Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Sep. 8th, 2006 10:29 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdFaith and Freedom Network cranky at Seattle PI columnist talking about their effort to elect fundamentalist-friendly judicial slates across the state;
Faith and Freedom Network pushes their "educational" "voter's guide," which is basically their judicial endorsement list;
Links to Faith and Freedom Network's endorsement list and the Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to vote for fundamentalist judges in Washington State;
Faith and Freedom Network ACTION ITEM to download their endorsement list and vote for the judicial candidates they endorse;
Focus on the Family protests Illinois court decision upholding an anti-marriage initiative being kept off the ballot; Illinois law requires that no more than 5% of signatures be invalid, their initiative was well over that, so they sued and lost;
Liberty Council files suit filing lawsuits to overturn GBLT civil rights protections at the county level in Virginia; they plan to do so in several counties which have passed local antidiscrimination law;
FotF reports on a freethinker atheist group being formed at the Air Force Academy;
FotF happily reports on veto of GBLT educational bill in California; hoping Governor Schwarzenegger will veto antidiscrimination bills affecting schools;
Faith and Freedom Network ACTION ITEM to get out the fundamentalist vote for the primary;
Focus on the Family demands action on anti-abortion legislation;
Focus on the Family and several other fundamentalist leaders want to meet with President Bush to demand Federal obscenity prosecutions;
Focus on the Family reports on efforts to ban pr0n shops in Kentucky and Indiana;
FotF article on a lawsuit challenging Maryland's same-sex marriage ban;
Focus on the Family pushes their "ex-gay" "Love Won Out" agenda;
Focus on the Family Canada upset at Manitoba schools;
Focus on the Family happily reports on North Carolina's ban on Gay-Straight Alliance Clubs, violating the equal-access rule laid out by the Supreme Court several years ago, the same ruling that they rely on to make sure religious clubs have access; they loved the ruling when they could use it to sue schools to let religious clubs in, they hate it when queer kids use it too;
Focus on the Family complains about lack of anti-abortion-rights bills in Congress;
FotF reports on the Southern Baptist Convention effort to get a fundamentalist exodus from public schools;
Focus on the Family commentary outlines the war on terrorism as a religious war, with George Bush as the hero and everyone who criticises him as a Leftist Who Hates America;
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to support more of President Bush's judicial nominees;
"Psychologist Suspended for Ties to Pro-Family Organization"; I'd like to hear more details about this story;
Arizona anti-marriage amendment to be on ballot;
The so-called "Christmas Wars" generates a bunch of letters to Sam's Club, who says they will specifically refer to "Christmas" in future advertising; however, they refuse to refer only to Christmas, which is what the American Family Association (one of the bigger groups behind this) has typically insisted upon;
Focus on the Family reports Vatican to give more consideration to creationism in the form of "intelligent design";
Faith and Freedom Network attacks the idea that the court system has any business protecting the rights of minourities and declares that majorities have absolute rule, rights be damned;
Focus on the Family continues to push "ex-gay" bullshit, claims APA is on the verge of recognizing "ex-gay" ministries;
Focus on the Family happy to report that there is "one less gay character on network TV" this fall;
Faith and Freedom Network declares GBLT people a Threat to Your Children;
Faith and Freedom Network: Americans have too much freedom, asks whether it will lead to death;
AFA works with Texas Ford dealers to get a large number of them to request that corporate Ford not advertise to GBLT customers any longer;
Focus on the Family outlines some of their fall campaign strategy.
----- 1 -----
Seattle PI Columnist Blasts Faith & Freedom
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/09/seattle-pi-columnist-blasts-faith.html
Columnist Joel Connelly at the Seattle P.I in his column published last Friday titled, Move to Push Our Courts to the Right, said, “In the most brazen claim so far in this election season, the judicial ‘guide’ published by Faith and Freedom Network states, ‘Please use for educational purposes only. These are not endorsements.’”
Mr. Connelly proceeds to say he sees a hi-jacking of his faith under way and that is harmful to church, state, and community, asks if our Judeo-Christian tradition is summed up in the narrow, exclusivist agenda of gay marriage, adoptions by gays and benefits for homosexual couples and asks what about church teachings on social justice and the passage from I Corinthians, “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
He asks, “As the religious right storms the temple of justice in Olympia, where are the defenders of church-state separation?” He also asks “Where are the advocates of a Judeo-Christian tradition that embraces love, learning and social justice?”
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Public Wants to Know Judicial Candidates
Friday, September 01, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/09/public-wants-to-know-judicial.html
Not that it directly affects us here in the Northwest, but the fact that a lawsuit has been filed in Florida seeking more transparency for judicial candidates, certainly tells us that people want to know more about the candidates and what they believe.
Four previous suits have been filed regarding judges sharing their views on judicial voter’s guides in Kentucky, Kansas, North Dakota, and Arkansas. All of those suits were decided in favor of the judge’s right to share their views.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Links to Faith and Freedom Network and Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM on judicial voting
Online as of September 8, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
Click here for Faith & Freedom Judicial Voter's Guide (PDF Format):
http://faithandfreedom.us/pdf/Voter_Education_Guide.pdf
Click here for Focus on the Family ACTION Judicial Voter's Guide (PDF Format):
http://faithandfreedom.us/pdf/frcvoterguide.pdf
----- 4 -----
WA Judicial Update
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/08/wa-judicial-update.html
Ballots for the Washington State primary election were sent out yesterday. As you know, much of the state will vote by mail. In fact, a number of counties exclusively vote by mail.
Focus on the Family ACTION released their judicial voter's guide yesterday as well. We have posted it on our website for your convenience.
Many will actually be voting by mail over the next few weeks. Please continue to contact friends and family and send the Voter Guide to as many as possible.
John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court said, "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."
As you vote, remember character counts. Vote your values.
________________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom
----- 5 -----
Illinois Voters Won't Be Allowed Say in Protecting Marriage
Focus on the Family
September 7, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041909.cfm
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday agreed with the state of Illinois and a lower federal court in denying a marriage referendum a spot on the November ballot. The referendum would have requested the Illinois Legislature to consider amending the state constitution to define marriage between a man and a woman as "the only legal union" recognized under state law.
Marriage proponents gathered far more than the required 283,000 signatures -- nearly 50,000 more -- to place the referendum on the fall ballot. But the state requires that, in a representative sampling of signatures, no more than 5 percent can be invalid. When told by the state that the petitions had not met this latter requirement and would not be placed on the ballot, Protect Marriage Illinois sued claiming their constitutional rights under the 1st and 14th Amendments had been violated.
