[Active-seattle-l] [Active-l] (NEWS) Today's Cultural Warfare Update
Dara (R'ykandar Korra'ti)
kahvi at murkworks.net
Thu Mar 16 00:52:08 PST 2006
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Brutal update: the American Family Association is starting to talk
about how abortion bans should _not include exemptions to save the life
of the woman_; they're also pushing _attacks against birth control in
any form_. Also, I'm seeing stepped up activity from Canadian
fundamentalist groups, with CFAC endorsing and joining the anti-gay
boycott of Ford Motor Corporation, and Focus on the Family's Canadian
branch having a couple of new articles out.
Here's today's news.
Bush administration gets it ass-backwards yet again: queers can be
denied security clearance for being gay now, _unless_ they are
"strictly private" and "discreet" - in other words, in the closet,
which makes them _more_, not _less_ vulnerable to blackmail threats,
which is _exactly the wrong fucking thing to do yet again_, but
probably makes his fundamentalist friends slightly happier. And god
knows this asshat has never let rationality get in the way of things
like that;
The article on Sharia law that got Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo pulled off the
Telegraph;
Clips from the debate on Al-Jazeera that later caused Dr. Wafa Sultan,
a Los Angeles-resident Syrian psychiatrist, go have to go into hiding
for fear of her life;
Roberton's school gets Virginia Beach police to arrest Soulforce
members as they attempt to cross a police line blocking them from
campus;
Focus on the Family praises Chief Justice Roberts and his "new day at
the court";
FotF: There is no middle ground on abortion;
FotF talks up its letter campaigns and email activism, and condemns
DefCon's membership;
FotF attacks religious groups working with the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force;
Blogger posts information on how to do abortions; American Life League
says, "Anyone who engages in this should be prosecuted for what it is
-- murder";
Concerned Women for America attack abortion bans which include
exceptions for rape victims AND emergency contraception, apparently
joining the Rapist's Rights bandwagon by claiming that the
morning-after pill actually benefits the rapist; says the zygote is
more innocent than the mother;
Director Of South Dakota Planned Parenthood Affiliate To Decide On
Possible Legal Challenge To State Abortion Ban; State has a special
fund to defend the abortion ban that takes anonymous donations and is
exempt from state reporting laws;
Concerned Women for America applaud FCC indecency fines;
CWA upset that Maryland filibuster against a stem-cell research bill
failed;
***** American Family Association/Agape Press attack contraception,
also attacks abortion bans with any exemptions whatsoever _including to
save a woman's life_;
Family Research Council says fundamentalist voters are unhappy with a
lack action on the fundamentalist agenda from Congress;
The "Values Voters Contract with Congress" - a campaign manifesto for
the theoconservative right for 2006 - includes demands for
Constitutional bans on GBLT marriage and partnership rights, bans on
church-state cases (unless those cases endorse the Christianist point
of view), bans on courts-cost payments in the event a court challenge
gets to court and wins, bans on equal-protection cases for gays and
lesbian challenges to state marriage laws; a comprehensive federal ban
on abortion in all cases; bans on many forms of bioresearch (what they
call "human cloning" and any use of embryonic stem cells); Federal bans
on pornography and obscenity; more;
The federal government temporarily lifted the ban on HIV+ travel to
this country for the purposes of athletes and visitors attending the
Gay Games in Chicago; Traditional Values Coalition has an ACTION ITEM
to demand the ban be put back in place, condemns Gay Games as one big
orgy;
Senate Republican Policy Committee sends out "State-by-state Marriage
Protection Update," which is to say, a list of states banning marriage
rights for gay and lesbian people in their state constitutions and/or
via DOMA;
TVC condemns National Gay and Lesbian Task Force alliance with an
assortment of religious groups;
TVC pushes "Values Voter's Contract";
***** Canada Family Action Coalition endorses AFA boycott of Ford Motor
Corporation, urges its membership to boycott Ford Motor as well;
Focus on the Family Canada ACTION ITEM to protest attempts to stop
provincial funding of religious schools that teach religious or racial
intolerance;
Focus on the Family Canada runs article against genetic screening in
pregnancy;
Concerned Women for America accuses Illinois official of "name calling"
for saying that fundamentalist anti-gay groups are hateful; I guess the
truth hurts.
----- 1 -----
Bush vs Gays, Part XXXVII
Andrew Sullivan
16 Mar 2006 12:06 am
http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/03/bush_vs_gays_pa.html
It's hard not to be troubled by a quiet ruling from the Bush
administration qualifying the Clinton administration's clear removal of
sexual orientation as a barrier to security clearance. Money quote from
the AP:
"The [Clinton administration] regulation stated that sexual orientation
'may not be used as a basis for or a disqualifying factor in
determining a person's eligibility for a security clearance.'
Bush removed that categorical protection, saying instead that security
clearances cannot be denied 'solely on the basis of the sexual
orientation of the individual.'
The new rules say behavior that is 'strictly private, consensual and
discreet' could 'mitigate security concerns.'"
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Human rights vs. Sharia
Exit Zero
March 10, 2006
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1142024149.shtml
In an article written for the London Telegraph, Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo
says:
"You have to distinguish between ordinary Muslims and their
self-appointed leaders," explains Dr Sookhdeo. "I agree that the best
hope for our collective future is that the majority of Muslims who have
grown up here have accepted the secular nature of the British state and
society, the division between religion and politics, and the importance
of allowing people to choose freely how they will live."
According to the Telegraph, Dr. Sookhdeo is a secular Briton. According
to Islamophobia Watch, Dr. Sookhdeo is a Nazi and an Islamaphobe.
Islamophobia Watch also labels Hirsi Ali as a right-wing "provocateur."
The Telegraph believed that an article about Dr. Sookhdeo's criticism
of some Muslim leaders and their efforts to bring Sharia to the UK,
titled 'The day is coming when British Muslims form a state within a
state' should be published.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Dr. Wafa Sultan Seeks Radical Change From Radical Islam
16:14 Mar 13, '06 / 13 Adar 5766
By Debbie Berman
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=100139
Dr. Wafa Sultan is in hiding, fearful for her life and the safety of
her family, after she lambasted the roots of radical Islam during a
debate televised on Al-Jazeera last month.
[Link to clips from the debate here:
http://switch5.castup.net/frames/20041020_MemriTV_Popup/
video_480x360.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak=null
They're subtitled.]
Dr. Sultan is leading a struggle to create a new reality in the Islamic
world, which she believes should be led by none other than the women it
has oppressed for so long. Born in Syria and now a Los Angeles-based
psychiatrist, Dr. Sultan has taken upon herself the mission of trying
to change the way the Islamic world operates.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
GAY ACTIVISTS ARRESTED AT REGENT UNIVERSITY
Six protesters cross a police line intended to keep them off school
grounds.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 15, 2006
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039861.cfm
Six young men and women participating in a traveling
homosexual protest were taken into custody Tuesday after
they strode past a line of Virginia Beach, Va., police
officers onto Regent University property. Activists
claimed it was an effort to dialogue with students on the
Christian campus, while school officials said it was
nothing more than a publicity stunt.
