March 23, 2016


News Clips For The Day


http://www.cnn.com/2016/03/23/europe/brussels-belgium-attacks-what-we-know/index.html

Here's what we know about the Brussels terror attacks
By Tim Hume and Tiffany Ap, CNN
Updated 1:12 PM ET, Wed March 23, 2016

Photograph -- Brussels under attack 00:59
See also video interviews and multiple photographs


(CNN)Thirty-one people were killed and 270 injured when terrorists struck Brussels' airport and the city's Maelbeek metro station Tuesday morning, in attacks subsequently claimed by ISIS.

Belgian authorities say two of the four attackers have been identified. Khalid and Ibrahim El Bakraoui, Belgian brothers known to authorities for their track record of violent offenses, carried out two of the suicide attacks, authorities say: the former in the metro, and the latter at the airport.

Two other airport attackers remain unidentified: one of them a suicide bomber, and another who left the airport after placing a bomb at the scene, which exploded without causing any casualties.

He is among a number of those involved in the plot who remain on the run and are considered dangerous, Belgium officials warned Wednesday.

Two people are being held by police in relation to the attacks -- one arrested Tuesday in the Schaerbeek district of Brussels and another Wednesday in Anderlecht. Authorities have released no details on the individuals.

Here's what we know so far:

The attacks

Airport: At 7:58 a.m. local time, two suicide bombers struck the departure lounge of Brussels Airport in Zaventem about 37 seconds apart, killing at least 10 people.

Brussels: Through the eyes of survivors 01:58

One blast took place outside the security checkpoints for ticketed passengers and near the airline check-in counters, according to an airline official briefed on the situation.

Van Leeuw said Wednesday that a third bomb, which he described as the "heaviest," had been left at the airport by a suspect who left the scene.

He said it exploded "a few moments after the bomb squad arrived" because the explosives were unstable, but no one had been injured "thanks to the professionalism of the authorities at the scene."

No guns or weapons were found at the airport, Van Leeuw said, contradicting earlier Belgian media reports that a Kalashnikov assault rifle was found.

Metro station: About an hour after the airport explosions, Khalid El Bakraoui, a Brussels-born 27-year-old, detonated a suicide bomb on the Brussels subway at the end of rush hour.

The bomber, who Van Leeuw said was identified by his fingerprints, was in the second car of the train at the Maelbeek metro station.

The station is in the heart of the city, where European Union institutions are based, making it a symbolic target for terrorists. NATO is also headquartered in Brussels.

The suspects

Belgian authorities released an image Tuesday of the three suspects believed to have carried out the airport attack.

The image, taken from surveillance footage, shows three men pushing luggage carts through the airport. In the center is Ibrahim El Bakraoui, 29, and on the picture's left, a similarly dressed suspect believed to have been the second suicide bomber at the airport.

Interpol had a standing "red notice" for Khalid El Bakraoui, saying Belgian authorities wanted him in connection with terrorism, CNN investigation found Wednesday. It's unclear when Interpol issued the notice.

Interpol does not appear to have a red notice for his brother Ibrahim. It did not respond immediately to CNN requests for more information.

Belgian authorities said Wednesday that they had not identified the second suicide bomber.

A third, also unidentified man in the picture is the suspect investigators say planted a bomb at the airport that later exploded without hurting anyone.

Authorities have launched a hunt for the man, pictured at the airport wearing a light-colored jacket and black hat.

The man is believed to have been a guide, charged with ensuring the others carried out the attacks, who then left the terminal, according to Van Leeuw and experts.

The Bakraoui brothers were known to Belgian authorities for their "lengthy criminal records," Van Leeuw said Wednesday.

A senior Belgian counterterrorism official has told CNN that investigators believe Salah Abdeslam likely planned to be part of an attack orchestrated by the same ISIS cell that carried out the Brussels attacks.

Abdeslam, who has been identified as the lone surviving member of the core group of eight militants who carried out November's Paris attacks, was arrested last week in Brussels.

