Thanks to all for making this better for your comments.
What is the pulse? A daily randomized view of less than mainstream newspaper editorial pages. I pick papers from around the nation at random, and as soon as I find an editorial, column, or LTE on a story or issue of national interest, I grab it. I don't pick and choose, because I want the randomness, over time, to give us a better idea of the pulse of the nation, what communities find important.
In the works- two things. First, Tuesdays will be "LTE Tuesdays," with only letters to the editors. And I will do a "silly city name" Pulse, so send them in (Walla Walla, Schenectady, etc.) and I'll read them.
RECOMMEND- I feel greedy asking for recommendations, but IF you like the concept of these daily diaries, even if you think today's aren't wonderful, please recommend. It is the overall process, the gestalt of the randomized and regular viewing of papers across the nation, that give us "the pulse," rather than just a motly collection of writings.
This Atlanta African American paper asks if it is time for a black or Latin American pope. Good question.
Atlanta (Ga.) Daily World
A Black Pope?
The instant Pope John Paul II knocked at death's door, South African Anglican Archbishop Desmond Tutu screamed loudly that the next pope should be an African or Latin American. There are compelling, and troubling reasons, that Tutu made that public demand. ...
Two thirds of the world's one billion Catholics live in developing nations. There are nearly one hundred million Catholics in Africa, and an estimated 200 million black Catholics worldwide. The number of Catholics in the nonwhite world has soared in the past decade. The growing acceptance or rejection of Catholicism by millions in Asia, Africa, and Latin America, and among African-Americans presents a towering dilemma for the 117 cardinals that will begin their hush-hush conclave two to three weeks after the death of Pope John Paul II to elect a papal successor. That dilemma is should the next pope be non-European, and reformist? ...
A black or Latin American pope, though, would send the strong message to Latin America and Africa's practicing Catholics and prospective converts that the Catholic Church is committed to making them not only church members but shot callers in making the policy of the Catholic Church The prospect of the next pope being from Africa or Latin America excites millions of non-white, non-European Catholics. There's no guarantee that that will happen, and a great likelihood that it won't, given the dominance and conservatism of the Italian and European cardinals in the papal voting. Even if it doesn't happen this go around, the problem of making the Catholic Church even more diverse, inclusive and relevant to Africans and Latin Americans will still be there no matter who assumes the top papal spot.
Earl Ofari Hutchinson is a political analyst and social issues commentator, and the author of The Crisis in Black and Black (Middle Passage Press)
The (Carterville, Georgia) Daily Tribune seems to have an interesting piece every Friday- From the Left, From the Right, with point-counterpoint editorials. Here's yesterday's. It counts as two. Does anybody know anything about this Remmelink Report? It sound ripe for debunking. I really don't believe Dutch doctors are murdering thousands of competent people against their will:
Left and Right
By
J.M. Prince
We have seen the death knell for whatever limited conservative government Republican supporters were hoping for in Washington.
All pretense of following the ideals of our Founders for a limited, balanced Constitutional order have been smashed by Congressional action and dramatic interventions in the past few weeks. ....
The very idea that we should turn to Congress or our benighted politicians to help make intimate end-of-life decisions for ourselves and our families has frightened and disgusted a good majority of Americans, as well it should. Any long experience with the clownish antics of Congress would be sufficient enough to dismiss such a farcical notion. But this is the constant fearful refrain we hear from our Republican representatives, "We know better than you do. We and we alone can decide what is best for you and your family." ...
From the assault on the 200-year-old tradition of unlimited debate in the Senate with Republican efforts to abolish the filibuster, to the corrupt foundations of Majority Leader Tom Delay's back room deals where he has systematically dismantled the ethics committee in Congress, this is your Congress on the most dangerous drug known to a free people.
These are your leaders drunk on power, refusing to know any limitations for their spending, accepting no responsibility for their actions, using federal intervention into matters already well adjudicated in state courts and laws, and rendering families in their wake.
By Tommy C. Young
Although, some may see euthanasia as a humane thing to do in certain circumstances, let's think about a scenario if it were to be made legal in America. What if the population of sick and elderly were to escalate with the baby boomers and an enormous strain was put on the health care system in supporting them. Giving the history of our government, new laws would be added to euthanize those against their will in order to save money. In the Netherlands, which is often the forefront of liberal social movements, euthanasia has been practiced for some time, although its legal status was ambiguous. In the fall 2000, the Dutch parliament voted to formally legalize the practice, making the Netherlands the first nation since Nazi Germany to do so.
On Sept. 10, 2001, the results of the first, official government study of the practice of Dutch euthanasia were released. The two-volume report -- popularly referred to as the Remmelink Report (after Professor J. Remmelink, M.J., attorney general of the High Council of the Netherlands who headed the study committee) -- documents the prevalence of involuntary euthanasia in Holland, as well as the fact that, to a large degree, doctors have taken over end-of-life decision making regarding euthanasia. The data indicated that, despite long-standing, court-approved euthanasia guidelines developed to protect patients, abuse has become an accepted norm. ...
