Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Oct. 3rd, 2005 12:36 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdSignature-gathering irregularities appearing in Massachusetts anti-marriage drive;
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes marriage-rights bill passed by California legislature - includes ACTION ITEM to thank him;
Focus on the Family clarification: The California-based American Baptist Churches USA _does_ have the anti-gay stance they want, but does not (as is typical with Baptist denominations) demand all member churches follow the national organisation's lead; the churches leaving are leaving because they demanded that the national church _do_ start requiring anti-gay positions from member churches;
"Alliance Defense Fund," an anti-gay organisation focused on fighting marriage rights, sues Utah mayor over DP benefits for same-sex couples, arguing they are illegal under their state DOMA;
Texas state judge orders 17 year old not to have sex;
Attempt to overturn Wheedon Amendment fails in DC court;
Senate passes resolution to support "Under God" version of the Pledge of Allegiance;
Dobson: Tom DeLay inditement is "a trumped-up political witch hunt" at "one of America's leading advocates of family values";
Focus on the Family action item for FIVE bills in Wisconsin; one bans embryonic stem-cell research; one expands the rights of heath care professionals to refuse care they dislike ("conscience clause" expansion); there's a "fetal pain" bill, an abstinence-education bill, and a bill about umbilical-cord stem cells;
Judge in Oregon rules nude dancing falls under the first amendment;
Netherlands triad gets one collective CU - fundamentalists go, "See? SEE?!";
Concerned Women for America unsure about new Supreme Court nominee;
Christian Post reports mixed reaction amoungst fundamentalist groups for new nominee;
CWA condemns abortion-services provider offering free services to Katrina victims;
Agape Press reports Massachusetts ministers across the state dedicating their Sunday sermons to overturning marriage rights in the state;
Faith and Freedom network declares Seattle Art Museum sculpture a "monument to pedophiliac grooming."
----- 1 -----
Gay-nuptial foes hire Calif. consulting firm
Petition efforts raise eyebrows
By Scott Helman and Frank Phillips, Globe Staff | September 30, 2005
Very long URL here
Opponents of gay marriage, while looking ahead to a weekend of signature-gathering, have hired a California political consulting firm that's a veteran of conservative causes. The effort would be to help collect petitions to get a proposed ban on same-sex marriage on the 2008 ballot.
[...]
The petition drive is in full force in places, and some Massachusetts residents are reporting what they're calling deceptive practices by signature-gatherers.
Lara Szent-Gyorgyi said she was returning items Saturday at Wal-Mart in Natick when she noticed someone outside the store gathering names for a separate ballot initiative, one that would allow the sale of wine in supermarkets. Szent-Gyorgyi said she had signed, and had then been asked to sign a few other petitions, but she said she had not been told what they were for. One was the gay-marriage petition.
''It was very misleading," said Szent-Gyorgyi, of Brookline, who contacted The Boston Globe.
Risa Sacks said she experienced something similar at a Price Chopper supermarket in Worcester on Wednesday.
She said that when she signed the wine initiative, a woman who was collecting names told her that she needed to sign somewhere else, too. Only when she pressed, Sacks said, was she told that the second signature was for the gay-marriage question.
''I was so upset about the whole thing," said Sacks, a freelance researcher who lives in Worcester. ''It was completely egregious. It was completely misleading. It was completely incorrect."
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
NO GAY MARRIAGE IN CALIFORNIA -- THIS TIME
A veto stops an attempt to bypass the will of the people.
by Wendy Cloyd, senior editorial coordinator
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 20, 2005
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038102.cfm
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger kept his promise to
citizens of the Golden State on Thursday by vetoing a
same-sex marriage bill that was passed earlier this month.
The bill, AB 849, was originally a marine research bill,
but openly gay Assemblyman Mark Leno had added language
that changed the definition of marriage from "a man and a
woman" to simply "two persons."
Schwarzenegger pointed out that 61 percent of residents
voted for the California Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) --
known as Prop 22 -- in 2000. The act spells out that
"Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or
recognized in California."
"If the ban of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, this
bill is not necessary," the governor explained. "If the
ban is constitutional, this bill is ineffective."
[...]
TAKE ACTION: Thank Gov. Schwarzenegger for vetoing the
gay-marriage bill. You can contact him through the
CitizenLink Action Center:
http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/bio/?id=141270
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
CORRECTION:
Setting the Record Straight on ABC-USA Report
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 30, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
SUMMARY: Correction to a published story on American
Baptist Churches.
Earlier this week, CitizenLink published a staff-written
report from a Family News in Focus broadcast about the
American Baptist Churches USA (ABC-USA) splitting over
homosexuality.
The report focused on the nearly 300 ABC-USA churches in
the Pacific Southwest Region that plan to pull away from
the national church. Those that are leaving want the
national church to hold local churches accountable on the
topic. What the report failed to mention is that the
national church is refusing to do so because of the
Baptist tradition of autonomy.
"The perception here in Valley Forge (at the national
headquarters) is that the maintenance -- the governance,
if you will -- of the denomination really takes place at
the local church and regional level," said ABC-USA
spokesman Rich Schramm told Family News in Focus, "and I
think that's where the issue is at this point."
