Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Mar. 22nd, 2006 10:57 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdChristianity Today puts together a bunch of out-of-their-ass numbers to "prove" that evolution is impossible, as is the universe, and any inhabitable planet;
Arkansas governor Huckabee: Christianity not represented 'Nearly Enough' in DC; he's running for the Republican nomination for president; is running as a social conservative, with anti-abortion and anti-marriage platform;
Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes: Republicans to push anti-gay, anti-abortion agenda as 2006 election platform;
New Hampshire House unexpectedly slams the state anti-marriage amendment with a resounding defeat - it didn't just fail to gain a supermajority, it failed outright 207-125, which is what you and I might refer to as a spanking;
South Dakota Oglala Sioux: HB1215 (the abortion ban) is vile, we'll start our own Planned Parenthood clinic on tribal reservation land where the state ban can't apply;
Focus on the Family runs a long, supportive article about Operation Rescue and Operation Save America;
FotF on a Michigan attempt to get a waiting-period installed on the idea that women are coerced into getting abortions - they describe it as "coerced" and "forced" in the headlines and summaries, but it magically becomes "pressured" in the article text, a word vague enough to have all sorts of fun meanings. The article also states, "Abortion's aftermath upon American men has been largely ignored, depriving them of much-needed help to forgive everyone involved in their abortion experience, including themselves," apparently asserting that a man's opinion about a woman's reproductive choices matter as much as her opinions do (if not, one suspects, more);
FotF ACTION ITEM in Kentucky over strip clubs - bans nudity, requires six feet distance, etc;
FotF quotes WorldNetDaily article: Bush says Iraq War not a part of prophecy;
Michigan governor to sign bill requiring clinics offer the opportunity to see a foetus in ultrasound before performing an abortion;
FotF runs anti-marriage-rights ad against two state senators in Minnesota; includes ACTION ITEM to demand anti-marriage-rights amendment;
FotF campaigns against Federal bill to instantiate .XXX top-level domain;
Roberts-led court refuses to hear appeal, and thereby lets appeals court ruling saying that a photographer's S&M-themed photography online was illegal stand - note that the Roberts court has let a lot of appeals court level rulings on social-conservative issues stand; that's how a bunch of states are now banning GBLT parents from adoption, after a similar inaction; one now has to wonder what else they'll let stand without a hearing; 2nd-amendment-rights activists will, of course, be very well familiar with this tactic;
Afghan man facing death penalty for converting to Christianity;
Concerned Women for America condemns CSI for "twisting Biblical truth" by, um, not using scripture the way they would use it;
CWA's Robert Knight quoted in AFA/Agape Press article keeping up the "diseased homosexuals" drumbeat;
CWA links to a Broadcasting and Cable note that Robert McDowell has cleared another nomination hurdle towards the FCC board; I can't find out why they link to this, so I speculate that since he's a Republican, they want a third Republican member on the board so that Kevin Murphy can get more aggressive with anti-"indecency" actions by the FCC - but that's just a guess, this guy has no fundamentalist background of which I'm aware; he's an industry lawyer;
American Family Association/Agape Press promotes "Values Voters" summit to demand more action on anti-gay/anti-abortion/pro-censorship issues;
AFA/Agape Press SHOCK HORROR: people have SEX over t3h INT3RW3B5;
AFA links to anti-marriage petition site, "www.nogaymarriage.com";
AFA campaign to place "In God We Trust" posters in every classroom in America;
AFA links to second anti-marriage petition site, "www.churchcoalition.com" - this one also calls out civil unions on its front page;
Family Research Council finally puts up some numbers from its "values voters" poll of fundamentalist social conservative voters; the apparently fact that social-conservative/fundamentalist "values" voters are only 69% in favour of an anti-marriage amendment stuns me; they consider this poll a call to Congress to do a lot more against gayfolk, etc; I think the results are shockingly low, given the survey subsection of the poll. Barely enough of the people pushing hardest for it want it to pass, even if they're the only ones voting;
Focus on the Family's "Institute for Marriage and Family Canada" has another anti-daycare article out;
Focus on the Family Canada continues pushing anti-birth-control scare articles, linking the BCP to cancer, accusing Canadian Cancer Society of a cover-up; Canadians should be aware this is a long-time tactic in American fundamentalist circles;
Faith and Freedom Network "talking points" against marriage rights for gay and lesbian people.
----- 1 -----
God by the Numbers
Coincidence and random mutation are not the most likely explanations for some things.
Christianity Today, March 2006
by Charles Edward White | posted 03/10/2006 10:00 a.m.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/003/26.44.html
Math and theology have had a long and checkered relationship. The Babylonians and Mayans both associated numbers with God. In fact, both societies named their gods with numbers. The Mayans used 13 and the Babylonians used 60. In the Greek world, followers of Pythagoras prayed to the first 4 numbers and thought they were the creator. On the other hand, in the 18th century, the French mathematician Laplace told Napoleon he had no need of God even as a hypothesis, and in 1744, John Wesley confessed: "I am convinced, from many experiments, I could not study either mathematics, arithmetic, or algebra … without being a deist, if not an atheist."
No one knows what Wesley saw in 18th-century mathematics that he feared would lead him away from the God of the Bible, but today, many Christian mathematicians think that numbers point to God. Three numbers in particular suggest evidence for God's existence. They are 1/1010123, 10162, and eπi.
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Ark. Gov.: Christianity Not Represented 'Nearly Enough' in D.C.
The Christian Post
Saturday, Mar. 18, 2006 Posted: 8:06:51AM EST
Long URL elided
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Faith is not present enough in politics as candidates and elected officials try to court voters too broadly out of fear that their values will splinter their base, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said at a Christian gathering on Friday.
Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister who is considering a run for president, pledged to always remain true to his beliefs.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Change the Subject
The Republican strategy for 2006.
by Fred Barnes
03/27/2006, Volume 011, Issue 26
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/011/987ykuud.asp
POLITICS IS PRETTY SIMPLE. If the debate in an upcoming election puts your party at a disadvantage, it makes sense to try to change the debate. At the moment, the 2006 midterm election is framed as a referendum on the Bush administration and congressional Republicans, putting Republican candidates on the defensive. Party strategists, led by chairman Ken Mehlman, want to rejigger the debate so it's about a choice between candidates, putting Democratic candidates on the defensive as well. In short, they want it to be a choice election, not a referendum election.
[...]
This spring and summer, Republican leaders in the Senate and House plan to bring up a series of issues that are popular with the Republican base of voters. The aim is to stir conservative voters and spur turnout in the November election. Just last week, House Majority Leader John Boehner and Whip Roy Blunt met with leaders of conservative groups to talk about these issues.
House Republicans, for their part, intend to seek votes on measures such as the Bush-backed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a bill allowing more public expression of religion, another requiring parental consent for women under 18 to get an abortion, legislation to bar all federal courts except the Supreme Court from ruling on the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance, a bill to outlaw human cloning, and another that would require doctors to consider fetal pain before performing an abortion.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
House votes down proposed amendment to ban gay marriage
Associated Press
March 21, 2006
Long URL elided
CONCORD, N.H. --The New Hampshire House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday against a proposed amendment to the state constitution to ban gay marriage.
