation into the activities of polygamists in Western states. Read
NSA Bill Performs a Patriot Act — Wired News

A bill radically redefining and expanding the government's ability to eavesdrop and search the houses of U.S. citizens without court approval passed a key Senate committee Wednesday, and may be voted on by the full Senate as early as next week. Read
Despite Pledges, Congress Clings to Pet Projects

Lawmakers vowed to respond to bribery scandals with reforms, but their pledges have come to next to nothing. Read

Courts

Judge Roy Moore to Testify at Court-Martial

Former Chief Justice Roy Moore will be testifying as a key defense witness in the special court-martial of Navy Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt at Norfolk N.A.S., Virginia, which will begin September 12, 2006, at 9:00 a.m. (EST) and is expected to run several days. Chief Justice Moore will arrive in Norfolk on September 12 and is expected to testify on September 13, 2006, about his involvement with a March 30, 2006 press conference, held in front of the White House in protest of the Navy's new regulations restricting chaplain prayer, where Chaplain Klingenschmitt prayed in the name of Jesus while in uniform. According to Chief Justice Moore, "Even the U.S. Supreme Court in 1931, in United States v. Macintosh, declared that we are a Christian people and that as such, God is the source of religious freedom, not man. The President should become involved to protect our chaplains in their right to pray in the name of Jesus. In so doing he would be upholding the religious freedom of all Americans." Read
Missouri School Appeals Judge's Decision Barring the Distribution of Bibles

... the South Iron Elementary School in Annapolis, Missouri, appealed a decision of federal Judge Catherine Perry, who issued a preliminary injunction barring the school from allowing the distribution of Bibles. The lawsuit, filed by the ACLU, centered around the Gideons distributing Bibles to fifth graders last year. The Judge's injunction prohibits any distribution of Bibles on school property during the school day. Liberty Counsel is defending the school. Read
Freedom of Religion Restricted to One Hour on Sunday Morning

"The Navy has ruled that chaplains have just one hour of freedom of religion on Sunday morning," states Janet Folger, President of Faith2Action (F2A.ORG) and author of The Criminalization of Christianity. A Navy judge ruled earlier this week that public worship is not the same as worshipping in public, declaring that a lawful order can be given that would prohibit worship outside of a chapel setting on Sunday morning. "According to this judge, public worship is restricted to Sunday mornings alone," said Folger. Read
Court: Credit Card Companies Put Ahead Of Church Tithing By Controversial 2005 Bankruptcy Reform Law

Thou shalt have no gods before me...except for MasterCard, Visa and American Express. That's the way the United States Bankruptcy Court for the Northern District of New York is reluctantly interpreting the controversial U.S. bankruptcy reform law that went into effect last October. The court says those going through bankruptcy may not tithe to their church or make other charitable donations ... until after they have paid off credit card companies and other creditors. Before the new law went into effect, bankruptcy court judges were required to permit debtors to tithe a portion of their income on a regular basis. Read
Judge Rules Against Terror Suspect

A federal judge rejected an attempt by terror suspect Jose Padilla to keep a jury from hearing statements he made to the FBI shortly before his 2002 arrest. Read
Scotland Woman Loses Lawsuit When Botched Abortion Killed One Twin

A British court has rejected a Scotland woman's lawsuit against a hospital that failed to successfully abort her twin babies. Stacy Dow, who eventually gave birth to a daughter she thought had been aborted, said she will press on in her case against the hospital where the abortion was done. Read
Gotti Mob Charges Thrown Out Second Time

U.S. District Judge Shira Scheindlin decided the government had not proven its claims that money invested in several of Gotti's properties stemmed from alleged loansharking or construction industry extortion. Read
Coalition to Illinois Supreme Court: Release Parental-Notice Law

Pro-family groups in Illinois have joined forces to call on the state Supreme Court to put a parental-notice law into effect. Read

Christianity/Pro-Family/Religion/Ethics

Rosie O'Donnell Compares Christians to Terrorists

Rosie O'Donnell shocked viewers of ABC's The View on Tuesday by equating conservative Christians to the 9/11 terrorists, WorldNetDaily reported. Co-host Elisabeth Hasselbeck, who leans conservative, had noted that militant Islam is a continuing threat to America. "Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam," O'Donnell retorted, "in a country like America where we have separation of church and state." Read
Evangelical Leaders Generally Support Bush on Israel

