Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Jun. 22nd, 2005 11:34 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdUS Rep. Hostettler defends anti-Jewish harassment at the Air Force Academy, accuses Democrats of being "by nature, anti-Christian" and of waging a "war on Christianity" - Focus on the Family issues an action item to send him thanks and to send letters to your own senators and representatives supporting him;
FotF runs another article denouncing any link between biology and sexual orientation - this time, attacking the recent fruit-fly study showing that at least in some animals, there's a clear link. Dr. Throckmorton (Ph.D., psychology) appears to be angling to be the new Paul Cameron. Also, they say that even if a biological basis is found, that doesn't matter either - apparently paving the route for their next argument if a biological basis is confirmed ("We are called to a higher standard than mere animal instinct");
FotF article; Rehnquist's replacement unlikely to be more conservative than Rehnquist - odd article, not sure why they ran it;
FotF article on an "ex-gay" film being "offered to public schools nationwide" - lots of support from Throckmorton again (see above) - "If schoolslook at this film and decide not to use it, it will only be because they're biased against the ex-gay perspective";
Marriage rights bill may be reintroduced in California;
FotF accuses West Virginia court of "redefining parenthood" by awarding custody of a child to the deceased lesbian biological mother's partner - also claims the accident that killed the mother was while they were "driving home from an all-night party at a gay bar";
Today's Family News in Focus;
Concerned Women for America article on CARE Act, requiring licensed pharmacists dispense emergency contraception in rape cases;
Christian Post article supporting Parents Right to Know Act (see today's FNIF);
American Family Association condemns West Virginia court over custody award, calls the ruling "lethal";
Agape Press long article against marriage rights;
Republican governor of Indiana attacked by fundamentalist groups for nondiscrimination policy, refusal to endorse Federal anti-marriage amendment;
Gay biological father refused custody of his child on the basis of having a same-sex parnter.
----- 1 -----
CITIZENLINK
June 21, 2005
Speak Out About Efforts to Silence Christians at the Air
Force Academy
U.S. Rep. John Hostettler, R-Ind., stirred up a hornet's
nest in the House on Monday, when he remarked to fellow
lawmakers that Democrats are, by nature, anti-Christian.
"Like a moth to a flame," Hostettler said, "Democrats
can't help themselves when it comes to denigrating and
demonizing Christians."
Hostettler was addressing colleagues during a debate over
a Democrat amendment to instruct the secretary of the Air
Force to ensure the Air Force Academy "maintains a climate
free from coercive religious intimidation and
inappropriate proselytizing by Air Force officials."
Hostettler disputed the assertion that such events have
ever taken place at the Academy and added later that it's
not fair to tell Christians they can't tell others about
their faith because "then they can't exercise their
Christian religion."
"The long war on Christianity in America continues today
on the floor of the House of Representatives," he said,
"(and) continues unabated with aid and comfort to those
who would eradicate any vestige of our Christian heritage
being supplied by the usual suspects -- the Democrats."
Please thank Rep. Hostettler for his remarks in defense of
Christianity. For contact information, including office
phone numbers and an easy-to-use e-mail form, visit the
CitizenLink Action Center.
http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/bio/?id=244&lvl=C&chamber=H
Then, take a moment to contact your own congressman and
urge him or her to oppose any effort in Congress to tell
Christians they can't speak about their faith -- even at
the U.S. Air Force Academy. For contact information, visit
the CitizenLink Action Center and type your ZIP code into
the space provided.
http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/dbq/officials/
----- 2 -----
GAY ACTIVISTS TWIST FRUIT FLY STUDY
A report on the sexual genetics of fruit flies has no
bearing on human experience.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0036938.cfm
SUMMARY: Despite what you may have heard in the media, a
report on the sexual genetics of fruit flies has no
bearing on human experience.
A recent genetic study of fruit flies, published June 3 in
the journal Cell, is being hijacked by pro-homosexual
journalists to suggest the existence of a "gay gene" in
humans -- even though the study itself concludes no such
thing.
Researchers Barry J. Dickson, Ph.D., and Ebru Demir,
Ph.D., of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the
Austrian Academy of Sciences, spliced female fruit-fly
genes and made them look like male genes. The females with
the spliced gene then exhibited male sexual behavior.
The study does not claim this is evidence of a gay gene.
The study does not claim that the results say anything
substantive about human homosexuality. However, many in
the media misconnected the dots anyway.
"Hopefully this will take the discussion about sexual
preferences out of the realm of morality and put it in the
realm of science," Dr. Michael Weiss told the
International Herald Tribune. He had no part in the
research.
The jump from fruit flies to humans is a leap of
extraordinary lengths, said Warren Throckmorton, Ph.D.,
associate professor of psychology at Grove City College in
Pennsylvania.
[Ed. Note: the quick one-two of pointing out that someone
commenting on research had no role in the actual research
(with the implied negative), and then having someone who
had no role in the actual research comment on the research
makes me giggle. In addition to the problem in their short
term memory, their short term memory appears to have a
problem. Also, their short term memory seems to be failing.]
...
But what if a gene is found -- legitimately -- someday?
"We also know that environmental factors regularly
override genetic predispositions," Rainman said. "As moral
agents with free will who reflect the image of God, humans
are responsible for their behavior and the stewardship of
the various impulses experienced.
"In short, we are called to a higher standard than mere
animal instinct."
