Datebook
CALLING FOR A VOTE. Congress returns from its Memorial Day recess today, and Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has said he plans to hold votes on a number of potentially divisive social issues. Among them is a constitutional amendment, supported by President Bush, to ban gay marriage. The proposal, which was narrowly voted out of the Senate Judiciary Committee on May 18, seeks to define marriage as the union of a man and a woman. The measure has virtually no chance of passing the Senate this year. A companion resolution in the House has not been acted on, but Majority Leader John Boehner has said that he is committed to bringing it up for a vote this year. A constitutional amendment requires the support of two thirds of those present and voting in both chambers. If passed, it would then have to be ratified by three quarters of the states.
TUESDAY, JUNE 6
THE DOOMSDAY FILES. The sixth day of the sixth month of the sixth year. Any way you look at it, it's 666, and according to at least one apocalyptic website, it's a day to "fasten your seat belts." According to some readings of the Bible's book of Revelation, 666 is the sign of the beast, or the anti-Christ, marking the final confrontation between God and the forces of evil, the day the Lord brings good Christians home and leaves the infidels behind. The Internet, naturally, is full of speculation that the end is nigh. Terrorist attacks, tsunamis, bird flu, hurricanes--what more proof do you need? On the other hand, the date is turning out to be a lucky one for marketers. Twentieth Century Fox is marking the occasion with a remake of The Omen, the classic 1970s horror flick about a couple (Lee Remick, Gregory Peck) whose child, marked with the sign of the beast, turns out to be the devil incarnate. Fox launched the Omen campaign over Florida beaches with airplanes that towed banners saying, "You Have Been Warned." Panama City beachgoers responded by calling 911 and the FBI.
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