[Active-l] (NEWS) Today's Cultural Warfare Update

[Dara (R'ykandar Korra'ti)]

You know how the Boy Scouts were saying that they discriminate against  
GBLT kids and atheists, but anyone with religious faith is okay? Not so  
much on the ground. A Louisiana group booted two kids for having Wiccan  
faith; best yet, according to the Eagle Scout father, they told him  
that _if he'd lied about it, he could have stayed_. The national says  
that the decision is up to the local group; eventually the local  
governing board relented, but the resulting situation was so hostile  
the kids left anyway;

WorldNetDaily's "Vox Day," who describes himself as a "Christian  
libertarian," says hell yes we can expel massive numbers of illegals -  
hell, it only took the Nazis seven years to kill six million Jews. _YES  
REALLY_. He says he was "misinterpreted" (pointer courtesy  
http://elfs.livejournal.com/ );

Salon has an except from the Michelle Goldberg book, _Kingdom Coming:  
The Rise of Christian Nationalism_;

I don't have any summary for this, so I'll just paste in the first  
paragraph and hope desperately that it's just astoundingly tone-deaf  
but well-intended medical advice: "New federal guidelines ask all  
females capable of conceiving a baby to treat themselves -- and to be  
treated by the health care system -- as pre-pregnant, regardless of  
whether they plan to get pregnant anytime soon." The Washington Post  
titled their article about it, "Forever Pregnant";

One woman's reaction to that (where I got the WaPo URL), talking about  
how her doctor is already putting any potential foetus's potential  
health ahead of her health by refusing the anti-seizure medications she  
would like to try - because said doctor doesn't trust her not to get  
pregnant, even though she has no interest whatsoever in carrying  
another child;

Fundamentalists demand more action from President Bush and Republican  
leaders in their anti-gay, anti-abortion, and "indecency" legislation  
efforts;

Missouri town bans unmarried parents from living in the same house;

State appeals judge strikes down Georgia's gay-marriage ban on the  
multiple-subjects rule - like a lot of states, they have a  
"single-subject" rule for their initiatives; they'll do it again next  
year, only I imagine it'll be two separate initiatives, one to ban  
marriage, one to ban civil unions;

Iraqi Ayatollah Ahmad Husseini Al-Baghdadi calls for the murder and  
burning of all gay men and lesbians;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM and news story wanting answers on  
marriage rights from candidates, and telling people to write in to  
support the anti-marriage-rights amendment;

California marriage ban fails to make ballot;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to use their "letter-writing wizard" to  
shuffle their canned letter segments into "original" letters to the  
editor; this is their way of trying to get around bans on standardised  
letters; nobody, but nobody, is for it, but their letters still get  
through on a semi-regular basis in various little papers across the  
country;

Senator Brownback promises Focus on the Family that the Senate will  
vote on the Broadcast Indecency Act; includes ACTION ITEM to support  
either of two versions coming up for consideration;

Focus on the Family pushes proposed state bans on lesbian and gay  
foster parenting and adoption in 16 states; they have a list of states  
with bans in progress; the Roberts Supreme Court has already refused to  
hear an appeal on Florida's blanket ban, so assume any of these that  
pass will stand, too;

FotF version of the Georgia marriage ban story quotes the governor  
attacking the judges for their ruling, vowing a new amendment;

FotF attacks polls showing support for embryonic stem-cell research as  
"biased" for not including bullshit fundamentalist rhetoric as part of  
the questions;

Family Research Council ACTION ITEM pushes the "Broadcast Indecency  
Bill";

Family Research Council condemns Georgia judge who rules by the law and  
overturns the state marriage ban initiative because it included more  
than one subject in violation of state law; yes, they call him a  
judicial activist threatening marriage; it's important to note how the  
whole "judicial activism" thing is only applied when they dislike the  
ruling;

American Family Association ACTION ITEM calling for letters to Congress  
to support the anti-marriage-rights "Marriage Protection Amendment;"  
they're fully engaged in the Republican "assert that Democrats support  
gay marriage" message for 2006; if only it were true;

AFA/Agape Press attack genetics research in the form of "transhumanism";

LifeNews reports on more fundamentalist calls to pull RU-486 from the  
market;

Tennessee Baptist Convention threatens lawsuit against university over  
appointment of non-Baptist trustees;

AFA: Laura Bush is wrong, we must make opposing marriage for lesbian  
and gay people the primary issue of the campaign;

