Doctors are forecasting the closure of hospitals and clinics across America and a mass migration of physicians and their assistances to other careers should the Obama administration succeed in its attempt to overrule their rights of conscience [which were previously protected by the Bush administration].
UPDATE 4/14/12: Bishops Throw Down Gauntlet Against Obama War on Christianity
UPDATE 9/17/12: Religious Liberty & Anti-Christian Totalitarianism
-- From "Health Workers' 'Conscience' Rule Set to Be Voided" by Rob Stein, Washington Post Staff Writer 2/28/09
The Obama administration's move to rescind broad new job protections for health workers who refuse to provide care they find objectionable triggered an immediate political storm yesterday, underscoring the difficulties the president faces in his effort to find common ground on anything related to the explosive issue of abortion.
The debate centers on a Bush administration regulation, enacted in December, that cuts off federal funding for thousands of state and local governments, hospitals, health plans, clinics and other entities if they do not accommodate doctors, nurses, pharmacists or other employees who refuse to participate in care they feel violates their personal, moral or religious beliefs.
The rule was sought by conservative groups that argued that workers were increasingly being fired, disciplined or penalized in other ways for trying to exercise their "right of conscience."
Women's health advocates, family-planning proponents, abortion rights activists and others condemned the regulation, saying it created a major obstacle to providing many health services, including family planning and infertility treatment, and possibly a wide range of scientific research. After reviewing the regulation, newly appointed officials at the Health and Human Services Department agreed.
The announcement -- which follows an administration decision to lift restrictions on federal funding of international family-planning groups that perform abortions or provide abortion information -- was also disappointing to some who have been working more closely with the administration on reducing the number of abortions.
Administration officials stressed that the president remains committed to protecting the rights of health-care workers who do not want to participate in abortions; such rights have been guaranteed for decades by several federal laws.
[Also,] Administration officials stressed that the proposal will be subject to 30 days of public comment, which could result in a compromise. They said they remain committed to seeking a middle ground but acknowledged that will not always be possible.
To read the entire article (above), CLICK HERE.
From "Physicians: Obama plan will 'shut down hospitals'" By Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 2/28/09
According to the Los Angeles Times, Obama's move to demand doctors participate in the abortion industry came [Friday]. The report said the move was being made "quietly" even as most of Washington was focusing on the president's budget plan.
"Thousands of conscientious and compassionate physicians, nurses, hospitals and clinics currently serve poor women and those who live in medically underserved areas," said David Stevens, CEO of the Christian Medical Association today.
"Many of these professionals and institutions are motivated and guided by longstanding Hippocratic ethics and biblical principles that preclude participation in abortion and other controversial procedures. Infringing on their right to practice medicine according to these life-affirming ethical standards will force them to leave the profession and to shut down the hospitals and clinics," he warned.
"The Obama administration claims, without offering a shred of statistical evidence, that the regulation has 'created confusion' and will somehow hinder access to healthcare. What can be clearer than not using federal funds to force healthcare professionals to violate longstanding principles of medical ethics like the Hippocratic Oath, which guided medicine for over two millennia?
He said that four in 10 of the organization's members "report being pressured to violate ethical standards. Physicians report losing positions and promotions because of their life-affirming views. Residents report losing training privileges because they refuse to do abortions. Medical students report changing career tracks away from obstetrics for fear of pressure to do abortions."
Stevens said Obama's attack on doctors reveals "the myth of their moderation on abortion."
To read the entire article (above), CLICK HERE.
Saturday, February 28, 2009
United Nations = Enemy of the Family
Sen. Barbara Boxer is pushing the Obama administration to move forward with ratification of the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child. However, this is only the "tip of the iceberg" . . . keep reading, and discern the combined effect of the U.N. and the new White House agenda.
-- From "Boxer Seeks to Ratify U.N. Treaty That May Erode U.S. Rights" by Joseph Abrams, FOXNews.com 2/25/09
Sen. Barbara Boxer is urging the U.S. [a.k.a. the Obama administration] to ratify a United Nations measure meant to expand the rights of children, a move critics are calling a gross assault on parental rights that could rob the U.S. of sovereignty.
The California Democrat is pushing the Obama administration to review the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, a nearly 20-year-old international agreement that has been foundering on American shores since it was signed by the Clinton administration in 1995 but never ratified.
Critics say the treaty, which creates "the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion" and outlaws the "arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy," intrudes on the family and strips parents of the power to raise their children without government interference.
Because of the Supremacy Clause in Article VI of the Constitution, all treaties are rendered "the supreme law of the land," superseding preexisting state and federal statutes. Any rights or laws established by the U.N. convention could then be argued to hold sway in the United States.
Nearly every country in the world is party to it -- only the U.S. and Somalia are not -- but the convention has gained little support in the U.S. and never been sent to the Senate for ratification.
The U.S. is already party to two optional pieces of the treaty regarding child soldiers and child prostitution and pornography, but has refused to sign on to the full agreement . . .
That could change soon.
During the Oct. 22, 2008, presidential youth debate, Obama promised to "review this and other treaties to ensure the United States resumes its global leadership in human rights."
During U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice's January confirmation hearing, Rice called the convention "a very important treaty and a noble cause," and said it was "a shame" for the U.S. to be in company with Somalia, which has no real government.
Rice told Boxer that "there can be no doubt that [President Obama] and Secretary Clinton and I share a commitment to the objectives of this treaty and will take it up as an early question," promising to review the treaty "to ensure that the United States is playing and resumes its global leadership role in human rights."
To read the entire article (above), CLICK HERE.
From "Sen. Boxer tries to hurry children's 'rights' treaty" © 2009 WorldNetDaily 2/26/09
. . . Michael Farris, president of ParentalRights.org and chancellor of Patrick Henry College, said the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child would mean every decision a parent makes can be reviewed by the government to determine whether it is in the child's best interest.
"The left wants to make the Obama-Clinton era permanent. Treaties are a way to make it as permanent as stuff gets. It is very difficult to extract yourself from a treaty once you begin it. If they can put all of their left-wing socialist policies into treaty form, we're stuck with it even if they lose the next election," he warned.
The international treaty creates specific civil, social, cultural and even economic rights for every child and states that "the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration." While the treaty states parents or legal guardians "have primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of the child," Farris said government will ultimately determine whether parents' decisions are in their children's best interest.
According to the Parental Rights website, the CRC dictates the following:
* Teaching children about Christianity in schools has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.
* Allowing parents to opt their children out of sex education has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.
* Children would have the right to reproductive health information and services, including abortions, without parental knowledge or consent.
* Parents would no longer be able to administer reasonable spankings to their children.
* Children would have the ability to choose their own religion while parents would only have the authority to give their children advice about religion.
* The best interest of the child principle would give the government the ability to override every decision made by every parent if a government worker disagreed with the parent's decision.
* A child's "right to be heard" would allow him (or her) to seek governmental review of every parental decision with which the child disagreed.
At a Walden University presidential debate last October, Obama indicated he may take action.
"It's embarrassing to find ourselves in the company of Somalia, a lawless land," Obama said. "I will review this and other treaties to ensure the United States resumes its global leadership in human rights."
To read the entire article (above), CLICK HERE.
From "United Nations Population Fund Leader Says Family Breakdown is a Triumph for Human Rights" by Matthew Cullinan Hoffman, LifeSiteNews.com 2/3/09
A leader in the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has declared that the breakdown of traditional families, far from being a “crisis,” is actually a triumph for human rights.
Speaking at a colloquium held last month at Colegio Mexico in Mexico City, UNFPA representative Arie Hoekman denounced the idea that high rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births represent a social crisis, claiming that they represent instead the triumph of “human rights” against “patriarchy.”
"In the eyes of conservative forces, these changes mean that the family is in crisis," he said. "In crisis? More than a crisis, we are in the presence of a weakening of the patriarchal structure, as a result of the disappearance of the economic base that sustains it and because of the rise of new values centered in the recognition of fundamental human rights."
"Day after day, Mexico experiences a process of this diversity and there are those who understand it as a crisis, because they only recognize one type of family," one of the speakers on the panel also told the audience.
To read the entire article (above), CLICK HERE.
From "Conservatives Expect U.N. Battle Over Homosexuality as a ‘Human Right’ to Begin in '09" by Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor CNSNews.com 12/24/08
France fired the opening salvo [in mid-December 2008] in a battle at the United Nations over making homosexuality a “human right.”
The European nation tried but failed to get the U.N. to approve a non-binding resolution decriminalizing homosexuality worldwide. The United States refused to sign onto the measure, the only Western power to do so.
Note that this was the U.S. position BEFORE Barack Obama was inaugurated; note the Obama Administration policy now.
France, which heads the European Union (EU) until the end of the year [2008], garnered support from only 66 of the U.N.'s 192 member countries. But all of the EU countries voted for the resolution.
Conservative U.N. analyst Thomas Jacobson said he expects France will try again soon.
“I would fully expect that France and the European Union will push for ‘LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender) rights’ and ‘gender-identity rights’ and collaborate heavily with the Obama administration, beginning in the first quarter of 2009,” Jacobson, who works for the conservative Focus on the Family, told CNSNews.com
He said France was “greatly emboldened” by the U.S. election of Barack Obama as president. adding, "They know they are going to have a partner to work with at the U.N.”.
Obama, Jacobson said, has been very clear in his support of the homosexual activist agenda . . .
“As soon as the Obama administration has all of its people in place, this will be one of their primary initiatives. You can bet that they have taken great note of what France was doing,” Jacobson added.
Jacobson said that, ironically, the French and British – and other industrialized European nations – are busy promoting a new form of “imperialism” – a cultural imperialism to force a radical pro-abortion, pro-homosexual agenda on the world.
“This is a form of imperialism that is coming out of a very liberal mindset in Europe – and increasingly in the U.S -- to force smaller, less powerful countries to conform to their will in their internal policies in matters of sexuality," he said.
To read the entire article (above), CLICK HERE.
-- From "Boxer Seeks to Ratify U.N. Treaty That May Erode U.S. Rights" by Joseph Abrams, FOXNews.com 2/25/09
Sen. Barbara Boxer is urging the U.S. [a.k.a. the Obama administration] to ratify a United Nations measure meant to expand the rights of children, a move critics are calling a gross assault on parental rights that could rob the U.S. of sovereignty.
The California Democrat is pushing the Obama administration to review the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child, a nearly 20-year-old international agreement that has been foundering on American shores since it was signed by the Clinton administration in 1995 but never ratified.
Critics say the treaty, which creates "the right of the child to freedom of thought, conscience and religion" and outlaws the "arbitrary or unlawful interference with his or her privacy," intrudes on the family and strips parents of the power to raise their children without government interference.
Because of the Supremacy Clause in Article VI of the Constitution, all treaties are rendered "the supreme law of the land," superseding preexisting state and federal statutes. Any rights or laws established by the U.N. convention could then be argued to hold sway in the United States.
Nearly every country in the world is party to it -- only the U.S. and Somalia are not -- but the convention has gained little support in the U.S. and never been sent to the Senate for ratification.
The U.S. is already party to two optional pieces of the treaty regarding child soldiers and child prostitution and pornography, but has refused to sign on to the full agreement . . .
That could change soon.
During the Oct. 22, 2008, presidential youth debate, Obama promised to "review this and other treaties to ensure the United States resumes its global leadership in human rights."
During U.N. Ambassador Susan Rice's January confirmation hearing, Rice called the convention "a very important treaty and a noble cause," and said it was "a shame" for the U.S. to be in company with Somalia, which has no real government.
Rice told Boxer that "there can be no doubt that [President Obama] and Secretary Clinton and I share a commitment to the objectives of this treaty and will take it up as an early question," promising to review the treaty "to ensure that the United States is playing and resumes its global leadership role in human rights."
To read the entire article (above), CLICK HERE.
From "Sen. Boxer tries to hurry children's 'rights' treaty" © 2009 WorldNetDaily 2/26/09
. . . Michael Farris, president of ParentalRights.org and chancellor of Patrick Henry College, said the U.N. Convention on the Rights of the Child would mean every decision a parent makes can be reviewed by the government to determine whether it is in the child's best interest.
"The left wants to make the Obama-Clinton era permanent. Treaties are a way to make it as permanent as stuff gets. It is very difficult to extract yourself from a treaty once you begin it. If they can put all of their left-wing socialist policies into treaty form, we're stuck with it even if they lose the next election," he warned.
The international treaty creates specific civil, social, cultural and even economic rights for every child and states that "the best interests of the child shall be a primary consideration." While the treaty states parents or legal guardians "have primary responsibility for the upbringing and development of the child," Farris said government will ultimately determine whether parents' decisions are in their children's best interest.
According to the Parental Rights website, the CRC dictates the following:
* Teaching children about Christianity in schools has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.
* Allowing parents to opt their children out of sex education has been held to be out of compliance with the CRC.
* Children would have the right to reproductive health information and services, including abortions, without parental knowledge or consent.
* Parents would no longer be able to administer reasonable spankings to their children.
* Children would have the ability to choose their own religion while parents would only have the authority to give their children advice about religion.
* The best interest of the child principle would give the government the ability to override every decision made by every parent if a government worker disagreed with the parent's decision.
* A child's "right to be heard" would allow him (or her) to seek governmental review of every parental decision with which the child disagreed.
At a Walden University presidential debate last October, Obama indicated he may take action.
"It's embarrassing to find ourselves in the company of Somalia, a lawless land," Obama said. "I will review this and other treaties to ensure the United States resumes its global leadership in human rights."
To read the entire article (above), CLICK HERE.
From "United Nations Population Fund Leader Says Family Breakdown is a Triumph for Human Rights" by Matthew Cullinan Hoffman, LifeSiteNews.com 2/3/09
A leader in the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) has declared that the breakdown of traditional families, far from being a “crisis,” is actually a triumph for human rights.
