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

[R'ykandar Korra'ti]

"Murder suspect says he was doing God's work" - he went looking for a  
gay man to kill, found one, and did. He insists he did the "right  
thing." This is, for those who are curious, _exactly_ what the  
fundamentalists are defending. _Exactly_. And I'm saying that as  
someone who is ambivalent about "hate crimes" laws. But I have the  
decency to be ambivalent about them in general, not just for some  
particular group I hate. (The various opposition groups are all fine  
with Federal hate crimes laws based on things like race and  
religion.) Anyway;

Fred Thompson lurches - harder - to the social right, trying to pick  
up theocon rank-and-file support;

NSA blamed two defector's traitorous activities on behalf of the USSR  
on their homosexuality - but oh look, turns out? Straight. And the  
NSA knew it;

I heard that the disturbing Nebraska judge declared a second mistrial  
in rape case after the woman who says she was raped used the word  
"rape" in testimony; here's Salon's article, on the whole thing;

Focus on the Family sends out a special Editor's Note with Friday's  
Focus on the Family political news update: an explanation that James  
Dobson still hates Harry Potter as much as any upright fundamentalist  
should, particularly for its "magical characters" such as "witches,  
wizards, ghosts, goblins, werewolfs, poltergeists, and so on,"  
condemning "the trend towards witchcraft and New Age ideology";

Focus on the Family opposes any Israel "promise to give up land;"  
it's not clear whether they oppose any two-state solution or not; the  
reasons, of course, are "biblical";

Focus on the Family condemns Obama, Edwards for pledging to support  
legal abortion;

FotF applauds House of Representatives vote supporting amendment to  
ban Federal funds from being spent on "mandatory" HPV (cervical  
cancer) vaccination; given that they were calling the _non-_mandatory  
listing of the vaccine with standard school vaccination lists  
"mandatory" - this was _a lie_ - I wonder what got passed here, as well;

Focus on the Family promotes "Revival Fires Ministries," which sends  
Bibles sent to US soldiers stationed in the middle east;

Focus on the Family sells their talking points against GBLT marriage  
rights for $15 a pop;

FotF condemns National Education Association for support of GBLT  
rights and also adding "sexual orientation" to Federal hate crimes  
law; Focus on the Family, as is standard, calls it "creation of a  
thought crime," ignoring that motive has _always_ been a key part of  
law, period, end of story, and calls the bill an attempt "to muzzle  
people of faith who dare to express their moral and biblical concerns  
about homosexuality";

Focus on the Family reports a Zogby poll stating that 97% of US  
adults say "professor bias" is a problem; support for the statement  
is wildly political, with 91% of conservatives calling the problem  
"serious" vs. 3% of liberals. FotF supports state "legislation that  
would protect students from professors who have conflicting  
opinions." This is another permutation of wanting to avoid even being  
presented with conflicting data - c.f. the recent case of a  
fundamentalist suing the state of Massachusetts for asking about same- 
sex marriage in Massachusetts on their state bar exam; he demands the  
right not to be asked the question because the law conflicts with his  
religious beliefs. Zogby, interestingly, links to the Focus on the  
Family story;

FotF continues the Bush judicial nominee drumbeat;

FotF continues the Bush judicial nominee drumbeat, part II;

FotF condemns Democratic presidential candidates for attending the  
Human Rights Campaign's debate, declaring "Democratic Presidential  
Candidates Pander to Homosexual Lobby," asserts that there should be  
no such debate and that no one should attend it;

FotF supports both attempts to pass marriage bans via initiative in  
California, supports both, but links only to the one they like  
better; they quote their sockpuppet California Family Council, which  
is their state affiliate - they describe it as "associated" with Focus;

FotF news story against U. Florida having Dr. Jack Kevorkian speak on  
campus; "Bobby Schindler, brother of the late Terri Schiavo" is  
organising protests. You should remember Terri Schiavo and the brutal  
- and crazy - battle that Congress got into a couple of years ago.  
She's held up as a totem/martyr by the fundamentalist movement as "a  
handicapped woman starved to death";

FotF condemns one school's rejection of "ex-gay" bullshit, declaring  
that "'tolerance' equals censorship"; Focus on the Family condemns  
tolerance of queers again, of course; the anti-gay Alliance Defense  
Fund is getting involved.

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to support amendment by Rep. Mike  
Pence (R-IN) to bar all Federal funds from going to Planned  
Parenthood in any capacity;

Focus on the Family promotes "Modesty Movement" and "Pure Fashion,"  
which has as its motto, "from the shoulder to the knees, nobody  
touches, nobody sees." I can't wait to see their swimwear - or their  
new line of burkas; oh, and by the way, women not wearing enough  
clothing causes the decline of cultures;

Focus on the Family promotes the discredited "Gangs of Lesbians  
Raping Our Children" scare-story aired on a couple of local stations,  
then inflated by Bill O'Reilly to "hundreds of incidents"; Focus's  
story quotes liberally (GET IT?) from various versions, condemns GBLT  
groups for opposing the story. "They don't want this type of  
information to get out... because then they know people's eyes will  
be opened, they'll begin to see this whole situation for what it is  
really is," which, pulling out the barely-contained subtext, is the  
old newtype blood libel of queers raping your children for their  
devient sexual desires;

FotF condemns Oregon court for ruling that both lesbian partners have  
parental status of their child; also promotes attempt to repeal  
Oregon DP law by "Defense of Marriage and Family," DMF appears to  
consist of a Republican former state senator, "Restore America," of  
whom I'm not aware, and the chair of the Constitution Party of  
Oregon, which has moved sharply to the theocratic over the last  
several years;

FotF credits anti-abortion laws for lowering abortion rates in  
Alabama, is very happy about that;

FotF condemns Amnesty International for wanting "to be free of fear,  
threat and coercion as they manage all consequences of rape and other  
grave human rights violations," which they declare to be a statement  
in support of abortion, despite AI's position that it does not  
"promote abortion as a universal right and Amnesty International  
remains silent on the rights and wrongs of abortion," saying that if  
you're doing the former, you're endorsing abortion;

FotF promotes David Limbaugh's book, _Persecution: How Liberals are  
Waging War Against Christians_, condemns tolerance, describes the  
separation of church and state as "mythical" - not just a bad idea,  
but outright mythical - and urges people to fight for the "true  
religious freedom" of, presumably, official government support of  
their religious beliefs over others;

