Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Feb. 5th, 2006 05:59 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbird(Excited because I'm finishing this up just as the Seahawks scored a touchdown, finally. TAKE THAT ONE BACK, FLAGMONSTERS!)
The Globe and Mail counts votes, also thinks marriage rights would survive;
Islamic Jihad surrounds EU offices, threatens violence over newspaper cartoons;
French editor who reprinted cartoons of Mohammed fired;
Focus on the Family targets Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the 9th Circuit as trying to "overturn American values," particularly complaining about how "he has repeatedly exhaulted 'individual rights' above other principles";
Lawsuit against Wal-Mart in Massachusetts; MA law requires pharmacies to carry all commonly-prescribed medications; issue is whether Plan B counts; note FotF continuing the "hormonal birth control causes abortion" propaganda;
FotF applauds five-second delay in Super Bowl TV broadcast for potential "objectionable language or other content" cuts;
FotF outraged at Maryland House of Delegates parliamentary maneuver to table anti-marriage amendment; Republicans will bring it back up in the Senate;
Alliance Defense Fund, a fundamentalist anti-GBLT, anti-marriage rights, anti-abortion rights group, asks US Supreme Court to intervene in lesbian custody suit;
State of Florida to fund anti-abortion faith-based "pregnancy clinics";
Focus on the Family news story on effort in Congress to ban RU-486, which actually is an abortifacient;
Virginia trying to ban GBLT-supportive clubs such as the Gay-Straight Alliance club network; Focus on the Family has railed against these clubs before, which fall under the Supreme Court's ruling coming out of a lawsuit requiring schools to treat clubs equally; this would directly violate that precedent and would no doubt end up in the Supreme Court;
Speaking of which, here's a story about states prepping outright abortion bans with the intent to challenge Roe v. Wade on the new court;
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM for "H.R. 3753, the Home School Non-Discrimination Act," which I don't know what is right now and can't check because we have no power; also is a story praising new Republican Rep. John Boehner, new house majority leader, citing his support of the anti-marriage "Marriage Protection Amendment" and anti-abortion legislation;
Faith and Freedom Network condemns Brokeback Mountain and Hollywood for producing it yet again;
I'm considering dropping back on coverage of this since it's become so high level that all the major media outlets are reporting it now, but not yet, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for things the mainstream media isn't covering; the latest today was that Syrians torched the Danish and Norwegian embassies; I've been told that it's only the Wahhabis who object to any portrayal of the Prophet; it's interesting that this was in Syria, a largely secular regime who has fundamentalist pressures to let out and may be letting this steer that anger;
Danish cartoonists who drew the original cartoons are in hiding across the country;
Link to the "Buy Danish" campaign;
Freeport, Bahamas newspaper The Freeport News condemns lesbianism in high schools, uses scare-quotes around the word "Christians" when describing GBLT-friendly Christians; says it's harder to "ferret out" lesbians because, and I quote, "gay women do not physically exhibit the characteristics which make it easy to determine that a man is homosexual," calls for "polluting the minds of some of their students" with "lesbianism" to be made a crime;
Pope Benedict comes down on the wrong side, sadly; quote: "The right to freedom of thought and expression . . . cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers"; meanwhile, in better news, the Denmark PM refused to apologise for a free press;
Family Research Council: Next Supreme Court nominee should not be a moderate.
----- 1 -----
Same-sex vote likely to be tight
Narrow majority of MPs would agree to retain current legislation, survey shows
By MICHAEL VALPY and CAROLINE ALPHONSO AND RHÉAL SÉGUIN
Wednesday, February 1, 2006 Posted at 5:43 AM EST
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060201.wxsamesex01/BNStory/National/
An expected vote in the next House of Commons to re-establish the traditional definition of marriage would be close, but a narrow majority of MPs would likely agree to retain same-sex marriage, a Globe and Mail survey has found.
According to the tabulation, 153 incoming MPs either voted for same-sex legislation in June or indicated they would if the matter came before the House again. Another 136 either voted against the legislation or said they oppose same-sex marriage.
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Gunmen surround EU offices over Mohammed cartoons
(Filed: 02/02/2006)
The Daily Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/02/ugaza.xml&sSheet=/portal/2006/02/02/ixportaltop.html
Palestinian gunmen have surrounded European Union offices in the Gaza Strip in protest at caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed that have been published in European newspapers.
Around a dozen gunmen from the militant group Islamic Jihad, and an armed faction of Fatah known as the Yasser Arafat brigades, threatened violence and demanded an apology for the cartoons.
The gunmen climbed walls surrounding the building and fired shots into the air before leaving, according to reports.
The group set a 48-hour deadline for an apology for the drawings, one of which features the Prophet wearing a turban shaped like a bomb.
Another armed Fatah group, called the Abu el-Reesh Brigades, said citizens of Norway, Denmark, France and Germany in Gaza "will be in danger" if their governments do not apologise within 10 hours.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
French editor fired over Mohammed cartoons
(Filed: 02/02/2006)
The Daily Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/02/ucartoon.xml&sSheet=/portal/2006/02/02/ixportaltop.html
The managing editor of a French newspaper that reprinted caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed has been fired.
The drawings, which first ran in a Danish paper and have provoked anger across the Muslim world, were republished yesterday in France Soir and several other European newspapers determined to defend freedom of expression.
But the managing editor of France Soir, Jacques Lefranc, was sacked after the publication by Raymon Lakah, an Egyptian magnate who owns the paper.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
JUDGE GONE WILD
Judge Stephen Reinhardt is trying to overturn American values.
Focus on the Family
a Citizen magazine special report
February 3, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/citizenmag/coverstory/a0039283.cfm
SUMMARY: Ruling against parental rights is just one way
Judge Stephen Reinhardt is trying to overturn American
values.
He's the judge who says parental rights end at the
schoolhouse door and that the Pledge of Allegiance in
public school classrooms is unconstitutional.
He admires an Israeli judge who's outlawed spanking and
radically expanded the power of the federal judiciary.
He considers an opinion he wrote in 1996 in favor of
assisted suicide his greatest achievement.
