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~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900548_pf.html
A Case for Strengthening Marriage
By Leah Ward Sears
Monday, October 30, 2006; A17
For the first time in history, less than half of U.S. households are headedby married couples. And on Sept. 29, the Centers for Disease Control andPrevention released data showing that almost 36 percent of all births arethe result of unmarried childbearing, the highest percentage ever recorded.
In family law, as in the rest of American society, there is an intensifyingdebate about how we should respond to this kind of news. Should law andsociety actively seek new ways to support marriage? Or should family lawstrive to be marriage-neutral by providing more rights and benefits to itsalternatives, such as cohabitation and single parenthood?
Some family law experts argue that our most pressing need is to find ways toequally support a wide variety of family forms. For example, the respectedAmerican Law Institute, an organization of judges, lawyers and legalscholars that periodically drafts model laws and other proposals for legalreform, has proposed a new set of laws that promotes this "family diversitymodel.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900863_pf.html
Va. Catholics Pushed to Support Same-Sex Marriage Ban
By Chris L. Jenkins and Michelle Boorstein
Washington Post Staff Writers
Monday, October 30, 2006; B01
Virginia's Catholic leaders can take comfort from recent polls showing thata majority of state voters are in sync with them in supporting aconstitutional amendment to ban civil unions. What worries them is their ownflock.
A Washington Post poll conducted this month showed that a majority ofCatholic voters oppose the proposed amendment, which would ban same-sexmarriages. As a result, Virginia bishops are flexing their growing politicalmuscle in an attempt to sway more Catholics on the issue and get them tovoting booths.
"When Catholics are presented with our church's perspective on the nature ofmarriage, its relationship to the common good of society and the importanceof the proposed amendment for children and families . . . they will be muchmore likely to support the amendment," said Jeff Caruso, executive directorof the Virginia Catholic Conference.
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Ireland: Age of consent for teens will not be lowered
Sunday Independent, 29 October 2006
Age of consent for teens will not be lowered
MAEVE SHEEHAN
AN OFFICIAL proposal to the Government to keep the age of sexual consent at17 for both sexes is seriously at odds with public opinion which would liketo see it lowered in the face of social reality.
The Oireachtas Committee on child protection is to recommend the status quowhile a nationwide telephone poll by the Sunday Independent shows that 65per cent of the public want the age reduced to 16.
It is also known the Government would prefer to reduce the age to 16,bringing it more in line with what is commonly believed to be the reality ofsexual activity among teenage boys and girls.
The issue was discussed at a meeting of the committee last Thursday.Yesterday, committee sources said the volume of submissions in favour of 17has swayed the 13-member cross-party committee towards recommending it asthe legal age of consent in its report to the Oireachtas next month.
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Canadian Press, Canada, October 29, 2006
http://www.macleans.ca/topstories/politics/news/shownews.jsp?content=n102951
A Catholic priest to be Bloc Quebecois candidate in upcoming federalbyelection
PATRICE BERGERON
MONTREAL (CP) - An outspoken Catholic priest opposed to his church's stanceon same-sex marriage and abortion rights will represent the Bloc Quebecoisin an upcoming federal byelection.
Despite his political inexperience and "despite fears and doubts,"Rev. Raymond Gravel was acclaimed the separatist party's candidate on Sundayfor the Nov. 27 federal byelection in the Repentigny riding of Quebec.
The 53-year-old priest said he doesn't think he will be torn between theteachings of the church and the positions of the Bloc.
"I hope not," he said.
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365Gay.com, October 29, 2006
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/10/102906cathedral.htm
Gay Mega Church Joins Mainstream Denomination by 365Gay.com Newscenter Staff
(Dallas, Texas) The Cathedral of Hope, regarded as the world's largest gaychurch, has joined the United Church of Christ.
In a vote taken Saturday, Oct. 28, by the denomination's North TexasAssociation, the church was overwhelmingly accepted as a member church.
A special service of installation, at which the church will officiallybecome a member of the denomination, is being planned, the cathedral said ina statement on Sunday.
"This is a historic day in the life of the Cathedral of Hope," said Rev. Dr.Jo Hudson, senior pastor and rector of the cathedral.
The cathedral began in 1970 when a group of 12 people gathered to worship inDallas. It joined the predominantly gay Metropolitan Community Church, andsaw its membership steadily grow. By 2002 it had a membership of nearly2,000 people.
But it relationship with MCC soured and in 2003 it disaffiliated from thedenomination. Shortly after than it began an exploration of affiliating withthe United Church of Christ.
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Trenton's cold feet over gay marriage
Philadelphia Inquirer, PA, October 29, 2006
http://www.philly.com/mld/inquirer/news/local/states/new_jersey/counties/cam
den_county/15873274.htm
Trenton's cold feet over gay marriage
By Monica Yant Kinney, Inquirer Columnist
Why am I not surprised that instead of thanking the New Jersey Supreme Courtfor respectfully kicking last week's gay-marriage ruling to the Legislature,politicians are instead griping about having to make difficult decisions ona deadline?
These guys are never satisfied. Had the court ruled entirely on its own,legislators would be complaining they'd been denied a say. Yet when thejustices give them a piece of the action, the pols whine that the work istoo hard and they don't have the time.
Me, I'd like nothing more than to see these chumps charged with contempt ifthey blow the 180-day deadline by one minute. If only democracy worked thatway.
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CA: FATHERS IN THE MAKING; Parents-to-be face legal maze
Los Angeles Times, CA, October 29, 2006
http://www.latimes.com/news/nationworld/nation/la-na-surrogacylegal29oct29,1,5443362.story?coll=la-headlines-nation&track=crosspromo
FATHERS IN THE MAKING
Parents-to-be face legal maze
By Kevin Sack, Times Staff Writer, kevin.sack@latimes.com
WHEN the Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court voted to legalize gay marriagein 2003, its opinion rested squarely on the argument that determining thebest interests of a child "does not turn on a parent's sexual orientation ormarital status."
Three years later, the top court in neighboring New York also cited thewelfare of children - but took precisely the opposite stance. The statecould limit marriage to heterosexuals, the Court of Appeals ruled in July,because lawmakers "could rationally believe that it is better, other thingsbeing equal, for children to grow up with both a mother and a father."
Given those divergent rulings, it is little wonder that gays and lesbiansattempting to produce children through artificial means confront a legallandscape as varied as the 50 states.
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NJ: Opinion--It's a civil union; it's a partnership; it's not a marriage
New Brunswick Home News Tribune, NJ, October 29, 2006
http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061029/COLUMNISTS01/610290501/1081
It's a civil union; it's a partnership; it's not a marriage Rick Malwitz
Call it a civil union. Call it a gay union. When homosexuals enter one ofthose 'til-death-do-us-part unions they typically introduce the other personin their relationship as their partner. So let's call it a partnership. Justdon't call it a marriage. Drop the familiar language of the church (and thesynagogue and the mosque) and I'm OK with the state offering equal rights tothese so-called unions.
The state Supreme Court tiptoed around the issue last week. While thejustices were OK with affirming certain rights for homosexuals and theirunions, they stopped short of saying "I do" to calling them marriages. Ashard as it must have tried, "the court cannot find that the right tosame-sex marriage is a fundamental right under our Constitution," accordingto the majority opinion.
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kenslist@groups.queernet.org
WI: Editorial--Marriage amendment more un-Wisconsin than "On Wisconsin"
Oshkosh Northwestern, WI, October 29, 2006
http://www.thenorthwestern.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061029/OSH06/610290442/1189
Wisconsin has proud tradition as a progressive state that puts individualrights and protections ahead of government intercession.
That is one fundamental reason a proposed state Constitutional amendmentredefining marriage as that between a man and a woman, and nothing otherwise- a definition jeopardizing even the legal and financial decisions ofunmarried senior couples who find symbiotic solace in their golden years --deserves to be rejected by voters on Nov. 7.
To most, marriage is sacred. Wisconsin can agree on that. That is to behonored.
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NJ: Editorial-- What's in a marriage?
New Brunswick Home News Tribune, NJ, October 29, 2006
http://www.thnt.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061029/OPINION01/610290473/1079
Editorial: What's in a marriage?
Shakespeare's Juliet insisted that "a rose by any other name would smell assweet," but, in light of the state Supreme Court's divided decision on gaymarriage, it is clear that Juliet was wrong. There is something in a name,and in this case that name is "marriage."
There was a wonderful clarity and reasonableness to the justices'unanimous decision that the New Jersey Constitution gave the state theresponsibility of recognizing unions between committed homosexuals. Inwriting for the majority, Justice Barry Albin outlined the broad steps towhich both New Jersey courts and legislators have gone in protecting therights of gays and lesbians, and then wrote, "There is no rational basisfor, on the one hand, giving gays and lesbians full civil rights in theirstatus as individuals, and, on the other, giving them an incomplete set ofrights when they follow the inclination of their sexual orientation andenter into committed same-sex relationships." In other words, if the statebelieves it ought to end discrimination, then it must extend its protectionsto all the areas of life it controls. This seems both obvious and impossibleto refute.
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Monday, October 30, 2006
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST October 30, 2006
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT
rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/yourtown/content/local_news/epaper/2006/10/30/s1b_GEO_1030.html
Moderate Democrats hazy on Pelosi
Special to the Palm Beach Post
Monday, October 30, 2006
Local Democratic congressional hopefuls Ron Klein and Tim Mahoneyfigure prominently in their party's plans to regain control of the U.S.House, which would probably elevate liberal Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi tothe speakership.
But although Klein and Mahoney have been eager to nationalize theirraces by bad-mouthing President Bush and GOP leaders on Capitol Hill,neither Dem has much to say about the national implications of puttingPelosi two heartbeats from the presidency.
Boca Raton state Sen. Klein and Palm Beach Gardens businessman Mahoneyare running as moderates in Republican-leaning districts, while Pelosi'slifetime voting record has earned a 96 percent liberal score from Americansfor Democratic Action.
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-iraq,1,7982944.story?coll=chi-news-hed
100 Americans Die in Iraq During October
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
Associated Press Writer
October 30, 2006, 8:00 AM CST
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- At least 80 people were killed or found dead in Iraq onMonday, including 33 victims of a bomb attack on laborers lined up to find adays work in Baghdad's Sadr city Shiite slum. The U.S. military announcedthe death of the 100th service member killed in combat this month.
U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley made an unannounced visit tothe Iraqi capital where he with his Iraqi counterpart for talks on militaryand political coordination, the government announced.
It said Hadley met with Mouwafak al-Rubaie in his Green Zone office tofollow up on a decision late last week to form a joint commission tocoordinate U.S.-Iraqi relations, especially military activity.
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http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2006/10/30/m1bz_medicare_1030.html
Medicare offers more drug-plan choices, takes more time
By Phil Galewitz
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 30, 2006
Every time senior citizens gathered here last year to learn about thenew Medicare drug benefit, most left shaking their heads at the vast numberof plans they had to choose from - all with a dizzying array of costs andbenefits.
The federal government and the private health plans say they listenedto seniors' concerns. The result for 2007: Medicare recipients will faceeven more choices.
In Florida, the number of stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plansfor 2007 has increased to 58, from the 43 being hawked this year.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1030votingmachines,0,509815.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Voting machine company says probe will show no ties to Venezuela's Chavez
By HOPE YEN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- A U.S. company that makes touch-screen voting machines said itrequested a federal investigation to dispel what it called baseless rumorsof ties to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Sequoia Voting Systems Inc. said it asked the Committee on ForeignInvestment in the United States, or CFIUS, to investigate it and its parentsoftware company, the Smartmatic Corp. The request comes after news articlessuggested improper ties.
``Sequoia and Smartmatic are not connected, owned or controlled by theVenezuelan government whatsoever,'' Jeff Bialos, a Washington attorneyrepresenting the two companies, said in a telephone interview.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-30forum01oct30,0,6612347.story?coll=sfla-news-opinion
VOTING
A way to restore confidence
By Steven F. Freeman and Joel Bleifuss
October 30, 2006
Widespread concern over recent reports from Princeton University on Dieboldmachine susceptibility to tampering, and from New York University one-voting more generally, confirm what computer scientists have long knownand contended: There is little reason for confidence in election resultsobtained from electronic voting machines.
Yet voters in the United States are denied the one powerful technique thatmight restore confidence in election results -- an independent exit poll.
In next week's midterm elections, 90 percent of Americans will vote onelectronic touch-screen voting machines or optical-scan systems. Accordingto a 2005 study by the Government Accountability Office, these systems haveinherent flaws that "could allow unauthorized personnel to disruptoperations or modify data and programs that are critical to . the integrityof the voting process."
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http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/15882325.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
Posted on Mon, Oct. 30, 2006
Just say No to use of torture
OUR OPINION: U.S. OFFICIALS SHOULD DECLARE BAN ON `WATER-BOARDING'
Vice President Dick Cheney says he has been criticized as the ''vicepresident for torture,'' an appellation he apparently dislikes. Smallwonder. By appearing to endorse the interrogation technique called''water-boarding,'' which is banned by the U.S. Army and condemned byhuman-rights experts, he is condoning a form of torture that should never beused by U.S. forces in or out of uniform.
Old argument
Mr. Cheney was replying last week to a question about giving prisoners a''dunk in water'' (wink, wink), and said its continued use was a ''no-brainer.'' White House press secretaryTony Snow tried to limit the damage afterward by saying the question wasloosely worded and the vice president would never talk about water-boarding.
That dodge won't work. The interrogation tactic that has drawn criticism iswater-boarding, not a baptismal-type dunk, and Mr. Cheney knows it. It isdisingenuous to suggest the reference was to anything else.
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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/26/eveningnews/printable2128188.shtml
Fox: I Was Over-Medicated In Stem Cell Ad
NEW YORK, Oct. 26, 2006(CBS/AP) Responding to criticism by conservativepundit Rush Limbaugh, actor Michael J. Fox defended his appearance in apolitical campaign ad, saying he wasn't acting or off his medication.
In fact, at the time he was over-medicated for his Parkinson's disease, Foxsaid Thursday in an exclusive interview with CBS Evening News anchor KatieCouric.
"The irony is that I was too medicated. I was dyskinesic," Fox told Couric."Because the thing about . being symptomatic is that it's not comfortable.No one wants to be symptomatic; it's like being hit with a hammer."
His body visibly wracked by tremors, Fox appears in a political ad toutingMissouri Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill's stance in favor ofembryonic stem cell research. That prompted Limbaugh to speculate that Foxwas "either off his medication or acting."
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900170_pf.html
Highlights of key U.S. House races
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
Reuters
Sunday, October 29, 2006; 8:52 AM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Voters will decide on November 7 which party controlsthe U.S. House of Representatives, where President George W. Bush'sRepublicans hold a 15-seat advantage over Democrats.
All 435 House seats will be on the ballot. Here are brief looks at events ofthe past week in a few key races:
ARIZONA 8 - In a district bordering Mexico, Republican anti-immigrationactivist Randy Graf ran an ad attacking Democratic former state Sen.Gabrielle Giffords' "embarrassing liberal voting record" and cited hissupport from Republican Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl. The district ofretiring Rep. Jim Kolbe is considered a prime opportunity for Democrats topick up a Republican-held seat.
COLORADO 7 - Democrat Ed Perlmutter got campaign help from Democratic Sen.Barack Obama of Illinois, whose appearance was moved from a small theater toan outdoor park to accommodate the large crowd. A Democratic ad attacked hisRepublican opponent, Rick O'Donnell, for once writing Social Security shouldbe eliminated. The two are vying for an open seat in a Republican-heldsuburban Denver swing district.
more....
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0610290027oct29,1,7736522.story?coll=chi-opinionfront-hed
WINNING ISN'T EVERYTHING
If Dems win, they should take care
By William Neikirk, a senior correspondent in the Tribune's Washington
Bureau
October 29, 2006
WASHINGTON -- In the middle of the 1996 presidential race, with Bill Clintoncoasting toward a second term, White House adviser Harold Ickes reflected onhow his boss had achieved a remarkable turnaround in just two years.
"One of the best things that ever happened to us was losing the House ofRepresentatives," Ickes said in an interview then, referring to the 1994election in which Republicans took control of the House and Senate away fromthe Democrats.
The GOP then launched the conservative "Contract With America."
The Republican victory thrust the irrepressible Newt Gingrich into the Housespeaker's chair, where he challenged Clinton's very right to govern. Full ofideas and perhaps a bit of hubris, Gingrich proved to be a perfect foil forClinton.