Faith and Freedom Network condemns gay vets working to overturn the  
ban on lesbian and gay soldiers in the military;

Faith and Freedom Network condemns allowing a Hindu clergyman to  
deliver the ceremonial opening prayer before the US Senate, quoting  
well-known fraud David Barton (a fundamentalist historian who has  
been caught faking source material and then _defending_ the fakery as  
thematically accurate) as an authority; remember, when dealing with  
these guys, it's not "is it actually true" that matters, it's "does  
it support our position";

Faith and Freedom Network is one of the many groups repeating the  
"GAY ACTIVISTS TRY TO STOP TV NEWS STORY" line - the completely  
discredited story promoted on Bill O'Reilly's Fox TV show claiming  
that dozens to hundreds of lesbian gangs were gang-raping straight  
girls to turn them gay in schools across the country. This story was  
_complete bullshit_ - but FFN is promoting as true, just as was Focus  
on the Family and LifeSite and all that, and condemning GLAAD and  
other GBLT groups for protesting the _completely fictional_ story as  
news. FFN's repeat of the story is vaguely interesting as there's an  
extensive rebuttal first up in the comments which hasn't been  
deleted. However, the True Believers are supporting Gary, of course;

Faith and Freedom Network condemns makeup of American Psychological  
Association panel reviewing APA guidelines for treating GBLT people,  
because it has gay people on it. Also, who is PFLAG (Parents and  
Friends of Lesbians And Gays) according to FFN? They're "the folks  
who actively recruit young children under the guise of sex education";

Concerned Women for America's Matt Barber condemns Holsinger's  
distancing of himself from his previous statements; he (and CWA)  
wants a surgeon general who will condemn GBLT people, and to proclaim  
that queers are "demonstrably unnatural and unhealthy";

Concerned Women for America's Matt Barber condemns Democratic  
presidential candidates for showing up at the Human Rights Campaign's  
debate, condemns "the radical homosexual agenda," the "high-risk and  
destructive homosexual lifestyle," claims that "the CDC has  
determined that homosexuals — especially males — are by far at  
greatest risk for nearly all forms of sexually transmitted disease as  
well as other lifestyle related injuries" ("especially males" is  
clever excerpting there as lesbians are known for lower-than-average  
STD rates, but hey, what's a little reality got to do with "diseased  
fags" propaganda) and! and! invokes NAMBLA as a parallel. "Are  
presidential candidates going to be asked to participate in a debate  
on how to garner widespread acceptance of adultery or incest? Are  
members of the growing polygamy lobby and the pedophile group NAMBLA  
going to tap candidates for a televised debate to promote their  
chosen lifestyles?" What a dickweed.


----- 1 -----
Murder suspect says he was doing God's work
Cypress man is being held in the June death of flight attendant
By PAIGE HEWITT
Copyright 2007 Houston Chronicle
July 15, 2007, 12:34AM

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4968717.html

A Cypress man charged in the death of a Southwest Airlines flight  
attendant said Saturday that he was doing God's work when he went to  
a Montrose-area bar last month, hunting for a gay man to kill.

[...]

Mangum believed Cummings to be gay.

"I planned on sending him to hell," he said.

Cummings disappeared June 4. His charred remains were found June 16,  
buried on a 50-acre ranch near San Antonio owned by Mangum's 90-year- 
old grandfather.

[...]

Mangum — who claimed he has studied the Bible for "thousands and  
thousands and thousands of hours" — said God first commanded him to  
kill during a "visitation," or dream, while he was in prison in 2001.  
He said his victim must be a man because men "carry the harvest of  
the sinner."

[...]

"It's not that I'm a bad dude," he said, expressing concern that  
people might view him as "strange." Pausing briefly, he said, "I love  
God."

[More at URL]


----- 2 -----
Thompson Reaches to the Right
Laying the groundwork for evangelical support
By Dan Gilgoff
US News and World Report
Posted 7/15/07

http://www.usnews.com/usnews/news/articles/070715/23thompson.htm

For months, conservative evangelical activists have been fretting  
over a Republican presidential field whose front-runners are the pro- 
abortion rights Rudy Giuliani, the formerly pro-gay rights Mitt  
Romney, and John McCain, who once lambasted Jerry Falwell. Activists  
took little consolation in more socially conservative candidates,  
like former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee or Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback,  
who seemed doomed by low name recognition. Now the Christian right is  
eyeing former U.S. Sen. Fred Thompson, who is thought to be on the  
verge of entering the race. And Thompson is waging a rigorous behind- 
the-scenes effort to win its support.

[...]

The success of the effort is by no means ensured; in March, Focus on  
the Family's James Dobson told U.S. News that he doubted Thompson was  
really a Christian. But Dobson and Thompson have since talked, with  
Dobson rumored to be reassessing Thompson. And prominent social  
conservative Paul Weyrich, who met recently with Thompson and  
evangelical activists, said the former senator "was in agreement with  
us on almost everything."

[...]

Thompson is emphasizing his eight-year record as a senator from  
Tennessee and his campaign endorsements from the National Right to  
Life Committee. "It didn't look like he was saying what a group of  
Christian consultants told him to say," says Harry Jackson, a black  
pastor who met recently with Thompson. "He seemed to be saying, 'I'm  
one of you.'"

[More at URL]


----- 3 -----
The Worst Internal Scandal in NSA History Was Blamed on Cold War  
Defectors’ Homosexuality
But what if they weren’t gay?
By Rick Anderson
Seattle Weekly

http://www.seattleweekly.com/2007-07-18/news/the-worst-internal- 
scandal-in-nsa-history-was-blamed-on-cold-war-defectors- 
homosexuality.php

To some of his detractors, William Hamilton Martin was something of  
an amusing figure on the streets of Washington, D.C., in the 1960s, a  
bookish mathematician with a crew cut who walked with a Groucho Marx– 
like waddle. But what others remembered most was that lean, blue-eyed  
"Ham" Martin, a University of Washington graduate and the son of an  
Ellensburg meatpacker, was a meticulous dresser, spoke "slightly  
effeminately," and may have had a thing for a Stanford grad named  
Bernon Mitchell. Furthermore, the belief among some officials,  
politicians, and the press was that because Martin and Mitchell might  
be homosexual, they did the unthinkable: In the midst of the Cold  
War, the two National Security Agency code breakers defected to  
Russia and went to work for the Soviet government.

