Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Feb. 17th, 2006 12:17 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdSorry this one's so big; it's because it's late. There'll be another one tonight or this weekend, but it'll be small, mostly just to round up the end-of-day Focus on the Family crap. (They'll usually spit out another 3-4 articles by EOD Friday that are worth reading. For some value of "worth.")
I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't break these down into sections; they're getting awfully, awfully large. But on the other hand, since they're all really about Fundamentalism v. Everybody, that's kind of misleading; it gives power to the idea that this is several sectional fights, when it's really quite not; it's one unified war to impose varying degrees of theologically-based rule upon everyone, using a consistent set of tactics, rhetoric, and methods. But if they get so long, I don't even know if people will keep skimming the summaries, much less read the articles. I know that a lot of people skim or skip these entries, and I really think it's a bad idea; you can't protect your rights by simply ignoring those in power who are trying to end them.
Regardless, here're today's summaries, followed by the news below the cut:
Russian muslim leader promises violence in the streets if Gay Pride march goes forward; claims they'll be joined by Russian Orthodox as well; says gays should be bashed, could be killed;
Islamists attack Turkish reporter covering their demonstration - she wasn't wearing a head scarf;
Andrew Sullivan damn near clones my report from Monday about CWA's tilt to the Reconstructionist (no, I don't think he stole it, I'm just amused that I'm two days ahead of him on these things ^_^ );
Meanwhile, he links to a story about the kind of secular-government moderate Muslims the world needs to see more of - and they're under attack by fundamentalist groups too. The global fundamentalist war wages on;
Meanwhile, back in the US, James "can dish it out but sure as hell can't take it" Dobson whines petulantly about being targeted by other theocons with what he considers to be uncivil language; basically, his group is trying to prevent a civil unions bill from passing in Colorado by backing a much weaker bill simplifying certain contract arrangements between any two people; the specific intent is to divert the Civil Unions vote to this other bill, but Fox News and other groups are ripping him a new one for "selling out to the gay agenda," and he's not happy - whine, whine, whine, call me when you get the kind of crap you and your lot have been vomiting out at people like me for the last 25 years and until then, shut the fuck up;
FotF whines that "faith-based" groups aren't getting as much tax money as they want, claim the amount is "slipping" - it has gone through the roof over the last few years, but apparently that's not good enough. Also, the Bush administration disputes it, but given their record with numbers, quite frankly, that almost makes me believe Focus on the Family's version;
New York State appeals court upholds opposite-gender-only marriage law; Focus on the Family is pleased; it's going to the state Supreme Court next;
FotF news story cranky about stem-cell research at the state level;
FotF coverage of the Wal-Mart case in Massachusetts, where Wal-Mart was found in violation of the must-carry law for licensed pharmacies - they're required to stock all common prescription medications, and the state ruled that morning-after BCP (emergency contraception, "Plan B") falls into that category;
Focus on the Family's explanation of why it's backing Senate Bill 166 in Colorado;
Idaho anti-marriage constitutional amendment to go to a public vote this fall;
Focus on the Family up in arms over the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition having iPod video components; calls the Swimsuit Edition a "gateway drug" to hard-core pornography;
The FDA is going to hold a panel to consider a re-examination of RU-486; fundamentalists have been pressuring them sharply to do so; Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America demands it be pulled immediately, like always;
Focus on the Family story on court hearings in the trial of the Nebraska anti-marriage and anti-civil-unions amendment, passed in 2000; there's a lawsuit to overturn it; it's interesting watching as the representative from "Family First," a fundamentalist activist group of which I'd never heard before, takes a Borkian approach to the Constitution, asserting by implication that "equal protection under the law" only applies to "access to the political process" and nothing else; FotF and Family First compare marriage rights to casino gambling; includes ACTION ITEM to support the anti-marriage Federal amendment, the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment;
Long agit-prop piece on "judicial tyranny" as a backing piece for the above story; what's interesting about it, really, is the continuing call to overhaul the court system, and specifically, to pass some form of Constitutional amendment limiting judicial powers; they don't say what form that would take;
Focus on the Family criticises Ohio's decision to only teach science in science class, specifically regarding "criticisms" of evolution, which is typically fundamentalist code for creationist bullshit;
Federal court upholds Florida parental-notification law;
Alaska state legislator introduces bill to ban spousal-equivalent benefits for same-sex couples; Rep. John Coghill (R-North Pole) and Sen. Ralph Seekins (R-Fairbanks) would restrict the "rights, benefits, obligations, qualities or effects of marriage" to opposite-gender married couples only;
Concerned Women for America attempts to discredit the group of evangelical leaders signing the global-warming statement by claiming they've received money from a "pro-abortion" foundation;
CWA celebrates the New York appeals court ruling upholding New York State's exclusionary marriage law;
CWA report on anti-abortion laws at the state level, to challenge and overturn Roe v. Wade;
Maryland considers making emergency contraception over-the-counter within the state; CWA says it will "open the gates for free sex";
Restore America has a regional conference coming up in Portland, Oregon; "Restoring Northwest America Conference"; it'll be a fundamentalist pep-rally, disinformation centre, and political organisation convention;
Agape Press and Concerned Women for America's Robert Knight condemn New York State's law giving GBLT-folk authority over burial rights for deceased partners, calling it an assault on the family, "a perversion of the law," and so on;
FDA to examine possible RU-486-related infections; high security expected to be necessary;
National Review column partially written by CWA wonk; the reason I include it is because of CWA's move towards the overtly-theocratic Christian Reconstructionist movement, and I'm just following the links; how long will it be until National Review has overt Christian Reconstructionist theocrats writing for it?;
American Family Association ACTION ITEM: anti-marriage Federal constitutional amendment vote reschedule for June; they want to have one million letters of support before it goes up for a vote, but only have 300,000; the ACTION ITEM is for more letters to support the anti-marriage amendment;
AFA outraged over GBLT-rights march in planned for 2006 in Jerusalem; ex-gay-ministries fuckhead asks why "anyone would want to engage in sodomy and pornography at the holy sites of our religious heritage";
Fundamentalist Brannon Howse, reprinted by AFA/Agape Press, accuses evangelical letter saying global warming needs to be treated seriously because of its impact on humanity of being a "trojan horse" for groups that "promote abortion and the homosexual agenda";
Baptist Press on a programme to create the next generation of "culture warriors" to carry on the fight against the rights of GBLT Americans in the next generation; they're worried because under-18s aren't anti-gay enough;
Family Research Council's "Washington Briefing: 2006 Values Voters Summit" is a big rally of theoconservatives in CD; a lot of their favourites will be there;
Family Research Council amended press release; they'll be watching votes on the anti-marriage amendment in the Senate, no doubt with the fall campaign in mind; the entire timing of this is based around lining up ammunition against "no" votes, of course;
Canada Family Action Coalition: "the enemy" is not done with Canada, "but neither is God"; "We have much work to do to advance His kingdom in Canada," points to the recent election as new hope;
CFAC quotes Thomas Scalia, calls the Canadian Supreme Court "judicial supreme dictators"; they're clearly grabbing more and more language from US fundamentalists by the day;
Canada Family Action Coalition and "REAL Women of Canada" how-to sheet on stopping "homosexual presentations" in schools; item one, number one, is watching for anything that treats queers as normal or in any way equals to straights; "It's important to state in your letter that you object to your child being involved in any presentation which portrays homosexuality as a normal, equal lifestyle choice. Because many school boards have a so-called "equity" policy on homosexuality, it will always be portrayed sympathetically"; they've also picked up US language equating anti-bulling programmes being "used as a cover to promote the homosexual agenda";
REAL Women of Canada press release decrying Section 28, requiring equal treatment under the Charter's provisions for men and women; also condemn feminists; man, these people are full of the crazy;
Focus on the Family, Canadian branch, tries to start the Supreme Court wars up in Canada;
Focus on the Family, Canadian branch, runs a pro-creationism story; flatterquotes people who push the Bible as "scientifically accurate," which they don't mention requires belief in a flat earth, still in space, with the sun rotating around it; also give press time to Ken Hovind, who, for Canadian readers not familiar with him already, is a longstanding American creationist who has been caught in open fraud down here a few times, if I remember correctly;
FotF Canada: exposure to porn does permanent harm, quotes a "study" by the Heritage Foundation, a theoconservative political action group in the States;
FotF Canada reprints an American FotF story in condensed form, accusing the APA of deliberately abandoning objectivity in order to foster fagdom; pushes homosexuality as a "psychopathology," meaning a mental illness.
----- 1 -----
Russian Muslim Leader Calls For Violent Protests Against Gay Pride Parade
by Malcolm Thornberry, 365Gay.com European Bureau Chief
February 14, 2006 - 5:00 pm ET
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/02/021406russia.htm
(Moscow) The leader of Russia's Muslims on Tuesday called for a "violent mass protest" if gay leaders go ahead with Pride celebrations this spring.
Gay Russia is planning a pride parade in the Russian capital on May 27, 2006 despite warnings from the city's mayor that a permit will not be granted. ( story)
The group says it is prepared to take the case all the way to the European Court in Strasbourg. Moscow is the biggest city in Europe never to have had a pride parade.
On Tuesday Chief Russian Mufti Talgat Tajuddin said gays could be killed if they go ahead.
"Muslims' protests can be even worse than these notorious rallies abroad over the scandalous cartoons," Tajuddin, of Russia's Central Spiritual Governance for Muslims, told ;the Interfax news agency.
"The parade should not be allowed, and if they still come out into the streets, then they should be bashed."
He also said that the powerful Russian Orthodox Church would likely join in protests.
"All normal people are going to join it — Muslims and Orthodox alike," he told Interfax.
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Journalist stoned for not wearing a head-scarf
Sunday, February 12 2006 @ 09:42 PM Eastern Standard Time
http://www.turks.us/article.php?story=2006021221421729
Aliye Cetinkaya, a journalist from the Turkish daily Sabah newspaper, who was reporting on the recent protests over the offensive caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, was stoned in Konya for reasons demonstrators said were provocative – as she did not cover her head. Cetinkaya was taken away by male colleagues after stones hit her head and shoulders. The female journalist was attacked for being ‘sexually provocative’ for not wearing a head scarf at the demonstration organised by the Peoples Education Research and Support Group in Konya (He-Da-Der) and entitled ‘Loyalty to the Prophet’.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Andrew Sullivan
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/02/concerned_stone.html
The Concerned Women for America are now publishing articles by writers whose primary identification is with Christian Reconstructionists. The writer is clearly a follower of R.J. Rushdoony, a central figure in Reconstructionism. He backs anti-blasphemy laws.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
The war WITHIN Islam rages
The Antipath
Filed under: religion, terrorism — don @ 2:48 pm
http://theantipath.com/?p=49
Islamists in Bangladesh are demanding the government “ban” Ahmadiyya Muslims because they are not “real” Muslims. 4,000 radical Islamists took to the streets of the Muslim neighborhood, scaring many Ahmadiyya Muslims out of their homes. They want to “capture” the Mosque. They have threatened violence if the Bangladeshi authorities intervene. This has been going on for some time now; there is some background here.
Well, to their credit, the authorities did intervene. They stood up for religious freedom and blocked these fundamentalist Islamists from bullying the other local Muslims.
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Dr. Dobson Calls for Civility in Disagreements
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 16, 2006
by Pete Winn, associate editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039559.cfm
SUMMARY: Focus founder tells listeners, "My integrity
means more to me than my life."
Focus on the Family Action founder Dr. James Dobson took
to the airwaves Wednesday and today to defend himself
against the continuing sharp, vitriolic criticism that has
come from some within the conservative Christian community
-- criticism which has questioned whether he had somehow
sold out to the gay-activist cause.
The allegations center on his support of Colorado Senate
Bill 166. The reciprocal-beneficiaries bill would help
streamline the process by which unmarried people who
cannot legally marry each other can share certain benefits
-- such as powers of attorney, the right to make medical
decisions or end-of-life decisions.
On his nationally syndicated radio program today, Dobson
repudiated the idea that his support for the bill somehow
represented a change in his position opposing gay
marriage.
But he did say the controversy had reached the ears of
secular TV hosts, and one of them, Bill O'Reilly, host of
"The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox News Channel, invited him
on to explain. Dobson appeared on that broadcast Wednesday
night:
DOBSON: There is, here in Colorado, a bill to create civil
unions for homosexuals. We think that's a very bad idea.
And, yet, the Democrats in the state legislature have the
majority in both houses. And this could very easily pass.