The demonstration took place next to a rain-wet six-lane
thoroughfare at the tree-lined main entrance to the
campus. The protesters held pamphlets that purported to
tell "What the Bible Says -- and Doesn't Say -- about
Homosexuality."
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
'A NEW DAY AT THE COURT'
The Roberts era on the U.S. Supreme Court is off to a good start.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 14, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039845.cfm
Pro-family legal experts say John Roberts has been chief
justice of the United States for only six months, but
already is putting his stamp on the nation's highest
court.
Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law
and Justice, said it's a new day -- and a new atmosphere.
"There's twice the number of unanimous decisions than
normally come down," he said. "We've seen three major
cases, and they've come out with unanimous decisions in
all three -- the parental-notice case, our RICO case
(Scheidler v. NOW) and the campus military-recruiting
case. I think that's significant."
[...]
"I'm optimistic," Sekulow said. "I think that Justice
Alito's addition is very important, but it's too early to
tell about his effect. But Chief Justice John Roberts is
going to be able to bring along others to his viewpoint.
He's an incremental kind of justice, and I think at the
end of the day that's going to serve the country very
well."
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Most Americans Look for Middle Ground on Abortion
SUMMARY: Pro-life leaders say once people understand the issue, there
is no middle.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 14, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039843.cfm
While the abortion issue may be the most polarizing of our
time, nearly three-fifths of Americans surveyed in an
Associated Press poll seem to be trying to stake out a
position in the middle -- somewhere between a total ban
and abortion on demand through all nine months.
Meanwhile, about 20 percent claim to be solid supporters
of abortion and about 20 percent solidly against, leaving
that large "mushy middle."
[...]
But, Tom Glessner, president of the National Institute of
Family and Life Advocates, said if people truly understood
the issue, there would be no support for abortion -- and
no one trying to stay in middle.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
COMMENTARY: E-MAIL ACTIVISM 101
Ever wonder why CitizenLink doesn't offer pre-written e-mails?
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 14, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/commentary/a0039841.cfm
[Editor's note: Focus on the Family _does_ offer pre-written email.
They just have you pick and choose from sets of pre-written paragraphs.
They call these "letter generators" and pretend they aren't form
letters. This was devised to get past newspaper editorial boards who
won't print mass-mailed letters.]
We've all heard the old saw about how it's better to teach
a man to fish than to give him a fish. The idea is, in
terms of lasting impact, helping someone do something for
himself trumps making him rely on you to do it for him.
It's a principle that applies to what we do here at
CitizenLink, too, when we ask you to e-mail policymakers
and opinion-shapers to make your views known on the issues
you care about. Our philosophy has routinely been to help
you catch your own fish -- i.e., to write your message in
your own words, with just a little guidance from us on the
kinds of points you might want to make. Many other groups,
on both sides of the ideological aisle, choose to prepare
canned messages that require only that you type your name
into a form and click your mouse to send an e-mail. That's
not just giving you fish -- it's catching them, cleaning
them, cooking them, cutting them, stabbing pieces of them
with a fork, putting those pieces in your mouth and
helping you work your jaws up and down so you can swallow.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Religious Group Merges with Gays-Rights Task Force
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
March 14, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The gay rights movement has found God, according to a
story in the San Francisco Chronicle.
After decades of success in convincing society to be more
accepting of its cause, advocates for special rights for
gays say the next and biggest challenge is convincing
believers homosexuality not a sin.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force announced Monday
that a religious organization representing 1,400
"welcoming" Protestant congregations has merged with the
task force.
"It's a very proud and happy day for the lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender movement," said Matt Foreman,
executive director of the Task Force. "We see this as a
critically important step in reclaiming the language of
faith and moral values from those on the right that
attempt to hijack faith and moral values."
Peter Brandt, senior director of government and public
policy at Focus on the Family Action, predicted that
denominations that abandon biblical truth concerning
homosexuality will lose members.
"People have left these denominations in droves over this
issue," he said. "This will result in the continued
erosion of scriptural integrity as well as membership."
----- 9 -----
Blogger Posts Abortion Directions
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
March 14, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
A feminist blogger has posted explicit surgical-abortion
directions on her blog, in reaction to the new South
Dakota law that bans the procedure except when the
mother's life is in danger.
According to the Newhouse News Service, the 21-year-old
Florida woman, who uses the pseudonym Molly Blythe, has no
medical background, but said she has been compiling
instructions for several years. She said she observed an
actual abortion, interviewed providers and read medical
texts.
"If anyone has a problem with this and they don't think
non-doctors should perform medical procedures, there's a
simple way to guarantee that won't happen: Make sure Roe
v. Wade is not overturned," she said.
Jim Sedlak, vice president of the American Life League,
said, "Anyone who engages in this should be prosecuted for
what it is -- murder."
"Scientifically, human life begins at conception," he
added, "and any effort to end that life either by yourself
or with a friend following directions on the Internet is
the killing of a human being."
----- 10 -----
No ‘Morning-After Pill’ for Rapists
Concerned Women for America
3/16/2006
By Jan LaRue, Chief Counsel
Why abortion bans shouldn’t include exceptions for victims of rape or
incest.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10327/LEGAL/life/index.htm
South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds (R) signed H.B. 1215 into law on March 6,
making South Dakota the first state to ban abortion except for those
that are necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman. Doctors in
South Dakota will face up to five years in prison for performing an
abortion except when necessary to save the mother’s life.
Some state lawmakers who voted against H.B. 1215 say they did so
because it doesn’t permit abortion for rape and incest victims. Other
state legislatures, including Mississippi, have introduced a similar
abortion ban and are debating whether to include exceptions for rape
and incest.
[...]
The truth is that rape rarely results in pregnancy. But even if it
does, the law should not permit the most innocent victim, an unborn
child, to suffer by forfeiting his or her life because of the rapist’s
criminal act.
[...]
Rape is not a capital offense for which the death penalty applies.