On June 25, 1960, after four years as trusted employees of America's  
largest spy agency, Martin, then 29, and Mitchell, then 31, flew out  
of Washington, D.C., with one-way tickets to Mexico City. From there,  
they quietly slipped off to Havana and took a Russian freighter to  
the Soviet Union, following a plan that had evolved over a year. The  
case stunned politicians and intelligence officials alike. Looking  
back, some of the defectors' neighbors and co-workers told  
investigators that if they'd been more vigilant about the pair's  
sexual proclivities, maybe they'd have been more suspicious of their  
patriotism.

[...]

But according to the NSA's own investigative files, obtained  
exclusively by Seattle Weekly, there's one major problem with the  
flaming traitor theory: Martin and Mitchell weren't gay. The formerly  
classified Pentagon and NSA documents, which reveal previously  
unpublished details of the historic spy-agency saga, appear to clear  
Martin and Mitchell of the sexual charges that rocked the country 47  
years ago this summer and led to landmark NSA policy changes.

[More at URL]


----- 3 -----
Gag OrderA Nebraska judge bans the word rape from his courtroom.
By Dahlia Lithwick
Posted Wednesday, June 20, 2007, at 7:27 PM ET
Slate

http://slate.com/id/2168758/

Usually we leave it up to the linguists and philosophers to muse on  
the crazy relationship between words and their meanings. In the law,  
words—the important ones, at least—are defined narrowly, and judges,  
lawyers, and jurors are trusted to understand their meanings. It's  
precisely because language is so powerful in a courtroom that we  
treat it so reverently.

Yet a Nebraska district judge, Jeffre Cheuvront, suddenly finds  
himself in a war of words with attorneys on both sides of a sexual  
assault trial. More worrisome, he appears to be at war with language  
itself, and his paradoxical answer is to ban it: Last fall, Cheuvront  
granted a motion by defense attorneys barring the use of the words  
rape, sexual assault, victim, assailant, and sexual assault kit from  
the trial of Pamir Safi—accused of raping Tory Bowen in October 2004.

[...]

Bowen testified for 13 hours at Safi's first trial last October, all  
without using the words rape or sexual assault. She claims, not  
unreasonably, that describing what happened to her as sex is almost  
an assault in itself. "This makes women sick, especially the women  
who have gone through this," Bowen told the Omaha World-Herald. "They  
know the difference between sex and rape."

[...]

Do a Lexis search on the influence of inflammatory language on juror  
perceptions. Try to find some social science data on the effect of  
loaded courtroom words on conviction rates. Not much out there, notes  
Murphy. That's one of the things that makes the Nebraska case so  
maddening. If judges are going to take it upon themselves to issue  
blanket orders that would have witnesses testifying that black is  
white, one might hope that they are trying to remedy some well- 
documented evidentiary problem.

[More at URL]


----- 4 -----
Citizenlink
Daily Update
Editor's Note
19 July 2007

[Received in email; no URL]

Dr. James Dobson wants all friends of Focus on the Family to know  
about an error involving him that appeared on Page 1 of Wednesday's  
Washington Post. In a story about Christians' views on the Harry  
Potter books and films, reporter Jacqueline Salmon wrote that  
"Christian parenting guru James Dobson has praised the Potter books."  
This is the exact opposite of Dr. Dobson's opinion -- in fact, he  
said a few years ago on his daily radio broadcast that "We have  
spoken out strongly against all of the Harry Potter products." His  
rationale for that statement: Magical characters – witches, wizards,  
ghosts, goblins, werewolves, poltergeists, and so on – fill the Harry  
Potter stories, and given the trend toward witchcraft and New Age  
ideology in the larger culture, it’s difficult to ignore the effects  
such stories (albeit imaginary) might have on young, impressionable  
minds.

Ms. Salmon has not only acknowledged, but apologized for, the mistake  
and has promised the Post will correct it Friday. It seems she simply  
repeated misinformation that appeared in a less high-profile  
publication; she acknowledged she should have contacted us directly  
to make sure the assertion was true -- and we appreciate her humility  
and professionalism in saying so.

The correction will also be offered to papers that subscribe to the  
Post's wire service and which may have also published the piece.

Dr. Dobson and the entire Focus family thank you for your continued  
interest in and support of our ministry.


----- 5 -----
Evangelicals Urged to Defend Israel
Pressure to give up land is a “move in the wrong direction.”
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
7-19-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005086.cfm

More than 3,000 evangelicals met in Washington, D.C., this week for  
the Christians United for Israel Summit, where they heard about the  
increasing pressures against the historic and biblical country.

Gary Bauer, president of American Values, said the Bush  
administration’s pressure on Israel to give up land is a “move in the  
wrong direction.”

[...]

Bill Koenig, author of Eye to Eye – Facing the Consequences of  
Dividing Israel, said standing with Israel is biblical.

“Genesis 12:3 talks about those who stand with Abraham, Isaac and  
Jacob and their decedents will be blessed,” he told Family News in  
Focus. “And those who do not will be cursed, and if you look at the  
end of that Scripture, it talks about all families on earth.”

[More at URL]


----- 6 -----
Edwards, Obama Pledge Abortion Support
The candidates’ health-care plans would cover “pregnancy termination”  
and “reproductive health.”
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
7-19-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005087.cfm

At the Planned Parenthood Action Fund presidential candidate forum  
earlier this week, the John Edwards and Barack Obama campaigns  
promised to include abortion coverage in their universal health care  
plans.

Elizabeth Edwards said her husband’s plan would cover “all  
reproductive health care, including pregnancy termination.” Obama  
said his would cover “reproductive health services,” which his  
campaign later confirmed includes abortion.

Kelly Shackelford, chief counsel of Liberty Legal Institute, told  
Family News in Focus the Edwards and Obama plans could void state pro- 
life laws.

”Under the U.S. Constitution, there’s what’s called the Supremacy  
Clause, which says that the federal law is the supreme law of the  
land – that if the federal government has authority under the  
Constitution, their law will trump the state law,” Shackleford said.

That could include parental-notification laws, clinic regulations,  
informed-consent laws and laws that require women be offered  
ultrasound services. Pro-life legal organizations would have their  
hands full.

