Column/Legend
1 - Prefix  - L-Life,  H-Homosexual Behavior/Perversion, R-Religion/Legal Persecution/ACLU, E-Education, M-Media Bias, O-Other
2-7 - Yr, Mo, Dy
8 - L -Letter to Editor, C-Commentary, O-Op-Ed, M-Metro

Hotlink Index of this weeks's family values related news:  [Supreme Court Battle]   [Life]   [Homosexual Behavior/Perversion]   [Religion/Religious Persecution]   [Education]   [Media]   [Other]

SUPREME COURT BATTLE
S051031          Proper lessons
S051031          Bush expected to pick justice from the right
S051031          Bush picks Alito for Supreme Court
S051101         About Alito
S051101          After Miers' withdrawal, Alito quickly emerged as favorite
S051101          Alito defined by 'burden' dissent in abortion case
S051101          Alito 'scholarly, fair-minded and principled'
S051101          Both parties prepared for 'Armageddon' fight
S051101          Bush aides alerted key supporters to Alito nod
S051101          Bush picks Alito for Supreme Court
S051101           The left gets what it asked for
S051101C        Mending fences . . . after Miers
S051101E        A supreme nomination
S051102          Alito nomination to test 'Gang of 14'
S051102          Alito record seen as 'pro-government'
S051102          Dissing Italians
S051103          Alito's dissent in '91 case crucial
S051103          Gunning down a lie
S051103          Judge active in legal society
S051103          Liberals for Alito
S051103C        Benchmarks
S051103C        Turnaround
S051103L        The Alito nomination
S051104          Bork's blessing
S051104C       Bring it on . . .
S051105          Alito demonstrated humor, his ethics
S051106          Republicans get Alito briefing book
S061104          Alito confirmation hearings planned for January
LIFE
L051030         Embryo outside womb denied 'person' status
L051105          Pa rent notification being put to a vote

HOMOSEXUAL BEHAVIOR/PERVERSION
H051104         'Marriage' ban on ballot
H051105         Marriage measure ruled constitutional

RELIGION/RELIGIOUS PERSECUTION
R051101         CONNECTICUT    Archdiocese settles in abuse case
R051101         United Methodist ruling defrocks lesbian
R051103         Courts v. parents
R051103         Gang of 14 Democrat at 'comfort level' with Alito
R051103          Praise you know who
R051104         DELAWARE   Principal apologizes for Christian rally
R051104         House panel OKs provision to divide 9th Circuit Court
R051104         Methodist court ruling fuels revolt
R051105          Professor defends intelligent design

EDUCATION
E051101         WISCONSIN  School cancels show amid criticism
E051106C       Forum: Mythology versus school choice

MEDIA
M051101         Presumed innocent
M051101C    . . . and indictments
M051101L      The Libby indictment
M051102        Mapes' rant
M051102C     Perverted process . . .
M051104        Libby pleads not guilty to lying about CIA leak
M051104        The smell at CIA
M051104C      Lying in wait
M051104C      The Plame game
M051105C      Leakgate 'credibility' trail

OTHER
O051101EMd Slurs against Michael Steele
O051101EVa   Bill Bolling for lieutenant governor
O051101Md     Ehrlich eyes panel to review election rules
O051102          Mayoral debate
O051102E       Bob McDonnell for attorney general
O051102Md   'Party trumps race' for Steele foes
O051102Va    Local races focus on Warner, taxes
O051103E       The conservative case for Kilgore
O051103L       Clearly racist comments
O051103LMd   The right choice for Maryland
O051103Md    Attacks on Steele reveal Democrats' hypocrisy
O051103Md    Top Democrats duck on Steele hits
O051104         NEBRASKA   City restricts sex offenders
O051104E       Sticks, stones and Steele
O051104L      Kilgore, a 'standout politician' *
O051104Md   Abstinence educators urged to persist
O051104Va    Governor race vital to Allen, Warner
O051104Va    Kaine has edge over Kilgore, poll finds
O051106Va    Candidates for governor seek to close the sale
O051106Va    Kilgore, Kaine eye finish line
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M051110   Only half see press as fair to Bush

