The American Civil Liberties Union has successfully forced many school districts to provide full access to deviant sexual behavior "education" websites using a nationwide campaign enlisting children to report their school's Internet filtering systems.
Read related article: Outlawing Teaching of Homosexuality in Tennessee
UPDATE 8/16/11: ACLU sues Camdenton, MO Schools for filtering out deviant sex websites
UPDATE 8/2/12: Countering ACLU Bullying for School Sexualization
UPDATE 3/14/12: Federal judge agrees with ACLU in Missouri -- sexualization of students mandated
-- From "Students asked to out public schools that block pro-gay sites" by Helen A.S. Popkin, NBC News Today 4/11/11
Don't Filter Me, a projected launched by the ACLU's LGBT Project and Yale Law School LGBT Litigation Clinic, is reaching out to public school students, ages 13 and older, in an effort to "combat illegal censorship of pro-LGBT information on public school computer systems."
Blocking all LGBT content from public school Internet violates both the First Amendment and the Equal Access Act, which requires equal access to school resources for all extracurricular clubs.
The LGBT Project became aware that public schools were filtering pro-gay content a few years ago, when a high school student in Tennessee contacted the advocates, LGBT Project's Chris Hampton said in a recent interview.
Speaking with Dan Savage, who runs the Savage Love advice column and podcast and is the founder of the It Gets Better Project for gay teens, Hampton said the student was searching for information about LGBT scholarships on a school computer, and found those sites were blocked.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "ACLU Says PW Co. Schools Block LGBT Websites" by Jonathan Wilson, WAMU FM 88.5 American University Radio (Washington, DC) 4/13/11
The American Civil Liberties Union says the public school district in Prince William County, Virginia is violating the rights of students and employees by blocking access to certain websites through school computers.
Prince William School District communications director Ken Blackstone says the district is legally bound to filter web content, and is concerned about what material is appropriate for its youngest students.
"We're under mandates to filter content that is deemed to be objectionable, deemed to be harmful to minors, and how it's stated in law," he says.
He says the school district is reviewing its filtering process and will respond to the ACLU's letter. The civil rights group has requested a response by April 25.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "New Jersey School Stops Blocking Pro-Gay Websites" by The Associated Press 4/12/11
A New Jersey school board has stopped blocking gay and lesbian websites on high school and middle school computers.
Two Vineland High School students complained to the American Civil Liberties Union that sites belonging to the Human Rights Campaign and the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network were being blocked by filtering software.
The ACLU and Yale Law School have been pushing schools to drop similar filters. Vineland was the first district in New Jersey that the campaign targeted.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "ACLU trying to stop to Minn. school’s censoring of LGBT Internet content" by Andy Birkey, The Minnesota Independent 5/4/11
The American Civil Liberties Union of Minnesota is demanding that the Northfield School District stop filtering LGBT internet content on the district’s computers.
The ACLU received a tip from Northfield students that the computers were filtering LGBT resources. Northfield uses a software called Lightspeed which contains a filter called “education.lifestyles” defined as “Education about lifestyles — gay, lesbian, alternate.”
Already the campaign has been successful in getting those filters removed from a Kansas City school district, and the ACLU has identified filters in Virginia, Ohio and New Jersey.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Gay-Straight Alliance Gets Filters Removed" by David Lee, Courthouse News Service 5/5/11
Officials in two Texas school districts have agreed to stop censoring lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender Web content, the ACLU said this week. Students from schools in Fort Worth and Baytown contacted the ACLU after finding that websites such as the Gay-Straight Alliance Network and sites that provide resources for LGBT youth in crisis were blocked on school computers.
The ACLU sent demand letters to both districts as part of its national initiative to prevent censorship of such information on public school computer systems.
The districts are the Eagle Mountain-Saginaw Independent School District in Fort Worth and Goose Creek Consolidated Independent School District in Baytown.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Homosexual Indoctrination 'Day of Silence' in Schools as well as Gay Recruitment of Kids: Obama's Czar Legacy
ACLUVA PWC School Internet Filtering Letter
Sunday, May 08, 2011
Media Prepare Anti-Christian Campaign for 2012
The liberal media are recognizing that the front runners in the GOP presidential primary are likely to be vocal evangelical Christians, such as Michele Bachmann or the self-described "dark horse" candidate Herman Cain.
UPDATE 8/26/11: NY Times Wants Conservative Christian Candidates Grilled on Theology
UPDATE 8/9/11: NPR dissects Michele Bachmann's "radical & violent" Christianity
UPDATE 8/6/11: Next to be attacked by the media for his Christianity is Gov. Rick Perry
-- From "Michele Bachmann: Pray for me" by Juana Summers, Politico 5/4/11
The Minnesota congresswoman is asking supporters to pray for her as she considers a White House bid, saying she wants God to give her and her husband “a special anointing on how to put our team together.”
"It won't be easy, it will be a very, very difficult fight," she said. "If this is something that the Lord has called us to, he will make a way where there is no way, and so we're asking for that prayer."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Michele Bachmann says faith impacts her politics" posted at The Underground 4/13/11
Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann told a group of some 100 people [in Iowa] that she converted to Christianity as a high school teenager in Nov. 1972, and “It was an amazing time, a lifelong path of fellowship,” the Associated Press reported.
Bachmann told the group of Iowa conservatives that she is against same-sex marriage and she was shocked by the 2003 decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Court to legalize it, according to the AP.
Bachmann is also pro-life, and said in her speech in Iowa that Planned Parenthood is the “LensCrafter of big abortion,” adding that it does not deserve to have a nonprofit status, CNN said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Herman Cain debate - Christian Baptist man wins the GOP debate" by Paula Mooney, Christian TV Examiner 5/6/11
. . . Cain came seemingly out of nowhere to rocket propulsion spotlight after his debate speech . . . [where he gave] viewers further information on the types of faith issues people seek to really learn about their possible future president: Chiefly, is he a Christian? What faith or religion does Cain practice?
He's Baptist, and a married father of two children, scrolled the text across the video.
Indeed, in a video on the same page of Herman Cain at the 2009 Georgia State Republican, he sounds decidedly like a preacher, a man of the cloth.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Herman Cain confirms attendence at Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom conference; Rubio invited" by Ashley Lopez, Florida Independent 5/3/11
Herman Cain has confirmed that he will be attending Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom conference in June yesterday. So far, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has also confirmed that she will be attending the conservative conference held every year in Washington, D.C.
Cain is a presidential hopeful from Georgia who has been in the news for saying that we would not allow Muslims to serve in his administration and for saying that Planned Parenthood was created to “kill black babies.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Cain Wins Big in Fox News GOP Debate in the Absence of Big Names" by Stephanie Samuel, Christian Post Reporter 5/6/11
. . . Cain's Christian testimony, combined with his plain-spokenness and his business sense, gives him a fighting chance among conservative Christians.
Cain is the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza and the former chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Most recently, he had a radio talk show, "The Herman Cain Show" on WSB-AM-FM/Atlanta.
Cain said of his faith in an April interview with The Christian Post, "I believe in God, I believe in his son Jesus Christ, and I believe in the Holy Spirit." He also said, "Faith plays a very big part in my life, especially when I'm having to wrestle with some major decisions."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Self-taught historian molds ideas of political right" by Erik Eckholm, New York Times 5/5/11
. . . David Barton [of WallBuilders] might seem like a quirky history buff. But the true ambition of this man . . . is to use the nation's past to remake its future, and he has the ear of several would-be presidents.
Barton is a self-taught historian who is described by several potential conservative presidential aspirants as a valued adviser and a source of historical and biblical justification for their policies. He is so popular that evangelical pastors travel across states to hear his rapid-fire presentations on how the United States was founded as a Christian nation and is on the road to ruin, thanks to secularists and the Supreme Court, or on the lost political power of the clergy.
Through two decades of prolific, if disputed, research and some 400 speeches a year on what he calls the forgotten Christian roots of America, Barton, 57, a former school principal and a minister, has built a reputation as a guiding spirit of the religious right. He is also immersed in nuts-and-bolts politics and maintains a network of 700 anti-abortion state legislators.
The liberal group People For the American Way recently issued a report warning of Barton's "growing visibility and influence with members of Congress and other Republican Party officials."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Huckabee: Christian Issues Nation's Top Priority
The 2012 battle is the mainstream media vs. Christian AmericaRead related articles: Liberals, Abortionists Watch America Go Right and also ABC News Scrutinizes Faith of GOP Candidates
UPDATE 8/26/11: NY Times Wants Conservative Christian Candidates Grilled on Theology
UPDATE 8/9/11: NPR dissects Michele Bachmann's "radical & violent" Christianity
UPDATE 8/6/11: Next to be attacked by the media for his Christianity is Gov. Rick Perry
-- From "Michele Bachmann: Pray for me" by Juana Summers, Politico 5/4/11
The Minnesota congresswoman is asking supporters to pray for her as she considers a White House bid, saying she wants God to give her and her husband “a special anointing on how to put our team together.”
"It won't be easy, it will be a very, very difficult fight," she said. "If this is something that the Lord has called us to, he will make a way where there is no way, and so we're asking for that prayer."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Michele Bachmann says faith impacts her politics" posted at The Underground 4/13/11
Minnesota congresswoman Michele Bachmann told a group of some 100 people [in Iowa] that she converted to Christianity as a high school teenager in Nov. 1972, and “It was an amazing time, a lifelong path of fellowship,” the Associated Press reported.
Bachmann told the group of Iowa conservatives that she is against same-sex marriage and she was shocked by the 2003 decision of the Massachusetts Supreme Court to legalize it, according to the AP.
Bachmann is also pro-life, and said in her speech in Iowa that Planned Parenthood is the “LensCrafter of big abortion,” adding that it does not deserve to have a nonprofit status, CNN said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Herman Cain debate - Christian Baptist man wins the GOP debate" by Paula Mooney, Christian TV Examiner 5/6/11
. . . Cain came seemingly out of nowhere to rocket propulsion spotlight after his debate speech . . . [where he gave] viewers further information on the types of faith issues people seek to really learn about their possible future president: Chiefly, is he a Christian? What faith or religion does Cain practice?
He's Baptist, and a married father of two children, scrolled the text across the video.
Indeed, in a video on the same page of Herman Cain at the 2009 Georgia State Republican, he sounds decidedly like a preacher, a man of the cloth.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Herman Cain confirms attendence at Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom conference; Rubio invited" by Ashley Lopez, Florida Independent 5/3/11
Herman Cain has confirmed that he will be attending Ralph Reed’s Faith and Freedom conference in June yesterday. So far, Rep. Michele Bachmann, R-Minn., has also confirmed that she will be attending the conservative conference held every year in Washington, D.C.
Cain is a presidential hopeful from Georgia who has been in the news for saying that we would not allow Muslims to serve in his administration and for saying that Planned Parenthood was created to “kill black babies.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Cain Wins Big in Fox News GOP Debate in the Absence of Big Names" by Stephanie Samuel, Christian Post Reporter 5/6/11
. . . Cain's Christian testimony, combined with his plain-spokenness and his business sense, gives him a fighting chance among conservative Christians.
Cain is the former CEO of Godfather's Pizza and the former chairman of the Board of Directors of the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City. Most recently, he had a radio talk show, "The Herman Cain Show" on WSB-AM-FM/Atlanta.
Cain said of his faith in an April interview with The Christian Post, "I believe in God, I believe in his son Jesus Christ, and I believe in the Holy Spirit." He also said, "Faith plays a very big part in my life, especially when I'm having to wrestle with some major decisions."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Self-taught historian molds ideas of political right" by Erik Eckholm, New York Times 5/5/11
. . . David Barton [of WallBuilders] might seem like a quirky history buff. But the true ambition of this man . . . is to use the nation's past to remake its future, and he has the ear of several would-be presidents.
