Weekly Issues Alert

September 22 - 28

There is a rank due to the United States, among nations, which will be withheld, if not absolutely lost, by the reputation of weakness." ---George Washington

North Carolina General Assembly (adjourned until January, 2007)

Waterfront Access Panel Meets — Wilson Daily Times

A legislative panel examining the loss of public access to coastal waters met for the first time Tuesday ...The General Assembly created the 21-member committee to examine how the shoreline is being lost to development, pollution or other problems as population in coastal counties grows... Read
North Carolina Residents Collectively Against Legislation — Business Wire

North Carolina residents are opposed to the concept of licensing Anesthesiologist Assistants (AAs) in the state and have even greater discomfort with the concept of having to use an AA personally to receive care, according to a survey conducted by the Glengariff Group, of Chicago. A 600-person random telephone survey found that 82% of North Carolinians oppose legislation allowing trained assistants to administer anesthesia under the supervision of a doctor, with 70% of the state declaring themselves strongly opposed to the legislation. Opposition was higher among senior citizens and women, with 89% of residents over 65 years of age in opposition, along with 87% of women. When facts addressing AA training and supervision were provided, opposition to their licensure grew to an alarming 91%. Read
Black, Scientific Games Could Overshadow Geddings At His Trial — WRAL

Prosecutors say Black met with a vice president of lottery company Scientific Games Corp. last year on the day before he announced his recommendation of Geddings for the commission. The vice president, Alan Middleton, was a longtime friend and business associate of Geddings. Black has previously said he didn't know of Geddings' recent business relationship with Scientific Games and certainly wouldn't have appointed him if he had. But the meeting, if established by government evidence after the trial resumes Monday, raises questions about what Black knew about Geddings' ties to the company. Read

North Carolina Courts

Judicial Nominees Still On Hold — NC Family Policy Council

The Senate Judiciary Committee's long-awaited vote on several of the president's judicial nominees, including a U.S. District Court judge from North Carolina, has been delayed a week, lessening the chances that all the nominated judges will be considered before Congress recesses for the year. A committee hearing scheduled for September 14 that was supposed to consider the judicial nominees was canceled by Judiciary Committee Chair Arlen Spector (R-Pa.) due to the lack of a quorum. Under Senate rules, eight senators must be present for committee business to be conducted, but only six senators came to the meeting. Another meeting to consider the nominations has been scheduled for Tuesday, September 26...In June, North Carolina Senators Elizabeth Dole and Richard Burr (R-NC) sent a letter to members of the Senate, urging them to give Judge Boyle an up-or-down vote. Read
Black Attorney: Norris Recommended Changes to Lottery Bill — HeraldTribune.com

A former aide to House Speaker Jim Black recommended changes to legislation creating the state lottery while working for a for-profit lottery contractor, Black's office attorney testified Tuesday at the federal fraud trial of ex-lottery commissioner Kevin Geddings. Read
A First in North Carolina, N. C. Associate Justice Hails Diversity — The Wilmington Journal

The first African-American woman to serve on the NC Supreme Court says without the principle of diversity at all levels of American endeavor, "Change leading to improvement is retarded by the complacency that often comes with sameness." Read
N.C. Man's Incompetence for Trial Complicates His Future — Hendersonville Times-News

A North Carolina man may remain in a state institution the rest of his life after a judge declared that he remained incompetent to stand trial for a murder committed 13 years ago. Superior Court Judge Susan Taylor agreed with the defense attorney, who reluctantly said he believed his client could not assist in his own defense. Read

North Carolina Politics

Associate Of House Speaker Jim Black Surrenders To Authorities — WRAL

An indicted optometrist with political ties to House Speaker Jim Black was taken into custody Wednesday after being indicted on four counts of felony perjury. Read
Another Fake Conservative... — The Conservative Voice

Judge Robin Hudson of North Carolina is getting help in her reelection campaign from some heavy-hitters. The liberial jurist, who many believe is outside the mainstream of American jurisprudence, is getting thousands of dollars from trial lawyers. Read
State Probes Web Site Painting Van Braxton as Socialist — Goldsboro News Argus

After two months of investigation, a state Board of Elections official said Tuesday that authorities are still trying to find out who created a Web site parodying District 10 Democratic House candidate Van Braxton as a Socialist. Read
John Edwards' Wife Coming to N.H. for First Time Since 2004 — Hendersonville Times-News

Elizabeth Edwards, wife of the 2004 Democratic nominee for vice president, will visit the state for the first time since the election.

She will headline a campaign fundraiser for state Sen. Lou D'Allesandro on Thursday, his office said. Read

Other North Carolina News

Marine Convicted of Killing Pleads Guilty to Unauthorized Absence — Hendersonville Times-News

A Marine who was on the run when convicted of killing a fellow Marine in a guard hut at an air base in Afghanistan has pleaded guilty to unauthorized absence. Read
2 Lejeune Marines Killed — Wilson Daily News

Two Marines based at Camp Lejeune died while conducting combat operations in the Anbar province of Iraq Read
N.C. Marines Drop Bombs in Afghanistan — Wilson Daily News

Marine Corps jets from a floating combat base bombed Taliban targets in southern Afghanistan this month Read
States, Counties Cracking Down on Illegals — MSNBC

Police here operated for years under what amounts to a "don't ask, don't tell" policy toward illegal immigrants. As elsewhere in the United States, law enforcement officers did not check the immigration status of people they came into contact with, and in the vast majority of cases, a run-in with the law carried little threat of deportation. But that accommodation for the burgeoning illegal population ended abruptly in April, when the Mecklenburg County sheriff's office began to enforce immigration law, placing more than 100 people a month into deportation proceedings. Some of them had been charged with violent crimes, others with traffic infractions.Mecklenburg County Sheriff Jim Pendergraph says there should be little sympathy for illegal immigrants caught by his program: They have already broken the law once by being here illegally, and then been arrested on suspicion of another crime. Read
Thieves Take N.C. DMV Computer With Personal Info — WRAL

