Weekly Issues Alert

October 6 - 12

"These are the times that try men's souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman." --Thomas Paine

North Carolina General Assembly (adjourned until January, 2007)

North Carolina Tussles Over its Lottery Proceeds — The Virginian Pilot

Indeed, under lottery law in North Carolina, the legislature can change the recipient with a simple majority vote. In Virginia, four-fifths of the General Assembly must agree to use the money for another purpose. Just like Virginia, however, there is no stipulation in North Carolina that stops the state from using lottery money as a substitute for regular funding. A clause preventing that was included in an earlier version of the legislation but was stripped out before the final vote. Read
Lawmakers Debate Mental Illness, Care — Raleigh News and Observer

A committee met for the first time Wednesday to address long-standing concerns. Read

North Carolina Courts

A North Carolina Supreme Court Ruling — Homeowners Associations may not amend CCRs to impose a new and different set of covenants — American Homeowners Resource Center

Since June 2003, we have been on the front lines of a struggle against a so-called "private government." Notwithstanding the fact that the Ledges of Hidden Hills was platted in 1988 and contains not one centimeter of common area, the homeowners association amended the Covenants granting its officers the authority to, among other things, convert existing private property to common area, acquire additional property, adopt and amend Rules and Regulations and establish unlimited mandatory assessments with the authority to place a lien on our homes. Read
N.C. Court Of Appeals Judge Charged With DWI, Speeding — WRAL

State Court of Appeals Judge Doug McCullough says he expects to be treated like any other citizen on his charges of drunken driving and speeding. The judge was stopped by a state Highway Patrol trooper early Saturday on U.S. 70 near Atlantic Beach and charged with driving 47 mph in a 35 mph zone. He also registered 0.12 percent on a breath alcohol test. The legal limit for drivers in North Carolina is 0.08 percent. Read
DA Asks Whether Judicial Candidate's Husband Violated Probation — WRAL

The husband of a state Supreme Court candidate is being investigated for allegedly voting in North Carolina before his felony probation ended in Georgia. The State Bureau of Investigation was looking into allegations against former gold and silver businessman Connie Mack Berry Jr., Wake County District Attorney Colon Willoughby said Monday. Read
What Each Side in the Geddings Trial Wants Jurors to Focus On — Raleigh News and Observer

Jurors will begin deliberating this morning in the federal fraud trial of former state lottery commissioner Kevin L. Geddings. Read

North Carolina Politics

Robinson Assails Miller in Calls, Ads — Raleigh News and Observer

Vernon Robinson, 51, is trying to kick up enough dust to cause voters to rethink their support for Brad Miller, 53, left, a Raleigh lawyer seeking a third term in Congress representing the 13th District. Read
Durham Race Draws Outside Money — Raleigh News and Observer

The election for district attorney is just under a month away and out-of-town cash, donated by those interested in the Duke University lacrosse case, will be a factor. Read

Other North Carolina News

Family Says Fort Bragg Soldier Killed in Iraq — HeraldTribune.com

A western Kentucky soldier died Saturday in Iraq while serving with the U.S. Army's 82nd Airborne Division, based at Fort Bragg, N.C., family members said. Timothy Adam Fulkerson, 20, was deployed in Iraq in June, his family told the Owensboro Messenger-Inquirer. Read
North Carolina Police Expand Search for Escaped Inmate — Officer.com

Police are searching for an escaped prisoner in Anson County who was recently connected to a string of Charlotte rapes, authorities said. Tuesday night, police expanded the search for Donald Pruitt, watching roads between Anson County and Charlotte, as well as counties east of Anson. Pruitt, age 45 was serving a 28-year 9-month sentence at the Anson Correctional Center for being a habitual felon. Read
Goodyear to Lay off 330 North Carolina Workers — Newswatch50.com

Goodyear has announced plans to lay off 330 hourly employees at a North Carolina plant because of ongoing labor disputes with unionized workers at other facilities. Akron, Ohio-based Goodyear also says it will reduce wire production at the plant in Asheboro Read
Reynolds American Boosts Executive's Salary To $600,000 — WRAL

Reynolds American Inc. has promoted Jeffrey Eckmann to the newly created position of group president and increased his pay 20 percent to $600,000. Read
R.J. Reynolds Agrees to End U.S. Sales of Flavored Cigarettes — HeraldTribune.com

R.J. Reynolds Tobacco Corp. has agreed to a domestic ban on flavored cigarettes such as "Twista Lime" and "Mocha Taboo" that critics say are marketed to youths, officials from 38 states and a U.S. territory said Wednesday. Read
Task Force To Look At Possible Cap On UNC Tuition

