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

[Dara (R'ykandar Korra'ti)]

Tonight's CWU includes a big transcription of a Concerned Women for  
America audio report, with CWA's Matt Barber gaybashing while Elaine  
Donnelly, President of the Center for Military Readiness (which  
exists mostly to oppose women in the military) bashes about women  
serving in the armed forces. I like to check the audio-only reports,  
because that's where CWA puts its real red-meat material, and this  
one is very, um, meaty. They're really pissed off that fellow  
theoconservative General Peter Pace is out as Joint Chiefs head, Matt  
Barber because he likes General Pace's anti-gay rant of several  
months ago, Elaine Donnelly because she thinks his replacement  
nominee is too friendly towards women soldiers. Oh, and it's all  
Hillary Clinton's fault, and emboldens Our Enemies. __YAY__

But now, tonight's news.

Focus on the Family reports that Nebraska "won't give gays... special  
rights" by including sexual orientation in antidiscrimination law.  
It's still worth noting yet again that "special rights" was the same  
language used to oppose antidiscrimination law on race, as well;

Texas to offer "Bible class" in public schools;

Oklahoma bans abortion in state hospitals; Pro-Life Action League  
president Joseph Scheidler condemns exemptions for the health and  
life of the mother, calling it "an emotional ploy"; yes, a brain-dead  
foetus is worth more to this asshole than a woman's life;

Focus on the Family endorses the Creation Museum, the young-earth  
Creationist "natural history" museum in Kentucky, describes it as  
"biblical truth" and condemns "liberal group" DefCon for opposing its  
abuse of science; I think I had some slight doubts over whether Focus  
on the Family was young-earth Creationist, but I think it's pretty  
clear now that they are, and the "intelligent design" bit is as much  
of a fraud as its founders intended it to be;

Focus on the Family's ad that same day is for the the videos  
_Unlocking the Mysteries of Life_ and _Icons of Evolution_, both of  
which claim to "refute" evolutionary theory;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to support North Carolina anti- 
marriage Constitutional amendment;

Focus on the Family condemns Ohio executive order banning  
discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation and sexual identity  
in executive branch hiring, calling it "special protection"; the  
governor notes that such laws can't be extended into the private  
sector under the anti-marriage/anti-gay amendment passed in 2004  
(also endorsed and supported heavily by FotF);

Astronomer upset that he was denied tenure in part because he's an  
"intelligent design" creationist;

FotF condemns bill "aimed at indoctrinating kids"; it would prohibit  
material that reflects "adversely upon persons because of their  
disability, gender, nationality, race or ethnicity, religion and  
sexual orientation";

FotF condemns global warming "alarmism" as a liberal plot: “If they  
can convince people that global warming alarmism is real, then they  
feel that everyone will fall in line and agree with their agenda," he  
said. “This is not a scientific problem that found political support,  
this is about politicians who found a scientific issue they felt  
could leverage them into office";

Faith and Freedom Network kinda-sorta admits that the whole "Hate the  
Sin but Love the Sinner" thing is mostly bullshit, claims it has  
"some validity," but mostly ascribes that capability to Jehovah and  
not to individual anti-gay fundamentalist Christians;

Faith and Freedom Network calls GBLT people "abnormal and perverted"  
in their reaction to a school in Olympia bringing in a GBLT panel to  
talk about their experiences being abused and bullied as part of an  
anti-bullying programme; FFN is, of course, outraged;

FFN outrage over comments reportedly made by Dr. Joel Becker at "a  
recent panel sponsored by University of Colorado’s Conference on  
World Affairs" talking about responsible sex and use of drugs;  
apparently part of it was about the politically-hijacked therapeutic  
drug now called "ecstasy," made Schedule 1 in clear violation of the  
text of Schedule 1, which states that drugs can have no known  
therapeutic use. (The drug was in use therapeutically when elevated  
to Schedule 1 in response to some teenagers getting ahold of some and  
using it at raves in Texas);

FFN follows Focus on the Family's lead and condemns the Cannes Film  
Festival critics for awarding the Palm d'Or to _4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2  
Days_, about a woman trying to obtain an abortion in communist  
Romania, which was illegal; they also follow FotF's lead in  
applauding the film _Bella_, saying it "focuses on life and pro- 
family themes." The two articles are strikingly similar;

FFN invokes the great Fandom Wank rule of "the emailers support me"  
and quotes part of a letter supposedly received from an anonymous  
Olympia school-bus driver saying that "the homosexual agenda is much  
closer to coming true than I had previously thought"; it smells like  
bog-standard email sockpuppetry to me, but, of course, I don't know  
that for sure; they also explicitly condemn "homosexual-friendly  
environments" that teach "anti-bullying";

FFN thrilled that the American Idol winner this year is an anti- 
abortion activist, and also involved in the abstinence-only movement;

FFN condemns evolutionary theory as "far more dangerous" than "any  
amount of carbon dioxide" in an article condemning the idea that  
population growth is a problem;

