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

[Dara (R'ykandar Korra'ti)]

As a reminder, those action items I sent out over the weekend are  
EXTREMELY time-sensitive. Votes could come in within a week. PLEASE act  
on them QUICKLY if you're going to act on them at all, or it will  
likely be too late. Thanks.

I've been warning about this since the mid-90s, when I started tracking  
this stuff; the fundamentalist movement is now veering _sharply_  
towards opposing _all forms of birth control_, and _yes, they mean it_.  
Check the starred items below; even traditionally more normal  
conservative publications like _National Review_ are starting to give  
web space and press time to anti-_contraception_ activists.

But now, today's news.

Focus on the Family email ACTION ITEM: Keep Madonna's "Crucifiction"  
video off the air;

Focus on the Family: preventing non-profits (specifically churches)  
from engaging in partisan political activity without losing their  
tax-free status is an attempt "to Silence Pastors and Churches" -  
amusingly, these were _back to back_ in one Focus on the Family email  
update;

Focus on the Family reports that Illinois Supreme Court to take action  
regarding a state parental-notification abortion law;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to demand passage of an amended Defense  
Authorisation Bill which would eliminate non-sectarian requirements of  
pastors in mandatory military events; where this comes from is the  
religious harassment that became a serious ongoing problem at the Air  
Force Academy; this is part of their general attempt to reverse the new  
rules and allow proselytization at mandatory military events again;

FotF is pleased that the new FDA head's nomination (Dr. Andrew von  
Eschenbach) has been blocked by Jim DeMint (R-SC); DeMint says he won't  
let Eschenbach's nomination go forward without a flat statement from  
Dr. Exchenbach announces that he will pull RU-486 from the market;  
compare and contrast this to the endless ranting about opposition to  
Bush judicial nominees;

Blogger in rural Ohio writes about being denied access to emergency  
contraception because she's not married; removing this kind of Moral  
Judgment Of You is a part of why many people want to make it available  
over the counter, and why the theoconservative movement wants it banned  
outright, so they _can_ make that Moral Judgement Of You;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to defeat a citizen's initiative to  
overturn South Dakota's comprehensive abortion ban;

Focus on the Family condemns gay parents going to PTA meetings as  
couples, declares "such activism doesn't belong in school;" meanwhile,  
their national school efforts continue apace;

Focus on the Family: Conservatives Out-Birthing Liberals; you've seen  
this for a long time in Palestine and Israeli conflicts, "we'll  
out-breed them and take over"; the theoconservative movement has been  
moving towards this for a while here, too;

Concerned Women for America ACTION ITEM to support PERA, calls PERA the  
"best opportunity" for the theoconservative movement this session of  
congress; PERA is the bill that changes Federal law so that losers in  
religious discrimination laws don't to pay legal fees; they're calling  
it an "anti-bullying bill";

CWA applauds reintroduction of an anti-abortion bill in Congress;

CWA promotes anti-marriage-rights DVD, "What God Has Joined Together,"  
put together at Patrick Henry University (a leading evangelical school  
noted particularly as of late for sending more interns to the Bush  
white house than any other college); it's intended to bolster  
Virginia's anti-GLBT state constitutional amendment coming up this  
fall;

CWA ACTION ITEM for international calls to the chief of police of  
Jerusalem - intent is to demand that the police ban the city's GBLT  
pride march; it was already denied permit once; includes talk with  
Rabbi Yehuda Levin, spokesman for the Union of Orthodox Rabbis and Jews  
for Morality - he's American - who says that allowing a GBLT parade and  
tourism in Israel will "homosexualise" the middle east, inflame the  
Arab world ("the homosexualisation of the middle east, via Israel,  
which could really offend the world Arab community, who could say that  
America and Israel are exporting the homosexual culture to the middle  
east, and this could be a significant security problem for Jews world  
wide, an even Americans."), offend god, end civilisation; he talks  
about "the end times," and so on;

Agape Press complains about ineffectiveness of GOP leadership for not  
confirming every Bush judicial nominee; Jan LaRue (CWA) claims that not  
confirming Bush's nominees supports terrorism against the United  
States, particularly nuclear terrorism;

***** _National Review_ runs column condemning emergency contraception  
(Plan B) by Jennifer Roback Morse, PhD. Economics, who is apparently an  
anti-_contraception_ activist - or at least is a headline speaker at  
the Pro-Life Action League's "Contraception Is Not The Answer"  
conference this fall;

***** Pro-Life Action League's description of the "Contraception Is Not  
The Answer" Conference (September 22-23, 2006) describes contraception  
as a failure, claiming it "ushered in widespread promiscuity, divorce,  
sexually transmitted diseases, single parent households and abortion"  
and says it will "show that contraception is, indeed, the taproot of  
abortion";

Families Northwest event one: the "Fall Dinner;" they're less loud  
about it than most, but they are firmly anti-abortion rights and work  
with louder, more political groups; they've been quiet for a while but  
are picking up again; they're also running a cruise ship (?) down to  
Mexico for a week, with stops at a variety of typical destinations and  
a variety of speakers and talks;

