[Active-seattle-l] [Active-l] (NEWS) Caught up: Today's Second
Cultural Warfare Update
Dara (R'ykandar Korra'ti)
kahvi at murkworks.net
Wed Nov 29 16:20:50 PST 2006
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Faith and Freedom Network: polygamists take cue from same-sex
marriage-rights effort - so, of course, they blame the gays;
FFN does its share of War on Christmas bullshit; also, they've got a
big defense of the culture war up, la;
FFN ACTION ITEM to thank Wal-Mart for their statement distancing
themselves from the National Gay and Lesbian Chamber of Commerce and
other "controversial" groups;
FFN criticises ABC for not following the fundamentalist "abortion
causes breast cancer, sterility, and depression" theocon line;
Focus on the Family Canada article saying sex education is a failure;
Canada Family Action Coalition condemns Wal-Mart, congratulates the
AFA, over dealing with GBLT business groups; it looks like they're
adopting wholesale the American theoconservative line that the only way
to be "neutral" in the "culture war" is to not acknowledge GBLT people
in any way in business or as employees;
CFAC says marriage rights for lesbian and gay couples are the same as
"incestuous relations, man-boy sex orgies, [and] animal-human
weddings";
***** CFAC: children demand opposite-sex marriage only; article says
Canada needs a _Consitutional amendment against same-sex marriage_;
I've seen plenty of calls to overturn C-38, this is the first time I've
seen a demand for an amendment against it;
CFAC prints a column saying essentially that if you can't discriminate
against queers, you can't really be Christian and are being religiously
oppressed;
CFAC rails against Ottawa school assignment because it involved about
writing about anti-GBLT prejudices which the parents support;
CFAC blames GBLT people for paedophilia, says acceptance of GBLT people
is leading to more of it;
Institute for Marriage and Family Canada (a Focus on the Family
project) anti-abortion article in the National Post;
Traditional Values Coalition: "Atheism Has Fueled Greatest Mass Murders
In World History";
TVC links to WorldNetDaily article on the effort by fundamentalist
leaders across the board to prevent Senator Obama from speaking to Rick
Warren's megachurch congregation in California;
Family Research Council editorial in Louisiana building groundwork for
another run at changing civil rights law so that losers in civil rights
law cases involving religious establishment and discrimination no
longer have to pay court fees; they're attempting to portray existing
practice as corrupt, a method to fund the ACLU on taxpayer dollars:
"Millions of taxpayer dollars enriches the ACLU's $150 million annual
budget annually. It is then used to attack the remaining vestiges of
Christianity and morality in America." I particularly like that
"remaining vestiges of Christianity and morality in America" part.
Gosh, aren't Christians 90% of the population? Oh wait, you mean
_Christian law_;
Family Research Council: don't blame "social conservatives" for big
spending (and please ignore that we furiously backed Mr. Bush
throughout his insane spending spree, with many of our rank-and-file
saying things like Jesus put him into office); says GOP corruption and
Iraq caused the election loss, not gaybashing - America likes the
gaybashing and we should do more of it, because that's what God wants
anyway. Oh, and judges are activists and horrible and the judiciary
needs to be reigned in.
----- 1 -----
Polygamists and Gay Marriage Link
Faith and Freedom Network
Wednesday, November 29, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/11/polygamists-and-gay-
marriage-link.html
A little more than a year ago, people who should have know better, were
scoffing publicly at the notion that there was any linkage between a
new and energized effort to legalize polygamy and the gay rights effort
to legalize gay marriage.
Now, we are being told that indeed, the polygamists are getting
traction and making progress.
The Washington Post in reporting that the effort to “mainstream”
polygamy is taking on a whole new look with it’s own new vernacular of
words like, “sister-wives,” “plural marriages” and “plural wife.” The
Post is also reporting that they are, “consciously taking tactics from
the gay-rights movement” as they reframe their struggle, choosing in
interviews to de-emphasize their religious beliefs and focus on their
desire to live “in freedom.”
[More at URL]
----- 2 -----
Merry Christmas ... An Intrusion?
Faith and Freedom Network
Tuesday, November 28, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/11/merry-christmas-
intrusion.html
The Seattle P.I. columnist Joel Connelly wrote last Friday, “As we try
to respect one another’s beliefs, noisy people keep intruding – they
proclaim a ‘War on Christmas,’ force retailers to put ‘Merry Christmas’
in advertising and then proclaim that they’ve rescued the manger.”
