The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has awarded Planned Parenthood of New Hampshire $1 million after the state legislature voted to cut off the stream of taxpayer money to the largest operator in the nation's abortion industry.
For background, read Planned Parenthood Defunded by More States and also read States Will Defund Planned Parenthood as well as Obama Forces Planned Parenthood on Indiana
UPDATE 7/25/12: Obama re-funds Planned Parenthood in North Carolina after state defunds it
-- From "Planned Parenthood gets contract" by Karen Langley, Concord Monitor staff 9/14/11
The federal agency said it will award $1 million to Planned Parenthood of Northern New England to restore family planning services, which include contraception and cancer screenings, in uncovered areas of New Hampshire through December 2012. The state health commissioner had said he was unable to find alternative providers after the Executive Council voted 3-2 in June against renewing a contract with Planned Parenthood. The two-year contract would have subsidized care for 16,000 residents, many of them poor women.
The award of the federal grant was non-competitive because Planned Parenthood has experience providing federally subsidized family planning services, the Department of Health and Human Services said in its announcement. All public and private nonprofit organizations can compete for the contract in 2013, the announcement said.
The question of the Planned Parenthood contract divided the all-Republican Executive Council. Yesterday, Councilor David Wheeler, one of the three councilors who voted against the contract, said the federal decision reveals the "arrogance" of the Obama administration. Wheeler, who lives in Milford, said he voted against all 11 family planning contracts decided in June because the federal family planning program allows referrals for abortion.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Grant to bypass vote on Planned Parenthood" by Mark Hayward, New Hampshire Union Leader 9/14/11
. . . U.S Sen. Kelly Ayotte, R-N.H., said “New Hampshire’s Executive Council has spoken on this matter, and the (Obama) administration should respect the state’s right to make this decision.”
Such criticism was echoed by the Susan B. Anthony List, a national anti-abortion organization.
“It is well within the purview of the New Hampshire state government to decide not to continue to subsidize America’s abortion giant with taxpayer dollars,” said SBA List President Marjorie Dannenfelser.
Emergency birth control medication, which prevents a fertilized egg from implanting in the womb, is a covered service [under this government funding].
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Obama directs dollars to abortion business" by Michael Carl, World Net Daily 9/16/11
The American Life League's Rita Diller says the action by the administration violates New Hampshire's sovereignty.
"It is an outrage to learn that the Obama administration has awarded a contract worth more than $1 million directly to Planned Parenthood of Northern New England – in direct circumvention of the wishes of the executive council of the state of New Hampshire," Diller said.
"The direct administration of family planning funds by the federal government is a dramatic departure from the way these funds are normally administered," she added.
"The willingness of the Department of Health and Human Services to high-handedly usurp the state's sovereignty is proof positive that state's rights mean nothing to this agency," she said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Fed gov't to fund N.H. Planned Parenthoods after N.H. says it won't" by Tom Strode, Washington bureau chief for Baptist Press 9/16/11
The Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) is the country's leading abortion provider. Its affiliates reported more than 332,000 abortions in 2009, and it received more than $363 million in government grants and contracts during 2008-09. Both years are the most recent for which statistics are available.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Saturday, September 17, 2011
City Permit Required for Bible Study in Calif.
Chuck and Stephanie Fromm have paid hundreds of dollars in fines to the City of San Juan Capistrano for covertly reading the Bible with friends in their home, and could face architectural and traffic study costs to obtain a "conditional use permit" for any home Bible study to continue.
Being caught in any such activity again without approval, could result in fines of $500 per Bible study session.
For background, read 'Big Brother' Requires Permit for Home Bible Study and also read Another Calif. City Restricts Home Bible Studies as well as Arizona City Bans Bible Studies in Homes
UPDATE 9/21/11: One week later, mainstream media discover the story
-- From "Capistrano Couple in Legal Battle for Hosting Bible Study in Home" by Jonathan Volzke, The Capistrano Dispatch 9/13/11
Stephanie Fromm hosts a Bible study on Wednesdays that draws about 20 people, while Chuck Fromm’s Sunday-morning gathering draws as many as 50. But in the neighborhood of large homes on even larger lots—the Fromms live in a 4,700-square-foot home on a parcel that also has a corral, barn, pool and huge back lawn—Stephanie Fromm said parking was never a problem. Neither was noise, she said.
The Fromms’ citations say they violated section 9-3.301 of the Capistrano Municipal Code, which prohibits “religious, fraternal or non-profit” organizations in residential neighborhoods without a conditional-use permit. The footnote on the section says it “Includes churches, temples, synagogues, monasteries, religious retreats, and other places of religious worship and other fraternal and community service organizations.”
The Fromms are being represented in their lawsuit, an appeal of the hearing officer’s decision, by Michael Peffer of the Pacific Justice Institute in Santa Ana. The trial is set for October 7 in Laguna Hills.
The Fromms are 18-year residents of Capistrano . . . Chuck Fromm is publisher of Worship Leader Magazine . . . an international 20-year-old magazine for pastors, worship leaders, musicians, vocalists, sound and visual techs, technology stewards, artists and others.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "First Amendment under attack in SoCal" By Rick Silva, Paradise Post 9/15/11
[A city official] told the couple that regular gatherings of more than three people require a conditional-use permit.
. . . The city rejected the Fromm's appeal, so the Pacific Justice Institute has appealed the decision to the California Superior Court in Orange County.
But if those same 20 people roll over to the ol' homestead 20 times a year for some football, beer and fun, they don't? Or do they? Could those football parties be considered fraternal? Perhaps every week they have a barbecue and plot the recall of the entire city council. That might be worth the conditional-use permit.
The very notion that government can require such a conditional-use permit under the guise of "land use" should scare everyone who is involved in religious, political or non-profit gatherings.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "City demands Christians get permit for Bible study" by Bob Unruh, World Net Daily 9/16/11
"Imposing a heavy-handed permit requirement on a home Bible study is outrageous," said Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, which is working on the case on behalf of the Fromms.
. . . "An informal gathering in a home cannot be treated with suspicion by the government, or worse than any other gathering of friends, just because it is religious. We cannot allow this to happen in America, and we will fight as long and as hard as it takes to restore this group's religious freedom."
Pacific Justice said it has represented larger churches that have been required to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of the permit process on such items as engineering and traffic studies, architectural designs. The process includes public hearings and ultimately can result in a rejection by the city.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Being caught in any such activity again without approval, could result in fines of $500 per Bible study session.
For background, read 'Big Brother' Requires Permit for Home Bible Study and also read Another Calif. City Restricts Home Bible Studies as well as Arizona City Bans Bible Studies in Homes
UPDATE 9/21/11: One week later, mainstream media discover the story
-- From "Capistrano Couple in Legal Battle for Hosting Bible Study in Home" by Jonathan Volzke, The Capistrano Dispatch 9/13/11
Stephanie Fromm hosts a Bible study on Wednesdays that draws about 20 people, while Chuck Fromm’s Sunday-morning gathering draws as many as 50. But in the neighborhood of large homes on even larger lots—the Fromms live in a 4,700-square-foot home on a parcel that also has a corral, barn, pool and huge back lawn—Stephanie Fromm said parking was never a problem. Neither was noise, she said.
The Fromms’ citations say they violated section 9-3.301 of the Capistrano Municipal Code, which prohibits “religious, fraternal or non-profit” organizations in residential neighborhoods without a conditional-use permit. The footnote on the section says it “Includes churches, temples, synagogues, monasteries, religious retreats, and other places of religious worship and other fraternal and community service organizations.”
The Fromms are being represented in their lawsuit, an appeal of the hearing officer’s decision, by Michael Peffer of the Pacific Justice Institute in Santa Ana. The trial is set for October 7 in Laguna Hills.
The Fromms are 18-year residents of Capistrano . . . Chuck Fromm is publisher of Worship Leader Magazine . . . an international 20-year-old magazine for pastors, worship leaders, musicians, vocalists, sound and visual techs, technology stewards, artists and others.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "First Amendment under attack in SoCal" By Rick Silva, Paradise Post 9/15/11
[A city official] told the couple that regular gatherings of more than three people require a conditional-use permit.
. . . The city rejected the Fromm's appeal, so the Pacific Justice Institute has appealed the decision to the California Superior Court in Orange County.
But if those same 20 people roll over to the ol' homestead 20 times a year for some football, beer and fun, they don't? Or do they? Could those football parties be considered fraternal? Perhaps every week they have a barbecue and plot the recall of the entire city council. That might be worth the conditional-use permit.
The very notion that government can require such a conditional-use permit under the guise of "land use" should scare everyone who is involved in religious, political or non-profit gatherings.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
From "City demands Christians get permit for Bible study" by Bob Unruh, World Net Daily 9/16/11
"Imposing a heavy-handed permit requirement on a home Bible study is outrageous," said Brad Dacus, president of Pacific Justice Institute, which is working on the case on behalf of the Fromms.
. . . "An informal gathering in a home cannot be treated with suspicion by the government, or worse than any other gathering of friends, just because it is religious. We cannot allow this to happen in America, and we will fight as long and as hard as it takes to restore this group's religious freedom."
Pacific Justice said it has represented larger churches that have been required to spend hundreds of thousands of dollars as part of the permit process on such items as engineering and traffic studies, architectural designs. The process includes public hearings and ultimately can result in a rejection by the city.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
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
Thursday, September 15, 2011
Rick Perry 'Talks Christian,' Media Perturbed
At an event scheduled prior to his presidential candidacy, Gov. Perry spoke at Liberty University (an "uber-right-wing" Christian school according to the liberal media) as a seasoned Christian man advising young Christian adults.
For background, read Texas-sized Prayers to God - Gov. Perry and also read 'Christian Right' Vet Rick Perry for President as well as Rick Perry: Teach Creationism & Evolution
UPDATE 9/22/11: Perry Calls Prayer Vital to His Life
(For video of full speech from C-Span, scroll to bottom of this post)
-- From "Perry talks about his faith, forsaking talk of jobs for a day" by Philip Rucker, Washington Post 9/14/11
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is a man of faith, and one of the big questions about him has been whether he will seek the presidency more as an evangelist or as a job creator.
. . . he demonstrated Wednesday that he will not shy away from cloaking his candidacy in his Christianity, delivering an address here at the late Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University that presented his life in deeply spiritual terms and cast his political aspirations as destiny.
. . . the evangelical Christian governor spoke the language of the movement with ease.
. . . invoking Moses and David of Scripture, he added: “God uses broken people to reach a broken world. The mistakes of yesterday say nothing about the possibilities of tomorrow.”
“Rick Perry’s a more overt, less subtle guy than George W. Bush, and he is going to be more overt in his policy statements and his statements about his faith,” said Richard Land, a longtime leader of the Southern Baptist Convention who has spoken with Perry about his faith. “He talks about his faith in terms that evangelicals will find completely identifiable.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "To students Perry urges faith in God" by Gabriella Schwarz, CNN 9/14/11
Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry used his own religious path to issue a charge to the freshman class at Liberty University, asking them to put their trust in God.
