Hearings in the house began today on H.R. 3017 (Employment Non-discrimination Act) with nearly 200 co-sponsors (six Republicans -- including Illinois Reps. Judy Biggert and Mark Kirk).
The liberals want to sneak this past the public, and so compliantly, the mainstream media is remaining silent.
UPDATE 9/28/09: Video of the House hearings (click to view playlist)
-- From "Homosexual Rights Supporters Seek Anti-Bias Bill" by Sam Hananel, Associated Press 9/23/09
Two openly gay members of Congress on Wednesday urged their colleagues to pass a sweeping job discrimination bill that would - for the first time - protect gays and transsexuals from workplace bias.
The testimony from Reps. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and Tammy Baldwin, D-Wis., comes as supporters of the measure believe Congress is closer than ever to banning discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation.
Opponents complain some of the bill's language is too murky. It offers protection based on "perceived" sexual orientation and for workers who have "undergone" or are "undergoing" gender transition without defining those terms.
The House passed a similar bill two years ago - without protections for transgender workers - but it stalled in the Senate and faced the possibility of a veto from President George W. Bush. This time, President Barack Obama supports the bill.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "House Committee Hears Arguments for Special Rights" by Stuart Shepard, Citizenlink.com Digital Media Director (Focus on the Family) 9/23/09
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) would bar employers from making decisions based on the "actual or perceived" sexual orientation or gender identity of employees or job applicants.
Stuart Ishimaru, acting chairman of the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, testified before the House Education and Labor Committee today.
Only one conservative voice was allowed on the panel: Craig Parshall, senior vice president and general counsel of National Religious Broadcasters.
"ENDA, if passed into law would impose a substantial and crippling burden on religious organizations," he said. "In the cases I reviewed recently where there's a clash between homosexual rights -- sexual orientation being protected under discrimination laws on one hand and Christian religious liberties on the other -- Christian liberties lose and the homosexual rights win."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, September 23, 2009
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Obama White House Advises 'Green' Abortions
President Obama's science czar, John Holdren: "Compulsory control of family size is an unpalatable idea, but the alternatives may be much more horrifying."
UPDATE 1/23/14: President Obama Praises Abortion on Roe 41st Anniversary
UPDATE 1/28/14: Secret ObamaCare Abortion Fees Make President Obama a Liar
UPDATE 4/27/13: President Obama Asks God to Bless Planned Parenthood
UPDATE 4/2/12: President Obama Makes New Promise to Fund Killing Babies
UPDATE 3/3/12: To Cut Costs, Lower Birth Rate, Says White House
-- From "Obama science chief: Abortion can save planet" by Jerome R. Corsi © 2009 WorldNetDaily 9/21/09
Despite the claims of some media watchdogs, President Obama's science czar contended in a textbook he co-authored that involuntary birth-control measures, including forced sterilization, may be necessary and morally acceptable under certain conditions, such as widespread famine brought about by "climate change."
[Holdren's textbook "Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment"], last revised in a 1977 edition, was co-authored with Malthusian population alarmist Paul R. Ehrlich and Ehrlich's wife, Anne.
The authors also advocated abortion as an acceptable form of population control and proposed that the best survival strategy for a pregnant woman is to abort her baby.
"When performed today under appropriate medical circumstances by a qualified physician … abortion is much safer than a full-term pregnancy," Holdren and the Ehrlichs wrote.
Instead of publishing a new edition now that Holdren has risen to the position of White House science czar, Holdren and his White House supporters have tried to distance him from the views expressed in the book, arguing it is now more than three decades old.
Moreover, a statement released by the White House argued that while the textbook discussed compulsory methods of population control, including forced abortion and sterilization, the Ehrlichs and Holdren never advocated involuntary birth control but preferred milder, voluntary population control measures.
A close reading of "Ecoscience," however, shows the authors clearly stated their acceptance of abortion as an effective population-control technique.
"An abortion is clearly preferable to adding one more child to an overburdened family or an overburdened society, where the chances that it will realize its potential are slight," Holdren and the Erhlichs argued on page 760 of the 1977 edition of "Ecoscience."
"There is little question that legalized abortion can contribute to a reduction in birth rates," the authors wrote on page 761. "Liberalization of abortion policies in those countries where it is still largely or entirely illegal is therefore justifiable both on humanitarian and health grounds and as an aid to population control."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "GOP Congressmen Say Science ‘Czar’ Should Explain His Views" by Christopher Neefus, CNSNews.com 9/21/09
White House science adviser John Holdren should return to Congress to explain his views, including his notion that a baby that has already been born might “ultimately” become a human being if given the proper resources.
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) told CNSNews.com that the “science czar” should “absolutely” come back to explain his views, and more than a dozen other GOP congressmen nodded in agreement.
Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), co-authored the books “Human Ecology: Problems and Solutions” (1973) and “Ecoscience” (1977) with Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich, renowned population control advocates.
In the former, published by W.H. Freeman Company, Holdren and his coauthors said a born baby might “ultimately develop into a human being.”
In Chapter 8 of the book, called “Population Limitation,” the three argued for legalized abortion as a means of keeping the global population in check. In that context, they wrote: “The fetus, given the opportunity to develop properly before birth, and given the essential early socializing experiences and sufficient nourishing food during the crucial early years after birth, will ultimately develop into a human being.”
The Senate confirmed Holdren for his position in April, but no senators questioned him about his views on when a baby becomes a person.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
The following is an excerpt from many interesting comments by John Holdren -- click here for more from Holdren.
“Individual rights must be balanced against the power of the government to control human reproduction. . . . neither the Declaration of Independence nor the Constitution mentions a right to reproduce. Where the society has a 'compelling, subordinating interest' in regulating population size, the right of the individual may be curtailed. Why should the law not be able to prevent a person from having more than two children?”
Take note of the world-wide chorus: Click here and follow the trail of embedded links.
UPDATE 1/23/14: President Obama Praises Abortion on Roe 41st Anniversary
UPDATE 1/28/14: Secret ObamaCare Abortion Fees Make President Obama a Liar
UPDATE 4/27/13: President Obama Asks God to Bless Planned Parenthood
UPDATE 4/2/12: President Obama Makes New Promise to Fund Killing Babies
UPDATE 3/3/12: To Cut Costs, Lower Birth Rate, Says White House
-- From "Obama science chief: Abortion can save planet" by Jerome R. Corsi © 2009 WorldNetDaily 9/21/09
Despite the claims of some media watchdogs, President Obama's science czar contended in a textbook he co-authored that involuntary birth-control measures, including forced sterilization, may be necessary and morally acceptable under certain conditions, such as widespread famine brought about by "climate change."
[Holdren's textbook "Ecoscience: Population, Resources, Environment"], last revised in a 1977 edition, was co-authored with Malthusian population alarmist Paul R. Ehrlich and Ehrlich's wife, Anne.
The authors also advocated abortion as an acceptable form of population control and proposed that the best survival strategy for a pregnant woman is to abort her baby.
"When performed today under appropriate medical circumstances by a qualified physician … abortion is much safer than a full-term pregnancy," Holdren and the Ehrlichs wrote.
Instead of publishing a new edition now that Holdren has risen to the position of White House science czar, Holdren and his White House supporters have tried to distance him from the views expressed in the book, arguing it is now more than three decades old.
Moreover, a statement released by the White House argued that while the textbook discussed compulsory methods of population control, including forced abortion and sterilization, the Ehrlichs and Holdren never advocated involuntary birth control but preferred milder, voluntary population control measures.
A close reading of "Ecoscience," however, shows the authors clearly stated their acceptance of abortion as an effective population-control technique.
"An abortion is clearly preferable to adding one more child to an overburdened family or an overburdened society, where the chances that it will realize its potential are slight," Holdren and the Erhlichs argued on page 760 of the 1977 edition of "Ecoscience."
"There is little question that legalized abortion can contribute to a reduction in birth rates," the authors wrote on page 761. "Liberalization of abortion policies in those countries where it is still largely or entirely illegal is therefore justifiable both on humanitarian and health grounds and as an aid to population control."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "GOP Congressmen Say Science ‘Czar’ Should Explain His Views" by Christopher Neefus, CNSNews.com 9/21/09
White House science adviser John Holdren should return to Congress to explain his views, including his notion that a baby that has already been born might “ultimately” become a human being if given the proper resources.
Rep. Jack Kingston (R-Ga.) told CNSNews.com that the “science czar” should “absolutely” come back to explain his views, and more than a dozen other GOP congressmen nodded in agreement.
Holdren, director of the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP), co-authored the books “Human Ecology: Problems and Solutions” (1973) and “Ecoscience” (1977) with Paul R. Ehrlich and Anne H. Ehrlich, renowned population control advocates.
In the former, published by W.H. Freeman Company, Holdren and his coauthors said a born baby might “ultimately develop into a human being.”
In Chapter 8 of the book, called “Population Limitation,” the three argued for legalized abortion as a means of keeping the global population in check. In that context, they wrote: “The fetus, given the opportunity to develop properly before birth, and given the essential early socializing experiences and sufficient nourishing food during the crucial early years after birth, will ultimately develop into a human being.”
The Senate confirmed Holdren for his position in April, but no senators questioned him about his views on when a baby becomes a person.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
The following is an excerpt from many interesting comments by John Holdren -- click here for more from Holdren.
“Individual rights must be balanced against the power of the government to control human reproduction. . . . neither the Declaration of Independence nor the Constitution mentions a right to reproduce. Where the society has a 'compelling, subordinating interest' in regulating population size, the right of the individual may be curtailed. Why should the law not be able to prevent a person from having more than two children?”
Take note of the world-wide chorus: Click here and follow the trail of embedded links.
Secularists Revel in Aspirations of an Atheist America
Profile of the No Religion Population, to be released today by Trinity College (sic), finds this faith-free group already includes nearly 19% of U.S. men and 12% of women. Of these, 35% say they were Catholic at age 12.
-- From "People with 'no religion' gaining on major denominations" by Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY 9/22/09
Americans who don't identify with any religion are now 15% of the USA, but trends in a new study shows they could one day surpass the nation's largest denominations — including Catholics, now 24% of the nation.
But if Nones [those claiming no religion], now 22% of all adults ages 18 to 29, continue to gain among young adults, to draw more people "switching out" from denominations and to replace more religious older people, researchers forecast one in five Americans will be Nones in 20 years.
[Lead researcher Barry] Kosmin and Ariela Keysar of Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., directed three editions of the American Religious Identification Survey over 18 years.
"There are so many misconceptions about who the Nones are. They're not New Age searchers or spiritual or even hardened atheists," says Kosmin.
"They're a stew of agnostics, deists and rationalists. They sound more like Thomas Jefferson and Tom Paine. Their very interesting enlightenment approach is like the Founding Fathers' kind: Skeptical about organized religion and clerics while still holding to an idea of God."
"Nones are not a fringe group anymore and are now part of Middle America. They're present in every socio-demographic group, Keysar concludes in their report.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Note the above deception -- claiming that America's founders were not Christian, and that non-christian-ness continues today as "Middle America."
-- From "People with 'no religion' gaining on major denominations" by Cathy Lynn Grossman, USA TODAY 9/22/09
Americans who don't identify with any religion are now 15% of the USA, but trends in a new study shows they could one day surpass the nation's largest denominations — including Catholics, now 24% of the nation.
But if Nones [those claiming no religion], now 22% of all adults ages 18 to 29, continue to gain among young adults, to draw more people "switching out" from denominations and to replace more religious older people, researchers forecast one in five Americans will be Nones in 20 years.
[Lead researcher Barry] Kosmin and Ariela Keysar of Trinity College, Hartford, Conn., directed three editions of the American Religious Identification Survey over 18 years.
"There are so many misconceptions about who the Nones are. They're not New Age searchers or spiritual or even hardened atheists," says Kosmin.
"They're a stew of agnostics, deists and rationalists. They sound more like Thomas Jefferson and Tom Paine. Their very interesting enlightenment approach is like the Founding Fathers' kind: Skeptical about organized religion and clerics while still holding to an idea of God."
"Nones are not a fringe group anymore and are now part of Middle America. They're present in every socio-demographic group, Keysar concludes in their report.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Note the above deception -- claiming that America's founders were not Christian, and that non-christian-ness continues today as "Middle America."
Monday, September 21, 2009
Homosexual Training Videos Infiltrate Schools
Hundreds of public schools will show LGBT anti-christian videos -- Homosexual advocacy organization advises schools how to skirt parental consent laws
Update 10/1/09 from Fox News
-- From "'Gay' curriculum challenges students' faith" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 9/19/09
A homosexual advocacy initiative claims that over 250 California schools have registered to show their students a curriculum of films that encourages teens to rethink their sexuality, society and even religion.
The curriculum includes videos made by a San Francisco group calling itself "the best in LGBT media," and includes a clip in which a boy "comes out" by wearing his mother's bikini and another that uses Native American spirituality to depict bisexual individuals as "two-spirit" people.
The accompanying discussion guides also encourage students to evaluate their religious traditions based on whether they encourage "choice" in sexuality or "reinforce gender expectations."
The program, called "Youth in Motion: Empowering students through LGBTQ film," is a joint effort between the Gay-Straight Alliance Network and Frameline, which describes itself as a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender media arts.
"School districts in California cannot require parental consent for films that include mention of LGBT people or issues," the curriculum's website boasts, "only instruction or materials that explicitly mentions human reproductive organs and their functions fall under consent laws for sex education."