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The Toronto Star [Canada]
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Render&inifile=futuretense.ini&c=Page&cid=968332188492&pubid=968163964505
Published on Sunday, October 29, 2006 by the Toronto Star (Canada)
The Real Problem is That it is Illegal for One Country to Invade
Another Country
By Linda McQuaig
Much has changed in the way the mainstream media deal with the war inIraq. Most commentators now acknowledge the war is a disaster and will hurtthe Republicans badly in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.
But one thing hasn't changed - the willingness to believe that themotives for war, however misguided, were basically honourable.
So the criticism centres instead on the Bush administration's inepthandling of the war.
Canada's own Michael Ignatieff, the Liberal leadership front-runner,tries to slough off his former enthusiastic support for the war by nowsaying he hadn't "anticipated how incompetent the Americans would be."
But incompetence is a side issue. The real problem is, and always hasbeen, that it is illegal - not to mention immoral - for a country to invadeanother country, in other words, to wage a war of aggression.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900547.html
The Decline Of Trust
By Sebastian Mallaby
Monday, October 30, 2006; A17
In 1995 Francis Fukuyama came out with a book called "Trust," in which heargued that a society's capacity for cooperation underpins its prosperity.The same year, Robert Putnam's famous article, "Bowling Alone," lamentedthat the United States was depleting its stock of precious social capital.The question of trust -- in government and also in communities --preoccupied politicians too. "It Takes a Village," Hillary Rodham Clintonurged in the title of her 1996 book, which became a best seller.
You don't hear much about trust these days. Instead, we want accountability.
You see this most viciously in politics. In the mid-term campaigns, nobodyhas time for trust. The name of the game is to hold opponents accountable byattacking their records -- for failings real or imagined. If the Democratscapture one or both chambers, it will be largely because they promise tohold the president accountable.
This reflects a shift somewhere around 2003 or 2004. In the 1990s, afteracademics and pundits began talking about trust, the nation did actuallybecome more trusting.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/30/AR2006103000269_pf.html
Global Warming Will Devastate World Economy, Report Says
Associated Press
Monday, October 30, 2006; 8:01 AM
LONDON -- Unchecked global warming will devastate the world economy on thescale of the world wars and the Great Depression, a major British reportsaid Monday.
Introducing the report, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said unabatedclimate change would eventually cost the world between 5 percent and 20percent of global gross domestic product each year.
He called for "bold and decisive action" to cut carbon dioxide emissions andstem the worst of the temperature rise.
The report is expected to increase pressure on the Bush administration --which never approved the Kyoto Protocol climate-change accord -- to step upits efforts to fight global warming.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/30/opinion/30waldman.html
Link to Graphic - Counting the Votes:
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2006/10/29/opinion/20061030_VOTE_GRAPHIC.html
October 30, 2006
Op-Art
Remember to Vote, Hope It Counts
By MICHAEL WALDMAN, WENDY WEISER and OPEN, N.Y.
ON Nov. 7, many voters will encounter new voting machines, new computerizedvoter lists and new rules regarding registration and ID requirements. Asprimaries earlier this year demonstrated, local officials and poll workersare overwhelmed by all the changes - some of them engineered by mischievouspartisans who have passed laws and rules that would block many eligiblecitizens from voting.
There is a silent disenfranchisement afoot - one that could affect hundredsof thousands of voters. That's bad for democracy. In the 2004 presidentialelection, some states were decided by less than 1 percent of the vote. Thisyear, dozens of Congressional races could be close enough that votesuppression would affect them.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/30/opinion/30mon1.html?pagewanted=print
October 30, 2006
Editorial
The Fence Campaign
President Bush signed a bill to authorize a 700-mile border fence last week,
thus enshrining into federal law a key part of the Republicans' midtermelection strategy. The party of the Iraq war and family values desperatelyneeds you to forget about dead soldiers and randy congressmen, and to thinkinstead about the bad things immigrants will do to us if we don't wall themout. Hence the fence, and the ad campaigns around it.
Across the country, candidates are trying to stir up a voter frenzy usingimmigrants for bait. They accuse their opponents of being amnesty-lovingfence-haters, and offer themselves as jut-jawed defenders of the homelandbecause they want the fence. But the fence is the product of a can't-do,won't-doapproach to a serious national problem. And the ads are built on afoundation of lies:
Lie No. 1: We're building a 700-mile fence. The bill signed by Mr. Bushincludes no money for fence building. Congress has authorized $1.2 billionas a down payment for sealing the border, but that money is also meant forroads, electronic sensors and other security tactics preferred by theDepartment of Homeland Security, which doesn't want a 700-mile fence. Indiantribes, members of Congress and local leaders will also have considerablesay in where to put the fence, which could cost anywhere from $2 billion to$9 billion, depending on whose estimates you believe.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/30/us/30CHARITY.html?ei=5094&en=b7e2277c4942f32c&hp=&ex=1162270800&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print
October 30, 2006
Fears of Inquiry Dampen Giving by U.S. Muslims
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR
DEARBORN, Mich. - By the end of Ramadan last year, Najah Bazzy remembershaving more than $10,000 in cash donations to distribute to the needy, and avast auditorium ringed with tables groaning with enough free food for 400poor families to celebrate the holiday.
This year, Mrs. Bazzy formalized the good works she had been doing for adecade among the tens of thousands of Muslims who live in the Dearborn areaby establishing a charity, Zaman International.
But by the end of the holiday, charitable contributions were meager. Shesaid cash donations amounted to less than $4,000, and for the first timesince she began her charity work she bought food to feed about 85 needyfamilies instead of counting on gifts.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/30/education/30gallaudet.html?hp&ex=1162270800&en=0d7f3cfaf655c7e2&ei=5094&partner=homepage
The New York Times
October 30, 2006
At Gallaudet, Trustees Give Up on New Leader After Protests
By DIANA JEAN SCHEMO
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 - Surrendering to months of widening and unrelentingprotests by students, faculty, alumni and advocates, the board of trusteesof Gallaudet University, the nation's premier university for the deaf,abandoned its choice of the institution's next president.
In an announcement Sunday night that followed an all-day emergency meetingof the trustees, convened at a hotel in Virginia far from Gallaudet'sNortheast Washington campus, the board announced "with much regret and pain"that it would terminate the contract of Jane K. Fernandes, the formerprovost trustees named in May to succeed the outgoing president of 18 years,I. King Jordan. The board said it was acting "in the best interests of theuniversity."
"Although undoubtedly there will be some members of the community who havediffering views on the meaning of this decision, we believe that it is anecessity at this point," the trustees wrote.
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Michael Emanuel Rajner
National Secretary
Telephone: (305) 677-3506
Staying Alive '06 "Access Matters"
New Orleans, LA
December 6 - 10, 2006
On Thursday, October 12, 2006, the National Steering Committee for CampaignTo End AIDS unanimously passed a resolution calling on all AIDS ServiceOrganizations and Community Based Organizations serving the HIV/AIDScommunity to sponsor a minimum of one (1) HIV+ individual from theirlocality to participate in Staying Alive '06 "Access Matters". Thisconference is hosted by National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA-US)from December 6 - 10, 2006 in New Orleans, LA.
Staying Alive '06 "Access Matters" offers those who attend an opportunity toshare experiences, learn up-to date prevention, treatment, and advocacystrategies as well as enhance their leadership skills and build networks.Summit sessions (plenary presentations, institutes, workshops, and affinitygroups) are designed to cover a range of issues related to improving thequality of live for those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Perhaps mostimportantly, this is an opportunity to help set the national HIV/AIDS"agenda" for coming years. Staying Alive '06 "Access Matters" offers theopportunity to meet, network and share experiences with the most diversenational gathering of HIV positive people, allies and supporters. StayingAlive truly reflects the face of today's HIV/AIDS epidemic and bringstogether current and future leaders of the people living with HIV/AIDSmovement.
more...
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rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.palmbeachpost.com/yourtown/content/local_news/epaper/2006/10/30/s1b_GEO_1030.html
Moderate Democrats hazy on Pelosi
Special to the Palm Beach Post
Monday, October 30, 2006
Local Democratic congressional hopefuls Ron Klein and Tim Mahoneyfigure prominently in their party's plans to regain control of the U.S.House, which would probably elevate liberal Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi tothe speakership.
But although Klein and Mahoney have been eager to nationalize theirraces by bad-mouthing President Bush and GOP leaders on Capitol Hill,neither Dem has much to say about the national implications of puttingPelosi two heartbeats from the presidency.
Boca Raton state Sen. Klein and Palm Beach Gardens businessman Mahoneyare running as moderates in Republican-leaning districts, while Pelosi'slifetime voting record has earned a 96 percent liberal score from Americansfor Democratic Action.
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/sns-ap-iraq,1,7982944.story?coll=chi-news-hed
100 Americans Die in Iraq During October
By CHRISTOPHER BODEEN
Associated Press Writer
October 30, 2006, 8:00 AM CST
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- At least 80 people were killed or found dead in Iraq onMonday, including 33 victims of a bomb attack on laborers lined up to find adays work in Baghdad's Sadr city Shiite slum. The U.S. military announcedthe death of the 100th service member killed in combat this month.
U.S. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley made an unannounced visit tothe Iraqi capital where he with his Iraqi counterpart for talks on militaryand political coordination, the government announced.
It said Hadley met with Mouwafak al-Rubaie in his Green Zone office tofollow up on a decision late last week to form a joint commission tocoordinate U.S.-Iraqi relations, especially military activity.
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http://www.palmbeachpost.com/business/content/business/epaper/2006/10/30/m1bz_medicare_1030.html
Medicare offers more drug-plan choices, takes more time
By Phil Galewitz
Palm Beach Post Staff Writer
Monday, October 30, 2006
Every time senior citizens gathered here last year to learn about thenew Medicare drug benefit, most left shaking their heads at the vast numberof plans they had to choose from - all with a dizzying array of costs andbenefits.
The federal government and the private health plans say they listenedto seniors' concerns. The result for 2007: Medicare recipients will faceeven more choices.
In Florida, the number of stand-alone Medicare prescription drug plansfor 2007 has increased to 58, from the 43 being hawked this year.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-1030votingmachines,0,509815.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Voting machine company says probe will show no ties to Venezuela's Chavez
By HOPE YEN
Associated Press
WASHINGTON -- A U.S. company that makes touch-screen voting machines said itrequested a federal investigation to dispel what it called baseless rumorsof ties to Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez.
Sequoia Voting Systems Inc. said it asked the Committee on ForeignInvestment in the United States, or CFIUS, to investigate it and its parentsoftware company, the Smartmatic Corp. The request comes after news articlessuggested improper ties.
``Sequoia and Smartmatic are not connected, owned or controlled by theVenezuelan government whatsoever,'' Jeff Bialos, a Washington attorneyrepresenting the two companies, said in a telephone interview.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/sfl-30forum01oct30,0,6612347.story?coll=sfla-news-opinion
VOTING
A way to restore confidence
By Steven F. Freeman and Joel Bleifuss
October 30, 2006
Widespread concern over recent reports from Princeton University on Dieboldmachine susceptibility to tampering, and from New York University one-voting more generally, confirm what computer scientists have long knownand contended: There is little reason for confidence in election resultsobtained from electronic voting machines.
Yet voters in the United States are denied the one powerful technique thatmight restore confidence in election results -- an independent exit poll.
In next week's midterm elections, 90 percent of Americans will vote onelectronic touch-screen voting machines or optical-scan systems. Accordingto a 2005 study by the Government Accountability Office, these systems haveinherent flaws that "could allow unauthorized personnel to disruptoperations or modify data and programs that are critical to . the integrityof the voting process."
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http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/opinion/15882325.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
Posted on Mon, Oct. 30, 2006
Just say No to use of torture
OUR OPINION: U.S. OFFICIALS SHOULD DECLARE BAN ON `WATER-BOARDING'
Vice President Dick Cheney says he has been criticized as the ''vicepresident for torture,'' an appellation he apparently dislikes. Smallwonder. By appearing to endorse the interrogation technique called''water-boarding,'' which is banned by the U.S. Army and condemned byhuman-rights experts, he is condoning a form of torture that should never beused by U.S. forces in or out of uniform.
Old argument
Mr. Cheney was replying last week to a question about giving prisoners a''dunk in water'' (wink, wink), and said its continued use was a ''no-brainer.'' White House press secretaryTony Snow tried to limit the damage afterward by saying the question wasloosely worded and the vice president would never talk about water-boarding.
That dodge won't work. The interrogation tactic that has drawn criticism iswater-boarding, not a baptismal-type dunk, and Mr. Cheney knows it. It isdisingenuous to suggest the reference was to anything else.
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http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2006/10/26/eveningnews/printable2128188.shtml
Fox: I Was Over-Medicated In Stem Cell Ad
NEW YORK, Oct. 26, 2006(CBS/AP) Responding to criticism by conservativepundit Rush Limbaugh, actor Michael J. Fox defended his appearance in apolitical campaign ad, saying he wasn't acting or off his medication.
In fact, at the time he was over-medicated for his Parkinson's disease, Foxsaid Thursday in an exclusive interview with CBS Evening News anchor KatieCouric.
"The irony is that I was too medicated. I was dyskinesic," Fox told Couric."Because the thing about . being symptomatic is that it's not comfortable.No one wants to be symptomatic; it's like being hit with a hammer."
His body visibly wracked by tremors, Fox appears in a political ad toutingMissouri Democratic Senate candidate Claire McCaskill's stance in favor ofembryonic stem cell research. That prompted Limbaugh to speculate that Foxwas "either off his medication or acting."
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900170_pf.html
Highlights of key U.S. House races
By John Whitesides, Political Correspondent
Reuters
Sunday, October 29, 2006; 8:52 AM
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Voters will decide on November 7 which party controlsthe U.S. House of Representatives, where President George W. Bush'sRepublicans hold a 15-seat advantage over Democrats.
All 435 House seats will be on the ballot. Here are brief looks at events ofthe past week in a few key races:
ARIZONA 8 - In a district bordering Mexico, Republican anti-immigrationactivist Randy Graf ran an ad attacking Democratic former state Sen.Gabrielle Giffords' "embarrassing liberal voting record" and cited hissupport from Republican Sens. John McCain and Jon Kyl. The district ofretiring Rep. Jim Kolbe is considered a prime opportunity for Democrats topick up a Republican-held seat.
COLORADO 7 - Democrat Ed Perlmutter got campaign help from Democratic Sen.Barack Obama of Illinois, whose appearance was moved from a small theater toan outdoor park to accommodate the large crowd. A Democratic ad attacked hisRepublican opponent, Rick O'Donnell, for once writing Social Security shouldbe eliminated. The two are vying for an open seat in a Republican-heldsuburban Denver swing district.
more....
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http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/opinion/chi-0610290027oct29,1,7736522.story?coll=chi-opinionfront-hed
WINNING ISN'T EVERYTHING
If Dems win, they should take care
By William Neikirk, a senior correspondent in the Tribune's Washington
Bureau
October 29, 2006
WASHINGTON -- In the middle of the 1996 presidential race, with Bill Clintoncoasting toward a second term, White House adviser Harold Ickes reflected onhow his boss had achieved a remarkable turnaround in just two years.
"One of the best things that ever happened to us was losing the House ofRepresentatives," Ickes said in an interview then, referring to the 1994election in which Republicans took control of the House and Senate away fromthe Democrats.
The GOP then launched the conservative "Contract With America."
The Republican victory thrust the irrepressible Newt Gingrich into the Housespeaker's chair, where he challenged Clinton's very right to govern. Full ofideas and perhaps a bit of hubris, Gingrich proved to be a perfect foil forClinton.
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The Toronto Star [Canada]
http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Render&inifile=futuretense.ini&c=Page&cid=968332188492&pubid=968163964505
Published on Sunday, October 29, 2006 by the Toronto Star (Canada)
The Real Problem is That it is Illegal for One Country to Invade
Another Country
By Linda McQuaig
Much has changed in the way the mainstream media deal with the war inIraq. Most commentators now acknowledge the war is a disaster and will hurtthe Republicans badly in the upcoming U.S. midterm elections.
But one thing hasn't changed - the willingness to believe that themotives for war, however misguided, were basically honourable.
So the criticism centres instead on the Bush administration's inepthandling of the war.
Canada's own Michael Ignatieff, the Liberal leadership front-runner,tries to slough off his former enthusiastic support for the war by nowsaying he hadn't "anticipated how incompetent the Americans would be."