Random tuition increases could become less of a mystery if UNC-system President Erskine Bowles gets his way. On Tuesday, a task force will look at his plan to cap the hikes. Read
NCSU Announces Partnerships With Chinese Universities — WRAL

North Carolina State University plans to partner with universities in China to improve its international studies programs and create a "globally savvy work force," the school announced Wednesday. Provost Larry Nielsen and other N.C. State officials will sign agreements with six Chinese universities, including three of the country's top-ranked schools, during a trip to China from Oct. 22 to Nov. 1. Read
Probe Digs into Records on Toxins — Raleigh News and Observer

Environmental investigators tried Monday to figure out what hazardous chemicals burned up last week in a massive chemical fire that caused thousands of people to evacuate Apex last week. Read
ACLU to Support Proposed Gay-Straight Club at Currituck School — HeraldTribune.com

The American Civil Liberties Union plans to support a high school student who's trying to start a Gay-Straight Alliance club in Currituck County, school officials said. Read
7th-Grader's Gun Jams after He Shoots into School Ceiling — Raleigh News and Observer

Police say boy had a plan to terrorize. Read
1 Week Later, Siler City Boy Remains Missing — WRAL

Investigators believe Jorge Aguilera, 29, took his son, Edwin Gonzales, during a staged home invasion early Oct. 1 from the boy's mother's home. He and four men allegedly restrained the mother and two other occupants of the residence with duct tape and threatened to kill them if they did not turn over the child. Read
Southern Shores Residents Left with Grief, Questions in Police Chief's Death — The Virginian Pilot

Thaddeous Pledger seemed to like his job as police chief of this quiet Outer Banks town, and his only complaint Sunday night was a problem with a sore neck, family members said. The department has requested an investigation from the State Bureau of Investigation, Cameron said. Read
Cleanup Continues Near Michigan-Owned North Carolina Plant — Monterey Herald.com

Business owners and work crews tried to clean up Sunday in and around what remained of a Michigan-based company's hazardous waste facility where a spectacular fire prompted the evacuation of thousands of residents. EQ-The Environmental Quality Co. is a privately held waste-disposal company headquartered in Wayne, Mich., about 15 miles west of Detroit. It has Michigan operations in Belleville, Detroit, Romulus and Ypsilanti. Read
N.C. Officials Build Oyster Shell Disposal Sites — HeraldTribune.com

North Carolina officials have finished building two oyster recycling sites in Onslow County just days before the start of the harvesting season to help fishermen comply with a new law that bans oyster shells from landfills. Read
Teacher's Assistant Charged with Having Relationship with Student — HeraldTribune.com

A teacher's assistant in western North Carolina has been charged with having a sexual relationship with a 16-year-old student. Elizabeth Conley Solomon, 39, of Sylva, faces felony charges stemming from a relationship she is accused of having with a male student at Blue Ridge School. The incidents allegedly happened off school grounds, Jackson County Sheriff Jimmy Ashe said. Read
School Beefs Up Security After E-Mail Threats — Raleigh News and Observer

Guilford County sheriff's deputies have been patrolling areas around Northwest High School this week after messages were sent to the school Friday and Monday, Sheriff B.J. Barnes said. Read
Study Sees if Schools can Cut Diabetes Risk — Raleigh News and Observer

They winced when their blood was drawn and fidgeted as the blood pressure cuff tightened. But the sixth-graders were excited about becoming test subjects in a diabetes study, if only to score the $50 gift card offered by researchers. Read
North Carolina Officials Say Officer Broke Rules in Off-Duty Shooting — Officer.com

High-ranking members of the Raleigh Police Department, as well as an attorney, testified Monday that they had no choice but to fire a police officer after she shot and killed a man in August 2005. Read
More Soybean Rust Discovered in Georgia & North Carolina — Wisconsin Ag Connection.com

Asian soybean rust was reported in two new Georgia counties and one new North Carolina county Saturday Read

Congress (adjourned on Saturday until after elections)

Help Reach 250,000 Voters With The "Official Immigration Scorecard!" — Grassfire.org

America's border security crisis is the most important domestic issue facing our nation. That is why Grassfire.org has compiled the "Official Congressional Immigration Scorecard." We've rated every member of Congress on key immigration issues — and even ranked all 50 states based on how that state's congressman voted on border security! Read
Fence Funding in Budget Just the Start — The Washington Times

President Bush has signed off on a small down payment for a 700-mile fence along the U.S.-Mexico border, but legislators and fence advocates worry the barrier will never be fully funded and fear a lack of White House commitment. Lawmakers — including Rep. Duncan Hunter, California Republican and chairman of the House Armed Services Committee — are forcefully reminding the Bush administration and Homeland Security officials that Congress' "directive" that the fence be built is not optional. Read
Newsweek: Foley Liked 'MAD' Dating — NewsMax.com

