[Active-l] (NEWS) Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Dara (R'ykandar Korra'ti)
kahvi at murkworks.net
Sat Mar 10 11:43:54 PST 2007
All kinds of stuff in today's update; key elements include the Faith
and Freedom Network and Focus on the Family condemning "medically
correct" data in sex education because science is too lefty; there's
also a bunch of stuff about the Newt Gingrich interview with James
Dobson and the continuing attacks on John Edwards as gay (which he's
not; he's got three kids and has been married for a few decades) and/
or "womanly," which - given the picture of Edwards as a Breck Girl in
an old ad is clearly intended to carry "cross-dresser" baggage. I
have to winder if a Guilani supporters are involved, given that there
are actual pictures of Guilani at fundraisers in drag, and hamming it
up with Donald Trump.
There's also a big upsurge in theocon-called action items. Those are
always noted by ACTION ITEM. I kind of presume that opposition groups
call in and do the opposite of the theocon requests.
Anyway, here's today's news.
Hullabaloo gets vaguely culture-war-coverage-ish with James Dobson's
radio lovefest with former Speaker Newt Gingrich, comparing and
contrasting Dobson on Clinton and Dobson on Gingrich; I include it
here because it has extensive quotes from James Dobson, with
reasonable context;
Here's the Focus on the Family promo for the Dobson-Gingrich interview;
Meanwhile, in Florida, there's a counter-protest in support of the
city manager fired - against city policy, even - for undergoing
gender reassignment;
The, how can I put this? Faggotisation? of John Edwards continues,
this time courtesy Rush Limbaugh, who says he could be "our first
woman president";
More Dobson-on-Clinton, this via a nicely cached Google retrieval;
"Mormonism — That’s So Gay";
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM against Colorado house bill to allow
gay people to adopt;
Focus on the Family complains that science programmes aren't giving
doctorates to creationist students trying to study creationism as an
"alternative to evolution," spins it as _religious oppression_ -
"This issue of peer review and peer pressure -- it's real. Political
correctness reigns on the campus, and Christianity is definitely not
politically correct." No, the problem is that creationism isn't
_factually_ correct;
Focus on the Family story about how _men_ are hurt by not being able
to control whether a woman gets an abortion;
Citizen Magazine article promoting the New Life Church and lauding
its hard-line stance against GBLT people, particularly after the Ted
Haggard scandal;
Focus on the Family condemns evangelical groups pushing for action on
global warming;
FotF condemns New Mexico legislation allowing stem-cell research on
leftover embryos intended to be discarded after fertility treatments;
Mississippi abortion ban - comprehensive except for rape or life of
the mother, no health exemption - to be signed into law by Gov. Haley
Barbour; it's a "trigger law" that won't take effect unless Roe v.
Wade is overturned;
Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM against California assisted-suicide law;
FotF "Illinois Professor Refuses to Issue Grade to Christian Student"
- after she implied legal action against him for downgrading a grade
on a "faith-based" paper about therapy for "post-abortion syndrome,"
which is something the theocons made up;
Connecticut considering bill mandating "MySpace age checks" before
people can post profiles, thus eliminating 90% of the MySpace
audience base;
New Hampshire repeals "pro-life parential notification law"; Focus on
the Family is unhappy about it;
FotF unhappy that Wisconsin has turned down abstinence-education
funds from the Feds;
FotF ACTION ITEM against Washington State bill (SB 5297) considering
a bill stopping abstinence-only - abstinence can still be taught, but
can't be the only thing taught, and it also requires information be
medically accurate; theocons locally are _pissed off_;
FotF writing about their state-level "Family Policy Councils" which
create "judicial voter guides"; we've seen these here, but Washington
State isn't specifically listed;
FotF ACTION ITEM against "subversion of marriage" bills in Maine and
New Mexico; the Maine bill would "bar clergymen from signing marriage
licenses"; the New Mexico bills in question are domestic partnership
bills;
Faith and Freedom Network condemns "medically correct" sex-education
bill in Washington State, issues ACTION ITEM against; also condemn
scientific peer review because, and I am quoting as always, "the
journals are controlled by far left secularist organizations that do
not allow the abstinence people to publish";
Faith and Freedom Network condemns the Enlightenment (by
implication), as part of an attempt to describe the American Founding
Fathers as confirmed fundamentalist evangelicals. Note that modern
fundamentalism wasn't even invented until the late 19th and early
20th century, over 100 years later;
Faith and Freedom Network condemns domestic partnership benefits
vote, and is "reviewing the viable options of response," which I
suspect means, "figuring out whether to sue";
Focus on the Family drools over the prospect of a John Paul Stevens
retirement or death, talks about the need for Chief Executive Bush to
nominate a social conservative to overturn Roe v. Wade;
FotF unhappy at Iowa passing a stem-cell research bill, calling it a
"cloning bill";
New York Catholic Conference condemns stem-cell research funding bill
in New York State;
FotF condemns Washington State domestic partnership bill, calls for
state initiative to ban DP benefits;
FotF condemns Georgia law for not specifically refusing to recognise
adoptions by same-sex partners; reports on a court case where a
woman's custody rights were upheld by a Georgia court involving a
lesbian couple who had split up;
James Dobson op-ed in the Rocky Mountain News condemning same-sex
parents, defending his quoting of researchers who say that he is
specifically and misrepresenting their research; his response
continues to be, 'am not';
Focus on the Family unhappy with New Hampshire bills recognising
domestic partnerships;
Focus on the Family happy with advancement of "Ky. Fetal-Pain Bill."
