Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Apr. 12th, 2006 01:06 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdA variety of Christians in different parts of the country launch lawsuits against workplace and school anti-discrimination codes; claim is that they cannot be Christian if they aren't allowed to discriminate against GBLT and speak out against people at work and in school;
Baptist college expels student after he said he was gay on his MySpace page;
Kentucky governor Ernie Fletcher (R) removes state worker anti-GBLT bias protection from the employment code - on diversity day, presumably just to rub it in - authorising anti-gay discrimination in hiring, firing, and promotion for state workers; in particular, he wanted protections removed for transgendered people (from![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
rosepurr
Virginia governor Kaine (D) urges voters to reject anti-marriage amendment - but only because it might remove some rights from heterosexual unmarried couples. He's fine with the anti-gay part;this guy is considered a contender for the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008; ETA: I have been reminded that the potential Democratic nominee is the previous governor (Warner), who Governor Kaine served with as Lt. Governor; thanks for the correction;
Kentucky private college with strident anti-gay politics - the one that just booted a student for saying on his myspace page that he was gay - receives state funds (ganked from Andrew Sullivan); the only gay legislator in Kentucky is taking a stand in opposition;
Focus on the Family dreams about Justice John Paul Stevens leaving the Supreme Court; revives "special rights" language for GBLT people, talks about the evils of allowing "homosexual expression";
FotF reports on impeachment attempt against President Fire Thunder of the Oglala tribe;
School prayer ballot measure passes Missouri house;
FotF condemns lesbian and gay parents for enrolling in the White House Easter Egg hunt, calls it "sacrilegious" and "appalling";
Focus on the Family Canada pushes Centre for Cultural Renewal's "Cooperation of Church and State Conference," talking about how church-state separation is bad and a product of those evil atheistic secularists, and asserts by implication that you can't be Christian and not want religious government;
Family Research Council ACTION ITEM to support anti-marriage amendment in Illinois; they need to get more signatures and are getting close to deadline;
American Family Association: Europe is abandoning Christianity and it's leading to disaster;
Church-run Government-funded elderly day-care centre (for "disabled senior citizens and other vulnerable adults who need care during the day") refuses services to an elderly transwoman; county cuts off funding; AFA says the county is "punishing a church for taking a stand against sexual deviance";
AFA condemns California legislation to include GLBT people in history classes;
AFA reports on Linda Harvey of Mission America's condemnation of the First Amendment guidelines for discussion GBLT issues in schools, says no discussions should ever be held with GBLT groups because we are an "abomination," pulls out the diseased-homosexual-child-rapists rhetoric;
AFA: Arizona governor vetos "fetal pain" bill;
Traditional Values Coalition links to a real queer-baiter of an editorial column, "Gay Totalitarians Perverse Sex Education for Kids"; GBLT people are Stalinist communists brainwashing adults and children into mind-conditioning programmes; this is one amazing rant, and normally I wouldn't include it - except for the TVC link to it;
Human Events runs a Jan LaRue (Concerned Women for America) column saying porn turns ordinary men into brutal child rapists;
Concerned Women for America links to LifeNews story about upcoming anti-stem-cell-research and anti-abortion protests in DC;
CWA's Robert Knight talks with "ex-gay" ministries wonk Stephen Bennett, worries that new possible AIDS prevention drugs will "only encourage more risky homosexual behavior"; calls the possible introduction "tragic," "a trap" that is "just giving a green light to gay men to continue in your behaviour"; calls it a "morning after" pill for gay men; this is relevant because they're also against emergency contraception, calling it an abortion pill (when it most assuredly is not);
Faith and Freedom Network "talking points" article against marriage rights.
----- 1 -----
Christians Sue for Right Not to Tolerate Policies
Many codes intended to protect gays from harassment are illegal, conservatives argue.
By Stephanie Simon, Times Staff Writer
April 10, 2006
ATLANTA — Ruth Malhotra went to court last month for the right to be intolerant.
Malhotra says her Christian faith compels her to speak out against homosexuality. But the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she's a senior, bans speech that puts down others because of their sexual orientation.
Malhotra sees that as an unacceptable infringement on her right to religious expression. So she's demanding that Georgia Tech revoke its tolerance policy.
With her lawsuit, the 22-year-old student joins a growing campaign to force public schools, state colleges and private workplaces to eliminate policies protecting gays and lesbians from harassment. The religious right aims to overturn a broad range of common tolerance programs: diversity training that promotes acceptance of gays and lesbians, speech codes that ban harsh words against homosexuality, anti-discrimination policies that require college clubs to open their membership to all.
The Rev. Rick Scarborough, a leading evangelical, frames the movement as the civil rights struggle of the 21st century. "Christians," he said, "are going to have to take a stand for the right to be Christian."
[...]
The legal argument is straightforward: Policies intended to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination end up discriminating against conservative Christians. Evangelicals have been suspended for wearing anti-gay T-shirts to high school, fired for denouncing Gay Pride Month at work, reprimanded for refusing to attend diversity training. When they protest tolerance codes, they're labeled intolerant.
[...]
"Think how marginalized racists are," said [Christian activist Gregory S.] Baylor, who directs the Christian Legal Society's Center for Law and Religious Freedom. "If we don't address this now, it will only get worse."
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Baptist college expels gay student
Christopher Curtis, PlanetOut Network Mon Apr 10, 8:06 PM ET
SUMMARY: The University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky., kicks out a sophomore because he revealed he was gay on his MySpace.com page.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/po/20060411/co_po/baptistcollegeexpelsgaystudent
The University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky., has kicked out a sophomore because he revealed he was gay on his MySpace.com page, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.
Jason Johnson, 20, was expelled last week from the Baptist school, according to Larry Cockrum, the school's director of media relations. Johnson was majoring in theater arts.
"Everybody on campus is extremely upset about this," Jennifer Roberts, a Cumberlands senior, told the newspaper.
Roberts, who told the paper she is a close friend of Johnson, described him as honest and trustworthy.
"I would consider Jason a Christian because so many of his values are Christian," she said. "He embodies everything a friend should be. A lot of people are suffering because he is not here."
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Gays cut from anti-bias policy
Change for state workers comes on Diversity Day
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
E-mail this | Print page
By Deborah Yetter
dyetter@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060412/NEWS0104/604120407
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Gay state workers and job candidates have lost anti-discrimination protection as a result of an order that Gov. Ernie Fletcher issued yesterday as part of the state's "Diversity Day."
Fletcher replaced the 2003 employment policy of former Gov. Paul Patton with one that bans employment discrimination because of "race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, veteran status and disability."
It makes no mention of sexual orientation.
Patton's policy included protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
[...]
It also drew criticism from some lawmakers, including Sen. Ernesto Scorsone, D-Lexington, who is gay and said the policy amounts to "open season on gay state employees."
[...]
[Fletcher spokesman Brett] Hall said the administration was concerned that the Patton policy on sexual orientation was too broad and extended to others, such as transgender people.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
Kaine Urges Voters to Reject Amendment
By Chris L. Jenkins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 11, 2006; Page B05
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said the "broad wording" of the constitutional amendment could threaten benefits for unmarried heterosexual couples.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/10/AR2006041001665.html
RICHMOND, April 10 -- Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) said Monday that he will vote against a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage when it appears before Virginians in November because it could have far-reaching consequences for all unmarried couples in the state.
In a symbolic and rare action, the governor refused to sign the bill that places the language of the amendment on the Nov. 7 ballot, indicating that he opposes the measure but believes it should come before the electorate.
[...]
Kaine said that the amendment, which received final approval from the General Assembly this winter, was too vague because it reads in part that the Virginia Constitution should not recognize "another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage."
He said this wording could adversely affect unmarried heterosexual couples.
Kaine said in a statement that he was concerned about "the broad wording of the proposed constitutional amendment," saying that it threatens "the constitutional rights of individuals to enter into private contracts, and also . . . the discretion of employers to extend certain benefits, such as health care coverage, to unmarried couples."
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Legislator says school shouldn't get funds
By John Stamper
HERALD-LEADER FRANKFORT BUREAU
April 11, 2006
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/14313631.htm
FRANKFORT - State funding for a new pharmacy school building at the University of the Cumberlands should not be included in the budget if the private school doesn't stop discriminating against gay students, a legislator warned last night.
"We should not be budgeting bigotry," Sen. Ernesto Scorsone, D-Lexington, told colleagues before voting on the $18.1 billion, two-year budget. Scorsone is the only openly gay member of the General Assembly.
The university made headlines last week when it expelled a student for disclosing on a personal Web site that he is gay.
