The latest addition to American "higher education" is a kinky (deviant, sexually immoral) student club called Harvard College Munch. Now officially recognized and funded by Harvard, the club is for "BDSM lovers" -- sexual bondage and discipline, dominance and submission, and sadism and masochism.
For background, read Colleges Ban Student Groups for Christian Beliefs and also read Sadomasochistic Exhibit Funded by Univ. of Chicago as well as Orgasm Live Demo in Chicago College Classroom
-- From "College Approves BDSM Group" by Nathalie R. Miraval, Staff Writer, The Harvard Crimson 11/29/12
. . . Harvard College Munch has grown from seven to about 30 members and is one of 15 student organization that will be approved by the Committee on Student Life this Friday.
Munch is also now allowed to apply for DAPA food grants, making it easier to find a convenient time and location to meet, instead of gathering in small dining halls.
. . . the biggest advantage to being recognized comes with “the fact of legitimacy,” [Munch leader] said. “[Our recognition] shows we are being taken seriously.”
[Munch member] Mae said that kinky students may feel uncomfortable discussing their sexual practices, after experiencing any form of abuse or trauma, with certain people for fear of being misunderstood or judged. She said the resources ensure students receive the help they need from people who are educated about the kink community.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "'50 Shades' in the Ivy League: Academics versus BDSM sex clubs" by Carolyn Kellogg, Los Angeles Times 11/19/12
On Monday the New York Observer ran a sensational story about BDSM sex clubs popping up in the Ivy League. They can be found at Harvard, Columbia and Yale -- all Ivies -- as well as Tufts, MIT and the University of Chicago. The group at Harvard is called Munch.
The university clubs are intended to be a safe space for experimentation. As the Observer puts it, "the scene’s mantra — 'safe, sane and consensual' — is heard so often it might as well be translated into needlepoint." But sometimes fiction and fact have intersected in uncomfortable ways. A representative from Columbia's group says that for all their safeguards, when it comes to sexual play that involves dominance and submission, the line about what constitutes consent can blur.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Harvard to welcome kinky sex club for students" by Greg Wilson, FoxNews.com 11/29/12
Harvard spokesman Jeff Neal said the school recognizes more than 400 independent student organizations, and the groups are required to submit an organizational constitution and agree to the school’s nondiscrimination and anti-hazing policies. Then, their fate is decided by a committee composed of students and administrators.
“The college does not endorse the views or activities of any independent student organization,” Neal told FoxNews.com. “Rather, it ensures that independent student organizations remain in compliance with all applicable provisions of the Handbook for Students.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Friday, November 30, 2012
Thursday, November 29, 2012
Bible Wrong on Homosexuality, Says Congresswoman
Pro-abortion Rep. Jackie Speier of California, who claims to be a practicing Catholic, has introduced a resolution in Congress denouncing people seeking psychological help for same-sex attractions because such change is impossible.
As of January, it will be illegal in California for licensed professionals to counsel minors struggling with homosexuality, and adults seeking help must sign waivers acknowledging the futility of such counseling.
-- From "Congress implored to denounce sexual-orientation therapy" by Cheryl Wetzstein, The Washington Times 11/28/12
In a Capitol Hill news conference Wednesday, Ms. Speier said she was introducing her Stop Harming Our Kids resolution to “bring us some reality checks” about sexuality.
Therapies aimed at helping someone go from gay to straight are “discredited” and “ineffective,” and minors should not be subjected to them, she said.
She added that she will investigate whether taxpayer funds in Medicaid or Tricare, the Pentagon’s health care system, have been used to reimburse therapists offering such counseling.
However, groups that provide sexual-orientation change efforts, teenage clients and people who say they have successfully changed their sexual orientations to become heterosexual are challenging the California law. Two lawsuits have been filed to block the law from taking effect Jan. 1.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Bill attacks antigay therapy" by Lisa Keen, Bay Area Reporter (gay publication) 11/29/12
At a Washington, D.C. press event Wednesday, November 28 Speier introduced a resolution aimed at stopping "reparative therapy" operations from preying on young gay people.
Both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association have raised concerns about the [counseling] efforts, saying there is no sound evidence that the practices work but that there is evidence they can pose significant risks of self-destructive behavior to the client.
[Speier said] "Any effort to change sexual orientation is not medicine, it's quackery, and we should not be supporting it with taxpayer dollars."
Speier said she also hopes her resolution will prompt other states to "take steps to protect minors from efforts that promote or promise to change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, based on the premise that homosexuality is a mental illness or developmental disorder that can or should be cured."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
As of January, it will be illegal in California for licensed professionals to counsel minors struggling with homosexuality, and adults seeking help must sign waivers acknowledging the futility of such counseling.
“Let’s get this straight. Being gay, lesbian [or] transgender is not a disease to be cured or a mental health issue to be treated.”For background, read 'Gay Kids' Can't Change, Says California Legislation and also read Most Homosexuals Who Want to Convert Report Change as well as Homosexuality NOT Fixed, Change Possible: Study
-- Congresswoman Jackie Speier, Democrat, San Francisco/San Mateo, CA
-- From "Congress implored to denounce sexual-orientation therapy" by Cheryl Wetzstein, The Washington Times 11/28/12
In a Capitol Hill news conference Wednesday, Ms. Speier said she was introducing her Stop Harming Our Kids resolution to “bring us some reality checks” about sexuality.
Therapies aimed at helping someone go from gay to straight are “discredited” and “ineffective,” and minors should not be subjected to them, she said.
She added that she will investigate whether taxpayer funds in Medicaid or Tricare, the Pentagon’s health care system, have been used to reimburse therapists offering such counseling.
However, groups that provide sexual-orientation change efforts, teenage clients and people who say they have successfully changed their sexual orientations to become heterosexual are challenging the California law. Two lawsuits have been filed to block the law from taking effect Jan. 1.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Bill attacks antigay therapy" by Lisa Keen, Bay Area Reporter (gay publication) 11/29/12
At a Washington, D.C. press event Wednesday, November 28 Speier introduced a resolution aimed at stopping "reparative therapy" operations from preying on young gay people.
Both the American Psychiatric Association and the American Psychological Association have raised concerns about the [counseling] efforts, saying there is no sound evidence that the practices work but that there is evidence they can pose significant risks of self-destructive behavior to the client.
[Speier said] "Any effort to change sexual orientation is not medicine, it's quackery, and we should not be supporting it with taxpayer dollars."
Speier said she also hopes her resolution will prompt other states to "take steps to protect minors from efforts that promote or promise to change sexual orientation or gender identity or expression, based on the premise that homosexuality is a mental illness or developmental disorder that can or should be cured."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
'Christmas' Trees Banned by N. Carolina College
The latest salvo in the War on Christmas was launched by Western Piedmont Community College when a student club was forbidden from using the word "Christmas" in its advertisement for a charity sale of, what became, "holiday trees." Charges of First Amendment infringement have been lobbed back at the college.
For background, read Atheists Knock Christmas Cross Off Illinois Water Tower and also read Atheists Force Ban on Nativity Scenes in Santa Monica as well as Calif. County Strips Christmas Trees of Stars & Angels after Atheists Complain
-- From "College: Students Can’t Sell 'Christmas' Trees" by Todd Starnes, Fox News 11/27/12
The student club, called the BEST Society, was planning to sell the Christmas trees to raise money for Angel Tree, an organization that provides Christmas presents to children.
Club members followed college protocol and submitted forms to promote the sale. The proposed text read, “The BEST Society will be selling Christmas Trees…”
But when the announcement appeared on the college’s website and in other venues – it had been altered. Every reference to “Christmas Trees” had been replaced with “holiday trees.”
The [college's] community relations director allegedly told the students, “We cannot market your trees in association solely with a Christian event.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "College Wants Club to Change 'Christmas' to 'Holiday' for Tree Sale Fundraiser" by Alex Murashko, Christian Post Reporter 11/28/12
Lawyers from ADF [Alliance Defending Freedom] responded [on behalf of the students] by sending a letter to Western Piedmont Community College pointing out that it had violated the constitutional rights of the club.
"It's ridiculous that anyone would have to think twice about using the word 'Christmas' as part of a Christmas tree sale," said Legal Counsel Matt Sharp. "Not only is it perfectly constitutional to use the word 'Christmas,' it is unconstitutional to prohibit use of it. This is another perfect example of the immense misunderstanding that far too many college officials have about what the First Amendment truly requires."
"As a result of this forced changed to their advertisements," the ADF letter explains, "the BEST Society has received complaints from community members, several of whom have indicated that they will not purchase trees from the group because of the change in wording. This has resulted in direct harm to the club's fundraising activity . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background, read Atheists Knock Christmas Cross Off Illinois Water Tower and also read Atheists Force Ban on Nativity Scenes in Santa Monica as well as Calif. County Strips Christmas Trees of Stars & Angels after Atheists Complain
-- From "College: Students Can’t Sell 'Christmas' Trees" by Todd Starnes, Fox News 11/27/12
The student club, called the BEST Society, was planning to sell the Christmas trees to raise money for Angel Tree, an organization that provides Christmas presents to children.
Club members followed college protocol and submitted forms to promote the sale. The proposed text read, “The BEST Society will be selling Christmas Trees…”
But when the announcement appeared on the college’s website and in other venues – it had been altered. Every reference to “Christmas Trees” had been replaced with “holiday trees.”
The [college's] community relations director allegedly told the students, “We cannot market your trees in association solely with a Christian event.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "College Wants Club to Change 'Christmas' to 'Holiday' for Tree Sale Fundraiser" by Alex Murashko, Christian Post Reporter 11/28/12
Lawyers from ADF [Alliance Defending Freedom] responded [on behalf of the students] by sending a letter to Western Piedmont Community College pointing out that it had violated the constitutional rights of the club.
"It's ridiculous that anyone would have to think twice about using the word 'Christmas' as part of a Christmas tree sale," said Legal Counsel Matt Sharp. "Not only is it perfectly constitutional to use the word 'Christmas,' it is unconstitutional to prohibit use of it. This is another perfect example of the immense misunderstanding that far too many college officials have about what the First Amendment truly requires."
"As a result of this forced changed to their advertisements," the ADF letter explains, "the BEST Society has received complaints from community members, several of whom have indicated that they will not purchase trees from the group because of the change in wording. This has resulted in direct harm to the club's fundraising activity . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Supreme Court Allows Christians to Sue ObamaCare
The U.S. Supreme Court rejected the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals dismissal of the challenge to ObamaCare by Liberty University of Lynchburg, VA. With the case now remanded to the 4th Circuit, the Christian school will argue that the ObamaCare mandate that individuals purchase government-defined health insurance, and that employers fund abortions, etc., is unconstitutional.
UPDATE 1/7/13: Christians Oppose ObamaCare, Support Hobby Lobby
UPDATE 7/11/13: Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals 3-judge panel rules ObamaCare trumps freedom of religion, Liberty University will appeal to Supreme Court
A federal district judge rejected Liberty’s claims, and a three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit voted 2-1 that the lawsuit was premature and never dealt with the substance of the school’s arguments. The Supreme Court upheld the health care law in June.
The school made a new filing with the court over the summer to argue that its claims should be fully evaluated in light of the high court decision. The [Obama] administration said it did not oppose Liberty’s request.
Liberty law school dean Mathew Staver said, “This case now will go back to the federal court of appeals where we will address the undecided issues that the Supreme Court did not address.”
The case is Liberty University v. Geithner, 11-438
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Supreme Court revives Obamacare challenge" by Baptist Press Staff 11/26/12
Religious objections to the Obama administration's abortion/contraception mandate have gained new life after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a federal appeals judge to reconsider a Christian university's challenge to the health care law.
"Today's ruling breathes new life into our challenge to Obamacare. Our fight against Obamacare is far from over," said Liberty Counsel founder and chairman Mat Staver, dean of Liberty University's law school.
"Congress exceeded its power by forcing every employer to provide federally mandated insurance. But even more shocking is the abortion mandate, which collides with religious freedom and the rights of conscience."
At least 35 Christian universities and businesses have filed suits against the health care mandates, including Louisiana College, Houston Baptist University and East Texas Baptist University.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Supreme Court Allows Revival of Challenge against Healthcare Reform" posted at JD Journal 11/27/12
Earlier, in June, the Supreme Court had upheld most of the healthcare reform in a 5-4 vote, but kept the possibility for groups or individuals to challenge implementation of the law. In its decision in June, the Supreme Court did not address issues of employer mandate or claims of religious freedom.
Liberty University had brought one of the first private lawsuits against the healthcare law, filing it on the very day that Obama signed the healthcare law.
In the instant case the question had come before the Supreme Court, because earlier, the 4th Circuit had held it lacked jurisdiction to consider the case as allowing it would mean violating the federal Anti-Injunction Act that bans lawsuits seeking to prevent collection of a tax.
