The last thing the liberal media wants now is another conservative personality "talking about God" who might energize Americans, or worse yet, witness a Christian revival.
The media strategy, as always, is to destroy the conservative messenger, and sow seeds of division of Christian America.
-- From "Beck's marriage of politics and religion raising questions" by Michelle Boorstein, Washington Post Staff Writer 8/31/10
Two days after Beck's "Restoring Honor" rally drew a crowd that stretched from the Lincoln Memorial to the World War II Memorial, many Americans were still trying to figure out if the commentator had just seized the mantle of the religious right.
Conservative Christian talk radio was crackling with debate about Beck's Mormonism. Religious progressives were assailing his attacks on President Obama's Christianity. Scholars of religion and politics were analyzing Beck's evangelical-like talk of being saved from drug and alcohol addiction. Some pastor-bloggers were bemoaning what they consider the conflation of celebrity, politics and spirituality.
"Politically, everyone is with it, but theologically, when he says the country should turn back to God, the question is: Which God?" said Tom Tradup, vice president for news and talk at Salem Radio Network,which serves more than 2,000 stations, most of them Christian. "How much of this is turning to God? How much is religious revival and how much is a snake oil medicine show?"
Yet [Beck,] the Mormon convert seems an unlikely leader for conservative Christians, many of whom don't regard Mormonism as part of their faith.
"I'm a little nervous about that kind of talk," said Janet Mefferd, a nationally syndicated Christian talk show host who said most callers Monday wanted to talk about Beck. "I know he means well and loves this country, but he doesn't know enough about theology to know what kind of effect he's having. Christians are hearing something different than what he thinks he's saying."
Although he doesn't consider Mormons to be Christians, [Southern Baptist leader, Richard] Land said he agrees with Beck's basic premise that American society must be "rebuilt from the bottom up."
To read the entire lengthy article, CLICK HERE.
From "Beck's Christian credentials scrutinized" by Elizabeth Tenety, Newsweek posted at Washington Post
At his public events this weekend, Beck emphasized that he viewed his 'Restoring Honor' event and the emerging movement behind it as spiritual, rather than political: "This is the beginning of the great awakening of America," Beck said Friday night.
But to what version of religion should Americans be awakened?
"Mormonism is not a Christian faith," Focus on the Family's Tom Minnery said during the 2008 election campaign, when GOP presidential candidate Mitt Romney's Mormonism became a political liability.
R. Albert Mohler wrote in 2007 that he did not believe Mormons are Christians, as he found their theology "incompatible with "traditional Christian orthodoxy."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, August 31, 2010
IRS Fears Prosecuting Churches over Politics
David Barton, Founder and President of WallBuilders, explains why the IRS is not pursuing pastors who defiantly preach from the pulpit in manner that is claimed to risk the church's tax exempt status: Experts believe the IRS would lose in court, and the entire regulation would then be null and void.
" . . . contrary to the misunderstandings of many, tax-exempt status is not a 'gift' or 'subsidy' bestowed by the government."
-- From "Pulpit Freedom Sunday - Sept. 28, 2010" Alliance Defense Fund
Pastors participating in the Alliance Defense Fund’s “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” will preach from their pulpits Sept. 28 about the moral qualifications of candidates seeking political office. The pastors will exercise their First Amendment right to preach on the subject, despite federal tax regulations that prohibit intervening or participating in a political campaign.
“Pastors have a right to speak about Biblical truths from the pulpit without fear of punishment. No one should be able to use the government to intimidate pastors into giving up their constitutional rights,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley. “If you have a concern about pastors speaking about electoral candidates from the pulpit, ask yourself this: should the church decide that question, or should the IRS?”
“ADF is not trying to get politics into the pulpit. Churches can decide for themselves that they either do or don’t want their pastors to speak about electoral candidates. The point of the Pulpit Initiative is very simple: the IRS should not be the one making the decision by threatening to revoke a church’s tax-exempt status. We need to get the government out of the pulpit,” said Stanley.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Also read IRS Ruling Ensures Clergy Freedom to Preach on Election Matters
" . . . contrary to the misunderstandings of many, tax-exempt status is not a 'gift' or 'subsidy' bestowed by the government."
-- From "Pulpit Freedom Sunday - Sept. 28, 2010" Alliance Defense Fund
Pastors participating in the Alliance Defense Fund’s “Pulpit Freedom Sunday” will preach from their pulpits Sept. 28 about the moral qualifications of candidates seeking political office. The pastors will exercise their First Amendment right to preach on the subject, despite federal tax regulations that prohibit intervening or participating in a political campaign.
“Pastors have a right to speak about Biblical truths from the pulpit without fear of punishment. No one should be able to use the government to intimidate pastors into giving up their constitutional rights,” said ADF Senior Legal Counsel Erik Stanley. “If you have a concern about pastors speaking about electoral candidates from the pulpit, ask yourself this: should the church decide that question, or should the IRS?”
“ADF is not trying to get politics into the pulpit. Churches can decide for themselves that they either do or don’t want their pastors to speak about electoral candidates. The point of the Pulpit Initiative is very simple: the IRS should not be the one making the decision by threatening to revoke a church’s tax-exempt status. We need to get the government out of the pulpit,” said Stanley.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Also read IRS Ruling Ensures Clergy Freedom to Preach on Election Matters
Monday, August 30, 2010
Late-Term Abortions Harm Mental Health: Study
A new study finds the later a woman has an abortion the more likely it is that she faces mental health risks and is under pressure from a partner or others to have an abortion she may not otherwise want.
-- From "Late-Term Elective Abortion and Susceptibility to Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms" Copyright © 2010 Priscilla K. Coleman et al., Bowling Green State University; posted at Journal of Pregnancy, Volume 2010 (2010), Article ID 130519
The primary aim of this study was to compare the experience of an early abortion (1st trimester) to a late abortion (2nd and 3rd trimester) relative to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms . . .
Later abortions were associated with . . . likelihood of reporting disturbing dreams, reliving of the abortion, and trouble falling asleep. Reporting the pregnancy was desired by one's partner, experiencing pressure to abort, having left the partner prior to the abortion, not disclosing the abortion to the partner, and physical health concerns were more common among women who received later abortions. Social reasons for the abortion were linked with significantly higher PTSD total and subscale scores for the full sample.
To read the entire research posting, CLICK HERE.
From "Study Finds Later Abortions Linked to Mental Health Risks, Women Pressured" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor 8/30/10
The study found women after 13 weeks of pregnancy were more likely to report that their partner desired the pregnancy (22.4 percent of women who had later abortions vs. 10.3 percent of women who had early abortions) and that they were pressured by someone other than their partner to abort (47.8 percent vs. 30.5 percent).
"In general, these results are indicative of more ambivalence and conflict surrounding the decision and the likelihood of less stable partner relationships among women who obtain later abortions," the authors wrote. "Logically, women who are unsure about how to proceed with an unplanned pregnancy are more likely to put off the decision to abort, perhaps hoping their circumstances will improve and enable them to carry to term."
The new study also found high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms for women having both early and late abortions, with 52 percent of the early abortion group and 67 percent of the late term abortion group meeting the American Psychological Association's criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD).
The 2004 Medical Science Monitor survey found that 65 percent of American women who had abortions reported experiencing symptoms of PTSD, which they attributed to their abortions. Other studies have also linked abortion to increased rates of depression, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, sleep disorders, anxiety disorders and other mental health problems.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Late-Term Elective Abortion and Susceptibility to Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms" Copyright © 2010 Priscilla K. Coleman et al., Bowling Green State University; posted at Journal of Pregnancy, Volume 2010 (2010), Article ID 130519
The primary aim of this study was to compare the experience of an early abortion (1st trimester) to a late abortion (2nd and 3rd trimester) relative to Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms . . .
Later abortions were associated with . . . likelihood of reporting disturbing dreams, reliving of the abortion, and trouble falling asleep. Reporting the pregnancy was desired by one's partner, experiencing pressure to abort, having left the partner prior to the abortion, not disclosing the abortion to the partner, and physical health concerns were more common among women who received later abortions. Social reasons for the abortion were linked with significantly higher PTSD total and subscale scores for the full sample.
To read the entire research posting, CLICK HERE.
From "Study Finds Later Abortions Linked to Mental Health Risks, Women Pressured" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor 8/30/10
The study found women after 13 weeks of pregnancy were more likely to report that their partner desired the pregnancy (22.4 percent of women who had later abortions vs. 10.3 percent of women who had early abortions) and that they were pressured by someone other than their partner to abort (47.8 percent vs. 30.5 percent).
"In general, these results are indicative of more ambivalence and conflict surrounding the decision and the likelihood of less stable partner relationships among women who obtain later abortions," the authors wrote. "Logically, women who are unsure about how to proceed with an unplanned pregnancy are more likely to put off the decision to abort, perhaps hoping their circumstances will improve and enable them to carry to term."
The new study also found high rates of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms for women having both early and late abortions, with 52 percent of the early abortion group and 67 percent of the late term abortion group meeting the American Psychological Association's criteria for post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms (PTSD).
The 2004 Medical Science Monitor survey found that 65 percent of American women who had abortions reported experiencing symptoms of PTSD, which they attributed to their abortions. Other studies have also linked abortion to increased rates of depression, substance abuse, suicidal thoughts, sleep disorders, anxiety disorders and other mental health problems.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Conservative Female Candidates Don't Count as Women
As demonstrated in the two articles below, to the media, only liberal females holding public office are considered for gender diversity.
"With this fall's midterm elections, the number of women serving in Congress could drop for the first time in a generation — a twist on a political season many had dubbed 'the year of the woman.'"
-- From "Sarah Palin effect sees record number of women stand as Republican candidates" by Alex Spillius in Washington, London Telegraph 8/29/10
Often controversial, outspoken and resolutely Right-wing, Republican women are beginning to overhaul the image of the [Republican] party.
After its heavy losses in 2008 to the Democrats, the Grand Old Party was written off as too male, too old and too out of touch.
Success at the polls in US Congressional elections on Nov 2 would also lift the overall number of women in American national politics . . .
A record 140 women have competed in Republican primaries for the House of Representatives and the Senate this year, almost double the number in 2008. Once the primaries are completed in mid-September, the final tally of female candidates is also set to exceed previous levels, according to party officials.
Mrs Palin and others, like Michele Bachmann and Marsha Blackburn, both relative newcomers to the House of Representatives, have provided role models for conservative women that didn't use to exist, she said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Women in Washington, your seats are at risk" by Lisa Mascaro, Tribune Washington Bureau posted at Los Angeles Times 8/29/10
Women now hold 90 seats in Congress: 69 are Democrats and 21 are Republicans. After the November election, Congress could end up with as many as 10 fewer female members, prognosticators now say, the first backslide in the uninterrupted march of women to Washington since 1978.
Many of the vulnerable Democratic women this fall first arrived on the waves of the 2006 and 2008 elections, but now face tough odds in districts that have since soured on the party in power and on President Obama's agenda.
The fortunes of women in Congress have ebbed and flowed . . .
Women made mostly steady gains through the election of President Kennedy in 1960, when 20 women held office in Congress, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
But two years later, the midterm elections, which are often unkind to the party in power, saw the number of women dip to 14. It was not until President Carter's election in 1976 that the number of women returned to 20.
The gains came mostly on the Democratic side of the aisle, as women who had made their way through elected positions on school boards, city councils and state legislatures jumped to Congress.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
"With this fall's midterm elections, the number of women serving in Congress could drop for the first time in a generation — a twist on a political season many had dubbed 'the year of the woman.'"
-- From "Sarah Palin effect sees record number of women stand as Republican candidates" by Alex Spillius in Washington, London Telegraph 8/29/10
Often controversial, outspoken and resolutely Right-wing, Republican women are beginning to overhaul the image of the [Republican] party.
After its heavy losses in 2008 to the Democrats, the Grand Old Party was written off as too male, too old and too out of touch.
Success at the polls in US Congressional elections on Nov 2 would also lift the overall number of women in American national politics . . .