On one night in 2002 or 2003, an allegedly inebriated Congressman Mark Foley showed up at the congressional pages' dorm after a 10 p.m. curfew and tried to gain entry, according to an account provided by two congressional sources. It is not known if the pages were ever aware that Foley lurked outside their door, but word of the incident reached the House Clerk, who notified Foley's chief of staff, Kirk Fordham. Read
Stop Censorship of Christians through Threat of IRS Action — American Center for Law and Justice

In this very important election season, Christian people still have no protection from intimidation by Americans United for Separation of Church and State and the threat of IRS harassment. What a tragic irony. The American Revolution was virtually born in colonial churches. Clergy were among the signers of the major founding documents of our nation. There should be no restrictions on churches speaking out. Stand with us today and help protect YOUR rights and those of our religious leaders. Please read the form carefully and declare your membership with the ACLJ by signing the Free Speech Petition below.
Ethics Panel Questions Page Supervisors — Newsmax.com

House officials who directly supervise teenage congressional pages were questioned Wednesday by ethics committee investigators probing the handling of former Rep. Mark Foley's inappropriate messages to pages. Read
Poll Shows Foley Case Is Hurting Congress's Image — NYT

Americans say Republicans in Congress put politics ahead of protecting teenage pages, according to the latest Times/CBS News poll. Read
Sen. Harry Reid: $1 Million in Shady Land Deal — Newsmax.com

Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid collected a $1.1 million windfall on a Las Vegas land sale even though he hadn't personally owned the property for three years, property deeds show. In the process, Reid did not disclose to Congress an earlier sale in which he transferred his land to a company created by a friend and took a financial stake in that company, according to records and interviews. Read
Bush Pressing Congress to Make Tax Cuts Permanent — Newsmax.com

U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday said he would continue to press Congress to make his tax cuts permanent after the Treasury Department said the U.S. budget deficit shrank sharply from last year. Read
Budget Deficit Drops to $250 Billion — MoneyNews.com

The federal budget deficit estimate for the fiscal year just completed has dropped to $250 billion, congressional estimators said Friday, as the economy continued to fuel impressive tax revenues. Read
House GOP Wants Probe of Sandy Berger Papers — NewsMax.com

A group of House Republicans called Wednesday for a congressional investigation into the improper handling of classified documents by President Clinton's national security adviser, Sandy Berger. Berger admitted last year that he deliberately took classified documents out of the National Archives in 2003 and destroyed some of them at his office. He pleaded guilty in federal court to one charge of unauthorized removal and retention of classified material and was fined $50,000. Read

Courts

Court Ruling: Wisconsin Program Cannot Exclude Religious Charities — AFA

A federal judge has ruled that Wisconsin's program allowing state employees to donate part of their paychecks to charity may not exclude religious charities on grounds that the groups use religion as a basis for employment or membership on their governing boards Read
Arkansas, Texas Cases Focus on Christians' Free-Speech Rights — Agape Press

Constitutional law attorneys with a Mississippi-based pro-family organization are staying busy defending the free-speech rights of Christians in Arkansas and Texas who are encountering resistance from their local law enforcement officials. Two sisters in Little Rock — Talitha and Rachael Snow, ages 20 and 16 respectively — were charged last month with disorderly conduct for handing out gospel tracts to women who were entering an abortion mill in the capital city. Read
Court Permits Student's Viewpoint Discrimination Lawsuit to Proceed — Agape Press

A federal judge has denied an attempt by a public school district in North Carolina to dismiss a student lawsuit over the district's attempts to prohibit an alternative message to a pro-homosexual observance. Read
Supreme Court Refuses to Reconsider 1973 Doe v. Bolton Abortion Ruling — Baptist Press

The Supreme Court declined Oct. 10 to revisit one of its 1973 opinions that resulted in the legalization of abortion for all reasons throughout all stages of pregnancy. Read
Another Federal Victory for Marriage — CitizenLink.com

The U.S. Supreme Court today declined to hear a challenge to the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) — the latest in a string of court decisions that have reinforced traditional marriage. Mat Staver, president of Liberty Counsel, said the court effectively sided with U.S. District Judge Gary Taylor, who dismissed the case in 2005. It was filed by a same-sex couple seeking to overturn California's definition of marriage — by overturning the federal DOMA. Read
Court Gives Green Light To Lawsuit Challenging School Christmas Music Ban — Evangelical News