Delaware ABC Pastor Rick Hamme said there is no question
where American Baptists stand on homosexuality.
"In 1992, the American Baptist Churches USA came out with
a general board policy statement," Hamme said. "It said,
'We affirm that the practice of homosexuality is
incompatible with Christian teaching.' "
Hamme added: "The Pacific Southwest Region . . . looked at
how this policy statement has been implemented and they've
come to the conclusion that it should be implemented from
the top down."
He says the ABC-USA resolution that homosexuality is
incompatible with Christian teaching is binding for the
national staff only.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: To learn more about the
denomination's positions, please consult the American
Baptist Churches USA Web site.
http://www.abc-usa.org
(NOTE: Referral to Web sites not produced by Focus on the
Family is for informational purposes only and does not
constitute an endorsement of the site's content.)
----- 4 -----
Utah Mayor Challenged over Domestic Partner Benefits
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 30, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed suit
Thursday on behalf of Salt Lake City residents after Mayor
Rocky Anderson issued an executive order that extends
marriage-like benefits to unmarried city employees.
The mayor's order defines a "domestic partner" as "an
individual with whom an eligible employee has a long-term
committed relationship of mutual caring and support."
The order goes on to further define those who qualify for
benefits by assuming partners have lived in the same
household for the past six consecutive months, have common
financial obligations and are jointly responsible for each
other's welfare.
Dale Schowengerdt, an attorney with ADF, said Utah's
Defense of Marriage Act and the Utah constitution clearly
prohibit this type of order.
"Utah law prohibits relationships that masquerade as
marriage," he said. "The mayor's action blatantly
disregards state law."
The Utah Constitution prohibits same-sex marriage, as does
Utah's Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
"No other domestic union, however denominated, may be
recognized as a marriage or given the same or
substantially equivalent legal effect," reads the
Constitution.
The state's DOMA prohibits any state of local government
from enacting "any law creating any legal status, rights,
benefits, or duties that are substantially equivalent to
those provided under Utah law to a man and a woman because
they are married."
----- 5 -----
Judge Says No Sex for Teen
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 30, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
A Texas state judge has sentenced a 17-year-old girl to
live with her parents, attend school faithfully -- and to
have no sex.
Judge Lauri Blake sentenced the girl to probation in
connection with a drug violation. If she violates the
terms of her probation -- serious consequences may follow.
Over the last 10 months since her election, Blake has
barred kids on probation from getting tattoos and body
piercings, wearing earrings and dressing in clothing
"associated with the drug culture."
----- 6 -----
Pro-Life Doctors are Still Protected by the Weldon Amendment
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 30, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Thursday dismissed a case challenging the Weldon Amendment
-- a statute that prohibits state and local government
from discriminating against healthcare providers because
they refuse to perform abortions or refer patient to
abortion providers -- on the grounds that arguments in the
case have no "satisfactory basis."
According to the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), the lawsuit,
brought by the National Family Planning and Reproductive
Health Association (NFPRHA) sought to overturn the
amendment, which signed into law by President Bush in
2004.
"The court cannot conclude . . . that the Weldon Amendment
overreaches Congress' spending powers, exceeds the
permissible boundaries of legislative delegation, meets
the rigorous void-for-vagueness test," the opinion read,
"or is otherwise constitutionally infirm on its face."
Steven Aden, chief litigation counsel for the Christian
Legal Society, which, along with ADF, represented the
Christian Medical Association and the American Association
of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said the
court did the right thing.
"This is a significant victory for pro-life health-care
workers who are protected by the Weldon Amendment," Aden
said. "NFPRHA's lawsuit was without merit. We applaud the
court's decision to dismiss the case.
"The court saw through the false cries of 'wolf' raised by
the pro-abortion groups who are arrayed against conscience
protections in the medical community. The decision
upholds Congress' intentions in enacting this important
civil rights legislation."
----- 7 -----
House Debates Resolution Supporting the Pledge
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 29, 2005
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038075.cfm
SUMMARY: The hope is the courts will consider the
representatives' opinion when ruling.
The House of Representatives debated a resolution this
week calling on the Supreme Court to recognize the
importance of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools
-- including the phrase "under God."
Gary Kreep, executive director of the U.S. Justice
Foundation, told Family News in Focus that while a House
resolution does not constitute law, it does express the
opinion held by the majority of the legislators.
"In some ways, it's a feel-good thing to do so the
legislators can say, both liberal and conservative, that
they support the pledge without them actually taking any
action to protect the pledge," he said.
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo., said she has hopes that
the nation's highest court, under the direction of new
Chief Justice John Roberts, will take the resolution into
consideration.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Enough Evidence to Go to Trial in DeLay Case
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 29, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was indicted by a Texas
grand jury Wednesday, charged with criminal conspiracy
related to campaign fundraising.
"I have done nothing wrong," Mr. DeLay said in an article
in the New York Times, adding that he had violated "no
law, no regulation, no rule of the House."
The indictment means DeLay must now go to trial.
