Interesting piece by Deb Gauthier in the MetroWest Daily News in Kansas. Seems the Rev. Fred Phelps ("God hates fags") has decided he'll protest at the funerals of fallen American soliders. We're so glad Fred came to NWA, and so glad he once had some local help to come and protest...anyone remember who helped first bring Phelps to NWA?...a hint, he doesn't like the term "shiite"

According to this apparently perfect man, "the vast majority of people born into this world will spend eternity in hell, gnawing their tongues in exquisite pain." Phelps has a long and growing list of people in hell. Former president Ronald Reagan? In hell. Pope John Paul II? In hell. Staff Sgt. Christopher N. Piper of Marblehead, a U.S. Marine killed in Iraq last week? In hell. Capt. John Maloney of Chicopee, a Green Beret killed in Afghanistan last week? In hell. Why does this man condemn heroes, two of whom gave their lives in defense of this country? Because he believes the United States is an army of "fags" and in his mind Piper and Maloney and all other members of the military are guilty by association. Phelps promises to picket the funerals of the "Godless fag American soldiers when the pieces come home." Phelps, a master of cruelty, is on a mission, one that won't end until homosexuality becomes a capital crime punishable by death, not just in this country, but the entire world. In the meantime, God punishes. On his Web site, Phelps says: "Thank God for Sept. 11 -- A small foretaste of God's wrath against a nation that embraces sin." And, "WBC rejoices every time the Lord God in His vengeance kills or maims an American soldier with an Improvised Explosive Device (IED)."

Amazing. Words don't do justice in terms of this weenie.

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The liquor sales issue in Benton County will heat up soon. Groups who support changing the laws have started their move toward getting the issue on the ballot. Those groups sent this e-mail out today...

Ladies and Gentlemen: Time To Decide and Your Choice Benton County are well on the way with the initial petition signing events. Watch for more signing events and petition "gatherer" events coming to various locations soon. Petitions completed now can be returned and checked-in at the Parachuting Penguins office in Rogers, 4404 W. Walnut. They also have a notary public on hand to notarize and complete each petition. There are several ways to obtain petitions: Contact Bill Adams at 631-3525 Contact Latressa Phillips at 381-4652 - she will happily bring one to you. Pick one up at the Palms Plaza Restaurants, 224 S. Second St., Rogers. See Colby Saylors Pick one up at Parachuting Penguins, 4404 W. Walnut, Suite 15, Rogers If people are simply interested in SIGNING a petition, that can be done at these same locations, or by calling one of the people mentioned above.

Watch for information and events at www.timetodecide.org and click on the newest pages

Your Choice Benton County. Thank you, Bob Phillips

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Via Newsday and the AP, here is today's story on the death of John Walton, which broke late this afternoon.

June 27, 2005, 9:23 PM EDT

BENTONVILLE, Ark. -- John Walton, the son of Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton and a member of the company's board, died Monday in a plane crash in Wyoming.

Walton, 58, was piloting the ultralight that crashed shortly after takeoff from the Jackson Hole Airport in Grand Teton National Park, the company said.

In March, Forbes Magazine listed Walton as No. 11 on its list of the world's richest people, with a net worth of $18.2 billion, tied with his brother Jim Walton.

Walton had been a member of the board of Wal-Mart Stores Inc. since 1992. Company spokeswoman Mona Williams said the company notified its employees worldwide late Monday of his death.

Walton was an Army veteran who served with the Green Berets as a medic during the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Silver Star for saving the lives of several members of his unit while under enemy fire, according to the company. He attended the College of Wooster in Wooster, Ohio.

Walton is survived by his wife, Christy, and son, Luke; his mother, Helen; two brothers, Rob and Jim; and a sister, Alice.

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Editor Note: We invite responsible parties to submit articles, letters and even photos. We reserve the right to edit for content and grammar (or not) and reserve the right not to publish as well. We appreciate differing views, and encourage you to fire up your keyboard when you feel compelled. This letter comes to me in response to recent postings about certain books in the Fayetteville Schools. We'll comment later, for now, here's what Ms. Laurie Taylor writes...

Mr. Elkins,

I would like to apologize to you for some obvious misunderstandings. First and foremost; I have never requested that ANY book be banned. I have only appealed to the district to restrict access to books that I, AND MANY, MANY OTHERS, find offensive and in some instances unconscionable for minor children, so PARENTS are aware of what THEIR children are reading. The school board did not "wisely decline" my request, on the contrary they executed exactly what I suggested.

Secondly, I don't receive messages from other planets nor do I rely on my friends at American Family Radio. I simply rely on my God given instinct as a Christian wife and mother, having complete and totally authority, again given to me by God, to raise my children in a manner I believe reflects my mandate from God.

I do realize that not everyone shares my faith and belief and has the same right to raise their children under their authority. As a matter of fact, I personally served this country in a time of war so that Americans maintain such inalienable rights!!! This is my whole point! Parents must have complete knowledge, if they desire (and I do!), of what THEIR children are exposed to at all times through television, internet, music, papers, books (library or text), school, church, friends' homes, parties, camp, etc, so that they may help their children to understand, assimilate and apply the knowledge said children receive, in order for parents to guide their children to an understanding of the world and the chaos we live in. This is why we have parents.

If I do not know that it is there, and for the last 13 years as parent I had no idea, then how am I to implement my parental authority to my children to restrict their viewing of this material? Do hundreds of parents that want to raise their children with a Biblical world view need to read every book in the school library each year (accounting for incoming books) so our children are not exposed to a secular humanistic views of sex, or is that not the job of the librarians. Remember because of the E-library all students have access to all library material in all schools. Any child in Washington Co. can have these books sent from Fayetteville High to their school without their parents knowledge or consent even elementary children.

I assume by your comments; "I've seen a couple of these, and honestly wonder 'why the problem?'," that you would allow your children to read this material, and that is your right; however I would not. Have you ever known a young woman, high school age, whose life was shattered and childhood stolen because she pursued a lifestyle these books perpetuate, the guilt and shame that follows sexual promiscuity. Find one person in the entire universe that will testify to you that sexual depravity of any kind, heterosexual or homosexual, has enriched and blessed their lives then I will be silent. On the other hand please let me encourage you to make yourself familiar with the countless millions of people along the highway of life whose lives have been ravaged and devastated, children who have runaway, marriages that are destroyed, people who commit suicide or murder, diseases that have been contracted and a plethora of other consequences from living out lives seeded by books you deem as worthy for children.

You seem so concerned about censorship. We censor everyday, whoever is in charge of the school library has censored which books are available and which aren't (I know this because not every book that has ever been published is in the library). Would you want pedophiles to have pedophilia literature in the library for their children, drug pushers to have the advantages of drug use (or bestiality or white supremacists or Nazi literature? I think (at this point not so sure) even you would object to that. Am I right or am I wrong? Would that not be censorship?

In your business you are not allowed to use vile language or show depraved pictures, or to articulate explicit sex. Is that not censorship according to your definition? We rate movies; children are not allowed into rated "R" movies without an adult; persons under 21 can't buy or consume alcohol; children can't drive until they're 16 or vote until 18; minors can't buy pornography or cigarettes; it is against the law to do drugs. Having sex with someone under the age of consent is ILLEGAL, as is showing children pornography. Freedom from censorship is your personal right with your family and your rights end where my rights begin.

If the books are in a restricted area still accessible, by parental authority, are not both sides then partially satisfied? People that feel as you do could sign a waiver at the beginning of each year giving your children access to any and all material they wish, while parents' children who subscribe to my beliefs are protected from such material. If I were truly trying to push my agenda or line of thinking on everyone, I would lobby for this material to NEVER be printed.

Have we come so far in our society that it is all or nothing there is no more compromise, no more 'free thinking' only your way or mine? I would submit to you that this is a very amenable suggestion.

And lastly, I would also submit that if you included on your show or website the pictures and excerpts taken directly from these books, the majority of PARENTS would agree that they would at least like to be aware that their children are reading such material! So shouldn't the traditional type of books with which the majority of the people agree be the ones in the library? Being a teacher, parent, journalist, taxpayer, or human requires us not to only think of ourselves and what satisfies us but what is RESPONSIBLE for the overall good. Shouldn't the parents in the minority be the ones who have to go elsewhere to buy the objectionable literature for their children rather than spend the taxpayer's money to put it in the library? If we can get this material out in the open, I am confident that 80 to 85% of the people will agree with me about this issue.

God's Speed

Laurie Taylor- concerned mom!

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From the right, our friend David Sanders in Little Rock writes (Sunday) about today's end of the U.S. Supreme Court term, and, in his own terms says "Thankfully, conservatives appear to be ready for the onslaught of attacks" in the coming battle over high court nominations...here's more of David's piece on the Arkansas News Bureau site...

The same liberal cabal is busy compiling detailed research about potential nominees in anticipation of a future vacancy.

Last December, The Boston Herald reported coordination efforts between Sen. Ted Kennedy, D-Mass., and liberal groups that will target Bush nominees. In anticipation of the Rehnquist retirement, according to the Herald, the "liberal" Alliance for Justice began "informal strategy talks" with "Kennedy staffers" about what information to use against potential nominees.

The New York Times reported in December that People for the American Way now operates a "war room" that will serve as a "nerve center" during a Supreme Court confirmation battle. USA Today reported in January that its goal will be to "mobilize more than 1,000 groups against" a potential nominee it considers a threat.

According to a February story in U.S. News and World Report, People for the American Way will be in "full combat mode ... the minute President Bush names a new U.S. Supreme Court nominee." But liberal groups aren't the only ones working.

Not being caught off-guard is now the focus of conservatives. They are now taking a pro-active approach aimed at limiting the damage of liberal attacks against future nominees.

Ah, David! One "cabal" deserves another! Sounds like we have a "cabal-battle" ready to happen...but what about those 14 senators who managed to "compromise" on the small-by-comparison battles over the federal appeals bench nominees? Couldn't they mess everything up for the cabalistas on both sides?

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The Benton County Daily Record yesterday had an enlightening article by Kyle Weaver about campaign financing in NWA. He focused on rising amounts of funding coming from the Wal-Mart Pac, and also took at look at how Republican fundraising in the region is beginning to match the party's fundraising in number one Pulaski county. Yeah, it's a little wonkish, but a good read...remember, follow the money...

Benton County's significance can also be understood in three other related terms.

First, it ranked a distant second statewide to Pulaski County's total of just more than $4 million. Second, Benton County was the only county other than Pulaski to account for more than $1 million in political contributions. Third - and of major importance to Reed and the Republican party - was that Benton County ranked second only to Pulaski County's roughly $1.6 million contributed to Republican candidates and causes.

And the numbers go even deeper. Consider this breakdown of the top three Benton County ZIP codes, all of which far surpassed the national county average total of $45,271 for the 2004 election cycle. 72712

Not surprisingly, Bentonville leads the way. Even in the 1994 election cycle, when the city accounted for only $54,650 in political contributions, it was the leading ZIP code in the county. One decade - and a 1,380 percent increase later - the 72712 ZIP code accounted for $808,972.

In the last four election cycles, 1998 through 2004, this ZIP code is the only one from Benton County that ranked in the top 10 statewide. In fact, its meteoric rise - good enough for second statewide in the 2004 cycle - has paired it with the Little Rock powerhouse ZIP code of 72207, which itself was $55,000 short of $1 million. Third place, Little Rock Zip Code 72212, is almost $400,000 below Bentonville’s 72712.

This relates directly to a small amount of triumphalism by conservative pundits who have taken a larger turnout at a recent Little Rock dinner as a sign the party's fortunes are rising in the state. This may show that those fortunes have risen, but not in terms of actual ballots, but rather in dollars, which can eventually translate into ballots. It's also a good look at the changing demographic.

