4/27 - Bill Kristol
- Tony Snow. President George W. Bush announced on April 26 that Fox News commentator Tony Snow, who was a speechwriter for President George H.W. Bush's administration, would succeed Scott McClellan as White House spokesman. Transcript on-line here.
- The Word: White Gloves. The Time magazine article "Taming Wild Girls" is on-line here. The article cites a statistic from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that 25 percent of female high-school students in 2003 reported being in a physical fight, but does not mention that the this percentage has generally gone down since 1991, when 34 percent of such students reported being in a physical fight (CDC report on-line here).
- Book Plagiarism. Kaavya Viswanathan, a student at Harvard who wrote the recent novel "How Opal Mehta Got Kissed, Got Wild and Got a Life," has acknowledged copying some passages of books by Megan McCafferty. Viswanathan's publisher, Little, Brown & Company, reportedly issued a statement on April 27 recalling the book and announcing that it would issue a revised version of the book.
- All You Need to Know. The New York Times reported on April 12 that recently retired Exxon Chairman and CEO Lee Raymond received a retirement package worth at least $398 million. An April 12 Exxon proxy statement discussing compensation of top executives is on-line here. Exxon's compensation committee said in the April 12 filing that it believes Raymond's compensation is "appropriately positioned relative to CEOs of U.S.-based, integrated oil companies and other major U.S.-based corporations, particularly in view of the long-term performance of the Company and the substantial experience and expertise that Mr. Raymond has brought to the job."
An article about insurance companies canceling home insurance policies because of the prospect of another hurricane like Katrina is on-line here.
An article about Ben & Jerry's apology for its "Black & Tan" flavor is on-line here.
4/26 - Sebastian Junger
- Nuclear Powers. Iran President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad announced on April 11 that Iran had enriched uranium for use in nuclear power plants, advancing its nuclear plans. This announcement came just weeks after a March 29 statement by the United Nations Security Council (on-line here) calling for Iran to suspend all nuclear enrichment activities.
As for North Korea, it agreed in six-party talks in September 2005 to a Statement of Principles (on-line here) that called for North Korea abandoning nuclear weapons and abiding by non-proliferation treaties, but a possible sticking point remains on the timing of the United States providing a light-water nuclear reactor. The United States and other parties agreed in the statement to discuss "at an appropriate time" providing a reactor to North Korea, but North Korea said on September 20 that they want the reactor before abandoning any nuclear weapons programs.
- The Word: English. The record label Urban Box Office reportedly announced on April 20 that it would release a Spanish version of the Star-Spangled Banner soon in connection with renewed debate over immigration legislation.
A compromise Senate immigration bill that was announced on April 6 and that would have provided amnesty for many illegal immigrants failed to be voted upon before Congress broke on April 7 for a recess, with Democrats blocking some Republican amendments to the bill that Democrats said would have reduced the effectiveness of the amnesty provisions. The compromise bill would have allowed some illegal immigrants who had been in the United States for more than five years to become citizens, forced illegal immigrants who had been in the United States for two to five years to leave and apply to be part of a new guest-worker program, and forced illegal immigrants who had been in the United States for less than two years to leave without eligibility for return.
The House of Representatives voted in December in favor of a border-security bill that would make living in the United States illegally into a criminal felony (doing so is now a violation of civil immigration law subject to deportation, not jail time) and could subject priests and social workers to jail time for assisting illegal immigrants (H.R. 4437) on December 16 (239 for and 182 against). The House bill does not provide for a temporary worker program, which President George W. Bush has called for and which would allow illegal aliens currently in the United States to pay a fee and become legally eligible for jobs which U.S. employers cannot fill with U.S. workers.
Various surveys have estimated that the number of illegal immigrants grew dramatically over the 1990s. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service estimated in 2003 that there were 7 million illegal immigrants in the United States in January 2000, almost doubling since 1990 (on-line here). A more recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center (on-line here) estimated that there were 10.3 million illegal aliens in the United States in March 2004.
