Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Feb. 2nd, 2006 01:40 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdHEADS UP, CANADIANS: Harper is going to bring a vote to reopen marriage rights for a revote, "sooner rather than later," as pledged, though not immediately. I probably don't need to tell you this, but: use this time wisely. Focus on the Family is up there now, and they've started up already; the Institute for Canadian Values is also working the "repeal" side, as, I imagine, will most of the usual suspects. They are clearly taking lessons from American fundamentalist groups as they have picked up a lot of the language in a very short period of time.
If they pick up tactics from the south as well, you'll have a different kind of opposition than you did a year ago. It'll be meaner, better co-ordinated, and going for blood - yours. Don't underestimate it.
Meanwhile, in today's news:
Fundamentalists attacking new America OnLine marketing theme—"I am" <foo>, "I am" <bar>—as blasphemous;
Bill Clinton gets more things wrong, sides against the press in Danish newspaper cartoons issue;
Link to text of Tim Eyman's latest initiative, to overturn the just-passed bill prohibiting discrimination against GBLT people in housing, hiring, and lending; it's a systematic insertion of language to every chapter of the state civil rights code saying "sexual orientation" and "sexual preference" are specifically exempted from civil rights protections;
Focus on the Family: The Senate is the first major hurdle to the anti-marriage-rights Federal amendment;
Walgreens fires pharmacists for refusing to dispense emergency (morning-after) birth control; they're suing, claiming state law gives them that right;
FotF: "Congratulations; we helped put Roberts and Alito on the court";
Anti-marriage-rights group "Coloradans for Marriage" submits marriage ban initiative text to Secretary of State; will need 68,000 signatures to get it on the ballot;
James Dobson applauds Alito's confirmation;
Focus on the Family, other fundamentalist groups unhappy that President Bush did not specifically endorse the FMA in his State of the Union address, but applaud the ban on "human cloning";
FotF criticises CARE for "pushing condoms over abstinence until marriage";
Focus on the Family notices women's groups helping women blocked from abortion rights in their own states get abortions in New York State; accuses them of protecting sexual predators;
FotF article on so-called "partial birth" abortion ban being struck down by two appeals courts; expects a Supreme Court visit;
Colorado considers letting pharmacists write prescriptions for Plan B, the morning-after birth control pill;
FotF upset with Brokeback Mountain's awards and Oscar nominations, pushes "ex-gay" ministries;
FotF upset that unaired episodes of The Book of Daniel will be on the web, calls the representation of Jesus "blasphemous";
Concerned Women for America are upset with Bush over his "lack of emphasis on specific social issues";
What CWA wanted to hear, before the speech; even they listed the "moral issues" fourth;
CWA demand RU-486 be taken off the market, want "Holly's Law" passed to do that;
Family Research Council: Why didn't President Bush push the anti-marriage amendment?;
Denver-local coverage of the anti-marriage amendment in Colorado; atypically, the version printed does not appear to ban civil unions or domestic partnerships;
Christian Underground reprints a love-letter from Satan to the ACLU; I found a non-CU copy of it;
American Family Association ACTION ITEM against NBC for airing a segment to "denigrate Christianity";
AFA article on less-than-thrilled fundamentalist groups over the State of the Union address;
AFA Journal: AFA to start demanding "Merry Christmas" in June of 2006;
"Official Defends University's Decision to Dismiss Homosexual Student";
Carolina Journal, published by the John Locke Founation, accuses state of "promoting homosexuality" by having a panel on gay teenagers at the Governor's School, a summer educational institute;
Focus on the Family Canada: Harper WILL follow through on pledge to revisit C-38;
Toronto Star: Marriage rights debate back on the table;
Focus on the Family Canada: some Manitoba pharmacists refusing to sell emergency contraception.
----- 1 -----
Is new AOL IM slogan marketing blasphemy?
'I AM' pitch takes God's name in vain, say some shocked critics
Posted: January 31, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
ETA URL: http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48585
When Ian Millar opened up his AOL Instant Messenger program yesterday and linked to the new AIM Triton site, he wasn't prepared for what he saw.
"I have been an AIM customer for many years, and although I do not use AOL for my mail client, I have recommended it for relatives and friends," he said in a letter to top executives of the company. "In general, I appreciate AOL and your business savvy."
But when Millar saw the company's new slogan, he was shocked and disgusted. He was not alone.
America Online is now acting like God – using what some consider to be His very name in a marketing pitch for e-mail, voice chat, video chat, instant messaging, text messaging and other forms of communication.
AIM's new slogan is "I AM."
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Clinton warns of rising anti-Islamic feeling
Mon Jan 30, 10:15 AM ET
Long URL elided
DOHA (AFP) - Former US president Bill Clinton warned of rising anti-Islamic prejudice, comparing it to historic anti-Semitism as he condemned the publishing of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper.
[...]
Clinton described as "appalling" the 12 cartoons published in a Danish newspaper in September depicting Prophet Mohammed and causing uproar in the Muslim world.
"None of us are totally free of stereotypes about people of different races, different ethnic groups, and different religions ... there was this appalling example in northern Europe, in Denmark ... these totally outrageous cartoons against Islam," he said.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Initiative 927
As filed by Tim Eyman
Washington State Secretary of State
Long URL elided
The text of this document is an accurate copy of what was filed by the initiative proponent with the Secretary of State for assignment of a serial number. The accuracy of code in amendatory sections has not been verified.
INITIATIVE 927
I, Sam Reed, Secretary of State of the State of Washington and custodian of its seal hereby certify that, according to the records on file in my office, the attached copy of Initiative Measure No. 927 to the People is a true and correct copy as it was received by this office.
AN ACT Relating to prohibiting government-imposed preferential treatment; adding new sections to chapter 49.60 RCW; amending RCW 49.60.010, 49.60.020, 49.60.030, 49.60.040, 49.60.050, 49.60.120, 49.60.130, 49.60.175, 49.60.176, 49.60.178, 49.60.180, 49.60.190, 49.60.200, 49.60.215, 49.60.222, 49.60.223, 49.60.224, 49.60.225, and 48.30.300; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
POLICIES AND PURPOSES
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The people oppose important public policy changes being made without voter approval. The voters want an open debate where both sides are given the opportunity to have their voices heard and to persuade the voters on the issues involved. And after months of deliberation and discussion, the voters want to have the final say so that the decision can be made without fear of retaliation or intimidation. The people oppose the government forcing anyone to impose quotas, set-asides, or other preferential treatment for any group. This measure would prohibit state government from requiring any school, church, employer, or other public or private entity to impose quotas, set-asides, or other preferential treatment to any individual or group based on sexual orientation or sexual preference. Sexual orientation or sexual preference shall not be a specially protected class. The inclusion of this group as a protected class is preferential treatment over other groups not included in this chapter, such as military status, income level, medical history, or political party membership. The people do not support preferential treatment because the people do not want it to be used as a basis for requiring the legalization of same-sex marriage. This issue has become hopelessly politicized in Olympia. Politicians aren't thinking about what the voters want. Let the voters decide.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 49.60 RCW and reads as follows:
The state shall not require any school, church, employer, or other public or private entity to grant quotas, set-asides, or other preferential treatment for any individual or group based on sexual orientation or sexual preference. The special status as protected classes under this chapter shall not include sexual orientation or sexual preference. This act shall not be construed to modify or supercede state law relating to marriage.
(a) For the purposes of this chapter, "state" is state government and any of its agencies.
(b) For the purposes of this chapter, "sexual orientation or sexual preference" means heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, and gender expression or identity. As used in this definition, "gender expression or identity" means having or being perceived as having a gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior, or expression, whether or not that gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior, or expression is different from that traditionally associated with the sex assigned to that person at birth.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 49.60 RCW and reads as follows:
This chapter does not authorize quotas, set-asides, or other preferential treatment for any individual or group based on sexual orientation or sexual preference. The special status as protected classes under this chapter shall not include sexual orientation or sexual preference. This act shall not be construed to modify or supercede state law relating to marriage.
[Much more at URL]
----- 4 -----
MARRIAGE PROTECTION AMENDMENT WAITS FOR CONGRESS
The Senate remains the first major hurdle.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 1, 2006
by Pete Winn, associate editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039400.cfm
President Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday night
contained only a brief, bare-bones mention of marriage --
but family advocates say even though the president gave
the topic short shrift in his address, marriage protection
is bound to be a major issue this year.
In a speech dominated by foreign policy and terrorism,
Bush offered only this on marriage:
"(M)any Americans, especially parents, still have deep
concerns about the direction of our culture, and the
health of our most basic institutions," he said. "They're
concerned about unethical conduct by public officials, and
discouraged by activist courts that try to redefine
marriage."
Amanda Banks, federal issues analyst for Focus on the
Family Action, said that the Marriage Protection Amendment
is pending before Congress -- and for the first time since
2004, the effort to preserve one-man, one-woman marriage
will come up for a vote.
"Sen. Wayne Allard from Colorado introduced the Marriage
Protection Amendment in the Senate a year ago," she said.
"Since that time, he has managed to raise 28 cosponsors.
If you put that into perspective -- over a quarter of the
senators have put their names onto this bill."
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
WALGREENS SUED OVER CONSCIENCE RIGHTS
Pharmacists punished for refusing to dispense morning-after pill.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 1, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039389.cfm
Four Illinois pharmacists filed a lawsuit last week
claiming they were put on indefinite, unpaid leave from
the drug-store chain Walgreens for refusing to dispense
the so-called morning-after pill, even though state law
protects them from dispensing morally objectionable
prescriptions.
Plan B, known as the morning-after pill, can sometimes
cause an early abortion.
Since 1977, the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience
Act has protected medical workers. In April, Gov. Rod
Blagojevich issued an executive order mandating that
pharmacists dispense the morning-after pill.
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Commentary: The Two New Guys on the Front Row
SUMMARY: Readers like you helped decide who had good seats at the State of the Union.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 1, 2006
by Stuart Shepard, managing editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/commentary/a0039391.cfm
Maybe you felt it, too.
I was watching the State of the Union in HDTV on a big
screen -- which made for an
it's-like-I'm-actually-in-the-House experience -- when
President Bush pointed out the U.S. Supreme Court
justices.
Four of them sat on the front row in their very serious
black robes, their hands identically folded in their laps,
appearing occasionally unsure of what topics would be safe
for them to applaud.
