First, Second, Third I

If your first child drops his or her pacifier on the floor, you disinfect it before giving it back. If your second child does this, you wipe it off with a washcloth. For your third child, you just pop it back into the kid's mouth.

The Ethics of Killing

Yesterday, in announcing his decision to oppose President Bush's policy against funding stem cell research that kills human embryos, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist said he is still pro-life. I hate to break this to him, but acknowledging the embryo's humanity while encouraging its destruction (even "within ethical bounds") is not pro-life. Even John Kerry said he believed life begins at conception, and he, too, supported ending that life.

Frist’s attempt to reassure his political base and maintain his presidential viability is doomed. In a press release, Tony Perkins, who heads the conservative Family Research Council, said ominously that Frist “once had Presidential aspirations.” Bob Scheidt, chairman of the ethics commission of the Christian Medical and Dental Association, said, “We’re shocked, because we as Christian physicians thought Frist was one of us."

Marriage

Here's a radical definition of marriage: The union of one man and one woman, for life.

Heavy Metal

While many young people do just fine driving automobiles, many others shouldn't be entrusted with heavy metal weapons on wheels. Driving is a privilege, not a right, and lots of people have paid the ultimate price so that teens without the requisite maturity or judgment can get behind the wheel. Teens constitute only 6 percent of all drivers yet are involved in 20 percent of all fatal crashes. Wouldn't it make sense, then, to take the keys from our 16- and 17-year-olds?

Love Phases

(1) Loving someone else because of the good qualities they possess; (2) seeing that person through rose-colored glasses in the hope that those qualities you so admired will come back; (3) loving that person in spite of his or her flaws.

Grand Inquisitor

Earlier this year, some religious conservatives got into hot water for suggesting that liberals want to impose a religious litmus test against "people of faith" who are nominated to the Supreme Court. The righteous indignation the Democrats expressed was out there for all to see. Conservatives were forced to back off this line of attack.

Now, with the nomination of John Roberts, Dick Durbin is fueling new suspicions about the issue. Last Friday, Durbin, the Illinois Democrat, is reported to have asked Roberts about potential conflicts between their shared Roman Catholicism and the law. Frankly, Senator Durbin, who made you the Grand Inquisitor? It's none of your business.

It's the job of Roberts to faithfully interpret the law. It's your job to decide whether he is fit for the job (and he obviously is). Drop the quizzes about the state of the nominee's soul ... or join the priesthood.

Shuttle Troubles

NASA, responding to new problems and delays with the retooled space shuttle, says it plans to launch the craft tomorrow "no matter what." Isn't that approach what got them into trouble in the first place? It is time to come up with a whole new technology for manned space exploration. It's okay if tiles fall off your bathroom wall. It's definitely not okay if they fall off the shuttle. Maybe NASA went to get some new ones at Menard's.

Today's Forecast

Today, as the thermometer threatens to hit triple digits, Chicagoland residents (if not the beleagured farmers) are in hog heaven. If there's one thing we love to do, it's complain about the weather. Summer's too hot and dry. Fall is too short. Winter's too cold ... or not cold enough. Spring is too cool or rainy. In January, a common lead story on the TV news is a "snow event." In summer, it's drought, tornado, or heatwave.

We forget that while the Chicago area has weather averages for temperature or rainfall, the weather as we experience it is usually moving from one extreme to another. Chicago has a lot of great things going for it. Weather is usually not one of them.

Two Don'ts

The treatment by the Chicago Police Department of the city's majority black population is often tarred with accusations of racism. Earlier this month, a white officer stopped James Meeks, a prominent south side minister and politician, and his entourage after an apparent infraction by the driver. According to Meeks and company, at a traffic stop the officer verbally (and perhaps racially) abused him, releasing a torrent of profanity when Meeks (and perhaps others) stepped out of the car.

While the matter is under investigation, this much is clear: Both Meeks and the officer made mistakes. First, when a member of Chicago's finest stops your car, stay there, and get used to saying "Yes, sir," and "No, sir." There's no good reason to get out of the car, unless asked to. Officers, many of whom have been shot at during "routine" traffic stops, are understandably jumpy in such situations.