The late afternoon vote was 207-125.
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Giago: Oglala Sioux president on state abortion law
indianz.com
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/013061.asp
"When Governor Mike Rounds signed HB 1215 into law it effectively banned all abortions in the state with the exception that it did allow saving the mother’s life. There were, however, no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. His actions, and the comments of State Senators like Bill Napoli of Rapid City, SD, set of a maelstrom of protests within the state.
[...]
The President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Cecilia Fire Thunder, was incensed. A former nurse and healthcare giver she was very angry that a state body made up mostly of white males, would make such a stupid law against women.
“To me, it is now a question of sovereignty,” she said to me last week. “I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction.”
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
KANSAS TOWN IS AGAIN SITE OF ABORTION ACTIVISM
It's been 15 years since Operation Rescue first visited Wichita, Kan.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 21, 2006
by Pete Winn, associate editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039902.cfm
Fifteen years after Operation Rescue conducted its 1991
"Summer of Mercy" rescues, Wichita, Kan., is again the
scene of an abortion controversy.
This time, it involves billboards Operation Rescue (OR)
has placed along I-35 in Oklahoma that dub Wichita the
nation's "Abortion Capital."
OR West Director Troy Newman said the billboards are
designed to speak the truth about the city.
"The interstates coming into Wichita are prime locations
to make people think about their abortion on their long
drive here from various states," he told CitizenLink.
[...]
OR has gone so far as to publish the names of Wichita
businesses they say profit from Tiller's abortion clinic
-- and from the deaths of innocents.
[...]
"You have to put things in context," Mahoney explained.
"Business for him appears to be down. But just as
importantly, Operation Rescue and Operation Save America
and other pro-life groups are determined that they will
have a peaceful and prayerful presence in Wichita until
George Tiller leaves."
Indeed, Operation Rescue West moved its headquarters from
California to Wichita a couple of years ago. Mahoney said
the fact that pro-life activists from all across the
country are still in Wichita is more telling than the fact
that abortionist Tiller is still operating.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Michigan Seeks to Stop Coerced Abortions
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 21, 2006
SUMMARY: Bill would allow 24-hour waiting period for women
forced into killing their preborn children.
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039896.cfm
With studies indicating as many as four in 10 women are
pressured into abortions by a boyfriend or parent,
Michigan is working to become the first state to address
the problem legislatively.
The Coercive Abortion Prevention Act (CAPA), which is
being opposed by Planned Parenthood, would allow a 24-hour
waiting period for a woman if it is determined she was
pressured to end her pregnancy. Sen. Michelle McManus,
the sponsor of the bill, said she wants abortion clinics
to find out why women show up at their door.
[...]
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Abortion's aftermath upon American
men has been largely ignored, depriving them of
much-needed help to forgive everyone involved in their
abortion experience, including themselves. "Men and
Abortion: A Path to Healing" will help men express their
grief, exchange it for hope and healing and be in a
position to help others.
http://www.family.org/resources/itempg.cfm?itemid=5436&refcd=CE06CCZL&tvar=no
----- 8 -----
NEW BILL WOULD END LAP DANCES
Action needed in Kentucky to regulate sexually oriented business in the state.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 21, 2006
by Mona Passignano, state issues analyst
http://www.family.org/cforum/statenews/a0039905.cfm
Senate Bill 250, which offers two overarching statewide
regulations for sexually oriented businesses, has passed
the Kentucky Senate and is now in the House Judiciary
Committee.
The bill will bolster local regulations on sexually
oriented businesses by placing a ban on total nudity and
requiring that seminude employees keep a six-foot distance
from patrons.
[...]
TAKE ACTION: If you are a Kentucky citizen, please contact
your representative and urge him or her to pass SB 250 --
a bill that prohibits total nudity in the state’s sexually
oriented businesses and keeps seminude employees at least
6 feet from patrons. Also, contact these House leaders and
ask them to pass SB 250 before the session ends -- Reps.
Gross Lindsay, Jody Richards, Bob Damron and Rocky Adkins.
For contact information for your representative, visit the
CitizenLink Action Center.
http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/directory/statedir.tt?state=KY&lvl=state
For more information about this or other policy issues in
Kentucky, visit The Family Foundation Web site.
http://www.tffky.org
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
Bush Says He Doesn't Consider War Prophetic
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
March 21, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
President Bush, responding to a question after a speech on
the war on terror, said he doesn't view the rise of
terrorism as the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, World Net
Daily reported.
"Members of your administration have reached out to
prophetic Christians who see the war in Iraq and the rise
of terrorism as signs of the apocalypse," a woman who
listened to his speech told Bush. "Do you believe this,
that the war in Iraq and the rise of terrorism are signs
of the apocalypse?"
Bush replied that he'd not thought of the war in that
light.
"I guess I'm more of a practical fellow," he said. "My
most important job is to protect you, to protect the
American people. Therefore, when we see threats, given the
lessons of September 11, we've got to deal with them."
Bush said that Iran's stated objective is to destroy
Israel and, if needed, he will use military might to
protect that country.
"Our objective is to solve this issue diplomatically," he
said. "And so our message is to say loud and clear to the
Iranians, 'Your desire to have a nuclear weapon is
unacceptable.' "
A threat to Israel, he said, is a threat to world peace.
----- 10 -----
Michigan Governor Will Sign Pro-Life Bill
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
March 21, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Michigan's Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm said she will
sign pro-life legislation that requires abortion-minded
women to be offered the chance to see their preborn baby
via ultrasound, United Press International reported.
Current law requires women to be offered information on
fetal development.
The bill passed the state House of Representatives on a
84-21 vote; the Senate passed the bill unanimously.
Granholm is on record as a pro-choice Catholic and in the
past has not supported any legislation considered
restrictive to abortion.
Ed Rivet, legislative director of Right to Life of
Michigan, said the governor is doing the right thing.
"I think she looked at both the substance of the policy
and the politics," he said, "and determined that a veto
was not the prudent thing to do."
----- 11 -----
FOCUS ACTION FIGHTS FOR MARRIAGE IN MINNESOTA
Ad campaign spotlights stalling tactics of two state senators.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 20, 2006
by Gary Schneeberger, editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039890.cfm
Focus on the Family Action launched an ad campaign in
Minnesota today calling to task two state senators who
have stalled the Minnesota Marriage Amendment -- one of
whom has gone so far as to mislead a group of pastors
about why they should consider such an amendment
unnecessary.
The ads spotlight Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Don
Betzold and Majority Leader Dean Johnson as blocking a
vote on the amendment by the full Senate, where it has
more than enough support to be approved for an upcoming
election ballot. The ads feature a young Iraqi woman
holding up a purple-inked finger and bear the headline
"Iraqis have the right to vote. Why don't Minnesotans?"
