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

Sat Dec 3 12:39:39 PST 2005

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Bill O'Reilly, a big backer of the "war on Christmas" nuttiness going  
around again this year and who specifically calls anyone saying "Happy  
Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas" a part of it, is selling  
"Holiday tree" ornaments on his own damn web site - got, what an ass  
that man is; it's been changed now, but they got screen captures; look  
for history-altering denials from O'Reilly any time now;

More from the new Pope: in addition to the new  
no-gay-men-no-matter-how-well-behaved policy, gay men currently in  
seminary or priesthood are forbidden to teach - again, this is utterly  
independent of behaviour; being gay _in and of itself_ is a moral  
crime;

South Africa's Constitution specifically forbids discrimination on the  
basis of sexual orientation - its Supreme Court has ruled that this  
applies to marriage rights too, says Parliament must find a way to deal  
with it;

Malawi rejects Anglican bishop not for being gay (he's not), but for  
being not anti-gay;

Televangelists vs. Fundamentalist: Televangelist networks fighting "al  
la carte" cable/satellite options, "We don't just want to preach to the  
choir; we want to reach the unchurched";

New FCC head warns _cable_ and _satellite_ to clean up or face  
"indecency" regulation like broadcasters;

New Focus on the Family story against Target;

Kansas University's creationism class cancelled;

FotF's story on South African marriage rights conveniently neglects the  
South African Constitution's explicit declaration of nondiscrimination  
on the basis of sexual orientation;

FotF urges readers to taunt the ACLU by sending them Merry Christmas  
cards - "kindness will produce more smoke out of their ears than  
anything untoward you could think of anyway";

FotF continues asking for more "war on Christmas" stories from readers;

FotF claims "VATICAN RULING ALLOWS EX-GAYS IN PRIESTHOOD," implies  
endorsement of "ex-gay" fundamentalist movement; it actually doesn't,  
in general, post-adolescent same-sex attractions are a blanket  
disqualifier;

FotF drops Wells Fargo as bank over Wells Fargo's GBLT-supportive  
policies;

FotF: Texas cuts ties with national educational group over the  
national's support for queer student issues;

Walgreens, Lowes both agree to use "Merry Christmas" and Christmas  
terminology in place of "holiday" next year;

Lawsuit against California stem-cell research grants continues; attempt  
to dismiss it early fails;

"Unwritten" policy University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire banning RAs from  
leading bible-study groups in their dorms lifted;

Focus on the Family ACTION ITEM to flood the FCC with indecency  
complaints over a show most of their audience didn't even see; this is  
a repeat, because in the first version of the ACTION ITEM, they didn't  
include the show's air date and time, which the FCC requires, assuming  
that complainants have actually _seen the show in question_;

Concerned Women for America's Robert Knight blasts the  
"abortion-homosexual connection," talking about how the two "have  
worked hand-in-hand to destroy the primary of marriage and family and  
the Judeo-Christian sexual ethic";

LifeNews claims abortion increases the rate of suicide;

Agape Press claims "America's children are getting more aggressive and  
violent in their dealings with parents and peers," claims it because  
abortion is legal; also notes that President Bush has given his  
personal endorsement to the rabidly anti-gay Marilyn Musgrave  
(R-Colorado), who was the person who introduced the previous  
anti-marriage and anti-civil-unions Federal Marriage Amendment,  
specifically praises her work to "defend marriage";

FRC to announce Justice Sunday III in a sermon this Sunday at a  
Philadelphia Baptist Church;

FRC: "Only 12% of Dutch Homosexuals Marry" - another 10% are in the the  
previously-allowed domestic partnerships; this article is probably  
triggered by the fact that the marriage rate has doubled in five years  
and is climbing sharply as lesbian and gay couples adjust to the idea  
that they actually can;

FRC ACTION ITEM to urge more anti-"indecency" prosecutions by FCC;

Tony Perkins: "There Are No Atheists in Hurricanes"

WorldNetDaily on New Hampshire legislative commission: silly faggots,  
marriage is for kids;

CWA wonk Throckmorton says sexual activity causes depression in  
teenagers;

Traditional Values Coalition: precedents aren't important, overturn Roe  
v. Wade.

