Right Mind

Quran’s verse on rebellious women generates debate

Dedicated to Nick Gier, who still cannot tell the difference.

From the Seattle Times:

Laleh Bakhtiar had spent two years working on an English translation of the Quran when she came upon Chapter 4, Verse 34.

She nearly dropped the project then.

The hotly debated verse states that a rebellious woman should first be admonished, abandoned in bed and ultimately “beaten” — the most common translation for the Arabic word “daraba” — unless her behavior improves.

“I decided it either has to have a different meaning, or I can’t keep translating,” said Bakhtiar, an Iranian American who adopted her father’s Islamic faith as an adult and had not dwelled on the verse before. “I couldn’t believe that God would sanction harming another human being except in war.”

And yet it does.

Green Church

HT: Dave S.

UI, students to share funding burden for Wheatland Express

As reported in yesterday’s edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

Details of a proposal to continue funding for the Wheatland Express bus service through the 2007-08 school year have been released.

With increases in contributions through University of Idaho parking revenues, student fees and from the city of Moscow and New Saint Andrews College, funding for the bus that runs between the University of Idaho and Washington State University will continue at $265,000 for the year, just over the $261,000 amount currently provided.

The service historically has been funded through a joint partnership of the universities, with each providing roughly $100,000 annually.

The money is used as a "soft match" to gain access to enough federal grant money to operate the Wheatland Express and fund the entire Moscow Valley Transit system.

A group of stakeholders including representatives from UI, WSU, Moscow Transportation Commission, Moscow Valley Transit, Wheatland Express, the National Institute for Advanced Transportation Technology and the city of Moscow have been working toward a solution for the past year after the UI realized it could no longer fund its share.

As part of the agreement:

• Washington State University will continue to contribute $100,000;
• The University of Idaho will decrease its funding from $100,000 to $50,000
• UI students will contribute $52,000 through student fees;
• The city of Moscow will increase its contribution from $40,000 to $60,000;
• Latah County will continue to contribute $1,200; and
• New Saint Andrews College will contribute $1,500.

'Knowledge Corridor' branding begins

Get this: we want to use the name “knowledge corridor”, but we’ve got to figure out what that really means.

It’s like coming up with a nifty acronym and then trying to back-fill words into it.

As reported in today’s edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

A group of representatives from throughout the Palouse are looking to create a branding image for the so-called "Knowledge Corridor."

The Blue Ribbon Committee, with members from entities including the University of Idaho, Washington State University, the city of Moscow and the city of Pullman, met with Advantage Advertising representatives in Lewiston this week to look at a marketing process.

"We have to define what a 'Knowledge Corridor' is," said Margaret Howlett of the Latah Economic Development Council. "We have to develop what exactly that means. If someone Googles 'Knowledge Corridor,' what does that mean?"

Howlett said each entity will submit its strategic plan, and the committee will look at the commonalities.

"Once a branding promise is developed then we will have an advertising agency do the physical branding," Howlett said.

Government Profiling at its best

Day By Day© by Chris Muir.

Craig: It's 'surrender date'

The Dem’s are waiving the white flag. From today's Spokesman Review.

Northwest senators split mainly along party lines Thursday in their votes on a $123 billion spending plan for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan, plus other pet domestic projects.

All Democrats and Oregon Republican Gordon Smith voted for the spending package and its timeline for withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq; Idaho Republicans voted against the bill, which passed 51-47.

President Bush has warned Congress not to delay money to troops in the field but vowed to veto the bill if it reaches him in its present form, with requirements to begin withdrawing troops in 120 days and completing the pullout by next March.

Sen. Larry Craig. R-Idaho, said the Senate's emergency spending bill sets up "a surrender date."

"We might as well just throw up the white flag because we are announcing the day we will surrender," Craig said in a press release.

Idaho Sen. Mike Crapo said the bill sends the wrong message to troops, terrorists and the American public and removes the chance for all strategy, including diplomacy, to work.

"I don't believe Congress alone is the entity that should be making the decision about troop management in the field," Crapo said in a prepared statement.

Otter slashes request for radio funding: Wanted $40 million, now it's $3 million

From the Associated Press:

Gov. Butch Otter settled Wednesday for $3 million in state money to boost emergency communications, down from his original request of $40 million.

