[Active-l] Today's Cultural Warfare Update
R'ykandar Korra'ti
kahvlist at murkworks.net
Sat Jul 14 12:12:38 PDT 2007
WorldNetDaily columnist Donald Hank calls GBLT rights "Big Sodomy,"
in one of the weirdest anti-GBLT screeds ever, saying that "ex-gays"
will "bring down" queers the same way that the health dangers of
smoking brought down "Big Tobacco," and suggests a class-action
lawsuit against GBLT rights groups. Reframing a debate has never been
so stupid. Link courtesy elfs.livejournal.com;
WorldNetDaily condemns GLAAD for speaking out against the Fox News/
O'Reilly Report fake "story" alleging "hundreds" of lesbian gangs
going around killing straight men; they note GLAAD's - correct -
commentary that there was not one shred of evidence to support the
story, then relies on former Concerned Women for America wonk Peter
LaBarbera (now heading "Americans for Truth," an anti-gay
organisation) as a "fact" source supporting the article. The "facts"
mostly consist of assertions that queers are used to having it "their
way" in the media, with no actual facts provided - only references
back to the original stories that GLAAD pointed out were wrong,
repeated as authoritative, "This isn't fraud! It says it's not!";
I'm... not sure what culture is in favour of _this_ crap, but: judge
bars use of the terms "rape," "sexual assault," and all other terms
implying force in a _rape trial_; the victim will now be required to
describe being raped as "sexual intercourse" or "sex," which, of
course, imply _permission_. I don't see any theocrats being for this
- and WorldNetDaily is even on the right side, for once - but because
of the huge "what the hell?!" nature of this, I'm including it; link
courtesy kathrynt.livejournal.com;
American Family Association protests prompt three Operation Save
America (formerly Operation Rescue) activists to disrupt the first
Senate opening prayer by a Hindu religious figure; they condemn it as
"an abomination";
On the off chance you think that Operation Save America/Operation
Rescue might have any complaints about this, here's their press
release condemning the arrest, calling the Senate "violated" by the
"false god of Hinduism" and praising the protesters as having "the
courage to stand and proclaim, 'Thou shalt have no other gods before
me'";
There is video of the incident, of course, hosted on YouTube;
Amnesty International statement on their position on abortion;
Mr. Bush's Surgeon General nominee denies being anti-gay and
disclaims his 'homosexuality as a pathology' paper, even admitting it
had no scientific basis; I don't trust him; this courtesy Queerty, a
blog with which I have no experience but which was linked to by
Andrew Sullivan ( http://andrewsullivan.com );
Mike Gravel (Democratic presidential candidate) blasts Human Rights
Campaign for not inviting him to their Democratic presidential
candidate debate; he's the most vocally pro-GBLT of the candidates,
according to many (including himself); HRC, however, wants Ms.
Clinton to get the nomination. On the other hand, if you're wondering
why the HRC has no Republican debate, it's because only one or two of
the candidates even bothered answering their query letters, and even
those were not willing to attend; the theoconservative base would
destroy them for showing up with t3h qu33rz;
Time Magazine has a large article on "How the Democrats Got
Religion." Yay, now everybody will be waving around their Jesus
Penises; I can has new party nao plz?;
Box Turtle Bulletin is a three-person blog that monitors the same
groups I do from an exclusive GBLT-issues related standpoint. They go
into more depth within their focus; they don't provide quite as much
original source, quoting from within articles rather than linking to
articles in their entirety. That said, they're really good at what
they do. Here are a few of their current articles:
Bill O'Reilly broadcasts a Paul Cameron statistic, this one being
the "lifespan" stat claiming that queers live two and a half decades
less than straights; it's fraud, of course, like all of his work.
This comes on the heels of the "Lesbian Gangs" story, which was also
bullshit;
BTB has a story on local-ministry "Ex-Gay" people, contrasting them
to the national image presented by the large fundamentalist
organisations;
BTB's article, "Paul Cameron's World," ties famous fraud Paul
Cameron's writings on GBLT people - he's the author of The Death
Penalty for Homosexuality, amoungst other missives - with Paul
Cameron's own disturbingly favourable writings about the Nazi party's
handling of queers in Germany during the Third Reich. He also points
out direct parallels between Cameron's writing and Nazi writing on
other details of GBLT people. Yikes;
BTB maintains a list of individuals and organisations citing Paul
Cameron's work;
BTB documents the dissemination - often by fraud - of Paul Cameron's
latest "study," the fraudulent "lifespan" study mentioned above - and
the one cited without challenge on The O'Reilly Factor;
Here's Paul Cameron again, just for old time's sake, on his own
Family Research Institute web site; the article is "Stop Gay Rights,"
condemning GBLT people being legal at all, as he does. He also blames
"homosexuality" for the rise of Hitler in Germany - but will
eventually go on (see above) to praise the Nazi regime's treatment of
GBLT people. Yay;
Back on Mr. Bush's surgeon general nominee Dr. James Holsinger,
Concerned Women for America calls questioning him about his anti-gay
paper a "religious litmus test," saying that you can't oppose someone
for public office for being anti-gay for that reason. (However, you
can, obviously, support someone that way.) CWA's Matt Barber says
that "Dr. Holsinger has objectively placed scientific substance over
political correctness relative to the high-risk nature of homosexual
behaviors," apparently just before Dr. Holsinger admitted that his
paper had no scientific basis. They also praise Dr. Holsinger for
describing GBLT people as "unnatural" and "unhealthy." "Essentially
what these radical special interest groups and like-minded senators
are saying is that Christians need not apply for public service. This
is both hateful and discriminatory";
Focus on the Family: New Mexico Town Plans Tens Commandments Display,
with help from the Alliance Defense Fund;
FotF displeased with Massachusetts governor for cutting "abstinence-
only" sex ed. funding;
FotF has a quadruple-threat story about Plan B, the morning-after
birth control pill; they falsely declare it, per usual, as a
potential abortifacient; they note sales are expected to double next
year; they declare it a health risk (via quoting the sockpuppet
Family Research Council); _and_ proclaim it has "the potential for
abuse." I wonder what that abuse would be? Birth control, perhaps;
Focus on the Family claims abstinence-based sex education is the
cause of a 7% drop in self-reported sex by high school students;
somehow this is retroactive back to 1991, but hey;
At the ground level, Focus on the Family would really rather prefer
that women stayed in the home; this shows up a lot of ways. One of
the ways that this shows up is that they regularly rerun a variation
on the same story, "More Moms Say They'd Rather Be Home," saying that
women would rather not have to work. Gosh. I wonder how many man
would rather not have to work for a living, either? But that,
somehow, never shows up, and there's a reason for that;
Focus on the Family promotes "assets not connected to morally
questionable activities" run by Stewardship Partners Investment
Counsel. It's kind of like a commercial, but it's pretending to be a
news story. I wonder if they got paid for it;
Focus on the Family newsbrief notes Ohio state rep. Tom Brinkman
(Brinkman? Brinkmanship? Irony is so ironic) introduces a
comprehensive abortion ban bill, including "the distribution of
abortion-inducing drugs"; what's interesting about _that_ is that as
far as the fundamentalists are concerned, that includes emergency
birth control (Plan B, which is _not_ the same as RU-486) and,
according to some fundamentalists, _all_ forms of chemical birth
control, and some which aren't. I wonder what definition is being
used here;
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to support bans on "sexually explicit
businesses," lists Troy, Michigan as an example, and! links to lawyer
Scott Bergthold's web site where he offers services in helping draft
such laws. Again, is this news, or a commercial? I don't know;
FotF condemns Florida library for accepting GBLT-themed collection
that includes "pornographic" material. The collection will be
