World Magazine Blog

Russian hostage update

Yesterday this blog noted two Ossetian Christian ministry workers whose children were trapped in the school gym in Beslan. Rescuers found two in the rubble of the gym, severely burned. They were rushed to hospital. One is Taymuraz Totiev's daughter, and the other is his brother Sergey's son. Between them they had eight children caught in the crisis. The remaining six are still missing. The brothers work for Russian Ministries, which has set up a terror relief fund for families in the community. If you'd like to make a donation, click here.

Russian hostage update

Yesterday this blog noted two Ossetian Christian ministry workers whose children were trapped in the school gym in Beslan. Rescuers found two in the rubble of the gym, severely burned. They were rushed to hospital. One is Taymuraz Totiev's daughter, and the other is his brother Sergey's son. Between them they had eight children caught in the crisis. The remaining six are still missing. The brothers work for Russian Ministries, which has set up a terror relief fund for families in the community. If you'd like to make a donation, click here.

Pre-rally prayer

President Bush spoke at a campaign rally in Milwaukee today, so this blogger copped a ticket. News coverage does not usually show what happens before the big speeches. This rally began with a pro-life prayer. When the president came to the podium, he first calmed the raucus crowd and said that before he gets into his speech, he wanted to mention some things that "we need to remember in our prayers." He informed the crowd that former-president Clinton had been hospitalized (he has apparently suffered a mild heart attack and faces bypass surgery), saying that he had called him and urged everyone to pray for him. (The crowd, though very partisan, applauded their agreement.) President Bush also called for prayer for the people of Florida facing Hurricane Frances and for the children and their families at the school in Russia where the terrorists attacked.

UPDATE: The Associated Press is reporting that the audience booed President Clinton and that "President Bush did nothing to stop them." That is a gross misrepresentation. If the AP reporter heard boos from the press box, this blogger down on the floor heard nothing but polite applause.

Must see TV

MSNBC finally released the transcript of Chris Matthews’ combustive interview with Zell Miller. Obviously peeved by Miller's fiery speech Wednesday night, Matthews questioned the Georgia Senator pointedly. Miller, too, was on edge (adrenaline?) after delivering what amounted to friendly fire on his fellow Democrats.

The transcript below picks up at the point when Matthews, from MSNBC's makeshift Herald Square studio asked Miller, on a hook-up from the convention hall, a pointed question. The Georgia Senator misheard Matthews’ question, thinking the MSNBC anchor had accused him of saying Republicans wanted to kill old people. But when Matthews kept interrupting, Miller went ballistic, even wishing aloud he lived in a dueling society. Here's how it turned out:

Unfit 2

Here's a bit of Senator Kerry's late night tirade:

"Let me tell you in no uncertain terms what makes someone unfit for office and unfit for duty," Kerry said, turning to Bush. "Misleading our nation into war in Iraq makes you unfit to lead our country. Doing nothing while this nation loses millions of jobs makes you unfit to lead this country. Letting 45 million Americans go without health care for four years makes you unfit to lead this country..."

Sen. Kerry's speech reminds me of the way a kid might respond to criticism. The adult says, "I don't like the way you picked up your toys." The child answers, "I don't like you."

Unfit

Late last night John Kerry lashed out at Vice President Cheney, saying "The vice president called me unfit for office last night."

The New York Times picked up that charge: "Mr. Cheney capped a weeklong assault on Mr. Kerry's character and national-security credentials at the Republican convention on Wednesday, saying that he honored Mr. Kerry's service in Vietnam but that the senator's 20-year voting record on foreign policy and military issues made him unfit to be president."

Even Fox News picked up on the language: "arguing that although they respected his decorated Vietnam War service, Kerry's 20-year voting record in the Senate on national security issues made him unfit for the nation's top job."

I watched Cheney's speech Wednesday night and remembered him attacking Kerry's Senate voting record, but didn't remember him calling the senator "unfit." Turns out he didn't. That's Kerry's characterization of what his voting record means, not Cheney's. To read the part of Cheney's speech that talks about Kerry's record, read on.

Numbers game

The morning after George W. Bush’s acceptance speech, the Rasmussen daily poll showed what Republicans hope to be the leading edge of a modest post-convention bounce. Rasmussen tracked Bush ahead of Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry 49-45. Rasmussen conducted only a portion of the interviews after the President’s speech before the convention. A better read on the effect of the GOP convention should come early next week.

A welcoming place

Here's an interesting reaction to Pres. Bush's speech last night:

For all its faults, for all its overtly- and overly-religious tones, this small-l libertarian prefers George Bush’s America to John Kerry’s. I don’t care for NASCAR. I’m not much for country music, Sundays at church, blue-eyed soul, or faith-based initiatives.