Barton is a self-taught historian who is described by several potential conservative presidential aspirants as a valued adviser and a source of historical and biblical justification for their policies. He is so popular that evangelical pastors travel across states to hear his rapid-fire presentations on how the United States was founded as a Christian nation and is on the road to ruin, thanks to secularists and the Supreme Court, or on the lost political power of the clergy.
Through two decades of prolific, if disputed, research and some 400 speeches a year on what he calls the forgotten Christian roots of America, Barton, 57, a former school principal and a minister, has built a reputation as a guiding spirit of the religious right. He is also immersed in nuts-and-bolts politics and maintains a network of 700 anti-abortion state legislators.
The liberal group People For the American Way recently issued a report warning of Barton's "growing visibility and influence with members of Congress and other Republican Party officials."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Huckabee: Christian Issues Nation's Top Priority
Saturday, May 07, 2011
Obama Enacts Same-sex 'Marriage' via Immigration
President Obama's Attorney General Eric Holder set aside a Board of Immigration Appeals ruling to deport a 'gay spouse' illegal immigrant. The Board's ruling was based on the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), but because Obama considers DOMA unconstitutional (while lacking constitutional authority for such a pronouncement), Holder's Dept. of Justice has de facto halted enforcement of this federal law.
For background on DOMA, read White House Torpedoed Marriage from Start
For further background on today's story (below), click these headlines for previous articles:
Obama Pushes U.S. Citizenship for Foreign Homosexuals
Immigration Reform = National Same-sex Unions
Obama Legalizes Same-sex 'Marriage' via Passports
UPDATE 12/7/11: Federal Judge Terry A. Bain issued landmark ruling paving way for thousands of undocumented immigrants in same-sex "marriages" avoid deportation
UPDATE 7/15/11: Judge delays deportation for gay Costa Rican man, David Gonzalez, married to a U.S. citizen
-- From "Deportation of same-sex spouse halted" by The Associated Press 5/7/11
A dancer from Venezuela who married an American man in a same-sex ceremony had his deportation placed on hold yesterday, one day after Attorney General Eric Holder set aside an immigration ruling in a similar case.
Henry Velandia, 27, a professional salsa dancer from Caracas, wants to be allowed to remain in the United States as the spouse of US citizen Josh Vandiver, 29. The couple live in New Jersey but were married last year in Connecticut, where same-sex marriage is legal.
Yesterday, an immigration judge in Newark adjourned Velandia’s case until December, citing Holder’s decision a day earlier. In that case, Holder set aside a Board of Immigration Appeals ruling allowing the deportation to Ireland of Paul Wilson Dorman, a gay man illegally in the United States is in a civil union with his partner.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge Gives Immigrant in Same-Sex Marriage a Reprieve From Deportation" by Julia Preston, New York Times 5/6/11
[This is] an unusual signal this week from the Obama administration that it is exploring legal avenues for recognizing same-sex marriages in immigration cases.
Citing the move by the attorney general, Judge Alberto J. Riefkohl of immigration court in Newark postponed Mr. Velandia’s deportation until December at the earliest. The judge said he wanted to allow time for the attorney general and the appeals court to work out whether a gay partner might be eligible under some circumstances for residency.
Rachel B. Tiven, the executive director of Immigration Equality, a legal group that advocates for gay immigrants, said the change of course in the two cases had sent “a signal of openness” from the administration.
Representative Lamar Smith of Texas, the Republican who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said the attorney general had “instructed an immigration court to ignore DOMA in future rulings.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge delays ruling in deportation of gay N.J. couple, allows man to stay in U.S." by Megan DeMarco, Statehouse Bureau, The Star-Ledger 5/6/11
Valandia will have to appear in court again on Dec. 16, but in the interim can stay in their Princeton home.
"It's the best outcome that we could have hoped for," said gay rights lawyer Lavi Soloway, who added that the law could change by December.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge halts deportation proceedings for gay Venezuelan national" by Chris Johnson, Washington Blade 5/6/11
“Today we have won an important victory by stopping the deportation of Henry Velandia,” [his lawyer Lavi] Soloway said. “The Immigration Judge has demonstrated that it is appropriate to proceed with caution when a marriage-based green card petition is pending precisely because the law and policy impacting lesbian and gay bi-national couples is in a state of flux. The Immigration Judge has acted to protect Josh and Henry from being torn apart at a time when new developments suggest that potential solutions for bi-national same-sex couples may be on the horizon.”
According to Soloway. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Assistant Chief Counsel David Cheng, who’s prosecuting the case on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, agreed to the adjournment.
“The administration must act now to institute a moratorium on all deportations of spouses of gay and lesbian Americans to ensure that all same-sex bi-national couples are protected until the fate of DOMA is determined by Congress or the Supreme Court,” Soloway said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background on DOMA, read White House Torpedoed Marriage from Start
For further background on today's story (below), click these headlines for previous articles:
Obama Pushes U.S. Citizenship for Foreign Homosexuals
Immigration Reform = National Same-sex Unions
Obama Legalizes Same-sex 'Marriage' via Passports
UPDATE 12/7/11: Federal Judge Terry A. Bain issued landmark ruling paving way for thousands of undocumented immigrants in same-sex "marriages" avoid deportation
UPDATE 7/15/11: Judge delays deportation for gay Costa Rican man, David Gonzalez, married to a U.S. citizen
-- From "Deportation of same-sex spouse halted" by The Associated Press 5/7/11
A dancer from Venezuela who married an American man in a same-sex ceremony had his deportation placed on hold yesterday, one day after Attorney General Eric Holder set aside an immigration ruling in a similar case.
Henry Velandia, 27, a professional salsa dancer from Caracas, wants to be allowed to remain in the United States as the spouse of US citizen Josh Vandiver, 29. The couple live in New Jersey but were married last year in Connecticut, where same-sex marriage is legal.
Yesterday, an immigration judge in Newark adjourned Velandia’s case until December, citing Holder’s decision a day earlier. In that case, Holder set aside a Board of Immigration Appeals ruling allowing the deportation to Ireland of Paul Wilson Dorman, a gay man illegally in the United States is in a civil union with his partner.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge Gives Immigrant in Same-Sex Marriage a Reprieve From Deportation" by Julia Preston, New York Times 5/6/11
[This is] an unusual signal this week from the Obama administration that it is exploring legal avenues for recognizing same-sex marriages in immigration cases.
Citing the move by the attorney general, Judge Alberto J. Riefkohl of immigration court in Newark postponed Mr. Velandia’s deportation until December at the earliest. The judge said he wanted to allow time for the attorney general and the appeals court to work out whether a gay partner might be eligible under some circumstances for residency.
Rachel B. Tiven, the executive director of Immigration Equality, a legal group that advocates for gay immigrants, said the change of course in the two cases had sent “a signal of openness” from the administration.
Representative Lamar Smith of Texas, the Republican who is chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, said the attorney general had “instructed an immigration court to ignore DOMA in future rulings.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge delays ruling in deportation of gay N.J. couple, allows man to stay in U.S." by Megan DeMarco, Statehouse Bureau, The Star-Ledger 5/6/11
Valandia will have to appear in court again on Dec. 16, but in the interim can stay in their Princeton home.
"It's the best outcome that we could have hoped for," said gay rights lawyer Lavi Soloway, who added that the law could change by December.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Judge halts deportation proceedings for gay Venezuelan national" by Chris Johnson, Washington Blade 5/6/11
“Today we have won an important victory by stopping the deportation of Henry Velandia,” [his lawyer Lavi] Soloway said. “The Immigration Judge has demonstrated that it is appropriate to proceed with caution when a marriage-based green card petition is pending precisely because the law and policy impacting lesbian and gay bi-national couples is in a state of flux. The Immigration Judge has acted to protect Josh and Henry from being torn apart at a time when new developments suggest that potential solutions for bi-national same-sex couples may be on the horizon.”
According to Soloway. Immigration & Customs Enforcement Assistant Chief Counsel David Cheng, who’s prosecuting the case on behalf of the Department of Homeland Security, agreed to the adjournment.
“The administration must act now to institute a moratorium on all deportations of spouses of gay and lesbian Americans to ensure that all same-sex bi-national couples are protected until the fate of DOMA is determined by Congress or the Supreme Court,” Soloway said.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Christian Weatherman Fired for Strip Club Complaint
The chief meteorologist at KERO-TV 23 in Bakersfield, CA was fired after he was denied a vacation request for the air date of an immoral news broadcast and chose to not show up for work.
-- From Meteorologist Jack Church's Facebook post:
KERO‘s chief meteorologist Jack Church is no longer with the station and the veteran weathercaster says that he was fired after he objected to the ABC-affiliate’s airing of a story on local strip clubs.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Here's the objectionable news story from "Business Stays Strong For Strippers" by Cris Ornelas, 23ABC South County Reporter, KERO-TV 4/29/11
Reserving a VIP booth can cost $150 for a night. But right now there is no shortage of reservations. Even in the middle of a recession, when money is tight for pretty much everyone, managers at Déjà Vu say they are still seeing more than 1,000 customers a week.
Bailey Michaels has been an exotic dancer for five years . . . “At the end of the day, and everybody knows this, sex sells. The whole fantasy, you know, just coming in here and being whoever you want to be," Michaels said.
Michaels said people assume its all about the nudity and the sexuality. But she says often it’s just about companionship.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Fired Christian Weatherman Challenges NBC TV Station
-- From Meteorologist Jack Church's Facebook post:
Lost my job w/KERO-TV. We were set to air story @ start of sweeps in 5pm news featuring strip clubs & how they’re doing well in down economy. I protested saying it was inappropriate material for local newscast. Based on my Chrisitan values I could not be to part of this newscast. I asked to have day off when it would air. They denied request, I did’nt appear they fired me 5 days later for breach of contract.From "KERO Fires Chief Meteorologist After He Objected to Racy Strip Club Story" by Andrew Gauthier, Mediabistro 5/6/11
KERO‘s chief meteorologist Jack Church is no longer with the station and the veteran weathercaster says that he was fired after he objected to the ABC-affiliate’s airing of a story on local strip clubs.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Here's the objectionable news story from "Business Stays Strong For Strippers" by Cris Ornelas, 23ABC South County Reporter, KERO-TV 4/29/11
Reserving a VIP booth can cost $150 for a night. But right now there is no shortage of reservations. Even in the middle of a recession, when money is tight for pretty much everyone, managers at Déjà Vu say they are still seeing more than 1,000 customers a week.
Bailey Michaels has been an exotic dancer for five years . . . “At the end of the day, and everybody knows this, sex sells. The whole fantasy, you know, just coming in here and being whoever you want to be," Michaels said.
Michaels said people assume its all about the nudity and the sexuality. But she says often it’s just about companionship.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Fired Christian Weatherman Challenges NBC TV Station
Friday, May 06, 2011
White House Targets Pro-lifers with Lawsuits
The Obama administration's Justice Department has sued at least a half dozen pro-life demonstrators, accusing them of trying to block access to abortion clinics.
-- From "Feds suing more abortion activists" by Roxana Hegeman, Associated Press 5/4/11
The Justice Department under President Barack Obama has taken a harder line against anti-abortion activists accused of trying to block access to clinics, suing at least a half-dozen of them under a federal law that lay mostly dormant during the Bush administration.
Since Obama's inauguration, federal lawsuits have been filed against a woman who blocked a car from entering a clinic in West Palm Beach, Fla.; a Texas man who threw his body across the door of a patient waiting area in San Antonio; and a Pennsylvania man who posted on the Internet the names and addresses of abortion providers and extolled his readers to kill them.
Government records obtained by The Associated Press show that in slightly over two years, the Obama Justice Department has filed six lawsuits under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, mostly to seek injunctions and fines. That compares with just one such lawsuit during the entire eight years of George W. Bush.