As for English, there has been a political movement since the 1980s to designate English as the official language of the United States and of state governments, generally in the context of the government's use of languages other than English in conducting government business, including publications and ceremonies, and the government's support for bilingual education. Some states have adopted some form of law or state constitutional amendment designating English in this way, though other states have adopted laws protecting the use of other languages. One organization in favor of making English the official language, U.S. English, is on-line here and has a map showing which states have some kind of English law on-line here.
- Better Know a District. Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Georgia) is on-line here.
In the United States, only Massachusetts recognizes same-sex marriages, as a result of decisions by that state's highest court in 2003 and 2004. Only two states (Vermont and California) recognize same-sex couples' rights via an equivalent to marriage such as civil unions or domestic partnerships: Vermont and California. Measures are pending in several states to limit homosexuals from adopting children; USA Today recently reported that there are efforts in at least 16 states (article on-line here). The law on gay or lesbian individuals or couples adopting differs by state. Florida, for example, has barred such adoptions since 1977, and its law (Fl. Stat. 63.042(3)) has survived several court challenges.
- Boston Strangler. An FBI file on Albert DeSalvo, who confessed to being the Boston Strangler, is on-line here.
4/25 - Sam Harris
- Lennon Séance. Alleged psychics tried to contact the spirit of John Lennon in a pay-for-view séance on April 24. Information about the event is on-line here.
- The Word: Panama. David Lee Roth recently was replaced as host of CBS Radio in New York and several other major markets by Gregg "Opie" Hughes and "Anthony" Cumia (press release on-line here).
White House spokesman Scott McClellan said on April 19 (transcript on-line here) that Karl Rove would move away from day-to-day policy management to "focus more on the larger strategic planning." Rove will continue to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff and as Senior Advisor to the President.
- Backwards Bush. Keychains counting down the time left in the Bush administration are available via Backwards Bush, on-line here.
- Threat Down: Arlen Specter! Illinois! LL Cool J! Federal Express! Tom Hanks! Sen. Arlen Specter (R-Pennsylvania), who recently sponsored legislation that would prevent oil companies from withholding gas in order to increase prices, said on CNN's Late Edition on April 23 (transcript on-line here) that a tax on oil companies' windfall profits was "worth considering among a number of options … I think windfall profits, eliminating the antitrust exemption, considering the excessive concentration of power are all items we ought to be addressing."
While President George W. Bush has said that he opposes raising taxes to deal with high gas prices, he did say on April 25 that, among other things, he did support rolling back $2 billion of tax breaks for energy companies over a 10-year period. "Record oil prices and large cash flows also mean that Congress has got to understand that these energy companies don't need unnecessary tax breaks like the write-offs of certain geological and geophysical expenditures, or the use of taxpayers' money to subsidize energy companies' research into deep water drilling," he said. "Cash flows are up. Taxpayers don't need to be paying for certain of these expenses on behalf of the energy companies."
Some state legislatures are considering measures that, if adopted, would submit charges for the impeachment for President George W. Bush to the House of Representatives, which might then vote on bringing such charges. On April 20, Illinois State Rep. Karen A. Yarbrough introduced a resolution that would bring charges against Bush for the National Security Agency wiretaps, for the torture of prisoners, for the holding of persons as prisoners of war without charge or trial, for manipulating intelligence to initiate war with Iraq, and for leaking classified information for political reasons (text on-line here). The Jefferson Manual, which collects information about legislative procedures and which generally provides guidance for the House, notes in Section 603 that a charge from a state legislature can set an impeachment in motion (on-line here).
Information on the Hip-Hop Summit on Financial Empowerment, which is holding a tour in which celebrities and financial experts speak to students and young adults about financial literacy, is on-line here. A workbook for participants about financial literacy is on-line at here.
Federal Express founder Fred Smith and his wife reportedly have given $10 million to the Memphis Zoo for a grizzly bear exhibit. The Memphis Zoo is on-line here.
