Arizona passes tough illegal immigration law
Arizona lawmakers passed a controversial immigration bill on Monday requiring police in the state that borders Mexico to determine if people are in the United States illegally.

1/3 of Americans say own government a threat
Nearly one out of three Americans view the US government as a "major threat" to their freedoms, and four out of five say they don't trust Washington to solve their problems, according to a new poll out Monday. Just 19 percent say they are "basically content" with the federal government, against 56 percent who say they are "frustrated" and 21 percent who describe themselves as "angry," the Pew Research Center survey found.

Poll: 4 out of 5 Americans don't trust Washington
Most Americans today have little faith in Washington's ability to deal with the nation's problems. Public confidence in government is at one of the lowest points in a half century, according to a survey from the Pew Research Center. Nearly 8 in 10 Americans say they don't trust the federal government and have little faith it can solve America's ills, the survey found.

New Zealand eyes income tax cuts
New Zealand’s centre-right government is considering cutting income tax rates and increasing the goods and services tax when it releases its budget next month as part of its efforts to rebalance the economy and make the country more internationally competitive.

Kansas Tea Party proves strength on tax day
Approximately ten thousand Kansas residents swarmed to yesterday’s Kansas City tea party donning red, white and blue and holding signs protesting big government, ObamaCare, the stimulus package and the current tax system. The event was hosted at Community America Ballpark in Kansas City, Kansas and one was of the thousands of tea parties organized nationwide on April 15, which is commonly known as “tax day.”

Military tribute at KCK T-Bone TEA Party
A big part of the Kansas City, KS Tax Day TEA Party on Thursday was a military tribute to active military and veterans. For more than 35 minutes the military was thanked by those attending the TEA Party sponsored by the Political Chips and held at the Community America Ballpark, the home of the Kansas City T-Bones.

Vendors lobbying against proposed soda tax
Soda bottlers and distributors in Kansas are lobbying against a proposed tax on sugary drinks. Kevin Morris, a vice president for a Lenexa-based Coca-Cola bottling company, says the tax would amount to a levy of 30 percent to 50 percent on soda products. It would be about 10 cents per 12-ounce can. “We’re concerned,” Morris said. “It would result in lost jobs.”

Kansas Governor Veto’s Pro-Life Bill
Gov. Mark Parkinson vetoed legislation today that would strengthen reporting requirements for late-term abortion providers. Senate Substitute for House Bill 2115 would require a physician to report the specific medical reason for providing a late-term abortion, a piece of information currently left out of reports.

Nebraska becoming leader in pro-life movement
The Nebraska Legislature this week passed two separate pieces of historic legislation that have the potential to alter the manner abortions are provided nationwide. One of the bills will place restrictions on the ability to perform abortions on unborn children who are 20 weeks of age or older and is based on evidence that unborn children can feel pain, and the other bill will require women to undergo health screenings before obtaining an abortion at any stage in their pregnancy.

3,000 more troops needed on US-Mexico border
Two Republican senators proposed Monday sending 3,000 more US National Guard soldiers to quell violence spilling over the border between their home state of Arizona and Mexico. In a 10-point plan for beefing up security in the area, Senators John McCain and John Kyl also called for permanently adding 3,000 US Custom and Border Protection Agents to the Arizona/Mexico border by 2015.

Judge Strikes Down National Day of Prayer!
A federal judge’s ruling that the National Day of Prayer is unconstitutional had no legal basis and was not in keeping with American traditions of expressing “dependence on the Almighty,” critics said. On Thursday U.S. District Judge Barbara B. Crabb in Madison, Wisconsin declared unconstitutional a 1988 federal law giving the president the authority to designate the first Thursday in May as the National Day of Prayer. Rep. Louie Gohmert (R-Texas), a former judge and one of the 31 Congressmen backed by the ACLJ, said in his view it was “obvious” that Judge Crabb “had not received a very good education” in American history.

FDA plans to limit amount of salt
The Food and Drug Administration is planning an unprecedented effort to gradually reduce the salt consumed each day by Americans, saying that less sodium in everything from soup to nuts would prevent thousands of deaths from hypertension and heart disease. The initiative, to be launched this year, would eventually lead to the first legal limits on the amount of salt allowed in food products.

The Problem with Derivatives Regulation
The Obama Administration and committees in Congress propose to regulate financial derivatives with an antiquated scheme designed for physical commodities. This inflexible and damaging mandate is unjustified. Instead, Congress should: Consider carefully any evidence that particular types of derivatives caused or intensified the financial crisis; Craft regulations to address specific problems rather than imposing blanket mandates; and Create rules that encourage rather than discourage risk-mitigating uses of financial derivatives. Leading derivatives reform proposals amount to little more than a frenzied insistence to do something, anything, to regulate financial derivatives. Proponents must show why particular derivatives need to be more closely regulated and that the schemes they propose will reduce rather than increase risks in financial markets.