A record 140 women have competed in Republican primaries for the House of Representatives and the Senate this year, almost double the number in 2008. Once the primaries are completed in mid-September, the final tally of female candidates is also set to exceed previous levels, according to party officials.
Mrs Palin and others, like Michele Bachmann and Marsha Blackburn, both relative newcomers to the House of Representatives, have provided role models for conservative women that didn't use to exist, she said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Women in Washington, your seats are at risk" by Lisa Mascaro, Tribune Washington Bureau posted at Los Angeles Times 8/29/10
Women now hold 90 seats in Congress: 69 are Democrats and 21 are Republicans. After the November election, Congress could end up with as many as 10 fewer female members, prognosticators now say, the first backslide in the uninterrupted march of women to Washington since 1978.
Many of the vulnerable Democratic women this fall first arrived on the waves of the 2006 and 2008 elections, but now face tough odds in districts that have since soured on the party in power and on President Obama's agenda.
The fortunes of women in Congress have ebbed and flowed . . .
Women made mostly steady gains through the election of President Kennedy in 1960, when 20 women held office in Congress, according to the Center for American Women and Politics at Rutgers University.
But two years later, the midterm elections, which are often unkind to the party in power, saw the number of women dip to 14. It was not until President Carter's election in 1976 that the number of women returned to 20.
The gains came mostly on the Democratic side of the aisle, as women who had made their way through elected positions on school boards, city councils and state legislatures jumped to Congress.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, August 29, 2010
Unlike GOP, Palin Touts Pro-life
While so many Republicans avoid the pro-life party platform this year, Sarah Palin doesn't hesitate to speak the pro-life message, and call down politicians who do not.
-- From "Palin criticizes Obama, Fla. gov on abortion" by Brendan Farrington, Associated Press 8/27/10
Sarah Palin called President Barack Obama the most pro-abortion president ever Thursday and mocked Florida's governor for claiming to be pro-life after vetoing a bill that would have required women to get ultrasounds before having the procedure.
"Unfortunately your Republican governor," Palin began before pausing. "I don't know if he wants to be one or is a Republican anymore."
After the crowd booed, she continued.
"Your governor, he decided to veto this pro-life bill," she said before drawing laughs by sarcastically pointing out that Crist still calls himself pro-life. "He forgot that when [it] comes protecting the sanctity of life actions speak louder than words."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Sarah Palin Says Obama Most Pro-Abortion President, Bashes Charlie Crist" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor 8/27/10
Palin said the ObamaCare health care plan Obama and his Democratic allies passed would lead to more abortions because of abortion funding it contains.
"The biggest advance of the abortion industry in America is the passage of Obamacare," Palin said, according to an AP report. "Elective abortions have nothing to do with health care. It's about ending lives, not saving lives."
Obama, by many accounts, has become the most aggressive president in promoting the pro-abortion agenda and he has compiled a lengthy record funding abortions with taxpayer dollars both domestically and abroad.
During the speech for Heroic Media, a pro-life group that relies on billboards, television ads and the Internet, Palin touched on the typical personal topics she does in many of her stump speeches, such as the birth of her mentally disabled son Trig.
Palin also said the experience of having a daughter with a teenage pregnancy helped strengthen her own pro-life views.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Palin criticizes Obama, Fla. gov on abortion" by Brendan Farrington, Associated Press 8/27/10
Sarah Palin called President Barack Obama the most pro-abortion president ever Thursday and mocked Florida's governor for claiming to be pro-life after vetoing a bill that would have required women to get ultrasounds before having the procedure.
"Unfortunately your Republican governor," Palin began before pausing. "I don't know if he wants to be one or is a Republican anymore."
After the crowd booed, she continued.
"Your governor, he decided to veto this pro-life bill," she said before drawing laughs by sarcastically pointing out that Crist still calls himself pro-life. "He forgot that when [it] comes protecting the sanctity of life actions speak louder than words."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Sarah Palin Says Obama Most Pro-Abortion President, Bashes Charlie Crist" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor 8/27/10
Palin said the ObamaCare health care plan Obama and his Democratic allies passed would lead to more abortions because of abortion funding it contains.
"The biggest advance of the abortion industry in America is the passage of Obamacare," Palin said, according to an AP report. "Elective abortions have nothing to do with health care. It's about ending lives, not saving lives."
Obama, by many accounts, has become the most aggressive president in promoting the pro-abortion agenda and he has compiled a lengthy record funding abortions with taxpayer dollars both domestically and abroad.
During the speech for Heroic Media, a pro-life group that relies on billboards, television ads and the Internet, Palin touched on the typical personal topics she does in many of her stump speeches, such as the birth of her mentally disabled son Trig.
Palin also said the experience of having a daughter with a teenage pregnancy helped strengthen her own pro-life views.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Muslims, Atheists Obama's Political Base
As the President's approval ratings continue to plunge among Americans, from a religious perspective, Muslims continue to be his staunch supporters.
UPDATE 10/14/10: Non-religious voters drop support for Democrats
UPDATE 8/30/10: Even Unchurched Losing Faith in Obama
-- From "Poll: Muslims have highest Obama approval; Mormons lowest" by Paul Steinhauser, CNN Deputy Political Director 8/27/10
President Barack Obama gets his highest approval rating among religious groups from Muslims and his lowest from Mormons, according to a newly released national poll.
A Gallup survey indicates that in the first half of this year, 78 percent of Muslims approved of the job the president's doing in the White House, while just 24 percent of Mormons give Obama a thumbs up. According to the poll, the president's approval rating among Protestants and other Christians was 43 percent, it stood at 50 percent for Catholics, 61 percent among Jews, 63 percent for Atheists, Agnostics and those with no religion, and 64 percent for those from other non-Christian religions. The president's approval among all Americans stood at 48 percent.
The survey indicates that Obama has lost 15 points on his overall approval rating from the first half of 2009 to the first half of this year, and that he has lost slightly more ground than average among Mormons and has receded the least among Muslims.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Muslims Give Obama Highest Job Approval; Mormons, Lowest" by Frank Newport, Gallup 8/27/10
President Obama's job approval ratings have fallen significantly between his first six months in office and this year so far, and his ratings among major religious groups have fallen in rough lock step. The pattern that pertained when Obama first took office -- high ratings among Muslims, those with no religious identity, those identifying with non-Christian religions, and Jews; and lower ratings among Protestants and Mormons -- continues today. Although his standing has dropped among Americans in each of these groups, Obama has retained a little more strength among Muslims, the group giving him the highest ratings, and has lost a little more among Mormons, the group giving him the lowest ratings.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Click headlines below to read previous articles:
Obama's Base Support is the Unchurched (barely)
To Muslims, Obama Says Some Americans are Infidels
Is Obama Christian? Few Think So: Poll
Boston Globe Explores Obama as Fake Christian
Obama Inaction re: Christian Persecution Worldwide
Obama Signs Law to End Christian Witness - 'Hate Crimes'
UPDATE 10/14/10: Non-religious voters drop support for Democrats
UPDATE 8/30/10: Even Unchurched Losing Faith in Obama
-- From "Poll: Muslims have highest Obama approval; Mormons lowest" by Paul Steinhauser, CNN Deputy Political Director 8/27/10
President Barack Obama gets his highest approval rating among religious groups from Muslims and his lowest from Mormons, according to a newly released national poll.
A Gallup survey indicates that in the first half of this year, 78 percent of Muslims approved of the job the president's doing in the White House, while just 24 percent of Mormons give Obama a thumbs up. According to the poll, the president's approval rating among Protestants and other Christians was 43 percent, it stood at 50 percent for Catholics, 61 percent among Jews, 63 percent for Atheists, Agnostics and those with no religion, and 64 percent for those from other non-Christian religions. The president's approval among all Americans stood at 48 percent.
The survey indicates that Obama has lost 15 points on his overall approval rating from the first half of 2009 to the first half of this year, and that he has lost slightly more ground than average among Mormons and has receded the least among Muslims.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Muslims Give Obama Highest Job Approval; Mormons, Lowest" by Frank Newport, Gallup 8/27/10
President Obama's job approval ratings have fallen significantly between his first six months in office and this year so far, and his ratings among major religious groups have fallen in rough lock step. The pattern that pertained when Obama first took office -- high ratings among Muslims, those with no religious identity, those identifying with non-Christian religions, and Jews; and lower ratings among Protestants and Mormons -- continues today. Although his standing has dropped among Americans in each of these groups, Obama has retained a little more strength among Muslims, the group giving him the highest ratings, and has lost a little more among Mormons, the group giving him the lowest ratings.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Click headlines below to read previous articles:
Obama's Base Support is the Unchurched (barely)
To Muslims, Obama Says Some Americans are Infidels
Is Obama Christian? Few Think So: Poll
Boston Globe Explores Obama as Fake Christian
Obama Inaction re: Christian Persecution Worldwide
Obama Signs Law to End Christian Witness - 'Hate Crimes'
Saturday, August 28, 2010
Christians Flood D.C. to Restore America
Perhaps a million Americans gathered in the mall for an event the mainstream media barely mentioned in advance. Talk show host Glenn Beck led what might be called the largest worship service in Washington D.C. for many years.
Only extended video of the speakers can portray the essence (see bottom); accounts by the mainstream media do not cover the Judeo-Christian nature of the event.
-- From "Beck, Palin tell thousands to 'restore America'" by Philip Rucker, Amy Goldstein and Krissah Thompson, Washington Post 8/28/10
A sea of people rallied on the hallowed steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday as conservative commentator Glenn Beck and other heroes of the "tea party" movement honored Americans serving in the military and delivered stirring calls to turn the nation back to God and to protect the traditional values that they said make the country exceptional.
Claiming the legacy of the nation's Founding Fathers and repeatedly evoking civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., Beck, Sarah Palin and other speakers at the "Restoring Honor" rally exhorted a sprawling and overwhelmingly white crowd to concentrate not on the history that has scarred the nation but instead on what makes it "good."
Beck's rally has been billed as a peaceful and non-political "re-dedication" of the traditional honor and values of the nation. Beck, a Fox News host, has developed a national following by assailing President Obama and Democrats, and he warned Saturday that "our children could be slaves to debt." But he insisted that the rally "has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with God, turning our faith back to the values and principles that made us great."
King's niece Alveda King addressed Beck's rally with a plea for prayer "in the public squares of America and in our schools." Referencing her "Uncle Martin," King called for national unity by repeatedly declaring "I have a dream."
A dense assembly, which contained few young people, stretched from the Lincoln Memorial past the reflecting pool to the World War II Memorial and spilled onto the grounds of the Washington Monument. The crowd was not visibly angry. Rather, people said they had come to express their fear that the country is at a perilous moment.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "In Washington, a Call for Religious Rebirth" by Kate Zernike And Carl Hulse, New York Times 8/28/10
. . . while Tea Party activists and other conservatives have generally focused on fiscal issues and steered clear of social themes this year, Mr. Beck, in speeches Friday and Saturday, imbued his remarks with references to God and a need for a religious revival.
Mr. Beck was followed by Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska governor. She said that she had been asked, in keeping with the theme of the day, to focus not on politics, but to speak as the mother of a soldier.
On Friday night, Mr. Beck made a surprise visit to a convention that FreedomWorks, a Tea Party umbrella group, held for its activists. He was greeted by a thunderous welcome from a crowd of about 1,600 in Constitution Hall.
Still, the political overtones were unmistakable. Several candidates addressed the Friday crowd, and people could get signs and other campaign paraphernalia for Tea Party-backed candidates.
Marco Rubio, the Republican nominee for Senate in Florida, told the crowd, via a video-taped video message, that he would fight for a balanced budget amendment. Rand Paul, the Republican nominee for Senate in Kentucky, made the same pledge, adding that he believed in term limits, and in requiring Congress, before passing any bill, to cite the specific passage in the Constitution that gives the federal government the power to enact such legislation.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
To view video of the entire event (or selected speakers), CLICK HERE.
Only extended video of the speakers can portray the essence (see bottom); accounts by the mainstream media do not cover the Judeo-Christian nature of the event.