Bush wants Hezbollah to be eliminated as a military threat to Israel, and many evangelical leaders agree that this is a necessary condition for peace in the region. In a surprise visit to Lebanon on July 25, Rice said she would not press Israel for an end to its offensive aimed at destroying Hezbollah's infrastructure. More than 3,500 evangelical Christians met in Washington on July 18 and 19 to support Israel. Read
God Really Is Winning

Conventional wisdom holds that America's religious landscape has grown more secular over time. But Baylor sociologists are citing survey findings that support their long-held hunch that decades of other surveys have painted a picture of the landscape that's imprecise at best. Read
Finding Our Footing

September 11, 2001, should remind us that we need to put our houses in order, get ourselves right with God and with each other. Read
Pope: Islamic 'Holy War' Against God's Nature

Pope Benedict XVI invited Muslims on Tuesday to join a dialogue of cultures based on the premise that the concept of an Islamic "holy war" is unreasonable and against God's nature. In a major lecture at Regensburg University, where he taught theology between 1969 to 1977, Benedict said Christianity is tightly linked to reason and contrasted this view with those who believe in spreading their faith by the sword. Read
Four Christians in Labor Camp Apply for the Right to Read the Bible and Hold Sunday Services in Sichuan Province

China Aid Association learned August 31st, four Christians in custody in Langzhong City, Sichuan Province submitted applications through their lawyers demanding their right to read the Bible in the detention center and asking that a suitable place inside the detention center be provided for regular Sunday services. Read
The Tragedy of September 11th Brought America to Her Knees, Twice

First, by the attack on our nation's nerve centers, The World Trade Center and the U.S. Department of Defense at the Pentagon, crippling us economically and devastating us emotionally. Secondly, was the President's appeal for every American citizen to participate in a National Day of Prayer. Read
Former Senate Foreign Relations Committee Staff Director to Head Institute's Iran and Middle East Program

Institute on Religion and Public Policy President Joseph K. Grieboski today announced that Dr. James P. Lucier, former Staff Director of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will head the Institute's Program on the Middle East and its Iran Information Center. Read
Open Doors USA Offering Awareness Helps

The Muslim government of Khartoum has denied full freedom of religion to the Christian minority in Sudan. Often Christians are harassed and threatened. They are also denied permits for building churches while applications to build mosques are generally granted, forbidden from proselytizing while Muslims are allowed to proselytize freely and discriminated against by employers and social services. Read
CWA's Founder Beverly LaHaye To Be Honored At Extraordinary Women Conference

Concerned Women for America's (CWA's) founder and chairman Mrs. Beverly LaHaye will be honored with an award at the Extraordinary Women's conference in Lynchburg, Virginia this weekend. Mrs. LaHaye is being recognized for her many years of steadfast service and outstanding achievements. Read
Pro-Family Volunteers Needed in Eight States

Marriage and other pro-family issues need your support. On his national broadcast, Focus on the Family Action Chairman James C. Dobson, Ph.D., discussed ballot initiatives taking place in eight states this fall and the help that is needed from residents who support traditional marriage and other pro-family issues. Read
Americans May Be More Religious Than They Realize — Washington Post

A survey released yesterday posits the idea that the United States — already one of the most religious nations in the developed world — may be even less secular than previously suspected. Read

Abortion/Pro-Life

Media and Scientists Said 'Vegetative Brain Shows Surprising Activity' — Yet Court Refused Tests for Terri Schiavo

Terri's father, Robert Schindler, comments, "This new case is not surprising to our family. We are seeing a growing amount of evidence indicating that the diagnosis of 'Persistent Vegetative State' (PVS) is often misdiagnosed, resulting in dangerous and potentially fatal consequences for people with brain injuries, as documented in this new account of a brain injured woman. The danger of this diagnosis is that it is being used as a reason to kill innocent people with disabilities, like Terri. We believe that this PVS diagnosis is inhumane and it should be abolished." Read
Related
Euthanasia Advocate Develops Homemade Suicide Pill to Kill Patients

An Australian euthanasia advocate has developed a suicide pill — a homemade concoction that someone can make at home to use to kill himself. This isn't the first time euthanasia advocates have come up with home remedies they've touted to disabled and incurably ill patients, but this may be the first suicide pill. Read
Abortion Center in Ohio Forced to Close After Numerous Health Violations

State officials forced an abortion business in Cleveland to close after inspectors found numerous health and safety violations. They found more than a dozen problems at the Center for Women's Health on the city's east side, which prompted officials to reject the center's request for a new state license. Read
Al Gore May Consider Second White House Bid, Abortion Hurt Last Time

