While the media focus on "Occupy Wall Street" involving a few dozen ill-informed anarchists, these liberal "journalists" ignore thousands, across America, speaking against an intrusive federal government trampling on religious liberty.
A single exception: CBS News posted one story several days late, countering the rallies.
For background, read Bishops Throw Down Gauntlet: Obama War on Christianity and also read No Freedom of Religion for Chaplains, Say Obama & Dems
-- From "Nationwide rallies target birth control measure" posted at CBS News 6/11/12
Demonstrators gathered on Capitol Hill Friday afternoon decried the Obama administration's policy to require private health insurance plans to cover contraception as a violation of religious freedom.
The rally was affiliated with more than 100 other demonstrations under the same name taking place across the country. The issue has united multiple faiths, with evangelical, Orthodox Jewish, Roman Catholic and Mormon leaders recently forming networks in every state dedicated to promoting religious liberty, starting with their opposition to the mandate.
But Jennifer Miller, a vice president at Planned Parenthood in Trenton, said the rallies were being held by extremist groups that have a long history of attacking women's health.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "New Yorkers Join Religious Freedom Rally to Protest Obamacare" by Katherine Weber, Christian Post Reporter 6/8/12
Hundreds gathered in New York City's Financial District on Friday to attend the Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally, held in protest of President Barack Obama's Affordable Care Act, also known as Obamacare.
The protest, led by the Pro-Life Action League and Citizens for a Pro-Life Society, was held in 160 cities Friday, including Los Angeles, New York City, Washington, D.C., and Miami. Opponents of Obamacare say it violates the Constitution's First Amendment right of freedom of religion.
A similar nationwide anti-Obamacare rally was held in March and, according to event organizers, 63,000 people in about 130 cities turned out to express their discontent with the HHS mandate
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Big Government as the rival and enemy of religion" by Timothy P. Carney, Washington Examiner 6/11/12
On a few occasions, the crowd, just outside the Capitol, chanted in unison. But the words weren't the sort you'll hear at Sunday Mass.
"We will not comply! We will not comply!" they yelled. Some wore "Don't Tread on Me" shirts. One leader of this Rally for Religious Freedom on Friday lamented over the speakers, "In America, unfortunately, there's a rule against everything."
The cultural Left is turning the Catholic faithful into anti-authoritarians.
This is how the culture war generally plays out these days: The Left uses government to force religious people and cultural conservatives to violate their consciences, and then cries "theocracy" when conservatives object.
What should have been obvious is becoming clearer to religious conservatives: Government is always a rival, and often an enemy, of religion.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "Hundreds rally for religious freedom [in Arkansas]" by John Lyon, Arkansas News Bureau 6/8/12
“Stand up for Religious Freedom” rallies were held in Little Rock and other cities across the country to protest an upcoming federal mandate that most businesses and institutions provide health insurance coverage for birth control. Religious hospitals are exempt from the mandate, but other institutions are not.
Speakers included Jerry Cox, president of the Christian conservative Family Council, who told the crowd that “there is a war on religious freedom.”
The Rev. Mark Evans, senior pastor at the Church at Rock Creek in Little Rock, said religious denominations are not the issue because any assault on religious liberty is wrong and should be opposed.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Religious Freedom Rally goes national" by Alyssa Fenske, WEAU-TV13 6/8/12
In La Crosse [Wisconsin] more than 100 people showed up to express their beliefs.
Democratic Party Chair Vicki Burke did comment on the rally saying;
“What they are upset with is just an individual part of Obama care. I think it’s fair and that insurance companies should be required to provide health care for women.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Religious Freedom Rally in Naples brings out thousands" by Julie Salomone, WFTX-TV4 (Fort Myers/Naples, FL) 6/8/12
"My message is we need to stick together as a country. We need to bring God back into our lives, period," said [Kathleen] Hehir.
We're trying to give the message that this is about religious freedom, not about abortion, not about contraceptives. It's about freedom, we want to practice our religion openly," said Jeff Vespo, St. Williams Knights of Columbus.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Dearborn, Heights residents among protesters at religious freedom rally" by Jameson Cook, The Press & Guide (Michigan) 6/11/12
More than 1,000 people at a rally in downtown Detroit on Friday amplified their opposition to the Obama administration’s contraception mandate, saying it attacks religious beliefs and encourages sexually promiscuity.
The heavy Catholic- and Christian-influenced Stand Up for Religious Freedom rally, one of 160 across the nation and nine in Michigan, was held to protest the Health and Human Services policy that forces even religious-based institutions such as hospitals and universities to provide birth-control coverage in health care plans.
Speakers and attendees said they worry the government could further encroach on religious freedom.
Speaker Stacy Swimp, president of the Frederick Douglas Society, said the mandate is part of “the nefarious agenda of Planned Parenthood.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Miami rally defends religious freedom from health insurance mandate" by Anna Edgerton, The Miami Herald 6/8/12
Nearly 400 people turned out for the rally that was part of the Stand Up for Religious Freedom movement, a loose coalition of religious and conservative entities that has organized simultaneous demonstrations in more than 160 U.S. cities.
With anti-abortion pamphlets doubling as fans in the South Florida sun, the crowd shouted “Christ is risen!” and “Viva Cristo el Rey!” as Miami Archbishop Thomas Wenski took the microphone. First in English and then briefly in Spanish, he defended the separation of church and state as a protection for religion and criticized this “unprecedented intrusion” on religious freedom.
Other Catholic, Protestant and Jewish speakers echoed his message and led the crowd in patriotic songs. There were no representatives from other religions, although organizers said that all were welcome.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Rally for ‘religious freedom’ protests ‘Obamacare’" by Rich Howells, Scranton, PA 6/10/12
Nearly 200 people gathered on the Linden Street side of Courthouse Square on June 8 at noon to join over 155 other cities across the country for a rally to “Stand Up for Religious Freedom.”
Coinciding with the 223rd anniversary of the day James Madison introduced the Bill of Rights to the First Congress, the rally’s main purpose is to protest the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, labeled “Obamacare” by critics, that will require all employer health care plans “to provide free contraceptives, sterilizations, and abortion-inducing drugs, regardless of any moral or religious objections,” according to literature by the Pro-Life Action League handed out at the rally by local organizer Mary Ann Haas of West Scranton.
“This is not a political rally. This is not a Catholic rally. This is not a contraception rally. This is for freedom of religion, that we can believe what we choose to believe. This doesn’t limit anyone. This doesn’t trample on anyone’s rights, and I think that the most perfect persons that I could think of are here today to express those feelings,” Haas emphasized.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Protesters seek to protect their religious freedom" by Ken Abramczyk, Observer Staff Writer (Michigan) 6/10/12
On Friday, hundreds of residents from western Wayne County . . . participated in a Stand Up for Religious Freedom prayer rally at the corner of Five Mile and Levan, across from St. Mary Mercy Hospital.
The Archdiocese of Detroit has scheduled a Mass at 4 p.m. Sunday, June 24, at the Cathedral of Most Blessed Sacrament in Detroit as part of Fortnight for Freedom, scheduled June 21 through July 4, by the U.S. Conference of Bishops.
Dr. Miguel Lis-Planells, a neurosurgeon at the Michigan Head and Spine Institute in Southfield and vice chair of neurosurgery at Sinai Grace Hospital, said the U.S. is “less tolerant of God” and that marriage and family “are under attack.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Protesters join national rally opposing federal health care mandate" by Mark Keierleber, Indiana Daily Student 6/10/12
More than 100 Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally protesters gathered on the Monroe County Courthouse lawn Friday to express opposition to the United States Department of Health and Human Services’ mandate issued in January.
As speakers prayed into a microphone, the protesters bowed their heads in silence. From the elderly in wheelchairs to young children, attendees held cardboard signs that read, “your freedom is next,” “Stop Obama’s HHS mandate” and “stand up for your religious freedom.”
The Bloomington protest, which was organized by IU Jacobs School of Music student Martha Sliva, 18, was part of a nationwide movement. With the closest protest in Indianapolis, Sliva said she organized the event to inform the Bloomington and IU communities.
In more than 150 cities throughout the nation, more than 10,000 people rallied against the HHS mandate during the second Stand Up for Religious Freedom Rally. The first rally was in March.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Bachmann: 'Is Government God? ... That's Really the Issue at Hand'" by Elizabeth Harrington, CNSNews.com 6/8/12
“The people want to have their liberties back and they don’t like to see religious institutions, particularly the Catholic Church, have to be forced to deny their sincerely held faith and the doctrine of their faith in order to be in compliance with government because at that point who is God?” [Minnesota Congresswoman Michele] Bachmann said.
“That’s really the issue at hand and we cannot have this change that Barack Obama has put forward and that’s why you see the people here today who are working very hard to make sure they can hold on to their religious liberties,” Bachmann said.
“This is the line in the sand,” she said. “This is our fundamental right for religious liberty. It is why the Pilgrims came to this country, to have religious freedom. Barack Obama is taking away that basic right from the American people. So, of course, we’re going to stand."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Obama, Dems Severely Lacking of Christian Support
(5/2/12) Fr. Andrew at 2012 Colorado Republican State Assembly and Convention (video below)
Showing posts with label Bachmann. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Bachmann. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 12, 2012
Thursday, December 29, 2011
Pres. Candidates Push Personhood, End of Abortion
Unreported by the mainstream media, in Tuesday's Presidential Pro-Life Forum organized by PersonhoodUSA, Michele Bachmann, Newt Gingrich, Rick Perry and Rick Santorum each stated unequivocally that if elected president they would take all actions possible to define unborn humans as "persons" from conception.