James C. Dobson, Ph.D., founder and chairman of Focus on
the Family Action, said it was more about politics than
justice.
"Today's indictment of Majority Leader Tom DeLay bears all
the signs of a trumped-up political witch hunt," he said.
"The extreme left has seized this chance to take a swipe
at one of America's leading advocates of family values.
"We have every confidence that time will prove these
charges false and we look forward to the majority leader
being fully vindicated."
Dobson said Delay has long shown himself to be a
consistent voice of reason and clarity in America's moral
debates.
"While some will doubtless try to capitalize on Rep.
DeLay's current difficulties by kicking at his political
beliefs while he is down, such blatant opportunism will be
clearly seen for what it is," he said. "Political
adversity is nothing new to Tom DeLay."
House Republican rules dictate that an indicted member of
the leadership must temporarily step down. Rep. Roy Blunt,
R-Mo., was appointed to the post of temporary House
Majority leader.
"It is encouraging that the Republicans in the House seem
prepared to continue the tradition of clear leadership in
Majority Leader DeLay's stead," said Dobson. "We are
pleased the Rep. Roy Blunt has been instated as the acting
majority leader and anticipate that he will prove to be a
good steward of the critical tasks now before him."
----- 9 -----
Wisconsin Passes Pro-Family Legislation
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 29, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
The Wisconsin State Senate Wednesday approved five bills
that will have long-range benefits to families in the
Badger State, the Kaiser Network reported.
On the list: A bill that would ban all human cloning in
the state; a bill that would require doctors to tell women
that fetuses can feel pain; a bill that would expand the
state's conscience clause protection for health care
workers; a bill that requires that abstinence education be
taught in public schools and a bill that would require
pregnant women to be informed that they can donate their
infant's umbilical cord blood to a blood and stem-cell
bank.
The cloning bill would ban all forms of the practice and
make such research a crime punishable by up to 10 years in
prison with $1 million in fines possible.
The fetal pain bill would make it a requirement for
physicians to tell abortion-minded women at more than 20
weeks gestation that their baby can feel pain.
The conscience-clause bill would excuse healthcare workers
from performing procedures for which they have a moral or
religious objection. Wisconsin law already allows release
from participation in abortion, euthanasia or
sterilization -- the expansion would include six
additional medical procedures. Pharmacists and medical
school students would have further protections.
The abstinence bill would require public schools to teach
that abstinence until marriage is "the preferred choice of
behavior," and would require more time to be spent on it
than on teaching about birth control.
Finally, the cord-blood bill would require women to know
they have the option of donating umbilical-cord blood to
be stored in a state-approved bank -- umbilical-cord blood
contains non-controversial stem cells that can be used to
treat a variety of diseases.
Gov. Jim Doyle has promised to veto the fetal pain
measure, the conscience clause bill and the cloning ban,
according to The Associated Press.
TAKE ACTION: If you live in Wisconsin, please write to
Gov. Jim Doyle and tell him not to veto the bills listed
above. For contact information, please use the
CitizenLink Action Center.
http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/bio/?id=31791
----- 10 -----
Judge Rules Nude Performances Are 'Free Expression'
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 29, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
Two Oregon laws restricting what nude dancers are allowed
to do during a performance have been struck down by the
state's Supreme Court, The Associated Press reported.
One local ordinance required dancers to stay four feet
away from patrons; the other was a state law that
prohibited live sex shows. According to the court, both
laws were a violation of the state constitution's
guarantee of free expression.
It "appears to us to be beyond reasonable dispute that the
protection extends to the kinds of expression that a
majority of citizens in many communities would dislike,"
wrote Justice Michael Gillette.
Justice Paul De Muniz, who dissented from both of
Thursday's decisions, said he could not conclude that such
activity is a form of "speech" the drafters of the Oregon
Constitution sought to protect.
He said he disagreed with the idea that "regulation of
public sex acts must stop at the theater door."
----- 11 -----
Netherlands Trio Wed
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 29, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
In the Netherlands, a country that already allows same-sex
marriage, a polygamous civil union has received official
government recognition, sending shockwaves worldwide, the
Brussels Journal reported.
Victor de Bruijn was already married to Bianca, but the
two met Mirjam Geven through an Internet chat-room and
soon Mirjam moved in.
"I love both Bianca and Mirjam, so I am marrying them
both," Bruijn said. "We consider this to be just an
ordinary marriage."
John Stemberger, president and general counsel of the
Florida Family Policy Council, reacted with to the news
with a sense of urgency over the disintegration of
traditional marriage.
"This news story is Exhibit A of why marriage must be
legally defined as between a man and a woman," Stemberger
said Thursday. "If the only criteria for civil marriage is
'love' and 'commitment,' then why not group marriage, or
polygamy, or any other aberrant combination of persons or
things?"
Stemberger pointed out that in Scandinavian countries
where the boundaries for marriage are stretched to include
same-sex couples and more, traditional marriage is
becoming obsolete and the rate of co-habitation and civil
unions is skyrocketing.
"This is also a clear example of why civil unions are a
bad idea," he added. "If marriage can mean anything . . .
then marriage means nothing."
