Texas ECUSA church gives cold shoulder to member who resigned as Planned Parenthood director, now a pro-life activist
Former New Jersey governor, who resigned due to covert homosexual behavior, now to be openly-homosexual ECUSA priest
-- From "Forgive Me Father McGreevey, For I Have Sinned" by Emily Feldman, NBC New York 11/16/09
The disgraced ex-governor -- who shocked the nation when he abruptly confessed to a homosexual affair -- is set to graduate from General Theological Seminary's Masters of Divinity Program next spring, and in preparation for priesthood, he's spending his weekends warming up at the pulpit, the New York Post reported.
In 2004 . . . Jim McGreevey, spurned wife at his side, announced he had been concealing his homosexuality, "engaged in adult consensual affair with another man," and intended to resign the Garden State's chief executive.
During his time in office, he identified himself as Roman Catholic, an association he traded in for the Episcopal faith, a more liberal branch of Christianity.
Half-a-decade later, he's spending his Sundays in a white robe, greeting parishioners at Hoboken's Episcopal All Saint's Church and helping with everything from sermons to donation drives.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Former clinic director: Church chilly to my pro-life turn" by Julia Duin, Washington Times 11/13/09
Abby Johnson, the former Planned Parenthood clinic director whose about-face on abortion prompted her to resign her job, says she's gotten flack for her decision from an unexpected quarter: her own church . . . St. Francis Episcopal in nearby College Station, the home of Texas A&M University.
Whereas clergy and parishioners welcomed her as a Planned Parenthood employee, now they are buttonholing her after Sunday services.
"Now that I have taken this stand, some of the people there are not accepting of that," she told The Washington Times. "People have told me they disagree with my choice. One of the things I've been told is that as Episcopalians, we embrace our differences and disagreements. While I agree with that, I am not sure I can go to a place where I don't feel I am welcome."
The rector at St. Francis refused to comment on the charge of nonacceptance.
"I was raised Southern Baptist but didn't find the Southern Baptist community was very accepting of my work at Planned Parenthood," she said.
She and her husband, who grew up Lutheran, dropped out of church until two years ago, when they began attending St. Francis, a 25-year-old church that achieved parish status in February.
The U.S. Episcopal Church has one of the most liberal stances on abortion of any mainline Protestant denomination and is a member of the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC), which supports legalized abortion.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Monday, November 16, 2009
Sunday, November 15, 2009
Senate Pushes Anti-christian Judge Confirmation
Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced his plans to move forward as early as Monday with a confirmation vote on the pro-abortion appeals court nominee who ruled against praying "in Jesus' name" on the floor of the Indiana Legislature.
-- From "Conservatives Oppose Judicial Nominee" by Kate Phillips, New York Times 11/12/09
Conservative groups have been rallying their troops to urge senators to oppose the nomination of Judge David F. Hamilton of Indiana to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
As recently as Thursday morning, Senator Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, labeled Judge Hamilton as too liberal during a speech before the Federalist Society. Advocates and supporters of Judge Hamilton have also jumped into the fray.
The moves afoot followed a decision by the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, to file a procedural motion on Tuesday night that will likely force a vote early next week that will require the support of 60 members to push the nomination forward.
The two Hamilton decisions most often cited by critics are one that struck down the use of Christian prayer by Indiana state lawmakers, and another that struck down a segment of a state law requiring informed consent and a waiting period for women seeking abortions.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Reid speeds confirmation of anti-Jesus, pro-abortion judge" by Chelsea Schilling © 2009 WorldNetDaily 11/12/09
Republicans have attempted to block a vote on Hamilton's nomination. Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., called for a filibuster in April and May. Sessions recently sent a letter to several Republican legislators in opposition to Hamilton, warning that in more than a few instances, he "has used his position as a district court judge to drive a political agenda."
Sessions said Hamilton declared in a 2003 speech that a judge's primary job is "write footnotes in the Constitution" and said he believes "empathy" should sway a judge's decisions.
"This view evidences an activist judicial philosophy," Sessions warned. "Judges are not given the power to amend the Constitution or write footnotes to it."
Also, in 2003, Hamilton struck down an Indiana informed consent law requiring women to receive information about risks and alternatives to abortion in the presence of a physician or nurse 18 hours before the procedure. Hamilton said the provision imposed an "undue burden" on women. His ruling was later dismissed by a panel of the 7th Circuit after appeal.
