Today's Cultural Warfare Update

Focus on the Family sends its support letters to Alito;

FotF: government needs to regulate broadcast "indecency" much more strongly, also needs to crack down on the Internet;

FotF report: Democrats to have "strategic" No votes on Alito, and use his confirmation as an issue in the 2006 election;

Preliminary announcement of anti-abortion-rights march;

FotF: "Last ditch" effort to "tar" Alito's record;

FotF trumpets a study "affirming" that abortion is bad for women, interviews a researcher from New Zealand;

FotF: 70% of Americans would vote for a female presidential candidate;

Stephen Bennett and CWA's Janice Shaw Crouse rail against Brokeback Mountain, Capote, Transamerica, as "homosexualising" America;

Agape Press newsbriefs include Microsoft, HP boycott; also how most Christians don't "understand God's way... to [handle] their financial resources";

Agape Press: Concerned Women for America, Exodus International condemn Golden Globe awards;

CWA's Robert Knight, other American fundamentalist evangelical conservatives hoping for Tory win in Canadian elections, support Harper;

CWA California chapter opposes bill on anti-bullying programmes, includes ACTION ITEM;

CWA's Robert Knight: gay actors shouldn't play Christians, even if the movie ends up being very good and uplifting - it's contaminated by queerdom;

Traditional Values Coalition also claims to deliver 1700-odd letters to Alito in support; has the "A+ for Alito" theme on the binder that's being carried by Concerned Women for America, and the number is the same as Focus on the Family's and the binder meets the description they used - are they all redelivering the same letters?

TVC rails against Federal intervention against doctors working within Oregon's "right-to-die" law being struck down by Supreme Court, says the vote was 6-3, would have been 5-4 with Alito onboard, and that means their work isn't done; also rails against Lawrence v. Texas, saying it will "be used to legalize incest, prostitution, polygamy, and make it nearly impossible for states or local communities to enforce standards of morality";

Touchstone Magazine: homosexuality is a "linguistic as well as moral error," says it and feminism are "against traditional morality";

TVC links to albertmohler.com commentary: men can't be friends anymore because of those damned fags making other people think you might be t3h queer, condemns libertarianism;

Martin: Harper would set back rights, break pledge not to reopen abortion debate;

Three Queen’s University law professors say polygamy should be legal in Canada on religious grounds; Focus on the Family Canada shrieks, said, "we told you so!" and blames queers with marriage rights; Morman religious polygamy is what actually prompted the paper;

Focus on the Family Canada: 10% of PM email, phone calls last year against marriage rights for gayfolk;

Faith and Freedom Network using poll reports they just released to attack GBLT-rights bill in Senate;

Faith and Freedom Network releases analysis of poll they ordered, claim continually falling support for GBLT marriage rights in Washington State (compared across different polls); includes link to poll questions and response sets; analysis says only two groups support GBLT marriage, Seattlites and government employees; a look at the actual numbers show that isn't true, there's a very interesting third group: 18-35 year olds, statewide, by a 12-point support margin and with an absolute majority (51% yes, 39% no, 10% don't care).

( Articles, transcriptions, and excerpts )

Today's Cultural Warfare Update

Lots of Canadian reports this time; American and Canadian fundamentalist groups are both hoping for a big Tory win on Monday, and expect that marriage rights for gayfolk will be eliminated if Harper becomes PM. Hopefully, they're wrong. Canadians may wish to note the close co-operation between American and Canadian evangelical fundamentalist groups. If the current projections hold up, there will either have to be a minourity government, unless someone wants to align with the Bloc Quebecois. Looks like Canadians might have to fight this fight again.

"Partner's death ends happy life on ranch," or, "Take that, fags!" - state overturns will on technical issues, orders ranch sold with proceeds to go to cousins, who are suing the surviving partner for "back-rent" proclaimed due for the decades the two men were together;

Closing a feedback loop and/or creating our own very small echo chamber, I link to Nick Mamatas's very amusing deconstruction of one of the articles posted in the previous CWU;

Maryland judge rules their marriage law violates gender discrimination protections; stays decision pending Supreme Court appeal;

Boston University group on millennialist studies report on apocalyptic Islam;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM for "Sanctity of Human Life Week";

FotF expects more anti-abortion law, more restrictions on abortion rights, in part thanks to a more sympathetic Supreme Court; Rick Santorum talks about the "Culture of Death";

FotF continues promoting Intelligent Design and Creationism, should be taught in biology classes, but the El Tejon School District erred in its approach and other creationists should be more careful;

Focus on the Family and Focus on the Family Canada: Election a chance to reverse course on liberal Canadian culture, reopen the debate on marriage rights for gay and lesbian citizens, with the intent of removing it;

Focus on the Family's coverage of the Maryland marriage ruling, demands Federal anti-marriage amendment, etc;

Concerned Women for America outrage at Maryland ruling; local fundamentalist leaders say it will give their anti-marriage amendment a boost;

CWA demand indecency legislation immediately, calls upon Senate Commerce Committee to move Rep. Fred Upton’s (R-Michigan) Broadcast Indecency Act of 2005 forward;

American Family Association links to albertmohler.com article railing against casting a gay actor in a film about Christians, even if the film is good; "What were they thinking?";

American Family Association quotes Canada Family Action Coalition (CFAC) president Dr. Charles McVety as saying the Tory government will end marriage rights for gay and lesbian couples;

AFA condemns Soulforce effort to enroll GBLT families in the White House annual egg roll event;

Focus on the Family Canada article on the importance of voting and how vital it is to get a Conservative government;

Real Women of Canada talk about "Growing Conservative Religious Political Activism" and NDP attempts to offset it;

Faith and Freedom Network calls civil rights protections for gayfolk a "slimy slope";

Faith and Freedom Network: Christian voters will oust Supreme Court justices who support marriage rights;

( Articles and excerpts )

two stupid dogs

The big dog:
The majority of graduating(!) American college students can't read an editorial for content, compare credit card offers, or intelligently engage in other, similar, common tasks. The sad part is, this is an improvement. As in, this is better. God. (Pew Charitable Trust study information here, including the full report.)

The little dog:
( BSG 2.13/Epiphanies, brief but important spoiler; very disappointed )

goodbye to autumn

Goodbye, autumn:


Last Leaf

Hellooooooooo, January:


Roadside Twilight (4:30PM)

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No more leaf pictures. However, I have others to tide us over until spring. They won't all be of dark. Promise. ^_^