The camera panned across the four who attended: New Chief
Justice John Roberts -- characteristically smiling and
confident -- and next to him Associate Justices Clarence
Thomas and Stephen Breyer. Next to them -- looking happy
to be there, but undoubtedly feeling a tad
Alice-in-Wonderlandish -- was the freshly confirmed and
sworn-in Samuel Alito.
He was assuredly having an "I'm really sitting here in the
House of Representatives and the president of the United
States is pointing me out on live television to Americans
in every state of the Union as the newest member of the
Supreme Court" moment.
That's when it hit me.
A sense of happiness, joy and pride welled up. I was
genuinely happy to see him there with his slightly
embarrassed grin. I had a sense of joy that he would be
among the nine who make decisions on the most difficult
and compelling issues of our time. And I felt a modicum of
pride that, by God's grace, we -- the people who make up
the CitizenLink family -- had at least a small, but very
real, part in putting him in that robe in that seat on
this night.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Colorado Group Seeks to Protect Marriage
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 1, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The pro-family group Coloradans for Marriage submitted a
proposed constitutional amendment today that would define
marriage as the union of one man and one woman, The
Associated Press reported.
If the language is approved by the secretary of state, the
group can then begin to collect 68,000 signatures from
registered voters needed to get the amendment on the
November ballot.
Bishop Phillip Porter, president of Coloradans for
Marriage, said the group is motivated by love in its quest
to preserve marriage.
"We can have it (love). We are all called to have that
love even when it hurts us, even when it hurts others,"
Porter said. "We live in a nation that wants no pain but
all of the gain. We can't have it both ways."
----- 8 -----
CITIZENLINK DAILY UPDATE
EDITOR'S NOTE: Dr. Dobson Applauds Alito Confirmation
Jan. 31, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Today's special edition e-mail about the confirmation of
Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court was prepared before Dr.
James Dobson made his public comments about the new
associate justice.
Here is the full text of Dr. Dobson's statement:
"This is a great day for an outstanding jurist who
deserved so much better than the shameful treatment he
received from Senate liberals. Judge Alito weathered the
Democrats' partisan theatrics and distortions of his
record with the kind of grace and class that befits his
new position. He and his family are to be commended for
their demeanor during this difficult ordeal.
"Associate Justice Alito's experience on the bench and
reverence for the Constitution will serve America well, we
pray, for the next several decades. It is clear, from his
record as an appellate court judge and his testimony
before the Senate Judiciary Committee, that Justice Alito
understands that his responsibility will be to interpret
law, not create it. He will be a welcome addition to a
Supreme Court whose justices often fail to recognize the
limits of judicial power and authority.
"We congratulate Justice Alito on his confirmation and
thank President Bush for keeping his campaign promise to
nominate jurists of his caliber to the high court."
In case you missed our earlier story on the Alito
confirmation, you can find it at the link below.
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039366.cfm
----- 9 -----
STATE OF THE UNION: 'TOGETHER WE WILL MAKE IT STRONGER'
Pro-family experts wish the president had spent more time on their issues.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 1, 2006
by Pete Winn, associate editor
[Received in email; no URL]
Pro-family leaders were generally pleased with tonight's
State of the Union address, but say President Bush could
have devoted more of the speech to domestic issues of
importance to families.
The president was clearly focused on the War on Terror,
which was the overarching theme, but the speech was also
characterized by hope.
"Tonight, the state of our union is strong," Bush told
members of the House and Senate, "and together we will
make it stronger."
He emphasized the important role of the U.S. on the world
stage.
"The only way to protect our people, the only way to
secure the peace, the only way to control our destiny is
by our leadership – so the United States of America will
continue to lead."
Gary Bauer, president of American Values, gave the
president kudos overall.
"I thought it was a good State of the Union," he said.
"The president was very direct about our commitment to win
the war. He also did not back down at all in the tactics
and the strategies that he's using to intercept
communications from Al Qaeda or al Qaeda suspects abroad."
Bauer said Bush talked about the culture in a way that
largely connected with pro-family Americans.
"He pointed out that the American people have had it when
it comes to activist courts. I was glad to hear him put
that marker down again," Bauer said.
To considerable applause, Bush recognized the newest
members of the U.S. Supreme Court who were sitting on the
front row.
"A hopeful society depends on courts that deliver equal
justice under law," Bush said. "The Supreme Court now has
two superb new members, Chief Justice John Roberts and
Justice Sam Alito. I thank the Senate for confirming both
of them. And I will continue to nominate men and women who
understand that judges must be servants of the law and not
legislate from the bench."
Janice Crouse, who heads the Beverly LaHaye Institute at
Concerned Women for America, said the president came
across as a fighter.
"I wanted to see the president display passionate
leadership and he did," she told CitizenLink. "I thought
that he did sound sometimes as much a street fighter as a
statesman. He didn't overdo that. But he did take on the
liberal misrepresentations. And that's what I wanted to
see."
The president was spirited from the start, acknowledging
Republicans and Democrats were far apart on issues --
ranging from the war to judicial nominees -- but needed to
disagree in a civilized way.
"In a system of two parties, two chambers and two elected
branches, there will always be differences and debate," he
said. "But even tough debates can be conducted in a civil
tone, and our differences cannot be allowed to harden into
anger. To confront the great issues before us, we must act
in a spirit of goodwill and respect for one another -- and
I will do my part."
But Bauer and the other analysts were disappointed that
the issue of marriage was mentioned only in a passing
reference to "activist courts that try to redefine
marriage."
"What he said was fine, but I thought he could have gone
further," Crouse said.
But Matt Daniels, president of the Alliance for Marriage,
said he found hope that Bush at least mentioned marriage
in such an important speech.
"His position remains unchanged," he said. "You've got to
understand that he's under constant pressure to change his
position and to essentially let the courts take a pass and
do the dirty work of striking all our marriage laws, and
he made it clear that he regards that as unacceptable."
Amanda Banks, federal issues analyst for Focus on the
Family Action, had hoped to hear specific mention of a
federal amendment to constitutionally define marriage as
one man and one woman.
"He stopped short of calling for Congress to pass a
marriage protection amendment to protect marriage from
being redefined," she said. "I think he came up a little
short on the issue."
Banks was encouraged that the president strongly called on
Congress to ban human cloning, experimenting with human
embryos, creating human-animal hybrids and buying, selling
or patenting human embryos.
"Human life is a gift from our Creator," the president
said, "and that gift should never be discarded, devalued
or put up for sale."
Banks said he made it clear where he stands.
"He obviously cares very deeply about the sanctity of
human life," she said, "and he's committed to that and
he's passionate about that."
----- 10 -----
AIDS-Relief Money Going to Faith-Based Groups
SUMMARY: Churches bring a vital perspective to the fight.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
January 31, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039365.cfm
More than 23 percent of President Bush's $15 billion in
grants to fight AIDS worldwide is going to religious
organizations, according to State Department figures. Some
secular groups are complaining that the involvement of
faith-based groups dilutes the impact of the initiative
meant to spearhead AIDS relief in Africa.
Dan Mullins of CARE International, a secular group and a
recipient of AIDS-relief money, warned of falling "into
the trap of assuming faith-based groups are good at
everything."
Linda Klepacki, sexual health analysts for Focus on the
Family Action, called that "a real slap in the face."
"The public health community has known for years that
churches are one of the best places to do any kind of
public-health prevention," she said.
Klepacki said she suspects CARE is upset because it was
caught pushing condoms over abstinence -- contrary to the
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
"One third of the prevention money for PEPFAR is to go
into abstinence-until-marriage education," she said. "And
these people are not following that directive."
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
PRO-ABORTION NEW YORKERS OPEN THEIR HOMES TO WOMEN
Coalition of volunteers helps out-of-state women get abortions.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
January 31, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039364.cfm
The Haven Coalition is a group of about 100 volunteers in
New York who take in pregnant women from out of state and
assist them in getting late-term abortions. Some call the
project the "abortion Underground Railroad."
In the last year, Haven Coalition volunteers reportedly
housed 125 women, including a 10-year-old girl.
Douglas Sylva, vice president of the Catholic Family and
Human Rights Institute, said through its actions, the
coalition may also be protecting predators.
"There are many older men impregnating girls," he said,
"and then taking those girls over state lines in order to
destroy the evidence of their crime."
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Struck Down Twice
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
January 31, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
A pair of federal appeals courts today struck down the
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, making it increasingly
likely that the U.S. Supreme Court will step in to settle
the issue of the law's constitutionality.
The act, passed by Congress and signed by President Bush
in 2003, has never been enforced because of legal
challenges.
In today's rulings, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals, considering a challenge to the
law filed by abortion activists in San Francisco,
unanimously upheld a lower-court finding that the ban
didn't pass constitutional muster. The law, the panel
said, placed an "undue burden" on a woman's right to an
abortion.
Hours later, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled
similarly in a case originally out of New York. This time,
though, the three-judge panel voted 2-1, with Judge
Chester J. Straub issuing a sharp dissent.
"Allowing a physician to destroy a child as long as one
toe remains within the mother would place society on a
path toward condoning infanticide," Straub wrote. "I find
the current expansion of the right to terminate a
pregnancy to cover a child in the process of being born
morally, ethically and legally unacceptable."
In July, a third appeals court, the 8th Circuit, upheld
another lower court ruling that found the ban
unconstitutional. That case, out of Nebraska, has been
appealed to the Supreme Court -- and today's rulings are
likely to be as well, according to Carrie Gordon Earll,
Focus on the Family Action's senior analyst for bioethics.
"The presence of newly confirmed Justice Samuel Alito may
tip the balance in favor of the high court hearing these
appeals," Earll said. "It's also possible that Alito's
vote on the constitutional question of the partial-birth
abortion ban will be different than that of his
predecessor, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who voted
against the Nebraska law.
"There is no constitutional right to stab a nearly born
baby in the back of the head," Earll added. "Partial-birth
abortion is brutal, gruesome and an assault against mother
and child. It's time for the Supreme Court to allow this
federal law to go into effect."
----- 13 -----
Colorado Considers Letting Pharmacists Prescribe Morning-After Pill
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
January 31, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Two Democratic lawmakers in Colorado have proposed giving
pharmacists the extraordinary power to write a
prescription for the so-called morning-after pill and any
future similar drugs.
