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Here’s some change that supporters of President-elect Obama may not want to see: all of the policy commitments on specific issues have been removed from his transition Web site. On Nov. 7, global health advocates noticed that some of the details of Obama’s “fight global poverty” statement had been removed. Specifically, the site no longer promised to fully fund debt cancellation for the world’s poorest countries or provide the full U.S. contribution to the Global Fund to Fight AIDS, Tuberculosis and Malaria. Activists already were concerned, since boosting foreign aid was the one thing Obama mentioned during the campaign when...

AUSTIN — Saying big changes are needed to restore trust in the Texas Department of Transportation, the Sunset Advisory Commission staff is recommending a revamp of its governing board, project planning, and dealings with lawmakers and the public. The commission's report, to be released today, comes in the wake of controversy over planned public-private partnerships on toll roads, the route of the proposed Trans-Texas Corridor transportation network and questions concerning agency funding figures. The Houston Chronicle obtained a copy of the report. "The Sunset review of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) occurred against a backdrop of distrust and frustration...

Who keeps adjusting FR's controls....it took me all afternoon to get used to the fonts...and now FR has changed the font setting again.Change is OK....but enough already....unless it was Jim Rob's idea....then great job boss....:-)

PLEASE don't just erase this thread; after all, I'm now just finding out another problem here - I can't start a thread but from the "Home" page, and it always assumes you're posting to "News/Activism". So there is no way I can go to Bloggers/Personal as I had intended, apparently. So there's 1 problem and question - what happened there? And what happened that some things have changed - including, I can't seem to get the various "forums" to show me latest posts as opposed to whole threads? (This was a question the other day right when things changed; should've...

California voters' refusal to alter state legislators' term limits will force three of the Legislature's top leaders to give up their posts. It also will free candidates running for 34 legislative seats from having to face an incumbent this year. Proposition 93 aimed to trim two years off the maximum amount of time most legislators could serve, but it also would have given dozens of lawmakers a chance to extend their stays in Sacramento. It failed by about 7 percentage points, despite support from Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and a who's who of labor unions, corporations and professional groups that poured...

Attention all Scout Leaders New Boy Scout Rank Requirements Effective January 1, 2008 The National Youth Protection Committee recommended additions to Boy Scout rank requirements that were approved and become effective January 1, 2008. These changes will help us advance the importance of Youth Protection training beyond the initial Boy Scout joining requirements, and keep youth informed and actively engaged in understanding the key elements of personal safety and protection. TENDERFOOT RANK Revised requirement 9: Explain the importance of the buddy system as it relates to your personal safety on outings and in your neighborhood. Describe what a bully is...

LAS CUMARAGUAS, Venezuela - In this dusty town of potholed roads on the Caribbean coast, people are fascinated with the revolutionary changes that President Hugo Chavez talks about constantly on television. But nine years after he was elected, many here say their lives are virtually the same. There are still few jobs. Running water comes only two days a week at best. Paint peels from the walls of the public school, where teachers say they badly need more books. The state is building three dozen concrete homes here, but construction has dragged on while some residents are living in quarters...

TRENTON, N.J. - After a review driven by three brutal slayings, the state attorney general on Wednesday ordered New Jersey law enforcers to notify federal immigration officials whenever someone arrested for an indictable offense or drunken driving is found to be an illegal immigrant. Attorney General Anne Milgram reviewed the state's policy in light of the execution-style killings Aug. 4 of three Newark college students and the wounding of a fourth victim. One of the six suspects was an illegal immigrant who had been granted bail on child rape and aggravated assault charges without immigration officials being alerted to his...

CARACAS, Venezuela - President Hugo Chavez called for changes to Venezuela's constitution Wednesday night, delivering a key address pitching reforms that are expected to allow him to be re-elected indefinitely. Chavez, speaking to the National Assembly, said the changes affect "less than 10 percent" of the constitution but would bring Venezuela "new horizons for the new era." Chavez, who is seeking to transform Venezuelan society along socialist lines, denied he wants lifelong power as his opponents allege. "They accuse me of making plans to be in power forever or to concentrate power. We know it isn't like that. It's power...

