Right Mind

Confidence in Institutions

Gallup ran a poll on the confidence in various institutions.

When I look at what is being beaten up the most in the MSM, the top ones are the ones that come to mind.

Is that just a coincidence?

U.S. Evangelicals -- "Born Agains" Increasing

The Gallup Organization boils “evangelicals“ down to three criteria: Faith Sharing, Biblical Inerrancy, and a Born-Again Experience.

There has been much discussion in the press as of late that there is an “evangelical revival” occurring in the USA.

If the following Gallup poll is accurate, decide for yourselves whether we're in the middle of a revival.

Of course, it could be that the term “born-again” has changed to the respondents over the last 30 years. But I'm betting that Gallup is controlling for that.

This kind of trend should scare the secularists to death.

Idaho Charter School Myths

Hydrogeologic Characterization of the Latah Formation of the Moscow Sub-basin: Workplan

You can read Mark Solomon's, John Bush's, and Jerry Fairley's proposal in the original Word format over at http://right-mind.us/images/HydrogeologicCharacteriz.doc

Or in HTML at http://right-mind.us/images/HydrogeologicCharacteriz.htm

The executive summary is below:

The Moscow Sub-basin is largely distinct from the greater Palouse aquifer system due to its geographic location between the margin of the Columbia River Basalt Group (CRBG) and a topographic high that roughly parallels the Idaho/Washington border. Previous research has primarily focused on the recharge mechanisms to groundwater resident in the lower Grande Ronde Formation of the CBRG. Whereas assumptions made for modeling purposes in 1990 anticipated steady recharge occurring to the Grande Ronde aquifer, subsequent studies including age dating of the groundwater in the Grande Ronde indicate otherwise. In comparison, the overlying Wanapum Formation of the CBRG clearly receives seasonal recharge, however the recharge mechanism is only hypothesized, not known. The City of Moscow currently relies on the Wanapum aquifer for over 30% of its municipal water needs, with projected City growth expected to increase that percentage over time. Concurrently, the City must attempt to stabilize declining Grande Ronde water levels by maintaining or reducing Grande Ronde pumping volumes. Historic well level data from Wanapum wells indicate finite pumping capacities and a direct relationship between pumping and sharp water level declines. Without a more detailed understanding of stratigraphic architecture, recharge mechanisms, and potential methods for increasing recharge flows, hydrogeological models and a water budget cannot be quantified.

Recent studies show that vertical recharge potential through the loess soils overlying the majority of the sub-basin are extremely poor. It is likely that the majority of the recharge to the Wanapum aquifer is either through horizontal groundwater flow from the granitic basin margin via paleostream alluvial deposits and/or vertical connectivity and percolation from modern flood plains overlying the same. This project will map interbedded alluvial fan deposits, their relationship to the margin of the Wanapum Formation and the granitic basin boundary. This will be accomplished by drilling a series of small bore exploration and monitoring holes to establish and map key paleotopographic and structural surfaces, correlate and refine stratigraphy, and characterize the groundwater flow regime.

Naylor Farms Water Right Application Denied

Boise, Idaho – May 31, 2005 Michael Keckler – (208) 287-4828

The Idaho Department of Water Resources has on reconsideration, denied a water right application filed by Ralph Naylor Farms, LLC to pump ground water for irrigation and industrial purposes. Naylor Farms is located about three miles north of Moscow. The application was denied because Naylor Farms failed to show that the ground water supply is sufficient for its intended purposes, or that existing water rights in the area will not be reduced or harmed.

In December 2004, IDWR issued a preliminary order approving the Naylor Farms application based on an aquifer model prepared by the applicant that showed little interconnection between the aquifer proposed to be tapped by Naylor Farms and the aquifers used by the cities of Moscow and Pullman. Those opposing the water right application did not provide their own expert testimony at the first hearing on the matter held in September 2004 in Moscow.

Hat-tip: D. French

Nick Gier: Strike 3

Nick Gier came out with 15 reasons that a local conservative evangelical church in Moscow isn't evangelical: http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/evang.htm

There is so much ignorance in this post that "Piled Higher and Deeper" is just too accurate a description of his PhD.