In an unusual arrangement, the proposed budget includes $10 million of state debt to construct a pharmacy building on the school's Whitley County campus. The budget also includes $1 million to fund scholarships for students attending the college's yet-to-be created pharmacy program.
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Watch the Guy on the Left
The oldest member of the U.S. Supreme Court is a liberal whose replacement could give pro-life conservatives the majority that voters have expected for 25 years.
by Bruce Hausknecht
Focus on the Family
Citizen Magazine
March 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/citizenmag/features/a0039574.cfm
Last year’s passing of Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist at age 80 and the retirement of 75-year-old Sandra Day O’Connor refocused the public’s attention on the aging of our nation’s highest court. Before John Roberts’ confirmation as the new Chief Justice last September at age 50, the youngest justice of the nine members of the Supreme Court was Justice Clarence Thomas, who is 57. The oldest current member of the Court is 85-year-old John Paul Stevens, appointed in 1975 by President Ford.
Rumors began to surface last year of an impending Stevens’ retirement, and continue to do so simply because of his advanced age. Though he’s still a vigorous participant in the day-to-day workings of the Court and shows no signs of slowing down, a look at his record will help us understand just what impact his replacement could have, if and when Stevens is replaced by a judicial conservative.
[...]
Thirty years in the Washington of Ted Kennedy and John Kerry changed Stevens. He now votes as if he were a Clinton appointee, favoring unlimited abortion and homosexual expression and opposing religious expression and property rights.
[...]
Although he promised in 1975 to leave policy-making on controversial social issues to Congress and the states, Stevens has nevertheless advanced the homosexual agenda from the bench. In 1986 he dissented in the Bowers v. Hardwick decision upholding Georgia’s anti-sodomy statute, and in 2003 joined the majority in striking down Texas’ anti-sodomy statute in Lawrence v. Texas. In 1996, he helped strike down Colorado’s constitutional amendment prohibiting special rights being granted to homosexuals. [Ed. Note: Colorado's Amendment 2 banned civil rights rights protections for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, but specifically left them intact for straights. As a result, while it was in effect, you could fire someone for being gay, but could not fire them for being heterosexual - that part remained against the law. This _was the desired outcome_, as could be shown by the one attempt by a fundamentalist group to ban "special rights" based on "sexual orientation" in general - the nationals all got a hold of them and told them to withdraw it now because that included straights.] Then in 2000 he signed an opinion that would have forced the Boy Scouts to accept openly homosexual scout leaders.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Plans to Open an Abortion Clinic on Indian Land May Crash
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
April 11, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040148.cfm
A South Dakota Sioux leader who announced plans to open an abortion clinic on tribal land to circumvent the state's abortion ban may face impeachment because Sioux tribal law respects the life of preborn babies, LifeNews.com reported.
Cecelia Fire Thunder, tribal president of the Oglala Sioux, announced plans to open an abortion facility after the South Dakota Legislature in February passed a law banning abortion in the Mount Rushmore State. Gov. Mike Rounds signed it into law March 6.
Because tribal lands are sovereign, South Dakota's abortion ban would not apply.
But Patrick Lee, a retired chief judge for the Oglala tribe, said tribal law is pro-life and would not allow the construction of an abortion clinic.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Missouri Lawmakers Hope to Let Voters Decide Issue of School Prayer
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
April 11, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040147.cfm
The Missouri House of Representatives has voted to place on November's ballot a proposed constitutional amendment that would protect students' right to pray in public schools, The Associated Press reported.
While the language in the proposed amendment would prohibit the establishment of an official religion as well as state-composed or -coerced prayer, it gives students the right to freely express their religious beliefs without interference, as long as "expression is private and voluntary and in a manner that is not disruptive nor in violation of other policies, rules or standards."
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
Annual White House Easter Outing Turns Political
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
April 11, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040146.cfm
At least 200 homosexual couples plan to bring their young kids to the White House next Monday for the annual Easter Egg Roll, and some family advocates say it is a political stunt at the expense of innocent children.
The families plan to identify themselves to the estimated 16,000 in attendance by wearing rainbow-colored leis.
Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Family Pride Coalition, said attending the Easter celebration is not motivated by politics.
"We are not protesting the president's policies on gay families," she said. "We are, however, helping him to understand that gay families exist in this country and deserve the rights and protections that all families need."
Mark Tooley, director of the United Methodist Committee at the Institute on Religion and Democracy, said the group's claim that it isn't trying to gain political attention is hollow.
[...]
"This is a clearly calculated attempt to interject a political statement advocating the fundamental redefinition of the family and the normalization of homosexuality into what should be an innocent and child-centered event," [Caleb Price, social research analyst at Focus on the Family] said. "Given that the White House Easter egg event is associated with the death and resurrection of Christ makes this sacrilegious stunt all the more appalling."
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
The Cooperation of Church & State Conference
June 8 & 9, 2006
Calgary Telus Convention Centre
http://www.culturalrenewal.ca/qry/page.taf?id=15#
[...]
Description of Conference
The Cooperation of Church and State Conference will provide a fresh analysis of the relationship between the church/religions and the state. It is often said that there is a separation of church (religions in the Canadian context) and state; however the meaning of this phrase is often unclear. On one hand the “separation” can be described as religion having no public place within the state; such an approach is favoured by the anti-religious ideology of secularism. Another approach, however, suggests that just as religious believers and institutions are in society, so too should the religions be able to function fully within the public order (education, law and politics). On this reading, the beliefs of religious citizens should not operate under a disadvantage as against the beliefs of atheist or agnostic citizens. Thus a ‘cooperation’ of religions and state is a better way to discuss the issues than a ‘separation’. This conference will present leading thinkers to unpack this important yet misunderstood phrase in the Canadian context.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Marriage petition drive coming to a close in Illinois
Family Research Council
April 11, 2006 - Tuesday
Illinois (more on this state)
Forward to a Friend!
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=AL06D05
The deadline for the Protect Marriage Illinois (PMI) petition drive is Thursday, April 20th -- just days away! 283,111 valid signatures of registered voters are needed in order to qualify the referendum for the November, 2006 ballot. To reach this level, at least 300,000-350,000 signatures need to be gathered.
Thousands of petitions are being sent in everyday, but a strong finish from Illinois pro-marriage citizens is needed to insure that the amendment gets on the November ballot.
Here's what you can do in these last days:
--If you have PMI petitions with any number of signatures, please get them notarized and turn them in now. It is critical that an accurate count of the number of signatures gathered to date is done immediately. Mail completed notarized sheets to:
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
Europe's Chastisement? -- How the Abandonment of Christianity May Be Leading to Disaster
Feature by Ed Vitagliano
American Family Association/Agape Press
April 12, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/4/afa/122006a.asp
(AgapePress) - Anyone know where we can find some Etruscans? You know, members of the Etruscan civilization that existed in ancient Italy, predating even Rome?
Well, there aren't any. The Etruscans were absorbed by the Roman civilization and ceased to exist as a distinct people.
Ominously, if a growing number of experts and cultural observers are right, it's entirely possible that the same question may be asked 100 years from now -- only about Italians or Spaniards or Russians.
As writer Mark Steyn glumly put it in The New Criterion, "Much of what we loosely call the Western world will not survive this century, and much of it will effectively disappear within our lifetimes, including many if not most Western European countries."
[...]
World magazine's Gene Edward Veith sums it up this way: "Why the population decline? The worldwide collapse of what are, literally, family values. Thanks to contraceptive technology, sex has become separated from childbearing. With women pursuing careers of their own and men getting sex without the responsibility of marriage, why bother with children? For many women and men, pregnancy has become an unpleasant side effect, something to prevent with contraceptives or easily treated with a trip to the abortion clinic."
[...]
Abandoning Christianity
These explanations do not go far enough to suit culture critic and columnist Don Feder, who sees Europe's abandonment of its Christian heritage as the true root cause of its population problems.
"It's no coincidence that central to the new Europe ... is a refusal to acknowledge the continent's origins," says Feder, who is Jewish. "The proposed constitution for the European Union (a document of over 70,000 words) contains not a single reference to Christianity. Thus more than a millennium of European history is effectively erased."
[...]
Beyond that, of course, is the fact that religious principles also restrain the often selfish behavior that grows out of the "radical autonomy" that permeates Europe. "Among the consequences of Europe's abandonment of its religious roots and the moral code that derives therefrom is a plunge in its birth rates to below the replacement level," says Gannon. "Abortion, birth control, acceptance of gay marriage and casual sex are driving the trend."
[...]
In any case, Carlson says, "the Great Party [of Western hedonism] will not last much longer. There is an iron law in history: the future belongs to the fertile. Just as the clan-centered, child-rich barbarian tribes of the Germans swept away the sensuous and sterile Western Roman Empire, so shall new barbarians arise."