----- 1 -----
The Screaming Minority
Friday, March 09, 2007
Hullabaloo
by digby
http://digbysblog.blogspot.com/2007/03/screaming-minority-by-digby-i-
hope-that.html
I hope that nobody gets the idea that Newt Gingrich's comments to
James Dobson exposing him as a rank hypocrite are going to mean
anything to the Christian Right. They have proven that they are
remarkably flexible when it comes to the personal morality of
Republican leaders. If they repent for what they've done, they are
forgiven, no harm no foul. (See most recently, Mark Foley.)
When it comes to Democrats, you have a very, very different story.
Here's Dobson in September of 1999:
As with many Christians around the country, Shirley and I have been
in prayer for our leaders in government who must deal with the
fallout from this scandal. They will need great wisdom and
discernment in the days ahead. Our most serious concern, however, is
not with those in Washington; it is with the American people. What
has alarmed me throughout this episode has been the willingness of my
fellow citizens to rationalize the President’s behavior even after
they suspected, and later knew, that he was lying. Because the
economy is strong, millions of people have said infidelity in the
Oval Office is just a private affair--something between himself and
Hillary. We heard it time and again during those months: “As long as
Mr. Clinton is doing a good job, it’s nobody’s business what he does
with his personal life.”
That disregard for morality is profoundly disturbing to me. Although
sexual affairs have occurred often in high places, the public has
never approved of such misconduct. But today, the rules by which
behavior is governed appear to have been rewritten specifically for
Mr. Clinton.
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Gingrich Tells Dobson He's 'Sought God's Forgiveness'
Focus on the Family
March 7, 2007
[Received in email - no URL]
Former U.S. Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich told Dr. James C.
Dobson he has “gotten on (his) knees and sought God’s forgiveness”
for his moral failings.
In a two-part installment of Dr. Dobson’s international radio program
airing Thursday and Friday, Gingrich also discusses his new book,
Rediscovering God in America, and the rising threat of radical Islam
to the West.
On day two of the program, Dr. Dobson compares the attitudes of
today’s Muslim radicals to the actions of the Nazis in the 1930s -- a
hatred of Jews and a desire for hegemony and domination.
“It bothers me,” he says, “that many of our leaders don’t seem to get
that – Republicans and Democrats.”
Gingrich agrees, noting that “there are 15- to 25-year-old men who
are willing to die as long as they kill you.”
“It’s a warrior culture,” he adds. “That has been true historically
for 6,000 or 7,000 years.”
[ http://listen.family.org/daily/A000000371.cfm ]
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
350 rally to protest city manager's ouster
The Largo official, fired last week over plans for a sex change, says
the support is overwhelming.
By EILEEN SCHULTE
Published March 7, 2007
http://www.sptimes.com/2007/03/07/Tampabay/350_rally_to_protest_.shtml
LARGO - They stood 350 strong in the grass outside City Hall on
Tuesday morning, united by faith.
They held signs, saying "Justice," "Compassion" and "Love," as well
as these:
Some Baptists need their hearts examined.
Jesus wasn't the Terminator.'
[...]
They were there to support Steve Stanton, who was fired from his job
as city manager by the City Commission after disclosing that he is
going to undergo gender-reassignment surgery.
The 30-minute rally drew more than a dozen clerics from churches and
synagogues around the Tampa Bay area.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
New Winger Attack: John Edwards Could Be Our "First Woman President"
By Eric Kleefeld
Election Central
http://electioncentral.tpmcafe.com/blog/electioncentral/2007/mar/09/
new_winger_attack_john_edwards_could_be_our_first_woman_president
It looks as if Ann Coulter's "faggot" insult of John Edwards has set
the tone for a new right-wing taunt: That John Edwards could become
our "First Woman President." Check out this screen grab of Rush
Limbaugh pushing the new smear:
[...]
RUSH: try this headline. Ann Coulter, if you're out there listening,
listen to this headline from the _New York Sun_ today: "Could John
Edwards Become the First Woman President?" It's by John Gerstein in
the New York Sun...
[...]
Rush's diatribe above was inspired by an article yesterday in the
conservative New York Sun entitled, "Could Edwards Become First Woman
President?." The artice quoted abortion rights activist and Edwards
backer Kate Michelman saying that Edwards "understands the reality of
women's lives." The Sun then suggested that her praise for Edwards on
women's issues is "provoking debate" that Edwards may soon lay claim
to the title of "First Woman President," and to attack Michelman and
the Edwards campaign for pushing such an argument. The kicker:
Neither Michelman nor the Edwards camp were ever quoted actually
making any such point.
