OUR COLUMNISTS Post the Ten Commandments, or ... ? Commentary by Matt Friedeman Instead of posting the Ten Commandments ... or even The Beatitudes ... how about displaying the two commandments upon which Jesus said "all the law and the prophets hang"? An Impure Thought Commentary by Jane Jimenez Fifty years ago, a plain brown paper wrapper delivered one magazine across hundreds of miles. Today, the family is entertained nightly on television with more than our grandparents could have imagined. The Great Diversion Commentary by Brad Locke Many men would be mistaken for mutes if we didn't have sports. While it's not inherently evil to talk about sports, when there is opportunity to talk about more important things, we should seize the moment. 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? Seeing Islam Through 'Condi-Colored Glasses' Commentary by Mark Creech The fact of the matter is that violent jihad warfare against non-Muslims is at the heart of Islamic theology. And it is the mother of all politically correct myths to believe otherwise.

...The U.S. House of Representatives is calling on the full Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals to rehear a controversial case involving a school sex survey. A three-judge panel of the Ninth Circuit caused a national outcry last month when it basically ruled that parents really do not have a right to intervene in what schools are teaching their children. The case was prompted by an explicit sex survey handed toa group of students in Palmdale, California, some of them as young as seven years old. The anger over the panel's ruling reached the House this week when it passed a resolution urging the full court to rehear the case. H. Res. 547 -- which passed on a 320-91 vote -- states that the ruling "undermines the fundamental right of parents to direct the upbringing of their children" as well as the "firmly grounded" constitutional right of parents to direct the education of their children. Mat Staver heads the conservative legal group Liberty Counsel. He calls the ruling "the worst assault on parental rights issued by any court." And Staver says his group will ask the full court to set aside the ruling -- and if necessary, he adds, Liberty Counsel is prepared to take the matter all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court. H. Res. 547 was sponsored by Republican Congressman Tim Murphy of Pennsylvania. [Fred Jackson]

...You knew it was coming: the New Mexico city of Las Cruces -- Spanish for "the crosses" -- has been slapped with a federal lawsuit because the community's official logo depicts three crosses. The suit, filed by area residents Paul Weinbaum and Martin Boyd, claims the logo amounts to religious persecution of non-Christians and seeks to have it modified to something that contains no references to Christianity. Weinbaum tells Fox News that police officers in the southern New Mexico town, home to New Mexico State University, sport the logo on their uniforms -- "and the last time we saw crosses on a police uniform is the examples from Nazi Germany," he adds. Both the mayor of Las Cruces, Bill Mattiace, and New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson want the logo to remain unchanged. The mayor maintains the crosses depicted in the trademarked emblem do not endorse any particular religion and are up to individual interpretation. The Las Cruces Sun-News reports that the cry "Keep the Crosses" is showing up on vehicles around the community. Window stickers and bumper magnets bearing the phrase are being distributed by at least two groups in Las Cruces in response to the lawsuit. No court date has been set. [Jody Brown]

...So, which major retailers are saying "Merry Christmas"? And which are not? In recent broadcasts, Fox News commentator Bill O'Reilly has addressed the issue. According to O'Reilly's reports, Wal-Mart, Sears, Costco, Kohl's, and Target are not using the term "Merry Christmas" in their marketing campaigns for this holiday season. But Federated Stores -- which last year chose not to use the phrase; and lost business, says a Fox News reporter -- is on the "Merry Christmas" bandwagon this year. It is a fact, contends O'Reilly, that only when it affects a company's bottom line will retailers get the message from consumers that avoiding the traditional "Merry Christmas" -- for whatever reason -- is turning customers away. O'Reilly adds: "[T]here is an anti-Christian bias in this country .... And it is more on display in Christmas season than any other time." [Jody Brown]

...The American Family Association (AFA) agrees with Bill O'Reilly that there is an "anti-Christian bias" in America, and that it is more evident during the Christmas season than at any other time of the year. That is one factor in the pro-family organization's call today (Nov. 17) for a Thanksgiving weekend boycott of Target, one of the retailers identified by the Fox News commentator as avoiding the use of "Merry Christmas" in its holiday advertising and in-store promotions. In addition, says an AFA press release, Target has banned Salvation Army kettles -- the familiar "red kettles" and bell-ringers -- from collecting donations at their store entrances. AFA contacted its supporters in early October, encouraging them to bypass Target outlets when shopping; and according to recent financial reports, it has been effective. "According to USA Today, Target told investors that projected sales at stores open a year in November would miss the estimated 4 percent to 6 percent growth," states AFA chairman Donald E. Wildmon. "On Tuesday [Nov. 15], Target's shares dropped $4.13 to $54.30 -- a 7 percent decrease." Thanksgiving weekend is typically the busiest shopping weekend of the year. [Jody Brown]

...A Virginia congregation says it has withdrawn from the Episcopal Church USA. South Riding Church is the first congregation to leave the Episcopal Diocese of Virginia after two years of conflict over the consecration of an openly gay bishop in New Hampshire. Rev. Phil Ashey says his church is now under the authority of the Anglican bishop of Uganda. The Episcopal Church is the U.S. branch of the worldwide Anglican church. But Episcopal Bishop Peter Lee of Virginia says he does not recognize South Riding's withdrawal. Lee says the bishop in Uganda has no authority in the Diocese of Virginia. [AP]

...The South Carolina Baptist Convention has endorsed a proposed state constitutional amendment banning same-sex "marriage." State law already prohibits homosexual marriage, but a constitutional amendment would prevent changes to the law in the future. And just across the state's northern border, the Baptist State Convention of North Carolina has voted to expel any church that "knowingly affirms, approves or endorses homosexual behavior." The vote was not unanimous. Some delegates opposed the idea because they felt it showed a lack of respect for Baptist heritage, which values the autonomy of local churches. Others felt the decision focused too much attention on a single issue. But the convention's outgoing president said Baptists must deal with homosexuality because "everything in our culture has pushed it to the forefront." The nation's largest homosexual-rights group, the Human Rights Campaign, denounced the vote, declaring that churches "should focus on love and compassion, not finding ways to demean" their homosexual members. [AP]

...A Catholic activist is questioning what, if anything, has been accomplished at the U.S. Catholic Bishops Conference in Washington. Judie Brown of American Life League is not happy with the agenda of the conference. The pro-life leader says "not a word about abortion was mentioned in any of the preliminary press releases that came out." But there has been plenty of discussion on capital punishment. Critics of the bishops claim they are playing political games. "It's a politically correct position today to be discussing capital punishment -- how many enemies are you going to have? It is not politically correct to talk about denying Holy Communion to adamantly pro-abortion members of the House and Senate who also happen to claim they're Catholic." Brown has been calling on the bishops to deny communion to those politicians who violate church doctrine by promoting abortion. [Bill Fancher]

...A bi-partisan group of senators has announced an energy bill they say will help America become more independent of foreign oil. Republican Senator Sam Brownback praised the effort, saying it will help hold down gas prices and clean the environment as well. The bill will emphasize alternative fuels and increased use of hybrid vehicles. "[T]he effort is going to be targeted to get the first 20 miles of what people drive off of electricity or an alternative fuel instead of petroleum to reduce our consumption," explains the Kansas lawmaker. Brownback and co-sponsor Joe Lieberman of Connecticut plan a series of incentives to encourage use and production of alternative fuel vehicles. "We don't need new technology to do this," Brownback explains, "but we do need to incentivize the marketplace -- both production and consumption. And I think we've got a good chance of being able to get this through." The conservative Republican says it is "quite an exciting prospect" to be considering a measure that deals with energy security, national security, and consumer choice. [Bill Fancher]

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