Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Sep. 23rd, 2006 01:12 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
solarbirdI had a couple of other articles I really wanted to include here, but they weren't in my usual source set, and I accidentally lost the URLs. I told at least one person about them before losing the pages. Does anybody here have any idea what I'm talking about?
Regardless, here's today's news:
These guys, identifying themselves as a "Culture and Values" organisation, are cold-calling in Washington State; they're doing this in violation of do-not-call legislation all over the place as they are in part collecting surveys based on pre-biased data (they only count you if you give the answers they want); they're also a front for a for-profit video sales company. They're called the "Dove Foundation," so be on the lookout for that - they are very aggressive in their telephone usage;
Unnamed "members of the Senate" considering passing a law banning teenagers from social networking sites; g'bye, MySpace;
Focus on the Family article on splitting the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals;
American Family Association claims victory, says NBC will not show Madonna video;
FotF publicises a link of guidelines for political activities by pastors and churches;
FotF republishes a 2004 article calling pr0n the "true hate literature of our age"; claims pr0n causes homosexuality (and presumably bisexuality, tho' they never really talk about bisexuality); also abortion; calls GBLT people the "greatest threat to religious freedom today"; this one's a real cracker;
Another Focus on the Family article encouraging churches to endorse legislation and be more politically active, and so on; also the Alliance Defense Fund (a legal group dedicated primarily to antl-gay and anti-abortion-rights court cases) and the Family Research Council;
Focus on the Family kicks off a series of fall campaign rallies for fundamentalist and theoconservative voters; the first was in Pittsburgh;
Faith and Freedom Network, who has been covered here extensively and is allied with "homosexuality will destroy western civilisation" Focus on the Family, complains about the "politics of hate" that only its opponents seem to engage in;
FotF pushes a small assortment of Bush judicial nominees, demanding immediate confirmation (again);
FotF and Oklahoma Family Policy Council demand GBLT students be removed from anti-bullying protections in Oklahoma's schools; GBLT students were included as part of the reaction to the shootings at Columbine High School; says that including GBLT students in the anti-bullying protections violates the religious freedom of fundamentalists; includes ACTION ITEM to demand that the State Board of Education change the rules; claims that anti-bullying protections violate the rights of fundamentalist teachers toharass queer students present the ex-gay and fundamentalist 'point of view.' ETF: This summary re-edited to correct errors - see comments for details if interested (no, the strike text is not part of that, that's just my interpretation of the effort's actual intent, as I read it from their comments);
FotF: NBC must air "Veggie Tales" with evangelism intact; includes ACTION ITEM to tell NBC that taking out the bible segments before airing is unacceptable;
FotF complaints about GBLT-friendly companies in the US, praises companies such as ExxonMobil and Perot Systems which do not extend parallel treatment to GBLT couples (Focus calls them "special benefits," repurposing the "special" word again);
Focus on the Family Canada starts prepping for an anticipated fall revote on marriage rights in Canada (C-38);
Family Research Council: Don't be afraid of tax status, you can be as political as you want as long as you don't explicit endorse candidates without losing your 501(c)(3);
FRC: White House Press Secretary Tony Snow joins speaker lineup at "Values Voters Summit," the theocon confab/strategy meeting this weekend in DC;
American Family Association article on Tony Perkins and the "Values Voters Summit"; moral issues and political issues are now the same, all moral issues are political now;
AFA resorts the Canada Family Action Coalition doesn't think there will be a marriage rights revote until next year;
Catholic Georgetown University ends affiliation with evangelical groups; Alliance Defense Fund sends lawyers, says it's "discriminatory conduct";
AFA cranky that a professor they like didn't get tenure at UNC-Wilmington;
AFA promotes attempts national church "adopt-a-school" programme, discussed previously in these updates;
AFA quite upset at companies being LGBT-friendly;
AFA and Center for Military Readiness, a group which appears to exist mostly to fight women in the military, condemn protests against the ban on GBLT people from serving in the armed forces;
AFA attacks NBC for "anti-Christian bias";
Traditional Values Coalition condemns sex-education programme in Canada for including lesbian and gay people; says a new text "reads like lesbian pornography"; requests for copies by Americans shoot up 5000% - okay, not that last part, but it'd be funny; from what I'm able to glean from all the condemnations is that I suspect that this new text includes opinion essays from GBLT people, and they're quoting those opinion essays as examples of "indoctrination," but that's just a guess;
Canada Family Action Coalition condemns opposition to Harper nominees for judicial position, trying to transplant the judiciary wars from the US to Canada; much of the rhetoric is familiar; says "secular humanist" judges cannot be impartial ("neutral");
REAL Women of Canada condemns Ontario judge for hearing a marriage-rights case with a lesbian daughter; says he should have recused himself; accuses him of bias in judicial selection, and so on;
CWA reports that the "Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act" will be re-introduced in the Senate next week and rushed to the floor for a quick vote;
This is a bit old, but President Bush describes the theoconservative upsurge as a third Great Awakening.
----- 1 -----
Dove Foundation/"Culture and Values" cold-call activity in Washington State
Courtesy![[livejournal.com profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/external/lj-userinfo.gif)
kathrynt and llachglin
20 September 2006
[Received via IM; no URL]
These guys, identifying themselves as a "Culture and Values" organisation and being determinedly nonspecific about who they actually are, are currently cold-calling in Washington State. They're doing this in direct violation of do-not-call legislation all over the place, and have previously been fined extensively for their actions.
The organisation primarily serves two purposes. The first is to collect surveys based on pre-selected data which they and fundamentalist groups can misrepresent as the opinions of Americans. Their standard method is to ask a few questions first, then, if they determine they are likely to give the answers they want, proceed with the rest of the survey. This is a standard technique of the fundamentalist movement, as has been documented here extensively before. Second, they are also a front for a for-profit video sales company, for which they are pitching product.
They call nationally, tho' are currently working Washington State. So be on the lookout for calls from this organisation. They are very aggressive in their telephone usage. Examples of their telephone abusiveness are discussed in comments left below the main post here:
http://www.familyfirst.com/the_dove_foundation.html
----- 2 -----
Teen-Free Internet Zones Under Consideration
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
September 22, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0042060.cfm
Congress debates keeping kids safe on social Web sites and comes up with a unique idea—don’t let them on.
The statistics are scary. Half of all teens say they’ve chatted on the Internet with someone they don’t know. Even worse, one in five kids were sexually solicited in the last year.
[...]
In addition to monitoring where your child goes on the Internet and the use of filters, some members of the Senate are considering making social Web sites like MySpace and Xanga "teen-free zones."
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Splitting Up 9th Circuit Considered
Solution to the liberal bent of the 9th Circuit is nominating conservative judges. But it would still face a crushing caseload.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Focus on the Family
September 22, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0042062.cfm
The Senate Judiciary Committee this week considered the issue of splitting the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
[...]
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said he's talked with some of the judges currently sitting on the 9th Circuit, who told him dividing the court will not cure the ideological differences.
[...]
Instead, he said, the long-term solution to liberal bias is to elect conservative presidents who appoint judges who are strict constructionists—not judicial activists—to the 9th Circuit.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
NBC Pulls Plans to Air Madonna on the Cross
Focus on the Family
September 22, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0042063.cfm
Network giant NBC will not air a controversial scene featuring pop-singer Madonna in a mock crucifixion in an upcoming November special, the New York Daily News reports.
NBC had come under fire when word leaked of its intention to air the segment featuring the singer wearing a crown of glittering thorns as she perched on a mirrored cross during one song.
[...]
The Rev. Don Wildmon of the American Family Association said NBC didn't want a fight with the Christian community.
"NBC may wiggle and wobble, but in the final analysis, they will not show that scene," he said.
