Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Jan. 1st, 2006 10:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdCalifornia anti-marriage initiative effort abandoned, for the moment; they promise to come back in 2008;
Pat Buchanan says that "Darwinism" and evolutionary theory are "on the way out," like Marxism; his arguments demonstrate that he, as with the rest of the creationism backers, see science as just another form of politics;
Family Research Council announces Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) will be speaking at Justice Sunday III;
Family Research Council announces the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who with Pat Robertson blamed me (and people me - you know, queers) and the ACLU for the September 11th attacks, will be speaking at Justice Sunday III;
Family Research Council announces Dr. Alveda C. King will be speaking at Justice Sunday III;
Baptist Press promotional slug for Justice Sunday III;
Baptist Press report on Massachusetts anti-marriage petition drive, and on the Minnesota anti-marriage drive stalling;
AFA press release on the Ford boycott they are considering;
AFA petition and letter-writing ACTION ITEM against NBC's new series starting January 6th called The Book of Daniel, which they condemn, saying that it "mocks Christianity";
Family Research Council demands "human cloning" ban; the version they want would effectively ban embryonic stem cell research in the US.
----- 1 -----
Calif. Marriage Initiative Falls Short, Reconsiders Strategy
The Christian Post
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005 Posted: 3:07:17PM EST
Long URL elided.
One of two groups seeking a California constitutional amendment to define marriage as being between one man and one woman in the November 2006 ballot dropped its bid citing fundraising difficulties and a politically uncertain climate.
The ProtectMarriage.com Coalition said in a statement last Thursday that several obstacles interfered with its five-month petition drive, including diverted supporter funds to a parental-notification ballot measure in this year’s November elections, hurricane relief and the competing VoteYesMarriage.com initiative. The campaign fell 200,000 signatures short of the nearly 600,000 signatures it needed by its Dec. 27 deadline.
"It boils down to a recognition that a ballot fight isn't likely until 2008," said Andrew Pugno, ProtectMarriage’s legal advisor, according to the Associated Press. "This doesn't resolve the issue by any means; it merely delays the resolution."
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Darwin's Pyrrhic victory
Posted: December 28, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2005 Creators Syndicate Inc.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48102
"Intelligent Design Derailed," exulted the headline.
"By now, the Christian conservatives who once dominated the school board in Dover, Pa., ought to rue their recklessness in forcing biology classes to hear about 'intelligent design' as an alternative to the theory of evolution," declared the New York Times, which added its own caning to the Christians who dared challenge the revealed truths of Darwinian scripture.
Noting that U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III is a Bush appointee, the Washington Post called his decision "a scathing opinion that criticized local school board members for lying under oath and for their 'breathtaking inanity' in trying to inject religion into science classes."
But is it really game, set, match, Darwin?
Have these fellows forgotten that John Scopes, the teacher in that 1925 "Monkey Trial," lost in court, and was convicted of violating Tennessee law against the teaching of evolution and fined $100? Yet Darwin went on to conquer public education, and American Civil Liberties Union atheists went on to purge Christianity and the Bible from our public schools.
The Dover defeat notwithstanding, the pendulum is clearly swinging back. Darwinism is on the defensive. For, as Tom Bethell, author of "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science," reminds us, there is no better way to make kids curious about "intelligent design" than to have some Neanderthal forbid its being mentioned in biology class.
In ideological politics, winning by losing is textbook stuff. The Goldwater defeat of 1964, which a triumphant left said would bury the right forever, turned out to be liberalism's last hurrah. Like Marxism and Freudianism, Darwinism appears destined for the graveyard of discredited ideas, no matter the breathtaking inanity of the trial judge.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Rev. Jerry Falwell to Speak at Justice Sunday III
December 28, 2005 - Wednesday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 28, 2005 CONTACT: Amber Hildebrand, (202) 393-2100
FOR RADIO: J.P. Duffy
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR05L09&f=PG03I03
Washington, D.C. - The Reverend Jerry Falwell of Jerry Falwell Ministries and founder of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia has joined the list of distinguished speakers for Family Research Council's simulcast television program, "Justice Sunday III -Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land!" The program is set for Sunday, January 8th at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and will broadcast live in churches across the nation in addition to being carried on hundreds of radio stations, via satellite and webcast on www.justicesunday.com.