President Bill Clinton signed the law in 1994 after a turbulent period that included massive sit-ins at clinics, clinic bombings and other anti-abortion activities that culminated with Tiller being wounded in a 1993 shooting. The Clinton Justice Department subsequently filed 17 civil lawsuits under the law during his remaining term.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Obama's DOJ ups ante on pro-life groups" by Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow 5/5/11
The lawsuits, filed by the administration under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, charge the demonstrators with civil acts, not criminal acts. Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, says pro-lifers certainly have constitutional rights of free speech -- and criminal cases are more difficult to prove in court.
In one case, a Kansas woman wrote a letter to a physician who planned to open a Wichita abortion facility. She was taken to court as a result, but a federal judge ruled in the woman's favor based on her constitutional rights. No laws were broken.
However, von Spakovsky is reminded of the outrage over members of the New Black Panthers intimidating voters outside a polling place in the November 2008 election and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder refusing to pursue prosecution.
Yet, he says, the federal government took a Kansas woman to court for writing a letter to the physician -- a letter containing no threat of violence whatsoever.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "DOJ Targets Pro-Life Activists" by Raven Clabough, New American 5/5/11
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, when members of the New Black Panther Party stood outside voting booths on Election Day ’08 wearing military-type uniforms, bearing clubs and hurling racial epithets at voters, they were not engaged in voter intimidation. But now the same DOJ has determined that pro-life activists standing outside abortion clinics are trying to block access to the clinics. In fact, the Justice Department has sued half a dozen pro-life activists under a federal law that was relatively unused during the Bush administration.
. . . Operation Rescue President Troy Newman contends, “You don’t just go around filing injunctions against people that you believe are proponents of violence. Domestic violence cases have proven that little injunctions don’t stop people from committing acts of violence.… They are pretty weak cases all around the country.”
Newman asserts that if it has proof of criminal misconduct, the government should file criminal charges under broadly written criminal statutes, instead of pursuing lawsuits against mostly peaceful pro-life activists under an act that specifically targets them.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Feds suing more abortion activists" by Roxana Hegeman, Associated Press 5/4/11
The Justice Department under President Barack Obama has taken a harder line against anti-abortion activists accused of trying to block access to clinics, suing at least a half-dozen of them under a federal law that lay mostly dormant during the Bush administration.
Since Obama's inauguration, federal lawsuits have been filed against a woman who blocked a car from entering a clinic in West Palm Beach, Fla.; a Texas man who threw his body across the door of a patient waiting area in San Antonio; and a Pennsylvania man who posted on the Internet the names and addresses of abortion providers and extolled his readers to kill them.
Government records obtained by The Associated Press show that in slightly over two years, the Obama Justice Department has filed six lawsuits under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, mostly to seek injunctions and fines. That compares with just one such lawsuit during the entire eight years of George W. Bush.
President Bill Clinton signed the law in 1994 after a turbulent period that included massive sit-ins at clinics, clinic bombings and other anti-abortion activities that culminated with Tiller being wounded in a 1993 shooting. The Clinton Justice Department subsequently filed 17 civil lawsuits under the law during his remaining term.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Obama's DOJ ups ante on pro-life groups" by Charlie Butts, OneNewsNow 5/5/11
The lawsuits, filed by the administration under the Freedom of Access to Clinic Entrances Act, charge the demonstrators with civil acts, not criminal acts. Hans von Spakovsky, senior legal fellow at The Heritage Foundation, says pro-lifers certainly have constitutional rights of free speech -- and criminal cases are more difficult to prove in court.
In one case, a Kansas woman wrote a letter to a physician who planned to open a Wichita abortion facility. She was taken to court as a result, but a federal judge ruled in the woman's favor based on her constitutional rights. No laws were broken.
However, von Spakovsky is reminded of the outrage over members of the New Black Panthers intimidating voters outside a polling place in the November 2008 election and U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder refusing to pursue prosecution.
Yet, he says, the federal government took a Kansas woman to court for writing a letter to the physician -- a letter containing no threat of violence whatsoever.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "DOJ Targets Pro-Life Activists" by Raven Clabough, New American 5/5/11
According to the U.S. Department of Justice, when members of the New Black Panther Party stood outside voting booths on Election Day ’08 wearing military-type uniforms, bearing clubs and hurling racial epithets at voters, they were not engaged in voter intimidation. But now the same DOJ has determined that pro-life activists standing outside abortion clinics are trying to block access to the clinics. In fact, the Justice Department has sued half a dozen pro-life activists under a federal law that was relatively unused during the Bush administration.
. . . Operation Rescue President Troy Newman contends, “You don’t just go around filing injunctions against people that you believe are proponents of violence. Domestic violence cases have proven that little injunctions don’t stop people from committing acts of violence.… They are pretty weak cases all around the country.”
Newman asserts that if it has proof of criminal misconduct, the government should file criminal charges under broadly written criminal statutes, instead of pursuing lawsuits against mostly peaceful pro-life activists under an act that specifically targets them.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
11 RINOs Put Abortionist on Federal Bench
Eleven GOP Senators broke a Republican filibuster to pave the way for John J. McConnell, former director of Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island, to be confirmed for a lifetime federal judgeship.
-- From "RI lawyer confirmed as US judge; GOP block fails" by The Associated Press 5/5/11
A trial lawyer nominated by President Barack Obama to be a federal judge in Rhode Island was confirmed on a party-line vote Wednesday just hours after a Senate GOP filibuster attempt failed.
The Senate voted 50-44 to confirm lawyer John McConnell to the bench after a more significant 63-33 tally to advance the nomination past a filibuster orchestrated by GOP leaders.
Eleven Republicans joined with Democrats in the earlier vote to break the filibuster. GOP leaders opposed McConnell, citing his record as a trial lawyer in cases against businesses. Republicans also said McConnell was less than truthful in his testimony to the Senate.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Senate Approves Former Planned Parenthood Director as Judge" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 5/4/11
Senate Republicans joining all Democrats to end debate and approve McConnell include [Lamar Alexander of Tennessee,] Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Susan Collins of Maine, Lyndsey Graham of South Carolina, [Saxby Chambliss and] Johnny Isakson of Georgia, Mark Kirk of Illinois, John McCain of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Olympia Snowe of Maine, and John Thune of South Dakota.
Before the vote, several senators suggested McConnell lied or offered contradictory sworn statements about a lead paint case in which he was involved.
“I don’t know how I can say it any more gently,” said Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, during floor debate. “The fact is, he lied to the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation process.”
Pro-life advocates say McConnell is a pro-abortion stalwart who doesn’t deserve a place in the federal courts. In fact, McConnell disclosed in his public questionnaire that he was director of Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island from 1997 until 2001.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "McConnell confirmed for lower court" by Abby Phillip, Politico 5/4/11
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has rarely filed for cloture for Obama’s judicial nominees, a move that could help push controversial nominees toward final confirmation. However, this requires 60 votes and can potentially eat up limited floor time as a result of debate.
But with the Democrats overcoming this hurdle with McConnell, advocates see a clear opening for other District court picks now that one of the president’s most controversial lower-court nominee is on his way to eventual confirmation.
Moreover, it bolsters an argument liberals have been making for months when they've called on the White House to more aggressively push for cloture votes on stalled nominees. They have long believed that Democrats could count on the votes of some Republican senators who were a part of the 2005 "Gang of 14," which negotiated a compromise on some of Bush's judicial picks.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "11 Republican Senators Permit Former Planned Parenthood Director to Become Federal Judge" by Fred Lucas, CNSNews.com 5/5/11
All 11 Republicans who voted for cloture—and thus to allow McConnell’s nomination to proceed—turned around and voted against the nomination itself on the final vote. That vote succeeded 50 to 44 and McConnell was confirmed.
[Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia], and other Republicans, said they did not want to duplicate the tactics of Senate Democrats who blocked numerous of President George W. Bush judicial nominees by refusing to support a cloture vote that would allow their nominations to come up for a final vote on the Senate floor.
“As a member of the ‘Gang of 14’ in 2005, I agreed that ‘Nominees should be filibustered only under extraordinary circumstances,’” [Sen. John] McCain said before the vote. “The nomination of Mr. McConnell does not rise to a level of ‘extraordinary circumstances.’ However, I am deeply troubled by Mr. McConnell’s less than candid responses to the Senate Judiciary Committee, his liberal judicial philosophy, including his public antipathy toward private enterprise, and his strong political activism. For these reasons, I will not support his nomination.”
In a floor speech, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) called Jack McConnell and fine man and praised Republican senators for allowing the McConnell nomination to come to the floor.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Had 4 of the 11 Republicans who voted for cloture not done so, the nomination would have failed.Read related article: GOP Senate RINOs Fund Planned Parenthood
-- From "RI lawyer confirmed as US judge; GOP block fails" by The Associated Press 5/5/11
A trial lawyer nominated by President Barack Obama to be a federal judge in Rhode Island was confirmed on a party-line vote Wednesday just hours after a Senate GOP filibuster attempt failed.
The Senate voted 50-44 to confirm lawyer John McConnell to the bench after a more significant 63-33 tally to advance the nomination past a filibuster orchestrated by GOP leaders.
Eleven Republicans joined with Democrats in the earlier vote to break the filibuster. GOP leaders opposed McConnell, citing his record as a trial lawyer in cases against businesses. Republicans also said McConnell was less than truthful in his testimony to the Senate.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Senate Approves Former Planned Parenthood Director as Judge" by Steven Ertelt, LifeNews.com 5/4/11
Senate Republicans joining all Democrats to end debate and approve McConnell include [Lamar Alexander of Tennessee,] Scott Brown of Massachusetts, Susan Collins of Maine, Lyndsey Graham of South Carolina, [Saxby Chambliss and] Johnny Isakson of Georgia, Mark Kirk of Illinois, John McCain of Arizona, Lisa Murkowski of Alaska, Olympia Snowe of Maine, and John Thune of South Dakota.
Before the vote, several senators suggested McConnell lied or offered contradictory sworn statements about a lead paint case in which he was involved.
“I don’t know how I can say it any more gently,” said Sen. John Cornyn, a Texas Republican, during floor debate. “The fact is, he lied to the Senate Judiciary Committee during his confirmation process.”
Pro-life advocates say McConnell is a pro-abortion stalwart who doesn’t deserve a place in the federal courts. In fact, McConnell disclosed in his public questionnaire that he was director of Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island from 1997 until 2001.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "McConnell confirmed for lower court" by Abby Phillip, Politico 5/4/11
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid has rarely filed for cloture for Obama’s judicial nominees, a move that could help push controversial nominees toward final confirmation. However, this requires 60 votes and can potentially eat up limited floor time as a result of debate.
But with the Democrats overcoming this hurdle with McConnell, advocates see a clear opening for other District court picks now that one of the president’s most controversial lower-court nominee is on his way to eventual confirmation.
Moreover, it bolsters an argument liberals have been making for months when they've called on the White House to more aggressively push for cloture votes on stalled nominees. They have long believed that Democrats could count on the votes of some Republican senators who were a part of the 2005 "Gang of 14," which negotiated a compromise on some of Bush's judicial picks.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "11 Republican Senators Permit Former Planned Parenthood Director to Become Federal Judge" by Fred Lucas, CNSNews.com 5/5/11
All 11 Republicans who voted for cloture—and thus to allow McConnell’s nomination to proceed—turned around and voted against the nomination itself on the final vote. That vote succeeded 50 to 44 and McConnell was confirmed.
[Sen. Johnny Isakson of Georgia], and other Republicans, said they did not want to duplicate the tactics of Senate Democrats who blocked numerous of President George W. Bush judicial nominees by refusing to support a cloture vote that would allow their nominations to come up for a final vote on the Senate floor.
