Last Friday the Senate pulled the name of Brig. Gen. Johnny A. Weida from a promotions list before a Senate vote on military promotions. The move by an unnamed Senator raises further questions of religious intolerance at a time when some Democratic Senators would like to apply a religious litmus test to judicial nominees. General Weida is the number two officer at the Air Force Academy but came under fire earlier this year as a Christian who has been accused of proselytizing in memorandums and speeches. An Air Force spokeswoman confirmed to the New York Times that the Senate had pulled General Weida's name off the list. The Air Force inspector general's office cleared General Weida in June saying he did nothing wrong; however, someone in the Senate still saw fit to take it upon themselves to halt General Weida's promotion to major general. Congressional holds on military promotions are rare and whoever is responsible should come forth. No one should be punished for their faith.

BOSTON, Massachusetts, July 29, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – Hospitals in Massachusetts don’t know what to do with birth certificates that have the headings of "Mother" and "Father" on them. The state has legalized same-sex marriage and hospitals are seeking the nomenclature to refer to the logically confused parentage of children born into same-sex ‘families’. Governor Mitt Romney has vaguely advised hospitals to cross out one or the other and insert "Second Parent" but some clerks who register births are questioning the legality of such a procedure.

Gay ‘rights’ activists are asking that the state remove the words mother and father from the birth certificates and to replace them with Parent A and Parent B. "There should be no doubt in Massachusetts that Massachusetts records should accurately reflect the true nature of Massachusetts families and that includes same-sex couples," said Michele Granda, staff attorney for Gay and Lesbian Advocates and Defenders.

Governor Romney, however, who opposes same-sex marriage, gave voice the absurdity of the situation saying, "I'm opposed to taking the Massachusetts birth certificate and removing the term 'Mother' and 'Father' and substituting 'Parent A' and 'Parent B…Look, each child has a mother and a father. They should have the right to have that mother and father known to them and that's something I'd like to preserve on a birth certificate." "My view is that it's wrong on paper and it's wrong on fact. Every child deserves to have a mother and a father, and a birth certificate should reflect mothers and fathers," he said.

Recognizing that "counterfeit marriages" (such as civil partnerships) should not be equal to marriage, Anglican bishops have ruled that British same-sex couples who "marry" by way of civil partnership in England will not be able to have their unions blessed by Church of England clergy. Guidelines drawn up by the Church of England warn that in giving legal status to homosexual couples, the procedure may act to "erode the unique position" of marriage.

Unfortunately, in many countries including the U.S., too few politicians are willing to take the stand that the Church of England has taken and instead succumb to pressure from homosexual activists whose ultimate goal is eradication of traditional marriage. That is why it is more important than ever that we make our voices heard in the halls of government - to counter the efforts of those who would redefine the basis of society.

Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist has now publicly supported human embryonic stem cell research and expansion of President Bush's policy regarding funding of such research. The statement from someone who seeks the support of the pro-life community [and who once had Presidential aspirations] is very disappointing but not a surprise. It is reminiscent of the speech he gave to the 2004 Republican platform committee, where he squelched open debate on the ethics of embryonic stem cell research, as well as a 2001 Senate hearing testimony where he advocated production of hundreds of human embryonic stem cell lines which would have required destruction of thousands of human embryos. This reflects an unwise and unnecessary choice both for public policy and for respecting the dignity of human life.

Under the current policy, 22 human embryonic stem cell lines, and over 3500 vials of such cells, are available for research; 39 more lines wait in the freezer for researchers to use them, and there is no cap on the federal money available for this research. Yet after 24 years of work with mouse and human embryonic stem cells, this "promising" research has not delivered a single treatment for human patients. Meanwhile, thousands of patients are better TODAY after umbilical cord blood and adult stem cell treatments for at least 65 conditions. This includes over 200 heart patients, the results of which heart surgeon Dr. Frist should take notice. The current embryonic stem cell policy provides ample cells and funds for advocates to try to make their case, but does not encourage or reward further destruction of innocent human life. The real promise of adult stem cells, with real results for suffering human patients, is what needs more encouragement and funding. Senator Frist, please support good science, good ethics, and good public policy.