The controversial drug Plan B can prevent a woman from
getting pregnant, but can sometimes cause an early
abortion.
According to The Denver Post, Rep. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood,
said House Bill 1212, filed Monday, should avoid the
emotional fight over religious freedom that led to a veto
of a similar bill last year.
The latest version allows pharmacists with a moral
objection to choose not to prescribe the drug. Last year's
bill required all health-care providers -- including
Catholic institutions -- to notify rape victims that
emergency contraception was available.
"The governor said, 'You send me the same bill that you
sent me before and I'll veto it again,' " Boyd said. "I'm
not. I'm sending a different bill. It's the next step in
access to health care."
Some critics say the pills have the same effect as
abortion. Emergency-contraception supporters say it helps
avoid abortions by preventing pregnancy from occurring.
Carrie Gordon Earll, senior analyst for bioethics at Focus
on the Family Action, said while it's clear the bill's
sponsors are trying to moderate their approach to
emergency contraception, it still has serious problems.
"It would allow teenage girls to get these powerful doses
of hormones without parental knowledge," she said. "It
also provides no guarantee that pharmacists will take a
complete medical history from women before prescribing the
drug. This is needed because of increased risks associated
with oral contraceptives for women with certain conditions
and those who smoke."
She added that if the bill is passed and women can get the
drug over the counter from a pharmacist, they may be less
likely to see their doctor for physical exams and
screening for sexually transmitted diseases.
----- 14 -----
'Brokeback Mountain' Nabs 8 Oscar Nods
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
January 31, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The controversial "Brokeback Mountain" topped the list of
films earning Academy Award nominations today, netting
eight nods -- including best picture.
The film, which chronicles a decades-long homosexual
affair between two 1960s-era cowboys, also is in the
running for best actor (Heath Ledger, who plays one of the
cowboys); best supporting actor (Jake Gyllenhaal, who
plays the other cowboy); best supporting actress (Michelle
Williams, who plays Ledger's character's estranged wife);
and best director (Ang Lee).
"I'm amazed how people everywhere have had the sensitivity
to want to get into the complexity of the issue, the
probability of love, the illusion of love, all those
things," Lee told The Associated Press. "It's not simple
things you can categorize as right or wrong."
But Mike Haley, director of gender issues for Focus on the
Family, said the film only tells half the story of what it
means to be gay in America.
"The real truth is that those who struggle with
homosexuality, like the two lead characters in 'Brokeback
Mountain,' can leave homosexuality and the pain and
emptiness that so often accompanies it," Haley explained.
"Thousands of men and women have done just that -- have
decided to come to terms with what lies at the roots of
their same-sex attractions and to work diligently toward
overcoming them."
Haley, himself a former homosexual who is now a husband
and father of two boys, said there is no disputing that
"Brokeback Mountain" is a well-made film filled with
moving performances. But its message is dangerous, he
added, particularly to teenagers and young adults who are
questioning their sexuality.
"This movie spotlights a tragedy that is avoidable, and
almost seems to suggest that the damage the two lead
characters do to their families is somehow forgivable
because they are in love," Haley said. "But it's not
society's disapproval of homosexuality that causes the
characters' physical and emotional abandonment of their
families. It's the choices they make, choices the movie
suggests are the only ones available to them. That is
simply not true -- and it's something our young people
must be told isn't true.
"The reality is, none of this needs to happen to any
family -- ever. There is help available for those who
struggle with same-sex attractions through our Love Won
Out conferences and groups like Exodus, help that puts
families back together -- rather than ripping them apart
in the manner portrayed by this film."
FOR MORE INFORMATION: To learn more about Focus on the
Family's Love Won Out conferences, visit the ministry's
Web site.
http://lovewonout.com/
----- 15 -----
Unaired Episodes of 'The Book of Daniel' to Go Online
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
January 31, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
NBC has announced it will stream unaired episodes of
recently canceled "The Book of Daniel" on NBC.com.
The controversial series was abruptly canceled last week.
According to MediaPost, three remaining episodes will be
made available online for free beginning Friday, with each
appearing for a week on the Web site.
Several affiliates had declined to air the program, which
featured a drug-addicted Episcopal priest who had imagined
conversations with a blasphemous "Jesus" character.
----- 16 -----
Renewing the Nation’s Defining Moral Commitments
Concerned Women for America
2/1/2006
By Janice Shaw Crouse
A review of the President’s State of the Union.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10037/BLI/reports/index.htm
The President was as sure-footed in this speech as I’ve ever seen him. I wanted “fire in his belly” and to see street fighter as much as statesman in taking on anti-Americanism and liberal misrepresentations and accusations.
[...]
But he was a bit too conciliatory. He skated carefully around key domestic issues, couching them merely as concerns and challenges that confront a hopeful nation.
In short, moral clarity, boldness and passion on the big picture, but committee-content and lack of emphasis on specific social issues.
[More at URL]
----- 17 -----
What the President Must Say in the State of the Union Address
Concerned Women for America
1/31/2006
By Janice Shaw Crouse
His challenge is to make the content significant, the words memorable and the tone compelling.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10025/BLI/reports/index.htm
As the President puts the finishing touches on his State of the Union address, he must be certain that the speech contains the right emphases. It is predicted that more people around the world will hear this speech than any other during Bush’s presidency. While the State of the Union speech is typically more rhetorical than substantive, it does indicate the President’s priorities and foreshadow his agenda. Equally important, the President’s delivery and demeanor reveal the “state” of his presidency. The American people want to see and hear a confident President who is tackling the nation’s problems with vigor and from a position of strength –– in spite of the bitter partisan attacks in recent months.
[...]
Fourth, the speech must contain a litany of positive progress on cultural fronts. This nation has seen a major reversal on many of the social issues: abortion, crime, single parenthood and welfare dependency. There has been a revival of faith and a renewal of individual responsibility that are producing significant changes in the cultural climate of America. The Left doesn’t understand that Americans are basically conservative; the elitist views of the two coasts are not shared by Main Street Americans.
[More at URL]
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CWA Urges House to Pass Holly’s Law
Concerned Women for America
2/1/2006
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10035/MEDIA/life/index.htm
Washington, D.C. – Concerned Women for America (CWA) calls on the House to pass legislation that would ban a dangerous abortion drug linked to at least five U.S. deaths and hundreds of adverse medical conditions.
H.R. 1079, known as Holly’s Law, would suspend the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) approval of RU-486 to complete an investigation, thereby protecting countless women from this life-threatening drug. The legislation was created in response to the death of 18-year-old Holly Patterson, who suffered a painful death after taking RU-486.
“Action must be taken to keep this deadly drug away from women and girls who are being told that it is ‘safe,’” said Wendy Wright, CWA’s President. “The FDA should never have approved the drug – which is 10 times more dangerous than surgical abortion – in the first place. But now it is the duty of Congress to take a stand for women’s health and pass this law as soon as possible.”
[More at URL]
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To: Friends of Family Research Council
From: Tony Perkins, President
February 1, 2006 - Wednesday
Please forward this to your Friends and Family!
https://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WA06B02#WA06B02
The Good
FRC hosted 150 or so friends and allies for a State of the Union "Watch" Party here at our headquarters last night as President Bush delivered a strong, but measured message to the nation. He made clear that America under his leadership will not flinch, but will boldly face the challenges to freedom both here and aboard. At the point in his speech where he made reference to his two nominees to the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito, FRC's standing room only crowd erupted in cheers. He was roundly applauded when he called for banning human cloning and chimeras (human-animal hybrids). Mr. Bush received applause when he pointed to the decline in abortion numbers as well. Congress should now move quickly to pass a real cloning ban. To further the culture of life, Congress should pass and send to the President the Child Custody Protection Act (to prevent minors from being transported across state lines to have abortions) and the Fetal Pain Awareness Act.
The Missing
The President was vigorously applauded for his many bold and unwavering words about the war on terror. Unfortunately, on a number of critical issues, the same resolve was missing. The President was right in pointing out that activist judges threaten marriage and the overall culture. And parents are rightly concerned about that. However, with a vote on a marriage amendment just weeks away in the U.S. Senate, the President should have called on Congress to act before it is too late. Since last year's State of the Union, in which the President did call on Congress to pass a marriage amendment, the threat has only increased with more judicial activism, including a federal judge striking down a state marriage amendment passed by over 70% of the voters. In the very liberal state of Maryland yesterday, the legislature began hearings on a state marriage amendment spurred on by the recent decision of a Baltimore judge that would, if upheld on appeal, impose same-sex marriage on that state. During yesterday's testimony, even Democratic Delegates grilled the AFL-CIO witness, who testified against the marriage amendment. "If I believe in the right of the people to vote on this issue, have I alienated the AFL-CIO?" Delegate Theodore Sophocleus asked incredulously. The union rep admitted that union members had not been polled on this issue. FRC's Vice President for Policy Peter Sprigg also testified before a packed committee room in Maryland's General Assembly. Some 250 witnesses for marriage lined up inside and streamed outside the hearing room, outnumbering witnesses for same-sex unions by 6 to 1. Marriage is no "wedge issue;" it is a bridge issue. The President missed a great opportunity last night to reach out to the Values Voters who re-elected him last year, and who gave him majorities in both Houses of Congress.
The Ugly
On the heels of yesterday's confirmation of Judge Sam Alito, the ugly nature of the fight over the courts was highlighted once again by Senator John Kerry. Senator Kerry emerged from the Senate chamber and told his allies that they failed to stop Alito because they hadn't "brought out the [expletive] knives." While we celebrate the tremendous victory of seeing Judge Alito placed on the nation's highest court, the battle is far from over. Make no mistake about it--the liberals are sharpening their knives for any future high court nominees, as well as qualified lower court nominees that are still being delayed. The importance of these judicial battles was highlighted once again yesterday as two U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals (the 2nd and the 9th) struck down the ban on Partial-Birth Abortion passed overwhelmingly by Congress. One of those cases will end up before the Supreme Court and its newest justice--Sam Alito.
----- 20 -----
Drive Starts For Amendment To Ban Gay Marriage
By Colleen Slevin, AP Writer
CBS4 - Denver
Feb 1, 2006 12:57 pm US/Mountain
http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_032150056.html
(AP) DENVER Saying they were motivated by love, a coalition of religious and family groups formally kicked off a drive Wednesday for an amendment to the state constitution that would bar gay marriage.