Many Christians have criticized the book and upcoming movie The Da Vinci Code, which centers on a different interpretation of the life of Jesus and which features a member of the conservative Christian group Opus Dei in a negative role. Sony Pictures has published essays discussing the book and movie on a website on-line here.
- Reference to Rapture. The concept of the Rapture, which has reached a wide audience in recent years through the popular Left Behind series of books by Tim LaHave and Jerry Jenkins, holds that Jesus will take away devout Christians will be taken to Heaven before seven years of suffering that will precede Jesus's return to Earth and his rule for a thousand years. The basis for this concept is a reading of some parts of the New Testament, especially the Book of Revelation, and 1 Thessalonians 4:16-17, which holds that "the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout … and the dead in Christ shall rise first : Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord."
However, some religious leaders dispute the entire Rapture concept as well as the Left Behind series. The Illinois Conference of Bishops (on-line here) has said that the Rapture concept "is not supported in Scripture" and has criticized the Left Behind series as "a vehicle for anti-Catholic sentiments" and for "reinforce[ing] an unhealthy and immature belief in a harshly judgmental God whose mercy we earn by good behavior."
4/24 - Hugh Hewitt
- China Visit. Chinese President Hu Jintao visited the United States on April 20. A transcript of President George W. Bush's April 20 remarks welcoming Hu is on-line here.
- Corruption. The New Yorker article about corruption that Stephen referred to is from the April 24 issue and is on-line here. Transparency International, a non-governmental organization that focuses on anti-corruption efforts, has its 2005 index of corruption on-line here; China ranked as the 78th least corrupt country, with the United States as the 17th least corrupt and Chad as the most corrupt.
- Money & Politics: The Machine That Ain't Broke. Congressional candidates raised and spent about $1.2 million in the 2003-04 election cycle, almost double what was raised and spent in the 1991-92 congressional campaign (source: FEC). For the current 2005-06 election cycle, Congressional candidates raised $470.3 million in 2005, an increase of about 20 percent from two years ago (source: FEC). The following graphs are based on data from the Federal Election Commission.
- Florida Race. The race to represent Florida's 13th Congressional District, where lawyer Jan Schneider is running for the Democratic nomination, is one of the most expensive in the current 2005-06 election cycle, according to data compiled by the Center for Responsive Politics (on-line here) as of March 31. According to the CRP, candidates have raised at least $3.3 million and spent at least $1.4 million as of March 31.
Schneider is on-line here. Christine Jennings, a former banking executive and another Democratic candidate, is on-line here. According to the CRP, Schneider raised $122,514 as of March 31, and Jennings had raised $608,441. Two candidates for the Republican nomination had raised more money, with Vernon Buchanan raising $1,605,454 and Tramm Hudson raising $764,188.
As for Florida's Senate race, the CRP reported that Rep. Katherine Harris (R-Florida) had raised $6.6 million as of March 31; almost half of that amount came from herself, and about 3 percent from political action committees. Democrat incumbent Senator Bill Nelson had raised $10.6 million as of March 31, with about 79 percent coming from individual donors and about 15 percent from political action committees.
- Duke Cunningham. Rep. Randy "Duke" Cunningham (R-California) pled guilty on November 28, 2005 to (1) conspiracy to commit bribery, honest services fraud and tax evasion and (2) tax evasion. Cunningham resigned from Congress later that day. According to a press release giving details about the charges (on-line here), Cunningham admitted receiving at least $2.4 million in bribes.
4/20 - Ralph Nader
- Isolationism Poll. A poll taken in early April by the Gallup organization found that 46 percent of those polled agreed with the statement "the U.S. should mind its own business internationally and let other countries get along as best as they can on their own" while 51 percent disagreed. Article on-line here.
