Bush vetos stem cell funding
July 19, 2006
President Bush used the first veto of his presidency Wednesday to stop legislation easing limits on federal funding for embryonic stem-cell research.
Debate on ‘pledge’ protection heats up
July 19, 2006
By JIM ABRAMS
House debate on a bill to protect the Pledge of Allegiance from legal challenges because of the "under God" phrase erupted in heated rhetoric Wednesday with lawmakers from both parties using religious references to support their side.
All blogs are not created political
July 19, 2006
Many people see Web journals or "blogs" as alternatives to the mainstream media, but most Americans who run them do so as a hobby rather than a vocation, according to a report released on Wednesday.
The illusion of freedom
July 19, 2006
A longtime friend, a career soldier and flag officer, returned home from Iraq recently and said that, sadly, he is thinking of retiring, something he can easily do at this point in his career.
After a record of service that extends from Vietnam to Panama to Desert Storm and, finally, to the invasion of Iraq, he says the will to serve his country is gone.
“This country used to stand for things that meant something,” he said. “Not now. Honor, justice, loyalty, pride: None of these words have any meaning now.”
DHS employees living large at taxpayer expense
July 19, 2006
By LARA JAKES JORDAN
Wielding government-issued credit cards, Homeland Security employees racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in unjustified expenses last year, including booties for rescue dogs, iPods, designer rain jackets and beer-making equipment, a congressional audit shows.
Republicans turn to extremes to motivate voter base
July 19, 2006
By JIM KUHNHENN
With votes this week on gay marriage, stem cell research and the Pledge of Allegiance, the Republican-controlled Congress is systematically working through an agenda of conservative causes, eager to mobilize hard-core voters in the months before the midterm elections.
9/11 conspiracy theories run gamut from plausible to insane
July 19, 2006
By PAUL C. CAMPOS
Recently I wrote a column that included an offhand comment about how I was pretty sure people who believed the U.S. government was behind the 9/11 terror attacks were pathetic lunatics living in basements whose Web sites got 10 hits per day. I’ve since heard from many such people, assuring me that they don’t live in basements, that they aren’t crazy and that their Web sites are very popular.
House rejects gay marriage ban
July 19, 2006
By JIM ABRAMS
The House rejected a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage on Tuesday, a setback that conservatives hope to turn to their advantage in the fall elections.
Stem cell research a gut issue
July 19, 2006
By ANDREA HOPKINS
Debi Martin is a Christian, a Republican and opposes abortion but she is ready to vote against the party in November if President George W. Bush and congressional Republicans limit stem cell research.
Reed loses, McKinney in runoff
July 19, 2006
Democratic Rep. Cynthia McKinney couldn’t avoid a runoff in her first election following a scuffle with a Capitol Hill police officer, and now faces a second contest against her main challenger, Hank Johnson.