According to the state's Division of Motor Vehicles, thieves have taken a computer containing the sensitive personal information of thousands of North Carolina motorists. The DMV has mailed notifications to 16,000 drivers that someone took the computer from the agency's Louisburg office earlier this month. The computer contained personal information — including Social Security numbers, birth dates and drivers license numbers — for some motorists who received new licenses between March 2005 and Sept. 10. Read
Anti-Obesity Program Helping Out, or Butting In? — Winston-Salem Journal

Schools track fourth-graders' body-mass index; none of their business, some parents say Read
"Life Chain Sunday" Scheduled for October 1

Life Chain Sunday will be observed in approximately 25 communities in North Carolina this year. For a list of local life chain events, visit the web site at LifeChain 2006 and click on "North Carolina." The National Life Chain web site also includes sample flyers, letters to pastors, tips for organizing a life chain event, and information on where to order Life Chain signs.
Commerce Chief Hails Biotechnology Project — MyrtleBeachOnline.com

Three years after he visited following the collapse of textile giant Pillowtex Corp., deputy commerce secretary David Sampson said Monday he's pleased to see the site of the largest mass layoff in N.C. history being redeveloped as a biotechnology hub. "[It's] extremely gratifying to see the progress being made," Sampson said during a visit to the N.C. Research Campus, being built on the site of the former Pillowtex No. 1 plant in Kannapolis. "I believe what's going on here in North Carolina is truly unique. I believe it will propel the state forward." Read
N.C. Accused Killer's Car Found in Tenn. — AP

A car police say was stolen by a man accused of pushing his way into a North Carolina domestic violence shelter and shooting his wife to death has been found in a Tennessee bus station parking lot, authorities said Tuesday. Read
12-foot Alligator Killed on N.C. Highway — News and Record

A 12-foot-long alligator killed by a motorist on a coastal North Carolina highway weighed about 475 pounds, forcing officials to use a large excavator to remove the reptile. The American alligator was about 85 years old when it was struck late Monday night along U.S. 17 in Onslow County, state wildlife officials said. The reptile was removed by state Department of Transportation officials Tuesday. Read
Teenager Arrested in Post-Game Assault — Hendersonville Times-News

A teenager has been arrested in connection with what police are calling a gang-related assault after a football game at a Charlotte high school last Friday night. Read
North Carolina Textile Investments To Provide 113 New Jobs — Textileworld.com

Two investments totaling more than $15 million promise to provide 113 new jobs in North Carolina's textile sector over the next three years. Read
Forsyth Sheriff: Office Didn't Put Detective on Teacher Sex Case — Hendersonville Times-News

Authorities erred twice in handling allegations of sexual misconduct by a middle school teacher by misclassifying the case and by failing to send a detective to investigate, the Forsyth County sheriff said. Read
Two Companies Receive One North Carolina Fund Grants... Expansion Management Online

New manufacturing plants are coming to Alamance and Person counties in North Carolina, creating a total of 99 jobs and an investment totaling $8 million over ... Read
Sonoco to Open New Material Recovery Facility in North Carolina — Waste News

Sonoco Products Co. subsidiary Paper Stock Dealers Inc. is opening a new material recovery facility to serve Raleigh and Wake County, NC. Read
Ft. Bragg Officials Detain 28 at Illegal Immigration Checkpoint — Winston-Salem Journal

Federal agents detained 28 construction and landscaping employees Tuesday during a check for false identification at Fort Bragg, the post said. Read
Some N.C. Counties Affected by Ernesto Eligible for Aid — Wilmington Morning Star

Businesses and homeowners in eastern North Carolina counties can now get federal disaster relief for damages related to Tropical Storm Ernesto. Read
Major Biodiesel Plant Opens in N.C. to Convert Chicken Fat to Fuel -Winston-Salem Journal

Piedmont Biofuels plans to convert chicken fat into 1 million gallons of biodiesel per year at the factory, making a fuel that creates less pollution and provides an alternative to oil. Read
N.C. Panel Prepares for Morals of Flu Pandemic — AP

Raleigh | With a flu pandemic inevitable, North Carolina's medical professionals must prepare now for what could be wrenching moral decisions about who will be treated and who won't if the illness overwhelms hospital resources, members of a state task force said. Read
Drug Suspects Collared — Goldsboro News Argus

Drug dealers in Wayne County got an unusual wake-up call about 5 a.m. Wednesday as more than 30 officers from the Wayne County Sheriff's Department and Goldsboro Police Department kicked off a drug roundup. Read
Entrepreneur Turns Selling Car into Million-Dollar Business — Hendersonville Times-News

Leslie Vander Baan turned selling her 1997 Jeep Cherokee into a million-dollar business and she isn't even 30 yet. Read
Incentives Lure Dirt Racing Company, 52 Jobs to North Carolina — The Business Journal of Greater Triad

An Oklahoma dirt track auto racing company has landed $20,000 in incentives from Gov. Mike Easley to move its headquarters to Cabarrus County. Dirt Motorsports will relocate its corporate headquarters from Norman, Okla., to Concord, company officials have confirmed. Read

Congress

Contender May Become First Muslim in US Congress — Christian Science Monitor

Keith Ellison would also be Minnesota's first black congressman, but he downplays the potential milestones. Read
Congress Is Winding Down, but Much Is Left Undone — NYT

A Congress derided as do-nothing has a week before breaking for the elections to do something, and the prospects are cloudy. Read
Path Cleared for Detainee Legislation — Yahoo News

Republicans on Wednesday cleared procedural hurdles in the House and Senate on the way to giving President Bush authority to detain, interrogate and try terrorism detainees before military commissions. Read
CWA's List Of The Senate's Unfinished Business — Evangelical News