----- 12 -----
CWA: Wait and See on Supreme Court Nominee
Concerned Women for America
10/3/2005
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/9081/MEDIA/misc/index.htm
Washington, D.C. –.Concerned Women for America (CWA) expressed guarded optimism in response to President Bush’s nomination of Harriet Miers as successor to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
“We give Harriet Miers the benefit of the doubt because thus far, President Bush has selected nominees to the federal courts who are committed to the written Constitution,” said Jan LaRue, CWA’s chief counsel. “Whether we can support her will depend on what we learn from her record and the hearing process,” LaRue added.
Every judicial nominee deserves a dignified hearing and nothing less than a swift, up or down vote at the conclusion of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. The American people are entitled to fairness from judges and from senators who sit in judgment of them.
For Information Contact:
Stacey Holliday
(202) 488-7000
media.cwfa.org
----- 13 -----
Bush Nominates Harriet Miers to Supreme Court
Christian News - The Christian Post
October 3, 2005
Large URL here
President Bush nominated White House counsel Harriet Miers to serve as associate justice in the Supreme Court. Conservative Christian reactions were mixed, taking a wait-and-see stance as some were expecting a more well-known candidate. However, some who said they knew her approved of the nomination.
Miers, who has not previously served as a judge, began her working in the legal profession in 1970 after finishing her schooling. She was the first woman hired at one of the leading law firms in Dallas, Texas, later becoming the first woman to lead it, in addition to becoming the first woman elected as president of the state bar of Texas, according to the president in his introduction in Washington.
[...]
Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, a Christian legal group based in Washington, said he had previously worked with the nominee, and was positive on her nomination.
"I have worked with Harriet Miers over the last several years and believe the President made a great choice," Sekulow said in a released statement. "Miss Miers led the opposition to the American Bar Association’s (ABA) decision to come out in support of Roe v. Wade and abortion rights. She stated that at a minimum, there should have been a vote of the ABA membership before they took such an extreme position."
[...]
The Director of the Christian Defense coalition, Patrick J. Mahoney, said his group was "extremely concerned" about the nomination, not knowing too much about the candidate.
"The Christian Defense Coalition is very concerned about the nomination of Harriet Miers. We are troubled that the President would put forward someone without a record, someone we know little about," Mahoney said. "Scalia and Thomas are the standard, and at this time it is difficult to say that Miers will meet that standard. We will begin the process of examining her statements to see if she is one who will honor God, the Constitution, and our nation's founding principles."
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
CWA: Abortionist in Arkansas Hits All-Time Low
Concerned Women for America
9/30/2005
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/9075/MEDIA/life/index.htm
Washington, D.C. – Concerned Women for America (CWA) condemns the behavior of an abortionist in Arkansas who has taken it upon himself to commit free abortions for victims of Hurricane Katrina, as some sort of public service.
“There has already been enough loss of life at the hands of Katrina and Rita, and the victims don’t deserve abortionists adding to the casualty list,” said Lanier Swann, CWA’s Director of Government Relations. “What these victims need is encouragement, not more devastation."
“Abortionists should be ashamed of this behavior at a time when Americans are working to bring hope to the hopeless. In the midst of heroic efforts throughout the hurricane-ravaged areas, the abortionists’ bizarre attempt at offering “aid” stands as a distraction from the worthwhile good deeds performed each and every day in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and beyond. We need to honor those men and women working to save lives, not end them.”
For Information Contact:
Stacey Holliday
(202) 488-7000
media.cwfa.org
----- 15 -----
Commentary & News Briefs
October 3, 2005
Agape Press
Compiled by Jody Brown
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/10/32005h.asp
...Ministers across Massachusetts have used their Sunday sermons to rally support for a petition that calls for banning same-sex marriage. Massachusetts is the only state that allows same-sex couples to wed. Vermont and Connecticut recognize civil unions. A priest in Boston told his congregation that defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman is "not just our faith. It's for the good of society." Supporters of the proposed state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage must collect more than 65,000 signatures before November 23 for the question to appear on the 2008 ballot. Its sponsors hope to gather double that number to protect against a challenge. Supporters of homosexual marriage gathered outside many churches to protest the signature drive. [AP]
----- 16 -----
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Seattle Art Museum Proposes Monument To Pedophiliac Grooming
Faith and Freedom Network
Long URL here
The Seattle Art Museum has provided another illustration of the power of money to overwhelm discernment or judgment. A Seattle homosexual man left $1 million to the Museum if they would display at least one naked male. In order to get the money, the museum agreed. However, what the Museum has proposed goes well beyond mere male nakedness.
They commissioned Louise Bourgeois, whose art often portrays sexual themes, to create the naked male. What Louise created was an adult male and a male child who are both naked. The adult is inside a phallic symbol reaching toward the boy. The boy is on top of the other phallic symbol reaching toward the man.