But Bush made me feel welcome all the same. No, wait – let me amend that statement, too. Bush made me feel like his place is somewhere I’d like to spend some time and get to know the locals. You know -- down a few beers, chat up the natives and learn their quaint customs.

I don’t feel as welcome, as at home, in the America Kerry painted for us tonight.

Party of the rich and the poor

According to the old stereotype, the Republicans are the party of the rich, while the Democrats are the party of the "little guy." But now, according to demographic studies (subscription required), that is no longer the case. America's wealthy elite now tends to vote Democratic. So do the very poor. Republicans mainly occupy the middle income strata. Questions: Why is this? What do the very rich have in common with the very poor that would make them both liberals?

Rare praise from Michael Moore

Generally a scathing critic, this week Michael Moore offered the president and his wife rare praise - not for his politics, of course, but for their parenting skills. Moore, who said his favorite part of the Republican National Convention was the Bush twins' appearance, made the following comments in a recent editorial:

[George] and Laura have obviously done a good job raising two bright, independent women. He made their privacy a top priority and did what he could to protect them. They clearly love their parents and, when you see that happen, you know the Bushes did something right in their home. For that, they should be commended.

The praise was short-lived, quickly digressing into criticisms of Bush's "miscalculations" in the war:

Theme songs

The band at the GOP convention had planned to play "American Woman" when Laura Bush took the stage, until they remembered the lyrics, in which the singer tells the American woman to "get away from me" because, among other reasons, of her "war machine." So, instead, they played "Isn't She Lovely." The president, of course, gets "Hail to the Chief," but the vice president, at his request, got "Where the Stars and Stripes and the Eagle Flies." So reports the Wall Street Journal (subscription required). What songs would you suggest for John Kerry, John Edwards, John McCain, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and other political players today?

Any thoughts on W's speech?

Terrific Bush speech last night, I thought. Many great lines, including "Some folks look at me and see a certain swagger, which in Texas is called 'walking.'" But what do you think?

Commandos storm the school

Russian commandos charged the school where terrorists were holding hundreds of children hostage. They took control, but at potentially a terrible cost. Explosives were set off and killings began. Details have not yet been confirmed, but one reporter said that he saw some 100 bodies in the school gymnasium, where the children were held.

Democrats=two parties

Dick Morris makes an important point about John Kerry.

Last night, Dick Cheney said that "America sees two John Kerry's" and that Kerry's "liveliest disagreement" is with himself. But that's not Kerry's biggest problem. His real conundrum is that his voters disagree with one another on almost every major foreign-policy and terrorism issue. So, no matter what Kerry says, he will alienate a goodly portion of his voters.

Muslim scarf ban begins

Despite the demands of Islamic radicals holding two French hostages in Iraq, French students returned to school today as a new law banning Islamic head scarves at school went into effect. Although the law also bans apparel like the Jewish skull cap and large Christian crosses, it directly targets head scarves, viewed as a sign of rising Muslim fundamentalism. Muslims argue that not all who wear head scarves are fundamentalists, and that girls are being forced to choose between their beliefs and staying in school. France's Muslim population is an estimated 5 million, the largest in Western Europe. Is France as "liberal" as we think? Should the US consider similar laws?

Chinese love lessons

Concerned with the rising amount of puppy-dog pubescent love facilitated by internet chatrooms and encouraged by increasing media exposure, Shanghai officials are broaching a historically taboo topic for China’s public square: love, true love. Schools are adding trial courses to their curriculum for 15-year-olds that include stories and poems on love. Teachers are leading discussions on what real love is. Many U.S. teens could certainly use such instruction as well, but can you imagine the definition American public school health classes would offer for what real love is? Maybe something like: an animalistic attraction between any two people that often results in sexual intercourse where possible or other expressions of physical affection. Any other ideas?

"Our only hope now"

An eyewitness to the hostage crisis outside No. 1 Middle School in Northern Ossetia told WORLD that hundreds of shellshocked parents don't expect a happy ending, given the Russian government's previous ham-handed tactics with hostage-takers. "The only thing they ask, believers or non-believers, is please pray that God will protect our children," said Genady Terkun, a local missionary for Illinois' Russian Ministries.

Bush's savage rape?

A featured performer at a National Organization for Women rally accused President Bush of having "savagely raped " women "over and over" by allegedly stealing the 2000 presidential election, CNS News Service reports:

Poet Molly Birnbaum read aloud to a crowd of feminists gathered in New York's Central Park on Wednesday night, as part of a NOW event dubbed "Code Red: Stop the Bush Agenda Rally."

"Imagine a way to erase that night four years ago when you (President Bush) savagely raped every pandemic woman over and over with each vote you got, a thrust with each state you stole," Birnbaum said from the podium. (If something is pandemic, it affects many people or a number of countries.)