Families Northwest press release supporting ruling that anti-marriage  
law in Washington State is not unconstitutional;

Families Northwest's chair, Jeff Kemp, writes happily about the Supreme  
Court upholding Washington State's, says they are "playing offense, not  
defense";

Canada Family Action Coalition says it's "time to fight the good  
fightback" and fight to end GBLT rights and fight Muslims;

Gay men try to enlist in the marines as protest action in Shreveport,  
Louisiana; refuse to leave, are arrested;

American Airlines stewardess and pilot threatens gay honeymooning  
couple with terrorism-based flight diversion for touching (more  
extensive description in article);

American Family Association's Agape Press has several anti-GBLT  
articles, also includes a neat article where Ohio's Ken Blackwell will  
spend much of his campaign attacking his divinity-degree opponent as  
anti-Christian (and a left-wing extremist), particularly for his  
opposition to mandatory prayer in public schools;

AFA/Agape Press reluctantly goes along with Federal court ruling  
against Missouri teacher-lead public-school prayer;

Five-point Calvinism making inroads in Southern Baptist Convention  
minister ranks as the race to who-can-be-most-extreme continues;

CWA wonk Warren Throckmorton says gender dysphoria / gender identity  
disorder being recognised by schools is an attempt by "homosexual"  
groups to "promote their own political agenda";

AFA/Agape Press story on Maryland sex ed. programme; they want  
GBLT-related material entirely out except for some statements about the  
"ex-gay" movement;

American Family Association ACTION ITEM to send one million pieces of  
email to NBC to demand they not show Madonna's "crucifixion" video;  
also to send mail to local affiliates with the same message;

defendMarriage.ca ACTION ITEM against "Little Black Book" which they  
call "Same Sex Indoctrination."


----- 1 -----
Madonna's 'Crucifixion' to Air for November Sweeps
Pop singer Madonna will appear on an oversized mirror-covered cross  
while wearing a sparkly crown of thorns on an NBC special in November.
Focus on the Family
September 19, 2006

[Received in email; no URL]

Kevin Reilly, the network's entertainment president, cleared the  
controversial rendition of her song, "Live to Tell."

"We viewed it," he told Access Hollywood, "and didn't see it as being  
inappropriate."

You can view the cross stunt on YouTube.com , then decide for yourself  
whether it's inappropriate for a major network to mock a central event  
of the Christian faith as part of a ratings-month stunt.

TAKE ACTION:
Let Kevin Reilly know that mocking the crucifixion of Christ for the  
sake of controversy-driven publicity and ratings is offensive to  
Christians all around the world.

You can e-mail him here: kevin.reilly at nbcuni.com
Or call him at: (818) 840-6046 and (818) 840-6022.
His fax number is: (818) 840-6630

(NOTE: Referral to Web sites not produced by Focus on the Family is for  
informational purposes only and does not necessarily constitute an  
endorsement of the sites' content.)


----- 2 -----
Group Seeks to Silence Pastors and Churches
Religious-liberty attorneys say congregations have a civic duty to take  
part in political process.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
September 19, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0042023.cfm

Religious-rights lawyers are accusing Barry Lynn, executive director of  
Americans United for Separation of Church and State, of trying to bully  
pastors and churches from entering into the political process.

On Monday, Lynn launched a national campaign to alert churches to the  
"dangers" of what he called "partisan politicking." He told reporters  
at the National Press Club he will be sending letters to more than  
117,000 churches, synagogues and mosques in 11 states warning them not  
to use the pulpit to espouse support for any political candidate.

"Dragging churches into partisan politics is just plain wrong," Lynn  
said. "It violates tax law, it damages the integrity of religion and it  
harms our democracy."

[...]

"I think what Dr. Dobson is doing, what others have done, is exactly  
correct," Sekulow said. "They want churches mobilized to exercise their  
constitutional obligation to vote, which is a biblical mandate - to be  
engaged in the culture. What Dr. Dobson and others are doing is  
fostering that in the right way."

[More at URL]


----- 3 -----
Illinois High Court Revives Parental-Notification Law
After a decade of inaction, justices announce plans to rule.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Focus on the Familiy
September 19, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0042022.cfm

The Illinois Supreme Court has announced it will finally take action  
that could lead to the enforcement of a pro-life law that has  
languished for 10 years.

The Parental Notice of Abortion Act, passed by the Illinois Legislature  
in 1995, makes it illegal for a girl under 18 to get an abortion  
without notifying a parent at least 48 hours in advance. But a federal  
court ruled the law unenforceable until the rules for a waiver were  
established. The high court never took action on setting these rules.

Peter LaBarbera, a spokesman for the Illinois Family Institute (IFI),  
said the Illinois Supreme Court is the only top state court that has  
refused to issue such rules. He said because the there is no  
enforceable parental-involvement law, girls from surrounding states  
travel to Illinois to avoid such laws in their home states.

"We are like the abortion capital of the Midwest," he said. "People are  
violating their own state laws to come here."

