The head of a company vying to sell voting machines in Ohio told Republicans in a recent fund-raising letter that he is "committed to helping Ohio deliver its electoral votes to the president next year."

The Aug. 14 letter from Walden O'Dell, chief executive of Diebold Inc. - who has become active in the re-election effort of President Bush - prompted Democrats this week to question the propriety of allowing O'Dell's company to calculate votes in the 2004 presidential election.

Nearly 12 percent of the women who graduated from the United States Air Force Academy this year were the victims of rape or attempted rape in their four years at the academy in Colorado Springs, with the vast majority never reporting the incidents to the authorities, according to a survey by the inspector general of the Defense Department.

The survey, given to women in May 2003, appeared to confirm the claims of the half-dozen or so former cadets who initially came forward earlier this year, revealing a problem of sexual assault at the academy that they described as widespread and the product of a culture hostile toward women. The women said victims of rape who came forward were routinely punished for minor infractions while their attackers escaped judgment, prompting most victims to remain silent.

As a colonel in the Air Force whose daughter says she was attacked by a fellow cadet told The New York Times: "She knew she could have been captured by an enemy, raped and pillaged in war. She did not expect to be raped and pillaged at the United States Air Force Academy."

A Viewer Protests the Treatment of McGough

"Paula Evans, Winston-Salem, N.C. [writes]: 'Bill, if you are so concerned about public figures being bad role models for children, please stop interrupting your guests and telling them to shut up!' "

"Well, the 'shut up' line has happened only once in six years, Ms. Evans, and that's because the editor from Pittsburgh was filibustering, after accusing me of exploiting the families of the murder victims. The no-spin zone is a tough place, and lies and unreasonable discourse will be stopped in their tracks."
—Nov. 15, 2002

Wingers "concoct an inflammatory story that serves their political goals. ('Al Gore's a liar.') They repeat it. ('Al Gore lies again!') They embellish it. ('Are his lies pathological, or are they merely malicious?') They try to push it into the mainstream media. All too often they succeed."

"What's less clear, amid the name-calling, is how the Minnesota native went from writing groundbreaking material for the likes of Dan Aykroyd and John Belushi in the 1970s to becoming an unabashed partisan.... Franken has increasingly staked out the angry-man territory on the left."

Apparently without reading our original articles or attempting to contact any of us, many commentators and syndicated columnists, including Ann Coulter and Cal Thomas -- George Will [op-ed, Aug. 10] apparently read but misunderstood our work -- assumed that such a psychological analysis of ideology entails a judgment that conservatism must be abnormal, pathological or even the result of mental illness...

It's wrong to conclude that our results provide only bad news for conservatives. True, we find some support for the traditional "rigidity-of-the-right" hypothesis, but it is also true that liberals could be characterized on the basis of our overall profile as relatively disorganized, indecisive and perhaps overly drawn to ambiguity -- all of which may be liabilities in mass politics and other public and professional domains... Our findings highlight the importance of situations and historical factors that can produce political shifts by affecting psychological needs pertaining to uncertainty and threat. The need to achieve closure and to resolve ambiguity, for example, are heightened under conditions of destabilizing uncertainty (for example, with the outbreak of terrorism, economic turmoil or political instability). Thus our research is best understood as addressing the cognitive and motivational bases of conservatism (and liberalism) rather than the personalities of conservatives (and liberals).

The problem is that the administration deliberately obfuscates about who and why we are fighting. A "war on terror" is like a war on tanks--it's a war on a tactic, not an enemy. If al Qaeda had hit the Pentagon with a missile rather than a civilian airliner, that attack on a military target wouldn't have been an act of terrorism, but it would have been an act of war. And there's no reason to think al Qaeda wouldn't have used a missile if it could have.

Because the administration won't say bluntly who and why we're fighting, it tends either to step on its own strategy or to mislead the public about the reasons for U.S. actions. No, I don't think the Bush administration "lied" about weapons of mass destruction; Occam's Razor suggests that officials were in fact worried about that threat. But I think the administration overemphasized the importance of WMD, compared to other reasons for intervening, to placate the State Department, the "international community," and the Saudis. Getting rid of Saddam reduces the chances of Islamicist terrorism on American soil, but not merely by ending his WMD programs, whatever their status.

