Clipmarks | wiccantexan's 'government' clips

New Orleans repeating deadly levee mistakes

Sat, 23 Aug 2008 22:53:25 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Signs are emerging that history is repeating itself in the Big Easy, still healing from Katrina: People have forgotten a lesson from four decades ago and believe once again that the federal government is constructing a levee system they can prosper behind.

In a yearlong review of levee work here, The Associated Press has tracked a pattern of public misperception, political jockeying and legal fighting, along with economic and engineering miscalculations since Katrina, that threaten to make New Orleans the scene of another devastating flood.

They're not alone. A recent University of New Orleans survey of residents found concern about levee safety was dropping off the list of top worries, replaced by crime, incompetent leadership and corruption.

This sense of security, though, may be dangerously naive.

For the foreseeable future, New Orleans will be protected by levees unable to protect against another storm like Katrina.

Tags: hurricane, hurricane katrina, new orleans, federal, government

When government prays, religion loses

Sat, 09 Aug 2008 02:40:31 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.firstamendmentcenter.org

Not surprisingly, Rev. Turner wants to pray in the name of Jesus Christ — including when it’s his turn to offer the opening prayer at council sessions.

But on July 23, Turner lost the latest round in his battle to invoke Jesus when the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the Fredericksburg City Council’s policy requiring that prayers at meetings be nondenominational.

In an opinion written by retired Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O’Connor (asked to take part in the case as a visiting judge), the court ruled that the prayers at issue are “government speech” and therefore the prayer policy does not violate Turner’s free speech or free exercise of religion.

If we must have an invocation at government functions, then let’s do it in silence. That way the Rev. Turners in the room can pray freely in the name of Jesus — and everyone else can pray (or not) according to the dictates of conscience.

Tags: government, religion, free speech

In marriage debate, divorce church from state

Fri, 25 Jul 2008 01:55:17 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.firstamendmentcenter.org

Suddenly this summer, the reality of same-sex couples lining up to get married in California has led some religious leaders to rethink their government role.

In a letter last month, Bishop Marc Handley Andrus of the Episcopal Diocese of California directed his clergy to “encourage all couples, regardless of orientation, to follow the pattern of first being married in a secular service and then being blessed in The Episcopal Church.”

The bishop’s missive illustrates what a tangled web we have woven when clergy intone “by the power invested in me by the state.”

Because the Episcopal Church doesn’t sanction same-sex marriage — but gives the option of blessing the union — the bishop appears to be seeking a way to bless all couples while distancing the church from legal arrangements sanctioned by the state.

“There are a lot of benefits in getting out of the legal marriage business,”

Tags: church, state, marriage, religion, legal, government

President Bush Edits Thomas Jefferson

Mon, 07 Jul 2008 23:14:36 GMT

clipped by: dulios
clipper's remarks: Christianity neither is, nor ever was a part of the common law.
-Thomas Jefferson, letter to Dr. Thomas Cooper, February 10, 1814

Clip Source: scienceblogs.com

Bush Edits Out Jefferson's Religious Views

President Bush was at Monticello for a 4th of July celebration and he delivered an address. But it's quite telling that his speechwriters, in quoting Jefferson, cut out an anti-religious statement from a long and famous quote. Here's the way Bush put it:

"May it be to the world, what I believe it will be -- to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all -- the Signal of arousing men to burst the chains, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government."

Now let's look at the full quote

May it be to the world, what I believe it will be, (to some parts sooner, to others later, but finally to all,) the signal of arousing men to burst the chains under which monkish ignorance and superstition had persuaded them to bind themselves, and to assume the blessings and security of self-government.

Tags: bush, jefferson, independence day, religion

Obama says bin Laden must not be a martyr

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 04:45:21 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: abcnews.go.com

Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama said Wednesday he would bring Osama bin Laden to justice in a way that wouldn't allow the terrorist mastermind to become a martyr, but he may be killed if the U.S. government finds him.

"First of all, I think there is an executive order out on Osama bin Laden's head," the Illinois senator said at a news conference. "And if I'm president, and we have the opportunity to capture him, we may not be able to capture him alive."

"What would be important would be for us to do it in a way that allows the entire world to understand the murderous acts that he's engaged in and not to make him into a martyr, and to assure that the United States government is abiding by basic conventions that would strengthen our hand in the broader battle against terrorism," Obama said.