Speaking at a colloquium held last month at Colegio Mexico in Mexico City, UNFPA representative Arie Hoekman denounced the idea that high rates of divorce and out-of-wedlock births represent a social crisis, claiming that they represent instead the triumph of “human rights” against “patriarchy.”
"In the eyes of conservative forces, these changes mean that the family is in crisis," he said. "In crisis? More than a crisis, we are in the presence of a weakening of the patriarchal structure, as a result of the disappearance of the economic base that sustains it and because of the rise of new values centered in the recognition of fundamental human rights."
"Day after day, Mexico experiences a process of this diversity and there are those who understand it as a crisis, because they only recognize one type of family," one of the speakers on the panel also told the audience.
To read the entire article (above), CLICK HERE.
From "Conservatives Expect U.N. Battle Over Homosexuality as a ‘Human Right’ to Begin in '09" by Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor CNSNews.com 12/24/08
France fired the opening salvo [in mid-December 2008] in a battle at the United Nations over making homosexuality a “human right.”
The European nation tried but failed to get the U.N. to approve a non-binding resolution decriminalizing homosexuality worldwide. The United States refused to sign onto the measure, the only Western power to do so.
Note that this was the U.S. position BEFORE Barack Obama was inaugurated; note the Obama Administration policy now.
France, which heads the European Union (EU) until the end of the year [2008], garnered support from only 66 of the U.N.'s 192 member countries. But all of the EU countries voted for the resolution.
Conservative U.N. analyst Thomas Jacobson said he expects France will try again soon.
“I would fully expect that France and the European Union will push for ‘LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender) rights’ and ‘gender-identity rights’ and collaborate heavily with the Obama administration, beginning in the first quarter of 2009,” Jacobson, who works for the conservative Focus on the Family, told CNSNews.com
He said France was “greatly emboldened” by the U.S. election of Barack Obama as president. adding, "They know they are going to have a partner to work with at the U.N.”.
Obama, Jacobson said, has been very clear in his support of the homosexual activist agenda . . .
“As soon as the Obama administration has all of its people in place, this will be one of their primary initiatives. You can bet that they have taken great note of what France was doing,” Jacobson added.
Jacobson said that, ironically, the French and British – and other industrialized European nations – are busy promoting a new form of “imperialism” – a cultural imperialism to force a radical pro-abortion, pro-homosexual agenda on the world.
“This is a form of imperialism that is coming out of a very liberal mindset in Europe – and increasingly in the U.S -- to force smaller, less powerful countries to conform to their will in their internal policies in matters of sexuality," he said.
To read the entire article (above), CLICK HERE.
Friday, February 27, 2009
Congress Pushing Money toward Planned Parenthood, Again!
The pro-abortion Guttmacher Institute has issued a heavily-biased report to provide backing to Congress for increasing the flow of tax dollars to abortion providers.
Friends of Planned Parenthood are currently ramming the "Prevention First Act" (HR 463 & S 21) through Congress.
Illinois residents, CLICK HERE to E-mail your congressman
-- From "Report urges boost for US family planning program" by David Crary, Associated Press 2/23/09
Publicly funded family planning prevents nearly 2 million unintended pregnancies and more than 800,000 abortions in the United States each year, saving billions of dollars, according to new research intended to counter conservative objections to expanding the program.
Report co-author Rachel Benson Gold called the family planning program "smart government at its best," asserting that every dollar spent on it saves taxpayers $4 in costs associated with unintended births to mothers eligible for Medicaid-funded natal care.
Despite such arguments, federal funding for family planning is a divisive issue.
Last month, under withering Republican criticism, House Democrats abandoned an attempt to include an expansion of family planning services for the poor in the economic stimulus bill. One anti-abortion activist, Troy Newman of Operation Rescue, called the short-lived proposal a "shameful population control program that targeted low-income families."
However, Democrats in Congress are not abandoning their overall goal. They plan to push soon for a major funding increase for Title X, the main federal family planning program, as part of broader legislation endorsed by President Barack Obama to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.
The Guttmacher report provides ammunition for those who will advocate the funding increase.
The report also endorses pending congressional legislation that would increase funding for Title X family planning. Some advocacy groups hope to more than double the current funding to $700 million a year.
Some conservatives, however, dislike Title X because one of its big recipients is the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a major provider of abortions as well as family planning services. Title X funds cannot be used for abortions, but critics contend the federal money frees up other Planned Parenthood funds for its abortion services.
Other findings:
* More than 9 million women — including nearly 2 million under 20 — received publicly funded contraceptive services in 2006.
* Public expenditures for family planning in 2006 totaled $1.85 billion, with 71 percent of the funds coming from the joint federal-state Medicaid program. Twenty-seven states have expanded eligibility for family planning for low-income women who otherwise wouldn't qualify for Medicaid.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Friends of Planned Parenthood are currently ramming the "Prevention First Act" (HR 463 & S 21) through Congress.
Illinois residents, CLICK HERE to E-mail your congressman
-- From "Report urges boost for US family planning program" by David Crary, Associated Press 2/23/09
Publicly funded family planning prevents nearly 2 million unintended pregnancies and more than 800,000 abortions in the United States each year, saving billions of dollars, according to new research intended to counter conservative objections to expanding the program.
Report co-author Rachel Benson Gold called the family planning program "smart government at its best," asserting that every dollar spent on it saves taxpayers $4 in costs associated with unintended births to mothers eligible for Medicaid-funded natal care.
Despite such arguments, federal funding for family planning is a divisive issue.
Last month, under withering Republican criticism, House Democrats abandoned an attempt to include an expansion of family planning services for the poor in the economic stimulus bill. One anti-abortion activist, Troy Newman of Operation Rescue, called the short-lived proposal a "shameful population control program that targeted low-income families."
However, Democrats in Congress are not abandoning their overall goal. They plan to push soon for a major funding increase for Title X, the main federal family planning program, as part of broader legislation endorsed by President Barack Obama to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies.
The Guttmacher report provides ammunition for those who will advocate the funding increase.
The report also endorses pending congressional legislation that would increase funding for Title X family planning. Some advocacy groups hope to more than double the current funding to $700 million a year.
Some conservatives, however, dislike Title X because one of its big recipients is the Planned Parenthood Federation of America, a major provider of abortions as well as family planning services. Title X funds cannot be used for abortions, but critics contend the federal money frees up other Planned Parenthood funds for its abortion services.
Other findings:
* More than 9 million women — including nearly 2 million under 20 — received publicly funded contraceptive services in 2006.
* Public expenditures for family planning in 2006 totaled $1.85 billion, with 71 percent of the funds coming from the joint federal-state Medicaid program. Twenty-seven states have expanded eligibility for family planning for low-income women who otherwise wouldn't qualify for Medicaid.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Episcopalians Elect Ordained Zen Buddhist as ECUSA Bishop
Northern Michigan's Episcopal congregations and delegates overwhelmingly elected the Rev. Kevin Thew Forrester at their convention on Saturday [2/21/09].
-- From "New Episcopal Bishop Is A Zen Buddhist" Associated Press 2/24/09
The diocesan Web site says Thew Forrester "has practiced Zen meditation for almost a decade," and the Buddhist community welcomed his commitment by granting him "lay ordination."
-- From "Northern Michigan Elects ‘Christian-Buddhist’ Bishop" The Living Church News Service (Anglican) 2/23/09
Fr. Forrester, the only candidate on the slate, was elected on the first ballot, receiving 88 percent of delegate votes and 91 percent of congregational votes, according to a diocesan news release.
The bishop-elect has served the diocese since 2001 as its ministry development coordinator and more recently as rector of St. Paul’s Church, Marquette, and St. John’s, Negaunee.
Assuming sufficient consents are received from a majority of standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction, Fr. Forrester will be consecrated Oct. 17 in Marquette.
-- From "New Episcopal Bishop Is A Zen Buddhist" Associated Press 2/24/09
The diocesan Web site says Thew Forrester "has practiced Zen meditation for almost a decade," and the Buddhist community welcomed his commitment by granting him "lay ordination."
-- From "Northern Michigan Elects ‘Christian-Buddhist’ Bishop" The Living Church News Service (Anglican) 2/23/09
Fr. Forrester, the only candidate on the slate, was elected on the first ballot, receiving 88 percent of delegate votes and 91 percent of congregational votes, according to a diocesan news release.
The bishop-elect has served the diocese since 2001 as its ministry development coordinator and more recently as rector of St. Paul’s Church, Marquette, and St. John’s, Negaunee.
Assuming sufficient consents are received from a majority of standing committees and bishops with jurisdiction, Fr. Forrester will be consecrated Oct. 17 in Marquette.
Intelligent Design Documentaries Now on YouTube
View these thought-provoking documentaries from Illustra Media, free of charge: Unlocking the Mystery of Life, The Privileged Planet, or The Case for a Creator.
Science often insists that life and the universe are nothing more than cosmic accidents or the products of time, chance, and Darwinian evolution. But, where does the evidence really lead? Now you can explore compelling evidence for design and purpose in the universe with these three internationally-acclaimed DVDS from Illustra Media.
Watch the introductory video below:
Science often insists that life and the universe are nothing more than cosmic accidents or the products of time, chance, and Darwinian evolution. But, where does the evidence really lead? Now you can explore compelling evidence for design and purpose in the universe with these three internationally-acclaimed DVDS from Illustra Media.
Watch the introductory video below:
Thursday, February 26, 2009
Montana Senate Approves Pro-Life Personhood Amendment
Montana became the first state on Thursday to pass a Personhood Amendment – which establishes legal rights for humans from the moment of conception – in the state Senate.
-- From "Montana Senate Approves Pro-Life Personhood Amendment" by Melanie Hunter-Omar, CNSNews.com 2/26/09
SB 406 states: “All persons are born free and have certain alienable rights … person means a human being at all stages of human development of life, including the state of fertilization or conception, regardless of age, health, level of functioning, or condition of dependency.”
Five states have introduced bills affirming personhood rights – including Maryland, North Dakota, Montana, South Carolina, and Alabama. Oregon has started a personhood amendment petition drive, and Mississippi is expected to launch its personhood amendment petition drive in a few weeks.
The amendment now goes to the Montana House of Representatives with a majority vote of 74. Once it passes, it will immediately become part of the state constitution.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Montana Senate Approves Pro-Life Personhood Amendment" by Melanie Hunter-Omar, CNSNews.com 2/26/09
SB 406 states: “All persons are born free and have certain alienable rights … person means a human being at all stages of human development of life, including the state of fertilization or conception, regardless of age, health, level of functioning, or condition of dependency.”
Five states have introduced bills affirming personhood rights – including Maryland, North Dakota, Montana, South Carolina, and Alabama. Oregon has started a personhood amendment petition drive, and Mississippi is expected to launch its personhood amendment petition drive in a few weeks.
The amendment now goes to the Montana House of Representatives with a majority vote of 74. Once it passes, it will immediately become part of the state constitution.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Supremes Say Cities Needn't Bow to all 'Gods'
The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that a small religious group cannot force a city in Utah to place a granite marker in a local park that already is home to a Ten Commandments display.
-- From "Court rules for Utah city in religious marker case" by Mark Sherman, Associated Press 2/25/09
In a case involving the Salt Lake City-based Summum, the court said that governments can decide what to display in a public park without running afoul of the First Amendment.
Pleasant Grove City, Utah, rejected the group's marker, prompting a federal lawsuit that argued that a city can't allow some private donations of displays in its public park and reject others. The federal appeals court in Denver agreed.
In his opinion for the court, Justice Samuel Alito distinguished the Summum's case from efforts to prevent groups from speaking in public parks, which ordinarily would violate the First Amendment's free speech guarantee.
Alito said "the display of a permanent monument in a public park" requires a different analysis.
Because monuments in public parks help define a city's identity, "cities and other jurisdictions take some care in accepting donated monuments," he said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Court rules for Utah city in religious marker case" by Mark Sherman, Associated Press 2/25/09
In a case involving the Salt Lake City-based Summum, the court said that governments can decide what to display in a public park without running afoul of the First Amendment.
Pleasant Grove City, Utah, rejected the group's marker, prompting a federal lawsuit that argued that a city can't allow some private donations of displays in its public park and reject others. The federal appeals court in Denver agreed.
In his opinion for the court, Justice Samuel Alito distinguished the Summum's case from efforts to prevent groups from speaking in public parks, which ordinarily would violate the First Amendment's free speech guarantee.
Alito said "the display of a permanent monument in a public park" requires a different analysis.
Because monuments in public parks help define a city's identity, "cities and other jurisdictions take some care in accepting donated monuments," he said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Homosexual Internet Advocacy Mainstreams Gay Agenda
Although pro-homosexual advocates comprise a tiny percentage of the American population, they exploit Internet capabilities to organize their grassroots. The result is that the Gay Agenda is now a cornerstone of the Obama White House.
Take note that this article is from the Washington Post; as more newspapers go bankrupt, the mainstream media is fearing the age of the Internet.
-- From "Gay Bloggers' Voices Rise in Chorus of Growing Political Influence" by Jose Antonio Vargas, Washington Post Staff Writer 2/24/09
In the past, someone like [Blogger Pam] Spaulding would have been relegated to the sidelines. She doesn't work for national gay rights organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign or the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. She lives with her partner, Kate, an audiologist, in Durham, far from San Francisco, New York or Washington, where gay activism has been historically based. But now she's helping shape the agenda, one voice in a chorus of sometimes dissonant, sometimes harmonious, often in-your-face voices that is pushing established gay groups and redefining the meaning of grass-roots action in this new media age.