restricted to adults only, but that's not good enough;
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to oppose adding GBLT people to
Federal hate-crimes law, calling it, as they do, "special protections
for homosexuals"; normally they use the phrase "special rights," so
that's an interesting shift. I guess their polling has found that
people respond more negatively to "special protections" for queers
than "special rights";
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to complain to The Detroit Press that
their coverage of an American Psychological Association committee's
decision to consider whether it is possible to offer therapy -
presumably "conversion" therapy :-p - to "patients who are
dissatisfied living homosexually" is "bias, cut and dried" against ex-
gay bullshit and for queers; according to the story below, it has
mostly to do with considering religious beliefs of patients in
therapy. In the article below, it's a theocon-based drive to get this
considered;
Focus on the Family article on the American Psychological Association
committee being formed; they worry that it will actually come out
with a harder line against ex-gay bullshit;
FotF urges extension of abortion-only sexual education funding;
Focus on the Family's book promotion is for "Restoring Sexual
Identity," an "ex-lesbian" book. One of Focus on the Family's core
efforts is to separate the idea of sexual orientation from the
person, to pretend that it's not integral but is instead an
affliction that can be cured, that is separate from the person. This
is core to all of Focus's "ex-gay" efforts, really;
FotF: "ACLU Challenges Arizona Tuition Tax-Credit Program";
FotF praises NFL coach Dungy (Indianapolis Colts) for being a
fundamentalist; they've previously praised his anti-gay commentary;
Focus on the Family story, "University Sued for Refusing to Recognize
Christian Group," points out another theoconservative meme; if they
aren't allowed to discriminate against people (in this case, women
and non-Christians), then they are being oppressed. In this case, the
University of Florida is refusing to recognise a student group
because it bans women and discriminates on the basis of religion,
both explicitly, and as part of its charter. Focus on the Family
calls this anti-Christian discrimination, a "disgrace," and is
supporting the lawsuit (Christian Legal Society and Alliance Defense
Fund lawsuit) against U. Florida;
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to "restore decency" on broadcast TV;
it's a pair of amendments by Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS);
FotF story condemning "Homosexual Conference" on GBLT rights overseas
quotes Peter LaBarbera supporting Jamaica's outright criminalisation
of GBLT people. (Peter LaBarbera is a former Concerned Women for
America wonk who is now with the anti-gay group "Americans for
Truth.") FotF seems fine with this. Also, part of the condemnation
includes blasting the conference for exporting "immoral American
standards" to the rest of the world. I look forward to seeing Focus
on the Family Canada, Focus on the Family Mexico, and Focus on the
Family Latin and South America branches' commentary on this story;
FotF promotes their Washington Briefing theocon confab;
Focus on the Family unhappy that most Americans don't consider
children the most important key to a successful marriage, and unhappy
most Americans think marriage keys include "personal happiness and
commitment";
Focus on the Family story on the Massachusetts man who failed the
state bar exam in part because he refused to answer a question about
same-sex marriage law in the state because he decided it was a
violation of his religious beliefs. Focus on the Family is
sympathetic. Note again the meme: anything that doesn't conform to
their religious beliefs, be that antidiscrimination or standing law,
must conform to them or be declared anti-Christian religious
discrimination;
Focus on the Family commends Missouri banning Planned Parenthood from
presenting information about sexual health in state public schools;
FotF: Kansas forms committee to review state abortion law; it's
another attempt to Get Tiller, more or less;
Focus on the Family's Tom Minnery condemns Sen. Obama (Democratic
presidential candidate) speech on Christian compassion.
----- 1 -----
Will ex-gays bring down 'Big Sodomy'?
Posted: July 7, 2007
By Donald Hank
WorldNetDaily
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56545
Remember how cool smoking was? If you're 45 or older, you do.
Whatever happened to that politically correct, cool, suave, debonair
habit that was all the rage among college students, profs, teachers,
Hollywood actors, big business and just about everyone purporting to
have "intellect"?
In a nutshell, some scientists at the National Institutes of Health
got together in the '60s, '70s and later and did some pioneering
studies that proved beyond the shadow of a doubt that this cool habit
could kill you.
Today, they're at it again. Only it isn't smoking. That's a dead
issue, thanks to science and lawyers.
The activists then were Big Tobacco, supported by Hollywood, the
advertising industry, the media and academe. Even politicians, like
FDR, smoked and helped sell the image. But the activists were
silenced by the nuclear option: lawsuits brought by the smokers, the
victims themselves.
[...]
Of course, the promulgation of knowledge and data concerning the link
between alternative sex and disease is hampered by the bullying
tactics of the elite. Thus, only a few facts are known at all to some
of the public (such as the results of a study in Scandinavia showing
that men in same-sex marriages die 24 years earlier than their
counterparts in the general population), and these facts aren't
mainstream, thanks to the media blackout on this issue and the
muzzling of opponents under color of law. [Editor's note: This is a
lie. Specifically, a Paul Cameron lie. Amazing how he keeps getting
recycled.] And that, in turn, is thanks to the activists.
[...]
If you have a friend or relative who has been persuaded by the media,
big business, politicians, university programs, including courses of
study, or any person or group to try this deadly lifestyle, and
especially if your friend or relative is already suffering from a
serious disease contracted as a result of it, talk to him or her at
the first opportunity about the very real possibility of starting a
class-action lawsuit against the group or groups that persuaded them
to enter into the activity that did them in. If you happen to be in a
care-giving profession, that is a shoe in the door.
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Payback for exposé on 'dyke' gang rapes
Homosexual activists attack revelations of lesbian assaults
Posted: July 9, 2007
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56577
Two news stories about hundreds of lesbian gangs attacking and raping
young girls in schools and other public locations have prompted a
backlash against the reporters by members of the homosexual community.
The broadcasts by Memphis television station WPTY and Fox News host
Bill O'Reilly quoted law enforcement authorities, victims, and even
some gang members to document the growing number of attacks on young
girls by lesbian gang members.
"The Eyewitness News Everywhere" report in Memphis documented
incidents of gangs known as GTOs, or "Gays" Taking Over, attacking
schoolgirls. Two prison inmates affiliated with the gang told the
station they had begun meeting to offer each other support, but a
younger generation of members had taken their group over for violence
and rape.
[...]
Peter LaBarbera, of Americans for Truth, an organization publicizing
information about the impact of the "gay" lifestyle, contends pro-
homosexual influences have so permeated many media organizations that
the "gay" promoters are accustomed to having only their side reported.
For example, the Memphis report referenced young schoolgirls being
hurt, but GLAAD's statement ignored those victims.
"All they wanted to do was shut down the story," LaBarbera told WND.
"This epitomizes the selfishness of the gay activists."
Having heard over the years of the fast-growing influence of lesbian
gangs and their tactics of intimidation, LaBarbera said the reports,
including an estimate of 150 attack squads in the Washington, D.C.,
region alone, were no surprise.
[Ed. Note: this is fundamentaly wrong on almost every key level. For
example, the "lesbians" in the DC case were men. DC police squads
were asked by other parties and had no idea what the hell O'Reilly
and others were going on about. And it gets worse from there.]