He's Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court
of Appeals -- the most infamous member of the most radical
court in America. He's notorious because he's caused real
harm -- to parental rights, public safety and the
reputation of the federal courts. But one of his
colleagues says he's a "mastodon," soon to be "extinct."
President Bush could hasten that day by appointing more
conservatives to vacancies on the 9th Circuit, but
Reinhardt and his political allies aren't quite ready to
surrender. They're intent on transforming America, with
Reinhardt the master architect.
[...]
Problem is, those personal emotions seem to have skewed
Reinhardt's legal logic -- especially on the court, where
he has repeatedly exalted "individual rights" above other
principles.
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Wal-Mart Sued Over Morning-After Pill
SUMMARY: Pro-abortion groups want to force the company to stock it.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 3, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039426.cfm
Three women in Massachusetts filed suit against Wal-Mart
on Wednesday because its pharmacies do not stock or sell
Plan B, the so-called morning-after pill.
Plan B is controversial because it can sometimes cause an
early abortion. [Editor's note: THIS IS A LIE. The morning-after
pill cannot cause an abortion because it is only effective when
there is not yet a pregnancy. Fundamentalists are expanding
the definition of "abortion" to include "zygote presense before
implantation and pregnancy." This is intentional; many
fundamentalist groups consider _all_ hormonal and many
other forms of birth control to be abortion-inducing.]
Wal-Mart called it a bad business decision to carry the
seldom-used drug, and pro-life groups say no business
should be forced to participate in an abortion.
Samuel Perkins, the attorney for the women, accused
Wal-Mart of breaking a Massachusetts regulation requiring
every pharmacy to carry all "commonly prescribed
medicines."
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
THE SUPER BOWL, A FIVE-SECOND DELAY AND FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY
ABC takes steps to keep it clean and teens work for the poor.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 3, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0039424.cfm
by Pete Winn, associate editor
SUMMARY: ABC takes steps to keep it clean and teens work
for the poor.
Super Bowl XL is this Sunday, and while many people are
talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle
Seahawks, others are applauding efforts to keep offensive
content from making it to your TV, and efforts by teens to
leverage the event to help the poor.
< Time to React >
ABC announced it will employ a five-second delay for the
telecast, which will allow the network to cut any
objectionable language or other content before it goes
out.
That's good news for families who plan to tune in, but who
may be wary after Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 -- a telecast
in which singer Janet Jackson's breast was bared during
the half-time extravaganza.
The decision reflects the outrage of millions of families
in 2004, according to L. Brent Bozell, president of the
Parents Television Council.
"ABC has wisely decided to ensure that this year's Super
Bowl is not hijacked by raunchy performers as it was in
2004," he said. "Now, we hope that millions of families
can safely watch this family program without the worry of
seeing inappropriate sexual content or hearing vulgar
language."
The 2004 Super Bowl not only included the infamous
wardrobe malfunction and the accompanying suggestive
dancing, but also a spate of raunchy commercials.
"The delay does nothing to impair the excitement of the
game broadcast, as it already takes several seconds for
the broadcast signal to beam from the football field to
living rooms across the country," Bozell said.
Robert Peters, president of Morality in Media, was also
pleased by news of the time delay -- and by advance talk
that families may get a break from racy Super Bowl ads.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Maryland House Avoids Vote on Marriage Amendment
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 3, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
A push for a constitutional amendment to preserve marriage
in Maryland was halted by Democrats who, instead of being
faced with vote to send the amendment to the ballot, shut
down the state House, The Washington Times reported.
In a move the Times called "unprecedented in the modern
history of the General Assembly," House Speaker Michael
Busch called for a recess nine minutes into the session,
effectively quashing a vote on an amendment that would
define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
Republican lawmakers were about to take an action intended
to ensure the bill would be presented for a vote on the
House floor.
"It's game-playing," said Del. Anthony O'Donnell. "It is
one more example of unchecked power by a (Democratic)
majority that has been in control of the House for 180
years."
Fifty-four percent of voters in Maryland said they would
approve a constitutional amendment to preserve marriage if
they were given the chance to vote. But in order to get
the amendment on the ballot, it would need the support of
three-fifths of both houses of the state Legislature.
The state Senate is still slated to consider similar
legislation.
"Thank God there is a Senate," Del. Michael Smigiel told
Fox News.
----- 8 -----
Alliance Defense Fund Asks High Court to Hear Third-Party Parenting Case
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 3, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed a petition Thursday
requesting that the U.S. Supreme Court hear a case
involving a lesbian seeking parental rights over a
nonbiological child.
Sue Ellen Carvin had a lesbian relationship with the
child's mother, Page Britain. The child's father, John
Auseth, lived with the two women and shared financial and
household responsibilities while Britain was pregnant with
his child.
After Carvin and Britain ended their relationship, Auseth
and Britain became engaged and then married, wanting to
raise their child together as a family.
A lower court granted Carvin parental rights -- against
the wishes of the child's biological parents.
Chris Stovall, senior legal counsel for the Alliance
Defense Fund, said unless there's proven abuse or neglect,
the wishes of a child's biological parents should always
take precedent.
"The lower court's ruling has paved the way for a child to
have three legal parents, and we hope the U.S. Supreme
Court will hear the case and overturn that disastrous
decision," he said. "Our nation has a deeply rooted
tradition of protecting the fundamental rights of fit
biological parents to raise their children as they feel
best."
Kristen Waggoner, lead counsel on the case, said when the
lower court allowed an emotional attachment to supplant
the rights of a child's family, it is cause for great
concern.
"The latitude for third parties to make parentage claims
-- including claims by a live-in boyfriend, a relative or
a family friend -- is troubling," she said. "Rulings like
this could have serious implications for all families."
----- 9 -----
Grant Will Fund Abortion-Prevention Work
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 3, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Lawmakers in Florida have allocated $2 million in grant
money to help support pregnancy-resource centers and fund
a program that provides assistance for those facing
unplanned pregnancies.
The new state program, administered by the Florida
Pregnancy Care Network (FPCN), will use the services of
The Option Line -- a toll-free number that receives more
than 10,000 requests for help each month from women
seeking advice.
Kurt Entsminger, president of Care Net, co-owner of the
phone service, praised the state for its innovation.
