assassination plot foiled

A plot to assassinate the Danish cartoonist who drew an image of muhammad that was published in newspapers was stopped when three men (one Danish citizen of Moroccan origin and two Tunisians) were arrested. There was unrest in Denmark consisting of burning schools and cars. This might have been caused by the reprinting of the cartoons which was done in solidarity of the cartoonists.

you can't always get what you want

Huckabee supporters pray for deaths of leaders of Americans United for Separation of Church and State. There is a new word I learned from this story: imprecatory prayer is prayer for the misfortune of others. The pastor that made the call is being investigated by the IRS for endorsing Mike Huckabee because under tax exemption status, churches are not allowed to endorse candidates for election. Should churches lose their tax exempt status when they ask god to smite their enemies? Of course, when the Baptist Press reports on the story, they leave off a bit of what the rest of us find quite hypocritical.

islam is not oppressive to women and journalists (just don't kill me)

A journalist has been sentenced to death in Afghanistan under sharia law for downloading a report that says that islamic fundamentalists use the Koran to justify oppression of women. Apparently he did nothing more than read the document and for that he was sentenced to death.

Grisham calls baptist convention intolerant, then is labeled as "negative"

John Grisham was a voice of tolerance, anti-war, and anti-poverty at a baptist convention. His speech was then labeled as "negative" by the reporter.

How strange that the reporter in question picked out such positive aspects of the speech, such as
* Baptists should be inclusive rather 'proudly intolerant' (e.g. excluding women)
* should use the mission of the ministry to raise children out of poverty
* oppose the Iraq war

and then call the speech negative.