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Quote of the day. "We caused great damage and suffering to many nations during the war, especially to the people of Asia. We feel a deep regret, and we offer our sincere feelings of condolence to those who suffered and their families." Prime Minister Naoto Kan of Japan, at a ceremony marking the anniversary of the end of World War 2. (USA Today)
RELIGION IN THE NEWS
Obama Strongly Endorses Islam Center Near 9/11 Site "President Obama delivered a strong defense on Friday night of a proposed Muslim community center and mosque near ground zero in Manhattan, using a White House dinner celebrating Ramadan to proclaim that "as a citizen, and as president, I believe that Muslims have the same right to practice their religion as anyone else in this country."
Obama Enters Debate With Mosque Remarks "In brief comments during a family trip to the Gulf of Mexico, Mr. Obama said he was not endorsing the New York project, but simply trying to uphold the broader principle that government should "treat everybody equally," regardless of religion."
Obama's mosque duty (Michael Gerson, Washington Post) "But the view from the Oval Office differs from the view from a keyboard. A president does not merely have opinions; he has duties to the Constitution and to the citizens he serves -- including millions of Muslim citizens. His primary concern is not the sifting of sensitivities but the protection of the American people and the vindication of their rights."
Salvador Church condemns violence "The Catholic Church in El Salvador has asked the authorities to step up their fight against a spate of violent murders in the country."
God and immigration reform (Richard Land, USA Today) "We are a nation of immigrants - whether our ancestors came early or late. As Americans, we should always have room in our country for those who are willing to embrace the American dream and the ideals that both inspired that dream and define it. The time to forge a fair, just and compassionate consensus on this issue is now."
Enter Christianity (James Carroll, Boston Globe) "Judaism and Islam developed with only marginal reference to Christianity, but Christianity's evolution has been entangled with the two other monotheisms - as essential foils. That has nowhere been more evident than in the Middle East."
NEWS AT HOME
Immigration. Activists Take Fight on Immigration to Border "Hundreds of Tea Party activists converged on the border fence here in what is typically a desolate area popular with traffickers to rally for conservative political candidates and to denounce what they called lax federal enforcement of immigration laws." Obama Signs Border Bill to Increase Surveillance "President Obama signed into law a $600 million bill on Friday to pay for 1,500 new border agents, additional unmanned surveillance drones and new Border Patrol stations along the southwest border." Will $600 million border bill help Obama sway GOP on immigration reform? "President Obama signed a $600 million border protection bill Friday. Does that mean comprehensive immigration legislation has a better chance of passing?" Utah straddling a new line on illegal residents "Just weeks ago, Utah seemed destined to become the next state to draw a rigid line against illegal immigration.
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