----- 1 -----
Fox betrays Christmas crusade, sells "Holiday" ornaments for your  
"Holiday tree"
Media Matters for America

http://mediamatters.org/items/200511300006

Although Fox News hosts Bill O'Reilly and John Gibson have lambasted  
what they see as a "secular" "war on Christmas," Fox News' own online  
store advertises "Holiday" ornaments rather than "Christmas" ornaments,  
as apparently first noted on the weblog Daily Kos. The items are  
grouped under the category "Holiday Ideas."

O'Reilly, host of Fox News' The O'Reilly Factor, has recently waged a  
campaign against corporations that greet customers with "Happy  
Holidays" instead of "Merry Christmas." For his part, Gibson, the host  
of Fox News' The Big Story with John Gibson, has published a book  
titled The War on Christmas: How the Liberal Plot to Ban the Sacred  
Christian Holiday Is Worse Than You Thought (Sentinel, October 2005).

Despite O'Reilly's specific criticism of those who use the term  
"holiday tree" instead of "Christmas tree," an O'Reilly Factor ornament  
for sale at the Fox News store features this tagline: "Put your holiday  
tree in 'The No Spin Zone' with this silver glass 'O'Reilly Factor'  
ornament."

[More at URL]

----- 2 -----
Vatican letter says norms on priesthood must be 'faithfully observed'
By John Thavis
Catholic News Service
November 30, 2005

http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0506807.htm

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- A cover letter accompanying the Vatican's  
instruction on homosexuality and the priesthood said the new norms must  
be "faithfully observed" and taken into account in the drafting or  
updating of each country's seminary guidelines.

The letter also made clear that, while the text does not apply to those  
already ordained, priests with homosexual tendencies should not have  
educational roles in seminaries.

The letter from the Vatican's Congregation for Catholic Education went  
out to bishops in early November along with the nine-page instruction.  
The instruction was made public Nov. 29 but the cover letter was not;  
Catholic News Service obtained a copy of the letter.

[...]

The instruction, the letter said, "does not call into question the  
validity of the ordination and the situation of priests who, in fact,  
have been ordained with homosexual tendencies" or of priests who have  
manifested homosexual tendencies after ordination.

"Like all other priests, they must remember the promise that they made  
on the day of their ordination, to live perfect chastity in celibacy,"  
the letter said.

Such priests should continue in their ministry, it said, but added:  
"Because of the particular responsibility of those charged with the  
formation of future priests, they are not to be appointed as rectors or  
educators in seminaries."

[More at URL]

----- 3 -----
S. Africa's Top Court Blesses Gay Marriage
Parliament Given One Year to Amend Law
By Craig Timberg
Washington Post Foreign Service
Friday, December 2, 2005; Page A16

JOHANNESBURG, Dec. 1 -- South Africa's highest court on Thursday  
recognized the marriage of two Pretoria women and gave Parliament a  
year to extend legal marital rights to all same-sex couples.

The ruling, greeted with jubilation by gay men and lesbians but with  
frustration by some church leaders, will make South Africa the first  
country to allow marriages between gay people on a continent where  
homosexual activity is widely condemned and often outlawed.

[...]

The court's judges unanimously agreed that South Africa's 1996  
constitution, which prohibits discrimination based on sexual  
orientation, guarantees the right of gay men and lesbians to marry. One  
justice, in a limited dissent, argued that the law should be overturned  
immediately rather than within a year.

[More at URL]

----- 4 -----
Malawi rejects 'pro-gay' bishop
BBC News
Friday, 2 December 2005, 15:16 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4491376.stm

African Anglican bishops have blocked the appointment of a "pro-gay"  
bishop in Malawi.

Liberal British vicar, Rev Nicholas Henderson, was rejected for his  
support for gay rights, the Anglican Church of Central Africa said in a  
statement.