"A smack with each bill you passed, a tear with each right you took until you left me disenfranchised with hands shackled and voice restrained. Thanks for that night, Mr. President, I can barely remember my tomorrows," Birnbaum said to applause.

"We are not some fringe lunatics, we are the people," Donna Leiberman of the New York Civil Liberties Union later told the crowd. "We are the mainstream of America."

Okay, Donna...if you say so.

Letter of the day: Bush embarrassment

What do you think about this email from Alex Forrest about President Bush's daughters at the GOP convention: "Apparently, having them up there was supposed to be some kind of appeal to get younger voters? As if a couple of references to pop culture (Outkast, Sex and the City) is enough for young voters to suddenly connect with a candidate or party and vote for them? It's insulting to anyone under 30. The real way to attract younger voters is to engage them with vision and with issues they care about.

"If I were Bush, I'd talk about terrorism, I'd talk about a plan to privatize at least part of the Social Security system (we all know we're not ever going to get out of it what we put into it), I'd talk about tax cuts, I'd talk about education (and educational choice). You don't have to have a 22 year old who is hip on pop culture. You just need someone who can communicate a clear vision and inspire confidence. Otherwise the parties just look like a middle-aged guy desperately trying to hang on to fading youth and be cool. You know what I'm talking about. It's just kind of sad. Just be real."

"Passion" the sequel?

A fansite for "The Passion of the Christ" is offering visitors the chance to vote on what subject they would like Mel Gibson to tackle next in a movie. Here are the choices:

(1)Life of St. Paul (2) Story of Adam and Eve (3) St. Francis (4) Life of King David (5) Moses and Ten Commandments (6) Life of Christ Before Passion (7) The Resurrection (8) Acts of the Apostles (9) Revelation / Apocalypse (10) Noah and the Ark

To vote, click here. There is no guarantee that Gibson will go with the topic that gets the most votes. Still, which of these subjects do you think would work best as a movie?

Border-hopping on a prayer

More than two-thirds of illegal immigrants caught by the U.S. Border Patrol in the Arizona desert have a religious relic and/or a Bible with them, according to Andy Adame, spokesman for the U.S. Border Patrol’s Tucson, Ariz., sector. Mr. Adame told the Associated Press that most Mexicans he encounters trying to cross the border illegally make some claim to faith. That’s hardly surprising considering Mexico’s entrenchment in Roman Catholicism. But it is interesting that many of the immigrants seem confident that God will help them illegally cross the border.

"Passion" video a smash hit

The release of "The Passion of the Christ" on video and DVD is another blockbuster success, just as the movie was. In the first day, 4.1 million copies were sold, setting a record for an R-rated movie. (The biggest one-day sales were racked up by "Finding Nemo," at 8 million.) On an average, each consumer was buying 1.8 copies, reflecting the way churches are taking advantage of an offer to buy in quantity. Experts think the video will sell as many as 18 million copies and earn $400 million, making the controversial portrayal of Christ on the Cross one of the most successful movies of all time.

Russia's 9/1

The first of September may be for Russians what the eleventh is for us. Though Russia has had an abundance of terrorist attacks from Chechen Islamists, the current takeover of a school filled with children is particularly traumatic. The terrorists are threatening to kill 50 of their young hostages for every jihadist that is killed. They will kill 20 children for every jihadist that is wounded. Seven people have already died, including a father who was trying to rescue his child.

Negotiations with the hostage takers, which includes many women--a distinctive feature of Chechen terrorism--have been initiated, though they have reportedly broken down. Russian president Vladimir Putin is saying that troops will not rush the building, trying to asuage fears of a repeat of the mass deaths that ensued when Chechens seized a theater and the commandos pumped in noxious gas and charged the building. In the meantime, hundreds of panicked and exhausted parents have filled a nearby auditorium, waiting for news and praying for their children. For a chronology of events, click here.

A terrible day

Gen-W's Bunnie Diehl posted on her sub-blog a piece on how D-Day would be reported by the press today. The lead: "June 6, 1944. -NORMANDY- Three hundred French civilians were killed and thousands more wounded today in the first hours of America's invasion of continental Europe."

He demands satisfaction

Anyone who tuned into MSNBC after prime time coverage of the Republican National Convention last night witnessed a truly rare event. Georgia Democratic Senator Zell Miller, who delivered a red-meat speech to conservatives, came close to challenging MSNBC host Chris Matthews to a pistol fight. Miller obviously had trouble hearing the anchor over the noise, thinking Matthews had accused him of alleging Republicans wanted to starve babies. Editor and Publisher captured the unforgettable exchange:

"You're hopeless," Miller told Matthews, dead serious, speaking over a hook-up from Madison Square Garden, where he had earlier delivered the keynote address. "I wish I was with you there because I want to get in your face." Then Miller said he wished they were back in the age when you could challenge someone to a duel. "I don't know why I came on this program," he added, amidst four minutes of heated exchanges.

