Today's Cultural Warfare Update
May. 6th, 2005 11:58 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdThe Stranger's latest report on the Microsoft decision to drop support for anti-discrimination law (NOTE update below even after this one);
Another article on the Chesterfield County Council's "Judeo-Christian Only" prayer policy;
FDA about to pass rules banning gay men - even monogamous, married gay men - from sperm donation, rejecting risk-behaviour-based rules in favour of a broad ban;
Walgreens permits pharmacists to refuse birth control prescriptions;
Focus on the Family gets pissy that newspaper letter column editors have caught on to their "letter construction wizard" shtick and call for letters demanding that their bulk letter campaigns get printed anyway;
FotF article against sex ed class, includes action item;
FotF article claiming that a (failed) attempt to let other relatives be included in the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act would "protect sexual predators";
Today's Focus on the Family talks about increased obscenity efforts from Atty. General Gonzales - PSYCH, it actually doesn't, another missing story included in the summary but not the actual report;
MICROSOFT REVERSES DECISION, RE-ENDORSES GBLT EMPLOYMENT PROTECTIONS, CITES EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AS A CORE BUSINESS NEED;
East Waynesville Baptist Church bans Kerry voters, Democrats;
Concerned Women for America praises the new Justice Department "Obscenity Prosecution Task Force";
CWA reports efforts to stop the Montgomery County sex-ed programme have been successful;
CWA praises IRS and Washington, DC for refusing joint filings from legally-married same-sex couples.
----- 1 -----
THE LYING GAME
Prominent Gay Microsoft Employee Quits Pointing to Company Lies, as More Evidence Emerges That Microsoft Caved to Anti-Gay Minister
by Sandeep Kaushik
The Stranger
http://www.thestranger.com/2005-05-05/city2.html
New evidence is emerging that appears to indicate that Microsoft is not being completely forthcoming about the timing of its decision to withdraw support for the Washington State anti-gay-discrimination bill.
Jeff Koertzen, an operations program manager and the secretary-treasurer of GLEAM, the gay and lesbian group at Microsoft that met on April 4 with Bradford L. Smith, the Microsoft senior vice-president and general counsel at the center of a furor over the company's decision, spoke to The Stranger after giving notice on Monday, May 2. The six-year Microsoft employee said he could no longer work at the company, given his belief that Smith and other company spokespeople are not being honest about what happened.
"I believe [Smith] is lying based on statements he made to us," Koertzen said. "My principles do not allow me to work for a company that does that."
Koertzen is the second employee that attended the meeting with Smith, where the executive discussed the company's decision to take a neutral stance on the bill, to speak out, and the first to do so on the record. He said that Smith's comments at the meeting made it evident to him that the company shifted its position on the bill after meeting with Ken Hutcherson, the lead pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Redmond and a national figure in the Evangelical Christian battle against gay rights.
Koertzen, who took notes at the GLEAM meeting, said that Smith conceded to the group that they had a point in complaining that he had made his decision to take a neutral stance on the legislation after only speaking with "one side" on the issue. "The only logical conclusion you can get from that is that a decision was made after speaking with Hutch," Koertzen said. He added that he believes that company employees had been working unofficially, but with the full knowledge of Smith, to support the bill. That changed after Smith met with Hutcherson: "What ended up happening is that Hutch goes in and complains, and at that point there was no 'official' stance. Two weeks later, the official policy became that we are neutral."
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Inside the separation of church and state
How far can governments go in endorsing religion?
The Top Story
Chris Graham
chris@augustafreepress.com
http://www.augustafreepress.com/stories/storyReader$33947
The ability of governing bodies to open their meetings with religious invocations is at the heart of a Central Virginia legal case that could be on its way in short order to the United States Supreme Court.
"This case raises important issues regarding the equal treatment of people of all religious faiths," said Rob Boston, a spokesman for the Washington, D.C.,-based Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, which is working with the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia on a lawsuit challenging the policy of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors regarding opening invocations.
"Looking at the policy of the board of supervisors, it is clear that only certain religious faiths are allowed to participate in the delivery of prayers. That flies in the face of the Constitution and Supreme Court rulings on similarly constructed cases that have come up in the past," Boston told The Augusta Free Press.
The policy that Boston referenced above permits members of the Chesterfield County religious community to sign up for a list of those who can be asked to deliver opening prayers at board of supervisors meetings.
Lega questions about the policy arose when Cynthia Simpson, a Wiccan, requested in 2002 to be placed on the board's opening-prayer list - but learned later in a letter from county attorney Steven Micas that only religious leaders who practice within the Judeo-Christian tradition are allowed to pray.
The policy thus permits Christians, Jews and Muslims to offer the invocations - but excludes those from other religions.
"That excludes Wiccans, Hindus, Buddhists, Native Americans and a number of other religious groups from being able to participate," said Kent Willis, the executive director of the ACLU of Virginia.
"Our argument is that by prohibiting groups from outside the Judeo-Christian tradition from offering prayers, government is in effect showing a preference for certain religions, which is prohibited in the Constitution," Willis told The Augusta Free Press.
A lower federal court found in favor of Simpson, ruling in 2003 that the board of supervisors policy effectively discriminates against minority religions. But last month, a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court, offering that discrimination in the selection of people to deliver prayers at government meetings is permissible.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
FDA to Implement Gay Sperm Donor Rules
By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer 29 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050505/ap_on_he_me/gay_sperm_donors
NEW YORK - To the dismay of gay-rights activists, the Food and Drug Administration is about to implement new rules recommending that any man who has engaged in homosexual sex in the previous five years be barred from serving as an anonymous sperm donor.
The FDA has rejected calls to scrap the provision, insisting that gay men collectively pose a higher-than-average risk of carrying the AIDS virus. Critics accuse the FDA of stigmatizing all gay men rather than adopting a screening process that focuses on high-risk sexual behavior by any would-be donor, gay or straight.