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoes marriage-rights bill passed by California legislature - includes ACTION ITEM to thank him;
Focus on the Family clarification: The California-based American Baptist Churches USA _does_ have the anti-gay stance they want, but does not (as is typical with Baptist denominations) demand all member churches follow the national organisation's lead; the churches leaving are leaving because they demanded that the national church _do_ start requiring anti-gay positions from member churches;
"Alliance Defense Fund," an anti-gay organisation focused on fighting marriage rights, sues Utah mayor over DP benefits for same-sex couples, arguing they are illegal under their state DOMA;
Texas state judge orders 17 year old not to have sex;
Attempt to overturn Wheedon Amendment fails in DC court;
Senate passes resolution to support "Under God" version of the Pledge of Allegiance;
Dobson: Tom DeLay inditement is "a trumped-up political witch hunt" at "one of America's leading advocates of family values";
Focus on the Family action item for FIVE bills in Wisconsin; one bans embryonic stem-cell research; one expands the rights of heath care professionals to refuse care they dislike ("conscience clause" expansion); there's a "fetal pain" bill, an abstinence-education bill, and a bill about umbilical-cord stem cells;
Judge in Oregon rules nude dancing falls under the first amendment;
Netherlands triad gets one collective CU - fundamentalists go, "See? SEE?!";
Concerned Women for America unsure about new Supreme Court nominee;
Christian Post reports mixed reaction amoungst fundamentalist groups for new nominee;
CWA condemns abortion-services provider offering free services to Katrina victims;
Agape Press reports Massachusetts ministers across the state dedicating their Sunday sermons to overturning marriage rights in the state;
Faith and Freedom network declares Seattle Art Museum sculpture a "monument to pedophiliac grooming."
----- 1 -----
Gay-nuptial foes hire Calif. consulting firm
Petition efforts raise eyebrows
By Scott Helman and Frank Phillips, Globe Staff | September 30, 2005
Very long URL here
Opponents of gay marriage, while looking ahead to a weekend of signature-gathering, have hired a California political consulting firm that's a veteran of conservative causes. The effort would be to help collect petitions to get a proposed ban on same-sex marriage on the 2008 ballot.
[...]
The petition drive is in full force in places, and some Massachusetts residents are reporting what they're calling deceptive practices by signature-gatherers.
Lara Szent-Gyorgyi said she was returning items Saturday at Wal-Mart in Natick when she noticed someone outside the store gathering names for a separate ballot initiative, one that would allow the sale of wine in supermarkets. Szent-Gyorgyi said she had signed, and had then been asked to sign a few other petitions, but she said she had not been told what they were for. One was the gay-marriage petition.
''It was very misleading," said Szent-Gyorgyi, of Brookline, who contacted The Boston Globe.
Risa Sacks said she experienced something similar at a Price Chopper supermarket in Worcester on Wednesday.
She said that when she signed the wine initiative, a woman who was collecting names told her that she needed to sign somewhere else, too. Only when she pressed, Sacks said, was she told that the second signature was for the gay-marriage question.
''I was so upset about the whole thing," said Sacks, a freelance researcher who lives in Worcester. ''It was completely egregious. It was completely misleading. It was completely incorrect."
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
NO GAY MARRIAGE IN CALIFORNIA -- THIS TIME
A veto stops an attempt to bypass the will of the people.
by Wendy Cloyd, senior editorial coordinator
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 20, 2005
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038102.cfm
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger kept his promise to
citizens of the Golden State on Thursday by vetoing a
same-sex marriage bill that was passed earlier this month.
The bill, AB 849, was originally a marine research bill,
but openly gay Assemblyman Mark Leno had added language
that changed the definition of marriage from "a man and a
woman" to simply "two persons."
Schwarzenegger pointed out that 61 percent of residents
voted for the California Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) --
known as Prop 22 -- in 2000. The act spells out that
"Only marriage between a man and a woman is valid or
recognized in California."
"If the ban of same-sex marriage is unconstitutional, this
bill is not necessary," the governor explained. "If the
ban is constitutional, this bill is ineffective."
[...]
TAKE ACTION: Thank Gov. Schwarzenegger for vetoing the
gay-marriage bill. You can contact him through the
CitizenLink Action Center:
http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/bio/?id=141270
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
CORRECTION:
Setting the Record Straight on ABC-USA Report
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 30, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
SUMMARY: Correction to a published story on American
Baptist Churches.
Earlier this week, CitizenLink published a staff-written
report from a Family News in Focus broadcast about the
American Baptist Churches USA (ABC-USA) splitting over
homosexuality.
The report focused on the nearly 300 ABC-USA churches in
the Pacific Southwest Region that plan to pull away from
the national church. Those that are leaving want the
national church to hold local churches accountable on the
topic. What the report failed to mention is that the
national church is refusing to do so because of the
Baptist tradition of autonomy.
"The perception here in Valley Forge (at the national
headquarters) is that the maintenance -- the governance,
if you will -- of the denomination really takes place at
the local church and regional level," said ABC-USA
spokesman Rich Schramm told Family News in Focus, "and I
think that's where the issue is at this point."
Delaware ABC Pastor Rick Hamme said there is no question
where American Baptists stand on homosexuality.