The Joint Finance-Appropriations Committee approved the amount, which still must clear the full House and Senate.

Otter had insisted the issue be resolved before the 2007 session adjourns.

In January, the governor had asked for $40 million to help local, state and federal emergency services and law-enforcement agencies upgrade their radio equipment and towers to improve communication between departments in the event of a terror attack or disaster.

Time For Bible To Be Returned To Public Education

The Case for Teaching The Bible | TIME

From Bryan Fischer, Executive Director of the Idaho Values Alliance:

The cover story on the April 2, 2007 edition of Time magazine is about the demonstrable need to return the study of the Bible to America's public schools. When a magazine that tilts as far to the left as Time recognizes the problems caused by biblical illiteracy, perhaps it's time everyone in America, including educators in Idaho, did something about it.

Idaho's 114 school districts already can offer the literary study of the Bible as an elective, but to my knowledge, none do so. Georgia last year became the first state in the union to offer funding for high school electives on the Old and New Testaments using the Bible as the core text. There is no reason Idaho can't become the second.

There are currently two curricula available for use in public schools, one developed by a graduate of Chuck Colson's Wilberforce mentoring program. Currently 460 school districts in 37 states are using one curriculum or the other. Polling data indicates that over 60% of Americans favor teaching about the Bible in public education settings.

The chair of Boston University's religion department has written a new book, "Religious Literacy," that makes the case for Bible-literacy courses. Beginning in the 1970s, he points out, "religion rushed into the public square. What purpose could it possibly serve for citizens to be ignorant of all that?"

It's a simple fact that a working knowledge of the Bible is necessary for anyone to be a full-fledged, well-rounded, thoroughly-educated American. The writer points out that there are some 1,300 allusions to Scripture in the Shakespearean canon, and numerous references even in Hemingway's "The Old Man and the Sea" to the passion of Christ.

Biblical ignorance makes many key elements of American history impossible to understand. For instance, the phrase "the shining city on the hill," first uttered by a Puritan leader and re-popularized by Ronald Reagan is actually drawn from the teaching of Jesus as found in the gospel of Matthew.

Martin Luther King, Jr. deliberately emulated the Old Testament prophet Amos when he spoke of "Justice rolling down like waters" in his "I Have a Dream" speech.

As Time's religion editor points out, "The Bible is the most influential book ever written. Not only is the Bible the best-selling book of all time, it is the best-selling book of the year every year."

Even the American Jewish Congress supports Bible classes in public schools. "Take creationism," says a representative. "Unless you are literate in the first two chapters of Genesis, you have no idea what people are fighting about."

Yet even though nearly two-thirds of Americans believe the Bible holds the answers to "all or most of life's basic questions," pollster George Gallup has labeled the U.S. a "nation of biblical illiterates." Only half of American adults know the name of even one of the four gospels, and most cannot name the first book in the Bible.

Contrary to popular belief, there is no constitutional impediment to the literary and historical study of the Bible in the public system of education. In a pivotal 1948 Supreme Court Case, Justice Robert Jackson said, in a concurring opinion, "One can hardly respect the system of education that would leave the student wholly ignorant of the currents of religious thought that move the world." To put all references to God off limits in the classroom, he went on, would leave public education "in shreds."

In 1963, the majority opinion of the Court in another case explicitly declared, "Nothing we have said here indicates that such study of the Bible or of religion, when presented objectively as part of a secular program of education, may not be effected consistently with the First Amendment."

Even the general counsel for the American Jewish Congress agrees: "It is beyond question that it is possible to teach a course about the Bible that is constitutional."

The author of the Time story concludes, "In the end, what is required in teaching about the Bible in our public schools is patriotism: a belief that we live in a nation that understands the wisdom of its Constitution clearly enough to allow the most important book in its history to remain vibrantly accessible for everyone."

sine die Legislative Update from Rep. Tom Trail

From Rep. Tom Trail (R-Moscow).

It looks like we will wind up the Idaho Legislative session today. The biggest issue remaining is the GARVEE Bond funding for Idaho roads. I suspect that we will vote today for the $200 million plus for road construction.