San Francisco crime lab at center of scandal
Now the 60-year-old technician and the obscure police crime lab where she worked for 29 years stand at the center of a scandal that has led to the dismissal of hundreds of criminal cases and jeopardized thousands more. Police have accused Madden of skimming cocaine evidence from the lab, but she hasn't been criminally charged in the case. Forensics experts say Madden is not the first crime lab worker suspected of stealing drugs or other illegality, and San Francisco's lab joins several other cities in suffering a loss of credibility.

Gov. Perry warns tea partiers to watch their backs
Gov. Rick Perry warned tea party organizers to watch their backs for liberals who wish to make them look bad as thousands were set to stage tax-day rallies across the state.

UN Haiti Relief Funds Go to UN Staff not Haitians
The United Nations has quietly upped this year's peacekeeping budget for earthquake-shattered Haiti to $732.4 million, with two-thirds of that amount going for the salary, perks and upkeep of its own personnel, not residents of the devastated island.

Congressional Candidate Lt.Col. Allen West
Congressional candidate Lieutenant Colonel West speaking at the American Freedom tour in Fort Lauderdale Florida.

Attend Preserving American Liberty
Preserving American Liberty has announced Fred and Jeri Thompson, Liz Cheney and J.C. Watts will join Sarah Palin at the Independence Events Center, Saturday, May 1, 2010 for “Winning America Back”. Fred Thompson is a former Presidential Candidate, U.S. Senator and is a well-known Actor, Jeri Thompson is married to Fred Thompson and is a political commentator; Liz Cheney is with Keep America Safe and the daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney; J.C. Watts is a former congressman and football star from the University of Oklahoma.

A Researcher Puts Scandals in Context
My concern over the "pedophile priest" issue is not to defend evil clergy, or a sinful church. (I cannot be called a Catholic apologist, since I am not even a Catholic). But I am worried that justified anger over a few awful cases might be turned into ill-focused attacks against innocent clergy.

Would-Be Priests Are Checked Carefully
At the North American College in Rome, where student priests from across the United States are sent, new efforts are being made to prevent sexual abuse.

Abuse Scandal is not Widening
Every news story and commentary stating that the sexual abuse scandal in the Catholic Church is widening is factually wrong. The latest report, covering 2008-2009, shows exactly six credible allegations made against over 40,000 priests and tens of thousands of others working for the Catholic Church.

Vatican to Introduce “Zero Tolerance” Rules
The Vatican’s Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith (CDF) will produce a new set of protocols to be applied globally in dealing with sexual abuse of minors by clerics. The new rules will be modeled on the “zero tolerance” policy instituted by the U.S. bishops in 2002. Individual bishops must implement the new unified rules or resign.

Judge of Abusive Priest Corrects New York Times
"As I have found that the reporting on this issue has been inaccurate and poor in terms of the facts, I am also writing out of a sense of duty to the truth," he wrote. "The fact that I presided over this trial and have never once been contacted by any news organization for comment speaks for itself."

Does Richard Dawkins Think He’s Napoleon?
In 1809, Napoleon Bonaparte, who imagined himself the successor of Charlemagne, declared that the territories ruled by Pope Pius VII, the Papal States, were to be annexed to the French empire. When Pius declared Napoleon excommunicated, the Emperor “arrested” him and held him prisoner for six years. The scary thing is that some activist judge might want to make a name for himself and take up Dawkins proposal by having the pope arrested.

Mayor, Ed Koch Says, "Enough Already"
I believe the continuing attacks by the media on the Roman Catholic Church and Pope Benedict XVI have become manifestations of anti-Catholicism. The procession of articles on the same events are, in my opinion, no longer intended to inform, but simply to castigate.

Abuse in School 100 Times Worse than by Priests
According to Carol Shakeshaft, the researcher of a little-remembered 2004 study prepared for the U.S. Department of Education, "the physical sexual abuse of students in schools is likely more than 100 times the abuse by priests."

Lutheran Pastor Defends Pope Against Attacks
As Pope Benedict XVI faces media accusations over his handling of the sexual abuse crisis in the Church, Lutheran theology professor John Stephenson has issued some “ecumenical thoughts” in defense of the pontiff, and has called on Lutherans to offer prayers for the pope.

Pastors: Sexual abuse by clergy hurts all Christianity
Pastor Peg Nowling of First Baptist Church said that sexual misconduct and child abuse is a societal issue, not just a problem for some Roman Catholics.

Rose: Are you a Tea-Partier?
Do you want to “take back your country”? And, if so, from whom? We can only assume – despite objections by Tea Partiers – that this is code-talk for getting the nation back on track as a white, Anglo-Saxon country where everyone is expected to speak English, and where minorities do not deserve special privileges. If you feel that way, by all means, don’t miss the Tea Party.

Gospel of St. John 6:30-35

30 And so they said to him: “Then what sign will you do, so that we may see it and believe in you? What will you work? 31 Our fathers ate manna in the desert, just as it has been written, ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat.’ ” 32 Therefore, Jesus said to them: “Amen, amen, I say to you, Moses did not give you bread from heaven, but my Father gives you the true bread from heaven. 33 For the bread of God is he who descends from heaven and gives life to the world.” 34 And so they said to him, “Lord, give us this bread always.” 35 Then Jesus said to them: “I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me shall not hunger, and whoever believes in me shall never thirst.

