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

[Dara (R'ykandar Korra'ti)]

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Starting next week, it's pretty likely that these will get fewer and  
further between; it'll depend upon how my classload really ends up  
working out, but the odds are good that I'll be stepping back a bit  
from the three-days-a-week posting schedule. It's not that it's gotten  
less important, and I _will_ continue to monitor this stuff - but I  
might have fewer posts. Between this and classes, classes come first.

Or maybe everything will work out fine and I won't have to cut back on  
anything. We'll see!

And now, today's news.

Faith and Freedom network continues to savage Tim Eyman, blaming him  
for the failure of Referendum 65, making accusations of incompetence,  
of failure to live up to agreements, and _blaming him for associating  
Referendum 65 with lesbian and gay marriage rights, something they did  
at every opportunity on their own website_; they also attack him for  
using the "no quotas" language that fundamentalists used constantly in  
six (failed) anti-gay initiatives in Oregon, Washington State, and  
Idaho in the 1990s;

Joseph Fuiten (of FFN) makes his own run at Tim Eyman, attacking his  
ethics and his motives;

Republicans Rep. Todd Akin, Sen. John Kyl, and Sen. Sam Brownback,  
R-Kan introduce bill to prohibit courts from hearing Pledge of  
Allegiance cases; includes ACTION ITEM to get your legislators to  
co-sponsour it;

Focus on the Family reports on abortion-ban efforts at the state level;  
they want more South Dakota comprehensive bans; includes a fairly  
generic ACTION ITEM to support state bans;

CBS hopes to call bullshit on fundamentalist mass complaint campaigns  
against "indecency," saying people who didn't actually see an item in  
question shouldn't have their complaints counted; they're specifically  
referring to ACTION ITEM-generated mass complaint bombs against a  
couple of their programmes, and note that there were no actual  
complaints from actual viewers of the programmes in question;

Iowa Republican makes Focus on the Family happy by introducing (and  
getting approved in committee) an amendment specifically barring funds  
to a Los Angeles GBLT centre; they do things like provide services to  
the elderly and addiction recovery services, but since it's  
queer-targeted, that's enough for FotF to be "relieved" that they got  
written in as a specifically prohibited organisation;

FotF hopes the Episcopal church USA will ban future GBLT bishops;

Focus: "Sex-Ed Advocates Tell Congress to Abandon Abstinence Ed"; I  
mostly include this one because of the subtitle, which I quote here:  
"Democrats introduce a bill to cut funding for purity";

FotF loves Ann Coulter's new book, _Godless_, which pretty much  
endorses the "God vs. Satan" approach to US politics - basically prints  
her version of their line; I imagine they particularly like her  
condemnation of evolutionary theory and her grouping of marriage rights  
with genocide and sex with animals;

FotF condemns breast cancer groups for supporting breast cancer  
detection done at Planned Parenthood clinics, bring up the old bullshit  
that abortion causes breast cancer;

FotF upset that churches are being told not to violate nonprofit law in  
political campaigning;

South Carolina passes biology standards requiring schools to "teach the  
controversy," which generally consists of using "intelligent design"  
and creationist bullshit attacks on evolutionary theory as discredit  
attacks, regardless of their validity;

Concerned Women for America's Jan LaRue writes condemning the Senate  
for not voting to pass the anti-marriage amendment;

CWA: Vote in _all_ of President Bush's judicial nominees _right now_;

CWA's Robert Knight condemns the Senate for not passing the  
anti-marriage amendment, particularly attacking Democrats;

CWA endorses, pushes the so-called "Pledge Protection Act" to remove  
challenges to it from the scope of Federal courts;

CWA quoted in townhall.com article pushing judges as the only important  
thing for the rest of the Senate year;

Family Research Council joins in the "judges uber alles" chorus;

American Family Association pushes lesbian and gay adoption bans;

Virginia lesbian drops anti-gay discrimination complaint against  
videotape duplicating company; now the anti-gay Liberty Council is  
suing to have the county ordinance declared to be unconstitutional,  
claiming the state does allow counties to pass GBLT anti-discrimination  
ordinances;

LifeSite applauds Poland for firing a teacher after he distributed  
copies of _Compass: a manual on human rights education with young  
people_ which included talk about GBLT equality; there is also now  
discussion of banning the book; LifeSite is thrilled; includes ACTION  
ITEM to support the Polish actions;

James Dobson: Not banning GBLT marriage is "unconscionable";

Colombian Senate passes limited GBLT partnership law; LifeSite is, of  
course, pissed;

TVC is also on the "Pledge Protection Act" bandwagon;

Focus on the Family Canada starts pushing abstinence-only education,  
tho' they're not calling it that in Canada;

FotF Canada decries allowing a married lesbian couple to be both listed  
as a child's mothers;

Canada Family Action Coalition condemns allowing a married lesbian  
couple to both be listed as a child's mothers;

Focus on the Family Canada: Religion and State need each other, should  
be intermingled, not separated.


