Values Voter News

This is a post originally posted at Conservative Values Email Activism on 04/2007. I am reposting it here today at Values Voter News for reference purposes.

Another Update on NM Photographer case:

I hope this is the last update until it goes up further in the appeal process. I have been praying for this women and her partner that they would come to the Lord thru all this in some way and that in some way God would be glorified in this. I say this just to encourage you all to not only get a little upset but to handle this with passionate prayer for the lost and that God uses this for good like He did the cross and that we act like Christ did when He was persecuted for His religious beliefs!!!!

Quick update concerning my complaint of KOAT and KOBTV report from the 04-11-2008 AP report on there web sites on my prior email on this subject which you can find here. Check out the NEW MORE ACCURATE AP release on 04-14-2008 http://www.cbnnews.com/ entitled: "Human Rights Commission: Christian Discriminated against Lesbians"-"The Alliance Defense Fund, a Christian organization that defends religious liberty"-04-14-2008. Much better!!!

Now, the facts:

The official 35 page briefing in defense of NM Photographer-Check out the Statement of Facts starting on page 3-7, And here is a key argument concerning motivation and quite enlightening..."At best, Willock has introduced direct evidence that Elane Photography does "not photograph same-sex weddings," Resp. Ex. B. at 5, but that does not inform the "ultimate issue" of the Company's motivation....Once a complainant establishes her prima facie case, that prima facie showing "may then be rebutted by evidence that the [complainant] was [refused service] based on a nondiscriminatory motivation."...Id. Here, both Jonathan and Elaine testified that they declined to photograph Willock's wedding-like, same-sex commitment ceremony because they refuse to use, and company policy prevents them from using, their talents and resources to promote a message with which they earnestly disagree, namely, that marriage can exist between anyone other than one man and one woman. Tr. at . Both Jonathan and Elaine testified that they did not refuse their Company's services because of Willock's "sexual orientation." Tr. at . In fact, they both acknowledged that they would offer their photography services to Willock or any other individual regardless of their sexual orientation, but they could not do so in the requested context of a wedding-like, same-sex commitment ceremony because of the message conveyed by that event. Tr. at . On the other hand, if Willock had asked Elane Photography to take pictures of her as part of, for example, individual portraits for a modeling portfolio, the Company would have been happy to provide its services in that context. In sum, then, Elane Photography's refusal to photograph Willock's ceremony was motivated by Jonathan's and Elaine's desire to refrain from furthering, promoting, or endorsing a same-sex "marital" relationship, and not from any soft of unlawful discriminatory animus. This is not some irrational, arbitrary, post-hoc justification for the Company's actions. Context and message are important to artists, and the legitimacy of Elane Photography's nondiscriminatory reason is demonstrated by a simple illustration. Suppose, for example, that a Ku Klux Klan..."-pg 16,17.

The Commission Opinion and Final Order-Documented Email conversation,
"17. On September 21, 2006, Ms. Willock contacted the website of Elane Photography to obtain information about its photographic services and pricing. Ms. Willock sent Elane Photography the following email inquiry: We are researching potential photographers for our commitment ceremony on September 15, 2007 in Taos, NM. This is a same-gender ceremony. If you are open to helping us celebrate our day we'd like to receive pricing information. Thanks [Testimony of Willock; Exhibit E at 1-2.] 18. Later on the same day, Ms. Elaine Huguenin gave the following response to Ms. Willock: Hello Vanessa, As a company, we photograph traditional weddings, engagements, seniors, and several other things such as political photographs and singer's portfolios. -Elaine— [Testimony of Willock and Elaine Huguenin; Exhibit 1; Exhibit E at 1, 3 & 43 19. Ms. Willock was not sure whether Ms. Elaine Huguenin's response meant that Elane Photography did or did not offer its services to same-gender couples arid sought clarification on November 28, 2006, as follows: Hi Elaine, Thanks for your response below of September 21, 2006. I'm a bit confused, however, by the wording of your response. Are you saying that your company does not offer your photography services to same-sex couples? Thanks, Vanessa [Testimony of Willock; Exhibit I; Exhibit E at 4.] 20. On November 28, Ms. Elaine Huguenin clarified her previous response to Ms. Willock in the following way: Hello Vanessa, Sorry if our last response was a confusing one. Yes, you are correct in saying we do not photograph same-sex weddings, but again, thanks for checking out our site! Have a great day. -Elaine"
Notice that she needed clarification 3 months later!!! Just a little odd...

"25. On November 29, 2006, Ms. Willock's partner, Ms. Collinswortb, formerly known as Ms. Pascottini, sought to verify Ms. Elaine Huguenin's refusal to photograph a same-sex ceremony by making a similar email inquiry about packages and rates to photograph a wedding, without any mention of same-sex. Ms. Collinsworth sent the following email to Elane Photography: Hi Elaine, I really like your photographs. I was wondering if you would be willing to travel to Ruidoso for my wedding? Can you send me a list of your packages and rates? Thanks!! [Testimony of Collinsworth; Exhibit E at 6.) 26. On November 29, 2006, Ms. Elaine Huguenin responded affirmatively by email to Ms. Collinsworth's inquiry and, at the same time, forwarded Ms. Collinsworth information about the company's photography pricing (base package, $1,450; deluxe package, $1,850; and royal package, $2,250), as well as information about the company's procedure for online proofing credits. The text of Ms. Elaine Huguenin's response to Ms. Collinsworth's inquiry was as follows: Hello Misty, Thanks so much for contacting us. I would definately [sic) be willing to travel to Ruidoso for your wedding. I have attached some information that should be helpful as far as prices and packages. There is also another attachment concerning "print credits" — it explains what online proofing is, because it's something that is a bit newer and not everyone may know what it is yet. Hopefully these items will help you sort some things out. Also, I would love to meet up with you sometime, if you are interested, to show you more of my recent book, along with an example of the "coffee table book" that included in all ofourpacicages. My place of choice is Satellite... Good luck with your planning, and I hope to talk with you soon -Elaine [Testimony of Collinsworth and Elaine Huguenin; Exhibit E at 7; Exhibit C & Exhibit E at 9; Exhibit D & Exhibit E at 10.] 27. On December 19, 2006, having not heard again from Ms. Collinsworth (then known as Misty Pascottini), Ms. Elaine Huguenin sent the following email to Ms. Collinsworth:
Hello Misty, I just wanted to check and see if you had any questions about the prices or packages that I could help answer. I hope that planning is going well for you. Have a great day! -Elaine [Testimony of Elaine Huguenin; Exhibit F at 8.]"

That's all the conversation that took place!!! Some how Vanessa Willock and her partner believed that Elaine had no other reason to not do photographs of there same-gender ceremony except for sexual orientation. It seems to me that if there is any discrimination going on here it would be: religious discrimination on the part of the Human Rights Commission (arbitrarily favouring one right over another)!!!!...This is a case of Religious Discrimination in the name of Sexual Orientation..."Gay rights have trumped religious rights in a New Mexico case."-04/14/2008 AP. I can understand maybe the confusion between Elaine and Vanessa in the email conversations but I have yet to agree with the Human Rights Commission Final Order and Opinion...

Here is an interesting commentary on this case:

The New Mexico Human Rights Commission Refuses to Consider Religious Freedom Objection:

The Breadth of the New Mexico Human Rights Commission's Rationale:

Photographers Denied the Freedom To Choose What They Photograph:
What does Bush have to do with all this:

Fighting religious discrimination: Bush administration's quiet campaign-"In education, for example, the DOJ reviewed 82 cases and conducted 40 investigations from 2001 to 2006. Compare this with the 1995-2000 time period, when the DOJ reviewed one case and made no investigations...As Judge Judy would say, these are real cases about real people. From attacks on houses of worship to incidents of discrimination at school and work, the DOJ over the past five years has investigated scores of cases involving the religious rights of Christians, Jews, Muslims, Sikhs, Native Americans and others."-When I read this I was reasoned, yep here is another one. I am hardly getting the whole story from ABC, CBS, NBC or PBS. Justifying the slogan below....

Yanking Back the Balance and Filling in the Gaps

P.S.-Concerning the media lack of coverage on these issues I wanted to submit a suggestion concerning motive of lack of coverage. And I do believe I have presented evidence of this unlike Vanessa and her partner. Not only is money and ratings a motive but may I submit that maybe just maybe liberal politics rooted in a liberal worldview is a big part of the pie, also, which highly favours one political party over another....

I always intend just to send a quick email but then I just can't help but to add a little and a little and a little until it is a little to much!!! :)

Take care all.

