American Electric Power Sued For Federal, State Air Pollution Violations At Texas SWEPCO Plant Lawsuit by Sierra Club, Public Citizen Cites Evidence From Whistleblower; Health-Threatening Soot Violations Seen Regularly Since March 2000 (Public Citizen Press Room-Mar. 10 2005) DALLAS, Texas – The Lone Star Chapter of the Sierra Club and the Texas office of Public Citizen filed a federal lawsuit today to force American Electric Power (AEP), the nation’s largest utility company, (headquartered in Columbus, OH) to clean up extensive air pollution problems at its Welsh power plant operation near Pittsburg TX- Titus County in east Texas. According to the complaint filed in the U.S. District Court of the Eastern District of Texas, AEP’s Southwest Electric Power Company (SWEPCO) division power plant is emitting levels of soot (also known as “particulate matter”) and carbon monoxide far in excess of what is allowed under the federal Clean Air Act and the laws of the state of Texas.
The Sierra Club and Public Citizen lawsuit is based in part on detailed information from AEP’s own records first brought to light in July 2004 by the nonprofit Environmental Integrity Project (EIP). Last summer, EIP urged the U.S. Justice Department to open a criminal investigation of AEP for extensive violations of the Clean Air Act as outlined by whistleblower Bill Wilson, a SWEPCO air quality engineer who was fired by AEP in May 2004 after calling attention to a wide range of air pollution problems at Welsh and two other power plants.
Christian Professor Loses Job (Steve Jordahl, Citizen-Link) His crime? Assigning his class to read "In His Steps." A University of Colorado professor has lost his teaching position after teaching at CU for more than 20 years because of his outspoken views and controversial personal beliefs—and it's not Ward Churchill. Most Americans have no doubt heard of Churchill, the CU ethnic studies professor who compared the victims of the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks to Nazis. But he still has his job. Phil Mitchell, a conservative Christian, does not. His offense? He assigned his history class to read "In His Steps" by Charles Sheldon, the book which in which the phrase "What would Jesus do?" was coined. Mitchell said he was immediately terminated when one student complained to the history department about the assignment. Mitchell said. "People are marching for Ward's academic freedom, I just wish somebody would march for mine. I don't have any." © 2005 Focus on the Family
Quoteworthy:--- "We've gotten used to calling them 'average' Americans, but they are what makes this country great. It's not the celebrity culture or the judges or the smartest people at the best universities or United Nations representatives. They're not what makes our country great; they're what's wrong with our country." -- Conservative commentator Laura Ingraham, 2003.
New Level of School Choice Introduced in Texas House---(Free Market Foundation)---Representative Debbie Riddle (R-Houston) filed H.B. 3042 on March 11, 2005. The bill takes school choice to a new level with the introduction of a divisible voucher account (DVA), a type of education savings account. The bill provides for every Texas student to have a DVA, from which parents will have the option to save for their child's college tuition.
This college tuition savings option makes H.B. 3042 the most widely beneficial school choice bill filed in Texas to date, while still prioritizing the needs of families in low-income urban areas. Vouchers allow children presently in Elementary, secondary public schools to attend private schools.
San Diego to Move Giant Cross (Kimberly Edds Special to The Washington Post) City Council Votes To End Suit Over Religious Symbol Sixteen years of legal wrangling over whether a 43-foot cross at the top of Mount Soledad in La Jolla, Calif., violates the separation of church and state came to a halt Tuesday when the San Diego City Council voted 5 to 3 to reject a plan to keep the cross where it is. After more than 50 years overlooking the city of San Diego, the cross was erected as part of veteran's war memorial.
Austin TV Station Will Air Homosexual Video (Free Market Foundation) In January, PBS Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings told the network they should not broadcast the highly controversial children's video "Postcards from Buster," promoting the homosexual lifestyle. Despite this warning, Austin's PBS station, KLRU, has decided to air the video at 8 p.m. on March 28. KLRU made this decision after hearing from its viewers, over 75% of which supported airing the video.
Internet Pornography Warning! (Howard Wilson) Do you have children or Grandchildren who access the internet? * Did you know 90% of 8-16 year olds who have internet access have viewed porn online? (most While doing homework) * The average age of first time internet porn exposure is 11 years old. * 26 Children’s character names have a link to thousands of pornography links. * 29% of 7-17 year olds would give out home address. To understand the impact pornography has on children and adults go online to internetfilterreview.com on the left side of their home page under Articles click on Pornography Statistics ---or---- type the URL below into your browser URL window to go directly to the statistics.
http://www.internet-filter-review.toptenreviews.com/internet-pornography-statistics.html
Baby Dies After Hospital Removes Breathing Tube (CNSNews.com) --- A 17-pound baby, born with a deadly genetic defect almost six months ago, died Tuesday shortly after a Houston hospital removed the breathing tube that was keeping Sun Hudson alive. The Sun's mother said the hospital made a terrible mistake, but medical ethicists disagree. According to the Houston Chronicle, this is the first time a federal judge has allowed a hospital to discontinue an infant's life-sustaining care against a parent's wishes.
Qouteworthy:------ “There is a great task before this generation of believers, We have reached a critical juncture as a nation, If we continue to allow indecency in our courts, in our schools, entertainment, businesses and in our nation’s capitol, we will go the way of those other civilizations that first rotted and then disappeared. But if we replace this deficit of decency with common sense, compassion, tough love and the truth of God’s word, our example of liberty and freedom will become a beacon throughout the world.” -------- Sen. Zell Miller,Mar.11,2005 in a speech at Liberty University.
