Barry Manilow Snubs N.J. Gov-Elect Christie Whitman

Source: http://scootertalk.blogspot.com/2007/12/atlantic-city-incident-january-15-1994.html

THE PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY
AT THE SHORE
Week of January 14, 1994

Hot Tickets

A.C. bash ‘mirrors’ Whitman

Gov.-elect Christie Whitman and superstar crooner Barry Manilow – siblings in a past life (you’ll note if you glance at their pictures side-by-side) – will be reunited tonight (Saturday) when Manilow serves as musical headliner for Whitman’s pre-inaugural bash at the Atlantic City Convention Center.

Dubbed "New Jersey: One Family," Whitman’s Ethnic Pride and Heritage Festival will feature a dozen musical acts, more than 30 food booths and a variety of exhibits. Admission is free.

"This list reflects the desire of Whitman to celebrate the diversity of New Jersey and its people," said Michael D. Francis, chairman of Whitman’s inaugural committee.

The convention center’s exhibition hall will be divided into three sections for musical acts, food stands and exhibits, all of which will run from 2 to 6:30 p.m. Manilow takes the stage at 7:30 p.m. While the $25 tickets for the concert are expected to sell out, information is available by calling Ticketmaster....

Event organizer Keith Nahigian said the city’s cooperation made the logistics of the festival a much less daunting task.

"Dec. 1, it was a dream. Now it’s happening in three days," Nahigian said. "Atlantic City has been the host of hosts."

Exhibit highlights include an indoor mountain with ski simulator, a virtual reality machine, a petting zoo, interactive computer displays and carnival rides.

The food court will feature items from more than 30 restaurants across the state, chosen with the help of the New Jersey Restaurant Association. All varieties of ethnic food will be featured. Food will be sold for $1 an item.

The musical bill will include: Drums of Thunder, a grade-school drum corps; the barbershop quartet Music Street; Portuguese and Hispanic folklore groups; the 63rd Army Band; and the Camden Rappers.

The inaugural committee was able to snag Manilow to headline the show with the help of the Casino Association of New Jersey, Nahigian said.

"The association was a big help," he said. "It’s very difficult to get an act like that."

And the striking resemblance between Manilow and Whitman? Nahigian wouldn’t comment.