CAMP TAJI — Like many immigrants before him, Rudy Lirato had a dream for his family-a dream firmly rooted in the ideals of freedom and democracy-when he left his native homeland of Iraq 30 years ago. He is now serving as an interpreter and U.S. contractor who works with the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division. Lirato left Iraq in 1977 with his wife for the city of Windsor in Ontario, Canada. “I had just gotten married to my sweetheart and knew that I would be drafted into the Iraqi army and that there was no future for me...

WASHINGTON - Under a portrait of George Washington and a sign proclaiming "A New Direction," Democratic lawmakers boasted of their accomplishments their first five months running Congress. Their press release covered two pages. Yet most people might be excused for hardly noticing, except maybe those who are paid the minimum wage or who live in hurricane-ravaged areas. Upon taking control in January, Democrats led efforts to increase the minimum wage for the first time in a decade and to force modest spending increases in hurricane and drought relief, children's health care and a few other areas. Beyond that, the majority...

WASHINGTON, April 22, 2007 – Changes in Iraq’s Anbar province and the failure of the Taliban spring offensive in Afghanistan are good signs, the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff said during an interview today on his way home from Iraq and Afghanistan. During his flight home, Marine Gen. Peter Pace spoke about his trip to Iraq and Afghanistan. In Iraq he took part in a series of meetings with Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates; Navy Adm. William J. Fallon, the commander of U.S. Central Command; Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, commander of Multinational Force Iraq; and Army...

This video has been viewed over 16 million times on YouTube. This is incredible! See if you agree?video The audience and even the judges were wild with applause.

Dr. Robert Moynihan  Other Articles by Dr. Robert MoynihanPrinter Friendly Version   The Battle Over the Mass February 22, 2007 Why is such a battle over the Mass occurring now, 40 years after the Second Vatican Council? Because Benedict XVI wishes to restore what has been lost.Pope Benedict XVI, against the opposition of many, is preparing to issue a "motu proprio," or personal decision, allowing wider celebration of the old Mass. We applaud his decision and urge him to publish it quickly. The time has come for the restoration of the perennial liturgy of the Church. It has been...

Home construction fell to its lowest point in nearly 10 years during January in an unexpectedly large decrease that erased hopeful gains posted in two prior months. A separate report showed wholesale prices fell last month, after two strong months of gains, suggesting that underlying inflationary pressures remain broadly contained. Core prices, however, which exclude volatile food and energy costs, rose. Housing starts plunged by 14.3% to a seasonally adjusted 1.408 million annual rate, the Commerce Department said Friday. Building permits also resumed falling. The government raised its original estimate for December starts. Construction rose by 5.0% to 1.643 million,...

WASHINGTON - When Tori Boyles, of Columbia, Mo., takes a test at school, an adult often reads the questions to her because the 9-year-old has learning disabilities that make reading difficult. That kind of accommodation generally is not allowed for the reading test that public school students take under the federal No Child Left Behind law. Also, skipping the exam is not permitted for Tori, who has spina bifida, a condition often accompanied by learning problems. "Why isn't there an option to opt out of that?" asks her mother, Becky Boyles. "She just has to stare at this piece of...

THE news that 51 percent of all women live without a spouse might be enough to make you invest in cat futures. But consider, too, the flip side: about half of all men find themselves in the same situation. As the number of people marrying has dropped off in the last 45 years, the marriage rate has declined equally for men and for women. The stereotype has been cemented in the popular culture: the hard-charging career girl who gets her comeuppance, either violently or dying a slow death by late-night memo and Chinese takeout... But when it comes to marriage,...

Several days ago, the 'Maria S Merian' returned from her second Arctic expedition with data confirming trends of Arctic warming. "Compared to last summer, the water that flows from the Norwegian Sea to the Arctic has been an average 0.8 degrees Celsius warmer this summer," says expedition leader Dr Ursula Schauer of the Alfred Wegener Institute for Polar and Marine Research. "This is in addition to the last two years already having been warmer than the previous 20 from which we have regular measurements. Over the Yermak Plateau, an oceanic ridge, the oceanographers documented water of more than four degrees...