But incompetence is a side issue. The real problem is, and always hasbeen, that it is illegal - not to mention immoral - for a country to invadeanother country, in other words, to wage a war of aggression.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/29/AR2006102900547.html
The Decline Of Trust
By Sebastian Mallaby
Monday, October 30, 2006; A17
In 1995 Francis Fukuyama came out with a book called "Trust," in which heargued that a society's capacity for cooperation underpins its prosperity.The same year, Robert Putnam's famous article, "Bowling Alone," lamentedthat the United States was depleting its stock of precious social capital.The question of trust -- in government and also in communities --preoccupied politicians too. "It Takes a Village," Hillary Rodham Clintonurged in the title of her 1996 book, which became a best seller.
You don't hear much about trust these days. Instead, we want accountability.
You see this most viciously in politics. In the mid-term campaigns, nobodyhas time for trust. The name of the game is to hold opponents accountable byattacking their records -- for failings real or imagined. If the Democratscapture one or both chambers, it will be largely because they promise tohold the president accountable.
This reflects a shift somewhere around 2003 or 2004. In the 1990s, afteracademics and pundits began talking about trust, the nation did actuallybecome more trusting.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/30/AR2006103000269_pf.html
Global Warming Will Devastate World Economy, Report Says
Associated Press
Monday, October 30, 2006; 8:01 AM
LONDON -- Unchecked global warming will devastate the world economy on thescale of the world wars and the Great Depression, a major British reportsaid Monday.
Introducing the report, British Prime Minister Tony Blair said unabatedclimate change would eventually cost the world between 5 percent and 20percent of global gross domestic product each year.
He called for "bold and decisive action" to cut carbon dioxide emissions andstem the worst of the temperature rise.
The report is expected to increase pressure on the Bush administration --which never approved the Kyoto Protocol climate-change accord -- to step upits efforts to fight global warming.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/30/opinion/30waldman.html
Link to Graphic - Counting the Votes:
http://www.nytimes.com/imagepages/2006/10/29/opinion/20061030_VOTE_GRAPHIC.html
October 30, 2006
Op-Art
Remember to Vote, Hope It Counts
By MICHAEL WALDMAN, WENDY WEISER and OPEN, N.Y.
ON Nov. 7, many voters will encounter new voting machines, new computerizedvoter lists and new rules regarding registration and ID requirements. Asprimaries earlier this year demonstrated, local officials and poll workersare overwhelmed by all the changes - some of them engineered by mischievouspartisans who have passed laws and rules that would block many eligiblecitizens from voting.
There is a silent disenfranchisement afoot - one that could affect hundredsof thousands of voters. That's bad for democracy. In the 2004 presidentialelection, some states were decided by less than 1 percent of the vote. Thisyear, dozens of Congressional races could be close enough that votesuppression would affect them.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/30/opinion/30mon1.html?pagewanted=print
October 30, 2006
Editorial
The Fence Campaign
President Bush signed a bill to authorize a 700-mile border fence last week,
thus enshrining into federal law a key part of the Republicans' midtermelection strategy. The party of the Iraq war and family values desperatelyneeds you to forget about dead soldiers and randy congressmen, and to thinkinstead about the bad things immigrants will do to us if we don't wall themout. Hence the fence, and the ad campaigns around it.
Across the country, candidates are trying to stir up a voter frenzy usingimmigrants for bait. They accuse their opponents of being amnesty-lovingfence-haters, and offer themselves as jut-jawed defenders of the homelandbecause they want the fence. But the fence is the product of a can't-do,won't-doapproach to a serious national problem. And the ads are built on afoundation of lies:
Lie No. 1: We're building a 700-mile fence. The bill signed by Mr. Bushincludes no money for fence building. Congress has authorized $1.2 billionas a down payment for sealing the border, but that money is also meant forroads, electronic sensors and other security tactics preferred by theDepartment of Homeland Security, which doesn't want a 700-mile fence. Indiantribes, members of Congress and local leaders will also have considerablesay in where to put the fence, which could cost anywhere from $2 billion to$9 billion, depending on whose estimates you believe.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/30/us/30CHARITY.html?ei=5094&en=b7e2277c4942f32c&hp=&ex=1162270800&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print
October 30, 2006
Fears of Inquiry Dampen Giving by U.S. Muslims
By NEIL MacFARQUHAR
DEARBORN, Mich. - By the end of Ramadan last year, Najah Bazzy remembershaving more than $10,000 in cash donations to distribute to the needy, and avast auditorium ringed with tables groaning with enough free food for 400poor families to celebrate the holiday.
This year, Mrs. Bazzy formalized the good works she had been doing for adecade among the tens of thousands of Muslims who live in the Dearborn areaby establishing a charity, Zaman International.
But by the end of the holiday, charitable contributions were meager. Shesaid cash donations amounted to less than $4,000, and for the first timesince she began her charity work she bought food to feed about 85 needyfamilies instead of counting on gifts.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/30/education/30gallaudet.html?hp&ex=1162270800&en=0d7f3cfaf655c7e2&ei=5094&partner=homepage
The New York Times
October 30, 2006
At Gallaudet, Trustees Give Up on New Leader After Protests
By DIANA JEAN SCHEMO
WASHINGTON, Oct. 29 - Surrendering to months of widening and unrelentingprotests by students, faculty, alumni and advocates, the board of trusteesof Gallaudet University, the nation's premier university for the deaf,abandoned its choice of the institution's next president.
In an announcement Sunday night that followed an all-day emergency meetingof the trustees, convened at a hotel in Virginia far from Gallaudet'sNortheast Washington campus, the board announced "with much regret and pain"that it would terminate the contract of Jane K. Fernandes, the formerprovost trustees named in May to succeed the outgoing president of 18 years,I. King Jordan. The board said it was acting "in the best interests of theuniversity."
"Although undoubtedly there will be some members of the community who havediffering views on the meaning of this decision, we believe that it is anecessity at this point," the trustees wrote.
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Michael Emanuel Rajner
National Secretary
Telephone: (305) 677-3506
Staying Alive '06 "Access Matters"
New Orleans, LA
December 6 - 10, 2006
On Thursday, October 12, 2006, the National Steering Committee for CampaignTo End AIDS unanimously passed a resolution calling on all AIDS ServiceOrganizations and Community Based Organizations serving the HIV/AIDScommunity to sponsor a minimum of one (1) HIV+ individual from theirlocality to participate in Staying Alive '06 "Access Matters". Thisconference is hosted by National Association of People with AIDS (NAPWA-US)from December 6 - 10, 2006 in New Orleans, LA.
Staying Alive '06 "Access Matters" offers those who attend an opportunity toshare experiences, learn up-to date prevention, treatment, and advocacystrategies as well as enhance their leadership skills and build networks.Summit sessions (plenary presentations, institutes, workshops, and affinitygroups) are designed to cover a range of issues related to improving thequality of live for those living with or affected by HIV/AIDS. Perhaps mostimportantly, this is an opportunity to help set the national HIV/AIDS"agenda" for coming years. Staying Alive '06 "Access Matters" offers theopportunity to meet, network and share experiences with the most diversenational gathering of HIV positive people, allies and supporters. StayingAlive truly reflects the face of today's HIV/AIDS epidemic and bringstogether current and future leaders of the people living with HIV/AIDSmovement.
more...
#####
FLORIDA DIGEST OCTOBER 30, 2006
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT
rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15882220.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
Posted on Mon, Oct. 30, 2006
CAMPAIGN 2006 | GOVERNOR'S RACE
Last Crist-Davis debate is today
The contenders to replace Gov. Jeb Bush will face off tonight in anhourlong, televised debate eight days before voters go to the polls.
BY BETH REINHARD AND GARY FINEOUT
breinhard@MiamiHerald.com
The question looming over the second and last televised debate tonightbetween the candidates for governor is not whether Democrat Jim Davis willsay the three little words, but how many times.
''Stay the course'' -- hurled as an accusation against his opponent -- hasbecome Davis' main line of attack against front-running Republican CharlieCrist. Davis uttered the phrase nine times in last week's hourlong debate,arguing that Crist represents the status quo and will fail to reversesoaring property taxes and insurance rates.
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http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/30/news_pf/State/For_Crist_and_Davis__.shtml
For Crist and Davis, it's time to play hardball
Chris Matthews moderates tonight's debate.
ERIC DEGGANS
Published October 30, 2006
Chris Matthews is a motor-mouth interrogator whose in-your-face interviewstyle has been parodied everywhere from Saturday Night Live to the pages ofthis newspaper.
But ask him about the grumbling from some in Florida that his gregariouspersonality might overshadow the gubernatorial debate he is moderatingtonight, and the host of MSNBC's Hardball offers a simple promise.
"Five words: If I can do it, I'll ask questions that are just five wordslong," he said Friday, calling from his office in Washington, D.C. "The twocandidates are going to be the stars of this night. My job is to make surepeople see as much of them as possible and learn as much about them aspossible. I want people who watch this program to walk away saying, 'I thinkI know these guys now.' "
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pn3bdig30oct30,0,2334298.story
October 30, 2006
South Florida
Panel to discuss progress of gay rights movement
A group of local activist will discuss "40 Years Later: How Far has theLesbian/Gay Rights Movement Come?" during a panel discussion today.
The discussion will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Main Library, 100 S. AndrewsAve., Fort Lauderdale.
The event, part of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History Month,is sponsored by ArtsUnited, the Stonewall Library and Archives and BrowardCounty Libraries Division.
It is free and open to the public. For more information call 954-357-7348.
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http://floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061030/OPINION/610300306/1004/opinion&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.floridatoday.com%2Fapps%2Fpbcs.dll%2Farticle%3FAID%3D%2F20061030%2FOPINION%2F610300306%2F1004%2Fopinion&template=printart
Florida Today - Our view: We recommend a no vote on Amendment 3
Follow the money to understand why Amendment 3 to the Florida Constitutiondeserves a "no" vote.
Placed on the ballot by state lawmakers, the measure makes it harder forcitizens to change the state Constitution by requiring future amendmentsreceive at least 60 percent approval, instead of the current simple 50percent plus 1 majority.
That would raise the bar on the citizen-petition process -- which is alreadyonerous -- so high it's virtually impassable.
Legislators say the tougher threshold is needed so the Constitution isn'tsullied with supposedly specious citizen initiatives -- such as the infamousmeasure to protect pregnant pigs passed in 2002.
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http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/state/epaper/2006/10/30/m1a_district16_1030.html
Two seem cut from same cloth in some ways, but patterns split
By Michael C. Bender
Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
Monday, October 30, 2006
Sharing a debate stage, Tim Mahoney and Joe Negron cut similar figures. Justfive years apart in age, each stands taller than 6 feet with dark hair andwhite skin bronzed after stumping under the Florida sun.
Both share aggressive campaign styles, too.
Democrat Mahoney runs on adrenaline, eager to point out problems in theRepublican-led Congress and to trumpet successes in his business career.
Republican Negron's confidence brims from an outpouring of support from thestate and national GOP and a history of battling through other bruisingcampaigns.
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http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/30/news_pf/State/Most_voters_dislike_F.shtml
Most voters dislike FCAT use
But they don't know the positions of the gubernatorial candidates on useof the test.
By THOMAS C. TOBIN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 30, 2006
Most Florida voters don't like how the state uses a standardized test tograde schools. But ask them which candidate for governor would changethings, and they are far less certain.
Fifty-nine percent of voters in a St. Petersburg Times poll said they opposehow the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is administered as thecenterpiece of a strict accountability system for public schools. The numberwas even higher in the Tampa Bay area.
In other words, they agree with Jim Davis, the Democratic candidate forgovernor. But only 36 percent said they trust Davis to handle the task ofimproving public schools.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-celexreftran29oct30,0,1826261.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Broward voters unlikely to expand mass transit, newspaper poll says
By Michael Turnbell
Transportation Writer
October 30, 2006
Broward County commuters often complain about getting stuck in traffic, butwill they buy a sales tax proposal that promises to ease their commutingwoes?
On Nov. 7, Broward voters will be asked to increase the county's sales taxto 7 percent from 6 percent to pay for a broad, if somewhat vague, plan toexpand mass transit.
A 1-percent increase in the sales tax would cost the average consumer about$45 a year.
Commuters like Bryan Daniel of Fort Lauderdale, say the idea of a moreefficient bus system sounds great. But he doesn't have confidence in countygovernment, which would control the $260 million for improvements the taxwould bring in each year.
Daniel holds a number of jobs, including officer manager for a mortgagebroker and part-time owner of a catering company. He has taken mass transitin the past but stopped because the service was inconvenient and notfrequent enough.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editfloridaamend1oct27,0,3463552.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial
Constitution
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
October 27, 2006
Vote YES on Amendment No. 1
Amendment 1 is a much needed budgetary fix for the way the FloridaLegislature handles the state's finances. Voters should choose YES.
The proposed constitutional amendment limits the amount of one-time revenuethat can be appropriated to pay for ongoing expenses to 3 percent of theoverall revenue in the state's general fund. It's a reasonable cap that'slong overdue.
The limit still provides enough money for lawmakers to craft budgets, and itwill help curb an unsettling practice. State lawmakers have too often reliedon nonrecurring revenue from one-time sources, such as profits from the saleof assets or settlements, to cover the costs of year-to-year expenses.
The Legislature can't seem to break the habit and has asked for help fromthe public. The correct response should be an enthusiastic YES.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editfloridaamend6oct30,0,5101951.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial
Constitution
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
October 30, 2006
Vote NO on Amendment No. 6
Florida's property tax crisis requires a nuanced solution. It's unwise forFlorida voters to approve one vague and much too narrow solution in lieu ofbroader changes. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board urges votersto reject Amendment 6.
This constitutional amendment would double to $50,000 the homesteadexemption for low-income seniors. It sounds tempting, but voters must sayno.
For starters, the amendment doesn't define "low-income." Presumably, thedefinition will be left to the Legislature, and who knows how they willclarify the thresholds for qualification?
More importantly, the solution to soaring taxes from increases in propertyvalues lies not in one narrow solution. The menu of reforms should include abroader increase in the value of the homestead exemption, or permitting thetransfer of exemptions when people move.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editfloridaamend7oct30,0,5495168.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial
Constitution
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
October 30, 2006
Vote NO on Amendment No. 7
Proposed constitutional Amendment 7 is a good law for the Legislature toconsider. But it's a bad amendment to carve into Florida's bedrock legaldocument.
Amendment 7 would give a discount on the ad valorem tax on the homestead ofa disabled or partly disabled veteran who is older than 65 and whosedisability is combat-related. The amendment's wording specifies that thediscount be equal to the percentage of the veteran's permanent disability.
The intentions behind this proposal appear worthy, and combat veteranswho've made sacrifices for this country are surely entitled to suchconsideration.
But writing this measure into the state Constitution creates inflexibility.Better for such a proposal to be approved as law by the Legislature.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editfloridaamend8oct30,0,5888385.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial
Constitution
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
October 30, 2006
Vote NO on Amendment No. 8
Floridians should oppose placing new, constitutional restrictions on thegovernment's power of eminent domain. The South Florida Sun-SentinelEditorial Board recommends a NO vote on Constitutional Amendment No. 8.
The amendment would expand on what the Legislature did earlier this year,when it enacted a law spelling out that governments cannot take privateproperty deemed "blighted" and transfer ownership to a private developer.
That law is already too restrictive of government's legitimate power tocondemn blighted property for redevelopment. The Legislature should revisitit to permit condemnations of truly blighted areas, but only as a lastresort and with just compensation.
But first it must narrow and clarify the definition of "blight." Over theyears that definition has expanded to include almost anything a privatedeveloper and a local government might covet for profit and to increase thetax base. That's abusive and wrong.
The proposed amendment would prohibit any and all condemnations of privateproperty for the purpose of transferring ownership to another privateentity. However, exceptions could be made by three-fifths votes of bothhouses of the Legislature.
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http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20061030&Category=OPINION&ArtNo=610300516&SectionCat=&Template=printart
Article published Oct 30, 2006
The reason for Amendment 4
Survey shows state funding vital in effort to deter teen smoking
Florida voters should take note of a federal survey indicating that a longdecline in smoking in the United States has stalled. On Election Day,they'll have a chance to do something about it.
The Nov. 7 ballot includes a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitutionthat would require the state to spend 15 percent of its annual proceeds fromthe 1997 tobacco settlement on programs designed to deter teen smoking.
The amendment initiative comes at a critical juncture in the battle againstan addiction that kills 400,000 Americans every year and causes immeasurablesuffering among their friends and families.