“As a member of the ‘Gang of 14’ in 2005, I agreed that ‘Nominees should be filibustered only under extraordinary circumstances,’” [Sen. John] McCain said before the vote. “The nomination of Mr. McConnell does not rise to a level of ‘extraordinary circumstances.’ However, I am deeply troubled by Mr. McConnell’s less than candid responses to the Senate Judiciary Committee, his liberal judicial philosophy, including his public antipathy toward private enterprise, and his strong political activism. For these reasons, I will not support his nomination.”
In a floor speech, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) called Jack McConnell and fine man and praised Republican senators for allowing the McConnell nomination to come to the floor.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, May 05, 2011
Congressman: Prayer Needed to Solve America's Problems
Rep. Allen West, a freshman Republican congressman from Florida, told guests and colleagues attending the 60th National Day of Prayer on Thursday on Capitol Hill that America is “rooted” in its Judeo-Christian faith and that prayer is needed to solve the nation’s problems.
For contrast, read Day of Prayer: Atheists Peer In from Outside
UPDATE 7/22/12: Prayer Needed - Government Isn't the Solution
-- From "Freshman Representative Says Prayer Needed to Solve America’s Problems" by Penny Starr, CNSNews.com 5/5/11
“We must pray as it states in II Chronicles 7:14, ‘If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land,’” West said.
The three-hour worship service, held in the Caucus Room of the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill, included prayers for the executive branch of the U.S. government, the Supreme Court judges, and the legislators in the House and the Senate. Prayers were also offered for all branches of the U.S. military.
The keynote speaker at the event was Joni Eareckson Tada, who was paralyzed from the neck down after a diving accident in 1967. Despite her disability – and battling breast cancer – Eareckson Tada is an author, a “mouth artist” who paints holding a paintbrush in her teeth, and has traveled the world for her Christian ministry and to help other people with disabilities.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Transcript (in full): Congressman West's National Day of Prayer Speech
"A Mighty Fortress is our God"
Psalm 91 "The Soldiers Psalm"......Verse 2; "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust"
Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea".
Psalm 11:3 "If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?"
We have come here this morning on a day set aside to remember from whence our strength comes. This week began with a great piece of news for America, the personification of evil, Osama Bin Laden was killed by our US Navy SEAL special operators.
On this National Day of Prayer, I can attest without any doubt that before those brave Warriors launched their mission, they prayed. Prayer is the means by which we can find refuge in our Lord God as we face trials, tribulations, and tumultuous times.
When the foundations of America were attacked and destroyed on September 11, 2001 we found ourselves as a Nation doing that which is best, praying. We found ourselves doing as it says in Psalm 34:6, "This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him And saved him out of all his troubles."
In our Congressional office there is a simple portrait hanging on the wall facing my desk. It is a portrait that reminds me where great leaders find strength in times of troubles. It is a portrait which reminds me of the faith and conviction that enabled a rag tag bunch of 13 Colonies to come together and triumph.
It is the portrait of General George Washington kneeling beside his horse, hands clapsed, and head bowed in the snow of Valley Forge.
It was a time characterized by the immortal words of Thomas Paine, "These are the times which try men's souls. The summer Soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that STANDS it now, deserves the love and thanks of men and women".
I know that before you can stand against the evils, trials, and challenges we all face.....we must first kneel in prayer.
As we trust in God through the power of prayer we can say as it says in Romans 8:31 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us."
This America is rooted in a Judeo-Christian faith tradition which finds its cornerstone of communication, prayer.
Thomas Jefferson stated, "Can the liberties of a Nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my Country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever".
And George Washington stated, "No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more that the people of the United States.....We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious [favorable] smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a Nation which disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself ordained".
Psalm 11:3 asks us a simple question, "If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?"
The answer is simple, this Nation will pray when its foundations are being destroyed.
We must pray for our economic security and the blessings of long term sustainable job growth policies.
We must pray for our national security to ensure this great Republic, the grand experiment in individual liberty is preserved for future generations.
We must pray for the restoration of the American family and the sanctity of innocent life.
We must pray that the ideological chasm which now separates our America can be closed.
We must pray as it states in II Chronicles 7:14, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and PRAY and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and HEAL their land.
Yes, I believe as it states in Jeremiah 29:11-13...."For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and PRAY to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart".
I know that this is a time when the restoration of our faith and belief in the power of prayer as a Nation will result in the promise of Romans 5:3-4, "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope"....and not a hope in Man.
As it says in Phillipians 4:13....."we can do ALL things" which is why I know the greatest days of America lie ahead as we remember this day and the power of Prayer.
In closing, I know that certain individuals and their media allies will be chomping to attack these words I share today. They shall cry separation of church and State.....but that principle does not apply to separating me from my faith and belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our Savior Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the power of prayer. And it does not apply to separating this great Nation from its Judeo-Christian faith heritage.
We must never dwell in the realm of fear nor shy away from our convictions if we believe the simple admonition of Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from me, Says the Lord."
I am not a perfect Man, but my daily prayer is the Lord's prayer as found in Matthew Chapter 6 and the prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10, "O that you would bless Me indeed and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, to protect me from evil, so that I will not cause harm, and God granted him as he requested".
Therefore, on this 60th Annual National Day of Prayer, I implore this Nation and all of you here to lift your eyes unto the Hills, where we shall find our strength. Mount up with wings like Eagles. Run and never grow weary. Walk and never faint.
And never forget, that before you STAND strong, you must first kneel in prayer.
God bless you all, God bless America.
Steadfast and Loyal!
For contrast, read Day of Prayer: Atheists Peer In from Outside
UPDATE 7/22/12: Prayer Needed - Government Isn't the Solution
-- From "Freshman Representative Says Prayer Needed to Solve America’s Problems" by Penny Starr, CNSNews.com 5/5/11
“We must pray as it states in II Chronicles 7:14, ‘If my people who are called by my name will humble themselves, and pray and seek my face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and heal their land,’” West said.
The three-hour worship service, held in the Caucus Room of the Cannon House Office Building on Capitol Hill, included prayers for the executive branch of the U.S. government, the Supreme Court judges, and the legislators in the House and the Senate. Prayers were also offered for all branches of the U.S. military.
The keynote speaker at the event was Joni Eareckson Tada, who was paralyzed from the neck down after a diving accident in 1967. Despite her disability – and battling breast cancer – Eareckson Tada is an author, a “mouth artist” who paints holding a paintbrush in her teeth, and has traveled the world for her Christian ministry and to help other people with disabilities.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Transcript (in full): Congressman West's National Day of Prayer Speech
"A Mighty Fortress is our God"
Psalm 91 "The Soldiers Psalm"......Verse 2; "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge and my fortress; My God, in Him I will trust"
Psalm 46:1, "God is our refuge and strength, A very present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, Even though the earth be removed, And though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea".
Psalm 11:3 "If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?"
We have come here this morning on a day set aside to remember from whence our strength comes. This week began with a great piece of news for America, the personification of evil, Osama Bin Laden was killed by our US Navy SEAL special operators.
On this National Day of Prayer, I can attest without any doubt that before those brave Warriors launched their mission, they prayed. Prayer is the means by which we can find refuge in our Lord God as we face trials, tribulations, and tumultuous times.
When the foundations of America were attacked and destroyed on September 11, 2001 we found ourselves as a Nation doing that which is best, praying. We found ourselves doing as it says in Psalm 34:6, "This poor man cried out, and the Lord heard him And saved him out of all his troubles."
In our Congressional office there is a simple portrait hanging on the wall facing my desk. It is a portrait that reminds me where great leaders find strength in times of troubles. It is a portrait which reminds me of the faith and conviction that enabled a rag tag bunch of 13 Colonies to come together and triumph.
It is the portrait of General George Washington kneeling beside his horse, hands clapsed, and head bowed in the snow of Valley Forge.
It was a time characterized by the immortal words of Thomas Paine, "These are the times which try men's souls. The summer Soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of their country; but he that STANDS it now, deserves the love and thanks of men and women".
I know that before you can stand against the evils, trials, and challenges we all face.....we must first kneel in prayer.
As we trust in God through the power of prayer we can say as it says in Romans 8:31 "What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us."
This America is rooted in a Judeo-Christian faith tradition which finds its cornerstone of communication, prayer.
Thomas Jefferson stated, "Can the liberties of a Nation be thought secure when we have removed their only firm basis, a conviction in the minds of the people that these liberties are the gift of God? That they are not to be violated but with His wrath? Indeed, I tremble for my Country when I reflect that God is just; that His justice cannot sleep forever".
And George Washington stated, "No people can be bound to acknowledge and adore the invisible Hand which conducts the affairs of men more that the people of the United States.....We ought to be no less persuaded that the propitious [favorable] smiles of Heaven can never be expected on a Nation which disregards the eternal rules of order and right which Heaven itself ordained".
Psalm 11:3 asks us a simple question, "If the foundations are destroyed, What can the righteous do?"
The answer is simple, this Nation will pray when its foundations are being destroyed.
We must pray for our economic security and the blessings of long term sustainable job growth policies.
We must pray for our national security to ensure this great Republic, the grand experiment in individual liberty is preserved for future generations.
We must pray for the restoration of the American family and the sanctity of innocent life.
We must pray that the ideological chasm which now separates our America can be closed.
We must pray as it states in II Chronicles 7:14, "If My people who are called by My name will humble themselves, and PRAY and seek My face, and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from Heaven, and will forgive their sin, and HEAL their land.
Yes, I believe as it states in Jeremiah 29:11-13...."For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, says the Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you a future and a hope. Then you will call upon Me and go and PRAY to Me, and I will listen to you. And you will seek Me and find Me, when you search for Me with all your heart".
I know that this is a time when the restoration of our faith and belief in the power of prayer as a Nation will result in the promise of Romans 5:3-4, "And not only that, but we also glory in tribulations, knowing that tribulation produces perseverance; perseverance, character; and character hope"....and not a hope in Man.
As it says in Phillipians 4:13....."we can do ALL things" which is why I know the greatest days of America lie ahead as we remember this day and the power of Prayer.
In closing, I know that certain individuals and their media allies will be chomping to attack these words I share today. They shall cry separation of church and State.....but that principle does not apply to separating me from my faith and belief in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, our Savior Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and the power of prayer. And it does not apply to separating this great Nation from its Judeo-Christian faith heritage.
We must never dwell in the realm of fear nor shy away from our convictions if we believe the simple admonition of Isaiah 54:17, "No weapon formed against you shall prosper, And every tongue which rises against you in judgment You shall condemn. This is the heritage of the servants of the Lord, And their righteousness is from me, Says the Lord."
I am not a perfect Man, but my daily prayer is the Lord's prayer as found in Matthew Chapter 6 and the prayer of Jabez, I Chronicles 4:10, "O that you would bless Me indeed and enlarge my territory, that your hand would be with me, to protect me from evil, so that I will not cause harm, and God granted him as he requested".
Therefore, on this 60th Annual National Day of Prayer, I implore this Nation and all of you here to lift your eyes unto the Hills, where we shall find our strength. Mount up with wings like Eagles. Run and never grow weary. Walk and never faint.
And never forget, that before you STAND strong, you must first kneel in prayer.
God bless you all, God bless America.
Steadfast and Loyal!
Day of Prayer: Atheists Peer In from Outside
On this National Day of Prayer, the mainstream media presents its view of prayer ranging from curiosity to utter contempt.
-- From "America observes National Day of Prayer" posted at msnbc.com 5/4/11
Organized by the National Day of Prayer Task Force, more than 35,000 people are expected to gather across the country in prayer, according to the group's website.
The National Day of Prayer was created in 1952 by Congress and signed into law by Harry Truman.