"Minnesotans deserve the same right to vote on how
marriage will be defined as the citizens of the 19 other
states who overwhelmingly protected traditional marriage
in their state constitutions," said Peter Brandt, senior
director of government and public policy for Focus on the
Family Action. "The citizens of Iraq have the right to
vote, and yet Minnesotans do not, thanks to the political
shenanigans of Senators Betzold and Johnson."
[...]
FOR MORE INFORMATION/TAKE ACTION: To view the ads, visit
the Focus on the Family Action Web site.
http://www.focusaction.org/Activities/A000000183.cfm
The Minnesota for Marriage coalition will hold a rally at
11:30 a.m. Tuesday on the west steps of the state capitol
in support of the Minnesota Marriage Amendment.
http://www.minnesotaformarriage.org
If you live in Minnesota, please take a moment to call and
e-mail your state senators and demand that they let the
people vote on the Minnesota Marriage Amendment. This is
particularly important if your senator is Sen. Johnson or
Sen. Betzold. For contact information, visit the
CitizenLink Action Center and type your ZIP code into the
space provided.
http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/directory/statedir.tt?state=MN&lvl=state
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
U.S. Senate Considers Dot-XXX Domain
SUMMARY: Pro-family analysts say it would not produce the desired result.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 20, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039889.cfm
U.S. Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Mark Pryor, D-Ark.,
introduced a bill last week that would require
pornographic Web sites to carry a dot-xxx top-level
domain. Their theory is that it would be easier for
families to protect children by simply blocking everything
in that domain, but opponents say pornographers would not
likely abandon their dot-com addresses.
Pryor said the Cyber Safety for Kids Act would help
counter lawlessness on the Web.
[...]
But Alliance Defense Fund attorney Pat Trueman told Family
News in Focus the legislation would have little effect. He
pointed out that most of the porn on the Internet is
already illegal.
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
Supreme Court Passes on Internet-Obscenity Case
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
March 20, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The Supreme Court today rejected an appeal from a
photographer who claimed a federal decency law violated
her First Amendment rights to post pictures of
sadomasochistic sexual behavior online.
According to The Associated Press, the action affirmed
last year's decision by a three-judge panel that upheld
the 1996 law that makes it a crime to send obscenity over
the Internet to children.
The appeal was brought by photographer Barbara Nitke,
whose work is featured in the book "Kiss of Fire: A
Romantic View of Sadomasochism," and by the National
Coalition for Sexual Freedom.
The law requires that those sending obscene communications
on the Internet take reasonable actions to keep it away
from children, like requiring a credit card, debit account
or access code as proof of age.
The Bush administration had urged the Supreme Court to
turn down the appeal.
----- 14 -----
Afghan Man on Trial for Converting to Christianity
Concerned Women for America
3/22/2006
By Beth Anderson
Bush administration makes appeal on his behalf.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10371/CWA/freedom/index.htm
Abdul Rahman, a citizen of Afghanistan, is on trial in Kabul for rejecting the Islamic faith because of his conversion to Christianity.
Rahman’s family accused him of becoming a Christian, and he was subsequently arrested last month. According to an article by Chuck Colson on Townhall.com, his conversion took place more than 16 years ago. His family said nothing until recently when he tried to gain custody of his two daughters. He now faces the death penalty.
Islamic law in Afghanistan makes conversion a crime. However, the preamble to the country’s constitution says that it will “respect the United Nations (U.N.) Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” which assures the freedom of religion.
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
“Life is in the Blood”
Concerned Women for America
3/21/2006
By Kelli Wait
CSI twists Biblical truth to support abortion.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10360/BLI/life/index.htm
CBS’s popular crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigators ranks consistently in the top three shows. Its intriguing plot lines, wit and characters appeal to just about everyone, especially those in the pivotal 18-49 age bracket. There is even a recognized “CSI effect,” where members of the general public have become sophisticated enough to apply what they have learned on the television program to their jury duty or another real-life situation.
That’s what had me worried when I saw a recent CSI episode dealing with abortion.
One of the show’s pivotal characters is Dr. Gil Grissom, a beloved mentor who is viewed with awe by just about all his co-workers. Paige Newman, movies editor for MSNBC, describes Dr. Grissom as a “quintessentially cool, detached scientist” who is also “compassionate and human.” He is our new Mr. Spock. So, when Dr. Grissom gave a Biblical passage in support of abortion, I was taken aback. I know the Bible, but I had never heard Dr. Grissom’s argument before.
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Commentary & News Briefs
March 21, 2006
Compiled by Jenni Parker
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/212006h.asp
...A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that syphilis is on the rise, especially among homosexual men. The report found that syphilis has increased 81 percent among men since the year 2000, while it has declined among women over that same period. And Bob Knight of the Culture and Family Institute believes the figures show yet another contribution to society from the homosexual lifestyle. "The homosexual activists like to say that these diseases are an equal threat to everyone," he says, "but the CDC statistics show that syphilis is falling among women and yet increasing astronomically among men who have sex with men. So it shows that homosexual activity, in and of itself, is very dangerous." And the pro-family spokesman maintains that this increase among homosexual men is not random or incidental. "This reflects a pattern we've seen with other diseases," he says, "including gonorrhea and new strains of tuberculosis that are affecting men who have sex with men and who also have HIV." Homosexuality is a demonstrably dangerous lifestyle, Knight contends, and he feels the government should do all it can to dissuade people from getting involved in it. [Bill Fancher]
----- 17 -----
Senate Commerce Confirms McDowell
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/16/2006 4:42:00 PM
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6316699.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228
By voice vote Thursday, the Senate Commerce Committee confirmed Robert McDowell to the remaining vacant seat on the FCC.
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Pro-Family Leaders Call Summit for Disgruntled 'Values Voters'
By Bill Fancher
March 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/afa/212006c.asp
(AgapePress) - A coalition of pro-family organizations has planned a "values voters" summit this fall because those voters are not happy with how Congress is treating their issues.
A poll of values voters was recently commissioned by the Family Research Council to check the pulse of conservative Christians. FRC president Tony Perkins says there is plenty of unrest among that voting bloc. "Values voters are not real happy with what this Congress has been able to advance," says Perkins. "[T]hese are the same voters that helped expand the conservative majorities in 2004, but they're not real happy."
Perkins says the poll shows that 63 percent of values voters do not think Congress has done enough on issues such as marriage protection, indecency on network television, the culture of life, and expansion of gambling. In addition, according to the poll 69 percent want a constitutional amendment banning same-sex "marriage" -- an issue that has become bogged down in Congress.
[More at URL]
----- 19 -----
Absence of Parental Boundaries Key Factor in Cyber-Sex Boom Among Youth
By Jim Brown
March 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/afa/212006f.asp
(AgapePress) - A well-known Internet safety expert says staggering numbers of young people are involved in the dangerous world of cyber-sex -- but most parents are not even aware it's an issue affecting their children.