Take the immediate reaction to Proposition 8, the California initiative that banned same-sex marriage: Gay bloggers and online activists scheduled rallies across the country, from Providence, R.I., to Albuquerque. Opponents of Prop. 8 gathered on a Web site called Join the Impact, founded three days after Californians passed the initiative by a vote of 52 percent to 48. Facebook groups were created. "Californians Ready to Repeal Prop. 8" has 256,000 members and "Repeal the CA Ban on Marriage Equality -- 2010" has 277,000.
"What happened after Proposition 8 caught the national gay groups completely off guard. I think it surprised them. I think it really showed them that when it comes to harnessing grass-roots energy, they need to get online," says Kevin Naff, editor of the Washington Blade, a gay newspaper. "What happened online came together overnight for little or no money, and the protests were covered by the mainstream press. If national groups wanted to coordinate the kind of mass protests we saw, they would spend $1 million and take six months to do it."
Though Andrew Sullivan, the openly gay Washington media veteran, has been blogging since 2000, for many, the gay political presence online began nearly five years ago. That's when blogger Mike Rogers, a longtime activist, began outing gay staffers on Capitol Hill who worked for Republicans supporting what he called "anti-gay" policies. It was controversial, it was provocative, it got everyone's attention. But the gay political blogosphere wasn't just about outing. From the outset, it highlighted issues that bloggers felt were misunderstood, back-burnered or not fully covered by the mainstream media.
For instance, when it was announced that the Rev. Rick Warren, whose megachurch in Orange County, Calif., endorsed Prop. 8, would deliver the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration, gay bloggers pounced. "The press made it seem like it was just a Warren versus gays story. It wasn't. It was a Warren versus gays and a Warren versus choice story. His stance on choice got less attention," Spaulding says. On inauguration weekend, when the opening prayer by Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay priest to be ordained as a bishop in a major Christian church, was excluded from the live HBO broadcast of the concert at Lincoln Memorial, bloggers pounced again. HBO ended up re-airing the broadcast with Robinson, and pressure from the gay blogosphere was one of the reasons why.
On the Internet, no group -- however controversial or on the fringe -- is invisible.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Take note that this article is from the Washington Post; as more newspapers go bankrupt, the mainstream media is fearing the age of the Internet.
-- From "Gay Bloggers' Voices Rise in Chorus of Growing Political Influence" by Jose Antonio Vargas, Washington Post Staff Writer 2/24/09
In the past, someone like [Blogger Pam] Spaulding would have been relegated to the sidelines. She doesn't work for national gay rights organizations such as the Human Rights Campaign or the Gay & Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation. She lives with her partner, Kate, an audiologist, in Durham, far from San Francisco, New York or Washington, where gay activism has been historically based. But now she's helping shape the agenda, one voice in a chorus of sometimes dissonant, sometimes harmonious, often in-your-face voices that is pushing established gay groups and redefining the meaning of grass-roots action in this new media age.
Take the immediate reaction to Proposition 8, the California initiative that banned same-sex marriage: Gay bloggers and online activists scheduled rallies across the country, from Providence, R.I., to Albuquerque. Opponents of Prop. 8 gathered on a Web site called Join the Impact, founded three days after Californians passed the initiative by a vote of 52 percent to 48. Facebook groups were created. "Californians Ready to Repeal Prop. 8" has 256,000 members and "Repeal the CA Ban on Marriage Equality -- 2010" has 277,000.
"What happened after Proposition 8 caught the national gay groups completely off guard. I think it surprised them. I think it really showed them that when it comes to harnessing grass-roots energy, they need to get online," says Kevin Naff, editor of the Washington Blade, a gay newspaper. "What happened online came together overnight for little or no money, and the protests were covered by the mainstream press. If national groups wanted to coordinate the kind of mass protests we saw, they would spend $1 million and take six months to do it."
Though Andrew Sullivan, the openly gay Washington media veteran, has been blogging since 2000, for many, the gay political presence online began nearly five years ago. That's when blogger Mike Rogers, a longtime activist, began outing gay staffers on Capitol Hill who worked for Republicans supporting what he called "anti-gay" policies. It was controversial, it was provocative, it got everyone's attention. But the gay political blogosphere wasn't just about outing. From the outset, it highlighted issues that bloggers felt were misunderstood, back-burnered or not fully covered by the mainstream media.
For instance, when it was announced that the Rev. Rick Warren, whose megachurch in Orange County, Calif., endorsed Prop. 8, would deliver the invocation at Barack Obama's inauguration, gay bloggers pounced. "The press made it seem like it was just a Warren versus gays story. It wasn't. It was a Warren versus gays and a Warren versus choice story. His stance on choice got less attention," Spaulding says. On inauguration weekend, when the opening prayer by Episcopal Bishop V. Gene Robinson, the first openly gay priest to be ordained as a bishop in a major Christian church, was excluded from the live HBO broadcast of the concert at Lincoln Memorial, bloggers pounced again. HBO ended up re-airing the broadcast with Robinson, and pressure from the gay blogosphere was one of the reasons why.
On the Internet, no group -- however controversial or on the fringe -- is invisible.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
GOP Ostracizes Senator for Truthful Comments about Homosexuality
[Utah Sen. Chris] Buttars has been under fire for a week, after he told a documentary filmmaker that gays pose the greatest internal threat to the country, lack morals, are demanding special rights and engage in disgusting sexual practices.
-- From "Senate Republicans meet and air their frustrations with their colleague" by Robert Gehrke, The Salt Lake Tribune 2/23/09
The fallout from the anti-gay comments of Sen. Chris Buttars continues as Senate Republicans met behind closed doors for more than two hours Monday to air their concerns and views about the remarks.
Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said on a radio show he hosts Saturday that Buttars was not reprimanded for the content of his comments, but for violating an agreement with Senate leaders not to speak publicly on gay issues because he had become a "lightning rod" on those issues.
[Republican] Senate leaders had hoped to put the issue behind them last week, after Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, stripped Buttars of his chairmanship and membership on two committees -- the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Judicial Confirmation Committee.
Senate Minority Leader Pat Jones, D-Holladay, said her party still has concerns about how the issue was handled and would like to see further action taken. The Democrats have called a news conference for Tuesday morning.
They are expected to call for Buttars to be removed from the Senate Rules Committee, which has immense power in deciding which bills progress through the Senate.
Buttars, who has said he disagreed with the decision to punish him for his comments and refused to apologize, sat through the meeting, in which members of the fractured caucus expressed their concerns.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Senate Republicans meet and air their frustrations with their colleague" by Robert Gehrke, The Salt Lake Tribune 2/23/09
The fallout from the anti-gay comments of Sen. Chris Buttars continues as Senate Republicans met behind closed doors for more than two hours Monday to air their concerns and views about the remarks.
Sen. Howard Stephenson, R-Draper, said on a radio show he hosts Saturday that Buttars was not reprimanded for the content of his comments, but for violating an agreement with Senate leaders not to speak publicly on gay issues because he had become a "lightning rod" on those issues.
[Republican] Senate leaders had hoped to put the issue behind them last week, after Senate President Michael Waddoups, R-Taylorsville, stripped Buttars of his chairmanship and membership on two committees -- the Senate Judiciary Committee and the Judicial Confirmation Committee.
Senate Minority Leader Pat Jones, D-Holladay, said her party still has concerns about how the issue was handled and would like to see further action taken. The Democrats have called a news conference for Tuesday morning.
They are expected to call for Buttars to be removed from the Senate Rules Committee, which has immense power in deciding which bills progress through the Senate.
Buttars, who has said he disagreed with the decision to punish him for his comments and refused to apologize, sat through the meeting, in which members of the fractured caucus expressed their concerns.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Hawaii Considers Same-sex Legislation
Hawaii, the state that adopted the nation's first "defense of marriage" constitutional amendment a decade ago, has now become the latest battleground in the fight for same-sex civil unions.
-- From "Hawaii is latest civil unions battleground" by Mark Niesse, Associated Press 2/22/09
It would become the fifth state to legalize the alternative to gay marriage if the Democrat-dominated Legislature and Republican governor approve a civil union law. The measure was passed by the state House this month but it now faces the Senate, where a divided committee is to vote Tuesday.
Republican Gov. Linda Lingle has declined to comment on the issue and it's unclear whether she would veto the bill.
. . . the House Judiciary Committee passed the measure by a 12-0 vote, and the full House approved it 33-17, one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a potential veto.
In 1998, nearly 70 percent of Hawaii voters approved a constitutional amendment granting the state Legislature the power to reserve marriage for opposite-sex couples. The "defense of marriage" amendment, now in more than half of state constitutions, resulted in a law banning gay marriage in Hawaii but left the door open for civil unions.
Only Massachusetts and Connecticut allow gay marriage, while Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey and New Hampshire allow civil unions. Californians voted in November to overturn a court ruling that allowed gay marriage, but the state still offers domestic partnerships that guarantee the same rights as marriage.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Hawaii is latest civil unions battleground" by Mark Niesse, Associated Press 2/22/09
It would become the fifth state to legalize the alternative to gay marriage if the Democrat-dominated Legislature and Republican governor approve a civil union law. The measure was passed by the state House this month but it now faces the Senate, where a divided committee is to vote Tuesday.
Republican Gov. Linda Lingle has declined to comment on the issue and it's unclear whether she would veto the bill.
. . . the House Judiciary Committee passed the measure by a 12-0 vote, and the full House approved it 33-17, one vote short of the two-thirds majority needed to override a potential veto.
In 1998, nearly 70 percent of Hawaii voters approved a constitutional amendment granting the state Legislature the power to reserve marriage for opposite-sex couples. The "defense of marriage" amendment, now in more than half of state constitutions, resulted in a law banning gay marriage in Hawaii but left the door open for civil unions.
Only Massachusetts and Connecticut allow gay marriage, while Vermont, Connecticut, New Jersey and New Hampshire allow civil unions. Californians voted in November to overturn a court ruling that allowed gay marriage, but the state still offers domestic partnerships that guarantee the same rights as marriage.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Monday, February 23, 2009
Government Tells Parents: Don't Teach Morals
Linda Blair, a clinical psychologist, said educating older children and teenagers about sex had to be a process of negotiation. “We do not know what is right and wrong; right and wrong is relative . . .” she said.
-- From "Parents told: avoid morality in sex lessons" by Jack Grimston, The Sunday Times [London] 2/22/09
Parents should avoid trying to convince their teenage children of the difference between right and wrong when talking to them about sex, a new [U.K.] government leaflet is to advise.
Instead, any discussion of values should be kept “light” to encourage teenagers to form their own views, according to the brochure, which one critic has called “amoral”.
Talking to Your Teenager About Sex and Relationships will be distributed in pharmacies from next month as part of an initiative led by Beverley Hughes, the children’s minister.
It advises: “Discussing your values with your teenagers will help them to form their own. Remember, though, that trying to convince them of what’s right and wrong may discourage them from being open.”
The leaflet provides technical information on different forms of contraception, from condoms to implants, and will reignite the row over the government’s “value-free” approach to sex education.
Simon Calvert, deputy director of the Christian Institute, attacked the leaflet, saying: “The idea that the government is telling families not to pass on their values is outrageous.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Parents told: avoid morality in sex lessons" by Jack Grimston, The Sunday Times [London] 2/22/09
Parents should avoid trying to convince their teenage children of the difference between right and wrong when talking to them about sex, a new [U.K.] government leaflet is to advise.
Instead, any discussion of values should be kept “light” to encourage teenagers to form their own views, according to the brochure, which one critic has called “amoral”.
Talking to Your Teenager About Sex and Relationships will be distributed in pharmacies from next month as part of an initiative led by Beverley Hughes, the children’s minister.
It advises: “Discussing your values with your teenagers will help them to form their own. Remember, though, that trying to convince them of what’s right and wrong may discourage them from being open.”
The leaflet provides technical information on different forms of contraception, from condoms to implants, and will reignite the row over the government’s “value-free” approach to sex education.
Simon Calvert, deputy director of the Christian Institute, attacked the leaflet, saying: “The idea that the government is telling families not to pass on their values is outrageous.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Virginia Legislature Again Rejects Freedom to Pray
State Senate defeats bill to restore the right of state police chaplains to pray in the name of the Deity of their religion.
-- From "Delegate’s bid to end police chaplains’ prayer rules defeated" by Mason Adams, The Roanoke Times 2/23/09
A state Senate panel voted this morning to kill a bill that would have prohibited Virginia State Police officials from restricting prayers by volunteer chaplains.
Del. Bill Carrico, R-Grayson County – a retired state trooper – introduced House Bill 2314 in response to a controversy last year when Virginia State Police Superintendent Steve Flaherty issued a directive instructing the department’s chaplains not to pray in the name of Jesus at department-sanctioned events.
Six troopers subsequently resigned from the chaplaincy program because of the directive, issued in response to a 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruling in a case involving prayer at Fredericksburg City Council meetings.
-- From "Virginia Considers Law to Allow Police Chaplains to Say 'Jesus' While Praying" by Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor CNSNews.com 2/23/09
Can a court really dictate what a minister or chaplain can pray?
“That’s the $64,000 question,” [said Chris Freund, vice president of policy and communications at The Family Foundation of Virginia.] “In our opinion, no, and I think according to the Supreme Court and most of the circuit courts of the United States, the answer is clearly no.”
Freund, meanwhile, said police chaplains are no more “speaking on behalf of the government” than chaplains who open legislative bodies or other meetings in prayer.
“There is a 1983 decision, the Marsh decision, in which there was a Nebraska chaplain who prayed, and a member of the Legislature sued, saying he didn’t like the way the chaplain was praying – “in the name of Jesus” – and that lawmaker lost,” Freund said.
