An actress who works in Southern California's pornography industry has tested positive for HIV, renewing county and state health officials' concerns that the adult entertainment industry lacks sufficient safety measures to prevent the spread of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases.
OSHA porn inspections?! You can't make this stuff up.
UPDATE 12/17/09: Calif. board to consider requiring condoms in porn
From "Porn actress tests positive for HIV" by Rong-Gong Lin II and Kimi Yoshino, Los Angeles Times 6/11/09
The new case was confirmed to The Times and pornography industry websites Wednesday by the Adult Industry Medical Healthcare Foundation, a San Fernando Valley-based clinic that serves adult-film stars in Sherman Oaks and Granada Hills. Public health officials, however, said no official report had been made at the state or county level.
Dr. Jonathan Fielding, health officer for Los Angeles County, said Wednesday that his office was launching an investigation.
Officials from the state Division of Occupational Safety and Health also said they will look into the circumstances of the case, which is the first publicly confirmed HIV infection in Southern California's porn industry since 2004, when an HIV outbreak shut down production for four weeks.
As the clinic downplayed the positive test, public health officials cited their ongoing battle with the porn industry over the use of condoms during filming. The two sides have been at odds for years, and despite the intense scrutiny, Fielding said he is concerned that condoms are still not being used.
"You wouldn't send someone to work on a high-rise building without a hard-hat, so why are we allowing these performers to perform without condoms?" Fielding said.
Deborah Gold, a senior safety engineer with the state Occupational Safety and Health Division, said her agency repeatedly had attempted to crack down on unsafe workplaces in the adult entertainment industry, issuing several citations against employers, including a gay male production company that touted its condom-free filming.
Despite those efforts, she said, numerous investigations have found that condoms were not used and that no training had been conducted to prevent unsafe contact.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, June 11, 2009
Teacher, with Bible in Desk, Fired
An eighth-grade science teacher has sued claiming actions by the school board, the superintendent and the principal were "malicious, fraudulent and oppressive and committed with an improper and evil motive."
For background, read Ohio Teacher Ordered to Remove Bible From Classroom
UPDATE 4/12/11: The Rutherford Institute joins the escalating case
UPDATE 1/21/10: New York Times reports case finally concluding soon
-- From "Science teacher facing dismissal sues district" by John Futty, The Columbus Dispatch 6/11/09
John Freshwater . . . is suing the Mount Vernon City [Ohio] School District, saying it violated his constitutional and civil rights.
The lawsuit, seeking $500,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages, was filed this week in U.S. District Court in Columbus.
The board announced last June that it intended to fire Freshwater for preaching his Christian beliefs about how the world began, discrediting evolution and deviating from the required science curriculum. An investigation initiated by the board found that Freshwater used a high-voltage lab tool to burn crosses into the arms of students and that he told them gays were sinners.
"We are asserting that the report is not complete, is not accurate and is downright defamatory and inflammatory," R. Kelly Hamilton, Freshwater's Grove City-based attorney, said yesterday.
The controversy became public after he refused to remove a Bible from his desk.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
For background, read Ohio Teacher Ordered to Remove Bible From Classroom
UPDATE 4/12/11: The Rutherford Institute joins the escalating case
UPDATE 1/21/10: New York Times reports case finally concluding soon
-- From "Science teacher facing dismissal sues district" by John Futty, The Columbus Dispatch 6/11/09
John Freshwater . . . is suing the Mount Vernon City [Ohio] School District, saying it violated his constitutional and civil rights.
The lawsuit, seeking $500,000 in compensatory damages and $500,000 in punitive damages, was filed this week in U.S. District Court in Columbus.
The board announced last June that it intended to fire Freshwater for preaching his Christian beliefs about how the world began, discrediting evolution and deviating from the required science curriculum. An investigation initiated by the board found that Freshwater used a high-voltage lab tool to burn crosses into the arms of students and that he told them gays were sinners.
"We are asserting that the report is not complete, is not accurate and is downright defamatory and inflammatory," R. Kelly Hamilton, Freshwater's Grove City-based attorney, said yesterday.
The controversy became public after he refused to remove a Bible from his desk.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, June 10, 2009
Harvard Comes Out of the Closet
. . . Harvard's gay community says it has finally cemented its academic legitimacy at the nation's oldest university.
"When Harvard does something like this, it causes a ripple effect around the world."
-- From "Harvard endows chair on gay studies" by Tracy Jan, Boston Globe Staff 6/4/09
College officials [said] that they will establish an endowed chair in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies, in what is believed to be the first professorship of its kind in the country.
Harvard president Drew G. Faust described the academic post as "an important milestone" in an ongoing effort by faculty, students, and alumni to raise the profile of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies at the university.
The university has received a $1.5 million gift from the Harvard Gay & Lesbian Caucus to endow the F.O. Matthiessen Visiting Professorship of Gender and Sexuality.
The caucus - a 4,900-member group composed of alumni, faculty, staff, and students - was founded in 1984 to advocate for Harvard's gay community.
More colleges, including Yale, Brown, Cornell, and New York University, offer academic programs related to sex, sexuality and sexual orientation, though lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies are a relatively new discipline. The City University of New York began the first gay- and lesbian-studies program in 1986, according to Harvard. While Harvard has offered a sprinkling of courses related to gay and lesbian studies in the past, it did not allow students to major in the field until the 2004-2005 academic year.
To read the entire story of how Harvard was brought into the fold, CLICK HERE.
"When Harvard does something like this, it causes a ripple effect around the world."
-- From "Harvard endows chair on gay studies" by Tracy Jan, Boston Globe Staff 6/4/09
College officials [said] that they will establish an endowed chair in lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies, in what is believed to be the first professorship of its kind in the country.
Harvard president Drew G. Faust described the academic post as "an important milestone" in an ongoing effort by faculty, students, and alumni to raise the profile of lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies at the university.
The university has received a $1.5 million gift from the Harvard Gay & Lesbian Caucus to endow the F.O. Matthiessen Visiting Professorship of Gender and Sexuality.
The caucus - a 4,900-member group composed of alumni, faculty, staff, and students - was founded in 1984 to advocate for Harvard's gay community.
More colleges, including Yale, Brown, Cornell, and New York University, offer academic programs related to sex, sexuality and sexual orientation, though lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender studies are a relatively new discipline. The City University of New York began the first gay- and lesbian-studies program in 1986, according to Harvard. While Harvard has offered a sprinkling of courses related to gay and lesbian studies in the past, it did not allow students to major in the field until the 2004-2005 academic year.
To read the entire story of how Harvard was brought into the fold, CLICK HERE.
Calif. ACLU Fights Abstinence Education
A battle over sex education is under way in Sonoma County [California], pitting a longtime abstinence-only group against California Department of Education officials who say the group breaks state law when it teaches in the classroom.
-- From "Simmering sex-ed battle heats up" by Kerry Benefield, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, California 6/7/09
Among the players in the unfolding debate are the ACLU of Northern California, the California Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Free to Be, a Sonoma County group that has been promoting abstinence until marriage for 17 years.
Caught in the middle are schools and districts that have hosted Free to Be speakers, including teens, to talk to students about the benefits of abstaining from sex until they are married.
Free to Be was established in 1992 in association with Catholic Charities as an abstinence-until-marriage outreach program relying heavily on teen presenters. Free to Be ended the affiliation with Catholic Charities approximately 18 months ago, said executive director and founder Sue Bisbee.
As far back as 2000, Free to Be has received annual federal funding for its abstinence program, which helps train teen speakers to spread the word about waiting until marriage before having sex, as well as living drug free and making what it describes as “healthy choices.”
Bisbee said the group gives presentations in about 30 schools each year. According to the group’s Web site, more than 75,000 teens have heard a Free to Be presentation . . .
President Barack Obama last month proposed eliminating abstinence-only education funding from teen pregnancy prevention initiatives.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Simmering sex-ed battle heats up" by Kerry Benefield, the Santa Rosa Press-Democrat, California 6/7/09
Among the players in the unfolding debate are the ACLU of Northern California, the California Department of Education, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and Free to Be, a Sonoma County group that has been promoting abstinence until marriage for 17 years.
Caught in the middle are schools and districts that have hosted Free to Be speakers, including teens, to talk to students about the benefits of abstaining from sex until they are married.
Free to Be was established in 1992 in association with Catholic Charities as an abstinence-until-marriage outreach program relying heavily on teen presenters. Free to Be ended the affiliation with Catholic Charities approximately 18 months ago, said executive director and founder Sue Bisbee.
As far back as 2000, Free to Be has received annual federal funding for its abstinence program, which helps train teen speakers to spread the word about waiting until marriage before having sex, as well as living drug free and making what it describes as “healthy choices.”
Bisbee said the group gives presentations in about 30 schools each year. According to the group’s Web site, more than 75,000 teens have heard a Free to Be presentation . . .
President Barack Obama last month proposed eliminating abstinence-only education funding from teen pregnancy prevention initiatives.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Monday, June 08, 2009
Mainstream Media Declares Obama is God
Newsweek editor Evan Thomas on MSNBC: "I mean in a way Obama’s standing above the country, above – above the world, he’s sort of God."
-- From "Newsweek’s Evan Thomas: Obama Is ‘Sort of God’" by Kyle Drennen, Newsbusters 6/5/09
Thomas, appearing on Hardball with Chris Matthews, was reacting to a preceding monologue in which Matthews praised Obama’s [Cairo] speech: "I think the President's speech yesterday was the reason we Americans elected him. It was grand. It was positive. Hopeful...But what I liked about the President's speech in Cairo was that it showed a complete humility...The question now is whether the President we elected and spoke for us so grandly yesterday can carry out the great vision he gave us and to the world."
Matthews discussed Obama’s upcoming speech marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day and compared it to that of Ronald Reagan. He then turned to Thomas and asked: "Reagan and World War II and the sense of us as the good guys in the world, how are we doing?" Thomas replied: "Well, we were the good guys in 1984, it felt that way. It hasn't felt that way in recent years. So Obama’s had, really, a different task We're seen too often as the bad guys. And he – he has a very different job from – Reagan was all about America, and you talked about it. Obama is ‘we are above that now.’ We're not just parochial, we're not just chauvinistic, we're not just provincial."
To read the entire article, including transcript excerpts, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Newsweek’s Evan Thomas: Obama Is ‘Sort of God’" by Kyle Drennen, Newsbusters 6/5/09
Thomas, appearing on Hardball with Chris Matthews, was reacting to a preceding monologue in which Matthews praised Obama’s [Cairo] speech: "I think the President's speech yesterday was the reason we Americans elected him. It was grand. It was positive. Hopeful...But what I liked about the President's speech in Cairo was that it showed a complete humility...The question now is whether the President we elected and spoke for us so grandly yesterday can carry out the great vision he gave us and to the world."
Matthews discussed Obama’s upcoming speech marking the 65th anniversary of D-Day and compared it to that of Ronald Reagan. He then turned to Thomas and asked: "Reagan and World War II and the sense of us as the good guys in the world, how are we doing?" Thomas replied: "Well, we were the good guys in 1984, it felt that way. It hasn't felt that way in recent years. So Obama’s had, really, a different task We're seen too often as the bad guys. And he – he has a very different job from – Reagan was all about America, and you talked about it. Obama is ‘we are above that now.’ We're not just parochial, we're not just chauvinistic, we're not just provincial."
To read the entire article, including transcript excerpts, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, June 07, 2009
Oral Sex Is the New Goodnight Kiss
ABC News reports on this new documentary by Canadian filmmaker Sharlene Azam that aims to shed light on the secret, extremely sexual lives of today's teens.
-- From "Teens: Oral Sex and Casual Prostitution No Biggie" by Claire Shipman and Cole Kazdin, ABC News 5/28/09
After four years researching for the documentary, Azam told "Good Morning America" that oral sex is as common as kissing for teens and that casual prostitution -- being paid at parties to strip, give sexual favors or have sex -- is far more commonplace than once believed.
Evidence of this casual attitude may be seen in the fact that more than half of all teens 15 to 19 years old have engaged in oral sex, according to a comprehensive 2005 study by the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics.
To view the news video report and read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Teens: Oral Sex and Casual Prostitution No Biggie" by Claire Shipman and Cole Kazdin, ABC News 5/28/09
After four years researching for the documentary, Azam told "Good Morning America" that oral sex is as common as kissing for teens and that casual prostitution -- being paid at parties to strip, give sexual favors or have sex -- is far more commonplace than once believed.
Evidence of this casual attitude may be seen in the fact that more than half of all teens 15 to 19 years old have engaged in oral sex, according to a comprehensive 2005 study by the Centers for Disease Control's National Center for Health Statistics.
To view the news video report and read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Catholic Church Sues Connecticut over Freedom of Speech
Church responds to state complaint charging Catholics' grassroots rally at Capitol constituted unregistered lobbying, and threatening large fines against the Diocese
Rally in question resulted in defeat of proposed Connecticut legislation to overthrow Catholic Church hierarchy in order to further the Gay Agenda
UPDATE 6/12/09: Bishop says he's a man of God, not a lobbyist
-- From "Was Catholic church rally 'spontaneous expression' or lobbying?" by Ken Dixon, Connecticut Post Staff Writer 6/3/09
In federal court documents, the Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocese claims it shouldn't be penalized for failing to register as a lobbyist for a March 11 rally that attracted about 3,500 people -- and dozens of busloads from southwestern Connecticut -- to the state Capitol.