He was bishop-elect of the Lake Malawi diocese, but his association  
with the theologically liberal Modern Church People's Union made him  
"unsuitable".

[...]

Rev Henderson was elected by the local diocese in July to serve as  
bishop for the Lake Malawi region, but conservative members challenged  
the move.

[...]

"He has actively demonstrated that he was not of sound faith - that's  
what the Court of Confirmation decided," Archbishop Bernard Malango,  
who leads the Anglican church in central Africa, told the BBC's Focus  
on Africa programme.

[More at URL]

----- 5 -----
Televangelists on Unusual Side in Indecency Debate
By Jube Shiver Jr., Times Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Times
November 29, 2005

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-indecency29nov29,1,1718994.story? 
ctrack=1&cset=true

WASHINGTON ? Trying to preserve their electronic pulpits, the nation's  
religious broadcasters find themselves in the unusual position of  
fighting an effort by anti-indecency groups to thwart channels offering  
racy programming.

The issue involves a debate over whether cable companies should  
continue offering subscribers mainstream and niche channels in bundles,  
or let them buy what they want on an a la carte basis.

[...]

But what started largely as a consumer issue has now morphed into a  
larger controversy involving whether cable operators should be required  
to continue exposing subscribers to niche channels, including religious  
ones, that people might not order on their own.

"We don't just want to preach to the choir; we want to reach the  
unchurched," said Paul Crouch Jr. of Trinity Broadcast Network in Santa  
Ana. "The bottom line is that we want to be everywhere on cable."

[More at URL]

----- 6 -----
FCC Chairman Urges Cable TV to Police Itself Over Indecency
Kevin Martin says firms should offer channels a la carte and warns that  
non-broadcast content might face regulation.
By Jube Shiver Jr., Times Staff Writer
The Los Angeles Times

http://www.latimes.com/business/la-fi-indecency30nov30,1,6180027.story

WASHINGTON ? The nation's top communications regulator chided the cable  
TV industry Tuesday for not doing enough to shield children from  
objectionable programs, adding that parents would be better served if  
they could more easily pick the channels they receive.

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Kevin J. Martin urged cable  
operators to offer programs a la carte instead of in bundled packages,  
a move that he said also would benefit consumers by lowering bills by  
about 2%. Martin's position marks a shift from the FCC's previous  
stance under former Chairman Michael K. Powell.

[...]

Martin warned that if cable providers didn't police indecency  
themselves, broadcast standards could potentially be extended to cable  
and satellite operators. Companies could be forced to create a  
family-friendly tier of channels, he added, or they might be required  
to offer channels individually.

[Senator Ted] Stevens (R-Alaska) added that if the indecency problem  
could not be resolved, "we're going to see a bill that many of you will  
not like, and we are going to be in litigation for many months."

[More at URL]

----- 7 -----
TARGET BOYCOTTED OVER 'CHRISTMAS'
Speaking up this year may affect what happens next year.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
December 2, 2005
by Pete Winn, associate editor

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038798.cfm

The American Family Association (AFA) has expanded a
nationwide boycott of Target stores. AFA Founder and
Chairman Don Wildmon said the reason is simple: Target
refuses to use the word "Christmas" -- instead referring
only to a generic "holiday."

"Target has an anti-Christian stance and they are not
going to change it," Wildmon said. "We asked them if next
Christmas -- not this one, but next Christmas -- if they
would use the term Christmas in their in-store promotions
and retail advertising. If they would commit to it, we
would ask people to go shop with them. We knew that it was
too late to do it this year, but next year they could."

He told officials at Target if they chose not to respond,
he would ask people not to be customers.

"They did not respond," Wildmon said. "That sent a clear
message. Instead of writing back and trying to give us any
kind of an argument why they're doing this, they just
didn't respond."

Target did talk to CitizenLink about the issue. Corporate
spokeswoman Carolyn Brookter attempted to sidestep and
said Target "absolutely does not have a policy that bans
our team members or employees from saying Merry
Christmas."