----- 1 -----
The following is a statement on behalf of Faith & Freedom regarding the  
Tim Eyman - Ref. 65 matter
Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Faith and Freedom Network

http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/06/following-is-statement-on- 
behalf-of.html

Faith & Freedom is hopeful that this will speak to the issues of the  
matter and will provide clarity to those who care.

Faith & Freedom is committed to moving forward with what we feel God  
has called us to do. It is not our intent to discredit anyone, but  
rather to be sure the truth is known to those who are concerned.

FFN has received many responses and questions from our supporters and  
the public at large.

Two questions are reoccurring:

WHY DID YOU WORK WITH TIM EYMAN IN THE FIRST PLACE?

[...]

Eyman's version said "no quotas" even though there was nothing about  
quotas in the bill and the phrase alienated African American leaders.  
Eyman's version was also titled "no gay marriage" even though the bill  
was only very obliquely related to gay marriage.

[More at URL]


----- 2 -----
Dr. Fuiten's Response to Washington Referendum 65
Faith and Freedom Network
June 13, 2006

[Received in email; no URL]

The failure of the Referendum on gay rights is a disappointment to us  
all. This issue is one that Faith and Freedom Network has worked on for  
the past 13 years. We fought it every year in Olympia under the able  
leadership of our lobbyist, Bob Higley. We put our heart and soul into  
the referendum effort for these last months. For me, to believe in  
biblical righteousness is to take a stand on this issue. We will  
continue to work through the various processes to stand for  
righteousness until the Lord comes.

Since I am still on an extended trip, I have not commented on the  
failure except as reported by others. Let me tell you in my own words  
of concerns that I have. When the Legislature passed the bill that we  
fought so strongly, we determined to do what we could to win. We  
planned a full-scale effort of multiple facets. We printed up thousands  
of petitions with our return address on them. We wanted to promote the  
effort and keep tabs on the progress. Tim Eyman was very upset by our  
plans and communicated the same to many. He wanted all the petitions to  
bear only his name so all the forms would go to his office in Spokane.  
In exchange for Faith and Freedom Network stepping out of the role we  
had planned, Tim agreed to allow us access to the petitions as they  
came in. We withdrew our petitions and everything flowed through Tim's  
office. When we requested access to the information as he had agreed  
with me, Tim told us to have our lawyer contact his lawyer. He broke  
the agreement without even talking to me, and kept us in the dark  
thereafter as to the progress.

We invested $53,000 in the effort. Tim said he spent $14,000. I can  
appreciate the effort that Tim made in this cause, although I am not  
sure of his motives. He never was involved in the gay rights issue in  
the years it was in the legislature so it makes me wonder if his  
interests were mercenary rather than in the actual issue. Tim was the  
quarterback of this team but the running backs and ends did not know  
where we were on the field. We knew there was a goal line but as the  
weeks wore on, we never knew if we were close or distant. Tim kept that  
to himself. It was not a victory formula.

Faith and Freedom Network has been in this and other spiritual battles  
for years. We intend to remain faithful through all the ups and downs  
as we have in the past. We hope that you will do the same.

I am uncertain as to the full extent of how the Lord intends to use  
this in our lives. Certainly part of the message is that the  
bible-believing church must awaken and take responsibility to present  
all God's message to this generation. The apostate church has no shame  
in promoting their message. Another part is to remind us that all that  
is necessary for evil to prevail is for good men to do nothing. We have  
had way too much of doing nothing.

I am guessing now that the court may kick the gay marriage issue back  
into the legislature. If so, we will have opportunity to revisit some  
of these issues then. If the court imposes gay marriage then we will  
have the chance to vote on them in November. Either way there is plenty  
to do in the days ahead.