NEW YORK - ABC aired its miniseries "The Path to 9/11" on Sunday but made editing changes after former Clinton administration officials complained it contained fabricated scenes about their actions prior to the terrorist attacks. ABC's editing of the five-hour movie, airing on two successive nights starting Sunday, was evident from the very beginning. Twice, the network de-emphasized the role of the 9/11 commission's final report as source material for the film. The version that aired Sunday also changed a scene that, in a copy of the movie given to television critics a few weeks ago, indicated President Clinton's preoccupation...

JUST ONE ROAR OF THE LION Meri Burlingame Renewed Hope Counseling Sep 9, 2006 as posted on Pam Clark's list [Qx couldn't find it there] VISION: "JUST ONE ROAR of the LION" by S. Jha (Posted by Lit4Ever.org) I saw this vision on the 22nd of August 2006 I saw a Lion. I walked with Him to a very high Rock. The Lion then Climbed the Rock, and Stood on the very top of this high Rock. I stood below, looking up at Him. He let out a LOUD ROAR. And EVERYTHING in the atmosphere / universe changed. In a...

Shops run out of money as Zimbabwe changes currency By Peta Thornycroft in Harare (Filed: 22/08/2006) Crowds filled Zimbabwe's banks and shops yesterday as they rushed to meet a deadline to acquire new currency after the government cancelled the old one. Three noughts have been struck off the new notes in an effort to reduce the huge volume of cash required for the simplest transaction in a land where annual inflation runs at almost 1,000 per cent. People had to hand in old notes by yesterday's deadline. But the task was complicated by an official regulation banning anyone from possessing...

UNITED NATIONS - The United States and France appeared at odds Wednesday over Arab demands to change a U.N. resolution they are co-sponsoring to call for a complete halt in Israeli-Hezbollah hostilities and withdrawal of Israeli forces, diplomats said. France proposed new language on a total cease-fire and Israeli pullout, but the Americans rejected it out of concern that without a robust international force, a vacuum would be created in southern Lebanon, a Hezbollah stronghold, the diplomats said. While both countries welcomed Lebanon's announcement Monday that it will deploy 15,000 soldiers to the south when Israel withdraws, the U.S. does...

Dems recommend election calendar changesBy WILL LESTER, Associated Press Writer 19 minutes ago Democratic presidential hopeful, U.S. Sen., Joe Biden, center, gets some advise from state Sen. Sylvia Larson, D-Concord Friday July 22, 2006. Biden is campaigning for the 2008 election. (AP Photo/Jim cole) WASHINGTON - National Democrats recommended Saturday that the party wedge Nevada between the traditional one-two punch of Iowa and New Hampshire in the leadoff nominating contests for president in 2008. South Carolina would move up in the election calendar, too, according to plan that awaits final action next month by the Democrat National Committee. Democrats envision...

SACRAMENTO Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger is seeking changes to a bill that would make California the first state in the nation to cap greenhouse gas emissions from industrial sources, a move that could put him in a difficult political position if Democrats object to his amendments. Schwarzenegger has championed policies to combat global warming and has tried to position the state as the first in the nation to limit emissions that are widely blamed for contributing to global warming. But Democrats fear Schwarzenegger's requested changes could undermine the effectiveness of the Assembly bill, which would limit emissions from businesses such as...

Jefferson exit spurs new rulesBy Josephine Hearn Several House Democrats have proposed significant changes to their party’s caucus rules, with at least two of the changes prompted by internal caucus controversy over the recent ouster of a caucus member from the Ways and Means Committee. Rep. G.K. Butterfield (D-N.C.) has written a proposal to handle situations in which leaders may seek to revoke a lawmaker’s committee assignment while he or she faces government investigation. Butterfield and others were upset that Democratic leaders ousted Rep. William Jefferson (D-La.) from the committee while he faces a federal corruption probe. The proposal would...

LOS ANGELES - It's been called "the skiddiest of all Skid Rows" — 50 square blocks of abandoned factories, burned-out storefronts, rundown hotels, dingy bars and seedy liquor stores, interspersed among hundreds of makeshift homes, most of them built with abandoned cardboard boxes and stolen shopping carts. Located an easy walk from City Hall, police headquarters and other downtown seats of power, this last stop for the destitute has been a fixture of Los Angeles for nearly a century. But with a burgeoning real estate market bringing luxury apartments and condos to the edge of Skid Row, city leaders are...