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Guidelines for Political Activities by Pastors and Churches
A religious-liberties attorney offers some insight.
by James Bopp
Focus on the Family
September 20, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0042026.cfm
For a legal perspective on what activities churches and pastors may participate in, read attorney James Bopp's Do's and Don'ts for Political Activities of Pastors and Guidelines for Political Activities by Churches and Pastors.
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Pornography: the Degrading Behemoth
Focus on the Family
August 3, 2004
http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/pornography/harm/a0033101.cfm
A lawyer who has been fighting pornography for more than 20 years says it may be the "true hate literature" of our age.
Alan Sears, president and general counsel of the Alliance Defense Fund, shared with ZENIT how pornography perpetuates hatred and exploitation of the human person and preys upon individuals' weaknesses for profit.
[...]
Q: Is the increase in pornography related to the abortion or homosexual movements?
Sears: The short answer is yes. The longer answer would take a lot of detail, but both answers are based upon the fact that pornography is a result of a disordered view of the human person, sexual behavior and purpose.
[...]
With regard to pornography and the homosexual movement, Craig Osten and I co-wrote the book, The Homosexual Agenda: The Principal Threat to Religious Freedom Today (Broadman & Holman) because we have witnessed firsthand the pain of those who are trapped in homosexual behavior.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Pro-Family Groups Educate Pastors on Free-Speech Rights
Focus on the Family
September 21, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0042047.cfm
The Family Research Council (FRC) and the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) sent a letter to thousands of pastors Monday, detailing their rights to speak from the pulpit on social issues critical to this year's election.
Gary McCaleb, an ADF senior counsel, said church leaders have the right to freedom of speech, even if their church has tax-exempt status.
[...]
"Plainly stated, there is nothing in federal tax law to prevent a pastor from directly telling the congregation to support legislation that the church believes to be beneficial to the community," the letter says. "On the other hand, IRS regulations do prohibit tax-exempt organizations—including churches—from endorsing candidates."
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Pittsburgh Site of 'Stand for the Family' Rally
Focus on the Family
from staff reports
September 21, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0042040.cfm
With the midterm elections just around the corner, Focus on the Family Action Chairman James C. Dobson, Ph.D., and others have launched a series of rallies intended to educate and motivate Christian voters. The first event kicked off Wednesday night in Pennsylvania.
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
The Politics of Hate
Faith and Freedom Network
Thursday, September 21, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/09/politics-of-hate.html
I’m worried about the politics of hate.
As a kid growing up in the Yakima Valley in Washington State, I heard a lot of discussion about Democrats and Republicans. The debates usually centered around issues related to the fruit and farming industries. With hands in the air and sometimes fists on the table, the older guys would debate the issues and neither could believe the other was a member of their respective party. Then they would vote and move on to address their common needs.
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
Senate Judiciary Committee Adds Fifth 'Controversial' Nominee
Up-or-down votes soon are crucial.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
September 20, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0042028.cfm
Pro-family observers are anxiously awaiting Thursday's scheduled executive-committee meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in hopes it will send the president's longsuffering appeals-court nominees to the floor for up-or-down votes.
Republican committee members want to get to as many nominees as they can before Congress recesses at the end of this month.
[...]
Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., a Judiciary Committee member, strongly supports Keisler, according to his aide, John Rankin.
"Peter is a former clerk for Robert Bork, and he also headed the Civil Division of the Department of Justice," Rankin told CitizenLink. "A lot of people think that Peter Keisler is a basically a young version of (Supreme Court Chief Justice) John Roberts. Sen. Brownback supports him very strongly."
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Oklahoma School Board Sidesteps Gay Issue
Sexual-orientation clause did not go through Legislature.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Focus on the Family
September 20, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0042031.cfm
Oklahoma officials have failed to change a statute that forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation despite being told the statute doesn't fall in line with state and federal law.
The state Legislature passed anti-bullying legislation after the 1999 shooting spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. Soon after, the Oklahoma State Board of Education -- separate from the legislative move -- added the term sexual orientation to the list of those protected from discrimination.
But state and federal law does not recognize sexual orientation as a protected class.
[...]
"The implication for schools in Oklahoma -- actually nationwide -- is that tolerance for young people experiencing same-sex attraction is policy," he said, "but then discrimination of students -- who believe change is possible or that homosexuality is a moral wrong -- begins."
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
NBC Wants VeggieTales Stripped of Spiritual Nutrients
Focus on the Family
September 20, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0042034.cfm
Big Idea, creators of the children's animated series VeggieTales, and NBC have teamed up to add the show to the list of Saturday morning cartoons. Now, much to the chagrin of Big Idea and Veggie fans, NBC wants God left on the cutting-room floor.
Since its inception in 1993, Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato have hosted the Bible-based tales about character and family values. A Scripture verse punctuates each video to further illuminate the show's foundation.
[...]
TAKE ACTION:
Respectfully let NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly know what you think about the removal of references to God and the Bible from VeggieTales.
You can e-mail him here: kevin.reilly@nbcuni.com
Or call him at: (818) 840-6046 and (818) 840-6022.
His fax number is: (818) 840-6630
----- 13 -----
Number of Companies Touted as Gay-Friendly on the Rise
Focus on the Family
September 20, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0042032.cfm
A report released Tuesday by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a homosexual-activist group, gave 138 U.S. corporations a 100 percent gay-friendly rating, World Net Daily reported.
The report gave 101 companies the top rating in 2005. The Corporate Equality Index (CEI) examined policies that recognize same-sex partners, have written nondiscrimination policies and offer diversity training.
[...]
The report also noted companies that refused to give in to pressure from homosexual-activist groups.
Some examples: ExxonMobil, Meijer Inc. and Perot Systems received a score of zero because they don't offer any special benefits for homosexuals.
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
Marriage issue revisited
Today’s Family News
Focus on the Family Canada
September 20, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/protectmarriage2006/articles/MarriageIssueRevisited.html
Dear Readers:
As a valued partner of Focus on the Family Canada, we know you understand the issues facing families in this country. We want you to know that you are touching lives through the work we do to address those issues and empower Canadians.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has officially announced his intent to bring forward a motion asking Members of Parliament to revisit the definition of marriage. You may recall this issue being responsible for much of our correspondence with you last year. And it could happen as early as this fall.
[...]
Below, you’ll find the link to a radio broadcast I recently recorded with Dr. Bill Maier and Derek Rogusky, our senior vice-president, with the hope that you will have a few moments to listen to it. I trust the broadcast conveys my heart and conviction that we can’t be silent when such an important matter is before our nation. Not only can we speak to our MPs about we believe, but we can renew our commitment to share our beliefs with the children God has entrusted to our care.
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
A special message from Alliance Defense Fund and Family Research Council
To: Friends of Family Research Council
From: Tony Perkins, President
September 19, 2006 - Tuesday
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WM06I05
Dear Pastor:
We write today because in many states the 2006 political elections will raise profound questions regarding the sanctity of life and the meaning of marriage. Many pastors will want to speak in defense of life and marriage, but may be deterred for fear that their church's federal tax exempt status would somehow be endangered. Often, those fears are sparked by media reports of an "IRS crackdown" which in turn was triggered by complaints from proponents of same-sex "marriage" or pro-abortion activists.
In virtually every case, such charges are no more than bare scare tactics. The truth is that federal tax law allows a church to spend at least 5% (in some cases, up to 20%) of its total resources on direct lobbying for legislation, which includes both ballot initiatives and referenda. This certainly includes the right of church leaders to urge their congregations to vote for a pro-life or pro-marriage law. Plainly stated, there is nothing in federal tax law to prevent a pastor from directly telling the congregation to support legislation that the church believes to be beneficial to the community. On the other hand, IRS regulations do prohibit tax exempt organizations - including churches - from endorsing candidates. However, churches remain free to educate their congregations through distributing voter guides, registering voters, or hosting candidate forums. Excellent public policy information on these issues is available at the FRC website, www.frc.org.