God Bless You,


Dr. Joseph B. Fuiten
Faith and Freedom Network


----- 3 -----
Lawmakers Say Pledge Protection Act Needed Now More than Ever
Sponsors pick Flag Day to unveil legislation to guard "under God" from  
activist courts.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
June 14, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0040885.cfm

Members of Congress told the nation today that, if we are not careful,  
the right of Americans to go public with their religion is in danger of  
being lost to activist courts.

At a Capitol Hill news conference, Rep. Todd Akin, R-Mo., and Sens.  
John Kyl, R-Ariz., and Sam Brownback, R-Kan., said the country needs  
the Pledge Protection Act to safeguard our freedom.

"We're very concerned that the Supreme Court might possibly say that  
the words, 'one nation under God' would be unconstitutional," Akin told  
CitizenLink. "I think that would be a tragedy and a travesty if it  
happens."

The bill would keep the federal courts from taking cases challenging  
with the Pledge.

[...]

TAKE ACTION:
Please contact your state's congressman and senators and ask them to  
support and cosponsor the Pledge Protection Act, H.R. 2389, and its  
companion bill in the Senate, S. 1046.

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. Other wise, click on this link.

[More at URL]


----- 4 -----
States Continue Efforts to Ban Abortion
A roundup of activity across the nation.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
June 14, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0040873.cfm

Efforts to ban abortion continue to gather support as state  
legislatures work out the details of various approaches.

Ohio lawmakers are among those deciding whether to reject abortion on  
demand. Pro-life and pro-abortion groups argued their positions at a  
state House Health Committee hearing earlier this week. Barry Sheets,  
director of governmental affairs at Citizens for Community Values in  
Cincinnati, praised lawmakers for pursuing a ban.

[...]

TAKE ACTION:
If you live in a state where a ban is being considered or will be this  
fall, let your lawmakers know your opinion. If you are a CitizenLink  
Daily Update subscriber, click on the blue "Take Action" button to be  
automatically logged in to our Action Center. Otherwise, click on this  
link.


----- 5 -----
CBS Affiliates Claim Indecency Complaints Are Invalid
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
June 14, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040883.cfm

CBS affiliates on Monday asked the Federal Communications Commission  
(FCC) to drop a record-setting $3.3 million indecency fine, because  
they claim hardly any of the people who filed complaints about the  
teen-orgy scene that prompted the fines watched the program as it  
aired.

According to MediaWeek, the stations are downplaying thousands of  
e-mailed complaints because they were sent through Web sites operated  
by the Parents Television Council and the American Family Association.  
The people who sent them had either read a description of the scene or  
viewed an online excerpt.

"There were no true complainants from actual viewers," the stations  
argued.

[More at URL]


----- 6 -----
Taxpayer Money Going to Gay and Lesbian Center Averted
Focus on the Family
June 14, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040882.cfm

An effort to tack $300,000 onto an appropriations bill for a gay  
multipurpose facility was scuttled today in the U.S. House.

The money was set to go to The Gay and Lesbian Center in Los Angeles,  
but Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, successfully amended the Transportation,  
Treasury, Housing and Urban Development appropriations bill to state  
that none of the funds could go for that purpose.

[More at URL]


----- 7 -----
Episcopal Church USA Considers Moratorium on Gay Bishops
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
June 14, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040881.cfm

The first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church USA said at the  
denomination's national conference this week that he thinks it's  
unlikely the church's top policymaking body will stop electing gay  
leaders.

The Episcopal General Convention, which runs through June 21 in  
Columbus, Ohio, is expected to vote on whether to stop confirming gay  
bishops in an effort to forestall a widening gap with the worldwide  
Anglican Communion.

National gay-rights activists planned to join Bishop Gene Robinson of  
New Hampshire today to publicly urge the convention to reject a  
moratorium on gay bishops.

[More at URL]


----- 8 -----
Sex-Ed Advocates Tell Congress to Abandon Abstinence Ed
Democrats introduce a bill to cut funding for purity.
from staff reports
June 14, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0040875.cfm

Comprehensive sex-education advocates were on Capitol Hill Tuesday to  
tell members of Congress their view of abstinence-until-marriage  
education.

The centerpiece of their testimony was a paper by Dr. John Santelli  
that concluded "abstinence-only as a basis for health policy and  
programs should be abandoned." Santelli also told Congress it's  
unethical to base sex education on a moral standard.