[More at URL]


----- 7 -----
Amendment Keeps Taxpayers from Funding Mandatory HPV Vaccines
Focus on the Family
7-19-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005084.cfm

The U.S. House passed an amendment Wednesday that will keep the  
government from funding mandatory vaccination against the human  
papillomavirus (HPV).

Republican Reps. Phil Gingrey of Georgia and Jim Jordan of Ohio  
introduced the amendment following efforts across the country to  
require young girls to receive the vaccine to attend school.

[More at URL]


----- 8 -----
Bibles Lead Troops to Faith
Focus on the Family
7-19-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005082.cfm

Following a Fourth of July campaign, Revival Fires Ministries will  
send another 2,500 Bibles to soldiers stationed in the Middle East.  
Already the ministry has donated 140,000 to U.S. troops, the American  
Family Association reported.

Tim Todd, president of Revival Fires, is asking people to consider  
assisting the ministry in its mission.

"Bibles are better than bullets in Iraq and Afghanistan," he said.  
"That is the life-changing power of the Word of God — and it's making  
a difference in the lives of our soldiers."

Lt. Brian K. Waite, a command chaplain, told Revival Fires that when  
people are faced with their own mortality, they turn to the Word of God.

"I saw more than 60 combat-hardened men come to the saving knowledge  
of Jesus Christ,” he said. “In fact, I had the privilege of baptizing  
them in the Tigris River on Easter Sunday."

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Click here to learn more about Revival Fires Ministries


----- 9 -----
Ten Persuasive Answers to the Question ... "Why Not Gay Marriage?"
Glenn T. Stanton
Online as of 20 July 2007

http://resources.family.org/product/id/102435.do?code=OL07XFARC3

Focus on the Family defends natural marriage and opposes same-sex  
marriage whenever and wherever we're invited. Over time, we've  
learned which arguments have been most persuasive. In this concise  
and convincing set, Senior Analyst Glenn Stanton will share with you  
what he's learned in many college campus debates. Master these  
responses, and you'll be well suited to defend the family with love  
and compassion.

[More at URL]


----- 10 -----
NEA Votes for Gay Agenda
Teachers union does not reflect beliefs of many of its members.
by Candi Cushman, education analyst
Focus on the Family
7-18-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/clcommentary/A000005070.cfm

Some teachers got an unwelcome surprise this year when they returned  
home from the National Education Association’s annual convention,  
held in Philadelphia over the Fourth of July weekend.

They learned their NEA leaders had quietly adopted a recommendation  
to “develop public and member support” for the “creation, amendment  
and/or passage of federal hate-crimes legislation” and other pro- 
homosexual measures.

The revelation comes at an interesting time: Democrats are trying to  
ramrod a “hate-crimes” bill. They hope to force President Bush to  
sign it by attaching it to military spending legislation.

If the strategy works, we will have a federal law that punishes  
crimes based on thoughts, not actions. In short, we will have  
official “thought crimes.”

Dr. James C. Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family  
Action, has warned that “the true intent of the legislation is not to  
punish what is already illegal. It is to muzzle people of faith who  
dare to express their moral and biblical concerns about homosexuality.”

[More at URL]


----- 11 -----
Professor Bias Troubles Students and Parents
97 percent of U.S. adults say it's a problem.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
7-18-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005075.cfm

Do you worry your child will be fed a spoonful of political  
correctness in college? According to a new Zogby poll, you’re not  
alone. Ninety-seven percent of adults in the U.S. say professor bias  
is a problem at colleges and universities.

Notably, 91 percent of conservatives polled called professor bias a  
“serious” problem; but only 3 percent of liberals agreed.

Sara Dogan, national campus director with Students for Academic  
Freedom, hears complaints from students on a daily basis.

“There’s been a greater realization in recent years on the part of  
students that the education they’re getting is very much slanted,"  
she told Family News in Focus. "Students are beginning to wake up to  
the fact that they can fight this.”

One way to take action: a “Student’s Bill of Rights.” Dogan’s group  
is promoting state legislation that would protect students from  
professors who have conflicting opinions. Candi Cushman, education  
analyst with Focus on the Family Action, applauded the effort.

[More at URL]

[Zogby poll press release: http://www.zogby.com/news/ReadNews.dbm? 
ID=1334 ]


----- 12 -----
Senator Specter Defends Judicial Nominee Southwick
'There is not any reason that this man should not be confirmed,' he  
tells colleagues.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
7-18-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005076.cfm

Judicial nominations are once again the center of attention in the  
Senate, but this time leading Republican Sen. Arlen Specter of  
Pennsylvania, who was formerly on the fence with regard to  
conservative appointees, is speaking out in their favor.

Specter took the floor Tuesday to plead the case of Leslie Southwick.

[...]

Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action,  
said Specter is appealing to his colleagues from the other side of  
the aisle.

“There are two key meetings this week of the Judiciary Committee," he  
told Family News in Focus, "and Specter wants to use those  
opportunities to convince one or more Democrats to vote for  
Southwick, get him out of committee and send him to the floor of the  
Senate.”

[More at URL]


----- 13 -----
Administration Nominates Four More to Courts
Focus on the Family
7-18-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005073.cfm

The White House announced four nominees to the U.S. Courts of Appeals  
on Tuesday – bringing the number pending in the Senate to nine.

* Robert Conrad of North Carolina is nominated for the 4th Circuit  
seat vacated by the retirement of James Phillips.
* Catharina Haynes of Texas is nominated for the 5th Circuit seat  
vacated by the retirement of Harold DeMoss.
* Shalom D. Stone of New Jersey is nominated for the 3rd Circuit seat  
vacated by Samuel Alito.
* John Daniel Tinder of Indiana is nominated for the 7th Circuit seat  
vacated by the retirement of Daniel Manion.

Curt Levey, executive director of The Committee for Justice, said  
that leaves six unfilled vacancies and one pending vacancy on the  
appeals courts.

Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action,  
applauded the White House for taking action by nominating judges to  
these critical appellate court vacancies.

"At the same time, we urge the Democrat-controlled Senate Judiciary  
Committee to stop obstructing the nominees already before it,"  
Hausknecht said.

[More at URL]


----- 14 -----
Democratic Presidential Candidates Pander to Homosexual Lobby
Debate to be devoted solely to gay issues.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Focus on the Family
7-18-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000005078.cfm

The homosexual-activist group Human Rights Campaign (HRC) and MTV's  
gay cable network Logo are sponsoring a presidential candidate forum  
focused on one topic: homosexuality. While HRC is calling it a  
historic event, pro-family experts call it nothing more than  
political pandering.