FFN has an article up that references the Kansas fishing expedition  
into medical records ordered by previous Atty. General Phil Kline,  
quoting Dr. Paul McHugh's analysis of these private medical records.  
As expected, the fishing expedition is being used to fuel anti- 
abortion activists, with condemnations of women having abortions for  
reasons other than a pregnancy that would cause "substantial and  
irreversible impairment";

Marriage rights advance in New York State as Assembly passes law  
allowing same-sex couples to wed; the vote was overwhelmingly  
partisan, though four Republicans did cross over to support; however,  
the Republican-controlled Senate apparently has little to no interest  
in taking action on the bill. Link courtesy zarq.livejournal.com;

Concerned Women for America's Matt Barber decries "The 'Gay' Gospel,"  
declaring any GBLT-friendly Christian philosophy "a false gospel."  
The scare-quotes around the word Gay are in the CWA original; he's  
talking with Joe Dallas of Genesis Biblical Counseling;  
unfortunately, the audio links point to the wrong mp3 files, so I  
can't transcribe anything;

CWA calls the dismissal of Marine General Peter Pace from the Joint  
Chiefs of Staff "disturbing"; they're quite fond of him, as a fellow  
theoconservative and anti-GBLT; CWA's Matt Barber talks with Elaine  
Donnelly, President of the Center for Military Readiness, which  
exists mostly to oppose women in the military; Elaine Donnelly wants  
to see Don't Ask/Don't Tell revoked in favour of active expulsion of  
even closeted GBLT people from the military and calls women in the  
Navy a "health risk"; alleges Hillary Clinton is secretly behind the  
change; it's kind of funny watching Elaine Donnelly bash women in the  
military over and over again while Barber keeps trying to turn the  
focus of the interview to be more strongly anti-gay; Donnelly is okay  
with that but is really focused on being against women as soldiers,  
but in the end goes along with a key focus of strengthening the ban  
on GBLT people in the military, scrapping the Don't Ask/Don't Tell  
policy, and purging all queers from the armed forces.


----- 1 -----
Nebraska Senate Won't Give Gays Special Protection
Focus on the Family
5-24-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004708.cfm

The state Senate voted 24-15 on Tuesday to kill a bill that would  
have given homosexuals special rights under Nebraska's anti- 
discrimination law. The effort to pass such a bill goes back at least  
14 years.

[More at URL]


----- 2 -----
Texas Legislature Approves Bible Class
Focus on the Family
5-24-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004710.cfm

Lone Star State lawmakers passed legislation that would allow school  
districts to offer an elective Bible course, the Houston Chronicle  
reported.

The bill now heads to the desk of Gov. Rick Perry.

Sen. Craig Estes, who sponsored the Senate version, said his intent  
was to require schools to provide such a class if at least 15  
students showed interest.

[More at URL]


----- 3 -----
Oklahoma Governor Lets Pro-Life Bill Become Law
Focus on the Family
5-24-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004707.cfm

A bill to ban abortion in state hospitals became law Wednesday after  
Gov. Brad Henry chose to take no action on the legislation, The Daily  
Times of Pryor, Okla., reported.

The law prohibits abortions in state medical facilities or by state  
employees, unless the life of the mother is threatened, there's a  
risk of impairment to major bodily functions, or in the case of rape  
or incest.

Joseph Scheidler, national director for the Pro-life Action League,  
said using "risk to the mother" as a reason to allow abortions is an  
emotional ploy.

“Abortion is not a life-saving surgery,” he told The Daily Times.


----- 4 -----
Liberal Group Assails New Creation Museum
Claims Biblical truth and science are not compatible.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Focus on the Family
5-22-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000004687.cfm

Far-Left DefCon America has launched a campaign against a northern  
Kentucky museum dedicated to a biblical presentation of science and  
world history. The Creation Museum, a project of Answers in Genesis,  
will open its 76,000-square-foot facility May 28.

DefCon is telling people the project would "undermine" science and  
"confuse" children. On its Web site, DefCon is described as "an  
online grassroots movement combating the growing power of the  
religious right" and fighting for "the separation of church and state  
… while respecting people of faith and their right to express their  
beliefs."

[...]

FOR MORE INFORMATION
Learn more about the Creation Museum, with its walk through biblical  
history, life-sized dinosaur animatronics, special-effects theater  
and planetarium.


----- 5 -----
The Evolution Set
Focus on the Family
Online as of 20 June 2007

http://resources.family.org/product/id/102855.do?code=CE07ECZL

Unlocking the Mystery of Life is a compelling documentary presenting  
solid evidence — even at the cellular level — for intelligent,  
purposeful design in living beings. Icons of Evolution uses engaging  
interviews with scientific experts to reveal glaring flaws in  
Darwin's assumptions and data — and the scientific facts that refute  
them.

[More at URL]


----- 6 -----
N.C. House Set To Vote on Marriage Amendment
Focus on the Family
5-21-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004674.cfm

The two Republican sponsors of a North Carolina marriage amendment  
plan to force a vote Tuesday in the state House. Reps. Linda Johnson  
and Tim Moore need 72 of the 120 House members to support forcing the  
vote.

The amendment, which was introduced earlier this year, defines  
marriage as between one man and one woman.