“In the decision, the Supreme Court said that prayer has been part of our history in legislative bodies since the beginning – since the First Continental Congress – and it is absolutely protected speech, and it doesn’t have to be ‘non-sectarian’ or ‘non-denominational’ in that setting. You can pray any way you want to.
“What we have is a bunch of people who are trying to argue that that case doesn’t apply anymore,” Freund said. “But we disagree with that position.”
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Delegate’s bid to end police chaplains’ prayer rules defeated" by Mason Adams, The Roanoke Times 2/23/09
A state Senate panel voted this morning to kill a bill that would have prohibited Virginia State Police officials from restricting prayers by volunteer chaplains.
Del. Bill Carrico, R-Grayson County – a retired state trooper – introduced House Bill 2314 in response to a controversy last year when Virginia State Police Superintendent Steve Flaherty issued a directive instructing the department’s chaplains not to pray in the name of Jesus at department-sanctioned events.
Six troopers subsequently resigned from the chaplaincy program because of the directive, issued in response to a 4th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals ruling in a case involving prayer at Fredericksburg City Council meetings.
-- From "Virginia Considers Law to Allow Police Chaplains to Say 'Jesus' While Praying" by Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor CNSNews.com 2/23/09
Can a court really dictate what a minister or chaplain can pray?
“That’s the $64,000 question,” [said Chris Freund, vice president of policy and communications at The Family Foundation of Virginia.] “In our opinion, no, and I think according to the Supreme Court and most of the circuit courts of the United States, the answer is clearly no.”
Freund, meanwhile, said police chaplains are no more “speaking on behalf of the government” than chaplains who open legislative bodies or other meetings in prayer.
“There is a 1983 decision, the Marsh decision, in which there was a Nebraska chaplain who prayed, and a member of the Legislature sued, saying he didn’t like the way the chaplain was praying – “in the name of Jesus” – and that lawmaker lost,” Freund said.
“In the decision, the Supreme Court said that prayer has been part of our history in legislative bodies since the beginning – since the First Continental Congress – and it is absolutely protected speech, and it doesn’t have to be ‘non-sectarian’ or ‘non-denominational’ in that setting. You can pray any way you want to.
“What we have is a bunch of people who are trying to argue that that case doesn’t apply anymore,” Freund said. “But we disagree with that position.”
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, February 22, 2009
Methodists Team Up with Atheists for Bible Study
As if it's not unusual enough that Trinity United Methodist Church and the Minnesota Atheists have joined forces to promote a project, wait till you hear what the project is: a Bible study class.
-- From "Secular Bible Study casts wide net" by Jeff Strickler, [Minneapolis/St. Paul] Star Tribune 2/20/09
Granted, it's not your normal one. At least, that's the hope. Called Secular Bible Study, the program aims to "foster and nurture relationships between folks who would otherwise avoid each other," said Chester O'Gorman, community outreach director for the northeast Minneapolis church. "Secular Bible Study hopes to attract a variety of people -- Buddhists, atheists, agnostics, Christians and even Jews and Muslims."
The weekly class will focus on the Bible's historical and cultural context. Organizers have drawn up a set of ground rules designed to keep participants from proselytizing, but that doesn't mean that they want to discourage disagreement. Just the opposite.
"We've discerned that people have lost or lack the skills to engage in constructive and respectful dialogue in the context of profound disagreement," O'Gorman said. "An emphasis will be placed on dialogue among the group of small groups."
To read this entire article, CLICK HERE.
You just can't make this stuff up, can you?!
-- From "Secular Bible Study casts wide net" by Jeff Strickler, [Minneapolis/St. Paul] Star Tribune 2/20/09
Granted, it's not your normal one. At least, that's the hope. Called Secular Bible Study, the program aims to "foster and nurture relationships between folks who would otherwise avoid each other," said Chester O'Gorman, community outreach director for the northeast Minneapolis church. "Secular Bible Study hopes to attract a variety of people -- Buddhists, atheists, agnostics, Christians and even Jews and Muslims."
The weekly class will focus on the Bible's historical and cultural context. Organizers have drawn up a set of ground rules designed to keep participants from proselytizing, but that doesn't mean that they want to discourage disagreement. Just the opposite.
"We've discerned that people have lost or lack the skills to engage in constructive and respectful dialogue in the context of profound disagreement," O'Gorman said. "An emphasis will be placed on dialogue among the group of small groups."
To read this entire article, CLICK HERE.
You just can't make this stuff up, can you?!
Presbyterians (PCUSA) Continue Voting on Homosexual Clergy
173 regional bodies of the Presbyterian Church USA will decide by 2010 whether to begin allowing homosexual clergy.
Alabama splits the vote.
-- From "Homosexuals Could Head Presbyterian Congregations" Reported by: Rick Jackson, Birmingham CBS42-TV 2/20/09
The controversial stance of keeping homosexuals from joining the Presbyterian clergy has just been dropped. A group representing the majority of Presbyterians in Alabama has cast a vote that could call for a big division within the denomination.
Thursday's vote to change the fidelity and chastity clause has broken the barring for homosexuals in the Presbyterian clergy. The North-Central Alabama body of the denomination favored to drop the language set over a decade ago.
-- From "Presbyterian group votes no on gays' ordination" by Kay Campbell, Huntsville Times Faith & Values Editor 2/22/09
Representatives of North Alabama Presbyterians voted about 3 to 2 against church constitutional changes that would have removed one barrier to the ordination of ministers who are gay.
The local vote was 48 against and 34 for. That brings the vote of the 173 presbyteries nationwide to at least 40 to 23 against changing the wording in the church's Book of Order.
Despite gradual movement in the denomination nationally toward endorsing the change, with at least seven presbyteries who opposed it in the past changing their vote this year, the Rev. Warner Durnell, North Alabama's executive presbyter, said he heard no new arguments on either side of the issue Saturday and that the vote total seemed close to past outcomes.
Alabama splits the vote.
-- From "Homosexuals Could Head Presbyterian Congregations" Reported by: Rick Jackson, Birmingham CBS42-TV 2/20/09
The controversial stance of keeping homosexuals from joining the Presbyterian clergy has just been dropped. A group representing the majority of Presbyterians in Alabama has cast a vote that could call for a big division within the denomination.
Thursday's vote to change the fidelity and chastity clause has broken the barring for homosexuals in the Presbyterian clergy. The North-Central Alabama body of the denomination favored to drop the language set over a decade ago.
-- From "Presbyterian group votes no on gays' ordination" by Kay Campbell, Huntsville Times Faith & Values Editor 2/22/09
Representatives of North Alabama Presbyterians voted about 3 to 2 against church constitutional changes that would have removed one barrier to the ordination of ministers who are gay.
The local vote was 48 against and 34 for. That brings the vote of the 173 presbyteries nationwide to at least 40 to 23 against changing the wording in the church's Book of Order.
Despite gradual movement in the denomination nationally toward endorsing the change, with at least seven presbyteries who opposed it in the past changing their vote this year, the Rev. Warner Durnell, North Alabama's executive presbyter, said he heard no new arguments on either side of the issue Saturday and that the vote total seemed close to past outcomes.
Saturday, February 21, 2009
Drag Queen Crowned at University Homecoming
Officially, the university is "very comfortable with it. We're fine." The school does not require participants in the Mr. and Ms. Mason pageant to compete along precise gender lines.
-- From "GMU's Choice of Homecoming Queen Sparks Campus Divide" by Annie Gowen, Washington Post Staff Writer 2/20/09
George Mason University senior Ryan Allen is now . . . the school's homecoming queen. He received more votes than the two women who vied for the crown.
Allen, who is gay and performs as a popular drag queen at local clubs, assumed the title of Ms. Mason. He was wearing a green-and-gold bow, sewn for him by the theater department costume's shop, that was visible even from the cheap seats, a sequined top, a black skirt and heels. Ricky Malebranche, a junior from Woodbridge, was named Mr. Mason.
Beyond the joyful tears and tiara, Allen's election exposed conflicting cultural currents at the sprawling campus in Fairfax County. Many see it as an expression of inclusiveness at a place where about one-third of the 30,000 students are minority. But others say it is an embarrassment at an inopportune time when Mason is trying to revamp its image from commuter school to distinguished institution of higher learning.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "GMU's Choice of Homecoming Queen Sparks Campus Divide" by Annie Gowen, Washington Post Staff Writer 2/20/09
George Mason University senior Ryan Allen is now . . . the school's homecoming queen. He received more votes than the two women who vied for the crown.
Allen, who is gay and performs as a popular drag queen at local clubs, assumed the title of Ms. Mason. He was wearing a green-and-gold bow, sewn for him by the theater department costume's shop, that was visible even from the cheap seats, a sequined top, a black skirt and heels. Ricky Malebranche, a junior from Woodbridge, was named Mr. Mason.
Beyond the joyful tears and tiara, Allen's election exposed conflicting cultural currents at the sprawling campus in Fairfax County. Many see it as an expression of inclusiveness at a place where about one-third of the 30,000 students are minority. But others say it is an embarrassment at an inopportune time when Mason is trying to revamp its image from commuter school to distinguished institution of higher learning.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Counselor Suspended for Exposing Teens to Christian Music
A counselor is suing the [California] Orangewood Children's Home for religious discrimination after she was suspended for six weeks without pay because a group of teens she was supervising overheard Christian music at the Huntington Beach Pier, the lawsuit says.
-- From "Children's home counselor alleges religious discrimination" by Jaimee Lynn Fletcher, The Orange County Register 2/20/09
Maureen Loya, 45 [and 20-year counselor], filed suit against the children's home Feb. 13, alleging she was discriminated against because of her religious beliefs.
"The youth of Orangewood are allowed to practice whatever religion they want to practice," [Terry Fisher, Orangewood spokeswoman], said. "It would never be appropriate for any employee to impose their specific religious beliefs on any child in the system."
In June 2006, Loya took four teens to the Anaheim 5K, but after the girls started complaining that the music was too loud, she opted to take them to the Huntington Beach Pier for pizza, she said in the suit.
The annual Surfrider Foundation Celebrity Surf Jam was taking place at the pier with live entertainment, including Incubus and Switchfoot, an alternative band with roots in contemporary Christian music.
The girls spent some time near the pier, played in the ocean and visited various arts and crafts booths at Pier Plaza, some of which were selling Christian items, the suit says.
The teens did not complain or ask to leave at any time, Loya said in the suit.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Friday, February 20, 2009
ELCA Lutherans Consider Blessing Gay Agenda
A task force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recommended Thursday that its leaders make changes to allow gay and lesbians in committed relationships to serve as clergy.
-- From "Lutheran task force recommends changing gay-clergy policy" by Manya Brachear and Margaret Ramirez, Chicago Tribune reporters 2/19/09
If approved, the measures would change current church policy that allows ordination of gay clergy, but requires them to be celibate. In the report, the task force proposed a four-step process that outlines a possible path for change, starting with recognition of same-sex relationships.
"It is only within the last decades that this church has begun to understand in new ways the need of same-gender oriented individuals to seek relationships of lifelong companionship and commitment," the statement said.
The 4.7 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is based in Chicago, is the nation's largest Lutheran denomination. The Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod are separate denominations that accept a literal interpretation of the Bible and do not ordain gays.
The recommendation will be voted on at the Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis in August.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Attention frogs: The water surrounding you in the pot is near boiling; have you noticed?
-- From "Lutheran task force recommends changing gay-clergy policy" by Manya Brachear and Margaret Ramirez, Chicago Tribune reporters 2/19/09
If approved, the measures would change current church policy that allows ordination of gay clergy, but requires them to be celibate. In the report, the task force proposed a four-step process that outlines a possible path for change, starting with recognition of same-sex relationships.
"It is only within the last decades that this church has begun to understand in new ways the need of same-gender oriented individuals to seek relationships of lifelong companionship and commitment," the statement said.
The 4.7 million-member Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, which is based in Chicago, is the nation's largest Lutheran denomination. The Lutheran Church- Missouri Synod and the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod are separate denominations that accept a literal interpretation of the Bible and do not ordain gays.
The recommendation will be voted on at the Churchwide Assembly in Minneapolis in August.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Attention frogs: The water surrounding you in the pot is near boiling; have you noticed?
Thursday, February 19, 2009
Univ. of Georgia Uses Michelangelo to Push Condoms
The historic painting in the Sistine Chapel of the hand of God giving life to Adam has been hijacked by educators, now showing God handing Adam a condom
-- From "Of condoms, the Catholic League, and the University of Georgia" The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 2/18/09
. . . Georgia State University took a great deal of heat this month for possessing academics who claim bookish expertise about such forbidden topics as oral sex and male prostitution.
[Now, this photo] was placed in dorms by the [University of Georgia] health service as part of Sexual Health Awareness Week, which ended last Friday.
The Catholic League, in a complaint filed today with UGA vice president for student affairs, Rodney Bennett, said the university had “hijacked” an icon of Christianity.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
CNN had already aired a morning spot about the GSU controversy and threats from state lawmakers. The piece included mention of a UGA course in “queer theory.”
San Diego Guilty of Sexual Harassment of Non-Gay Firemen
City ordered to pay $34,300 to Firemen forced to attend the "gay pride parade" by Fire Chief Tracy Jarman
-- From "Jury awards $34,300 to firefighters over parade" by Tony Manolatos and Angelica Martinez, Union-Tribune Staff Writers 2/18/09
A jury of eight women and four men deliberated for 2½ days and found that the firefighters, who were ordered to ride a fire engine in the 2007 gay pride parade, were sexually harassed by some participants and spectators.
Jurors awarded a total of $34,300 to John Ghiotto, Jason Hewitt, Alex Kane and Chad Allison.
Allison said this was never about money.