Womb raiders

New research suggests 70,000 women die from unsafe abortions each year. Of course, were those abortions performed “safely,” 70,000 babies would still die. Pro-abortion organizations like the Ipas group are working to decrease the number of unsafe abortions by removing stigmas and increasing availability, moves that will increase the number of all abortions. But cannot even the most stanch abortion supporters agree that avoiding unwanted pregnancies in the first place is superior to killing a baby? Why not encourage those 70,000 women not to get pregnant? Apparently, the value of a baby is considered less than that of unfettered promiscuity.

6,000 May Lose Jobs at United

United Airlines is considering plans to cut an additional 6,000 jobs, 10 percent of its workforce, and take another $655 million out of annual operating costs as part of a more radical overhaul of its business plan. The airline needs aggressive changes after the Airline Transportation Stabilization Board rejected its application for a $1.6 billion federal loan guarantee at the end of June. US Airways and Delta Airlines are also struggling with their unions to find millions of dollars to stay alive. Should the government bail out these airlines to save jobs?

RNC Protests: The Cloudbuster

This is not a joke. The Brooklyn Orgastic Politics Collective has big plans for Thursday night during the final session of the Republican National Convention. Alleging that Bush and company have repressed their "Orgone bio-energy", BOP members will try to reverse the "crippling, evil" energy of GOP delegates by using tube kits resembling anti-aircraft guns.

Interactive electoral map

Interesting electoral college map over at the L.A. Times website (click here, then scroll down until you see it.) The map shows current aggregate electoral votes considered locked up by each presidential candidate. Plus, when you roll your mouse over a state, it shows, in rolling graphics below the map, current polling data for that state.

See no evil...

The Swiftvets' lawyer, Benjamin Ginsburg, documents the connections between the Kerry campaign, 527s, and big Democratic donors--and points out that the mainstream press doesn't seem to care.

If you aren't a girlie man, you are a Republican

California governor and action star Arnold Schwarzenegger had a hit with his speech at the Republican national convention. It included these lines:

If you believe that government should be accountable to the people, not the people to the government...then you are a Republican! If you believe a person should be treated as an individual, not as a member of an interest group... then you are a Republican! If you believe your family knows how to spend your money better than the government does... then you are a Republican! If you believe our educational system should be held accountable for the progress of our children ... then you are a Republican! If you believe this country, not the United Nations (news - web sites), is the best hope of democracy in the world ... then you are a Republican! And, ladies and gentlemen ...if you believe we must be fierce and relentless and terminate terrorism ... then you are a Republican! There is another way you can tell you're a Republican. You have faith in free enterprise, faith in the resourcefulness of the American people ... and faith in the U.S. economy. To those critics who are so pessimistic about our economy, I say: "Don't be economic girlie men!"

Many cultural conservatives are annoyed that the convention is featuring moderates such as Schwarzenegger, who is pro-abortion, and playing down its socially-conservative platform. But does the Terminator have a point? The Republican Party includes a large faction of libertarians (who tend to be morally tolerant) and business interests, as well as Christian conservatives. These groups have different agendas, but they would all agree with the principles stated here. The Democrats, who suppress any of their politicians who have pro-life sympathies, are far less diverse. Is it wrong for Christians to be in a big tent, as long as their agenda--for example, conservative judges and as many restrictions on abortion as possible--is by their presence advanced, though not completely implemented?

Court questions Terri's law

Terri Schiavo's life is on the line again, as the Florida Supreme Court is hearing objections to the law the state legislature passed that prevented her ex-husband from demanding that she be starved to death against her family's wishes. In initial questioning, justices on the court expressed outrage that the legislation was passed to get around a court order that the feeding tubes of the comatose woman be removed. This, they said, violated the principle of separation of powers.

What about courts that take upon themselves the legislative power by passing and repealing laws? Isn't that a violation of the separation of powers? And if courts are simply interpreting the laws, why shouldn't legislatures have the right to pass new ones, if courts rule that existing laws do not achieve the desired results? The controversy over euthanasia has become part of the larger constitutional crisis in this country, the oligarchical rule of the courts. This is not the rule of law, since judges armed by postmodernist legal theory, claim the right to construct any interpretation that they please.

Third-grader in jail

A third-grader from Espanola, N.M. was arrested last week and allegedly placed in an adult jail after police say the 8-year-old boy got out of control. The school counselor was trying to convince the boy to return to class, threatening that if he didn't, she would call the police. The police's attempts to get the boy to return to class also failed. Instead, he became more upset, resulting in police handcuffing him and taking him to jail. The boy's mother, Angelica Esquibel, who was called to the school as a result of the disturbance, said she found her son crying and wanting to go home.