We're very much opposed to it.
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
STUDY: FEDERAL FUNDING TO FAITH-BASED GROUPS SLIPPING
The White House disputes the findings.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 16, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039556.cfm
The president's funding of faith-based initiatives is
slipping, according to study by the Roundtable on Religion
and Social Welfare Policy.
Bryan Jackson, director of communications for the group,
said the study found that while the percentage of
social-service money given to faith-based groups remained
steady and the number of organizations getting the funds
increased, over the last few years the actual amount has
fallen.
"Overall social-service spending -- not just to
faith-based groups but in all federal money to social
services -- has declined," he said. "Faith-based groups
also experienced that trend."
But Jim Towey, director of the White House Office of
Faith-Based Initiatives, took issue with the study's
findings.
"They excluded all of the new initiatives of President
Bush," he said. "Their study says we're going to release
something in 2006 but we're only going to look at programs
that were in place in 2002."
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
New York Court Says Marriage Issue Belongs to Legislature
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 16, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
A New York state appeals court today ruled the state's
marriage law is constitutional, The Associated Press
reported.
The court reviewed three cases brought by homosexual
couples who were denied marriage licenses. The couples
claimed that state health regulations defining marriage as
a union between one man and one woman were
unconstitutional.
A five-judge panel voted unanimously in favor of state
law, and objected to the thought that they should
legislate from the bench.
"In our opinion, the legislature is where the changes to
marriage" would need to be addressed, wrote Justice John
Lahtinen.
The case is expected to move to the state Supreme Court
for a final ruling.
----- 8 -----
States Support Embryonic Stem-Cell Research
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 16, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Connecticut and Illinois have announced plans to spend
millions on controversial embryonic stem-cell research,
LifeNews reported.
The Connecticut advisory board that's responsible for
deciding who gets $20 million slated for research
determined embryonic stem-cell research will have first
dibs on the money.
Marie Hillard, executive director of the Connecticut
Catholic Conference, said the benefits of embryonic
stem-cell research are overstated.
"We believe there is a tremendous amount of
misinformation," she said.
She noted that the research always results in the
destruction of human life and it has produced no cures.
Such funds would be better directed toward
non-controversial adult stem-cell research, which has
already provided treatment for dozens of diseases.
Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich proposed a budget
with $100 million to be spent on embryonic stem-cell
research over the next five years.
The money -- from the state's share of the tobacco
settlement -- would be diverted from funds set aside for
health care. Just last year, Blagojevich bypassed the
state Legislature and diverted $10 million in taxpayer
dollars toward the controversial research.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: To learn more about embryonic and
adult stem-cell research, please visit the Focus on Social
Issues Web site.
http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/bioethics/cloning/
----- 9 -----
Wal-Mart Stores Ordered to Sell the Morning-After Pill
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 16, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The Massachusetts state pharmacy board ordered Wal-Mart
stores in the state to stock the so-called morning-after
pill, The Associated Press reported.
Plan B is opposed by pro-life groups because it can
sometimes cause an early abortion.
The state's decision on Tuesday to force all 44
Massachusetts Wal-Mart stores, plus four Sam's Club
stores, to carry the drug was made after four women filed
a lawsuit against the company for failure to carry
"commonly prescribed medicines."
Massachusetts joins Illinois in forcing the chain to carry
Plan B.
Company spokesman Dan Fogelman says Wal-mart "chooses not
to carry many products for business reasons," citing low
customer demand as one reason.
----- 10 -----
BATTLE OVER COLORADO BENEFITS BILL
Dr. James Dobson responds to baseless allegations.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 15, 2006
by Pete Winn, associate editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039547.cfm
A bill under consideration in the Colorado Legislature may
forestall domestic-partnership or same-sex marriage
legislation.
Senate Bill 166, which is supported by Focus on the Family
Action, would facilitate certain contractual obligations
or legal arrangements for -- in the words of the bill --
any two "unmarried persons who are excluded from entering
into a valid marriage under the marriage laws of this
state."
However, the intent of the bill is being misconstrued, and
supporters, including Focus on the Family Action Chairman
Dr. James Dobson, are being harshly and unfairly
criticized as endorsing the gay agenda.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Idaho Will Vote on Protecting Marriage
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 15, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
After two years of being denied the opportunity by their
state Senate, the people of Idaho will be allowed to vote
to constitutionally protect marriage.
On Feb. 6, the Idaho House easily passed a state marriage
protection amendment 53-17. The measure then went to the
Senate, where it had been defeated twice before. But
today, the Senate approved the amendment 26-9, placing it
on the November ballot.
So far, people in five other states will also have the
opportunity to vote on a marriage protection amendment
this year -- Alabama, South Carolina, South Dakota,
Tennessee and Virginia.
----- 12 -----
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition Targets iPods
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 15, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Sports Illustrated, banking on the popularity of the video
iPod among teen males, now offers the option to download
clips of swimsuit models -- something pro-family analysts
say should have parents concerned.
The download page is sponsored by major corporations
including Budweiser, Coca-Cola and Honda.
Advertising on the site is noticeably aimed at male teens
and young adults -- the audience expected to log on and
download what some call borderline pornography.
Paul Fichtenbaum, managing editor of the Sports
Illustrated Web site, told CNNMoney.com that he expects it
to be a popular destination.
"We're expecting more than 50 million page views the first
week, just to that section," he said.
The video clips can be viewed for free online -- preceded
by a Honda ad -- or individually downloaded for a fee.
Daniel Weiss, senior media and sexuality analyst for Focus
on the Family Action, said the price some young men pay
may go far beyond $1.99.
"We are seeing a whole generation of young boys becoming
addicted to pornography before they are even legally
allowed to view it," he said. "For many, Sports
Illustrated is the 'gateway drug' leading to that
addiction."
Weiss said the magazine has been exposing teenage boys to
inappropriate content for decades and now with the use of
new technology, they are making it even easier for kids to
view the material out of the watchful eye of parents.
"The problem is that the so-called swimsuit issue has now
lost the swimsuits," he said. "Many of the photos are of
fully nude models covered only in body paint, which leaves
nothing to the imagination.
"The message being perpetuated by Sports Illustrated is
that women exist for the sexual gratification of male
readers -- the same messages inherent in hardcore
pornography. If young boys are taught to lust after women
at an early age, we can almost guarantee they will seek
harder, coarser and more degrading material later in
life."
----- 13 -----
Abortion Drug Under Scrutiny
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 15, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will convene a
group of experts on May 11, 2006, to uncover the reason
the dangerous and controversial abortion drug RU-486 has
caused severe infection and death in some women, LifeNews
reported.
The deaths of at least four women have been attributed to
a bacterial infection that was a direct result of taking
the abortion drug. Hundreds of women have reported serious
complications from the same infection.
The conference at the Centers for Disease Control in
Atlanta will be under tight security, because officials
are concerned about protests.
"We hope to keep the focus on science," one official said.
"We're holding this in a secure government facility for a
reason."
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America,
said the drug should be pulled from the market.
"Women trust that the FDA is doing its job to protect our
health," she said. "To continue this trust, the FDA should
withdraw its approval of RU-486 before more women die."
----- 14 -----
JUDGES WEIGH NEBRASKA MARRIAGE AMENDMENT
Eyewitnesses say the judges were hard on the ACLU.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039528.cfm
A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in St. Louis heard arguments Monday on Nebraska's
state constitutional amendment to protect marriage.
The amendment, which passed in 2000, does two things: It
defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman,
and it also explains what marriage is not -- the union of
any other individuals.
Pro-family experts say the arguments went well for
marriage. Dave Bydalek, executive director of Family
First, who attended the hearing, said he was encouraged by
the strength of the arguments.
"I really don't think that it could have gone any better
for the state of Nebraska and the 70 percent of the people
that voted to protect the institution of marriage," he
said.
Bydalek, a former Nebraska deputy attorney general who has
argued more than 125 cases before the state Supreme Court
and the 8th Circuit, said it was very clear from the tenor
of the judges' questions and comments that they believe
"the people of Nebraska have a perfect right to
constitutionalize the traditional meaning of marriage."
He said the judges hammered the attorney for the American
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
" 'We don't buy your argument.' Two of the three judges
actually stated that in open court," Bydalek said.
In making the original ruling that overturned the
amendment, U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon said last
year that it "imposes significant burdens on both the
expressive and associational rights" of homosexuals and
"creates a significant barrier to the plaintiffs' right to
petition or to participate in the political process."
Indeed, the ACLU, which filed suit on behalf of several
gay couples, challenged the law based on the equal
protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Bydalek said the homosexual activists argued that since
the amendment to the state constitution prohibits gay
marriage or civil unions, that it somehow denies gays and
lesbians access to the political process as protected
under the U.S. Constitution.
[...]
TAKE ACTION: The only way to guarantee that out-of-control
courts don't hijack the definition of marriage is for the
federal Marriage Protection Amendment to be passed by
Congress and ratified by the states.
To learn more about the MPA and what you can do to support
marriage, please see our Marriage Protection Amendment
Action Center.
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0031537.cfm
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Judicial Activism Threatens Constitutional Freedoms
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 14, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039526.cfm
SUMMARY: Panel of experts recommends solutions to rein in
the courts.
Judicial activism ranks as one of the worst dangers in the
world -- according to a panel of experts that addressed
the Conservative Political Action Conference over the
weekend.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said the courts
have wrongly taken on power reserved for the Congress and
state legislatures.
"Oftentimes activist decisions rob those powers, those
legislative powers, from those bodies," he said, "and
allow the courts to rule us rather than these elected
officials."
Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., told Family News in Focus that
legislating from the bench shakes the foundations of the
U.S. Constitution.
"What we're faced here with the Supreme Court and other
courts is making sure that they apply the law as it's
written and not create the law from the bench," he said.
"You have to think about it as robbing the American people
of the right to govern themselves under the Constitution."
Franks contended the courts are the last opportunity for
liberals to force outrageous policy on America.
He recommended a three-pronged approach to solving the
problem: Appointing more conservatives to the federal
bench, getting Congress to exercise its constitutional
authority over the courts and amending the Constitution.
"We need to have a simple constitutional amendment that
says the judges cannot make law from the bench," he said.
"They have to stick with the original intent of the law.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Despite the mythical status accorded
the courts, judges are only humans, complete with
imperfections. For that reason alone, we must not abdicate
all authority to the judiciary. "Men in Black" by Mark R.
Levin examines some of the outrageous recent court
decisions and provides a blueprint for action for those
who oppose judicial tyranny.
Long URL elided
----- 16 -----
Ohio Rejects Critical Analysis of Evolution
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 14, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The Ohio Board of Education decided today that students
should not hear critical analysis of the theory of
evolution.
The state's model biology curriculum -- a benchmark for
science classes -- had included references to "critical
analysis" of Darwin's theory. Critics objected, claiming
such language is an implied endorsement of intelligent
design, The New York Times reported.
Patricia Princehouse, an evolutionary biologist, led the
fight against the curriculum.
"Basically critical analysis is intelligent design
relabeled," she told the board.
Earlier this week, defenders of evolution bombarded board
members with 30,000 e-mails asking them to vote against
such language.
Robin Hovis, one of the board members who pushed for the
emergency motion to remove the "critical analysis"
language from the state's lesson plan, said many on the
board felt the pressure.
"All of this adds up to a sense of urgency," Hovis said.
"There is an atmosphere among the board that this is a
misguided policy and we better get rid of it."
But Lyle Jensen, a fellow of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science and professor emeritus at the
University of Washington, wrote a letter encouraging the
board to stand strong.
"While students should surely learn about the scientific
strengths of evolution, they should also have the
opportunity to learn about scientific weaknesses with the
theory," he wrote. "I strongly urge you to retain the
Critical Analysis of Evolution Lesson Plan so that Ohio
students are objectively informed concerning the facts of
biology and trained to be better scientists."
----- 17 -----
Court Upholds Florida's Right-to-Know Law
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 14, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
A federal court in Florida has ruled that the state's
parental-notification law will stand, despite the abortion
industry's claim it's unconstitutional.
U.S. District Court Judge William Stafford found the claim
by Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida,
along with three other abortion clinics, to be unfounded.
"Florida has carefully crafted a parental notification
statute that serves a compelling state interest," he said.
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family
Action, said the citizens of Florida have been fighting
since 1999 for the pro-family parental notification
statute. Planned Parenthood has been behind the fight to
keep parents in the dark from the beginning.