In September 2011, the Supreme Court had declined to review the appeal raised by the university, but the university amended its petition and said that the 4th Circuit had erred in its decision on jurisdiction, so the decision should be dismissed and a new lawsuit should be allowed to proceed.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Some Obamacare Legal Challenges Are Alive and Well" by John G. Malcolm, Heritage Foundation 11/26/12
The Fourth Circuit had dismissed Liberty’s lawsuit as not ripe for adjudication pursuant to the Anti-Injunction Act, which provides that “no suit for the purpose of restraining the assessment or collection of any tax shall be maintained in any court by any person, whether or not such person is the person against whom such tax was assessed.”
In essence, the Fourth Circuit held that Liberty’s challenge was premature because the tax in question had not taken effect and that Liberty could not assert its claims until that happened. The Supreme Court rejected this rationale in NFIB, holding that the individual mandate was not a tax for purposes of the Anti-Injunction Act (contrary to what the Fourth Circuit had held) but that it could be considered a tax for purposes of determining whether Congress’s power had properly exercised its authority under the Taxing Clause of Article 1, Section 8, of the Constitution.
Having rejected the Fourth Circuit’s reason for not ruling on the merits, the Supreme Court remanded the case back to the Fourth Circuit so that it could take whatever action is appropriate in light of the NFIB decision.
. . . These issues will ultimately wend their way through the courts back up to the Supreme Court for its consideration
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
“ObamaCare is the biggest funding of abortion in American history . . . [and] will for the first time require employers and individuals to directly fund abortion. This abortion mandate collides with religious freedom and the rights of conscience.”For background, read Judges Rule Against ObamaCare, Favor Christians and also read Bishops Say Catholic Church Will Defy ObamaCare as well as Supreme Court OKs Taxes for Abortion: ObamaCare
-- Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel and Dean of Liberty University School of Law
UPDATE 1/7/13: Christians Oppose ObamaCare, Support Hobby Lobby
UPDATE 7/11/13: Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals 3-judge panel rules ObamaCare trumps freedom of religion, Liberty University will appeal to Supreme Court
A federal district judge rejected Liberty’s claims, and a three-judge panel of the 4th Circuit voted 2-1 that the lawsuit was premature and never dealt with the substance of the school’s arguments. The Supreme Court upheld the health care law in June.
The school made a new filing with the court over the summer to argue that its claims should be fully evaluated in light of the high court decision. The [Obama] administration said it did not oppose Liberty’s request.
Liberty law school dean Mathew Staver said, “This case now will go back to the federal court of appeals where we will address the undecided issues that the Supreme Court did not address.”
The case is Liberty University v. Geithner, 11-438
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Supreme Court revives Obamacare challenge" by Baptist Press Staff 11/26/12
Religious objections to the Obama administration's abortion/contraception mandate have gained new life after the U.S. Supreme Court ordered a federal appeals judge to reconsider a Christian university's challenge to the health care law.
"Today's ruling breathes new life into our challenge to Obamacare. Our fight against Obamacare is far from over," said Liberty Counsel founder and chairman Mat Staver, dean of Liberty University's law school.
"Congress exceeded its power by forcing every employer to provide federally mandated insurance. But even more shocking is the abortion mandate, which collides with religious freedom and the rights of conscience."
At least 35 Christian universities and businesses have filed suits against the health care mandates, including Louisiana College, Houston Baptist University and East Texas Baptist University.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Supreme Court Allows Revival of Challenge against Healthcare Reform" posted at JD Journal 11/27/12
Earlier, in June, the Supreme Court had upheld most of the healthcare reform in a 5-4 vote, but kept the possibility for groups or individuals to challenge implementation of the law. In its decision in June, the Supreme Court did not address issues of employer mandate or claims of religious freedom.
Liberty University had brought one of the first private lawsuits against the healthcare law, filing it on the very day that Obama signed the healthcare law.
In the instant case the question had come before the Supreme Court, because earlier, the 4th Circuit had held it lacked jurisdiction to consider the case as allowing it would mean violating the federal Anti-Injunction Act that bans lawsuits seeking to prevent collection of a tax.
In September 2011, the Supreme Court had declined to review the appeal raised by the university, but the university amended its petition and said that the 4th Circuit had erred in its decision on jurisdiction, so the decision should be dismissed and a new lawsuit should be allowed to proceed.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Some Obamacare Legal Challenges Are Alive and Well" by John G. Malcolm, Heritage Foundation 11/26/12
The Fourth Circuit had dismissed Liberty’s lawsuit as not ripe for adjudication pursuant to the Anti-Injunction Act, which provides that “no suit for the purpose of restraining the assessment or collection of any tax shall be maintained in any court by any person, whether or not such person is the person against whom such tax was assessed.”
In essence, the Fourth Circuit held that Liberty’s challenge was premature because the tax in question had not taken effect and that Liberty could not assert its claims until that happened. The Supreme Court rejected this rationale in NFIB, holding that the individual mandate was not a tax for purposes of the Anti-Injunction Act (contrary to what the Fourth Circuit had held) but that it could be considered a tax for purposes of determining whether Congress’s power had properly exercised its authority under the Taxing Clause of Article 1, Section 8, of the Constitution.
Having rejected the Fourth Circuit’s reason for not ruling on the merits, the Supreme Court remanded the case back to the Fourth Circuit so that it could take whatever action is appropriate in light of the NFIB decision.
. . . These issues will ultimately wend their way through the courts back up to the Supreme Court for its consideration
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Monday, November 26, 2012
Doctors Say Teens Need Abortifacients at the Ready
The American Academy of Pediatrics is urging all pediatricians to prescribe the morning-after pill (Plan B) to ALL post-pubescent girls, no matter how young, so that the girls don't have to give any thought to the consequences of sexual activity. The Academy says this will reduce unwanted pregnancies by eliminating the delay of obtaining a prescription AFTER sex.
Yet, most girls fantasize of being a virgin at marriage.
For background, read Teenage Girls Need More Risk-free Sex, Doctors Say and also read Schools Secretly Give 14-year-olds Morning After Pill as well as Parents Want Obama-paid Abortionist out of School and consider that Planned Parenthood Lures Teen clients via Texting
Who do these sexperts think they're helping? Sexualization of Kids Doesn't Yield Self-worth
UPDATE 12/3/12: American College of Pediatricians warns access to abortifacients doesn't lower pregnancy rates of teens, but rather increases sexually transmitted diseases
-- From "Doctors urged to prescribe teens Plan B before they have sex" by Amina Khan, Los Angeles Times 11/26/12
The academy is issuing the new position paper, published online Monday by the journal Pediatrics, as physicians and other health experts struggle to reduce the nation's high birthrate among adolescents.
The birthrate among Americans ages 15 to 19 dropped 44% between 1991 and 2010, to 34.3 births per 1,000 women, the CDC reported.
. . . nearly 80% of teen pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended, occurring after unprotected sex or "underprotected" sex — when the contraceptive method of choice fails. [But, was the SEX "unintended?" What are the possible consequences of having sex?]
Emergency contraceptives like levonorgestrel, if taken within three to five days, can prevent pregnancy by stopping the ovary from releasing an egg or by stopping sperm from fertilizing an egg. The drugs are also thought to change the uterine lining, thwarting a pregnancy that might otherwise take hold, according to the National Library of Medicine. [In other words, aborting a fertilized egg.]
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Prescribe morning-after pills in advance, say pediatricians" by Sharon Begley, Reuters 11/26/12
The most common form of emergency contraception is a high dose of a regular birth-control pill such as Plan B and Plan B One-Step from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd or Next Choice from Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. They generally sell for $10 to $80 and, although they can work as long as 120 hours after unprotected sex, are most effective in the first 24 hours.
A 2006-08 survey found that 14 percent of sexually experienced girls had used emergency contraception, up from 8 percent in a 2002 survey. The most common reason was condom failure, but 13 percent of the girls said it was because of rape.
"It's just common sense that requiring a prescription is a barrier," said Bill Alpert, chief program officer of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "If an august and respected medical group like AAP is suggesting providing emergency contraception to minors is OK, that is a big deal."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "AAP: Teach Teens About Emergency Contraception" by Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage Today 11/26/12
The [American Academy of Pediatrics] policy statement recommended three methods of emergency contraception, including levonorgestrel (Plan B), ulipristal acetate, and the Yuzpe method, which involves use of combining oral hormonal contraceptives.
Plan B requires patients to take two 0.75 mg levonorgestrel tablets 12 hours apart or a single 1.5 mg dose, which may be "equally effective and without increase in adverse effects." The drug is contraindicated in patients who are known to be pregnant and may cause adverse events of nausea, vomiting, and heavier menstrual bleeding. Patients should take a pregnancy test if they do not have a normal period within 3 weeks of using Plan B.
Ulipristal is a single pill (30 mg) that prevents binding of progesterone and should be taken within 120 hours after unprotected sex. Adverse events include headache, nausea, and abdominal pain. Patients with existing pregnancy should not take ulipristal due to risk of fetal loss, and use may require a pregnancy test. Patients with severe abdominal pain 3 to 5 weeks after treatment should be evaluated for ectopic pregnancy.
The Yuzpe method requires patients to take two doses of at least 100 µg of ethinyl estradiol and at least 500 µg of levonorgestrel and can be useful for patients with "no or limited access to an emergency contraception product." Though the use is considered off-label, the statement noted that the combination oral contraceptive use has been declared safe and effective.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "AAP says teen girls should get the morning-after-pill before they need it" by Dr. Claire McCarthy (posted at Boston Globe) 11/26/12
. . . along with telling [kids] to take vitamins, we should be giving them a prescription for Plan B.
I’m not saying that babies aren’t wonderful [but] . . . Having a baby as a teen throws school, college, graduate school and getting a good job into jeopardy.
. . . Studies show that having a plan B prescription ahead of time makes teens more likely to use it when they need it (many teens delay getting in touch with the doctor, especially if they might have to tell a parent)—and it doesn’t make them more likely to have sex or less likely to use regular contraception. [Really?!]
I know this will make a lot of parents uncomfortable.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Abstinence Education Yields Lowest Teen Birth Rate Ever as well as Abstinent Teens the Norm, Moral Sex-Ed Works: Study
Yet, most girls fantasize of being a virgin at marriage.
For background, read Teenage Girls Need More Risk-free Sex, Doctors Say and also read Schools Secretly Give 14-year-olds Morning After Pill as well as Parents Want Obama-paid Abortionist out of School and consider that Planned Parenthood Lures Teen clients via Texting
Who do these sexperts think they're helping? Sexualization of Kids Doesn't Yield Self-worth
UPDATE 12/3/12: American College of Pediatricians warns access to abortifacients doesn't lower pregnancy rates of teens, but rather increases sexually transmitted diseases
-- From "Doctors urged to prescribe teens Plan B before they have sex" by Amina Khan, Los Angeles Times 11/26/12
The academy is issuing the new position paper, published online Monday by the journal Pediatrics, as physicians and other health experts struggle to reduce the nation's high birthrate among adolescents.
The birthrate among Americans ages 15 to 19 dropped 44% between 1991 and 2010, to 34.3 births per 1,000 women, the CDC reported.
. . . nearly 80% of teen pregnancies in the U.S. are unintended, occurring after unprotected sex or "underprotected" sex — when the contraceptive method of choice fails. [But, was the SEX "unintended?" What are the possible consequences of having sex?]
Emergency contraceptives like levonorgestrel, if taken within three to five days, can prevent pregnancy by stopping the ovary from releasing an egg or by stopping sperm from fertilizing an egg. The drugs are also thought to change the uterine lining, thwarting a pregnancy that might otherwise take hold, according to the National Library of Medicine. [In other words, aborting a fertilized egg.]
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Prescribe morning-after pills in advance, say pediatricians" by Sharon Begley, Reuters 11/26/12
The most common form of emergency contraception is a high dose of a regular birth-control pill such as Plan B and Plan B One-Step from Teva Pharmaceutical Industries Ltd or Next Choice from Watson Pharmaceuticals Inc. They generally sell for $10 to $80 and, although they can work as long as 120 hours after unprotected sex, are most effective in the first 24 hours.
A 2006-08 survey found that 14 percent of sexually experienced girls had used emergency contraception, up from 8 percent in a 2002 survey. The most common reason was condom failure, but 13 percent of the girls said it was because of rape.
"It's just common sense that requiring a prescription is a barrier," said Bill Alpert, chief program officer of the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy. "If an august and respected medical group like AAP is suggesting providing emergency contraception to minors is OK, that is a big deal."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "AAP: Teach Teens About Emergency Contraception" by Cole Petrochko, Staff Writer, MedPage Today 11/26/12
The [American Academy of Pediatrics] policy statement recommended three methods of emergency contraception, including levonorgestrel (Plan B), ulipristal acetate, and the Yuzpe method, which involves use of combining oral hormonal contraceptives.
Plan B requires patients to take two 0.75 mg levonorgestrel tablets 12 hours apart or a single 1.5 mg dose, which may be "equally effective and without increase in adverse effects." The drug is contraindicated in patients who are known to be pregnant and may cause adverse events of nausea, vomiting, and heavier menstrual bleeding. Patients should take a pregnancy test if they do not have a normal period within 3 weeks of using Plan B.
