Today on Kresta - October 28, 2010

Talking about the "things that matter most" on Oct. 28

4:00 – IA Votes to Oust 3 State Supreme Court Judges / Obama Says View on Same-Sex Marriage “Evolving”
Voters in Iowa will decide Tuesday whether to oust three state Supreme Court judges after they ruled to overturn the state's ban on same-sex so-called marriage. Last year, the justices ruled that Iowa's Defense of Marriage Act violated the equal protection clause of the Iowa Constitution. Since April 2009, county recorders have been issuing marriage licenses to same-sex couples. Also, this week President Obama told a group of liberal bloggers that his views on same-sex marriage are “evolving” and that society is moving in the direction of granting marriage rights to same-sex couples. With us to discuss these issues is Maggie Gallagher of the Institute for Marriage and Public Policy

4:20 – Vivian Schiller and the Party Line at NPR
Our next guest says the Juan Williams/NPR flap isn't going away -- and shouldn't. Paul Kengor says Williams was fired for not toeing the party line at NPR. A number of observers, including Williams himself, are protesting the hypocrisy of NPR not dismissing the likes of Nina Totenberg for wishing AIDS upon the family of the late Jesse Helms. Of course, that's no surprise. Totenberg's hate speech doesn't qualify as hate speech in the liberal lexicon. Totenberg toes the party line at NPR. So what should we make of the Williams firing and should NPR be de-funded? Paul weighs in.

4:40 – Theodore Roosevelt: Born October 27, 1858
History of the United States: His Own Words
On this day after the birthday of our 26th president, we talk with Daniel Ruddy, author of Theodore Roosevelt's History of the United States: His Own Words. Ruddy had his work cut out for him in assembling this history of the United States from the perspective Roosevelt. He was a prolific writer, having penned enough for 20 volumes of collected works and written, it's estimated, more than 150,000 letters. Ruddy scoured a hefty portion of these writings, along with speeches, newspaper articles, and personal accounts left by associates, to create a colorful and highly opinionated account of some of the nation's most dramatic episodes. Though the book is comprised entirely of Roosevelt's own words, Ruddy is more than an anthologist; he's an adept editor, seamlessly stitching together passages from a myriad of sources to create a cohesive, informative, and always entertaining read.

5:00 – Prove It: God / Friendship With Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI Speaks to Children on Their First Holy Communion
One of our favorite people, Amy Welborn is here. She has updated Prove It: God, she has written a children’s book entitled Friendship With Jesus: Pope Benedict XVI Speaks to Children on Their First Holy Communion and we revisit her book Come Meet Jesus: An Invitation From Pope Benedict XVI.

5:30 – God and Evolution
What does it mean to say that God “used evolution” to create the world? Is Darwin’s theory of evolution compatible with belief in God? And even if Darwin’s theory could be reconciled with religious belief, do we need to do so? Is the theory well established scientifically? Is it true? In the century and a half since Charles Darwin first proposed his theory of evolution, Christians, Jews, and other religious believers have grappled with how to make sense of it. Most have understood that Darwin’s theory has profound theological implications, but their responses have varied dramatically. Jay Richards is a Catholic, a fellow at the Discovery Institute, a theologian and the author of God and Evolution.