"By utilizing the Option Line, this program will involve a
call center that has proven effectiveness in connecting
them with local help and, ultimately, helping to reduce
the number of abortions," he said. "Care Net is
enthusiastic about this new program, which allows
meaningful participation by faith-based organizations."
The funding will also reimburse qualified
pregnancy-resource centers for counseling services that
stay within the boundaries of the state's faith-based
initiative guidelines. Pregnancy centers can receive
funding to participate in training to qualify for the
reimbursement.
"We believe that if this program is tested over time,"
Entsminger said, "we will see a significant reduction in
the number of abortions in the state of Florida."
----- 10 -----
RU-486 COULD BE PULLED FROM MARKET
Bill would force a more comprehensive review of the abortion drug.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 2, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039402.cfm
Federal lawmakers are considering legislation to force the
abortion drug RU-486, which has caused eight deaths since
2000, off the market.
The bill would cause the drug to be at least temporarily
withdrawn and reviewed by the U.S. comptroller general. It
is currently being debated in committee in the House and
Senate.
The effort comes in response to the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) refusing to take any action in light
of the RU-486 deaths, including the highly publicized
death of 18-year-old Holly Patterson. The California woman
died of septic shock a week after being given the drug at
a Planned Parenthood clinic.
In addition to the eight deaths, the drug has caused more
than 800 instances of adverse side effects, including
heavy bleeding.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Virginia Legislators Consider Disallowing Some Student Groups
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 2, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Lawmakers in Virginia's House of Delegates passed
legislation Tuesday that would give school boards the
power to tell some student groups they can't meet on
school grounds, The Associated Press reported.
Critics of the legislation say it targets homosexual
student groups. Last year a book signing by a gay author
-- arranged by the Gay-Straight Alliance -- was canceled
after it was learned the author would promote his book
about gay fraternity sex.
Del. Matthew Lohr said though the incident was troubling,
gay groups are not the only issue.
"Whether it be homosexual or heterosexual, school is just
not the place to be talking about sexual activity," he
said. "The intent is to give local school boards more
control over the types of groups which use the buildings."
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
----- 12 -----
Several States Seeking to Ban Abortion
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 2, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Lawmakers in at least five states have proposed
legislation that would either severely limit or altogether
ban abortion -- a challenge to Roe v. Wade, the 1973
Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion on demand,
NewsMax.com reported.
Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, South Dakota and Tennessee are all
considering a ban that includes an exception if the life
of the mother is in danger.
Clark Forsythe, director of Americans United for Life,
said it is highly likely that any new law banning abortion
would be struck down by the lower courts.
----- 13 -----
Education Committee Chairman Assumes House Leadership
SUMMARY: Rep. John Boehner elected House majority leader.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 2, 2006
by Pete Winn, associate editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039406.cfm
Republicans selected Ohio Congressman John Boehner today
to become the majority leader of the U.S. House of
Representatives.
Boehner defeated two colleagues -- Reps. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.,
and John Shadegg, R-Ariz. -- in an election held among the
members of the House Republican caucus.
Boehner reportedly received 122 votes -- more than a dozen
better than Blunt, who had been the acting majority leader
since Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, stepped down from the post
in September. Shadegg dropped out after the first round of
votes.
Boehner, who campaigned for the post by saying he wanted
to renew the party's "spirit and vision," served for the
last five years as chairman of the House Education and
Workforce Committee.
"The work ahead of us will not be easy," he said in a
statement released after the vote. "We must act swiftly to
restore the trust between Congress and the American
people. We must take the necessary steps to get the
federal budget under control -- to cut wasteful spending,
reform our entitlement programs, and craft a budget
process that encourages fiscal discipline. And we must
recommit ourselves to reducing the influence of government
in our lives. United together, I’m confident that our
party can tackle the challenges before us and continue to
lead the House for years to come."
Amanda Banks, federal issues analyst for Focus on the
Family Action, said pro-family conservatives look forward
to working with the new majority leader.
"Representative Boehner is known for his passion on
education issues," she said, "and we anticipate working
with him to advance pro-family education initiatives like
the Home School Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3753) and
school-choice proposals."
Banks also said she is hopeful the new House majority
leader will be a great ally in House leadership, pointing
to his support of the Marriage Protection Amendment and
pro-life legislation.
Blunt, meanwhile, will remain in the position of majority
whip.
TAKE ACTION: Ask your representative in the House to
co-sponsor H.R. 3753, the Home School Non-Discrimination
Act. You can find contact information in the CitizenLink
Action Center:
http://www.family.org/cforum/action_center.cfm?capwizurl=http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/dbq/officials/
----- 14 -----
Entertainment Industry Does Not Reflect Society
Faith and Freedom Network
February 2, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us%2Fweblog%2Fblogger.html
For at least a generation, Hollywood has been telling us they do not affect society, society affects the movies. Their favorite line is, “Entertainment is merely a reflection of society.”
For the most part that has never been true, but never as much as it is today.
Hollywood has always had an agenda and as the culture war has become more defined, Hollywood has become more aggressive in promoting their beliefs.
Brokeback Mountain, a film which chronicles a decades-long homosexual affair between two 1960’s-era cowboys has received eight Academy Award nominations.
And Lee, the director of the movie said, “I’m amazed how people everywhere have had the sensitivity to want to get into the complexity of the issue.”
But wait, who is everybody? And who makes the Academy Award Nominations?
Hollywood is talking to itself. And they’re terribly out of touch.
If everyone is into this, why did Brokeback take in only $51 million in 8 weeks while the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe took in $277.9 million in 8 weeks?
The answer is easy. More people are into the message of Narnia than into the message of Brokeback.
[Editor's Note: Actually, while I don't think that an equal release would produce a monetary win for Brokeback Mountain, I do feel obligated to point out that Brokeback Mountain has pulled in more than The Chronicles of Narnia on a per-screen basis for much if not most of its release. And even being on a fraction of the number of screens at any one time as most of the larger movies, it has spent days as nr. 1 in the box office. This is extraordinary, which is probably why they're pushing to hard to bury it.]