Ulipristal is a single pill (30 mg) that prevents binding of progesterone and should be taken within 120 hours after unprotected sex. Adverse events include headache, nausea, and abdominal pain. Patients with existing pregnancy should not take ulipristal due to risk of fetal loss, and use may require a pregnancy test. Patients with severe abdominal pain 3 to 5 weeks after treatment should be evaluated for ectopic pregnancy.
The Yuzpe method requires patients to take two doses of at least 100 µg of ethinyl estradiol and at least 500 µg of levonorgestrel and can be useful for patients with "no or limited access to an emergency contraception product." Though the use is considered off-label, the statement noted that the combination oral contraceptive use has been declared safe and effective.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "AAP says teen girls should get the morning-after-pill before they need it" by Dr. Claire McCarthy (posted at Boston Globe) 11/26/12
. . . along with telling [kids] to take vitamins, we should be giving them a prescription for Plan B.
I’m not saying that babies aren’t wonderful [but] . . . Having a baby as a teen throws school, college, graduate school and getting a good job into jeopardy.
. . . Studies show that having a plan B prescription ahead of time makes teens more likely to use it when they need it (many teens delay getting in touch with the doctor, especially if they might have to tell a parent)—and it doesn’t make them more likely to have sex or less likely to use regular contraception. [Really?!]
I know this will make a lot of parents uncomfortable.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Abstinence Education Yields Lowest Teen Birth Rate Ever as well as Abstinent Teens the Norm, Moral Sex-Ed Works: Study
Sunday, November 25, 2012
Abortion Rates Drop as Restrictions Increase
As the federal government (CDC) releases a report showing fewer abortions in 2009 (the latest data available), expectations rise for even greater pro-life emphasis at the state level in reaction to an extended pro-abortion Obama administration.
Also reported by the CDC: The number of mothers dying from abortion procedures doubled.
For background, read Pro-life Legislation Floods America and also read Poll: Most Americans Pro-life; Liberals Desperate as well as U.S. Teenage Birth Rate Lowest on Record in 2010
UPDATE 1/3/12: CDC reports total number of abortions from 2000 through 2009 8,356,483
-- From "Abortions Fell Most in a Decade as Teen Rate Declined" by Elizabeth Lopatto, Bloomberg 11/21/12
A total of 784,507 abortions were reported in 2009, with a ratio of 227 abortions for every 1,000 live births, the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] said in a report today. The report included the District of Columbia and New York City while excluding seven states that didn’t provide enough data.
The decline in abortions occurred as the U.S. birth rate was falling for three straight years, dropping in 2010 to the lowest level since 1987. Adolescent pregnancies plunged, reflected in the lowest-ever teen birth rate in 2010 and an even steeper decrease in teen abortions, the report authors said.
The data also showed more women have abortions early in gestation, with the majority of terminations performed at less than eight weeks. That’s when the risks for complications are lowest, the authors wrote.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "CDC: Abortions fall 5%, largest drop in a decade" by Michael Muskal, Los Angeles Times 11/21/12
About 18% of all pregnancies in the United States end in abortion, the CDC noted. Factors from the availability of abortion providers, state laws, the general economy and access to health services including contraception, can all influence the abortion rate, according to the CDC. An important way to reduce abortions is to eliminate unwanted pregnancies.
The CDC has been reporting annually on the number and rate of abortions since 1969. The annual numbers are based on voluntary reports from states and some other municipalities. A few states, such as California, which is the most populous, do not report [including Illinois, Florida and several others]. That explains why the CDC said there were about 785,000 abortions in 2009, while other estimates put the number at more than 1 million.
To make comparisons possible, the CDC said it used the data from 43 states and two cities that have been reporting the numbers each year for 10 years. Those areas account for 772,630 abortions in 2009, or about 98.5% of the total reported to the federal agency.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "U.S. abortions fall 5%, biggest drop since government started tracking data" by Cheryl Wetzstein, The Washington Times 11/21/12
In 2009, more than half of abortions were performed on women in their 20s, while women in their 30s accounted for about another 27 percent of abortions.
Teens, aged 15 to 19, had 15.5 percent of all abortions; women aged 18 and 19 had the majority of those abortions.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "U.S. abortion rate fell 5 percent in 2009: CDC study" by Ben Johnson, LifeSiteNews.com 11/21/12
However, that number excludes early abortions that may have been caused by the increase in “emergency contraception” and abortifacient birth control methods such as IUDs. The report singles out IUD and hormonal contraception use as part of the reason for the lower rate of abortions performed in facilities, and specifically promotes the increased use of the IUD.
Duke University economics professor Elizabeth Ananat believes one “factor [in the declining overall rate] may be the growing use of the morning-after pill, a form of emergency contraception that has been increasingly easier to get,” according to Reuters news service.
Of women who chose an abortion that year, nearly half, 44.7 percent, had at least one previous abortion; 8.1 percent had undergone three or more abortions.
White women accounted for the largest number and percentage of abortions (37.7 percent), followed by black women (35.4 percent), Hispanics (20.6 percent), and those of other ethnic backgrounds (6.3 percent). However, white women had the lowest abortion rates relative to population, while the black abortion rate was nearly four times as high.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For further background, read Minorities Targeted by Planned Parenthood for Abortion: Study
From "Report: Number of Women Dying From Legal Abortions Doubles" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 11/23/12
“The CDC report documents the death of twelve women following their abortion,” said [Americans United for Life President and CEO Dr. Charmaine] Yoest. “That number is double the deaths reported the previous year and it’s the highest since 1994.”
Yoest said the CDC officials compiling the annual abortion report note in their analysis that state laws have contributed to the decline in the number and rate of abortion. As the legal arm of the pro-life movement, Americans United for Life has paved the way for this historic drop in abortion through leading the development of the intellectual architecture of commonsense legislation designed to protect women and children, such as clinic regulations holding abortion providers to acceptable standards of care.
In 2009, close to 60 pro-life laws were enacted across the states, a marked increase from 2008 and that trend has continued as the passage of pro-life legislation at the state level has been steadily increasing.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read about the link of breast cancer to abortion and delayed childbirth
Also reported by the CDC: The number of mothers dying from abortion procedures doubled.
For background, read Pro-life Legislation Floods America and also read Poll: Most Americans Pro-life; Liberals Desperate as well as U.S. Teenage Birth Rate Lowest on Record in 2010
UPDATE 1/3/12: CDC reports total number of abortions from 2000 through 2009 8,356,483
-- From "Abortions Fell Most in a Decade as Teen Rate Declined" by Elizabeth Lopatto, Bloomberg 11/21/12
A total of 784,507 abortions were reported in 2009, with a ratio of 227 abortions for every 1,000 live births, the Atlanta-based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC] said in a report today. The report included the District of Columbia and New York City while excluding seven states that didn’t provide enough data.
The decline in abortions occurred as the U.S. birth rate was falling for three straight years, dropping in 2010 to the lowest level since 1987. Adolescent pregnancies plunged, reflected in the lowest-ever teen birth rate in 2010 and an even steeper decrease in teen abortions, the report authors said.
The data also showed more women have abortions early in gestation, with the majority of terminations performed at less than eight weeks. That’s when the risks for complications are lowest, the authors wrote.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "CDC: Abortions fall 5%, largest drop in a decade" by Michael Muskal, Los Angeles Times 11/21/12
About 18% of all pregnancies in the United States end in abortion, the CDC noted. Factors from the availability of abortion providers, state laws, the general economy and access to health services including contraception, can all influence the abortion rate, according to the CDC. An important way to reduce abortions is to eliminate unwanted pregnancies.
The CDC has been reporting annually on the number and rate of abortions since 1969. The annual numbers are based on voluntary reports from states and some other municipalities. A few states, such as California, which is the most populous, do not report [including Illinois, Florida and several others]. That explains why the CDC said there were about 785,000 abortions in 2009, while other estimates put the number at more than 1 million.
To make comparisons possible, the CDC said it used the data from 43 states and two cities that have been reporting the numbers each year for 10 years. Those areas account for 772,630 abortions in 2009, or about 98.5% of the total reported to the federal agency.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "U.S. abortions fall 5%, biggest drop since government started tracking data" by Cheryl Wetzstein, The Washington Times 11/21/12
In 2009, more than half of abortions were performed on women in their 20s, while women in their 30s accounted for about another 27 percent of abortions.
Teens, aged 15 to 19, had 15.5 percent of all abortions; women aged 18 and 19 had the majority of those abortions.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "U.S. abortion rate fell 5 percent in 2009: CDC study" by Ben Johnson, LifeSiteNews.com 11/21/12
However, that number excludes early abortions that may have been caused by the increase in “emergency contraception” and abortifacient birth control methods such as IUDs. The report singles out IUD and hormonal contraception use as part of the reason for the lower rate of abortions performed in facilities, and specifically promotes the increased use of the IUD.
Duke University economics professor Elizabeth Ananat believes one “factor [in the declining overall rate] may be the growing use of the morning-after pill, a form of emergency contraception that has been increasingly easier to get,” according to Reuters news service.
Of women who chose an abortion that year, nearly half, 44.7 percent, had at least one previous abortion; 8.1 percent had undergone three or more abortions.
White women accounted for the largest number and percentage of abortions (37.7 percent), followed by black women (35.4 percent), Hispanics (20.6 percent), and those of other ethnic backgrounds (6.3 percent). However, white women had the lowest abortion rates relative to population, while the black abortion rate was nearly four times as high.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For further background, read Minorities Targeted by Planned Parenthood for Abortion: Study
From "Report: Number of Women Dying From Legal Abortions Doubles" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 11/23/12
“The CDC report documents the death of twelve women following their abortion,” said [Americans United for Life President and CEO Dr. Charmaine] Yoest. “That number is double the deaths reported the previous year and it’s the highest since 1994.”
Yoest said the CDC officials compiling the annual abortion report note in their analysis that state laws have contributed to the decline in the number and rate of abortion. As the legal arm of the pro-life movement, Americans United for Life has paved the way for this historic drop in abortion through leading the development of the intellectual architecture of commonsense legislation designed to protect women and children, such as clinic regulations holding abortion providers to acceptable standards of care.
In 2009, close to 60 pro-life laws were enacted across the states, a marked increase from 2008 and that trend has continued as the passage of pro-life legislation at the state level has been steadily increasing.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read about the link of breast cancer to abortion and delayed childbirth
Saturday, November 24, 2012
Abortionist Offers 'Black Friday' Holiday Discount
Planned Parenthood and its clinics ring in the holidays with special pricing offers, and a Thanksgiving message of gratitude for President Obama with anticipation for a bounty of business from ObamaCare. For the holiday gatherings, Planned Parenthood gives its annual advice for advancing abortion propaganda with family and friends.
-- From "Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic Offers Black Friday Discount" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 11/23/12
Planned Parenthood of South Florida and the Treasure Coast offered the special, saying, “Visit our West Palm Beach or Kendall Health Center for special after Thanksgiving savings on Friday, November 23rd.”
Pro-life blogger Jill Stanek noticed the Black Friday discount and responded, “Planned Parenthood brings new meaning to the term, “Black Friday,” doesn’t it?”
This is the same abortion business where [Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz] the chair of the national Democratic party headlined a small rally last year.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Planned Parenthood: Thankful for Abortion, Obama, HHS Mandate" by Steven Ertelt, 11/22/12
Planned Parenthood today released a blog post and the nation’s largest abortion company says it is most thankful for abortion, pro-abortion President Barack Obama, and his Obamacare law and HHS mandate that fund abortions and force religious groups that pay for drugs that may cause abortions.
“Over the last year, women’s health has had ups and downs, but we couldn’t be more proud of the progress we made. Women’s health and Planned Parenthood became a major focus the last few months of the election. Thousands of people jumped to defend affordable access to health care, and we’ve got a lot of thanking to do. Here are just a few of the things we’re thankful for this holiday season,” the blog post reads.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "How to debate abortion around the Thanksgiving table: Planned Parenthood tweets advice" by John Jalsevac, LifeSiteNews.com 11/22/12
Instead of debating when life begins, Planned Parenthood suggests you explain “how you believe everyone should be able to afford to go to the doctor, or how the decision about when and whether to become a parent is a personal one.”
“In so many of these political disagreements, when things get heated we revert back to bumper sticker slogans instead of really talking about an issue. Instead, take a few deep breaths and try personalizing the issue, or evoking empathy,” the article suggests.
Instead of debating about whether abortion is actually right or wrong, or when life begins, the article suggests making statements like, “We can try to imagine the heartbreak of a family when they get the news that a test has shown there is something wrong with their baby,” and “I can accept someone’s decision to end a pregnancy, even if I wouldn’t make the same decision myself.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
“Debating when life begins or whether or not abortion is federally funded may get you nowhere.”For background, read Planned Parenthood's Holiday Gift of Death and also read Planned Parenthood's Christmas Derision
-- Excerpt from “8 Easy Steps for Discussing Reproductive Health and Justice at the Holiday Table” by Planned Parenthood
-- From "Planned Parenthood Abortion Clinic Offers Black Friday Discount" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 11/23/12
Planned Parenthood of South Florida and the Treasure Coast offered the special, saying, “Visit our West Palm Beach or Kendall Health Center for special after Thanksgiving savings on Friday, November 23rd.”