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Ah, yes, happy Monday all! This one will make vets steam, on either side of the aisle -- it's a website devoted to printing letters from military personnel dedicted to "Taking the Fight to Karl" -- ya got it -- they don't like Karl Rove, and go to some lengths to explain their distaste -- here's a sample from an (alleged) active duty soldier in Iraq...it'll give you the flavor...also, the Arkansas Times has a letter on its site as well...

I'm writing you from [Location Withheld] Iraq, about 35 miles NW of Baghdad.. And I'm too tired to give Karl the verbal beating he deserves for his insults. I'm too tired because we're jsut a bit shorthanded over here, fighting his war for him. A war taht has made nearly every country in the world fear and distrust America, a war fought for a knowing lie dreamed up by Karl and his buddies, none of whom have ever heard a shot fired in anger, or helped pick up the parts of another human being after an IED blast.

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Been a slow weekend. Couple of notes for you. If you write me a letter, an e-mail or what have you, I reserve the right to print it here, with my own corrections and editing for space and grammar, etc. If you want to send me a note, but don't want it printed, just don't send it, or simply make comments on the comment boards with each story. Much obliged. Oh yes, I'll grant one permission only -- to Laurie Taylor of the Fayetteville Book story. She writes a strong letter addressing the issues we've discussed, and I want to print it without comment (at least not in the same post) so you can hear from her. I'm just waiting for her to give me a thumbs up -- but that's the first and only one for a permission...everything else goes into the blender.

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Editor -- We occasionally publish stuff from other writers, including this longer piece by Rich Drake, who for many years published the Ozark Gazette (for which I penned the occasional piece) -- a good close-up look at Fayetteville Rep. Lindsley Smith, one of over favorites.

Little Rock Free Press - June, 2005

Written by Richard S. Drake

Democrat with a capital "D" Lindsley Smith serves Northwest Arkansas in State legislature

Though she claims not to look at labels when when considering Arkansas politics, there is little doubt that state Representative Lindsley Smith (of District 92) can be considered a solid Democrat. This is heartening to many of her supporters and constituents alike.

In fact, she describes herself as being an "uber-liberal." Smith has had wide academic experience before her present role of Arkansas legislator. Currently she is a Research Assistant Professor of Communication at the University of Arkansas on Fayetteville.

She has also taught at the Summer Statesman Programs at Yale and Stanford universities, and is a Visiting Scholar at several English universities, including Cambridge and Oxford. She conducts the Summer Seminar on Legal Communication and Cultures at Cambridge and Oxford.

She is also Faculty Advisor for the Young Democrats at the UA in Fayetteville.

The first-time legislator says that it has all been a learning experience. "You go back to your seventh grade civics book and you say this is the way politics is or how it should be, and when you see it in real life it is different from what can ever be in a book. Nobody ever writes in a book about the procedure for choosing seniority, for example, or procedures for choosing committees.

"I teach political communication at the university, and in terms of the raw data that I would have to go back and teach that course is not in any textbook that I have ever seen."

Warming to her subject, she begins to talk about how seniority is decided. "It's fascinating. We went in, and they had a list of individuals by district. I am in District 92, so I was near the bottom. The people coming back get to keep their seniority level, so the only people who were drawing for a seniority number were those who were coming in."

According to Smith, this was the second largest freshman class of legislators in the history of Arkansas. Continuing, she says, "They would call you by your district. I don't know what I envisioned, maybe something out of a Hawthorne novel, where you have a big oak box, and you reach your hand in, and you pull out a brass ring with a number on it."

But in reality, there was a tiny box, which Smith likens to a small milk carton, with tissue paper wrapped around it. Inside were 3/4" white tubes, which had caps on. The Parliamentarian would then take tiny pliers and pull out a piece of paper with the seniority number on.

Smith laughs. "It was fun, and different. I don't think that anybody would ever have anticipated that if they had thought about it, how you would have chosen seniority, that this would be the story."

Committees in the legislature are chosen within the various district caucuses. Legislators get to choose their committees based on their seniority number. Smith serves on Agriculture, Forestry and Economic Development, and Public Transportation.

"I really wanted to be on either the Judiciary or the Education committees. I have taught students who were at the elementary level for the Junior Achievement Program, and high school level for the Junior Statesman Program, and I teach at the university level. I thought with that experience I could really contribute to that.

"Plus, as an attorney I have already studied the Lake View opinion."

She feels there may be several special sessions of the legislature called, perhaps dealing with Medicaid or highways, largely depending upon the actions of the federal government.

Even if the legislature is not called into special session before the next time it is regularly scheduled to meet, there will be the monthly committee meetings Smith will have to attend. She also will be serving on an "interim" committee, the Judiciary.

Smith says that one the biggest frustrations she faced during this session was, "not having enough time to do everything that I want. I was up reading till two in the morning, reading and studying all the bills, trying to work out if I could get certain amendments in.

"I'd say, 'hey, this would make a better bill, would you consider it?' Even if I wasn't on the committee, trying to help with that."

She acknowledged that it is also frustrating trying to work with those in the legislature who don't take the time to read or study the bills they are voting on. She says that one hears of the reputations of those who do not read bills. And, of course, some legislators use their positions as a bully pulpit to push their own narrow agendas.

"I look at all bills individually," she says. "I am not looking at if it came from a Democrat or a Republican, is this an agenda, or grandstanding. I read the bill and see what it does, and take a look at the amendments."

In 1995, she worked on the campaign to change the Arkansas constitution, which is considered a cumbersome document by many observers. Though the attempt failed ten years ago, she is hopeful that the people of Arkansas may yet adopt a new constitution.

"I have never really thought of myself as a politician," she says. " I truly consider myself a citizen-legislative-insider."

While she is proud of all the bills she has introduced this session, there are some that easily come to mind when she talks about recent events. While in the legislature, Smith made a motion to amend the Arkansas Civil Rights Act to add sexual orientation to the list of those protected by law. "The sexual orientation bill didn't make it out of committee, but I was very happy to bring that voice."

The proposed bill would have outlawed discrimination based on sexual orientation in the state of Arkansas. Those living in Fayetteville may remember how this Northwest Arkansas community was torn apart by a similar ordinance sponsored by alderman Randy Zurcher, which would have done the same for this community.

Smith's bill would have protected not just homosexuals, but everyone from discrimination. "It was an anti-discrimination bill. It was just saying, no discrimination on the basis of . . ."

She says, "I would look at it and say that discrimination is a bad thing." True to form, however, other legislators did not agree. Republican Tim Hutchinson, representing Lowell, was quoted in the Arkansas Democrat-Gazette as saying, "The question is where do we draw the line for protection purposes? We can't protect everybody."

As might be expected, business groups were also against the bill.

Fifteen states plus the District of Columbia feature sexual orientation protection among their civil rights protections.

She speaks highly of Governor Mike Huckabee's rapport with the current legislature, and quotes him as saying that this was one of the best working sessions he had ever seen. In fact, she herself notes a good working spirit between both houses of the legislature in this session.

She also speaks very highly of the staff who assist the Arkansas legislature.

But what isn't being adeqautely addressed by the legislature? "I proposed a lot of equality issues. Citizen voice, equality, anti-discrimination are my big thing. That's why I was working on the Equal Rights Amendment, which failed in the house." She still expects the measure to be passed eventually in Arkansas. Sue Madison sponsored the same legislation in the Arkansas senate this year.

"People would send E-mails talking about the bill would make women ‘masculinized.' There is a lot of rhetoric out there that has no basis in fact."

She has also sponsored bills designed to amend domestic abuse laws to include dating relationships, bills to help the Fayetteville public library, a bill to establish the Arkansas prescription program, and to strengthen the rights of those who seek workers' compensation Arkansas.

She is surprised that the highway issue wasn't addressed as much as it might have been in this session.

She attempts to stay in regular touch with her constituents. "I think I've been back here every weekend except for two, going to different events, whichever ones I can schedule in. I send letters, whether they are communicating with the Attorney General's office, the governor's office, other legislators, or getting citations for people."

One recent citation she got passed was honoring Fayetteville's Community Access Television for its recent celebration of a quarter century of public access in Northwest Arkansas.

She also works on a weekly legislative update, which she Emails to anyone who is interested.

In addition to her work with the Arkansas legislature, , Lindsley Smith has also worked in the office of the Arkansas Attorney General, the Clinton White House, and the Meiklejohn Civil Liberties Institute.

On a wider scale, she believes that the decision to open an office of the Democratic party in Northwest Arkansas in a good idea. "The Democratic party is going to have to do issue analysis more, as well. For one thing, down in the legislature, when lobbyists come up to talk to me, I have have told several of them, cliches and assertions don't work with me.

"If you are going to come to me with an issue, you are going to have to come with data and research."

To mangle an old cliche, what do voters want?

"It depends. When you think about candidates, I believe it would be an individual who will be a hard worker, who will look out for their concerns, and their issues, as well as for the state as the whole. An honest individual who has sincerity, who reads and studies the bills, who puts bills in, and not just sits in a chair and doesn't do any legislation."

The good news for Northwest Arkansas voters is that Smith intends to seek office again in 2006. "I have learned so much, and been involved in all the processes. I feel an obligation. I'm having fun, and I like doing it. I know that I have done a good job, and all that learning and my intent over next year and a half to study the budget, and try to master that, as much as possible.

"So I had to decide very early on am I going to run again? In doing so, I am going to set my own syllabus, the budget syllabus. I have ordered whatever books I can get hold of." She looks at other state budgets, to see how they might be similar to Arkansas.

Inevitably, as with any elected official, the question must come, who does she draw inspiration from?

"My mind immediately goes to Paul Wellstone. He was sincere, a hard worker, and thoughtful. He has always been an inspiration of mine. He was a great loss," she says, referring to the plane crash which took the congressman's life.

And as for the Arkansas legislature? "If I get the opportunity to come back next time I know that I will certainly miss some who are term limited. Off the top of my head we've got Joyce Elliot, Jody Mahoney, the list could go on. There is a huge story right there, who will be gone, and what will be the shape of the legislature."

Hard work and sincerity. Two of the words that Lindsley Smith uses to describe so many others, also seem to aptly describe this freshman legislator from Northwest Arkansas.

At Arkansas Tonight, we're very big into the Ozark Blues Fest. We've had a couple of their acts live in the studio, and we fully support their efforts...this is the lastest from their corner of the universe. Seems that have some summer plans...maybe you can join them...here's contact info...

The Blues Foundation 49 Union Avenue Memphis, TN 38103 901-527-2583 FAX: 901-529-4030 www.blues.org

Here's what they have up their collective sleeves...

Foundation Staff Summer Festival Plans

The Blues Foundation boys plan to hit the road this summer to press the flesh at various blues festivals this summer. Come to the Festivals that are kind enough to have us and when you do drop by to say hi, buy a Handy guitar raffle ticket, update your membership to be eligible for the Legendary Rhythm and Blues Cruise drawing on November 1 or purchase a tee-shirt. We'll be at these fine festivals and hope to see you as well.

June 3-5 10th Annual Western Maryland Blues Festival in Hagerstown, MD

June 8-12 22nd Chicago Blues Festival for the re-presentation of the Hall of Fame plaque for Eddie Taylor, Sr. and the 2005 Howlin' Wolf Award.