"Under these rules, a heterosexual man who had unprotected sex with HIV-positive prostitutes would be OK as a donor one year later, but a gay man in a monogamous, safe-sex relationship is not OK unless he's been celibate for five years," said Leland Traiman, director of a clinic in Alameda, Calif., that seeks gay sperm donors.
Traiman said adequate safety assurances can be provided by testing a sperm donor at the time of the initial donation, then freezing the sperm for a six-month quarantine and testing the donor again to be sure there is no new sign of HIV or other infectious diseases.
Although there is disagreement over whether the FDA guideline regarding gay men will have the force of law, most doctors and clinics are expected to observe it.
The practical effect of the provision — part of a broader set of cell and tissue donation regulations that take effect May 25 — is hard to gauge. It is likely to affect some lesbian couples who want a child and prefer to use a gay man's sperm for artificial insemination.
But it is the provision's symbolic aspect that particularly troubles gay-rights groups. Kevin Cathcart, executive director of Lambda Legal, has called it "policy based on bigotry."
"The part I find most offensive — and a little frightening — is that it isn't based on good science," Cathcart said. "There's a steadily increasing trend of heterosexual transmission of HIV, and yet the FDA still has this notion that you protect people by putting gay men out of the pool."
In a letter to the FDA, Lambda Legal has suggested a screening procedure based on sexual behavior, not sexual orientation. Prospective donors — gay or straight — would be rejected if they had engaged in unprotected sex in the previous 12 months with an HIV-positive person, an illegal drug user, or "an individual of unknown HIV status outside of a monogamous relationship."
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
Pharmacist Refuses To Fill Prescriptions For Moral Reasons
Walgreens Allows Pharmacists To Not Dispense Drugs They Object To
http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/news/4454234/detail.html
POSTED: 12:56 pm CDT May 5, 2005
MILWAUKEE -- A WISN 12 News investigation has discovered that a Milwaukee-area pharmacist has refused to fill prescriptions for women citing religious reasons.
A Milwaukee mother of six walked into a north side Walgreens with a prescription for the so-called morning after pill.
The woman, who 12 News is not identifying, said it was a difficult decision.
"Financially, I wouldn't be able to afford having another child," Jane Doe said.
She asked 12 News to disguise her identity -- afraid of backlash from those who might judge her.
"I mean, I guess I was desperate," Doe said.
Doctors prescribe the pill to prevent pregnancy. It should be taken within 72 hours of conception.
"It was right after New Year's weekend. I got it as soon as I could," Doe said.
But the pharmacist refused to fill her prescription.
"She just told me that she will not fill it. That she's Catholic, and it's murder," Doe said.
Then, she said, before a crowded waiting area, the pharmacist berated her.
"'You're a murderer. I will not help you kill this baby. I will not have the blood on my hands,'" Doe said. "I tried to explain to her that it's emergency contraceptives, that it's not an abortion pill. She then snatched the form from me, that the prescription was attached to, telling me the paper was full of lies, and she won't be a part of it. I was crying, shaking, upset, so embarrassed. I wanted to run out of the store and hope nobody else could get a good look at me."
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Plagiarism Schism
by Gary Schneeberger, editor
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/commentary/a0036452.cfm
SUMMARY: The nation's editorial page editors are wrong to
use a word like "plagiarism" to describe writers of
letters to the editor who accept the assistance of groups
like Focus on the Family.
When you earn your living arranging words into sentences,
you have a deeper appreciation than most for the power of
language.
Or at least you should.
You should choose your terms with the careful clarity of
an artist selecting colors; you should understand that
missing the mark by even the slightest degree of shading
jeopardizes the whole picture.
Too bad, then, that a growing number of editorial page
editors at American newspapers have hauled out their
rhetorical paint-by-numbers kits to accuse readers like
you of "plagiarism" for looking to groups like ours for
help in organizing your thoughts into persuasive,
publishable arguments.
What has these gatekeepers of public opinion so
apoplectic? Features like those that CitizenLink runs
periodically, offering readers pre-composed paragraphs
that can be assembled into a cogent letter to the editor
on a topic of national interest. In the past, we've
offered these "letter-writing wizards," as we call them,
on such subjects as the need for a federal marriage
amendment, the results of the 2004 elections and the
importance of ending Democratic filibusters of President
Bush's judicial nominees.
Thousands of you have used them to send letters to your
hometown newspapers, and hundreds of those letters have
been published -- presenting a pro-family viewpoint on
crucial social issues to an aggregate audience of well
over 100 million. And it's that last number, I’m
convinced, that has opinion page editors like Peter Wasson
of the Wausau (Wis.) Daily Herald so upset that they're
now comparing notes to keep such letters off their pages.
"Our readers don't want to read the canned thoughts of
special interest groups on topics like (Terri) Schiavo or
judicial-candidate filibusters," Wasson sniffed in an
April 9 column. "They want to know what their friends and
neighbors think."
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
PARENTS OPPOSE GRAPHIC SEX-ED CLASS
Lawsuit filed to stop implementation of pro-gay
curriculum.
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0036449.cfm
SUMMARY: Lawsuit filed to stop implementation of pro-gay
curriculum.
Irate parents in Montgomery County, Md., have filed a
lawsuit to stop their children from being subjected to a
graphic, pro-homosexual sex education class that charges
Christians with fostering hatred and oppression.
How bad is the curriculum, pulled together from several
pro-gay programs already in place around the country? A
video accompanying it informs students that "buying
condoms isn't as scary as you might think," then adds,
"Sometimes it is hard to choose, though, and it can be a
little overwhelming at first."
It then offers suggestions for how to choose the "right
condom" -- in the most graphic terms possible.
Mat Staver, chief counsel of the religious-liberties law
firm Liberty Counsel, brought the suit on behalf of
concerned parents.
"This curriculum is one of the most liberal,
pro-homosexual agendas I've ever seen in the public
schools," he said. "This curriculum has such things as the
following, and I'm quoting. 'Jesus said nothing about
homosexuality.' "
And that's just one example, which Montgomery County
school board member Charles Haughey brushes aside in
defending the curriculum.