Nevertheless, Rush picked up on the article and said:
So John Edwards is on tap now, according to one of the nation's
largest abortion rights supporters to become the first woman
president in the United States — and, of course, the barrier is
down. The first black president, Bill Clinton. That barrier is
broken. Sometimes all you can do is laugh at these people.
Speaking of the Breck Girl...
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Dr. Dobson's Study
Focus on the Family
September 1998
http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:prxi9BC9YEkJ:wings.buffalo.edu/
philosophy/faculty/smith/clinton/character.html+James+dobson+clinton
+impeachment&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=us
Dear Friends:
Greetings to you all. Shirley and I have been visiting the historic
city of Boston for the past few weeks while working on a new book
called Coming Home. I’ll tell you more about that at Christmastime.
We have loved being together and are particularly grateful to God for
His healing touch after my illness. Toward the end of our trip,
however, we were shocked and dismayed by the admission of the
President’s affair with “that woman — Miss Lewinsky” — which brought
humiliation on himself, his family and our nation. Millions of words
have been written and spoken about that sordid story, which I have
chosen not to address during these past seven months. But now I want
to express some passionate views that are on my heart.
As with many Christians around the country, Shirley and I have been
in prayer for our leaders in government who must deal with the
fallout from this scandal. They will need great wisdom and
discernment in the days ahead. Our most serious concern, however, is
not with those in Washington; it is with the American people. What
has alarmed me throughout this episode has been the willingness of my
fellow citizens to rationalize the President’s behavior even after
they suspected, and later knew, that he was lying. Because the
economy is strong, millions of people have said infidelity in the
Oval Office is just a private affair--something between himself and
Hillary. We heard it time and again during those months: “As long as
Mr. Clinton is doing a good job, it’s nobody’s business what he does
with his personal life.”
That disregard for morality is profoundly disturbing to me. Although
sexual affairs have occurred often in high places, the public has
never approved of such misconduct. But today, the rules by which
behavior is governed appear to have been rewritten specifically for
Mr. Clinton. We now know that this 50-year-old man had sexual
relations repeatedly and brazenly in the White House, with a woman 27
years his junior. Then he spoke on national television while shaking
his finger at the camera, and denied ever having a sexual
relationship with Miss Lewinsky. He was the most powerful man in the
world and she was a starry-eyed intern. That situation would not have
been tolerated in any other setting — ever. And yet the apologists
for the President have said endlessly, “It’s just about sex,” as
though cheating on your wife was of no particular significance. But
the majority of the American people replied, “I support the President.”
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Mormonism — That’s So Gay
Posted by Garance under Uncategorized
March 3, 2007
http://thegarance.com/archives/174
Ann Coulter’s vile decision to call John Edwards a “faggot” after
being praised by G.O.P. presidential candidate Mitt Romney actually
seemed pretty sophisticated intra-conservative politics to me, since,
according to a reporter for a conservative publication, the new joke
making the rounds at the Conservative Political Action Conference was:
“Mormonism — that’s so gay!”
Aggressive heterosexuality is Romney’s defense against his years
leading gay-friendly Massachusetts, and also against the taint of
sexual non-conformity his Mormon religion still carries. Polygamy and
homosexuality have been so routinely condemned in tandem by
conservatives over the past decade that the two now seem forever
combined in their thinking. Recall Rick Santorum’s contention that:
“if the Supreme Court says that you have the right to consensual sex
within your home, then you have the right to bigamy, you have the
right to polygamy”
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Colorado Legislature Considers Gay Adoption
Family advocates gear up for a fight.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
3-7-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000004079.cfm
Liberal Colorado lawmakers unveiled a bill Tuesday that would allow
homosexual couples to adopt children.
House Bill 1330, sponsored by House Majority Leader Alice Madden, D-
Boulder, would also include cohabiting couples and relatives of unwed
mothers.
"It's about parental responsibility and protecting our kids and
providing them with the most economically stable homes they can
have," she told the Rocky Mountain News.
But Jim Pfaff, president of Colorado Family Action, said the
legislation exploits single parents in order to promote homosexual
adoption.
"All the high-minded discussion of 'protecting children' and
'parental responsibility' is merely a smokescreen for the true intent
of this legislation: paving the way for homosexual adoption," he said.
[...]
Carrie Gordon Earll, senior director of issue analysis for Focus on
the Family Action, said implementing gay adoption in Colorado would
advance a broader political agenda to mainstream and normalize
homosexual behavior.
"If we are truly concerned about the needs of children, we should not
consider policies that increase the likelihood that children will
grow up without a mother or father," she said.
[...]
TAKE ACTION
Coloradans should contact their state lawmakers and ask them to
oppose HB 1330.
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. You can find contact information there. Otherwise,
click on this link.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Christian Scholars Face Opposition When Studying Origins
University faculties take a dim view of alternatives to evolution.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
3-7-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000004080.cfm
Christian students seeking to study human origins are facing
discrimination at many colleges and universities. Experts say
Darwin's Theory of Evolution has such a lock on faculty members, few
Christians who take a different point of view are getting through
advanced degree programs.
