OUR COLUMNISTS The Antidote to the 'Dan Rathers' Commentary by Matt Friedeman If we're not supposed to whine about the leftist bias in the media, what are we to do? Here are some practical suggestions that just about anybody can do. Sex Education: Spinning the Truth Commentary by Jane Jimenez While much ink in the popular press is devoted to writing about abstinence, much of the truth about abstinence only exists "between the lines." Family Affair Commentary by Brad Locke True relationships are founded on humility, sacrificial kindness and constant encouragement. Such relationships are found in a perhaps unexpected place -- NASCAR. Close Only Counts in Horseshoes and Quoits Commentary by David Sisler It is time once again to examine one of the greatest words in sports -- close. Or almost! Ah, it's a game of inches. If only. State-Operated Lotteries: The Sleaze Factor Commentary by Mark Creech The business of government is to suppress evil, not to supervise it. Yet the argument often made in favor of state-operated lotteries is that the vice of gambling can be managed and made into something virtuous for the public. Hogwash!!!

...One Texas lawmaker feels the "bumpin' and grindin'" by cheerleaders -- often at the encouragement and direction of their adult mentors -- is contrary to what parents want their children to learn, so he has introduced a measure he hopes will bring to an end "sexually suggestive" performances at high school, middle school, and elementary athletic events. Democrat Al Edwards, who has been a member of the Texas House for more than 25 years, wants to pull education funds from school districts that encourage such performances. "It's just too sexually oriented ... the way they're shaking their behinds and going on, breaking it down," Edwards tells Associated Press. "And then we say to them, 'Don't get involved in sex unless it's marriage or love, it's dangerous out there' -- and yet the teachers and directors are helping them go through those kind of gyrations." Such routines, he says, send the wrong message to teenagers. "I think it should have been cut out a long time ago," he says. "It surely needs to be toned down." According to the AP report, the lawmaker from Houston filed the bill after witnessing several "ribald performances" in his district. [Jody Brown]

...The entrepreneurial spirit of a ministry founder has garnered him the recognition of Beta Gamma Sigma, the national business honor society. Dr. Don Schoendorfer, who founded the Free Wheelchair Mission, has developed what the ministry describes as "the most rugged and cost-effective wheelchairs in existence." The design incorporates a $3 plastic lawn chair, two mountain bike tires, and a frame constructed of steel conduit -- for a total cost (including distribution) of less than $42. Through the ministry, more than 23,000 of the wheelchairs have been shipped to 33 countries, providing mobility for the physically disabled poor in those locales. Schoendorfer was recognized earlier this month by Beta Gamma Sigma for that work, receiving the group's 2005 Medallion for Entrepreneurship. A national spokesman for honor society said Schoendorfer and his ministry exhibit "an outstanding example of what it is to be an inventive humanitarian." Free Wheelchair Mission has distributed wheelchairs for free to disabled individuals in countries such as India, Iraq, Peru, China, Angola, and Afghanistan. [Jody Brown]

...A Jewish author says it isn't anti-Semitic to note that Jesus was handed over to the Romans for crucifixion by Jewish leaders. In his new book -- Why the Jews Rejected Jesus: The Turning Point in Western History -- David Klinghoffer quotes the Talmud, which says that "on the eve of Passover they hung Yeshu (Jesus)" on charges that he "performed magic, enticed and led astray Israel." The Talmud also claims that Mary conceived Jesus in adultery and that Jesus suffers eternal punishment. But Klinghoffer says fear of Christian persecution caused Jews centuries ago to relegate such materials to footnotes in tiny type or delete them altogether. Anyway, he says, the real dispute between Jews and Christians concerns whether Jesus was Israel's messiah and the Son of God who properly exercised authority to reinterpret divine law. [AP]

...A spokesman for a conservative black organization says the recent defection of one of Jesse Jackson's former lieutenants is just another sign that the liberal black activist's influence is waning. Charles Farrell headed up the sports division of Jackson's Rainbow/PUSH Coalition before being told in January that his services were no longer needed. So Farrell recently began organizing former Jackson affiliates into his own minority sports division. Farrell told Cybercast News that a lot of people are fed up with Jackson. David Almasi, a spokesman for Project 21 -- a national network of black conservative leaders -- says even liberals like Farrell have grown wary of Jackson's methods. "Jesse Jackson certainly, over the years, has been able to participate in what Ken Timmerman calls a 'shakedown' in his book on Jesse Jackson," Almasi says. "I think over the last couple of months, with what's happened at the New York Stock Exchange and this thing with Charles Farrell leaving the organization to basically start up his own organization, shows an erosion in Jackson's once incredibly large stature." Almasi contends Farrell's departure is clearly an indication that Jackson is losing favor within the black business community. [Chad Groening]

...An Iowa congressman is skeptical that anything positive will come out of Wednesday's meeting between President Bush and Mexican President Vicente Fox. The meeting in Texas will also include Canadian Prime Minister Paul Martin. The White House says the three leaders will discuss ways to strengthen North America's common security and enhance peoples' common prosperity. But Iowa Congressman Steve King says in the past that means benefits for Mexico -- and nothing for the U.S. "It does seem that every time the president sits down with Vicente Fox, we begin conducting the policy of Mexico with regard to immigration and trade with Mexico in the border disputes that we have." And King says he expects Bush will discuss a totalization agreement with the Mexican president. "Every indication from the administration has been towards allowing earned income for illegals. If they were in the United States illegally, earning money illegally, sending that to a false Social Security number, most any kind of record will do if you work here, we can't track your individual contributions, but we'll just give you your retirement benefits and send the check to Mexico City." King says a totalization program could send billions of dollars there if Congress is not able to put a stop to the program. [Chad Groening]

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