-- From "Beck, Palin tell thousands to 'restore America'" by Philip Rucker, Amy Goldstein and Krissah Thompson, Washington Post 8/28/10
A sea of people rallied on the hallowed steps of the Lincoln Memorial on Saturday as conservative commentator Glenn Beck and other heroes of the "tea party" movement honored Americans serving in the military and delivered stirring calls to turn the nation back to God and to protect the traditional values that they said make the country exceptional.
Claiming the legacy of the nation's Founding Fathers and repeatedly evoking civil rights activist Martin Luther King Jr., Beck, Sarah Palin and other speakers at the "Restoring Honor" rally exhorted a sprawling and overwhelmingly white crowd to concentrate not on the history that has scarred the nation but instead on what makes it "good."
Beck's rally has been billed as a peaceful and non-political "re-dedication" of the traditional honor and values of the nation. Beck, a Fox News host, has developed a national following by assailing President Obama and Democrats, and he warned Saturday that "our children could be slaves to debt." But he insisted that the rally "has nothing to do with politics. It has everything to do with God, turning our faith back to the values and principles that made us great."
King's niece Alveda King addressed Beck's rally with a plea for prayer "in the public squares of America and in our schools." Referencing her "Uncle Martin," King called for national unity by repeatedly declaring "I have a dream."
A dense assembly, which contained few young people, stretched from the Lincoln Memorial past the reflecting pool to the World War II Memorial and spilled onto the grounds of the Washington Monument. The crowd was not visibly angry. Rather, people said they had come to express their fear that the country is at a perilous moment.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "In Washington, a Call for Religious Rebirth" by Kate Zernike And Carl Hulse, New York Times 8/28/10
. . . while Tea Party activists and other conservatives have generally focused on fiscal issues and steered clear of social themes this year, Mr. Beck, in speeches Friday and Saturday, imbued his remarks with references to God and a need for a religious revival.
Mr. Beck was followed by Sarah Palin, the former Republican vice presidential candidate and Alaska governor. She said that she had been asked, in keeping with the theme of the day, to focus not on politics, but to speak as the mother of a soldier.
On Friday night, Mr. Beck made a surprise visit to a convention that FreedomWorks, a Tea Party umbrella group, held for its activists. He was greeted by a thunderous welcome from a crowd of about 1,600 in Constitution Hall.
Still, the political overtones were unmistakable. Several candidates addressed the Friday crowd, and people could get signs and other campaign paraphernalia for Tea Party-backed candidates.
Marco Rubio, the Republican nominee for Senate in Florida, told the crowd, via a video-taped video message, that he would fight for a balanced budget amendment. Rand Paul, the Republican nominee for Senate in Kentucky, made the same pledge, adding that he believed in term limits, and in requiring Congress, before passing any bill, to cite the specific passage in the Constitution that gives the federal government the power to enact such legislation.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
To view video of the entire event (or selected speakers), CLICK HERE.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Judge Strikes Pro-life Law in Nebraska
After the Nebraska attorney general refused to defend a legal challenge to the informed consent law (requiring mothers be given abortion information), a federal judge ruled that such requirements place 'an undue burden' hardship on the mother and the abortionist.
-- From "Neb. AG won't defend law on abortion screenings" by Timberly Ross, Associated Press 8/18/10
Attorney General Jon Bruning agreed to a permanent federal injunction against enforcement of the law . . .
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland filed a lawsuit last month in U.S. District Court in Nebraska over the law approved in the spring by state lawmakers. The group said the measure could be difficult to comply with and could require doctors to give women irrelevant information.
The law would require women wanting abortions to be screened by doctors or other health professionals to determine whether they had risk factors indicating they could have mental or physical problems after an abortion. If screening wasn't performed or was performed inadequately, a woman with mental or physical problems resulting from an abortion could file a civil lawsuit, according to the law. Doctors would not face criminal charges or lose their medical licenses.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge tosses abortion-info mandate as 'undue burden'" by Michael Carl © 2010 WorldNetDaily 8/25/10
In a ruling praised by abortion industry leaders, U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith Camp issued a permanent injunction against Legislative Bill 594, which she opined placed "an undue burden" on doctors and patients.
Camp wrote in her opinion that while the law addresses the state's interest in protecting human life, it places "substantial, likely insurmountable, obstacles in the path of women seeking abortions in Nebraska."
The final judgment published this week adds that the state of Nebraska is prohibited from trying to overturn the decision in the legislature.
American Life League President Judie Brown said although the decision is bad for Nebraska's pro-life supporters, it won't impact the rest of the nation yet.
Brown and other pro-life activists say the ruling is not likely to affect Nebraska's other pro-life statutes.
And, Brown said, this is why her organization encourages pro-life activists to work for personhood amendments to their state constitutions.
"If they get behind human personhood amendments, these problems would go away and babies would be protected and the issue of abortion would be over," Brown added.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Neb. AG won't defend law on abortion screenings" by Timberly Ross, Associated Press 8/18/10
Attorney General Jon Bruning agreed to a permanent federal injunction against enforcement of the law . . .
Planned Parenthood of the Heartland filed a lawsuit last month in U.S. District Court in Nebraska over the law approved in the spring by state lawmakers. The group said the measure could be difficult to comply with and could require doctors to give women irrelevant information.
The law would require women wanting abortions to be screened by doctors or other health professionals to determine whether they had risk factors indicating they could have mental or physical problems after an abortion. If screening wasn't performed or was performed inadequately, a woman with mental or physical problems resulting from an abortion could file a civil lawsuit, according to the law. Doctors would not face criminal charges or lose their medical licenses.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge tosses abortion-info mandate as 'undue burden'" by Michael Carl © 2010 WorldNetDaily 8/25/10
In a ruling praised by abortion industry leaders, U.S. District Judge Laurie Smith Camp issued a permanent injunction against Legislative Bill 594, which she opined placed "an undue burden" on doctors and patients.
Camp wrote in her opinion that while the law addresses the state's interest in protecting human life, it places "substantial, likely insurmountable, obstacles in the path of women seeking abortions in Nebraska."
The final judgment published this week adds that the state of Nebraska is prohibited from trying to overturn the decision in the legislature.
American Life League President Judie Brown said although the decision is bad for Nebraska's pro-life supporters, it won't impact the rest of the nation yet.
Brown and other pro-life activists say the ruling is not likely to affect Nebraska's other pro-life statutes.
And, Brown said, this is why her organization encourages pro-life activists to work for personhood amendments to their state constitutions.
"If they get behind human personhood amendments, these problems would go away and babies would be protected and the issue of abortion would be over," Brown added.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Death Panels? Atheist Doctors' Patients Terminate Sooner
Doctors who are atheist or agnostic are twice as likely to make decisions that could end the lives of their terminally ill patients, compared to doctors who are very religious, according to a new study in Britain.
-- From "UK study: Nonreligious doctors hasten death more" by Maria Cheng, Associated Press 8/26/10
Dr. Clive Seale, a professor at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, conducted a random mail survey of more than 3,700 doctors across Britain, of whom 2,923 reported on how they took care of their last terminal patient.
Many of the doctors surveyed were neurologists, doctors specializing in the care of the elderly, and palliative care, though other specialists like family doctors, were also included.
To ensure doctors are acting in accordance with their patients' wishes, Seale wrote that "nonreligious doctors should confess their predilections to their patients."
Seale also found that doctors who were religious were much less likely to have talked about end of life treatment decisions with their patients.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Docs' Religion Tied to End-of-Life Care" By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today 8/26/10
Physicians in the U.K. who reported being very or extremely religious were less likely to endorse certain end-of-life decisions, including continuous deep sedation and initiation of treatment that would be expected to shorten life, Clive Seale, PhD, of Queen Mary, University of London, reported online in BMJ.
"One potential response to the findings about the influence of religious faith is to suggest, as others have done, that religious doctors disclose their moral objections to certain procedures to patients so that patients can choose other doctors if they wish," Seale wrote.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "UK study: Nonreligious doctors hasten death more" by Maria Cheng, Associated Press 8/26/10
Dr. Clive Seale, a professor at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry, conducted a random mail survey of more than 3,700 doctors across Britain, of whom 2,923 reported on how they took care of their last terminal patient.
Many of the doctors surveyed were neurologists, doctors specializing in the care of the elderly, and palliative care, though other specialists like family doctors, were also included.
To ensure doctors are acting in accordance with their patients' wishes, Seale wrote that "nonreligious doctors should confess their predilections to their patients."
Seale also found that doctors who were religious were much less likely to have talked about end of life treatment decisions with their patients.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Docs' Religion Tied to End-of-Life Care" By Todd Neale, Staff Writer, MedPage Today 8/26/10
Physicians in the U.K. who reported being very or extremely religious were less likely to endorse certain end-of-life decisions, including continuous deep sedation and initiation of treatment that would be expected to shorten life, Clive Seale, PhD, of Queen Mary, University of London, reported online in BMJ.
"One potential response to the findings about the influence of religious faith is to suggest, as others have done, that religious doctors disclose their moral objections to certain procedures to patients so that patients can choose other doctors if they wish," Seale wrote.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, August 26, 2010
Same-sex 'Marriage' Favored by GOP Leaders
With former RNC Chairman Ken Mehlman "coming out" as a homosexual yesterday, further pressure is now being applied to oft-cited closeted Illinois GOP homosexual congressmen Rep. Mark Kirk and Rep. Aaron Schock to be truthful with the public.
-- From "Ken Mehlman and the same-sex marriage debate" by Dan Balz, Washington Post Staff Writer 8/26/10
Supporters of same-sex marriage have a new and unexpected advocate: Ken Mehlman, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee and manager of President George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign.
Mehlman, now a private citizen and businessman, disclosed this week that he is gay. The timing of the revelation coincides with his participation in a September fundraiser for the American Foundation for Equal Rights, a group that advocates for same-sex marriage.
Mehlman is among the most prominent Republican officials to say that he is gay. His is an announcement of the most personal nature and yet, because of who he is and the intensity of the debate over same-sex marriage, one with potential political implications. It is also one that, at least initially, will provoke potentially difficult questions from his critics.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Disaster Looms If GOP Changes Course On Gay Marriage" by Ken Blackwell and Ken Klukowski, posted at FOXNews.com 8/26/10
The Republican Party has an official position on same-sex marriage. It’s found in the 2008 GOP platform, which is the clear and uncontestable Republican position until the 2012 convention.
. . . The GOP platform could not be more explicit: Marriage is the union of one man and one woman. The fundamental institution of human civilization should be preserved as it has been known through the entirety of American history and Western civilization. Supporters of same-sex marriage had the full opportunity to make their case to the party. They made it, and they lost.
. . . Central to the Republican agenda is that the U.S. Constitution must be interpreted according to its original meaning. If the Constitution must be changed, then we do so democratically through the amendment process. Republicans demand that judges interpret the Constitution as written, not rewrite it from the bench.
The same judicial activism that Judge Walker in San Francisco displayed in declaring a constitutional right to same-sex marriage is the same activism that Republicans decry on every other front. It’s the same activism found in Roe v. Wade, declaring a right to abortion. It’s also the same activism that would uphold Obamacare as constitutional. It’s the same activism that declares foreign terrorists are protected by the Bill of Rights and habeas corpus.
You cannot have it both ways. Do you want to see Obamacare struck down as unconstitutional? Then you can’t have a constitutional right to same-sex marriage.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
Click headlines below for related articles:
IL GOP Senate Candidate Kirk Reportedly Homosexual
Moral Aspect Wanes in Calif. Marriage Debate
GOP Avoids Same-sex 'Marriage' Issue
Will GOP Call 'Truce' in Culture War?
-- From "Ken Mehlman and the same-sex marriage debate" by Dan Balz, Washington Post Staff Writer 8/26/10
Supporters of same-sex marriage have a new and unexpected advocate: Ken Mehlman, the former chairman of the Republican National Committee and manager of President George W. Bush's 2004 reelection campaign.