#####
rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15882220.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
Posted on Mon, Oct. 30, 2006
CAMPAIGN 2006 | GOVERNOR'S RACE
Last Crist-Davis debate is today
The contenders to replace Gov. Jeb Bush will face off tonight in anhourlong, televised debate eight days before voters go to the polls.
BY BETH REINHARD AND GARY FINEOUT
breinhard@MiamiHerald.com
The question looming over the second and last televised debate tonightbetween the candidates for governor is not whether Democrat Jim Davis willsay the three little words, but how many times.
''Stay the course'' -- hurled as an accusation against his opponent -- hasbecome Davis' main line of attack against front-running Republican CharlieCrist. Davis uttered the phrase nine times in last week's hourlong debate,arguing that Crist represents the status quo and will fail to reversesoaring property taxes and insurance rates.
=
http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/30/news_pf/State/For_Crist_and_Davis__.shtml
For Crist and Davis, it's time to play hardball
Chris Matthews moderates tonight's debate.
ERIC DEGGANS
Published October 30, 2006
Chris Matthews is a motor-mouth interrogator whose in-your-face interviewstyle has been parodied everywhere from Saturday Night Live to the pages ofthis newspaper.
But ask him about the grumbling from some in Florida that his gregariouspersonality might overshadow the gubernatorial debate he is moderatingtonight, and the host of MSNBC's Hardball offers a simple promise.
"Five words: If I can do it, I'll ask questions that are just five wordslong," he said Friday, calling from his office in Washington, D.C. "The twocandidates are going to be the stars of this night. My job is to make surepeople see as much of them as possible and learn as much about them aspossible. I want people who watch this program to walk away saying, 'I thinkI know these guys now.' "
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pn3bdig30oct30,0,2334298.story
October 30, 2006
South Florida
Panel to discuss progress of gay rights movement
A group of local activist will discuss "40 Years Later: How Far has theLesbian/Gay Rights Movement Come?" during a panel discussion today.
The discussion will be from 6 to 9 p.m. at the Main Library, 100 S. AndrewsAve., Fort Lauderdale.
The event, part of the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender History Month,is sponsored by ArtsUnited, the Stonewall Library and Archives and BrowardCounty Libraries Division.
It is free and open to the public. For more information call 954-357-7348.
=
http://floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20061030/OPINION/610300306/1004/opinion&URL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.floridatoday.com%2Fapps%2Fpbcs.dll%2Farticle%3FAID%3D%2F20061030%2FOPINION%2F610300306%2F1004%2Fopinion&template=printart
Florida Today - Our view: We recommend a no vote on Amendment 3
Follow the money to understand why Amendment 3 to the Florida Constitutiondeserves a "no" vote.
Placed on the ballot by state lawmakers, the measure makes it harder forcitizens to change the state Constitution by requiring future amendmentsreceive at least 60 percent approval, instead of the current simple 50percent plus 1 majority.
That would raise the bar on the citizen-petition process -- which is alreadyonerous -- so high it's virtually impassable.
Legislators say the tougher threshold is needed so the Constitution isn'tsullied with supposedly specious citizen initiatives -- such as the infamousmeasure to protect pregnant pigs passed in 2002.
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http://www.palmbeachpost.com/news/content/state/epaper/2006/10/30/m1a_district16_1030.html
Two seem cut from same cloth in some ways, but patterns split
By Michael C. Bender
Palm Beach Post Capital Bureau
Monday, October 30, 2006
Sharing a debate stage, Tim Mahoney and Joe Negron cut similar figures. Justfive years apart in age, each stands taller than 6 feet with dark hair andwhite skin bronzed after stumping under the Florida sun.
Both share aggressive campaign styles, too.
Democrat Mahoney runs on adrenaline, eager to point out problems in theRepublican-led Congress and to trumpet successes in his business career.
Republican Negron's confidence brims from an outpouring of support from thestate and national GOP and a history of battling through other bruisingcampaigns.
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http://www.sptimes.com/2006/10/30/news_pf/State/Most_voters_dislike_F.shtml
Most voters dislike FCAT use
But they don't know the positions of the gubernatorial candidates on useof the test.
By THOMAS C. TOBIN, Times Staff Writer
Published October 30, 2006
Most Florida voters don't like how the state uses a standardized test tograde schools. But ask them which candidate for governor would changethings, and they are far less certain.
Fifty-nine percent of voters in a St. Petersburg Times poll said they opposehow the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test is administered as thecenterpiece of a strict accountability system for public schools. The numberwas even higher in the Tampa Bay area.
In other words, they agree with Jim Davis, the Democratic candidate forgovernor. But only 36 percent said they trust Davis to handle the task ofimproving public schools.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-celexreftran29oct30,0,1826261.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Broward voters unlikely to expand mass transit, newspaper poll says
By Michael Turnbell
Transportation Writer
October 30, 2006
Broward County commuters often complain about getting stuck in traffic, butwill they buy a sales tax proposal that promises to ease their commutingwoes?
On Nov. 7, Broward voters will be asked to increase the county's sales taxto 7 percent from 6 percent to pay for a broad, if somewhat vague, plan toexpand mass transit.
A 1-percent increase in the sales tax would cost the average consumer about$45 a year.
Commuters like Bryan Daniel of Fort Lauderdale, say the idea of a moreefficient bus system sounds great. But he doesn't have confidence in countygovernment, which would control the $260 million for improvements the taxwould bring in each year.
Daniel holds a number of jobs, including officer manager for a mortgagebroker and part-time owner of a catering company. He has taken mass transitin the past but stopped because the service was inconvenient and notfrequent enough.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editfloridaamend1oct27,0,3463552.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial
Constitution
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
October 27, 2006
Vote YES on Amendment No. 1
Amendment 1 is a much needed budgetary fix for the way the FloridaLegislature handles the state's finances. Voters should choose YES.
The proposed constitutional amendment limits the amount of one-time revenuethat can be appropriated to pay for ongoing expenses to 3 percent of theoverall revenue in the state's general fund. It's a reasonable cap that'slong overdue.
The limit still provides enough money for lawmakers to craft budgets, and itwill help curb an unsettling practice. State lawmakers have too often reliedon nonrecurring revenue from one-time sources, such as profits from the saleof assets or settlements, to cover the costs of year-to-year expenses.
The Legislature can't seem to break the habit and has asked for help fromthe public. The correct response should be an enthusiastic YES.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editfloridaamend6oct30,0,5101951.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial
Constitution
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
October 30, 2006
Vote NO on Amendment No. 6
Florida's property tax crisis requires a nuanced solution. It's unwise forFlorida voters to approve one vague and much too narrow solution in lieu ofbroader changes. The South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board urges votersto reject Amendment 6.
This constitutional amendment would double to $50,000 the homesteadexemption for low-income seniors. It sounds tempting, but voters must sayno.
For starters, the amendment doesn't define "low-income." Presumably, thedefinition will be left to the Legislature, and who knows how they willclarify the thresholds for qualification?
More importantly, the solution to soaring taxes from increases in propertyvalues lies not in one narrow solution. The menu of reforms should include abroader increase in the value of the homestead exemption, or permitting thetransfer of exemptions when people move.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editfloridaamend7oct30,0,5495168.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial
Constitution
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
October 30, 2006
Vote NO on Amendment No. 7
Proposed constitutional Amendment 7 is a good law for the Legislature toconsider. But it's a bad amendment to carve into Florida's bedrock legaldocument.
Amendment 7 would give a discount on the ad valorem tax on the homestead ofa disabled or partly disabled veteran who is older than 65 and whosedisability is combat-related. The amendment's wording specifies that thediscount be equal to the percentage of the veteran's permanent disability.
The intentions behind this proposal appear worthy, and combat veteranswho've made sacrifices for this country are surely entitled to suchconsideration.
But writing this measure into the state Constitution creates inflexibility.Better for such a proposal to be approved as law by the Legislature.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editfloridaamend8oct30,0,5888385.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial
Constitution
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
October 30, 2006
Vote NO on Amendment No. 8
Floridians should oppose placing new, constitutional restrictions on thegovernment's power of eminent domain. The South Florida Sun-SentinelEditorial Board recommends a NO vote on Constitutional Amendment No. 8.
The amendment would expand on what the Legislature did earlier this year,when it enacted a law spelling out that governments cannot take privateproperty deemed "blighted" and transfer ownership to a private developer.
That law is already too restrictive of government's legitimate power tocondemn blighted property for redevelopment. The Legislature should revisitit to permit condemnations of truly blighted areas, but only as a lastresort and with just compensation.
But first it must narrow and clarify the definition of "blight." Over theyears that definition has expanded to include almost anything a privatedeveloper and a local government might covet for profit and to increase thetax base. That's abusive and wrong.
The proposed amendment would prohibit any and all condemnations of privateproperty for the purpose of transferring ownership to another privateentity. However, exceptions could be made by three-fifths votes of bothhouses of the Legislature.
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http://www.heraldtribune.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?Date=20061030&Category=OPINION&ArtNo=610300516&SectionCat=&Template=printart
Article published Oct 30, 2006
The reason for Amendment 4
Survey shows state funding vital in effort to deter teen smoking
Florida voters should take note of a federal survey indicating that a longdecline in smoking in the United States has stalled. On Election Day,they'll have a chance to do something about it.
The Nov. 7 ballot includes a proposed amendment to the Florida Constitutionthat would require the state to spend 15 percent of its annual proceeds fromthe 1997 tobacco settlement on programs designed to deter teen smoking.
The amendment initiative comes at a critical juncture in the battle againstan addiction that kills 400,000 Americans every year and causes immeasurablesuffering among their friends and families.
#####
Sunday, October 29, 2006
GLBT DIGEST - October 29, 2006
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT
rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/weekinreview/29liptak.html?pagewanted=print
Gay Marriage Through a Black-White Prism
By ADAM LIPTAK
IN 1947, the county clerk in Los Angeles refused to marry Andrea Perez andSylvester Davis. They were of different races, and a California law saidthat "all marriages of white persons with Negroes, Mongolians, members ofthe Malay race or mulattoes are illegal." The next year, the CaliforniaSupreme Court, by a vote of 4 to 3, struck down that law in Perez v. Sharp.
In 2003, in another 4-to-3 decision, the Massachusetts Supreme JudicialCourt authorized gay marriages, and it invoked the Perez case as a model.
Last week, in a third 4-to-3 decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court stoppedjust short of endorsing gay marriages. It instructed the State Legislatureto provide gay unions with a full complement of legal rights but said thatthe question of whether to call such unions "marriages" was a political, notjudicial, one.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
http://www.kintera.org/site/lookup.asp?c=nlI2IeN1JyE&b=1543215
New report titled Homophobia at 'Hell House' reveals how the right wingfuels homophobia, demonizes lesbian and gay youth
Religious alternatives to traditional haunted houses designedto scare youth into a 'sin-free life'
"This is Steve," the demon says. "He thought his homosexual lifestyle waseverything a real man could want, but now he's dying of AIDS."
http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/Homophobia_Hell_House.pdf - Read the report.
LES FRERES CORBUSIER'S
"HELL HOUSE"
Arts at St. Ann's, October 2006
"The Hell House phenomenon is yet another example of the dangerous andextreme tactics used by the religious right to indoctrinate youth with liesand misinformation about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.Church leaders who sponsor Hell Houses should be ashamed of contributing tothe climate of anti-gay harassment and violence that mercilessly threatensthe safety and well-being of LGBT youth on a daily basis." - Matt Foreman,Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 - In a report released today titled Homophobia at 'HellHouse': Literally Demonizing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth,the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute estimates that thisHalloween season, 1.6 million people, many of them children as young as 10years old, will go to "Hell Houses," religious alternatives to traditional haunted houses that are designed to scare youth into a "sin-free life."
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/28/AR2006102800808_pf.html
Gay Couples' Adopted Kids May Be Baptized, Catholic Draft Says
Religion News Service
Sunday, October 29, 2006; A09
Children adopted by gay couples may be baptized in the Roman CatholicChurch, even though the church does not support such adoptions, calling them"a pastoral concern," according to new guidelines for ministering to gay menand lesbians that will be presented to U.S. bishops next month in Baltimore.
The 23-page draft document affirms traditional church teachings on same-sexissues, such as forbidding the blessing of same-sex unions or marriages, andaddresses some relatively new issues, such as discrimination against andharassment of gay men and lesbians.
The document, "Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelinesfor Pastoral Care," marks the first time in nearly 10 years that U.S.bishops have addressed such ministry in detail. Bishops will debate and voteon the guidelines at their annual fall meeting, Nov. 13 to 16, in Baltimore.
=
The Washington Post
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/
Should homosexuals be allowed to marry?
- Fareed Zakaria
Links to 5 responses:
Posted at 12:09 PM ET, 10/28/2006
Yes, It's Their Human Right
» Bill Emmott | London, England - This question is upside down, in bothmoral and logical terms. Instead it ought to read: "Why shouldn'thomosexuals be allowed to marry?".... » More
Posted at 8:12 AM ET, 10/28/2006
Islam Tangos With Homosexuality
» Bashir Goth | Somalia/U.A.E. - Homosexuality in the Muslim world is as oldas human existence. Muslim governments turn a blind eye to homosexualpractices as long as they stays in the dark. Conspicuous punishments,however, await those who dare to test the law. » More
more....
=
Ireland
Sunday Independent, 29 October 2006
Age of consent for teens will not be lowered
MAEVE SHEEHAN
AN OFFICIAL proposal to the Government to keep the age of sexual consent at
17 for both sexes is seriously at odds with public opinion which would like
to see it lowered in the face of social reality.
The Oireachtas Committee on child protection is to recommend the status quo while a nationwide telephone poll by the Sunday Independent shows that 65 per cent of the public want the age reduced to 16.
It is also known the Government would prefer to reduce the age to 16, bringing it more in line with what is commonly believed to be the reality of sexual activity among teenage boys and girls.
The issue was discussed at a meeting of the committee last Thursday. Yesterday, committee sources said the volume of submissions in favour of 17 has swayed the 13-member cross-party committee towards recommending it as the legal age of consent in its report to the Oireachtas next month.
The committee was set up to review criminal law relating to sexual offences against children, and the age of consent, in the wake of the debacle last summer, when the Supreme Court struck down the law on statutory rape. A convicted statutory rapist had appealed successfully on the grounds that he had not been afforded the defence of mistake of age.
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The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/elections/sfl-wpost26wedoct29,0,1931917.story
Room for decisions
October 29, 2006
In requiring that state law grant the same benefits to same-sex couples thatit gives to married ones, the New Jersey Supreme Court has given the GardenState a nudge down a road it was already traveling. For those, like us, whosupport same-sex marriage, such steps are welcome. There is no good reasonwhy same-sex couples in loving and committed relationships should not begranted affirmative recognition from state governments -- recognition thatcarries with it the rights and responsibilities of marriage. The New Jerseycourt unanimously pushed in a direction we would like to see all statesultimately go.
What role judges should play in that process is always a difficult question,and last week's decision will no doubt spark controversy. So it is worthemphasizing that the judicial impetus here is actually a gentle one. NewJersey's legal landscape, both its case law and statutes, was already fairlyadvanced.
=
The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/custom/fringe/ats-ap_entertainment13oct29,0,202809.story
Jon Stewart Visits Ohio State University
October 29, 2006, 2:17 AM EST
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jon Stewart and staff from Comedy Central's "The DailyShow" fielded questions from Ohio State University students and others at aspecial appearance Saturday, but the comedian also had a query of his own.
"A buckeye is a gay acorn, right?" Stewart asked about 12,000 peoplegathered at Value City Arena.
The popular news parody is gearing up for a week of broadcasts from Ohio forits "Midwest Midterm Midtacular." The appearance -- not planned forbroadcast -- was added after spaces for the four nights of tapings at theuniversity's more intimate Roy Bowen Theatre filled up.
"How better to spend a Saturday night than at a moderated forum," Stewart quipped.
He had said the excursion was the show's fifth trip outside New York in 10 years, but its first to "a random zone" outside a big city on the East orWest Coast.
=
Transgender MP in toilet fracas
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6094782.stm
Published: 2006/10/28 16:46:09 GMT
An Italian opposition MP and former showgirl has expressed outrage aftermeeting a transgender colleague in the parliament's ladies' toilets.
Elisabetta Gardini, spokeswoman for former PM Silvio Berlusconi's party,said she felt ill after the encounter during a break in Friday's session.
The incident led to heated debate about which toilet the transgender MP,known as Vladimir Luxuria, could use.