"This federal judge held that the state had a 'compelling
interest' in enacting the parental-notification law and
denied Planned Parenthood's arguments," he said. "This
case highlights that pro-lifers' hard work in supporting
and enacting constitutional amendments and family-friendly
laws eventually pays off in the fight for the family."
Hausknecht said Planned Parenthood will challenge any law
it perceives as a threat to restricting even one abortion,
but in the end, parents have the right to be involved in
the health-care decisions of a minor child.
"Floridians are to be congratulated for their years of
perseverance on this issue," he said, "and hopefully their
example will encourage voters and legislatures in other
states to do likewise."
----- 18 -----
Last Frontier State Seeks to Protect Marriage
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 14, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Lawmakers in Alaska have introduced legislation that would
override an October 2005 state Supreme Court ruling
granting spousal benefits to homosexual public employees,
The Washington Times reported.
Alaska was one of the first states to pass a
constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union
between one man and one woman. Voters approved the measure
by a significant majority in 1998.
The Supreme Court decision said that amendment "does not
address the topic of employment benefits at all."
Rep. John Coghill, R-North Pole, said the court was "off
base." He introduced a resolution Friday to restrict the
"rights, benefits, obligations, qualities or effects of
marriage" to the legal union of one man and one woman.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will present an identical
bill today, sponsored by Sen. Ralph Seekins, R-Fairbanks.
----- 19 -----
Pro-Abortion Hewlitt Foundation Funds ‘Evangelical Climate Initiative’
Concerned Women for America
2/16/2006
By Pamela Wong
Some 85 leaders sign onto statement calling evangelicals to act.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10157/CWA/life/index.htm
A new effort to mobilize evangelical Christians on the problem of global warming received $475,000 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, one of the top funders of abortion programs in the United States and abroad.
The Evangelical Climate Initiative went public on February 8, when it released a statement signed by 85 evangelical leaders, including the presidents of 39 colleges, the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, the heads of denominations, and well-known evangelical figures.
Called Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action, the statement includes the following disclaimer: “Signatories do so as individuals expressing their personal opinions and not as representatives of their organizations.”
“Global warming is a controversial issue in itself, but the real problem comes with the so-called solutions, such as population control and reducing access to technology that will lift people out of poverty,” said Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America. “Hewlett Foundation is one of the most prodigious and unabashed funders of abortion causes, with much money going to make abortion acceptable. Its significant grant for this initiative, along with the controversial Rockefeller Brothers Foundation, reveals where this effort could lead. They would not fund something that contradicts their main missions.”
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
New York Appellate Court Rejects Homosexual Marriage
Concerned Women for America
2/17/2006
By Jan LaRue, Chief Counsel
Unanimous ruling in three cases says only Legislature can define marriage.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10159/LEGAL/family/index.htm
New York’s second highest court ruled on February 16 that same-sex couples have no right to a marriage license under existing state law. The decision in Samuels v. New York State Health Department will be appealed to New York’s court of last resort, the Court of Appeals, according to attorneys for Lambda Legal Defense Fund, which represents the plaintiffs.
The court considered and rejected plaintiffs’ arguments that because the New York Domestic Relations Law limits marriage licenses to opposite-sex couples, it “violates their due process, equal protection and free speech provisions of the New York Constitution.”
The plaintiffs claimed a fundamental, substantive due process right “to marry the person of their choosing regardless of gender.” The court explained how it would determine what level of review to apply: “A law that impinges upon a fundamental right is subject to strict scrutiny, whereas one that does not ‘burden a fundamental right … is valid if it bears a rational relationship to [a governmental] interest.’”
The court was persuaded that “this case is not simply about the right to marry the person of one’s choice” but was, “in reality, a redefinition of marriage.”
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
States Taking a Stand Against Abortion
Colleen Raezler
Concerned Women for America
February 15, 2006
Pro-life politicians are steadily chipping away the effect of Roe v. Wade on state laws.
Unborn Child Pain Awareness bills were introduced in 19 states last year, according to USA Today, and legislatures in Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota and Wisconsin have already passed them. These bills require physicians to inform their patients prior to an abortion that their babies may feel pain during the process.
Wisconsin’s governor ultimately vetoed his state’s bill. Pro-life groups are already preparing to reintroduce the bill during this year’s legislative session.
“This quick action by states to pass pro-life legislation that was first introduced only recently is a good sign for that day when Roe v. Wade is overturned and the states will decide the status of abortion,” said Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America (CWA). “While radical hold-outs still believe that no sympathy whatsoever must be shown to unborn babies, that they can be killed and must also experience torturous pain in the process, most Americans and most of their representatives do not agree.”
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
Morning-After Contraception Rules Considered By Lawmakers
WBAL-TV
POSTED: 5:45 am EST February 16, 2006
UPDATED: 5:52 am EST February 16, 2006
http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/7109570/detail.html
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Women would be able to get morning-after contraception pills without a prescription under a bill being considered by Maryland lawmakers.
The proposal would allow women needing emergency contraception to visit a pharmacist and receive the pills without seeing a doctor for a prescription. If approved, Maryland would join at least seven states that allow pharmacists to dispense the morning-after pill without a doctor's prescription.
Maryland lawmakers have considered but rejected similar proposals the last two years.
On Wednesday a Senate committee again held a hearing on emergency contraception, which can prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex.
[...]
"I feel like it will open the gates for free sex, so to speak," said Gray, a member of the group Concerned Women for America. [Editor's note: I think this quote is fair game, even though Gray is just listed as a "member" of CWA, since Concerned Women for America's national page linked to this story]
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
Confront the Issues; Uncover the Truth
Restore America Conference 2006
http://www.restoringnorthwestamerica.org/conference.htm
Join Oregon and Washington pastors, youth leaders, legislators, business leaders and students for two informative and motivating days in Portland, Oregon at the Restoring Northwest America Conference, March 3-4, 2006. Already, several nationally known speakers, including Dr. Gary Cass, Marshall Foster, Janet Folger, Dr. Rick Scarborough, Gary DeMar, Matthew Staver and Herb Titus are looking forward to addressing critical contemporary social, moral, political, spiritual and ethical issues that confront all Americans.
View Video (7 MB - best viewed with high speed internet connection, need media player to view).
Listen to Interview with Janet Folger (1 MB - best listened to with high speed internet connection, need media player to listen to).
Click here for bulletin insert for your church.
Some of the hard-hitting issues to be addressed:
• ‘Separation of Church and State’; The truth about the First Amendment.
• The Christian foundation of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution
• Legislating from the ‘bench’ and what we can do to stop it
• ‘Intelligent Design’ and the battle for the minds of our children
• ‘Embryonic Stem Cell Research’ and what it means for the future
• The ‘Criminalization of Christianity’ and ‘Winning the War on Faith’
• The role of Christian Citizens in restoring America
• Mobilizing the Christian VOTE in Oregon and Washington
• Leadership from the Pulpit and the Pew as the new ‘paradigm’ for changing civil government.
[More at URL]
----- 24 -----
Blood Relatives Play Second Fiddle to 'Domestic Partners' Under New NY Law
By Jody Brown and Bill Fancher
Agape Press
February 14, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/142006d.asp
(AgapePress) - Family advocates are saying a new law in the State of New York has damaged the role of the traditional family. At the same time, one pro-homosexual lobby considers it a victory for their specific definition of families.
Earlier this month, New York Governor George Pataki signed into law a measure that gives authority over burial rights to same-sex partners of the deceased -- above the wishes of family and blood relatives. The executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda believes the Republican governor did the right thing.
"For too long in New York, same-sex partners who live together and care for each other have been legal strangers when one of them dies," says Alan Van Capelle. "This is the first time in [state] law [that] same-sex relationships have been given priority over a blood relative. This is victory for our families."
Bob Knight of the Culture and Family Institute, however, says while that might seem compassionate on the surface, family is family.
"Family has been given preference for a reason," says the pro-family leader. "And to say that grieving parents, for instance, just have no rights over what happens to their child's body is a perversion of the law." Not only that, says Knight, "it's another surrender to the gay lobby -- and it's another notch down from putting the family first in our nation's laws."
[More at URL]
----- 25 -----
FDA Conference Will Study Infection Deaths From RU 486 Abortion Drug
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 14, 2006
http://www.lifenews.com/nat2078.html
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Food and Drug Administration has announced that it will convene a panel of experts in May to determine why the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug has caused severe bacterial infections that have resulted in the deaths of four women and injuring hundreds more.
Some 15 to 20 scientists who have studied the infections will be asked to present their findings at the conference, scheduled for May 11, the FDA told the New York Times.
An FDA official told the newspaper the conference will be held at the Centers for Disease Control main office in Atlanta and those wanting to attend must register by April 15. The official said government authorities are concerned about protests and security because of the controversy surrounding the drug.
"We hope to keep the focus on the science," the official told the Times. "We're holding this in a secure government facility for a reason."
[More at URL]
----- 26 -----
Men We Love
In praise of a few good men.
National Review Online
February 14, 2006, 9:55 a.m.
[...]
Janice Shaw Crouse
I find nothing more attractive in a person than a clear-eyed passion for what is true and good. I first saw Phill Kline, attorney general for Kansas, a couple of years ago when we each gave testimony about an anti-sex-trafficking bill before the Kansas legislature. It took no special insight to recognize that here was a man from the heartland of America who speaks with the passion of William Jennings Bryan about wrongs that must be righted.
I’ve followed Kline’s career ever since. What an incredible joy to see that there are yet in America heroes emerging who speak great truths with simplicity, eloquence, and passion.
[...]
— Janice Shaw Crouse writes from Washington, D.C.
[Editor's Note: Why am I including this? Because National Review is taking writers from Concerned Women for America. Concerned Women for America is taking writers from the overtly theocratic, overtly reconstructionist Chalcedon founation. How long before they eliminate the middle step? I don't know.]
----- 27 -----
Homosexual Marriage Ban Vote Re-Scheduled For Early June
American Family Association
February, 2006
http://www3.capwiz.com/afanet/issues/alert/?alertid=8489386&type=CO
Action Needed! Help Send U.S. Senate One Million Letters Supporting Marriage Protection Amendment - 300,000 Already Sent!
The date for a vote on the federal Marriage Protection Amendment (MPA) by the U.S. Senate has been re-scheduled for the first week in June. This constitutional amendment will make only marriage between one man and one woman legal. [Editor's note: Bold in original.]
[More at URL]
----- 28 -----
Activists Planning to Stage '06 World 'Gay Pride' Celebration in Jerusalem
By James L. Lambert
American Family Association
Agape Press
February 17, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/172006a.asp
SAN DIEGO (AgapePress) - Homosexual activists are planning to stage a massive "gay pride" party and parade this summer in Jerusalem. Jerry Falwell says that's a mistake that could backfire on the homosexual community worldwide.
Jerusalem WorldPride 2006, scheduled for August 6-12, 2006, describes itself as "a massive demonstration of LGBT [lesbian, bay, bisexual, transgender] pride and human rights" and an opportunity for the homosexual community to make a "global statement of pride and tolerance."
"The message sent from Jerusalem WP will echo worldwide, redefining LGBT identity, faith, and vision," says the event's website.
[...]
James Hartline, a former homosexual and a member of Giovinetti's church in San Diego, informed his pastor of last year's event. He is deeply saddened after hearing that activists again plan on organizing an event this year. Hartline contends that Jerusalem represents the very foundation of his faith. He cannot understand "why anyone would want to engage in sodomy and pornography at the holy sites of our religious heritage." Hartline says that people in his church are heartbroken about the news of this event.
[More at URL]
----- 29 -----
Columnist Rips Evangelical Leaders for Becoming 'Trojan Horse' for the Left
By Jim Brown
February 16, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/162006b.asp
(AgapePress) - A Christian columnist says groups that back abortion rights and same-sex "marriage" are funding the new evangelical climate initiative signed by Purpose-Driven Life author Rick Warren and more than 80 other Christian pastors and leaders.
In a recent column for ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com, Brannon Howse reveals that an initiative called "Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action," which calls for action regarding global warming, is being subsidized by liberal organizations such as the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Hewlett Foundation. The initiative claims global warming is real, and urges Christians to "advance legislation that will limit emissions, while respecting economic and business concerns."
Howse, co-host of a weekly radio broadcast heard on more than 200 Christian stations, contends the initiative is supported by groups that promote abortion and the homosexual agenda -- and in conjunction with the Christian leaders, he says, that constitutes an "unholy alliance."