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Christian Businessman Seeks to Overturn Sexual-Orientation Law
September 7, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041906.cfm
A Christian businessman in Virginia -- who was ordered to either do business with gay activists or cover their expenses at another company -- has filed a lawsuit seeking to have his county's sexual-orientation law struck down.
[...]
Though the commission dropped the complaint after Liberty Counsel filed suit on behalf of Bono, the law firm has vowed to continue the fight to overturn the county's sexual-orientation law in order to protect other businesses.
Rena Lindevaldsen, an attorney for Liberty Counsel, said the suit seeks to invalidate the county ordinance and other similar ordinances throughout the state.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
"Freethinkers" hope to counterbalance Christian groups.
Atheist Group Forms at Air Force Academy
from staff reports
September 7, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041905.cfm
In the aftermath of military chaplains being reprimanded for proselytizing, and atheists alleging religious discrimination and suing, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., is permitting some cadets to start an atheist group on campus.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Schwarzenegger Vetoes One — Two to Go
Remaining bills would bring gay agenda into schools.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
September 7, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041902.cfm
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed SB 1437 on Wednesday, a major piece of legislation that was designed to promote and enforce the homosexual agenda in California schools. Pro-family leaders are thankful for the win, but they are encouraging people to keep contacting the governor concerning two other bills.
Mona Passignano, state issues analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said two other anti-family bills have passed the California Legislature, but Schwarzenegger has not yet announced whether he will sign or veto them.
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
Help Needed to Get Out The Vote in Washington
Faith and Freedom Network
September 7, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
There is an opportunity to do something constructive in this upcoming election and earn a few dollars.
Walk For Washington, an organization committed to electing pro-constitutional state supreme court justices are paying $10 per hour to people who will help with their get-out-the-vote phone bank operation.
Phone calls will be made to voters in King and Snohomish counties reminding people to turn in their mail-in absentee ballots.
The phone bank will start September 9th and continue through the primary vote on September 19th. The calling will be done from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. each day.
There is also a need for volunteers to carry and wave signs.
Walk For Washington has many opportunities for those who wish to get more involved over the next few weeks.
Please contact Jon Russell, Faith & Freedom Network Field Director, at 1-800-731-5328 or email at j.russell@faithandfreedom.us.
----- 10 -----
Message to Senate Dems: 'End Blockade of Parental-Rights Bill Now!'
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
September 6, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041890.cfm
A U.S. senator and leaders of 21 pro-family groups call on liberals to allow final negotiations on pro-life legislation.
Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., called on leaders of the Senate's Democratic Caucus today to stop blocking the Child Custody Protection Act.
Brownback called S. 403 "the most important pro-life legislation before the Congress today" and said the bill is being held hostage by Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Reid has blocked the appointment of conferees to reconcile the House and Senate versions.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Family Advocates Request Meeting with President About Obscenity Prosecution
September 6, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041893.cfm
In a letter to President Bush, 24 conservative leaders expressed a strong desire to meet and discuss the importance of a federal crackdown on obscene material.
"So-called 'adult' hardcore pornography continues to inflict incalculable damage on children and families, contributing to the destruction of marriage, the demeaning of both women and men, and the sexual exploitation of children and adults" the Sept. 1 letter reads.
[...]
TAKE ACTION:
Encourage President Bush to meet with these conservative leaders to talk about how to increase the prosecution of obscenity.
If you are a CitizenLink Daily Update subscriber, click on the blue "Take Action" button in the e-mail to be automatically logged in to our Action Center. Otherwise, click on this link.
----- 12 -----
People in Indiana and Kentucky Oppose Porn Shops
September 6, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041892.cfm
People in several Indiana and Kentucky towns are making it known they want to rid their communities of businesses that sell adult material, The Courier-Journal reported.
In Uniontown, Ind., protesters stood in front of the Lion's Den holding signs that read, "No porn in Uniontown."
Douglas Hoskins said of the store, "We will be here till that is gone."
A lawsuit against the Lion's Den has been filed in Jackson County Superior Court. Similar cases are pending in other Indiana counties as well as in Kentucky.
Richard Bryant, an attorney representing pornography businesses, said it isn't uncommon for local government to object to such establishments.
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
Maryland Marriage Law Under Fire
September 6, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041891.cfm
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed a friend-of-the-court brief Tuesday with Maryland's highest court, the Court of Appeals, asking it to protect the definition of marriage.
The court is preparing to hear a case brought by nine same-sex couples who claim a law that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman discriminates based on gender.
In January, Circuit Court Judge M. Brooke Murdock ruled in favor of the couples, declaring the 1973 marriage law unconstitutional.
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
Liberal target: ex-gays
The Left hates the truth that same-sex desires can be overcome by spiritual redemption.
By the Citizen staff
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/citizenmag/features/a0041680.cfm
Go to “gay pride” day at school and you’ll hear words like “tolerance” and “understanding.” But listen to these same voices behind closed doors and you may hear a very different message.
Citizen heard some intolerant talk in April at a conference sponsored by one of the nation’s largest homosexual advocacy groups—the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The event, hosted by GLSEN’s Boston chapter, featured an entire training session devoted to combating “the effects of programs like Love Won Out.”
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada wants apology from rights commission
Today’s Family News
Focus on the Family Canada
September 6, 2006
[Received in email; no functional URL; one was provided, but it returns a 404]
Manitoba’s Christian community deserves an apology from its province’s human rights commission for reportedly claiming that public schools that embrace Christian principles are fostering “a poisoned environment,” says Janet Epp-Buckingham, director of law and public policy with Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
As CBC News reported, the Manitoba Human Rights Commission notified the Garden Valley School Board in Winkler last May that its reference to “Christian principles” in its mission statement and its practice of allowing religious exercises allegedly during school hours violated the human rights code. Garden Valley’s mission statement commits its ten schools to partner “with home, church and community to [provide] every student with the best possible education, based on clear expectations, positive and caring relationships [and] Christian principles. . . .”
The issue came to the commission’s attention last summer when a substitute teacher complained about what the Winnipeg Free Press called “the lack of separation of church and state in Winkler schools.” Winkler is a predominantly Mennonite community. Commission chair Janet Baldwin said that although the complaint was later withdrawn, the commission chose to exercise its authority to initiate its own complaint.