~~ By Hobart Rowland

~~~~~
THE PRESS OF ATLANTIC CITY
January 16, 1994

Manilow snubs Whitman

Singer backs out of performance in Atlantic City

By Michael Pritchard and Yvette Craig

ATLANTIC CITY – Barry Manilow backed out of performing at a pre-inaugural festival for Gov.-elect Christie Whitman at the city’s convention center just hours before he was scheduled to appear, casting a pall on the festival and leaving thousands of fans disappointed.

But developer Donald Trump volunteered to move singer Paul Anka’s show from neighboring Trump Plaza to fill the void, after Manilow in a written release, said he was unaware that he had been booked to headline an inaugural event and was being "exploited for a political agenda."

Manilow said he thought he was performing at a charity fund-raiser for AIDS.

"Since my arrival in Atlantic City last night, it has become abundantly clear that my appearance here has been positioned, without my knowledge or consent, as part of Ms. Whitman’s ‘inaugural gala,’ which was not and is not my intention," Manilow said. "I would not have agreed to endorse Ms. Whitman in this way having never met her, spoken to her or been aware of her political platform."

Manilow said he was approached to headline a concert for the Children’s Hospital of New Jersey National Pediatric AIDS Center in Newark. The center is one of two charities scheduled to receive proceeds from the event.

Manilow’s cancellation came just five hours before his scheduled 7:30 performance and left city, inaugural and casino association officials scrambling to negotiate with his staff to get him to change his mind, but Manilow had already left town.

"I was at the festival having a good time when I heard about the cancellation from the media," said Mayor James Whelan. "That was another annoyance. He didn’t even tell anyone except through the media. After repeated efforts to get through to him, Donald (Trump) stepped up and offered to move the Anka concert. It was a Godsend."

Anka was scheduled to perform Saturday night at the Plaza.

Officials said the convention center would admit anyone who held a ticket to either the Manilow or Anka shows, and Manilow fans who did not want to see singer-songwriter Anka could get refunds.

"I’m confident we’ll still have a good evening," Whitman told reporters at the convention center.

"Of course I’m disappointed and I’m sure that there will be about 7,000 people who bought tickets who will be disappointed. I hope he changes his mind, but if he doesn’t I’m sure we’ll find something to do," Whitman said before Anka’s move was announced.

News of the cancellation and then the move of the Anka concert, filtered slowly through the crowd, but no formal announcement was made.

Some fans were still lining up at the Barry Manilow Fan Club booth to pick up their $25 tickets for Saturday night’s concert. The electronic message board outside the convention center hadn’t changed. It appeared Manilow was still going on.

Many concert-goers didn’t know the recording artist who won the hearts of fans with songs such as Mandy and I Write the Songs, had skipped town and were not aware of the cancellation until reporters told them.

Two women working at the fan club table sat in utter disbelief when they heard the news.

"You can’t be serious," one of the volunteers at the table said.

"He wouldn’t do that," a woman said who was decked out in a Manilow sweatshirt. "He wouldn’t do that. Not to his fans."

But he did.

"Whether he is a Democrat or a Republican he should perform for his fans that are here to see him," said Angie Dilvorth of Eatontown in Monmouth County. "If he doesn’t, you tell him we are not going to buy anymore tapes or records from him. This is not a nice thing for him to do.

"I have admired this man for years for his integrity. How could he do this? What was he thinking," the 66-year-old Divorth added.

Ruth and Dennis Greenberg of Smithville said they were going to demand to have their money refunded.

"I want my money back," Ruth Greenberg said. "I’ve been a fan of his for a long time. I’m so disappointed that he’s making this a political issue."

"I feel if he’s going to make a commitment he should stick to it," Dennis Greenberg said. "He should know what he’s getting into ahead of time. This is ridiculous."

The cancellation also brought harsh words from officials.

Assemblyman John F. Gaffney, R-Atlantic County, called the situation a disaster.

"I’m infuriated and I hope he never shows his face in Atlantic City again," Gaffney said. "If he doesn’t know the difference between a political event and a charity event then he ought to get out of the business."

Whelan agreed.

"I think Barry needs a civics lesson," Whelan said. "This was not a political event. It was a non-partisan event for charity. I mean I’m a Democrat and Whitman’s a Republican. But we were honored to have the governor-elect here for the event."

A spokeswoman for Manilow said the singer never knew the event billed as an Ethnic Pride and Heritage Festival at the Atlantic City Convention Center, was related to the Republican’s inauguration, said Susan Dubow, a publicist with the Los Angeles public relations firm Bragman Nyman Cafarelli Inc.