"In reversing, the 7th Circuit noted that Judge Hamilton had abused his judicial discretion," Sessions wrote.
Hamilton made yet another controversial ruling in the 2005 case Hinrichs v. Bosma. He ruled that the speaker of Indiana's House of Representatives could not allow "sectarian" prayers as part of its official proceedings. He said prayers that use "Christ's name or title" are sectarian, but he ruled in a post-judgment motion that it's not sectarian for a Muslim imam to offer a prayer to "Allah."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Conservatives Oppose Judicial Nominee" by Kate Phillips, New York Times 11/12/09
Conservative groups have been rallying their troops to urge senators to oppose the nomination of Judge David F. Hamilton of Indiana to the Seventh Circuit Court of Appeals.
As recently as Thursday morning, Senator Jeff Sessions, the ranking Republican on the Judiciary Committee, labeled Judge Hamilton as too liberal during a speech before the Federalist Society. Advocates and supporters of Judge Hamilton have also jumped into the fray.
The moves afoot followed a decision by the Senate Majority Leader, Harry Reid, to file a procedural motion on Tuesday night that will likely force a vote early next week that will require the support of 60 members to push the nomination forward.
The two Hamilton decisions most often cited by critics are one that struck down the use of Christian prayer by Indiana state lawmakers, and another that struck down a segment of a state law requiring informed consent and a waiting period for women seeking abortions.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Reid speeds confirmation of anti-Jesus, pro-abortion judge" by Chelsea Schilling © 2009 WorldNetDaily 11/12/09
Republicans have attempted to block a vote on Hamilton's nomination. Alabama Sen. Jeff Sessions, the top Republican on the Senate Judiciary Committee, and Sen. James Inhofe, R-Okla., called for a filibuster in April and May. Sessions recently sent a letter to several Republican legislators in opposition to Hamilton, warning that in more than a few instances, he "has used his position as a district court judge to drive a political agenda."
Sessions said Hamilton declared in a 2003 speech that a judge's primary job is "write footnotes in the Constitution" and said he believes "empathy" should sway a judge's decisions.
"This view evidences an activist judicial philosophy," Sessions warned. "Judges are not given the power to amend the Constitution or write footnotes to it."
Also, in 2003, Hamilton struck down an Indiana informed consent law requiring women to receive information about risks and alternatives to abortion in the presence of a physician or nurse 18 hours before the procedure. Hamilton said the provision imposed an "undue burden" on women. His ruling was later dismissed by a panel of the 7th Circuit after appeal.
"In reversing, the 7th Circuit noted that Judge Hamilton had abused his judicial discretion," Sessions wrote.
Hamilton made yet another controversial ruling in the 2005 case Hinrichs v. Bosma. He ruled that the speaker of Indiana's House of Representatives could not allow "sectarian" prayers as part of its official proceedings. He said prayers that use "Christ's name or title" are sectarian, but he ruled in a post-judgment motion that it's not sectarian for a Muslim imam to offer a prayer to "Allah."
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Saturday, November 14, 2009
Washington Post: Porn is Everywhere
Oh, how American society has changed! Such a writing as this would be unimaginable not many years ago -- it used to be that "consuming" porn was relegated to creepy, back alley shops.
-- From "Publicly, a whole new lewdness" by Monica Hesse, Washington Post Staff Writer 11/12/09
. . . the increasing popularity of laptops and handheld devices, and the prevalence of wireless Internet access, means there's a greater chance of becoming a bystander to a complete stranger's viewing proclivities. Like being exposed to the cigarette smoke of a nicotine addict on the street, people are inhaling secondhand smut.
Last fall, some airlines announced they would work on filtering in-flight Internet access to prevent the surfing of inappropriate content (dirty DVDs brought on by passengers, however, would be nearly impossible to filter). But this secondhand smut can also happen on the ground. On buses. In gyms. In movie theaters.
Perhaps this is the real problem: the increasingly blurred boundary between public and private. If we are so accustomed to burying our noses in tiny screens, carrying our entertainment in and out of the house, perhaps people are simply getting confused as to where they are.