Coloradans for Marriage submitted the proposed wording of the amendment to the Legislative Council office at the state Capitol, the first step toward getting it on the ballot this fall.
The group's president, Bishop Phillip H. Porter Jr., said the group was acting with "the love of a mother, the gentle guidance of a caring father" to preserve marriage and protect children.
He said the proposed amendment was not about hatred toward gay people.
"We can have it (love). We are all called to have that love even when it hurts us, even when it hurts others," said Porter, of All Nations Church of God in Christ in Aurora, a Pentecostal church.
[More at URL]
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Lucifer letter to the ACLU
"Your efforts have been the necessary and critical grease I have needed to slide in my agenda ... "
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
by Michael Westfall
Letters from Lucifer
http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=34&idsub=127&id=2490
Dear ACLU
I am Lucifer, but you may call me Satan. My spirit is alive and active through my supporters in the United States of America as well as the rest of the world.
I have wanted to write a series of letters to my various American disciples for the last two hundred years, but America’s culture had not yet reached the point to where it was fitting. After observing how successfully so many of you devoted Americans are now discipling for me, it is clearly apparent that in 2006 the time has now arrived to deliver a personalized communication as a token of my appreciation expressing my sincere gratitude. Your efforts have been the necessary and critical grease I have needed to slide in my agenda. By destroying America’s morality we are repaying the United States for being a historically strong God fearing nation.
My first letter is to you, my dear ACLU. You are the first in line because you are number one in my book. I have several other letters to my many other major supporters that will follow.
[More at URL]
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SPECIAL ALERT! NBC to mock the Crucifixion of Christ
American Family Association
http://www.afa.net/nbcspecialalert.asp
NBC, fresh from giving us the anti-Christian The Book of Daniel , has decided to hit back at the Christian community by presenting an episode of Will and Grace which mocks the crucifixion of Christ.
On the April 13 edition of NBC's Will and Grace , Britney Spears will appear as a Christian conservative sidekick to Sean Hayes' homosexual character, Jack, who hosts his own talk show.
Jack's fictional network, Out TV, is bought by a Christian TV network, leading to Spears contributing a cooking segment called "Cruci-fixin's." To further denigrate Christianity, NBC chose to air it the night before Good Friday.
Click Here to read the Associated Press article.
NBC does not treat Jews, Muslims or other religions with such disrespect. Yet the network demonstrates a deep of hostility toward followers of Christ.
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
Some Conservatives Give Bush's State of the Union Address Mixed Ratings
American Family Association/Agape Press
By Bill Fancher
February 1, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/12006b.asp
(AgapePress) - In his State of the Union address last night, George W. Bush touched on a number of pro-family issues of great importance to pro-family "values voters." However, some conservative listeners felt the president's speech did not go far enough and that it was conspicuously marked by things he left unsaid.
[...]
But while some conservatives were pleased with the president's words, at least one pro-family advocate is giving his State of the Union speech a mixed review. Gary Bauer of the Campaign for Working Families acknowledges that the address was filled with several positive notes and he believes it was effective for pro-family interests, but he feels it could have been more thorough.
Bush "gave a strong statement on cloning and experimentation on human embryos, and he very pointedly remarked about the fact that the American people are fed up with activist judges who want to redefine marriage," Bauer says. "I wish he would have elaborated on that. He did not."
[...]
But Michael Peroutka of the Constitution Party is hesitant to join other conservatives even in qualified applause of the President's speech. He feels Bush's State of the Union address was simply not that good.
What Bush's speech showed, Peroutka says, "is that he does have some minds to change. He's in a bit of political turmoil. He came out very strongly, and that seemed rather desperate to me." Meanwhile, the third-party political leader adds, the president avoided many of the "hot" issues of concern to Christian conservatives.
[More at URL]
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'Christmas Season' to Begin Early in 2006
By AFA Journal
February 1, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/12006g.asp
(AgapePress) - The American Family Association says it will begin in June 2006 reminding national retailers that the word "Christmas" is not a four-letter word for most Americans, and it deserves to be included in store promotions and greetings in November and December.
AFA founder and chairman Don Wildmon does not want retailers to have the same excuse some used this past Christmas season. "We will start this summer to give retailers plenty of time to include the simple sentiment in their promotional activity," says Wildmon.
[More at URL]
----- 25 -----
Official Defends University's Decision to Dismiss Homosexual Student
By Jim Brown
February 1, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/12006e.asp
(AgapePress) - Former John Brown University student Michael Guinn claims he was kicked out of the Christian school after the administration raised questions about his homosexuality and imposed restrictions on his campus life.
Guinn admits the private school in northwest Arkansas dismissed him for violating campus lifestyle guidelines. However, he says he was asked to adhere to behavior codes not required of other students.
Dr. David Brisben, who chairs John Brown University's Biblical Studies Department, says although Guinn was a professing homosexual when he enrolled at the school, he agreed to remain celibate and to abide by the school's "Community Covenant," which forbids sexual immorality.
"That would be the expectation that students agree to," Brisben notes, "and so practicing homosexuality would be sex outside of marriage. And [JBU students] agree not to practice sex outside of marriage."
According to Guinn, he was instructed not to "broadcast" his lifestyle or dress in women's clothing. Nor, he says, was he to hug or shake hands with other men for too long, and he was even advised to refrain from certain kinds of congratulatory physicality with other members of a sports team, should he choose to play on such a team.
[More at URL]
----- 26 -----
Carolina Journal Exclusives
Gay Seminar Upsets Parents
Governor's School's seminar called 'The New Gay Teenager'
By Paul Chesser
January 30, 2006
http://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/display_exclusive.html?id=3079
RALEIGH — Parents of a student who attended a taxpayer-funded summer educational institute are upset that the program included, without their prior knowledge, a seminar that promoted homosexuality.
Jim and Beverly Burrows say their son returned home from last year’s Governor’s School “confused” about homosexuality as a result of the seminar, and that they have had to seek family counseling.
“We feel that this was totally inappropriate for the students who were 15, 16, and 17 years old,” the Burrowses wrote to officials at the State Departament of Public Instruction. “We feel that our rights as parents have been violated by this program.”
In addition to complaining to DPI officials, the Burrowses wrote to editors at several newspapers in North Carolina. DPI officials have defended the seminar, saying it was optional for students to attend, as is the Governor’s School itself.
The seminar, “The New Gay Teenager,” was based on a book with the same name, written by homosexual Cornell University professor Ritch Savin-Williams. The book and the Governor’s School seminar discussed whether homosexual teen-agers benefit, or are harmed, by embracing labels based on their sexual orientation. The co-leaders of the seminar identified themselves as gay, Mrs. Burrows said — which is supported by documentation obtained by Carolina Journal.
“We trusted their reputation,” Mrs. Burrows said. “It’s supposed to be one of the highest honors in the school system, to go to the Governor’s School.”
[More at URL]
----- 27 -----
Marriage vote expected to be close
Focus on the Family Canada
February 1, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/family/stories/020106.html
Both sides in the debate over the definition of marriage say the outcome of the free vote promised by Prime Minister-designate Stephen Harper will likely be closer than when MPs voted last June to legalize same-sex marriage, the National Post reported.
Harper vowed both before and during the federal election that a Conservative government would table a motion seeking the will of MPs on whether to re-visit the controversial issue. Now that he is about to take office, Harper says he intends to follow through on that commitment “sooner rather than later, but not immediately.”
During the last Parliament, the vote in favour of amending the definition of marriage was 158 to 133 – a margin of 25 votes. Seventeen MPs were absent or abstained. There are so many unknowns with any new Parliament that predicting the outcome of this second vote will not be easy, says Joseph Ben-Ami, executive director of the Institute for Canadian Values.
[More at URL]
----- 28 -----
Same-sex marriage debate back on the table
Jan. 27, 2006. 01:00 AM
ANDREW MILLS
OTTAWA BUREAU
Long URL elided
OTTAWA—Advocates on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate are gearing up for another parliamentary showdown.
At his first news conference as prime minister-designate yesterday, Stephen Harper made official his plans to hold a free vote in the Commons on reversing the legislation that legalizes same-sex marriages.
"I've simply said we'll be doing it in the life of the Parliament," Harper told reporters. "I would prefer to do it sooner rather than later, but not immediately."
Those comments came as welcome news to Pat O'Brien, the former Liberal MP from London who left his party to sit as an independent over his objections to the same-sex marriage legislation, which passed last June.
O'Brien, who didn't run in this election, joined with former Conservative MP Grant Hill to run a group called Vote Marriage Canada. They encouraged voters to support candidates opposed to same-sex marriage.
[More at URL]
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Pharmacists won't sell abortion-causing pill
Focus on the Family Canada
February 1, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/life/stories/020106_01.html
Convinced that “emergency contraceptives” can cause an abortion, some Manitoba pharmacists are refusing to sell them, the Winnipeg Free Press has reported.
Much of that opposition appears to be centred in Steinbach, a largely Mennonite community known for its religious and moral conservatism. But even in Winnipeg, about a quarter of the pharmacies contacted by the newspaper said they did not carry the drug levonorgestrel, or Plan B.
Pharmacists in Canada have the right to refuse to sell the product as a matter of conscience, as long as they refer customers to health-care workers who do offer Plan B. A doctor’s prescription is not required to buy it.
Advocates of Plan B say if it is taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, it is 89 per cent effective at preventing a pregnancy. They claim that it will not work if the woman is already pregnant. Pro-lifers, on the other hand, argue that conception could have already occurred and that therefore it in fact induces an abortion. They point out that the discrepancy is a result of differing, and misleading, definitions of pregnancy.
[More at URL]
[Editor's note: CONCEPTION DOES NOT START PREGNANCY. Pregnancy starts when a zygote (a fertilised egg) embeds in the uterine lining and becomes an embryo. This blurring and confusion IS INTENTIONAL on the part of fundamentalists, and is why many if not most fundamentalist groups consider ALL hormonal and some non-hormonal forms of birth control to _also_ be abortifacients.]
If they pick up tactics from the south as well, you'll have a different kind of opposition than you did a year ago. It'll be meaner, better co-ordinated, and going for blood - yours. Don't underestimate it.