Marriage, states' rights, and the people's voice

In a recent article, Dr. Warren Throckmorton of Grove City College addresses the current debate of whether Vice President Dick Cheney favors same sex marriage in opposition to the president. Throckmorton concludes that the difference between the president and vice president's approach to this topic exists in how they believe it can be solved: "President Bush believes the way to protect marriage nationally is via the constitution and the vice president believes the Defense of Marriage Act and the states can do the job."

D.C. voucher experiment

A fifth of the students in Washington DC who received one of the district's new school vouchers decided not to use them. "1,359 low-income students were notified in June that they had won grants of as much as $7,500 a year to pay for private school tuition and fees, contingent on their acceptance by a participating school. Since then, the families of 290 students have dropped out or not responded to efforts by program administrators to reach them."

Of the students using a voucher, over half will be attending Catholic schools. That and other facts about the new program can be found here.

Yes, they are evil

For those who ridicule the notion that the war on terrorism has to do with a moral conflict between good and evil, terrorists are demonstrating--in a way that should be perfectly clear--which side they are on. Chechen extremists, including both men and women wearing suicide bombs, have seized a school in southern Russia and are threatening to kill some 200 children. And Iraqi terrorists committed the mass murder of twelve truck drivers and laborers from Nepal. That country is not part of the military coalition. Nepalese workers make up a good part of the labor force throughout the Arab world, where manual labor is often looked down upon. These victims worked for a company based in Jordan. The hostage-takers did not even issue any demands for their release. They just slaughtered them.

Slavery and polygamy then, abortion and gay marriage now

The GOP these days is a big tent with a center pole of Christian principle but lots of flaps blowing in the wind. As long as that Christian principle remains, it's worth supporting; if liberal Republicans take over, it's not. Here's a good National Review article by Robert George and William Saunders that lays out well how the GOP emerged 150 years ago as a "party pledged to fight the 'twin relics of barbarism': slavery and polygamy." Also important to note:" In the great moral struggles of the 19th century, the Republicans sought advantage in every morally legitimate and available way. Where appropriate, they would accept strategic compromises on the road to victory; but they would not compromise away their principles."

Mainstream journalists recognize blogs

Blogs are getting a boost in legitimacy this year thanks to mainstream media reports about bloggers at the Republican and Democratic national conventions. The Poynter Institute has a site to help web users sift through the blogs and other online convention news. It even suggests that journalists watch the blogs for breaking news and story ideas. How much have you relied on the Internet to guide you through the election season, and which bloggers do you trust the most?

Twice-born George Bush

Here's a thoughtful letter from newspaperman Jon Pitts: "What the Left (who never grew up) doesn't get is that George Bush's all-too-human 'irresponsible' past does not define him; what he did with it does. Most Americans believe in God and are at least nominally Christian in one way or another. And they understand the power of humility and redemption. When George Bush is on-camera and speaking extemporaneously, no amount of 'spin' in the world can remove from him the authority that emanates from his hard-won humility. That's leadership, and Kerry obviously does not have it. I think those who haven't learned this are to be pitied. It leaves them blind."

That naked ring finger could kill you

New research suggests married people live longer than single people. A 10-year study of 10,000 British 40-year-olds found that single men, including divorcees, are 10 percent more likely to die in the next eight years than married men. Single women had a 4.8 percent higher death rate. Researchers pointed to the single lifestyle as cause for the discrepancy, citing excess drinking, skipped meals, overworking, and a lack of emotional stability. “The excess mortality for the unmarried is similar to that of a smoker,” said lead researcher Andrew Oswald.

Rapper turned pastor now rhymes clean lyrics

Hip-hop rapper Ma$e has stopped glorifying the idols of money, sex, and drugs to rap about cleaner topics. After selling millions of albums, Ma$e, now Pastor Mason Betha, left the rap world believing that rap was corrupting the youth with sexual and violent lyrics. His newly recorded album titled "Welcome Back" has new themes encouraging girls not to take their clothes of in "Keep It On" as well as songs about tithing. Betha admits that his outlook is relatively new and evolved after his 2001 book, "Revelations: There is Light After the Lime," in which he rejected just about everything in his old hip-hop life. Betha recently turned down an offer to work with Nelly, a mega hip-hop star. A friend of Betha's recalls this response: "What kind of business Nelly want with me other than Jesus?"

Too much hospitality for convention reporters?