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Tony Snow Joins FRC Action Values Voter Summit
September 20, 2006 - Wednesday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 20, 2006 CONTACT: J.P. Duffy or Bethanie Swendsen, (866) FRC-News
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR06I02&f=PG03I03
Washington, D.C. - Today, FRC Action announced that White House Press Secretary Tony Snow will join the line-up of speakers at the first annual Washington Briefing: Values Voter Summit, which will be held this week September 22-24, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Tony Snow is confirmed to speak on Friday, September 22 from 2:35 p.m. - 2:55 p.m. in the Regency Ballroom. FRC Action President Tony Perkins and co-sponsors Dr. James C. Dobson, Gary Bauer and Don Wildmon will also be joined by Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, Bill Bennett, Governor Mitt Romney, Sens. George Allen and Sam Brownback, Governor Mike Huckabee, Reps. Mike Pence and Marilyn Musgrave and many more.
With a combined network of over five million supporters, FRC Action, Focus on the Family Action, American Family Association Action and Americans United to Preserve Marriage are gearing up for an event to galvanize values voters and shape the debate for this year's midterm elections and beyond.
For more information on The Washington Briefing: Values Voter Summit 2006, log onto www.frcaction.org or call the FRC Press Office at (866) FRC-NEWS.
Members of the media must register for FRC Action media credentials prior to the event. Please contact our Press Office for details.
----- 17 -----
Moral Issues Now Political Issues As Well, Says FRC's Perkins
By Jim Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
September 22, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/222006b.asp
(AgapePress) - Conservative activists and politicians concerned about the moral direction of America are meeting in the nation's capital this weekend for what's being called a "Values Voter Summit."
More than 1,500 people are expected to attend the "Washington Briefing" to learn how they can help influence public policy in favor of traditional conservative ideals. The event is sponsored by the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, and the American Family Association. FRC president Tony Perkins says the conference aims to put pro-family issues, such as the preservation of traditional marriage, on the front burner before elected officials and policy makers.
"When we see the risk that is still there to marriage and the efforts to redefine it, marriage will be at the top of the list" to be discussed along with other issues, Perkins promises. "The preservation of human life ... we've got the issue of embryonic stem-cell research. We've got pornography, sex trafficking -- just a number of issues ... that would fall under that category of values issues ...."
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Marriage Issue on Back Burner in Canada For Now, Says Family Advocate
By Chad Groening
American Family Association/Agape Press
September 22, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/222006e.asp
(AgapePress) - A Canadian pro-family activist says he doubts Parliament will address the issue of restoring the traditional definition of marriage during the fall session that is under way in Ottawa.
When Stephen Harper was elected prime minister in January, he pledged to revisit this contentious issue. The previous Liberal government had passed the bill that legalized homosexual "marriage" in Canada. But Brian Rushfeldt of the Canada Family Action Coalition says he does not see any immediate move to revisit the law.
[More at URL]
----- 19 -----
Will Georgetown Univ. Reinstate Evangelical Campus Ministries?
By Jim Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
September 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/212006b.asp
(AgapePress) - An attorney representing some of the evangelical ministries kicked off the Georgetown University campus in Washington, DC, is hoping to persuade the Catholic school to have a change of heart.
An official with Georgetown's Office of Campus Ministry (OCM) recently notified six evangelical groups that they would no longer be allowed to reserve rooms for weekly meetings or to use the university's name. The groups were informed that Georgetown now wants to focus its ministry efforts through the school rather than through outside groups and has decided "not to renew any covenant agreements with any of the Affiliated Ministries."
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
Conservative Critic of Academia Denied Advancement
By Jim Brown
American Family Association/Agape PRess
September 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/212006e.asp
(AgapePress) - A campus watchdog group is questioning a decision by the University of North Carolina-Wilmington to deny a promotion to an award-winning conservative professor and author.
Dr. Mike Adams was recently denied full professorship by the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department at UNC-Wilmington. Adams was given no explanation for the decision, except that his "record does not merit full professorship."
As a regular columnist for Townhall.com, Adams has been a vocal critic of academic freedom abuses on his campus and others across the country. He wrote the book Welcome to the Ivory Tower of Babel: Confessions of a Conservative College Professor (released in 2004) and is soon to release another, titled Feminists Say the Darnedest Things.
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
Tony Evans: Christians' Involvement Key to Behavioral Issues in Schools
By Allie Martin
American Family Association/Agape Press
September 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/212006c.asp
(AgapePress) - Churches throughout the nation are being encouraged to take an active role in improving the quality of public school education.
Nearly 20 years ago a principal at a Dallas-area high school asked Dr. Tony Evans, senior pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, to help curb gang activity in the school. Project Turn-Around was born and involved sending 12 men to the school to walk the halls. Order was soon restored.
Now more than 65 schools take part in the Dallas-area program, which is being expanded nationwide. Dr. Evans says the National Church Adopt-A-School Initiative is ready to be implemented. The program is easy, he says, and can be started at any grade level.
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
List of 'Gay'-Friendly Companies Continues to Grow
Family Activist Attributes Increase to Corporate Love Affair with the Bottom Line
By Ed Thomas
American Family Association/Agape Press
September 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/212006f.asp
(AgapePress) - Homosexual-rights supporters were cheering -- and conservative leaders were displeased -- as an annual survey released this week by the Human Rights Campaign showed 37 more U.S. companies making perfect scores this year on an index of friendliness to "gays," lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders. The reason behind the increase may be about making money.
The 2006 Corporate Equality Index's 138-member list includes perennial representatives like IBM, Levi-Strauss, Nike, and even Ford Motor Company. It measures benefits and protections to "gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender" employees and customers, including promises against discrimination. The jump from a list of 101 last year to 138 this year is being called a reflection of several culture trends. (See related article on WorldNetDaily)
Peter LaBarbera is president of Americans for Truth, a group that monitors the homosexual agenda throughout American culture. He contends that the campaigns to portray homosexuals and transgenders as a minority -- and to represent them as large contributors to corporate America's bottom line -- has been successful. And the rest of America, LaBarbera adds, finds it hard to fight the demands of the homosexual agenda, which he believes has been absorbed into the diversity movement.
[...]
LaBarbera admits the trend in corporate America is growing. "I think the corporate world is now in a rush to embrace the gay agenda fully," he offers. "They don't see a downside, and it's up to pro-family Americans to create a downside." And to do that, he adds, those in the corporate environment with traditional values have to take a stand against the diversity agenda in order to see its growth stymied.
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
'Coordinated' Campaign Targets Military Ban on Homosexuals
By Chad Groening
American Family Association/Agape Press
September 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/212006g.asp
(AgapePress) - A conservative military watchdog says homosexual-rights groups are engaged in a coordinated public relations campaign to try to convince Congress to lift the ban on homosexuals serving in the military.
The New York Times reports that pro-homosexual activists are engaged in a renewed effort to lift the ban on homosexual conduct by publicizing the stories of potential homosexual recruits or former members of the service who are homosexual. Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, explains what is happening. "[Young homosexuals are] going to recruiting offices ... saying they want to sign up, and [when they are told they cannot serve] they are creating media events all over the country and even internationally," says Donnelly. "They're going to about 30 states, according to some news reports."
[...]
There is little doubt about Soulforce's involvement in the campaign. The pro-homosexual organization's website admits to sponsoring a program called "Right to Serve" -- a 30-city "awareness" campaign designed to bring attention to the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Donnelly is convinced the campaign is part of a strategy to get Congress to repeal the law banning homosexual conduct in the military -- and organizers, she believes, have a broader agenda.
