KENNEDY SPACE CENTER - Today's launch of the space shuttle "Discovery" has been scrubbed. The launch was called off because of a faulty fuel-tank sensor. Discovery was supposed to take off for the first shuttle flight since the "Columbia" disaster of two and a-half years ago.
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The Illinois Dictatorship
Skirting the Illinois Legislature, Gov. Blagojevich on Tuesday committed $10 million of taxpayer money to stem cell research.
Last spring, stem cell research bills stalled in the Legislature. So Blagojevich established a stem cell research institute on his own authority, by signing an executive order. Blagojevich defended his tactics: "It's the right thing to do, and however you get there is immaterial."
Blagojevich signed the executive order at Children's Memorial Hospital, to the cheers of patients, researchers and mostly Democratic politicians. Embryos would be donated by couples who had undergone fertility treatments. Fertility clinics in Illinois are storing as many as 70,000 "excess" frozen embryos, which are no longer needed because couples have stopped trying to get pregnant.
The Legislature could overturn the Democratic governor's executive order with a majority vote in the House and Senate, but that's unlikely because Democrats control both houses.
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Last spring, stem cell research bills stalled in the Legislature. So Blagojevich established a stem cell research institute on his own authority, by signing an executive order. Blagojevich defended his tactics: "It's the right thing to do, and however you get there is immaterial."
Blagojevich signed the executive order at Children's Memorial Hospital, to the cheers of patients, researchers and mostly Democratic politicians. Embryos would be donated by couples who had undergone fertility treatments. Fertility clinics in Illinois are storing as many as 70,000 "excess" frozen embryos, which are no longer needed because couples have stopped trying to get pregnant.
The Legislature could overturn the Democratic governor's executive order with a majority vote in the House and Senate, but that's unlikely because Democrats control both houses.
More
Too Many Evangelicals
The increasing number of evangelical Christians in the military chaplain corps is once again creating controversy. On Tuesday the New York Times published a feature story on the trend and evangelical Navy chaplains have filed a lawsuit claiming they've been discriminated against.
From 1994 to 2005, Air Force chaplains from the Full Gospel Fellowship of Churches and Ministries International rose from none to 10, and the Church of the Nazarene's chaplains went from 6 to 12.
At the same time, Roman Catholic chaplains declined from 167 to 94, while more liberal, mainline Protestant churches also saw a decrease – for example, Methodist chaplains dipped from 64 to 50.
Religious leaders attribute the change in the chaplain corps to various factors, including a shortage of Catholic priests, the liberal denominations' unease regarding military interventions overseas, and evangelicals' general support for the military.
Out of 280,000 men and women in the Air Force, there are 1,794 members of the Assemblies of God, 597 from the Church of the Nazarene and 108 from the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
But there are about 60,000 Roman Catholics, 1,600 who say they are atheists, 50,000 who have no religious preference – and even 3,500 who say they are either Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, pagans, druids or shamans.
In fact, some evangelical chaplains in the Navy say they are the ones being discriminated against. Fifty of them have filed a class action suit against the Navy charging they were dismissed or denied promotions.
Full Story
From 1994 to 2005, Air Force chaplains from the Full Gospel Fellowship of Churches and Ministries International rose from none to 10, and the Church of the Nazarene's chaplains went from 6 to 12.
At the same time, Roman Catholic chaplains declined from 167 to 94, while more liberal, mainline Protestant churches also saw a decrease – for example, Methodist chaplains dipped from 64 to 50.
Religious leaders attribute the change in the chaplain corps to various factors, including a shortage of Catholic priests, the liberal denominations' unease regarding military interventions overseas, and evangelicals' general support for the military.
Out of 280,000 men and women in the Air Force, there are 1,794 members of the Assemblies of God, 597 from the Church of the Nazarene and 108 from the Christian and Missionary Alliance.
But there are about 60,000 Roman Catholics, 1,600 who say they are atheists, 50,000 who have no religious preference – and even 3,500 who say they are either Hindus, Buddhists, Muslims, pagans, druids or shamans.
In fact, some evangelical chaplains in the Navy say they are the ones being discriminated against. Fifty of them have filed a class action suit against the Navy charging they were dismissed or denied promotions.