"One of the benefits of this curriculum," he said, "is
that it does give youngsters a realistic view of the
variety of the orientations that people have."
But parent Michelle Turner, who has four children
attending district schools, doesn't want her kids to be
forced to learn about such "variety."
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Dems' Pro-Abortion Efforts Stifled
by Bill Wilson, Washington, D.C., correspondent
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0036448.cfm
SUMMARY: New York congressman stopped from adding
amendment to weaken the Child Interstate Abortion
Notification Act.
A Democratic congressman is crying foul over the House's
rejection of his proposed amendment to a bill restricting
abortion.
U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., proposed an exemption to
the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act that would
have allowed family members to help a minor cross state
lines to get an abortion without the girl's parents being
made aware of her intentions.
Republicans blocked his efforts, with Wisconsin's James
Sensenbrenner saying Nadler's plan would have given sexual
predators the right to cover up their crimes.
"It looks like part of Representative Nadler's agenda is
to open the borders to the sexually unorthodox, and
Sensenbrenner rightly called him on it," explained Robert
Knight, director of Concerned Women for America's Culture
and Family Institute. And now that Congressman Nadler's
crying foul, I think it sounds pretty hollow. The agenda
has been clear all along."
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Family News in Focus
Friday, May 06, 2005
Focus on the Family
Bob Ditmer
* Liberal lawmaker pushes to make marijuana legal – despite governments warning of devastating consequences
1. Barney Frank calling for national legalisation for medical marijuana? Not actually: just calls for prohibition on prosecuting doctors. "Just a smokescreen for legalisation of all drugs." "To cover up what these people are really after... throwing out the laws... letting people do whatever they want." "Legalising marijuana is a back door to legalising the recreational use of [all] drugs."
* Attorney General Alberto Gonzales takes steps to combat obscenity
NO STORY.
* To recognize Cover the Uninsured Week, the Republicans are touting their initiatives making healthcare available
5. "Health savings accounts, community health centres," and something else. About Republican Federal efforts on health care.
* Washington observances of The National Day of Prayer
3. "Focus on the Family's Dr. James Dobson" opened with prayer. 'to built this government largely on the ... scripture." "Our nation is proof of god's unmerited favour, proof of god's grace."
* Evolutionists refuse to debate in Kansas hearings to determine curriculum
2. "Advocates of open inquiry" vs. "strict evolutionists." AAAS: "We decided not to participate in order to avoid giving the impression that intelligent design, which is a perfectly reasonable belief system, is science." They're trying to claim that the American Association for the Advancement of Science is trying to avoid fights that they've been "losing." Talks about several "intelligent-design friendly" efforts. "They are pulling out all the stops to prevent another decisive win, particularly in the courts."
* The Breastfeeding Promotion Act proposed by a group of breastfeeding mothers and professionals wanting more rights for nursing mothers
4. Calling for more support for breastfeeding mothers in the workplace. "Many companies have begun to be aware of the benefits to their company of accommodating breastfeeding mothers." [Man, I hate it when I'm on the same side they are on something.]
* Hollywood helps National Center for Missing and Exploited Children with movie paraphernalia on eBay
6. Orlando Bloom's minibike; a hammer signed by Todd Pennington; Michael Douglass's watch; other things.
----- 9 -----
Text of Steve Ballmer E-Mail to U.S. Microsoft Employees Regarding Public Policy Engagement
REDMOND, Wash. -- May 6, 2005 -- In response to widespread public interest in the company's position on anti-discrimination legislation, Microsoft Corp. today released the following text of an e-mail sent today from Steve Ballmer, CEO, to all Microsoft employees in the United States:
Date: May 6, 2005
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/misc/05-06-05StevebPublicPolicy.asp
To: All Employees of Microsoft in Puget Sound; All Employees of Microsoft in MSUS
Subject: Microsoft’s principles for public policy engagement
During the past two weeks I’ve heard from many of you with a wide range of views on the recent anti-discrimination bill in Washington State, and the larger issue of what is the appropriate role of a public corporation in public policy discussions. This input has reminded me again of what makes our company unique and why I care about it so much.
One point really stood out in all the e-mails you sent me. Regardless of where people came down on the issues, everyone expressed strong support for the company’s commitment to diversity. To me, that’s so critical. Our success depends on having a workforce that is as diverse as our customers – and on working together in a way that taps all of that diversity.
I don’t want to rehash the events that resulted in Microsoft taking a neutral position on the anti-discrimination bill in Washington State. There was a lot of confusion and miscommunication, and we are taking steps to improve our processes going forward.
To me, this situation underscores the importance of having clearly-defined principles on which we base our actions. It all boils down to trust. Even when people disagree with something that we do, they need to have confidence that we based our action on thoughtful principles, because that is how we run our business.
I said in my April 22 e-mail that we were wrestling with the question of how and when the company should engage on issues that go beyond the software industry. After thinking about this for the past two weeks, I want to share my decision with you and lay out the principles that will guide us going forward.
First and foremost, we will continue to focus our public policy activities on issues that most directly affect our business, such as Internet safety, intellectual property rights, free trade, digital inclusion and a healthy business climate.
After looking at the question from all sides, I’ve concluded that diversity in the workplace is such an important issue for our business that it should be included in our legislative agenda. Since our beginning nearly 30 years ago, Microsoft has had a strong business interest in recruiting and retaining the best and brightest and most diverse workforce possible. I’m proud of Microsoft’s commitment to non-discrimination in our internal policies and benefits, but our policies can’t cover the range of housing, education, financial and similar services that our people and their partners and families need. Therefore, it’s appropriate for the company to support legislation that will promote and protect diversity in the workplace.
Accordingly, Microsoft will continue to join other leading companies in supporting federal legislation that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation -- adding sexual orientation to the existing law that already covers race, sex, national origin, religion, age and disability. Given the importance of diversity to our business, it is appropriate for the company to endorse legislation that prohibits employment discrimination on all of these grounds. Obviously, the Washington State legislative session has concluded for this year, but if legislation similar to HB 1515 is introduced in future sessions, we will support it.