Homicide laws make no exception for a rape victim seeking recovery who
kills her rapist by giving him an arsenic tablet the morning after.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Director Of South Dakota Planned Parenthood Affiliate To Decide On
Possible Legal Challenge To State Abortion Ban
Article Date: 15 Mar 2006 - 9:00am (UK)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=39442
Kate Looby, director of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota
and South Dakota, on Thursday said she will make a decision by March 20
whether to challenge a South Dakota law (HB 1215) that bans abortion in
the state except to save a woman's life, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader
reports (Ellis, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 3/10). Planned Parenthood
Federation of America has pledged to fight the law, either by filing a
federal lawsuit or by introducing a statewide referendum. Under South
Dakota law, opponents of the ban would need to gather 16,728 signatures
by May to add the issue to the statewide ballot in November, delaying
enforcement of the law (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report,
3/7). Looby said challenging the law at the polls would require a
"groundswell of support from South Dakota" as well as national support
(Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 3/10). According to the AP/Aberdeen American
News, almost 200 people protested the law in front of Sioux Falls'
federal courthouse, while about 30 abortion-rights opponents rallied
across the street (Walker, AP/Aberdeen American News, 3/9). She added
that she found the number of people protesting the law Thursday in
Sioux Falls to be encouraging (Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 3/9).
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
CWA Cheers FCC Indecency Fines
Concerned Women for America
3/15/2006
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10325/MEDIA/misc/index.htm
Washington, D.C. — Concerned Women for America (CWA) applauds the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for cracking down on broadcast
indecency by releasing today six sizeable fines for major TV stations.
“The FCC is taking a huge leap in the right direction,” said Lanier
Swann, CWA’s Director of Government Relations. “Issuing these fines
sends a loud message to the TV gurus that broadcast indecency is not
being tolerated under Chairman Martin’s watch. Consumers should take
note that complaints will no longer fall on deaf ears. The FCC has
proven that it is willing to take a stand for families and refuse to
allow broadcasters to go unpunished for violating decency standards.
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
Stem-Cell Filibuster Ends in Maryland
Concerned Women for America
3/15/2006
By Beth Andersen
Opponents win concessions but bill still allows embryonic research.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10314/CWA/life/index.htm
The filibuster against S.B. 144, the Maryland Stem Cell Research Act of
2006, ended March 8 when state Sen. Roy Dyson (D) voted to end debate
after an agreement to revise the bill was reached.
One of Dyson’s alterations to the bill, which provides state funding
for stem-cell research, removed provisions giving preference to
projects using embryonic cells. Another gives the governor the ability
to appoint two religious leaders to a commission that would make
decisions regarding stem-cell research grants. The bill still does not
forbid the use of embryos for research. The Senate passed the bill 29
to 18 with Dyson among those who voted against it.
The bill requires that patients who are treated for infertility be
provided information about donating their embryos to research. A
scientific peer review committee will decide the allocation of funds.
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
Commentary & News Briefs
March 15, 2006
Compiled by Jody Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/afa/152006h.asp
[...]
...A Christian attorney says any law that purports to ban abortion, yet
allows exceptions, is not a truly pro-life bill. On the heels of South
Dakota's bill to ban almost all abortions, Mississippi has become the
latest to propose a ban on the killing of unborn children. However,
like the South Dakota measure, Mississippi's ban -- written by State
Representative Steve Holland -- contains a provision that allows for
children conceived through rape or incest to aborted. Steve Crampton,
chief counsel for the American Family Association's Center for Law &
Policy in Tupelo, says to be truly pro-life, one must believe that
children produced through rape or incest are just as precious as any
other child. "I find it very difficult to rationalize -- if you believe
that this is genuinely a human child, an unborn child -- how you can
allow it to be killed simply because of actions of its father," says
the attorney. "It makes no sense down the line, and I think our
opponents actually take full advantage of those kinds of
inconsistencies in decimating our movement. So, no, I don't think it's
pro-life to recognize those exceptions." Mississippi's measure also
allows exceptions for "cases of medical emergencies, when the mother's
life is endangered." Many pro-life advocates says it is never necessary
to kill an unborn child to save a mother's life. [Rusty Pugh]
[...]
...A young woman has decided to launch a campaign to call attention to
an aspect of contraception that most women never consider. Concerned
over the health risks inherent in any form of birth control, Mary
Worthington has begun a campaign designated as "No Room for
Contraception." She describes it as a campaign "to expose potential
harms of contraception on family, society, and women's health."
Worthington says most women do not even think about the various
chemicals used in contraception, much less the links researchers have
found between those agents and many forms of cancer. "There's so many
artificial chemicals in a chemical contraceptive that can lead to
cancer, that can lead to obesity -- they can lead to weight gain," she
offers as examples. "There's a new study that was showing that [taking
some contraceptives] leads to a decreased sex drive in the woman. The
World Health Organization classified oral contraceptives [as
carcinogens that] can lead to cervical cancer and breast cancer."
Worthington's campaign is centered on the Internet and, in just a few
short weeks, she has already sparked a series of harsh counter-attacks
from pro-abortion websites. While admitting those personal attacks
hurt, she hopes her effort will cause women to think before they act
blindly. [Bill Fancher]
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Blockbuster Poll Shows Values Voters Seek More from Congress
Family Research Council
March 15, 2006 - Wednesday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 15, 2006
CONTACT: J.P. Duffy or Bethanie Swendsen, (202) 393-2100
Roll-Out to Inaugural FRCAction Washington Briefing 2006 Event
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR06C05
Washington, D.C. - Tomorrow FRCAction, the legislative action arm of
Family Research Council, and supporting co-sponsors will announce the
first annual Washington Briefing: Values Voters Summit to be held in
Washington D.C. this September. Just prior to the mid-term 2006
elections, thousands of values voters will gather in the nation's
capital to hear from potential Presidential candidates, elected
officials and pro-family leaders.
The results of a poll commissioned to gauge the political concerns of
values voters will be distributed and discussed at the press
conference. The results show significant discontent among values voters
who were so decisive in the 2004 election.
FRCAction President Tony Perkins released the following statement:
"Values voters are geared up for the 2006 and 2008 elections and the
Washington Briefing will educate and equip them for action. However,
our polling shows that many values voters are disappointed that the
issues that brought them to the voting booth remain unaddressed by
Congress. They are ready for action. Values voters want change in
America and this event will allow leaders to make their case to values
voters."
Who:
Tony Perkins, President of FRCAction and Family Research Council
Connie Mackey, Senior VP of FRCAction
Tom Minnery, Sr. VP of Government and Public Policy, Focus on the
Family Action
Gary Bauer, President, Americans United for Traditional Marriage
Don Wildmon, Chairman, American Family Association Action
What: 2006 Washington Briefing: Values Voters Summit Press Conference
When: March 16, 2006
12:00 NOON
Where: National Press Club, Murrow Room
* Refreshments will be served *
-30-
----- 16 -----
Values Voters’ Contract with Congress
Online as of March 15, 2006
http://www.valuesvoter.org/preamble.cfm?host_id=TVC
We are citizens of the United States of America and subjects of the
sovereign Creator, acknowledged in the Declaration of Independence as
the Supreme Ruler and Judge of the World. We hereby declare our belief
in the self-evident truths established by the Declaration, to wit, that
we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain
unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness; that human governments are instituted to secure these
rights, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. We
strongly affirm our allegiance to the Constitution of the United
States, as it was framed and amended in light of these truths, to
provide for a republican form of government, which means a government
of the people, by the people and for the people, in which they make
laws and govern themselves through representatives they elect.