Bishop William E. Lori contends that it was a "spontaneous" expression.
Fliers were printed, congregations were organized, and the Diocese arranged caravans of buses for the demonstration against legislation that would have changed the way Roman Catholic parishes are organized and incorporated.
But by spending more than $2,000 on the event, the Diocese, inadvertently or not, was apparently violating the registration and reporting requirements of the Office of State Ethics.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Rally in question resulted in defeat of proposed Connecticut legislation to overthrow Catholic Church hierarchy in order to further the Gay Agenda
UPDATE 6/12/09: Bishop says he's a man of God, not a lobbyist
-- From "Was Catholic church rally 'spontaneous expression' or lobbying?" by Ken Dixon, Connecticut Post Staff Writer 6/3/09
In federal court documents, the Bridgeport Roman Catholic Diocese claims it shouldn't be penalized for failing to register as a lobbyist for a March 11 rally that attracted about 3,500 people -- and dozens of busloads from southwestern Connecticut -- to the state Capitol.
Bishop William E. Lori contends that it was a "spontaneous" expression.
Fliers were printed, congregations were organized, and the Diocese arranged caravans of buses for the demonstration against legislation that would have changed the way Roman Catholic parishes are organized and incorporated.
But by spending more than $2,000 on the event, the Diocese, inadvertently or not, was apparently violating the registration and reporting requirements of the Office of State Ethics.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, June 06, 2009
Homosexualists Threaten to Turn up Heat on Obama
His most important campaign promises repealing the Defense of Marriage Act and the military ban on openly gay and lesbian service-members have not been fulfilled.
“The president remains fully committed to advancing LGBT rights. His positions on all of these issues are well-established and well-known. His staff continues to work with Congress on a variety of LGBT issues,” said Jim Messina, the deputy White House chief of staff who is the point man on gay and lesbian issues, citing White House efforts to move hate crimes legislation through the Senate. “While we recognize that some in the community are anxious, the president’s commitment has not wavered.”
UPDATE 6/7/09: Homosexualists to march on D.C.
-- From "Gay groups grow impatient with Obama" by Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin, Politico 6/4/09
President Barack Obama’s promises of change are falling short for one core Democratic constituency: gays and lesbians, whose leaders say Obama’s administration isn’t keeping up with the times.
Gay rights campaigners, most of them Democrats who supported Obama in November, have begun to voice their public frustration with Obama’s inaction, small jokes at their community’s expense and deafening silence on what they see as the signal civil rights issue of this era.
And the news, which emerged quietly earlier this year, that he’d supported same-sex marriage back in 1996, then changed his mind, especially rankles. As mainstream Democratic politicians such as Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) move to support same-sex marriage, gay rights advocates say that the barrier-breaking president looks increasingly odd for opposing what they see as full equality.
Gay rights issues have been moving at breakneck speed, none faster than same-sex marriage. Most public opinion polls now show more than 40 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage, seen as a fringe issue just a few years earlier. Already, five New England states and Iowa have same-sex marriage laws on the books.
But officials have told restive gays and lesbians to give them until the end of this month to show movement . . .
To read entire article, CLICK HERE.
“The president remains fully committed to advancing LGBT rights. His positions on all of these issues are well-established and well-known. His staff continues to work with Congress on a variety of LGBT issues,” said Jim Messina, the deputy White House chief of staff who is the point man on gay and lesbian issues, citing White House efforts to move hate crimes legislation through the Senate. “While we recognize that some in the community are anxious, the president’s commitment has not wavered.”
UPDATE 6/7/09: Homosexualists to march on D.C.
-- From "Gay groups grow impatient with Obama" by Ben Smith and Jonathan Martin, Politico 6/4/09
President Barack Obama’s promises of change are falling short for one core Democratic constituency: gays and lesbians, whose leaders say Obama’s administration isn’t keeping up with the times.
Gay rights campaigners, most of them Democrats who supported Obama in November, have begun to voice their public frustration with Obama’s inaction, small jokes at their community’s expense and deafening silence on what they see as the signal civil rights issue of this era.
And the news, which emerged quietly earlier this year, that he’d supported same-sex marriage back in 1996, then changed his mind, especially rankles. As mainstream Democratic politicians such as Sen. Chuck Schumer (D-N.Y.) move to support same-sex marriage, gay rights advocates say that the barrier-breaking president looks increasingly odd for opposing what they see as full equality.
Gay rights issues have been moving at breakneck speed, none faster than same-sex marriage. Most public opinion polls now show more than 40 percent of Americans support same-sex marriage, seen as a fringe issue just a few years earlier. Already, five New England states and Iowa have same-sex marriage laws on the books.
But officials have told restive gays and lesbians to give them until the end of this month to show movement . . .
To read entire article, CLICK HERE.
UCLA Restricts Student's Expression of Faith in Jesus, then Retracts
An adviser on the campus of UCLA has edited a student's personal graduation statement to remove her reference to "my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ . . ."
-- From "UCLA student told she can't say 'Jesus'" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 6/5/09
The school, in a later statement, confirmed it had reviewed its procedures and would read the statements as submitted by students, after "making clear" that it was understood that it is not a university statement.
The posting revealed an e-mail exchange for a submission by student Christina Popa to faculty adviser Pamela Hurley of her "personal statement" for graduation. The statements are submitted by students, but eventually are read by faculty.
Popa wrote she wanted to say: "'I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I also want to thank my father who passed away 3 years ago, for teaching me to always do my best and thus motivating me to pursue the sciences. I want to thank my mother for supporting me in school as well as my sisters and brother for encouraging me and my friends for making college fun.' I plan to work in a research lab or become a dietician."
The university, however, did release a statement explaining the reading of the "words of wisdom" is done by a member of the school administration.
"Because the reading is by the university, not the students, to avoid the appearance that the university was advocating one religion over the other, guidelines were established so that messages would not include references to particular religions," the school stated. "The department and the university support the First Amendment and in no way intended to impinge upon any students' rights.
"Thus, upon review, and recognizing that the intent of the ceremony is for all students to have a chance to say something at graduation, the department will continue to make clear to the audience that the statements are the personal statements of each student and will read statements as originally submitted by the students," the school said.
Hurley's e-mail response to Popa had said, "UCLA is a public university where the doctrine of separation of church and state is observed, in order to respect the sheer diversity of religious beliefs among the people who come here. Since that is so, we do permit MCDB graduates to thank God in their words of wisdom, but we also ask that they refrain from making more specific religious references of any kind."
She continued: "In this setting, even I would not personally be comfortable reading: 'I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.' Therefore, I need to let you know that I will read your Words of Wisdom as follows: First, I want to thank God….
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "UCLA student told she can't say 'Jesus'" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 6/5/09
The school, in a later statement, confirmed it had reviewed its procedures and would read the statements as submitted by students, after "making clear" that it was understood that it is not a university statement.
The posting revealed an e-mail exchange for a submission by student Christina Popa to faculty adviser Pamela Hurley of her "personal statement" for graduation. The statements are submitted by students, but eventually are read by faculty.
Popa wrote she wanted to say: "'I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. I also want to thank my father who passed away 3 years ago, for teaching me to always do my best and thus motivating me to pursue the sciences. I want to thank my mother for supporting me in school as well as my sisters and brother for encouraging me and my friends for making college fun.' I plan to work in a research lab or become a dietician."
The university, however, did release a statement explaining the reading of the "words of wisdom" is done by a member of the school administration.
"Because the reading is by the university, not the students, to avoid the appearance that the university was advocating one religion over the other, guidelines were established so that messages would not include references to particular religions," the school stated. "The department and the university support the First Amendment and in no way intended to impinge upon any students' rights.
"Thus, upon review, and recognizing that the intent of the ceremony is for all students to have a chance to say something at graduation, the department will continue to make clear to the audience that the statements are the personal statements of each student and will read statements as originally submitted by the students," the school said.
Hurley's e-mail response to Popa had said, "UCLA is a public university where the doctrine of separation of church and state is observed, in order to respect the sheer diversity of religious beliefs among the people who come here. Since that is so, we do permit MCDB graduates to thank God in their words of wisdom, but we also ask that they refrain from making more specific religious references of any kind."
She continued: "In this setting, even I would not personally be comfortable reading: 'I want to thank my Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.' Therefore, I need to let you know that I will read your Words of Wisdom as follows: First, I want to thank God….
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Friday, June 05, 2009
Court: San Francisco Right to Condemn Catholic Church
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco ruled that the local government resolution was correct to officially label the Catholic church's moral teachings on homosexuality as "insulting to all San Franciscans," "hateful," "defamatory," "insensitive" and "ignorant."
-- From "S.F.'s blast at Vatican was legal, court says" by Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer 6/4/09
San Francisco didn't cross into constitutionally forbidden territory of government hostility to religion when the Board of Supervisors denounced a Vatican order to Catholic Charities not to place adoptive children with same-sex couples, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
The 2006 resolution condemned the Vatican's "hateful and discriminatory rhetoric" and urged local church officials to defy the order by Cardinal William Levada. The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights sued, contending the city was expressing hostility toward Catholicism in violation of the Constitution.
. . . In response, Catholic Charities of San Francisco stopped placing children for adoption, the same step it has taken in Massachusetts and other areas with similar nondiscrimination policies, said Brian Rooney, a lawyer at the Thomas More Law Center, which sued San Francisco on behalf of the Catholic League.
Rooney said the league would appeal Wednesday's ruling.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "S.F.'s blast at Vatican was legal, court says" by Bob Egelko, San Francisco Chronicle Staff Writer 6/4/09
San Francisco didn't cross into constitutionally forbidden territory of government hostility to religion when the Board of Supervisors denounced a Vatican order to Catholic Charities not to place adoptive children with same-sex couples, a federal appeals court ruled Wednesday.
The 2006 resolution condemned the Vatican's "hateful and discriminatory rhetoric" and urged local church officials to defy the order by Cardinal William Levada. The Catholic League for Religious and Civil Rights sued, contending the city was expressing hostility toward Catholicism in violation of the Constitution.
. . . In response, Catholic Charities of San Francisco stopped placing children for adoption, the same step it has taken in Massachusetts and other areas with similar nondiscrimination policies, said Brian Rooney, a lawyer at the Thomas More Law Center, which sued San Francisco on behalf of the Catholic League.
Rooney said the league would appeal Wednesday's ruling.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Mainstream Media Glorify Late-term Abortions
In the wake of the murder of Wichita abortionist George Tiller, pro-abortion forces are spotlighting anecdotes of the "saving grace" of Tiller's killing fields, while painting pro-life Americans as terrorists.
-- From "Doctors Who Perform Procedures Provide Little Data but Underscore Reasoning" by Rob Stein, Washington Post Staff Writer 6/5/09
When Susan Fitzgerald went in for a routine ultrasound near the end of her pregnancy, she was expecting good news. Instead, she was stunned to learn that the fetus had a rare condition that left his bones so brittle he would live less than a day.
"It was unbelievable," Fitzgerald said. "You think by the third trimester you're home free. It was devastating."
Desperate to end the pregnancy, she flew from her home in New England to Wichita, where George Tiller was one of the few doctors in the country willing to perform an abortion so late in a pregnancy.
"It was very difficult, but I knew it was the most humane thing I could do for my baby," Fitzgerald said. "It was absolutely the right thing to do. I'm just so grateful that Dr. Tiller was there for me."
Her story is one of dozens that have surfaced in the past week during candlelight vigils, at memorials and on blog postings since the shooting death of Tiller. An antiabortion activist has been charged in his slaying.
. . . "There was a woman who tried to commit suicide three times. She was pregnant because she had been raped. She said every time she felt the baby move, it was the rape all over again. She could not live with that," said [LeRoy Carhart, a Bellevue, Neb., doctor who worked with Tiller], who estimated that 400 procedures a year were performed beyond 24 weeks at Tiller's clinic.
Carhart and another physician said they are also willing to perform late-term procedures for some incest victims, especially very young girls for whom the pregnancy could pose physical and emotional risks.
"If someone calls me up, and she's 32 weeks pregnant and knew she was pregnant for six months and says, 'I want an abortion, because I just broke up with my boyfriend,' I won't do that," said Warren M. Hern, a Boulder, Colo., doctor who is one of the very few physicians who perform the procedures and are willing to speak publicly. "But a 13-year-old teenybopper clutching a pink teddy bear who has been raped by her stepfather -- I'll do that."
"Many of these women are truly desperate. Many have a desired pregnancy that is terribly complicated by a lethal fetal anomaly. The baby is totally impaired, may die in delivery or after terrible struggle and pain. There is no justification for forcing the woman to carry this baby to term," Hern said.
Tiller's death has focused attention on abortions late in pregnancy. While it is clear that they account for a tiny fraction of the 1.2 million U.S. abortions each year, much about the procedures is unclear, including exactly how many are done, by whom and under what circumstances. The government does not collect detailed data, and doctors who perform them publish little information.