"In 1992, the American Baptist Churches USA came out with
a general board policy statement," Hamme said. "It said,
'We affirm that the practice of homosexuality is
incompatible with Christian teaching.' "
Hamme added: "The Pacific Southwest Region . . . looked at
how this policy statement has been implemented and they've
come to the conclusion that it should be implemented from
the top down."
He says the ABC-USA resolution that homosexuality is
incompatible with Christian teaching is binding for the
national staff only.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: To learn more about the
denomination's positions, please consult the American
Baptist Churches USA Web site.
http://www.abc-usa.org
(NOTE: Referral to Web sites not produced by Focus on the
Family is for informational purposes only and does not
constitute an endorsement of the site's content.)
----- 4 -----
Utah Mayor Challenged over Domestic Partner Benefits
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 30, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed suit
Thursday on behalf of Salt Lake City residents after Mayor
Rocky Anderson issued an executive order that extends
marriage-like benefits to unmarried city employees.
The mayor's order defines a "domestic partner" as "an
individual with whom an eligible employee has a long-term
committed relationship of mutual caring and support."
The order goes on to further define those who qualify for
benefits by assuming partners have lived in the same
household for the past six consecutive months, have common
financial obligations and are jointly responsible for each
other's welfare.
Dale Schowengerdt, an attorney with ADF, said Utah's
Defense of Marriage Act and the Utah constitution clearly
prohibit this type of order.
"Utah law prohibits relationships that masquerade as
marriage," he said. "The mayor's action blatantly
disregards state law."
The Utah Constitution prohibits same-sex marriage, as does
Utah's Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA).
"No other domestic union, however denominated, may be
recognized as a marriage or given the same or
substantially equivalent legal effect," reads the
Constitution.
The state's DOMA prohibits any state of local government
from enacting "any law creating any legal status, rights,
benefits, or duties that are substantially equivalent to
those provided under Utah law to a man and a woman because
they are married."
----- 5 -----
Judge Says No Sex for Teen
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 30, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
A Texas state judge has sentenced a 17-year-old girl to
live with her parents, attend school faithfully -- and to
have no sex.
Judge Lauri Blake sentenced the girl to probation in
connection with a drug violation. If she violates the
terms of her probation -- serious consequences may follow.
Over the last 10 months since her election, Blake has
barred kids on probation from getting tattoos and body
piercings, wearing earrings and dressing in clothing
"associated with the drug culture."
----- 6 -----
Pro-Life Doctors are Still Protected by the Weldon Amendment
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 30, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
The U.S. District Court for the District of Columbia
Thursday dismissed a case challenging the Weldon Amendment
-- a statute that prohibits state and local government
from discriminating against healthcare providers because
they refuse to perform abortions or refer patient to
abortion providers -- on the grounds that arguments in the
case have no "satisfactory basis."
According to the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), the lawsuit,
brought by the National Family Planning and Reproductive
Health Association (NFPRHA) sought to overturn the
amendment, which signed into law by President Bush in
2004.
"The court cannot conclude . . . that the Weldon Amendment
overreaches Congress' spending powers, exceeds the
permissible boundaries of legislative delegation, meets
the rigorous void-for-vagueness test," the opinion read,
"or is otherwise constitutionally infirm on its face."
Steven Aden, chief litigation counsel for the Christian
Legal Society, which, along with ADF, represented the
Christian Medical Association and the American Association
of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, said the
court did the right thing.
"This is a significant victory for pro-life health-care
workers who are protected by the Weldon Amendment," Aden
said. "NFPRHA's lawsuit was without merit. We applaud the
court's decision to dismiss the case.
"The court saw through the false cries of 'wolf' raised by
the pro-abortion groups who are arrayed against conscience
protections in the medical community. The decision
upholds Congress' intentions in enacting this important
civil rights legislation."
----- 7 -----
House Debates Resolution Supporting the Pledge
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 29, 2005
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038075.cfm
SUMMARY: The hope is the courts will consider the
representatives' opinion when ruling.
The House of Representatives debated a resolution this
week calling on the Supreme Court to recognize the
importance of the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools
-- including the phrase "under God."
Gary Kreep, executive director of the U.S. Justice
Foundation, told Family News in Focus that while a House
resolution does not constitute law, it does express the
opinion held by the majority of the legislators.
"In some ways, it's a feel-good thing to do so the
legislators can say, both liberal and conservative, that
they support the pledge without them actually taking any
action to protect the pledge," he said.
Rep. Marilyn Musgrave, R-Colo., said she has hopes that
the nation's highest court, under the direction of new
Chief Justice John Roberts, will take the resolution into
consideration.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Enough Evidence to Go to Trial in DeLay Case
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 29, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
House Majority Leader Tom DeLay was indicted by a Texas
grand jury Wednesday, charged with criminal conspiracy
related to campaign fundraising.
"I have done nothing wrong," Mr. DeLay said in an article
in the New York Times, adding that he had violated "no
law, no regulation, no rule of the House."
The indictment means DeLay must now go to trial.
James C. Dobson, Ph.D., founder and chairman of Focus on
the Family Action, said it was more about politics than
justice.
"Today's indictment of Majority Leader Tom DeLay bears all
the signs of a trumped-up political witch hunt," he said.