[More at URL]
----- 30 -----
FIRST-PERSON: Creating culture warriors
Feb 16, 2006
By Penna Dexter
Baptist Press
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22674
DALLAS (BP)--A recent Newsweek story describes the emphasis evangelical universities are placing on training debaters. The debate team at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., ranks number one in the nation. (Harvard is number 14.)
Its success stems from Jerry Falwell’s vision to turn out debaters who become “the conscience of the culture.” These young culture warriors are gaining the skills to become lawyers and leaders who will take on what Dr. Falwell calls the “moral default on the other side.” One of Liberty’s freshman debaters, Cole Bender, defines his dream: “I think I can make an impact in the field of law on abortion and gay rights, to get back to Americans’ godly heritage.”
[More at URL]
----- 31 -----
Washington Briefing
Family Research Council
February 2006
http://www.frcaction.org/
Save the Date!
Washington Briefing - 2006 Values Voter Summit
Founding Co-Sponsors:
American Family Association
Americans United to Preserve Marriage
Focus on the Family Action
Invited Speakers to Include:
Sen. George Allen
Sen. Bill Frist
Tony Perkins
Gary Bauer
Laura Ingraham
Sen. Rick Santorum
Sen. Sam Brownback
The Honorable Zell Miller
Lt. Gov. Michael Steele
Peggy Noonan
Rev. Don Wildmon
Date and Place:
September 22-24, 2006
Omni Shoreham Hotel
Washington, D.C.
Registration opens March 15
[More at URL]
----- 32 -----
FRC: Americans Will See Which Senators Support Marriage This June
Family Research Council
February 10, 2006 - Friday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 10, 2006 CONTACT: J.P. Duffy, (202) 679-6800
A vote on the Marriage Protection Amendment has been scheduled in the U.S. Senate for the week of June 5
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR06B08
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In response to today's official announcement by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) that the U.S. Senate will hold a cloture vote on the Marriage Protection Amendment the week of June 5, Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins released the following statement:
"The U.S. Senate has stood by for two years watching the unrelenting judicial assault on marriage. However, the American people in overwhelming numbers have risen to the defense of marriage by enacting 19 state marriage amendments. Despite these valiant efforts on the state level, activist courts in several states including Nebraska have undermined the democratic process by throwing out laws which protect marriage.
"This June, the American people will be watching to see if their senators will step up to the plate and take a stand in defense of marriage. The Marriage Protection Amendment is the only tool the American people have to ensure that the definition of marriage remains one man and one woman.
"The Marriage Protection Amendment will not only protect marriage but also rein in an activist judiciary that is trashing the democratic process. This is a growing national problem, and it requires a national solution - an amendment to the U.S. Constitution protecting marriage."
For more information about FRC's efforts to protect marriage and pass the Marriage Protection Amendment, go to www.frc.org.
- 30 -
----- 33 -----
The enemy is not done with Canada - But neither is God!
Canada Family Action Coalition
By Brian Rushfeldt (printed in
March 2006 City Light News, Calgary)
Long URL elided
The soul of a nation is dependent upon the church, not the government. Governments, even those with high standards of morality and righteousness, do not define the moral and spiritual position of a nation. Only God's church has been entrusted with this incredible opportunity and responsibility. The Church is the only institution which provides the kingdom teaching and leadership required for the transformation of the human soul. Laws and policies passed by government serve as restraints on certain behaviors, but they do not change hearts or save souls.
[...]
In a properly functioning democracy, a government can and often will do only as much as the people allow or demand. A recent example that contradicts this statement is the redefinition of marriage. The majority of Canadians did not want the definition changed. However, the government responsible for that legislation did not practice or respect democracy. The people were ignored and our culture was altered.
If Canada is ever to see laws with at least some restraints on abortion, a restoration of the man-woman definition of marriage, real protection for children, more effective justice, better law enforcement, and more fair and functional social networks, God's people must be the ambassadors to lead the way. We must be able to wisely and compassionately explain why certain values are God's, and why they work for the good of all humanity. Christians must demonstrate the powers of God's kingdom and model the effect of adhering to biblical truth in everyday life.
[...]
Let us build on the hope that Election 2006 gave us for change in the moral and spiritual levels of Canada.
[...]
We have much work to do to advance His kingdom in Canada. We have greater hope and better opportunities to influence for the kingdom of God than prior to January 23. But none of this will matter if we fail to be obedient to the call and commands of God. Rev 3:6.
[More at URL]
----- 34 -----
Canada Family Action Coalition
Quotables
Front page
February 16, 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said, "The Constitution is not a living organism, it is a legal document. It says something and doesn't say other things." He also said living organism people want matters to be decided "not by the people, but by the justices of the Supreme Court." Sounds like Canadian judicial supreme dictators.
[More at URL]
----- 35 -----
How Parents May Stop Homosexual Presentations Made to their Children in School
REAL Women of Canada
"Women's Rights Not at the
Expense of Human Rights"
(Hosted by Canada Family Action Coalition)
September 21, 2005, but listed on front page in February 2006
Long URL elided
1. Write a letter to your child's principal and teacher politely expressing your concerns about the promotion of homosexuality in your child's school.
Be aware that such topics as family diversity or anti-bullying are used as a cover to promote the homosexual agenda.
a) It's important to state in your letter that you object to your child being involved in any presentation which portrays homosexuality as a normal, equal lifestyle choice. Because many school boards have a so-called "equity" policy on homosexuality, it will always be portrayed sympathetically.
b) Request that you be notified of any presentation by school staff or outside presenters which includes or is likely to include a homosexual component.
c) Specifically request in your letter that you be advised well in advance of any outside presentation because the school may subsequently argue that presenters are from outside the school and "we weren't aware that they were going to include a homosexual element in their presentation." This is unlikely. School personnel are usually well aware when a presentation is going to include homosexuality. If they don't know, then it is their responsibility to ask in advance and then inform you.
d) Request in your letter that the teacher and principal inform any other teachers who work with your child, of your request about the homosexual issue. Ensure that your child communicate with you any breaches of this request.
e) Request the teacher keep your letter on file in the classroom and request that the principal place one in the official Student Record file in the office.
[More at URL]
----- 36 -----
Feminist Shell Game
REAL Women of Canada
For Immediate Release
Ottawa, Ontario February 15, 2006
http://www.realwomenca.com/press.htm#02_15_06
300 women claiming to represent all Canadian women met on Parliament Hill February 13-14 to supposedly celebrate their work 25 years ago which resulted in the inclusion of S.28 in the Charter of Rights. Section 28 guarantees that the Charter's provisions apply equally for male and female persons. Ironically, Section 28 of the Charter has turned out to be unused, unproved and without effect, according to the decisions brought down by the Supreme Court of Canada on the Charter.
Feminists do not now, and never have had the support of Canadian women. They are a special interest group representing their own ideology only. Moreover, feminist organizations continue to exist in Canada today only because they are funded by the federal Status of Women, without which funding they would collapse, since they have little or no grassroots support.
This week's feminist meeting in Ottawa, true to form, was supported by the Status of Women and other government departments such as the Department of Justice, and government tax-supported agencies such as the National Film Board, Law Commission of Canada, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and International Development Research Centre (IRDC).
The meeting made such unpopular recommendations as championing a universal national day care plan, thereby ignoring the enthusiastic reception given to the $1200 child care support paid directly to all parents equally proposed by the Conservative Party in the recent election.
This meeting also recommended the imposition of proportional representation to ensure that 50 % of elected parliamentarians are of the female gender. Feminists refuse to accept that women vote on the basis of issues, not anatomy. Reasonable voters reject tampering with our democratic process by legislating gender quotas which bypass merit and reward the pre-set criteria chosen by undemocratically appointed committees.
Canadian women from diverse backgrounds and values are not represented by the narrow feminist agenda and reject their undemocratic manipulations. They prefer to work through a democratic system of government.
The federal government must stop funding these unrepresentative women and their irrational policies.
- 30 -
Contact persons:
C. Gwendolyn Landolt Tel: (905) 731-5425, 787-0348, 889-1993
Diane Watts Tel: (613) 236-4001
----- 37 -----
Supreme Court selection dogs PM
Today's Family News
Focus on the Family (Canada)
February 17, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/misc/021706.html
One of the more immediate tasks facing Prime Minister Stephen Harper will not just be who he chooses to fill a current vacancy on the Supreme Court of Canada, but also how he will make the selection.
Under The Constitution Act, Harper has the final say on who sits on the Supreme Court. The Ottawa Citizen noted recently that he can either select the successor to retiring Justice John Major from an existing shortlist or start the process from scatch, perhaps even requiring a parliamentary committee to vet candidates. This process would be more open and democratic, but it would also leave the normally nine-member court to function at less than full capacity for possibly several months. (At present, seven hear the cases that come before them to avoid a tie decision.)
Under a selection process implemented under the Liberals, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler had submitted a list of six candidates to an advisory panel of politicians, legal experts and community activists. It narrowed the list down to three before the election was called in November. Vic Toews, the new Conservative Justice Minister, served on that panel.
Toews personally sees no need to start afresh.
“There are very well qualified individuals who are identified during that process and I would like to see the process continue,” he told CBC Radio. However, Toews added he would still prefer to have the candidates go before “some kind of a public hearing that respects the independence of the judiciary.”
[More at URL]
----- 38 -----
Evolution built on lies: evangelist
Today's Family News
Focus on the Family Canada
February 17, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/education/stories/021706.html
Self-styled creation science evangelist Dr. Ken Hovind believes all that is needed for the theory of evolution to collapse is for school textbooks that teach the origin of life to be rigorously accurate, AgapePress reported.
“Because if all the lies are taken out of the textbooks, there will be nothing left to support the evolution theory,” he says. “There are 50-some lies in the average textbook that are used as evidence for evolution. Get them out. End of story.”
Hovind, who believes the Bible is literally true and scientifically accurate, says the Dover Area School Board in Pennsylvania was “barking up the wrong tree” when it attempted to require that intelligent design (ID) be taught in its classrooms.
[More at URL]
[Ed. Note: The Bible as "scientifically accurate" requires belief in a flat earth, still in space, with the sun rotating around it. Ken Hovind, for Canadian readers not familiar with him already, is a longstanding American creationist who has been caught in open fraud down here a few times, if I remember correctly.]
----- 39 -----
Exposure to porn harms kids: study
Today's Family news
Focus on the Family, Canadian wing
Ferbuary 17, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/sexuality/stories/021706.html
Children exposed to pornography – even accidentally – can suffer long-term damage, according to studies reported by Family News in Focus.
Although the harm that pornography can do to marriages is well-documented, more recent research reveals that when young children stumble across explicitly sexual images, their view of sexuality can be warped well into adulthood.
“Pornography is affecting people at an increasingly young age,” sociologist Diana Russell told Time magazine in 2004. “And unfortunately for many kids growing up today, pornography is the only sex education they’ll get.”
According to one survey reported by the Parents Television Council, nine in 10 children between the ages eight and 16 with Internet access, have visited pornographic websites, most often while looking up information for homework. Similarly, as Time reported, the Kaiser Family Foundation found in a poll conducted in 2001 that 70 per cent of children aged 15 to 17 said they had accidentally viewed pornography online.
In testimony in November before a Congressional committee, Jill C. Manning of the Heritage Foundation said research has shown that the effects on children and teens of being exposed to pornography include:
[More at URL]
----- 40 -----
Mental health guilds accused of pro-homosexual bias
Today's Family News
Focus on the Family Canada
Ferbuary 15, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/sexuality/stories/021506.html
America’s mental health professional associations have deliberately abandoned scientific objectivity to aid and abet the political goals of their homosexual activist members, according to noted psychiatrist Jeffrey Satinover.
In a new study published by the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), Satinover accused the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Association of Social Workers of choosing to overlook credible research linking homosexuality with psychopathology, LifeSiteNews.com reported last week.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) removed homosexuality from the list of recognized mental disorders in 1973. But because the APA lacked “a solid scientific foundation” for its actions, said Satinover, the consequences have been far-reaching.
[More at URL]
I'm starting to wonder if I shouldn't break these down into sections; they're getting awfully, awfully large. But on the other hand, since they're all really about Fundamentalism v. Everybody, that's kind of misleading; it gives power to the idea that this is several sectional fights, when it's really quite not; it's one unified war to impose varying degrees of theologically-based rule upon everyone, using a consistent set of tactics, rhetoric, and methods. But if they get so long, I don't even know if people will keep skimming the summaries, much less read the articles. I know that a lot of people skim or skip these entries, and I really think it's a bad idea; you can't protect your rights by simply ignoring those in power who are trying to end them.