Here's Strike #3:

Very few CEC ministers who run their own schools would openly deny that they have these schools, but Wilson, who accredits 157 schools, regularly speaks at their commencements, and requires that they read his textbook on Christian schools and buy his books...

First, Logos School is run by a School Board, not by Wilson or any other one person.

Again, for Gier's sake: it's run by a board not by an individual. Each person on the board has one vote.

In case Gier missed that, I'll say it again -- it's run by a board not a dictatorship.

Second, Logos School is made up of children from 23 churches across the Palouse. The board well reflects that diversity, with the majority of the board from churches other than Christ Church. Wilson doesn't “control” Logos any more than Gier controls the University of Idaho.

For Gier's sake, I'll repeat it for him: the Logos Board has 5/7 of the board members from outside Christ Church or Trinity Church. Nick: that means that the majority is not from Christ Church; and Wilson only has 1 vote out of 7. Nick: that means it's not a dictatorship. Clear?

Third, Wilson doesn't accredit Logos or ACCS any more than Gier accredits the University of Idaho. Accreditation is thru the Association of Classical and Christian Schools -- an association run by a board of directors: http://www.accsedu.org/page.aspx?id=36667 . Nick, that's a board not a dictatorship. BTW, do you see anyone's name conspicuously missing?

Fourth, Wilson cannot and does not "require that they read his textbook" or require that they buy his books any more than Gier can dictate that the University of Idaho buy any of the three books he has authored over the course of his life (see: http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/vitanick.html).

Here's Gier's logic -- *one* ACCS school used *one* book that Wilson authored. Therefore, Wilson *requires* that all schools read that book. Duh!

Perhaps a class in elementary logic might untangle Gier's thinking on this matter? Likely not. The mind will justify anything that the heart has chosen -- even contrary to reality.

Strike #3, you're out.

Time to go play with my kids and do something fun as opposed to debunking this PhD...

Nick Gier: Strike 2

Nick Gier came out with 15 reasons that a local conservative evangelical church in Moscow isn't evangelical: http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/evang.htm

There is so much ignorance in this post that "Piled Higher and Deeper" is just too accurate a description of his PhD.

Here's Strike #2:

Very few CECs would support Wilson’s practice of infant baptism, an act that makes them, according to Wilson, Christians in more than just a nominal way. How much more nominal this state of grace is, is hard to determine in Wilson’s writings. Personally, I believe Wilson has switched from adult baptism so that he has more control over these children and their parents.

I'll pick this apart one by one.

First, infant baptism is the historical practice of the Christian church, and it is the *majority* position of the church still today. For instance, Roman Catholics, Orthodox, Anglican (including Episcopalians and Methodists), Lutherans, Presbyterian & Reformed, etc., all baptize infants.

If Gier is equating "evangelical" to "baptistic", then he's really off. There are many evangelicals who practice infant baptism. In fact, take a look at the contributers to The Fundamentals: A Testimony to the Truth. Written in the 20^th century, the vast majority of the writers were practitioners of infant baptism -- fundamentalists, one and all.

Second, there has been a lot of discussion in the history of the church over the nature of the sacraments and the reality that accompanies them.

In the discussion of the Lord's Supper, those long historical discussions range from Roman Catholicism (real presence with transubstantiation), Lutheran (consubstantiation), Zwinglian (memorial), and Calvinist (real presence by faith).

In the discussion of baptism, that ranges from baptismal regeneration (Roman Catholic and Lutheran) to a "nothing happens" view (generic baptist) with the Reformed view in the middle. Again, if Gier is saying that the only evangelical position is the nominal position, he's missing a long historical debate. Luther himself is the quintessential evangelical and held a view that Gier says is un-evangelical.

Third, he writes: "I believe Wilson has switched from adult baptism so that he has more control over these children and their parents." 

I would love to hear Gier detail this out. Perhaps he'll go on record here about this. How can the historic position on baptism give more "control"? And what kind of "control" does he think that a pastor wields in infant baptism. Actually, it is the counter position that can bring more "control" abuse -- "I'll only baptize you if you think like me/talk like me/walk like me/etc". There is an entire denomination in the USA which has you rebaptized when you shift from one congregation to another in that same denomination -- to be sure that you think/look/act just like that congregation. The potential for abuse is *much* stronger in the adult baptism camp (“I'll withhold this if you don't...“).