Mr. Connelly is clearly reacting to Bill O’Reilly’s book, “Culture
Warrior” and in a more general sense to Fox News.
I agree with the columnist that Christmas is about the heart and that
proper preparation for the coming of Christ should include reading,
meditation or listening to appropriate music. I also agree that Jesus
taught the virtue and blessing of being a peacemaker.
Mr. Connelly makes his own personal point by quoting Dr. Alan Wolfe, a
political science professor at Boston College who recently wrote, “From
stem cell research to alleged plots against Christmas, culture war
issues have more to do with the policies of advocacy groups than they
do with the politics of ordinary Americans.” The columnist then says,
“The notion of a ‘culture war’ was first ginned up to rouse the troops
as the first Bush Presidency faced defeat in 1992.”
With this, I strongly disagree.
[More at URL]
----- 3 -----
We Are Thankful
Faith and Freedom Network
Monday, November 27, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/11/we-are-thankful.html
This past week was a time to reflect and give thanks for so much on a
personal level. And we did.
We also received several email messages for which we are thankful.
This past week Wal-Mart, in an official statement, began to distance
itself from organizations that support “highly controversial issues”
such as same-sex marriage.
Wal-Mart had been criticized for making a $60,000 donation to Out and
Equal, an organization for homosexual employees which deals with
workplace issues, but also supports changing the definition of
marriage. The company also had joined the Gay and Lesbian Chamber of
Commerce for $25,000 a year.
The Wal-Mart executive who served as the company’s representative to
the Chamber has resigned and left and Wal-Mart announced that person
would not be replaced.
Wal-Mart said, “Going forward, we’ll be looking differently at
organizations we donate to. There are some areas we need to get
corrected and that is what we’re focused on.”
If you would like to thank Wal-Mart, you can click here.
[More at URL]
----- 4 -----
Did ABC News Get It Wrong?
Faith and Freedom Network
Tuesday, November 21, 2006
http://www.faithandfreedom.us/weblog/2006/11/did-abc-news-get-it-
wrong.html
In what appeared to be following the lead of abortion groups, ABC news
reporter, Dan Harris, wrote an article last Thursday saying that
induced abortion has no link to various confirmed medical risks. (To
read ABC article, click here).
He said that crisis pregnancy centers are “offering information long
discredited by the medical community.” He also said, “The centers
harass and mislead women by telling them … that abortions can lead to
breast cancer, sterility and depression.”
I personally spoke to Dan Harris last night at ABC in New York and
asked him about his claims.
He reiterated that all the studies that are used to support the fact
that woman often suffer medical and psychological consequences
following an abortion have been discredited.
[More at URL]
----- 5 -----
Sex education program a failure: study
Today’s Family News
Focus on the Family Canada
November 29, 2006
http://www.fotf.ca/tfn/sexuality/stories/112906.html
An “enhanced” British sex education program that involves teaching
15-year-olds how to use condoms and contact “sexual health” services
through role play and games has failed to reduce the rate of teen
pregnancies and abortions, the Daily Telegraph reported.
When comparing conception rates among students who had been part of the
program known as Share with those who had received conventional sex
education lessons, researchers found no difference between the two
groups.
Valerie Riches, the president of Family and Youth Concern, hailed the
findings as “a crushing blow to the whole sex education campaign.”
“We are constantly told that children need more and more sex education,
and what this shows us is that it is ineffective,” Riches told the
Daily Telegraph.
While expressing disappointment over some of the results, lead
researcher Dr. Marion Henderson appeared to agree.
“It may be,” she said, “that we have already seen the limits of what
sex education can achieve and need to look wider at parenting and the
culture in which children grow up.”
[More at URL]
----- 6 -----
ACTION ALERT Memo
Canada Family Action Coalition
Online as of 29 November 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/issues/sexuality/walmart-update.htm
Thanks to our friends south of the 49, there is a change! If Wal-Mart
lives up to its announcement.
There is a lesson in this for all corporate operators, including Ford,
Royal bank and now even TD Bank in Canada. Be neutral at minimum on
controversial issues. Or pay the financial price.
However the fact that Wal Mart made the decision to fund and celebrate
homosexual behavior in the first place has caused me to make a decision
– I do not enter a Wal Mart store any longer. I don’t go to Canadian
Tire stores any longer either, nor do I bank at Royal. And I am in the
process of removing all my baking from TD.
-- Brian Rushfeldt
[More at URL]
----- 7 -----
Polygamy - an equality issue?