[More at URL]


----- 4 -----
Military Spending Bill Held Up By Chaplain Prayer Provision
Focus on the Family
September 19, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0042021.cfm

The Pentagon budget bill has stalled in the U.S. House - held up by a  
provision that would allow military chaplains to use the name of Jesus  
in prayer at nondenominational military events, The New York Times  
reported.

Prayer is not restricted at worship services because attendance is  
voluntary. But often chaplains are called upon to impart prayer during  
mandatory functions such as changes of command, banquets and speeches.  
It is in these instances that they are mandated to offer nonsectarian  
prayer.

[...]

TAKE ACTION:
Please contact your representative and senators and ask them to support  
the language protecting the rights of military chaplains inserted into  
H.R. 5122, the National Defense Authorization Act for FY 2007. You may  
contact them through the CitizenLink Action Center.

If you are a CitizenLink Daily Update subscriber, click on the blue  
"Take Action" button in the e-mail to be automatically logged in to our  
Action Center. Otherwise, click on this link.

[More at URL]


----- 5 -----
Senate Vote on FDA Chief Becomes Abortion Focal Point
Republican senator puts hold on nomination over RU-486.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
September 19, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0042017.cfm

Dr. Andrew von Eschenbach, the acting Food and Drug Administration  
(FDA) commissioner whom President Bush has nominated to be the  
permanent head, is scheduled to get an up-or-down vote this week in the  
Senate. But after several unsuccessful meetings with the nominee, Sen.  
Jim DeMint, R-S.C., placed a hold on the nomination until von  
Eschenbach expresses opposition to RU-486, also known as the abortion  
pill.

[...]

The Rev. Thomas Euteneuer, president of Human Life International, said  
it shows why DeMint¡¯s hold is so significant.

¡°The debate has gone far beyond the surgical abortion debate. It¡¯s  
now going into the chemical abortion debate. This is a challenge for  
all of us to hold strong to our principle and make sure that we defend  
all life from the moment of conception," he said. "I¡¯m just glad to  
see somebody standing up and taking this kind of leadership. It¡¯s  
sadly lacking.¡±

[More at URL]


----- 6 -----
Morality clauses, EC, and broken condoms
Den of the Biting Beaver
September 18, 2006

http://bitingbeaver.blogspot.com/2006/09/morality-clauses-ec-and- 
broken-condoms.html

I'm stunned. I'm utterly, completely stunned. I'm shaky and anxious and  
shocked beyond belief. I live in rural Ohio and I have been denied EC.

[More at URL]


----- 7 -----
Help Save South Dakota's Abortion Ban
Voters in the Mt. Rushmore State will pass judgment on law protecting  
the preborn.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
September 18, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0042005.cfm

A top pro-life member of the U.S. Senate says South Dakota's historic  
abortion ban is in danger of being nullified this fall when voters go  
to the polls.

Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan., is calling on all pro-family Americans to  
direct their attention to an initiative on South Dakota's November  
ballot seeking repeal of the state's abortion ban legislation - a  
measure he called "the best move yet to stop the horror of abortion."

[...]

Volk said the latest opinion polls show it to be a one-point contest.

[...]

Even if the abortion ban does pass muster and escape the abortionists'  
assault, Paulton said the law will likely face a court challenge.

Volk, meanwhile, said his group is working to get out the vote and  
mobilize pastors.

"We have about 50 days left before the vote," he said. "We believe that  
if our pastors preach the truth, with the respect that they have, the  
people attending those congregations will step up to the plate and say,  
'You know what, I need to vote.' "

[...]

One complication, South Dakota has three important measures on this  
year's ballot - all competing for attention: the abortion-ban  
initiative, a marriage amendment and an effort to repeal video lottery.

TAKE ACTION:
To learn more about the legislation and the campaign - especially if  
you are interested in volunteering your time or resources, visit the  
South Dakota Family Policy Council Web site.

[More at URL]


----- 8 -----
Gay Parents Encouraged to Be Activists at School
Group instructs them to combat "intolerant attitudes."
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
September 18, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0042003.cfm

Gay-activist group Family Pride has produced a pamphlet to guide  
homosexual parents in introducing themselves to their children's  
schools.

"Building Family Equality in the Classroom" suggests parents attend the  
first PTA meeting together and introduce themselves as a couple.

Barbara McPherson, legislative affairs coordinator for the California  
Family Council, told Family News in Focus such activism doesn't belong  
in school.

[More at URL]


----- 9 -----
Conservatives Out-Birthing Liberals
Focus on the Family
September 18, 2006

Conservatives are having more children than liberals, and that means  
their numbers are growing, The San Francisco Chronicle reported.

According to the 2004 General Social Survey, a random sample of 100  
liberal adults found that they had 147 children; 100 conservatives had  
208 children. The difference between the two is 41 percent.

[...]

"Liberals have got a big 'baby problem,' " he said, "and it risks being  
the death of them."

[More at URL]


----- 10 -----
PERA Viewed as Best Opportunity for Pro-Family Victory
Ashley Horne
September 19, 2006

The Public Expression of Religion Act (H.R. 2679) introduced by Rep.  
John Hostettler (R-Indiana), will likely get a floor vote sometime next  
week in the House of Representatives.  A vote on this bill is the best  
opportunity for a significant pro-family victory prior to Congress  
recessing for the campaign season in just three short weeks.  The  
Senate has not yet acted on its version of PERA (S. 3696), sponsored by  
Sen. Sam Brownback (R-Kansas).