The parade experience left the firefighters with headaches, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome and other stress-related symptoms, they said. They also testified that they were subjected to catcalls and saw barely clothed men simulate sex acts along the route on University Avenue in Hillcrest, which is home to a large gay population.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Jury awards $34,300 to firefighters over parade" by Tony Manolatos and Angelica Martinez, Union-Tribune Staff Writers 2/18/09
A jury of eight women and four men deliberated for 2½ days and found that the firefighters, who were ordered to ride a fire engine in the 2007 gay pride parade, were sexually harassed by some participants and spectators.
Jurors awarded a total of $34,300 to John Ghiotto, Jason Hewitt, Alex Kane and Chad Allison.
Allison said this was never about money.
The parade experience left the firefighters with headaches, anxiety, irritable bowel syndrome and other stress-related symptoms, they said. They also testified that they were subjected to catcalls and saw barely clothed men simulate sex acts along the route on University Avenue in Hillcrest, which is home to a large gay population.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, February 18, 2009
North Dakota on Path to Challenge Roe v. Wade
A fertilized human egg has the same rights as a human being under a bill passed by House lawmakers on Tuesday, potentially setting the legal framework for a ban on abortion in North Dakota.
-- From "House OKs anti-abortion legislation" by Brian Duggan, Bismarck Tribune 2/18/09
Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot, sponsored the anti-abortion legislation, which passed 51-41, arguing that life begins at the moment of conception. The bill now moves on to the Senate for consideration.
Daniel Woodward of the North Dakota Life League, said if the bill ultimately becomes law it would make it easier to challenge the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade.
The bill also says the Legislature will appoint one of its members to defend the law if it faces any legal challenge.
-- From "‘Personhood’ Bill Advances in North Dakota" by Susan Jones, Senior Editor CNSNews.com 2/18/09
On Tuesday, the North Dakota House of Representatives passed a bill conferring equality and inherent constitutional rights on "all human beings from the beginning of their biological development, including the pre-born, partially born…"
The Personhood of Children Act passed on a 51-41 vote. It is considered a first step toward banning abortion in the state -- a direct challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Dan Ruby (R-Minot), said the legislation does not automatically ban abortion. "This language is not as aggressive as the direct ban legislation that I've proposed in the past," Ruby said during House floor debate on Tuesday. "This is very simply defining when life begins, and giving that life some protections under our Constitution — the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
The North Dakota Senate vote is expected to vote on the bill in the next two to three weeks.
Fifteen other states also are pursuing personhood legislation . . .
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "House OKs anti-abortion legislation" by Brian Duggan, Bismarck Tribune 2/18/09
Rep. Dan Ruby, R-Minot, sponsored the anti-abortion legislation, which passed 51-41, arguing that life begins at the moment of conception. The bill now moves on to the Senate for consideration.
Daniel Woodward of the North Dakota Life League, said if the bill ultimately becomes law it would make it easier to challenge the U.S. Supreme Court decision, Roe v. Wade.
The bill also says the Legislature will appoint one of its members to defend the law if it faces any legal challenge.
-- From "‘Personhood’ Bill Advances in North Dakota" by Susan Jones, Senior Editor CNSNews.com 2/18/09
On Tuesday, the North Dakota House of Representatives passed a bill conferring equality and inherent constitutional rights on "all human beings from the beginning of their biological development, including the pre-born, partially born…"
The Personhood of Children Act passed on a 51-41 vote. It is considered a first step toward banning abortion in the state -- a direct challenge to the U.S. Supreme Court's Roe v. Wade ruling.
The bill's sponsor, Rep. Dan Ruby (R-Minot), said the legislation does not automatically ban abortion. "This language is not as aggressive as the direct ban legislation that I've proposed in the past," Ruby said during House floor debate on Tuesday. "This is very simply defining when life begins, and giving that life some protections under our Constitution — the right to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness."
The North Dakota Senate vote is expected to vote on the bill in the next two to three weeks.
Fifteen other states also are pursuing personhood legislation . . .
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Government Propensity toward Restricting Christian Liberty
Officials in Ithaca, N.Y., have agreed again not to enforce an ordinance limiting the speech rights of Christians after they were caught ignoring a court order that banned the restriction.
-- From "Ban on Christian speech outlawed, again" © 2009 WorldNetDaily 2/13/09
The Alliance Defense Fund, which won the previous case against the city, said the new development came this week in the form of a consent judgment signed by U.S. District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby.
City police officers last summer told [evangelist Jim] Deferio he would not be allowed to talk about his Christian faith at Ithaca Commons, even after they were presented with a court order that prohibited then from enforcing the unconstitutional "noise" limit.
The court judgment said the city was "permanently enjoined from applying a twenty-five foot (25') standard in the enforcement" of its municipal code limit "or any other ordinance or policy against anyone in any public place engaged in unamplified speech that can be heard at a distance of twenty-five feet on the public streets, public sidewalks or public ways in the City of Ithaca."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Ban on Christian speech outlawed, again" © 2009 WorldNetDaily 2/13/09
The Alliance Defense Fund, which won the previous case against the city, said the new development came this week in the form of a consent judgment signed by U.S. District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby.
City police officers last summer told [evangelist Jim] Deferio he would not be allowed to talk about his Christian faith at Ithaca Commons, even after they were presented with a court order that prohibited then from enforcing the unconstitutional "noise" limit.
The court judgment said the city was "permanently enjoined from applying a twenty-five foot (25') standard in the enforcement" of its municipal code limit "or any other ordinance or policy against anyone in any public place engaged in unamplified speech that can be heard at a distance of twenty-five feet on the public streets, public sidewalks or public ways in the City of Ithaca."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
U.N. Rejects Homosexual Group Supported by Obama
The Brazilian Association of Gays, Lesbians and Transgendereds (ABGLT) faced scrutiny because of allegations that one of the group’s founders was being investigated for posting pro-pedophilia essays on his blog.
-- From "U.N. committee rejects homosexual group with possible pedophile link" Catholic News Agency 2/15/09
“The UK pushed hard for the group to be accepted,” [Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute] C-FAM President Austin Ruse said in a statement. “The Obama administration also voted in favor of granting official status to the group.”
According to C-FAM, the [U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)] voted against deferring a decision on AGBLT and rejected the application in a vote of eight to six. The Russian Federation, China and Pakistan were among those who voted to reject the application, while the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel were among those voting against its rejection.
The NGO [Non-Governmental Organization] committee member from Egypt urged that the committee not make a rushed decision on any group where there was even the “slightest shadow of doubt” about its involvement in pedophilia.
After the vote, the representative from the U.K. said she deeply regretted the committee’s decision and claimed the vote reinforced the view that the committee could not properly undertake its assigned work.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "U.N. committee rejects homosexual group with possible pedophile link" Catholic News Agency 2/15/09
“The UK pushed hard for the group to be accepted,” [Catholic Family and Human Rights Institute] C-FAM President Austin Ruse said in a statement. “The Obama administration also voted in favor of granting official status to the group.”
According to C-FAM, the [U.N. Economic and Social Council (ECOSOC)] voted against deferring a decision on AGBLT and rejected the application in a vote of eight to six. The Russian Federation, China and Pakistan were among those who voted to reject the application, while the United States, the United Kingdom and Israel were among those voting against its rejection.
The NGO [Non-Governmental Organization] committee member from Egypt urged that the committee not make a rushed decision on any group where there was even the “slightest shadow of doubt” about its involvement in pedophilia.
After the vote, the representative from the U.K. said she deeply regretted the committee’s decision and claimed the vote reinforced the view that the committee could not properly undertake its assigned work.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Pro-Life Youth Arrested at High School
Nine college-age pro-lifers, displaying graphics and handing out literature at a Birmingham high school, were arrested under murky circumstances -- accounts vary.
-- From "Pro-life activists arrested at Birmingham school" by Carol Robinson, Birmingham News 2/13/09
Birmingham police officials said today the group arrived at Parker High School about 2 p.m. in the area where buses load and unload and started to set up posters and billboards of aborted fetuses.
Because they were on school property, they were asked to leave, said North Precinct Capt. Lucette McMillan.
When they refused, nine people were arrested on trespassing charges, the captain said, and booked into the Birmingham City Jail. All were released by 9 a.m. today.
The Birmingham City Jail . . . the same jail from which Martin Luther King, Jr. issued his famous letter condemning apathy and injustice.
-- From "Nine Pro-life Youth Jailed in Birmingham Following Arrests on Public" by Allison Aranda, Staff Counsel for Life Legal Defense Foundation, posted by Danielle 2/12/09
. . . the group of pro-life youth activists quietly held signs, distributed literature and peacefully dialogued with students on the public sidewalk. After being threatened with arrest if they did not leave the area, the group contacted their attorney, who then assured them that their location on the public sidewalk and their free speech activity was legal according to local and state laws. After the Campus Life Tour team members finished handing out literature to passing students and were in the process of loading their van to leave the school area, the police then handcuffed and arrested all nine Survivors without warning.
Kortney Blythe, Director of Survivors Campus Life Tours, repeatedly asked Officer Cooley, one of the arresting officers, the reason for the arrests. He kept assuring the team that they were not arrested, they were only being detained, and he did not know what the charges were. The entire group was never informed of the reason for their arrest as they were being handcuffed, and one of the officers was heard to question his superiors, “What are we arresting them for again?” The police confiscated the team’s video cameras and personal belongings, and impounded and searched the Campus Life Tour van. The police also asked the team members where they were staying so they could conduct a search in their hotel as well.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Pro-life activists arrested at Birmingham school" by Carol Robinson, Birmingham News 2/13/09
Birmingham police officials said today the group arrived at Parker High School about 2 p.m. in the area where buses load and unload and started to set up posters and billboards of aborted fetuses.
Because they were on school property, they were asked to leave, said North Precinct Capt. Lucette McMillan.
When they refused, nine people were arrested on trespassing charges, the captain said, and booked into the Birmingham City Jail. All were released by 9 a.m. today.
The Birmingham City Jail . . . the same jail from which Martin Luther King, Jr. issued his famous letter condemning apathy and injustice.
-- From "Nine Pro-life Youth Jailed in Birmingham Following Arrests on Public" by Allison Aranda, Staff Counsel for Life Legal Defense Foundation, posted by Danielle 2/12/09
. . . the group of pro-life youth activists quietly held signs, distributed literature and peacefully dialogued with students on the public sidewalk. After being threatened with arrest if they did not leave the area, the group contacted their attorney, who then assured them that their location on the public sidewalk and their free speech activity was legal according to local and state laws. After the Campus Life Tour team members finished handing out literature to passing students and were in the process of loading their van to leave the school area, the police then handcuffed and arrested all nine Survivors without warning.
Kortney Blythe, Director of Survivors Campus Life Tours, repeatedly asked Officer Cooley, one of the arresting officers, the reason for the arrests. He kept assuring the team that they were not arrested, they were only being detained, and he did not know what the charges were. The entire group was never informed of the reason for their arrest as they were being handcuffed, and one of the officers was heard to question his superiors, “What are we arresting them for again?” The police confiscated the team’s video cameras and personal belongings, and impounded and searched the Campus Life Tour van. The police also asked the team members where they were staying so they could conduct a search in their hotel as well.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Monday, February 16, 2009
GOP Governor Favors Same-sex 'Marriage' for Utah
Gov. Huntsman, saying last week that he supports civil unions with all the rights of marriage (a.k.a. 'Same-sex Marriage'), has baffled the media because Utah has a Marriage Amendment in place, and 70% of the population opposes 'same-sex marriage;' so far, the Gov. is hiding from the press.
-- From "Civil-union stance of guv spurs protests" by Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News [Salt Lake City, Utah] 2/12/09
The day after declaring his support for civil unions, [Utah] Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. canceled a press conference and held other meetings at the governor's mansion rather than in his office in the Capitol.
Huntsman's statement that he backs civil unions "in the broadest sense" as well as the "Common Ground" legislative initiative intended to extend the benefits of marriage to gay and other couples sparked protests at the Capitol Wednesday that included lawmakers.
Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, was circulating a statement warning that civil unions in Utah "would threaten marriage and religious freedom." He was asking his fellow GOP senators to sign the statement if they agreed.
The governor had tried and failed in 2005 to push through a Senate bill advocating reciprocal benefits for non-traditional couples.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Civil-union stance of guv spurs protests" by Lisa Riley Roche, Deseret News [Salt Lake City, Utah] 2/12/09
The day after declaring his support for civil unions, [Utah] Gov. Jon Huntsman Jr. canceled a press conference and held other meetings at the governor's mansion rather than in his office in the Capitol.
Huntsman's statement that he backs civil unions "in the broadest sense" as well as the "Common Ground" legislative initiative intended to extend the benefits of marriage to gay and other couples sparked protests at the Capitol Wednesday that included lawmakers.
Sen. Chris Buttars, R-West Jordan, was circulating a statement warning that civil unions in Utah "would threaten marriage and religious freedom." He was asking his fellow GOP senators to sign the statement if they agreed.
The governor had tried and failed in 2005 to push through a Senate bill advocating reciprocal benefits for non-traditional couples.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UC Berkeley Darwin Promo Crosses Church-State Line
[Awaiting a response from the Supreme Court,] a Christian schoolteacher from Roseville [California] who takes the Bible literally says a UC Berkeley Web site about evolution is unconstitutional, like a cross in a public park.
-- From "Cal Web site draws anti-evolution lawsuit" by Charles Burress, Staff Writer, San Fran. Chronicle 2/14/09
The Web site, "Understanding Evolution," is supported by government funds and violates the constitutional separation of church and state, according to the suit by Jeanne Caldwell.