Meanwhile, in today's news:
Fundamentalists attacking new America OnLine marketing theme—"I am" <foo>, "I am" <bar>—as blasphemous;
Bill Clinton gets more things wrong, sides against the press in Danish newspaper cartoons issue;
Link to text of Tim Eyman's latest initiative, to overturn the just-passed bill prohibiting discrimination against GBLT people in housing, hiring, and lending; it's a systematic insertion of language to every chapter of the state civil rights code saying "sexual orientation" and "sexual preference" are specifically exempted from civil rights protections;
Focus on the Family: The Senate is the first major hurdle to the anti-marriage-rights Federal amendment;
Walgreens fires pharmacists for refusing to dispense emergency (morning-after) birth control; they're suing, claiming state law gives them that right;
FotF: "Congratulations; we helped put Roberts and Alito on the court";
Anti-marriage-rights group "Coloradans for Marriage" submits marriage ban initiative text to Secretary of State; will need 68,000 signatures to get it on the ballot;
James Dobson applauds Alito's confirmation;
Focus on the Family, other fundamentalist groups unhappy that President Bush did not specifically endorse the FMA in his State of the Union address, but applaud the ban on "human cloning";
FotF criticises CARE for "pushing condoms over abstinence until marriage";
Focus on the Family notices women's groups helping women blocked from abortion rights in their own states get abortions in New York State; accuses them of protecting sexual predators;
FotF article on so-called "partial birth" abortion ban being struck down by two appeals courts; expects a Supreme Court visit;
Colorado considers letting pharmacists write prescriptions for Plan B, the morning-after birth control pill;
FotF upset with Brokeback Mountain's awards and Oscar nominations, pushes "ex-gay" ministries;
FotF upset that unaired episodes of The Book of Daniel will be on the web, calls the representation of Jesus "blasphemous";
Concerned Women for America are upset with Bush over his "lack of emphasis on specific social issues";
What CWA wanted to hear, before the speech; even they listed the "moral issues" fourth;
CWA demand RU-486 be taken off the market, want "Holly's Law" passed to do that;
Family Research Council: Why didn't President Bush push the anti-marriage amendment?;
Denver-local coverage of the anti-marriage amendment in Colorado; atypically, the version printed does not appear to ban civil unions or domestic partnerships;
Christian Underground reprints a love-letter from Satan to the ACLU; I found a non-CU copy of it;
American Family Association ACTION ITEM against NBC for airing a segment to "denigrate Christianity";
AFA article on less-than-thrilled fundamentalist groups over the State of the Union address;
AFA Journal: AFA to start demanding "Merry Christmas" in June of 2006;
"Official Defends University's Decision to Dismiss Homosexual Student";
Carolina Journal, published by the John Locke Founation, accuses state of "promoting homosexuality" by having a panel on gay teenagers at the Governor's School, a summer educational institute;
Focus on the Family Canada: Harper WILL follow through on pledge to revisit C-38;
Toronto Star: Marriage rights debate back on the table;
Focus on the Family Canada: some Manitoba pharmacists refusing to sell emergency contraception.
----- 1 -----
Is new AOL IM slogan marketing blasphemy?
'I AM' pitch takes God's name in vain, say some shocked critics
Posted: January 31, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
ETA URL: http://worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=48585
When Ian Millar opened up his AOL Instant Messenger program yesterday and linked to the new AIM Triton site, he wasn't prepared for what he saw.
"I have been an AIM customer for many years, and although I do not use AOL for my mail client, I have recommended it for relatives and friends," he said in a letter to top executives of the company. "In general, I appreciate AOL and your business savvy."
But when Millar saw the company's new slogan, he was shocked and disgusted. He was not alone.
America Online is now acting like God – using what some consider to be His very name in a marketing pitch for e-mail, voice chat, video chat, instant messaging, text messaging and other forms of communication.
AIM's new slogan is "I AM."
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Clinton warns of rising anti-Islamic feeling
Mon Jan 30, 10:15 AM ET
Long URL elided
DOHA (AFP) - Former US president Bill Clinton warned of rising anti-Islamic prejudice, comparing it to historic anti-Semitism as he condemned the publishing of cartoons depicting Prophet Mohammed in a Danish newspaper.
[...]
Clinton described as "appalling" the 12 cartoons published in a Danish newspaper in September depicting Prophet Mohammed and causing uproar in the Muslim world.
"None of us are totally free of stereotypes about people of different races, different ethnic groups, and different religions ... there was this appalling example in northern Europe, in Denmark ... these totally outrageous cartoons against Islam," he said.
[More at URL]
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Initiative 927
As filed by Tim Eyman
Washington State Secretary of State
Long URL elided
The text of this document is an accurate copy of what was filed by the initiative proponent with the Secretary of State for assignment of a serial number. The accuracy of code in amendatory sections has not been verified.
INITIATIVE 927
I, Sam Reed, Secretary of State of the State of Washington and custodian of its seal hereby certify that, according to the records on file in my office, the attached copy of Initiative Measure No. 927 to the People is a true and correct copy as it was received by this office.
AN ACT Relating to prohibiting government-imposed preferential treatment; adding new sections to chapter 49.60 RCW; amending RCW 49.60.010, 49.60.020, 49.60.030, 49.60.040, 49.60.050, 49.60.120, 49.60.130, 49.60.175, 49.60.176, 49.60.178, 49.60.180, 49.60.190, 49.60.200, 49.60.215, 49.60.222, 49.60.223, 49.60.224, 49.60.225, and 48.30.300; and providing an effective date.
BE IT ENACTED BY THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:
POLICIES AND PURPOSES
NEW SECTION. Sec. 1. The people oppose important public policy changes being made without voter approval. The voters want an open debate where both sides are given the opportunity to have their voices heard and to persuade the voters on the issues involved. And after months of deliberation and discussion, the voters want to have the final say so that the decision can be made without fear of retaliation or intimidation. The people oppose the government forcing anyone to impose quotas, set-asides, or other preferential treatment for any group. This measure would prohibit state government from requiring any school, church, employer, or other public or private entity to impose quotas, set-asides, or other preferential treatment to any individual or group based on sexual orientation or sexual preference. Sexual orientation or sexual preference shall not be a specially protected class. The inclusion of this group as a protected class is preferential treatment over other groups not included in this chapter, such as military status, income level, medical history, or political party membership. The people do not support preferential treatment because the people do not want it to be used as a basis for requiring the legalization of same-sex marriage. This issue has become hopelessly politicized in Olympia. Politicians aren't thinking about what the voters want. Let the voters decide.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 2. A new section is added to chapter 49.60 RCW and reads as follows:
The state shall not require any school, church, employer, or other public or private entity to grant quotas, set-asides, or other preferential treatment for any individual or group based on sexual orientation or sexual preference. The special status as protected classes under this chapter shall not include sexual orientation or sexual preference. This act shall not be construed to modify or supercede state law relating to marriage.
(a) For the purposes of this chapter, "state" is state government and any of its agencies.
(b) For the purposes of this chapter, "sexual orientation or sexual preference" means heterosexuality, homosexuality, bisexuality, and gender expression or identity. As used in this definition, "gender expression or identity" means having or being perceived as having a gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior, or expression, whether or not that gender identity, self-image, appearance, behavior, or expression is different from that traditionally associated with the sex assigned to that person at birth.
NEW SECTION. Sec. 3. A new section is added to chapter 49.60 RCW and reads as follows:
This chapter does not authorize quotas, set-asides, or other preferential treatment for any individual or group based on sexual orientation or sexual preference. The special status as protected classes under this chapter shall not include sexual orientation or sexual preference. This act shall not be construed to modify or supercede state law relating to marriage.
[Much more at URL]
----- 4 -----
MARRIAGE PROTECTION AMENDMENT WAITS FOR CONGRESS
The Senate remains the first major hurdle.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 1, 2006
by Pete Winn, associate editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039400.cfm
President Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday night
contained only a brief, bare-bones mention of marriage --
but family advocates say even though the president gave
the topic short shrift in his address, marriage protection
is bound to be a major issue this year.
In a speech dominated by foreign policy and terrorism,
Bush offered only this on marriage:
"(M)any Americans, especially parents, still have deep
concerns about the direction of our culture, and the
health of our most basic institutions," he said. "They're
concerned about unethical conduct by public officials, and
discouraged by activist courts that try to redefine
marriage."
Amanda Banks, federal issues analyst for Focus on the
Family Action, said that the Marriage Protection Amendment
is pending before Congress -- and for the first time since
2004, the effort to preserve one-man, one-woman marriage
will come up for a vote.
"Sen. Wayne Allard from Colorado introduced the Marriage
Protection Amendment in the Senate a year ago," she said.
"Since that time, he has managed to raise 28 cosponsors.
If you put that into perspective -- over a quarter of the
senators have put their names onto this bill."
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
WALGREENS SUED OVER CONSCIENCE RIGHTS
Pharmacists punished for refusing to dispense morning-after pill.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 1, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039389.cfm
Four Illinois pharmacists filed a lawsuit last week
claiming they were put on indefinite, unpaid leave from
the drug-store chain Walgreens for refusing to dispense
the so-called morning-after pill, even though state law
protects them from dispensing morally objectionable
prescriptions.
Plan B, known as the morning-after pill, can sometimes
cause an early abortion.
Since 1977, the Illinois Health Care Right of Conscience
Act has protected medical workers. In April, Gov. Rod
Blagojevich issued an executive order mandating that
pharmacists dispense the morning-after pill.
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Commentary: The Two New Guys on the Front Row
SUMMARY: Readers like you helped decide who had good seats at the State of the Union.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 1, 2006
by Stuart Shepard, managing editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/fnif/commentary/a0039391.cfm
Maybe you felt it, too.
I was watching the State of the Union in HDTV on a big
screen -- which made for an
it's-like-I'm-actually-in-the-House experience -- when
President Bush pointed out the U.S. Supreme Court
justices.
Four of them sat on the front row in their very serious
black robes, their hands identically folded in their laps,
appearing occasionally unsure of what topics would be safe
for them to applaud.
The camera panned across the four who attended: New Chief
Justice John Roberts -- characteristically smiling and
confident -- and next to him Associate Justices Clarence
Thomas and Stephen Breyer. Next to them -- looking happy
to be there, but undoubtedly feeling a tad
Alice-in-Wonderlandish -- was the freshly confirmed and
sworn-in Samuel Alito.