President Obama issued a proclamation designating May 5 as a National Day of Prayer on April 29. He issued similar proclamations in 2009 and 2010.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "National Day of Prayer spotlights prayer's healing power" by David W Freeman, CBS News 5/5/11
Religious people take on faith the healing power of prayer - on today's National Day of Prayer as on other days. And even hard-nosed doctors who have studied spirituality say science supports the belief that prayer brings health benefits - though not necessarily because God is listening.
Several studies have linked prayer to better health. A 2001 study showed that reciting rosary prayers or yoga mantras can enhance heart rhythm and breathing, and a 2011 study published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine linked prayer to pain relief.
Research has also shown that the death rate of people who attend church regularly is about 30 percent lower than that among people who spend their Sundays doing something else, according to Dr. Lynda Powell, chairman of preventive medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
What explains churchgoers' lower death rate? Is it because God smiles on the faithful?
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "National Day of Prayer prompts reflections on the practice" by Jeannie Kever, Houston Chronicle 5/4/11
. . . most services, here and elsewhere, will take place in Christian churches, reflecting both the National Day of Prayer's beginnings in 1775 as a Christian observance and the fact that more than 75 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christian.
Almost 60 percent of Americans say they pray at least once a day, according to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, and Rice University sociologist Michael Emerson notes that those who believe in the healing power of prayer generally embrace studies that confirm their belief, while rejecting those that find no impact.
"Prayer brings a sense of control in an uncertain world," he said. "Whether it works or not, at the level of the supernatural, it works in giving humans a sense of control over their environment."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Skeptics Challenge Day of Prayer With Day of Reason" by Stephanie Samuel, Christian Post Reporter 5/5/11
The non-theists of the North Carolina Triangle Freethought Society have constructed a full day’s schedule of speeches, musical performances and social events meant to rival the many local and national prayer events being held in conjunction with NDOP.
The Day of Reason’s schedule includes several speeches from atheist, agnostic and humanist leaders with titles such as "Coming Out as an Atheist and Humanist" and "How to Protect a Secular America" at a rally at the State Capitol grounds in Raleigh. After lunch, there are scheduled visits to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
Meanwhile, the NDOP website shows that there will be well over 10 prayer events at North Carolina churches, hotels and flags in the communities surrounding the Freethought Society’s rally. These events feature outdoor prayer sessions, prayer breakfasts and luncheons, and youth rallies.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Under Attack: National Day of Prayer as well as Atheists Lose: 'Day of Prayer' Ruled Constitutional
-- From "America observes National Day of Prayer" posted at msnbc.com 5/4/11
Organized by the National Day of Prayer Task Force, more than 35,000 people are expected to gather across the country in prayer, according to the group's website.
The National Day of Prayer was created in 1952 by Congress and signed into law by Harry Truman.
President Obama issued a proclamation designating May 5 as a National Day of Prayer on April 29. He issued similar proclamations in 2009 and 2010.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "National Day of Prayer spotlights prayer's healing power" by David W Freeman, CBS News 5/5/11
Religious people take on faith the healing power of prayer - on today's National Day of Prayer as on other days. And even hard-nosed doctors who have studied spirituality say science supports the belief that prayer brings health benefits - though not necessarily because God is listening.
Several studies have linked prayer to better health. A 2001 study showed that reciting rosary prayers or yoga mantras can enhance heart rhythm and breathing, and a 2011 study published in the Journal of Behavioral Medicine linked prayer to pain relief.
Research has also shown that the death rate of people who attend church regularly is about 30 percent lower than that among people who spend their Sundays doing something else, according to Dr. Lynda Powell, chairman of preventive medicine at Rush University Medical Center in Chicago.
What explains churchgoers' lower death rate? Is it because God smiles on the faithful?
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "National Day of Prayer prompts reflections on the practice" by Jeannie Kever, Houston Chronicle 5/4/11
. . . most services, here and elsewhere, will take place in Christian churches, reflecting both the National Day of Prayer's beginnings in 1775 as a Christian observance and the fact that more than 75 percent of Americans identify themselves as Christian.
Almost 60 percent of Americans say they pray at least once a day, according to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, and Rice University sociologist Michael Emerson notes that those who believe in the healing power of prayer generally embrace studies that confirm their belief, while rejecting those that find no impact.
"Prayer brings a sense of control in an uncertain world," he said. "Whether it works or not, at the level of the supernatural, it works in giving humans a sense of control over their environment."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Skeptics Challenge Day of Prayer With Day of Reason" by Stephanie Samuel, Christian Post Reporter 5/5/11
The non-theists of the North Carolina Triangle Freethought Society have constructed a full day’s schedule of speeches, musical performances and social events meant to rival the many local and national prayer events being held in conjunction with NDOP.
The Day of Reason’s schedule includes several speeches from atheist, agnostic and humanist leaders with titles such as "Coming Out as an Atheist and Humanist" and "How to Protect a Secular America" at a rally at the State Capitol grounds in Raleigh. After lunch, there are scheduled visits to the North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences.
Meanwhile, the NDOP website shows that there will be well over 10 prayer events at North Carolina churches, hotels and flags in the communities surrounding the Freethought Society’s rally. These events feature outdoor prayer sessions, prayer breakfasts and luncheons, and youth rallies.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Under Attack: National Day of Prayer as well as Atheists Lose: 'Day of Prayer' Ruled Constitutional
Homosexual Alumni Want Wheaton College to Change
The homosexual community is rallying around a group of Wheaton College (Illinois) graduates who are offering support for any current students wanting to openly participate in deviant sexual behavior, in response to the Christian college's position of celibacy in singleness.
-- From "Wheaton College group offers support for LGBT" by Jenn Zimmerman, Chicago Tribune Reporter 5/3/11
OneWheaton seeks to offer "a safe space" for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community, said group spokeswoman Kristin Winn. The LGBTQ community, according to Winn, is not widely accepted on campus because of the school's official position against "homosexual behavior."
[In response], Wheaton College President Philip Ryken sent an internal email to all students, faculty and staff that cited passages in the Bible that condemned homosexual behavior.
Ryken also wrote, "We stand with LGBTQ persons before God as persons created in God's own image, and also as sinful persons in need of God's forgiveness and love."
Ryken added that the overall desire of OneWheaton to "affirm the full humanity and dignity of every human being, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity" is something the college agrees with.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Wheaton College alumni group offers support for gay students" by Marco Santana, Daily Herald 5/4/11
Each year, Wheaton College sponsors a weeklong, theme-based lecture series at its three-times-a-week mandatory chapel service and this year chose the theme “Sexuality and Wholeness.”
OneWheaton members said they were spurred to action, in part, because of the school's inclusion in the series of a Wheaton College alumnus, Wesley Hill, who says he has chosen celibacy over homosexuality.
Group members say they wanted to let students know there were other options that could be just as rewarding.
OneWheaton spokeswoman Kristin Winn, a 2007 graduate, says she came out about six months after finishing school and moving to Los Angeles. “We want to show those students there is a community of love and support they will have,” she said.
"Our position is that the college is not intentionally trying to be malicious," she said. "They believe this is a way of loving homosexual students. I applaud them for talking about it." But she said the speaker series left out the possibility that their sexuality is not a sin and that they can still lead vibrant lives while "remaining true to who they are."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Wheaton College Alumni Rally Around Gay Students" by Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service (posted at Huffington Post) 5/4/11
"The recent chapel message on Sexuality and Wholeness and surrounding conversations may have left you feeling alienated, ashamed and afraid," reads the open letter [to students from OneWheaton]. "Many of us felt trapped and unable to respond honestly to these messages while we were students."
In an emailed response to the letter, Wheaton President Philip Ryken told students that the school considers gay people members "of the human family as created in the image of God himself," but remains committed to its covenant that condemns homosexual behavior.
"Many have experienced insensitive or callous responses in this community, for which we repent and seek forgiveness," he wrote, adding the school condemns violence and injustice toward gays.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Wheaton LGBTQ organization forms" by Lisa Klein, Windy City Times 5/4/11
. . . gay alum Wesley Hill April 1. Hill spoke to students about his struggle with his sexuality, telling them that he has chosen lifelong celibacy because being gay is "not something to be affirmed and celebrated, but a sign that we're broken."
OneWheaton, formed this year as a support group for LGBTQ students and alumni of Wheaton College (but not sanctioned by the school), distributed its response letter on campus and posted it on its website.
[Kristin] Winn recalled her days at Wheaton, saying the chapel messages she remembered made her and other LGBTQ students feel like something was wrong with them, "like you have a dark future ahead."
The group originally formed around the idea of LGBTQ alumni making a video for sex columnist Dan Savage's It Gets Better project, but ended up as a support group for both alumni and students of the school.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Leftist Teaching at Wheaton College, Illinois as well as Wheaton College Features Pro-Homosexual Speaker
-- From "Wheaton College group offers support for LGBT" by Jenn Zimmerman, Chicago Tribune Reporter 5/3/11
OneWheaton seeks to offer "a safe space" for the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and questioning community, said group spokeswoman Kristin Winn. The LGBTQ community, according to Winn, is not widely accepted on campus because of the school's official position against "homosexual behavior."
[In response], Wheaton College President Philip Ryken sent an internal email to all students, faculty and staff that cited passages in the Bible that condemned homosexual behavior.
Ryken also wrote, "We stand with LGBTQ persons before God as persons created in God's own image, and also as sinful persons in need of God's forgiveness and love."
Ryken added that the overall desire of OneWheaton to "affirm the full humanity and dignity of every human being, regardless of their sexual orientation or gender identity" is something the college agrees with.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Wheaton College alumni group offers support for gay students" by Marco Santana, Daily Herald 5/4/11
Each year, Wheaton College sponsors a weeklong, theme-based lecture series at its three-times-a-week mandatory chapel service and this year chose the theme “Sexuality and Wholeness.”
OneWheaton members said they were spurred to action, in part, because of the school's inclusion in the series of a Wheaton College alumnus, Wesley Hill, who says he has chosen celibacy over homosexuality.
Group members say they wanted to let students know there were other options that could be just as rewarding.
OneWheaton spokeswoman Kristin Winn, a 2007 graduate, says she came out about six months after finishing school and moving to Los Angeles. “We want to show those students there is a community of love and support they will have,” she said.
"Our position is that the college is not intentionally trying to be malicious," she said. "They believe this is a way of loving homosexual students. I applaud them for talking about it." But she said the speaker series left out the possibility that their sexuality is not a sin and that they can still lead vibrant lives while "remaining true to who they are."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Wheaton College Alumni Rally Around Gay Students" by Adelle M. Banks, Religion News Service (posted at Huffington Post) 5/4/11
"The recent chapel message on Sexuality and Wholeness and surrounding conversations may have left you feeling alienated, ashamed and afraid," reads the open letter [to students from OneWheaton]. "Many of us felt trapped and unable to respond honestly to these messages while we were students."
In an emailed response to the letter, Wheaton President Philip Ryken told students that the school considers gay people members "of the human family as created in the image of God himself," but remains committed to its covenant that condemns homosexual behavior.
"Many have experienced insensitive or callous responses in this community, for which we repent and seek forgiveness," he wrote, adding the school condemns violence and injustice toward gays.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Wheaton LGBTQ organization forms" by Lisa Klein, Windy City Times 5/4/11
. . . gay alum Wesley Hill April 1. Hill spoke to students about his struggle with his sexuality, telling them that he has chosen lifelong celibacy because being gay is "not something to be affirmed and celebrated, but a sign that we're broken."
OneWheaton, formed this year as a support group for LGBTQ students and alumni of Wheaton College (but not sanctioned by the school), distributed its response letter on campus and posted it on its website.
[Kristin] Winn recalled her days at Wheaton, saying the chapel messages she remembered made her and other LGBTQ students feel like something was wrong with them, "like you have a dark future ahead."