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
Commentary & News Briefs
April 12, 2006
Compiled by Jody Brown
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/4/afa/122006h.asp
[...]
...Officials in one Minnesota county are punishing a church for taking a stand against sexual deviance. A report from Associated Press says Anoka County officials are refusing to send any more clients to a church that denied day care to a trans-sexual client. The county's social services department has been sending disabled senior citizens and other vulnerable adults who need care during the day to Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Francis. But the conservative Missouri Synod church turned away a client who had undergone surgery to be changed from a man into a woman. Associate pastor John Maxfield says the man's decision is "contrary to God's revealed will" -- and now his church is paying the price for its stand. "The county has basically said that if we would like to continue the contract with new clients," the pastor explains, "we would have to sign a non-discrimination policy that included sexual orientation -- and that would violate our theological beliefs." Maxfield notes that although the church is losing a lot of money by taking this stand, obedience to God's Word is more important. He also believes other churches involved with government-funded programs will face similar challenges. [AP]
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
Family Advocate Fears Pro-Homosexual Education Bill Will Pass California Senate
By Jim Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
April 11, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/4/afa/112006a.asp
(AgapePress) - A California pro-family activist says a bill in the state Senate requiring public schools to teach homosexual, bisexual, and transgender history is an assault on the minds and bodies of school children.
A bill sponsored by lesbian Senator Sheila Kuehl, SB 1437, places new mandates on California public schools to approve a curriculum that promotes and celebrates the lives of transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual "role models." The legislation has already passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, despite pro-family opposition. [Ed. Note: historically, "celebrate" and "promote" have both meant "include without condemnation" in fundamentalist rhetoric.]
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Family Advocate Denounces Pact Between Christians, Homosexual Activists
Part 2 of a Two-Part Series
By Jim Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
April 11, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/4/afa/112006c.asp
(AgapePress) - A pro-family activist says the Christian Educators Association International (CEAI) kowtowed to homosexuals by reaching an agreement with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) on how to deal with the issue of sexual orientation in public schools.
The First Amendment guidelines on sexual orientation endorsed by the two groups propose that no viewpoints on the issue of sexual orientation should be marginalized or silenced in schools. (See earlier article) Noted mental health counselor Dr. Warren Throckmorton and author Chad Thompson, a former homosexual, have written a column for Townhall.com defending the "Common Ground" guidelines. They argue conservatives often wrongly suggest that bullying of homosexual students is isolated.
However, Linda Harvey of Ohio-based Mission America says more often than not, Christians are having a "civilizing and unifying" influence in schools -- not contributing to the bullying problem.
[...]
Harvey -- who voiced her criticism of the agreement in a column for WorldNetDaily -- says she believes Throckmorton and Thompson are being too tolerant and naïve regarding homosexual activism. "I don't see in Dr. Throckmorton and Chad Thompson's material any kind of perception that this is dangerous to kids," she notes. "They continue to talk about it as a viewpoint, and unless you are willing to look at this the way the Bible looks at it, and the way public health statistics [report it], and really just looking at some homosexual materials, I don't understand how people can purport to speak for a body of Christians."
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Arizona Governor Vetoes Bill Telling Women of Fetal Pain During Abortion
Email this article
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 12, 2006
http://www.lifenews.com/state1579.html
Phoenix, AZ (LifeNews.com) -- Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano on Tuesday vetoed a bill that would allow women to know that an unborn baby will feel intense pain during an abortion procedure. The veto came despite researching showing that unborn children have the capacity to feel pain at least after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
In a statement about the veto, Napolitano said the bill "represents an unwarranted intrusion by politicians into the doctor-patient relationship."
"The Legislature should not attempt to substitute its judgment for that of trained physicians with respect to professional advice given to patients," she claimed.
The Senate signed off on the measure, HB 2554, on a 17-13 vote last week and the House previously approved the bill 36-21.
There is no word yet on whether pro-life lawmakers will attempt to override her veto.
[More at URL]
----- 17 -----
Gay Totalitarians Perverse Sex Education for Kids
Written by Linda Kimball
ChronWatch.com
(Linked to by Traditional Values Coalition)
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=20557
In speaking of ‘gay identity’ politics, Tammy Bruce noted that the “Gay Gestapo” is ‘infuriated most when I declare that my sexuality is not an ‘orientation’ but my ‘preference.' Liberals are always shocked by her honest disclosures because the politically correct stance is that “we are all born this way.” “The silliness of this claim,” commented Tammy, “reinforces the main lie in the Leftist world—that none of us are responsible for our behavior, who we are, or what we become. This ‘gay from birth’ angle also makes it easier to argue for special protections.” The drive for special protections such as forced sensitivity and diversity training, speech codes, and hate crime laws requires homosexuality to be an “identity, as opposed to just a sliver of who we are,” said Tammy. Homosexuality is a “behavior,” noted Tammy, and there is “nothing that makes homosexuals different from anyone else except behavior choices.” “Claiming a gay identity,” declared Ms. Bruce, “is nothing more than a slogan to excuse one self from personal responsibility and personal control. It is the ultimate in individual abandonment.” (Source: “The New American Revolution” Tammy Bruce, pp. 234-235)
Identity politics are the evil spawn of ‘group theory’ (Stalinism). As such, it’s a key element of multiculturalism—the weapon of mass destruction being used by the Left to demolish every trace of traditional America.
“Gay identity politics” is therefore, just one of the many weapons in the Left’s ‘special rights groups’ arsenal. Consequently, gay identity is being used to destroy the traditional family as well as serving as a convenient excuse to separate children from their parents, thus enabling global village mind-conditioners to raise them. It’s also a handy excuse for forcing straights into psycho political mind conditioning sessions, otherwise known as sensitivity and diversity training. Thanks to the public’s naïve acceptance of the myth of sexual orientation queer activists are empowered in their agenda to eradicate our created condition as either male or female while simultaneously sensitizing Americans to accept something wholly unnatural—the twisted notion that they are genderless beings possessed of an ever-expanding range of sexual orientations. Sexual Orientations are collectively referred to as a sexual continuum.
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Road to Perversion Is Paved With Porn
by Jan LaRue, Esq.
Human Events
Posted Apr 12, 2006
Part I: "Regular guys" becoming sexual predators of children.
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=13954
Millions of men and boys are falling for the destructive myth that looking at "adult" porn is normal, healthy and harmless for "regular guys." Way too many are finding themselves handcuffed between two cops, under arrest for sexual conduct with a kid. The hook-ups with kids are occurring on the main streets of U.S. cities and the dark alleys of the virtual world.
Experts estimate that 50,000 sexual predators prowl the Internet for children every day. As long as myth trumps truth, the next estimate could be 10 times what it is today. Stopping predators before they ravage our kids and grandkids will be insurmountable.
[...]
The centerfolds no longer gratify? There's an unending supply of harder-core images instantly available within a few mouse clicks and free for the taking. Want deviant? There's deviant beyond anything uncorrupted minds can fathom. Want some younger "stuff"? There's "pseudo" child porn where young-looking adults dress and act like teens and even toddlers sucking a pacifier and hugging stuffed animals. Want real child porn when the pretend doesn't do it anymore? It's traded for free by perverts in Internet chat rooms and encrypted Web sites, and for sale, and raking in billions. Want kids? There's a virtual playground full of kids ready to chat, instant message, and eager to send digital photos and videos to other "kids." Want a pimp for a hook-up with a kid? No need to risk being seen picking up a kid in a red light district. Their pimps and slave masters are online.
"Men fly in, are met by pimps, have sex with a 14-year-old for lunch, and get home in time for dinner with the family," said Sanford Jones, the chief juvenile judge of Fulton County, Ga.
[More at URL]
----- 19 -----
Pro-Life Women Head to Washington to Lobby on Abortion, Stem Cell Research
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 11, 2006
http://www.lifenews.com/nat2202.html
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Pro-life women across the nation are headed back to Capitol Hill later this month to dispel the notion that pro-abortion groups like NOW and NARAL speak for them. They will be talking with their representatives about issues like abortion and embryonic stem cell research and telling them that women value life.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List, one of the sponsors of the event, "Real Women's Voices" says pro-abortion groups continue to mislead lawmakers in assuming they speak for the average woman.
"Now it's time to set the country straight -- and more importantly set the United States Senate straight," she said in an email to LifeNews.com.
Dannenfelser's group is co-sponsoring the event with other major organizations such as Concerned Women for America, National Right to Life and the Family Research Council. The groups are looking for more women to head to Washington on April 26th for the second annual event.
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
HIV/AIDS Prevention Pill?