When pressed, she did admit that Target is not referring
to Christmas in its advertising and corporate
communications this year.

[More at URL]

----- 8 -----
Creation as Mythology Class Canceled
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
December 2, 2005
from staff reports

SUMMARY: E-mail mocking Christians added to the
professor's troubles.

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038799.cfm

A University of Kansas (KU) professor intensely criticized
over his plans to teach creation and intelligent design as
"mythology" canceled the class on Thursday.

Paul Mirecki, chair of the Religious Studies Department,
had previously apologized and promised to teach a class
that respected all points of view.

But that appeared to be a long shot after an e-mail came
to light in which Mirecki, who is also the faculty adviser
for the school's atheist club, wrote about "fundies"
(meaning fundamentalists) and how the class "will be a
nice slap in their big fat face by teaching it as a
religious studies class under the category of mythology."

Amanda Tate, a KU senior, called that offensive, but not
surprising given the liberal bent on campus.

[More at URL]

----- 9 -----
South Africa Affirms Gay Marriage
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
December 2, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

South Africa's highest court ruled Thursday it is
unconstitutional to deny homosexuals the right to marry
and demanded the country change its laws to allow it,
Reuters reported.

"The exclusion of same-sex couples from the benefits and
responsibilities of marriage," said Justice Albie Sachs,
"signifies that their capacity for love, commitment and
accepting responsibility is by definition less worthy of
regard than that of heterosexual couples."

The Constitutional Court has asked the South African
parliament to amend marriage laws to include gay marriage
in the next year or else it will impose the change, adding
the nation to the list of four other countries that
legally recognize same-sex marriage.

Government lawyers have argued from the onset of the case,
originally filed by two lesbians who sought a marriage
license, that only parliament should have the power to
make such a decision.

The African Christian Democratic Party said bringing gay
marriage to South Africa would threaten the country's
foundation.

"Every long-standing society has viewed marriage as a
union of male and female," read a statement by the party.
"Studies of previous civilizations reveal that when a
society strays from the ethic of marriage, it deteriorates
and eventually disintegrates."

----- 10 -----
Merry Christmas, ACLU
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
December 2, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

Here's a fun one to get you in the Christmas spirit.
Kevin McCullough, the host of a popular Christian talk
radio show in New York, is asking people to send Christmas
cards to the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU).

McCullough makes his pitch on his blog:

"Go get as 'Christmas' a Christmas card as you can find --
something that says, 'Joy To The World', 'For Unto Us A
Child Is Born', but at least 'Merry Christmas', put some
of your own thoughts into it, sign it respectfully and zip
it off in the mail. Please be kind, even cheerful in
sending the card. Trust me -- kindness will produce more
smoke out of their ears than anything untoward you could
think of anyway."

FOR MORE INFORMATION: If you would like to join in wishing
the ACLU a Merry Christmas, visit the WMCA Web site.

http://www.wmca.com/weblogs/kmc/date11302005.aspx

Or send a card to:

ACLU
'Wishing You Merry Christmas'
125 Broad Street 18th Floor
New York, NY 10004

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

----- 11 -----
Share Your Stories about the War on Christmas
Focus on the Family
EDITOR'S NOTE
December 1, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

We see it every year at this time -- businesses and
schools and government entities refusing to acknowledge
Christmas out of fear of "offending" someone. You've read
the stories -- Target is the most newsworthy offender this
year, banning the use of "Merry Christmas" in its
advertising -- but we'd like to do more than just report
on these incidents.

That's why we're asking you to share your personal stories
of outrageous anti-Christmas sentiment with us.

What examples have you encountered in your own life of
Christmas being marginalized or banished? Christmas carols
outlawed at your children's school? A "holiday tree"
instead of a Christmas tree in the town square? Complaints
about the Nativity scene you put up in your own front
yard?

Of course, maybe you've actually been part of or observed
the opposite kind of story -- Christmas being acknowledged
and celebrated in spite of the PC police.  By all means,
we want to hear those stories, too.

