Today's Cultural Warfare Update

[solarbird]

Bill O'Reilly, a big backer of the "war on Christmas" nuttiness going around again this year and who specifically calls anyone saying "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" a part of it, is selling "Holiday tree" ornaments on his own damn web site - got, what an ass that man is; it's been changed now, but they got screen captures; look for history-altering denials from O'Reilly any time now;

More from the new Pope: in addition to the new no-gay-men-no-matter-how-well-behaved policy, gay men currently in seminary or priesthood are forbidden to teach - again, this is utterly independent of behaviour; being gay in and of itself is a moral crime;

South Africa's Constitution specifically forbids discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation - its Supreme Court has ruled that this applies to marriage rights too, says Parliament must find a way to deal with it;

Malawi rejects Anglican bishop not for being gay (he's not), but for being not anti-gay;

Televangelists vs. Fundamentalist: Televangelist networks fighting "al la carte" cable/satellite options, "We don't just want to preach to the choir; we want to reach the unchurched";

New FCC head warns cable and satellite to clean up or face "indecency" regulation like broadcasters;

New Focus on the Family story against Target;

Kansas University's creationism class cancelled;

FotF's story on South African marriage rights conveniently neglects the South African Constitution's explicit declaration of nondiscrimination on the basis of sexual orientation;

FotF urges readers to taunt the ACLU by sending them Merry Christmas cards - "kindness will produce more smoke out of their ears than anything untoward you could think of anyway";

FotF continues asking for more "war on Christmas" stories from readers;

FotF claims "VATICAN RULING ALLOWS EX-GAYS IN PRIESTHOOD," implies endorsement of "ex-gay" fundamentalist movement; it actually doesn't, in general, post-adolescent same-sex attractions are a blanket disqualifier;

FotF drops Wells Fargo as bank over Wells Fargo's GBLT-supportive policies;

FotF: Texas cuts ties with national educational group over the national's support for queer student issues;

Walgreens, Lowes both agree to use "Merry Christmas" and Christmas terminology in place of "holiday" next year;

Lawsuit against California stem-cell research grants continues; attempt to dismiss it early fails;

"Unwritten" policy University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire banning RAs from leading bible-study groups in their dorms lifted;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to flood the FCC with indecency complaints over a show most of their audience didn't even see; this is a repeat, because in the first version of the ACTION ITEM, they didn't include the show's air date and time, which the FCC requires, assuming that complainants have actually seen the show in question;

Concerned Women for America's Robert Knight blasts the "abortion-homosexual connection," talking about how the two "have worked hand-in-hand to destroy the primary of marriage and family and the Judeo-Christian sexual ethic";

LifeNews claims abortion increases the rate of suicide;

Agape Press claims "America's children are getting more aggressive and violent in their dealings with parents and peers," claims it because abortion is legal; also notes that President Bush has given his personal endorsement to the rabidly anti-gay Marilyn Musgrave (R-Colorado), who was the person who introduced the previous anti-marriage and anti-civil-unions Federal Marriage Amendment, specifically praises her work to "defend marriage";

FRC to announce Justice Sunday III in a sermon this Sunday at a Philadelphia Baptist Church;

FRC: "Only 12% of Dutch Homosexuals Marry" - another 10% are in the the previously-allowed domestic partnerships; this article is probably triggered by the fact that the marriage rate has doubled in five years and is climbing sharply as lesbian and gay couples adjust to the idea that they actually can;

FRC ACTION ITEM to urge more anti-"indecency" prosecutions by FCC;

Tony Perkins: "There Are No Atheists in Hurricanes"

WorldNetDaily on New Hampshire legislative commission: silly faggots, marriage is for kids;

CWA wonk Throckmorton says sexual activity causes depression in teenagers;

Traditional Values Coalition: precedents aren't important, overturn Roe v. Wade.


----- 1 -----
Fox betrays Christmas crusade, sells "Holiday" ornaments for your "Holiday tree"
Media Matters for America

http://mediamatters.org/items/200511300006

Although Fox News hosts Bill O'Reilly and John Gibson have lambasted what they see as a "secular" "war on Christmas," Fox News' own online store advertises "Holiday" ornaments rather than "Christmas" ornaments, as apparently first noted on the weblog Daily Kos. The items are grouped under the category "Holiday Ideas."

O'Reilly, host of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, has recently waged a campaign against corporations that greet customers with "Happy Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." For his part, Gibson, the host of Fox News' The Big Story with John Gibson, has published a book titled The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought (Sentinel, October 2005).