This week the major issues were the actions regarding the Governor's Vetos of HB81 -- Grocery Tax Credit and the smoking ban in bowling alleys Bill. Most of us think that the Governor made a bad mistake in vetoing the bowling alley bill. I received over 200 e mails, calls, and letters all against the Governor's decision. The House over rode the veto on a 57-13 vote and the Senate by a 28-7 margin. This was somewhat historical since it was only the 3rd successful override of a veto since 1919 (of a Republican Governor). The House over rode the Governor's veto of HB 81 the Grocery Tax Credit on a 48-22 vote, but the Senate simply referred it to the Senate Local Government and Tax Committee. So the effort essential died. The basic result is that there will be no grocery tax credit (except for those on the books already) this year.

It was interesting since everyone regardless of party came in committed to provide some relief to citizens regarding a break in reducing the tax on groceries. Many Republicans felt that since passing HB 1 -- the Property Tax bill in special session last August -- that low income citizens should get some type of break, and that the Grocery Tax Credit was the place to go. The feeling was that increasing the sales tax by one percent to help with the property tax relief hit lower income citizens more (since the sales tax is a regressive tax and low income citizens spend more on groceries). So everyone came to the table talking about reducing the sales tax on groceries; however, the problem was in method of doing it. It basically came down to a battle between the Governor's plan -- a means based approach, and the more general approach that would have treated all citizens the same regardless of income. Frankly, I felt the means based approach was the fairest approach but in the end voted for HB81 since it seemed to have the most support. The issue will receive top priority in the 2008 session.

The Senate Local Government and Tax Committee took a firm stand this session and tabled every bill that provided an exemption that came from the House. The committee members wanted the Legislature to take a good hard look at the entire Idaho tax policy and structure with special emphasis placed on the issue off the current 75 exemptions which total over $1.6 billion per year. As a result, an interim committee will study the exemption issue. I introduced a bill to the House Rev and Tax Committee calling for the formation of a Citizen's Committee to work with the Legislature and the Governor on the exemption issue. The bill called for the committee to come up with recommendations and a system to review all of the exemption on a timely basis, and then the State could decide to continue the exemption or not. It placed the organizations receiving the exemption in proving whether or not the exemption provided a benefit to the state. I took my bill over to the Senate Committee and they will be looking at it over the summer.

This session a number of good ideas were stopped -- simply with Chairman putting the bill in desk drawers. Some of these ideas were:

1. Local-option taxing to aid the Treasure Valley transit needs
2. Licensing for day care centers
3. Licensing for elk farms
4. Early childhood education standards
5. Vote by mail
6. Help for community college formation
7. Increased fines for not wearing seat belts

Today the Governor signs HB217 -- Idaho Opportunity Scholarship Bill. This is a needs based scholarship bill aimed at assisting students from low income families to go to college. In the past Idaho had only provided an average of $17/student for needs based assistance and ranked 49th nationally. Studies indicated that only about 6% of students from low income families attended Idaho universities. The appropriations bill was passed yesterday and provides $2 million for ongoing scholarships and an additional $10 million for an endowment fund. There is also the commitment to provide $10 million/year more until the corpus reaches $40 million. This is a bill that I worked on for three years and as the bill's Co-Sponsor.

I'd probably give a C- as an overall grade to the performance of this session. The good news was that Higher Education received an almost 9% increase and 5% for faculty and staff salaries. The K-12 education was adequate but only provided a 3% increase for teachers. With inflation at a 3.8% increase many teachers will lose ground.

I'll continue to send out periodic legislative letters between session and they will probably be more focused on specific issues. I will be leaving with the Governor's trade mission to Cuba on April 9th. All participants pay all of their own expenses. This is an agricultural trade mission and one of the few opportunities that we have to open relations with Cuba.

Rep. Tom Trail

Clear vision, not politics, should guide Congress

From Sali headquarters:

Clear vision, not politics, should guide Congress

By Congressman Bill Sali

Sixty years ago, U.S. Senate chaplain Peter Marshall prayed that God would “give us clear vision, that we may know where to stand and what to stand for - because unless we stand for something, we shall fall for anything.”

Those words are moving in their simplicity and honesty. Only with the grace of God, with strong values, deep conviction of principle and ongoing willingness to listen and learn can leaders gain "clear vision" of their responsibilities to citizens.  When we believe in something - and stand firm in our principles and values - we gain a clear compass and a clear conscience to do the right thing for our country.