Last year, Bryan Leonard, an Ohio State University graduate student,
was preparing to defend his doctoral dissertation on the merits of
teaching alternatives to evolution. But his dissertation was pulled.
University officials determined he was subjecting students in his
research to something harmful.
[...]
John Morris, president of the Institute for Creation Research, said
Leonard's experience is not an anomaly.
"There's a closed system there," he told Family News in Focus. "This
issue of peer review and peer pressure -- it's real. Political
correctness reigns on the campus, and Christianity is definitely not
politically correct."
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
College Men Psychologically Affected by Abortion
Many call it the worst day.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
3-7-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000004081.cfm
A UCLA psychiatrist has noted that many college-aged men she's
counseled appear to have been impacted by abortion.
Dr. Miriam Grossman noticed a significant number of young men
reported a sleeping disorder. She began asking whether they had
participated in an abortion. Most said "Yes."
"I had a young man a few weeks ago who was very surprised that I was
asking him," she said. "But, he did say, 'Yeah, about a month ago my
girlfriend had an abortion. It was a whole big story, and he was
pretty upset about it."
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
Principle Trumps Personality
by Tom Minnery
Focus on the Family
http://www.citizenlink.org/citizenMag/A000003986.cfm
A few miles up the road from our Focus headquarters in Colorado
Springs is a huge church whose broad blue dome dominates the
landscape. This is New Life Church , with 14,000 members, and every
one of them has been stunned by the sudden loss of their beloved
pastor, the church founder, Ted Haggard.
Ted was dismissed by the church overseers, and placed in a program of
restoration, following a revelation by a homosexual prostitute that
he and Ted had been having a sexual relationship.
The prostitute revealed all this on a Denver radio talk show a week
before Election Day, and the story electrified the front pages of the
state's newspapers for days. It was a shock to churchgoers and non-
churchgoers alike.
[...]
I've thought a lot about that and here is my conclusion. The pastor
may have been a hypocrite, but the church was not. The revelation
against him was made on a Wednesday, the board of overseers
investigated on Thursday and Friday, and were dissatisfied with the
pastor's answers. He was dismissed on Saturday and the congregation
was told on Sunday. The following Tuesday was the election.
[...]
In this age of infinite tolerance, when elite society tolerates
everyone's “lifestyle” and wishes only to “celebrate diversity,” this
rock-solid stand for morality made a deep impression on the public, I
believe, and not often do people see this. From President Clinton's
evasions about Monica, all the way back to the Watergate era, when
President Nixon's spokesman could suddenly declare certain statements
“no longer operative,” we have grown accustomed to the bob and the
weave, to the guiltless admission and the non-fat confession.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Dr. Dobson, Evangelical Leaders
Challenge Global-Warming Rhetoric
Letter urges National Association of Evangelicals to restrain its D.C
spokesman.
Received March 2, 2007
[Received in email; no URL]
In a letter to the National Association of Evangelicals (NAE), James
C. Dobson, Ph.D., chairman of Focus on the Family Action, joined
other pro-family leaders in urging the NAE to refrain from taking a
position on the controversial and divisive topic of global warming
and other issues.
NAE official Richard Cizik, who works in the group’s Washington,
D.C., office, has told the media it’s indisputable that human
activity has contributed to global warming and has encouraged
evangelicals to make it a top issue. On other occasions, he's said
evangelicals “must confront population control.”
“We ask,” Dobson and the others wrote, “how is population control
going to be achieved, if not by promoting abortion, the distribution
of condoms to the young and even by infanticide in China and
elsewhere? Is this where Richard Cizik would lead us?”
To demonstrate that not all evangelicals are on board with global-
warming alarmism, the letter references a statement by the Interfaith
Stewardship Alliance that challenges common assumptions about global
warming.
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
N.M. Advances Embryonic Stem-Cell Legislation
Focus on the Family
3-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004101.cfm
The New Mexico Senate narrowly passed a bill Thursday to allow
research on human embryos, KOB-TV reported.
The bill now heads to the House.
"These are embryos that are either going to be frozen or discarded,"
said Republican Sen. John Ryan. "Doctors tell me that this research
can occur on those embryos."
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
Pro-Life Trigger Law Heads to Mississippi Governor
Focus on the Family
3-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004102.cfm
Lawmakers in the Magnolia State sent the governor pro-life
legislation on Thursday that includes an abortion trigger law, an
ultrasound provision and a parental-involvement clause, The
Associated Press reported.
Under the bill, abortion would become illegal if the 1973 Supreme
Court decision Roe v. Wade is overturned. It provides an exception
for rape or if the life of the mother is at risk.
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
Oregon's Assisted-Suicide Law Draws Attention
With California and Vermont in a race to legalize assisted suicide,
all eyes are focused on the only state where it's already legal.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
3-9-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000004106.cfm
Oregon published statistics Thursday for the ninth time since voters
there approved physician-assisted suicide.