Ms Luxuria says she has been using ladies' toilets for years.
Using the men's would have created even bigger problems, she said.
The matter has now been passed to parliamentary procedural officials toresolve.
=
The Miami Herald
October 28, 2006
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15866515.htm
Gay marriage tussle brings leading role for New Jersey lawmaker
TOM HESTER Jr.
Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. - Over more than five terms in the state Assembly, ReedGusciora has helped push for New Jersey's ban on smoking in public places,for better voter protections and for increasing the regulation of childcustody.
But nothing has thrust the Mercer County Democrat faster or further into thepublic spotlight than his newfound position as the Legislature's leadingadvocate for gay marriage.
On Wednesday, the state Supreme Court ruled that lawmakers have until Aprilto determine how to offer marriage rights or another, similar, form ofstate-sanctioned unions to gay couples.
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http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/world/29condoms.html?ei=5094&en=59e612f6dcd39d23&hp=&ex=1162094400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print
The New York Times
October 29, 2006
Condoms Sent as Foreign Aid, Made in U.S.A.
By CELIA W. DUGGER
EUFAULA, Alabama - Here in this courtly, antebellum town, Alabama's condom production has survived an onslaught of Asian competition, thanks to the patronage of straitlaced congressmen from this Bible Belt state.Behind the scenes, the politicians have ensured that companies in Alabama won federal contracts to make billions of condoms over the years for AIDS prevention and family planning programs overseas, though Asian factories could do the job at less than half the cost.
In recent years, the state's condom manufacturers fell hundreds of millions of condoms behind on orders, and the federal aid agency began buying them from Asia. The use of Asian-made condoms has contributed to layoffs that are coming next month.
But Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama, has quietly pressed to maintain the unqualified priority for American-made condoms and is likely to prevail if the past is any guide.
"What's wrong with helping the American worker at the same time we are helping people around the world?" asked the senator's spokesman, Michael Brumas.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/us/29bishops.html?ei=5094&en=460ab8b3b39be2b4&hp=&ex=1162094400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print
October 29, 2006
Bishops Draft Rules on Ministering to Gays
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
The nation's Roman Catholic bishops have drafted new guidelines for ministryto gay people that affirm church teaching against same-sex relationships,marriages and adoptions by gay couples, yet encourage parishes to reach outto gay Catholics who feel alienated by their church.
The bishops' document, the result of a four-year effort, gives specificinstructions on some of the conundrums now faced in many parishes.
The guidelines recommend baptizing the adopted children of same-sex couples,as long as the children will be raised as Catholics. It says that gay peoplemay benefit from revealing their "tendencies" to friends, family and theirpriest, but should not make "general public announcements" about it in theparish.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
The Loving analogy is nonsense
http://www.federalistjournal.com/fedblog/?p=2867
The Federalist
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Ever since the push to radically redefine marriage was started by the left,they have repeatedly tried to make the silly analogy between "gay marriage"and inter-racial marriage, specifically to the case Loving vs. Virginia.
The analogy is nonsense. There are no significant differences between ablack man and a white man (and none whatsoever that have anything to do withthe intimate marriage relationship). To believe otherwise is by definitionracist. To acknowledge that there are profound, fundamental differencesbetween men and women is simply to acknowledge the obvious.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Gay Impasse by William F. Buckley Jr.
Yahoo News | Oct. 27,2007
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=128&e=12&u=/ucwb/20061028/cm_ucwb/gayimpasse
The New Jersey court has simply brought the gay marriage issue one stepforward in its ineluctable march to the Supreme Court -- or to aconstitutional amendment.
The New Jersey majority did a very cool thing politically. It reasoned asfollows:
(l) If people are gay, they do not therefore forfeit rights, never mindthat these rights were specifically written for non-gays.
(2) Therefore, we hereby promulgate the right of marriage for New Jerseygays. Same-sex unions are, effective immediately, to have the identicalrights and privileges that are given by New Jersey to man-woman unions,including tax benefits.
#####
rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/weekinreview/29liptak.html?pagewanted=print
Gay Marriage Through a Black-White Prism
By ADAM LIPTAK
IN 1947, the county clerk in Los Angeles refused to marry Andrea Perez andSylvester Davis. They were of different races, and a California law saidthat "all marriages of white persons with Negroes, Mongolians, members ofthe Malay race or mulattoes are illegal." The next year, the CaliforniaSupreme Court, by a vote of 4 to 3, struck down that law in Perez v. Sharp.
In 2003, in another 4-to-3 decision, the Massachusetts Supreme JudicialCourt authorized gay marriages, and it invoked the Perez case as a model.
Last week, in a third 4-to-3 decision, the New Jersey Supreme Court stoppedjust short of endorsing gay marriages. It instructed the State Legislatureto provide gay unions with a full complement of legal rights but said thatthe question of whether to call such unions "marriages" was a political, notjudicial, one.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
http://www.kintera.org/site/lookup.asp?c=nlI2IeN1JyE&b=1543215
New report titled Homophobia at 'Hell House' reveals how the right wingfuels homophobia, demonizes lesbian and gay youth
Religious alternatives to traditional haunted houses designedto scare youth into a 'sin-free life'
"This is Steve," the demon says. "He thought his homosexual lifestyle waseverything a real man could want, but now he's dying of AIDS."
http://www.thetaskforce.org/downloads/Homophobia_Hell_House.pdf - Read the report.
LES FRERES CORBUSIER'S
"HELL HOUSE"
Arts at St. Ann's, October 2006
"The Hell House phenomenon is yet another example of the dangerous andextreme tactics used by the religious right to indoctrinate youth with liesand misinformation about lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people.Church leaders who sponsor Hell Houses should be ashamed of contributing tothe climate of anti-gay harassment and violence that mercilessly threatensthe safety and well-being of LGBT youth on a daily basis." - Matt Foreman,Executive Director, National Gay and Lesbian Task Force
WASHINGTON, Oct. 27 - In a report released today titled Homophobia at 'HellHouse': Literally Demonizing Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender Youth,the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force Policy Institute estimates that thisHalloween season, 1.6 million people, many of them children as young as 10years old, will go to "Hell Houses," religious alternatives to traditional haunted houses that are designed to scare youth into a "sin-free life."
=
Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/28/AR2006102800808_pf.html
Gay Couples' Adopted Kids May Be Baptized, Catholic Draft Says
Religion News Service
Sunday, October 29, 2006; A09
Children adopted by gay couples may be baptized in the Roman CatholicChurch, even though the church does not support such adoptions, calling them"a pastoral concern," according to new guidelines for ministering to gay menand lesbians that will be presented to U.S. bishops next month in Baltimore.
The 23-page draft document affirms traditional church teachings on same-sexissues, such as forbidding the blessing of same-sex unions or marriages, andaddresses some relatively new issues, such as discrimination against andharassment of gay men and lesbians.
The document, "Ministry to Persons with a Homosexual Inclination: Guidelinesfor Pastoral Care," marks the first time in nearly 10 years that U.S.bishops have addressed such ministry in detail. Bishops will debate and voteon the guidelines at their annual fall meeting, Nov. 13 to 16, in Baltimore.
=
The Washington Post
http://blog.washingtonpost.com/postglobal/
Should homosexuals be allowed to marry?
- Fareed Zakaria
Links to 5 responses:
Posted at 12:09 PM ET, 10/28/2006
Yes, It's Their Human Right
» Bill Emmott | London, England - This question is upside down, in bothmoral and logical terms. Instead it ought to read: "Why shouldn'thomosexuals be allowed to marry?".... » More
Posted at 8:12 AM ET, 10/28/2006
Islam Tangos With Homosexuality
» Bashir Goth | Somalia/U.A.E. - Homosexuality in the Muslim world is as oldas human existence. Muslim governments turn a blind eye to homosexualpractices as long as they stays in the dark. Conspicuous punishments,however, await those who dare to test the law. » More
more....
=
Ireland
Sunday Independent, 29 October 2006
Age of consent for teens will not be lowered
MAEVE SHEEHAN
AN OFFICIAL proposal to the Government to keep the age of sexual consent at
17 for both sexes is seriously at odds with public opinion which would like
to see it lowered in the face of social reality.
The Oireachtas Committee on child protection is to recommend the status quo while a nationwide telephone poll by the Sunday Independent shows that 65 per cent of the public want the age reduced to 16.
It is also known the Government would prefer to reduce the age to 16, bringing it more in line with what is commonly believed to be the reality of sexual activity among teenage boys and girls.
The issue was discussed at a meeting of the committee last Thursday. Yesterday, committee sources said the volume of submissions in favour of 17 has swayed the 13-member cross-party committee towards recommending it as the legal age of consent in its report to the Oireachtas next month.
The committee was set up to review criminal law relating to sexual offences against children, and the age of consent, in the wake of the debacle last summer, when the Supreme Court struck down the law on statutory rape. A convicted statutory rapist had appealed successfully on the grounds that he had not been afforded the defence of mistake of age.
=
The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/elections/sfl-wpost26wedoct29,0,1931917.story
Room for decisions
October 29, 2006
In requiring that state law grant the same benefits to same-sex couples thatit gives to married ones, the New Jersey Supreme Court has given the GardenState a nudge down a road it was already traveling. For those, like us, whosupport same-sex marriage, such steps are welcome. There is no good reasonwhy same-sex couples in loving and committed relationships should not begranted affirmative recognition from state governments -- recognition thatcarries with it the rights and responsibilities of marriage. The New Jerseycourt unanimously pushed in a direction we would like to see all statesultimately go.
What role judges should play in that process is always a difficult question,and last week's decision will no doubt spark controversy. So it is worthemphasizing that the judicial impetus here is actually a gentle one. NewJersey's legal landscape, both its case law and statutes, was already fairlyadvanced.
=
The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/custom/fringe/ats-ap_entertainment13oct29,0,202809.story
Jon Stewart Visits Ohio State University
October 29, 2006, 2:17 AM EST
COLUMBUS, Ohio -- Jon Stewart and staff from Comedy Central's "The DailyShow" fielded questions from Ohio State University students and others at aspecial appearance Saturday, but the comedian also had a query of his own.
"A buckeye is a gay acorn, right?" Stewart asked about 12,000 peoplegathered at Value City Arena.
The popular news parody is gearing up for a week of broadcasts from Ohio forits "Midwest Midterm Midtacular." The appearance -- not planned forbroadcast -- was added after spaces for the four nights of tapings at theuniversity's more intimate Roy Bowen Theatre filled up.
"How better to spend a Saturday night than at a moderated forum," Stewart quipped.
He had said the excursion was the show's fifth trip outside New York in 10 years, but its first to "a random zone" outside a big city on the East orWest Coast.
=
Transgender MP in toilet fracas
Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/europe/6094782.stm
Published: 2006/10/28 16:46:09 GMT
An Italian opposition MP and former showgirl has expressed outrage aftermeeting a transgender colleague in the parliament's ladies' toilets.
Elisabetta Gardini, spokeswoman for former PM Silvio Berlusconi's party,said she felt ill after the encounter during a break in Friday's session.
The incident led to heated debate about which toilet the transgender MP,known as Vladimir Luxuria, could use.
Ms Luxuria says she has been using ladies' toilets for years.
Using the men's would have created even bigger problems, she said.
The matter has now been passed to parliamentary procedural officials toresolve.
=
The Miami Herald
October 28, 2006
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15866515.htm
Gay marriage tussle brings leading role for New Jersey lawmaker
TOM HESTER Jr.
Associated Press
TRENTON, N.J. - Over more than five terms in the state Assembly, ReedGusciora has helped push for New Jersey's ban on smoking in public places,for better voter protections and for increasing the regulation of childcustody.
But nothing has thrust the Mercer County Democrat faster or further into thepublic spotlight than his newfound position as the Legislature's leadingadvocate for gay marriage.
On Wednesday, the state Supreme Court ruled that lawmakers have until Aprilto determine how to offer marriage rights or another, similar, form ofstate-sanctioned unions to gay couples.
=
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/world/29condoms.html?ei=5094&en=59e612f6dcd39d23&hp=&ex=1162094400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print
The New York Times
October 29, 2006
Condoms Sent as Foreign Aid, Made in U.S.A.
By CELIA W. DUGGER
EUFAULA, Alabama - Here in this courtly, antebellum town, Alabama's condom production has survived an onslaught of Asian competition, thanks to the patronage of straitlaced congressmen from this Bible Belt state.Behind the scenes, the politicians have ensured that companies in Alabama won federal contracts to make billions of condoms over the years for AIDS prevention and family planning programs overseas, though Asian factories could do the job at less than half the cost.
In recent years, the state's condom manufacturers fell hundreds of millions of condoms behind on orders, and the federal aid agency began buying them from Asia. The use of Asian-made condoms has contributed to layoffs that are coming next month.
But Senator Jeff Sessions, Republican of Alabama, has quietly pressed to maintain the unqualified priority for American-made condoms and is likely to prevail if the past is any guide.
"What's wrong with helping the American worker at the same time we are helping people around the world?" asked the senator's spokesman, Michael Brumas.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/us/29bishops.html?ei=5094&en=460ab8b3b39be2b4&hp=&ex=1162094400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print
October 29, 2006
Bishops Draft Rules on Ministering to Gays
By LAURIE GOODSTEIN
The nation's Roman Catholic bishops have drafted new guidelines for ministryto gay people that affirm church teaching against same-sex relationships,marriages and adoptions by gay couples, yet encourage parishes to reach outto gay Catholics who feel alienated by their church.
The bishops' document, the result of a four-year effort, gives specificinstructions on some of the conundrums now faced in many parishes.
The guidelines recommend baptizing the adopted children of same-sex couples,as long as the children will be raised as Catholics. It says that gay peoplemay benefit from revealing their "tendencies" to friends, family and theirpriest, but should not make "general public announcements" about it in theparish.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
The Loving analogy is nonsense
http://www.federalistjournal.com/fedblog/?p=2867
The Federalist
Saturday, October 28, 2006
Ever since the push to radically redefine marriage was started by the left,they have repeatedly tried to make the silly analogy between "gay marriage"and inter-racial marriage, specifically to the case Loving vs. Virginia.
The analogy is nonsense. There are no significant differences between ablack man and a white man (and none whatsoever that have anything to do withthe intimate marriage relationship). To believe otherwise is by definitionracist. To acknowledge that there are profound, fundamental differencesbetween men and women is simply to acknowledge the obvious.
=
Forwarded from Kenneth Sherrill - Ken's List
Kenneth.Sherrill@hunter.cuny.edu
kenslist@groups.queernet.org
Gay Impasse by William F. Buckley Jr.
Yahoo News | Oct. 27,2007
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=128&e=12&u=/ucwb/20061028/cm_ucwb/gayimpasse
The New Jersey court has simply brought the gay marriage issue one stepforward in its ineluctable march to the Supreme Court -- or to aconstitutional amendment.
The New Jersey majority did a very cool thing politically. It reasoned asfollows:
(l) If people are gay, they do not therefore forfeit rights, never mindthat these rights were specifically written for non-gays.
(2) Therefore, we hereby promulgate the right of marriage for New Jerseygays. Same-sex unions are, effective immediately, to have the identicalrights and privileges that are given by New Jersey to man-woman unions,including tax benefits.
#####
NATIONAL & WORLD DIGEST October 29, 2006
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT
rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/
Friday, October 27, 2006
Peggy Noonan and the rotting pundit class
One of the more corrupt pundit phenomena is the way in which the most loyaland worshipful Bush followers, who spent the last five years praising thePresident and doing everything possible to enable his most radical policies,are now suddenly pretending to be so deeply dissatisfied with his rule. Nowthat the Bush movement is collapsing, they all want to pretend that theyknew all along that things weren't going well and that the President wasdeeply flawed. Suddenly, they're not a part of any of it and bear noresponsibility for it because, all along, they felt the President wasn'tdoing the right thing and, besides, he was never really loyal to theirpolitical beliefs.
Here is Peggy Noonan in The Wall St. Journal today, trying to demonstratehow objective and intellectually honest she is by claiming that evenwell-connected Republicans think that Republicans deserve to lose thiselection. For this, Noonan blames the President: "They want to fire Congressbecause they can't fire President Bush." When trying to explain whyRepublicans are dissatisfied with the President, this is what she says:
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/us/politics/29bush.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
October 29, 2006
A Warm Welcome for Bush the Campaigner, in Indiana
By JIM RUTENBERG
SELLERSBURG, Ind., Oct. 28 - In an appearance that amounted to his firsttraditional campaign rally of the election season, President Bush onSaturday told wildly cheering supporters here that Democrats did not want toinvestigate, prosecute or even detain terrorists and had no plan for Iraq.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701485_pf.html
It's Not the Economy, Stupid
By Jacob S. Hacker
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B01
In the final days of this fall's campaign, Republicans have turned to anunexpected issue: the economy. President Bush touted the nation's prosperitylast week, insisting that "a strong economy is going to help ourcandidates."