Baldwin told the Free Press that she gave the school division “a little lecture” on how the code protects all religions, including atheism – and warned it about creating “a poisoned environment” in its schools.
Such comments, according to Buckingham, suggest a “heavy-handed” attempt “to try to exclude Christian expression” that is “totally inappropriate.”
“It looks in some ways like some kind of ‘witch hunt,’ where the Christians become the witches that are being hunted,” she told Today’s Family News. “I mean, there’s no evidence that espousing Christian principles is, in any way, going to be demeaning or marginalizing of other groups.”
In a letter to Baldwin, Buckingham further noted that Baldwin’s choice of words “borders on being a discriminatory statement that demeans Christians. . . . It may also convey an impression to Christians and to the Christian community that their legitimate human rights will not be protected by the commission.”
Buckingham added, “We’ve asked [Baldwin] for an apology or at least a clarifying statement that espousing Christian principles is not creating a ‘poisoned’ atmosphere in schools.”
The school division has denied any wrongdoing, telling the Free Press that its religious activities, which usually involve a Bible reading, a short devotional and the Lord’s Prayer, last no more than five minutes and are over before the school day officially begins.
Manitoba’s Public Schools Act states that parents must petition a school board to have their children take part in voluntary religious exercises.
In Winkler’s case, Superintendent Dom Wilkins said not one family has indicated that it did not want its children taking part in religious activities. “As far as I know,” he said, “every single parent in the school division has requested it.”
“There is certainly an appearance of a very negative attitude towards Christians and the Christian faith,” said Buckingham. “I think even Christians in Manitoba should be letting the human rights commission know that they’re concerned.”
----- 16 -----
Gay-Straight Alliances Deemed Unacceptable for N.C. Schools
Focus on the Family
September 5, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041878.cfm
A North Carolina school district has successfully implemented a policy banning student clubs based on sexual activity or sexual orientation, the Salisbury Post reported.
The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education adopted the policy after students at South Rowan High School formed a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club last year. At the core of the unanimous decision to ban such clubs was the abstinence-only sex-education policy already in place.
[More at URL]
----- 17 -----
Pro-Family Legislation Still Waiting for Action in Congress
As November looms, getting any bill passed will take lots of work.
from staff reports
September 5, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041874.cfm
As Congress reconvened today, lawmakers found a stack of pro-family bills waiting for their attention, ranging from those dealing with human cloning to fetal pain. With the election just around the corner and liberals dragging their feet, conservative lawmakers will have to work hard to pass any pro-family legislation this session.
Pro-life bills include the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, the Human Cloning Prohibition Act and the Child Custody Protection Act.
David Christensen, director of congressional affairs at the Family Research Council, said it will take a lot of effort to move any of them.
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Christian Leaders Plead With Parents to Avoid Public School
Focus on the Family
September 5, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041877.cfm
As the public school system becomes more hostile toward religion, evangelical Christian leaders are urging parents to strongly consider pulling their kids out of school and finding education alternatives, The Associated Press reported.
Roger Moran, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) executive committee, co-sponsored a resolution at the SBC annual convention asking the denomination to endorse a public-school pullout. Though the measure failed, the topic has not died.
"The courts say no creationism, no prayer in public schools," Moran said. "Humanism and evolution can be taught, but everything I believe is disallowed."
[More at URL]
----- 19 -----
Left Behind
9-11 was terrible for America. But it’s been devastating for liberals.
by Dennis Prager
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/citizenmag/coverstory/a0041657.cfm
For all its tragedy, at least one good thing came out of 9-11. It exposed the Left’s incapacity to deal with evil.
A defining characteristic—not merely an unfortunate aspect—of the Left is its inability to recognize evil and its opposition to confronting it.
To cite two major examples, the Left—including, from the mid-1960s, liberals—found it impossible to label the Soviet Union “evil.” That is easily documented by reading all the liberal editorials that condemned President Ronald Reagan’s characterization of the Soviet Union as an “evil empire.” Anyone with a functioning moral compass knew that this was an entirely accuratedescription of the Soviet Union, yet the liberal/Left excoriated Reagan for describing the obvious.
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
Specter Tips His Hand on Judicial Nominees
Judiciary Committee chairman intends to place them on Thursday's agenda.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
September 5, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041873.cfm
With Congress back in session, a key issue to be resolved is whether five judicial nominees renominated by President Bush last week will receive up-or-down votes in the Senate before lawmakers adjourn for the election.
Over the weekend, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, clarified the picture a little. He told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday that he plans to move quickly on the nominations of Terrence Boyle, William Myers, Randy Smith, Michael Wallace and William Haynes for vacant positions on federal appeals courts.
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
Psychologist Suspended for Ties to Pro-Family Organization
Focus on the Family
August 31, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041849.cfm
The Minneapolis Police Department has temporarily suspended use of a consulting psychologist because he served for several years on the board of directors of a family policy council associated with Focus on the Family.
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
Arizona High Court Says State Will Vote on Marriage Amendment
Focus on the Family
August 31, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041850.cfm
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled today that a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman will appear on the November ballot.
A petition drive collected enough signatures to place the amendment on the ballot, but a group called Arizona Together challenged the proposed initiative. The group claimed the amendment violated the state's single-subject rule for voter initiatives.
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
'Happy Holidays' Leads to Unhappy E-Mails for Retailer
Sam's Club hears from people who celebrate Christmas.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
August 31, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041846.cfm
Sam's Club got an early reminder that just wishing someone "Happy Holidays" won't cut it this season.
The chain has already released its first "holiday ads" -- and therein lies the problem, according to Randy Sharp of the American Family Association (AFA).
"It contained pictures of Christmas wrapping paper, it contained Christmas balls for Christmas trees," he said, "but all through that article, Sam's Club never referred to 'Christmas.' "
AFA asked its members to contact the members-only retailer -- owned by Wal-Mart -- and ask for a change.
"Sam's Club got an earful," Sharp said, "and have told us that they will begin referring to Christmas as 'Christmas' in future advertising."
[More at URL]
----- 24 -----
Vatican Scholars to Include Intelligent-Design Theory in Meeting
Scientists and philosophers will gather in Rome this week to discuss the origins of life.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
August 30, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041834.cfm
A group of scholars and advisors to Pope Benedict XVI will meet in Rome Sept. 1 to address the topic of evolution versus intelligent design.