The 90-minute event is scheduled for Aug. 9 in Los Angeles. According  
to HRC, all major Democratic and Republican presidential candidates  
were invited. The list of those who have accepted: Sen. Hillary  
Clinton, D-N.Y.; Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn.; former Sen. John  
Edwards, D-N.C.;  former Sen. Mike Gravel, D-Alaska; Rep. Dennis  
Kucinich, D-Ohio; and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill.

[...]

Connie Mackey, senior vice president of FRC Action, said a debate  
focused solely on homosexuality with an audience of gay activists is  
"clearly a setup."

"It's not good politics," she said. "The only positive I see out of  
it is that if enough Americans actually watch the Democratic  
candidates answer some of these questions, they're going to  
understand something about them that they probably have not  
understood before."

In other words, Mackey said, the gay agenda will come across loud and  
clear.

"The questions will be posed in such a way that it looks mean if  
you're not for it," she said. "So, they'll pose those questions  
strategically."

Carrie Gordon Earll, senior director of issue analysis for Focus on  
the Family Action, said the fact that Democratic presidential  
candidates have agreed to debate such a socially divisive topic  
"really shows where these particular candidates are coming from."

"By all appearances, this is political pandering at its worst," she  
said. "With so many critical issues facing our country – everything  
from the war to health care – this is a poor use of time and national  
attention."

[More at URL]


----- 15 -----
California Marriage Amendment Drive Takes Shape
Golden State may join the 27 that have changed their constitutions to  
protect traditional unions.
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
7-19-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000005088.cfm

This week, the official title and summary language for several  
marriage-protection initiatives has been approved by the California  
attorney general. Two strategies are in play, and two groups may  
battle for the same conservative population.

"An amendment to the California Constitution, which requires a vote  
of the people, is the only way to stop the politicians, and  
especially the courts, from redefining marriage against the will of  
the majority of Californians," said Ron Prentice, executive director  
of the California Family Council, which is associated with Focus on  
the Family.

[...]

"This incessant attack on marriage is precisely why Californians need  
to support the ProtectMarriage.com initiative to get traditional  
marriage enshrined in the state Constitution," said Mona Passignano,  
state issues analyst for Focus on the Family Action.

[...]

“Many churches and organizations are ready to get started, and we are  
thankful for the volunteer network committed to the signature- 
gathering process," Prentice said. "However, the release of official  
petitions for circulation depends on first obtaining significant  
financial backing. This is in process.”

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Visit the Protect Marriage Web site.

[More at URL]


----- 16 -----
Kevorkian speech protested
Focus on the Family
7-20-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005093.cfm

Bobby Schindler, brother of the late Terri Schiavo, has launched a  
petition drive to persuade the University of Florida (Gainesville) to  
rescind its invitation to convicted killer Jack Kevorkian to speak on  
campus Oct. 11.

“It is unacceptable for the University of Florida to give a platform  
to Jack Kevorkian, a man who willfully helped take people’s lives,  
some of whose only ailment was depression, and pay him $50,000 to  
spread his violent message of ‘mercy killing’ to the students of the  
University of Florida,” Schindler’s petition states.

[More at URL]


----- 17 -----
‘Tolerance’ equals censorship in public school district
Official tells group to ‘stay out of our schools.'
by Candi Cushman, education analyst
7-20-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000005098.cfm

A group that supports people trying to leave homosexuality is “like  
the KKK but only in the form of religion,” according to a teacher at  
Montgomery County, Md.’s Thomas S. Wootton High School.

[...]

Using a school-issued e-mail account, the teacher sent those messages  
to PFOX (Parents and Friends of Ex-gays and Gays), after the  
organization distributed fliers to students in compliance with school  
policy.

So much for “tolerance.”

Which is what the Montgomery County public school district claims  
it’s promoting by introducing a pro-gay curriculum in all of its  
middle and high schools this fall.

[...]

“They are essentially telling the kids that unless they accept  
homosexuality, there is something wrong with them,” said Michelle  
Turner, a mother of six with two in the school district. “These kids  
have no ability to voice their objection,” she said. “These lessons  
are so tightly scripted, there is really no discussion that is  
permitted to take place in the classroom.”

Turner is the spokeswoman for a local parents’ coalition called  
Citizens for a Responsible Curriculum (CRC). The parents received bad  
news in June when the Maryland State Board of Education denied their  
appeal, ruling that the district’s controversial lesson plans do not  
violate the law because “teaching tolerance of diversity is a civic  
value” with a secular purpose.

The message was clear: Anything taught in the name of “tolerance”  
trumps parental rights — as well as free speech and religious freedom  
rights. Other parents need to wake up to this trend, warned Turner.  
“This ‘tolerance’ is a guise for an agenda that’s being pushed on the  
school system.

[...]

ADF sent a letter this week to the president of  Montgomery County’s  
education board, citing federal court rulings that clearly forbid  
schools from singling out one group for censorship, while allowing  
the viewpoints of others.

[More at URL]


----- 18 -----
Pence Deserves Thanks for Taking on Planned Parenthood
Amendment would have kept taxpayer money out of abortion provider's  
hands.
by Jennifer Mesko, associate editor
Focus on the Family
7-20-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005097.cfm

Late Thursday afternoon, Rep. Mike Pence, R-Ind., offered an  
amendment to the Labor-Health and Human Services Appropriations bill  
that would prevent taxpayer dollars from being used to fund Planned  
Parenthood or its affiliates.

Unfortunately, 231 representatives in the U.S. House voted to  
continue to send millions of dollars in taxpayer money to Planned  
Parenthood, the largest abortion provider in the world. Joining Pence  
in voting for the amendment were 188 lawmakers.

Pence deserves our thanks, said Ashley Horne, federal policy analyst  
for Focus on the Family Action.

"We applaud Rep. Pence for boldly offering this important pro-life  
amendment," she said.

TAKE ACTION
Thank Rep. Mike Pence for taking a stand against Planned Parenthood.  
Call his office at (202) 225-3021.


----- 19 -----
‘Modesty Movement’ Gains Momentum
Author tells girls that their choices could transform our nation.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
7-20-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005095.cfm

Despite the devastating influence of today's culture, some are trying  
to teach girls they don’t have to dress immodestly in order to be  
true women.