Eighty-seven percent of more than 2,500 university and college students polled across Canada admit to having virtual sex over Instant Messenger, web cams, or the telephone. The 20-question survey was conducted by Toronto-based CampusKiss.com, an online dating community for students.
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
Please Help Preserve the Traditional
Judeo-Christian Institution of Marriage
Online as of March 22, 2006
http://www.nogaymarriage.com/default.asp
Last year, we presented the U.S. Senate with over 2,000,000 petitions of support for the Marriage Protection Amendment. But despite over- whelming public support for the Constitutional amendment, liberals in the Senate filibustered and would not allow a vote on the amendment.
Please sign the petition to the 109th Congress even if you previously signed one to the 108th Congress. AFA will present the petitions to members of Congress.
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
'In God We Trust' Poster Campaign
"In God We Trust" - Every Classroom In America
It is our hope that this poster will be a reminder of the historical centrality of God in the life of our republic.
http://www.afa.net/igwt/default.asp
American Family Association has launched a national campaign to place before our children a copy of the official motto of the United States. It is our hope that this poster will be a reminder of the historical centrality of God in the life of our republic.
In a time when many are working to remove any acknowledgement of God from our public life, these words are legally sound, since they were officially adopted by Congress in 1956.
The Mississippi legislature recently passed a law requiring each public school classroom, auditorium and cafeteria to display a copy of our national motto. Many thanks to Mississippi Senator Allen Nunnelee for his good leadership in introducing this legislation. The governor signed the bill into law, and it becomes effective July 1, 2001.
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
Pastor's Pledge to Defend Marriage
As Between One Man and One Woman
Online as of March 22, 2006
http://www.churchcoalition.com/
Take a Stand for Biblical Marriage
Sign the Pastors for Marriage Pledge
I oppose "homosexual marriage." I believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman only. In addition, I oppose giving the benefits of marriage to "civil unions" between members of the same sex.
I pledge to defend the Biblical concept of marriage as between one man and one woman only.
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
The Values Voters Poll
by: Charmaine Yoest
Family Research Council
March 17, 2006
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WL06C83
At the Press Club yesterday, FRC held a press conference to announce the opening of registration for the Washington Briefing coming up in September.
We also presented the results of a poll we commissioned from Riehle-Tarrance about the political opinions of values voters. Here's what Tony had to say:
[More at URL, including a graph summarising some of the poll results. The fact that social-conservative/fundamentalist "values" voters are only 69% in favour of an anti-marriage amendment stuns me. They consider this poll a call to Congress to do a lot more against gayfolk, etc; I think the results are shockingly low, given the survey subsection of the poll. Barely enough of the people pushing hardest for it want it to pass, even if they're the only ones voting. Wow. No wonder they haven't had this poll posted in higher profile locations.]
----- 24 -----
The Child Care Conundrum:
The Response from Canadians
Institute for Marriage and Family Canada
(Ed. Note: This is a project of Focus on the Family, the American theoconservative group)
by Stephanie Carroll & Anne Marie White
http://www.imfcanada.org/IMFCreview/PDF/fall2005/ChildCareConundrum.pdf
Earlier this year, Alberta MP Rona Ambrose created a brief firestorm of media commentary with her remark to Social Development Minister Ken Dryden in the House of Commons about "old white guys" telling young women what to do. Dryden was responding to a report which showed nearly 100 per cent of all young parents would choose to stay out of the workforce to care for their children if they could. Despite this, Dryden insisted that "the real choice is the opportunities [sic] for men and women across the country to have the choice of high quality early learning and child care."
[More at URL]
----- 25 -----
Links to breast cancer ignored
Today's Family News
Focus on the Family (Canada)
March 22, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/life/stories/032206.html
Saskatchewan Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott is challenging the Canadian Cancer Society in the interests of prevention to “take an objective look” at the accumulating research suggesting a link between both the birth control pill and abortion and an increased risk of breast cancer.
As Vellacott noted in a news release last week, the CCS itself has stated that breast cancer is now the most common type of cancer among Canadian women, claiming about 100 lives every week. But it has rejected as unscientific the large body of studies worldwide conducted over the past 50 years that have cited induced abortion as a major factor in the spread of this disease.
“I have previously corresponded with the Canadian Cancer Society on this issue,” said Vellacott, “but they refused to take a serious look at the relationship between abortion and breast cancer as I requested.”
[More at URL]
----- 26 -----
Talking Points - The Case for Marriage
Faith and Freedom Network
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/03/talking-points-case-for-marriage.html
Over the next few days, I will be giving you Talking Points in answer to the same-sex advocate's reasons for trying to legitimize homosexual marriage. These talking points were written by lawyer Kristen Waggoner in collaboration with some of her associates for Allies for Marriage. These talking points will be listed in the blogs and also indexed on the "Talking Points" page of the website at: http://faithandfreedom.us/talking_points.html.
Talking Points - The Case for Marriage
* Same-sex marriage will not impact religious freedom.
***** A tiny fraction of adults seek to impose their morality on the majority by redefining a societal institution that has existed throughout history - before the United States Constitution was ever written and in all of Western civilization. Same-sex marriage has far reaching implications for religious freedom.