Advocates of intelligent design argue the universe and living things are so complex they must be a product of intelligent design rather than natural selection.
Dominique Tassot, a Roman Catholic scientist, told the American National Catholic Reporter that this week's meeting is "to give a broader extension" to the debate.
"Most Catholic intellectuals today are convinced that evolution is obviously true because most scientists say so," he said. It will take time to change common belief, he added.
[More at URL]
----- 25 -----
Washington State Marriage Ruling Under Fire Again
August 30, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041838.cfm
Nineteen gay and lesbian couples in Washington filed a petition with the state's high court asking it to reconsider its decision to uphold the state's Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) -- an act that declares marriage to be the union of one man and one woman, The Associated Press reported.
Last month, the state Supreme Court overruled two lower-court decisions that found the state's 1998 DOMA unconstitutional. In a 5-4 decision, the court said lawmakers acted reasonably in protecting marriage.
[...]
Joseph Fuiten, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Network, said the court will likely decline to hear the case again, because every conceivable legal argument has already been heard.
[More at URL]
----- 26 ------
Should Judeo-Christian Beliefs Be the Basis of US Law?
Faith and Freedom Network
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/08/should-judeo-christian-beliefs-be.html
I often hear people decrying the fact that people of faith are demanding that Biblical law be the basis for U.S. law. Or we hear stern warnings that judges may rule in favor of Christians and their beliefs now, but wait until they turn against you, then you'll know how we secularists feel.
I also hear that the U.S. and State Supreme Court is supposed to look out for the disenfranchised and the minorities, in case the majority creates laws that are unfair. This was not the original intent.
Other than establishing it, the Constitution (Article III of the U.S. Constitution) spells out neither the specific duties, powers, nor organization of the Supreme Court.
[More at URL]
------ 27 -----
APA President Signals Policy Change on Homosexuality
The message that gays can change may finally be getting through.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
August 25, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041796.cfm
Ex-gay groups and organizations that counsel people with unwanted same-sex attractions say they are pleased, but puzzled, by recent remarks by the top official of the American Psychological Association.
At a town-hall meeting during the APA's convention in New Orleans, APA President Gerald P. Koocher responded to questions about the organization's pro-homosexual positions — and its lack of recognition of former homosexuals and their therapists.
[More at URL]
----- 28 -----
One Less Gay Character on Network TV
Fall shows will feature nine homosexuals.
from staff reports
Focus on the Familiy
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041787.cfm
Out of 679 lead or supporting roles on network television this fall, only nine will be openly homosexual -- one less than last year.
The numbers are from an annual report by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which decried the tally. The group did not return calls for comment, but has said the networks have "a long way to go" before they accurately reflect the "diversity of society."
[More at URL]
----- 29 -----
Children Under Assault
Friday, August 25, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/08/children-under-assault.html
I have a growing concern that our children are being used, in an increasing way, to advance the agenda of the secular progressives – particularly that of the “special rights for homosexuals” and the pro-abortion groups.
Families were outraged when they learned that public school teachers from San Diego’s Cooperative Charter School took children with them to march in this summer’s Gay Pride Parade. A Catholic journalist, Allyson Smith, who covered the event, said she was appalled at what the kids were exposed to. She said they were exposed to “floats that advertised hard-core homosexual pornography.”
And then there is the “Day of Silence,” sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). They claim they have 500,000 students involved nationwide. The idea is that students say nothing – remain silent – during one full school day in recognition of the institutionalized “oppression” against gay students. Your children or grandchildren will face this again this coming school year.
[More at URL]
----- 30 -----
Will Too Much Freedom Give Us Death?
Friday, August 18, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/archives/2006_08_01_archive.html
Judge Anna Diggs Taylor ruled yesterday that President Bush’s warrentless surveillance program is unconstitutional because it involved illegal searches.
She said, “There are no hereditary kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution.”
However, Judge Taylor, in siding with the ACLU, missed the point. She’s dead wrong.
It’s not about genetics or monarchs. It’s not even about a power grab. It’s about survival.
[More at URL]
----- 31 -----
Texas Car Dealers Ask Ford to Stop Gay Advertising
Letter asks company to "not offend or alienate the masses."
Focus on the Family
from staff reports
August 11, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041606.cfm
Seventy-eight Texas Ford dealerships have written the Ford Motor Company and asked it to stop advertising in homosexual publications. The letter cited customer complaints and declining car sales, perhaps brought on by a boycott of Ford products by the American Family Association (AFA).
"It is vital that Ford Motor Company not offend or alienate the masses in order to placate a minority,” the letter, dated June 23, states.
Randy Sharp, director of special projects at AFA, said the boycott, which began last year, is aimed at shining a light on Ford's advertising in gay-oriented magazines. His group obtained a copy of the letter by The Texas Ford Dealers Advertising Fund.
[More at URL]
----- 32 -----
'Stand for The Family' Events Scheduled for Fall
Arena events set for September and October in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Nashville.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
August 15, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041648.cfm
Focus on the Family Action Chairman Dr. James C. Dobson is slated to appear this fall with other Christian leaders at a series of "Stand for the Family" arena events — rallies designed to educate and motivate pro-family conservative Christians in three states where there are important races on November's ballot.
Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy at Focus on the Family Action, said the rallies will be held Sept. 20 in Pittsburgh, at the Mellon Arena; Oct. 3 in Minneapolis/St. Paul, at the Xcel Energy Center; and Oct. 16 in Nashville, at the Municipal Auditorium.
In addition to Dr. Dobson, the list of speakers includes Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council; Gary Bauer, president of American Values; Dr. Ken Hutcherson, senior pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Wash., and Dr. Richard Land of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
[...]
FOR MORE INFORMATION/TAKE ACTION
Tickets for the upcoming rallies will be available online at Ticketmaster.
If you would like to volunteer to help at one of the events, please call Focus on the Family at 1-800-531-1626. For other questions, please call 719-278-4413.
Additional information will soon be available on the Focus on the Family Action Web site.