June 16-19 and June 24-26 ROOTSWAY - Roots'n'Blues & Food Festival in Parma,Italy

June 17-18 Mo Blues and BBQs in Sedalia, MO

July 1-3 Torrita Blues Festival in Torrita di Siena, Italy

July 1-3 Mississippi Valley Blues Festival in Davenport IA

July 1-4 Safeway Waterfront Blues Festival in Portland Oregon

July 16 Blues In the Natural State in Fayetteville, AR

July 28-30 Pocono Blues Festival in Big Boulder Ski Area, Lake Harmony, PA

August 12-14 Heritage Music BluesFest 05 in Wheeling, WVA

August 19-20 Fort Smith Riverfront Blues Fest in Fort Smith, AR

September 2 10th Annual Howlin' Wolf Memorial Blues Festival in West Point, Miss

The Blues Foundation is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit corporation headquartered in Memphis, Tennessee, the home of the Blues. With more than 135 affiliated Blues organizations, and membership spanning some twenty countries, the Foundation serves as the hub for the worldwide passion for Blues Music.

Organized and founded in 1980, The Blues Foundation's mission is to preserve Blues history, celebrate Blues excellence and support Blues education.

PRESERVATION OF BLUES HISTORY - The Blues Foundation seeks to preserve and to highlight the rich history of Blues through the following:

The Blues Hall of Fame - Each year the Foundation acknowledges the pioneers of Blues through its inductions into the Blues Hall of Fame. The Blues Hall of Fame inductions have been held in Memphis, Los Angeles and Washington, DC.

The Lifetime Achievement Award - The Blues Foundation has periodically paid special tribute to a legend of Blues with its Lifetime Achievement Award, traditionally presented in Los Angeles.

The HART Fund - Through its Handy Artists Relief Trust (HART Fund), the Foundation provides financial assistance to Blues artists and their loved ones in tough times arising from illness, accident and other similar circustantces.

CELEBRATION OF BLUES EXCELLENCE - The Blues Foundation celebrates the best current developments in Blues through the following:

The Handy Awards® - Often referred to as the "Blues GRAMMY®," The Handy Awards represent the highest accolade afforded musicians and songwriters in Blues music. The show is presented each spring in Memphis and is syndicated across America on noncommercial television stations.

The International Blues Challenge ("IBC") - The contest begins months before at dozens of regional "battles of the bands" presented by the Foundation's 135 Affiliated Organizations. The winners of these preliminaries are matched in head-to-head juried competition for the chance to take their band or solo/duo act to the national stage with great gigs, cash and prizes.

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Ah, yes, it's summer and the Nazis are out in as full a force as they can muster. Seems the imbeciles at "White Revolution" (nope, no link for you here!) say they plan to protest next week's LULAC convention in Little Rock. Time to break out the swastikas and jackboots to impress the rest of America. I'm sure they'll do wonders for the tourism industry. This is from their website.

Patriotic White tax-payers and citizens of Arkansas, as well as White supporters from across the country and around the world, are invited to participate in an anti-invasion demonstration on Saturday, July 2nd in Little Rock, Arkansas. This public protest will counter the National Convention of the League of United Latin American Citizens [L.U.L.A.C.] the largest pro-immigration organization in the country, which will be held that week in Little Rock.

Wonder about something like this? Hey, they give a very bad name to anyone involved in anti-immigration policy. Here's a quick exerpt from their "mission statement"

The government of the United States of America, as well as all other formerly White controlled countries, seeks to deny Whites the right to White neighborhoods, White communities, White schools, White associations, and all other cultural tools necessary for the survival of our race.

Huh? Didn't Hitler make all of this pointless? Ah, the lunatic fringe! Instead of visiting these guys, read about them at the Southern Poverty Law Center

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A question on the flag-burning amendment Congressman Boozman voted for yesterday...smart people, feel free to chime in and start the thread with this...wouldn't burning an American flag (constitutionally protected free speech according to the Supreme Court ruling in 1989's Texas v. Johnson case) be considered a case of "politically incorrect" speech? Do those of you who hate "political correctness" also support a flag-burning amendment?

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I don't want to beat anyone up too bad over this, but I'm a parent with kids in the Fayetteville Schools, and this affects me directly, so I thought it was time to say something about it -- it's preposterous!

Fayetteville's self-appointed censor of the schools, Laurie Taylor, has started up again, probably fueled by her friends at American Family Radio, or whichever planet beams messages to her. This time, she wants 70 books banned from your kids' school libraries because of what she deems sexually inappropriate content. In the past, when she tried this, the school board wisely declined to ban anything in the schools. Sorry, I'm a huge Chuck Palahniuk fan -- he wrote "Haunted" and "Fight Club" -- both fantastic books. Remember, Ms. Taylor, kids need to read to learn...I've seen a couple of these, and honestly wonder "why the problem?" Front page of the NWA Times today...

They were "The Homo Handbook: Getting in Touch with Your Inner Homo" by Judy Carter, "The Other Woman" by Eric J. Dickey, "Rainbow Boys" by Alex Sanchez, "Doing It" by Melvin Burgess, "Choke" by Chuck Palahniuk, "GLBTQ: The Survival Guide for Queer and Questioning Teens" by Kelly Huegel and "Forever" by Judy Blume.

All of the books except "Forever" are available only at the Fayetteville High School library, according to an online district library catalog search. "Forever" is available at McNair Middle School and Ramay Junior High.

Taylor said she would like the identified books removed, the school to conduct its own audit of library materials and for the school district to set up a parent review board to oversee future library purchases.

She said in the e-mail that she and other parents were willing to file a request for reconsideration on all the books. She said some of the books besides the seven mentioned were "worse." "I have something against this explicit stuff being pandered to our children," she said.

I'm guessing other parents might want to keep the books on the shevles, and ought to contact the school district with their concerns as well.

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Our friend Lucas Roebuck (many times a guest on-air, a former and current colleague in both worlds of television and newspaper) does the triumphalism thing, but just a little early. Perhaps he needs to get out of Siloam Springs a little more often. Here's a little of his weekly column from the NWA Times...Lucas is a friend, and he writes a mean column nearly every time out, and we love to disagree...he earned his pay with this one (just remember L, "pride goeth before a fall," right?)

The Republicans do not universally agree on all issues, but they do believe the government should encourage personal responsibility, not eternal dependence. This message is sorely needed in today's world and what resonates with so many voters. The contested Republican governors race this year will be seen by many as a sign of division among the GOP ranks, but really it is a sign of strength. Both Jeb Bush and Gov. Mike Huckabee went out of their way to emphasize this point. As people filed out of the Old Statehouse Convention Center Monday night, the energy of the Republican Party rising could be felt.

Do any of the nation's parties encourage "enternal dependence?" -- I don't think so, but perhaps one man's "dependence" is another's "compassion" or "generosity" or "humanity" to the ever increasing number of poor and unemployed in this, the wealthiest (or in the top 5) nation on earth, where anyone going hungry or without medical care ought to be considered a disgrace. And, what resonates with so many voters is often a message of anger...you can see it on both sides (see "Howard Dean" or "Terry Schiavo") vs. a message of hope. Those on the right sure don't have the "big tent" set up for everyone to come in (see "Gays" and others.") Sorry if this comes across as a bit early and a bit triumphal for a party still battling with a war in the middle east and a flimsy economy. I do believe, though, he does have something about the growing strength of the Republican party in Arkansas, but, if you read the rest of the piece, you will notice party leaders did say they doubted their power out in the Delta and other parts of the state, where Democrats continue to maintain strong control. F'rinstance, NWA still has the only (R) member of the congressional delegation, without any change really in sight.

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Which side do these guys serve? Why would they screw the First Amendment for a buck? Just to prove that the almighty dollar is the most important thing to corporations, here, courtesy of USA Today, are just three mega-companies which make millions helping the Chinese Communist government censor the internet!

What's actually profane is a company that built its fortune on the freedom provided by the American system helping a repressive regime censor such ideas. Sadder still is that Microsoft has company among other U.S. tech concerns that should know better:

* Yahoo China signed a pledge of "self-discipline" in 2002, vowing to refrain from posting "pernicious information that may jeopardize state security."

* Google launched a news search engine in China last year, but searchers in China get a different list of news links than someone doing a similar search in the USA. Missing links include the BBC and Voice of America, which carry reports not to China's liking.

Hey! At least they don't believe in the old communist "classless society" deal, yeah? They'll just make sure a huge portion of humanity remains in the dark, while the minority of us live with freedom and of course, more money. Is this profiteering?

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A good thought piece here. The New York Times asks, "were you just born that way?" in reference to your political attitudes.

Political scientists have long held that people's upbringing and experience determine their political views. A child raised on peace protests and Bush-loathing generally tracks left as an adult, unless derailed by some powerful life experience. One reared on tax protests and a hatred of Kennedys usually lists to the right.

But on the basis of a new study, a team of political scientists is arguing that people's gut-level reaction to issues like the death penalty, taxes and abortion is strongly influenced by genetic inheritance. The new research builds on a series of studies that indicate that people's general approach to social issues - more conservative or more progressive - is influenced by genes.

Environmental influences like upbringing, the study suggests, play a more central role in party affiliation as a Democrat or Republican, much as they do in affiliation with a sports team.

The report, which appears in the current issue of The American Political Science Review, the profession's premier journal, uses genetics to help answer several open questions in political science.

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This is the same book O'Reilly panned, the same book ripped apart in Rupert Murdoch owned media nationwide...seems it won't have much of a chance in local bookstores, at least independent ones...

Edward Klein's 305-page book, "The Truth About Hillary: What She Knew, When She Knew It, and How Far She'll go to Become President," hit bookstores Tuesday and has already reached No. 4 on Amazon. com's best seller list.

The book, which portrays the former first lady and Democratic senator from New York as ruthless and manipulative, relies mostly on previously published works and anonymous sources. The book is available at major book chains, such as Barnes & Noble and Books-a-Million, but several independent bookstores in Arkansas say they're not interested in the new tome. "We don't see any reason to give any shelf space to something like that," said David Cockcroft, co-owner of WordsWorth Books & Co. in Little Rock, which has not ordered copies of the book.

Cockcroft said he'll special order the book if a customer asks, but he doesn't plan to stock the shelves with the book. "People who have lived here and been here, they know what they need to know about the Clintons," Cockcroft said. "They don't need some book to tell them what to think about them."

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As someone wisely pointed out in a comments thread -- we've got a long walk until 2006...courtesy of the Arkansas Times Daily Blog, here are two more entrants into the primary races...(are you keeping track of these?)

We hear that Dustin McDaniel will officially enter the attorney general's race with an announcement in the State Capitol Rotunda on June 29 at 10:30 a.m.

McDaniel is a first-term state representative from Jonesboro.

He will face Robert Herzfeld in the Democratic primary. Herzfeld, the Saline County prosecuting attorney, made his official announcement earlier today.

Both men are in their early 30s.

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Can we plug another thing? That would be twice today, but it's nice to see an expanding media in the Natural State. We highly recommend this, as fans of Pat Lynch, and fans of talk radio (you may have noticed that we make some of that here) -- this is WAIRADIO, visit, listen, enjoy, because you can't listen to Pat on the air anymore...this listing comes courtesy of our friends at the Arkansas Times Daily Blog...

Today, former gang-banger Leifel Jackson talks with Pat about the mean streets; tomorrow at 9 a.m. it's Rex Horne talking about the annual lovefest that is the Southern Baptist Convention; Thursday at 10, it's City Director Stacy Hurst, who'll talk about War Memorial Park. Next Monday at 10, Bill Valentine talks about the Travs and, we bet, that new ball park.

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Whoa, boy! The fight over gays, lesbians, marriage, gay rights, hate crimes and all related subject has broken out on the Arkansas Family Coalition Blog. They've (or someone has) also decided to get artistic in a snarky sort of way...just look at the piece of "art" posted at the top of the page, which bears in part, a caption which reads, "Is this what Mike Beebe's Capitol would look like?" -- that's pretty chilly, friends. Here's some more from the same post...