By Jennifer Harper
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
November 10, 2005

About 50 percent of Americans say the Bush administration is being treated fairly by the press, the lowest number since President Bush was elected, and an increasing percentage say the press is too critical of the president, according to the Pew Research Center.
    "There has been a notable rise over the past two years in the percentage who say the press is too critical of the Bush administration," the survey released Tuesday stated.
    Many stories that appear to methodically build a case against Mr. Bush might not resonate with readers and viewers.
    "Iraq, Katrina, CIA leak, Harriet Miers. Things couldn't get any worse for Bush. But they just did," noted the Associated Press yesterday in an account of the Virginia governor's race, won by Democrat Timothy M. Kaine.
    "Dark days: Singed by the special prosecutor and rattled by the Harriet Miers mess, Team Bush is in turmoil," Newsweek stated this week.
    Only 34 percent of the respondents in the Pew survey deemed White House press coverage "about right," down from 48 percent in a similar survey taken in 2003.
    Among Republican respondents, 25 percent said the press is fair to Mr. Bush, down from 50 percent two years ago. Democrats have noticed press vitriol to a point -- 68 percent think the president is getting a fair shake -- down from 71 percent.
    Although the public may be increasingly leery of White House coverage, Americans still prefer their press in a watchdog role. The survey also found that six out of 10 think press criticism of political leaders helps keep them on track.
    In the meantime, other research confirms a press vendetta against the Bush administration long before laundry lists of troubles appeared.
    "No second-term media honeymoon for Bush," announced the District-based Center for Media and Public Affairs in mid-July.
    Their analysis of 250 print and broadcast stories about the president in his first 100 days of office this year found that 67 percent of them criticized Mr. Bush.
    At the same time, coverage of Mr. Bush was declining -- down 60 percent from the amount he received during the first 100 days of office in 2001, when the stories numbered 619.
    The Pew survey of 1,201 adults was taken Nov. 3 to 6, with a margin of error of four points. The poll also addressed Mr. Bush's favorability numbers, the Supreme Court nomination of Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. and other topics. The complete findings can be viewed online at http://people-press.org.
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S051110    Top Democrats say Alito likely to get nod