Pro-life blogger Jill Stanek noticed the Black Friday discount and responded, “Planned Parenthood brings new meaning to the term, “Black Friday,” doesn’t it?”
This is the same abortion business where [Congresswoman Debbie Wasserman Schultz] the chair of the national Democratic party headlined a small rally last year.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Planned Parenthood: Thankful for Abortion, Obama, HHS Mandate" by Steven Ertelt, 11/22/12
Planned Parenthood today released a blog post and the nation’s largest abortion company says it is most thankful for abortion, pro-abortion President Barack Obama, and his Obamacare law and HHS mandate that fund abortions and force religious groups that pay for drugs that may cause abortions.
“Over the last year, women’s health has had ups and downs, but we couldn’t be more proud of the progress we made. Women’s health and Planned Parenthood became a major focus the last few months of the election. Thousands of people jumped to defend affordable access to health care, and we’ve got a lot of thanking to do. Here are just a few of the things we’re thankful for this holiday season,” the blog post reads.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "How to debate abortion around the Thanksgiving table: Planned Parenthood tweets advice" by John Jalsevac, LifeSiteNews.com 11/22/12
Instead of debating when life begins, Planned Parenthood suggests you explain “how you believe everyone should be able to afford to go to the doctor, or how the decision about when and whether to become a parent is a personal one.”
“In so many of these political disagreements, when things get heated we revert back to bumper sticker slogans instead of really talking about an issue. Instead, take a few deep breaths and try personalizing the issue, or evoking empathy,” the article suggests.
Instead of debating about whether abortion is actually right or wrong, or when life begins, the article suggests making statements like, “We can try to imagine the heartbreak of a family when they get the news that a test has shown there is something wrong with their baby,” and “I can accept someone’s decision to end a pregnancy, even if I wouldn’t make the same decision myself.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Friday, November 23, 2012
Atheists Knock Christmas Cross Off IL Water Tower
After a 40-year tradition in Alsip, Illinois, there won't be a lighted cross on the village water tower for Christmas this year. The Wisconsin-based Freedom From Religion Foundation threatened a lawsuit if the cross lit up another year. The mayor said Alsip can't afford the legal battle. Not a word has been heard from local churches on the matter.
-- From "'Nobody Ever Complained' About Cross: Alsip Mayor" by Nick Swedberg, Oak Lawn Patch 11/20/12
Alsip Mayor Patrick Kitching told Patch on Monday that the Freedom from Religion Foundation's asked the village remove a cross, which has been stored on top of the West 119th Street water tower year round and lighted every holiday season for almost 40 years.
"They tried to get me to take it down last year and I just ignored them," Kitching said.
The cross has been used by Alsip since 1973 as part of the village's municipal Christmas —until last week. Alsip removed the cross and is now looking at an alternative decoration for the water tower at West 119th Street.
The Alsip mayor said he didn't want to spend taxpayer money on a legal battle that was likely unwinnable. Rulings have consistently favored those who have brought court cases against municipalities displaying religious imagery on public land or property.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Lawsuit threat means Alsip Christmas tradition gets crossed off" by Steve Metsch, Southtown Star (Chicago Sun-Times) 11/20/12
In a letter to residents and businesses, Kitching wrote: “I am very saddened by this and had hoped we would not have to change tradition. However, in these economic times, the village cannot afford to waste any tax dollars on a lawsuit that simply cannot be won.
Contacted Monday at the village hall, Kitching said, “I know we can’t win. There’s no point in fighting it.”
“I really am [offended]. It’s a tradition, and our tradition has been slapped down. They told me an anonymous [Alsip resident] complained. I doubt that,” Kitching said. “I think they (foundation members) were driving down the tollway and saw our cross.”
Kitching has not heard from any churches in Alsip since the announcement was made.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "'Nobody Ever Complained' About Cross: Alsip Mayor" by Nick Swedberg, Oak Lawn Patch 11/20/12
Alsip Mayor Patrick Kitching told Patch on Monday that the Freedom from Religion Foundation's asked the village remove a cross, which has been stored on top of the West 119th Street water tower year round and lighted every holiday season for almost 40 years.
"They tried to get me to take it down last year and I just ignored them," Kitching said.
The cross has been used by Alsip since 1973 as part of the village's municipal Christmas —until last week. Alsip removed the cross and is now looking at an alternative decoration for the water tower at West 119th Street.
The Alsip mayor said he didn't want to spend taxpayer money on a legal battle that was likely unwinnable. Rulings have consistently favored those who have brought court cases against municipalities displaying religious imagery on public land or property.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Lawsuit threat means Alsip Christmas tradition gets crossed off" by Steve Metsch, Southtown Star (Chicago Sun-Times) 11/20/12
In a letter to residents and businesses, Kitching wrote: “I am very saddened by this and had hoped we would not have to change tradition. However, in these economic times, the village cannot afford to waste any tax dollars on a lawsuit that simply cannot be won.
Contacted Monday at the village hall, Kitching said, “I know we can’t win. There’s no point in fighting it.”
“I really am [offended]. It’s a tradition, and our tradition has been slapped down. They told me an anonymous [Alsip resident] complained. I doubt that,” Kitching said. “I think they (foundation members) were driving down the tollway and saw our cross.”
Kitching has not heard from any churches in Alsip since the announcement was made.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, November 22, 2012
GOP Moderation Lost the Election, Say Evangelicals
Pro-life/pro-marriage, religious liberty Christians attribute the Mitt Romney loss to a Republican campaign that lacked emphasis on social issues, making Romney a one-dimensional candidate easily demonized by Democrats (with no resulting positive appeal), as well as leaving many Americans unmotivated by the two choices, so they didn't vote.
130 million Americans cast votes in the 2008 presidential election, versus 124 million in 2012. President Obama received 5.5 million fewer votes in 2012, yet was reelected by a 4 million vote margin.
For background, read Who Says the Evangelical Message is to Blame for GOP Losses? and also read Christians Will Vote Against Abortion, Socialism as well as Ignore Abortion & Gay Agenda, Says GOP Establishment & Media
Plus read that Catholic Bishops Warn Voting for Democrats is 'Grave Sin'
-- From "Conservative Republicans fight back after Romney loss" by Paul Kane and Rosalind S. Helderman, Washington Post 11/19/12
“The [Republican] moderates have had their candidate in 2008 and they had their candidate in 2012. And they got crushed in both elections. Now they tell us we have to keep moderating. If we do that, will we win?” said Bob Vander Plaats, president of the Family Leader. Vander Plaats is an influential Christian conservative who opposed Romney in the Iowa caucuses 10 months ago and opposed Sen. John McCain’s candidacy four years ago.
. . . many top GOP officials have called for softening the party’s rhetoric on social issues, following the embarrassing showing by Senate candidates who were routed after publicly musing about denying abortion services to women who had been raped.
“It was the one time we actually contested ideas, presented two viewpoints and directions for the country,” [Sentor-elect Ted Cruz] said at the Federalist Society’s annual dinner in Washington. “And then, inevitably, there are these mandarins of politics, who give the voice: ‘Don’t show any contrasts. Don’t rock the boat.’ So by the third debate, I’m pretty certain Mitt Romney actually French-kissed Barack Obama.”
Rick Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania who finished second to Romney in the GOP primary . . . placed the blame on the national party, saying it lacked an appealing agenda: “We as a party, the party of Ronald Reagan and ‘Morning in America,’ failed to provide an agenda that shows we care.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Social conservatives say they deserve seat at table in retooled GOP" by Michael O'Brien, NBC News 11/21/12
. . . social conservatives are arguing that opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion rights, among other issues, are as intrinsic to the Republican Party’s identity as ever.
In their reading of the election, Mitt Romney’s strict focus on economic issues and a refusal to engage President Barack Obama on social issues helped fuel his loss to the Democratic incumbent.
To hear some conservative leaders tell their story, Romney erred in refusing to engage social issues forcefully enough. When the president endorsed same-sex marriage, Romney largely demurred; the GOP nominee largely left bread-and-butter social issues out of his stump speech, focusing almost exclusively on the economy — the top issue for voters.
[Sen. Marco Rubio said,] "There are a very significant number of Americans that feel very strongly about the issue of life, about the issue of marriage and are we saying that they should be silenced or not allowed to speak or voice their opinion?"
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Evangelicals to 'Country Club' GOPers: Social Issues Aren't Problem, You Are" by Paul Stanley, Christian Post Reporter 11/21/12
. . . Often referred to as "country-club" Republicans, they are mainly business types who care more about fiscal issues and try to avoid social issues at all costs.
Yet somehow the moderates look to their socially conscious brethren and blame them for the abortion gaffes of Senate candidates Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri and Indiana's Richard Mourdock.
Nonetheless, evangelicals are sending a strong warning shot over the GOP bow that if social issues are abandoned in the party platform and in stump speeches, millions of voters will look elsewhere.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Caution to Republican Party: Drop Our Plank, Lose Our Vote" by Penny Young Nance, Concerned Women for America (Special to Christian Post) 11/14/12
The idea that Mitt Romney was somehow a radical on the life issue is almost funny. . . .
. . . Mitt Romney couldn't even bother to correct the president during the second debate when he falsely asserted that Planned Parenthood gave women mammograms. He had the perfect opportunity to pivot and discuss the skeletons in President Obama's closet on abortion. President Obama voted multiple times against the Born Alive Victims Act, which would have protected babies who are past viability and manage to be born despite abortionists' deadly efforts. He supports abortion for any reason, any number, at any point in pregnancy, and he wants all of us to be complicit with our tax dollars. Just this past spring, he worked hard against the Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act, a bill that would have prohibited sex-selection abortions. Yeah, he's pro-woman.
Millions, perhaps a billion dollars was spent on ads by Republicans. But none of them took on the sanctity of life issue. Instead, we all hammered on the economic issues, because that's what all the polls told us women and men cared about most. Turns out that's not completely true. . . .
But the fact remains that most Christians believe that life begins at conception. This issue is not going away. But as for Concerned Women PAC candidates go, they will get neither our endorsement nor help if they are not prepared to present a cogent argument for life.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Republicans Accepting Gay Agenda More and More
Questions that will never be answered: Given Mitt Romney's support for "gay rights," would a President Romney have protected religious liberty, and would a Vice President Paul Ryan have shown any social conservatism?
130 million Americans cast votes in the 2008 presidential election, versus 124 million in 2012. President Obama received 5.5 million fewer votes in 2012, yet was reelected by a 4 million vote margin.
For background, read Who Says the Evangelical Message is to Blame for GOP Losses? and also read Christians Will Vote Against Abortion, Socialism as well as Ignore Abortion & Gay Agenda, Says GOP Establishment & Media
Plus read that Catholic Bishops Warn Voting for Democrats is 'Grave Sin'
-- From "Conservative Republicans fight back after Romney loss" by Paul Kane and Rosalind S. Helderman, Washington Post 11/19/12
“The [Republican] moderates have had their candidate in 2008 and they had their candidate in 2012. And they got crushed in both elections. Now they tell us we have to keep moderating. If we do that, will we win?” said Bob Vander Plaats, president of the Family Leader. Vander Plaats is an influential Christian conservative who opposed Romney in the Iowa caucuses 10 months ago and opposed Sen. John McCain’s candidacy four years ago.
. . . many top GOP officials have called for softening the party’s rhetoric on social issues, following the embarrassing showing by Senate candidates who were routed after publicly musing about denying abortion services to women who had been raped.
“It was the one time we actually contested ideas, presented two viewpoints and directions for the country,” [Sentor-elect Ted Cruz] said at the Federalist Society’s annual dinner in Washington. “And then, inevitably, there are these mandarins of politics, who give the voice: ‘Don’t show any contrasts. Don’t rock the boat.’ So by the third debate, I’m pretty certain Mitt Romney actually French-kissed Barack Obama.”
Rick Santorum, a former senator from Pennsylvania who finished second to Romney in the GOP primary . . . placed the blame on the national party, saying it lacked an appealing agenda: “We as a party, the party of Ronald Reagan and ‘Morning in America,’ failed to provide an agenda that shows we care.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Social conservatives say they deserve seat at table in retooled GOP" by Michael O'Brien, NBC News 11/21/12
. . . social conservatives are arguing that opposition to same-sex marriage and abortion rights, among other issues, are as intrinsic to the Republican Party’s identity as ever.
In their reading of the election, Mitt Romney’s strict focus on economic issues and a refusal to engage President Barack Obama on social issues helped fuel his loss to the Democratic incumbent.
To hear some conservative leaders tell their story, Romney erred in refusing to engage social issues forcefully enough. When the president endorsed same-sex marriage, Romney largely demurred; the GOP nominee largely left bread-and-butter social issues out of his stump speech, focusing almost exclusively on the economy — the top issue for voters.