[...]
LaBarbera noted a prominent homosexual journalist has likened talking
to Christians about "gay" issues to talking to the Klan about race
issues.
"Obviously, this is their whole thing. They want to portray religious
conservatives as analogous to the Klan," he said.
He noted even Fox News has contributed to the National Lesbian and
Gay Journalists Association.
[...]
"Here's a lesbian gang story obviously affecting inner city schools.
If there were any justice in the media this would be huge. There
would be investigations kicking in," he said.
"This is really Orwellian. We've got gayspeak words," LaBarbera said.
"Here you have girls being raped by other girls, and somehow GLAAD
manages to turn the homosexual lobby into the victims," he said.
The original Memphis TV report included stories of school washroom
rapes of schoolgirls, assaults with sex toys, and the intimidation
that comes from the threat of those attacks.
LaBarbera told WND he heard about the "lesbian bullying phenomenon"
from former lesbian-turned-Christian evangelist Linda Jernigan, who
was contacted by a teacher about speaking at a suburban Chicago where
"this sick behavior was occurring."
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Words 'rape,' 'sexual assault' won't be allowed at rape trial
By The Associated Press
Hosted by First Amendment Center
06.22.07
http://www.firstamendmentcenter.org/news.aspx?id=18707
LINCOLN, Neb. — When Pamir Safi is tried for sexual assault next
month, prosecutors and witnesses won't be allowed to use the terms
"sexual assault" or "rape" to describe what happened.
That's because Lancaster County District Judge Jeffre Cheuvront
agreed to bar those words after defense attorneys argued the point.
Prosecutors don't think the ban is needed, but they say they'll live
with it.
But the woman accusing Safi of assault, Tory Bowen, says the judge's
order forces her to change the way she describes events. It's not
clear whether the restrictions played any role in the hung jury that
derailed the 33-year-old Safi's first trial in November.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
Senate Prayer Led by Hindu Elicits Protest
Associated Press
Friday, July 13, 2007; Page A07
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2007/07/12/
AR2007071202007.html
A Hindu clergyman made history yesterday by offering the Senate's
morning prayer, but only after police officers removed three
protesters from the visitors' gallery.
Rajan Zed, director of interfaith relations at a Hindu temple in
Reno, Nev., gave the prayer that opens each day's Senate session. As
he stood at the lectern in a bright orange and burgundy robe, two
women and a man began shouting "this is an abomination" and other
complaints from the gallery.
Police officers arrested them and charged them disrupting Congress, a
misdemeanor. The male protester said "we are Christians and patriots"
before police led them away. Police identified the protesters as Ante
Nedlko Pavkovic, Katherine Lynn Pavkovic and Christan Renee Sugar.
Their home towns were not available.
For several days, the Mississippi-based American Family Association
has urged its members to object to the prayer because Zed would be
"seeking the invocation of a non-monotheistic god."
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Theology Moved to the Senate and was Arrested
Theology has moved from the church house onto the floor of the United
States Senate, and has been arrested.
Operation Save America Press Release
Contact: Dr. Pat McEwen, Operation Save America, 321-431- 3962
http://www.christiannewswire.com/news/575363635.html
WASHINGTON, July 12 /Christian Newswire/ -- Ante Pavkovic, Kathy
Pavkovic, and Kristen Sugar were all arrested in the chambers of the
United States Senate as that chamber was violated by a false Hindu
god. The Senate was opened with a Hindu prayer placing the false god
of Hinduism on a level playing field with the One True God, Jesus
Christ. This would never have been allowed by our Founding Fathers.
"Not one Senator had the backbone to stand as our Founding Fathers
stood. They stood on the Gospel of Jesus Christ! There were three in
the audience with the courage to stand and proclaim, 'Thou shalt have
no other gods before me.' They were immediately removed from the
chambers, arrested, and are in jail now. God bless those who stand
for Jesus as we know that He stands for them." Rev. Flip Benham,
Director, Operation Save America/Operation Rescue
To Schedule Interviews with Rev. Benham:
Contact Pat McEwen: 321 431 3962
----- 6 -----
Christian extremists disrupt Hindu Senate invocation
C-Span 2
Hosted on YouTube
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EZ9To30Hz7A
[Click for unedited video]
----- 7 -----
AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL USA
July 6, 2007
http://www.amnestyusa.org/document.php?lang=e&id=ENGUSA20070706001
Most Reverend William S. Skylstad
Bishop of Spokane
President
United States Conference of Catholic Bishops
3211 Fourth St. NE
Washington, DC 20017
Dear Bishop Skylstad:
I am writing in response to the July 2 statement from the U.S.
Catholic Bishops on Amnesty International's (AI's) sexual and
reproductive rights policy and its specific attention to aspects of
abortion.
First, I believe strongly that we should not allow divergent views on
any one issue to undermine our shared commitment to work together to
end human suffering around the world. Through the years and despite
differences of perspective, the Catholic church and Amnesty, though a
secular organization, have stood as allies on fundamental questions
of human dignity, especially in our shared opposition to the death
penalty and our joint work to free prisoners of conscience jailed for
their religious beliefs. We have accomplished a great deal together.
It remains my fervent hope that we will continue to act upon our
common devotion to these causes by working jointly on behalf of
victims of abuse and torture, even though we cannot expect to agree
on each and every issue.
In this spirit I wish to correct the misunderstanding conveyed in the
bishops' statement which incorrectly asserted that AI has adopted a
"pro-abortion stand." In fact, Amnesty International's policy on
sexual and reproductive rights seeks to ensure that women and men can
exercise their sexual and reproductive rights free from coercion,
discrimination and violence. In doing so it responds to the human
suffering caused by abuses of these rights. Defending the right of
women to sexual and reproductive integrity in the face of grave human
rights violations, AI does not promote abortion as a universal right
but recognizes instead the right of women to be free of fear, threat
and coercion as they manage the consequences of rape and other grave
human rights violations.
AI will not advocate "abortion on demand," nor do we counsel
individuals as to what choice they should make on abortion. We take
no position as to whether abortion is right or wrong, nor on its
legalization generally. Instead our position is focused on three
areas of concern: opposition to imprisonment or other criminal
sanctions for women or providers of abortion; support for medical
treatment for women who suffer complications from unsafe abortions,
and within reasonable gestational limits, support for women who seek
abortion in cases of rape, incest or to preserve her life or when
pregnancy poses a grave risk to her health.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Holsinger Says He Ain't Anti-Gay
Queerty
Online as of 13 July 2007
http://www.queerty.com/news/holsinger-says-he-aint-anti-gay-20070712/
Senator Ted Kennedy dug into Surgeon General Dr. James Holsinger
during today’s Senate hearing. The senator from Massachusetts
eschewed questions on obesity and tobacco, two of Holsinger’s medical
missions, and instead asked the Kentucky based doctor about that now
infamous anti-gay, United Methodist Church-backed paper,
“Pathophysiology of Male Homosexuality”:
[...]
The bearded physician told the Senate:
Since my nomination on May 24, there have been several statements
made about me. Questions have been raised about my faith and about my
commitment to ensuring the health and welfare of all Americans,
including gay and lesbian Americans.
I am deeply troubled by these claims, which do not reflect who I am,
what I believe or the work I have accomplished in over 40 years of
practicing medicine. … Let me be clear — I have a profound respect
for the essential human dignity of all people regardless of
background or sexual orientation.
[...]