The House needs 72 votes; the Senate needs 50 votes. The amendment  
then would go to the voters.

TAKE ACTION
If you live in North Carolina, ask your lawmakers to allow the people  
to vote on marriage. You may contact them through the CitizenLink  
Action Center. If you are a CitizenLink Daily Update subscriber,  
click on the blue "Take Action" button in the e-mail to be  
automatically logged in to our Action Center. Otherwise, click on  
this link.


----- 7 -----
Executive Order in Ohio Gives Gays Special Protection
Focus on the Family
5-18-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004658.cfm

Ohio Gov. Ted Strickland bypassed state lawmakers and signed an  
executive order Thursday requiring state officials to disregard a  
person’s sexual orientation or "gender identity" in employment  
practices.

Strickland told The Associated Press that the 2004 voter-approved  
constitutional amendment limiting marriage to one man and one woman  
would cause a constitutional challenge to any law that attempted to  
extend provisions similar to his order into the private sector.

[More at URL]


----- 8 -----
Faculty Admits Intelligent Design was a Factor in Denying Tenure
Focus on the Family
5-18-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004656.cfm

Members of the astronomy department at Iowa State University admit  
Dr. Guillermo Gonzalez's belief that science points to an intelligent  
designer influenced their decision to deny him tenure.

Gonzalez, an astronomer, professor at the university and author of  
The Privileged Planet, does not teach about intelligent design in his  
university courses. Research and advocacy for the theory are done on  
his own time.

[More at URL]


----- 9 -----
California Senate Passes Bill Aimed at Indoctrinating Kids
Despite last year's veto, senators again pushed radical homosexual  
agenda on California schools.
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
Focus on the Family
5-25-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000004723.cfm

The California Senate passed legislation Thursday that would require  
schools to teach about homosexuality only in a positive light. A  
similar bill passed the Legislature last year, but was vetoed by Gov.  
Arnold Schwarzenegger.

SB 777, sponsored by openly gay Sen. Sheila Kuehl, seeks to amend two  
dozen sections of the state's Education Code to prohibit any  
instruction, school activity or instructional material that reflects  
"adversely upon persons because of their disability, gender,  
nationality, race or ethnicity, religion and sexual orientation.”

Ron Prentice, executive director of the California Family Council,  
said Kuehl is relentless in her pursuit to infiltrate California’s  
laws with definitions and protections for homosexaulity.

[More at URL]


----- 10 -----
Scientists Renounce Global Warming Alarmism
Claims of 'consensus' not lining up with reality.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
5-22-2007

http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000004686.cfm

While the mainstream media continue the drumbeat about consensus  
among scientists on global warming alarmism, Sen. James Inhofe, R- 
Okla., said some researchers who once bought into the hype have  
changed their minds.

Marc Morano, a spokesman for Inhofe, explained: “What’s happening is  
rank-and-file scientists are now openly rebelling from these  
governing boards and their statements, and that is where,  
essentially, the myth of this whole thing of consensus comes out.”

Ian Clark, a paleoclimatologist at the University of Ottawa, told  
Family News in Focus he changed his mind after doing his own  
research. He said he found carbon dioxide – the greenhouse gas most  
commonly associated with climate change – was a "very minor player."

"If we increase the concentration of a very minor player," he said,  
"then we must anticipate a very minor effect.”

Stuart Shepard, a meteorologist and a spokesman for Focus on the  
Family Action, said the claims of consensus are part of a liberal  
political stratagem.

“If they can convince people that global warming alarmism is real,  
then they feel that everyone will fall in line and agree with their  
agenda," he said. “This is not a scientific problem that found  
political support, this is about politicians who found a scientific  
issue they felt could leverage them into office.”

[More at URL]


----- 11 -----
Scared Faithless: Gods and Gays in the 21st Century
Faith and Freedom Network
Wednesday, June 20, 2007

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/06/scared-faithless-gods- 
and-gays-in-21st.html

I was contacted yesterday by Athima Chansanchai , a reporter for the  
Seattle PI.

His email told me he is writing a story on an upcoming show by the  
Seattle Mens' Chorus called, “Scared Faithless: Gods and Gays in the  
21st Century.”

He said, “The program is a collection of music, skits and  
testimonials concerning gays who are people of faith, some of who are  
conflicted about being a part of religious institutions that have –  
or still reject them and their lifestyles.”

[...]

You’ve heard the phrase, “Love the sinner, hate the sin?” Well, I  
think there is some validity in that if properly understood.

While the Bible extends God’s love and forgiveness to all who have  
errored in their ways – and we all have, it clearly condemns, in  
strong terms, the practice of homosexuality and defines the  
consequences.

[...]

There are two very different worldviews. One holds to the belief that  
there is a higher power that has creative and eternal authority.  
Traditional Christianity believes that the God of the Bible is the  
true eternal God, that He manifested Himself in the flesh through His  
Son Jesus Christ – the Word became flesh and dwelt among them. They  
also believe that the Bible is the inspired Word of God and through  
its revelation of God and truth, gives us the ultimate authority.

[...]