[...]

¡°In essence, this is really a ¡®stop the bullying¡¯ bill. The ACLU and  
other groups have shaken down public officials and private groups and  
benefited greatly in legal fees,¡± said Bob Knight, director of CWA¡¯s  
Culture and Family Institute.

[...]

CWA urges supporters to contact their representatives and ask them to  
vote YES when PERA (H.R. 2679) comes to the floor for a vote next week.  
  This is our final chance to gain a pro-family victory before Congress  
goes back into recess for the campaign season. Capitol Switchboard:  
202-224-3121

[More at URL]


----- 11 -----
CWA Applauds Reintroduction of Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act
Concerned Women for America
9/19/2006

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/11527/MEDIA/life/index.htm

Washington, D.C. 6Ó1 Concerned Women for America (CWA) applauds Rep.  
Chris Smith (R-New Jersey) for reintroducing H.R. 356, The Unborn Child  
Pain Awareness Act. This life-saving legislation requires abortionists  
to notify their patients that an unborn child as young as 20 weeks old  
experiences pain during the abortion procedure.

[More at URL]


----- 12 -----
"What God Has Joined Together" DVD Available (4:50)
Concerned Women for America
9/19/2006

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/11519/CWA/family/index.htm

The battle to save traditional marriage continues in Virginia, where a  
student at Patrick Henry College has produced a moving DVD on the  
importance of passing the marriage amendment to the Virginia  
Constitution. Patricia Phillips, Director of CWA of Virginia has more  
on this DVD and other resources available. Click here to listen.

These resources are available at  
http://states.cwfa.org/states/details.asp?organization=va, or you can  
look up "Virginia" in the state directory on the national homepage,  
www.cwfa.org.

["The battle for marriage in the state of Virginia." Note that marriage  
is already illegal, as are domestic partner benefits (by private  
companies), and some property/contract rights for queers. Phillips:  
"It's a very strong amendment that defines marriage... it also defines  
that the state will not recognise any other type of arrangement that  
looks like marriage," meaning it bans domestic partnerships, civil  
unions, and anything even remotely like it; the typical goal is that if  
marriage includes a benefit - any benefit - GBLT people can't have it.  
Production was done for free (donated duplication, etc); no cost for  
the DVD. CWA of Virginia web site has information about it. Points  
people to CWA Virginia website, asks for volunteers, such as lobbying  
for it at church.


----- 12 -----
Homosexuals Demand Parade through Jerusalem (8:47)
Concerned Women for America
9/18/2006

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/11522/CWA/misc/index.htm

The WorldPride event held this summer in Jerusalem is over, but  
homosexual activists are still pushing to hold the postponed parade,  
this time just before the Jewish High Holy days of Rosh Hashanah. Rabbi  
Yehuda Levin, spokesman for the Union of Orthodox Rabbis and Jews for  
Morality, says calls are needed to Jerusalem¡¯s Chief of Police, Ilan  
Franco, asking him to again hold off this public display. Click here to  
listen.

You can call Chief Franco at 011-972-2539-1100 or you can fax him at  
011-972-2539-1466.

[Again, this is only a partial; my hands are still hurting. Quoted  
material is verbatim, however. Martha Kleider; Rabbi Yehuda Levin,  
spokesman, Jews for Morality; "I'm sorry to say that in the middle of  
the war tho' it was largely unnoticed by the world media, the  
homosexuals insisted on holding their week-long convention... they did  
have several hundred people attend a whole series of events..."  
Condemns GBLT people for trying to hold the parade. Currently there's a  
case up about this before the Israeli Supreme Court, who Rabbi Levin  
calls "to the left of Mao Zedong... very very leftist" (Mao Tse-Tung,  
depending upon transliteration system) chief of police says the parade  
would cause "social unrest." Last attempt, 500 American Christians  
phoned the Israeli police chief, Rabbi Levin calls the calls  
"tremendously effective," asks for "the American Christian community"  
to bombard the police chief with phone calls demanding the parade be  
banned. Gives phone numbers. "Christians worldwide are offended and  
oppose the homosexual parade in Jerusalem." "We're fighting against the  
homosexualisation of the holy land." "Ongoing attempts to make Israel a  
world capital year-round for homosexual tourism." Isaac Hertzog  
condemned for "inviting world homosexuals... to come 365 days a year to  
visit Israel and make this an international homosexual tourism centre."  
Talks about "the homosexualisation of the middle east, vis Israel,  
which could really offend the world Arab community, who could say that  
America and Israel are exporting the homosexual culture to the middle  
east, and this could be a significant security problem for Jews world  
wide, an even Americans."