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Syrians torch Danish, Norway embassies over cartoon
Sat Feb 4, 2006 12:38 PM ET
By Rasha Elass
Reuters
http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-02-04T173731Z_01_L04656842_RTRUKOC_0_US-RELIGION-CARTOONS-SYRIA.xml
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Several thousand Syrian demonstrators set the Danish and the Norwegian embassies on fire on Saturday to protest at the publishing of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad by European newspapers.
The protest marked an escalation in the Muslim world's uproar over the cartoons, which have been reprinted in a number of European publications. One depicted Prophet Mohammad wearing a turban resembling a bomb.
The fire badly damaged the Danish embassy's building, a Reuters witness said. Firefighters put out the blaze.
Chanting "God is Greatest," the protesters stormed the embassy; threw stones and shattered its windows; burned the national flag and replaced it with another flag reading "No God but Allah, Mohammad is His Prophet".
The protesters also set the Norwegian embassy ablaze. It was brought under control by firefighters. Police fired teargas to disperse the protesters and cordoned off the area.
"When the issue came back into the headlines, we asked for increased security for the embassy. It appears we did not quite (get the increased security)," Norway's ambassador to Syria Sven Sevje told CNN. He said staff at the embassy were safe.
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Danish cartoonists fear for their lives
From Anthony Browne in Brussels
February 04, 2006
The Times of London
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2024306,00.html
TWELVE Danish cartoonists whose pictures sparked such outcry have gone into hiding under round-the-clock protection, fearing for their lives.
The cartoonists, many of whom had reservations about the pictures, have been shocked by how the affair has escalated into a global “clash of civilisations”. They have since tried, unsuccessfully, to stop them being reprinted.
A spokesman for the cartoonists said: “They are in hiding around Denmark. Some of them are really, really scared. They don’t want to see the pictures reprinted all over the world. We couldn’t stop it. We tried, but we couldn’t.”
[More at URL]
----- 17 -----
END THE BOYCOTT
Buy Danish Campaign
http://buydanish.home.comcast.net/products.htm
A LIST OF DANISH PRODUCTS
Food:
Arla milk, cheese etc.
Knorr seasonings
Danish crown (meat)
Lurmaerket Butter
Danish Bacon
Thor Fish
Danisco Food
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Lesbianism in our schools
Editorial
The Freeport News
February 2, 2006
http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/editorial/359254495327970.php
If the problem is as serious as has been suggested by Stephen Plakaris, deputy director of government school security for the Northern Bahamas, a much bigger crisis exists in our school system than the disgraceful "D" average performance that is now the norm nationally for students in government schools.
In an article published in The Freeport News on Tuesday, Mr. Plakaris confirmed that there is a network of lesbians operating in private and government high schools in Grand Bahama. "Unfortunately we cannot deny it," he told our reporter, adding: "To deny it would put us in a situation where we're looking at ourselves in the mirror and pretending we don't see what is there."
Although he could not say how many girls on the various campuses engage in lesbianism, Mr. Plakaris made the shocking assertion that the numbers "are alarming, disturbing and growing." Even more disturbing is the claim made by Mr. Plakaris that there are some adults of this orientation – including some teachers and parents – who "are not inclined" to discourage young girls from engaging in this kind of lifestyle.
Rumours have long been in circulation about lesbianism becoming a growing problem not only in schools in Grand Bahama, but in New Providence as well. Gauging just how pervasive it is in our schools, of course, has always been difficult because gay women do not physically exhibit the characteristics which make it easy to determine that a man is homosexual. The same is true with women in general. However, particularly after Miss Teen Bahamas Gari McDonald, then 17 years old, last year came out of the closet – as the saying goes – and declared that she is a lesbian, some women who are similarly inclined have been boldly speaking out more openly about their sexual preference.
As a moral issue, being classified as a homosexual is no longer as detestable as it used to be in The Bahamas, and indeed worldwide. What's more, it has gained a degree of acceptance in the Church, with the ordination a couple of years ago by the Episcopal Church in the United States of an openly gay priest as a bishop. To be sure, there are committed "Christians" who can present strong arguments, supported by biblical references, that there is nothing wrong with being a homosexual.
But although there no longer seems to be a stigma attached to being a sissy – the more popular word used in The Bahamas for gay men – it is totally, totally, totally wrong for students in our schools to be ensnared and encouraged into this lifestyle by those entrusted to teach them and mould their characters. In essence, they should not be taught a course in "gay science" in the same manner that they are taught English, mathematics and history.
Wherever it can be proven that teachers are involved in polluting the minds of some of their students by spreading lesbianism in our schools, it should be treated as a criminal act. At the very least, they should be encouraged to seek another line of work.
----- 19 -----
Cartoons fan flames
06 feb 06
Herald Sun
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18049532%255E663,00.html
THOUSANDS of Syrians enraged by controversial cartoons of the prophet Mohammed torched the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus.
Demonstrations outside the the Danish embassy in the Syrian captial began peacefully. But protesters began throwing stones and eventually breached police barricades.
[...]
"With our blood and souls we defend you, oh prophet of God!" they chanted.
Demonstrators moved to Norway's embassy about 6km away and set fire to it before being dispersed by police with tear gas and water cannon.
[...]
Iraqis rallying by the hundreds demanded an apology from the European Union, and the leader of the Palestinian group Hamas called the cartoons "an unforgivable insult" that merited punishment by death.
[...]
Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said he cannot apologise for his country's free press.
[...]
The Vatican deplored the violence, but said: "The right to freedom of thought and expression . . . cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers."
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
When will they ever learn?
Family Research Council
by: Connie Mackey
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WL06B12
Rumor has it that the "powers that be" in the WH and the Senate have begun their thinking on the next Supreme Court nominee and that they do not want to go through another tough battle, nor do they want the numbers at 58-42. Well, neither do we; however, the answer is not to move left toward a "moderate." If that happens they can kiss the outside organizers goodbye. Worse than that, they can expect organized opposition.
