September 2008 Archives

I worry Sarah Palin is going to force her faith on the American people.
She has her own "pastorgate" brewing. Just as Barack Obama was forced to answer questions about Rev. Jeremiah Wright, Palin should have to answer questions about controversial statements made in her current and former church.
On Aug. 17 of this year, Palin was in the pews at the Wasilla Bible Church, when a visiting speaker, who has been widely criticized by the Anti-Defamation League, made controversial statements about Jews.
David Brickner, the founder of Jews for Jesus, which aims to convert Jews to Christianity, told congregants that terrorist attacks on Israel were God's "judgment" of Jews who haven't embraced Christianity.
The pastor of her former church, Assembly of God, which she still visits, has damned Democrats. Pastor Ed Kalnin implied in 2004 that church members who vote for John Kerry for president would go to hell. "I question your salvation," he said. This week the church issued a clarification saying Kalnin was only "joking" when he suggested "Kerry supporters would go to hell."
And Palin's church is promoting a conference that promises to pray to convert homosexuals into heterosexuals.
I respect her right to practice her own faith, but she needs to show us that she respects our right to believe or not believe in any religion we choose.
How will her faith impact her policy decisions if elected vice president?
It seems Palin can't always separate politics from God.
You've probably seen the video where she calls the war in Iraq a "task that is from God," and "God's plan." Then she prayed for the Alaska pipeline but said it wouldn't do any good to pray unless "the people of Alaska's hearts isn't right with God."
If she belongs to a church that wants to convert gays and even Jews, how can we trust her to represent all of us? We certainly can't trust her on abortion rights.
Of course Palin has a right to her beliefs. I'm waiting to hear her say she won't force them on us.

The urge to rely on character in O.J. Simpson's latest trial must be irresistible to prosecutors in Las Vegas aiming to convict the infamous former pro football star in his latest brush with the law: He's charged with kidnapping, armed robbery and more, and faces life in prison. Justice can prevail by sticking to the facts and just the facts of this particular case, not leaning to residual anger from his 1995 aquittal in the slaying of his ex-wife and her friend. It's important to get it right.

Chicago has plenty of Detroit expatriates who've been following the exploits of their beleaguered hometown and its mayor Kwame Kilpatrick, the so-called hip-hop mayor.

Now we find out that a genetic variation might be responsible for monogamy, according to results published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences. This means, researchers say, some men may be wired to be happily married.

In a funny way, this presents a potentially exciting opportunity: In addition to whipping out a home test kit to check dates for sexually transmitted diseases, maybe one day women can use a home testing monogamy gene kit. Lord knows we need all the help we can get sussing out Mr. Right.

Just a thought: How about yours?