Khalid El Bakraoui had used false identity papers to rent the apartment in the Forest district of Brussels which Abdeslam used as a safehouse in the wake of the Paris attacks until it was discovered by police last week -- a link that definitively tied the Paris and Brussels cells, the official said.

Investigators believe the cell accelerated the plan when Abdeslam was captured, the official said.

The will of Ibrahim El Bakraoui, found by investigators in the wake of the attacks, had expressed a concern that if he took "too long, he will end up with him in jail," Van Leeuw said Wednesday.

Belgian investigators believe the statement referred to Abdeslam, the senior counterterror official told CNN.

Raids

A taxi driver who took the three suspects to the airport told investigators that he picked them up at an address in Max Roos Street in the Brussels district of Schaerbeek, prompting a raid on an address there Tuesday that uncovered 15 kilograms of the explosive TATP, chemicals, a suitcase with nails and screws, an ISIS flag and other equipment meant to make explosives, Van Leeuw said.

Police searched two other addresses on the street and found nothing, but then found a computer containing the will of Ibrahim El Bakraoui in a trash can on the street, Van Leeuw said. The statement said he was "in a rush," "not knowing what to do," "being actively sought everywhere" and "not feeling safe," the prosecutor said.

He said Wednesday that police had arrested two people Tuesday -- one in Schaerbeek, who was still being interrogated, and another who had been released after questioning.
Police raids have continued in the Brussels area, and one on Wednesday in Anderlecht resulted in the arrest of an individual whose identity has not yet been released.

Belgian authorities said that, contrary to Belgian media reports, the indvidual arrested Wednesday morning was not Najim Laachraoui, recently identified as a suspect in the investigation into the Paris attacks.

Interpol has a red notice for Laachraoui, saying he is wanted for association with terrorists and the engineering of explosives.
It's unclear when the notice was posted.
. . . .
The backdrop

"The Belgians have been sitting on a ticking time bomb," one U.S. counterterrorism official said.

U.S. intelligence officials say they weren't surprised that Brussels was attacked, because there have been general concerns about terror threats, particularly after recent raids and the arrest of Abdeslam last week.

Belgium has been a top concern for counterterrorism officials for years because of the large number of Belgian foreign fighters who have traveled to join ISIS and other terror groups in Syria and Iraq -- more per capita than any other European Union country.
Many have been returning.

Last Friday, after more than four months on the run, Abdeslam was captured after being wounded in a gunfight with Belgian police in Molenbeek. Days later, Belgium and French authorities warned of more attacks.

After Tuesday's attacks, Belgian officials raised the country's terror threat warning to its highest level.

Belgium: Europe's front line in the war on terror



“Two other airport attackers remain unidentified: one of them a suicide bomber, and another who left the airport after placing a bomb at the scene, which exploded without causing any casualties. He is among a number of those involved in the plot who remain on the run and are considered dangerous, Belgium officials warned Wednesday. …. Khalid El Bakraoui had used false identity papers to rent the apartment in the Forest district of Brussels which Abdeslam used as a safehouse in the wake of the Paris attacks until it was discovered by police last week -- a link that definitively tied the Paris and Brussels cells, the official said. Investigators believe the cell accelerated the plan when Abdeslam was captured, the official said. …. A taxi driver who took the three suspects to the airport told investigators that he picked them up at an address in Max Roos Street in the Brussels district of Schaerbeek, prompting a raid on an address there Tuesday that uncovered 15 kilograms of the explosive TATP, chemicals, a suitcase with nails and screws, an ISIS flag and other equipment meant to make explosives, Van Leeuw said. Police searched two other addresses on the street and found nothing, but then found a computer containing the will of Ibrahim El Bakraoui in a trash can on the street, Van Leeuw said. The statement said he was "in a rush," "not knowing what to do," "being actively sought everywhere" and "not feeling safe," the prosecutor said. …. Interpol has a red notice for Laachraoui, saying he is wanted for association with terrorists and the engineering of explosives. It's unclear when the notice was posted. …. U.S. intelligence officials say they weren't surprised that Brussels was attacked, because there have been general concerns about terror threats, particularly after recent raids and the arrest of Abdeslam last week. Belgium has been a top concern for counterterrorism officials for years because of the large number of Belgian foreign fighters who have traveled to join ISIS and other terror groups in Syria and Iraq -- more per capita than any other European Union country. Many have been returning.”