"He’s been duped," she said.

In the statement Manilow said he was specifically told in writing that the concert would be part of a non-partisan event.

"At no time was I asked to headline the inaugural activities of Governor Christine Whitman," he said. "...I feel my good intentions have been exploited for a political agenda and this is unacceptable to me."

But Whitman inaugural staff disagreed, saying all the advertisements for the show had been submitted to Manilow’s staff beforehand and that at least his management knew it was an inaugural event.

In a news release sent out by the inaugural committee, Manilow’s performance was touted as the "headlining act at Governor-elect Christie Whitman’s Jan. 15 pre-inaugural" event.

Manilow apologized to ticket holders and pledged to make a donation to the charities that were to benefit from the concert, Children’s Hospital of New Jersey and Respond Inc. of Camden, which runs a day center for homeless people and several day activity centers for senior citizens.

Originally posted 12/27/2007 10:11:00 AM

Barry Manilow's 1975 Jingle Letter To Press

Source: http://scootertalk.blogspot.com/2006/06/jingle-letterbarry-wrote-letter-to.html

JINGLE LETTER

Joyce Comments: A letter Barry Manilow wrote to the press in 1975 clarifying which jingles he wrote and sang on was apparently included in his 1976 press kit. The letter follows:

Dear Ladies and Gentlemen of the Press:

This is me, Barry. I am sitting here, hunting and pecking, because there is something very important that I would like to clear up.

Over the years there's been some confusion about my involvement in the commercial industry. Before my records began to break, I participated in a few dozen jingles. I had a great time, learned a lot and moved on. Recently, I've begun to get credit for writing just about every jingle ever written. I guess that's because in my stage act, I don't stop and break down credits for all the jingles in my commercial medley. So I am about to give you a break down of which commercials I did what to. Please read carefully.

And if one more person gives me credit for writing that stupid MacDonald's jingle, I will not be responsible for what I do with my next Big Mac.

Thank you,
Barry

Kentucky Fried Chicken - Sang
Bowlene Toilet Cleaner - Wrote, arranged
State Farm Insurance - Wrote
Stridex - Wrote, sang
Chevrolet - Wrote, sang, arranged
Dr. Pepper - Sang
Pepsi - Sang
Jack-in-the-Box - Sang
MacDonald's - Sang
Band-Aids - Wrote, arranged

Originally posted 6/12/2006 10:18:00 AM

Edna Manilow

Source: http://scootertalk.blogspot.com/2006/07/to-edna-with-love-in-comments-on.html

TO EDNA, WITH LOVE

In comments on the wonderful black and white photo posted earlier which showed the scar on Barry’s face, I said I thought Edna, Barry’s mom, had told the story of how he got the scar. I found it in the transcript of a Q&A she did back in 1986 which was published in our local newsletter. Most of us never got to meet Edna, but from everything I’ve read, and from those who did meet her, she was a wonderful lady. I lost my mom in 1994 six months before Barry lost Edna. This is a loss most of us have to face, and things are never the same. So this is posted to remind us of Edna Manilow, who was much more than just Barry’s mom. She had humor, wit, and talent. And we miss her.

-----

MAMA TELLS ALL
(Written in 1987)

Edna Manilow has enjoyed her time in the spotlight on many occasions, but her most recent "claim to fame" was charming all the attendees at a benefit show at the Settlement Music School in Philadelphia. The Quarter Notes BMFC sponsored the performance and all proceeds were earmarked for a handicapped students’ music scholarship at the school.

In a captivating hour-long performance, Edna treated the crowd to many of Barry’s tunes. "I’m taking my show on the road, and Philadelphia is my first stop," she joked.

Like somebody else we know, Edna felt so at home that she pulled up a stool and "schmoozed" with the audience in a question and answer session. Here’s how some of it went.

-----

Question: I love your performance, but is there any chance you will be making a record in the near future or distant future?

Edna: Oh, would I love that. Oh! I don’t know. Possibly. That’s all I can say. But before I die, I will do it.

Q: I would like to know who your favorite male vocalist is (besides Barry) and also who’s your favorite female vocalist?

Edna: Besides Barry? Billy Joel. And my female vocalists are Barbra Streisand, Liza Minnelli...and Judy Garland. I love her. She was great, wasn’t she? Those are my favorite females.

Q: When Barry appeared in Atlantic City last October, he picked you to come up on stage and sing Can’t Smile. Had he ever let you come up before, and were you as surprised as you appeared to be to be chosen in the show?