Despite O'Reilly's specific criticism of those who use the term "holiday tree" instead of "Christmas tree," an O'Reilly Factor ornament for sale at the Fox News store features this tagline: "Put your holiday tree in 'The No Spin Zone' with this silver glass 'O'Reilly Factor' ornament."

[More at URL]


----- 2 -----
Vatican letter says norms on priesthood must be 'faithfully observed'
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
November 30, 2005

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0506807.htm

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A cover letter accompanying the Vatican's instruction on homosexuality and the priesthood said the new norms must be "faithfully observed" and taken into account in the drafting or updating of each country's seminary guidelines.

The letter also made clear that, while the text does not apply to those already ordained, priests with homosexual tendencies should not have educational roles in seminaries.

The letter from the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education went out to bishops in early November along with the nine-page instruction. The instruction was made public Nov. 29 but the cover letter was not; Catholic News Service obtained a copy of the letter.

[...]

The instruction, the letter said, "does not call into question the validity of the ordination and the situation of priests who, in fact, have been ordained with homosexual tendencies" or of priests who have manifested homosexual tendencies after ordination.

"Like all other priests, they must remember the promise that they made on the day of their ordination, to live perfect chastity in celibacy," the letter said.

Such priests should continue in their ministry, it said, but added: "Because of the particular responsibility of those charged with the formation of future priests, they are not to be appointed as rectors or educators in seminaries."

[More at URL]


----- 3 -----
S. Africa's Top Court Blesses Gay Marriage
Parliament Given One Year to Amend Law
By Craig Timberg
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, December 2, 2005; Page A16

JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 1 -- South Africa's highest court on Thursday recognized the marriage of two Pretoria women and gave Parliament a year to extend legal marital rights to all same-sex couples.

The ruling, greeted with jubilation by gay men and lesbians but with frustration by some church leaders, will make South Africa the first country to allow marriages between gay people on a continent where homosexual activity is widely condemned and often outlawed.

[...]

The court's judges unanimously agreed that South Africa's 1996 constitution, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual orientation, guarantees the right of gay men and lesbians to marry. One justice, in a limited dissent, argued that the law should be overturned immediately rather than within a year.

[More at URL]


----- 4 -----
Malawi rejects 'pro-gay' bishop
BBC News
Friday, 2 December 2005, 15:16 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4491376.stm

African Anglican bishops have blocked the appointment of a "pro-gay" bishop in Malawi.

Liberal British vicar, Rev Nicholas Henderson, was rejected for his support for gay rights, the Anglican Church of Central Africa said in a statement.

He was bishop-elect of the Lake Malawi diocese, but his association with the theologically liberal Modern Church People's Union made him "unsuitable".

[...]

Rev Henderson was elected by the local diocese in July to serve as bishop for the Lake Malawi region, but conservative members challenged the move.

[...]

"He has actively demonstrated that he was not of sound faith - that's what the Court of Confirmation decided," Archbishop Bernard Malango, who leads the Anglican church in central Africa, told the BBC's Focus on Africa programme.

[More at URL]


----- 5 -----
Televangelists on Unusual Side in Indecency Debate
By Jube Shiver Jr., Times Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Times
November 29, 2005

Long URL elided

WASHINGTON — Trying to preserve their electronic pulpits, the nation's religious broadcasters find themselves in the unusual position of fighting an effort by anti-indecency groups to thwart channels offering racy programming.

The issue involves a debate over whether cable companies should continue offering subscribers mainstream and niche channels in bundles, or let them buy what they want on an a la carte basis.

[...]

But what started largely as a consumer issue has now morphed into a larger controversy involving whether cable operators should be required to continue exposing subscribers to niche channels, including religious ones, that people might not order on their own.

"We don't just want to preach to the choir; we want to reach the unchurched," said Paul Crouch Jr. of Trinity Broadcast Network in Santa Ana. "The bottom line is that we want to be everywhere on cable."

[More at URL]


----- 6 -----
FCC Chairman Urges Cable TV to Police Itself Over Indecency
Kevin Martin says firms should offer channels a la carte and warns that non-broadcast content might face regulation.
By Jube Shiver Jr., Times Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Times

Long URL elided

WASHINGTON — The nation's top communications regulator chided the cable TV industry Tuesday for not doing enough to shield children from objectionable programs, adding that parents would be better served if they could more easily pick the channels they receive.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin urged cable operators to offer programs a la carte instead of in bundled packages, a move that he said also would benefit consumers by lowering bills by about 2%. Martin's position marks a shift from the FCC's previous stance under former Chairman Michael K. Powell.