Kleider calls a parade "a slap in the face of the lord." Then back to  
Rabbi Levin. Claims ancient enemies of Israel were involved in  
"homosexual attacks" on Jews. Claims that allowing GBLT people to exist  
dooms civilisations. Claims "that in these end times" that  
"institutionalized homosexuality is one of the most, if not the most  
serious problem in a moral sense that is confronting various  
civilisations." Condemns Prime Minister's daughter for being a lesbian  
and getting married in Canada. "We're all in this boat called the world  
together, and when somebody drills a hole in this boat... and we as  
American - Jews and Christians alike - have to do a spiritual mea  
culpia for allowing this immorality to be fostered in America, and to  
reach such a stage where it's now exported to the holy land." Calls  
upon Americans to "oppose the homosexualisation of the middle east, of  
the holy land... help[ing] to stop these kind of outrages."]

[Much more in .mp3 at URL]


----- 13 -----
GOP's Lackluster Performance on Judicial Nominations Draws Criticism
By Bill Fancher
September 18, 2006

(AgapePress) - The Senate has failed to act on four more of President  
Bush's judicial nominees -- and one critic is blaming the GOP leaders.

The four nominees to the U.S. Court of Appeals -- William G. Myers III  
(Ninth Circuit), N. Randy Smith (Ninth Circuit), William James Haynes  
(Fourth Circuit), and Terrance W. Boyle (Fourth Circuit) -- were hoping  
to be confirmed to their respective posts last week by the U.S. Senate.  
But senators failed to establish a quorum at Thursday morning's  
executive meeting of the Senate Judiciary Committee, so no vote took  
place.

[...]

The CWA spokeswoman is convinced America cannot win the war on  
terrorism without first winning the Democrat-led war on judges. "If we  
are going to defeat terrorism, we have to [confirm] judges that respect  
our Constitution rather than wrapping it around foreign terrorists who  
intend to bury it with us," she says.

LaRue, who is chief counsel for the Washington, DC-based policy group,  
believes by its inaction, the Senate Republican leadership is sending a  
dangerous message. "If Osama bin Laden watched [their] efforts to win  
the war over judges and equated it with their commitment to win the  
real war, he'd swap his cave for condo in Kabul or Karachi and start  
broadcasting live from his sundeck," she says.

"Those who won't stand up to empty suits can't expect to be taken  
seriously by a maniacal Jihadist who would use a real 'nuclear option'  
if he had it," she adds.

[More at URL]


----- 14 -----
Plan B Is a Bad Plan
With bad news to come.
By Jennifer Roback Morse
September 14, 2006 6:29 AM
National Review Online

http://article.nationalreview.com/? 
q=MjNiMzllYjRhNDRmMjA2NzZjOWMzZDFmN2MxNTJiYzQ=

The dispute over the morning-after pill has hinged on the politics of  
FDA approval and the science of abortion. Did the FDA withhold approval  
just to placate Bush¡¯s conservative base? Is Plan B really ¡°emergency  
contraception¡± or it is really a very early abortion? Now that the  
morning-after pill has been approved for over-the-counter use, we need  
to ask ourselves how it will affect the spread of Sexually Transmitted  
Diseases (STDs). I predict the morning-after pill will induce a new  
round of increases in sexually transmitted diseases.

[...]

- Jennifer Roback Morse is the author of Smart Sex: Finding Life-long  
Love in a Hook-up World. She will be a speaker at the Pro-Life Action  
League¡¯s conference, ¡°Contraception is Not the Answer,¡± in Chicago,  
September 23 and 24.

[More at URL]


----- 15 -----
Contraception Is Not the Answer
National Conference, 09.22-23.2006
Pro-Life Action League

http://www.prolifeaction.org/cinta/index.htm

In the mid-twentieth century, the industrialized world embraced  
contraception as the way to eradicate poverty, lower the birth rate and  
guarantee freedom for women.

But contraception ushered in widespread promiscuity, divorce, sexually  
transmitted diseases, single parent households and abortion. While  
abortion was hailed as a triumph for women's rights and the solution to  
"failed" contraception, it brought a host of its own problems,  
including post-abortion trauma, sterility, and an increased risk of  
breast cancer.

[...]

"Contraception Is Not the Answer" presents a fascinating program of  
eight speakers on the various ways in which contraception has impacted  
society¡ªits effect on women, on men, on marriage, on the culture¡ªand  
will show that contraception is, indeed, the taproot of abortion.

[More at URL]


----- 16 -----
10th Annual Families Northwest Fall Dinner
Saturday, November 11, 2006
Meydenbauer Center, Bellevue, Washington

http://www.familiesnorthwest.org/fnw.aspx?pid=107

Believe in Marriage

Join us for an evening of inspiration and entertainment with those who  
build up marriage and family.  We will be raising funds and energy to  
fuel the Northwest Marriage & Family Movement.

Time:

Dinner - 7:00 pm

Keynote Speaker:
Dan Wilson
Retired Catcher, Seattle Mariners

Co-Chairs:
Matt and Sarah Hasselbeck
Quarterback, Seattle Seahawks

Lorenzo and Leona Romar
Head Coach, Husky Basketball


----- 17 -----
Washington News
Washington Supreme Court Rules: Defense of Marriage Act Does Not  
Violate State Constitution (press release)
Families Northwest
July 26, 2006

http://www.familiesnorthwest.org/fnw.aspx?pid=115

Olympia, July 26, 2006 -- This morning, the Washington Supreme Court  
issued a decision in Andersen v. King County, a consolidated case  
regarding Washington¡¯s Defense of Marriage Act.

