Now some fresh pickings from the Political Grapevine:
According to Scripture
Biblical scholars are challenging House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's continued use of what she characterizes as a Bible verse to support her push for global warming legislation.
Pelosi said in her Earth Day press release Tuesday, "The Bible tells us in the Old Testament, 'To minister to the needs of God's creation is an act of worship. To ignore those needs is to dishonor the God who made us.' "
She has quoted the same passage on several other occasions. But Cybercast News reports several experts say the passage does not exist and does not appear to be a paraphrase of something similar.
Claude Mariottini, professor of Old Testament at Northern Baptist Theologial Seminary, calls it "fictional," saying, "It is not in the Bible. There is nothing that even approximates that."
Rev. Andreas Hock from St. John Vianney Seminary says, "The quote does not exist in the Old Testament, neither in the New Testament. Even in pieces or bits, [it] cannot be found in the Old Testament."
Pelosi’s office did not respond to our request for a comment.
Overrated?
A newly released survey of climate scientists reveals that while a majority believes humans contribute to global warming, a majority also feels that climate change is not the planetary emergency some global warming activists claim.
The survey for George Washington University of nearly 500 scientists belonging to accredited organizations found only 41 percent felt global warming poses very great danger in the next 50 to 100 years. Forty-four percent rate it as only moderately dangerous -- 13 percent see relatively little danger.
One thing virtually of them agrees on: They do not trust the media. Only 1 percent rated either broadcast or cable news about climate change as "very reliable."
He Said, She Said
Jimmy Carter says Secretary of State Rice is wrong to say the State Department advised him against going to the Middle East and asked him not to speak to leaders of the terror group Hamas as he did last week. It appears Carter is right.
Carter did have a conversation with Assistant Secretary of State David Welch before he left. This is how Welch describes their exchange to National Public Radio: "We had a professional and pleasant conversation. I did counsel him about my concerns about Hamas... our concern was, 'What's the benefit?'"
Based on that, Carter's assertion that no one at the State Department ever actually told him not to go or even urged him not to meet with Hamas seems to be correct.
Technology Gap
When several White House aides emerged from a meeting in New Orleans this week during the president's summit with the Canadian and Mexican leaders, they could not find the BlackBerries they had left outside the room. Secret Service agents reviewed videotape and found that a Mexican press attaché pilfered the electronic devices and then took off.
The man — whose first name is Rafael — made it all the way to the airport where the Mexican president was preparing to leave. The agents caught up with him and forced him to give back the BlackBerries.
"Rafael" first denied taking them, then said he took the devices accidentally and claimed diplomatic immunity. He was allowed to leave and there is no word whether Mexican authorities will take any disciplinary measures against him.
— FOX News Channel's Martin Hill contributed to this report.
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