Mehlman, now a private citizen and businessman, disclosed this week that he is gay. The timing of the revelation coincides with his participation in a September fundraiser for the American Foundation for Equal Rights, a group that advocates for same-sex marriage.
Mehlman is among the most prominent Republican officials to say that he is gay. His is an announcement of the most personal nature and yet, because of who he is and the intensity of the debate over same-sex marriage, one with potential political implications. It is also one that, at least initially, will provoke potentially difficult questions from his critics.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Disaster Looms If GOP Changes Course On Gay Marriage" by Ken Blackwell and Ken Klukowski, posted at FOXNews.com 8/26/10
The Republican Party has an official position on same-sex marriage. It’s found in the 2008 GOP platform, which is the clear and uncontestable Republican position until the 2012 convention.
. . . The GOP platform could not be more explicit: Marriage is the union of one man and one woman. The fundamental institution of human civilization should be preserved as it has been known through the entirety of American history and Western civilization. Supporters of same-sex marriage had the full opportunity to make their case to the party. They made it, and they lost.
. . . Central to the Republican agenda is that the U.S. Constitution must be interpreted according to its original meaning. If the Constitution must be changed, then we do so democratically through the amendment process. Republicans demand that judges interpret the Constitution as written, not rewrite it from the bench.
The same judicial activism that Judge Walker in San Francisco displayed in declaring a constitutional right to same-sex marriage is the same activism that Republicans decry on every other front. It’s the same activism found in Roe v. Wade, declaring a right to abortion. It’s also the same activism that would uphold Obamacare as constitutional. It’s the same activism that declares foreign terrorists are protected by the Bill of Rights and habeas corpus.
You cannot have it both ways. Do you want to see Obamacare struck down as unconstitutional? Then you can’t have a constitutional right to same-sex marriage.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
Click headlines below for related articles:
IL GOP Senate Candidate Kirk Reportedly Homosexual
Moral Aspect Wanes in Calif. Marriage Debate
GOP Avoids Same-sex 'Marriage' Issue
Will GOP Call 'Truce' in Culture War?
Abortion Clinics Fear Medical Standards
Virginia may enact regulations for abortion clinics similar to hospitals and surgery centers after a ruling by Attorney General Kenneth T. Cuccinelli II.
-- From "Cuccinelli: Virginia has right to regulate abortion clinics" by Matthew Cella, The Washington Times 8/23/10
An opinion issued Friday by the pro-life Republican comes after years of attempts by conservative legislators to pass additional restrictions in the General Assembly for abortion clinics, which in Virginia have been treated for regulatory purposes as physicians' offices.
"The state has long regulated outpatient surgical facilities and personnel to ensure a certain level of protection for patients. There is no reason to hold facilities providing abortion services to any lesser standard for their patients," said Brian J. Gottstein, a spokesman for Mr. Cuccinelli.
"Even pharmacies, funeral homes and veterinary clinics are regulated by the state," he said.
Tarina Keene, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, said meeting the structural requirements of the regulations could cost as much as $2 million and would be "financially prohibitive" for abortion providers.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Ken Cuccinelli's End Run on Abortion" by Nicole Allan, a staff editor at TheAtlantic.com 8/25/10
Virginia abortion rights advocates saw it coming. After Ken Cuccinelli, a rising Republican star known for his hard-line stances on most social issues, was elected state attorney general last year, they knew it was only a matter of time before he zeroed in on abortion.
Cucinelli's tactic is not new. In 2001, Mother Jones ran a story about the rise of what abortion rights advocates call TRAP laws, short for Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers. The article, written by Barry Yeoman and titled "The Quiet War on Abortion," detailed the anti-abortion movement's shift from targeting the legality of the procedure to applying pressure on its providers . . .
According to NARAL Pro-Choice America, varying degrees of TRAP laws have passed in 44 states plus the District of Columbia. . . .
William Hurd, a former solicitor general for the state of Virginia, does not think Cuccinelli has political motives. "The practice has been to call 'em as you see 'em, and that's what the attorney general has done here," he said. "I think the opinion is very carefully crafted, saying that while the boards do have some authority to regulate this, they are also subject to constitutional limitations. Certainly, while people may debate the abortion issue, in terms of pro-life or pro-choice, certainly everyone should agree that women are entitled to good health care."
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Cuccinelli: Virginia has right to regulate abortion clinics" by Matthew Cella, The Washington Times 8/23/10
An opinion issued Friday by the pro-life Republican comes after years of attempts by conservative legislators to pass additional restrictions in the General Assembly for abortion clinics, which in Virginia have been treated for regulatory purposes as physicians' offices.
"The state has long regulated outpatient surgical facilities and personnel to ensure a certain level of protection for patients. There is no reason to hold facilities providing abortion services to any lesser standard for their patients," said Brian J. Gottstein, a spokesman for Mr. Cuccinelli.
"Even pharmacies, funeral homes and veterinary clinics are regulated by the state," he said.
Tarina Keene, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Virginia, said meeting the structural requirements of the regulations could cost as much as $2 million and would be "financially prohibitive" for abortion providers.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Ken Cuccinelli's End Run on Abortion" by Nicole Allan, a staff editor at TheAtlantic.com 8/25/10
Virginia abortion rights advocates saw it coming. After Ken Cuccinelli, a rising Republican star known for his hard-line stances on most social issues, was elected state attorney general last year, they knew it was only a matter of time before he zeroed in on abortion.
Cucinelli's tactic is not new. In 2001, Mother Jones ran a story about the rise of what abortion rights advocates call TRAP laws, short for Targeted Regulation of Abortion Providers. The article, written by Barry Yeoman and titled "The Quiet War on Abortion," detailed the anti-abortion movement's shift from targeting the legality of the procedure to applying pressure on its providers . . .
According to NARAL Pro-Choice America, varying degrees of TRAP laws have passed in 44 states plus the District of Columbia. . . .
William Hurd, a former solicitor general for the state of Virginia, does not think Cuccinelli has political motives. "The practice has been to call 'em as you see 'em, and that's what the attorney general has done here," he said. "I think the opinion is very carefully crafted, saying that while the boards do have some authority to regulate this, they are also subject to constitutional limitations. Certainly, while people may debate the abortion issue, in terms of pro-life or pro-choice, certainly everyone should agree that women are entitled to good health care."
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
Fed. Judges Rule Crosses Unconstitutional
Atheists win lawsuit over memorial crosses along Utah highways in honor of fallen state troopersUPDATE 4/22/11: Supreme Court Urged to Decide Case
-- From "Utah's roadside crosses unconstitutional" by Shari Croteau, WOFL FOX TV 35 News 8/25/10
The crosses went up, beginning in 1998, to memorialize fallen Utah Highway Patrol officers. There are currently 14 of the 12-foot, steel crosses along the highway, with the official Utah Highway Patrol logos on them. The UHP Association says the crosses were chosen, because when someone sees a white cross on the side of the road, they know someone died there and not that the crosses were chosen to represent Christianity.
Now, the American Defense Fund, which is a coalition of Christian attorneys, is considering its next step for an appeal. They could take this case all the way to the U.S. Supreme Court.
The crosses will remain erected until all appeals are exhausted.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Roadside crosses for fallen Utah police unconstitutional, court rules" by Warren Richey, Staff writer, Christian Science Monitor 8/18/10
The Denver-based 10th US Circuit Court of Appeals said that the 12-foot-high crosses bearing the name and badge number of deceased officers sent an unconstitutional religious message to motorists on the state’s highways.
“We hold that these memorials have the impermissible effect of conveying to the reasonable observer the message that the state prefers or otherwise endorses a certain religion. They therefore violate the establishment clause of the federal constitution,” the appeals court said in a 35-page decision.
Since 1998, two members of the Utah Highway Patrol Association have organized the placement of monuments on Utah roadsides to honor fallen troopers. Before erecting each memorial, the group consults the family of the fallen trooper about the potential of erecting a memorial in the form of a large cross. No family has objected to the cross or requested a different symbol.
American Atheists, Inc., objected to the crosses being displayed on public land and sued to have them removed.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
NY Educators Dis Christianity, Favor Islam
State testmakers played favorites when quizzing high-schoolers on world religions -- giving Islam and Buddhism the kid-gloves treatment while socking it to Christianity, critics say.
-- From "HS test 'slams' Christianity, lauds Islam" by Yoav Gonen, Education Reporter, New York Post 8/24/10
Teachers complain that the reading selections from the Regents exam in global history and geography given last week featured glowing passages pertaining to Muslim society but much more critical essay excerpts on the subject of Christianity.
The most troubling passage came from Daniel Roselle's "A World History: A Cultural Approach," observers said.
The passage reads: "Wherever they went, the Moslems [sic] brought with them their love of art, beauty and learning. From about the eighth to the eleventh century, their culture was superior in many ways to that of western Christendom."
Meanwhile, an excerpt listing the common procedures used by Christian friars to introduce the religion in Latin America stated that "idols, temples and other material evidences of paganism [were] destroyed," and "Christian buildings [were] often constructed on sites of destroyed native temples" -- and built with free Indian labor, to boot.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "HS test 'slams' Christianity, lauds Islam" by Yoav Gonen, Education Reporter, New York Post 8/24/10
Teachers complain that the reading selections from the Regents exam in global history and geography given last week featured glowing passages pertaining to Muslim society but much more critical essay excerpts on the subject of Christianity.
The most troubling passage came from Daniel Roselle's "A World History: A Cultural Approach," observers said.
The passage reads: "Wherever they went, the Moslems [sic] brought with them their love of art, beauty and learning. From about the eighth to the eleventh century, their culture was superior in many ways to that of western Christendom."
Meanwhile, an excerpt listing the common procedures used by Christian friars to introduce the religion in Latin America stated that "idols, temples and other material evidences of paganism [were] destroyed," and "Christian buildings [were] often constructed on sites of destroyed native temples" -- and built with free Indian labor, to boot.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
More Texans Opt Out of Public Schools
Over the past five years, the number of Texans opting to home school has grown about 20 percent to an estimated 120,000 families and 300,000 children, according to the Texas Home School Coalition.
-- From "Back to school without leaving the house" by Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle 8/22/10
“The economy does have an impact on folks,” said Tim Lambert, president of the coalition. “We saw families last year who had their kids in a private school, times were tough and they couldn’t afford to do that anymore, but they didn’t want to put them in a public school.”
The most recent survey of parents by the National Center for Education Statistics found that families primarily opted to home school because they wanted to provide religious or moral lessons to their children. Other top reasons include parental concerns about safety, peer pressure and the academic instruction at traditional schools.
Parents in Texas are not required to register with any agency or to get their curriculum approved. Legal rulings have upheld that parents simply are supposed to have a curriculum that teaches reading, spelling, grammar, math and good citizenship.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Back to school without leaving the house" by Ericka Mellon, Houston Chronicle 8/22/10
“The economy does have an impact on folks,” said Tim Lambert, president of the coalition. “We saw families last year who had their kids in a private school, times were tough and they couldn’t afford to do that anymore, but they didn’t want to put them in a public school.”
The most recent survey of parents by the National Center for Education Statistics found that families primarily opted to home school because they wanted to provide religious or moral lessons to their children. Other top reasons include parental concerns about safety, peer pressure and the academic instruction at traditional schools.
Parents in Texas are not required to register with any agency or to get their curriculum approved. Legal rulings have upheld that parents simply are supposed to have a curriculum that teaches reading, spelling, grammar, math and good citizenship.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Lesbian Activist 'Pastor' on Trial by PCUSA
A lesbian minister, who officiated at more than a dozen same-sex weddings during the brief window gay marriage was legal in California, goes to trial Thursday before a Presbyterian court, charged with violating her denomination's constitution.
UPDATE 8/28/10: Denomination slaps "pastor's" hand and warns her to not do it again
-- From "Church court tries minister who performed same-sex marriages" by Maria L. La Ganga, Los Angeles Times 8/24/10
The case of the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr has gained national attention because "what is being tested is the definition of marriage" in the Presbyterian faith, said the Rev. Carmen Fowler, president of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, a conservative organization that opposes same-sex marriage.