Although a lower court dismissed the complaint, a federal court has now ruled that a legal challenge to a New Jersey school district's ban on Christmas music can proceed to trial. Read
Ky. Judge OKs New Sex Offender Limits — AP

Hours after a judge upheld a new state law, deputies in at least one Kentucky county arrested convicted sex offenders Wednesday for allegedly violating new restrictions on how close they may live to schools and other places where children gather. Read
Judge Asked to Free Immigrant Detainees — AP

Several legal advocacy groups asked a federal judge to order the immediate release of four immigrants who have been detained for months or years without receiving a hearing on why they're being held so long. The motion filed Friday asks U.S. District Judge Terry Hatter to release the detainees under conditions of supervision or grant them hearings. Read
Massachusetts Judge OKs Same-Sex Wedding of Out-of-State Couple — Citizenlink.com

A superior-court judge ruled a lesbian couple from Rhode Island should be allowed to marry in Massachusetts, because their state does not specifically prohibit such unions, The Associated Press reported. Read

Christianity/Pro-Family/Religion/Ethics

Christian Aid Groups Raise Suspicion in Strongholds of Islam — The Boston Globe

Christian groups are running health care, education, and disaster relief in many Muslim nations, and USAID has awarded about $53 million from 2001-05 to fund projects by Christians in Pakistan, Indonesia, and Afghanistan alone. Both the aid organizations and the US government hope the projects will sow good will in a region growing increasingly wary of the West. Read
Christian Films are Finding a Welcome in Hollywood — CitizenLink.com

Film studios may be waking up to the faith-and-values crowd. Christian films are alive and well — and making money. Case in point: since the independent movie Facing the Giants opened Sept. 29, it has grossed nearly $3,000,000. Read
Massachusetts First Lady Joins Liberty Sunday Event — CitizenLink.com

Ann Romney, the wife of Gov. Mitt Romney, will join the line up of speakers for "Liberty Sunday: Defending Our First Freedom," scheduled to be simulcast via TV, radio and the Internet from Tremont Temple Baptist Church in Boston on Oct. 15. Ann Romney will introduce a video presentation by her husband. The nationwide event comes in response to the legal battles over marriage taking place in Massachusetts and will highlight how the efforts by homosexual activists are clashing with constitutional religious liberties. Read
Bigger Families Gain in Popularity — The Washington Times

Laura Bennett isn't bound by convention. Professionally, at 42, she's pursuing a midcareer switch into big-time fashion design. At home, she's a mother of five — with No. 6 due next month. Read
Source: Canadian Government to Protect Religion and Conscience Rights over Gay "Marriage" — LifeSiteNews.com

If the current attempt to restore the traditional definition of marriage as the union of one man and one woman fails, the Conservative Government will propose legal protections for those who oppose homosexual 'marriage,' according to what a government source revealed to the Globe and Mail. The Globe reported today that a source within the Government has revealed that should the homosexual 'marriage' law stand, the government is planning a "Defence of Religions Act" to allow religious and conscientious objection to homosexuality and homosexual 'marriage.' Read
In The Classroom Of James Hartline: The Illegal Immigration Invasion Of America: Biblical Solutions To The U.S. Border Crisis — The James Hartline Report

"But it shall come about, if you will not obey the Lord, to observe to do all His commandments and His statutes with which I charge you today, that all of these curses shall come upon you and overtake you": Deuteronomy 28:15 Read
Pakistan's Longest Held Christian Prisoner "Feels Forgotten" By Church — Worthy News

One of Pakistan's longest held Christian prisoners faced another uphill battle Saturday, October 7 as he "feels forgotten by the Church," amid alleged pressure by fellow inmates to covert to Islam and health problems, friends and investigators told BosNewsLife. Read
Across Europe, Worries on Islam Spread to Center — NYT

More people in the political mainstream are arguing that Islam cannot be reconciled with European values. Read
Persecuted Chinese Christian Granted Asylum After 11-Year Fight — Citizenlink.com

U.S. agency that sought his deportation will not appeal. Read
Pentecostal Christians Widening Influence, Says Poll — Fox News

A new 10-nation survey of Pentecostal and charismatic Christians, considered the fastest-growing stream of Christianity worldwide, shows they are deeply influencing the Roman Catholic and mainstream Protestant churches and are poised to make a big impact on global affairs. Read
Egypt: Christian Girl Escapes Muslim Kidnappers — Worthy News

An Egyptian Christian teenager escaped her Muslim kidnappers last week hours after they had drugged her on a public bus. While holding her captive, they threatened to rape her and convert her to Islam if her family did not leave their Nile Delta city of El-Mahala el-Kobra. Read
As Religious Programs Expand, Disputes Rise Over Tax Breaks — NYT