Unfortunately, Congress has a history of doing otherwise. Sadly, votes are not always black and white, choices between obvious good and transparent evil.  Too often legislation is a confusing cocktail of essential items laced with pure political pork.  When there are 10 things in a bill that you support and five things you don't, pork politics compels your vote according to your stake in the political smorgasbord.

A prime example is the vote held recently in Congress on the measure to set a strict timetable for pulling troops out of Iraq. The House of Representatives voted 218-212 in favor of the Democrat-led legislation. I voted against the proposal, because I believe that a publicly-declared timetable to withdraw troops from Iraq will hurt our troops and damage national security.

How disheartening that Speaker Pelosi and her House lieutenants included in the bill the worst, rawest form of political bribery - spending on the parochial pet projects of wavering Members of Congress.  By including everything from funding for Gulf Coast levees and shrimp subsidies to peanut storage money and a spinach program, Speaker Pelosi bought the votes of reluctant Congressmen - some who want an immediate pullout and some who don't really support a timeline at all.

Mrs. Pelosi's bill even included badly needed money for rural Northwestern schools, counties and highway districts. For Idaho alone, the bill provided more than $23 million for schools and counties - an extension of the “Craig-Wyden” funds. This item was included specifically so my Pacific Northwest colleagues and I would have to choose between a vote for the Democrat troop pull-out plan or a difficult vote against schools and roads.

If House Democrat leadership truly agrees with me that relief is needed for our rural schools and counties, they should be willing to permit a straight up-or-down vote. I have introduced legislation in the House to accomplish this, and Senators Larry Craig and Mike Crapo have introduced identical legislation on the Senate.
 
It shocks and infuriates me to see Mrs. Pelosi and the Democrat majority in Congress use Idaho's schoolchildren and economic infrastructure as pawns in the War against America's enemies. 

It is wrong for Democrats to use political bribery to enact their military micromanagement, especially so wrong-headed a strategy as the one that passed the House. How ironic that Mrs. Pelosi was unwilling to impose a deadline on herself and her operatives in the arm-twisting battle for sufficient votes to pass her bill, but she is more than willing to impose a deadline on American military personnel fighting a real war in Iraq.

Last week in Iraq, terrorists used children as decoys to drive a car through a security checkpoint. After making it through the checkpoint, the terrorists detonated the car with the children in the back seat.  This is the kind of enemy America faces in Iraq.  They are not rational.  They are not patriots.  They care nothing for human life or dignity.  They are murderers, and they must be stopped - on their soil, not ours.

Tying the war against America's enemies in Iraq with issues here at home is politics as its worst.

Now, more than ever, Congress needs "clear vision.” Our nation deserves leaders who will stand for what is right, however difficult that might be.  The pork politics of the Democrat's Iraq funding bill resulted in Congress retreating from principle and standing for nothing that is honorable.  By proudly proclaiming victory in passing their bill, Democrat leaders have asked our county at large, to join them in preparing to fall for anything.

HT: Gary H.

America Celebrates Tax Freedom Day

Except if you live in Moscow, ID. Then tax freedom day just got shoved back another week.

From The Tax Foundation:

Tax Freedom Day® will arrive on April 30 this year, the 120th day of 2007. That means Americans will work four months of the year, from January 1 to April 30, before they have earned enough money to pay this year's tax obligations at the federal, state and local levels.

Americans work a significant number of days each year to pay for things other than government, but nothing else is so expensive. Americans will work longer to pay for government (120 days) than they will for food, clothing and housing combined (105 days). Since 1986 taxes have cost more than these basic necessities. In fact, Americans will work longer to afford federal taxes alone (79 days) than they will to afford housing (62 days).

Although government is by far the most expensive thing Americans buy, there is one category of spending that has grown faster than taxes: health care. The number of days Americans worked to pay for medical service jumped from 29 days in 1982 to 52 this year, a 23-day increase in 25 years. That's almost an extra day of work each year. 

You can read the Full Article.

'Field Notes' chosen for all UW freshmen

From the Seattle Post-Intelligencer:

Global warming has been explored in political debates, news stories and this year's Academy Award-winning documentary.

Now the entire freshman class of the University of Washington will study the subject.