Concerned Women for America (CWA) draws attention to work that the Senate has yet to finish in the 109 th Congress. Senate leadership promised to deal with crucial pro-family legislation in this session. With one week left before Congress adjourns for recess, we urge Senators to protect American families by passing these key bills. Read
Bad in Any Language — H.R. 4766 — National Review

H.R. 4766, the "Native American Languages Preservation Act," is scheduled to be considered by the U.S. House of Representatives... Read
NCC Applauds Law Against ACLU Profiteering — Christian Newswire

The 5000 church leaders of the National Clergy Council (NCC) and its 20,000 lay affiliates commend House members who voted for the Public Expressions of Religion Protection Act. The measure passed last night 244—173. Read
Just How Far Can CIA Interrogators Go? — Christian Science Monitor

Defining limits on 'alternative' interrogation methods is major concern of key US lawmakers. Read
Abortion Kidnap Legislation Hailed by Ecumenical Pro-life Center — Christian Newswire

The Child Custody Protection Act, S. 403, is aimed at helping protect minors from being exploited or coerced into having an abortion. The bill passed by a vote of 264-153. Read
Combating The Growing Commercial Sexual Exploitation Of Children In America: Child Sex-Trafficking, Prostitution, Pornography And Sex Tourism — Evangelical News

A collaboration of non-profit organizations is set to release a report on the growing commercial sexual exploitation of children (CSEC) in America. The report will be presented to Congress for the first time on September 27, 2006. The report contains key findings and next steps derived from the recent nation-wide review of government and civil society programs designed to combat the commercial sexual exploitation of children. Read
Senators Propose Funds for Paper Ballots to Back Up Electronic Ones — NYT

Three Senate Democrats proposed emergency legislation today to reimburse states for printing paper ballots that can be ready at polling places in case of problems with electronic voting machines on Nov. 7. Read
Bush Ready to OK Border Barrier

President Bush will sign the bill to construct 700 miles of fencing along the U.S.-Mexico border if it is approved by the Senate, the White House said, as Congress continued yesterday drafting more legislation to combat illegal immigration. Read
Sen. Frist Sets Up Possible Vote for Border Fence Bill — Fox News

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist set up a possible vote late this week on a proposal to erect fencing along a third of the U.S.-Mexican border. Read
Invasion USA

80,000 violent felons run free on U.S. streets. Congressman says U.S. must turn back effort to weaken law enforcement. The 277-140 vote, according to plan sponsor U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood, R-Ga., affirmed the authority of state and local law enforcement officers to enforce federal immigration laws while in the course of their regular duties such as traffic stops and drug arrests. Read
Pre-Election Enforcement Push Underway

Before adjournment yesterday, the Senate voted to proceed to consideration of H.R. 6061, the Secure Fence Act of 2006. One amendment sponsored by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) was adopted that moved up the effective date of the measure. Democrats have been demanding that amendments be voted on, like the one offered by Sen. Larry Craig (R-ID) that would add an AGJOB-like amnesty for agricultural workers. The bill cannot be filibustered because members voted to limit debate on the measure. The Senate will re-convene at 9:30 a.m. today, although votes are not expected until Monday, September 25. Read
Border Security Plan Delayed — CNN

A plan to tighten U.S. borders by requiring passports or tamper-resistant identification cards from everyone entering the country by land from Mexico and Canada has been delayed. House and Senate lawmakers agreed to push back the program by 17 months, saying they want to make sure new ID cards being developed by the Bush administration will better secure borders against terrorists without slowing legitimate travelers from Canada and Mexico. Read
A Senator Bets on Party's Clout in Pennsylvania — NYT

The Senate race in Pennsylvania, where Senator Rick Santorum lags in the polls, will put Republican fortifications to the test. Read
Chemical Plants, Still Unprotected

It is outrageous that something as important as chemical plant security is being decided in a Congressional back-room deal. Read
Republican Senator Warner Refuses To Allow Vote On Legislation Upholding 200 + Year Old Right Of Military Chaplains To Pray In The Name Of Jesus

On Wednesday, the "Washington Times" reported: "Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John W. Warner is blocking a House defense bill provision that would give military chaplains more freedom to pray as they see fit, saying he wants to put the matter off until 2007, a stance that angers House Republicans and conservative groups...." Read
Del. Congressman Suffers 2 Small Strokes

Castle, a former two-term governor, lieutenant governor and state legislator, is Delaware's longest serving congressman. He is seeking an eighth term as the state's sole representative in the House. Read
Wiretap Bill Moves Closer to Passage — Washington Post

Last-minute changes to legislation authorizing the National Security Agency's warrantless wiretapping program have won the support of three balking Senate Republicans, improving the chances that a bill expanding the Bush administration's surveillance authority will pass Congress this week. Read
Democrats Seek Momentum from Iraq Report — USA Today

Democrats on Sunday seized on an intelligence assessment that said the Iraq war has increased the terrorist threat, saying it was further evidence that Americans should choose new leadership in the November elections. Read
NSA Cases Face Secret Tribunal — Wired News

A sprawling array of cases challenging the National Security Agency's warrantless surveillance of American's domestic and international communications may be moved to an obscure secret court in Washington, if a pending bill to alter the nation's surveillance law is voted on before the upcoming recess. Read
Stricter Voting Laws Carve Latest Partisan Divide — NYT

Democrats say Republicans are trying to suppress the votes of minorities, the poor and the elderly by requiring documentation at the polls. Read
Lieberman Wants U.S. to Press Iraq — LA Times

Sen. Joe Lieberman said Monday that the U.S. should "get tough" with an Iraqi political leadership unable to function without American troops. Read
Remarks by the President at Signing of S.2590, the Federal Funding Accountability and Transparency Act of 2006 Read
Bush Signs Spending Tracker Bill — CBS