While a majority of our state legislators have been led down the path  
of adjusting to and affirming the gay lifestyle, I suspect the  
traditional Christian churches will not be as easily moved.

Not because they “hate” the sinner, but because God hates the sin.

[More at URL]


----- 12 -----
Public Schools Fail Parents -- Again
Faith and Freedom Network
Monday, June 11, 2007

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/06/public-schools-fail- 
parents-again.html

Many Olympia School District parents are upset and they have every  
reason to be.

Under the guise of an anti-bullying assembly, the Washington Middle  
School Administration brought in six 15 to 21 year-old panelists from  
Stone Wall Youth, an Olympia group that supports and advocates for  
gay and lesbian young people.

When parents began finding out about the assembly and its content,  
they began contacting the school.

[...]

Why do public school districts consistently schedule assemblies or  
special classes that have to do with the principles of tolerance,  
kindness, fairness or respect and use homosexual advocates to deliver  
the message to 8th graders? Then defend their actions by overstating  
the obvious, that they won’t stand for bullying.

Why are they so compelled to bring in six homosexual advocates to  
teach that lesson?

[...]

The homosexual advocates shared personal stories with the kids, but  
asked them to keep the stories confidential.

Patti Connolly, a parent of an eighth grader said, “I was livid.”

All people of faith and traditional values also need to be outraged.

This is a pattern and we must see it as that. The homosexual  
activists were telling the press just two years ago that they just  
wanted to be treated fairly and to receive benefits like married  
folks enjoy. As soon as those benefits were given to them by a  
liberal, secularist Governor and her colleagues, who are in the  
majority of the State Legislature, they celebrated it as a very  
important step toward gay marriage.

Now, Superintendent Lahmann is saying, “We won’t shy away from  
teaching students about harassment and bullying issues.”

[...]

Our society is becoming more and more socially inverted. What is  
abnormal and perverted is becoming normal and accepted. The gay  
agenda is now operating around a principle of “assimilation” – the  
more the issues are discussed in the context of fairness, tolerance  
and acceptance, the more normalized the lifestyle becomes.

[More at URL]


----- 13 -----
"Have sex, do drugs" Speaker Tells Students
Faith and Freedom Network
Monday, June 04, 2007

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/06/have-sex-do-drugs- 
speaker-tells.html

It all began a while back when a guest speaker told students as young  
as 14 to go have sex and do drugs.

Bolder High School officials now say they will investigate.

Joel Becker, an associate clinical professor of psychology at UCLA  
told the high school students, “I am going to encourage you to have  
sex and encourage you to use drugs appropriately.” His appearance was  
a part of a recent panel sponsored by University of Colorado’s  
Conference on World Affairs.

[...]

A part of the recording is Joel Becker saying, “We all experiment.  
It’s very natural for young people to experiment with same-sex  
relationships. When you are 13, 12, 13, 14, certainly probably one of  
the most appropriate sexual behaviors would be masturbation. Even  
today, there are psychiatrists who will do sessions under the  
influence of ecstasy. If I had some maybe I’d do it with someone, but  
you know.” The audio also reveals statements like, “Men with men,  
women with women, whatever combination you would like.”

That is sick. Those who defend this being forced on high school  
students are sick as well.

[...]

As I said, the secularist, atheistic agenda is aggressive and  
predatory in America. While not in the majority, this minority of  
activists are cloistered around the educational system and our children.

This case is not isolated. These kinds of things in varying degrees  
and forms are happening more than you would think.

America needs a spiritual revival, a return to our spiritual roots  
and the election of leaders who will help define our future through  
the lens of the Judeo-Christian values that made America great in the  
first place.

To make this happen, we simply need to WAKE UP and take action.

[More at URL]


----- 14 -----
Abortion: The Great Divide
Faith and Freedom Network
Friday, June 01, 2007

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/06/abortion-great-divide.html

A panel of film critics at the Cannes Film Festival in France last  
week awarded the coveted Palm d’Or award to a dark film that follows  
a woman who is trying to obtain an illegal abortion in Romania.

The film, named “4 Months, 3 Weeks & 2 Days,” is named after the age  
of the baby when it is aborted.

At another film festival in Toronto, a film also dealing with  
abortion recently won the top award as well. However, this film  
entitled, “Bella,” focuses on life and pro-family themes.

“Bella” will be in theaters this fall.

The film in Cannes was given its award by critics and peers in the  
entertainment industry. It’s dark and morbid. “Bella” was honored as  
a “people’s choice” award.

[...]

If you take a closer look at what these candidates really stand for,  
you see how radical they are in defending the killing of pre-born  
children. Clinton and Edwards voted against federal bans on partial  
birth abortion and all three of them condemned the recent Supreme  
Court ruling upholding a federal law against this torturous act. They  
support unrestricted abortion without any limits.

I do not believe that is where most Americans are today and I think  
it will play out in the months ahead.

[More at URL]


----- 15 -----
Simple Insight from WA Middle School Bus Driver
Faith and Freedom Network
Wednesday, June 13, 2007

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/06/simple-insight-from-wa- 
middle-school.html

The response we have received from our blog on Olympia’s Washington  
Middle School has been significantly above the already record amount  
of activity on the Faith & Freedom website.