Although the Presbyterian constitution does not explicitly prohibit same-sex marriage, it defines marriage as "a civil contract between a woman and a man." But same-sex marriage is legal in five states and the District of Columbia and is working its way through the courts in California.
In July, the [PCUSA] General Assembly, which meets every two years, voted to repeal [the pastors' chastity in singleness] requirement. Now the denomination's 173 regions, or presbyteries, will have until June to vote on whether to ratify that change. The amendment is not believed to have been used against a straight minister and it effectively blocks the ordination of gay ministers who are in committed relationships.
The balloting will be the fifth time that efforts to ordain gay clergy have gone to such a vote.
Spahr was ordained in 1974, when she was the married mother of two young sons. The 68-year-old came out in 1978 and has fought for full inclusion of gays and lesbians in Presbyterian life ever since. She was able to remain a minister because she was ordained before the anti-gay edicts.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Presbyterian pastor faces religious trial for performing same-sex marriages" by Josh Richman, Oakland Tribune 8/23/10
After 36 years as a Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, 68, of San Francisco, could face censure, a suspension from pastoral duties, or -- unlikely, but possible -- even revocation of her ordination after proceedings starting Tuesday at the Presbytery of the Redwoods in Napa.
With more than 2 million adherents, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has allowed the blessing of same-sex couples since 2000 and has endorsed civil unions for same-sex couples since 2004, but its constitution defines marriage as between "a man and a woman." A church legislative committee voted 34-18 last month to change that definition to between "two people," but the church's General Assembly days later voted 439-208 to table the matter for two years of further study.
Those arguing for the change say same-sex couples can show the same kind of love and commitment as opposite-sex couples and so deserve the same recognition from the church; those arguing against it say it's at odds with Scripture.
The trial is expected to take several days and it is unclear when the panel may rule.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 8/28/10: Denomination slaps "pastor's" hand and warns her to not do it again
-- From "Church court tries minister who performed same-sex marriages" by Maria L. La Ganga, Los Angeles Times 8/24/10
The case of the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr has gained national attention because "what is being tested is the definition of marriage" in the Presbyterian faith, said the Rev. Carmen Fowler, president of the Presbyterian Lay Committee, a conservative organization that opposes same-sex marriage.
Although the Presbyterian constitution does not explicitly prohibit same-sex marriage, it defines marriage as "a civil contract between a woman and a man." But same-sex marriage is legal in five states and the District of Columbia and is working its way through the courts in California.
In July, the [PCUSA] General Assembly, which meets every two years, voted to repeal [the pastors' chastity in singleness] requirement. Now the denomination's 173 regions, or presbyteries, will have until June to vote on whether to ratify that change. The amendment is not believed to have been used against a straight minister and it effectively blocks the ordination of gay ministers who are in committed relationships.
The balloting will be the fifth time that efforts to ordain gay clergy have gone to such a vote.
Spahr was ordained in 1974, when she was the married mother of two young sons. The 68-year-old came out in 1978 and has fought for full inclusion of gays and lesbians in Presbyterian life ever since. She was able to remain a minister because she was ordained before the anti-gay edicts.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Presbyterian pastor faces religious trial for performing same-sex marriages" by Josh Richman, Oakland Tribune 8/23/10
After 36 years as a Presbyterian minister, the Rev. Jane Adams Spahr, 68, of San Francisco, could face censure, a suspension from pastoral duties, or -- unlikely, but possible -- even revocation of her ordination after proceedings starting Tuesday at the Presbytery of the Redwoods in Napa.
With more than 2 million adherents, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has allowed the blessing of same-sex couples since 2000 and has endorsed civil unions for same-sex couples since 2004, but its constitution defines marriage as between "a man and a woman." A church legislative committee voted 34-18 last month to change that definition to between "two people," but the church's General Assembly days later voted 439-208 to table the matter for two years of further study.
Those arguing for the change say same-sex couples can show the same kind of love and commitment as opposite-sex couples and so deserve the same recognition from the church; those arguing against it say it's at odds with Scripture.
The trial is expected to take several days and it is unclear when the panel may rule.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Monday, August 23, 2010
Judge Stops Obama Funding of Embryo Destruction
A federal judge on Monday issued a preliminary injunction that blocks the federal government from funding medical research involving human embryonic stem cells, a blow to the Obama administration's bid to expand stem-cell research efforts.
UPDATE 9/10/10: Federal appeals court suspends previous federal judge’s ruling -- federally funded human embryonic stem cell research to resume.
UPDATE 8/30/10: NIH shuts down its own embryonic stem cell research
UPDATE 8/24/10: Obama administration plans to fight to kill embryos; Dems fearful of issue
-- From "Judge Blocks US Funding Of Embryonic Stem-Cell Research" by Brent Kendall, Dow Jones Newswires (posted at Wall Street Journal) 8/23/10
U.S. Chief District Court Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington ruled that government funding for embryonic stem-cell research was barred by a law that prohibits the use of federal money for research in which an embryo is destroyed.
Lamberth said Congress clearly intended to bar federal funding of research involving embryo destruction, and added, "This Court is bound to apply the law as it is written."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge stops federal funding of embryonic stem cell research" by the CNN Wire Staff 8/23/10
Lamberth's ruling said all embryonic stem cell research involves destroying embryos, which violates the Dickey-Wicker Amendment included in federal spending bills.
"The Dickey-Wicker Amendment unambiguously prohibits the use of federal funds for all research in which a human embryo is destroyed," Lamberth's ruling said. "It is not limited to prohibit federal funding of only the 'piece of research' in which an embryo is destroyed. Thus, if ESC [embryonic stem cell] research is research in which an embryo is destroyed, the guidelines, by funding ESC research, violate the Dickey-Wicker Amendment."
The Justice Department was reviewing the decision, spokesperson Tracy Schmaler said.
President Barack Obama signed an executive order in March 2009 that repealed a Bush-era policy limiting federal dollars for human stem cell research. Obama's act permitted the National Institutes of Health to conduct and fund studies on embryonic stem cells.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge Forces Obama Admin to Stop Funding Embryonic Stem Cell Research" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor 8/23/10
The Obama administration can try to appeal the decision granting the preliminary injunction or could try to rewrite the guidelines to comply with the law. With the initial decision in place, both sides will likely present arguments about whether the order should be permanently blocked.
Dr. Theresa Deisher, of AVM Biotechnology and Dr. James L. Sherley, a former MIT professor and scientist, are parties to the lawsuit because they say the Obama order sends funding for their adult stem cell research to scientists working with unproven embryonic stem cells.
The lawsuit, filed in August 2009, alleges that the guidelines governing destructive embryonic stem cell research implemented by the Obama administration in July “are contrary to law, were promulgated without observing the procedures required by law."
Thomas G. Hungar, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, which includes the Alliance Defense Fund and the Christian Medical Association, said in 2009 when the lawsuit was filed, "the language of the [Dickey-Wicker] statute is clear" that it "bans public funding for any research that leads to the destruction of human embryos."
Sam Casey, General Counsel of Advocates International's Law of Life Project, a public interest legal project involved in the case, pointed out that NIH officials have admitted they violated the public comment process by ignoring the majority of comments coming from pro-life advocates opposed to destroying unborn children for their stem cells.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
The case is Sherley v. Sebelius, 09-cv-1575, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Washington).
Click headlines below for previous articles:
Obama, Again, Chooses Death for the Unborn
Obama Administration Outlines Embryo Destruction
Adult Stem Cell Success - No Embryo Killing Necessary
Embryonic Stem Cells Fail Where Other Research Advances
CBS Deceptive Stem Cell Research Report
ObamaCare Terminates Adult Stem Cell Treatments
Bush Took the High Road on Stem Cells
UPDATE 9/10/10: Federal appeals court suspends previous federal judge’s ruling -- federally funded human embryonic stem cell research to resume.
UPDATE 8/30/10: NIH shuts down its own embryonic stem cell research
UPDATE 8/24/10: Obama administration plans to fight to kill embryos; Dems fearful of issue
-- From "Judge Blocks US Funding Of Embryonic Stem-Cell Research" by Brent Kendall, Dow Jones Newswires (posted at Wall Street Journal) 8/23/10
U.S. Chief District Court Judge Royce Lamberth in Washington ruled that government funding for embryonic stem-cell research was barred by a law that prohibits the use of federal money for research in which an embryo is destroyed.
Lamberth said Congress clearly intended to bar federal funding of research involving embryo destruction, and added, "This Court is bound to apply the law as it is written."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge stops federal funding of embryonic stem cell research" by the CNN Wire Staff 8/23/10
Lamberth's ruling said all embryonic stem cell research involves destroying embryos, which violates the Dickey-Wicker Amendment included in federal spending bills.
"The Dickey-Wicker Amendment unambiguously prohibits the use of federal funds for all research in which a human embryo is destroyed," Lamberth's ruling said. "It is not limited to prohibit federal funding of only the 'piece of research' in which an embryo is destroyed. Thus, if ESC [embryonic stem cell] research is research in which an embryo is destroyed, the guidelines, by funding ESC research, violate the Dickey-Wicker Amendment."
The Justice Department was reviewing the decision, spokesperson Tracy Schmaler said.
President Barack Obama signed an executive order in March 2009 that repealed a Bush-era policy limiting federal dollars for human stem cell research. Obama's act permitted the National Institutes of Health to conduct and fund studies on embryonic stem cells.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge Forces Obama Admin to Stop Funding Embryonic Stem Cell Research" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor 8/23/10
The Obama administration can try to appeal the decision granting the preliminary injunction or could try to rewrite the guidelines to comply with the law. With the initial decision in place, both sides will likely present arguments about whether the order should be permanently blocked.
Dr. Theresa Deisher, of AVM Biotechnology and Dr. James L. Sherley, a former MIT professor and scientist, are parties to the lawsuit because they say the Obama order sends funding for their adult stem cell research to scientists working with unproven embryonic stem cells.
The lawsuit, filed in August 2009, alleges that the guidelines governing destructive embryonic stem cell research implemented by the Obama administration in July “are contrary to law, were promulgated without observing the procedures required by law."
Thomas G. Hungar, one of the lawyers for the plaintiffs, which includes the Alliance Defense Fund and the Christian Medical Association, said in 2009 when the lawsuit was filed, "the language of the [Dickey-Wicker] statute is clear" that it "bans public funding for any research that leads to the destruction of human embryos."
Sam Casey, General Counsel of Advocates International's Law of Life Project, a public interest legal project involved in the case, pointed out that NIH officials have admitted they violated the public comment process by ignoring the majority of comments coming from pro-life advocates opposed to destroying unborn children for their stem cells.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
The case is Sherley v. Sebelius, 09-cv-1575, U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia (Washington).
Click headlines below for previous articles:
Obama, Again, Chooses Death for the Unborn
Obama Administration Outlines Embryo Destruction
Adult Stem Cell Success - No Embryo Killing Necessary
Embryonic Stem Cells Fail Where Other Research Advances
CBS Deceptive Stem Cell Research Report
ObamaCare Terminates Adult Stem Cell Treatments
Bush Took the High Road on Stem Cells
Neighbor Disturbed by Cross on the Hill
To Richard and Joan Downing, the 24-foot-tall cross on a hilltop on their [800-acre] property is an expression of their faith. To a state commission that regulates land use, it is out of character with the natural beauty of the rural neighborhood and should come down.
-- From "Family fighting for their cross" by Dave Gram, Associated Press 8/16/10
The Downings, lifelong Roman Catholics in their late 70s, own about 800 acres outside the village of Lyndonville [Vermont]. In 2005, they opened a chapel on their property to serve their family: seven children, three of them adopted, and the 35 foster children they raised, mainly at their other home in Sherborn, Mass.
The couple decided two years after building the chapel to add a Cross . . .
The issue went before the District 7 Environmental Commission, and the commission ruled that the Downings would need an amended permit for the cross. When the Downings applied, the commission denied the amended permit, saying that under Vermont's land-use law, the cross would create "an adverse effect on the scenic or natural beauty of the area ...."
