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

Fri Sep 15 21:29:49 PDT 2006

This is only a partial; I'll start the second half tonight and will  
hopefully get through it tomorrow. There's a lot of

Decency wins out in the case of a Wiccan soldier's memorial plaque -  
the state pulls a technicality and takes the decision out of the Dept.  
of Veterans' Affairs hands. The soldier, Sgt. Patrick Stewart, was  
killed in the line of duty in Afghanistan;

Operation Rescue West's 2004 candidate endorsements costs it its  
tax-exempt status - finally;

Focus on the Family extremely cranky about the Prison Fellowship being  
forced to repay Iowa - they'd been being paid by the state to convert  
prisoners to fundamentalist Christianity, for which the prisoners got  
special treatment and other similar advantages;

FotF: Jim DeMint (R-SC) promises to put a hold on FDA nominee Andrew  
von Eschenbach unless RU-486 is pulled from the market;

Sens. Brownback and Lieberman co-sponsor a bill to study the effects  
"of TV, movies, the Internet, video games and cell phones on children's  
mental and social development";

Illinois will _not_ be facing an anti-marriage initiative on the ballot  
this fall;

Focus on the Family says "families win one" by getting changes in  
Maryland's Montgomery County sex education video;

Focus on the Family demands Senator Harry Reed (D-NV) stop bothering  
with polygamy and start attacking same-sex marriage;

I don't actually know much of anything about this; the FDA is talking  
about revisions in emergency use of non-approved drugs in certain  
circumstances; I haven't read the FDA's version of the story yet, but  
Focus on the Family is quite clear in its condemnation;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to back amendment to Defense  
Authorisation Bill essentially allowing chaplain proselytization in the  
military; it's a reaction to changes in military code following  
religious harassment at the Air Force Academy, which Focus on the  
Family has extensively defended; an alternative amendment would require  
chaplains to be sensitive to other faiths, they call that a first  
amendment violation;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to demand immediate confirmation of all  
Bush judicial nominees;

Focus on the Family: polls say eight states will pass anti-marriage  
amendments this fall;

Alliance Defense Fund suing New York State officials who ruled that  
out-of-state same-sex marriages should be recogised in New York State;  
their decisions were overturned, as regular readers know, but the ADF  
is going for the intimidation factor;

Focus on the Family asks Federal employees to give them money via the  
Combined Federal Campaign;

Americans United for Separation of Church and State sues federal Health  
and Human Services over grants to a "faith-based" marriage counseling  
centre;

Focus on the Family promotes "National Church Adopt-A-School," where  
churches "adopt" public schools to provide "mentoring, tutoring, and  
family support services";

This is a weird one; collection of fundamentalist groups demand that  
the Illinois state supreme court do "whatever it takes" to implement a  
parental notification law that was enjoined by a Federal court;

Focus on the Family claims Pope Benedict has endorsed Intelligent  
Design creationism;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to support a bundle of bills in  
Congress, the most important (to them) of which is PERA, which would  
exempt religious establishment case winners from collecting court costs  
from the losing side; the intent is to make it much harder to sue in  
government religious discrimination cases;

Focus on the Family: New York domestic-partner benefits "redefine  
marriage by fiat"; Alliance Defense Fund is suing, Focus on the Family  
applauds;

Focus on the Family: Church activism vital in fighting marriage rights  
for GBLT people; any church _not_ active in politics is "not fulfilling  
their proper biblical role";

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to demand permanent confirmation of  
John Bolton as US ambassador to the United Nations;

Faith and Family Network blasts Rosie O'Donnell criticism of American  
fundamentalists as being akin to Muslim fundamentalists;

Faith and Freedom Network ACTION ITEM to demand immediate passage of  
PERA, described above, intended to make it harder to sue against  
religious discrimination.

----- 1 -----
State says Nevada soldier's plaque can include Wiccan symbol
September 13, 2006
By SCOTT SONNER
ASSOCIATED PRESS

http://www.lasvegassun.com/sunbin/stories/nevada/2006/sep/13/ 
091310252.html

RENO, Nev. (AP) - The widow of a Nevada soldier killed in Afghanistan a  
year ago won state approval Wednesday to place a Wiccan religious  
symbol on his memorial plaque, something the U.S. Department of  
Veterans Affairs has refused to do.

"I'm just in shock," Roberta Stewart said from her home in Fernley,  
about 30 miles east of Reno.

"I'm honored and ecstatic. I've been waiting a year for this," she told  
The Associated Press.