[Sen. Marco Rubio said,] "There are a very significant number of Americans that feel very strongly about the issue of life, about the issue of marriage and are we saying that they should be silenced or not allowed to speak or voice their opinion?"
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Evangelicals to 'Country Club' GOPers: Social Issues Aren't Problem, You Are" by Paul Stanley, Christian Post Reporter 11/21/12
. . . Often referred to as "country-club" Republicans, they are mainly business types who care more about fiscal issues and try to avoid social issues at all costs.
Yet somehow the moderates look to their socially conscious brethren and blame them for the abortion gaffes of Senate candidates Rep. Todd Akin of Missouri and Indiana's Richard Mourdock.
Nonetheless, evangelicals are sending a strong warning shot over the GOP bow that if social issues are abandoned in the party platform and in stump speeches, millions of voters will look elsewhere.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Caution to Republican Party: Drop Our Plank, Lose Our Vote" by Penny Young Nance, Concerned Women for America (Special to Christian Post) 11/14/12
The idea that Mitt Romney was somehow a radical on the life issue is almost funny. . . .
. . . Mitt Romney couldn't even bother to correct the president during the second debate when he falsely asserted that Planned Parenthood gave women mammograms. He had the perfect opportunity to pivot and discuss the skeletons in President Obama's closet on abortion. President Obama voted multiple times against the Born Alive Victims Act, which would have protected babies who are past viability and manage to be born despite abortionists' deadly efforts. He supports abortion for any reason, any number, at any point in pregnancy, and he wants all of us to be complicit with our tax dollars. Just this past spring, he worked hard against the Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass Prenatal Nondiscrimination Act, a bill that would have prohibited sex-selection abortions. Yeah, he's pro-woman.
Millions, perhaps a billion dollars was spent on ads by Republicans. But none of them took on the sanctity of life issue. Instead, we all hammered on the economic issues, because that's what all the polls told us women and men cared about most. Turns out that's not completely true. . . .
But the fact remains that most Christians believe that life begins at conception. This issue is not going away. But as for Concerned Women PAC candidates go, they will get neither our endorsement nor help if they are not prepared to present a cogent argument for life.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Republicans Accepting Gay Agenda More and More
Questions that will never be answered: Given Mitt Romney's support for "gay rights," would a President Romney have protected religious liberty, and would a Vice President Paul Ryan have shown any social conservatism?
Wednesday, November 21, 2012
White House Honors Sexually Confused People Killed
President Obama's Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis announced the official observance of November 20th as Transgender Day of Remembrance to memorialize deaths of people who suffered with sexual confusion -- some of whom assumed to have been murdered because of their nonconformist lifestyles.
For background, read Obama, Senate Continue to Push Transgender Privilege and also read how "transgender rights" means Naked Men Allowed in Girls Locker Rooms by Law even though Transgenderism is a 'Delusion' According to Victim
-- From "Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on Transgender Day of Remembrance" posted at ENews Park Forest (IL) 11/20/12
"I stand proudly today — and every day — as an ally to the transgender community and to every person and family impacted by anti-transgender bullying and violence. Transgender people are part of the diversity that America celebrates today and they, like every American, deserve to live without fear of prejudice or violence.
"What Gwendolyn Ann Smith began as an online project in 1998 to memorialize Rita Hester's murder has today evolved to include hundreds of vigils and events in workplaces, churches and community centers around the world. I hope that this year's commemoration will serve as an opportunity to shine a brighter light on both progress made and the challenges ahead."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "White House meeting held on transgender rights" posted at Wisconsin Gazette 11/20/12
A group of transgender community advocates met with White House staff to mark the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance and discuss ways to ensure dignity, equality and justice for all people, according to a release from the White House.
The White House statement said, "Throughout America and around the world, many transgender people face bullying, harassment, discrimination, and violence. Far too often, we hear shocking and tragic stories about transgender people who have been assaulted and even killed because of their gender identity or expression. The Obama administration is committed to preventing violence against all people, including all members of the LGBT community, and this meeting was an important opportunity to explore ways to make our communities and neighborhoods safer."
Gautam Raghavan, associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement, said, "In the months and years ahead, we look forward to working to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all transgender people.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Struggles of transgender people garner attention" by Hannah Gaber, Arizona Daily Star 11/20/12
"Gender identity is part of your core," says Dr. Melissa Levine of El Sol Family Medicine, who includes "Are you a boy or a girl?" in her basic "well-child check."
It's important to note that gender and sexuality are not the same thing, Levine says. People can say with conviction at 3 or 4 years old which gender they are - even if it's different from the one they were born with. At that age, she says, children have no concept of sexuality.
"Trans kids have a long-term, unchanging view of themselves," says Martie van der Voort, a counselor with the University of Arizona Counseling and Psych Services who specializes in gender and lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender issues. She says this often comes along with a "sometimes belligerent refusal to accept their birth-body."
Dr. Richard Muszynski, a Tucson clinical psychologist whose practice includes transgender patients, says transgender individuals more often display depression, attempt suicide, abuse substances and cut themselves than those who do not struggle with gender issues.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Transgender Day of Remembrance on Tuesday" by Barbara Blake, Asheville Citizen-Times 11/18/12
One of the city’s more somber ceremonies will take place Tuesday evening when members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and their straight allies gather for the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Community activist Monroe Gilmour, coordinator of WNC Citizens Ending Institutional Bigotry, said the Mountain Area Health Education Center’s Southeastern Transgender Health Summit in August was “an important and eye-opening conference.”
Samuel “Basil” Soper, founder and president of Just Us For All, said he is not aware of any local transgender people being murdered.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Ceremony at Oakland center honors victims of anti-transgender violence" by Madeleine Thomas, Oakland North 11/19/12
Despite the rain, more than 100 people came to the Oakland Peace Center for the ceremony.
“Some people die in car accidents, cancer or being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Tiffany Woods, program coordinator for TransVision, a program of the HIV Services Department of Tri-City Health Center, a community clinic in Fremont serving high-risk populations in Alameda County. “Trans people are killed just for the fact that they are challenging people’s perceptions of religion, gender and sexuality.”
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, Oakland Police Department spokesperson Johnna Watson, and the Judge Vicky Kolakowski—the country’s first openly transgender Superior Court trial judge—spoke throughout the night.
Anti-transgender bias compounded with racism is particularly high for transgender Latino and Latina and people of color, according a 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey from the National Center for Transgender Equality.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read 2-year-old Says She's a Boy, 'Parents' Say OK as well as 4-year-old Says I'm a Boy AND a Girl, NY Times Loves It
For background, read Obama, Senate Continue to Push Transgender Privilege and also read how "transgender rights" means Naked Men Allowed in Girls Locker Rooms by Law even though Transgenderism is a 'Delusion' According to Victim
-- From "Statement by Secretary of Labor Hilda L. Solis on Transgender Day of Remembrance" posted at ENews Park Forest (IL) 11/20/12
"I stand proudly today — and every day — as an ally to the transgender community and to every person and family impacted by anti-transgender bullying and violence. Transgender people are part of the diversity that America celebrates today and they, like every American, deserve to live without fear of prejudice or violence.
"What Gwendolyn Ann Smith began as an online project in 1998 to memorialize Rita Hester's murder has today evolved to include hundreds of vigils and events in workplaces, churches and community centers around the world. I hope that this year's commemoration will serve as an opportunity to shine a brighter light on both progress made and the challenges ahead."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "White House meeting held on transgender rights" posted at Wisconsin Gazette 11/20/12
A group of transgender community advocates met with White House staff to mark the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance and discuss ways to ensure dignity, equality and justice for all people, according to a release from the White House.
The White House statement said, "Throughout America and around the world, many transgender people face bullying, harassment, discrimination, and violence. Far too often, we hear shocking and tragic stories about transgender people who have been assaulted and even killed because of their gender identity or expression. The Obama administration is committed to preventing violence against all people, including all members of the LGBT community, and this meeting was an important opportunity to explore ways to make our communities and neighborhoods safer."
Gautam Raghavan, associate director in the White House Office of Public Engagement, said, "In the months and years ahead, we look forward to working to ensure the safety and wellbeing of all transgender people.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Struggles of transgender people garner attention" by Hannah Gaber, Arizona Daily Star 11/20/12
"Gender identity is part of your core," says Dr. Melissa Levine of El Sol Family Medicine, who includes "Are you a boy or a girl?" in her basic "well-child check."
It's important to note that gender and sexuality are not the same thing, Levine says. People can say with conviction at 3 or 4 years old which gender they are - even if it's different from the one they were born with. At that age, she says, children have no concept of sexuality.
"Trans kids have a long-term, unchanging view of themselves," says Martie van der Voort, a counselor with the University of Arizona Counseling and Psych Services who specializes in gender and lesbian-gay-bisexual-transgender issues. She says this often comes along with a "sometimes belligerent refusal to accept their birth-body."
Dr. Richard Muszynski, a Tucson clinical psychologist whose practice includes transgender patients, says transgender individuals more often display depression, attempt suicide, abuse substances and cut themselves than those who do not struggle with gender issues.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Transgender Day of Remembrance on Tuesday" by Barbara Blake, Asheville Citizen-Times 11/18/12
One of the city’s more somber ceremonies will take place Tuesday evening when members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and their straight allies gather for the annual Transgender Day of Remembrance.
Community activist Monroe Gilmour, coordinator of WNC Citizens Ending Institutional Bigotry, said the Mountain Area Health Education Center’s Southeastern Transgender Health Summit in August was “an important and eye-opening conference.”
Samuel “Basil” Soper, founder and president of Just Us For All, said he is not aware of any local transgender people being murdered.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Ceremony at Oakland center honors victims of anti-transgender violence" by Madeleine Thomas, Oakland North 11/19/12
Despite the rain, more than 100 people came to the Oakland Peace Center for the ceremony.
“Some people die in car accidents, cancer or being in the wrong place at the wrong time,” said Tiffany Woods, program coordinator for TransVision, a program of the HIV Services Department of Tri-City Health Center, a community clinic in Fremont serving high-risk populations in Alameda County. “Trans people are killed just for the fact that they are challenging people’s perceptions of religion, gender and sexuality.”
Oakland Mayor Jean Quan, Oakland Police Department spokesperson Johnna Watson, and the Judge Vicky Kolakowski—the country’s first openly transgender Superior Court trial judge—spoke throughout the night.
Anti-transgender bias compounded with racism is particularly high for transgender Latino and Latina and people of color, according a 2011 National Transgender Discrimination Survey from the National Center for Transgender Equality.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read 2-year-old Says She's a Boy, 'Parents' Say OK as well as 4-year-old Says I'm a Boy AND a Girl, NY Times Loves It
Tuesday, November 20, 2012
Baby Saved from Nevada Bureaucrats' Forced Abortion
Washoe County officials decided to force abortion on a 32-year-old mentally impaired woman through a compliant court system, but after weeks of hearings, in a process that should have been deemed groundless to begin with, the parents of the pregnant woman prevailed when Judge Egan Walker assuaged the government's abortion demand.
-- From "Nevada Judge Won't Force Mentally Impaired Woman to Have Abortion" by The Associated Press 11/15/12
The woman, who has the mental capacity of a 6-year-old, had wandered from a Reno group home that she was living in and became pregnant 13 weeks ago. The child's father has not been identified, and it's unknown whether the pregnancy resulted from rape or consensual sex, according to court documents.
The court became involved in late September, when officials with Social Services voiced concerns about the effects that her medication could have on the fetus. The case quickly drew attention from anti-abortion advocates nationally.
The woman's parents said that while the pregnancy poses health risks to their daughter and the baby, medical experts back their decision to continue the pregnancy.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Forced abortion no longer an option in case of pregnant disabled woman, judge rules" by Kirsten Andersen, LifeSiteNews.com 11/14/12
. . . Judge Walker had been holding hearings to determine whether to force 32-year-old Elisa Bauer to abort her baby against the wishes of her adoptive parents, Bill and Amy Bauer, who say she wants to have the baby and give it up for adoption.
. . . The court plans to use the remaining scheduled evidentiary hearings to gather additional information to help her caretakers make the best decisions for her as she carries her pregnancy to term.
[The Bauer family attorney Jason] Guinasso said that while he is pleased with the results of today’s hearing, he still believes Judge Walker overstepped his bounds in calling the hearings in the first place.
Previously, Guinasso had sued in the state Supreme Court to stop the proceedings, but the higher court denied his motion.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge Rules Against Forcing Mentally Disabled Woman’s Abortion" by Steven Ertelt and Becky Bowers-Greene, LifeNews.com 11/14/12
. . . Melissa Clement, president of Nevada Right to Life, told LifeNews . . . “What started as bureaucratic overreach seeking to quickly eliminate a problematic fetus ended as a recognition that two lives were at stake and that care must be taken to protect them.”
Previously, Guinasso said Judge Egan Walker did not have the legal authority to force Elisa to have the abortion or hold legal hearings on the matter. He said if the guardians, who want her to have the baby, are overruled in court, that Washoe County Social Services should have filed paperwork with the court as to why it was forcing the woman to have the abortion. Local officials have not done that.