He was assuredly having an "I'm really sitting here in the
House of Representatives and the president of the United
States is pointing me out on live television to Americans
in every state of the Union as the newest member of the
Supreme Court" moment.
That's when it hit me.
A sense of happiness, joy and pride welled up. I was
genuinely happy to see him there with his slightly
embarrassed grin. I had a sense of joy that he would be
among the nine who make decisions on the most difficult
and compelling issues of our time. And I felt a modicum of
pride that, by God's grace, we -- the people who make up
the CitizenLink family -- had at least a small, but very
real, part in putting him in that robe in that seat on
this night.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Colorado Group Seeks to Protect Marriage
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 1, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The pro-family group Coloradans for Marriage submitted a
proposed constitutional amendment today that would define
marriage as the union of one man and one woman, The
Associated Press reported.
If the language is approved by the secretary of state, the
group can then begin to collect 68,000 signatures from
registered voters needed to get the amendment on the
November ballot.
Bishop Phillip Porter, president of Coloradans for
Marriage, said the group is motivated by love in its quest
to preserve marriage.
"We can have it (love). We are all called to have that
love even when it hurts us, even when it hurts others,"
Porter said. "We live in a nation that wants no pain but
all of the gain. We can't have it both ways."
----- 8 -----
CITIZENLINK DAILY UPDATE
EDITOR'S NOTE: Dr. Dobson Applauds Alito Confirmation
Jan. 31, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Today's special edition e-mail about the confirmation of
Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court was prepared before Dr.
James Dobson made his public comments about the new
associate justice.
Here is the full text of Dr. Dobson's statement:
"This is a great day for an outstanding jurist who
deserved so much better than the shameful treatment he
received from Senate liberals. Judge Alito weathered the
Democrats' partisan theatrics and distortions of his
record with the kind of grace and class that befits his
new position. He and his family are to be commended for
their demeanor during this difficult ordeal.
"Associate Justice Alito's experience on the bench and
reverence for the Constitution will serve America well, we
pray, for the next several decades. It is clear, from his
record as an appellate court judge and his testimony
before the Senate Judiciary Committee, that Justice Alito
understands that his responsibility will be to interpret
law, not create it. He will be a welcome addition to a
Supreme Court whose justices often fail to recognize the
limits of judicial power and authority.
"We congratulate Justice Alito on his confirmation and
thank President Bush for keeping his campaign promise to
nominate jurists of his caliber to the high court."
In case you missed our earlier story on the Alito
confirmation, you can find it at the link below.
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039366.cfm
----- 9 -----
STATE OF THE UNION: 'TOGETHER WE WILL MAKE IT STRONGER'
Pro-family experts wish the president had spent more time on their issues.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 1, 2006
by Pete Winn, associate editor
[Received in email; no URL]
Pro-family leaders were generally pleased with tonight's
State of the Union address, but say President Bush could
have devoted more of the speech to domestic issues of
importance to families.
The president was clearly focused on the War on Terror,
which was the overarching theme, but the speech was also
characterized by hope.
"Tonight, the state of our union is strong," Bush told
members of the House and Senate, "and together we will
make it stronger."
He emphasized the important role of the U.S. on the world
stage.
"The only way to protect our people, the only way to
secure the peace, the only way to control our destiny is
by our leadership – so the United States of America will
continue to lead."
Gary Bauer, president of American Values, gave the
president kudos overall.
"I thought it was a good State of the Union," he said.
"The president was very direct about our commitment to win
the war. He also did not back down at all in the tactics
and the strategies that he's using to intercept
communications from Al Qaeda or al Qaeda suspects abroad."
Bauer said Bush talked about the culture in a way that
largely connected with pro-family Americans.
"He pointed out that the American people have had it when
it comes to activist courts. I was glad to hear him put
that marker down again," Bauer said.
To considerable applause, Bush recognized the newest
members of the U.S. Supreme Court who were sitting on the
front row.
"A hopeful society depends on courts that deliver equal
justice under law," Bush said. "The Supreme Court now has
two superb new members, Chief Justice John Roberts and
Justice Sam Alito. I thank the Senate for confirming both
of them. And I will continue to nominate men and women who
understand that judges must be servants of the law and not
legislate from the bench."
Janice Crouse, who heads the Beverly LaHaye Institute at
Concerned Women for America, said the president came
across as a fighter.
"I wanted to see the president display passionate
leadership and he did," she told CitizenLink. "I thought
that he did sound sometimes as much a street fighter as a
statesman. He didn't overdo that. But he did take on the
liberal misrepresentations. And that's what I wanted to
see."
The president was spirited from the start, acknowledging
Republicans and Democrats were far apart on issues --
ranging from the war to judicial nominees -- but needed to
disagree in a civilized way.
"In a system of two parties, two chambers and two elected
branches, there will always be differences and debate," he
said. "But even tough debates can be conducted in a civil
tone, and our differences cannot be allowed to harden into
anger. To confront the great issues before us, we must act
in a spirit of goodwill and respect for one another -- and
I will do my part."
But Bauer and the other analysts were disappointed that
the issue of marriage was mentioned only in a passing
reference to "activist courts that try to redefine
marriage."
"What he said was fine, but I thought he could have gone
further," Crouse said.
But Matt Daniels, president of the Alliance for Marriage,
said he found hope that Bush at least mentioned marriage
in such an important speech.
"His position remains unchanged," he said. "You've got to
understand that he's under constant pressure to change his
position and to essentially let the courts take a pass and
do the dirty work of striking all our marriage laws, and
he made it clear that he regards that as unacceptable."
Amanda Banks, federal issues analyst for Focus on the
Family Action, had hoped to hear specific mention of a
federal amendment to constitutionally define marriage as
one man and one woman.
"He stopped short of calling for Congress to pass a
marriage protection amendment to protect marriage from
being redefined," she said. "I think he came up a little
short on the issue."
Banks was encouraged that the president strongly called on
Congress to ban human cloning, experimenting with human
embryos, creating human-animal hybrids and buying, selling
or patenting human embryos.
"Human life is a gift from our Creator," the president
said, "and that gift should never be discarded, devalued
or put up for sale."
Banks said he made it clear where he stands.
"He obviously cares very deeply about the sanctity of
human life," she said, "and he's committed to that and
he's passionate about that."
----- 10 -----
AIDS-Relief Money Going to Faith-Based Groups
SUMMARY: Churches bring a vital perspective to the fight.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
January 31, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039365.cfm
More than 23 percent of President Bush's $15 billion in
grants to fight AIDS worldwide is going to religious
organizations, according to State Department figures. Some
secular groups are complaining that the involvement of
faith-based groups dilutes the impact of the initiative
meant to spearhead AIDS relief in Africa.
Dan Mullins of CARE International, a secular group and a
recipient of AIDS-relief money, warned of falling "into
the trap of assuming faith-based groups are good at
everything."
Linda Klepacki, sexual health analysts for Focus on the
Family Action, called that "a real slap in the face."
"The public health community has known for years that
churches are one of the best places to do any kind of
public-health prevention," she said.
Klepacki said she suspects CARE is upset because it was
caught pushing condoms over abstinence -- contrary to the
President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief (PEPFAR).
"One third of the prevention money for PEPFAR is to go
into abstinence-until-marriage education," she said. "And
these people are not following that directive."
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
PRO-ABORTION NEW YORKERS OPEN THEIR HOMES TO WOMEN
Coalition of volunteers helps out-of-state women get abortions.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
January 31, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039364.cfm
The Haven Coalition is a group of about 100 volunteers in
New York who take in pregnant women from out of state and
assist them in getting late-term abortions. Some call the
project the "abortion Underground Railroad."
In the last year, Haven Coalition volunteers reportedly
housed 125 women, including a 10-year-old girl.
Douglas Sylva, vice president of the Catholic Family and
Human Rights Institute, said through its actions, the
coalition may also be protecting predators.
"There are many older men impregnating girls," he said,
"and then taking those girls over state lines in order to
destroy the evidence of their crime."
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Struck Down Twice
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
January 31, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
A pair of federal appeals courts today struck down the
Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, making it increasingly
likely that the U.S. Supreme Court will step in to settle
the issue of the law's constitutionality.
The act, passed by Congress and signed by President Bush
in 2003, has never been enforced because of legal
challenges.
In today's rulings, a three-judge panel of the 9th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals, considering a challenge to the
law filed by abortion activists in San Francisco,
unanimously upheld a lower-court finding that the ban
didn't pass constitutional muster. The law, the panel
said, placed an "undue burden" on a woman's right to an
abortion.
Hours later, the 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled
similarly in a case originally out of New York. This time,
though, the three-judge panel voted 2-1, with Judge
Chester J. Straub issuing a sharp dissent.
"Allowing a physician to destroy a child as long as one
toe remains within the mother would place society on a
path toward condoning infanticide," Straub wrote. "I find
the current expansion of the right to terminate a
pregnancy to cover a child in the process of being born
morally, ethically and legally unacceptable."
In July, a third appeals court, the 8th Circuit, upheld
another lower court ruling that found the ban
unconstitutional. That case, out of Nebraska, has been
appealed to the Supreme Court -- and today's rulings are
likely to be as well, according to Carrie Gordon Earll,
Focus on the Family Action's senior analyst for bioethics.
"The presence of newly confirmed Justice Samuel Alito may
tip the balance in favor of the high court hearing these
appeals," Earll said. "It's also possible that Alito's
vote on the constitutional question of the partial-birth
abortion ban will be different than that of his
predecessor, Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who voted
against the Nebraska law.
"There is no constitutional right to stab a nearly born
baby in the back of the head," Earll added. "Partial-birth
abortion is brutal, gruesome and an assault against mother
and child. It's time for the Supreme Court to allow this
federal law to go into effect."
----- 13 -----
Colorado Considers Letting Pharmacists Prescribe Morning-After Pill
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
January 31, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Two Democratic lawmakers in Colorado have proposed giving
pharmacists the extraordinary power to write a
prescription for the so-called morning-after pill and any
future similar drugs.
The controversial drug Plan B can prevent a woman from
getting pregnant, but can sometimes cause an early
abortion.
According to The Denver Post, Rep. Betty Boyd, D-Lakewood,
said House Bill 1212, filed Monday, should avoid the
emotional fight over religious freedom that led to a veto
of a similar bill last year.
The latest version allows pharmacists with a moral
objection to choose not to prescribe the drug. Last year's
bill required all health-care providers -- including
Catholic institutions -- to notify rape victims that
emergency contraception was available.