As religious organizations extend their scope beyond traditional worship, government at all levels is increasingly extending their tax exemptions. Read
Replacing 'Mom and Dad' — Agape Press

Kanab, Utah, is a mostly Mormon town of about 3,500 people, beholden to the roughly quarter-million tourists who come through the county on their way to nearby Grand Canyon, Bryce Canyon and Zion National Parks. So why have some people called for a boycott of Kanab? Simply put, the mayor and town council had the audacity to unanimously pass a non-binding resolution calling for government to support and uphold the "natural family." The reason for government support, the resolution said, is that the natural family is a boon to its members and a protection against the "most serious public pathologies," such as crime, substance abuse and poverty. Read
Religion-Based Tax Breaks: Housing to Paychecks to Books — NYT

Churches and ordained clergy of all faiths get a series of tax exemptions that secular organizations and workers do not. Read
Congregations Express Appreciation for Clergy — CitizenLink.com

October is a time to let ministers know they are cared for. Read
William Penn's Act for Freedom of Conscience Remains Instructive 324 Years Later — Christian Worldview Network.com

In 1682, William Penn, the Governor of Pennsylvania, ratified a law calling for "freedom of conscience" in religious matters. The act included multiple provisions, including penalties for swearing in the name of God and setting aside the Sabbath as a day of scriptural study. But the central purpose of the act was to protect religious conscience for the many denominations and branches of Christianity. It provided for protection of "Christian liberty" and stated that none would be "molested or prejudiced for his or her conscientious persuasion or practice" of religious worship. Read
Pope Set to Bring Back Latin Mass that Divided the Church — Timesonline.co.uk

The Pope is taking steps to revive the ancient tradition of the Latin Tridentine Mass in Catholic churches worldwide, according to sources in Rome. Pope Benedict XVI is understood to have signed a universal indult — or permission — for priests to celebrate again the Mass used throughout the Church for nearly 1,500 years. The indult could be published in the next few weeks, sources told The Times. Read

Abortion/Pro-Life

Abortion Clinic Reborn as Pro-Life Center — CitizenLink.com

Operation Rescue is creating a headquarters in an unlikely spot. Read
South Dakota 'Ground Zero' in Abortion War — Newsmax.com

Kim Shemon crooks an elbow around her four-month-old daughter and keeps a wary eye on her four-year-old son as she puts a donation on the table and picks up a "Vote Yes for Life" sign for her yard. The busy mother is part of a surge of support for South Dakota's new ban on abortion, rallying to defend the law in a referendum on Nov. 7. Read

Alcohol/Drugs/Health

Arkansas Hamlet Puts Pot's Priority to a Vote — LA Times

Here in the heart of the Bible Belt, where local laws often restrict the sale of liquor, grass-roots campaigns to decriminalize marijuana have gone nowhere. But to the surprise of pot enthusiasts across the state, residents in the small tourist town of Eureka Springs will vote next month on whether to make misdemeanor marijuana arrests the city's lowest law enforcement priority. Read
Airport Drops Program for Muslim Cabbies — AP

Airport officials on Tuesday dropped a proposal to accommodate Muslim cabbies who refused to transport passengers with alcohol because of religious concerns. Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport officials had worked with the Muslim American Society and taxi companies on a pilot program directing Muslim cabbies to place a light atop their cabs to designate they won't take riders carrying alcohol. Airport employees could then refer such travelers to other cabs. But airport authorities said the public response was overwhelmingly negative, and some taxi companies feared that people would switch to other forms of ground transportation. Read
E. Coli Fears Prompt Recall of Lettuce — AP

Less than a week after the Food and Drug Administration lifted its warning on fresh spinach grown in California's Salinas Valley, a popular brand of lettuce grown there was recalled Sunday over concerns about E. coli contamination. Read
Alzheimer's Drugs Offer No Help, Study Finds — NYT

Drugs to soothe agitation in people with Alzheimer's are no more effective than placebos for most patients. Read

Education/Sex Ed/Teens/Children

Colleges Seeking Homeschoolers — CitizenLink.com

Academic excellence is opening doors. Read
Home-Schooling Families Under the Government's Thumb in Deutschland — Agape Press

A U.S.-based home-school group says home-schooling families in Germany are facing increasing persecution from their government and need help from concerned Americans. In the latest incident, the European Human Rights Court upheld a German court decision against the parents who wanted to home-school their children. The Human Rights Court states that public schools represent society, and that it is in the best interests of the children "to become part of that society." Read
'Five Pillars of Islam' Taught in Public School — WorldNetDailey.com

'Education practice wouldn't last 10 seconds if kids told to dress as priests' Read
Young Shoppers Want to Pay with Chip in Skin — Drudge Report