"When I watched him [former President Bill Clinton] at Mrs. King's funeral, I just have never seen anything like it....There are times when he sounds like Jesus in the temple. I mean, amazing ability to transcend ethnicity -- race, we call it, it's really ethnicity -- in this country and, and speak to us all in this amazingly primordial way."-MSNBC's Chris Matthews (Awarded "Quote of the year" at the 2008 Dishonors Awards)


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This is a post originally posted at Conservative Values Email Activism on 04/2007. I am reposting it here today at Values Voter News for reference purposes.

Third Update on NM Photographer case:

Finally KOB and KOAT did a report on the christian photographer case. Here it is...

N.M. Human Rights Commission: Photographer Discriminated- It is a rather quick AP report. I think a fair AP report except on the discription of the attorneys handling the case for the photographer. The description reads, "The group handles legal cases aimed at defending the Bible." You'd get the impression that these attorney handle cases aimed at defending the Bible, right. Which makes the attorneys defending the photographer rather strange which then makes the legitimacy of the defense of her position rather strange and doubtful. Let me quote a quote from the attorneys group web site, "ADF was founded for a unique purpose: to aggressively defend religious liberty by empowering our allies, recognizing that together, we can accomplish far more than we can alone." Not to mention that "ADF and its allies has defeated the ACLU and its allies 3 out of every 4 of the hundreds of cases funded and litigated to conclusion- including 33 wins before the US Supreme Court recorded for the past 13 years" as of 2007. And they do it for their clients for free in many situations!!! So let us put the two discriptions of ADF side by side and see how you think this may effect the unknowing readers of the article and thus the credibility of the photographers side of the issue:

AP description of ADF: "The group handles legal cases aimed at defending the Bible."

ADFs' description of ADF: "ADF was founded for a unique purpose: to aggressively defend religious liberty by empowering our allies, recognizing that together, we can accomplish far more than we can alone."

One may wonder why a Bible defender is defending a religious liberty case here. Even in the words of the APs' own writing, "The photographer contends the ruling violates her right to freedom of religion."

And feel free to check out the facts as to whether or not ADF handles legal cases aimed at defending the Bible. Just look on the ACLU's and ADF's web site and see the many many cases they are involved in that are not aimed at defending the Bible.

It is very possible that this is evidence of bias to be so misinforming from a journalist organization that should be held to higher standards then the average me....

Here is a story from the Washington Times that reported on this case way back 02-25-2008 that did a far better job describing ADF. "Jordan Lorence of the Alliance Defense Fund, a "legal ministry" that is representing the Huguenins and defends religious freedom and traditional values.."-Much better. I've noticed that the Washington Times picks up stories like this earlier on then most other media outlets. I don't know if they are conservative or not but I do remember them reporting a very fair report on the Promise Keepers that my dad and I attended in Washington DC many years ago when most other reports were very unfair. So if they aren't conservative at least they have some fairness...

Maybe I am being picky.....you decide.....

Check out the comments made by New Mexicans on this report on KOB. So far there is 76. Now I only read thru the first 20 and it seems alot of New Mexicans are not happy about this as compared to thsoe that are. At least out of those who made a comment to the story.

I have a feeling that KRQE will do a more in depth story on this then the above stations. I sent an email to Dick Knipfing about this story. I don't think it will be a better story casue I sent the email but I do think it will be better because I think that is why they have yet to air a story on this case. My hope is that they are gathering more info to make a more in depth report on the case and actually have a video of it on their web site. KRQE is the only local news channel that reported on the Planned Parenthood situation so maybe they will actually do a little better job on this story then the other stations who didn't report the Planned Parenthood story. This story did also make the Abq Journal finally. I don't know if it made the headlines or if it was stuck somewhere else. This story has made the headlines in every conservative news media outlet that I am aware of and is a hot topic on many national conservative media outlets ever since January. It will be interesting to see if the national non conservative media picks up on it!!!!!!

Some other very interesting information concerning this case I found not even on conservative news sources but on blog sites with the following citations as documented proof...

Background info on lesbian to give revealing info and a face to pray for:

has been with UNM since 1997 and is currently an EEO Compliance Representative with the Office of Equal Opportunity where she investigates claims of discrimination and sexual harassment."

She is a committe Member at UNM under Strategic Directions Committe and found under one of the sections titled "Value and benefit from the creativity, innovation, insight, and excitement generated by the many dimensions of diversity that are the essence of the University and the State. (Diversity)."-If one claims diversity then live it!!! Diversity for all except this christian photographers conscience???!!! In the name of diversity must we force those of opposing view points to not only promote ours but be actively involved in the promotion???!!! This discrimination law needs reinterpretation to uphold principles of diversity. Unless diversity doesn't include men and women of conscience/principle. And if it doesn't then is diversity itself a principle of conscience and if so then diversity refutes itself. And if it is not then why so much energy being put into diversity training. Thus to be truely diversified you must include in your diversity training men and women of differing principle and conscience then yourself!!!!

Here are actual official documents:

Original Charge of Discrimination and Notice of Charge of Discrimination sent to photograph company. Plaintiffs own words, "I contacted Elane Photography to inquire about...commitment ceremony. I received an email back which stated that the company only photographs traditional weddings....I wrote back to ask for clarification...and I received an email back....which state "we do not photograph same sex weddings"....I believe I have been discriminated against because of my secual orientation..."

Determination of Probable Cause-06/05/2007. "The evidence reflects the emails where Respondent denies you service. The evidence shows that your partner requested services without telling Respondent that it was a same sex cermony and Respondent agreed to photograph....Respondent also told the Human Rights investigator that she does not perform same sex cermonies...I find there is sufficient evidence to believe that discrimination has occurred."

Just another letter of no added consequence except for realism sent from The State of New Mexico Department of Workforce Solutions to attorney handling cas for photographer.

My first reaction is to get frustrated about all this but when I saw this photo of the accuser I thought that this is a lost sinner as much as I am and I should also pray for her that she comes to know Christ as her saviour. So to give you a face to pray for click here. She is on 2nd picture. And a close up here.

Let's pray for her!!!

Yanking back the balance and filling in the gaps

"The last time the Senate waited this long in a presidential election year to confirm federal judges, James Polk, the 11th president, was in the White House." -Sen Orrin G. Hatch (R)-Utah

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This is a post originally posted at Conservative Values Email Activism on 04/09/2007. I am reposting it here today at Values Voter News for reference purposes.

Update on NM Photographer case:

Some time ago I sent an email about a local Albuquerque, NM photographer who would not photographs of a same sex ceremony since she believed it was wrong and was taken to the NM Human Rights Commission and not one report anywhere in any local media outlet that I am aware of here in NM. I could be wrong but I can't find anything but on conservative media outlets everywhere!!! Either NM doesn't care about these issues or either they don't care cause they don't know!!! But either way some do and here is the breaking bad news....

04/09/2008 order of the NM Human Rights Commission-"IT IS THEREFORE ORDERED that the respondent, Elane Photography, LLC, shall pay to the Complainant, Vanessa Willock, an award of attroney's fees and costs, in the amount of $6,637.94." Attorney fees and costs sure are expensive for ONE day before a COMMISSION that issued a ONE page finding. I wonder how much ONE day would cost be before a Court and Judge and the 20 plus pages they usually issue there. Thank the Lord and ADF that this company doesn't have to pay on top of that for their own attorney's fees.

ADF to appeal N.M. commission's ruling against Christian photographer-"Could the government force a vegetarian videographer to create a commercial for the new butcher shop in town? American business owners do not surrender their constitutional rights at the marketplace gate."

Fact sheet that I emailed you all in the past in case you missed it.

Other NM related news from ADF since January of 2008 mostly about this case: but some interesting bills going thru the House and Senate like domestic partnership.

04/05/2008 Racism alleged against Planned Parenthood: Have to give credit to Channel 13 for covering some controversial issues concerning Planned Parenthood as of late. Irene Gray of Planned Parenthood in Albuquerque, NM was recorded by a pro-life investigator to see if they would take donations specifically for black babies so that whites would not be disadvantaged because of affirmative action and she did. You can click here for that story and then click on Racism alleged against Planned Parenthood. And it made the 04-05-2008 edition of the Albuquerque Journal but I have no link cause you have to subscribe.

Yanking back the balance and filling in the gaps

"I would agree with St. Augustine that an 'unjust law is no law at all,'" wrote King. "Now what is the difference between the two? A just law is a man-made code that squares with the moral law or the law of God. An unjust law is a code that is out of harmony with the moral law. To put it in terms of St. Thomas Aquinas: An unjust law is a human law that is not rooted in eternal law and natural law."-Rev Martin Luther King Jr. (From his famous "Letter from Birmingham Jail" 1963)

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Is Christianity Good For the World?-"CBNNews.com - Is Christianity Good for the World? CBN News recently hosted a debate between journalist and author Christopher Hitchens and Pastor Douglas Wilson to answer this question. A featuring the two men and their varying opinions will be released in March 2009.
Click play for their analysis with CBN News reporter Lee Webb, in a moving discussion of truth and religion in the world today."-Click on link to watch video debate at CBNNews.com.