After the briefing, U.S. House Democrats introduced a bill that would  
prohibit federal funding of abstinence education.

Abstinence educators say Santelli's report is flawed and his opinions  
on morality are skewed. Dr. Kate Hendricks, director of scientific  
affairs at the Medical Institute for Sexual Health, called Santelli's  
reasoning confusing.

[More at URL]


----- 9 -----
Sorry, Ann
Conservative commentator Coulter¡¦s new book just might surprise you for  
its passionate defense of what family advocates fight for.
by Gary Schneeberger, editor
Focus on the Family
June 14, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/commentary/a0040870.cfm

I owe Ann Coulter an apology.

Back in December 2002, I concluded my review of her book Slander for  
Citizen magazine in this way:

Coulter never really inspires, either. Her arguments are passionate,  
yes -- but the thing she seems most passionate about is winning the  
arguments. For all you glean about the insidiousness of liberalism from  
the 780 footnotes she offers, you never get a sense of what Coulter  
really, truly believes in or stands for. Slander is a book by a  
spokeswoman for the conservative movement, not a leader of it.

I¡¦m backing off that conclusion now because I¡¦ve just finished her  
latest book, Godless: The Church of Liberalism, and I¡¦m here to tell  
you that of all the big-time conservative pundits out there ¡V Limbaugh,  
Hannity, Ingraham, Reagan, Savage ¡V none of them has to date written  
more boldly, or persuasively, about the issues we care about than  
Coulter does here. From the evils of abortion and embryonic stem-cell  
research, to the horrors of the ¡§sex education¡¨ curricula being foisted  
on our kids in public schools; from the wrongheadedness of legalizing  
homosexual marriage, to the manifest ridiculousness of Darwin¡¦s theory  
of evolution and liberals¡¦ worship of it, Coulter hits just about every  
nail family advocates pound at squarely on the head.

[...]

¡§These rules are decreed by a legislator whose opinions are not subject  
to appeal by the ACLU. We can¡¦t discover penumbras that will suddenly  
allow us to endorse genocide, sex with animals, gay marriage, strip  
clubs, premarital sex or whatever the latest liberal fad is. The truth  
is the truth whether we like it or not.¡¨

[More at URL]


----- 10 -----
Breast-Cancer Groups Continue to Support Planned Parenthood
Pro-lifers object to the donations.
from staff reports
Focus on the Family
June 13, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0040855.cfm

Major women's health groups that focuses on breast-cancer research  
continue to contribute money to Planned Parenthood, in spite of  
scientific evidence that indicates a link between abortion and breast  
cancer.

Groups including the National Breast Cancer Coalition and Breast Cancer  
Action give regularly.

The Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation affiliate in Iowa has  
gotten flak for giving $6,000 to the nation's leading abortion  
provider, because people are concerned it frees up other funds to pay  
for abortions. Judy McFarlin, a Race for the Cure co-chairman, denied  
that that's happening.

[More at URL]


----- 11 -----
South Dakota Churches Warned They Could Lose Tax-Exempt Status
Liberal groups threaten, but experts say there is no ban on weighing in  
on ballot questions such as the abortion ban.
by Pete Winn, associate editor
Focus on the Family
June 13, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/extras/a0040859.cfm

Churches and nonprofit groups in South Dakota are being wrongly told  
they could lose their tax-exempt status if they speak out about the  
three important ballot questions to go before voters this fall.

"It looks like the IRS is sending a pre-emptory strike to churches and  
warning them not to cross a line," said Rob Regier, executive director  
of the South Dakota Family Policy Council.

Newspapers in the Mt. Rushmore State, he said, have been busy warning  
churches that the IRS is monitoring nonprofit groups carefully. Liberal  
groups in the state are letting it be known they will report any church  
that they believe crosses the line.

[More at URL]


----- 12 -----
South Carolina Curriculum Standards Question Evolution
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
June 13, 2006

http://www.family.org/cforum/briefs/a0040856.cfm

The South Carolina Education Oversight Committee ratified high school  
biology standards Monday that require students to understand why  
"scientists continue to investigate and critically analyze aspects of  
evolutionary theory."

While it stopped short of requiring the teaching of intelligent design  
(ID), Casey Luskin, an attorney and analyst for the pro-ID Discovery  
Institute, is still calling it a win.

[...]