Assistant Attorney General Robert McDougall, representing the state, says that when the issue is religious liberty, the courts usually try to see whether restrictions pose a "substantial burden" on someone's free exercise of their faith.
Another round of legal arguments is expected this month.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Family fighting for their cross" by Dave Gram, Associated Press 8/16/10
The Downings, lifelong Roman Catholics in their late 70s, own about 800 acres outside the village of Lyndonville [Vermont]. In 2005, they opened a chapel on their property to serve their family: seven children, three of them adopted, and the 35 foster children they raised, mainly at their other home in Sherborn, Mass.
The couple decided two years after building the chapel to add a Cross . . .
The issue went before the District 7 Environmental Commission, and the commission ruled that the Downings would need an amended permit for the cross. When the Downings applied, the commission denied the amended permit, saying that under Vermont's land-use law, the cross would create "an adverse effect on the scenic or natural beauty of the area ...."
Assistant Attorney General Robert McDougall, representing the state, says that when the issue is religious liberty, the courts usually try to see whether restrictions pose a "substantial burden" on someone's free exercise of their faith.
Another round of legal arguments is expected this month.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Mother Sues School over Sexualization Curriculum
A Helena [Montana] mother says the final adoption of a highly controversial proposed health curriculum will cause her and her children “irreparable harm” and is asking a District Court judge to intervene.
UPDATE 9/29/10 - School board meets, changes nothing substantive (video):
UPDATE 9/17/10 (video below): Superintendent stands firm on curriculum with insignificant modifications
UPDATE 9/2/10: Speaking before large crowds in Montana, Dr. Miriam Grossman, a child psychiatrist and medical doctor, says the proposed curriculum provides too much information too soon, and not enough information later on.
For extensive background, read Montana Sex Ed Starting at Kindergarten
-- From "Mother sues over sex-ed curriculum" by Angela Brandt, Independent Record (Helena, MT) 8/21/10
The complaint calls into question the content of the curriculum and the process used to develop it. The complaint alleges the curriculum is in violation of the Montana Constitution because it was developed without any public hearings or meetings where parents could observe and participate.
According to court documents, [Kristi] Allen-Gailushas requested “a seat at the table” via a letter to Superintendent Bruce Messinger and was refused. She then asked to speak at a school board meeting and was ignored, the documents allege, thus violating her freedom of speech and expression.
Allen-Gailushas, a Republican candidate for Montana House District 82, announced her complaint alongside members of the Big Sky Tea Party Association late Friday afternoon at the Lewis and Clark County Courthouse. She said the curriculum was decided upon “behind closed doors.”
The proposed curriculum — a 62-page document that covers a wide spectrum of health concerns — is the result of two years of work by a committee. It takes a science-based approach in covering topics such as nutrition, relationships, mental health, environmental health and disease prevention.
Critics take particular issue with the proposal to teach fifth-grade students that sexual activity includes “vaginal, oral, or anal penetration” and ensure kindergarteners through third-graders know the anatomical names for body parts, including the penis and vagina.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 9/29/10 - School board meets, changes nothing substantive (video):
UPDATE 9/17/10 (video below): Superintendent stands firm on curriculum with insignificant modifications
UPDATE 9/2/10: Speaking before large crowds in Montana, Dr. Miriam Grossman, a child psychiatrist and medical doctor, says the proposed curriculum provides too much information too soon, and not enough information later on.
For extensive background, read Montana Sex Ed Starting at Kindergarten
-- From "Mother sues over sex-ed curriculum" by Angela Brandt, Independent Record (Helena, MT) 8/21/10
The complaint calls into question the content of the curriculum and the process used to develop it. The complaint alleges the curriculum is in violation of the Montana Constitution because it was developed without any public hearings or meetings where parents could observe and participate.
According to court documents, [Kristi] Allen-Gailushas requested “a seat at the table” via a letter to Superintendent Bruce Messinger and was refused. She then asked to speak at a school board meeting and was ignored, the documents allege, thus violating her freedom of speech and expression.
Allen-Gailushas, a Republican candidate for Montana House District 82, announced her complaint alongside members of the Big Sky Tea Party Association late Friday afternoon at the Lewis and Clark County Courthouse. She said the curriculum was decided upon “behind closed doors.”
The proposed curriculum — a 62-page document that covers a wide spectrum of health concerns — is the result of two years of work by a committee. It takes a science-based approach in covering topics such as nutrition, relationships, mental health, environmental health and disease prevention.
Critics take particular issue with the proposal to teach fifth-grade students that sexual activity includes “vaginal, oral, or anal penetration” and ensure kindergarteners through third-graders know the anatomical names for body parts, including the penis and vagina.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, August 22, 2010
Episcopal Anglican School Rejects Lesbians' Daughter
The (conservative Christian) St. Vincent’s Episcopal School in Bedford, Texas (associated with the North American Anglicans who broke with the Episcopal Church USA over homosexuality and Scriptural abandonment) said that the student's home life would be at odds with the school's teaching.
-- From "School Rejects Lesbian Couple's Daughter" by Matt Grubs, KDFW FOX 4 News 8/20/10
A Bedford couple is upset that their daughter [Olivia] was denied admission to a private Episcopal school.
Jill and Tracy Harrison were married in Canada in 2006.
They are disappointed that their daughter was denied an education there because of who they go to bed with at the end of the day.
The school claims it would deny admission to children of a heterosexual couple living together outside of marriage, but the Harrison's aren't convinced that's true.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Also read: Texas Diocese Exits Apostate Episcopal Denomination
-- From "School Rejects Lesbian Couple's Daughter" by Matt Grubs, KDFW FOX 4 News 8/20/10
A Bedford couple is upset that their daughter [Olivia] was denied admission to a private Episcopal school.
Jill and Tracy Harrison were married in Canada in 2006.
They are disappointed that their daughter was denied an education there because of who they go to bed with at the end of the day.
The school claims it would deny admission to children of a heterosexual couple living together outside of marriage, but the Harrison's aren't convinced that's true.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Also read: Texas Diocese Exits Apostate Episcopal Denomination
Feds Embargo Study Favorable of Abstinence
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is withholding the full results of a government study that makes a strong case for promoting abstinence before marriage over sexual education promoting “safe sex.”
UPDATE 8/31/10: Study details now available
UPDATE 8/24/10: Obama yields to pressure and releases full study
-- From "Obama Administration Stonewalls Full Release of Major Abstinence Study" by Peter J. Smith, LifeSiteNews.com 8/19/10
Researcher Lisa Rue, Ph.D., a specialist in adolescent behavior, wrote an editorial in the Times Call revealing that the HHS had blocked her repeated requests for the full detailed study, including a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. According to Rue, the HHS said they would not release the full study because they were “pre-decisional and deliberative" – a claim Rue said she found hard to believe, since the study has been publically mentioned at least twice.
Rue suspected the full details were being withheld because they would undermine the Obama administration’s priorities on sex education, which do not include sexual abstinence or address the issue of fatherlessness in children’s lives.
Rue concluded, “At this point in time, we must ask ourselves: Is this valuable process being suppressed by those who wish to repress American values in an effort to exert control over sex education offered in the United States?"
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Also read: Obama Proved Wrong on Abstinence Education
UPDATE 8/31/10: Study details now available
UPDATE 8/24/10: Obama yields to pressure and releases full study
-- From "Obama Administration Stonewalls Full Release of Major Abstinence Study" by Peter J. Smith, LifeSiteNews.com 8/19/10
Researcher Lisa Rue, Ph.D., a specialist in adolescent behavior, wrote an editorial in the Times Call revealing that the HHS had blocked her repeated requests for the full detailed study, including a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request. According to Rue, the HHS said they would not release the full study because they were “pre-decisional and deliberative" – a claim Rue said she found hard to believe, since the study has been publically mentioned at least twice.
Rue suspected the full details were being withheld because they would undermine the Obama administration’s priorities on sex education, which do not include sexual abstinence or address the issue of fatherlessness in children’s lives.
Rue concluded, “At this point in time, we must ask ourselves: Is this valuable process being suppressed by those who wish to repress American values in an effort to exert control over sex education offered in the United States?"
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Also read: Obama Proved Wrong on Abstinence Education
Saturday, August 21, 2010
'Scientist' Examines Creationist, Fundamentalist Christians
A professor of sociology studying Bible-believing Christians, while admitting a bias against creationist belief, says that a visit to Kentucky's Creation Museum makes non-believers painfully uncomfortable and even isolated.
-- From "When sociology students visit Creation Museum" by Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer, Christian Science Monitor 8/19/10
The study, presented Sunday at the American Sociological Association meeting in Atlanta, took place over three in-depth visits to the museum over a year and a half. Bernadette Barton, a professor of sociology at Morehead State University in Kentucky, toured exhibits, attended museum lectures, observed museum guests and led a student field trip to the museum.
The Creation Museum, opened in 2007, puts its own brand of scientific explanations of creationism alongside exhibits of Adam and Eve, dinosaurs with humans, and Noah building his Ark. One exhibit, "Graffiti Alley," purports to show what happens when mankind abandons Young Earth Creationism. These consequences include the birth control pill, abortion, divorce, murder and gay marriage.
Though debates about creationism usually revolve around education, Barton visited the museum as part of a larger project on fundamentalist culture. She's particularly interested in why homophobia persists in the Bible Belt. This area spans the southern United States and parts of the Midwest and is marked by a high proportion of evangelical Protestants. In Kentucky, where the Creation Museum is located, 62 percent of residents describe themselves as fundamentalist.
"I was seeking to understand the fundamentalist framework," Barton told LiveScience. "I went there seeking to understand how people adhere to [a] set of beliefs that can, in my opinion, have sometimes destructive consequences."
Barton combined hours of observation and analysis of museum materials into an ethnography, a detailed narrative about a place and its culture that is often used in sociology. Unlike other research methods, the ethnography does not strive for impartiality; rather, the researchers recognize and reflect on their own reactions to what they see.
Be sure to CLICK HERE and read the entire article -- from a Christian worldview, it's amazing.
-- From "When sociology students visit Creation Museum" by Stephanie Pappas, LiveScience Senior Writer, Christian Science Monitor 8/19/10
The study, presented Sunday at the American Sociological Association meeting in Atlanta, took place over three in-depth visits to the museum over a year and a half. Bernadette Barton, a professor of sociology at Morehead State University in Kentucky, toured exhibits, attended museum lectures, observed museum guests and led a student field trip to the museum.
The Creation Museum, opened in 2007, puts its own brand of scientific explanations of creationism alongside exhibits of Adam and Eve, dinosaurs with humans, and Noah building his Ark. One exhibit, "Graffiti Alley," purports to show what happens when mankind abandons Young Earth Creationism. These consequences include the birth control pill, abortion, divorce, murder and gay marriage.
Though debates about creationism usually revolve around education, Barton visited the museum as part of a larger project on fundamentalist culture. She's particularly interested in why homophobia persists in the Bible Belt. This area spans the southern United States and parts of the Midwest and is marked by a high proportion of evangelical Protestants. In Kentucky, where the Creation Museum is located, 62 percent of residents describe themselves as fundamentalist.
"I was seeking to understand the fundamentalist framework," Barton told LiveScience. "I went there seeking to understand how people adhere to [a] set of beliefs that can, in my opinion, have sometimes destructive consequences."
Barton combined hours of observation and analysis of museum materials into an ethnography, a detailed narrative about a place and its culture that is often used in sociology. Unlike other research methods, the ethnography does not strive for impartiality; rather, the researchers recognize and reflect on their own reactions to what they see.
Be sure to CLICK HERE and read the entire article -- from a Christian worldview, it's amazing.
Friday, August 20, 2010
Abortionists Mock Sarah Palin's Mama Grizzlies
Pro-abortion feminist fundraising organization, EMILY's List, attacks Sara Palin's brand of feminism and candidate endorsements.
-- From "Women's groups spar on Palin" by Joseph Weber, The Washington Times 8/17/10
The 25-year-old group has launched a "Sarah Doesn't Speak for Me" interactive website on which visitors can "share personal stories ... learn the truth about Palin's endorsed candidates ... and support progressive candidates."
