(Cross-posted from Under God)

A highly influential group of conservative Christian leaders are releasing a document today that they have been working on for more than a year, an attempt to unify disparate religious conservatives. Even as political conservatives in the United States are fractured and the Republican Party in a period of soul-searching, you can see some religious conservatives attempting to coalesce, such as Pope Benedict's recent outreach to conservative Anglicans.

The document, called "The Manhattan Declaration," is embargoed until noon (when we'll have it for you) but it calls for Christians to regroup around opposition to abortion (and other "life" issues) and to recognition of same-sex marriage. The document calls for 'religious liberty' but people connected with the document say that is a reference to courts and civil authorities who are allowing gay marriage and abortion availability to advance and expand.

The positions aren't new here; what's new is the teaming up. On the stage at the National Press Club today will be Catholic leaders Washington Archbishop Donald Wuerl and Philadelphia Archbishop Justin Rigali, Pentecostal leader Harry Jackson of Maryland and evangelical activist Tony Perkins. Signers include Chuck Colson and academics Timothy George and Robert George.

People involved with the document cited as evidence of their concern the current standoff between the Washington Catholic archdiocese and the D.C. City Council over a same-sex marriage bill, and the archdiocese's position that it won't be able to agree to the bill's requirements without violating Catholic teaching. They also noted the recent decision by Catholic Charities in Massachusetts (the charity arm of the church) to stop helping place children for adoption rather than comply with the state's ban on discrimination against same-sex couples.

Read Michelle Boorstein's full post.

When schools opened in August, the Fenty Administration proudly showcased the latest results of its $1 billion overhaul of DCPS buildings. Students at School Without Walls High School, Deal Middle School, Wheatley Education Campus and H.D. Cooke and Savoy elementary schools returned to facilities handsomely renovated under the guidance of construction czar Allan Lew. They are part of an accelerated five-year capital plan that is supposed to give every DCPS student the chance to attend a new or improved school building sometime in his or her academic career.

At the bottom of this to-do list is 50-year-old Ballou High School, not due for its extreme makeover until 2014, under current plans. While the school has had some attention from Lew's shop during summer breaks it's difficult to imagine what kind of shape it will be in five years from now, given the conditions we saw during a midday visit Wednesday.

Three first-floor electrical panel boxes were open. Exposed wiring hung from the ceiling where panels were missing. Other cable or wiring was jerry-rigged along walls and ceilings.The smashed out remnants of exit signs hung at the ends of at least two corridors. Bulletin boards and ceilings were in deep disrepair.

After inquiries Wednesday, Lew's office dispatched workers to the school. Lew spokesman Tony Robinson said the District did $4.4 million worth of work at the school over the summer of 2008. "Every year we go in and remediate what we can," he said, but added that vandalism is a serious problem.

Ironically, top Lew deputies from the Office of Public Education Facilities Modernization joined Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee Wednesday evening at Cooke for a community forum entitled: "How does physical learning environment impact student learning?" Rhee affirmed "how important the physical environment can be in terms of communicating the right message to our students."

Bill Turque

D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee had several conversations last year with a federal inspector general investigating Sacramento Mayor Kevin Johnson for alleged financial misconduct and inappropriate behavior with female students at a charter school he operated, The Los Angeles Times reported Friday.

The paper said Rhee, who once served on the board of the St. Hope school, spoke on behalf of Johnson-- whom she is now engaged to-- calling him "a good guy."

Rhee's previously undisclosed involvement in the investigation is described in a 62-page congressional report on the White House's firing earlier this year of Gerald Walpin, the inspector general for the Corporation for National and Community Service. The report is scheduled to be released today by Rep. Darrell Issa (R-Calif) and Sen Charles E.Grassley (R-Iowa).

