MARRIAGE IS GOOD: President Bush took the now-controversial position that marriage is between a man and a woman in his proclamation of Marriage Protection Week (October 12 through 18). "Marriage is a sacred institution, and its protection is essential to the continued strength of our society. . .," he wrote. "Marriage is a union between a man and a woman, and my administration is working to support the institution of marriage by helping couples build successful marriages and be good parents. . . . Research has shown that, on average, children raised in households headed by married parents fare better than children who grow up in other family structures. . . . And as part of the welfare reform package I have proposed, we will do away with the rules that have made it more difficult for married couples to move out of poverty." On October 14, the Family Research Council (FRC) announced the first elected officials who have endorsed its Marriage Protection Pledge. "Rep. Trent Franks (R.-Ariz.) and Colorado State Rep. David Schultheis (R.-14th) have become the first federal and state signers of FRC’s Marriage Protection Pledge," FRC reported. "The pledge is a commitment to ‘protect the inviolable definition of marriage,’ and states that marriage, ‘whether entered into within or outside of the United States, shall consist of the legal union of one man and one woman.’"
FRITZ’S LAST BARBS: Sen. Fritz Hollings (D.-S.C.), perhaps feeling more comfortable saying what he really thinks now that he has decided to retire, was the only senator to vote against a resolution honoring America’s Armed Forces on October 2. "Sen. Hollings’ vote against our troops is insulting to those serving in uniform, to their families and to the people of South Carolina," said Rep. Joe Wilson (R.-S.C.) the next day. Hollings said on the Senate floor, "If we really supported our troops, we would pay for this war." Said Wilson, "It is ridiculous for Sen. Hollings to vote against our troops, claiming we haven’t paid for the war. He has spent his career voting for trillions of dollars in federal spending, yet when it comes to funding our military, he has consistently fallen short. He opposed Ronald Reagan’s defense buildup in the 1980s that helped defeat Communism, he supported Bill Clinton’s gutting of the military in the 1990s, and he has consistently called for cutting defense spending."
FRANKEN WITH GEPHARDT: Comedian and author Al Franken will headline a fundraiser for presidential candidate Rep. Dick Gephardt (D.-Mo.) on November 6 in St. Louis, Mo. For $100, one can get in and for $1,000, one can attend a reception and book signing with the left-leaning comedic political activist.
RADICAL FRENCHMAN: French President Jacques Chirac called for a laundry list of New World Order globaloney during a speech to the United Nations General Assembly last month, according to Tom Kilgannon, president of Freedom Alliance. Chirac endorsed UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan’s International Finance Facility (IFF) proposal, wrote Kilgannon on October 1. "As part of the Global New Deal, Kofi Annan wants rich countries to give at least (seven tenths of one per cent) of their gross national product to ‘official development assistance.’-For the United States, this would amount to approximately $70 billion annually," he wrote. Chirac also pushed for the creation of a World Environmental Organization (WEO) to police nations’ environmental policies, he said.
TIME IS CLEAR: A poll of Californians by Luntz Research during California’s recall election found that 63% of Californians are against rules that "prohibit local police and sheriffs’ departments from sharing information about suspected illegal immigrants with federal immigration authorities"-though some localities in the state do just that. "It’s hard to imagine a city showing so little concern for the safety and well-being of its residents that it would not only allow, but welcome, criminal aliens to live in its neighborhoods," said Rep. Charlie Norwood (R.-Ga.), who has a bill called the CLEAR Act (HR 2671) that would make it easier for local law enforcement to cooperate with the feds in deporting illegal aliens.
IMPROVEMENT? Arizona will have 160 "excelling" schools in the state’s latest ranking, up from three last year. And the number of "under-performing" schools will drop to 190 from 276. Is this due to better performance from students, teachers, or educrats? No. Reported the Arizona Republic October 12, "Over the past year, the state board approved a more lenient formula for ranking 1,400 public schools."