Moved by our faith in God and this republican creed we join together
now to defend representative self-government against the greatest
assault it has ever faced. This assault has been more dangerous and
successful because it comes from within and aims to destroy not just
our physical defenses, but the moral ideas, habits and practices that
sustain our character as a free people. As a nation the United States
of America has achieved material success unparalleled in previous human
history. But without fortitude and selfdiscipline, we would not have
reaped the fruits of free enterprise. We have thrice led our Allies to
victory against foes that enacted the worst possibilities of human
depravity. But without courage and a true sense of responsibility for
ourselves and all humanity we would not have triumphed against their
cruel and implacable ambition. We have achieved or applied
unprecedented advances in scientific knowledge. But without respect for
the gentle yoke of God’s reason, and the diverse possibilities with
which it has seeded the comprehensible universe, we could not have
expanded the enlightened sphere of human comprehension. We have truly
experienced the blessings of liberty, but never without the virtues and
qualities of good conscience and decent character.
[Much more at URL]
----- 17 -----
Gay Games Given Official Status By State Department
Traditional Values Coalition
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2645
March 16, 2006 – The Gay Games to be held in Chicago have been granted
event status by the State Department, which means HIV-infected athletes
from other nations can now freely enter the U.S. for the games.
U.S. policy usually forbids HIV-infected individuals from entering the
U.S., but the State Department has granted special status to athletes
for these games.
The sex orgies that typically are held before, during, and after the
gay games will be fertile breeding grounds for the spread of HIV—and
possibly new European strains of the virus will enter into the
bloodstream and result in more deaths from untreatable HIV infections.
Homosexuals are increasingly participating in barebacking or circuit
parties, where they engage in multiple unsafe sex acts often with
anonymous partners.
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Senate Policy Committee Publishes Update On Marriage Protection
Traditional Values Coalition
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2644
March 16, 2006 – The Senate Republican Policy Committee has just
updated its “State-by-State Marriage Protection Update,” which should
be posted on its web site within a few days.
TVC has obtained a copy of this update and we have created a PDF
version for easy downloading and distribution by our supporters.
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/pdf_files/marriage_protection_tates.pdf
[More at URL]
----- 19 -----
Homosexual Group Forms Coalition With Liberal Churches
Traditional Values Coalition
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2643
March 16, 2006 – The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) has
just announced that it has formed a coalition with a number of
pro-homosexual churches and denominations. The NGLTF umbrella group is
called the Institute for Welcoming Resources” (IWR) and is the newest
effort of homosexual groups to use “faith-based” organizations to push
its agenda. The IWR now includes the following liberal denominations:
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
Sign Values Voters’ Contract With Congress Petition
Traditional Values Coalition
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2647
March 16, 2006 -- The Traditional Values Coalition is joining with more
than a dozen other pro-family leaders to promote the Values Voters’
Contract With Congress.
This Contract is a common declaration of our values and a common plan
for solving many of the problems facing America.
This Contract contains key legislative items that we are calling upon
Congress to pass this year to deal with such serious moral problems as
protecting marriage, religious freedom, parental consent, the Pledge of
Allegiance, and much more! The Contract also proposes legislation to
restrict the power of renegade liberal judges who are imposing
immorality upon us in the name of “justice.”
The Contract also calls for bans on human cloning, partial-birth
abortion; and it supports legislation to defend our borders, child tax
credits, and more.
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
Canadians - help our neighbors
Canada Family Action Coalition
Mar 14, 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/article-pgs/ford-boycott.htm
Some Ford Motor company executives appear to lack integrity. They have
broken an agreement they made with a number of US organizations over a
critical issue – redefining marriage.
We suggest we can help our neighbors through the pressure of bottom
line dollars. A boycott of Ford products may be the only language the
executives understand. If they are willing to fund efforts to destroy
marriage and also lack the integrity to honor agreements then actions
such as a boycott seem reasonable.
Read more about this at
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/132006b.asp .
Sign the boycott pledge - http://www.boycottford.com/
And BUY elsewhere.
----- 21 -----
No more money to "intolerant" schools: union
Focus on the Family Canada
March 15, 2006
Despite concerns about possibly trampling on religious freedoms, B.C.’s
public school teachers want the province to stop funding all
faith-based independent schools that teach religious intolerance, the
Vancouver Sun reported Monday.
A resolution to that effect was passed by the approximately 700
delegates attending the B.C. Teachers’ Federation annual meeting.
“All we’re saying is that the provincial government has to enact what
it says it will do through the Independent Schools Act,” Vancouver
teacher Jane MacEwan, who introduced the resolution, told the Sun. “And
it clearly states that schools teaching religious superiority or racial
superiority cannot receive [public] funding.”
[...]
Take Action: Residents of B.C. can contact B.C. Education Minister
Shirley Bond and Premier Gordon Campbell to express their concerns with
the BCTF resolution and how it could be read to apply to many
independent schools.
[More at URL]
----- 22 -----
Pastor warns of "designer baby" dangers
Focus on the Family Canada
March 15, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/life/stories/031506.html
A Calgary pastor who has witnessed first-hand the development of
prenatal testing for DNA abnormalities is afraid that Canada is
drifting toward a passive acceptance of abortion to eliminate all but
the “designer babies,” the Calgary Herald reported.
“We can understand the challenge facing parents when they first get a
prenatal diagnosis of a serious mental disability,” Keith Shields, the
lead minister of Connections Christian Church, told the Herald. “But
some people make decisions to terminate on grounds we might call
trivial” – such as when tests determine the unborn child could be
colour-blind.
Before coming to Connections, Shields worked for 13 years in the
Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Calgary. He
resigned two years ago over concerns that prenatal genetic testing was
promoting what he calls the “commodification” of children – treating
the unborn as disposable commodities when they fail to meet the
parents’ specifications.
Shields believes that Canada urgently needs to address the pitfalls of
genetic screening.
[More at URL]
----- 23 -----
Brutal update: the American Family Association is starting to talk
about how abortion bans should _not include exemptions to save the life
of the woman_; they're also pushing _attacks against birth control in
any form_. Also, I'm seeing stepped up activity from Canadian
fundamentalist groups, with CFAC endorsing and joining the anti-gay
boycott of Ford Motor Corporation, and Focus on the Family's Canadian
branch having a couple of new articles out.
Here's today's news.