The word modesty strikes fear in the heart of every girl who likes to  
wear the latest fashions, but doesn’t want to compromise her beliefs  
in the process.  And while some in the modesty movement are more  
about frump than style, others believe you can wear cute clothes and  
still maintain your dignity.

“It’s fine to follow some of the fashions just as long as we realize  
that you don’t want anything too tight, nothing too clingy, nothing  
too sheer and just make sure that ‘from the shoulder to the knees,  
nobody touches, nobody sees,’” author Colleen Hammond told Family  
News in Focus.

She said girls need to understand that their choices can influence  
others.

“We’ve learned from history that as the morality of women declines,  
the culture follows with it,” Hammond said.

Pure Fashion attempts to help girls with modest choices and has  
hosted 13 modest fashion shows around the country this year.

“We’re not necessarily afraid of the body. God created the body, and  
it is good and it is holy, and it is sacred,” said Brenda Sharman,  
national director of Pure Fashion. “It’s just that we want to have a  
reverence and a respect for the human body.”


----- 20 -----
Gay Activists Try to Stop TV Report on Lesbian Gang Attacks
High school students are the victims.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
7-17-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005067.cfm

The Gay and Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has  
apparently threatened to sue a Tennessee TV station for airing a  
report on lesbian gangs attacking students.

Jack Peck, general manager of WPTY in Memphis, said the station  
agreed to make some rewrites before the story aired in February, but  
that wasn't enough to satisfy GLAAD.

The story featured an interview with Shelby County Gang Unit  
specialist Beverly Cobb, who said girls are being attacked in high  
school bathrooms and stairwells by members of a gang called GTO or  
"Gays Taking Over."

“They are forcing themselves on our young girls in all our schools,"  
Cobb said in the televised report.

The station gave GLAAD an advance viewing of the story. The group  
declared it “sensationalistic and homophobic.”

Peter LaBarbera, with Americans for Truth, said the station manager  
told him the group definitely did not want the story to air.

“A senior staffer told him several times, ‘We’re going to take you to  
court if you air this report,’ ” he said.

Similar gang activity is reported in New York, Philadelphia, Chicago,  
Baltimore, and Washington, D.C. Linda Jernigan, a former homosexual,  
said that’s why GLAAD is making such an issue of the Memphis story.  
[Editor's note: There is no actual evidence of any of this.]

“They don’t want this type of information to get out," she told  
Family News in Focus, "because then they know people’s eyes will be  
opened, they’ll begin to see this whole situation for what it really  
is.”

[Editor's note: There is no actual evidence of any such epidemic;  
even Bill O'Reilly eventually backed down from his version of the  
story, which Focus nonetheless references here. Variations on this  
particular newtype blood libel story are _all over_ the  
theoconservative and fundamentalist propaganda spheres - Americans  
for Truth, GayWrongs, Catholic News Agency, Lifesite, World Net Daily  
- it's everywhere.]


----- 21 -----
Lesbian Partner Granted Parental Status
Focus on the Family
7-17-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005065.cfm

An Oregon woman whose lesbian partner gave birth will be listed on  
the child's birth certificate as the second parent, The Oregonian  
reported.

Multnomah County Circuit Judge Eric Bloch ruled Friday that Jeana  
Frazzini has a legal right to be declared the second parent. K.D.  
Parman, who conceived by artificial insemination, is the birth mother.

In his ruling, Bloch said the state constitution does not allow same- 
sex marriage, therefore does not provide a remedy for same-sex parents.

Oregon lawmakers passed a domestic-partnership law this year that  
will take effect Jan. 1. Bloch said that would solve the so-called  
inequity.

[...]

Defense of Marriage and Family is collecting signatures in Oregon to  
place a measure on the 2008 ballot challenging the domestic- 
partnership law.

[More at URL]


----- 22 -----
Alabama Abortions Down Nearly 50 Percent Since 1980
Focus on the Family
7-17-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000005066.cfm

Abortions in Alabama have been cut nearly in half over the past two  
decades, public health records show, dropping from 21,000 in 1980 to  
11,656 procedures last year, The Birmingham News reports.

"There's no doubt in my mind that the passage and enforcement of  
incremental pro-life laws like parental consent, 24-hour reflection  
period and mandated ultrasound before an abortion is performed have  
contributed to Alabama's drop in abortions," said Carrie Gordon  
Earll, senior analyst for bioethics at Focus on the Family Action.  
"Such incremental laws save lives and move the culture toward a day  
when abortion is no longer accepted or desired."

[More at URL]


----- 23 -----
Amnesty International Announces Support for Abortion
Critics say life is the most basic human right.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
7-17-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000005068.cfm

Human rights organization Amnesty International (AI) has shifted from  
a neutral stance on abortion to a positive one, now classifying it as  
a "human right." Pro-life groups, including Democrats for Life, are  
urging AI to reconsider.

Officially, AI states that it wants women "to be free of fear, threat  
and coercion as they manage all consequences of rape and other grave  
human rights violations.”

Kristen Day, executive director of Democrats for Life, said support  
for such a contentious issue is disrespectful to AI's constituents.

"I just think that’s a great disservice to those who want to support  
Amnesty International and the good work they are doing,” she told  
Family News in Focus. “The Catholic Bishops have come out and opposed  
this new idea that they have to include abortion.”

[...]

In a statement, AI maintained it does not "promote abortion as a  
universal right and Amnesty International remains silent on the  
rights and wrongs of abortion."

White took issue with that.

“They can’t say they are not for abortion, but then they are  
demanding for abortion to be legal and for women to have the right to  
have an abortion,” she said. “If women are being hurt in wartime  
because of rape and those kinds of things, then we need to do more  
actions to prevent rape and incest.”

[More at URL]


----- 24 -----
Persecution
How Liberals are Waging War Against Christians
David Limbaugh
Hardcover

http://resources.family.org/product/id/101737.do?code=OL07XFARC3

Author David Limbaugh exposes the subtle but pervasive discrimination  
against biblical Christianity in our culture. Using real, sometimes  
shocking, examples from Hollywood, public schools and other venues,  
he shows how terms like "tolerance" and the mythical "separation of  
church and state" have been used to portray Christianity as  
repressive, ignorant and offensive. This is a call to action for  
those who want to exercise their right to influence popular culture  
and find true religious freedom.