President Bush said Tuesday that Americans will now be able to "Google their tax dollars," as he signed a law to create an online database for tracking about $1 trillion in government spending on grants and contracts. Read
Still Spending: Senate to Bust Budget Caps by $32 Billion — Human Events

Taxpayers won't be fooled when they receive tax bill Read
Dems Call for Release of Another Classified Report — CNN

As political debate churned over a newly declassified intelligence report on terrorists, a top Democrat called for the release of another National Intelligence Estimate on Iraq that she says "paints a grim picture." The White House denied a charge by Rep. Jane Harman that the second report is being kept in draft form so that its contents won't be made public until after the elections. Read

Courts

Illegal Immigrant Gets Federal Jail Time — Mid-Hudson News Network

A Mexican national, who reentered the country after being removed as an illegal alien, was sentenced in federal court to two months in prison followed by one year of supervised release. Read
Guantanamo's Uneasy Ramadan — LA Times

A court challenge filed late last week in U.S. District Court in Washington accused the U.S. of illegally denying detainees access to Muslim chaplains, who some religious leaders argue could help calm tensions inside the barbed wire. The motion was supported by one of the largest Muslim advocacy organizations in the country. Read
Judges Alter Rules for Sponsored Trips — Washington Post

The federal judiciary moved to defuse congressional concerns over judicial ethics yesterday, announcing that judges may not accept expense-paid trips to privately funded seminars unless the sponsors first disclose their donors. Read
9th Circuit: Wrong-Way Court — Human Events

The San Francisco-based U.S. Court of Appeals for the 9th Circuit has strangely shifting views on freedom of expression. It seems to depend on who expresses what... Read
Death Sentence for Student's Slaying — HeraldTribune.com

Jurors on Friday sentenced a convicted sex offender to death for kidnapping and killing University of North Dakota student Dru Sjodin, whose body was found in a Minnesota ravine nearly five months after she disappeared. Read
Henan Court Revokes the Re-education Through Labor Decision — First Time a Chinese House Church Christian Has Won Such a Lawsuit -Christian Newswire

CAA learned August 20, 2006; the People's Court of Hualong District, Pu Yang City, Henan Province revoked the Re-education through Labor Decision of House Church Christian Li Huimin who was arrested March 13, 2006. Read
Clinton Lawyer Kendal Must Defend Fabricated Statement in Clinton Fraud Suit in Los Angeles Court — Christian Newswire

Clinton defense lawyer David Kendall is appearing in an L.A.Superior Courtroom this morning to defend his personal actions in filing a fabricated statement he used in a court brief to quash a multi-milllion dollar business fraud suit against the former president. In November, 2004, the California Supreme Court denied Kendall's appeals to dismiss the case. On April 7, 2006, a trial date of March 27, 2006 was set. Read
Broken Bench — NYT

An investigation of New York State's town and village courts found a trail of judicial abuses and errors — and of governmental failure to curb them. Read
Tobacco Makers Lose Key Ruling on Latest Suits

The decision raises the possibility that cases involving light cigarettes will become a major legal threat to the tobacco industry. Read
Two Brothers Who Ran Cartel Plead Guilty — HeraldTrinbune.com

In what the government called "the final, fatal blow" to the world's biggest cocaine supplier, two Colombian brothers who helped found the infamous Cali cartel pleaded guilty Tuesday to drug trafficking, agreed to forfeit billions in tainted assets, and received what could amount to a life sentence. Read
Judge to Weigh Tossing Karr Porn Charges — AP

A judge said Monday that she will consider a defense request to dismiss child pornography possession charges against one-time JonBenet Ramsey murder suspect John Mark Karr. The announcement comes after Sonoma County Sheriff's officials revealed last week the computer that allegedly held the illicit images was lost in 2002. Read
Neb. Judge Orders Students' Deportation — AP

Three Egyptian college students who sparked a nationwide search when they failed to show up for a college exchange program last month were ordered deported Monday. Read
China Court Frees Christian Leader From Labor Camp — Worthy News

A Chinese Christian leader was free Monday, September 25, after a Chinese court revoked a 're-education through labor' ruling, an unprecedented move in this Communist-run nation. Read
Judge Declares Another Mistrial in Gotti Case — MSNBC

Jury had deadlocked on racketeering charge for former mob boss Read
Court Takes On Union Dues Case — CBS

High Court Jumps Into Dispute On Use Of Union Fees For Political Causes Read
Many Thanks, Justice Scalia — Human Events

Twenty years ago today, Antonin Scalia became the 103rd justice appointed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The associate justice's "dogged commitment to the fundamental principles of liberty" and "profoundly positive impact on our nation" were hailed by Sen. Orrin Hatch (R.-Utah) earlier today during a speech made before the court. Read

Christianity/Pro-Family/Religion/Ethics

Free Legal Advice Available to Clergy and Churches

The James Madison Center for Free Speech and the Alliance Defense Fund will respond free of charge to inquiries by churches and pastors on permissible political activities through informal e-mails, telephone advice and legal opinion letters. The Alliance Defense Fund has provided a grant to the James Madison Center for Free Speech for this purpose. James Madison Center for Free Speech, 1 South 6th Street, Terre Haute, IN 47807, voice 812-232-2434, fax 812-235-3685, www.jamesmadisoncenter.org, e-mail madisoncenter@aol.com
Intimidating the West — Jewish World Review

The violence by Muslims responding to comments by the pope fit a pattern that has been building and accelerating since 1989. Six times since then, Westerners did or said something that triggered death threats and violence in the Muslim world. Looking at them in the aggregate offers useful insights. Read
A Call to Arms in the Culture Wars — Human Events

We are fighting Muslim Islamofascists and yet seem to be restrained by a societal-imposed muzzle that forbids us to refer to Islam as anything other than a "religion of peace" or of terrorists as "militants" or, as Reuters News Service prefers, "freedom fighters." What if we tried to fight World War II by referring to our Nazi enemies as "political activists from Northern Europe"? Read
Pakistan Jails Teenage Christian On Blasphemy Charges — Worthy News

