TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 9, 2004
MORAL:
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T H E D A I LY E A S T E R N N EW S
Senate makes concessions for intelligence bill
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Such statements of moral grounding have frustrated Democratic-leaning activists – in past campaigns
and particularly this year. They question the vagueness of the "moral values" exit poll question and contend that their own political priorities, such as fighting poverty and discrimination, have moral weight
and popular support.
Proponents of same-sex unions, for example,
believe it is moral to afford partnership rights to two
men or two women who have committed themselves
to each other and, in many cases, are raising children.
"We have a thing or two to say about the 'moral
values' involved with permitting a couple who wish
to build a life together to enjoy full legal standing as
a family," said Ron Schlittler, director of Parents,
Families and Friends of Lesbians and Gays.
Similarly, abortion-rights advocates believe it is
moral to allow the option of abortion to a poor,
newly pregnant woman, rather than compel her to
bear a child she didn't plan for and cannot afford to
raise.
"When the religious right co-opted the term 'prolife,' that was a coup," said the Rev. Carlton Veazey
of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.
"Sometimes 'choice' sounds too casual."
"We have to go back and examine what we are we
saying, why is it not resonating," Veazey added. "We
don't just cave in and say they've got a monopoly on
morality."
Asked if their rivals on the left indeed held viable
moral values, several conservatives replied with a
qualified "yes," suggesting the liberals' social concerns were valid but not as important as opposition
to abortion or same-sex marriage.
"We believe in biblical principles; I'm sure they
believe in biblical principles," said Roberta Combs,
president of the Christian Coalition of America.
"But I don't understand how they can defend abortion and homosexuality. That's wrong."
The Rev. Frank Pavone of Priests for Life said
poverty was far less urgent a problem then abortion,
which he considers genocide.
"The other side has not been deprived of the
opportunity to make their case," he said. "Voters can
think for themselves."
Some put the issue even more starkly.
"There is no reconciliation between good and
evil," wrote Mary Ann Kreitzer of Les Femmes, an
organization of conservative Roman Catholic
women. "Voters rejected the party of gay activists,
radical feminists, the Hollywood elite, pornographers, death-peddlers, anti-Christian bigots and
apostate Catholics."
For some moderates, the values debate is less simple – they may oppose abortion and gay marriage yet
share liberals' view on other issues.
Mike Allen of Catholic Charities of Trenton,
which serves the needy in southern New Jersey, said
his organization's mission entails seeking "a more
just and compassionate society" on for the disadvantaged.
Regarding partisan promotion of "moral values,"
Allen said, "Oversimplifying is a technique that
seems to win elections."
The Rev. Thomas Reese, editor of the Jesuit weekly America, said John Kerry could have been more
effective at portraying his goals – fairer wages, better
health care – as "moral values."
"The Democratic Party seems almost embarrassed
talking about family issues or religion," he said.
A future battleground in the values tug-of-war will
be for black and Hispanic support. Some conservatives believe wariness of gay marriage will enable
Republicans to steadily win more of their votes.
"You're seeing a bridge being built between
African-Americans and evangelicals who tend to be
Republican," said Tony Perkins of the Family
Research Council. "Right now that dialogue is
focused on marriage, but as we share and learn, you'll
see it broadening."
However, the Rev. Stephen Bouman, a New Yorkbased bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in
America, worries that conservative Christians' definition of "moral values" may be too narrow to accommodate those of different faiths and backgrounds,
including new immigrants.
"One thing Jesus was absolutely clear about was
helping the poor, and the welcoming of strangers,"
Bouman said. "Maybe this election was a wake-up
call to have a serious conversation about what morality means, to look at what sort of country we're
becoming."
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WASHINGTON – Senators on Monday
gave in to several House demands on compromise legislation dealing with the Sept. 11
commission's anti-terrorism recommendations, including keeping the intelligence
budget secret, increasing border security
forces and banning aliens who have been
trained by terrorist groups.
"We hope that the House will embrace
our offer and move forward with us to send
an intelligence reform bill to the full
Congress and to the president's desk before
the end of the year," said Sens. Susan Collins,
R-Maine, and Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn.,
leaders of the Senate negotiators.
The House and Senate have been working
on trying to get compromise legislation
based on the 9/11 commission's recommendations since August.
