To the Point

Bush, The Church and The State

While President Bush hasn't suggested that government be replaced by charities, he has welcomed them as partners, inviting churches, synagogues, and mosques to deliver government services. This "faith-based initiative" has sparked fear about the sanctity of the separation between church and state. It's also generated concern about red tape, demands for accountability, and the development of an audit-mentality. We examine the problematic mix of "soup, soap and salvation" with directors of religious and secular charities, public policy makers and analysts. Newsmaker: Capitol Round Up - Attorney General John Ashcroft, who was confirmed yesterday, was President Bush's most controversial cabinet nominee. David Corn, of the liberal Nation magazine, says that Democratic would not have been so "supportive" had his been a lifetime court appointment. Reporter's Notebook: A Therapeutic "State of Ecstasy" The party-drug Ecstasy has generated alarm about adverse consequences, including death, but used in moderation with plenty of liquids, it is neither addictive nor harmful, and accounts of its use parallel those of "born-again" experiences. Drug-policy reformer Ethan Nadelmann says that Ecstasy may even have some therapeutic uses after all.