There are all kinds of single issue voters out there. Folks' decision to vote for a given candidate is often singularly based on the issue of abortion, taxes, education or gay rights. A candidate acquires the support of these single issue voters by taking a strong stand on such an issue. Which leads us to ask, JUST WHAT HAS MIKE BEEBE DONE TO GAIN THE SUPPORT OF GAYS AND LESBIANS IN ARKANSAS? WHY DO GAYS AND LESBIANS SUPPORT HIM?

Everyone knows that the "Protect Marriage" position of many conservatives enrages the gay and lesbian community, so can we here are the blog rightly assume that Beebe has embraced gay rights in order to gain the support of the gay and lesbian community? After all, simply being a democrat won't get you the support of gays and lesbians, just ask folks like Tim Woolridge.

Most entertaining? The comments thread...worth a read, and yes, someone does point out the large number of either "closeted" or openly gay members of the Republican party (Ken Mehlman, party chair, and that Mayor from Spokane, etc.)

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Just remember with this one -- it's in the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals, so Wal-Mart, good luck, you'll need it. Seriously, this is important -- this case has really weighed on the world's largest retailer, and has produced some of the sharpest criticisms of Wal-Mart from company

SAN FRANCISCO - A federal appeals court said Monday that it would hear an appeal Aug. 8 by Wal-Mart Stores Inc. of a San Francisco judge's order approving class-action status for a sex-discrimination lawsuit representing as many as 1.6 million current and former women employees.

The 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals did not comment on the merits of the appeal.

The suit claims that the retail giant set up a system that frequently pays its female workers less than their male counterparts for comparable jobs and bypasses them for promotions.

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We want to draw your attention to another NWA blog plying the political trade...NWA Politics. These guys are RABID! No, actually, we count them among our regular morning read-in and they come up with some pretty good stuff. ArkTimes ran a quick blog post on them as well, in case you missed it. Again, give 'em a click -- NWA Politics.

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Another political update for you in the 2006 primaries...

MOUNTAIN VIEW, Ark. (AP) - Representative Dustin McDaniel of Jonesboro plans to announce his candidacy for state attorney general June 29th. State party chairman Jason Willett introduced McDaniel as a candidate at the Democratic Women's Fish Fry in Mountain View over the weekend.

And...

LITTLE ROCK (AP) - Florida Governor Jeb Bush told Arkansas Republicans last night not to let a hotly contested gubernatorial primary take the party's eyes off the prize. He said a contested primary can be good as long as the ultimate focus is on beating Democrats, and noted that he lost the 1994 Florida governor's race narrowly after surviving a tough five-way Republican primary.

Our thanks to Little Rock's AP Bureau. Someone needs to tell Gov. Bush to "shhhhhhhhh!" -- we think the Gov's primary will be a spectacular race, we don't need him throwing a wet blanket on the sparks!

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The Northwest Arkansas Times' Scott Shackelford (a personal favorite) checks in today with has jibe on those new poll figures showing President Bush sucking major air...

I should have been happy - thrilled, in fact - with a June 17 New York Times/CBS News Poll showing President Bush's approval ratings down. Way down. So where was that smile? Shouldn't I have been pleased that a majority of Americans have finally come to their senses about the policies the 43 rd chief executive supports, even if it took them five years to figure it out?

I guess. Except I'm not pleased. I'm grumpy.

And to my surprise, I'm not upset with President Bush the most. It's his so-called supporters that leave me in a slack-jawed state of disbelief.

Ah, the fickle finger of fate, as they say...

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OK, so I'm a day late on this -- I actually "on vacation" right now, so things may slow a bit. Doug Thompson checks in with these changes...

LITTLE ROCK - Republican Jim LaGrone of Bryant switched races Monday, dropping out of the lieutenant governor's race to challenge incumbent Democrat Charlie Daniels for secretary of state, while two others - a Democrat and a Republican - announced as lieutenant governor candidates.

State Sen. Tim Wooldridge, D-Paragould, formally announced his bid for the No. 2 spot in line for chief executive, as did Republican Chuck Banks

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Some wise words this morning from a former Missouri Republican Senator on the topic of religion and politics. John C.Danforth writes in the News Observer in the Carolinas about his views on what The Christian Right has done to partisan politics in America...he writes quite a bit, but arrives at these points toward the end...

To assert that I am on God's side and you are not, that I know God's will and you do not, and that I will use the power of government to advance my understanding of God's kingdom is certain to produce hostility.

By contrast, moderate Christians see ourselves, literally, as moderators. Far from claiming to possess God's truth, we claim only to be imperfect seekers of the truth.

We reject the notion that religion should present a series of wedge issues useful at election time for energizing a political base. We believe it is God's work to practice humility, to wear tolerance on our sleeves, to reach out to those with whom we disagree, and to overcome the meanness we see in today's politics.

For us, religion should be inclusive, and it should seek to bridge the differences that separate people. We do not exclude from worship those whose opinions differ from ours.

Following a Lord who sat at the table with tax collectors and sinners, we welcome to the Lord's table all who would come. Following a Lord who cited love of God and love of neighbor as encompassing all the commandments, we reject a political agenda that displaces that love.

Christians who hold these convictions ought to add their clear voice of moderation to the debate on religion in politics.

(John C. Danforth is an Episcopal minister and former Republican senator from Missouri.)

Well said, and aptly put. An accurate assessment of the situation, any word on if Danforth plans to run for higher office? We could use that kind of sanity in D.C.

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Bolton got blocked again by the Democrats, but word has come down the White House may bypass the Senate and give him a temporary appointment. Here's some of the story from CNN...

The vote to close off debate on the controversial nomination was 54-38 -- six shy of the three-fifths majority of 60 required for cloture.

It was the second time Republicans failed to end debate.

Democrats said they will continue to block Bolton's nomination until the White House produces records of communications intercepts he sought from the National Security Agency.

And a leading Democrat suggested that Bolton spied on administration rivals above and below him.

The White House has refused, citing executive privilege, and Bush demanded Monday that senators give Bolton a vote on the floor.

Again, if you look to the left of your screen and scroll down, you can vote in our online poll - whent the story gets a resolution, we'll post the results.

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An event of note tonight in Little Rock, for those of you following politics. Florida Gov. Jeb Bush comes to town tonight to roast and toast Gov. Huckabee.

AP - The Republican Party of Arkansas says that the evening will honor Huckabee's ten years of service in the state. It is slated to start at six p-m at the Statehouse Convention Center. Other attendees include Lieutenant Governor Win Rockefeller and former Homeland Security undersecretary Asa Hutchinson -- who both are running for the Republican nomination to replace Huckabee. Former Congressman John Paul Hammerschmidt also is expected to be there.

D'ya think Jeb will bring up the new investigation into the Schiavo case he's called for in Florida, regardless of the results of the autopsy?

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Really, although I have some deeper questions about this story, why did I have to find out about it from a Baltimore television station? You'll either laugh, or get irritated by this (or just find it boring)...

TULSA, Okla. -- The Tulsa Zoo will add a display on biblical creation following complaints about other displays with religious significance, including a Hindu elephant statue.

The Tulsa Park and Recreation Board approved the display this week after more than two hours of public comment from a standing-room-only crowd.

Some objected that religion shouldn't be part of the taxpayer-funded scientific institution.

But those who favored the creationist exhibit, including Tulsa Mayor Bill LaFortune, argued that the zoo already displays religious items, including a statue of the Hindu elephant god Ganesh and a globe inscribed with an American Indian saying: "The earth is our mother. The sky is our father."

Tulsa resident Dan Hicks said, "To not include the creationist view would be discrimination."

The new display will include a disclaimer that says it represents one view of origins.

Only in the bible belt.

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I always find the differences between the Republican party in both ends of the state either confusing or very interesting. For instance, why does Governor Huckabee detest State Senator Jim Holt? Why does the DemGaz detest him? Do they hold essentially different views on social and economic issues? If you look at money issues, you find a reason. This piece by our friend on the right, David Sanders, illustrates a typical difference. Remember, the Rogers School District is one that helped get the review of the Lakeview case restarted. One of the long-standing complaints about education reform in Arkansas has come from the Northwest, which has decent funding for much of what happens in classes (at least compared to the Delta region) -- the argument has been a self-centered one, and I don't mean in a derogatory sense, per se. The region makes a lot of money, and the recent "budget surplus" may have come entirely from commerce happening in the Northwest -- the argument goes something like this: "We make money, sure, but why should we have to finance the poorer districts at the expense of a quality education in our own schools?" -- David writes this week in opposition to the review, and lays out his case. It's an interesting read, and perhaps one way of putting together why both ends of the R party don't see eye-to-eye on certain issues. Here's part of it...

In a massive overreach of authority and jurisdiction, the state Supreme Court has reclaimed the mandate in the long-fought and once-closed Lake View school-funding lawsuit.

The formal prompting by 49 school districts, unhappy with the educational policies resulting from the most recent legislative session, led four members of the state's high court to assert that significant cause existed to determine the constitutionality of the most recent measures.

Predictably, the court's action drew the ire of Gov. Mike Huckabee and legislators.

The extraconstitutional action taken by the court could have been avoided had lawmakers budgeted for education differently.

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You've heard all the hoo-haw about Howard Dean, and how local Republicans just love him, thinking his rhetoric will drive droves of voters into the arms of Republicans? Well, that works both ways (regardless, it's refreshing to hear Dean cutting through some of the Bull) -- how many mainline Republicans would get driven to the Democratic side by some of the candidates in this?

Christian right groups set sights on '08

Susan Page, USA TODAY

Leaders of conservative Christian organizations plan to jointly interview Republican contenders for the 2008 presidential nomination, perhaps even endorsing one of them - steps that could expand their already considerable political influence...(Gary Bauer leads the list -- you'll enjoy the rest)

Hmmmm...never read or ever heard that any of these guys have ever done anything but spout their version of the truth, just like Mr. Dean. None of them seem to ever tire of hyperbolic rhetoric calculated to mobilize the base without actually making sense.

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UPDATE: October 13, 2005 -- if you've come here from the search engines, you need to go to the homepage at www.arkansastonight.com -- we have the official press release on the new baby's birth (scroll down, about mid-page), and we also have video from Discovery Health Channel of the birth itself (Newborn Duggar Vid .wmv file, about 5 minutes worth) and the family together -- again, just go to the current homepage for the video!

I include this, courtesy of AP in Little Rock, because I a) know the guy and b) have discovered that people who end up at this website are often searching for more information on the Duggar family. Enjoy.

TONTITOWN, Ark. (AP) - Another addition for Arkansas' best-known big family. Former state Representative Jim Bob Duggar and his wife Michelle say they're expecting their 16th child. The couple say they will have a baby girl in October. Baby girl Duggar will join her family in a new, seven-thousand-square-foot house. The Duggars say Number 16 might not be their last.

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Awesome funny ad for PETA. Apologies to "The Questions to Your Answers" Blog which hosts this. I really don't think will hose your bandwidth much, but it's worth a look - apologies as well to Archie Schaeffer who told me he considered PETA a "terrorist group." We just hope Homeland Security doesn't come calling. (this is a dog on a hook, not a chicken) - Oh yeah, just in case you wondered, I'm an avid bass angler, love the sport.