Concerned Women for America
4/10/2006
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10425/CWA/misc/index.htm
There is good news and bad news about the war on HIV/AIDS. The good news is there is pill, made from current AIDS-fighting drugs that could boost a person’s resistance to catching the infection. The bad news, however, is that this pill may only encourage more risky homosexual behavior placing people at risk form a host of related diseases and consequences. Bob Knight, Director of CWA’s Culture & Family Institute, speaks with Stephen Bennett, of Stephen Bennett Ministries, a former homosexual, about these concerns. Click here to listen.
[Bennett: "Several days ago, a report was released about a new possible HIV prevention bill being released... The thing with these two drugs now is it's being looked at almost as a prevention measure for high-risk individuals - and other individuals also but what concerns me is that this drug is being looked at possibly for men who are engaging in high-risk homosexual behaviour, and basically what these drugs would do, Bob, is prevent men from getting the HIV infection. So in other words, it's very similar to taking any kind of pill, you'll take the pill, and hopefully it'll prevent the individual from getting infected. But it's basically encouraging individuals to continue in a destructive behaviour and a potentially deadly behaviour and what this study doesn't mention is that this pill doesn't do anything regarding standard STDs, which can be very dangerous and deadly themselves. So this is a very dangerous, and I believe irresponsible message that is being sent, especially to men who are in the homosexual community who do engage in high-risk homosexual behaviour."
Martha [The "Interviewer" - they usually have one who asks leading questions to get them through their talking points, I usually leave them out since the questions are usually rephrased in the answers, but that isn't happening this time]: "It sounds almost like a homosexual male's version of a morning-after pill." [Which they also condemn.]
Knight: "That's a great analogy, Martha. I think it does, I agree with Stephen, it sends the wrong signal. It says, you can go ahead and have dangerous sex, and we've got this pill now, so there's a good chance you won't get HIV. And they don't tell them about the syphilis, gonorrhea, the damage to the body that can occur because of the misuse of the body, and of course, just the deadly spiritual damage of continuing to engage in a behaviour that God says is wrong. They have to deny reality constantly to continue to engage in that behaviour, and that's why you see so much substance abuse amoung homosexual practitioners. Because they have to ward off their conscience, they have to knock it back with alcohol and pills, because deep down, they know what they do is wrong."
Martha: "It sounds like it's almost double-jeopardy, because you have all of the problems associated with the homosexual behaviour that Bob just mentioned, plus some very powerful medications that you're putting into your body on a regular basis, whether you have the HIV virus or not. It sounds like a recipe for disaster."
Bennett: There's no doubt about that Martha, again, I firmly believe that individuals cannot cover up what they're going through by taking a pill or engaging in more homosexual sex, they really need to deal with the underlying root issues that is [sic] causing them to engage in this destructive behaviour. And I believe when an individual can do that, they can effectively deal with all these things, and listen, you're not going to need to take a prevention pill to order to prevent you from getting any kind of HIV because you won't be engaging in this behaviour. I'm one of thousands of men and women who have come out of dangerous homosexual behaviour through the power of Jesus Christ, almost 14 or 15 years ago now, and my heart really is now to be able to reach out to individuals who are going through things such as this, and - I've lost many friends who have died from AIDS, and this study just breaks my heart, again, that it is almost just giving a green light to gay men to continue in your behaviour, we'll just give you a pill that will take care of everything, and - it's just very tragic, Martha.
Martha: "This isn't a 100% solution even for those who have full-blown AIDS or HIV... this medication doesn't work for everybody, so it's really a trap."
Knight: "It's more Russian Roulette. It's ... you'd have to rely on the person taking the pill, I would think... Stephen, correct me if I'm wrong, but, is it the person who would be engaging in someone who already has the HIV/AIDS virus who would take the pill and that would prevent transmission , or is it the person who has it, and it would suppress the virus enough that they wouldn't pass it on? How does it work?
Bennett: [Explains study] "It seems that this it to prevent an individual from getting infected by HIV, it doesn't prevent an individual who already it from giving it to another individual."
Knight: "Have you encountered any homosexual activists who have accused you of saying that it's [sic] something that might cure AIDS is bad news, it shows that you must hate homosexuals, you know - this occurred to me when I saw this that even though you have very real concerns about the misuse of this drug, very well founded, that these guys are going to turn around and say, well look, you're against even medical science when we find something that might prevent the spread of AIDS. How would you answer that?"
Bennett: "You know, Bob, I made it very clear in our press release, this is promising news in the cure for AIDS [sic], but I think we need to look at what is the point of these drugs, and it seems according to this particular article that was released, they're talking about a preventative measure here, and they actually quote a gentleman, Matthew Bell, who is a 32-year-old hotel manager in San Francisco, who is admitting, hey, yeah, I engage in this kind of behaviour, I'm not always thinking clearly, I may not always wear a condom, it would be a great backup means to have access to these pills, and this guy has been participating in an initial study on it. So I am not against any means, any kind of research, for finding a cure for the HIV virus. I just don't want other men to be brought down a path that many of my friends have suffered the ultimate consequence [sic] - they're dead today because they engaged in some risky behaviour.
Knight: And as we've said, it isn't only HIV... I got the latest edition of The Advocate magazine, and it's loaded with not only with AIDS drugs, but it's also got drugs designed to combat the effects of hepatitis C, they've got drugs against depression - I mean, page after page of the magazine touts the homosexual lifestyle, and then in between are all the ads dealing with all the consequences, I just wonder, doesn't anybody make the connection, that maybe this isn't so healthy and happy?
Bennett: Yeah, you know, pretty soon we're going to see a Rite-AIDS [sic] pharmacy or some kind of pharmacy strictly for homosexual [snickers] individuals with their drugs and again that's not funny [Ed note: then why did you laugh at your own AIDS joke?], it's sad, it's really sad, because every kind of mental issue a person might be dealing with, or, so many problems, and again, stemming from these root issues, and that's why we really try to focus, Bob, on getting individuals to get to those root issues, and understand what they are - deal with them in a Biblical way, deal with them in a practical way, and, you know, you can avoid a lot of heartache and pain if you do that, so, we're just really going to pray that people are not going to become victims because of this new potential prevention pill.
----- 21 -----
Talking Points: The Case for Marriage IX
Faith and Freedom Network
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/04/talking-points-case-for-marriage-ix.html
My homosexual marriage will not impact your heterosexual marriage.
Marriage by definition is the union of a man and woman; it is a timeless institution that has transcended every culture and nation. To legally change that definition means same-sex marriage also becomes the social norm or ideal. Redefining marriage would forever alter the meaning of marriage and family for everyone, not just two isolated individuals.
In order to include two-men or two-women in the definition of marriage, all distinctive features of the union of a man and woman must be removed from our concept of marriage and family.
[Ed. Note: This is totally just a lie.]
If the legal definition of marriage is changed, our public institutions, including public schools, must remove all gender distinctions related to marriage and family. This means school textbooks and classroom instruction must promote the idea of “unisex” marriage.
Same-sex marriage will prevent public recognition of husband and wife, and mother and father.
This is happening in Massachusetts where marriage certificates now say “Partner A” and “Partner B,” and birth certificates no longer name “mother” and “father,” but “Parent A” and “Parent B.”
Men and woman are not interchangeable.