A Chicago Tribune columnist questioned journalists who lapped up gifts from the Republican National Convention and the city of New York. According to columnist Mary Schmich, the convention’s “Media Welcome” gift booklet included discounts galore at New York stores. On the first night of the convention, the city administration and TimeWarner teamed up to throw a who’s-who soiree of media personalities, who indulged in free food and alcohol from some of the city’s swankiest restaurants. Schmich pointed out the journalists’ trouncing of the doctrine of independence from those they covered, which, in the case of the Republican convention, includes the city of New York.

RNC Protests: tell Bush what for

Hoping for a Howard Beale meets Howard Dean moment, Voices across New York encourages angry Dems to open their windows and shout "Regime Change!" during President Bush's speech at MSGarden. "Many people might not go to a demonstration, but they can open their window and tell Bush what for. And the Republican Mayor Bloomberg can't deny us a 'permit'."

RNC Protests: GLBT

Apparently, the gay community has taken up the yoke of Jim Crow, but has renamed it Bruce Crow. Clever.

RNC Protests: Driving Votes

Driving Votes seems like a more traditional left-wing progressive outfit. They're not trying to fool anyone - except for the hyperbole throughout their flier. Endorsed by Michael Moore, Driving Votes encourages volunteers to register voters in swing states. And if you don't live in a swing state? Road trip! "You'll have an unforgettable time while helping to put the brakes on Bush."

Who won the Olympics?

There was a time when Communist Russia and Eastern Europe dominated the Olympic medal totals, thanks to their devoting nearly unlimited resources and medical engineering to breeding super-athletes. This time, the United States beat out every other country in winning 103 medals, including 35 golds. But now officials of the European Union are saying that they won the medal total. They came to this conclusion by adding together the winnings of every country that has joined this new federation, for a total of 280 medals. The eurocrats are saying that at the Olympics, in Beijing, member states should compete under both their national flags and the European Union flag.

If the European Union is really one country, shouldn't they be allowed to send only one team? In an inverted version of this logic, Milwaukee sportwriter Bob Wolfley is saying that the state of Wisconsin, whose 15 athletes won 18 medals, would have finished 16th in the total medal count, just ahead of Hungary (17 medals) and just behind Romania and Spain (19 medals each).

France cannot hide

The scenario has become almost commonplace: Terrorists kidnap hostages from a particular country, then threaten to kill them unless that country stops supporting U.S. efforts in Iraq. Sometimes the country pulls out; sometimes the hostages are killed. Now it has happened to France. But France doesn't support U.S. efforts in Iraq. Surely, the French are thinking, that isn't fair. How about all of our anti-American, anti-occupation efforts? Don't they count for anything?

But the terrorists are using the hostage tactic for another reason, to demand that France change its law against school children wearing religious symbols, a measure aimed against the headscarves Muslim females are required to wear in public. France passed the law to maintain its "secular" identity as a society, an attempt to help the country's huge population of Muslim immigrants to blend in and assimilate. Here is a good French word: naive.

The wonders of the internet

Someone is having fun.

Thanks to Instapundit.

RNC Protests

Future WORLD sub-blogger Stuart Wilson stayed over at my house last night fresh off a trip to New York City where he encountered preparations for the Republican National Convention. But the GOP wasn't the only thing getting ready. Thousands of protestors, some professional, also geared up for the event. Walking around Manhattan, Stuart collected brochure after brochure from protestors. Some mocked the President's decision to go to war. Others encouraged protestors to pose as official tour guides and misdirect delegates. Here are some examples posted below.

RNC Protests: Let's Go Republican

Let's Go Republican is a pamphlet by pranksters, theyesmen.org. It advises people to chuck their hippie wear and dress like a Republican, giving fake tours and generally leading delegates astray. It even includes a fake RNC official tour guide ID card.

RNC Protests: What to do if you're arrested

Apparently, there's a lot of organizing that goes into big protest movements like the big march past MSGarden in NYC yesterday. There's a group called the BALM Squad who acts as emergency medics treating protestors for "chemical weapon" attacks (tear gas). They hand out a little info sheet about what to do if arrested during the protest. Helpful hints include writing your lawyer's phone number on your skin in indelible ink and hiding items you don't want found in your underwear. Other advice: "Stay as calm as you can. The police may try to unnerve, dehumanize and stress you out. Try yoga, singing, meditation, sharing stories, etc. Remember, police lie."

RNC Protests: Vandalism how-to

Two stickers from www.rncnotwelcome.org. This website encourages people to protest the RNC by putting their stickers or posters up on walls or light poles everywhere. On the website, they even included a recipe for wheat paste with this warning from the site: "It is considered vandalism in most municipalities, so don't put contact information on posters, wear rubber gloves, use a lookout, work fast and discrete. Some recommend carrying your container of wheat paste inside a shopping bag."