Bush administration gets it ass-backwards yet again: queers can be
denied security clearance for being gay now, _unless_ they are
"strictly private" and "discreet" - in other words, in the closet,
which makes them _more_, not _less_ vulnerable to blackmail threats,
which is _exactly the wrong fucking thing to do yet again_, but
probably makes his fundamentalist friends slightly happier. And god
knows this asshat has never let rationality get in the way of things
like that;
The article on Sharia law that got Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo pulled off the
Telegraph;
Clips from the debate on Al-Jazeera that later caused Dr. Wafa Sultan,
a Los Angeles-resident Syrian psychiatrist, go have to go into hiding
for fear of her life;
Roberton's school gets Virginia Beach police to arrest Soulforce
members as they attempt to cross a police line blocking them from
campus;
Focus on the Family praises Chief Justice Roberts and his "new day at
the court";
FotF: There is no middle ground on abortion;
FotF talks up its letter campaigns and email activism, and condemns
DefCon's membership;
FotF attacks religious groups working with the National Gay and Lesbian
Task Force;
Blogger posts information on how to do abortions; American Life League
says, "Anyone who engages in this should be prosecuted for what it is
-- murder";
Concerned Women for America attack abortion bans which include
exceptions for rape victims AND emergency contraception, apparently
joining the Rapist's Rights bandwagon by claiming that the
morning-after pill actually benefits the rapist; says the zygote is
more innocent than the mother;
Director Of South Dakota Planned Parenthood Affiliate To Decide On
Possible Legal Challenge To State Abortion Ban; State has a special
fund to defend the abortion ban that takes anonymous donations and is
exempt from state reporting laws;
Concerned Women for America applaud FCC indecency fines;
CWA upset that Maryland filibuster against a stem-cell research bill
failed;
***** American Family Association/Agape Press attack contraception,
also attacks abortion bans with any exemptions whatsoever _including to
save a woman's life_;
Family Research Council says fundamentalist voters are unhappy with a
lack action on the fundamentalist agenda from Congress;
The "Values Voters Contract with Congress" - a campaign manifesto for
the theoconservative right for 2006 - includes demands for
Constitutional bans on GBLT marriage and partnership rights, bans on
church-state cases (unless those cases endorse the Christianist point
of view), bans on courts-cost payments in the event a court challenge
gets to court and wins, bans on equal-protection cases for gays and
lesbian challenges to state marriage laws; a comprehensive federal ban
on abortion in all cases; bans on many forms of bioresearch (what they
call "human cloning" and any use of embryonic stem cells); Federal bans
on pornography and obscenity; more;
The federal government temporarily lifted the ban on HIV+ travel to
this country for the purposes of athletes and visitors attending the
Gay Games in Chicago; Traditional Values Coalition has an ACTION ITEM
to demand the ban be put back in place, condemns Gay Games as one big
orgy;
Senate Republican Policy Committee sends out "State-by-state Marriage
Protection Update," which is to say, a list of states banning marriage
rights for gay and lesbian people in their state constitutions and/or
via DOMA;
TVC condemns National Gay and Lesbian Task Force alliance with an
assortment of religious groups;
TVC pushes "Values Voter's Contract";
***** Canada Family Action Coalition endorses AFA boycott of Ford Motor
Corporation, urges its membership to boycott Ford Motor as well;
Focus on the Family Canada ACTION ITEM to protest attempts to stop
provincial funding of religious schools that teach religious or racial
intolerance;
Focus on the Family Canada runs article against genetic screening in
pregnancy.
----- 1 -----
Bush vs Gays, Part XXXVII
Andrew Sullivan
16 Mar 2006 12:06 am
http://time.blogs.com/daily_dish/2006/03/bush_vs_gays_pa.html
It's hard not to be troubled by a quiet ruling from the Bush
administration qualifying the Clinton administration's clear removal of
sexual orientation as a barrier to security clearance. Money quote from
the AP:
"The [Clinton administration] regulation stated that sexual orientation
'may not be used as a basis for or a disqualifying factor in
determining a person's eligibility for a security clearance.'
Bush removed that categorical protection, saying instead that security
clearances cannot be denied 'solely on the basis of the sexual
orientation of the individual.'
The new rules say behavior that is 'strictly private, consensual and
discreet' could 'mitigate security concerns.'"
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Human rights vs. Sharia
Exit Zero
March 10, 2006
http://whataretheysaying.powerblogs.com/posts/1142024149.shtml
In an article written for the London Telegraph, Dr. Patrick Sookhdeo
says:
"You have to distinguish between ordinary Muslims and their
self-appointed leaders," explains Dr Sookhdeo. "I agree that the best
hope for our collective future is that the majority of Muslims who have
grown up here have accepted the secular nature of the British state and
society, the division between religion and politics, and the importance
of allowing people to choose freely how they will live."
According to the Telegraph, Dr. Sookhdeo is a secular Briton. According
to Islamophobia Watch, Dr. Sookhdeo is a Nazi and an Islamaphobe.
Islamophobia Watch also labels Hirsi Ali as a right-wing "provocateur."
The Telegraph believed that an article about Dr. Sookhdeo's criticism
of some Muslim leaders and their efforts to bring Sharia to the UK,
titled 'The day is coming when British Muslims form a state within a
state' should be published.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
Dr. Wafa Sultan Seeks Radical Change From Radical Islam
16:14 Mar 13, '06 / 13 Adar 5766
By Debbie Berman
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=100139
Dr. Wafa Sultan is in hiding, fearful for her life and the safety of
her family, after she lambasted the roots of radical Islam during a
debate televised on Al-Jazeera last month.
[Link to clips from the debate here:
http://switch5.castup.net/frames/20041020_MemriTV_Popup/
video_480x360.asp?ai=214&ar=1050wmv&ak=null
They're subtitled.]
Dr. Sultan is leading a struggle to create a new reality in the Islamic
world, which she believes should be led by none other than the women it
has oppressed for so long. Born in Syria and now a Los Angeles-based
psychiatrist, Dr. Sultan has taken upon herself the mission of trying
to change the way the Islamic world operates.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
GAY ACTIVISTS ARRESTED AT REGENT UNIVERSITY
Six protesters cross a police line intended to keep them off school
grounds.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 15, 2006
by Wendy Cloyd, assistant editor
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039861.cfm
Six young men and women participating in a traveling
homosexual protest were taken into custody Tuesday after
they strode past a line of Virginia Beach, Va., police
officers onto Regent University property. Activists
claimed it was an effort to dialogue with students on the
Christian campus, while school officials said it was
nothing more than a publicity stunt.
The demonstration took place next to a rain-wet six-lane
thoroughfare at the tree-lined main entrance to the
campus. The protesters held pamphlets that purported to
tell "What the Bible Says -- and Doesn't Say -- about
Homosexuality."
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
'A NEW DAY AT THE COURT'
The Roberts era on the U.S. Supreme Court is off to a good start.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 14, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039845.cfm
Pro-family legal experts say John Roberts has been chief
justice of the United States for only six months, but
already is putting his stamp on the nation's highest
court.