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the [pro-life] Susan B. Anthony List, said . . . every round of Palin criticism by liberals or the mainstream media has resulted in a surge in memberships to her group's "Team Sarah" website.
Mrs. Palin also called President Obama "the most pro-abortion president" in U.S. history and that his health care overhaul plan has resulted in a "mom-awakening," because "moms kind of know when something's wrong."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Palin claims a 'cackle of rads' has hijacked the term 'feminist'" by Elise Viebeck, The Hill 8/18/10
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) preceded her endorsement of six more female candidates Tuesday with a tweet that asked, "Who hijacked term: 'feminist'?"
She answered: "A cackle of rads who want 2 crucify other women w/whom they disagree on a singular issue; it's ironic (& passé)."
The tweet appeared to be addressing liberal women's campaign group Emily List . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Women's groups spar on Palin" by Joseph Weber, The Washington Times 8/17/10
The 25-year-old group has launched a "Sarah Doesn't Speak for Me" interactive website on which visitors can "share personal stories ... learn the truth about Palin's endorsed candidates ... and support progressive candidates."
Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the [pro-life] Susan B. Anthony List, said . . . every round of Palin criticism by liberals or the mainstream media has resulted in a surge in memberships to her group's "Team Sarah" website.
Mrs. Palin also called President Obama "the most pro-abortion president" in U.S. history and that his health care overhaul plan has resulted in a "mom-awakening," because "moms kind of know when something's wrong."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Palin claims a 'cackle of rads' has hijacked the term 'feminist'" by Elise Viebeck, The Hill 8/18/10
Former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin (R) preceded her endorsement of six more female candidates Tuesday with a tweet that asked, "Who hijacked term: 'feminist'?"
She answered: "A cackle of rads who want 2 crucify other women w/whom they disagree on a singular issue; it's ironic (& passé)."
The tweet appeared to be addressing liberal women's campaign group Emily List . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Homeschoolers Banned from Math Competition
Concerned Women for America has confirmed that Math Counts, a national math competition for teams and individual students in grades 6-8, will not allow homeschoolers to form teams and compete in the 2010-2011 school year.
-- From "Homeschoolers Count -- National Math Competition Bans Homeschoolers" posted at Christian Newswire 8/17/10
The Math Counts board unanimously decided to exclude homeschoolers in response to a few situations in which "super teams" were formed by pulling certain gifted students from public schools and labeling them as homeschool teams.
Math Counts has provided unique opportunities for gifted students to compete and to shine. The program is comparable to the National Spelling Bee. Winners on a national level are rewarded and meet the president at the White House.
These examples of cheating obviously mar the competition, but homeschoolers as a whole should not be completely wiped from the competition.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "MATHCOUNTS Agrees to Meet with HSLDA" by William A. Estrada, Esq., Director of Federal Relations, Home School Legal Defense Association 8/19/10
MATHCOUNTS has agreed to meet with HSLDA to discuss its change in eligibility standards for homeschool teams.
MATHCOUNTS explained to HSLDA that there is no desire to discriminate against homeschoolers, or students from any school, with this new eligibility rule. However, HSLDA believes—based on conversations with homeschool MATHCOUNTS coaches and others—that the new MATHCOUNTS eligibility policy will significantly reduce the number of homeschool students who are able to qualify for the state MATHCOUNTS competitions.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Homeschoolers Count -- National Math Competition Bans Homeschoolers" posted at Christian Newswire 8/17/10
The Math Counts board unanimously decided to exclude homeschoolers in response to a few situations in which "super teams" were formed by pulling certain gifted students from public schools and labeling them as homeschool teams.
Math Counts has provided unique opportunities for gifted students to compete and to shine. The program is comparable to the National Spelling Bee. Winners on a national level are rewarded and meet the president at the White House.
These examples of cheating obviously mar the competition, but homeschoolers as a whole should not be completely wiped from the competition.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "MATHCOUNTS Agrees to Meet with HSLDA" by William A. Estrada, Esq., Director of Federal Relations, Home School Legal Defense Association 8/19/10
MATHCOUNTS has agreed to meet with HSLDA to discuss its change in eligibility standards for homeschool teams.
MATHCOUNTS explained to HSLDA that there is no desire to discriminate against homeschoolers, or students from any school, with this new eligibility rule. However, HSLDA believes—based on conversations with homeschool MATHCOUNTS coaches and others—that the new MATHCOUNTS eligibility policy will significantly reduce the number of homeschool students who are able to qualify for the state MATHCOUNTS competitions.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, August 19, 2010
School Loses Lawsuit Against Pro-life Student
In a victory for pro-life speech in public school, a federal court entered a judgment Thursday against a California elementary school and three school officials for violating the First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendment rights of a 6th grade student who wore a T-shirt opposing abortion.
-- From "Calif. school settles suit with anti-abortion girl" by The Associated Press 8/13/10
A California school district sued by a former sixth-grade student who was asked to remove an anti-abortion T-shirt has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle the suit.
Attorneys for Tiffany Amador said Friday that officials at Merced's McSwain Union Elementary School called the T-shirt disruptive when she wore it in April 2008.
The shirt showed pictures of an apparent fetus and said "ABORTION: growing... growing... gone."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judgment Vindicates Calif. Student Punished for Pro-Life T-Shirt" posted at LifeSiteNews.com 8/13/10
Los Angeles attorney William J. Becker, Jr., of The Becker Law Firm, assisted by the Thomas More Law Center, filed suit after school officials barred Tiffany Amador from wearing her pro-life T-shirt at McSwain Union Elementary School, a kindergarten through 8th grade school located in Merced, north of Fresno.
On April 29, 2008, Amador wore a shirt sponsored by the American Life League, which annually sponsors a National Pro-Life T-shirt Week. The shirt, which was given to her by her church, prominently featured the word “ABORTION” over a series of panels, two of which depicted endoscopic pictures of a baby developing in the womb and the third filled in with black. The caption read, “growing…growing…gone.” Amador testified in the case that she wore the shirt to school because she wanted other students to known that “abortion is wrong.”
The school claimed the images of the baby were “disruptive” to the school environment because of their “graphic nature” - but Amador's lawyers say the school could not explain what made them so graphic that they would have caused a substantial disruption. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that only a substantial disruption would merit censure by a public school.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Calif. school settles suit with anti-abortion girl" by The Associated Press 8/13/10
A California school district sued by a former sixth-grade student who was asked to remove an anti-abortion T-shirt has agreed to pay $50,000 to settle the suit.
Attorneys for Tiffany Amador said Friday that officials at Merced's McSwain Union Elementary School called the T-shirt disruptive when she wore it in April 2008.
The shirt showed pictures of an apparent fetus and said "ABORTION: growing... growing... gone."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judgment Vindicates Calif. Student Punished for Pro-Life T-Shirt" posted at LifeSiteNews.com 8/13/10
Los Angeles attorney William J. Becker, Jr., of The Becker Law Firm, assisted by the Thomas More Law Center, filed suit after school officials barred Tiffany Amador from wearing her pro-life T-shirt at McSwain Union Elementary School, a kindergarten through 8th grade school located in Merced, north of Fresno.
On April 29, 2008, Amador wore a shirt sponsored by the American Life League, which annually sponsors a National Pro-Life T-shirt Week. The shirt, which was given to her by her church, prominently featured the word “ABORTION” over a series of panels, two of which depicted endoscopic pictures of a baby developing in the womb and the third filled in with black. The caption read, “growing…growing…gone.” Amador testified in the case that she wore the shirt to school because she wanted other students to known that “abortion is wrong.”
The school claimed the images of the baby were “disruptive” to the school environment because of their “graphic nature” - but Amador's lawyers say the school could not explain what made them so graphic that they would have caused a substantial disruption. The U.S. Supreme Court has held that only a substantial disruption would merit censure by a public school.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Is Obama Christian? Few Think So: Poll
The Los Angeles Times reports: Nearly four years after he entered the nation's political scene in a significant way . . . nearly half of Barack Obama's countrymen are unaware of what religion their president is.
Note: The poll was taken BEFORE the President's recent comments about the Ground Zero mosque.
UPDATE 8/11/11: Obama Honors 9/11 Muslim Heroes at White House
UPDATE 2/3/11: Obama Declares He's Christian, Again
UPDATE 8/20/10: The Rev. Franklin Graham Says President Obama was 'Born a Muslim'
-- From "19 months in, a few Americans think Obama is Muslim, but nearly half don't know what he is" posted at Los Angeles Times 8/19/10
It's interesting, certainly timely and politically potent that a small but growing number of Americans believes that Barack Obama is a Muslim, even before his controversial recent support of a new mosque near New York's ground zero.
But a plurality of Americans -- 43% -- currently say they do not know his religious faith. That number is . . . up from 34% in just one year.
So what religion is Obama and why the confusion?
Until the 2008 Democratic primary season and his reluctant but very public break with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who married Obama and baptized his daughters, Obama was a 20-year member of Chicago's Trinity United Church. He said he was unfamiliar with Wright's racist and anti-Semitic sermons, which showed up on numerous widely-viewed videotapes.
Since the Wright break, Obama has been unaffiliated with any specific faith . . .
Upon election, Obama said he and his family would join a Washington church; they have visited some. But joined none.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Growing Number of Americans Say Obama is a Muslim" by The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press 8/19/10
The impression that Obama is a Muslim is also more widespread today among independents – 18% say this today, up from 10% in 2009. There has been virtually no change in the share of Democrats who say Obama is a Muslim (10% today, 7% in 2009). But even among Democrats, fewer than half (46%) now identify his religion as Christian, down from 55% last year.
The survey also finds some discomfort with the idea that Obama relies a great deal on his faith when making policy decisions, especially compared with Bush in 2004. Among those who say that Obama relies on his religion a great deal when making policy decisions, 50% say he relies on his beliefs the right amount while 39% say that Obama relies on his faith too much.
In 2004, by contrast, the balance of opinion was much more positive for Bush; 63% of those who said he relied on his beliefs when making policy said this was appropriate while 27% said he relied on his beliefs too much.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Read also (previous articles):
Boston Globe Explores Obama as Fake Christian
Obama's 'Pluralistic Christian' Reign?
Obama's Base Support is the Unchurched (barely)
Obama Celebrates Homosexuals, Eggs as Easter
Easter Event at White House Avoids Christians
Note: The poll was taken BEFORE the President's recent comments about the Ground Zero mosque.
UPDATE 8/11/11: Obama Honors 9/11 Muslim Heroes at White House
UPDATE 2/3/11: Obama Declares He's Christian, Again
UPDATE 8/20/10: The Rev. Franklin Graham Says President Obama was 'Born a Muslim'
-- From "19 months in, a few Americans think Obama is Muslim, but nearly half don't know what he is" posted at Los Angeles Times 8/19/10
It's interesting, certainly timely and politically potent that a small but growing number of Americans believes that Barack Obama is a Muslim, even before his controversial recent support of a new mosque near New York's ground zero.
But a plurality of Americans -- 43% -- currently say they do not know his religious faith. That number is . . . up from 34% in just one year.
So what religion is Obama and why the confusion?
Until the 2008 Democratic primary season and his reluctant but very public break with the Rev. Jeremiah Wright, who married Obama and baptized his daughters, Obama was a 20-year member of Chicago's Trinity United Church. He said he was unfamiliar with Wright's racist and anti-Semitic sermons, which showed up on numerous widely-viewed videotapes.
Since the Wright break, Obama has been unaffiliated with any specific faith . . .
Upon election, Obama said he and his family would join a Washington church; they have visited some. But joined none.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Growing Number of Americans Say Obama is a Muslim" by The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press 8/19/10
The impression that Obama is a Muslim is also more widespread today among independents – 18% say this today, up from 10% in 2009. There has been virtually no change in the share of Democrats who say Obama is a Muslim (10% today, 7% in 2009). But even among Democrats, fewer than half (46%) now identify his religion as Christian, down from 55% last year.