Some customers are willing to have microchip implants as a means of paying in stores, a report out today says. Teenagers are more open to the idea of having a high-tech shopping experience, the Tomorrow's Shopping World report suggests. Read
UW Instructor Compares Bush to Hitler — HeraldTribune.com

A university instructor who came under scrutiny for arguing that the U.S. government orchestrated the Sept. 11 attacks likens President Bush to Adolf Hitler in an essay his students are being required to buy for his course. The essay by Kevin Barrett, "Interpreting the Unspeakable: The Myth of 9/11," is part of a $20 book of essays by 15 authors, according to an unedited copy first obtained by WKOW-TV in Madison and later by The Associated Press. Read
National Gay Groups Fight Parents in Massachusetts — Citizenlink.com

National gay-activist groups have joined a legal battle over whether Massachusetts parents have a right to shield their children from exposure to homosexual propaganda in the classroom, LifeSiteNews.com reported. The groups jointly filed a brief that attacks the parents' right to file suit. Read
School Bus Video Captures Girl's Brutal Beating — WRAL

Two junior high school students in New Mexico face criminal charges and expulsions after a school bus beating. The beating was captured on tape by a security camera on Oct. 3. Read
Researchers to Study What Makes Good Kids Good — Citizenlink.com

Baylor University has received a $400,000 grant from the U.S. Office of Juvenile Justice and Delinquency Prevention for the purpose of research dedicated to examining the role of religion in the good behavior of youth. Read
Bush Summit on School Violence Opens — LA Times

More than metal detectors or security cameras, the key to halting school violence is communication, safety specialists said at a White House-led summit Tuesday. President Bush called experts together after three deadly shootings at schools in Wisconsin, Colorado and Pennsylvania. In panel discussions led by members of Bush's Cabinet, speakers said the best response is basic: get parents, school leaders, students and police to work together. Read
Michigan Schools OKs Teaching Evolution in Science Class, Not Intelligent Design — Fox News

The State Board of Education on Tuesday approved public school curriculum guidelines that support the teaching of evolution in science classes — but not intelligent design. Read
Parents are Key to School Safety — CitizenLink.com

Some dads are volunteering to watch over schools. Read

Gambling

Israel Opens First Horse Racetrack — Newsmax.com

Outraged animal-rights activists, a disapproving rabbi and even a ban on betting the ponies failed to halt the inauguration of Israel's first horse racetrack on Wednesday. Read

God and Country/National Security/Politics/Economy

Duty-Bound Soldier Dies in Line of Fire — N.H. Man Shunned Desk Job and Chose Iraq — The Boston Globe

With combat experience in Afghanistan already under his belt, Army Corporal Nicholas Arvanitis had an opportunity that would make the hearts of some soldiers leap: He could stay in the United States instead of shipping out to Iraq. ''He had orders to be a recruiter, and he turned them down," said his sister, Kimberly Arvanitis of Manchester, N.H. ''He wanted to be there with his men. He said he felt he wouldn't be doing his duty if he didn't go. He didn't want to be a desk guy — his place was in the field, fighting with the others." Read
U.S. Military Deaths in Iraq Hit 2,753 — AP

As of Tuesday, Oct. 10, 2006, at least 2,753 members of the U.S. military have died since the beginning of the Iraq war in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. The figure includes seven military civilians. At least 2,192 died as a result of hostile action, according to the military's numbers. Read
Data Suggests Vast Costs Loom in Disability Claims — NYT

Nearly one in five soldiers leaving the military after serving in Iraq and Afghanistan has been at least partly disabled as a result of service, according to Department of Veterans Affairs documents. Read
Al-Qaida Escapee from U.S. Prison Urges Followers in New Video to go Nuclear — Brietbart.com

An al-Qaida member who escaped from a U.S. prison in Afghanistan urged his followers in a new video aired Tuesday to acquire nuclear technology. Abu Yahia al-Libi, who broke out of prison in July 2005, appeared in a video broadcast by the pan-Arab Al-Arabiya TV, telling his followers "to get prepared by starting with exercise...then learn technology until you are capable of nuclear weapons," he said. Read
U.K. Muslim Admits Plot to Blow Up New York Stock Exchange — Newsmax.com

A Briton arrested amid a massive U.S. security alert two years ago admitted in a London court on Thursday to plotting to blow up the New York Stock Exchange and carry out "dirty bomb" attacks in Britain. Dhiren Barot, a Muslim convert, admitted to plotting to blow up the stock exchange and other U.S. financial hubs including the headquarters of the International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Citigroup and Prudential in Washington, New Jersey and New York. Read
States Are Growing More Lenient in Allowing Felons to Vote — NYT