And why not? The Dow is soaring. Unemployment is low. Inflation is tame. Gasprices are falling. And the overall economy has been growing steadily. IfAmericans practice what political scientists call "retrospective voting"(captured by President Ronald Reagan's famous question: "Are you better offtoday than you were four years ago?"), then one would think that incumbentpoliticians should be cruising to victory.
=
The Independent Gay News
From: PHarris825@aol.com
Sent: Sunday, October 29, 2006 12:17 AM
Theatre Club Offer
By Paul Harris
PHarris@ourindy.com
This is an offer you would be a fool to miss, and that's no joke! LaffingMatterz, the comedy club restaurant, at 219 South Andrews Avenue is offeringa terrific deal to readers of The Independent as they launch their newWednesday night show this Fall. The Independent Theatre Club evening is onWednesday, November 1 at 7pm. Instead of paying the normal $45 for salad,entrée, beverage and show they are offering readers of The Independent ahalf price deal - $22.50 plus tax and gratuity. If you wish to orderappetizers or desserts from the menu in addition you can. There is also afully stocked bar and extensive wine list. You are not going to find abetter deal in town. Trust me.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701478_pf.html
How to Spot a Terrorist on the Fly
By Paul Ekman
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B03
The man in the cheap brown jacket stood slumped in line, staring at theground. His hands were fidgety, reaching repeatedly into his inside jacketpocket, or patting it from the outside. A momentary look of anguish, just1/15th of a second or so, occasionally flashed across his face -- the innercorners of his eyebrows would go up, so that his brows sloped down from thecenter of his forehead, his cheeks would rise, and the corners of his lipswould pull down slightly. He was exhibiting what I call a micro-expression,a sign of an emotion being concealed.
The question was: What was he concealing? And why?
To the behavior-detection officers I was with at Boston's LoganInternational Airport, his combination of mannerisms -- themicro-expression, the slumped posture, the pocket-patting -- was unusualenough to raise a red flag.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701312_pf.html
Can Bush Cross The Aisle?
By David S. Broder
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B07
With all the parsing that was needed to make sense of President Bush'sconvoluted explanations of his Iraq policies during last week's lengthy newsconference, it's not surprising that another question -- on another topic -- received little notice.
It was, in the president's judgment, "a tricky little question" that StephenDinan of the Washington Times asked -- one that seemingly caught him bysurprise.
"With a Republican Congress," Dinan said, "you failed to achieve three majorgoals of your second term: Social Security reform, a tax code overhaul and acomprehensive immigration bill. Why shouldn't Americans give Democrats achance to work with you on those issues, especially when divided governmentseemed to work in the late 1990s on the budget?"
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701482_pf.html
Where We Went Wrong
By Dick Armey
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B01
Somewhere along the road to a "permanent majority," the RepublicanRevolution of 1994 went off track. For several years, we had confidence inour convictions and trusted that the American people would reward ourefforts. And they did.
But today, my Republican friends in Congress stand on the precipice of anelectoral rout. Even the best-case scenarios suggest wafer-thin majoritiesand a legislative agenda in disarray. With eight days before the election,House speaker-in-waiting Nancy Pelosi has already begun her transitionplanning.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701308_pf.html
Who Needs to 'Help' America Vote?
By George F. Will
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B07
The hoariest jest in conservatism's repertoire is that the three least credible assertions in the English language are "The check is in the mail,""Of course I'll respect you as much in the morning" and "I'm from thegovernment, and I'm here to help you." Which brings us to the exquisitelynamed Help America Vote Act.
Having fixed Iraq and New Orleans, the federal government's healing touch isnow being applied to voting. As a result, days -- perhaps weeks -- mightpass after Election Day without the nation's knowing which party controlsthe House or Senate. If that happens, one reason might be HAVA, that 2002bit of federal helpfulness.
For over two centuries before Congress passed HAVA, Americans voted. Really.Unlike today, those who were elected -- Clay, Webster, Lincoln and lesserlights -- often were more complex and sophisticated than the votingmachinery.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701474_pf.html
5 Myths About Turning Out The Vote
By Michael McDonald
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B03
If you're an upstanding U.S. citizen, you'll stand up and be counted thisElection Day, right? Well, maybe not. Just because Americans can votedoesn't mean they do. But who shows up is what decides the tight races,which makes turnout one of the most closely watched aspects of everyelection -- and one that has fostered a number of myths. Here are five,debunked:
1. Thanks to increasing voter apathy, turnout keeps dwindling.
This is the mother of all turnout myths. There may be plenty of apatheticvoters out there, but the idea that ever fewer Americans are showing up atthe polls should be put to rest. What's really happening is that the numberof people not eligible to vote is rising -- making it seem as though turnoutis dropping.
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The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701475_pf.html
Limbaugh Outfoxed
By William Saletan
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B02
I once had a friend who listened to Rush Limbaugh three hours a day. He wasa Republican operative. He sat in my apartment, wearing headphones, while Iworked. He swore that if I put on the headphones for 10 minutes, I'd behooked. So I put them on.
Inside the headphones was another world. Everyone in this world thought thesame way, except for liberals, and they were only cartoon characters, to bedefeated as though in a video game. In the real world, my friend wasunemployed and had been staying with me, rent-free, for two months. Butinside the headphones, he could laugh about welfare bums instead of poundingthe pavement.
I thought about that last week when Limbaugh went after his latest target:Michael J. Fox. The actor, who has Parkinson's disease, has been appearingin ads for candidates who support government-funded embryonic stem cellresearch. The ads promote such research as a potential cure for Parkinson'sand other diseases.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/world/africa/29ghana.html?hp&ex=1162184400&en=3e6b6aaf7693f1ad&ei=5094&partner=homepage
October 29, 2006
Africa's World of Forced Labor, in a 6-Year-Old's Eyes
By SHARON LaFRANIERE
KETE KRACHI, Ghana - Just before 5 a.m., with the sky still dark over LakeVolta, Mark Kwadwo was rousted from his spot on the damp dirt floor. It wastime for work.
Shivering in the predawn chill, he helped paddle a canoe a mile out fromshore. For five more hours, as his coworkers yanked up a fishing net, inchby inch, Mark bailed water to keep the canoe from swamping.
He last ate the day before. His broken wooden paddle was so heavy he couldbarely lift it. But he raptly followed each command from Kwadwo Takyi, thepowerfully built 31-year-old in the back of the canoe who freely deals outbeatings.
"I don't like it here," he whispered, out of Mr. Takyi's earshot.
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The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-abush29oct29,0,6282531.story
Bush hits the campaign trail
President rips rulings on gay marriage
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske and James Gerstenzang
Los Angeles Times
October 29, 2006
SELLERSBURG, Ind. · At his first campaign rally this election season,President Bush on Saturday galvanized supporters in a packed high school gymby pledging to oppose gay marriage, a theme Republican candidates haverevived in the wake of a New Jersey court ruling in favor of gay couples.
"Activist judges try to define America by court order," Bush told the crowdof 4,000 at Silver Creek High School, flanked by local Rep. Mike Sodrel,R-Ind., who is running for re-election. "Just this week in New Jersey,another activist court issued a ruling that raises doubt about theinstitution of marriage. We believe marriage is between a man and a woman."
At that, the raucous crowd went wild, shouting "USA," stomping their feetand shaking dozens of red, white and blue pompoms.
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The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-sbdivorce29oct29,0,7336900.story
Ford takes a chance on divorce-themed ad
Unconventional relationships typically off-limits
By Susan Chandler
Chicago Tribune
October 29, 2006
A mom and dad joke with their kids as their Ford Freestyle winds throughscenic terrain. They stop at a roadside stand for a snack. They frolic on abeach at sunset.
They look like the perfect happy family until the Freestyle pulls into acondo complex and Dad gets out. "Thanks for inviting me this weekend," hetells his ex-wife. Dad gives his kids a heartfelt hug and waves as theFreestyle crossover vehicle pulls away. A voiceover intones: "Bold moves:They happen every day."
The daring move here really belongs to Ford: showing a divorced couple in anadvertising campaign.
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The Miami Herald
October 29, 2006
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/15876632.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
CONGRESS
Democrats have a plan, but will it work?
'A New Direction for America/Six for '06,' Democrats' one-page plan on whatthey would do after the first 100 days if they win the House and Senate, hasits critics.
BY MARGARET TALEV AND KEVIN G. HALL
mtalev@mcclatchydc.com
WASHINGTON - When Republicans took over the House of Representatives in1995, ending four decades of Democratic dominance there, they followedmarching orders they had laid out in their 1994 Contract with America.
But if Democrats pull off the biggest shake-up of Congress since then, byregaining control of the House and Senate in the Nov. 7 election, they willhave no comparable document to guide them, and thus may have a smaller claimto a mandate from the voters.
The Contract with America included draft legislation for budget, tax,military and social policies. It was a road map for what the new majoritywould do starting Day One through their first 100 days.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/opinion/29dooling.html?pagewanted=print
October 29, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor
Sweet Home Omaha
By RICHARD DOOLING
Omaha
HOUSING prices are falling on both coasts, and bubble panic is around the
corner. The financial magazines are already grabbing their readers by the
throat and taunting them with headlines like: "U.S. Housing Crash
Continues!" "Where Will Housing Prices Fall the Most?" "Is It Time to Cash
Out?"
What if it is time to cash out? Where do you go? If you sell on eithercoast, then you need to find real estate somewhere that the housing bubblemissed. Guam? American Samoa? Wait, how about eastern Nebraska? Downrightfrothless when it comes to housing: the median home price here usually chugsalong at the annual rate of inflation and never goes down (up 4 percent lastyear, up 22 percent over the last five years).
Before you recoil in horror at the thought of living in Omaha, a city of414,000 souls, consider that this year Money magazine ranked it seventh ofthe nation's 10 best big cities to live in, ahead of New York City, whichranked 10th. O.K., now you may recoil in horror.
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The Miami Herald
October 28, 2006
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15875262.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
O'Reilly, Letterman rekindle feud
DAVID BAUDER
Associated Press
NEW YORK - Bill O'Reilly walked out for his appearance on David Letterman's"Late Show" with a plastic shield. He could have used it.
"That's cute, that's nice," Letterman said on Friday night's show. "You comeout with toys."
Letterman and the Fox News Channel talk show host renewed their pricklyconfrontation from January, when Letterman told him "I have the feelingabout 60 percent of what you say is crap."
Before O'Reilly even came out, Letterman made his feelings clear.
"I'm secretly hoping when Bill O'Reilly comes out here, I'll have theopportunity to call him a bonehead," Letterman said.
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The New York Times
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/opinion/29brooks.html?pagewanted=print
October 29, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
Political Theater and the Real Rick Santorum
By DAVID BROOKS
Every poll suggests that Rick Santorum will lose his race to return to theU.S. Senate. That's probably good news in Pennsylvania's bobo suburbs, wherefolks regard Santorum as an ideological misfit and a social blight. But it'scertainly bad for poor people around the world.
For there has been at least one constant in Washington over the past 12years: almost every time a serious piece of antipoverty legislation surfacesin Congress, Rick Santorum is there playing a leadership role.
In the mid-1990s, he was a floor manager for welfare reform, the mostsuccessful piece of domestic legislation of the past 10 years. He thenhelped found the Renewal Alliance to help charitable groups with funding andparents with flextime legislation.
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The New York Times
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/opinion/29kristof.html
October 29, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor
If Not Now, When?
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of Darfur isn't that gunmen on theSudanese payroll heave babies into bonfires as they shout epithets againstblacks. It's that the rest of us are responding only with averted eyes andpolite tut-tutting.
This past week alone, Sudan expelled the U.N. envoy for Sudan and sent aproxy army to invade eastern Chad. Those moves underscored both the audacityof Sudan's leaders and the fecklessness of the rest of the world's.
In fact, there's plenty we can do. The international community has focusedon getting U.N. peacekeepers into Darfur, but Sudan refuses to admit them.The stalemate drags on; the slaughter continues - but here's what we can do:
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/opinion/29sun2.html
October 29, 2006
Editorial
The Senate Race in Connecticut
The Congressional elections are very much about America's problems in Iraq.But the campaigns have shed little light on exactly what should happen next.Nowhere is that more true than in Connecticut. The two leading candidates,Ned Lamont and Joseph Lieberman, have clear disagreements over whetherinvading Iraq was a good idea in the first place, but grow much fuzzier whenthe question of future strategy comes up.
Mr. Lieberman, a three-term Democratic senator now running as anindependent, talks about the threat of Islamic terrorism. Mr. Lamont, whobeat Mr. Lieberman in the Democratic primary, reminds voters what a mess theinvasion created. When it comes to the next step, Mr. Lieberman seems tomimic the Bush administration's proposal to stay the course (while no longermentioning that toxic phrase) with new tactics. Mr. Lamont is close to theSenate Democrats (minus Mr. Lieberman) who demanded a timetable forwithdrawal without being too firm on what that ought to entail.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/opinion/29sun1.html?pagewanted=print
October 29, 2006
Editorial
Future Tax Shock
One of President Bush's be-very-afraid lines this campaign season is thatDemocrats, if elected, will raise taxes. What he doesn't say is that if youare one of tens of millions of Americans who make between $75,000 and$500,000 a year, your taxes are already scheduled to rise starting nextyear - because of laws that Mr. Bush championed and other actions he failedto take.
The higher taxes stem from the alternative minimum tax, a levy that issupposed to snare multimillionaires who would otherwise get away with usingexcessive tax shelters to wipe out their tax bills. But these days, thealternative tax is snaring many upper-middle-income filers.
=
The Miami Herald
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15873577.htm
Political experts don't expect GOP to win control of Legislature
BOB JOHNSON
Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Political experts say a combination of powerfulDemocratic incumbents and a lack of money by Republican challengers willmost likely prevent the GOP from reaching its goal of winning control ofeither house of the Alabama Legislature in the Nov. 7 general election.
But GOP wins in two or three hotly contested districts could allow acoalition of Republicans and conservative Democrats to gain control of thestate Senate, said Jess Brown, political scientist at Athens StateUniversity.
"I would imagine Republicans will pick up a few seats, but I do notbelieve they will have an absolute majority in either chamber," Brown said.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/business/29corporate.html?ei=5094&en=2ec2d4863e073b97&hp=&ex=1162094400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print
October 29, 2006
Businesses Seek Protection on Legal Front
By STEPHEN LABATON
WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 - Frustrated with laws and regulations that have madecompanies and accounting firms more open to lawsuits from investors and thegovernment, corporate America - with the encouragement of the Bushadministration - is preparing to fight back.
Now that corruption cases like Enron and WorldCom are falling out of thenews, two influential industry groups with close ties to administrationofficials are hoping to swing the regulatory pendulum in the oppositedirection. The groups are drafting proposals to provide broad newprotection to corporations and accounting firms from criminal cases broughtby federal and state prosecutors as well as a stronger shield against civillawsuits from investors.
#####
rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://glenngreenwald.blogspot.com/
Friday, October 27, 2006
Peggy Noonan and the rotting pundit class
One of the more corrupt pundit phenomena is the way in which the most loyaland worshipful Bush followers, who spent the last five years praising thePresident and doing everything possible to enable his most radical policies,are now suddenly pretending to be so deeply dissatisfied with his rule. Nowthat the Bush movement is collapsing, they all want to pretend that theyknew all along that things weren't going well and that the President wasdeeply flawed. Suddenly, they're not a part of any of it and bear noresponsibility for it because, all along, they felt the President wasn'tdoing the right thing and, besides, he was never really loyal to theirpolitical beliefs.
