Vice President Joe Biden, campaigning in Florida, was drawn to a woman "who he thought had beautiful eyes." When she asked for his support for the rights of the sexually confused, Biden responded that transgenderism is the "civil rights issue of our time."
For background, read Obama, Senate Continue to Push Transgender Privilege and also read Transgenderism is 'Delusion' Says Victim
-- From "Biden says transgender discrimination 'civil rights issue of our time'" by Donovan Slack, Politico 10/30/12
She said something ...at first inaudible to [the campaign reporters'] pool, to which VP responded was the "civil rights issue of our time"
Pool later asked the woman, Linda Carragher Bourne of Sarasota about the exchange. She said her daughter was Miss Trans New England and asked if he would help them.
"A lot of my friends are being killed, and they don't have the civil rights yet. These guys are gonna make it happen," she told the pool.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Joe Biden: Transgender Discrimination Is 'The Civil Rights Issue Of Our Time'" by Jennifer Bendery, Huffington Post 10/30/12
Biden was meeting with volunteers at an Obama for America office in Sarasota, Fla., when he singled out one woman "who he thought had beautiful eyes," reads the pool report. The woman said something to Biden that was inaudible to the pool reporter, but Biden responded to her by saying it was the "civil rights issue of our time."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
And also read 2-year-old Says She's a Boy, 'Parents' Say OK as well as 4-year-old Says I'm a Boy AND a Girl, NY Times Loves It
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
U.S. Supreme Court: OK Voters Silenced by Abortion
The Oklahoma attorney general had approved a "personhood amendment" to be placed on the ballot to allow citizens to define “a person” as “any human being from the beginning of the biological development of that human being to natural death,” but in April, the Oklahoma Supreme Court struck down the ballot measure saying that it would violate the U.S. Supreme Court favoring abortion. Yesterday, the U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal to allow Oklahomans a voice in the matter.
Unelected judges prevail, again.
For background, read Oklahoma GOP & Supreme Court Defeat Personhood and also read Abortionists Fear Personhood Movement Gaining Steam as well as Mississippi Failed to Negate Roe v. Wade via Personhood
-- From "U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Oklahoma Personhood Initiative case" posted at KOCO-TV5 (Oklahoma City) 10/29/12
[The case] Personhood Oklahoma v. Barber questioned whether the Oklahoma Supreme Court had the authority to stop the initiative from going to a vote.
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt approved the ballot title and summary. Personhood Oklahoma was attempting to gather signatures in order to place the issue before the voters. The American Civil Liberties Union along with the Center for Reproductive Rights and other organizations filed a lawsuit disputing the constitutionality of the proposed amendment.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court then ruled that the initiative violated the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "US Supreme Court rejects Okla. personhood appeal" by Ken Miller, Associated Press 10/30/12
A personhood bill passed in the state Senate during this year's legislative session but was not heard by the House.
Personhood Oklahoma co-founder Dan Skerbitz said the group will not give up.
"In Oklahoma, the people were denied their right to petition and their right to vote," Skerbitz said. "The people of Oklahoma will not rest until our voices are heard, and our women and children are protected from abortion."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Supreme Courts Declines to Review ‘Personhood’ Ballot Measure" posted at JD Journal 10/30/12
While the Center for Reproductive Rights, the ACLU and local abortion rights groups had sued in March to block the proposed initiative, and got a ruling in their favor, Personhood Oklahoma challenged the state court’s decision and appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The appellants had argued that the decision of Oklahoma Supreme Court to block the initiative from being put to ballot deprived supporters of the measure of their rights to free speech and of their rights to participate in the democratic process.
However, the U.S. Supreme Court, refused to hear the case without adding any comment.
[Although], similar initiatives have been placed on ballot in Colorado and Mississippi, though in both states, such amendment measures have been defeated.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "U.S. Supreme Court declines Oklahoma Personhood case" by John-Henry Westen, LifeSiteNews.com 10/29/12
Commenting on the case, Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, said, “The Court’s decision not to take up the Oklahoma Personhood initiative has no precedential value. The issue is not about the merits of personhood but about whether a state court can interfere with the rights of citizens to gather signatures to amend their constitutions.”
“On the issue,” Staver added, “the Oklahoma Supreme Court decision is wrong.”
Staver concluded, “The time has come for government to acknowledge what science has long recognized – that human life begins from the moment of conception or fertilization and should be protected in law from its earliest beginnings.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Non-Romney GOP Push Personhood, End of Abortion
Unelected judges prevail, again.
For background, read Oklahoma GOP & Supreme Court Defeat Personhood and also read Abortionists Fear Personhood Movement Gaining Steam as well as Mississippi Failed to Negate Roe v. Wade via Personhood
-- From "U.S. Supreme Court declines to hear Oklahoma Personhood Initiative case" posted at KOCO-TV5 (Oklahoma City) 10/29/12
[The case] Personhood Oklahoma v. Barber questioned whether the Oklahoma Supreme Court had the authority to stop the initiative from going to a vote.
Oklahoma Attorney General Scott Pruitt approved the ballot title and summary. Personhood Oklahoma was attempting to gather signatures in order to place the issue before the voters. The American Civil Liberties Union along with the Center for Reproductive Rights and other organizations filed a lawsuit disputing the constitutionality of the proposed amendment.
The Oklahoma Supreme Court then ruled that the initiative violated the U.S. Supreme Court’s 1992 decision in Planned Parenthood v. Casey.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "US Supreme Court rejects Okla. personhood appeal" by Ken Miller, Associated Press 10/30/12
A personhood bill passed in the state Senate during this year's legislative session but was not heard by the House.
Personhood Oklahoma co-founder Dan Skerbitz said the group will not give up.
"In Oklahoma, the people were denied their right to petition and their right to vote," Skerbitz said. "The people of Oklahoma will not rest until our voices are heard, and our women and children are protected from abortion."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Supreme Courts Declines to Review ‘Personhood’ Ballot Measure" posted at JD Journal 10/30/12
While the Center for Reproductive Rights, the ACLU and local abortion rights groups had sued in March to block the proposed initiative, and got a ruling in their favor, Personhood Oklahoma challenged the state court’s decision and appealed to the U.S. Supreme Court. The appellants had argued that the decision of Oklahoma Supreme Court to block the initiative from being put to ballot deprived supporters of the measure of their rights to free speech and of their rights to participate in the democratic process.
However, the U.S. Supreme Court, refused to hear the case without adding any comment.
[Although], similar initiatives have been placed on ballot in Colorado and Mississippi, though in both states, such amendment measures have been defeated.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "U.S. Supreme Court declines Oklahoma Personhood case" by John-Henry Westen, LifeSiteNews.com 10/29/12
Commenting on the case, Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, said, “The Court’s decision not to take up the Oklahoma Personhood initiative has no precedential value. The issue is not about the merits of personhood but about whether a state court can interfere with the rights of citizens to gather signatures to amend their constitutions.”
“On the issue,” Staver added, “the Oklahoma Supreme Court decision is wrong.”
Staver concluded, “The time has come for government to acknowledge what science has long recognized – that human life begins from the moment of conception or fertilization and should be protected in law from its earliest beginnings.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Non-Romney GOP Push Personhood, End of Abortion
Monday, October 29, 2012
Colleges Ban Student Groups for Christian Beliefs
Tufts University (Medford, Mass.) banned Tufts Christian Fellowship InterVarsity after a lesbian complained that she was denied a leadership position for refusing to adhere to the "basic Biblical truths of Christianity." Separately, Solid Rock Christian Club has filed a lawsuit in federal court against Snow College of Utah for discrimination in favor of "the speech of popular groups and exclude unpopular ones."
For background, read U.S. Supreme Court Forces Atheists into University Christian Clubs and also read Buffalo University Favors Gays, Suspends Christian Organization as well as University Strips Crosses from Students' Chests
UPDATE 6/16/14: Intolerance of Christian Clubs Now Rampant on College Campuses
-- From "Tufts student government votes to 'de-recognize' evangelical group" by Katherine Landergan, Boston Globe Correspondent 10/26/12
The Tufts Community Union Judiciary, which is the judicial branch of student government, voted last week to de-recognize the Tufts Christian Fellowship InterVarsity, Tufts officials said in a statement, though the University would not comment on why the judiciary voted for the group to lose its status as an official organization.
If the decision were upheld, the TCF would lose its funding from the student government and permission to use the Tufts name, according to members of the student judiciary. They will still be allowed to meet on campus and can still be affiliated with the Chaplaincy.
Greg Bodwin, Vice-Chair of the Tufts Community Union Judiciary said that the TCF’s leadership requirement violates the discriminatory clause of the Tufts student constitution and that they are the only group to have such a requirement.
The [Christian group's] constitution states that “leaders of TCF (1) should support and advocate for the letter and spirit of TCF’s Basis of Faith and (2) in response to God’s Love, Grace and Truth should seek to exemplify Christ-like characteristics such as humility, honesty, racial reconciliation, concern for the poor and oppressed of society, sacrificial love, sexual chastity, respect for lawful authority, respect for biblical authority, and integrity, through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Christian Group Banned for Adhering to 'Biblical Truths of Christianity'" by Myles Collier, Christian Post Contributor 10/23/12
The complaint was first logged by a student who claimed that she was denied a leadership role within the organization due to the fact that she was a lesbian.
Officials within the Judiciary had previously stated that should Tufts Christian Fellowship revise their constitution or remove leadership requirements that were deemed to be discriminatory by Oct. 18, they would accepted by the university.
The group's Vision and Planning team felt that they could not, in good faith, remove or revise those specific leadership requirements and abandon their Christian standards. Their refusal led to the Judiciary's final decision.
The decision means that the group will lose all rights and privileges to use the Tufts name in its title or any of their activities or events. It also will prevent the organization from reserving space through the school's Office of Campus Life.
Leaders from the Christian group have declared they will appeal the Judiciary's decision. They contend that as a Christian organization, they are allowed to put in place guidelines that would be concurrent with the stated mission of the organization.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Christian club sues Snow College over alleged free speech issues" by Brooke Adams, The Salt Lake Tribune 10/23/12
In a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court, the Solid Rock Christian Club alleges the ["second tier" student group status] designation deprives such groups from being able to reserve campus facilities without charge, to advertise events on campus and to receive funding from student fees. That allows the college to favor "the speech of popular groups and exclude unpopular ones," the club alleges.
Solid Rock has operated on the Snow campus, located in Ephraim, for eight years. The complaint describes the club as committed to "exalting and glorifying Jesus Christ on campus" and encouraging students and faculty to believe in Jesus Christ. The club is associated with Tri Grace Ministries, which according to their web site, also is committed to "challenging the heretical doctrines of Mormonism and ... leading as many Mormons as possible into a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ."
With a brief exception during the 2010 school year, the club was able to use facilities without paying a community rental rate, the lawsuit states. It freely advertised activities and received student fee funding. During the 2010 school year, the college designated Solid Rock an "organization," with fewer privileges, but relented after student leaders of the group protested.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Federal Court Rules out Christian Beliefs at University
For background, read U.S. Supreme Court Forces Atheists into University Christian Clubs and also read Buffalo University Favors Gays, Suspends Christian Organization as well as University Strips Crosses from Students' Chests
UPDATE 6/16/14: Intolerance of Christian Clubs Now Rampant on College Campuses
-- From "Tufts student government votes to 'de-recognize' evangelical group" by Katherine Landergan, Boston Globe Correspondent 10/26/12
The Tufts Community Union Judiciary, which is the judicial branch of student government, voted last week to de-recognize the Tufts Christian Fellowship InterVarsity, Tufts officials said in a statement, though the University would not comment on why the judiciary voted for the group to lose its status as an official organization.
If the decision were upheld, the TCF would lose its funding from the student government and permission to use the Tufts name, according to members of the student judiciary. They will still be allowed to meet on campus and can still be affiliated with the Chaplaincy.
Greg Bodwin, Vice-Chair of the Tufts Community Union Judiciary said that the TCF’s leadership requirement violates the discriminatory clause of the Tufts student constitution and that they are the only group to have such a requirement.
The [Christian group's] constitution states that “leaders of TCF (1) should support and advocate for the letter and spirit of TCF’s Basis of Faith and (2) in response to God’s Love, Grace and Truth should seek to exemplify Christ-like characteristics such as humility, honesty, racial reconciliation, concern for the poor and oppressed of society, sacrificial love, sexual chastity, respect for lawful authority, respect for biblical authority, and integrity, through the power of the Holy Spirit.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Christian Group Banned for Adhering to 'Biblical Truths of Christianity'" by Myles Collier, Christian Post Contributor 10/23/12
The complaint was first logged by a student who claimed that she was denied a leadership role within the organization due to the fact that she was a lesbian.
Officials within the Judiciary had previously stated that should Tufts Christian Fellowship revise their constitution or remove leadership requirements that were deemed to be discriminatory by Oct. 18, they would accepted by the university.