"I think the people involved here do not have the best interests of the military at heart," says Donnelly. "They never have. They are promoting an agenda to normalize homosexuality in America using the military as a battering ram to promote that broader agenda."
[More at URL]
----- 24 -----
Commentary & News Briefs
September 22, 2006
Compiled by Jody Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/222006h.asp
[...]
...The director of media analysis at the Media Research Center (MRC) says the season premiere of a new show on NBC had a decidedly anti-Christian bias. Tim Graham says the recent first episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was centered around bashing Christians. The show is based on what transpires behind the scenes at a "Saturday Night Live"-type show. Graham explains that during the first episode, the characters want to run a sketch called "Crazy Christians," but are prohibited from doing so because of Christians' protest. "The executive of the show gets up in front of the cameras and a live audience and goes crazy about how TV just can't do what they want to because ... these Christians get all excited about the idea of a boycott and are against free speech and so on and so forth," the MRC spokesman explains. Later in the show, says Graham, another character is chastised for having appeared on the Christian television program 700 Club, which is likened to showing up at a Ku Klux Klan rally without the white robes. Studio 60's producer and writer is Aaron Sorkin, who has a history of anti-Christian themes, says Graham. Sorkin, he notes, similarly unloaded on Christians in the first episode of The West Wing. It is no coincidence, adds Graham, that NBC is the same network that is considering airing Madonna's mock crucifixion scene in November -- but refuses to allow VeggieTales cartoons to tell children about God on Saturday mornings. [Mary Rettig]
[More at URL]
----- 25 -----
Graphic Lesbian Sex Book Coming To Manitoba Schools
Traditional Values Coalition
21 September 2006
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2862
September 21, 2006 – High school kids in Manitoba, Canada may soon be forced to undergo explicit homosexual sex education. The Ministry of Education has approved “The Little Black Book—A Book on Healthy Sexuality Written By Grrrls for Girls” gives youth advice on sexuality, which reads like lesbian pornography.
[More at URL]
----- 26 -----
Now the Anti US/Bush Rhetoric Start Again!
CFAC Commentary
Canada Family Action Coalition
21 September 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/issues/politics-law/courts/judge-appts.htm
In this article in The Globe & Mail: PM's pick for bench draws fire Social activists cite conservative views the unreasoned accusations began. "What we are seeing is something we predicted: The Harper government intends to follow in the footsteps of the Bush government in the U.S. with measures like this," said Carolyn Egan, a spokeswoman for the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada.
It seems the activists in the homosexual and abortion camps do not like anyone who opposes their agendas.
[...]
We have in the past certainly seen biased decisions from courts. In fact in Ontario there are questions raised about the conflict of a judge in a so called rights case recently (http://www.realwomenca.com/press.htm#07_17_06). Are there neutral judges? Secular humanists are NOT neutral on issues of morality, social construct nor any other issue.
[More at URL]
----- 27 -----
Judicial Misconduct by Chief Justice Roy McMurtry
Ontario Court of Appeal
REAL Women of Canada
For Immediate Release
Ottawa, Ontario July 17, 2006
http://www.realwomenca.com/press.htm#07_17_06
REAL Women of Canada asserts that the action of the Chief Justice in not recusing himself and in not disclosing his personal interest in the case Halpern and the Attorney General of Canada (Same-sex marriage), is judicial misconduct.
REAL Women of Canada has recently learned that Justice McMurtry's son, Jim McMurtry, in his published letter in the Vannet B.C. newspaper chain, acknowledged that his sister, the daughter of Justice McMurtry, lives in a homosexual union. This gives rise to an apprehension of bias that Justice McMurtry had a personal and familial interest in the disposition of the Halpern case, which seriously impaired his objectivity and his ability to adjudicate the case. Justice McMurtry did not recuse himself from the case, nor did he disclose, on the record, the fact of his daughter's homosexual relationship.
[More at URL]
----- 28 -----
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act Re-Introduced in Congress
Ashley Horne
Concerned Women for America
September 21, 2006
http://www.cwalac.org/article_373.shtml
Congressman Chris Smith (R-New Jersey) re-introduced the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act today (H.R. 6099) with 65 cosponsors. The bill will likely receive a floor vote sometime next week. H.R. 6099 was introduced in both the 108th and the 109th Congress by Rep. Smith and by Senator Brownback (R-Kansas).
The re-introduction of the bill includes some revisions, such as a removal of the provision allowing for mandatory revocation of medical licenses for abortion providers who violate the law. However, financial penalties of up to $250,000 remain.
[More at URL]
----- 29 -----
Bush Tells Group He Sees a 'Third Awakening'
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 13, 2006; Page A05
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/12/AR2006091201594.html
President Bush said yesterday that he senses a "Third Awakening" of religious devotion in the United States that has coincided with the nation's struggle with international terrorists, a war that he depicted as "a confrontation between good and evil."
Bush told a group of conservative journalists that he notices more open expressions of faith among people he meets during his travels, and he suggested that might signal a broader revival similar to other religious movements in history. Bush noted that some of Abraham Lincoln's strongest supporters were religious people "who saw life in terms of good and evil" and who believed that slavery was evil. Many of his own supporters, he said, see the current conflict in similar terms.
[More at URL]
Regardless, here's today's news:
These guys, identifying themselves as a "Culture and Values" organisation, are cold-calling in Washington State; they're doing this in violation of do-not-call legislation all over the place as they are in part collecting surveys based on pre-biased data (they only count you if you give the answers they want); they're also a front for a for-profit video sales company. They're called the "Dove Foundation," so be on the lookout for that - they are very aggressive in their telephone usage;
Unnamed "members of the Senate" considering passing a law banning teenagers from social networking sites; g'bye, MySpace;
Focus on the Family article on splitting the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals;
American Family Association claims victory, says NBC will not show Madonna video;
FotF publicises a link of guidelines for political activities by pastors and churches;
FotF republishes a 2004 article calling pr0n the "true hate literature of our age"; claims pr0n causes homosexuality (and presumably bisexuality, tho' they never really talk about bisexuality); also abortion; calls GBLT people the "greatest threat to religious freedom today"; this one's a real cracker;
Another Focus on the Family article encouraging churches to endorse legislation and be more politically active, and so on; also the Alliance Defense Fund (a legal group dedicated primarily to antl-gay and anti-abortion-rights court cases) and the Family Research Council;
Focus on the Family kicks off a series of fall campaign rallies for fundamentalist and theoconservative voters; the first was in Pittsburgh;
Faith and Freedom Network, who has been covered here extensively and is allied with "homosexuality will destroy western civilisation" Focus on the Family, complains about the "politics of hate" that only its opponents seem to engage in;
FotF pushes a small assortment of Bush judicial nominees, demanding immediate confirmation (again);
FotF and Oklahoma Family Policy Council demand GBLT students be removed from anti-bullying protections in Oklahoma's schools; GBLT students were included as part of the reaction to the shootings at Columbine High School; says that including GBLT students in the anti-bullying protections violates the religious freedom of fundamentalists; includes ACTION ITEM to demand that the State Board of Education change the rules; claims that anti-bullying protections violate the rights of fundamentalist teachers to
FotF: NBC must air "Veggie Tales" with evangelism intact; includes ACTION ITEM to tell NBC that taking out the bible segments before airing is unacceptable;
FotF complaints about GBLT-friendly companies in the US, praises companies such as ExxonMobil and Perot Systems which do not extend parallel treatment to GBLT couples (Focus calls them "special benefits," repurposing the "special" word again);
Focus on the Family Canada starts prepping for an anticipated fall revote on marriage rights in Canada (C-38);
Family Research Council: Don't be afraid of tax status, you can be as political as you want as long as you don't explicit endorse candidates without losing your 501(c)(3);
FRC: White House Press Secretary Tony Snow joins speaker lineup at "Values Voters Summit," the theocon confab/strategy meeting this weekend in DC;
American Family Association article on Tony Perkins and the "Values Voters Summit"; moral issues and political issues are now the same, all moral issues are political now;
AFA resorts the Canada Family Action Coalition doesn't think there will be a marriage rights revote until next year;
Catholic Georgetown University ends affiliation with evangelical groups; Alliance Defense Fund sends lawyers, says it's "discriminatory conduct";
AFA cranky that a professor they like didn't get tenure at UNC-Wilmington;
AFA promotes attempts national church "adopt-a-school" programme, discussed previously in these updates;
AFA quite upset at companies being LGBT-friendly;
AFA and Center for Military Readiness, a group which appears to exist mostly to fight women in the military, condemn protests against the ban on GBLT people from serving in the armed forces;
AFA attacks NBC for "anti-Christian bias";
Traditional Values Coalition condemns sex-education programme in Canada for including lesbian and gay people; says a new text "reads like lesbian pornography"; requests for copies by Americans shoot up 5000% - okay, not that last part, but it'd be funny; from what I'm able to glean from all the condemnations is that I suspect that this new text includes opinion essays from GBLT people, and they're quoting those opinion essays as examples of "indoctrination," but that's just a guess;
Canada Family Action Coalition condemns opposition to Harper nominees for judicial position, trying to transplant the judiciary wars from the US to Canada; much of the rhetoric is familiar; says "secular humanist" judges cannot be impartial ("neutral");
REAL Women of Canada condemns Ontario judge for hearing a marriage-rights case with a lesbian daughter; says he should have recused himself; accuses him of bias in judicial selection, and so on;
CWA reports that the "Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act" will be re-introduced in the Senate next week and rushed to the floor for a quick vote;
This is a bit old, but President Bush describes the theoconservative upsurge as a third Great Awakening.