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
East Waynesville Baptist Church bans Kerry voters, Democrats
May 5, 2005
Variety of sources
The East Waynesville (North Carolina) Baptist Church kicked out all of its Democratic members and Kerry voters, saying that if they wanted to stay in the church, they had to "repent" and pledge to vote Republican; nine people were removed through specific church action. 40 other members of the church have resigned in protest. The key issues, reportedly, were abortion rights and GBLT-rights, which the church opposes.
One version of the story can be found here:
http://dailykos.com/story/2005/5/5/211218/4946
And here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/6/84353/67437
A video of the local TV news story covering the salient points is here:
http://www.spiffarino.completelyfreehosting.com/images/wlos.wmv
----- 11 -----
CWA Calls DOJ’s New Obscenity Prosecution Task Force a Warning Signal to Pornographers
5/6/2005
Concerned Women for America
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/8073/MEDIA/pornography/index.htm
Washington, D.C. – Concerned Women for America (CWA) praised the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today for establishing the Obscenity Prosecution Task Force, a long-awaited effort that purposes to focus solely on the investigation and prosecution of obscenity cases.
“Hard-core pornography is a serious cultural epidemic that has only worsened with the proliferation of Internet porn sites available to children,” said Jan LaRue, CWA’s chief counsel. “Pedophiles commonly use adult obscenity to seduce children. At a time when reports of sex crimes committed by pedophiles seem to be increasing, targeting illegal obscenity must be a priority in efforts to curb the number of these tragedies.
“Prosecution of this illegal material deserves the DOJ’s highest attention and their best resources. The DOJ’s announcement of this new task force should indicate to pornographers across the country that their illegal activity is being taken more seriously. We are especially pleased to see that Bruce Taylor, Senior Counsel to the Criminal Division’s Assistant Attorney General, will be closely involved in this effort.
“We are hopeful that the DOJ’s Obscenity Prosecution Task Force, under the leadership of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, is the first step toward significant progress in increasing the consistent, vigorous prosecution of obscenity, especially on the Internet,” said LaRue.
----- 12 -----
CWA Celebrates Maryland Parents’ Victory in Sex-Ed Curriculum Battle
5/6/2005
Concerned Women for America
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/8070/MEDIA/family/index.htm
Washington, D.C. – Concerned Women for America (CWA) applauds Montgomery County, Maryland, parents for persevering against a lewd sex-education curriculum, achieving a court-ordered delay and then seeing the school superintendent cancel the program for this year.
U.S. District Court Judge Alexander Williams Jr. on Thursday temporarily blocked the implementation of a pilot sex-education program that featured a video that contained medically inaccurate statistics on condoms, and included materials indicating religious support for homosexuality. School Superintendent Jerry Weast also Thursday said that the curriculum will be postponed at least until the next school year.
“The Montgomery County School Board tried to steamroll this pansexual propaganda right over parents, but they didn’t bargain for the kind of reaction it triggered. Perhaps next time they will live up to their claims of respecting ‘diversity,’ and allow more opinions into the process,” said Robert Knight, director of CWA’s Culture & Family Institute.
A group of Montgomery County parents were so outraged by the school board’s actions that they formed Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum (CRC). After the school board refused to meet with the members, even though they presented 4,000 signed petitions, Liberty Counsel, on behalf of CRC and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), filed a lawsuit. Judge Williams recognized their concerns, writing that the curriculum would “open up the classroom to the subject of homosexuality, and specifically, the moral rightness of the homosexual lifestyle.”
“CWA is proud to stand beside CRC, PFOX and Liberty Counsel to ensure that Montgomery County’s schoolchildren are not subjects for experiments by pansexual activists who think that showing kids condoms on cucumbers and spreading the gospel of sexual ‘diversity’ is the formula for teen-age sexual nirvana,” Knight said.
“Liberals insist on the separation of church and state when that suits their agenda, but they are only too happy to welcome into the schools a funhouse mirror version of religion that supports the latest methods for sexualizing children. This time, they got caught at it.”
----- 13 -----
State and Federal Tax Authorities Recognize DOMA, Refuse Joint Tax Claims from Homosexuals
5/6/2005
Concerned Women for America
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/8054/CWA/family/index.htm
Even in the politically liberal city of Washington, DC homosexuals “married” in Massachusetts must file separate income tax forms. As Robert Knight, director of CWA’s Culture & Family Institute, notes the federal Defense of Marriage Act is the thank. Click here to listen.
["Bob, there's some great news out of DC that confirms homosexuals cannot file joint tax returns..." "Of course, the homosexual activists are saying that once again, we've been discriminated against, because they can't counterfeit marriage in the tax code." Talk about "trying to force a joint return on the IRS." Federal Tax Code hasn't been challenged yet on this basis. "You would have to overhaul the way the entire Federal government looks at marriage." "So far, so good, though that doesn't mean we don't need a constitutional amendment."]
Another article on the Chesterfield County Council's "Judeo-Christian Only" prayer policy;
FDA about to pass rules banning gay men - even monogamous, married gay men - from sperm donation, rejecting risk-behaviour-based rules in favour of a broad ban;
Walgreens permits pharmacists to refuse birth control prescriptions;
Focus on the Family gets pissy that newspaper letter column editors have caught on to their "letter construction wizard" shtick and call for letters demanding that their bulk letter campaigns get printed anyway;
FotF article against sex ed class, includes action item;
FotF article claiming that a (failed) attempt to let other relatives be included in the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act would "protect sexual predators";
Today's Focus on the Family talks about increased obscenity efforts from Atty. General Gonzales - PSYCH, it actually doesn't, another missing story included in the summary but not the actual report;
MICROSOFT REVERSES DECISION, RE-ENDORSES GBLT EMPLOYMENT PROTECTIONS, CITES EQUAL OPPORTUNITY AS A CORE BUSINESS NEED;
East Waynesville Baptist Church bans Kerry voters, Democrats;
Concerned Women for America praises the new Justice Department "Obscenity Prosecution Task Force";
CWA reports efforts to stop the Montgomery County sex-ed programme have been successful;
CWA praises IRS and Washington, DC for refusing joint filings from legally-married same-sex couples.