Reverend Jerry Falwell is a welcome addition to our list of distinguished speakers at Justice Sunday III. Falwell is a Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, founder of the Moral Majority & Liberty University, and a prominent conservative activist.
Reverend Falwell will join Tony Perkins of Family Research Council, Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, and a host of prestigious and respected speakers for Justice Sunday III.
For more information regarding the "Justice Sunday III -Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land!" live simulcast, log onto www.justicesunday.com or call the FRC Press Office at (202) 393-2100.
Members of the media must register for FRC media credentials prior to the event.
-30-
----- 4 -----
Dr. Alveda King to Speak at Justice Sunday III
December 30, 2005 - Friday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 30, 2005
CONTACT: Amber Hildebrand, (202) 393-2100
FOR RADIO: J.P. Duffy
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR05L11&f=PG03I03
Washington, D.C. - Dr. Alveda C. King, founder of King for America and daughter of the late slain civil rights activist Rev. A. D. King and his wife Naomi Barber King, will join the list of distinguished speakers for Family Research Council's simulcast television program, Justice Sunday III - "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land!" Dr. Alveda King is a prominent civil rights activist and is outspoken on the issues that affect the future of family and society.
The program is set for Sunday, January 8th at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and will broadcast live in churches across the nation in addition to being carried on hundreds of radio stations, via satellite and webcast on www.justicesunday.com.
Dr. Alveda King will join Tony Perkins, Dr. James Dobson, Dr. Jerry Falwell, Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), Bishop Wellington Boone, Rev. Herbert Lusk, and a host of other distinguished speakers for Justice Sunday III.
For more information regarding the Justice Sunday III - "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land!" live simulcast, log onto www.justicesunday.com or call the FRC Press Office at (202) 393-2100.
Members of the media must register for FRC media credentials prior to the event. Register at www.justicesunday.com or fax names, phone numbers and emails on company letterhead to 202.393.2134 ATTN. Amber Hildebrand
-30-
----- 5 -----
Senator Rick Santorum to Speak at Justice Sunday III
December 29, 2005 - Thursday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 29, 2005
CONTACT: Amber Hildebrand, (202) 393-2100
FOR RADIO: J.P. Duffy
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR05L10&f=PG03I03
Washington, D.C. - Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) has joined the list of distinguished speakers for Family Research Council's simulcast television program, "Justice Sunday III - Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land!" The program is set for Sunday, January 8th at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and will broadcast live in churches across the nation in addition to being carried on hundreds of radio stations, via satellite and webcast on www.justicesunday.com. Justice Sunday III will help ensure that the voices of people of faith are heard in the great national debate on the courts and the future of our country.
"Senator Santorum is a defender of our religious liberties and has consistently fought for public policy upholding the institutions of marriage and family," said FRC President Tony Perkins.
Senator Santorum will join Tony Perkins, Dr. James Dobson, Dr. Jerry Falwell, Bishop Wellington Boone, Rev. Herbert Lusk, and a host of other distinguished speakers for Justice Sunday III.
For more information regarding the "Justice Sunday III -Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land!" live simulcast, log onto www.justicesunday.com or call the FRC Press Office at (202) 393-2100.
Members of the media must register for FRC media credentials prior to the event. Register at www.justicesunday.com or fax names, phone numbers and emails on company letterhead to 202.393.2134 ATTN. Amber Hildebrand
-30-
----- 6 -----
'Justice Sunday III' to spotlight courts on eve of Alito hearings
Dec 29, 2005
By Staff
Baptist Press
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22373
PHILADELPHIA (BP)--One day before the Senate begins confirmation hearings on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, conservatives will gather in Philadelphia for another "Justice Sunday," hoping to put the spotlight once again on socially liberal court rulings.
"Justice Sunday III: Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land" will take place Sunday, Jan. 8, at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia, and will be broadcast nationwide to other churches on Christian television and radio. It is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET.
The broadcast will feature several speakers, including Focus on the Family's James Dobson and Sen. Rick Santorum, R.-Pa.
It is the third such broadcast within the past year. Last April, the first Justice Sunday was held amidst a Senate showdown over judicial filibusters. And last August, the second Justice Sunday was held on the eve of then-Supreme Court nominee John Roberts' confirmation hearings.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
MARRIAGE DIGEST: Marriage amendment signature drive breaks record in Mass.; amendment faces opposition in Minn.