----- 1 -----
Dove Foundation/"Culture and Values" cold-call activity in Washington State
Courtesy
kathrynt and llachglin20 September 2006
[Received via IM; no URL]
These guys, identifying themselves as a "Culture and Values" organisation and being determinedly nonspecific about who they actually are, are currently cold-calling in Washington State. They're doing this in direct violation of do-not-call legislation all over the place, and have previously been fined extensively for their actions.
The organisation primarily serves two purposes. The first is to collect surveys based on pre-selected data which they and fundamentalist groups can misrepresent as the opinions of Americans. Their standard method is to ask a few questions first, then, if they determine they are likely to give the answers they want, proceed with the rest of the survey. This is a standard technique of the fundamentalist movement, as has been documented here extensively before. Second, they are also a front for a for-profit video sales company, for which they are pitching product.
They call nationally, tho' are currently working Washington State. So be on the lookout for calls from this organisation. They are very aggressive in their telephone usage. Examples of their telephone abusiveness are discussed in comments left below the main post here:
http://www.familyfirst.com/the_dove_foundation.html
----- 2 -----
Teen-Free Internet Zones Under Consideration
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
September 22, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0042060.cfm
Congress debates keeping kids safe on social Web sites and comes up with a unique idea—don’t let them on.
The statistics are scary. Half of all teens say they’ve chatted on the Internet with someone they don’t know. Even worse, one in five kids were sexually solicited in the last year.
[...]
In addition to monitoring where your child goes on the Internet and the use of filters, some members of the Senate are considering making social Web sites like MySpace and Xanga "teen-free zones."
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Splitting Up 9th Circuit Considered
Solution to the liberal bent of the 9th Circuit is nominating conservative judges. But it would still face a crushing caseload.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Focus on the Family
September 22, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0042062.cfm
The Senate Judiciary Committee this week considered the issue of splitting the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals.
[...]
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said he's talked with some of the judges currently sitting on the 9th Circuit, who told him dividing the court will not cure the ideological differences.
[...]
Instead, he said, the long-term solution to liberal bias is to elect conservative presidents who appoint judges who are strict constructionists—not judicial activists—to the 9th Circuit.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
NBC Pulls Plans to Air Madonna on the Cross
Focus on the Family
September 22, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0042063.cfm
Network giant NBC will not air a controversial scene featuring pop-singer Madonna in a mock crucifixion in an upcoming November special, the New York Daily News reports.
NBC had come under fire when word leaked of its intention to air the segment featuring the singer wearing a crown of glittering thorns as she perched on a mirrored cross during one song.
[...]
The Rev. Don Wildmon of the American Family Association said NBC didn't want a fight with the Christian community.
"NBC may wiggle and wobble, but in the final analysis, they will not show that scene," he said.
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Guidelines for Political Activities by Pastors and Churches
A religious-liberties attorney offers some insight.
by James Bopp
Focus on the Family
September 20, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/feature/a0042026.cfm
For a legal perspective on what activities churches and pastors may participate in, read attorney James Bopp's Do's and Don'ts for Political Activities of Pastors and Guidelines for Political Activities by Churches and Pastors.
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Pornography: the Degrading Behemoth
Focus on the Family
August 3, 2004
http://www.family.org/cforum/fosi/pornography/harm/a0033101.cfm
A lawyer who has been fighting pornography for more than 20 years says it may be the "true hate literature" of our age.
Alan Sears, president and general counsel of the Alliance Defense Fund, shared with ZENIT how pornography perpetuates hatred and exploitation of the human person and preys upon individuals' weaknesses for profit.
[...]
Q: Is the increase in pornography related to the abortion or homosexual movements?
Sears: The short answer is yes. The longer answer would take a lot of detail, but both answers are based upon the fact that pornography is a result of a disordered view of the human person, sexual behavior and purpose.
[...]
With regard to pornography and the homosexual movement, Craig Osten and I co-wrote the book, The Homosexual Agenda: The Principal Threat to Religious Freedom Today (Broadman & Holman) because we have witnessed firsthand the pain of those who are trapped in homosexual behavior.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Pro-Family Groups Educate Pastors on Free-Speech Rights
Focus on the Family
September 21, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0042047.cfm
The Family Research Council (FRC) and the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) sent a letter to thousands of pastors Monday, detailing their rights to speak from the pulpit on social issues critical to this year's election.
Gary McCaleb, an ADF senior counsel, said church leaders have the right to freedom of speech, even if their church has tax-exempt status.
[...]
"Plainly stated, there is nothing in federal tax law to prevent a pastor from directly telling the congregation to support legislation that the church believes to be beneficial to the community," the letter says. "On the other hand, IRS regulations do prohibit tax-exempt organizations—including churches—from endorsing candidates."
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Pittsburgh Site of 'Stand for the Family' Rally
Focus on the Family
from staff reports
September 21, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0042040.cfm
With the midterm elections just around the corner, Focus on the Family Action Chairman James C. Dobson, Ph.D., and others have launched a series of rallies intended to educate and motivate Christian voters. The first event kicked off Wednesday night in Pennsylvania.
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
The Politics of Hate
Faith and Freedom Network
Thursday, September 21, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/09/politics-of-hate.html
I’m worried about the politics of hate.
As a kid growing up in the Yakima Valley in Washington State, I heard a lot of discussion about Democrats and Republicans. The debates usually centered around issues related to the fruit and farming industries. With hands in the air and sometimes fists on the table, the older guys would debate the issues and neither could believe the other was a member of their respective party. Then they would vote and move on to address their common needs.
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
Senate Judiciary Committee Adds Fifth 'Controversial' Nominee
Up-or-down votes soon are crucial.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
September 20, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0042028.cfm
Pro-family observers are anxiously awaiting Thursday's scheduled executive-committee meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee, in hopes it will send the president's longsuffering appeals-court nominees to the floor for up-or-down votes.