- The Word: Bard. The Shakespeare in the Courts program, a collaboration between theatrical company Shakespeare & Company and the Berkshire Juvenile Court in Massachusetts, allows youths to participate in a theatrical production instead of serving community service. The program was launched in 2001. Shakespeare & Company has information on the program in press releases available on-line here.
- Better Know a District. Rep. Albert Wynn is on-line here.
- Reference to Corporations. Corporations are now seen in the United States as "persons" under the law with many but not all of the same rights that actual human beings have. Corporations now can invoke their Fourth Amendment rights against unreasonable searches, have some First Amendment rights of free speech, and cannot be subjected to unequal treatment by the government.
Some, such as Justice Hugo Black (1886-1971) and Ralph Nader, have at times called for court rulings or constitutional amendments that would revoke corporations' status as persons. Such a change might allow for easier and more extensive regulation of corporations, they say. For example, if corporations weren't considered persons, then laws could tax certain kinds of corporations more heavily or limit corporations' free-speech rights more easily, and regulators probably could do more surprise inspections.
Others, including Chief Justice William Rehnquist, have at times called for stricter limits on corporate rights. Rehnquist wrote in a dissenting opinion in 1978 that corporations should only be entitled to the rights that they need to carry out the purposes for which they were incorporated, and would have denied corporations First Amendment rights unless they were specifically in the media business.
I've written more on this topic on-line here.
- Reference to Exxon CEO Compensation. The New York Times reported on April 15 that recently retired Exxon Chairman and CEO Lee Raymond received more than $686 million in compensation during his 13 years leading the company, or about $144,573 per day, including a $98.4 million pension. Much of this compensation reportedly is in the form of stock options and restricted stock that has not yet vested. Other executives have received large amounts of compensation in stock options. For context, the New York Times also reported that Steve Jobs received $775 million in 2000 from Apple and that Michael Eisner received $577 million in 1997 from the Walt Disney Company, both mostly related to stock options. Article on-line at http://www.nytimes.com/2006/04/15/business/15pay.html.
4/19 - Caitlin Flanagan
- Scott McClellan. White House spokesman Scott McClellan announced on April 19 that he would resign as press secretary after a transition (transcript on-line here). In recent weeks, Andrew Card resigned as chief of staff and was succeeded by Joshua Bolten.
- The Word: Save It. Information about the global warming documentary Dimming the Sun is on-line here, and information about Journey to Planet Earth, which focused on animal extinction, is on-line here.
A group of 86 evangelical leaders did issue a statement in early 2006 calling for greater action on global warming; the statement is on-line here. Other evangelical leaders do not support action on global warming. A statement by James Dobson's Focus on the Family group which was issued in 2005 in response to other evangelical actions on global warming is on-line here.
Many agree that global average surface temperature has increased over the 100 years by about one degree and that higher concentrations of greenhouse gases relating to human activity such as the use of fossil fuels have contributed to this increase. President George W. Bush himself acknowledged the temperature increase and the greenhouse effect in a June 11, 2001 speech (on-line here), though he also raised questions about how much was known and what should be done in response.
- Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger. Nebraska adopted a new law on April 14, 2006 that re-organizes the public schools in Omaha and nearby suburbs into one district and that requires that some sub-districts be comprised of schools having "attendance areas which are contiguous." The legislature at one point adopted an amendment that was sponsored by the legislature's one African-American member, Ernie Chambers, and that would have organized such sub-districts according to contiguous attendance area and by student populations which "share a community of interest," but such language was not included in the final version of the law (compare Amendment 3142 (on-line here to Sec. 41 in the final law (on-line here).
Some have criticized the law as re-instituting segregation. Nebraska Governor Dave Heineman said on April 13 (on-line here) before signing the bill into law that he had been concerned about the amendment but that "recent changes to the bill addressed many of my concerns" and that he believed that the motivation behind Chambers' amendment was "neither segregation, nor separation, but instead the goal of improving student achievement and the responsiveness of schools."
A recent article on the eel catfish is on-line here.
Katie Holmes gave birth to her and Tom Cruise's daughter Suri on April 18.