Below is a trailer to a new upcoming video futuring these two debaters in March 2009.

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Abortion, A Doctor's Conscience and Obama's Lack of Campaign Commitment-"LifeNews.com Note: Paul M. Weyrich is the late chairman of the Free Congress Research and Education Foundation. He was an early pro-life advocate starting in the 1970s and this is likely his last column on the subject of abortion prior to his recent death.

The President-elect appears to have stepped back from some of his campaign promises. That merely is speculation. We shall see. The President-elect did make a dogmatic statement regarding the so-called "Freedom of Choice" Act (FOCA).
He said he will propose FOCA, which would eliminate all State and Federal restrictions upon abortion. It would purport to force Christian hospitals to perform abortions or close. It would demand that physicians perform abortions or give up their practice.
Whatever happened to freedom of conscience?
A hallmark of professionalism in the United States has been that we never force anyone to violate his or her conscience in the performance of a duty. That is the first line of defense of the pro-life movement.
Even more than the Hyde Amendment, which has prohibited funding by the Federal Government of many abortions, the idea of freedom of conscience unites all parties in the pro-life movement, which has made progress since the passage of the Hyde Amendment.
There hardly has been a Congress which made no progress on the right-to-life issue. And when progress was stymied at the Federal level, many restrictions were enacted at the State level. Most were tested in the Federal courts and were held to be constitutional.
It is inconceivable to me that a majority in Congress can't agree upon freedom of conscience.
Counting the votes, I doubt that there are enough pro-lifers in Congress to maintain the restrictions previously passed by Congress. However, even honest liberals would favor allowing a physician to practice medicine consistent with his or her life-saving principles of conscience.
Most Republicans, as well as many Democrats, ran as pro-lifers in the 2008 election. This fundamental issue may become the first test of their commitment to life. If we force hospitals and physicians to perform abortions against their beliefs, in other words in violation of their conscience, then we will be on a downward spiral from which there may be no return.
This will be a test, America. God help all of us."

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Christian care home losesfunding over 'gay rights'-"A Brighton care home for elderly Christians has lost thousands of pounds of funding from the local council because its religious beliefs on homosexuality.
Brighton Council – renowned for its political correctness – wanted the home to ask its elderly Christian residents about their sexual orientation every three months.
Residents at the Brighton home are made up of 39 single Christians aged over 80, including former missionaries and a retired church minister.
The council also wanted the home to use images of homosexuals in its promotional literature and show a Stonewall presentation on ‘gay rights’ to staff.
Managers at the care home explained that to comply with the demands would unduly distress the elderly residents and undermine the home’s Christian ethos.
But council officials accused the home of “institutionalised homophobia” and pulled £13,000 of funding which was being used to support a warden.
The Pilgrim Homes charity, which runs the home and others like it, has spent months seeking to resolve the matter with the local authority.
But having reached an impasse it has told the council of its intention to take legal action for religious discrimination.
The case is being backed financially by The Christian Institute’s Legal Defence Fund.
Phil Wainwright, director of human resources for Pilgrim Homes, said he was told by the council that the home must ask residents if they were lesbian, gay, bisexual, heterosexual or ‘unsure’, even if they objected.
Mr Wainwright said: “There was a strong feeling among people in the home that the questions were inappropriate and intrusive.
“They felt they had come to Pilgrim Homes because of its Christian ethos and were upset they were not protected from such intrusions.”
But a spokesman for Brighton & Hove Council said: “We have never expected any residents to answer questions about their sexuality if they preferred not to do so.
“The Government specifically states the home must be open to the gay and lesbian community and that it must demonstrate this to qualify for funding. In the absence of any willingness to do this, funding has been withdrawn.”
The Christian Institute’s Mike Judge said: “Brighton Council is displaying a very prejudiced and discriminatory attitude to the religious beliefs held by the elderly residents of the home run by Pilgrim Homes.
“After a lifetime of Christian service, these elderly men and women deserve to live in a restful environment which supports and nurtures their Christian faith.
“This case is the latest in a series of troubling incidents where the rights of Christians are seemingly being ignored in favour of ‘gay rights’.” -->

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40% fewer officers killed by gunfire in '08-"The number of police officers killed by gunfire in 2008 dropped to its lowest level in more than 50 years, says a report out today by the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund.
Forty-one officers were shot and killed in 2008, down 40% from 68 in 2007. That's the lowest number since 1956, when 35 officers died from gunfire. The U.S. population today is 305 million, compared with 169 million in 1956."

Fewer illegal immigrants caught sneaking into U.S.-"The number of people caught trying to sneak into the USA from Mexico is at its lowest level since the mid-1970s, signs of tougher enforcement and a weaker U.S. economy, officials say.
The Border Patrol caught 705,000 people along the U.S.-Mexico border in fiscal year 2008, which ended Sept. 30, according to new agency figures. That's nearly 2,000 a day and the lowest number since 1976, when 675,000 people were caught entering illegally between San Diego and southern Texas, the figures show...."

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Half of Physicians Support Bush Administration's "Right of Conscience" Bill-"A new national study among 1,736 physicians revealed that while half of physicians support the “right of conscience” bill enacted by the Bush administration, 33% indicated they did not support the rule, and 19% had no opinion.
The “right of conscience” bill, which was enacted on December 18, grants new protections for health care workers who refuse to provide care that violates their personal beliefs. It also calls for a cut in federal funding for any institution that does not accommodate health workers who refuse to participate in care they find ethically, morally or religiously objectionable. In addition, the bill acts as a safeguard against workers being fired, disciplined or penalized for their actions.
The study was conducted by HCD Research during December 22-29 to obtain physicians’ opinions regarding the “right to conscience” bill.
Although half of physicians supported the rule, many did not agree with some of the potential applications of this new protection. For example, approximately 39% of physicians agreed that doctors and hospitals have the right to refuse to perform any procedure that is inconsistent with their personal beliefs. However, nearly three-quarters (73%) did not agree that health care professionals have the right to withhold information about where a patient can obtain the care they need. A vast majority of physicians (80%) disagreed that pharmacists have the right to refuse to fill a patient’s prescription based on marital status.
The majority of physicians (67%) indicated that medical practice should be guided by the moral values of the health care provider, compared to 23% who reported that medical practice should be guided by religious teachings.
Among the Findings:
Respondents indicated their agreement/disagreement with each of the following statements:

% Who Agree/ Strongly Agree
% Who Disagree/ Strongly Disagree
The government should be involved in protecting health workers who refuse to participate in care they find ethically, morally or religiously objectionable.
36%
31%
Funding should be cut for any institution/organization that does not accommodate health workers who refuse to provide care that they find ethically, morally or religiously objectionable.
22%
43%
Pharmacists have the right to refuse to fill a patient’s prescription based on the patient’s marital status.
7%
80%
Fertility doctors have the right to refuse to help a patient conceive by artificial insemination based on the patient’s marital status or sexual orientation.
22%
52%
Doctors and hospitals have the right to refuse to perform any procedure that is inconsistent with their personal beliefs.
39%
29%
Healthcare professionals have the right to withhold information about where a patient can obtain the care that they refuse to administer.
9%
73%"


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http://www.noteviljustwrong.com/- See Trailer here. I would suggest reviewing the bio of the filmmaker for interesting context. Quite interesting. Read all the way thru.

Here is a link to a story that she did a documentary on Tristan and his mother in which she went undercover to track down Tristan's natural mother and expose a baby-selling ring and Tristan is now living with his natural mother and the baby sellers are in jail. I only had enough time to find this link concerning this documentary at http://www.ipexview.com/solution/videos/Esras/The_Search_for_Tristan_s_Mum/678/.

Here is a trailer of another controversial film she was involved with....



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Below is another example of why you must tune in to http://www.jillstanek.com/ before you let your mind wonder to far to the left especially on the facts. Seems like you would have your facts and reasoning strait before going on TV, right...Well, not always check into what....