Those afflicted with secondhand porn say it's not that they oppose adult entertainment. The trouble was knowing that they couldn't escape it, not until the plane landed or the Metro doors opened.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Publicly, a whole new lewdness" by Monica Hesse, Washington Post Staff Writer 11/12/09
. . . the increasing popularity of laptops and handheld devices, and the prevalence of wireless Internet access, means there's a greater chance of becoming a bystander to a complete stranger's viewing proclivities. Like being exposed to the cigarette smoke of a nicotine addict on the street, people are inhaling secondhand smut.
Last fall, some airlines announced they would work on filtering in-flight Internet access to prevent the surfing of inappropriate content (dirty DVDs brought on by passengers, however, would be nearly impossible to filter). But this secondhand smut can also happen on the ground. On buses. In gyms. In movie theaters.
Perhaps this is the real problem: the increasingly blurred boundary between public and private. If we are so accustomed to burying our noses in tiny screens, carrying our entertainment in and out of the house, perhaps people are simply getting confused as to where they are.
Those afflicted with secondhand porn say it's not that they oppose adult entertainment. The trouble was knowing that they couldn't escape it, not until the plane landed or the Metro doors opened.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Bishop Tobin Preaches Catholicism to Kennedy
Representative Patrick J. Kennedy of Rhode Island was to meet Thursday with Thomas J. Tobin, the Roman Catholic bishop of Providence, and perhaps start healing a bitter rift over whether health care legislation now before Congress should restrict abortion coverage.
-- From "Patrick Kennedy clashes with outspoken RI bishop" by Ray Henry, Associated Press 11/12/09
Their feud over a proposal expanding the nation's health insurance system has escalated to the point where Tobin has publicly questioned Kennedy's faith and membership in the church and said he should not receive communion, the central sacrament in Catholic worship.
Patrick Kennedy is among several Catholic politicians to clash with their bishops over abortion, which the church considers a paramount moral evil not open for negotiation. Fewer than 20 of the roughly 200 bishops overseeing U.S. dioceses have threatened to deny communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion, [said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a church observer and senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.]
"I don't think you'll find widespread support among Catholics for this," he said. [Oh really? Check out these statements.]
Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., has said that U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic Democrat who supports abortion rights, should stop taking communion until she changes her stance.
Former Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis has said he would withhold communion from politicians who support abortion, such as former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican who also ran afoul of the church because he is divorced.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Verbally, bishop isn’t turning cheek" by Noah Bierman, Boston Globe Staff 11/12/09
The bishop from America’s most Catholic state, and increasingly one of the church’s most provocative prelates, has provided a rather concise explanation for his willingness to clash with politicians: Christians are not supposed to be nice, at least not all the time.
"In confronting moral evil, Jesus wasn’t nice, kind, gentle, and sweet," Thomas J. Tobin, the bishop of Providence, wrote in his diocesan newspaper column earlier this year. "He lived in a rough and tumble world and He took His message to the streets."
Tobin has followed his interpretation of Jesus’ demeanor most devoutly, and he is quickly positioning himself at the national forefront of a renewed debate over the role of Catholic orthodoxy in the public square, most recently in a very personal feud with Representative Patrick Kennedy. As the abortion issue has taken on prominence in the national health care debate, Tobin has insisted Catholics get involved in the rough world of politics - even if it means tangling with prochoice Catholic legislators. And he has led by example.
Tobin wrote [to Patrick Kennedy], "Your position is unacceptable to the church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your communion with the church."
Earlier, Kennedy had questioned why church leaders would oppose the opportunity to insure millions of poor Americans because the bill could possibly provide coverage for abortions.
"You mean to tell me the Catholic Church is going to be denying those people life-saving health care?" Kennedy told the Catholic News Service last month. A health care bill was passed by the US House of Representatives over the weekend, with a controversial amendment restricting federal funding for abortion - considered a major victory for the nation’s Catholic bishops and other abortion opponents. Kennedy voted against the amendment but supported the final bill.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Rep. Kennedy and Bishop in Bitter Rift on Abortion" by Abby Goodnough, New York Times 11/12/09
. . . Bishop Tobin stepped up his public rebuke of Mr. Kennedy, accusing him Wednesday of “false advertising” for describing himself as a Catholic and saying he should not receive holy communion because he supports using taxpayer money for abortions.