[More at URL]
Faith and Freedom Network pushes their "educational" "voter's guide," which is basically their judicial endorsement list;
Links to Faith and Freedom Network's endorsement list and the Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to vote for fundamentalist judges in Washington State;
Faith and Freedom Network ACTION ITEM to download their endorsement list and vote for the judicial candidates they endorse;
Focus on the Family protests Illinois court decision upholding an anti-marriage initiative being kept off the ballot; Illinois law requires that no more than 5% of signatures be invalid, their initiative was well over that, so they sued and lost;
Liberty Council files suit filing lawsuits to overturn GBLT civil rights protections at the county level in Virginia; they plan to do so in several counties which have passed local antidiscrimination law;
FotF reports on a freethinker atheist group being formed at the Air Force Academy;
FotF happily reports on veto of GBLT educational bill in California; hoping Governor Schwarzenegger will veto antidiscrimination bills affecting schools;
Faith and Freedom Network ACTION ITEM to get out the fundamentalist vote for the primary;
Focus on the Family demands action on anti-abortion legislation;
Focus on the Family and several other fundamentalist leaders want to meet with President Bush to demand Federal obscenity prosecutions;
Focus on the Family reports on efforts to ban pr0n shops in Kentucky and Indiana;
FotF article on a lawsuit challenging Maryland's same-sex marriage ban;
Focus on the Family pushes their "ex-gay" "Love Won Out" agenda;
Focus on the Family Canada upset at Manitoba schools;
Focus on the Family happily reports on North Carolina's ban on Gay-Straight Alliance Clubs, violating the equal-access rule laid out by the Supreme Court several years ago, the same ruling that they rely on to make sure religious clubs have access; they loved the ruling when they could use it to sue schools to let religious clubs in, they hate it when queer kids use it too;
Focus on the Family complains about lack of anti-abortion-rights bills in Congress;
FotF reports on the Southern Baptist Convention effort to get a fundamentalist exodus from public schools;
Focus on the Family commentary outlines the war on terrorism as a religious war, with George Bush as the hero and everyone who criticises him as a Leftist Who Hates America;
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to support more of President Bush's judicial nominees;
"Psychologist Suspended for Ties to Pro-Family Organization"; I'd like to hear more details about this story;
Arizona anti-marriage amendment to be on ballot;
The so-called "Christmas Wars" generates a bunch of letters to Sam's Club, who says they will specifically refer to "Christmas" in future advertising; however, they refuse to refer only to Christmas, which is what the American Family Association (one of the bigger groups behind this) has typically insisted upon;
Focus on the Family reports Vatican to give more consideration to creationism in the form of "intelligent design";
Faith and Freedom Network attacks the idea that the court system has any business protecting the rights of minourities and declares that majorities have absolute rule, rights be damned;
Focus on the Family continues to push "ex-gay" bullshit, claims APA is on the verge of recognizing "ex-gay" ministries;
Focus on the Family happy to report that there is "one less gay character on network TV" this fall;
Faith and Freedom Network declares GBLT people a Threat to Your Children;
Faith and Freedom Network: Americans have too much freedom, asks whether it will lead to death;
AFA works with Texas Ford dealers to get a large number of them to request that corporate Ford not advertise to GBLT customers any longer;
Focus on the Family outlines some of their fall campaign strategy.
----- 1 -----
Seattle PI Columnist Blasts Faith & Freedom
Tuesday, September 05, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/09/seattle-pi-columnist-blasts-faith.html
Columnist Joel Connelly at the Seattle P.I in his column published last Friday titled, Move to Push Our Courts to the Right, said, “In the most brazen claim so far in this election season, the judicial ‘guide’ published by Faith and Freedom Network states, ‘Please use for educational purposes only. These are not endorsements.’”
Mr. Connelly proceeds to say he sees a hi-jacking of his faith under way and that is harmful to church, state, and community, asks if our Judeo-Christian tradition is summed up in the narrow, exclusivist agenda of gay marriage, adoptions by gays and benefits for homosexual couples and asks what about church teachings on social justice and the passage from I Corinthians, “But now faith, hope, love, abide these three; but the greatest of these is love.”
He asks, “As the religious right storms the temple of justice in Olympia, where are the defenders of church-state separation?” He also asks “Where are the advocates of a Judeo-Christian tradition that embraces love, learning and social justice?”
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Public Wants to Know Judicial Candidates
Friday, September 01, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/09/public-wants-to-know-judicial.html
Not that it directly affects us here in the Northwest, but the fact that a lawsuit has been filed in Florida seeking more transparency for judicial candidates, certainly tells us that people want to know more about the candidates and what they believe.
Four previous suits have been filed regarding judges sharing their views on judicial voter’s guides in Kentucky, Kansas, North Dakota, and Arkansas. All of those suits were decided in favor of the judge’s right to share their views.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Links to Faith and Freedom Network and Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM on judicial voting
Online as of September 8, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
Click here for Faith & Freedom Judicial Voter's Guide (PDF Format):
http://faithandfreedom.us/pdf/Voter_Education_Guide.pdf
Click here for Focus on the Family ACTION Judicial Voter's Guide (PDF Format):
http://faithandfreedom.us/pdf/frcvoterguide.pdf
----- 4 -----
WA Judicial Update
Thursday, August 31, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/08/wa-judicial-update.html
Ballots for the Washington State primary election were sent out yesterday. As you know, much of the state will vote by mail. In fact, a number of counties exclusively vote by mail.
Focus on the Family ACTION released their judicial voter's guide yesterday as well. We have posted it on our website for your convenience.
Many will actually be voting by mail over the next few weeks. Please continue to contact friends and family and send the Voter Guide to as many as possible.
John Jay, the first Chief Justice of the United States Supreme Court said, "Providence has given to our people the choice of their rulers, and it is the duty, as well as the privilege and interest of our Christian nation, to select and prefer Christians for their rulers."
As you vote, remember character counts. Vote your values.
________________
Gary Randall
President
Faith & Freedom
----- 5 -----
Illinois Voters Won't Be Allowed Say in Protecting Marriage
Focus on the Family
September 7, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041909.cfm
The 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Wednesday agreed with the state of Illinois and a lower federal court in denying a marriage referendum a spot on the November ballot. The referendum would have requested the Illinois Legislature to consider amending the state constitution to define marriage between a man and a woman as "the only legal union" recognized under state law.
Marriage proponents gathered far more than the required 283,000 signatures -- nearly 50,000 more -- to place the referendum on the fall ballot. But the state requires that, in a representative sampling of signatures, no more than 5 percent can be invalid. When told by the state that the petitions had not met this latter requirement and would not be placed on the ballot, Protect Marriage Illinois sued claiming their constitutional rights under the 1st and 14th Amendments had been violated.
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Christian Businessman Seeks to Overturn Sexual-Orientation Law
September 7, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041906.cfm
A Christian businessman in Virginia -- who was ordered to either do business with gay activists or cover their expenses at another company -- has filed a lawsuit seeking to have his county's sexual-orientation law struck down.