The article excerpts were collected to try to identify new material on this story. As with any really important crises like this there is a huge amount of news coverage, as there should be. Unfortunately, it does get repetitive, however. The following is a good summary of the information, including US comments. There is a very good video with this article showing a young Islamic man explaining his view of why so many have left Belgium to go to join ISIS. He speaks of feeling as though he is “invisible” to Christian Belgians in the city. The other factor, of course, is that there are large and concentrated neighborhoods where discontent can grow, and many people to share it with. It begins to be a case of “us vs. them.” Then something happens and it becomes violent.



http://www.nbcnews.com/news/world/boaty-mcboatface-dominates-poll-name-polar-research-ship-n542431

NEWS MAR 21 2016, 7:40 AM ET
'Boaty McBoatface' Dominates Poll to Name Polar Research Ship
by ALEXANDER SMITH

Image: An artist's impression of the polar research vessel being built for Britain's Natural Environment Research Council


LONDON — When scientists in the U.K. asked the public to name their new $290 million polar research ship, they expected the name of an explorer such as Sir Ernest Shackleton or a naturalist like David Attenborough to eventually be emblazoned across the vessel's bow.

However, they didn't factor in the Brits' oddball sense of humor.

An artist's impression of the polar research vessel being built for Britain's Natural Environment Research Council. Natural Environment Research Council

By 9 a.m. Monday (5 a.m. ET), more than 27,000 people had voted to name the ship "RRS Boaty McBoatface."

The poll was launched Thursday by the National Environment Research Council, the government-funded body building the ship in Cammell Laird shipyard, near Liverpool.

Expected to set sail in 2019, the 420-foot vessel will "provide the U.K. with the most advanced floating research fleet in the world," the NERC said.

Anyone can submit a suggestion to the online poll. By Monday morning, "RRS Boaty McBoatface" had almost 10 times the votes of any other name. The "RRS Henry Worsley" — after a British explorer who died in January — was second with around 3,000 votes.

NERC Director of Corporate Affairs Alison Robinson said in an emailed statement later Monday: "We are very much enjoying hearing everyone's ideas." But she pointed out that the poll was not binding, with the research council reserving the right to have the final say on naming the state-of-the-art vessel.

Lord West, a former British sea lord in charge of the U.K.'s navy, said the organizers had set up the voting system expecting voters to be "mainly marine research fans" who would come up with more serious names.

"I would probably plump for a rather more famous name," he told BBC Radio 4. "I would go for an Arctic or Antarctic explorer."



“By 9 a.m. Monday (5 a.m. ET), more than 27,000 people had voted to name the ship "RRS Boaty McBoatface." …. Anyone can submit a suggestion to the online poll. By Monday morning, "RRS Boaty McBoatface" had almost 10 times the votes of any other name. The "RRS Henry Worsley" — after a British explorer who died in January — was second with around 3,000 votes. …. Anyone can submit a suggestion to the online poll. By Monday morning, "RRS Boaty McBoatface" had almost 10 times the votes of any other name. The "RRS Henry Worsley" — after a British explorer who died in January — was second with around 3,000 votes. …. Lord West, a former British sea lord in charge of the U.K.'s navy, said the organizers had set up the voting system expecting voters to be "mainly marine research fans" who would come up with more serious names. "I would probably plump for a rather more famous name," he told BBC Radio 4. "I would go for an Arctic or Antarctic explorer."