[More at URL]
Baptist college expels student after he said he was gay on his MySpace page;
Kentucky governor Ernie Fletcher (R) removes state worker anti-GBLT bias protection from the employment code - on diversity day, presumably just to rub it in - authorising anti-gay discrimination in hiring, firing, and promotion for state workers; in particular, he wanted protections removed for transgendered people (from
rosepurrVirginia governor Kaine (D) urges voters to reject anti-marriage amendment - but only because it might remove some rights from heterosexual unmarried couples. He's fine with the anti-gay part;
Kentucky private college with strident anti-gay politics - the one that just booted a student for saying on his myspace page that he was gay - receives state funds (ganked from Andrew Sullivan); the only gay legislator in Kentucky is taking a stand in opposition;
Focus on the Family dreams about Justice John Paul Stevens leaving the Supreme Court; revives "special rights" language for GBLT people, talks about the evils of allowing "homosexual expression";
FotF reports on impeachment attempt against President Fire Thunder of the Oglala tribe;
School prayer ballot measure passes Missouri house;
FotF condemns lesbian and gay parents for enrolling in the White House Easter Egg hunt, calls it "sacrilegious" and "appalling";
Focus on the Family Canada pushes Centre for Cultural Renewal's "Cooperation of Church and State Conference," talking about how church-state separation is bad and a product of those evil atheistic secularists, and asserts by implication that you can't be Christian and not want religious government;
Family Research Council ACTION ITEM to support anti-marriage amendment in Illinois; they need to get more signatures and are getting close to deadline;
American Family Association: Europe is abandoning Christianity and it's leading to disaster;
Church-run Government-funded elderly day-care centre (for "disabled senior citizens and other vulnerable adults who need care during the day") refuses services to an elderly transwoman; county cuts off funding; AFA says the county is "punishing a church for taking a stand against sexual deviance";
AFA condemns California legislation to include GLBT people in history classes;
AFA reports on Linda Harvey of Mission America's condemnation of the First Amendment guidelines for discussion GBLT issues in schools, says no discussions should ever be held with GBLT groups because we are an "abomination," pulls out the diseased-homosexual-child-rapists rhetoric;
AFA: Arizona governor vetos "fetal pain" bill;
Traditional Values Coalition links to a real queer-baiter of an editorial column, "Gay Totalitarians Perverse Sex Education for Kids"; GBLT people are Stalinist communists brainwashing adults and children into mind-conditioning programmes; this is one amazing rant, and normally I wouldn't include it - except for the TVC link to it;
Human Events runs a Jan LaRue (Concerned Women for America) column saying porn turns ordinary men into brutal child rapists;
Concerned Women for America links to LifeNews story about upcoming anti-stem-cell-research and anti-abortion protests in DC;
CWA's Robert Knight talks with "ex-gay" ministries wonk Stephen Bennett, worries that new possible AIDS prevention drugs will "only encourage more risky homosexual behavior"; calls the possible introduction "tragic," "a trap" that is "just giving a green light to gay men to continue in your behaviour"; calls it a "morning after" pill for gay men; this is relevant because they're also against emergency contraception, calling it an abortion pill (when it most assuredly is not);
Faith and Freedom Network "talking points" article against marriage rights.
----- 1 -----
Christians Sue for Right Not to Tolerate Policies
Many codes intended to protect gays from harassment are illegal, conservatives argue.
By Stephanie Simon, Times Staff Writer
April 10, 2006
ATLANTA — Ruth Malhotra went to court last month for the right to be intolerant.
Malhotra says her Christian faith compels her to speak out against homosexuality. But the Georgia Institute of Technology, where she's a senior, bans speech that puts down others because of their sexual orientation.
Malhotra sees that as an unacceptable infringement on her right to religious expression. So she's demanding that Georgia Tech revoke its tolerance policy.
With her lawsuit, the 22-year-old student joins a growing campaign to force public schools, state colleges and private workplaces to eliminate policies protecting gays and lesbians from harassment. The religious right aims to overturn a broad range of common tolerance programs: diversity training that promotes acceptance of gays and lesbians, speech codes that ban harsh words against homosexuality, anti-discrimination policies that require college clubs to open their membership to all.
The Rev. Rick Scarborough, a leading evangelical, frames the movement as the civil rights struggle of the 21st century. "Christians," he said, "are going to have to take a stand for the right to be Christian."
[...]
The legal argument is straightforward: Policies intended to protect gays and lesbians from discrimination end up discriminating against conservative Christians. Evangelicals have been suspended for wearing anti-gay T-shirts to high school, fired for denouncing Gay Pride Month at work, reprimanded for refusing to attend diversity training. When they protest tolerance codes, they're labeled intolerant.
[...]
"Think how marginalized racists are," said [Christian activist Gregory S.] Baylor, who directs the Christian Legal Society's Center for Law and Religious Freedom. "If we don't address this now, it will only get worse."
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Baptist college expels gay student
Christopher Curtis, PlanetOut Network Mon Apr 10, 8:06 PM ET
SUMMARY: The University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky., kicks out a sophomore because he revealed he was gay on his MySpace.com page.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/po/20060411/co_po/baptistcollegeexpelsgaystudent
The University of the Cumberlands in Williamsburg, Ky., has kicked out a sophomore because he revealed he was gay on his MySpace.com page, the Lexington Herald-Leader reported.
Jason Johnson, 20, was expelled last week from the Baptist school, according to Larry Cockrum, the school's director of media relations. Johnson was majoring in theater arts.
"Everybody on campus is extremely upset about this," Jennifer Roberts, a Cumberlands senior, told the newspaper.
Roberts, who told the paper she is a close friend of Johnson, described him as honest and trustworthy.
"I would consider Jason a Christian because so many of his values are Christian," she said. "He embodies everything a friend should be. A lot of people are suffering because he is not here."
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Gays cut from anti-bias policy
Change for state workers comes on Diversity Day
Wednesday, April 12, 2006
E-mail this | Print page
By Deborah Yetter
dyetter@courier-journal.com
The Courier-Journal
http://www.courier-journal.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060412/NEWS0104/604120407
FRANKFORT, Ky. -- Gay state workers and job candidates have lost anti-discrimination protection as a result of an order that Gov. Ernie Fletcher issued yesterday as part of the state's "Diversity Day."
Fletcher replaced the 2003 employment policy of former Gov. Paul Patton with one that bans employment discrimination because of "race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, veteran status and disability."
It makes no mention of sexual orientation.
Patton's policy included protections based on sexual orientation and gender identity.
[...]
It also drew criticism from some lawmakers, including Sen. Ernesto Scorsone, D-Lexington, who is gay and said the policy amounts to "open season on gay state employees."
[...]
[Fletcher spokesman Brett] Hall said the administration was concerned that the Patton policy on sexual orientation was too broad and extended to others, such as transgender people.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
Kaine Urges Voters to Reject Amendment
By Chris L. Jenkins
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, April 11, 2006; Page B05
Gov. Timothy M. Kaine said the "broad wording" of the constitutional amendment could threaten benefits for unmarried heterosexual couples.
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/04/10/AR2006041001665.html
RICHMOND, April 10 -- Gov. Timothy M. Kaine (D) said Monday that he will vote against a proposed constitutional amendment banning same-sex marriage when it appears before Virginians in November because it could have far-reaching consequences for all unmarried couples in the state.
In a symbolic and rare action, the governor refused to sign the bill that places the language of the amendment on the Nov. 7 ballot, indicating that he opposes the measure but believes it should come before the electorate.
[...]
Kaine said that the amendment, which received final approval from the General Assembly this winter, was too vague because it reads in part that the Virginia Constitution should not recognize "another union, partnership, or other legal status to which is assigned the rights, benefits, obligations, qualities, or effects of marriage."
He said this wording could adversely affect unmarried heterosexual couples.
Kaine said in a statement that he was concerned about "the broad wording of the proposed constitutional amendment," saying that it threatens "the constitutional rights of individuals to enter into private contracts, and also . . . the discretion of employers to extend certain benefits, such as health care coverage, to unmarried couples."
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Legislator says school shouldn't get funds
By John Stamper
HERALD-LEADER FRANKFORT BUREAU
April 11, 2006
http://www.kentucky.com/mld/kentucky/news/14313631.htm
FRANKFORT - State funding for a new pharmacy school building at the University of the Cumberlands should not be included in the budget if the private school doesn't stop discriminating against gay students, a legislator warned last night.
"We should not be budgeting bigotry," Sen. Ernesto Scorsone, D-Lexington, told colleagues before voting on the $18.1 billion, two-year budget. Scorsone is the only openly gay member of the General Assembly.
The university made headlines last week when it expelled a student for disclosing on a personal Web site that he is gay.
In an unusual arrangement, the proposed budget includes $10 million of state debt to construct a pharmacy building on the school's Whitley County campus. The budget also includes $1 million to fund scholarships for students attending the college's yet-to-be created pharmacy program.
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Watch the Guy on the Left
The oldest member of the U.S. Supreme Court is a liberal whose replacement could give pro-life conservatives the majority that voters have expected for 25 years.
by Bruce Hausknecht
Focus on the Family
Citizen Magazine
March 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/citizenmag/features/a0039574.cfm
Last year’s passing of Supreme Court Chief Justice Rehnquist at age 80 and the retirement of 75-year-old Sandra Day O’Connor refocused the public’s attention on the aging of our nation’s highest court. Before John Roberts’ confirmation as the new Chief Justice last September at age 50, the youngest justice of the nine members of the Supreme Court was Justice Clarence Thomas, who is 57. The oldest current member of the Court is 85-year-old John Paul Stevens, appointed in 1975 by President Ford.
Rumors began to surface last year of an impending Stevens’ retirement, and continue to do so simply because of his advanced age. Though he’s still a vigorous participant in the day-to-day workings of the Court and shows no signs of slowing down, a look at his record will help us understand just what impact his replacement could have, if and when Stevens is replaced by a judicial conservative.
[...]
