August 2008 Archives

So, Jay it now seems clear the not only is Governor Sarah Palin historically challenged, but scientifically challenged as well.  A number of my pro-science colleagues have pointed out how "intelligent design" played a role in Palin's gubernatorial campaign in Alaska.  Just check out this story.  http://dwb.adn.com/news/politics/elections/story/8347904p-8243554c.html  Here are all of old stale misunderstandings by the now-Governor about science, good education and acting like students are supposed to be able to distinguish between religion masquerading as pseudoscience.

 

As our readers don't know I will be blogging from Ireland for a bit here.  I'm in Dublin where as, in every place I go to, I found one of those cheesy "ghost tours" (this one on a bus, no less).  One of the twenty-five people on the trip: a friend of Sarah Palin.  She's "a nice hockey mom", she noted.

As I mentioned previously, Alaska Governor Sarah Palin, the Republican Vice Presidential candidate, signed a proclamation which declared a week in October 2007 as "Christian Heritage Week" in Alaska. Governor Palin's acknowledgment of our nation's history and heritage is welcomed and encouraging.

 

Governor Palin's proclamation is part of a much broader tradition of presidents, congressmen, governors, and other public officials encouraging the public to reflect on our traditions or voluntarily pray and give thanks. For example, over the past two decades, nearly 40 states have issued similar proclamations on multiple occasions.

 

In fact, Congress, by Public Law 100-307, as amended, has called on our nation to reaffirm the role of prayer in our society by recognizing each year a "National Day of Prayer." Each year, the president issues a proclamation as President Bush did in April 2008.

 

Governor Palin understands that acknowledging our nation's heritage is consistent with the Establishment Clause of the First Amendment and does not represent a government endorsement of a specific religion. These proclamations are based on historical fact and simply encourage those who are willing to do so to celebrate our nation's heritage. No person is compelled to engage in religious activity or penalized for failing to do so. Acknowledging our heritage does not violate the Constitution.

 

 

 

As some posters have already relayed to you, if this ticket doesn't deliver the conservative evangelical vote it is hard to imagine what would.

You are certainly accurately describing her "Christian Heritage Week" resolution as a "real controversy". As you know, I don't believe it is up to the government at any level to tell people of any faith what week or day they should feel particularly religious.  That's why we have religious leaders who will presumably tell believers to honor their heritage and worship every day of every week.  There is absolutely no good (that is, non-pandering reason) to make these governmental salutes to religion.

Alaska's "Christian Heritage Week" just happens to be a particularly offensive version of so-called "civil religion".  Here are just a few of its problems:

* Jefferson and Madison are quoted completely out of context here--both would be appalled at this idea and, in fact, Jefferson routinely refused to sign "day of prayer" proclamations sent to him by Congress;

*Patrick Henry may have been happy to comment on "sin"; but luckily for America his view of the role of religion in the nation was not that held by the majority of the Framers.  In this country the government tries to stop "crimes"; it leaves the correction of "sinning" to the conscience of the people;

*Most significantly, this proclamation seeks "to encourage all citizens to celebrate this week".  Alaska has a very diverse religious population, including many folks who adhere to traditional native religions.  To suggest that even non-Christians celebrate this historically befuddled "Christian week" is hubris of the highest order.  As the legendary Texas writer and musician Kinky Friedman observes: "Do you know how Native Americans pray on Thanksgiving?  They say 'Thanks for nothing'."  I know that is harsh, but I'm sure you get his drift.

Sen. John McCain is announcing that he has selected Alaska Governor Sarah Palin as his Vice Presidential Running Mate. Gov. Palin is now the second female vice-presidential candidate to represent one of the major parties.

 

Social conservatives are pleased with this selection, as am I. Gov. Palin is pro-life in both practice and policy. There are also some reports that she served as a member of Feminists for Life which played a significant role in Supreme Court litigation involving the issue of abortion. Reports are also beginning to surface that Gov. Palin was active in the Fellowship of Christian Athletes when she was in school.

 

One of the most interesting aspects of this selection is the issue of experience. This will be particularly interesting in light of some of the criticism directed towards Sen. Obama's level of experience. It will be worth watching how this plays out in the next several days.

 

One thing is for sure in this selection, and that is that John McCain did an analysis of where the base of the Republican Party is. Even a maverick has to analyze the base of his political support. Within the context of the Republican Party, the pro-life issue has been non-negotiable. The selection of Gov. Sarah Palin as a Vice Presidential Running Mate confirms Sen. McCain's understanding of this. This also makes sense in light of the fact that Sen. McCain himself has a strong pro-life voting record.

 

I mentioned in a previous post that a sharp contrast on Supreme Court nominees will now be in play. Sen. Obama and Sen. Biden both voted against Chief Justice John Roberts and Associate Justice Samuel Alito when they were nominated to serve on the Supreme Court of the United States.  Sen. McCain supported both nominations and, based on the information we're gathering concerning Gov. Palin, her judicial philosophy will be in line with our two most recent Supreme Court appointments.