The group's Vision and Planning team felt that they could not, in good faith, remove or revise those specific leadership requirements and abandon their Christian standards. Their refusal led to the Judiciary's final decision.
The decision means that the group will lose all rights and privileges to use the Tufts name in its title or any of their activities or events. It also will prevent the organization from reserving space through the school's Office of Campus Life.
Leaders from the Christian group have declared they will appeal the Judiciary's decision. They contend that as a Christian organization, they are allowed to put in place guidelines that would be concurrent with the stated mission of the organization.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Christian club sues Snow College over alleged free speech issues" by Brooke Adams, The Salt Lake Tribune 10/23/12
In a complaint filed Monday in U.S. District Court, the Solid Rock Christian Club alleges the ["second tier" student group status] designation deprives such groups from being able to reserve campus facilities without charge, to advertise events on campus and to receive funding from student fees. That allows the college to favor "the speech of popular groups and exclude unpopular ones," the club alleges.
Solid Rock has operated on the Snow campus, located in Ephraim, for eight years. The complaint describes the club as committed to "exalting and glorifying Jesus Christ on campus" and encouraging students and faculty to believe in Jesus Christ. The club is associated with Tri Grace Ministries, which according to their web site, also is committed to "challenging the heretical doctrines of Mormonism and ... leading as many Mormons as possible into a personal saving relationship with Jesus Christ."
With a brief exception during the 2010 school year, the club was able to use facilities without paying a community rental rate, the lawsuit states. It freely advertised activities and received student fee funding. During the 2010 school year, the college designated Solid Rock an "organization," with fewer privileges, but relented after student leaders of the group protested.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Federal Court Rules out Christian Beliefs at University
Sunday, October 28, 2012
Dems Vote for Abortion, Christians Pray for Life
While liberals fight for women's rights to taxpayer-funded sexual immorality and abortion, Christians campaign to save unborn lives and women's well-being in the annual 40 Days for Life prayer vigil across America.
For background, read Prayer Vigil Saves Babies & Mothers from Abortion and also read Christians Will Vote Against Abortion, Socialism as well as Obama Makes New Promise to Fund Killing Babies
-- From "For 40 days, protestors pray at Planned Parenthood" by Nathan Bergstedt, Grand Rapids, MN Herald Review 10/9/12
As part of the nationwide 40 Days for Life movement, local anti-choice activists have gathered outside Planned Parenthood in Grand Rapids. Throughout the 40 days, which last from September 26 to November 4, the prayer vigils are being conducted each Monday throughout October during business hours at the Planned Parenthood office.
According to local organizer Marlene Rowe, the main purpose of these demonstrations is to “pray to end abortion in our country.”
Around 1 p.m. on Monday, despite the dreary, drizzly weather, three protestors marched back and forth in front of the clinic’s office off of Hwy 2 on the west side of town. Holding signs that read “Abortion Kills Children” and “Jesus Forgives and Heals,” they quietly paced on the public space by the street so as to not trespass on the Planned Parenthood property. They did what they could to stay out of the way, and they are not allowed to talk to patients unless approached and asked questions.
Locally, for the second year in a row, members of numerous different churches in the greater Grand Rapids area have joined together to have a presence outside Planned Parenthood.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Campaign provides students opportunity for prayer" by Jackey Tamez, Staff Writer, Houston Baptist Collegian 10/25/12
Every Wednesday between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., Students for Life members gather in front of a Planned Parenthood as part of the 40 Days for Life campaign offering advice and information on alternatives to abortion.
“Our goal is to encourage women to not get an abortion,” [sophomore Nicholas] Van Cleve said.
Their efforts are not futile. Van Cleve said that during the week, one woman decided to keep her baby after listening to the ultrasound.
However, Van Cleve said Planned Parenthood staff members do try to interfere with the counselor’s efforts. For example, if the sidewalk counselor has been talking to someone for over five minutes, a staff member will drive up behind the car and start to honk in order to get the car to move.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "341 babies saved from abortion" by Shawn Carney, 40 Days for Life Campaign Director, LifeSiteNews.com 10/22/12
With two weeks to go in this 40 Days for Life campaign, we are so far aware of 341 babies saved from abortion!
[Example: WILMINGTON, DELAWARE]
There was a long line waiting to get into the abortion center. As one of the young women waited, she could hear the sung prayer of the 40 Days for Life vigil participants. She said that the song stuck in her head.
When she got inside and talked with the staff, she asked for an ultrasound. Once she saw the baby, she realized she simply couldn’t go through with the abortion.
After she walked out, she spoke to vigil participants. “She said she really never wanted to see the place again,” said Julie, one of the volunteers. “I don’t blame her! Thank you to all of you for your continued presence at Planned Parenthood. A life was saved today!”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Three abortion workers quit" by Shawn Carney, 40 Days for Life Campaign Director, LifeSiteNews.com 10/26/12
[As for the 40 Days conclude] abortion center staffers … ask themselves the question, “What good do I really do here?”
During this campaign, we’ve had reports of three abortion center employees who have left their jobs — and a few others are thinking about it. In the majority of these cases, the stories will remain confidential.
When former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson experienced a conversion, quit her job and walked into my office at the Coalition for Life next door, she lost not just an income but close personal friends. These workers will experience the same. So please keep them in your prayers as they transition out of the abortion business and find hope and healing.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Planned Parenthood's Prayer Vigil for More Abortion
For background, read Prayer Vigil Saves Babies & Mothers from Abortion and also read Christians Will Vote Against Abortion, Socialism as well as Obama Makes New Promise to Fund Killing Babies
-- From "For 40 days, protestors pray at Planned Parenthood" by Nathan Bergstedt, Grand Rapids, MN Herald Review 10/9/12
As part of the nationwide 40 Days for Life movement, local anti-choice activists have gathered outside Planned Parenthood in Grand Rapids. Throughout the 40 days, which last from September 26 to November 4, the prayer vigils are being conducted each Monday throughout October during business hours at the Planned Parenthood office.
According to local organizer Marlene Rowe, the main purpose of these demonstrations is to “pray to end abortion in our country.”
Around 1 p.m. on Monday, despite the dreary, drizzly weather, three protestors marched back and forth in front of the clinic’s office off of Hwy 2 on the west side of town. Holding signs that read “Abortion Kills Children” and “Jesus Forgives and Heals,” they quietly paced on the public space by the street so as to not trespass on the Planned Parenthood property. They did what they could to stay out of the way, and they are not allowed to talk to patients unless approached and asked questions.
Locally, for the second year in a row, members of numerous different churches in the greater Grand Rapids area have joined together to have a presence outside Planned Parenthood.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Campaign provides students opportunity for prayer" by Jackey Tamez, Staff Writer, Houston Baptist Collegian 10/25/12
Every Wednesday between 3 p.m. and 5 p.m., Students for Life members gather in front of a Planned Parenthood as part of the 40 Days for Life campaign offering advice and information on alternatives to abortion.
“Our goal is to encourage women to not get an abortion,” [sophomore Nicholas] Van Cleve said.
Their efforts are not futile. Van Cleve said that during the week, one woman decided to keep her baby after listening to the ultrasound.
However, Van Cleve said Planned Parenthood staff members do try to interfere with the counselor’s efforts. For example, if the sidewalk counselor has been talking to someone for over five minutes, a staff member will drive up behind the car and start to honk in order to get the car to move.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "341 babies saved from abortion" by Shawn Carney, 40 Days for Life Campaign Director, LifeSiteNews.com 10/22/12
With two weeks to go in this 40 Days for Life campaign, we are so far aware of 341 babies saved from abortion!
[Example: WILMINGTON, DELAWARE]
There was a long line waiting to get into the abortion center. As one of the young women waited, she could hear the sung prayer of the 40 Days for Life vigil participants. She said that the song stuck in her head.
When she got inside and talked with the staff, she asked for an ultrasound. Once she saw the baby, she realized she simply couldn’t go through with the abortion.
After she walked out, she spoke to vigil participants. “She said she really never wanted to see the place again,” said Julie, one of the volunteers. “I don’t blame her! Thank you to all of you for your continued presence at Planned Parenthood. A life was saved today!”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Three abortion workers quit" by Shawn Carney, 40 Days for Life Campaign Director, LifeSiteNews.com 10/26/12
[As for the 40 Days conclude] abortion center staffers … ask themselves the question, “What good do I really do here?”
During this campaign, we’ve had reports of three abortion center employees who have left their jobs — and a few others are thinking about it. In the majority of these cases, the stories will remain confidential.
When former Planned Parenthood director Abby Johnson experienced a conversion, quit her job and walked into my office at the Coalition for Life next door, she lost not just an income but close personal friends. These workers will experience the same. So please keep them in your prayers as they transition out of the abortion business and find hope and healing.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Planned Parenthood's Prayer Vigil for More Abortion
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Mistrial of Christian Prof. Shunned by Iowa Univ.
Teresa Wagner sued the University of Iowa for not hiring her in the Iowa College of Law because she's a pro-life Christian and believes in Biblical marriage, but the jury was deadlocked on one of two charges. Wagner will seek a retrial based on the mishandling of the jury and the verdict by the judge.
Jon Carlson, an associate dean of the law school wrote in an E-mail that Wagner wouldn't be hired "because they so despise her politics (and especially her activism about it)."
For background, read University Suspends Christian for Defending Marriage and also read University Won't Hire Christians as Scientists as well as Reject Christ, Says University to Grad Student
-- From "Lawyer in U. Iowa Bias Case Objects to Verdict" by The Associated Press 10/26/12
Attorney Stephen Fieweger on Thursday asked a federal court to reinstate Teresa Wagner's claim of discrimination under the 1st Amendment and vacate the verdict throwing it out. He says that claim should be retried with the claim that her equal-protection rights were violated, which deadlocked jurors.
Fieweger says Magistrate Judge Thomas Shields accepted the verdict Wednesday on count 1 without allowing him to be present to poll jurors to ensure they were unanimous and hadn't been coerced.
Shields initially declared a mistrial on both claims. He later called jurors back and accepted their verdict on count 1.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge calls mistrial on 1 claim in bias trial" by Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press 10/24/12
During a weeklong trial watched closely in higher education, Wagner claimed that the overwhelmingly liberal faculty refused to hire her because she is a Republican who had worked for social conservative groups that oppose abortion rights. She argued that the opposition to her appointment was led by Professor Randall Bezanson who, as a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, helped draft the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion.
Professors testified that while they were aware of Wagner's political beliefs, they passed her over for jobs teaching legal analysis and writing because she flunked a job interview in January 2007. A string of professors testified that she botched questions about how she would teach legal analysis, a key component of the job.
But Wagner said that claim was fabricated to excuse the political motivations of the 50-member faculty, which included 46 registered Democrats. She said the faculty did not want an outspoken female opponent of abortion rights to join their ranks.
Others in higher education warned that, if Wagner was successful, it would give the courts a bigger role in second-guessing decisions best left to the judgment of universities and likely lead to more litigation. Some also raised the prospect that universities could face government-mandated quotas requiring them to hire a certain percentage of professors of differing political beliefs.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Woman seeks retrial in U of I job case" by Jason Clayworth, Des Moines Register 10/26/12
A 12-person federal jury provided a mixed outcome late Wednesday after almost three days of deliberations. Jurors decided that the law school was not guilty of political discrimination, which was the highest-profile allegation in the case. However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict as to whether the school had violated Wagner’s equal protection rights, leading to a mistrial on that count. A third count alleging a violation of Wagner’s due process rights was dismissed prior to being considered by the jury.
Wagner’s objection filed Thursday stated the jury was reconvened by U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Shields without notifying Wagner’s attorney when he accepted a verdict on the first count. Shields, along with U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt, presided over the case.
Wagner said the action denied her a right to poll the jury, a process that allows lawyers to help determine if jurors were unduly pressured to render a verdict after lengthy deliberations.
“What happened is exactly what I feared: The jury that is coming down to the deadline got, in my opinion, a coerced order for a verdict, and it happened after a time that I had been informed that there would be a mistrial on both counts,” said Stephen Fieweger, Wagner’s attorney.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Confused outcome for conservative who accused Iowa Law of discrimination" by Karen Sloan, The National Law Journal 10/25/12
. . . [the jury] failed to reach a verdict on the second count, which alleges that the school's hiring process was not impartial and denied Wagner due process and equal protection of the law. U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Shields declared a mistrial on that count.
As the matter stands, the case may be retried only on the second count, but Wagner's attorney, Stephen Fieweger, has asked Shields to vacate the verdict in favor of Jones on the First Amendment [-- the first] count. He argued that Shields asked jurors whether they had reached agreement only after announcing that he was declaring a mistrial.
"It's very bizarre," Fieweger said. "How can you accept a verdict after you declared a mistrial?"