To read entire article, CLICK HERE.
Update 10/1/09 from Fox News
-- From "'Gay' curriculum challenges students' faith" by Drew Zahn © 2009 WorldNetDaily 9/19/09
A homosexual advocacy initiative claims that over 250 California schools have registered to show their students a curriculum of films that encourages teens to rethink their sexuality, society and even religion.
The curriculum includes videos made by a San Francisco group calling itself "the best in LGBT media," and includes a clip in which a boy "comes out" by wearing his mother's bikini and another that uses Native American spirituality to depict bisexual individuals as "two-spirit" people.
The accompanying discussion guides also encourage students to evaluate their religious traditions based on whether they encourage "choice" in sexuality or "reinforce gender expectations."
The program, called "Youth in Motion: Empowering students through LGBTQ film," is a joint effort between the Gay-Straight Alliance Network and Frameline, which describes itself as a nonprofit organization dedicated to the promotion of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender media arts.
"School districts in California cannot require parental consent for films that include mention of LGBT people or issues," the curriculum's website boasts, "only instruction or materials that explicitly mentions human reproductive organs and their functions fall under consent laws for sex education."
To read entire article, CLICK HERE.
New 12-year-old Girl in School WAS a Boy
"Sex swap"... lad arrived at school after summer holidays in a dress with long hair in pigtails -- Fellow students tearful, parents OK with sex change, but angry over absence of advance notice
-- From "Boy, 12, turns into girl" by Brian Flynn and Virginia Wheeler, The Sun (UK) 9/18/09
Teachers called an emergency assembly to order fellow pupils to treat him as female.
The lad, whose parents have changed his name to a girl's by deed poll, arrived in a dress with long hair in ribboned pigtails. He is preparing for sex-swap surgery.
[Parents] said the head teacher should have informed them in advance of the "sex change" so they could prepare their sons and daughters and inform them about gender issues.
They added that the school's failure to do so had left the boy to suffer cruel taunts and bullying.
It is understood he hoped his transformation would go unnoticed as he was starting secondary education and children stepping up from other primary schools would not recognise him.
But his former classmates at primary level DID spot the difference - and quickly
spread the word.
The 1,000-pupil school, in southern England, has given the lad a separate toilet and changing room in the sports hall.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Boy, 12, turns into girl" by Brian Flynn and Virginia Wheeler, The Sun (UK) 9/18/09
Teachers called an emergency assembly to order fellow pupils to treat him as female.
The lad, whose parents have changed his name to a girl's by deed poll, arrived in a dress with long hair in ribboned pigtails. He is preparing for sex-swap surgery.
[Parents] said the head teacher should have informed them in advance of the "sex change" so they could prepare their sons and daughters and inform them about gender issues.
They added that the school's failure to do so had left the boy to suffer cruel taunts and bullying.
It is understood he hoped his transformation would go unnoticed as he was starting secondary education and children stepping up from other primary schools would not recognise him.
But his former classmates at primary level DID spot the difference - and quickly
spread the word.
The 1,000-pupil school, in southern England, has given the lad a separate toilet and changing room in the sports hall.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Texas Educators: Christmas Still Exists
Citizens complained after 'experts' recommended replacing Christmas with teaching of Diwali (Hindu/Buddhist), so the Texas State Board of Education announced that social studies textbooks will continue to include mention of Christmas.
-- From "Board decides to keep Christmas in textbooks" by Gary Scharrer, Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau 9/18/09
The board will not approve the new curriculum standards for public schools until next year, but wanted to assure constituents they will not accept a recommendation to yank Christmas.
The board met with consultants and educators appointed to develop new curriculum standards for textbooks covering history, government, sociology, economics and geography for the next decade.
Board members also signaled their intent to restore Rosh Hashanah as an example of a Jewish observance, in addition to Yom Kippur.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Board decides to keep Christmas in textbooks" by Gary Scharrer, Houston Chronicle Austin Bureau 9/18/09
The board will not approve the new curriculum standards for public schools until next year, but wanted to assure constituents they will not accept a recommendation to yank Christmas.
The board met with consultants and educators appointed to develop new curriculum standards for textbooks covering history, government, sociology, economics and geography for the next decade.
Board members also signaled their intent to restore Rosh Hashanah as an example of a Jewish observance, in addition to Yom Kippur.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
World Health Organization: Earth's Enemy is Too Many Babies
Despite declining populations around the world, environmental globalists continue the drumbeat for birth control claiming that additional humans harm the planet Earth.
-- From "Birth control 'could combat climate change'" by Kate Kelland in London for Reuters 9/19/09
Contraception advice is crucial to poor countries' battle with climate change, and policy makers are failing their people if they continue to shy away from the issue, a leading family planning expert said.
Leo Bryant, a lead researcher on a World Health Organisation study on population growth and climate change, said the stigma attached to birth control in both developing and developed countries was hindering vital progress.
"We are certainly not advocating that governments should start telling people how many children they can have," said Mr Bryant, an advocacy manager at the family planning group Marie Stopes International, who wrote a commentary in the Lancet medical journal.
In most countries with good access to birth control, average family sizes shrink dramatically within a generation, he said.
"The ability to choose your family size...is a fundamental human right. But lack of access to family planning means millions of people in developing countries don't have that right," Mr Bryant said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Birth control 'could combat climate change'" by Kate Kelland in London for Reuters 9/19/09
Contraception advice is crucial to poor countries' battle with climate change, and policy makers are failing their people if they continue to shy away from the issue, a leading family planning expert said.
Leo Bryant, a lead researcher on a World Health Organisation study on population growth and climate change, said the stigma attached to birth control in both developing and developed countries was hindering vital progress.
"We are certainly not advocating that governments should start telling people how many children they can have," said Mr Bryant, an advocacy manager at the family planning group Marie Stopes International, who wrote a commentary in the Lancet medical journal.
In most countries with good access to birth control, average family sizes shrink dramatically within a generation, he said.
"The ability to choose your family size...is a fundamental human right. But lack of access to family planning means millions of people in developing countries don't have that right," Mr Bryant said.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, September 19, 2009
Calif. Teachers Pull Down Over $100K Pensions
The recession is exposing excessive government programs throughout the U.S. at federal, state and local levels.
Teachers in metro areas across the nation receive salaries and pensions that dwarf most every profession -- not the story in many of America's rural schools.
-- From "3,000 retired educators take home 6-figure pensions" by Tony Saavedra and Jennifer Muir, The Orange County Register 9/18/09
Retired Capistrano Unified School District Superintendent James A. Fleming collects $141,331 a year in California state teacher retirement funds, on top of the $64,068 pension he collects from working 27 years in Florida.
Fleming is one of 3,090 educators in the California State Teachers' Retirement System who make at least $100,000 a year in taxpayer-guaranteed public pensions, according to a CalSTRS database obtained under the state Public Records Act. Most of the highly paid pensioners are superintendents and other district administrators. And some are pulling salaries from other jobs or pensions in other states.
In contrast, the average STRS pension is just $36,252, according to June 2008 figures, the most recent available. Of the 196,000 retirees, only 1.6 percent receive $100,000 or more, but they account for 5 percent of the $8 billion yearly payout. The average retiree in 2008 had 29 years of service.
Large public pensions have come under fire in recent months as state and local governments sag under the weight of runaway spending and a tanking economy. Like the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the teachers’ retirement system is running into trouble as workers retire to larger pensions that are increasingly difficult to fund.
While the average state teachers’ system pensioner collects $36,252, educators retiring last year did so to an average pension of $51,948. Officials calculate that the system will face a $23 billion funding gap by 2039.
Consider James C. Enochs, the highest paid pensioner in the STRS system, at $285,460.
Another member of the "100,000-plus" club, former Orange Unified School District Superintendent Thomas Godley collects $210,211 a year.
To read the lengthy list of stats, CLICK HERE.
Teachers in metro areas across the nation receive salaries and pensions that dwarf most every profession -- not the story in many of America's rural schools.
-- From "3,000 retired educators take home 6-figure pensions" by Tony Saavedra and Jennifer Muir, The Orange County Register 9/18/09
Retired Capistrano Unified School District Superintendent James A. Fleming collects $141,331 a year in California state teacher retirement funds, on top of the $64,068 pension he collects from working 27 years in Florida.
Fleming is one of 3,090 educators in the California State Teachers' Retirement System who make at least $100,000 a year in taxpayer-guaranteed public pensions, according to a CalSTRS database obtained under the state Public Records Act. Most of the highly paid pensioners are superintendents and other district administrators. And some are pulling salaries from other jobs or pensions in other states.
In contrast, the average STRS pension is just $36,252, according to June 2008 figures, the most recent available. Of the 196,000 retirees, only 1.6 percent receive $100,000 or more, but they account for 5 percent of the $8 billion yearly payout. The average retiree in 2008 had 29 years of service.
Large public pensions have come under fire in recent months as state and local governments sag under the weight of runaway spending and a tanking economy. Like the California Public Employees’ Retirement System, the teachers’ retirement system is running into trouble as workers retire to larger pensions that are increasingly difficult to fund.
While the average state teachers’ system pensioner collects $36,252, educators retiring last year did so to an average pension of $51,948. Officials calculate that the system will face a $23 billion funding gap by 2039.
Consider James C. Enochs, the highest paid pensioner in the STRS system, at $285,460.
Another member of the "100,000-plus" club, former Orange Unified School District Superintendent Thomas Godley collects $210,211 a year.
To read the lengthy list of stats, CLICK HERE.
Friday, September 18, 2009
Acceptance of Bestiality Visible on the Horizon
Being a "zoophile" in modern American society . . . is "like being gay in the 1950s. You feel like you have to hide, that if you say it out loud, people will look at you like a freak."
UPDATE 10/16/13: Arizona School OKs Teacher -- Pedophilia, Bestiality
UPDATE 10/12/11: Federal Health Official Arrested for Bestiality
UPDATE 12/1/11: Democrat Senate Legalizes Bestiality in Military
UPDATE 8/3/12: Wrigley Sells Candy to Kids Using Bestiality
UPDATE 2/7/10: Socialist Government Schools Teach Bestiality
UPDATE 3/19/11: Bestiality -- Tolerance for This Also?
-- From "Zoophiles love and have sex with animals. Will the world ever accept them?" by Thomas Francis, Miami New Times 8/20/09
Cody Beck . . . an 18-year-old from Arizona who graduated from high school this past year . . . believes he and other members of this minority sexual orientation, who often call themselves "zoos," can follow the same path as the gay rights movement. Most researchers believe 2 to 8 percent of the population harbors forbidden desires toward animals, and Beck hopes this minority group can begin appealing to the open-minded for acceptance.
But if those like Beck are to make the same gains as gays, it's apparent they will have to do so without the help of gay rights groups, which so far want nothing to do with a zoophile movement. What's more, they will have to wage battle with well-funded and politically connected animal-protection activists.
As cave drawings will attest, there's a carnal desire in some humans to lie with beasts. And though many civilizations have tried, none has been able to eradicate it, much to the frustration of organizations such as the Humane Society.
Cody Beck, the Arizona zoophile who came out to his friends, was 12 then and had only just come to realize he was a zoophile. In the years since, he's been thrilled by how activists' efforts have broadened minds about what qualifies as moral, socially acceptable sex. He recognizes the exciting implications it might have for zoophiles like him. But he's crushed by the gay rights movement's rejection of zoophilia as a similarly legitimate orientation.
Beck believes these are expressions of fear that are natural in the early moments of revolution. "That's the story throughout history," he says. "People don't want to stand up for anything, because they don't want to get hurt." He draws some of his own strength from the recent movie Milk, in which Sean Penn plays the nation's first openly gay elected official, San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk. "If we all stand up at once, we'll share the load. What's the point of living if we have to hide who we are?"
. . . zoophiles might yet prove the new frontier in the battle for sexual civil rights.
To read all of this extremely lengthy article, CLICK HERE.
"This is not a fetish . . . It's an orientation, a lifestyle."UPDATE 6/11/16: Supreme Court Legalizes Sex With Animals in Canada
"God is more concerned with how we treat others than what sex we have."
UPDATE 10/16/13: Arizona School OKs Teacher -- Pedophilia, Bestiality
UPDATE 10/12/11: Federal Health Official Arrested for Bestiality
UPDATE 12/1/11: Democrat Senate Legalizes Bestiality in Military
UPDATE 8/3/12: Wrigley Sells Candy to Kids Using Bestiality
UPDATE 2/7/10: Socialist Government Schools Teach Bestiality
UPDATE 3/19/11: Bestiality -- Tolerance for This Also?
-- From "Zoophiles love and have sex with animals. Will the world ever accept them?" by Thomas Francis, Miami New Times 8/20/09
Cody Beck . . . an 18-year-old from Arizona who graduated from high school this past year . . . believes he and other members of this minority sexual orientation, who often call themselves "zoos," can follow the same path as the gay rights movement. Most researchers believe 2 to 8 percent of the population harbors forbidden desires toward animals, and Beck hopes this minority group can begin appealing to the open-minded for acceptance.
But if those like Beck are to make the same gains as gays, it's apparent they will have to do so without the help of gay rights groups, which so far want nothing to do with a zoophile movement. What's more, they will have to wage battle with well-funded and politically connected animal-protection activists.