Republican committee members want to get to as many nominees as they can before Congress recesses at the end of this month.
[...]
Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., a Judiciary Committee member, strongly supports Keisler, according to his aide, John Rankin.
"Peter is a former clerk for Robert Bork, and he also headed the Civil Division of the Department of Justice," Rankin told CitizenLink. "A lot of people think that Peter Keisler is a basically a young version of (Supreme Court Chief Justice) John Roberts. Sen. Brownback supports him very strongly."
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Oklahoma School Board Sidesteps Gay Issue
Sexual-orientation clause did not go through Legislature.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Focus on the Family
September 20, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0042031.cfm
Oklahoma officials have failed to change a statute that forbids discrimination based on sexual orientation despite being told the statute doesn't fall in line with state and federal law.
The state Legislature passed anti-bullying legislation after the 1999 shooting spree at Columbine High School in Littleton, Colo. Soon after, the Oklahoma State Board of Education -- separate from the legislative move -- added the term sexual orientation to the list of those protected from discrimination.
But state and federal law does not recognize sexual orientation as a protected class.
[...]
"The implication for schools in Oklahoma -- actually nationwide -- is that tolerance for young people experiencing same-sex attraction is policy," he said, "but then discrimination of students -- who believe change is possible or that homosexuality is a moral wrong -- begins."
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
NBC Wants VeggieTales Stripped of Spiritual Nutrients
Focus on the Family
September 20, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0042034.cfm
Big Idea, creators of the children's animated series VeggieTales, and NBC have teamed up to add the show to the list of Saturday morning cartoons. Now, much to the chagrin of Big Idea and Veggie fans, NBC wants God left on the cutting-room floor.
Since its inception in 1993, Larry the Cucumber and Bob the Tomato have hosted the Bible-based tales about character and family values. A Scripture verse punctuates each video to further illuminate the show's foundation.
[...]
TAKE ACTION:
Respectfully let NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly know what you think about the removal of references to God and the Bible from VeggieTales.
You can e-mail him here: kevin.reilly@nbcuni.com
Or call him at: (818) 840-6046 and (818) 840-6022.
His fax number is: (818) 840-6630
----- 13 -----
Number of Companies Touted as Gay-Friendly on the Rise
Focus on the Family
September 20, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0042032.cfm
A report released Tuesday by the Human Rights Campaign (HRC), a homosexual-activist group, gave 138 U.S. corporations a 100 percent gay-friendly rating, World Net Daily reported.
The report gave 101 companies the top rating in 2005. The Corporate Equality Index (CEI) examined policies that recognize same-sex partners, have written nondiscrimination policies and offer diversity training.
[...]
The report also noted companies that refused to give in to pressure from homosexual-activist groups.
Some examples: ExxonMobil, Meijer Inc. and Perot Systems received a score of zero because they don't offer any special benefits for homosexuals.
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
Marriage issue revisited
Today’s Family News
Focus on the Family Canada
September 20, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/protectmarriage2006/articles/MarriageIssueRevisited.html
Dear Readers:
As a valued partner of Focus on the Family Canada, we know you understand the issues facing families in this country. We want you to know that you are touching lives through the work we do to address those issues and empower Canadians.
Prime Minister Stephen Harper has officially announced his intent to bring forward a motion asking Members of Parliament to revisit the definition of marriage. You may recall this issue being responsible for much of our correspondence with you last year. And it could happen as early as this fall.
[...]
Below, you’ll find the link to a radio broadcast I recently recorded with Dr. Bill Maier and Derek Rogusky, our senior vice-president, with the hope that you will have a few moments to listen to it. I trust the broadcast conveys my heart and conviction that we can’t be silent when such an important matter is before our nation. Not only can we speak to our MPs about we believe, but we can renew our commitment to share our beliefs with the children God has entrusted to our care.
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
A special message from Alliance Defense Fund and Family Research Council
To: Friends of Family Research Council
From: Tony Perkins, President
September 19, 2006 - Tuesday
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WM06I05
Dear Pastor:
We write today because in many states the 2006 political elections will raise profound questions regarding the sanctity of life and the meaning of marriage. Many pastors will want to speak in defense of life and marriage, but may be deterred for fear that their church's federal tax exempt status would somehow be endangered. Often, those fears are sparked by media reports of an "IRS crackdown" which in turn was triggered by complaints from proponents of same-sex "marriage" or pro-abortion activists.
In virtually every case, such charges are no more than bare scare tactics. The truth is that federal tax law allows a church to spend at least 5% (in some cases, up to 20%) of its total resources on direct lobbying for legislation, which includes both ballot initiatives and referenda. This certainly includes the right of church leaders to urge their congregations to vote for a pro-life or pro-marriage law. Plainly stated, there is nothing in federal tax law to prevent a pastor from directly telling the congregation to support legislation that the church believes to be beneficial to the community. On the other hand, IRS regulations do prohibit tax exempt organizations - including churches - from endorsing candidates. However, churches remain free to educate their congregations through distributing voter guides, registering voters, or hosting candidate forums. Excellent public policy information on these issues is available at the FRC website, www.frc.org.
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Tony Snow Joins FRC Action Values Voter Summit
September 20, 2006 - Wednesday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: September 20, 2006 CONTACT: J.P. Duffy or Bethanie Swendsen, (866) FRC-News
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR06I02&f=PG03I03
Washington, D.C. - Today, FRC Action announced that White House Press Secretary Tony Snow will join the line-up of speakers at the first annual Washington Briefing: Values Voter Summit, which will be held this week September 22-24, at the Omni Shoreham Hotel in Washington, D.C.
Tony Snow is confirmed to speak on Friday, September 22 from 2:35 p.m. - 2:55 p.m. in the Regency Ballroom. FRC Action President Tony Perkins and co-sponsors Dr. James C. Dobson, Gary Bauer and Don Wildmon will also be joined by Sean Hannity, Ann Coulter, Newt Gingrich, Bill Bennett, Governor Mitt Romney, Sens. George Allen and Sam Brownback, Governor Mike Huckabee, Reps. Mike Pence and Marilyn Musgrave and many more.
With a combined network of over five million supporters, FRC Action, Focus on the Family Action, American Family Association Action and Americans United to Preserve Marriage are gearing up for an event to galvanize values voters and shape the debate for this year's midterm elections and beyond.
For more information on The Washington Briefing: Values Voter Summit 2006, log onto www.frcaction.org or call the FRC Press Office at (866) FRC-NEWS.
Members of the media must register for FRC Action media credentials prior to the event. Please contact our Press Office for details.
----- 17 -----
Moral Issues Now Political Issues As Well, Says FRC's Perkins
By Jim Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
September 22, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/222006b.asp
(AgapePress) - Conservative activists and politicians concerned about the moral direction of America are meeting in the nation's capital this weekend for what's being called a "Values Voter Summit."
More than 1,500 people are expected to attend the "Washington Briefing" to learn how they can help influence public policy in favor of traditional conservative ideals. The event is sponsored by the Family Research Council, Focus on the Family, and the American Family Association. FRC president Tony Perkins says the conference aims to put pro-family issues, such as the preservation of traditional marriage, on the front burner before elected officials and policy makers.
"When we see the risk that is still there to marriage and the efforts to redefine it, marriage will be at the top of the list" to be discussed along with other issues, Perkins promises. "The preservation of human life ... we've got the issue of embryonic stem-cell research. We've got pornography, sex trafficking -- just a number of issues ... that would fall under that category of values issues ...."
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Marriage Issue on Back Burner in Canada For Now, Says Family Advocate
By Chad Groening
American Family Association/Agape Press
September 22, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/222006e.asp
(AgapePress) - A Canadian pro-family activist says he doubts Parliament will address the issue of restoring the traditional definition of marriage during the fall session that is under way in Ottawa.
