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But suppose for a moment that this has nothing to do with money. Perhaps TVC is truly upset about the possibility—however remote, or however dismissed by other prolife organizations—that the bill could make RU-486 more accessible, and came to that conclusion without selling its soul to the American pharmaceutical lobby. The problem with believing that, says Ponnuru, is that the lobbying group Pharmaceutical Research and Manufacturers of America has its fingerprints all over TVC's actions. "A set of TVC's talking points was written by a PhRMA lawyer, and a TVC letter to congressmen by a PhRMA lobbyist," he reveals. But TVC hasn't ever mentioned its connection with PhRMA in this battle.

TVC has never been on the A-list of prolife and profamily organizations, and has neither the clout nor the constituency of such groups as the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, or Concerned Women for America, to name a few. But this brewing scandal could mean its utter isolation from that community. Of course, if it's getting loads of money from business lobbies, Sheldon's group will probably survive even with harsh criticism from its supposed allies.

Mel Gibson's The Passion:

• Passion elicits unfair conflict | Any piece of pop culture that touches on serious religious themes inspires its share of controversy, but the noisy assaults on Mel Gibson's unfinished film The Passion, which describes the final 12 hours in the life of Jesus Christ, seem unfair and painfully premature (Michael Medved, USA Today)
  
  
• Stirring Passions | Gibson's film about Jesus raises Jews' fears (Newsday)
  
  
• Is Mel Gibson's film passion for Jesus misplaced? | Whatever Gibson's intentions, the film will be perceived as anti-Semitic, because the Christian Bible holds that Jesus was a Jewish prophet rejected and betrayed by his own people (Alex Beam, The Boston Globe)
  
  
• Mel Gibson's Washington Power Play | Gibson yesterday screened a two-hour rough cut of "The Passion" for a select group of Washington pundits, clergymen, cybergossip Matt Drudge and Hollywood lobbyist Jack Valenti, and at least one White House staffer (Lloyd Grove, The Washington Post)
  
  
• Mad Mel | An inside look at Mel Gibson's anti-historical, anti-intellectual, anti-Semitic film about the crucifixion (Paula Fredriksen, The New Republic)
  
  

Politics and law:

• Eased gun law caught in Minnesota crossfire | Churches are fighting a Minnesota law allowing guns in houses of worship (Chicago Tribune)
  
  
• Bush guides America's moral foundation | The shift from a foreign policy centered on "America's best interests" to doing what is right in the name of democracy, freedom and justice would have profound implications (Dennis Byrne, Chicago Tribune)
  
  
• Blue laws a burden for other faiths | The nation's blue laws have long required people of non-Christian faiths to adjust their lives to accommodate Sunday observances and laws (The News Journal, Wilmington, Del.)
  
  
• Berlusconi: Christianity in Constitution unlikely | "We will continue with this position, but seen realistically, I do not think that it will be accepted by the 25 EU member states", said the Italian Prime Minister (EU Observer)
  
  
• In changing the law of the land, six justices turned to its history | Some scholars contend that the legal prohibitions against same-sex sodomy derived from 20th-century prejudice, not the enduring attitudes of Western civilization (The New York Times)
  
  

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July (Web-only) 2003, Vol. 47