A teenage Pakistani Christian spent Saturday, September 23, behind bars on suspicion of ripping book pages containing Quranic verses, the latest in a series of detentions raising concerns about Pakistan's controversial blasphemy laws. Read
Land, Others, Urge Christians To Engage Culture, Vote Their Values In Election — BP

Speakers at a "Values Voter Summit" Sept. 21-23 urged Christians to engage the culture this fall by casting their votes based on their values and not on party lines. Read
Chavez Extends Anti-Bush Tirade on Visit to Harlem — AFP

Venezuela's President Hugo Chavez launched a new personal attack on President George W. Bush, using a visit to a church to call the US leader an "alcoholic" and a "sick man." Read
ChristianMobile enters into Media Partnership with Salem Communications (Nasdaq: SALM), to Distribute its Christian Mobile Content to Mobile Phone Subscribers in the United States of America -Christian Newswire

ChristianMobile(TM) a Cape Town based provider of Christian Mobile Content internationally are proud to announce that it has entered into a media partnership with Salem Communications (Nasdaq: SALM), a leading U.S. radio broadcaster, Internet content provider and magazine publisher. Read
Christian Children's Entertainer, The Donut Man Becomes Catholic — Christian Newswire

Catholic children now have a positive television role model as popular Christian children's entertainer, The Donut Man, celebrates his conversion to Catholicism and offers songs and stories geared directly to teaching the faith to Catholic kids. Read
Christianity Today International Launches New Video Website for Christian Leaders — Christian Newswire

To help pastors and teachers meet their increased demand of quality visual products for their ministries, Christianity Today International (CTI) is announcing the launch of their new website, FaithVisuals.com. Read
Christian Conservatives Look to Re-energize Base — NYT

Several organizers said they were talking up the argument that recognizing same-sex marriage could also limit religious freedom. Read
Nigeria Muslim Mob Destroy Churches and Christian Homes; Several Injured

Christians faced another tense night in Northern Nigeria late Friday, September 22, where authorities imposed a curfew after angry Muslim mobs burned 11 churches over what they called "blasphemy" against the Prophet Mohammad by a Christian woman, police and Christian investigators said. Read
India State Police Orders End To Christian Worship Services

Police in the southern Indian state of Karnataka have ordered several Christian leaders not to hold Sunday worship services saying Hindu militants planned to attack their churches, an official told BosNewsLife Saturday, September 23. Read
Biblical Family Advocates Goes to Europe — Christian Newswire

Biblical Family Advocates, an organization dedicated to challenging churches and the community around the world with Biblical morality plans to be in Europe for many years. They have been based in San Diego speaking in churches and at community events, along with radio and TV interviews, but have felt the call to other lands. Read
Nagorno-Karabakh Releases Baptist Soldier After One Year Jail — Worthy News

A Christian soldier who was imprisoned in the troubled unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh for refusing to swear the military oath and carry weapons on Biblical grounds, has been released, after spending one year in jail, BosNewsLife learned Monday, September 25. Read

Abortion/Pro-Life

Times Reporter Rips 'Assault' on Abortion Rights — MSNBC

Greenhouse also likened Congress to a 'law-free zone' in Harvard speech Read
LIFE DIGEST: Embryo Screening Increasing in U.S. Fertility Clinics; Senator Puts Hold on FDA Nominee — Religious and Ethics Liberty Commission

Fertility clinics increasingly are using embryo screening to weed out unborn children who don't fit the genetic profile desired by their parents. A new survey showed three-fourths of in vitro fertilization clinics in the United States use the genetic screening method, and nearly half of those clinics will permit couples to use the technique to choose the sex of their child. Read

Alcohol/Drugs/Health

Rookie District Attorney Cracks Down on Drunk Drivers — AOL News

...Rice, however, can do something about it: As Nassau County district attorney, she has launched an aggressive assault on drunken driving in one of the nation's busiest traffic corridors. She does not allow plea deals in DWI cases. She put a man on trial for murder in a horrific drunken-driving crash. And she plans to slap alcohol-sensors on the ankles of admitted alcoholics.... Once in office, she discovered that more than one-third of all the pending DWI cases involved repeat offenders. "I almost fell to the floor when I saw that," the former federal prosecutor said. "It was clear to me that there was no deterrent message. The message was you can do this as many times as you want and you're always going to be given the option to plead out to the equivalent of a traffic infraction." Read
Employers Chip Away at Retiree Health Benefits — LA Times

Just as they are cutting back on pensions, employers are increasingly targeting health benefits as a way to save money, saddling older people with costs that companies used to accept as a routine part of business. Read
Miller Beer Sales and SABMiller Stock Dive as Boycott enters Phase II

Last week the Illegal Immigration Boycott Coalition passed the 100 supporting organizations mark and achieved over 12,000 petition signatures while the Dow Jones Newswires announced a collapse in SABMiller's stock value and beer sales in America! The boycott by immigration enforcement groups was brought on by September 1 reports in the Chicago Tribune that Miller Brewing Company gave $30,000 to pro amnesty organizations that support illegal immigration. Coalition members also determined that Miller gives large sums of money to race based organizations like La Raza (Translation: The Race) Read
Medicare Refund Mixup Part of Larger Tangle — NYT

Thousands of mistaken refunds point to a strained relationship between the Social Security and Medicare programs. Read
ID Theft Infects Medical Records — LA Times

Victims face bogus bills and risk injury or death. Privacy laws make such fraud hard to pursue. Read
As of Wednesday, 146 Citizens in 23 States Suffered E. Coli Infection and One Died — Americans for Legal Immigration Website