Dec 29, 2005
By Michael Foust
Baptist Press
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22372
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A successful marriage amendment petition drive in Massachusetts smashed a 20-year-old record for the most signatures ever gathered on a ballot question.
Just before Christmas, Massachusetts Secretary of State William F. Galvin certified 123,356 signatures for the constitutional marriage amendment, which essentially would reverse the state court's 2003 ruling that legalized "gay marriage." The previous record of 110,645 was set in 1985 on a tax proposal, The Boston Globe reported Dec. 22.
The 123,356 certified signatures are fewer than the 147,000 that local election clerks had certified in early December, but nonetheless still impressive. The amendment needed only 65,825 signatures.
Pro-family groups originally turned in 170,000 signatures. Invalid ones were tossed out.
[...]
The amendment now must garner the support of at least 25 percent of state legislators in two consecutive sessions. If it does that, it would be placed before voters in 2008.
[...]
AMENDMENT FACES OPPOSITION IN MINN. -- Supporters of a constitutional marriage amendment in Minnesota face a tall task in the state Senate, which saw two amendment opponents win in recent special elections, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
The amendment passed the House with ease in 2005 but failed to receive a vote in the Senate, which is controlled by the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). The two new senators are DFL members.
Conservatives have pressured Senate leaders to allow a vote on the issue. If it were to pass the Senate, it would go before voters.
"Will it come up? I'm sure the conservative Republicans will push the issue, but it's less likely that it finds its way to the ballot question in November now than it did last session," DFL Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson told Minnesota Public Radio.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
AFA considering boycott of Ford Motor Company
American Family Association
For Immediate Release: 12/15/2005
http://media.afa.net/newdesign/ReleaseDetail.asp?id=3336
(Tupelo, MS) - The American Family Association says that Ford Motor Company reneged on some agreements reached in discussions with the automobile giant, and the organization is considering its next move.
“We had an agreement with Ford, worked out in good faith. Unfortunately, some Ford Motor Company officials made the decision to violate the good faith agreement. We are now considering our response to the violation and expect to reach a decision very soon,” said Donald E. Wildmon, chairman of AFA.
AFA had called for a boycott of Ford last spring because of Ford’s support for the homosexual agenda and homosexual marriage but suspended the boycott for six months at the request of a group of Ford dealers. Wildmon said AFA and Ford officials hammered out an agreement in the interim that was accepted by both parties.
“All we wanted was for Ford to refrain from choosing sides in the cultural war, and supporting groups which promote same-sex marriage is not remaining neutral,” Wildmon stated.
He stated that because Ford broke the agreement, the option of a boycott is now very much alive.
No additional comments regarding Ford will be made at this time.
American Family Association is a pro-family advocacy organization with over two million online supporters.
— 30 —
----- 9 -----
New NBC Drama Show Mocks Christianity
Email NBC Chairman Bob Wright over NBC's latest show, "The Book of Daniel."
http://www.afa.net/petitions/issuedetail.asp?id=175
On January 6, NBC will begin a new series entitled The Book of Daniel.
While the public has not seen the program, NBC is promoting "The Book of Daniel" as a serious drama about Christian people and the Christian faith. The main character is Daniel Webster, a drug-addicted Episcopal priest whose wife depends heavily on her mid-day martinis.
Webster regularly sees and talks with a very unconventional white-robed, bearded Jesus. The Webster family is rounded out by a 23-year-old homosexual Republican son, a 16-year-old daughter who is a drug dealer, and a 16-year-old adopted son who is having sex with the bishop's daughter. At the office, his lesbian secretary is sleeping with his sister-in-law.
[...]
Please take action now! Here is what you can do:
1. Call your local NBC affiliate and ask them not to air the program. You can find their contact information in your local phone book or by Clicking Here.
2. Print out a copy of AFA's pass along sheet, fill in the affiliate call letters and phone number, make copies and pass out at your church. Ask your pastor to announcement it and put information in the bulletin and newsletter. [doc version] [pdf version]
3. If you haven't already done so, send an email to NBC by Clicking Here.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! Please help get the word out by forwarding this to your family and friends. They probably aren't aware of it!