As cave drawings will attest, there's a carnal desire in some humans to lie with beasts. And though many civilizations have tried, none has been able to eradicate it, much to the frustration of organizations such as the Humane Society.
Cody Beck, the Arizona zoophile who came out to his friends, was 12 then and had only just come to realize he was a zoophile. In the years since, he's been thrilled by how activists' efforts have broadened minds about what qualifies as moral, socially acceptable sex. He recognizes the exciting implications it might have for zoophiles like him. But he's crushed by the gay rights movement's rejection of zoophilia as a similarly legitimate orientation.
Beck believes these are expressions of fear that are natural in the early moments of revolution. "That's the story throughout history," he says. "People don't want to stand up for anything, because they don't want to get hurt." He draws some of his own strength from the recent movie Milk, in which Sean Penn plays the nation's first openly gay elected official, San Francisco City Supervisor Harvey Milk. "If we all stand up at once, we'll share the load. What's the point of living if we have to hide who we are?"
. . . zoophiles might yet prove the new frontier in the battle for sexual civil rights.
To read all of this extremely lengthy article, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Abortion Funding: Democrat Appears to Say Obama is Lying
Congressman Bart Stupek, a pro-life Democrat from Michigan, in a TV interview said that President Obama's assurances that no federal funding of abortion is part of health care legislation "is just not true" and that he is "disappointed" that the President continues to make the claim.
Abortion is not health care. It is always and everywhere wrong to intentionally kill our innocent neighbors in the womb.
-- From "Setting the record straight on health care" by Congressman Joe Pitts (R-Penn 16th) writing in the Pottstown Mercury 9/17/09
In his address last week, President Obama laid out his case for health care reform. I firmly believe that we need reform, but I do not support the House Democrats' plan. The President made his case before Congress with passion, but I believe there are some issues that he was not perfectly clear on.
During his speech, the president asserted that no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions. When the Energy and Commerce Committee considered H.R. 3200, I worked together with my Democratic colleague, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), to offer amendments that would have continued the current policy of prohibiting federal dollars from funding abortion or plans that include abortion.
Committee Chairman Waxman worked to defeat these amendments and the current bill contains only accounting gimmicks that do nothing to prevent government-funded abortion. In regard to the current bill, Rep. Stupak maintains, "You're funding the public option; it will be part of the public option; and the Treasury will write checks to plans for abortion."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Congressman Bart Stupak, Democrat, Defending the Right to Life in Heath Care" by Deacon Keith Fournier, Catholic Online 9/17/09
On September 16, 2009, Congressman Stupak gave an interview to Megyn Kelly of Fox news in which he strongly contended that President Obama's assurances that funding abortion is simply not going to happen are not reliable. In fact, he said it "is just not true" and that he is "disappointed" that the President continues to make the claim.
Yet the President has sent Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius out to ride point on the issue after making just such an explicit claim in his recent address to both Houses of Congress. In an interview with the Washington Post on September 15, 2009, the Secretary could not have been clearer in underscoring the claim, responding to a direct question with this assertion: "Well, the President has made it pretty clear that Congress and the new health insurance plan will not provide federal funds for abortions".
However, this Pro-Life Congressman, from the President's own Party, is not buying these assurances. He is from Michigan but his behavior reminds me of the old adage "I'm from Missouri". In other words, "Show Me." In this, he gives us all a great example of how we must respond to such assurances. Congressman Stupak is ready to act to make sure that not one Federal dollar is spent to shed the innocent blood of our youngest neighbors.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Abortion is not health care. It is always and everywhere wrong to intentionally kill our innocent neighbors in the womb.
-- From "Setting the record straight on health care" by Congressman Joe Pitts (R-Penn 16th) writing in the Pottstown Mercury 9/17/09
In his address last week, President Obama laid out his case for health care reform. I firmly believe that we need reform, but I do not support the House Democrats' plan. The President made his case before Congress with passion, but I believe there are some issues that he was not perfectly clear on.
During his speech, the president asserted that no federal dollars will be used to fund abortions. When the Energy and Commerce Committee considered H.R. 3200, I worked together with my Democratic colleague, Rep. Bart Stupak (D-MI), to offer amendments that would have continued the current policy of prohibiting federal dollars from funding abortion or plans that include abortion.
Committee Chairman Waxman worked to defeat these amendments and the current bill contains only accounting gimmicks that do nothing to prevent government-funded abortion. In regard to the current bill, Rep. Stupak maintains, "You're funding the public option; it will be part of the public option; and the Treasury will write checks to plans for abortion."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Congressman Bart Stupak, Democrat, Defending the Right to Life in Heath Care" by Deacon Keith Fournier, Catholic Online 9/17/09
On September 16, 2009, Congressman Stupak gave an interview to Megyn Kelly of Fox news in which he strongly contended that President Obama's assurances that funding abortion is simply not going to happen are not reliable. In fact, he said it "is just not true" and that he is "disappointed" that the President continues to make the claim.
Yet the President has sent Secretary of Health and Human Services, Kathleen Sebelius out to ride point on the issue after making just such an explicit claim in his recent address to both Houses of Congress. In an interview with the Washington Post on September 15, 2009, the Secretary could not have been clearer in underscoring the claim, responding to a direct question with this assertion: "Well, the President has made it pretty clear that Congress and the new health insurance plan will not provide federal funds for abortions".
However, this Pro-Life Congressman, from the President's own Party, is not buying these assurances. He is from Michigan but his behavior reminds me of the old adage "I'm from Missouri". In other words, "Show Me." In this, he gives us all a great example of how we must respond to such assurances. Congressman Stupak is ready to act to make sure that not one Federal dollar is spent to shed the innocent blood of our youngest neighbors.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Mother Sues Public School for Defamation
After Chicago suburban resident Lora Sue Hauser exposed the Gay Agenda of her high school district, the openly homosexual Superintendent and other school faculty/employees spread hateful lies about her to the community.
UPDATE 5/13/10: Superintendent embroiled again -- Girls Basketball
-- From "Lawsuit: District 113 employees defamed woman" Sun-Times News Group 9/14/09
Lora Sue Hauser filed a defamation lawsuit Monday in Cook County Circuit Court against George V. Fornero, Andy Zakszeski, and other unknown persons, who allegedly worked in or near north suburban Highland Park [School District 113]. The lawsuit seeks in excess of $50,000 in damages.
On Nov. 12, 2008, the defendants allegedly sent out an e-mail stating Hauser had a picture of Hitler in her residence, despite Hauser being Jewish and not having a photo of the dictator in her home, the lawsuit stated. Hauser was and remains “deeply troubled” by the e-mail because she is a Jewish woman, the suit stated.
In subsequent e-mails sent by the defendants, Hauser was accused of being a member of a hate group, being a “crazy” person, having her home foreclosed upon and of being engaged in unusual sexual acts. All the e-mails sent about her were false, the suit stated.
The three-count defamation lawsuit claims the e-mails damaged Hauser's good reputation, and injured her in a personal capacity.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 5/13/10: Superintendent embroiled again -- Girls Basketball
-- From "Lawsuit: District 113 employees defamed woman" Sun-Times News Group 9/14/09
Lora Sue Hauser filed a defamation lawsuit Monday in Cook County Circuit Court against George V. Fornero, Andy Zakszeski, and other unknown persons, who allegedly worked in or near north suburban Highland Park [School District 113]. The lawsuit seeks in excess of $50,000 in damages.
On Nov. 12, 2008, the defendants allegedly sent out an e-mail stating Hauser had a picture of Hitler in her residence, despite Hauser being Jewish and not having a photo of the dictator in her home, the lawsuit stated. Hauser was and remains “deeply troubled” by the e-mail because she is a Jewish woman, the suit stated.
In subsequent e-mails sent by the defendants, Hauser was accused of being a member of a hate group, being a “crazy” person, having her home foreclosed upon and of being engaged in unusual sexual acts. All the e-mails sent about her were false, the suit stated.
The three-count defamation lawsuit claims the e-mails damaged Hauser's good reputation, and injured her in a personal capacity.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Same-sex 'Marriage' Renegades Defy Congressional Leadership
Scores of liberal congressmen join Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) introducing legislation to repeal the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), in defiance of homosexual Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass., and House Speaker Nancy Pelosi of San Francisco, who both prefer subtle legislative maneuvers to destroy marriage with less public notice.
UPDATE 9/19/09: Obama favors repeal of DOMA as well
-- From "Legislators seek repeal of federal marriage law" by Carolyn Lochhead, San Francisco Chronicle Washington Bureau 9/16/09
The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act denies federal marriage benefits to [homosexual] couples, including Social Security, estate and other tax laws and spousal immigration rights.
The repeal, called the Respect for Marriage Act [H.R.3567], would affect 18,000 same-sex couples married in California last year before voters approved Proposition 8, which overrode a state Supreme Court decision granting them marriage rights.
The Respect for Marriage Act would allow all legally married same-sex couples access to what advocates say are more than 1,000 marital benefits under federal law.
The law was passed during an election year when Clinton and many Democrats in Congress feared a voter backlash. Clinton issued a statement Tuesday saying, "the fabric of our country has changed, and so should this policy."
President Obama has said he would sign a law repealing the act, but many activists have been disappointed that he has not moved to revoke the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays in the military, allowing gays and lesbians to be dismissed on his watch.
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont now marry same-sex couples, and New Hampshire will begin doing so in January. Voters in Maine will decide in November whether to allow same-sex marriage there.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 9/19/09: Obama favors repeal of DOMA as well
-- From "Legislators seek repeal of federal marriage law" by Carolyn Lochhead, San Francisco Chronicle Washington Bureau 9/16/09
The 1996 Defense of Marriage Act denies federal marriage benefits to [homosexual] couples, including Social Security, estate and other tax laws and spousal immigration rights.
The repeal, called the Respect for Marriage Act [H.R.3567], would affect 18,000 same-sex couples married in California last year before voters approved Proposition 8, which overrode a state Supreme Court decision granting them marriage rights.
The Respect for Marriage Act would allow all legally married same-sex couples access to what advocates say are more than 1,000 marital benefits under federal law.
The law was passed during an election year when Clinton and many Democrats in Congress feared a voter backlash. Clinton issued a statement Tuesday saying, "the fabric of our country has changed, and so should this policy."
President Obama has said he would sign a law repealing the act, but many activists have been disappointed that he has not moved to revoke the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays in the military, allowing gays and lesbians to be dismissed on his watch.
Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont now marry same-sex couples, and New Hampshire will begin doing so in January. Voters in Maine will decide in November whether to allow same-sex marriage there.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Obama Nominates Lesbian Opposing Religious Liberty
In advocating pro-homosexual legislation, Chai R. Feldblum writes in Moral Conflict and Liberty: Gay Rights and Religion:
". . . we are in a zero-sum game: a gain for one side necessarily entails a corresponding loss for the other side."
UPDATE 10/6/12: Chai Feldblum says Homosexual Sex is Morally Good & Wonderful
-- From "Disability, Gay Rights Expert Picked for EEOC" by Garance Franke-Ruta, Washington Post 9/15/09
President Obama announced Monday his intent to nominate Chai R. Feldblum for Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Feldblum, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, previously served as legislative counsel to the AIDS Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, where she played a role in the drafting of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
"She has also worked on advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights" and "been a leading expert on the Employment Nondiscrimination Act," according to a biography released by the White House.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Excerpts from "Gay is Good: The Moral Case for Marriage Equality and More" by Chai R. Feldblum:
Moreover, to the extent that the struggle for marriage equality focuses solely on achieving the right to marry because that is what a pure equality discourse calls for, the movement will also miss the chance to make a moral case for supporting the range of other creative ways in which we currently construct our intimate relations outside of marriage. And that would be as much of a missed opportunity as would be the lost opportunity of convincing the general public of the moral equivalence of gay and heterosexual sex . . .
Direct engagement with the issues of morality surrounding either gay sex or gender identity is thus not at the forefront of either our political or legal advocacy for LGBT people. Nor is it highlighted in our theoretical understandings of LGBT rights. This is both unfortunate and short-sighted. As a practical matter, changing the public’s perception of the morality of gay sex and of changing one’s gender may ultimately be necessary to achieve true equality for LGBT people . . .
There is a conversation that is happening regarding visions of normative good in the struggle for marriage equality—but it is largely an “internal movement” debate about whether marriage is a good institution and whether it is one into which gay couples should seek entry. Radical feminists, queer theorists, and others argue that marriage, as historically and currently constructed, constitutes a normative harm that should be dismantled by society overall rather than embraced by gay couples. On the opposite end of the spectrum, socially conservative gay rights advocates argue that extending a traditional expectation of marriage to gay couples will help solidify an appropriate social norm of sexual restraint and care-giving within the family. In these discussions, the moral merits of fitting (or condensing) gay coupling into the marital institution are interrogated, while the moral good of gay sexual coupling is at least implicitly uncontested or assumed by all discussants.
". . . we are in a zero-sum game: a gain for one side necessarily entails a corresponding loss for the other side."
UPDATE 10/6/12: Chai Feldblum says Homosexual Sex is Morally Good & Wonderful
-- From "Disability, Gay Rights Expert Picked for EEOC" by Garance Franke-Ruta, Washington Post 9/15/09
President Obama announced Monday his intent to nominate Chai R. Feldblum for Commissioner of the Equal Employment Opportunity Commission.
Feldblum, a law professor at Georgetown University Law Center, previously served as legislative counsel to the AIDS Project of the American Civil Liberties Union, where she played a role in the drafting of the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990.
