Saudi women are calling on U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to support their women's rights movement and their right to drive, but while she supports that right, writer Hebah Ahmed says that's a bad idea.

With one more vote needed to pass gay marriage, New York Sen. Greg Ball holds out for stronger religious protections.  FULL POST

 Anti-tax advocate Grover Norquist explains why he opposes the entire ethanol regime – all three components: the mandate, the credit, and the tariff.

CLICK HERE to read our fascinating OFF SET interview with Norquist, exclusive to the "In The Arena" blog!

ONLY ON THE BLOG: Answering today’s five OFF-SET questions is Robert Reich, former U.S. Secretary of Labor under President Clinton and author, "AFTERSHOCK: The Next Economy and America's Future."  

Reich also the Chancellor’s Professor of Public Policy, Goldman School of Public Policy at the University of California, Berkeley. So it should have come as no surprise that Reich recently picked up a Sharpie magic marker to explain the economic downturn. We featured the YouTube video (Click above) on Friday’s In The Arena (6-17-11) and we wanted to know a bit more.

How did this video come to be?

Jake Kornbluth (a very talented young producer/director) and I have been doing short “public videos” for about six months now. In this one I wanted to “connect the dots” on the economy in a fresh way, so I asked Jake if he could film me drawing and then speed up the artwork. MoveOn offered the fund it, and was eager to help promote. FULL POST

The Number of the day is $10 billion.

That's the increase in charitable giving last year, according to new estimates from the Giving USA Foundation.

It's a welcome improvement after two years of declines. Just about everyone - gave what they could and not a penny more. Now companies and people are digging a little deeper.

Here's the cynical take: The rich are back in business, companies are flush with $2 trillion dollars in their bank accounts, and the widening gap between rich and poor means the rich have more of it and the poor still need it.

Too bleak? Maybe. But here's the takeaway for the rest of us. Should you give to the charity of your choice? Yes, if you can afford it. This is an investment in your family and community. (And a tax break, if you are lucky.)

Ever heard of 70-10-10-10?

There are various interpretations, but think about using your money this way:

70% for necessities: food, housing, etc.

10% for emergencies.

10% to invest for tomorrow.

10% for the common good. FULL POST

Pathik Root, a student at Middlebury College in Vermont, runs Mideast Reports, a site dedicated to news and ideas from the region.

In The Arena viewers and visitors to this blog may remember our coverage of Tik's disappearance in Syria a few months ago, and the efforts of his parents to locate him and return him to the United States.

Tik Root wrote an essay about the situation in Syria for the Opinion section of cnn.com and we thought you'd want to read it. CLICK HERE.

After my release I supported the Obama administration's cautious stance on the Syrian revolution. I applauded the president's willingness to consider all options. However, recent developments have made it clear that Assad's opportunity to institute real reform is gone. His speech Monday was merely confirmation. Unfortunately, President Obama still clings to a "lead from behind" policy that does not reflect the realties on the ground. FULL POST

ONLY ON THE BLOG: Answering today’s six OFF-SET questions is Grover Norquist, who founded President of Americans for Tax Reform in 1985 at the request of President Ronald Reagan. The flagship project of the advocacy group is the Taxpayer Protection Pledge, a written promise by legislators and candidates for office that commits them to oppose any effort to increase income taxes on individuals and businesses.   

Norquist serves on the boards of directors of the National Rifle Association of America, the American Conservative Union, and The Nixon Center. He is a Contributing Editor to the American Spectator Magazine and the author of two books, "Rock the House" and"Leave Us Alone – Getting the Government’s Hands Off Our Money, Our Guns, Our Lives."

Norquist is scheduled to appear In The Arena on Monday, June 20, 2011.

This is complicated, so please walk us through what's going on: last week, the Senate approved an amendment to a bill that would end the annual subsidies for the ethanol industry, and eliminate the import tax on foreign ethanol. There are various figures floating around, but ending the subsidies could save taxpayers between $3 – 6 billion a year. So first, do you think it's a good thing to end the subsidies?

The central goal of Americans for Tax reform is to reduce the cost and burden of taxation on the American people. We oppose increasing taxes.  We support moving to a top income tax rate of 25% for both individuals and businesses and eliminating tax credits and deductions such that tax reform is revenue neutral-not a hidden tax increase.  This is also the goal of the Paul Ryan budget passed overwhelmingly by the Republican House and gaining 40 votes in the Senate this year. Tax reform, yes.  Tax increase, no.

Helping drive this effort, Americans for Tax Reform asks all candidates for federal office to sign the Taxpayer Protection Pledge.  FULL POST

ONLY ON THE BLOG: Answering today’s five OFF-SET questions is Reggie Brown, actor and presidential impressionist.

Brown impersonated President Barack Obama on Saturday in New Orleans at the Republican Leadership Conference, poking fun at the president and various candidates. He said that while the First Lady celebrated all of Black History Month, the president, who is bi-racial, only celebrated half the month. Brown also talked about Mitt Romney’s Mormon faith, and joked about Newt Gingrich and Tim Pawlenty. At the start of a joke about Michele Bachmann, an event organizer approached Brown and asked him to stop.

But Brown told us he was not pulled off stage.

What happened this weekend?

I think I delivered a great performance, and when I got offstage, as I exited, the audience the responded well. The organizers complimented me. They had a great time. I thought it was a great performance. Then we went back to read what a few people had written on blogs and there was a different story.

What happened is that I went over my minutes. They told me I had 20, but they aired a video before me and then my intro took up more time. When our liaison—they guy who introduced me–came up to me onstage, he said, “Hey, I am sorry—your time is up," and so I finished and went backstage. I was told it was because of my time, not my act, not because of anything I said. FULL POST

ONLY ON THE BLOG: Answering today's OFF-SET questions is ardent soap opera fan, Flo DiBona of Sacramento, CA.

When she is not watching soap operas, Ms DiBona is a principal consultant and subject matter expert in global enterprise electronic content and records management.

On Monday, June 20, 2011, a group called Fans United Against ABC will be holding nationwide rallies near at least two dozen ABC affiliate TV stations in an attempt to save the recently cancelled daytime and primetime soaps. In April, ABC announced it was cancelling the long-time favorites "One Life to Live" and "All My Children." What was your first reaction when you heard that AMC was going to leave the air this September?

I experienced disbelief, shock and numbness, in that order.

During the numbness, I realized I was not the only one who depended on these shows. I began thinking about the elderly, ill and incapacitated who depend on these shows far more than I do. That’s when I decided to lend my voice to this Soap movement. FULL POST

SYRIAN PRESIDENT BLAMES ARMED GANGS – Bashar al-Assad blamed armed gangs for the violence that has gripped the country, saying Monday in a televised address that the group has tarnished the country's image and weakened its security. "There are some who are distorting the image of the Syrian nation abroad, and they wanted to open the gates and even called for foreign intervention. They tried to weaken the national political position," he said.

Al-Assad has faced growing criticism from leaders in the United States, Europe and elsewhere over a violent government clampdown on demonstrators. During the address, al-Assad said he had met a number of Syrians who voiced legitimate demands to improve the economy and increase personal freedoms.

NATO STRIKES MAY HAVE HIT LIBYAN CIVILIANS, AS U.S. LEADERS DEBATE WAR POWERS – Fifteen people, including men, women and children, were killed early Monday in a NATO airstrike in a Tripoli neighborhood, the Libyan government said. FULL POST