Politics and pop

An Arab talent-search contest much like American Idol ended Sunday night, with a Libyan singer winning against a Palestinian in the final stage. Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority backed Amar Hassan proudly as an icon of their fight against Israel. One disappointed Palestinian had hoped for pan-Arab pity: "The Arab world has once again demonstrated that it does not care about the Palestinians...Amar's victory would have boosted Palestinian morale in the face of Israel." Never mind who was more talented.

Will they step up to the challenge?

The swiftvets story is really two stories: one is about John Kerry's tendency to exaggerate his exploits; the other is about the mainstream media's unwillingness to cover fairly a story that reporters despise. John Podhoretz has a great column about the challenge that blogs and talk radio pose to the "establishment press."

Lousiana court refuses to stop gay marriage vote

A Louisiana lower court had halted the state's impending vote on a constitutional amendment protecting marriage between one man and one woman, but the 4th Circuit Court of Appeal today reversed that decision. The vote will now take place on Sept. 18 as previously scheduled.

Alliance Defense Fund attorney Mike Johnson said the legal wrangling was an attempt by gay activists to keep courts, not voters, deciding the most contentious social issue of the past year.

“The people pushing for same-sex ‘marriage’ don’t want the voters to decide the issue," Mr. Johnson said. "No matter how hard they try, opponents of this amendment keep failing in their attempt to use the courts to circumvent the will of the people.”

Billy's bully pulpit

Bill Clinton weighed in George W. Bush's salvation as he preached (yes, preached) at Manhattan's Riverside Church Sunday. Rev. Bubba, as the New York Daily News called him, claimed the GOP had born false witness against Brothers Kerry, Cleland and McCain. "Sometimes I think our friends on the other side have become the people of the Nine Commandments," The News reported him saying. When asked about Clinton's "Nine Commandments" comment, a Bush spokesman wouldn't respond, refusing to bring up Clinton's adulterous relationship with Monica Lewinsky.

Networks will not cover GOP opening night

The major networks plan no coverage of opening night of the Republican National Convention, according to the Drudge Report. Democratic FCC commissioner Michael Copps condemns the blackout on the Op-Ed pages of today's New York Times.

Battle of the sexes update – Athens, Greece

High-profile gold-medal performances like those of the U.S. women’s basketball, soccer, softball, and beach volleyball teams might suggest the Title IX generation of female athletes has eclipsed its American male counterpart on the field of international competition. Indeed, Newsday Sports columnist Shaun Powell believes so: “The biggest problem with our boys is they don't know how to play like a girl… The reason for this gender inequity at the 2004 Games is pretty obvious. If you didn't see this coming, you haven't been to a playground or park lately. In a nutshell: Our girls are getting better at what they do than our boys at what they do.” Powell completes his stirring assessment by stating that in Athens “we discovered just who is the weaker sex.” Noticeably absent from the column, the following fact: U.S. men won 56 medals, women 41. Why does Powell so blatantly ignore reality? Why is our culture so keen on women outperforming men athletically?

Commercial success?

The homosexual Republican group Log Cabin Republicans may launch advertising campaigns in New York during the Republican convention to attack the president's support for a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage. Some say that the commercials will quote President Reagan describing the party as a "big tent." The Human Rights Campaign, another gay rights group, said that it will run commercials using Vice President Dick Cheney's sympathetic comments about same-sex unions to attack the proposed amendment. The commercials would both quote important party leaders, but will they affect the party line?

Politically correct grading

Recent trends indicate that this school year teachers will shy away from grading students' papers with the traditional red pen, opting instead for a color that is less aggressive and more encouraging to students: purple. According to Sharon Carlson, a health and physical education teacher at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Northampton, Mass., using red ink to grade papers can look frightening to children: "Purple stands out, but it doesn't look as scary as red."

Oops, Todd: Your bias is showing

Mainstream journalists perpetually protest the notion of liberal press bias. Consider, then, Reuters's embarrassment when a D.C. editor let show his subjectivity on the topic of abortion. The Washington Post's Howard Kurtz reported on Aug. 29:

After sending out a routine press release on abortion, the National Right to Life Committee received a stinging e-mail from Todd Eastham, a Reuters editor in Washington:

"What's your plan for parenting & educating all the unwanted children you people want to bring into the world? Who will pay for policing our streets & maintaining the prisons needed to contain them when you, their parents & the system fail them? Oh, sorry. All that money has been earmarked to pay off the Bush deficit. Give me a frigging break, will you?"

Continue reading "Oops, Todd: Your bias is showing"

Posted by Vincent at CST 08:29 AM | Comments (28)

Best religious films?

TV film critic Richard Roeper has put out his list of top religious movies:

(1) The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928).
(2) The Gospel According to St. Matthew (1964).
(3) A Man for All Seasons (1966).
(4) Brother Sun, Sister Moon (1972).
(5) Jesus Christ Superstar (1973).
(6) Gandhi (1982).
(7) Kundun (1997).