How do you think this disease outbreak occurred? To bring it into sobering focus, please understand that 20 million illegal aliens crossed into America in the past 20 years without any kind of health screening. They work picking our food, washing our dishes in restaurants and, as is the norm in Third World countries, rarely if ever wash their hands after using the toilet. Additionally, most of them suffer functional illiteracy. They do not practice personal hygiene or health habits most Americans assume as a normal aspect of living. Read
Plea Near for Cali Drug Cartel Bosses — AP

The two brothers accused of running Colombia's Cali cocaine cartel are nearing an agreement to plead guilty in exchange for guarantees that other family members won't face charges and will have access to some of the $2.1 billion the government wants to seize, The Associated Press has learned. ..The pleas would cap a massive 15-year U.S. investigation into the Cali cartel... Read
The Last Holdout Reconsiders a Program to Curb H.I.V. — NYT

New Jersey is the last state that does not allow the distribution of hypodermic needles by government programs, which may change due to H.I.V. infections. Read
Large-Scale Cocaine Ring Busted in Springfield — HeraldTribune.com

For years, Laprese Gollman lived a grand lifestyle, supposedly off money he made from his used car lot, police say. In reality, Gollman made millions as a cocaine wholesaler who sold the drug by the kilo and used the cars as drug storage bins, authorities said Tuesday. Read
Cartels Use Surburban Homes to Grow Pot — AP

Leon Nunn stepped out his front door one recent afternoon only to be waved back by a squadron of drug agents using a battering ram on a neighbor's home. The half-million-dollar home in the quiet subdivision was found to be stuffed with high-grade marijuana plants, growing in soil-free trays under bright lights. Read

Education/Sex Ed/Teens/Children

"See You at the Pole" September 27 — NC Family Policy Council

Students across the nation gathered in prayer Wednesday, September 27 to ask for God's protection and blessing on their schools, friends, teachers, government and nation. "See You at the Pole" is an annual student-initiated, student organized, and student-led event where students gather around their school's flagpole to pray, typically in the morning before the school day begins. According to http://www.syatp.com/, the event "is not a demonstration, political rally, nor a stand for or against anything," but "is all about students meeting at their school flagpole to pray." Because the event is organized by students and takes place before school hours, it is a perfectly legal activity. However, SYATP recommends coordinating the event with school administrators in order to make them aware of the gathering and to comply with school policies.
College Kids Easy Prey For Abductors — CBS

Parents often worry that their young children will get into cars with strangers, but teens are actually more likely to be abducted by someone they don't know. At two college campuses, students fall for some of the oldest tricks in the book. Read
'Letting Students Down' — Newsweek

A new study finds that even top undergraduates are woefully ignorant of history and civic government Read
Spellings Backs Ideas to Simplify College Choices — CNN

Education Secretary Margaret Spellings launched plans Tuesday to redefine the college experience, promising less confusion and more results for families. Spellings said she would make a handful of changes on her own and start building support for some of the more sweeping ideas that came from her higher education commission. Read
How Homosexual School Clubs Offer Sex to Students — WorldNetDailey

The mainstream media is sure to spend time this next week on the subject of homosexuality and youth, precipitated by the observance in hundreds of high schools of the so-called "Day of Silence" on Wednesday, April 26. This is the day that students who are "GLBT" — that's "gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgendered" — pledge to remain silent all day to draw attention to what they believe is discrimination. On Thursday, April 27, some schools will be blessed with a Christian response, the "Day of Truth," started several years ago by the Alliance Defense Fund. "Day of Truth" participants will explain the reality of homosexuality along with the light of Christ's truth and the hope therein. Read
All Aboard The Charters? — National Review

Charter schools have taught us much. Since Minnesota enacted America's first charter law in 1991, 39 states have followed suit and eager school reformers have created some 4,000 of these independent public schools. About 3,600 are still operating today, enrolling approximately a million kids, 2 percent of all U.S. elementary and secondary pupils. More than a dozen cities — including Detroit, Cleveland, and Milwaukee — now have charter sectors that serve at least one in every six children. These numbers rise annually — and would balloon if the market were able to operate freely, unconstrained by legislative compromises, funding and facilities shortfalls, and local pushback from the school establishment and its political allies. Read
Immigrants Honored

Chicago pupils use Day of the Dead exhibition at Pilsen art museum to recall Mexicans who died while coming to U.S. Read
Scottsdale School District Fires Janitor Firm After Illegal Alien Rape Charge — The Arizona Republic

The company has been under fire since Aug. 24, when a Saguaro High School freshman told police that an ABM janitor sexually assaulted her on campus. The janitor, Roberto Lemus-Retana, is an undocumented immigrant, and ABM violated district policy by only running a state background check on him. ..The district also failed to receive documentation that ABM ever conducted Social Security verifications or background checks in states other than Arizona, which is required by the contract, district spokesman Keith Sterling said. Read
ACLU: No Visa for Muslim Scholar — AP

The U.S. government has rejected a prominent Muslim scholar's application to enter the country on the grounds that he donated several hundred dollars to French and Swiss groups that provide humanitarian aid to Palestinians, a civil rights group announced Monday. Read
Graduating With A Degree In Debt Watch — CBS

In the past five years, the price of public colleges has increased, but the maximum students can borrow from the federal loan program hasn't. Read
Deflating Grade Inflation — National Review

With grade inflation now a general practice, it's impossible for a few scattered professors, however courageous, to overcome it. That would only punish students who dared to take their courses. Even Harvard's famous Harvey "C-" Mansfield had to give in and assign his students two grades: a public (inflated) grade and a private (real) grade. Nonetheless, although it isn't widely known, there are actually plenty of good practical strategies for solving the problem of grade inflation. It only requires public attention and involvement to break the vicious circle of grade inflation and replace it with a virtuous one. Read