This weeks’ TKF Faith, Family and Culture column is dominated by the Church’s sex abuse scandals. I am a mother of five and am horrified by anyone who abuses an innocent child. Our Lord was very clear about what would happen to anyone who harmed a child, (Matthew 18:6). I am also a sister to a faithful priest. The sins of a small number of priests are shameful. Yet, the vast majority of pastors and consecrated religious, (over 98%), are living heroic lives day by day, year after year. The impression the media gives is that the criminal behavior of some is the general rule. This is an injustice to all the priests and religious who are faithful to their vows.

Critics inside and outside the Catholic Church are right to call for an investigation of the cover-up of sexual crimes by priests and for new rules regarding accountability. But I am completely dismayed at the half-truths and distortions of the media and the repeats of the same story in which other media outlets do not bother to check out or clarify. One reason for this may be that the Church is held to a higher standard because it professes a higher standard. But I believe there is a deeper reason for the media’s continued attacks. This bias is linked to the cultural and moral elements that the Church defends and upholds such as pre-marital sex, homosexuality, “same-sex marriage” and abortion. The Truth yesterday is still the Truth today. Fred Barnes, editor of the Weekly Standard, echoes what his friend the late Bob Novak used to say about the mainstream media: It is "the most secular, liberal group in the country. The Catholic Church stands for everything you and I believe (though I'm not a Catholic) and for practically nothing the media likes”.

The Catholic Church has 1.3 billion members, 17 per cent of the world’s population, and some 400,000 priests. It would surprise most who follow the media that the percent of Catholic clergy who have been found guilty of sexual misconduct is among the lowest of all the clergy at 1.7%, according to a Phillip Jenkins, a non-Catholic professor of history and religious studies at Penn State University who researched and wrote "Pedophiles and Priests”. The primary explanation for the abuse that happened in the 60’s and 70’s was the belief that the priests could be cured by psychotherapy, a theory now discarded by the medical profession. Sexual matters were not as openly discussed in the home and society and children were not taken as seriously. Thankfully through experience, we better understand sexual deviancy. In 2009, six credible allegations of abuse concerning people who are minors were reported to the U.S. bishops -- in a church with 65 million members.

The primary reason we are in this mess is because of personal sin and the result of defying Christ and His teachings on sexual matters. The secondary reason is that men in charge, often bishops, did not report these cases, or they covered them up. Christ’s, through the Church, clear teaching on every aspect of sexual behavior was gradually blurred. The first responsibility in sex abuse allegations lies with the local bishop. Nothing prevents a bishop from removing a priest from all ministries and from reporting him to civil authorities. The only reason that the case needed to be sent to Rome is if the priest appealed the bishop's actions. There are definitely cases of priests who have been falsely accused. Civil law requires that to be done in a court of law. A bishop can, and in many cases, should take action against a priest before there is any canonical trial.

Many have been led by the media to believe that the sex scandals are linked to priestly celibacy. More non-celibate clergy have been found guilty of sexual abuse than celibate clergy, according to Professor Jenkins. The media chooses to gloss over the homosexuality of these sex abuse cases and highlight the pedophilia. The 1,000+ members of the National Lesbian & Gay Journalists Association have tried to play damage control by referring to the cases as pedophilia. A statistical examination of reports on clerical abuse, found that only 10% of the cases involved true pedophilia (abuse of small children), while 90% were cases of ephebophilia (abuse of adolescents) and 60% of all cases involved same-sex victims.

Pope Benedict has repeatedly apologized for the shame of the sexual abuse of children, which has included worldwide audiences. He has met with victims and used more pastoral judgment than political judgment. Holding back tears, Lawrence Gretch, one of the alleged victims, said that he was "impressed by the humility of the Pope”. Benedict has been the most proactive of any international church official in history regarding clergy sexual abuse of minors. In the past 25 years vigorous action has taken place within the church to avoid harm to children. Potential seminarians receive extensive sexual-psychological evaluation prior to admission. Virtually all seminaries concentrate their efforts on the safe environment for children. There have been very few cases of recent sexual abuse of children by clergy during the last decade or more.

We should not be embarrassed to admit that we are Catholics. Jesus kept company with men who would betray Him, deny Him and abandon him at His hour of death. James Cardinal Cushing, said, "God made men, not angels to run the Church". While the attack through corruption within has been real, so has the attack in the form of persecution from without. According to Fr. Dwight Longenecker, “There is only one remedy to both forms of attacks: Sanctity. Sanctity is strong and wise and courageous and good. Sanctity has clarity. Sanctity has charity. Men and women who have been transformed into the image of Christ have the power to cleanse the church of the corruption within and stand up to the persecution from without. The battle is not just for the clergy or the religious. It is a battle that each and every one of the baptized must be engaged in”. “If anyone suffers for being a Christian, however, he ought not to be ashamed. He should rather glorify God in virtue of that name. The season of judgment has begun, and begun with God's own household. If it begins this way with us, what must be the end for those who refuse obedience to the gospel of God?" -- 1 Peter, 4: 12-17.