Canada Family Action Coalition
Online as of 29 November 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/issues/family/marriage/polygamy-
equality.htm
Just like homosexuals polygamists will and can argue that they must be
treated equally to the term and status of marriage. And since the
hazardous Bill C 39 passed by the Liberal government just 17 months ago
we could se the next challenge unfold very soon.
Mainstream - well if homosexuality and polygamy is mainstream then what
is NOT? Polygamy, bigamy, polyandry, group marriages, incestuous
relations, man-boy sex orgies, animal-human weddings, and don't imagine
too wildly - some one just might call for such laws to protect it in
Canada.
[More at URL]
----- 8 -----
If children were considered - marriage their way
Canada Family Action Coalition
Online as of 29 November 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/issues/family/marriage/if-
children.htm
This article highlights so many salient points and calls for what
Canada needs - a Constitutional guarantee for marriage in the best
interests of children and society. Adult selfishness has got in the way
of reason, nature, and civility.
-- CFAC
Letters: Tomorrow's children would tell us the truth
Andrew Bateman, His People Church
Cape Argus - November 16, 2006
Original Article
If tomorrow's children could speak today, we would hear: "Please do all
you can to make our mommies and daddies love us and each other."
The response of Vista Kalip of the Triangle Project ("Prejudice is
biggest issue facing same-sex parents") managed to obscure certain
facts in my piece "Children will be the losers if the law is changed".
The French court permitted a lesbian mother to delegate her parental
responsibility for her "fatherless", vulnerable child to her partner.
French law certainly does not promote same-sex families that by their
definition deny children either a father or a mother.
[More at URL]
----- 9 -----
Excluding Christians
Canada Family Action Coalition
Straight thoughts 148, From FCP Ontario
By Giuseppe Gori, November 29, 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/issues/freedoms/religious/
excluding-christians.htm
According to Canadian court rulings, if you are a Christian you cannot
work in one of the following professions without compromising your
beliefs.
You cannot be:
A Policeman: David Packer was fired from the Toronto police force
because he respectfully asked another assignment, in place of guarding
an abortion clinic.
A Teacher: British Columbia Chris Kempling lost his job for writing
letters to the Editor, in his own time, explaining how homosexuals can
be helped to change their orientation.
A University professor: David Mullan was fined by Cape Breton
University, Nova Scotia, for expressing his views on homosexual
behaviour.
[More at URL]
----- 10 -----
Bigoted Ottawa high school
Canada Family Action Coalition
29 November 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/issues/freedoms/religious/bigoted-
school.htm
And this is to encourage Canadian literature writing abilities? What
kind of skills and mindset does Carlton want from its “graduates”. If
any of this information is misconstrued I challenge Carlton to correct
me.
-- CFAC comments
A 16 yr. old girl in grade 10, attending an Ottawa Carlton High School
was recently given a 'hot writing' assignment by her teacher in her
Canadian Literature Class. The assignment, shown below, was to choose
one line and write about it for ten minutes. (( list topics below ))
In this case, the smart girl brought the paper home to show her
parents. The parents had a meeting with the teacher, principal and two
vice-principals to explain their beliefs, how they were bringing up
their children and that they thought the assignment was wrong. The
principal, with the backing of the others, told the parents that they
would not allow them to use the term 'wrong' in his school. (( what an
example of tolerance , diversity and understanding this guy sets for
student!!!!)).
[More at URL]
----- 11 -----
Protection of kids at risk?
Canada Family Action Coalition
November 20, 2006
http://www.familyaction.org/Articles/issues/child/pedophilia/
protection-of-kids-at-risk.htm
The article below raises concerns. This cop is the leading officer on
child protection. Sorry kids, no protection from guys with warped
ideologies like Terry Grange. Lets hope the police in Canada have a
more caring and moral foundation than him.
Pedophilia ideology has spread and is becoming more “acceptable” in a
very small minority circle. The only people who would want sex with
children are predators with mentally ill minds. But let's not think of
this as a disease, it is a conscious decision to have sex with minors.
So lets have laws that protect children and prosecute perverts. And
let's require of our police, judges and prosecutors to uphold the law -
not decide what they want law to be.
-- CFAC
Normalizing Pedophilia Continues: UK Police Chief Says 13-Year-Old in
Porn Not Child Porn
By John-Henry Westen
LONDON, November 20, 2006
(LifeSiteNews.com)
Terry Grange, the leading officer on child protection of the UK's
Association of Chief Police Officers' has ignited controversy by
commenting in an interview with The Sunday Times that pornography
featuring children at 13 years of age should not be considered child
porn. Grange also said that the term "pedophiles" should only apply to
adults who have sex with 12 and under.