WASHINGTON, May 12, 2006 – The Defense Department has been working hard with Congress for the past several months and has reached some conclusions about how the fee system for military health care should be changed, a top DoD official said here yesterday. "It's universally agreed that there is a serious issue, a serious problem, with the growing health care costs within the Department of Defense, and the potential adverse impact that that might have to sustain our great health benefit," Dr. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said in an interview. DoD has had a...

LINCOLN PARK, Mich. (AP) — A chain of fitness centers has put up partitions in response to complaints by Muslim women about a lack of privacy while they work out. Fitness USA agreed to the changes at its Lincoln Park gym after meeting with a concerned Muslim member of the gym and Dawud Walid, executive director of the Michigan chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations. Some Muslim members of the gym said they need to work out in single-sex rooms to meet Islam's standards of modesty. They said they joined Fitness USA because it accommodated this need. But the...

WASHINGTON - The Senate moved Wednesday to approve the first major change in lobbying and ethics rules in more than a decade, the latest effort by Congress to restore its plummeting reputation with voters before the fall elections. Under the bill expected to pass by a wide margin, senators would no longer be able to accept gifts or meals from lobbyists and lobbyists would be required to reveal more information about their contacts with lawmakers. But the bill, to the chagrin of many pushing for more fundamental change, does not ban privately funded travel. Nor would it establish a new...

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Mar. 15, 2006) – The Army has revised its policy on tattoos in an effort to bolster recruitment of highly-qualified individuals who might otherwise have been excluded from joining. Tattoos are now permitted on the hands and back of the neck if they are not “extremist, indecent, sexist or racist.” Army Regulation 670-1, which was modified via a message released Jan. 25, also now specifies: “Any tattoo or brand anywhere on the head or face is prohibited except for permanent make-up.” For women, allowable make-up would be permanent eye-liner, eyebrows and makeup applied to fill in...

The first Slovakian engineers came into Iraq in August 2003; their primary duties are unexploded ordnance disposal and engineering work. CAMP ECHO, Iraq, March 2, 2006 — Slovakian engineer units working in Multinational Division Central-South held a change of command ceremony at Camp Echo, Ad-Diwaniyah, March 1. The 5th rotation of the Slovak Engineer Unit transferred authority to the 6th rotation composed of 100 troops. The handover ceremony was attended by authorities of the Slovakian Armed Forces, Multinational Division Central-South, senior national representatives and distinguished guests. The first Slovakian Engineers came into Iraq in August 2003 with Multinational Division Central-South....

WASHINGTON, Pennsylvania - Just to make sure there's no confusion about which team they are supporting in the Super Bowl XL, the mayor and council voted unanimously to change this city's name. Welcome to Steeler, Pennsylvania. The name change for the city of about 15,000 people south of Pittsburgh will last through Feb. 5, the day of the football game between the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle Seahawks in Detroit. "I know the folks in the state of Washington are rooting for the Seahawks, so we wanted to make sure everyone knows the city of Washington is fully in support...

Time changes modern human's face By Rebecca Morelle BBC News science reporter Our ancestors had more prominent features but lower foreheads Researchers have found that the shape of the human skull has changed significantly over the past 650 years. Modern people possess less prominent features but higher foreheads than our medieval ancestors. Writing in the British Dental Journal, the team took careful measurements of groups of skulls spanning across 30 generations. The scientists said the differences between past and present skull shapes were "striking". Plague victimsThe team used radiographic films of skulls to record extensive measurements taken by a computer....

WASHINGTON, Dec. 30, 2005 – Coalition forces today transferred command of northwest Iraq, and U.S. troops killed two terrorists Dec. 28, Multinational Force Iraq officials reported today. Command of northwest Iraq transferred from Task Force Freedom to Task Force Band of Brothers during a ceremony in Mosul. The transfer consolidates operational areas into a single multinational division under the command of Task Force Band of Brothers, military officials said. With its new command responsibilities, Task Force Band of Brothers includes the 1st and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams from the 101st Airborne Division, 1st and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams from the...