Former Vice President Al Gore says he may consider a second bid for the White House in 2008. Gore told the Australian press over the weekend that a presidential candidacy is unlikely but that he hasn't ruled it out completely. He narrowly lost to President Bush in 2000 and abortion played a role in the defeat. Read
Ethical Embryonic Stem Cell Research Experiment Was Just Another Fraud

The fierce public debate over killing human embryos to create lines of embryonic stem cells is over; tout fini; the end. It was buried with a stake thrust through its heart by a study published in the world's most prestigious science magazine, Nature. Read
President's Council on Bioethics Worries About Abortions on Disabled Babies

The President's Council on Bioethics held a meeting last week and members of the committee said they are concerned that the advancement of medicine is leading to tests showing disabilities in unborn children that may prompt abortions. Prenatal testing is leading to "eugenic" abortions, several members of the panel said. Read
UN Official Says United Nations Pressures Countries to Back Abortion

A leading United Nations official criticized the international body last week at a meeting saying that it deviates too often from the text of treaties and resolutions to pressure pro-life nations to legalize abortion. Read
Michigan Senate Considers Abortion-Coercion Bill

Legislation would require tracking of threats against pregnant women. Read

Alcohol/Drugs/Health

Critics Say Beer-Based Web Entertainment Will Attract Teens

"Bud TV" will further blur the line between advertising and programming. Read
'Mengele Lives!' If FDA Rule OK'd

Plan would allow medical experimentation on uninformed — and unconscious — patients..."This is reminiscent of the days of Hitler and Dr. Mengele," he said. "The idea that research can be performed on a human being without informed consent is antithetical to the very meaning of human self-determination and dignity." Read
U.N. Urges NATO to Destroy Afghanistan's Opium Crop

The United Nations urged NATO forces Tuesday to take military action to destroy the opium industry in southern Afghanistan, saying cultivation of the crop is out of control in the embattled Asian country. Read
Study Shows 'Direct Link' Between Air Travel, Flu Spread

Scientists have found what they call the first real evidence that restricting air travel can delay the spread of flu — a finding that could influence government plans for battling the next influenza pandemic. Read
Seniors Face Much Higher Risk from Drug Mistakes

(AP) — Even though Rosalee Jones considers herself in good health and able to live on her own, she takes four different pills each day, and sometimes a fifth for arthritis pain. Read
As Kidney Drug Doses Rise, So Do Warnings

Kidney dialysis patients covered by Medicare are receiving escalating doses of an expensive anti-anemia drug, despite growing evidence that aggressive treatment raises the risk of fatal heart attacks and strokes. Read
Study Says Individual Insurance Too Costly

Eighty-nine percent of health-coverage shoppers can't afford policies or are rejected. Read

Education/Sex Ed/Teens/Children

Troubled Schools Getting Help From Churches

After a Dallas church helped a high school combat gang activity and disruptive behavior, dozens of schools asked for the same help. Read
Study: High School Dropouts Face Steeper Costs in U.S.

Dropping out of high school has its costs around the globe, but nowhere steeper than in the United States. Adults who don't finish high school in the U.S. earn 65 percent of what people who have high school degrees make, according to a new report comparing industrialized nations. No other country had such a severe income gap. Read
Education's First Priority: Learning to Love God

Parents are the single most influential factor in a child's education. Here's how you can teach your child the greatest lesson of all. Read
Reports: Two Gunmen Open Fire at Montreal College

Two gunman opened fire Wednesday on the campus of a Montreal college, wounding at least 10 people, witnesses and police said. Read
At Harvard, Khatami Condemns Bin Laden

Former Iranian President Mohammed Khatami, in a speech at Harvard University, condemned Osama bin Laden for committing crimes in the name of Islam ... Khatami is the most senior Iranian to travel outside New York in the United States since Islamic fundamentalists seized the U.S. Embassy in Tehran in 1979 and held Americans hostage for 444 days. He was invited to the United States by the U.N.-sponsored Alliance of Civilizations, of which he is a founding member. The group strives to foster cross-cultural understanding between Western and Islamic states. Read
Harvard Ends Early Admission Program, Deems It Unfair to Poor, Minority Students

Harvard University will eliminate its early admissions program because it puts poor and minority students at a disadvantage, school officials planned to announce Tuesday. Under the surprise move, the Ivy League school will discontinue its "early action" round of admissions, in which high school seniors can apply by Nov. 1 and receive a decision — accept, reject or defer — by Dec. 15. Read
Missing Out?