The group originally formed around the idea of LGBTQ alumni making a video for sex columnist Dan Savage's It Gets Better project, but ended up as a support group for both alumni and students of the school.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Also read Leftist Teaching at Wheaton College, Illinois as well as Wheaton College Features Pro-Homosexual Speaker
Wednesday, May 04, 2011
Congress: House Passes Abortion Funding Ban
The House of Representatives passed a bill on Wednesday that would set as permanent law the prohibition against taxpayer funding for abortion – except in cases or rape, incest, or when the mother’s life is at risk – which is usually attached to congressional appropriations through the Hyde Amendment each year.
Read related articles: America Hinges on Defunding Planned Parenthood and also GOP Senate RINOs Fund Planned Parenthood
UPDATE 5/5/11: Senate companion bill introduced by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)
-- From "House passes anti-abortion bill" by Stephanie Condon, CBS News 5/4/11
The "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" [H.R. 3] passed by a vote of 251 to 175. The vote was a signal that House Republicans are committed to satisfying their social conservative base, even as Congress continues weighty debates over the federal budget.
Rep. Scott Garrett called the measure a "commonsense bill" that would "do away with the patchwork ban" currently in place to restrict federal funding of abortions.
The legislation would impose a permanent bar on any federal spending for abortion care -- including tax credits for private plans that cover abortion. Republicans have argued that the bill would simply codify the government's commitment to the Hyde amendment, which bans federal funding of abortions. (Lawmakers need to renew the amendment each year.)
Democrats, however, call the bill an effective tax hike on insurance companies that choose to cover abortion. Most employer-provided private health insurance plans provide coverage for abortions.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "House OKs limits on tax breaks for abortions" by The Associated Press 5/4/11
The bill, which passed 251-175, was the latest Republican effort to chip away at President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and follow through on the GOP's campaign promise to keep taxpayers from underwriting abortions.
The measure has little chance of advancing in the Democratic-controlled Senate, and the Obama administration has threatened to veto it.
The bill would prevent people from deducting the cost of an abortion from their taxable income, except when the procedure is performed in cases of rape, incest or when a physician certifies that a woman's life would be in danger if she continues the pregnancy.
Supporters of the bill passed Wednesday say the health overhaul doesn't go far enough to make sure that no tax money is used to subsidize abortions. Congressional estimates say the bill would raise only a negligible amount of tax revenue.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "House Passes Law Against Abortion Funding; ‘Taking of Innocent Life is Not Health Care,’ Says Congressman" by Penny Starr, CNSNews.com 5/4/11
HR 3, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” bans federal funding of abortion; disallows tax benefits for paying for an abortion; prohibits taxpayer funding of federal health care services and those in the District of Columbia that include abortion; and directs the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate any violation of the law through the implementation of Obamacare.
The law also protects from employment-discrimination those health care professionals who are morally opposed to promoting or performing abortions.
The battle now shifts to the Senate where a companion bill is expected to be introduced on Thursday by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "House passes bill that would prohibit all federal funding of abortion" by Steven Nelson, The Daily Caller 5/4/11
All House Republicans who voted supported the legislation; they were joined by 16 House Democrats.
The White House strongly opposes the bill. In a policy statement, the administration wrote that the bill “intrudes on women’s reproductive freedom and access to health care; increases the tax burden on many Americans; unnecessarily restricts the private insurance choices that consumers have today; and restricts the District of Columbia’s use of local funds, which undermines home rule.”
The administration asserts that “longstanding Federal policy prohibits Federal funds from being used for abortions, except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered.” The bill, according to the administration, “goes well beyond these safeguards by interfering with consumers’ private health care choices.”
In February, Florida [Democrat] Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz called the bill “a violent act against women in and of itself.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Read related articles: America Hinges on Defunding Planned Parenthood and also GOP Senate RINOs Fund Planned Parenthood
UPDATE 5/5/11: Senate companion bill introduced by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.)
-- From "House passes anti-abortion bill" by Stephanie Condon, CBS News 5/4/11
The "No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act" [H.R. 3] passed by a vote of 251 to 175. The vote was a signal that House Republicans are committed to satisfying their social conservative base, even as Congress continues weighty debates over the federal budget.
Rep. Scott Garrett called the measure a "commonsense bill" that would "do away with the patchwork ban" currently in place to restrict federal funding of abortions.
The legislation would impose a permanent bar on any federal spending for abortion care -- including tax credits for private plans that cover abortion. Republicans have argued that the bill would simply codify the government's commitment to the Hyde amendment, which bans federal funding of abortions. (Lawmakers need to renew the amendment each year.)
Democrats, however, call the bill an effective tax hike on insurance companies that choose to cover abortion. Most employer-provided private health insurance plans provide coverage for abortions.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "House OKs limits on tax breaks for abortions" by The Associated Press 5/4/11
The bill, which passed 251-175, was the latest Republican effort to chip away at President Barack Obama's health care overhaul and follow through on the GOP's campaign promise to keep taxpayers from underwriting abortions.
The measure has little chance of advancing in the Democratic-controlled Senate, and the Obama administration has threatened to veto it.
The bill would prevent people from deducting the cost of an abortion from their taxable income, except when the procedure is performed in cases of rape, incest or when a physician certifies that a woman's life would be in danger if she continues the pregnancy.
Supporters of the bill passed Wednesday say the health overhaul doesn't go far enough to make sure that no tax money is used to subsidize abortions. Congressional estimates say the bill would raise only a negligible amount of tax revenue.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "House Passes Law Against Abortion Funding; ‘Taking of Innocent Life is Not Health Care,’ Says Congressman" by Penny Starr, CNSNews.com 5/4/11
HR 3, the “No Taxpayer Funding for Abortion Act,” bans federal funding of abortion; disallows tax benefits for paying for an abortion; prohibits taxpayer funding of federal health care services and those in the District of Columbia that include abortion; and directs the Department of Health and Human Services to investigate any violation of the law through the implementation of Obamacare.
The law also protects from employment-discrimination those health care professionals who are morally opposed to promoting or performing abortions.
The battle now shifts to the Senate where a companion bill is expected to be introduced on Thursday by Sen. Roger Wicker (R-Miss.).
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "House passes bill that would prohibit all federal funding of abortion" by Steven Nelson, The Daily Caller 5/4/11
All House Republicans who voted supported the legislation; they were joined by 16 House Democrats.
The White House strongly opposes the bill. In a policy statement, the administration wrote that the bill “intrudes on women’s reproductive freedom and access to health care; increases the tax burden on many Americans; unnecessarily restricts the private insurance choices that consumers have today; and restricts the District of Columbia’s use of local funds, which undermines home rule.”
The administration asserts that “longstanding Federal policy prohibits Federal funds from being used for abortions, except in cases of rape or incest, or when the life of the woman would be endangered.” The bill, according to the administration, “goes well beyond these safeguards by interfering with consumers’ private health care choices.”
In February, Florida [Democrat] Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz called the bill “a violent act against women in and of itself.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Indiana Squeezes Obama in Abortion Battle via Medicaid
Indiana's move to cut off federal funding to Planned Parenthood clinics has not only created a national abortion controversy, but posed a dilemma for the Obama administration.
UPDATE 5/11/11: Fed. Judge rules against ACLU & Planned Parenthood, won't delay Law
-- From "Indiana puts feds in a quandary" by UPI 5/4/11
U.S. health officials said they are considering how to respond to Indiana's move to cut off federal funding to Planned Parenthood clinics in the state.
In many states Planned Parenthood clinics provide basic health care and medical tests for low-income women.
Mary Kahn, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said it would be illegal for Indiana to deny payment to these providers for services other than abortions.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Indiana sets the stage for clash with Obama administration over abortion" by David G. Savage, Tribune Washington Bureau (Los Angeles Times) 5/4/11
While the state's action appears to violate the Medicaid Act, federal officials have few obvious remedies other than to cut off money that pays for health care for low-income women.
. . . the federal Medicaid Act, which pays for care for patients who are poor, says these persons may choose any provider who is "qualified" and "willing" to provide the service. In many states, Planned Parenthood clinics provide basic health care and medical tests for low-income women.
Gov. Daniels, however, argued that low-income women will still have plenty of options for health care beyond Planned Parenthood. "I…can confirm that all non-abortion-services, whether family planning or basic women's health, will remain readily available in every one of our 92 counties,"
Lawyers for Planned Parenthood say they will quickly go to federal court seeking an order that stops the Indiana measure.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
"I expect a lot of states will try to do this."For background, read States Will Defund Planned Parenthood
-- Sara Rosenbaum, law professor at George Washington University
UPDATE 5/11/11: Fed. Judge rules against ACLU & Planned Parenthood, won't delay Law
-- From "Indiana puts feds in a quandary" by UPI 5/4/11
U.S. health officials said they are considering how to respond to Indiana's move to cut off federal funding to Planned Parenthood clinics in the state.
In many states Planned Parenthood clinics provide basic health care and medical tests for low-income women.
Mary Kahn, a spokeswoman for the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services, said it would be illegal for Indiana to deny payment to these providers for services other than abortions.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Indiana sets the stage for clash with Obama administration over abortion" by David G. Savage, Tribune Washington Bureau (Los Angeles Times) 5/4/11
While the state's action appears to violate the Medicaid Act, federal officials have few obvious remedies other than to cut off money that pays for health care for low-income women.
. . . the federal Medicaid Act, which pays for care for patients who are poor, says these persons may choose any provider who is "qualified" and "willing" to provide the service. In many states, Planned Parenthood clinics provide basic health care and medical tests for low-income women.
Gov. Daniels, however, argued that low-income women will still have plenty of options for health care beyond Planned Parenthood. "I…can confirm that all non-abortion-services, whether family planning or basic women's health, will remain readily available in every one of our 92 counties,"
Lawyers for Planned Parenthood say they will quickly go to federal court seeking an order that stops the Indiana measure.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, May 03, 2011
Army's Best-known Gay to Stand Trial
SPC Bradley Manning, the treasonous WikiLeaker who took out his homosexual frustrations by exposing America's military and diplomatic secrets to enemies worldwide, faces the military justice process leading to court martial, or possibly a death sentence.
For background, read WikiLeaker a Homosexual with Army Grudge
UPDATE 8/15/13: Defense argues Manning suffers from "gender confusion"
UPDATE 12/18/11 - NBC News reports Manning "suffers from something called gender identity disorder" (video):
UPDATE 6/23/11: Librarian association wants treasonous soldier released - considers him like a hero
-- From "Manning competent to face court martial" by Jim Miklaszewski, NBC News 4/29/11
A U.S. Army medical and mental evaluation team has determined that WikiLeaks suspect PFC Bradley Manning is both physically and mentally competent to face court martial. The 706 Board, as it's called, took several months to make that determination.
The board's ruling clears the way now for Manning to appear before an Article 32 hearing -- the military equivalent of a grand jury -- to determine if he should face court martial.
The Army has leveled nearly 30 charges against Manning in connection with the alleged theft of "hundreds of thousands" of classified military and State Department documents, many of which eventually were publicly released by Wikileaks.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Army says WikiLeaks suspect fit to stand trial" by The Associated Press 4/29/11
Army spokesman Gary Tallman says a panel of experts completed its medical and mental evaluation of Pfc. Bradley Manning on April 22, and informed Army officials Friday of the conclusion.
Tallman says no date has been set yet for the initial court hearing, and added that the evaluation board's findings "have no bearing on the guilt, innocence, or any potential defenses of the accused."
The Army private is suspected of obtaining hundreds of thousands of classified and sensitive documents while serving in Iraq and providing them to the website. He faces about two dozen charges, including aiding the enemy. That charge can bring the death penalty or life in prison.