"She has also worked on advancing lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender rights" and "been a leading expert on the Employment Nondiscrimination Act," according to a biography released by the White House.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Excerpts from "Gay is Good: The Moral Case for Marriage Equality and More" by Chai R. Feldblum:
Moreover, to the extent that the struggle for marriage equality focuses solely on achieving the right to marry because that is what a pure equality discourse calls for, the movement will also miss the chance to make a moral case for supporting the range of other creative ways in which we currently construct our intimate relations outside of marriage. And that would be as much of a missed opportunity as would be the lost opportunity of convincing the general public of the moral equivalence of gay and heterosexual sex . . .
Direct engagement with the issues of morality surrounding either gay sex or gender identity is thus not at the forefront of either our political or legal advocacy for LGBT people. Nor is it highlighted in our theoretical understandings of LGBT rights. This is both unfortunate and short-sighted. As a practical matter, changing the public’s perception of the morality of gay sex and of changing one’s gender may ultimately be necessary to achieve true equality for LGBT people . . .
There is a conversation that is happening regarding visions of normative good in the struggle for marriage equality—but it is largely an “internal movement” debate about whether marriage is a good institution and whether it is one into which gay couples should seek entry. Radical feminists, queer theorists, and others argue that marriage, as historically and currently constructed, constitutes a normative harm that should be dismantled by society overall rather than embraced by gay couples. On the opposite end of the spectrum, socially conservative gay rights advocates argue that extending a traditional expectation of marriage to gay couples will help solidify an appropriate social norm of sexual restraint and care-giving within the family. In these discussions, the moral merits of fitting (or condensing) gay coupling into the marital institution are interrogated, while the moral good of gay sexual coupling is at least implicitly uncontested or assumed by all discussants.
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Study: Propensity for Pre-marital Sex is Hereditary
Whereas the Bible teaches that sin has origins in the 'fallen man,' American researchers believe that some children should be genetically excused from responsible sexual behavior.
Simon Blake, Brook Advisory Centre: “All young people need access to confidential sexual health services as well as high quality education about sex and relationships from a young age”
-- From "Genes blamed for early first sex" posted at BBC News 9/14/09
The fact that children raised in homes without a dad have sex earlier is down to their genes, say US researchers.
The study tested for genetic influences as well as factors such as poverty, educational opportunities and religion.
The more genes the children shared, the more similar their ages of first intercourse regardless of whether they had an absent father or not.
The study published in the journal, Child Development, says several theories have been advanced about the environmental factors which influence this association between absent fathers and early sex.
But this study shows these factors are not as important as genes in determining early sexual behaviour.
Jane Mendle, professor of psychology at the University of Oregon, who led the study said: "The association between father's absence and children's sexuality is best explained by genetic influences, rather than by environmental theories alone.
"While there is clearly no such thing as a 'father absence gene', there are genetic contributions to traits in both mums and dads that increase the likelihood of earlier sexual behaviour in their children.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Simon Blake, Brook Advisory Centre: “All young people need access to confidential sexual health services as well as high quality education about sex and relationships from a young age”
-- From "Genes blamed for early first sex" posted at BBC News 9/14/09
The fact that children raised in homes without a dad have sex earlier is down to their genes, say US researchers.
The study tested for genetic influences as well as factors such as poverty, educational opportunities and religion.
The more genes the children shared, the more similar their ages of first intercourse regardless of whether they had an absent father or not.
The study published in the journal, Child Development, says several theories have been advanced about the environmental factors which influence this association between absent fathers and early sex.
But this study shows these factors are not as important as genes in determining early sexual behaviour.
Jane Mendle, professor of psychology at the University of Oregon, who led the study said: "The association between father's absence and children's sexuality is best explained by genetic influences, rather than by environmental theories alone.
"While there is clearly no such thing as a 'father absence gene', there are genetic contributions to traits in both mums and dads that increase the likelihood of earlier sexual behaviour in their children.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Harvard to Train Indoctrination Commandants
The Harvard Graduate School of Education launches a new doctoral degree in education leadership as "a 'catalyst to drive change' . . . to alter education policy debates . . ."
-- From "Harvard to offer a doctorate in education leadership" by Tracy Jan, Boston Globe Staff 9/15/09
School officials liken the Doctor of Education Leadership Program to the education equivalent of a law or medical degree. It will be taught by faculty from the education school, Harvard Business School, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
The program aims to train graduates for senior leadership roles in school systems, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, school officials said.
It is designed to give students a deep understanding of teaching and learning, as well as the management and leadership skills required to help transform the American education sector.
Students in the third year of the program will participate in a yearlong residency with partner organizations such as urban public school systems in New York City, Atlanta, and Denver, as well as national organizations focused on changing K-12 education, including Teach for America, New Leaders for New Schools, and the National Center of Education and the Economy.
The new program is supported in part by The Wallace Foundation, which has given Harvard a $10 million grant.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Harvard to offer a doctorate in education leadership" by Tracy Jan, Boston Globe Staff 9/15/09
School officials liken the Doctor of Education Leadership Program to the education equivalent of a law or medical degree. It will be taught by faculty from the education school, Harvard Business School, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government.
The program aims to train graduates for senior leadership roles in school systems, government agencies, nonprofit organizations, and the private sector, school officials said.
It is designed to give students a deep understanding of teaching and learning, as well as the management and leadership skills required to help transform the American education sector.
Students in the third year of the program will participate in a yearlong residency with partner organizations such as urban public school systems in New York City, Atlanta, and Denver, as well as national organizations focused on changing K-12 education, including Teach for America, New Leaders for New Schools, and the National Center of Education and the Economy.
The new program is supported in part by The Wallace Foundation, which has given Harvard a $10 million grant.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Monday, September 14, 2009
Thousands Fall Ill from Cervical Cancer Vaccine
British government-required immunizations of young girls with Cervarix is hazardous, causing consternation among sexual revolutionaries, just as Gardasil is a disappointment in the U.S.
UPDATE 9/29/09: FDA delays decision on GlaxoSmithKline's vaccine after teen death
UPDATE 9/29/09: Schoolgirl dies after cervical cancer vaccination
-- From "Two thousand schoolgirls suffer suspected ill-effects from cervical cancer vaccine" by Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent, The London Telegraph 9/12/09
Doctors' reports show that girls of 12 and 13 have experienced convulsions, fever and paralysis after being given the vaccine, which is now administered in schools as part of efforts to prevent women developing cancer.
Others suffered nausea, muscle weakness, dizziness and blurred vision, according to a special report drawn up by drug safety watchdogs.
A support group says it has received dozens of calls from parents who believe their daughters have been damaged by the vaccine.
The immunisation programme for teenage girls is controversial because it protects them from the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus which causes 70 per cent of cervical tumours.
. . . the report prepared by the [government] earlier this month also discloses cases in which teens have suffered convulsions, eye rolling, muscle spasms, seizures and hyperventilation soon after being given the jab.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 9/29/09: FDA delays decision on GlaxoSmithKline's vaccine after teen death
UPDATE 9/29/09: Schoolgirl dies after cervical cancer vaccination
-- From "Two thousand schoolgirls suffer suspected ill-effects from cervical cancer vaccine" by Laura Donnelly, Health Correspondent, The London Telegraph 9/12/09
Doctors' reports show that girls of 12 and 13 have experienced convulsions, fever and paralysis after being given the vaccine, which is now administered in schools as part of efforts to prevent women developing cancer.
Others suffered nausea, muscle weakness, dizziness and blurred vision, according to a special report drawn up by drug safety watchdogs.
A support group says it has received dozens of calls from parents who believe their daughters have been damaged by the vaccine.
The immunisation programme for teenage girls is controversial because it protects them from the sexually transmitted human papillomavirus which causes 70 per cent of cervical tumours.
. . . the report prepared by the [government] earlier this month also discloses cases in which teens have suffered convulsions, eye rolling, muscle spasms, seizures and hyperventilation soon after being given the jab.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Obama Addresses Murder of Michigan Pro-lifer
Here is the entirety of President Obama's written statement, issued today: “The shooting last week in Michigan was deplorable. Whichever side of a public debate you’re on, violence is never the right answer.”
-- From "Obama says fatal shooting of Mich. anti-abortion activist 'deplorable,' supporters hold vigil" by Tim Martin, Associated Press Writer 9/13/09
Police say [James] Pouillon, 63, was killed Friday morning while protesting across the street from a high school in Owosso, about 70 miles northwest of Detroit. Pouillon was in his usual spot holding a sign that pictured a chubby-cheeked baby with the word "LIFE" on one side and an image of an aborted fetus with the word "ABORTION" on the other.
Authorities allege Harlan Drake, 33, of Owosso pulled up to Pouillon in a truck and opened fire. Prosecutors say Pouillon's methods irritated Drake, particularly when used near the high school. Drake also is accused of killing a local business owner earlier that day.
Multicolored flowers, balloons and candles during Sunday's vigil marked the spot where Pouillon was shot. More than 200 people attended the vigil, standing in a circle as many carried the same sort of graphic signs he used.
The retired autoworker was a well-known and polarizing personality in Owosso, a town of about 15,000 residents. His protests — often staged outside the school, library, at car dealerships and even football games for several years — rubbed some residents the wrong way and led to frequent court battles.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Obama says fatal shooting of Mich. anti-abortion activist 'deplorable,' supporters hold vigil" by Tim Martin, Associated Press Writer 9/13/09
Police say [James] Pouillon, 63, was killed Friday morning while protesting across the street from a high school in Owosso, about 70 miles northwest of Detroit. Pouillon was in his usual spot holding a sign that pictured a chubby-cheeked baby with the word "LIFE" on one side and an image of an aborted fetus with the word "ABORTION" on the other.
Authorities allege Harlan Drake, 33, of Owosso pulled up to Pouillon in a truck and opened fire. Prosecutors say Pouillon's methods irritated Drake, particularly when used near the high school. Drake also is accused of killing a local business owner earlier that day.
Multicolored flowers, balloons and candles during Sunday's vigil marked the spot where Pouillon was shot. More than 200 people attended the vigil, standing in a circle as many carried the same sort of graphic signs he used.
The retired autoworker was a well-known and polarizing personality in Owosso, a town of about 15,000 residents. His protests — often staged outside the school, library, at car dealerships and even football games for several years — rubbed some residents the wrong way and led to frequent court battles.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
ACLU Sues over Abstinence Education in Mississippi
The American Civil Liberties Union and the ACLU of Mississippi on Wednesday asked a federal court in Mississippi to end government funding of what they called religion in the state’s abstinence-only-until-marriage program.
-- From "ACLU Files Federal Lawsuit Over DHS Abstinence Rally" posted at WAPT-TV (ABC) Jackson, Miss. 9/9/09
The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District on behalf of a teen and two community members who attended a state-sponsored abstinence summit in May of this year.
The ACLU said the Department of Human Services crossed the line of separating church and state with the number of religious speakers and faith-based groups who performed at the summit.
In July, DHS officials said the program works. The department reported a drop in the number of teenage births between 2006 and 2008, though Mississippi still leads the nation in the category.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "ACLU Files Federal Lawsuit Over DHS Abstinence Rally" posted at WAPT-TV (ABC) Jackson, Miss. 9/9/09
The case was filed in the United States District Court for the Southern District on behalf of a teen and two community members who attended a state-sponsored abstinence summit in May of this year.
The ACLU said the Department of Human Services crossed the line of separating church and state with the number of religious speakers and faith-based groups who performed at the summit.
In July, DHS officials said the program works. The department reported a drop in the number of teenage births between 2006 and 2008, though Mississippi still leads the nation in the category.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Friday, September 11, 2009
Congress to Abdicate Responsibility on D.C. Same-sex 'Marriage'
The Washington D.C. city council is expected to vote to legalize homosexual 'marriage' and although Congress is the ultimate authority in the city, if it takes no action, the council decision will stand.
The Washington Post writes, "the city's politically active gay community has spent decades working to elect like-minded officials."
UPDATE 10/6/09: GOP Congressman will attempt to stop D.C. "gay marriage"
UPDATE 9/18/09: Congressmen question their involvement in D.C. affairs
-- From "D.C. Says Votes Aligned for Gay Marriage Bill" by Tim Craig, Washington Post Staff Writer 9/11/09
After months of buildup and behind-the-scenes lobbying, a bill by David A. Catania, one of two openly gay members of the [D.C.] council, has been drafted and is ready to be introduced in the coming weeks. Catania (I-At Large) expects a final vote before the end of the year. On Thursday, Catania said he had 10 co-sponsors, all but assuring that the measure will be approved by the council. The bill would have to survive congressional review before it could become law.
Peter Rosenstein, a longtime gay rights activist, said he and other advocates are banking on Democrats in Congress to fend off the [Christian] opposition. "Our hope is a Democratic Congress will be able to keep any bills or actions off the floor," Rosenstein said. "Do we have a guarantee? No. But we are fairly confident at this point."
The bill, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, would change the law to say that "marriage is the legally recognized union of two people" and that "any person who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements . . . may marry any other eligible person regardless of gender."
If Congress fails to intervene, the District will become the only jurisdiction south of the Mason-Dixon line where same-sex couples can marry. Gays and lesbians from across the country would probably flock to the city to take their vows, as they did in California before voters passed a referendum banning same-sex marriages. Gay rights activists in Maryland said the sight of gay couples getting married in the District would boost the chance that the General Assembly would approve a gay marriage bill within a few years.