[...]
Though the commission dropped the complaint after Liberty Counsel filed suit on behalf of Bono, the law firm has vowed to continue the fight to overturn the county's sexual-orientation law in order to protect other businesses.
Rena Lindevaldsen, an attorney for Liberty Counsel, said the suit seeks to invalidate the county ordinance and other similar ordinances throughout the state.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
"Freethinkers" hope to counterbalance Christian groups.
Atheist Group Forms at Air Force Academy
from staff reports
September 7, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041905.cfm
In the aftermath of military chaplains being reprimanded for proselytizing, and atheists alleging religious discrimination and suing, the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., is permitting some cadets to start an atheist group on campus.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Schwarzenegger Vetoes One — Two to Go
Remaining bills would bring gay agenda into schools.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
September 7, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041902.cfm
California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger vetoed SB 1437 on Wednesday, a major piece of legislation that was designed to promote and enforce the homosexual agenda in California schools. Pro-family leaders are thankful for the win, but they are encouraging people to keep contacting the governor concerning two other bills.
Mona Passignano, state issues analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said two other anti-family bills have passed the California Legislature, but Schwarzenegger has not yet announced whether he will sign or veto them.
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
Help Needed to Get Out The Vote in Washington
Faith and Freedom Network
September 7, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
There is an opportunity to do something constructive in this upcoming election and earn a few dollars.
Walk For Washington, an organization committed to electing pro-constitutional state supreme court justices are paying $10 per hour to people who will help with their get-out-the-vote phone bank operation.
Phone calls will be made to voters in King and Snohomish counties reminding people to turn in their mail-in absentee ballots.
The phone bank will start September 9th and continue through the primary vote on September 19th. The calling will be done from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. each day.
There is also a need for volunteers to carry and wave signs.
Walk For Washington has many opportunities for those who wish to get more involved over the next few weeks.
Please contact Jon Russell, Faith & Freedom Network Field Director, at 1-800-731-5328 or email at j.russell@faithandfreedom.us.
----- 10 -----
Message to Senate Dems: 'End Blockade of Parental-Rights Bill Now!'
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
September 6, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041890.cfm
A U.S. senator and leaders of 21 pro-family groups call on liberals to allow final negotiations on pro-life legislation.
Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., called on leaders of the Senate's Democratic Caucus today to stop blocking the Child Custody Protection Act.
Brownback called S. 403 "the most important pro-life legislation before the Congress today" and said the bill is being held hostage by Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. Reid has blocked the appointment of conferees to reconcile the House and Senate versions.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Family Advocates Request Meeting with President About Obscenity Prosecution
September 6, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041893.cfm
In a letter to President Bush, 24 conservative leaders expressed a strong desire to meet and discuss the importance of a federal crackdown on obscene material.
"So-called 'adult' hardcore pornography continues to inflict incalculable damage on children and families, contributing to the destruction of marriage, the demeaning of both women and men, and the sexual exploitation of children and adults" the Sept. 1 letter reads.
[...]
TAKE ACTION:
Encourage President Bush to meet with these conservative leaders to talk about how to increase the prosecution of obscenity.
If you are a CitizenLink Daily Update subscriber, click on the blue "Take Action" button in the e-mail to be automatically logged in to our Action Center. Otherwise, click on this link.
----- 12 -----
People in Indiana and Kentucky Oppose Porn Shops
September 6, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041892.cfm
People in several Indiana and Kentucky towns are making it known they want to rid their communities of businesses that sell adult material, The Courier-Journal reported.
In Uniontown, Ind., protesters stood in front of the Lion's Den holding signs that read, "No porn in Uniontown."
Douglas Hoskins said of the store, "We will be here till that is gone."
A lawsuit against the Lion's Den has been filed in Jackson County Superior Court. Similar cases are pending in other Indiana counties as well as in Kentucky.
Richard Bryant, an attorney representing pornography businesses, said it isn't uncommon for local government to object to such establishments.
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
Maryland Marriage Law Under Fire
September 6, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041891.cfm
The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) filed a friend-of-the-court brief Tuesday with Maryland's highest court, the Court of Appeals, asking it to protect the definition of marriage.
The court is preparing to hear a case brought by nine same-sex couples who claim a law that defines marriage as the union of one man and one woman discriminates based on gender.
In January, Circuit Court Judge M. Brooke Murdock ruled in favor of the couples, declaring the 1973 marriage law unconstitutional.
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
Liberal target: ex-gays
The Left hates the truth that same-sex desires can be overcome by spiritual redemption.
By the Citizen staff
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/citizenmag/features/a0041680.cfm
Go to “gay pride” day at school and you’ll hear words like “tolerance” and “understanding.” But listen to these same voices behind closed doors and you may hear a very different message.
Citizen heard some intolerant talk in April at a conference sponsored by one of the nation’s largest homosexual advocacy groups—the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). The event, hosted by GLSEN’s Boston chapter, featured an entire training session devoted to combating “the effects of programs like Love Won Out.”
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Evangelical Fellowship of Canada wants apology from rights commission
Today’s Family News
Focus on the Family Canada
September 6, 2006
[Received in email; no functional URL; one was provided, but it returns a 404]
Manitoba’s Christian community deserves an apology from its province’s human rights commission for reportedly claiming that public schools that embrace Christian principles are fostering “a poisoned environment,” says Janet Epp-Buckingham, director of law and public policy with Evangelical Fellowship of Canada.
As CBC News reported, the Manitoba Human Rights Commission notified the Garden Valley School Board in Winkler last May that its reference to “Christian principles” in its mission statement and its practice of allowing religious exercises allegedly during school hours violated the human rights code. Garden Valley’s mission statement commits its ten schools to partner “with home, church and community to [provide] every student with the best possible education, based on clear expectations, positive and caring relationships [and] Christian principles. . . .”
The issue came to the commission’s attention last summer when a substitute teacher complained about what the Winnipeg Free Press called “the lack of separation of church and state in Winkler schools.” Winkler is a predominantly Mennonite community. Commission chair Janet Baldwin said that although the complaint was later withdrawn, the commission chose to exercise its authority to initiate its own complaint.
Baldwin told the Free Press that she gave the school division “a little lecture” on how the code protects all religions, including atheism – and warned it about creating “a poisoned environment” in its schools.
