OUR COLUMNISTS Destiny of America in Hands of Faith Community Guest Commentary by James L. Lambert Some prominent conservatives offer their views on the importance of people of faith registering to vote -- and then voting wisely. One says "we can't affect the culture if we refuse to engage in the process." Money Ball Commentary by Brad Locke Professional athletes aren't the only citizens of the sporting community susceptible to greed and posturing. All it takes to uncover that truth is a historic home run ball, an item that's been flooding the market the past six years. The More Things Change, the More They Change Commentary by David Sisler Bush bans stem-cell research. Bush is to blame because North Korea is producing nuclear warheads. The list of things for which the Kerry campaign places blame on President Bush is staggering. Protecting the Public from Satan's Smoke Commentary by Mark Creech Some will argue giving the FDA authority over tobacco sales would give the government too much control. Even some Christians argue in this fashion, saying we need less government not more. But it needs to be remembered that the God-ordained purpose of government, as outlined in Romans 13:1-5, is to protect the welfare of the citizenry and to suppress evil.

...One foreign policy analyst says Thursday night's presidential debate had a few policy "holes" in it. Jack Spencer of the Heritage Foundation says when it comes to foreign policy, this initial debate ignored many issues. "Things like arms control -- I don't think they went into [that] a whole lot. Missile defense -- the president mentioned it, but there wasn't a discussion. What is America's nuclear policy? Kerry mentioned that, but not a whole of discussion [ensued]. South America ... Africa, outside of the Sudan ... has not been mentioned," Spencer says. "So there are a lot of things that were not mentioned. They concentrated on what I think Americans, however, want to hear about." And that was Iraq. Almost the entire debate hinged on the war on terror being fought in the liberated nation of Iraq. Still, Spencer says both President Bush and Senator John Kerry managed to get through the debate without damaging their respective campaigns. "I think that both parties did quite well," he says. "[I]n terms of articulating what's important, articulating people's views, I think that both did quite well." Latest polls indicated that 19 percent of likely voters say they could be influenced by the debates and how the candidates do. [Bill Fancher]

...Another political analyst says the initial presidential debate provided a unique look at the two men running for the presidency. Dr. Janice Crouse of the Beverly LaHaye Institute has been a presidential speech writer and a debate-prep assistant. She observed Thursday's debate very carefully and says she was amazed at the result. "We really saw the differences between these two candidates," she states. "We saw substantive differences, not just stylistic differences -- and I think the debate was far more substantive than we have seen in previous debates." Crouse also offered this comment. "I think both men acquitted themselves well in terms of explaining where they're coming from, what their values are, and where they would take the nation," she says. "And I think the public was very well served. Anybody who took the time to listen and paid attention to what they heard had a chance to make a very wise, informed decision." Dr. Crouse says John Kerry came across as a lawyer-debater, and President Bush held his ground as the Chief Executive. She felt no one dominated the first debate. [Bill Fancher]

...It appears a pro-family activist has learned a lesson from liberals and is fighting their fire with his own fire. Former Republican presidential candidate Gary Bauer says he has watched this presidential campaign sink to new lows when it comes to vicious attacks. "This has been a mean-spirited campaign," he says, "particularly from the left, with the president being called a murderer and a thug and all sorts of other things." Bauer expects it to get even worse. "I don't feel any hesitancy at all in saying that I believe in these last five or six weeks, we will see some of the nastiest tactics we have ever seen in American politics." Bauer has taken action by doing what liberals have been doing for months: he formed a "527" political action group. The group is called Americans United to Preserve Marriage, which has just purchased half-a-million dollars in television ads being shown in swing states. The ads expose John Kerry's pro-homosexual marriage stance. Bauer says he expects to buy more ads in the weeks leading up to the election. [Bill Fancher]

...A well-known conservative columnist says Christians shouldn't put their faith in politics alone to change the course of American culture. Cal Thomas is a former NBC correspondent who worked for Jerry Farwell's "Moral Majority" movement in the lead up to Ronald Reagan's election. He later wrote a book called Blinded by Might which outlined his views of how conservative politics alone will not turn the country back to God. Thomas says it is the gospel of Jesus Christ which is needed because it changes society from the bottom up, rather than from the top down. "We have a transforming message, a message that is greater than education, a message that is greater than political power or government authority," the columnist says. "We have the message that can transform a human heart, and when that is transformed, then people take a look at life issues -- the unborn, the elderly, the handicapped, the retarded -- totally differently when they understand that life is made and comes from the image of God and not from the beneficence of government authority figures." Thomas says the evangelism and holy living that helped Christianity take root in the pagan Roman Empire can also change America's postmodern culture. [AP/Fred Jackson]

...The Evangelical Alliance Mission (TEAM) says one of its missionary pilots has died in a helicopter crash on the island of New Guinea. The mission agency says 30-year-old Neil Roesler radioed that he was returning to base on September 20, but never made it back. The wreckage of his helicopter was found the next day in a remote mountain area. The cause of the crash is being investigated. Roesler and his wife, Sandy, had been TEAM missionaries since 2000. Together with their two small children, they had recently completed language training in Indonesia. TEAM's executive director is asking Christians to uphold the family in prayer. [AP]

...President Bush's secretary of education is offering a positive view of home schooling, which he sees as part of the public school effort. Education Secretary Rod Paige caused some raised eyebrows when he said the Department of Education supports home schoolers. "I understand [home schoolers] to be the fastest growing K-12 delivery system in my home state, so it's growing real fast," the DOE head says. "We are very supportive of home schooling. We think that public education is a concept, not a structure; and home schooling is a very important delivery system in the public school matrix." Paige, a former college football coach from Mississippi, has opened the Education Department to many new ideas during his tenure. [Bill Fancher]

...Having a morning or an afternoon recess is a no-no in Tacoma, Washington, schools. According to a memo from assistant superintendent Karen Clarke to principals, daily recess -- outside of lunch playtime -- is prohibited in Tacoma schools. District spokeswoman Patti Holmgren says Clarke was just reaffirming a 1997 ban implemented by the district to improve test scores and increase classroom instruction time. "There isn't a lot of time to include a built-in, absolute, ring-the-bell, you-must-go-now, dictating to kids and teachers when they have to take a break, and then it be 15 minutes long," she says. "Well, it's more like half an hour by the time they get their coats on, line up, go outside, go to the bathroom, come back in, wash their hands, take their coats off, and get in their seats. So there goes another hour." Holmgren says Tacoma teachers are to use their own professional judgment while deciding when they need to break and for how long. [Jim Brown]

...As the Houston Astros battle for the National League wild-card slot, they're doing so with Major League Baseball's only full-time chaplain. Gene Pemberton leads a regular Bible study for Astros players, comforts injured players at the hospital and helps with Sunday chapel services in the clubhouse. Team owner Drayton McLane and players such as All-Star outfielder Lance Berkman say the Astros' "spiritual coach" bonds with players and provides a supportive, reassuring presence. The 64-year-old Pemberton, who attends a non-denominational church, has been the Houston Astros' chaplain since 1997. [AP]

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