[More at URL]


----- 25 -----
Gay Vets Gather in Seattle
Faith and Freedom Network
Thursday, July 19, 2007

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/07/gay-vets-gather-in- 
seattle.html

Gay veterans met in Seattle yesterday. This was the latest stop on a  
national tour urging repeal of the military’s, “Don’t Ask, Don’t  
Tell” policy.

The Human Rights Campaign, the nation’s largest gay civil rights  
organization, sponsored the event.

They said their objective is to make the policy a priority issue in  
the 2008 presidential election.

What struck me was their take on the policy in regard to national  
security. They say in some of their literature that, “This  
discriminatory policy hurts the military readiness and national  
security while putting American soldiers fighting overseas at risk.”

Yet the policy – Policy Concerning Homosexuals in the Armed Services  
(Public Law 103-160 – Nov. 30, 1993 – § 546, 107 Stat. 1670 (1993)  
(codified at 10 U.S.C. A. § 654). clearly shows that the findings of  
Congress stand in total disagreement with the idea that the policy  
hurts the military or national security.

In fact, the lengthy findings by Congress state, among other things,  
that there is no constitutional rights to serve in the military (2),  
military life is fundamentally different from civilian life (3), the  
prohibition against homosexual conduct is a long-standing element of  
military law that continues to be necessary in the unique  
circumstances of military services (13) and the presence in the armed  
forces of persons who demonstrate a propensity or intent to engage in  
homosexual acts would create an unacceptable risk to the high  
standards of morale, good order and discipline, and unit cohesion  
that are the essence of military capability (15).

[Editor's note: These political findings were _political_ findings,  
not evidentiary findings, and were declarations of the bill, not  
reasons for it. Faith and Freedom Network is misrepresenting a bill  
written by fundamentalist-backed Republicans as factual findings;  
it's like quoting Focus on the Family of CWA's policy statement as  
evidence. It's just _not_.]


----- 26 -----
Hindu opens U.S. Senate with prayer
Faith and Freedom Network
Wednesday, July 18, 2007

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/07/hindu-opens-us-senate- 
with-prayer.html

Last week a Hindu chaplain from Reno, Nevada gave the opening prayer  
in the U.S. Senate.

Rajan Zed told the Las Vegas Sun that in his prayer he would likely  
include references to the ancient Hindu scriptures. And he delivered.  
(See CNN Video).

Thousands of calls, letters and email to the Senate leadership asking  
them to reconsider were ignored. Protestors were escorted from the  
chamber as the first Hindu prayer was offered – the first ever at the  
Senate since it was formed in 1789.

David Barton, the leading Christian historian in America, is  
questioning why the U.S. Government is seeking the invocation of a  
non-monotheistic god. Barton points out that since Hindus worship  
multiple gods; the prayer was completely outside the American  
paradigm, flying in the face of the American motto, “One nation under  
God.”

You have to wonder what Harry Reid and the Democratic Senate  
leadership were thinking. Barton says, given the fact that Hindus  
represent a very tiny constituency of the American public, you must  
ask what was the message and why is that message needed?

[...]

No one can legitimately challenge the fact that the God America  
refers to in the pledge, our national motto and other places is the  
monotheistic God of the Jewish and Christian faith, yet the present  
leadership in our legislature once again is attempting to lead us  
away from this God and His principles that have provided blessing and  
prosperity for this country.

God help us.

[More at URL]


----- 27 -----
GAY ACTIVISTS TRY TO STOP TV NEWS STORY
Faith and Freedom Network
Friday, July 20, 2007

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/07/gay-activists-try-to- 
stop-tv-news-story.html

The Gay And Liesbian Alliance Against Defamation (GLAAD) has  
apparently threatened to sue a Tennessee TV station for airing a  
report on lesbian gangs attacking students.

Focus on the Family was told by the station manager that they had  
agreed to rewrite some of the story, but that still did not satisfy  
the activists.

We also spoke to the station and from what I heard, airing the story  
was not a pleasant experience.

There has actually been a blacklash against some of the reporters at  
the Memphis station from members of the homosexual community.

The story featured an interview with Shelby County Gang Unit  
specialist, Beverly Cobb, who said, "Girls are being attacked in high  
school bathrooms by members of a gang called GTO or 'Gays Taking Over.'"

Cobb said in the television story that,"They are forcing themselves  
on our young girls in all our schools."

[Editor's note: lots of this are taken almost verbatim from Focus on  
the Family's version of this particular newtype blood libel. Again,  
this story was _false_.]

[More at URL]


----- 28 -----
APA -- Reviewing 10-year-old policy on gay counseling
Faith and Freedom Network
Tuesday, July 17, 2007

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/07/apa-reviewing-10-year- 
old-policy-on-gay.html

While taking the last couple of weeks off to vacation with my family,  
I tried to take a break from most of the news stories; however, a  
couple of them caught my attention.

The American Psychological Association (APA) is revisiting its 10- 
year-old policy on counseling gays and lesbians.

While this exercise of review could have easily been lost in the sea  
of conferences and meetings that are typically held this time of  
year, fortunately it was not. It was not lost to the gay-rights  
activists who saw the review as another opportunity nor to a number  
of Christian leaders, counselors and religious organizations who see  
the review as a blatant move to advance the gay agenda.

The disingenuous way the review panel was seated is almost unbelievable.

[...]

Five out of six people chosen for the review task force are committed  
gay–affirmative activists who are openly hostile to the reality that  
individuals with unwanted same-sex attraction can be helped.

The six people chosen include Dr. Judith M. Glassgold, a board member  
of the Journal of Gay and Lesbian Psychotherapy and Dr. Jack  
Dreshcher, a gay activist psychiatrist who strongly opposes  
reparative therapy for gays. Another member, Dr. A. Beckstead is  
openly skeptical of reorientation therapy and Dr. Roger L.  
Worthington received an award in 2001 from the LGBT Resource Center  
at the University of Missouri for “speaking up and out and often  
regarding LGBT issues.”

And these gays will decide if gays can receive counseling if they  
want to change?

This is a case of the foxes guarding the hen house.

The findings of this task force are already predetermined, much like  
several of Washington State gay-rights laws were given  
predetermination by legislators and committees even before hearings  
were held in Olympia.

[...]

The current APA policy currently opposes any counseling that treats  
homosexuality as a mental illness, but does not explicitly denounce  
reparative therapy.