----- 3 -----
REHNQUIST'S DECISION DUE SOON
by Bill Wilson, Washington, D.C., correspondent
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0036924.cfm
SUMMARY: Supreme Court watchers say even if the chief
justice retires, the overall balance of the Court is
unlikely to change.
With the current U.S. Supreme Court session in its final
days, speculation is growing about whether Chief Justice
William Rehnquist will leave the Court as the session
closes or stay for another term.
More importantly, if he resigns, will there be a shift in
the liberal-conservative balance of the court?
Supreme Court watchers, liberal and conservative alike,
believe if Rehnquist -- who is battling cancer -- steps
down, President Bush will not change the balance of the
Court with his first nomination. The person he selects is
expected to be somewhat like Rehnquist, and experts
believe Democrats will likely agree to this nomination.
"President Bush . . . will, at best, be able to only
maintain the current philosophical balance on the court,"
explained Human Events Editor Terrence Jeffrey.
[More at URL]
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Despite the mythical status accorded
the courts, judges are only humans, complete with
imperfections. For that reason alone, we must not abdicate
all authority to the judiciary. "Men in Black: How the
Supreme Court is Destroying America" examines some of the
outrageous recent court decisions and provides a blueprint
for action for those who oppose judicial tyranny.
http://www.family.org/resources/itempg.cfm?itemid=5286&refcd=CE05FCZL&tvar=no
----- 4 -----
FILM ON EX-GAYS OFFERS TRUTH TO SCHOOLS
Movie counteracts misguided message most students get
about homosexuality.
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0036922.cfm
by Steve Jordahl, correspondent
SUMMARY: "Sexual Orientation: Is Change Possible?" meant
to counteract misguided message most students get about
homosexuality.
A new film spotlighting the truth that gays can change
their sexual orientation is being offered to public
schools nationwide as a way of countering the one-sided
message students currently receive about homosexuality.
The message of "Sexual Orientation: Is Change Possible?"
is that no one has to live the gay lifestyle. Producer
Warren Throckmorton, a professor at Grove City College in
Pennsylvania, presents the topic from a scientific -- not
religious -- point of view.
"If schools look at this film and decide not to use it,"
he said, "it will only be because they're biased against
the ex-gay perspective."
That bias is a formidable hurdle, according to Jeralee
Smith, chair of the National Education Association's
Ex-Gay Caucus.
"There's a lot of cooperation between the gay and lesbian
groups," she explained. "GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and
Straight Education Network) works hand in hand with
leadership inside the union."
Pacific Justice Institute attorney Brad Dacus said school
districts and teachers can legally show the film in the
classroom, even though many school administrators
mistakenly believe talking about those who have left the
gay lifestyle is taking a religious point of view.
"Students or a Christian Club or a Bible Club," he said,
"can sponsor the showing of this film during lunch time or
before or after school on campus."
FOR MORE INFORMATION: The rhetoric surrounding the
acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle is everywhere.
Parents have children suddenly "coming out." Organizations
are accused of "intolerance." And it seems that everyone
agrees it's OK to be gay. In Mike Haley's "101 Frequently
Asked Questions about Homosexuality," you'll learn how to
address the issues surrounding same-sex attraction and its
implications for society.
----- 5 -----
California Gay Marriage Bill Not Dead Yet
Focus on the Family
Newsbrief
[Received in email; no URL]
An openly gay California state assemblyman has vowed to
resurrect a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, 365Gay.com
reported.
The legislation was defeated three weeks ago, but
Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, plans to use a
tactic known as "gut and amend" to rework the bill -- and
then attach it to a bill already before the Senate.
"My hope," Leno said, "is that we will have a bill amended
by the end of this week or the beginning of next."
A grassroots conservative organization, the Voter's Right
to Protect Marriage Initiative, has initiated efforts to
collect signatures in order to place a constitutional
amendment on the 2006 ballot that would ban same-sex
marriage.
----- 6 -----
West Virginia Court Redefines Parenthood
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
[Received in email; no URL]
The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has redefined
what a parent is by declaring the lesbian partner of a
deceased woman the "psychological parent" of her lover's
young child.
Steve Crampton, chief counsel for the American Family
Association's Center for Law and Policy, said the court
removed custody of the child from his maternal
grandparents and gave it to the lesbian partner,
identified in court documents as "Tina B." Crampton filed
legal briefs in the case on behalf of two West Virginia
lawmakers.
"This court has once again demonstrated the lethal effects
of judicial activism on the nuclear family, which is the
cornerstone of our civilization," Crampton said. "West
Virginia's creation of a new 'right' for a same-sex
partner to obtain custody of her deceased lover's child
without any written agreement, a will, or any attempt at
adoption is but a stepping stone to recognition of
same-sex marriage."
The child's mother, "Christina S," was killed in a head-on
collision crash which reportedly occurred after Tina B.
fell asleep at the wheel. The pair was driving home from
an all-night party at a gay bar in Charleston, W. Va.
[Ed. Note: All local versions of this story list both names in
their entirety; also, none mention any cause of the accident,
so I can't get the "what actually happened" version of the
story.]
----- 7 -----
Family News in Focus
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Focus on the Family
Bob Ditmer
http://www.oneplace.com/Ministries/Family_News_in_Focus/
* Your daughter can’t get her ears pierced without your permission – but she can get contraceptives; lawmakers want to change that
1. About contraception; "put a stop to the subversion of parental rights." Basically, they want to mandate that clinics that receive federal funding contact parents before giving any child (daughers, mostly) any form of contraception - not just birth control pills (which congressman says "can threaten the life of the child"), but condoms, etc. Five-day notice period required.