“If you freely choose to be a Catholic, it means you believe certain things, you do certain things,” Bishop Tobin said on WPRO, a Providence radio station. “If you cannot do all that in conscience, then you should perhaps feel free to go somewhere else.”
“It’s not too late for you to repair your relationship with the Church,” he wrote, “redeem your public image, and emerge as an authentic ‘profile in courage,’ especially by defending the sanctity of human life for all people, including unborn children.”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has lobbied forcefully against including federal financing for abortion in the health care legislation, and Bishop Tobin, who has led the Catholic Church in Rhode Island since 2005, has been a vocal participant.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Patrick Kennedy clashes with outspoken RI bishop" by Ray Henry, Associated Press 11/12/09
Their feud over a proposal expanding the nation's health insurance system has escalated to the point where Tobin has publicly questioned Kennedy's faith and membership in the church and said he should not receive communion, the central sacrament in Catholic worship.
Patrick Kennedy is among several Catholic politicians to clash with their bishops over abortion, which the church considers a paramount moral evil not open for negotiation. Fewer than 20 of the roughly 200 bishops overseeing U.S. dioceses have threatened to deny communion to Catholic politicians who support abortion, [said the Rev. Thomas Reese, a church observer and senior fellow at the Woodstock Theological Center at Georgetown University.]
"I don't think you'll find widespread support among Catholics for this," he said. [Oh really? Check out these statements.]
Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kan., has said that U.S. Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, a Catholic Democrat who supports abortion rights, should stop taking communion until she changes her stance.
Former Archbishop Raymond Burke of St. Louis has said he would withhold communion from politicians who support abortion, such as former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani, a Republican who also ran afoul of the church because he is divorced.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Verbally, bishop isn’t turning cheek" by Noah Bierman, Boston Globe Staff 11/12/09
The bishop from America’s most Catholic state, and increasingly one of the church’s most provocative prelates, has provided a rather concise explanation for his willingness to clash with politicians: Christians are not supposed to be nice, at least not all the time.
"In confronting moral evil, Jesus wasn’t nice, kind, gentle, and sweet," Thomas J. Tobin, the bishop of Providence, wrote in his diocesan newspaper column earlier this year. "He lived in a rough and tumble world and He took His message to the streets."
Tobin has followed his interpretation of Jesus’ demeanor most devoutly, and he is quickly positioning himself at the national forefront of a renewed debate over the role of Catholic orthodoxy in the public square, most recently in a very personal feud with Representative Patrick Kennedy. As the abortion issue has taken on prominence in the national health care debate, Tobin has insisted Catholics get involved in the rough world of politics - even if it means tangling with prochoice Catholic legislators. And he has led by example.
Tobin wrote [to Patrick Kennedy], "Your position is unacceptable to the church and scandalous to many of our members. It absolutely diminishes your communion with the church."
Earlier, Kennedy had questioned why church leaders would oppose the opportunity to insure millions of poor Americans because the bill could possibly provide coverage for abortions.
"You mean to tell me the Catholic Church is going to be denying those people life-saving health care?" Kennedy told the Catholic News Service last month. A health care bill was passed by the US House of Representatives over the weekend, with a controversial amendment restricting federal funding for abortion - considered a major victory for the nation’s Catholic bishops and other abortion opponents. Kennedy voted against the amendment but supported the final bill.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "Rep. Kennedy and Bishop in Bitter Rift on Abortion" by Abby Goodnough, New York Times 11/12/09
. . . Bishop Tobin stepped up his public rebuke of Mr. Kennedy, accusing him Wednesday of “false advertising” for describing himself as a Catholic and saying he should not receive holy communion because he supports using taxpayer money for abortions.
“If you freely choose to be a Catholic, it means you believe certain things, you do certain things,” Bishop Tobin said on WPRO, a Providence radio station. “If you cannot do all that in conscience, then you should perhaps feel free to go somewhere else.”
“It’s not too late for you to repair your relationship with the Church,” he wrote, “redeem your public image, and emerge as an authentic ‘profile in courage,’ especially by defending the sanctity of human life for all people, including unborn children.”
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops has lobbied forcefully against including federal financing for abortion in the health care legislation, and Bishop Tobin, who has led the Catholic Church in Rhode Island since 2005, has been a vocal participant.