According to the Remmelink Report, Dutch physicians deliberately and intentionally ended the lives of 11,840 people by lethal overdoses or injections -- a figure which accounts for 9.1 percent of the annual overall death rate of 130,000 per year. The majority of all euthanasia deaths in Holland are involuntary deaths.
This is an alarming truth as to what can happen when we, as human beings, try and play the "God" factor. Although, life can send us into a tail spin when our health declines we should pray to our Lord and Savior for healing, and not to our legislatures for a legal early exit from God's most precious gift.
In Idaho, somebody noticed Bush was either stupid or cynical when he expressed surprise there weren't piles of case sitting in the trust fund:
The Lewiston (Idaho) Tribune
Bush is an Ignoramus
Jim Fisher
Did President Bush just learn there is no stack of cash in the Social Security Trust Fund, or was his stunt at the Bureau of Public Debt in West Virginia Tuesday a cynical attempt to scare the American people needlessly?
During his visit to Parkersburg, the president gave the impression he was surprised that surplus money collected from the federal payroll tax for Social Security benefits was not represented by piles of currency. Instead, he was shown a filing cabinet containing a three-ring binder with documents representing $1.7 trillion in U.S. Treasury bonds. ...
Where would he prefer it, in a mattress?
No one but an ignoramus expects there to be actual currency stored someplace for future Social Security payments. The government has used surplus payroll tax revenues for other purposes, replacing them with those Treasury securities. ...
If you doubt that, check the Web site of the Social Security Administration itself. In response to the question whether there really is a Social Security Trust Fund, it says, "Yes." And it explains that fund this way:
"Far from being 'worthless IOUs,' the investments held by the trust funds are backed by the full faith and credit of the U.S. Government. The government has always repaid Social Security, with interest. The special-issue securities are, therefore, just as safe as U.S. Savings Bonds or other financial instruments of the federal government."
Good for the Social Security Administration for pointing that out. Shame on President Bush for fibbing about it.
The Des Moines Register wants paper trails in elections, and so does the Iowa Senate:
Des Moines (Iowa) Register
Paper Ballots Required
By REGISTER EDITORIAL BOARD
April 8, 2005
Iowa is about to launch a $17.5 million overhaul of voting machinery that will change the way many voters cast ballots in future elections. This is a historic change, so we should get it right. A bill passed by the Iowa Senate is designed to assure that. The House should follow suit.
Senate File 351, passed 48-0, by the Senate would require that voters who use touch-screen voting machines be able to examine a paper version of their ballot. That allows the voter to confirm that votes have been correctly cast, and it creates a paper trail for auditors to use in a recount. ...
One downfall of touch-screen voting machines has been the lack of a paper trail. Although some manufacturers insisted they couldn't come up with a paper receipt, that's nonsense, Secretary of State Chet Culver told lawmakers this week. In fact, such machines are already on the market.
By giving the paper-trail requirement the force of law, the Legislature will prevent manufacturers from giving phony excuses.
And in Burlington, Iowa, the editors fear we're giving ammunition to the theocrats, what it describes as a fifth of the country, "and not the smartest fifth."
The Hawkeye (Burlington, Iowa)
Arming the Christian Taliban
Last week a Colorado Supreme Court voided the death sentence of a convicted murderer because jurors in the case had consulted a Bible before reaching a verdict. ...
The worst thing about the decision is that it gives ammunition to right-wingers at a time when the Christian Taliban is threatening to take over the country. ...
You don't need the FCC to police TV for you. If you don't like something, don't watch it. Similarly, if you don't believe in evolution, biology might not be the field for you. If you have moral scruples about filling certain prescriptions, try faith healing as a profession.
Christian extremists make up no more than one-fifth of the population and not the smartest fifth at that. It's silly for the rest of us to let them push us around.
When Bob Barr and the ACLU agree, maybe you should pay attention. At least that's the conclusion in Marion, Indiana, where the editors think parts of the Patriot Act should be allowed to die:
Chronicle Tribune (Marion, IN)
Let Patriot Act Expire
It's not very often you can find Bob Barr, the former very conservative Republican congressman from Georgia, the Second Amendment Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union all on the same side of an issue.
You can on this one, though.
A few days ago, Barr, the Second Amendment Foundation, the ACLU, as well as David Keens of the American Conservative Union, Paul Weyrich of the Free Congress Foundation and Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform and others created Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances, a group campaigning to reform the USA Patriot Act. ...
The biggest safeguard in the bill was the so-called sunset provision, which called for the act to expire on Dec. 31, 2005, if Congress did not renew it.
Bush is pushing to make the act permanent, but the coalition is saying "Not so fast, Mr. President." ...
The Bush administration claims it has been careful with the law, and perhaps that is true. But leaving such powerful laws on the books leaves open the invitation for abuse. ...
The act is important, but some of its more onerous provisions should be modified with requirements for specific intent and boundaries that are not invitations for abuse. The sunset provision gives lawmakers the opportunity -- actually more of a duty -- to reevaluate the law before extending it.
The act has the potential to weaken our rights under the First, Second, Fourth and Sixth Amendments. And if the fight against terrorism isn't a fight to protect our rights, what are we doing?