For background, read 2012: Obama vs. an Evangelical, or vs. a Mormon? and also read Presidential Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues as well as Iowa Christian Presidential Forum Riles Media
UPDATE 2/5/12: Romney is GOP holdout on personhood pledge
UPDATE 1/10/12: Ron Paul "signs" personhood pledge, sort of; still nothing from Mitt Romney
-- From "Four top GOP candidates would ban abortion in rape, incest" by Jay Bookman, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 12/28/11
In November, 58 percent of voters in Mississippi rejected a so-called “personhood amendment,” which stated that human life begins at the moment of fertilization and gave human embryos all of the legal protections of a person. Destroying an embryo by any means would be considered murder.
The amendment would have outlawed abortion even in cases of rape and incest, as well as embryonic stem-cell research.
Mitt Romney has ducked the issue, arguing that human life begins at conception but concluding that such decisions should be made at the state rather than federal level. Jon Huntsman has said the personhood movement “goes too far.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "GOP Candidates Fight for Iowa Pro-Life Vote" by Rebekah Metzler, U.S. News & World Report 12/28/11
Four GOP presidential candidates discussed their pro-life views with about 25,000 participants in a tele-town hall sponsored by Personhood USA that was also broadcast on a conservative talk radio show on Tuesday night.
All four had previously signed a "personhood" pledge distributed by Personhood USA, declaring they would pursue legislation to declare that life begins at fertilization, if elected president.
Bachmann was the only candidate to call out rivals for their inconsistency on the pro-life issue. Secure in her record and demonstrating an obvious grasp of the key words and issues pro-life voters care about, she discussed the importance of not relegating pro-lifers to the sidelines.
Santorum, well known for arguing the pro-life cause during his time in the Senate, also sought to convince voters of his bona fides.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "GOP Candidates Reveal How They Would Enact Pro-Life 'Personhood' Laws" by Christina Wilkie, Huffington Post 12/28/11
The candidates took questions from some of the listeners as well as from Personhood USA's CEO Keith Mason, while syndicated conservative radio host Steve Deace served as moderator of the forum, which was broadcast on his program and 88 radio stations nationwide.
Personhood USA is best known as the group whose pledge requires that signors "defend all innocent human life," and reaffirm that "Abortion and the intentional killing of an innocent human being are always wrong and should be prohibited."
Personhood USA spokeswoman Jennifer Mason told The Huffington Post Tuesday that all seven candidates had been invited to participate.
[Each candidate was asked] what they would do in the event that the Supreme Court ruled Personhood legislation unconstitutional.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Gingrich, Perry dismiss ability of courts to end anti-abortion law" by Julian Pecquet, The Hill 12/27/11
Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry said during a GOP candidates forum Tuesday night that the Supreme Court should not be able to challenge anti-abortion measures.
Gingrich said legislation he would support as president would prohibit judicial review. Perry simply asserted that he would ignore a negative ruling by the Supreme Court in such a case.
. . . the Texas governor responded that “obviously, you would enforce the right to life” rather than the court’s decision.
As for Gingrich, the former House Speaker said the solution would be to “write the bill so it is not appealable.”
“I think you could write an exclusionary” clause, he said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background, read 2012: Obama vs. an Evangelical, or vs. a Mormon? and also read Presidential Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues as well as Iowa Christian Presidential Forum Riles Media
UPDATE 2/5/12: Romney is GOP holdout on personhood pledge
UPDATE 1/10/12: Ron Paul "signs" personhood pledge, sort of; still nothing from Mitt Romney
-- From "Four top GOP candidates would ban abortion in rape, incest" by Jay Bookman, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution 12/28/11
In November, 58 percent of voters in Mississippi rejected a so-called “personhood amendment,” which stated that human life begins at the moment of fertilization and gave human embryos all of the legal protections of a person. Destroying an embryo by any means would be considered murder.
The amendment would have outlawed abortion even in cases of rape and incest, as well as embryonic stem-cell research.
Mitt Romney has ducked the issue, arguing that human life begins at conception but concluding that such decisions should be made at the state rather than federal level. Jon Huntsman has said the personhood movement “goes too far.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "GOP Candidates Fight for Iowa Pro-Life Vote" by Rebekah Metzler, U.S. News & World Report 12/28/11
Four GOP presidential candidates discussed their pro-life views with about 25,000 participants in a tele-town hall sponsored by Personhood USA that was also broadcast on a conservative talk radio show on Tuesday night.
All four had previously signed a "personhood" pledge distributed by Personhood USA, declaring they would pursue legislation to declare that life begins at fertilization, if elected president.
Bachmann was the only candidate to call out rivals for their inconsistency on the pro-life issue. Secure in her record and demonstrating an obvious grasp of the key words and issues pro-life voters care about, she discussed the importance of not relegating pro-lifers to the sidelines.
Santorum, well known for arguing the pro-life cause during his time in the Senate, also sought to convince voters of his bona fides.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "GOP Candidates Reveal How They Would Enact Pro-Life 'Personhood' Laws" by Christina Wilkie, Huffington Post 12/28/11
The candidates took questions from some of the listeners as well as from Personhood USA's CEO Keith Mason, while syndicated conservative radio host Steve Deace served as moderator of the forum, which was broadcast on his program and 88 radio stations nationwide.
Personhood USA is best known as the group whose pledge requires that signors "defend all innocent human life," and reaffirm that "Abortion and the intentional killing of an innocent human being are always wrong and should be prohibited."
Personhood USA spokeswoman Jennifer Mason told The Huffington Post Tuesday that all seven candidates had been invited to participate.
[Each candidate was asked] what they would do in the event that the Supreme Court ruled Personhood legislation unconstitutional.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Gingrich, Perry dismiss ability of courts to end anti-abortion law" by Julian Pecquet, The Hill 12/27/11
Republican presidential candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Perry said during a GOP candidates forum Tuesday night that the Supreme Court should not be able to challenge anti-abortion measures.
Gingrich said legislation he would support as president would prohibit judicial review. Perry simply asserted that he would ignore a negative ruling by the Supreme Court in such a case.
. . . the Texas governor responded that “obviously, you would enforce the right to life” rather than the court’s decision.
As for Gingrich, the former House Speaker said the solution would be to “write the bill so it is not appealable.”
“I think you could write an exclusionary” clause, he said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Monday, December 05, 2011
At Conception? Gingrich Equivocates on Human Life
On Friday, presidential candidate Newt Gingrich explained at length his opinion that human life does NOT begin until implantation (i.e. the zygote/blastocyst attaching to the uterine wall). On Saturday his campaign realized that his diatribe conflicted with the dominant pro-life position (human life begins at fertilization, PRIOR to implantation), and immediately released a brief statement that Gingrich believes that life begins at conception. Such a statement leaves much "wiggle room" for his lengthy Friday statements because conception is often equated to the point of implantation.For background, read GOP Candidates: NO on Pro-life Pledge and also read 'Gay Marriage' a 'Temporary Aberration:' Newt Gingrich as well as Iowa Christian Presidential Forum Riles Media
-- From "Bachmann says Gingrich's stance on abortion is 'troubling'" by Jim Morrill McClatchy, Newspapers, 12/2/11
At a book signing in Rock Hill on Friday, GOP presidential candidate Michele Bachmann criticized rival Newt Gingrich over his comments about the beginning of life.
Gingrich told ABC News on Friday that he believes life begins at “successful implantation,” not fertilization.
In a statement, [Michele Bachmann] said, “This, along with his inconsistent record on life, is just one more indication that Newt is not dedicated to protecting the lives of the unborn and doesn’t share the most basic of conservative principles.”
In January, the Minnesota Republican representative co-sponsored the “Life at Conception Act.” It would define life from the moment of fertilization.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Gingrich Restates Pro-Life Views, Says Life Begins at Conception" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 12/5/11
In a new statement the Gingrich campaign sent to LifeNews.com over the weekend, the former House Speaker says repeatedly that he believes life begins at conception, that he is pro-life and that he would implement a pro-life agenda immediately after being sown in as president if he becomes the GOP nominee and defeats pro-abortion President Barack Obama.
“As I have stated many times throughout the course of my public life, I believe that human life begins at conception,” Gingrich said in the statement. “I believe that every unborn life is precious, no matter how conceived. I also believe that we should work for the day when there will be no abortions for any reason, and that every unborn child will be welcomed into life and protected by law.”
As LifeNews previously reported, Gingrich told ABC News in an interview that human life begins at implantation rather than conception, which science has established as the starting point for human life.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Newt Gingrich: Life Begins At Implantation, Not Fertilization" Laura Bassett, Huffington Post 12/2/11
"I think the question of being implanted is a very big question," Gingrich said. "My friends who have ideological positions that sound good don't then follow through the logic of 'So how many additional potential lives are they talking about? What are they going to do as a practical matter to make this real?'"
He said that "when a woman has a fertilized egg and that's been successfully implanted, that now you're dealing with life." Otherwise, Gingrich noted, "you're going to open up an extraordinary range of very difficult questions."