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick (R-PA) introduces bill requiring schools  
and libraries to ban access to social networking sites like MySpace and  
Friendster; no word on whether Livejournal would be BAHLEETED! but I  
imagine it would;

New York Posts CWA admitting that their big objection to the  
morning-after pill is that people might have sex;

AFA/Agape Press condemn California education bill; CWA wonk Robert  
Knight is quoted extensively;

Alberta bill providing widespread protections to anti-marriage  
activists in marriage-related state jobs to refuse to do those jobs  
without punishment of any sort if queers were involved fails; Focus on  
the Family Canada reacts unhappily to the news;


----- 1 -----
Scout's admission of being Wiccan leads to turmoil
By Melanie Crownover
Special to The Town Talk

http://www.thetowntalk.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060509/NEWS01/ 
605090308/1002

ANACOCO -- The camp is going well so far. Boy Scouts have gathered from  
around the area in khaki button-ups and red scarves, eager to earn  
their God and Country badge.

The leader in a room of about 20 Scouts decides to break the ice by  
showing how religiously diverse the gathering is.

By a showing of hands, he asks who belongs to the Baptist Church, the  
Catholic Church, the Methodist Church, continuing on until two boys are  
left who have not raised their hands.

One of the brothers is called out to tell the group what church he  
attends. He replies, "I'm Wiccan."

[...]

"The number one scout law is to do your duty to God and your country,"  
Troop 71 Scout Master Gene Doherty said. "They met to discuss whether  
or not the boys could live up to that because of their religion."

The conclusion was that they could not.

Doherty called Army Cpt. Todd Buchheim, the boys' father and a former  
Eagle Scout stationed at Fort Polk, to inform him that the boys no  
longer were welcome in the troop. The Buchheims said Doherty told them  
that if Cody had lied about his faith, the boys could have remained  
with no problem.

[More at URL]


----- 2 -----
Against a fence
Vox Day
Posted: May 15, 2006
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com

http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50198

Dear Jorge plans to address the nation tonight, a speech wherein he  
will almost surely attempt to deceive citizens into believing that he  
does not wish the mass migration from Mexico to continue unabated. He  
will likely offer some negligible resources for law enforcement and  
border security – resources which will never materialize – in return  
for an amnesty program that will grant American citizenship to the  
Mexican nationals who have helped lower America's wage rates by 16  
percent over the last 32 years.

And he will be lying, again, just as he lied when he said: "Massive  
deportation of the people here is unrealistic – it's just not going to  
work."

Not only will it work, but one can easily estimate how long it would  
take. If it took the Germans less than four years to rid themselves of  
6 million Jews, many of whom spoke German and were fully integrated  
into German society, it couldn't possibly take more than eight years to  
deport 12 million illegal aliens, many of whom don't speak English and  
are not integrated into American society.

[More at URL]


----- 3 -----
"Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian Nationalism"
May 12, 2006
Salon

Across the United States, religious activists are organizing to  
establish an American theocracy. A frightening look inside the growing  
right-wing movement.

Editor's note: This is an excerpt from senior writer Michelle  
Goldberg's new book, "Kingdom Coming: The Rise of Christian  
Nationalism."

By Michelle Goldberg

http://www.salon.com/books/feature/2006/05/12/goldberg/index_np.html

A teenage modern dance troupe dressed all in black took their places on  
the stage of the First Baptist Church of Pleasant Grove, a suburb of  
Birmingham, Alabama. Two dancers, donning black overcoats, crossed  
their arms menacingly. As a Christian pop ballad swelled on the  
speakers, a boy wearing judicial robes walked out. Holding a Ten  
Commandments tablet that seemed to be made of cardboard, he was playing  
former Alabama Supreme Court justice Roy Moore. The trench-coated thugs  
approached him, miming a violent rebuke and forcing him to the other  
end of the stage, sans Commandments.

There, a cluster of dancers impersonating liberal activists waved signs  
with slogans like "No Moore!" and "Keep God Out!! No God in Court." The  
boy Moore danced a harangue, first lurching toward his tormentors and  
then cringing back in outrage before breaking through their line to  
lunge for his monument. But the dancers in trench coats -- agents of  
atheism -- got hold of it first and took it away, leaving him abject on  
the floor. As the song's uplifting chorus played -- "After you've done  
all you can, you just stand" -- a dancer in a white robe, playing  
either an angel or God himself, came forward and helped the Moore  
character to his feet.