There are signs that the bill will probably generate heated opposition from members of the city's religious community, and some are concerned that the issue could split the city along racial lines. It is also sparking a debate about whether voters, as opposed to council members, should have the final say over the issue.
Same-sex marriages are performed in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont. They will be legal in New Hampshire in January. The Maine legislature has approved same-sex marriage, but a referendum will be held on the measure in November.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
The Washington Post writes, "the city's politically active gay community has spent decades working to elect like-minded officials."
UPDATE 10/6/09: GOP Congressman will attempt to stop D.C. "gay marriage"
UPDATE 9/18/09: Congressmen question their involvement in D.C. affairs
-- From "D.C. Says Votes Aligned for Gay Marriage Bill" by Tim Craig, Washington Post Staff Writer 9/11/09
After months of buildup and behind-the-scenes lobbying, a bill by David A. Catania, one of two openly gay members of the [D.C.] council, has been drafted and is ready to be introduced in the coming weeks. Catania (I-At Large) expects a final vote before the end of the year. On Thursday, Catania said he had 10 co-sponsors, all but assuring that the measure will be approved by the council. The bill would have to survive congressional review before it could become law.
Peter Rosenstein, a longtime gay rights activist, said he and other advocates are banking on Democrats in Congress to fend off the [Christian] opposition. "Our hope is a Democratic Congress will be able to keep any bills or actions off the floor," Rosenstein said. "Do we have a guarantee? No. But we are fairly confident at this point."
The bill, a copy of which was obtained by The Washington Post, would change the law to say that "marriage is the legally recognized union of two people" and that "any person who otherwise meets the eligibility requirements . . . may marry any other eligible person regardless of gender."
If Congress fails to intervene, the District will become the only jurisdiction south of the Mason-Dixon line where same-sex couples can marry. Gays and lesbians from across the country would probably flock to the city to take their vows, as they did in California before voters passed a referendum banning same-sex marriages. Gay rights activists in Maryland said the sight of gay couples getting married in the District would boost the chance that the General Assembly would approve a gay marriage bill within a few years.
There are signs that the bill will probably generate heated opposition from members of the city's religious community, and some are concerned that the issue could split the city along racial lines. It is also sparking a debate about whether voters, as opposed to council members, should have the final say over the issue.
Same-sex marriages are performed in Massachusetts, Connecticut, Iowa and Vermont. They will be legal in New Hampshire in January. The Maine legislature has approved same-sex marriage, but a referendum will be held on the measure in November.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Abortion Funding: America Not Buying White House Claims
No matter what the president has said, if he gets the [health care] bill he wants, taxpayer dollars will end up paying for abortions.
Most of the proposals for expanding coverage include a provision for people who can't afford private health insurance. . . . if a private plan offers abortion coverage and a federal subsidy is used to purchase it, this would mean taxpayers are subsidizing abortion.
UPDATE 9/11/09: Politico essentially agrees with Joe Wilson that Obama lies
-- From "Abortion foes aren't buying Obama's assurances" by Robin Abcarian, Los Angeles Times 9/11/09
President Obama, a supporter of reproductive rights, forcefully reiterated in his speech to Congress this week that his healthcare plan would not lead to government funding of abortion.
The trouble is, abortion foes don't believe him.
[Proposed legislation] seeks to distinguish between public and private money. Under any insurance purchased with federal help, individuals would pay the portion of premiums used for abortion services. Federal money, in theory, would not pay for the procedure.
How? Separate accounts would be created to keep federal dollars from co-mingling with an individual's contributions. So, in essence, federal dollars would not support abortions, even if they pay for other health coverage.
Abortion foes call this "an accounting scheme" . . .
Added Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life: "There is never going to be a bill that has 'abortion' written in capital letters with red arrows saying 'abortion here!' It's a technical issue that will come down to how the courts interpret it once it passes."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Pro-Life Congressmen and Planned Parenthood Agree: Health Care Bill Funds Abortion" by Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer CNSNews.com 9/11/09
In his address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, President Barack Obama said the health care plan he is pushing will not provide federal money for abortions. But pro-life congressmen and Planned Parenthood agree that abortion would be covered under the plan under an amendment sponsored by Rep. Lois Capps (D.-Calif.).
“There has been some recent confusion surrounding the inclusion of abortion coverage in HR 3200, but the issue is really quite clear,” [Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-Pa..)] said at the press conference. “The Capps Amendment, which some have argued is neutral on abortion, explicitly authorizes the federal government to directly fund elective abortions using federal funds drawn on a federal treasury account.
“Some have argued that HR 3200 will maintain the status quo on the issue of abortion,” Pitts said. “Let me be clear. This bill, in all of its forms, will radically expand federal policy with respect to abortion.”
“This legislation will not only expand the government funding, it will also provide additional venues,” Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) said at the press conference. “The language is very clear about having a private insurance provider--government subsidized through these affordability credits--that will provide abortions.”
“The reality is that the Obama-backed House bill would explicitly authorize the federal government insurance plan to pay for elective abortions and would explicitly authorize subsidies for private abortion insurance--and all with federal dollars, which are the only kind of dollars the federal government can spend,” [said Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Campaign.]
Pro-life advocates aren’t alone in their conclusion that the House bill will allow federally funded abortions.
The non-partisan Web site, Factcheck.org agreed in its own analysis of the bill.
“Despite what Obama said, the House bill would allow abortions to be covered by a federal plan and by federally subsidized private plans,” the analysis said.
Planned Parenthood, which was assured by Obama during his presidential campaign that his health plan “will provide essential services, including reproductive services,” has expressed its support for the House bill.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Most of the proposals for expanding coverage include a provision for people who can't afford private health insurance. . . . if a private plan offers abortion coverage and a federal subsidy is used to purchase it, this would mean taxpayers are subsidizing abortion.
UPDATE 9/11/09: Politico essentially agrees with Joe Wilson that Obama lies
-- From "Abortion foes aren't buying Obama's assurances" by Robin Abcarian, Los Angeles Times 9/11/09
President Obama, a supporter of reproductive rights, forcefully reiterated in his speech to Congress this week that his healthcare plan would not lead to government funding of abortion.
The trouble is, abortion foes don't believe him.
[Proposed legislation] seeks to distinguish between public and private money. Under any insurance purchased with federal help, individuals would pay the portion of premiums used for abortion services. Federal money, in theory, would not pay for the procedure.
How? Separate accounts would be created to keep federal dollars from co-mingling with an individual's contributions. So, in essence, federal dollars would not support abortions, even if they pay for other health coverage.
Abortion foes call this "an accounting scheme" . . .
Added Charmaine Yoest of Americans United for Life: "There is never going to be a bill that has 'abortion' written in capital letters with red arrows saying 'abortion here!' It's a technical issue that will come down to how the courts interpret it once it passes."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Pro-Life Congressmen and Planned Parenthood Agree: Health Care Bill Funds Abortion" by Penny Starr, Senior Staff Writer CNSNews.com 9/11/09
In his address to a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night, President Barack Obama said the health care plan he is pushing will not provide federal money for abortions. But pro-life congressmen and Planned Parenthood agree that abortion would be covered under the plan under an amendment sponsored by Rep. Lois Capps (D.-Calif.).
“There has been some recent confusion surrounding the inclusion of abortion coverage in HR 3200, but the issue is really quite clear,” [Rep. Joseph Pitts (R-Pa..)] said at the press conference. “The Capps Amendment, which some have argued is neutral on abortion, explicitly authorizes the federal government to directly fund elective abortions using federal funds drawn on a federal treasury account.
“Some have argued that HR 3200 will maintain the status quo on the issue of abortion,” Pitts said. “Let me be clear. This bill, in all of its forms, will radically expand federal policy with respect to abortion.”
“This legislation will not only expand the government funding, it will also provide additional venues,” Rep. Chris Smith (R-N.J.) said at the press conference. “The language is very clear about having a private insurance provider--government subsidized through these affordability credits--that will provide abortions.”
“The reality is that the Obama-backed House bill would explicitly authorize the federal government insurance plan to pay for elective abortions and would explicitly authorize subsidies for private abortion insurance--and all with federal dollars, which are the only kind of dollars the federal government can spend,” [said Douglas Johnson, legislative director for the National Right to Life Campaign.]
Pro-life advocates aren’t alone in their conclusion that the House bill will allow federally funded abortions.
The non-partisan Web site, Factcheck.org agreed in its own analysis of the bill.
“Despite what Obama said, the House bill would allow abortions to be covered by a federal plan and by federally subsidized private plans,” the analysis said.
Planned Parenthood, which was assured by Obama during his presidential campaign that his health plan “will provide essential services, including reproductive services,” has expressed its support for the House bill.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, September 09, 2009
Liberal Media Fear 'Christian Right' Once Again
[Could the media present a more demeaning writing against Christians (in so many ways) than the following?]
The Christian right, facing questions [from the liberal media] before the presidential election about its continuing potency as a force for cultural and political change, has found new life with Barack Obama in office, particularly around health care.
-- From "Opposition to Health-Care Reform Revives Christian Right" by Jacqueline L. Salmon, Washington Post Staff Writer 9/9/09
As the president prepares to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night to press for health-care reform, conservative Christian leaders are rallying their troops to oppose him, with online town hall meetings, church gatherings, fundraising appeals, and e-mail and social networking campaigns. FRC Action, the lobbying arm of the Family Research Council, has scheduled a webcast Thursday night for tens of thousands of supporters in which House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and other speakers will respond to the president's health-care address.
"Movements do better when they have something to oppose," said D. Michael Lindsay, a sociology professor at Rice University who studies evangelicals. "It's easier to fundraise in those kinds of situations. It's easier to mobilize volunteers because you have an us versus them mentality, and that plays very well right now for the Christian right."
After seeing their bread-and-butter issue of abortion take a back seat during the election last year, the Christian right has been a prime force in moving it back to the front row by focusing on it as a potential part of health-care reform.
"It's a busy time," said Tom Minnery, senior vice president of Focus on the Family Action, the lobbying arm of Focus on the Family. He said donations to Focus Action have climbed beyond expectations, although he declined to say by how much.
Christian right leaders say it is too soon to tell whether health-care reform will trigger a flood of donations, but they are encouraged by the response they are seeing in other ways.
Experts say the resurgent interest is proving that [liberal media] predictions of the death of the Christian right -- widespread before the election -- were again premature. But they say the recent flurry of activity does nothing to solve the underlying challenges facing the movement -- the lack of younger leaders to replace aging ones and ways to engage younger evangelicals who want the movement to embrace a wider range of issues.
But, for the moment, conservative Christian leaders are riding high on opposing health-care reform.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
The Christian right, facing questions [from the liberal media] before the presidential election about its continuing potency as a force for cultural and political change, has found new life with Barack Obama in office, particularly around health care.
-- From "Opposition to Health-Care Reform Revives Christian Right" by Jacqueline L. Salmon, Washington Post Staff Writer 9/9/09
As the president prepares to address a joint session of Congress on Wednesday night to press for health-care reform, conservative Christian leaders are rallying their troops to oppose him, with online town hall meetings, church gatherings, fundraising appeals, and e-mail and social networking campaigns. FRC Action, the lobbying arm of the Family Research Council, has scheduled a webcast Thursday night for tens of thousands of supporters in which House Minority Leader John A. Boehner (R-Ohio) and other speakers will respond to the president's health-care address.
"Movements do better when they have something to oppose," said D. Michael Lindsay, a sociology professor at Rice University who studies evangelicals. "It's easier to fundraise in those kinds of situations. It's easier to mobilize volunteers because you have an us versus them mentality, and that plays very well right now for the Christian right."
After seeing their bread-and-butter issue of abortion take a back seat during the election last year, the Christian right has been a prime force in moving it back to the front row by focusing on it as a potential part of health-care reform.
"It's a busy time," said Tom Minnery, senior vice president of Focus on the Family Action, the lobbying arm of Focus on the Family. He said donations to Focus Action have climbed beyond expectations, although he declined to say by how much.
Christian right leaders say it is too soon to tell whether health-care reform will trigger a flood of donations, but they are encouraged by the response they are seeing in other ways.
Experts say the resurgent interest is proving that [liberal media] predictions of the death of the Christian right -- widespread before the election -- were again premature. But they say the recent flurry of activity does nothing to solve the underlying challenges facing the movement -- the lack of younger leaders to replace aging ones and ways to engage younger evangelicals who want the movement to embrace a wider range of issues.
But, for the moment, conservative Christian leaders are riding high on opposing health-care reform.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Feds Paid Teens to Expose Their Sex Lives
As America considers further intrusions into citizens' private lives under the Obama administration, past privacy invasions are routinely exposed.
-- From "U.S. Government Paid 15-Year-Olds $40 to Answer Graphic Questions About Sexual Behavior" by Fadia Galindo, CNSNews.com 9/9/09
From March 2002 to March 2003, the federal government paid more than a thousand 15- to 17-year-olds $40 each to answer questions about their sex lives, including intimate questions about specific sexual acts, whether they had ever engaged in homosexual acts, whether they had used contraception, and what sorts of discussions they had had with their parents about sex.
Armed with laptops loaded with two questionnaires, one for females and one for males, more than 200 federally funded female questioners from the University of Michigan went into homes throughout the country to administer the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) on the behalf of the National Center for Health Statistics.