Regardless, here're today's summaries, followed by the news below the cut:
Russian muslim leader promises violence in the streets if Gay Pride march goes forward; claims they'll be joined by Russian Orthodox as well; says gays should be bashed, could be killed;
Islamists attack Turkish reporter covering their demonstration - she wasn't wearing a head scarf;
Andrew Sullivan damn near clones my report from Monday about CWA's tilt to the Reconstructionist (no, I don't think he stole it, I'm just amused that I'm two days ahead of him on these things ^_^ );
Meanwhile, he links to a story about the kind of secular-government moderate Muslims the world needs to see more of - and they're under attack by fundamentalist groups too. The global fundamentalist war wages on;
Meanwhile, back in the US, James "can dish it out but sure as hell can't take it" Dobson whines petulantly about being targeted by other theocons with what he considers to be uncivil language; basically, his group is trying to prevent a civil unions bill from passing in Colorado by backing a much weaker bill simplifying certain contract arrangements between any two people; the specific intent is to divert the Civil Unions vote to this other bill, but Fox News and other groups are ripping him a new one for "selling out to the gay agenda," and he's not happy - whine, whine, whine, call me when you get the kind of crap you and your lot have been vomiting out at people like me for the last 25 years and until then, shut the fuck up;
FotF whines that "faith-based" groups aren't getting as much tax money as they want, claim the amount is "slipping" - it has gone through the roof over the last few years, but apparently that's not good enough. Also, the Bush administration disputes it, but given their record with numbers, quite frankly, that almost makes me believe Focus on the Family's version;
New York State appeals court upholds opposite-gender-only marriage law; Focus on the Family is pleased; it's going to the state Supreme Court next;
FotF news story cranky about stem-cell research at the state level;
FotF coverage of the Wal-Mart case in Massachusetts, where Wal-Mart was found in violation of the must-carry law for licensed pharmacies - they're required to stock all common prescription medications, and the state ruled that morning-after BCP (emergency contraception, "Plan B") falls into that category;
Focus on the Family's explanation of why it's backing Senate Bill 166 in Colorado;
Idaho anti-marriage constitutional amendment to go to a public vote this fall;
Focus on the Family up in arms over the Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition having iPod video components; calls the Swimsuit Edition a "gateway drug" to hard-core pornography;
The FDA is going to hold a panel to consider a re-examination of RU-486; fundamentalists have been pressuring them sharply to do so; Wendy Wright of Concerned Women for America demands it be pulled immediately, like always;
Focus on the Family story on court hearings in the trial of the Nebraska anti-marriage and anti-civil-unions amendment, passed in 2000; there's a lawsuit to overturn it; it's interesting watching as the representative from "Family First," a fundamentalist activist group of which I'd never heard before, takes a Borkian approach to the Constitution, asserting by implication that "equal protection under the law" only applies to "access to the political process" and nothing else; FotF and Family First compare marriage rights to casino gambling; includes ACTION ITEM to support the anti-marriage Federal amendment, the so-called Marriage Protection Amendment;
Long agit-prop piece on "judicial tyranny" as a backing piece for the above story; what's interesting about it, really, is the continuing call to overhaul the court system, and specifically, to pass some form of Constitutional amendment limiting judicial powers; they don't say what form that would take;
Focus on the Family criticises Ohio's decision to only teach science in science class, specifically regarding "criticisms" of evolution, which is typically fundamentalist code for creationist bullshit;
Federal court upholds Florida parental-notification law;
Alaska state legislator introduces bill to ban spousal-equivalent benefits for same-sex couples; Rep. John Coghill (R-North Pole) and Sen. Ralph Seekins (R-Fairbanks) would restrict the "rights, benefits, obligations, qualities or effects of marriage" to opposite-gender married couples only;
Concerned Women for America attempts to discredit the group of evangelical leaders signing the global-warming statement by claiming they've received money from a "pro-abortion" foundation;
CWA celebrates the New York appeals court ruling upholding New York State's exclusionary marriage law;
CWA report on anti-abortion laws at the state level, to challenge and overturn Roe v. Wade;
Maryland considers making emergency contraception over-the-counter within the state; CWA says it will "open the gates for free sex";
Restore America has a regional conference coming up in Portland, Oregon; "Restoring Northwest America Conference"; it'll be a fundamentalist pep-rally, disinformation centre, and political organisation convention;
Agape Press and Concerned Women for America's Robert Knight condemn New York State's law giving GBLT-folk authority over burial rights for deceased partners, calling it an assault on the family, "a perversion of the law," and so on;
FDA to examine possible RU-486-related infections; high security expected to be necessary;
National Review column partially written by CWA wonk; the reason I include it is because of CWA's move towards the overtly-theocratic Christian Reconstructionist movement, and I'm just following the links; how long will it be until National Review has overt Christian Reconstructionist theocrats writing for it?;
American Family Association ACTION ITEM: anti-marriage Federal constitutional amendment vote reschedule for June; they want to have one million letters of support before it goes up for a vote, but only have 300,000; the ACTION ITEM is for more letters to support the anti-marriage amendment;
AFA outraged over GBLT-rights march in planned for 2006 in Jerusalem; ex-gay-ministries fuckhead asks why "anyone would want to engage in sodomy and pornography at the holy sites of our religious heritage";
Fundamentalist Brannon Howse, reprinted by AFA/Agape Press, accuses evangelical letter saying global warming needs to be treated seriously because of its impact on humanity of being a "trojan horse" for groups that "promote abortion and the homosexual agenda";
Baptist Press on a programme to create the next generation of "culture warriors" to carry on the fight against the rights of GBLT Americans in the next generation; they're worried because under-18s aren't anti-gay enough;
Family Research Council's "Washington Briefing: 2006 Values Voters Summit" is a big rally of theoconservatives in CD; a lot of their favourites will be there;
Family Research Council amended press release; they'll be watching votes on the anti-marriage amendment in the Senate, no doubt with the fall campaign in mind; the entire timing of this is based around lining up ammunition against "no" votes, of course;
Canada Family Action Coalition: "the enemy" is not done with Canada, "but neither is God"; "We have much work to do to advance His kingdom in Canada," points to the recent election as new hope;
CFAC quotes Thomas Scalia, calls the Canadian Supreme Court "judicial supreme dictators"; they're clearly grabbing more and more language from US fundamentalists by the day;
Canada Family Action Coalition and "REAL Women of Canada" how-to sheet on stopping "homosexual presentations" in schools; item one, number one, is watching for anything that treats queers as normal or in any way equals to straights; "It's important to state in your letter that you object to your child being involved in any presentation which portrays homosexuality as a normal, equal lifestyle choice. Because many school boards have a so-called "equity" policy on homosexuality, it will always be portrayed sympathetically"; they've also picked up US language equating anti-bulling programmes being "used as a cover to promote the homosexual agenda";
REAL Women of Canada press release decrying Section 28, requiring equal treatment under the Charter's provisions for men and women; also condemn feminists; man, these people are full of the crazy;
Focus on the Family, Canadian branch, tries to start the Supreme Court wars up in Canada;
Focus on the Family, Canadian branch, runs a pro-creationism story; flatterquotes people who push the Bible as "scientifically accurate," which they don't mention requires belief in a flat earth, still in space, with the sun rotating around it; also give press time to Ken Hovind, who, for Canadian readers not familiar with him already, is a longstanding American creationist who has been caught in open fraud down here a few times, if I remember correctly;
FotF Canada: exposure to porn does permanent harm, quotes a "study" by the Heritage Foundation, a theoconservative political action group in the States;
FotF Canada reprints an American FotF story in condensed form, accusing the APA of deliberately abandoning objectivity in order to foster fagdom; pushes homosexuality as a "psychopathology," meaning a mental illness.
----- 1 -----
Russian Muslim Leader Calls For Violent Protests Against Gay Pride Parade
by Malcolm Thornberry, 365Gay.com European Bureau Chief
February 14, 2006 - 5:00 pm ET
http://www.365gay.com/Newscon06/02/021406russia.htm
(Moscow) The leader of Russia's Muslims on Tuesday called for a "violent mass protest" if gay leaders go ahead with Pride celebrations this spring.
Gay Russia is planning a pride parade in the Russian capital on May 27, 2006 despite warnings from the city's mayor that a permit will not be granted. ( story)
The group says it is prepared to take the case all the way to the European Court in Strasbourg. Moscow is the biggest city in Europe never to have had a pride parade.
On Tuesday Chief Russian Mufti Talgat Tajuddin said gays could be killed if they go ahead.
"Muslims' protests can be even worse than these notorious rallies abroad over the scandalous cartoons," Tajuddin, of Russia's Central Spiritual Governance for Muslims, told ;the Interfax news agency.
"The parade should not be allowed, and if they still come out into the streets, then they should be bashed."
He also said that the powerful Russian Orthodox Church would likely join in protests.
"All normal people are going to join it — Muslims and Orthodox alike," he told Interfax.
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Journalist stoned for not wearing a head-scarf
Sunday, February 12 2006 @ 09:42 PM Eastern Standard Time
http://www.turks.us/article.php?story=2006021221421729
Aliye Cetinkaya, a journalist from the Turkish daily Sabah newspaper, who was reporting on the recent protests over the offensive caricatures of the Prophet Mohammed, was stoned in Konya for reasons demonstrators said were provocative – as she did not cover her head. Cetinkaya was taken away by male colleagues after stones hit her head and shoulders. The female journalist was attacked for being ‘sexually provocative’ for not wearing a head scarf at the demonstration organised by the Peoples Education Research and Support Group in Konya (He-Da-Der) and entitled ‘Loyalty to the Prophet’.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Andrew Sullivan
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/02/concerned_stone.html
The Concerned Women for America are now publishing articles by writers whose primary identification is with Christian Reconstructionists. The writer is clearly a follower of R.J. Rushdoony, a central figure in Reconstructionism. He backs anti-blasphemy laws.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
The war WITHIN Islam rages
The Antipath
Filed under: religion, terrorism — don @ 2:48 pm
http://theantipath.com/?p=49
Islamists in Bangladesh are demanding the government “ban” Ahmadiyya Muslims because they are not “real” Muslims. 4,000 radical Islamists took to the streets of the Muslim neighborhood, scaring many Ahmadiyya Muslims out of their homes. They want to “capture” the Mosque. They have threatened violence if the Bangladeshi authorities intervene. This has been going on for some time now; there is some background here.
Well, to their credit, the authorities did intervene. They stood up for religious freedom and blocked these fundamentalist Islamists from bullying the other local Muslims.
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Dr. Dobson Calls for Civility in Disagreements
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 16, 2006
by Pete Winn, associate editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039559.cfm
SUMMARY: Focus founder tells listeners, "My integrity
means more to me than my life."
Focus on the Family Action founder Dr. James Dobson took
to the airwaves Wednesday and today to defend himself
against the continuing sharp, vitriolic criticism that has
come from some within the conservative Christian community
-- criticism which has questioned whether he had somehow
sold out to the gay-activist cause.
The allegations center on his support of Colorado Senate
Bill 166. The reciprocal-beneficiaries bill would help
streamline the process by which unmarried people who
cannot legally marry each other can share certain benefits
-- such as powers of attorney, the right to make medical
decisions or end-of-life decisions.
On his nationally syndicated radio program today, Dobson
repudiated the idea that his support for the bill somehow
represented a change in his position opposing gay
marriage.
But he did say the controversy had reached the ears of
secular TV hosts, and one of them, Bill O'Reilly, host of
"The O'Reilly Factor" on the Fox News Channel, invited him
on to explain. Dobson appeared on that broadcast Wednesday
night:
DOBSON: There is, here in Colorado, a bill to create civil
unions for homosexuals. We think that's a very bad idea.
And, yet, the Democrats in the state legislature have the
majority in both houses. And this could very easily pass.
We're very much opposed to it.
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
STUDY: FEDERAL FUNDING TO FAITH-BASED GROUPS SLIPPING
The White House disputes the findings.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 16, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039556.cfm
The president's funding of faith-based initiatives is
slipping, according to study by the Roundtable on Religion
and Social Welfare Policy.
Bryan Jackson, director of communications for the group,
said the study found that while the percentage of
social-service money given to faith-based groups remained
steady and the number of organizations getting the funds
increased, over the last few years the actual amount has
fallen.