[More at URL]


----- 4 -----
Forever Pregnant
Guidelines: Treat Nearly All Women as Pre-Pregnant
By January W. Payne
Washington Post Staff Writer
Tuesday, May 16, 2006; Page HE01

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/15/ 
AR2006051500875.html?referrer=emailarticle

New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to  
treat themselves -- and to be treated by the health care system -- as  
pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime  
soon.

Among other things, this means all women between first menstrual period  
and menopause should take folic acid supplements, refrain from smoking,  
maintain a healthy weight and keep chronic conditions such as asthma  
and diabetes under control.

[More at URL]


----- 5 -----
Oh no you didn't.
scheherazade in blue jeans
May 16, 2006

http://shadesong.livejournal.com/2871261.html

Link via fiannaharpar:

_New federal guidelines ask all females capable of conceiving a baby to  
treat themselves -- and to be treated by the health care system -- as  
pre-pregnant, regardless of whether they plan to get pregnant anytime  
soon._

Pre-pregnant.

[...]

I have been unable to obtain adequate medical care for my epilepsy  
because I am what they'd call pre-pregnant. As my neurologist puts it,  
I am a woman of child-bearing age. As such, they flat-out refuse to try  
me on any medicines other than the ones proven least likely to affect a  
fetus (read: the ones that are paying off my neurologist). Despite the  
fact that I have declared my belly a no-fetus zone.

My neurologist does not trust me to not get pregnant. My neurologist  
puts a potential fetus's potential health over my health.

And now the government wants to officially sanction that.

Oh HELL no.

[More at URL]


----- 6 -----
Conservative Christians Criticize Republicans
By DAVID D. KIRKPATRICK
The New York Times
Published: May 15, 2006

http://www.nytimes.com/2006/05/15/washington/15dobson.html? 
ei=5090&en=e08df3ea11f1db6d&ex=1305345600&partner=rssuserland&emc=rss&pa 
gewanted=all

WASHINGTON, May 13 — Some of President Bush's most influential  
conservative Christian allies are becoming openly critical of the White  
House and Republicans in Congress, warning that they will withhold  
their support in the midterm elections unless Congress does more to  
oppose same-sex marriage, obscenity and abortion.

[...]

In the last several weeks, Dr. James C. Dobson, founder of Focus on the  
Family and one of the most influential Christian conservatives, has  
publicly accused Republican leaders of betraying the social  
conservatives who helped elect them in 2004. He has also warned in  
private meetings with about a dozen of the top Republicans in  
Washington that he may turn critic this fall unless the party delivers  
on conservative goals.

[More at URL]


----- 7 -----
Town won't let unmarried parents live together
Wednesday, May 17, 2006; Posted: 11:41 a.m. EDT (15:41 GMT)
CNN

BLACK JACK, Missouri (AP) -- The City Council has rejected a measure  
allowing unmarried couples with multiple children to live together, and  
the mayor said those who fall into that category could soon face  
eviction.

Olivia Shelltrack and Fondrey Loving were denied an occupancy permit  
after moving into a home in this St. Louis suburb because they have  
three children and are not married.

[...]

Black Jack's special counsel, Sheldon Stock, declined to say whether  
the city will seek to remove Loving and Shelltrack from their home.

[More at URL]


----- 8 -----
Judge Strikes Down Ga. Ban on Gay Marriage
By GREG BLUESTEIN, Associated Press Writer Tue May 16, 7:45 PM ET
Associated Press

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060516/ap_on_re_us/georgia_gay_marriage

ATLANTA - A judge has struck down Georgia's ban on same-sex marriages,  
saying a measure overwhelmingly approved by voters in 2004 violated a  
provision of the state constitution that limits ballot questions to a  
single subject.

The ruling by Fulton County Superior Court Judge Constance C. Russell  
had been eagerly awaited by gay-rights supporters who filed the court  
challenge in November 2004, soon after the constitutional ban was  
approved.

[More at URL]


----- 9 -----
Iraqi Ayatollah Ahmad Al-Baghdadi Talks of America's Annihilation and  
the Muslim Conquest of the World; Declares Support for Nuclear Bombs  
for Muslim and Arab Countries
MEMRI.org
May 18, 2006	No.1166

http://www.memri.org/bin/opener_latest.cgi?ID=SD116606

The following are excerpts from speeches and interviews with Iraqi  
Ayatollah Ahmad Husseini Al-Baghdadi, which aired on Al-Jazeera TV on  
May 5, 2006, on Syrian TV on May 3, 2006, and on ANB TV on April 14,  
2006.

