Who will be next? (Family Research Council) The case of Terri Schiavo is not a right-to-die one, but one of rights for those who may be considered inconvenient, undesired, and flawed. A majority of disabled rights groups are involved in Terri's cause, because they realize that Terri was a human being like themselves, deserving of life. Some news reports would lead you to believe that Terri was in some sort of coma or, worse, brain dead, and feels no pain, this is also false. Before her slow and painful death sentence she was awake and aware. Even her doctors had her on a morphine drip to ease her pain!
Terri's estranged husband and the doctors, judges, and attorneys who have helped bring about Terri's declining condition probably miss the irony of giving painkillers to a woman who they claim felt nothing.
What's Wrong Here? (American Values-Gay Bauer) Some congressional liberals who, worried about "fallout" from the Schiavo case, are now eager for a broader debate on "end-of-life" issues. "Green" campaigner Ralph Nader is also upset by the Schiavo case, confessing to Bob Novak that "it is illegal to starve a dog to death but it is being done to Terri Schiavo." The latest example of a liberal "crossover" appears to be Jesse Jackson, who, according to press reports condemned Terri's treatment as an "injustice" and said that denying her food and water was "unnecessary." Suffice it to say I don't see Jackson as a moral authority, but it is interesting to see him rallying to this cause without an obvious political payoff.
The reality is that the courts aren't always right. In fact, they're frequently wrong. The courts once said that some men were property. The courts once told us "separate but equal" was law. The courts say it is "okay" to destroy an unborn baby seconds before birth. The courts are confused about the meaning of marriage. The courts tell us it is okay to burn the flag, but illegal to read the Ten Commandments on public property. Could the courts be wrong about Terri Schiavo? President Bush and Jesse Jackson, Tom DeLay and Ralph Nader now all agree that starving Terri Schiavo to death is wrong.
Quoteworthy--"What I think you're seeing now is a display where the judicial system is…flexing their muscles. They're showing who's in command of this country! We're not. The public is not, and the people you elect to Congress are not. The judges are. And woe to this country with those people in power. We have lost control." Robert Schindler, Terri Schiavo’s father.
Evangelicals lobby Congress on responsibility (Julia Duin WASHINGTON TIMES) America's top evangelical Christian organization last week released an ambitious plan to influence public policy, to be sent to every member of Congress. According to "For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility document," Christians have a duty "to help shape the actions of the world's lone superpower," especially in "this moment of opportunity" after the 2004 election.
The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) represents 30 million evangelicals in 45,000 churches. Seventy-eight percent of white evangelicals voted for President Bush in the past election. Evangelicals number about 65 million, or 23 percent of the U.S. population. Ron Sider, president of Evangelicals for Social Action said despite long-standing differences on political issues, "I believe it's possible for evangelical Christians to expand their agreement and enlarge their political impact," the rest of the world copies what happens in the US.
Syria, Hezbollah 'looking to attack Israel (Prophecy Watch) Jordan's king warned American Jewish officials; Syria and Hezbollah are planning terrorist attacks in Israel to distract international attention from the growing crisis in Lebanon, WorldNetDaily has learned. King Abdullah II told Jewish leaders he passed a message to prime minister Ariel Sharon that Syria and Hezbollah are seeking to step up attacks against Israel to deflect international opposition surrounding Damascus' occupation of Lebanon and opposition calls for an investigation into the assassination of former Prime Ministet Rafiq Hariri, for which Syria has been largely blamed. Abdullah said Israel should refrain from any immediate retaliation against Palestinian groups if there is indeed a terrorist attack since the likely source would be Syria and Hezbollah.
Bible Loses Three-To-Two (American Values By Gary Bauer) The Colorado Supreme Court, Monday in a 3-to-2 vote, tossed out the death sentence jurors gave to a convicted murderer. Why? The jurors consulted the Bible for moral guidance during their deliberations. Wait, it gets worse. In Colorado, jurors in death penalty cases are specifically told to make a moral judgment, but, the majority on the Colorado Supreme Court said the Bible was an improper outside influence and an "extraneous text."
The Bible is extraneous to making a moral judgment? In contrast, the two dissenting judges said the majority was confusing the Bible with outside influences, such as newspaper articles and television programs, which are normally to be avoided when a jury deliberates. Rather, they wrote, "The biblical passages the jurors discussed constituted either a part of the jurors' moral and religious precepts or their general knowledge, and thus were relevant to their court sanctioned moral assessment."
My friends, count this as yet one more example of a judicial elite that wants Christianity in the closet, while every other philosophy and lifestyle is invited out.
Jury Finds Constitution Violated (Free Market Foundation) Dallas- The federal jury in the civil rights trial, Karen Jo Barrow v. Greenville ISD, has just issued a unanimous verdict in favor of Mrs. Barrow; in the U.S. District for the Northern District of Texas. "The jury sent a strong message that this type of behavior is not permitted within school districts," finding the defendant, former Superintendent Dr. Herman Smith, guilty of violating the Constitution and Mrs. Barrow's parental rights and awarded her lost wages.
In addition, the jury also awarded punitive damages in order to punish and send a message to the former superintendent and superintendents across the country. The case originated when Mrs. Barrow was denied the opportunity to interview for a vice principal position within the Greenville ISD because she refused to remove her children from a private, Christian school.