[Much more at URL]
Arkansas governor Huckabee: Christianity not represented 'Nearly Enough' in DC; he's running for the Republican nomination for president; is running as a social conservative, with anti-abortion and anti-marriage platform;
Weekly Standard's Fred Barnes: Republicans to push anti-gay, anti-abortion agenda as 2006 election platform;
New Hampshire House unexpectedly slams the state anti-marriage amendment with a resounding defeat - it didn't just fail to gain a supermajority, it failed outright 207-125, which is what you and I might refer to as a spanking;
South Dakota Oglala Sioux: HB1215 (the abortion ban) is vile, we'll start our own Planned Parenthood clinic on tribal reservation land where the state ban can't apply;
Focus on the Family runs a long, supportive article about Operation Rescue and Operation Save America;
FotF on a Michigan attempt to get a waiting-period installed on the idea that women are coerced into getting abortions - they describe it as "coerced" and "forced" in the headlines and summaries, but it magically becomes "pressured" in the article text, a word vague enough to have all sorts of fun meanings. The article also states, "Abortion's aftermath upon American men has been largely ignored, depriving them of much-needed help to forgive everyone involved in their abortion experience, including themselves," apparently asserting that a man's opinion about a woman's reproductive choices matter as much as her opinions do (if not, one suspects, more);
FotF ACTION ITEM in Kentucky over strip clubs - bans nudity, requires six feet distance, etc;
FotF quotes WorldNetDaily article: Bush says Iraq War not a part of prophecy;
Michigan governor to sign bill requiring clinics offer the opportunity to see a foetus in ultrasound before performing an abortion;
FotF runs anti-marriage-rights ad against two state senators in Minnesota; includes ACTION ITEM to demand anti-marriage-rights amendment;
FotF campaigns against Federal bill to instantiate .XXX top-level domain;
Roberts-led court refuses to hear appeal, and thereby lets appeals court ruling saying that a photographer's S&M-themed photography online was illegal stand - note that the Roberts court has let a lot of appeals court level rulings on social-conservative issues stand; that's how a bunch of states are now banning GBLT parents from adoption, after a similar inaction; one now has to wonder what else they'll let stand without a hearing; 2nd-amendment-rights activists will, of course, be very well familiar with this tactic;
Afghan man facing death penalty for converting to Christianity;
Concerned Women for America condemns CSI for "twisting Biblical truth" by, um, not using scripture the way they would use it;
CWA's Robert Knight quoted in AFA/Agape Press article keeping up the "diseased homosexuals" drumbeat;
CWA links to a Broadcasting and Cable note that Robert McDowell has cleared another nomination hurdle towards the FCC board; I can't find out why they link to this, so I speculate that since he's a Republican, they want a third Republican member on the board so that Kevin Murphy can get more aggressive with anti-"indecency" actions by the FCC - but that's just a guess, this guy has no fundamentalist background of which I'm aware; he's an industry lawyer;
American Family Association/Agape Press promotes "Values Voters" summit to demand more action on anti-gay/anti-abortion/pro-censorship issues;
AFA/Agape Press SHOCK HORROR: people have SEX over t3h INT3RW3B5;
AFA links to anti-marriage petition site, "www.nogaymarriage.com";
AFA campaign to place "In God We Trust" posters in every classroom in America;
AFA links to second anti-marriage petition site, "www.churchcoalition.com" - this one also calls out civil unions on its front page;
Family Research Council finally puts up some numbers from its "values voters" poll of fundamentalist social conservative voters; the apparently fact that social-conservative/fundamentalist "values" voters are only 69% in favour of an anti-marriage amendment stuns me; they consider this poll a call to Congress to do a lot more against gayfolk, etc; I think the results are shockingly low, given the survey subsection of the poll. Barely enough of the people pushing hardest for it want it to pass, even if they're the only ones voting;
Focus on the Family's "Institute for Marriage and Family Canada" has another anti-daycare article out;
Focus on the Family Canada continues pushing anti-birth-control scare articles, linking the BCP to cancer, accusing Canadian Cancer Society of a cover-up; Canadians should be aware this is a long-time tactic in American fundamentalist circles;
Faith and Freedom Network "talking points" against marriage rights for gay and lesbian people.
----- 1 -----
God by the Numbers
Coincidence and random mutation are not the most likely explanations for some things.
Christianity Today, March 2006
by Charles Edward White | posted 03/10/2006 10:00 a.m.
http://www.christianitytoday.com/ct/2006/003/26.44.html
Math and theology have had a long and checkered relationship. The Babylonians and Mayans both associated numbers with God. In fact, both societies named their gods with numbers. The Mayans used 13 and the Babylonians used 60. In the Greek world, followers of Pythagoras prayed to the first 4 numbers and thought they were the creator. On the other hand, in the 18th century, the French mathematician Laplace told Napoleon he had no need of God even as a hypothesis, and in 1744, John Wesley confessed: "I am convinced, from many experiments, I could not study either mathematics, arithmetic, or algebra … without being a deist, if not an atheist."
No one knows what Wesley saw in 18th-century mathematics that he feared would lead him away from the God of the Bible, but today, many Christian mathematicians think that numbers point to God. Three numbers in particular suggest evidence for God's existence. They are 1/1010123, 10162, and eπi.
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Ark. Gov.: Christianity Not Represented 'Nearly Enough' in D.C.
The Christian Post
Saturday, Mar. 18, 2006 Posted: 8:06:51AM EST
Long URL elided
FORT LAUDERDALE, Fla. (AP) - Faith is not present enough in politics as candidates and elected officials try to court voters too broadly out of fear that their values will splinter their base, Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee said at a Christian gathering on Friday.
Huckabee, a Southern Baptist minister who is considering a run for president, pledged to always remain true to his beliefs.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Change the Subject
The Republican strategy for 2006.
by Fred Barnes
03/27/2006, Volume 011, Issue 26
http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/011/987ykuud.asp
POLITICS IS PRETTY SIMPLE. If the debate in an upcoming election puts your party at a disadvantage, it makes sense to try to change the debate. At the moment, the 2006 midterm election is framed as a referendum on the Bush administration and congressional Republicans, putting Republican candidates on the defensive. Party strategists, led by chairman Ken Mehlman, want to rejigger the debate so it's about a choice between candidates, putting Democratic candidates on the defensive as well. In short, they want it to be a choice election, not a referendum election.
[...]
This spring and summer, Republican leaders in the Senate and House plan to bring up a series of issues that are popular with the Republican base of voters. The aim is to stir conservative voters and spur turnout in the November election. Just last week, House Majority Leader John Boehner and Whip Roy Blunt met with leaders of conservative groups to talk about these issues.
House Republicans, for their part, intend to seek votes on measures such as the Bush-backed constitutional amendment banning gay marriage, a bill allowing more public expression of religion, another requiring parental consent for women under 18 to get an abortion, legislation to bar all federal courts except the Supreme Court from ruling on the constitutionality of the Pledge of Allegiance, a bill to outlaw human cloning, and another that would require doctors to consider fetal pain before performing an abortion.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
House votes down proposed amendment to ban gay marriage
Associated Press
March 21, 2006
Long URL elided
CONCORD, N.H. --The New Hampshire House voted overwhelmingly Tuesday against a proposed amendment to the state constitution to ban gay marriage.
The late afternoon vote was 207-125.
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Giago: Oglala Sioux president on state abortion law
indianz.com
Tuesday, March 21, 2006
http://www.indianz.com/News/2006/013061.asp
"When Governor Mike Rounds signed HB 1215 into law it effectively banned all abortions in the state with the exception that it did allow saving the mother’s life. There were, however, no exceptions for victims of rape or incest. His actions, and the comments of State Senators like Bill Napoli of Rapid City, SD, set of a maelstrom of protests within the state.
[...]
The President of the Oglala Sioux Tribe on the Pine Ridge Reservation, Cecilia Fire Thunder, was incensed. A former nurse and healthcare giver she was very angry that a state body made up mostly of white males, would make such a stupid law against women.
“To me, it is now a question of sovereignty,” she said to me last week. “I will personally establish a Planned Parenthood clinic on my own land which is within the boundaries of the Pine Ridge Reservation where the State of South Dakota has absolutely no jurisdiction.”
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
KANSAS TOWN IS AGAIN SITE OF ABORTION ACTIVISM
It's been 15 years since Operation Rescue first visited Wichita, Kan.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 21, 2006
by Pete Winn, associate editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039902.cfm
Fifteen years after Operation Rescue conducted its 1991
"Summer of Mercy" rescues, Wichita, Kan., is again the
scene of an abortion controversy.
This time, it involves billboards Operation Rescue (OR)
has placed along I-35 in Oklahoma that dub Wichita the
nation's "Abortion Capital."
OR West Director Troy Newman said the billboards are
designed to speak the truth about the city.
