Cal Thomas

It was the pictures and riveting testimony that convinced a Philadelphia jury that abortion doctor Kermit Gosnell was guilty of murdering three infants born alive following botched late-term abortions and also guilty of the involuntary manslaughter of Karnamaya Mongar, who overdosed on Demerol during an abortion at Dr. Gosnell's clinic. How ironic that the Gosnell decision was delivered the day after Mother's Day. The two-month trial has reignited the abortion debate. But while many states have managed to impose some restrictions on abortion clinics, establish informed consent laws, and in some cases require a woman to view a sonogram before aborting an unborn child, abortion on demand for almost any reason and at most stages of pregnancy remains legal in every state.

Since the Motown sound went silent -- except on oldies stations -- and General Motors and Chrysler (but not Ford) required life support from Washington, there has been little to recommend Detroit, Mich., to visitors, much less its residents. The recent conviction of Kwame Kilpatrick, the former mayor of Detroit, on multiple charges, including racketeering, fraud and extortion, adds another insult to the city's injury, increasing its misery. During the mid-20th century, Detroit was a vibrant city with a population of almost 2 million.

An unsigned and undated Justice Department white paper, obtained by NBC News, reports The New York Times, "... is the most detailed analysis yet to come into public view regarding the Obama legal team's views about the lawfulness of killing, without a trial, an American citizen who executive branch officials decide is an operational leader of Al Qaeda or one of its allies. " The proviso is they must pose "an imminent threat of violent attack against the United States. " If "an informed, high-level official" of the government decides they are a threat, the paper says, and if capture is not feasible, they may be killed.

In 1998, when President Bill Clinton signed the bipartisan Internet Tax Freedom Act, which prohibited state and local taxation of Internet access and Internet-only services, the purpose was to promote the commercial potential of the Internet, especially for start-ups and small businesses. Congress extended the bill three times, the latest until 2014. Now there's the Marketplace Fairness Act, which, writes The Washington Post, "would allow states and local governments to require large Internet retailers and other 'remote sellers' with sales over $1 million annually to collect sales taxes and send the revenue to the appropriate location.

It isn't what the owner of Chick-fil-A says that makes me never want to eat at his fast food restaurants ("Crowds flock to Chick-fil-A to back owner on marriage," Aug. 2). As far as I'm concerned, he can spout off hate speech at gays, Jews, African-Americans, or anyone else he wants. That's his business to be as rude or as ignorant as he wants, and the appropriate response is just to not listen to his nonsense. This is still America, after all. What I do not condone, however, is that Dan Cathy will take my money that I would spend on his "food" and donate some of it to hate groups who are intent on denying gay people their equal rights as Americans.

The Sun's editorial board commits the same sin they attribute to conservatives: selective editing of Dr. Ben Carson's speech and the reaction thereto ("The Carson Monologue" Feb 12). Did not Cal Thomas, a conservative icon, come out with a demand that Dr. Carson apologize to the president? The Sun piece made no mention. To quote from the great doctor's speech: "Enough said. " Did not Dr. Carson himself establish that six doctors signed the Declaration of Independence? The Sun piece made no mention.

ARLINGTON, Va. -- Which of the following scenarios constitutes cruel and unusual punishment, as prohibited by the Eighth Amendment to the Constitution: (1) aborting a baby with a fully developed nervous system and probably inflicting great pain; (2) killing a nightclub manager in cold blood; (3) taking 34 minutes - twice the normal time - to execute the killer of the nightclub manager? Anti-death-penalty forces want us to believe No. 3. They claim the Dec. 13 execution in Florida of Angel Nieves Diaz took too long and required a second injection, thus violating the Eighth Amendment.

ARLINGTON, VA. -- The effort by some cable TV hosts and ministers to force commercial establishments into wishing everyone a "Merry Christmas" might be more objectionable to the one who is the reason for the season than the "Happy Holidays" mantra required by some store managers. I have never understood why so many Christians feel the need to see and hear "Merry Christmas" proclaimed to them at stores by people who might not believe its central message. While TV personalities, junk mail letters and some of the ordained bemoan the increasing secularization of culture, perhaps some teaching might be helpful from the one in whose behalf they claim to speak.

Two QuestionsJohns Hopkins University's dilemma with the Reserve Officers' Training Corps and the latest development in the gays in the military issue raises two questions.Why is a prestigious private university the recipient of and dependent on so large a sum of tax money, and why is a vocal minority, whose commonality is a chosen life style, dictating both university and government policy?It would seem there is one more place the Congress should look to, questioning the justification of spending our money.

Ending HungerI am very concerned about the limited attention and visibility that leaders and middle-class people in this country lend to the issue of ending world hunger.The Senate Foreign Operations Subcommittee is planning to run child survival activities and basic education programs at the 1992 financial level in 1993.With over 250,000 children dying every week from preventable causes induced by lack of food, I don't see how we can possibly make a change without an increase in this appropriation.