OUR COLUMNISTS The Political Left Gets Religion Commentary by Matt Friedeman The Party of the Left Wing looked at the polls in the last election and noticed something big-time. First, seriously religious people vote. Two -- they didn't vote for the Left Wing. "Fixable!" they thought. And then they schemed. Pelvic Thrusts Commentary by Jane Jimenez In exercise gyms all around the country, body parts are in motion. So ... when was the last time in your gym when you saw the most common body motion in America? 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.

...Massachusetts father David Parker is still fighting a criminal trespass charge stemming from his April 27 arrest, which occurred after the Lexington man raised objections to homosexuality and transgenderism being promoted in his son's kindergarten class and insisted upon parental notification. Parker spent the night of April 27 in jail, having been arrested and charged after refusing to leave a scheduled meeting with school officials. Authorities at the school had reportedly indicated they would agree to a notification policy but subsequently refused. Now the state is insisting that Parker accept probation and other restrictions; however, the Lexington dad says he has done nothing wrong and will contest the charge against him rather than give in to pressure to plea-bargain. At a hearing yesterday, Judge Robert McKenna, the district attorney, and Parker's lawyers could not agree on any resolution of several issues, including access to documents and the town of Lexington's continued ban against the concerned parent, barring him from all school property. Parker's case will proceed to a jury trial, set to begin September 21. [Jenni Parker]

...An Idaho judge has upheld the conviction of protesters who were arrested for trying to interfere with the removal of a Ten Commandments monument from a Boise city park. The ruling comes just over a year after 13 Christian activists were charged with obstructing police who were trying to move the 40-year-old monument to the grounds of an Episcopal church. The activists were sentenced to 25 hours of community service. A recent U.S. Supreme Court ruling that allowed Ten Commandments monuments to be displayed in some situations has prompted some of the Boise activists to spearhead an effort to either have the original monument returned to the city park or to get the city to allow a new one. [AP]

...The Christian Medical Association is lamenting the decision by Senator Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to pursue legislation and policies that would allow for the further destruction of human embryos to extract their stem cells for research. Dr. David Stevens, M.D., executive director of the 17,000-member CMA, says his group deeply regrets Frist's endorsement of an embryonic stem-cell research (ESCR) policy that would turn living human beings into commodities for exploitation. The association's spokesman also says the CMA has appreciated Senator Frist's "thoughtful and principled stances on life issues in the past" and is "extremely disappointed" at what it considers to be his "crucial moral lapse" on a critical issue. "As physicians, we understand the pressure to seek treatments from all possible sources," Stevens adds, "but we must remain committed to insuring that life-honoring ethics guide our decisions. Treating living human embryos as mere fodder for experimentation crosses a vital ethical line and contravenes the sanctity of human life." While seeking cures for patients is an admirable goal, the Christian physician asserts that it is an end that never justifies the means and must never be done at the expense of other human lives. "We continue to respect Dr. Frist as a colleague and friend, but we must condemn any policy that devalues the sanctity of human life," Stevens says. [Jenni Parker]

...A new poll indicates that the majority of Americans strongly support placing limits on abortion and helping women and teenagers facing an unwanted pregnancy. In the survey conducted by Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, about 70 percent of the respondents said they favored a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking an abortion before the procedure could take place. Only 24 percent of those polled opposed the waiting period idea, which is usually included in Right to Know legislation designed to make sure women are told about abortion's risks and alternatives. The Quinnipiac poll also found that 74 percent of Americans favor requiring abortion businesses to notify parents before a minor can undergo an abortion, with only 21 percent opposing parental notification. Furthermore, the poll revealed that 76 percent of the public believe partial-birth abortions should be illegal except as necessary to save the life of the mother. Only 15 percent of the respondents supported the controversial procedure, which the U.S. Supreme Court will soon be addressing as it considers the constitutionality of a federal partial-birth abortion ban that President Bush signed into law. [Jenni Parker]

...A military analyst says an Air Force general's failure to get promoted sends a chilling message to other Christian officers. Brigadier General Johnny Weida -- the Air Force Academy's second in command -- had been accused of Christian proselytizing, telling cadets they are accountable first to God and urging cadets and staff to pray. He apologized. But an Air Force spokeswoman says Weida's name was pulled from a promotions list before the Senate voted Friday to award 21 Air Force generals a second star. Retired Army Lt. Colonel Robert Maginnis says that's "a career ender" for an officer of Weida's rank. He adds that it is also likely to have a "chilling" effect on other Christian officers and hurt retention and recruitment. [AP]

...A military expert and Pentagon advisor says he hopes General George Casey, the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, will prove correct in his belief that there could be a substantial pullout of American troops next spring and summer. General Casey has stated that this scenario is likely if there is continued political progress in Iraq and if the insurgent rebellion can be held in check. But retired Army Lt. Colonel Bob Maginnis feels the Iraqis are not quite ready. He says right now the Iraqi army and police forces need to be beefed up by about 100,000 men, and those men need to gain more experience before they will be able to deal effectively with the insurgents. Maginnis believes General Casey recognizes that the U.S. forces will still have to carry a large load of the fighting in Iraq for some time because there are still hot spots in that country that must be dealt with. [Chad Groening]

...The head of a U.S.-based religious group says the recent Islamic terrorist attacks in Great Britain are an indication of the next step in a sinister agenda. London's former chief of police says there are 1.6 million Muslims in the United Kingdom, 3,000 of whom have been through Osama bin Laden's terrorist camps. Meanwhile, millions of Muslims now reside in France, and more are pouring into Spain. William Murray of the Religious Freedom Coalition says these are all signs of a new Islamic strategy that began with the events of 9/11. The Coalition spokesman is not alone in his assessment. Many scholars believe that Islamists have been eyeing the takeover of Europe for hundreds of years, and Murray thinks a new thrust toward that end has begun. [Bill Fancher]

...Congressman Curt Weldon, a Pennsylvania Republican who has led a number of delegations to North Korea, says he is confident that regime can be convinced to abandon its nuclear program. In visiting the tightly controlled Stalinist state, Weldon has done something few Americans have been able to do, having taken two delegations into North Korea, and gotten approval for a third upcoming visit. "We need to continue to put pressure on the North Koreans to do what they said they would do," he says, "and that is to give up their nuclear weapons and their program." But Weldon says North Korean cooperation will probably come with a price. "They want assurances from us that we will not preemptively attack them," he says, and "that we will not seek regime change. And they're eventually going to have to have some economic help, which would largely come from the South Koreans and the Japanese." In the meantime, the congressman advises that it accomplishes little for the U.S. to "publicly call North Koreans names and to get into a contest of who can say the nastiest things about the other side." If the U.S. truly wants to end this conflict, Weldon says, then America must "keep the rhetoric toned down and get on to the substance, as Ambassador Hill is doing right now" in delineating a process for North Korea to get rid of its nuclear capabilities. [Chad Groening]

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