Jay Sekulow, chief counsel of the American Center for Law
and Justice, said it's a new day -- and a new atmosphere.
"There's twice the number of unanimous decisions than
normally come down," he said. "We've seen three major
cases, and they've come out with unanimous decisions in
all three -- the parental-notice case, our RICO case
(Scheidler v. NOW) and the campus military-recruiting
case. I think that's significant."
[...]
"I'm optimistic," Sekulow said. "I think that Justice
Alito's addition is very important, but it's too early to
tell about his effect. But Chief Justice John Roberts is
going to be able to bring along others to his viewpoint.
He's an incremental kind of justice, and I think at the
end of the day that's going to serve the country very
well."
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
Most Americans Look for Middle Ground on Abortion
SUMMARY: Pro-life leaders say once people understand the issue, there
is no middle.
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 14, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/news/a0039843.cfm
While the abortion issue may be the most polarizing of our
time, nearly three-fifths of Americans surveyed in an
Associated Press poll seem to be trying to stake out a
position in the middle -- somewhere between a total ban
and abortion on demand through all nine months.
Meanwhile, about 20 percent claim to be solid supporters
of abortion and about 20 percent solidly against, leaving
that large "mushy middle."
[...]
But, Tom Glessner, president of the National Institute of
Family and Life Advocates, said if people truly understood
the issue, there would be no support for abortion -- and
no one trying to stay in middle.
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
COMMENTARY: E-MAIL ACTIVISM 101
Ever wonder why CitizenLink doesn't offer pre-written e-mails?
Focus on the Family
Family News in Focus
March 14, 2006
http://www.family.org/cforum/commentary/a0039841.cfm
[Editor's note: Focus on the Family _does_ offer pre-written email.
They just have you pick and choose from sets of pre-written paragraphs.
They call these "letter generators" and pretend they aren't form
letters. This was devised to get past newspaper editorial boards who
won't print mass-mailed letters.]
We've all heard the old saw about how it's better to teach
a man to fish than to give him a fish. The idea is, in
terms of lasting impact, helping someone do something for
himself trumps making him rely on you to do it for him.
It's a principle that applies to what we do here at
CitizenLink, too, when we ask you to e-mail policymakers
and opinion-shapers to make your views known on the issues
you care about. Our philosophy has routinely been to help
you catch your own fish -- i.e., to write your message in
your own words, with just a little guidance from us on the
kinds of points you might want to make. Many other groups,
on both sides of the ideological aisle, choose to prepare
canned messages that require only that you type your name
into a form and click your mouse to send an e-mail. That's
not just giving you fish -- it's catching them, cleaning
them, cooking them, cutting them, stabbing pieces of them
with a fork, putting those pieces in your mouth and
helping you work your jaws up and down so you can swallow.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
Religious Group Merges with Gays-Rights Task Force
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
March 14, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
The gay rights movement has found God, according to a
story in the San Francisco Chronicle.
After decades of success in convincing society to be more
accepting of its cause, advocates for special rights for
gays say the next and biggest challenge is convincing
believers homosexuality not a sin.
The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force announced Monday
that a religious organization representing 1,400
"welcoming" Protestant congregations has merged with the
task force.
"It's a very proud and happy day for the lesbian, gay,
bisexual and transgender movement," said Matt Foreman,
executive director of the Task Force. "We see this as a
critically important step in reclaiming the language of
faith and moral values from those on the right that
attempt to hijack faith and moral values."
Peter Brandt, senior director of government and public
policy at Focus on the Family Action, predicted that
denominations that abandon biblical truth concerning
homosexuality will lose members.
"People have left these denominations in droves over this
issue," he said. "This will result in the continued
erosion of scriptural integrity as well as membership."
----- 9 -----
Blogger Posts Abortion Directions
Focus on the Family
Newsbriefs
March 14, 2006
[Received in email; no URL]
A feminist blogger has posted explicit surgical-abortion
directions on her blog, in reaction to the new South
Dakota law that bans the procedure except when the
mother's life is in danger.
According to the Newhouse News Service, the 21-year-old
Florida woman, who uses the pseudonym Molly Blythe, has no
medical background, but said she has been compiling
instructions for several years. She said she observed an
actual abortion, interviewed providers and read medical
texts.
"If anyone has a problem with this and they don't think
non-doctors should perform medical procedures, there's a
simple way to guarantee that won't happen: Make sure Roe
v. Wade is not overturned," she said.
Jim Sedlak, vice president of the American Life League,
said, "Anyone who engages in this should be prosecuted for
what it is -- murder."
"Scientifically, human life begins at conception," he
added, "and any effort to end that life either by yourself
or with a friend following directions on the Internet is
the killing of a human being."
----- 10 -----
No ‘Morning-After Pill’ for Rapists
Concerned Women for America
3/16/2006
By Jan LaRue, Chief Counsel
Why abortion bans shouldn’t include exceptions for victims of rape or
incest.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10327/LEGAL/life/index.htm
South Dakota Gov. Mike Rounds (R) signed H.B. 1215 into law on March 6,
making South Dakota the first state to ban abortion except for those
that are necessary to save the life of a pregnant woman. Doctors in
South Dakota will face up to five years in prison for performing an
abortion except when necessary to save the mother’s life.
Some state lawmakers who voted against H.B. 1215 say they did so
because it doesn’t permit abortion for rape and incest victims. Other
state legislatures, including Mississippi, have introduced a similar
abortion ban and are debating whether to include exceptions for rape
and incest.
[...]
The truth is that rape rarely results in pregnancy. But even if it
does, the law should not permit the most innocent victim, an unborn
child, to suffer by forfeiting his or her life because of the rapist’s
criminal act.
[...]
Rape is not a capital offense for which the death penalty applies.
Homicide laws make no exception for a rape victim seeking recovery who
kills her rapist by giving him an arsenic tablet the morning after.
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Director Of South Dakota Planned Parenthood Affiliate To Decide On
Possible Legal Challenge To State Abortion Ban
Article Date: 15 Mar 2006 - 9:00am (UK)
http://www.medicalnewstoday.com/medicalnews.php?newsid=39442
Kate Looby, director of Planned Parenthood of Minnesota, North Dakota
and South Dakota, on Thursday said she will make a decision by March 20
whether to challenge a South Dakota law (HB 1215) that bans abortion in
the state except to save a woman's life, the Sioux Falls Argus Leader
reports (Ellis, Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 3/10). Planned Parenthood
Federation of America has pledged to fight the law, either by filing a
federal lawsuit or by introducing a statewide referendum. Under South
Dakota law, opponents of the ban would need to gather 16,728 signatures
by May to add the issue to the statewide ballot in November, delaying
enforcement of the law (Kaiser Daily Women's Health Policy Report,
3/7). Looby said challenging the law at the polls would require a
"groundswell of support from South Dakota" as well as national support
(Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 3/10). According to the AP/Aberdeen American
News, almost 200 people protested the law in front of Sioux Falls'
federal courthouse, while about 30 abortion-rights opponents rallied
across the street (Walker, AP/Aberdeen American News, 3/9). She added
that she found the number of people protesting the law Thursday in
Sioux Falls to be encouraging (Sioux Falls Argus Leader, 3/9).