In 2006, physicians prescribed death for 46 people, according to the
Oregon Department of Public Health. The numbers are rising.
All told, 292 have killed themselves with the help of doctors since
the law took effect in 1998. Nearly 400 others obtained lethal drugs
but did not use them -- if you believe the statistics.
But Wesley Smith, who opposes euthanasia, warned that the statistics
can't be trusted because they depend on self-reporting by doctors.
"We really don’t know what the numbers are," he added. "They even say
that the accuracy of their report depends on the accuracy of the
information they receive. And there is no way to investigate if
something wrong is taking place."
[...]
"They now use the term 'aid-in-dying.' They call physician-assisted
suicide, 'physician aid in dying' or PAD -- so physicians now 'induce
PAD,' " he said.
"It is playing word games with what is really going on to allow a
physician to help kill a patient and pretend that is not what's going
on."
Dr. Charles Bentz, president of the Physicians for Compassionate Care
Foundation, said pro-death advocates threatened the Department of
Human Services with litigation if the state continued to use the word
"suicide."
The name change is actually part of the pro-death movement's two-part
agenda.
[...]
TAKE ACTION
If you live in California, please contact your lawmakers and ask them
to oppose the assisted-suicide bill. To find out who your lawmakers
are -- and for talking points on the legislation -- please see the
California Family Council Web site.
[More at URL]
----- 15 ------
Illinois Professor Refuses to Issue Grade to Christian Student
Focus on the Family
3-8-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004097.cfm
Attorneys with the Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) intervened after a
professor at Southern Illinois University refused to grade the paper
of a Christian student.
Christine Mize, a social work graduate student, had to create an
eight-week therapy program based on a topic of her choice.
She chose to create a therapy model for women who suffer from post-
abortion syndrome and told her professor, Laura Drueth Zeman, that
the recovery portion would be faith-based. Drueth Zeman told Mize
that she would downgrade the paper if it included a faith-based element.
Mize handed in her paper without the contested section, but also
provided the professor with legal information to avoid any such
misunderstandings in the future.
Amy Smith, litigation counsel for ADF, said Drueth Zeman has had the
paper since December and has refused to issue a grade -- leaving
Mize, a 4.0 student, with an incomplete in a class required for
graduation.
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Connecticut Wants Mandatory MySpace Age Check
Focus on the Family
3-8-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004098.cfm
A bill proposed by Connecticut lawmakers and backed by the state
attorney general would require social-networking sites including
MySpace.com to obtain parental consent before minors can post
profiles, The Associated Press reported.
MySpace.com currently relies on the user to specify an age. Under the
proposal, such sites would be required to verify that age and obtain
parental permission for minors.
[More at URL]
----- 17 -----
New Hampshire Representatives Vote Against Parents' Rights
Focus on the Family
3-8-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004100.cfm
The New Hampshire House voted Wednesday to repeal a pro-life parental-
notification law that's been tied up in a legal challenge since it
passed in 2003, LifeNews.com reported.
Abortion advocates filed suit, because the law does not include an
exception to let teens get a judicial waiver. That would allow them
to skip telling their parents before getting an abortion.
Rep. Fran Wendelboe introduced an amendment that would have fixed that.
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Wisconsin Rejects Abstinence Funds
Governor prefers comprehensive sex ed.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
3-8-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000004094.cfm
Wisconsin's governor has turned down $600,000 for abstinence education.
Gov. Jim Doyle objected to the federal requirement that the money
only be used to teach the benefits of abstinence until marriage.
Stephanie Marquis, Doyle's spokeswoman, said the governor wants to
also teach kids about condoms.
"With our state (and) other states turning down the money," she said,
"we’re hoping that it also sends a very clear message that we want to
also be talking about how to prevent adolescent pregnancy.”
Wisconsin joins four other states that have rejected abstinence
funds: California, Pennsylvania, Maine and New Jersey.
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
State Abstinence Programs Under Attack
Washington state Senate votes for Planned Parenthood pleasing
curriculum.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
03-08-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000004096.cfm
Lawmakers in several states have launched an offensive to eliminate
abstinence-only education. That campaign has advanced furthest in
Washington.
The state Senate there passed a bill on Wednesday, 30-19, that will
mandate all public schools teach Planned Parenthood-endorsed sex-ed
curriculum that's used in Seattle schools.
"We're just sick about it," Sen. Val Stevens told CitizenLink. "It's
probably the worst piece of legislation that we've passed in the 15
years I've been in the Legislature."
The measure would specifically ban local districts from teaching the
value of purity.
"The bill will eliminate the opportunity for the schools to teach
abstinence education, unless they also present the 'medically
correct' -- as it is being called -- curriculum that will be
developed by the state superintendent of public instruction," said
Stevens, a Republican from Arlington.
[...]
Benn said a federally mandated curriculum would likely mandate
discussion of birth control and homosexuality.
TAKE ACTION
If you live in the state of Washington, please contact your
representative and insist that he or she vote against Senate Bill 5297.
For help in contacting your lawmakers, please visit the CitizenLink
Action Center.