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
Cloning Fraud! FRC Says Ban Human Cloning Now
December 30, 2005 - Friday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 30, 2005 CONTACT: Amber Hildebrand, (202) 393-2100
"Hopefully, Congress will show some ethical fortitude and work to ban the cloning of human embryos early this next year,"
~Tony Perkins, President, FRC
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR05L13&f=PG03I03
Washington, D.C. One of the largest scientific scandals in recent history escalated as investigators reported yesterday that human cloning studies published in the prestigious journal, Science are a complete fraud.
Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council stated, "What this shows is that there is no proof that therapeutic cloning can be used to treat patients of diseases.
"While even Dr. Hwang's faked results didn't actually provide any proof, it's now clear that the cloners are only intent on pushing their agenda of destroying young humans and deluding patients.
"It now seems that cloning for embryonic stem cell research is a massive fraud.
"Even if Dr. Hwang had not faked his research, his attempt to clone human embryos for the sole purpose of killing them for their stem cells is entirely unethical.
"It is time for Congress to ban human cloning for both research and reproductive purposes. While the House has twice passed a real ban on human cloning, it must do so again because the Senate has not voted to ban cloning.
"It is an embarrassment that the Senate has not acted, when even the United Nations passed a declaration to ban all human cloning. Hopefully, Congress will show some ethical fortitude and work to ban the cloning of human embryos early this next year."
David Prentice is available for interview. Please contact Amber Hildebrand in the FRC press office at adh@frc.org or 202.393.2100.
-30-
Pat Buchanan says that "Darwinism" and evolutionary theory are "on the way out," like Marxism; his arguments demonstrate that he, as with the rest of the creationism backers, see science as just another form of politics;
Family Research Council announces Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) will be speaking at Justice Sunday III;
Family Research Council announces the Rev. Jerry Falwell, who with Pat Robertson blamed me (and people me - you know, queers) and the ACLU for the September 11th attacks, will be speaking at Justice Sunday III;
Family Research Council announces Dr. Alveda C. King will be speaking at Justice Sunday III;
Baptist Press promotional slug for Justice Sunday III;
Baptist Press report on Massachusetts anti-marriage petition drive, and on the Minnesota anti-marriage drive stalling;
AFA press release on the Ford boycott they are considering;
AFA petition and letter-writing ACTION ITEM against NBC's new series starting January 6th called The Book of Daniel, which they condemn, saying that it "mocks Christianity";
Family Research Council demands "human cloning" ban; the version they want would effectively ban embryonic stem cell research in the US.
----- 1 -----
Calif. Marriage Initiative Falls Short, Reconsiders Strategy
The Christian Post
Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005 Posted: 3:07:17PM EST
Long URL elided.
One of two groups seeking a California constitutional amendment to define marriage as being between one man and one woman in the November 2006 ballot dropped its bid citing fundraising difficulties and a politically uncertain climate.
The ProtectMarriage.com Coalition said in a statement last Thursday that several obstacles interfered with its five-month petition drive, including diverted supporter funds to a parental-notification ballot measure in this year’s November elections, hurricane relief and the competing VoteYesMarriage.com initiative. The campaign fell 200,000 signatures short of the nearly 600,000 signatures it needed by its Dec. 27 deadline.
"It boils down to a recognition that a ballot fight isn't likely until 2008," said Andrew Pugno, ProtectMarriage’s legal advisor, according to the Associated Press. "This doesn't resolve the issue by any means; it merely delays the resolution."
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Darwin's Pyrrhic victory
Posted: December 28, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2005 Creators Syndicate Inc.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48102
"Intelligent Design Derailed," exulted the headline.
"By now, the Christian conservatives who once dominated the school board in Dover, Pa., ought to rue their recklessness in forcing biology classes to hear about 'intelligent design' as an alternative to the theory of evolution," declared the New York Times, which added its own caning to the Christians who dared challenge the revealed truths of Darwinian scripture.
Noting that U.S. District Judge John E. Jones III is a Bush appointee, the Washington Post called his decision "a scathing opinion that criticized local school board members for lying under oath and for their 'breathtaking inanity' in trying to inject religion into science classes."
But is it really game, set, match, Darwin?
Have these fellows forgotten that John Scopes, the teacher in that 1925 "Monkey Trial," lost in court, and was convicted of violating Tennessee law against the teaching of evolution and fined $100? Yet Darwin went on to conquer public education, and American Civil Liberties Union atheists went on to purge Christianity and the Bible from our public schools.