Justice Sunday II, "God Save the United States and This Honorable Court!" airs on August 14, 2005 at 7:00 ET. For more information or to sign up for the event, please click the link below www.justicesunday.com or call 800/225-4008 (toll free).

The second most powerful man in the U.S. House of Representatives has agreed to take part in Justice Sunday II on Aug. 14 in Nashville, Tenn.

Rep, Tom DeLay, R-Texas, the majority leader of the House, has been openly critical of the activist nature of the federal courts. That makes him a natural for the event, to be simulcast coast to coast, in which speakers ranging from Focus on the Family Action's Dr. James Dobson to former U.S. Sen. Zell Miller will discuss the need to end judicial tyranny.

DeLay, second only to Speaker of the House Dennis Hastert in his party's leadership, has been especially critical of certain members of the U.S. Supreme Court in recent months. He has been particularly critical of Justice Anthony Kennedy, along with outgoing Justice Sandra Day O'Connor an important swing vote DeLay believes has played an activist role in several decisions on important cases.

"Tom DeLay will be a great asset to the Justice Sunday simulcast," Family Research Council President Tony Perkins said, "because he has been outspoken on the need for judicial restraint and will help in painting the overall picture of why this is important to the American public."

Indeed, DeLay has called repeatedly for the House to try to hold the federal judiciary accountable for its decisions.

QUOTEWORTHY: --------------------"Without Freedom of Thought, there can be no such thing as wisdom; and no such thing as public liberty, without freedom of speech." -- Benjamin Franklin

Abortion rights for 10-year-olds is one goal of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA) and a radical Canadian lobbying organization called the Youth Coalition. The groups argue that abortion is a human right and a means to reducing poverty in Third World nations.

The UNFPA's report, entitled "The Case for Investing in Young People," calls for "reproductive rights" which is commonly interpreted as including abortion. Joseph D'Agostino, vice president of communications with the Population Research Institute, said the choice of the phrase is no accident. "They don't want to come out and say 'We want global right to abortion for everyone' because that would alienate too many people," he told Family News in Focus. "So instead they couch these things euphemistically."

But this time, the Youth Coalition has taken a more direct approach, demanding "legal status of safe abortion services." It declined to comment for this story, but D'Agostino said what the group is after is abortion on demand for the youngest members of society.

Once again the specter of religious bigotry rears its ugly head into the judicial confirmation process. Jonathan Turley, law professor at George Washington University, reported in an op- ed that Sen. Richard Durbin (D-IL) asked Judge John Roberts last week "what he would do if the law required a ruling that his church considers immoral?" The revelation of Senator Durbin's query comes on the heels of his weekend performance on "Meet the Press" where he said that a pro-life stance would "disqualify" Judge Roberts from serving on the Supreme Court. Though Judge Roberts is described as a practicing Catholic, Senator Durbin's litmus test would exclude any person of orthodox religious beliefs whether Christian, Jew, or Muslim. Repeatedly, judicial nominees have been blocked for 'deeply held beliefs' on moral issues.

Senator Durbin's questioning is clearly an attempt to place Judge Roberts in the position of choosing between his faith and the law. Article Six of the U.S. Constitution specifically states that, "...no religious test shall ever be required as a qualification to any office or public trust." The Constitution forbids the disqualification of judicial nominees on the basis of religious and moral convictions. Such tactics should be condemned by all sides.

The head of a pro-evolution think tank has issued a retraction for factual misstatements and false allegations she made in an article attacking a California man who wants the scientific weaknesses of Darwin's theory of evolution taught in public school science classes.

In her retraction, director Eugenie Scott of the National Center for Science Education (NCSE) conceded that she wrongly accused Roseville attorney Larry Caldwell of submitting two books on young-Earth creation to the local school board for adoption -- one of which was published by the Jehovah's Witnesses. Scott also admits to erroneously claiming that a science expert found Caldwell to have "a gross misunderstanding of the nature of science."