Jill Stanek reports

"Recovering Evangelical": Life is about more than abortion-"Chris La Tondresse, founder of RecoveringEvangelical.com, appeared on Fox News December 29 to promote talking points initiated during the Obama campaign that Evangelical concerns should reach beyond abortion and gay marriage.
La Tondresse's rationale:
"There's over 2,000 verses in the Bible that deal with God's care and concern for the poor. There are less than 2 dozen on homosexuality and even fewer that address abortion. Now you certainly wouldn't get that impression from looking at the political agenda of the far right. Now for my generation, if we have to choose between those 2,000 verses that deal with poverty or those 2 dozen, it's a no brainer."
La Tondresse states on his website he is "Special Assistant to Jim Wallis," an Evangelical Obama supporter.
On Fox La Tondresse stated he is part of a "whole generation of evangelicals... applying their faith... to a broader and deeper agenda than ever before. It includes things like poverty, HIV/AIDs, genocide, human trafficking, the war in Iraq, global climate change...."
La Tondresse further stated the Republican Party will continue to lose young Evangelical voters by focusing on abortion and gay marriage:
"La Tondresse: There are 3,000 abortions in America every single day, and that is a number that's unfit for any caring society. But there are 30,000 kids that died yesterday, will die today, and will die tomorrow from hunger, lack of clean drinking water, and preventable diseases. And my generation continues to be pro-life, but for us that definition has to be broader than ever before. It has to include those 30,000 kids in order to be taken seriously.
Interviewer: When you say 30,000 kids you mean around the world, not just this country.
La Tondresse: Absolutely. It's global and it's proportional."

And then Jill Stanek responds

"I find 3 false premises with La Tondresse's logic:
1. ... that "political Evangelicals on the far right," as La Tondresse calls us, are not concerned with issues aside from abortion and gay marriage. We are both personally (missions) and politically involved in those human life struggles. It is the older generation of Evangelicals who give the bulk of the money in church/taxes to fight these evils.
2. ... that La Tondresse's generation has to choose between caring about abortion vs. the others.
3. ... that if numbers constitute proportional need, La Tondresse compared the wrong statistics. La Tondresse compared U.S. abortion stats against worldwide death-by-poverty stats. In fact, there are 115,000 abortions daily worldwide, according to Guttmacher (42 million divided by 365), so almost 4x as many children die from abortion worldwide daily than all other poverty-related reasons combined."

I will add a 4th point and some comments....

4. ...that just because there are fewer verses on a subject in the bible compared to another doesn't mean that that subject is more or less important then another and that we should pivot them against each other. Take for example the amount of pages on the New Testament compared to the amount of pages on the Old Testament. Does this mean we have to pivot the two against each other and favor the Old Testament?

The obvious answer to this is Jill Stanek's point 2. Why do we have to pivot evangelical against evangelical and scripture against scripture? Why not help both the poor AND the unborn? Why do we have to sacrifice the unborn for the poor in supporting Obama? How proud can we be of our work for the poor is at the expense, sacrifice and on the backs of unborn millions and vice a versa?

It is not the far right evangelical that is pivotting one sect of evangelicals against another in pivotting the scriptures against itself but rather the irrational unbiblical left that has created this pivot of division by unrightly dividing the word of truth to justify supporting Obama's radical pro-abortion anti-biblical position toward the unborn.

As far as Evangelicals being to far to the right and not concerned about the poor in this world I am in the process of documenting the falsification of this claim. See Church, Family and Christian Philanthropy. This has always been one of the far right evangelical strengths and one of the very reasons why they care for the smallest and poorest and voiceless of all, the unborn. The farther right you go the more the helpless you include in your care and thus the more broad that care is!!!

I am being a little fecisious of course....but I don't really care for the negative unwarranted divisive characterization of being deemed a far right evangelical as if we have gone off the edge of what is reasonable or something...we are only as far right as the radical left is left...the farther left they go the farther right we will only but appear to them...

From the reasonable argument above from the "far" right it appears to me the "far right" are right in the middle of what is reasonable and it is the left that has gone to far to their left in their unbiblical reasoning processes...

The title of the video on YouTube says "Life is about more then abortion". True, life may be more then about the unborn but it sure does start there now doesn't it and it sure does need to include the unborn (the starting point) to be truely a pro-life evangelical thus the silliness of this evangelical's argument to vote for Obama over McCain or Bush. As if McCain or Bush are all against the poor or something....

See what Bush has done at Obama congratulates Bush? Something I am sure Big Media will miss but who knows since Obama said it they may not!!!.

Just because Big Media never reports on this doesn't mean it didn't happen....And just because Bush's care for the poor in Africa includes caring for the rights of the unborn doesn't make him any less caring. It actually makes him more caring and more broad in care...Those on the left would like to fund the destruction of the rights of the unborn to live thus making themselves the less inclusive and less broad party of the two and the party of death and all that at the expense and exclusion of "the least of these", the lives of the unborn.

The above Recovering Evangelical and those reasoning along with him need to recover from their fall from Evangelicalism on this issue. The only way these arguments from the left on this issue in particular work is if you have a media that doesn't report anything else but this nonsense so much so that nonsense actually begins to make sense. (See Chris Matthews at MSNBC introduces his viewers to new definitions of objectivity and journalism.. on how Chris Matthews representing the left defines journalism and objectivity. As if this makes any sense either. This nonsense that they claim as sense is indeed nonsense. Why do we put up with it?)

We need to get out of Big Media to see how absurd these arguments are or at least be responsible to ourselves and others by digging a little further into the story before we pass this nonsense around into our own minds and others around us.

It's our responsibility.

P.S.-I understand that not all those on the left are this way and that there are many on the right that make mistakes also and I am sure I have made many myself. But none the less we should all be striving to understand the information we are receiving in a responsible manner and be willing to give and take criticism as Iron sharpeneth Iron so we can be sharpening one another. And as a Christian, to always be careful to weigh the information out with the mind of Christ (1 Corinthians 2:16) as revealed in the scriptures abandoning all our thoughts for His and trusting Him more then ourselves with the outcome for Christ is the only one who doesn't need any sharpening and has lovingly earned our trust. To think otherwise is just not thinking as if Christ is the Son of God in whom God the Father said He is well pleased (Matthew 3:17, Matthew 17:5 and 2 Peter 1:17). Not to mention, who laid down His own life for ours shedding His own blood for ours and then to rise from the dead and ascending into the place where (if only we trust and believe) we too will have everlasting life. Talk about being pro-life!!! Howabout everlasting life.....

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Who said organized religion is bad for society?

See more at Church and Family Philanthropy

Friend Ships - Keeping mercy afloat-"A Christian relief ministry has been able to share Christ's love in word and deed around the world this past year.

The Christian-based humanitarian aid group Friend Ships, which was founded in 1983, owns four ships which it uses for various relief supplies in the United States and abroad. According to the group's website, its vessels are the only U.S.-flagged mercy ships. The ministry has no paid staff, relying on about 60 full-time volunteers to run its headquarters in Lake Charles, Louisiana. Sondra Tipton, president of Friend Ships, says the ministry is able to stretch donor dollars. "Primarily the goods are all donated, and the ships are donated -- and when we go into a foreign country, they waive all the fees for us," she explains. "We own our own facility here so there's no overhead; so our expenses are very small relative to the value of the goods and services we are able to provide. If someone contributes [to the ministry], it goes a long way." Friend Ships can use volunteers of all ages, and many young people find the ministry effort opens a door to missions work. Twenty-year-old Hannah Riley volunteered earlier this year through an 11-month program with Friendships. She was able to travel to California and Honduras and Galveston to help victims of Hurricane Ike. The experience, she shares, was life-changing. "I walk on faith at Friend Ships," says Riley. "Everything I do is basically walking on faith. You don't get paid and so you don't get money. You have to have faith that God will provide different things for you -- your shoes, for instance; clothing; all kinds of different things, which He does [provide] -- it's so amazing." Friend Ships has several trips planned for 2009, among them a major outreach in Haiti."

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After reading this and if you are concerned make a comment on Obama's web site see more at Make a comment on Obama's web-site concerning FOCA and the 55 page pro-abortion mandate posted there....

Abortion industry asks Obama for billions in funding-"A major abortion provider wants taxpayers to fork over more money, even while the economy is down.

Over 50 pro-abortion groups have submitted a 55-page wish list called "Advancing Reproductive Rights and Health in a New Administration" to the incoming Obama administration. Jim Sedlak of American Life League's (ALL) Stop Planned Parenthood, or Stopp International, has tallied the cost. "They want unfettered abortion. They want the government paying for all of its programs," he contends. "In fact, [if] you total up everything that they've asked Obama for, Planned Parenthood and their friends want the taxpayers to give them $4.6 billion next year." According to an ALL press release, the document requests $700 million to fund Title X, $900 million for international "family planning" programs, and additional millions for STD and sex education programs. Putting it under a microscope, Sedlak says the request is shocking when there are people on the streets looking for an income. "We have to remember that last year, Planned Parenthood got $356 million in government money and [got] $114 million in profit," he points out. Sedlak suggests the wish list represents a request to support an agenda, rather than a genuine need."

Indiana Planned Parenthood under investigation-" probe is under way of an Indiana Planned Parenthood after an undercover video revealed alleged criminal actions.

