...Kidnapped Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl is dead. The U.S. Consulate in Pakistan has received a videotape containing scenes of Pearl's captivity and gruesome murder by his kidnappers. The 38-year-old Jewish journalist had been held since January 23, when he was taken by Muslim extremists in Karachi and accused of being a spy for the Israeli intelligence service. President Bush, on the last leg of his Asia tour, said all Americans are sad and angry to learn of Pearl's murder. He expressed special sympathy for Pearl's unborn baby, saying the child "will now know his father only through the memory of others." But he was far less sympathetic to those responsible for Pearl's death, delivering this warning: "Those who would threaten Americans, those would engage in criminal, barbaric acts, need to know that these crimes only hurt their cause, and only deepen the resolve of the United States of America to rid the world of these agents of terror," Bush said.

...A trio of judges in Jasper, Tennessee, has decided the Ten Commandments do not belong in a courtroom. The three Marion County judges had two copies of the Commandments removed this week just hours after they were posted. They called it a violation of state and federal constitutions. However, according to the Commercial Appeal, a fourth judge in Jasper has decided to keep a copy on the wall in his courtroom. Judge J. Clifford Lane says he will leave it there until an Alabama Supreme Court case on the issue is settled.

...Pro-homosexual forces are celebrating a victory in Massachusetts yesterday. The state's Supreme Court upheld Massachusetts' anti-sodomy laws -- but then said they do not apply when it involves consensual sex in a private place. The justices said the laws should still be enforced if the acts occur in a public place or involve non-consensual behavior. An attorney for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders, which brought the case, says the decision puts the burden on the state to prove that the conduct was "public."

...Bob Knight, director of the Culture and Family Institute, suggests Christians and all pro-family activists should strap on their seatbelts for a rough fight in the years to come. He believes the culture war is about to escalate to a new level. He says that in biblical proportions, the evil is getting worse, and yet the good is rising up alongside it -- and he predicts some "really big cultural clashes" in the next few years. But he says one positive note is that most people are going to be less likely to swallow nonsense than they did before. Knight says in the area of homosexual advocacy, in years past the movement's demands have been met with a shrug of the shoulder. Now, he says, those same people are getting tired of the ridiculous demands of homosexuals and are beginning to challenge them.

...On his last day in China, President Bush has shared his faith in a speech to Beijing university students that was broadcast live on Chinese television. Bush said the vast majority of Americans -- himself included -- believe in God. And he said that he had the privilege of talking about his faith with China's president. Bush said China has nothing to fear from its believers, because faith brings out the best in people. And the President said he is praying for the day when persecution in China will end and the Chinese people will be able to worship freely.

...National Right to Life's legislative liaison Carol Tobias is very optimistic about what the future holds for pro-life advances. She clings to this view despite minimal gains for the movement since the Roe v. Wade decision in 1973. She says after 29 years, the voices of pro-life people throughout America are becoming even stronger in their opposition. The pro-life movement, she says, will never give up until unborn children are once again safe and protected. Tobias says the harder the conflict, the greater the ultimate reward. In this case, she says, the reward is the lives of unborn children.

...Evangelists working during the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City are reporting a different kind of victory. Theresa Thoms of Lay Witnesses for Christ says more than 40 children attending a mission camp in wealthy Park City, Utah, trusted Jesus as their Savior. She says 62 more children gave their lives to Christ at a church service, and that there have been conversions on the street as well. Jeff Totten says he and other Olympic chaplains have found those involved in the Games to be a rich field for ministry. Luge athlete Anne Abernathy from the U.S. Virgin Islands says that while she did not win a medal, she thanks God for helping her survive cancer and get well enough to compete.

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