He said previously: “There are no statutes that give this Court or Washoe County the authority to compel [the woman] to have an abortion. Such decisions are left to the sound discretion of the duly appointed guardian(s)… To date, Washoe County has utterly failed to provide clear and convincing evidence that Mr. and Mrs. Bauer’s decision to support [her] efforts to carry her child to term is unlawful or that they are not acting in a manner consistent with the best interests of [her] health and welfare.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
“One of the things that I’ve come away [with] is just the extraordinary power that judges wield in these guardianship proceedings.”
-- Jason Guinasso, attorney for the family
-- From "Nevada Judge Won't Force Mentally Impaired Woman to Have Abortion" by The Associated Press 11/15/12
The woman, who has the mental capacity of a 6-year-old, had wandered from a Reno group home that she was living in and became pregnant 13 weeks ago. The child's father has not been identified, and it's unknown whether the pregnancy resulted from rape or consensual sex, according to court documents.
The court became involved in late September, when officials with Social Services voiced concerns about the effects that her medication could have on the fetus. The case quickly drew attention from anti-abortion advocates nationally.
The woman's parents said that while the pregnancy poses health risks to their daughter and the baby, medical experts back their decision to continue the pregnancy.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Forced abortion no longer an option in case of pregnant disabled woman, judge rules" by Kirsten Andersen, LifeSiteNews.com 11/14/12
. . . Judge Walker had been holding hearings to determine whether to force 32-year-old Elisa Bauer to abort her baby against the wishes of her adoptive parents, Bill and Amy Bauer, who say she wants to have the baby and give it up for adoption.
. . . The court plans to use the remaining scheduled evidentiary hearings to gather additional information to help her caretakers make the best decisions for her as she carries her pregnancy to term.
[The Bauer family attorney Jason] Guinasso said that while he is pleased with the results of today’s hearing, he still believes Judge Walker overstepped his bounds in calling the hearings in the first place.
Previously, Guinasso had sued in the state Supreme Court to stop the proceedings, but the higher court denied his motion.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge Rules Against Forcing Mentally Disabled Woman’s Abortion" by Steven Ertelt and Becky Bowers-Greene, LifeNews.com 11/14/12
. . . Melissa Clement, president of Nevada Right to Life, told LifeNews . . . “What started as bureaucratic overreach seeking to quickly eliminate a problematic fetus ended as a recognition that two lives were at stake and that care must be taken to protect them.”
Previously, Guinasso said Judge Egan Walker did not have the legal authority to force Elisa to have the abortion or hold legal hearings on the matter. He said if the guardians, who want her to have the baby, are overruled in court, that Washoe County Social Services should have filed paperwork with the court as to why it was forcing the woman to have the abortion. Local officials have not done that.
He said previously: “There are no statutes that give this Court or Washoe County the authority to compel [the woman] to have an abortion. Such decisions are left to the sound discretion of the duly appointed guardian(s)… To date, Washoe County has utterly failed to provide clear and convincing evidence that Mr. and Mrs. Bauer’s decision to support [her] efforts to carry her child to term is unlawful or that they are not acting in a manner consistent with the best interests of [her] health and welfare.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Monday, November 19, 2012
Pro-gay Teen Refused Catholic Church Confirmation
17-year-old Lennon Cihak of Barnesville, MN made clear to his priest, and to the world via Facebook, that he opposes the Roman Catholic doctrine of the sacrament of marriage. Logically, Lennon refused to join his peers in the process of confirmation into the church, and his priest said that Lennon certainly would NOT be confirmed unless his defiant beliefs changed. Not surprisingly, the liberal media is outraged that the teen's beliefs won't be accepted by the local church, and have harassed the priest and church leaders.
For background, read Catholic Church Stands Firm in Culture War and also read Bishops Chasten VP Biden, a 'Practicing Catholic' as well as Minnesota One-Man-One-Woman Marriage Amendment Rejected by Voters
-- From "Minn. gay-marriage supporter denied confirmation" by The Associated Press 11/15/12
Shana Cihak said her 17-year-old son, Lennon, wasn't allowed to be confirmed at Assumption Church in Barnesville last month after posting a Facebook picture of himself with a political sign he altered to oppose the marriage amendment on Minnesota's ballot. Voters on Nov. 6 rejected the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
Assumption Rev. Gary LaMoine told The Associated Press Thursday that the teen was not denied confirmation but declined to explain, calling it an "internal and pastoral" matter.
"Some people chose to run out into the public and put it out in the media," LaMoine told the AP, adding that he was consulting with the Catholic Diocese of Crookston about the issue.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "MN priest discusses ‘denial of Confirmation’ to pro-gay marriage teen" posted at Catholic World News 11/19/12
“A couple of candidates chose not to enter into full communion with the Catholic community because of their disagreement with the teaching of the Church concerning marriage,” Father LaMoine said. “I have personally spent much time talking to [the Cihak family] face to face about their unwillingness to accept the teaching of the Church on marriage but to no avail.”
Father LaMoine added that even if the teen had not chosen to withdraw from the Confirmation program, he could not be confirmed unless he accepted Catholic teaching on marriage.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "2nd student denied Catholic confirmation in Barnesville In letter to parish, priest apologizes for actions of family" by Erik Burgess, Forum Communications Co., DL-Online (Detroit Lakes) 11/19/12
“I apologize to the parish for the actions of this family,” LaMoine wrote.
In the letter sent out to the parish, LaMoine says Lennon voluntarily withdrew from the program after LaMoine saw the [Facebook pro-same-sex-marriage] photo and challenged him on why he was “rejecting a central teaching of the Church.”
When reached by phone Friday evening, Lennon said the other confirmation class member referred to in the letter is a “good friend” who also was at odds with church teachings about same-sex marriage.
The incident has caused “a lot of embarrassment” for the church, LaMoine told The Forum on Friday, which is why he apologized for the actions of the family in the letter.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background, read Catholic Church Stands Firm in Culture War and also read Bishops Chasten VP Biden, a 'Practicing Catholic' as well as Minnesota One-Man-One-Woman Marriage Amendment Rejected by Voters
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| To view TV news report, click here. |
-- From "Minn. gay-marriage supporter denied confirmation" by The Associated Press 11/15/12
Shana Cihak said her 17-year-old son, Lennon, wasn't allowed to be confirmed at Assumption Church in Barnesville last month after posting a Facebook picture of himself with a political sign he altered to oppose the marriage amendment on Minnesota's ballot. Voters on Nov. 6 rejected the constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage.
Assumption Rev. Gary LaMoine told The Associated Press Thursday that the teen was not denied confirmation but declined to explain, calling it an "internal and pastoral" matter.
"Some people chose to run out into the public and put it out in the media," LaMoine told the AP, adding that he was consulting with the Catholic Diocese of Crookston about the issue.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "MN priest discusses ‘denial of Confirmation’ to pro-gay marriage teen" posted at Catholic World News 11/19/12
“A couple of candidates chose not to enter into full communion with the Catholic community because of their disagreement with the teaching of the Church concerning marriage,” Father LaMoine said. “I have personally spent much time talking to [the Cihak family] face to face about their unwillingness to accept the teaching of the Church on marriage but to no avail.”
Father LaMoine added that even if the teen had not chosen to withdraw from the Confirmation program, he could not be confirmed unless he accepted Catholic teaching on marriage.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "2nd student denied Catholic confirmation in Barnesville In letter to parish, priest apologizes for actions of family" by Erik Burgess, Forum Communications Co., DL-Online (Detroit Lakes) 11/19/12
“I apologize to the parish for the actions of this family,” LaMoine wrote.
In the letter sent out to the parish, LaMoine says Lennon voluntarily withdrew from the program after LaMoine saw the [Facebook pro-same-sex-marriage] photo and challenged him on why he was “rejecting a central teaching of the Church.”
When reached by phone Friday evening, Lennon said the other confirmation class member referred to in the letter is a “good friend” who also was at odds with church teachings about same-sex marriage.
The incident has caused “a lot of embarrassment” for the church, LaMoine told The Forum on Friday, which is why he apologized for the actions of the family in the letter.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Judges Rule Against ObamaCare, Favor Christians
In a series of court cases wherein Christian businesses have challenged the right of ObamaCare to infringe religious liberty, judges have ruled against President Obama's expansive federal government. On Friday, U.S. District Judge Reggie B. Walton favored Tyndale House Publishers of Illinois by granting a preliminary injunction to stop enforcement of anti-Christian elements of ObamaCare.
For background, click headlines below for related articles:
Federal Judge Rules Against ObamaCare, For Catholics
Missouri Business Sues ObamaCare in War on Christianity
Bishops Say Catholic Church Will Defy ObamaCare
Evangelical Wheaton College Sues ObamaCare
Also read Supreme Court OKs Taxes for Abortion: ObamaCare
-- From "Bible Publisher Won’t Have to Fund Birth Control Coverage" by Tom Schoenberg, Bloomberg Businessweek 11/16/12
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton in Washington today ruled that the law’s coverage mandate “substantially burdens” the religious exercise of Tyndale House Publishers Inc. by imposing “considerable” financial penalties for failing to offer birth control coverage to its 260 full-time employees.
The mandate “places the plaintiffs in the untenable position of choosing either to violate their religious beliefs by providing coverage of the contraceptives at issue or to subject their business to the continual risk of the imposition of enormous penalties for its noncompliance,” Walton wrote.
That “places substantial pressure on the plaintiffs to violate their beliefs,” the judge wrote in issuing a preliminary injunction
The case is Tyndale House Publishers Inc. v. Sebelius, 12- cv-01635, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge sides with company on contraceptive coverage" by Frederic J. Frommer, Associated Press 11/16/12
Walton acknowledged that the government has broad, compelling interests in promoting public health and ensuring that women have equal access to health care, but he said the question "is whether the government has shown that the application of the contraceptive coverage mandate to the plaintiffs furthers those compelling interests," underlying "to the plaintiffs" in the text. Nothing in Walton's order applied to anyone other than Tyndale.
Walton said that the government hasn't offered any proof that mandatory insurance for the specific types of contraceptives that Tyndale objects to furthers the government's compelling interests.
Matthew S. Bowman, a lawyer for Alliance Defending Freedom, which brought the suit on behalf of Tyndale, said in an email that Bible publishers "should be free to do business according to the book that they publish."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Federal Judge Grants Bible Publisher Injunction Against Obamacare’s Abortion Pill Mandate" by Heather Clark, Christian News Network 11/16/12
Mark D. Taylor, the president and CEO of Tyndale House Publishers, filed the lawsuit last month with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). While Taylor says that he does not oppose all contraception, and will provide coverage of some birth control products to his employees, he cannot cover the two pills that he believes cause abortions — Plan B and IUD’s.
“[Tyndale is] committed to biblical principles including the belief that all human beings are created in the image and likeness of God from the moment of their conception,” the lawsuit read.
The Obama administration had opposed the injunction, claiming that the Bible publisher shouldn’t be considered eligible for an exemption because it is for-profit.
“Christian principles, prayer, and activities are pervasive at Tyndale, and the company’s ownership structure is designed to ensure that it never strays from its faith-oriented mission,” Walton declared today. “The Court has no reason to doubt, moreover, that Tyndale’s religious objection to providing insurance coverage for certain contraceptives reflects the beliefs of Tyndale’s owners. Nor is there any dispute that Tyndale’s primary owner, the Foundation, can ‘exercise religion’ in its own right, given that it is a non-profit religious organization; indeed, the case law is replete with examples of such organizations asserting cognizable free exercise and RFRA [Religious Freedom Restoration Act] challenges.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Court Halts Contraceptive Mandate for Christian Publisher Tyndale" by Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter 11/17/12
"Although there is arguably a public interest in the uniform application of the ACA (Affordable Care Act) and the contraceptive coverage mandate there is undoubtedly also a public interest in ensuring that the rights secured under the First Amendment and, by extension, the RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act), are protected," the judge wrote in his opinion. "Indeed, First Amendment rights are among the most precious rights guaranteed under the Constitution."
The contraceptive coverage mandate became effective on Oct. 1, prompting Tyndale to file suit or otherwise face heavy fines and penalties for noncompliance.
Alliance Defending Freedom represented Tyndale in the case. ADF's Matt Bowman said the court did "the right thing" in halting the mandate while the lawsuit moves forward. ADF is also defending more than half a dozen other organizations in separate challenges against the contraceptive mandate
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "3rd judge vetoes abortion pill mandate" posted at World Net Daily 11/17/12
Officials with the Alliance Defending Freedom said [President Obama's] government attorneys had argued that Tyndale House Publishers simply wasn’t religious enough for an exemption from the mandate.
. . . Senior Legal Counsel Matt Bowman, who argued before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Nov. 9 [said,] “. . . For the government to say that a Bible publisher is not religious is startling. It demonstrates how clearly the Obama administration is willing to disregard the Constitution’s protection of religious freedom to achieve certain political purposes.”