The Globe and Mail counts votes, also thinks marriage rights would survive;
Islamic Jihad surrounds EU offices, threatens violence over newspaper cartoons;
French editor who reprinted cartoons of Mohammed fired;
Focus on the Family targets Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the 9th Circuit as trying to "overturn American values," particularly complaining about how "he has repeatedly exhaulted 'individual rights' above other principles";
Lawsuit against Wal-Mart in Massachusetts; MA law requires pharmacies to carry all commonly-prescribed medications; issue is whether Plan B counts; note FotF continuing the "hormonal birth control causes abortion" propaganda;
FotF applauds five-second delay in Super Bowl TV broadcast for potential "objectionable language or other content" cuts;
FotF outraged at Maryland House of Delegates parliamentary maneuver to table anti-marriage amendment; Republicans will bring it back up in the Senate;
Alliance Defense Fund, a fundamentalist anti-GBLT, anti-marriage rights, anti-abortion rights group, asks US Supreme Court to intervene in lesbian custody suit;
State of Florida to fund anti-abortion faith-based "pregnancy clinics";
Focus on the Family news story on effort in Congress to ban RU-486, which actually is an abortifacient;
Virginia trying to ban GBLT-supportive clubs such as the Gay-Straight Alliance club network; Focus on the Family has railed against these clubs before, which fall under the Supreme Court's ruling coming out of a lawsuit requiring schools to treat clubs equally; this would directly violate that precedent and would no doubt end up in the Supreme Court;
Speaking of which, here's a story about states prepping outright abortion bans with the intent to challenge Roe v. Wade on the new court;
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM for "H.R. 3753, the Home School Non-Discrimination Act," which I don't know what is right now and can't check because we have no power; also is a story praising new Republican Rep. John Boehner, new house majority leader, citing his support of the anti-marriage "Marriage Protection Amendment" and anti-abortion legislation;
Faith and Freedom Network condemns Brokeback Mountain and Hollywood for producing it yet again;
I'm considering dropping back on coverage of this since it's become so high level that all the major media outlets are reporting it now, but not yet, and I'll definitely keep an eye out for things the mainstream media isn't covering; the latest today was that Syrians torched the Danish and Norwegian embassies; I've been told that it's only the Wahhabis who object to any portrayal of the Prophet; it's interesting that this was in Syria, a largely secular regime who has fundamentalist pressures to let out and may be letting this steer that anger;
Danish cartoonists who drew the original cartoons are in hiding across the country;
Link to the "Buy Danish" campaign;
Freeport, Bahamas newspaper The Freeport News condemns lesbianism in high schools, uses scare-quotes around the word "Christians" when describing GBLT-friendly Christians; says it's harder to "ferret out" lesbians because, and I quote, "gay women do not physically exhibit the characteristics which make it easy to determine that a man is homosexual," calls for "polluting the minds of some of their students" with "lesbianism" to be made a crime;
Pope Benedict comes down on the wrong side, sadly; quote: "The right to freedom of thought and expression . . . cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers"; meanwhile, in better news, the Denmark PM refused to apologise for a free press;
Family Research Council: Next Supreme Court nominee should not be a moderate.
----- 1 -----
Same-sex vote likely to be tight
Narrow majority of MPs would agree to retain current legislation, survey shows
By MICHAEL VALPY and CAROLINE ALPHONSO AND RHÉAL SÉGUIN
Wednesday, February 1, 2006 Posted at 5:43 AM EST
From Wednesday's Globe and Mail
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20060201.wxsamesex01/BNStory/National/
An expected vote in the next House of Commons to re-establish the traditional definition of marriage would be close, but a narrow majority of MPs would likely agree to retain same-sex marriage, a Globe and Mail survey has found.
According to the tabulation, 153 incoming MPs either voted for same-sex legislation in June or indicated they would if the matter came before the House again. Another 136 either voted against the legislation or said they oppose same-sex marriage.
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Gunmen surround EU offices over Mohammed cartoons
(Filed: 02/02/2006)
The Daily Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/02/ugaza.xml&sSheet=/portal/2006/02/02/ixportaltop.html
Palestinian gunmen have surrounded European Union offices in the Gaza Strip in protest at caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed that have been published in European newspapers.
Around a dozen gunmen from the militant group Islamic Jihad, and an armed faction of Fatah known as the Yasser Arafat brigades, threatened violence and demanded an apology for the cartoons.
The gunmen climbed walls surrounding the building and fired shots into the air before leaving, according to reports.
The group set a 48-hour deadline for an apology for the drawings, one of which features the Prophet wearing a turban shaped like a bomb.
Another armed Fatah group, called the Abu el-Reesh Brigades, said citizens of Norway, Denmark, France and Germany in Gaza "will be in danger" if their governments do not apologise within 10 hours.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
French editor fired over Mohammed cartoons
(Filed: 02/02/2006)
The Daily Telegraph
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2006/02/02/ucartoon.xml&sSheet=/portal/2006/02/02/ixportaltop.html
The managing editor of a French newspaper that reprinted caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed has been fired.
The drawings, which first ran in a Danish paper and have provoked anger across the Muslim world, were republished yesterday in France Soir and several other European newspapers determined to defend freedom of expression.
But the managing editor of France Soir, Jacques Lefranc, was sacked after the publication by Raymon Lakah, an Egyptian magnate who owns the paper.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
JUDGE GONE WILD
Judge Stephen Reinhardt is trying to overturn American values.
Focus on the Family
a Citizen magazine special report
February 3, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/citizenmag/coverstory/a0039283.cfm
SUMMARY: Ruling against parental rights is just one way
Judge Stephen Reinhardt is trying to overturn American
values.
He's the judge who says parental rights end at the
schoolhouse door and that the Pledge of Allegiance in
public school classrooms is unconstitutional.
He admires an Israeli judge who's outlawed spanking and
radically expanded the power of the federal judiciary.
He considers an opinion he wrote in 1996 in favor of
assisted suicide his greatest achievement.
He's Judge Stephen Reinhardt of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court
of Appeals -- the most infamous member of the most radical
court in America. He's notorious because he's caused real
harm -- to parental rights, public safety and the
reputation of the federal courts. But one of his
colleagues says he's a "mastodon," soon to be "extinct."
President Bush could hasten that day by appointing more
conservatives to vacancies on the 9th Circuit, but
Reinhardt and his political allies aren't quite ready to
surrender. They're intent on transforming America, with
Reinhardt the master architect.
[...]