God and Country/National Security/Politics/Economy

Three Marines to Face Courts-Martial — AP

Three Marines from Camp Pendleton will face courts-martial on murder charges in the death of an Iraqi man in the town of Hamdania, the Marine Corps said Monday. Gen. James Mattis, the commanding general in the case, said he would not seek the death penalty. Read
States, Counties Cracking Down on Illegals — MSNBC

Traffic stops can lead to deportation; some Latinos cry foul Read
British Forces Kill Leading Terrorist — AP

British forces shot and killed a leading al-Qaida terrorist Monday more than a year after he embarrassed the U.S. military by making an unprecedented escape from a maximum security military prison in Afghanistan, officials said. Read
The Bush Administration's efforts to cover up the North American Union Myths, Facts — Truth — Christian Worldview Network

"Conspiracy theories." "Fringe nuts." "Lies." "Myths." These are the words being used by officials of the Bush Administration and others to brand those who have reported on the activities of the Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America (SPP), currently operating out of the U.S. Department of Commerce. Opponents have charged the SPP will result in the establishment of a North American Union, much on the same lines as the European Union. Read
Yemeni Immigrant Caught Trying to Board Plane with Knife Seeks Lower Bond — The Detriot News

Ghanem was arrested Sept. 7 while trying to travel to Yemen on a one-way ticket. Ayad said Ghanem planned to find a wife on his trip. Read
U.S. Slips to 6th in World Rankings — Int'l Herald Tribune

The United States lost its position as the world's most competitive economy to Switzerland as budget and trade deficits prompted a slide to sixth in the World Economic Forum's annual rankings. Read
Security Concerns Guards at Ammo Plant

In written statements to lawmakers and in interviews with The Associated Press, about half a dozen security officers discussed alleged problems at the Holston Army Ammunition Plant. The facility in Kingsport, near the Virginia border in northeastern Tennessee about 100 miles from Knoxville, is a major supplier of explosives to the military since World War II. "We're really not prepared," Ron Nitrio, a security officer at the plant for 15 years, said in an interview. "If somebody wants to get in the base — they can get in almost anytime, almost anywhere." Read
Prime Minister Says Bush Won't Allow Nuclear Iran — Jerusalem Post

US President George W. Bush will stop the Iranians from getting a nuclear bomb, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated with certainty during an interview with The Jerusalem Post on Monday. Read
Unit Makes Do as Army Strives to Plug Gaps — NYT

The pressures on the Army are apparent in the Third Infantry Division, which is preparing to go back to Iraq for a third tour. Read
Army Warns Rumsfeld It's Billions Short — LA Times

The Army's top officer withheld a required 2008 budget plan from Pentagon leaders last month after protesting to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that the service could not maintain its current level of activity in Iraq plus its other global commitments without billions in additional funding. Read
U.S. to Allow Some Liquids on Airliners

The government is partially lifting its ban against carrying liquids and gels onto airliners, as long as they are purchased from secure airport stores, and will also permit small, travel-size toiletries brought from home, officials said Monday. Read
Iraqi President Asks for Long-Term US Military Presence in Iraq — AFP

Iraqi President Jalal Talabani, in an interview, asked for a long-term US military presence in Iraq, saying his country will need two permanent US air bases to deter "foreign interference." Read
Mubarak Enlists US Help for Egypt Nuclear Program — Jerusalem Post

President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday called for Egypt to pursue nuclear energy, as the US ambassador said Washington would be willing to help its Mideast ally develop a peaceful program. Read
Europe Panel Faults Sifting of Bank Data — NYT

A European Union panel has doubts about the legality of a Bush administration program that monitors international financial transactions, the group's leader said. Read
Bush on Iran: Israel's Worries Justified — Ynet News

In a special interview with CNN on Wednesday, US President George W. Bush said that if he were Israel's foreign minister, he would be deeply concerned about a neighboring country's threats to destroy his country. Read
Details Emerge About Illegal Alien Gang Rape of 13 Year Old Child

One of the men charged in connection with the alleged rape, Alfonso Ponce, 20, of Laurel Street, is an illegal immigrant, his lawyer reported last Friday. All five men utilized a Spanish-speaking interpreter when they were arraigned in court, in connection with an offense prosecutors said occurred over Labor Day weekend. Read
Inquiry Slows Giving to Islamic Charity — AP

FBI agents assigned to a terrorism task force last Monday searched Life's offices, taking computer servers, donor records and other financial documents. They have also searched the homes of the charity's chief executive, an ex-employee and two board members. Read
Illegal Immigrant Charged with Murder for Dragging Woman to Death with Car!

A man was arrested in the gruesome dragging death of a woman after a stained and tattered photograph of him was found at the crime scene, police said Wednesday. Jose Luis Rubi-Nava, 36, was arrested Tuesday night on suspicion of murder and jailed without bail. Investigators said they were still trying to identify the victim, who was dragged behind a vehicle with a rope, leaving a trail of blood more than a mile long. Read
Battling Corruption — Illegal Immigration — Judicial Watch

Today, between eight and fourteen million illegal aliens reside in the United States, draining our nation's economy, while presenting a security threat to the people of the United States. Public officials have not only repeatedly failed to protect our borders from this illegal alien invasion, but they have also been complicit in the effort to undermine our nation's immigration laws. Judicial Watch is investigating and taking legal actions to remedy the illegal immigration problem. Read
Bill Clinton Angrily Defends bin Laden Handling

'You Got That Little Smirk on Your Face and You Think You're So Clever' Read
Text of President Bush's Radio Address to the Nation for September 23 Read
Mystery Surrounds Deaths of Coast Guard Divers — AOL News

Five hundred miles north of Alaska, a group of shipmates from the Coast Guard cutter Healy tossed a football on the blue-and-white, diamond-hard Arctic ice. Read
S.C. Shaken by 2 Quakes Within 1 Week

Earthquakes are not common to the area and people were concerned that the two were so close together, Allison said. Read
Opec Considers Drop in Output — Financial Times