----- 1 -----
THE LYING GAME
Prominent Gay Microsoft Employee Quits Pointing to Company Lies, as More Evidence Emerges That Microsoft Caved to Anti-Gay Minister
by Sandeep Kaushik
The Stranger
http://www.thestranger.com/2005-05-05/city2.html
New evidence is emerging that appears to indicate that Microsoft is not being completely forthcoming about the timing of its decision to withdraw support for the Washington State anti-gay-discrimination bill.
Jeff Koertzen, an operations program manager and the secretary-treasurer of GLEAM, the gay and lesbian group at Microsoft that met on April 4 with Bradford L. Smith, the Microsoft senior vice-president and general counsel at the center of a furor over the company's decision, spoke to The Stranger after giving notice on Monday, May 2. The six-year Microsoft employee said he could no longer work at the company, given his belief that Smith and other company spokespeople are not being honest about what happened.
"I believe [Smith] is lying based on statements he made to us," Koertzen said. "My principles do not allow me to work for a company that does that."
Koertzen is the second employee that attended the meeting with Smith, where the executive discussed the company's decision to take a neutral stance on the bill, to speak out, and the first to do so on the record. He said that Smith's comments at the meeting made it evident to him that the company shifted its position on the bill after meeting with Ken Hutcherson, the lead pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Redmond and a national figure in the Evangelical Christian battle against gay rights.
Koertzen, who took notes at the GLEAM meeting, said that Smith conceded to the group that they had a point in complaining that he had made his decision to take a neutral stance on the legislation after only speaking with "one side" on the issue. "The only logical conclusion you can get from that is that a decision was made after speaking with Hutch," Koertzen said. He added that he believes that company employees had been working unofficially, but with the full knowledge of Smith, to support the bill. That changed after Smith met with Hutcherson: "What ended up happening is that Hutch goes in and complains, and at that point there was no 'official' stance. Two weeks later, the official policy became that we are neutral."
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Inside the separation of church and state
How far can governments go in endorsing religion?
The Top Story
Chris Graham
chris@augustafreepress.com
http://www.augustafreepress.com/stories/storyReader$33947
The ability of governing bodies to open their meetings with religious invocations is at the heart of a Central Virginia legal case that could be on its way in short order to the United States Supreme Court.
"This case raises important issues regarding the equal treatment of people of all religious faiths," said Rob Boston, a spokesman for the Washington, D.C.,-based Americans United for the Separation of Church and State, which is working with the American Civil Liberties Union of Virginia on a lawsuit challenging the policy of the Chesterfield County Board of Supervisors regarding opening invocations.
"Looking at the policy of the board of supervisors, it is clear that only certain religious faiths are allowed to participate in the delivery of prayers. That flies in the face of the Constitution and Supreme Court rulings on similarly constructed cases that have come up in the past," Boston told The Augusta Free Press.
The policy that Boston referenced above permits members of the Chesterfield County religious community to sign up for a list of those who can be asked to deliver opening prayers at board of supervisors meetings.
Lega questions about the policy arose when Cynthia Simpson, a Wiccan, requested in 2002 to be placed on the board's opening-prayer list - but learned later in a letter from county attorney Steven Micas that only religious leaders who practice within the Judeo-Christian tradition are allowed to pray.
The policy thus permits Christians, Jews and Muslims to offer the invocations - but excludes those from other religions.
"That excludes Wiccans, Hindus, Buddhists, Native Americans and a number of other religious groups from being able to participate," said Kent Willis, the executive director of the ACLU of Virginia.
"Our argument is that by prohibiting groups from outside the Judeo-Christian tradition from offering prayers, government is in effect showing a preference for certain religions, which is prohibited in the Constitution," Willis told The Augusta Free Press.
A lower federal court found in favor of Simpson, ruling in 2003 that the board of supervisors policy effectively discriminates against minority religions. But last month, a three-judge panel of the Fourth Circuit Court of Appeals reversed the lower court, offering that discrimination in the selection of people to deliver prayers at government meetings is permissible.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
FDA to Implement Gay Sperm Donor Rules
By DAVID CRARY, AP National Writer 29 minutes ago
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/ap/20050505/ap_on_he_me/gay_sperm_donors
NEW YORK - To the dismay of gay-rights activists, the Food and Drug Administration is about to implement new rules recommending that any man who has engaged in homosexual sex in the previous five years be barred from serving as an anonymous sperm donor.
The FDA has rejected calls to scrap the provision, insisting that gay men collectively pose a higher-than-average risk of carrying the AIDS virus. Critics accuse the FDA of stigmatizing all gay men rather than adopting a screening process that focuses on high-risk sexual behavior by any would-be donor, gay or straight.
"Under these rules, a heterosexual man who had unprotected sex with HIV-positive prostitutes would be OK as a donor one year later, but a gay man in a monogamous, safe-sex relationship is not OK unless he's been celibate for five years," said Leland Traiman, director of a clinic in Alameda, Calif., that seeks gay sperm donors.
Traiman said adequate safety assurances can be provided by testing a sperm donor at the time of the initial donation, then freezing the sperm for a six-month quarantine and testing the donor again to be sure there is no new sign of HIV or other infectious diseases.
Although there is disagreement over whether the FDA guideline regarding gay men will have the force of law, most doctors and clinics are expected to observe it.
The practical effect of the provision — part of a broader set of cell and tissue donation regulations that take effect May 25 — is hard to gauge. It is likely to affect some lesbian couples who want a child and prefer to use a gay man's sperm for artificial insemination.
But it is the provision's symbolic aspect that particularly troubles gay-rights groups. Kevin Cathcart, executive director of Lambda Legal, has called it "policy based on bigotry."
"The part I find most offensive — and a little frightening — is that it isn't based on good science," Cathcart said. "There's a steadily increasing trend of heterosexual transmission of HIV, and yet the FDA still has this notion that you protect people by putting gay men out of the pool."