Problem is, those personal emotions seem to have skewed
Reinhardt's legal logic -- especially on the court, where
he has repeatedly exalted "individual rights" above other
principles.
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Wal-Mart Sued Over Morning-After Pill
SUMMARY: Pro-abortion groups want to force the company to stock it.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 3, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039426.cfm
Three women in Massachusetts filed suit against Wal-Mart
on Wednesday because its pharmacies do not stock or sell
Plan B, the so-called morning-after pill.
Plan B is controversial because it can sometimes cause an
early abortion. [Editor's note: THIS IS A LIE. The morning-after
pill cannot cause an abortion because it is only effective when
there is not yet a pregnancy. Fundamentalists are expanding
the definition of "abortion" to include "zygote presense before
implantation and pregnancy." This is intentional; many
fundamentalist groups consider _all_ hormonal and many
other forms of birth control to be abortion-inducing.]
Wal-Mart called it a bad business decision to carry the
seldom-used drug, and pro-life groups say no business
should be forced to participate in an abortion.
Samuel Perkins, the attorney for the women, accused
Wal-Mart of breaking a Massachusetts regulation requiring
every pharmacy to carry all "commonly prescribed
medicines."
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
THE SUPER BOWL, A FIVE-SECOND DELAY AND FOOD FOR THE HUNGRY
ABC takes steps to keep it clean and teens work for the poor.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 3, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0039424.cfm
by Pete Winn, associate editor
SUMMARY: ABC takes steps to keep it clean and teens work
for the poor.
Super Bowl XL is this Sunday, and while many people are
talking about the Pittsburgh Steelers and the Seattle
Seahawks, others are applauding efforts to keep offensive
content from making it to your TV, and efforts by teens to
leverage the event to help the poor.
< Time to React >
ABC announced it will employ a five-second delay for the
telecast, which will allow the network to cut any
objectionable language or other content before it goes
out.
That's good news for families who plan to tune in, but who
may be wary after Super Bowl XXXVIII in 2004 -- a telecast
in which singer Janet Jackson's breast was bared during
the half-time extravaganza.
The decision reflects the outrage of millions of families
in 2004, according to L. Brent Bozell, president of the
Parents Television Council.
"ABC has wisely decided to ensure that this year's Super
Bowl is not hijacked by raunchy performers as it was in
2004," he said. "Now, we hope that millions of families
can safely watch this family program without the worry of
seeing inappropriate sexual content or hearing vulgar
language."
The 2004 Super Bowl not only included the infamous
wardrobe malfunction and the accompanying suggestive
dancing, but also a spate of raunchy commercials.
"The delay does nothing to impair the excitement of the
game broadcast, as it already takes several seconds for
the broadcast signal to beam from the football field to
living rooms across the country," Bozell said.
Robert Peters, president of Morality in Media, was also
pleased by news of the time delay -- and by advance talk
that families may get a break from racy Super Bowl ads.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Maryland House Avoids Vote on Marriage Amendment
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 3, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
A push for a constitutional amendment to preserve marriage
in Maryland was halted by Democrats who, instead of being
faced with vote to send the amendment to the ballot, shut
down the state House, The Washington Times reported.
In a move the Times called "unprecedented in the modern
history of the General Assembly," House Speaker Michael
Busch called for a recess nine minutes into the session,
effectively quashing a vote on an amendment that would
define marriage as a union between one man and one woman.
Republican lawmakers were about to take an action intended
to ensure the bill would be presented for a vote on the
House floor.
"It's game-playing," said Del. Anthony O'Donnell. "It is
one more example of unchecked power by a (Democratic)
majority that has been in control of the House for 180
years."
Fifty-four percent of voters in Maryland said they would
approve a constitutional amendment to preserve marriage if
they were given the chance to vote. But in order to get
the amendment on the ballot, it would need the support of
three-fifths of both houses of the state Legislature.
The state Senate is still slated to consider similar
legislation.
"Thank God there is a Senate," Del. Michael Smigiel told
Fox News.
----- 8 -----
Alliance Defense Fund Asks High Court to Hear Third-Party Parenting Case
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 3, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed a petition Thursday
requesting that the U.S. Supreme Court hear a case
involving a lesbian seeking parental rights over a
nonbiological child.
Sue Ellen Carvin had a lesbian relationship with the
child's mother, Page Britain. The child's father, John
Auseth, lived with the two women and shared financial and
household responsibilities while Britain was pregnant with
his child.
After Carvin and Britain ended their relationship, Auseth
and Britain became engaged and then married, wanting to
raise their child together as a family.
A lower court granted Carvin parental rights -- against
the wishes of the child's biological parents.
Chris Stovall, senior legal counsel for the Alliance
Defense Fund, said unless there's proven abuse or neglect,
the wishes of a child's biological parents should always
take precedent.
"The lower court's ruling has paved the way for a child to
have three legal parents, and we hope the U.S. Supreme
Court will hear the case and overturn that disastrous
decision," he said. "Our nation has a deeply rooted
tradition of protecting the fundamental rights of fit
biological parents to raise their children as they feel
best."
Kristen Waggoner, lead counsel on the case, said when the
lower court allowed an emotional attachment to supplant
the rights of a child's family, it is cause for great
concern.
"The latitude for third parties to make parentage claims
-- including claims by a live-in boyfriend, a relative or
a family friend -- is troubling," she said. "Rulings like
this could have serious implications for all families."
----- 9 -----
Grant Will Fund Abortion-Prevention Work
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 3, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Lawmakers in Florida have allocated $2 million in grant
money to help support pregnancy-resource centers and fund
a program that provides assistance for those facing
unplanned pregnancies.
The new state program, administered by the Florida
Pregnancy Care Network (FPCN), will use the services of
The Option Line -- a toll-free number that receives more
than 10,000 requests for help each month from women
seeking advice.
Kurt Entsminger, president of Care Net, co-owner of the
phone service, praised the state for its innovation.
"By utilizing the Option Line, this program will involve a
call center that has proven effectiveness in connecting
them with local help and, ultimately, helping to reduce
the number of abortions," he said. "Care Net is
enthusiastic about this new program, which allows
meaningful participation by faith-based organizations."