South Carolina is the fifth state to require learning the criticisms of  
evolution.

[More at URL]


----- 13 -----
Senate Abandons Marriage After Brief Engagement
The Senate--with a Republican majority--refused to lift the veil and  
kiss the bride.
Commentary
Concerned Women for America
6/14/2006
By Jan LaRue, Chief Counsel

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10964/LEGAL/family/index.htm

With as much bliss as a gathering of the Montagues and Capulets, the  
Senate avoided vowing ¡§I do¡¨ to the Marriage Protection Amendment last  
week by failing to reach the 60 votes needed to end debate and vote on  
the amendment. Seven Republicans joined 43 of 45 Democrats and the lone  
Independent to preclude the vows. Two Democrats, Sens. Robert Byrd of  
West Virginia and Ben Nelson of Nebraska, were the only ones who voted  
to end debate.

President George W. Bush acted as the father-of-the-bride by escorting  
the amendment to the Senate altar. The President pronounced his  
blessing in a recent radio address and on June 5, when he hosted an  
engagement event for amendment supporters at the White House. At the  
same time across town, some senators issued prenuptial statements  
sounding about as love-struck as a groom at a shotgun wedding.

Some are laying blame for the amendment¡¦s failure on the President. But  
it was a Senate with a Republican majority that refused to lift the  
veil and kiss the bride.

[More at URL]


----- 14 -----
End the Excuses: Give Judges a Hearing and a Vote
Senators must fulfill their constitutional duty in judicial nominations.
Concerned Women for America
6/14/2006
By Jan LaRue

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10965/LEGAL/judges/index.htm

Editor¡¦s Note: Jan LaRue, Chief Counsel for Concerned Women for  
America, presented this statement at the Third Branch Press Conference  
on June 12. It took place at the National Press Club in Washington,  
D.C.

Concerned Women for America and our half-million members in all 50  
states expect the senators they¡¦ve supported in past elections to  
fulfill their constitutional duty in the judicial nomination process.  
Delay, neglect and obstruction are not advice and consent. Nominees  
deserve and must have a hearing and a Senate vote.

The confirmation rate for the President¡¦s nominees to the federal  
circuit courts of appeal is the lowest of any president in history.  
That is inexcusable when the President¡¦s party has a five-vote majority  
in the Senate. That margin may well decrease in November. That would  
impede the progress that¡¦s been made in turning the federal courts back  
to the Constitution.

[More at URL]


----- 15 -----
Bait and Switch
In debating a federal marriage amendment, liberals will talk about  
anything other than marriage.
Concerned Women for America
6/13/2006
By Robert Knight

This column ran on Townhall.com on June 12, 2006.

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10960/CFI/family/index.htm

The next time a liberal U.S. senator rises to talk about anything other  
than three topics ¡V Iraq, gas prices or health care ¡V conservatives  
should read them their statements during last week¡¦s debate over the  
Marriage Protection Amendment (MPA).

It makes no difference what legislation the liberals bring up. They  
could be talking about the space program, antitrust law, peanut  
subsidies, or protecting Ted Kennedy¡¦s Cape Cod home from ugly  
windmills. It doesn¡¦t matter. When they begin to talk, they should be  
reminded that we should be discussing only Iraq, gas prices and health  
care. Nothing else is important.

[More at URL]


----- 16 -----
CWA¡¦s Swann Speaks on Flag Day at ¡§Protect the Pledge¡¨ Press Conference
Concerned Women for America
6/13/2006

http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10962/MEDIA/misc/index.htm

Washington, D.C. - Concerned Women for America¡¦s (CWA¡¦s) Director of  
Government Relations Lanier Swann will join other conservative leaders  
in speaking at a press conference tomorrow in support of Sen. Jon  
Kyle¡¦s (R-Arizona) and Rep. Todd Akin¡¦s (R-Missouri) Pledge Protection  
Act. This legislation would ensure the protection of the phrase ¡§under  
God¡¨ in the U.S. Pledge of Allegiance. The press conference will be  
held on Flag Day, which marks the day in 1777 when John Adams proposed  
the stars and stripes as the official United States flag.

[More at URL]


----- 17 -----
Vote on Judges, Not Flags, Say Conservatives
By Monisha Bansal
townhall.com
Jun 14, 2006

http://www.townhall.com/news/ext_wire.html?rowid=47276

(CNSNews.com) - Sixty conservative leaders sent a letter to Republican  
senators Monday, urging them to vote on judicial nominations and not  
"waste time" on a constitutional amendment to ban flag burning.