"What I learned as I wrestled with God is I didn't have to have all the answers, that they would be revealed to me in due time and that I needed to trust him," Perry said. "Do not fret if you don't know your place in the world yet or what you want to be one day, simply trust."
"Trust that God wouldn't have put you here unless he had a unique plan for your life," Perry added in an address at the conservative Virginia school founded by Pastor Jerry Falwell.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Rick Perry talks religion on safe turf at Liberty University" by Michael Muskal, Los Angeles Times 9/14/11
Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday went to the nation’s largest evangelical university to discuss his own feelings about religion and to urge students to get involved in the political process and not leave their futures to Washington officials.
“Don’t muzzle your voice because you’re young,” Perry told the students. His comments were broadcast live on the Web by the university.
“You have the right like every American to speak your mind,” he said. He urged the students to act because their futures were being mortgaged.
“This is your country as well, don’t leave it a to bunch of Washington politicians to tell you how to live your life. This is your future we are debating today. Don’t be silent,” he said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Rick Perry impresses Liberty University students with talk of faith and family" by Alexandra Jaffe, Houston Chronicle 9/14/11
Liberty senior Jordan Wilson, 21, said he appreciated the way Perry tied his life story together with his religion, noting, “it was really his faith that gave him the direction he has today.”
[Critics] saw the speech less as an example of Perry’s diplomatic skill and more as a way to pander to his audience. Kaleb Matson, 24, a Ron Paul supporter and Liberty alum, stood outside the arena after Perry’s speech brandishing Paul 2012 posters. He said the difference between Paul and Perry is the latter won’t ever be a harshly polarizing figure, like Paul has been.
His friend and fellow Liberty alum, Michael Salerno, 24, who had been converted by Matsen to the Paul cause prior to the 2008 elections, said the speech seemed like just another campaign stop meant to sway the youth vote.
“[Perry] knows [young people are] a large vote [bloc], and these kids are going to go home and talk to their parents and their friends,” Salerno said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Believing in Christ = Believing in UFOs: NY Times
Full speech (beginning with introduction) from C-Span:
For background, read Texas-sized Prayers to God - Gov. Perry and also read 'Christian Right' Vet Rick Perry for President as well as Rick Perry: Teach Creationism & Evolution
UPDATE 9/22/11: Perry Calls Prayer Vital to His Life
(For video of full speech from C-Span, scroll to bottom of this post)
-- From "Perry talks about his faith, forsaking talk of jobs for a day" by Philip Rucker, Washington Post 9/14/11
Texas Gov. Rick Perry is a man of faith, and one of the big questions about him has been whether he will seek the presidency more as an evangelist or as a job creator.
. . . he demonstrated Wednesday that he will not shy away from cloaking his candidacy in his Christianity, delivering an address here at the late Jerry Falwell’s Liberty University that presented his life in deeply spiritual terms and cast his political aspirations as destiny.
. . . the evangelical Christian governor spoke the language of the movement with ease.
. . . invoking Moses and David of Scripture, he added: “God uses broken people to reach a broken world. The mistakes of yesterday say nothing about the possibilities of tomorrow.”
“Rick Perry’s a more overt, less subtle guy than George W. Bush, and he is going to be more overt in his policy statements and his statements about his faith,” said Richard Land, a longtime leader of the Southern Baptist Convention who has spoken with Perry about his faith. “He talks about his faith in terms that evangelicals will find completely identifiable.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "To students Perry urges faith in God" by Gabriella Schwarz, CNN 9/14/11
Republican presidential candidate Rick Perry used his own religious path to issue a charge to the freshman class at Liberty University, asking them to put their trust in God.
"What I learned as I wrestled with God is I didn't have to have all the answers, that they would be revealed to me in due time and that I needed to trust him," Perry said. "Do not fret if you don't know your place in the world yet or what you want to be one day, simply trust."
"Trust that God wouldn't have put you here unless he had a unique plan for your life," Perry added in an address at the conservative Virginia school founded by Pastor Jerry Falwell.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Rick Perry talks religion on safe turf at Liberty University" by Michael Muskal, Los Angeles Times 9/14/11
Texas Gov. Rick Perry on Wednesday went to the nation’s largest evangelical university to discuss his own feelings about religion and to urge students to get involved in the political process and not leave their futures to Washington officials.
“Don’t muzzle your voice because you’re young,” Perry told the students. His comments were broadcast live on the Web by the university.
“You have the right like every American to speak your mind,” he said. He urged the students to act because their futures were being mortgaged.
“This is your country as well, don’t leave it a to bunch of Washington politicians to tell you how to live your life. This is your future we are debating today. Don’t be silent,” he said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Rick Perry impresses Liberty University students with talk of faith and family" by Alexandra Jaffe, Houston Chronicle 9/14/11
Liberty senior Jordan Wilson, 21, said he appreciated the way Perry tied his life story together with his religion, noting, “it was really his faith that gave him the direction he has today.”
[Critics] saw the speech less as an example of Perry’s diplomatic skill and more as a way to pander to his audience. Kaleb Matson, 24, a Ron Paul supporter and Liberty alum, stood outside the arena after Perry’s speech brandishing Paul 2012 posters. He said the difference between Paul and Perry is the latter won’t ever be a harshly polarizing figure, like Paul has been.
His friend and fellow Liberty alum, Michael Salerno, 24, who had been converted by Matsen to the Paul cause prior to the 2008 elections, said the speech seemed like just another campaign stop meant to sway the youth vote.
“[Perry] knows [young people are] a large vote [bloc], and these kids are going to go home and talk to their parents and their friends,” Salerno said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Believing in Christ = Believing in UFOs: NY Times
Full speech (beginning with introduction) from C-Span:
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
Feds' Safe-sex Comic Books for Kids
Subsequent to recently reported statistics from the federal Centers for Disease Control revealing a soaring rate of black boys as young as 13 being infected with HIV from homosexual men, the CDC has contracted for printed comic books and videos targeting children.
For background, read Majority of New HIV Cases from Homosexual Behavior
-- From "CDC to fight HIV with comic books" by David Saleh Rauf, Politico 9/12/11
The Centers for Disease Control is going to help fight HIV with comic books and the Internet.
The agency last week awarded a roughly $145,000 contract to Atlanta-based comic book publisher Terminus Media, which specializes in multimedia, according to documents filed on a government procurement site.
The objective: create a digital motion comic that can be delivered on devices like iPads and Xbox 360s for a new HIV awareness campaign aimed at folks ages 15 to 24.
The CDC described the digital comics as “a low-cost, revisable, scalable, innovative, technology-based health communication intervention.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Targeted STI intervention strategies urged for youth with HIV" posted at Pediatric SuperSite 9/14/11
Risk reduction interventions that specifically target adolescents with HIV are needed to reduce sexually transmitted infections, according to a study published online this month.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the CDC reported on data from the Longitudinal Epidemiologic Study to Gain Insight into HIV/AIDS in Children and Youth (LEGACY). The study compiled data on sexual behaviors from medical records of both perinatally and behaviorally infected youth with HIV.
According to the researchers, 195 of 571 (34%) youths who contracted HIV perinatally and 162 of 181 (89%) who contracted HIV through behaviors were currently sexually active. . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Example of the work of Terminus Media (video):
For background, read Majority of New HIV Cases from Homosexual Behavior
-- From "CDC to fight HIV with comic books" by David Saleh Rauf, Politico 9/12/11
The Centers for Disease Control is going to help fight HIV with comic books and the Internet.
The agency last week awarded a roughly $145,000 contract to Atlanta-based comic book publisher Terminus Media, which specializes in multimedia, according to documents filed on a government procurement site.
The objective: create a digital motion comic that can be delivered on devices like iPads and Xbox 360s for a new HIV awareness campaign aimed at folks ages 15 to 24.
The CDC described the digital comics as “a low-cost, revisable, scalable, innovative, technology-based health communication intervention.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Targeted STI intervention strategies urged for youth with HIV" posted at Pediatric SuperSite 9/14/11
Risk reduction interventions that specifically target adolescents with HIV are needed to reduce sexually transmitted infections, according to a study published online this month.
Researchers from Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and the CDC reported on data from the Longitudinal Epidemiologic Study to Gain Insight into HIV/AIDS in Children and Youth (LEGACY). The study compiled data on sexual behaviors from medical records of both perinatally and behaviorally infected youth with HIV.
According to the researchers, 195 of 571 (34%) youths who contracted HIV perinatally and 162 of 181 (89%) who contracted HIV through behaviors were currently sexually active. . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Example of the work of Terminus Media (video):
Tuesday, September 13, 2011
Voters to Define Marriage in May in North Carolina
Although North Carolina passed a law defining marriage many years ago, today the legislature decided to put the issue to the voters to amend the state constitution to define marriage as one man and one woman, in order to thwart any potential future court challenges.
For background, read Marriage Amendment Bill in North Carolina
-- From "Ban on Gay Marriage Gets on N.C. Ballot" by The Associated Press 9/13/11
The state Senate voted 30-16 in favor of putting the question on the statewide primary ballot—the minimum number of yes votes needed to meet the three-fifths majority for such amendments. The House approved the measure Monday with a few votes to spare.
The proposal also would bar the state from sanctioning civil unions.
Thirty states have a gay marriage ban in their constitutions.
Sen. Jim Forrester (R., Gaston), who had filed amendment bills for several years without success, finally won Tuesday after an hour of intense debate on the Senate floor. The amendment, which had been blocked for years by Democrats, won a hearing after Republicans took control of the General Assembly for the first time since 1870. Republicans voted heavily for the measure.
Unlike the House, where 10 Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the amendment, the Senate vote was utterly along party lines. Four senators—Republican Fletcher Hartsell of Cabarrus County and Democrats Eric Mansfield of Cumberland County, Michael Walters of Robeson County and Stan White of Dare County—had excused absences and didn't vote.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "North Carolina Voters to Decide on Same-Sex Marriage" by Kim Severson, New York Times 9/13/11
The Senate, in a 30-16 vote, agreed to let voters decide during the May primaries whether the state Constitution should ban same-sex marriage. The House approved the measure the day before, 75 to 42.
It is already illegal for people of the same sex to marry in North Carolina. If the amendment passes, it will serve to reinforce that ban and make it more difficult for future legislatures to extend marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples.
It could also call into question domestic partnership benefits offered by public institutions and the application of domestic violence laws, said Holning Lau, an associate professor of law at the University of North Carolina. . . .
The issue brought out people to rally on both sides. The Rev. Patrick Wooden of the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh calls homosexuality a “deathstyle” and has long fought against those who equate the battle for gay rights with other civil rights struggles.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "North Carolina Puts Gay Marriage Ban On May 2012 Ballot" by Tyler Kingkade, Huffington Post 9/13/11
Republican leaders in the state legislature elected not to allow any public comment, which enabled them to fast-track the legislation to a vote and passage only 24 hours after it was first introduced. The state House of Representatives passed the same bill on Monday.
