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...Church has never been a model of candor or transparency. Compare it to the Chinese government, however, and the Vatican can start to look downright forthcoming. In what may be Rome's strongest public push to normalize relations with China, Pope Benedict XVI has sent a 55-page open letter to Chinese Catholics that essentially lays all the Vatican's diplomatic cards on the table. The initial response from Beijing, meanwhile, has been terse and predictably cryptic...
...Church ultimately cannot cede its authority in the standoff over who appoints Catholic bishops. Benedict says that the Pope's prerogative to choose his deputies "touches the very heart of the life of the Church - the guarantee of the unity of the Church and of hierarchical communion." Still, the letter, which was released over the weekend, repeatedly extends olive branches to Beijing. Benedict acknowledges that progress has been made on religious freedom, and on the "delicate" issue of bishop selection, says that "it is understandable that governmental authorities are attentive to the choice of those who will carry...
...Before the Texas bill was signed earlier this month on an Austin sound stage, the MPAA urged Gov. Rick Perry in a letter to veto the legislation. "Motion pictures made in the United States are the most popular form of entertainment worldwide because filmmakers are free to tell stories on film without fear of government censorship." Perry dismissed such concerns, saying censorship was "not going to happen" in Texas. But Stevenson warns that the caveat will backfire and hurt the Texas' effort to woo back film business it has been losing to other states, which have passed more generous...
...filmmakers, however, are so understanding, and the MPAA believes the film incentives will ultimately end up in court. While the MPAA is not planning a lawsuit, in its letter to Gov. Perry the industry group cited a long list of appellate cases supporting their position. David Kendall, the noted First Amendment attorney with the Washington-based firm Williams and Connolly, said the Texas law is not only vague, but may run afoul of First Amendment protections. "I think if the state benefit is conditional or can be revoked, it is plainly unconstitutional since the First Amendment prevents content discrimination," Kendall...
...Bush's letter will do little to placate those who suspect a cover-up. On Capitol Hill investigations continue into the matter. In a recent deposition at the House Committee on government oversight, staffers asked Karl Rove's former executive assistant what she knew about the Valerie Plame leak case. After a little thought, the assistant, Susan Ralston, said she had a "vague recollection that [Rove] and Scooter Libby talked about this subject often." Comments like that only strengthen the impression that Libby's obstruction of justice - and Bush's commutation - have left important questions unanswered in the case...