Here is Peggy Noonan in The Wall St. Journal today, trying to demonstratehow objective and intellectually honest she is by claiming that evenwell-connected Republicans think that Republicans deserve to lose thiselection. For this, Noonan blames the President: "They want to fire Congressbecause they can't fire President Bush." When trying to explain whyRepublicans are dissatisfied with the President, this is what she says:
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/us/politics/29bush.html?_r=1&oref=slogin&pagewanted=print
October 29, 2006
A Warm Welcome for Bush the Campaigner, in Indiana
By JIM RUTENBERG
SELLERSBURG, Ind., Oct. 28 - In an appearance that amounted to his firsttraditional campaign rally of the election season, President Bush onSaturday told wildly cheering supporters here that Democrats did not want toinvestigate, prosecute or even detain terrorists and had no plan for Iraq.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701485_pf.html
It's Not the Economy, Stupid
By Jacob S. Hacker
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B01
In the final days of this fall's campaign, Republicans have turned to anunexpected issue: the economy. President Bush touted the nation's prosperitylast week, insisting that "a strong economy is going to help ourcandidates."
And why not? The Dow is soaring. Unemployment is low. Inflation is tame. Gasprices are falling. And the overall economy has been growing steadily. IfAmericans practice what political scientists call "retrospective voting"(captured by President Ronald Reagan's famous question: "Are you better offtoday than you were four years ago?"), then one would think that incumbentpoliticians should be cruising to victory.
=
The Independent Gay News
From: PHarris825@aol.com
Sent: Sunday, October 29, 2006 12:17 AM
Theatre Club Offer
By Paul Harris
PHarris@ourindy.com
This is an offer you would be a fool to miss, and that's no joke! LaffingMatterz, the comedy club restaurant, at 219 South Andrews Avenue is offeringa terrific deal to readers of The Independent as they launch their newWednesday night show this Fall. The Independent Theatre Club evening is onWednesday, November 1 at 7pm. Instead of paying the normal $45 for salad,entrée, beverage and show they are offering readers of The Independent ahalf price deal - $22.50 plus tax and gratuity. If you wish to orderappetizers or desserts from the menu in addition you can. There is also afully stocked bar and extensive wine list. You are not going to find abetter deal in town. Trust me.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701478_pf.html
How to Spot a Terrorist on the Fly
By Paul Ekman
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B03
The man in the cheap brown jacket stood slumped in line, staring at theground. His hands were fidgety, reaching repeatedly into his inside jacketpocket, or patting it from the outside. A momentary look of anguish, just1/15th of a second or so, occasionally flashed across his face -- the innercorners of his eyebrows would go up, so that his brows sloped down from thecenter of his forehead, his cheeks would rise, and the corners of his lipswould pull down slightly. He was exhibiting what I call a micro-expression,a sign of an emotion being concealed.
The question was: What was he concealing? And why?
To the behavior-detection officers I was with at Boston's LoganInternational Airport, his combination of mannerisms -- themicro-expression, the slumped posture, the pocket-patting -- was unusualenough to raise a red flag.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701312_pf.html
Can Bush Cross The Aisle?
By David S. Broder
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B07
With all the parsing that was needed to make sense of President Bush'sconvoluted explanations of his Iraq policies during last week's lengthy newsconference, it's not surprising that another question -- on another topic -- received little notice.
It was, in the president's judgment, "a tricky little question" that StephenDinan of the Washington Times asked -- one that seemingly caught him bysurprise.
"With a Republican Congress," Dinan said, "you failed to achieve three majorgoals of your second term: Social Security reform, a tax code overhaul and acomprehensive immigration bill. Why shouldn't Americans give Democrats achance to work with you on those issues, especially when divided governmentseemed to work in the late 1990s on the budget?"
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701482_pf.html
Where We Went Wrong
By Dick Armey
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B01
Somewhere along the road to a "permanent majority," the RepublicanRevolution of 1994 went off track. For several years, we had confidence inour convictions and trusted that the American people would reward ourefforts. And they did.
But today, my Republican friends in Congress stand on the precipice of anelectoral rout. Even the best-case scenarios suggest wafer-thin majoritiesand a legislative agenda in disarray. With eight days before the election,House speaker-in-waiting Nancy Pelosi has already begun her transitionplanning.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701308_pf.html
Who Needs to 'Help' America Vote?
By George F. Will
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B07
The hoariest jest in conservatism's repertoire is that the three least credible assertions in the English language are "The check is in the mail,""Of course I'll respect you as much in the morning" and "I'm from thegovernment, and I'm here to help you." Which brings us to the exquisitelynamed Help America Vote Act.
Having fixed Iraq and New Orleans, the federal government's healing touch isnow being applied to voting. As a result, days -- perhaps weeks -- mightpass after Election Day without the nation's knowing which party controlsthe House or Senate. If that happens, one reason might be HAVA, that 2002bit of federal helpfulness.
For over two centuries before Congress passed HAVA, Americans voted. Really.Unlike today, those who were elected -- Clay, Webster, Lincoln and lesserlights -- often were more complex and sophisticated than the votingmachinery.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701474_pf.html
5 Myths About Turning Out The Vote
By Michael McDonald
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B03
If you're an upstanding U.S. citizen, you'll stand up and be counted thisElection Day, right? Well, maybe not. Just because Americans can votedoesn't mean they do. But who shows up is what decides the tight races,which makes turnout one of the most closely watched aspects of everyelection -- and one that has fostered a number of myths. Here are five,debunked:
1. Thanks to increasing voter apathy, turnout keeps dwindling.
This is the mother of all turnout myths. There may be plenty of apatheticvoters out there, but the idea that ever fewer Americans are showing up atthe polls should be put to rest. What's really happening is that the numberof people not eligible to vote is rising -- making it seem as though turnoutis dropping.
=
The Washington Post
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/10/27/AR2006102701475_pf.html
Limbaugh Outfoxed
By William Saletan
Sunday, October 29, 2006; B02
I once had a friend who listened to Rush Limbaugh three hours a day. He wasa Republican operative. He sat in my apartment, wearing headphones, while Iworked. He swore that if I put on the headphones for 10 minutes, I'd behooked. So I put them on.
Inside the headphones was another world. Everyone in this world thought thesame way, except for liberals, and they were only cartoon characters, to bedefeated as though in a video game. In the real world, my friend wasunemployed and had been staying with me, rent-free, for two months. Butinside the headphones, he could laugh about welfare bums instead of poundingthe pavement.
I thought about that last week when Limbaugh went after his latest target:Michael J. Fox. The actor, who has Parkinson's disease, has been appearingin ads for candidates who support government-funded embryonic stem cellresearch. The ads promote such research as a potential cure for Parkinson'sand other diseases.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/world/africa/29ghana.html?hp&ex=1162184400&en=3e6b6aaf7693f1ad&ei=5094&partner=homepage
October 29, 2006
Africa's World of Forced Labor, in a 6-Year-Old's Eyes
By SHARON LaFRANIERE
KETE KRACHI, Ghana - Just before 5 a.m., with the sky still dark over LakeVolta, Mark Kwadwo was rousted from his spot on the damp dirt floor. It wastime for work.
Shivering in the predawn chill, he helped paddle a canoe a mile out fromshore. For five more hours, as his coworkers yanked up a fishing net, inchby inch, Mark bailed water to keep the canoe from swamping.
He last ate the day before. His broken wooden paddle was so heavy he couldbarely lift it. But he raptly followed each command from Kwadwo Takyi, thepowerfully built 31-year-old in the back of the canoe who freely deals outbeatings.
"I don't like it here," he whispered, out of Mr. Takyi's earshot.
=
The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/nationworld/sfl-abush29oct29,0,6282531.story
Bush hits the campaign trail
President rips rulings on gay marriage
By Molly Hennessy-Fiske and James Gerstenzang
Los Angeles Times
October 29, 2006
SELLERSBURG, Ind. · At his first campaign rally this election season,President Bush on Saturday galvanized supporters in a packed high school gymby pledging to oppose gay marriage, a theme Republican candidates haverevived in the wake of a New Jersey court ruling in favor of gay couples.
"Activist judges try to define America by court order," Bush told the crowdof 4,000 at Silver Creek High School, flanked by local Rep. Mike Sodrel,R-Ind., who is running for re-election. "Just this week in New Jersey,another activist court issued a ruling that raises doubt about theinstitution of marriage. We believe marriage is between a man and a woman."
At that, the raucous crowd went wild, shouting "USA," stomping their feetand shaking dozens of red, white and blue pompoms.
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The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/business/local/sfl-sbdivorce29oct29,0,7336900.story
Ford takes a chance on divorce-themed ad
Unconventional relationships typically off-limits
By Susan Chandler
Chicago Tribune
October 29, 2006
A mom and dad joke with their kids as their Ford Freestyle winds throughscenic terrain. They stop at a roadside stand for a snack. They frolic on abeach at sunset.
They look like the perfect happy family until the Freestyle pulls into acondo complex and Dad gets out. "Thanks for inviting me this weekend," hetells his ex-wife. Dad gives his kids a heartfelt hug and waves as theFreestyle crossover vehicle pulls away. A voiceover intones: "Bold moves:They happen every day."
The daring move here really belongs to Ford: showing a divorced couple in anadvertising campaign.
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The Miami Herald
October 29, 2006
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/news/nation/15876632.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
CONGRESS
Democrats have a plan, but will it work?
'A New Direction for America/Six for '06,' Democrats' one-page plan on whatthey would do after the first 100 days if they win the House and Senate, hasits critics.
BY MARGARET TALEV AND KEVIN G. HALL
mtalev@mcclatchydc.com
WASHINGTON - When Republicans took over the House of Representatives in1995, ending four decades of Democratic dominance there, they followedmarching orders they had laid out in their 1994 Contract with America.
But if Democrats pull off the biggest shake-up of Congress since then, byregaining control of the House and Senate in the Nov. 7 election, they willhave no comparable document to guide them, and thus may have a smaller claimto a mandate from the voters.
The Contract with America included draft legislation for budget, tax,military and social policies. It was a road map for what the new majoritywould do starting Day One through their first 100 days.
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/opinion/29dooling.html?pagewanted=print
October 29, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor
Sweet Home Omaha
By RICHARD DOOLING
Omaha
HOUSING prices are falling on both coasts, and bubble panic is around the
corner. The financial magazines are already grabbing their readers by the
throat and taunting them with headlines like: "U.S. Housing Crash
Continues!" "Where Will Housing Prices Fall the Most?" "Is It Time to Cash
Out?"
What if it is time to cash out? Where do you go? If you sell on eithercoast, then you need to find real estate somewhere that the housing bubblemissed. Guam? American Samoa? Wait, how about eastern Nebraska? Downrightfrothless when it comes to housing: the median home price here usually chugsalong at the annual rate of inflation and never goes down (up 4 percent lastyear, up 22 percent over the last five years).
Before you recoil in horror at the thought of living in Omaha, a city of414,000 souls, consider that this year Money magazine ranked it seventh ofthe nation's 10 best big cities to live in, ahead of New York City, whichranked 10th. O.K., now you may recoil in horror.
=
The Miami Herald
October 28, 2006
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15875262.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
O'Reilly, Letterman rekindle feud
DAVID BAUDER
Associated Press
NEW YORK - Bill O'Reilly walked out for his appearance on David Letterman's"Late Show" with a plastic shield. He could have used it.
"That's cute, that's nice," Letterman said on Friday night's show. "You comeout with toys."
Letterman and the Fox News Channel talk show host renewed their pricklyconfrontation from January, when Letterman told him "I have the feelingabout 60 percent of what you say is crap."
Before O'Reilly even came out, Letterman made his feelings clear.
"I'm secretly hoping when Bill O'Reilly comes out here, I'll have theopportunity to call him a bonehead," Letterman said.
=
The New York Times
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/opinion/29brooks.html?pagewanted=print
October 29, 2006
Op-Ed Columnist
Political Theater and the Real Rick Santorum
By DAVID BROOKS
Every poll suggests that Rick Santorum will lose his race to return to theU.S. Senate. That's probably good news in Pennsylvania's bobo suburbs, wherefolks regard Santorum as an ideological misfit and a social blight. But it'scertainly bad for poor people around the world.
For there has been at least one constant in Washington over the past 12years: almost every time a serious piece of antipoverty legislation surfacesin Congress, Rick Santorum is there playing a leadership role.
In the mid-1990s, he was a floor manager for welfare reform, the mostsuccessful piece of domestic legislation of the past 10 years. He thenhelped found the Renewal Alliance to help charitable groups with funding andparents with flextime legislation.
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The New York Times
http://select.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/opinion/29kristof.html
October 29, 2006
Op-Ed Contributor
If Not Now, When?
By NICHOLAS D. KRISTOF
Perhaps the most extraordinary aspect of Darfur isn't that gunmen on theSudanese payroll heave babies into bonfires as they shout epithets againstblacks. It's that the rest of us are responding only with averted eyes andpolite tut-tutting.
This past week alone, Sudan expelled the U.N. envoy for Sudan and sent aproxy army to invade eastern Chad. Those moves underscored both the audacityof Sudan's leaders and the fecklessness of the rest of the world's.
In fact, there's plenty we can do. The international community has focusedon getting U.N. peacekeepers into Darfur, but Sudan refuses to admit them.The stalemate drags on; the slaughter continues - but here's what we can do:
=
The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/opinion/29sun2.html
October 29, 2006
Editorial
The Senate Race in Connecticut
The Congressional elections are very much about America's problems in Iraq.But the campaigns have shed little light on exactly what should happen next.Nowhere is that more true than in Connecticut. The two leading candidates,Ned Lamont and Joseph Lieberman, have clear disagreements over whetherinvading Iraq was a good idea in the first place, but grow much fuzzier whenthe question of future strategy comes up.
Mr. Lieberman, a three-term Democratic senator now running as anindependent, talks about the threat of Islamic terrorism. Mr. Lamont, whobeat Mr. Lieberman in the Democratic primary, reminds voters what a mess theinvasion created. When it comes to the next step, Mr. Lieberman seems tomimic the Bush administration's proposal to stay the course (while no longermentioning that toxic phrase) with new tactics. Mr. Lamont is close to theSenate Democrats (minus Mr. Lieberman) who demanded a timetable forwithdrawal without being too firm on what that ought to entail.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/opinion/29sun1.html?pagewanted=print
October 29, 2006
Editorial
Future Tax Shock
One of President Bush's be-very-afraid lines this campaign season is thatDemocrats, if elected, will raise taxes. What he doesn't say is that if youare one of tens of millions of Americans who make between $75,000 and$500,000 a year, your taxes are already scheduled to rise starting nextyear - because of laws that Mr. Bush championed and other actions he failedto take.
The higher taxes stem from the alternative minimum tax, a levy that issupposed to snare multimillionaires who would otherwise get away with usingexcessive tax shelters to wipe out their tax bills. But these days, thealternative tax is snaring many upper-middle-income filers.
=
The Miami Herald
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15873577.htm
Political experts don't expect GOP to win control of Legislature
BOB JOHNSON
Associated Press
MONTGOMERY, Ala. - Political experts say a combination of powerfulDemocratic incumbents and a lack of money by Republican challengers willmost likely prevent the GOP from reaching its goal of winning control ofeither house of the Alabama Legislature in the Nov. 7 general election.
But GOP wins in two or three hotly contested districts could allow acoalition of Republicans and conservative Democrats to gain control of thestate Senate, said Jess Brown, political scientist at Athens StateUniversity.
"I would imagine Republicans will pick up a few seats, but I do notbelieve they will have an absolute majority in either chamber," Brown said.
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The New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/2006/10/29/business/29corporate.html?ei=5094&en=2ec2d4863e073b97&hp=&ex=1162094400&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print
October 29, 2006
Businesses Seek Protection on Legal Front
By STEPHEN LABATON
WASHINGTON, Oct. 28 - Frustrated with laws and regulations that have madecompanies and accounting firms more open to lawsuits from investors and thegovernment, corporate America - with the encouragement of the Bushadministration - is preparing to fight back.
Now that corruption cases like Enron and WorldCom are falling out of thenews, two influential industry groups with close ties to administrationofficials are hoping to swing the regulatory pendulum in the oppositedirection. The groups are drafting proposals to provide broad newprotection to corporations and accounting firms from criminal cases broughtby federal and state prosecutors as well as a stronger shield against civillawsuits from investors.
#####
GLBT DIGEST - October 29, 2006
**IF YOU CAN'T ACCESS THE FULL ARTICLE, CONTACT US AT
rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editbrowardgsballotoct29,0,6444961.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial
ELECTIONS
Sun-Sentinel recommends
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
October 29, 2006
Voters around Broward County, depending on city of residence, will find ontheir ballots various questions for their decision. Many are about changingcity charters, while some are money questions -- about salaries or a bondissue. And all county voters will face two ballot items.
Find your city below to see what the South Florida Sun-Sentinel recommends.