The Dover defeat notwithstanding, the pendulum is clearly swinging back. Darwinism is on the defensive. For, as Tom Bethell, author of "The Politically Incorrect Guide to Science," reminds us, there is no better way to make kids curious about "intelligent design" than to have some Neanderthal forbid its being mentioned in biology class.
In ideological politics, winning by losing is textbook stuff. The Goldwater defeat of 1964, which a triumphant left said would bury the right forever, turned out to be liberalism's last hurrah. Like Marxism and Freudianism, Darwinism appears destined for the graveyard of discredited ideas, no matter the breathtaking inanity of the trial judge.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Rev. Jerry Falwell to Speak at Justice Sunday III
December 28, 2005 - Wednesday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 28, 2005 CONTACT: Amber Hildebrand, (202) 393-2100
FOR RADIO: J.P. Duffy
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR05L09&f=PG03I03
Washington, D.C. - The Reverend Jerry Falwell of Jerry Falwell Ministries and founder of Liberty University in Lynchburg, Virginia has joined the list of distinguished speakers for Family Research Council's simulcast television program, "Justice Sunday III -Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land!" The program is set for Sunday, January 8th at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and will broadcast live in churches across the nation in addition to being carried on hundreds of radio stations, via satellite and webcast on www.justicesunday.com.
Reverend Jerry Falwell is a welcome addition to our list of distinguished speakers at Justice Sunday III. Falwell is a Southern Baptist pastor, televangelist, founder of the Moral Majority & Liberty University, and a prominent conservative activist.
Reverend Falwell will join Tony Perkins of Family Research Council, Dr. James Dobson of Focus on the Family, and a host of prestigious and respected speakers for Justice Sunday III.
For more information regarding the "Justice Sunday III -Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land!" live simulcast, log onto www.justicesunday.com or call the FRC Press Office at (202) 393-2100.
Members of the media must register for FRC media credentials prior to the event.
-30-
----- 4 -----
Dr. Alveda King to Speak at Justice Sunday III
December 30, 2005 - Friday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 30, 2005
CONTACT: Amber Hildebrand, (202) 393-2100
FOR RADIO: J.P. Duffy
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR05L11&f=PG03I03
Washington, D.C. - Dr. Alveda C. King, founder of King for America and daughter of the late slain civil rights activist Rev. A. D. King and his wife Naomi Barber King, will join the list of distinguished speakers for Family Research Council's simulcast television program, Justice Sunday III - "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land!" Dr. Alveda King is a prominent civil rights activist and is outspoken on the issues that affect the future of family and society.
The program is set for Sunday, January 8th at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and will broadcast live in churches across the nation in addition to being carried on hundreds of radio stations, via satellite and webcast on www.justicesunday.com.
Dr. Alveda King will join Tony Perkins, Dr. James Dobson, Dr. Jerry Falwell, Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA), Bishop Wellington Boone, Rev. Herbert Lusk, and a host of other distinguished speakers for Justice Sunday III.
For more information regarding the Justice Sunday III - "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land!" live simulcast, log onto www.justicesunday.com or call the FRC Press Office at (202) 393-2100.
Members of the media must register for FRC media credentials prior to the event. Register at www.justicesunday.com or fax names, phone numbers and emails on company letterhead to 202.393.2134 ATTN. Amber Hildebrand
-30-
----- 5 -----
Senator Rick Santorum to Speak at Justice Sunday III
December 29, 2005 - Thursday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 29, 2005
CONTACT: Amber Hildebrand, (202) 393-2100
FOR RADIO: J.P. Duffy
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR05L10&f=PG03I03
Washington, D.C. - Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) has joined the list of distinguished speakers for Family Research Council's simulcast television program, "Justice Sunday III - Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land!" The program is set for Sunday, January 8th at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and will broadcast live in churches across the nation in addition to being carried on hundreds of radio stations, via satellite and webcast on www.justicesunday.com. Justice Sunday III will help ensure that the voices of people of faith are heard in the great national debate on the courts and the future of our country.
"Senator Santorum is a defender of our religious liberties and has consistently fought for public policy upholding the institutions of marriage and family," said FRC President Tony Perkins.