4/18 - ACLU Executive Director Anthony Romero
- Who's Not Honoring Me Now? The list of 2006 Pulitzer Prize winners is on-line here.
- The Word: Sir, Yes, Sir. In the face of recent calls by retired generals for replacing Secretary of State Donald Rumsfeld, President George W. Bush re-iterated his support for Rumsfeld on April 14 (on-line here). "I have seen first-hand how Don relies upon our military commanders in the field and at the Pentagon to make decisions about how best to complete these missions. Secretary Rumsfeld's energetic and steady leadership is exactly what is needed at this critical period. He has my full support and deepest appreciation," Bush said.
The Defense Department also reportedly issued on April 14 a memo defending Rumsfeld to a group of retired military commanders and civilians. The memo reportedly states that "senior military leaders are involved to an unprecedented degree in every decision-making process in the Department of Defense" and provides statistics on Rumsfeld's contact with military leaders.
- Threat Down: Judas! Wal-Mart! Neil Young! Robots! Pooh! The National Geographic Society, along with other organizations, unveiled a 66-page codex containing the only known surviving copy of the Gospel of Judas, which portrays the disciple who betrayed Jesus as acting at Jesus' request when he did so, a depiction that contradicts that in other Gospels. The National Geographic Society has information on the Gospel of Judas on-line here. Notably, Pope Benedict XVI referred to Judas as the one who "betrayed" Jesus in a March 15 appearance (on-line here).
Wal-Mart Stores reportedly announced on April 14 that it would stop selling guns in about 1,000 stores based on lack of demand in some areas. Wal-Mart's policy on selling firearms is on-line here.
Neil Young recently finished a new album entitled "Living with War," which will feature anti-war songs including one called "Impeach the President" and which will be released this summer. Young refers to the album on his website (on-line here) as "metal folk protest?"
Some doctors are training on a robot simulator of a pregnant woman, which is called Noelle and is made by the Gaumard Scientific Company (on-line here). An article on the use of Noelle is on-line here.
Winnie the Pooh received the 2,308th star on Hollywood's Walk of Fame on April 11. The Hollywood Chamber of Commerce, which organizes the Walk of Fame, has information on recent ceremonies on-line here.
- Reference to Skokie. The American Civil Liberties Union represented the Nazi party in the 1970s when it fought for the right to march in the Illinois village of Skokie displaying swastikas and displaying anti-Semitic materials. Thousands of members of the ACLU resigned because of the ACLU's involvement in that case. The ACLU cited the Skokie case in a 2000 statement (on-line here) explaining that it does not advocate particular unpopular messages but only the rights of free speech: "It is easy to defend freedom of speech when the message is something many people find at least reasonable. But the defense of freedom of speech is most critical when the message is one most people find repulsive. That was true when the Nazis marched in Skokie. It remains true today."
- Ten Commandments Displays. The United States Supreme Court has allowed some governmental displays of the Ten Commandments but rejected others depending on particular circumstances. In June 2005, the United States Supreme Court decided two cases involving challenges to public displays of the Ten Commandments, upholding one such display in Texas but rejecting another display in Kentucky. The Texas Case, Van Orden v. Perry (on-line here), involved a monument that has been outside the Texas state capitol since the 1960s, and the Kentucky case, McCreary County v. ACLU of Kentucky (on-line here), involves framed copies that were displayed in Kentucky courthouses in 1999 and 2000.
Justice Stephen Breyer appears to have been the swing vote, joining in both majority rulings. With Texas, Breyer wrote a concurring opinion that found the Texas display constitutional because it communicated a secular message (combating juvenile delinquency) as well as a religious message, because its purpose was "primarily to reflect, historically, the secular impact of a religiously inspired document," and because of its particular physical circumstances. "The physical setting of the [Texas] monument, moreover, suggests little or nothing of the sacred," he wrote. "The monument sits in a large park containing 17 monuments and 21 historical markers, all designed to illustrate the ideals of those who settled in Texas and of those who have lived there since that time. The setting does not readily lend itself to meditation or any other religious activity. But it does provide a context of history and moral ideals." Breyer also noted that the display was not in a public school.