"The interstates coming into Wichita are prime locations
to make people think about their abortion on their long
drive here from various states," he told CitizenLink.
[...]
OR has gone so far as to publish the names of Wichita
businesses they say profit from Tiller's abortion clinic
-- and from the deaths of innocents.
[...]
"You have to put things in context," Mahoney explained.
"Business for him appears to be down. But just as
importantly, Operation Rescue and Operation Save America
and other pro-life groups are determined that they will
have a peaceful and prayerful presence in Wichita until
George Tiller leaves."
Indeed, Operation Rescue West moved its headquarters from
California to Wichita a couple of years ago. Mahoney said
the fact that pro-life activists from all across the
country are still in Wichita is more telling than the fact
that abortionist Tiller is still operating.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Michigan Seeks to Stop Coerced Abortions
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 21, 2006
SUMMARY: Bill would allow 24-hour waiting period for women
forced into killing their preborn children.
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039896.cfm
With studies indicating as many as four in 10 women are
pressured into abortions by a boyfriend or parent,
Michigan is working to become the first state to address
the problem legislatively.
The Coercive Abortion Prevention Act (CAPA), which is
being opposed by Planned Parenthood, would allow a 24-hour
waiting period for a woman if it is determined she was
pressured to end her pregnancy. Sen. Michelle McManus,
the sponsor of the bill, said she wants abortion clinics
to find out why women show up at their door.
[...]
FOR MORE INFORMATION: Abortion's aftermath upon American
men has been largely ignored, depriving them of
much-needed help to forgive everyone involved in their
abortion experience, including themselves. "Men and
Abortion: A Path to Healing" will help men express their
grief, exchange it for hope and healing and be in a
position to help others.
http://www.family.org/resources/itempg.cfm?itemid=5436&refcd=CE06CCZL&tvar=no
----- 8 -----
NEW BILL WOULD END LAP DANCES
Action needed in Kentucky to regulate sexually oriented business in the state.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 21, 2006
by Mona Passignano, state issues analyst
http://www.family.org/cforum/statenews/a0039905.cfm
Senate Bill 250, which offers two overarching statewide
regulations for sexually oriented businesses, has passed
the Kentucky Senate and is now in the House Judiciary
Committee.
The bill will bolster local regulations on sexually
oriented businesses by placing a ban on total nudity and
requiring that seminude employees keep a six-foot distance
from patrons.
[...]
TAKE ACTION: If you are a Kentucky citizen, please contact
your representative and urge him or her to pass SB 250 --
a bill that prohibits total nudity in the state’s sexually
oriented businesses and keeps seminude employees at least
6 feet from patrons. Also, contact these House leaders and
ask them to pass SB 250 before the session ends -- Reps.
Gross Lindsay, Jody Richards, Bob Damron and Rocky Adkins.
For contact information for your representative, visit the
CitizenLink Action Center.
http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/directory/statedir.tt?state=KY&lvl=state
For more information about this or other policy issues in
Kentucky, visit The Family Foundation Web site.
http://www.tffky.org
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
Bush Says He Doesn't Consider War Prophetic
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
March 21, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
President Bush, responding to a question after a speech on
the war on terror, said he doesn't view the rise of
terrorism as the fulfillment of Bible prophecy, World Net
Daily reported.
"Members of your administration have reached out to
prophetic Christians who see the war in Iraq and the rise
of terrorism as signs of the apocalypse," a woman who
listened to his speech told Bush. "Do you believe this,
that the war in Iraq and the rise of terrorism are signs
of the apocalypse?"
Bush replied that he'd not thought of the war in that
light.
"I guess I'm more of a practical fellow," he said. "My
most important job is to protect you, to protect the
American people. Therefore, when we see threats, given the
lessons of September 11, we've got to deal with them."
Bush said that Iran's stated objective is to destroy
Israel and, if needed, he will use military might to
protect that country.
"Our objective is to solve this issue diplomatically," he
said. "And so our message is to say loud and clear to the
Iranians, 'Your desire to have a nuclear weapon is
unacceptable.' "
A threat to Israel, he said, is a threat to world peace.
----- 10 -----
Michigan Governor Will Sign Pro-Life Bill
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
March 21, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
Michigan's Democratic Gov. Jennifer Granholm said she will
sign pro-life legislation that requires abortion-minded
women to be offered the chance to see their preborn baby
via ultrasound, United Press International reported.
Current law requires women to be offered information on
fetal development.
The bill passed the state House of Representatives on a
84-21 vote; the Senate passed the bill unanimously.
Granholm is on record as a pro-choice Catholic and in the
past has not supported any legislation considered
restrictive to abortion.
Ed Rivet, legislative director of Right to Life of
Michigan, said the governor is doing the right thing.
"I think she looked at both the substance of the policy
and the politics," he said, "and determined that a veto
was not the prudent thing to do."
----- 11 -----
FOCUS ACTION FIGHTS FOR MARRIAGE IN MINNESOTA
Ad campaign spotlights stalling tactics of two state senators.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 20, 2006
by Gary Schneeberger, editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039890.cfm
Focus on the Family Action launched an ad campaign in
Minnesota today calling to task two state senators who
have stalled the Minnesota Marriage Amendment -- one of
whom has gone so far as to mislead a group of pastors
about why they should consider such an amendment
unnecessary.
The ads spotlight Senate Judiciary Committee Chairman Don
Betzold and Majority Leader Dean Johnson as blocking a
vote on the amendment by the full Senate, where it has
more than enough support to be approved for an upcoming
election ballot. The ads feature a young Iraqi woman
holding up a purple-inked finger and bear the headline
"Iraqis have the right to vote. Why don't Minnesotans?"
"Minnesotans deserve the same right to vote on how
marriage will be defined as the citizens of the 19 other
states who overwhelmingly protected traditional marriage
in their state constitutions," said Peter Brandt, senior
director of government and public policy for Focus on the
Family Action. "The citizens of Iraq have the right to
vote, and yet Minnesotans do not, thanks to the political
shenanigans of Senators Betzold and Johnson."
[...]
FOR MORE INFORMATION/TAKE ACTION: To view the ads, visit
the Focus on the Family Action Web site.
http://www.focusaction.org/Activities/A000000183.cfm
The Minnesota for Marriage coalition will hold a rally at
11:30 a.m. Tuesday on the west steps of the state capitol
in support of the Minnesota Marriage Amendment.
http://www.minnesotaformarriage.org
If you live in Minnesota, please take a moment to call and
e-mail your state senators and demand that they let the
people vote on the Minnesota Marriage Amendment. This is
particularly important if your senator is Sen. Johnson or
Sen. Betzold. For contact information, visit the
CitizenLink Action Center and type your ZIP code into the
space provided.
http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/directory/statedir.tt?state=MN&lvl=state
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
U.S. Senate Considers Dot-XXX Domain
SUMMARY: Pro-family analysts say it would not produce the desired result.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 20, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039889.cfm
U.S. Sens. Max Baucus, D-Mont., and Mark Pryor, D-Ark.,
introduced a bill last week that would require
pornographic Web sites to carry a dot-xxx top-level
domain. Their theory is that it would be easier for
families to protect children by simply blocking everything
in that domain, but opponents say pornographers would not
likely abandon their dot-com addresses.