* Do you know what your children are doing online? New effort teaches parents what to look for
2. National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and Qwest running Internet Safety Month ad campaign to increase awareness of sexual predators online.
* Washington bent on taking away charter school funding
3. Feds "coming up with reasons to withhold funding" from charter schools. Argument is "based on a technicality" in Federal law that says "all public schools should be non-profit;" Arizona charter schools owned by FOR-profit companies (52 out of several hundred) aren't getting money.
* Billy Graham will be in New York for what he calls his last crusade
5. First in 1957, in NYC; closing in about the same place.
* Federal jury awards University of Nevada Reno employee over $200,000 for pornographic material in his workplace
4. He complained about "pornographic material in his workplace." "I think the country is beginning to understand for the first time the toxicity of this erototoxic material." <<< NOTE "EROTOTOXIN TERMINOLOGY reappearing.
* Democratic members of Congress asks President to direct Scott Bloch, head of Office of Special Council, to enforce unwritten policy prohibiting discrimination against government-employed gays
NO STORY.
----- 8 -----
Proposed Legislation Promotes Morning-After Pill
Lindsey Douthit and Amelia Wigton
June 21, 2005
News and Commentary
Concerned Women for America
http://www.cwalac.org/article_218.shtml
Challenging their own slogan of "freedom of choice," abortion proponents are championing the CARE Act, legislation that would require health care workers and hospitals to offer morning-after pills to rape victims, even if this would violate the worker's beliefs or the hospital's religious affiliation.
At a Capitol Hill press conference on June 15, Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Jon Corzine (D-New Jersey) and Hillary Clinton (D-New York), and Reps. Steve Rothman (D-New Jersey), Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) and Rob Simmons (R-Connecticut), introduced a so-called "pregnancy prevention bill": the "Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies (CARE) Act. " The bill reintroduces, with small changes, H.R. 2527, which was sponsored by Reps. Jim Greenwood (R-Pennsylvania) and Rothman in the 108th Congress.
Using information from Planned Parenthood, the congressmen claim that more than 300,000 women are raped in the U.S. each year, and that 25,000 pregnancies result from those rapes. They estimate that 22,000 of those pregnancies could be prevented if the victims have access to the morning-after pill, also known as "emergency contraception (EC)."1 According to a doctor and nurse at the press conference, they are high doses of the birth control pill that will prevent either ovulation or fertilization. Rothman said that the morning-after pill can also prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus.
According to Rothman, "EC reduces the number of abortions by preventing pregnancies resulting from rape that would otherwise be terminated by an abortion."
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
Parents Right to Know Act Reintroduced
The Christian Post
Wednesday, Jun. 22, 2005 Posted: 12:50:42AM EST
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/1643/section/parents.right.to.know.act.reintroduced/1.htm
In the continuing debate over parental notification regarding abortion, legislation has been reintroduced requiring clinics to notify parents five days before dispensing contraceptive drugs or devices to minors.
Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) and Representative Todd Akin (R-Missouri) reintroduced on Tuesday the Parents Right to Know Act, which would apply to all clinics that receive funding from the federal government under Title X of the Public Health Act. The bill specifically deals with contraceptives due to the health and social consequences of their use.
Wendy Wright, Senior policy director for Concerned Women for America, applauded the reintroduction of the bill.
"The Parents Right to Know Act recognizes that minor girls deserve their parents' support and protection – especially when facing the constant and overwhelming pressures to be sexually active," said Wright.
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
American Family Association
Center for Law and Policy
West Virginia Supreme Court Redefines Family
Contact: Kathryn Hooks
American Family Association
P.O. Drawer 2440
Tupelo, MS 38803
1-662-680-3886
For Immediate Release: 6/21/2005
Tupelo, MS - The court “has once again demonstrated the lethal effects of judicial activism,” said Stephen M. Crampton, Chief Counsel for the AFA CLP.
Last Friday, June 17, 2005, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals redefined what a parent is by declaring a lesbian partner the “psychological parent” of her deceased lover’s young child. In Tina B. v. Paul S., the court removed custody of the child from his maternal grandparents and gave it to the lesbian partner, Tina B..
“This court has once again demonstrated the lethal effects of judicial activism on the nuclear family, which is the cornerstone of our civilization,” said Stephen M. Crampton, Chief Counsel for the AFA Center for Law & Policy, which authored a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of two legislators in the case. “While the court pretended to limit itself to interpreting the laws passed by the legislature, in reality it made law and acted as a superlegislature,” Crampton noted.
“West Virginia’s creation of a new ‘right’ for a same-sex partner to obtain custody of her deceased lover’s child without any written agreement, a Will, or any attempt at adoption is but a stepping stone to recognition of same-sex marriage,” Crampton warned.
The case arose when Tina B. fell asleep at the wheel on the drive home from an all- night party at a gay bar in Charleston, and they crashed head-on into oncoming traffic, killing Christina S. Custody of Christina’s child, Z.B.S., was initially placed with his grandparents, a two-parent family who had successfully raised five other children. But the West Virginia Supreme Court took the child away from his grandparents and gave him to Tina B. The child was fathered by Tina B.’s half-brother, a convicted felon who worked for Tina B. and agreed to have sex with Christina in order to provide a child for the same-sex couple.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
First-Person: Same-Sex 'Marriage' -- Have the Best Interests of Children Been Considered?
Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances, she cries aloud: (Proverbs 8:1-3, NIV)
By Dawn Stefanowicz
June 17, 2005
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/6/172005c.asp
ONTARIO, CANADA (AgapePress) - My name is Dawn Stefanowicz, I grew up in a homosexual household during the 60s and 70s in Toronto, exposed to many different people, the GLBT subcultures, and explicit sexual practices. I am currently writing a book, soon to be published, on this experience. As well, I was a witness at the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs on Bill C-250 (hate crimes), and I have presented at the local school board.
My biggest concern is that children are not being discussed in this same-sex marriage debate. Yet, won't the next step for some gay activists be to ask for legal adoption of children if same-sex marriage is legalized? I have considered some of the potential physical and psychological health risks for children raised in this situation. I was at high risk of exposure to contagious STDs due to sexual molestation, my father's high-risk sexual behaviors, and multiple partners. Even when my father was in what looked like monogamous relationships, he continued cruising for anonymous sex.
I came to deeply care for, love and compassionately understand my dad. He shared his life regrets with me. Unfortunately, my father, as a child, was sexually and physically abused by older males. Due to this, he lived with depression, control issues, anger outbursts, suicidal tendencies, and sexual compulsions. He tried to fulfill his legitimate needs for his father's affirmation, affection and attention with transient and promiscuous relationships. He and his partners were exposed to various contagious STD's as they traveled across North America. My father's (ex)partners, whom I had deep caring feelings for and associated with, had drastically shortened lives due to suicide, contracting HIV or Aids. Sadly, my father died of AIDS in 1991.
Are my childhood experiences unique? According to a growing number of personal testimonies, experts, and organizations, there is mounting evidence of strong commonalities to my personal experiences [2-13]. Not only do children do best with both a mother and a father in a lifelong marriage bond [14,15], children need responsible monogamous parents who have no extramarital sexual partners. Parental promiscuity, abuse and divorce are not good for children.
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
Gay rights a political tightrope for Daniels
Within the GOP, moderates, conservative core clash over course governor should take.
June 19, 2005

By Mary Beth Schneider
mary.beth.schneider@indystar.com
Indianapolis Star
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050619/NEWS01/506190432
Gov. Mitch Daniels is straddling a divide in the Republican Party over how far the party should go in recognizing gay rights.
On one side is a growing number of moderates who want to see Daniels lead the way toward a more inclusive party. On the other side is a vocal conservative core who already thinks the governor has gone too far.
Micah Clark, leader of the 12,000 members of the American Family Association of Indiana, a conservative, pro-family group, used his Web site to call Daniels "a disappointment in the family values department."
He criticized Daniels for not being out front in favor of issues such as a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and for having an office policy banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Meanwhile, Bill Oesterle, Daniels' former campaign manager, recently spoke in favor of a defeated city ordinance that would have banned employers from discriminating against gays and transgender people.
The emotional speech before party leaders came at a Marion County Republican dinner. Asked to speak on the direction of the GOP, Oesterle called for inclusiveness and praised Republican City-County Councilman Scott Keller for co-authoring the anti-discrimination ordinance.
Clark led the fight against the ordinance with Eric Miller, the leader of the 42,000 members of Advance America and Daniels' primary-election opponent for governor. Advance America describes itself as the state's largest pro-family, pro-church, pro-tax reform group.
"I don't believe in the big tent," Clark said. "I don't believe you get to be that big offending a large portion of your base."
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
LAW OF THE LAND
No child custody for 'gay' dad
Court rejects argument based on Texas sodomy case
Posted: June 22, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44912
The Maryland Court of Appeals upheld an order that prevented a divorced man from having custody of his child if he lived in a homosexual relationship.
Ulf Hedberg, represented in court by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, contended that the Supreme Court decision striking down Texas sodomy laws in 2003 invalidates any court order or legislation that has a "moral base."
But the appeals court rejected that argument, ruling that where minors are involved in visitation disputes, courts may take into account the "sexual conduct of a parent to determine whether it has an adverse impact on the child."
The dispute arose after Hedberg left his wife, Annica Detthow, to pursue a same-sex relationship. A court in Virginia, where the family lived, granted custody to Hedberg with liberal visitation to Annica but specified that Hedberg no longer live with his partner.
Hedberg did not appeal the order, but one year later, he moved 26 miles to Maryland and asked the state's courts to remove the cohabitation restriction.
He appealed after the Maryland Circuit Court refused to modify the custody order.
Hedberg's attorneys argued that the 2003 sodomy decision, Lawrence v. Texas, rendered the cohabitation restriction unconstitutional.
But the Maryland Special Court of Appeal court sent the case back to the trial court where Hedberg will now bear the burden of proving there has been a change in circumstances that makes it harmful to the child to not allow him to cohabit with his same-sex partner during visitation.