[...]

Martin warned that if cable providers didn't police indecency themselves, broadcast standards could potentially be extended to cable and satellite operators. Companies could be forced to create a family-friendly tier of channels, he added, or they might be required to offer channels individually.

[Senator Ted] Stevens (R-Alaska) added that if the indecency problem could not be resolved, "we're going to see a bill that many of you will not like, and we are going to be in litigation for many months."

[More at URL]


----- 7 -----
TARGET BOYCOTTED OVER 'CHRISTMAS'
Speaking up this year may affect what happens next year.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
December 2, 2005
by Pete Winn, associate editor

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038798.cfm

The American Family Association (AFA) has expanded a
nationwide boycott of Target stores. AFA Founder and
Chairman Don Wildmon said the reason is simple: Target
refuses to use the word "Christmas" -- instead referring
only to a generic "holiday."

"Target has an anti-Christian stance and they are not
going to change it," Wildmon said. "We asked them if next
Christmas -- not this one, but next Christmas -- if they
would use the term Christmas in their in-store promotions
and retail advertising. If they would commit to it, we
would ask people to go shop with them. We knew that it was
too late to do it this year, but next year they could."

He told officials at Target if they chose not to respond,
he would ask people not to be customers.

"They did not respond," Wildmon said. "That sent a clear
message. Instead of writing back and trying to give us any
kind of an argument why they're doing this, they just
didn't respond."

Target did talk to CitizenLink about the issue. Corporate
spokeswoman Carolyn Brookter attempted to sidestep and
said Target "absolutely does not have a policy that bans
our team members or employees from saying Merry
Christmas."

When pressed, she did admit that Target is not referring
to Christmas in its advertising and corporate
communications this year.

[More at URL]


----- 8 -----
Creation as Mythology Class Canceled
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
December 2, 2005
from staff reports

SUMMARY: E-mail mocking Christians added to the
professor's troubles.

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038799.cfm

A University of Kansas (KU) professor intensely criticized
over his plans to teach creation and intelligent design as
"mythology" canceled the class on Thursday.

Paul Mirecki, chair of the Religious Studies Department,
had previously apologized and promised to teach a class
that respected all points of view.

But that appeared to be a long shot after an e-mail came
to light in which Mirecki, who is also the faculty adviser
for the school's atheist club, wrote about "fundies"
(meaning fundamentalists) and how the class "will be a
nice slap in their big fat face by teaching it as a
religious studies class under the category of mythology."

Amanda Tate, a KU senior, called that offensive, but not
surprising given the liberal bent on campus.

[More at URL]


----- 9 -----
South Africa Affirms Gay Marriage
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
December 2, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

South Africa's highest court ruled Thursday it is
unconstitutional to deny homosexuals the right to marry
and demanded the country change its laws to allow it,
Reuters reported.

"The exclusion of same-sex couples from the benefits and
responsibilities of marriage," said Justice Albie Sachs,
"signifies that their capacity for love, commitment and
accepting responsibility is by definition less worthy of
regard than that of heterosexual couples."

The Constitutional Court has asked the South African
parliament to amend marriage laws to include gay marriage
in the next year or else it will impose the change, adding
the nation to the list of four other countries that
legally recognize same-sex marriage.

Government lawyers have argued from the onset of the case,
originally filed by two lesbians who sought a marriage
license, that only parliament should have the power to
make such a decision.

The African Christian Democratic Party said bringing gay
marriage to South Africa would threaten the country's
foundation.

"Every long-standing society has viewed marriage as a
union of male and female," read a statement by the party.
"Studies of previous civilizations reveal that when a
society strays from the ethic of marriage, it deteriorates
and eventually disintegrates."


----- 10 -----
Merry Christmas, ACLU
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
December 2, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

Here's a fun one to get you in the Christmas spirit.
Kevin McCullough, the host of a popular Christian talk
radio show in New York, is asking people to send Christmas
cards to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

McCullough makes his pitch on his blog:

"Go get as 'Christmas' a Christmas card as you can find --
something that says, 'Joy To The World', 'For Unto Us A
Child Is Born', but at least 'Merry Christmas', put some
of your own thoughts into it, sign it respectfully and zip
it off in the mail. Please be kind, even cheerful in
sending the card. Trust me -- kindness will produce more
smoke out of their ears than anything untoward you could
think of anyway."