Strike #2. One more to go.

Nick Gier: Strike 1

I've purposely steered this blog away from theological issues or debate. There are plenty of other places to go for that.

However, Nick Gier came out with 15 reasons that a local conservative evangelical church in Moscow isn't evangelical: http://www.class.uidaho.edu/ngier/evang.htm

There is so much ignorance in this post that "Piled Higher and Deeper" is just too accurate a description of his PhD.

I'll start at the bottom and, in my spare time, work my way up the list.

Most CEC theologians would reject Wilson’s “Federal Vision” in which the individual self is supplanted by a collective self and where women would lose their right to vote.

First, the “Federal Vision” embraces both the unity and diversity of the individual. It specifically sees the Trinity (One God in Three Persons existing in perfect unity and diversity) as being the model for humanity. And, since man is created in the image of God, and man is called to be like Christ (who is himself God incarnate).

Those who are discussing the "Federal Vision" are discussing the nature of the One and the Many and how the individual questions (election, regeneration, adoption, sanctification, reprobation, etc) relate to the group questions (covenant, etc).

It is fully absurd to say that in the “Federal Vision” the individual is supplanted by the collective any more than Christ is supplanted by the Father and the Holy Spirit. Any honest reading of the material would have picked up this elementary discussion.

Which leads me to believe that Gier either has not read the elementary discussions, cannot follow one, or has a reason for misrepresenting the facts.

Second, the question of "women losing their right to vote" is absurd as well. Those who are discussing the Federal Vision are from many different countries (England, USA, Canada, etc) and denominations (Anglican, PCA, OPC, Canadian Reformed, etc) and each denomination has its own church polity.

For Nick Gier: church polity is the form of government of a religious denomination. That includes how the denomination is structured (elders? deacons? bishops?) and how decisions are made (voting by elders? voting by everyone? decided autonomously by the bishop? by the pope? etc).

Gier has conflated in his mind two things where there is no causal relationship -- you can embrace the "Federal Vision" and be an Anglican (bishopric), or in the PCA/OPC (with parents voting), or CREC (with heads-of-household voting), etc.

Third, a polity decision of heads-of-household doesn't remove a woman's right to vote; the voting is done as a family unit. If the woman is the head of the household, she votes for that family unit and has as much authority and any other family head.

Strike one. Two more to go.

FWIW, these three “strikes” are dedicated to local evangelical keely emerine mix who writes:

From the bottom of my evangelical heart, I thank my friend Nick Gier for what I truly think might be the most important contribution to Vision 2020 I've ever read. I am speechless, for once, at both the breadth of his commentary and at the horror taking place among us.

I'm speechless too -- because of the breadth of the errors and the horror that some local evangelicals do not see thru the veil.

Update: I failed to mention the following when I first posted this. One thing that household voting does is to give single moms and divorcées equal footing with other families. Since a single mom has the same vote as a married family, she is not at a numerical disadvantage.

High Noon at Sunrise Rock: The ACLU Sues Over A Cross Honoring Fallen Soldiers--And Cashes In

From Opinion Journal:

Just west of the California-Nevada border, 11 miles south of the freeway that connects San Diego with Las Vegas, a small hill rises above the sun-baked floor of the Mojave Desert. Atop that hill stands a six-foot cross, fashioned out of four-inch-diameter steel pipe. That dusty hilltop and its lonely marker just might become the scene of the most significant church-state controversy since last year's fight over the Pledge of Allegiance.

In 1934, a gritty prospector named J. Riley Bembry gathered a couple of his fellow World War I veterans at Sunrise Rock. Together they erected the cross, in honor of their fallen comrades. The memorial has been privately maintained ever since, with small groups still occasionally meeting to remember the nation's veterans.

A wrinkle developed in 1994, when the federal government declared the surrounding area a national preserve. With the cross now located on newly public land, the memorial soon caught the attention of the American Civil Liberties Union. Working with Frank Buono, a retired park ranger turned professional activist, the ACLU demanded that the National Park Service tear down the cross.

Mr. Buono insists that his seeing the monument ("two to four times a year") violates his civil rights. A federal district court found in his favor, and the decision was subsequently upheld by the Ninth Circuit. Last-ditch attempts to deed Sunrise Rock over to the local Veterans of Foreign Wars were struck down in April. Defenders of the memorial hope to appeal, but their options are narrowing.