"We write because we fear that the Majority is ignoring the impact of  
the nominations debate on its ability to gain the support of those  
small margins of voters that the Majority needs to secure unobstructed  
nominations," the letter states.

"By contrast, and for example, you are planning to devote valuable  
Senate floor time to debating a flag-desecration constitutional  
amendment," it continues. "While most of us would support such an  
amendment, we believe this is a misguided use of time."

"Our constituents will not be put off by being told that the Senate has  
more pressing business than judicial nominees," said Jan LaRue, chief  
counsel for Concerned Women for America. "We know that judges affect  
every area of our lives and certainly the most important issues of  
life, liberty and property.

[More at URL]


----- 18 -----
FRC Joins Conservative Leaders To Urge Action on Judicial Nominees
Family Research Council
June 12, 2006 - Monday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: June 12, 2006
CONTACT: J.P. Duffy or Bethanie Swendsen, (866) FRC-NEWS

"If we hope to return to the days when we had three equal branches of  
government... the U.S. Senate must move quickly in bringing these  
nominees to an up-or-down vote."
~ Tom McClusky, VP for Government Affairs

http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR06F06

Washington, D.C. - Today, Tom McClusky, Vice President for Government  
Affairs at the Family Research Council, joined conservative leaders at  
a press conference to urge Senate GOP leadership to move delayed  
judicial nominees to the floor for a final vote.

McClusky released the following statement today:

"Throughout our history, America's judiciary has expanded its power.  
This attitude of judicial supremacy even led judges in the Ninth  
Circuit to rule that the phrase 'under God' in the Pledge of Allegiance  
was unconstitutional.

"Constitutional amendments are but one step in the solution to address  
issues under attack. We are here today to ensure our courts are stocked  
by judges who interpret the law - not those who seek to make it.

[More at URL]


----- 19 -----
A Difference Worth Embracing
Why Mother-Father Couples Are Superior to Same-Sex Couples When It  
Comes to Adoption
Feature by Ed Vitagliano
American Family Association/Agape Press
June 14, 2006

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/6/afa/142006a.asp

(AgapePress) - In what some are calling a "second front" in the culture  
war -- trailing in the wake of same-sex "marriage" -- the battle over  
homosexual adoption is increasing in intensity.

Currently Florida is the only state that officially bans homosexual  
adoption, a law that has been upheld in federal court despite an  
intense publicity campaign, orchestrated by lesbian actress Rosie  
O'Donnell, to have it overturned. However, in 16 states efforts are  
under way to put same-sex adoption bans on the November ballot. And  
both sides are trying to convince the public to see things their way.

[More at URL]


----- 20 -----
'Discrimination' Charge Cleared Up; 'Sexual Orientation' Issue Still Up  
for Grabs
Business Owner's Lawsuit Challenges Local Anti-Discrimination Ordinances
By Mary Rettig and Jody Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
June 14, 2006

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/6/afa/142006b.asp

(AgapePress) - A lesbian activist has dropped her claim of  
discrimination against a Christian businessman in Virginia after he  
refused to make copies of videotapes of homosexual-rights marches for  
her. But legal advisors for the man say they will continue to pursue  
their case against the county where the complaint was originally filed,  
saying officials there violated state law by recognizing "sexual  
orientation" as a civil right.

One day after a suit was filed against the county's Human Rights  
Commission, the Arlington County Commission rescinded its order  
requiring Tim Bono, of Bono Film and Video, to duplicate videos of  
homosexual-rights marches or pay someone else to do it. Bono sued the  
Arlington County government last week after its Human Rights Commission  
found him in violation of the county's anti-discrimination laws,  
despite his contention that his refusal had nothing to do with the  
woman's sexual orientation but with the content of the videos, which he  
found offensive to his Christian values. (See earlier article)

Bono's suit, filed by Florida-based Liberty Counsel, challenges the  
constitutionality of the anti-discrimination law. Chief counsel Erik  
Stanley explains the grounds for the lawsuit.

"In Virginia, there is [a law] which basically says that counties and  
local governments are only empowered to pass ordinances that are  
expressly authorized by state law," Stanley says. "State law does not  
authorize a county or a local government to pass a sexual orientation  
non-discrimination ordinance."