The university, continuing the common book program it started last year, will ask all new students to read "Field Notes From a Catastrophe: Man, Nature, and Climate Change" by Elizabeth Kolbert. The book, written by a New Yorker magazine reporter, explores the harm of global warming.

Each incoming freshman will be given a free copy of the book during summer orientation and encouraged to read it. The university will then incorporate the book in campus lectures, student discussions and other events during the academic year.

When will these kids hear the counter-arguments?

Oh, never mind. Those are illegal to discuss.

War Spending Bill

From CNN:

The U.S. Senate today passed a war spending bill that would require U.S. combat troops to leave Iraq by the end of March 2008, ignoring a veto threat from President Bush.

Otter signs parental notification law

From today's Spokesman Review.

Gov. Butch Otter on Tuesday signed into law a bill that requires minor girls to get permission from a parent or guardian for an abortion.

The measure marked the latest attempt by state lawmakers to require parental consent for minors' abortions, after courts declared previous such laws unconstitutional.

Effective July 1, all unemancipated, unmarried minors must get consent from a parent or guardian before getting an abortion, or get a judge's permission.

A judge could approve the procedure in cases of incest or abuse, a medical emergency or if a minor was mature enough to decide on her own.

Of course, she cannot be given an aspirin without her parent’s permission; but an abortion is OK.

Deal on grocery-tax credit unlikely

From today's Spokesman Review.

This morning, the House will try to override Otter's veto of the grocery tax relief bill that earlier passed both houses overwhelmingly. Meanwhile, deals are in the works on highway bonding and emergency communications upgrades, and the session is expected to end Thursday.

"We'll attempt an override," said House Speaker Lawerence Denney, R-Midvale. "I think it will be close." There may also be an attempt to override Otter's veto of the bill to ban smoking in Idaho bowling alleys, which earlier passed both houses with vetoproof majorities.

House Dems Pushing for Largest Tax Increase in History

From CitizenLink:

Tax relief signed by President Bush in 2001 and 2003 is scheduled to expire in 2010, and some Democratic lawmakers want to see it end – effectively raising taxes to the highest level in history.

Meanwhile, conservatives are demanding tax relief be made permanent.

In a budget-resolution package, Democrats promised to balance the national budget by 2012 by finding "$900 billion in additional revenues." What they don't spell out is that the money comes directly from Americans' pockets.

The budget proposal is slated for a vote Thursday in the U.S. House.

Brian Riedl, senior budget analyst for the Heritage Foundation, said liberals are working hard to convince Americans they're not really raising taxes.

Ecokooks Torching Cars in Denver

Yes, eco-terrorists are suspected of torching SUV’s in Denver.

http://www.moonbattery.com/archives/2007/03/ecokooks_torchi.html

Check out the KWGN coverage.

HT: Dave M.

Debate on Academic Freedom

At the National Academic Freedom Conference in Washington, DC, David Horowitz and Cary Nelson debate academic freedom at American universities. Mr. Horowitz's new book, "Indoctrination U.," argues that liberal professors force their political beliefs onto students, at the expense of providing a democratic education. Cary Nelson's book, "Office Hours," argues that conservatives are compromising educational quality by imposing intellectual surveillance on faculty members.

This is a debate between David Horowitz and Cary Nelson from Book TV last weekend. 

Cary Nelson is the president of the American Association of University Professors. If you have any interest or concern on the hold the left has on public higher education, this will make your hair stand on end.

You may not have time to watch all 1 hr 35 min of this video. But at the conclusion of the debate, pay close attention to Cary Nelson's closing statement. Fast Forward to 1:21:10 to hear three minutes of the funniest thing you’ll ever hear.

Be sure you understand Nelson’s background:

Cary Nelson is president of the American Association of University Professors. He is an English professor at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. He is the co-author of "Office Hours: Activism and Change in the Academy" and co-editor of "Higher Education Under Fire: Politics, Economics, and the Crisis of the Humanities."

And he claims that there is no liberal bias.

Watch here: http://www.booktv.org/ram/feature/0307/btv031807_4c.ram

Islamist Website Instructs Mujahideen in Using Popular U.S. Web Forums to Foster Anti-War Sentiment among Americans

This sounds like a daily discussion over on V2020. Looks like the mujahideen have successfully infiltrated Moscow’s hate board.