The Court¡¯s lead opinion was authored by Justice Barbara Madsen,  
holding the Washington Defense of Marriage Act does not violate the  
Washington State Constitution.  This decision overturns trial court  
decisions in King and Thurston Superior Courts in this case.

[More at URL]


----- 18 -----
A Marriage Decision Update from Jeff Kemp
Families Northwest
[Undated - online as of 19 September 2006]

http://www.familiesnorthwest.org/fnw.aspx?pid=341

Dear friends,

Yesterday the Washington State Supreme Court ruled to uphold the 1998  
DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act) and the definition of marriage as being  
between one man and one woman. This is clearly a pro-marriage decision,  
not an anti-gay decision. It is an affirmation of the unique and  
essential idea of marriage in our society.

I am grateful, relieved, and humbled by this sound decision. Yet I take  
no glee, as I feel for those who are disappointed.

The ruling is not only monumental for our state, but also for our  
nation. The court strongly supported the reasoning in the DOMA that  
tied marriage between a man and a woman to procreation, parenting, and  
better outcomes for children. This issue has been returned to the  
correct forum and gained a very strong precedent. Although it was a  
close 5-4 decision, the court¡¯s majority finding was clear about  
representative democracy and the authority of the legislature. It did  
not find same-sex couples to be a suspect class of specially protected  
citizens. It did not reduce marriage by calling it a "right."

However, the trends to take marriage lightly or to undermine and  
redefine it will not cease. We must look to the future.

The protection of marriage is not the whole of it. Families Northwest  
is based on playing offense, not defense, and on offering solutions,  
not fighting errors. Our work addresses problems that preceded and  
exacerbate the same-sex marriage redefinition issue ¨C divorce,  
non-marriage, and cohabitation. Our message, our resources, and our  
groundbreaking community strategies focus on the hope and help we can  
offer to marriage, parenting, and reducing divorce. Adults need this.  
Kids need and deserve this.

[More at URL]


----- 19 -----
Time to fight the good fightback
Christians are fed up with the assault on their religion from political  
correctness and Islam
The Daily Telegraph
Sept. 10, 2006
By Olga Craig
Reprinted by the Canada Family Action Coalition

http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/issues/freedoms/religious/fight- 
the-good-fight.htm

It could have been construed as a rallying call: a warning to committed  
Christians that they should heighten their awareness, open their eyes  
and stiffen their spines. And it was perfectly appropriate that it  
should have been delivered from the pulpit. Last Sunday morning, in a  
west London church, a Roman Catholic priest gave a thought-provoking  
sermon. It was a gentle reminder to his congregation that they should -  
figuratively speaking - fight for their Christian faith.

[More at URL]


----- 20 -----
Gay Activists Arrested During Sit-In at Marine Recruiting Station
KTBS 3
September 12, 2006

http://www.ktbs.com/news/local/3898771.html

Three people who staged a protest to draw attention to the military's  
policy not to accept openly gay members were arrested in Shreveport  
today after they occupied a Marine recruiting station and refused to  
leave.

The arrests came after two openly gay people tried to enlist in the  
Marines. A recruiter at the Mansfield Road station -- citing the  
military's "Don't ask, don't tell" policy -- told them they couldn't  
join after volunteering information they were gay.

[More at URL]


----- 21 -----
AIR KISS
Issue of 2006-09-25
Posted 2006-09-18
The New Yorker

http://www.newyorker.com/talk/content/articles/060925ta_talk_collins

American Airlines Flight 45¡ªdeparting Charles d  Gaulle at 10:40 A.M.,  
arriving J.F.K. at one each afternoon¡ªis a tourist¡¯s delight: timed  
just right to avoid late checkout, leaving time for one last Kir Royale  
at Les Deux Magots. On August 22nd, the coach cabin was packed with  
vacationing New Yorkers. Ralph Jackson (21A) and David Leisner (21B)  
were returning from two weeks in France, while Huffa Frobes-Cross (21F)  
had stopped over in Paris on his way back from South Africa. Assigned  
to seats 20A and 20B were George Tsikhiseli, a television journalist,  
and his writer boyfriend, Stephan Varnier. ¡°We¡¯ve been together only  
four months,¡± Tsikhiseli said last week. ¡°So it felt like a  
honeymoon.¡±

[...]

Shortly after takeoff, Varnier nodded off, leaning his head on  
Tsikhiseli. A stewardess came over to their row. ¡°The purser wants you  
to stop that,¡± she said.

¡°I opened my eyes and was, like, ¡®Stop what?¡¯ ¡± Varnier recalled  
the other day.

¡°The touching and the kissing,¡± the stewardess said, before walking  
away.

Tsikhiseli and Varnier were taken aback. ¡°He would rest his head on my  
shoulder or the other way around. We¡¯d kiss¡ªnot kiss kiss, just  
mwah,¡± Tsikhiseli recalled, making a smacking sound.