FOR MORE INFORMATION: If you would like to join in wishing
the ACLU a Merry Christmas, visit the WMCA Web site.

http://www.wmca.com/weblogs/kmc/date11302005.aspx

Or send a card to:

ACLU
'Wishing You Merry Christmas'
125 Broad Street 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004

(NOTE: Referral to Web sites not produced by Focus on the
Family is for informational purposes only and does not
necessarily constitute an endorsement of the sites'
content.)


----- 11 -----
Share Your Stories about the War on Christmas
Focus on the Family
EDITOR'S NOTE
December 1, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

We see it every year at this time -- businesses and
schools and government entities refusing to acknowledge
Christmas out of fear of "offending" someone. You've read
the stories -- Target is the most newsworthy offender this
year, banning the use of "Merry Christmas" in its
advertising -- but we'd like to do more than just report
on these incidents.

That's why we're asking you to share your personal stories
of outrageous anti-Christmas sentiment with us.

What examples have you encountered in your own life of
Christmas being marginalized or banished? Christmas carols
outlawed at your children's school? A "holiday tree"
instead of a Christmas tree in the town square? Complaints
about the Nativity scene you put up in your own front
yard?

Of course, maybe you've actually been part of or observed
the opposite kind of story -- Christmas being acknowledged
and celebrated in spite of the PC police. By all means,
we want to hear those stories, too.

You can share your story with us by sending an e-mail to
citizenlink@family.org -- using the subject line
"Christmas Stories." We'll publish a sampling of the
submissions in the coming weeks.

Please remember, in your e-mails, to include your name and
place of residence; and know that by submitting your
comments, you are granting Focus on the Family the right
to edit and publish them on CitizenLink's Web site and in
our daily e-mail update.

Thanks for taking part -- and "Merry Christmas."


----- 12 -----
VATICAN RULING ALLOWS EX-GAYS IN PRIESTHOOD
Those who have left homosexuality have a powerful testimony.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
December 1, 2005

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038781.cfm

Groups that help people leave homosexuality are applauding
a Vatican policy, released Tuesday, that seminary
candidates be free from homosexual tendencies for at least
three years. They say it implicitly means ex-gays may
enter the priesthood.

Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends
of Ex-Gays & Gays, said the Vatican has broken through a
social barrier.

"I think it is so important for the church to recognize
and honor those who have struggled with same-sex
attractions and have overcome them, for they are the
living proof that change is possible," she said.

Griggs said Protestant churches should follow the
Vatican's lead.

[More at URL]


----- 13 -----
Focus on the Family Changes Banks Over Gay Activism
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
by Pete Winn, associate editor
December 1, 2005

SUMMARY: Tough times call for tough decisions.

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038785.cfm

Corporate America is falling victim to homosexual activism
and Christian consumers need to take a stand as best they
can -- that was the message Dr. James C. Dobson, chairman
of Focus on the Family, shared on his national radio
broadcast today.

Dobson was joined by Focus on the Family President and CEO
Jim Daly to explain why the ministry will no longer do
business with its long-time bank, Wells Fargo.

More and more top companies are contributing money to gay
causes or are adopting corporate policies which subvert
traditional family values -- such as providing same-sex
couples with marital benefits.

"This is an increasingly dangerous trend within American
business, and it affects us at Focus on the Family,"
Dobson said.

Daly told Dobson's listeners that 49 of the Top 50 Fortune
500 companies have adopted pro-gay policies. Looking at
the entire list, 85 percent of the Top 500 companies have
done so.

[More at URL]


----- 14 -----
TEXAS CUTS TIES WITH EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OVER GAY ISSUE
The Lone Star state sends a $40,000 message.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
December 1, 2005
from staff reports

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038780.cfm

The Texas State Board of Education is parting ways with
the National Association of State Boards of Education
(NASBE) alleging that it is pushing the gay agenda under
the banner of anti-bullying conferences.

Terri Leo, a Texas board member, said NASBE promoted the
idea of granting special status to homosexuals.

"They had people in from the
gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender-questioning lobby," she
said. "What that lobby is doing is pushing their agenda
and getting it into schools through these bullying
symposiums."

[...]

Caleb H. Price, a social research analyst for Focus on the
Family Action, said when Texas took away its $40,000 in
annual dues, it sent a clear message.