Meanwhile, presidential candidates Hillary Clinton, Barack Obama and
Chris Dodd, all of whom have questioned Holsinger’s medical merits,
failed to show up to the hearing. They will, however, be appearing at
HRC’s gay debate.
----- 9 -----
Gravel Blasts HRC
Queerty
12 June 2007
http://www.queerty.com/news/gravel-blasts-hrc-20070712/
Mike Gravel may not be a front runner for the democratic presidential
nomination, but he’s sure as hell the most outspoken of the
candidates. Could it be his opinionated ways that led HRC to snub him
for their gay debates?
Gravel certainly thinks so:
"…I think the real reason why HRC didn’t invite me is that I’m too
vocal in my advocacy of gay rights. None of the top tier candidates
would have been comfortable facing an opponent who consistently
points out their refusal to embrace true equality for gays and
lesbians. HRC simply bowed to the star factor. It’s just a shame that
this travesty was perpetrated in the name of the LGBT community."
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
How the Democrats Got Religion
Thursday, Jul. 12, 2007
Time Magazine
By NANCY GIBBS AND MICHAEL DUFFY
http://www.time.com/time/nation/article/0,8599,1642649-1,00.html
A president has to be a preacher of sorts, instructing, consoling,
summoning citizens to sacrifice for some common good. But candidates
are competitors, which means they seldom manage to talk about faith
in a way that doesn't disturb people, doesn't divide them, doesn't
nail campaign posters on the gates of heaven. Republicans have been
charged with exploiting religious voters, Democrats with ignoring
them: Hillary Clinton's voice gets tight as she recalls the mocking
response she received when she first spoke in spiritual terms about
the longing that people felt to invest in causes larger than self-
interest. "I talked about my faith years ago and was pilloried for
it," she says, and it is hard to tell if she is more impatient with
the conservatives who presumed they held the patent on piety or with
the liberals whose worship of diversity all but excluded the devout.
[...]
In this campaign season, if Clinton and Barack Obama and John Edwards
are any measure, there will be nothing unusual in Democrats' talking
about the God who guides them and the beliefs that sustain them.
Clinton has hired Burns Strider, a congressional staffer (and
evangelical Baptist from Mississippi) who is assembling a faith
steering group from major denominations and sends out a weekly wrap-
up, Faith, Family and Values. Edwards has been organizing conference
calls with progressive religious leaders and is about to embark on a
12-city poverty tour. In the past month alone, Obama's campaign has
run six faith forums in New Hampshire, where local clergy and
laypeople discuss religious engagement in politics. "We talk about
ways people of faith have gone wrong in the past, what they have done
right and where they see it going in the future," says his faith-
outreach adviser, Joshua DuBois. Speeches on everything from the
budget to immigration to stem-cell research are carefully marinated
in Scripture. "Science is a gift of God to all of us," said House
Speaker Nancy Pelosi during a debate on increased embryo-research
funding, "and science has taken us to a place that is biblical in its
power to cure."
The Democrats are so fired up, you could call them the new Moral
Majority. This time, however, the emphasis is as much on the majority
as on the morality as they try to frame a message in terms of broadly
shared values that don't alarm members of minority religions or
secular voters. It has become an article of faith among party leaders
that it was sheer strategic stupidity to cede the values debate to
Republicans for so long; that most people want to reduce abortion but
not criminalize it, protect the earth instead of the auto industry,
raise up the least among us; and that a lot of voters care as much
about the candidates' principles as about their policies. "What we're
seeing," says strategist Mike McCurry, "is a Great Awakening in the
Democratic Party."
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Bill O’Reilly Broadcasts Cameron’s “Lifespan” Statistic Unchallenged
Jim Burroway
Box Turtle Bulletin
July 12th, 2007
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2007/07/12/544
A few weeks ago, Bill O’Reilly’s program became something of a
laughingstock for raising the specter of 150 lesbian gangs wreaking
havoc in Washington, D.C. O’Reilly’s guest, Rod Wheeler, who gave
that scenario, has since apologized and O’Reilly has had to eat crow
over it.
Just last night, O’Reilly’s program became a platform for another
bogus statistic, this one from discredited “researcher” Paul Cameron,
whose comparison of homosexuality to smoking made it on the air
without challenge.
The segment on O’Reilly’s program focused on the San Diego Padres’
decision to hold a Gay Pride Night while giving away hats to
children. Sandy Rios, formerly of the Concerned Women for America and
currently of the Culture Campaign, took the anti-gay side. Ron
Deharte of San Diego Pride defended the Padres’ decision. During the
three-way interview, the screen showed numerous scenes of gay
couples, some holding hands, hugging and kissing. O’Reilly exploded
near the end of the segment, calling those scenes “exhibitionistic.”
This was clearly the case of two against one, with the calm-spoken
Deharte trying to make his points between the shouting.
Sandy Rios complained about the “mixing” of children with gay
couples, saying it sent the wrong message:
Sandy Rios: But let me just give you another way to think about this.
What if the San Diego Padres decided to celebrate a “smoking is fun”
night, and they had a smoking men’s chorus performing. Now there are
a lot of people that come to the game and they have a pack of
cigarettes or whatever, maybe they can’t smoke there. But that’s
different than celebrating smoking because we all know is that
smoking is really harmful to your health. Well, what people don’t
understand is that the homosexual lifestyle, especially for men, is
deadly. It takes their life ten to twenty years earlier than straight
men. That is not what we should be promoting before of our children…
[Emphasis mine]
Bill O’Reilly: But that’s their decision…
The connection of homosexuality to the dangers of smoking and a
reduced lifespan comes directly from discredited researcher Paul
Cameron. He first claimed that gay men die at the average age of 42
and lesbians die at 44 in 1993. That claim, based on his “obituary
study,” has been roundly discredited.
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
Contrasting National Ex-Gay Hype with Local Ministries
Timothy Kincaid
Box Turtle Bulletin
July 11th, 2007
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2007/07/11/542
For years we’ve heard tales of “former homosexuals just like me”
touted by national spokesmen with a sincere delivery, a confident
smile, and a wife and children hovering just within view of the
cameras. That is the public face of the ex-gay movement, the one
presented when politicians seek justification for denying civil
equality to gay individuals or couples.
The Miami New Times featured a story today on their local ex-gay
ministry, Worthy Creations. Those familiar with the movement will not
read much new; it covers the history of the movement and its many
embarrassments along with its wishes, dreams, and claims. But these
stories that sporadically appear around the nation which highlight
local ministries give a flavor that seems miles from the slick image
that Exodus’ national office sells.
Although Exodus’ Randy Thomas claims an informal study in 2003
resulted in 11,000 weekly attendants at their 150 ministries (an
average of 73), at the meeting attended by the reporter, there were
only six strugglers – a number far more consistent with what we read
in other local reports. And unlike the happily married ex-gays that
show up to press conferences and White House events, the local ex-gay
seems to be more like those described in this article:
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
Paul Cameron’s World
The SPLC said in 2005 that Cameron’s theories on homosexuality
“echoes Nazi Germany.” They didn’t know the half of it. Cameron
himself turned to a notorious concentration camp commandant to
validate this theories.
Jim Burroway
May 14, 2007; revised May 22, 2007
The original version is available at Ex-Gay Watch
Box Turtle Bulletin
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2007/07/11/542
In 2005, the Southern Poverty Law Center described Paul Cameron’s
theories on homosexuality this way: “Cameron’s ‘science’ echoes Nazi
Germany in that these disparaging descriptions of homosexuals are
reminiscent of themes found in the ugly history of anti-Semitism…”.