[...]

A little later, the purser appeared at Row 20. She was, by all  
accounts, calm and professional; to the men¡¯s surprise, she said that  
she knew nothing about the incident and had not instructed the  
stewardess to tell Tsikhiseli and Varnier to stop touching each other.

¡°Which stewardess was it?¡± she asked.

One of the men pointed out the stewardess¡ªa woman with, as Jackson put  
it, ¡°Texas hair, like from the nineteen-sixties.¡± According to  
Leisner, the purser rolled her eyes and said, ¡°Oh, say no more. I  
know.¡±

The purser asked the men to describe what they¡¯d been doing, and she  
acknowledged that their behavior had not been inappropriate. Tsikhiseli  
then asked if the stewardess would have made the request if the kissers  
had been a man and a woman. Suddenly, Leisner said, the purser ¡°became  
very rigid.¡± Contradicting what she¡¯d told them before, she stiffly  
said, ¡°Kissing is inappropriate behavior on an airplane.¡± She then  
said that she was busy with the meal service and promised to come back.

[...]

Maybe an hour later, the purser approached Tsikhiseli and said that the  
captain wanted to talk to him. Tsikhiseli went up to the galley and  
gave the captain his business card. The captain told Tsikhiseli that if  
they didn¡¯t stop arguing with the crew he would indeed divert the  
plane. ¡°I want you to go back to your seat and behave the rest of the  
flight, and we¡¯ll see you in New York,¡± he said. Tsikhiseli returned  
to coach.

[...]

But a customer-service representative named Terri, reached last week on  
the telephone, offered the opinion that kissing on airplanes is indeed  
permissible. ¡°Oh, yeah! Sure. I¡¯ve seen couples who are on  
honeymoons,¡± she said. ¡°They just don¡¯t want you to go into the  
bathroom together.¡±

[More at URL]


----- 22 -----
Commentary & News Briefs
September 19, 2006
Compiled by Jenni Parker
American Family Association/Agape Press

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/192006h.asp

[...]

...Ohio's Republican gubernatorial candidate is accusing his Democratic  
opponent of touting himself as a former Methodist minister while having  
an anti-Christian voting record in Congress. Ted Strickland's  
senatorial campaign website quotes scripture and is replete with  
references to his service as a minister. Indeed, Strickland's resume  
includes a master of divinity degree from Asbury Methodist Theological  
Seminary in Kentucky; however, Republican Ken Blackwell questions  
Strickland's faith commitment. "When asked directly by the Dayton Daily  
News what church he attended, he said, 'I don't attend a local  
church,'" Blackwell says. "And they asked him how frequently do you  
attend church, and he said rarely or occasionally." But according to  
Blackwell, this is an example of consistent behavior with Congressman  
Strickland. "He has tried to position himself as one thing in the state  
of Ohio, but his voting record shows him to be the left-wing extremist  
that I think he really is," the Republican candidate observes. Also, he  
points out, Strickland has been a leading advocate for removing  
displays of the Ten Commandments from public buildings and has voted  
against public prayer in schools. Such positions, Blackwell contends,  
are hardly what one would expect from someone who served as a Christian  
minister. [Chad Groening]

[...]

...Homosexual activists are making some demands of Israel's highest  
court in efforts to promote their deadly lifestyle in the Holy City. At  
a recent summer festival in Jerusalem, homosexuals were denied the  
right to have a parade in the streets, but they have been besieging the  
government ever since with their demands. Jewish Orthodox Rabbi Yehuda  
Levin says the homosexual activists "want to make Jerusalem the 'gay  
tourism capital of the world'" and have now gone before the Israeli  
Supreme Court, "demanding that they have the right to hold a march in  
the Holy City of Jerusalem on the very eve, on the very advent of the  
high holy days." If granted permission to hold their parade, the event  
could take place as early as next week. The homosexual activists were  
denied the opportunity to stage their parade during their recent summer  
festival in Jerusalem, after Chief of Police Elan Franco received some  
500 communications and telephone calls from American Christians, urging  
that the "gay pride" event be prohibited. Levin says Franco was "really  
surprised" by the inundation of Christian protests. The Orthodox rabbi  
is asking U.S. Christians to spend a dollar and about one minute to  
call Franco and ask him to deny permission for the homosexual parade  
once again. [Bill Fancher]

[More at URL]


----- 23 -----
Attorney: Constitution Concurs With Missouri Ruling Against Teacher-Led  
Prayers
By Jim Brown
September 15, 2006
American Family Association/Agape Press

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/182006c.asp

(AgapePress) - A pro-family attorney specializing in constitutional law  
says he's not surprised a federal judge has ordered a Missouri school  
to end school-initiated or sponsored prayer or other religious  
activities.

Judge Henry Autrey's ruling came in response to a lawsuit filed by the  
American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) on behalf of a woman and her two  
children, who attend Doniphan (Missouri) Elementary School. The lawsuit  
targeted two mandatory school assemblies that began with teachers  
leading prayer.