In a letter to the FDA, Lambda Legal has suggested a screening procedure based on sexual behavior, not sexual orientation. Prospective donors — gay or straight — would be rejected if they had engaged in unprotected sex in the previous 12 months with an HIV-positive person, an illegal drug user, or "an individual of unknown HIV status outside of a monogamous relationship."
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
Pharmacist Refuses To Fill Prescriptions For Moral Reasons
Walgreens Allows Pharmacists To Not Dispense Drugs They Object To
http://www.themilwaukeechannel.com/news/4454234/detail.html
POSTED: 12:56 pm CDT May 5, 2005
MILWAUKEE -- A WISN 12 News investigation has discovered that a Milwaukee-area pharmacist has refused to fill prescriptions for women citing religious reasons.
A Milwaukee mother of six walked into a north side Walgreens with a prescription for the so-called morning after pill.
The woman, who 12 News is not identifying, said it was a difficult decision.
"Financially, I wouldn't be able to afford having another child," Jane Doe said.
She asked 12 News to disguise her identity -- afraid of backlash from those who might judge her.
"I mean, I guess I was desperate," Doe said.
Doctors prescribe the pill to prevent pregnancy. It should be taken within 72 hours of conception.
"It was right after New Year's weekend. I got it as soon as I could," Doe said.
But the pharmacist refused to fill her prescription.
"She just told me that she will not fill it. That she's Catholic, and it's murder," Doe said.
Then, she said, before a crowded waiting area, the pharmacist berated her.
"'You're a murderer. I will not help you kill this baby. I will not have the blood on my hands,'" Doe said. "I tried to explain to her that it's emergency contraceptives, that it's not an abortion pill. She then snatched the form from me, that the prescription was attached to, telling me the paper was full of lies, and she won't be a part of it. I was crying, shaking, upset, so embarrassed. I wanted to run out of the store and hope nobody else could get a good look at me."
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Plagiarism Schism
by Gary Schneeberger, editor
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/commentary/a0036452.cfm
SUMMARY: The nation's editorial page editors are wrong to
use a word like "plagiarism" to describe writers of
letters to the editor who accept the assistance of groups
like Focus on the Family.
When you earn your living arranging words into sentences,
you have a deeper appreciation than most for the power of
language.
Or at least you should.
You should choose your terms with the careful clarity of
an artist selecting colors; you should understand that
missing the mark by even the slightest degree of shading
jeopardizes the whole picture.
Too bad, then, that a growing number of editorial page
editors at American newspapers have hauled out their
rhetorical paint-by-numbers kits to accuse readers like
you of "plagiarism" for looking to groups like ours for
help in organizing your thoughts into persuasive,
publishable arguments.
What has these gatekeepers of public opinion so
apoplectic? Features like those that CitizenLink runs
periodically, offering readers pre-composed paragraphs
that can be assembled into a cogent letter to the editor
on a topic of national interest. In the past, we've
offered these "letter-writing wizards," as we call them,
on such subjects as the need for a federal marriage
amendment, the results of the 2004 elections and the
importance of ending Democratic filibusters of President
Bush's judicial nominees.
Thousands of you have used them to send letters to your
hometown newspapers, and hundreds of those letters have
been published -- presenting a pro-family viewpoint on
crucial social issues to an aggregate audience of well
over 100 million. And it's that last number, I’m
convinced, that has opinion page editors like Peter Wasson
of the Wausau (Wis.) Daily Herald so upset that they're
now comparing notes to keep such letters off their pages.
"Our readers don't want to read the canned thoughts of
special interest groups on topics like (Terri) Schiavo or
judicial-candidate filibusters," Wasson sniffed in an
April 9 column. "They want to know what their friends and
neighbors think."
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
PARENTS OPPOSE GRAPHIC SEX-ED CLASS
Lawsuit filed to stop implementation of pro-gay
curriculum.
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0036449.cfm
SUMMARY: Lawsuit filed to stop implementation of pro-gay
curriculum.
Irate parents in Montgomery County, Md., have filed a
lawsuit to stop their children from being subjected to a
graphic, pro-homosexual sex education class that charges
Christians with fostering hatred and oppression.
How bad is the curriculum, pulled together from several
pro-gay programs already in place around the country? A
video accompanying it informs students that "buying
condoms isn't as scary as you might think," then adds,
"Sometimes it is hard to choose, though, and it can be a
little overwhelming at first."
It then offers suggestions for how to choose the "right
condom" -- in the most graphic terms possible.
Mat Staver, chief counsel of the religious-liberties law
firm Liberty Counsel, brought the suit on behalf of
concerned parents.
"This curriculum is one of the most liberal,
pro-homosexual agendas I've ever seen in the public
schools," he said. "This curriculum has such things as the
following, and I'm quoting. 'Jesus said nothing about
homosexuality.' "
And that's just one example, which Montgomery County
school board member Charles Haughey brushes aside in
defending the curriculum.
"One of the benefits of this curriculum," he said, "is
that it does give youngsters a realistic view of the
variety of the orientations that people have."
But parent Michelle Turner, who has four children
attending district schools, doesn't want her kids to be
forced to learn about such "variety."
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Dems' Pro-Abortion Efforts Stifled
by Bill Wilson, Washington, D.C., correspondent
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0036448.cfm
SUMMARY: New York congressman stopped from adding
amendment to weaken the Child Interstate Abortion
Notification Act.
A Democratic congressman is crying foul over the House's
rejection of his proposed amendment to a bill restricting
abortion.
U.S. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., proposed an exemption to
the Child Interstate Abortion Notification Act that would
have allowed family members to help a minor cross state
lines to get an abortion without the girl's parents being
made aware of her intentions.
Republicans blocked his efforts, with Wisconsin's James
Sensenbrenner saying Nadler's plan would have given sexual
predators the right to cover up their crimes.
"It looks like part of Representative Nadler's agenda is
to open the borders to the sexually unorthodox, and
Sensenbrenner rightly called him on it," explained Robert
Knight, director of Concerned Women for America's Culture
and Family Institute. And now that Congressman Nadler's
crying foul, I think it sounds pretty hollow. The agenda
has been clear all along."