When Stephen Harper was elected prime minister in January, he pledged to revisit this contentious issue. The previous Liberal government had passed the bill that legalized homosexual "marriage" in Canada. But Brian Rushfeldt of the Canada Family Action Coalition says he does not see any immediate move to revisit the law.
[More at URL]
----- 19 -----
Will Georgetown Univ. Reinstate Evangelical Campus Ministries?
By Jim Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
September 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/212006b.asp
(AgapePress) - An attorney representing some of the evangelical ministries kicked off the Georgetown University campus in Washington, DC, is hoping to persuade the Catholic school to have a change of heart.
An official with Georgetown's Office of Campus Ministry (OCM) recently notified six evangelical groups that they would no longer be allowed to reserve rooms for weekly meetings or to use the university's name. The groups were informed that Georgetown now wants to focus its ministry efforts through the school rather than through outside groups and has decided "not to renew any covenant agreements with any of the Affiliated Ministries."
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
Conservative Critic of Academia Denied Advancement
By Jim Brown
American Family Association/Agape PRess
September 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/212006e.asp
(AgapePress) - A campus watchdog group is questioning a decision by the University of North Carolina-Wilmington to deny a promotion to an award-winning conservative professor and author.
Dr. Mike Adams was recently denied full professorship by the Sociology and Criminal Justice Department at UNC-Wilmington. Adams was given no explanation for the decision, except that his "record does not merit full professorship."
As a regular columnist for Townhall.com, Adams has been a vocal critic of academic freedom abuses on his campus and others across the country. He wrote the book Welcome to the Ivory Tower of Babel: Confessions of a Conservative College Professor (released in 2004) and is soon to release another, titled Feminists Say the Darnedest Things.
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
Tony Evans: Christians' Involvement Key to Behavioral Issues in Schools
By Allie Martin
American Family Association/Agape Press
September 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/212006c.asp
(AgapePress) - Churches throughout the nation are being encouraged to take an active role in improving the quality of public school education.
Nearly 20 years ago a principal at a Dallas-area high school asked Dr. Tony Evans, senior pastor at Oak Cliff Bible Fellowship, to help curb gang activity in the school. Project Turn-Around was born and involved sending 12 men to the school to walk the halls. Order was soon restored.
Now more than 65 schools take part in the Dallas-area program, which is being expanded nationwide. Dr. Evans says the National Church Adopt-A-School Initiative is ready to be implemented. The program is easy, he says, and can be started at any grade level.
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
List of 'Gay'-Friendly Companies Continues to Grow
Family Activist Attributes Increase to Corporate Love Affair with the Bottom Line
By Ed Thomas
American Family Association/Agape Press
September 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/212006f.asp
(AgapePress) - Homosexual-rights supporters were cheering -- and conservative leaders were displeased -- as an annual survey released this week by the Human Rights Campaign showed 37 more U.S. companies making perfect scores this year on an index of friendliness to "gays," lesbians, bisexuals, and transgenders. The reason behind the increase may be about making money.
The 2006 Corporate Equality Index's 138-member list includes perennial representatives like IBM, Levi-Strauss, Nike, and even Ford Motor Company. It measures benefits and protections to "gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender" employees and customers, including promises against discrimination. The jump from a list of 101 last year to 138 this year is being called a reflection of several culture trends. (See related article on WorldNetDaily)
Peter LaBarbera is president of Americans for Truth, a group that monitors the homosexual agenda throughout American culture. He contends that the campaigns to portray homosexuals and transgenders as a minority -- and to represent them as large contributors to corporate America's bottom line -- has been successful. And the rest of America, LaBarbera adds, finds it hard to fight the demands of the homosexual agenda, which he believes has been absorbed into the diversity movement.
[...]
LaBarbera admits the trend in corporate America is growing. "I think the corporate world is now in a rush to embrace the gay agenda fully," he offers. "They don't see a downside, and it's up to pro-family Americans to create a downside." And to do that, he adds, those in the corporate environment with traditional values have to take a stand against the diversity agenda in order to see its growth stymied.
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
'Coordinated' Campaign Targets Military Ban on Homosexuals
By Chad Groening
American Family Association/Agape Press
September 21, 2006
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/212006g.asp
(AgapePress) - A conservative military watchdog says homosexual-rights groups are engaged in a coordinated public relations campaign to try to convince Congress to lift the ban on homosexuals serving in the military.
The New York Times reports that pro-homosexual activists are engaged in a renewed effort to lift the ban on homosexual conduct by publicizing the stories of potential homosexual recruits or former members of the service who are homosexual. Elaine Donnelly, president of the Center for Military Readiness, explains what is happening. "[Young homosexuals are] going to recruiting offices ... saying they want to sign up, and [when they are told they cannot serve] they are creating media events all over the country and even internationally," says Donnelly. "They're going to about 30 states, according to some news reports."
[...]
There is little doubt about Soulforce's involvement in the campaign. The pro-homosexual organization's website admits to sponsoring a program called "Right to Serve" -- a 30-city "awareness" campaign designed to bring attention to the military's "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" policy. Donnelly is convinced the campaign is part of a strategy to get Congress to repeal the law banning homosexual conduct in the military -- and organizers, she believes, have a broader agenda.
"I think the people involved here do not have the best interests of the military at heart," says Donnelly. "They never have. They are promoting an agenda to normalize homosexuality in America using the military as a battering ram to promote that broader agenda."
[More at URL]
----- 24 -----
Commentary & News Briefs
September 22, 2006
Compiled by Jody Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/222006h.asp
[...]
...The director of media analysis at the Media Research Center (MRC) says the season premiere of a new show on NBC had a decidedly anti-Christian bias. Tim Graham says the recent first episode of Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip was centered around bashing Christians. The show is based on what transpires behind the scenes at a "Saturday Night Live"-type show. Graham explains that during the first episode, the characters want to run a sketch called "Crazy Christians," but are prohibited from doing so because of Christians' protest. "The executive of the show gets up in front of the cameras and a live audience and goes crazy about how TV just can't do what they want to because ... these Christians get all excited about the idea of a boycott and are against free speech and so on and so forth," the MRC spokesman explains. Later in the show, says Graham, another character is chastised for having appeared on the Christian television program 700 Club, which is likened to showing up at a Ku Klux Klan rally without the white robes. Studio 60's producer and writer is Aaron Sorkin, who has a history of anti-Christian themes, says Graham. Sorkin, he notes, similarly unloaded on Christians in the first episode of The West Wing. It is no coincidence, adds Graham, that NBC is the same network that is considering airing Madonna's mock crucifixion scene in November -- but refuses to allow VeggieTales cartoons to tell children about God on Saturday mornings. [Mary Rettig]
[More at URL]
----- 25 -----
Graphic Lesbian Sex Book Coming To Manitoba Schools
Traditional Values Coalition
21 September 2006
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2862
September 21, 2006 – High school kids in Manitoba, Canada may soon be forced to undergo explicit homosexual sex education. The Ministry of Education has approved “The Little Black Book—A Book on Healthy Sexuality Written By Grrrls for Girls” gives youth advice on sexuality, which reads like lesbian pornography.
[More at URL]
----- 26 -----
Now the Anti US/Bush Rhetoric Start Again!
CFAC Commentary
Canada Family Action Coalition
21 September 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/issues/politics-law/courts/judge-appts.htm
In this article in The Globe & Mail: PM's pick for bench draws fire Social activists cite conservative views the unreasoned accusations began. "What we are seeing is something we predicted: The Harper government intends to follow in the footsteps of the Bush government in the U.S. with measures like this," said Carolyn Egan, a spokeswoman for the Abortion Rights Coalition of Canada.