----- 19 -----
Putting Judges to a Vote
Citizen Magazine
Focus on the Family
by Bruce Hausknecht, J.D.
http://citizenlink.org/citizenMag/A000003995.cfm
Public accountability is on the rise among state judges who never had
reason before to care what voters thought of their philosophy.
Voters in certain states cast their ballots last November with
greater confidence than ever before, especially in their assessment
of judges seeking office.
Those citizens had the benefit of judicial voter guides created and
distributed by family policy councils (FPCs)—state-level allies of
Focus on the Family Action, a non-profit, non-tax-deductible cultural
action organization chaired by Dr. James C. Dobson.
The FPCs first sent questionnaires to each of the candidates, and
then published the results in hard copy form or on a Web site. The
level of success varied by state, depending on the newness of the
voter guide effort and the type of judicial elections involved,
according to several FPC leaders interviewed by Citizen . Although
more voter education on the importance of state judges may be needed,
overall voter awareness and demand for such information appears to be
gaining momentum.
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
Two States Consider Subversion of Marriage
Bills in Maine and New Mexico would bar clergy from signing marriage
licenses and remove mention of brides and grooms.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
3-5-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000004063.cfm
The Maine Legislature is considering a bill that would bar clergymen
from signing marriage licenses. And lawmakers in New Mexico will soon
vote on domestic partnerships in the Land of Enchantment.
Michael Heath, executive director of the Christian Civic League of
Maine, told CitizenLink only a justice of the peace, a lawyer, a
judge or a notary public would be able to sign marriage licenses, but
not clergymen.
"I think it's an insane, absurd bill," Heath said. "I can't even
believe we're wasting time talking about it. It's stupid."
Still Heath said Mainers need to contact legislators about the bill,
which hasn't yet passed the committee level, just in case.
In New Mexico, meanwhile, lawmakers are poised to pass much more
sinister legislation that would change the state's marriage laws in
preparation for legalizing domestic partnerships.
Mona Passignano, state issues analyst for Focus on the Family Action,
said SB 1003 would amend marriage licenses in New Mexico.
"It would remove the words 'bride' and 'groom,' from the marriage
license; instead it would say 'Applicant 1' for the bride and
'Applicant 2’ for the groom," Passignano said. "Later on, the word
'male' is replaced by 'Applicant 1' and the word 'female' is replaced
by 'Applicant 2.' "
The bill would also strip out any mention of "the holy bonds of
matrimony" in the current law -- and replace it with "marriage."
New Mexico State Rep. Nora Espinoza, R-Roswell, said there is only
one reason why the changes are being sought.
"This is [domestic partnerships]," Espinoza said. "We've got to fight
-- for our kids, for the future generation. What Christians do not
understand is, give me one generation of your children, and I will
show you the future of your nation."
In fact, Passignano said there are three domestic-partnership bills
moving fast through the New Mexico Legislature.
HB 603 would give domestic partners the same rights as spouses – in
child custody, divorce, and property disputes.
HB 15 would require insurance carriers to offer health benefits to
domestic partners if an employer asks for them.
The third, SB 502, would change retiree health care to include
domestic partners.
State Sen. Mark Boitano, R-Albuquerque, opposes making domestic
partnerships legal. He said its proponents are making a full-court
press in the Senate, since there are only 12 days left this session.
Boitano said he was pressured by lobbyists to approve domestic
partnership just prior to speaking with CitizenLink.
"The case that they are making is that things are changing," he said.
"It's absolutely true. The world today is much different than the
world 50 years ago or 100 years ago. But there are certain things
that don't change -- the order in the universe doesn't change . . .
and the science of social structures doesn't. The family is the basis
and the foundation of our society and it is just not appropriate to
compare domestic partners to married couples."
Passignano, meanwhile, said gay activists have been forthright in
saying that pushing for domestic partnerships is just a stepping
stone for gay marriage.
"And they are setting the stage for domestic partnerships in the
state of New Mexico," she said. "The scary thing is New Mexico is one
the few states that doesn't even have a DOMA law, a defense of
marriage act, on the books. So this state is very, very vulnerable on
this issue."
TAKE ACTION:
If you reside in Maine or New Mexico, log into the CitizenLink Action
Center to contact your lawmakers. In New Mexico, ask lawmakers to
oppose SB 1003, HB 603, HB 15 and SB 502. In Maine, ask lawmakers to
oppose the bill banning clergy from marriage licenses.
If you don't yet have a CitizenLink account, you can create one
easily here.
----- 21 -----
"Big Brother Olympia On Steriods"
Faith and Freedom Network
Friday, March 09, 2007
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/03/big-brother-olympia-on-
steriods.html
Senator Tim Sheldon (D) told me this morning that the Senate passage
of Sex-Ed Bill SB 5297 this week was, “big brother Olympia on
steroids.” As you can imagine, a good number of Republicans agreed,
but in the end, there were not enough Senators who care about the kids.
Senator Val Stevens (R) told me this morning that, “If this bill
becomes law, I would recommend that parents carefully reconsider
allowing their child to be influenced by a system that is sending a
double message.”