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
Friday, November 13, 2009
Pro-marriage Maine Churches Targeted by Homosexualists
Christian churches in Maine whose leaders encouraged support for a referendum that repealed a law allowing same-sex marriage are being targeted in an intimidation campaign urging homosexuals to file complaints against them with the Internal Revenue Service.
-- From "Churches targeted by 'gay' intimidation campaign" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 11/12/09
A "Maine Marriage Equality" website that lobbied for the same-sex marriage measure is asking its followers to file the complaints.
The homosexual activists are telling supporters IRS policy allows the withdrawal of church-status recognition if "a substantial part of its activities is attempting to influence legislation (commonly known as lobbying)."
The campaign was launched after a decision by Maine voters, by a 53 percent to 47 percent margin, to restore the definition of marriage to only one man and one woman. State lawmakers had expanded it to include same-sex duos, but voters made Maine the 31st state out of 31 to limit marriage to one man and one woman.
Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, said pastors and churches have a right to discuss biblical truths from the pulpit without fear of being punished for their religious beliefs.
"This is an all-too-obvious attempt to use the IRS to intimidate pastors and churches as a means of punishment and to get them to be quiet," said Stanley. "We encourage the churches of Maine not to be intimidated and to contact us if they are contacted by the IRS."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Churches targeted by 'gay' intimidation campaign" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 11/12/09
A "Maine Marriage Equality" website that lobbied for the same-sex marriage measure is asking its followers to file the complaints.
The homosexual activists are telling supporters IRS policy allows the withdrawal of church-status recognition if "a substantial part of its activities is attempting to influence legislation (commonly known as lobbying)."
The campaign was launched after a decision by Maine voters, by a 53 percent to 47 percent margin, to restore the definition of marriage to only one man and one woman. State lawmakers had expanded it to include same-sex duos, but voters made Maine the 31st state out of 31 to limit marriage to one man and one woman.
Erik Stanley, senior legal counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund, said pastors and churches have a right to discuss biblical truths from the pulpit without fear of being punished for their religious beliefs.
"This is an all-too-obvious attempt to use the IRS to intimidate pastors and churches as a means of punishment and to get them to be quiet," said Stanley. "We encourage the churches of Maine not to be intimidated and to contact us if they are contacted by the IRS."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Thursday, November 12, 2009
Abortionists Declare War on America
Abortion-rights advocates are calling in the cavalry to help fight off an anti-abortion provision House Democratic leaders swallowed in order to win passage of their health care reform bill.
UPDATE 11/15/09: White House assures abortionists Obama is on their side
UPDATE 11/14/09: FAQ on Abortion Amendment, from the Washington Post
-- From "Abortion activists call for backup" by Jonathan Allen, Politico 11/11/09
Laurie Rubiner, vice president of policy for the Planned Parenthood Federation, said the tight restriction on public funding for abortions “has completely galvanized the reproductive health community and the women’s community.”
On Tuesday, Planned Parenthood summoned 80 progressive groups to plot strategy for keeping the anti-abortion amendment — named for sponsors Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.) — out of a final health care bill.
If that doesn’t work, Plan B is to rely on progressives in the House to vote against a bill containing the language. Forty-one House Democrats threatened to do just that in a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), according to a report by Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent.
But the first battlefield is in the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has yet to unveil his chamber’s version of the health care bill. It’s still not entirely clear whether Reid, who has a mixed record on abortion and a tough reelection bid next year, will include the Stupak/Pitts provision or if abortion foes will have to try to amend it in. Either way, there is likely to be a vote on the issue on the Senate floor, forcing socially conservative Democrats to pick sides.
They are already starting to get pressure from a coalition of abortion-rights advocates and their allies in the progressive movement.
The Planned Parenthood meeting included representatives of influential liberal organizations like the Service Employees International Union, MoveOn.org, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Human Rights Campaign and the Center for American Progress, according to a list provided to POLITICO.
NARAL Pro-Choice America plans to “patch through” calls from activists in 17 states to their senators’ offices next week to lobby against the Stupak/Pitts anti-abortion amendment in the Senate version of a health care overhaul. The group’s online petition to Reid collected 30,000 signatures in less than 24 hours, and an e-mail campaign from the group’s grass roots to lawmakers is due to start soon, according to an official.
NOW chapter leaders are making appointments with individual senators. In the meantime, 53 activists showed up to picket Senate offices in the Dirksen Building earlier this week, according to NOW President Terry O’Neill.