But as we shall see, Cameron does much more than just echo Nazi
Germany in his theories on homosexuality. And the SPLC didn’s have to
compare his theories to anti-Semitism to hear those echos. It turns
out that Cameron himself is much more direct, employing a bit of
holocaust revisionism to advance his cause. And the surprising thing
is, this evidence has been right there all along on his web site,
largely unnoticed for eight years.
But before we examine his retelling of the gay experience in Nazi
Germany, let's take a few moments to explore a little bit about what
goes on in Cameron’s world. And let’s begin with a recent e-mail
exchange between Paul Cameron and Dr. Warren Throckmorton, associate
professor of Psychology at Grove City College in northwestern
Pennsylvania.
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
Paul Cameron’s Collaborators
These are just some of the people who provide oxygen for Paul
Cameron’s self-documented Nazi-revisionist mission. Do they agree
with Cameron’s “solutions”?
Jim Burroway
May 15, 2007, Revised May 18, 2007.
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/2007/07/11/542
The Southern Poverty Law Center in 2005 made a passing reference to
Paul Cameron’s theories “echoing Nazi Germany.” Unfortunately they
missed the real story. In a chilling 1999 newsletter, Paul Cameron
himself cited the mercurial observations of a notorious Nazi
concentration camp commandant as evidence supporting his own theories
on homosexuality. Those observations, in turn, provide a deeply
disturbing context to Cameron’s obsession for those who — to use a
phrase Cameron borrows from Rudolph Höss — live “parasitic lives.”
And in his web site, he makes it plainly clear that it is his quest
to bring his vision to fruition for the rest of us.
Paul Cameron is just one man. But when others associate themselves
with his junk science to further their agenda, they provide him with
the oxygen he needs to keep his quest alive. Otherwise, he would fade
in irrelevance. And so the question must be asked of everyone who
uses his “research”: Do you agree with Paul Cameron’s “Solutions”?
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Paul Cameron's Footprint
And Another Stab At The “Homosexual Lifespan”
Jim Burroway
April 9, 2007
http://www.boxturtlebulletin.com/Articles/000,018.htm
Another “homosexual lifespan" study has hit the news. According to a
flurry of press releases making rounds, married gays in Scandinavia
die 24 years younger than everyone else:
Married Gays Die 24 Years Younger
Researchers Paul and Kirk Cameron reported at the Eastern
Psychological Association convention that married gays and lesbians
lived about 24 fewer years than their married heterosexual
counterparts.1
Gays Die Sooner: Implications for Adoption
“The life span of gays is 20-plus years shorter than the life span of
heterosexuals,” states Dr. Paul Cameron of the Family Research
Institute, a Colorado-based think tank. “This shortened lifespan,” he
warned, “has profound implications for adoption.”2
Discrimination Doesn’t Drive Gays To An Early Grave
Dr. Paul Cameron, of the Family Research Institute, a Colorado-based
think tank, said “there was essentially no difference between the
average age of death for homosexuals in accepting societies — Norway
and Denmark — and the United States, which, according to gay rights
activists, is still ‘a homophobic society’ since it still bans them
from the military and giving blood.”3
Homosexuality More Dangerous Than Smoking
Studies have shown that years of smoking shortens the lifespan of the
smoker from 1 to 7 years. But analysis of the age of death in Norway
and Denmark for gays who are legally married suggests that engaging
in homosexual behavior reduces the lifespan by 24 years!4
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Can Anything Be Done to Stop Gay Rights?
Paul Cameron
Family Research Institute
Online as of 14 July 2007
http://www.familyresearchinst.org/Default.aspx?tabid=145
The West has produced the richest and most vital civilization ever to
grace the planet, but our civilization is dying by slow degrees.
Western nations are producing too few children to maintain their
population. Most of our demographic decline is due to a mix of a self-
centered reluctance to have children, birth control, wholesale
abortion, and women in the workplace. The rise of militant
homosexuality has also been a significant factor. It is both a
symptom and a cause of our decline.
On one hand, the growing acceptance of homosexuality is symptomatic
of a larger trend in Western society — the growing view of sexuality
as “mere recreation,” a casual activity divorced from procreation and
family. Gay rights is also a cause of civilization’s decline.
Homosexuality is a unique manifestation of hedonism. Instead of
producing children, it preys on them. Instead of keeping to itself,
it proselytizes. Instead of promoting health and stability (as does
marriage), it thrives on aggression, spreads disease, and destroys
its practitioners, emotionally and physically.
Along with the promotion of birth control and abortion, the present
bland acceptance of homosexuality signals the end of the religious
and moral vision that made Western civilization coherent and
functional. We had a forewarning of this social collapse in Germany
following that nation’s defeat in World War I. During the Weimar
Republic, homosexuality was acceptable and consequently rampant. The
popular culture celebrated perversity. Kurt Weill’s songs portrayed
pleasure-seeking men moving from one homosexual encounter to another.
The first gay rights film, “Different From The Others,” appeared in
Germany in 1919. This period of moral chaos spawned National
Socialism and the rise to power of its sexually twisted leader,
Adolph Hitler.
[More at URL]
----- 17 -----
Poisoning the Surgeon General Nominee
Concerned Women for America
7/12/2007
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/13424/MEDIA/misc/index.htm
Washington, D.C. – This morning Senate hearings will begin for Dr.
James Holsinger, President Bush’s nominee for Surgeon General.
Holsinger’s nomination has become unfairly politicized due to both
his medical findings on homosexual behavior and his religious
beliefs. While Concerned Women for America (CWA) takes no position on
his nomination, we do believe that it is inappropriate and
unconstitutional to subject Dr. Holsinger to a religious litmus test.
Holsinger’s findings on male homosexual behaviors are medically sound
and are supported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
(CDC). He has unapologetically stated that homosexual behavior is
“unnatural” and “unhealthy” and runs counter to natural human
biological design.
Matt Barber, CWA’s Policy Director for Cultural Issues, said, "It is
both inappropriate and unconstitutional for the Senate to require
that any nominee pass an anti-Christian religious litmus test based
upon the demands of extremist left-wing special interest groups. In
the past, Dr. Holsinger has objectively placed scientific substance
over political correctness relative to the high-risk nature of
homosexual behaviors. The determinations he and numerous other
medical experts have reached are completely in line with the findings
of the CDC. The CDC has documented that people who engage in
homosexual behavior - by far - are at highest risk for devastating
and often deadly sexually transmitted diseases. Will liberals now
call for the CDC to be shut-down because the medical facts undermine
their political agenda? Essentially what these radical special
interest groups and like-minded senators are saying is that
Christians need not apply for public service. This is both hateful
and discriminatory."
For Information Contact:
Jennifer Fedor
(202) 488-7000
media.cwfa.org
----- 18 -----
New Mexico Town Plans Ten Commandments Display
Focus on the Family
7-13-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005047.cfm
The Bloomfield, N.M., City Council is moving forward with plans for a
granite monument displaying the Ten Commandments outside City Hall,
according to reports from The Associated Press.
The council approved a policy this week that allows monuments on city
property that relate to the development of the law and government of
the city, state or nation. The policy was drawn up with help from the
Alliance Defense Fund.