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
CWA Cheers FCC Indecency Fines
Concerned Women for America
3/15/2006
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10325/MEDIA/misc/index.htm
Washington, D.C. — Concerned Women for America (CWA) applauds the
Federal Communications Commission (FCC) for cracking down on broadcast
indecency by releasing today six sizeable fines for major TV stations.
“The FCC is taking a huge leap in the right direction,” said Lanier
Swann, CWA’s Director of Government Relations. “Issuing these fines
sends a loud message to the TV gurus that broadcast indecency is not
being tolerated under Chairman Martin’s watch. Consumers should take
note that complaints will no longer fall on deaf ears. The FCC has
proven that it is willing to take a stand for families and refuse to
allow broadcasters to go unpunished for violating decency standards.
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
Stem-Cell Filibuster Ends in Maryland
Concerned Women for America
3/15/2006
By Beth Andersen
Opponents win concessions but bill still allows embryonic research.
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10314/CWA/life/index.htm
The filibuster against S.B. 144, the Maryland Stem Cell Research Act of
2006, ended March 8 when state Sen. Roy Dyson (D) voted to end debate
after an agreement to revise the bill was reached.
One of Dyson’s alterations to the bill, which provides state funding
for stem-cell research, removed provisions giving preference to
projects using embryonic cells. Another gives the governor the ability
to appoint two religious leaders to a commission that would make
decisions regarding stem-cell research grants. The bill still does not
forbid the use of embryos for research. The Senate passed the bill 29
to 18 with Dyson among those who voted against it.
The bill requires that patients who are treated for infertility be
provided information about donating their embryos to research. A
scientific peer review committee will decide the allocation of funds.
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
Commentary & News Briefs
March 15, 2006
Compiled by Jody Brown
American Family Association/Agape Press
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/afa/152006h.asp
[...]
...A Christian attorney says any law that purports to ban abortion, yet
allows exceptions, is not a truly pro-life bill. On the heels of South
Dakota's bill to ban almost all abortions, Mississippi has become the
latest to propose a ban on the killing of unborn children. However,
like the South Dakota measure, Mississippi's ban -- written by State
Representative Steve Holland -- contains a provision that allows for
children conceived through rape or incest to aborted. Steve Crampton,
chief counsel for the American Family Association's Center for Law &
Policy in Tupelo, says to be truly pro-life, one must believe that
children produced through rape or incest are just as precious as any
other child. "I find it very difficult to rationalize -- if you believe
that this is genuinely a human child, an unborn child -- how you can
allow it to be killed simply because of actions of its father," says
the attorney. "It makes no sense down the line, and I think our
opponents actually take full advantage of those kinds of
inconsistencies in decimating our movement. So, no, I don't think it's
pro-life to recognize those exceptions." Mississippi's measure also
allows exceptions for "cases of medical emergencies, when the mother's
life is endangered." Many pro-life advocates says it is never necessary
to kill an unborn child to save a mother's life. [Rusty Pugh]
[...]
...A young woman has decided to launch a campaign to call attention to
an aspect of contraception that most women never consider. Concerned
over the health risks inherent in any form of birth control, Mary
Worthington has begun a campaign designated as "No Room for
Contraception." She describes it as a campaign "to expose potential
harms of contraception on family, society, and women's health."
Worthington says most women do not even think about the various
chemicals used in contraception, much less the links researchers have
found between those agents and many forms of cancer. "There's so many
artificial chemicals in a chemical contraceptive that can lead to
cancer, that can lead to obesity -- they can lead to weight gain," she
offers as examples. "There's a new study that was showing that [taking
some contraceptives] leads to a decreased sex drive in the woman. The
World Health Organization classified oral contraceptives [as
carcinogens that] can lead to cervical cancer and breast cancer."
Worthington's campaign is centered on the Internet and, in just a few
short weeks, she has already sparked a series of harsh counter-attacks
from pro-abortion websites. While admitting those personal attacks
hurt, she hopes her effort will cause women to think before they act
blindly. [Bill Fancher]
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Blockbuster Poll Shows Values Voters Seek More from Congress
Family Research Council
March 15, 2006 - Wednesday
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: March 15, 2006
CONTACT: J.P. Duffy or Bethanie Swendsen, (202) 393-2100
Roll-Out to Inaugural FRCAction Washington Briefing 2006 Event
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PR06C05
Washington, D.C. - Tomorrow FRCAction, the legislative action arm of
Family Research Council, and supporting co-sponsors will announce the
first annual Washington Briefing: Values Voters Summit to be held in
Washington D.C. this September. Just prior to the mid-term 2006
elections, thousands of values voters will gather in the nation's
capital to hear from potential Presidential candidates, elected
officials and pro-family leaders.
The results of a poll commissioned to gauge the political concerns of
values voters will be distributed and discussed at the press
conference. The results show significant discontent among values voters
who were so decisive in the 2004 election.
FRCAction President Tony Perkins released the following statement:
"Values voters are geared up for the 2006 and 2008 elections and the
Washington Briefing will educate and equip them for action. However,
our polling shows that many values voters are disappointed that the
issues that brought them to the voting booth remain unaddressed by
Congress. They are ready for action. Values voters want change in
America and this event will allow leaders to make their case to values
voters."
Who:
Tony Perkins, President of FRCAction and Family Research Council
Connie Mackey, Senior VP of FRCAction
Tom Minnery, Sr. VP of Government and Public Policy, Focus on the
Family Action
Gary Bauer, President, Americans United for Traditional Marriage
Don Wildmon, Chairman, American Family Association Action
What: 2006 Washington Briefing: Values Voters Summit Press Conference
When: March 16, 2006
12:00 NOON
Where: National Press Club, Murrow Room
* Refreshments will be served *
-30-
----- 16 -----
Values Voters’ Contract with Congress
Online as of March 15, 2006
http://www.valuesvoter.org/preamble.cfm?host_id=TVC
We are citizens of the United States of America and subjects of the
sovereign Creator, acknowledged in the Declaration of Independence as
the Supreme Ruler and Judge of the World. We hereby declare our belief
in the self-evident truths established by the Declaration, to wit, that
we are all created equal and endowed by our Creator with certain
unalienable rights; that among these are life, liberty and the pursuit
of happiness; that human governments are instituted to secure these
rights, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed. We
strongly affirm our allegiance to the Constitution of the United
States, as it was framed and amended in light of these truths, to
provide for a republican form of government, which means a government
of the people, by the people and for the people, in which they make
laws and govern themselves through representatives they elect.
