OUR COLUMNISTS A Darling of Social Conservatives Burns a Bridge Commentary by Matt Friedeman The religious right in Mississippi wasn't prepared for betrayal in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. And to grant the casinos a better deal than they already had was, for many, unconscionable. But religious leaders in the state were up against all odds. The Wonder of Love Commentary by Jane Jimenez We are trained to admire trophies, awards, money and success. Stevie Wonder has them all ... but he has something even better. A Wie Bit Early? Commentary by Brad Locke First it was tennis players Tracy Austin and Jennifer Capriati. Now teen golfing sensation Michelle Wie has turned pro. God always rewards patience. But impatience is a trait that marks our culture, especially when it comes to achieving success. Amnesia Commentary by David Sisler What would it be like to wake up and not remember the evil that you had done, the people you had hurt, the sins you had committed? What would you pay for a little selective amnesia? A Fool Nation Commentary by Mark Creech It's incredibly moving. Each time I hear it, tears well up in my eyes. I'm talking about Red Skelton's rendition of the Pledge of Allegiance.

...A Long Island official who posted two "God Bless America" signs outside the town hall in Babylon, New York, vows to keep them on display, despite complaints by some citizens that they violate the separation of church and state. Babylon Town Supervisor Steve Bellone says, "'God Bless America' is practically our second national anthem and a sacred American motto." One of the signs is an eleven-foot banner, hung between columns on the front of Babylon town hall, with the message "Thank You to Our Troops, God Bless America." The second, reading "God Bless America," is on one side of a two-sided sign that also serves as a community calendar. [AP]

...A prominent conservative military pundit feels it is unfortunate that a former U.S. Marine captain has decided to take a job with a new English language version of the Arabic television network Al Jazeera. According to USA Today, Captain Josh Rushing decided to take the $70,000-a-year job rather than stay in the Marine Corps. Al Jazeera gained worldwide attention following the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, when the channel began broadcasting numerous video messages that featured radical Islamic leaders such as Osama bin Laden and other Al Qaeda members. Captain Rushing's decision has already sparked criticism from a number of individuals who believe Al Jazeera is nothing more than a propaganda tool for Al Qaeda. Retired Army Lt. Colonel Bob Maginnis is one of these critics. "Al Jazeera is certainly an instrument of Al Qaeda and a lot of the other terrorist operations," he says. But while it may be disconcerting that Al Jazeera will soon be broadcasting out of Washington, D.C., Maginnis notes, it cannot be much worse than what he saw on C.N.N. International on a recent visit to Europe. "Their spin is just as heinous as Al Jazeera," he asserts, "and yet they operate out of Atlanta, Georgia." The new English-language Al Jazeera channel is expected to be on the air by spring. Rushing says he will represent the best of what America stands for to a foreign audience, and he considers his decision to work for Al Jazeera to be noble -- not seditious. [Chad Groening]

...A Florida-based Christian group insists that none of its 160 missionaries working with indigenous tribes in Venezuela are Central Intelligence Agency operatives. President Hugo Chavez (OO'-goh CHAH'-vez) has ordered New Tribes Mission to leave Venezuela, charging that its Bible translators are spies and part of a U-S "imperialist infiltration." Venezuela's vice president says his government isn't threatening the missionaries, but wants to expel them in a peaceful way. New Tribes Mission says recent comments by religious broadcaster Pat Robertson calling for Chavez's assassination had caused repercussions in Venezuela. The mission agency has condemned the remarks, for which Robertson has since apologized. A New Tribes spokesperson says they hope to meet with Chavez to allay his concerns. [AP]

...Lawmakers in New York State are being asked to provide tax credits for families that send their children to private or religious schools or that home school their children. The Associated Press reports that 1.5 million postcards urging the legislature to pass the tax credits are to be distributed among Catholic churches around the state for members to send to their lawmakers. Last year, 328 of the city’s 1,200 public schools failed to meet minimum standards for academic improvement. Under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), the school district must offer students in these schools the option of transferring to a higher performing school. Last October, a class action suit representing New York City students was filed against the New York City Department of Education for denying public school choice options under NCLB. New York's Republican Governor George Pataki has been a strong supporter of school choice, and although Democrats control the Assembly, Republicans are in control of the Senate; nevertheless, the state has had difficulty getting education tax credit legislation passed. [Jenni Parker]

...Parent Jeanne Caldwell has filed a federal lawsuit against officials of the University of California at Berkeley and the National Science Foundation over religious statements on the “Understanding Evolution” website, which was created with over $500,000 in federal funding. According to the suit, the site describes itself as the “ultimate evolution resource for K-12 teachers” and includes “classroom strategies” for teachers to use in science classes to change students' religious convictions. A web page called “Misconceptions” makes the theological claim that “most Christian and Jewish religious groups have no conflict with the theory of evolution,” and illustrates this statement with a cartoon showing a scientist and a minister shaking hands. The lawsuit alleges that the state and federal governments are, through the site, promoting religious beliefs to minor school children in violation of the First Amendment. The plaintiff seeks injunctive relief to remove these government-endorsed religious claims. The website exclusively directs instructors to statements by 17 denominations and groups that adhere to the doctrine that no conflict exists between their religious beliefs and evolution. However, many evolutionists adhere to the belief that the origin of all life through evolution was “unplanned” and “undirected," an idea that contradicts the teaching of several world religions, including Christianity, Judaism and others, that life on Earth was created by design and with purpose. Brad Dacus of Pacific Justice Institute (PJI), observes, “It seems Berkeley is on a crusade to spin religious beliefs for its own pro-evolution agenda.” Attorney Larry Caldwell, President of Quality Science Education for All, who is co-counsel with PJI in the suit, stated, “In this government-funded website, the same people who so loudly proclaim that they oppose discussion of religion in biology are advocating ‘teaching strategies’ in science classrooms to convert students to government endorsed religious beliefs.” [Jenni Parker]

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