Conception, by definition, involves "fertilization or implantation or both," so Gingrich's comments over Thanksgiving don't necessarily conflict with the position he stated Friday. But the national movement led by Personhood USA takes the position that a zygote should be given full legal rights at the moment of fertilization.
"If Newt Gingrich believes that life begins at implantation, he is scientifically incorrect," Jennifer Mason, a spokeswoman for Personhood USA, told HuffPost on Friday. "Any human embryology textbook confirms that life begins at the moment of fertilization. From that moment, there is a living, growing, developing human being."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Christian Liberty at Risk with a President Romney?
Sunday, November 20, 2011
Iowa Christian Presidential Forum Riles Media
Six non-Romney presidential candidates spoke Saturday at the Thanksgiving Family Forum in Des Moines, Iowa about many family issues including the sanctity of life and same-sex "marriage." The hours-long event was overtly Christian, which has caused the mainstream media to either hide the forum from the public, or to attack it, and its backers, as an affront to "the separation of church and state."
For background, read 2012: Obama vs. an Evangelical, or vs. a Mormon? and also read Presidential Candidates Address Christians in D.C. as well as Presidential Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues and take note that Media Prepare Anti-Christian Campaign for 2012
To see the full video of this most profound forum of the campaign to date, scroll down.
UPDATE 11/23/11: Iowa pro-family/pro-life leaders meet to anoint a non-Romney consensus candidate
-- From "Family Leader forum: Values, confessions in Iowa" by Maggie Haberman, Politico 11/19/11
The event, sponsored by the National Organization for Marriage and the Family Leader — a group led by a longtime activist who played a key role in organizing for caucuses winner Mike Huckabee four years ago — marked an accelerated pitch to a pivotal caucus voting bloc. In addition to Gingrich, Cain and Perry, the table included Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum.
But missing was Mitt Romney . . .
Family Leader head Bob Vander Plaats, who last week said Romney was “dissing” the conservative base and predicted it could cost him the nomination . . .
Moderator Frank Luntz, a GOP pollster who was clearly pleased the candidates didn’t lob shots at one another as they have in the other televised debates, said he felt “like Dr. Phil” as he tried to draw confessions about regrets and personal failings out of the candidates at the subdued affair.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Well-choreographed Family Forum boasts several unscripted moments" by Shannon Travis, CNN Political Reporter 11/20/11
A gathering of six Republican presidential candidates and some 3,000 conservatives - most of them Christians - was marked as much by politeness and political posturing as by cheers, tears and jeers.
[The candidates] spoke about their values, ideas, sense of morality and the proper roles for religion and government in society.
Common themes were criticisms of government intrusion into family lives, an emphasis on individual liberties, a calling out of judicial "activism," and the need for greater economic freedoms.
[Moderator Frank] Luntz asked the candidates to describe a personal or professional experience that helped shape their faith and spirituality.
One by one the candidates articulated stories rarely heard on the campaign trail . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Republicans woo social conservatives in Iowa" by Thomas Beaumont, The Associated Press 11/20/11
At an event sponsored by an Iowa Christian group, the candidates tried at times to gain a political edge with potent Iowa conservatives. But some of the discussion turned uncharacteristically personal, with the would-be presidents tearfully revealing formative chapters that shaped their faith.
The format was a sharp departure from the 10 GOP debates that have already been held in the 2012 campaign. Instead of the rapid questions and timed answers of the televised debates, Saturday's forum was held around a large dining table on a stage with fall-themed decorations, aimed at resembling a family Thanksgiving dinner scene. Pollster Frank Luntz moderated the two-hour event, which often flowed conversationally.
Texas' two candidates, Rep. Ron Paul and Gov. Rick Perry, did not offer revealing chapters from their lives as the others did. Paul described his early life during the Depression in Pennsylvania, and Perry, his upbringing in rural west Texas. Perry also described feeling lost upon his discharge from the Air Force at age 27.
Santorum was the most aggressive in trying to establish political edge during the event, arguing that the president must be a cultural warrior pushing for social change that reflects the nation's Judeo-Christian heritage.
Despite the religious theme, the discussion nevertheless revealed deep divisions about the role of government in shaping the nation's culture, illustrated by the libertarian-leaning Paul's rejection of an activist presidency.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Republicans to court Iowa conservatives at Family Leader forum" by Michael A. Memoli, Los Angeles Times 11/19/11
Saturday's Thanksgiving Family Forum is organized by a leading Iowa conservative, Bob Vander Plaats, and his group, the Family Leader.
Vander Plaats, a three-time gubernatorial candidate, founded Family Leader to be a galvanizing force for social conservatives ahead of the state's lead-off nominating caucuses. He also has his critics . . .
"In a lot of ways they’re not attacking Bob Vander Plaats, they’re attacking the one I serve," he said, according to the [Des Moines Register].
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Controversial conservative Bob Vander Plaats and his organization The Family Leader" by Dave Price, WHO-TV13 (Des Moines) 11/18/11
Last year, Vander Plaats helped oust three state Supreme Court justices after the ruling allowing same sex marriages. But earlier this month his group's efforts to help a Republican candidate win a special election Senate race this month in eastern Iowa ended in a lopsided loss.
[Vander Plaats says] "This organization is not a Republican subsidiary. We're very focused on issues that affect the family."
Vander Plaats wants this forum and his group to be the voice for Iowans who believe in lifelong heterosexual marriage, no more abortions and no more homosexuality which the Family Leader labels "distorted sexual behavior".
Figuring out who's paying to keep the doors open and lights for the group is really tough. You can find a list of some of the donors but the way this is all structured, to find everybody is impossible. Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure records show a wide range of donations from $5,000 from the Family Research Council and $5 from a woman, Kathleen Hedger, in Fort Madison, along with donations from hundreds of others with amounts in between. Vander Plaats said, "It's people who believe in our issues, believe in our cause, are motivated to cut the checks."
Those checks totaled more than a million dollars in contributions last year.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Vander Plaats' Culture War Pledge Asked of Presidential Candidates
Full video of Forum:
UPDATE 11/20/11 Video of NBC News reporting zero on the issues content of the forum, instead focusing solely on "crying candidates:"
UPDATE 12/4/11 - Mike Huckabee (FOX News) Presidential Forum, Complete Video:
For background, read 2012: Obama vs. an Evangelical, or vs. a Mormon? and also read Presidential Candidates Address Christians in D.C. as well as Presidential Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues and take note that Media Prepare Anti-Christian Campaign for 2012
To see the full video of this most profound forum of the campaign to date, scroll down.
UPDATE 11/23/11: Iowa pro-family/pro-life leaders meet to anoint a non-Romney consensus candidate
-- From "Family Leader forum: Values, confessions in Iowa" by Maggie Haberman, Politico 11/19/11
The event, sponsored by the National Organization for Marriage and the Family Leader — a group led by a longtime activist who played a key role in organizing for caucuses winner Mike Huckabee four years ago — marked an accelerated pitch to a pivotal caucus voting bloc. In addition to Gingrich, Cain and Perry, the table included Ron Paul, Michele Bachmann and Rick Santorum.
But missing was Mitt Romney . . .
Family Leader head Bob Vander Plaats, who last week said Romney was “dissing” the conservative base and predicted it could cost him the nomination . . .
Moderator Frank Luntz, a GOP pollster who was clearly pleased the candidates didn’t lob shots at one another as they have in the other televised debates, said he felt “like Dr. Phil” as he tried to draw confessions about regrets and personal failings out of the candidates at the subdued affair.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Well-choreographed Family Forum boasts several unscripted moments" by Shannon Travis, CNN Political Reporter 11/20/11
A gathering of six Republican presidential candidates and some 3,000 conservatives - most of them Christians - was marked as much by politeness and political posturing as by cheers, tears and jeers.
[The candidates] spoke about their values, ideas, sense of morality and the proper roles for religion and government in society.
Common themes were criticisms of government intrusion into family lives, an emphasis on individual liberties, a calling out of judicial "activism," and the need for greater economic freedoms.
[Moderator Frank] Luntz asked the candidates to describe a personal or professional experience that helped shape their faith and spirituality.
One by one the candidates articulated stories rarely heard on the campaign trail . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Republicans woo social conservatives in Iowa" by Thomas Beaumont, The Associated Press 11/20/11
At an event sponsored by an Iowa Christian group, the candidates tried at times to gain a political edge with potent Iowa conservatives. But some of the discussion turned uncharacteristically personal, with the would-be presidents tearfully revealing formative chapters that shaped their faith.
The format was a sharp departure from the 10 GOP debates that have already been held in the 2012 campaign. Instead of the rapid questions and timed answers of the televised debates, Saturday's forum was held around a large dining table on a stage with fall-themed decorations, aimed at resembling a family Thanksgiving dinner scene. Pollster Frank Luntz moderated the two-hour event, which often flowed conversationally.
Texas' two candidates, Rep. Ron Paul and Gov. Rick Perry, did not offer revealing chapters from their lives as the others did. Paul described his early life during the Depression in Pennsylvania, and Perry, his upbringing in rural west Texas. Perry also described feeling lost upon his discharge from the Air Force at age 27.
Santorum was the most aggressive in trying to establish political edge during the event, arguing that the president must be a cultural warrior pushing for social change that reflects the nation's Judeo-Christian heritage.