More than 88 percent of abortions are done in the first trimester, and most doctors will not perform them beyond 22 or 24 weeks because of moral qualms, social stigma, legal concerns, inadequate training or lack of experience. Barely 1 percent of procedures are done after 21 weeks. At 37 weeks, a baby is generally considered full-term.
But 2001 data from 15 states and New York City indicate that perhaps as many as 2,400 abortions were performed after 24 weeks in the United States that year, [Stanley K. Henshaw, a senior fellow at the Guttmacher Institute] said, most of them probably in the 25th or 26th week.
"We know it's a very small handful," said Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, the largest group of abortion providers, who would not be more specific. "Given the fact that these people are targeted for violence, I don't necessarily want to name other providers that we know are providing necessary reproductive health care in these circumstances."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Doctors Who Perform Procedures Provide Little Data but Underscore Reasoning" by Rob Stein, Washington Post Staff Writer 6/5/09
When Susan Fitzgerald went in for a routine ultrasound near the end of her pregnancy, she was expecting good news. Instead, she was stunned to learn that the fetus had a rare condition that left his bones so brittle he would live less than a day.
"It was unbelievable," Fitzgerald said. "You think by the third trimester you're home free. It was devastating."
Desperate to end the pregnancy, she flew from her home in New England to Wichita, where George Tiller was one of the few doctors in the country willing to perform an abortion so late in a pregnancy.
"It was very difficult, but I knew it was the most humane thing I could do for my baby," Fitzgerald said. "It was absolutely the right thing to do. I'm just so grateful that Dr. Tiller was there for me."
Her story is one of dozens that have surfaced in the past week during candlelight vigils, at memorials and on blog postings since the shooting death of Tiller. An antiabortion activist has been charged in his slaying.
. . . "There was a woman who tried to commit suicide three times. She was pregnant because she had been raped. She said every time she felt the baby move, it was the rape all over again. She could not live with that," said [LeRoy Carhart, a Bellevue, Neb., doctor who worked with Tiller], who estimated that 400 procedures a year were performed beyond 24 weeks at Tiller's clinic.
Carhart and another physician said they are also willing to perform late-term procedures for some incest victims, especially very young girls for whom the pregnancy could pose physical and emotional risks.
"If someone calls me up, and she's 32 weeks pregnant and knew she was pregnant for six months and says, 'I want an abortion, because I just broke up with my boyfriend,' I won't do that," said Warren M. Hern, a Boulder, Colo., doctor who is one of the very few physicians who perform the procedures and are willing to speak publicly. "But a 13-year-old teenybopper clutching a pink teddy bear who has been raped by her stepfather -- I'll do that."
"Many of these women are truly desperate. Many have a desired pregnancy that is terribly complicated by a lethal fetal anomaly. The baby is totally impaired, may die in delivery or after terrible struggle and pain. There is no justification for forcing the woman to carry this baby to term," Hern said.
Tiller's death has focused attention on abortions late in pregnancy. While it is clear that they account for a tiny fraction of the 1.2 million U.S. abortions each year, much about the procedures is unclear, including exactly how many are done, by whom and under what circumstances. The government does not collect detailed data, and doctors who perform them publish little information.
More than 88 percent of abortions are done in the first trimester, and most doctors will not perform them beyond 22 or 24 weeks because of moral qualms, social stigma, legal concerns, inadequate training or lack of experience. Barely 1 percent of procedures are done after 21 weeks. At 37 weeks, a baby is generally considered full-term.
But 2001 data from 15 states and New York City indicate that perhaps as many as 2,400 abortions were performed after 24 weeks in the United States that year, [Stanley K. Henshaw, a senior fellow at the Guttmacher Institute] said, most of them probably in the 25th or 26th week.
"We know it's a very small handful," said Vicki Saporta, president of the National Abortion Federation, the largest group of abortion providers, who would not be more specific. "Given the fact that these people are targeted for violence, I don't necessarily want to name other providers that we know are providing necessary reproductive health care in these circumstances."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, June 04, 2009
Senate Considers U.S. Citizenship for Foreign Homosexuals
Senate hearings were held yesterday by Senator Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) on his bill S. 424, now co-sponsored by Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL), to provide "permanent resident status" for alien partners of American homosexuals as if they are married.
UPDATE 6/11/09: H.R. 2709 companion bill moves through House
Illinois residents, click here to E-mail Sens. Durbin & Burris and also click here to E-mail your congressman
-- From "Bill Proposes Immigration Rights for Gay Couples" by Julia Preston, New York Times, 6/2/09
Senator Patrick J. Leahy, the Democrat from Vermont who is the powerful chairman of the Judiciary Committee, is adding another controversial ingredient to the volatile mix of an immigration debate that President Obama [and now, also Senate leader Harry Reid] has said he hopes to spur in Congress before the end of the year.
Mr. Leahy has offered a bill [the Uniting American Families Act] that would allow American citizens and legal immigrants to seek residency in the United States for their same-sex partners, just as spouses now petition for foreign-born husbands and wives.
Senator Leahy’s bill would add the term “permanent partner” to sections of current immigration law that refer to married couples, and would provide a legal definition of those terms.
. . . immigrant advocacy groups and labor organizations are opening a nationwide campaign . . . Small-scale rallies took place on Monday in Los Angeles and some 40 other locations, and immigration groups are converging on Washington on Wednesday for three days of strategy meetings.
President Obama has invited a bipartisan group of lawmakers to the White House next Monday to “launch a policy conversation” about immigration, an administration official said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Same-sex couples fight for immigration rights" by Mallory Simon, CNN 6/3/09
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the bill for the first time Wednesday, after 10 previous attempts to have hearings on the Uniting American Families Act. The bill has 102 co-sponsors in the House and 17 co-sponsors in the Senate, including Judiciary Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council which opposes same sex marriage, has condemned the bill as "yet another attack on marriage at the expense of U.S. taxpayers."
"Although Leahy frames the policy as an anti-discrimination measure, the truth is, this weakens our federal law and chips away at the unique status of marriage," Perkins wrote in a blog on the group's Web site.
"For the federal government to recognize homosexual pairs in any way, shape, or form is a violation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act."
Rep. Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, who is openly gay, is a co-sponsor of the House version of the bill, but thinks it should be part of a larger immigration reform measure, according to his spokesman, Harry Gural.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 6/11/09: H.R. 2709 companion bill moves through House
Illinois residents, click here to E-mail Sens. Durbin & Burris and also click here to E-mail your congressman
-- From "Bill Proposes Immigration Rights for Gay Couples" by Julia Preston, New York Times, 6/2/09
Senator Patrick J. Leahy, the Democrat from Vermont who is the powerful chairman of the Judiciary Committee, is adding another controversial ingredient to the volatile mix of an immigration debate that President Obama [and now, also Senate leader Harry Reid] has said he hopes to spur in Congress before the end of the year.
Mr. Leahy has offered a bill [the Uniting American Families Act] that would allow American citizens and legal immigrants to seek residency in the United States for their same-sex partners, just as spouses now petition for foreign-born husbands and wives.
Senator Leahy’s bill would add the term “permanent partner” to sections of current immigration law that refer to married couples, and would provide a legal definition of those terms.
. . . immigrant advocacy groups and labor organizations are opening a nationwide campaign . . . Small-scale rallies took place on Monday in Los Angeles and some 40 other locations, and immigration groups are converging on Washington on Wednesday for three days of strategy meetings.
President Obama has invited a bipartisan group of lawmakers to the White House next Monday to “launch a policy conversation” about immigration, an administration official said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Same-sex couples fight for immigration rights" by Mallory Simon, CNN 6/3/09
The Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the bill for the first time Wednesday, after 10 previous attempts to have hearings on the Uniting American Families Act. The bill has 102 co-sponsors in the House and 17 co-sponsors in the Senate, including Judiciary Chairman Sen. Patrick Leahy, D-Vermont.
Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council which opposes same sex marriage, has condemned the bill as "yet another attack on marriage at the expense of U.S. taxpayers."
"Although Leahy frames the policy as an anti-discrimination measure, the truth is, this weakens our federal law and chips away at the unique status of marriage," Perkins wrote in a blog on the group's Web site.
"For the federal government to recognize homosexual pairs in any way, shape, or form is a violation of the federal Defense of Marriage Act."
Rep. Barney Frank, D-Massachusetts, who is openly gay, is a co-sponsor of the House version of the bill, but thinks it should be part of a larger immigration reform measure, according to his spokesman, Harry Gural.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, June 03, 2009
Obama Appoints 'Fox' to Guard School 'Henhouse'
The President's choice to oversee "safety" in American public schools is Kevin Jennings, founder of GLSEN whose legacy homosexual advocacy includes teaching sex acts to children (Fistgate) in Massachusetts where the lunacy continues today.
-- From "'Gay' activist to oversee public classroom 'safety'" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 5/29/09
Linda Harvey of Mission America, which educates people on anti-Christian trends in the nation, said it is nothing more than a "tragedy" for an open homosexual who has "had an enormously detrimental impact on the climate in our schools" to be in such a position.
The appointment of Kevin Jennings was posted – with little fanfare – on a government list of federal jobs recently. He was named by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan to be the Assistant Deputy Secretary in the Office of Safe Schools.
"In his own writings and books listed on the GLSEN [Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network] Website, I've reported, Kevin Jennings has given tacit nods of approval to sex between young teens and adults," Harvey told WND. "In addition to that, the writings and books, many of which I've read and are incredibly graphic, seem to normalize early teen same-sex sexual behaviors."
On Jennings' own website, a biographical sketch talks about how his work as an activist started when he used a school assembly in a district where he was a teacher to announce his homosexuality.
Harvey said the appointment really is not surprising, given the pro-homosexual position adopted by Obama and Jennings' fund-raising for the Democrat.
But she warned when "safe" is combined with "LGBT" as is happening at the federal agency, "What you have is the silencing of any conservative opinion. That's what they consider safety."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "'Gay' activist to oversee public classroom 'safety'" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 5/29/09
Linda Harvey of Mission America, which educates people on anti-Christian trends in the nation, said it is nothing more than a "tragedy" for an open homosexual who has "had an enormously detrimental impact on the climate in our schools" to be in such a position.
The appointment of Kevin Jennings was posted – with little fanfare – on a government list of federal jobs recently. He was named by U.S. Education Secretary Arne Duncan to be the Assistant Deputy Secretary in the Office of Safe Schools.
"In his own writings and books listed on the GLSEN [Gay, Lesbian, Straight Education Network] Website, I've reported, Kevin Jennings has given tacit nods of approval to sex between young teens and adults," Harvey told WND. "In addition to that, the writings and books, many of which I've read and are incredibly graphic, seem to normalize early teen same-sex sexual behaviors."
On Jennings' own website, a biographical sketch talks about how his work as an activist started when he used a school assembly in a district where he was a teacher to announce his homosexuality.
Harvey said the appointment really is not surprising, given the pro-homosexual position adopted by Obama and Jennings' fund-raising for the Democrat.
But she warned when "safe" is combined with "LGBT" as is happening at the federal agency, "What you have is the silencing of any conservative opinion. That's what they consider safety."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
More Same-sex 'Marriage' via Backdoor
Despite Maryland's state law defining marriage as one man and one woman, Attorney General Douglas F. Gansler may determine that homosexual marriages from other states must legally be recognized in Maryland.
-- From "Md. AG considers recognizing gay marriages" by Associated Press 6/1/09
Gansler, a Democrat, supports gay marriage. While Maryland has extended a variety of protections to same-sex couples in recent years, it has stopped short of legalizing marriages or civil unions. Gov. Martin O'Malley, also a Democrat, supports the latter.
Any move to recognize gay marriages could be seen as an end-run around the legislature and is likely to draw legal challenges.
New York Gov. David A. Paterson signed an executive order last year directing state agencies to recognize same-sex nuptials performed elsewhere. District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty signed a bill this month that did the same.
Gay-rights advocates say the recognition of out-of-state marriages will strengthen relationships and confer hundreds of rights, benefits and responsibilities that gay couples currently lack.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Md. AG considers recognizing gay marriages" by Associated Press 6/1/09
Gansler, a Democrat, supports gay marriage. While Maryland has extended a variety of protections to same-sex couples in recent years, it has stopped short of legalizing marriages or civil unions. Gov. Martin O'Malley, also a Democrat, supports the latter.
Any move to recognize gay marriages could be seen as an end-run around the legislature and is likely to draw legal challenges.
New York Gov. David A. Paterson signed an executive order last year directing state agencies to recognize same-sex nuptials performed elsewhere. District of Columbia Mayor Adrian Fenty signed a bill this month that did the same.
Gay-rights advocates say the recognition of out-of-state marriages will strengthen relationships and confer hundreds of rights, benefits and responsibilities that gay couples currently lack.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Judge: WI Schools Can Graduate in Church Building
Brookfield Central and East high schools can hold their upcoming graduation ceremonies in a nearby megachurch, as they have been doing for nearly a decade, a federal judge ruled Tuesday.
UPDATE 12/22/12: 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 7-3 in July 2012 reversing the lower court -- school now appealing to the Supreme Court
Also read school district explanation of legal action decisions.