PRESIDENT KEEPS CARD AS
STAFF CHIEF FOR NEXT TERM
WASHINGTON – Beginning to put his
team in place for his second term, President
Bush decided to keep Andy Card as White
House chief of staff, retaining an unflappable
veteran of the Reagan and first Bush presidencies.
Card's first assignment: help the president
reshape the administration for the term that
begins in January, sorting through possible
personnel changes in the Cabinet and elsewhere.
Bush and Card moved deliberately and
privately Monday, both staying out of public
view after a weekend of brainstorming at the
Camp David presidential retreat in
Maryland.
MINNESOTA TOPS NATIONWIDE
RANKING AS HEALTHIEST STATE
MINNEAPOLIS – Minnesota is the
nation's healthiest state, while Louisiana is
OBAMA:
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"My legacy, I hope, is that I did everything
in the power of one man to clean up a sordid
political culture in Illinois," Fitzgerald said.
Obama said he is trying to walk a fine line
in dealing with the hubbub surrounding his
43-percentage-point victory over Republican
Alan Keyes.
He wants to focus on the hard work of
NATIONAL
BRIEFS
the least healthy, a ranking it has held for 14
of the last 15 years of a national survey, officials said.
The annual report sponsored by the
United Health Foundation weighs such factors as health insurance coverage, heart disease rates, total and infant mortality rates, the
rate of motor vehicle deaths, high school
graduation rates, childhood poverty, and
public health spending.
SMALL PLANE CRASHES IN
DETROIT NEIGHBORHOOD
DETROIT – A small plane crashed in a
Detroit neighborhood Monday afternoon,
setting at least two houses on fire. Witnesses
said construction workers at the scene helped
pull two people out of the wreckage of the
aircraft.
The man and woman were taken to a hospital, where they were in serious condition,
said Detroit Fire Commissioner Tyrone
Scott.
Police said nobody on the ground was
injured.
tested in them, but wasn't for business reasons.
"At times you can't win," said Dr.
Augustus Grant, past president of the
Association of Black Cardiologists, which
supported the study. "Here we have a wonderful trial that shows a clear result and the
issue is raised, `Why was this trial only
done in African Americans?'"
MICROSOFT PAYS RIVAL $536
MILLION IN ANTITRUST CASE
WASHINGTON – Software giant
Microsoft Corp. opened its wallet again
Monday to clear more of its courtroom
problems, paying $536 million to rival
Novell Inc. and an undisclosed smaller
amount to a trade group that had backed
antitrust complaints by the U.S. government and the European Union.
Novell, a bitter, decades-long rival of
Microsoft, said despite the huge payoff it
intends to file an antitrust lawsuit against
Microsoft this week over damage a decade
ago to its once-popular WordPerfect business software.
ABOUT 50,000 POUNDS OF HOT
DOGS RECALLED
NEW ORLEANS – A two-drug combination pill dramatically reduced deaths
among blacks with heart failure, a landmark finding that is expected to lead to
government approval of the first medication marketed for a specific race.
Black cardiologists hailed this form of
racial profiling after years in which minorities got short shrift in medical studies.
Others complained that the drug also
might help whites and should have been
WASHINGTON – A Buffalo, N.Y.,
firm is recalling about 50,000 pounds of
frankfurters because of possible undercooking, the Agriculture Department said
Monday.
The agency said it has not received any
reports of illnesses caused by the meat,
which was recalled after the company,
Zemco Industry Inc., received a consumer
complaint.
The hot dogs were sold in one- to fivepound packages on Oct. 5 and 6 and distributed to stores in Connecticut,
Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, New York and Vermont. Each
package bears the code EST. 5222.
becoming a successful senator for Illinois but
also has obligations as a national public figure. Obama said that's why he agreed to
appear Sunday on national political talk
shows "Meet the Press" and "This Week" –
two invitations of about 100 he says he's
received.
Obama also acknowledged hiring powerful agent Robert Barnett to sort through the
book proposals he is getting. Obama's first
book, "Dreams From My Father," jumped to
the best-seller lists when a new edition was
released shortly after his speech this summer
to the Democratic National Convention.
Obama, a law professor, said he may write
another book but it would be more about
national policy than about himself.
The money from another book would
come in handy, he admitted.
"I'm a member of the smallest caucus in
the Senate – the non-millionaires caucus," he
said.
NEW DRUG DRAMATICALLY
REDUCES DEATH IN BLACKS
NON SEQUITUR BY WILEY MILLER
BOONDOCKS BY AARON MCGRUDER