[More at URL]
FotF runs another article denouncing any link between biology and sexual orientation - this time, attacking the recent fruit-fly study showing that at least in some animals, there's a clear link. Dr. Throckmorton (Ph.D., psychology) appears to be angling to be the new Paul Cameron. Also, they say that even if a biological basis is found, that doesn't matter either - apparently paving the route for their next argument if a biological basis is confirmed ("We are called to a higher standard than mere animal instinct");
FotF article; Rehnquist's replacement unlikely to be more conservative than Rehnquist - odd article, not sure why they ran it;
FotF article on an "ex-gay" film being "offered to public schools nationwide" - lots of support from Throckmorton again (see above) - "If schoolslook at this film and decide not to use it, it will only be because they're biased against the ex-gay perspective";
Marriage rights bill may be reintroduced in California;
FotF accuses West Virginia court of "redefining parenthood" by awarding custody of a child to the deceased lesbian biological mother's partner - also claims the accident that killed the mother was while they were "driving home from an all-night party at a gay bar";
Today's Family News in Focus;
Concerned Women for America article on CARE Act, requiring licensed pharmacists dispense emergency contraception in rape cases;
Christian Post article supporting Parents Right to Know Act (see today's FNIF);
American Family Association condemns West Virginia court over custody award, calls the ruling "lethal";
Agape Press long article against marriage rights;
Republican governor of Indiana attacked by fundamentalist groups for nondiscrimination policy, refusal to endorse Federal anti-marriage amendment;
Gay biological father refused custody of his child on the basis of having a same-sex parnter.
----- 1 -----
CITIZENLINK
June 21, 2005
Speak Out About Efforts to Silence Christians at the Air
Force Academy
U.S. Rep. John Hostettler, R-Ind., stirred up a hornet's
nest in the House on Monday, when he remarked to fellow
lawmakers that Democrats are, by nature, anti-Christian.
"Like a moth to a flame," Hostettler said, "Democrats
can't help themselves when it comes to denigrating and
demonizing Christians."
Hostettler was addressing colleagues during a debate over
a Democrat amendment to instruct the secretary of the Air
Force to ensure the Air Force Academy "maintains a climate
free from coercive religious intimidation and
inappropriate proselytizing by Air Force officials."
Hostettler disputed the assertion that such events have
ever taken place at the Academy and added later that it's
not fair to tell Christians they can't tell others about
their faith because "then they can't exercise their
Christian religion."
"The long war on Christianity in America continues today
on the floor of the House of Representatives," he said,
"(and) continues unabated with aid and comfort to those
who would eradicate any vestige of our Christian heritage
being supplied by the usual suspects -- the Democrats."
Please thank Rep. Hostettler for his remarks in defense of
Christianity. For contact information, including office
phone numbers and an easy-to-use e-mail form, visit the
CitizenLink Action Center.
http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/bio/?id=244&lvl=C&chamber=H
Then, take a moment to contact your own congressman and
urge him or her to oppose any effort in Congress to tell
Christians they can't speak about their faith -- even at
the U.S. Air Force Academy. For contact information, visit
the CitizenLink Action Center and type your ZIP code into
the space provided.
http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/dbq/officials/
----- 2 -----
GAY ACTIVISTS TWIST FRUIT FLY STUDY
A report on the sexual genetics of fruit flies has no
bearing on human experience.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0036938.cfm
SUMMARY: Despite what you may have heard in the media, a
report on the sexual genetics of fruit flies has no
bearing on human experience.
A recent genetic study of fruit flies, published June 3 in
the journal Cell, is being hijacked by pro-homosexual
journalists to suggest the existence of a "gay gene" in
humans -- even though the study itself concludes no such
thing.
Researchers Barry J. Dickson, Ph.D., and Ebru Demir,
Ph.D., of the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology of the
Austrian Academy of Sciences, spliced female fruit-fly
genes and made them look like male genes. The females with
the spliced gene then exhibited male sexual behavior.
The study does not claim this is evidence of a gay gene.
The study does not claim that the results say anything
substantive about human homosexuality. However, many in
the media misconnected the dots anyway.
"Hopefully this will take the discussion about sexual
preferences out of the realm of morality and put it in the
realm of science," Dr. Michael Weiss told the
International Herald Tribune. He had no part in the
research.
The jump from fruit flies to humans is a leap of
extraordinary lengths, said Warren Throckmorton, Ph.D.,
associate professor of psychology at Grove City College in
Pennsylvania.
[Ed. Note: the quick one-two of pointing out that someone
commenting on research had no role in the actual research
(with the implied negative), and then having someone who
had no role in the actual research comment on the research
makes me giggle. In addition to the problem in their short
term memory, their short term memory appears to have a
problem. Also, their short term memory seems to be failing.]
...
But what if a gene is found -- legitimately -- someday?
"We also know that environmental factors regularly
override genetic predispositions," Rainman said. "As moral
agents with free will who reflect the image of God, humans
are responsible for their behavior and the stewardship of
the various impulses experienced.
"In short, we are called to a higher standard than mere
animal instinct."
----- 3 -----
REHNQUIST'S DECISION DUE SOON
by Bill Wilson, Washington, D.C., correspondent
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0036924.cfm
SUMMARY: Supreme Court watchers say even if the chief
justice retires, the overall balance of the Court is
unlikely to change.
With the current U.S. Supreme Court session in its final
days, speculation is growing about whether Chief Justice
William Rehnquist will leave the Court as the session
closes or stay for another term.
More importantly, if he resigns, will there be a shift in
the liberal-conservative balance of the court?