Such comments, according to Buckingham, suggest a “heavy-handed” attempt “to try to exclude Christian expression” that is “totally inappropriate.”
“It looks in some ways like some kind of ‘witch hunt,’ where the Christians become the witches that are being hunted,” she told Today’s Family News. “I mean, there’s no evidence that espousing Christian principles is, in any way, going to be demeaning or marginalizing of other groups.”
In a letter to Baldwin, Buckingham further noted that Baldwin’s choice of words “borders on being a discriminatory statement that demeans Christians. . . . It may also convey an impression to Christians and to the Christian community that their legitimate human rights will not be protected by the commission.”
Buckingham added, “We’ve asked [Baldwin] for an apology or at least a clarifying statement that espousing Christian principles is not creating a ‘poisoned’ atmosphere in schools.”
The school division has denied any wrongdoing, telling the Free Press that its religious activities, which usually involve a Bible reading, a short devotional and the Lord’s Prayer, last no more than five minutes and are over before the school day officially begins.
Manitoba’s Public Schools Act states that parents must petition a school board to have their children take part in voluntary religious exercises.
In Winkler’s case, Superintendent Dom Wilkins said not one family has indicated that it did not want its children taking part in religious activities. “As far as I know,” he said, “every single parent in the school division has requested it.”
“There is certainly an appearance of a very negative attitude towards Christians and the Christian faith,” said Buckingham. “I think even Christians in Manitoba should be letting the human rights commission know that they’re concerned.”
----- 16 -----
Gay-Straight Alliances Deemed Unacceptable for N.C. Schools
Focus on the Family
September 5, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041878.cfm
A North Carolina school district has successfully implemented a policy banning student clubs based on sexual activity or sexual orientation, the Salisbury Post reported.
The Rowan-Salisbury Board of Education adopted the policy after students at South Rowan High School formed a Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) club last year. At the core of the unanimous decision to ban such clubs was the abstinence-only sex-education policy already in place.
[More at URL]
----- 17 -----
Pro-Family Legislation Still Waiting for Action in Congress
As November looms, getting any bill passed will take lots of work.
from staff reports
September 5, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041874.cfm
As Congress reconvened today, lawmakers found a stack of pro-family bills waiting for their attention, ranging from those dealing with human cloning to fetal pain. With the election just around the corner and liberals dragging their feet, conservative lawmakers will have to work hard to pass any pro-family legislation this session.
Pro-life bills include the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act, the Human Cloning Prohibition Act and the Child Custody Protection Act.
David Christensen, director of congressional affairs at the Family Research Council, said it will take a lot of effort to move any of them.
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Christian Leaders Plead With Parents to Avoid Public School
Focus on the Family
September 5, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041877.cfm
As the public school system becomes more hostile toward religion, evangelical Christian leaders are urging parents to strongly consider pulling their kids out of school and finding education alternatives, The Associated Press reported.
Roger Moran, a member of the Southern Baptist Convention (SBC) executive committee, co-sponsored a resolution at the SBC annual convention asking the denomination to endorse a public-school pullout. Though the measure failed, the topic has not died.
"The courts say no creationism, no prayer in public schools," Moran said. "Humanism and evolution can be taught, but everything I believe is disallowed."
[More at URL]
----- 19 -----
Left Behind
9-11 was terrible for America. But it’s been devastating for liberals.
by Dennis Prager
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/citizenmag/coverstory/a0041657.cfm
For all its tragedy, at least one good thing came out of 9-11. It exposed the Left’s incapacity to deal with evil.
A defining characteristic—not merely an unfortunate aspect—of the Left is its inability to recognize evil and its opposition to confronting it.
To cite two major examples, the Left—including, from the mid-1960s, liberals—found it impossible to label the Soviet Union “evil.” That is easily documented by reading all the liberal editorials that condemned President Ronald Reagan’s characterization of the Soviet Union as an “evil empire.” Anyone with a functioning moral compass knew that this was an entirely accuratedescription of the Soviet Union, yet the liberal/Left excoriated Reagan for describing the obvious.
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
Specter Tips His Hand on Judicial Nominees
Judiciary Committee chairman intends to place them on Thursday's agenda.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
September 5, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041873.cfm
With Congress back in session, a key issue to be resolved is whether five judicial nominees renominated by President Bush last week will receive up-or-down votes in the Senate before lawmakers adjourn for the election.
Over the weekend, Sen. Arlen Specter, R-Pa., chairman of the Judiciary Committee, clarified the picture a little. He told Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday that he plans to move quickly on the nominations of Terrence Boyle, William Myers, Randy Smith, Michael Wallace and William Haynes for vacant positions on federal appeals courts.
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
Psychologist Suspended for Ties to Pro-Family Organization
Focus on the Family
August 31, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041849.cfm
The Minneapolis Police Department has temporarily suspended use of a consulting psychologist because he served for several years on the board of directors of a family policy council associated with Focus on the Family.
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
Arizona High Court Says State Will Vote on Marriage Amendment
Focus on the Family
August 31, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041850.cfm
The Arizona Supreme Court ruled today that a proposed constitutional amendment to define marriage as the union of one man and one woman will appear on the November ballot.
A petition drive collected enough signatures to place the amendment on the ballot, but a group called Arizona Together challenged the proposed initiative. The group claimed the amendment violated the state's single-subject rule for voter initiatives.
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
'Happy Holidays' Leads to Unhappy E-Mails for Retailer
Sam's Club hears from people who celebrate Christmas.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
August 31, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041846.cfm
Sam's Club got an early reminder that just wishing someone "Happy Holidays" won't cut it this season.
The chain has already released its first "holiday ads" -- and therein lies the problem, according to Randy Sharp of the American Family Association (AFA).
"It contained pictures of Christmas wrapping paper, it contained Christmas balls for Christmas trees," he said, "but all through that article, Sam's Club never referred to 'Christmas.' "
AFA asked its members to contact the members-only retailer -- owned by Wal-Mart -- and ask for a change.
"Sam's Club got an earful," Sharp said, "and have told us that they will begin referring to Christmas as 'Christmas' in future advertising."
[More at URL]
----- 24 -----
Vatican Scholars to Include Intelligent-Design Theory in Meeting
Scientists and philosophers will gather in Rome this week to discuss the origins of life.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
August 30, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041834.cfm
A group of scholars and advisors to Pope Benedict XVI will meet in Rome Sept. 1 to address the topic of evolution versus intelligent design.