You can share your story with us by sending an e-mail to
citizenlink at family.org -- using the subject line
"Christmas Stories." We'll publish a sampling of the
submissions in the coming weeks.

Please remember, in your e-mails, to include your name and
place of residence; and know that by submitting your
comments, you are granting Focus on the Family the right
to edit and publish them on CitizenLink's Web site and in
our daily e-mail update.

Thanks for taking part -- and "Merry Christmas."

----- 12 -----
VATICAN RULING ALLOWS EX-GAYS IN PRIESTHOOD
Those who have left homosexuality have a powerful testimony.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
December 1, 2005

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038781.cfm

Groups that help people leave homosexuality are applauding
a Vatican policy, released Tuesday, that seminary
candidates be free from homosexual tendencies for at least
three years. They say it implicitly means ex-gays may
enter the priesthood.

Regina Griggs, executive director of Parents and Friends
of Ex-Gays & Gays, said the Vatican has broken through a
social barrier.

"I think it is so important for the church to recognize
and honor those who have struggled with same-sex
attractions and have overcome them, for they are the
living proof that change is possible," she said.

Griggs said Protestant churches should follow the
Vatican's lead.

[More at URL]

----- 13 -----
Focus on the Family Changes Banks Over Gay Activism
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
by Pete Winn, associate editor
December 1, 2005

SUMMARY: Tough times call for tough decisions.

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038785.cfm

Corporate America is falling victim to homosexual activism
and Christian consumers need to take a stand as best they
can -- that was the message Dr. James C. Dobson, chairman
of Focus on the Family, shared on his national radio
broadcast today.

Dobson was joined by Focus on the Family President and CEO
Jim Daly to explain why the ministry will no longer do
business with its long-time bank, Wells Fargo.

More and more top companies are contributing money to gay
causes or are adopting corporate policies which subvert
traditional family values -- such as providing same-sex
couples with marital benefits.

"This is an increasingly dangerous trend within American
business, and it affects us at Focus on the Family,"
Dobson said.

Daly told Dobson's listeners that 49 of the Top 50 Fortune
500 companies have adopted pro-gay policies. Looking at
the entire list, 85 percent of the Top 500 companies have
done so.

[More at URL]

----- 14 -----
TEXAS CUTS TIES WITH EDUCATION ASSOCIATION OVER GAY ISSUE
The Lone Star state sends a $40,000 message.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
December 1, 2005
from staff reports

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0038780.cfm

The Texas State Board of Education is parting ways with
the National Association of State Boards of Education
(NASBE) alleging that it is pushing the gay agenda under
the banner of anti-bullying conferences.

Terri Leo, a Texas board member, said NASBE promoted the
idea of granting special status to homosexuals.

"They had people in from the
gay-lesbian-bisexual-transgender-questioning lobby," she
said. "What that lobby is doing is pushing their agenda
and getting it into schools through these bullying
symposiums."

[...]

Caleb H. Price, a social research analyst for Focus on the
Family Action, said when Texas took away its $40,000 in
annual dues, it sent a clear message.

"It is refreshing to see a group like the Texas State
Board of Education vote with their feet and drop their
membership with the NASBE," he said. "Unfortunately, it
seems like the only way to send a message to them is to
hit them where it hurts -- in their pocketbooks."

[More at URL]

----- 15 -----
Walgreens Vows to Bring Back Christmas
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
December 1, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

Some retailers have heeded customers tired of politically
correct "holiday" advertising.

Walgreens told the American Family Association, "Next
year, you can be assured our advertising will better
incorporate 'Christmas,' and our holiday trees will be
called Christmas trees. Unfortunately all of this year's
December ads are already printed, so it's too late to make
changes for this season."

Other retailers, such as Lowe's home improvement stores,
are listening as well.  Lowe's just this week announced
that it would drop signs offering "Holiday Trees" and
return to calling them "Christmas Trees."