I guess it's true. If you write long enough, you'll manage to piss everyone off in the end. If you scroll down far enough, you'll read a column I wrote a couple of weeks ago comparing the public statements of both the Promise Keepers and N.O.W. I'm pretty certain by getting feedback from both sides I adequately and evenly described the positions held by both sides on various issues, and compared them, but the subtlety of the conclusion has evaded some, and intentionally. Here's the tricky part - I didn't draw a "hit-you-over-the-head-with-a-9-iron" conclusion. You had to read the thing and make up your own mind - kind of a 'logic' test. You read the statements and realize which side has the more convincing argument without me leading you by the nose into it. Consider it a form of subversion, if you will. One side screams "anti-Christian bigotry!" and the other side decries "Christian bigotry" - at least I see a clear distinction between both sides, and using logic, know which argument carries water and which does not. The key here is 'logic' ladies and gentlemen, 'logic' and 'reality' and not, I'm afraid, 'faith.' Does that clear things up? Regardless, I've had a couple of interesting letters to the editor run in the NWA Times in response. One of those ran today, a particularly good one from Anne Miller of Fayetteville...

I was hoping for more as I began your column designed to "define the nature of the fuss over last weekend's Promise Keeper's event at the University of Arkansa. However you focused only on the philosophical differences between the PKs and their opponents, and summarized your interviews with Steve Chavis (PK spokesman) and Melanie Dietzel (president of the local and state National Organization for Women.) Steve Chavis is quoted as bemoaning the loss of stature of men in our society today, blaming it on their "feminization," and suggesting as a cure that men reclaim their God-given role of household leader/protector/spiritual guide. He feels PKs simply aims to help men become better fathers, husbands, and men. Melanie Dietzel's points-of-view are described and fall along the lines of gender equality and interdependence.

I agree with you: never the twain shall meet. And that's where you left it.

But the "fuss" is much more than a he-said, she-said.

As I have read the position of Melanie Dietzel and others, both in your piece and elsewhere, the objections to the PK rally are much broader than just this set of profound philosophical differences. Her (and others) objections to the PK rally are these: 1) That this benign face of Promise Keepers is just that. Theirs is a much deeper agenda - the use of the "Christian" banner to promote not only the interpretation of Scripture, but also to label as ungodly alternative religions or cultures. They then co-opt the "Great Commission" and tell attendees to spread the word and convert the ungodly to this point of view; 2) that this great revival was being held on university grounds, and: 3) that Frank Broyles, a virtual university demigod, took advantage of his power of position to arrange for this private, non-athletic event to be held in the Razorback Stadium, and that he vigorously promoted the event.

These last two points, I feel, are the reason such a "fuss" is being made about the rally, but were barely mentioned in your article. No one disagrees that people are entitled to disagree, and publicly. Or that the University shouldn't host a variety of programs from different perspectives. But to allow use of the stadium (and all the "positive fervor" it confers) and to have Mr. Broyles (same, by association) so intimately involved in the promotion of a fundamentalist Christian revival event on the UA campus is much more than overstepping "some line in the sand." It's an abuse of influence and power.

Anne, though I generally agree with your points, I think you missed the point of my screed. What fascinated me was the fact many of the PKs kept walking around opening their yaps wondering "why all the fuss?" - after watching a television piece I did on this same subject, one local PK looked at me and honestly said, "I think the piece was balanced, but I still don't understand and don't see the "controversy"."

That attitude stunned me. Perhaps I was trying to answer that friend's idiot question more than anything else. I won't go too much into "lines in the sand" but think you've hit that one in the bullseye, but it wouldn't go far enough explaining the story to a group of people who have their heads in a definitely different place on this issue. I may not agree with them, but I still believe you can effectively communicate with them and if you do, perhaps you move toward understanding, and then perhaps you take a step toward changing attitudes. It's the same thing you did in your letter, Anne - you followed good old-fashioned editorial format by conceding a point before making your own. Seems the way I framed my argument flew under your radar. Were we tuned to different wavelengths on this? I still think we made the same points. A much older, much more experienced journalist I know in Arkansas once gave me some advice on how to balance the psychotic public relations problems present in television with the problems of writing newspaper columns where opinion is required. This person told me never to "advocate" but to make your points in a more sublime fashion, a subversive but gentle way of making a point - call it editorial karate, you gently use an opponents own force and motion to defeat that opponent. OK, clear as mud now, isn't it? Thanks for the letter.

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-- Don Elkins, Northwest Arkansas Times, In Focus column.

Something unusual has started to happen in the media. I'm not certain if I would have noticed it if I hadn't happened to trip across writer Ben Smith's piece on Hillary Rodham Clinton's blossoming friendship with rightwing media king Rupert Murdoch.

Smith wrote in the New York Observer newspaper that the two have, for some reason, become fast friends, having lunch, sharing ideas and the like.

Smith also contends that Murdoch has a right to claim the title of "kingmaker" at least in regards to British politics where his support of Tony Blair helped Blair move into power in Parliament replacing the Tory government of John Major.

All that happened after a bit of socializing, when Murdoch invited Blair to meet members of NewsCorp. at an island in the Caymans.

Smith seems to think another Cayman meeting could happen with Hillary as the guest.

It all seemed an interesting enough theory, complete with a case illustrating the changing political winds in Murdoch's media empire.

Seems Ed Klein's new tell-all book about Hillary got ripped to shreds in the "Page Six" gossip column of Murdoch's reliably conservative New York Post.

That's when I turned on the radio and heard something that forced me to do a double take.

Murdoch slave Bill O'Reilly during his daily Radio Factor program announced he would not dignify Klein's book with a discussion, saying his show didn't dignify Kitty Kelly's recent book about President Bush, and he, O'Reilly, the mouth that roared, wouldn't dignify a such a scurrilous hit-job.

Someone needs to call Al Franken at Air America and tell him to start worrying about the shape of the known Universe.

I've had that Twighlight Zone feeling ever since.

Thursday morning, I switched on NBC for a look at the Today Show and saw something else amazing.

Matt Lauer started talking about "harmony in the Senate" or something along those lines.

The camera cut away to a live interview with Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist - and Hillary Clinton talking about joint efforts to pass legislation.

Can anyone else read the signs in the tealeaves with this?

Not minority leader Harry Reid of Nevada, but Hillary Clinton standing side-by-side with the good doctor. She's started to show up on Fox News a little more frequently.

No word yet on if Mr. Murdoch has actually decided to throw his considerable weight and support behind an as-of-yet-unannounced presidential campaign by the junior Senator from New York, but suspicious people might suspect something afoot.

In some of her public statements, Mrs. Clinton has tried to move toward the middle making some decidedly conservative sounding statements about both religion and abortion.

However, she gave a barnburner of a speech castigating the Republicans during a fund raising dinner a couple of weeks ago.

But Murdoch? He went ahead and hired a key advisor to Mrs. Clinton, so a conduit for information between the two now exists on a daily basis.

So, will she, or won't she run?

The common wisdom says yes, and says she'll gain her party's nomination with ease.

She'll also have one of the most effective campaigners in American history working on her side if she decides to do it - her husband, former President Clinton, who would probably relish a return to the campaign battlefield.

Can she do it?

I recently spoke to a couple of reasonably well placed Washington County Democrats who shared their reservations with me about a Hillary campaign for the White House.

They worried about Hillary's galvanizing effect on conservatives, and that group's long-standing and well-developed dislike of Mrs. Clinton.

But, if she has Rupert Murdoch on her side, and his vast resources behind her, she'll manage to immunize her efforts from the likes of Ed Klein and sure-to-follow copycat books and political operatives trying to whack her public image.

And, remember, Mr. Murdoch follows the old maxim made famous during the reign of Chicago Mayor Richard Daley the elder - "Don't make no waves, don't back no losers." He may hold personally conservative views on most issues, but he also noticeably likes to celebrate with the winners.

Has the Australian Citizen Kane already cast his ballot?

If you enjoy Fox and get your news from places like Newsmax.com, take your heart medicine and say your prayers, because you may start reading some unexpectedly positive things about the former first lady of Arkansas in the very near future. Need low-cost, high-quality radio news for your commercial or web broadcast? Simply visit RNS Radio News today!

As a public service, here's a quick announcement for those of you looking for something to do in Little Rock over the next couple of weeks.

LITTLE ROCK, AR - Little Rock Gay and Lesbian Pride is proud to present "Capitol Pride 2005" to be held June 13th to 26th at locations throughout Little Rock. Capitol Pride 2005 will be a two-week celebration of gay and lesbian pride and diversity in Central Arkansas.

A complete schedule of Capitol Pride 2005 events is available at www.littlerockgaypride.com and includes a Kick-off Party on Monday, June 13th at Backstreet Dance Club. Back Street will also be the site of the Capitol Pride 2005 Film Festival. On Friday, June 17th, Diamond State Rodeo Association will celebrate the Country Western side of Capitol Pride by holding an open house.

Saturday, June 18th marks Gay Family Day at the Zoo. Modeled after Gay Day at Disney World, gays and lesbians and their families will enjoy the Little Rock Zoo together. Pride Prom will follow later that evening and be held at dance club U.B.U. Tickets are available at the door.

A full list of activities, prices, and event memorabilia is available at littlerockgaypride.com.

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You've heard it before.

"Politics makes strange bedfellows."

The attempt by Sam's Club and Wal-Mart to get a liquor license in Fayetteville provide an interesting study of that effect in action.

Arkansas Tonight spoke with Springdale State Senator Jim Holt, the only currently serving public official to file a letter with the state Alcohol Beverage Control Board objecting to that request. Holt spoke with us by phone the night of the ABC Board Director's decision to decline the application.

Holt has done it before, in Springdale, touching off what some characterize as a hornet's next inside Wal-Mart management ranks. Holt says the first time he filed a letter objecting to a Sam's Club request for a liquor license at it's Springdale outlet, he ended up meeting the company's "main legislative representative" in Little Rock. He says that representative told him about Wal-Mart corporate reaction to the denial.

"It really made them mad...all over Wal-Mart, they think it's an embarrassment," Holt says, adding "they find it embarrasing they can get liquor licenses all across America, but can't get one in their own backyard." Holt agrees that the situation has become a bit of a grudge match between himself and the world's largest retailer.

"When I met (Wal-Mart CEO) Lee Scott for the first time, I introduced myself and looked unhappy, saying 'I know who you are'" Holt continues describing a less than warm reception by the man at the helm in Bentonville. But, the first-term State Senator says he wrote a letter to the company this time informing Wal-Mart he didn't plan to change his approach to the matter because of a change in cities.

Holt believes opening a liquor store in Sam's Club -- any Sam's Club in Northwest Arkansas -- would "open the floodgates for convenience stores, grocery stores..." and other retail outlets interested in selling alcohol. Holt also says some in the Northwest Arkansas media wrongly reported he didn't plan to oppose the permit application this time around, like fellow State Senator Sue Madison of Fayetteville.

"I never back off - if they build a separate liquor store, I wouldn't oppose that, I'd work with them and I've told them what they need to do to get that done," Holt says. But he does have a problem with the location off Highway 112, where he says the liquor store would sit too close to the University of Arkansas, citing concerns about college drinking as a reason to fight the move by Wal-Mart. He also believes granting the application would contravene the letter, if not the spirit, of state law, saying current code "didn't intend to have groceries sold under the same roof as liquor, and that's what this would do."

So, what about the 'strange bedfellows?'

You have to know a little bit more about Springdale's representative in the upper house of the legislature. He ends nearly every in-person or phone conversation by saying, "God bless you" -- something some reporters started to notice at about the same time he ran for the State Senate. Holt makes no bones about his conservative Christian faith and the role he feels it should play in his politics, a role that has put him at odds with the state Republican Party at times.

This time he finds himself with non-traditional allies including an environmental group which believes Sam's will damage a vanishing wetland environment at the store's proposed Washington County location. He also finds himself in league with local liquor store owners in Washington County who feel a license at a nearby Sam's Club would put them rapidly out of business.

Holt shrugs that off, all part of politics and aligned interests. He says he worries about the social costs, his allies worry about the bottom line.