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Family News in Focus
Friday, May 06, 2005
Focus on the Family
Bob Ditmer
* Liberal lawmaker pushes to make marijuana legal – despite governments warning of devastating consequences
1. Barney Frank calling for national legalisation for medical marijuana? Not actually: just calls for prohibition on prosecuting doctors. "Just a smokescreen for legalisation of all drugs." "To cover up what these people are really after... throwing out the laws... letting people do whatever they want." "Legalising marijuana is a back door to legalising the recreational use of [all] drugs."
* Attorney General Alberto Gonzales takes steps to combat obscenity
NO STORY.
* To recognize Cover the Uninsured Week, the Republicans are touting their initiatives making healthcare available
5. "Health savings accounts, community health centres," and something else. About Republican Federal efforts on health care.
* Washington observances of The National Day of Prayer
3. "Focus on the Family's Dr. James Dobson" opened with prayer. 'to built this government largely on the ... scripture." "Our nation is proof of god's unmerited favour, proof of god's grace."
* Evolutionists refuse to debate in Kansas hearings to determine curriculum
2. "Advocates of open inquiry" vs. "strict evolutionists." AAAS: "We decided not to participate in order to avoid giving the impression that intelligent design, which is a perfectly reasonable belief system, is science." They're trying to claim that the American Association for the Advancement of Science is trying to avoid fights that they've been "losing." Talks about several "intelligent-design friendly" efforts. "They are pulling out all the stops to prevent another decisive win, particularly in the courts."
* The Breastfeeding Promotion Act proposed by a group of breastfeeding mothers and professionals wanting more rights for nursing mothers
4. Calling for more support for breastfeeding mothers in the workplace. "Many companies have begun to be aware of the benefits to their company of accommodating breastfeeding mothers." [Man, I hate it when I'm on the same side they are on something.]
* Hollywood helps National Center for Missing and Exploited Children with movie paraphernalia on eBay
6. Orlando Bloom's minibike; a hammer signed by Todd Pennington; Michael Douglass's watch; other things.
----- 9 -----
Text of Steve Ballmer E-Mail to U.S. Microsoft Employees Regarding Public Policy Engagement
REDMOND, Wash. -- May 6, 2005 -- In response to widespread public interest in the company's position on anti-discrimination legislation, Microsoft Corp. today released the following text of an e-mail sent today from Steve Ballmer, CEO, to all Microsoft employees in the United States:
Date: May 6, 2005
http://www.microsoft.com/presspass/misc/05-06-05StevebPublicPolicy.asp
To: All Employees of Microsoft in Puget Sound; All Employees of Microsoft in MSUS
Subject: Microsoft’s principles for public policy engagement
During the past two weeks I’ve heard from many of you with a wide range of views on the recent anti-discrimination bill in Washington State, and the larger issue of what is the appropriate role of a public corporation in public policy discussions. This input has reminded me again of what makes our company unique and why I care about it so much.
One point really stood out in all the e-mails you sent me. Regardless of where people came down on the issues, everyone expressed strong support for the company’s commitment to diversity. To me, that’s so critical. Our success depends on having a workforce that is as diverse as our customers – and on working together in a way that taps all of that diversity.
I don’t want to rehash the events that resulted in Microsoft taking a neutral position on the anti-discrimination bill in Washington State. There was a lot of confusion and miscommunication, and we are taking steps to improve our processes going forward.
To me, this situation underscores the importance of having clearly-defined principles on which we base our actions. It all boils down to trust. Even when people disagree with something that we do, they need to have confidence that we based our action on thoughtful principles, because that is how we run our business.
I said in my April 22 e-mail that we were wrestling with the question of how and when the company should engage on issues that go beyond the software industry. After thinking about this for the past two weeks, I want to share my decision with you and lay out the principles that will guide us going forward.
First and foremost, we will continue to focus our public policy activities on issues that most directly affect our business, such as Internet safety, intellectual property rights, free trade, digital inclusion and a healthy business climate.
After looking at the question from all sides, I’ve concluded that diversity in the workplace is such an important issue for our business that it should be included in our legislative agenda. Since our beginning nearly 30 years ago, Microsoft has had a strong business interest in recruiting and retaining the best and brightest and most diverse workforce possible. I’m proud of Microsoft’s commitment to non-discrimination in our internal policies and benefits, but our policies can’t cover the range of housing, education, financial and similar services that our people and their partners and families need. Therefore, it’s appropriate for the company to support legislation that will promote and protect diversity in the workplace.
Accordingly, Microsoft will continue to join other leading companies in supporting federal legislation that would prohibit employment discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation -- adding sexual orientation to the existing law that already covers race, sex, national origin, religion, age and disability. Given the importance of diversity to our business, it is appropriate for the company to endorse legislation that prohibits employment discrimination on all of these grounds. Obviously, the Washington State legislative session has concluded for this year, but if legislation similar to HB 1515 is introduced in future sessions, we will support it.
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
East Waynesville Baptist Church bans Kerry voters, Democrats
May 5, 2005
Variety of sources
The East Waynesville (North Carolina) Baptist Church kicked out all of its Democratic members and Kerry voters, saying that if they wanted to stay in the church, they had to "repent" and pledge to vote Republican; nine people were removed through specific church action. 40 other members of the church have resigned in protest. The key issues, reportedly, were abortion rights and GBLT-rights, which the church opposes.
One version of the story can be found here:
http://dailykos.com/story/2005/5/5/211218/4946
And here:
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2005/5/6/84353/67437
A video of the local TV news story covering the salient points is here:
http://www.spiffarino.completelyfreehosting.com/images/wlos.wmv
----- 11 -----
CWA Calls DOJ’s New Obscenity Prosecution Task Force a Warning Signal to Pornographers
5/6/2005
Concerned Women for America
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/8073/MEDIA/pornography/index.htm
Washington, D.C. – Concerned Women for America (CWA) praised the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) today for establishing the Obscenity Prosecution Task Force, a long-awaited effort that purposes to focus solely on the investigation and prosecution of obscenity cases.