As a homeschooler, do you feel like you have no social life? No chance to participate in sports or other activities? Take heart; here's a look at the bright side — and opportunities you may have overlooked. Read
New Testable Model For Creation Poised To Challenge The Darwinian Theory — Are We Willing To Let Science Be The Judge?

"With the unprecedented strides scientific research has already made in the new millennium, we have been given a unique opportunity to make science education exciting again," says astronomer Dr. Hugh Ross, founder and president of the premier science/faith think-tank Reasons To Believe ( www.reasons.org.) "The 1981 Supreme Court ruling guarantees the place of any scientifically viable model in public education regardless of its theological implications," contends Ross. "The problem scientists have with the current Intelligent Design movement is that ID proponents offer no model by which to test their claims. Testability and predictive power are crucial to credibility," says Ross. "It is right for the scientific community to ask, 'Where is your model?'" Read
Nature Has Its Say — DVD Series Lets Animal Behavior, Design Undermine Evolution

What do giraffes, woodpeckers, beavers, spiders and geckos all have in common? According to one video series, they all clearly demonstrate the variety and creative brilliance of nature's God — and in the process undermine the theory of evolution. Read
Educators Divided Over What to Learn from 9/11

When American history teacher Stephen Conrad taught a one-day lesson on the first anniversary of the September 11, 2001, attacks, his students wanted to share personal stories. Five years later, he finds the connection is fading. Read
Washington State Teacher Won't Shave Beard Until Bin Laden Caught

After the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001, Gary Weddle began following the news so closely he forgot to shave. After a week he decided not to shave until Usama bin Laden had been caught or killed. Read
BYU Takes on a 9/11 Conspiracy Professor

It was Steven Jones's resume as much as his September 11 research that rapidly turned the Brigham Young University physics professor into one of the most prominent 9/11 conspiracy theorists. But with the university's decision last week to place him on paid leave and review his work, Jones may trade academic standing for another vaunted status, the movement's first martyr. Read
Report: One in Five Children Will Become Obese

(AP) — One in five children is predicted to be obese by the end of the decade. Read
Failure Rates of Minorities on WASL "Painful"

When Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson showed her top staff members the ethnic breakdown of scores on last spring's 10th-grade Washington Assessment of Student Learning, she said many were practically in tears. About three-quarters of the state's African American students who took the 10th-grade WASL failed one or more of the three subjects they must pass to graduate — reading, writing and math. That was true for Latino students as well. Among Native Americans, about two-thirds fell short. Read

God and Country/National Security/Politics/Economy

Bomber Kills 16, Including Two GIs in Afghanistan

A suicide car bomber struck a convoy of U.S. military vehicles in downtown Kabul on Friday, killing at least 16 people, including two American soldiers, and wounding 29 others, officials and witnesses said. Read
Former Clinton Aide Critical of Attempts to Shut Down ABC's 9/11 Special

A national defense analyst who served as a military attache to President Bill Clinton says the controversial ABC miniseries that has been lambasted by the former Chief Executive and his advisers was, in fact, very accurate. Read
ABC Airs 9/11 Miniseries With Editing Changes After Clinton Officials Blast Film

Editing changes made by ABC to the first part of its miniseries "The Path to 9/11" were cosmetic and didn't change the meaning of scenes that had angered several former Clinton administration officials, a spokesman for the former president said Monday. Read
Will Islam be the New World Order

It just could not be any clearer; we here in America, are in the battle of our lifetime. That battle is between those who want to spread Islam all over the world and those who do not want their "religion." Read
Al-Qaida No. 2 Issues Video on 9/11 Anniversary — MSNBC

Al-Qaida No. 2 Ayman al-Zawahri called on Muslims to step up their resistance against the U.S., in a video aired by CNN early Monday on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks. Read
Frank Schaeffer Calls for Return to Military Draft

Frank Schaeffer is, by most any reasonable definition, a part of the intellectual elite. The son of evangelical icon Frances Schaeffer, he grew up traveling the world, and having some of the leading religious and philosophical thinkers of the day in his home. As an adult, he has created his own intellectual legacy as a novelist and filmmaker. Read
Sept. 11: Power of a Song

Kristy Jackson always keeps the key around her neck, waiting to hear the questions from the curious, including, "Hey, honey, what's with the key? Is it to your room?" When that happens, she tells them her story. Video
IMF: Risk of Global Crash is Increasing — London Independent