The next step comes when Wal-Mart and Sam's appeal the ABC Board Director's rejection to the full ABC board sometime later this month.

Wal-Mart Vice President of Corporate Affairs, Bob McAdam, told Arkansas Tonight the rejection didn't come as a surprise. "The Board is required by law to do this," McAdam explains citing current procedure whereby the ABC Director will intitially reject any license request accompanied by written objections from any elected official.

Sources say -- Holt sasy he's heard as well -- that Wal-Mart may scuttle the Fayetteville project without the permit.

"We haven't even considered that option," says McAdam. "We have a conctract on the (highway) 112 location."

Contracts often end up in pieces or governed by specific conditions which can spell their demise. Regardless, losing the project could cost the City of Fayetteville more than a million dollars annually in projected tax revenue -- a factor that has Fayetteville Mayor Dan Coody and Washington County officials four-square behind the project's success.

Senator Holt describes his next step as one we've seen before. He'll consider filing another letter of objection with the ABC and says he'll gather supporters for a trip to the ABC Board appeal meeting -- a procedure open to the public when it takes place. The outcome of "small senator" vs. "very very big company" until then may not have a truly conclusive finish.

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Oil prices rose +0.57 cents to close at $55.57 a barrel on NYMEX, but what really spooked investors came courtesy of the energy inventory numbers from the federal government Wednesday.

That number showed an increase of 1.8 million barrels in the draw on reserves. In response perhaps, OPEC said it planned to increase output by half a million barrels a day by the end of the year if prices don't decline -- not considered an iron-clad guarantee by investors the situation will improve.

The Dow added +18.80 (+0.18%) to close the session at 10,566.37. The NASDAQ added +5.88 (+0.28%) to finish at 2,074.92 and the S&P 500 added +2.67 (+0.22%) to finish trade at 1,206.58.

Local stocks again posted a mostly positive session. Tyson Foods (TSN) added +0.70% to finish at $18.78. Wal-Mart (WMT) added +0.34% to close at $49.85. JB Hunt (JBHT) added +2.07% to close at $19.22 and Acxiom (ACXM) lost -0.47% to finish at $21.10.

In terms of economic figures Wednesday, we saw a drop in consumer prices (CPI) -- the first in about ten months.

Today, we'll look at May Housing Starts and Building Permits.

We'll also see initial jobless claims for the week behind, and get a look at the Philadelphia Fed report.

Overseas in Asia last night, the Nikkei 225 gained +29.94 (+0.4%) to reach 11,455.82 at the mid-day break in Tokyo -- the broader Topix added +4.97 (+0.4%) to hit 1,163.20.

Back in the U.S., in extended hours trade, the NASDAQ 100 Afterhours Indicator finished with no change at 1,529.47.

Just got a callback from Wal-Mart VP of Corporate Affairs Bob McAdam. Bob says Wal-Mart wasn't surprised by Sen. Jim Holt's opposition to this, and went on to add that Holt informed the company ahead of time of his decision to file another letter opposing this.

Will the company kill the project if the license doesn't go through? McAdam says the company hasn't planned it that far in advance, "haven't even considered the option," but did refer to what happened in today's ABC meeting as "procedural" and says the company plans to appeal the decision to full ABC board.

As for the Walton family personally filing in this case, McAdam calls that standard procedure, and says state law requires majority shareholders to put their John and Joanne Hancocks on the dotted line. Working...

The Director of the state's ABC commission today denied an application for a liquor permit for a proposed Sam's Club in Fayetteville. The individual members of the Walton family each filed for the permit. Word from a business group of Liquor Store owners in Washington County say the Director got a lot of negative letters about the plan, and one from Springdale State Senator Jim Holt.

Holt also managed to derail plans for liquor sales previously at the Springdale Sam's Club, one reason the company may have decided to eventually close that location and move it to Fayetteville. Sources tell Arkansas Tonight that representatives of the Liquor distributors in Washington County met with Wal-Mart management to discuss the situation -- at that time, those executives made it clear they would not build the new Sam's in Fayetteville if the state denied the liquor permit...developing, and waiting for responses from all parties involved.

The City expected the outlet to generate more than a million dollars a year in tax revenues -- the company does have the right of appeal, no word on if they'll do that.

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If Trent Lott's big mouth lost him the leader's spot in the Senate, what will this do to the honorable Dr. Frist? What will it do to his nascent campaign for the Oval Office, or did Sen. McCain kick Frist's keester enough with that bi-partisan attempt at compromise on the judicial candidates? Frist can say a firm "Adios!" to the African-American vote...(JC Watts excepted)..

WASHINGTON - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) refused repeated requests for a roll call vote that would have put senators on the record on a resolution apologizing for past failures to pass anti-lynching laws, officials involved in the negotiations said Tuesday.

And there was disagreement Tuesday over whether Saxby Chambliss, one of Georgia's two Republican senators, had supported the measure when it was approved Monday night.

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Sure, the folks at Arkansas Watch are bent way, way to the right, but they've got a good site worth reading on Natural State politics. Mike Beebe visited a series of cities yesterday, including Fayetteville to kick off his campaign for the state house. He stayed positive and even tried the ride the line on partisanship, saying neither party has a monopoly on the truth. At the same time, the state's Republican party shot back with a news release, calling Beebe on earlier talk about raising taxes to pay for various things, including education reform. We also read in the Arkansas Times that Asa had his "campaign kickoff" in DC! Here's is Mark Moore's assessment of Tuesday's round of recrimination...

In the meantime, Win Rockefeller's campaign issued a press release that critized Asa Hutchinson for having a "kick-off" event in Washington. The point of the release was that Asa's real "home" was in Virginia now, not Arkansas.

As for Asa, he was firing too, but not at Win Rock. Asa took aim at Mike Bebee for his commitment to raise taxes. Asa is acting like he is running against Bebee in the general election, not against Win Rockefeller in the primary. Is that a good idea? Can he afford to ignore a current state-wide officeholder with big bucks?

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As always, when some on the fringe right find reality unacceptable, they'll do what they can to twist things to meet their agenda (as in the Downing Street Memo, fixing the facts to fit the policy AS policy)...this comes after a study from the government that lends credence to questions about the probity of spending $400 million in taxpayer funds for "abstinence only" programs, courtesy of today's NY Times...

Challenging earlier findings, two studies from the Heritage Foundation reported yesterday that young people who took virginity pledges had lower rates of acquiring sexually transmitted diseases and engaged in fewer risky sexual behaviors.

The new findings were based on the same national survey used by earlier studies and conducted by the Department of Health and Human Services. But the authors of the new study used different methods of statistical analysis from those in an earlier one that was widely publicized, making direct comparisons difficult.

Independent experts called the new findings provocative, but criticized the Heritage team's analysis as flawed and lacking the statistical evidence to back its conclusions. The new findings have not been submitted to a journal for publication, an author said. The independent experts who reviewed the study said the findings were unlikely to be published in their present form.

Seems the researchers involved do what usually happens in these cases, they don't want to have their voodoo exposed by the legitimate scientific community.

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Perhaps the "Log Cabin" Republicans should consider this option...it would have had the Mayor of Spokane shaking in his boots, maybe it'd worry a few others too. Whaddya think of this from Reuters?

MADRID (Reuters) - Gays in Spain's main opposition party could reveal the names of homosexuals in its ranks unless the party backs down from its opposition to gay marriage.

Parliament in April approved a Socialist government initiative legalising gay marriage over the opposition of the right-of-centre opposition Popular Party (PP) and the Roman Catholic Church.

The PP and the Church are backing a street protest against gay marriage called for Madrid by a group promoting the traditional family, but the party's Gay Platform wants the PP to reverse its support for the demonstration.

Hmmmmmm...always seems like a funny thing to me when political parties go rooting around for that "invisible enemy" among us. Who was it last time, the Jews?

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OK -- here's another one.

We saw strong earnings from Best Buy and Lehman Brothers - we also saw the Producer Price Index drop -0.6%, considered a sign of decreasing inflation.

The Dow added +25.01 (+0.24%) to close the session at 10,547.57. The NASDAQ finished the session flat at 2,069.04 and the S&P 500 added +3.09 (+0.26%) to close at 1,203.91.

Local stocks finished mostly positive. Tyson Foods (TSN) added +0.70% to close at $18.65. Wal-Mart (WMT) added +2.90% to finish at $49.68. JB Hunt (JBHT) added +0.05% to close at $18.83 and Acxiom (ACXM) lost -0.42% to finish at $21.20.

Tuesday, we also saw retail sales for the month of May. Those dropped -0.5%, versus an expected -0.20% drop, so not good.

Today, we`ll see April Business Inventories, along with the May Consumer Price Index (CPI.)

Also, we`ll get a look at May Capacity Utilization and Industrial Production as well as the Empire State Index of manufacturing.

In Asia last night, the Nikkei 225 added +54.67 (+0.5%) to hit 11,390.59 at the mid-day break in Tokyo -- the Topix added +4.33 (+0.4%) to reach 1,154.66.

Back in the U.S., in extended hours trading, the NASDAQ 100 Afterhours Indicator rose +0.01% to close at 1,524.63.

Does anyone know what's going on in Iraq? To those of you who detest comparisons to Vietnam - well, what do we say?

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - A bomb has wounded four U-S troops in central Afghanistan. Their Afghan interpreter was also hurt, but the military says none of the injuries appear to be life-threatening. A military spokesman says rebels "resort to these tactics" because they can't face the U-S and its allies.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi police say a bomb exploded outside a bank in Kirkuk today, killing 19 people. Also, a suicide car bomber rammed his vehicle into an Iraqi army checkpoint north of Baghdad, killing five soldiers. And the bodies of 24 men killed in ambushes were brought to a Baghdad hospital.

Yes, Iraqis also say they caught a 'key member' of Al Qaeda today - that makes it one for how many, about 40 or more people? Those are some tough numbers to swallow.

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This, from Liza Featherstone writing in the Nation - will the war against the world's largest retailer become overtly political in nature (if it isn't already) and actually become a litmus test of sorts?

People often ask, Is there a good side to Wal-Mart? Sometimes there is: Opposition to Wal-Mart in a community can invigorate progressive politics and expose entrenched politicians as vision-free hacks. That's what happened last week in Edison, New Jersey, where progressive Wal-Mart opponent Jun Choi handily defeated incumbent Mayor George Spadoro, whom voters held responsible for a proposed (unpopular) Wal-Mart store, in the city's Democratic primary last Wednesday.

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1 - Tyson facing lawsuit from OK Atty. General (he's filed) over water quality - seems all the mediation done by Dan Coody and others didn't actually produce any results

2 - Mike Beebe visits Fayetteville (and other cities) to officially declare his candidacy for Governor

3 - Asa learns he can only give his gubernatorial campaign a thousand dollars from his congress fund --- happened yesterday, result of State Ethics Commission ruling

4 - Huckabee makes comments about the Supreme Court review of Lakeview to the State Education Board meeting yesterday (he says he respects to two 'special masters')

5 - This, courtesy of CNN

NEW YORK (CNN/Money) - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., the world's largest retailer, plans to follow the lead of other big electronics sellers and exit the VHS business by early 2006, according to a report Sunday. VHS tapes will still be available through the 2005 holiday season, but will disappear from Wal-Mart (Research) shelves sometime soon after February, said the Hollywood Reporter, citing industry sources familiar with the matter.

6 - Also, and we missed this yesterday - Wal-Mart has officially fired Tom Coughlin, and says he won't collect millions of dollars worth of company pension and stock benefits - a big hit for Coughlin

7 - Mike Huckabee diet book hits the top ten on Amazon-dot-com diet book list

8 - Blanche and Pryor both co-sponsored last night's anti-lynching bill in the Senate which passed - Arkansas has had more than 200 lynchings (the bill was an apology that got passed during afterhours voting)

(Yeah, we do this once in awhile, on radio, on TV, here...for your enlightenment)

Investors didn`t take many risks Monday, waiting for today`s retail sales figures and tomorrow`s inflation figures.