"It is refreshing to see a group like the Texas State
Board of Education vote with their feet and drop their
membership with the NASBE," he said. "Unfortunately, it
seems like the only way to send a message to them is to
hit them where it hurts -- in their pocketbooks."

[More at URL]


----- 15 -----
Walgreens Vows to Bring Back Christmas
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
December 1, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

Some retailers have heeded customers tired of politically
correct "holiday" advertising.

Walgreens told the American Family Association, "Next
year, you can be assured our advertising will better
incorporate 'Christmas,' and our holiday trees will be
called Christmas trees. Unfortunately all of this year's
December ads are already printed, so it's too late to make
changes for this season."

Other retailers, such as Lowe's home improvement stores,
are listening as well. Lowe's just this week announced
that it would drop signs offering "Holiday Trees" and
return to calling them "Christmas Trees."


----- 16 -----
Constitutionality of Golden State Stem-Cell Funding Will See Trial
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
December 1, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

An Alameda County, Calif., Superior Court judge on Tuesday
declined to dismiss two lawsuits that are preventing the
state from funding a $3 billion embryonic stem-cell
research program approved by voters in 2004, The New York
Times reported.

Opponents of embryonic stem-cell research filed the suits
to challenge the legality of the state-funded program,
which was created to side step federal restrictions set up
by President Bush in 2002 that limited embryonic stem-cell
research to those lines already in place.

The two cases claim the funding is unconstitutional
because it will not be sufficiently controlled by the
state.


----- 17 -----
College Bible-Study Ban Lifted
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
December 1, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

An unwritten policy banning resident assistants (RAs) from
leading Bible studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire (UWEC) was suspended just hours after a Christian
RA filed a lawsuit.

In July, Deborah Newman, an administrator at UWEC, told
RAs they could not lead Bible studies in their rooms
because some students might feel judged.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)
worked with Lance Steiger to encourage officials to end
the ban. When the college did not respond, FIRE worked to
expose the university's unconstitutional policy.

Steiger filed a lawsuit that charged UWEC administrators
and trustees with violating his freedoms of speech and
association.

Greg Lukianoff, director of legal and public advocacy for
FIRE, said state universities cannot forbid RAs or any
other students from religious activities in their own
rooms and on their own time.

"UWEC courted this lawsuit by ignoring the protests of
FIRE, legislators, opinion makers and the general public
that this policy is both legally and morally wrong,"
Lukianoff said. "Its suspension of the policy immediately
after the lawsuit was filed shows that UWEC likely never
really believed it could defend this repressive policy in
court."


----- 18 -----
Follow Up: Fox Wardrobe Malfunction
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
December 1, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

Many of our readers e-mailed us today seeking the date and
time for the episode of "The OC" in which an actress's
breast was briefly exposed. We apologize for not including
that information that the FCC requires to fill out its
online complaint form.

The program aired on the Fox network on Nov. 10 at 8 p.m.
in the Eastern and Pacific time zones and 7 p.m. in the
Central and Mountain time zones.

TAKE ACTION: The FCC has a new easy-to-use online form for
indecency complaints.

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cib/fcc475B.cfm


----- 19 -----
The Abortion-Homosexual Connection
Concerned Women for America
12/2/2005
By Robert Knight

Schwarzenegger’s new chief of staff illustrates the nexus between two radical movements.

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/9584/CFI/family/index.htm

This Column was posted on Dec. 2, 2005 on WorldNetDaily.com

California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's appointment of longtime Democrat, lesbian activist and pro-abortion leader Susan Kennedy as his chief of staff is more evidence of The Terminator's disdain for social conservatives.

But the move also illustrates the strong collaboration between homosexual activists and the abortion lobby. For years, the two radical social movements have worked hand in hand to destroy the primacy of marriage and family and the Judeo-Christian sexual ethic.

All too often, pro-life conservatives looked the other way when ostensibly pro-life politicians and clerics embraced or ignored the homosexual agenda, as if the two issues were not closely linked. For example, the pro-life Catholic Diocese in Maine "killed us" during the recent unsuccessful vote to revoke the state's "gay rights" law for a third time, according to a Catholic lay activist who worked on the initiative.

[More at URL]


----- 20 -----
Women's Suicide Rates Higher After Abortion, New Study Shows
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
December 1, 2005

http://www.lifenews.com/nat1864.html

Springfield, IL (LifeNews.com) -- A new study of women in Finland finds that those who have had abortions have higher rates of suicide than women who carry their pregnancies to term. The epidemiological study, published in the European Journal of Public Health, was conducted by Finland’s National Research and Development Center for Welfare and Health.