Financial markets have failed to price in the risk that any one of a host of threats to economic stability could materialise and deliver a massive shock to the world economy, the International Monetary Fund warned yesterday. Read
Syrian Security Foils Attack on U.S. Embassy; Al Qaeda Group Eyed

Three Islamic militants suspected to have Al Qaeda ties were killed Tuesday after a failed attempt to attack the U.S. Embassy with automatic rifles, hand grenades and a van rigged with explosives. A Syrian security officer was also killed, but no Americans were hurt. Read
Related
$188 Billion in U.S. Pensions Tied to Terror

U.S. public pension funds can deal a serious blow to terror by divesting the $188 billion they have invested in companies that do business with terrorist-sponsoring regimes. Read
U.S., Israel Say Palestinian Leaders Must Accept Israel's Right to Exist — Fox News

U.S. and Israeli diplomats asserted Wednesday that Palestinian leaders cannot assume their proposed unity government will draw international acceptance unless they renounce terrorism and accept Israel's right to exist. Read
Trade Deficit Hits $68B Record in July

The U.S. trade deficit hit a record $68 billion in July as surging global oil prices pushed America's foreign oil bill to the highest level in history. Read
French Presidential Hopeful Tours the U.S.

Nicolas Sarkozy is campaigning hard to be the next president of France on the jogging trails of Central Park and in the corridors of the White House. Read
Democrats Say Bush Politicized Sept. 11 in National Address

Democrats are blasting President Bush for giving what they call a political prime-time speech on the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks. Read
White House Responds to Charge of Politicizing 9/11

The White House today dismissed charges by prominent Democrats that President Bush sought to capitalize politically on the Sept. 11 attacks when he addressed the nation on Monday night. Read
Nine States Hold Primaries Tuesday

Notoriously independent-minded Rhode Island Republican Sen. Lincoln Chafee confronts stiff opposition Tuesday in his bid for a second term, the latest race with a moderate targeted by his own party's hard-line critics. Read
CWA Says Lessons Must be Learned from September 11th

Concerned Women for America (CWA) reflects upon the tragic events of September 11, 2001, and challenges Americans to heed the lessons that should have been learned from the terrorist's attacks. Thousands of lives were lost; our sense of security was taken away and we were forced to engage in an unprecedented war on terror. Let us not be so callous that we busy ourselves and ignore one of the greatest tragedies in U.S. history. Read
Strong Earthquake in Gulf is Rare Event, Scientists Say

The strong earthquake in the Gulf of Mexico that sent shocks through Florida on Sunday was rare in various ways, scientists said. Don Blakeman, a seismologist... Read
US Eyes New Palestinian Gov't Warily

The Bush administration expressed worry Tuesday that a Palestinian national unity government now in formation may not be ready to renounce terrorism or accept Israel's right to exist. Read
HP Chair to Step Down in Leak Aftermath

...Dunn was angry about the media leaks of confidential board discussions and commissioned an unnamed outside firm to identify their source. They used Social Security numbers and other personal information to get phone companies to turn over detailed logs of home phone calls of reporters and company directors.... Read
Deconstructing Reality

How bias creeps in to the mainstream media Read
Iran Says U.S. Departure Would Calm Iraq

Supreme Iranian leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei told the visiting Iraqi prime minister Wednesday that the way to end instability in Iraq is for U.S. forces to withdraw. Read
Tiny Firm's H.P. Link Scrutinized

California prosecutors are focusing on how a small private investigation firm in Boston ended up handling work for one of the largest technology companies in the world. Read

Pornography/Homosexuality/Obscenity/Immorality/Sexual Abuse

Gay Groups Renew Drive Against 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell'

As the Pentagon's search for soldiers grows more urgent, gay rights groups are pushing to win repeal of the policy. Read
File a Complaint with the FCC Against CBS for Airing Multiple Uses the "F" and "S" Words

Why CBS? PBS and ABC also aired programs regarding 9/11. They did so without obscene language. But not CBS. CBS aired at least 14 uses of the "f" and "s" words. Take Action
"That's My King!"

