Bush May Pick Prochoice Running Mate

Bush seems open to prochoice running mate

Two weeks ago, Focus on the Family president James Dobson appeared on ABC’s This Week, and told Sam Donaldson, “George Bush cannot and will not be the next president of the United States if he doesn’t energize his base. … I am warning him on the abortion issue.” On Sunday, Bush responded on the same program. “I get all kinds of advice on this subject,” he said. “And I appreciate Mr. Dobson’s advice, and I appreciate his interest in my candidacy, but I get advice from all quarters. And I’m going to pick somebody who can be president of the United States and somebody with whom I can get along. … I haven’t ruled anybody out.” When Donaldson again noted, “But [Dobson] says you can’t get elected if you don’t have a strong pro-life running mate,” Bush responded. “I get all kinds of interesting advice.”

Twenty more killed in Moluccas fighting

Fighting broke out in the streets again Saturday night. By the time it was over Sunday morning, seven Christians and 13 Muslims were dead, including a pregnant mother and her daughter.

India’s Hindus on conversion campaign

Leaders from the Hindu Vaishnavite group say they have converted seven Christian families in the northeastern state of Assam back to Hinduism, and plan to convert dozens more. Meanwhile, a meeting between Christian and Hindu leaders in the country has been postponed indefinitely.

Search for Madalyn Murray O’Hair’s remains turns up nothing

In the third search for the bodies of the famed atheist and two of her children since April 1999, the FBI was unable to acquire any new evidence. Though the FBI says it was “acting on new information,” spokesman Darren Holmes added, “Obviously I can’t disclose the source of the (new) information but we’ll remain diligent in our search for the O’Hairs’ whereabouts.”

No Harry Potter at CBA, reports Religion News Service

“With the biggest publishing event in decades unwinding around them, complete with adoring media and unprecedented customer demand for a hot new book, thousands of Christian booksellers opted out of the Harry Potter whirlwind for reasons of conscience and faith, leaving secular bookstores to reap the profits,” writes Bruce Nolan of Religion News Service about the Christian Booksellers Association convention. What? RNS seems to be missing one small point: J.K. Rowling’s latest isn’t a Christian book. Forget the debate over whether the Harry Potter series is evil. It’s just not CBA material—not by any stretch of the imagination. Does Nolan think that just because Barnes & Noble carries the Left Behind series that Family Christian Stores should pick up Danielle Steel? Perhaps someone should “leak” to Mr. Nolan that “Christian booksellers are leaving secular bookstores to reap the profits” of Tom Clancy, Michael Crichton, and those Oprah Book Club selections, too.

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