With so much on the line, the abortion-rights activists recognize that they have to mobilize quickly and forcefully to counteract Pelosi’s decision to give the anti-abortion lawmakers what they wanted in exchange for their accession to passing the bill.
Leaders of abortion-rights groups met with high-ranking White House officials to discuss the health care bill on Wednesday.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
UPDATE 11/15/09: White House assures abortionists Obama is on their side
UPDATE 11/14/09: FAQ on Abortion Amendment, from the Washington Post
-- From "Abortion activists call for backup" by Jonathan Allen, Politico 11/11/09
Laurie Rubiner, vice president of policy for the Planned Parenthood Federation, said the tight restriction on public funding for abortions “has completely galvanized the reproductive health community and the women’s community.”
On Tuesday, Planned Parenthood summoned 80 progressive groups to plot strategy for keeping the anti-abortion amendment — named for sponsors Bart Stupak (D-Mich.) and Joseph Pitts (R-Pa.) — out of a final health care bill.
If that doesn’t work, Plan B is to rely on progressives in the House to vote against a bill containing the language. Forty-one House Democrats threatened to do just that in a letter to Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), according to a report by Washington Post blogger Greg Sargent.
But the first battlefield is in the Senate, where Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-Nev.) has yet to unveil his chamber’s version of the health care bill. It’s still not entirely clear whether Reid, who has a mixed record on abortion and a tough reelection bid next year, will include the Stupak/Pitts provision or if abortion foes will have to try to amend it in. Either way, there is likely to be a vote on the issue on the Senate floor, forcing socially conservative Democrats to pick sides.
They are already starting to get pressure from a coalition of abortion-rights advocates and their allies in the progressive movement.
The Planned Parenthood meeting included representatives of influential liberal organizations like the Service Employees International Union, MoveOn.org, the American Civil Liberties Union, the Human Rights Campaign and the Center for American Progress, according to a list provided to POLITICO.
NARAL Pro-Choice America plans to “patch through” calls from activists in 17 states to their senators’ offices next week to lobby against the Stupak/Pitts anti-abortion amendment in the Senate version of a health care overhaul. The group’s online petition to Reid collected 30,000 signatures in less than 24 hours, and an e-mail campaign from the group’s grass roots to lawmakers is due to start soon, according to an official.
NOW chapter leaders are making appointments with individual senators. In the meantime, 53 activists showed up to picket Senate offices in the Dirksen Building earlier this week, according to NOW President Terry O’Neill.
With so much on the line, the abortion-rights activists recognize that they have to mobilize quickly and forcefully to counteract Pelosi’s decision to give the anti-abortion lawmakers what they wanted in exchange for their accession to passing the bill.
Leaders of abortion-rights groups met with high-ranking White House officials to discuss the health care bill on Wednesday.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Wednesday, November 11, 2009
Mormon Church Supports New Homosexual Rights for Salt Lake
The Mormon church for the first time has announced its support of gay rights legislation, an endorsement that helped gain unanimous approval for Salt Lake city laws banning discrimination against gays in housing and employment.
-- From "Salt Lake OKs gay rights laws with Mormon backing" by Jennifer Dobner, Associated Press 11/11/09
The Utah-based church's support ahead of Tuesday night's vote came despite its steadfast opposition to gay marriage, reflected in the high-profile role it played last year in California's Proposition 8 ballot measure that barred such unions.
"The church supports these ordinances because they are fair and reasonable and do not do violence to the institution of marriage," Michael Otterson, the director of public affairs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said.
Passage made Salt Lake City the first Utah community to prohibit bias based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Under the two new ordinances, it is illegal to fire someone from their job or evict someone from their residence because they are lesbian, bisexual, gay or transgender.
. . . the church has pointed out an inherent dispute it has with the gay lifestyle. Mormonism considers traditional marriages central to God's plan. Gays are welcome in church, but must remain celibate to retain church callings and full membership.
. . . addressing the council on Tuesday, Otterson said the endorsement is not a shift in the church's position on gay rights and stressed it "remains unequivocally committed to defending the bedrock foundation of marriage between a man and a woman."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Salt Lake OKs gay rights laws with Mormon backing" by Jennifer Dobner, Associated Press 11/11/09
The Utah-based church's support ahead of Tuesday night's vote came despite its steadfast opposition to gay marriage, reflected in the high-profile role it played last year in California's Proposition 8 ballot measure that barred such unions.