Sgt. Patrick Stewart, 34, was killed in Afghanistan last Sept. 25 when  
the Nevada Army National Guard helicopter he was in was shot down. He  
was a follower of the Wiccan religion, which the U.S. Department of  
Veterans Affairs does not recognize and therefore prohibits on  
veterans' headstones in national cemeteries.

[More at URL]

----- 2 -----
Anti-abortion group loses tax status
Associated Press

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060915/ap_on_go_ot/irs_operation_rescue; 
_ylt=Alq0AKWicx.rxcru9joQNq.yFz4D;_ylu=X3oDMTA0cDJlYmhvBHNlYwM-

WASHINGTON - The Internal Revenue Service has revoked the tax-exempt  
status of the anti-abortion organization Operation Rescue West for  
prohibited political activity during the 2004 election.

[...]

The laws that permit some organizations to organize as tax-exempt  
entities also bar them from participating in or intervening in  
elections, including advocating for or against any candidate.

The IRS revoked the group's tax-exempt status last week, and it was  
reported Friday by The New York Times.

[More at URL]

----- 3 -----
Faith-Based Prison Group to Appeal Judge's Order to Shut Down
Focus on the Family
September 15, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041992.cfm

Prison Fellowship and the InnerChange Freedom Initiative (IFI) filed an  
appeal on Wednesday with the 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals. A  
federal judge had ruled that the Iowa faith-based rehabilitation  
program violates the separation of church and state.

[...]

"Not just for faith-based organizations like Prison Fellowship and IFI,  
but also for the two million prisoners in America, and even for public  
safety," he said. "In a time when states are clamoring for help in  
fighting crime and reducing recidivism, it is the height of folly to  
shut down a proven, effective rehabilitation program like IFI."

[More at URL]

----- 4 -----
Pro-Life Legislator Wants FDA to Get Rid of RU-486
Focus on the Family
September 15, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041995.cfm

Sen. Jim DeMint, R-S.C., said he will put a hold on the nomination of  
Andrew von Eschenbach to head the Food and Drug Administration (FDA)  
unless he takes "immediate steps" to remove a dangerous abortion drug  
from the market, LifeNews reported.

[...]

Wesley Denton, press secretary for DeMint, said it is time for the FDA  
to protect women.

"Senator DeMint believes that a qualified FDA nominee would publicly  
discourage RU-486s use and take immediate steps to remove it from the  
market," he said. "We've reached a breaking point here, and the  
senator's not going to budge until they wake up over at FDA."

[More at URL]

----- 5 -----
Senate Passes Media Impact Study Bill
Focus on the Family
September 15, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041994.cfm

Pro-family experts praised the Senate for passing a bill that will fund  
ongoing research into the effects of TV, movies, the Internet, video  
games and cell phones on children's mental and social development.

The legislation, which had been awaiting a Senate vote since March, was  
the brainchild of Sen. Joseph Lieberman, D-Conn.

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., a cosponsor, said the Children and Media  
Research Advancement Act will provide grants to researchers looking at  
factors such as the format, length of exposure, age of viewers, nature  
of parental involvement and venue in which children view media.

[More at URL]

----- 6 -----
No Marriage Vote for Illinois
September 15, 2006
Focus on the Family

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041993.cfm

A pro-marriage group has decided not to fight last week's decision by  
the 7th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals that ruled against the placement  
of an advisory referendum concerning marriage on the November ballot,  
the St. Louis Post-Dispatch reported.

[More at URL]

----- 7 -----
Maryland Parents Win One
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
September 15, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041990.cfm

Group succeeds in balancing sex-education video for public schools with  
abstinence message.

Maryland parents have succeeded in their efforts to edit a video  
promoting condoms to public-school students.

Michelle Turner, a spokeswoman for Citizens for a Responsible  
Curriculum, said the first version of the sex-education video promoted  
condoms and the normalization of homosexuality and degraded ministries  
that see homosexuality as a sin and a changeable lifestyle.

"The committee that wrote the curriculum," she said, "refused to allow  
any materials or information related to ex-gays or those who had once  
been practicing homosexuals."

Turner took the curriculum to court, alleging viewpoint discrimination,  
and won. As a result, the film has a very clear message about  
abstinence: "Abstinence from sex is the only way to prevent unwanted  
pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections. Condom use may decrease  
but does not eliminate the risk of unwanted pregnancy or contracting  
sexually transmitted infections."

[More at URL]

----- 8 -----
Democrat Leader Calls for Polygamy Crackdown
Focus on the Family
from staff reports
September 15, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041991.cfm

Family advocates say Sen. Harry Reid is ignoring a larger problem,  
though: the push to legalize same-sex marriage.