-- From "Judge allows Brookfield high school graduation ceremonies in church" by Amy Hetzner of the [Milwaukee] Journal Sentinel, 6/2/09
U.S. District Judge Charles Clevert delivered his decision following a three-hour hearing last week on a request by a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group to bar the church graduation as an unconstitutional violation of the divide between church and government activities.
In his ruling, Clevert rejected the comparison between holding a secular graduation ceremony in a church with a graduation ceremony that includes a prayer, which the U.S. Supreme Court has held unconstitutional.
School officials and their attorneys defended their choice of Elmbrook Church as the site of graduation ceremonies for Brookfield Central and East high schools, saying the church's facility, with its capacity for 3,200 people, was chosen for its convenience and comfort. Ceremonies are secular, despite the presence of Christian iconography, including a large cross that hovers over the dais where graduates receive their diplomas, they argued.
Alex Luchenitser, senior litigation counsel for Americans United for Separation of Church and State . . . said his group would likely appeal . . .
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 12/22/12: 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled 7-3 in July 2012 reversing the lower court -- school now appealing to the Supreme Court
Also read school district explanation of legal action decisions.
-- From "Judge allows Brookfield high school graduation ceremonies in church" by Amy Hetzner of the [Milwaukee] Journal Sentinel, 6/2/09
U.S. District Judge Charles Clevert delivered his decision following a three-hour hearing last week on a request by a Washington, D.C.-based advocacy group to bar the church graduation as an unconstitutional violation of the divide between church and government activities.
In his ruling, Clevert rejected the comparison between holding a secular graduation ceremony in a church with a graduation ceremony that includes a prayer, which the U.S. Supreme Court has held unconstitutional.
School officials and their attorneys defended their choice of Elmbrook Church as the site of graduation ceremonies for Brookfield Central and East high schools, saying the church's facility, with its capacity for 3,200 people, was chosen for its convenience and comfort. Ceremonies are secular, despite the presence of Christian iconography, including a large cross that hovers over the dais where graduates receive their diplomas, they argued.
Alex Luchenitser, senior litigation counsel for Americans United for Separation of Church and State . . . said his group would likely appeal . . .
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, June 02, 2009
Obama's Formal Proclamation for 'Gay Pride Month'
President Obama isn't doing enough, quickly enough to suit many gay Americans, but yesterday he did issue a proclamation for "Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, and Transgender Pride Month."
-- From "Obama ushers in Gay Pride Month" by Boston Globe Staff 6/2/09
In the proclamation, Obama mentions the legislative priorities, including overturning the Defense of Marriage Act [not actually included in the proclamation posted by the White House], which defines marriage as between one man and one woman and allows states not to recognize gay marriages performed in other states, and the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which bars gays from serving openly in the military.
"As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected," he adds, calling on Congress and the American people to "work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "It's out: White House resolution honors 40th anniversary of Stonewall for Gay Pride month" posted by Carla Marinucci, at San Francisco Chronicle 6/1/09
President Obama today marked an historic first when he issued a White House resolution for Gay Pride month that honors the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots -- marking the beginning of the modern gay rights movement.
"I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration," he wrote. "The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, but there is more work to be done."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Obama ushers in Gay Pride Month" by Boston Globe Staff 6/2/09
In the proclamation, Obama mentions the legislative priorities, including overturning the Defense of Marriage Act [not actually included in the proclamation posted by the White House], which defines marriage as between one man and one woman and allows states not to recognize gay marriages performed in other states, and the "don't ask, don't tell" policy, which bars gays from serving openly in the military.
"As long as the promise of equality for all remains unfulfilled, all Americans are affected," he adds, calling on Congress and the American people to "work together to promote equal rights for all, regardless of sexual orientation or gender identity."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "It's out: White House resolution honors 40th anniversary of Stonewall for Gay Pride month" posted by Carla Marinucci, at San Francisco Chronicle 6/1/09
President Obama today marked an historic first when he issued a White House resolution for Gay Pride month that honors the 40th anniversary of the Stonewall riots -- marking the beginning of the modern gay rights movement.
"I am proud to be the first President to appoint openly LGBT candidates to Senate-confirmed positions in the first 100 days of an Administration," he wrote. "The LGBT rights movement has achieved great progress, but there is more work to be done."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Court Bans Bible from Pennsylvania School
A U.S. court says a kindergartner's mother cannot read Scripture during show and tell, even if the Bible is the boy's favorite book.
UPDATE 1/21/10: U.S. Supreme Court allows lower court ruling stand -- Bible banned!
-- From "Judges: No Bible at Pa. kindergarten show and tell" by Maryclaire Dale, Associated Press Writer 6/1/09
The Marple Newtown School District in suburban Philadelphia told plaintiff Donna Kay Busch in October 2004 that she could not read the Bible passages during her son's "All About Me" program. The school did permit the boy to discuss a poster that included references to his church as well as his family, pet and best friend.
"Parents of public school kindergarten students may reasonably expect their children will not become captive audiences to an adult's reading of religious texts," Chief Judge Anthony J. Scirica of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in the split 2-1 opinion, which upheld a lower court decision.
Schools can more tightly control speech presented to younger students, who may not distinguish a parent from their teacher, the ruling said.
Busch argued that the class heard stories related to Passover, Christmas and other religious holidays, but the court concluded there was a "significant difference" between identifying such holidays and reading from Scripture.
Principal Thomas Cook of Culbertson Elementary School believed such a reading would "proselytize ... a specific religious point of view," the opinion stated.
Busch, who describes herself as an evangelical Christian, is contemplating an appeal, according to lawyer Jason Gosselin. He said he took the case pro bono after a request from The Rutherford Institute, which focuses on First Amendment and religious freedom issues. Busch had contacted the group.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 1/21/10: U.S. Supreme Court allows lower court ruling stand -- Bible banned!
-- From "Judges: No Bible at Pa. kindergarten show and tell" by Maryclaire Dale, Associated Press Writer 6/1/09
The Marple Newtown School District in suburban Philadelphia told plaintiff Donna Kay Busch in October 2004 that she could not read the Bible passages during her son's "All About Me" program. The school did permit the boy to discuss a poster that included references to his church as well as his family, pet and best friend.
"Parents of public school kindergarten students may reasonably expect their children will not become captive audiences to an adult's reading of religious texts," Chief Judge Anthony J. Scirica of the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals wrote in the split 2-1 opinion, which upheld a lower court decision.
Schools can more tightly control speech presented to younger students, who may not distinguish a parent from their teacher, the ruling said.
Busch argued that the class heard stories related to Passover, Christmas and other religious holidays, but the court concluded there was a "significant difference" between identifying such holidays and reading from Scripture.
Principal Thomas Cook of Culbertson Elementary School believed such a reading would "proselytize ... a specific religious point of view," the opinion stated.
Busch, who describes herself as an evangelical Christian, is contemplating an appeal, according to lawyer Jason Gosselin. He said he took the case pro bono after a request from The Rutherford Institute, which focuses on First Amendment and religious freedom issues. Busch had contacted the group.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Monday, June 01, 2009
Feds Rush to Protect Abortionists, Unlike Pastor Murder
In the wake of the murder of abortionist George Tiller in church, the Obama administration has beefed up security nationwide, in contrast to the silent White House subsequent to the Maryville, Illinois pastor murdered while preaching.
-- From "Attorney General Directs U.S. Marshals to Protect Abortion Providers After Murder" posted at FOXNews.com 6/1/09
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder dispatched the U.S. Marshals Service to protect "appropriate people and facilities around the nation" in the wake of the murder of late-term abortion provider Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas on Sunday morning.
[Pro-life] leaders voiced concern Sunday that the Obama administration and other Democrats may try to capitalize on the murder of Tiller to defuse the abortion issue in upcoming Supreme Court confirmation hearings.
Many [pro-life] groups condemned the killing of Tiller, a prominent abortion provider who was shot dead at his church in Wichita, Kansas. But they expressed concern that abortion-rights activists would use the occasion to brand the entire [pro-life] movement as extremist.
"We condemn this lawless act of violence. The foundational right to life that our work is dedicated to extends to everyone. Whoever is responsible for this reprehensible violence must be brought to justice under the law," said Americans United for Life President and CEO, Dr. Charmaine Yoest, in a statement.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Attorney General Directs U.S. Marshals to Protect Abortion Providers After Murder" posted at FOXNews.com 6/1/09
U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder dispatched the U.S. Marshals Service to protect "appropriate people and facilities around the nation" in the wake of the murder of late-term abortion provider Dr. George Tiller in Wichita, Kansas on Sunday morning.
[Pro-life] leaders voiced concern Sunday that the Obama administration and other Democrats may try to capitalize on the murder of Tiller to defuse the abortion issue in upcoming Supreme Court confirmation hearings.
Many [pro-life] groups condemned the killing of Tiller, a prominent abortion provider who was shot dead at his church in Wichita, Kansas. But they expressed concern that abortion-rights activists would use the occasion to brand the entire [pro-life] movement as extremist.
"We condemn this lawless act of violence. The foundational right to life that our work is dedicated to extends to everyone. Whoever is responsible for this reprehensible violence must be brought to justice under the law," said Americans United for Life President and CEO, Dr. Charmaine Yoest, in a statement.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Nevada 17th State to Recognize Same-sex Couples
Despite the citizens' 2002 constitutional amendment defining marriage as between a man and a woman, the state Assembly overrode the governor's veto on the bill giving legal rights to domestic partners.
-- From "With veto override, domestic partners bill becomes law" by Cy Ryan posted at the Las Vegas Sun 5/31/09
[Gov. Jim Gibbons], in his veto message, said the voters in 2002 felt “the right of marriage should apply only to married couples, only the voters should determine whether those rights should equally apply to domestic partners.”
Voters approved that amendment 337,197 to 164,573.
Senate Bill 283 provides domestic partners the same rights in such things as community property responsibility for debt to third parties and the right to seek financial support if they split up.
The vote was 28-14, the bare minimum needed to overturn the decision of the governor. It follows the 14-7 vote in the Senate Saturday and puts the bill into law.
The partners, whether of the same or opposite sex, would register with the Secretary of State’s Office for legal recognition. And if they split, they would file dissolution of the registration.
The bill says domestic partners have the same rights, protections and benefits that are ranged or imposed upon spouses.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "With veto override, domestic partners bill becomes law" by Cy Ryan posted at the Las Vegas Sun 5/31/09
[Gov. Jim Gibbons], in his veto message, said the voters in 2002 felt “the right of marriage should apply only to married couples, only the voters should determine whether those rights should equally apply to domestic partners.”
Voters approved that amendment 337,197 to 164,573.
Senate Bill 283 provides domestic partners the same rights in such things as community property responsibility for debt to third parties and the right to seek financial support if they split up.
The vote was 28-14, the bare minimum needed to overturn the decision of the governor. It follows the 14-7 vote in the Senate Saturday and puts the bill into law.
The partners, whether of the same or opposite sex, would register with the Secretary of State’s Office for legal recognition. And if they split, they would file dissolution of the registration.
The bill says domestic partners have the same rights, protections and benefits that are ranged or imposed upon spouses.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
Obama Pushes U.S. Citizenship for Foreign Homosexuals
Under the radar, Senator Pat Leahy (D-Vt.) has introduced bill #S424 to provide "permanent resident status" for alien partners of American homosexuals as if they are married -- just one more assault . . .
-- From "Uniting American Families Act Advances" By Kerry Eleveld, posted at [pro-homosexual] Advocate.com 5/28/09
The Senate Judiciary Committee [on] Wednesday will hold the first congressional hearings on the Uniting American Families Act, a bill that would allow lesbian and gay citizens to sponsor their partners for residency in the United States.
The witness list for the hearing has not yet been finalized by Vermont senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the committee and is the lead sponsor of the bill . . .
The White House has also signaled support for including gay and lesbian couples in the [immigration] reforms.
"The president thinks Americans with partners from other countries should not be faced with a painful choice between staying with their partner or staying in their country. We will work closely with Congress to craft comprehensive immigration reform legislation,” White House spokesman Shin Inouye told Bay Windows in March.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Uniting American Families Act Advances" By Kerry Eleveld, posted at [pro-homosexual] Advocate.com 5/28/09
The Senate Judiciary Committee [on] Wednesday will hold the first congressional hearings on the Uniting American Families Act, a bill that would allow lesbian and gay citizens to sponsor their partners for residency in the United States.
The witness list for the hearing has not yet been finalized by Vermont senator Patrick Leahy, who chairs the committee and is the lead sponsor of the bill . . .
The White House has also signaled support for including gay and lesbian couples in the [immigration] reforms.
"The president thinks Americans with partners from other countries should not be faced with a painful choice between staying with their partner or staying in their country. We will work closely with Congress to craft comprehensive immigration reform legislation,” White House spokesman Shin Inouye told Bay Windows in March.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, May 30, 2009
ACLU Lawsuit Results in Ban on Graduation Speeches
However, the ACLU win earlier this year against Florida's Santa Rosa County School District couldn't stop the students' speeches at the Baccalaureate ceremony held at the local Assembly of God Church.