Despite the religious theme, the discussion nevertheless revealed deep divisions about the role of government in shaping the nation's culture, illustrated by the libertarian-leaning Paul's rejection of an activist presidency.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Republicans to court Iowa conservatives at Family Leader forum" by Michael A. Memoli, Los Angeles Times 11/19/11
Saturday's Thanksgiving Family Forum is organized by a leading Iowa conservative, Bob Vander Plaats, and his group, the Family Leader.
Vander Plaats, a three-time gubernatorial candidate, founded Family Leader to be a galvanizing force for social conservatives ahead of the state's lead-off nominating caucuses. He also has his critics . . .
"In a lot of ways they’re not attacking Bob Vander Plaats, they’re attacking the one I serve," he said, according to the [Des Moines Register].
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Controversial conservative Bob Vander Plaats and his organization The Family Leader" by Dave Price, WHO-TV13 (Des Moines) 11/18/11
Last year, Vander Plaats helped oust three state Supreme Court justices after the ruling allowing same sex marriages. But earlier this month his group's efforts to help a Republican candidate win a special election Senate race this month in eastern Iowa ended in a lopsided loss.
[Vander Plaats says] "This organization is not a Republican subsidiary. We're very focused on issues that affect the family."
Vander Plaats wants this forum and his group to be the voice for Iowans who believe in lifelong heterosexual marriage, no more abortions and no more homosexuality which the Family Leader labels "distorted sexual behavior".
Figuring out who's paying to keep the doors open and lights for the group is really tough. You can find a list of some of the donors but the way this is all structured, to find everybody is impossible. Iowa Ethics and Campaign Disclosure records show a wide range of donations from $5,000 from the Family Research Council and $5 from a woman, Kathleen Hedger, in Fort Madison, along with donations from hundreds of others with amounts in between. Vander Plaats said, "It's people who believe in our issues, believe in our cause, are motivated to cut the checks."
Those checks totaled more than a million dollars in contributions last year.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Vander Plaats' Culture War Pledge Asked of Presidential Candidates
Full video of Forum:
UPDATE 11/20/11 Video of NBC News reporting zero on the issues content of the forum, instead focusing solely on "crying candidates:"
UPDATE 12/4/11 - Mike Huckabee (FOX News) Presidential Forum, Complete Video:
Saturday, October 15, 2011
2012: Obama vs. an Evangelical, or vs. a Mormon?
If American political campaigns reflect public opinion, the 2012 presidential election is shaping up as a choice between President Obama and one of several evangelical Christians, all of whom have now publicly announced that God has called him/her to the campaign; or, there's Mitt Romney, the leading Mormon candidate.
For election background concerning focus on Christianity, read Registering Millions of Christians to Vote and also read Presidential Candidates Address Christians in D.C. as well as Presidential Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues
Below are videos of three of the evangelical Christian candidates wherein each one speaks of his/her Christian faith and conviction, along with background links.
For Herman Cain Christian background, read 'I Felt Like Moses,' Says Herman Cain and also read Herman Cain: Christian Tea Party Candidate
Herman Cain speaks at Faith & Freedom event at Ohio Christian University 10/13/11:
For Rick Perry Christian background, read God Leading Rick Perry to Presidency, Says Wife and also read Rick Perry 'Talks Christian,' Media Perturbed as well as Texas-sized Prayers to God - Gov. Perry
Rick Perry speaks at Liberty University 9/14/11:
For Michele Bachmann Christian background, read Michele Bachmann Exposed as Christian by Liberals and also read Can an Evangelical Woman be President? as well as Bachmann Believes Jesus Saves Us from Sin
Michele Bachmann speaks at Liberty University 9/28/11:
Mitt Romney vs. Christian Tea Party Candidates
From "Romney's rise challenges tea party's clout in GOP" by Charles Babington, Associated Press 10/15/11
On the surface, Romney's strength seems at odds with the tea party's fiery success in ousting Republicans seen as compromisers, and in making the House GOP caucus more ideological, even when its leaders plead for flexibility.
Romney defends the government's 2008 bank bailouts, plus the mandated health insurance he initiated as Massachusetts governor. He says he can work with "good Democrats." Although he later changed, Romney once supported abortion rights, gun control and gay rights.
These positions run counter to the beliefs and goals of many tea party activists scattered throughout the country. . . .
Polls of Republicans show Romney holding steady at about 25 percent, while Bachmann, Perry and Cain take turns making surges. "That tells me that 75 percent of the primary voters would really rather have someone else," said GOP lobbyist and consultant Mike McKenna.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Click headlines below to read previous articles:
Media Discover America is a Christian Nation
Media Prepare Anti-Christian Campaign for 2012
NY Times Wants Conservative Christian Candidates Grilled on Theology
God's Conspiracy Theory via GOP per NBC's Rachel Maddow
Christian Tea Party Analysis is Media Priority
'Culture War' Suddenly Erupts, Says Liberal Media
Proved: Tea Party Movement is Christian
Americans Agree with Tea Party, not D.C. Leaders
'Teavangelical Party' Emerges from 2010 Election Polling
UPDATE 10/22/11: Most candidates speak of their Christian faith in Iowa (video)
For election background concerning focus on Christianity, read Registering Millions of Christians to Vote and also read Presidential Candidates Address Christians in D.C. as well as Presidential Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues
Below are videos of three of the evangelical Christian candidates wherein each one speaks of his/her Christian faith and conviction, along with background links.
For Herman Cain Christian background, read 'I Felt Like Moses,' Says Herman Cain and also read Herman Cain: Christian Tea Party Candidate
Herman Cain speaks at Faith & Freedom event at Ohio Christian University 10/13/11:
For Rick Perry Christian background, read God Leading Rick Perry to Presidency, Says Wife and also read Rick Perry 'Talks Christian,' Media Perturbed as well as Texas-sized Prayers to God - Gov. Perry
Rick Perry speaks at Liberty University 9/14/11:
For Michele Bachmann Christian background, read Michele Bachmann Exposed as Christian by Liberals and also read Can an Evangelical Woman be President? as well as Bachmann Believes Jesus Saves Us from Sin
Michele Bachmann speaks at Liberty University 9/28/11:
Mitt Romney vs. Christian Tea Party Candidates
From "Romney's rise challenges tea party's clout in GOP" by Charles Babington, Associated Press 10/15/11
On the surface, Romney's strength seems at odds with the tea party's fiery success in ousting Republicans seen as compromisers, and in making the House GOP caucus more ideological, even when its leaders plead for flexibility.
Romney defends the government's 2008 bank bailouts, plus the mandated health insurance he initiated as Massachusetts governor. He says he can work with "good Democrats." Although he later changed, Romney once supported abortion rights, gun control and gay rights.
These positions run counter to the beliefs and goals of many tea party activists scattered throughout the country. . . .
Polls of Republicans show Romney holding steady at about 25 percent, while Bachmann, Perry and Cain take turns making surges. "That tells me that 75 percent of the primary voters would really rather have someone else," said GOP lobbyist and consultant Mike McKenna.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Click headlines below to read previous articles:
Media Discover America is a Christian Nation
Media Prepare Anti-Christian Campaign for 2012
NY Times Wants Conservative Christian Candidates Grilled on Theology
God's Conspiracy Theory via GOP per NBC's Rachel Maddow
Christian Tea Party Analysis is Media Priority
'Culture War' Suddenly Erupts, Says Liberal Media
Proved: Tea Party Movement is Christian
Americans Agree with Tea Party, not D.C. Leaders
'Teavangelical Party' Emerges from 2010 Election Polling
UPDATE 10/22/11: Most candidates speak of their Christian faith in Iowa (video)
Saturday, October 08, 2011
Presidential Candidates Address Christians in D.C.
All of the Republican presidential hopefuls (except RINO Jon Huntsman) addressed the Values Voters Summit in D.C. this weekend. While every candidate presented solutions for the dire economic condition of the country, they also addressed the moral bankruptcy of America including their support for religious liberty, the sanctity of life (anti-abortion) and the sanctity of marriage between one man and one woman.
For background on the high priority the candidates place on Culture War issues, read Presidential Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues and also read Presidential Candidates Address Christian America as well as Proved: Tea Party Movement is Christian
UPDATE 10/10/11: 'I Felt Like Moses,' Says Herman Cain
Get a load of this ridiculously inaccurate depiction of the campaign by the Washington Post . . .
-- From "Values Voters summit kicks off in values-light season" by Rachel Weiner, Washington Post 10/7/11
This weeked, social conservatives are gathering in Washington, D.C. for the Values Voters summit, a big three-day confab organized by the Family Research Council. But the high-profile event comes during a campaign in which social issues have been all but ignored.
Social issues have not turned into wedges between the candidates as is typical in GOP primaries. Earlier this year, most candidates refused to sign an influential Iowa conservative group’s controversial gay marriage pledge. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has not taken heat for his past support of abortion rights; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has received little criticism for his multiple divorces.
And those religious voters, while likely wary of Romney, may not be fully satisfied with Perry either. While Perry held a high-profile Christian event just weeks before entering the race, he has largely avoided social issues since his announcement. His team has argued that only attacks related to jobs and the economy will resonate with voters.