[More at URL]


----- 21 -----
Poland Strikes Back Against Homosexual Education: Fires Teacher  
Responsible
By Peter J. Smith
LifeSite

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jun/06061405.html

WARSAW, June 14, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) - The Minister of Education in  
Poland has sent clear messages in the past week that the Polish  
government will not tolerate the indoctrination of students with the  
homosexual agenda in Polish schools. On June 9th, the Polish Minister  
of Education, Roman Giertych, officially dismissed the Director of  
Polish In-Service Teachers, Miroslaw Sielatycki, for publishing  
Compass: a manual on human rights education with young people, and is  
now considering banning its distribution and sale.

"This Manual speaks about issues of the homosexual relations as being  
equal to the matrimonial relations between woman and man. The contents  
included in this Manual accept thesis that the prohibition of  
matrimonial homosexual relations and the adoption of children by  
homosexual couples may constitute an element of discrimination",  
Minister Giertych stated in explaining the firing of Director  
Sielatycki. He went on to emphasize, "Such contents are in  
contradiction to the core curriculum for general education; therefore  
they can not be, by any means, presented as methodological resources."

[...]

To contact the Polish government the Chancellery of the Prime Minister  
can be reached by e-mail or fax.

E-mail: rzecznik at kprm.gov.pl
Fax: +48 22 694-68-26

[More at URL]


----- 22 -----
Senate¡¦s Rejection of Marriage Amendment ¡§Unconscionable¡¨: Dr. Dobson
By Gudrun Schultz
Wednesday June 14, 2006
LifeSite

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jun/06061403.html

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colorado, June 14, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) ¡V A  
constitutional marriage amendment is essential to protect traditional  
marriage, said Doctor James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on  
the Family, in an interview with Fox News¡¦ Hannity and Colmes on June  
9.

¡§There is only one way to protect marriage, only one way, and that¡¦s  
with a constitutional amendment. The institution of marriage is much  
broader than you and me, it has implications for the entire country and  
we simply must not turn our backs on it.¡¨

Dr. Dobson said the Senate¡¦s rejection of the amendment last week was  
¡§unconscionable,¡¨ and out of step with the American people.

[More at URL]


----- 23 -----
Colombian Senate Approves Marriage-Like Rights for Homosexual  
Partnerships
By Hilary White
LifeSite
June 14, 2006

http://www.lifesite.net/ldn/2006/jun/06061407.html

BOGOTA, June 14, 2006 (LifeSiteNews.com) ¡V In a June 6th vote the  
Colombian Senate approved a law that would recognize same-sex partners.  
The vote was 11-2 to allow homosexual partners to claim access to  
social security and other rights normally reserved to married couples.

The legislation¡¦s supporters argued that the social atmosphere of  
Colombia had altered to accept such a move.

Colombia has been a major target for the social re-engineering project  
to insert the values of the sexual revolution into largely Catholic  
Latin America. This particular effort of the revolution is under way  
through internationally funded activist groups pushing abortion,  
contraception and homosexual ¡§rights¡¨.

[More at URL]


----- 24 -----
Senate Must Pass The Pledge Protection Act!
Traditional Values Coalition

http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2744

June 14, 2006 - Washington, DC ¡V ¡§I am urging the Senate to pass the  
Pledge Protection Act (S.1046/H.R. 2389) sponsored by Senator Jon Kyl  
(R-AZ) and Representative Todd Akin (R-MO),¡¨ said Traditional Values  
Coalition Chairman, Rev. Louis P. Sheldon, today. ¡§This bill must be  
passed to protect the Pledge of Allegiance from frivolous lawsuits  
filed by atheist Michael Newdow and other enemies of patriotism and  
Christianity.¡¨

Rev. Sheldon notes that this legislation simply asserts that Congress  
has the power under Article III, Section 2 of the Constitution to  
restrict the jurisdiction of federal courts to hear certain cases that  
come before them.

¡§The 9 th Circuit Court in California and other federal courts have  
shown that they are incapable of issuing fair rulings on the Pledge of  
Allegiance and the words ¡¥under God¡¦ in the Pledge. We must remove  
power from these federal courts to tamper with the Pledge¡Xby  
prohibiting them from ruling on the Pledge in the future,¡¨ said  
Sheldon.