Manning was transferred from a Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va., last week to a new facility at Fort Leavenworth prison in Kansas.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "WikiLeaks 'whistleblower' is deemed fit to stand trial" by David Usborne, US Editor, The Independent (UK) 4/30/11
One of the charges he faces involves aiding the enemy – of which, if he is found guilty, could technically carry a death sentence. However, Army prosecutors have indicated they would seek a sentence of up to life in prison instead.
Leavenworth officials were at pains to stress that since last week's transfer there he was no longer deemed in danger of killing himself and would not be detained in isolation. "Typically in this facility, we would not keep anybody on suicide watch more than 24 to 48 hours," said Col Dawn Hilton.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning cleared to stand trial" by David Martin, CBS News 4/29/11
It took nine months for the psychiatrists to judge him mentally fit, mostly because it took months and months to grant them the security clearances necessary to be read in on a case involving half a million secret documents. . . .
. . . The same sort of problems involving classified documents and security clearances that slowed his psychiatric evaluation will also delay his trial.
And that's not including the Department of Justice's attempts to build a case against Julian Assange and Wikileaks. Manning would obviously be key to any prosecution of Assange, and the government almost surely would not want to give anything away by bringing Manning to trial before it finished trying to build a case against WikiLeak's co-founder.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
For background, read WikiLeaker a Homosexual with Army Grudge
UPDATE 8/15/13: Defense argues Manning suffers from "gender confusion"
UPDATE 12/18/11 - NBC News reports Manning "suffers from something called gender identity disorder" (video):
UPDATE 6/23/11: Librarian association wants treasonous soldier released - considers him like a hero
-- From "Manning competent to face court martial" by Jim Miklaszewski, NBC News 4/29/11
A U.S. Army medical and mental evaluation team has determined that WikiLeaks suspect PFC Bradley Manning is both physically and mentally competent to face court martial. The 706 Board, as it's called, took several months to make that determination.
The board's ruling clears the way now for Manning to appear before an Article 32 hearing -- the military equivalent of a grand jury -- to determine if he should face court martial.
The Army has leveled nearly 30 charges against Manning in connection with the alleged theft of "hundreds of thousands" of classified military and State Department documents, many of which eventually were publicly released by Wikileaks.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Army says WikiLeaks suspect fit to stand trial" by The Associated Press 4/29/11
Army spokesman Gary Tallman says a panel of experts completed its medical and mental evaluation of Pfc. Bradley Manning on April 22, and informed Army officials Friday of the conclusion.
Tallman says no date has been set yet for the initial court hearing, and added that the evaluation board's findings "have no bearing on the guilt, innocence, or any potential defenses of the accused."
The Army private is suspected of obtaining hundreds of thousands of classified and sensitive documents while serving in Iraq and providing them to the website. He faces about two dozen charges, including aiding the enemy. That charge can bring the death penalty or life in prison.
Manning was transferred from a Marine Corps brig in Quantico, Va., last week to a new facility at Fort Leavenworth prison in Kansas.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "WikiLeaks 'whistleblower' is deemed fit to stand trial" by David Usborne, US Editor, The Independent (UK) 4/30/11
One of the charges he faces involves aiding the enemy – of which, if he is found guilty, could technically carry a death sentence. However, Army prosecutors have indicated they would seek a sentence of up to life in prison instead.
Leavenworth officials were at pains to stress that since last week's transfer there he was no longer deemed in danger of killing himself and would not be detained in isolation. "Typically in this facility, we would not keep anybody on suicide watch more than 24 to 48 hours," said Col Dawn Hilton.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "WikiLeaks suspect Bradley Manning cleared to stand trial" by David Martin, CBS News 4/29/11
It took nine months for the psychiatrists to judge him mentally fit, mostly because it took months and months to grant them the security clearances necessary to be read in on a case involving half a million secret documents. . . .
. . . The same sort of problems involving classified documents and security clearances that slowed his psychiatric evaluation will also delay his trial.
And that's not including the Department of Justice's attempts to build a case against Julian Assange and Wikileaks. Manning would obviously be key to any prosecution of Assange, and the government almost surely would not want to give anything away by bringing Manning to trial before it finished trying to build a case against WikiLeak's co-founder.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Monday, May 02, 2011
Minn. Marriage Amendment Approaches Voters
The Minnesota Republican-controlled legislature is poised to ask this question of its citizens on the 2012 ballot: Is marriage defined as a union of one man and one woman?
UPDATE 11/7/12: Voters Reject MN Marriage Amendment
UPDATE 3/12/13: 11-year-old Grace Evans explains the need for a mother and father to the Minnesota House Committee on Civil Law (in video):
UPDATE 10/4/13: NFL Athlete FOR Minn. Biblical Marriage Amendment
UPDATE 8/27/12: Judge slams Minn. Dems re-naming ballot question with bias
UPDATE 1/7/12: Archbishop to Priests: Support Marriage or Be Quiet
UPDATE 7/23/11: Minn. Homosexualists Hate Pro-marriage Christians
UPDATE 5/22/11: Marriage question goes to voters in 2012 as House and Senate have acted (governor irrelevant)
-- From "Constitutional gay marriage ban continues march toward Minnesota ballot, clearing House panel" by Martiga Lohn, Associated Press 5/2/11
The amendment's prospects have improved this year after last year's elections gave Republicans full control of the Legislature for the first time in nearly four decades. Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton opposes the amendment but doesn't have the power to block it.
The 10-7 party-line vote by the House Civil Law Committee seemed almost preordained, with the panel's Republicans voting yes and Democrats no. Minnesota law already prohibits gay marriage and prevents the state from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states and countries. But Rep. Steve Gottwalt, the bill's sponsor, said he wants voters to be the ones to define marriage in Minnesota, not lawmakers or judges.
Religious leaders of various backgrounds testified on both sides of the issue about the importance of families.
"This is not the religious law committee — this is the civil law committee," said David Cummer, an elder at Grace Trinity Community Church in Minneapolis. "You guys have not been elected to the College of Cardinals. You are not members of the state church of Minnesota."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "House committee passes anti-gay marriage amendment" By Andy Birkey, Minnesota Independent 5/2/11
The committee heard several hours of testimony, including that of Bishop Bob Battle of the Berean Church of God in Christ. Battle said, “I don’t consider gay marriages as the same as whites not being allowed to marry blacks.”
Rep. John Lesch, DFL-St. Paul, said that just like other hot-button-issue ballot measure of the past, such as abortion, the proposed amendment will not stand the test of time.
“Members you know that this is a hot issue before the voters today, and maybe it’ll get you some votes in the election a year and a half from now,” he said. “This thing is going to end up getting repealed, just like Prohibition.”
Rep. Steve Simon, DFL-St. Louis Park, said this appears like an attempt to “enshrine religious beliefs” into the Minnesota Constitution, especially considering almost all the testifiers in support were religious leaders.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 11/7/12: Voters Reject MN Marriage Amendment
UPDATE 3/12/13: 11-year-old Grace Evans explains the need for a mother and father to the Minnesota House Committee on Civil Law (in video):
UPDATE 10/4/13: NFL Athlete FOR Minn. Biblical Marriage Amendment
UPDATE 8/27/12: Judge slams Minn. Dems re-naming ballot question with bias
UPDATE 1/7/12: Archbishop to Priests: Support Marriage or Be Quiet
UPDATE 7/23/11: Minn. Homosexualists Hate Pro-marriage Christians
UPDATE 5/22/11: Marriage question goes to voters in 2012 as House and Senate have acted (governor irrelevant)
-- From "Constitutional gay marriage ban continues march toward Minnesota ballot, clearing House panel" by Martiga Lohn, Associated Press 5/2/11
The amendment's prospects have improved this year after last year's elections gave Republicans full control of the Legislature for the first time in nearly four decades. Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton opposes the amendment but doesn't have the power to block it.
The 10-7 party-line vote by the House Civil Law Committee seemed almost preordained, with the panel's Republicans voting yes and Democrats no. Minnesota law already prohibits gay marriage and prevents the state from recognizing same-sex marriages performed in other states and countries. But Rep. Steve Gottwalt, the bill's sponsor, said he wants voters to be the ones to define marriage in Minnesota, not lawmakers or judges.
Religious leaders of various backgrounds testified on both sides of the issue about the importance of families.
"This is not the religious law committee — this is the civil law committee," said David Cummer, an elder at Grace Trinity Community Church in Minneapolis. "You guys have not been elected to the College of Cardinals. You are not members of the state church of Minnesota."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "House committee passes anti-gay marriage amendment" By Andy Birkey, Minnesota Independent 5/2/11
The committee heard several hours of testimony, including that of Bishop Bob Battle of the Berean Church of God in Christ. Battle said, “I don’t consider gay marriages as the same as whites not being allowed to marry blacks.”
Rep. John Lesch, DFL-St. Paul, said that just like other hot-button-issue ballot measure of the past, such as abortion, the proposed amendment will not stand the test of time.
“Members you know that this is a hot issue before the voters today, and maybe it’ll get you some votes in the election a year and a half from now,” he said. “This thing is going to end up getting repealed, just like Prohibition.”
Rep. Steve Simon, DFL-St. Louis Park, said this appears like an attempt to “enshrine religious beliefs” into the Minnesota Constitution, especially considering almost all the testifiers in support were religious leaders.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Huckabee: Christian Issues Nation's Top Priority
Although former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee has not declared his candidacy for president, he is statistically tied for the GOP primary lead with Mitt Romney.
UPDATE 5/11/11: Liberal media says Huckabee wants prayers over money
-- From "Huckabee tells NRA members that social issues are an economic issue; lambastes Obama" by Rosalind S. Helderman, Washington Post 5/1/11
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R) told thousands of members of the National Rifle Association Saturday night that social issues should not take a back seat to the economy in the national political debate, but he offered no hints about whether he might run for president and push such issues.
“When I hear people say the issues of family and marriage don’t really matter because we need to focus on the economy, I agree,” he said. “We ought to focus on the economy. But let’s focus on an economy that is robbing us as taxpayers blind because we have a lot of men who have irresponsibly abandoned their wives and their children and left the rest of us as taxpayers with the cost of doing what dads ought to properly do. It is an economic issue.”
The message stands in contrast to an assertion by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R), also considering a presidential run, who has argued that Republicans should offer a “truce” on social issues that have divided the party and at times alienated independent voters.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Sounding like a candidate, Mike Huckabee rouses NRA crowd" by James Hohmann, Politico 4/30/11
“Well, I want you to know that I stand here tonight as a gun-clinger and as a God-clinger unapologetically,” he told thousands of NRA members at the Consol Energy Center.
Huckabee spoke forcefully about the right to bear arms, stressing the right to self-defense and warning that even developed societies can quickly fall into chaos. He called on Obama to read the Militia Act that George Washington wrote in 1792, which he said required every male older than 18 to own a gun and some ammunition.
[Talking] to social conservatives – Huckabee’s main constituency within the party – brought him some of the loudest cheers of the night . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Fox News Poll: Romney, Huckabee Top GOP 2012 Contenders for President" posted at FoxNews.com 4/28/11
With the Republican field for the 2012 presidential nomination still in flux, the two major candidates who ran for president in 2008 -- Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee -- receive the most backing among GOP voters nationally.
Romney garners the support of 19 percent of Republicans and Huckabee 17 percent, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday. The next group of candidates is bunched together: Sarah Palin at nine percent, Donald Trump at eight percent, and Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul receive seven percent a piece.
Earlier this month, Huckabee was at 15 percent among Republican voters, Romney 14 percent, Palin 12 percent, Trump 11 percent and Gingrich 7 percent (April 3-5).