Pryor said the Cyber Safety for Kids Act would help
counter lawlessness on the Web.
[...]
But Alliance Defense Fund attorney Pat Trueman told Family
News in Focus the legislation would have little effect. He
pointed out that most of the porn on the Internet is
already illegal.
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
Supreme Court Passes on Internet-Obscenity Case
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
March 20, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The Supreme Court today rejected an appeal from a
photographer who claimed a federal decency law violated
her First Amendment rights to post pictures of
sadomasochistic sexual behavior online.
According to The Associated Press, the action affirmed
last year's decision by a three-judge panel that upheld
the 1996 law that makes it a crime to send obscenity over
the Internet to children.
The appeal was brought by photographer Barbara Nitke,
whose work is featured in the book "Kiss of Fire: A
Romantic View of Sadomasochism," and by the National
Coalition for Sexual Freedom.
The law requires that those sending obscene communications
on the Internet take reasonable actions to keep it away
from children, like requiring a credit card, debit account
or access code as proof of age.
The Bush administration had urged the Supreme Court to
turn down the appeal.
----- 14 -----
Afghan Man on Trial for Converting to Christianity
Concerned Women for America
3/22/2006
By Beth Anderson
Bush administration makes appeal on his behalf.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10371/CWA/freedom/index.htm
Abdul Rahman, a citizen of Afghanistan, is on trial in Kabul for rejecting the Islamic faith because of his conversion to Christianity.
Rahman’s family accused him of becoming a Christian, and he was subsequently arrested last month. According to an article by Chuck Colson on Townhall.com, his conversion took place more than 16 years ago. His family said nothing until recently when he tried to gain custody of his two daughters. He now faces the death penalty.
Islamic law in Afghanistan makes conversion a crime. However, the preamble to the country’s constitution says that it will “respect the United Nations (U.N.) Universal Declaration of Human Rights,” which assures the freedom of religion.
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
“Life is in the Blood”
Concerned Women for America
3/21/2006
By Kelli Wait
CSI twists Biblical truth to support abortion.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10360/BLI/life/index.htm
CBS’s popular crime drama CSI: Crime Scene Investigators ranks consistently in the top three shows. Its intriguing plot lines, wit and characters appeal to just about everyone, especially those in the pivotal 18-49 age bracket. There is even a recognized “CSI effect,” where members of the general public have become sophisticated enough to apply what they have learned on the television program to their jury duty or another real-life situation.
That’s what had me worried when I saw a recent CSI episode dealing with abortion.
One of the show’s pivotal characters is Dr. Gil Grissom, a beloved mentor who is viewed with awe by just about all his co-workers. Paige Newman, movies editor for MSNBC, describes Dr. Grissom as a “quintessentially cool, detached scientist” who is also “compassionate and human.” He is our new Mr. Spock. So, when Dr. Grissom gave a Biblical passage in support of abortion, I was taken aback. I know the Bible, but I had never heard Dr. Grissom’s argument before.
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Commentary & News Briefs
March 21, 2006
Compiled by Jenni Parker
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/212006h.asp
...A new report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) shows that syphilis is on the rise, especially among homosexual men. The report found that syphilis has increased 81 percent among men since the year 2000, while it has declined among women over that same period. And Bob Knight of the Culture and Family Institute believes the figures show yet another contribution to society from the homosexual lifestyle. "The homosexual activists like to say that these diseases are an equal threat to everyone," he says, "but the CDC statistics show that syphilis is falling among women and yet increasing astronomically among men who have sex with men. So it shows that homosexual activity, in and of itself, is very dangerous." And the pro-family spokesman maintains that this increase among homosexual men is not random or incidental. "This reflects a pattern we've seen with other diseases," he says, "including gonorrhea and new strains of tuberculosis that are affecting men who have sex with men and who also have HIV." Homosexuality is a demonstrably dangerous lifestyle, Knight contends, and he feels the government should do all it can to dissuade people from getting involved in it. [Bill Fancher]
----- 17 -----
Senate Commerce Confirms McDowell
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 3/16/2006 4:42:00 PM
http://www.broadcastingcable.com/article/CA6316699.html?display=Breaking+News&referral=SUPP&nid=2228
By voice vote Thursday, the Senate Commerce Committee confirmed Robert McDowell to the remaining vacant seat on the FCC.
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Pro-Family Leaders Call Summit for Disgruntled 'Values Voters'
By Bill Fancher
March 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/afa/212006c.asp
(AgapePress) - A coalition of pro-family organizations has planned a "values voters" summit this fall because those voters are not happy with how Congress is treating their issues.
A poll of values voters was recently commissioned by the Family Research Council to check the pulse of conservative Christians. FRC president Tony Perkins says there is plenty of unrest among that voting bloc. "Values voters are not real happy with what this Congress has been able to advance," says Perkins. "[T]hese are the same voters that helped expand the conservative majorities in 2004, but they're not real happy."
Perkins says the poll shows that 63 percent of values voters do not think Congress has done enough on issues such as marriage protection, indecency on network television, the culture of life, and expansion of gambling. In addition, according to the poll 69 percent want a constitutional amendment banning same-sex "marriage" -- an issue that has become bogged down in Congress.
[More at URL]
----- 19 -----
Absence of Parental Boundaries Key Factor in Cyber-Sex Boom Among Youth
By Jim Brown
March 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/afa/212006f.asp
(AgapePress) - A well-known Internet safety expert says staggering numbers of young people are involved in the dangerous world of cyber-sex -- but most parents are not even aware it's an issue affecting their children.
Eighty-seven percent of more than 2,500 university and college students polled across Canada admit to having virtual sex over Instant Messenger, web cams, or the telephone. The 20-question survey was conducted by Toronto-based CampusKiss.com, an online dating community for students.
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
Please Help Preserve the Traditional
Judeo-Christian Institution of Marriage
Online as of March 22, 2006
http://www.nogaymarriage.com/default.asp
Last year, we presented the U.S. Senate with over 2,000,000 petitions of support for the Marriage Protection Amendment. But despite over- whelming public support for the Constitutional amendment, liberals in the Senate filibustered and would not allow a vote on the amendment.
Please sign the petition to the 109th Congress even if you previously signed one to the 108th Congress. AFA will present the petitions to members of Congress.
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
'In God We Trust' Poster Campaign
"In God We Trust" - Every Classroom In America
It is our hope that this poster will be a reminder of the historical centrality of God in the life of our republic.
http://www.afa.net/igwt/default.asp
American Family Association has launched a national campaign to place before our children a copy of the official motto of the United States. It is our hope that this poster will be a reminder of the historical centrality of God in the life of our republic.
In a time when many are working to remove any acknowledgement of God from our public life, these words are legally sound, since they were officially adopted by Congress in 1956.