From MEMRI:

A member of the Al-Mohajroon Islamist website with the username Al-Wathiq Billah instructed mujahideen in how to infiltrate popular American forums and to use them to distribute jihad films and spread disinformation about the war.

The following are excerpts: [1]

"Raiding American Forums is Among the Most Important Means of Obtaining Victory in the Fierce Media War… and of Influencing the Views of the Weak-Minded American"

"There is no doubt, my brothers, that raiding American forums is among the most important means of obtaining victory in the fierce media war... and of influencing the views of the weak-minded American who pays his taxes so they will go to the infidel American army. This American is an idiot and does not [even] know where Iraq is... [It is therefore] mandatory for every electronic mujahid [to engage in this raiding]."

"It is better that you raid non-political forums such as music forums and trivia forums... which American people... favor... Define your target[ed forum]... and get to know it well... Post your contribution and do not get into... futile arguments..."

Indicate You Are an American

"Obviously, you have to register yourself using a purely American name... Choose an icon that indicates that you are an American, and place it next to your nickname [in the forum]."

"In my experience, the areas most visited in American forums... [are titled] 'Random Thoughts' and 'What's going on in your mind?'... [The former] takes priority in the American forums, and is highly popular. You should post your contribution there... This should include films of the mujahideen in Iraq, mujahideen publications in English, and images and films of the Americans' crimes, [such as] killing unarmed civilians in Iraq... etc."

"Invent Stories About American Soldiers You Have [Allegedly] Personally Known"

"Obviously, you should post your contribution... as an American... You should correspond with visitors to this forum, [bringing to their attention] the frustrating situation of their troops in Iraq... You should invent stories about American soldiers you have [allegedly] personally known (as classmates... or members in a club who played baseball and tennis with you) who were drafted to Iraq and then committed suicide while in service by hanging or shooting themselves..."

"Also, write using a sad tone, and tell them that you feel sorry for your [female] neighbor or co-worker who became addicted to alcohol or drugs... because her poor fiancé, a former soldier in Iraq, was paralyzed or [because] his legs were amputated... [Use any story] which will break their spirits, oh brave fighter for the sake of God..."

How to Make Americans Feel Frustrated With Their Government

"You should enter into debate or respond only if it is extremely necessary... Your concern should [only] be introducing topics which... will cause [them to feel] frustration and anger towards their government..., which will... render them hostile to Bush... and his Republican Party and make them feel they must vote ton bring the troops back from Iraq as soon as possible."

"Do not... discuss issues pertaining to Arabs or Muslims at all, whether negatively or positively... because this could be a trap for you... In addition, do not ask people to circulate the material [you have posted] in other forums... as these types of requests will expose you..."

HT: Dave G.

Hate-Crimes Bill Would Give Gays Special Rights

The House is considering a measure that would make opposition to homosexuality a crime.

From Focus on the Family’s CitizenLink:

A bill with bipartisan support in Congress would give the Justice Department power to investigate and prosecute “bias-motivated violence.”

Homosexual advocates who support the bill say violence against homosexuals is on the rise. They contend 14 percent of the 1,000 hate crimes reported in 2005 were due to sexual orientation.

“They claim that this is an epidemic, [but] one third of the ‘hate crime’s statistics’ are for ‘name-calling,’ ” Andrea Lafferty, executive director of the Traditional Values Coalition, told Family News in Focus. “This is not a reason to bring in the federal government. The ultimate objective is to use the [prosecution] of hate speech against people of faith.”

Matt Barber of Concerned Women for America said the bill would favor one class of crime victims over another.

“It elevates a certain people group based on their chosen sexual behaviors—homosexuals and so-called transgenders—to a higher level of status in our society,” Barber said, “so that they are considered a more valuable victim.”

The Senate is expected to introduce a bipartisan companion bill next month. 

Lesbian Asks Court To Ban Gay Adoptions

MyFox Cleveland | Lesbian Asks Court to Ban Gay Adoptions 

From Bryan Fischer, Executive Director of the Idaho Values Alliance:

Central to the Judeo-Christian view of civilization is that the nuclear family is the bedrock of any healthy society, and that the foundation of the nuclear family is the union of one man and one woman in marriage. Marriage then becomes the relationship in which sexual intimacy can be properly enjoyed and through which children are conceived and brought into the world.