Mike DePrimo, senior litigation counsel with the American Family  
Association Center for Law & Policy, says Autrey's ruling is consistent  
with more than four decades of U.S. Supreme Court case law going back  
to 1963.

[More at URL]


----- 24 -----
10 percent of SBC pastors call themselves 5-point Calvinists
Sep 18, 2006
By Libby Lovelace
Baptist Press

http://www.bpnews.net/bpnews.asp?ID=23993

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (BP)--While LifeWay Research found the number of  
Southern Baptist pastors embracing five-point Calvinism to be  
relatively small, it is undeniable that the conversations on Calvinism  
within the Southern Baptist Convention have brought renewed interest to  
the theological system.

Proponents of Calvinism, or Reformed theology, view it as a healthy  
return to early Southern Baptist heritage. Others see Calvinism as a  
negative trend and fear it is threatening to take over the SBC. In its  
inaugural survey, LifeWay Research sought to document the prevalence  
-¨C or lack thereof ¨C- of Calvinism within the SBC.

[More at URL]


----- 25 -----
Psychologist Says Gender-Dysphoric Kids Need Case-by-Case Intervention
Christian PhD Claims Professional Conflicts, Pro-Homosexual Politics  
Fuel Gender Confusion Controversy
By Jim Brown
September 18, 2006

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/182006d.asp

(AgapePress) - Reports say a growing number of public and private  
elementary schools are allowing young boys to enroll as girls and vice  
versa. One five-year-old boy who is said to be rejecting his biological  
gender was enrolled by his family in Broward County Schools and is  
being called the youngest transgender child in the U.S.

A recent San Francisco Chronicle article featured two Oakland,  
California, elementary schools that are developing new ways to  
accommodate students who are said to be exhibiting "gender dysphoria,"  
which is described as confusion or discomfort about one's birth gender.

However, noted mental health counselor Dr. Warren Throckmorton of Grove  
City College in Pennsylvania believes children who feel they are the  
wrong gender require individualized, case-by-case intervention. In some  
cases, he suggests, reported incidences of gender dysphoria indicate as  
much about the mental health community as they do about the actual  
problem.

[More at URL]


----- 26 -----
Maryland County's Sex-Ed Material Not Yet Out of the Woods
CAUTION...This story contains terms that some may find offensive
By Jim Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
September 19, 2006

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/9/afa/192006c.asp

(AgapePress) - A group that sued Maryland's largest school system over  
its controversial sex-education curriculum is applauding some proposed  
changes to the new curriculum and raising concerns about others.

Last year a federal judge issued an order blocking implementation of  
the Montgomery County, Maryland, sex-ed program. Michelle Turner is  
president of Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum, one of the two  
groups that filed a successful lawsuit alleging the program denigrated  
conservative religious beliefs about homosexuality and contained  
misinformation about health risks posed by condom use.

[...]

According to Turner, liberal groups are still pushing for condom-based,  
homosexuality-affirming sex-ed in the classroom. For example, groups  
like the Gay, Lesbian, and Straight Education Network (GLSEN) and  
"Teach the Facts" want the county's new sex-education program to  
include discussion of anal and oral sex, she says. But if the changes  
advocated by those two groups are adopted, the citizens group leader  
contends the district may be in violation of the terms of last year's  
court-ordered settlement.

"It all depends on whether or not they are introducing homosexuality  
and homosexual acts and the homosexual lifestyle without telling  
students that it is possible to leave the lifestyle -- and that there  
are agencies and organizations that can assist with that," she says.

[More at URL]


----- 27 -----
NBC, Madonna Set To Mock The Crucifixion of Christ
Help send one million emails asking NBC to show Christians the same  
respect they show other religions.
American Family Association
Online as of 19 September 2006

http://www.afa.net/Petitions/IssueDetail.asp?id=215

Following the lead of Rosie O'Donnell and ABC, NBC has decided to join  
in the bashing of Christians by airing a Madonna special in November. A  
specific date has not been released.

In the show, Madonna, wearing a fake crown of thorns, descends on a  
suspended mirrored, disco ball-type cross. When some Christian leaders  
complained about the mockery, NBC ignored their concerns.

[More at URL]


----- 28 -----
defendMarriage.ca
Front page
Online as of 19 September 2006

http://www.familyaction.org/defendmarriage/

Last year, in defiance of public opinion, the government passed a law  
redefining marriage. Because educators are now required to teach the  
new law to all students, they are looking for curriculum to teach  
children same-sex relations. The material developed with assistance  
from the government is called "The Little Black".

The Little Black Book - Pornographic Propaganda Paid for by Taxpayer  
Dollars

This past year the federal, provincial and municipal governments  
provided St. Stephen's House in Toronto with funding of $7.8 million.  
One of the "educational" projects undertaken by this organization was  
the production and distribution of "The Little Black Book - A Book on  
Healthy Sexuality". This book purports to be a guide to personal and  
sexual development for teenage girls. In reality, it is a shockingly  
pornographic and deeply offensive piece of political and cultural  
propaganda.

[More at URL]


--
Please do not add this email address to any mailing
lists, or give it to any company or web site. Thanks!