UPDATE 3/21/11: Federal judge grants preliminary injunction against school and orders trial
UPDATE 6/5/09: Students stand in defiance of ACLU by reciting the Lord's Prayer
-- From "Students denied graduation speeches -- Because of prayer in school ban by ACLU" by Mike Rockwood & Charissa Cowart, FOX10TV.com 5/28/09
Seniors at Pace High School are getting ready for their graduation, but this year the Class and School Board Presidents won't be allowed to speak.
The students can't speak because of a consent decree signed by the Santa Rosa County School District. The decree stems from an ACLU lawsuit.
The ACLU says school officials promoted their own religious beliefs at school influencing students which might include the two Presidents.
Class President, Kaitlynn Floyd says being able to speak at this [Baccalaureate] ceremony is good enough.
"I just think this year, we're going to make it through and our class is going to make a stand at Baccalaureate and that will show where their heart really is," Floyd added.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 3/21/11: Federal judge grants preliminary injunction against school and orders trial
UPDATE 6/5/09: Students stand in defiance of ACLU by reciting the Lord's Prayer
-- From "Students denied graduation speeches -- Because of prayer in school ban by ACLU" by Mike Rockwood & Charissa Cowart, FOX10TV.com 5/28/09
Seniors at Pace High School are getting ready for their graduation, but this year the Class and School Board Presidents won't be allowed to speak.
The students can't speak because of a consent decree signed by the Santa Rosa County School District. The decree stems from an ACLU lawsuit.
The ACLU says school officials promoted their own religious beliefs at school influencing students which might include the two Presidents.
Class President, Kaitlynn Floyd says being able to speak at this [Baccalaureate] ceremony is good enough.
"I just think this year, we're going to make it through and our class is going to make a stand at Baccalaureate and that will show where their heart really is," Floyd added.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
School Enacts Kindergarten Homosexual Indoctrination Curriculum
A California school district has approved a mandatory homosexual curriculum for children as young as 5 – and parents will not be allowed to remove their children from the lessons.
UPDATE 8/14/09: Parents sue school to allow opt-out to spare children from indoctrination
-- From "Alameda school board adopts plan to halt anti-gay bullying" by Peter Hegarty, Staff Writer, San Jose Mercury News 5/28/09
Trustees voted 3-2 on Tuesday to adopt the Safe Schools curriculum, which supporters say will help children of gay parents feel welcome at school and help end anti-gay teasing and bullying on the playground.
The lessons also aim to provide a safe environment for children to learn, as well as to offer a framework for teachers to break down stereotypes and teach kids about different types of families.
Opponents of the curriculum said it would undercut parents' rights to teach their children about relationships and sexual orientation, and that it pushed a political agenda without addressing ways to help other groups who may be singled out at school.
. . . Trustee Niel Tam, who voted yes . . . noted that the district spent two years developing the lesson plans on gay families.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Mandatory 'gay' day for K-5 students" by Chelsea Schilling © 2009 WorldNetDaily 5/28/09
The mandatory program, officially titled "LGBT Lesson #9," was approved May 26 by the Alameda County Board of Education by a vote of 3-2. Students from kindergarten through fifth grade will learn about "tolerance" for the homosexual lifestyle beginning next year.
The curriculum is in addition to the school's current anti-bullying program and is estimated to cost $8,000 for curriculum and training.
Parents will not be given an opportunity to opt-out of lessons that go against their religious beliefs. Some parents are threatening to sue the school board and mount a recall. Opponents presented a petition with 468 signatures from people who don't want the homosexual lessons in the curriculum.
The district's legal counsel recommended against giving parents an opportunity to opt out of the lessons, claiming only health or sex education topics require opt-out provisions . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 8/14/09: Parents sue school to allow opt-out to spare children from indoctrination
-- From "Alameda school board adopts plan to halt anti-gay bullying" by Peter Hegarty, Staff Writer, San Jose Mercury News 5/28/09
Trustees voted 3-2 on Tuesday to adopt the Safe Schools curriculum, which supporters say will help children of gay parents feel welcome at school and help end anti-gay teasing and bullying on the playground.
The lessons also aim to provide a safe environment for children to learn, as well as to offer a framework for teachers to break down stereotypes and teach kids about different types of families.
Opponents of the curriculum said it would undercut parents' rights to teach their children about relationships and sexual orientation, and that it pushed a political agenda without addressing ways to help other groups who may be singled out at school.
. . . Trustee Niel Tam, who voted yes . . . noted that the district spent two years developing the lesson plans on gay families.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Mandatory 'gay' day for K-5 students" by Chelsea Schilling © 2009 WorldNetDaily 5/28/09
The mandatory program, officially titled "LGBT Lesson #9," was approved May 26 by the Alameda County Board of Education by a vote of 3-2. Students from kindergarten through fifth grade will learn about "tolerance" for the homosexual lifestyle beginning next year.
The curriculum is in addition to the school's current anti-bullying program and is estimated to cost $8,000 for curriculum and training.
Parents will not be given an opportunity to opt-out of lessons that go against their religious beliefs. Some parents are threatening to sue the school board and mount a recall. Opponents presented a petition with 468 signatures from people who don't want the homosexual lessons in the curriculum.
The district's legal counsel recommended against giving parents an opportunity to opt out of the lessons, claiming only health or sex education topics require opt-out provisions . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Friday, May 29, 2009
Governor's Appointee Ousted for his Christian Beliefs
“I think Texas is watching here because I think, whether intentional or not, there will be a perception … that we are applying a religious test for serving in this state,” [said Senator Steve Ogden.]
-- From "School board reins yanked from McLeroy" by Gary Scharrer, Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau 5/28/09
In a rare rejection of an appointment by the Texas governor, the Senate Thursday ousted Don McLeroy as chairman of the State Board of Education, with his supporters claiming the Bryan dentist was the victim of his strong religious beliefs.
McLeroy is a devout Christian who believes in creationism and the notion that the Earth is about 6,000 years old. He has steadfastly argued that Texas students should be taught the weaknesses of evolution.
Earlier this year, the State Board of Education approved new science curriculum standards that changed a long-standing Texas tradition over how schoolchildren learn about evolution.
Democrats argued that McLeroy’s leadership has polarized the board, and that he has disregarded experts in the shaping of science curriculum standards and English, language arts and reading standards for 4.7 million Texas public school children.
“If this isn’t about evolution, if this isn’t about what the Bible teaches, what is it all about?” asked Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, referring to opposition to McLeroy.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "School board reins yanked from McLeroy" by Gary Scharrer, Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau 5/28/09
In a rare rejection of an appointment by the Texas governor, the Senate Thursday ousted Don McLeroy as chairman of the State Board of Education, with his supporters claiming the Bryan dentist was the victim of his strong religious beliefs.
McLeroy is a devout Christian who believes in creationism and the notion that the Earth is about 6,000 years old. He has steadfastly argued that Texas students should be taught the weaknesses of evolution.
Earlier this year, the State Board of Education approved new science curriculum standards that changed a long-standing Texas tradition over how schoolchildren learn about evolution.
Democrats argued that McLeroy’s leadership has polarized the board, and that he has disregarded experts in the shaping of science curriculum standards and English, language arts and reading standards for 4.7 million Texas public school children.
“If this isn’t about evolution, if this isn’t about what the Bible teaches, what is it all about?” asked Sen. Dan Patrick, R-Houston, referring to opposition to McLeroy.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Archbishop of Canterbury Recommends Atheist Writer
Archbishop Rowan Williams commends the atheist for taking the 'Christian myth' and the church 'seriously,' thus reviving relevance to theology.
-- From "Philip Pullman helps understanding of theology, says Archbishop of Canterbury" by Stephen Adams, Arts Correspondent 5/28/09
Citing Pullman as one of his favourite modern writers, Dr Rowan Williams said he liked his work because it took the church "seriously" at a time when theology was "drifting out" of mainstream thought.
Pullman has been castigated by parts of the Roman Catholic church, particularly in North America, as many consider the trilogy His Dark Materials to be a veiled attack on it.
Although he stressed he disagreed with Pullman's atheistic view, he commended his "search for some way of talking about human value, human depth and three-dimensionality, that doesn't depend on God."
He agreed with the thrust of Pullman's novels that religious authorities must not silence the "demons" that people carry with them – the essential "internal conversation" between good and evil.
In 2007 Roman Catholic groups called for a boycott of the film The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, which was based on Northern Lights, the first book in the trilogy.
Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League in the United States, described the books as "atheism for kids".
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Philip Pullman helps understanding of theology, says Archbishop of Canterbury" by Stephen Adams, Arts Correspondent 5/28/09
Citing Pullman as one of his favourite modern writers, Dr Rowan Williams said he liked his work because it took the church "seriously" at a time when theology was "drifting out" of mainstream thought.
Pullman has been castigated by parts of the Roman Catholic church, particularly in North America, as many consider the trilogy His Dark Materials to be a veiled attack on it.
Although he stressed he disagreed with Pullman's atheistic view, he commended his "search for some way of talking about human value, human depth and three-dimensionality, that doesn't depend on God."
He agreed with the thrust of Pullman's novels that religious authorities must not silence the "demons" that people carry with them – the essential "internal conversation" between good and evil.
In 2007 Roman Catholic groups called for a boycott of the film The Golden Compass, starring Nicole Kidman and Daniel Craig, which was based on Northern Lights, the first book in the trilogy.
Bill Donohue, president of the Catholic League in the United States, described the books as "atheism for kids".
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, May 28, 2009
Catholic Pepperdine University Prof Wants Civil Unions for All
So-called conservative Catholic law professor, Douglas Kmiec, who says that President Obama is pro-life, wants government "to get out of the marriage business."
-- From "Catholic Obama Campaign Adviser Wants to Replace All Legal ‘Marriages’ with ‘Civil Licenses'" by Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor CNSNews.com 5/27/09
“As awkward as it may be, I think the way to untie the state from this problem is to create a new terminology that they would apply to everyone--straight or gay--call it a ‘civil license,’ said Douglas Kmiec, a law professor at Pepperdine University and author of “Can a Catholic Support Him?’
“The net effect of that, would be to turn over--quite appropriately, it seems to me, the concept of marriage to churches and a church understanding,” Kmiec said.
“One of the possible outcomes that would be good in this case, would be if the state got out of the marriage business, did their licensing under a different name--which, of course, would satisfy the state’s interests for purposes of distribution of taxation and property, but then the question of who can and cannot be married would be entirely determined in your voluntarily chosen faith community.”
But Princeton University law professor Robert George, who is also a top constitutional scholar--and a Catholic academic--said that Kmiec’s idea would do away with the public role of marriage--and banish it to the religious “ghetto.”
“That is a terrible idea,” George said. “The idea that the state would abandon its concern for the institution of marriage, that it would treat marriage as a purely religious matter, is I think a very bad one.”
“Family is built on marriage, and government--the state--has a profound interest in the integrity and well-being of marriage, and to write it off as if it were a purely a religiously significant action and not an institution and action that has a profound public significance, would be a terrible mistake,” George said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Catholic Obama Campaign Adviser Wants to Replace All Legal ‘Marriages’ with ‘Civil Licenses'" by Pete Winn, Senior Writer/Editor CNSNews.com 5/27/09
“As awkward as it may be, I think the way to untie the state from this problem is to create a new terminology that they would apply to everyone--straight or gay--call it a ‘civil license,’ said Douglas Kmiec, a law professor at Pepperdine University and author of “Can a Catholic Support Him?’
“The net effect of that, would be to turn over--quite appropriately, it seems to me, the concept of marriage to churches and a church understanding,” Kmiec said.
“One of the possible outcomes that would be good in this case, would be if the state got out of the marriage business, did their licensing under a different name--which, of course, would satisfy the state’s interests for purposes of distribution of taxation and property, but then the question of who can and cannot be married would be entirely determined in your voluntarily chosen faith community.”
But Princeton University law professor Robert George, who is also a top constitutional scholar--and a Catholic academic--said that Kmiec’s idea would do away with the public role of marriage--and banish it to the religious “ghetto.”
“That is a terrible idea,” George said. “The idea that the state would abandon its concern for the institution of marriage, that it would treat marriage as a purely religious matter, is I think a very bad one.”
“Family is built on marriage, and government--the state--has a profound interest in the integrity and well-being of marriage, and to write it off as if it were a purely a religiously significant action and not an institution and action that has a profound public significance, would be a terrible mistake,” George said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Obama at Notre Dame Spotlights Catholic Apostasy Issues
The protests over the University of Notre Dame's commencement invitation to President Barack Obama will have an impact beyond the South Bend campus and far longer than graduation season.
Also read Obama at Notre Dame: Video the Media Didn't Show You
-- From "Catholic colleges may feel brunt of Notre Dame uproar" by Rachel Zoll, Associated Press Religion Writer 5/24/09
While the drubbing focused on the nation's most prestigious Roman Catholic school, the criticism also served as a warning to all Catholic colleges and universities about the potential for opposition to their own policies [such as Loyola, Georgetown . . .].
"This is an impact that is likely to be felt for some period of time," said Richard Yanikoski, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, which is based in Washington and represents more than 200 U.S. schools. "It's certainly — but one doesn't know exactly how — helping to shape public perception."