It seems the activists in the homosexual and abortion camps do not like anyone who opposes their agendas.
[...]
We have in the past certainly seen biased decisions from courts. In fact in Ontario there are questions raised about the conflict of a judge in a so called rights case recently (http://www.realwomenca.com/press.htm#07_17_06). Are there neutral judges? Secular humanists are NOT neutral on issues of morality, social construct nor any other issue.
[More at URL]
----- 27 -----
Judicial Misconduct by Chief Justice Roy McMurtry
Ontario Court of Appeal
REAL Women of Canada
For Immediate Release
Ottawa, Ontario July 17, 2006
http://www.realwomenca.com/press.htm#07_17_06
REAL Women of Canada asserts that the action of the Chief Justice in not recusing himself and in not disclosing his personal interest in the case Halpern and the Attorney General of Canada (Same-sex marriage), is judicial misconduct.
REAL Women of Canada has recently learned that Justice McMurtry's son, Jim McMurtry, in his published letter in the Vannet B.C. newspaper chain, acknowledged that his sister, the daughter of Justice McMurtry, lives in a homosexual union. This gives rise to an apprehension of bias that Justice McMurtry had a personal and familial interest in the disposition of the Halpern case, which seriously impaired his objectivity and his ability to adjudicate the case. Justice McMurtry did not recuse himself from the case, nor did he disclose, on the record, the fact of his daughter's homosexual relationship.
[More at URL]
----- 28 -----
Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act Re-Introduced in Congress
Ashley Horne
Concerned Women for America
September 21, 2006
http://www.cwalac.org/article_373.shtml
Congressman Chris Smith (R-New Jersey) re-introduced the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act today (H.R. 6099) with 65 cosponsors. The bill will likely receive a floor vote sometime next week. H.R. 6099 was introduced in both the 108th and the 109th Congress by Rep. Smith and by Senator Brownback (R-Kansas).
The re-introduction of the bill includes some revisions, such as a removal of the provision allowing for mandatory revocation of medical licenses for abortion providers who violate the law. However, financial penalties of up to $250,000 remain.
[More at URL]
----- 29 -----
Bush Tells Group He Sees a 'Third Awakening'
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 13, 2006; Page A05
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/09/12/AR2006091201594.html
President Bush said yesterday that he senses a "Third Awakening" of religious devotion in the United States that has coincided with the nation's struggle with international terrorists, a war that he depicted as "a confrontation between good and evil."
Bush told a group of conservative journalists that he notices more open expressions of faith among people he meets during his travels, and he suggested that might signal a broader revival similar to other religious movements in history. Bush noted that some of Abraham Lincoln's strongest supporters were religious people "who saw life in terms of good and evil" and who believed that slavery was evil. Many of his own supporters, he said, see the current conflict in similar terms.
[More at URL]
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2006-09-23 12:29 pm (UTC)Columbine is in Colorado's Littleton School District.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-23 04:32 pm (UTC)(AND then made three errors I had to fix in this reply. Dammit I hate these meds.)
no subject
Date: 2006-09-23 05:06 pm (UTC)Firstly, even being a charity, they are still required to place your name on a do not call list upon request (as you do not have a previous business relationship with them)--if they do not do so, this counts as a violation of federal telemarketing law. (For extra points, ask to speak to their supervisor and specifically ask for a copy of their do not call policy to be sent to you. If they don't do it, or claim they don't have a do-not-call policy, then that's an easy $500 for you right there.)
You can technically sue them in small claims court for this, and if they don't show up you will often get a default settlement and can get a court order from there ordering the group to pay. (Very often, it's the mere *threat* of this that finally gets telemarketers to stop calling when they realise You're Fucking Serious About This.)
Like most states, Washington State has some special provisions--among others, telemarketeres cannot legally call nonpublished telephone numbers (http://srch.mrsc.org:8080/rcwwac/template.htm?view=browse&doc_action=setHitDoc&doc_hit=1) unless they give both a toll-free number *and* an email address to be removed. Unfortunately, Washington's law is slightly weaker in that do-not-call regulations are not enforced for telephone polls (http://www.mrsc.org/mc/wac/WAC%20480%20%20TITLE/WAC%20480%20-120%20%20CHAPTER/WAC%20480%20-120%20-254.htm) (which is a rather large loophole that has been closed in some states, notably, Kentucky), *but* if they are soliciting donations at the same time, that *could* fall under telemarketing statutes.
One definite bit to investigate, too, is if "Dove Foundation" is hiring a for-profit company to solicit or to conduct polling--if so, this could bounce it over the line to telemarketing (it's in part how I finally stopped Louisville Professional Firefighters from calling--as it turns out, they use a private company called FireCo LLC which conducts cold-calling across the US and has been fined in some states for violation of telemarketing laws).
Another potential method of busting them is if they are using prerecorded calls; in many states (including Kentucky) this is flatly illegal, and in Washington the use of prerecorded calls and autodialers is heavily regulated (http://www.mrsc.org/mc/wac/WAC%20480%20%20TITLE/WAC%20480%20-120%20%20CHAPTER/WAC%20480%20-120%20-253.htm).
Next up--more fun ways to bust the Dove Foundation.
More fun with busting dominionists
Date: 2006-09-23 05:22 pm (UTC)Washington's laws regarding registration of out-of-state charities operating in the state (http://www.multistatefiling.org/n_appendix.htm#washington) are large enough to drive the SDF Macross through--pretty much all religious organisations are exempt as well as political groups (the former is the same exemption that Focus on the Family uses to keep from having to register with Attorneys-General in states outside Colorado--they literally incorporated as a church (http://scoop.epluribusmedia.org/story/2006/9/21/133137/730)). Adding insult to injury, the online search for registered charities in Washington (http://www.secstate.wa.gov/charities/search.aspx) seems to be broken. However, special regs *do* apply in regards to "fundraising for hire" and solicitation-for-hire, which Dove Foundation may well fall under.
In Michigan, Dove Foundation is a licensed charity (http://www.michigan.gov/documents/lic_chrty1_40579_7.pdf), indicating that at least in their home state they're not playing too much sillybuggers.
The main office of Dove Foundation appears to be registered as a 501(c)3 (http://www.eri-nonprofit-salaries.com/index.cfm?FuseAction=NPO.Summary&EIN=383040503&Cobrandid=0) as a group whose primary focus is "censorship" (pro-censorship, I should note), and their 501(c)3 form does seem to agree with this (http://204.203.220.33/EINS/383040503/383040503_2004_01dfa86b.PDF)--interestingly, they claim to be polling nationwide, and if their polls are as you noted, they would probably constitute illegal lobbying.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-23 05:34 pm (UTC)Corporate America is Competing to Promote Homosexuality
http://www.americansfortruth.com/news/corporate-america-is-competing-to-promote-homosexuality.html
"The battle to restore corporate neutrality on the homosexual issue will be a long and tough one, but it must be fought," 'cause, y'know, treating gay men and women as if with whom they choose to hold hands were irrelevant to their capability as either employees or consumers is not "neutral." Y'know. Somehow.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-23 05:40 pm (UTC)Wayne Besen visits an ex-gay ministry:
http://www.waynebesen.com/2006/09/old-time-religion-with-new-twist.html
no subject
Date: 2006-09-23 05:57 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2006-09-23 06:46 pm (UTC)I mean, you have to consider that a "junior member" of the Meese Commission-- not even a Commissioner himself but an adjunct, and aide, an assistant, managed to threaten 7-11 by alleging that its sale of Playboy and Penthouse made it a "distributor of pornography," and wiped out the hopes and dreams of millions of teenage boys around the country who ogled their covers every time they went for a Slurpee.
no subject
Date: 2006-09-24 03:12 pm (UTC)