"The Mujahid Iraqi People... Has Shattered the American Plan, Not Only  
in the Region, but Throughout the World"

Ayatollah Ahmad Husseini Al-Baghdadi: "Jihad in Islam, from the  
perspective of Islamic jurisprudence, is of two types: jihad initiated  
by the Muslims, which means raiding the world in order to spread the  
word that 'there is no God but Allah, and Muhammad is the Prophet of  
Allah' throughout the world. But this raid will not materialize in our  
era - the era of barbaric American capitalistic globalism - unless the  
Infallible, peace be upon him, is present.

[...]

"Whoever Marries Someone of the Same Sex Must Be Killed"

Ayatollah Ahmad Husseini Al-Baghdadi: "The second clause says no law  
may contradict the principles of democracy. Can you imagine millions  
demonstrating in Iraq, calling for same-sex marriage, like in Sweden,  
America, and Britain? Same-sex marriages means a marriage of a man with  
a man, or a woman with a woman. This is a terrible catastrophe, totally  
forbidden by Islam. Whoever marries someone of the same sex must be  
killed. Both must be killed as soon as possible and must be burned as  
well."

[More at URL]


----- 10 -----
Both Sides of the Marriage Issue Want Candidates to Debate It
People care about the issue and want to know where hopefuls stand.
Focus on the Family
from staff reports
May 16, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0040521.cfm

First lady Laura Bush has said the country needs to debate gay  
marriage, but she said she doesn't think it should be used as a  
campaign tool, because the issue "requires a lot of sensitivity."  
Groups on both sides, however, say making it an election issue should  
not be out of bounds.

[...]

TAKE ACTION:
Ask your U.S. senators to protect marriage.

If you subscribe to the CitizenLink Daily Update subscriber, click on  
the Take Action button in the e-mail to automatically be logged in to  
our Action Center. Then look for the item titled, Pass the Federal  
Marriage Protection Amendment.

Otherwise, click on this link. Be sure to either log in or create an  
account before you send your message.


----- 11 -----
California Marriage Initiative Won't Make it to This Year's Ballot
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
May 16, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040524.cfm

A petition drive in California aimed at placing a constitutional  
amendment to protect marriage on November's ballot failed to gather  
enough signatures, 365Gay.com reported.

[More at URL]


----- 12 -----
Action Alert - Write a Letter to the Editor About the Marriage  
Protection Amendment
Focus on the Family
Citizenlink

[Received in email; no URL]

With the U.S. Senate expected to vote in early June on the Marriage  
Protection Amendment, the time is now to tell our friends and neighbors  
why it is vital that we preserve in the Constitution the definition of  
marriage as the union of one man and one woman. Nothing less than the  
foundation of our society is at stake.

One of the best ways to get out the word about the need to pass the MPA  
-- not to mention one of the best ways to show your senators where  
constituents stand on the issue -- is by writing a letter to the editor  
of your local newspaper. We've created a special tool that will allow  
you to compose your own letter in just a minute or two, using some  
talking points we've pulled together.

To create your letter, just click here to give our letter-writing  
wizard ( http://www.family.org/cforum/images/lettergen/mpa/gen.html ) a  
whirl.

Please also take a moment to visit the CitizenLink Action Center (  
http://vocusgr.vocus.com/GRSPACE2/dotnet/WebPublish/controller.aspx? 
SiteName=FOTF&Definition=Resources&XSL=Resources&SV_Section=Resources )  
to learn more about what you can do to defend the institution upon  
which societies have been built for thousands of years.

Blessings,

Gary Schneeberger
Editor
CitizenLink

[More at URL]


----- 13 -----
Broadcast-Decency Bill Sponsor Promised Vote
Congress may finally increase fines for offensive programming.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
May 17, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0040530.cfm

The Senate sponsor of legislation designed to crack down on broadcast  
indecency said today he's been given assurances his bill will receive a  
vote before the Senate recesses for Memorial Day.

But an inside-the-Beltway publication is reporting that the powerful  
chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee is waffling on the issue and  
may refuse to allow a vote on any bill.

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., told reporters he has been given assurances  
his Broadcast Decency Enforcement Act (S. 193) will soon get a vote.

[...]