They also didn`t like what they saw happen on NYMEX.

Oil rose +$2.08 to finish at $55.62 a barrel.

We also learned that the CEO of Morgan Stanley, Phillip Purcell, will retire.

The Dow added +9.93 (+0.09%) to close at 10,522.56. The NASDAQ added +5.96 (+0.29%) to close at 2,068.96. The S&P 500 added +2.71 (+0.23%) to finish the session at 1,200.82.

Local stocks splt the session. Tyson Foods (TSN) added +0.82% to close at $18.52. Wal-Mart (WMT) added +0.63% to finish at $48.28. JB Hunt (JBHT) lost -0.95% to close the session at $18.82 and Acxiom (ACXM) lost -1.30% to close at $21.29.

We had no economic figures Monday, but quite a few due out today.

We`ll see the Producer Price Index (PPI) for May.

Also out, some very important numbers, retail sales for the month of May, results of which will probably play a large role in the direction of Wall Street this morning and for the session.

Earnings today include reports from Best Buy and Lehman Brothers.

Overseas in Asia last night, the Nikkei rose +26.72 (+0.2%) to hit 11,338.23 at the mid-day break in Tokyo. The Topix added +0.87 (+0.1%) to hit 1,150.53.

Back in the U.S., in extended hours trading, the NASDAQ 100 Afterhours Indicator fell -0.1% to close evening trade at 1,527.59.

Speaking Freely, Trials of the First Amendment by Floyd Abrams

Hardcover: 336 pages Publisher: Viking Adult (April 7, 2005) ISBN: 0670033758

Noted Attorney Floyd Abrams presents a balanced, mostly non-partisan look at the trials and tribulations of modern free speech in his new book, Speaking Freely. This is no arid scholarly commentary on famous cases taken from the court reporter's minutes. Instead, Speaking Freely is straight from Abrams' front row seat as an attorney arguing before courts across the land all the way to the Supreme Court of the United States.

Abrams examines cases which involve everything from his first appearance before the Supreme Court, arguing in defense of the New York Times against the Nixon administration's attempt to block printing of the Pentagon Papers in its pages to defending NBC investigative reporter Brian Ross against Las Vegas icon Wayne "Las Vegas Most Admired Citizen" Newton.

Abrams is refreshingly candid about these experiences and several others in this intellectually weighty but still breezy page-turner about the right to free speech. It is also a caution to those who would blithely support current Bush Administration tactics to curb free speech in the name of "security." Abrams, without a heavy hand, shows just how fragile the whole concept is when in the hands of those seeking political power or the expediency of easy answers to grievances.

The chapter on Wayne Newton is enjoyable in a "True Hollywood Story" kind of way. In it, Newton is described as having mafia ties by NBC reporter Ross in a 1980's televised news broadcast. It is immediately evident that Abrams has no love for Newton or Las Vegas, and says so. His opening sentence in the Wayne Newton chapter quotes Otto Friedrich, who said that Vegas "is what hell might be like if it had been planned and built by New York gangsters."

Abrams also sets the mood by describing Las Vegas' McCarran airport:

"It is always something of a shock to land there in Las Vegas' airport (named after Pat McCarran, a particularly repellent and reactionary senator,) filled with screaming slot machines."

Abrams spares no evidence that Newton was involved with shady characters in a deal involving the Aladdin Hotel and Casino, and that the NBC report that Newton had perjured himself before the Nevada Gaming Commission was correct. Wayne Newton ("the embodiment of Las Vegas") disagreed and sued for libel.

Abrams' wry commentary on Las Vegas and the smarmy Newton are interesting on their own merits, but his play-by-play of the discovery, trial and twelve years of legal wrangling are the real meat of this true story. We learn of the dangers of trying a hometown hero before his hometown, and the importance of preserving free speech when speaking truth to power and popularity.

Speaking Freely also goes in-depth into Abrams work opposing former New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani's attempts to bully the Brooklyn Museum into censoring artwork; McCarthyism and Libel, Campaign Finance Reform as a possible danger to free speech and more.

The chapters are engaging, the writing sprinkled with character studies of the players and the often amusing observances of the people involved. Abrams has his biases, but he clearly loves the law first and foremost. This book is a balanced, intellectually honest and excellent introduction into how our court system works - and also how it occasionally does not.

--Alex Greenwood is editor-in-chief of www.SoonerThought.com

Contact him at:

editor@soonerthought.com

I've avoided this.

As far as news stories go, this one has turned radioactive, and yes, it's been done almost to death here in the op-ed section of the paper.

But, seeing as we've arrived at Friday, and thousands of people have come to town for a religious service today and Saturday in Razorback stadium, I might as well take a stab at it, and have it done with.

I've read about the Promise Keepers, I've watched them on television, I've even spent some quality time speaking with their spokesman Steve Chavis.

I've also taken the time to sit and speak with one of the group's local opponents NOW leader Melanie Dietzel.

My thanks to both, and both behaved (contrary to what newspaper accounts might lead one to believe) in a thoroughly civilized manner.

I've had more than a couple of people ask me to define the nature of the fuss over this weekend's event at the University.

I'll try to do that, though I know I've done it before, and some of my friends involved with Promise Keepers still have a difficult time trying to understand the reaction their organization has provoked. The editorial staff of this newspaper has done a yeoman's job of explaining it, and I've tried to refer them to these pages for a little enlightenment.

And, lest you think I feel inclined to bash one side, and let the other one get off scott-free, you've got it wrong.

I suffer from the moderate curse of seeing strengths and weaknesses on both sides of the Great Promise Keepers Debate of '05, which has made me more curious, as perhaps it's made you.

One side calls criticism of its message "anti-Christian bigotry" -- that comes straight from the mouth of Mr. Chavis. He also says some people would like to see the "Christian message" relegated to the backwaters of Sunday morning television, and perhaps to the more noble territory of the church service at a local house of Worship.

Mr. Chavis doesn't think that works.

As for Ms. Dietzel, she says she doesn't want to restrict the Promise Keepers freedom of speech, but thinks U of A Athletic Director Frank Broyles overstepped some line in the sand by going on television to promote a religious event on public property, and by actively trying to get the Promise Keepers to come to Fayetteville.

Chavis says limits on freedom of speech need to have their own limit, and says people of conscience need to actively speak up for and promote their most deeply held views.

Oddly enough, both Chavis and Dietzel have that in common.

Both have strongly held views, both have no problem seeking the public stage as a place to air those views.

Philosophically, what we have is a stand off.

Neither of these groups will ever see eye-to-eye on most issues, and neither group will most likely ever end up cooperating or working with the other, as long as they both shall live.

Now, the part my friends don't seem to hear or fathom -- or perhaps they'd rather just ignore.

These two groups hold dear diametrically opposed views on gender and proper roles for men and women both in and out of wedlock.

Promise Keepers teach a fundamentalist Christian view of the roles of men and women in marriage.

They believe men should "take the initiative" and act as the spiritual leaders of a household or marriage, which of course implies that women should follow and support that role.

My apologies to those of you who consider that too simple an explanation, but it's what Promise Keepers have told me.

N.O.W. finds that a "patriarichal" message that calls men back to the bad old days when women had few opportunities in the workplace, when reproductive rights were essentially non-existent, or perhaps even further back to a time when women essentially found themselves considered chattel in the eyes of the law -- mother as nothing more than property.

Since the Days of Betty Friedan, they've fought that, and won some major battles in the name of gender equality -- for evidence of that, just look at the laws of the land.

Promise Keepers say they simply want to help men of all races and creeds become better fathers, better husbands and better men.

They believe society now suffers from so many negative stereotypes of men and fatherhood, that men in this country now find themselves in a losing battle.

They may have a point -- have you really ever seen a Disney movie (or more than a couple) where Dad hasn't died or just isn't present?

How many times have you seen dear ol' dad ridiculed on television sitcoms as the bumbling but loveable fool who provides comic relief to super-smart and crafty kids?

N.O.W. believes teaching a biblical mandate to "lead" in a marriage might, and probably is in some cases, used by some men to justify domination and even domestic abuse.

In the wrong hands, from the wrong approach, with the wrong intentions, biblical justification for anything can be used in a detrimental way.

Remember the crowned heads of Europe?

They had something called "divine right of kings" which pretty much let the rulers of European states to justify torture, servitude, oppression and wholesale murder.

Perhaps biblical justification for anything just gives the person employing it too much power, and too much of a blank check to make the wrong choices.

And what about the public pronouncements of both sides?

N.O.W. says it'll oppose Promisekeepers wherever and whenever the group holds a public meeting.

Then there's that thing about biblically endorsed violence against women, something guaranteed to make most self-identified Christian conservatives emit steam from the ears.

On the other side, the founder of Promisekeepers once said his fondest desire was to "fight homosexuals and foreign religions."

Mr. Chavis says his group wants to rid America of "political correctness" but couldn't seem to actually define that in concrete terms, or provide me an example worth repeating here.

Supporters of the group also say they want to fight the "feminization" of men and remind us that, in a marriage, a woman takes the man's name as a symbol he will protect her security.

Truth be told, many in society no longer consider that valid, and trying to prove that changing roles produces abortion, divorce and so on can prove a sticky thing to do.

It's like trying to draw a direct causal line between violence on television and violent behavior.

A lot of people like to trot it out, but, to the best of my knowledge, social science has yet to achieve a clear victory in proving it actually happens.

And that's where we stand with the argument over this story.

There are many arguments, most can't be proven true or false beyond a shadow of a doubt by either side.

That leaves us again watching a battle of ideas and philosophies, but it doesn't mean there isn't controversy, and it doesn't mean that both sides don't have valid and less than valid arguments about their points of view.

If you read or listen to the statements by both sides -- you'll probably hear or see something of interest.

You won't see all people - if honest - readily acknowledge either side has clearly won a point in the debate.

Depending on your religious and political views (yes, people like Jerry Falwell, Dr. Dobson and Gary Bauer support Promise Keepers, and no one can dispute those men have huge political agendas -- and yes, N.O.W. strongly supports Democrats with contributions both financial and rhetorical) you'll buy the arguments of one side or the other, and perhaps realize you'll never convince the other side to concede.

Again, it's red v. blue, the culture war writ large on the face of Fayetteville.

As a vet, I find this disturbing, to say the least. I think Governor Perry ought to move elsewhere, but I'm not sure if any other state would have him. I don't know if this guy ever served his country or has any idea what military service is all about, but THIS is not the way an American supports the troops, and it's not the way you honor and respect those who have honorably worn the uniform of the armed forces of the United States, gay or another other sexual orientation. This comes from the Washington Blade by way of the Fort Worth Star Telegram - again, Texas makes Arkansas look like heaven.

Texas Gov. Rick Perry suggested that gay veterans unhappy with the proposed anti-gay constitutional amendment should move elsewhere.
"I'm going to say Texas has made a decision on marriage and if there's a state with more lenient views than Texas, then maybe that's where they should live," the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported Perry said Sunday.
Perry's comments were in response to a question during a news conference about what he would tell gay war veterans returning from Iraq.

Yeah, Rick, just remember that the next time you vote, have a chance to write a letter to the editor, have an actual right to do anything in this nation -- vets paid for those rights with blood on the beaches of a million small countries. Governor, from a vet, you sir, respectfully suck.