Among voters who consider themselves part of the Tea Party movement, Huckabee (19 percent) and Romney (17 percent) are still the top two choices, followed by Palin (10 percent) and Trump (10 percent). No other contenders receive double-digit support.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
[Huckabee] argued paying for social services to help children who have grown up without fathers is a drain on the economy and has helped increase government spending. [See Liberalism Causes Poverty in America: Study]For background, read Pres. Candidates: Abortion & Marriage Top Issues and also read Defund Abortionists, Say All Pres. Candidates
UPDATE 5/11/11: Liberal media says Huckabee wants prayers over money
-- From "Huckabee tells NRA members that social issues are an economic issue; lambastes Obama" by Rosalind S. Helderman, Washington Post 5/1/11
Former Arkansas governor Mike Huckabee (R) told thousands of members of the National Rifle Association Saturday night that social issues should not take a back seat to the economy in the national political debate, but he offered no hints about whether he might run for president and push such issues.
“When I hear people say the issues of family and marriage don’t really matter because we need to focus on the economy, I agree,” he said. “We ought to focus on the economy. But let’s focus on an economy that is robbing us as taxpayers blind because we have a lot of men who have irresponsibly abandoned their wives and their children and left the rest of us as taxpayers with the cost of doing what dads ought to properly do. It is an economic issue.”
The message stands in contrast to an assertion by Indiana Gov. Mitch Daniels (R), also considering a presidential run, who has argued that Republicans should offer a “truce” on social issues that have divided the party and at times alienated independent voters.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Sounding like a candidate, Mike Huckabee rouses NRA crowd" by James Hohmann, Politico 4/30/11
“Well, I want you to know that I stand here tonight as a gun-clinger and as a God-clinger unapologetically,” he told thousands of NRA members at the Consol Energy Center.
Huckabee spoke forcefully about the right to bear arms, stressing the right to self-defense and warning that even developed societies can quickly fall into chaos. He called on Obama to read the Militia Act that George Washington wrote in 1792, which he said required every male older than 18 to own a gun and some ammunition.
[Talking] to social conservatives – Huckabee’s main constituency within the party – brought him some of the loudest cheers of the night . . .
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Fox News Poll: Romney, Huckabee Top GOP 2012 Contenders for President" posted at FoxNews.com 4/28/11
With the Republican field for the 2012 presidential nomination still in flux, the two major candidates who ran for president in 2008 -- Mitt Romney and Mike Huckabee -- receive the most backing among GOP voters nationally.
Romney garners the support of 19 percent of Republicans and Huckabee 17 percent, according to a Fox News poll released Thursday. The next group of candidates is bunched together: Sarah Palin at nine percent, Donald Trump at eight percent, and Newt Gingrich and Ron Paul receive seven percent a piece.
Earlier this month, Huckabee was at 15 percent among Republican voters, Romney 14 percent, Palin 12 percent, Trump 11 percent and Gingrich 7 percent (April 3-5).
Among voters who consider themselves part of the Tea Party movement, Huckabee (19 percent) and Romney (17 percent) are still the top two choices, followed by Palin (10 percent) and Trump (10 percent). No other contenders receive double-digit support.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Sunday, May 01, 2011
NY 'Gay Marriage' via Moguls & Corruption
As dozens of prominent business leaders plead for New York same-sex marriage in order to advance business and society, Gov. Andrew Cuomo is being accused of orchestrating a consolidated Gay Agenda force in order to enrich his friend.
For background, read NY Gov. Promises Same-sex 'Marriage' and also read Same-sex 'Marriage' Via Purchasing of Politicians
UPDATE 10/1/11: Marriage supporters' ad campaign targets pro-homosexual legislators
UPDATE 7/15/11: Homosexualists reward Cuomo $$ for same-sex "marriage" push
UPDATE 7/15/11: Republicans voting for same-sex "marriage" receive reward donations
-- From "Business moguls pen letter endorsing same sex marriage" by Leigh Remizowski, CNN 4/29/11
A group of top executives released a letter Friday lobbying New York state legislators to legalize same-sex marriage -- a decision they said is not only fair, but also makes good business sense.
The group of moguls -- which includes the CEOs of Goldman Sachs, Con Edison and Thompson Reuters, among 23 others -- argued that not allowing same-sex couples to marry is hurting the state's ability to attract qualified workers.
The letter is not addressed to any one party and is titled, "An open letter from business leaders on the importance of marriage equality." It warns that as other places around the globe legalize same sex marriage, New York will become a less appealing destination for anyone seeking the same "benefits and protections."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Cuomo focuses on gay marriage but nothing deters a the chase for millions of dollars" by Adam Lisberg, NY Daily News 5/1/11
In the gay marriage battle, Cuomo and his team pushed four organizations to unite this month under one banner and message - and then they hired one of his best friends.
New Yorkers United for Marriage, as the group is called, hired veteran Cuomo adviser Jennifer Cunningham as their strategist, barely six months after she got out of the lobbying business so as to avoid conflicts of interest.
Six days after the groups announced their coordinated push, Cuomo happened to hold a fund-raiser for deep-pocketed gay and lesbian backers.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "In state’s gay-marriage push, the limits to playing nice" by Chris Rovzar, New York Magazine 5/1/11
Governor Cuomo has set his sights on getting same-sex marriage passed by the end of the legislative session in June. And for the first time, four top advocacy groups have united under one banner for a final push. Together they’re signaling: This is it.
. . . The united gay groups say they are soliciting some fifteen senators, and they’re making it personal.
. . . the advocacy groups and the governor have other tools at hand. Cuomo, for example, can offer carrots on hot-button issues like rent regulation and property-tax caps. . . . And then there are the sticks. If marriage passes, the wealthy gay-rights groups can lay off State Senate Republicans, instead of aiming to pick them off one by one, as they’ve been doing—as they did to Padavan, who was bounced last November. They might even support GOP senators who vote their way. In March, the Human Rights Campaign hosted a benefit for Maine’s Susan Collins to reward her for her role in repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Gay marriage in need of business support" by Jeremy Smerd and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, Crain's New York Business 5/1/11
Business groups have shied away from supporting gay marriage, despite its potential economic upside. Instead, advocates are relying on individual business leaders, 25 of whom signed an open letter last week arguing that marriage equality will make the state more attractive to talented workers.
Missing from the letter were the business affiliations of the signatories—which included Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, developer William Rudin and Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Chairman Shelly Lazarus.
A 2007 report from the city comptroller's office estimated that allowing same-sex couples to marry would create $184 million in economic activity statewide and add $142 million to the city's economy within three years.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Business Leaders, in Letter, Will Urge Albany to Legalize Gay Marriage" by Nicholas Confessore, New York Times 4/28/11
The letter’s signers, from the legal, financial and real estate worlds, include Lloyd C. Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs; Jerry I. Speyer, chairman of Tishman Speyer Properties; and Paul E. Singer, a prominent hedge fund executive.
“In an age where talent determines the economic winners, great states and cities must demonstrate a commitment to creating an open, healthy and equitable environment in which to live and work,” the letter reads. “As other states, cities and countries across the world extend marriage rights regardless of sexual orientation, it will become increasingly difficult to recruit the best talent if New York cannot offer the same benefits and protection.”
Kathryn S. Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, an influential business group, said she hoped the letter would “provide an opportunity for legislators who may not have heard the voice of business to feel that they’ve got some cover to rethink their position on this issue.” Ms. Wylde helped collect signatures for the letter at the urging of Christine C. Quinn, the speaker of the City Council, who has been lobbying the Legislature to approve a bill.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 2/5/12: Corporations sign on to same-sex marriage (video Goldman Sachs Chief Lloyd C. Blankfein):
For background, read NY Gov. Promises Same-sex 'Marriage' and also read Same-sex 'Marriage' Via Purchasing of Politicians
UPDATE 10/1/11: Marriage supporters' ad campaign targets pro-homosexual legislators
UPDATE 7/15/11: Homosexualists reward Cuomo $$ for same-sex "marriage" push
UPDATE 7/15/11: Republicans voting for same-sex "marriage" receive reward donations
-- From "Business moguls pen letter endorsing same sex marriage" by Leigh Remizowski, CNN 4/29/11
A group of top executives released a letter Friday lobbying New York state legislators to legalize same-sex marriage -- a decision they said is not only fair, but also makes good business sense.
The group of moguls -- which includes the CEOs of Goldman Sachs, Con Edison and Thompson Reuters, among 23 others -- argued that not allowing same-sex couples to marry is hurting the state's ability to attract qualified workers.
The letter is not addressed to any one party and is titled, "An open letter from business leaders on the importance of marriage equality." It warns that as other places around the globe legalize same sex marriage, New York will become a less appealing destination for anyone seeking the same "benefits and protections."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Cuomo focuses on gay marriage but nothing deters a the chase for millions of dollars" by Adam Lisberg, NY Daily News 5/1/11
In the gay marriage battle, Cuomo and his team pushed four organizations to unite this month under one banner and message - and then they hired one of his best friends.
New Yorkers United for Marriage, as the group is called, hired veteran Cuomo adviser Jennifer Cunningham as their strategist, barely six months after she got out of the lobbying business so as to avoid conflicts of interest.
Six days after the groups announced their coordinated push, Cuomo happened to hold a fund-raiser for deep-pocketed gay and lesbian backers.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "In state’s gay-marriage push, the limits to playing nice" by Chris Rovzar, New York Magazine 5/1/11
Governor Cuomo has set his sights on getting same-sex marriage passed by the end of the legislative session in June. And for the first time, four top advocacy groups have united under one banner for a final push. Together they’re signaling: This is it.
. . . The united gay groups say they are soliciting some fifteen senators, and they’re making it personal.
. . . the advocacy groups and the governor have other tools at hand. Cuomo, for example, can offer carrots on hot-button issues like rent regulation and property-tax caps. . . . And then there are the sticks. If marriage passes, the wealthy gay-rights groups can lay off State Senate Republicans, instead of aiming to pick them off one by one, as they’ve been doing—as they did to Padavan, who was bounced last November. They might even support GOP senators who vote their way. In March, the Human Rights Campaign hosted a benefit for Maine’s Susan Collins to reward her for her role in repealing “don’t ask, don’t tell.”
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Gay marriage in need of business support" by Jeremy Smerd and Shane Dixon Kavanaugh, Crain's New York Business 5/1/11
Business groups have shied away from supporting gay marriage, despite its potential economic upside. Instead, advocates are relying on individual business leaders, 25 of whom signed an open letter last week arguing that marriage equality will make the state more attractive to talented workers.
Missing from the letter were the business affiliations of the signatories—which included Goldman Sachs CEO Lloyd Blankfein, developer William Rudin and Ogilvy & Mather Worldwide Chairman Shelly Lazarus.
A 2007 report from the city comptroller's office estimated that allowing same-sex couples to marry would create $184 million in economic activity statewide and add $142 million to the city's economy within three years.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Business Leaders, in Letter, Will Urge Albany to Legalize Gay Marriage" by Nicholas Confessore, New York Times 4/28/11
The letter’s signers, from the legal, financial and real estate worlds, include Lloyd C. Blankfein, the chief executive of Goldman Sachs; Jerry I. Speyer, chairman of Tishman Speyer Properties; and Paul E. Singer, a prominent hedge fund executive.
“In an age where talent determines the economic winners, great states and cities must demonstrate a commitment to creating an open, healthy and equitable environment in which to live and work,” the letter reads. “As other states, cities and countries across the world extend marriage rights regardless of sexual orientation, it will become increasingly difficult to recruit the best talent if New York cannot offer the same benefits and protection.”
Kathryn S. Wylde, president of the Partnership for New York City, an influential business group, said she hoped the letter would “provide an opportunity for legislators who may not have heard the voice of business to feel that they’ve got some cover to rethink their position on this issue.” Ms. Wylde helped collect signatures for the letter at the urging of Christine C. Quinn, the speaker of the City Council, who has been lobbying the Legislature to approve a bill.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 2/5/12: Corporations sign on to same-sex marriage (video Goldman Sachs Chief Lloyd C. Blankfein):
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