Fortunately, a number of Christian and religious leaders, including  
the Southern Baptist Convention and Focus on the Family, have written  
a letter to the APA expressing their concern that the task force’s  
proposals would not properly accommodate gays and lesbians whose  
religious beliefs condemn gay sex. They said, “We believe that  
psychologists should assist clients to develop lives that they value,  
even if that means they decline to identify as homosexual.”

Jody Huckaby, PFLAG executive director, said that reparative therapy  
has been particularly harmful for young gays whose parents insist on  
trying to change their sexual orientation. This, of course, from the  
folks who actively recruit young children under the guise of sex  
education.

[More at URL]


----- 29 -----
Should Bush’s Surgeon General Pick Make the Cut?
We’re left not knowing where Dr. Holsinger stands on important hot- 
button issues.
Concerned Women for America
7/18/2007
By J. Matt Barber

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/13471/CWA/family/index.htm

In July, The U.S. Senate held hearings on Dr. James Holsinger,  
President Bush’s Surgeon General nominee. Holsinger has been unfairly  
and viciously attacked by the left for both his religious views —  
he’s a Christian, heaven forbid — and for daring, in a 1991 paper he  
penned, to address the devastating medical consequences of the  
homosexual lifestyle. Those consequences are well documented — among  
other sources — by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention  
(CDC) and are irrefutable.

During his testimony, Dr. Holsinger stated that he would resign if  
ever asked to place politics over science. Unfortunately, while  
addressing questions relative to hot-button issues such as  
homosexuality and destructive embryonic stem cell research (ESCR)  
this time around, Dr. Holsinger appeared to do just that. He appeared  
to place political correctness over scientific substance.

When asked if he still believed that homosexual behaviors are  
“unhealthy” and “unnatural,” as he demonstrated in his 1991 paper, he  
played dodge ball and offered a series of non-answers. He clearly  
tried to distance himself from the paper by saying, “First of all,  
the paper does not represent where I am today. It does not represent  
who I am today.”

What does that mean? Does it mean that Dr. Holsinger now believes  
that homosexual behaviors are “natural” and “healthy”? That’s  
certainly how the mainstream media is playing his response. It’s  
being widely reported that he has “disavowed” his prior position on  
homosexuality.

But there are additional questions about Dr. Holsinger’s medical  
opinions. For instance, what is his position on ESCR and cloning?  
Statements he made in 2002 in support of relaxing restrictions on  
both ESCR and cloning concern many conservatives who oppose the  
destruction of innocent human life.

[...]

Call me a pie-in-the-sky dreamer, but when asked by Senator Ted “flip- 
and-fly” Kennedy (D-Massachusetts) whether he still believes that  
homosexuality is “unnatural” and “unhealthy,” Dr. Holsinger could  
have said, “It doesn’t matter what I believe. Let’s see what the  
medical facts tell us. For instance, the CDC has revealed in its most  
recent 2005 report that male homosexuals account for at least 71  
percent of all adult and adolescent males living with deadly HIV/ 
AIDS. These numbers are up 11 percent from 2001 despite — if not due  
to — ‘comprehensive’ condom based ‘safe-sex’ education.

“Furthermore,” says Holsinger in my pie-in-the-sky scenario,  
“astronomical HIV/AIDS statistics represent only one small aspect of  
the homosexual lifestyle — especially among males. CDC statistics  
also indicate that homosexuals are, by far, most susceptible to  
nearly all forms of sexually transmitted disease, as well as other  
lifestyle-related medical injuries. So yes, Senator Kennedy,  
homosexual behaviors are demonstrably unnatural and unhealthy.”

Dr. Holsinger could have shared this information with the Senate  
committee. He didn’t. Instead, he dodged questions about  
homosexuality altogether. I was there. I heard it. And I was left  
unimpressed.

[More at URL]


----- 30 -----
Homosexual Immorality: What’s the Debate?
Concerned Women for America
7/20/2007

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/13486/MEDIA/family/index.htm

Washington, D.C. — On August 9, MTV’s homosexual cable network, Logo,  
is hosting the first-ever presidential debate intended to promote the  
homosexual and transgender (gender identity disorder) lifestyles. All  
major presidential candidates have been invited to participate. To  
date, all Republican presidential candidates have declined, while all  
major Democratic candidates have accepted. Those candidates who have  
accepted are Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-New York), Sen. Barack Obama (D- 
Illinois), former Sen. John Edwards (D-North Carolina), Sen.  
Christopher Dodd (D-Connecticut), former Sen. Mike Gravel (D-Alaska),  
and Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-Ohio).

Both Joe Solmonese, president of the homosexual “Human Rights  
Campaign” and lesbian singer/activist Melissa Etheridge have been  
selected as panelists.

Matt Barber, CWA’s Policy Director for Cultural Issues, said, “This  
debate is clearly designed to advance the radical homosexual agenda  
and to promote social and governmental acceptance and celebration of  
the high-risk and destructive homosexual lifestyle.

“It’s disgraceful that our nation’s moral standards have now dipped  
so low that it’s considered ‘tolerant’ to hold a debate organized  
entirely around the promotion of sexual immorality. What’s next? Are  
presidential candidates going to be asked to participate in a debate  
on how to garner widespread acceptance of adultery or incest? Are  
members of the growing polygamy lobby and the pedophile group NAMBLA  
going to tap candidates for a televised debate to promote their  
chosen lifestyles?

“Thousands of years of history, every major world religion, the  
unambiguous science of human biology and good old fashioned common  
sense have established that homosexual behaviors are both immoral and  
destructive to the lives, health and spiritual well being of those  
who choose to participate in those behaviors. For instance, the CDC  
has recently determined that 71 percent of all males living with  
deadly HIV/AIDS were infected with the disease through homosexual  
behaviors,” said Barber, “Furthermore, the CDC has determined that  
homosexuals — especially males — are by far at greatest risk for  
nearly all forms of sexually transmitted disease as well as other  
lifestyle related injuries.

“Will any of the presidential candidates bring up any of these facts  
during the debate? Organizers are expecting them to fall all over  
themselves trying to prove to the world who’s most sympathetic to the  
left’s twisted version of ‘tolerance’ and ‘diversity.’ But there’s  
nothing to debate here. These candidates should play it straight, so  
to speak, and call it like it is. Immorality is immorality,”  
concluded Barber.

For Information Contact:
Jennifer Fedor
(202) 488-7000
media.cwfa.org