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "University of Iowa Denies Attorney Job Because She’s Pro-Life" by Heidi Miller, LifeNews.com 10/24/12
Ms. Wagner believes that she was discriminated against due to her conservative viewpoint. She has known views against abortion and euthanasia, while “several voting faculty members at the Iowa College of Law oppose conservative views and have advocated for legal abortion, legal euthanasia, gay marriages and other liberal causes.”
Wagner’s lawsuit centers on two claims for relief: 1) First Amendment and 2) Violation of Due Process and Equal Protection. According to her complaint:
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees individuals the right to associate and express themselves on matters of public concern without fear of reprisal from their government.
This guarantee prohibits the government, when acting as employer, from firing, refusing to promote and/or refusing to hire citizens because of their political views or affiliations.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Jon Carlson, an associate dean of the law school wrote in an E-mail that Wagner wouldn't be hired "because they so despise her politics (and especially her activism about it)."
For background, read University Suspends Christian for Defending Marriage and also read University Won't Hire Christians as Scientists as well as Reject Christ, Says University to Grad Student
-- From "Lawyer in U. Iowa Bias Case Objects to Verdict" by The Associated Press 10/26/12
Attorney Stephen Fieweger on Thursday asked a federal court to reinstate Teresa Wagner's claim of discrimination under the 1st Amendment and vacate the verdict throwing it out. He says that claim should be retried with the claim that her equal-protection rights were violated, which deadlocked jurors.
Fieweger says Magistrate Judge Thomas Shields accepted the verdict Wednesday on count 1 without allowing him to be present to poll jurors to ensure they were unanimous and hadn't been coerced.
Shields initially declared a mistrial on both claims. He later called jurors back and accepted their verdict on count 1.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge calls mistrial on 1 claim in bias trial" by Ryan J. Foley, Associated Press 10/24/12
During a weeklong trial watched closely in higher education, Wagner claimed that the overwhelmingly liberal faculty refused to hire her because she is a Republican who had worked for social conservative groups that oppose abortion rights. She argued that the opposition to her appointment was led by Professor Randall Bezanson who, as a law clerk for U.S. Supreme Court Justice Harry Blackmun, helped draft the Roe vs. Wade decision that legalized abortion.
Professors testified that while they were aware of Wagner's political beliefs, they passed her over for jobs teaching legal analysis and writing because she flunked a job interview in January 2007. A string of professors testified that she botched questions about how she would teach legal analysis, a key component of the job.
But Wagner said that claim was fabricated to excuse the political motivations of the 50-member faculty, which included 46 registered Democrats. She said the faculty did not want an outspoken female opponent of abortion rights to join their ranks.
Others in higher education warned that, if Wagner was successful, it would give the courts a bigger role in second-guessing decisions best left to the judgment of universities and likely lead to more litigation. Some also raised the prospect that universities could face government-mandated quotas requiring them to hire a certain percentage of professors of differing political beliefs.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Woman seeks retrial in U of I job case" by Jason Clayworth, Des Moines Register 10/26/12
A 12-person federal jury provided a mixed outcome late Wednesday after almost three days of deliberations. Jurors decided that the law school was not guilty of political discrimination, which was the highest-profile allegation in the case. However, the jury was unable to reach a verdict as to whether the school had violated Wagner’s equal protection rights, leading to a mistrial on that count. A third count alleging a violation of Wagner’s due process rights was dismissed prior to being considered by the jury.
Wagner’s objection filed Thursday stated the jury was reconvened by U.S. Magistrate Judge Tom Shields without notifying Wagner’s attorney when he accepted a verdict on the first count. Shields, along with U.S. District Judge Robert Pratt, presided over the case.
Wagner said the action denied her a right to poll the jury, a process that allows lawyers to help determine if jurors were unduly pressured to render a verdict after lengthy deliberations.
“What happened is exactly what I feared: The jury that is coming down to the deadline got, in my opinion, a coerced order for a verdict, and it happened after a time that I had been informed that there would be a mistrial on both counts,” said Stephen Fieweger, Wagner’s attorney.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Confused outcome for conservative who accused Iowa Law of discrimination" by Karen Sloan, The National Law Journal 10/25/12
. . . [the jury] failed to reach a verdict on the second count, which alleges that the school's hiring process was not impartial and denied Wagner due process and equal protection of the law. U.S. Magistrate Judge Thomas Shields declared a mistrial on that count.
As the matter stands, the case may be retried only on the second count, but Wagner's attorney, Stephen Fieweger, has asked Shields to vacate the verdict in favor of Jones on the First Amendment [-- the first] count. He argued that Shields asked jurors whether they had reached agreement only after announcing that he was declaring a mistrial.
"It's very bizarre," Fieweger said. "How can you accept a verdict after you declared a mistrial?"
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "University of Iowa Denies Attorney Job Because She’s Pro-Life" by Heidi Miller, LifeNews.com 10/24/12
Ms. Wagner believes that she was discriminated against due to her conservative viewpoint. She has known views against abortion and euthanasia, while “several voting faculty members at the Iowa College of Law oppose conservative views and have advocated for legal abortion, legal euthanasia, gay marriages and other liberal causes.”
Wagner’s lawsuit centers on two claims for relief: 1) First Amendment and 2) Violation of Due Process and Equal Protection. According to her complaint:
The First Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees individuals the right to associate and express themselves on matters of public concern without fear of reprisal from their government.
This guarantee prohibits the government, when acting as employer, from firing, refusing to promote and/or refusing to hire citizens because of their political views or affiliations.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Friday, October 26, 2012
Prayer at Miami-Dade Gov't Meetings, ACLU to Sue
Florida's Miami-Dade commissioners voted 10-1 backing opening prayers for its meetings. Not surprisingly, the American Civil Liberties Union of Florida threatened legal action to stop it.
-- From "Miami-Dade Commission gives preliminary OK to sponsoring prayer before its meetings" by Charles Rabin, The Miami Herald 10/23/12
The ordinance mandates that the person giving the invocation would be chosen by commissioners from a database of “religious congregations with an established presence within Miami-Dade County” compiled by the county clerk’s office. It calls for no one person to give the invocation more than three times a year, and opens it to leaders of all faiths.
“A legislative invocation shall not be exploited to convert others to any particular faith, to advance any particular faith or to disparage any other faith or belief,” the ordinance reads.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Religion “is what this country was made from.”For background, read Prayer in America: Hidden Faith, or Public? and also read Missouri Votes to Bring Prayer Back to School, Countering Atheists
-- Commissioner Jose “Pepe” Diaz
-- From "Miami-Dade Commission gives preliminary OK to sponsoring prayer before its meetings" by Charles Rabin, The Miami Herald 10/23/12
The ordinance mandates that the person giving the invocation would be chosen by commissioners from a database of “religious congregations with an established presence within Miami-Dade County” compiled by the county clerk’s office. It calls for no one person to give the invocation more than three times a year, and opens it to leaders of all faiths.
“A legislative invocation shall not be exploited to convert others to any particular faith, to advance any particular faith or to disparage any other faith or belief,” the ordinance reads.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, October 25, 2012
Lab 'Creates' Human Life with 3 Biological Parents
Oregon scientists are creating human embryos by removing the nucleus of an egg from one woman and placing it into an egg from another woman, and then fertilizing the concocted egg with a man's sperm. The resulting offspring thus has genetic material of three people.
For background, read Designer Babies with Three Biological Parents
UPDATE 2/19/14: Obama's FDA: Why not Three Biological Parents?
-- From "Oregon scientists make embryos with 2 women, 1 man" by Malcolm Ritter, Associated Press 10/24/12
The researchers at Oregon Health & Sciences University said they are not using the embryos to produce children, and it is not clear when or even if this technique will be put to use. But it has already stirred a debate over its risks and ethics in Britain, where scientists did similar work a few years ago.
The British government is asking for public comment on the technology before it decides whether to allow its use in the future. One concern it cites is whether such DNA alteration could be an early step down a slippery slope toward "designer babies" — ordering up, say, a petite, blue-eyed girl or tall, dark-haired boy.
Questions have also arisen about the safety of the technique, not only for the baby who results from the egg, but also for the child's descendants.
Laurie Zoloth, a bioethicist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., said in an interview that safety problems might not show up for several generations. She said she hopes the United States will follow Britain's lead in having a wide-ranging discussion of the technology.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Three-parent embryo could prevent inherited disease" by Andy Coghlan, New Scientist 10/25/12
This technique was trialled in four monkeys in 2009. They all gave birth to healthy offspring which are still going strong.
Now, Shoukhrat Mitalipov of the Oregon National Primate Research Center in Beaverton, and his colleagues have fused human eggs using a similar technique. Mitalipov extracted the nucleus from 65 eggs and replaced each one with the nucleus from another donor egg.
The team then fertilised the eggs and let them grow into a ball of about 100 cells called a blastocyst. This takes about five or six days and is normally around the time that such a fertilised egg would become implanted into the womb. Of the 65 donated eggs that were fertilised, 48 per cent grew into healthy-looking blastocysts. Their development was similar to that of 33 unaltered fertilised eggs.
Just over half of the eggs in the study developed abnormally.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Scientists in Oregon Create Embryos With Three Genetic Parents" by Rebecca Taylor, LifeNews.com 10/25/12
Why would scientists want to engineer an embryo with the genetic material from three people? Because they say it will “prevent” the inheritance of mitochondrial disease. Not all of our DNA that we inherit is in the nuclei of the egg and sperm that join at fertilization. In the cytoplasm of our mother’s egg are mitochondria. Mitochondria have their own DNA called mtDNA. We inherit our mtDNA only from our mother because sperm’s mitochondria are dumped at conception. There are genetic mutations that cause very serious disease found in mtDNA and a woman with a such a mutation cannot help but pass this mutation on to her children.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background, read Designer Babies with Three Biological Parents
UPDATE 2/19/14: Obama's FDA: Why not Three Biological Parents?
-- From "Oregon scientists make embryos with 2 women, 1 man" by Malcolm Ritter, Associated Press 10/24/12
The researchers at Oregon Health & Sciences University said they are not using the embryos to produce children, and it is not clear when or even if this technique will be put to use. But it has already stirred a debate over its risks and ethics in Britain, where scientists did similar work a few years ago.
The British government is asking for public comment on the technology before it decides whether to allow its use in the future. One concern it cites is whether such DNA alteration could be an early step down a slippery slope toward "designer babies" — ordering up, say, a petite, blue-eyed girl or tall, dark-haired boy.
Questions have also arisen about the safety of the technique, not only for the baby who results from the egg, but also for the child's descendants.
Laurie Zoloth, a bioethicist at Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., said in an interview that safety problems might not show up for several generations. She said she hopes the United States will follow Britain's lead in having a wide-ranging discussion of the technology.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Three-parent embryo could prevent inherited disease" by Andy Coghlan, New Scientist 10/25/12
This technique was trialled in four monkeys in 2009. They all gave birth to healthy offspring which are still going strong.
Now, Shoukhrat Mitalipov of the Oregon National Primate Research Center in Beaverton, and his colleagues have fused human eggs using a similar technique. Mitalipov extracted the nucleus from 65 eggs and replaced each one with the nucleus from another donor egg.
The team then fertilised the eggs and let them grow into a ball of about 100 cells called a blastocyst. This takes about five or six days and is normally around the time that such a fertilised egg would become implanted into the womb. Of the 65 donated eggs that were fertilised, 48 per cent grew into healthy-looking blastocysts. Their development was similar to that of 33 unaltered fertilised eggs.
Just over half of the eggs in the study developed abnormally.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Scientists in Oregon Create Embryos With Three Genetic Parents" by Rebecca Taylor, LifeNews.com 10/25/12
Why would scientists want to engineer an embryo with the genetic material from three people? Because they say it will “prevent” the inheritance of mitochondrial disease. Not all of our DNA that we inherit is in the nuclei of the egg and sperm that join at fertilization. In the cytoplasm of our mother’s egg are mitochondria. Mitochondria have their own DNA called mtDNA. We inherit our mtDNA only from our mother because sperm’s mitochondria are dumped at conception. There are genetic mutations that cause very serious disease found in mtDNA and a woman with a such a mutation cannot help but pass this mutation on to her children.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, October 23, 2012
Jesus Talk & Prayer Banned at Gov't Senior Housing
Ruth Sweats, a widow who lives at the Osborne Apartments in Spring Lake Park, MN, was having a private Christian conversation with a friend when Rachelle Henkle, the building social worker, yelled at her “You can’t talk like that here!” Henkle explained that because the building is subsidized by the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) there is no freedom of speech on the property -- specifically no prayer or reading the Bible and such.
For background, read Jesus Talk Outlawed in New Orleans, Arrests Made and also read California Pastor Arrested for Reading Bible in Public as well as Kentucky Court Considers Ban of Jesus from Highways
-- From "Elderly Widow Told Not to Pray in Public Housing Complex" by Todd Starnes, Fox News 10/19/12
Sweats contacted Alliance Defending Freedom — a legal advocacy group that immediately sent a letter to the senior living complex urging them to reconsider their actions.