Edna: I nearly died! Because for four years I’d been raising my hand. And he said, "You with the beaded thing." I looked in the back ‘cause I thought he meant somebody else. But he meant me! And I said, "Oh, go off, I’ll finish the show for you." Four years I had waited. I was dying for him to pick me, and he finally picked me, but he won’t pick me anymore.

Q: When will you do a duet with Barry on one of his albums?

Edna: Oh my God! I don’t know. Listen, all of you write to Barry and tell him to do a duet with me, ‘cause he won’t do it unless he gets a lot of input, you know. All of you write to him. And add, "Before I die, I want to live happily."

Q: If it worked out, what songs would you like to sing with him? Would you like him to write something new?

Edna: No. When he was little, I used to sing to him "I Don’t Want To Walk Without You." I used to sing that to him. When he was a little boy, I used to sing that - and he made a record of that - and that’s the song. Or "We Can Make It."

Q: Did you have to keep after Barry to practice the piano and if so, how did you do it without driving yourself crazy?

Edna: Did I have to stay after him - oh God! He used to drive me crazy with the piano! I never had to push him. I had to tell him, "Barry, please stop! I have a headache!" I never had to push him. He loved the piano, always, always. No, he used to play the accordion when he was little ‘cause I couldn’t afford a piano. So I bought him an accordion and he was wonderful and I loved the accordion, but he said that everything he played sounded the same. So I bought him a piano and he put his hands on the piano and never picked up the accordion again.

Q: I love to shop and I wonder if you enjoy shopping also, and if so, what is your favorite store and in what city?

Edna: I hate to shop. I hate to shop. I really do. I’m glad ‘cause Joey buys all my clothes. The only store I liked was B. Dalton’s in New York. That’s the only store I will walk into for about an hour - an hour and a half - because after an hour I make a face and I’m bad, I’m bad, I can’t walk, I can’t walk out - an hour!

Q: How did Barry get the scar on his right cheek by his nose?

Edna: How did you notice that? The scar on his cheek here? Well, when he was little, he had a little girlfriend, Elizabeth, and she pushed him and he fell and I didn’t pay too much attention to it and then it started infecting - you know, it got an infection, and I had to take him to the hospital and it healed. But it stayed, obviously, you all noticed it. He puts on make-up.

Q: Every little girl has a dream profession. What was yours?

Edna: Well, I was a secretary for many, many years, but my real love was singing. And when Barry made me quit my job after 30 something... Oh what am I doing?! I’m giving away my age again. But I always wanted to sing. Always, that was my dream. And I’m doing it because of Barry.

Q: What type of hobbies or interests do you have in your spare time, things that do not pertain to music?

Edna: You know, I like to cook. I really do. I like to putter around in the kitchen, but I hate to do the dishes. I hate that. But I like to cook and I read a lot. I read and cook and rehearse my shows. Because when I do a show, I rehearse it for two months or I forget lyrics all the time.

Q: Is it always surprising to you that Barry can electrify an audience like he does, and was he always a stunner as a child?

Edna: He was ugly as a child. He’s beautiful now. When I was carrying Barry, we lived in tenement houses and in tenement houses, everybody knows everybody. A mother takes care of every child, we didn’t have to worry about that. And when I was carrying Barry, I said I would have the most beautiful boy in the world and the most talented one. I really did - when I was carrying him. And everybody would say, "Ah, you’re full of it." They didn’t believe me. He never expected to be what he is today. I never expected him to be a household word like Comet, Mr. Clean.

Q: Many people in the room admire your son as an entertainer and would love to meet him. Who do you admire, and have you met him or her?

Edna: The only one I really admire, as a singer and entertainer, is Judy Garland - my favorite. She is...and it’s too bad she died, and how she died because she was wonderful.

Q: Did you ever get to meet her?

Edna: No. Barry did. Marty did, you know. Well, I’m the mother, so who am I to complain?

Originally posted 7/06/2006 09:37:00 AM

Manilow Showbiz fans of 1993

Source: http://scootertalk.blogspot.com/2007/01/st_29.html

ST. LOUIS POST-DISPATCH
June 27, 1993

EVEN NOW, IMAGE HAUNTS MANILOW

By Mark Brown
Of the Orange County Register

Over the years, Barry Manilow has always taken ribbing about his image with a good sense of humor. But lately, he's had just about enough.

Now, it's time for respect. It's time for the jokes to end. It's time to own up; it's time for Manilow lovers to come out of the closet, as Bob Dylan, Arsenio Hall and Axl Rose have.

After all, someone bought those 50 million records, CDs, cassettes, and yes, eight-tracks that Manilow has been writing, arranging and performing for more than two decades. He will be at the Riverport Amphitheatre 8 p.m. Wednesday.