Thirty years in the Washington of Ted Kennedy and John Kerry changed Stevens. He now votes as if he were a Clinton appointee, favoring unlimited abortion and homosexual expression and opposing religious expression and property rights.
[...]
Although he promised in 1975 to leave policy-making on controversial social issues to Congress and the states, Stevens has nevertheless advanced the homosexual agenda from the bench. In 1986 he dissented in the Bowers v. Hardwick decision upholding Georgia’s anti-sodomy statute, and in 2003 joined the majority in striking down Texas’ anti-sodomy statute in Lawrence v. Texas. In 1996, he helped strike down Colorado’s constitutional amendment prohibiting special rights being granted to homosexuals. [Ed. Note: Colorado's Amendment 2 banned civil rights rights protections for lesbian, gay, and bisexual people, but specifically left them intact for straights. As a result, while it was in effect, you could fire someone for being gay, but could not fire them for being heterosexual - that part remained against the law. This _was the desired outcome_, as could be shown by the one attempt by a fundamentalist group to ban "special rights" based on "sexual orientation" in general - the nationals all got a hold of them and told them to withdraw it now because that included straights.] Then in 2000 he signed an opinion that would have forced the Boy Scouts to accept openly homosexual scout leaders.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Plans to Open an Abortion Clinic on Indian Land May Crash
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
April 11, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040148.cfm
A South Dakota Sioux leader who announced plans to open an abortion clinic on tribal land to circumvent the state's abortion ban may face impeachment because Sioux tribal law respects the life of preborn babies, LifeNews.com reported.
Cecelia Fire Thunder, tribal president of the Oglala Sioux, announced plans to open an abortion facility after the South Dakota Legislature in February passed a law banning abortion in the Mount Rushmore State. Gov. Mike Rounds signed it into law March 6.
Because tribal lands are sovereign, South Dakota's abortion ban would not apply.
But Patrick Lee, a retired chief judge for the Oglala tribe, said tribal law is pro-life and would not allow the construction of an abortion clinic.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Missouri Lawmakers Hope to Let Voters Decide Issue of School Prayer
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
April 11, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040147.cfm
The Missouri House of Representatives has voted to place on November's ballot a proposed constitutional amendment that would protect students' right to pray in public schools, The Associated Press reported.
While the language in the proposed amendment would prohibit the establishment of an official religion as well as state-composed or -coerced prayer, it gives students the right to freely express their religious beliefs without interference, as long as "expression is private and voluntary and in a manner that is not disruptive nor in violation of other policies, rules or standards."
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
Annual White House Easter Outing Turns Political
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
April 11, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040146.cfm
At least 200 homosexual couples plan to bring their young kids to the White House next Monday for the annual Easter Egg Roll, and some family advocates say it is a political stunt at the expense of innocent children.
The families plan to identify themselves to the estimated 16,000 in attendance by wearing rainbow-colored leis.
Jennifer Chrisler, executive director of the Family Pride Coalition, said attending the Easter celebration is not motivated by politics.
"We are not protesting the president's policies on gay families," she said. "We are, however, helping him to understand that gay families exist in this country and deserve the rights and protections that all families need."
Mark Tooley, director of the United Methodist Committee at the Institute on Religion and Democracy, said the group's claim that it isn't trying to gain political attention is hollow.
[...]
"This is a clearly calculated attempt to interject a political statement advocating the fundamental redefinition of the family and the normalization of homosexuality into what should be an innocent and child-centered event," [Caleb Price, social research analyst at Focus on the Family] said. "Given that the White House Easter egg event is associated with the death and resurrection of Christ makes this sacrilegious stunt all the more appalling."
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
The Cooperation of Church & State Conference
June 8 & 9, 2006
Calgary Telus Convention Centre
http://www.culturalrenewal.ca/qry/page.taf?id=15#
[...]
Description of Conference
The Cooperation of Church and State Conference will provide a fresh analysis of the relationship between the church/religions and the state. It is often said that there is a separation of church (religions in the Canadian context) and state; however the meaning of this phrase is often unclear. On one hand the “separation” can be described as religion having no public place within the state; such an approach is favoured by the anti-religious ideology of secularism. Another approach, however, suggests that just as religious believers and institutions are in society, so too should the religions be able to function fully within the public order (education, law and politics). On this reading, the beliefs of religious citizens should not operate under a disadvantage as against the beliefs of atheist or agnostic citizens. Thus a ‘cooperation’ of religions and state is a better way to discuss the issues than a ‘separation’. This conference will present leading thinkers to unpack this important yet misunderstood phrase in the Canadian context.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Marriage petition drive coming to a close in Illinois
Family Research Council
April 11, 2006 - Tuesday
Illinois (more on this state)
Forward to a Friend!
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=AL06D05
The deadline for the Protect Marriage Illinois (PMI) petition drive is Thursday, April 20th -- just days away! 283,111 valid signatures of registered voters are needed in order to qualify the referendum for the November, 2006 ballot. To reach this level, at least 300,000-350,000 signatures need to be gathered.
Thousands of petitions are being sent in everyday, but a strong finish from Illinois pro-marriage citizens is needed to insure that the amendment gets on the November ballot.
Here's what you can do in these last days:
--If you have PMI petitions with any number of signatures, please get them notarized and turn them in now. It is critical that an accurate count of the number of signatures gathered to date is done immediately. Mail completed notarized sheets to:
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
Europe's Chastisement? -- How the Abandonment of Christianity May Be Leading to Disaster
Feature by Ed Vitagliano
American Family Association/Agape Press
April 12, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/4/afa/122006a.asp
(AgapePress) - Anyone know where we can find some Etruscans? You know, members of the Etruscan civilization that existed in ancient Italy, predating even Rome?
Well, there aren't any. The Etruscans were absorbed by the Roman civilization and ceased to exist as a distinct people.
Ominously, if a growing number of experts and cultural observers are right, it's entirely possible that the same question may be asked 100 years from now -- only about Italians or Spaniards or Russians.
As writer Mark Steyn glumly put it in The New Criterion, "Much of what we loosely call the Western world will not survive this century, and much of it will effectively disappear within our lifetimes, including many if not most Western European countries."
[...]
World magazine's Gene Edward Veith sums it up this way: "Why the population decline? The worldwide collapse of what are, literally, family values. Thanks to contraceptive technology, sex has become separated from childbearing. With women pursuing careers of their own and men getting sex without the responsibility of marriage, why bother with children? For many women and men, pregnancy has become an unpleasant side effect, something to prevent with contraceptives or easily treated with a trip to the abortion clinic."
[...]
Abandoning Christianity
These explanations do not go far enough to suit culture critic and columnist Don Feder, who sees Europe's abandonment of its Christian heritage as the true root cause of its population problems.
"It's no coincidence that central to the new Europe ... is a refusal to acknowledge the continent's origins," says Feder, who is Jewish. "The proposed constitution for the European Union (a document of over 70,000 words) contains not a single reference to Christianity. Thus more than a millennium of European history is effectively erased."
[...]
Beyond that, of course, is the fact that religious principles also restrain the often selfish behavior that grows out of the "radical autonomy" that permeates Europe. "Among the consequences of Europe's abandonment of its religious roots and the moral code that derives therefrom is a plunge in its birth rates to below the replacement level," says Gannon. "Abortion, birth control, acceptance of gay marriage and casual sex are driving the trend."
[...]
In any case, Carlson says, "the Great Party [of Western hedonism] will not last much longer. There is an iron law in history: the future belongs to the fertile. Just as the clan-centered, child-rich barbarian tribes of the Germans swept away the sensuous and sterile Western Roman Empire, so shall new barbarians arise."
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
Commentary & News Briefs
April 12, 2006
Compiled by Jody Brown
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/4/afa/122006h.asp
[...]
...Officials in one Minnesota county are punishing a church for taking a stand against sexual deviance. A report from Associated Press says Anoka County officials are refusing to send any more clients to a church that denied day care to a trans-sexual client. The county's social services department has been sending disabled senior citizens and other vulnerable adults who need care during the day to Trinity Lutheran Church in St. Francis. But the conservative Missouri Synod church turned away a client who had undergone surgery to be changed from a man into a woman. Associate pastor John Maxfield says the man's decision is "contrary to God's revealed will" -- and now his church is paying the price for its stand. "The county has basically said that if we would like to continue the contract with new clients," the pastor explains, "we would have to sign a non-discrimination policy that included sexual orientation -- and that would violate our theological beliefs." Maxfield notes that although the church is losing a lot of money by taking this stand, obedience to God's Word is more important. He also believes other churches involved with government-funded programs will face similar challenges. [AP]
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
Family Advocate Fears Pro-Homosexual Education Bill Will Pass California Senate
By Jim Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
April 11, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/4/afa/112006a.asp
(AgapePress) - A California pro-family activist says a bill in the state Senate requiring public schools to teach homosexual, bisexual, and transgender history is an assault on the minds and bodies of school children.
