“It turns out the guitar-strumming, good-humored populist has never met a present he didn’t want,†New York Times columnist Gail Collins wrote. “Huckabee managed to pile up $112,000 in freebies in a single year as governor.†Collins also noted: “Wedding gifts are exempt from ethics restrictions in Arkansas, and when Mike left office, the Huckabees — who have been married for more than 30 years — were signed up on the Target wedding registry so fans could help furnish their new 7,000-square-foot home.â€
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
In light of the Senate inquiry into the lavish spending by some ministry leaders, including private jets and Rolls-Royces, it was good to read in last Saturday’s Eagle about two Christian leaders who are trying not to be greedy about their success. Best-selling author Joel Osteen hasn’t taken a salary from his 48,000-member Houston church for two years, has lived in the same house for 13 years and, until recently, drove a 9-year-old car he inherited from his father. Rick Warren (in photo), author of the “The Purpose-Driven Life,†has repaid all his salary from his California megachurch and pledged to give away 90 percent of his book royalties. Warren also accepts no speaking fees and doesn’t mince words about the ministries under investigation: “The opulent lifestyles of televangelists make me sick.â€
Posted by Phillip Brownlee
Barely a blip on most people’s radar, the United States joined 70 countries Wednesday in ratifying the Hague Convention on Intercountry Adoption. With international adoption numbers falling because of a lack of regulation, the global community is working to lend some consistency to the process of saving children.
There’s no shortage of American and western families willing to adopt, despite huge fees, red tape and years of waiting. Many countries, however, are becoming more reticent to send abandoned children to a better life, some say out of fear that the children’s heritage and nationality will be lost. They say they are waiting to find homes for the children in-country.
“A drop in international adoptions is sad for children,†Thomas Atwood, president of the National Council for Adoption, told Associated Press. “National boundaries and national pride shouldn’t get in the way of children having families.â€
Posted by Kristin Mehler