Rebuffed by lower courts, she has appealed to the nation's highest court, and UC joined the battle this week, saying in its response that the Internet is not like a park and that, in fact, Caldwell has no right even to file the suit.
The sides wait to see whether the justices will take the case and tackle the unsettled issue - not of evolution, but of whether the Internet is a public space that needs new principles to enforce the state-and-religion barrier.
At issue is one page, out of 840 on the Web site, that says Darwin's theory and religion can co-exist. The page - titled "Misconception: 'Evolution and Religion are Incompatible' " - also features a drawing of a smiling scientist holding a skull and shaking hands with a smiling cleric holding a book with a cross on it.
Caldwell says UC's government-funded assertion contradicts a religious belief that evolution and religion are incompatible and amounts to a state position on religious doctrine. This violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment barring Congress from making any law respecting the establishment or exercise of religion, she says.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Cal Web site draws anti-evolution lawsuit" by Charles Burress, Staff Writer, San Fran. Chronicle 2/14/09
The Web site, "Understanding Evolution," is supported by government funds and violates the constitutional separation of church and state, according to the suit by Jeanne Caldwell.
Rebuffed by lower courts, she has appealed to the nation's highest court, and UC joined the battle this week, saying in its response that the Internet is not like a park and that, in fact, Caldwell has no right even to file the suit.
The sides wait to see whether the justices will take the case and tackle the unsettled issue - not of evolution, but of whether the Internet is a public space that needs new principles to enforce the state-and-religion barrier.
At issue is one page, out of 840 on the Web site, that says Darwin's theory and religion can co-exist. The page - titled "Misconception: 'Evolution and Religion are Incompatible' " - also features a drawing of a smiling scientist holding a skull and shaking hands with a smiling cleric holding a book with a cross on it.
Caldwell says UC's government-funded assertion contradicts a religious belief that evolution and religion are incompatible and amounts to a state position on religious doctrine. This violates the establishment clause of the First Amendment barring Congress from making any law respecting the establishment or exercise of religion, she says.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, February 15, 2009
Pastor Faces Jail for Pro-life Stand
A black pastor awaits sentencing, which could amount to two years in prison and $4,000 in fines, for standing outside an inner city abortion clinic holding a sign saying "Jesus Loves You & Your Baby, Let Us Help You," and offering pro-life literature.
UPDATE 8/26/10: Long after serving 30 days in jail, pastor's conviction is overturned on technicality
-- From "Root of nation's economic crisis is moral crisis" by Star Parker, Scripps Howard News Service 2/13/09
[Pastor] Walter Hoye, founder and chairman of the Issues4Life Foundation, was found guilty of "unlawful approach" under the "Access to Reproductive Health Care Facilities Ordinance" enacted in Oakland [California] in 2008.
Under the ordinance, it is prohibited, within 100 feet of the entrance to a "reproductive health facility," to approach within eight feet of a client "for the purpose of counseling, harassing, or interfering" with that person.
"Harassing" means holding up a sign, passing out literature or offering counseling.
The "reproductive health care facility" in question is Family Planning Specialists in Oakland. Looking over their Web site, it's clear that there is only one kind of reproductive health care they provide. Abortions.
According to testimony of the facility's executive director, they perform about one hundred abortions per week. Assuming an average of $600 per abortion (from the fee schedule on the website), that's about $3 million a year in revenue. Not bad for an inner city neighborhood business.
Pastor Hoye's conviction is strange in that no "victim" testified against him -- there was only testimony from those with an interest in the clinic -- employees and volunteers, no specific incident was cited, videotape showed Hoye standing peacefully holding his sign and materials, and the convicting jury was given no instructions regarding the definition of "approach."
Nevertheless, Hoye has been convicted and may wind up in jail and liable for thousands of dollars in fines.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Friday, February 13, 2009
L.A. College Professor Calls Down Christian Student
Prof stops student's class presentation when the student gave a biblical definition of marriage -- weeks earlier, the prof told the class "if you voted yes on [the pro-marriage] Proposition 8, you are a fascist bastard."
-- From "Los Angeles City College Is Sued Over Alleged Bias Against Christian Student" by Josh Keller, Chronicle of Higher Education 2/13/09
The Alliance Defense Fund sued the Los Angeles Community College District on Wednesday, asserting that a student at Los Angeles City College was shouted down and called a “fascist bastard” by his Speech 101 professor while giving a presentation about his Christian faith.
The lawsuit says that a student at the college, Jonathan Lopez, was giving an in-class presentation last November that involved “reading the dictionary definition of marriage and reciting two Bible verses” when he was interrupted by his professor. The professor, John Matteson, insulted the student and later refused to give him a grade, the suit says, instead writing on an evaluation that Mr. Lopez should “ask God what your grade is.”
“Professor Matteson clearly violated Mr. Lopez’s free-speech rights by engaging in viewpoint discrimination and retaliation because he disagreed with the student’s religious beliefs,” David French, a senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, said in a statement. “When students are given open-ended assignments in a public-speaking class, the First Amendment protects their ability to express their views.”
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Expanded coverage is available at WorldNetDaily
-- From "Los Angeles City College Is Sued Over Alleged Bias Against Christian Student" by Josh Keller, Chronicle of Higher Education 2/13/09
The Alliance Defense Fund sued the Los Angeles Community College District on Wednesday, asserting that a student at Los Angeles City College was shouted down and called a “fascist bastard” by his Speech 101 professor while giving a presentation about his Christian faith.
The lawsuit says that a student at the college, Jonathan Lopez, was giving an in-class presentation last November that involved “reading the dictionary definition of marriage and reciting two Bible verses” when he was interrupted by his professor. The professor, John Matteson, insulted the student and later refused to give him a grade, the suit says, instead writing on an evaluation that Mr. Lopez should “ask God what your grade is.”
“Professor Matteson clearly violated Mr. Lopez’s free-speech rights by engaging in viewpoint discrimination and retaliation because he disagreed with the student’s religious beliefs,” David French, a senior counsel for the Alliance Defense Fund, said in a statement. “When students are given open-ended assignments in a public-speaking class, the First Amendment protects their ability to express their views.”
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Expanded coverage is available at WorldNetDaily
Thursday, February 12, 2009
UK School Secretary Risks Job over Prayer Request
School employee called on the carpet for a prayer E-mail that she sent from home to her fellow church members
-- From "School receptionist faces sack after five-year-old daughter is told off for talking about God" by Sam Greenhill, The Daily Mail (UK) 2/12/09
The row broke out on January 22 when divorced [employee Jennie] Cain went to pick up [5-year-old] Jasmine and her brother Ben, eight, from the state primary school, which has 271 pupils. She said: 'My daughter burst into tears, her face was all red and she was clearly upset.
'She said, "My teacher told me I couldn't talk about Jesus". I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She said she was taken aside in the classroom and told she couldn't say that. I was so shocked, I didn't know what to do.'
That weekend Mrs Cain emailed a prayer request from her personal computer at home to trusted friends from her church. She said: 'I asked them to please pray for us, please pray for Jasmine, please pray for the school and pray for the church.'
But a copy fell into the hands of Gary Read, headmaster at Landscore Primary School, in Crediton, Devon.
The next day Mr Read invited her into his office after he received a complaint from the mother of the child who had been upset by Jasmine's remark.
The case has caused fresh outrage in the Christian community, which fears its members are becoming the most discriminated against people in society.
Mrs Cain, who has not been suspended, added: 'It seems that there is something about the Christian faith that has triggered this very strong, very heavy-handed whack.' She thinks Mr Read was passed the email by a governor, who is married to one of the churchgoers she sent it to.
Former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe said: 'There is now daily evidence of Christianophobia in this country and it is high time that it was tackled. It is wicked to scold a small child for talking about Jesus. Even if the child was talking about going to Hell, that is what Christians believe.'
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "School receptionist faces sack after five-year-old daughter is told off for talking about God" by Sam Greenhill, The Daily Mail (UK) 2/12/09
The row broke out on January 22 when divorced [employee Jennie] Cain went to pick up [5-year-old] Jasmine and her brother Ben, eight, from the state primary school, which has 271 pupils. She said: 'My daughter burst into tears, her face was all red and she was clearly upset.
'She said, "My teacher told me I couldn't talk about Jesus". I couldn't believe what I was hearing. She said she was taken aside in the classroom and told she couldn't say that. I was so shocked, I didn't know what to do.'
That weekend Mrs Cain emailed a prayer request from her personal computer at home to trusted friends from her church. She said: 'I asked them to please pray for us, please pray for Jasmine, please pray for the school and pray for the church.'
But a copy fell into the hands of Gary Read, headmaster at Landscore Primary School, in Crediton, Devon.
The next day Mr Read invited her into his office after he received a complaint from the mother of the child who had been upset by Jasmine's remark.
The case has caused fresh outrage in the Christian community, which fears its members are becoming the most discriminated against people in society.
Mrs Cain, who has not been suspended, added: 'It seems that there is something about the Christian faith that has triggered this very strong, very heavy-handed whack.' She thinks Mr Read was passed the email by a governor, who is married to one of the churchgoers she sent it to.
Former Tory minister Ann Widdecombe said: 'There is now daily evidence of Christianophobia in this country and it is high time that it was tackled. It is wicked to scold a small child for talking about Jesus. Even if the child was talking about going to Hell, that is what Christians believe.'
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, February 11, 2009
Federal Defense of Marriage Act DOMA Ruled Unconstitutional
Two separate cases decided by the 9th Circuit Court seen a precursor to judicial defeat of DOMA
To all of you people in Washington D.C.: Let's quit with the "it's an issue for the states to decide" rhetoric! Read the writing on the wall. Either Americans amend the U.S. Constitution to define marriage, or we'll witness the dissolution of the foundation of society.
Read the details of the Marriage Amendment in Congress.
Tell your congressman to defend marriage!
Illinois residents, CLICK HERE to E-mail your congressman.
-- From "CA Judge Rules Defense of Marriage Act Unconstitutional" by Kathleen Gilbert, LifeSiteNews.com 2/10/09
Two judges in California's 9th Circuit Court have ruled in two separate cases that the same-sex "spouse" of federal employees must be granted the same health benefits as a heterosexual spouse, in spite of federal law to the contrary. One judge declared the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional.
Judge Stephen Reinhardt ruled last week that Tony Sears, who "married" deputy federal public defender Brad Levenson in July, was being unfairly and unconstitutionally discriminated against by current federal law, which does not recognize a homosexual partner as a claimant to spousal benefits.
The denial of such benefits "cannot be justified simply by a distaste for or disapproval of same-sex marriage or … to discourage exercising a legal right afforded them by the state," wrote Reinhardt, who ordered Sears to be enrolled in the federal spousal insurance program.
In another 9th Circuit decision last month, Chief Judge Alex Kozinski granted benefits to the same-sex "spouse" of a staff attorney for the court, but did not invoke the constitution.
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which was passed in 1996, states that marriage is recognized as only the union of one man and one woman for federal law purposes. It also says that states cannot be forced to recognize an out-of-state same-sex union. Reinhardt is the first U.S. judge to openly state that DOMA is unconstitutional.
-- From "Ninth Circuit Strikes Two Blows Against Defense of Marriage Act" by Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor CNSNews.com 2/10/09
Attorneys on both sides of the same-sex marriage issue agree that two administrative rulings last week from different judges on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California were blows to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA.
Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute in Sacramento, Calif., said both decisions are troubling because they ordered the federal government to cover the health benefits of the same-sex partners of two federal lawyers.
“These two judges took administrative actions that basically declared that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, and federal employees who have a partner are entitled to be able to receive benefits if they are in a state – like California – which recognizes homosexual marriage,” Dacus said.
New York Law School professor Arthur Leonard agreed, but added -- “I guess the significance is that it shows that a judge from the right and a judge from the left agree that DOMA raises serious constitutional questions.”
Dacus said defenders of traditional marriage believe the 9th Circuit rulings will inspire other judges to make similar decisions.
Without question, Dacus said, Congress will attempt to repeal DOMA.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
To all of you people in Washington D.C.: Let's quit with the "it's an issue for the states to decide" rhetoric! Read the writing on the wall. Either Americans amend the U.S. Constitution to define marriage, or we'll witness the dissolution of the foundation of society.
Read the details of the Marriage Amendment in Congress.
Tell your congressman to defend marriage!
Illinois residents, CLICK HERE to E-mail your congressman.
-- From "CA Judge Rules Defense of Marriage Act Unconstitutional" by Kathleen Gilbert, LifeSiteNews.com 2/10/09
Two judges in California's 9th Circuit Court have ruled in two separate cases that the same-sex "spouse" of federal employees must be granted the same health benefits as a heterosexual spouse, in spite of federal law to the contrary. One judge declared the federal Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) unconstitutional.
Judge Stephen Reinhardt ruled last week that Tony Sears, who "married" deputy federal public defender Brad Levenson in July, was being unfairly and unconstitutionally discriminated against by current federal law, which does not recognize a homosexual partner as a claimant to spousal benefits.
The denial of such benefits "cannot be justified simply by a distaste for or disapproval of same-sex marriage or … to discourage exercising a legal right afforded them by the state," wrote Reinhardt, who ordered Sears to be enrolled in the federal spousal insurance program.
In another 9th Circuit decision last month, Chief Judge Alex Kozinski granted benefits to the same-sex "spouse" of a staff attorney for the court, but did not invoke the constitution.
The Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), which was passed in 1996, states that marriage is recognized as only the union of one man and one woman for federal law purposes. It also says that states cannot be forced to recognize an out-of-state same-sex union. Reinhardt is the first U.S. judge to openly state that DOMA is unconstitutional.