Advocates of intelligent design argue the universe and living things are so complex they must be a product of intelligent design rather than natural selection.
Dominique Tassot, a Roman Catholic scientist, told the American National Catholic Reporter that this week's meeting is "to give a broader extension" to the debate.
"Most Catholic intellectuals today are convinced that evolution is obviously true because most scientists say so," he said. It will take time to change common belief, he added.
[More at URL]
----- 25 -----
Washington State Marriage Ruling Under Fire Again
August 30, 2006
Focus on the Family
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041838.cfm
Nineteen gay and lesbian couples in Washington filed a petition with the state's high court asking it to reconsider its decision to uphold the state's Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) -- an act that declares marriage to be the union of one man and one woman, The Associated Press reported.
Last month, the state Supreme Court overruled two lower-court decisions that found the state's 1998 DOMA unconstitutional. In a 5-4 decision, the court said lawmakers acted reasonably in protecting marriage.
[...]
Joseph Fuiten, chairman of the Faith and Freedom Network, said the court will likely decline to hear the case again, because every conceivable legal argument has already been heard.
[More at URL]
----- 26 ------
Should Judeo-Christian Beliefs Be the Basis of US Law?
Faith and Freedom Network
Tuesday, August 29, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/08/should-judeo-christian-beliefs-be.html
I often hear people decrying the fact that people of faith are demanding that Biblical law be the basis for U.S. law. Or we hear stern warnings that judges may rule in favor of Christians and their beliefs now, but wait until they turn against you, then you'll know how we secularists feel.
I also hear that the U.S. and State Supreme Court is supposed to look out for the disenfranchised and the minorities, in case the majority creates laws that are unfair. This was not the original intent.
Other than establishing it, the Constitution (Article III of the U.S. Constitution) spells out neither the specific duties, powers, nor organization of the Supreme Court.
[More at URL]
------ 27 -----
APA President Signals Policy Change on Homosexuality
The message that gays can change may finally be getting through.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
August 25, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041796.cfm
Ex-gay groups and organizations that counsel people with unwanted same-sex attractions say they are pleased, but puzzled, by recent remarks by the top official of the American Psychological Association.
At a town-hall meeting during the APA's convention in New Orleans, APA President Gerald P. Koocher responded to questions about the organization's pro-homosexual positions — and its lack of recognition of former homosexuals and their therapists.
[More at URL]
----- 28 -----
One Less Gay Character on Network TV
Fall shows will feature nine homosexuals.
from staff reports
Focus on the Familiy
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041787.cfm
Out of 679 lead or supporting roles on network television this fall, only nine will be openly homosexual -- one less than last year.
The numbers are from an annual report by the Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD), which decried the tally. The group did not return calls for comment, but has said the networks have "a long way to go" before they accurately reflect the "diversity of society."
[More at URL]
----- 29 -----
Children Under Assault
Friday, August 25, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/08/children-under-assault.html
I have a growing concern that our children are being used, in an increasing way, to advance the agenda of the secular progressives – particularly that of the “special rights for homosexuals” and the pro-abortion groups.
Families were outraged when they learned that public school teachers from San Diego’s Cooperative Charter School took children with them to march in this summer’s Gay Pride Parade. A Catholic journalist, Allyson Smith, who covered the event, said she was appalled at what the kids were exposed to. She said they were exposed to “floats that advertised hard-core homosexual pornography.”
And then there is the “Day of Silence,” sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN). They claim they have 500,000 students involved nationwide. The idea is that students say nothing – remain silent – during one full school day in recognition of the institutionalized “oppression” against gay students. Your children or grandchildren will face this again this coming school year.
[More at URL]
----- 30 -----
Will Too Much Freedom Give Us Death?
Friday, August 18, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/archives/2006_08_01_archive.html
Judge Anna Diggs Taylor ruled yesterday that President Bush’s warrentless surveillance program is unconstitutional because it involved illegal searches.
She said, “There are no hereditary kings in America and no powers not created by the Constitution.”
However, Judge Taylor, in siding with the ACLU, missed the point. She’s dead wrong.
It’s not about genetics or monarchs. It’s not even about a power grab. It’s about survival.
[More at URL]
----- 31 -----
Texas Car Dealers Ask Ford to Stop Gay Advertising
Letter asks company to "not offend or alienate the masses."
Focus on the Family
from staff reports
August 11, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041606.cfm
Seventy-eight Texas Ford dealerships have written the Ford Motor Company and asked it to stop advertising in homosexual publications. The letter cited customer complaints and declining car sales, perhaps brought on by a boycott of Ford products by the American Family Association (AFA).
"It is vital that Ford Motor Company not offend or alienate the masses in order to placate a minority,” the letter, dated June 23, states.
Randy Sharp, director of special projects at AFA, said the boycott, which began last year, is aimed at shining a light on Ford's advertising in gay-oriented magazines. His group obtained a copy of the letter by The Texas Ford Dealers Advertising Fund.
[More at URL]
----- 32 -----
'Stand for The Family' Events Scheduled for Fall
Arena events set for September and October in Pittsburgh, Minneapolis/St. Paul and Nashville.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
August 15, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041648.cfm
Focus on the Family Action Chairman Dr. James C. Dobson is slated to appear this fall with other Christian leaders at a series of "Stand for the Family" arena events — rallies designed to educate and motivate pro-family conservative Christians in three states where there are important races on November's ballot.
Tom Minnery, senior vice president of government and public policy at Focus on the Family Action, said the rallies will be held Sept. 20 in Pittsburgh, at the Mellon Arena; Oct. 3 in Minneapolis/St. Paul, at the Xcel Energy Center; and Oct. 16 in Nashville, at the Municipal Auditorium.
In addition to Dr. Dobson, the list of speakers includes Tony Perkins, president of the Family Research Council; Gary Bauer, president of American Values; Dr. Ken Hutcherson, senior pastor of Antioch Bible Church in Kirkland, Wash., and Dr. Richard Land of the Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission of the Southern Baptist Convention.
[...]
FOR MORE INFORMATION/TAKE ACTION
Tickets for the upcoming rallies will be available online at Ticketmaster.
If you would like to volunteer to help at one of the events, please call Focus on the Family at 1-800-531-1626. For other questions, please call 719-278-4413.
Additional information will soon be available on the Focus on the Family Action Web site.
[More at URL]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-09-09 08:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-09 09:48 pm (UTC)