"The governor said, 'You send me the same bill that you
sent me before and I'll veto it again,' " Boyd said. "I'm
not. I'm sending a different bill. It's the next step in
access to health care."
Some critics say the pills have the same effect as
abortion. Emergency-contraception supporters say it helps
avoid abortions by preventing pregnancy from occurring.
Carrie Gordon Earll, senior analyst for bioethics at Focus
on the Family Action, said while it's clear the bill's
sponsors are trying to moderate their approach to
emergency contraception, it still has serious problems.
"It would allow teenage girls to get these powerful doses
of hormones without parental knowledge," she said. "It
also provides no guarantee that pharmacists will take a
complete medical history from women before prescribing the
drug. This is needed because of increased risks associated
with oral contraceptives for women with certain conditions
and those who smoke."
She added that if the bill is passed and women can get the
drug over the counter from a pharmacist, they may be less
likely to see their doctor for physical exams and
screening for sexually transmitted diseases.
----- 14 -----
'Brokeback Mountain' Nabs 8 Oscar Nods
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
January 31, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The controversial "Brokeback Mountain" topped the list of
films earning Academy Award nominations today, netting
eight nods -- including best picture.
The film, which chronicles a decades-long homosexual
affair between two 1960s-era cowboys, also is in the
running for best actor (Heath Ledger, who plays one of the
cowboys); best supporting actor (Jake Gyllenhaal, who
plays the other cowboy); best supporting actress (Michelle
Williams, who plays Ledger's character's estranged wife);
and best director (Ang Lee).
"I'm amazed how people everywhere have had the sensitivity
to want to get into the complexity of the issue, the
probability of love, the illusion of love, all those
things," Lee told The Associated Press. "It's not simple
things you can categorize as right or wrong."
But Mike Haley, director of gender issues for Focus on the
Family, said the film only tells half the story of what it
means to be gay in America.
"The real truth is that those who struggle with
homosexuality, like the two lead characters in 'Brokeback
Mountain,' can leave homosexuality and the pain and
emptiness that so often accompanies it," Haley explained.
"Thousands of men and women have done just that -- have
decided to come to terms with what lies at the roots of
their same-sex attractions and to work diligently toward
overcoming them."
Haley, himself a former homosexual who is now a husband
and father of two boys, said there is no disputing that
"Brokeback Mountain" is a well-made film filled with
moving performances. But its message is dangerous, he
added, particularly to teenagers and young adults who are
questioning their sexuality.
"This movie spotlights a tragedy that is avoidable, and
almost seems to suggest that the damage the two lead
characters do to their families is somehow forgivable
because they are in love," Haley said. "But it's not
society's disapproval of homosexuality that causes the
characters' physical and emotional abandonment of their
families. It's the choices they make, choices the movie
suggests are the only ones available to them. That is
simply not true -- and it's something our young people
must be told isn't true.
"The reality is, none of this needs to happen to any
family -- ever. There is help available for those who
struggle with same-sex attractions through our Love Won
Out conferences and groups like Exodus, help that puts
families back together -- rather than ripping them apart
in the manner portrayed by this film."
FOR MORE INFORMATION: To learn more about Focus on the
Family's Love Won Out conferences, visit the ministry's
Web site.
http://lovewonout.com/
----- 15 -----
Unaired Episodes of 'The Book of Daniel' to Go Online
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
January 31, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
NBC has announced it will stream unaired episodes of
recently canceled "The Book of Daniel" on NBC.com.
The controversial series was abruptly canceled last week.
According to MediaPost, three remaining episodes will be
made available online for free beginning Friday, with each
appearing for a week on the Web site.
Several affiliates had declined to air the program, which
featured a drug-addicted Episcopal priest who had imagined
conversations with a blasphemous "Jesus" character.
----- 16 -----
Renewing the Nation’s Defining Moral Commitments
Concerned Women for America
2/1/2006
By Janice Shaw Crouse
A review of the President’s State of the Union.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10037/BLI/reports/index.htm
The President was as sure-footed in this speech as I’ve ever seen him. I wanted “fire in his belly” and to see street fighter as much as statesman in taking on anti-Americanism and liberal misrepresentations and accusations.
[...]
But he was a bit too conciliatory. He skated carefully around key domestic issues, couching them merely as concerns and challenges that confront a hopeful nation.
In short, moral clarity, boldness and passion on the big picture, but committee-content and lack of emphasis on specific social issues.
[More at URL]
----- 17 -----
What the President Must Say in the State of the Union Address
Concerned Women for America
1/31/2006
By Janice Shaw Crouse
His challenge is to make the content significant, the words memorable and the tone compelling.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10025/BLI/reports/index.htm
As the President puts the finishing touches on his State of the Union address, he must be certain that the speech contains the right emphases. It is predicted that more people around the world will hear this speech than any other during Bush’s presidency. While the State of the Union speech is typically more rhetorical than substantive, it does indicate the President’s priorities and foreshadow his agenda. Equally important, the President’s delivery and demeanor reveal the “state” of his presidency. The American people want to see and hear a confident President who is tackling the nation’s problems with vigor and from a position of strength –– in spite of the bitter partisan attacks in recent months.
[...]
Fourth, the speech must contain a litany of positive progress on cultural fronts. This nation has seen a major reversal on many of the social issues: abortion, crime, single parenthood and welfare dependency. There has been a revival of faith and a renewal of individual responsibility that are producing significant changes in the cultural climate of America. The Left doesn’t understand that Americans are basically conservative; the elitist views of the two coasts are not shared by Main Street Americans.
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
CWA Urges House to Pass Holly’s Law
Concerned Women for America
2/1/2006
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10035/MEDIA/life/index.htm
Washington, D.C. – Concerned Women for America (CWA) calls on the House to pass legislation that would ban a dangerous abortion drug linked to at least five U.S. deaths and hundreds of adverse medical conditions.
H.R. 1079, known as Holly’s Law, would suspend the Food and Drug Administration’s (FDA’s) approval of RU-486 to complete an investigation, thereby protecting countless women from this life-threatening drug. The legislation was created in response to the death of 18-year-old Holly Patterson, who suffered a painful death after taking RU-486.
“Action must be taken to keep this deadly drug away from women and girls who are being told that it is ‘safe,’” said Wendy Wright, CWA’s President. “The FDA should never have approved the drug – which is 10 times more dangerous than surgical abortion – in the first place. But now it is the duty of Congress to take a stand for women’s health and pass this law as soon as possible.”
[More at URL]
----- 19 -----
To: Friends of Family Research Council
From: Tony Perkins, President
February 1, 2006 - Wednesday
Please forward this to your Friends and Family!
https://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WA06B02#WA06B02
The Good
FRC hosted 150 or so friends and allies for a State of the Union "Watch" Party here at our headquarters last night as President Bush delivered a strong, but measured message to the nation. He made clear that America under his leadership will not flinch, but will boldly face the challenges to freedom both here and aboard. At the point in his speech where he made reference to his two nominees to the Supreme Court, Chief Justice Roberts and Justice Alito, FRC's standing room only crowd erupted in cheers. He was roundly applauded when he called for banning human cloning and chimeras (human-animal hybrids). Mr. Bush received applause when he pointed to the decline in abortion numbers as well. Congress should now move quickly to pass a real cloning ban. To further the culture of life, Congress should pass and send to the President the Child Custody Protection Act (to prevent minors from being transported across state lines to have abortions) and the Fetal Pain Awareness Act.
The Missing
The President was vigorously applauded for his many bold and unwavering words about the war on terror. Unfortunately, on a number of critical issues, the same resolve was missing. The President was right in pointing out that activist judges threaten marriage and the overall culture. And parents are rightly concerned about that. However, with a vote on a marriage amendment just weeks away in the U.S. Senate, the President should have called on Congress to act before it is too late. Since last year's State of the Union, in which the President did call on Congress to pass a marriage amendment, the threat has only increased with more judicial activism, including a federal judge striking down a state marriage amendment passed by over 70% of the voters. In the very liberal state of Maryland yesterday, the legislature began hearings on a state marriage amendment spurred on by the recent decision of a Baltimore judge that would, if upheld on appeal, impose same-sex marriage on that state. During yesterday's testimony, even Democratic Delegates grilled the AFL-CIO witness, who testified against the marriage amendment. "If I believe in the right of the people to vote on this issue, have I alienated the AFL-CIO?" Delegate Theodore Sophocleus asked incredulously. The union rep admitted that union members had not been polled on this issue. FRC's Vice President for Policy Peter Sprigg also testified before a packed committee room in Maryland's General Assembly. Some 250 witnesses for marriage lined up inside and streamed outside the hearing room, outnumbering witnesses for same-sex unions by 6 to 1. Marriage is no "wedge issue;" it is a bridge issue. The President missed a great opportunity last night to reach out to the Values Voters who re-elected him last year, and who gave him majorities in both Houses of Congress.
The Ugly
On the heels of yesterday's confirmation of Judge Sam Alito, the ugly nature of the fight over the courts was highlighted once again by Senator John Kerry. Senator Kerry emerged from the Senate chamber and told his allies that they failed to stop Alito because they hadn't "brought out the [expletive] knives." While we celebrate the tremendous victory of seeing Judge Alito placed on the nation's highest court, the battle is far from over. Make no mistake about it--the liberals are sharpening their knives for any future high court nominees, as well as qualified lower court nominees that are still being delayed. The importance of these judicial battles was highlighted once again yesterday as two U.S. Circuit Courts of Appeals (the 2nd and the 9th) struck down the ban on Partial-Birth Abortion passed overwhelmingly by Congress. One of those cases will end up before the Supreme Court and its newest justice--Sam Alito.
----- 20 -----
Drive Starts For Amendment To Ban Gay Marriage
By Colleen Slevin, AP Writer
CBS4 - Denver
Feb 1, 2006 12:57 pm US/Mountain
http://cbs4denver.com/topstories/local_story_032150056.html
(AP) DENVER Saying they were motivated by love, a coalition of religious and family groups formally kicked off a drive Wednesday for an amendment to the state constitution that would bar gay marriage.
Coloradans for Marriage submitted the proposed wording of the amendment to the Legislative Council office at the state Capitol, the first step toward getting it on the ballot this fall.