Tensions have erupted regularly among the schools, bishops and Catholic activists since 1967, when Catholic academics released the "Land O'Lakes Statement on the Nature of the Contemporary Catholic University." The leaders affirmed the colleges' role of serving the church, but declared some autonomy from the Catholic hierarchy, so that the schools could be guided by professional leadership, not just the religious orders that created them.
As a result, the nation's most prominent Catholic lawmakers who support legalized abortion in any way often find themselves without an invitation to a Catholic college graduation.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Also read Obama at Notre Dame: Video the Media Didn't Show You
-- From "Catholic colleges may feel brunt of Notre Dame uproar" by Rachel Zoll, Associated Press Religion Writer 5/24/09
While the drubbing focused on the nation's most prestigious Roman Catholic school, the criticism also served as a warning to all Catholic colleges and universities about the potential for opposition to their own policies [such as Loyola, Georgetown . . .].
"This is an impact that is likely to be felt for some period of time," said Richard Yanikoski, president of the Association of Catholic Colleges and Universities, which is based in Washington and represents more than 200 U.S. schools. "It's certainly — but one doesn't know exactly how — helping to shape public perception."
Tensions have erupted regularly among the schools, bishops and Catholic activists since 1967, when Catholic academics released the "Land O'Lakes Statement on the Nature of the Contemporary Catholic University." The leaders affirmed the colleges' role of serving the church, but declared some autonomy from the Catholic hierarchy, so that the schools could be guided by professional leadership, not just the religious orders that created them.
As a result, the nation's most prominent Catholic lawmakers who support legalized abortion in any way often find themselves without an invitation to a Catholic college graduation.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Episcopal Church Fires Priests for Holding to God's Word
The ECUSA “deposed” 61 priests and deacons in California's Central Valley area because they joined with former Bishop John David Schofield as he aligned with the Anglican Church of the Southern Cone due to the ECUSA's abandonment of Scriptural authority.
-- From "Episcopal Church ousts 61 clergy in bishop dispute" Associated Press 5/28/09
National leaders of the Episcopal Church have ousted 61 clergy who aligned with a former bishop in California when he broke with the national church in a dispute over the Bible and homosexuality. Former Bishop John-David Schofield led the Diocese of San Joaquin to become the first full diocese to secede from the U.S. denomination in 2007. Four years earlier, Episcopalians consecrated their first openly gay bishop, setting off a wide-ranging debate within the church and upsetting conservative congregations.
From "Episcopal Church fires 61 Central Valley priests" posted at Central Valley Business Times 5/27/09
Mr. Schofield was deposed in March 2008.
He and the various priests and deacons objected to the Episcopal Church’s ordination of gays to the priesthood among other things, "refusing to recognize the authority of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and of the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church," as the church puts it.
The clergy who have been fired had six months to deny their abandonment, recant, or renounce their ministry in the Episcopal Church, according to the diocese.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Read more on the ECUSA/Anglican saga
-- From "Episcopal Church ousts 61 clergy in bishop dispute" Associated Press 5/28/09
National leaders of the Episcopal Church have ousted 61 clergy who aligned with a former bishop in California when he broke with the national church in a dispute over the Bible and homosexuality. Former Bishop John-David Schofield led the Diocese of San Joaquin to become the first full diocese to secede from the U.S. denomination in 2007. Four years earlier, Episcopalians consecrated their first openly gay bishop, setting off a wide-ranging debate within the church and upsetting conservative congregations.
From "Episcopal Church fires 61 Central Valley priests" posted at Central Valley Business Times 5/27/09
Mr. Schofield was deposed in March 2008.
He and the various priests and deacons objected to the Episcopal Church’s ordination of gays to the priesthood among other things, "refusing to recognize the authority of the Constitution and Canons of the Episcopal Church and of the Most Reverend Katharine Jefferts Schori, the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church," as the church puts it.
The clergy who have been fired had six months to deny their abandonment, recant, or renounce their ministry in the Episcopal Church, according to the diocese.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Read more on the ECUSA/Anglican saga
Tuesday, May 26, 2009
Change We Can Believe In (2 Chron. 7:14)
America needs change. Yet the change we need will not come from Washington or Wall Street. It must come from God. It must begin with God's repentant people praying to Him for the change He requires and the change we need.
America is in desperate need of spiritual healing, say conservative Christian leaders, who are organizing a day of mass prayer and repentance on behalf of the nation.
The “Call 2 Fall” event will take place on July 5. “The day after America celebrates her independence, it's our goal to have eight million Christians declaring our dependence on God,” the Family Research Council says on its Web site. “The Call 2 Fall is a simple but powerful commitment to get on our faces before the Lord, asking Him to reshape our lives and renew our land.”
“Only He can quiet the storms and turn the hearts of this country--and our culture--toward Him. Only He can restore a respect for life, marriage, and faith in the halls of power. And only we can ask Him to,” the FRC says.
The event also has historical precedent: The First Continental Congress called for a day of public humiliation, fasting, and prayer throughout the Colonies on July 20th, 1775, just after war broke out with England, the FRC noted.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.-- From "Conservatives Urge Americans to Pray for a Troubled Nation" by Susan Jones, CNSNews Senior Editor 5/20/09
(2 Chron. 7:14)
America is in desperate need of spiritual healing, say conservative Christian leaders, who are organizing a day of mass prayer and repentance on behalf of the nation.
The “Call 2 Fall” event will take place on July 5. “The day after America celebrates her independence, it's our goal to have eight million Christians declaring our dependence on God,” the Family Research Council says on its Web site. “The Call 2 Fall is a simple but powerful commitment to get on our faces before the Lord, asking Him to reshape our lives and renew our land.”
“Only He can quiet the storms and turn the hearts of this country--and our culture--toward Him. Only He can restore a respect for life, marriage, and faith in the halls of power. And only we can ask Him to,” the FRC says.
The event also has historical precedent: The First Continental Congress called for a day of public humiliation, fasting, and prayer throughout the Colonies on July 20th, 1775, just after war broke out with England, the FRC noted.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Atheists Advertise on Chicago Buses
This provocative twist on the Bible’s opening line was plastered on the side of 25 Chicago buses this week as part of an advertising crusade by the Indiana Atheist Bus Campaign.
-- From "Atheists roll out ad campaign: 'In the Beginning, Man Created God'" by Manya Brachear, Chicago Tribune 5/22/09
"The intent of the campaign is to stimulate discussion of religion and its place in our society," said Charlie Sitzes, a spokesman for the Indiana group who with help from the American Humanist Association has collected more than $10,000 in private donations to buy the ad space in Indiana and Illinois.
Sitzes regrets that the ad campaign – inspired by similar signs in Europe – has encountered so much opposition in his home state. British ads sarcastically consoled passengers with the message: "There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
Last November, the American Humanist Association plastered buses in the nation’s capital with pictures of a man in a Santa suit asking: "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Atheists roll out ad campaign: 'In the Beginning, Man Created God'" by Manya Brachear, Chicago Tribune 5/22/09
"The intent of the campaign is to stimulate discussion of religion and its place in our society," said Charlie Sitzes, a spokesman for the Indiana group who with help from the American Humanist Association has collected more than $10,000 in private donations to buy the ad space in Indiana and Illinois.
Sitzes regrets that the ad campaign – inspired by similar signs in Europe – has encountered so much opposition in his home state. British ads sarcastically consoled passengers with the message: "There’s probably no God. Now stop worrying and enjoy your life."
Last November, the American Humanist Association plastered buses in the nation’s capital with pictures of a man in a Santa suit asking: "Why believe in a god? Just be good for goodness’ sake."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Monday, May 25, 2009
Liberals Twist Public Opinion Polls on Abortion
Even when the mainstream pollster is asking the same question to the public over an extended period of years, the abortion apologists still deny the clear pro-life trend in American opinion -- because . . . to the liberal, there's never black-and-white, or right-and-wrong, but only shades of dingy, murky gray (the friend of the deceiver).
-- From "Tracking Public Opinion on Abortion: It’s Tricky" by Dalia Sussman, posted at The New York Times 5/21/09
Last week’s Gallup result on abortion . . . contrary to much of what has been reported or surmised, the poll does not necessarily indicate a marked shift in Americans’ views on this highly complicated issue.
In advance of President Obama’s speech at Notre Dame last weekend, Gallup released a poll showing that for the “first time a majority of U.S. adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question in 1995.”
. . . abortion remains a deeply complex issue; one for which views are far more nuanced than politically charged terms like “pro-life” or “pro-choice.” This poll question creates absolutes, when in reality, abortion really represents an issue in which there aren’t any absolutes for many (if not most) people. [What a ridiculous statement! Even Obama said the opposite at Notre Dame.]
In the recent Gallup poll, respondents were also asked if they thought abortion should be legal under any circumstances, legal only under certain circumstances, or illegal in all circumstances. Twenty-two percent said it should always be legal, while about as many, 23 percent, said it should never be legal. The majority, 53 percent, said it should be legal in certain circumstances.
To add further confusion, other polls that have been released on abortion lately show differing results . . .
All this underscores just how vexing the abortion issue can be, as well as how conflicted the public really feels about it.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Poll: Majority of Americans Believe Abortion Hurts Women Physically, Mentally" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor 5/25/09
In a new national survey conducted by the Polling Company for the pro-life organization Americans United for Life, a majority of Americans say they know someone who has had an abortion. A majority of those surveyed also believe that abortion hurts women.
Asked if they personally knew someone who has had an abortion, some 68 percent said they know a woman who had one while 30 percent said they did not.
Of those who knew a post-abortive woman, 55 percent described her abortion as a negative experience while just 33 percent described it as a positive one and 12 percent either didn't know or would not answer the question.
Asked to think of abortion and women in general, the survey asked respondents if they thought abortion "is almost always a good thing for a woman or almost always a bad thing for a woman."
The survey found 53 percent say abortion is almost always a bad thing and a tiny 13 percent said abortion is almost always a good thing for women. Another 21 percent said neither and 13 percent didn't know or didn't answer the question.
Just 3 percent of those polled said women would face none of the five potential problems after an abortion and another 3 percent either didn't know or did not answer the question.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
It would seem that individual Americans DO know what they think about abortion, and are NOT "conflicted."
-- From "Tracking Public Opinion on Abortion: It’s Tricky" by Dalia Sussman, posted at The New York Times 5/21/09
Last week’s Gallup result on abortion . . . contrary to much of what has been reported or surmised, the poll does not necessarily indicate a marked shift in Americans’ views on this highly complicated issue.
In advance of President Obama’s speech at Notre Dame last weekend, Gallup released a poll showing that for the “first time a majority of U.S. adults have identified themselves as pro-life since Gallup began asking this question in 1995.”
. . . abortion remains a deeply complex issue; one for which views are far more nuanced than politically charged terms like “pro-life” or “pro-choice.” This poll question creates absolutes, when in reality, abortion really represents an issue in which there aren’t any absolutes for many (if not most) people. [What a ridiculous statement! Even Obama said the opposite at Notre Dame.]
In the recent Gallup poll, respondents were also asked if they thought abortion should be legal under any circumstances, legal only under certain circumstances, or illegal in all circumstances. Twenty-two percent said it should always be legal, while about as many, 23 percent, said it should never be legal. The majority, 53 percent, said it should be legal in certain circumstances.
To add further confusion, other polls that have been released on abortion lately show differing results . . .
All this underscores just how vexing the abortion issue can be, as well as how conflicted the public really feels about it.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Poll: Majority of Americans Believe Abortion Hurts Women Physically, Mentally" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com Editor 5/25/09
In a new national survey conducted by the Polling Company for the pro-life organization Americans United for Life, a majority of Americans say they know someone who has had an abortion. A majority of those surveyed also believe that abortion hurts women.
Asked if they personally knew someone who has had an abortion, some 68 percent said they know a woman who had one while 30 percent said they did not.
Of those who knew a post-abortive woman, 55 percent described her abortion as a negative experience while just 33 percent described it as a positive one and 12 percent either didn't know or would not answer the question.
Asked to think of abortion and women in general, the survey asked respondents if they thought abortion "is almost always a good thing for a woman or almost always a bad thing for a woman."
The survey found 53 percent say abortion is almost always a bad thing and a tiny 13 percent said abortion is almost always a good thing for women. Another 21 percent said neither and 13 percent didn't know or didn't answer the question.
Just 3 percent of those polled said women would face none of the five potential problems after an abortion and another 3 percent either didn't know or did not answer the question.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
It would seem that individual Americans DO know what they think about abortion, and are NOT "conflicted."
Same-sex 'Marriage' in New Hampshire Fails, 'til June
New Hampshire supporters of same-sex marriage are scrambling to regroup after the House, in a stunning vote Wednesday, rejected a bill that would have made the Granite State the sixth in the country to allow such unions.
-- From "N.H. backers regroup on same-sex marriage" by Brian MacQuarrie, Boston Globe Staff 5/22/09
The bill, which would have accommodated Governor John Lynch's demands for expanded protections for religious organizations and employees who do not approve of gay marriage, was defeated by two votes. Instead, the House asked the Senate to negotiate a compromise. Another House vote is expected in early June.