"I refuse to be lectured on national security by people who are responsible for the most disastrous set of foreign policy decisions in the recent history of the United States,"

Tags: politics, terrorism, obama, government, 9/11

Oddly named Chinese food renamed for Olympics

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 23:56:55 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.cnn.com

Local dishes like "Husband and wife's lung slice" or "Chicken without sexual life" conjure lots of furrowed eyebrows on famished foreigners.

So, with the Olympics a few short weeks away, China is giving its cuisine a linguistic makeover.

The government has put down more than 2,000 proposed names in a 170-page book that it has offered to Beijing hotels, according to state media.

The appetizer "Husband and wife's lung slice" is taking on the more appetizing "Beef and ox tripe in chili sauce."

"Chicken without sexual life" has been transformed into "Steamed pullet."

The Chinese say the names of their dishes focus more on appearance than taste or smell. But Westerners are more accustomed to names that describe the ingredients and how they are cooked -- such as pot roast.

The government realizes local names are a matter of taste, but don't want them to get lost in translation.

Hence, the spicy Sichuanese dish "Bean curd made by a pock-marked woman" has been bestowed the more palatable "Mapo tofu."

Tags: china, chinese, food, olympics, cuisine

Church and State Collide On the Highway

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:17:25 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: "More to the point: If your faith is so strong that it would inspire you to voluntarily stand in line at the DMV — and let’s face it, that’s strong — then why do you need it stamped in cold, hard metal on your vehicle’s ass?"

Clip Source: www.independent.com

This just in: Rational thought is backed up for miles along South Carolina’s roadways, where a serious traffic collision between Church and State has left our Constitution in critical condition.

The state recently approved a series of government-issued license plates bearing the words “I BELIEVE” and the image of a Christian cross in front of a stained-glass window. In addition to boasting their state-sanctioned love for square dancing, wild turkeys, and Dale Earnhardt Jr., South Carolina residents can now share their devotion to Jesus Christ with anyone lucky enough to be eating their dust.

The plate was proposed by Republican state Sen. Larry Grooms “to allow people of faith to have an expression of their belief.” Apparently ichthys fish and “God is my copilot” bumper stickers just weren’t converting heathens like they used to.

Critics, including the ACLU, say the state-issued plates are a government endorsement of religion.

Tags: church, state, cars, government, religion

Obama on religion and public policy

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 04:15:16 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.youtube.com

[Video]

Tags: obama, politics, religion, belief, government

Nepal's "living Goddess" in limbo

Sat, 07 Jun 2008 21:20:35 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: in.reuters.com

Nepal's religious authorities picked the country's next "living goddess" or Kumari in a centuries-old tradition on Friday, priests and officials said, but the question now is who will appoint her as a deity.

Traditionally, the head priest of the now-deposed King Gyanendra appointed the "living goddess" but with the abolition of Nepal's monarchy on May 29, that position no longer exists.

"We have requested the government for directives as to who should appoint Kumari now," said Semanta Raj Chapagain, chief of the state-run Trust Corporation overseeing cultural affairs.

Religious authorities in the ancient temple town of Bhaktapur, on Friday selected a six-year-old child, Shreeya, to replace her predecessor Sajani Shakya, who retired earlier this year, after being worshipped by devout Hindus and Buddhists for nine years as the Kumari of Bhaktapur, which is near Kathmandu.

Tags: india, nepal, goddess, pagan, deity, religion, belief, government

Obama pushes for new GI Bill

Wed, 14 May 2008 00:57:29 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.wvgazette.com

On the day before West Virginia's primary election, U.S. Sen. Barack Obama called for passage of the new GI bill Monday in Charleston, while taking a jab at U.S. Sen. John McCain - his likely opponent in the fall presidential election - for refusing to support it.

The proposed 21st Century GI Bill would allow soldiers to receive free tuition for college. Obama said it is one of a number of upgrades to GI benefits and healthcare the federal government should provide.

"It would provide every returning veteran with a real chance to afford a college education, and it would not harm retention,"

The Illinois Democrat said McCain, whom he added he greatly respects as a prisoner of war during the Vietnam War, doesn't like the new plan.

"He is one of the few senators of either party who oppose this bill because he thinks it's too generous," Obama said. "I couldn't disagree more.

Tags: politics, obama, military, education, mccain, government

FBI withdraws national security letter issued to digital library

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:03:49 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.firstamendmentcenter.org

A nonprofit digital library has successfully fought an FBI attempt to seize information about one of its users, and is calling on other groups to challenge government agencies' attempts to obtain online customer information without a judge's order.