TAKE ACTION:
Please contact your U.S. senators and ask them to support efforts to  
pass a broadcast decency enforcement bill, whether Sen. Brownback's S.  
193 or Rep. Upton's tougher H.R. 310.

[More at URL]


----- 14 -----
States Look to Keep Children in Traditional Homes
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
May 17, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040537.cfm

Efforts to pass laws to ensure adoptive children are placed in  
traditional homes — as opposed to being placed homosexual couples — are  
under way in 16 states, and in many cases the battle is just as heated  
as the one over gay marriage, USA Today reported.

Legislation that would keep homosexuals from qualifying to be an  
adoptive parent is under consideration in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona,  
Georgia, Indiana, Kansas, Kentucky, Michigan, Missouri, Ohio, Oregon,  
Pennsylvania, Tennessee, Utah, Vermont and West Virginia.

[More at URL]


----- 15 -----
Georgia Marriage Amendment Struck Under 'Single-Subject' Rule
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
May 17, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040538.cfm

A state constitutional amendment to protect marriage that was  
overwhelmingly approved by Georgia voters in 2004 has been struck down  
because of a technicality, The Associated Press reported.

Fulton Superior Court Judge Constance Russell said the amendment  
violated the state constitution — which limits ballot questions to a  
single subject — because it asked voters to decide more than one issue.

[...]

Georgia Gov. Sonny Perdue said in a statement Tuesday evening that he  
was let down by the decision.

"I am very disappointed by this decision to countermand the people of  
Georgia's voice in defining marriage in our state as a union between a  
man and a woman," he said. "The people of Georgia knew exactly what  
they were doing when an overwhelming 76 percent voted in support of  
this constitutional amendment."

[More at URL]


----- 16 -----
Stem-Cell Poll Results Dubious
Focus on the Family
from staff reports
May 17, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0040534.cfm

Survey indicating most Americans support embryonic stem-cell research  
fails to note that it requires the destruction of human life.

Seventy-two percent of Americans support embryonic stem-cell research,  
according to a new poll by the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical  
Research.

But opponents of the research say the poll is biased and accuse the  
biotech industry of deceiving the public.

[More at URL]


----- 17 -----
Sign a petition to increase the fine for deeply offensive and even  
shocking content on network television!
Break the Blockade on the Brownback Indecency Bill!
Family Research Council
May 17, 2006 - Wednesday
Forward to a Friend!

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=AL06E06&f=PG03I0

The rumors have the ring of truth: a small group of U.S. Senators who  
publicly say they oppose the broadcasting of sexually explicit,  
indecent television are working behind the scenes to kill Sen. Sam  
Brownback's bill (S. 193) to raise fines on the worst offenders. Let's  
be clear: we're not talking here about some risque jokes on late-night  
television or cable shows that individuals have paid to see.

[More at URL]


----- 18 -----
Georgia Judge Silences the People on Marriage
May 17, 2006 - Wednesday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: J.P. Duffy or Bethanie Swendsen,
1-866-FRCNEWS

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR06E09&f=PG03I03

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today, Georgia Superior Court Judge Constance C.  
Russel struck down the state's overwhelmingly popular marriage  
protection amendment. The court decision comes only two weeks before  
the U.S. Senate takes up the Federal Marriage Protection Amendment.

Family Research Council President Tony Perkins released the following  
statement:

"Today's ruling demonstrates once again that marriage is threatened by  
activist judges who refused to recognize the established right of the  
voters and legislatures to protect marriage.

"We now look to the Georgia Supreme Court to reverse this baseless  
ruling and affirm its respect for the institution of marriage and the  
super majority support the people in Georgia have shown for protecting  
marriage. Hopefully, Georgia's high court will follow the example of  
Louisiana's Supreme Court which last year unanimously overturned a  
ruling by another activist court striking down that state's marriage  
amendment.

"On June 5, the U.S. Senate will have an opportunity to protect the  
democratic process when it takes up the Marriage Protection Amendment.  
An amendment to the U.S. Constitution is the only way to rein in  
activist judges who are determined to redefine marriage and mute the  
voice of the people. I urge Congress to send the Marriage Protection  
Amendment to the states for ratification so that the American people  
can check the power and ambition of these activist judges."


----- 19 -----
U.S. Senate To Vote On Homosexual Marriage June 6TH
The most important vote in the Senate this year! The future of our  
children is at stake.
American Family Association
Online as of May 17, 2007

http://www3.capwiz.com/afanet/8762656.html

On June 6th the U.S. Senate will vote on the constitutional amendment  
defining marriage as the union of one man and one woman.