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Wow, this is a case of hypocrisy gone crazy. This comes to us through the grapevine - a Wall Street Journal column by a wife of one of the 9-11 pilots who says "the left" has stolen Ground Zero. Here's a taste of the hype...(but you should read the rest yourself for complete context, agree or disagree)

The so-called lessons of September 11 should not be force-fed by ideologues hoping to use the memorial site as nothing more than a powerful visual aid to promote their agenda. Instead of exhibits and symposiums about Internationalism and Global Policy we should hear the story of the courageous young firefighter whose body, cut in half, was found with his legs entwined around the body of a woman.

Recovery personnel concluded that because of their positions, the young firefighter was carrying her. The people who visit Ground Zero in five years will come because they want to pay their respects at the place where heroes died. They will come because they want to remember what they saw that day, because they want a personal connection, to touch the place that touched them, the place that rallied the nation and changed their lives forever. I would wager that, if given a choice, they would rather walk through that dusty hanger at JFK Airport where 1,000 World Trade Center artifacts are stored than be herded through the International Freedom Center's multi-million dollar insult.

Ground Zero has been stolen, right from under our noses. How do we get it back?

This woman expresses admirable sentiments, but why didn't she complain when the RNC decided to use the area for its National Convention for political purposes the week of the anniversary of the attacks? She's correct in her assertion we ought to use the site to honor that firefighter and the victims, and not use it for political purposes, but it's too damned late for that to happen now -it's been done, and by someone else first. And what's wrong with an "International Freedom Center?" I'm not sure that's such a bad idea. Again, we continue to hear propaganda from all sides in this nation - as one smart person pointed out, our national political dialogue has become so shrill, we no longer talk, we just hear "talking points." Emotion is great, but hypocrisy doesn't work with this.

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Yeah, yeah - we got busted big-time by Arkansas baseball last week. Well, the Razorbacks ended their season on Sunday by losing to Texas, so condolences, but we'll be back this Saturday night. We've tried to reschedule our guests - we expect to spend some time talking with Bob Greenwald, producer and director of "Outfoxed" about his new Wal-Mart movie. We'll also hear from a Wal-Mart representative on the same topic. Also, we'll be joined by Melanie Dietzel, the local head of N.O.W. for her take on this weekend's only outdoor Promisekeepers rally of the year in Fayetteville. Also, the best clips from the past two weeks television red v. blue fights in the news. Again, join us at Live365.com and on Newstalk 1030 KFAY this Saturday night between 6-10 p.m. To join in, you can call the listener line at 479-521-5329.

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How much longer can I take a break? This woke me up this morning, something I stumbled across on the fantastic video/audio blog crooks and liars. Seems hyper-conservative rag Human Events has decided to go anti-literate and publish a list of what it considers the "most dangerous" books of the 20th century. The truth is, all of those listed (short of Hitler's "Mein Kampf") represent some of the more seminal thinking on society and justice in the last century. The panel of judges included Eagle Forum's Phyllis Schlafley and a handfull of think-tank neo-cons. Actually, this reads likes a list of either freshman college books (most of us read these years ago) or something most of us ought to have read just to have a grip on what"s going on here on earth. Here's the "Top 10" list of books you might consider reading - yes, even the Hitler thing for a greater understanding of the big mistake of Naziism and fascism in general.

1) The Communist Manifesto, Marx and Engels
2) Mein Kampf, Adof Hitler
3) Quotations from Chairman Mao
4) The Kinsey Report, Alfred Kinsey
5) Democracy and Education, John Dewey
6) Das Kapital, Karl Marx
7) The Feminine Mystique, Betty Friedan
8) The Course of Positive Philosophy, Auguste Comte
9) Beyond Good and Evil, Freidrich Nietzsche
10) General Theory of Employment, Interest and Money, John Maynard Keynes

Others that got "honorable mention" included, of course, Darwin's "Origin of Species" and some surprises, including John Stuart Mill's "On Liberty," Ralph Nader's "Unsafe at any Speed" and Rachel Carson's "Silent Spring." If anything sounds like a call to a book-burning, this is it, and these judges ought to be ashamed of themselves - not one of them could hold a candle to the original thinking that went into these works. This defines ridiculous -- and remember, books and words aren't dangerous, that only applies to people.

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Recent poll numbers show most Americans think members of Congress ought to compromise on the big issues of the day.

More accurately, those numbers whenever they pop up tend to show voters like to know the nation's work actually gets done in the hallowed halls of the District of Columbia.

One U.S. Senator thinks we've seen far too little of that as of late, mostly due to partisan swordplay.

Mark Pryor put his proverbial money where his mouth is on that one.

He joined that bipartisan group of Senators who tried (and I stress 'tried') to come up with a compromise solution to the filibuster battle over judicial nominees a couple of weeks back.

Responses to that short-lived action ranged from high praise to outright damnation from the far sides of both the left and right.

Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family detested it and essentially said Senator John McCain, who some say brokered the deal, had, as a result, lost the support of the Christian right for any Presidential bid the Senator might have planned.

On the left, more than a few sources called the deal a sell-out.

The move got generally poor reviews from quarters where nothing but absolute control of the congressional agenda seems acceptable -- in short, from extremists.

Of that criticism, Senator Pryor told me during an interview earlier this week, "I'm personally tired of partisan bickering...those who criticize do so because they don't work in the Senate and see some in the Senate spending their time talking about each other, not to each other -- we wouldn't get anything done if we had no compromise."

That rings especially true with mid-term elections on the way, and presidential hopefuls revving up nascent campaigns for the oval office.

Of the filibuster debate, Pryor went on to add, "I sort of suspected that had I gone around and asked a thousand Arkansans, the majority would have said 'move on!'"

The freshman Senator from the Natural State says he thinks most Americans and most of his constituents don't care about the filibuster, something that continues to make trouble in the nation's capitol.

Case in point -- Pryor found himself on the wrong side of the aisle last Friday when he cast one of only three democratic votes in favor of cloture in the debate over the nomination of John Bolton to become the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations. Joining him in that vote - Senators Mary Landrieu from Louisiana and Ben Nelson of Nebraska.

Speaking to reporters from the Associated Press, Pryor called that ballot "Awkward."

I asked him why he found the vote problematic, and why he found himself at odds with the majority of his party. "It was a very interesting proces...Tuesday, I thought there wasn't going to be a filibuster, or whatever, on John Bolton, I spoke with minority leader Harry Reid of Nevada who said "no filibuster" and I ended up sequestered with my colleagues."

Pryor says when he finally made it back to the floor, things had radically changed.

He called what happened a "bi-partisan spontaneous filibuster" with the Republicans opposed to John Bolton rallying behind Senator George Voinovich, who took the floor and nearly burst into tears at one point as he voiced his opposition to the nomination.

"With the good will I built with the compromise and the timing, I couldn't support the filibuster (on Bolton,)" says Pryor.

Good will or not, Mr. Pryor says he also can't support Bolton's final nomination in and up-or-down vote and says he won't cast a ballot in favor of Bolton.

"He's abrasive and outspoken in a way offensive to an audience, doesn't have the qualities you want in a diplomat - I don't think I can support him."

Some would say the return of the (pseudo) filibuster means the group some pundits have called the "Gang of 14" didn't get much done, and didn't create compromise with any lasting effects.

Others think the middle-of-the-road Senators will return for another act, this time on the thorny problem of reforming Social Security, which has proven so far a losing proposition for the President, and has generated less than enthusiastic support from the rank and file Republican members of Congress.

Will the "Gang" reach out and solve this problem too?

Senator Pryor says, "If anything gets done on Social Security, it's up to the President. He has to lead."

During a news conference at the White House earlier this week, the President put the burden of getting the job done on Congress, saying that he expected a solution to the problems of what he described as a failing system, and saying he believed the American people expected the same.

"He can't hold a presser and just tell Congress to do something about it - that's not leadership," says Pryor.

Will the can-do Senators fix it?

Can compromise work again?

Pryor doesn't know, and says the compromisers really don't have any set plans to tackle the issue.

However, a block of 14 bi-partisan senators in such an evenly divided body makes a powerful coalition, which could determine what bills pass and what work gets done, effectively breaking partisan deadlock.

Pryor may not have plum committee assignments because of both his tenure and minority party status in the Senate, but membership in a group like this one could put him in the 'pole position' and give him more power to make changes than anyone originally expected to see him wield.

The power of compromise could end the party enforced deadlock on some of the more nagging issues of the day.

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A little later tonight -- exclusive interviews with Senator Mark Pryor and Promisekeepers spokesperson Steve Chavis who made a bit of a splash in Little Rock yesterday to answer allegations his group discriminates.

COMING UP SATURDAY -- Join us at Live 365.com and live on Newstalk1030 6 - 8 p.m. -- we'll talk with Robert Greenwald, the man behind "Outfoxed" and other documentary films, who says he has a new one in the works, about (you guessed it) Wal-Mart. Should be an interesting program. Also on tap, the head of NOW in NWA to talk about the upcoming Promisekeepers rally at the University of Arkansas...and, we may get to hear an interesting take on immigration from a Mexican American county commissioner from Idaho who says people from south of the border have started to invade America, and he wants to fine businesses who provide undocumented immigrants work. Need low-cost, professionally produced radio news for your commercial or internet broadcast? Simply visit RNS Radio News today.

A bit of a mix-up in Northwest Arkansas over a phone campaign that coincides with the Wal-Mart shareholders meeting. Walmartwatch.com says it'll pepper the Northwest with about 10,000 automated phone calls asking for Wal-Mart employees and friends and family of those employees to call a toll free number and "blow the whistle" on wrongdoing at the company.

At least one woman in the NWA got a call and wondered if the group was actually Wal-Mart doing something sneaky -- not true, so rest easy.

The group's toll free number is 1-888-577-1635. I spoke with Walmartwatch.com spokesperson Tracy Sefl in New York today to ask her more about it. She says the group has received an overwhelming response, and she says her organization is certainly conscientious of confidentiality. Sefl says the calls will remain under wraps and walmartwatch.com will use the responses as part of an on-going education campgian, with an eye toward focusing public attention on what she described as "wrongdoing at the top of the company." She says the responses generally reflect commonly recognized complaints about the world's largest retailer, including wage and gender equity issues.

COMING UP SATURDAY -- Join us at Live 365.com and live on Newstalk1030 6 - 8 p.m. -- we'll talk with Robert Greenwald, the man behind "Outfoxed" and other documentary films, who says he has a new one in the works, about (you guessed it) Wal-Mart. Should be an interesting program. Need low-cost, professionally produced radio news for your commercial or internet broadcast? Simply visit RNS Radio News today.

Goodbye, Paul. We're down a neocon at Defense - who will take his place?

WASHINGTON, June 1 (Reuters) - Paul Wolfowitz became World Bank president on Wednesday and said his agenda would focus on Africa, tackling corruption and making poor countries feel less sidelined in the bank's decisions. In his first briefing with reporters since he was confirmed unanimously in March, the former U.S. deputy defense secretary said he did not plan an organizational makeover.

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This comes from an interesting website, Newshounds, which proclaims that it "watches Fox so you don't have to." Which is a good thing, because I don't know what I'd do if I had to watch Fox, or for that matter, MSNBC and CNN. OK, I actually do watch all three, but I don't necessarily like it. This shouldn't have taken me by surprise.

Did you know that Fox News is a "private channel"? That's what Fox's London bureau chief, Scott Norvell said in an op-ed published in the Wall Street Journal Europe on May 20, 2005. He also wrote this: "Even we at Fox News manage to get some lefties on the air occasionally, and often let them finish their sentences before we club them to death and feed the scraps to Karl Rove and Bill O'Reilly."

OK, it didn't take me by surprise, but it sounds like someone's getting irritated at being called on the carpet over it in Europe continually.

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