I receive many more personal emails from the public than the few  
comments that are posted to the blogs.

I received such an email yesterday from a school bus driver who  
picked up kids after the assembly at Washington Middle School.

While I will not disclose the identity of this person, I feel the  
comments from that point of view give important insight.

"I drive a school bus out of Washington Middle School in Olympia  
Washington. I
did not attend the assembly you've been reporting about, but I've  
heard many
comments from first hand viewers. I know that many of the students  
realized it
was not an appropriate thing. I also had students who embraced the  
assembly,
including three boys who came 'out of the closet' after that  
assembly. I fear
that the homosexual agenda is much closer to coming true than I had  
previously
thought."

[...]

First, when you create a homosexual-friendly environment to teach  
subjects such as anti-bullying, there is an aspect of “outreach” to  
the event and homosexuals know it and aggressively seek these  
opportunities for that purpose.

[More at URL]


----- 16 -----
American Idol: Christian and Pro-Life
Focus on the Family
Tuesday, May 29, 2007

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/05/american-idol-christian- 
and-pro-life.html

After taking criticism for giving to anti-poverty programs in Africa  
that actually promotes abortion in third world nations, American Idol  
has seen some redemption.

The show has produced a new, true winner in Jordan Sparks.

She is a longtime pro-live advocate and has participated in a number  
of pro-life conferences both as a volunteer and a singer.

[...]

So America has chosen a teenager who believes in and practices  
abstinence and is an outspoken pro-life advocate to be the newest  
American Idol.

[More at URL]


----- 17 -----
"Large Families are Ruining the Planet"
Faith and Freedom Network
Monday, May 21, 2007

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/05/large-families-are- 
ruining-planet.html

Good Monday morning.

Just when you think you’ve heard it all – you discover you haven’t.

When singer Sheryl Crow suggested that people use less toilet paper  
in order to save the planet, I thought that might well be the low  
point in the eco-movement.

But it wasn’t.

[...]

OPT says, “The effect on the planet of having one child less is an  
order of magnitude greater than all these other things we might do.  
Such as switching off lights. The decision to have children should be  
seen as a very big one and one that should take the environment into  
account.”

When life is devalued, as it is in our so-called pro-choice culture,  
these kinds of ideas are not only birthed, but promoted. We are  
created in the image of God and to suggest that the planet would be  
better off without us contradicts the design of the Creator.

[...]

With Sheryl Crow calling for people to use less toilet paper, Al Gore  
on Capitol Hill predicting “the end is near," and Congress  
considering a bill that would mandate what light bulbs we can use,  
it’s time to recognize this for what it is. It’s a political eco- 
movement with the hopes of getting some of the most extreme among us  
elected to office.

A biblical worldview calls for environmental stewardship with a  
natural order that gives mankind dominion or responsibility for the  
creation. To suggest that humans are alien and have been merely  
dropped off on the planet by some evolutionary process is far more  
dangerous than any amount of carbon dioxide.

We are seeing the results of the push for a secular society in this  
kind of nonsense.

[More at URL]


----- 18 -----
Investigation Launched into Abortion Clinic Field Trip
Faith and Freedom Network
Thursday, June 14, 2007

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/06/investigation-launched- 
into-abortion.html

I wasn’t going to address the Manchester middle school field trip to  
the abortion clinic fiasco again. But I must do a follow-up.

An investigation has now been launched by the city school board and  
they have already caught the middle school principal in a lie.

[...]

Those who are pro-abortion find any number of creative ways to defend  
the indefensible. The abortion business is not only greedy and  
immoral, but dishonest.

For example, yesterday a report was given on abortionist George  
Tiller who owns two abortion clinics in Topeka, Kansas.

[...]

Tiller has run a very controversial and lucrative abortion operation  
in Topeka and was under intense scrutiny from former State Attorney  
General Phil Kline. In fact, Kline filed charges against Tiller.  
However, Kline lost the last election and his successor, Paul  
Morrison, dismissed the charges. Many in Kansas saw the move as  
political because Tiller is a big contributor to Morrison.

But now, Dr. Paul McHugh, a professor at John Hopkins University, has  
analyzed all the Tiller files and is reporting that women who had  
late-term abortions performed by Tiller were given them for a variety  
of reasons that did not constitute “substantial and irreversible  
impairment of a major bodily function” He said the women in those  
cases could have easily given the baby up for adoption or found  
pregnancy help and support. According to Kansas state law, abortions  
are only allowed if it is needed to save the woman's life, or the  
pregnancy would cause "substantial and irreversible impairment."

[More at URL]


----- 19 -----
Gay Rites Advance in Albany, as Assembly Gives Its Okay
By JACOB GERSHMAN
Staff Reporter of the Sun
June 20, 2007

http://www.nysun.com/article/56900/

ALBANY — For gay rights advocates, yesterday's vote in the Assembly  
to legalize same-sex marriage was a watershed moment to be  
celebrated. For many lawmakers in the chamber, it was a day of hard  
political calculations, painful choices, and apprehension.