[More at URL]
----- 19 -----
Massachusetts Governor Cuts Abstinence-Education Funding
Focus on the Family
7-13-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005048.cfm
On Thursday, Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick vetoed $41 million in
spending approved by the Legislature, including funding for an
abstinence-only education program, The Boston Globe reports.
Among the cuts, Patrick excised a provision that would have allowed
the state to spend $712,000 in federal money on abstinence ed.
Massachusetts has received the grant since 1998, but public health
officials in the administration decided they no longer want the
money, because it can't be used to teach birth control.
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
Sales of Morning-After Pill May Double in a Year
Focus on the Family
7-13-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005049.cfm
In August 2006, the Food and Drug Administration authorized the sale
of the morning-after pill without a prescription to women 18 and
older. Annual sales of Plan B are expected to double this year, The
Washington Post reports.
"This is very concerning," Charmaine Yoest of the Family Research
Council told The Post. FRC is among several groups suing the FDA to
reverse the decision. "We think this is putting women's health at risk."
Plan B consists of higher doses of the hormones found in standard
birth control pills. It is taken within 72 hours of sex and is
intended to prevent pregnancy, but can sometimes cause an early
abortion.
Dawn Vargo, associate bioethics analyst for Focus on the Family
Action, said: "The increased use of Plan B increases the risk to
women's health and has the potential for abuse."
----- 21 -----
Report Shows Lower Teen-Sex and Pregnancy Rates
Decline began with the introduction of abstinence education.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Focus on the Family
07-13-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000005052.cfm
Teen-sex and pregnancy rates are down, according to a National Center
for Health Statistics (NCHS) report released today. Experts say
parents should take a closer look at the data to determine what the
statistics show and how to keep kids healthy.
The NCHS study tracked trends among high school students from 1991 to
2005. In 1991, 54 percent of teens reported having had sexual
intercourse. In 2005, that number dropped to 47 percent. The rate of
teen pregnancy also showed a dramatic decline.
[...]
Linda Klepacki, analyst for sexual health at Focus on the Family
Action, said 1991 is a significant marker for a reason.
"That's when we separated out abstinence education from contraceptive-
based education," she said. "We have seen a continual decline since
1991, so we can infer that we've had an effect with abstinence
education in our public schools."
Abma said Klepacki is on to something. While the study did not
attempt to investigate cause, she said, efforts to educate teens
about the risks associated with sexual intercourse have "increased
and intensified" over the last decade.
"Given how many of those efforts are going on," Abma said, "it is
probably making an impact on both abstinence and responsible sexual
behavior."
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
More Moms Say They'd Rather Be Home
Juggling work and family is tough to pull of.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
7-13-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005050.cfm
More and more working moms say full time is not ideal; they’d rather
be at home with their kids. What’s more, 48 percent of stay-at-home
moms say they wouldn’t change a thing, according to the Pew Research
Center.
Colorado working mom Joanna Brown told Family News in Focus that
finances make it necessary for her to work, but it would not be her
first choice.
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
Investors Search for Returns Without Regrets
'Values investments' consider morality as well as profits.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
7-12-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005041.cfm
"Values investments" – assets not connected to morally questionable
activities – are getting some conscientious investors a good return
on their dollar.
Investing based on moral values is proving to many to be the ticket
to good returns and a clean conscience. Rusty Leonard runs
Stewardship Partners Investment Counsel, which has outperformed the
S&P 500 by better than 26 percent.
[...]
The Timothy Plan offers a variety of mutual funds for people who
oppose abortion, pornography, alcohol, tobacco and gambling.
President Stephen Ally says although that limits quite a few
successful companies, they've doing pretty well for their investors.
One fund contains companies such as Bed, Bath and Beyond and Colgate
Palmolive.
[More at URL]
----- 24 -----
Ohio Lawmakers Consider Abortion Ban
Focus on the Family
7-12-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005040.cfm
Ohio state Rep. Tom Brinkman introduced legislation Tuesday to outlaw
all abortion, including the distribution of abortion-inducing drugs,
The Cincinnati Enquirer reported.
[...]
Gov. Ted Strickland has promised to veto any bill that restricts
abortion.
[More at URL]
----- 25 -----
Michigan City Restricts Sexually Oriented Businesses
Focus on the Family
7-12-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005039.cfm
Sexually explicit businesses, including strip clubs, book stores and
video stores, now face strict licensing requirements, thanks to a
vote by the Troy City Council. Troy is a suburb of Detroit.
According to the city's Web site, owners of these businesses must
pass a criminal background check, provide a list of their employees,
refrain from serving alcohol and install tip boxes.
The restrictions are meant as a deterrent, since Troy does not have
any sexually oriented adult establishments.
Daniel Weiss, senior analyst for media and sexuality at Focus on the
Family Action, said Troy is right in taking pre-emptive action.
"Even if no sexually oriented business exists in a town, it is
crucial to set up these ordinances as soon as possible," he said.
"We've seen these sex businesses intentionally locate in communities
with no regulations in place. Once they're there, it's very hard to
get rid of them. It's much better to proactively protect your
community."
TAKE ACTION
Scott Bergthold, one of the nation's foremost experts in obscenity
laws, can help your town draft an ordinance to regulate sexually
oriented businesses.
(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.)
----- 26 -----
Florida City Officials Allow Graphic Homosexual Material in Public
Library
Focus on the Family
7-12-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005038.cfm
Despite objections from Fort Lauderdale Mayor Jim Naugle, the City
Commission voted to allow a collection of books and magazines
depicting hard-core, homosexually oriented pornographic material to
be placed in the city's public library, LifeSiteNews reported.
The Stonewall gay and lesbian book archive will be moved from the Gay
and Lesbian Community Center to the county-run ArtSpace library.
Jack Rutland, executive director of the Stonewall Library and
Archive, said his policy is that only people 18 and older can use the
library, because of the graphic nature of the material depicting
homosexual sex.
[More at URL]
----- 27 -----
U.S. Senate Prepares to Vote on Dangerous Hate-Crimes Bill
Vote could come Monday on amendment to create special protections for
homosexuals.
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
Focus on the Family
7-12-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000005043.cfm
Legislation to create a new category of crime for actions said to be
motivated by prejudice based on specific characteristics, including
“sexual orientation” and “gender identity,” could get a vote in the
U.S. Senate as soon as Monday.
Democrats have attached an amendment to a Defense spending bill that
would create federally protected “class status” for homosexuals,
bisexuals, transvestites, “transgender” and “transsexual” people.
"You’re essentially creating a civil right based on immoral and
changeable behavior, and that’s a bad precedent to set in the law,"
said Peter LaBarbera of Americans for Truth.
The House of Representatives passed an identical version of the
legislation May 3 by a vote of 237 to 180.
On Monday, Tony Perkins of the Family Research Council will join
Focus on the Family's Dr. Bill Maier and Tom Minnery to discuss hate
crimes on the Focus on the Family radio broadcast.
"This legislation is essentially a federal power grab," said Matt
Barber, policy director for cultural issues at Concerned Women for
America. "It circumvents the 10th Amendment, which guarantees states'
rights, and the authority of state police power, and gives the
federal government power to police and to govern and to monitor and
to enforce crime at a municipal, or local level, which is really
constitutionally dubious."
Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst for Focus on the Family Action,
said Democrats are using a political tactic by tacking hate-crimes
legislation onto Defense spending.