Second, using profanity against a citizen is wrong. Not only does it show that you have lost control of a situation, it also could very well escalate tensions, turning a minor incident into an unnecessary confrontation. The CPD needs to have a zero tolerance policy on boorish bahavior by its officers. Period.

Free Speech vs. Sedition

With Islamist terror attacks becoming a near daily occurrence in Britain, authorities there need to do some hard thinking ... and fast. For too long, they have turned a blind eye to extremist clerics and their brainwashed followers advocating and plotting mayhem. While we all in the West take pride in our open societies, the free and easy pre-9/11 days are gone, perhaps forever. We must learn to distinguish between free speech and sedition.

Tancredo

After blasting Democratic hack Dick Durbin for his untethered comments about U.S. treatment of terrorism suspects at Gitmo, I believe it's only fair to speak out about an equally stupid comment by Colorado Congressman Tom Tancredo on the right. Last week on a radio talk show, Tancredo suggested that America might consider bombing Mecca, the holiest city for Muslims, in retaliation if Islamist terrorists set off nuclear weapons inside our borders.

The comment, which so far Tancredo has refused to apologize for, is stupid for several reasons. First, we are not engaged in a war against Islam. Despite Islam's well-known and obvious tendencies toward violence, bin Laden and his fellow travelers do not represent Islam. They represent an extremist interpretation of Islam currently spreading around the world, a movement that we in the West must fight not only militarily but also intellectually. Provocative comments by Tancredo (whose name, not incidentally, may well remind Muslims of the famous crusader Tancred) unfortunately will only reinforce negative Muslim stereotypes and make Islam more violent than it already is.

Bombing Mecca would tell the Islamic world that our battle is not against extremists who have hijacked their religion, but against Islam itself. If Tancredo thinks it's hard to defeat a relative handful of terrorists in Iraq, just what will he do with 1.2 billion angry Muslims?

No, Islam is not "a religion of peace," at least not yet. But we must do all we can to see that it evolves into one, given its history and scriptures. Yes, it is too bad that many Muslims will fly off the handle upon hearing the comments of one obscure congressman. We could wish they would respond by turning the other cheek, but that is a teaching of Jesus, not Muhammad.

Given that reality, Tancredo should live up to the best traditions of Christianity. It's time to apologize.

Bush's Dream

President Bush–against the wishes of his wife and Jesse Jackson–did something radical last night: He nominated a white male to serve on the Supreme Court. And why not? White males are Americans, too. As Dr. King advocated, we should aspire to live in a nation in which people are judged not by the color of their skin (or their sex), but by the content of their character. Chalk one up for diversity.

Deficit Drops

In case you missed it, economists say that a surge in tax revenue last year–sparked in large part by the Bush tax cuts–slashed the federal deficit by nearly $100 billion. Reports of this good economic news were hard to find in the media, as reporters continue to focus on the Rove affair.

What About Durbin?

Amid the manufactured outrage over Karl Rove's alleged role in the Valerie Plame kerfuffle, word comes that the raw FBI report that Dick Durbin used to make his infamous Nazi/Gulag/Pol Pot comments about the U.S. military was unsubstantiated. If Rove should lose his security clearance for "outing" a deskbound CIA employee, what should be done with Durbin, who provided aid and comfort to America's enemies?

Religion of Peace 3

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We interrupt this program for a breaking news bulletin:
"A truck bomb killed 98 people south of Baghdad, and al Qaeda claimed credit. 'The operation is continuing as planned and we warn the enemies of God of more to come,' al Qaeda said via the Internet on Saturday. 'We ask our Muslim brothers around the world to pray for God to grant us victory.'"
We now resume our regularly scheduled programming.
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Intellectual Surrender

A commonsense definition of terrorism: the deliberate targeting and murder of civilians to spread terror in pursuit of a political or religious cause. Pretty clear, right? Not to the nonjudgmental BBC, which refuses to label the perpetrators of the London bombings as terrorists (instead classifying the Islamic fanatics as "bombers"). From whence comes this even-handed neutrality? There is no need to be objective when describing the terrorists. They are intent on spreading terror and death among the "infidels" in the service of their pitiless religion. Can we not call a spade a spade? Or are we already surrendering intellectually?