The funding will also reimburse qualified
pregnancy-resource centers for counseling services that
stay within the boundaries of the state's faith-based
initiative guidelines. Pregnancy centers can receive
funding to participate in training to qualify for the
reimbursement.
"We believe that if this program is tested over time,"
Entsminger said, "we will see a significant reduction in
the number of abortions in the state of Florida."
----- 10 -----
RU-486 COULD BE PULLED FROM MARKET
Bill would force a more comprehensive review of the abortion drug.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 2, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039402.cfm
Federal lawmakers are considering legislation to force the
abortion drug RU-486, which has caused eight deaths since
2000, off the market.
The bill would cause the drug to be at least temporarily
withdrawn and reviewed by the U.S. comptroller general. It
is currently being debated in committee in the House and
Senate.
The effort comes in response to the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA) refusing to take any action in light
of the RU-486 deaths, including the highly publicized
death of 18-year-old Holly Patterson. The California woman
died of septic shock a week after being given the drug at
a Planned Parenthood clinic.
In addition to the eight deaths, the drug has caused more
than 800 instances of adverse side effects, including
heavy bleeding.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Virginia Legislators Consider Disallowing Some Student Groups
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 2, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Lawmakers in Virginia's House of Delegates passed
legislation Tuesday that would give school boards the
power to tell some student groups they can't meet on
school grounds, The Associated Press reported.
Critics of the legislation say it targets homosexual
student groups. Last year a book signing by a gay author
-- arranged by the Gay-Straight Alliance -- was canceled
after it was learned the author would promote his book
about gay fraternity sex.
Del. Matthew Lohr said though the incident was troubling,
gay groups are not the only issue.
"Whether it be homosexual or heterosexual, school is just
not the place to be talking about sexual activity," he
said. "The intent is to give local school boards more
control over the types of groups which use the buildings."
The bill now goes to the Senate for consideration.
----- 12 -----
Several States Seeking to Ban Abortion
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 2, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Lawmakers in at least five states have proposed
legislation that would either severely limit or altogether
ban abortion -- a challenge to Roe v. Wade, the 1973
Supreme Court ruling that legalized abortion on demand,
NewsMax.com reported.
Georgia, Indiana, Ohio, South Dakota and Tennessee are all
considering a ban that includes an exception if the life
of the mother is in danger.
Clark Forsythe, director of Americans United for Life,
said it is highly likely that any new law banning abortion
would be struck down by the lower courts.
----- 13 -----
Education Committee Chairman Assumes House Leadership
SUMMARY: Rep. John Boehner elected House majority leader.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 2, 2006
by Pete Winn, associate editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039406.cfm
Republicans selected Ohio Congressman John Boehner today
to become the majority leader of the U.S. House of
Representatives.
Boehner defeated two colleagues -- Reps. Roy Blunt, R-Mo.,
and John Shadegg, R-Ariz. -- in an election held among the
members of the House Republican caucus.
Boehner reportedly received 122 votes -- more than a dozen
better than Blunt, who had been the acting majority leader
since Rep. Tom DeLay, R-Texas, stepped down from the post
in September. Shadegg dropped out after the first round of
votes.
Boehner, who campaigned for the post by saying he wanted
to renew the party's "spirit and vision," served for the
last five years as chairman of the House Education and
Workforce Committee.
"The work ahead of us will not be easy," he said in a
statement released after the vote. "We must act swiftly to
restore the trust between Congress and the American
people. We must take the necessary steps to get the
federal budget under control -- to cut wasteful spending,
reform our entitlement programs, and craft a budget
process that encourages fiscal discipline. And we must
recommit ourselves to reducing the influence of government
in our lives. United together, I’m confident that our
party can tackle the challenges before us and continue to
lead the House for years to come."
Amanda Banks, federal issues analyst for Focus on the
Family Action, said pro-family conservatives look forward
to working with the new majority leader.
"Representative Boehner is known for his passion on
education issues," she said, "and we anticipate working
with him to advance pro-family education initiatives like
the Home School Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 3753) and
school-choice proposals."
Banks also said she is hopeful the new House majority
leader will be a great ally in House leadership, pointing
to his support of the Marriage Protection Amendment and
pro-life legislation.
Blunt, meanwhile, will remain in the position of majority
whip.
TAKE ACTION: Ask your representative in the House to
co-sponsor H.R. 3753, the Home School Non-Discrimination
Act. You can find contact information in the CitizenLink
Action Center:
http://www.family.org/cforum/action_center.cfm?capwizurl=http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/dbq/officials/
----- 14 -----
Entertainment Industry Does Not Reflect Society
Faith and Freedom Network
February 2, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us%2Fweblog%2Fblogger.html
For at least a generation, Hollywood has been telling us they do not affect society, society affects the movies. Their favorite line is, “Entertainment is merely a reflection of society.”
For the most part that has never been true, but never as much as it is today.
Hollywood has always had an agenda and as the culture war has become more defined, Hollywood has become more aggressive in promoting their beliefs.
Brokeback Mountain, a film which chronicles a decades-long homosexual affair between two 1960’s-era cowboys has received eight Academy Award nominations.
And Lee, the director of the movie said, “I’m amazed how people everywhere have had the sensitivity to want to get into the complexity of the issue.”
But wait, who is everybody? And who makes the Academy Award Nominations?
Hollywood is talking to itself. And they’re terribly out of touch.
If everyone is into this, why did Brokeback take in only $51 million in 8 weeks while the Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, The Witch and the Wardrobe took in $277.9 million in 8 weeks?
The answer is easy. More people are into the message of Narnia than into the message of Brokeback.
[Editor's Note: Actually, while I don't think that an equal release would produce a monetary win for Brokeback Mountain, I do feel obligated to point out that Brokeback Mountain has pulled in more than The Chronicles of Narnia on a per-screen basis for much if not most of its release. And even being on a fraction of the number of screens at any one time as most of the larger movies, it has spent days as nr. 1 in the box office. This is extraordinary, which is probably why they're pushing to hard to bury it.]