Full Story
Pope is No Harry Potter Fan
LifeSiteNews.com has obtained and made available online copies of two letters sent by Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who was recently elected Pope, to a German critic of the Harry Potter novels. In March 2003, a month after the English press throughout the world falsely proclaimed that Pope John Paul II approved of Harry Potter, the man who was to become his successor sent a letter to a Gabriele Kuby outlining his agreement with her opposition to J.K. Rowling's offerings.
In a letter dated March 7, 2003 Cardinal Ratzinger thanked Kuby for her "instructive" book Harry Potter - gut oder böse (Harry Potter- good or evil?), in which Kuby says the Potter books corrupt the hearts of the young, preventing them from developing a properly ordered sense of good and evil, thus harming their relationship with God while that relationship is still in its infancy. In a second letter sent to Kuby on May 27, 2003, Cardinal Ratzinger "gladly" gave his permission to Kuby to make public "my judgement about Harry Potter."
The most prominent Potter critic in North America, Catholic novelist and painter Michael O'Brien commented to LifeSiteNews.com on the "judgement" of now-Pope Benedict saying, "This discernment on the part of Benedict XVI reveals the Holy Father's depth and wide ranging gifts of spiritual discernment." O'Brien, author of a book dealing with fantasy literature for children added, "it is consistent with many of the statements he's been making since his election to the Chair of Peter, indeed for the past 20 years - a probing accurate read of the massing spiritual warfare that is moving to a new level of struggle in western civilization. He is a man in whom a prodigious intellect is integrated with great spiritual gifts. He is the father of the universal church and we would do well to listen to him."
Full Story
In a letter dated March 7, 2003 Cardinal Ratzinger thanked Kuby for her "instructive" book Harry Potter - gut oder böse (Harry Potter- good or evil?), in which Kuby says the Potter books corrupt the hearts of the young, preventing them from developing a properly ordered sense of good and evil, thus harming their relationship with God while that relationship is still in its infancy. In a second letter sent to Kuby on May 27, 2003, Cardinal Ratzinger "gladly" gave his permission to Kuby to make public "my judgement about Harry Potter."
The most prominent Potter critic in North America, Catholic novelist and painter Michael O'Brien commented to LifeSiteNews.com on the "judgement" of now-Pope Benedict saying, "This discernment on the part of Benedict XVI reveals the Holy Father's depth and wide ranging gifts of spiritual discernment." O'Brien, author of a book dealing with fantasy literature for children added, "it is consistent with many of the statements he's been making since his election to the Chair of Peter, indeed for the past 20 years - a probing accurate read of the massing spiritual warfare that is moving to a new level of struggle in western civilization. He is a man in whom a prodigious intellect is integrated with great spiritual gifts. He is the father of the universal church and we would do well to listen to him."
Full Story
The Incredible Shrinking Deficit
For the first time since President Bush took office, an unexpected leap in tax revenue is about to shrink the federal budget deficit this year, by nearly $100 billion.
Mr. Bush plans to hail the improvement at a cabinet meeting and to cite it as validation of his argument that tax cuts would stimulate the economy and ultimately help pay for themselves.
Based on revenue and spending data through June, the budget deficit for the first nine months of the fiscal year was $251 billion, $76 billion lower than the $327 billion gap recorded at the corresponding point a year earlier.
The big surprise has been in tax revenue, which is running nearly 15 percent higher than in 2004. Corporate tax revenue has soared about 40 percent, after languishing for four years, and individual tax revenue is up as well.
Tax cuts = More Revenue. Study it. There will be a quiz.
Full Story
Mr. Bush plans to hail the improvement at a cabinet meeting and to cite it as validation of his argument that tax cuts would stimulate the economy and ultimately help pay for themselves.
Based on revenue and spending data through June, the budget deficit for the first nine months of the fiscal year was $251 billion, $76 billion lower than the $327 billion gap recorded at the corresponding point a year earlier.
The big surprise has been in tax revenue, which is running nearly 15 percent higher than in 2004. Corporate tax revenue has soared about 40 percent, after languishing for four years, and individual tax revenue is up as well.
Tax cuts = More Revenue. Study it. There will be a quiz.
Full Story
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