----- 16 -----
Constitutionality of Golden State Stem-Cell Funding Will See Trial
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
December 1, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

An Alameda County, Calif., Superior Court judge on Tuesday
declined to dismiss two lawsuits that are preventing the
state from funding a $3 billion embryonic stem-cell
research program approved by voters in 2004, The New York
Times reported.

Opponents of embryonic stem-cell research filed the suits
to challenge the legality of the state-funded program,
which was created to side step federal restrictions set up
by President Bush in 2002 that limited embryonic stem-cell
research to those lines already in place.

The two cases claim the funding is unconstitutional
because it will not be sufficiently controlled by the
state.

----- 17 -----
College Bible-Study Ban Lifted
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
December 1, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

An unwritten policy banning resident assistants (RAs) from
leading Bible studies at the University of Wisconsin-Eau
Claire (UWEC) was suspended just hours after a Christian
RA filed a lawsuit.

In July, Deborah Newman, an administrator at UWEC, told
RAs they could not lead Bible studies in their rooms
because some students might feel judged.

The Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE)
worked with Lance Steiger to encourage officials to end
the ban.  When the college did not respond, FIRE worked to
expose the university's unconstitutional policy.

Steiger filed a lawsuit that charged UWEC administrators
and trustees with violating his freedoms of speech and
association.

Greg Lukianoff, director of legal and public advocacy for
FIRE, said state universities cannot forbid RAs or any
other students from religious activities in their own
rooms and on their own time.

"UWEC courted this lawsuit by ignoring the protests of
FIRE, legislators, opinion makers and the general public
that this policy is both legally and morally wrong,"
Lukianoff said. "Its suspension of the policy immediately
after the lawsuit was filed shows that UWEC likely never
really believed it could defend this repressive policy in
court."

----- 18 -----
Follow Up: Fox Wardrobe Malfunction
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
December 1, 2005

[Received in email; no URL]

Many of our readers e-mailed us today seeking the date and
time for the episode of "The OC" in which an actress's
breast was briefly exposed. We apologize for not including
that information that the FCC requires to fill out its
online complaint form.

The program aired on the Fox network on Nov. 10 at 8 p.m.
in the Eastern and Pacific time zones and 7 p.m. in the
Central and Mountain time zones.

TAKE ACTION: The FCC has a new easy-to-use online form for
indecency complaints.

http://svartifoss2.fcc.gov/cib/fcc475B.cfm

----- 19 -----
The Abortion-Homosexual Connection
Concerned Women for America
12/2/2005
By Robert Knight

Schwarzenegger?s new chief of staff illustrates the nexus between two  
radical movements.

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/9584/CFI/family/index.htm

This Column was posted on Dec. 2, 2005 on WorldNetDaily.com

California Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's appointment of  
longtime Democrat, lesbian activist and pro-abortion leader Susan  
Kennedy as his chief of staff is more evidence of The Terminator's  
disdain for social conservatives.

But the move also illustrates the strong collaboration between  
homosexual activists and the abortion lobby. For years, the two radical  
social movements have worked hand in hand to destroy the primacy of  
marriage and family and the Judeo-Christian sexual ethic.

All too often, pro-life conservatives looked the other way when  
ostensibly pro-life politicians and clerics embraced or ignored the  
homosexual agenda, as if the two issues were not closely linked. For  
example, the pro-life Catholic Diocese in Maine "killed us" during the  
recent unsuccessful vote to revoke the state's "gay rights" law for a  
third time, according to a Catholic lay activist who worked on the  
initiative.

[More at URL]

----- 20 -----
Women's Suicide Rates Higher After Abortion, New Study Shows
by Steven Ertelt
LifeNews.com Editor
December 1, 2005

http://www.lifenews.com/nat1864.html

Springfield, IL (LifeNews.com) -- A new study of women in Finland finds  
that those who have had abortions have higher rates of suicide than  
women who carry their pregnancies to term. The epidemiological study,  
published in the European Journal of Public Health, was conducted by  
Finland?s National Research and Development Center for Welfare and  
Health.