The candidate most tied to social conservatives, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, has never really gotten much traction. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), an evangelical with appeal to the movement, has collapsed in recent weeks. She gave a speech on abortion rights earlier this week; all the questions were about her staff depatures.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
To understand the media frustration, see links at the very bottom of this blog post (down).
From "Rick Perry picks up key supporter at Values Voter Summit" by Kim Geiger, Los Angeles Times 10/7/11
Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, called Perry “a proven leader” who embodies the three attributes that matter to social conservatives: a “genuine commitment to biblical values,” competency to govern, and electability.
Jeffress called Perry “a genuine follower of Jesus Christ,” in a not-so-subtle swipe at Romney, who is Mormon.
“For more than a generation, our culture has emphasized a message of self-indulgence at the expense of social obligation,” Perry said. “…The fabric of our society is not government or individual freedom. It is the family. And the demise of the family is the demise of any great society.”
Perry also won a standing ovation when he declared that he “was proud to sign a budget that defunded Planned Parenthood in Texas.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "GOP campaigns court ‘values voters’ at D.C. summit" by Daniel Burke, Religion News Service 10/7/11
Several GOP presidential candidates sought to kick-start their stalling campaigns on Friday (Oct. 7) by preaching a gospel of low taxes and conservative Christian values to a summit of Tea Partiers, religious right activists and beltway insiders.
Perry also highlighted the anti-abortion positions he has taken as governor, including the defunding of Planned Parenthood, which drew a standing ovation from the crowd of 3,000 social conservatives here.
[Rick] Santorum, who placed seventh among GOP candidates in a recent Washington Post/ABC poll, cast himself as a veteran culture warrior who has consistently fought for socially conservative values.
A Roman Catholic, Santorum devoted much of his speech to recounting his successful push in the Senate to pass the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, which President Bush signed into law in 2003.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Herman Cain Rocks the House at Values Voter Summit" by Molly Ball, The Atlantic 10/7/11
Many other speakers got standing ovations, but only Cain provoked church-like shouts of "Yeah!" from the crowd. When Newt Gingrich came up to speak after Cain, a good portion of the crowd got up and wandered out of the giant ballroom at the Omni Shoreham Hotel here in Washington.
The Cain surge has also provoked a round of media hand-wringing over whether, and how much, to "take him seriously" as a contender, or whether it was still safe to treat him primarily as a man trying to sell books and perhaps get himself a television show.
The pundits, he noted, say "Herman Cain cannot get the nomination, Herman Cain cannot win the presidency because he doesn't have high name ID. He doesn't have a katrillion dollars. He's never held office. Let me tell you what the American people are saying. They don't care about a katrillion dollars -- America wants to raise some Cain, not raise some money!"
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Cain grabs the Values Voter spotlight" by Josh Lederman, The Hill 10/7/11
The audience at this convention for socially conservative voters leaped to their feet time and again, screaming and chanting along with the businessman who just weeks ago was largely unknown to voters, but has now climbed to the top tier of candidates in the presidential race.
Cain minced no words in laying out his views on social issues at a conference focused on opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage and departure from Christian values.
"I believe in life from conception, period, no exception. I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman," he said.
The same day that Romney gave a major foreign policy speech aimed at bulking up his hawkish credentials, Cain laid out his philosophy, invoking former President Ronald Reagan, and calling his philosophy "peace through strength and clarity."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Media Discover America is a Christian Nation and then read how the media react to their discovery
UPDATE 10/10/11: Summit organizer explains candidate Ron Paul's organizational prowess and his win of the straw poll (video)
For background on the high priority the candidates place on Culture War issues, read Presidential Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues and also read Presidential Candidates Address Christian America as well as Proved: Tea Party Movement is Christian
UPDATE 10/10/11: 'I Felt Like Moses,' Says Herman Cain
Get a load of this ridiculously inaccurate depiction of the campaign by the Washington Post . . .
-- From "Values Voters summit kicks off in values-light season" by Rachel Weiner, Washington Post 10/7/11
This weeked, social conservatives are gathering in Washington, D.C. for the Values Voters summit, a big three-day confab organized by the Family Research Council. But the high-profile event comes during a campaign in which social issues have been all but ignored.
Social issues have not turned into wedges between the candidates as is typical in GOP primaries. Earlier this year, most candidates refused to sign an influential Iowa conservative group’s controversial gay marriage pledge. Former Massachusetts governor Mitt Romney has not taken heat for his past support of abortion rights; former House Speaker Newt Gingrich has received little criticism for his multiple divorces.
And those religious voters, while likely wary of Romney, may not be fully satisfied with Perry either. While Perry held a high-profile Christian event just weeks before entering the race, he has largely avoided social issues since his announcement. His team has argued that only attacks related to jobs and the economy will resonate with voters.
The candidate most tied to social conservatives, former Pennsylvania senator Rick Santorum, has never really gotten much traction. Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.), an evangelical with appeal to the movement, has collapsed in recent weeks. She gave a speech on abortion rights earlier this week; all the questions were about her staff depatures.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
To understand the media frustration, see links at the very bottom of this blog post (down).
From "Rick Perry picks up key supporter at Values Voter Summit" by Kim Geiger, Los Angeles Times 10/7/11
Robert Jeffress, senior pastor of the First Baptist Church in Dallas, called Perry “a proven leader” who embodies the three attributes that matter to social conservatives: a “genuine commitment to biblical values,” competency to govern, and electability.
Jeffress called Perry “a genuine follower of Jesus Christ,” in a not-so-subtle swipe at Romney, who is Mormon.
“For more than a generation, our culture has emphasized a message of self-indulgence at the expense of social obligation,” Perry said. “…The fabric of our society is not government or individual freedom. It is the family. And the demise of the family is the demise of any great society.”
Perry also won a standing ovation when he declared that he “was proud to sign a budget that defunded Planned Parenthood in Texas.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "GOP campaigns court ‘values voters’ at D.C. summit" by Daniel Burke, Religion News Service 10/7/11
Several GOP presidential candidates sought to kick-start their stalling campaigns on Friday (Oct. 7) by preaching a gospel of low taxes and conservative Christian values to a summit of Tea Partiers, religious right activists and beltway insiders.
Perry also highlighted the anti-abortion positions he has taken as governor, including the defunding of Planned Parenthood, which drew a standing ovation from the crowd of 3,000 social conservatives here.
[Rick] Santorum, who placed seventh among GOP candidates in a recent Washington Post/ABC poll, cast himself as a veteran culture warrior who has consistently fought for socially conservative values.
A Roman Catholic, Santorum devoted much of his speech to recounting his successful push in the Senate to pass the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, which President Bush signed into law in 2003.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Herman Cain Rocks the House at Values Voter Summit" by Molly Ball, The Atlantic 10/7/11
Many other speakers got standing ovations, but only Cain provoked church-like shouts of "Yeah!" from the crowd. When Newt Gingrich came up to speak after Cain, a good portion of the crowd got up and wandered out of the giant ballroom at the Omni Shoreham Hotel here in Washington.
The Cain surge has also provoked a round of media hand-wringing over whether, and how much, to "take him seriously" as a contender, or whether it was still safe to treat him primarily as a man trying to sell books and perhaps get himself a television show.
The pundits, he noted, say "Herman Cain cannot get the nomination, Herman Cain cannot win the presidency because he doesn't have high name ID. He doesn't have a katrillion dollars. He's never held office. Let me tell you what the American people are saying. They don't care about a katrillion dollars -- America wants to raise some Cain, not raise some money!"
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Cain grabs the Values Voter spotlight" by Josh Lederman, The Hill 10/7/11
The audience at this convention for socially conservative voters leaped to their feet time and again, screaming and chanting along with the businessman who just weeks ago was largely unknown to voters, but has now climbed to the top tier of candidates in the presidential race.
Cain minced no words in laying out his views on social issues at a conference focused on opposition to abortion, same-sex marriage and departure from Christian values.
"I believe in life from conception, period, no exception. I believe that marriage is between one man and one woman," he said.
The same day that Romney gave a major foreign policy speech aimed at bulking up his hawkish credentials, Cain laid out his philosophy, invoking former President Ronald Reagan, and calling his philosophy "peace through strength and clarity."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Media Discover America is a Christian Nation and then read how the media react to their discovery
UPDATE 10/10/11: Summit organizer explains candidate Ron Paul's organizational prowess and his win of the straw poll (video)
Friday, September 16, 2011
Sexual Immorality Causes Cancer: HPV Epidemic
As the liberal media highlighted the heated presidential candidate debate concerning mandatory HPV vaccinations for pre-teens, they inadvertently damaged their own sexualization agenda, and so they've retrenched and are now reporting the cancer-causing effects of HPV infection -- insisting that all girls and boys be vaccinated ASAP. What the media refuse to acknowledge is that abstinence is 100% effective in stopping this sexually transmitted virus.
The problem is rooted in a culture that demands acceptance of sexual immorality.
For background, read Oral Sex no Longer 'Safe' and also read Study Shows Oral Sex Causes Cancer as well as Oral Sex is 'Entry Drug' to Everything-sex
UPDATE 1/22/16: Oral Sex Causes Head & Neck Cancer, HPV Study Shows
UPDATE 6/2/13: Actor Michael Douglas says oral sex caused his cancer
UPDATE 10/3/11: Over 10,000 cancer cases each year possibly caused by oral sex
-- From "Docs: Oral Cancer Rise Among Men Caused By HPV Virus" reported by WCVB-TV5 Boston 9/13/11
. . . an increasing number of men in their 30s and 40s [where] cancer was invading the lymph nodes in his neck.