The comprehensive three-year study of the entire population of women in Finland found that, compared to women who have not been pregnant in the prior year, deaths from suicide, accidents and homicide are 248% higher in the year following an abortion.

[More at URL]


----- 21 -----
Commentary & News Briefs
November 30, 2005
Agape Press
Compiled by Jody Brown

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/302005h.asp

[...]

...Statistics indicate America's children are getting more aggressive and violent in their dealings with parents and peers -- and a former congressman blames abortion for this trend. Pro-life advocate Bob Dornan insists that legalized abortion in the U.S. is destroying the live of the nation's children. "I believe that is what has eroded the decency and ethics that most parents are still trying to teach their kids," the former lawmaker from California asserts. Dornan says American society tells children that it is okay to kill the baby growing within them and to keep that fact from their parents. In addition, he says, it also tells youngsters it will help them pay for the abortion. Dornan believes such a violent attitude toward the innocent opens the door to any violent behavior. [Bill Fancher]

...President Bush says the sponsor of a proposed constitutional ban on same-sex "marriage" shares his values and should be re-elected. Bush spoke yesterday at a fundraiser in Denver for Colorado Congresswoman Marilyn Musgrave. He praised the Christian lawmaker for supporting "the sanctity of marriage" and trying to ensure that "activist judges do not redefine traditional marriage." Referring to the war in Iraq, the president contrasted Americans' belief in rights including religious liberty with the terrorists' "dark vision" for a "totalitarian empire." Congresswoman Musgrave said she saw first-hand the president's concern for American troops and their families when she accompanied him to Fort Carson, Colorado. She said Bush combines that compassion with a commitment to protect the American people. [AP]


----- 22 -----
FRC President to Announce Justice Sunday III
Family Research Council
December 2, 2005 - Friday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 2, 2005 CONTACT: J.P. Duffy, (202) 393-2100

Tony Perkins to Speak at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR05L01&f=PG03I03

Philadelphia, PA - Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins will speak this Sunday morning at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia and will announce FRC's next nationwide simulcast. Greater Exodus Baptist Church will host FRC's simulcast television program, Justice Sunday III - "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land" on Sunday, January 8, 2006 from 7 PM - 8:30 PM ET. The simulcast will air one day before the start of the Alito nomination hearings and will educate people of faith on how the judiciary impacts their lives. Justice Sunday III will broadcast live in churches, on television and radio stations across America and via live webcast on www.justicesunday.com.

[More at URL]


----- 23 -----
Only 12% of Dutch Homosexuals Marry
Family Research Council
Issue No.: 28

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=CU05L01&f=PG03I03

Pro-homosexual activists often argue that homosexual couples desperately need the legal and financial protections that accompany marriage. They also argue that legalization of same-sex "marriage" would actually strengthen the institution of marriage by encouraging more people to participate in it.

Both arguments are contradicted by the latest data from the Netherlands, the world's first country to legalize same-sex civil "marriage." The new statistics show that only 12% of the homosexual couples in the Netherlands have even bothered to marry, while another 10% remain in "registered partnerships."

Most homosexuals neither need the "benefits" of marriage nor want to participate in that institution as historically understood. What they do want is simply the official governmental stamp of approval on homosexual relationships as such as being the full equivalent of heterosexual ones.

[More at URL]


----- 24 -----
Thank the FCC and Ask for More Action on Indecent TV
Family Research Council
November 30, 2005 - Wednesday
Forward to a Friend!

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=AL05K07&f=PG03I03

On November 29 the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, Kevin Martin, offered family-friendly testimony to the Senate Commerce Committee about the problem of indecency on TV. He opened his testimony by citing the flood of complaints the FCC is now receiving about the "race to the bottom" on cable and broadcast TV. "At the FCC," he told the Senate, "we used to receive indecency complaints by the hundreds, now they come in by the hundreds of thousands." He cited a new Kaiser Family Foundation study that shows the number of sexual scenes on network television has nearly doubled since 1998.

Families know this problem all too well, and there's no avoiding it. The concept of the "family hour" has been steadily eroded and is practically meaningless. When sex scenes and grotesque violence dominate prime-time programming, they dominate advertising for these same shows during daytime broadcasts of football games that teens and children often watch. Degrading material seeps over the few remaining levees to contain it.