The recent arrest of polygamist sect leader Warren Jeffs spurred Senate  
Minority Leader Harry Reid to request a task force to investigate other  
polygamist activities in Western states.

Jeffs is charged with two felony accounts of rape as an accomplice, and  
accused of arranging a "spiritual marriage" between an underage girl  
and an older man.

[More at URL]

----- 9 -----
Proposed FDA Regulation 'Unacceptable,' Bioethicists Warn
Experimental drugs could soon be used without informed consent.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
September 15, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041989.cfm

Should physicians be able to conduct medical experiments on unconscious  
or dying patients -- without any real oversight? That's the question  
attorney Rich Ackerman of the Pro-Life Law Center says is at the heart  
of guidelines the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) is contemplating.

The proposal, titled Guidance for Institutional Review Boards, Clinical  
Investigators, and Sponsors: Exception from Informed Consent for  
Emergency Research, would allow doctors to use experimental drugs and  
devices on human beings in "emergency situations" without obtaining  
their consent or the consent of the patient's representative.

[ Link to FDA summary:  
http://www.fda.gov/OHRMS/DOCKETS/98fr/E6-14262.htm ]

[More at URL]

----- 10 -----
Your Voice Needed to Protect Chaplains' Right to Pray
by Stuart Shepard, managing editor
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM
Received in email 14 September 2006

[Received in email; no URL]

There is an attempt under way to change language in the Defense  
Authorization Bill that would protect a military chaplains' right to  
pray according to his or her conscience.

The bill is currently in a conference committee where differences  
between the versions that passed the House and Senate are being worked  
out. The House version contains language authored by Rep. Duncan  
Hunter, R-Calif., that would allow chaplains to pray according to their  
faith.

The Hunter language states: "Each Chaplain shall have the prerogative  
to pray according to the dictates of the chaplain's own conscience,  
except as must be limited by military necessity, with any such  
limitation being imposed in the least restrictive manner feasible."

However, Sen. John Warner, R-Va., and others are pushing for  
alternative language that reads, in part:

"In situations other than theological services or sectarian ceremonies  
when a prayer is offered, the policy shall require chaplains to be  
sensitive to and respect the diversity of faiths represented."

Amanda Banks, federal policy analyst for Focus on the Family Action,  
said the alternative language would clearly violate the First Amendment  
rights of chaplains.

"The alternate language seeks to establish a right not to be offended,  
rather than protecting freedom of speech," she said. "It rejects  
religious liberty and would likely prevent a chaplain from praying 'in  
Jesus' name' outside of a church service."

She said chaplains must have the freedom to pray according to their  
conscience.

Take Action:
Call Sen. John Warner at (202) 224-2023 and your two U.S. senators. Ask  
them to ensure the Hunter language is adopted in the Defense  
Authorization Bill so chaplains may pray according to their conscience.

Click on the blue "Take Action" button in this e-mail to be  
automatically logged in to our Action Center where you may contact your  
senators.

----- 11 -----
Lack of Quorum Forces Postponement of Judicial Nominees' Vote
Delay in hearing could have catastrophic consequences for some  
nominated to federal appeals courts.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
September 14, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041976.cfm

The Senate Judiciary Committee was supposed to meet this morning to  
deal with — among other things — four of the president's recently  
renominated judicial nominees: William Myers, Randy Smith, William  
Haynes and Terrence Boyle.

It didn't happen.

Kay Daly, head of the Coalition for a Fair Judiciary, said Judiciary  
Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, R-Pa., had to "gavel out" — or cancel  
— the meeting because not enough senators were present to conduct  
business.

[...]

Four Republicans — Sens. Jon Kyl of Arizona, Mike DeWine of Ohio,  
Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Jeff Sessions of Alabama — did not  
show up.

[...]

Concerned Women for America Chief Counsel Jan LaRue said another  
meeting was set for next Thursday. She called what happened today  
"inexcusable."

[...]

TAKE ACTION:
If one of the missing senators is from your state, insist that he or  
she attend the executive session of the committee next Thursday to vote  
the well-qualified nominees to the Senate floor.

----- 12 -----
Polls Look Good for Marriage Protection
But family advocates stay it's still important for voters to turn out  
to support traditional marriage in eight states this November.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
September 14, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041974.cfm

Voters in eight states will weigh in on marriage-protection amendments  
this November, and while polls indicate wide support for defining  
marriage as only the union of one man and one woman, backers of gay  
marriage are making every effort to change the tide.

