The STACK for May 10, 2009

Below is THE STACK for the May 10th show. Please feel free to comment on any article, a related article or you may suggest a topic or story for future coverage.

GOVERNMENT POLICY

Teen homeschooler jailed under Patriot Act
FBI holds 10th-grader for months with little contact from family
Source: www.wnd.com, Ashton Lundeby, May 04, 2009
A 16-year-old homeschooled boy from North Carolina was taken away from his home in handcuffs two months ago and has been held by the FBI in Indiana ever since, a victim, his mother claims, of the Patriot Act spun out of control.

Little Pastoral Love for Hate Crimes Bill
Source: www.ministrytodaymag.com,
The hate crime bill passed last week by a 249-175 vote in the U.S. House of Representatives is causing an expected stir among conservatives who fought it for years. Yet just as interesting are the comments being made by pastors and Christian leaders regarding the potential effect the bill could have on their preaching.

Public Takes Conservative Turn on Gun Control, Abortion
Source: www.pewresearch.org, April 30, 2009
Public attitudes on a pair of contentious national issues -- gun control and abortion -- have moved in a more conservative direction over the past year. In both cases, the changes have been driven in part by relatively large shifts among men, while opinions among women have not changed very much.

Ignore the Rod: the Parental Rights Amendment Isn’t About Spanking
Source: www.religiondispatches.org, Kathryn Joyce, May 7, 2009
The United States is the only nation save Somalia that’s failed to ratify the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Armed with a doomsday ten-point plan including the end of spankings and the government preventing parents from bringing kids to church, the force behind the movement to prevent its ratification isn’t just a bunch of strict parents.

Texas Hold Em Poker Bill (HB-222) Witness List

EDUCATION POLICY

‘No Child’ Law Is Not Closing a Racial Gap
Source: www.nytimes.com, Sam Dillon, April 28, 2009
The achievement gap between white and minority students has not narrowed in recent years, despite the focus of the No Child Left Behind law on improving the scores of blacks and Hispanics, according to results of a federal test considered to be the nation’s best measure of long-term trends in math and reading proficiency.

Eighty-four percent of fifth-grade students and 79 percent of eighth-grade students pass TAKS math
Source: www.tea.state.tx.us, April 30, 2009
AUSTIN –Eighty-four percent of fifth-grade students and 79 percent of eighth graders passed the math Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) test on the first administration, the Texas Education Agency announced today.

Texas House of Representatives pass education bills
Source: www.impactnews.com, Wednesday, 06 May 2009
The Texas House of Representatives passed House Bill 3, an education reform bill to enhance accountability, curriculum and promotion in public schools. HB 2085, a boon to higher education in East Williamson County, also moved from the House floor

Teacher comes up short in student-filed lawsuit
Source: www.OneNewsNow.com, Pete Chagnon - 5/7/2009
A federal court has ruled in favor of a Christian student in California in a lawsuit filed in response to a history teacher's remarks concerning creationism.

Why Evolutionary Theory is Wrong about Sex
Source: www.awakengeneration.com, Sean McDowell, Dec 16th 2008
Modern evolutionary theory is based upon the idea that human beings are “designed” (their term) to be promiscuous. The basic idea is that women have sex with multiple men until they find one with the best genes. And men have sex with various women until one chooses him to father her child. Men are seen as being driven by the desire to pass their genes on to the next generation, so they search out women who will give them the greatest opportunity for success.

Women Have Not Adapted To Casual Sex, Research Shows
Source: www.ScienceDaily.com, June 26, 2008
The sexual and feminist revolutions were supposed to free women to enjoy casual sex just as men always had. Yet according to Professor Anne Campbell from Durham University in the UK, the negative feelings reported by women after one-night stands suggest that they are not well adapted to fleeting sexual encounters.

Legislature has obligation to Texas schoolchildren
State Board of Education needs more than a new chair
Source: www.statesman.com, Editorial, Friday, May 08, 2009
Don McLeroy's disastrous tenure as chairman of the State Board of Education might well have come to an end. Thank goodness. State Sen. Mike Jackson, R-La Porte, chairman of the Senate Nominations Committee, declared McLeroy's confirmation dead in the water.