 

Next week is the Republican Convention, and I expect the country will get to know Gov. Palin in a more personal way. We do know that she is the mother of five children, having her most recent son born in April of this year. It's already been reported that Gov. Palin refused to let the results of her prenatal genetic testing of her son, Trig, change her decision to have the baby. Trig was diagnosed with Down Syndrome. She's quoted as saying of her son: "I'm looking at him right now, and I see perfection. Yeah, he has an extra chromosome. I keep thinking, in our world, what is normal and what is perfect?"  And when she and her husband were told the news, here was her response:  "We've both been very vocal about being pro-life," Palin said. "We understand that every innocent life has wonderful potential."  (cited here) 

 

Barry, now here's the real controversy: Gov. Palin signed a proclamation which declared October 21-27th as "Christian Heritage Week" in Alaska. Here is the exact proclamation that was issued:

 

WHEREAS, the celebration of Christian Heritage Week, October 21-27, 2007, reminds Alaskans of the role Christianity has played in our rich heritage. Many truly great men and women of America, giants in the structuring of American history, were Christians of caliber and integrity who did not hesitate to express their faith. Some of their legacies are evidenced as follows:

WHEREAS, the Preamble to the Constitution of the State of Alaska begins with, "We the people of Alaska, grateful to God and to those who founded our nation and pioneered this great land"

WHEREAS, Benjamin Franklin, at the Constitutional Convention stated, "It is impossible to build an empire without our Father's aid. I believe the sacred writings which say that, Except the Lord build the house, they labor in vain that build it (Psalm 127:1)."

WHEREAS, George Washington enunciated, "animated alone by the pure spirit of Christianity, and conducting ourselves as the faithful subjects of our free government, we may enjoy every temporal and spiritual felicity."

WHEREAS, Thomas Jefferson, author of the Declaration of Independence, wrote, "Can the liberties of a nation be secure when we have removed the conviction that these liberties are the gift of God?"

WHEREAS, James Madison, father of the United States Constitution advocated "the diffusion of the light of Christianity in our nation" in his Memorial and Remonstrance.

WHEREAS, Patrick Henry quoted Proverbs 14:34 for our nation, "Righteousness alone can exalt a nation, but sin is a disgrace to any people."

WHEREAS, George Mason, in his Virginia Declaration of Rights, forerunner to our United States Bill of Rights, affirmed, "That it is the mutual duty of all to practice Christian forebearance, love and charity towards each other."

NOW, THEREFORE, I, Sarah Palin, Governor of the State of Alaska, do hereby proclaim October 21-27, 2007, as Alaska's 9th Annual Christian Heritage Week in Alaska, and encourage all citizens to celebrate this week.

 

This should certainly spark controversy from your end, Barry, so maybe we're the first to break it. I think it's constitutional to have a proclamation like this; I expect you to disagree. Let's go at it!

 

Over the years I've been asked to help prep politicians for debates.  I've never worked for one, so I'm always the outsider coming in.  I usually watch the politician's staff ask softball questions (even when they think they are hard ones) before I pipe up.  My questions are designed to be annoying and the followup is made to make it seem that the first answer was pathetic.  When it comes to criticism after the practice, I usually say "you need more practice".  The politicians' chiefs of staff usually wish they hadn't asked me. However, sometimes when I see the politicians even years later they say "you know, I remember that day you helped me with that debate on X, Y, or Z".  They liked it.

I don't give partisan political advice to candidates, however.  I have always worked for non-profits that cannot by law endorse or oppose candidates for any public office.  Even when I appear as myself--commentator, author, talk-show host--I never tell people who I will vote for.

So, the following question is not partisan.  I am genuinely confused by the announcement just made by John McCain announcing that he has chosen Alaska Governor Sarah Palin to be his Vice Presidential pick.

Why would John McCain, whose fundamental argument with Barack Obama is that he is not seasoned enough, qualified enough, knowledgeable enough to govern, pick a person whose only experience really leading is 20 months as Alaska's governor?  Senator McCain is 72; he has had two bouts with the most serious skin cancer you can have; actuarially speaking, he may just make it through his first term.  Will Gov. Palin be able to take military command immediately if tragedy strikes?  Why does John McCain want the press asking that question for the next 67 day?

Jay, I know the Governor is anti-choice, anti same-sex marriage and pro-school vouchers.  But so is Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, who has been around domestic and foreign policy issues much longer than Governor Palin. What would you have advised? 

I'm glad to see that we can agree that Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito upheld First Amendment rights against overzealous regulation of political speech. In my view, however, the IRS restrictions on candidate endorsement are another example of "over-regulation...