[More at URL]


----- 25 -----
To: Friends of Family Research Council
From: Tony Perkins, President
December 2, 2005 - Friday
Please forward this to your Friends and Family!
There Are No Atheists in Hurricanes

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WU05L02

A new study from the Louisiana State University Public Policy Research Laboratory takes a post-Katrina look at the responses of aid organizations to the New Orleans area following the hurricane and subsequent levee failure. To the surprise of few, religious organizations received high marks for the outpouring of assistance to those affected. Also no surprise were the low marks given to the local, state and federal government response. The study found that Louisianans opened their homes to evacuees and contributed time and money to religious groups, a blessing I personally witnessed every day - and continue to witness. On a scale of 1-10 the Louisianans surveyed ranked religious groups the most effective with a rating of 8.1.

[More at URL]


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QUEERLY BELOVED
Lawmakers: Same-sex 'marriage' not a civil right
Commission makes conclusion after exhaustive 16-month study
Posted: December 3, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern

© 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47718

A New Hampshire legislative commission released a report yesterday finding same-sex "marriage" is not a civil rights issue.

Glen Lavy, who provided expert testimony for the commission, said the panel got to the heart of the issue.

"By focusing on the long-standing legal aspects of marriage, rather than the divisive political aspects of marriage, the commission's report reaffirmed that the real reason for marriage is for the protection of children," said Lavy, senior vice president of the Alliance Defense Fund's Marriage Litigation Center.

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Sexually Transmitted Depression – The New STD?
Warren Throckmorton, PhD
November 29, 2005

http://www.drthrockmorton.com/article.asp?id=173

Nearly every discussion about sexual education focuses on preventing sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. However, recent research published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that, especially for girls, the discussion needs to include a third negative possibility: depression.

Most medical and mental health professionals would agree that there is a link between depression and sexual and drug using behavior in adolescents. However, it is commonly assumed that depressed teens use sex and drugs to “medicate” their depression. Thus, when faced with a depressed, sexually active teen, adults may overlook sexual or drug using behavior with the hope that the risky behavior will cease once the depression is gone.

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What’s So Sacred About Court ‘Precedents’?
Traditional Values Coalition

http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2516

December 1, 2005 – Liberal Senators who view Supreme Court edicts as superior to the clearly-written words in the Constitution, believe that Court “precedents” or past decisions are sacred—especially when they involve homosexuality and the unrestricted “right” to abortion on demand.

Yet, what is so sacred about past precedents? If a bad decision has been made in the past, does that mean future courts must always be bound by precedent?

Ronald A. Cass, Dean Emeritus of Boston University’s School of Law and co-chairman of the Committee for Justice has recently given us a brief history lesson on court precedents.

Writing in “Precedent and the Constitution” posted on RealClearPolitics, Cass observes: “Precedent is a guidepost, not an endpoint. It is the interpretation of constitutional terms by particular justices in a particular context at a particular time.”

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Comments

[poetry-lady.livejournal.com]

Televangelists vs. Fundamentalist: Televangelist networks fighting "al la carte" cable/satellite options, "We don't just want to preach to the choir; we want to reach the unchurched"

Which is one of the reasons I want ala carte cable--so I don't have to pay for crap that I don't want, like church channels and golf channels. I resent having to pay for crap like televangalists.

One of the first things I do when I have to reprogram a TV electronic device is to create a "Favorites" lists so that I skip over any channels I'm not interested in, and the first things to go are church channels. :)

[solarbird]

I'm actually not at all opposed to al la carte systems. I'm just reporting on a small portion of it, really - only when it branches into some other arena that is either politically interesting (like this one) or when it invokes some other part of the KULTUR WARZ and all that.

[doc-mcdowell.livejournal.com]

I still think some Bill O'Reilly "no spin nunchucks" would make a terrific christmas gift :p

[solarbird]

NUNCHUCKS!

THE POWER OF THE PENGUIN COMPELS YOU! THE POWER OF THE PENGUIN COMPELS YOU!

or something like that ^_^

[firni.livejournal.com]

I found one paragraph in a Seattle Times article that I liked:

http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/nationworld/2002661545_christmasfight03.html

"I think it's disingenuous to say that Christmas is threatened just because government is not promoting your view or your favorite way of promoting the holiday," said K. Hollyn Hollman, general counsel of the Baptist Joint Commission for Religious Liberty, which stresses church-state separation.