The survey also finds some discomfort with the idea that Obama relies a great deal on his faith when making policy decisions, especially compared with Bush in 2004. Among those who say that Obama relies on his religion a great deal when making policy decisions, 50% say he relies on his beliefs the right amount while 39% say that Obama relies on his faith too much.
In 2004, by contrast, the balance of opinion was much more positive for Bush; 63% of those who said he relied on his beliefs when making policy said this was appropriate while 27% said he relied on his beliefs too much.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Read also (previous articles):
Boston Globe Explores Obama as Fake Christian
Obama's 'Pluralistic Christian' Reign?
Obama's Base Support is the Unchurched (barely)
Obama Celebrates Homosexuals, Eggs as Easter
Easter Event at White House Avoids Christians
Wednesday, August 18, 2010
Abortionists Furious SC Governor Signed Legislation
Gov. Mark Sanford this morning signed a bill making it mandatory that a 24-hour wait period be established before an abortion is administered in the state of South Carolina.
-- From "Sanford signs bill making it mandatory to wait 24 hours before abortion" by staff reports, Spartanburg Herald Journal 8/18/10
The bill was signed at the Carolina Pregnancy Center in Spartanburg, and proponents are considering it a legislative feat and a win for those leading a grassroots effort to protect life. Many of those supporting the bill expect the number of abortions in the state to decrease because of ultrasounds mothers have the option of receiving and the extra time that could lead a woman to change her decision.
“Our founding fathers gave us life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Sanford said. “The most fundamental is life because without it you can’t have the other two.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "SC Bill Increases Abortion Waiting Period" posted at Ms. Magazine 8/18/10
Sloan Whelan, public relations coordinator for Planned Parenthood of Charleston, told NBC, "It's unconscionable that the governor of South Carolina, along with other state legislators, would host a bill signing ceremony at a crisis pregnancy center. Crisis pregnancy centers have an infamous history for providing women with medically inaccurate and biased information in order to persuade their decision." In regards to the law itself, Whelan said, "There is no evidence that waiting periods reduce the number of abortions, and [they are] an egregious intrusion into a personal private medical decision of women and their loved ones."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Sanford signs bill making it mandatory to wait 24 hours before abortion" by staff reports, Spartanburg Herald Journal 8/18/10
The bill was signed at the Carolina Pregnancy Center in Spartanburg, and proponents are considering it a legislative feat and a win for those leading a grassroots effort to protect life. Many of those supporting the bill expect the number of abortions in the state to decrease because of ultrasounds mothers have the option of receiving and the extra time that could lead a woman to change her decision.
“Our founding fathers gave us life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness,” Sanford said. “The most fundamental is life because without it you can’t have the other two.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "SC Bill Increases Abortion Waiting Period" posted at Ms. Magazine 8/18/10
Sloan Whelan, public relations coordinator for Planned Parenthood of Charleston, told NBC, "It's unconscionable that the governor of South Carolina, along with other state legislators, would host a bill signing ceremony at a crisis pregnancy center. Crisis pregnancy centers have an infamous history for providing women with medically inaccurate and biased information in order to persuade their decision." In regards to the law itself, Whelan said, "There is no evidence that waiting periods reduce the number of abortions, and [they are] an egregious intrusion into a personal private medical decision of women and their loved ones."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Atheists Demand IRS Investigate Pastor
Oklahoma pastor speaking against Gay Agenda attacked by Americans United for Separation of Church and State claiming he endorsed a Republican candidate
-- From "Edmond Pastor, Church Group Under Fire Again for Preaching Politics" by Jon Jordan, WorldNow and NEWS 9 KOTV 8/15/10
The leader of Reclaiming Oklahoma for Christ Pastor Paul Blair said even though the group sent out an e-mail titled "RALLY FOR SALLY" for Republican Sally Kern, it was no way an endorsement and even if it was, Blair said constitutionally he would be well within his rights.
Pastor Paul Blair has quickly become one of the state's most controversial pastors, most notably for giving a sermon in 2008 where Blair said he would be voting for John McCain.
Federal law clearly states tax exempt organizations like Blair's Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond are "absolutely prohibited" from endorsing a candidate.
[Pastor Blair said,] "The First Amendment guarantees my right as a pastor to proclaim truth in here and not have the government tell me what I can and cannot say."
"We are always going to address issues that affect our culture. If there are issues that pertain to morality in our culture, we are going to address those issues," Pastor Blair said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Watchog Group Urges IRS to Investigate Oklahoma Pastor for Endorsing Conservative Candidate" by Sarah Netter, ABC News 8/18/10
In a letter sent last month to the Internal Revenue Service, the Washington D.C.-based [atheist] watchdog group pointed to an e-mail sent ahead of a June campaign kick-off event, "Rally for Sally," in which Blair urged parishioners and supporters to lash back at what he called an attempt by the "homosexual lobby" to take over the elected position.
An IRS spokesman declined to comment.
Blair, pastor of the 400-member Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, said he has been disturbed by gay rights activist Tim Gill's national move to elect candidates who will support LGBT issues. He pointed to Kern's transgender opponent, Brittany Novotny, as what he calls proof that the "homosexual lobby" has come to Oklahoma.
"In my few years, we've gone from Andy Griffith to 'Brokeback Mountain' and it's not getting any better," he told ABCNews.com. "We are just continuing to spiral into a moral abyss.
"We have never officially endorsed or gotten into politics," he said. "We get into cultural issues."
Kern said she wishes the country would go back to the days before President Johnson's 1954 amendment banning churches' political involvement, when pastors could speak freely on politics and candidates.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read, South Dakota Pastor Defies IRS Muzzle
-- From "Edmond Pastor, Church Group Under Fire Again for Preaching Politics" by Jon Jordan, WorldNow and NEWS 9 KOTV 8/15/10
The leader of Reclaiming Oklahoma for Christ Pastor Paul Blair said even though the group sent out an e-mail titled "RALLY FOR SALLY" for Republican Sally Kern, it was no way an endorsement and even if it was, Blair said constitutionally he would be well within his rights.
Pastor Paul Blair has quickly become one of the state's most controversial pastors, most notably for giving a sermon in 2008 where Blair said he would be voting for John McCain.
Federal law clearly states tax exempt organizations like Blair's Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond are "absolutely prohibited" from endorsing a candidate.
[Pastor Blair said,] "The First Amendment guarantees my right as a pastor to proclaim truth in here and not have the government tell me what I can and cannot say."
"We are always going to address issues that affect our culture. If there are issues that pertain to morality in our culture, we are going to address those issues," Pastor Blair said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Watchog Group Urges IRS to Investigate Oklahoma Pastor for Endorsing Conservative Candidate" by Sarah Netter, ABC News 8/18/10
In a letter sent last month to the Internal Revenue Service, the Washington D.C.-based [atheist] watchdog group pointed to an e-mail sent ahead of a June campaign kick-off event, "Rally for Sally," in which Blair urged parishioners and supporters to lash back at what he called an attempt by the "homosexual lobby" to take over the elected position.
An IRS spokesman declined to comment.
Blair, pastor of the 400-member Fairview Baptist Church in Edmond, said he has been disturbed by gay rights activist Tim Gill's national move to elect candidates who will support LGBT issues. He pointed to Kern's transgender opponent, Brittany Novotny, as what he calls proof that the "homosexual lobby" has come to Oklahoma.
"In my few years, we've gone from Andy Griffith to 'Brokeback Mountain' and it's not getting any better," he told ABCNews.com. "We are just continuing to spiral into a moral abyss.
"We have never officially endorsed or gotten into politics," he said. "We get into cultural issues."
Kern said she wishes the country would go back to the days before President Johnson's 1954 amendment banning churches' political involvement, when pastors could speak freely on politics and candidates.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read, South Dakota Pastor Defies IRS Muzzle
Tuesday, August 17, 2010
ObamaCare Terminates Adult Stem Cell Treatments
Obamacare has landed in Denver, where doctors at a pain-management clinic have been told they must stop treating patients with a successful process that extracts their own adult stem cells, cultivates them and then reinjects them to stimulate growth in damaged limbs.
-- From "FDA challenges stem-cell clinic" by David Cyranoski, Nature News 8/17/10
The FDA asserted its authority on 6 August, when it requested a federal injunction from the US District Court of the District of Columbia to prevent stem-cell clinic Regenerative Sciences in Broomfield, Colorado, from preparing its treatments. The company isolates, cultures and processes adult stem cells from a patient's bone marrow or synovial fluid. Doctors then inject the cells to treat fractures, torn tendons and other ailments.
In July 2008, the FDA told Regenerative Sciences that its treatments are drugs according to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and biological products under the Public Health Service Act. But the company did not apply for FDA approval and continued to offer the treatment. Now the agency says that the company is not following good manufacturing practice, and that the treatment's safety and efficacy is unproven.
But Christopher Centeno, Regenerative Sciences' medical director, argues that as the treatment uses a patient's own stem cells, it is a medical procedure akin to in vitro fertilization, and therefore none of the FDA's business.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Obamacare hits! Closes pain-treatment program" by Bob Unruh © 2010 WorldNetDaily 8/16/10
Centano confirms his work provides a much less costly and significantly more convenient alternative to knee or hip joint replacement surgeries, which sometimes require a year or more of recuperation.
But the Food and Drug Administration, in the wake of the adoption of President Obama's plan to nationalize health-care decision making, has ordered the company to halt, because the federal agency views the process as making "drugs."
Karen Midthun, acting director for the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the announcement, "FDA recognizes the importance of the development of novel and promising new therapies. However, when companies like Regenerative Sciences fail to comply with FDA laws and regulations, they put the public's health at risk."
Centano told WND that despite the company's repeated efforts [since 2008] to obtain a resolution in the disagreement, the FDA continually declined to respond – until Obamacare was adopted.
Now the federal agency has moved to "enjoin" the company's operations, and Centano told WND his company will fight.
"I think what we're seeing is a massive federalist move here," he told WND. "I think this represents that [for] Obamacare to work there has to be strict federal control over medicine. . . . The government is trying to get more and more positive control over what your doctor does or doesn't do."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "FDA challenges stem-cell clinic" by David Cyranoski, Nature News 8/17/10
The FDA asserted its authority on 6 August, when it requested a federal injunction from the US District Court of the District of Columbia to prevent stem-cell clinic Regenerative Sciences in Broomfield, Colorado, from preparing its treatments. The company isolates, cultures and processes adult stem cells from a patient's bone marrow or synovial fluid. Doctors then inject the cells to treat fractures, torn tendons and other ailments.
In July 2008, the FDA told Regenerative Sciences that its treatments are drugs according to the Federal Food, Drug and Cosmetic Act, and biological products under the Public Health Service Act. But the company did not apply for FDA approval and continued to offer the treatment. Now the agency says that the company is not following good manufacturing practice, and that the treatment's safety and efficacy is unproven.
But Christopher Centeno, Regenerative Sciences' medical director, argues that as the treatment uses a patient's own stem cells, it is a medical procedure akin to in vitro fertilization, and therefore none of the FDA's business.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Obamacare hits! Closes pain-treatment program" by Bob Unruh © 2010 WorldNetDaily 8/16/10
Centano confirms his work provides a much less costly and significantly more convenient alternative to knee or hip joint replacement surgeries, which sometimes require a year or more of recuperation.
But the Food and Drug Administration, in the wake of the adoption of President Obama's plan to nationalize health-care decision making, has ordered the company to halt, because the federal agency views the process as making "drugs."
Karen Midthun, acting director for the FDA's Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, said in the announcement, "FDA recognizes the importance of the development of novel and promising new therapies. However, when companies like Regenerative Sciences fail to comply with FDA laws and regulations, they put the public's health at risk."
Centano told WND that despite the company's repeated efforts [since 2008] to obtain a resolution in the disagreement, the FDA continually declined to respond – until Obamacare was adopted.
Now the federal agency has moved to "enjoin" the company's operations, and Centano told WND his company will fight.
"I think what we're seeing is a massive federalist move here," he told WND. "I think this represents that [for] Obamacare to work there has to be strict federal control over medicine. . . . The government is trying to get more and more positive control over what your doctor does or doesn't do."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
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