Rose admitted he's a big Mandy fan. Bob stopped Manilow at a party in 1988, hugged him and said, "Don't stop what you're doing, man. We're all inspired by you." Hall cites him as a favorite guest and admonishes his audience to give him respect for his work.

"They're brave for admitting it. I've gotten a bum rap," Manilow said in a telephone interview from his Bel-Air home. "It kind of capsulized this entire experience I've gone through for 20 years - people putting down what it is I do. When they finally investigate it, they change their minds."

As for the people and the critics who hold up his work as . . . well, everything that made the '70s bad? "The little weasels that take potshots at all of us? They're just little weasels. They get their jollies at the expense of others. I just don't take them seriously," Manilow said.

"Nobody was more surprised than me to find out I wasn't hip," Manilow said. "I believed in what I did so much, I couldn't believe there were people who couldn't hear it."

These days, after style changes, an album of show tunes and a critically hailed journey into jazz with 2 a.m., Paradise Cafe in 1984, Manilow himself is unsure of his image.

"I don't know what the public's perception is of me. I'm hoping there's a majority of them who know I am sincere in what I'm doing."

He's wary even about innocuous questions such as what he wears on stage. It's a cautious stance that's become second nature after years of being set up and knocked down. Or as Rolling Stone put it, "When your name is a punch line, you live in hell. Manilow lives in hell."

"I do press (interviews) when I feel it's necessary. Sometimes I'm lucky, I get an interviewer who's intelligent, who knows what I've done," he said. "Sometimes I get young people who ask me the same stupid questions about Bette Midler and the McDonald's commercials and how I wrote Mandy, which of course I didn't write."

While acquiring a reputation as a master showman in his exuberant concerts, Manilow, who is 47, gives hints of a much more private person who has had his fill of the spotlight.

"If I could, I would never leave this studio," Manilow said of his home recording base. "Touring always gets in the way. I love being creative. The part that is the job to me is going out on stage and putting on makeup and looking cute and being in good voice. A lot of entertainers live for the moment the spotlight hits them. I do enjoy it, but what I really enjoy is not shaving and writing music."

His lack of enthusiasm for the stage partly stems from having had it all. And having lost it once. In the early '80s, he found himself broke.

"They start to hand you checks in the mullions of dollars. If you're not on top of that, you begin to lose it. I hear these stories all the time," Manilow said. "I had $11,000 after selling 50 million records. I mean, I lost it all."

And though he has since gotten back on his financial feet, to a degree the bankruptcy didn't matter much. Seriously.

"Although I felt pretty stupid for allowing it to happen, it didn't stop me from being OK. I learned that money wasn't the real reason I got in this business." That coincided with his disillusioning early '80s hit, Read 'Em and Weep. He didn't write it or arrange it. He just sang it. While this easy success would thrill most artists, Manilow went into a funk.

"It was the most difficult thing to find out," he said. "That's what finally got me to stop making pop records and go into making Paradise Cafe. The thought of making another pop album just didn't appeal to me. One night in a dream, this happened. I woke up with the title and the whole concept very clear. I just followed my heart."

That's come around full circle, with Manilow now embracing his past after retracing it all to put together last year's four-CD box set. In the past 15 years Manilow hasn't done a traditional concert - playing full-length versions of his biggest and best-known songs the way other artists do. Instead, he's done medleys, he's done show tunes, he's done jazz tunes.

This time it's all-the-way-through versions of all the big songs, just like on the records. And respect or no, he keeps a sense of humor about it.

Manilow laughed and said, "For those guys who got dragged there by their wives and girlfriends, these hours are going to be agony."

Originally posted 1/29/2007 09:52:00 AM

The Story of the Little Red Hen

Source: http://wardsmythe.com/2007/10/19/friday-whine-and-cheese-harry-reid-and-the-story-of-the-little-red-hen/

Once there was a Little Red Hen who lived in a barnyard with her three chicks and a duck, a pig and a cat.
One day the Little Red Hen found some grains of wheat. “Look look!” she clucked. “Who will help me plant this wheat?”
“Not I”, quacked the duck, and he waddled away.
“Not I”, oinked the pig, and he trotted away.
“Not I, meowed the cat, and he padded away.
“Then I will plant it myself,” said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
When the wheat was tall and golden, the Little Red Hen knew it was ready to be cut. “Who will help me cut the wheat?” she asked.
“Not I,” said the duck.
“Not I,” said the pig.
“Not I,” said the cat
“Then I will cut this wheat myself”. And she did.