“Hard-core pornography is a serious cultural epidemic that has only worsened with the proliferation of Internet porn sites available to children,” said Jan LaRue, CWA’s chief counsel. “Pedophiles commonly use adult obscenity to seduce children. At a time when reports of sex crimes committed by pedophiles seem to be increasing, targeting illegal obscenity must be a priority in efforts to curb the number of these tragedies.
“Prosecution of this illegal material deserves the DOJ’s highest attention and their best resources. The DOJ’s announcement of this new task force should indicate to pornographers across the country that their illegal activity is being taken more seriously. We are especially pleased to see that Bruce Taylor, Senior Counsel to the Criminal Division’s Assistant Attorney General, will be closely involved in this effort.
“We are hopeful that the DOJ’s Obscenity Prosecution Task Force, under the leadership of Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, is the first step toward significant progress in increasing the consistent, vigorous prosecution of obscenity, especially on the Internet,” said LaRue.
----- 12 -----
CWA Celebrates Maryland Parents’ Victory in Sex-Ed Curriculum Battle
5/6/2005
Concerned Women for America
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/8070/MEDIA/family/index.htm
Washington, D.C. – Concerned Women for America (CWA) applauds Montgomery County, Maryland, parents for persevering against a lewd sex-education curriculum, achieving a court-ordered delay and then seeing the school superintendent cancel the program for this year.
U.S. District Court Judge Alexander Williams Jr. on Thursday temporarily blocked the implementation of a pilot sex-education program that featured a video that contained medically inaccurate statistics on condoms, and included materials indicating religious support for homosexuality. School Superintendent Jerry Weast also Thursday said that the curriculum will be postponed at least until the next school year.
“The Montgomery County School Board tried to steamroll this pansexual propaganda right over parents, but they didn’t bargain for the kind of reaction it triggered. Perhaps next time they will live up to their claims of respecting ‘diversity,’ and allow more opinions into the process,” said Robert Knight, director of CWA’s Culture & Family Institute.
A group of Montgomery County parents were so outraged by the school board’s actions that they formed Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum (CRC). After the school board refused to meet with the members, even though they presented 4,000 signed petitions, Liberty Counsel, on behalf of CRC and Parents and Friends of Ex-Gays and Gays (PFOX), filed a lawsuit. Judge Williams recognized their concerns, writing that the curriculum would “open up the classroom to the subject of homosexuality, and specifically, the moral rightness of the homosexual lifestyle.”
“CWA is proud to stand beside CRC, PFOX and Liberty Counsel to ensure that Montgomery County’s schoolchildren are not subjects for experiments by pansexual activists who think that showing kids condoms on cucumbers and spreading the gospel of sexual ‘diversity’ is the formula for teen-age sexual nirvana,” Knight said.
“Liberals insist on the separation of church and state when that suits their agenda, but they are only too happy to welcome into the schools a funhouse mirror version of religion that supports the latest methods for sexualizing children. This time, they got caught at it.”
----- 13 -----
State and Federal Tax Authorities Recognize DOMA, Refuse Joint Tax Claims from Homosexuals
5/6/2005
Concerned Women for America
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/8054/CWA/family/index.htm
Even in the politically liberal city of Washington, DC homosexuals “married” in Massachusetts must file separate income tax forms. As Robert Knight, director of CWA’s Culture & Family Institute, notes the federal Defense of Marriage Act is the thank. Click here to listen.
["Bob, there's some great news out of DC that confirms homosexuals cannot file joint tax returns..." "Of course, the homosexual activists are saying that once again, we've been discriminated against, because they can't counterfeit marriage in the tax code." Talk about "trying to force a joint return on the IRS." Federal Tax Code hasn't been challenged yet on this basis. "You would have to overhaul the way the entire Federal government looks at marriage." "So far, so good, though that doesn't mean we don't need a constitutional amendment."]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2005-05-07 12:54 am (UTC)Yeah!
That'll show 'em!
no subject
Date: 2005-05-07 05:15 pm (UTC)Followup on the Montgomery County Curriculum Lawsuit
Date: 2005-05-11 12:06 pm (UTC)The Washington Times had its article on the front page. Here are the first five paragraphs:
Sex-ed Program Pulled from Year's Curriculum
By Jon Ward
THE WASHINGTON TIMES, Friday, May 6, 2005
A federal judge yesterday blocked a new sex-education curriculum from being tested in Montgomery County Public Schools, supporting a lawsuit that claims the course is unconstitutional and promotes homosexuality.
Then, last night, Superintendent Jetty D. Weast said the sexual-education classes will not be taught during this school year, regardless of the judicial outcome.
"I have directed the office of the deputy superintendent of schools to review and evaluate the materials referenced in the judge's order, and the other teacher resource materials associated with the health curriculum. before any decisions are made about any future pilot testing of the revised curriculum in our schools," he said.
U.S. District Judge Alexander Williams Jr. granted a 10-day temporary restraining order to halt the teaching of the new course in a pilot program that had been scheduled to begin today.
Judge Williams agreed with the two groups that filed the lawsuit--Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum (CRC) and Parents and Friends of Ex_gays and Gays (PFOX)--who argued that the curriculum is biased toward homosexuality and dismisses religious perspectives on the subject.
...
The Washington Times also had an editorial in Sunday's paper, gloating about how even a Clinton-appointed liberal judge could tell that the curriculum was uncontitutional. Judge Williams' main arguement against the proposed lesson was that the material quoted the Bible to present a case that the Jesus would be pro-gay, and then listed major Christian denominations, separating them into those that "support full civil rights of for gay men and lesbians" and those that are homophobic. The wording is biased enough to be an endorsement of certain churches, and Judge Williams felt that that lesson would count as the government promoting a particular religious faith.
I could not find an article about this case in The Baltimore Sun. Perhaps they described it in the Montgomery County section. I receive the Howard County section instead.
Erin Schram