Senate Bill 5297 eliminates the opportunity for schools to teach
abstinence education, unless they present the “medically correct”
curriculum that will be developed by the state superintendent of
public instruction. The “medically correct” sex-ed will be Planned
Parenthood endorsed curriculum like that used in the Seattle schools.
[...]
Here’s how it works. In order to be medically and scientifically
accurate, it must be verified and supported (in its research) by peer
review. Abstinence education can not get into peer review journals
because the journals are controlled by far left secularist
organizations that do not allow the abstinence people to publish.
Thus eliminating abstinence-only education.
[...]
SB 5297 will now go before the House of Representatives for
consideration.
This is a time when we must speak.
Please call and write your State Representatives and ask them to vote
against SB 5297. Click here for contact information regarding
Washington State Representatives. Legislative Hotline: 1.800.562.6000.
Also, be sure to vote on our new poll. I have been told that many
legislators pay attention to the Faith & Freedom poll numbers. Click
here to go to the poll.
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
Faith and the Founders
Faith and Freedom Network
Wednesday, March 07, 2007
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/03/faith-and-founders.html
Whether you are reading some of the posts on this website or simply
listening to conversation on a college campus, it doesn't take long
before you hear the "free thinkers," secular humanists or atheists
begin their mantra about how "secular" and deist our Founders were in
their beliefs. Or worse yet, sometimes we hear that our Founders were
actually followers of the French Enlightenment Movement.
This, of course, is standard fare in too many high school and college
classrooms. And when people who have been educated to believe this
are confronted with the Founders actual quotes and speeches, they
attack the messenger.
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
Washington Lawmakers move toward gay marriage
Thursday, March 01, 2007
Faith and Freedom Network
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2007/03/washington-lawmakers-
move-toward-gay.html
Today Washington State Senate passed a measure by a 28 to 19 vote
that will allow Domestic Partnerships.
Voting was as follows: 3/1/2007
Voting Yea: Senators Berkey, Brandland, Brown, Eide, Fairley,
Franklin, Fraser, Haugen, Hobbs, Jacobsen, Kastama, Kauffman, Keiser,
Kilmer, Kline, Kohl-Welles, Marr, McAuliffe, Murray, Oemig, Poulsen,
Prentice, Pridemore, Regala, Rockefeller, Spanel, Tom, and Weinstein .
Voting Nay: Senators Benton, Carrell, Clements, Delvin, Hargrove,
Hatfield, Hewitt, Holmquist, Honeyford, McCaslin, Morton, Parlette,
Rasmussen, Roach, Schoesler, Sheldon, Stevens, Swecker, and Zarelli
Absent: Excused: Senators Pflug and Shin
The following is the text from a press release sent out by Faith &
Freedom today.
________________
Gary Randall, President of Faith & Freedom said, “By passing the
domestic partnership bill today, the Washington Legislature has
chosen a path toward gay marriage.”
Senator Ed Murray, Rep. Jim Moeller, and other sponsors of the bill
have made it clear to both the press and the public that the ultimate
prize is “marriage equality” – or gay marriage.
Randall said, “I think a number of legislators who are not
comfortable with voting for gay marriage chose this vote as an
alternative. Unfortunately, rather than a helpful compromise, this
decision will most likely prove to be an enabling step toward same-
sex marriage, as we are seeing in New Jersey.” Randall also said, “As
this plays out over the next year or so, some lawmakers may find
themselves at odds with their constitutes, in that a majority of
Washington citizens do not favor gay marriage.”
Jon Russell, Senior Field Director and lobbyist said, “I think the
bill is inherently discriminatory because it extends benefits to
homosexuals and elderly unmarried couples living together while
excluding many other classes of relationships.”
Faith & Freedom is reviewing the viable options of response.
----- 24 -----
Showdown Ahead
Can social conservatives emerge victorious while liberal Democrats
remain in control of the U.S. Senate?
by John Paulton
Citizen Magazine
Focus on the Family Action
March 2007
http://citizenlink.org/citizenMag/A000003993.cfm
All political eyes are on John Paul Stevens these days. For months,
the 86-year-old Supreme Court Justice has been the subject of
speculation. First, there were rumors of ill health. Then came
surprising reports that the Court's longest-serving liberal wants to
resign his seat while a Republican holds the White House, out of a
sense of loyalty to the man who nominated him—the late President
Gerald Ford. Current speculation is that a Stevens resignation could
come this summer, after the Court has concluded its current term.
Even if a Stevens vacancy does not happen this year, the odds are
that the next Supreme Court opening will result from a liberal
vacating his or her seat. The average age of the four conservative
jurists is 59, while the average age of the remaining justices is 73.
Should one of the liberal seats open up while President Bush is still
in office, the political battle for the ages would begin. After all,
if one of the liberal justices were to be replaced with one who
recognizes a constitutional duty to interpret rather than create the
law, there is a strong chance that the 1973 Roe v. Wade decision
could be overturned, sending control over abortion back to the states.