“Now”, said the Little Red Hen, “it is time to take the wheat to the miller so he can grind it into flour. Who will help me?”
“Not I,” said the duck.
“Not I,” said the pig.
“Not I,” said the cat.
“Then I will take the wheat to the miller myself,” said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
The miller ground the wheat into fine white flour and put it into a sack for the Little Red Hen.
When she returned to the barnyard, the Little Red Hen asked, “Who will help me make this flour into dough?”
Not I,” said the duck, the pig and the cat all at once.
“Then I will make the dough myself,” said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
When the dough was ready to go into the oven, the Little Red Hen asked, “Who will help me bake the bread?”
“Not I,” said the duck.
“Not I,” said the pig.
“Not I,” said the cat.
“Then I wll bake it myself,” said the Little Red Hen. And she did.
Soon the bread was ready. As she took it from the oven, the Little Red Hen asked, “Well who wil help me eat this warm, fresh bread?”
“I will,” said the duck.
“I will,” said the pig.
“I will,” said the cat.
“No you won’t,” said the Little Red Hen. “You wouldn’t help me plant the seeds, cut the wheat, go to the miller, make the dough or bake the bread. Now, my three chicks and I will eat this bread ourselves!”
And that’s just what they did.

ANOTHER VERISON....

Once upon a time, on a farm in Texas, there was a little red hen who scratched about the barnyard until she uncovered quite a few grains of wheat. She called all of her neighbors together and said, "If we plant this wheat, we shall have bread to eat. Who will help me plant it?"
"Not I," said the cow.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Not I," said the pig.
"Not I," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen and so she did. The wheat grew very tall and ripened into golden grain.
"Who will help me reap my wheat?" asked the little red hen.
"Not I," said the duck.
"Out of my classification," said the pig.
"I'd lose my seniority," said the cow.
"I'd lose my unemployment compensation," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen, and so she did. At last it came time to bake the bread.
"Who will help me bake the bread?" asked the little red hen.
"That would be overtime for me," said the cow.
"I'd lose my welfare benefits," said the duck.
"I'm a dropout and never learned how," said the pig.
"If I'm to be the only helper, that's discrimination," said the goose.
"Then I will do it by myself," said the little red hen.
She baked five loaves and held them up for all of her neighbors to see. They wanted some and, in fact, demanded a share. But the little red hen said, "No, I shall eat all five loaves."
"Excess profits!" cried the cow
"Capitalist leech!" screamed the duck
"I demand equal rights!" yelled the goose.
The pig just grunted in disdain.
And they all painted "Unfair!" picket signs and marched around and around the little red hen, shouting obscenities.
Then a government agent came. He said to the little red hen, "You must not be so greedy."
"But I earned the bread," said the little red hen.
"Exactly," said the agent. "That is what makes our free enterprise system so wonderful. Anyone in the barnyard can earn as much as he wants. But under our modern government regulations, the productive workers must divide the fruits of their labor with those who are lazy and idle."
And they all lived happily ever after, including the little red hen, who smiled and clucked, "I am grateful, for now I truly understand."
But her neighbors became quite disappointed in her. She never again baked bread, because she joined the "party" and got her bread free. And all the Democrats smiled. 'Fairness' had been established. Individual initiative had died, but nobody noticed; perhaps no one cared ... so long as there was free bread that "the rich" were paying for.

Newsweek - December 1, 1975

Philadelphia Radio Loses Another Legend

Bill's Pre-Comment: The following was copied and pasted from my MySpace page.
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Monday, April 28, 2008

Philadelphia Radio Loses Another Legend
Current mood: bummed
Category: Music


"Big" Ron O'Brien, afternoon jock on Philadelphia's 98.1 WOGL-FM and radio legend, died Sunday morning, April 27, from complications of pneumonia. He was 56 years old.

He was on from 3-7 PM during the week, and was known for his "Fab Four at Four" and "Forgotten 45" segements. For those who had the pleasure of listening to him, two things that stood out were his personality and sense of humor. After the "Forgotten 45", he would always have a trivia question that showed his vast knowledge of music.

There are a couple of tribute links, for the time being. www.wogl.com has a tribute page. Also, CBS-FM New York is playing his last Radio Greats Show, done this past December. The link is as follows: http://wcbsfm.com/Ron-O-Brien/2084423 .

Big Ron, you will be missed! Thank you for the good times.



Bill

Supreme Court upholds photo ID law for voters in Indiana

Supreme Court upholds photo ID law for voters in Indiana