Lynch, a Democrat who personally opposes same-sex marriage, said last week he would support a bill with religious protections. Two previous bills that deal with same-sex marriage have already passed the Legislature this session. Those measures have yet to be sent to the governor and cannot be amended.
Lynch will be huddling with lawmakers to ensure that his proposals are included in the legislative compromise, said Colin Manning, the governor's spokesman.
That confidence was echoed by the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition, an advocacy group. "I think both houses will approve the work of the conference and the governor will sign the bill."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "N.H. backers regroup on same-sex marriage" by Brian MacQuarrie, Boston Globe Staff 5/22/09
The bill, which would have accommodated Governor John Lynch's demands for expanded protections for religious organizations and employees who do not approve of gay marriage, was defeated by two votes. Instead, the House asked the Senate to negotiate a compromise. Another House vote is expected in early June.
Lynch, a Democrat who personally opposes same-sex marriage, said last week he would support a bill with religious protections. Two previous bills that deal with same-sex marriage have already passed the Legislature this session. Those measures have yet to be sent to the governor and cannot be amended.
Lynch will be huddling with lawmakers to ensure that his proposals are included in the legislative compromise, said Colin Manning, the governor's spokesman.
That confidence was echoed by the New Hampshire Freedom to Marry Coalition, an advocacy group. "I think both houses will approve the work of the conference and the governor will sign the bill."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, May 24, 2009
Billionaire Liberal Elites Want Fewer Non-elites Born
As the birth rates decline in Europe, and among the wealthiest population groups, America's richest people met secretly to plan world population control. Why all the secrecy? “They wanted to speak rich to rich without worrying anything they said would end up in the newspapers, painting them as an alternative world government.”
UPDATE 8/19/12: Bill & Melinda Gates mark 100th year since the First International Eugenics Congress in London with U.N. “family planning” summit
-- From "Billionaire club in bid to curb overpopulation" by John Harlow from Los Angeles for The Sunday [London] Times 5/24/09
The philanthropists who attended a summit convened on the initiative of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, discussed joining forces to overcome political and religious obstacles to change.
Described as the Good Club by one insider it included David Rockefeller Jr, the patriarch of America’s wealthiest dynasty, Warren Buffett and George Soros, the financiers, Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, and the media moguls Ted Turner and Oprah Winfrey.
They gathered at the home of Sir Paul Nurse, a British Nobel prize biochemist and president of the private Rockefeller University, in Manhattan on May 5. The informal afternoon session was so discreet that some of the billionaires’ aides were told they were at “security briefings”.
Taking their cue from Gates they agreed that overpopulation was a priority.
“Official projections say the world’s population will peak at 9.3 billion [up from 6.6 billion today] but with charitable initiatives, such as better reproductive healthcare, we think we can cap that at 8.3 billion,” Gates said [in February].
This could result in a challenge to some Third World politicians who believe contraception and female education weaken traditional values.
Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, said the summit was unprecedented. “We only learnt about it afterwards, by accident. Normally these people are happy to talk good causes, but this is different – maybe because they don’t want to be seen as a global cabal,” he said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 8/19/12: Bill & Melinda Gates mark 100th year since the First International Eugenics Congress in London with U.N. “family planning” summit
-- From "Billionaire club in bid to curb overpopulation" by John Harlow from Los Angeles for The Sunday [London] Times 5/24/09
The philanthropists who attended a summit convened on the initiative of Bill Gates, the Microsoft co-founder, discussed joining forces to overcome political and religious obstacles to change.
Described as the Good Club by one insider it included David Rockefeller Jr, the patriarch of America’s wealthiest dynasty, Warren Buffett and George Soros, the financiers, Michael Bloomberg, the mayor of New York, and the media moguls Ted Turner and Oprah Winfrey.
They gathered at the home of Sir Paul Nurse, a British Nobel prize biochemist and president of the private Rockefeller University, in Manhattan on May 5. The informal afternoon session was so discreet that some of the billionaires’ aides were told they were at “security briefings”.
Taking their cue from Gates they agreed that overpopulation was a priority.
“Official projections say the world’s population will peak at 9.3 billion [up from 6.6 billion today] but with charitable initiatives, such as better reproductive healthcare, we think we can cap that at 8.3 billion,” Gates said [in February].
This could result in a challenge to some Third World politicians who believe contraception and female education weaken traditional values.
Stacy Palmer, editor of the Chronicle of Philanthropy, said the summit was unprecedented. “We only learnt about it afterwards, by accident. Normally these people are happy to talk good causes, but this is different – maybe because they don’t want to be seen as a global cabal,” he said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Homosexualists Look to IRS for Same-sex 'Marriage' Advocacy
A gay rights advocacy group claims that the Roman Catholic Diocese of Maine is violating tax rules by helping a referendum campaign that would repeal the state's new same-sex marriage law.
UPDATE 5/26/09: Diocese Says IRS Complaint is 'Bogus'
-- From "Gay rights group: Maine diocese violating tax law" Associated Press 5/21/09
The Empowering Spirits Foundation said its challenge was filed Wednesday at an Internal Revenue Service office in Dallas. The San Diego-based group said the diocese is engaging in political activity by collecting signatures for the referendum, violating IRS rules applying to nonprofits.
The ballot question would overturn Maine's gay marriage law. Gay marriage foes need the signatures of at least 55,087 registered voters to get the question on the ballot.
Leonard Cole, a Portland attorney who specializes in tax and nonprofit issues, suggested that the church's involvement could put it at odds with IRS rules that restrict lobbying by tax-exempt nonprofits.
IRS policy allows the diocese to participate in the campaign and help collect signatures, said Marc Mutty, public affairs director for the diocese. He rejected the IRS challenge as a "bogus attempt to sidetrack the campaign."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 5/26/09: Diocese Says IRS Complaint is 'Bogus'
-- From "Gay rights group: Maine diocese violating tax law" Associated Press 5/21/09
The Empowering Spirits Foundation said its challenge was filed Wednesday at an Internal Revenue Service office in Dallas. The San Diego-based group said the diocese is engaging in political activity by collecting signatures for the referendum, violating IRS rules applying to nonprofits.
The ballot question would overturn Maine's gay marriage law. Gay marriage foes need the signatures of at least 55,087 registered voters to get the question on the ballot.
Leonard Cole, a Portland attorney who specializes in tax and nonprofit issues, suggested that the church's involvement could put it at odds with IRS rules that restrict lobbying by tax-exempt nonprofits.
IRS policy allows the diocese to participate in the campaign and help collect signatures, said Marc Mutty, public affairs director for the diocese. He rejected the IRS challenge as a "bogus attempt to sidetrack the campaign."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Hillary Edict: Same-sex Equals Marriage
Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton will enact a new policy providing homosexual State Department employees and their partners the same benefits as married employees, according to Gays and Lesbians in Foreign Affairs Agencies, who received an advanced memo from Clinton.
-- From "State Dept. Plan Would Extend Benefits to Same Sex Partners" By Glenn Kessler, Washington Post 5/24/09
The Bush administration had eased some [State Department] rules, opening up some training to same-sex partners, but had resisted efforts to treat homosexual partners the same as married couples. Thus a wide array of benefits were denied to same-sex partners, such as paid travel to and from overseas posts, employment opportunities at the embassy, visas and diplomatic passports, mail privileges and evacuation in case of a security emergency or medical necessity.
In the memo, Clinton said: "At bottom, the department will provide these benefits for both opposite-sex and same-sex domestic partners because it is the right thing to do."
State Department officials said the memo to the gay and lesbian organization indicates the direction Clinton hopes to go, but the final policy document is still in draft form and requires additional consultation within the department.
Earlier this year, nearly 2,200 government employees involved in foreign policy issues signed a letter to Clinton calling on the government to give equal benefits to same-sex partners.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "State Dept. Plan Would Extend Benefits to Same Sex Partners" By Glenn Kessler, Washington Post 5/24/09
The Bush administration had eased some [State Department] rules, opening up some training to same-sex partners, but had resisted efforts to treat homosexual partners the same as married couples. Thus a wide array of benefits were denied to same-sex partners, such as paid travel to and from overseas posts, employment opportunities at the embassy, visas and diplomatic passports, mail privileges and evacuation in case of a security emergency or medical necessity.
In the memo, Clinton said: "At bottom, the department will provide these benefits for both opposite-sex and same-sex domestic partners because it is the right thing to do."
State Department officials said the memo to the gay and lesbian organization indicates the direction Clinton hopes to go, but the final policy document is still in draft form and requires additional consultation within the department.
Earlier this year, nearly 2,200 government employees involved in foreign policy issues signed a letter to Clinton calling on the government to give equal benefits to same-sex partners.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Sex-selection Abortion Outlawed in Oklahoma
Newly required extensive reporting by abortionists will be used to verify that unborn are not aborted based on their sex
-- From "Oklahoma passes bill to ban abortions based on sex selection" posted at Catholic News Agency 5/22/09
According to The Oklahoman, the bill requires the abortionist to report to the state Health Department the age, marital status and education level of the mother; the number of her prior pregnancies; the reason and method for the abortion; and the nature of the mother’s relationship with the baby’s father.
The bill also requires the reporting of the method of payment, the type of medical health insurance coverage, the cost of the abortion, and whether an ultrasound was given.
H.B. 1595 passed the Senate on Friday by a vote of 35 to 9. The bill had passed the House by 88 to 6.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "New law bans picking baby's sex by abortion" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 5/23/09
In several Asian nations, sons are preferred so highly over daughters that couples abort their babies when an ultrasound reveals their unborn child is a girl, but in Oklahoma, a bill signed into law yesterday will ban the practice of choosing a baby's sex by selective abortion.
[There] is the growing concern that selective abortion of baby girls isn't only happening in Asia but in the U.S. as well.
According to the Boston Globe, a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that examined the ratio of boys to girls born to Asian-American families in the U.S. demonstrated couples that welcome an oldest daughter become increasingly likely to abort future daughters to get the son they seek.
After two oldest daughters, the study found, the likelihood of the third child being a son leaped 50 percent higher than the norm, evidence, the authors wrote, "of sex selection, most likely at the prenatal stage."
And while the Globe also cited a Zogby Poll that showed 86 percent of Americans believe sex-selective abortions should be illegal, the paper pointed out that they're not.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Oklahoma passes bill to ban abortions based on sex selection" posted at Catholic News Agency 5/22/09
According to The Oklahoman, the bill requires the abortionist to report to the state Health Department the age, marital status and education level of the mother; the number of her prior pregnancies; the reason and method for the abortion; and the nature of the mother’s relationship with the baby’s father.
The bill also requires the reporting of the method of payment, the type of medical health insurance coverage, the cost of the abortion, and whether an ultrasound was given.
H.B. 1595 passed the Senate on Friday by a vote of 35 to 9. The bill had passed the House by 88 to 6.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "New law bans picking baby's sex by abortion" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 5/23/09
In several Asian nations, sons are preferred so highly over daughters that couples abort their babies when an ultrasound reveals their unborn child is a girl, but in Oklahoma, a bill signed into law yesterday will ban the practice of choosing a baby's sex by selective abortion.
[There] is the growing concern that selective abortion of baby girls isn't only happening in Asia but in the U.S. as well.
According to the Boston Globe, a study in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences that examined the ratio of boys to girls born to Asian-American families in the U.S. demonstrated couples that welcome an oldest daughter become increasingly likely to abort future daughters to get the son they seek.
After two oldest daughters, the study found, the likelihood of the third child being a son leaped 50 percent higher than the norm, evidence, the authors wrote, "of sex selection, most likely at the prenatal stage."
And while the Globe also cited a Zogby Poll that showed 86 percent of Americans believe sex-selective abortions should be illegal, the paper pointed out that they're not.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, May 23, 2009
'Big Brother' Requires Permit for Home Bible Study
A San Diego, CA couple say authorities appeared at their front door and interrogated them concerning their group Bible study habits and warned they will be fined if they continue such Christian activity without formal registration.
UPDATE 5/30/09: County rescinds citation against Pastor David and Mary Jones
UPDATE 5/27/09 FOX News Video
-- From "Home: No place for Bible study" By Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 5/22/09
The couple, whose names are being withheld until a demand letter can be filed on their behalf, told their attorney a county government employee knocked on their door on Good Friday, asking a litany of questions about their Tuesday night Bible studies, which are attended by approximately 15 people.
"Do you have a regular weekly meeting in your home? Do you sing? Do you say 'amen'?" the official reportedly asked. "Do you say, 'Praise the Lord'?"
The pastor's wife answered yes.
She says she was then told, however, that she must stop holding "religious assemblies" until she and her husband obtain a Major Use Permit from the county, a permit that often involves traffic and environmental studies, compliance with parking and sidewalk regulations and costs that top tens of thousands of dollars.
And if they fail to pay for the MUP, the county official reportedly warned, the couple will be charged escalating fines beginning at $100, then $200, $500, $1000, "and then it will get ugly."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 5/30/09: County rescinds citation against Pastor David and Mary Jones
UPDATE 5/27/09 FOX News Video
-- From "Home: No place for Bible study" By Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 5/22/09
The couple, whose names are being withheld until a demand letter can be filed on their behalf, told their attorney a county government employee knocked on their door on Good Friday, asking a litany of questions about their Tuesday night Bible studies, which are attended by approximately 15 people.