The trend toward loosened voting restrictions for felons is hailed by some rights advocates as a step toward democratic principles, especially for black Americans. Read
Videos Prompt Treason Charge for Southland Man — LA Times

A Southern California convert to Islam who has appeared in five incendiary Al Qaeda videos became the first American since the World War II era to be charged with treason, authorities announced. Read
Lehman: U.S. Heads to 150-Ship Navy — NewsMax.com

As Secretary of the Navy in the Reagan administration, John Lehman pushed for a 600-ship U.S. Navy. Now he says we're headed for a 150-ship force — and that is courting disaster. "We're building only five ships a year," he declared in an interview with the New York Sun. "We're on the way to a 150-ship Navy. That is not enough to cover our security requirements." The ultimate threat is China, which is "now building their 600-ship Navy, to fill the vacuum," he said. "And they're very good ships." Read
U.S. Troops Improve Life in Iraqi Quarter — The Seattle Times

...over the last few weeks, U.S. officials and Iraqi residents say, life has improved markedly in the notorious quarter, thanks to a U.S.-led effort to improve security and services. On a tour of the largely Sunni Arab district with U.S. soldiers Tuesday, a day in which at least 60 mutilated bodies were found elsewhere in Baghdad and violence left another 23 dead across Iraq, schoolchildren walked home along streets recently cleared of rotting garbage mounds. Young men emerged from newly reopened shops on main thoroughfares. Women shopped at outdoor produce stands. "Electricity is a problem, jobs are a problem, there's no gas, but thank God," said one woman as she gestured toward a group of U.S. soldiers, "security has gotten better." Read
U.S. Says Blacks in Mississippi Suppress White Vote — NYT

The Justice Department is pursuing the first federal lawsuit under the Voting Rights Act accusing blacks of suppressing the rights of whites. Read
FBI Lacks Agents Who are Proficient in Arabic — The Seattle Times

Five years after Arab terrorists attacked the United States, only 33 FBI agents have even a limited proficiency in Arabic, and none works in sections that coordinate investigations of international terrorism, according to new bureau statistics. Counting agents who know only a handful of Arabic words — including those who score "zero" on a standard proficiency test — only 1 percent of the FBI's 12,000 agents have any familiarity with the language, the statistics show. Read
US Urges Tough N. Korea Sanctions — The Boston Globe

The United States proposed in emergency meetings yesterday that the UN Security Council employ a series of aggressive countermeasures against North Korea following Pyongyang's announcement that it had successfully conducted a nuclear test. Read
U.S. Doubts Korean Test was Nuclear — Washington Times

U.S. intelligence agencies say, based on preliminary indications, that North Korea did not produce its first nuclear blast yesterday. Read
Rice says US will not invade North Korea — Ynet News

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Tuesday the United States would not attack North Korea, rejecting a suggestion that Pyongyang may feel it needs nuclear weapons to stave off an Iraq-style US invasion. President George W. Bush, Rice said, has told the "the North Koreans that there is no intention to invade or attack them. So they have that guarantee. ... I don't know what more they want." Read
Test Byproduct: Quick Scramble to Point Fingers — NYT

A bitter row broke out between Republicans and Democrats over who was responsible for allowing North Korea to achieve nuclear capability. Read
For U.S., a Strategic Jolt After North Korea's Test — NYT

The concern is not so much where North Korea's warheads are aimed, but in whose hands its weapons and know-how end up. Read
Mexico to Take Border Fence Battle to U.N. — NewsMax.com

Mexico's foreign secretary said Monday the country may take a dispute over U.S. plans to build a fence on the Mexican border to the United Nations. Read
BAE Says it Won a $450M Navy Contract — The Boston Globe

British aerospace company BAE Systems PLC said Tuesday it won orders with the U.S. government worth at least US$669 million (euro531.1 million). The company received a US$450 million (euro357.2 million) contract with the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command to reengineer and remanufacture obsolete aircraft parts for the Navy and other U.S. agencies. Read
EU, U.S. Agree on Air Passenger Data — ABC News

European Union and U.S. negotiators reached a deal Friday on sharing trans-Atlantic air passenger data for anti-terror investigations, concluding arduous talks that highlighted divisions over privacy rights. Read
Donald Trump: U.S. Losing Edge to China — NewsMax.com

Real estate tycoon Donald Trump lashed out at the U.S. government on Monday for allowing China to gain the upper hand in trade, which he said had partly led to a loss of U.S. jobs and shrinking of the middle class. Read
F.B.I. Struggling to Reinvent Itself to Fight Terror — NYT