A bill sponsored by lesbian Senator Sheila Kuehl, SB 1437, places new mandates on California public schools to approve a curriculum that promotes and celebrates the lives of transsexual, bisexual, and homosexual "role models." The legislation has already passed the Senate Judiciary Committee, despite pro-family opposition. [Ed. Note: historically, "celebrate" and "promote" have both meant "include without condemnation" in fundamentalist rhetoric.]
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Family Advocate Denounces Pact Between Christians, Homosexual Activists
Part 2 of a Two-Part Series
By Jim Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
April 11, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/4/afa/112006c.asp
(AgapePress) - A pro-family activist says the Christian Educators Association International (CEAI) kowtowed to homosexuals by reaching an agreement with the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) on how to deal with the issue of sexual orientation in public schools.
The First Amendment guidelines on sexual orientation endorsed by the two groups propose that no viewpoints on the issue of sexual orientation should be marginalized or silenced in schools. (See earlier article) Noted mental health counselor Dr. Warren Throckmorton and author Chad Thompson, a former homosexual, have written a column for Townhall.com defending the "Common Ground" guidelines. They argue conservatives often wrongly suggest that bullying of homosexual students is isolated.
However, Linda Harvey of Ohio-based Mission America says more often than not, Christians are having a "civilizing and unifying" influence in schools -- not contributing to the bullying problem.
[...]
Harvey -- who voiced her criticism of the agreement in a column for WorldNetDaily -- says she believes Throckmorton and Thompson are being too tolerant and naïve regarding homosexual activism. "I don't see in Dr. Throckmorton and Chad Thompson's material any kind of perception that this is dangerous to kids," she notes. "They continue to talk about it as a viewpoint, and unless you are willing to look at this the way the Bible looks at it, and the way public health statistics [report it], and really just looking at some homosexual materials, I don't understand how people can purport to speak for a body of Christians."
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Arizona Governor Vetoes Bill Telling Women of Fetal Pain During Abortion
Email this article
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 12, 2006
http://www.lifenews.com/state1579.html
Phoenix, AZ (LifeNews.com) -- Arizona Governor Janet Napolitano on Tuesday vetoed a bill that would allow women to know that an unborn baby will feel intense pain during an abortion procedure. The veto came despite researching showing that unborn children have the capacity to feel pain at least after 20 weeks of pregnancy.
In a statement about the veto, Napolitano said the bill "represents an unwarranted intrusion by politicians into the doctor-patient relationship."
"The Legislature should not attempt to substitute its judgment for that of trained physicians with respect to professional advice given to patients," she claimed.
The Senate signed off on the measure, HB 2554, on a 17-13 vote last week and the House previously approved the bill 36-21.
There is no word yet on whether pro-life lawmakers will attempt to override her veto.
[More at URL]
----- 17 -----
Gay Totalitarians Perverse Sex Education for Kids
Written by Linda Kimball
ChronWatch.com
(Linked to by Traditional Values Coalition)
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
http://www.chronwatch.com/content/contentDisplay.asp?aid=20557
In speaking of ‘gay identity’ politics, Tammy Bruce noted that the “Gay Gestapo” is ‘infuriated most when I declare that my sexuality is not an ‘orientation’ but my ‘preference.' Liberals are always shocked by her honest disclosures because the politically correct stance is that “we are all born this way.” “The silliness of this claim,” commented Tammy, “reinforces the main lie in the Leftist world—that none of us are responsible for our behavior, who we are, or what we become. This ‘gay from birth’ angle also makes it easier to argue for special protections.” The drive for special protections such as forced sensitivity and diversity training, speech codes, and hate crime laws requires homosexuality to be an “identity, as opposed to just a sliver of who we are,” said Tammy. Homosexuality is a “behavior,” noted Tammy, and there is “nothing that makes homosexuals different from anyone else except behavior choices.” “Claiming a gay identity,” declared Ms. Bruce, “is nothing more than a slogan to excuse one self from personal responsibility and personal control. It is the ultimate in individual abandonment.” (Source: “The New American Revolution” Tammy Bruce, pp. 234-235)
Identity politics are the evil spawn of ‘group theory’ (Stalinism). As such, it’s a key element of multiculturalism—the weapon of mass destruction being used by the Left to demolish every trace of traditional America.
“Gay identity politics” is therefore, just one of the many weapons in the Left’s ‘special rights groups’ arsenal. Consequently, gay identity is being used to destroy the traditional family as well as serving as a convenient excuse to separate children from their parents, thus enabling global village mind-conditioners to raise them. It’s also a handy excuse for forcing straights into psycho political mind conditioning sessions, otherwise known as sensitivity and diversity training. Thanks to the public’s naïve acceptance of the myth of sexual orientation queer activists are empowered in their agenda to eradicate our created condition as either male or female while simultaneously sensitizing Americans to accept something wholly unnatural—the twisted notion that they are genderless beings possessed of an ever-expanding range of sexual orientations. Sexual Orientations are collectively referred to as a sexual continuum.
[More at URL]
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Road to Perversion Is Paved With Porn
by Jan LaRue, Esq.
Human Events
Posted Apr 12, 2006
Part I: "Regular guys" becoming sexual predators of children.
http://www.humaneventsonline.com/article.php?id=13954
Millions of men and boys are falling for the destructive myth that looking at "adult" porn is normal, healthy and harmless for "regular guys." Way too many are finding themselves handcuffed between two cops, under arrest for sexual conduct with a kid. The hook-ups with kids are occurring on the main streets of U.S. cities and the dark alleys of the virtual world.
Experts estimate that 50,000 sexual predators prowl the Internet for children every day. As long as myth trumps truth, the next estimate could be 10 times what it is today. Stopping predators before they ravage our kids and grandkids will be insurmountable.
[...]
The centerfolds no longer gratify? There's an unending supply of harder-core images instantly available within a few mouse clicks and free for the taking. Want deviant? There's deviant beyond anything uncorrupted minds can fathom. Want some younger "stuff"? There's "pseudo" child porn where young-looking adults dress and act like teens and even toddlers sucking a pacifier and hugging stuffed animals. Want real child porn when the pretend doesn't do it anymore? It's traded for free by perverts in Internet chat rooms and encrypted Web sites, and for sale, and raking in billions. Want kids? There's a virtual playground full of kids ready to chat, instant message, and eager to send digital photos and videos to other "kids." Want a pimp for a hook-up with a kid? No need to risk being seen picking up a kid in a red light district. Their pimps and slave masters are online.
"Men fly in, are met by pimps, have sex with a 14-year-old for lunch, and get home in time for dinner with the family," said Sanford Jones, the chief juvenile judge of Fulton County, Ga.
[More at URL]
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Pro-Life Women Head to Washington to Lobby on Abortion, Stem Cell Research
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
April 11, 2006
http://www.lifenews.com/nat2202.html
Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Pro-life women across the nation are headed back to Capitol Hill later this month to dispel the notion that pro-abortion groups like NOW and NARAL speak for them. They will be talking with their representatives about issues like abortion and embryonic stem cell research and telling them that women value life.
Marjorie Dannenfelser, the president of the Susan B. Anthony List, one of the sponsors of the event, "Real Women's Voices" says pro-abortion groups continue to mislead lawmakers in assuming they speak for the average woman.
"Now it's time to set the country straight -- and more importantly set the United States Senate straight," she said in an email to LifeNews.com.
Dannenfelser's group is co-sponsoring the event with other major organizations such as Concerned Women for America, National Right to Life and the Family Research Council. The groups are looking for more women to head to Washington on April 26th for the second annual event.
[More at URL]
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HIV/AIDS Prevention Pill?
Concerned Women for America
4/10/2006
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10425/CWA/misc/index.htm
There is good news and bad news about the war on HIV/AIDS. The good news is there is pill, made from current AIDS-fighting drugs that could boost a person’s resistance to catching the infection. The bad news, however, is that this pill may only encourage more risky homosexual behavior placing people at risk form a host of related diseases and consequences. Bob Knight, Director of CWA’s Culture & Family Institute, speaks with Stephen Bennett, of Stephen Bennett Ministries, a former homosexual, about these concerns. Click here to listen.