Dr. Robert Haddad at the Dana Farber Cancer Center said he considers the rise in cases among men an epidemic.
"Fifteen years ago, almost every patient we saw with head and neck cancer was a smoker or drinker. Right now, in 2011, 20 percent of patients are smokers and drinkers and the other 80 percent get this cancer because of HPV infection," Haddad said.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 24 million people in the U.S. are infected with HPV at any given time. It's spread sexually, although some doctors believe it could ultimately become known as a kissing disease.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "No apologies: Bachmann defends HPV remarks" by Sarah Huisenga, CBS News 9/15/11
Michele Bachmann is on the defensive about comments she made earlier this week suggesting that a vaccine against a virus linked to cervical cancer poses a danger to young girls.
During the Republican debate Bachmann attacked her rival Rick Perry for mandating vaccinations against the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) for Texas school girls - a decision that the Texas legislature later overruled.
"To have innocent little 12-year-old girls be forced to have a government injection through an executive order is just flat out wrong," she said during the debate.
Scientists have accused her of promulgating a flat Earth theory of medicine. At an appearance in Virginia on Wednesday, Perry told reporters that Bachmann's assertions had "no basis in fact."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "HPV vaccine is essential" by The Star-Ledger Editorial Board 9/16/11
Yet none of [the media fury] changes a central fact: It’s essential that we vaccinate against HPV, which infects as much as half our population. More virulent strains are linked to cervical cancer, a killer of more than 4,000 women each year. The virus also causes genital warts, anal, throat and penile cancers in men.
It’s so easily spread that condoms don’t offer complete protection. Teaching abstinence before marriage doesn’t, either, unless you can guarantee your child’s future spouse has never had sexual contact with another person.
So why is it the vaccine that’s stirring up alarm? Because of mouthpieces of mythology such as Michele Bachmann, who suggested it causes mental retardation, despite a total lack of evidence. And religious conservatives who believe it will somehow turn innocent girls into strumpets.
In fact, we should be mandating this vaccine for all young girls — and boys, once their version is vetted.
To read the entire editorial above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Abstinence Education Effective, Fed Study Shows
The problem is rooted in a culture that demands acceptance of sexual immorality.
For background, read Oral Sex no Longer 'Safe' and also read Study Shows Oral Sex Causes Cancer as well as Oral Sex is 'Entry Drug' to Everything-sex
UPDATE 1/22/16: Oral Sex Causes Head & Neck Cancer, HPV Study Shows
UPDATE 6/2/13: Actor Michael Douglas says oral sex caused his cancer
UPDATE 10/3/11: Over 10,000 cancer cases each year possibly caused by oral sex
-- From "Docs: Oral Cancer Rise Among Men Caused By HPV Virus" reported by WCVB-TV5 Boston 9/13/11
. . . an increasing number of men in their 30s and 40s [where] cancer was invading the lymph nodes in his neck.
Dr. Robert Haddad at the Dana Farber Cancer Center said he considers the rise in cases among men an epidemic.
"Fifteen years ago, almost every patient we saw with head and neck cancer was a smoker or drinker. Right now, in 2011, 20 percent of patients are smokers and drinkers and the other 80 percent get this cancer because of HPV infection," Haddad said.
The Centers for Disease Control estimates that 24 million people in the U.S. are infected with HPV at any given time. It's spread sexually, although some doctors believe it could ultimately become known as a kissing disease.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "No apologies: Bachmann defends HPV remarks" by Sarah Huisenga, CBS News 9/15/11
Michele Bachmann is on the defensive about comments she made earlier this week suggesting that a vaccine against a virus linked to cervical cancer poses a danger to young girls.
During the Republican debate Bachmann attacked her rival Rick Perry for mandating vaccinations against the human papillomavirus vaccine (HPV) for Texas school girls - a decision that the Texas legislature later overruled.
"To have innocent little 12-year-old girls be forced to have a government injection through an executive order is just flat out wrong," she said during the debate.
Scientists have accused her of promulgating a flat Earth theory of medicine. At an appearance in Virginia on Wednesday, Perry told reporters that Bachmann's assertions had "no basis in fact."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "HPV vaccine is essential" by The Star-Ledger Editorial Board 9/16/11
Yet none of [the media fury] changes a central fact: It’s essential that we vaccinate against HPV, which infects as much as half our population. More virulent strains are linked to cervical cancer, a killer of more than 4,000 women each year. The virus also causes genital warts, anal, throat and penile cancers in men.
It’s so easily spread that condoms don’t offer complete protection. Teaching abstinence before marriage doesn’t, either, unless you can guarantee your child’s future spouse has never had sexual contact with another person.
So why is it the vaccine that’s stirring up alarm? Because of mouthpieces of mythology such as Michele Bachmann, who suggested it causes mental retardation, despite a total lack of evidence. And religious conservatives who believe it will somehow turn innocent girls into strumpets.
In fact, we should be mandating this vaccine for all young girls — and boys, once their version is vetted.
To read the entire editorial above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Abstinence Education Effective, Fed Study Shows
Friday, August 26, 2011
Believing in Christ = Believing in UFOs: NY Times
Predictably, the New York Times Magazine printed an inquisitory piece by Bill Keller arguing that presidential candidates ought to be grilled, and severely, about their religious theology if they are conservative Christians.
For background, read Media Prepare Anti-Christian Campaign for 2012 and also read ABC News Scrutinizes Faith of GOP Candidates as well as God's Conspiracy Theory via GOP per NBC's Rachel Maddow
-- From "Asking Candidates Tougher Questions About Faith" by Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times 8/25/11
If a candidate for president said he believed that space aliens dwell among us, would that affect your willingness to vote for him? Personally, I might not disqualify him out of hand; one out of three Americans believe we have had Visitors and, hey, who knows? But I would certainly want to ask a few questions. Like, where does he get his information? Does he talk to the aliens? Do they have an economic plan?
This year’s Republican primary season offers us an important opportunity to confront our scruples about the privacy of faith in public life — and to get over them. We have an unusually large number of candidates, including putative front-runners, who belong to churches that are mysterious or suspect to many Americans. . . .
I honestly don’t care . . . [after all,] I grew up believing that a priest could turn a bread wafer into the actual flesh of Christ.
But I do want to know if a candidate places fealty to the Bible . . . or some other authority higher than the Constitution and laws of this country. . . .
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "Tougher Questions for the Candidates" by Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times 8/25/11
. . . Here’s the general questionnaire I sent to the candidates [excerpts below]:
From "My Rick Perry problem — and ours" by Jonah Goldberg, editor-at-large of National Review Online 8/26/11
Rick Perry's overt Christianity horrifies many of his liberal critics. . . .
Let's cut through the clutter: A lot of people on the East and West coasts are bigots and snobs about "flyover types." They equate funny accents with stupidity, and they automatically assume someone who went to Texas A&M must be dumber than someone who went to Yale. Overt displays of religion trigger their fight-or-flight instincts, causing them to lash out irrationally.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "Bill Keller has tough questions for (only) GOP candidates" by Mike Hashimoto, Editor, Dallas Morning News 8/25/11
[Bill Keller's] latest column for the magazine is interesting, provocative and quite possibly the result of a writer ignoring his own blinders. . . .
. . . As to your specific questions to the candidates, sure, they should be asked. However, I sense a loathing of the right and Christianity. Is that the impression you intend to leave?
[Perry has] been the governor of Texas for going on a hundred years. Surely there's something in his historical actions that would prove (or, unfortunately, disprove) your premise.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "Faith Questions for President Obama" by Stanley Kurtz, National Review Online 8/26/11
. . . to the extent that reporters put any of Keller’s questions — or similar such questions — to the Republican candidates, they ought also to put the questions listed below to President Obama . . . To maintain a rough parallel with Keller, I will illustrate by showing the sort of unanswered questions that could still be addressed by reporters to Obama regarding his own political development [excerpts below:]
Also read Homosexualists to Buy White House, Say Media
Click headlines below to read related articles:
Presidential Candidates Address Christian America
Presidential Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues
Presidential Candidates Sign Marriage Pledge
Culture War Pledge Asked of Pres. Candidates
Michele Bachmann Exposed as Christian by Liberals
Can an Evangelical Woman be President? (Bachmann)
Bachmann Believes Jesus Saves Us from Sin
Question Evolution, Says Pres. Candidate Bachmann
Texas-sized Prayers to God - Gov. Perry
Rick Perry: Teach Creationism & Evolution
For background, read Media Prepare Anti-Christian Campaign for 2012 and also read ABC News Scrutinizes Faith of GOP Candidates as well as God's Conspiracy Theory via GOP per NBC's Rachel Maddow
-- From "Asking Candidates Tougher Questions About Faith" by Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times 8/25/11
If a candidate for president said he believed that space aliens dwell among us, would that affect your willingness to vote for him? Personally, I might not disqualify him out of hand; one out of three Americans believe we have had Visitors and, hey, who knows? But I would certainly want to ask a few questions. Like, where does he get his information? Does he talk to the aliens? Do they have an economic plan?