Scott's retraction comes after Caldwell filed a libel lawsuit against the director and against the NCSE over the recent article she wrote, which was published in California Wild: the Magazine of the California Academy of Sciences, and which contained the false statements at the heart of the lawsuit. Caldwell says he was gratified to learn that the California Academy of Sciences was willing to publish the retraction. He feels even pro-evolution scientists must realize that the integrity of their position is at stake when false allegations and misinformation take the place of fair, rational, and well-informed debate.

As the target of Scott's error-filled article, the California attorney says he hopes the settlement of his libel suit against her will change the way the pro-Darwin crowd approaches the controversy over evolution and science education. "When the Darwinists aren't sticking to the truth in public debates," he says, "it's causing people to start to question the claims they're making about evolution in the classroom."

The exchange during CNN's "Inside Edition" came during a discussion of Florida’s Senate campaign. A CNN spokeswoman, Edie Emery, called Novak's behavior "inexcusable and unacceptable." Novak has apologized to CNN, and CNN apologizes to viewers, she said.

"We've asked Mr. Novak to take some time off," she said.

Free Market Foundation was one of the many pro-life groups around the state to sign onto the Texans for Ethical Research letter. The letter was in reference to H.B. 6, which authorizes various public university systems to issue bonds to fund research facilities. Currently, the bill does not specify which type of biomedical research facilities the state will fund, leaving it open to destructive research on human embryos. The letter urges elected officials to support an amendment to exclude state funding for embryonic stem cell research.

After last week's decision in the Texas Senate to start from scratch on education reform and school finance, Senator Florence Shapiro (R-Plano) authored a new bill, S.B. 8.

This bill would give incremental teacher pay raises, provide spending accountability, invoke the 65 percent rule and fund textbooks. However, the bill does not provide as much property tax relief as the original bill promised. Experts say this bill does not give either side of the debate everything it asked for, but is a fair compromise to pass through the legislature. Skeptics are stating that Senator Shapiro's bill is too watered down, providing no true reform measures.

Carole Keeton Strayhorn, who is running opposite incumbent Governor Rick Perry in the Republican gubernatorial Primary Election, is receiving criticism for reportedly receiving more than $800,000 of funding from many of the Democratic Party's biggest contributors. Sources say it was a necessary step in order to match Gov. Perry's $8 million campaign account. However, critics are worried this may hurt her reputation with republicans in the state.

Growing Number Of Problem Gamblers Seek Help (Citizen Link)

Across the country gambling support groups are reporting a staggering increase in cries for help from problem gamblers. It's an expected byproduct of the escalation of gambling in America.

Problem gambling can be characterized by a need to bet more money, more frequently, and irritability when attempting to stop. The behavior continues in spite of mounting and negative consequences.

Iowa's 1-800-BETS-OFF helpline recorded a 43 percent increase in calls since last year. Frank Biagioli, executive officer of the Iowa Gambling Treatment Program, said all they had to do was tell people they were in business.

"One of the reasons the calls have increased so much is funding," he told Family News in Focus. "We were able to increase our public awareness efforts, especially on television."

Nationwide, calls for help have increased by about 25 percent. Keith Whyte, executive director of the National Council on Problem Gambling, said that's just the tip of the iceberg.

"The number of people calling this helpline is still nowhere near the number of people that have gambling problems," he said fueling this increase: Are slick ads depicting people winning lots of cash.

"That glamorization is not accompanied by any responsible messaging," Whyte said. "The gambling industry spends such a vast amount of money advertising (compared to) the miniscule budgets we have for public awareness. It's really hard to get that responsible message out."

Tom Tucker, president of the Compulsive Gambling Institute, says it's the age-old problem of states enjoying the revenues, while ignoring the side effects.

"You're always going to spend more out in social and economic costs than you're going to receive from any income coming in from the gaming industry," he said.