"The church supports these ordinances because they are fair and reasonable and do not do violence to the institution of marriage," Michael Otterson, the director of public affairs for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints said.
Passage made Salt Lake City the first Utah community to prohibit bias based on sexual orientation or gender identity. Under the two new ordinances, it is illegal to fire someone from their job or evict someone from their residence because they are lesbian, bisexual, gay or transgender.
. . . the church has pointed out an inherent dispute it has with the gay lifestyle. Mormonism considers traditional marriages central to God's plan. Gays are welcome in church, but must remain celibate to retain church callings and full membership.
. . . addressing the council on Tuesday, Otterson said the endorsement is not a shift in the church's position on gay rights and stressed it "remains unequivocally committed to defending the bedrock foundation of marriage between a man and a woman."
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
Homosexualists Issue Death Threats to Christians
Angry after Maine voters upheld marriage, homosexualists target pro-family leaders -- ironically, just days after President Obama signed 'hate crimes' legislation.
"It seems the more the gay movement achieves, the more hostile the activists become toward religious people. They know the religious and moral people are the last impediment to their full agenda."
-- From "Threat made against gay marriage opponent in Maine" by Associated Press 11/9/09
Augusta police say the voicemail threat targeted Michael Heath, former leader of the Christian Civic League of Maine and its successor, the Maine Family Policy Council. The person who left the voicemail said, "I can tell him this. I’m a gay guy who owns guns, and he’s my next target." [CLICK HERE to hear the voice mail audio.]
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "'Gay' blogger calls church-bomb threat a 'joke'" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 11/9/09
A homosexual blogger passed off as a "joke" a suggestion by a contributor to his website that there might be church bombings because of Christians' refusal to support the homosexual lifestyle.
But several individuals named in the column are taking the threat seriously.
"That is what Fort Hood teaches us," said Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, referring to the attack on the Texas Army base by a Muslim officer that killed 13 people and wounded 28.
LaBarbera was cited by name in the postings on the "joemygod" website run by homosexual advocate Joe Jervis.
LaBarbera and Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel, who also is an active supporter of biblical marriage, confirmed to WND they notified authorities of the threats.
To read the entire article, with numerous threats from homosexualist blogs, CLICK HERE.
"It seems the more the gay movement achieves, the more hostile the activists become toward religious people. They know the religious and moral people are the last impediment to their full agenda."
-- From "Threat made against gay marriage opponent in Maine" by Associated Press 11/9/09
Augusta police say the voicemail threat targeted Michael Heath, former leader of the Christian Civic League of Maine and its successor, the Maine Family Policy Council. The person who left the voicemail said, "I can tell him this. I’m a gay guy who owns guns, and he’s my next target." [CLICK HERE to hear the voice mail audio.]
To read the entire article above, CLICK HERE.
From "'Gay' blogger calls church-bomb threat a 'joke'" by Bob Unruh © 2009 WorldNetDaily 11/9/09
A homosexual blogger passed off as a "joke" a suggestion by a contributor to his website that there might be church bombings because of Christians' refusal to support the homosexual lifestyle.
But several individuals named in the column are taking the threat seriously.
"That is what Fort Hood teaches us," said Peter LaBarbera, president of Americans for Truth About Homosexuality, referring to the attack on the Texas Army base by a Muslim officer that killed 13 people and wounded 28.
LaBarbera was cited by name in the postings on the "joemygod" website run by homosexual advocate Joe Jervis.
LaBarbera and Matt Barber of Liberty Counsel, who also is an active supporter of biblical marriage, confirmed to WND they notified authorities of the threats.
To read the entire article, with numerous threats from homosexualist blogs, CLICK HERE.
Tuesday, November 10, 2009
Abortionists Harangue IL Senate Candidate Mark Kirk
The Republican-in-name-only candidate for the former U.S. Senate seat of Barack Obama, whose House voting record is virtually 100% liberal on social issues, has been the darling of the pro-abortion crowd, but now is masquerading as a conservative.