Breaking: SBOE Attack Bill Fails on Third Reading!!
Source: www.freemarket.org, Jonathan Saenz, May 6, 2009
HB 710, on final House Reading, failed to pass by a vote of 71-73. This is the final House vote for this bill, so this should be it for this issue. Their is an identical bill in the Senate, SB 513, by Rodney Ellis. It has not moved at all so it is probably too late for anything happening on this in the Senate. You can count on us to keep our eye on this issue until the Legislative session ends!

Bill to put State Board of Education under Sunset fails
Source: www.dallasnews.com, Emily Ramshaw, Wed., May 06, 2009
The House defeated a bill this morning that would've put the State Board of Education under Sunset review, reversing a vote from yesterday. The bill failed by two votes today, following a voter verification. It passed by six votes on second reading yesterday

'Gay' day coming to California public schools?
Lawmakers vote to make children honor Harvey Milk – without parent consent
Source: www.worldnetdaily.com, Chelsea Schilling, May 06, 2009
SACRAMENTO – A California committee passed a bill proclaiming that the state's public school children will take a break from learning every year to celebrate Harvey Milk – a homosexual icon considered by some to be "a martyr for gay rights."

In First 100 Days, Obama Meets or Exceeds Expectations
Praise for Obama on the economy, foreign policy; criticism on budgetary mattersby Lydia Saad
Source: www.gallup.com, April 24, 2009
PRINCETON, NJ -- President Obama begins the second 100 days of his presidency with 56% of Americans believing he has done an excellent or good job thus far, and only 20% saying he has done a poor or terrible job. According to the new USA Today/Gallup poll, conducted April 20-21, about a quarter of Americans are on the fence, saying his performance has been "just okay."

ECONOMIC POLICY

124 congressman demand audit of Federal Reserve
Support multiplying for scrutiny of nation's money controllers
Source: www.wnd.com, Chelsea Schilling , May 05, 2009
A bill calling for the comptroller general of the United States to audit the private Federal Reserve is gaining widespread support in Congress, as 124 representatives have added their names to its growing list of co-sponsors.

Read the President’s Budget Proposal for Texas

Scoring The House
Source: www.empowertexans.com, Michael Quinn Sullivan, Thu, 05/07/2009
We've begun putting together the Fiscal Responsibility Index for this 81st Session. Obviously four weeks are left and a lot of legislation remains unheard, but the picture we're seeing isn't a good one. And let's not even get started on how things look in the Senate...

Conservatives Pass Bills on Cutting Small Business Taxes, Clean Energy, and Strengthening Property Rights
Source: www.txcc.org, Press Release, May 5, 2009
[Austin, Texas] – Today, conservatives in the Texas House of Representatives passed three bills to spur innovation to cut taxes on small businesses, to help the environment, and to increase protections for private property owners.

RELIGION

Black Ministers Arrested on National Day of Prayer
Source: www.charismamag.com, Adrienne S. Gaines, Thursday, 07 May 2009
Although President Obama did not host a National Day of Prayer observance, two African-American ministers prayed outside the White House today, even though it led to their arrest

Good News: California Supreme Court Sides with Christian School
Source: www.citizenlink.org, May 1, 2009
The California Supreme Court left intact a lower court ruling that said a Christian high school has the right to make decisions based on its religious beliefs, the San Francisco Chronicle reported.

The Not-for-Profit Surge
Even in tough times, your favorite charities are doing better than anyone expected.
Source: www.christianitytoday.com, John W. Kenned, 5/01/2009
Two decades ago, Carolyn Cooper took a life-changing short-term mission trip to the Dominican Republic. While she was there, her heart went out to a starving eight-month-old baby named Lusitania. The child died soon after Cooper returned to her home in New Hampshire. But Cooper determined to do something to prevent such tragedies.

SOCIAL POLICY

Obama's Mother's Day Gift to DC: Free Abortion
Source: www.frc.org, Friday, May 8, 2009
While local families plan their Mother's Day celebrations, President Obama is observing the weekend by releasing a budget that would reduce the number of D.C. moms. It seems the President's gift to Washington's women is robbing them of the joys of motherhood by offering the government's help in paying for their abortions.

Maine Legalizes Gay Marriage
Source: www.charismamag.com, Adrienne Gaines, Wednesday, 06 May 2009
Maine Gov. John Baldacci on Wednesday signed a bill legalizing same-sex marriage in his state, making Maine the fifth state to allow such unions.

Queers United & Equality Texas Support Strama’s Anti-Bully Bill
See Status & Witness List on HB-1323