The NCHS is part of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
“Out of the 12,571 males and females we interviewed in the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, 1,307 were 15-17 years of age,” Dr. William D. Mosher, statistician and NSFG team leader at the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Md., told CNSNews.com.
According to questionnaires published by the CDC in a public document available on the government agency’s Web site (“Plan of Operation of Cycle 6 of the National Survey of Family Growth” - PDF), young teens were systematically asked graphic and personal questions about their sexual behavior out of earshot or the presence of their parents.
To read excerpts from the questionnaire and the responses from teens, CLICK HERE.
-- From "U.S. Government Paid 15-Year-Olds $40 to Answer Graphic Questions About Sexual Behavior" by Fadia Galindo, CNSNews.com 9/9/09
From March 2002 to March 2003, the federal government paid more than a thousand 15- to 17-year-olds $40 each to answer questions about their sex lives, including intimate questions about specific sexual acts, whether they had ever engaged in homosexual acts, whether they had used contraception, and what sorts of discussions they had had with their parents about sex.
Armed with laptops loaded with two questionnaires, one for females and one for males, more than 200 federally funded female questioners from the University of Michigan went into homes throughout the country to administer the National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) on the behalf of the National Center for Health Statistics.
The NCHS is part of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta.
“Out of the 12,571 males and females we interviewed in the 2002 National Survey of Family Growth, 1,307 were 15-17 years of age,” Dr. William D. Mosher, statistician and NSFG team leader at the National Center for Health Statistics in Hyattsville, Md., told CNSNews.com.
According to questionnaires published by the CDC in a public document available on the government agency’s Web site (“Plan of Operation of Cycle 6 of the National Survey of Family Growth” - PDF), young teens were systematically asked graphic and personal questions about their sexual behavior out of earshot or the presence of their parents.
To read excerpts from the questionnaire and the responses from teens, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, September 08, 2009
Texas Schools Don't Know What to do with the Bible
Texas legislators mandated that public schools teach "the Bible's influence in history and literature" . . . educators confused
-- From "Bible literacy law stumps schools" Associated Press 9/7/09
Some northern Texas school districts are scrambling to interpret a state law that requires public schools to incorporate Bible literacy into the curriculum.
The Legislature provided little guidance, no funding for materials or teacher training when it passed the law in 2007 requiring Bible literacy to be taught starting in the 2009-2010 school year.
Attorney General Greg Abbott has said the law doesn't require schools to offer a Bible course, although they can offer it as an elective. However, they must provide some sort of lessons, he said.
That has left some schools offering elective classes, while others embed Bible literacy into current courses.
“Asking a school district to teach a course or include material in a course without providing them any guidance or resources is like sending a teacher into a minefield without a map,” said Mark Chancey, an associate professor of religious studies at Southern Methodist University and author of the report “Teaching the Bible in Texas Public Schools.”
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Bible literacy law stumps schools" Associated Press 9/7/09
Some northern Texas school districts are scrambling to interpret a state law that requires public schools to incorporate Bible literacy into the curriculum.
The Legislature provided little guidance, no funding for materials or teacher training when it passed the law in 2007 requiring Bible literacy to be taught starting in the 2009-2010 school year.
Attorney General Greg Abbott has said the law doesn't require schools to offer a Bible course, although they can offer it as an elective. However, they must provide some sort of lessons, he said.
That has left some schools offering elective classes, while others embed Bible literacy into current courses.
“Asking a school district to teach a course or include material in a course without providing them any guidance or resources is like sending a teacher into a minefield without a map,” said Mark Chancey, an associate professor of religious studies at Southern Methodist University and author of the report “Teaching the Bible in Texas Public Schools.”
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
'Higher Education' Minus the Learning
As America laments high school graduates who can't read their diploma, thus necessitating extended studies at junior college and other so-called 'institutes of learning,' even elite colleges and universities entice students into debt to study Batman, pimps, and sin.
These institutions fear that a course catalog presenting hard studies "might scare students off."
Draining the economy? It would seem that the current purpose of America's education system is to create perpetual students -- consuming tax dollars and imprisoning potential human resources.
-- From "Colleges find juicy titles swell enrollment" by Peter Schworm, Boston Globe Staff 9/8/09
As schools compete for students and faculty come under pressure to boost enrollment in their classes, colleges from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to Wellesley are jazzing up course catalogs to entice a generation of students drawn to the dramatic. This year’s offerings include crowd-pleasing topics like massacres, superheroes, and sin.
Jessica Holmes, a 38-year-old economics professor at Middlebury, is part of the younger wave. This fall, she will teach Economics of Sin, a titillating title that has sparked sharp interest, with even faculty, staff, and community members looking to audit the class.
“In what other economics class will they have the opportunity to explore pornography, prostitution, crime and punishment, drugs and drug legalization, the sale of human organs, and gambling?” Holmes asked.
The trend toward more inventive, provocative course names reflects a broader movement of professors using more creative teaching methods to capture students’ interest, Holmes and other academics say.
In that way, the catchy titles go beyond savvy marketing, a shorthand way to show students raised on text messaging and Facebook that the course has a contemporary edge. They also signal a shift away from stuffy lectures and abstruse textbooks to discussion-based, multimedia classes, and winkingly suggest the class might be entertaining.
When it came time to name his philosophy seminar last year, Jeffrey Bernstein, an associate professor of philosophy at the College of the Holy Cross, went the highbrow route with Iconoclasm and Theogony: A Tale of Two Transgressions.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
These institutions fear that a course catalog presenting hard studies "might scare students off."
Draining the economy? It would seem that the current purpose of America's education system is to create perpetual students -- consuming tax dollars and imprisoning potential human resources.
-- From "Colleges find juicy titles swell enrollment" by Peter Schworm, Boston Globe Staff 9/8/09
As schools compete for students and faculty come under pressure to boost enrollment in their classes, colleges from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst to Wellesley are jazzing up course catalogs to entice a generation of students drawn to the dramatic. This year’s offerings include crowd-pleasing topics like massacres, superheroes, and sin.
Jessica Holmes, a 38-year-old economics professor at Middlebury, is part of the younger wave. This fall, she will teach Economics of Sin, a titillating title that has sparked sharp interest, with even faculty, staff, and community members looking to audit the class.
“In what other economics class will they have the opportunity to explore pornography, prostitution, crime and punishment, drugs and drug legalization, the sale of human organs, and gambling?” Holmes asked.
The trend toward more inventive, provocative course names reflects a broader movement of professors using more creative teaching methods to capture students’ interest, Holmes and other academics say.
In that way, the catchy titles go beyond savvy marketing, a shorthand way to show students raised on text messaging and Facebook that the course has a contemporary edge. They also signal a shift away from stuffy lectures and abstruse textbooks to discussion-based, multimedia classes, and winkingly suggest the class might be entertaining.
When it came time to name his philosophy seminar last year, Jeffrey Bernstein, an associate professor of philosophy at the College of the Holy Cross, went the highbrow route with Iconoclasm and Theogony: A Tale of Two Transgressions.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Monday, September 07, 2009
World-wide Network of Pedophiles Incomprehensible
A hundred online pedophile communities will be disconnected and prosecuted by U.S. and Italian authorities thanks to the work of the Meter Association, founded by Italian Father Fortunato Di Noto.
-- From "Italian Priest Uncovers 100 Pedophile Networks" ZENIT.org 9/4/09
ZENIT learned from the association that the networks consisted of some 18,181 people who used online community Web sites to host and exchange "thousands of images and video footage -- 27,894 pedophiliac photos and 1,617 videos -- as well as information regarding the trade of minors."
"Thousands of children were involved," the association added.
Father Di Noto, a native of Sicily, explained that with the aid of a team of volunteers, Meter discovered "a universe that is not virtual, but real, in which people can register and exchange pornographic material of minors -- photos, videos, even dates with minors -- through one of the most well known social networks in the United States."
The association stated that "investigators both in Italy and in the United States termed the uncovered material an 'authentic horror,' with newborns and children of a very young age as the objects of violence and sexual abuse."
To read entire article CLICK HERE.
-- From "Italian Priest Uncovers 100 Pedophile Networks" ZENIT.org 9/4/09
ZENIT learned from the association that the networks consisted of some 18,181 people who used online community Web sites to host and exchange "thousands of images and video footage -- 27,894 pedophiliac photos and 1,617 videos -- as well as information regarding the trade of minors."
"Thousands of children were involved," the association added.
Father Di Noto, a native of Sicily, explained that with the aid of a team of volunteers, Meter discovered "a universe that is not virtual, but real, in which people can register and exchange pornographic material of minors -- photos, videos, even dates with minors -- through one of the most well known social networks in the United States."
The association stated that "investigators both in Italy and in the United States termed the uncovered material an 'authentic horror,' with newborns and children of a very young age as the objects of violence and sexual abuse."
To read entire article CLICK HERE.
Christian Actress Refuses to Advance Gay Agenda
Actress Patricia Mauceri, of ABC's "One Life to Live" for the last 14 years, claims she was fired because of her religious beliefs. She objected to a storyline that inappropriately portrayed the deeply religious character whom she played.
-- From "Soap Actress Says She Was Fired Because of Religious Beliefs" by Lauren Green, FOXNews.com 9/4/09
Mauceri, 59, a devout Christian, told FOX News that character Vega's gay-friendly dialogue was not in line with the character she helped create by drawing on her own faith.
"I did not object to being in a gay storyline. I objected to speaking the truth of what that person, how that person would live and breathe and act in that storyline," she said. "And this goes against everything I am, my belief system, and what I know the character's belief system is aligned to."
Mauceri said she was replaced despite offering changes to the script and hoping for a compromise.
An ABC spokesperson said they were not aware of any such claims by Mauceri, adding such claims "would be frivolous."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Soap Actress Says She Was Fired Because of Religious Beliefs" by Lauren Green, FOXNews.com 9/4/09
Mauceri, 59, a devout Christian, told FOX News that character Vega's gay-friendly dialogue was not in line with the character she helped create by drawing on her own faith.
"I did not object to being in a gay storyline. I objected to speaking the truth of what that person, how that person would live and breathe and act in that storyline," she said. "And this goes against everything I am, my belief system, and what I know the character's belief system is aligned to."
Mauceri said she was replaced despite offering changes to the script and hoping for a compromise.
An ABC spokesperson said they were not aware of any such claims by Mauceri, adding such claims "would be frivolous."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, September 06, 2009
Nebraska Abortionist Accused of Illegal Activity
Three former employees of Nebraska late-term abortionist LeRoy Carhart have submitted affidavits to state Attorney General Jon Bruning alleging a pattern of illegal activity in the abortion business dating back years.
-- From "Protests to focus on doctor who performed 60,000 abortions" By Wayne Drash, CNN 8/28/09
Anti-abortion groups, led by Operation Rescue, plan to launch protests outside Carhart's clinic this weekend in Bellevue, just south of Omaha.
The demonstrations are set to culminate Saturday with so-called Truth Trucks -- delivery trucks with giant rolling billboards of dismembered fetuses on the sides -- parking outside Carhart's clinic and canvassing area neighborhoods. Protesters carrying anti-abortion signs also are expected.
Operation Rescue President Troy Newman has vowed a peaceful demonstration and said that any hints of possible violence are ginned up by what he calls left-wing groups and the liberal media.
Newman said earlier, "I'm not interested in putting our folks in any situation where the other side might flare up. I'm very confident about our side. They're very peaceful moms and dads and families that will be showing up with signs."
Carhart . . . said he's performed more than 60,000 abortions in the past two decades. About 400 of those were after 24 weeks . . . He said he takes pride in the term abortionist.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Attorney general hears allegations against abortion biz" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 9/5/09
According to Operation Rescue, members of pro-life groups met with [Nebraska Attorney General Jon] Bruning this week to present to him the signed affidavits from former Carhart employees.
OR President Troy Newman said, "For the first time, we have sworn statements from women who have admitted that they were instructed to commit illegal activity at Carhart's abortion clinic in Bellevue, Nebraska. That makes their allegations compelling and convincing.
"These women came forward on their own to blow the whistle on Carhart out of concern for the safety and well-being of women. These are not pro-life activists by any stretch of the imagination," he said.
Bruning took the documents and assured activists that the documents also would be forwarded to the state Department of Health and Human Services, which earlier launched an investigation of Carhart at the request of Operation Rescue, Nebraskans United for Life and Rescue the Heartland.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Protests to focus on doctor who performed 60,000 abortions" By Wayne Drash, CNN 8/28/09
Anti-abortion groups, led by Operation Rescue, plan to launch protests outside Carhart's clinic this weekend in Bellevue, just south of Omaha.
The demonstrations are set to culminate Saturday with so-called Truth Trucks -- delivery trucks with giant rolling billboards of dismembered fetuses on the sides -- parking outside Carhart's clinic and canvassing area neighborhoods. Protesters carrying anti-abortion signs also are expected.
Operation Rescue President Troy Newman has vowed a peaceful demonstration and said that any hints of possible violence are ginned up by what he calls left-wing groups and the liberal media.
Newman said earlier, "I'm not interested in putting our folks in any situation where the other side might flare up. I'm very confident about our side. They're very peaceful moms and dads and families that will be showing up with signs."