This year’s Republican primary season offers us an important opportunity to confront our scruples about the privacy of faith in public life — and to get over them. We have an unusually large number of candidates, including putative front-runners, who belong to churches that are mysterious or suspect to many Americans. . . .
I honestly don’t care . . . [after all,] I grew up believing that a priest could turn a bread wafer into the actual flesh of Christ.
But I do want to know if a candidate places fealty to the Bible . . . or some other authority higher than the Constitution and laws of this country. . . .
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "Tougher Questions for the Candidates" by Bill Keller, executive editor of The New York Times 8/25/11
. . . Here’s the general questionnaire I sent to the candidates [excerpts below]:
. . . (a) Do you agree with those religious leaders who say that America is a “Christian nation” or “Judeo-Christian nation?” (b) What does that mean in practice?For Congresswoman Michele Bachmann:
. . . What do you think of the evangelical Christian movement known as Dominionism and the idea that Christians, and only Christians, should hold dominion over the secular institutions of the earth?
. . . You have said that watching the film series “How Should We Then Live?” by the evangelist Francis Schaeffer was a life-altering event for you. That series stresses the “inerrancy” — the literal truth — of the Bible. Do you believe the Bible consists of literal truths, or that it is to be taken more metaphorically?For Governor Rick Perry:
. . . One of your mentors at Oral Roberts University, John Eidsmoe, teaches that when biblical law conflicts with American law, a Christian must work to change the law. Do you agree? Are there examples where the Bible guides you to challenge existing secular law?
. . . You have been close to David Barton, founder of WallBuilders, who has endorsed your campaign. He preaches that America is a Christian nation, that we should have a government “firmly rooted in biblical principles” and that the Bible offers explicit guidance on public policy — for example, tax policy. Do you disagree with him on any of these points?To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "My Rick Perry problem — and ours" by Jonah Goldberg, editor-at-large of National Review Online 8/26/11
Rick Perry's overt Christianity horrifies many of his liberal critics. . . .
Let's cut through the clutter: A lot of people on the East and West coasts are bigots and snobs about "flyover types." They equate funny accents with stupidity, and they automatically assume someone who went to Texas A&M must be dumber than someone who went to Yale. Overt displays of religion trigger their fight-or-flight instincts, causing them to lash out irrationally.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "Bill Keller has tough questions for (only) GOP candidates" by Mike Hashimoto, Editor, Dallas Morning News 8/25/11
[Bill Keller's] latest column for the magazine is interesting, provocative and quite possibly the result of a writer ignoring his own blinders. . . .
. . . As to your specific questions to the candidates, sure, they should be asked. However, I sense a loathing of the right and Christianity. Is that the impression you intend to leave?
[Perry has] been the governor of Texas for going on a hundred years. Surely there's something in his historical actions that would prove (or, unfortunately, disprove) your premise.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "Faith Questions for President Obama" by Stanley Kurtz, National Review Online 8/26/11
. . . to the extent that reporters put any of Keller’s questions — or similar such questions — to the Republican candidates, they ought also to put the questions listed below to President Obama . . . To maintain a rough parallel with Keller, I will illustrate by showing the sort of unanswered questions that could still be addressed by reporters to Obama regarding his own political development [excerpts below:]
. . . You note in Dreams from My Father that you attended socialist conferences in New York when you lived there in the mid-1980's. Archival evidence indicates that you attended the New York Socialist Scholars Conferences of 1983, 1984, and possibly 1985. Please confirm which socialist conferences you attended, and indicate whether you were present at, or were aware of, the talks by James Cone, the founder of Black Liberation Theology, and other Black Liberation Theologians at those conferences.To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
. . . Two of your key organizing mentors, Greg Galluzzo and Mary Gonzales, founded a group called UNO of Chicago, which you worked with closely during your early organizing years. Your other key organizing mentor, Gerald Kellman, worked with UNO just before hiring you. He specialized in linking community organizations to churches. UNO of Chicago engaged in deeply controversial Alinskyite confrontation tactics, including aggressive moves to seize control of churches against the wishes of their priests. What, precisely, was your relationship with UNO of Chicago? Were you aware of UNO’s controversial techniques for taking control of churches, as your memoir seems to indicate you were? What do you think of these tactics? How has your view on that issue affected your years of subsequent support for the work of Galluzzo, Gonzales, and Kellman?
Also read Homosexualists to Buy White House, Say Media
Click headlines below to read related articles:
Presidential Candidates Address Christian America
Presidential Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues
Presidential Candidates Sign Marriage Pledge
Culture War Pledge Asked of Pres. Candidates
Michele Bachmann Exposed as Christian by Liberals
Can an Evangelical Woman be President? (Bachmann)
Bachmann Believes Jesus Saves Us from Sin
Question Evolution, Says Pres. Candidate Bachmann
Texas-sized Prayers to God - Gov. Perry
Rick Perry: Teach Creationism & Evolution
Thursday, August 04, 2011
Pres. Candidates Sign Marriage Pledge
The National Organization for Marriage announced on Thursday that GOP presidential candidates Michele Bachmann, Rick Santorum and Mitt Romney have signed the group’s pledge to oppose marriage for same-sex couples at the federal level. The pledge includes support for a federal amendment to the U.S. Constitution defining marriage as between one man and one woman.
For background, read Presidential Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues and also read Presidential Candidates Address Christian America
UPDATE 10/19/11: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie backs Gay Agenda, saying, “I’m really concerned about those kinds of [Biblical] statements being made.”
UPDATE 8/26/11: Gov. Rick Perry becomes fourth Republican presidential candidate to sign the National Organization for Marriage pledge
-- From "Romney signs marriage pledge" by Ben Smith, Politico 8/4/11
The three candidates signed the pledge advanced by the National Organization for Marriage, which has led national and state campaigns to limit marriage to a man and a woman. The signature of the frontrunner, Romney, is a bit of a coup for the group, as he's been careful about committing to other pledges, including a broad promise to a socially conservative Iowa group that caused trouble for other candidates.
The pledge is less meaningful for its direct consequences than for the fact that it commits the three candidates fully to the hottest front in the culture wars.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Romney, Bachmann, Santorum sign NOM’s marriage pledge" by Andy Birkey, American Independent 8/4/11
The pledge asked candidates to support five of the group’s goals:
Support and send to the states a federal marriage amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman, defend DOMA in court, appoint judges and an attorney general who will respect the original meaning of the Constitution, appoint a presidential commission to investigate harassment of traditional marriage supporters, and support legislation that would return to the people of D.C. their right to vote for marriage.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Romney, Bachmann, Santorum sign marriage pledge" by Catalina Camia, USA TODAY 8/4/11
These presidential candidates "stand head and shoulders above the crowd as marriage champions, for their willingness to go beyond words to commit to concrete actions," Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), said in a statement.
The NOM pledge is more straightforward than a broadly written, controversial pledge by the conservative Family Leader group in Iowa.
NOM is co-sponsoring a values voters bus tour that launches in Iowa on Monday, ending in Ames at a presidential straw poll on Aug. 13. Voters who believe strongly in social issues such as abortion and marriage traditionally play a key role in the Iowa presidential caucuses.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Romney Signs Anti-Gay Marriage Pledge, Pawlenty Doesn’t" by Danny Yadron, Wall Street Journal 8/4/11
But former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has sought to burnish his credentials as an evangelical Christian, declined to sign it, possibly putting him at odds with the social conservatives he is trying to court in Iowa. The National Organization for Marriage is running a four-day Iowa bus tour leading up to the Aug. 13 straw poll in Ames.
“Pawlenty’s communications director Ann Marie Hauser, personally informed me on Tuesday that Tim Pawlenty would not sign NOM’s marriage pledge,” said Maggie Gallagher, chairman of the board of NOM. “Like many people, we are scratching our heads wondering why Gov. Pawlenty, who has been a champion for marriage in Minnesota, would not commit to doing so for America.”
Mr. Pawlenty’s spokesman said the former governor and his wife “chose to express their commitment to the institution of marriage using their own words in a video about their values and faith. We appreciate the opportunity but respectfully decline to sign the pledge.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Can an Evangelical Woman be President? (Bachmann)
For background, read Presidential Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues and also read Presidential Candidates Address Christian America
UPDATE 10/19/11: New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie backs Gay Agenda, saying, “I’m really concerned about those kinds of [Biblical] statements being made.”
UPDATE 8/26/11: Gov. Rick Perry becomes fourth Republican presidential candidate to sign the National Organization for Marriage pledge
-- From "Romney signs marriage pledge" by Ben Smith, Politico 8/4/11
The three candidates signed the pledge advanced by the National Organization for Marriage, which has led national and state campaigns to limit marriage to a man and a woman. The signature of the frontrunner, Romney, is a bit of a coup for the group, as he's been careful about committing to other pledges, including a broad promise to a socially conservative Iowa group that caused trouble for other candidates.
The pledge is less meaningful for its direct consequences than for the fact that it commits the three candidates fully to the hottest front in the culture wars.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Romney, Bachmann, Santorum sign NOM’s marriage pledge" by Andy Birkey, American Independent 8/4/11
The pledge asked candidates to support five of the group’s goals:
Support and send to the states a federal marriage amendment defining marriage as one man and one woman, defend DOMA in court, appoint judges and an attorney general who will respect the original meaning of the Constitution, appoint a presidential commission to investigate harassment of traditional marriage supporters, and support legislation that would return to the people of D.C. their right to vote for marriage.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Romney, Bachmann, Santorum sign marriage pledge" by Catalina Camia, USA TODAY 8/4/11
These presidential candidates "stand head and shoulders above the crowd as marriage champions, for their willingness to go beyond words to commit to concrete actions," Brian Brown, president of the National Organization for Marriage (NOM), said in a statement.