What's so bad about playing the slots? Or just a little casino poker? Gifted speaker John Eldredge shares the truth: that this growing national addiction is more than meets the eye, if you'll look past the media varnish to the tarnish. The fact is, more than five million Americans suffer from pathological gambling addiction and millions more are at risk.

Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney returned early from vacation to veto legislation that would greatly expand access to the controversial "morning after pill." In an op-ed explaining his veto Governor Romney explained that "this particular bill does not require parental consent even for young teenagers.

It disregards not only the seriousness of abortion but the importance of parental involvement and so would weaken a protection I am committed to uphold."

The Republican Governor in a heavy Democratic state goes on to lament the Roe v. Wade decision as destruction of states' prerogatives and a judicial mandate contrary to the U.S. Constitution. I agree with Governor Romney and applaud his veto. The Democratic Massachusetts legislature has enough votes to override the Governor's veto but Romney's action sends a strong message. Governor Romney deserves praise for standing up to principles and sticking up for parents, children and the unborn.

Washington, D.C.) With the Bush Administration's scheme to grant amnesty to millions of illegal aliens and open the borders to millions of additional guest workers failing to gain traction in Congress or with the American public, the White House recently revealed it is turning to special interest groups to pull the wool over our eyes. Known as Americans for Border and Economic Security, the coalition will consist of ethnic and business interest groups prepared to kick in as much as a quarter of a million dollars each for deceptive ad campaigns selling amnesty for illegal aliens and the admission of unlimited numbers of new guest workers.

The Bush Administration intends to satisfy the demands of some business interests to gain legal access to low wage foreign workers and to appeal politically to Hispanic voters. In an attempt to overcome staunch public opposition to the president's plan, the goal of the coalition will be to sell the plan as a solution to mass illegal immigration.

"A more accurate name for this association of special interest high-rollers would be the Coalition to Destroy the American Middle Class," said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR). "It is a blatant attempt to convince America's embattled middle class that they will be better off if employers can legally bring millions of foreign workers to this country.

"Mass illegal immigration is certainly a problem, but the solution is not amnesty and guest worker programs," Stein continued. "Whether these millions of people enter legally or illegally, the impact on American workers and the nation's vital social institutions is exactly the same."

When the "coalition of the willing" freed the Iraqi people from Saddam Hussein's despotic regime, it was with hopes that the new Iraqi government would be democratic and serve as a role model for other oppressed peoples in the Middle East. Unfortunately, as the Iraqi Constitution is being written, the primary drafts severely curtail Iraqi women's rights and freedom of religion. Several minority religious groups within Iraq, such as Bahais and evangelical Christians, would, at best, become second- or third-class citizens.
James Madison, who wrote the First Amendment in the U.S. Constitution guaranteeing religious freedom, opined on the importance of religious freedom to a successful nation. In 1820, Madison wrote, "Equal laws, protecting equal rights, are found, as they ought to be, the best guarantee of loyalty and love of country, as well as best calculated to cherish that mutual respect and good will among citizens of every religious denomination which are necessary to social harmony." President Bush should ensure that the liberties for which American men and women are sacrificing their lives in Iraq include freedom of religion and the rights of women.

The timing of Senator Bill Frist's (R-TN) contradictory speech last week in support of embryonic stem cell could not have been more "out of joint." In the time surrounding Senator Frist's statement there has been extraordinary news on ethical adult stem cell research - while embryonic stem cell research continues to show little advancement. Just yesterday it was reported in Korea that a team of scientists has developed a breakthrough technology to heal burn victims by transplanting skin cells enriched from the patients' own stem cells. Also yesterday ABC News reported that doctors at Chicago's Northwestern Memorial Hospital have started injecting adult stem cells into the leg to grow new arteries, helping at least one patient avoid amputation. In addition, researchers with Cardiac Stem Cell Therapies at The McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine are using high concentrations of these cells to actually build new arteries in adult patients.