I just wonder who thought up the Boaty name in the first place. All 27,000 people couldn’t have come up with it on their own. I agree with Lord West, however, that a scientific boat is a serious and dignified tool to be used for research. I vote for David Attenborough. He does great documentaries and has a wonderful speaking voice. He should be honored. See the following usatoday article on Boaty also, which has more information and more suggested names. It states that the NERC Communications Manager originated “Boaty” and has apologized for that. My favorite name proposal from that article is "Notthetitanic."



http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2016/03/21/boaty-mcboatface-man-sorry-ship-name-suggestion/82068384/

Boaty McBoatface? Man sorry for ship name suggestion
Elizabeth Armstrong Moore, Newser staff 9:29 a.m. EDT
March 21, 2016

(NEWSER) – When the Natural Environment Research Council in the UK put the naming of its $300 million Antarctic survey vessel to a public vote online, well, the Internet had a little fun. Suggestions ranged from the inspirational ("Henry Worsley," the former British Army officer and explorer who died in January trying to cross Antarctica without aid) to the literal ("It's bloody cold out here") and the snarky ("Notthetitanic"), but the current front-runner is "Boaty McBoatface," reports the Independent. The name has garnered 21,000-plus votes, nearly 10 times as many as the second highest "Henry Worsley." The NERC has set April 16 as a deadline and noted that it will choose the name.

Meanwhile, the communications manager who submitted Boaty McBoatface has since apologized, though it's not likely to disappear — it's even got its own Twitter hashtag. Still, in the realm of Internet silliness and snark, things could be worse. People once responded to Mountain Dew's call for a new flavor name with "Hitler did nothing wrong" and "Fapple," notes Mashable. And even though Boaty McBoatface is far from the "inspirational name" that NERC called for, it's become popular enough to have caused multiple traffic outages and brought attention to a ship that may otherwise have gone under the radar. (Bill Cosby's callout for his own Internet meme went quite predictably awry.)

This article originally appeared on Newser


http://www.cbsnews.com/news/ted-cruz-defends-police-us-muslim-neighborhoods/

Ted Cruz defends call to police U.S. Muslim neighborhoods
By REENA FLORES CBS NEWS
March 23, 2016, 8:47 AM

Play VIDEO -- Ted Cruz reacts to Brussels terror attack


Reacting to Tuesday's deadly terror attacks in Brussels, Republican presidential candidate and Texas Sen. Ted Cruz proposed more resources for U.S. police to "patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized." During an interview with "CBS This Morning" Wednesday, Cruz doubled down on that plan, despite criticism from top law enforcement officials like New York City police commissioner Bill Bratton.

"We saw a horrific terror attack in Brussels and our prayers this morning are with the families of those murdered, of those wounded," Cruz said. "But what is important is that was not a lone wolf, that wasn't an isolated attack. It was radical Islamic terrorism. It was ISIS that has declared jihad, that is waging war on us."

Cruz pointed to a former New York City police unit that targeted Muslims for surveillance as a model for his proposals.

"New York City, under Mayor Bloomberg, had a program that focused on, worked proactively with Muslim communities to stop radicalization to prevent attacks from radical Islamic terrorism before they occur," Cruz said. "Now what happened? Mayor de Blasio came in and decided political correctness mattered more than keeping people safe. He disbanded the program."

Cruz and New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio butted heads over the issue Tuesday, during the Texas senator's visit to Manhattan. And early Wednesday, Cruz once again berated de Blasio and other Democrats for their adherence to more "political correctness."

"President Obama and Hillary Clinton and sadly, Mayor de Blasio, the elected Democrats, are so bounded up by political correctness, they refuse to utter the words radical Islamic terrorism and they refuse to be serious in defeating it," he said.

NYPD Commissioner Bratton, for his part, told "CBS This Morning" in an interview Wednesday that Cruz has "no idea what the hell he's talking about."

And when "CBS This Morning" anchor Norah O'Donnell noted that the NYPD program was never proved to work, Cruz shot back: "It is true that the de Blasio political henchman say that. It is also true that the NYPD said it provided valuable intelligence."

O'Donnell continued to press Cruz on the issue, asking if he could list how many Muslims lived in the United States.