Such an anemic and politically-correct list (how convenient that movies about a Hindu and the Dalai lama happened to rank so high) underscores the magnitude of "The Passion of the Christ," which is being released on DVD this week. Also missing are films that show how faith can change someone's life ("Tender Mercies") and serious wrestling with theological issues ("The Seventh Seal"). What do you think belongs on a list of best religious movies?

Rock the vote

MTV has been sponsoring "rock the vote," an attempt to get young people to register and to vote. The assumption in the rock 'n' roll world has been that this will help John Kerry. And yet, imagine the shock and dismay when Kerry's daughters appeared on the MTV Music Awards show on Sunday night and got booed. This, on the award show that previously had Brittney kissing Madonna. As surveys have shown, teenagers, though they continue to love their MTV, are far more politically conservative than the cultural elite realizes.

Kerry (or Bush) is like [fill in the blank]

Letter from a reader: "Kerry is somewhat like King Richard II as portrayed by Shakespeare. Richard II considered himself as being deputed by God so he could do no wrong." Questions: What historical or fictional characters does John Kerry remind you of? What about George W. Bush?

Much ado about protests

"All the hubbub about protests during the Republican convention will prove to be much ado about nothing." Gen W's Blog 9 had on Friday a fearless (and amusing) prediction about this week's GOP convention protests. Blog 9's "most likely scenario. You and your buddies drive to New York from Scranton pumped about the protests. Classes at Temple don't start for another week, you've got a bed at the YMCA, $145 in your pocket, and some puppets."

Oh how sweet to trust in Jesus

Reverend Nigel McCulloch has adopted a plan to boost fledgling attendance at his Manchester church: free chocolate. The Church of England diocese has lost regular attendees at such a rapid rate as to worry McCulloch the church may die out completely. Promotions for “Back to Church Sunday” include an invitation good for a candy bar following the service. Surely, the power of the gospel proclaimed effectively ought to be all a church needs to keep its seats filled. But what of attracting new congregants or reaching out to those who have left? Are such gimmicks as free chocolate so bad if they generate an audience to hear faithful preaching?

GOP snubs Christian leaders?

The Republican national convention gave Christian activists most of what they wanted in the party platform, but they are being kept out of sight, as far as appearing at the podium on national TV. The list of major speeches includes no leaders from the evangelical wing of the party base. The party apparently does not want to scare people, in their attempt to win moderate and undecided voters. Some Christian leaders are angry at being snubbed. But do you really mind?

The secularist party

An important bloc in the Democratic party base is people who reject all religion. That is the conclusion of several reputable polls and a new book "The Great Divide: Religious and Cultural Conflict in American Party Politics" by Geoffrey Layman of the University of Maryland. The percentage of Democrats who claim no religion is 17%. That makes them almost as big a presence in the party as white Catholics, who are 18%, and slightly more than black Protestants, who are 17%. Click "continue reading" for more details. Note the new noun: "seculars."

Polarized America

Thanks for your blog comments yesterday on the column I wrote about John Kerry. Because it appeared not only in World but on conservative Townhall.com and then was linked to by the liberal Talkingpointsmemo.com, I'm seeing firsthand how red and blue America has become. The first fifty emails (more kept coming, but I stopped reading at that point) were almost always embarrassingly laudatory. Then the Talkingpoints readers' emails poured yesterday, and the first fifty (I stopped reading at that point) were almost always a bit antagonistic, with phrases such as "You are scum," "you are a lying sack of s---," "you despicable piece of s---," and "you are a POS." (Did they all have the same talking points?)

Ready to explode?

One reader emailed this about the late 60s and early 70s: "I'M 5O AND RECALL ALL THE TERMOIL OF THOSE DAYS. VIETNAM,PROTESTS,CIVIL RIGHTS, MARCHES AND RIOTS... ALL THE CONFUSION AND ANGER...IT WAS AS IF WE WHERE GOING TO EXPLODE AS A NATION." What do you recall about that confused era in America history?

Killing murderers?

Reader's request: "Please tell me how you 'born again' people can support a war mongerer/killer. I guess 'Thou Shalt Not Kill' goes the way of the Geneva Conventions."

My tendency is to respond by saying that the accurate translation is "Thou shalt not murder," and that this command suggests doing what we can do to save innocent life: Babies in the womb, Iraqis being tortured and killed, people (including ourselves) being attacked or threatened by terrorists. Hard choices are sometimes necessary: What's the most effective way to help preborn children? With so many oppressed people in the world, who can we help and who is beyond our reach? But we should always be anti-murder, even if that means sometimes killing murderers. What do you think?