No president has gone after the nation's environmental laws with the same fury as George W. Bush -- and none has been so adept at staying under the radar.

Around 9:00 a.m. Central time today, the monument was hauled away on a dolly by a Georgia moving company amidst screams of "Put it back!" and "Get your hands off our God, God haters!" Those uttering such expressions were reportedly urged to remain calm by fellow protestors.

I'm talking about people who are falling for the idea that the federal government and federal courts always trump state courts, state laws and state constitutions. Some say this issue was decided by the Civil War. The only thing settled by the War Between the States was which side had more military might. Do these weenies really believe the Ninth and 10th Amendments are null and void?

This Constitution, and the laws of the United States which shall be made in pursuance thereof; and all treaties made, or which shall be made, under the authority of the United States, shall be the supreme law of the land; and the judges in every state shall be bound thereby, anything in the Constitution or laws of any State to the contrary notwithstanding.

House Judiciary Chair Opposes Anti-Gay Amendment

Washington, D.C.Aug.25 -- A proposal to amend the Constitution to prevent same-sex marriage may be dead in the water. F. James Sensenbrenner Jr., the powerful head of the House Judiciary Committee, says there is no need for an Amendment.

Any bill to change the Constitution must pass through Sensenbrenner's committee.

The Republican congressman says he is opposed to gay marriage, but adds the 1996 Defense of Marriage Act, which he helped write is sufficient.

Sensenbrenner's comments come a week after the co-author of DOMA, former congressman Bob Barr argued a Constitutional Amendment would be "unnecessary and needlessly intrusive and punitive."

The proposal to amend the Constitution was first made by Marilyn Musgrave, a Colorado Republican. Musgrave's Federal Marriage Amendment has more than 70 cosponsors although none of the top GOP leadership in the House has signed on.

When told of Sensenbrenner's remarks, Democratic Rep. Tammy Baldwin called them "very significant," since a committee chairman could choose not to schedule the matter "for any type of consideration." Baldwin is the first out lesbian to serve in Congress.

In the Senate, meanwhile, hearings are planned on the measure.

Amending the Constitution requires two-thirds approval of both the House and Senate and ratification by three-quarters of the states.

"It's been done only 27 times in over 200 years," Sensenbrenner said. "It's very strong medicine."

He said the 1996 law defines marriage as being between a man and woman and gives states the option of not recognizing gay marriages or civil unions approved by other states.

The United States on Monday opposed a resolution aimed at protecting U.N. staff because it fears it could lay the groundwork for prosecutions by the International Criminal Court, but negotiations on a compromise continued.

The Security Council scheduled a vote Tuesday on the resolution, which has languished since late April because of U.S. opposition but surged into the spotlight following last week's bombing of U.N. headquarters in Baghdad.

It calls for protecting U.N. and other humanitarian workers — and prosecuting those who try to harm them.

The United States objects to a reference in the resolution to attacks against humanitarian personnel and peacekeepers being considered a war crime by the International Criminal Court, a tribunal the Bush administration vehemently opposes.

CONGRESSMAN WALTER JONES (R-NC) "HOUSE OF WORSHIP" ELECTIONEERING BILL CONTINUES TO GAIN MOMENTUM

The Houses of Worship Free Speech Restoration Act, (H.R. 235), authored by Congressman Walter B. Jones, (R-NC) continues to gain co-sponsors. With now over 150 co-sponsors, we must take action!

H.R. 235 would allow religious organizations to support or oppose candidates for public office without losing their tax-exempt status. Current law states that houses of worship, like other 501(c)(3) organizations, cannot legally engage in partisan political activities and retain their tax-exempt status. This provision has served as a valuable safeguard for the integrity of both charities, religious institutions and the political process. H.R. 235 would lift these important safeguards and allow houses of worship to endorse and raise money for favored political candidates at the national, state or local level.

The sponsors of the bill claim that current law muzzles religious leaders from speaking out on issues of interest to their congregations. However, according a letter to Congress signed by seven different national and international religious organizations, "the reality is that religious leaders have an absolute right to use their pulpit to address the moral issues of the day." In fact, the only significant limitation on these groups is that they cannot support or oppose candidates for office.

The Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002 (BCRA), which was passed in order to reduce influence of soft money on Federal elections and requiring the disclosure of the sources of election spending, would be contradicted if H.R. 235 becomes law. H.R. 235 would permit considerable expenditures of tax-deductible funds to publicize endorsement-sermons and other election-related presentations made during the religious services or gatherings through television, radio, and other media.

It is important for Members of Congress to hear from their constituent base. Let us take this opportunity while Congress is in recess and in their home districts to call them and let them know WE DON'T WANT TAX DEDUCTIBLE DOLLARS TO BE SPENT ON ELECTIONS!! Ask your congressperson to oppose H.R. 235 by signing off as a co-sponsor or generally opposing the bill because there remain significant concerns about its implications for both our nation's houses of worship and the integrity of our political process.

Twelve polling assistants from Mr Faustin Twagiramungu's camp were arrested here yesterday - a day before the country votes this morning for a new president.

His spokesman, Mr Ismail Mbonigaba, told The Monitor that police picked up their agents at a bar after attending a meeting in Twagiramungu's residence.

"They had just finished a meeting with Mr Twagiramungu and had gone for refreshments when they were arrested," Mbonigaba said.

[edit]

"It is true that these people were arrested last night for planning acts of terror," the Assistant Commissioner of Rwanda's National Police, Mr Denis Karera told The Monitor.

"They were reported by one person who attended the meeting from our department. They were planning things like throwing grenades and the like," the police official said.

The head of the Colombian air force resigned Monday after growing pressure from the U.S. State Department and startling new evidence suggesting that Colombian pilots knowingly fired on civilians in a 1998 bombing raid directed by private American contractors that left 18 people dead.

The Santo Domingo incident has become one of the country's most notorious human rights cases and the biggest obstacle in relations between the United States and Colombia, normally close allies.

[edit]

The Santo Domingo incident, the subject of a Times investigation last year, began Dec. 12, 1998, when a Colombian army unit came under fire from leftist guerrillas hidden in the jungle a few hundred yards from the town and asked for air support.

According to secret Colombian court testimony, the air force planned the bombing mission at the headquarters of a Los Angeles-based Occidental Petroleum oil operation about 30 miles north of Santo Domingo. Occidental, which has repeatedly declined to comment on the incident, is being sued by survivors of the attack.

The air force relied on the advice and guidance of a crew of private U.S. contractors working for AirScan Inc., a Florida-based company that provided aerial surveillance services to Occidental, according to the U.S. Embassy and court testimony. AirScan has denied its role in the operation. It is also being sued.

The AirScan crew, headed by Joe Orta, an active-duty U.S. Coast Guard pilot on vacation at the time of the incident, videotaped the jungle around Santo Domingo and directed the Colombian air force pilots to drop a bomb in the jungle a few hundred yards from the town, according to testimony. The pilots have denied dropping the bomb on the town.

The Budget Committee Democrats said their analysis shows that the deficit will hit $495 billion in 2004, and will never go below $300 billion in the 2004-2013 period, reaching a total over the decade of $3.7 trillion. If money from the Social Security surpluses now being used to pay for other federal programs is not factored in, the decade-long deficit will be $6.3 trillion, they said.

Education reform is one compassion issue that has left Democrats particularly bitter. In January 2002, with great fanfare, Mr. Bush signed his No Child Left Behind Act, a landmark bill that mandated annual testing of children in Grades 3 through 8 and greatly enlarged the federal role in public education. Democrats like Senator Edward M. Kennedy of Massachusetts and Representative George Miller of California were crucial to its passage, and say they went along with the president on his assurances that the government would give states enough money to comply with it.

But the White House has now asked for $12 billion to continue that financing next year, $6 billion less than the legislation authorizes.

"We raised this in the Oval Office, we raised this in our meetings with the president," Mr. Miller said. "He assured us that the funds would be there if the reforms were there. This is calculated conservatism, and they calculate just as much as they can get away with. You can dress it all up, but at the end of the day he broke his promise. It's not much more complicated than that."

Mr. Bolten, the White House budget director, responded by saying that the president had asked for "some very substantial increases" in education spending — in fact, such spending has risen during his administration — and that the government's budget deficit "would be really way out of control" if the White House asked that all bills be financed to the limits allowed by law.

Black Diamond could be the prototype for an action hero, a sort of African "Lara Croft." She's all sleek muscle and form-fitting clothes, with an AK-47 and red beret.