CAMP LIBERTY, IRAQ, District Of Columbia, Nov. 27, 2005 – The Army is instituting significant changes in how it trains and recruits soldiers, aiming to make U.S. troops more battle ready for the challenges in Iraq, Afghanistan and elsewhere, two of the Army's top noncommissioned officers said during recent visits to Camp Liberty in Baghdad, Iraq. The two command sergeants major, John Sparks of the U.S. Army's Training and Doctrine Command, and Lonny Wright with Infantry Branch Command, spoke during separate mid-November meetings with solders from the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 10th Mountain Division. "We are enhancing the individual soldiers'...

UNITED NATIONS - The lead investigator in the assassination of a top Lebanese politician acknowledged Friday that he deleted references from his report implicating two relatives of Syria's president, raising questions about whether the U.N. tried to soften the inquiry's findings. The report, which accused key Syrian and Lebanese security officials of orchestrating the Feb. 14 bombing that killed former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri and 20 others, was nonetheless a stinging rebuke of Damascus' regime. The findings caused an uproar in the region and brought swift denials of involvement from the government of Syrian President Bashar Assad. In an...

MARINE CORPS BASE CAMP LEJEUNE, N.C. (Oct. 12, 2005) -- When Raphael P. Ramos was growing up in Carolina, Puerto Rico, he had no father figure and no real direction, according to him. The only thing that got him away from the street life was his love of sports, participating in boxing and football as a young teenager and playing on the Ana Roque High School basketball team. After graduating in 2003, Ramos continued to work as a security guard for various local businesses and eventually found the path to his future career as a United States Marine. “I wanted...

HERE was a large turnout yesterday at the first ever open day in An Garda Síochána for ethnic minorities. People from a host of nationalities and minorities travelled to the Garda College in Templemore for a sample of a possible career in the force. Gardaí were very impressed by the level of interest and the number of inquiries from people from ethnic minorities regarding the new recruitment phase. The new campaign, adverts for which began appearing this week, is specifically aimed at attracting non-Irish members into the force. Justice Minister Michael McDowell received approval from the Cabinet at the beginning...

AL ASAD, IRAQ (Sept. 28, 2005) -- When duty in Iraq called twice in two years, they were ready and continued their steadfast support of the Iraqi people and their desire to live in freedom. The Moonlighters of Marine Medium Helicopter Squadron 764, Marine Aircraft Group 26, 2nd Marine Aircraft Wing, have recently finished their second deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. HMM-764 is a reserve CH-46E Sea Knight squadron based out of Edwards Air Force Base, Calif. The Moonlighters will be returning to the United States after flying 3,800 mishap-free combat hours, transporting 14,918 passengers and hauling 26,972...

JACKSON, Miss. -- As the forced evacuation of New Orleans continues, Air Force helicopter crews here are flying fewer rescues and conducting more ferry missions from evacuee collection points. Though aircrews still have a high operations tempo and their helicopters are flying much more than usual, it is different from the first hectic days after Hurricane Katrina left a path of death and destruction along the Gulf Coast. “There was plenty of rescue work to go around then. You could fly over New Orleans and it was like a scene right out of a movie. There were helicopters everywhere,” said...

HARARE, Zimbabwe (AP) - Lawmakers endorsed a constitutional overhaul Tuesday that sharply restricts property rights and allows Zimbabwe's government to deny passports to its critics. Ruling party representatives erupted into cheering, singing and dancing after rallying 103 votes - more than the two-thirds required to pass the 22-clause Constitutional Amendment Bill. Just 29 of Parliament's 150 members opposed the legislation, which now goes to President Robert Mugabe to sign into law. Local and international lawyers have described the amendments as the greatest challenge yet to civil liberties in this increasingly autocratic country. But Justice Minister Patrick Chinamasa said they would...

Passport proposal a controversial security matter Bush administration reconsiders its plans By LARA JAKES JORDAN Associated Press Writer Traffic lines up on the Rainbow Bridge plaza for entry into the United States from Niagara Falls, Ontario, in Niagara Falls, N.Y. AP Photo/DON HEUPEL NIAGARA FALLS, N.Y. -- Millions of Americans like Kathy Currier could soon run into trouble returning home from Canada because they don't have passports. On a recent trip back across the border, Currier, 49, cleared security screening with her driver's license and birth certificate. But if she needs a passport in the future to get back into...

