At The Rock, an evangelical megachurch in Point Loma, the subject didn't come up yesterday, but 17,000 parishioners previously heeded the pastor's call to sign a petition to place on the November ballot an initiative for a constitutional amendment to ban same-sex marriage. Member Christine Lerma of San Diego said she has a brother-in-law and co-worker who are gay, but would not attend their weddings if invited. “Marriage is a union created by God for men and women only,” Lerma said. “I couldn't lower my standard of belief. I could not acknowledge the marriage.” San Diego Tribune

Can we save money and time by closing the “Diamond Lanes” when gas is over $4.00 per gallon in California? This much is certain: Gas prices will not be dropping. Weeks of record-setting prices for gasoline - which reached $4.42 a gallon in California recently - have helped cement that notion. Fewer than 10 years ago, gas was 99 cents a gallon. But since May 2004, when the U.S. average first topped $2, the upward movement has been fairly steady. The $3 plateau was topped in September 2005, and the U.S. average rose above $4 this week - as it moved closer to $5 in the Bay Area. Oakland Tribune

The Costa Mesa company had problems selling the mix-and-match figurines before the court decision. Now orders are pouring in. Paloma Esquivel in the Los Angeles Times

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger charged into office in 2003 with a promise to "clean house" and bring an end to what he called the irresponsible spending of Democrat Gray Davis. The charge helped make Davis the first governor in state history to be recalled. Despite different economic circumstances, both Davis and Schwarzenegger enjoyed strikingly similar growth in tax revenues: up 31.1 percent for Davis from 1999 to 2003, and up 34 percent so far for Schwarzenegger, who has now served approximately the same length of time. And both men increased spending at about the same clip. The state general fund grew by 32 percent, from $57.8 billion to $76.3 billion, under Davis. It surged 33.4 percent, from $76.3 billion to $101.8 billion, under Schwarzenegger. Mercury News

Pete Wilson: the negotiator - By working with Democrats and Republicans, the GOP governor closed a massive deficit with spending cuts and tax increases. Greg Lucas in the Los Angeles Times . Pat Brown: the 'big-government man' - The postwar Democrat governed at a time when even Republicans were not averse to new taxes. Ethan Rarick in the Los Angeles Times Earl Warren: the independent - The World War II-era Republican governor pushed hard for social progress - even when it was expensive. Jim Newton in the Los Angeles Times Ronald Reagan: the pragmatist - The GOP governor closed a major deficit by trimming government and increasing taxes. Lou Cannon in the Los Angeles Times “Should a Republican governor ‘raise taxes’ to close the budget hole?”

Today's bleak economy is forcing Ventura County families to seek ways to make ends meet, including consolidating errands, driving smaller cars, altering spending habits and taking on additional jobs. Allison Bruce and Jenni Mintz in the Ventura Star

Carpool lanes – to the highest bidder? State-issued stickers allowing select hybrids to use carpool lanes are being sold or replicated sporadically, aided by a glitch in the law, state officials say. Jim Sanders in the Sacramento Bee

A psychology researcher has controversially claimed that stupidity is causally linked to how likely people are to believe in God. University of Ulster professor Richard Lynn will draw the conclusion in new research due to be published in the journal Intelligence, the Times Higher Education Supplement reports . "Why should fewer academics believe in God than the general population? I believe it is simply a matter of the IQ. Academics have higher IQs than the general population.” The Register News

Air officials are appearing at city council sessions and meeting with businesses all over the Valley to pass the word: It's time for car pools, four-day work weeks and maybe even prayer to fight ozone. Officials are talking to church groups, hoping that ministers will sermonize about avoiding activities that create pollution. "We're going to need help from everyone," said Seyed Sadredin, executive director of the San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District. The district is pitching its new Healthy Air Living campaign this month as Valley temperatures rise and ozone begins to spike in one of the nation's worst air basins. Mercury News

Apparently the Obamas of Kenya have been reading those scurrilous emails to which Barack likes to refer, because they have no doubt -- contrary to the claims of the Obama campaign, that the presidential candidate was raised a Moslem. They take that as a given. As the Jerusalem Post reports , "Barack Obama's half brother Malik said Thursday that if elected his brother will be a good president for the Jewish people, despite his Muslim background. In an interview with Army Radio he expressed a special salutation from the Obamas of Kenya." Israel Insider News (He has converted, but will he be a diplomatic, rhetorical or literal target for those radical members of the Islamic religion?)

A recent series on words at church dealt with the power, impact and meaning of words. It reminded me of a story that featured this headline at Yahoo News. Swearing at work boosts ‘team spirit, morale’. This gets me to thinking, I was raised where no cuss words were offered, anywhere - anytime. Today, I live in a culture - a Christian culture too - where “cuss words” are as normal as brushing your teeth. Where do you stand on using cuss words? Crosswalk