The “mandate” is a set of regulations adopted by Barack Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services, run by the emphatically pro-abortion Kathleen Sebelius, that forces employers, regardless of religious faith, to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization and contraception under threat of financial penalties.
In the case involving Tyndale, the publisher is subject to the mandate because Obama administration rules say for-profit corporations are categorically non-religious, even though Tyndale House is strictly a publisher of Bibles and other Christian materials and is primarily owned by the non-profit Tyndale House Foundation. The foundation provides grants to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people around the world.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Bible Publisher Beats Obama Abortion-HHS Mandate in Court" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 11/16/12
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys and allied attorneys are also litigating five other lawsuits against the mandate: one in Minnesota on behalf of Annex Medical, Inc.; one in Indiana on behalf of Grote Industries; another one in Indiana on behalf of Indiana’s Grace College and Seminary and California’s Biola University; one in Pennsylvania on behalf of Geneva College and The Seneca Hardwood Lumber Company and its owners, the Hepler family; and one in Louisiana on behalf of Louisiana College. The lawsuits represent a large cross-section of Protestants and Catholics who object to the mandate.
Federal judges have dismissed two other lawsuits filed against the mandate.
In the second case, Judge James E. Boasberg of the D.C. Federal Court threw out the lawsuit Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina, the first plaintiff to file suit against the mandate, filed earlier this year. Judge Boasberg said he dismissed the lawsuit because the Obama administration is revising the initial rule it release forcing religious groups to pay for the drugs that violate their conscience and beliefs.
Luke Goodrich, Deputy General Counsel of the Becket Fund, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic university, said before the decision he thought the Obama administrations argument will not stand up in court.
“It doesn’t argue that the mandate is legal; it doesn’t argue that the mandate is constitutional,” Goodrich said. “Instead, it begs the court to ignore the lawsuit because the government plans to change the mandate at some unspecified date in the future.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read President Obama Denies Leading War Against Christianity and also read Religious Liberty & Anti-Christian Totalitarianism
For background, click headlines below for related articles:
Federal Judge Rules Against ObamaCare, For Catholics
Missouri Business Sues ObamaCare in War on Christianity
Bishops Say Catholic Church Will Defy ObamaCare
Evangelical Wheaton College Sues ObamaCare
Also read Supreme Court OKs Taxes for Abortion: ObamaCare
-- From "Bible Publisher Won’t Have to Fund Birth Control Coverage" by Tom Schoenberg, Bloomberg Businessweek 11/16/12
U.S. District Judge Reggie Walton in Washington today ruled that the law’s coverage mandate “substantially burdens” the religious exercise of Tyndale House Publishers Inc. by imposing “considerable” financial penalties for failing to offer birth control coverage to its 260 full-time employees.
The mandate “places the plaintiffs in the untenable position of choosing either to violate their religious beliefs by providing coverage of the contraceptives at issue or to subject their business to the continual risk of the imposition of enormous penalties for its noncompliance,” Walton wrote.
That “places substantial pressure on the plaintiffs to violate their beliefs,” the judge wrote in issuing a preliminary injunction
The case is Tyndale House Publishers Inc. v. Sebelius, 12- cv-01635, U.S. District Court, District of Columbia (Washington).
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge sides with company on contraceptive coverage" by Frederic J. Frommer, Associated Press 11/16/12
Walton acknowledged that the government has broad, compelling interests in promoting public health and ensuring that women have equal access to health care, but he said the question "is whether the government has shown that the application of the contraceptive coverage mandate to the plaintiffs furthers those compelling interests," underlying "to the plaintiffs" in the text. Nothing in Walton's order applied to anyone other than Tyndale.
Walton said that the government hasn't offered any proof that mandatory insurance for the specific types of contraceptives that Tyndale objects to furthers the government's compelling interests.
Matthew S. Bowman, a lawyer for Alliance Defending Freedom, which brought the suit on behalf of Tyndale, said in an email that Bible publishers "should be free to do business according to the book that they publish."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Federal Judge Grants Bible Publisher Injunction Against Obamacare’s Abortion Pill Mandate" by Heather Clark, Christian News Network 11/16/12
Mark D. Taylor, the president and CEO of Tyndale House Publishers, filed the lawsuit last month with the help of Alliance Defending Freedom (ADF). While Taylor says that he does not oppose all contraception, and will provide coverage of some birth control products to his employees, he cannot cover the two pills that he believes cause abortions — Plan B and IUD’s.
“[Tyndale is] committed to biblical principles including the belief that all human beings are created in the image and likeness of God from the moment of their conception,” the lawsuit read.
The Obama administration had opposed the injunction, claiming that the Bible publisher shouldn’t be considered eligible for an exemption because it is for-profit.
“Christian principles, prayer, and activities are pervasive at Tyndale, and the company’s ownership structure is designed to ensure that it never strays from its faith-oriented mission,” Walton declared today. “The Court has no reason to doubt, moreover, that Tyndale’s religious objection to providing insurance coverage for certain contraceptives reflects the beliefs of Tyndale’s owners. Nor is there any dispute that Tyndale’s primary owner, the Foundation, can ‘exercise religion’ in its own right, given that it is a non-profit religious organization; indeed, the case law is replete with examples of such organizations asserting cognizable free exercise and RFRA [Religious Freedom Restoration Act] challenges.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Court Halts Contraceptive Mandate for Christian Publisher Tyndale" by Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter 11/17/12
"Although there is arguably a public interest in the uniform application of the ACA (Affordable Care Act) and the contraceptive coverage mandate there is undoubtedly also a public interest in ensuring that the rights secured under the First Amendment and, by extension, the RFRA (Religious Freedom Restoration Act), are protected," the judge wrote in his opinion. "Indeed, First Amendment rights are among the most precious rights guaranteed under the Constitution."
The contraceptive coverage mandate became effective on Oct. 1, prompting Tyndale to file suit or otherwise face heavy fines and penalties for noncompliance.
Alliance Defending Freedom represented Tyndale in the case. ADF's Matt Bowman said the court did "the right thing" in halting the mandate while the lawsuit moves forward. ADF is also defending more than half a dozen other organizations in separate challenges against the contraceptive mandate
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "3rd judge vetoes abortion pill mandate" posted at World Net Daily 11/17/12
Officials with the Alliance Defending Freedom said [President Obama's] government attorneys had argued that Tyndale House Publishers simply wasn’t religious enough for an exemption from the mandate.
. . . Senior Legal Counsel Matt Bowman, who argued before the U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia on Nov. 9 [said,] “. . . For the government to say that a Bible publisher is not religious is startling. It demonstrates how clearly the Obama administration is willing to disregard the Constitution’s protection of religious freedom to achieve certain political purposes.”
The “mandate” is a set of regulations adopted by Barack Obama’s Department of Health and Human Services, run by the emphatically pro-abortion Kathleen Sebelius, that forces employers, regardless of religious faith, to provide insurance coverage for abortion-inducing drugs, sterilization and contraception under threat of financial penalties.
In the case involving Tyndale, the publisher is subject to the mandate because Obama administration rules say for-profit corporations are categorically non-religious, even though Tyndale House is strictly a publisher of Bibles and other Christian materials and is primarily owned by the non-profit Tyndale House Foundation. The foundation provides grants to help meet the physical and spiritual needs of people around the world.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Bible Publisher Beats Obama Abortion-HHS Mandate in Court" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 11/16/12
Alliance Defending Freedom attorneys and allied attorneys are also litigating five other lawsuits against the mandate: one in Minnesota on behalf of Annex Medical, Inc.; one in Indiana on behalf of Grote Industries; another one in Indiana on behalf of Indiana’s Grace College and Seminary and California’s Biola University; one in Pennsylvania on behalf of Geneva College and The Seneca Hardwood Lumber Company and its owners, the Hepler family; and one in Louisiana on behalf of Louisiana College. The lawsuits represent a large cross-section of Protestants and Catholics who object to the mandate.
Federal judges have dismissed two other lawsuits filed against the mandate.
In the second case, Judge James E. Boasberg of the D.C. Federal Court threw out the lawsuit Belmont Abbey College in North Carolina, the first plaintiff to file suit against the mandate, filed earlier this year. Judge Boasberg said he dismissed the lawsuit because the Obama administration is revising the initial rule it release forcing religious groups to pay for the drugs that violate their conscience and beliefs.
Luke Goodrich, Deputy General Counsel of the Becket Fund, which filed the lawsuit on behalf of Belmont Abbey College, a Catholic university, said before the decision he thought the Obama administrations argument will not stand up in court.
“It doesn’t argue that the mandate is legal; it doesn’t argue that the mandate is constitutional,” Goodrich said. “Instead, it begs the court to ignore the lawsuit because the government plans to change the mandate at some unspecified date in the future.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read President Obama Denies Leading War Against Christianity and also read Religious Liberty & Anti-Christian Totalitarianism
Saturday, November 17, 2012
ACLU Sues to Display Lesbians to Kindergartners
Utah parents in Davis School District complained after activist librarians purchased homosexual indoctrination books and provided free access for children as young as age five. The school district responded by requiring parental permission slips for students to access the books, saying that state law prohibits teaching homosexuality, but the ACLU has sued the district saying that the new policy hurts the feelings of "homosexual families."
For background, read Parents Force Back Gay Agenda in Several Schools and also read ACLU Threatens Schools: Must Teach Homosexuality as well as Homosexual Indoctrination Mandated for Schools
In addition, read Oklahoma Board Wants Homosexual Book Available to Kindergartners
-- From "Davis schools sued over policy on 2 moms book" by The Associated Press 11/13/12
The lawsuit claims it's unconstitutional to require elementary school students have a parent's permission to check out "In Our Mothers' House," a picture book featuring three adopted children growing up with two mothers.
"Public schools cannot remove books from the library shelves because some people disagree with the books' viewpoint," said John Mejia, legal director of the ACLU of Utah. "Taking a book off the shelves and hiding it behind a librarian's desk makes the book more difficult to read, and it sends the message that there is something wrong with the book and with children who have same-sex parents."
The lawsuit asks the district to return the book to library shelves without the permission slip process. It also seeks $1 in damages, attorney's fees, and a ban on future restrictions based on a book's perceived "homosexual themes" or "advocacy of homosexuality."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Utah school district sued over restricted access to lesbian family book" by Jennifer Dobner, Reuters 11/14/12
School officials acknowledge no similar limits have been placed on other titles in the library inventories of the Davis district, which encompasses an area north of Salt Lake City.
Parent Tina Weber objected to the restrictions, and attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on her behalf in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, saying the policy amounts to "prior restraint" that violates her children's free-speech rights.
Utah is not the first place parents have raised concerns about Polacco's book, which was published in 2009. A 2011 report by the ACLU of Texas showed "In Our Mothers' House" was banned in several schools in that state.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "ACLU Sues Over Restriction of Book About Same-Sex Parents" by Eric Peterson, Salt Lake City Weekly 11/13/12
Award-winning children’s book author Patricia Polacco’s book may just have had the apostrophe on the wrong side of the “s” in her 2009 book In Our Mothers’ House for some families in Davis County who objected last spring to the book’s placement at Winnridge Elementary, in Davis County. In April, the district voted to have the book placed behind the librarian’s desk in all district libraries and moved to require students who wanted to check the book out to first get written permission.
In the Nov. 13 lawsuit, the ACLU argues “the District has placed a discriminatory burden on students’ ability to access fully protected speech. Even worse, restricting access to In Our Mothers’ House and segregating it from the rest of the library collection places an unconstitutional stigma on the ideas contained in the book and the students who wish to read it.” According to the suit, a group of parents had complained of the book having “normalized a lifestyle we don’t agree with.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
"Our job as parents is to make sure we teach our children about our values. We can do that without imposing our personal views on the rest of the school community."That's certainly, an ironic statement coming from someone advocating indoctrination in her school.
-- Tina Weber, plaintiff (lesbian parent) represented by the American Civil Liberties Union of Utah
For background, read Parents Force Back Gay Agenda in Several Schools and also read ACLU Threatens Schools: Must Teach Homosexuality as well as Homosexual Indoctrination Mandated for Schools
In addition, read Oklahoma Board Wants Homosexual Book Available to Kindergartners
-- From "Davis schools sued over policy on 2 moms book" by The Associated Press 11/13/12
The lawsuit claims it's unconstitutional to require elementary school students have a parent's permission to check out "In Our Mothers' House," a picture book featuring three adopted children growing up with two mothers.
"Public schools cannot remove books from the library shelves because some people disagree with the books' viewpoint," said John Mejia, legal director of the ACLU of Utah. "Taking a book off the shelves and hiding it behind a librarian's desk makes the book more difficult to read, and it sends the message that there is something wrong with the book and with children who have same-sex parents."
The lawsuit asks the district to return the book to library shelves without the permission slip process. It also seeks $1 in damages, attorney's fees, and a ban on future restrictions based on a book's perceived "homosexual themes" or "advocacy of homosexuality."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Utah school district sued over restricted access to lesbian family book" by Jennifer Dobner, Reuters 11/14/12
School officials acknowledge no similar limits have been placed on other titles in the library inventories of the Davis district, which encompasses an area north of Salt Lake City.