-- From "Ninth Circuit Strikes Two Blows Against Defense of Marriage Act" by Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor CNSNews.com 2/10/09
Attorneys on both sides of the same-sex marriage issue agree that two administrative rulings last week from different judges on the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals in California were blows to the federal Defense of Marriage Act, or DOMA.
Brad Dacus, president of the Pacific Justice Institute in Sacramento, Calif., said both decisions are troubling because they ordered the federal government to cover the health benefits of the same-sex partners of two federal lawyers.
“These two judges took administrative actions that basically declared that the Defense of Marriage Act is unconstitutional, and federal employees who have a partner are entitled to be able to receive benefits if they are in a state – like California – which recognizes homosexual marriage,” Dacus said.
New York Law School professor Arthur Leonard agreed, but added -- “I guess the significance is that it shows that a judge from the right and a judge from the left agree that DOMA raises serious constitutional questions.”
Dacus said defenders of traditional marriage believe the 9th Circuit rulings will inspire other judges to make similar decisions.
Without question, Dacus said, Congress will attempt to repeal DOMA.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
As Obama 'Bipartisanship' Ends, Marriage Next on Chopping Block?
"We won!" The President refrains. "Voters decided that in November." Yes, the Democrat platform clearly states support of the Gay Agenda (including repeal of the Defense of Marriage Act). As the courts continue the dismantling of the family (most recently ruling the Defense of Marriage Act unconstitutional), Americans should study the explicit plans of the majority party.
From the official Obama White House website:
Oppose a Constitutional Ban on Same-Sex Marriage: President Obama voted against the Federal Marriage Amendment in 2006 which would have defined marriage as between a man and a woman and prevented judicial extension of marriage-like rights to same-sex or other unmarried couples.
Support Full Civil Unions and Federal Rights for LGBT Couples: President Obama supports full civil unions that give same-sex couples legal rights and privileges equal to those of married couples. Obama also believes we need to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act and enact legislation that would ensure that the 1,100+ federal legal rights and benefits currently provided on the basis of marital status are extended to same-sex couples in civil unions and other legally-recognized unions. These rights and benefits include the right to assist a loved one in times of emergency, the right to equal health insurance and other employment benefits, and property rights.
New Marriage Amendment legislation was introduced last summer, yet not even a majority of Republicans have shown support.
Tell your congressman to defend marriage!
Illinois residents, CLICK HERE to E-mail your congressman.
Tuesday, February 10, 2009
Children Learn Transsexualism from Their School Janitor
A Massachusetts elementary school issued a letter [.PDF] to parents saying that the custodian "has informed us of his decision to change his gender and, as we begin the school year, he will begin living and working as a woman."
-- From "Elementary School Transsexual Custodian" by Laurie Higgins, Illinois Family Institute 2/9/09
Superintendent Ernest Boss and Principal Norman Yvon further stated that "if [students] ask at school, they will be given a simple and straightforward answer. The best thing to tell them is that our custodian used to be a man. She has changed her gender role and is now a woman."
So now this one man's psychologically and morally disordered desire to live publicly as a woman and the school administration's complicity in facilitating his disorder exposes an entire school full of children to ideas and images to which no elementary child should be exposed and forces parents to explain what no parent should have to explain to 5-10 year-olds.
No government employee should be permitted to tell other people's children that this man "used to be a man... and is now a woman." That statement is not factual and not true. It is false, controversial, unproven, values-laden, and faith-based. The belief that amputating healthy parts of one's sexual anatomy and taking hormones appropriate to the opposite sex changes one's sex constitutes a pernicious delusion or fiction. No government employee should be permitted to make such statements to children.
So, what will YOU do when this type of situation arises at YOUR local school? In Massachusetts, where the Gay Agenda rules, the citizenry appears powerless.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Elementary School Transsexual Custodian" by Laurie Higgins, Illinois Family Institute 2/9/09
Superintendent Ernest Boss and Principal Norman Yvon further stated that "if [students] ask at school, they will be given a simple and straightforward answer. The best thing to tell them is that our custodian used to be a man. She has changed her gender role and is now a woman."
So now this one man's psychologically and morally disordered desire to live publicly as a woman and the school administration's complicity in facilitating his disorder exposes an entire school full of children to ideas and images to which no elementary child should be exposed and forces parents to explain what no parent should have to explain to 5-10 year-olds.
No government employee should be permitted to tell other people's children that this man "used to be a man... and is now a woman." That statement is not factual and not true. It is false, controversial, unproven, values-laden, and faith-based. The belief that amputating healthy parts of one's sexual anatomy and taking hormones appropriate to the opposite sex changes one's sex constitutes a pernicious delusion or fiction. No government employee should be permitted to make such statements to children.
So, what will YOU do when this type of situation arises at YOUR local school? In Massachusetts, where the Gay Agenda rules, the citizenry appears powerless.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Monday, February 09, 2009
NJ Same-sex Divorce Opens Door to Same-sex Marriage
In what might appear to be "getting the marriage buggy before the horse," a superior court judge has ruled that lesbians 'married' in Canada can be divorced in New Jersey.
-- From "Gays Can't 'Marry,' But Divorce? Why Not!" by Geoff Mulvihill
TRENTON - Gay marriages performed outside New Jersey are recognized in the state for the purpose of divorce, according to a ruling Friday by a judge deciding whether a lesbian couple married in Canada can split.
The wider implications were not immediately clear, but Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson said New Jersey has a long history of recognizing marriages that are valid where they were performed.
The state doesn't let gays marry but does allow civil unions. The state Supreme Court has ruled that gay couples have the rights to the same legal standing as married heterosexual couples.
The lawyer, Stephen Hyland, who is working on the case along with lawyers hired by the American Civil Liberties Union, said his client couldn't simply file for divorce in Canada because only residents can be granted divorces there.
Cases like these are closely watched by advocates for and against gay marriage, partly because allowing gay couples to divorce could open the door to recognizing gay marriage.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Gays Can't 'Marry,' But Divorce? Why Not!" by Geoff Mulvihill
TRENTON - Gay marriages performed outside New Jersey are recognized in the state for the purpose of divorce, according to a ruling Friday by a judge deciding whether a lesbian couple married in Canada can split.
The wider implications were not immediately clear, but Superior Court Judge Mary Jacobson said New Jersey has a long history of recognizing marriages that are valid where they were performed.
The state doesn't let gays marry but does allow civil unions. The state Supreme Court has ruled that gay couples have the rights to the same legal standing as married heterosexual couples.
The lawyer, Stephen Hyland, who is working on the case along with lawyers hired by the American Civil Liberties Union, said his client couldn't simply file for divorce in Canada because only residents can be granted divorces there.
Cases like these are closely watched by advocates for and against gay marriage, partly because allowing gay couples to divorce could open the door to recognizing gay marriage.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, February 08, 2009
NY School Interrogates Parents' Religious Beliefs
A mother and father in New York were subjected by their school district's attorney to a faith "sincerity test," which ultimately ruled their beliefs were too questionable to qualify for a religious exemption to mandatory student immunization.
-- From "School interrogates, rejects parents' religion" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 2/8/09
Ron and Rita Palma filed the exemption with their son's school district in 2006 after coming to the conclusion the year before that the required vaccinations violated their conscience and sense of God's leading for their family.
Rather than accept the standard exemption form, however, the Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District demanded the couple meet with school attorney David Cohen. The Palmas have twice been compelled to sit down with Cohen to be interrogated about their faith and their convictions about vaccines.
Cohen described to the Palmas' attorney that the purpose of the interview was two-fold: to determine whether the Palmas' beliefs are actually religious, as opposed to philosophical or political; and to determine whether the beliefs are "sincerely and genuinely held."
"It's almost beyond words what we were put through," [Rita] Palma said. "It's such an abusive power, it's so arrogant that 'outrageous' doesn't even label it correctly. It's something you can't even imagine that somebody would take it upon themselves to do – to judge the sincerity of your belief.
"Particularly in a school district," Palma said, "taking it upon themselves to judge your relationship with God? Have you ever heard of such a thing?"
Not only were the Palmas grilled, however, their attempts to file religious exemptions were also ultimately denied.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "School interrogates, rejects parents' religion" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 2/8/09
Ron and Rita Palma filed the exemption with their son's school district in 2006 after coming to the conclusion the year before that the required vaccinations violated their conscience and sense of God's leading for their family.
Rather than accept the standard exemption form, however, the Bayport-Blue Point Union Free School District demanded the couple meet with school attorney David Cohen. The Palmas have twice been compelled to sit down with Cohen to be interrogated about their faith and their convictions about vaccines.
Cohen described to the Palmas' attorney that the purpose of the interview was two-fold: to determine whether the Palmas' beliefs are actually religious, as opposed to philosophical or political; and to determine whether the beliefs are "sincerely and genuinely held."
"It's almost beyond words what we were put through," [Rita] Palma said. "It's such an abusive power, it's so arrogant that 'outrageous' doesn't even label it correctly. It's something you can't even imagine that somebody would take it upon themselves to do – to judge the sincerity of your belief.
"Particularly in a school district," Palma said, "taking it upon themselves to judge your relationship with God? Have you ever heard of such a thing?"
Not only were the Palmas grilled, however, their attempts to file religious exemptions were also ultimately denied.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Darwinists Blame Atheists for Public Disbelief
. . . they warn that militant atheists are turning people away from evolution by using it as a weapon with which to attack religion.
-- From "Scientists and religious leaders call for end to fighting over Darwin's legacy" by Martin Beckford, Religious Affairs Correspondent, The Telegraph 2/8/09
It comes after a survey of 2,000 people conducted by Theos, the religion think tank, found that half believe the theory of evolution cannot explain the complexity of the natural world. One in three said they thought God created the Earth within the past 10,000 years.
-- From "On Darwin's 200th, a theory still in controversy" by Gregory Katz, Associated Press 2/8/09
LONDON (AP) — It's well known that Charles Darwin's groundbreaking theory of evolution made many people furious because it contradicted the Biblical view of creation.
The 1859 publication of "On the Origin of Species" changed scientific thought forever — and generated opposition that continues to this day.
"He was clearly extremely important, his thinking changed the world," said Paul Taylor, a spokesman for Answers in Genesis, a prominent group that rejects Darwin's theory of evolution in favor of a literal interpretation of the Bible. "We disagree with his conclusions, with the way he made extrapolations, but he was a very careful observer and we've got a lot to be grateful for."
To read this entire article about Darwin, the man, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, February 07, 2009
ACLU Hides Religious 'Gag Clause' in 'Stimulus' Bill
Jim DeMint, Republican senator from South Carolina, has introduced an amendment to strike the unconstitutional, discriminatory language from the bill, but the majority Democrats won't allow it.
DeMint said the following to Neil Cavuto on FOX News:
". . . [the Senate is] working on this so-called stimulus bill that would prohibit any religious activity in any college or university facility that uses any of these funds for modernization or renovation.
"It is just a phrase that I think the ACLU had stuck in this bill, because they are the real proponents of keeping it in there, that would really take advantage of religious freedom, Bible studies, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, whether it is on a student center, a dorm, an auditorium where prayer might be offered."
The phrase in the bill, at issue, reads as follows:
"PROHIBITED USES OF FUNDS. - No funds awarded under this section may be used for - (C) modernization, renovation, or repair of facilities - (i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or (ii) in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission."
DeMint said the following to Neil Cavuto on FOX News:
". . . [the Senate is] working on this so-called stimulus bill that would prohibit any religious activity in any college or university facility that uses any of these funds for modernization or renovation.
"It is just a phrase that I think the ACLU had stuck in this bill, because they are the real proponents of keeping it in there, that would really take advantage of religious freedom, Bible studies, Fellowship of Christian Athletes, whether it is on a student center, a dorm, an auditorium where prayer might be offered."
The phrase in the bill, at issue, reads as follows:
"PROHIBITED USES OF FUNDS. - No funds awarded under this section may be used for - (C) modernization, renovation, or repair of facilities - (i) used for sectarian instruction, religious worship, or a school or department of divinity; or (ii) in which a substantial portion of the functions of the facilities are subsumed in a religious mission."
Friday, February 06, 2009
Homosexuals Lament Hotel Managers with Morals
Sex orgy fans are outraged at a potential string of hotels cancelling deviant sexcapades in response to outcries by an informed American public
UPDATES 2/7/09:
Hotel quarantines orgy participants, monitored by health department
Local TV news report
-- From "Group Tries to Stop Another Hotel ’Orgy’" by Kilian Melloy, [pro-homosexual] EDGE Contributor 2/4/09
An anti-gay Web-based organization, having succeeded in getting one gay convention canceled last month in Washington, D.C., has now set its sights on pressuring another hotel chain into canceling another such gathering.
Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, which describes itself as a "national organization devoted exclusively to exposing and countering the homosexual activist agenda," posted an item on Feb. 4 warning about a Columbus, Ohio gathering scheduled to take place at a Holiday Inn.
The posting at the group's Web site claimed that the event, called "Winter Wickedness," . . . encouraged readers to contact both the hotel and the hotel's corporate offices.
The posting claimed that the gathering would be a "sadomasochistic celebration" that would offer seminars on the use of melted wax in erotic settings, the use of whips and needles, sexual fantasies, and other topics that the item deemed to be "sexualized violence."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UPDATES 2/7/09:
Hotel quarantines orgy participants, monitored by health department
Local TV news report
-- From "Group Tries to Stop Another Hotel ’Orgy’" by Kilian Melloy, [pro-homosexual] EDGE Contributor 2/4/09
An anti-gay Web-based organization, having succeeded in getting one gay convention canceled last month in Washington, D.C., has now set its sights on pressuring another hotel chain into canceling another such gathering.
Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, which describes itself as a "national organization devoted exclusively to exposing and countering the homosexual activist agenda," posted an item on Feb. 4 warning about a Columbus, Ohio gathering scheduled to take place at a Holiday Inn.