Edgy Chocolate

Last night, film critic Roger Ebert called Johnny Depp's character in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory an eerie mix of Michael Jackson and Carol Burnett. (There's a word picture that's a little too vivid.) Yet he recommended parents take their children to this edgy remake of Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory. Why? Kids don't need edgy ... especially when there is a more wholesome alternative.

Define "Back"

The National Hockey League, after players and owners reached an agreement yesterday, announced it is back after a one-year hiatus. Would someone please define "back"? The NHL has been threatening to slip into minor-league status for years. Here in Chicago, it happened a long time ago.

They'd Rather Have a G8

Poverty activist (and part-time singer) Bono is cheering the decision of ("hearltless Republican") George W. Bush and other G8 leaders to double aid to poor nations and provide major debt relief. "If an Irish rock star can quote Churchill, this is not the end of extreme poverty, but it is the beginning of the end," the U2 singer said. I hope he's right, but without an end to Third World corruption and major worldview transformation in the poor regions of the world, we can expect to see lots more "Live Eight" concerts in the 21st century. While rich Western nations can help, poverty is ultimately the responsibility of the poor nations themselves.

Sterner Stuff

Let's hope the British are made of sterner stuff than the Spanish.

Two Faces of Ted

Ted Kennedy, the Democrats' liberal lion, is girding for a fight in the Senate over President Bush's choice to succeed the retiring Sandra Day O'Connor at the Supreme Court. Kennedy told the press the nominee can expect a grilling on how he or she might vote on specific issues. "As part of the confirmation process, the American people will reasonably expect those questions to be asked and the nominees to answer them," Kennedy said.

That's funny. In 1981, during confirmation hearings for O'Connor (who was overwhelmingly approved by both parties), Kennedy said that it was "offensive to suggest that a potential justice must pass the litmus test of any single-issue interest group."

Keep that in mind when the Democrats attempt to do just that. And they will.

Strict Constructionist

President Bush promises to choose a strict constructionist for the Supreme Court–someone who will faithfully interpret what the Constitution actually says and who will not legislate from the bench. Let's be realistic. If the president does nominate a true strict constructionist, someone who does not automatically bow to a "woman's right to choose," the Kennedys, Feinsteins, and Durbins of the Senate will go ballistic. Unless Bush betrays the people who put him in office, the liberals will scream bloody murder. If he's going to be hammered anyway, Bush better not go for a bunt single. It's time to swing for the fences.

Dylan

Joseph Edward Duncan III, 42, is being held on suspicion of kidnapping and other charges. He was found with the previously missing Shasta Groene, 8, in an Idaho Denny's. According to a wire service, Duncan, from Fargo, "is a violent sexual predator who has spent much of his adult life in prison." Still missing is Shasta's 9-year-old brother, Dylan, who is feared dead. If authorities indeed find that Dylan has been abused and murdered, authorities will be partly responsible. Why are people such as Duncan allowed to walk the streets? Something has to change.

Freedom

Freedom is not ultimate. What we do with our freedom is.

What's Important

Want to know what's important to you? Your schedule and your checkbook won't lie.

Don't Wobble

With the retirement of Sandra Day O'Connor, President Bush, fresh off a strong speech defending the need for the Iraq war, has to stick to his guns. If he thinks the Democrats have been vicious in their partisanship over Gitmo, just wait. If he keeps his campaign promise to nominate strict constructionists like Thomas and Scalia, he can expect Durbin, Kennedy, Pelosi, and Reid to scream that the sky is falling. If he flinches and names a moderate, he can expect the same from the conservatives who were key to his re-election. The war is key to his foreign policy legacy, but make no mistake: Judicial nominations are key to his domestic legacy. Like his father, the president needs someone like Thatcher to tell him, "Don't wobble, George."

The Fourth

With the Fourth of July weekend upon us, it's a great opportunity to spend time with family, grill some 'dogs, and attend a fireworks show. But let's not forget the men and women who've made our freedom possible. Express your appreciation to an American soldier or veteran, and say a prayer for those who are still far from home.