Constitutional amendments do not require action by the governor, which means Gov. Bev Perdue (D) has no veto power, and the amendment will now go before voters in the 2012 primary election.
Maxine Eichner, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law, and some of her colleagues prepared a report on the proposed amendment in June that outlined potential problems. Even with the revisions made in the last week, Eichner said in an email, the amendment could still interfere with existing child custody and visitation rights and invalidate trusts, wills and end-of-life directives in favor of an unmarried partner, no matter the genders of the unmarried pair.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "N.C. citizens (finally) to get vote on marriage" by Michael Foust, Associate Editor, Baptist Press 9/13/11
All four states that border North Carolina passed constitutional marriage amendments in 2004 or 2006 . . .
GOP leaders in North Carolina tried to de-politicize the issue by moving the vote from November 2012 to the 2012 primary, taking away the argument that the amendment's sole purpose was to bring out conservative voters during a presidential election.
A majority of states, 29, define marriage as between a man and a woman in their state constitutions. The amendments prevent state courts from redefining marriage to include gay couples, as has happened in Connecticut, Iowa and Massachusetts.
The heart of the North Carolina amendment reads: "Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background, read Marriage Amendment Bill in North Carolina
-- From "Ban on Gay Marriage Gets on N.C. Ballot" by The Associated Press 9/13/11
The state Senate voted 30-16 in favor of putting the question on the statewide primary ballot—the minimum number of yes votes needed to meet the three-fifths majority for such amendments. The House approved the measure Monday with a few votes to spare.
The proposal also would bar the state from sanctioning civil unions.
Thirty states have a gay marriage ban in their constitutions.
Sen. Jim Forrester (R., Gaston), who had filed amendment bills for several years without success, finally won Tuesday after an hour of intense debate on the Senate floor. The amendment, which had been blocked for years by Democrats, won a hearing after Republicans took control of the General Assembly for the first time since 1870. Republicans voted heavily for the measure.
Unlike the House, where 10 Democrats joined Republicans in supporting the amendment, the Senate vote was utterly along party lines. Four senators—Republican Fletcher Hartsell of Cabarrus County and Democrats Eric Mansfield of Cumberland County, Michael Walters of Robeson County and Stan White of Dare County—had excused absences and didn't vote.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "North Carolina Voters to Decide on Same-Sex Marriage" by Kim Severson, New York Times 9/13/11
The Senate, in a 30-16 vote, agreed to let voters decide during the May primaries whether the state Constitution should ban same-sex marriage. The House approved the measure the day before, 75 to 42.
It is already illegal for people of the same sex to marry in North Carolina. If the amendment passes, it will serve to reinforce that ban and make it more difficult for future legislatures to extend marriage rights to gay and lesbian couples.
It could also call into question domestic partnership benefits offered by public institutions and the application of domestic violence laws, said Holning Lau, an associate professor of law at the University of North Carolina. . . .
The issue brought out people to rally on both sides. The Rev. Patrick Wooden of the Upper Room Church of God in Christ in Raleigh calls homosexuality a “deathstyle” and has long fought against those who equate the battle for gay rights with other civil rights struggles.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "North Carolina Puts Gay Marriage Ban On May 2012 Ballot" by Tyler Kingkade, Huffington Post 9/13/11
Republican leaders in the state legislature elected not to allow any public comment, which enabled them to fast-track the legislation to a vote and passage only 24 hours after it was first introduced. The state House of Representatives passed the same bill on Monday.
Constitutional amendments do not require action by the governor, which means Gov. Bev Perdue (D) has no veto power, and the amendment will now go before voters in the 2012 primary election.
Maxine Eichner, a professor at the University of North Carolina School of Law, and some of her colleagues prepared a report on the proposed amendment in June that outlined potential problems. Even with the revisions made in the last week, Eichner said in an email, the amendment could still interfere with existing child custody and visitation rights and invalidate trusts, wills and end-of-life directives in favor of an unmarried partner, no matter the genders of the unmarried pair.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "N.C. citizens (finally) to get vote on marriage" by Michael Foust, Associate Editor, Baptist Press 9/13/11
All four states that border North Carolina passed constitutional marriage amendments in 2004 or 2006 . . .
GOP leaders in North Carolina tried to de-politicize the issue by moving the vote from November 2012 to the 2012 primary, taking away the argument that the amendment's sole purpose was to bring out conservative voters during a presidential election.
A majority of states, 29, define marriage as between a man and a woman in their state constitutions. The amendments prevent state courts from redefining marriage to include gay couples, as has happened in Connecticut, Iowa and Massachusetts.
The heart of the North Carolina amendment reads: "Marriage between one man and one woman is the only domestic legal union that shall be valid or recognized in this State."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Monday, September 12, 2011
Americans 'Cry Out' to God on 9/11
The nationwide conservative Christian movement called "Cry Out America" held prayer gatherings at 2400 locations covering all fifty states to memorialize the tenth anniversary of 9/11.
For background, read Christians 'Cry Out America' to God Nationwide
-- From "Anderson ‘Cry Out’ prayer program focuses on faith after 9/11" by Jennifer Crossley Howard, Anderson Independent Mail (South Carolina) 9/11/11
County politicians and church leaders prayed for the nation on the steps of the Anderson County Courthouse Sunday afternoon . . .
About 300 people attended Cry Out America, a prayer program held across the country on Sept. 11. Area pastors urged their congregations to attend the Christian-themed service that focused on the 10th anniversary of terrorist attacks.
[Lesley White, who co-coordinated the program, said] “I think Sept. 11, 2001, was an awakening for America, and I think we stand at a crossroads.”
“Our heritage was built on Jesus Christ,” she said. “That’s what made our country so great. Our standards were different.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "9/11 Prayer Rally Event" by Lisa Warren, Staff Writer, The Greeneville Sun (Tennessee) 9/12/11
About 70 individuals attended an evangelical Christian prayer rally Sunday afternoon on the Greene County Courthouse lawn.
Organizers say the "Cry Out America" gatherings are held to not only commemorate the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but to encourage a "spiritual reawakening" across the country.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From ‘Cry Out America!’ by David Davis, Managing Editor Cleveland Daily Banner 9/12/11
More than 1,000 Cleveland and Bradley County area residents gathered Sunday in Lee University’s Conn Center in remembrance of the 9/11 tragedies that befell America and to pray for a spiritual renewal in their emotional aftermath.
Billy Wilson, executive director of the Awakening America Alliance and The International Center For Spiritual Renewal said, “The attacks on our nation on September 11, 2001, were the wake-up call of a lifetime for all of us and 10 years following the terrorist attacks on 9/11 our nation needs God’s protection and grace more than ever.”
“America is overdue for a spiritual turn-around and for a new awakening,” he said. “We do hope that Cry Out America will help grass roots Christian believers increase their courage to call for public prayer. We have witnessed wonderful energy and commitment from a remnant of Christians across America who have not given up on this nation and who are convinced that united, extraordinary prayer is critical to our future.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Cry Out America event marks 9/11 anniversary" Staff Report, The Times and Democrat (South Carolina) 9/12/11
Waving hands and singing praise, a local group of interdenominational Christians gathered Sunday afternoon at Centennial Park in Orangeburg's Edisto Memorial Gardens to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack.
[Pastor Lawrence] Cook, the pastor of Living Vine Worship Center, spearheaded the second Cry Out America prayer event, a part of the national Awakening America Alliance.
Conducted by Cook and by four other ministers from Baptist, Pentecostal Holiness and Church of God denominations, the service included the singing of patriotic songs and hymns, as well as prayer.
"The enemy is Satan," said Cook, suggesting that a front page newspaper story should be written every time someone is saved. "He turns each other against each other. Give thanks and glory for one more year we've shared 9/11."
Dr. Richard Porter of the Orangeburg-Calhoun Baptist Association, said that "just as 9/11 changed the world, Christians know that prayer can change the world, too," He urged prayer for the nation's leaders to make decisions that are good for God, not politics.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background, read Christians 'Cry Out America' to God Nationwide
-- From "Anderson ‘Cry Out’ prayer program focuses on faith after 9/11" by Jennifer Crossley Howard, Anderson Independent Mail (South Carolina) 9/11/11
County politicians and church leaders prayed for the nation on the steps of the Anderson County Courthouse Sunday afternoon . . .
About 300 people attended Cry Out America, a prayer program held across the country on Sept. 11. Area pastors urged their congregations to attend the Christian-themed service that focused on the 10th anniversary of terrorist attacks.
[Lesley White, who co-coordinated the program, said] “I think Sept. 11, 2001, was an awakening for America, and I think we stand at a crossroads.”
“Our heritage was built on Jesus Christ,” she said. “That’s what made our country so great. Our standards were different.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "9/11 Prayer Rally Event" by Lisa Warren, Staff Writer, The Greeneville Sun (Tennessee) 9/12/11
About 70 individuals attended an evangelical Christian prayer rally Sunday afternoon on the Greene County Courthouse lawn.
Organizers say the "Cry Out America" gatherings are held to not only commemorate the anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, but to encourage a "spiritual reawakening" across the country.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From ‘Cry Out America!’ by David Davis, Managing Editor Cleveland Daily Banner 9/12/11
More than 1,000 Cleveland and Bradley County area residents gathered Sunday in Lee University’s Conn Center in remembrance of the 9/11 tragedies that befell America and to pray for a spiritual renewal in their emotional aftermath.
Billy Wilson, executive director of the Awakening America Alliance and The International Center For Spiritual Renewal said, “The attacks on our nation on September 11, 2001, were the wake-up call of a lifetime for all of us and 10 years following the terrorist attacks on 9/11 our nation needs God’s protection and grace more than ever.”
“America is overdue for a spiritual turn-around and for a new awakening,” he said. “We do hope that Cry Out America will help grass roots Christian believers increase their courage to call for public prayer. We have witnessed wonderful energy and commitment from a remnant of Christians across America who have not given up on this nation and who are convinced that united, extraordinary prayer is critical to our future.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Cry Out America event marks 9/11 anniversary" Staff Report, The Times and Democrat (South Carolina) 9/12/11
Waving hands and singing praise, a local group of interdenominational Christians gathered Sunday afternoon at Centennial Park in Orangeburg's Edisto Memorial Gardens to commemorate the 10th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attack.
[Pastor Lawrence] Cook, the pastor of Living Vine Worship Center, spearheaded the second Cry Out America prayer event, a part of the national Awakening America Alliance.
Conducted by Cook and by four other ministers from Baptist, Pentecostal Holiness and Church of God denominations, the service included the singing of patriotic songs and hymns, as well as prayer.
"The enemy is Satan," said Cook, suggesting that a front page newspaper story should be written every time someone is saved. "He turns each other against each other. Give thanks and glory for one more year we've shared 9/11."