Moved by our faith in God and this republican creed we join together
now to defend representative self-government against the greatest
assault it has ever faced. This assault has been more dangerous and
successful because it comes from within and aims to destroy not just
our physical defenses, but the moral ideas, habits and practices that
sustain our character as a free people. As a nation the United States
of America has achieved material success unparalleled in previous human
history. But without fortitude and selfdiscipline, we would not have
reaped the fruits of free enterprise. We have thrice led our Allies to
victory against foes that enacted the worst possibilities of human
depravity. But without courage and a true sense of responsibility for
ourselves and all humanity we would not have triumphed against their
cruel and implacable ambition. We have achieved or applied
unprecedented advances in scientific knowledge. But without respect for
the gentle yoke of God’s reason, and the diverse possibilities with
which it has seeded the comprehensible universe, we could not have
expanded the enlightened sphere of human comprehension. We have truly
experienced the blessings of liberty, but never without the virtues and
qualities of good conscience and decent character.
[Much more at URL]
----- 17 -----
Gay Games Given Official Status By State Department
Traditional Values Coalition
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2645
March 16, 2006 – The Gay Games to be held in Chicago have been granted
event status by the State Department, which means HIV-infected athletes
from other nations can now freely enter the U.S. for the games.
U.S. policy usually forbids HIV-infected individuals from entering the
U.S., but the State Department has granted special status to athletes
for these games.
The sex orgies that typically are held before, during, and after the
gay games will be fertile breeding grounds for the spread of HIV—and
possibly new European strains of the virus will enter into the
bloodstream and result in more deaths from untreatable HIV infections.
Homosexuals are increasingly participating in barebacking or circuit
parties, where they engage in multiple unsafe sex acts often with
anonymous partners.
[More at URL]
----- 18 -----
Senate Policy Committee Publishes Update On Marriage Protection
Traditional Values Coalition
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2644
March 16, 2006 – The Senate Republican Policy Committee has just
updated its “State-by-State Marriage Protection Update,” which should
be posted on its web site within a few days.
TVC has obtained a copy of this update and we have created a PDF
version for easy downloading and distribution by our supporters.
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/pdf_files/marriage_protection_tates.pdf
[More at URL]
----- 19 -----
Homosexual Group Forms Coalition With Liberal Churches
Traditional Values Coalition
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2643
March 16, 2006 – The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force (NGLTF) has
just announced that it has formed a coalition with a number of
pro-homosexual churches and denominations. The NGLTF umbrella group is
called the Institute for Welcoming Resources” (IWR) and is the newest
effort of homosexual groups to use “faith-based” organizations to push
its agenda. The IWR now includes the following liberal denominations:
[More at URL]
----- 20 -----
Sign Values Voters’ Contract With Congress Petition
Traditional Values Coalition
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2647
March 16, 2006 -- The Traditional Values Coalition is joining with more
than a dozen other pro-family leaders to promote the Values Voters’
Contract With Congress.
This Contract is a common declaration of our values and a common plan
for solving many of the problems facing America.
This Contract contains key legislative items that we are calling upon
Congress to pass this year to deal with such serious moral problems as
protecting marriage, religious freedom, parental consent, the Pledge of
Allegiance, and much more! The Contract also proposes legislation to
restrict the power of renegade liberal judges who are imposing
immorality upon us in the name of “justice.”
The Contract also calls for bans on human cloning, partial-birth
abortion; and it supports legislation to defend our borders, child tax
credits, and more.
[More at URL]
----- 21 -----
Canadians - help our neighbors
Canada Family Action Coalition
Mar 14, 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/article-pgs/ford-boycott.htm
Some Ford Motor company executives appear to lack integrity. They have
broken an agreement they made with a number of US organizations over a
critical issue – redefining marriage.
We suggest we can help our neighbors through the pressure of bottom
line dollars. A boycott of Ford products may be the only language the
executives understand. If they are willing to fund efforts to destroy
marriage and also lack the integrity to honor agreements then actions
such as a boycott seem reasonable.
Read more about this at
http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/3/132006b.asp .
Sign the boycott pledge - http://www.boycottford.com/
And BUY elsewhere.
----- 22 -----
No more money to "intolerant" schools: union
Focus on the Family (Canada)
March 15, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/education/stories/031506.html
Despite concerns about possibly trampling on religious freedoms, B.C.’s
public school teachers want the province to stop funding all
faith-based independent schools that teach religious intolerance, the
Vancouver Sun reported Monday.
A resolution to that effect was passed by the approximately 700
delegates attending the B.C. Teachers’ Federation annual meeting.
“All we’re saying is that the provincial government has to enact what
it says it will do through the Independent Schools Act,” Vancouver
teacher Jane MacEwan, who introduced the resolution, told the Sun. “And
it clearly states that schools teaching religious superiority or racial
superiority cannot receive [public] funding.”
[...]
Take Action: Residents of B.C. can contact B.C. Education Minister
Shirley Bond and Premier Gordon Campbell to express their concerns with
the BCTF resolution and how it could be read to apply to many
independent schools.
[More at URL]
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Pastor warns of "designer baby" dangers
Focus on the Family Canada
March 15, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/life/stories/031506.html
A Calgary pastor who has witnessed first-hand the development of
prenatal testing for DNA abnormalities is afraid that Canada is
drifting toward a passive acceptance of abortion to eliminate all but
the “designer babies,” the Calgary Herald reported.
“We can understand the challenge facing parents when they first get a
prenatal diagnosis of a serious mental disability,” Keith Shields, the
lead minister of Connections Christian Church, told the Herald. “But
some people make decisions to terminate on grounds we might call
trivial” – such as when tests determine the unborn child could be
colour-blind.
Before coming to Connections, Shields worked for 13 years in the
Molecular Diagnostic Laboratory at the University of Calgary. He
resigned two years ago over concerns that prenatal genetic testing was
promoting what he calls the “commodification” of children – treating
the unborn as disposable commodities when they fail to meet the
parents’ specifications.
Shields believes that Canada urgently needs to address the pitfalls of
genetic screening.
[More at URL]
----- 24 -----
Illinois Governor’s Hate Commission Engages in Name-Calling
Concerned Women for America
3/15/2006
http://www.cwfa.org/articles/10320/FIELD/misc/index.htm
Blagojevech’s Commission on Discrimination and Hate Crimes is making
news. Some of its key members are calling people with religious views
that oppose homosexuality hateful. Martha Kleder spoke with Peter
LaBarbera, Executive Director of the Illinois Family Institute and
Karen Hayes, Associate Director for Concerned Women for America of
Illinois on this free-for-all. Click here to listen.
[More at URL]
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