[darkphoenixrisn.livejournal.com]

New FCC head warns cable and satellite to clean up or face "indecency" regulation like broadcasters

Who is their new head, an unemployed Talibani?

[solarbird]

No, but his nomination and confirmation were big, big deals for the fundamentalist right. They expected (correctly) that he'd do things exactly like this. They want broadcast decency rules made much more strict, they want much larger fines for violations, and they want them applied not just on broadcast, but on cable and satellite. He's amenable to all of these desires.

Bull-oney!

[(Anonymous)]

The FCC is a joke. I remember there was worry when "Saving Private Ryan" was being run on ABC unedited that they'd get fined for showing it. Forget that it's (in my opinion) a fantastic war movie, and was also being shown as a Veteran's Day tribute; ABC went to the FCC and asked if they would get fined this time around, paranoia about such things running high after a certain halftime show. What was the FCC's response? We can't tell you. So... you may or may not get fined, and the FCC can't tell you what's acceptable and what's not beforehand. This seems illegal to me, violating the principle that someone can only be tried for a crime if there was a law against it BEFORE they committed the crime, but they dodge it somehow (I'm guessing because it's not an actual court that sets these fines). Ridiculous. -Danny

Re: Bull-oney!

[solarbird]

Did I really never unscreen this? Dammit! Sorry about that!

(stupid spammers)

The reason the FCC couldn't say anything beforehand is ... um... dammit... there's a Constitutional issue that has a name and I can't remember what. Um. Pre-... dammit.

Fuck.

Maybe I'll remember in the morning. I'm sleepy.

Oh, we got new Halo 2 multiplayer maps. Yay!

[darkphoenixrisn.livejournal.com]

It's 2005 and the Puritans are still in charge. *sigh*

[avram]

Nah, I'd be happier with Puritans. These guys are more like the Established Anglicans, obsessed with stamping out any sign of dissent from the official religion.

[darkphoenixrisn.livejournal.com]

Nah, I'd be happier with Puritans.

One of my ancestors was convicted of heresy in Puritan New England and had a hot poker shoved through his tongue. Puritans? No, thank you.

[solarbird]

Puritans? No, thank you.
"Now, if that's not enough, I'm sorry, it's time for the T-shirts: 'Mutants Out,' 'Chameleonic Life Forms, No Thanks' — and if that's not enough, well, I don't know what will be."

[darkphoenixrisn.livejournal.com]

Heh.

[avram]

Do you imagine that’s better than what the Anglicans would have done to him?

[darkphoenixrisn.livejournal.com]

I don't know...what would the Anglicans have done to him?

[avram]

Killed him, possibly. It depends on the period. Wikipedia has a list of people executed for heresy; the ones with British names were generally killed by Anglicans or Catholics; including William Tyndale, who was killed for translating the Bible into English. There were also times when the penalties were less: imprisonment, or forfeit of all possessions, or mutilation.

The Puritans were no devotees of religious liberty by our standards, but if they hadn’t fought against Establishment then, we probably wouldn’t have separation of church and state today.

[darkphoenixrisn.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the history lesson. I wasn't aware of that aspect of Anglican history. I'm just glad I live in this era. The fundamentalists are mostly just annoying right now (at least in the US).

[stickmaker.livejournal.com]

The Kansas University's creationism class was not canceled; it's on the curriculum for next semester.



Stickmaker

[cafiorello.livejournal.com]

Um, no, it has been withdrawn.

http://www.news.ku.edu/2005/December/Dec1/course.shtml

Cathy

[stickmaker.livejournal.com]

I keep getting opposit messages about this from different sources.

I also heard that the professor was assaulted by outraged fundamentalists this morning, but only from one online source.

[solarbird]

That, I can verify. It'll be in tomorrow' Cultural Warfare Update. I don't have the link handy or I could pre-paste it in. The Lawrenceville (Kansas) Journal-something had it in its online edition, and they were the first reporters.

[cafiorello.livejournal.com]

The page I posted about the cancellation of the class is the official home page of the University of Kansas. While you're there, read the Chancellor's statement on evolution.

The news story about the beating was from The Lawrence Journal-World; if you don't trust them, here's the AP report from the New York Times:
http://www.nytimes.com/aponline/national/AP-Creationism-Class.html .

Cathy

[stickmaker.livejournal.com]

I sincerely hope someone (many someones) point out the similarities between this attack and the actions of the Brownshirts.