“Government funding should not be misused to ban a widow’s prayers,” said ADF legal counsel Matt Sharp. “The private decision of senior citizens to discuss their faith, read the Bible, and pray is private speech, and no law requires this privately owned independent living facility to restrict the religious expression of these members of America’s greatest generation.”
Alliance Defending Freedom also suggested their actions may have violated federal and state anti-discrimination laws.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Minnesota Apartment Allegedly Barred Widow From Praying in Public" by Michael Gryboski, Christian Post Reporter 10/22/12
In an interview with The Christian Post, Sharp of the ADF said that this complaint on behalf of Sweats was not the first time they had dealt with religious freedom issues surrounding the policies of housing complexes for seniors.
"In fact, just a few months ago, we helped a senior citizen who was told that she and other seniors could not pray over their meals at a local senior center," said Sharp.
"We have been involved in several similar situations where a housing complex or senior center was under the mistaken belief that it must censor prayer or religious expression by senior citizens at the facility simply because the facility receives government aid."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Social worker bans religious conversation" by Dave Tombers, World Net Daily 10/23/12
Since Sweats was having a private conversation with a friend and simply had read the introduction paragraph from her Bible describing the Book of Revelation, she was shocked. She said her friend had asked her about Revelation, and she opened her Bible and began reading the introduction that precedes the book.
WND contacted building management for the Osborne Apartments and spoke with Kate Edrey, who identified herself as the manager.
When asked about the situation, she opted to read a statement prepared by Ebenezer that said:
“We do not restrict expression of faith in our community. Residents host Bible studies, one-on-one conversations, and other religious activities in our community. Staff will step in when residents are being hostile or intimidating to other residents no matter what the type of conversation. While we do not intend to get into a conversation about the exact circumstances of this dispute, we want to share these practices with you.”
Edrey would not identify if what Sweats was reading could be considered “hostile or intimidating,” and said that the prepared statement was all she was authorized to say. She also said that Henkle is away on vacation.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background, read Jesus Talk Outlawed in New Orleans, Arrests Made and also read California Pastor Arrested for Reading Bible in Public as well as Kentucky Court Considers Ban of Jesus from Highways
-- From "Elderly Widow Told Not to Pray in Public Housing Complex" by Todd Starnes, Fox News 10/19/12
Sweats contacted Alliance Defending Freedom — a legal advocacy group that immediately sent a letter to the senior living complex urging them to reconsider their actions.
“Government funding should not be misused to ban a widow’s prayers,” said ADF legal counsel Matt Sharp. “The private decision of senior citizens to discuss their faith, read the Bible, and pray is private speech, and no law requires this privately owned independent living facility to restrict the religious expression of these members of America’s greatest generation.”
Alliance Defending Freedom also suggested their actions may have violated federal and state anti-discrimination laws.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Minnesota Apartment Allegedly Barred Widow From Praying in Public" by Michael Gryboski, Christian Post Reporter 10/22/12
In an interview with The Christian Post, Sharp of the ADF said that this complaint on behalf of Sweats was not the first time they had dealt with religious freedom issues surrounding the policies of housing complexes for seniors.
"In fact, just a few months ago, we helped a senior citizen who was told that she and other seniors could not pray over their meals at a local senior center," said Sharp.
"We have been involved in several similar situations where a housing complex or senior center was under the mistaken belief that it must censor prayer or religious expression by senior citizens at the facility simply because the facility receives government aid."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Social worker bans religious conversation" by Dave Tombers, World Net Daily 10/23/12
Since Sweats was having a private conversation with a friend and simply had read the introduction paragraph from her Bible describing the Book of Revelation, she was shocked. She said her friend had asked her about Revelation, and she opened her Bible and began reading the introduction that precedes the book.
WND contacted building management for the Osborne Apartments and spoke with Kate Edrey, who identified herself as the manager.
When asked about the situation, she opted to read a statement prepared by Ebenezer that said:
“We do not restrict expression of faith in our community. Residents host Bible studies, one-on-one conversations, and other religious activities in our community. Staff will step in when residents are being hostile or intimidating to other residents no matter what the type of conversation. While we do not intend to get into a conversation about the exact circumstances of this dispute, we want to share these practices with you.”
Edrey would not identify if what Sweats was reading could be considered “hostile or intimidating,” and said that the prepared statement was all she was authorized to say. She also said that Henkle is away on vacation.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Monday, October 22, 2012
Calif. Schools Teach Hinduism, Parents May Sue
The Encinitas Union School District, near San Diego, CA, is being paid $533,000 by the Jois Foundation to teach every student Hindu Ashtanga yoga, “a religion system of beliefs and practices.” Conditions of the grant require placing Ashtanga practitioners from Jois in every school. Hundreds of citizens are outraged over the religious indoctrination forced into their public schools, but the administrators say they will not yield to public opinion on this matter.
So far, there is no word from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, or the Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
UPDATE 12/16/12: Mainstream media report that parents see lawsuit as only way to stop school's indoctrination
UPDATE 2/21/13: School district non-responsive, so parents file lawsuit to stop the yoga indoctrination
-- From "School's yoga class prompts complaints" by Christian De La Rosa, KSWB-TV5 (San Diego) 10/11/12
“While the roots of the exercise are religious, we as Americans do it not for religious reasons, but to gain the physical and mental benefits of it and that’s what we are offering our students,” said [Jois Foundation instructor Kristen] McCloskey, who has been practicing yoga for 13 years.
But parents in opposition aren’t buying McCloskey's message.
“The money used for these classes could go to other areas like math or science,” said one parent who didn’t want to be identified.
For now, district officials say the health benefits of the classes outweigh the criticism.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Parents may sue over yoga lessons in Encinitas" by Stacy Brandt, North County Times 10/21/12
In an Oct. 12 email sent to Superintendent Tim Baird, attorney Dean Broyles [who represents a large group of parents], called the program unconstitutional and warned that he may initiate “a legal course of action” if the district doesn’t end it.
Students at half of the Encinitas district’s nine schools started the yoga program last month, and the other campuses will get the classes beginning in January. The effort is being paid for with a $533,000 grant from the Jois Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes Ashtanga yoga across the world.
For some of the concerned parents, the yoga poses serve as religious expression or a way to invite Hindu deities into the body.
Many parents are afraid to speak up because they have seen anger and name-calling in online comments on news stories about the controversy, said Samantha Vigil, a mother who’s against the program.
Parents say they’re also concerned about their children not getting enough physical activity if they opt out of the yoga classes, a lack of communication from the district about the lessons, and the information researchers are collecting as part of a study of the program.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Parents upset about school yoga program" by Stacy Brandt, North County Times 10/10/12
Some of the parents said they have already asked to have their children removed from the classes.
"I will not allow my children to be indoctrinated by this Hindu religious program," said Andy Vick, who has three daughters at Mission Estancia. "Because of this, you're forcing me to segregate my children [from their classmates]."
Vick said some of the children who are pulled from the yoga classes are ostracized and bullied, comparing the situation to Nazi Germany.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Teaching Islam in Georgia Schools Challenged as well as Prayer Back in Wisconsin School (Muslim Prayer, that is) plus read Public School Teaching Islam Closed by Minnesota
So far, there is no word from the Freedom From Religion Foundation, or the Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
“Yoga practices and poses are not merely exercise; they’re religious practices. . . . a kind of prayer.”For background on "religion in schools," read Atheists Say Illegal Christianity is 'Rampant' in Georgia Schools and also read ACLU Warns of Christianity in South Carolina Schools as well as Atheists Threaten to Sue Every School in Mississippi
-- Marsha Qualls, parent with a student at Olivenhain Pioneer Elementary School
UPDATE 12/16/12: Mainstream media report that parents see lawsuit as only way to stop school's indoctrination
UPDATE 2/21/13: School district non-responsive, so parents file lawsuit to stop the yoga indoctrination
-- From "School's yoga class prompts complaints" by Christian De La Rosa, KSWB-TV5 (San Diego) 10/11/12
“While the roots of the exercise are religious, we as Americans do it not for religious reasons, but to gain the physical and mental benefits of it and that’s what we are offering our students,” said [Jois Foundation instructor Kristen] McCloskey, who has been practicing yoga for 13 years.
But parents in opposition aren’t buying McCloskey's message.
“The money used for these classes could go to other areas like math or science,” said one parent who didn’t want to be identified.
For now, district officials say the health benefits of the classes outweigh the criticism.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Parents may sue over yoga lessons in Encinitas" by Stacy Brandt, North County Times 10/21/12
In an Oct. 12 email sent to Superintendent Tim Baird, attorney Dean Broyles [who represents a large group of parents], called the program unconstitutional and warned that he may initiate “a legal course of action” if the district doesn’t end it.
Students at half of the Encinitas district’s nine schools started the yoga program last month, and the other campuses will get the classes beginning in January. The effort is being paid for with a $533,000 grant from the Jois Foundation, a nonprofit organization that promotes Ashtanga yoga across the world.
For some of the concerned parents, the yoga poses serve as religious expression or a way to invite Hindu deities into the body.
Many parents are afraid to speak up because they have seen anger and name-calling in online comments on news stories about the controversy, said Samantha Vigil, a mother who’s against the program.
Parents say they’re also concerned about their children not getting enough physical activity if they opt out of the yoga classes, a lack of communication from the district about the lessons, and the information researchers are collecting as part of a study of the program.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Parents upset about school yoga program" by Stacy Brandt, North County Times 10/10/12
Some of the parents said they have already asked to have their children removed from the classes.
"I will not allow my children to be indoctrinated by this Hindu religious program," said Andy Vick, who has three daughters at Mission Estancia. "Because of this, you're forcing me to segregate my children [from their classmates]."
Vick said some of the children who are pulled from the yoga classes are ostracized and bullied, comparing the situation to Nazi Germany.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Teaching Islam in Georgia Schools Challenged as well as Prayer Back in Wisconsin School (Muslim Prayer, that is) plus read Public School Teaching Islam Closed by Minnesota
Sunday, October 21, 2012
University Strips Crosses from Students' Chests
A promotional photo from Louisiana State University to sell football tickets showed fans in a stadium setting, but the Christian crosses displayed by the students on their chests in the original photo were digitally removed for use in the university publication.
-- From "Louisiana State university embroiled in Cross controversy" posted at Guardian Express 10/19/12
The University admitted of removing the cross digitally stating that it acted within its rights to edit the photo. “We routinely edit photographs before publication”, Vice Chancellor of Communications Herb Vincent quoted by Campus Reform.
The students have expressed shock over the removal.
The students were part of a group called Painted Posse and the cross is painted on their bodies for every home game, as seen in this picture.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "University officials stand by decision to digitally remove symbol of Christian cross off students" by Linnie Leavines, Campus Reform 10/19/12
The students, who are Christians, were shocked to see the photo which appeared to be otherwise untouched.
“I was a bit surprised, because our pictures get used so frequently, and the cross had never been edited before,” said Posse member Cameron Cooke in an interview with Campus Reform.
“The cross painting is important to me because it represents who I am as a Christ follower,” Cooke added, “and it reminds me who I need to act like in Death Valley.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Federal Court Rules out Christian Beliefs at University as well as U.S. Supreme Court Forces Atheists into University Christian Clubs
“[T]he crosses were edited out of the photos . . . [because] LSU Athletics attempts not to imply any particular religious or political message in any of its correspondence with fans.”For background, read University Suspends Christian for Defending Marriage and also read Buffalo Univ. Favors Gays, Suspends Christian Organization
-- Herb Vincent, LSU Vice Chancellor for Communications
-- From "Louisiana State university embroiled in Cross controversy" posted at Guardian Express 10/19/12
The University admitted of removing the cross digitally stating that it acted within its rights to edit the photo. “We routinely edit photographs before publication”, Vice Chancellor of Communications Herb Vincent quoted by Campus Reform.
The students have expressed shock over the removal.
The students were part of a group called Painted Posse and the cross is painted on their bodies for every home game, as seen in this picture.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Original photo:
Edited photo:
From "University officials stand by decision to digitally remove symbol of Christian cross off students" by Linnie Leavines, Campus Reform 10/19/12
The students, who are Christians, were shocked to see the photo which appeared to be otherwise untouched.
“I was a bit surprised, because our pictures get used so frequently, and the cross had never been edited before,” said Posse member Cameron Cooke in an interview with Campus Reform.
“The cross painting is important to me because it represents who I am as a Christ follower,” Cooke added, “and it reminds me who I need to act like in Death Valley.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Federal Court Rules out Christian Beliefs at University as well as U.S. Supreme Court Forces Atheists into University Christian Clubs
Saturday, October 20, 2012
Lead Abortionist Joins Obama Full-time: Campaign
President Obama's campaign has proudly announced a new addition to their team: Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards. With falling numbers in all election polling, Democrats are doubling down in their belief that most American women voters favor killing millions of unborn babies, for any and all reasons.