That reality has the Left apoplectic. As the Roberts and Alito
confirmation battles revealed, most liberals view abortion as the one
right that must be protected above all others—and that means holding
on to the courts at all cost.
But many other critical matters are at stake as well. The definition
of marriage, religious freedom, school choice, property rights and
national security are among the many issues in which activist, left-
leaning courts have held sway. While adding a fifth conservative to
the Court wouldn't change things overnight, the eventual impact could
be breathtaking. It's no wonder that the battle lines are drawn.
[More at URL]
----- 25 -----
Iowa Gov. Signs Cloning Bill
Focus on the Family
3-2-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004045.cfm
A bill that will allow scientists to clone human embryonic life then
kill it in the name of science was signed by Iowa Gov. Chet Culver on
Thursday, LifeNews.com reported.
The bill repeals a prior ban on such destructive research.
Culver said the repeal paves the way in the "search for lifesaving
cures for diseases."
[More at URL]
----- 26 -----
N.Y. Governor Wants State-Funded Destructive Embryonic Stem-Cell
Research
Focus on the Family
3-2-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004048.cfm
New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has proposed legislation that would
designate hundreds of millions in state funds for research on human
embryos, LifeNews.com reported.
Richard Barnes, director of the New York Catholic Conference,
testified before Senate and House committees considering the bill.
"The governor's stem-cell research proposal," he said, "is devoid of
any moral consideration whatsoever for the living human embryos who
will be subject to experimentation and destruction."
[More at URL]
----- 27 -----
Domestic Partnerships Looming in Washington State
Focus on the Family
3-2-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004049.cfm
The Washington State Senate approved a bill Thursday that would grant
same-sex couples the right to enter domestic partnerships. The
legislation is expected to easily pass in the House, The Seattle
Times reported.
The bill would extend most of the benefits of marriage to gay and
lesbian couples, though gay-advocacy groups say it is just a step
toward the ultimate goal.
"We'll keep coming back and keep telling the story and hope people
go, 'Geez, let's just get it over with -- let's pass marriage," said
Democratic Sen. Ed Murray.
Republican Sen. Val Stevens is opposed to the legislation.
[...]
Sonja Swiatkiewicz, director of issue response for Focus on the
Family Action, said Stevens is right.
"Though Washington has a Defense of Marriage statute, it's clear that
marriage will remain vulnerable in the Evergreen State until the
people have the chance to preserve traditional marriage at the ballot
box."
[More at URL]
----- 28 -----
Ga. Court Refuses Gay Adoption Challenge
Ex-partner of same-sex couple will keep parental standing.
Focus on the Family
from staff reports
3-2-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLNews/A000004050.cfm
Georgia's State Supreme Court will not hear an appeal to a decision
granting child-custody rights to a lesbian's former partner.
The case involves a woman allowed to adopt her same-sex partner's
biological child. When the relationship dissolved two years later, a
custody battle ensued. Georgia state law did not provide answers, so
a lower court allowed the adoption to stand.
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action,
said gay-advocacy groups are celebrating the state's lack of clarity
surrounding the issue.
"They got their foot in the door with the original adoption decree,"
he said, "and they figure that once they get that foot in the door
it’s easy to keep marching forward."
[More at URL]
----- 29 -----
Children Need Both a Mother and a Father
Dr. Dobson won't back down on what's best for children, no matter how
noisily gay activists complain.
by James C. Dobson, Ph.D.
Focus on the Family
3-2-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLtopstories/A000004052.cfm
EDITOR’S NOTE: The following op-ed by James C. Dobson, Ph.D.,
chairman and founder of Focus on the Family, first appeared in the
Rocky Mountain News on Feb. 28.
In December of last year, I received a request from Time magazine
asking me to address the issue of Mary Cheney's decision to have a
baby with her lesbian partner, Heather Poe. I complied, and my
commentary was published in the magazine's Dec. 18 issue.
Although the statement was entirely respectful to Cheney and Poe, I
did express my strong opinion that children need both a mother and a
father, and that the preponderance of behavioral research supports
that belief. From that point forward, I have been subjected to a
barrage of criticism and insults from homosexual activists, including
two lesbian protesters who came to the door of our organization last
week demanding a retraction. The Rocky Mountain News reported their
unexpected visit, but to its credit, has now given me an opportunity
to reply.
[More at URL]
----- 30 -----
New Hampshire Considers Civil Unions
Focus on the Family
3-1-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004033.cfm
The New Hampshire Legislature will consider two bills that would give
same-sex couples the rights of marriage, the Nashua Telegraph reported.
HB 431 would create civil unions for same-sex couples, giving them
the rights and privileges of marriage. HB 235 would mandate the state
to recognize out-of-state gay marriage.
[More at URL]
----- 31 -----
Ky. Fetal-Pain Bill Advances
Focus on the Family
3-1-2007
http://www.citizenlink.org/CLBriefs/A000004034.cfm
The Kentucky Senate Judiciary Committee approved legislation
Wednesday that would require abortionists to tell women that a
preborn child may feel pain during an abortion, The Associated Press
reported.
[More at URL]
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