Senator Santorum will join Tony Perkins, Dr. James Dobson, Dr. Jerry Falwell, Bishop Wellington Boone, Rev. Herbert Lusk, and a host of other distinguished speakers for Justice Sunday III.
For more information regarding the "Justice Sunday III -Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land!" live simulcast, log onto www.justicesunday.com or call the FRC Press Office at (202) 393-2100.
Members of the media must register for FRC media credentials prior to the event. Register at www.justicesunday.com or fax names, phone numbers and emails on company letterhead to 202.393.2134 ATTN. Amber Hildebrand
-30-
----- 6 -----
'Justice Sunday III' to spotlight courts on eve of Alito hearings
Dec 29, 2005
By Staff
Baptist Press
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22373
PHILADELPHIA (BP)--One day before the Senate begins confirmation hearings on Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito, conservatives will gather in Philadelphia for another "Justice Sunday," hoping to put the spotlight once again on socially liberal court rulings.
"Justice Sunday III: Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land" will take place Sunday, Jan. 8, at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia, and will be broadcast nationwide to other churches on Christian television and radio. It is scheduled to begin at 7 p.m. ET.
The broadcast will feature several speakers, including Focus on the Family's James Dobson and Sen. Rick Santorum, R.-Pa.
It is the third such broadcast within the past year. Last April, the first Justice Sunday was held amidst a Senate showdown over judicial filibusters. And last August, the second Justice Sunday was held on the eve of then-Supreme Court nominee John Roberts' confirmation hearings.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
MARRIAGE DIGEST: Marriage amendment signature drive breaks record in Mass.; amendment faces opposition in Minn.
Dec 29, 2005
By Michael Foust
Baptist Press
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22372
NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--A successful marriage amendment petition drive in Massachusetts smashed a 20-year-old record for the most signatures ever gathered on a ballot question.
Just before Christmas, Massachusetts Secretary of State William F. Galvin certified 123,356 signatures for the constitutional marriage amendment, which essentially would reverse the state court's 2003 ruling that legalized "gay marriage." The previous record of 110,645 was set in 1985 on a tax proposal, The Boston Globe reported Dec. 22.
The 123,356 certified signatures are fewer than the 147,000 that local election clerks had certified in early December, but nonetheless still impressive. The amendment needed only 65,825 signatures.
Pro-family groups originally turned in 170,000 signatures. Invalid ones were tossed out.
[...]
The amendment now must garner the support of at least 25 percent of state legislators in two consecutive sessions. If it does that, it would be placed before voters in 2008.
[...]
AMENDMENT FACES OPPOSITION IN MINN. -- Supporters of a constitutional marriage amendment in Minnesota face a tall task in the state Senate, which saw two amendment opponents win in recent special elections, Minnesota Public Radio reported.
The amendment passed the House with ease in 2005 but failed to receive a vote in the Senate, which is controlled by the Democratic Farmer-Labor Party (DFL). The two new senators are DFL members.
Conservatives have pressured Senate leaders to allow a vote on the issue. If it were to pass the Senate, it would go before voters.
"Will it come up? I'm sure the conservative Republicans will push the issue, but it's less likely that it finds its way to the ballot question in November now than it did last session," DFL Senate Majority Leader Dean Johnson told Minnesota Public Radio.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
AFA considering boycott of Ford Motor Company
American Family Association
For Immediate Release: 12/15/2005
http://media.afa.net/newdesign/ReleaseDetail.asp?id=3336
(Tupelo, MS) - The American Family Association says that Ford Motor Company reneged on some agreements reached in discussions with the automobile giant, and the organization is considering its next move.
“We had an agreement with Ford, worked out in good faith. Unfortunately, some Ford Motor Company officials made the decision to violate the good faith agreement. We are now considering our response to the violation and expect to reach a decision very soon,” said Donald E. Wildmon, chairman of AFA.
AFA had called for a boycott of Ford last spring because of Ford’s support for the homosexual agenda and homosexual marriage but suspended the boycott for six months at the request of a group of Ford dealers. Wildmon said AFA and Ford officials hammered out an agreement in the interim that was accepted by both parties.
“All we wanted was for Ford to refrain from choosing sides in the cultural war, and supporting groups which promote same-sex marriage is not remaining neutral,” Wildmon stated.
He stated that because Ford broke the agreement, the option of a boycott is now very much alive.
No additional comments regarding Ford will be made at this time.
