VOM, Ethiopia:

On January 8, the homes of three Christian families were burned by Muslims in the village of Begge. Even though the family belongings were burnt, no one was injured in the attack. At last report, the police had not yet investigated the incident or taken any action to bring the arsonists to justice. In the same area, 10 Christian youths have been living in a church building in Begge three months after fleeing from their homes. They were chased from their homes after their families threatened to execute them for converting from Islam. In a separate incident, a Christian man was killed by an unknown person in the town of Kofele. The father of five was hit on the head with a metal iron rod. His family believes he was killed by Muslims, since the Kofele area is dominated by Muslims. Pray God will comfort this brother's family in their grief. Ask God to encourage the Christian families who are homeless, so they can have deep assurance of God's love in the midst of tough times.

Keeping a finger on the Caedmon's pulse. "There's a stirring..."

I love political satire: LVMI just posted this livid-libertarian gem that is actually written very entertainingly.

AU is criticizing Bush's proposal for school vouchers:

Republicans leaped to their feet at the mention of “school choice” for parents across the country, while Democrats applauded politely, clearly bristling at the thought of diverting desperately needed funds away from public schools.

Supporters of church-state separation have reason to bristle, too. Vouchers are not just a way to get kids out of failing schools, as advocates claim; they effectively force taxpayers to finance religious indoctrination and discrimination. ....

For example, approximately 1,800 D.C. students currently receive up to $7,500 to attend the private or charter school of their choice. Two participating schools are the Blessed Sacrament School and the Islamic Saudi Academy. A quick glance at these schools’ Web sites shows how much their curricula are infused with religion.

AU is totally missing the point. The government is not specifically endorsing religious education: it is merely equalizing the subsidization it has already introduced; namely, that state-funded education be accessible to the entire population. To allow parents and students to choose their own preferred educational establishment does not endanger the separation of church and state.

Education Vouchers are an idea that Milton Friedman continuously advocated as a means to give students and parents more leverage in the education market. They seem to make complete libertarian sense.

Whether government-sponsored education is a good idea in the first place is an entirely separate discussion.

Garrett has revamped his blog pretty drastically: check it out.