"The extreme left has seized this chance to take a swipe
at one of America's leading advocates of family values.
"We have every confidence that time will prove these
charges false and we look forward to the majority leader
being fully vindicated."
Dobson said Delay has long shown himself to be a
consistent voice of reason and clarity in America's moral
debates.
"While some will doubtless try to capitalize on Rep.
DeLay's current difficulties by kicking at his political
beliefs while he is down, such blatant opportunism will be
clearly seen for what it is," he said. "Political
adversity is nothing new to Tom DeLay."
House Republican rules dictate that an indicted member of
the leadership must temporarily step down. Rep. Roy Blunt,
R-Mo., was appointed to the post of temporary House
Majority leader.
"It is encouraging that the Republicans in the House seem
prepared to continue the tradition of clear leadership in
Majority Leader DeLay's stead," said Dobson. "We are
pleased the Rep. Roy Blunt has been instated as the acting
majority leader and anticipate that he will prove to be a
good steward of the critical tasks now before him."
----- 9 -----
Wisconsin Passes Pro-Family Legislation
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 29, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
The Wisconsin State Senate Wednesday approved five bills
that will have long-range benefits to families in the
Badger State, the Kaiser Network reported.
On the list: A bill that would ban all human cloning in
the state; a bill that would require doctors to tell women
that fetuses can feel pain; a bill that would expand the
state's conscience clause protection for health care
workers; a bill that requires that abstinence education be
taught in public schools and a bill that would require
pregnant women to be informed that they can donate their
infant's umbilical cord blood to a blood and stem-cell
bank.
The cloning bill would ban all forms of the practice and
make such research a crime punishable by up to 10 years in
prison with $1 million in fines possible.
The fetal pain bill would make it a requirement for
physicians to tell abortion-minded women at more than 20
weeks gestation that their baby can feel pain.
The conscience-clause bill would excuse healthcare workers
from performing procedures for which they have a moral or
religious objection. Wisconsin law already allows release
from participation in abortion, euthanasia or
sterilization -- the expansion would include six
additional medical procedures. Pharmacists and medical
school students would have further protections.
The abstinence bill would require public schools to teach
that abstinence until marriage is "the preferred choice of
behavior," and would require more time to be spent on it
than on teaching about birth control.
Finally, the cord-blood bill would require women to know
they have the option of donating umbilical-cord blood to
be stored in a state-approved bank -- umbilical-cord blood
contains non-controversial stem cells that can be used to
treat a variety of diseases.
Gov. Jim Doyle has promised to veto the fetal pain
measure, the conscience clause bill and the cloning ban,
according to The Associated Press.
TAKE ACTION: If you live in Wisconsin, please write to
Gov. Jim Doyle and tell him not to veto the bills listed
above. For contact information, please use the
CitizenLink Action Center.
http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/bio/?id=31791
----- 10 -----
Judge Rules Nude Performances Are 'Free Expression'
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 29, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
Two Oregon laws restricting what nude dancers are allowed
to do during a performance have been struck down by the
state's Supreme Court, The Associated Press reported.
One local ordinance required dancers to stay four feet
away from patrons; the other was a state law that
prohibited live sex shows. According to the court, both
laws were a violation of the state constitution's
guarantee of free expression.
It "appears to us to be beyond reasonable dispute that the
protection extends to the kinds of expression that a
majority of citizens in many communities would dislike,"
wrote Justice Michael Gillette.
Justice Paul De Muniz, who dissented from both of
Thursday's decisions, said he could not conclude that such
activity is a form of "speech" the drafters of the Oregon
Constitution sought to protect.
He said he disagreed with the idea that "regulation of
public sex acts must stop at the theater door."
----- 11 -----
Netherlands Trio Wed
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
September 29, 2005
[Received in email; no URL]
In the Netherlands, a country that already allows same-sex
marriage, a polygamous civil union has received official
government recognition, sending shockwaves worldwide, the
Brussels Journal reported.
Victor de Bruijn was already married to Bianca, but the
two met Mirjam Geven through an Internet chat-room and
soon Mirjam moved in.
"I love both Bianca and Mirjam, so I am marrying them
both," Bruijn said. "We consider this to be just an
ordinary marriage."
John Stemberger, president and general counsel of the
Florida Family Policy Council, reacted with to the news
with a sense of urgency over the disintegration of
traditional marriage.
"This news story is Exhibit A of why marriage must be
legally defined as between a man and a woman," Stemberger
said Thursday. "If the only criteria for civil marriage is
'love' and 'commitment,' then why not group marriage, or
polygamy, or any other aberrant combination of persons or
things?"
Stemberger pointed out that in Scandinavian countries
where the boundaries for marriage are stretched to include
same-sex couples and more, traditional marriage is
becoming obsolete and the rate of co-habitation and civil
unions is skyrocketing.
"This is also a clear example of why civil unions are a
bad idea," he added. "If marriage can mean anything . . .
then marriage means nothing."