Dr. Richard Porter of the Orangeburg-Calhoun Baptist Association, said that "just as 9/11 changed the world, Christians know that prayer can change the world, too," He urged prayer for the nation's leaders to make decisions that are good for God, not politics.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, September 11, 2011
Media Missed Largest 9/11 Memorial: Christian Prayer
On the eve of the 9/11 tenth anniversary, 50,000 people filled Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles Saturday night to pray for America and evangelize "the lost" of the nation. In his message to those gathered and watching the broadcast, Pastor Greg Laurie responded to the question, Why does God allow pain and suffering?
For background, read Clergy & Prayer Banned From 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Memorial and also read Obama D.C. 9/11 'Prayer:' Exclude Evangelicals
UPDATE 9/11/11: USA Today asks, Where were the Evangelicals (this weekend)? -- yet, still no mention of Dodger Stadium!
-- From "HARVEST: Reverend speaks of tragedy on eve of 9/11 anniversary" by David Olson, Staff Writer, The Press-Enterprise 9/10/11
Speaking of 9/11, Laurie said, "God did not do that. Wicked people did that."
"How does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" he asked. "You know what my answer is? I don't know."
Laurie said the Bible teachers that believers will find out the answers to this and other questions when they're in heaven.
But Laurie said to go to heaven, people must accept Jesus as their Savior, confess their sins and ask for forgiveness.
Thousands of people then streamed out onto the field to make a profession of faith in Christ, filling the outfield behind the extensive stage that stretched over first, second and third bases.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Greg Laurie: Largest 9/11 Prayer Gathering at Harvest LA Saturday" by Alex Murashko, Christian Post Reporter 9/9/11
Laurie, the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., and known for leading large-scale evangelistic events worldwide for the last 21 years, made it clear in a statement sent to The Christian Post that prayer continues to be part of the nation’s fabric, even 10 years after the tragedy.
“The LA Harvest will likely be the single largest gathering in the country where Christians will commemorate this solemn event with prayer,” Laurie stated. “There has been a lot controversy over the fact that there are no clergymen or prayer(s) planned for the official remembrance ceremony at Ground Zero on 9/11. I believe that is wrong, since faith has played such a key role in America in the aftermath of this horrific tragedy.”
“We remember prayer vigils on street corners and the members of Congress breaking into ‘God Bless America’ on the Capitol steps. Churches were filled to overflowing after 9/11 as people looked for answers from God and the Bible,” Laurie said.
In addition to Laurie’s message, the outreach [featured] music from well-known Christian musicians . . . Chris Tomlin, Kirk Franklin, Jeremy Camp and The Katinas.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Greg Laurie's Harvest Crusade LA: 50,000 Led in 9/11 Prayer" by Alex Murashko, Christian Post Reporter 9/11/11
Founding Calvary Chapel pastor Chuck Smith . . . [spoke at the event, saying] "We pray that we as a nation become more aware for our need for God."
"We know that the pain of death does last so long. May they feel your comfort and your presence tonight, Lord,” he continued. “We pray for our nation. We thank you, Lord, for the wake-up call and at that time so many people turned to you. The churches were full the next Sunday. Lord, people began to realize how much we need you.
"Lord, how soon we forget and how many times this year as we are needing you again. Somehow, Lord, we sort of declared our independence from you. Lord, we want you to know that we feel very dependent upon you. Lord, we ask that tonight your blessing would be upon America.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Archive video responding to the challenge of why a "good god" allows evil:
For background, read Clergy & Prayer Banned From 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Memorial and also read Obama D.C. 9/11 'Prayer:' Exclude Evangelicals
UPDATE 9/11/11: USA Today asks, Where were the Evangelicals (this weekend)? -- yet, still no mention of Dodger Stadium!
-- From "HARVEST: Reverend speaks of tragedy on eve of 9/11 anniversary" by David Olson, Staff Writer, The Press-Enterprise 9/10/11
Speaking of 9/11, Laurie said, "God did not do that. Wicked people did that."
"How does God allow bad things to happen to good people?" he asked. "You know what my answer is? I don't know."
Laurie said the Bible teachers that believers will find out the answers to this and other questions when they're in heaven.
But Laurie said to go to heaven, people must accept Jesus as their Savior, confess their sins and ask for forgiveness.
Thousands of people then streamed out onto the field to make a profession of faith in Christ, filling the outfield behind the extensive stage that stretched over first, second and third bases.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Greg Laurie: Largest 9/11 Prayer Gathering at Harvest LA Saturday" by Alex Murashko, Christian Post Reporter 9/9/11
Laurie, the pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside, Calif., and known for leading large-scale evangelistic events worldwide for the last 21 years, made it clear in a statement sent to The Christian Post that prayer continues to be part of the nation’s fabric, even 10 years after the tragedy.
“The LA Harvest will likely be the single largest gathering in the country where Christians will commemorate this solemn event with prayer,” Laurie stated. “There has been a lot controversy over the fact that there are no clergymen or prayer(s) planned for the official remembrance ceremony at Ground Zero on 9/11. I believe that is wrong, since faith has played such a key role in America in the aftermath of this horrific tragedy.”
“We remember prayer vigils on street corners and the members of Congress breaking into ‘God Bless America’ on the Capitol steps. Churches were filled to overflowing after 9/11 as people looked for answers from God and the Bible,” Laurie said.
In addition to Laurie’s message, the outreach [featured] music from well-known Christian musicians . . . Chris Tomlin, Kirk Franklin, Jeremy Camp and The Katinas.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Greg Laurie's Harvest Crusade LA: 50,000 Led in 9/11 Prayer" by Alex Murashko, Christian Post Reporter 9/11/11
Founding Calvary Chapel pastor Chuck Smith . . . [spoke at the event, saying] "We pray that we as a nation become more aware for our need for God."
"We know that the pain of death does last so long. May they feel your comfort and your presence tonight, Lord,” he continued. “We pray for our nation. We thank you, Lord, for the wake-up call and at that time so many people turned to you. The churches were full the next Sunday. Lord, people began to realize how much we need you.
"Lord, how soon we forget and how many times this year as we are needing you again. Somehow, Lord, we sort of declared our independence from you. Lord, we want you to know that we feel very dependent upon you. Lord, we ask that tonight your blessing would be upon America.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Archive video responding to the challenge of why a "good god" allows evil:
Saturday, September 10, 2011
NYC Liberals Choose Abortion NOT Procreation
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene has released a statistical study showing extraordinarily high rates of abortion in specific neighborhoods, including a rate of more than two-thirds of unborns murdered in the Chelsea area of west Manhattan.
Perhaps it's only a matter of time before liberals become extinct.
For background, read Black Genocide in New York City (nearly 2 of 3 killed in womb) and also read Condom Training Mandated for NY City Schools as well as Free Porn is the Law, Say NYC Librarians
-- From "Chelsea Has The Highest Rate Of Abortions In New York City" reported by The Huffington Post 9/9/11
Jamaica, Central Harlem, Greenwich Village, and Bedford-Stuyvesant also ranked high on the list. The neighborhood with the lowest abortion rate is the Upper East Side, which also happens to be Manhattan's safest neighborhood as well.
The neighborhood breakdown came after the Chiaroscuro Foundation, which "believes that every individual deserves an opportunity to experience life’s bounty—and that every human being first of all deserves to live" requested the city's 2009 abortion statistics be further outlined by zipcode, according to Gothamist.
The foundation is among the many, including religious leaders, who were deeply critical of the city's sex education programs after research released earlier this year revealed almost 40 percent of all New York pregnancies end in abortion, a number Archbishop Timothy Dolan deemed "downright chilling."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Two-Thirds of all Clinton Babies Are Aborted" by Elise Knutsen, New York Observer 9/9/11
“The City and it’s extremist allies will tell you that only so-called “comprehensive” sex education works, and that “abstinence-only” curricula have been “proven” not to work,” the Chiascuro Foundation’s website says. ” They recommend a program focused solely around abstinence.
The Observer talked to Planned Parenthood of New York to hear their take on the stats—numbers, it should be said, the group does not dispute. “Making abortion less available isn’t going to do anyone any favors in terms of health,” Erica Sackin said. “New York City has one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancy int eh country. That’s something we should be focusing on.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Shock: 56% of Abortions in New York City are Repeat Abortions" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 9/9/11
New research from a organization that has spent considerable time unpacking new statistics showing the abortion rate in New York City is twice the national average shows Manhattan may have the highest abortion rate of any city in the U.S.
The Chiaroscuro Foundation also asked for information from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene about the number of repeat abortions and it found that, in 2009, 48,627 of the 87,273 abortions in New York City, or 56%, were repeat abortions and 33,401, 38%, were paid for by Medicaid.
Greg Pfundstein Executive Director of the Chiaroscuro Foundation, told LifeNews he is dismayed by the numbers but knows they are accurate because New York City keeps extensive abortion records.
Sixty-four percent (64%) of New Yorkers believe the abortion rate is too high in New York City – including 57% of pro-choice women – according to a poll conducted by the polling firm McLaughlin & Associates for the Foundation earlier this year. Seventy four percent believe that the overall 60% abortion rate in the African American community is too high.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Perhaps it's only a matter of time before liberals become extinct.
For background, read Black Genocide in New York City (nearly 2 of 3 killed in womb) and also read Condom Training Mandated for NY City Schools as well as Free Porn is the Law, Say NYC Librarians
-- From "Chelsea Has The Highest Rate Of Abortions In New York City" reported by The Huffington Post 9/9/11
Jamaica, Central Harlem, Greenwich Village, and Bedford-Stuyvesant also ranked high on the list. The neighborhood with the lowest abortion rate is the Upper East Side, which also happens to be Manhattan's safest neighborhood as well.
The neighborhood breakdown came after the Chiaroscuro Foundation, which "believes that every individual deserves an opportunity to experience life’s bounty—and that every human being first of all deserves to live" requested the city's 2009 abortion statistics be further outlined by zipcode, according to Gothamist.
The foundation is among the many, including religious leaders, who were deeply critical of the city's sex education programs after research released earlier this year revealed almost 40 percent of all New York pregnancies end in abortion, a number Archbishop Timothy Dolan deemed "downright chilling."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Two-Thirds of all Clinton Babies Are Aborted" by Elise Knutsen, New York Observer 9/9/11
“The City and it’s extremist allies will tell you that only so-called “comprehensive” sex education works, and that “abstinence-only” curricula have been “proven” not to work,” the Chiascuro Foundation’s website says. ” They recommend a program focused solely around abstinence.
The Observer talked to Planned Parenthood of New York to hear their take on the stats—numbers, it should be said, the group does not dispute. “Making abortion less available isn’t going to do anyone any favors in terms of health,” Erica Sackin said. “New York City has one of the highest rates of unintended pregnancy int eh country. That’s something we should be focusing on.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Shock: 56% of Abortions in New York City are Repeat Abortions" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 9/9/11
New research from a organization that has spent considerable time unpacking new statistics showing the abortion rate in New York City is twice the national average shows Manhattan may have the highest abortion rate of any city in the U.S.