Lila Rose of Live Action Films filmed visits to two Indiana Planned Parenthood clinics. She posed as a 13-year-old impregnated by a 31-year-old man. While at the clinic, she was advised on how to get an abortion without getting the boyfriend in trouble. The Indiana attorney general's office and one grand jury are now investigating.
"But we need to keep the pressure on the district attorney and the attorney general of Indiana," says Rose. "[W]e need to ensure that this investigation is thorough and it is not side blocked by anything that Planned Parenthood might put out in order to impede that investigation."

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Report: Union Power and the Education of Children-"Education News has linked to this report by Terry M. Moe of the Hoover Institution at Stanford.
Moe has also published this report: Collective Bargaining and the Performance of the Public Schools
The introduction in the report on Union Power begins:
________
Between the 1960s and the early 1980s, the American system of public education was transformed by a dramatic shift in its balance of power.
In earlier times the system’s key power holders were the administrative professionals charged with running it. Teachers had little power, and they were unorganized aside from their widespread membership in the National Education Association (NEA), which was controlled by administrators. But in the 1960s states began to adopt laws that, for the first time, promoted collective bargaining for public employees. And when the American Federation of Teachers (AFT) launched an aggressive campaign to organize teachers, the NEA turned itself into a labor union to compete, and the battle was on in thousands of school districts.
By the time the dust settled in the early 1980s, virtually all districts of any size (outside the South) were successfully organized, collective bargaining was the norm, and the teachers unions—with millions of members and loads of money— were by far the most powerful force in American education.1
This new system, defined and protected by union power, has been in equilibrium now for more than 20 years. On the surface it looks very much like the system of school boards, superintendents, and local democracy bequeathed us by Progressive reformers nearly a century ago.2 But the Progressives did not bequeath us a system of union power. This is a modern development, one with profound consequences that make the modern system qualitatively different from the one it replaced.3
The unions now shape the public schools from the bottom up through collective bargaining agreements that affect virtually every aspect of school organization and operation. They also shape the schools from the top down by influencing the education policies of government and blocking reforms they find threatening to their interests. It is difficult to overstate how extensive a role they play in making today’s schools what they are, and in preventing them from being something different.4
With few exceptions, education scholars take this pervasive union influence as one of the great givens of public education. They don’t challenge or question it. They don’t even study it. This is a serious mistake with far-reaching consequences, and not simply because the unions are too important to overlook. For there are persuasive reasons to think that the power of the teachers unions is in many ways quite bad for public education and ultimately works to the disadvantage of children. I will be arguing that the problems associated with union power are inherent to the unions as organizations, are very much to be expected, and cannot be eliminated by some sort of “reform unionism” that relies on the unions themselves to adopt a more enlightened, public-spirited approach. It follows that, if public education is to escape the stultifying drag of the unions’ grip on the system—and if the system, therefore, is to evolve into a new form that is better suited to providing a quality education to children—it will happen only through reforms that weaken or eliminate union power over the schools."

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Wow!!! Read it all the way thru. This put me in tears of joy....Glory to Christ

-"Matt Lepsis was living the good life last season, making millions in the NFL and finally fitting in when he locked himself in a closet and screamed for help: Please, God, help me kick this drug habit.
The Denver Broncos left tackle, who called it quits after last season and enrolled in seminary, admitted he was high on drugs for the first six games of his final season.
"There are times my mind was completely in a different place than concentrating on the next play," Lepsis told The Associated Press. "I was in another world."
There, in that closet in his house, struggling to kick a habit that intensified after knee surgery following the 2006 season, Lepsis begged for help.
He believes he was heard - and rescued.
The drug habit now gone, Lepsis - who declined to identify which recreational drugs he abused - is taking classes at Dallas Theological Seminary, learning Greek and taking an introduction to theology course.
The offensive lineman had nearly US$9 million left on his contract over two years. But he walked away, retiring after last season.
"People hear this story and think, 'He was at rock bottom and had nowhere to go and was trying to find answers to all these problems. So naturally he looked to God,"' said Lepsis, who first told his story to the Colorado Springs Gazette. "That's not what happened. I can't stress this enough: I was loving life."
The drugs transformed Lepsis from a "wallflower" into a "social butterfly," he said. After struggling with social anxiety issues, he was suddenly more outgoing and personable.
"I felt like it was making me a better person," he said. "I felt like I could communicate with people better. It was helping me."
Not in football, though.
Not that he gave it much consideration.
"It was to a point I was willing to sacrifice that," said Lepsis, who didn't want to address how he dodged the league's drug tests. "Just because I felt like it was helping me with every other way in my life."
The week before the Broncos were scheduled to play Jacksonville in September 2007, Lepsis was outside playing with his kids when his phone rang.
No one there, just music.
Not just music, though, but the "Dave Matthews Band," his favourite group.
Not just any song, either, but a song he knew well - " 41" - and Matthews was singing the lyrics, "The difficulty is coming."
A few days later, he put on his head phones at his locker - same song, same lyrics.
His initial reaction was he was going to perish in a plane crash.
At a birthday party, he explained it to a friend, who reassured him.
"She said, 'There's nothing for you to worry about. God's in control,"' Lepsis recounted. "If it's your time to go, it's your time to go. For the first time in my life, I was like, 'What?' I had never entertained that thought."
Lepsis had never been particularly religious. Still, the music intrigued him. He was sure a message was being delivered.
On a plane ride to Indianapolis the following week, Lepsis asked kicker Jason Elam if he could sit next to him. Elam, a devout Christian who now plays for Atlanta, was willing to listen.
"He just said, 'I think I'm going to need you for the entire flight,"' Elam said. "I really didn't have any pearls of wisdom, just tried to steer him the right way."
Lepsis went to chapel before the Colts game, where the topic of the sermon was fear.
"I was blown away," he said. "I'm hanging on every word."
After returning, he sought out Elam again. This time, Lepsis told the entire story, how he was dealing with a drug addiction.
"I was like, 'Can I do this thing with my addiction? Can I become a Christian and a believer and still continue to do this?"' Lepsis explained. "Jason said, 'No, you can't."'
So into the closet Lepsis went. He asked for help, didn't get high that day and had a horrible practice.
"I couldn't wait for it to end," Lepsis said. "I went into work sober for the first time in a long time and I had a miserable day. ... I'm angry for believing that God was going to supernaturally help me."
His wife, Shana, convinced him to try again.
Back into the closet he went.
The next day at practice he was talking to a few of his teammates, sharing his story, when it hit him: Here was Lepsis, someone who used drugs as a crutch to make himself more sociable, opening up to teammates.
"I get what I got through the drugs, but I get it through sharing my testimony for what God has done in my life," Lepsis said.
Never much of a reader, he started devouring books that Elam gave him.
In his hotel room before a game against Green Bay in October 2007, Lepsis was taking a hot shower, thinking about religion and how his eyes had been opened, the bathroom mirror steaming up. When the air began to clear, he saw the word "Jesus" written.
Probably just a born-again Christian who stayed in the room before him, perhaps a maid.
Whatever the case, it was another sign.
"This was a big decision. I didn't make it lightly," Lepsis said. "What are the odds that two weeks after this decision, this is written on the mirror? ... This was confirmation."
Elam remembers sitting in the locker room before a game in Chicago in late November last season, the nerves building. Sitting at his locker in full uniform was Lepsis, oblivious to the pressure and reading a book.
"I've never seen a change in someone so drastic and so genuine as with Matt," Elam said. "He's a completely different person. ... It's a pretty incredible story."

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-"Hundreds of thousands of people Sunday attended an open-air Catholic mass in Madrid designed to promote family values in a country where the Socialist government has undertaken sweeping social reforms.
Pope Benedict XVI addressed the faithful from Rome on giant screens set up in the Plaza Colon.
"Dear families, don't allow love, the opening to life and the incomparable links that unite our family to become distorted," the pope said in his Sunday Angelus prayer.
The Archbishop of Madrid, Antonio Maria Rouco Varela, issued an appeal against "the shocking cruelty" of abortion, calling on families to overcome the "culture of death."
Spain's Socialist government has said it plans to introduce a new law that would offer greater legal protection for women who wish to have an abortion and doctors who carry out the procedure.
Since first coming to office in 2004, the government of Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero has moved to transform Spanish society with a series of liberal social reforms, including same-sex marriages and fast-track divorce, which have enraged the Roman Catholic Church.
The bishop of Bilbao, Ricardo Blazquez, Sunday condemned any move "to call marriage the union of two people of the same sex" when a "normal family" is made up of "a stable union... between a man and a woman."
A huge Catholic mass in Madrid a year ago provoked tensions between the Church and the government after bishops criticised Zapatero's social policies, less than three months before general elections in which the Socialists were re-elected."