"The president has already indicated he would veto a hate-crimes
bill," she said. "They’ve inserted this bill as an amendment to the
Defense Authorization Bill, and that puts the president in a
difficult position."
Horne and Barber are encouraging pro-family Americans to get involved.
"People should call the Senate," Barber said, "and let their senators
know that this hate-crimes legislation is dangerous, that it can have
a slippery slope effect, and really can oppress freedom of religion
and freedom of speech. It's entirely unnecessary because the
Constitution and 14th Amendment guarantee equal protection under the
law."
TAKE ACTION
Urge your senators to oppose the hate-crimes amendment. If you are a
CitizenLink subscriber, click the blue "Hate Crimes" button in the e-
mail. Otherwise, click on this link.
----- 28 -----
Bias, Cut and Dried
Need proof that the mainstream news media lean to the left? Keep
reading.
by Gary Schneeberger, vice president, media relations
Focus on the Family
7-12-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/clcommentary/A000005044.cfm
It’s one of the most blatant examples of media bias I’ve ever seen –
and I’ve seen a lot of them.
It appeared in Wednesday’s Detroit Free Press, under the headline
“Therapy to change gays’ orientation to be reviewed,” and was written
– sort of – by Associated Press reporter David Crary. I say he sort-
of wrote it because the Free Press ran only a portion of his piece –
about how hundreds of psychological, educational and ministry groups
are questioning the objectivity of an American Psychological
Association (APA) committee considering whether it’s ethical to offer
therapy to patients who are dissatisfied living homosexually.
[...]
Whoever edited the story there went beyond excising a few paragraphs
toward the bottom; instead, he or she removed the comments of every
one of the four people who expressed socially conservative views. The
only sources directly quoted are two people on the other side of the
debate – one of whom gets his quote from the story repeated in larger
type (known in the news business as a “read-out” or “pull-quote”).
[...]
Fair enough – but I wouldn’t say far enough. It’s true that a
skeletal summary of our side’s view is included, and there is a
snippet from the letter Focus on the Family signed, but we were
robbed of our opportunity to speak directly to readers. Not once, but
four times. With all due respect to Mr. Andrews, it’s not about how
many lines or words each side got to make its points; it’s about why
his newspaper thought spokespeople on our side didn’t deserve to make
their points at all.
[Editor's note: "robbed." Nice.]
[More at URL]
----- 29 -----
Psychologists to Review Policy on Homosexuality
Focus on the Family, others urge APA to consider faith of patients.
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
Focus on the Family
7-11-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000005032.cfm
Beginning next week, a task force set up by the American
Psychological Association (APA) will begin reviewing the
organization's 10-year-old policy on homosexuality, which opposes
counseling that treats same-sex attraction as a mental illness, but
does not forbid various therapies that address unwanted same-sex
attraction.
Focus on the Family has joined more than 250 pro-family organizations
and individuals in urging the APA to recognize the religious beliefs
of clients and to allow those who struggle with unwanted same-sex
attraction to receive therapy. The letter is signed by the Southern
Baptist Convention, Assemblies of God, Church of the Nazarene, the
American Association of Christian Counselors, the National Board of
Christian Clinical Therapists and more than 22 higher-education
institutions.
"We believe that psychologists should assist clients to develop lives
that they value, even if that means they decline to identify as
homosexual," said the letter, which represents about 20 million
Americans. It requests a meeting with APA leaders.
Warren Throckmorton, a psychology professor at Grove City College
near Pittsburgh, was denied a seat on the task force.
[Editor's note: Warren Throckmorton is a former regular writer for
Concerned Women for America, but has not been seen on their website
lately, possibly because, to his credit, he doesn't like Paul
Cameron's degree of fraud.]
----- 30 -----
Psychologists to Review Policy on Homosexuality
Focus on the Family, others urge APA to consider faith of patients.
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
Focus on the Family
7-11-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000005032.cfm
Beginning next week, a task force set up by the American
Psychological Association (APA) will begin reviewing the
organization's 10-year-old policy on homosexuality, which opposes
counseling that treats same-sex attraction as a mental illness, but
does not forbid various therapies that address unwanted same-sex
attraction.
Focus on the Family has joined more than 250 pro-family organizations
and individuals in urging the APA to recognize the religious beliefs
of clients and to allow those who struggle with unwanted same-sex
attraction to receive therapy. The letter is signed by the Southern
Baptist Convention, Assemblies of God, Church of the Nazarene, the
American Association of Christian Counselors, the National Board of
Christian Clinical Therapists and more than 22 higher-education
institutions.
[...]
Warren Throckmorton, a psychology professor at Grove City College
near Pittsburgh, was denied a seat on the task force.
"We work with clients to pursue their chosen values," he told The
Associated Press. "If they are core, unwavering commitments to their
religious belief, therapists should not try to persuade them
differently under the guise of science."
[...]
But Carrie Gordon Earll, senior director of issue analysis for Focus
on the Family Action, said she believes the APA "is on a path to
religious discrimination."
"Based on the charge to the task force," she said, "one possible
outcome is that the APA will declare any therapy that does not affirm
homosexuality as unethical — regardless of the client's goal. This
would be a slap in the face to millions of Americans who hold
religious and moral views on homosexuality."
[More at URL]
----- 31 -----
Abstinence Funding Granted Three-Month Extension
Focus on the Family
7-11-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005028.cfm
The U.S. House today passed legislation that extends funding for
Title V abstinence education for three months – until the end of the
fiscal year.
The Senate passed the bill last month. It now goes to the president.
Section 510 of Title V of the Social Security Act – established in
1996 – allows money for abstinence-only education to be distributed
to states that apply for it. Bush submitted a budget reauthorization
proposal in 2002, but Congress failed to act. Title V funding has
continued under a series of temporary reauthorizations and was set to
expire on June 30. The three-month extension buys lawmakers little
time to save the program.
Linda Klepacki, analyst for sexual health at Focus on the Family
Action, said people must continue to contact their federal lawmakers
and ask them to support abstinence-until-marriage education funding
beyond the three-month extension.
[More at URL]
----- 32 -----
Restoring Sexual Identity
Hope for Women Who Struggle with Same-Sex Attraction
Anne Paulk
Focus on the Family
Paperback
http://resources.family.org/product/id/101676.do?code=OL07XFARC3
Are you or someone you know struggling with same-sex attraction? Is
lesbianism an inherited predisposition? Find answers to this and
other critical questions. Women, their families and friends wrestling
with this issue will find practical advice for healing and change.
----- 33 -----
ACLU Challenges Arizona Tuition Tax-Credit Program
Supporters say it's all private money.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
7-11-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005030.cfm
The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is trying to get a court to
declare Arizona's tuition-credit program unconstitutional because it
allows tuition scholarships to be used at religious schools.
This is the fifth attempt by the ACLU and its allies to get School
Choice Arizona declared unconstitutional. The program, which helps
parents get their kids out of failing schools and creates competition
in education, is funded by private donors who get a tax credit for
supporting education.
[More at URL]
----- 34 -----
Coach Dungy Keeps 'First Things First'
Super Bowl winner visits Focus on the Family as new book hits the
shelves.
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
Focus on the Family
7-10-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000005027.cfm
Beginning Wednesday, Focus on the Family founder Dr. James Dobson
sits down with Tony Dungy, coach of the Super Bowl-champion
Indianapolis Colts.