The Chiaroscuro Foundation also asked for information from the city’s Department of Health and Mental Hygiene about the number of repeat abortions and it found that, in 2009, 48,627 of the 87,273 abortions in New York City, or 56%, were repeat abortions and 33,401, 38%, were paid for by Medicaid.
Greg Pfundstein Executive Director of the Chiaroscuro Foundation, told LifeNews he is dismayed by the numbers but knows they are accurate because New York City keeps extensive abortion records.
Sixty-four percent (64%) of New Yorkers believe the abortion rate is too high in New York City – including 57% of pro-choice women – according to a poll conducted by the polling firm McLaughlin & Associates for the Foundation earlier this year. Seventy four percent believe that the overall 60% abortion rate in the African American community is too high.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
9/11 Prayer at Ground Zero, Despite Mayor
After the New York mayor announced the ban on clergy and prayer at the city's 9/11 anniversary memorial service for Sunday, several Christian leaders organized a prayer event on Saturday.
For background, read Clergy & Prayer Banned From 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Memorial and also read Obama D.C. 9/11 'Prayer:' Exclude Evangelicals
-- From "Vigil raps lack of clergy prayer at NYC 9/11 event" by The Associated Press 9/10/11
Religious leaders are protesting New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's decision not to include a clergy-led prayer in the city's ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
About two dozen ministers gathered Saturday in front of St. Paul's Chapel in lower Manhattan. The group planned to walk to the edge of ground zero and hold a prayer service there.
The Rev. Rob Schenck notes that clergy members ministered to people in New York after the attacks. He says it was hurtful not to include religious leaders in the ceremony.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Omitting Clergy at 9/11 Ceremony Prompts Protest" by Laurie Goodstein, New York Times 9/8/11
The second Sunday after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, New York clergy members of many faiths joined elected officials at Yankee Stadium in a city-sponsored memorial ceremony that melded the sacred and the secular, replete with flags, prayers and tears.
Ten years later . . .
Richard D. Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, which is the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, said in an interview that the planned ceremony only proved that New York was the “epicenter of secularism,” out of step with the rest of America.
“We’re not France,” he said. “Mr. Bloomberg is pretending we’re a secular society, and we are not.”
[Former New York mayor] Rudolph W. Giuliani who helped organize the 2001 event at Yankee Stadium [said this week] “I feel like America has lost its way.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Clergy Plan 9/10 Prayer Service at Ground Zero" by Joseph Perkins, Christian Post Contributor 9/7/11
The Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition . . . found Bloomberg’s decision “extremely troubling.” That’s what prompted him and his fellow religious leaders to hold their own prayer vigil the day before Bloomberg’s strictly secular memorial service.
Meanwhile, a study by the Barna Group suggests that New Yorkers have gotten increasingly religious since 9/11. In 1999 and 2000, according to the study, only 31 percent were weekly churchgoers. Ten years later, that figure has increased to 46 percent.
The ranks of “active-faith adults,” those who pray, read the Bible and attend church in a typical week, has grown from 17 percent to 24 percent since the World Trade Center was reduced to rubble. All told, the Barna survey reveals, 61 percent of New Yorkers say their faith is very important to them.
“Our intention,” said the Rev. Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council, and another of the organizers of the planned Saturday service, “is to address that need in the hearts and minds of so many affected by the pain of that infamous day.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Lack of clergy at Sept. 11 memorial prompts separate prayer event" by Kevin J. Jones, Catholic News Agency 9/10/11
“During the past 10 years, it has only been faith in God and prayer that has enabled so many to move forward and rebuild their lives and protected America from another major terrorist attack,” [Rev. Mahoney] said.
Rev. Mahoney thought it was “imperative” to have a public prayer service at Ground Zero during the anniversary weekend. While the absence of prayer at the official service may seem reasonable to some, he suggested, “it will only compound the pain and the loss of others.”
“During our prayer time at Ground Zero, we will seek God for His continued protection, especially with new credible terrorist threats, pray for those who lost loved ones, pray for our leaders and elected officials and turn to God in repentance recognizing only He can bring healing and restoration to our nation,” he said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background, read Clergy & Prayer Banned From 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Memorial and also read Obama D.C. 9/11 'Prayer:' Exclude Evangelicals
-- From "Vigil raps lack of clergy prayer at NYC 9/11 event" by The Associated Press 9/10/11
Religious leaders are protesting New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg's decision not to include a clergy-led prayer in the city's ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks.
About two dozen ministers gathered Saturday in front of St. Paul's Chapel in lower Manhattan. The group planned to walk to the edge of ground zero and hold a prayer service there.
The Rev. Rob Schenck notes that clergy members ministered to people in New York after the attacks. He says it was hurtful not to include religious leaders in the ceremony.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Omitting Clergy at 9/11 Ceremony Prompts Protest" by Laurie Goodstein, New York Times 9/8/11
The second Sunday after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, New York clergy members of many faiths joined elected officials at Yankee Stadium in a city-sponsored memorial ceremony that melded the sacred and the secular, replete with flags, prayers and tears.
Ten years later . . .
Richard D. Land, president of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, which is the public policy arm of the Southern Baptist Convention, said in an interview that the planned ceremony only proved that New York was the “epicenter of secularism,” out of step with the rest of America.
“We’re not France,” he said. “Mr. Bloomberg is pretending we’re a secular society, and we are not.”
[Former New York mayor] Rudolph W. Giuliani who helped organize the 2001 event at Yankee Stadium [said this week] “I feel like America has lost its way.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Clergy Plan 9/10 Prayer Service at Ground Zero" by Joseph Perkins, Christian Post Contributor 9/7/11
The Rev. Patrick Mahoney, director of the Christian Defense Coalition . . . found Bloomberg’s decision “extremely troubling.” That’s what prompted him and his fellow religious leaders to hold their own prayer vigil the day before Bloomberg’s strictly secular memorial service.
Meanwhile, a study by the Barna Group suggests that New Yorkers have gotten increasingly religious since 9/11. In 1999 and 2000, according to the study, only 31 percent were weekly churchgoers. Ten years later, that figure has increased to 46 percent.
The ranks of “active-faith adults,” those who pray, read the Bible and attend church in a typical week, has grown from 17 percent to 24 percent since the World Trade Center was reduced to rubble. All told, the Barna survey reveals, 61 percent of New Yorkers say their faith is very important to them.
“Our intention,” said the Rev. Rob Schenck, president of the National Clergy Council, and another of the organizers of the planned Saturday service, “is to address that need in the hearts and minds of so many affected by the pain of that infamous day.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Lack of clergy at Sept. 11 memorial prompts separate prayer event" by Kevin J. Jones, Catholic News Agency 9/10/11
“During the past 10 years, it has only been faith in God and prayer that has enabled so many to move forward and rebuild their lives and protected America from another major terrorist attack,” [Rev. Mahoney] said.
Rev. Mahoney thought it was “imperative” to have a public prayer service at Ground Zero during the anniversary weekend. While the absence of prayer at the official service may seem reasonable to some, he suggested, “it will only compound the pain and the loss of others.”
“During our prayer time at Ground Zero, we will seek God for His continued protection, especially with new credible terrorist threats, pray for those who lost loved ones, pray for our leaders and elected officials and turn to God in repentance recognizing only He can bring healing and restoration to our nation,” he said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Friday, September 09, 2011
Florida County Boots Planned Parenthood Sex Ed
A Florida county has voted to revoke $500,000 in taxpayer funding to the Planned Parenthood abortion business. After significant pro-life lobbying, the Children’s Services Council Taxing Authority (CSC) stopped funding Planned Parenthood after sending the abortion giant millions of dollars over the years.
For background, read Sex Training by Kids is Planned Parenthood and also read "FYI Peer Education Program" by Planned Parenthood as well as Planned Parenthood Urges HIV-infected Teens to Freely Have Sex
-- From "Planned Parenthood voted out as St. Lucie County agency's teen services provider" by Jim Mayfield, TCPalm 9/8/11
With two brief, unanimous votes Thursday, the Children's Services Council of St. Lucie County ended Planned Parenthood's 10-year run as the council's teen services provider.
Following a recommendation based upon reviews of 13 proposals by staff and a seven-member community review team, the council board named Kids Connected by Design, a Healthy Start affiliation, as its provider for healthy decision-making programming and Boys and Girls Club of St. Lucie County to furnish after-school and summer activities.
Prior to the board's vote, anti-abortion protesters lined Northwest University Boulevard, demonstrating against Planned Parenthood of South Florida and the Treasure Coast's continued involvement with the council.
Inside, a group of about 100 packed the Kathy Basile Center for Training and Community Development, the majority of whom were on hand to urge board members away from awarding Planned Parenthood a contract.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Planned Parenthood loses St. Lucie sex education funds" by Ashley Lopez, The Florida Independent 9/8/11
St. Lucie Taxpayers against Tax Funding of Planned Parenthood, a local anti-abortion group, has been led by Pastor Bryan Longworth, who has campaigned for anti-abortion legislation in the state. Longworth has long been the chief proponent of a “Personhood” amendment in Florida, which has failed to gain traction among powerful anti-abortion groups such as Florida Family Policy Council.
Planned Parenthood — one of the state’s few organizations that provide comprehensive sex education — has been denied public funds to teach sex education in certain areas of Florida. The state has a statute that requires schools to teach abstinence-only sex education. Comprehensive sex education advocates have blamed this limited curriculum for the state’s persistent teen pregnancy problem and rising STD rates among teenagers.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Florida County Yanks $500K for Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 9/8/11
Cory Neering, the vice president of education for Parenthood of South Florida and the Treasure Coast, told the television station he wasn’t sure whether Planned Parenthood would be able to keep open the same hours as it is currently.
Dr. Michael Hofstee, an organizer from the St. Lucie Taxpayers Against Planned Parenthood Funding, said the CSC Taxing Authority members, who are appointed, not elected, “saw the writing on the wall after PP found itself embroiled in a slew of embarrassing and indefensible undercover sting operations.” Hofstee cited videos and recordings demonstrating that Planned Parenthood assisted teenage girls in subverting parental notification laws, covering up statutory rape, accepting donations specifically to abort black babies, and covering up child sex trafficking.
Longworth thanked many of the national pro-life groups that have been active in exposing Planned Parenthood, including “Lila Rose, Live Action, Life Dynamics International, and the other individuals and organizations who have exposed Planned Parenthood’s embarrassing practices.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Planned Parenthood Says Plan to Get Sexual Disease
For background, read Sex Training by Kids is Planned Parenthood and also read "FYI Peer Education Program" by Planned Parenthood as well as Planned Parenthood Urges HIV-infected Teens to Freely Have Sex
-- From "Planned Parenthood voted out as St. Lucie County agency's teen services provider" by Jim Mayfield, TCPalm 9/8/11
With two brief, unanimous votes Thursday, the Children's Services Council of St. Lucie County ended Planned Parenthood's 10-year run as the council's teen services provider.