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Wow... All the talk about the wealthy being taxed see No tax increases for the rich says Obama economic advisers. It's about job creation and economic recovery. Obama sounding more like Bush!!! and Obama's tax plan changes to more like a Republican one? Also, Election coverage TV ratings in!!!

Obama sounding more and more like Bush on the economy everyday....

Morning Bell: Permanent Tax Cuts Only Please-"There are still plenty of terrible economic stimulus ideas coming out of President-elect Barack Obama’s transition team, but there were some encouraging admissions from Obama senior adviser David Axelrod this Sunday on Meet the Press. Asked by NBC’s David Gregory if Obama would break his promise to the American people to lower taxes, Axelrod said:
"Look, we feel it’s important that, that middle-class people get some relief now. He’s promised a middle-class tax cut. This package will include a, a portion of that tax cut that will become part of the permanent tax cut he’ll have in his, his upcoming budget. It’s, it’s, it’s vital people are, are–need money in their pockets to, to spend. That’ll help get our economy going again."
We hope that this statement by Axelrod signals the acceptance by the Obama administration of a long held conservative belief, namely: that temporary tax cuts are ineffective at stimulating the economy while permanent tax cuts are the best way to encourage both short and long term economic growth. As former Treasury undersecretary John Taylor recently explained:
"According to the permanent-income theory of Milton Friedman, or the life-cycle theory of Franco Modigliani, temporary increases in income will not lead to significant increases in consumption. However, if increases are longer-term, as in the case of permanent tax cut, then consumption is increased, and by a significant amount."
The Washington Post reports that the incoming Obama administration has not yet determined what form these permanent tax cuts will take, but to maximize effectiveness the cuts should be as broad as possible and not limited to narrow tax loopholes restricted to only those families who engage in activities that Washington decides are worthy.
As encouraging as Axelrod’s commitment to permanent middle-class tax cuts was, his blind devotion to tax increases on the most productive Americans was equally discouraging. Asked by Gregory if Obama still planned to raise taxes Axelrod said:
"Well, look, the question is on the Bush tax cuts for the very wealthiest Americans, and it’s something that we plainly can’t afford moving forward. And whether it, it, it expires or whether we repeal it a little bit early we’ll determine later, but it’s going to go. It has to go."
At a time when the Obama team is proposing $775 billion in new spending, calling tax cuts “something that we plainly can’t afford” is laughable. We hope that before Obama pursues this course he consults with his Council of Economic Advisers chairman Christina Romer, who has published economic studies concluding that: 1) tax increases harm economic growth; 2) tax cuts lead to greater economic activity; and 3) government spending has at best a small effect on stimulating economic activity.
Furthermore, we hope that the President-elect’s team isn’t falling back into their dangerous idea of “major” redistribution of wealth. Axelrod went on to say:
"In other words, when you add up the tax cuts and the change–the expiration or the repeal of, of the tax cut for the wealthy, it’ll amount to a net tax cut for the American people. It’ll just restore some balance, David, which we badly need."
“Balance” can only mean redistribution, which will inevitably lead to lower levels of entrepreneurial activity, reduced investment and lower wages for all workers, especially those in lower-skilled jobs. We hope that President-elect Obama recognizes the needs for permanent tax cuts across the board, for all Americans.
Quick Hits:
The number of police officers killed by gunfire in 2008 dropped to its lowest level in more than 50 years.
The federal government is taking initial steps that may open California’s fabled coast to oil drilling in as few as three years.
The Navy has settled the lawsuit filed by environmentalists challenging its use of sonar in exercises. The settlement does not require the Navy to adopt any new measures that would effect their sonar training.
For the first time in more than a quarter century the World Bank says that global trade will shrink next year by more than 2%.
The number of people caught trying to sneak into the USA from Mexico is at its lowest level since the mid-1970s."

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For a response to Newsweek article see Just criticism of Newsweek due. Get the otherside here... and for more on pro-gay/anti-christian journalism see Huckabee vs Romney over the issue of Same-Sex Marriage and the story on Prop. 8 in California is getting expensive and boycotted by Public TV. and scroll down to Religion vs Same Sex Marriage and subtitle Be prepared for one side reporting on this issue!

Homosexuals intolerant of, 'displeased' with Rick Warren-"A veteran cultural analyst says Time has now joined Newsweek as a former news magazine that has decided to push a "radical agenda" and doesn't care who knows it.

Earlier this month, Newsweek published a cover story arguing that the Bible justifies same-sex marriage. Less than two weeks later, a senior writer for Time magazine accused president-elect Barack Obama and Rick Warren of being bigots who "oppose equality for gay people." In his article "The Problem for Gays with Rick Warren – and Obama," Time writer John Cloud compares Obama's defense of Rick Warren to former Georgia Senator Richard Russell Jr's defense of Jim Crow laws. Bob Knight, former director of the Culture and Media Institute, says Cloud and other homosexual activists are hurting themselves with their angry reaction to Obama's choice of Rick Warren to pray at the Inauguration. "They are comparing Warren to the leader of the Ku Klux Klan, to people who used rubber hoses on African-Americans," he contends. "What they're saying to America is, 'We are so aggressive about our agenda that anybody who bucks it, who questions it, shouldn't be allowed to speak in public, certainly not under government auspices. And we will do whatever we can to scream and holler whenever we're displeased.'" Knight points out, with their anger directed at Rick Warren and Barack Obama, homosexual activists are showing America who the "real bullies" are and are revealing what their agenda is all about -- to silence people, especially Christians, who disagree with their notion that people are born homosexual, cannot leave the lifestyle, and therefore deserve special protections."

Rick Warren: Opposed to gay marriage, not gay partnerships-"Pastor Rick Warren, chosen by President-elect Barack Obama to pray at his inauguration, said in a video message to his church that he doesn't equate homosexual relationships with incest or pedophilia, but opposes redefining marriage just as any conservative Christian would.

Warren said that disagreeing with gay-rights activists on same-sex marriage does not qualify as hate speech and doesn't mean he is anti-gay. He said Obama chose him to give the invocation at the swearing-in to show that people with different views don't have to demonize each other...."

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See Bush leaves a First Amendment rights legacy in the health profession and Illinois Supreme Court sides with pro-life health care pharmacists... for further context.

Connecticut AG will fight conscience rights for healthcare workers-"Connecticut’s AG has issued this press release that reports:
Attorney General Richard Blumenthal announced that he is preparing to fight a federal rule — issued by the Bush Administration today — that jeopardizes women’s access to birth control and other medically necessary health care services and information, including in cases of rape . . .
I will fight this outrageous rule — the outgoing Bush Administration’s latest and last swipe at women’s health. This rule is an appalling insult and abuse — a midnight power grab to deny access to health care services and information, including even to victims of rape. Our strong coalition of states will fight fiercely to block this reprehensible threat to hard-fought patient and victim rights . . .
US News and World Report: Healthcare Conscience Rule Could Stir Legal Backlash
See also:
Matt Bowman: “Conscience protection for health care providers, who threatens the status quo? Bush or Obama”"

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Merry Christmas

Merry Christmas....-"We have been honored to work closely with Bishop John Yanta, Respect Life Coordinator Rita Diller, and all those in the Amarillo Diocese who, since 1997, have worked towards the day when Planned Parenthood would no longer exist in the Texas Panhandle. Through the grace of God, that day will come next week...It is a wonderful Christmas present for all who have been so faithful for so long.."

Merry Christmas again...-"A man seeking to protect his disabled wife from having her nutrition and hydration removed by his sister-in-law succeeded in having the court name him as guardian Tuesday when the sister-in-law withdrew her application for guardianship...Robert Lavers is the rightful guardian of his wife and simply desires to take care of her. He did not want a death sentence for Heather....This actually happened last month...Also, see Tear jerking testimony of pro-abort/euthanasia mother turn pro-life!!!! for another encouraging story..."

South Korean Physicians Refuse to Pull Life Support...-"Doctors at Severance Hospital in Sinchon-dong are refusing to carry out the sentence of the Western District Court ordering doctors to remove life support, including feeding tubes, from a comatose woman. The physicians are appealing the ruling to S. Korea's Supreme Court."

No Christmasophobia in Ohio....-"I don't know why it's politically incorrect to say 'Merry Christmas,'" said Joanne Brown...Last year, the three raised money to buy billboard space to convey the real reason for season...The idea caught on and donations poured in, allowing the women to post a total of four billboards last year....This year, the three women have raised even more money, sponsoring ten red and white "Merry Christmas' billboards"

Chris Matthews at MSNBC introduces his viewers to new definitions of objectivity and journalism..-Unbelievable!!! "Chris Mattews defines objectivity for us...Chris Matthews defined his job title for us...If MSNBC viewers can not see the liberal bias of Chris Matthews then it must be because they can't get out of Chris Matthews liberal dictionary.
But for those of us who have different dictionaries and beg to respectfully differ check out the Best Notable Quotables of 2008 or rather "The 21st Annual Awards for the Year's Worst Reporting"-Must view videos

The Truth Goes Marching On MTV-"Pro-life television commercials with a proven track record of substantially lowering abortion rates are set to air on MTV beginning the day after Christmas..."