All Broward Voters:
Say Yes on Watershed
A non-binding straw ballot intends to explore the establishment of aWatershed Improvement District; vote YES.
The Watershed Improvement District could improve efforts to reducepollutants from auto and lawn equipment and lawn-care products that getwashed into storm drains. It could also bolster education efforts to prodpeople to better preserve water supplies. The district would get its fundingfrom projects with government agencies and would not have independent taxingauthority.
=
Subject: Voting Suggestions on 2006 Election : Proposed Amendments To The
FL Constitution
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006
From: The Whimsy LOOPS <TWPCHWPB@BellSouth.Net>
Organization: The Whimsy Political Clearinghouse / The Florida GLBT
Democratic Caucus
To: Whimsy LOOPS Readers & Friends of The Whimsy
VOTING SUGGESTIONS on 2006 ELECTION: PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE FLORIDA CONSTITUTION
FROM: THE WHIMSY POLITICAL CLEARINGHOUSE &
THE FLORIDA GLBT DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS
RUSTY GORDON, Vice-President, FL GLBT DEM. CAUCUS
Facilitator: THE WHIMSY LOOPS
**************************************************************
AMENDMENT #1 STATE PLANNING AND BUDGET PROCESS: YES
They are putting good measures in the Constitution that should be decided
by the Legislature, but since they cannot decide, we may as well do their
job and do the right thing.
AMENDMENT #2 - BLANK (NOT ON THE BALLOT)
AMENDMENT #3 BROADER PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS AND PETITIONS: YES
This is one is the most controversial from a strategy perspective. On onehand, voting YES will make it more difficult to amend the Florida constitution byrequiring 60% of the voters to approve any constitutional amendment.This might be good since our constitution is full of trivia.
This could bealso very benefitial for us since it is certain to be a constitutional amendmentin2008 saying that marriage is between a man and a woman and that no otherbenefits of marriage can be given to same-sex couples. So if this amendmentpasses this year, it will make it more difficult to pass the super DOMA in2008.However, if they get 60% in a super DOMA it will be more difficult for us tooverturn this amendment in the future.
more....
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-celxus2229oct29,0,1660562.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Experts call Shaw-Klein race 'a pure toss-up'
After 26 years in office, can Clay Shaw keep his House seat? Ron Klein is giving the longtime incumbent a run for his money.
By Brittany Wallman and Anthony Man
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 29, 2006
One of the costliest races in the nation. One of the closest. One of themost important. One of the fiercest.
A race of superlatives -- the congressional contest between Clay Shaw andRon Klein to represent 640,000 Floridians.
South Florida's longest-running office holder in Congress, Shaw might notspend a 27th year in Washington, D.C. And the Republican-leaning District22, with beachside and suburban conservatives from mid-Broward County to thenorth of Palm Beach County, could be represented by a Democrat.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-pdisgraced29oct29,0,3316304.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Disgraced leaders cast cloud on elections in Palm Beach County Foley, Masilotti, Liberti give politics bad name.
By Patty Pensa and Mike Clary
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 29, 2006
In what has become almost a political ritual in Palm Beach County, a publicofficial resigns under pressure, apologizes for bad behavior and then asksfor understanding as he heads off to jail, his attorney's office or a rehabcenter.
Are voters paying attention?
You bet.
"These guys have turned politics dirty," said Terry Day, 66, who drove tothe Supervisor of Elections office near his home in Delray Beach Fridayafternoon to cast an early ballot in the Nov. 7 general election.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editfloridagovernoroct29,0,214450.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial
Governor
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
October 29, 2006
Elect Charlie Crist
There's much in play in Florida's high stakes gubernatorial race. The issuesrange from the economy to crime to health care needs, and three of them havedominated the contest -- the FCAT exam, hurricane insurance and the sharpspike in property taxes.
Unfortunately, the two leading candidates, Republican Charlie Crist andDemocrat Jim Davis, have staked out positions on these topics that, whilepolitically appealing, could complicate matters, not better them.Nonetheless, voters have to make a choice on Nov. 7, and the South FloridaSun-Sentinel Editorial Board recommends they elect Charlie Crist.
Crist, 50, is the attorney general. He also served as commissioner ofeducation and as a state senator. His chief opponent, Davis, 50, has been aU.S. congressman since 1997, and served in the Florida Legislature beforegoing to Capitol Hill.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-mayocol29oct29,0,1240971.column?coll=sfla-home-headlines
MAYO: Easy executions like Rolling's leave difficult questions for us to deal with Michael Mayo
News Columnist
October 29, 2006
As I walked through Florida State Prison last week to witness DannyRolling's execution, a Death Row inmate called me a killer.
"Murderers! All of you are murderers!" came the shout from a window as adozen media witnesses and six prison officials boarded two vans to take usto the death chamber.
Takes one to know one, I felt like shouting back.
But during the one-minute ride from a prison wing to the death chamber, aswe drove past the white hearse that would take Rolling's body off thegrounds, I couldn't help but wonder if he had a point.
Across the road, some who came to cheer Rolling's execution held up placardswith biblical passages supporting their position. "Whoever sheds man's bloodby man, his blood shall be shed Genesis 9:6," said one sign.
=
The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pelxkottkamp27oct29,0,226916.story
CANDIDATE FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Running mates are not just followers
Six-year record, family appeal a boon for Kottkamp
By Mike Clary
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 29, 2006
When Charlie Crist announced his running mate, the Republican candidate forgovernor cited the "camaraderie" he had with state Rep. Jeff Kottkamp andcalled him "a great friend."
"And he has a beautiful wife," added Crist as he stood next to Kottkamp andhis wife, Cyndie, on the couple's front lawn in Cape Coral last month.
Clearly, Crist knew his pick brought some personal balance to the GOP'sticket. Although Kottkamp, like Crist, is a white, middle-aged attorney, heis also a married family man who owns a home. Crist is unmarried, withoutchildren and rents a St. Petersburg condominium and an apartment inTallahassee.
As the nominee for lieutenant governor, Kottkamp, 45, also brings to theticket a six-year record in the statehouse and several legislativecontradictions that make him tough to pigeonhole and even tougher topredict.
=
The Miami Herald
October 29, 2006
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15873434.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
Link - http://www.floridacomparecare.gov/
Link - http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/
Online comparisons of hospital quality are lifting the cloak of secrecy, butfew consumers use them
BY JOHN DORSCHNER AND JACOB GOLDSTEIN
jdorschner@MiamiHerald.com
Patients with severe strokes who go to Broward General are more likely todie than those who go to Aventura. A patient at Mercy is less likely to getan infection than one at Memorial West. Pneumonia patients at BaptistHospital are more likely than those at Cedars to be given the mostappropriate antibiotics.
All of those comparisons -- and many more -- are now available online, partof a movement to empower consumers by removing the traditional secrecy thathas surrounded the performance of hospitals and doctors.
The hope is that bringing market transparency to healthcare will drivebusiness to the providers that deliver the best care at the lowest price,reducing costs and improving outcomes.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-ckeechl28oct28,0,2066426.story
Fraud case enters campaign
In tight race, Scott, Keechl spar over viatical scandal.
By Vanessa Blum
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 28, 2006
Less than two weeks before the Nov. 7 election, Broward County CommissionerJim Scott is attacking challenger Ken Keechl for his legal representation ofa company accused of defrauding investors out of nearly $1 billion.
Scott wants voters to know that Keechl, a Democrat making his first run forpublic office, defended Mutual Benefits Corp. in lawsuits across the countryas a partner at Fort Lauderdale law firm Brinkley, McNerney, Morgan, Solomon& Tatum.
Federal prosecutors accuse Mutual Benefits of perpetrating the largestsecurities fraud in South Florida history. The former president of the FortLauderdale-based company, Peter Lombardi, pleaded guilty to securities fraudOct. 23, dragging the case back into the spotlight.
#####
rays.list@comcast.net and we'll be happy to send the full article.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editbrowardgsballotoct29,0,6444961.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial
ELECTIONS
Sun-Sentinel recommends
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
October 29, 2006
Voters around Broward County, depending on city of residence, will find ontheir ballots various questions for their decision. Many are about changingcity charters, while some are money questions -- about salaries or a bondissue. And all county voters will face two ballot items.
Find your city below to see what the South Florida Sun-Sentinel recommends.
All Broward Voters:
Say Yes on Watershed
A non-binding straw ballot intends to explore the establishment of aWatershed Improvement District; vote YES.
The Watershed Improvement District could improve efforts to reducepollutants from auto and lawn equipment and lawn-care products that getwashed into storm drains. It could also bolster education efforts to prodpeople to better preserve water supplies. The district would get its fundingfrom projects with government agencies and would not have independent taxingauthority.
=
Subject: Voting Suggestions on 2006 Election : Proposed Amendments To The
FL Constitution
Date: Fri, 27 Oct 2006
From: The Whimsy LOOPS <TWPCHWPB@BellSouth.Net>
Organization: The Whimsy Political Clearinghouse / The Florida GLBT
Democratic Caucus
To: Whimsy LOOPS Readers & Friends of The Whimsy
VOTING SUGGESTIONS on 2006 ELECTION: PROPOSED AMENDMENTS TO THE FLORIDA CONSTITUTION
FROM: THE WHIMSY POLITICAL CLEARINGHOUSE &
THE FLORIDA GLBT DEMOCRATIC CAUCUS
RUSTY GORDON, Vice-President, FL GLBT DEM. CAUCUS
Facilitator: THE WHIMSY LOOPS
**************************************************************
AMENDMENT #1 STATE PLANNING AND BUDGET PROCESS: YES
They are putting good measures in the Constitution that should be decided
by the Legislature, but since they cannot decide, we may as well do their
job and do the right thing.
AMENDMENT #2 - BLANK (NOT ON THE BALLOT)
AMENDMENT #3 BROADER PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR
CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENTS AND PETITIONS: YES
This is one is the most controversial from a strategy perspective. On onehand, voting YES will make it more difficult to amend the Florida constitution byrequiring 60% of the voters to approve any constitutional amendment.This might be good since our constitution is full of trivia.
This could bealso very benefitial for us since it is certain to be a constitutional amendmentin2008 saying that marriage is between a man and a woman and that no otherbenefits of marriage can be given to same-sex couples. So if this amendmentpasses this year, it will make it more difficult to pass the super DOMA in2008.However, if they get 60% in a super DOMA it will be more difficult for us tooverturn this amendment in the future.
more....
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-celxus2229oct29,0,1660562.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Experts call Shaw-Klein race 'a pure toss-up'
After 26 years in office, can Clay Shaw keep his House seat? Ron Klein is giving the longtime incumbent a run for his money.
By Brittany Wallman and Anthony Man
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 29, 2006
One of the costliest races in the nation. One of the closest. One of themost important. One of the fiercest.
A race of superlatives -- the congressional contest between Clay Shaw andRon Klein to represent 640,000 Floridians.
South Florida's longest-running office holder in Congress, Shaw might notspend a 27th year in Washington, D.C. And the Republican-leaning District22, with beachside and suburban conservatives from mid-Broward County to thenorth of Palm Beach County, could be represented by a Democrat.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-pdisgraced29oct29,0,3316304.story?coll=sfla-home-headlines
Disgraced leaders cast cloud on elections in Palm Beach County Foley, Masilotti, Liberti give politics bad name.
By Patty Pensa and Mike Clary
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 29, 2006
In what has become almost a political ritual in Palm Beach County, a publicofficial resigns under pressure, apologizes for bad behavior and then asksfor understanding as he heads off to jail, his attorney's office or a rehabcenter.
Are voters paying attention?
You bet.
"These guys have turned politics dirty," said Terry Day, 66, who drove tothe Supervisor of Elections office near his home in Delray Beach Fridayafternoon to cast an early ballot in the Nov. 7 general election.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/opinion/editorial/sfl-editfloridagovernoroct29,0,214450.story?coll=sfla-news-editorial
Governor
South Florida Sun-Sentinel Editorial Board
October 29, 2006
Elect Charlie Crist
There's much in play in Florida's high stakes gubernatorial race. The issuesrange from the economy to crime to health care needs, and three of them havedominated the contest -- the FCAT exam, hurricane insurance and the sharpspike in property taxes.
Unfortunately, the two leading candidates, Republican Charlie Crist andDemocrat Jim Davis, have staked out positions on these topics that, whilepolitically appealing, could complicate matters, not better them.Nonetheless, voters have to make a choice on Nov. 7, and the South FloridaSun-Sentinel Editorial Board recommends they elect Charlie Crist.
Crist, 50, is the attorney general. He also served as commissioner ofeducation and as a state senator. His chief opponent, Davis, 50, has been aU.S. congressman since 1997, and served in the Florida Legislature beforegoing to Capitol Hill.
=
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/southflorida/sfl-mayocol29oct29,0,1240971.column?coll=sfla-home-headlines
MAYO: Easy executions like Rolling's leave difficult questions for us to deal with Michael Mayo
News Columnist
October 29, 2006
As I walked through Florida State Prison last week to witness DannyRolling's execution, a Death Row inmate called me a killer.
"Murderers! All of you are murderers!" came the shout from a window as adozen media witnesses and six prison officials boarded two vans to take usto the death chamber.
Takes one to know one, I felt like shouting back.
But during the one-minute ride from a prison wing to the death chamber, aswe drove past the white hearse that would take Rolling's body off thegrounds, I couldn't help but wonder if he had a point.
Across the road, some who came to cheer Rolling's execution held up placardswith biblical passages supporting their position. "Whoever sheds man's bloodby man, his blood shall be shed Genesis 9:6," said one sign.
=
The Sun-Sentinel
http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/palmbeach/sfl-pelxkottkamp27oct29,0,226916.story
CANDIDATE FOR LIEUTENANT GOVERNOR
Running mates are not just followers
Six-year record, family appeal a boon for Kottkamp
By Mike Clary
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 29, 2006
When Charlie Crist announced his running mate, the Republican candidate forgovernor cited the "camaraderie" he had with state Rep. Jeff Kottkamp andcalled him "a great friend."
"And he has a beautiful wife," added Crist as he stood next to Kottkamp andhis wife, Cyndie, on the couple's front lawn in Cape Coral last month.
Clearly, Crist knew his pick brought some personal balance to the GOP'sticket. Although Kottkamp, like Crist, is a white, middle-aged attorney, heis also a married family man who owns a home. Crist is unmarried, withoutchildren and rents a St. Petersburg condominium and an apartment inTallahassee.
As the nominee for lieutenant governor, Kottkamp, 45, also brings to theticket a six-year record in the statehouse and several legislativecontradictions that make him tough to pigeonhole and even tougher topredict.
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The Miami Herald
October 29, 2006
http://www.miami.com/mld/miamiherald/15873434.htm?template=contentModules/printstory.jsp
Link - http://www.floridacomparecare.gov/
Link - http://www.hospitalcompare.hhs.gov/
Online comparisons of hospital quality are lifting the cloak of secrecy, butfew consumers use them
BY JOHN DORSCHNER AND JACOB GOLDSTEIN
jdorschner@MiamiHerald.com
Patients with severe strokes who go to Broward General are more likely todie than those who go to Aventura. A patient at Mercy is less likely to getan infection than one at Memorial West. Pneumonia patients at BaptistHospital are more likely than those at Cedars to be given the mostappropriate antibiotics.
All of those comparisons -- and many more -- are now available online, partof a movement to empower consumers by removing the traditional secrecy thathas surrounded the performance of hospitals and doctors.
The hope is that bringing market transparency to healthcare will drivebusiness to the providers that deliver the best care at the lowest price,reducing costs and improving outcomes.
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http://www.sun-sentinel.com/news/local/broward/sfl-ckeechl28oct28,0,2066426.story
Fraud case enters campaign
In tight race, Scott, Keechl spar over viatical scandal.
By Vanessa Blum
South Florida Sun-Sentinel
October 28, 2006
Less than two weeks before the Nov. 7 election, Broward County CommissionerJim Scott is attacking challenger Ken Keechl for his legal representation ofa company accused of defrauding investors out of nearly $1 billion.
Scott wants voters to know that Keechl, a Democrat making his first run forpublic office, defended Mutual Benefits Corp. in lawsuits across the countryas a partner at Fort Lauderdale law firm Brinkley, McNerney, Morgan, Solomon& Tatum.
Federal prosecutors accuse Mutual Benefits of perpetrating the largestsecurities fraud in South Florida history. The former president of the FortLauderdale-based company, Peter Lombardi, pleaded guilty to securities fraudOct. 23, dragging the case back into the spotlight.
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