Following a recommendation based upon reviews of 13 proposals by staff and a seven-member community review team, the council board named Kids Connected by Design, a Healthy Start affiliation, as its provider for healthy decision-making programming and Boys and Girls Club of St. Lucie County to furnish after-school and summer activities.
Prior to the board's vote, anti-abortion protesters lined Northwest University Boulevard, demonstrating against Planned Parenthood of South Florida and the Treasure Coast's continued involvement with the council.
Inside, a group of about 100 packed the Kathy Basile Center for Training and Community Development, the majority of whom were on hand to urge board members away from awarding Planned Parenthood a contract.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Planned Parenthood loses St. Lucie sex education funds" by Ashley Lopez, The Florida Independent 9/8/11
St. Lucie Taxpayers against Tax Funding of Planned Parenthood, a local anti-abortion group, has been led by Pastor Bryan Longworth, who has campaigned for anti-abortion legislation in the state. Longworth has long been the chief proponent of a “Personhood” amendment in Florida, which has failed to gain traction among powerful anti-abortion groups such as Florida Family Policy Council.
Planned Parenthood — one of the state’s few organizations that provide comprehensive sex education — has been denied public funds to teach sex education in certain areas of Florida. The state has a statute that requires schools to teach abstinence-only sex education. Comprehensive sex education advocates have blamed this limited curriculum for the state’s persistent teen pregnancy problem and rising STD rates among teenagers.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Florida County Yanks $500K for Planned Parenthood Abortion Biz" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 9/8/11
Cory Neering, the vice president of education for Parenthood of South Florida and the Treasure Coast, told the television station he wasn’t sure whether Planned Parenthood would be able to keep open the same hours as it is currently.
Dr. Michael Hofstee, an organizer from the St. Lucie Taxpayers Against Planned Parenthood Funding, said the CSC Taxing Authority members, who are appointed, not elected, “saw the writing on the wall after PP found itself embroiled in a slew of embarrassing and indefensible undercover sting operations.” Hofstee cited videos and recordings demonstrating that Planned Parenthood assisted teenage girls in subverting parental notification laws, covering up statutory rape, accepting donations specifically to abort black babies, and covering up child sex trafficking.
Longworth thanked many of the national pro-life groups that have been active in exposing Planned Parenthood, including “Lila Rose, Live Action, Life Dynamics International, and the other individuals and organizations who have exposed Planned Parenthood’s embarrassing practices.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Planned Parenthood Says Plan to Get Sexual Disease
Miss. Cleared to Negate Roe v. Wade: Personhood
The Mississippi Supreme Court dismissed the challenge by Planned Parenthood and the ACLU against the voters of the state who petitioned for a November 2011 ballot referendum to decide if the unborn are persons. If, as expected, the voters affirm this definition, and the state constitution is so amended, abortion will be unconstitutional in the state per the U.S. Supreme Court ruling on Roe v. Wade of 1973.
For background, read Abortion Unconstitutional via Roe v. Wade: Personhood and also read Abortionists Fear Personhood Movement Gaining Steam as well as Pro-life States Press Personhood, Abortionists Sue
UPDATE 11/9/11: Personhood loses in Mississippi, but moving forward in six other states
UPDATE 11/9/11: President Obama thrilled for victory against the unborn
UPDATE 9/12/11: Passage of amendment virtual certainty
UPDATE 10/27/11: NBC's Chris Matthews says personhood would deprive women of 'free will'
-- From "Miss. court upholds election on ballot initiatives" by Jack Elliott, Jr., The Associated Press 9/8/11
An amendment that seeks to define life as beginning at conception . . . can appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.
A majority of the nine justices reinforced a 2000 ruling that said they cannot rule on the constitutionality of measures until voters or legislators have had a chance to pass them. The court dismissed challenges filed by opponents.
While abortion has been central in the debate about personhood, those in the lawsuit have clashed over whether it oversteps the boundaries for proposed state constitutional amendments.
Groups that support abortion rights — Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the state and national chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union — helped sue.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Initiatives OK'd for Nov. election" by Elizabeth Crisp, Jackson Clarion Ledger 9/8/11
. . . opponents are expected to continue their legal challenges if the measures pass in November.
Personhood USA President Keith Mason of Arvada, Colo., who appeared at a news conference in Clinton on Thursday afternoon, claimed victory.
"There have been nationwide attempts to silence the personhood message, so we are very pleased that a high court has ruled against the ACLU and Planned Parenthood yet again. The nation is watching Amendment 26, and it is time now to move forward and pass this crucial prolife amendment to defend human life," he said.
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann has said he expects . . . personhood . . . to pass.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Mississippi High Court Dismisses Challenge to ‘Personhood’ Initiative" by Joseph Perkins, Christian Post Contributor 9/9/11
“We seek to become the first state in the nation to grant civil rights to the unborn,” said Brad Hewitt, Executive Director of the “Yes on 26” campaign. If approved by Mississippi voters in November, and ultimately upheld by the courts, the proposed amendment to the state constitution will bestow upon the unborn the same right to life as the newborn.
Measure 26, the Personhood Amendment, was challenged by the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The three groups claimed that the measure was an improper attempt by its sponsors to modify the federal Bill of Rights.
The justices simply declared, "Just as this Court cannot prohibit legislators from offering proposals in the House or Senate, this Court cannot impede voters from submitting proposals through the voter initiative process."
Mississippi is just the latest battleground in the quest by the pro-life movement to establish the “personhood” of the unborn in the states. Personhood USA, a Christian ministry based in Arvada, Colo., says that the ultimate object is undo Roe v. Wade.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background, read Abortion Unconstitutional via Roe v. Wade: Personhood and also read Abortionists Fear Personhood Movement Gaining Steam as well as Pro-life States Press Personhood, Abortionists Sue
UPDATE 11/9/11: Personhood loses in Mississippi, but moving forward in six other states
UPDATE 11/9/11: President Obama thrilled for victory against the unborn
UPDATE 9/12/11: Passage of amendment virtual certainty
UPDATE 10/27/11: NBC's Chris Matthews says personhood would deprive women of 'free will'
-- From "Miss. court upholds election on ballot initiatives" by Jack Elliott, Jr., The Associated Press 9/8/11
An amendment that seeks to define life as beginning at conception . . . can appear on the Nov. 8 general election ballot, the Mississippi Supreme Court ruled on Thursday.
A majority of the nine justices reinforced a 2000 ruling that said they cannot rule on the constitutionality of measures until voters or legislators have had a chance to pass them. The court dismissed challenges filed by opponents.
While abortion has been central in the debate about personhood, those in the lawsuit have clashed over whether it oversteps the boundaries for proposed state constitutional amendments.
Groups that support abortion rights — Planned Parenthood Federation of America and the state and national chapters of the American Civil Liberties Union — helped sue.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Initiatives OK'd for Nov. election" by Elizabeth Crisp, Jackson Clarion Ledger 9/8/11
. . . opponents are expected to continue their legal challenges if the measures pass in November.
Personhood USA President Keith Mason of Arvada, Colo., who appeared at a news conference in Clinton on Thursday afternoon, claimed victory.
"There have been nationwide attempts to silence the personhood message, so we are very pleased that a high court has ruled against the ACLU and Planned Parenthood yet again. The nation is watching Amendment 26, and it is time now to move forward and pass this crucial prolife amendment to defend human life," he said.
Secretary of State Delbert Hosemann has said he expects . . . personhood . . . to pass.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Mississippi High Court Dismisses Challenge to ‘Personhood’ Initiative" by Joseph Perkins, Christian Post Contributor 9/9/11
“We seek to become the first state in the nation to grant civil rights to the unborn,” said Brad Hewitt, Executive Director of the “Yes on 26” campaign. If approved by Mississippi voters in November, and ultimately upheld by the courts, the proposed amendment to the state constitution will bestow upon the unborn the same right to life as the newborn.
Measure 26, the Personhood Amendment, was challenged by the ACLU, Planned Parenthood, and the Center for Reproductive Rights. The three groups claimed that the measure was an improper attempt by its sponsors to modify the federal Bill of Rights.
The justices simply declared, "Just as this Court cannot prohibit legislators from offering proposals in the House or Senate, this Court cannot impede voters from submitting proposals through the voter initiative process."
Mississippi is just the latest battleground in the quest by the pro-life movement to establish the “personhood” of the unborn in the states. Personhood USA, a Christian ministry based in Arvada, Colo., says that the ultimate object is undo Roe v. Wade.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, September 08, 2011
Obama Admin. Targets Pro-lifers for Prosecution
The Department of Justice is now prosecuting a 79-year-old grandfather. The reason: Richard Retta walks alongside women on the sidewalk outside a Planned Parenthood abortion facility and offers women hope that they can carry their babies to term.
The Department of Justice's civil rights division has filed more civil cases against pro-life sidewalk counselors during Barack Obama's administration than the previous administration.
For background, read White House Targets Pro-lifers with Lawsuits
-- From "Justice Department Tougher On Abortion Protesters" by Carrie Johnson, NPR 9/1/11
The Obama Justice Department has been taking a more aggressive approach against people who block access to abortion clinics, using a 1994 law to bring cases in greater numbers than its predecessor.
Over the past two years, the Justice Department and FBI have been meeting with abortion-rights groups and medical providers all over the country to explain their work and talk about a federal task force designed to prevent violence against doctors and women seeking abortions.
. . . [Richard] Retta, who has seven children and 11 grandkids, says he is moved by his Catholic faith to do what he calls sidewalk counseling. Retta says he has gotten pushed around outside the clinic, too. He says he was standing by the gate and a woman sprayed him with pepper spray in July, putting him "out of commission" for a while.
"I have First Amendment rights to offer women information," he says. "I have a right to talk to the women."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Obama Admin. Pursues Civil Cases Against Pro-life Street Counselors" by Stephanie Samuel, Christian Post Reporter 9/3/11
The Justice Department (DOJ) has filed eight cases against pro-lifers under the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE, Act in the nearly three years that Obama has served as president. The number seems small on its own. However it is a huge increase when compared to the one case filed during the eight years President George W. Bush served in office
Life Legal Defense Foundation Executive Director Dana Cody said abortion clinics are determined to silence the pro-life opposition.
She explained that Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers "do not like the fact that there's people out there [doing] what they call sidewalk counseling because women change their mind and they don't go in and purchase an abortions. So it cuts into their business."
The clinics demonize pro-lifers in the public's eyes in order to keep street counselors away from their patients.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Planned Parenthood Backs Obama Admin Targeting Pro-Lifers" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 9/2/11
. . . Obama officials are suing Retta for $10,000 for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, and is ordering him to pay compensatory damages of $5,000 each to three supposed victims of Retta handing out information and telling women to not have an abortion.