For background, read Polls Show Most Americans Pro-life; Liberals in Denial and also read Obama Tells Students to Support Planned Parenthood as well as Parents Want Obama-paid Abortionist out of School
-- From "Planned Parenthood leader campaigns with Obama, stars in new video" by Olivier Knox, Yahoo! News 10/19/12
Democrats have reacted with alarm to recent polls suggesting Romney has sharply narrowed the "gender gap"—Obama's advantage with women, a key pillar of his re-election strategy. They have seized on, notably, the former Massachusetts governor's vow to overturn Roe v. Wade and his pledge to deny federal funding to Planned Parenthood.
"Since Day One, President Obama has stood with women," Richards says in the video, which includes Obama interacting with smiling women. She also underlines that the first bill the president signed into law was a measure to enable women to better battle pay discrimination.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "For his closing argument to women, Obama calls on Cecile Richards" by Jana Kasperkevic, Houston Chronicle 10/19/12
“My name is Cecile Richards. I am President of Planned Parenthood, but now I have taken a break from my day job in order to volunteer full time to re-elect President Barack Obama,” Richards said in the ad released by Obama’s campaign this morning.
Richards’ pitch is sharp and concise: Obama has signed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and has worked on issues such as equal pay, equal rights and access to health care for women. In her Virginia speech today, she credited women, including her mother, with fighting for women rights and stressed that in order to keep moving forward on issues close to women’s hearts, President Obama must be re-elected.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Planned Parenthood chief to campaign 'full time' for Obama in final weeks" by Geneva Sands, The Hill 10/19/12
[Mitt Romney] has said that he would eliminate federal funding to Planned Parenthood, as well as other programs, to help reduce the deficit. The Romney campaign released a TV ad earlier this week seeking to refute criticism of his abortion stance and reminding voters that he believes abortion should be an option in "cases of rape, incest or to save a mother’s life.”
The anti-abortion-rights group Live Action responded to the video, accusing Richards of trying to preserve funding for her organization and blasting Planned Parenthood as a threat to the "well-being of women."
"In a new video the Obama campaign released today, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards says she is taking a break from her 'day job' to help re-elect the President because our 'daughters and grand daughters' future depends on it.' At a taxpayer funded salary of almost $400,000 a year, Ms. Richards may be able to afford to take a few weeks off to help, but the President has embraced a partner whose radical abortion-first agenda repeatedly puts the health and well-being of women and young girls at risk," Live Action President Lilia Rose said in a statement.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Planned Parenthood President Volunteers for Obama Re-Election for ‘Our Daughters and Granddaughters’" by Fred Lucas, CNSNews.com 10/19/12
The Romney campaign responded by referring to a National Review op-ed by Romney on June 18, 2011.
“I am pro-life and believe that abortion should be limited to only instances of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother,” Romney wrote. “I support the reversal of Roe v. Wade, because it is bad law and bad medicine. Roe was a misguided ruling that was a result of a small group of activist federal judges legislating from the bench.”
“President Obama is the most pro-abortion president in history and he is Planned Parenthood's President, but one has to wonder why the President is turning a blind eye to the dangerous, illegal, unethical and fraudulent practices engaged by the organization and its threat to women and young girls,” [said Lila Rose, founder of the pro-life group Live Action].
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read UPDATE 4/14/13: Planned Parenthood's Goal is to Defraud Taxpayers as well as Taxpayers Provide 46% of Abortionists' $Billion$
For background, read Polls Show Most Americans Pro-life; Liberals in Denial and also read Obama Tells Students to Support Planned Parenthood as well as Parents Want Obama-paid Abortionist out of School
-- From "Planned Parenthood leader campaigns with Obama, stars in new video" by Olivier Knox, Yahoo! News 10/19/12
Democrats have reacted with alarm to recent polls suggesting Romney has sharply narrowed the "gender gap"—Obama's advantage with women, a key pillar of his re-election strategy. They have seized on, notably, the former Massachusetts governor's vow to overturn Roe v. Wade and his pledge to deny federal funding to Planned Parenthood.
"Since Day One, President Obama has stood with women," Richards says in the video, which includes Obama interacting with smiling women. She also underlines that the first bill the president signed into law was a measure to enable women to better battle pay discrimination.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "For his closing argument to women, Obama calls on Cecile Richards" by Jana Kasperkevic, Houston Chronicle 10/19/12
“My name is Cecile Richards. I am President of Planned Parenthood, but now I have taken a break from my day job in order to volunteer full time to re-elect President Barack Obama,” Richards said in the ad released by Obama’s campaign this morning.
Richards’ pitch is sharp and concise: Obama has signed Lilly Ledbetter Fair Pay Act and has worked on issues such as equal pay, equal rights and access to health care for women. In her Virginia speech today, she credited women, including her mother, with fighting for women rights and stressed that in order to keep moving forward on issues close to women’s hearts, President Obama must be re-elected.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Planned Parenthood chief to campaign 'full time' for Obama in final weeks" by Geneva Sands, The Hill 10/19/12
[Mitt Romney] has said that he would eliminate federal funding to Planned Parenthood, as well as other programs, to help reduce the deficit. The Romney campaign released a TV ad earlier this week seeking to refute criticism of his abortion stance and reminding voters that he believes abortion should be an option in "cases of rape, incest or to save a mother’s life.”
The anti-abortion-rights group Live Action responded to the video, accusing Richards of trying to preserve funding for her organization and blasting Planned Parenthood as a threat to the "well-being of women."
"In a new video the Obama campaign released today, Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards says she is taking a break from her 'day job' to help re-elect the President because our 'daughters and grand daughters' future depends on it.' At a taxpayer funded salary of almost $400,000 a year, Ms. Richards may be able to afford to take a few weeks off to help, but the President has embraced a partner whose radical abortion-first agenda repeatedly puts the health and well-being of women and young girls at risk," Live Action President Lilia Rose said in a statement.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Planned Parenthood President Volunteers for Obama Re-Election for ‘Our Daughters and Granddaughters’" by Fred Lucas, CNSNews.com 10/19/12
The Romney campaign responded by referring to a National Review op-ed by Romney on June 18, 2011.
“I am pro-life and believe that abortion should be limited to only instances of rape, incest, or to save the life of the mother,” Romney wrote. “I support the reversal of Roe v. Wade, because it is bad law and bad medicine. Roe was a misguided ruling that was a result of a small group of activist federal judges legislating from the bench.”
“President Obama is the most pro-abortion president in history and he is Planned Parenthood's President, but one has to wonder why the President is turning a blind eye to the dangerous, illegal, unethical and fraudulent practices engaged by the organization and its threat to women and young girls,” [said Lila Rose, founder of the pro-life group Live Action].
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read UPDATE 4/14/13: Planned Parenthood's Goal is to Defraud Taxpayers as well as Taxpayers Provide 46% of Abortionists' $Billion$
Friday, October 19, 2012
Parents Force Gay Agenda Backtrack by School Board
When Christians became aware that the East Aurora (Illinois) school board had enacted a new transgender policy to allow students to willy-nilly declare their "sexual identity" (thus allowing devious boys to use girls' locker rooms, etc.), complaints flooded the school and within three days of its passing, the board rejected the new policy.
For background, click on headlines below of related articles:
Parents Cause Illinois School to Drop Gay Agenda Books
Tea Party Forces School Back on Gay Agenda
Gay Agenda Attacks America One Town at a Time
Homosexual Indoctrination Mandated for Schools
ACLU Threatens Schools: Must Teach Homosexuality
Minnesota School Succumbs to Gay Agenda Bullying
Parents Fight California Gay Agenda Indoctrination
American Voters Getting Message - Gay Agenda Targets Children
UPDATE 10/20/12: As the board rescinded the policy, homosexualists protested the meeting and threatened lawsuits.
-- From "Transgender Policy Expected To Be Reversed In East Aurora" posted at CBS News Radio WBBM 780 (Chicago) 10/18/12
East Aurora School District 131 board members on Friday are expected to rescind a controversial policy to accommodate transgender students.
The decision would reverse a policy the board approved Monday that allows transgender students to use the bathroom or locker room that corresponds to their gender identity. The policy also specifies that transgender students are to be called by their chosen name.
Approval of the policy was a mistake, School Board President Annette Johnson says. She blames a district administrator for advising her panel the transgender policy was needed under the constantly changing Illinois school code. It turns out, the administrator was wrong.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "East Aurora OKs transgender policy" By Stephanie Lulay, Beacon News (Aurora, IL) 10/15/12
The East Aurora school board voted to unanimously approve a policy that affects transgendered students Monday night.
. . . The student has the right to be addressed by the name they want to be called . . . “A court-ordered name or gender change is not required, and the student needs not change his or her official records,” the policy states.
In most cases, transgendered students should have access to the locker room that corresponds to their gender-related identity [regardless of their sex], according to the policy.
Classes or teams that are segregated by gender should also be open to students according to the gender that the student self-identifies with.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Aurora district receives criticism, support for transgender student policy" posted at Chicago Sun-Times 10/18/12
E-mails from outraged residents and organizations across the state began flooding board members’ inboxes, and by Wednesday afternoon, board members announced they would meet at 5:30 p.m. Friday to potentially rescind the policy.
“The board never at any time came up with this (policy) on their own,” School Board President Annette Johnson said Wednesday. Instead, board members simply thought they were keeping up with state code.
The policy, which sets forth several guidelines for school administrators to use when addressing transgender students, was brought forward by Christine Aird, the district’s assistant superintendent of elementary education, Johnson said. Based on the recommendation of Aird, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Joan Glotzbach and the School District’s attorney, “this is where we ended up,” Johnson said.
Johnson said she wasn’t even aware of the policy’s controversial nature until the e-mails started coming in Tuesday evening.
She said she “absolutely” felt that in presenting the board with the policy, Aird had been misleading.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "East Aurora schools may reverse transgender student policy following criticism" by Katherine Iorio, Chicago Phoenix (Gay Advocate) 10/18/12
On Tuesday, The Illinois Family Institute, [a pro-family/pro-life Christian non-profit organization] which is classified as an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, publicized a letter addressing the district, asking for the repeal of the policy. In the letter, IFI calls acceptance of the policy “an outrageous and ignorant decision by the East Aurora High School Board of Education” and has gone as far to say that being transgender is “fiction” and a “mental and moral disorder.”
“This is a biased, radical, and offensive school board decision that all Illinois taxpayers—especially Aurora community members with or without children in school—should vigorously and tenaciously oppose,” the IFI letter said.
By Wednesday, the board — facing the mounting criticism — quickly rethought the policy and announced they would reconvene Friday night to potentially repeal it.
The Special Meeting will be held to “discuss the rescission of School Board Policy 715.13 (Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students) and School Board Policy 715.13R (Administrative Procedures, Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students),” according to the district website.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Illinois Family Institute, Anti-Gay Hate Group, Condemns School For Transgender-Inclusive Policies" by Gay Voices, Huffington Post 10/17/12
On Tuesday, the Illinois Family Institue released an angry vitriol against the new transgender-inclusive policies.
"Apparently, all that’s needed for school personnel to be compelled to participate in a fiction is for a student to pretend 'consistently' at school that he or she is the opposite sex.
The school board is now imposing non-objective, 'progressive' moral, philosophical, and political beliefs—not facts—about gender confusion on the entire school. This feckless school board has made a decision to accommodate, not the needs of gender-confused teens, but their disordered desires and the desires of gender/sexuality anarchists who exploit public education for their perverse ends."
Think Progress corrected IFI's misinterpretation of transgender identities. "It’s important to note that in the new version of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Orders (DSM-V), set to print in May 2013, trans identities are no longer classified as mental illness under 'Gender Identity Disorder,'" writes Zack Ford. Affirmation, says Ford, should be the only response towards the trans community.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read the Illinois Family Institute article concerning this Gay Agenda strategy.
For background, click on headlines below of related articles:
Parents Cause Illinois School to Drop Gay Agenda Books
Tea Party Forces School Back on Gay Agenda
Gay Agenda Attacks America One Town at a Time
Homosexual Indoctrination Mandated for Schools
ACLU Threatens Schools: Must Teach Homosexuality
Minnesota School Succumbs to Gay Agenda Bullying
Parents Fight California Gay Agenda Indoctrination
American Voters Getting Message - Gay Agenda Targets Children
UPDATE 10/20/12: As the board rescinded the policy, homosexualists protested the meeting and threatened lawsuits.
-- From "Transgender Policy Expected To Be Reversed In East Aurora" posted at CBS News Radio WBBM 780 (Chicago) 10/18/12
East Aurora School District 131 board members on Friday are expected to rescind a controversial policy to accommodate transgender students.
The decision would reverse a policy the board approved Monday that allows transgender students to use the bathroom or locker room that corresponds to their gender identity. The policy also specifies that transgender students are to be called by their chosen name.