"Overall social-service spending -- not just to
faith-based groups but in all federal money to social
services -- has declined," he said. "Faith-based groups
also experienced that trend."
But Jim Towey, director of the White House Office of
Faith-Based Initiatives, took issue with the study's
findings.
"They excluded all of the new initiatives of President
Bush," he said. "Their study says we're going to release
something in 2006 but we're only going to look at programs
that were in place in 2002."
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
New York Court Says Marriage Issue Belongs to Legislature
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 16, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
A New York state appeals court today ruled the state's
marriage law is constitutional, The Associated Press
reported.
The court reviewed three cases brought by homosexual
couples who were denied marriage licenses. The couples
claimed that state health regulations defining marriage as
a union between one man and one woman were
unconstitutional.
A five-judge panel voted unanimously in favor of state
law, and objected to the thought that they should
legislate from the bench.
"In our opinion, the legislature is where the changes to
marriage" would need to be addressed, wrote Justice John
Lahtinen.
The case is expected to move to the state Supreme Court
for a final ruling.
----- 8 -----
States Support Embryonic Stem-Cell Research
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 16, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Connecticut and Illinois have announced plans to spend
millions on controversial embryonic stem-cell research,
LifeNews reported.
The Connecticut advisory board that's responsible for
deciding who gets $20 million slated for research
determined embryonic stem-cell research will have first
dibs on the money.
Marie Hillard, executive director of the Connecticut
Catholic Conference, said the benefits of embryonic
stem-cell research are overstated.
"We believe there is a tremendous amount of
misinformation," she said.
She noted that the research always results in the
destruction of human life and it has produced no cures.
Such funds would be better directed toward
non-controversial adult stem-cell research, which has
already provided treatment for dozens of diseases.
Meanwhile, Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich proposed a budget
with $100 million to be spent on embryonic stem-cell
research over the next five years.
The money -- from the state's share of the tobacco
settlement -- would be diverted from funds set aside for
health care. Just last year, Blagojevich bypassed the
state Legislature and diverted $10 million in taxpayer
dollars toward the controversial research.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: To learn more about embryonic and
adult stem-cell research, please visit the Focus on Social
Issues Web site.
http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/bioethics/cloning/
----- 9 -----
Wal-Mart Stores Ordered to Sell the Morning-After Pill
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 16, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The Massachusetts state pharmacy board ordered Wal-Mart
stores in the state to stock the so-called morning-after
pill, The Associated Press reported.
Plan B is opposed by pro-life groups because it can
sometimes cause an early abortion.
The state's decision on Tuesday to force all 44
Massachusetts Wal-Mart stores, plus four Sam's Club
stores, to carry the drug was made after four women filed
a lawsuit against the company for failure to carry
"commonly prescribed medicines."
Massachusetts joins Illinois in forcing the chain to carry
Plan B.
Company spokesman Dan Fogelman says Wal-mart "chooses not
to carry many products for business reasons," citing low
customer demand as one reason.
----- 10 -----
BATTLE OVER COLORADO BENEFITS BILL
Dr. James Dobson responds to baseless allegations.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 15, 2006
by Pete Winn, associate editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039547.cfm
A bill under consideration in the Colorado Legislature may
forestall domestic-partnership or same-sex marriage
legislation.
Senate Bill 166, which is supported by Focus on the Family
Action, would facilitate certain contractual obligations
or legal arrangements for -- in the words of the bill --
any two "unmarried persons who are excluded from entering
into a valid marriage under the marriage laws of this
state."
However, the intent of the bill is being misconstrued, and
supporters, including Focus on the Family Action Chairman
Dr. James Dobson, are being harshly and unfairly
criticized as endorsing the gay agenda.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Idaho Will Vote on Protecting Marriage
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 15, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
After two years of being denied the opportunity by their
state Senate, the people of Idaho will be allowed to vote
to constitutionally protect marriage.
On Feb. 6, the Idaho House easily passed a state marriage
protection amendment 53-17. The measure then went to the
Senate, where it had been defeated twice before. But
today, the Senate approved the amendment 26-9, placing it
on the November ballot.
So far, people in five other states will also have the
opportunity to vote on a marriage protection amendment
this year -- Alabama, South Carolina, South Dakota,
Tennessee and Virginia.
----- 12 -----
Sports Illustrated Swimsuit Edition Targets iPods
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 15, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Sports Illustrated, banking on the popularity of the video
iPod among teen males, now offers the option to download
clips of swimsuit models -- something pro-family analysts
say should have parents concerned.
The download page is sponsored by major corporations
including Budweiser, Coca-Cola and Honda.
Advertising on the site is noticeably aimed at male teens
and young adults -- the audience expected to log on and
download what some call borderline pornography.
Paul Fichtenbaum, managing editor of the Sports
Illustrated Web site, told CNNMoney.com that he expects it
to be a popular destination.
"We're expecting more than 50 million page views the first
week, just to that section," he said.
The video clips can be viewed for free online -- preceded
by a Honda ad -- or individually downloaded for a fee.
Daniel Weiss, senior media and sexuality analyst for Focus
on the Family Action, said the price some young men pay
may go far beyond $1.99.
"We are seeing a whole generation of young boys becoming
addicted to pornography before they are even legally
allowed to view it," he said. "For many, Sports
Illustrated is the 'gateway drug' leading to that
addiction."
Weiss said the magazine has been exposing teenage boys to
inappropriate content for decades and now with the use of
new technology, they are making it even easier for kids to
view the material out of the watchful eye of parents.
"The problem is that the so-called swimsuit issue has now
lost the swimsuits," he said. "Many of the photos are of
fully nude models covered only in body paint, which leaves
nothing to the imagination.
"The message being perpetuated by Sports Illustrated is
that women exist for the sexual gratification of male
readers -- the same messages inherent in hardcore
pornography. If young boys are taught to lust after women
at an early age, we can almost guarantee they will seek
harder, coarser and more degrading material later in
life."
----- 13 -----
Abortion Drug Under Scrutiny
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 15, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will convene a
group of experts on May 11, 2006, to uncover the reason
the dangerous and controversial abortion drug RU-486 has
caused severe infection and death in some women, LifeNews
reported.
The deaths of at least four women have been attributed to
a bacterial infection that was a direct result of taking
the abortion drug. Hundreds of women have reported serious
complications from the same infection.
The conference at the Centers for Disease Control in
Atlanta will be under tight security, because officials
are concerned about protests.
"We hope to keep the focus on science," one official said.
"We're holding this in a secure government facility for a
reason."
Wendy Wright, president of Concerned Women for America,
said the drug should be pulled from the market.
"Women trust that the FDA is doing its job to protect our
health," she said. "To continue this trust, the FDA should
withdraw its approval of RU-486 before more women die."
----- 14 -----
JUDGES WEIGH NEBRASKA MARRIAGE AMENDMENT
Eyewitnesses say the judges were hard on the ACLU.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039528.cfm
A three-judge panel of the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of
Appeals in St. Louis heard arguments Monday on Nebraska's
state constitutional amendment to protect marriage.
The amendment, which passed in 2000, does two things: It
defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman,
and it also explains what marriage is not -- the union of
any other individuals.
Pro-family experts say the arguments went well for
marriage. Dave Bydalek, executive director of Family
First, who attended the hearing, said he was encouraged by
the strength of the arguments.
"I really don't think that it could have gone any better
for the state of Nebraska and the 70 percent of the people
that voted to protect the institution of marriage," he
said.
Bydalek, a former Nebraska deputy attorney general who has
argued more than 125 cases before the state Supreme Court
and the 8th Circuit, said it was very clear from the tenor
of the judges' questions and comments that they believe
"the people of Nebraska have a perfect right to
constitutionalize the traditional meaning of marriage."
He said the judges hammered the attorney for the American
Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).
" 'We don't buy your argument.' Two of the three judges
actually stated that in open court," Bydalek said.
In making the original ruling that overturned the
amendment, U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon said last
year that it "imposes significant burdens on both the
expressive and associational rights" of homosexuals and
"creates a significant barrier to the plaintiffs' right to
petition or to participate in the political process."
Indeed, the ACLU, which filed suit on behalf of several
gay couples, challenged the law based on the equal
protection clause of the U.S. Constitution.
Bydalek said the homosexual activists argued that since
the amendment to the state constitution prohibits gay
marriage or civil unions, that it somehow denies gays and
lesbians access to the political process as protected
under the U.S. Constitution.
[...]
TAKE ACTION: The only way to guarantee that out-of-control
courts don't hijack the definition of marriage is for the
federal Marriage Protection Amendment to be passed by
Congress and ratified by the states.
To learn more about the MPA and what you can do to support
marriage, please see our Marriage Protection Amendment
Action Center.
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0031537.cfm
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Judicial Activism Threatens Constitutional Freedoms
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
February 14, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039526.cfm
SUMMARY: Panel of experts recommends solutions to rein in
the courts.
Judicial activism ranks as one of the worst dangers in the
world -- according to a panel of experts that addressed
the Conservative Political Action Conference over the
weekend.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, said the courts
have wrongly taken on power reserved for the Congress and
state legislatures.
"Oftentimes activist decisions rob those powers, those
legislative powers, from those bodies," he said, "and
allow the courts to rule us rather than these elected
officials."
Rep. Trent Franks, R-Ariz., told Family News in Focus that
legislating from the bench shakes the foundations of the
U.S. Constitution.
"What we're faced here with the Supreme Court and other
courts is making sure that they apply the law as it's
written and not create the law from the bench," he said.
"You have to think about it as robbing the American people
of the right to govern themselves under the Constitution."
Franks contended the courts are the last opportunity for
liberals to force outrageous policy on America.
He recommended a three-pronged approach to solving the
problem: Appointing more conservatives to the federal
bench, getting Congress to exercise its constitutional
authority over the courts and amending the Constitution.
"We need to have a simple constitutional amendment that
says the judges cannot make law from the bench," he said.
"They have to stick with the original intent of the law.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Despite the mythical status accorded
the courts, judges are only humans, complete with
imperfections. For that reason alone, we must not abdicate
all authority to the judiciary. "Men in Black" by Mark R.
Levin examines some of the outrageous recent court
decisions and provides a blueprint for action for those
who oppose judicial tyranny.
Long URL elided
----- 16 -----
Ohio Rejects Critical Analysis of Evolution
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 14, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The Ohio Board of Education decided today that students
should not hear critical analysis of the theory of
evolution.
The state's model biology curriculum -- a benchmark for
science classes -- had included references to "critical
analysis" of Darwin's theory. Critics objected, claiming
such language is an implied endorsement of intelligent
design, The New York Times reported.
Patricia Princehouse, an evolutionary biologist, led the
fight against the curriculum.
"Basically critical analysis is intelligent design
relabeled," she told the board.
Earlier this week, defenders of evolution bombarded board
members with 30,000 e-mails asking them to vote against
such language.
Robin Hovis, one of the board members who pushed for the
emergency motion to remove the "critical analysis"
language from the state's lesson plan, said many on the
board felt the pressure.
"All of this adds up to a sense of urgency," Hovis said.
"There is an atmosphere among the board that this is a
misguided policy and we better get rid of it."
But Lyle Jensen, a fellow of the American Association for
the Advancement of Science and professor emeritus at the
University of Washington, wrote a letter encouraging the
board to stand strong.
"While students should surely learn about the scientific
strengths of evolution, they should also have the
opportunity to learn about scientific weaknesses with the
theory," he wrote. "I strongly urge you to retain the
Critical Analysis of Evolution Lesson Plan so that Ohio
students are objectively informed concerning the facts of
biology and trained to be better scientists."
----- 17 -----
Court Upholds Florida's Right-to-Know Law
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 14, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
A federal court in Florida has ruled that the state's
parental-notification law will stand, despite the abortion
industry's claim it's unconstitutional.
U.S. District Court Judge William Stafford found the claim
by Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida,
along with three other abortion clinics, to be unfounded.
"Florida has carefully crafted a parental notification
statute that serves a compelling state interest," he said.
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family
Action, said the citizens of Florida have been fighting
since 1999 for the pro-family parental notification
statute. Planned Parenthood has been behind the fight to
keep parents in the dark from the beginning.
"This federal judge held that the state had a 'compelling
interest' in enacting the parental-notification law and
denied Planned Parenthood's arguments," he said. "This
case highlights that pro-lifers' hard work in supporting
and enacting constitutional amendments and family-friendly
laws eventually pays off in the fight for the family."