Cruz responded: "I don't know the number off the top of my head."

When O'Donnell noted that there were about three million Muslims in America -- and that it could be impractical for "overwhelmed" law enforcement agencies to police all of them, unlike in some of Europe's Muslim neighborhoods -- Cruz suggested that efforts could be concentrated on specific U.S. communities.

"You have communities, for example, in Minnesota," Cruz said. "You have communities in Michigan with heavy concentration [of Muslims] and you have incidents of radical Imams preaching Jihadism, preaching Islamism."

Cruz added that "there's a difference between Islam and Islamism."

"Islamism commands that you either murder the infidels or forcibly convert them," he said. "You wage jihad. And here's the consequence of President Obama and Hillary Clinton and Bill de Blasio refusing to acknowledge what we're fighting: You end up with policies that don't keep us safe."

Coming off a big win in Utah's caucus Tuesday night, Cruz also laid out his path forward in the race to the GOP nomination, asserting that a broad coalition of Republicans are coalescing behind his campaign as the only one able to defeat the current front-runner, Donald Trump.

In Utah, "we ended up with a landslide of 69 percent, nearly 70 percent," Cruz said. "And what we're seeing is--we're seeing Republicans uniting behind our campaign because we're the only campaign" to defeat Trump.

Early Wednesday morning, Ted Cruz earned the endorsement of former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush, a one-time rival in the Republican presidential race.

Bush's endorsement, Cruz said, was yet another sign that "the entire ideological spectrum" of Republicans has gotten behind his candidacy.

"I'm very grateful to have the support of Gov. Jeb Bush," he said. "And it's really an indication of what we're seeing nationally."



“Texas Sen. Ted Cruz proposed more resources for U.S. police to "patrol and secure Muslim neighborhoods before they become radicalized." During an interview with "CBS This Morning" Wednesday, Cruz doubled down on that plan, despite criticism from top law enforcement officials like New York City police commissioner Bill Bratton. …. "But what is important is that was not a lone wolf, that wasn't an isolated attack. It was radical Islamic terrorism. It was ISIS that has declared jihad, that is waging war on us." …. "New York City, under Mayor Bloomberg, had a program that focused on, worked proactively with Muslim communities to stop radicalization to prevent attacks from radical Islamic terrorism before they occur," Cruz said. "Now what happened? Mayor de Blasio came in and decided political correctness mattered more than keeping people safe. He disbanded the program." …. "President Obama and Hillary Clinton and sadly, Mayor de Blasio, the elected Democrats, are so bounded up by political correctness, they refuse to utter the words radical Islamic terrorism and they refuse to be serious in defeating it," he said. NYPD Commissioner Bratton, for his part, told "CBS This Morning" in an interview Wednesday that Cruz has "no idea what the hell he's talking about." And when "CBS This Morning" anchor Norah O'Donnell noted that the NYPD program was never proved to work, Cruz shot back: "It is true that the de Blasio political henchman say that. It is also true that the NYPD said it provided valuable intelligence." …. When O'Donnell noted that there were about three million Muslims in America -- and that it could be impractical for "overwhelmed" law enforcement agencies to police all of them, unlike in some of Europe's Muslim neighborhoods -- Cruz suggested that efforts could be concentrated on specific U.S. communities. "You have communities, for example, in Minnesota," Cruz said. "You have communities in Michigan with heavy concentration [of Muslims] and you have incidents of radical Imams preaching Jihadism, preaching Islamism."