Oil exporting countries may consider a cut in output after crude prices fell below $60 a barrel on Monday for the first time in six months. The oil price fall over the past month has been accompanied by investor selling in oil and other commodity markets, mainly on concerns that economic growth in the US is slowing. Read
Mexican President-Elect Criticizes U.S. Plans for Border Fence — USA Today

Mexican President-elect Felipe Calderon on Monday slammed U.S. plans to build more fences on its southern border, saying it would not solve illegal immigration. Read
Data on Homes Cause Jitters — LA Times

Housing prices decline nationally for the first time since 1995 and inventory sets a record. The slump poses two big threats to the economy. Home prices nationwide declined last month for the first time in more than a decade, raising new concerns about the real estate slump and the damage it might do to the rest of the economy. Read
Army Medic Who Went AWOL Surrenders — CBS

Army medic who fled rather than serve second tour in Iraq surrenders, could face court-martial Read

Pornography/Homosexuality/Obscenity/Immorality/Sexual Abuse

Cambodia Gets Tough on Child Sex Trade — Christian Science Monitor

Arrests of foreigners for charges related to underage prostitution have doubled since last year. Read
Probe at Cleopatra's Targets Off-Duty Police — HeraldTribune.com

The combination of drugs, booze, strippers and cops led to a yearlong police corruption investigation that could ensnare officers and bad guys from Florida to New York. Read
Zuma: 'Same-Sex Marriage is a Disgrace' — CNN

South Africa's former deputy president Jacob Zuma drew fresh controversy on Wednesday after he called homosexuality un-African and criticized plans to legalize same-sex marriages. "Same-sex marriage is a disgrace to the nation and to God," Zuma was quoted as saying in the Sowetan newspaper at a Sunday gathering in his native KwaZulu-Natal to mark the country's Heritage Day. Read

Other News

Government to Israelis Abroad: Return Home

New campaign by Ministry of Immigrant Absorption is encouraging Israelis who emigrated from Israel to US and Canada to return to Israel. Israelis, however, are not quick to board plane back to Israel. 'There is no way I will return to a country that sucks the blood of its young population,' says one of them Read
Hizbullah Moving Rockets to Palestinian Camps — Ynet News

Hizbullah has been transporting rockets and heavy weaponry to Palestinian camps in south Lebanon just a few miles from the Israeli border, according to Lebanese officials. Read
EU Cannot Expand Until Agreement on Constitution, says Barroso — London Telegraph

Jose Manuel Barroso, president of the European Commission, called yesterday for a halt to further enlargement of the European Union until existing member states had agreed on a revised form of the EU constitution. Read
Al-Qaida Recons Nuke Storage Site — AP

Lightly guarded facility called 'dream target for terrorists' — Read
Pope Meets With Muslim Diplomats — Fox News

A meeting with Muslim diplomats Monday was Pope Benedict XVI's latest effort to mend relations after remarks about Islam and violence that ignited the Vatican's most serious international crisis in decades. Read
Bin Laden May Feel Lure to Disprove His "Death" — Worthy News

A leaked intelligence report of Osama bin Laden's death has met scepticism from Western and Muslim governments but may increase a clamour from his followers to show himself on video for the first time in nearly two years. One theory surrounding the mysterious French leak is that it was designed precisely to flush the al Qaeda leader into the open, prompting him to release a new tape that might give a clue to his whereabouts and state of health. Read
Expert: Tactical Nukes Needed to Blast Iranian Defenses — Jerusalem Post

Tactical nuclear weapons would be required to penetrate the defenses Iran has constructed around its nuclear facilities, according to Col. (res.) Shlomo Mofaz, an international consultant on terrorism and intelligence and a research fellow at the Institute of Counterterrorism at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya. Read
Lahoud: It is Time for Israel to Abide by all UN Resolutions — Ha'aretz

It is time for Israel to take responsibility and abide by United Nations resolutions, Lebanese President Emile Lahoud said Thursday in his address to the UN General Assembly. Read
Assad: Israel May Attack, Syria Will Stand Strong — Ynet News

After promising that Syria would liberate the Golan Heights, President Bashar Assad says that the possibility of a new war breaking out in the region must not be ruled out. Read
Peres: No Olmert-Abbas Meeting before Hamas Recognizes Israel — Ha'aretz

Vice Premier Shimon Peres on Thursday said Prime Minister Ehud Olmert would not meet Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas as long as Hamas refuses to recognize Israel and release an IDF soldier captured in Gaza. Read
Putin Confirms Russian Troops for Lebanon, but not Under UN flag — AFP

Russia intends to send troops to Lebanon, but not as part of the UN peacekeeping force there and only if all parties in the region agree, President Vladimir Putin confirmed. Read
Report: Muslim Militias Take Somalia's Third Largest City — Ha'aretz

Muslim militia forces took over Somalia's strategic southern port city of Kismayo on Monday after the warlord in charge of the region fled, a militia source said. Read
U.N. Force Is Treading Lightly on Lebanese Soil — NYT

Officials say the policing power for the U.N. force in Lebanon is limited as its tasks are dictated by the political will of Beirut. Read
Turkey: Army Will Protect Country from Islamists — Jerusalem Post

A top Turkish general said Monday that increasingly powerful Islamist forces threatened Turkey's secular system and that the army would play its role in defending the country against them, the state-run news agency reported. Read
Iran: Busher Reactor Ready within 6 Months — Ynet News

The Iranian vice president and the head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI), Qolam Reza Aqazadeh, who arrived in Russia to ask for further assistance for the completion of the nuclear power plant in Busher, said on Monday that "the nuclear plant in Busher will be completed within six months." Read
Egypt Unveils Nuclear Power Plan — BBC

Egypt is to revive the civilian nuclear power program it froze 20 years ago following the accident at the Chernobyl plant in Ukraine. Read

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Index of Weekly Issues Alerts

2007

2006