With Kentucky, a majority including Breyer found that two counties' displays of large, framed copies of the Ten Commandments in well-trafficked public hallways were unconstitutional because of the religious purpose involved. Here, the court focused on how the display "set out a text of the Commandments as distinct from any traditionally symbolic representation" and "stood alone, not part of an arguably secular display."
Under the First Amendment's Establishment Clause, the government's ability to endorse or support religious activities is limited. How far the limitations go is subject to constitutional scrutiny according to a test set out in the Supreme Court case of Lemon v. Kurtzman, 403 U.S. 602 (1971). Under the Lemon test, a statute or governmental action must meet three criteria in order to be permissible under the Establishment Clause. The statute or action must (1) have a secular purpose, (2) its principal or primary effect must not advance nor inhibit religion, and (3) it must not foster "an excessive government entangling with religion." The Supreme Court majority applied the Lemon test in the Kentucky case, though its validity was questioned by the majority in the Texas case.
4/17 - Reza Aslan
- Taxes. The federal government currently gets about half its budget from individual income taxes, a third from social insurance taxes, and about 10 percent from corporate income taxes. How the federal government has funded itself has changed over time. In 1934, the federal government got almost half of its money from sales taxes, and about a quarter from individual and corporate income taxes combined. The White House's Office of Management and Budget has historical data on-line here (see Tables 2.1 and 2.2).
- Easter under Attack 2007. The Biblical story of Jesus walking on water in the Sea of Galilee may be explained by his walking on a patch of floating ice, according to a recent study by Florida State University Professor Doron Nof published in the April 2006 issue of Paleolimnology (press release on-line here).
- Was It Really That Bad? The U.S. Geological Survey's Earthquake Hazards Program has information on San Francisco's 1906 earthquake on-line here.
3/30 - Robert Greenwald
- Note. I missed this episode when it first aired but footnoted it after it was re-broadcast on April 13.
- Jill Carroll. Christian Science Monitor reporter Jill Carroll was released by her Iraqi kidnappers on March 30 after 82 days of captivity. During her captivity, Carroll was forced to make statements in support of her kidnappers. The Christian Science Monitor has articles on Carroll on-line here.
- Abramoff Sentencing. Former Washington lobbyist Jack Abramoff was sentenced on March 29 to 70 months in prison (press release on-line here). Abramoff pled guilty on January 3 to charges of conspiracy, aiding and abetting fraud, and tax evasion (release on-line here).
- National Women History's Month. A February 2006 presidential proclamation about National Women History's Month is on-line here. The National Women History Project is on-line here.
- The Word: F#@k. The Federal Communications Commission, which has authority to enforce federal obscenity law in broadcast media, received about 85 percent fewer complaints in 2005 (233,531 total) compared to 2004 (1,405,419 total). Complaints in 2004 were marked by the February 2004 Super Bowl halftime show featuring Janet Jackson. Complaints in 2005 concerned about five times as many programs as in 2004. The graphs below are based on FCC data available on-line here.
- Tip of the Hat, Wag of the Finger: Templeton Prize, Canada, Victor Willis. Cosmologist John D. Barrow was awarded the 2006 Templeton Prize for his writings on cosmology and human understanding. According to a press release (on-line here), Barrow "has used insights from mathematics, physics, and astronomy to set out wide-ranging views that challenge scientists and theologians to cross the boundaries of their disciplines if they are to fully realize what they may or may not understand about how time, space, and matter began, the behavior of the universe (or, perhaps, “multiverses”), and where it is all headed, if anywhere."