The ACLU, however, has made out quite nicely. Not only has it prevailed in the courts to date, but it has managed to pocket $63,000. Owing to a quirk in civil-rights law, the taxpayer once again ended up paying the ACLU for pressing a highly controversial church-state lawsuit.

The Civil Rights Attorney's Fees Award Act of 1976 specifies that anyone bringing an even partly successful civil-rights suit may have the defendant pay all legal fees for both parties, a discretionary award that is routinely granted. Such fee-reversals are not permitted to successful defendants. Congress meant for the law to help citizens with little or no money, but since then wealthy and powerful organizations have perverted that intention. They use the specter of massive attorney fees to force their secularist agenda on small school districts, cash-strapped municipalities and, now, veterans' memorials. According to Rees Lloyd, a former ACLU staff lawyer, such litigation is "manifestly in terrorem," intended to terrify defendants into settling out of court.

Not a bad deal -- remove a memorial that's been in place for 70+ years and get paid for it in the process.

Hat-tip: Dave G.

AMT

Scott and I have chatted about AMT out here before.

The following is from the Tax Foundation:

In the wake of yesterday's Senate Finance Committee hearings on Alternative Minimum Tax reform, the Tax Foundation has released a new "Fiscal Fact" by Chief Economist Patrick Fleenor and Staff Economist Andrew Chamberlain providing brief background information for journalists and others on the AMT, and why it matters for taxpayers.

As the authors note, the original goal of the AMT was to ensure that a small number of very wealthy taxpayers don't escape tax liability through the abuse of tax preferences. But the most economically sensible way to achieve that may be to focus on eliminating the abused tax preferences to begin with, rather than grafting on additional complexity to the code with the AMT. You can read the full analysis at http://www.taxfoundation.org/publications/show/498.html

It would be worthwhile reading up on the AMT. More Americans are falling into the AMT category. It's not just for the “rich” any more...

More Differences Between Taliban and Evangelicals

Another article for Nick Gier, PhD -- who cannot tell the difference between the Taliban and Evangelical Christians: Groom Lets Friends Rape his Bride

LAHORE: Three men gang-raped a newly married woman with the consent of her in-laws in what police described as an act of revenge.

The incident occurred in Dera Ghazi Khan town in Pakistan Punjab.

According to Ghulam Hussain, the father of the victim Kaneez Kubra, his daughter was married to Mujahid Hussain on April 28.

This was ordered by a panchayat (local jury) as Kaneez's brother Abdul Majid had sexual relations with Mujahid's sister Sumera.

After the wedding, Kaneez Kubra went to the groom's home. Her husband stayed with her in their room till 11 pm and then left, Daily Times reported Monday.

Mujahid's grandfather Shahroo Khan and his mother Mukhtar then came in and told the bride that the wedding was just an excuse to exact revenge on Majid for outraging Sumera's modesty.

Hat-tip: Christopher Witmer

Newsweek Lutefisk Story Sparks Fury Across Volatile Midwest

I saw this and immediately thought of Carl W -- that Lutefisk lover  :)

Decorah, IA - The debris-strewn streets of this remote Midwestern hamlet remain under a tense 24-hour curfew tonight, following weekend demonstrations by rock- and figurine-throwing Lutheran farm wives that left over 200 people injured and leveled the Whippy Dip dairy freeze. The rioting appeared to be prompted, in part, by a report in Newsweek magazine claiming military guards at Spirit Lake’s notorious Okoboji internment center had flushed lutefisk down prison toilets. Newsweek’s late announcement of a retraction seems to have done little to quell the inflamed passions of Lutheran insurgents in the region, as outbreaks of violent mailbox bashings and cow tippings have been reported from Bowbells, North Dakota to Pekin, Illinois.

Whether the violence was triggered by Newsweek’s report of lutefisk desecration or frustration over chronic shortages of Beanie Babies and Old Style, one thing seems certain – occupying U.S. troops face a steep road to reestablish trust in this tinderbox of ancient hatreds and delicious dairy products. Some analysts say the latest outbreak represents the most vexing challenge to US strategy since its invasion the region three years ago.