[More at URL]


----- 25 -----
Moms push for healthier sex education
Focus on the Family Canada
June 14, 2006

http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/education/stories/061406.html

Four Winnipeg-area mothers are working to persuade the Manitoba  
government to implement a ¡§healthier¡¨ sexual health curriculum in the  
schools. But one of the moms, Terry Swidinsky, is under no illusions  
that their campaign will succeed any time soon.

¡§I have to admit,¡¨ she told Today¡¦s Family News, ¡§most of the meetings  
we have are discouraging, but we¡¦re not close to even thinking of  
giving up. This is something that we¡¦re for years and years and years  
going to be into.¡¨

A health care professional, Swidinsky was a member of the parents  
advisory group that met with the government in 2004 when it was  
developing its new health curriculum. But she and other like-minded  
parents quickly realized that the finished product contained a lot of  
incorrect information ¡V including the common presumption that since  
most teens are certain to be sexually active, ¡§sexual health¡¨ means  
teaching them how to have sex safely.

But if that ¡§condom-based¡¨ mindset persists, Swidinsky predicted, it  
will only result in a repeat of past failures.

[More at URL]


----- 26 -----
Children can have two mothers: Court
Focus on the Family Canada
June 14, 2006

http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/family/stories/061406.html

The negative fallout from the decision by Canada¡¦s Parliament a year  
ago to nationally legalize same-sex marriage has officially hit home.

Last week, as the Globe and Mail reported, an Ontario judge gave  
provincial politicians one year to change the Vital Statistics Act to  
allow a lesbian couple to be registered as ¡§co-mothers¡¨ of a baby  
conceived artificially with sperm from an anonymous donor.

[More at URL]


----- 27 -----
Another bizarre "judge ideology"
Canada Family Action Coalition
Online as of 14 July 2006

http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/issues/family/parenting/judge- 
ideology.htm

Two mothers- a biological impossibility and a foolish ideology to be  
promoting. But that is what an Ontario judge did in order to promote  
"homosexualism".

It is a medical and natural impossibility - so only ones social  
construct can declare two mothers or two fathers. Perhaps a judge will  
tomorrow declare 3 or four mothers. This absolutely false and incorrect  
notion it is being promoted and legislated now.

What kind of lies will we stop at in the destruction of society?  
Telling children this false information is destructive and ought to be  
illegal. Are there not laws that could prosecute a person who  
intentionally promotes false information. Yet here we have a court  
doing just that.

-- CFAC

Two mothers should be allowed on birth document, judge says
Found in breach of Charter, Ontario told to alter rules to include  
lesbian parents

GLOBE AND MAIL
June 7, 2006
By KIRK MAKIN

An Ontario judge struck down a birth registry provision yesterday that  
prevents lesbian couples from being registered as parents of babies  
conceived through artificial insemination, saying that the regulation  
causes them unjustified "pain and hardship." Mr. Justice Paul Rivard of  
the Ontario Superior Court ruled that the province violated the  
litigants' right to equality by stopping them from adding their names  
to the Statement of Live Births after their babies are born. Lesbian  
mothers live in an atmosphere of homophobia that only is exacerbated  
when rules and conventions leave an impression that "there is something  
wrong or unnatural about their families," Judge Rivard said. "Likewise,  
for children of lesbian mothers - who are even more vulnerable than  
their parents to the lack of symbols of their families in popular  
culture - exclusion of their parents from birth registration furthers  
this vulnerability." Lawyers Martha McCarthy and Joanna Radbord, who  
represented the applicants, said yesterday that the case held enormous  
symbolic value for the gay and lesbian community.

[More at URL]


----- 28 -----
Religion and state need each other
Focus on the Family Canada
June 14, 2006

http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/religiousFreedom/stories/061406.html

Instead of building a wall separating religion and the state in Canada,  
the two in fact need each other. That¡¦s what more than 140 people  
attending a conference last week in Calgary were told.

¡§I've learned that faith and politics are two spheres of a single  
society. If government suppresses the church, we move toward  
totalitarianism,¡¨ said Calgary businessman Bob Morgan in the Calgary  
Herald. ¡§If faith is squeezed from public life, there are no checks on  
government.¡¨

Hosted by the Ottawa-based Centre for Cultural Renewal, the conference  
attracted academics, public policy advocates and others from various  
faith backgrounds, and featured speakers from Canada, the United States  
and Britain.

[More at URL]


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