The Obama administration’s lawsuit came months after it partnered with leading pro-abortion organizations to host an FBI training seminar with the main focus of declaring as “violent” the free speech activities of pro-life Americans.
On August 25, 2010, the FBI and the United States Department of Justice co-sponsored a training seminar with Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Federation and the Feminist Majority Foundation.
FBI and Obama administration officials provided participants with an 84-page document entitled “Resource Guide: Violence Against Reproductive Health Care Providers” that contained print copies of Power Point presentations prepared by the Justice Department and an analysis of alleged pro-life “violence” prepared by the pro-abortion groups.
The so-called violence perpetrated by pro-life advocates mostly contained examples of constitutionally-protected free speech, including activities such as praying,
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "A Politicized Justice Department Strikes Again" by Hans A. von Spakovsky, posted at National Review Online 8/17/11
Retta estimates that he and other volunteers have helped more than 1,300 women change their minds about abortion. But that kind of success seems to be too much for this administration. It is so committed to the agenda of abortion groups that it threatened to shut down the entire government during the budget debate earlier this year to preserve more than $300 million in federal funds for Planned Parenthood. It also has threatened to cut off Medicaid funds to states like Indiana that ban state grants to the organization.
. . . the FACE Act (18 U.S.C. § 248) forbids only physical obstruction, intimidation, or the use or threat of force. The FACE Act protects the activity that Retta engaged in: The statute specifically states that it does not “prohibit any expressive conduct (including peaceful picketing or other peaceful demonstration).”
Retta was not dressed in a black paramilitary uniform, he was not carrying a nightstick, and he was not yelling racial epithets or blocking the entrance to a polling place. Yet this is the same Justice Department that dismissed a voter-intimidation case against the New Black Panther party, whose members engaged in exactly that behavior. Somehow the behavior and speech of a 79-year-old sidewalk counselor violates federal law against intimidation, but the speech and behavior of the New Black Panthers in Philadelphia in 2008 was just fine, according to the skewed perspective of the liberals who inhabit the Civil Rights Division these days.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
The Department of Justice's civil rights division has filed more civil cases against pro-life sidewalk counselors during Barack Obama's administration than the previous administration.
For background, read White House Targets Pro-lifers with Lawsuits
-- From "Justice Department Tougher On Abortion Protesters" by Carrie Johnson, NPR 9/1/11
The Obama Justice Department has been taking a more aggressive approach against people who block access to abortion clinics, using a 1994 law to bring cases in greater numbers than its predecessor.
Over the past two years, the Justice Department and FBI have been meeting with abortion-rights groups and medical providers all over the country to explain their work and talk about a federal task force designed to prevent violence against doctors and women seeking abortions.
. . . [Richard] Retta, who has seven children and 11 grandkids, says he is moved by his Catholic faith to do what he calls sidewalk counseling. Retta says he has gotten pushed around outside the clinic, too. He says he was standing by the gate and a woman sprayed him with pepper spray in July, putting him "out of commission" for a while.
"I have First Amendment rights to offer women information," he says. "I have a right to talk to the women."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Obama Admin. Pursues Civil Cases Against Pro-life Street Counselors" by Stephanie Samuel, Christian Post Reporter 9/3/11
The Justice Department (DOJ) has filed eight cases against pro-lifers under the 1994 Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances, or FACE, Act in the nearly three years that Obama has served as president. The number seems small on its own. However it is a huge increase when compared to the one case filed during the eight years President George W. Bush served in office
Life Legal Defense Foundation Executive Director Dana Cody said abortion clinics are determined to silence the pro-life opposition.
She explained that Planned Parenthood and other abortion providers "do not like the fact that there's people out there [doing] what they call sidewalk counseling because women change their mind and they don't go in and purchase an abortions. So it cuts into their business."
The clinics demonize pro-lifers in the public's eyes in order to keep street counselors away from their patients.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Planned Parenthood Backs Obama Admin Targeting Pro-Lifers" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 9/2/11
. . . Obama officials are suing Retta for $10,000 for violating the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, and is ordering him to pay compensatory damages of $5,000 each to three supposed victims of Retta handing out information and telling women to not have an abortion.
The Obama administration’s lawsuit came months after it partnered with leading pro-abortion organizations to host an FBI training seminar with the main focus of declaring as “violent” the free speech activities of pro-life Americans.
On August 25, 2010, the FBI and the United States Department of Justice co-sponsored a training seminar with Planned Parenthood, the National Abortion Federation and the Feminist Majority Foundation.
FBI and Obama administration officials provided participants with an 84-page document entitled “Resource Guide: Violence Against Reproductive Health Care Providers” that contained print copies of Power Point presentations prepared by the Justice Department and an analysis of alleged pro-life “violence” prepared by the pro-abortion groups.
The so-called violence perpetrated by pro-life advocates mostly contained examples of constitutionally-protected free speech, including activities such as praying,
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "A Politicized Justice Department Strikes Again" by Hans A. von Spakovsky, posted at National Review Online 8/17/11
Retta estimates that he and other volunteers have helped more than 1,300 women change their minds about abortion. But that kind of success seems to be too much for this administration. It is so committed to the agenda of abortion groups that it threatened to shut down the entire government during the budget debate earlier this year to preserve more than $300 million in federal funds for Planned Parenthood. It also has threatened to cut off Medicaid funds to states like Indiana that ban state grants to the organization.
. . . the FACE Act (18 U.S.C. § 248) forbids only physical obstruction, intimidation, or the use or threat of force. The FACE Act protects the activity that Retta engaged in: The statute specifically states that it does not “prohibit any expressive conduct (including peaceful picketing or other peaceful demonstration).”
Retta was not dressed in a black paramilitary uniform, he was not carrying a nightstick, and he was not yelling racial epithets or blocking the entrance to a polling place. Yet this is the same Justice Department that dismissed a voter-intimidation case against the New Black Panther party, whose members engaged in exactly that behavior. Somehow the behavior and speech of a 79-year-old sidewalk counselor violates federal law against intimidation, but the speech and behavior of the New Black Panthers in Philadelphia in 2008 was just fine, according to the skewed perspective of the liberals who inhabit the Civil Rights Division these days.
To read the entire opinion column above, CLICK HERE.
Americans Believe in Prayer, NOT Darwin
A new poll shows that 77% of voters believe that prayer heals people, and those believing in Biblical creation outnumber those believing in Darwin's evolution by a margin of two to one.
For background, read Poll: Most Americans Believe Intelligent Design over Darwinism and also read Eons of Godless Human Evolution? NOT, Say 84% of Americans as well as Only 25% of Britons are Darwinists
-- From "Fox News Poll: Most Believe Prayer Heals, 45 Percent Believe in Creationism" by Dana Blanton, FoxNews.com 9/7/11
Those groups most likely to believe prayer literally heals include those who regularly attend religious services (93 percent), white evangelical Christians (91 percent), blacks (89 percent), conservatives (85 percent), and those who are part of the Tea Party movement (84 percent).
Women (82 percent) are more likely than men (71 percent) to believe in the healing power of prayer.
Some 45 percent of voters accept the Biblical account of creation as the explanation for the origin of human life on Earth, while 21 percent say the theory of evolution as outlined by Darwin and other scientists is correct. Another 27 percent say both explanations are true.
Belief in creationism, however, fails to explain Republican presidential primary preferences. Frontrunner Rick Perry is the top choice for GOP primary voters who believe in creationism as well as those who believe in evolution.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "A new Fox News poll on evolution" posted at National Center for Science Education 9/7/11
Respondents were asked, "Which do you think is more likely to actually be the explanation for the origin of human life on Earth: the theory of evolution as outlined by Darwin and other scientists, the Biblical account of creation as told in the Bible, or are both true?"
Evolution was more popular among Democrats than Republicans (28% to 13%), men than women (24% to 19%), college graduates than non-college-graduates (28% to 16%), the affluent than the non-affluent (28% to 15%), and liberals to conservatives (37% to 11%). In results from 1999, the theory of evolution was favored by 15%, the Biblical account of creation by 50%, the combination answer by 26%, and 9% of respondents said that they didn't know.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Few Believe Evolution Enough to Teach It as well as Scientific Teaching vs. Darwinism: States' Legislation
For background, read Poll: Most Americans Believe Intelligent Design over Darwinism and also read Eons of Godless Human Evolution? NOT, Say 84% of Americans as well as Only 25% of Britons are Darwinists
-- From "Fox News Poll: Most Believe Prayer Heals, 45 Percent Believe in Creationism" by Dana Blanton, FoxNews.com 9/7/11
Those groups most likely to believe prayer literally heals include those who regularly attend religious services (93 percent), white evangelical Christians (91 percent), blacks (89 percent), conservatives (85 percent), and those who are part of the Tea Party movement (84 percent).
Women (82 percent) are more likely than men (71 percent) to believe in the healing power of prayer.
Some 45 percent of voters accept the Biblical account of creation as the explanation for the origin of human life on Earth, while 21 percent say the theory of evolution as outlined by Darwin and other scientists is correct. Another 27 percent say both explanations are true.
Belief in creationism, however, fails to explain Republican presidential primary preferences. Frontrunner Rick Perry is the top choice for GOP primary voters who believe in creationism as well as those who believe in evolution.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "A new Fox News poll on evolution" posted at National Center for Science Education 9/7/11
Respondents were asked, "Which do you think is more likely to actually be the explanation for the origin of human life on Earth: the theory of evolution as outlined by Darwin and other scientists, the Biblical account of creation as told in the Bible, or are both true?"
Evolution was more popular among Democrats than Republicans (28% to 13%), men than women (24% to 19%), college graduates than non-college-graduates (28% to 16%), the affluent than the non-affluent (28% to 15%), and liberals to conservatives (37% to 11%). In results from 1999, the theory of evolution was favored by 15%, the Biblical account of creation by 50%, the combination answer by 26%, and 9% of respondents said that they didn't know.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Few Believe Evolution Enough to Teach It as well as Scientific Teaching vs. Darwinism: States' Legislation
Wednesday, September 07, 2011
Obama D.C. 9/11 'Prayer:' Exclude Evangelicals
While prayer has been banned at the Ground Zero event in New York on September 11th, “A Call to Compassion” will take place at the National Cathedral in the nation's capital. Billed as a diversity prayer event, it will feature leaders of a variety of world religions, and conclude with the “Concert of Hope” speech by President Obama, but all evangelicals have been excluded from the event.
For background, read Clergy & Prayer Banned From 9/11 Memorial Ceremony and also read 9/11 Cross Proposed as National Monument
UPDATE 9/11/11: Media Missed Largest Memorial in L.A. (it included Christian prayer)
-- From "Evangelicals Left Off National Cathedral 9/11 Program" by Todd Starnes, FoxNews.com 9/6/11
It will feature the dean of the Cathedral, the Bishop of Washington, a rabbi, Buddhist nun and incarnate lama, a Hindu priest, the president of the Islamic Society of North America and a Muslim musician.