Canada's British Columbia province introduced a proposed Apology Act in March that would allow people and organizations to issue apologies without having such apologies count as proof of legal liability. A press release on the bill's introduction is on-line here. Such laws have been passed in other countries. California, for example, passed a law in 2000 barring the use of statements expressing sympathy for a person's suffering as evidence of liability in a civil lawsuit (Evidence Code section 1160, on-line here.
- Tom DeLay. Representative Tom DeLay (R-Texas, on-line here) announced on April 4 that he would resign his House seat at some time before June (statement on-line here). DeLay stepped down as House majority leader in September 2005 after being indicted on campaign finance charges related to the allegedly illegal transfer in 2002 of certain money to the Republican National Committee so that the money could be transferred to campaigns for the Texas state legislature. DeLay had close ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff and decided not to seek the leadership post again after Abramoff's guilty plea in January 2006.
4/6 - Markos Moulitsas Zuniga
- Who's Not Honoring Me Now. A list of this year's Peabody Award winners is on-line here.
- Easter under Attack. The Anthony-Thomas Candy Company is on-line here.
- The Word: Nazis. A Gallup poll taken in mid-March (on-line here) found President George W. Bush's job approval to be 37%. A graph showing Bush approval ratings over time is below:
- Better Know a District. Rep. Darlene Hooley (D-Oregon) is on-line here.
Oregon's medical marijuana program, which was created as a result of a 1998 voter referendum, is on-line here. As of April 1, 2006, there were 10,775 patients holding cards that protect them from prosecution for state laws relating to marijuana. According to state records, most patients are suffering from severe pain; about 182 have glaucoma.
4/5 - Harvey C. Mansfield
- Katie Couric. Today show co-host Katie Couric announced on April 5 that she would leave the show and become CBS News' evening anchor. A transcript of her remarks is on-line here.
- The Word: Martyr. Representative Tom DeLay (R-Texas, on-line here) announced on April 4 that he would resign his House seat at some time before June (statement on-line here). DeLay stepped down as House majority leader in September 2005 after being indicted on campaign finance charges related to the allegedly illegal transfer in 2002 of certain money to the Republican National Committee so that the money could be transferred to campaigns for the Texas state legislature. DeLay had close ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff and decided not to seek the leadership post again after Abramoff's guilty plea in January 2006.
- Formidable Opponent. Various surveys have estimated that the number of illegal immigrants grew dramatically over the 1990s. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service estimated in 2003 that there were 7 million illegal immigrants in the United States in January 2000, almost doubling since 1990 (on-line here). A more recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center (on-line here) estimated that there were 10.3 million illegal aliens in the United States in March 2004.
The House of Representatives voted in December in favor of a border-security bill that would made living in the United States illegally into a criminal felony (doing so is now a violation of civil immigration law subject to deportation, not jail time) and could subject priests and social workers to jail time for assisting illegal immigrants (H.R. 4437) on December 16 (239 for and 182 against). The House bill does not provide for a temporary worker program, which President George W. Bush has called for and which would allow illegal aliens currently in the United States to pay a fee and become legally eligible for jobs which U.S. employers cannot fill with U.S. workers. Such temporary workers would be able to stay in the United States for three years and would have to return to their home countries afterwards, but would get legal protections while in the United States, Bush said.
- Reference to Harvard. Harvard University President Lawrence Summers announced in February that he would resign in June, citing "rifts" between himself and parts of the faculty (letter on-line here).
Among other things, Summers had been criticized concerning remarks made at a January 2005 conference for diversifying the science and engineering workforce. A transcript of those remarks is available on-line here. In that speech, Summers suggested that women's reduced presence in the science and engineering workplace compared to men was the result of married women being less committed to high-powered jobs than married men and of a natural difference between men and women on various human attributes, including "overall IQ, mathematical ability, scientific ability."
Summers wrote in a Feb. 17 letter (on-line here) that he had intended his remarks to be "informal and speculative" and that "if I could turn back the clock, I would have spoken differently on matters so complex." He also wrote that "[m]y January remarks substantially understated the impact of socialization and discrimination, including implicit attitudes - patterns of thought to which all of us are unconsciously subject. The issue of gender difference is far more complex than comes through in my comments, and my remarks about variability went beyond what the research has established."