Carhart . . . said he's performed more than 60,000 abortions in the past two decades. About 400 of those were after 24 weeks . . . He said he takes pride in the term abortionist.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Attorney general hears allegations against abortion biz" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 9/5/09
According to Operation Rescue, members of pro-life groups met with [Nebraska Attorney General Jon] Bruning this week to present to him the signed affidavits from former Carhart employees.
OR President Troy Newman said, "For the first time, we have sworn statements from women who have admitted that they were instructed to commit illegal activity at Carhart's abortion clinic in Bellevue, Nebraska. That makes their allegations compelling and convincing.
"These women came forward on their own to blow the whistle on Carhart out of concern for the safety and well-being of women. These are not pro-life activists by any stretch of the imagination," he said.
Bruning took the documents and assured activists that the documents also would be forwarded to the state Department of Health and Human Services, which earlier launched an investigation of Carhart at the request of Operation Rescue, Nebraskans United for Life and Rescue the Heartland.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, September 05, 2009
Parents Sue School over Mandatory Homosexual Indoctrination Course
While one group of parents press the Alameda Unified School District (Calif.) in court for the right to opt out their kids from the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender studies, another group, called SERVE Alameda, works to recall three school trustees.
-- From "Alameda organization working to recall trustees says it's not a 'hate group'" by Lucinda Ryan, Correspondent, San Jose Mercury News 9/3/09
SERVE (Seeking Equity and Respect for all Viewpoints in Education) said Neil Tam, Tracy Jensen and Ron Mooney conducted their duties undemocratically because they ignored parents' requests to opt out of anti-bullying curriculum for kindergartners through fifth-graders. In particular, SERVE objects to the addition of an anti-bullying lesson on lesbian, gay and transgender families and individuals.
The Rev. Dion Evans said lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people deserve love and respect. But, he said, schools are "not for socializing and they're certainly not for indoctrination."
The group's brochure states that young and impressionable minds must be protected to preserve their innocence. The Lesson 9 plan includes a vocabulary list, which, at grade four, includes the words gay, lesbian and the acronym "LGBT."
Aside from the recall effort, 20 parents have filed a lawsuit against the district for declining opt-outs for parents who don't want their children to take the course. The parents are being represented by the Pacific Justice Institute, a nonprofit legal defense organization specializing in the defense of religious freedom, parental rights and other civil liberties.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Parent and lawyer say lawsuit against district is question of parental rights" by Keith Gleason, Correspondent, San Jose Mercury News 8/22/09
Kevin Snider, chief counsel for the Pacific Justice Institute, a nonprofit, conservative legal defense organization in Sacramento, said he filed the lawsuit on behalf of the 20 Alameda school parents to protect the parents' rights to opt out their children from the new Alameda Unified School District-approved supplemental curriculum that will teach about gay alternative families to all elementary students.
Since the district adopted the curriculum in late May, numerous parents have sent letters to Superintendent Kristen Vital, requesting that their children be allowed to opt out of the instruction. The district recently sent form letters denying the parents' requests, which prompted the suit.
Vital declined to comment on the lawsuit. The district's attorney, Danielle Houck, was out of town and unavailable for comment.
School board president Mike McMahon, who voted against the curriculum because of the lack of an opt-out option for parents, said parents have a right to sue the district.
If the lawsuit goes to trial in Alameda County Superior Court, it has the possibility of being a precedent-setting case. "There isn't a precedent for it in case law," said Snider.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Angry Parents Suing California Schools Over Mandatory Gay-Friendly Classes" FOXNews 9/3/09
The parents say they are concerned about "indoctrination" in the schools, but administrators say the course is needed to protect against sexual discrimination - and that the lessons are protected by laws in California and 10 other states.
Those states, which stretch from Washington to Maine, will now be eyeing the court results in California in a case that warring sides say pits parents' rights against a schools' responsibilities.
The contested California curriculum includes an annual 45-minute LGBT lesson taught to kids from kindergarten through the fifth grade. The kindergartners will focus on the harms of teasing, while the fifth graders will study sexual orientation stereotypes.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Friday, September 04, 2009
FedEx To Employee: Stop All Religious Conversation
A Christian 19-year employee in Illinois has sued FedEx for religious discrimination and retaliation after being investigated, demoted, and soon without a job, as a result of a conversation initiated by a fellow employee.
-- From "FedEx sued for bizarre and harassing acts of discrimination and retaliation against a conservative evangelical Christian" Press release posted at Culture Campaign 9/4/09
An employee of a Fortune 100 company answered questions about conservative Christian views and was delivered a career-ending edict to stop all religious conversation. Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney Jason Craddock, of New Lenox, Illinois, filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, on behalf of Eric Weathers, against his former employer, FedEx Corporate Services.
Eric Weathers merely answered his fellow employee's questions about the Bible and as a result was subject to a corporate investigation and prohibited from engaging in conversations about anything religious, including discussion about basic things such as his Bible college degree, seminary studies, or church attendance. The investigation produced no true findings that Weathers had violated any FedEx policy. However he was still warned to "stop all religious conversation." Within four months Weathers, who was known for his "stellar career" during his 19 years with FedEx, was demoted to a position he held 18 years earlier as part of what appears as a retaliatory campaign.
When such stringent restrictions were placed on his speech, Weathers researched FedEx policy and found no prohibition on religious conversation. When Weathers questioned the FedEx Human Resources department he was told that his religious speech was an "act detrimental to the company." The policy the HR representative pointed out would put religious conversation on par with theft, illegal use of drugs, physical violence, sexual harassment, and falsification of records.
"If conscience and faith are obliterated in the workplace, nothing will be left but salt devoid of savor, which will neither preserve corporate America from decay, nor flavor it with the blessed taste and smell of the Gospel of Christ," Craddock said. "Conscience and faith must be protected in the employment context, for the sake of individual souls and the soul of our nation."
To read the entire press release, CLICK HERE.
-- From "FedEx sued for bizarre and harassing acts of discrimination and retaliation against a conservative evangelical Christian" Press release posted at Culture Campaign 9/4/09
An employee of a Fortune 100 company answered questions about conservative Christian views and was delivered a career-ending edict to stop all religious conversation. Alliance Defense Fund allied attorney Jason Craddock, of New Lenox, Illinois, filed a lawsuit in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois, on behalf of Eric Weathers, against his former employer, FedEx Corporate Services.
Eric Weathers merely answered his fellow employee's questions about the Bible and as a result was subject to a corporate investigation and prohibited from engaging in conversations about anything religious, including discussion about basic things such as his Bible college degree, seminary studies, or church attendance. The investigation produced no true findings that Weathers had violated any FedEx policy. However he was still warned to "stop all religious conversation." Within four months Weathers, who was known for his "stellar career" during his 19 years with FedEx, was demoted to a position he held 18 years earlier as part of what appears as a retaliatory campaign.
When such stringent restrictions were placed on his speech, Weathers researched FedEx policy and found no prohibition on religious conversation. When Weathers questioned the FedEx Human Resources department he was told that his religious speech was an "act detrimental to the company." The policy the HR representative pointed out would put religious conversation on par with theft, illegal use of drugs, physical violence, sexual harassment, and falsification of records.
"If conscience and faith are obliterated in the workplace, nothing will be left but salt devoid of savor, which will neither preserve corporate America from decay, nor flavor it with the blessed taste and smell of the Gospel of Christ," Craddock said. "Conscience and faith must be protected in the employment context, for the sake of individual souls and the soul of our nation."
To read the entire press release, CLICK HERE.
Canadian Officials Back Off Hate Speech Regs
Hope that freedoms of religion and speech in Canada may backtrack from very bad, to just bad
A provision in the Human Rights Act that bans hate speech on the internet is unconstitutional, according to the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
-- From "Internet hate-speech law unconstitutional" Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 9/3/09
In a decision released Wednesday, the commission's tribunal dismissed a complaint filed against Marc Lemire, a webmaster who runs freedomsite.org, a site that bills itself as "Canada's freedom resource center."
The complaint, which alleged that messages posted on the site were discriminatory and exposed minority groups to "hatred and contempt," was filed by Ottawa lawyer Richard Warman.
In rejecting the complaint, commissioner vice-chair Athanasios Hadjis ruled that Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act violates the Charter of Rights and Freedom, "which guarantees the freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Let the courts judge hate crime" Editorial, Toronto Star 9/4/09
The Canadian Criminal Code is tough on hate-mongers, and rightly so. It provides for up to two years in jail for wilfully promoting hatred against identifiable groups. That's a major deterrent to racists, homophobes and other purveyors of hate in the media or anywhere else.
Given this safeguard, it's hard to see why the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) should also be empowered to impose fines of up to $10,000 and award damages of up to $20,000 for much the same offence, under a controversial section of the human rights act that prohibits telecommunicating "any matter that is likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt."
In a bombshell ruling this week, Athanasios Hadjis flatly challenged Section 13's constitutionality. He found that a Canadian with neo-Nazi ties ran afoul of the rights act by posting an anti-gay message on his website. But Hadjis also found Section 13 to be unlawful because it is more than a "minimal" infringement on freedom of expression.
This ruling strengthens the case for Parliament to get the CHRC out of the business of policing hate speech by repealing Section 13 and leaving the problem of hate speech to the criminal courts.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
A provision in the Human Rights Act that bans hate speech on the internet is unconstitutional, according to the Canadian Human Rights Commission.
-- From "Internet hate-speech law unconstitutional" Canadian Broadcasting Corporation 9/3/09
In a decision released Wednesday, the commission's tribunal dismissed a complaint filed against Marc Lemire, a webmaster who runs freedomsite.org, a site that bills itself as "Canada's freedom resource center."
The complaint, which alleged that messages posted on the site were discriminatory and exposed minority groups to "hatred and contempt," was filed by Ottawa lawyer Richard Warman.
In rejecting the complaint, commissioner vice-chair Athanasios Hadjis ruled that Section 13 of the Canadian Human Rights Act violates the Charter of Rights and Freedom, "which guarantees the freedom of thought, belief, opinion and expression."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Let the courts judge hate crime" Editorial, Toronto Star 9/4/09
The Canadian Criminal Code is tough on hate-mongers, and rightly so. It provides for up to two years in jail for wilfully promoting hatred against identifiable groups. That's a major deterrent to racists, homophobes and other purveyors of hate in the media or anywhere else.
Given this safeguard, it's hard to see why the Canadian Human Rights Commission (CHRC) should also be empowered to impose fines of up to $10,000 and award damages of up to $20,000 for much the same offence, under a controversial section of the human rights act that prohibits telecommunicating "any matter that is likely to expose a person or persons to hatred or contempt."
In a bombshell ruling this week, Athanasios Hadjis flatly challenged Section 13's constitutionality. He found that a Canadian with neo-Nazi ties ran afoul of the rights act by posting an anti-gay message on his website. But Hadjis also found Section 13 to be unlawful because it is more than a "minimal" infringement on freedom of expression.
This ruling strengthens the case for Parliament to get the CHRC out of the business of policing hate speech by repealing Section 13 and leaving the problem of hate speech to the criminal courts.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Utah School Airs Obama Indoctrination Video
A school principal has apologized for showing a video at an assembly that a politically conservative group leader is calling "radical, leftist propaganda."
At the end of the video, the celebrities pledge allegiance to Barack Obama.
-- From "Parents upset over 'leftist propaganda' video" by Lisa Schencker, The Salt Lake Tribune 9/2/09
Children at Eagle Bay Elementary School in Farmington were shown a short video called "I pledge" on Aug. 28. The video opens with an image of President Barack Obama and part of a speech in which he says, "Let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other." The video then features celebrities making pledges about how they will help the president and the world -- and that's where some say the problem lies.
Many pledges, such as supporting local food banks, smiling more, and caring for the elderly are noncontroversial. But other pledges, such as "to never give anyone the finger when I'm driving again," "to sell my obnoxious car and buy a hybrid" and to advance stem cell research cross the line, some say.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
At the end of the video, the celebrities pledge allegiance to Barack Obama.
-- From "Parents upset over 'leftist propaganda' video" by Lisa Schencker, The Salt Lake Tribune 9/2/09
Children at Eagle Bay Elementary School in Farmington were shown a short video called "I pledge" on Aug. 28. The video opens with an image of President Barack Obama and part of a speech in which he says, "Let us summon a new spirit of patriotism, of responsibility where each of us resolves to pitch in and work harder and look after not only ourselves but each other." The video then features celebrities making pledges about how they will help the president and the world -- and that's where some say the problem lies.
Many pledges, such as supporting local food banks, smiling more, and caring for the elderly are noncontroversial. But other pledges, such as "to never give anyone the finger when I'm driving again," "to sell my obnoxious car and buy a hybrid" and to advance stem cell research cross the line, some say.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, September 03, 2009
Rescinding 'Don't Ask, Don't Tell' Buried with Ted Kennedy
Democrats bracing for backlash from homosexualists: “We have a very heavy, busy agenda and a few months left to do it,” [Senator] Durbin said in an interview recently. “So it may not be now, but that doesn’t mean it won’t be soon.”
UPDATE 10/4/09: White House says now isn't the time (source: Associated Press)
-- From "Gay military question still up in air" by Manu Raju, Politico 9/2/09
When gay rights advocates march on Washington in October, they’ll be confronting a bleak political landscape in their effort to allow gays to openly serve in the military.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) says the Senate is swamped and has little time on the schedule for this fight. The Pentagon brass is reticent and wants a go-slow strategy, while a majority of the rank and file in the military opposes changing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law. With no Republican co-sponsors for a repeal, key moderate Democrats such as Sens. Jim Webb of Virginia and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas remain uncommitted.