Johnson has not been charged with any crimes. Republicans contend that Walpin's firing was politically motivated because Johnson, a former NBA star with the Phoenix Suns, was a high-profile supporter of President Obama. Administration officials said the corporation board had lost confidence in Walpin, 78, who appeared confused and disoriented at a May board meeting. The paper said Walpin is receiving free legal help from a conservative public relations firm associated with the "swift boat" ads that attacked Democratic presidential candidate John F. Kerry in the 2004 campaign.

The report includes a 30-page criminal referral Walpin prepared for the U.S. attorney in Sacramento in August 2008. It described three allegations of inappropriate actions on Johnson's part involving a female minor, who reported being fondled, and two young volunteers, who reported that Johnson went to their apartment and climbed into bed with one of them. Federal and local officials declined to prosecute on the basis of the information in the referral
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According to The Times, Rhee met with St. Hope teacher Jacqueline Wong-Hernandez after hearing the allegations and promised to "take care of the situation." Wong-Hernandez said she was later called to a meeting with Johnson and one of the alleged victims and was told by Johnson that he and the 18-year-old girl had spoken privately and "everything was OK between them." Wong-Hernandez left St. Hope in June 2007, telling Rhee that the handling of the incident was a major reason.

Phone and e-mail messages to Rhee's office had not been returned at midday.

Walpin began the probe in 2008, centered on what happened to $848,000 in grants and payments to Johnson's school, St. Hope, from AmeriCorps, the national service organization overseen by the corporation.

Bill Turque

The District dumped Watkins Security from its contract to safeguard D.C. public schools in 2005 after an inspector general's report found that it was overpriced, underqualified, ineffective and employed some guards with criminal records. It awarded a new contract to Hawk One.

Turns out Watkins is back, this time as a subcontractor to U.S. Security Associates, one of the two firms hired to replace Hawk One, which went belly up in October. Watkins is supplying security for at least some of the District's "Cluster 3" schools which include most of its elementary buildings. A guard with a Watkins patch was seen Wednesday at Langdon Education Campus, a pre-K through 8 school in Northeast.

Watkins president Richard A. Hamilton Sr. declined Thursday to discuss the details, referring all questions to U.S. Security Associates, which did not return phone messages.

"I don't want to get into opening old wounds," Hamilton said. "I don't need any adverse publicity. I want to go about my business."

MPD spokesman Kevin Palmer said he had no information on how Watkins ended up as a subcontractor. "We weren't at the table," he said, referring questions to the office of contracting and procurement.

In series of reports on school security by the inspector general's office in 2004 and 2005, it concluded that DCPS wasted as much as $8.8 million by awarding the three-year, $45 million contract to Watkins in 2002. It said that the company was the most expensive, yet least qualified, among several bidders.

The inspector general faulted Watkins for high rates of absenteeism among its guards. Another report was critical of the police department, which cleared for work guards with arrest records for such crimes as possession of cocaine, assault and delivering counterfeit money.

Bill Turque

D.C. Schools Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee likes to say -- and did so again Tuesday at a CEO gathering sponsored by The Wall Street Journal--that "collaboration and consensus building are quite frankly overrated in my mind."

So who better to participate in a national town hall to search for common ground on complex social issues?

Rhee is one of the big names confirmed for the USA Network's "Characters Unite National Town Hall," to be hosted by Tom Brokaw on Dec. 2 at the Newseum. She'll join such notables as Newark Mayor Cory Booker, former U.S. Senator Max Cleland, Georgetown University professor Michael Eric Dyson, Politico's Mike Allen and singer Jon Bon Jovi.

"People across the country are making tough decisions every day and working to maintain their own unique American character. Too often, instead of coming together to address conflicts, groups demonize each other because of their different beliefs and opinions," Brokaw said in a statement.

It's part of the promotional rollout for his new documentary, "American Character Along Highway 50," in which Rhee appeared.

Rhee has had a turbulent autumn defending budget cutbacks and teacher layoffs, decisions that led to a confrontation with the D.C. Council and the resignation of her chief financial officer, Noah Wepman.
To be completely fair, her point is that too much collaboration and consensus building can lead to paralysis when trying to transform troubled institutions such as DCPS.