Parent Tina Weber objected to the restrictions, and attorneys for the American Civil Liberties Union filed a lawsuit on her behalf in U.S. District Court in Salt Lake City on Tuesday, saying the policy amounts to "prior restraint" that violates her children's free-speech rights.
Utah is not the first place parents have raised concerns about Polacco's book, which was published in 2009. A 2011 report by the ACLU of Texas showed "In Our Mothers' House" was banned in several schools in that state.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "ACLU Sues Over Restriction of Book About Same-Sex Parents" by Eric Peterson, Salt Lake City Weekly 11/13/12
Award-winning children’s book author Patricia Polacco’s book may just have had the apostrophe on the wrong side of the “s” in her 2009 book In Our Mothers’ House for some families in Davis County who objected last spring to the book’s placement at Winnridge Elementary, in Davis County. In April, the district voted to have the book placed behind the librarian’s desk in all district libraries and moved to require students who wanted to check the book out to first get written permission.
In the Nov. 13 lawsuit, the ACLU argues “the District has placed a discriminatory burden on students’ ability to access fully protected speech. Even worse, restricting access to In Our Mothers’ House and segregating it from the rest of the library collection places an unconstitutional stigma on the ideas contained in the book and the students who wish to read it.” According to the suit, a group of parents had complained of the book having “normalized a lifestyle we don’t agree with.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, November 15, 2012
Evangelical Message to Blame for GOP Losses?
In the wake of the elections, the media is filled with punditry from atheists and liberal "christians" to so-called evangelical leaders saying that the evangelical message must be changed to appeal to voters or the Republican party simply needs to jettison conservative Christians. Even Bible-believing Christians are being pitted against one another.
Hello?! By definition, a message that is truly evangelical CANNOT be changed.
For background, read Bishops Say Catholic Church Will Defy ObamaCare and also read Will 'Wimpy' Pastors Engage War on Christianity? as well as Religious Liberty & Anti-Christian Totalitarianism
UPDATE 12/2/12: Rev. Ken Hutcherson says Jim Daly is hiding behind compromise and alienating conservative Christians
UPDATE 11/22/12: GOP Moderation Lost the Election, Say Evangelicals
-- From "Hodges: Christian right must soften its tone, widen its agenda" by Corey J. Hodges, pastor of New Pilgrim Baptist Church and Special to The Salt Lake Tribune 11/14/12
Conservative evangelicals have to change if we intend to remain influential in the public arena. Changing our core values is not the solution. Christians derive their values from immutable biblical principles. But some shifting is necessary.
First, the tone of our discourse must change. . . . there is no place for intolerance and the divisive language . . .
Our focus has almost entirely been on opposing abortion and gay marriage. We have neglected issues such as poverty, health care and immigration reform, which arguably have just as much biblical support as the agendas we oppose. After all, the scriptures command us to exhibit love and compassion and to care for the less fortunate.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Focus on the Family head takes conciliatory tone after election" by Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times 11/10/12
[Focus on the Family leader Jim] Daly is willing to say things that few conservative evangelical leaders are likely to say. He believes, for instance, that the Christian right lost the fight against same-sex marriage in four states in part because it is on the losing side of a cultural paradigm. He says the evangelical community should have been considering immigration reform years ago, “but we were led more by political-think than church-think.”
These are controversial views in Daly's world, and he concedes that some of them have stirred anger among some of his fellow conservative Christians. But Daly, who exudes preternatural cheerfulness, said he believes that evangelicals need to win over friends, not make more enemies, and that the results of the election underlined the need to reach out to people with whom they have disagreements — including Obama — and seek common ground.
“Maybe we've been looking in the wrong direction and we've got to be more ecumenical,” he said.
Still, Daly parts ways with many of his associates when he says that the evangelical right is “fighting an uphill battle of demographics” on gay rights . . .
. . . Daly spoke of a willingness to work with abortion-rights groups to find common ground on adoption — a notion that would probably strike many Christian conservatives as appeasement.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Evangelicals struggle to stay relevant in Republican politics" by Ralph Z. Hallow, The Washington Times 11/13/12
The clout of evangelical voters, once a crucial part the Republican Party’s winning electoral coalition, has come under question after what some say was their failure in the past two presidential elections to put the Republican candidate over the top against a Democrat who had made few friends among social conservatives.
. . . Mr. Daly’s sentiments sit well with traditional Republicans and economic conservatives, some of whom have always felt that loud and uncompromising stands on social issues have cost the party support among a variety of constituencies, including women and a growing cadre of libertarian-minded younger voters.
But reflecting the views of many other conservative religious leaders, evangelical political organizer David Lane, founder of Pastor and Pews, said it was “an outrage” for Mr. Daly to call for Christians to stop engaging in culture wars. Mr. Lane said Mr. Daly was flying the “white flag of surrender” to political opponents of traditional values.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Evangelical Leaders Urge Immigration Shakeup" by Miriam Jordan, Wall Street Journal 11/13/12
More than 150 evangelical leaders called on President Barack Obama Tuesday to make revamping the nation's immigration system a top priority, following a presidential election in which the Latino vote was a decisive factor.
An open letter from the group demanded that Mr. Obama and the heads of the Senate and House of Representatives support a legalization program for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. Among the signatories are Leith Anderson, president of the [seldom] conservative National Association of Evangelicals, and Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners, a liberal group.
It laid out six principles, including an immigration overhaul that protects family unity, respects the rule of law and guarantees secure borders. The letter said these principles reflect a "growing convergence" with positions by other religious, civic, business, labor and law-enforcement leaders.
Not all evangelicals are on board with legalizing undocumented immigrants.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "White Evangelical Asks Black Evangelicals Why They Re-Elected Obama" by Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter 11/13/12
In an open letter to black evangelicals, Michael Brown candidly asks whether they compromised their beliefs by voting for the re-election of President Barack Obama.
"I simply do not understand how my black evangelical friends who so staunchly oppose same-sex marriage and who stand against abortion could cast their vote for the most radically pro-abortion, pro-gay-activist president in our history," he said as a fellow evangelical.
Brown said he is not attacking black voters in his open letter but that he's simply inquiring why nearly the same percentage of black Americans who voted for Obama four years ago did so again this year.
Black Christian leaders have expressed their disapproval of Obama's policies while on Brown's radio show and have even urged parishioners not to vote for the president. Brown listed Bishop Harry Jackson from the Washington, D.C., area as one of them.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Election 2012 Marks the End of Evangelical Dominance in Politics" by Jonathan Merritt, The Atlantic 11/13/12
. . . 79 percent of white evangelicals voted for Romney on Tuesday. That's the same percentage that Bush received in 2004, and more than Senator John McCain received in 2008. The evangelical vote was 27 percent of the overall electorate -- the highest it's ever been for an election.
Their support wasn't enough. Not only did Obama win soundly, but four states voted to allow same-sex marriage. [Correction: Three states]
[Why?]
First, evangelicals' size is a limitation. . . .
Second, evangelicals' influence is waning. Conservative Christian ideas are failing to shape the broader culture. . . .
Third, evangelical leadership is wanting. . . .
[The rising non-evangelicals] give me hope that American Christians may be on the cusp of a healthier engagement with the public square.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Pastor Warns America of Socialism, Calls for Prayer
Hello?! By definition, a message that is truly evangelical CANNOT be changed.
For background, read Bishops Say Catholic Church Will Defy ObamaCare and also read Will 'Wimpy' Pastors Engage War on Christianity? as well as Religious Liberty & Anti-Christian Totalitarianism
UPDATE 12/2/12: Rev. Ken Hutcherson says Jim Daly is hiding behind compromise and alienating conservative Christians
UPDATE 11/22/12: GOP Moderation Lost the Election, Say Evangelicals
-- From "Hodges: Christian right must soften its tone, widen its agenda" by Corey J. Hodges, pastor of New Pilgrim Baptist Church and Special to The Salt Lake Tribune 11/14/12
Conservative evangelicals have to change if we intend to remain influential in the public arena. Changing our core values is not the solution. Christians derive their values from immutable biblical principles. But some shifting is necessary.
First, the tone of our discourse must change. . . . there is no place for intolerance and the divisive language . . .
Our focus has almost entirely been on opposing abortion and gay marriage. We have neglected issues such as poverty, health care and immigration reform, which arguably have just as much biblical support as the agendas we oppose. After all, the scriptures command us to exhibit love and compassion and to care for the less fortunate.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Focus on the Family head takes conciliatory tone after election" by Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times 11/10/12
[Focus on the Family leader Jim] Daly is willing to say things that few conservative evangelical leaders are likely to say. He believes, for instance, that the Christian right lost the fight against same-sex marriage in four states in part because it is on the losing side of a cultural paradigm. He says the evangelical community should have been considering immigration reform years ago, “but we were led more by political-think than church-think.”
These are controversial views in Daly's world, and he concedes that some of them have stirred anger among some of his fellow conservative Christians. But Daly, who exudes preternatural cheerfulness, said he believes that evangelicals need to win over friends, not make more enemies, and that the results of the election underlined the need to reach out to people with whom they have disagreements — including Obama — and seek common ground.
“Maybe we've been looking in the wrong direction and we've got to be more ecumenical,” he said.
Still, Daly parts ways with many of his associates when he says that the evangelical right is “fighting an uphill battle of demographics” on gay rights . . .
. . . Daly spoke of a willingness to work with abortion-rights groups to find common ground on adoption — a notion that would probably strike many Christian conservatives as appeasement.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Evangelicals struggle to stay relevant in Republican politics" by Ralph Z. Hallow, The Washington Times 11/13/12
The clout of evangelical voters, once a crucial part the Republican Party’s winning electoral coalition, has come under question after what some say was their failure in the past two presidential elections to put the Republican candidate over the top against a Democrat who had made few friends among social conservatives.
. . . Mr. Daly’s sentiments sit well with traditional Republicans and economic conservatives, some of whom have always felt that loud and uncompromising stands on social issues have cost the party support among a variety of constituencies, including women and a growing cadre of libertarian-minded younger voters.
But reflecting the views of many other conservative religious leaders, evangelical political organizer David Lane, founder of Pastor and Pews, said it was “an outrage” for Mr. Daly to call for Christians to stop engaging in culture wars. Mr. Lane said Mr. Daly was flying the “white flag of surrender” to political opponents of traditional values.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Evangelical Leaders Urge Immigration Shakeup" by Miriam Jordan, Wall Street Journal 11/13/12
More than 150 evangelical leaders called on President Barack Obama Tuesday to make revamping the nation's immigration system a top priority, following a presidential election in which the Latino vote was a decisive factor.
An open letter from the group demanded that Mr. Obama and the heads of the Senate and House of Representatives support a legalization program for the 11 million undocumented immigrants in the U.S. Among the signatories are Leith Anderson, president of the [seldom] conservative National Association of Evangelicals, and Jim Wallis, president of Sojourners, a liberal group.
It laid out six principles, including an immigration overhaul that protects family unity, respects the rule of law and guarantees secure borders. The letter said these principles reflect a "growing convergence" with positions by other religious, civic, business, labor and law-enforcement leaders.
Not all evangelicals are on board with legalizing undocumented immigrants.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "White Evangelical Asks Black Evangelicals Why They Re-Elected Obama" by Lillian Kwon, Christian Post Reporter 11/13/12
In an open letter to black evangelicals, Michael Brown candidly asks whether they compromised their beliefs by voting for the re-election of President Barack Obama.
"I simply do not understand how my black evangelical friends who so staunchly oppose same-sex marriage and who stand against abortion could cast their vote for the most radically pro-abortion, pro-gay-activist president in our history," he said as a fellow evangelical.
Brown said he is not attacking black voters in his open letter but that he's simply inquiring why nearly the same percentage of black Americans who voted for Obama four years ago did so again this year.
Black Christian leaders have expressed their disapproval of Obama's policies while on Brown's radio show and have even urged parishioners not to vote for the president. Brown listed Bishop Harry Jackson from the Washington, D.C., area as one of them.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Election 2012 Marks the End of Evangelical Dominance in Politics" by Jonathan Merritt, The Atlantic 11/13/12
. . . 79 percent of white evangelicals voted for Romney on Tuesday. That's the same percentage that Bush received in 2004, and more than Senator John McCain received in 2008. The evangelical vote was 27 percent of the overall electorate -- the highest it's ever been for an election.
Their support wasn't enough. Not only did Obama win soundly, but four states voted to allow same-sex marriage. [Correction: Three states]
[Why?]
First, evangelicals' size is a limitation. . . .
Second, evangelicals' influence is waning. Conservative Christian ideas are failing to shape the broader culture. . . .
Third, evangelical leadership is wanting. . . .
[The rising non-evangelicals] give me hope that American Christians may be on the cusp of a healthier engagement with the public square.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Pastor Warns America of Socialism, Calls for Prayer
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