[More at URL]
----- 12 -----
The hidden cost of 'choice'
National Post
Tuesday, November 7, 2006
by Andrea Mrozek, Manager of Research and Communications at IMFCanada.
http://www.imfcanada.org/article_files/Mrozek%20Op-
Ed,%20National%20Post,%20Nov%207,%202006%20-
%20Hidden%20Cost%20of%20Choice.pdf
In Canada, having an abortion is supposed to be all about "choice." A
woman's health after she exercises that choice is a subject no one
wants to talk about.
But things are different in other countries. On Oct. 27, 15 prominent
signatories wrote a letter to the editor of the Times of London. The
group included a past president of the Royal College of Psychiatrists.
Others were some of the top general practitioners, psychiatrists and
obstetricians and gynecologists in the country. They asked the
official bodies regulating obstetricians and psychiatrists to revise
their guidance on abortion as it pertains to mental health in young
women.
Why? The group referenced a longitudinal study done in New Zealand and
published in the January edition of the Journal of Child Psychology
and Psychiatry indicating that young women who have had abortions
exhibit twice the level of mental health problems, and three times the
risk of depression, as those who had given birth or never been
pregnant. According to the letter in the Times, "Since women having
abortions can no longer be said to have a low risk of suffering from
psychiatric conditions such as depression, doctors have a duty to
advise about long-term adverse psychological consequences of
abortion."
[More at URL]
----- 13 -----
Atheism Has Fueled Greatest Mass Murders In World History
By Rev. Louis P. Sheldon
Chairman, Traditional Values Coalition
Online as of 29 November 2006
http://www.traditionalvalues.org/modules.php?sid=2943
As we approach Christmas, the one day a year that we set aside to
celebrate the birth of our Lord Jesus Christ, we are hearing noises
among intellectuals and rock stars about the “dangers” of Christianity
to world peace and cultural tolerance.
The most recent attack on organized religion came from homosexual rock
star Sir Elton John, who thinks that organized religion—specifically
Christianity—turns people into “hateful lemmings.” According to John,
“I think religion has always tried to turn hatred towards gay people.
Religion promotes the hatred and spite against gays.” His solution:
“ban religion completely, even though there are some wonderful things
about it.”
Atheist Richard Dawkins, writing in his new book, “The God Delusion,”
claims that many of the world’s conflicts around the world are due to
the murderous religious impulses. Columnist Robert Kuttner claims that
“The Crusades slaughtered millions in the name of Jesus. The
Inquisition brought the torture and murder of millions more. After
Martin Luther, Christians did bloody battle with other Christians for
another three centuries.”
[More at URL]
----- 14 -----
Christian leaders to Warren: Keep Obama from pulpit
Argue Democrat senator's support for abortion incompatible with Bible
Posted: November 28, 2006
12:10 p.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=53134
Christian leaders from across a wide spectrum of theologies and
missions are rising up together to urge Saddleback Church pastor Rick
Warren to rescind an invitation to Sen. Barack Obama to speak from
Warren's pulpit.
The Illinois Democrat, an enthusiastic supporter of abortion, is
scheduled to speak at a seminar Dec. 1 called, "We Must Work Together"
at Warren's 30,000-member California church. The seminar is about
coordinating efforts to address the AIDS crisis worldwide.
"You cannot fight one evil while justifying another," a joint statement
from dozens of leaders of Christian groups said in condemning Obama's
support for abortion and Warren's support for Obama.
[...]
"Having Sen. Barack Obama speak on issues of social justice is like
having a segregationist speak on civil rights. Mr. Obama supports
partial-birth abortion and has voted against bills prohibiting
taxpayers paying for abortion. It is hypocritical at best for him to
speak out against the horror of AIDS on children and then support
abortion which has killed 50,000,000 children in America alone,"
Mahoney said.
The Who's Who list of names joining in the call to Warren included
Phyllis Schlafly of Eagle Forum, Judy Brown of American Life League,
Tim Wildmon of American Family Association, Joe Scheidler of Pro-Life
Action League, Cheryl Sullenger of Operation Rescue, Peter LaBarbera of
Americans for Truth, Ken Silva of Apprising Ministries, Chris
Rosebrough of Capo Valley Church in San Juan Capistrano, Calif., Kevin
McCullough of WMCA Radio, Ingrid Schlueter of Crosstalk Radio, Vic
Eliason of VCY American Radio Network and Cal Zastrow of Christian
Action for the Preborn and others.