Even if a community is “a hotbed of radical jihad” it is still better to zero in on the INDIVIDUALS who are proving themselves to be dangerous. I noticed in today’s article on the problem in Belgium that the one perpetrator who was caught had “a long history of violent crimes.” Violent people do the worst crimes. Using a policy of constant abuse on people, especially a group, will not make them good citizens, but furious. DC and Jacksonville in the last four or five months have had incidents of black people shooting cops for no obvious reason at all. The reason, however, is hatred. For cops to do that same sort of “broken windows” policing on Islamic neighborhoods is going to increase the incidence of violent attacks rather than “preventing” it. People can only be intimidated so long before they fight back.



http://www.cbsnews.com/news/6-year-old-taken-from-calif-foster-home-in-tribal-custody-battle/

6-year-old taken from Calif. foster home in tribal custody battle
By DANIELLE NOTTINGHAM CBS NEWS
March 21, 2016, 7:17 PM


Photograph -- nottinghamlexicustody.png, Neighbors protest the decision to take Lexi from her foster parents CBS NEWS
Photograph -- nottinghamen.png, Lexi's foster dad, Rusty, sobs after she is driven away CBS NEWS
Photograph -- flexicustody.png, Lexi's foster father walks her out of their home as she is taken to live with relatives in Utah CBS NEWS


SANTA CLARITA, Calif. -- A little girl is being taken from the only family she has known after a Native American tribe won a long and bitter custody battle -- based on a law that few know about.

It was a tearful scene outside the Page family home in Santa Clarita, as their foster daughter -- 6-year-old Lexi -- was taken away by state authorities.

Earlier, a devastated Rusty Page acknowledged that he and his wife had lost a nearly four-year legal battle to adopt the little girl.

"With very heavy hearts we're complying with the order."

Lexi came to live with Page and his wife when she was two, and they have been trying to adopt her ever since.

But Lexi is part Native American, and the Indian Child Welfare Act works to keep Native American children with their tribal relatives.

On Monday, the Pages learned Lexi will be going to live with her extended family in Utah.

"It's like getting a phone call that your kid was hit by a car. How do you cope with that phone call," Page asked.

Page's neighbors have been camped out near his home since Friday in support of the family, and hoping authorities will change their minds.

Court records show Lexi's biological father has an extensive criminal record and her mother had a substance abuse problem. They lost custody of Lexi when she was 17 months old.

The Choctaw tribe agreed to let Lexi stay with the Pages until she could be re-united with relatives. The tribe's statement Monday said "the Choctaw nation desires the best for this Choctaw child."

"Whether it's a Native American kid or not, have the same end goal -- which is to reunite a child with his or her biological relatives so they can be raised into the family they were born into," a lawyer for the tribe said.

The Pages say they are the only family Lexi knows. They told CBS News they plan to take the case to the California Supreme Court.



I understand that cultural/ethnic/racial similarities can help a child in situations like this, but no child should be returned from a good, kind and loving situation to the same old abusive one just because she is of the same race. I have a suspicion that the tribal elders are actually trying to make a political move to keep as many people on the reservation as possible. I personally think all people, no matter what their race, are better off, and society is better off, if they integrate themselves into the broader community. Reservation Indians are so often very poor and undereducated. The same problem occurs within other segregated pocket neighborhoods. In the old days that was a result of illegal pressures or unaffordable rents to keep brown skinned people out of those lily white communities, but sometimes it is a conscious choice on the part of minority groups because they simply feel more comfortable among “their own kind.” It does tend to breed crime and hostility, however, against the white majority in general and cops in particular. But especially it keeps that child from getting advantages, getting a college education, and spreading his wings to fly.



http://www.npr.org/2016/03/23/471003272/birth-control-at-the-supreme-court-does-free-coverage-violate-religious-freedom

Birth Control At The Supreme Court: Does Free Coverage Violate Religious Freedom?
Nina Totenberg
Facebook
Updated March 23, 201610:42 AM ET
Published March 23, 20165:00 AM ET

Photograph -- A statue of St. Joseph with baby Jesus Christ at the Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of Catholic nuns that runs homes for the elderly poor. The organization, along with several others, argues that the government's workaround to provide free birth control still burdens its free exercise of religion. Samantha Del Duca/NPR
Photograph -- Top: Cafeteria at a home run by the Little Sisters of the Poor in Washington, D.C. Left: A nun dances with resident Alberta Wright. Right: Sister Constance Veit. Samantha del Duca/NPR


The rights of the religious and the secular clash again Wednesday at the Supreme Court, this time in the controversial context of Obamacare and birth control.

