OUR COLUMNISTS 'He's Only Human' Is No Excuse Commentary by Matt Friedeman If the forces of evil can weave a web of deceit in the minds of someone like of David Seamands, then those forces can likely do it in ours as well. And our only defense against such treachery is the grace of God. One-Stop Shopping Commentary by Jane Jimenez Comprehensive sex education ... it's being sold all over America. The best thing about comprehensive sex education, we parents are told, is that it teaches our children everything. That's right ... everything. Finding Wonderland Commentary by Brad Locke Our sense of wonder is a gift from God that should be tenderly nurtured and closely guarded. Retaining the ability to be amazed is what helps us hold on to truth. 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? God's Name Is Not to Be Misused Commentary by Mark Creech "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." It's the third of God's Ten Commandments and Bill Grantlin, a retired insurance salesman of Raleigh, North Carolina, takes it seriously.

...The abortion drug RU-486 is under investigation in the state of California because of five women who have died from complications after using the drug. Dr. Gene Rudd of the Christian Medical & Dental Associations says there is really no way to tell the extent of the dangerous impact RU-486 has had on women. "We don't know how many women have had life-threatening complications," Rudd points out. "We know at least five have died, and we're sure that others have had serious complications. But this is a particular industry that's terribly unregulated and unaccountable, and therefore, we don't know how frequent the problem really is." The CMDA spokesman says the FDA broke its own rules in approving the abortion drug, and "didn't follow well-established standards to determine its efficacy and safety." Many pro-life activists believe more women have died from RU-486 but that the role of RU-486 in their deaths was not detected at the time and therefore has gone unreported. [Bill Fancher]

...American Medical Association president Dr. Edward Hill reports that the organization is stepping up its efforts to stop underage drinking. Hill says the AMA has been dealing with the problem for a long time, but recent deaths from binge drinking by underage college students, as well as new research findings on the effects of drinking on developing youngsters, have made this health issue all the more pressing. Hill notes, "What's new is the fact that within the last five years we've gotten correlative brain development research that shows that there's a correlation between alcohol and reduction in the size of a part of the brain in underage drinkers -- a part that deals with reasoning and learning, called the hippocampus." In addition, the AMA spokesman says recent surveys found that many underage drinkers get their alcohol either from their parents or from the parents of friends. Hill says that means the AMA's message also needs to get out to parents who may not think underage drinking is not a problem as long as their teens are at home or with them. (See related story) [Mary Rettig]

...So far only a few Christian supporters of Supreme Court nominee John Roberts are expressing concern over a memo he wrote in the 1980s that suggested the administration distance itself from the Religious Right. In that memo, Judge Roberts advised Reagan officials to avoid religious conservatives and also warned that Christian leader Paul Weyrich was "no friend of ours." Janet Folger of the group Faith2Action was displeased with the content of the memo -- especially the part about Weyrich. Recently she remarked, "Paul Weyrich is my kind of people, and anybody who says they are not a friend of Paul Weyrich kind of makes me wonder is they're a friend of the family." So far, very few of Roberts' Christian supporters have agreed to address the memo and its contents. [Bill Fancher]

...Six Episcopal congregations in Florida have asked Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams to let them report to another bishop. Williams is leader of the worldwide Anglican Communion, which includes the Episcopal Church USA. The parishes, with about 4,000 members, say they're "in serious theological dispute" with Florida Bishop John Howard because he did not oppose the 2003 consecration of Bishop V. Gene Robinson of New Hampshire, who lives with a homosexual partner after divorcing his wife. The rector of one of the dissident churches says they believe that getting another bishop would allow them to conduct their ministries "with a clean conscience." Last week, Bishop Howard rejected the congregations' request, saying it would amount to a divorce between the churches and the diocese. [AP]

...A New Mexico resident and immigration reform advocate is praising Governor Bill Richardson for recently declaring a state of emergency in four counties devastated by drug smuggling and illegal immigration. Bob Wright serves as the New Mexico state director for the Minuteman Civil Defense Corps. He believes Governor Richardson is sincere in recognizing that there is a serious problem along the state's 180-mile border with Mexico. "I think the governor just took a recent tour down through our border area, and he's seen the devastation for himself," Wright says. "There was an attempted assassination of the police chief in Columbus last week, so ... the governor now recognizes that extraordinary measures apparently are called for, and we hope to be part of those extraordinary measures." The Corps spokesman says the Mexican city of Palomas, which is directly across from Columbus, New Mexico, has become a haven for drug smugglers. Things are so bad there, he notes, that during the attempted assassination of the American police chief, shots were fired from across the border. Wright says the Minutemen will gladly accept Governor Richardson's invitation to meet and discuss the problem. [Chad Groening]

...When the Jewish Sabbath begins this evening, some synagogues in Gaza will be empty of the worshipers and resisters who were dragged out screaming yesterday. They sang frenzied hymns, tore their clothes and prayed in vain for a miracle to prevent their eviction from Gaza. Some -- shrieking -- asked Israeli troops how they could expel other Jews. Many of the settlers are devout Jews who believe the West Bank and Gaza were promised by God to the Jewish people. They say their eviction is sacrilege. At Jerusalem's Western Wall -- a remnant of the biblical Jewish temple -- evicted settlers and their supporters prayed and chanted protests against Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. [AP]

...The founder of a coalition dedicated to a secure Israel says people who believes that government's disengagement from Gaza and parts of the West Bank will lead to peace between Israel and Palestine are kidding themselves. Esther Levens is founder and CEO of the Unity Coalition for Israel, which is made up of some 200 Christian and Jewish organizations. She says terrorists are very prominent in the Palestinian-occupied territories, and it is difficult to see Israeli citizens forced out of their homes to appease terrorists who have no desire for peace. "Hamas is part of the government already, and Fata is a partner with Hamas," she says. "These are powerful militant groups that are gaining strength, and al-Qaeda, our arch enemy, is in there now." People need to understand, Levens asserts, that the Koran calls for Islamic domination of the entire world, and "woe be unto us, if we are dominated by them in any kind of government. It will be really pathetic for people who love freedom. The word 'peace' in connection with all of this has no meaning." The Unity Coalition spokeswoman adds that, according to the stated goals of Islam, "Dominating Christians and Jews is really what they do -- and there is no freedom of speech." [Chad Groening]

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