by Kevin Combest – Human Events

When a thematically complex movie is attacked by a misguided, politically charged review that tries to pigeonhole and label the philosophy of the film—like the one Benjamin Shapiro recently penned—there is a good chance that ideologues on both sides of the aisle should check it out. Such is the case with “Apocalypto,” Mel Gibson’s pensive (that’s right, pensive) look into the conditions leading to the downfall of the Mayan Empire. In an attempt to stuff the square movie into a round political hole for the purposes of partisan digestion, Shapiro has failed to perceive or chosen to avoid the complexities of “Apocalypto,” which contains a bevy of material that could be attractive to conservatives…

by Jerry Seper – The Washington Times
In interviews this week, they said the organization’s first IRS filing as a 501(c)4 tax-exempt charity on Nov. 15 failed to answer many of their concerns. They said, for example, there was no accounting in the new filing for at least $150,000 in the $50 registration fees required of the 4,000 Minuteman volunteers. Others questioned why the IRS financial statement included mention of the construction of a border fence, since the filing listed MCDC contributions and expenditures only for 2005. They noted that Mr. Simcox began the fence project in April 2006. In a statement posted on the MCDC Web site, the group’s board of directors, which Mr. Simcox heads, decided that “this year and this year only” it would make public the organization’s financial records. The statement did not address the fact nonprofit organizations such as MCDC are required to file annual financial statements, which are available to the public [WebNote Reminder: Neither Chris Simcox, MCDC, or Alan Keyes is affiliated in anyway with Minuteman founder Jim Gilchrist or The Minuteman Project which is the original Minuteman organization]…