Hausknecht said Planned Parenthood will challenge any law
it perceives as a threat to restricting even one abortion,
but in the end, parents have the right to be involved in
the health-care decisions of a minor child.
"Floridians are to be congratulated for their years of
perseverance on this issue," he said, "and hopefully their
example will encourage voters and legislatures in other
states to do likewise."
----- 18 -----
Last Frontier State Seeks to Protect Marriage
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
February 14, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Lawmakers in Alaska have introduced legislation that would
override an October 2005 state Supreme Court ruling
granting spousal benefits to homosexual public employees,
The Washington Times reported.
Alaska was one of the first states to pass a
constitutional amendment defining marriage as the union
between one man and one woman. Voters approved the measure
by a significant majority in 1998.
The Supreme Court decision said that amendment "does not
address the topic of employment benefits at all."
Rep. John Coghill, R-North Pole, said the court was "off
base." He introduced a resolution Friday to restrict the
"rights, benefits, obligations, qualities or effects of
marriage" to the legal union of one man and one woman.
The Senate Judiciary Committee will present an identical
bill today, sponsored by Sen. Ralph Seekins, R-Fairbanks.
----- 19 -----
Pro-Abortion Hewlitt Foundation Funds ‘Evangelical Climate Initiative’
Concerned Women for America
2/16/2006
By Pamela Wong
Some 85 leaders sign onto statement calling evangelicals to act.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10157/CWA/life/index.htm
A new effort to mobilize evangelical Christians on the problem of global warming received $475,000 from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, one of the top funders of abortion programs in the United States and abroad.
The Evangelical Climate Initiative went public on February 8, when it released a statement signed by 85 evangelical leaders, including the presidents of 39 colleges, the former president of the National Association of Evangelicals, the heads of denominations, and well-known evangelical figures.
Called Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action, the statement includes the following disclaimer: “Signatories do so as individuals expressing their personal opinions and not as representatives of their organizations.”
“Global warming is a controversial issue in itself, but the real problem comes with the so-called solutions, such as population control and reducing access to technology that will lift people out of poverty,” said Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America. “Hewlett Foundation is one of the most prodigious and unabashed funders of abortion causes, with much money going to make abortion acceptable. Its significant grant for this initiative, along with the controversial Rockefeller Brothers Foundation, reveals where this effort could lead. They would not fund something that contradicts their main missions.”
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
New York Appellate Court Rejects Homosexual Marriage
Concerned Women for America
2/17/2006
By Jan LaRue, Chief Counsel
Unanimous ruling in three cases says only Legislature can define marriage.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10159/LEGAL/family/index.htm
New York’s second highest court ruled on February 16 that same-sex couples have no right to a marriage license under existing state law. The decision in Samuels v. New York State Health Department will be appealed to New York’s court of last resort, the Court of Appeals, according to attorneys for Lambda Legal Defense Fund, which represents the plaintiffs.
The court considered and rejected plaintiffs’ arguments that because the New York Domestic Relations Law limits marriage licenses to opposite-sex couples, it “violates their due process, equal protection and free speech provisions of the New York Constitution.”
The plaintiffs claimed a fundamental, substantive due process right “to marry the person of their choosing regardless of gender.” The court explained how it would determine what level of review to apply: “A law that impinges upon a fundamental right is subject to strict scrutiny, whereas one that does not ‘burden a fundamental right … is valid if it bears a rational relationship to [a governmental] interest.’”
The court was persuaded that “this case is not simply about the right to marry the person of one’s choice” but was, “in reality, a redefinition of marriage.”
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
States Taking a Stand Against Abortion
Colleen Raezler
Concerned Women for America
February 15, 2006
Pro-life politicians are steadily chipping away the effect of Roe v. Wade on state laws.
Unborn Child Pain Awareness bills were introduced in 19 states last year, according to USA Today, and legislatures in Arkansas, Georgia, Minnesota and Wisconsin have already passed them. These bills require physicians to inform their patients prior to an abortion that their babies may feel pain during the process.
Wisconsin’s governor ultimately vetoed his state’s bill. Pro-life groups are already preparing to reintroduce the bill during this year’s legislative session.
“This quick action by states to pass pro-life legislation that was first introduced only recently is a good sign for that day when Roe v. Wade is overturned and the states will decide the status of abortion,” said Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America (CWA). “While radical hold-outs still believe that no sympathy whatsoever must be shown to unborn babies, that they can be killed and must also experience torturous pain in the process, most Americans and most of their representatives do not agree.”
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
Morning-After Contraception Rules Considered By Lawmakers
WBAL-TV
POSTED: 5:45 am EST February 16, 2006
UPDATED: 5:52 am EST February 16, 2006
http://www.thewbalchannel.com/news/7109570/detail.html
ANNAPOLIS, Md. -- Women would be able to get morning-after contraception pills without a prescription under a bill being considered by Maryland lawmakers.
The proposal would allow women needing emergency contraception to visit a pharmacist and receive the pills without seeing a doctor for a prescription. If approved, Maryland would join at least seven states that allow pharmacists to dispense the morning-after pill without a doctor's prescription.
Maryland lawmakers have considered but rejected similar proposals the last two years.
On Wednesday a Senate committee again held a hearing on emergency contraception, which can prevent pregnancy when taken within 72 hours of unprotected sex.
[...]
"I feel like it will open the gates for free sex, so to speak," said Gray, a member of the group Concerned Women for America. [Editor's note: I think this quote is fair game, even though Gray is just listed as a "member" of CWA, since Concerned Women for America's national page linked to this story]
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
Confront the Issues; Uncover the Truth
Restore America Conference 2006
http://www.restoringnorthwestamerica.org/conference.htm
Join Oregon and Washington pastors, youth leaders, legislators, business leaders and students for two informative and motivating days in Portland, Oregon at the Restoring Northwest America Conference, March 3-4, 2006. Already, several nationally known speakers, including Dr. Gary Cass, Marshall Foster, Janet Folger, Dr. Rick Scarborough, Gary DeMar, Matthew Staver and Herb Titus are looking forward to addressing critical contemporary social, moral, political, spiritual and ethical issues that confront all Americans.
View Video (7 MB - best viewed with high speed internet connection, need media player to view).
Listen to Interview with Janet Folger (1 MB - best listened to with high speed internet connection, need media player to listen to).
Click here for bulletin insert for your church.
Some of the hard-hitting issues to be addressed:
• ‘Separation of Church and State’; The truth about the First Amendment.
• The Christian foundation of the Declaration of Independence and the U.S. Constitution
• Legislating from the ‘bench’ and what we can do to stop it
• ‘Intelligent Design’ and the battle for the minds of our children
• ‘Embryonic Stem Cell Research’ and what it means for the future
• The ‘Criminalization of Christianity’ and ‘Winning the War on Faith’
• The role of Christian Citizens in restoring America
• Mobilizing the Christian VOTE in Oregon and Washington
• Leadership from the Pulpit and the Pew as the new ‘paradigm’ for changing civil government.
[More at URL]
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Blood Relatives Play Second Fiddle to 'Domestic Partners' Under New NY Law
By Jody Brown and Bill Fancher
Agape Press
February 14, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/142006d.asp
(AgapePress) - Family advocates are saying a new law in the State of New York has damaged the role of the traditional family. At the same time, one pro-homosexual lobby considers it a victory for their specific definition of families.
Earlier this month, New York Governor George Pataki signed into law a measure that gives authority over burial rights to same-sex partners of the deceased -- above the wishes of family and blood relatives. The executive director of the Empire State Pride Agenda believes the Republican governor did the right thing.
"For too long in New York, same-sex partners who live together and care for each other have been legal strangers when one of them dies," says Alan Van Capelle. "This is the first time in [state] law [that] same-sex relationships have been given priority over a blood relative. This is victory for our families."
Bob Knight of the Culture and Family Institute, however, says while that might seem compassionate on the surface, family is family.
"Family has been given preference for a reason," says the pro-family leader. "And to say that grieving parents, for instance, just have no rights over what happens to their child's body is a perversion of the law." Not only that, says Knight, "it's another surrender to the gay lobby -- and it's another notch down from putting the family first in our nation's laws."
[More at URL]
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FDA Conference Will Study Infection Deaths From RU 486 Abortion Drug
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
February 14, 2006
http://www.lifenews.com/nat2078.html
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- The Food and Drug Administration has announced that it will convene a panel of experts in May to determine why the dangerous RU 486 abortion drug has caused severe bacterial infections that have resulted in the deaths of four women and injuring hundreds more.
Some 15 to 20 scientists who have studied the infections will be asked to present their findings at the conference, scheduled for May 11, the FDA told the New York Times.
An FDA official told the newspaper the conference will be held at the Centers for Disease Control main office in Atlanta and those wanting to attend must register by April 15. The official said government authorities are concerned about protests and security because of the controversy surrounding the drug.
"We hope to keep the focus on the science," the official told the Times. "We're holding this in a secure government facility for a reason."
[More at URL]
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Men We Love
In praise of a few good men.
National Review Online
February 14, 2006, 9:55 a.m.
[...]
Janice Shaw Crouse
I find nothing more attractive in a person than a clear-eyed passion for what is true and good. I first saw Phill Kline, attorney general for Kansas, a couple of years ago when we each gave testimony about an anti-sex-trafficking bill before the Kansas legislature. It took no special insight to recognize that here was a man from the heartland of America who speaks with the passion of William Jennings Bryan about wrongs that must be righted.
I’ve followed Kline’s career ever since. What an incredible joy to see that there are yet in America heroes emerging who speak great truths with simplicity, eloquence, and passion.
[...]
— Janice Shaw Crouse writes from Washington, D.C.
[Editor's Note: Why am I including this? Because National Review is taking writers from Concerned Women for America. Concerned Women for America is taking writers from the overtly theocratic, overtly reconstructionist Chalcedon founation. How long before they eliminate the middle step? I don't know.]
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Homosexual Marriage Ban Vote Re-Scheduled For Early June
American Family Association
February, 2006
http://www3.capwiz.com/afanet/issues/alert/?alertid=8489386&type=CO
Action Needed! Help Send U.S. Senate One Million Letters Supporting Marriage Protection Amendment - 300,000 Already Sent!
The date for a vote on the federal Marriage Protection Amendment (MPA) by the U.S. Senate has been re-scheduled for the first week in June. This constitutional amendment will make only marriage between one man and one woman legal. [Editor's note: Bold in original.]
[More at URL]
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Activists Planning to Stage '06 World 'Gay Pride' Celebration in Jerusalem
By James L. Lambert
American Family Association
Agape Press
February 17, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/172006a.asp
SAN DIEGO (AgapePress) - Homosexual activists are planning to stage a massive "gay pride" party and parade this summer in Jerusalem. Jerry Falwell says that's a mistake that could backfire on the homosexual community worldwide.
Jerusalem WorldPride 2006, scheduled for August 6-12, 2006, describes itself as "a massive demonstration of LGBT [lesbian, bay, bisexual, transgender] pride and human rights" and an opportunity for the homosexual community to make a "global statement of pride and tolerance."
"The message sent from Jerusalem WP will echo worldwide, redefining LGBT identity, faith, and vision," says the event's website.
[...]
James Hartline, a former homosexual and a member of Giovinetti's church in San Diego, informed his pastor of last year's event. He is deeply saddened after hearing that activists again plan on organizing an event this year. Hartline contends that Jerusalem represents the very foundation of his faith. He cannot understand "why anyone would want to engage in sodomy and pornography at the holy sites of our religious heritage." Hartline says that people in his church are heartbroken about the news of this event.
[More at URL]
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Columnist Rips Evangelical Leaders for Becoming 'Trojan Horse' for the Left
By Jim Brown
February 16, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/2/afa/162006b.asp
(AgapePress) - A Christian columnist says groups that back abortion rights and same-sex "marriage" are funding the new evangelical climate initiative signed by Purpose-Driven Life author Rick Warren and more than 80 other Christian pastors and leaders.
In a recent column for ChristianWorldviewNetwork.com, Brannon Howse reveals that an initiative called "Climate Change: An Evangelical Call to Action," which calls for action regarding global warming, is being subsidized by liberal organizations such as the Rockefeller Brothers Fund and the Hewlett Foundation. The initiative claims global warming is real, and urges Christians to "advance legislation that will limit emissions, while respecting economic and business concerns."
Howse, co-host of a weekly radio broadcast heard on more than 200 Christian stations, contends the initiative is supported by groups that promote abortion and the homosexual agenda -- and in conjunction with the Christian leaders, he says, that constitutes an "unholy alliance."