The group's president, Bishop Phillip H. Porter Jr., said the group was acting with "the love of a mother, the gentle guidance of a caring father" to preserve marriage and protect children.
He said the proposed amendment was not about hatred toward gay people.
"We can have it (love). We are all called to have that love even when it hurts us, even when it hurts others," said Porter, of All Nations Church of God in Christ in Aurora, a Pentecostal church.
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
Lucifer letter to the ACLU
"Your efforts have been the necessary and critical grease I have needed to slide in my agenda ... "
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
by Michael Westfall
Letters from Lucifer
http://www.speroforum.com/site/article.asp?idCategory=34&idsub=127&id=2490
Dear ACLU
I am Lucifer, but you may call me Satan. My spirit is alive and active through my supporters in the United States of America as well as the rest of the world.
I have wanted to write a series of letters to my various American disciples for the last two hundred years, but America’s culture had not yet reached the point to where it was fitting. After observing how successfully so many of you devoted Americans are now discipling for me, it is clearly apparent that in 2006 the time has now arrived to deliver a personalized communication as a token of my appreciation expressing my sincere gratitude. Your efforts have been the necessary and critical grease I have needed to slide in my agenda. By destroying America’s morality we are repaying the United States for being a historically strong God fearing nation.
My first letter is to you, my dear ACLU. You are the first in line because you are number one in my book. I have several other letters to my many other major supporters that will follow.
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
SPECIAL ALERT! NBC to mock the Crucifixion of Christ
American Family Association
http://www.afa.net/nbcspecialalert.asp
NBC, fresh from giving us the anti-Christian The Book of Daniel , has decided to hit back at the Christian community by presenting an episode of Will and Grace which mocks the crucifixion of Christ.
On the April 13 edition of NBC's Will and Grace , Britney Spears will appear as a Christian conservative sidekick to Sean Hayes' homosexual character, Jack, who hosts his own talk show.
Jack's fictional network, Out TV, is bought by a Christian TV network, leading to Spears contributing a cooking segment called "Cruci-fixin's." To further denigrate Christianity, NBC chose to air it the night before Good Friday.
Click Here to read the Associated Press article.
NBC does not treat Jews, Muslims or other religions with such disrespect. Yet the network demonstrates a deep of hostility toward followers of Christ.
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
Some Conservatives Give Bush's State of the Union Address Mixed Ratings
American Family Association/Agape Press
By Bill Fancher
February 1, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/12006b.asp
(AgapePress) - In his State of the Union address last night, George W. Bush touched on a number of pro-family issues of great importance to pro-family "values voters." However, some conservative listeners felt the president's speech did not go far enough and that it was conspicuously marked by things he left unsaid.
[...]
But while some conservatives were pleased with the president's words, at least one pro-family advocate is giving his State of the Union speech a mixed review. Gary Bauer of the Campaign for Working Families acknowledges that the address was filled with several positive notes and he believes it was effective for pro-family interests, but he feels it could have been more thorough.
Bush "gave a strong statement on cloning and experimentation on human embryos, and he very pointedly remarked about the fact that the American people are fed up with activist judges who want to redefine marriage," Bauer says. "I wish he would have elaborated on that. He did not."
[...]
But Michael Peroutka of the Constitution Party is hesitant to join other conservatives even in qualified applause of the President's speech. He feels Bush's State of the Union address was simply not that good.
What Bush's speech showed, Peroutka says, "is that he does have some minds to change. He's in a bit of political turmoil. He came out very strongly, and that seemed rather desperate to me." Meanwhile, the third-party political leader adds, the president avoided many of the "hot" issues of concern to Christian conservatives.
[More at URL]
----- 24 -----
'Christmas Season' to Begin Early in 2006
By AFA Journal
February 1, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/12006g.asp
(AgapePress) - The American Family Association says it will begin in June 2006 reminding national retailers that the word "Christmas" is not a four-letter word for most Americans, and it deserves to be included in store promotions and greetings in November and December.
AFA founder and chairman Don Wildmon does not want retailers to have the same excuse some used this past Christmas season. "We will start this summer to give retailers plenty of time to include the simple sentiment in their promotional activity," says Wildmon.
[More at URL]
----- 25 -----
Official Defends University's Decision to Dismiss Homosexual Student
By Jim Brown
February 1, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/12006e.asp
(AgapePress) - Former John Brown University student Michael Guinn claims he was kicked out of the Christian school after the administration raised questions about his homosexuality and imposed restrictions on his campus life.
Guinn admits the private school in northwest Arkansas dismissed him for violating campus lifestyle guidelines. However, he says he was asked to adhere to behavior codes not required of other students.
Dr. David Brisben, who chairs John Brown University's Biblical Studies Department, says although Guinn was a professing homosexual when he enrolled at the school, he agreed to remain celibate and to abide by the school's "Community Covenant," which forbids sexual immorality.
"That would be the expectation that students agree to," Brisben notes, "and so practicing homosexuality would be sex outside of marriage. And [JBU students] agree not to practice sex outside of marriage."
According to Guinn, he was instructed not to "broadcast" his lifestyle or dress in women's clothing. Nor, he says, was he to hug or shake hands with other men for too long, and he was even advised to refrain from certain kinds of congratulatory physicality with other members of a sports team, should he choose to play on such a team.
[More at URL]
----- 26 -----
Carolina Journal Exclusives
Gay Seminar Upsets Parents
Governor's School's seminar called 'The New Gay Teenager'
By Paul Chesser
January 30, 2006
http://www.carolinajournal.com/exclusives/display_exclusive.html?id=3079
RALEIGH — Parents of a student who attended a taxpayer-funded summer educational institute are upset that the program included, without their prior knowledge, a seminar that promoted homosexuality.
Jim and Beverly Burrows say their son returned home from last year’s Governor’s School “confused” about homosexuality as a result of the seminar, and that they have had to seek family counseling.
“We feel that this was totally inappropriate for the students who were 15, 16, and 17 years old,” the Burrowses wrote to officials at the State Departament of Public Instruction. “We feel that our rights as parents have been violated by this program.”
In addition to complaining to DPI officials, the Burrowses wrote to editors at several newspapers in North Carolina. DPI officials have defended the seminar, saying it was optional for students to attend, as is the Governor’s School itself.
The seminar, “The New Gay Teenager,” was based on a book with the same name, written by homosexual Cornell University professor Ritch Savin-Williams. The book and the Governor’s School seminar discussed whether homosexual teen-agers benefit, or are harmed, by embracing labels based on their sexual orientation. The co-leaders of the seminar identified themselves as gay, Mrs. Burrows said — which is supported by documentation obtained by Carolina Journal.
“We trusted their reputation,” Mrs. Burrows said. “It’s supposed to be one of the highest honors in the school system, to go to the Governor’s School.”
[More at URL]
----- 27 -----
Marriage vote expected to be close
Focus on the Family Canada
February 1, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/family/stories/020106.html
Both sides in the debate over the definition of marriage say the outcome of the free vote promised by Prime Minister-designate Stephen Harper will likely be closer than when MPs voted last June to legalize same-sex marriage, the National Post reported.
Harper vowed both before and during the federal election that a Conservative government would table a motion seeking the will of MPs on whether to re-visit the controversial issue. Now that he is about to take office, Harper says he intends to follow through on that commitment “sooner rather than later, but not immediately.”
During the last Parliament, the vote in favour of amending the definition of marriage was 158 to 133 – a margin of 25 votes. Seventeen MPs were absent or abstained. There are so many unknowns with any new Parliament that predicting the outcome of this second vote will not be easy, says Joseph Ben-Ami, executive director of the Institute for Canadian Values.
[More at URL]
----- 28 -----
Same-sex marriage debate back on the table
Jan. 27, 2006. 01:00 AM
ANDREW MILLS
OTTAWA BUREAU
Long URL elided
OTTAWA—Advocates on both sides of the same-sex marriage debate are gearing up for another parliamentary showdown.
At his first news conference as prime minister-designate yesterday, Stephen Harper made official his plans to hold a free vote in the Commons on reversing the legislation that legalizes same-sex marriages.
"I've simply said we'll be doing it in the life of the Parliament," Harper told reporters. "I would prefer to do it sooner rather than later, but not immediately."
Those comments came as welcome news to Pat O'Brien, the former Liberal MP from London who left his party to sit as an independent over his objections to the same-sex marriage legislation, which passed last June.
O'Brien, who didn't run in this election, joined with former Conservative MP Grant Hill to run a group called Vote Marriage Canada. They encouraged voters to support candidates opposed to same-sex marriage.
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Pharmacists won't sell abortion-causing pill
Focus on the Family Canada
February 1, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/life/stories/020106_01.html
Convinced that “emergency contraceptives” can cause an abortion, some Manitoba pharmacists are refusing to sell them, the Winnipeg Free Press has reported.
Much of that opposition appears to be centred in Steinbach, a largely Mennonite community known for its religious and moral conservatism. But even in Winnipeg, about a quarter of the pharmacies contacted by the newspaper said they did not carry the drug levonorgestrel, or Plan B.
Pharmacists in Canada have the right to refuse to sell the product as a matter of conscience, as long as they refer customers to health-care workers who do offer Plan B. A doctor’s prescription is not required to buy it.
Advocates of Plan B say if it is taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex, it is 89 per cent effective at preventing a pregnancy. They claim that it will not work if the woman is already pregnant. Pro-lifers, on the other hand, argue that conception could have already occurred and that therefore it in fact induces an abortion. They point out that the discrepancy is a result of differing, and misleading, definitions of pregnancy.
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[Editor's note: CONCEPTION DOES NOT START PREGNANCY. Pregnancy starts when a zygote (a fertilised egg) embeds in the uterine lining and becomes an embryo. This blurring and confusion IS INTENTIONAL on the part of fundamentalists, and is why many if not most fundamentalist groups consider ALL hormonal and some non-hormonal forms of birth control to _also_ be abortifacients.]
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no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 03:34 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 06:17 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 05:01 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-02-02 06:16 pm (UTC)ding ding ding ding ding ding WINNAH!
They need a personification of evil. They lost Communism, so now we get to be it. If the September 11th events had happened earlier - say, shortly after the fall of Communism - it would have been Islam. (Well, really, they need an internal and an external enemy, but Global Islam could have fulfilled both roles.)
no subject
Date: 2006-02-03 03:17 am (UTC)