"I am not unwilling to collaborate," she said last week on yet another panel, this one for the Bloomberg Washington Summit. But, she added: "If the end goal is collaboration and cooperation and feeling good among adults, then oftentimes what you end up doing is not a whole lot of anything. You've got people on one side who want you do do one thing and people on the other side that want you do the another thing.

"You can't make everybody happy all the time. So in my opinion often when people are keeping everyone happy they're not changing things very much."

Bill Turque

Two whistleblowers in the ongoing investigation into how the D.C. Democratic State Committee raised and spent money for last year's Democratic National Convention are rebuffing requests from party leaders to handle the matter internally.

On Thursday -- the same day the Washington Post wrote a story about Councilman Vincent C. Gray's (D) role in the matter -- the president of the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club reached out to two Democratic state committee members to try keep the story from growing.

The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics is currently investigating why the local Democratic party failed to report more than $100,000 in contributions it raised from corporate and other sources for the convention in Denver. In a preliminary audit, the board's Office of Campaign Finance has discovered that several council members solicited or gave donations that exceeded the $5,000 donation limit for a political committee.

Jeffrey D. Richardson, the Gertrude Stein Democratic Club president, who also is an at-large member of the Democratic National Committee Youth Council, sent his e-mail Thursday to Lenwood Johnson and Philip Pannell, who both have been critical of the party leadership regarding the convention fund.

"I am writing out of concern for the future of the D.C. Democratic Party as a result of the actions affiliated with the Denver Convention fundraising and lack of reporting that has come to light as a result of the (campaign finance) audit," Richardson wrote. "On multiple occasions you both announced that you had either already or were planning to file complaints with the (Federal Elections Commission) and U.S Attorney.

"In light of today's press in the Post and the CityPaper and given the direction this investigation is going with the intense response by the D.C. Republican Party, I am personally requesting that you both consider delaying your action to allow DCDSC members to hear your specific concerns with the hopes of outlining a plan of action to address your specific concerns without further public embarrassment to the D.C. Democratic Party and D.C. Democrats."

E-mail traffic supplied by Pannell provided Johnson's response.

"I understand your concerns, but I have already filed my request for a criminal investigation with the U.S. Attorney," Johnson wrote. "This is a very serious matter, and I believe we are not moving toward resolution with all the continuing 'katydidding.' "

In an interview today, Richardson said he was surprised his e-mail has been made public.

"I wasn't aware a member of the party forwarded that e-mail to the press," Richardson said. "The true extent (of the e-mail) was the desire of the the state committee as a whole to move forward making sure we are in compliance with the letter and spirit of the law."

Richardson also stressed his email "definetly was not an attempt to block" a potential federal investigation into the local party's fundraising.

An earlier version of this article incorrectly stated Richardson is a member of the Democratic National Committee. He is a member of the Democratic National Committee Youth Council.

-- Tim Craig

Attorney General Peter J. Nickles said he sees no wrongdoing in the repairs completed at the home of D.C. Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray (D) -- a story first reported in the Washington Times on Wednesday.

"I don't think I read a serious allegation there. I call it like I see them. I'm not speaking on anyone's behalf," Nickles said Thursday morning, a day after the fallout for Gray.

WCS Construction, a company owned by megadeveloper Chris Smith, a friend of Gray's, provided repairs and architectural services to the chairman beginning in July.

Gray said he paid more than $10,000 for the work. Smith also owns William C. Smith & Co., one of the region's development leaders.

"There's no indication of quid pro quo, except innuendo," Nickles said. "It's just a bunch of isolated facts put together."

