Atrios:

Another fine Republican bigot, who believes his religious freedom involves using the apparatus of the state and the military to force his religion onto others.

What happened:

During a debate today surrounding an amendment by Rep. David Obey (D-WI) to fully examine allegations of proselytizing and religious intolerance at the United States Air Force Academy, six-term Republican Rep. John Hostettler (IN) rose to assert that "Democrats can't help denigrating and demonizing Christians."

Let's end the proselytizing by the radical right. It has no place in Congress - or at the Air Force Academy.

by TChris

Congress told TSA not to collect personal data on air travelers, and TSA said it wouldn't. TSA lied.

A Transportation Security Administration contractor used three data brokers to collect detailed information about U.S. citizens who flew on commercial airlines in June 2004 in order to test a terrorist screening program called Secure Flight, according to documents that will be published in the Federal Register this week.

The contractor, EagleForce Associates, then combined the passenger name records with commercial data from three contractors that included first, last and middle names, home address and phone number, birthdate, name suffix, second surname, spouse first name, gender, second address, third address, ZIP code and latitude and longitude of address. EagleForce then produced CD-ROMS containing the information "and provided those CD-ROMS to TSA for use in watch list match testing," the documents said.

The Bush Administration once again shows its disdain for states' rights and civil liberties:

The U.S. federal government is prosecuting four Catholic peace activists from Ithaca, N.Y., after a state court jury refused to convict them last year for their antiwar protest at a local U.S. military recruiting station. The federal charges made against the activists include “conspiracy to impede an officer of the United States,” a crime punishable by up to six years in prison and a fine of $250,000.

“The federal government is clearly trying to make an example of these people and to intimidate future nonviolent protestors by charging these folks with conspiracy,” said Bill Quigley, a law professor at Loyola University, New Orleans, and an advising attorney for the activists.

[hat tip Peter G.]

The autopsy results on Terri Schiavo are in: No abuse was shown. She was blind. No evidence of an eating disorder was shown. Crooks and Liars has a roundup of blogger reaction.

Think Progress notes Sen. Bill Frist's erroneous diagnosis.

Mike Ditto writes about a brainwashing summer camp for gay kids in Tennessee. This 16 year old attendee is writing a blog from the camp, and he's none too pleased. He says his parents lied to him and it's worse than boot camp. Go read, before they make him take it down.

Update: Mike Ditto says the kid's blog was written just before he went to the camp.

by TChris

A professor who has been under contract since 2000 to study traffic stop data in Riverside, California has never concluded that Riverside police engage in racial profiling. Some question his methodology, which he admits to be flawed, and others find evidence of racial profiling in data about vehicle searches.

One area that is easier to study, [Prof. David] Harris said, is vehicle searches. "It's a very good measure of how police officers decide to use their discretion," he said. If the search data show hit rates that are low for blacks and high for whites, he explained, that could mean that racial profiling is happening. The "hit rate" refers to the percentage of searches that uncover illegal activity. Gaines' report shows a 10.8 percent hit rate for whites and a 7.9 percent hit rate for blacks.

Whether or not the data signifies racial profiling, it's revealing to learn that 9 out of 10 times the Riverside police invade a motorist's privacy by searching a vehicle, they find nothing to support their suspicion of criminal behavior.

TChris wrote earlier this morning about religious intolerance in the military, and particularly at the Air Force Academy. The Academy's Superintendent finally has come out and confirmed that the intolerance "permeates" the Academy. Speaking to the Anti-Defamation League in Denver yesterday,

The superintendent of the Air Force Academy acknowledged to leaders of a national Jewish group Friday that religious intolerance permeates the military school. "As a commander, I know I have problems in my cadet wing," Lt. Gen. John Rosa said at a meeting of the Anti-Defamation League's executive committee. "I have issues in my staff, and I have issues in my faculty — and that's my whole organization."

While the University of Colorado decides the career fate of embattled Ethnic Studies Professor Ward Churchill, the Rocky Mountain News has spent the past two months unearthing every possible fact, rumor and innuendo about the Professor. Beginning today, having played Inquisitor, Judge and Jury, without benefit of cross-examination by Churchill, they are presenting their findings in a five part series. Part One of the five part series is online here. The tag to the headline of the paper edition reads :

A News investigation of the charges before a CU panel reveals strong evidence of possible misconduct by the professor. (our emphasis.)

Shorter version: We think he lied his a** off, but we can't prove it and we don't want to be sued by his lawyer, David Lane.

Today's articles examine the "Eichman" statement. Tomorrow's issue:

by TChris

Sensitivity be damned. This is a blatant appeal to right wing voters, without regard to the ugly message it sends to those who view the Confederate flag as a symbol of the struggle for white supremacy.

Missouri's governor has ordered that the Confederate flag be flown tomorrow at a state cemetery where former rebel soldiers were buried, a move denounced by black leaders.

Confederate flags had flown daily at the Higginsville site and the Fort Davidson State Historic Site in Pilot Knob until they were ordered down in January 2003 by Democratic Governor Bob Holden's administration. [Gov.] Blunt has supported legislation, which failed to come to a vote this year, that would have allowed the state park board to decide whether the Confederate flag should fly over Missouri's historical gravesites. The bill was opposed by many black lawmakers.

by TChris

The First Amendment's Establishment Clause prohibits government from favoring one religion over another, and from promoting religion generally. That constitutional requirement applies to the military just as it applies to all other branches of government. As a Washington Post editorial notes today, it's disturbing to learn that an Air Force Academy chaplain urged cadets to convert classmates "by warning that they 'will burn in the fires of hell' if they do not accept Christ."

During basic training, freshman cadets who decline to attend after-dinner chapel are marched back to their dormitories in "heathen flights" organized by upperclassmen. A Jewish student is taunted as a Christ killer and told that the Holocaust was the just punishment for that offense. The academy's head football coach posts a banner in the locker room that proclaims, "I am a Christian first and last. . . . I am a member of Team Jesus Christ."

First and foremost, government officials and employees are part of Team America -- a team that is equally open to all religious beliefs. The Pentagon contends that it has addressed the problem of religious intolerance by appointing a task force, but the Post questions whether the task force conducted its investigation in good faith.

by TChris

Racial and religious hatred breeds in an intolerant climate, and tolerance has been a limited commodity in the United States in recent years. As shocking as they should be, these sad incidents in San Jose come as no surprise:

Eight of the lawns had swastikas burned into them, including those of at least two homes with Jewish residents. A racial epithet had been burned into the lawn of a home whose residents are black, [Deputy] Helm said.

Hatred of racial and religious groups is an ongoing problem that receives too little public attention.

"Unfortunately, it is rearing its ugly head," [NAACP of San Jose president] Callender said. "Just because you don’t hear about it doesn’t mean it’s not happening."

Earl Ofari Huchinson, writing at the Huffington Post, explains why Emmett Till's case still matters. I agree with him, and I also think the dedication of filmmaker Keith Beauchamp should receive greater attention. Without the film, I don't believe the case would ever have been reopened.

Blaghdaddy disagrees with the exhumation of Mr. Till's body, and the re-opening of the case, using graphic language that would trigger the alarm bells of censor software used by law firms and get TalkLeft banned, but feel free to argue with him over there.

All of TalkLeft's Emmett Till coverage is accessible here.