"Do you have a regular weekly meeting in your home? Do you sing? Do you say 'amen'?" the official reportedly asked. "Do you say, 'Praise the Lord'?"
The pastor's wife answered yes.
She says she was then told, however, that she must stop holding "religious assemblies" until she and her husband obtain a Major Use Permit from the county, a permit that often involves traffic and environmental studies, compliance with parking and sidewalk regulations and costs that top tens of thousands of dollars.
And if they fail to pay for the MUP, the county official reportedly warned, the couple will be charged escalating fines beginning at $100, then $200, $500, $1000, "and then it will get ugly."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, May 21, 2009
IL Legislature to Pass Same-sex Unions - Gov. Will Sign
The Illinois House and Senate are reportedly poised to hide a homosexual civil unions measure in a "shell bill" and pass it within hours to thwart a citizen uprising.
Illinois residents, click here to E-mail your legislator to vote NO on any bill with civil unions included.
UPDATE 6/2/09: How the well-funded gay lobby was defeated by IL grassroots
UPDATE 6/1/09: Bill not brought to a vote in House; awaits reconvening of legislature
UPDATE 5/30/09: Chicago Tribune report [opinion piece] on religious aspect
UPDATE 5/29/09: SB 1716 has passed the Senate; vote in House over the weekend
UPDATE 5/28/09: Vote expected today
UPDATE 5/27/09: Chicago Tribune reports civil unions bill in House
UPDATE 5/26/09: House committee approves civil unions in SB 1716 "shell bill"
-- From "Illinois poised to approve civil unions" by Chris Johnson, Washington Blade 5/21/09
The Illinois General Assembly is expected to approve a measure next week that would legalize civil unions, according to an LGBT activist.
Rick Garcia, [homosexual activist and] political director for Equality Illinois, said [today] he's "absolutely" expecting the full state House and the Senate to pass a civil union measure either Tuesday or Wednesday. The bill has support from Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D).
The House Youth and Family Committee, chaired by Rep. Greg Harris, who's gay, intends to attach an amendment legalizing civil unions to a "shell bill" that's already been approved by the Senate, Garcia said. If the full House votes in favor of the legislation, the bill would be sent to the full Senate within hours for a vote of concurrence.
Garcia said Illinois lawmakers often use "shell bills" to pass legislation expediently. He said it's necessary to legalize civil unions through this method because the legislative session ends May 30 and the approach limits the time that opponents of civil unions can lobby lawmakers.
"We get it out of the House and then senators only have a few hours of being beat up by our opponents rather than three days or a long weekend," he said. "Since there is a perfectly legitimate way of doing it in one day, that's what we're going to do."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Illinois residents, click here to E-mail your legislator to vote NO on any bill with civil unions included.
UPDATE 6/2/09: How the well-funded gay lobby was defeated by IL grassroots
UPDATE 6/1/09: Bill not brought to a vote in House; awaits reconvening of legislature
UPDATE 5/30/09: Chicago Tribune report [opinion piece] on religious aspect
UPDATE 5/29/09: SB 1716 has passed the Senate; vote in House over the weekend
UPDATE 5/28/09: Vote expected today
UPDATE 5/27/09: Chicago Tribune reports civil unions bill in House
UPDATE 5/26/09: House committee approves civil unions in SB 1716 "shell bill"
-- From "Illinois poised to approve civil unions" by Chris Johnson, Washington Blade 5/21/09
The Illinois General Assembly is expected to approve a measure next week that would legalize civil unions, according to an LGBT activist.
Rick Garcia, [homosexual activist and] political director for Equality Illinois, said [today] he's "absolutely" expecting the full state House and the Senate to pass a civil union measure either Tuesday or Wednesday. The bill has support from Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn (D).
The House Youth and Family Committee, chaired by Rep. Greg Harris, who's gay, intends to attach an amendment legalizing civil unions to a "shell bill" that's already been approved by the Senate, Garcia said. If the full House votes in favor of the legislation, the bill would be sent to the full Senate within hours for a vote of concurrence.
Garcia said Illinois lawmakers often use "shell bills" to pass legislation expediently. He said it's necessary to legalize civil unions through this method because the legislative session ends May 30 and the approach limits the time that opponents of civil unions can lobby lawmakers.
"We get it out of the House and then senators only have a few hours of being beat up by our opponents rather than three days or a long weekend," he said. "Since there is a perfectly legitimate way of doing it in one day, that's what we're going to do."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Illinois Schools Consider Children's Recommendation for Sex Instruction
Illinois statewide Student Advisory Council recommends a change to sex education from abstinence-only to "the real deal"
Video courtesy FOX 32 Chicago
-- From "Teens urge teaching sex ed" by Rosalind Rossi, Chicago Sun-Time Education Reporter 5/20/09
Under current Illinois law, public schools are not required to teach sex ed, but if they do, they must stress abstinence as the preferred option until marriage.
However, in a PowerPoint presentation titled "Sex Education: The Real Deal," a state-appointed teen panel cites one 2007 survey that found nearly half of Illinois high school students reported having had sexual intercourse.
Other state data show the rate of Illinois teen births and at least two sexually transmitted diseases have risen since 2005 -- just as federal funding for abstinence-only classes has been ballooning.
The Student Advisory Council concludes that "abstinence-only is not working, so Illinois needs to take a stand and help our youth." The group wants sex ed to be mandatory and cover sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptive options.
The group's recommendation . . . unveiled today before a State Board of Education committee, comes just as President Obama proposes canceling all federal spending -- $95 million nationwide last year -- for abstinence-only programs. Obama would instead pump $110 million into teen pregnancy prevention programs, which could include abstinence-only curriculums, a federal Office of Management and Budget spokesman said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Video courtesy FOX 32 Chicago
-- From "Teens urge teaching sex ed" by Rosalind Rossi, Chicago Sun-Time Education Reporter 5/20/09
Under current Illinois law, public schools are not required to teach sex ed, but if they do, they must stress abstinence as the preferred option until marriage.
However, in a PowerPoint presentation titled "Sex Education: The Real Deal," a state-appointed teen panel cites one 2007 survey that found nearly half of Illinois high school students reported having had sexual intercourse.
Other state data show the rate of Illinois teen births and at least two sexually transmitted diseases have risen since 2005 -- just as federal funding for abstinence-only classes has been ballooning.
The Student Advisory Council concludes that "abstinence-only is not working, so Illinois needs to take a stand and help our youth." The group wants sex ed to be mandatory and cover sexually transmitted diseases and contraceptive options.
The group's recommendation . . . unveiled today before a State Board of Education committee, comes just as President Obama proposes canceling all federal spending -- $95 million nationwide last year -- for abstinence-only programs. Obama would instead pump $110 million into teen pregnancy prevention programs, which could include abstinence-only curriculums, a federal Office of Management and Budget spokesman said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Supreme Court to Decide Freedom of Religion Cases
Onslaught of legal attacks by ACLU and homosexualists on religious liberty of Christians from the Boy Scouts to American veterans
UPDATE 9/17/09: Supreme Court decides to hear case
-- From "Ninth Circuit Stays Appeal Over Use of City Land for Scout Camp" by Metropolitan News-Enterprise Staff Writer 5/18/09
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Friday stayed an appeal in a years-long dispute over whether the [California] state Constitution allows public land to be leased to organizations that discriminate on the basis of religion or sexual orientation.
A three-judge panel . . . said it would await action by the U.S. Supreme Court before Barnes-Wallace v. City of San Diego, 04-55732, can go forward.
The plaintiffs, who identify themselves as being agnostic or gay, want to evict the Desert Pacific Council of the Boy Scouts of America from Camp Balboa in San Diego’s Balboa Park and the Youth Aquatic Center on Fiesta Island, also in San Diego, for which the scouts pay nominal rent to the city.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Lesbians look to boot Boy Scouts from own facilities" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 5/6/09
The case involves a series of projects by the Boy Scouts of America in San Diego. The private organization has provided millions of dollars in improvements to public facilities in exchange for their use but faces being banned because homosexuals and lesbians who never even were exposed to the work claimed their feelings were hurt.
The organization has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and now two major public interest law firms have joined them in their request.
"Radical homosexuals are attempting to use every means possible to destroy the Scouts despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that recognized their First Amendment right to have a morally-based policy excluding homosexual involvement," said Richard Thompson, president of the Thomas More Law Center, which worked with the the Alliance Defense Fund on the friend-of-the-court brief.
At issue in the case are leases from the city of San Diego allowing the San Diego Boy Scouts to build and operate campgrounds and an aquatic center on city property for their use and the public's.
. . . "There were no religious symbols at the facilities."
. . . Thomas More Law Center and Alliance Defense Fund lawyers . . . argue the court's "permission ideological standing rule" now creates a new threat to faith-based organizations that choose to cooperate with the government in establishing public benefit programs by subjecting them to lawsuits from people who never even "observed" anything.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Christian cross complaint targets nation's faith factor" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 5/21/09
A cross erected in the remote Arizona desert by U.S. veterans in memory of their lost World War I buddies has become the focal point for an effort by the American Civil Liberties Union to eradicate references to Christianity from America's heritage.
. . . the attack on the cross in the desert . . . now needs a favorable ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court or faces demolition.
The Mojave Desert Memorial Cross has stood for more than 75 years in honor of America's lost soldiers. It was erected in 1934 by World War I veterans who saw the image of a doughboy in the shadows on the stone hillside and wanted a place to remember their lost trench-mates from the big war.
But the ACLU, representing a man from Oregon who has alleged he might drive on the desert road in Arizona and might be offended by the cross, has won lower court rulings that the cross must cease to exist.
The cross was covered in a bag when the court's ruling was released, and later encased in a plywood box so that no one could inadvertently see the representation of Christianity, officials said.
Attorneys with the Liberty Legal Institute, which calls the case a "microcosm" of the trend of hostility towards veterans' memorials in the U.S, say the impact will reach many more memorials than just the one in Arizona.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 9/17/09: Supreme Court decides to hear case
-- From "Ninth Circuit Stays Appeal Over Use of City Land for Scout Camp" by Metropolitan News-Enterprise Staff Writer 5/18/09
The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals Friday stayed an appeal in a years-long dispute over whether the [California] state Constitution allows public land to be leased to organizations that discriminate on the basis of religion or sexual orientation.
A three-judge panel . . . said it would await action by the U.S. Supreme Court before Barnes-Wallace v. City of San Diego, 04-55732, can go forward.
The plaintiffs, who identify themselves as being agnostic or gay, want to evict the Desert Pacific Council of the Boy Scouts of America from Camp Balboa in San Diego’s Balboa Park and the Youth Aquatic Center on Fiesta Island, also in San Diego, for which the scouts pay nominal rent to the city.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Lesbians look to boot Boy Scouts from own facilities" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 5/6/09
The case involves a series of projects by the Boy Scouts of America in San Diego. The private organization has provided millions of dollars in improvements to public facilities in exchange for their use but faces being banned because homosexuals and lesbians who never even were exposed to the work claimed their feelings were hurt.
The organization has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to overturn the decision from the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, and now two major public interest law firms have joined them in their request.
"Radical homosexuals are attempting to use every means possible to destroy the Scouts despite a recent U.S. Supreme Court decision that recognized their First Amendment right to have a morally-based policy excluding homosexual involvement," said Richard Thompson, president of the Thomas More Law Center, which worked with the the Alliance Defense Fund on the friend-of-the-court brief.
At issue in the case are leases from the city of San Diego allowing the San Diego Boy Scouts to build and operate campgrounds and an aquatic center on city property for their use and the public's.
. . . "There were no religious symbols at the facilities."
. . . Thomas More Law Center and Alliance Defense Fund lawyers . . . argue the court's "permission ideological standing rule" now creates a new threat to faith-based organizations that choose to cooperate with the government in establishing public benefit programs by subjecting them to lawsuits from people who never even "observed" anything.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Christian cross complaint targets nation's faith factor" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 5/21/09
A cross erected in the remote Arizona desert by U.S. veterans in memory of their lost World War I buddies has become the focal point for an effort by the American Civil Liberties Union to eradicate references to Christianity from America's heritage.
. . . the attack on the cross in the desert . . . now needs a favorable ruling from the U.S. Supreme Court or faces demolition.
The Mojave Desert Memorial Cross has stood for more than 75 years in honor of America's lost soldiers. It was erected in 1934 by World War I veterans who saw the image of a doughboy in the shadows on the stone hillside and wanted a place to remember their lost trench-mates from the big war.
But the ACLU, representing a man from Oregon who has alleged he might drive on the desert road in Arizona and might be offended by the cross, has won lower court rulings that the cross must cease to exist.
The cross was covered in a bag when the court's ruling was released, and later encased in a plywood box so that no one could inadvertently see the representation of Christianity, officials said.
Attorneys with the Liberty Legal Institute, which calls the case a "microcosm" of the trend of hostility towards veterans' memorials in the U.S, say the impact will reach many more memorials than just the one in Arizona.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
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