Time is short! It is critical that you contact your senators and ask  
them to vote for the Marriage Protection Amendment (MPA).

Once homosexual marriage is legal, our religious liberties will be  
stripped away. Even pro-homosexual marriage advocates agree with that  
statement. To understand how this will happen, please take time read  
Dr. Maggie Gallagher’s rather long and accurate article by clicking  
here. Print it out and give a copy to your pastor!

We expect Democratic senators to vote to kill the MPA. The public is  
not aware that the Democratic National Committee has given thousands of  
dollars to homosexual groups to help promote homosexual marriage.

[More at URL]


----- 20 -----
Christian MD: Dangerous Eugenics Research Being Funded With Taxpayer  
Dollars
By Mary Rettig
Agape Press/American Family Association
May 16, 2006

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/5/afa/162006c.asp

(AgapePress) - The executive director of the Christian Medical & Dental  
Associations (CMDA) says taxpayer dollars are going to fund a dangerous  
area of scientific research. The National Institutes of Health has  
given a grant of nearly three-quarters of a million dollars to  
Professor Maxwell Mehlman, a scientist at Case Western University, to  
assist him in studying the genetic enhancements of human beings.

Dr. David Stevens of the CMDA says Mehlman is a known leader in the  
field of transhumanism, an area of study that the Christian doctor says  
has "creating a post-human future" as its goal. The quest of  
transhumanism, he explains, is to move into that future "by first  
connecting human beings to computers, essentially creating cyborgs --  
part human, part computer."

[...]

Christian bioethicists have confronted the National Institutes of  
Health on this issue, Stevens notes. Meanwhile, the NIH has denied that  
it is funding efforts to make a smarter, stronger human race through  
genetic manipulation.

However, the more investigators have researched the matter the clearer  
it has become, the CMDA spokesman contends, that "that's exactly what's  
happening and that this funding has gone to this scientist who is one  
of the proponents and very involved in the transhumanist movement."

[More at URL]


----- 21 -----
Pro-Life Groups Renew Call to Pull Abortion Drug RU 486, Despite FDA Mtg
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
May 17, 2006

http://www.lifenews.com/nat2277.html

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Despite a joint FDA-CDC meeting last  
week looking into why the abortion drug RU 486 has killed seven women,  
pro-life advocates say they still want the dangerous abortion pill  
pulled from the market. Their renewed efforts come on a day when a  
Congressional subcommittee is looking into the problem further.

Deirdre McQuade, of the pro-life office at the U.S. Conference of  
Catholic Bishops, said her group has renewed its call for Congress to  
approve Holly's Law, a measure named for Holly Patterson, a California  
teenager who died from a lethal infection brought on by the abortion  
drug.

[More at URL]


----- 22 -----
University Faces Possible Lawsuit Over Rift With Tennessee Baptists
By Jim Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
May 17, 2006

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/5/afa/172006b.asp

(AgapePress) - After rejecting a proposal to end its 55-year  
relationship with Belmont University in Nashville, the Tennessee  
Baptist Convention may be suing the school over its decision to add  
non-Baptists to its governing Board of Trustees.

Officials with Belmont University have said broader representation on  
the Baptist-affiliated school's board would better reflect the wider  
Christian mission of the institution. The school officials offered to  
pay the Tennessee Baptist Convention $5 million to sever ties with the  
university.

However, opponents of Belmont's request say the convention could ask  
for the return of nearly $50 million -- all the money the state  
Baptists have ever given Belmont -- if the Tennessee Baptist Convention  
loses control over the selection of Belmont trustees. The Convention  
recently voted overwhelmingly to oust Belmont's 35 trustees.

[More at URL]


----- 23 -----
Activist: Sorry, Mrs. Bush -- Protecting Marriage Is a Campaign Issue
By Allie Martin and Jenni Parker
AFA/Agape Press
May 17, 2006

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/5/afa/172006c.asp

(AgapePress) - The president of the American Family Association of  
Pennsylvania (AFA of Pennsylvania) says federal and state amendments  
protecting traditional marriage should be a campaign issue, regardless  
of what First Lady Laura Bush says.

Last week on "Fox News Sunday," Mrs. Bush commented that although  
Americans do want to debate marriage amendments, the issue should be  
addressed with "a lot of sensitivity" and should not be used as a  
campaign tool. However, AFA of Pennsylvania president Diane Gramley  
feels the suggestion from the First Lady is not sound campaign advice  
-- especially for pro-family candidates.