[More at URL]

----- 13 -----
September 14, 2006

New York Officials Face Lawsuits After Recognizing Gay Marriages

Two Westchester County officials are now facing court challenges that  
claim they overstepped their authority by recognizing same-sex  
marriages performed outside of New York, the Rochester Democrat &  
Chronicle reported.

[...]

Brian Raum, an attorney affiliated with the Alliance Defense Fund, is  
representing four people from Westchester County who filed the suits.

"Marriage has become an extremely emotional issue because certain  
people are trying to reduce it to nothing more than a benefits system  
for loving couples," he said. "These officials are clearly defying the  
law, since New York courts have consistently defined marriage in the  
state as one man and one woman."

[More at URL]

----- 14 -----
Combined Federal Campaign (CFC)
Deploy your dollars for the family!
Focus on the Family
Online as of 15 September 2006

http://www.family.org/stewardship/opportunities/a0017039.cfm/?CFC=CFCFAM

Are you military or a federal employee? Do you believe in the work of  
Focus on the Family? Now many of you who serve our country can also  
defend the family — with one easy pen stroke.

Focus on the Family is an active participant in the Combined Federal  
Campaign. If you are a federal employee, you can designate Focus on the  
Family as the charity of your choice during this year’s campaign.  
Simply write in #2067 on your pledge form.

[More at URL]

----- 15 -----
HHS Sued for Grant to Faith Group
Leftist Americans United for Separation of Church and State alleges  
recipient promotes "fundamentalist Christian agenda."
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
September 14, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041973.cfm

The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services is facing a lawsuit  
for granting $97,000 to a faith-based marriage counseling center. The  
suit claims the Northwest Marriage Institute promotes a "fundamentalist  
Christian agenda" and shouldn't receive federal dollars.

[More at URL]

----- 16 -----
Troubled Schools are Getting Help From Churches
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Focus on the Family
September 13, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041960.cfm

After a Dallas church helped a high school combat gang activity and  
disruptive behavior, dozens of schools asked for the same help.

In this era when liberal legal groups are endlessly suing to keep the  
church out of public schools, principals in Texas are begging for  
churches to adopt their schools for the sake of the students. The  
program is now going national.

[...]

As interest grew, it became clear a structured program was needed. Thus  
was born the National Church Adopt-a-School Initiative.

"What we did was develop a manual to show other churches how they could  
adopt a school in their community and turn it around and use it to  
impact the whole community," Evans said. "Because when a church adopts  
a school, and the school has kids, and the kids have parents — that's  
church, school and family — that's the hub of a community.

[More at URL]

----- 17 -----
Coalition to Illinois Supreme Court: Release Parental-Notice Law
Pro-family groups in Illinois have joined forces to call on the state  
Supreme Court to put a parental-notice law into effect.
Focus on the Family
September 13, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041964.cfm

The coalition — which includes Illinois Right to Life, Illinois  
Citizens for Life, Concerned Women for America, the Thomas More Society  
and the Illinois Catholic Conference — said the law has been on hold  
for more than a decade. They want the high court to do whatever it  
takes to implement the law.

[More at URL]

----- 18 -----
Pope Says Reason Points to a Designer
Focus on the Family
September 13, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041961.cfm

Pope Benedict XVI, during an outdoor mass in Germany on Tuesday, said  
that despite those in the scientific community who support evolution,  
the attempt to prove God unnecessary in the explanation of the universe  
is futile, Radio Vaticana reported.

His comments appeared to throw the weight of the Catholic Church behind  
intelligent design, the theory that some aspects of biology are too  
complex to be explained by evolution.

[More at URL]

----- 19 -----
More Action on American Values Agenda in Congress
A package of bills designed to address pro-family issues continues to  
advance.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
September 12, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0041949.cfm

The American Values Agenda is steadily moving through the House of  
Representatives, but it's become a race to the recess.

House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., and House Majority Leader John  
Boehner, R-Ohio, bundled 10 pro-family bills into a legislative package  
in June. Amanda Banks, federal policy analyst for Focus on the Family  
Action, said the House has been working to pass the agenda ever since.

[...]

Hostettler's bill would reform civil-rights laws that enable groups  
like the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) to file so-called  
Establishment Clause cases against cities and counties and, if it wins,  
to collect hefty attorneys' fees with tax-payer dollars.

While the suits would continue, the bill would eliminate a provision of  
the law concerning attorneys' fees.

[...]