The usual suspects are emerging to attack President Bush for a comment he made in response to a reporter's question Monday, saying that "part of education is to expose people to different schools of thought." The President's comments would appear to be unassailable--perhaps even "liberal" in its tolerance for diversity. Apparently, such liberal values become inoperative when one subject comes up--public school science classes on the origin of life. In saying that local school districts should be free to mention the theory of "intelligent design," Bush committed the ultimate heresy for the new dogmatists of American education--those who favor censoring alternatives to the theory of evolution.

"Intelligent design" is not "creationism," which relies on the biblical account of creation. It is merely a modest recognition that the diversity and complexity of life on earth are statistically unlikely to have arisen merely from processes of random chance (i.e., to put it another way, that the universe shows more organizational complexity than a Vege-o-matic). But local school districts that mention "intelligent design" have been hauled into court, and activist judges in some cases have struck down such policies as an "establishment of religion." Such efforts to exclude not only God, but even the possibility that a Creator exists, will only stop when judges who respect both democracy and the written Constitution sit on the bench.

The number of Christians in China may outnumber the number of members of the Communist Party by as many as 30 million, The London Telegraph reported today.

Christianity has an estimated following of 100 million "underground church" members -- a number growing steadily as converts move away from the strict ideology of the

Communist Party toward a free-market society.

The Shin Bet (Israeli Security Agency) is investigating reports that al-Qaida has successfully set up a Palestinian affiliate in Gaza known as the Jihad Brigades of the Border Country, sources said. 

The brigade members shown wearing masks on a videotape aired on Channel 2 Tuesday night claimed cell members were responsible for firing mortars at Neveh Dekalim in Gush Katif over the weekend. They warned Israel and nonbelievers to beware. The report claimed that details of the Gaza cell were first reported on an Internet site. 

The sources said they could not rule out the possibility that al-Qaida had penetrated Palestinian Authority-controlled areas, but said they were unable to verify the television report. 

On July 24, Danny Arditi, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's top counterterrorism adviser, told Army Radio that Jerusalem had not received any information on plans by al-Qaida to attack Israel. He noted, however, that Israel is slowly coming into its sights. "They are getting closer, but they are not yet close," he said. 

In May, PA officials told The Jerusalem Post that a new terrorist group linked to al-Qaida had started operating in the Gaza Strip. The group was called Allah's Brigades and consisted of former Hamas and Islamic Jihad members. The PA officials said it launched its first attack on soldiers near Rafah, wounding four. 

Last November, Jamal Abdel al-Aqel, a Palestinian with Canadian citizenship, was sentenced to four years in prison by the Erez military court for planning to target a senior Israeli government official and members of the American and Canadian Jewish communities. 

His arrest generated headlines as it was the first time that Hamas had resorted to using al-Qaida-like tactics, plotting attacks against Israelis and Jews. Had the attacks occurred, every

effort was to be made to erase any traces linking them to Hamas, which planned to claim responsibility in the name of al-Qaida. 

In April 2004, Zacharia Zubeidi, leader of the Aksa Martyrs Brigades in Jenin, claimed that al-Qaida elements were seeking to carve out a bridgehead in the West Bank and Gaza Strip by exploiting the anarchy in the PA.

Poll: Americans Strongly Support Limits On Abortion (Agape Press)

A new poll indicates that the majority of Americans strongly support placing limits on abortion and helping women and teenagers facing an unwanted pregnancy.

In the survey conducted by Quinnipiac University Polling Institute, about 70 percent of the respondents said they favored a 24-hour waiting period for women seeking an abortion before the procedure could take place. Only 24 percent of those polled opposed the waiting period idea, which is usually included in Right to Know legislation designed to make sure women are told about abortion's risks and alternatives.

The Quinnipiac poll also found that 74 percent of Americans favor requiring abortion businesses to notify parents before a minor can undergo an abortion, with only 21 percent opposing parental notification.