OK, this had to happen sometime in the first few weeks.  I have to concede a point to you, Jay.Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito did defend the First Amendment free speech claims of a non-profit in the Wisconsin Right...

Rejecting the idea of a "living Constitution" simply means that a Justice will respect the authority allotted to the legislative and executive branches (and the state governments) by the actual language of the Constitution and will not create new "rights"...

Jay, I am looking for change in the Supreme Court.  At least, I am looking for change away from the ideological beliefs of members like Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito.  These men seem to think their function is to...

Senator Obama's selection of Senator Joe Biden of Delaware will, undoubtedly, represent a sharp contrast with Senator McCain and his running mate.  As I've mentioned in a previous post, the issue of the direction of the Supreme Court of the...

First, let me assure every reader that the Democratic Party and the Republican Party and every other party can do anything they want or nothing at all to formally recognize the religious in their midst.  Second, let me assure you...

Let's me return to the Pew poll one more time.  It is a rich document for the statistically inclined.  I just wanted to reiterate that two thirds of the public does not like pastors, priests and other leaders using their...

The trends that Barry cited are interesting, but the Pew Research poll has other important findings that should be noted:   ·         "Roughly comparable numbers say political leaders express their religious beliefs too much (29%), too little (36%) or the...

A pleasantly surprising poll has been released today by the prestigious Pew Research folks which shows that the growing mix of flammable partisan politics with equally fiery religion may not be what a lot of Americans are looking for.  (Don't tell...

Sorry, Jay, we are going to have to look for agreements elsewhere.  I think the only justifiable "conscience" exemption is for that physician directly performing the surgical or other medical procedure to terminate a pregnancy.  Your language effectively gives an...

It sounds like we have some agreement here, at least with respect to a conscientious refusal to take human life.   For example, we would both likely support a Louisiana conscience clause that states that no doctor or other person...

I am not opposed to a very narrowly crafted conscience clause where the issue is the sincerely held belief by a person that he or she is being asked to take a "life".  This means that conscientious objectors to war...

The California Supreme Court decision in North Coast illustrates the need to protect doctors and other professionals who hold sincerely held religious beliefs through "conscience clause" legislation and state Religious Freedom Restoration Acts. The same principles could apply in situations...

Today the Supreme Court of California issued an extremely important decision in a case which addressed the issue: does the right of religious freedom exempt a medical clinic's physicians from complying with a state law that bars discrimination based on...

Barry, I think Senator's staff handled this properly. He played by the rules. He is not under an obligation to give any of us a detailed account of who he was talking to. I can't imagine that they would just...

Bloggers are now discussing the infamous "cone of silence" problem from Saddleback's Saturday forum. Rick Warren claims that he didn't know that Senator McCain was not even at the church, much less in a hermetically sealed room, at the time...

I want to make a couple observations concerning Barry's recent post on the Saddleback Forum.  First, the concern that I had regarding the content of the questioning was certainly alleviated during the presentation. Throughout the two-hour Saddleback Forum, we learned...

Let's get to the big mistake first: Barack Obama should not have agreed to do this.  If I were the Senator I'd be looking for a time machine this morning and go back to the day I agreed to show...

  Sen. McCain's response to the question concerning judges was true to his bipartisan nature. He responded,"with all do respect, I would not have nominated Justice Ginsburg (Pres. Clinton), Justice Breyer (Pres. Clinton), Justice Souter (Pres. George H.W. Bush) or Justice Stevens (Pres. Ford)."  Sen....

I am watching the Saddleback Presidential Forum. Sen. Obama is currently being questioned by Rick Warren. Rick just framed the Supreme Court question in a very interesting way. Rather than the typical "Who is your favorite Justice?" question, Rick asked...

Rick Warren certainly did not want to share the official limelight with anybody from the religious right to the religious left. So,Jay, I wouldn't worry too much about any conspiratorial cabal of progressives managing the conversation tonight.  (However, I understand...

I have received a large number of emails today from people concerned about who is preparing Rick Warren for the forum. Barry suggested Rick should not be the one asking the questions. The rumors are that a "religious left group"...

Barry, I am still waiting for the call to moderate The Saddleback Civil Forum on Leadership and Compassion with you.  But alas, no offers.  Look, I think it's absolutely fine for the candidates to appear at Saddleback Church.  If the NAACP offers...

Jay, of course the Presidential candidates ought to be talking about the Supreme Court. They should talk about their philosophy of picking judges and about specific decisions with which they disagree (with any luck they will acknowledge they will obey...

Let me say at the outset, that I am a fan of Rick Warren, Pastor of Saddleback Church in California.  His book, The Purpose Driven Life, has encouraged tens of thousands of people, and his ministries have had a global...

Why are we doing this again? Why another "forum" on the spiritual life and political consequences for would-be presidents? This Saturday evening both Senators John McCain and Barack Obama will sit down for separate hour-long chats with mega-preacher Rick Warren,...