The Democrat-led Assembly last night voted to 85 to 61 to allow same- 
sex couples to wed in New York, the first time that a legislative  
body in the state has approved gay marriage. The vote pushed New York  
closer to becoming the second state in the nation to legalize gay  
marriage, after Massachusetts, and the first to do so through a  
legislative process.

[...]

For three hours last night, gay marriage was debated before a packed  
chamber, with just about every Assembly member sitting in rapt  
attention and dozens of state senators looking on. Just as the debate  
began, storm clouds blotted out the sun.

Mr. Hikind, an Orthodox Jew who represents Borough Park in Brooklyn,  
warned that lawmakers by supporting gay marriage were paving the path  
toward sanctioning incest. He said he would support gay marriage if  
God gave him a signal. Moments later, there was a loud crack of  
thunder, provoking laughter.

With Governor Spitzer, a Democrat, strongly in favor of legalizing  
gay marriage, the battle now shifts to the Senate, which has leaned  
leftward on a number of social issues in recent years but has shown  
little indication that it intends to follow the Assembly's lead.

[More at URL]


----- 20 -----
The "Gay" Gospel
Concerned Women for America
6/19/2007

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/13203/CFI/family/index.htm

Homosexual activists are making inroads in the Evangelical community  
by promoting a false gospel; one that views homosexual temptations as  
normal. Joe Dallas, Pastoral Counselor and Director of Genesis  
Biblical Counseling has just published a book on this trend titled  
The Gay Gospel. Matt Barber, CWA’s Policy Director for Cultural  
Issues, talks with Joe about this trend and how Christians can reach  
out to their friends and family who may have fallen for this  
deceptive theological error.

[I was going to transcribe this, but both links point to a separate,  
unrelated story.]


----- 21 -----
Bush Administration Not Keeping Pace
Concerned Women for America
6/15/2007

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/13189/CWA/freedom/index.htm

In a surprising announcement last week, the Bush administration  
announced that Marine General Peter Pace would not be re-nominated as  
Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. This, and the naming of  
Admiral Mike Mullen in his place, is giving pro-military  
conservatives cause for deep concern. Martha Kleder discusses the  
matter with Matt Barber, CWA’s Policy Director for Cultural Issues,  
and Elaine Donnelly, President of the Center for Military Readiness.

[Elaine Donnelly: "We have in general Peter Pace certainly a widely- 
admired military leader, a man of conviction, a man who back in March  
stated his view on an issue that is controversial, homosexuals in the  
military, but it was settled by Congress back in 1993; but he made  
the politically risky mistake of stating his position in terms of his  
own religious upbringing, and that made him a target of the usual  
liberal factions who decided apparently to do what they could to get  
rid of him. Well, they got their way last Friday, when Secretary of  
Defense Robert Gates came forward, looking slightly ill. Called a new  
conference, said, 'well, we would have a contentious fight if we  
renominated General Pace' - and this is routine, every two years,  
there have to be a re-nomination 'to remain as chairman of the Joint  
Chiefs of Staff.' To avoid that fight, he indicated that General Pace  
was retiring, and that Admiral Dan Bastiani, also the vice-chair,  
also was going to retire, so that there could be a new chief of the  
joint chiefs, and that would be admiral Mike Mullan, a rather liberal  
admiral. So a lot of people, even liberal Democrats, like Senator  
Dick Durban on television last Sunday, said, 'Why did this happen?  
Why did the administration choose to switch rather than fight?' If  
General Pace is a strong supporter of the war in Iraq, and we know  
that he is, certainly he is one of the more articulate people in  
Washington, I'm sure he could have gone through the drill one more  
time, and probably have survived. But now that he has all of a sudden  
just been dropped, it raises questions about what really happened  
here. And who benefits. I think this is where we get into questions  
about the Presidential race.

Donnelly: I'm very concerned about Admiral Mike Mullen, because, on a  
number of occasions he has spoken in favour of diversity. And this is  
his phrase, "strategic imperative" at all levels of the navy. If you  
take the concept of diversity to an extreme, an over-emphasis on it,  
you get into a situation where standards and principles can and have  
been compromised. There shouldn't be a conflict between diversity and  
high standards, but we know that in the politically-correct Pentagon,  
quite often it can be very dangerous to put diversity ahead of the  
best interest of the military. Gender quotas at the Naval Academy,  
for instance, make no sense. We need women in the military; we do not  
need artificially high gender quotas as mandated by this chief of  
naval operations. What we need in both the Navy and the Marine Corps  
are more officers for the combat arms. Those officers happen to be  
all male. So for the chief of naval operations to put diversity and  
gender quotas first really makes no sense. He has also spoken  
favourably of the idea of women being on submarines. Now there are a  
number of reasons why this is not a good idea - cost, habitability,  
and so on - but it's also a health issue, because female sailors  
would be very much at risk of birth defects, because in the very  
early weeks of a pregnancy, the atmosphere of a submarine, which is  
safe for adults, is very unsafe for an unborn child, because of the  
high concentrations of trace elements, and things like carbon  
monoxide/carbon dioxide. That means that female sailors could become  
an operational problem if and when they were assigned to submarines.  
So why is Admiral Mullen pushing this idea? I think the president may  
have bitten off more than he can chew here, and he's going to regret  
the decision to let General Pace go."