[Bennett: "Several days ago, a report was released about a new possible HIV prevention bill being released... The thing with these two drugs now is it's being looked at almost as a prevention measure for high-risk individuals - and other individuals also but what concerns me is that this drug is being looked at possibly for men who are engaging in high-risk homosexual behaviour, and basically what these drugs would do, Bob, is prevent men from getting the HIV infection. So in other words, it's very similar to taking any kind of pill, you'll take the pill, and hopefully it'll prevent the individual from getting infected. But it's basically encouraging individuals to continue in a destructive behaviour and a potentially deadly behaviour and what this study doesn't mention is that this pill doesn't do anything regarding standard STDs, which can be very dangerous and deadly themselves. So this is a very dangerous, and I believe irresponsible message that is being sent, especially to men who are in the homosexual community who do engage in high-risk homosexual behaviour."
Martha [The "Interviewer" - they usually have one who asks leading questions to get them through their talking points, I usually leave them out since the questions are usually rephrased in the answers, but that isn't happening this time]: "It sounds almost like a homosexual male's version of a morning-after pill." [Which they also condemn.]
Knight: "That's a great analogy, Martha. I think it does, I agree with Stephen, it sends the wrong signal. It says, you can go ahead and have dangerous sex, and we've got this pill now, so there's a good chance you won't get HIV. And they don't tell them about the syphilis, gonorrhea, the damage to the body that can occur because of the misuse of the body, and of course, just the deadly spiritual damage of continuing to engage in a behaviour that God says is wrong. They have to deny reality constantly to continue to engage in that behaviour, and that's why you see so much substance abuse amoung homosexual practitioners. Because they have to ward off their conscience, they have to knock it back with alcohol and pills, because deep down, they know what they do is wrong."
Martha: "It sounds like it's almost double-jeopardy, because you have all of the problems associated with the homosexual behaviour that Bob just mentioned, plus some very powerful medications that you're putting into your body on a regular basis, whether you have the HIV virus or not. It sounds like a recipe for disaster."
Bennett: There's no doubt about that Martha, again, I firmly believe that individuals cannot cover up what they're going through by taking a pill or engaging in more homosexual sex, they really need to deal with the underlying root issues that is [sic] causing them to engage in this destructive behaviour. And I believe when an individual can do that, they can effectively deal with all these things, and listen, you're not going to need to take a prevention pill to order to prevent you from getting any kind of HIV because you won't be engaging in this behaviour. I'm one of thousands of men and women who have come out of dangerous homosexual behaviour through the power of Jesus Christ, almost 14 or 15 years ago now, and my heart really is now to be able to reach out to individuals who are going through things such as this, and - I've lost many friends who have died from AIDS, and this study just breaks my heart, again, that it is almost just giving a green light to gay men to continue in your behaviour, we'll just give you a pill that will take care of everything, and - it's just very tragic, Martha.
Martha: "This isn't a 100% solution even for those who have full-blown AIDS or HIV... this medication doesn't work for everybody, so it's really a trap."
Knight: "It's more Russian Roulette. It's ... you'd have to rely on the person taking the pill, I would think... Stephen, correct me if I'm wrong, but, is it the person who would be engaging in someone who already has the HIV/AIDS virus who would take the pill and that would prevent transmission , or is it the person who has it, and it would suppress the virus enough that they wouldn't pass it on? How does it work?
Bennett: [Explains study] "It seems that this it to prevent an individual from getting infected by HIV, it doesn't prevent an individual who already it from giving it to another individual."
Knight: "Have you encountered any homosexual activists who have accused you of saying that it's [sic] something that might cure AIDS is bad news, it shows that you must hate homosexuals, you know - this occurred to me when I saw this that even though you have very real concerns about the misuse of this drug, very well founded, that these guys are going to turn around and say, well look, you're against even medical science when we find something that might prevent the spread of AIDS. How would you answer that?"
Bennett: "You know, Bob, I made it very clear in our press release, this is promising news in the cure for AIDS [sic], but I think we need to look at what is the point of these drugs, and it seems according to this particular article that was released, they're talking about a preventative measure here, and they actually quote a gentleman, Matthew Bell, who is a 32-year-old hotel manager in San Francisco, who is admitting, hey, yeah, I engage in this kind of behaviour, I'm not always thinking clearly, I may not always wear a condom, it would be a great backup means to have access to these pills, and this guy has been participating in an initial study on it. So I am not against any means, any kind of research, for finding a cure for the HIV virus. I just don't want other men to be brought down a path that many of my friends have suffered the ultimate consequence [sic] - they're dead today because they engaged in some risky behaviour.
Knight: And as we've said, it isn't only HIV... I got the latest edition of The Advocate magazine, and it's loaded with not only with AIDS drugs, but it's also got drugs designed to combat the effects of hepatitis C, they've got drugs against depression - I mean, page after page of the magazine touts the homosexual lifestyle, and then in between are all the ads dealing with all the consequences, I just wonder, doesn't anybody make the connection, that maybe this isn't so healthy and happy?
Bennett: Yeah, you know, pretty soon we're going to see a Rite-AIDS [sic] pharmacy or some kind of pharmacy strictly for homosexual [snickers] individuals with their drugs and again that's not funny [Ed note: then why did you laugh at your own AIDS joke?], it's sad, it's really sad, because every kind of mental issue a person might be dealing with, or, so many problems, and again, stemming from these root issues, and that's why we really try to focus, Bob, on getting individuals to get to those root issues, and understand what they are - deal with them in a Biblical way, deal with them in a practical way, and, you know, you can avoid a lot of heartache and pain if you do that, so, we're just really going to pray that people are not going to become victims because of this new potential prevention pill.
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Talking Points: The Case for Marriage IX
Faith and Freedom Network
Tuesday, April 11, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/04/talking-points-case-for-marriage-ix.html
My homosexual marriage will not impact your heterosexual marriage.
Marriage by definition is the union of a man and woman; it is a timeless institution that has transcended every culture and nation. To legally change that definition means same-sex marriage also becomes the social norm or ideal. Redefining marriage would forever alter the meaning of marriage and family for everyone, not just two isolated individuals.
In order to include two-men or two-women in the definition of marriage, all distinctive features of the union of a man and woman must be removed from our concept of marriage and family.
[Ed. Note: This is totally just a lie.]
If the legal definition of marriage is changed, our public institutions, including public schools, must remove all gender distinctions related to marriage and family. This means school textbooks and classroom instruction must promote the idea of “unisex” marriage.
Same-sex marriage will prevent public recognition of husband and wife, and mother and father.
This is happening in Massachusetts where marriage certificates now say “Partner A” and “Partner B,” and birth certificates no longer name “mother” and “father,” but “Parent A” and “Parent B.”
Men and woman are not interchangeable.
[More at URL]
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no subject
Date: 2006-04-12 08:07 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-12 08:14 pm (UTC)"Think how marginalized racists are," said [Christian activist Gregory S.] Baylor, who directs the Christian Legal Society's Center for Law and Religious Freedom. "If we don't address this now, it will only get worse."
Are they seriously saying that the marginalization of racists is a bad thing? WTF?
no subject
Date: 2006-04-12 08:16 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-12 08:21 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-04-12 08:27 pm (UTC)Anyone have the heart to break it to him that the mythical creature associated wtih the easter egg roll isn't Jesus but a big magic bunny what lays eggs and gives out chocolate and marshmellow birds and stuff? (And that's just the present popular mythology, not even getting into the pagan roots of the easter bunny...)
no subject
Date: 2006-04-12 11:24 pm (UTC)asshole
Paraphrase : If they wanna go to pharmacy school...they can go somewhere else.
(this was in response to the slight problem that Cumberland College got a State grant for it's Pharmacy division, so people are saying that the funding should be pulled because of guy getting kicked out.)
(pardon the incoherency of the post...I'm a bit livid thinking about it.)
no subject
Date: 2006-04-13 12:38 pm (UTC)>against workplace and school anti-discrimination codes; claim is that they
>cannot be Christian if they aren't allowed to discriminate against GBLT and
>speak out against people at work and in school;
And still they get it backwards...
>Baptist college expels student after he said he was gay on his MySpace page
Unfortunately, many of the press announcements on this are on the order of "Couldn't they have at least waited until after finals?" (To be fair, they're adding the closeness to finals as an extra offense of the "insult to injury" sort.)
>...the only gay legislator in Kentucky is taking a stand in opposition
Others have since joined him. Unfortunately, this is on the tail end of the legislative session and action this session is therefore not expected.
Kentucky Fairness Alliance is calling for the Governor to support moves to pull state funding.
>Focus on the Family Canada pushes Centre for Cultural Renewal's
>"Cooperation of Church and State Conference," talking about how
>church-state separation is bad and a product of those evil atheistic
>secularists, and asserts by implication that you can't be Christian and not
>want religious government
They ignore the historical evidence that the majority of supporters were people of faith who didn't want a government interfering with their practice of religion. (Something the English government definitely had a history of doing.)