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer
7 minutes ago



The Supreme Court ruled Monday that states can require voters to produce photo identification without violating their constitutional rights, validating Republican-inspired voter ID laws.

In a splintered 6-3 ruling, the court upheld Indiana's strict photo ID requirement, which Democrats and civil rights groups said would deter poor, older and minority voters from casting ballots. Its backers said it was needed to prevent fraud.

It was the most important voting rights case since the Bush v. Gore dispute that sealed the 2000 election for George W. Bush. But the voter ID ruling lacked the conservative-liberal split that marked the 2000 case.

The law "is amply justified by the valid interest in protecting 'the integrity and reliability of the electoral process,'" Justice John Paul Stevens said in an opinion that was joined by Chief Justice John Roberts and Anthony Kennedy. Stevens was a dissenter in Bush v. Gore in 2000.

Justices Samuel Alito, Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas also agreed with the outcome, but wrote separately.

Justices Stephen Breyer, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and David Souter dissented, just as they did in 2000.

More than 20 states require some form of identification at the polls. Courts have upheld voter ID laws in Arizona, Georgia and Michigan, but struck down Missouri's. Monday's decision comes a week before Indiana's presidential primary.

The decision also could spur efforts to pass similar laws in other states.

Ken Falk, legal director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Indiana, said he hadn't reviewed the decision, but he was "extremely disappointed" by it. Falk has said voter ID laws inhibit voting, and a person's right to vote "is the most important right." The ACLU brought the case on behalf of Indiana voters.

The case concerned a state law, passed in 2005, that was backed by Republicans as a way to deter voter fraud. Democrats and civil rights groups opposed the law as unconstitutional and called it a thinly veiled effort to discourage elderly, poor and minority voters — those most likely to lack proper ID and who tend to vote for Democrats.

There is little history in Indiana of either in-person voter fraud — of the sort the law was designed to thwart — or voters being inconvenienced by the law's requirements. For the overwhelming majority of voters, an Indiana driver license serves as the identification.

"We cannot conclude that the statute imposes 'excessively burdensome requirements' on any class of voters," Stevens said.

Stevens' opinion suggests that the outcome could be different in a state where voters could provide evidence that their rights had been impaired.

But in dissent, Souter said Indiana's voter ID law "threatens to impose nontrivial burdens on the voting rights of tens of thousands of the state's citizens."

Scalia, favoring a broader ruling in defense of voter ID laws, said, "The universally applicable requirements of Indiana's voter-identification law are eminently reasonable. The burden of acquiring, possessing and showing a free photo identification is simply not severe, because it does not 'even represent a significant increase over the usual burdens of voting.'"

Stevens said the partisan divide in Indiana, as well as elsewhere, was noteworthy. But he said that preventing fraud and inspiring voter confidence were legitimate goals of the law, regardless of who backed or opposed it.

Indiana provides IDs free of charge to the poor and allows voters who lack photo ID to cast a provisional ballot and then show up within 10 days at their county courthouse to produce identification or otherwise attest to their identity.

Stevens said these provisions also help reduce the burden on people who lack driver licenses.



Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.
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Bill's Comment: TAKE THAT, DEMOCRATS!

McCain: Cutting taxes more important than balanced budget

McCain: Cutting taxes more important than balanced budget

By HOPE YEN, Associated Press Writer
46 minutes ago

Republican John McCain said Sunday that cutting taxes and stimulating the economy are more important than balancing the budget, and accused both Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Obama of supporting tax hikes that would worsen the impact of a recession.

"The goal right now is to get the economy going again," the GOP presidential nominee-in-waiting said on ABC's "This Week," adding that he would put the country "on a path to a balanced budget" by attacking wasteful spending.

McCain conceded it was probably a mistake to seek and accept the endorsement of televangelist John Hagee, who has referred to the Roman Catholic Church as "the great whore" and called it a "false cult system."

The Arizona senator said he had condemned Hagee's remarks about Catholics, and said it was different than the way Obama has responded to questions about his own relationship with William Ayers, a 1960s-era radical who in an interview published on Sept. 11, 2001, said he didn't regret bombing government buildings.