-- Nikita Stewart

Seems like the dust was just beginning to clear from all the scuffling over DCPS' 2010 budget, which included confrontations between Chancellor Michelle A. Rhee and the D.C. Council over enrollment projections and teacher layoffs. But those who can't wait for another round will be pleased to know that Rhee will hold a public hearing on the FY 2011 budget--for the fiscal year that begins Oct. 1, 2010--on Monday. It will be from 6 pm to 8 pm in the Old Board Room at DCPS central offices, 825 North Capitol Street NE. Members of the public are welcome to testify for up to five minutes. If you're interested, contact Sang Yoon at sang.yoon@dc.gov or call 202-480-0860 before 5 pm Thursday. Or you can sign up when you get there. For some reason, DCPS asks that you bring three copies of your testimony.
Bill Turque

Bishop Harry Jackson, represented by attorneys from a conservative legal organization, filed suit today against the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics over its refusal to allow an initiative to ban same-sex marriage.

Attorneys for the Alliance Defense Fund said the suit was filed today in D.C. Superior Court. On Tuesday, the elections board ruledthat an initiative to define marriage as being between a man and woman cannot proceed because it would be discriminatory toward gay men and lesbians.

Jackson and other same-sex marriage opponents are vowing a lengthy court battle over the issue.

-- Tim Craig

The D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics ruled today that a proposed ballot initiative defining marriage as between a man an a woman cannot go forward, reaffirming an earlier ruling that such an vote would be discriminatory.

The board cited the city's Human Rights Act, which bans discrimination against gay men and lesbians. The board decision, which will likely be challenged in court, means the D.C. Council can move forward with its plans to vote on a bill next month to legalize same-sex marriage.

"We have considered all of the testimony presented to the Board and understand the desire to place this question on the ballot," said Board Chairman Errol R. Arthur. "However, the laws of the District of Columbia preclude us from allowing this initiative to move forward."

Bishop Harry Jackson, who is leading the effort to get a public vote on the issue, called the ruling "outrageous and a slap in the face of every resident of the District of Columbia."

"To deny the people their fundamental right to vote on such an important issue as the definition of marriage in our society is simply appalling," said Jackson, pastor of Hope Christian Church in Beltsville.

In its 13-page opinion, the board noted that some gay couples in the District are already legally married. Earlier this year, the D.C. Council approved a bill recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states.

"The proposed initiative seeks to prohibit the District from continuing to recognize these same-sex marriages," the opinion states. "If passed, the initiative would, in contravention of the (Human Rights Act), strip same-sex couples of the rights and responsibilities of marriages currently recognized."

In June, the board also cited the Human Rights Act in its decision to block a proposal to hold a referendum to try to overturn the council bill recognizing same-sex marriages in other states.

Council member David A. Catania (I-At Large), the sponsor of the same-sex marriage bill, said today's ruling shows that the city's Human Rights Act is "one of the most comprehensive statements on equality in the world."

"I am pleased that the board of rejected this effort as an impermissible trespass on the human rights of District residents," Catania said in a statement.

But Jackson and other same-sex marriage opponents are vowing to press their case in court, which may mean the debate over a possible referendum could stretch into next year.

"This board is charged with the responsibilty of protecting, not denying, the right of the citizens to vote and to engage in the legislative process gauranteed to them," said Cleta Mitchell, an attorney representing Stand4MarriageDC, which opposes same-sex marriage.

Tim Craig

The D.C. Council officially agreed today to vote on the bill legalizing same-sex marriage on Dec. 1, clearing the way for the measure to head to Congress for its review around New Year's.

Before the council put the bill on its December agenda, council members reiterated they are not likely to be swayed by arguments from the Catholic Archdiocese of Washington that passage of the bill as written would affect the church's charitable work in the District.

Council member Phil Mendelson (D-At large), chairman of the Committee on Public Safety and the Judiciary, said he has reviewed the concerns raised by the church and concluded the council bill is not that much different than same-sex marriage bills that have been enacted in other states.

"The church focuses on the right to discriminate, but refuses to consider the effect on the couple," Mendelson said. "They provide these services in other states where same-sex marriages are permitted, I do not understand why they would not be able to provide them here."