Today on Kresta - Oct. 6, 2009

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 6

4:00 – U.S. Supreme Court to Hear Oral Arguments Tomorrow on the Memorial Cross in the Mojave Desert
Tomorrow, the U.S. Supreme court will hear oral argument in Salazar v. Buono, an appeal challenging the ACLU’s lawsuit to remove an eight-foot metal cross erected in 1934. The cross was erected on Sunrise Rock in California’s Mojave Desert by Veterans of Foreign Wars. Thus far, Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals has sided with the ACLU’s anti-cross efforts on the grounds the cross violates the so-called separation of church and state. As an affront to Christians, the cross is now covered by a wooden box to hide it from public view until the appeal is resolved. When the Supreme Court considers the Mojave cross case, it will have in its file a compelling brief supporting the use of crosses in war memorials filed by the Thomas More Law Center. Brian Rooney of the TMLC joins us.

4:20 – Money for Art: The Tangled Web of Art and Politics in American Democracy
Taxpayers jeered when Obama poured $80 million of “stimulus” funds into the National Endowment for the Arts—but wait until you hear where the money is going! NEA grants are funding nude simulated-sex dances and porn films. At the same time, ten Republican senators have written to the NEA Chairman expressing concern that the Obama administration may have violated federal law by trying to use the agency for political purposes. The charges stem from an Aug. 10 teleconference in which the NEA's communications director urged members of the arts community to help Obama's efforts by creating art to support Obama’s various agendas. David Smith is author of a new history of government and art and is here to tell us how the NEA strayed from its original mission of fostering national pride and virtue through art.

4:35 – US Supreme Court Refuses to Hear Religious Liberty Case
The Diocese of Bridgeport, CT. and the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops have expressed disappointment at the U.S. Supreme Court’s refusal to extend a stay on the release of personnel files to several major newspapers. They said the refusal marked a “serious threat” to First Amendment rights. Newspapers including the Hartford Courant and the New York Times have reportedly sought access to the personnel files to determine how the recently retired Archbishop of New York, Cardinal Edward Egan, handled sexual abuse cases during his time as Bishop of Bridgeport. The material includes 12,600 pages of depositions, exhibits and legal arguments involving 23 lawsuits against seven priests from the Diocese of Bridgeport. Most of the lawsuits were filed in the mid-1990s and were settled in 2001 for an undisclosed amount with the agreement that the settlements and the documents would remain sealed forever. Bishop William Lori joins us.

4:45 – To Play or Not to Play?: Tigers' Cabrera has domestic dispute in midst of playoff run
Detroit Tigers slugger Miguel Cabrera had a blood alcohol level more than three times the legal limit the morning before Saturday night's pivotal game against the Chicago White Sox according to Birmingham, MI Police. No arrests were made when police were called to Cabrera's house in the Detroit suburb Saturday morning after his wife, Rosangel, called 911 at 6:05 a.m. after an altercation with Cabrera. Birmingham Police Chief Richard G. Patterson said officers on the scene decided both were "mutual combatants" since each sustained scratches, although Cabrera was driven to the police station. Should the Tigers allow Cabrera to play? Detroit sports reporter Vic Faust is here.

5:00 – Kresta Comments

5:20 – Italian group claims to debunk Shroud of Turin
Italian scientists claim to have reproduced the Shroud of Turin — revered as the cloth that covered Jesus in the tomb — and say the experiment proves the relic was man-made. The shroud bears the figure of a crucified man, complete with blood seeping out of nailed hands and feet, and believers say Christ's image was recorded on the linen fibers at the time of his resurrection. The scientists have reproduced the shroud using materials and methods that were available in the 14th century, the Italian Committee for Checking Claims on the Paranormal said. Our guest however, says this is not the first time someone has attempted to reproduce the shroud and it won’t be the first time it fails to live up to the hype. Russ Breault, President and founder of the Shroud of Turin Education Project, is with us.

5:40 – Toy Story 3D / Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs
Fans of Woody and Buzz Lightyear are in for twice the fun and triple the thrills as Walt Disney debuts the Disney Digital 3D versions of Pixar’s beloved animated features – “Toy Story” and “Toy Story 2”. We talk with Steven Greydanus about the trends in 3D and we also review “Cloudy With a Chance of Meatballs.”