"How can you countenance someone who was engaged in bombings which could have or did kill innocent people?" McCain asked, calling Ayers an "unrepentant terrorist."

Obama campaign spokesman Bill Burton, in response, said McCain had "stooped to the same smear politics and low road that he denounced in 2000" by commenting on Ayers.

McCain appeared on the talk show as the Democratic National Committee announced it would begin running an ad Tuesday on national cable networks tweaking McCain on the economy. The ad, released to reporters Sunday, shows McCain saying the country overall is "better off" than it was eight years ago, and ends by asking viewers, "Do you feel better off?"

The Republican National Committee said the ad is misleading.

Responding Sunday, McCain brushed off Democratic assertions that he is out of touch on the economy and reiterated a pledge to cut taxes even if it means running up deficits. Turning the tables on Clinton and Obama, he said they are the misguided ones for proposing tax increases during a recession.

Both Clinton and Obama support higher taxes for people earning more than $200,000 a year. Obama also has said he wants a capital gains tax higher than the current 15 percent.

"They are out of touch when they want to raise taxes at the worst possible time when we're in a recession," said McCain, who has been under constant criticism from Democrats for saying the economy isn't his best subject.

McCain said he has a solid economic plan, centered on extending Bush administration tax cuts he once opposed. Clinton and Obama would reverse those tax cuts.

Blaming federal spending for the economic troubles, McCain pledged to "scrub every agency of government" of wasteful expenditures and close loopholes.

"Is there any American that doesn't believe that there's tens if not hundreds of billions of dollars that can be saved?" he said. "Americans know that. That's why they're fed up."

McCain also said he would not hold off on tax cuts if Congress didn't approve his spending cuts and declined to make a pledge to balance the budget by the end of his first term in office. "When economies are rough, then you've got to reduce the tax burden on people," McCain said.




Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.

Danica Patrick makes IndyCar history by winning Japan 300

Danica Patrick makes IndyCar history by winning Japan 300

By JIM ARMSTRONG, AP Sports Writer
43 minutes ago



Danica Patrick became the first female winner in IndyCar history Sunday, taking the Indy Japan 300 after the top contenders were forced to pit for fuel in the final laps.

Patrick finished 5.8594 seconds ahead of pole-sitter Helio Castroneves on the 1.5-mile Twin Ring Motegi oval after leader Scott Dixon pitted with five laps left and Dan Wheldon and Tony Kanaan came in a lap later.

"It's a long time coming. Finally," Patrick said. "It was a fuel strategy race, but my team called it perfectly for me. I knew I was on the same strategy as Helio and when I passed him for the lead, I couldn't believe it. This is fabulous."

The 26-year-old Patrick won in her 50th career IndyCar start, taking the lead from Castroneves on the 198th lap in the 200-lap race.

"I think Danica is such a fantastic person and I'm thrilled for her that the monkey is finally off of her back," said Michael Andretti, co-owner of Andretti Green Racing. "We have all believed in her and she proved today that she is a winner. Frankly, I think this is the first of many."

Dixon took the lead from Castroneves on the 93rd lap in the race pushed back to Sunday because of wet track conditions Saturday, but gave up the spot to pit for fuel.

"We led for a lot of laps but came up short," Dixon said. "But congratulations to Danica for her first victory."

Patrick, who started from the third row and made her final pit stop on lap 148, stayed close to the leaders throughout the race.

Patrick went from fourth to second place on lap 197 after Wheldon and Kanaan went into the pit on lap 196. She was as low as eighth place on the 189th lap.

"I knew there was a good reason for coming to Japan," Patrick said. "I want to thank my team, the fans and everyone who supported me."

Dixon was third, 10.0559 seconds behind Patrick. Wheldon was fourth, and Kanaan finished fifth.

Castroneves, awarded the pole position after qualifying was rained out Friday, said Patrick ran a great race.

"With five laps to go, I was saving fuel," Castroneves said. "When Danica passed me, I realized she was the leader. She did a great job, passed me fair and square and that shows you how competitive our series is."

Patrick finished a career-best seventh in the season standings last year, and was second in the race at Detroit's Belle Isle.

At the 2005 Indy 500, she nearly won the pole and became the first female driver to lead the race en route to a fourth-place finish. It was the best finish by a woman at Indy, and helped her take rookie of the year honors.




Copyright © 2008 The Associated Press. All rights reserved.