The health care law sought to equalize preventive health insurance benefits between the genders. That meant free coverage of birth control for women, with an automatic exemption for houses of worship, like churches — but not for nonprofits like religious schools and hospitals. Those nonprofits were given a workaround to accommodate their objections, but some say that accommodation still burdens their free exercise of religion.

There are cases before the court from all over the country. The plaintiffs range from large universities to small service organizations, among them the Little Sisters of the Poor, an order of Catholic nuns that runs homes for the elderly poor.

The Washington, D.C., Little Sisters home has space for about 100 residents. A new facility, it is light and airy, and the atmosphere pretty joyous.

At a recent visit, one of the nuns was playing tunes from The Sound of Music while about a dozen residents sang along. As the music changed to "When the Saints Come Marching In," resident Alberta Wright, who is over 100 years old, gave a little shimmy as she danced with one of the sisters to lots of laughter.

Though there are crucifixes everywhere, not all the residents or staff are Catholic. When it comes to providing birth control insurance coverage for the staff, the Little Sisters have a religious objection, and they believe that the workaround meant to accommodate that objection still makes them complicit in providing contraception for their employees.

The government, in contrast, views the law as a reasonable accommodation.

"Anyone who has a religious objection ... doesn't have to pay for, refer, doesn't have to organize, doesn't have to accommodate that contraception coverage for his or her employees," says former Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius. "What they are required to do is provide notification to the government or their insurer that they are opting out. That's it."

The government then steps in to fill the gap, and along with the insurer — for example, Blue Cross Blue Shield or a third-party administrator — makes birth control available, without charge, to employees, dependents or students who want birth control coverage.

Sister Constance Veit says she doesn't object to signing the required form or a letter.

"The religious burden is what that signifies, and the fact that the government would, you know, be inserting services that we object to into our plan, and it would still carry our name," she says.

But just a few miles from the Little Sisters home is Georgetown University, an elite Catholic institution, where many of the students, faculty, staff and their dependents are not Catholic, and they want birth control coverage. Alison Tanner, co-editor-in-chief of the Georgetown Journal of Gender and the Law, helped put together a brief in the case filed on behalf of the estimated thousands of people on her campus who are currently getting birth control under the accommodation, but would not if the Little Sisters prevail in the Supreme Court.

Tanner notes that nationally 1.9 million students attend roughly 1,000 religiously affiliated schools that object to birth control. As she sees it, requiring these institutions to opt out by notifying the government or the insurer of their objections does not impose much of a burden.

"The burden there is light," Tanner says. "The burden on the woman who will not have insurance access to contraception [sic] is heavy without some form of workaround for the religious objection."

Indeed, some 28 states impose much stricter requirements for birth control coverage. According to the Institute of Medicine, since birth control is prescribed not just to avoid pregnancy, but also to treat various female medical conditions — it is the most frequently taken drug for women ages 15-60. And it is expensive, $30 a month and more for pills, and as much as $1,000 for buying and having an IUD inserted.

Nobody doubts the sincerity of the various objecting religious entities, but seven of the eights appeals courts that have ruled on the workaround have said it does not impose a "substantial burden" on religious rights, that it does serve a compelling interest in providing health care, and thus does not violate the federal law known as the Religious Freedom Restoration Act.

In the Supreme Court on Wednesday, lawyer Paul Clement, representing the Little Sisters and other groups, will argue that the workaround is, in fact, a "substantial burden."

"The government itself admits that they can't provide the services unless they get this necessary information from my clients," Clement says. "When you force somebody to pay for somebody else's contraception, including forms of contraception that many religions view as abortifacients ... you are treading on religiously difficult territory."

That's not what this workaround does, replies University of Virginia law professor Douglas Laycock, who has filed a brief on behalf of the Baptist Joint Committee for Religious Liberty.

"This is the only time in 30 years of filing briefs that I've ever filed on the government's side in a free exercise case," Laycock says.