The left-right coalition of the Patriots to Restore Checks and Balances has the right idea. Let the sun set on the Patriot Act and reconsider it with a calmer attitude that is mindful of the liberties we're supposedly fighting to protect.
The Rutland (Vermont) Herald describes the fight over judges "a central political struggle of our time," and notes the difference between what Republicans say and what they really want:
Time to Stand Up
Republicans and Democrats are headed for a showdown in the Senate over the Democrats' insistence that for a handful of extreme and ill-suited judicial nominees it will use the filibuster to block action. ...
The battle over the judiciary is a central political struggle of our time. The congressional effort to meddle in the Terri Shiavo case was a prelude to the battle over the courts, and it revealed the dangerous degree to which the nation's Republican leaders intend to twist the judiciary to their will. ...
Yet the astonishing comments by Rep. Tom DeLay, House Republican leader, show the Republicans' true aim. DeLay revealed that, above all, he wants to impose outcomes. The outcome in the Schiavo case didn't go his way so he began talking of impeaching the judges involved. Judges whose independence is curbed by that kind of intimidation will be forced into outcomes demanded by politics, not by the law. ...
Intimidation of the judiciary was also the approach of former Attorney General John Ashcroft, who sought to discipline judges who acted counter to his wishes. Abolishing the filibuster for judicial nominees is another, more extreme, form of intimidation. ...
In the Schiavo case, the executive and legislative branches sought to abolish the constitutional role of the judiciary as an independent branch. In those cases where President Bush's judicial nominees exhibit similar lack of respect for the law, senators have the duty to oppose them and to stand up against the intimidating tactics of the Republican leadership.
A writer to the Portland (Indiana) Commercial Review fears the nuclear option, calling it a "power grab." This man in a VERY red part of the country has the sense to note that most of Bush's judges have sailed through unscathed. I couldn't cut much, because it is a very well written and succint letter:
GOP Power Grab
Radical Republicans want absolute power to appoint Supreme Court justices that will favor corporate interests and the extreme right over the rest of us. To get it, they plan to use a parliamentary trick they call the "nuclear option" to overturn 200 years of bipartisan checks and balances that have kept the courts fair for centuries.
Last term Senate Democrats confirmed almost 95 percent of President Bush's judicial nominees. Eliminating the filibuster is not about overcoming "obstructionism," it's about the desire for complete one-party control.
While the "nuclear option" is likely to come up in a fight over a nominee, make no mistake -- the real targets here are the four Supreme Court seats likely to turn over in the next four years. ...
Please help stop this travesty of justices and take back the reins of leadership and democracy from the people that are systematically destroying not only the system of government, but the spirit and heart, as well.
Thank you.
Mitch Shaffer
Portland
The Evansville (Indiana) Courier Press (I'm building my database state by state) thinks Bush and Sharon have some work to do:
Sharon at the ranch
...
Bush faces a test of credibility in the Mideast. His road map to peace says there shall be no expansion of Israeli settlements on the West Bank. Now the Sharon government has confirmed plans to build 3,650 new homes in its largest West Bank settlement and, in doing so, cut off West Bank Palestinians from that part of East Jerusalem they hope to make their new capital. ...
He must also deal with another issue: whether the Israelis will raze the settlements left behind when the government evacuates 9,000 Israeli settlers from Gaza. Since the United States is committed to financially aiding both sides, Washington could be in the position of subsidizing Israelis to wreck the settlements and then helping Palestinians pay for their rebuilding.
Israel estimates the evacuation and resettlement farther up the coast will cost $1 billion, and officials have said they would like the United States to pay for half of it.
We would say $500 million gives Bush a wee bit of leverage.
One more Indiana entry, with apologies to Bill in Portland, Cheers and Jeers from the Fort Wayne Journal Gazette. What's happening to our kids? Stop being reesponsible- have some fun for christ's sake. Responsibility is coming. Your time is running out:
Jeers to DeLay
...
JEERS to pie throwers who've recently attacked conservative speakers invited by Indiana universities. Last Wednesday, someone threw a pie at conservative cultural critic David Horowitz, who was lecturing at Butler University in Indianapolis. This follows a March 30 incident at Earlham College in Richmond, where William Kristol, editor of the Weekly Standard, was struck by a pie during a speech. ...
CHEERS to the college students who decided not to spend Spring Break getting drunk in a bar or sunburnt on a beach. Students from 13 colleges in nine states chose to participate in Habitat for Humanity's 2005 Collegiate Challenge. ...
CHEER S to Connecticut, the first state to sue the federal government over the No Child Left Behind law. ... The suit should embolden other states to challenge unfunded mandates incorporated in the law.
But CHEERS also are in order for the Department of Education, which has agreed to amend some of the more troublesome parts of No Child Left Behind and to allow more flexibility to states that are working toward the goals of the law. ...
JEERS to Tom DeLay, House majority leader, for the latest outrage in his unfolding ethics scandal. Since 2001, the Texas Republican's political action and campaign committees have paid his wife and daughter more than $500,000 for nebulous fundraising and campaign management duties. It might be legal, but using one's position of authority to benefit family members is a clear-cut ethics breach.
That's it for today. Have a great weekend. Pulse out.