The comprehensive three-year study of the entire population of women in  
Finland found that, compared to women who have not been pregnant in the  
prior year, deaths from suicide, accidents and homicide are 248% higher  
in the year following an abortion.

[More at URL]

----- 21 -----
Commentary & News Briefs
November 30, 2005
Agape Press
Compiled by Jody Brown

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/302005h.asp

[...]

...Statistics indicate America's children are getting more aggressive  
and violent in their dealings with parents and peers -- and a former  
congressman blames abortion for this trend. Pro-life advocate Bob  
Dornan insists that legalized abortion in the U.S. is destroying the  
live of the nation's children. "I believe that is what has eroded the  
decency and ethics that most parents are still trying to teach their  
kids," the former lawmaker from California asserts. Dornan says  
American society tells children that it is okay to kill the baby  
growing within them and to keep that fact from their parents. In  
addition, he says, it also tells youngsters it will help them pay for  
the abortion. Dornan believes such a violent attitude toward the  
innocent opens the door to any violent behavior. [Bill Fancher]

...President Bush says the sponsor of a proposed constitutional ban on  
same-sex "marriage" shares his values and should be re-elected. Bush  
spoke yesterday at a fundraiser in Denver for Colorado Congresswoman  
Marilyn Musgrave. He praised the Christian lawmaker for supporting "the  
sanctity of marriage" and trying to ensure that "activist judges do not  
redefine traditional marriage." Referring to the war in Iraq, the  
president contrasted Americans' belief in rights including religious  
liberty with the terrorists' "dark vision" for a "totalitarian empire."  
Congresswoman Musgrave said she saw first-hand the president's concern  
for American troops and their families when she accompanied him to Fort  
Carson, Colorado. She said Bush combines that compassion with a  
commitment to protect the American people. [AP]

----- 22 -----
FRC President to Announce Justice Sunday III
Family Research Council
December 2, 2005 - Friday

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 2, 2005 CONTACT: J.P. Duffy, (202)  
393-2100
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Tony Perkins to Speak at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in Philadelphia

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR05L01&f=PG03I03

Philadelphia, PA - Family Research Council (FRC) President Tony Perkins 
will speak this Sunday morning at Greater Exodus Baptist Church in 
Philadelphia and will announce FRC's next nationwide simulcast. Greater 
Exodus Baptist Church will host FRC's simulcast television program, 
Justice Sunday III - "Proclaim Liberty Throughout the Land" on Sunday, 
January 8, 2006 from 7 PM - 8:30 PM ET. The simulcast will air one day 
before the start of the Alito nomination hearings and will educate 
people of faith on how the judiciary impacts their lives. Justice 
Sunday III will broadcast live in churches, on television and radio 
stations across America and via live webcast on www.justicesunday.com.

[More at URL]

----- 23 -----
Only 12% of Dutch Homosexuals Marry
Family Research Council
Issue No.: 28

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=CU05L01&f=PG03I03

Pro-homosexual activists often argue that homosexual couples 
desperately need the legal and financial protections that accompany 
marriage. They also argue that legalization of same-sex "marriage" 
would actually strengthen the institution of marriage by encouraging 
more people to participate in it.

Both arguments are contradicted by the latest data from the 
Netherlands, the world's first country to legalize same-sex civil 
"marriage." The new statistics show that only 12% of the homosexual 
couples in the Netherlands have even bothered to marry, while another 
10% remain in "registered partnerships."

Most homosexuals neither need the "benefits" of marriage nor want to 
participate in that institution as historically understood. What they 
do want is simply the official governmental stamp of approval on 
homosexual relationships as such as being the full equivalent of 
heterosexual ones.

[More at URL]

----- 24 -----
Thank the FCC and Ask for More Action on Indecent TV
Family Research Council
November 30, 2005 - Wednesday
Forward to a Friend!