Christians Seek To Stop Jerusalem Gay Pride Festival (Citizen-Link) A Christian group is hoping to gather 1 million petition signatures to prevent World Pride 2005, a gathering for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and trans-gendered activists set to take place in August in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem Prayer Team will present the petition to Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianksi, who they hope will cancel the event. "This is a moral outrage," Prayer Team founder Mike Evans told WorldNetDaily. “It is a disgrace to the eternal holiness of Jerusalem and to its people." A similar gathering in 2000 in Rome attracted 250,000 visitors. Jerusalem was chosen this year specifically for its religious significance.
"There is no doubt in my mind," Evans said, "that this is an attempt to disgrace everything that true Christians consider to be pure and holy." FOR MORE INFORMATION: To see or sign the online petition, visit the Jerusalem Prayer Team's Web site.
http://jerusalemprayerteam.org/
U.S. Takes Back Authority Over Death Sentences For Aliens (Keith Peters, Citizen-Link) The Bush administration withdraws from international agreement regarding death sentences given to criminals who are not U.S. citizens. The Bush administration is withdrawing from an agreement that gives an international court jurisdiction over the United states in reviewing death sentences meted out to aliens.
National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day Is Coming (Wendy Cloyd, editorial coordinator-Focus On The Family) On April 26, youth across the nation will boldly declare their stand for the pre born by wearing pro-life t-shirts. Will you join them? The American Life League (ALL) will sponsor its third annual National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day on April 26. A recent Gallup polls show that 72 percent of America's youth identify themselves as pro-life. Ironically, though, that same age group is most at risk for having or encouraging an abortion. National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day is one way to get the message out. "We need to arm the young pro-lifers with the tools to educate their peers. Last year, 13,000 youth made a pledge online to take a stand on National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day, but thousands more participated — and this year the hope is for an even greater stand. TAKE ACTION/FOR MORE INFORMATION: If you and your family would like to participate in this effort, visit the American Life League's National Pro-Life T-Shirt Day site at their URL
http://www.nationalprolifetshirtday.com/
Infanticide On The Rise In The Netherlands
(Stuart Shepard, Family Focus) New report indicates doctors euthanize more babies than are officially recorded. A shocking report out of the Netherlands finds that for every newborn reported to be euthanized there, another five are killed off the record. Dutch doctors, in a New England Journal of Medicine report, acknowledge giving lethal injections to newborns - babies they say would have spent years in medical care. Rita Marker, executive director of the International Task Force on Euthanasia and Assisted Suicide, said special attention should be paid when those newborns are described as having "serious, incurable deformities." "Those words are chosen to strike a chord with the listener, she added, no doctor can accurately predict how long someone will live.”FBI Warns Of 'Special Interest' Aliens (Mark Sherman, Washington-AP) - FBI Director Robert Mueller told Congress on Tuesday that people from countries with ties to al-Qaida have crossed into the United States from Mexico, using false identities. "We are concerned, and Homeland Security is concerned about special interest aliens entering the United States," Mueller said, using a term for people from countries where al-Qaida is known to be active. Under persistent questioning from Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, Mueller said he was aware of one route that takes people to Brazil, where they assume false identities, and then to Mexico before crossing the U.S. border.
Israel Plans Strike On Iranian Nuclear Plant (Prophecy-Watch - Kade Hawkins) Israel has drawn up secret plans for a combined air and ground attack on targets in Iran if diplomacy fails to halt the Iranian nuclear program. The inner cabinet of Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, gave "initial authorization" for an attack at a private meeting last month on his ranch in the Negev desert. Israeli forces have used a mock-up of Iran's Natanz uranium enrichment plant in the desert to practice destroying it. The plans have been discussed with American officials who are said to have indicated provisionally that they would not stand in Israel's way if all international efforts to halt Iranian nuclear projects failed. Tehran claims that its program is designed for peaceful purposes but Israeli and American intelligence officials — who have met to share information in recent weeks — are convinced that it is intended to produce nuclear weapons..
Israel's military has also been preparing for the increasing prospect of a war with Syria in a confrontation expected to include Iran and Hizbullah. The General Staff has discussed an assessment by the military's Northern Command of an emerging threat from Syria and Hizbullah over the next year.
Christians Worldwide Pray For Suffering Burma (Gary Lane CWNews)
This week, Christians from 50 nations are joining in Global Prayer for the people of Burma. The Karen and Karenni peoples of Burma also known as Myanmar are refugees in their own country--forced from their homes by the brutal military dictatorship that runs the country. Karen and Karenni people number about 5-million and nearly half of them are Christian who love democracy. There are countless stories of death, and destruction. Some Burmese Christians can worship in a government church in Rangoon. other Burmese Christians don't have that freedom. officials have shut down independent churches, disallowing Churches construction, limiting Bibles and Christian literature. Public evangelism is also prohibited in Burma.U.S. To Move Consulate From East Jerusalem (Prophecy-Watch) The United States has quietly approved a plan to relocate its consulate from the eastern section of Jerusalem to a western Jerusalem neighborhood, with construction of the new facility already beginning and some in Israel worried the move may be related to the Jewish state withdrawing from eastern Jerusalem and giving the area to the Palestinians, WorldNetDaily has learned.
Howard Wilson
hwilson@texasmoralaction.org