Tucked away in Philippians chapter four is a verse replete with truth for gays and all other sinners. Yes, we're all in the same boat; the ground is level at the foot of the cross AND the deck of the boat. At the most personal level, the Apostle Paul knew God's provision through shipwreck, snakebite, stoning and his notorious thorn in the flesh. He was warming a prison cell when he wrote "And my God will supply all your needs according to His riches in glory in Christ Jesus." Read
Conservative Jewish Leader Expects Ban on Gay Rabbis to be Lifted

A key Conservative Jewish leader is traveling the country to prepare synagogues for a potentially divisive change: The movement will roll back its ban on ordaining openly gay rabbis by year's end, he predicts, with confusion and discomfort to follow. Rabbi Jerome Epstein, executive vice president of the United Synagogue of Conservative Judaism, says a committee of scholars who interpret Jewish law for the movement will likely loosen the prohibition when they vote in December. Read
Pro-Family Groups: One "Sexual Indoctrination" Bill Down, Two To Go

While family advocates in California say they are pleased with their governor's veto of a pro-homosexual education bill on Wednesday, they remain concerned and cautious because two more such bills await his action before the end of the month. Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger's veto of SB 1437 follows his signing last week of yet another pro-homosexual measure that some fear will force religious schools in the state to promote trans-sexuality, bisexuality, and homosexuality. Read
Related
Openly Gay State Senator Tests Minnesota GOP

State Sen. Paul Koering once fit neatly into the profile of socially conservative central Minnesota: abortion opponent, supporter of gun and property rights, outspoken supporter of veterans. ..That stirred up long-standing rumors at the Capitol about Koering's own sexuality, and within a few days he revealed that he was gay — a move the area's GOP chairman called "political suicide." Read
2006 Global HIV/AIDS Conference

Can just three days change your world? Read
Pakistan Bid to End Abuse of Women Reporting Rape Hits Snag

Efforts to pass a measure called the Women's Protection Bill have run into opposition from members of the governing coalition, as well as from Islamic parties. Read

Other News

El Nino Forms in Pacific Ocean

El Nino, an extreme warming of equatorial waters in the Pacific Ocean that wreaks havoc with world weather conditions, has formed and will last into 2007, the U.S. National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said Wednesday. El Nino has already helped make the Atlantic hurricane season milder than expected, said a NOAA forecaster. Read
Nasrallah: No Demilitarized Area, Israel Lying — Ynet News

Hizbullah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said that his organization has not plan to disarm itself in area south of Litani River and that his people will remain in the villages along the border with Israel. Read
Amnesty Faults Hizbullah's 'War Crimes' — Jerusalem Post

Under criticism for its lack of objectivity, the London-based Amnesty International announced Wednesday that Hizbullah's firing of thousands of rockets into Israel amounted to "war crimes." Read
On Another Grim Day, Bodies Lie Everywhere in Baghdad

As Iraqi police gathered up at least 60 bodies, several car bombs rocked the capital, killing and wounding dozens more. Read
Iran President Backs 'United' Iraq

Iran's president — hosting a visit from Iraq's prime minister and expressing support for his country's beleaguered war-torn neighbor — says the Islamic republic supports a "united" Iraq and will help the nation "establish full security," an Iranian news agency reported. Read
Iran Closes Down Two Reformist Papers — Jerusalem Post

Iran closed down two opposition newspapers on Monday, one of which had recently poked fun of the country's hard-line president and the way his government has handled nuclear talks with the West. Read
Israel and U.S. Cautious Over Unified Palestinian Government — Ha'aretz

U.S. and Israeli diplomats asserted Wednesday that Palestinian leaders cannot expect international acceptance of their proposed unity government unless it renounces terrorism and accepts Israel's right to exist. Read
NATO Offensive 'Kills 500 Taliban' — CNN

NATO airstrikes and artillery have killed a further 92 suspected Taliban fighters, the alliance reported Monday, pushing its toll of militant dead in a 10-day offensive past 500. Read
Livni: If Abbas Joins Hamas Terror Government, We Will Have a Problem — Ha'aretz

The current Hamas-led Palestinian government will be dissolved within 48 hours and a new prime minister appointed, a Palestinian Authority spokesman said Monday. The new government is expected to be a unity government including both Hamas and Fatah factions. Read
Afghan Governor's Funeral Attacked

A suicide bomber blew himself up today at the funeral of the assassinated governor of Paktia, killing 5 policemen and 2 children and wounding about 40 people, and stirring more outrage from the government and mourners. Read
Wolfowitz Corruption Drive Rattles World Bank

World Bank president Paul D. Wolfowitz's fight against corruption in poor countries has drawn criticism for its aggressive approach. Read
Deadly Stampede

At least 41 killed, dozens injured in stampede during campaign rally for president in Yemen Read

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Index of Weekly Issues Alerts

2007

2006