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=AL05K07&f=PG03I03

On November 29 the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission, 
Kevin Martin, offered family-friendly testimony to the Senate Commerce 
Committee about the problem of indecency on TV. He opened his testimony 
by citing the flood of complaints the FCC is now receiving about the 
"race to the bottom" on cable and broadcast TV. "At the FCC," he told 
the Senate, "we used to receive indecency complaints by the hundreds, 
now they come in by the hundreds of thousands." He cited a new Kaiser 
Family Foundation study that shows the number of sexual scenes on 
network television has nearly doubled since 1998.

Families know this problem all too well, and there's no avoiding it. 
The concept of the "family hour" has been steadily eroded and is 
practically meaningless. When sex scenes and grotesque violence 
dominate prime-time programming, they dominate advertising for these 
same shows during daytime broadcasts of football games that teens and 
children often watch. Degrading material seeps over the few remaining 
levees to contain it.

[More at URL]

----- 25 -----
To: Friends of Family Research Council
From: Tony Perkins, President
December 2, 2005 - Friday
Please forward this to your Friends and Family!
There Are No Atheists in Hurricanes

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=WU05L02

A new study from the Louisiana State University Public Policy Research 
Laboratory takes a post-Katrina look at the responses of aid 
organizations to the New Orleans area following the hurricane and 
subsequent levee failure. To the surprise of few, religious 
organizations received high marks for the outpouring of assistance to 
those affected. Also no surprise were the low marks given to the local, 
state and federal government response. The study found that Louisianans 
opened their homes to evacuees and contributed time and money to 
religious groups, a blessing I personally witnessed every day - and 
continue to witness. On a scale of 1-10 the Louisianans surveyed ranked 
religious groups the most effective with a rating of 8.1.

[More at URL]

----- 26 -----
QUEERLY BELOVED
Lawmakers: Same-sex 'marriage' not a civil right
Commission makes conclusion after exhaustive 16-month study
Posted: December 3, 2005
1:00 a.m. Eastern

? 2005 WorldNetDaily.com

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=47718

A New Hampshire legislative commission released a report yesterday 
finding same-sex "marriage" is not a civil rights issue.

Glen Lavy, who provided expert testimony for the commission, said the 
panel got to the heart of the issue.

"By focusing on the long-standing legal aspects of marriage, rather 
than the divisive political aspects of marriage, the commission's 
report reaffirmed that the real reason for marriage is for the 
protection of children," said Lavy, senior vice president of the 
Alliance Defense Fund's Marriage Litigation Center.

[More at URL]

----- 27 -----
Sexually Transmitted Depression ? The New STD?
Warren Throckmorton, PhD
November 29, 2005

http://www.drthrockmorton.com/article.asp?id=173

Nearly every discussion about sexual education focuses on preventing 
sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy. However, recent research 
published in the American Journal of Preventive Medicine finds that, 
especially for girls, the discussion needs to include a third negative 
possibility: depression.

Most medical and mental health professionals would agree that there is 
a link between depression and sexual and drug using behavior in 
adolescents. However, it is commonly assumed that depressed teens use 
sex and drugs to ?medicate? their depression. Thus, when faced with a 
depressed, sexually active teen, adults may overlook sexual or drug 
using behavior with the hope that the risky behavior will cease once 
the depression is gone.

[More at URL]

----- 28 -----
What?s So Sacred About Court ?Precedents??
Traditional Values Coalition

http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2516

December 1, 2005 ? Liberal Senators who view Supreme Court edicts as 
superior to the clearly-written words in the Constitution, believe that 
Court ?precedents? or past decisions are sacred?especially when they 
involve homosexuality and the unrestricted ?right? to abortion on 
demand.

Yet, what is so sacred about past precedents? If a bad decision has 
been made in the past, does that mean future courts must always be 
bound by precedent?

Ronald A. Cass, Dean Emeritus of Boston University?s School of Law and 
co-chairman of the Committee for Justice has recently given us a brief 
history lesson on court precedents.

Writing in ?Precedent and the Constitution? posted on 
RealClearPolitics, Cass observes: ?Precedent is a guidepost, not an 
endpoint. It is the interpretation of constitutional terms by 
particular justices in a particular context at a particular time.?

[More at URL]
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