Supreme Court watchers, liberal and conservative alike,
believe if Rehnquist -- who is battling cancer -- steps
down, President Bush will not change the balance of the
Court with his first nomination. The person he selects is
expected to be somewhat like Rehnquist, and experts
believe Democrats will likely agree to this nomination.
"President Bush . . . will, at best, be able to only
maintain the current philosophical balance on the court,"
explained Human Events Editor Terrence Jeffrey.
[More at URL]
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Despite the mythical status accorded
the courts, judges are only humans, complete with
imperfections. For that reason alone, we must not abdicate
all authority to the judiciary. "Men in Black: How the
Supreme Court is Destroying America" examines some of the
outrageous recent court decisions and provides a blueprint
for action for those who oppose judicial tyranny.
http://www.family.org/resources/itempg.cfm?itemid=5286&refcd=CE05FCZL&tvar=no
----- 4 -----
FILM ON EX-GAYS OFFERS TRUTH TO SCHOOLS
Movie counteracts misguided message most students get
about homosexuality.
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/news/a0036922.cfm
by Steve Jordahl, correspondent
SUMMARY: "Sexual Orientation: Is Change Possible?" meant
to counteract misguided message most students get about
homosexuality.
A new film spotlighting the truth that gays can change
their sexual orientation is being offered to public
schools nationwide as a way of countering the one-sided
message students currently receive about homosexuality.
The message of "Sexual Orientation: Is Change Possible?"
is that no one has to live the gay lifestyle. Producer
Warren Throckmorton, a professor at Grove City College in
Pennsylvania, presents the topic from a scientific -- not
religious -- point of view.
"If schools look at this film and decide not to use it,"
he said, "it will only be because they're biased against
the ex-gay perspective."
That bias is a formidable hurdle, according to Jeralee
Smith, chair of the National Education Association's
Ex-Gay Caucus.
"There's a lot of cooperation between the gay and lesbian
groups," she explained. "GLSEN (the Gay, Lesbian and
Straight Education Network) works hand in hand with
leadership inside the union."
Pacific Justice Institute attorney Brad Dacus said school
districts and teachers can legally show the film in the
classroom, even though many school administrators
mistakenly believe talking about those who have left the
gay lifestyle is taking a religious point of view.
"Students or a Christian Club or a Bible Club," he said,
"can sponsor the showing of this film during lunch time or
before or after school on campus."
FOR MORE INFORMATION: The rhetoric surrounding the
acceptance of the homosexual lifestyle is everywhere.
Parents have children suddenly "coming out." Organizations
are accused of "intolerance." And it seems that everyone
agrees it's OK to be gay. In Mike Haley's "101 Frequently
Asked Questions about Homosexuality," you'll learn how to
address the issues surrounding same-sex attraction and its
implications for society.
----- 5 -----
California Gay Marriage Bill Not Dead Yet
Focus on the Family
Newsbrief
[Received in email; no URL]
An openly gay California state assemblyman has vowed to
resurrect a bill to legalize same-sex marriage, 365Gay.com
reported.
The legislation was defeated three weeks ago, but
Assemblyman Mark Leno, D-San Francisco, plans to use a
tactic known as "gut and amend" to rework the bill -- and
then attach it to a bill already before the Senate.
"My hope," Leno said, "is that we will have a bill amended
by the end of this week or the beginning of next."
A grassroots conservative organization, the Voter's Right
to Protect Marriage Initiative, has initiated efforts to
collect signatures in order to place a constitutional
amendment on the 2006 ballot that would ban same-sex
marriage.
----- 6 -----
West Virginia Court Redefines Parenthood
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
[Received in email; no URL]
The West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals has redefined
what a parent is by declaring the lesbian partner of a
deceased woman the "psychological parent" of her lover's
young child.
Steve Crampton, chief counsel for the American Family
Association's Center for Law and Policy, said the court
removed custody of the child from his maternal
grandparents and gave it to the lesbian partner,
identified in court documents as "Tina B." Crampton filed
legal briefs in the case on behalf of two West Virginia
lawmakers.
"This court has once again demonstrated the lethal effects
of judicial activism on the nuclear family, which is the
cornerstone of our civilization," Crampton said. "West
Virginia's creation of a new 'right' for a same-sex
partner to obtain custody of her deceased lover's child
without any written agreement, a will, or any attempt at
adoption is but a stepping stone to recognition of
same-sex marriage."
The child's mother, "Christina S," was killed in a head-on
collision crash which reportedly occurred after Tina B.
fell asleep at the wheel. The pair was driving home from
an all-night party at a gay bar in Charleston, W. Va.
[Ed. Note: All local versions of this story list both names in
their entirety; also, none mention any cause of the accident,
so I can't get the "what actually happened" version of the
story.]
----- 7 -----
Family News in Focus
Wednesday, June 22, 2005
Focus on the Family
Bob Ditmer
http://www.oneplace.com/Ministries/Family_News_in_Focus/
* Your daughter can’t get her ears pierced without your permission – but she can get contraceptives; lawmakers want to change that
1. About contraception; "put a stop to the subversion of parental rights." Basically, they want to mandate that clinics that receive federal funding contact parents before giving any child (daughers, mostly) any form of contraception - not just birth control pills (which congressman says "can threaten the life of the child"), but condoms, etc. Five-day notice period required.
* Do you know what your children are doing online? New effort teaches parents what to look for
2. National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children and Qwest running Internet Safety Month ad campaign to increase awareness of sexual predators online.