The FBI presented the San Francisco-based Internet Archive with a national security letter last November asking for a library patron's records. The group sued the agency a month later, alleging the letter violated free-speech rights because it prohibits recipients from talking to anyone else about it.

The Internet Archive said yesterday that the FBI agreed to withdraw the letter last week and make the case, which had been filed under seal, public.

Yesterday, the FBI defended its demand on the Internet Archive in particular and the letters in general as important weapons to fight terrorism.

"Without judicial or public oversight, there is literally nothing stopping the FBI from issuing improper demands for records," Goodman said.

Tags: security, personal, privacy, fbi, library, digital, government, online, customer, free speech

Teachers’ private postings may make waves in school

Fri, 09 May 2008 00:05:11 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.firstamendmentcenter.org

Free expression is an essential guarantee of the First Amendment — the freedom to speak and write as we will, without censorship by the government.

But the freedom to express oneself doesn’t necessarily provide a buffer against the reaction to what is said or written. For public employees like schoolteachers, that’s increasingly an issue in the Internet Age, when off-campus postings easily reach the school community.

Example: A recent Washington Post story that reported on area teachers who had placed personal material or photos on social-networking sites like Facebook. The article is headlined, “When Young Teachers Go Wild on the Web.”

The Post’s report might just pass as noting a titillating curiosity — if not for the potential pitfalls it and other news reports highlight for public school educators who might assume speech away from the workplace is protected by the First Amendment from on-the-job consequences.

Tags: government, privacy, teachers, free speech, first amendment, censorship, school, social networking

Laws Targeting Mediums Spot On

Mon, 14 Apr 2008 03:48:45 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.sundaysun.co.uk

HOW many psychics does it take to change a lightbulb? Just the one . . . but they need the help of a dead relative whose first name begins with the letter J.

We can all have a laugh at so-called mediums, but from where I’m sitting they fall into one of two categories.

They either truly believe themselves to be gifted, in which case I file them under “self-deluding nutters” or they’re the very worst kind . . . the nasty, manipulative, money-grabbing leeches who prey on vulnerable people.

Thankfully, the Government is at last waking up to the damage these charlatans can do and is in the process of introducing some form of regulation.

It plans to repeal the Fraudulent Mediums Act — are there any other kind? — which, co-incidentally, replaced the 1735 Witchcraft Act.

And, if approved by Parliament, new consumer protection laws will pave the way for disgruntled customers to sue psychics who fail to deliver the promise of good fortune, health or everlasting love.

Tags: law, government, england, psychic, fraud, witchcraft

Tibetan Buddhism's next leader?

Thu, 10 Apr 2008 01:21:36 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan
clipper's remarks: "he Panchen Lama, the third of a triumvirate and previously the second-highest ranking among the three lamas, vanished into Chinese custody as a boy in 1995 and has been replaced by Beijing's own political appointee."

Clip Source: www.iht.com

The recent outburst of Tibetan rage against the Chinese government not only demonstrated once again the fear and anger among Himalayan Buddhists living under the cultural insensitivity of Beijing, it also illuminated the crucial role of the Dalai Lama, navigating skillfully between restive Tibetan exiles and an Indian government under Chinese pressures to stifle their protests. What will happen when he is gone?

The West is about to get its first glimpse of that possible future.

In mid-May, a serious young man of 22 who is revered as the 17th Karmapa - now the second-most-important figure in Tibetan Buddhism - will make his first visit to the United States.

The Karmapa Lama, spiritual head of the Kagyu order of Tibetan Buddhism, is now the only major Tibetan lama recognized as a reincarnation of his lineage by both the Dalai Lama and the Chinese government since it overran Tibet in the 1950s.

Tags: religion, faith, reincarnation, china, tibet, lama

China Calls for 'Patriotic Education' for Tibet Monks

Thu, 27 Mar 2008 04:58:49 GMT

clipped by: wiccantexan

Clip Source: www.washingtonpost.com

China's security chief called for stepping up "patriotic education" in Tibet's monasteries, the state-run Tibet Daily said Tuesday, as prosecutors for the first time charged demonstrators in the largely peaceful, monk-led protests that later exploded into riots in the region.

Public Security Minister Meng Jianzhu led the first high-level central government visit to Tibet since the riots broke out this month.

His call for broader "patriotic education" indicated the party would also move to exert greater control over religion in Tibet, requiring more Tibetans to accept the region as an inalienable part of China, denounce the Dalai Lama as a separatist and recognize the Chinese-appointed Panchen Lama. Such campaigns were first launched in 1996.

Tags: religion, china, tibet, dalai lama, monks, government