Approval of the policy was a mistake, School Board President Annette Johnson says. She blames a district administrator for advising her panel the transgender policy was needed under the constantly changing Illinois school code. It turns out, the administrator was wrong.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "East Aurora OKs transgender policy" By Stephanie Lulay, Beacon News (Aurora, IL) 10/15/12
The East Aurora school board voted to unanimously approve a policy that affects transgendered students Monday night.
. . . The student has the right to be addressed by the name they want to be called . . . “A court-ordered name or gender change is not required, and the student needs not change his or her official records,” the policy states.
In most cases, transgendered students should have access to the locker room that corresponds to their gender-related identity [regardless of their sex], according to the policy.
Classes or teams that are segregated by gender should also be open to students according to the gender that the student self-identifies with.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Aurora district receives criticism, support for transgender student policy" posted at Chicago Sun-Times 10/18/12
E-mails from outraged residents and organizations across the state began flooding board members’ inboxes, and by Wednesday afternoon, board members announced they would meet at 5:30 p.m. Friday to potentially rescind the policy.
“The board never at any time came up with this (policy) on their own,” School Board President Annette Johnson said Wednesday. Instead, board members simply thought they were keeping up with state code.
The policy, which sets forth several guidelines for school administrators to use when addressing transgender students, was brought forward by Christine Aird, the district’s assistant superintendent of elementary education, Johnson said. Based on the recommendation of Aird, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources Joan Glotzbach and the School District’s attorney, “this is where we ended up,” Johnson said.
Johnson said she wasn’t even aware of the policy’s controversial nature until the e-mails started coming in Tuesday evening.
She said she “absolutely” felt that in presenting the board with the policy, Aird had been misleading.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "East Aurora schools may reverse transgender student policy following criticism" by Katherine Iorio, Chicago Phoenix (Gay Advocate) 10/18/12
On Tuesday, The Illinois Family Institute, [a pro-family/pro-life Christian non-profit organization] which is classified as an anti-gay hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Center, publicized a letter addressing the district, asking for the repeal of the policy. In the letter, IFI calls acceptance of the policy “an outrageous and ignorant decision by the East Aurora High School Board of Education” and has gone as far to say that being transgender is “fiction” and a “mental and moral disorder.”
“This is a biased, radical, and offensive school board decision that all Illinois taxpayers—especially Aurora community members with or without children in school—should vigorously and tenaciously oppose,” the IFI letter said.
By Wednesday, the board — facing the mounting criticism — quickly rethought the policy and announced they would reconvene Friday night to potentially repeal it.
The Special Meeting will be held to “discuss the rescission of School Board Policy 715.13 (Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students) and School Board Policy 715.13R (Administrative Procedures, Transgender and Gender Nonconforming Students),” according to the district website.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Illinois Family Institute, Anti-Gay Hate Group, Condemns School For Transgender-Inclusive Policies" by Gay Voices, Huffington Post 10/17/12
On Tuesday, the Illinois Family Institue released an angry vitriol against the new transgender-inclusive policies.
"Apparently, all that’s needed for school personnel to be compelled to participate in a fiction is for a student to pretend 'consistently' at school that he or she is the opposite sex.
The school board is now imposing non-objective, 'progressive' moral, philosophical, and political beliefs—not facts—about gender confusion on the entire school. This feckless school board has made a decision to accommodate, not the needs of gender-confused teens, but their disordered desires and the desires of gender/sexuality anarchists who exploit public education for their perverse ends."
Think Progress corrected IFI's misinterpretation of transgender identities. "It’s important to note that in the new version of the American Psychiatric Association’s Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Orders (DSM-V), set to print in May 2013, trans identities are no longer classified as mental illness under 'Gender Identity Disorder,'" writes Zack Ford. Affirmation, says Ford, should be the only response towards the trans community.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read the Illinois Family Institute article concerning this Gay Agenda strategy.
Thursday, October 18, 2012
Gay Recruitment Doubles Ranks of Young, Poll Finds
A "special report" from Gallup of their poll of all Americans shows that while only 3.2% of adults aged 30 to 49 self-identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender (LGBT), 6.4% of adults aged 18 to 29 claim the sexual-deviancy mantle.
For background, read Same-sex Household Count Tiny: U.S. Census and also read White House Says Gay Recruitment of Kids Successful as well as We Recruit Kids for Sexual Deviancy, Says Gay Activist
A previous Gallup poll found that more than a third believe that over 25 percent of Americans are LGBT.
-- From "Poll challenges U.S. perceptions of LGBTs" by UPI 10/18/12
Some 3.4 percent of Americans say they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered, the largest survey of U.S. sexual identity ever done indicates.
Non-white individuals were more likely to identify themselves as LGBT, Gallup found. A third, 33 percent, of those polled who said they were LGBT were non-white while 27 percent of those who said they were heterosexual were non-white.
More than 53 percent of LGBT individuals are women, Gallup found, and younger people were more likely to identify themselves as belonging to one of the four categories. Some 6.4 percent of people 18 to 29 years of age said they were LGBT while the lowest percentage, 1.9 percent, were 65 or older.
LGBT Americans also tend to have lower levels of education and income, the survey reported.
Nearly 59 percent of LGBT individuals said their standard of living was improving, compared to 49 percent of non-LGBT men and women
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Massive study finds only 3.4% of American adults identify as LGBT" by Andrew Malcolm, Investor's Business Daily 10/18/12
The new Gallup Poll of more than 121,000 adults, the largest of its kind on record, wass conducted during the past four months. It finds the percentage of self-reported LGBT Americans to be much smaller than a general impression derived from their presence in popular culture and their perceived influence in liberal American politics.
The largest percentage (4.6%) came among blacks, followed by Asians (4.3%), Hispanics (4%) and non-Hispanic whites (3.2%).
Among those making less than $24,000, 5.1% reported being LGBT, compared with 3.5% earning between $24,000 and $60,000 and only 2.8% who earned more.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Gallup: Only 3.4% Identify as LGBT; Higher % Among Young, Less Educated, Lower Incomes" by Susan Jones, CNSNews.com 10/18/12
"These results are based on responses to the question, 'Do you, personally, identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender?' included in 121,290 Gallup Daily tracking interviews conducted between June 1 and Sept. 30, 2012," Gallup explained.
Younger Americans are more likely to identify as LGBT: Adults ages 18-29 (6.4 percent) were more than three times as likely as seniors ages 65 and older (1.9 percent) to identify as LGBT. Gallup found that LGBT identity declines with age -- at 3.2 percent for ages 30-49; and 2.6 percent for ages 50-64.
Younger women are more likely to identify as LGBT than are younger men. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, 8.3 percent of women identify as LGBT, compared with 4.6 percent of men the same age.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read the entire Gallup Special Report
For background, read Same-sex Household Count Tiny: U.S. Census and also read White House Says Gay Recruitment of Kids Successful as well as We Recruit Kids for Sexual Deviancy, Says Gay Activist
A previous Gallup poll found that more than a third believe that over 25 percent of Americans are LGBT.
-- From "Poll challenges U.S. perceptions of LGBTs" by UPI 10/18/12
Some 3.4 percent of Americans say they are lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgendered, the largest survey of U.S. sexual identity ever done indicates.
Non-white individuals were more likely to identify themselves as LGBT, Gallup found. A third, 33 percent, of those polled who said they were LGBT were non-white while 27 percent of those who said they were heterosexual were non-white.
More than 53 percent of LGBT individuals are women, Gallup found, and younger people were more likely to identify themselves as belonging to one of the four categories. Some 6.4 percent of people 18 to 29 years of age said they were LGBT while the lowest percentage, 1.9 percent, were 65 or older.
LGBT Americans also tend to have lower levels of education and income, the survey reported.
Nearly 59 percent of LGBT individuals said their standard of living was improving, compared to 49 percent of non-LGBT men and women
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Massive study finds only 3.4% of American adults identify as LGBT" by Andrew Malcolm, Investor's Business Daily 10/18/12
The new Gallup Poll of more than 121,000 adults, the largest of its kind on record, wass conducted during the past four months. It finds the percentage of self-reported LGBT Americans to be much smaller than a general impression derived from their presence in popular culture and their perceived influence in liberal American politics.
The largest percentage (4.6%) came among blacks, followed by Asians (4.3%), Hispanics (4%) and non-Hispanic whites (3.2%).
Among those making less than $24,000, 5.1% reported being LGBT, compared with 3.5% earning between $24,000 and $60,000 and only 2.8% who earned more.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Gallup: Only 3.4% Identify as LGBT; Higher % Among Young, Less Educated, Lower Incomes" by Susan Jones, CNSNews.com 10/18/12
"These results are based on responses to the question, 'Do you, personally, identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, or transgender?' included in 121,290 Gallup Daily tracking interviews conducted between June 1 and Sept. 30, 2012," Gallup explained.
Younger Americans are more likely to identify as LGBT: Adults ages 18-29 (6.4 percent) were more than three times as likely as seniors ages 65 and older (1.9 percent) to identify as LGBT. Gallup found that LGBT identity declines with age -- at 3.2 percent for ages 30-49; and 2.6 percent for ages 50-64.
Younger women are more likely to identify as LGBT than are younger men. Among 18- to 29-year-olds, 8.3 percent of women identify as LGBT, compared with 4.6 percent of men the same age.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read the entire Gallup Special Report
Wednesday, October 17, 2012
Atheists Fail to Stricken Jesus from Hays County TX
Commissioners of Hays County, Texas were not intimidated by the threat of lawsuits by the Americans United for Separation of Church and State (AUSCS) because government meetings begin with prayer to Jesus Christ. In fact, in what some media call a compromise, commissioners have agreed to formalize a policy that makes clear that prayers will NOT end, and that Jesus name will NOT be censored.
-- From "Hays County leaders decide on compromise over prayer" by ABC-TV24 KVUE News (Austin) 10/16/12
For years, the commissioners court has opened with prayer, but a complaint earlier this year from a Washington-based advocacy group threatened legal action, accusing Hays County leaders of violating the First Amendment.
Commissioners voted to continue opening their weekly meetings with an invocation and have now passed a policy that lays out how and when religious leaders will be invited to give an invocation that must not coerce or disparage any other faith or belief.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Hays County will continue to allow Christian prayer during Commissioners Court" by Ciara O'Rourke, Austin American-Statesman Staff 10/16/12
Mark Kennedy, the county’s attorney, said religious leaders may continue to invoke the name of Jesus or other gods during their prayers — a practice that had led one resident to complain to Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
The Washington-based group asked commissioners in an April letter to either ban prayer or allow only nonsectarian prayer, noting that of 13 prayers from January to April, 10 mentioned Jesus Christ by name.
During a meeting last month, about 25 residents spoke in favor of Christian prayer, with some saying they would support the county using taxpayer funds to defend against a lawsuit by Americans United.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Despite pressure, Hays County Commissioners to continue prayer tradition" by Russell Wilde, Your News Now - Austin 10/16/12
After discussing the item behind closed doors—because of the potential of litigation—the commissioners court emerged with the new policy for prayer.
The resolution affirms what commissioners believe is a First Amendment right to continue the practice of beginning with a prayer.
Commissioners also unanimously adopted a policy for how those prayers will be given. Churches will be identified from around Hays County and randomly selected to be invited to give prayer.
County Judge Bert Cobb says protecting the right to pray is one of the principles this nation was founded upon.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Censorship Rejected; Legislative Prayers Continue In Hays County, Texas" by Liberty Institute (published by Sacramento Bee) 10/16/12
Relying on U.S. Supreme Court precedent, Hays County Commissioners Court rejected the unconstitutional demands of AUSCS and made it very clear that "the opening of sessions of legislative or other deliberative public bodies with prayer is deeply embedded in the history and tradition of this country." Hays County further stated that "it is not the job of the courts or deliberative bodies to 'embark on a sensitive evaluation or to parse the content of a particular prayer' offered before a deliberative body."
Jeff Mateer, Liberty Institute general counsel, said, "Even Texas is not immune to attacks on religious liberty, but thankfully we have strong court precedent that protects invocations from such bullying tactics when elected officials push back, like Hays County did today."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
"The Commissioners Court rejected D.C. efforts to censor public prayer and stood up to anti-freedom bullies, who learned you don't mess with Hays County, Texas."For background, read Religious Liberty and Anti-Christian Totalitarianism in America and also read Prayer in America: Hidden Faith, or Public?
-- Jonathan Saenz, President of Texas Values, and a resident of Hays County
-- From "Hays County leaders decide on compromise over prayer" by ABC-TV24 KVUE News (Austin) 10/16/12
For years, the commissioners court has opened with prayer, but a complaint earlier this year from a Washington-based advocacy group threatened legal action, accusing Hays County leaders of violating the First Amendment.