"He's a champion in many areas, as I think we'll see," Dr. Dobson
says at the beginning of Day 1 of the three-day broadcast. "We are
elated … to have one of the finest men in America in our studio. We
are so excited about him being with us, not just because he is
successful as a coach, but because of the character of the man. He is
deeply committed to Jesus Christ, and he maintains a consistent
witness in everything that he does."
[More at URL]
----- 35 -----
University Sued for Refusing to Recognize Christian Group
Focus on the Family
7-10-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005022.cfm
The Christian Legal Society and Alliance Defense Fund filed suit in
federal court today against University of Florida officials on behalf
of a Christian fraternity, Beta Upsilon Chi (BYX). University
officials refuse to recognize BYX as a registered student group
because the group limits its membership to Christian men.
“Christian student groups cannot be singled out for discrimination.
The right to associate with people of like mind and interest applies
to all student groups on a public university campus,” Timothy J.
Tracey, litigation counsel for CLS’s Center for Law & Religious
Freedom, said in a statement.
[...]
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action,
said: "The national pattern of intentional discrimination against
Christian groups by state universities is a First Amendment disgrace."
----- 36 -----
Brownback Attempts to Restore Decency
Two amendments would help reverse a negative court ruling.
by Ashley Horne, federal issues analyst
Focus on the Family
7-10-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005026.cfm
Legislation that would restore regulation of sex, profanity and
violence on broadcast TV is scheduled for a vote Thursday in a U.S.
Senate subcommittee.
One of the two amendments offered by Sen. Sam Brownback, R-Kan.,
would render moot a recent U.S. circuit court decision that struck
down government efforts to regulate indecent content during the "safe
harbor" hours of 6 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Last month, the 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the FCC
exceeded its authority by finding so-called "fleeting expletives" to
be indecent. If left to stand, the 2nd Circuit's decision would allow
networks to air the "f-word" and "s-word" at any time of day.
The second amendment would give the Federal Communications Commission
the authority to prohibit excessive violence from 6-10 p.m. on prime-
time TV.
TAKE ACTION
If your senator is listed below, urge him or her to support Sen.
Brownback’s two decency amendments when the Senate Financial Services
Subcommittee marks up the Financial Services Appropriations Bill on
Thursday. If you are a CitizenLink subscriber, click on the link in
the e-mail. Otherwise, click on this link.
Democratic subcommittee members:
Sen. Richard Durbin (Chairman, Ill.)
Sen. Patty Murray (Wash.)
Sen. Mary Landrieu (La.)
Sen. Frank Lautenberg (N.J.)
Sen. Ben Nelson (Neb.)
Republican subcommittee members:
Sen. Sam Brownback (Ranking member, Kan.)
Sen. Christopher Bond (Mo.)
Sen. Richard Shelby (Ala.)
Sen. Wayne Allard (Colo.)
[More at URL]
----- 37 -----
Washington Briefing: Engaging the Next Generation
Pro-family leaders will equip values voters to speak out.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Focus on the Family
7-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000005009.cfm
The Washington Briefing 2007: Values Voter Summit, to be held Oct.
19-21, is designed to help values voters have a voice in issues of
importance to the family.
Sponsored by FRC Action and co-sponsored by Focus on the Family
Action, American Values and the Alliance Defense Fund, the second
annual summit will allow conferees the chance to attend a host of
events, including speeches, breakout sessions and private luncheons.
Tony Perkins, president of FRC Action, talked with CitizenLink about
the October conference.
[More at URL]
----- 38 -----
Fewer Americans View Children as Important to Happy Marriages
Most say a two-parent home is best for raising children.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
7-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005015.cfm
Children were ranked next to last in a list of nine qualities for a
happy marriage, in a survey from the Pew Research Center Americans.
Even sharing household chores ranked as more important. Only 41
percent of those polled said children are important to a successful
marriage, which is down 24 percent since 1990.
Cary Funk, a Pew Research spokesman, said more than six in 10 said
marriage was for personal happiness and fulfillment.
"So, we’re thinking about marriage in terms of the satisfaction of
the couple and less as the purpose being to have children,” he told
Family News in Focus. "People are thinking differently about marriage
– especially about the role of children in marriage – than they did
15 or 20 years ago.”
Carrie Gordon Earll, senior director, issue analysis at Focus on the
Family Action, said the survey is an alarming indicator that our
culture is too inwardly focused.
[More at URL]
----- 39 -----
Man Claims Bar Exam Question About Homosexual Rights is Unconstitutional
Focus on the Family
7-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005011.cfm
A Massachusetts man has filed a lawsuit claiming a question about
same-sex "marriage" on the state's bar exam violated his rights, Fox
News reported.
Stephen Dunne took the bar exam in May; his score was less than two
points shy of the requirement to pass. Dunne said that's because he
left one question unanswered concerning the rights of two married
lesbians, their children and their property. He said he believed it
legitimized same-sex "marriage" – which is contrary to his moral and
religious beliefs.
It's a "disguised mechanism to screen applicants according to their
political ideology (and) has the discriminatory impact of persecuting
and oppressing sincere religious practices and beliefs," Dunne said
in his lawsuit.
The bar exam, he said, is not the place for questions about same-sex
marriage.
"There's a different forum for that contemporary issue to be
discussed, and it's inappropriate to be on a professional licensing
examination," Dunne said. "You don't see questions about partial-
birth abortion or abortion on there."
[Editor's note: same-sex marriage is legal in Massachusetts, and as
such, part of Massachusetts law.]
----- 40 -----
Missouri Bans Planned Parenthood from Classrooms
Focus on the Family
7-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005013.cfm
Legislation signed today by Missouri Gov. Matt Blunt means abortion
providers will not be allowed to present information about sexual
health in the state's public schools, The Associated Press reported.
The law also requires abortion clinics to become ambulatory surgical
centers and makes the Missouri Alternatives to Abortion Services
Program permanent.
"All life is precious and needs to be treated with the utmost dignity
and respect," Blunt said. "I will continue working with the Missouri
General Assembly to pass strong pro-life legislation that respects
the sanctity and dignity of all human life."
[More at URL]
----- 41 -----
Sunflower State to Review Abortion Laws, Make Recommendations
Focus on the Family
7-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005012.cfm
In the wake of legal controversy surrounding notorious late-term
abortionist George Tiller, Kansas lawmakers have formed a committee
that will review abortion laws and make recommendations for next
year's session, The Associated Press reported.
Six members of the Kansas House and three members of the Senate will
participate in the review.
Rep. Melvin Neufeld, speaker of the House, said it was the
investigation into Tiller, initiated by former Attorney General Phill
Kline and continued, to some extent, by Attorney General Paul
Morrison that exposed a significant disagreement in the
interpretation of the law.
[More at URL]
----- 42 -----
Obama: Clueless on Christian compassion
Posted: July 5, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Tom Minnery
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=56512
At a recent church conference, Sen. Barack Obama gave a speech
designed to stir the hearts of all of us who yearn for more authentic
religion in the public square.
He was earnest, compassionate – and thoroughly misleading about the
proper roles of religion and government. As the presidential campaign
progresses, we will hear more such talk, and so what he had to say
must be dissected carefully.
First of all, the speech was powerful in its call for moral influence
on government. Had parts of it been delivered by my boss, Dr. James
Dobson, Barry Lynn would have fired up his sound-bite machine and the
media would have been apoplectic for days. But Sen. Obama is a
political liberal, and so there was no controversy.
[More at URL]
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