He acknowledges that "the metaphysical objections in this case may matter to the objectors religiously; but in any practical sense," he says, "this is the government's plan."

"The government instructs the insurer to deliver the contraception, instructs the insurer to deliver it with its own funds that are kept segregated from any premiums paid by the employers."

Indeed, Laycock notes, the insurer can't even put birth control coverage information in the same envelope with other information.

Those opposed to birth control argue that there are other ways to provide the insurance coverage without involving objecting institutions at all. Have a separate birth control package available on the Obamacare insurance exchanges, for instance.

But Sebelius replies that no such program exists.

"Having only women in an institution have to go sign up for some totally different plan, which doesn't exist, is not funded and would require an act of Congress to put in place, would place ... a huge burden on women to try to take advantage of what is highly recommended reproductive health services," she says.

Just two years ago, in another case, the Supreme Court seemed to suggest that the workaround created for religious nonprofits could be extended to some for-profit corporations. In this case, however, the court is being asked to eliminate the workaround altogether.

A decision in the case is expected by summer. With only eight justices on the court at the moment, it is possible that there could be a tie vote. Were that to happen, under longstanding practice, there would be no court opinion, and the lower court decisions would be automatically left in place. Since all but one of the appeals courts to rule on the issue so far has ruled in favor of the workaround, that would mean that in most — but not all — of the country, the birth control workaround would be left in place, until a full nine-justice court definitively resolves the issue at some time in the future.



“The health care law sought to equalize preventive health insurance benefits between the genders. That meant free coverage of birth control for women, with an automatic exemption for houses of worship, like churches — but not for nonprofits like religious schools and hospitals. Those nonprofits were given a workaround to accommodate their objections, but some say that accommodation still burdens their free exercise of religion. …. . "What they are required to do is provide notification to the government or their insurer that they are opting out. That's it." The government then steps in to fill the gap, and along with the insurer — for example, Blue Cross Blue Shield or a third-party administrator — makes birth control available, without charge, to employees, dependents or students who want birth control coverage. …. Tanner notes that nationally 1.9 million students attend roughly 1,000 religiously affiliated schools that object to birth control. As she sees it, requiring these institutions to opt out by notifying the government or the insurer of their objections does not impose much of a burden. "The burden there is light," Tanner says. "The burden on the woman who will not have insurance access to contraception [sic] is heavy without some form of workaround for the religious objection." Indeed, some 28 states impose much stricter requirements for birth control coverage. According to the Institute of Medicine, since birth control is prescribed not just to avoid pregnancy, but also to treat various female medical conditions — it is the most frequently taken drug for women ages 15-60. And it is expensive, $30 a month and more for pills, and as much as $1,000 for buying and having an IUD inserted. …. "Having only women in an institution have to go sign up for some totally different plan, which doesn't exist, is not funded and would require an act of Congress to put in place, would place ... a huge burden on women to try to take advantage of what is highly recommended reproductive health services," she says. Just two years ago, in another case, the Supreme Court seemed to suggest that the workaround created for religious nonprofits could be extended to some for-profit corporations. In this case, however, the court is being asked to eliminate the workaround altogether.”


This sounds like a lot of smoke with no fire to me, as I think that even churches should not make that decision for an employee of theirs, and if a religious Catholic should want to use no birth control and end up with ten kids, then so be it. The church, like huge corporations, shouldn’t override individual rights, is the bottom line. The move among “conservatives” lately to get the US declared a “Christian nation,” is unthinkable, downright scary, in fact. On conservative woman in the West during this last year wondered out loud whether people would be better citizens if they were REQUIRED to go to church on Sundays. She got into the news with that comment because she was a low level government employee and shouldn't have said such a thing, no matter what she thinks privately. If churches help people to become nicer, gentler, more empathetic people, that’s a very good thing, but so often what they do is unite their congregation in a border war with Jewish or Islamic groups. It’s another case of the tyranny of “group think” over individual rationality and there’s no goodness or personal virtue in it.