Gramley feels it is tragic that Mrs. Bush does not see the importance  
of making the marriage amendment a campaign issue. Marriage is of  
essential significance to America's citizens, the Pennsylvania  
pro-family leader says, "because it is the foundation of the nation and  
of any society -- and that is one of the main issues that got the  
values voters out in 2004."

[More at URL]


----- 24 -----
Popularity, Danger of 'Social' Websites Warrants Legislation, Says  
Congressman
Bill's Sponsor: Children Need Protection from Online Sexual Predators
By Jim Brown and Jody Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
May 17, 2006

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/5/afa/172006a.asp

(AgapePress) - A new bill in Congress seeks to protect students from  
sexual predators trying to contact children who use social network  
websites in schools and libraries.

Congressman Mike Fitzpatrick has introduced the Deleting Online Child  
Predators Act. The bill (HR 5319) would require schools and libraries  
to institute screening software that would prohibit children from  
accessing social networking sites like MySpace, Friendster, and  
Facebook. The Pennsylvania Republican contends the new technology  
behind such online communities has generated "a feeding ground" for  
child predators who he says use the sites "as just another way to do  
our children harm."

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----- 25 -----
THE DAWN OF A NEW CAMPAIGN FOR MORNING-AFTER PILL
By SARA STEWART
The New York Post

http://www.nypost.com/health/68539.htm

May 16, 2006 -- A controversial new birth-control ad campaign aims to  
take the "emergency" out of emergency contraception - at least when it  
comes to getting a prescription.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, which  
represents nearly 50,000 physicians, recently announced the "Ask Me"  
campaign, which will feature a poster, primarily in doctors' waiting  
rooms and examining rooms, with a picture of a spilled coffee cup on a  
personal planner.

[...]

The main objective of the campaign - which also features bright red  
"Ask Me" buttons for doctors to wear - is to educate women about Plan  
B, a k a the "morning-after pill" - often confused with the abortion  
pill RU-486.

"Plan B is the same thing as contraception," says Dr. Rebekah Gee, an  
OB/GYN at Boston's Mass General and Brigham and Women's hospitals, who  
explains that the pill is a dose of the hormone progesterone that  
prevents implantation of a fertilized egg.

Right-to-life organizations, however, are concerned that emergency  
contraception will lead to promiscuity. According to a release on the  
Concerned Women for America web site, the campaign "promotes risky  
sexual ideology."

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----- 26 -----
Groups Condemn California Senate's Passage of Pro-Homosexual Education  
Bill
By Bill Fancher and Jenni Parker
AFA/Agape Press
May 15, 2006

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/5/152006b.asp

(AgapePress) - The governor of California could be all that stands in  
the way of a proposed new law that would endorse and promote the  
homosexual lifestyle in public schools statewide. The bill has already  
passed the California Senate and, if it gains Assembly approval as  
well, only a veto will be able to stop it.

The legislation known as SB 1437 requires California education  
officials to re-write textbooks to include "gay" themes and homosexual  
people, positively emphasizing their contributions and their place in  
history. It also bans any negative reference to homosexuals based on  
religious beliefs, which is why Bob Knight of the Culture and Family  
Institute sees the law as an attack on biblical values.

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----- 27 -----
Alberta MLAs kill conscience bill
Today’s Family News
Focus on the Family Canada
May 17, 2006

http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/life/stories/051706.html

Opposition MLAs in the Alberta legislature have effectively killed a  
bill that would have shielded Albertans from being fired from their  
jobs or sued because they disagree with same-sex marriage.

Introduced last month by Conservative MLA Ted Morton, Bill 208 was  
intended to complement a section of the federal law redefining marriage  
that gives limited protections to people of faith and religious  
institutions who could not in good conscience endorse the change. As  
critics pointed out when Parliament passed Bill C-38, many of the areas  
of protection cited are under provincial jurisdiction. With Bill 208,  
Alberta took the lead among other provinces in trying ensure adequate  
protection for freedom of conscience and religion.

Bill 208 would have exempted Alberta’s marriage commissioners from  
being required to marry a same-sex couple if doing so clashed with  
their religious or moral beliefs, CBC News reported. And it would have  
given parents the right to decide whether or not they wished their  
children to be exposed to any classroom discussion of homosexual  
relationships.

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