The overwhelming abundance of secular research agrees with Scripture that children need both a mother and a father. This is why a Georgia lesbian has become a pariah in the gay community - she has come to realize that gays do not and should not have the legal right to adopt children.

The woman, Sarah Wheeler, conceived a child through artificial insemination in 2000 which she allowed her lesbian partner to "adopt" in 2002. (Note already that there is a missing biological parent in this equation. Common sense would say to homosexual and lesbian couples that they should be allowed to raise any and all children they can conceive together.)

Since Georgia law doesn't specifically prohibit gay adoptions - neither does Idaho law - a judge in Atlanta legalized the adoption. Same-sex relationships are notoriously transient, and the couple soon broke up when the mother found a new lover. The scorned lover is now fighting in court for joint custody of the child, even though she has no biological connection to the child whatsoever.

The birth mother is now arguing that the adoption should be tossed out since Georgia law does not specifically allow gay adoption, and the case naturally has become a battleground for homosexual activists. The birth mother was warned by her own attorneys that if she was successful she would set "gay rights back a century."

The birth mother lost at every judicial stage, and the Georgia Supreme Court on a narrow 4-3 ruling declined last week to hear the case, leaving her with no choice but to ask the Court to reconsider, something it rarely does. Meanwhile, her ex-lover gets the 7-year-old boy every other weekend and on Tuesday nights.

Idaho law currently does not allow adoption by homosexual couples, but it does permit single adults to adopt. Since no screening is done for sexual orientation, this becomes a means by which children can be adopted into same-sex households. We certainly will see similar custody issues fought in our courts here in Idaho unless Idaho's adoption law is reformed to reserve adoption for married couples as defined by the Idaho constitution.

City looks at process of replacing elected officials; Dickinson's disappearance spurs vacancy provision

As reported in yesterday’s edition of the Moscow-Pullman Daily News.

The city of Moscow is looking at a way to replace its elected officials in an event like the disappearance of Councilman John Dickinson.

City Attorney Randy Fife is drafting ordinances to address the definition of "vacancy" as well as the process of an elected official replacing an appointed official.

Fife said city code currently has no definition of what a vacancy is.

He said the ordinance would have to consider several factors, including how many consecutive council meetings could be missed, defining or refining what exists in state statutes and the procedure to follow in that circumstance.

Pullman's Panties Pincher -- UI Student

According to April, Pullman’s Panties Pincher is a former UI student from Coeur d’Alene.

• http://www.asui.uidaho.edu/userFiles/File/Catalyst-May04.pdf
• http://www.cdapress.com/articles/2005/08/16/columns/columns04.txt

As April notes:

Unless there is another Garth Flaherty of the same age, he majored in Sociology, Anthropology, and Justice Studies (all one field of study) at the University of Idaho

State puts a bounty on wolves

According to the Anchorage Daily News, there’s a $150 bounty for a wolf. That may sound like a lot of money, but but they are not that easy to get.  

Alaska knows that wolves must be controlled. When will Idaho?

$150 EACH: The official kill program is far behind in its effort to protect moose and other prey.

State game managers will pay people to kill wolves in an effort to boost Alaska's predator- control program.

The 180 volunteer pilots and aerial gunners who are the backbone of the program can get $150 in cash for turning in legs of freshly killed wolves, Gov. Sarah Palin's office announced Tuesday.

Previously, the only reward was a wolf pelt they could sell, usually for somewhere between $200 and $300, said Bruce Bartley, Department of Fish and Game spokesman.

The state created its current wolf-kill program four years ago to protect the moose and caribou that wolves eat, and it's been controversial since day one. Animal-rights groups have sued unsuccessfully, sponsored "howl-ins" and urged tourists to boycott the state.

HT: Dave G.

Homeland Security OIG Issues Report

From the Emergency Email and Wireless Network:

Homeland Security OIG Issues Report estimates over 600,000 Fugitive aliens in U. S. whereabouts unknown.

From The Department of Homeland Security Office Inspector General
(DHS OIG) report...

In the report fugitive apprehensions are prioritized as:
"(1)  fugitives posing a threat to the nation;
 (2)  fugitives posing a threat to the community
 (3)  fugitives with a violent criminal history
 (4)  criminal fugitives
 (5)  non-criminal fugitives."