Furthermore, the poll revealed that 76 percent of the public believe partial-birth abortions should be illegal except as necessary to save the life of the mother. Only 15 percent of the respondents supported the controversial procedure, which the U.S. Supreme Court will soon be addressing as it considers the constitutionality of a federal partial-birth abortion ban that President Bush signed into law.

Sudan: Crisis Consulting Group Issues Special Advisory (Religion Journal)

Crisis Consulting International (CCI) has issued a Special Advisory to alert missionaries and mission agencies to an increased risk of civil unrest with the potential for civil war in Sudan.

Following the recent death of Vice President John Garang in a helicopter accident, violence has broken out in the streets between those from the north and those from the south. News reports and communications from reliable Nationals indicate that Khartoum, Omdurman and Juba have experienced varying levels of violence, making it unsafe to go out into the streets in parts of those cities.

Since Sudan has a long history of tensions between the north and the south, CCI believes there is potential for the violence to further escalate into civil war.
CCI recommends that faith-based organizations with operations and/or staff in Sudan carefully assess their current security situation, and be immediately prepared to take appropriate contingency actions. (CCI says one religious organization has asked all personnel to leave the country as soon as exit visas can be obtained.)

Victory For The Boy Scouts, Defeat For The ACLU     (8/2/2005 By Amelia Wigton)

The legal bullies at the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) sustained a substantial loss with the Senate's passage this week, by a 95-0 vote, of the Support Our Scouts Act of 2005.

The Act, which is an amendment to the Department of Defense authorization bill, is expected to pass in the House.

"It's about time Congress stepped in to protect the Scouts from the ravenous wolves of the ACLU and the other Scout haters," said Robert Knight, director of Concerned Women for America's (CWA's) Culture & Family Institute, who is himself an Eagle Scout. "For too long, the Boy Scouts have been treated like criminals instead of the irreplaceable, character-building outfit they are.

Anyone who has paid the least bit of attention to politics over the last 40 years knows that the diatribes by liberal media pundits are sheer hypocrisy.

Conservative columnist Don Feder, who is Jewish, remarks, "When any other group (environmentalists, feminists, peace activists) organizes to effect political change through education, lobbying, and get-out-the-vote efforts, it's called ... democracy. When Christians (as Christians) try to exercise their right as citizens, it's called sinister, an attempted hijacking of the political process -- theocracy! However, a politically active Christian community in the U.S. is not simply a matter of choice any longer, but of necessity.

Writing for the conservative National Review Online, contributing editor Stanley Kurtz, who identifies himself as a "secular American," said, "Given the way they're being treated in the culture at large, they'd be fools not to protect themselves by turning to politics. Yet traditional Christians are playing defense, not offense. Harper's magazine speaks of a 'new militant Christianity.' But if Christians are increasingly bold and political, they've been forced into that mode by 40 years of revolutionary social reforms."

Still, what is driving the sheer hysterical anger of the liberal media concerning conservative Christianity? Feder said that "the Left has come to see evangelical Christians as the principal obstacle to the realization of its social agenda, hence the embodiment of evil. Correspondingly, attacks on 'fundamentalists' have grown increasingly shrill."

In other words, Christianity is the main competitor to the liberal dream of a secular paradise. Who else would radical leftists harangue against, if not the opposition?

It is one thing for Christian ideals to be on the opposite end of the spectrum from secular liberalism -- that is, a competitive idea only in the abstract. But conservative Christians are not just more involved, they're becoming more successful in competing with secularists.

Thomas noted, "This isn't really about religion. It's about results. Liberals fear their earthly power is slipping away. They are less able to impose a secular leftist worldview on the country."

For the sake of the generations to come, Christians must continue to resist the secularization of America, for the result would be no paradise, but a spiritual disaster.

To be successful in the political realm, however, Christians must be equally willing to take the heat, and to shrug off the rabid attacks of the media babblers who see Christians as the enemy.

QUOTEWORTHY: -------------------- "Our contest is not only whether we ourselves shall be free, but whether there shall be left to mankind an asylum on earth for civil and religious liberty." -- Samuel Adams, 1776