“It could be months before we get the area back under control,” said Brigadier Gen. Glen Hastings of the US Army’s Southern Minnesota Command. “We’re hoping the tractor pull and swap meet seasons will help calm down some of the violent elements.”

From IowaHawk

Smithsonian to Screen a Movie That Makes a Case Against Evolution

Fossils at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of Natural History have been used to prove the theory of evolution. Next month the museum will play host to a film intended to undercut evolution.

The Discovery Institute, a group in Seattle that supports an alternative theory, "intelligent design," is announcing on its Web site that it and the director of the museum "are happy to announce the national premiere and private evening reception" on June 23 for the movie, "The Privileged Planet: The Search for Purpose in the Universe."

The film is a documentary based on a 2004 book by Guillermo Gonzalez, an assistant professor of astronomy at Iowa State University, and Jay W. Richards, a vice president of the Discovery Institute, that makes the case for the hand of a creator in the design of Earth and the universe.

News of the Discovery Institute's announcement appeared on a blog maintained by Denyse O'Leary, a proponent of the intelligent design theory, who called it "a stunning development." But a museum spokesman, Randall Kremer, said the event should not be taken as support for the views expressed in the film. "It is incorrect for anyone to infer that we are somehow endorsing the video or the content of the video," he said.

Check out the entire article over at the N.Y. Times.

Hat-Tip: Lion of God

Homosexual Marriage Retraction?

Melynda Huskey writes:

Same-sex marriage is presently illegal in Idaho and Washington; I can't have a state-recognized marriage. But I have never claimed to be legally married. I have never attempted to get a marriage license, either fradulently (sic) or as an act of civil disobedience. In the Daily Evergreen article you cite, I clearly differentiate between the legal contract of marriage, from which Joan and I are excluded, and our religious union.

State law doesn't regulate my religious practice, so my church wedding didn't break the law. Acknowledging that I am married by the standards of my faith, although not of the state, isn't illegal either.

You have falsely accused me of breaking Idaho law. Can I expect a retraction?

My response to her:

I'm not aware that there is a legal distinction in either Washington or Idaho between a "legal contract of marriage" and a "religious marriage union".

However, the article she cites (http://www.dailyevergreen.com/disp_story.php?storyId=4309) from the Daily Evergreen from 11 Feb 2003 states:

Because marriage is a legally binding union between two people, certain legal benefits become available to married couples. Yet these benefits are not available to same-sex couples.

Huskey and her partner, Joan Opyr, have been together for 11 years and have a 3-year-old boy and an 8-year-old girl. The couple was married in the Moscow Community Congregational Church, yet spent thousands of dollars on lawyers in order to ensure that they have some of the same protections provided by a legal marriage contract.

That doesn't say *anything* about a "religious union". It says that they were *married* in the "Moscow Community Congregational Church" -- a church which doesn't even exist.

Perhaps it would have been better to go back to the Daily Evergreen article from 2+ years ago and correct those comments then and there? It's quite misleading to state in the Daily Evergreen that they were married in a non-existent church when they weren't.

Feel free to read the entire article yourself and see where she “clearly differentiate between the legal contract of marriage, from which Joan and I are excluded, and our religious union.”

Readers: if you can show me where I missed that clear differentiation in that article, I'd appreciate it.

'Mutant' Children Are Best

From The U.K. Sun. “Professor Vladimir Mikhalev from Bryansk State University, has tracked the health of youngsters growing up in areas hit by the fallout since the 1986 accident.“

THE Chernobyl nuclear disaster has spawned a generation of ‘mutant’ super-brainy children.

Kids growing up in areas damaged by radiation from the plant have a higher IQ and faster reaction times, say Russian doctors.

They are also growing faster and have stronger immune systems.

Radiation from the Ukrainian Chernobyl plant swept the globe and affected more than seven million people.

We're not talking X-men here.

Evolution Theory Stickers Taken Off Textbooks: Georgia County Lost Lawsuit To Parents On Church Vs. State Grounds

From the AP Wire as reported on MSNBC:

Workers in Cobb County have begun removing controversial evolution disclaimer stickers from science textbooks to comply with a judge’s order.