"As of August 2006, the Office of Detention and Removal Operations estimated there was a backlog of 623,292 fugitive aliens.

Therefore, fugitive aliens constitute about 5.4% of the estimated illegal alien population"

Pullman Makes it into the National News

For Panty Theft? From the Associated Press:

A man was charged with theft and burglary after police said they found 93 pounds of women's panties, brassieres and other underwear at his home.

Investigators believe Garth M. Flaherty, 24, took as many as 1,500 undergarments from apartment complex laundry rooms before he was caught, police Cmdr. Chris Tennant said.

A man was seen taking underwear from two laundry rooms Saturday, a witness recorded his license number, and Flaherty was identified from photographs, Tennant said.

Police found enough underwear in his bedroom to fill five garbage bags, Tennant said.

"He said he had a problem," Tennant said. [DMC: Understatement of the year.]

Flaherty has been jailed on 12 counts of second-degree burglary and one of first-degree theft.

Police had previously received 12 reports of underwear thefts in the northeast part of town, where Washington State University is located.

"We were kind of concerned about how to match up bras and panties with victims," Tennant said. "Based on the unique descriptions from a couple of women, we can tie him to those thefts."

The underwear will be held as evidence until the case is resolved, after which their disposition is uncertain, Tennant said.

"Would you really want them back?" he asked. "I would say not."

Idaho Bill would require Party Registration

From today's Spokesman Review.

Lawmakers unveiled another measure Monday designed to curb manipulative voting across party lines in Idaho's primary elections.

Senate Bill 1244 would require Idaho voters to publicly register with a party or as independents, and it would limit party members to voting on that party's ballot. But unlike similar failed proposals this session, the bill would allow independents to choose their ballots on Election Day.

While sponsors say the legislation could prevent a potential legal battle between the state and one of its political parties, Idaho's county clerks asked lawmakers to delay the proposal to consider its feasibility and cost.

As I’ve said before, the Dem’s have used this to manipulate the votes in the past.

The bigger question is: should we care?

Vote-by-mail measure dies in committee

From today's Spokesman Review.

Vote-by-mail legislation that was backed by every county clerk in the state is dead for the year, one of an array of high-profile bills unilaterally killed by legislative committee chairmen.

"It's not going anywhere this year," said Rep. Tom Loertscher, R-Iona, chairman of the House State Affairs Committee. "I've got a lot of concerns about it, and I think legitimate concerns."

House Bill 94 came out of the House State Affairs Committee on an 11-7 vote in mid-February, and backers were ebullient.

I have a lot of concerns about it, too. For instance: how would voter fraud be prevented?

Hawkins Plans

The Hawkins Company has posted plans for the property on the Moscow-Pullman corridor.

This shopping complex will be over twice as big as the area around Wal-Mart.

What a shame — all of that wonderful tax revenues going to Whitman County, all because of our no-growth liberals.

At least there will be shopping options open to Moscow residents.

German ruling denies Muslim Woman's plea for divorce

Dedicated to Nick Gier, who still cannot tell the difference.

As reported in the New York Times:

A German judge has stirred a storm of protest by citing the Quran in turning down a German Muslim’s request for a speedy divorce on the ground that her husband beat her.

In a ruling that underlines the tension between Muslim customs and European laws, the judge, Christa Datz-Winter, noted that the couple came from a Moroccan culture, in which it is common for husbands to beat their wives. The Quran, she wrote in her decision, sanctions such physical abuse.

News of the ruling brought swift and sharp condemnation from politicians, legal experts and Muslim leaders in Germany, many of whom said they were confounded that a German judge would put seventh-century Islamic religious teaching ahead of German law in deciding a case of domestic violence.

The court in Frankfurt abruptly removed Datz-Winter from the case on Wednesday, saying it could not justify her reasoning. The woman’s lawyer, Barbara Becker-Rojczyk, said she decided to publicize the ruling, which was issued in January, after the court refused her request for a new judge.

“It was terrible for my client,” Becker-Rojczyk said. “This man beat her seriously from the beginning of their marriage. After they separated, he called her and threatened to kill her.”

A Muslim extremist killed Dutch film maker Theo van Gogh over
this short movie, written by Ayaan Hirsi Ali. The movie addresses
the all-too-common practice of spouse abuse in Muslim households.

HT: Religion News Blog