The NOM pledge is more straightforward than a broadly written, controversial pledge by the conservative Family Leader group in Iowa.
NOM is co-sponsoring a values voters bus tour that launches in Iowa on Monday, ending in Ames at a presidential straw poll on Aug. 13. Voters who believe strongly in social issues such as abortion and marriage traditionally play a key role in the Iowa presidential caucuses.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Romney Signs Anti-Gay Marriage Pledge, Pawlenty Doesn’t" by Danny Yadron, Wall Street Journal 8/4/11
But former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty, who has sought to burnish his credentials as an evangelical Christian, declined to sign it, possibly putting him at odds with the social conservatives he is trying to court in Iowa. The National Organization for Marriage is running a four-day Iowa bus tour leading up to the Aug. 13 straw poll in Ames.
“Pawlenty’s communications director Ann Marie Hauser, personally informed me on Tuesday that Tim Pawlenty would not sign NOM’s marriage pledge,” said Maggie Gallagher, chairman of the board of NOM. “Like many people, we are scratching our heads wondering why Gov. Pawlenty, who has been a champion for marriage in Minnesota, would not commit to doing so for America.”
Mr. Pawlenty’s spokesman said the former governor and his wife “chose to express their commitment to the institution of marriage using their own words in a video about their values and faith. We appreciate the opportunity but respectfully decline to sign the pledge.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Can an Evangelical Woman be President? (Bachmann)
Friday, July 29, 2011
Can an Evangelical Woman be President? (Bachmann)
The below series of articles in the Washington Post presents the consternation of liberals and the mainstream media regarding feminism vs. conservatism vs. the "submissive evangelical woman," as they strive to paint Michele Bachmann as a hypocrite for claiming to exhibit all three.
For background, read Michele Bachmann Exposed as Christian by Liberals and also read Media Prepare Anti-Christian Campaign for 2012 as well as ABC News Scrutinizes Faith of GOP Candidates
UPDATE 8/12/11: ABC News interprets Bible on "submissive wives"
-- From "Michele Bachmann: Biblical submission and servant leadership" by Janice Shaw Crouse, Washington Post 7/29/11
Few biblical passages cause more confusion than Ephesians 5:21-33 that calls for wives to submit to husbands. It is bad enough that the secular world misconstrues those verses to envision Stepford wives; it is even worse when they try to fit Christian leaders into their distortions of the biblical principle of submission. Michele Bachmann, who has served notably as a United States congresswoman and is currently a presidential candidate, is now under scrutiny regarding how she could, as a Christian president, balance submission and leadership.
In the context of women in leadership, it is important to note that biblical submission is about harmony and well-being within the home and the relationship between a husband and a wife . . .
. . . Michele Bachmann and numerous other outstanding female leaders have found ways to “do it all” and they are thriving as they successfully juggle the competing demands of home and career. Many of them, like Congresswoman Bachmann, are evangelical Christians who are leading within the framework of biblical principles in an attitude of “servant leadership.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Evangelical women rise as new ‘feminists’" by Lisa Miller, Washington Post 7/28/11
Now, in a reversal, some conservative Christian women are tentatively claiming the feminist label for themselves. In the reframing, feminism has nothing to do with a woman’s right to choose an abortion or with government programs for the poor.
Instead, a “feminist” is a fiscally conservative, pro-life butt-kicker in public, a cooperative helpmate at home, and a Christian wife and mother, above all. Rep. Michele Bachmann is Exhibit A. With her relentless attacks on big government and a widely circulated 2006 video in which she credits her professional success to the submission of her will to Jesus and her husband, Bachmann represents “a new definition of feminism,” says Stephen Bannon, director of “Fire From the Heartland,” a 2010 movie about the female leaders of the Tea Party.
Last year, Sarah Palin connected herself with feminists in a speech — not the kind who loaf about “in the faculty lounge at some East Coast women’s college,” as she put it, but a gun-toting, self-reliant, pro-life Christian woman who credits her gender as the source of her power. Bachmann hasn’t gone so far, but in “Fire from the Heartland,” she talks about why women should engage in the political process. “Women feel it in our gut and in our heart — and that sense is coming over us that something is terribly wrong,” she says.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Michele Bachmann reflects a changing conservative Christianity" by Marie Griffith, Washington Post 7/29/11
“The Lord says: Be submissive, wives. You are to be submissive to your husbands,” Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) told a church audience in 2006. By all accounts, she means this and lives it. Which raises the question: Can a President Bachmann balance female submission with the power necessary to lead the United States of America?
To her many fans, the answer will seem obvious: of course she can. As a matter of fact, balancing subservience with authority is something that evangelical Christian women have been working on for a very long time. . . .
So long as they pay lip service to wifely submission--and so long as they balance feminine beauty with steel force--women like Michele Bachmann are now thoroughly accepted as public authorities in extremely conservative Christian circles. . . .
Success for Bachmann will depend in part on how shrewdly she balances the conflicted ideals of femininity and female toughness, compliance and resilience, vulnerability and strength, that have long permeated American culture. . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 8/11/11: Sarah Palin & Michele Bachmann are 'the women only a man could love,' said 60s feminist Gloria Steinem
Also read Conservative Female Candidates Don't Count as Women as well as 'Pro-life Feminist' Candidates Storm Congress plus just one more Conservative Feminists Crash Liberals' Party
For background, read Michele Bachmann Exposed as Christian by Liberals and also read Media Prepare Anti-Christian Campaign for 2012 as well as ABC News Scrutinizes Faith of GOP Candidates
UPDATE 8/12/11: ABC News interprets Bible on "submissive wives"
-- From "Michele Bachmann: Biblical submission and servant leadership" by Janice Shaw Crouse, Washington Post 7/29/11
Few biblical passages cause more confusion than Ephesians 5:21-33 that calls for wives to submit to husbands. It is bad enough that the secular world misconstrues those verses to envision Stepford wives; it is even worse when they try to fit Christian leaders into their distortions of the biblical principle of submission. Michele Bachmann, who has served notably as a United States congresswoman and is currently a presidential candidate, is now under scrutiny regarding how she could, as a Christian president, balance submission and leadership.
In the context of women in leadership, it is important to note that biblical submission is about harmony and well-being within the home and the relationship between a husband and a wife . . .
. . . Michele Bachmann and numerous other outstanding female leaders have found ways to “do it all” and they are thriving as they successfully juggle the competing demands of home and career. Many of them, like Congresswoman Bachmann, are evangelical Christians who are leading within the framework of biblical principles in an attitude of “servant leadership.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Evangelical women rise as new ‘feminists’" by Lisa Miller, Washington Post 7/28/11
Now, in a reversal, some conservative Christian women are tentatively claiming the feminist label for themselves. In the reframing, feminism has nothing to do with a woman’s right to choose an abortion or with government programs for the poor.
Instead, a “feminist” is a fiscally conservative, pro-life butt-kicker in public, a cooperative helpmate at home, and a Christian wife and mother, above all. Rep. Michele Bachmann is Exhibit A. With her relentless attacks on big government and a widely circulated 2006 video in which she credits her professional success to the submission of her will to Jesus and her husband, Bachmann represents “a new definition of feminism,” says Stephen Bannon, director of “Fire From the Heartland,” a 2010 movie about the female leaders of the Tea Party.
Last year, Sarah Palin connected herself with feminists in a speech — not the kind who loaf about “in the faculty lounge at some East Coast women’s college,” as she put it, but a gun-toting, self-reliant, pro-life Christian woman who credits her gender as the source of her power. Bachmann hasn’t gone so far, but in “Fire from the Heartland,” she talks about why women should engage in the political process. “Women feel it in our gut and in our heart — and that sense is coming over us that something is terribly wrong,” she says.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Michele Bachmann reflects a changing conservative Christianity" by Marie Griffith, Washington Post 7/29/11
“The Lord says: Be submissive, wives. You are to be submissive to your husbands,” Rep. Michele Bachmann (R-Minn.) told a church audience in 2006. By all accounts, she means this and lives it. Which raises the question: Can a President Bachmann balance female submission with the power necessary to lead the United States of America?
To her many fans, the answer will seem obvious: of course she can. As a matter of fact, balancing subservience with authority is something that evangelical Christian women have been working on for a very long time. . . .
So long as they pay lip service to wifely submission--and so long as they balance feminine beauty with steel force--women like Michele Bachmann are now thoroughly accepted as public authorities in extremely conservative Christian circles. . . .
Success for Bachmann will depend in part on how shrewdly she balances the conflicted ideals of femininity and female toughness, compliance and resilience, vulnerability and strength, that have long permeated American culture. . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 8/11/11: Sarah Palin & Michele Bachmann are 'the women only a man could love,' said 60s feminist Gloria Steinem
Also read Conservative Female Candidates Don't Count as Women as well as 'Pro-life Feminist' Candidates Storm Congress plus just one more Conservative Feminists Crash Liberals' Party
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