Commissioners voted to continue opening their weekly meetings with an invocation and have now passed a policy that lays out how and when religious leaders will be invited to give an invocation that must not coerce or disparage any other faith or belief.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Hays County will continue to allow Christian prayer during Commissioners Court" by Ciara O'Rourke, Austin American-Statesman Staff 10/16/12
Mark Kennedy, the county’s attorney, said religious leaders may continue to invoke the name of Jesus or other gods during their prayers — a practice that had led one resident to complain to Americans United for Separation of Church and State.
The Washington-based group asked commissioners in an April letter to either ban prayer or allow only nonsectarian prayer, noting that of 13 prayers from January to April, 10 mentioned Jesus Christ by name.
During a meeting last month, about 25 residents spoke in favor of Christian prayer, with some saying they would support the county using taxpayer funds to defend against a lawsuit by Americans United.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Despite pressure, Hays County Commissioners to continue prayer tradition" by Russell Wilde, Your News Now - Austin 10/16/12
After discussing the item behind closed doors—because of the potential of litigation—the commissioners court emerged with the new policy for prayer.
The resolution affirms what commissioners believe is a First Amendment right to continue the practice of beginning with a prayer.
Commissioners also unanimously adopted a policy for how those prayers will be given. Churches will be identified from around Hays County and randomly selected to be invited to give prayer.
County Judge Bert Cobb says protecting the right to pray is one of the principles this nation was founded upon.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Censorship Rejected; Legislative Prayers Continue In Hays County, Texas" by Liberty Institute (published by Sacramento Bee) 10/16/12
Relying on U.S. Supreme Court precedent, Hays County Commissioners Court rejected the unconstitutional demands of AUSCS and made it very clear that "the opening of sessions of legislative or other deliberative public bodies with prayer is deeply embedded in the history and tradition of this country." Hays County further stated that "it is not the job of the courts or deliberative bodies to 'embark on a sensitive evaluation or to parse the content of a particular prayer' offered before a deliberative body."
Jeff Mateer, Liberty Institute general counsel, said, "Even Texas is not immune to attacks on religious liberty, but thankfully we have strong court precedent that protects invocations from such bullying tactics when elected officials push back, like Hays County did today."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, October 16, 2012
Students Take Sex Ed to Dance - Teachers Shocked?
Administrators at Middletown High School in Rhode Island halted the homecoming dance when students performed sexually explicit "dancing." It must be noted that the students' behavior is consistent with a curriculum that doesn't encourage sexual restraint, but rather teaches sex performance techniques.
-- From "Schools defend decision to end dance over student grinding" posted at WPRO radio (Providence, RI) 10/16/12
Kraeger said that the offending students were being disrespectful, yelled out obscenities and then conducted a sit-in on the dance floor after being told to stop grinding, or dancing very closely.
Some parents tell the Middletown Patch which first reported the story, that they were never notified of the premature end to the dance. Kraeger tells WPRO that parents were advised that the youngsters were being sent home.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Middletown High homecoming dance canceled over 'grinding' protest" by Richard Salit, Providence Journal 10/15/12
Kraeger said the policy banning such sexually suggestive dancing is in the student handbook for the first time this year, and students were informed of it prior to the dance. Many signed a petition opposing the ban.
Some of the 410 students at the dance cursed the principal and began to develop a "mob mentality" that threatened safety, Kraeger said. Pleas from the principal and the senior class president did not calm the students and the dance was suspended.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Middletown Students Protest Homecoming Grinding Policy" by Olga Enger, Portsmouth Patch 10/15/12
According to a MHS Senior, Principal Gail Abromitis made an announcement at lunch that "grinding" would not be tolerated at the dance. The student said she has attended many dances throughout her four years at the school and she was not aware of any issues in the past.
She said students were not grinding, or even dancing. Eventually the students sat on the floor in protest and began to chant expletives.
"It was just not fun. I find it completely unnecessary," said the senior. Around 9:25 p.m., the students were told the dance was going to end early and the students left the building. The dance was scheduled to end at 11 p.m.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read study showing Abstinent Teens the Norm, Moral Sex-Ed Works - and yet Obama Funds Teaching Sex, not Abstinence
"When we have our young girls, on the floor, on all fours, with their dresses hiked up and young men behind them, that's not something we condone."For background, read Students Have Sex in Video, as They're Taught and also read New York Schools Teach Sex Performance Techniques as well as Texas School Trains 12-year-olds in Oral, Anal Sex
-- Rosemary Kraeger, Middletown Superintendent of Schools
-- From "Schools defend decision to end dance over student grinding" posted at WPRO radio (Providence, RI) 10/16/12
Kraeger said that the offending students were being disrespectful, yelled out obscenities and then conducted a sit-in on the dance floor after being told to stop grinding, or dancing very closely.
Some parents tell the Middletown Patch which first reported the story, that they were never notified of the premature end to the dance. Kraeger tells WPRO that parents were advised that the youngsters were being sent home.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Middletown High homecoming dance canceled over 'grinding' protest" by Richard Salit, Providence Journal 10/15/12
Kraeger said the policy banning such sexually suggestive dancing is in the student handbook for the first time this year, and students were informed of it prior to the dance. Many signed a petition opposing the ban.
Some of the 410 students at the dance cursed the principal and began to develop a "mob mentality" that threatened safety, Kraeger said. Pleas from the principal and the senior class president did not calm the students and the dance was suspended.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Middletown Students Protest Homecoming Grinding Policy" by Olga Enger, Portsmouth Patch 10/15/12
According to a MHS Senior, Principal Gail Abromitis made an announcement at lunch that "grinding" would not be tolerated at the dance. The student said she has attended many dances throughout her four years at the school and she was not aware of any issues in the past.
She said students were not grinding, or even dancing. Eventually the students sat on the floor in protest and began to chant expletives.
"It was just not fun. I find it completely unnecessary," said the senior. Around 9:25 p.m., the students were told the dance was going to end early and the students left the building. The dance was scheduled to end at 11 p.m.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read study showing Abstinent Teens the Norm, Moral Sex-Ed Works - and yet Obama Funds Teaching Sex, not Abstinence
Monday, October 15, 2012
Another Gay Agenda Indoctrination Day in Schools
Evangelical Christian organizations are encouraging parents to oppose the latest homosexual-celebration day foisted upon schools. Mix It Up at Lunch Day on October 30th is being promoted by the Southern Poverty Law Center, a homosexual advocacy organization that is highly touted by mainstream media, even though the SPLC labels Bible-believing Christians as haters.
Public pressure appears to be working, as the SPLC says about 10% of participating schools have already dropped the event.
For background, read Homosexual Indoctrination Mandated for Schools and also read ACLU Threatens Schools: Must Teach Homosexuality
Also see a list of anti-Christian public school incidents.
And read about the Homosexualists' Terrorist Attack on Christians and the SPLC "Hate List"
-- From "Christian Group Finds Gay Agenda in an Anti-Bullying Day" by Kim Severson, New York Times 10/14/12
. . . the American Family Association [AFA], a conservative evangelical group, has called the project “a nationwide push to promote the homosexual lifestyle in public schools” and is urging parents to keep their children home from school on Oct. 30, the day most of the schools plan to participate this year.
The swirl around Mix It Up at Lunch Day reflects a deeper battle between the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil-rights group founded 41 years ago in Montgomery, Ala., and the American Family Association, a Bible-based cultural watchdog organization in Tupelo, Miss. The association says its mission is to fight what it calls the “increasing ungodliness” in America.
The law center recently added the group to its national list of active hate groups, which also includes neo-Nazis, black separatists and Holocaust deniers.
Association leaders, in return, have gone on the offensive, calling the law center a hate group for oppressing Christian students and claiming its aim is to shut down groups that oppose homosexuality.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Christian group boycotts ‘Mix It Up Day’ which encourages kids to sit together at lunch because it promotes ‘homosexual agenda’" by Kerry Mcdermott, UK Daily Mail 10/15/12
Around 200 schools have cancelled plans to hold Mix It Up At Lunch Day on October 30 after the [AFA] association e-mailed parents urging them to keep their children at home on the day of the event.
Ms Costello, director of the [SPLC] Law Center's Teaching Tolerance project, told the newspaper Mix It Up Day was not about sexual orientation but rather about breaking up fixed social cliques, which can be especially evident in school cafeterias.
She said pupils who are gay or perceived to be gay can often be on the receiving end of bullying at school, but insisted any suggestion the programme was intended as a means of homosexual indoctrination was totally wrong.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Southern Poverty Law Center Pushes Homosexual Tolerance to Elementary Students with ‘Mix It Up’ Day" by Heather Clark, Christian News Network 10/8/12
“Mix It Up” is part of the [SPLC] organization’s “Teaching Tolerance” program.
“Our Teaching Tolerance program is working to foster school environments that are inclusive and nurturing – classrooms where equality and justice are not just taught, but lived. The program points to the future, helping teachers prepare a new generation to live in a diverse world,” outlines the Southern Poverty Law Center’s website.
“AFA is joining other family-oriented groups in urging parents to keep their children at home that day if their local school is sponsoring the ‘Mix It Up’ project,” [AFA] states. “The Southern Poverty Law Center is using this project to bully-push its gay agenda, and at the same time, intimidate and silence students who have a Biblical view of homosexuality.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center has been working in other aspects of society as well to silence what it believes is bigotry and hatred against homosexuality. It says that it “monitors hate groups and other extremists throughout the United States and exposes their activities to law enforcement agencies, the media and the public.” Over 1,000 entities have been placed on its “hate group” list, including a number of Christian and pro-family groups, such as Focus on the Family and Family Research Council
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Public pressure appears to be working, as the SPLC says about 10% of participating schools have already dropped the event.
For background, read Homosexual Indoctrination Mandated for Schools and also read ACLU Threatens Schools: Must Teach Homosexuality
Also see a list of anti-Christian public school incidents.
And read about the Homosexualists' Terrorist Attack on Christians and the SPLC "Hate List"
-- From "Christian Group Finds Gay Agenda in an Anti-Bullying Day" by Kim Severson, New York Times 10/14/12
. . . the American Family Association [AFA], a conservative evangelical group, has called the project “a nationwide push to promote the homosexual lifestyle in public schools” and is urging parents to keep their children home from school on Oct. 30, the day most of the schools plan to participate this year.
The swirl around Mix It Up at Lunch Day reflects a deeper battle between the Southern Poverty Law Center, a civil-rights group founded 41 years ago in Montgomery, Ala., and the American Family Association, a Bible-based cultural watchdog organization in Tupelo, Miss. The association says its mission is to fight what it calls the “increasing ungodliness” in America.
The law center recently added the group to its national list of active hate groups, which also includes neo-Nazis, black separatists and Holocaust deniers.
Association leaders, in return, have gone on the offensive, calling the law center a hate group for oppressing Christian students and claiming its aim is to shut down groups that oppose homosexuality.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Christian group boycotts ‘Mix It Up Day’ which encourages kids to sit together at lunch because it promotes ‘homosexual agenda’" by Kerry Mcdermott, UK Daily Mail 10/15/12
Around 200 schools have cancelled plans to hold Mix It Up At Lunch Day on October 30 after the [AFA] association e-mailed parents urging them to keep their children at home on the day of the event.
Ms Costello, director of the [SPLC] Law Center's Teaching Tolerance project, told the newspaper Mix It Up Day was not about sexual orientation but rather about breaking up fixed social cliques, which can be especially evident in school cafeterias.
She said pupils who are gay or perceived to be gay can often be on the receiving end of bullying at school, but insisted any suggestion the programme was intended as a means of homosexual indoctrination was totally wrong.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Southern Poverty Law Center Pushes Homosexual Tolerance to Elementary Students with ‘Mix It Up’ Day" by Heather Clark, Christian News Network 10/8/12
“Mix It Up” is part of the [SPLC] organization’s “Teaching Tolerance” program.
“Our Teaching Tolerance program is working to foster school environments that are inclusive and nurturing – classrooms where equality and justice are not just taught, but lived. The program points to the future, helping teachers prepare a new generation to live in a diverse world,” outlines the Southern Poverty Law Center’s website.
“AFA is joining other family-oriented groups in urging parents to keep their children at home that day if their local school is sponsoring the ‘Mix It Up’ project,” [AFA] states. “The Southern Poverty Law Center is using this project to bully-push its gay agenda, and at the same time, intimidate and silence students who have a Biblical view of homosexuality.”
The Southern Poverty Law Center has been working in other aspects of society as well to silence what it believes is bigotry and hatred against homosexuality. It says that it “monitors hate groups and other extremists throughout the United States and exposes their activities to law enforcement agencies, the media and the public.” Over 1,000 entities have been placed on its “hate group” list, including a number of Christian and pro-family groups, such as Focus on the Family and Family Research Council
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, October 14, 2012
Georgia High School Bible Classes Held at Churches
Dawson County High School is now offering Bible study classes organized by pastors and Christian educators at nearby churches. These are elective classes that count toward graduation requirements, and are NOT in violation of "separation of church and state" according to a U.S. Supreme Court ruling.