Zambian President Accepts Christ, Baptized At Church (Prophecy Watch) The president of Zambia, in acknowledging his faith in Jesus Christ, recently was baptized in a public service, Southern Baptist missionaries report. A crowd clapped and cheered as President Levy Mwanawasa rose from the water in an outdoor baptistery behind a Baptist seminary chapel in Lusaka, Zambia's capital. The event drew hundreds of people, including public officials, leaders and pastors from the area and neighboring countries.
Muslim Prayers To Be Held In A Anglican Church (ProphecyWatch) A professor in the United States is set to become the first Muslim woman to lead a mixed group of men and women at traditional Friday prayers. Amina Wadud, professor of Islamic studies at Virginia Commonwealth University, will lead the service and give the sermon before noon prayers. The location was moved to an Anglican Church building in New York after mosques refused to host it.
Plans By U.S. To Dominate Space Raising Concerns (Walter Pincus Washington Post, Mar. 29, 2005) Arms Experts Worried at Pentagon Push for Superiority Arms control advocates in the United States and abroad are expressing concern with the Bush administration's push for military superiority in space. A series of Pentagon doctrinal papers, released over the past year, have emphasized that the U.S. military is increasingly dependent on space satellites for offensive and defensive operations, and must be able to protect them in times of war.
The Air Force in August put forward a Counterspace Operations Doctrine, which described "ways and means by which the Air Force achieves and maintains space superiority" and has worked to develop weapons to accomplish such missions. On March 1, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld signed a new National Defense Strategy paper that said the use of space "enables us to project power anywhere in the world from secure bases of operation." A key goal of Rumsfeld's new strategy is "to ensure our access to and use of space and to deny hostile exploitation of space to adversaries."
Religious Rights Groups Question China's 'Progress' (Gary Lane CWNews) – A proposal for multi-lateral talks with North Korea made headlines during Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's recent visit to China. But she caught the attention of human rights advocates with her remarks about religious freedom. Prior to her arrival in China, Rice urged the communist government to democratize and allow greater religious freedom for the Chinese people. From Tokyo, Rice said, "Religious liberties are not a threat to changing societies. Freedom of religion and respect for human rights are part of the foundation of decent and successful societies.
St. Petersburg Fla. 5-year old Cuffed After School Outburst (AP) A 5-year-old girl was arrested, after an outburst at school where she threw books and boxes, kicked a teacher in the shins, smashed a candy dish, hit an assistant principal in the stomach and drew on the walls. The students were counting jelly beans as part of a math exercise at Fairmount Park Elementary School when the little girl began acting silly. That's when her teacher took away her jelly beans, outraging the child. Minutes later, the 40-pound girl was in the back of a police cruiser, under arrest for battery. Her hands were bound with plastic ties, her ankles in handcuffs. "I don't want to go to jail," she said after her arrest. No charges were filed and the girl went home with her mother. Police say their actions were proper.
Buffett Attacks American Spending Junkies (Simon Bowers Mar. 7, 2005 Guardian, UK) Warren Buffett, one of the world's most successful investors, has launched his most withering attack to date on the US trade deficit, In his annual letter to investors in Berkshire Hathaway, the fund he has run for more than 30 years, Mr. Buffett painted a bleak picture of a future US in which ownership and wealth had continued to move overseas, leaving the economy in financial turmoil and political unrest.
He said the US trade deficit may be approaching crisis point in the last 10 years foreign powers and their citizens had accrued about $3 trillion worth of US debt and assets such as equities and real estate. At current rates, he predicted that in another 10 years' time the net ownership of the US by outsiders would amount to $11 trillion.
Gay Days At Walt Disney World “A Not So Family Affair “(Martin Mawyer Christian Action Network)
Disney World is getting ready to host it’s 15th annual “Gay days at Walt Disney World,” with the four day event (June 1-June 6) estimated to attract over 100,000 homosexuals to the theme park. "There's a perception by all of our stakeholders -- consumers, investors, employees, distributors and suppliers -- that the Company is rapacious, soul-less, and always looking for the 'quick buck' rather than the long-term value which is leading to a loss of public trust."---------Roy Disney in his letter of resignation to EX-Disney Chairman Michael Eisner.
State Governments Increasingly Regulate Church Potlucks (© 2005 Christianity Today) U.S. churches are facing more and more legal hurdles to holding potlucks. In Minnesota, potlucks are exempt from food safety inspections only if food is not prepared in the kitchen. In Wisconsin, a church that holds more than 12 public food events a year may be required to obtain a restaurant license. Indiana inadvertently banned potlucks this year when a 2001 law took effect requiring nonprofit groups to hire certified food handlers.
Illinois Gov. Rod Blagojevich eventually signed a new law exempting all potluck dinners from state and local health regulations, saying that potlucks "are a long-standing tradition that do not warrant government intrusion." But many states, as they pass broader food safety laws and regulations, unintentionally sweep up the humble church potluck in the dragnet.
Scottish Church Gives Backing To Gay Priests (prophecy Watch) The Scottish Episcopal Church has declared that being a practicing homosexual should be no bar to becoming a priest. The view differs from the Anglican Communion in other parts of the world, which is in turmoil over the consecration of gay US bishop Gene Robinson. The College of Bishops of the Scottish Episcopal Church said it had "never regarded the fact that someone was in a close relationship with a member of the same sex as in itself constituting a bar to the exercise of an ordained ministry."
Please Pray for all who knew and loved Terri Schaivo.
Howard Wilson
hwilson@texasmoralaction.org