Christmasophobia

This boss has been naughty....read thru it all before you make your decision...-"Thomas objected to her supervisor and offered to say either “Merry Christmas” or to continue greeting callers the same way they are greeted throughout the year. She explained that her religious beliefs prevented her from contributing to the secularization of Christmas, and asked for an accommodation of her beliefs...Phillips then fired her for “insubordination” because she refused to say “Happy Holidays.”After being fired, Thomas began gathering her personal things. Phillips told her that she needed to leave right away or he would call the police. He then became verbally abusive and taunted Thomas by saying: “We are going to have a Merry Christmas here; are you going to have a Merry Christmas with no job?” Adding insult to injury, Phillips summoned the police after Ms. Thomas insisted on retrieving her purse from inside her desk before leaving. Thomas was not arrested, but was forced to leave..."

More Christmasophobia...-"Americans United for Separation of Church and State threatened to file a lawsuit against the city of Dallas if it doesn't remove its nativity scene from a public street. The scene is part of several light displays across the city celebrating Christmas...The attacks on Christmas are simply part of a larger war being waged on anything and everything Christian...Elsewhere, government employees in Oklahoma City were told that they cannot celebrate Christmas in the workplace. They received a rude awakening on Nov. 15 when they were issued a memo stating that they couldn't display "nativity scenes, cherubs, angels, crosses, and any other symbols of clear religious significance....A complaint was filed in the U.S. District Court for the Western District of Oklahoma in the lawsuit Spencer v. City of Oklahoma City."Allowing employees to exercise their right to express their faith is not a violation of the First Amendment...The Freedom From Religion Foundation is threatening to sue a small Wisconsin town over a nativity scene on public property. The nativity scene was erected by a private religious group and stands alone. Manitowoc County executive Bob Ziegelbauer picks up the story. "It's been there every year for 50-ish years, and a local Catholic women's group puts it up and takes it down and maintains it," he explains. "And it's not extraordinary in that it's a scene that everybody, I think, is familiar with as they go through their day at this time of the year."...The Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, yesterday filed its opening brief in the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Third Circuit in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, challenging the constitutionality of a New Jersey school district’s policy that banned the performance of traditional Christmas music in the district’s public schools....Since at least 1960, Christmas music had been a part of the Christmas holiday traditions in the school district. In fact, a year before the new policy, the school district held a December holiday concert that included such traditional religious songs as “Joy to the World,” “O’Come All Ye Faithful,” “Hark, the Herald Angels Sing,” and “Silent Night.”...The New Jersey school district policy at issue in this case was featured in a book, The War On Christmas, by former Fox News anchor, John Gibson."-By the way there is a whole lot more Christmasophobia at Christmasophobia

American History

Puritans Arrive at Plymouth Rock 388 years ago to date...-"On the 22d of December, 1620, the Puritans, one hundred and one in number, landed from the Mayflower, and planted their feet on the Rock of Plymouth, and began a new era in the history of the world. The day and the rock became canonized in American history, and emblems of the grandest Christian ideas and associations. The first act of the Puritans, after landing, was to kneel down and offer their thanksgiving to God, and by a solemn act of prayer, and in the name and for the sake of Christ, to take possession of the continent. They thus repeated the Christian consecration which Columbus, more than a century before, had given to the New World, and so twice in the most formal and solemn manner was it devoted to Christ and Christian civilization...How significant and sublime the lessons that gather round and flow from Plymouth Rock! How does it speak for God and of God! How grandly does it proclaim the Christian faith and fruits of those great and good men who, in prayer and faith, planted a Christian empire in the New World, and started a Christian nation on a noble career of progress and greatness!"

Christmas in America in 1844 was a hot debate then but for radically different reasons...-"In America's early years, the celebration of Christmas was a subject of heated debate among Christians, and the lines between the opposing views were drawn largely according to church affiliation. Those from the High Church (e.g., Anglicans, Catholics, Episcopalians, etc., which practiced a more formal tradition of worship), tended to support Christmas celebrations, while those from the Low Church (e.g., Congregationalists, Baptists, Quakers, etc., which practiced a more informal mode of worship), tended to oppose that celebration.The views of the two sides had largely been shaped by their own history in Europe."

Call congress to stop American Historical Reconsctructionism at the new 620 million dollar Capitol VIsitors Center for liberals-"Americans have a new multi-million dollar Capitol Visitors Center in Washington. Supposedly this new center gives a history of how America became a great nation. Only problem is, the role of religion is censored and distorted." Read this research to see how your tax dollars were used to distort and censor. Then contact your Representative and Senators and demand that the needed corrections be made."

Economy

BBC News: "Fannie...and...Freddie is the biggest corporate rescue in history...leaving a grey area between being government owned and private sector"-"the two firms own or guarantee about $5.3 trillion (£2.7 trillion) worth of home loans - more than half the outstanding mortgages in the US...while they are invisible to the average borrower, the two firms are highly influential institutions and are key to the US housing market...way too intertwined with everyone in the world...Almost all US mortgage lenders, from huge financial institutions such as Citigroup to small, local banks, rely on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac...which are at the heart of the multi-trillion US housing market...They are both shareholder-owned companies mandated by the US Congress to provide funding to the housing market...There is no direct UK equivalent to the two firms..."

New York Times refutes itself when blaming Bush for the economic crisis. Fannie and Freddie leveraged their government-sponsored advantages...-"The Bush administration is hopping mad at the New York Times for a story the Gray Lady published Sunday, “White House Philosophy Stoked Mortgage Bonfire.” The White House will have to defend itself on this one, but we are concerned that the Times, in its partisan desire to tarnish President Bush, provides far too narrow a focus on the government’s central role in creating the current crisis..." and must listen too "A former congressman explains the mortgage crisis and bubble in 8 minutes Actually he takes longer I believe but this gives you an interesting history behind the mortgage bubble at http://www.wallbuilderslive.com/listen.asp?cs=high&mf=wma&fileName=WBLive12-12-08."

Will Big Media report that the Democrat party benefit most from the "the biggest Ponzi scheme in history" of Wall Street?-"Investment fund manager Bernard Madoff, who allegedly ran a criminal scheme in which investors reportedly lost up to $50 billion, was a major donor to political campaigns and causes over the last 16 years, according to data provided by the Center for Responsive Politics and analyzed by CNSNews.com. A New York Times editorial on Friday characterized what Madoff is alleged to have done as “the biggest Ponzi scheme in history.” Since 1992, Bernard Madoff and his wife, Ruth, donated a total of $225,050 to federal candidates, parties and committees. Seventy-seven percent ($172,600) of that money went to Democratic causes and individuals..."

Religious Freedom

Buddhists to force 13 Christians to become Buddhist in India...-"Buddhist clerics and local council officials are holding 13 newly converted Christians captive in a pagoda in a southeastern mountainous district of Bangladesh in an attempt to forcibly return them to Buddhism"

Same Sex Marriage

The debate in Cali over same-sex marriage will continue until 03-09...-"California citizens have decided to put boundaries on marriage. Most all agree that boundaries should be put on marriage. Most homosexual activists believe ( or at least when confronted with the concern that homosexual marriages would lead to polygamist and polyamory marriages they do) that boundary should exclude polygamists and polyamory. Traditional Marriage activist believe marriage should be limited to one man and one woman. Both put limits on marriage for non-discriminatory reasons or non bigotted reasons. Homosexual activists are no more discriminatory of polygamist as traditional marriage advocates are discriminatory of homosexuals. There are many other reason why the two have set boundaries to marriage then discrimination and bigotry.
With that let aside...
The California Supreme Court will decide the fate of marriage in California on 03-09. Here is some recent news.."

"Bust the black list" so far a success....-"Homosexual activist have blacklisted certain business in California that supported the Amendment to define marriage as between one man and one woman. This blacklist may be doing more good then harm. At least for Leatherby's Ice Cream in Sacramento it is."

Who said, "Opposing same-sex marriage does not make Warren — or anyone else — bigoted or hateful."? Actually a homosexual!!!-"But, in coming out against gay marriage, Warren didn’t attack gay people. He merely expressed his belief that gender difference was a defining aspect of the institution.Given the civil nature with which Warren has expressed this view, activists’ opposition to the president-elect’s choice marks them the more intolerant party in this controversy. It shows how all too many of them readily label any opposition to gay marriage as bigoted, hateful, or otherwise anti-gay."