[More at URL]
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FIRST-PERSON: Creating culture warriors
Feb 16, 2006
By Penna Dexter
Baptist Press
http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=22674
DALLAS (BP)--A recent Newsweek story describes the emphasis evangelical universities are placing on training debaters. The debate team at Liberty University in Lynchburg, Va., ranks number one in the nation. (Harvard is number 14.)
Its success stems from Jerry Falwell’s vision to turn out debaters who become “the conscience of the culture.” These young culture warriors are gaining the skills to become lawyers and leaders who will take on what Dr. Falwell calls the “moral default on the other side.” One of Liberty’s freshman debaters, Cole Bender, defines his dream: “I think I can make an impact in the field of law on abortion and gay rights, to get back to Americans’ godly heritage.”
[More at URL]
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Washington Briefing
Family Research Council
February 2006
http://www.frcaction.org/
Save the Date!
Washington Briefing - 2006 Values Voter Summit
Founding Co-Sponsors:
American Family Association
Americans United to Preserve Marriage
Focus on the Family Action
Invited Speakers to Include:
Sen. George Allen
Sen. Bill Frist
Tony Perkins
Gary Bauer
Laura Ingraham
Sen. Rick Santorum
Sen. Sam Brownback
The Honorable Zell Miller
Lt. Gov. Michael Steele
Peggy Noonan
Rev. Don Wildmon
Date and Place:
September 22-24, 2006
Omni Shoreham Hotel
Washington, D.C.
Registration opens March 15
[More at URL]
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FRC: Americans Will See Which Senators Support Marriage This June
Family Research Council
February 10, 2006 - Friday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: February 10, 2006 CONTACT: J.P. Duffy, (202) 679-6800
A vote on the Marriage Protection Amendment has been scheduled in the U.S. Senate for the week of June 5
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR06B08
WASHINGTON, D.C. - In response to today's official announcement by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) that the U.S. Senate will hold a cloture vote on the Marriage Protection Amendment the week of June 5, Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins released the following statement:
"The U.S. Senate has stood by for two years watching the unrelenting judicial assault on marriage. However, the American people in overwhelming numbers have risen to the defense of marriage by enacting 19 state marriage amendments. Despite these valiant efforts on the state level, activist courts in several states including Nebraska have undermined the democratic process by throwing out laws which protect marriage.
"This June, the American people will be watching to see if their senators will step up to the plate and take a stand in defense of marriage. The Marriage Protection Amendment is the only tool the American people have to ensure that the definition of marriage remains one man and one woman.
"The Marriage Protection Amendment will not only protect marriage but also rein in an activist judiciary that is trashing the democratic process. This is a growing national problem, and it requires a national solution - an amendment to the U.S. Constitution protecting marriage."
For more information about FRC's efforts to protect marriage and pass the Marriage Protection Amendment, go to www.frc.org.
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The enemy is not done with Canada - But neither is God!
Canada Family Action Coalition
By Brian Rushfeldt (printed in
March 2006 City Light News, Calgary)
Long URL elided
The soul of a nation is dependent upon the church, not the government. Governments, even those with high standards of morality and righteousness, do not define the moral and spiritual position of a nation. Only God's church has been entrusted with this incredible opportunity and responsibility. The Church is the only institution which provides the kingdom teaching and leadership required for the transformation of the human soul. Laws and policies passed by government serve as restraints on certain behaviors, but they do not change hearts or save souls.
[...]
In a properly functioning democracy, a government can and often will do only as much as the people allow or demand. A recent example that contradicts this statement is the redefinition of marriage. The majority of Canadians did not want the definition changed. However, the government responsible for that legislation did not practice or respect democracy. The people were ignored and our culture was altered.
If Canada is ever to see laws with at least some restraints on abortion, a restoration of the man-woman definition of marriage, real protection for children, more effective justice, better law enforcement, and more fair and functional social networks, God's people must be the ambassadors to lead the way. We must be able to wisely and compassionately explain why certain values are God's, and why they work for the good of all humanity. Christians must demonstrate the powers of God's kingdom and model the effect of adhering to biblical truth in everyday life.
[...]
Let us build on the hope that Election 2006 gave us for change in the moral and spiritual levels of Canada.
[...]
We have much work to do to advance His kingdom in Canada. We have greater hope and better opportunities to influence for the kingdom of God than prior to January 23. But none of this will matter if we fail to be obedient to the call and commands of God. Rev 3:6.
[More at URL]
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Canada Family Action Coalition
Quotables
Front page
February 16, 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/
U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia said, "The Constitution is not a living organism, it is a legal document. It says something and doesn't say other things." He also said living organism people want matters to be decided "not by the people, but by the justices of the Supreme Court." Sounds like Canadian judicial supreme dictators.
[More at URL]
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How Parents May Stop Homosexual Presentations Made to their Children in School
REAL Women of Canada
"Women's Rights Not at the
Expense of Human Rights"
(Hosted by Canada Family Action Coalition)
September 21, 2005, but listed on front page in February 2006
Long URL elided
1. Write a letter to your child's principal and teacher politely expressing your concerns about the promotion of homosexuality in your child's school.
Be aware that such topics as family diversity or anti-bullying are used as a cover to promote the homosexual agenda.
a) It's important to state in your letter that you object to your child being involved in any presentation which portrays homosexuality as a normal, equal lifestyle choice. Because many school boards have a so-called "equity" policy on homosexuality, it will always be portrayed sympathetically.
b) Request that you be notified of any presentation by school staff or outside presenters which includes or is likely to include a homosexual component.
c) Specifically request in your letter that you be advised well in advance of any outside presentation because the school may subsequently argue that presenters are from outside the school and "we weren't aware that they were going to include a homosexual element in their presentation." This is unlikely. School personnel are usually well aware when a presentation is going to include homosexuality. If they don't know, then it is their responsibility to ask in advance and then inform you.
d) Request in your letter that the teacher and principal inform any other teachers who work with your child, of your request about the homosexual issue. Ensure that your child communicate with you any breaches of this request.
e) Request the teacher keep your letter on file in the classroom and request that the principal place one in the official Student Record file in the office.
[More at URL]
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Feminist Shell Game
REAL Women of Canada
For Immediate Release
Ottawa, Ontario February 15, 2006
http://www.realwomenca.com/press.htm#02_15_06
300 women claiming to represent all Canadian women met on Parliament Hill February 13-14 to supposedly celebrate their work 25 years ago which resulted in the inclusion of S.28 in the Charter of Rights. Section 28 guarantees that the Charter's provisions apply equally for male and female persons. Ironically, Section 28 of the Charter has turned out to be unused, unproved and without effect, according to the decisions brought down by the Supreme Court of Canada on the Charter.
Feminists do not now, and never have had the support of Canadian women. They are a special interest group representing their own ideology only. Moreover, feminist organizations continue to exist in Canada today only because they are funded by the federal Status of Women, without which funding they would collapse, since they have little or no grassroots support.
This week's feminist meeting in Ottawa, true to form, was supported by the Status of Women and other government departments such as the Department of Justice, and government tax-supported agencies such as the National Film Board, Law Commission of Canada, Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) and International Development Research Centre (IRDC).
The meeting made such unpopular recommendations as championing a universal national day care plan, thereby ignoring the enthusiastic reception given to the $1200 child care support paid directly to all parents equally proposed by the Conservative Party in the recent election.
This meeting also recommended the imposition of proportional representation to ensure that 50 % of elected parliamentarians are of the female gender. Feminists refuse to accept that women vote on the basis of issues, not anatomy. Reasonable voters reject tampering with our democratic process by legislating gender quotas which bypass merit and reward the pre-set criteria chosen by undemocratically appointed committees.
Canadian women from diverse backgrounds and values are not represented by the narrow feminist agenda and reject their undemocratic manipulations. They prefer to work through a democratic system of government.
The federal government must stop funding these unrepresentative women and their irrational policies.
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Contact persons:
C. Gwendolyn Landolt Tel: (905) 731-5425, 787-0348, 889-1993
Diane Watts Tel: (613) 236-4001
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Supreme Court selection dogs PM
Today's Family News
Focus on the Family (Canada)
February 17, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/misc/021706.html
One of the more immediate tasks facing Prime Minister Stephen Harper will not just be who he chooses to fill a current vacancy on the Supreme Court of Canada, but also how he will make the selection.
Under The Constitution Act, Harper has the final say on who sits on the Supreme Court. The Ottawa Citizen noted recently that he can either select the successor to retiring Justice John Major from an existing shortlist or start the process from scatch, perhaps even requiring a parliamentary committee to vet candidates. This process would be more open and democratic, but it would also leave the normally nine-member court to function at less than full capacity for possibly several months. (At present, seven hear the cases that come before them to avoid a tie decision.)
Under a selection process implemented under the Liberals, Justice Minister Irwin Cotler had submitted a list of six candidates to an advisory panel of politicians, legal experts and community activists. It narrowed the list down to three before the election was called in November. Vic Toews, the new Conservative Justice Minister, served on that panel.
Toews personally sees no need to start afresh.
“There are very well qualified individuals who are identified during that process and I would like to see the process continue,” he told CBC Radio. However, Toews added he would still prefer to have the candidates go before “some kind of a public hearing that respects the independence of the judiciary.”
[More at URL]
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Evolution built on lies: evangelist
Today's Family News
Focus on the Family Canada
February 17, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/education/stories/021706.html
Self-styled creation science evangelist Dr. Ken Hovind believes all that is needed for the theory of evolution to collapse is for school textbooks that teach the origin of life to be rigorously accurate, AgapePress reported.
“Because if all the lies are taken out of the textbooks, there will be nothing left to support the evolution theory,” he says. “There are 50-some lies in the average textbook that are used as evidence for evolution. Get them out. End of story.”
Hovind, who believes the Bible is literally true and scientifically accurate, says the Dover Area School Board in Pennsylvania was “barking up the wrong tree” when it attempted to require that intelligent design (ID) be taught in its classrooms.
[More at URL]
[Ed. Note: The Bible as "scientifically accurate" requires belief in a flat earth, still in space, with the sun rotating around it. Ken Hovind, for Canadian readers not familiar with him already, is a longstanding American creationist who has been caught in open fraud down here a few times, if I remember correctly.]
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Exposure to porn harms kids: study
Today's Family news
Focus on the Family, Canadian wing
Ferbuary 17, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/sexuality/stories/021706.html
Children exposed to pornography – even accidentally – can suffer long-term damage, according to studies reported by Family News in Focus.
Although the harm that pornography can do to marriages is well-documented, more recent research reveals that when young children stumble across explicitly sexual images, their view of sexuality can be warped well into adulthood.
“Pornography is affecting people at an increasingly young age,” sociologist Diana Russell told Time magazine in 2004. “And unfortunately for many kids growing up today, pornography is the only sex education they’ll get.”
According to one survey reported by the Parents Television Council, nine in 10 children between the ages eight and 16 with Internet access, have visited pornographic websites, most often while looking up information for homework. Similarly, as Time reported, the Kaiser Family Foundation found in a poll conducted in 2001 that 70 per cent of children aged 15 to 17 said they had accidentally viewed pornography online.
In testimony in November before a Congressional committee, Jill C. Manning of the Heritage Foundation said research has shown that the effects on children and teens of being exposed to pornography include:
[More at URL]
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Mental health guilds accused of pro-homosexual bias
Today's Family News
Focus on the Family Canada
Ferbuary 15, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/sexuality/stories/021506.html
America’s mental health professional associations have deliberately abandoned scientific objectivity to aid and abet the political goals of their homosexual activist members, according to noted psychiatrist Jeffrey Satinover.
In a new study published by the National Association for Research and Therapy of Homosexuality (NARTH), Satinover accused the American Psychiatric Association, the American Psychological Association, and the National Association of Social Workers of choosing to overlook credible research linking homosexuality with psychopathology, LifeSiteNews.com reported last week.
The American Psychiatric Association (APA) removed homosexuality from the list of recognized mental disorders in 1973. But because the APA lacked “a solid scientific foundation” for its actions, said Satinover, the consequences have been far-reaching.
[More at URL]
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no subject
Date: 2006-02-17 08:56 pm (UTC)btw, thanks for the time and effort you put into keeping track of this stuff!
no subject
Date: 2006-02-18 03:52 pm (UTC)As we (well, me) say around here, "They's people out there plumb shiny with stupid."
no subject
Date: 2006-02-19 10:22 pm (UTC)