----- 12 -----
CWA: Wait and See on Supreme Court Nominee
Concerned Women for America
10/3/2005
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/9081/MEDIA/misc/index.htm
Washington, D.C. –.Concerned Women for America (CWA) expressed guarded optimism in response to President Bush’s nomination of Harriet Miers as successor to Supreme Court Justice Sandra Day O'Connor.
“We give Harriet Miers the benefit of the doubt because thus far, President Bush has selected nominees to the federal courts who are committed to the written Constitution,” said Jan LaRue, CWA’s chief counsel. “Whether we can support her will depend on what we learn from her record and the hearing process,” LaRue added.
Every judicial nominee deserves a dignified hearing and nothing less than a swift, up or down vote at the conclusion of the Senate Judiciary Committee hearing. The American people are entitled to fairness from judges and from senators who sit in judgment of them.
For Information Contact:
Stacey Holliday
(202) 488-7000
media.cwfa.org
----- 13 -----
Bush Nominates Harriet Miers to Supreme Court
Christian News - The Christian Post
October 3, 2005
Large URL here
President Bush nominated White House counsel Harriet Miers to serve as associate justice in the Supreme Court. Conservative Christian reactions were mixed, taking a wait-and-see stance as some were expecting a more well-known candidate. However, some who said they knew her approved of the nomination.
Miers, who has not previously served as a judge, began her working in the legal profession in 1970 after finishing her schooling. She was the first woman hired at one of the leading law firms in Dallas, Texas, later becoming the first woman to lead it, in addition to becoming the first woman elected as president of the state bar of Texas, according to the president in his introduction in Washington.
[...]
Jay Sekulow, chief counsel for the American Center for Law and Justice, a Christian legal group based in Washington, said he had previously worked with the nominee, and was positive on her nomination.
"I have worked with Harriet Miers over the last several years and believe the President made a great choice," Sekulow said in a released statement. "Miss Miers led the opposition to the American Bar Association’s (ABA) decision to come out in support of Roe v. Wade and abortion rights. She stated that at a minimum, there should have been a vote of the ABA membership before they took such an extreme position."
[...]
The Director of the Christian Defense coalition, Patrick J. Mahoney, said his group was "extremely concerned" about the nomination, not knowing too much about the candidate.
"The Christian Defense Coalition is very concerned about the nomination of Harriet Miers. We are troubled that the President would put forward someone without a record, someone we know little about," Mahoney said. "Scalia and Thomas are the standard, and at this time it is difficult to say that Miers will meet that standard. We will begin the process of examining her statements to see if she is one who will honor God, the Constitution, and our nation's founding principles."
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
CWA: Abortionist in Arkansas Hits All-Time Low
Concerned Women for America
9/30/2005
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/9075/MEDIA/life/index.htm
Washington, D.C. – Concerned Women for America (CWA) condemns the behavior of an abortionist in Arkansas who has taken it upon himself to commit free abortions for victims of Hurricane Katrina, as some sort of public service.
“There has already been enough loss of life at the hands of Katrina and Rita, and the victims don’t deserve abortionists adding to the casualty list,” said Lanier Swann, CWA’s Director of Government Relations. “What these victims need is encouragement, not more devastation."
“Abortionists should be ashamed of this behavior at a time when Americans are working to bring hope to the hopeless. In the midst of heroic efforts throughout the hurricane-ravaged areas, the abortionists’ bizarre attempt at offering “aid” stands as a distraction from the worthwhile good deeds performed each and every day in Louisiana, Mississippi, Texas and beyond. We need to honor those men and women working to save lives, not end them.”
For Information Contact:
Stacey Holliday
(202) 488-7000
media.cwfa.org
----- 15 -----
Commentary & News Briefs
October 3, 2005
Agape Press
Compiled by Jody Brown
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/10/32005h.asp
...Ministers across Massachusetts have used their Sunday sermons to rally support for a petition that calls for banning same-sex marriage. Massachusetts is the only state that allows same-sex couples to wed. Vermont and Connecticut recognize civil unions. A priest in Boston told his congregation that defining marriage as the union of a man and a woman is "not just our faith. It's for the good of society." Supporters of the proposed state constitutional ban on same-sex marriage must collect more than 65,000 signatures before November 23 for the question to appear on the 2008 ballot. Its sponsors hope to gather double that number to protect against a challenge. Supporters of homosexual marriage gathered outside many churches to protest the signature drive. [AP]
----- 16 -----
Sunday, October 02, 2005
Seattle Art Museum Proposes Monument To Pedophiliac Grooming
Faith and Freedom Network
Long URL here
The Seattle Art Museum has provided another illustration of the power of money to overwhelm discernment or judgment. A Seattle homosexual man left $1 million to the Museum if they would display at least one naked male. In order to get the money, the museum agreed. However, what the Museum has proposed goes well beyond mere male nakedness.
They commissioned Louise Bourgeois, whose art often portrays sexual themes, to create the naked male. What Louise created was an adult male and a male child who are both naked. The adult is inside a phallic symbol reaching toward the boy. The boy is on top of the other phallic symbol reaching toward the man.
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Faith and Freedom
Re: Faith and Freedom
Date: 2005-10-04 06:44 am (UTC)