And the Senate’s patron saint of this cause, Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), died before being able to introduce long-promised bipartisan legislation to overturn "don’t ask, don’t tell."
None of this is promising for a gay rights movement that raised a ton of money for President Barack Obama and believed that their moment was now.
Leading opponents of the policy, including Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), one of the handful of openly gay members of Congress, said there’s a better shot next year to overturn a ban that is widely opposed by the general public. But he admits the bill could pass the House but have a more difficult time in the Senate.
And absent a big push from the Pentagon and Obama, key Senate Democrats are signaling that there is little appetite to anger some of their more socially conservative voters at a time when election forecasters are signaling a tough 2010 election cycle for the party.
And Kennedy’s death — already felt in the health care debate — has reverberated in the gay-rights community. Over the years, he’s been on the forefront in advocating for bills sought by gay-rights activists, pushing for legislation to prevent hate crimes against gays and bills to prohibit employers from discriminating against homosexuals. Kennedy led the opposition in 1996 to the Defense of Marriage Act, pushed for expanded programs to curtail HIV/AIDS and wanted to play the lead role in the Senate to repeal "don’t ask, don’t tell."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 10/4/09: White House says now isn't the time (source: Associated Press)
-- From "Gay military question still up in air" by Manu Raju, Politico 9/2/09
When gay rights advocates march on Washington in October, they’ll be confronting a bleak political landscape in their effort to allow gays to openly serve in the military.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) says the Senate is swamped and has little time on the schedule for this fight. The Pentagon brass is reticent and wants a go-slow strategy, while a majority of the rank and file in the military opposes changing the “don’t ask, don’t tell” law. With no Republican co-sponsors for a repeal, key moderate Democrats such as Sens. Jim Webb of Virginia and Blanche Lincoln of Arkansas remain uncommitted.
And the Senate’s patron saint of this cause, Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.), died before being able to introduce long-promised bipartisan legislation to overturn "don’t ask, don’t tell."
None of this is promising for a gay rights movement that raised a ton of money for President Barack Obama and believed that their moment was now.
Leading opponents of the policy, including Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), one of the handful of openly gay members of Congress, said there’s a better shot next year to overturn a ban that is widely opposed by the general public. But he admits the bill could pass the House but have a more difficult time in the Senate.
And absent a big push from the Pentagon and Obama, key Senate Democrats are signaling that there is little appetite to anger some of their more socially conservative voters at a time when election forecasters are signaling a tough 2010 election cycle for the party.
And Kennedy’s death — already felt in the health care debate — has reverberated in the gay-rights community. Over the years, he’s been on the forefront in advocating for bills sought by gay-rights activists, pushing for legislation to prevent hate crimes against gays and bills to prohibit employers from discriminating against homosexuals. Kennedy led the opposition in 1996 to the Defense of Marriage Act, pushed for expanded programs to curtail HIV/AIDS and wanted to play the lead role in the Senate to repeal "don’t ask, don’t tell."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Obama Indoctrinating Students: America Lashes Out at White House
President Barack Obama's plans for a televised back-to-school address to students next week are drawing fire from some conservatives, who say he's just trying to indoctrinate them to his political beliefs.
The Obama administration is rethinking its course recommendations for students, [now] rewriting its suggestions to teachers for student assignments on how to "help the president,"
After two days of firestorm among Americans, with few exceptions the mainstream media continues to hide this story.
-- From "Right blasts Obama speech to students" by Nia-Malika Henderson, Politico 9/3/09
In the Sept. 8 speech, Obama will challenge students to work hard, set goals for their education and take responsibility for their learning, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a letter to principals.
The Education Department is encouraging teachers to create lesson plans around the speech, using materials provided on the department website, that urge students to learn about Obama and other presidents.
But already, some conservatives are crying foul. The chairman of the Florida Republican Party is condemning Obama's speech as an attempt to "indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda."
Texas school districts are discussing whether the president's speech will be shown — some districts are leaving it up to individual teachers with an opt out parents who don't want their children to view the speech, according to the Houston Chronicle.
In his letter to principals, Duncan said viewing of the speech is encouraged, not mandatory. It's the first time a president has ever given a speech addressed directly to students.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Arlington Pulls Up a Desk For President, Entourage" by Michael Alison Chandler and Debbi Wilgoren, Washington Post Staff Writers 9/3/09
The speech, which will be broadcast live on C-SPAN and the White House Web site, is intended to motivate students and underscore the president's commitment to education, even as the country is engaged in two wars, an economic crisis and a tense health-care debate, the White House said.
But some of Obama's harsher critics have denounced the effort, saying the White House is trying to indoctrinate students politically. They are especially opposed to suggestions by the U.S. Department of Education for classroom activities that could be linked to the speech, such as group discussions of what Obama is asking children to do and whether the speech left them feeling motivated.
Jim Greer, chairman of the Republican Party for the state of Florida, issued a statement blasting the speech as an effort to "spread President Obama's socialist ideology." Although Obama will focus on themes such as setting educational goals and taking personal responsibility for learning, Greer speculated that the president would use the address to "justify his positions" on health care, the economy and taxes.
At the same time, administration officials appear to have responded to some of the criticism, changing a suggested activity from having children write letters to themselves about "what they could do to help the president" to writing about "how they can achieve their short-term and long-term educational goals."
[White House spokesman Tommy] Vietor said aides decided the new language was "clearer" than the original. There was never a political -- or policy -- component intended as part of the effort, he said. The speech will be released in advance and posted to the White House Web site, he said, so parents or teachers can review the text before the broadcast.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "White House Withdraws Call for Students to 'Help' Obama" FOX News 9/3/09
The Washington Times reported Thursday that presidential aides acknowledged they helped the U.S. Education Department write the suggested assignments, which stirred criticism by many who say Obama is trying to indoctrinate the education system.
White House aides said the language was supposed to be a inspirational, pro-education message to America's youths, but its unintended consequences were evident.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
The Obama administration is rethinking its course recommendations for students, [now] rewriting its suggestions to teachers for student assignments on how to "help the president,"
After two days of firestorm among Americans, with few exceptions the mainstream media continues to hide this story.
-- From "Right blasts Obama speech to students" by Nia-Malika Henderson, Politico 9/3/09
In the Sept. 8 speech, Obama will challenge students to work hard, set goals for their education and take responsibility for their learning, Education Secretary Arne Duncan said in a letter to principals.
The Education Department is encouraging teachers to create lesson plans around the speech, using materials provided on the department website, that urge students to learn about Obama and other presidents.
But already, some conservatives are crying foul. The chairman of the Florida Republican Party is condemning Obama's speech as an attempt to "indoctrinate America's children to his socialist agenda."
Texas school districts are discussing whether the president's speech will be shown — some districts are leaving it up to individual teachers with an opt out parents who don't want their children to view the speech, according to the Houston Chronicle.
In his letter to principals, Duncan said viewing of the speech is encouraged, not mandatory. It's the first time a president has ever given a speech addressed directly to students.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Arlington Pulls Up a Desk For President, Entourage" by Michael Alison Chandler and Debbi Wilgoren, Washington Post Staff Writers 9/3/09
The speech, which will be broadcast live on C-SPAN and the White House Web site, is intended to motivate students and underscore the president's commitment to education, even as the country is engaged in two wars, an economic crisis and a tense health-care debate, the White House said.
But some of Obama's harsher critics have denounced the effort, saying the White House is trying to indoctrinate students politically. They are especially opposed to suggestions by the U.S. Department of Education for classroom activities that could be linked to the speech, such as group discussions of what Obama is asking children to do and whether the speech left them feeling motivated.
Jim Greer, chairman of the Republican Party for the state of Florida, issued a statement blasting the speech as an effort to "spread President Obama's socialist ideology." Although Obama will focus on themes such as setting educational goals and taking personal responsibility for learning, Greer speculated that the president would use the address to "justify his positions" on health care, the economy and taxes.
At the same time, administration officials appear to have responded to some of the criticism, changing a suggested activity from having children write letters to themselves about "what they could do to help the president" to writing about "how they can achieve their short-term and long-term educational goals."
[White House spokesman Tommy] Vietor said aides decided the new language was "clearer" than the original. There was never a political -- or policy -- component intended as part of the effort, he said. The speech will be released in advance and posted to the White House Web site, he said, so parents or teachers can review the text before the broadcast.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "White House Withdraws Call for Students to 'Help' Obama" FOX News 9/3/09
The Washington Times reported Thursday that presidential aides acknowledged they helped the U.S. Education Department write the suggested assignments, which stirred criticism by many who say Obama is trying to indoctrinate the education system.
White House aides said the language was supposed to be a inspirational, pro-education message to America's youths, but its unintended consequences were evident.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, September 02, 2009
D.C. Archbishop: Hello? Church Opposes Same-sex Marriage
Washington Archbishop Donald W. Wuerl is plunging the Catholic Church deeper into the battle over legalizing same-sex marriage in the District . . .
-- From "D.C. Archbishop Mobilizes Priests" by Tim Craig, Washington Post Staff Writer 9/2/09
Wuerl sent a letter to 300 local Catholic priests Tuesday reminding them about the Church's opposition to same-sex marriage, and he launched a round of media interviews to bolster the church's presence in the debate.
In his efforts to mobilize Catholics, Wuerl joins a group of Baptist, predominantly African American preachers in stepping up the pressure on D.C. officials to allow a public vote on whether same-sex marriage should be legalized.
"We will continue to let the voice of the Church, the teachings of the Church, be heard as clearly as it can be heard," Wuerl said. "That is why we have sent out so much material to our priests to help them explain this to our faithful people."
Wuerl launched the media offensive on the same day that eight opponents of same-sex marriage, including Bishop Harry Jackson, filed a request with the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics to hold a initiative next year defining marriage as being between a man and a woman.
Wuerl, who became archbishop in 2006, has largely steered clear of controversial political and cultural battles in the region. But in his letter to the priests, Wuerl writes that "marriage is a path toward holiness . . . so as members of the church we are obliged to be all the more attentive to the challenges that weaken marriage."
Wuerl, former bishop of the diocese of Pittsburgh, added that the Church is "committed to develop opportunities for parishioners to be involved to ensure that the true definition of marriage is upheld in the District of Columbia."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "D.C. Archbishop Mobilizes Priests" by Tim Craig, Washington Post Staff Writer 9/2/09
Wuerl sent a letter to 300 local Catholic priests Tuesday reminding them about the Church's opposition to same-sex marriage, and he launched a round of media interviews to bolster the church's presence in the debate.
In his efforts to mobilize Catholics, Wuerl joins a group of Baptist, predominantly African American preachers in stepping up the pressure on D.C. officials to allow a public vote on whether same-sex marriage should be legalized.
"We will continue to let the voice of the Church, the teachings of the Church, be heard as clearly as it can be heard," Wuerl said. "That is why we have sent out so much material to our priests to help them explain this to our faithful people."
Wuerl launched the media offensive on the same day that eight opponents of same-sex marriage, including Bishop Harry Jackson, filed a request with the D.C. Board of Elections and Ethics to hold a initiative next year defining marriage as being between a man and a woman.
Wuerl, who became archbishop in 2006, has largely steered clear of controversial political and cultural battles in the region. But in his letter to the priests, Wuerl writes that "marriage is a path toward holiness . . . so as members of the church we are obliged to be all the more attentive to the challenges that weaken marriage."
Wuerl, former bishop of the diocese of Pittsburgh, added that the Church is "committed to develop opportunities for parishioners to be involved to ensure that the true definition of marriage is upheld in the District of Columbia."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, September 01, 2009
ENDA: Liberals' Hope to Regenerate Base
With polls showing President Obama's approval dropping among all Americans, and a liberal mutiny over the jettison of single-payer health care, Democrats turn to pro-homosexual legislation being led by Rep. Barney Frank and his transgender staffer.Photo: Female-to-male transsexual, Diego Sanchez, senior congressional staff
-- From "New impetus for bill banning anti-gay bias at work" by David Crary, Associated Press 8/27/09
Momentum is building for Congress to pass the first major civil rights act protecting gays and transsexuals, supporters say, and one of the stars in the debate is a barrier-breaking transgender staffer on Capitol Hill.
The Employment Non-Discrimination Act, or ENDA, would prohibit workplace discrimination — including decisions about hiring, firing and wages — based on sexual orientation or gender identity. It would exempt religious organizations, the military and businesses with less than 15 workers. [The religious exemption is purposely very narrow; click here to read details.]
[Unlike the failure of ENDA in 2007] This time around, several factors have changed:
* Barack Obama is now president, and is on record supporting ENDA. A veto was considered possible if the 2007 bill had reached then-President George W. Bush.
* The bill has picked up key support in the Senate, where it was introduced earlier this month by Oregon Democrat Jeff Merkley and Maine Republicans Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe. Even without other GOP senators, Merkley believes it has a good chance of obtaining the 60 votes that likely will be needed to pass the Senate.
The main Senate champion of ENDA in the past had been Sen. Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts, who died [recently]. That role was passed on to Merkley earlier this year.To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Illinois Pro-abortion Congressmen Snub Citizens' Public Questions
A few average moms organized a town hall meeting for Senator Dick Durbin and representatives Mark Kirk (R-IL10) and Melissa Bean (D-IL8). These public servants didn't show up, but voters asked questions of their surrogates.
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