[More at URL]
----- 15 -----
Let ACLU protest on its own dime
This op-ed originally appeared in the Shreveport Times on November 25,
2006.
by: Tony Perkins
29 November 2006
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PV06K06&f=PG03I03
As one who worked in the relief efforts in Louisiana following
Hurricane Katrina, I continue to be inspired by the thousands of
Americans whose selfless generosity helped many of our battered
families. There is a dark side, however, to the Katrina recovery
effort.
Daily headlines remind us of some who seek to enrich themselves at the
expense of others. Estimates of fraudulent expenditures are more than
$2 billion. Fortunately, for taxpayers, nearly 335 people have been
charged, with 7,000 active investigations ongoing.
Despite little tolerance for crooked contracting in government, there
seems to be indifference to similar misconduct on the courts. What
difference is there between a government employee who gives tax money
to a former business partner and a judge who does the same? In short,
the former is a crime, while the latter is an apparent benefit of the
bench.
[...]
In her ruling, Berrigan declared that all prayer had to cease both on
and off school property. Later, the ACLU discovered two incidents where
students exercised their free speech rights and prayed during
school-sponsored events away from school property.
Berrigan hauled the School Board back into court, declaring they had
violated her order. She then ruled as a penalty that they had to pay
the legal fees of the ACLU.
Unfortunately, this is not a rare occurrence. Millions of taxpayer
dollars enriches the ACLU's $150 million annual budget annually. It is
then used to attack the remaining vestiges of Christianity and morality
in America.
[...]
There is hope on the horizon. Rep. John Hostettler and Sen. Sam
Brownback have introduced desperately needed legislation in Congress,
HR 2679 and SB 3696, which will prevent the courts from further
plundering the public purse for the enrichment of organizations like
the ACLU.
The free market place of ideas should include the views of all
Americans, and if the ACLU doesn't like that, it can protest on its own
dime. It is time to end this Katrina-type abuse in the courts and to
protect religious liberties in America.
[More at URL]
----- 16 -----
Armey Attacks
This op-ed originally appeared in The Weekly Standard on November 22,
2006.by: Chuck Donovan
Family Research Council
http://www.frc.org/get.cfm?i=PV06K05
The depth of Republican losses on November 7 has prompted some
thoughtful reflections, but it has also caused some needless, and
potentially damaging, finger-pointing and handwringing. Former House
Majority Leader Dick Armey, who has broad support among both social and
economic conservatives, has been welcomed to various editorial pages
with the message that Congressional leaders who devoted attention to
"wedge" issues like same-sex marriage not only cost the GOP its Hill
majorities, but somehow betrayed the Reagan Revolution.
Curiously, Armey's long editorials have largely focused on excoriating
the House and Senate GOP for abandoning Republican principles on
spending restraint, including such issues as the corruption-tainted
earmarking process. Armey offers not the slightest explanation of how
traditional (now squared or cubed in volume) pork barreling by GOP
incumbents correlates with the social conservative agenda. Indeed, most
social conservative groups either formally or informally eschew
government subsidies and many, like the Family Research Council, have
long criticized earmarking and supported budget reformers like Sen. Tom
Coburn of Oklahoma.
[...]
Did the 109th Congress spend too much time on these issues? It is
inconceivable that less than one week combined of House and Senate
debate on the protection of marriage over the past two years produced
the distraction Armey cites. With a third of American children born
out-of-wedlock every year, a strong case can be made that this Congress
spent far too little time debating measures to increase the stability
and longevity of marriage. In any event, it is difficult to see how
debate on an issue supported by a clear majority of Americans has cost
Republicans politically, and indeed poll after poll suggests that the
"elephants in the room" for the GOP today are the war in Iraq and
corruption, not social issues.
[...]
Which brings us to the biggest issue Armey's fulminations ignore. In
any analysis of the perils of big government, it is wrong to overlook,
as Armey does, the damage done to representative government by a
hyper-activist judiciary. With all the harm inflicted on the U.S.
economy by unnecessary pork, and on U.S. education by an evermore
heavy-handed federal role, these are, at least, policy initiatives that
a Congressional majority can reverse by a single vote. Not so with the
extra-constitutional ideas that have been foisted on the country by
judicial radicalism in such areas as abortion and the redefinition of
marriage. Here, a change in course requires supermajority votes in the
Congress and ratification of constitutional amendments by three-fourths
of the states.
[More at URL]
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