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Syrians torch Danish, Norway embassies over cartoon
Sat Feb 4, 2006 12:38 PM ET
By Rasha Elass
Reuters
http://today.reuters.com/News/newsArticle.aspx?type=topNews&storyID=2006-02-04T173731Z_01_L04656842_RTRUKOC_0_US-RELIGION-CARTOONS-SYRIA.xml
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Several thousand Syrian demonstrators set the Danish and the Norwegian embassies on fire on Saturday to protest at the publishing of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad by European newspapers.
The protest marked an escalation in the Muslim world's uproar over the cartoons, which have been reprinted in a number of European publications. One depicted Prophet Mohammad wearing a turban resembling a bomb.
The fire badly damaged the Danish embassy's building, a Reuters witness said. Firefighters put out the blaze.
Chanting "God is Greatest," the protesters stormed the embassy; threw stones and shattered its windows; burned the national flag and replaced it with another flag reading "No God but Allah, Mohammad is His Prophet".
The protesters also set the Norwegian embassy ablaze. It was brought under control by firefighters. Police fired teargas to disperse the protesters and cordoned off the area.
"When the issue came back into the headlines, we asked for increased security for the embassy. It appears we did not quite (get the increased security)," Norway's ambassador to Syria Sven Sevje told CNN. He said staff at the embassy were safe.
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Danish cartoonists fear for their lives
From Anthony Browne in Brussels
February 04, 2006
The Times of London
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,3-2024306,00.html
TWELVE Danish cartoonists whose pictures sparked such outcry have gone into hiding under round-the-clock protection, fearing for their lives.
The cartoonists, many of whom had reservations about the pictures, have been shocked by how the affair has escalated into a global “clash of civilisations”. They have since tried, unsuccessfully, to stop them being reprinted.
A spokesman for the cartoonists said: “They are in hiding around Denmark. Some of them are really, really scared. They don’t want to see the pictures reprinted all over the world. We couldn’t stop it. We tried, but we couldn’t.”
[More at URL]
----- 17 -----
END THE BOYCOTT
Buy Danish Campaign
http://buydanish.home.comcast.net/products.htm
A LIST OF DANISH PRODUCTS
Food:
Arla milk, cheese etc.
Knorr seasonings
Danish crown (meat)
Lurmaerket Butter
Danish Bacon
Thor Fish
Danisco Food
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Lesbianism in our schools
Editorial
The Freeport News
February 2, 2006
http://freeport.nassauguardian.net/editorial/359254495327970.php
If the problem is as serious as has been suggested by Stephen Plakaris, deputy director of government school security for the Northern Bahamas, a much bigger crisis exists in our school system than the disgraceful "D" average performance that is now the norm nationally for students in government schools.
In an article published in The Freeport News on Tuesday, Mr. Plakaris confirmed that there is a network of lesbians operating in private and government high schools in Grand Bahama. "Unfortunately we cannot deny it," he told our reporter, adding: "To deny it would put us in a situation where we're looking at ourselves in the mirror and pretending we don't see what is there."
Although he could not say how many girls on the various campuses engage in lesbianism, Mr. Plakaris made the shocking assertion that the numbers "are alarming, disturbing and growing." Even more disturbing is the claim made by Mr. Plakaris that there are some adults of this orientation – including some teachers and parents – who "are not inclined" to discourage young girls from engaging in this kind of lifestyle.
Rumours have long been in circulation about lesbianism becoming a growing problem not only in schools in Grand Bahama, but in New Providence as well. Gauging just how pervasive it is in our schools, of course, has always been difficult because gay women do not physically exhibit the characteristics which make it easy to determine that a man is homosexual. The same is true with women in general. However, particularly after Miss Teen Bahamas Gari McDonald, then 17 years old, last year came out of the closet – as the saying goes – and declared that she is a lesbian, some women who are similarly inclined have been boldly speaking out more openly about their sexual preference.
As a moral issue, being classified as a homosexual is no longer as detestable as it used to be in The Bahamas, and indeed worldwide. What's more, it has gained a degree of acceptance in the Church, with the ordination a couple of years ago by the Episcopal Church in the United States of an openly gay priest as a bishop. To be sure, there are committed "Christians" who can present strong arguments, supported by biblical references, that there is nothing wrong with being a homosexual.
But although there no longer seems to be a stigma attached to being a sissy – the more popular word used in The Bahamas for gay men – it is totally, totally, totally wrong for students in our schools to be ensnared and encouraged into this lifestyle by those entrusted to teach them and mould their characters. In essence, they should not be taught a course in "gay science" in the same manner that they are taught English, mathematics and history.
Wherever it can be proven that teachers are involved in polluting the minds of some of their students by spreading lesbianism in our schools, it should be treated as a criminal act. At the very least, they should be encouraged to seek another line of work.
----- 19 -----
Cartoons fan flames
06 feb 06
Herald Sun
http://www.heraldsun.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,5478,18049532%255E663,00.html
THOUSANDS of Syrians enraged by controversial cartoons of the prophet Mohammed torched the Danish and Norwegian embassies in Damascus.
Demonstrations outside the the Danish embassy in the Syrian captial began peacefully. But protesters began throwing stones and eventually breached police barricades.
[...]
"With our blood and souls we defend you, oh prophet of God!" they chanted.
Demonstrators moved to Norway's embassy about 6km away and set fire to it before being dispersed by police with tear gas and water cannon.
[...]
Iraqis rallying by the hundreds demanded an apology from the European Union, and the leader of the Palestinian group Hamas called the cartoons "an unforgivable insult" that merited punishment by death.
[...]
Denmark's Prime Minister Anders Fogh Rasmussen has said he cannot apologise for his country's free press.
[...]
The Vatican deplored the violence, but said: "The right to freedom of thought and expression . . . cannot entail the right to offend the religious sentiment of believers."
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
When will they ever learn?
Family Research Council
by: Connie Mackey
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WL06B12
Rumor has it that the "powers that be" in the WH and the Senate have begun their thinking on the next Supreme Court nominee and that they do not want to go through another tough battle, nor do they want the numbers at 58-42. Well, neither do we; however, the answer is not to move left toward a "moderate." If that happens they can kiss the outside organizers goodbye. Worse than that, they can expect organized opposition.
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
On a slightly different note....
Date: 2006-02-06 02:17 am (UTC)