However, Southern Baptists, representing the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, were not invited to participate – and neither were leaders from any evangelical Christian organization.
Richard Weinberg, the Cathedral’s director of communications, confirmed that Southern Baptists were not extended an invitation to participate.
Weinberg said the president’s event will be a “secular service,” but said given the setting it will include an interfaith benediction.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Evangelicals excluded from Washington National Cathedral’s 9/11 commemoration" by Caroline May, The Daily Caller 9/7/11
“The idea that you would exclude a representative of at least 35 percent of the population that identifies with Evangelical Christianity is difficult to comprehend, much less to defend,” Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention told TheDC. “Perhaps what is even more difficult to comprehend is the Cathedral describing President Obama’s event as a ‘secular service.’ If it’s a secular service, why is it being held in a cathedral?”
“Many Evangelicals and other people of faith are rightly offended at this attempt to marginalize religious faith in this way as we commemorate the memory of this very painful event in American history,” Land added.
Concerned Women for America president and CEO Penny Nance voiced her outrage as well.
“There are an estimated 70 to 80 million Evangelical Christians in this nation,” Nance told TheDC. “We are important members of almost all communities. Some of us died on 9/11. It is outrageous that we were excluded.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "White House announces Obama to speak at interfaith prayer service on 9/11 anniversary" by The Associated Press 8/30/11
The White House had previously announced Obama would also visit all three sites where planes struck that day — New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pa.
Press Secretary Jay Carney announced plans for the prayer service speech . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Obama to speak at National Cathedral on September 11" by Peter Maer, CBS News 8/30/11
Speaking to reporters as the president traveled to Minneapolis, Press Secretary Jay Carney said, "the approach we're taking to commemorating that tragedy and the remarkable resilience of the American people is one we think is appropriate."
Mr. Obama used his most recent weekly address to set the tone for the upcoming observance. He noted 9/11 "will be a National Day of Service and Remembrance."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Obama Honors 9/11 Muslim Heroes at White House
For background, read Clergy & Prayer Banned From 9/11 Memorial Ceremony and also read 9/11 Cross Proposed as National Monument
UPDATE 9/11/11: Media Missed Largest Memorial in L.A. (it included Christian prayer)
-- From "Evangelicals Left Off National Cathedral 9/11 Program" by Todd Starnes, FoxNews.com 9/6/11
It will feature the dean of the Cathedral, the Bishop of Washington, a rabbi, Buddhist nun and incarnate lama, a Hindu priest, the president of the Islamic Society of North America and a Muslim musician.
However, Southern Baptists, representing the nation’s largest Protestant denomination, were not invited to participate – and neither were leaders from any evangelical Christian organization.
Richard Weinberg, the Cathedral’s director of communications, confirmed that Southern Baptists were not extended an invitation to participate.
Weinberg said the president’s event will be a “secular service,” but said given the setting it will include an interfaith benediction.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Evangelicals excluded from Washington National Cathedral’s 9/11 commemoration" by Caroline May, The Daily Caller 9/7/11
“The idea that you would exclude a representative of at least 35 percent of the population that identifies with Evangelical Christianity is difficult to comprehend, much less to defend,” Richard Land of the Southern Baptist Convention told TheDC. “Perhaps what is even more difficult to comprehend is the Cathedral describing President Obama’s event as a ‘secular service.’ If it’s a secular service, why is it being held in a cathedral?”
“Many Evangelicals and other people of faith are rightly offended at this attempt to marginalize religious faith in this way as we commemorate the memory of this very painful event in American history,” Land added.
Concerned Women for America president and CEO Penny Nance voiced her outrage as well.
“There are an estimated 70 to 80 million Evangelical Christians in this nation,” Nance told TheDC. “We are important members of almost all communities. Some of us died on 9/11. It is outrageous that we were excluded.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "White House announces Obama to speak at interfaith prayer service on 9/11 anniversary" by The Associated Press 8/30/11
The White House had previously announced Obama would also visit all three sites where planes struck that day — New York City, the Pentagon, and Shanksville, Pa.
Press Secretary Jay Carney announced plans for the prayer service speech . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Obama to speak at National Cathedral on September 11" by Peter Maer, CBS News 8/30/11
Speaking to reporters as the president traveled to Minneapolis, Press Secretary Jay Carney said, "the approach we're taking to commemorating that tragedy and the remarkable resilience of the American people is one we think is appropriate."
Mr. Obama used his most recent weekly address to set the tone for the upcoming observance. He noted 9/11 "will be a National Day of Service and Remembrance."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Obama Honors 9/11 Muslim Heroes at White House
9/11 Cross Proposed as National Monument
While atheists sue to not even allow cross-shaped ruins of steel girders to stand at Ground Zero for any purpose, a congressman plans to introduce legislation to enshrine the symbol as an official national monument.
-- From "S.I. Congressman Wants WTC Steel Cross To Be National Monument" by The Associated Press 9/6/11
A Staten Island congressman . . . Rep. Michael Grimm said he was pushing for protective status for the 20-foot steel cross that was found amid the ruins of the World Trade Center site.
“The focus and goal of my legislation will be to make the cross a national monument. Therefore, once and for all, putting an end to whether the cross should be part of 9/11, whether it shouldn’t,” Grimm told 1010 WINS.
The congressman from New York’s 13th congressional district, said that the iron beams need to be memorialized because they “were a symbol of hope and comfort for so many enduring such a horrific time in our history.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Grimm: Make ‘9-11 cross’ a national monument" by Dan MacLeod, The Brooklyn Paper 9/7/11
The freshman congressman says that only federal protection [will] thwart a lawsuit from an atheist group that claims that displaying the Christian icon in a federally funded museum violates the First Amendment’s block on government-sponsored religion.
Grimm countered that in the context of the 9-11 attacks, the cross is not a religious icon, but rather a symbol of “hope and freedom at a time when New Yorkers were coping with loss and destruction in the aftermath of the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.”
Grimm pointed out that a Star of David cut from steel from one of the buildings, and a Bible fused to a piece of Trade Center steel would also be included in the museum’s display . . .
There are no overtly religious symbols currently protected, though the Washington Monument has religious inscriptions in the stairway and a plaque bearing the words “Praise be to God” on its cap. And some nationally recognized monument sites have religious histories for American Indians or for Spanish missionaries.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "NY Lawmaker Proposes for 9/11 Ground Zero Cross to Become National Monument" by Nicola Menzie, Christian Post Contributor 9/6/11
With the legislation titled the "9/11 Memorial Cross National Monument Establishment Act of 2011," Rep. Michael G. Grimm hopes to convince his fellow legislators to approve the bill.
“I find it reprehensible that this [atheist] group would disgrace the beliefs of millions of people in an effort to garner a little media attention for their cause," the Republican lawmaker said.
[Jane Everhart, director of communications for New York City Atheists, laughed saying] "We think of this [steel remnant] as a big piece of junk."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "SI GOPer pans Bam's Sept. 11 script" by S.A. Miller, New York Post Correspondent 9/2/11
"How we choose to remember and reflect on that day is a deeply personal decision and not one that should be dictated by the White House," fumed Rep. Mike Grimm (R-SI). "For New Yorkers, 9/11 was a devastating and life-changing event."
The White House circulated the guidelines to government officials in the United States and at American embassies and consulates in foreign countries, trying to stage 9/11 observances so they have the appropriate tone for both American and foreign audiences.
The one-page document, which was produced after weeks of debate inside the White House, directs officials to honor both the American lives lost on 9/11 and the victims of subsequent terrorist attacks around the world.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Obama Honors 9/11 Muslim Heroes at White House
“This is a country that was founded on a belief in God, period. We are a country that was based on Judeo-Christian beliefs.”For background, read Atheists Sue to Remove Christ from 9/11 Memorial and also read Clergy & Prayer Banned From 9/11 Tenth Anniversary Memorial
-- Congressman Michael Grimm, Bay Ridge, NY
-- From "S.I. Congressman Wants WTC Steel Cross To Be National Monument" by The Associated Press 9/6/11
A Staten Island congressman . . . Rep. Michael Grimm said he was pushing for protective status for the 20-foot steel cross that was found amid the ruins of the World Trade Center site.
“The focus and goal of my legislation will be to make the cross a national monument. Therefore, once and for all, putting an end to whether the cross should be part of 9/11, whether it shouldn’t,” Grimm told 1010 WINS.
The congressman from New York’s 13th congressional district, said that the iron beams need to be memorialized because they “were a symbol of hope and comfort for so many enduring such a horrific time in our history.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Grimm: Make ‘9-11 cross’ a national monument" by Dan MacLeod, The Brooklyn Paper 9/7/11
The freshman congressman says that only federal protection [will] thwart a lawsuit from an atheist group that claims that displaying the Christian icon in a federally funded museum violates the First Amendment’s block on government-sponsored religion.
Grimm countered that in the context of the 9-11 attacks, the cross is not a religious icon, but rather a symbol of “hope and freedom at a time when New Yorkers were coping with loss and destruction in the aftermath of the deadliest terrorist attack on American soil.”
Grimm pointed out that a Star of David cut from steel from one of the buildings, and a Bible fused to a piece of Trade Center steel would also be included in the museum’s display . . .
There are no overtly religious symbols currently protected, though the Washington Monument has religious inscriptions in the stairway and a plaque bearing the words “Praise be to God” on its cap. And some nationally recognized monument sites have religious histories for American Indians or for Spanish missionaries.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "NY Lawmaker Proposes for 9/11 Ground Zero Cross to Become National Monument" by Nicola Menzie, Christian Post Contributor 9/6/11
With the legislation titled the "9/11 Memorial Cross National Monument Establishment Act of 2011," Rep. Michael G. Grimm hopes to convince his fellow legislators to approve the bill.
“I find it reprehensible that this [atheist] group would disgrace the beliefs of millions of people in an effort to garner a little media attention for their cause," the Republican lawmaker said.
[Jane Everhart, director of communications for New York City Atheists, laughed saying] "We think of this [steel remnant] as a big piece of junk."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "SI GOPer pans Bam's Sept. 11 script" by S.A. Miller, New York Post Correspondent 9/2/11
"How we choose to remember and reflect on that day is a deeply personal decision and not one that should be dictated by the White House," fumed Rep. Mike Grimm (R-SI). "For New Yorkers, 9/11 was a devastating and life-changing event."
The White House circulated the guidelines to government officials in the United States and at American embassies and consulates in foreign countries, trying to stage 9/11 observances so they have the appropriate tone for both American and foreign audiences.
The one-page document, which was produced after weeks of debate inside the White House, directs officials to honor both the American lives lost on 9/11 and the victims of subsequent terrorist attacks around the world.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Obama Honors 9/11 Muslim Heroes at White House
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