* Washington bent on taking away charter school funding
3. Feds "coming up with reasons to withhold funding" from charter schools. Argument is "based on a technicality" in Federal law that says "all public schools should be non-profit;" Arizona charter schools owned by FOR-profit companies (52 out of several hundred) aren't getting money.
* Billy Graham will be in New York for what he calls his last crusade
5. First in 1957, in NYC; closing in about the same place.
* Federal jury awards University of Nevada Reno employee over $200,000 for pornographic material in his workplace
4. He complained about "pornographic material in his workplace." "I think the country is beginning to understand for the first time the toxicity of this erototoxic material." <<< NOTE "EROTOTOXIN TERMINOLOGY reappearing.
* Democratic members of Congress asks President to direct Scott Bloch, head of Office of Special Council, to enforce unwritten policy prohibiting discrimination against government-employed gays
NO STORY.
----- 8 -----
Proposed Legislation Promotes Morning-After Pill
Lindsey Douthit and Amelia Wigton
June 21, 2005
News and Commentary
Concerned Women for America
http://www.cwalac.org/article_218.shtml
Challenging their own slogan of "freedom of choice," abortion proponents are championing the CARE Act, legislation that would require health care workers and hospitals to offer morning-after pills to rape victims, even if this would violate the worker's beliefs or the hospital's religious affiliation.
At a Capitol Hill press conference on June 15, Sens. Olympia Snowe (R-Maine), Jon Corzine (D-New Jersey) and Hillary Clinton (D-New York), and Reps. Steve Rothman (D-New Jersey), Carolyn Maloney (D-New York) and Rob Simmons (R-Connecticut), introduced a so-called "pregnancy prevention bill": the "Compassionate Assistance for Rape Emergencies (CARE) Act. " The bill reintroduces, with small changes, H.R. 2527, which was sponsored by Reps. Jim Greenwood (R-Pennsylvania) and Rothman in the 108th Congress.
Using information from Planned Parenthood, the congressmen claim that more than 300,000 women are raped in the U.S. each year, and that 25,000 pregnancies result from those rapes. They estimate that 22,000 of those pregnancies could be prevented if the victims have access to the morning-after pill, also known as "emergency contraception (EC)."1 According to a doctor and nurse at the press conference, they are high doses of the birth control pill that will prevent either ovulation or fertilization. Rothman said that the morning-after pill can also prevent a fertilized egg from implanting in the uterus.
According to Rothman, "EC reduces the number of abortions by preventing pregnancies resulting from rape that would otherwise be terminated by an abortion."
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
Parents Right to Know Act Reintroduced
The Christian Post
Wednesday, Jun. 22, 2005 Posted: 12:50:42AM EST
http://www.christianpost.com/article/society/1643/section/parents.right.to.know.act.reintroduced/1.htm
In the continuing debate over parental notification regarding abortion, legislation has been reintroduced requiring clinics to notify parents five days before dispensing contraceptive drugs or devices to minors.
Senator Tom Coburn (R-Oklahoma) and Representative Todd Akin (R-Missouri) reintroduced on Tuesday the Parents Right to Know Act, which would apply to all clinics that receive funding from the federal government under Title X of the Public Health Act. The bill specifically deals with contraceptives due to the health and social consequences of their use.
Wendy Wright, Senior policy director for Concerned Women for America, applauded the reintroduction of the bill.
"The Parents Right to Know Act recognizes that minor girls deserve their parents' support and protection – especially when facing the constant and overwhelming pressures to be sexually active," said Wright.
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
American Family Association
Center for Law and Policy
West Virginia Supreme Court Redefines Family
Contact: Kathryn Hooks
American Family Association
P.O. Drawer 2440
Tupelo, MS 38803
1-662-680-3886
For Immediate Release: 6/21/2005
Tupelo, MS - The court “has once again demonstrated the lethal effects of judicial activism,” said Stephen M. Crampton, Chief Counsel for the AFA CLP.
Last Friday, June 17, 2005, the West Virginia Supreme Court of Appeals redefined what a parent is by declaring a lesbian partner the “psychological parent” of her deceased lover’s young child. In Tina B. v. Paul S., the court removed custody of the child from his maternal grandparents and gave it to the lesbian partner, Tina B..
“This court has once again demonstrated the lethal effects of judicial activism on the nuclear family, which is the cornerstone of our civilization,” said Stephen M. Crampton, Chief Counsel for the AFA Center for Law & Policy, which authored a friend-of-the-court brief on behalf of two legislators in the case. “While the court pretended to limit itself to interpreting the laws passed by the legislature, in reality it made law and acted as a superlegislature,” Crampton noted.
“West Virginia’s creation of a new ‘right’ for a same-sex partner to obtain custody of her deceased lover’s child without any written agreement, a Will, or any attempt at adoption is but a stepping stone to recognition of same-sex marriage,” Crampton warned.
The case arose when Tina B. fell asleep at the wheel on the drive home from an all- night party at a gay bar in Charleston, and they crashed head-on into oncoming traffic, killing Christina S. Custody of Christina’s child, Z.B.S., was initially placed with his grandparents, a two-parent family who had successfully raised five other children. But the West Virginia Supreme Court took the child away from his grandparents and gave him to Tina B. The child was fathered by Tina B.’s half-brother, a convicted felon who worked for Tina B. and agreed to have sex with Christina in order to provide a child for the same-sex couple.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
First-Person: Same-Sex 'Marriage' -- Have the Best Interests of Children Been Considered?