UPDATE 11/12/09: Kirk insists he's not a social conservative -- doesn't know Sarah Palin
-- From "Abortion rights group, Senate candidate Kirk spar on vote" by Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune 11/10/09
A leading abortion rights group delivered a rebuke to Republican U.S. Senate contender Mark Kirk today for supporting an amendment to the House-passed health care reform legislation that would prevent taxpayer-backed insurance policies issued under the plan from providing abortion coverage.
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said it no longer regards the five-term North Shore congressman “as a moderate, fair-minded supporter of women’s privacy and rights” and that the organization “no longer considers Kirk pro-choice” on abortion.
In response, Kirk’s campaign contended the congressman continues to support abortion rights — except for the use of federal funds to pay for the procedure. His camp also said NARAL had distorted Kirk’s record in his first campaign for congress when the group backed his Democratic opponent.
Kirk has come under fire in recent weeks for moves in which he has moved toward the right in trying to secure the votes of core GOP conservatives for the Feb. 2 U.S. Senate primary. Though several Republicans are in the primary field, conservative opposition has not coalesced around an alternative candidate.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
You can research Mark Kirk's voting record here.
UPDATE 11/12/09: Kirk insists he's not a social conservative -- doesn't know Sarah Palin
-- From "Abortion rights group, Senate candidate Kirk spar on vote" by Rick Pearson, Chicago Tribune 11/10/09
A leading abortion rights group delivered a rebuke to Republican U.S. Senate contender Mark Kirk today for supporting an amendment to the House-passed health care reform legislation that would prevent taxpayer-backed insurance policies issued under the plan from providing abortion coverage.
Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America, said it no longer regards the five-term North Shore congressman “as a moderate, fair-minded supporter of women’s privacy and rights” and that the organization “no longer considers Kirk pro-choice” on abortion.
In response, Kirk’s campaign contended the congressman continues to support abortion rights — except for the use of federal funds to pay for the procedure. His camp also said NARAL had distorted Kirk’s record in his first campaign for congress when the group backed his Democratic opponent.
Kirk has come under fire in recent weeks for moves in which he has moved toward the right in trying to secure the votes of core GOP conservatives for the Feb. 2 U.S. Senate primary. Though several Republicans are in the primary field, conservative opposition has not coalesced around an alternative candidate.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
You can research Mark Kirk's voting record here.
Poll Finds Californians Had Enough Same-sex 'Marriage' Voting
A small majority of California voters supports the right of gay couples to marry, but a much larger portion of voters opposes efforts to place the issue back on the ballot next year, a new Los Angeles Times/USC poll has found.
-- From "Voters oppose putting gay marriage back on the ballot, Times/USC poll finds" by Cathleen Decker, Los Angeles Times 11/6/09
Views on same-sex marriage were sharply polarized based on political party, with 66% of Democrats thinking it should be legal and 71% of Republicans in opposition. Nonpartisan voters were less enthusiastic than Democrats but still backed it, 59%-34%.
Overall, 51% of California voters favored marriage rights for same-sex couples and 43% were opposed. Strikingly, however, almost 60% of Californians did not want to revisit the issue in 2010, just one election cycle after it last hit the ballot.
In November of 2008, Californians voted 52% to 48% to limit marriage rights to one man and one woman.
Among those ages 18-29, 71% said they supported same-sex marriage; among those 65 and older, only 37% favored it. Younger voters were also one of the few groups who backed putting it on the 2010 ballot, which will be dominated by the races for governor and U.S. Senate.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
-- From "Voters oppose putting gay marriage back on the ballot, Times/USC poll finds" by Cathleen Decker, Los Angeles Times 11/6/09
Views on same-sex marriage were sharply polarized based on political party, with 66% of Democrats thinking it should be legal and 71% of Republicans in opposition. Nonpartisan voters were less enthusiastic than Democrats but still backed it, 59%-34%.
Overall, 51% of California voters favored marriage rights for same-sex couples and 43% were opposed. Strikingly, however, almost 60% of Californians did not want to revisit the issue in 2010, just one election cycle after it last hit the ballot.
In November of 2008, Californians voted 52% to 48% to limit marriage rights to one man and one woman.
Among those ages 18-29, 71% said they supported same-sex marriage; among those 65 and older, only 37% favored it. Younger voters were also one of the few groups who backed putting it on the 2010 ballot, which will be dominated by the races for governor and U.S. Senate.
To read the entire article, CLICK HERE.
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