The posting at the group's Web site claimed that the event, called "Winter Wickedness," . . . encouraged readers to contact both the hotel and the hotel's corporate offices.
The posting claimed that the gathering would be a "sadomasochistic celebration" that would offer seminars on the use of melted wax in erotic settings, the use of whips and needles, sexual fantasies, and other topics that the item deemed to be "sexualized violence."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Media Conceals School Discrimination Against Christians
A New York school district faces a lawsuit for encouraging students to explore homosexuality while trying to prevent them from studying the Bible.
First, let's read the mainstream media presentation of this lawsuit:
-- From "Lindenhurst HS student files suit over Bible club" by Chau Lam, posted at newsday.com 2/6/09
Backed by an Arizona-based Christian organization [the Alliance Defense Fund, ADF], the student, identified in court papers as "A.Q.," alleged that school officials refused to give the Bible club immediate access to a classroom so members can meet after school.
The student alleged that school officials forced the club to apply for facility access as a community organization, unlike other clubs.
Deirdre Gilligan, a spokeswoman for Lindenhurst Union Free School District, said . . . "The district is more than willing to provide this group with space to meet; however, to date, it has not filed the proper application, as is required of such clubs."
Defense Fund senior legal counsel David Cortman says about four or five students were involved in the club, according to The Associated Press.
Now, let's read a more thorough report:
-- From "Educators: Explore homosexuality but not Bible" © 2009 WorldNetDaily 2/5/09
The suit alleges the district allows and encourages homosexuality by providing special services to organizations including the Gay-Straight Alliance, Key Club, Chess Club, Fishing Club and Ski Club. It contends the district illegally has discriminated against students seeking a Bible Club, instead forcing them to apply for permission to use school facilities as an outside group.
The public interest law firm [ADF] said for more than four months, Lindenhurst High School officials repeatedly have refused to grant official recognition to the club because of its religious nature, despite the presence of other non-curriculum-related student clubs that are given benefits and privileges.
The case claims Supt. Neil Lederer "grants official clubs status to non-curriculum related student clubs" including those addressing "issues involving, among others, promoting respect and dignity for students at LHS; premarital sex, including homosexual behavior; community service; and leadership."
The district allows students in those groups to hold meetings during non-instructional time, be listed in the yearbook, participate in student club fairs, have access to an adviser, take club field trips, use the public address system and bulletin boards for announcements and participate in fund-raising activities and district funding for student clubs, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges violation of free speech and equal access requirements as well as viewpoint discrimination.
To read the WND entire article, CLICK HERE.
First, let's read the mainstream media presentation of this lawsuit:
-- From "Lindenhurst HS student files suit over Bible club" by Chau Lam, posted at newsday.com 2/6/09
Backed by an Arizona-based Christian organization [the Alliance Defense Fund, ADF], the student, identified in court papers as "A.Q.," alleged that school officials refused to give the Bible club immediate access to a classroom so members can meet after school.
The student alleged that school officials forced the club to apply for facility access as a community organization, unlike other clubs.
Deirdre Gilligan, a spokeswoman for Lindenhurst Union Free School District, said . . . "The district is more than willing to provide this group with space to meet; however, to date, it has not filed the proper application, as is required of such clubs."
Defense Fund senior legal counsel David Cortman says about four or five students were involved in the club, according to The Associated Press.
Now, let's read a more thorough report:
-- From "Educators: Explore homosexuality but not Bible" © 2009 WorldNetDaily 2/5/09
The suit alleges the district allows and encourages homosexuality by providing special services to organizations including the Gay-Straight Alliance, Key Club, Chess Club, Fishing Club and Ski Club. It contends the district illegally has discriminated against students seeking a Bible Club, instead forcing them to apply for permission to use school facilities as an outside group.
The public interest law firm [ADF] said for more than four months, Lindenhurst High School officials repeatedly have refused to grant official recognition to the club because of its religious nature, despite the presence of other non-curriculum-related student clubs that are given benefits and privileges.
The case claims Supt. Neil Lederer "grants official clubs status to non-curriculum related student clubs" including those addressing "issues involving, among others, promoting respect and dignity for students at LHS; premarital sex, including homosexual behavior; community service; and leadership."
The district allows students in those groups to hold meetings during non-instructional time, be listed in the yearbook, participate in student club fairs, have access to an adviser, take club field trips, use the public address system and bulletin boards for announcements and participate in fund-raising activities and district funding for student clubs, according to the lawsuit.
The lawsuit alleges violation of free speech and equal access requirements as well as viewpoint discrimination.
To read the WND entire article, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, February 05, 2009
Gov. Wants Taxpayer Money for Homosexual Health Insurance
Given the Maryland $2 billion deficit, the Governor says the state can afford to fund homosexuality -- he has a plan to lay off 700 state workers.
-- From "O'Malley proposes extending health benefits to gays" by Laura Smitherman, Baltimore Sun 2/3/09
Gov. Martin O'Malley has proposed extending health care benefits to same-sex partners of state employees, fulfilling a campaign promise to gay-rights activists despite this year's strapped budget.
The Democratic governor's proposal would allow state workers and retirees to add domestic partners and their dependents to health, dental and prescription drug plans, essentially putting gay couples on par with married spouses.
The state is facing a $2 billion shortfall next year, and O'Malley has proposed balancing the budget through 700 layoffs of state employees and other cost-cutting measures, and by tapping reserve accounts. His administration submitted regulations regarding domestic partner benefits Friday, and his budget submitted to the General Assembly includes funding.
The change also could help the state retain and recruit higher education employees, said University System of Maryland Chancellor William E. Kirwan, who endorsed the initiative. [Yes, more homosexuals in charge of education -- that's the goal!]
Equality Maryland held a rally outside the State House yesterday and dispatched dozens of volunteers to visit lawmakers to discuss their agenda. Among the attendees was V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, who is gay. He also delivered the invocation at the start of last night's Senate session.
"Any step forward is a step in the right direction," Robinson said. "On the other hand, we can't see these small steps as a way of buying us off so that we don't pursue the fight for full equality."
While gay-rights activists in Maryland concede it's unlikely they will get the votes this year to approve same-sex marriage, a top priority, they are still working to add lawmakers as sponsors of the bill.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "O'Malley proposes extending health benefits to gays" by Laura Smitherman, Baltimore Sun 2/3/09
Gov. Martin O'Malley has proposed extending health care benefits to same-sex partners of state employees, fulfilling a campaign promise to gay-rights activists despite this year's strapped budget.
The Democratic governor's proposal would allow state workers and retirees to add domestic partners and their dependents to health, dental and prescription drug plans, essentially putting gay couples on par with married spouses.
The state is facing a $2 billion shortfall next year, and O'Malley has proposed balancing the budget through 700 layoffs of state employees and other cost-cutting measures, and by tapping reserve accounts. His administration submitted regulations regarding domestic partner benefits Friday, and his budget submitted to the General Assembly includes funding.
The change also could help the state retain and recruit higher education employees, said University System of Maryland Chancellor William E. Kirwan, who endorsed the initiative. [Yes, more homosexuals in charge of education -- that's the goal!]
Equality Maryland held a rally outside the State House yesterday and dispatched dozens of volunteers to visit lawmakers to discuss their agenda. Among the attendees was V. Gene Robinson, Episcopal bishop of New Hampshire, who is gay. He also delivered the invocation at the start of last night's Senate session.
"Any step forward is a step in the right direction," Robinson said. "On the other hand, we can't see these small steps as a way of buying us off so that we don't pursue the fight for full equality."
While gay-rights activists in Maryland concede it's unlikely they will get the votes this year to approve same-sex marriage, a top priority, they are still working to add lawmakers as sponsors of the bill.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
California Taxpayers Fund Homosexual Adoption Promotion
To further the Gay Agenda, several state and local agencies launched an advertising blitz promoting adoption of children by sexual deviants of every variety; this in a state about to go bankrupt!
-- From "Campaign encourages gay adoption" By Carlos Granda, ABC 7 News Los Angeles 2/3/09
Proponents of the statewide campaign say there are thousands of kids who need loving homes. Opponents say it is an attack on traditional family values. However, both sides say they are concerned for children.
Several agencies launched a campaign called "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Family" on Tuesday to persuade members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to adopt children.
Only four states, including California, permit same-sex couple adoption. Officials say this is a chance for many children to get out of foster care and into a family that wants them.
Opponents, such as Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny, or BOND, say this is an attack on traditional family values and a waste of public money.
"Studies have indicated that kids raised in homosexual households, especially girls, tend to act out sexually, tend to be very promiscuous ... and these kids are very confused about their identity," said Ermias Alemayehu, BOND. "And we don't think the state or the county should be in the business of promoting that kind of lifestyle."
"This is another way to normalize the homosexual agenda. And the next thing will be to go after overturning Prop 8," said Alemayehu.
To read the entire article, and link to a video news report, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Campaign encourages gay adoption" By Carlos Granda, ABC 7 News Los Angeles 2/3/09
Proponents of the statewide campaign say there are thousands of kids who need loving homes. Opponents say it is an attack on traditional family values. However, both sides say they are concerned for children.
Several agencies launched a campaign called "Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of Family" on Tuesday to persuade members of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community to adopt children.
Only four states, including California, permit same-sex couple adoption. Officials say this is a chance for many children to get out of foster care and into a family that wants them.
Opponents, such as Brotherhood Organization of a New Destiny, or BOND, say this is an attack on traditional family values and a waste of public money.
"Studies have indicated that kids raised in homosexual households, especially girls, tend to act out sexually, tend to be very promiscuous ... and these kids are very confused about their identity," said Ermias Alemayehu, BOND. "And we don't think the state or the county should be in the business of promoting that kind of lifestyle."
"This is another way to normalize the homosexual agenda. And the next thing will be to go after overturning Prop 8," said Alemayehu.
To read the entire article, and link to a video news report, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, February 04, 2009
Planned Parenthood Fails to Report Felony Rape
As reported numerous times before, these undercover tapings prove an obvious pattern of Planned Parenthood: The goal is to kill the unborn, collect the fee, and ignore the law.
Tuesday, February 03, 2009
Miami Abortion Clinic Allegedly Guilty of Infanticide
“This case will trumpet to the world that abortion clinics are places of barbarism where mothers as well as their babies are at serious risk. . . . Moreover, this case should put some sharp teeth into the Born Alive Infant Protection Act. . . . we must hold the line against infanticide!”
UPDATE 3/6/09: Abortion clinic owner arrested, charged with felonies
UPDATE 2/6/09: Abortionist loses state license
UPDATE 2/17/09: Mother says, "They never said anything to me that would make me think it was a baby."
-- From "Lawsuit Filed for Baby Born Alive and then Killed" posted at LifeSiteNews.com 2/3/09
On Tuesday, January 27, 2009, suit was filed by the Thomas More Society in Miami on behalf of Shanice Denise Osbourne, an infant girl who was allegedly murdered in July, 2006.
The case claims that Shanice was born alive and then murdered by abortion clinic owner, Belkis Gonzalez. Thirteen defendants (including Gonzalez, abortionist Dr. Pierre Jean-Jacques Renelique and their conglomerate of four South Florida abortion clinics) have been sued for unlicensed and unauthorized medical practice, botched abortions, evasive tactics, false medical records and the killing, hiding and disposing of the baby.
. . . Anonymous callers notified police at least three times about the live birth and murder, and when police executed a search warrant on July 22, 2006, they found medical records but couldn’t locate the baby’s remains. Six days later, another anonymous caller told police the baby’s body had been hidden on the roof. Police responded but didn’t find the baby’s body on the roof. After another anonymous tip police got another search warrant and found the decomposing baby in a cardboard box in a closet at the clinic. DNA linked the baby’s remains to [Shanice’s mother, Sycloria] Williams.
The Miami-Dade County medical examiner performed an autopsy which showed that the baby’s lungs had been filled with air before her killing, proving it was a live birth. But the examiner blamed the death on “extreme prematurity,” ignoring eyewitness testimony that the baby had been murdered.
To read the entire sad saga, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 3/6/09: Abortion clinic owner arrested, charged with felonies
UPDATE 2/6/09: Abortionist loses state license
UPDATE 2/17/09: Mother says, "They never said anything to me that would make me think it was a baby."
-- From "Lawsuit Filed for Baby Born Alive and then Killed" posted at LifeSiteNews.com 2/3/09
On Tuesday, January 27, 2009, suit was filed by the Thomas More Society in Miami on behalf of Shanice Denise Osbourne, an infant girl who was allegedly murdered in July, 2006.
The case claims that Shanice was born alive and then murdered by abortion clinic owner, Belkis Gonzalez. Thirteen defendants (including Gonzalez, abortionist Dr. Pierre Jean-Jacques Renelique and their conglomerate of four South Florida abortion clinics) have been sued for unlicensed and unauthorized medical practice, botched abortions, evasive tactics, false medical records and the killing, hiding and disposing of the baby.
. . . Anonymous callers notified police at least three times about the live birth and murder, and when police executed a search warrant on July 22, 2006, they found medical records but couldn’t locate the baby’s remains. Six days later, another anonymous caller told police the baby’s body had been hidden on the roof. Police responded but didn’t find the baby’s body on the roof. After another anonymous tip police got another search warrant and found the decomposing baby in a cardboard box in a closet at the clinic. DNA linked the baby’s remains to [Shanice’s mother, Sycloria] Williams.
The Miami-Dade County medical examiner performed an autopsy which showed that the baby’s lungs had been filled with air before her killing, proving it was a live birth. But the examiner blamed the death on “extreme prematurity,” ignoring eyewitness testimony that the baby had been murdered.
To read the entire sad saga, CLICK HERE.