By the end of the day Monday, several thousand stickers, which said evolution was a theory and not a fact, had been scraped off. The school district had put 34,452 stickers on textbooks across the county.

The evolution disclaimers read: “This textbook contains material on evolution. Evolution is a theory, not a fact, regarding the origin of living things. This material should be approached with an open mind, studied carefully, and critically considered.”

Six parents sued to remove the stickers saying the disclaimers violated the principle of the separation of church and state. A federal judge in January agreed and ordered the stickers removed.

An appeal by the school system, north of Atlanta, is pending.

Yet another reason for Educational Choice for parents. These senseless debates are a waste of time and resources for everyone.

If parents want to have their children taught creationism, then give them the choice of sending them to schools that teach their values, sensibilities, and religious convictions.

But don't be surprised when the State teaches the party line...

Suicide Hotline Only Open From 9 To 5: Callers In Need Must Phone During Business Hours

From Reuters News Service:

TORONTO - A Canadian province will shut its 24-hour suicide hotline and replace it with one that operates only during business hours.

Prince Edward Island, a small province on Canada’s East Coast, says it is too expensive to operate the hotline around the clock. Starting June 1, it will be open only between 9 a.m. and 5 p.m., Monday through Friday.

The plan drew protest from mental health groups across the country Wednesday.

“How many times, when you get upset or worried or concerned about things, is it in the middle of the day? It’s usually at 3 or 4 o’clock in the morning when you wake up,” said Joan Wright, executive director of the Canadian Association for Suicide Prevention based in Edmonton, Alberta.

One can only hope that someone has a suicide crisis only during normal working hours...

Church Sign Sparks Debate

The following sign in front of a Baptist Church in Forest City sparked a lot of debate:

FOREST CITY -- A sign in front of a Baptist church on one of the most traveled highways in the county stirred controversy over religious tolerance and first-amendment rights this weekend.

A sign in front of Danieltown Baptist Church, located at 2361 U.S. 221 south reads "The Koran needs to be flushed," and the Rev. Creighton Lovelace, pastor of the church, is not apologizing for the display.

"I believe that it is a statement supporting the word of God and that it (the Bible) is above all and that any other religious book that does not teach Christ as savior and lord as the 66 books of the Bible teaches it, is wrong," said Lovelace. "I knew that whenever we decided to put that sign up that there would be people who wouldn't agree with it, and there would be some that would, and so we just have to stand up for what's right."

This is an interesting comment, given that Islamic nations routinely confiscate and burn any bibles that they find -- and they do that as a state-sanctioned act.

Doctors' Kitchen Knives Ban Call

From BBC News:

A&E doctors are calling for a ban on long pointed kitchen knives to reduce deaths from stabbing.

A team from West Middlesex University Hospital said violent crime is on the increase - and kitchen knives are used in as many as half of all stabbings.

They argued many assaults are committed impulsively, prompted by alcohol and drugs, and a kitchen knife often makes an all too available weapon.

The research is published in the British Medical Journal.

The researchers said there was no reason for long pointed knives to be publicly available at all.

“For the Kids”, don't 'cha know.

Hat-tip: Christopher Witmer

Queening Fit

Rose Huskey writes:

 Ordinarily, I would offer Donovan the courtesy of a private answer to his queening little fit....

Can someone tell me what a “queening fit” is? I'm not familiar with that term.

Trends in Abortion in the USA: 1973-2002

I came across an interesting article: Trends in Abortion in the United States by the Alan Guttmacher Institute

Noticed how abortions “took off” once Roe v. Wade was decided. [Addendum: My understanding is that the numbers before 1973 are extrapolated since there is not really good data for abortions before that date since it was illegal. I might be wrong about this. But that's why I said that it “took off“ after Roe v. Wade. Dale]

Here's a close-up of that graph from the last 30 years.

Not good for the abortion mills. Not only has the rate been falling among this age group, but the number of women in that age group have been falling as well.

Official: Area Not Zoned for Schools; Moscow Superintendent: Eviction Not on Horizon for Alternative School

From Thursday's Moscow-Pullman Daily News, as reported by Ashley Courtial

Moscow's community development director said Wednesday the University of Idaho is not out of compliance with city zoning regulations. The Moscow School District's alternative high school, however, is on shaky ground.