By Charles Hurt
THE WASHINGTON TIMES
November 10, 2005

Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr. is within the mainstream of conservative judicial philosophy and should be confirmed barring some unforeseen "bombshell," key Democrats said yesterday.
    "I found him to be very impressive. I found him to be a very thoughtful person," Sen. Kent Conrad, North Dakota Democrat, said after meeting with Judge Alito yesterday. "He got off to a very good start with me."
    Mr. Conrad said he does not expect to support a filibuster, which is likely the only way to thwart confirmation by the Republican-controlled Senate.
    "I think it is unlikely, absent some new information -- some bombshell that comes up in the process -- that I would support a filibuster," he said, but added that he has not decided how he will vote on the nomination.
    Mr. Conrad, who hails from a heavily Republican state and is among 22 Democrats who supported the nomination of John G. Roberts Jr. to be chief justice, said Judge Alito's apparent conservatism doesn't disqualify him.
    "Absolutely, he is conservative, but I believe in the broad mainstream of American jurisprudence," the senator said. "It is healthy to have different views on the court."
    Sen. Charles E. Schumer, New York Democrat and a detractor of many of President Bush's judicial nominees, sounded a similarly positive tone after his meeting with Judge Alito yesterday.
    Mr. Schumer said the meeting was "very, very enjoyable" and described the nominee as "someone thoroughly schooled in the law, somebody who had thought through a lot of issues."
    The senator said it's too early to say for certain whether Judge Alito is in the "broad mainstream of conservative jurisprudence" that Democrats say they want.
    "I come out of this meeting with my questions not satisfied but certainly not with the view 'Oh, he's clearly out of the mainstream,'?" Mr. Schumer said.
    Mr. Schumer also said that the judge told him he did not believe in "originalism," a stance common among conservatives that the Constitution means what it originally was understood as meaning.
    "Principles are applied differently in different times," noted Mr. Schumer, saying he was loosely quoting Judge Alito. "I found that to be a positive thing that he said."
    As the nomination appeared headed for confirmation far more smoothly than many expected, Democrats yesterday drew attention to a 2002 case on the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. The defendant in the case was the Vanguard Group, an investment company that manages an account for Judge Alito.
    Democrats say Judge Alito should have recused himself. After the apparent conflict was discovered, Judge Alito disagreed that it violated the canon of judicial ethics but wrote the chief judge "voluntarily recusing" himself.
    Democrats on the Senate Judiciary Committee yesterday wrote the 3rd Circuit's chief judge requesting all information on the case and Judge Alito's involvement.
    Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, Massachusetts Democrat, advised Judge Alito to be ready to speak on the matter when the two meet privately next week. In his letter, Mr. Kennedy also reminded Judge Alito that he had promised to recuse himself from cases involving Vanguard when he was confirmed to the appeals court in 1990.
    Republicans have downplayed the significance of the Vanguard matter, saying the conflict is convoluted and that Judge Alito's involvement wasn't determinative.
    Judge Alito told senators yesterday that it was an oversight on his part and blamed a "glitch" in the court's computer system for not flagging the conflict.
    Mr. Conrad said Judge Alito seemed to "regret" the whole situation. And although the matter "troubles" him, Mr. Conrad said, it does not "unduly concern" him.
    Meanwhile, another centrist Democrat said yesterday that he doubts Judge Alito will be filibustered.
    "My own sense from my colleagues is that a filibuster is not likely," Sen. Ken Salazar of Colorado told reporters. "But I would say that ... we are at the beginning of the process. There is still a lot of information that needs to be made available."
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O051110   Bush taps Tate for vacancy on FCC

November 10, 2005

ASSOCIATED PRESS
    President Bush intends to nominate a Republican regulator from Tennessee and to renominate Democrat Michael Copps to serve on the Federal Communications Commission, moves that would briefly give the GOP a majority on the five-member commission.
    The White House announced late yesterday the president's intention to have Deborah Tate fill a vacant Republican seat on the panel. Mr. Copps, whose term expired June 30, will be renominated for a five-year term.
    Both must be confirmed by the Senate.
    Mrs. Tate is a director on the Tennessee Regulatory Authority and previously served as chairman of the authority from 2003 to 2004. In 2003, she was appointed to the FCC's Federal-State Joint Conference on Advanced Telecommunications Services.
    Mr. Copps, a strong advocate of tougher ndecency enforcement, was first nominated by Mr. Bush in May 2001.
    Mrs. Tate would fill the vacancy created by the elevation in March of Commissioner Kevin Martin, a Republican, to FCC chairman.
    If the Senate moves quickly on the nominations, then Mrs. Tate would give Mr. Martin a Republican majority -- something he hasn't had since taking over as chairman. The panel is currently split between two Republicans and two Democrats.
    But any majority could be short-lived. Commissioner Kathleen Abernathy, whose term expired last year, must leave the agency when the Senate's current session expires later this year -- putting another Republican seat up for grabs.
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M051110    Ugg-ly
    One well-known Washingtonian, who asks not to be identified, wrote to Inside the Beltway yesterday: "We all know about the liberal bias that exists in our institutions of higher education, but somehow forget what the students who were run through the mill do after they graduate."
    Perhaps they become teachers themselves?
    "An eighth-grade history teacher ... asked my daughter to write a paper about Ronald Reagan," he says. "My daughter, who shares the Gipper's birthday, was pleased to have him as her topic, but pointed out the teacher's suggestions that she focus on the oil crisis, the AIDS epidemic ... and, of course, Iran-Contra.
    "When a 13-year-old girl proclaims, 'They are all a bunch of liberals,' when she could be talking about her hair or new Ugg boots, you know it has gotten out of hand."
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