In addition to PERA, the American Values Agenda consists of the Pledge  
Protection Act; the Freedom to Display the American Flag Act; the  
Internet Gambling Prohibition Act; the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act;  
the Human Cloning Prohibition Act; Permanent Tax Relief for Families,  
Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms (BATFE) Reform and the Disaster  
Recovery Personal Protection Act.

[...]

TAKE ACTION:
Contact your representative and ask him or her to support and cosponsor  
the American Values Agenda bills. Especially ask for support of the  
upcoming vote on PERA.

For help in contacting your lawmakers, please see the CitizenLink  
Action Center.

[More at URL]

----- 20 -----
New York Officials Attempt to Redefine Marriage by Fiat
Pro-family legal group to challenge grants of benefits.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
September 12, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041947.cfm

The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) is helping New York taxpayers stop two  
state officials from going beyond their authority by extending benefits  
to out-of-state and foreign homosexual couples.

New York State Comptroller Alan Hevesi and Westchester County Executive  
Andrew Spano have been effectively redefining marriage. Hevesi extended  
retirement benefits intended for spouses to out-of-state homosexual  
couples. Spano issued an executive order giving gays from Canada all  
the benefits of married couples in New York.

[...]

Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action,  
applauded ADF for heading off the efforts to bring about gay marriage.

"There will always be those bureaucrats who are friendly to the gay  
agenda," he said, "who will try to accomplish what they can't do  
legally or formally through the state Legislature."

[More at URL]

----- 21 -----
Policy Education OK for Churches
Voter-registration drives are just one thing houses of worship are  
allowed to do with Election Day approaching.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
September 11, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0041932.cfm

Churches that take seriously the need to get involved in public-policy  
information campaigns make a difference on Election Day, but they need  
to keep a few rules in mind.

Randy Wilson, a pastor at Mountain Springs Church in Colorado Springs,  
Colo., considers it one of his duties to equip church members to make  
their voices heard.

"We are going to have a voter-registration drive the middle of this  
month," he told Family News in Focus. "If we stay informed, we can  
better keep our leaders in line and in tune with what we feel is best  
for our country."

Churches like Wilson's will play a significant role in getting eight  
states, including Colorado, to pass marriage-protection amendments this  
fall. Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel for the Liberty Legal Institute,  
said when it comes to involvement, there are a couple of things  
churches need to keep in mind.

[More at URL]

----- 22 -----
Rhode Island Senator Blocking Bolton Nomination
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM
September 11, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0041937.cfm

Sen. Lincoln Chafee, R-RI, is blocking the confirmation of John Bolton  
as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations —and your help is needed to  
urge Chafee to let it through.

The Senate Foreign Relations Committee was scheduled to discuss, and  
vote on, the nomination last Thursday, but that plan was postponed  
after Chafee said he intended to oppose Bolton, who has already served  
in the position for a year since receiving an appointment from  
President Bush during Congress' recess.

[...]

TAKE ACTION
Please take a moment to contact Sen. Chafee and ask him to please  
confirm Ambassador Bolton.

Phone: 202-224-2921

----- 23 -----
Rosie Says Radical Christianity is like Radical Islam
Faith and Family Network
Friday, September 15, 2006

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/09/rosie-says-radical- 
christianity-is.html

Rosie O’Donnell shocked viewers and some of her colleagues on Barbara  
Walter’s show “The View” this past Tuesday by describing radical  
Christian and radical Islamists as the same.

She said, “Radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam  
in a country like America where we have separation of church and  
state.”

[...]

Had Rosie (a gay activist) or someone else made similar comments about  
minorities, homosexuals, or some other religion, there would have been  
outrage, apologies by Walters and ABC, and would have probably resulted  
in her being fired.

[...]

This next Tuesday, in Washington State, is a great opportunity to  
create change. Please participate.

[More at URL]

----- 24 -----
Religion in the Public Square
Faith and Freedom Network
Thursday, September 14, 2006

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/09/religion-in-public- 
square.html

The American Legion, a national veteran's group which has been around  
since World War I, has thrown its support behind PERA (Public  
Expression of Religion Act) which will be coming up for a vote in  
Congress within the next week or so.

Joe March, national spokesman for the American Legion, said their  
organization is calling on all members of Congress to make sure the  
bill gets a vote right away.

[...]

Please contact your Representative today. Click here to find contact  
information.

Ask them to support the Public Expression of Religion Act (PERA) H.R.  
2679 and ask them to call of House leadership for a vote.

Also, please ask the two Senators from your state to co-sponsor Senator  
Sam Brownback's companion bill to PERA, S. 3696. Click here to find  
contact information.

This is extremely important. Thank you for acting.

[More at URL]

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