RENO, Nev. - A Reno scientist is among a team of researchers who will spend the next several weeks studying the icy Arctic Ocean to document historic climate changes. Glenn Berger, a research professor at the Desert Research Institute, and others set off Friday aboard the Healy, a U.S. Coast Guard icebreaker. "There are more climate changes happening up there than anywhere else in the world," Berger said of the Arctic. "Models predict drastic changes up there by the middle of this century." Berger said his role in the project will be to help determine the history of climate changes...

The Army is undergoing its largest restructuring since World War II. This restructuring will transition the Army to a modular force capable of providing increased combat power by the Army's active duty forces by 30 percent and make available the Army's overall pool of warfighting forces by 60 percent. The total number of brigades will increase from 33 to 43. The goal for this larger pool of available forces is to enable the Army to generate forces in a rotational manner. At the current operational tempo, this modular force structure will allow Active Component Soldiers to spend at least two...

WASHINGTON - The Senate approved a bill Tuesday to raise the homeland security secretary from last to eighth place in the presidential line of succession, just after the attorney general. The bill, sponsored by Sen. Mike DeWine (news, bio, voting record), R-Ohio, passed without objection just before the chamber adjourned. The companion House bill, sponsored by Rep. Tom Davis, R-Va., is pending before the Judiciary and Government Reform committees. If the bill also passes the House, the order of those in line to assume the presidency if President Bush is unable to serve would be: _Vice President Dick Cheney _House...

WASHINGTON (AP) - The small farm workers' union founded by labor hero Cesar Chavez joined a coalition of labor groups demanding changes in the AFL-CIO as the 50-year-old federation inched closer Friday to breaking up. The United Farm Workers union, based outside Bakersfield, Calif., brings to seven the number of unions in the Change to Win Coalition. Four of the coalition unions have threatened to bolt the AFL-CIO - the Teamsters and service employees, along with food and commercial workers and hotel, restaurant, retail, textile and laundry employees. The UFW, organized in 1962 and now consisting of 27,000 members, intends...

Analysis: New pope's style takes shape UPI - Sunday, July 17, 2005   Date: Sunday, July 17, 2005 11:51:21 PM EST By ROLAND FLAMINI, Chief International CorrespondentWASHINGTON, July 17 (UPI) -- When Pope Benedict XVI left Rome for his two-week vacation in a chalet in the Aosta Valley in the Italian Alps last week he took with him a piano and three suitcases of books. This was a significant change from his more athletic predecessor, Pope John Paul II, who spent his holidays in the same location, but packed a knapsack and hiking boots.Pope Benedict may have been chosen...

Virginia's Hispanic population was less than 1 percent of the total in 1970, according to U.S. Census data. The 2000 census pegged the Hispanic population at about 350,000, or 4.7 percent. It is not known whether those figures include illegal aliens. There are an estimated 200,000 to 250,000 illegal aliens in Virginia, according to a June 14 study by the Pew Hispanic Center. The recent Arlandria-Chirilagua Festival had an estimated 40,000 attendees visiting food booths and vendors from Honduras, Bolivia, Peru, Ecuador, El Salvador and many other countries. "The goal behind it was to unite the Latino community," said Sue...

President Bush approved dozens of changes at U.S. spy agencies on Wednesday to better combat weapons of mass destruction, including creating a new center and moving FBI counterterrorism and intelligence operations into a new unit. Acting in the face of sharp criticism since the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, Bush signed off on 70 of 74 recommendations from a special presidential commission and gave U.S. authorities new powers to freeze assets of companies believed to be helping North Korea, Iran and Syria pursue nuclear, biological and chemical arms. An executive order issued on Wednesday did not mention specific countries, but said...

The contentious debate over judicial confirmations is often portrayed as a referendum on the notion of a "living Constitution." Conservatives like U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia believe that judges should adhere to the original text of the Constitution as expressed in the meaning of the words and their understanding at the time the Constitution was ratified. Liberals respond that the Constitution must be adapted to reflect changes in society's values and attitudes. However, these viewpoints are not, in fact, mutually exclusive. In truth, no one seriously believes the Constitution is "dead." America's founding fathers provided a procedure for amending...