Five years after the 9/11 attacks, F.B.I. culture still respects door-kicking investigators more than deskbound analysts sifting through tidbits of data. Read
Army and Other Ground Forces Meet '06 Recruiting Goals — NYT

The Pentagon is to announce this week that the ground forces, and the rest of the military, all reached their targets for recruits in 2006. Read
3 Polls Show Voters Shying from GOP — SunSentinel.com

Three independent polls released yesterday demonstrated the political damage that congressional Republicans and particularly House Speaker Dennis Hastert have sustained since a GOP congressman's sexually explicit electronic messages to underage pages were disclosed late last month. Read
U.S. Fears Export of Technology — LA Times

The sanctions demanded by U.S. officials in response to North Korea's announcement this week that it had tested a nuclear device would focus on closing pathways to proliferation of weapons technology. Read
Crude Oil Plunges to Lowest This Year on Doubts of OPEC Cuts — Bloomberg.com

Crude oil plunged to the lowest this year in New York on doubts that OPEC ministers will agree to cut production enough to stem falling prices. Read
U.S. to Permit Spare Airplane Parts Exports to Iran — Newsmax.com

The Bush administration said it is approving exports to Iran of spare parts and other equipment for the country's national airline, despite the standoff with Tehran over its nuclear program. Read

Pornography/Homosexuality/Obscenity/Immorality/Sexual Abuse

U.S. Headed Toward "Moral Scurvy" Zell Miller Warns — Evangelical News

A lack of decency has "become the norm" in America, as Zell Miller sees it, and without strong mediation, a "moral scurvy" will overtake the nation. The former U.S. senator and Georgia governor, speaking in Mobile, Ala., on the "war over the soul of America," stated: "We must reclaim our lost heritage — our times demand it, the condition of our country compels it." America's moral deterioration stands in stark contrast with its "lost heritage" of dependence on God and the uncompromising integrity and spirituality of its founders, Miller told an audience of 675 people at the University of Mobile's second annual scholarship banquet. Read
Campaigns Combating Pornography to Begin in October — CitizenLink.com

Two campaigns against pornography get under way at the end of this month to increase public awareness of the dangers.

Protection from Pornography Week and the White Ribbon Against Pornography (WRAP) Campaign begin Oct. 29. Read
D.C. Prostitution Ring: Next Scandal — NewsMax.com

Federal agents have seized more than $427,000 in cash and stocks from a woman accused of running a money-laundering scheme from her Washington-based prostitution business, court records obtained Monday show. Read
State Enlists Guardian Angels to Fight Online — SunSentinel.com

Once dismissed as "vigilantes" by Mayor Ed Koch, the Guardian Angels further cemented their place as legitimate crime fighters Monday after the state gave the group a $200,000 grant to fight cyber wrongdoing. "It just goes to show that people can change their attitudes based on performance," said Curtis Sliwa, who founded the Guardian Angels in 1979 while working as a night manager at a McDonald's. "If Bill Clinton can recognize the CyberAngels, then [Gov. George] Pataki must have thought why not tap into this himself." Read
Ohio Prosecutor Charged With Indecency — Brietbart.com

A city prosecutor was charged with indecency after a security camera caught him walking around naked in a government building after business hours. Scott Blauvelt, 35, was arrested Monday and released from jail to await a hearing in Hamilton Municipal Court, where he usually works. Read

Other News

Japan Is Set to Ban North Korean Ships — Drudge Report

Japan is set to ban all North Korean ships from Japanese ports as part of additional sanctions against the communist regime over its declared nuclear test, the National Public Safety chief said Wednesday. Read
China Losing Patience With Nuclear Ambitions

China, which holds the key to whether tough U.N. sanctions will be imposed for North Korea's nuclear test, warned its ally Tuesday that the detonation would harm relations, but called on the United Nations to use "positive and appropriate measures." Read
Tshuva to Join Ginko in Dead Sea Oil Explorations — Ynet News

Businessman mogul Yitzhak Tshuva is teaming up with the Ginko Oil Exploration Company in the search for oil in the Dead Sea. Tshuva's companies Delek Drilling and Avner Oil Exploration signed an agreement with Ginko Sunday for a 50 percent investment in Dead Sea drilling licenses. The companies' initial investment will total some USD 4.4 million. Read
Evangelicals invest $40 Million in Aliya — Jerusalem Post

A Jerusalem-based Evangelical Christian organization announced Tuesday that it has helped 100,000 Jews move to Israel during the past decade and a half. Read

Disclaimer: The Christian Action League of North Carolina does not necessarily endorse or agree with every opinion expressed in every article posted on this site.

Index of Weekly Issues Alerts

2007

2006