American Family Association is a pro-family advocacy organization with over two million online supporters.
— 30 —
----- 9 -----
New NBC Drama Show Mocks Christianity
Email NBC Chairman Bob Wright over NBC's latest show, "The Book of Daniel."
http://www.afa.net/petitions/issuedetail.asp?id=175
On January 6, NBC will begin a new series entitled The Book of Daniel.
While the public has not seen the program, NBC is promoting "The Book of Daniel" as a serious drama about Christian people and the Christian faith. The main character is Daniel Webster, a drug-addicted Episcopal priest whose wife depends heavily on her mid-day martinis.
Webster regularly sees and talks with a very unconventional white-robed, bearded Jesus. The Webster family is rounded out by a 23-year-old homosexual Republican son, a 16-year-old daughter who is a drug dealer, and a 16-year-old adopted son who is having sex with the bishop's daughter. At the office, his lesbian secretary is sleeping with his sister-in-law.
[...]
Please take action now! Here is what you can do:
1. Call your local NBC affiliate and ask them not to air the program. You can find their contact information in your local phone book or by Clicking Here.
2. Print out a copy of AFA's pass along sheet, fill in the affiliate call letters and phone number, make copies and pass out at your church. Ask your pastor to announcement it and put information in the bulletin and newsletter. [doc version] [pdf version]
3. If you haven't already done so, send an email to NBC by Clicking Here.
EXTREMELY IMPORTANT! Please help get the word out by forwarding this to your family and friends. They probably aren't aware of it!
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
Cloning Fraud! FRC Says Ban Human Cloning Now
December 30, 2005 - Friday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 30, 2005 CONTACT: Amber Hildebrand, (202) 393-2100
"Hopefully, Congress will show some ethical fortitude and work to ban the cloning of human embryos early this next year,"
~Tony Perkins, President, FRC
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR05L13&f=PG03I03
Washington, D.C. One of the largest scientific scandals in recent history escalated as investigators reported yesterday that human cloning studies published in the prestigious journal, Science are a complete fraud.
Tony Perkins, President of Family Research Council stated, "What this shows is that there is no proof that therapeutic cloning can be used to treat patients of diseases.
"While even Dr. Hwang's faked results didn't actually provide any proof, it's now clear that the cloners are only intent on pushing their agenda of destroying young humans and deluding patients.
"It now seems that cloning for embryonic stem cell research is a massive fraud.
"Even if Dr. Hwang had not faked his research, his attempt to clone human embryos for the sole purpose of killing them for their stem cells is entirely unethical.
"It is time for Congress to ban human cloning for both research and reproductive purposes. While the House has twice passed a real ban on human cloning, it must do so again because the Senate has not voted to ban cloning.
"It is an embarrassment that the Senate has not acted, when even the United Nations passed a declaration to ban all human cloning. Hopefully, Congress will show some ethical fortitude and work to ban the cloning of human embryos early this next year."
David Prentice is available for interview. Please contact Amber Hildebrand in the FRC press office at adh@frc.org or 202.393.2100.
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no subject
Date: 2006-01-02 07:25 am (UTC)If people don't want folks like Pat B turning science into Christian politics, then they have to stop letting the socialists do it first. You can't tell one side 'It's not Science!' when you're letting the otherside just make crap up as they go.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-02 07:43 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-02 07:55 am (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-01-02 08:30 am (UTC)1. What politicians, news services, and commentators do with science is not the same thing as science, and,
2. You seem to forget my history of disassembling poor science as used, politically, by liberals in fields such as gun control, and my history of taking people that I agree with to task on misuse of data and facts. (This last bit, in particular, is often found very annoying. But, well, words mean things, you know.)
no subject
Date: 2006-01-03 12:07 am (UTC)I would also note that some of these are down to *lawyers*, not scientists. A lot of "junk science" comes from people deciding to sue for injuries. "Well, somebody better pay! Shit doesn't just *happen*!"
Cathy
no subject
Date: 2006-01-02 07:14 pm (UTC)I would advise caution when reading the materials from that site. They're "biased", to put it mildly.
no subject
Date: 2006-01-02 10:01 pm (UTC)And how do silicon breasts and freon have anything to do with “sides”? Is there a chapter in Das Kapital putting down breast enhancements, or do you just assume that anybody you disagree with is a socialist?