CWA's Matt Barber: "Boy, I agree, Elaine, 100%, and back to Admiral  
Mullen a minute; the word diversity far too often is simply thrown  
around - it's a euphemism for wholesale acceptance of homosexual  
behaviour..."

Donnelly: Um-hum [agreeing]

Barber: "Do you suspect that Admiral Mullen means diversity, the  
left's definition of diversity, in that sense?"

Donnelly: "I don't know what his position would be in a different  
administration; I doubt that he would push for open acceptance of  
homosexuals in the military in _this_ administration, but if he stays  
in office into the _next_ administration and is ordered to do that,  
by _Hillary Clinton_, or whoever might win if a Democrat wins, we  
could be in real trouble. We know that civilian authority is a  
cardinal principle of our military, officers do follow civilian  
authority and certainly the laws. The laws right now, the law on gays  
in the military is that homosexuals are not eligible to serve in the  
military. "Don't Ask, Don't Tell" is _not_ a policy that Congress  
passed; Congress rejected "Don't Ask, Don't Tell." But Bill Clinton  
put it in place anyway, in enforcement regulations that have been the  
cause of confusion and problems ever since. Now, I would like to see  
the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs, the next president, get rid of  
"Don't Ask, Don't Tell," fully enforce the law, and inform the troops  
and recruiters and everyone else about the difference between law and  
policy. Whether Admiral Mullen would do that, well, I don't know.  
I've never seen him take a view different than the liberal view on a  
lot of these issues, so it does cause me some concern. Members of  
Congress need to ask a lot of tough questions.

Barber: "Also, Elaine, you said that Secretary Gates said that were  
Pace to be reappointed that it would be a 'point of contention.' Do  
we have any context to what he means by that? Is he saying that it  
would be contentious _because_ General Pace dared to refer to  
homosexual conduct as immoral?"

Donnelly: "Well, no one will ever admit that the issue of gays in the  
military had anything to do with this. But looking at it  
strategically, trying to figure out why did this happen and who  
benefits, I see a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee as  
one who benefits quite a lot. That would be Senator Hillary Clinton.  
She is running for president. She would be put on the spot if she had  
been expected to vote against General Pace, it would probably be not  
just because of his views on the war, but the homosexual activists  
would demand that he be opposed for renomination, because of his  
stated views on homosexuals in the military, stated in terms of his  
own personal religious convictions. But then if she voted against  
him, that would throw her off her strategy of trying to appear to be  
pro-military, certainly a women who could be taken seriously as the  
next Commander in Chief. Now the fact that General Pace is not going  
to be renominated, the package that was ready to go three weeks ago  
has now been withdrawn, that spares Hillary Clinton of the  
responsibility to make a choice, the responsibility to vote. And even  
if she didn't know anything about it, or had nothing to do with it,  
and frankly I see her fingerprints all over it, but even if she  
didn't, I'm sure that her staff were giving the high-fives back and  
forth, because the demise of General Pace means that she would not be  
required to vote on his renomination. And there's a bonus: she gets  
Admiral Mullen. She gets to vote for him. A liberal Admiral who  
shares many of her views, certainly on diversity, gender quotas, and  
the like. The advantage there is that everything that Admiral Mullen  
does, in a liberal way, gets to have the Republican label on it. So  
as a presidential candidate, she can say well yes, I support all  
these things, and so does the chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.  
You see how politically valuable all that is? The Bush administration  
has done a great favour for Senator Hillary Clinton in her  
presidential race - whether intended or not, that's the way it looks  
to me. And that's strictly my opinion; I have no inside information  
on this; this is an educated opinion."

Kleder: [Asks why the White House is backing away from General Pace  
while backing Atty. General Gonzales]

Donnelly: "Well everybody's asking that question. It really does not  
make a lot of sense. This president seems right now to be rather not  
only disengaged but pushing hard for legislation that is widely  
opposed by his base; he is fighting for one nominee and dropping  
another, even though he says the war is his primary objective here;  
and yet, he is alienating the kind of people that are needed to help  
him achieve those other objectives. So politically, I am baffled. It  
makes no sense to me. But it's going to play out. And there are  
forces and people who oppose the president, oppose what he is trying  
to do, that are going to gain advantages, and I think already have  
gained advantages, by the precipitous loss of General Pace. General  
Pace will be in office until October 1, assuming that Admiral Mullen  
gets confirmed; I think he deserved better than this. And it's too  
bad that the administration chose to fight, or, excuse me, chose to  
switch rather than fight on such an important appointment."

Kleder: [We've seen women in combat. How will Admiral Mullen address  
the issue of women in combat positions and the draft?]