4/4 - Rev. Jesse Jackson
- Tom DeLay. Representative Tom DeLay (R-Texas, on-line here) announced on April 4 that he would resign his House seat at some time before June (statement on-line here). DeLay stepped down as House majority leader in September 2005 after being indicted on campaign finance charges related to the allegedly illegal transfer in 2002 of certain money to the Republican National Committee so that the money could be transferred to campaigns for the Texas state legislature. DeLay had close ties to lobbyist Jack Abramoff and decided not to seek the leadership post again after Abramoff's guilty plea in January 2006.
- The Word: Birdie. Outgoing Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton released on March 30 a report showing a net gain in the United States' wetlands for the first time in decades, showing a net gain of about 191,800 acres between 1998 and 2004 due to increases in shallow-pond-type wetlands offsetting wetland losses (press release on-line here and report on-line here). Some have criticized the methodology used for the survey and the accuracy of the wetland numbers. The National Wildlife Federation said in a statement before Norton's announcement that the study lumps wetlands with man-made open water habitats and thus downplays the loss in wetlands (statement on-line here).
- Stephen Colbert's Balls for Kidz: Plastic Surgery. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, there were nearly 11.5 million cosmetic procedures done in 2005, representing an increase of 444 percent since 1997 (statistics on-line here). Of these, liposuction and breast augmentation were the most commonly done procedures. According to the ASAPS, persons 18 years and younger represented about 2 percent of cosmetic procedures, with rhinoplasty and laser hair removal the most commonly done procedures.
- Reference to Immigration Proposals. The House of Representatives voted in December in favor of a border-security bill that would made living in the United States illegally into a criminal felony (doing so is now a violation of civil immigration law subject to deportation, not jail time) and could subject priests and social workers to jail time for assisting illegal immigrants (H.R. 4437) on December 16 (239 for and 182 against). The House bill does not provide for a temporary worker program, which President George W. Bush has called for and which would allow illegal aliens currently in the United States to pay a fee and become legally eligible for jobs which U.S. employers cannot fill with U.S. workers. Such temporary workers would be able to stay in the United States for three years and would have to return to their home countries afterwards, but would get legal protections while in the United States, Bush said.
Various surveys have estimated that the number of illegal immigrants grew dramatically over the 1990s. The U.S. Immigration and Naturalization Service estimated in 2003 that there were 7 million illegal immigrants in the United States in January 2000, almost doubling since 1990 (on-line as a PDF here). A more recent study by the Pew Hispanic Center (on-line as a PDF here) estimated that there were 10.3 million illegal aliens in the United States in March 2004.
4/3 - Michael Smerconish
- Justice Scalia. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia criticized the Boston Herald for its description of a gesture he made after declining to answer a reporter's question. An article about Scalia's letter is on-line here. The Boston Herald has featured Scalia and a photograph of the gesture on several recent front pages since its March 27, 29, 30 and 31 issues; recent front pages are on-line here.
- The Word: Stay the Course. Livestock cloning company ViaGen announced on March 30 that it had cloned some famous horses (press release on-line here). Some horse associations, such as the American Quarter Horse Association, do not allow for the registration of cloned animals (AQHA statement on-line here).
As for human reproductive cloning, scientists and politicians generally have supported a ban on such cloning. President Clinton's National Bioethics Advisory Commission recommended a temporary ban in June 1997 after the creation of the sheep Dolly was revealed to the world, and a panel by the National Academies made a similar recommendation in January 2002. President George W. Bush has called for a permanent ban on cloning for any purpose.
- Stephen's Sound Advice. The IRS is on-line here.
- Reference to Racial Profiling. A 2003 Department of Justice memorandum expressing the government's position regarding racial profiling is on-line here.