Paradise Creek Regional High School, which is located on South Main Street, does "not have allowable use in the neighborhood zoning district," Joel Plaskon said.

Plaskon said he is unsure of what his ruling means for the alternative high school.

Moscow School Superintendent Candis Donicht said they were aware of the complaints filed and would complete the necessary paperwork.

The district has received an application for a conditional-use permit, according to a letter Donicht sent to Plaskon on Wednesday.

In the letter, Donicht wrote "we appreciate the fact that the city will begin work to establish compliance with the Zoning Code in this matter."

She also noted that she had told staff and students at PCRHS that "eviction' is not on our horizon."

Well, this is good news. If eviction is not in the horizon for for PCRHS, and if Donicht expects the city to establish compliance for PCRHS, we can only suppose that they will do the same for NSA...

Americans' Views of Death Penalty More Positive This Year

From the Gallup Organization:

Gallup's annual Moral Values and Beliefs poll finds Americans slightly more positive in their orientation toward the death penalty than they have been in the past several years. Compared with a year ago, more Americans say they support the death penalty as punishment for murder, more choose it over life imprisonment as the preferred punishment for murder, and more perceive that the death penalty is applied fairly in this country. A majority of Americans now say the death penalty is not imposed often enough. Perceptions that innocent people have been executed have fallen sharply.

Gay Rights Attitudes a Mixed Bag

From the Gallup Organization:

Though Americans have grown increasingly tolerant of homosexuality over the past three decades, U.S. public opinion on the subject is still ambiguous. Most Americans believe homosexuals deserve equal rights in the workplace, but people are closely divided over whether homosexuality is an acceptable way of life. Barely half believe homosexual relations between consenting adults should be legal, and a majority says such relations are immoral. Fewer than half want to see gay marriages legally sanctioned.

Here Come the Pacifists

Joan Opyr writes:

Hi Julie,

You have my sincere sympathy. But my advice, which is to have your brother Dan go over and pound the snot out of the little weed [Dale], is probably illegal. The last thing I'd want to do is get Dan into trouble -- I enjoy his posts to this list -- but gosh, wouldn't it be fun? Not to mention profitable. My money would all be on Dan.

There you have it. The pacifists don't like my quoting their words. There response: take physical action out on me.

Moscow is such a tolerant town.

I felt safer in California...

Dust-ups

keely emerine mix writes:

I have written to Dale as a comment on his blog that he should take it off, but I'm not holding my breath.

Don't hold your breath. I wrote that you were the primary advocate for the most expensive option in the MSD bond levy. That's a statement of fact. Just because it went down in flames doesn't change that fact.

Rose Huskey wrote:

On April 28, 2005, Dale posted (without permission from the owner of the photograph) a picture of Saundra Lund and me at a private gathering...

That photo was posted by Hansen on his public website. That photo was not copyrighted, and he directed everyone on Vision2020 to go out and look at it. Just because a picture is unflattering doesn't make it illegal (though that would make a good discussion...)

Rose continues:

Dale posted a photograph of Nick Gier (almost certainly without permission) attending a Hindu celebration.

Same comment as above.

Rose continues:

On May 16, 2005, Dale posted an un-attributed but breathtakingly beautiful photograph of the Aurora borealis over what appears to be the Palouse.  The picture bears an uncanny resemblance to Japer (sic) Nance's work, which is, of course, copyrighted.

You just got to love Huskey-logic: Dale posts a picture of an aurora; that aurora resembles an aurora that Jasper Nance took; therefore, Dale stole Jasper's picture.

I cannot believe that such logic is allowed to float by on Venom2020 without being unchallenged.

Rose ends:

This material copyrighted by the author, Rosemary Huskey, 2005.  It may not be copied or reproduced without the express written permission of the author.  This means you, Dale!

And Joan Opyr writes:

I agree with Rose that perhaps the best course of action is to start appending a copyright notice to all of your Vision 2020 posts. Just add it to your signature line so that it appears automatically. It probably won't stop Dale from stealing and then abusing your words, but if you ever want to file suit, you'll have a case -- and a hell of a lot of co-plaintiffs.

Sorry, but fair use allows me to extract and comment on copyrighted materials. Just as Wayne Fox -- though he doesn't comment, just forwards copyrighted material.