Donnelly: "He has been Chief of Navel Operations since 2005, and I  
have not seen him lift a finger - actually General Pace did not  
either, because Secretary Rumsfeld tolerated the violation of  
regulations regarding women in combat starting in the spring of 2004.  
Female soldiers are being assigned to units that are _required_ to be  
all-male because they are direct ground combat units that are  
designed to attack the enemy. Now I know you understand this Martha,  
not everybody is in a close-combat unit even if they are in danger;  
everybody is in danger in this war; everybody is in harm's way.  
Infantry, armor, special operations units and the like, these units  
are different. They're called direct ground combat because they  
attack the enemy. Support troops that are embedded, or co-located  
with them, are also required to be all-male. My information is that  
even in those units clearly designated to be all-male, we are seeing  
female soldiers being placed there. And I stress involuntarily.  
Nobody is asked, do you want to go here or do you want to go there?  
In fact, female soldiers are being misinformed about what their  
rights are and what the regulations are. The army is totally out of  
control on this issue. Members of Congress had a large debate about  
this in 2005; Duncan Hunter at the time offered legislation to codify  
current rules; Secretary Rumsfeld insisted that he take the  
legislation back; it never went to the floor; a report was promised;  
the report is more than a year overdue. So the army in the meantime  
is just making up the rules as they go along. This is not good for  
the Army, it's not good for the Marine Corps, it's certainly is not  
good for special operations forces, men, women, or anybody else  
involved with the military. So will Admiral Mullen have what it takes  
to do what needs done here? I hope so, but frankly, I just don't see  
him doing it."

Barber: "Elaine, I want to go back for a minute to General Pace here;  
after he made his comments, there was, he was widely attacked by  
homosexual activists, by the left, by various people in Congress, for  
his comments, saying that he believed that homosexual conduct was  
immoral. We came to his defense on that, and the facts are that are a  
majority of Americans happen to share that position, and whether or  
not the Bush administration intended to, they have given the  
impression here that really that this is a slap in the face to people  
who hold traditional values. We had hoped that the Bush  
administration would have come to the defense of General Pace..."

Donnelly: "Right"

Barber: "...we did not feel that they did enough to defend him, to  
defend his comments, to defend the position of the military, the  
existing law that says open homosexuals are not permitted to be in  
the military, and so this is very troubling to me that now, it at  
least gives the appearance that they have abandoned him, and given in  
to the pressure..."

Donnelly: "Right... it certainly does look that way, in fact if you  
looked at the face of the secretary of defense when he came out last  
Friday to announce this news, he looked like he had just had a  
meeting with Tony Soprano, who had given him an offer he couldn't  
refuse. He looked really ill. He looked very discomforted. The  
president had said how disappointed he is that members of Congress  
intimidated them and said the confirmation process would be so  
contentious that he had to take back that nomination. Well, what does  
that say about the president? What does it say about the secretary of  
defense? And what do our adversaries take from this lesson? If the  
president throws overboard - or under the tank, as one writer wrote -  
an exemplary officer like Peter Pace. There are many people, as you  
say, who agree with the law on gays in the military for reasons that  
have to do with upbringing, religious conviction and the like.  
However, if you look at the statute itself, you can see it's really  
written in secular terms. It doesn't make any reference to religion.  
And yet the gay activist groups have the opportunity to attack  
General Pace as if it did. And attack the law itself. Well, that's  
most unfortunate, and certainly the secretary of defense could have  
made that point very clearly, as many of the general's defenders did,  
but they just don't seem to be interested in doing that, and I think  
they are going to pay a much higher price than they realise.

Kleider: "...is there any way that the public can express their  
gratitude to General Pace..."

Donnelly: "Well, certainly, anyone can write to him at the Pentagon  
in Washington, DC; I don't have the address handy, but it'll get  
there; and I think people need to go to the White House, to the White  
House opinion line, express disappointment, and just kind of get on  
the radar screen of the president that this action was not very,  
well, it wasn't justified at all, and it would have been better for  
the president to face his critics in Congress; he has to face  
adversaries in Iraq; General Pace I think was willing to do that, but  
the administration let him go. I really think it was a big mistake.

Kleider: [More information on women in combat and homosexuals in the  
military"]

Donnelly: "Our website is www.cmrlink.org, but I've also posted a  
couple of articles on _National Review Online_. If you go to the blog  
that's called "The Tank," and you look for my name, or just click on  
my archive, you'll see a couple of articles posted there, not only  
about General Pace, but about the law on gays in the military, why it  
differs from "Don't Ask, Don't Tell," why it deserves - still - very  
strong support; I think people have to realise this is going to be a  
presidential race issue. We're going to be polling all the  
candidates, we're going to ask them if they support the law, we're  
going to ask them will you repeal Don't Ask/Don't Tell, that should  
have been done a long time ago; but we support the law regarding  
homosexuals in the military, and oh by the way we think it needs a  
name of its own, we're calling it the Military Personnel Eligibility  
Act of 1993. This law passed with overwhelming bipartisan majorities  
in 1993. It is veto-proof. And certainly we support that law, we do  
not support Bill Clinton's idea, called Don't Ask, Don't Tell, which  
he put in place in regulations that should have been eliminated a  
long time ago."]