The Mississippi legislature recently passed a law requiring each public school classroom, auditorium and cafeteria to display a copy of our national motto. Many thanks to Mississippi Senator Allen Nunnelee for his good leadership in introducing this legislation. The governor signed the bill into law, and it becomes effective July 1, 2001.
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
Pastor's Pledge to Defend Marriage
As Between One Man and One Woman
Online as of March 22, 2006
http://www.churchcoalition.com/
Take a Stand for Biblical Marriage
Sign the Pastors for Marriage Pledge
I oppose "homosexual marriage." I believe that marriage should be between one man and one woman only. In addition, I oppose giving the benefits of marriage to "civil unions" between members of the same sex.
I pledge to defend the Biblical concept of marriage as between one man and one woman only.
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
The Values Voters Poll
by: Charmaine Yoest
Family Research Council
March 17, 2006
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WL06C83
At the Press Club yesterday, FRC held a press conference to announce the opening of registration for the Washington Briefing coming up in September.
We also presented the results of a poll we commissioned from Riehle-Tarrance about the political opinions of values voters. Here's what Tony had to say:
[More at URL, including a graph summarising some of the poll results. The fact that social-conservative/fundamentalist "values" voters are only 69% in favour of an anti-marriage amendment stuns me. They consider this poll a call to Congress to do a lot more against gayfolk, etc; I think the results are shockingly low, given the survey subsection of the poll. Barely enough of the people pushing hardest for it want it to pass, even if they're the only ones voting. Wow. No wonder they haven't had this poll posted in higher profile locations.]
----- 24 -----
The Child Care Conundrum:
The Response from Canadians
Institute for Marriage and Family Canada
(Ed. Note: This is a project of Focus on the Family, the American theoconservative group)
by Stephanie Carroll & Anne Marie White
http://www.imfcanada.org/IMFCreview/PDF/fall2005/ChildCareConundrum.pdf
Earlier this year, Alberta MP Rona Ambrose created a brief firestorm of media commentary with her remark to Social Development Minister Ken Dryden in the House of Commons about "old white guys" telling young women what to do. Dryden was responding to a report which showed nearly 100 per cent of all young parents would choose to stay out of the workforce to care for their children if they could. Despite this, Dryden insisted that "the real choice is the opportunities [sic] for men and women across the country to have the choice of high quality early learning and child care."
[More at URL]
----- 25 -----
Links to breast cancer ignored
Today's Family News
Focus on the Family (Canada)
March 22, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/life/stories/032206.html
Saskatchewan Conservative MP Maurice Vellacott is challenging the Canadian Cancer Society in the interests of prevention to “take an objective look” at the accumulating research suggesting a link between both the birth control pill and abortion and an increased risk of breast cancer.
As Vellacott noted in a news release last week, the CCS itself has stated that breast cancer is now the most common type of cancer among Canadian women, claiming about 100 lives every week. But it has rejected as unscientific the large body of studies worldwide conducted over the past 50 years that have cited induced abortion as a major factor in the spread of this disease.
“I have previously corresponded with the Canadian Cancer Society on this issue,” said Vellacott, “but they refused to take a serious look at the relationship between abortion and breast cancer as I requested.”
[More at URL]
----- 26 -----
Talking Points - The Case for Marriage
Faith and Freedom Network
Wednesday, March 22, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/03/talking-points-case-for-marriage.html
Over the next few days, I will be giving you Talking Points in answer to the same-sex advocate's reasons for trying to legitimize homosexual marriage. These talking points were written by lawyer Kristen Waggoner in collaboration with some of her associates for Allies for Marriage. These talking points will be listed in the blogs and also indexed on the "Talking Points" page of the website at: http://faithandfreedom.us/talking_points.html.
Talking Points - The Case for Marriage
* Same-sex marriage will not impact religious freedom.
***** A tiny fraction of adults seek to impose their morality on the majority by redefining a societal institution that has existed throughout history - before the United States Constitution was ever written and in all of Western civilization. Same-sex marriage has far reaching implications for religious freedom.
[Much more at URL]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-03-22 07:00 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-22 07:13 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 01:01 pm (UTC)Christianity Today puts together a bunch of out-of-their-ass numbers to "prove" that evolution is impossible, as is the universe, and any inhabitable planet;
No, the article uses numbers from the present-day physicist Sir Roger Penrose, a biologist William Dembski, and the 18th-century mathematican Leonhard Euler. Penrose and Euler are respectable. I have no idea about Dembski's qualifications.
Nevertheless, I am confused why Christianity Today published the article. I know how most people react to mathematics. The numbers will bounce of their heads. If they agree with the conclusion, they will say, "Boy, it's great the numbers back it up," and if they disagree they will say, "There must be some error." The three arguments are flawed, but their flaws are subtle, as is the case for the most entertaining fallacies. I will entertain myself by debunking them.
Penrose argues that the chance of a random universe being suitable for life is 1 out of 10 to the 10 to the 123rd power, impossibly smaller. He has to pull numbers out of his hat, because we have no idea how the physical constants in the laws of nature can vary in a random universe. Nevertheless, even if only a few of the constants could vary, we would still expect no better than 1 out of a billion that life as we know it could be possible in a universe, so that is a strong argument for some deliberate planning in the creation of our universe, right?
The fallacy is the unmentioned switch from "random universe" to "our universe". The probablity that this universe is suitable for life is 100%. Our universe is not a random selection. Our universe has to be one that has people in it to ask questions about probability. There is no way that it could be one of the lifeless universes. This is known as the Anthropic Principle (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anthropic_principle ).
Dembski's argument about 1000 mutations having to occur in the right order is harder to debunk. He makes a minor mathematical error; the ways to order 1000 mutations is 1000 factorial rather than 2 to the 1000. But he chose the smaller number, so that error does not add false strength to his argument. The weakness in his argument is that it does not have to be that particular 1000 mutations. Each species has a different set of mutations. Only if you insist on a line of mutations that leads to the human race do the odds narrow down. And that brings up the Anthropic Principle again.
Euler's equation e^(pi*i) + 1 = 0 (that letter that looks like n in the article's font is really pi) is true. It is the cutest equation resulting from Euler's Formula: e^{x*i) = cos(x) + i*sin(x) for all real numbers x. However, the argument, "Amazing mathematics exists; therefore, God must have created it," is a weak argument. It is like the usual creationist argument, "An amazing planet with amazing life exists; therefore, God must have created it," with two differences. First, though many biologists can suggest possible improvements in the species of Earth (the intelligent designer made a lot of mistakes), it is impossible to suggest improvements over mathematics (if the improvements worked, they would become part of mathematics). Second, the Bible does not claim that God created mathematics. I myself view mathematics as a human creation. Other mathematicians believe that mathematics exists independent of any universe and any god.
Erin Schram
no subject
Date: 2006-03-23 03:51 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-03-25 02:57 am (UTC)O NOES
Date: 2006-03-25 03:14 am (UTC)SELF-DESTRUCT ACTIVATED !!!