New York Times lobby Governor Corzine of New Jersey for gay marriage.-"The NY Times editorial, Separate and Not Equal, concludes: “. . . Governor Corzine typically takes the right side on important issues, but he has been known to retreat in the face of opposition. We hope that’s not the case here. It’s past time for him and for the Democrats in Trenton to find the political courage to extend the right to marry to gay couples.”

Boycott of Campbells soup in the working-"We support all types of families, regardless of how they're defined, [and have done so] for more than 100 years"...I suppose family could also be polygamist or polyamory with this type of support and definition of family. The thing that is most concerning to me about this issue is it is this very issue that people are labeling christians as bigots and discriminators. If this reasoning prevails we will see further degradation of the name of Christ in American culture."

Update on UK registrar: Argument that equates a Christians belief in marriage to be between opposite sexes to Terrorism wins in the UK for now.. -"Ladele would not perform such ceremonies and instead arranged for other colleagues to handle them. Nonetheless, the Council accused her of gross misconduct and refused to consider her for promotion, eventually threatening to fire her if she did not conduct a homosexual union herself..."

Gay affirming schools necessary says Milwaukee Public Schools "because adolescents are publicly identifying their sexuality as early as middle school"-"The State Bar of Arizona is considering whether to require new attorneys to swear they will not let their views on sexual orientation get in the way of providing legal services...Staver believes the campaign is going nationwide and will be a tool used by homosexuals to hold back Christian lawyers"..."Marty Lexmond, the director of school innovation for Milwaukee Public Schools, said the need for a gay-friendly middle school is even greater today because adolescents are publicly identifying their sexuality as early as middle school"

Pro-Life

Huffington Post/UN Population Fund/China vs. The Population Research Institute-"we brought back evidence -- videotapes, audio tapes, photographs, transcriptions of these abuses occurring under the control of the U.N. Population Fund." Mosher believes the Post is deficient in terms of journalistic ethics. "We never received a call from The Huffington Post asking us for our comments or quotations about their attack on us, and we would expect better of any organization with the slightest bit of journalistic integrity," he concludes. He even wrote a letter to the Post asking for an opportunity to respond, but Mosher never received an answer.."

Czech wants to allow provide abortions for residents outside Czech-"The Czech cabinet has passed a controversial bill that would allow Czech doctors to kill the unborn children of EU residents from other countries with more restrictive abortion laws. Members of the Christian Democrat party (KDU-ÈSL) on Tuesday asked KDU-ÈSL head Jiri Cunek to begin coalition talks to attempt revision of the bill to change the “abortion tourism” provisions before it is submitted to the Parliament for final approval, according to the Czech News Agency."

Catholic charities must not become "indistinguishable from secular organization such as UNICEF"-"charitable institutions that are recipients of Catholic funds must not sell their souls by supporting causes that offend Catholic morals. According to a National Catholic Reporter article, Cardinal Paul Josef Cordes told bishops that Catholic charities must not become “indistinguishable from secular organizations such as UNICEF, the Red Cross, and others..."

The Roe vs Wade of Europe once again...-"Ireland's ban on abortion is being challenged before the European Court of Human Rights in what is being called a "pivotal case." The Family Research Council and Alliance Defense Fund are defending the country's right to life and have presented a brief to the court..."

Jill Stanek vs ABC World News on pro-life pharmacist in Illinois-"...let's look at the report from ABC World News on the pro-life pharmacist and look at Jill Stanek's report from her blog and compare the two...Conclusion: If you find a story on ABC World News or any channel for that matter you will probabily find more interesting comments and documented details at http://www.jillstanek.com/ and not only that you will find multitudes of ligitimate stories that most channels ignore. Jill gets in depth and documents her story and is continually moving up in blog rankings for good reason. Put her on your blog roll!!!...If you find somebody in the liberal media biasing you against her, which there are many, give her a read before you make your own decision. Innocent before proven guilty and treat others as you would have them treat yourself."

Jill Stanek critiques Guttmacher "research"... -"...Guttmacher would say that. It's the research arm of Planned Parenthood, which makes much, if not most, of its $1 billion annual income from contraceptive sales...Guttmacher was trying to say TX's parental involvement law didn't account for the drop in TX abortions. Rather, parental involvement laws in states surrounding TX did."

Make a comment on Obama's web-site concerning FOCA and the 55 page pro-abortion mandate posted there....-"The Obama transition website has posted the 55-page pro-abortion marching order and opened it up for comment.Let's tell him to ignore it.Click here to ask President-elect Obama to stop supporting FOCA. FOCA would eliminate every abortion-related law nationwide -- even common-sense laws that protect women and minors -- and force us to pay for the radical pro-abortion agenda with our tax dollars."

Jesuit-run University under fire again over abortion healthcare...-"USF drops abortion from student health insurance, but school employees can still get ‘termination of pregnancy’ coverage via HMO"

Liberal Media Bias

Palin church burning virtually ignored...-"A religion columnist and journalism professor says the mainstream media's coverage of the fire that gutted Alaska Governor Sarah Palin's home church has been thin, but it's hard to say exactly why it's been underplayed.Investigators say the fire that destroyed Wasilla Bible Church in Alaska on December 12 was likely the work of an arsonist, but the mainstream news media, with the exception of The Associated Press, has largely ignored the story."

Roger Ebert reveals bias when reviewing the film Expelled....-"It may at first seem like a tardy review for film critic Roger Ebert, considering that Expelled was released back in April; however, Ebert clarifies that he has been “accused of refusing to review” Expelled “because of my belief in the theory of evolution.” So that prompted his late review..."

Waxman and the UAW vs AIG in Big Media-"AIG held a week-long retreat for company executives at the exclusive St. Regis Resort in Monarch Beach, Calif. Less than one week [after the government intervened]..." Nope "the trip was scheduled a year earlier to reward top salespeople from the company's life insurance business...Click here to see the full hotel bill" Which shows that there many many more rooms then just for a few executives. Clearly for those who work for them in some fashion not executives!!!" Now compare: "The United Autoworkers Union, which had a total net worth of $1.2 billion in 2007, owns a $27 million resort and conference center that features a $6 million upscale golf course, according to financial statements on file with the U.S. Department of Labor..."

When Journalists don't get religion? Blind Spot-"Does today's media frequently miss or misunderstand many major news stories, because they don't take religion seriously?"

Global Warming

National Association of Evangelicals goes neutral on climate change-"The NAE has never taken a position on global warming, or more broadly described as 'climate change' -- and I'm not aware of any movement within the NAE to bring about such a statement"

Religion and Politics

A List of your congressional leaders religious affiliation available here...-"Included on the Pew Forum's website is a list of each member and his or her religious affiliation, a graphic summarizing the findings, and extensive additional data on affiliations in each house of Congress and of Congressional leaders."

Education

NEA Teachers Union members that are not happy with their union fees going to anti-christian political causes there is something you can do...-"David Barton, Rick Green and Brad Dacus discuss the social/cultural/political issues the NEA supports that have nothing to do with education or protecting teachers. Brad Dacus gives us a way to divert the money from union dues that goes toward pushing liberal political agendas and instead gives it to a charity of your choice. This program is a definite "must" for educators and union members across the nation who need to know where their money really goes.

Bible Puzzles

Was the earth to be refilled in Genesis or filled?-"The word replenish in the King James Version was used in the seventeenth century (when the King James Version was translated) to simply mean “fill.” According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it did not mean “refill” at the time the translators worked on the King James Bible. It expressed such ideas as to stock, fill, supply, or inhabit. Note that we don’t have both plenish and replenish (like fill and refill). Replenish comes from the word replete; being replete with happiness is being full with happiness."

Doesn’t Jesus contradict Old Testament teachings by not stoning the adulteress, which was commanded?-"This they said, testing Him, that they might have something of which to accuse Him....Woman, where are those accusers of yours? Has no one condemned you?"

Could the loving God of the New Testament order the complete destruction of the inhabitants of Jericho found in the Old Testament?-"Recent textual discoveries in Ugarit confirm the Scripture record of centuries filled with idolatry, sodomy, bestiality, sorcery, and child sacrifice. Consequently, each generation had polluted the next with idolatry, perversion, and blood. We must not read Deuteronomy 18:9–12 with an emotionless indifference in the way that some would read yesterday’s news. Parents offered up their children to the god Molech by fire. Child sacrifice is more than an unfortunate, ancient tribal custom. It is a hideous twisted ritual conducted by men who have reprobated themselves into beasts. Then again, the customs of Canaan are not really a quantum leap from ancient religious ritual to our current indulgence of “a woman's right to choose,” are they?"

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