Monthly Archives: April 2004

Sneaky

Kudos on the Patriot Act authors for this little bit of sneakiness. If it wasn't so despicable, I'd be rather amused by its genius.

Patriot Act Suppresses News Of Challenge to Patriot Act
By Dan Eggen, Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, April 29, 2004; Page A17

"The American Civil Liberties Union disclosed yesterday that it filed a lawsuit three weeks ago challenging the FBI's methods of obtaining many business records, but the group was barred from revealing even the existence of the case until now."

Open Source Publishing?

This takes “open source” to a new level. Software is one thing, but book
publishing is another. It will be interesting to watch for this as a growing phenomenon
– or not.

Practicing
the Liberty He Preaches

By THOMAS D. SULLIVAN
Published: April 29, 2004

“LAWRENCE LESSIG wants to make intellectual property more widely available.
So he has decided to offer some of his own at no charge.”

Bold Voice

Teen
Punished for Speaking Against Homosexuality Wants Apology

By Jim Brown
April 29, 2004

“(AgapePress) – A Christian student is asking his Boone, North Carolina, high
school to apologize for censoring his opposition to a pro-homosexual event on campus.”

Unfortunately for this lad, court precedent says that a public school has the right
to enforce dress codes. His shirt could be construed as being in violation of his
school’s dress code. Besides, the message was a bit harsh. We’re not likely to win
back too many homosexuals to right living by telling them they’re going to hell.
Yes, homosexuality is a sin, but we’re all guilty of sins and some are pretty nasty.
And unless we’re saints, we’re not confessing them all (privately or publicly).
I like the kid’s idea though. Someone should stand up for Christian sexual ethics.
If gays can “speak” their minds during the Day of Silence, we should be
free to “speak” ours, through t-shirts or other means. The trick is to
do so compassionately.

Calling Volunteers

What happens when the government wages a war that did not derive from a mandate of the people? The approval rating for this war is probably about 50%. Should that half of the country bear the burden of a war the other half wanted? Should they be pressed into service if the volunteers run out? Hmm…

Military Expert Says No Draft Necessary; Bush Should Call for Volunteers
By Chad Groening
April 29, 2004

"(AgapePress) – A military readiness watchdog says despite recent suggestions by a Senate Foreign Relations Committee member, America has not yet reached the point where it is necessary to reinstate the draft."

Misused Resources

Unwise spending in the federal government is not a new phenomenon, but given the
seriousness of the matter, this is pretty atrocious. I strongly suspect that the
Clinton administration shares some of the guilt.

More
Agents Track Castro Than Bin Laden

By JOHN SOLOMON, Associated Press Writer

“WASHINGTON – The Treasury Department agency entrusted with blocking the financial
resources of terrorists has assigned five times as many agents to investigate Cuban
embargo violations as it has to track Osama bin Laden’s and Saddam Hussein’s money,
documents show.”