Does not wisdom call out? Does not understanding raise her voice? On the heights along the way, where the paths meet, she takes her stand; beside the gates leading into the city, at the entrances, she cries aloud: (Proverbs 8:1-3, NIV)
By Dawn Stefanowicz
June 17, 2005
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/6/172005c.asp
ONTARIO, CANADA (AgapePress) - My name is Dawn Stefanowicz, I grew up in a homosexual household during the 60s and 70s in Toronto, exposed to many different people, the GLBT subcultures, and explicit sexual practices. I am currently writing a book, soon to be published, on this experience. As well, I was a witness at the Standing Senate Committee on Legal and Constitutional Affairs on Bill C-250 (hate crimes), and I have presented at the local school board.
My biggest concern is that children are not being discussed in this same-sex marriage debate. Yet, won't the next step for some gay activists be to ask for legal adoption of children if same-sex marriage is legalized? I have considered some of the potential physical and psychological health risks for children raised in this situation. I was at high risk of exposure to contagious STDs due to sexual molestation, my father's high-risk sexual behaviors, and multiple partners. Even when my father was in what looked like monogamous relationships, he continued cruising for anonymous sex.
I came to deeply care for, love and compassionately understand my dad. He shared his life regrets with me. Unfortunately, my father, as a child, was sexually and physically abused by older males. Due to this, he lived with depression, control issues, anger outbursts, suicidal tendencies, and sexual compulsions. He tried to fulfill his legitimate needs for his father's affirmation, affection and attention with transient and promiscuous relationships. He and his partners were exposed to various contagious STD's as they traveled across North America. My father's (ex)partners, whom I had deep caring feelings for and associated with, had drastically shortened lives due to suicide, contracting HIV or Aids. Sadly, my father died of AIDS in 1991.
Are my childhood experiences unique? According to a growing number of personal testimonies, experts, and organizations, there is mounting evidence of strong commonalities to my personal experiences [2-13]. Not only do children do best with both a mother and a father in a lifelong marriage bond [14,15], children need responsible monogamous parents who have no extramarital sexual partners. Parental promiscuity, abuse and divorce are not good for children.
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
Gay rights a political tightrope for Daniels
Within the GOP, moderates, conservative core clash over course governor should take.
June 19, 2005

By Mary Beth Schneider
mary.beth.schneider@indystar.com
Indianapolis Star
http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050619/NEWS01/506190432
Gov. Mitch Daniels is straddling a divide in the Republican Party over how far the party should go in recognizing gay rights.
On one side is a growing number of moderates who want to see Daniels lead the way toward a more inclusive party. On the other side is a vocal conservative core who already thinks the governor has gone too far.
Micah Clark, leader of the 12,000 members of the American Family Association of Indiana, a conservative, pro-family group, used his Web site to call Daniels "a disappointment in the family values department."
He criticized Daniels for not being out front in favor of issues such as a constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage and for having an office policy banning discrimination based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
Meanwhile, Bill Oesterle, Daniels' former campaign manager, recently spoke in favor of a defeated city ordinance that would have banned employers from discriminating against gays and transgender people.
The emotional speech before party leaders came at a Marion County Republican dinner. Asked to speak on the direction of the GOP, Oesterle called for inclusiveness and praised Republican City-County Councilman Scott Keller for co-authoring the anti-discrimination ordinance.
Clark led the fight against the ordinance with Eric Miller, the leader of the 42,000 members of Advance America and Daniels' primary-election opponent for governor. Advance America describes itself as the state's largest pro-family, pro-church, pro-tax reform group.
"I don't believe in the big tent," Clark said. "I don't believe you get to be that big offending a large portion of your base."
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
LAW OF THE LAND
No child custody for 'gay' dad
Court rejects argument based on Texas sodomy case
Posted: June 22, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=44912
The Maryland Court of Appeals upheld an order that prevented a divorced man from having custody of his child if he lived in a homosexual relationship.
Ulf Hedberg, represented in court by the National Center for Lesbian Rights, contended that the Supreme Court decision striking down Texas sodomy laws in 2003 invalidates any court order or legislation that has a "moral base."
But the appeals court rejected that argument, ruling that where minors are involved in visitation disputes, courts may take into account the "sexual conduct of a parent to determine whether it has an adverse impact on the child."
The dispute arose after Hedberg left his wife, Annica Detthow, to pursue a same-sex relationship. A court in Virginia, where the family lived, granted custody to Hedberg with liberal visitation to Annica but specified that Hedberg no longer live with his partner.
Hedberg did not appeal the order, but one year later, he moved 26 miles to Maryland and asked the state's courts to remove the cohabitation restriction.
He appealed after the Maryland Circuit Court refused to modify the custody order.
Hedberg's attorneys argued that the 2003 sodomy decision, Lawrence v. Texas, rendered the cohabitation restriction unconstitutional.
But the Maryland Special Court of Appeal court sent the case back to the trial court where Hedberg will now bear the burden of proving there has been a change in circumstances that makes it harmful to the child to not allow him to cohabit with his same-sex partner during visitation.
[More at URL]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
In more encouraging news ...
Date: 2005-06-22 08:46 pm (UTC)http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20050622/ap_on_bi_ge/southern_baptists_disney