She has a bevy of supporting beauties, equally stylish, who loiter nearby, polished fingernails clutching the cold steel of semi-automatic weapons.

But this is no video game or action flick; it is one of Africa's most intransigent and brutal conflicts, where child soldiers brag about killing the "dogs" on the other side, and ragtag militias rape and pillage their way across the countryside.

In other African conflicts, like Uganda and Congo, women have participated in rebel movements, but usually in supporting roles. They cook, clean, and often sleep with soldiers - not always by choice. But here in Liberia, often out of revenge for husbands slain at the hands of the enemy, women have fought on the front line as part of an elite and feared unit unique on the continent.

Now as a new peace deal tries to take hold here, women like Black Diamond and her troops face the prospect of rejoining society after years of combat.

Black Diamond's girls are mostly orphans who found their way to this rebel army because they had nowhere else to go. And Black Diamond herself, the nom de guerre of Liberia's highest-ranking women rebel, is a fearsome commander known for handcuffing wayward soldiers - male and female - to an air conditioning grate and beating them with a rubber hose.

At the White House's direction, the Environmental Protection Agency gave New Yorkers misleading assurances that there was no health risk from the debris-laden air after the World Trade Center collapse, according to an internal inquiry.

President Bush's senior environmental adviser on Friday defended the White House involvement, saying it was justified by national security.

The White House "convinced EPA to add reassuring statements and delete cautionary ones" by having the National Security Council control EPA communications in the wake of the Sept. 11 terror attacks, according to a report issued late Thursday by EPA Inspector General Nikki L. Tinsley.

"When EPA made a Sept. 18 announcement that the air was 'safe' to breathe, the agency did not have sufficient data and analyses to make the statement," the report says, adding that the EPA had yet to adequately monitor air quality for contaminants such as PCBs, soot and dioxin.

In all, the EPA issued five press releases within 10 days of the attacks and four more by the end of 2001 reassuring the public about air quality. But it wasn't until June 2002 that the EPA determined that air quality had returned to pre-Sept. 11 levels — well after respiratory ailments and other problems began to surface in hundreds of workers cleaning dusty offices and apartments.

An in-your-face brawl between North and South Koreans erupted Sunday during the World University Games in Taegu at a demonstration by human rights activists denouncing North Korean leader Kim Jong Il.

Witnesses said that five members of the North Korean delegation rushed a dozen or so activists gathered outside a press center, grabbed sticks that had been used for displaying anti-Kim banners, and started swinging. More than 100 riot police rushed to the scene. Five people were lightly injured, including Norbert Vollertsen, a German physician who is a well-known agitator against the North Korean regime.

“Known by those who’ve served with him as the ‘Ultimate Perfumed Prince,’” writes veteran military combat soldier and journalist Col. David Hackworth about Gen. Wesley Clark, “he’s far more comfortable in a drawing room discussing political theories than hunkering down in the trenches where bullets fly and soldiers die.”

If he announces his formal candidacy this week, we should all begin reading Wesley Clark’s 2001 book Waging Modern War: Bosnia, Kosovo, and the Future of Combat. America should get ready for many more Wacos, many more lies, and megatons of megalomania – all of this fully endorsed and praised by Bill and Hillary Clinton, the power patrons who made General Wesley Clark what he is today.

"The only blacks who are big gay activists are the elites, and they are way out of touch with the rank and file African American. You don't see the average black person relishing the idea of their comparison with homosexuals as a racial minority," Peter LaBarbera, senior policy analyst with Concerned Women for America's Culture and Family Institute, told CNSNews.com.

"Shame on Coretta Scott King and the liberal black leadership for helping the gay lobby make these ridiculous comparisons."

It doesn't surprise me that they're trying to 'glom on' to Dr. King's civil rights movement. They've been doing this progressively more and more for the last 30 years."

The contractor is Kellogg, Brown & Root, a subsidiary of Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, Texas-based Halliburton. The watchdog group Taxpayers for Common Sense says the subsidiary received $1.3 billion in government business last year -- much of it, like this, without having to enter a bid.

Halliburton referred questions to Navy public affairs officer John Peters, who said via e-mail that Camp Five will have about 24,000 square feet when completed in mid-2004. It was part of a $25 million task order issued June 6.