Ed Stoffel

Church leaders often comment on societal matters because Christian teaching speaks on such topics. But Senator Obama blames conservatives for creating divisions by challenging society on social issues that concern the church:

Speaking to one of the nation's most liberal Protestant denominations, the United Church of Christ, Mr. Obama said, "Faith got hijacked, partly because of the so-called leaders of the Christian Right, all too eager to exploit what divides us." The senator went on to say that, "faith stopped being used to bring us together and started being used to drive us apart," and that evangelical leaders are to blame.

It remains unclear why liberal churches are allowed to speak on social issues, but conservatives are not.

 Obama's Religion, NY Sun

 Obama says some have 'hijacked' faith, Boston Globe

Traditional television is struggling to hang on to an audience, as more and more turn to the internet. That's where the audience can get what they want, when they want it, without filters. There's plenty of commentary too, not just one view like the mainstream media dispenses...

Over the next four years, it is thought that the number of videos watched over the internet will quadruple, with people moving from short clips to hour-long programmes. Broadband companies claim that the service will cause "traffic jams", which will cost millions of pounds to sort out and that customers will ultimately end up paying the bill. But Vint Cerf, who helped to build the internet, dismissed the warnings as "scare tactics", saying that critics had predicted 20 years ago that the net would collapse when people all around the world started to use it en masse.

  TV is dying, says Google expert, Telegraph

Brooke makes the news as she battles an unfair law in the Commonwealth of Virginia. Recently passed legislation hits drivers twice, piling on Virginia's new "abuser fees" on top of existing scheduled fines. The new law also only affects Virginia residents. The new law violates the 5th and 14th Amendments of the U.S. Constitution, disregarding principles of equal protection and double jeopardy... equal protection because Virginia citizens are charged while non-Virginia residents are not, and double jeopardy because Virginia citizens are penalized twice for the same charge.

The case was complicated by the fact that her attorney wears multiple hats in Warren County, also serving on the town council. On Tuesday, the case was dismissed nol-pros but they may refile under Virginia code without citing the town code.

Ben Orcutt of the Northern Virginia Daily writes:

What was supposed to be a case testing the constitutionality of the controversial civil penalty fees for traffic violations was dropped Tuesday in Warren County General District Court. Brooke - was charged with reckless driving on July 24 by Front Royal police officer Donald Orye... [Brooke] retained the services of Front Royal attorney Thomas H. Sayre, - [who] filed a motion with the court asking that the civil penalties in state law, which had been adopted by the Town Council in April, be declared unconstitutional, and that they constitute double jeopardy and violate the equal protection clause of the U.S. Constitution because they apply to Virginia residents only...

Town Attorney Thomas R. Robinett, who usually prosecutes traffic violations written under town code, had filed a motion with the court asking that the case be amended to a state violation so it could be prosecuted by the commonwealth's attorney's office. "While continuing with this prosecution may not be technically forbidden by the Virginia State Bar, Counsel for the Town simply does not feel comfortable with opposing a sitting Town Council Member in open Court," Robinett says in his motion...

Update  Va. GOP Proposes Bad-Driver Law Overhaul, Washington Post

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