Estimates are that turnout in today’s parliamentary elections in Iraq may be as high as 11 million out of 15.5 million eligible voters. And unlike October’s referendum, a large number of Sunni Arabs voted. Such participation bolsters hope that a stable democracy may yet emerge in Iraq. There are still major problems, of course, and the potential of civil war remains. But as we noted in today’s editorial, the most encouraging prospect for Iraqi democracy is how much ordinary Iraqis seem to want it.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Problems are mounting for star South Korean stem cell researcher Hwang Woo Suk. Last month, he admitted to violating ethical standards by getting some of his research eggs from lower-level female scientists. Now there are allegations that he faked his landmark research paper that was published in the journal Science in June. That paper claimed that Hwang’s team cloned human embryos and extracted stem cell lines that matched the DNA of patients.
Stem cell research holds great promise, but with so much money poised to pour into this research (including the $3 billion in grants approved by California voters last year), there is also a lot of temptation to hype and fake the findings.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Religious activists were out Wednesday protesting federal budget cuts to programs for the poor — which come at the same time Congress is contemplating extending tax cuts that mostly benefit the wealthy. But The Washington Post noted that those protesting on behalf of the poor did not include conservative religious groups led by James Dobson or Jerry Falwell.
The article raised an interesting question: “Why in recent years have conservative Christians asserted their influence on efforts to relieve Third World debt, AIDS in Africa, strife in Sudan and international sex trafficking — but remained on the sidelines while liberal Christians protest domestic spending cuts?”
Some conservative groups told The Post that they are focusing on their priorities — abortion, same-sex marriage and seating judges who agree with them on those issues.
Posted by Melissa Cooley
While the White House is still trying to negotiate with Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., on torture policy, the Army is moving to circumvent efforts to bar cruel and inhumane treatment of detainees, The New York Times reported. McCain’s proposal requires that only interrogation techniques authorized by the new Army field manual be used on prisoners held by the military. But the Army has just approved a new 10-page classified addendum to the field manual that reportedly pushes the envelope on what is legal. “This is a stick in McCain’s eye,” one official told The Times. “It goes right up to the edge.” This is bad policy and bad politics.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
State Board of Education member Janet Waugh raised a concern about school vouchers at Tuesday’s board meeting that many people share. She asked Kansas Education Commissioner Bob Corkins whether he would change his voucher proposal so that private schools would have to accept every eligible student and would have to comply with the same standards as public schools, the Lawrence Journal-World reported. When Corkins said that he wouldn’t, Waugh asked him why. He replied that no private school would participate under those conditions. If private schools accept tax dollars, shouldn’t they have to play by the same rules?
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Memo to anyone who works for a public official: Any e-mail you send can and may be used against your boss later. It seems that just as former Federal Emergency Management Agency director Michael Brown’s minions were fussing about his post-Katrina attire and image on TV, so were aides and outside consultants to Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco. In e-mails newly released by Congress, Blanco’s press secretary fretted that the governor needed to look more like a “John Wayne” than a “first lady” and risked appearing weak by crying. Others variously urged that she wear a baseball cap and “rough looking shoes,” and “hug on some folks and be sensitive.” Meanwhile, an assistant chief of staff worried about the appearance of sending so “many black folks out of state” during the evacuations. It’s shocking to realize such superficial discussions were going on as residents were desperate for water, rescue and other aid.
Posted by Rhonda Holman
The U.S. Bill of Rights was ratified on this day in 1791. And 214 years later, its principles and protections are still being tested and debated — as should happen in a healthy democracy. Whether the issue is the teaching of intelligent design in public schools or the reauthorization of the Patriot Act, the Bill of Rights provides the framework and guarantee for our most cherished freedoms.
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