For background, read For-credit Bible Study Back in Tennessee Public Schools and also read Idaho School Takes Bible to Supreme Court as well as Texas Schools Must Teach 'Bible as History & Literature'
--From "Dawson County to offer Bible-based classes" posted at WAGA-TV5 Atlanta 10/12/12
"Biblical-based principals are good for all us to understand and know, and so many of our young people today don't have the opportunity or the ability to go to church," said Kevin Tanner of the Dawson County Christian Learning Center.
"This is completely non-denominational. It is an evangelical organization," said Mark Cown of the Dawson County Christian Learning Center [a nonprofit and accredited institution].
"We may have some push back, but again it's being offered at no cost to the taxpayers, no public funds, not being held on public property, so I don't anticipate that being a big issue," said Tanner.
Organizers said the program will be accredited through Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It will initially be taught by an accredited teacher.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Biblical-based course carries school credit" by Michele Hester, Staff Writer, Gainesville Times 10/10/12
Ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1952, released time religious education is completely funded by donations, without the use of tax dollars.
"We exist to prepare students spiritually, academically, emotionally and socially for God's call on their lives," [said Brooke Anderson, board chairman of the Dawson County Christian Learning Center].
A father of three, board member George Parson said the courses give students the "ability to choose a new opportunity that's been kept away from public school for too long."
Course topics range from family, community and career to comparative religions, life skills and current issues. They're based on scripture principles, with the Bible as the textbook.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background, read For-credit Bible Study Back in Tennessee Public Schools and also read Idaho School Takes Bible to Supreme Court as well as Texas Schools Must Teach 'Bible as History & Literature'
--From "Dawson County to offer Bible-based classes" posted at WAGA-TV5 Atlanta 10/12/12
"Biblical-based principals are good for all us to understand and know, and so many of our young people today don't have the opportunity or the ability to go to church," said Kevin Tanner of the Dawson County Christian Learning Center.
"This is completely non-denominational. It is an evangelical organization," said Mark Cown of the Dawson County Christian Learning Center [a nonprofit and accredited institution].
"We may have some push back, but again it's being offered at no cost to the taxpayers, no public funds, not being held on public property, so I don't anticipate that being a big issue," said Tanner.
Organizers said the program will be accredited through Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS). It will initially be taught by an accredited teacher.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Biblical-based course carries school credit" by Michele Hester, Staff Writer, Gainesville Times 10/10/12
Ruled constitutional by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1952, released time religious education is completely funded by donations, without the use of tax dollars.
"We exist to prepare students spiritually, academically, emotionally and socially for God's call on their lives," [said Brooke Anderson, board chairman of the Dawson County Christian Learning Center].
A father of three, board member George Parson said the courses give students the "ability to choose a new opportunity that's been kept away from public school for too long."
Course topics range from family, community and career to comparative religions, life skills and current issues. They're based on scripture principles, with the Bible as the textbook.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, October 13, 2012
Bishops Chasten VP Biden, a 'Practicing Catholic'
In the debate with GOP nominee for vice president, Paul Ryan, V.P. Joe Biden mischaracterized Roman Catholic doctrine according to Pope Benedict XVI regarding abortion. In addition, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops corrected Biden's erroneous explanation of the ObamaCare mandate against Catholic institutions, wherein Biden violated the Eighth Commandment.
UPDATE 10/31/12: Biden shouldn't receive communion says Roman Catholic Bishop Michael Sheridan of Colorado Springs
UPDATE 3/14/13: Pro-abortion, pro-homosexual Vice President Biden shows Pope Francis I in Rome how important the Catholic Church is to him
For background, click headlines below of previous posts:
Archbishops Say Vote Pro-life and Pro-marriage
Vatican: NEVER Vote for Pro-choice Candidate
Vatican: Liberal Catholic Candidates Must Repent Publicly
Bishops Throw Down Gauntlet: Obama War on Christianity
Religious Liberty & Anti-Christian Totalitarianism
-- From "Catholic bishops chide Biden over contraception mandate comments" by Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times 10/12/12
The nation's Roman Catholic bishops lashed out at Vice President Joe Biden on Friday, saying he was wrong in the way he described a healthcare mandate that would require contraceptive services for employees of some Catholic institutions.
In Thursday's vice presidential debate, the first ever between two Catholics, the candidates were asked how their faith shaped their views on abortion. Both said they were opposed to abortion, although Biden said he would not impose his views on others, while Republican Rep. Paul D. Ryan said he would support abortion restrictions. In his answer, Ryan took the opportunity to attack Biden and the Obama administration for "what they're doing through Obamacare with respect to assaulting the religious liberties of this country. They're infringing upon our first freedom, the freedom of religion, by infringing on Catholic charities, Catholic churches, Catholic hospitals."
Biden said Ryan was wrong.
The bishops' conference, representing the leadership of the church in the United States, leaped in on Ryan's side . . . [saying] that the HHS mandate will "force virtually all employers to include sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion, in the health insurance coverage they provide their employees."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Catholic bishops rebuke Biden over contraception mandate claims" by Kevin Eckstrom, Religion News Service, on The Washington Post 10/12/12
Without mentioning Biden by name, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said the “inaccurate” statement “made during the Vice Presidential debate” was “not a fact.”
During Thursday’s debate, Biden said “No religious institution-Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital-none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact.”
Biden also said that there is no “assault on the Catholic Church.” Ryan responded, “Why would they keep suing you?”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "No, Joe! U.S Catholic Bishops Say Biden Spoke Falsely" by Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com 10/12/12
“This is not a fact,” said a statement issued by the U.S.C.C.B on Friday. “The HHS mandate contains a narrow, four-part exemption for certain ‘religious employers.’ That exemption was made final in February and does not extend to ‘Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital,’ or any other religious charity that offers its services to all, regardless of the faith of those served.
. . . Citing Pope John Paul II's encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae, the [The National Catholic Bioethics Center] further said that Catholics have a moral duty to resist the Obamacare regulation.
“Most importantly, we are impelled to recall the distinct moral obligation of all persons of conscience, and especially Catholics, to resist unjust laws,” they said. “This duty was outlined explicitly by our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae: ‘There is no obligation in conscience to obey such laws; instead there is a grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection. ... In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, ... it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to ‘take part in a propaganda campaign in favour of such a law, or vote for it.’”
In Thursday night’s debate, Vice President Biden called himself a practicing Catholic and said that his life had been defined by his Catholic faith.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Biden: 'My Religion Defines My Life;' Pope: 'There Is a Grave and Clear Obligation to Oppose' Legalized Abortion" by Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com 10/12/12
The Catholic Church's teaching is not only that abortion is always wrong, but also that Catholics in public office have a grave duty to oppose legalizing it while speaking out clearly against it.
“With regard to abortion,” [Biden] said, “I accept my church’s position on abortion as a, what we call de fide doctrine. Life begins at conception. That’s the church’s judgment. I accept it in my personal life. But I refuse to impose it on equally devout Christian and Muslims and Jews, and I just refuse to impose that on others, unlike my friend here, the congressman.
“I do not believe that we have a right to tell other people that, women, that they can’t control their body,” said Biden. “It is a decision between them and their doctor, in my view, and the Supreme Court. I am not going to interfere with that.”
The actual position of the Catholic Church is that any law legalizing the killing of an unborn child is an unjust law that violates the natural law and is, therefore, no law at all. Vice President Biden’s church teaches that it is not acceptable even to obey such laws let alone support them as part of a political campaign.
In 2002, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who is now Pope Benedict XVI, wrote a "Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life." The note, approved and published by Pope John Paul II, reiterated that Catholic lawmakers have a "grave and clear obligation" to oppose legalized abortion and other attacks on the right to life. Indeed, here the church said it was "impossible" for a Catholic to promote such laws.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Obama, Dems Severely Lacking of Christian Support as well as President Obama Denies Leading War Against Christianity
UPDATE 10/31/12: Biden shouldn't receive communion says Roman Catholic Bishop Michael Sheridan of Colorado Springs
UPDATE 3/14/13: Pro-abortion, pro-homosexual Vice President Biden shows Pope Francis I in Rome how important the Catholic Church is to him
For background, click headlines below of previous posts:
Archbishops Say Vote Pro-life and Pro-marriage
Vatican: NEVER Vote for Pro-choice Candidate
Vatican: Liberal Catholic Candidates Must Repent Publicly
Bishops Throw Down Gauntlet: Obama War on Christianity
Religious Liberty & Anti-Christian Totalitarianism
-- From "Catholic bishops chide Biden over contraception mandate comments" by Mitchell Landsberg, Los Angeles Times 10/12/12
The nation's Roman Catholic bishops lashed out at Vice President Joe Biden on Friday, saying he was wrong in the way he described a healthcare mandate that would require contraceptive services for employees of some Catholic institutions.
In Thursday's vice presidential debate, the first ever between two Catholics, the candidates were asked how their faith shaped their views on abortion. Both said they were opposed to abortion, although Biden said he would not impose his views on others, while Republican Rep. Paul D. Ryan said he would support abortion restrictions. In his answer, Ryan took the opportunity to attack Biden and the Obama administration for "what they're doing through Obamacare with respect to assaulting the religious liberties of this country. They're infringing upon our first freedom, the freedom of religion, by infringing on Catholic charities, Catholic churches, Catholic hospitals."
Biden said Ryan was wrong.
The bishops' conference, representing the leadership of the church in the United States, leaped in on Ryan's side . . . [saying] that the HHS mandate will "force virtually all employers to include sterilization and contraception, including drugs that may cause abortion, in the health insurance coverage they provide their employees."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Catholic bishops rebuke Biden over contraception mandate claims" by Kevin Eckstrom, Religion News Service, on The Washington Post 10/12/12
Without mentioning Biden by name, the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops said the “inaccurate” statement “made during the Vice Presidential debate” was “not a fact.”
During Thursday’s debate, Biden said “No religious institution-Catholic or otherwise, including Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital-none has to either refer contraception, none has to pay for contraception, none has to be a vehicle to get contraception in any insurance policy they provide. That is a fact.”
Biden also said that there is no “assault on the Catholic Church.” Ryan responded, “Why would they keep suing you?”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "No, Joe! U.S Catholic Bishops Say Biden Spoke Falsely" by Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com 10/12/12
“This is not a fact,” said a statement issued by the U.S.C.C.B on Friday. “The HHS mandate contains a narrow, four-part exemption for certain ‘religious employers.’ That exemption was made final in February and does not extend to ‘Catholic social services, Georgetown hospital, Mercy hospital, any hospital,’ or any other religious charity that offers its services to all, regardless of the faith of those served.
. . . Citing Pope John Paul II's encyclical letter Evangelium Vitae, the [The National Catholic Bioethics Center] further said that Catholics have a moral duty to resist the Obamacare regulation.
“Most importantly, we are impelled to recall the distinct moral obligation of all persons of conscience, and especially Catholics, to resist unjust laws,” they said. “This duty was outlined explicitly by our Holy Father, Pope John Paul II, in his encyclical Evangelium Vitae: ‘There is no obligation in conscience to obey such laws; instead there is a grave and clear obligation to oppose them by conscientious objection. ... In the case of an intrinsically unjust law, ... it is therefore never licit to obey it, or to ‘take part in a propaganda campaign in favour of such a law, or vote for it.’”
In Thursday night’s debate, Vice President Biden called himself a practicing Catholic and said that his life had been defined by his Catholic faith.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Biden: 'My Religion Defines My Life;' Pope: 'There Is a Grave and Clear Obligation to Oppose' Legalized Abortion" by Terence P. Jeffrey, CNSNews.com 10/12/12
The Catholic Church's teaching is not only that abortion is always wrong, but also that Catholics in public office have a grave duty to oppose legalizing it while speaking out clearly against it.
“With regard to abortion,” [Biden] said, “I accept my church’s position on abortion as a, what we call de fide doctrine. Life begins at conception. That’s the church’s judgment. I accept it in my personal life. But I refuse to impose it on equally devout Christian and Muslims and Jews, and I just refuse to impose that on others, unlike my friend here, the congressman.
“I do not believe that we have a right to tell other people that, women, that they can’t control their body,” said Biden. “It is a decision between them and their doctor, in my view, and the Supreme Court. I am not going to interfere with that.”
The actual position of the Catholic Church is that any law legalizing the killing of an unborn child is an unjust law that violates the natural law and is, therefore, no law at all. Vice President Biden’s church teaches that it is not acceptable even to obey such laws let alone support them as part of a political campaign.
In 2002, then-Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, who is now Pope Benedict XVI, wrote a "Doctrinal Note on Some Questions Regarding the Participation of Catholics in Political Life." The note, approved and published by Pope John Paul II, reiterated that Catholic lawmakers have a "grave and clear obligation" to oppose legalized abortion and other attacks on the right to life. Indeed, here the church said it was "impossible" for a Catholic to promote such laws.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Obama, Dems Severely Lacking of Christian Support as well as President Obama Denies Leading War Against Christianity