Feel free to contact an attorney and double check -- I have. This is a lawsuit you will win hands-down.

Boise, Timberline Students Go the Extra Academic Mile

This month, Newsweek magazine named Boise and Timberline among the top 1,000 high schools in the country for their efforts in advanced placement classes.

Boise ranked No. 395. Timberline, No. 1,000. No other Idaho high schools made the list. Boise and Timberline competed against 27,468 schools across the country.

Tim Rigsby writes:

I discovered yet again the superiority of public schools over our infamous Logos Knights.

Boise High School, my alma mater, and Timberline High School, a school that is only a few years old, were recognized for their high
academic achievement as being amongst the top 1000 high schools in the US.

Now these are not private schools, nor are they classical christian schools, they are honest to god public schools funded by
government monies, aka government school.

So those of Moscow who damn the public school system, maybe you should reconsider. Here is a novel idea, why don't Dale, Jack, Doug, and all the other public school opponents move their kids to Boise and attend Timberline, would not cost as much as Logos I bet. (The reason I chose Timberline was because I would hate for all of my former teachers and administrators to have to deal with the whine coming from the CC crowd.)

Tim, a few things to note:

• I'm always glad (and surprised) when the government schools perform so well. That's great news.
• Note that Moscow School District isn't on that list -- in spite of the fact that they spend more money per child than the schools in Boise do.
• Logos school charges under $10,000 for my four children to attend there. Boise schools charge about $32,000 (fully loaded costs). You can probably do that math to see the difference in cost per child.

Finally, IMO this isn't a finger-pointing debate about “my private school is better than your government school”. Rather, it's about parental choice in education. It's also about the fact that monopolies never perform well; and that the government school monopoly needs to be broken so as to bring market pressures to bear on their run-away costs.

More on that in the near future.

Update: Sam F. points out that the Newsweek study didn't even include private schools.

Thanks for making that clear, Sam.

Case Could Freeze Sperm Donation

Wendy McElroy is the editor of ifeminists.com and a research fellow for The Independent Institute in Oakland, Calif. She writes the following:

The Pennsylvania Supreme Court is currently considering a legal appeal that could set wide-reaching precedent for both child support policy and fertility clinics in the United States. As one report states, "sperm donors who thought they were getting $50 for their genetic material" – a standard clinic fee – and nothing more may be in for a real shock.

The case involves sperm donor Joel L. McKiernan and his lover Ivonne V. Ferguson. Ten years ago, they entered a verbal contract that a three-judge panel of the Superior Court said was valid "on its face." In exchange for McKiernan donating sperm that led to the birth of twins through in-vitro fertilization, Ferguson released him from any obligation toward offspring. (IVF involves fertilizing a woman’s eggs with sperm in a lab dish and, then, placing the fertilized eggs back in the aspiring mother’s uterus.)

Ferguson denies that an agreement to release McKiernan from responsibility ever existed. Nevertheless, she named her then-husband as 'father' on the birth certificate. Five years after the twins' birth and in the wake of divorce, she filed against McKiernan for child support.

The tangled personal circumstances of this situation constitute a legal nightmare and the sort of 'hard' case that makes bad law. And bad law is exactly what may result.

Both the trial court and the Superior Court called Ferguson's actions "despicable" and expressed sympathy toward McKiernan. Yet both found him liable to pay over $1500 a month in child support plus arrearages to the now-divorced Ferguson. (McKiernan has married, moved, and now has two other children he is raising.)

You can read the entire article over at LewRockwell.com

Hat-tip: Christopher Witmer

Party Lines Shape Views of What's Morally Acceptable

From the Gallup Organization:

Gallup's annual survey on values and beliefs asked Americans to rate 16 issues as "morally acceptable" or "morally wrong." A review of the data shows substantial differences between Republicans' and Democrats' views of what is morally acceptable.

Take a look at the issues where the differences are >20 points. That is where the issues of the “culture war” lie.

Americans Weigh In on Evolution vs. Creationism in Schools: Responses Vary by Religiosity, Education, Ideology

From the Gallup Organization

A plurality of Americans wouldn't be upset if either creation or evolution were taught in the local schools. But those with a preference for only one theory or the other are more likely to come down on the side of creationism.