Teens Want More Family Time (Citizen Link)

New survey finds most teenagers really do value their parents.

Today's teens want to be more challenged in school and would like to spend more time with their families, according to a new survey from the Horatio Alger Association.

The group, dedicated to educating America's youth about the free-enterprise system, surveyed more than 1,000 teens as part of its annual "State of Our Nation's Youth" report. The results—which also found most teens to be Internet-savvy and in love with their cell phones—seem surprising in light of the way the media portray young people as disinterested or dismissive of their parents.

"Family members count most," pollster Peter Hart told Family News in Focus. "Family members are indeed the role model for young people, and it's a fact that nobody should ever forget and nobody should feel they have grown less important."

Extracurricular activities, however, make spending time with family very difficult, according to 17-year-old Hollie Rice.

"I just think that even though kids say they want to be with their family," she said, "in reality there are a lot of times you are not going to get to spend with your family."

Hart said no matter how little time kids get to spend with their families, the power of parents as role models should never be underestimated.

"Just remember, they really look up to you and they recognize your importance," he said. "Indeed, what they tell us is, if they had only one wish, the wish for every kid, no matter what race, what gender or what community, is to spend more time with their family."

Planned Parenthood Supporters Identified (August 9, 2005 Family In Focus)
Pro-life group has compiled a boycott list of companies that give money to the abortion giant.

Pro-lifers who want to avoid patronizing businesses that give money to Planned Parenthood have a friend in Life Decisions International (LDI), which maintains a boycott list that tracks corporations that give money to the abortion giant.

LDI President Douglas R. Scott has been boycotting Planned Parenthood supporters for nearly 20 years.

"We have 116 corporations that have stopped giving to Planned Parenthood," he told Family News in Focus. "That has amounted over the past decade to 35 million dollars that Planned Parenthood is not receiving."

Companies still on the list of financial backers include Bank of America, Johnson & Johnson, the Walt Disney Co. and Levi Strauss. Scott said such corporations make up about a fourth of Planned Parenthood's annual income.

Jim Sedlak, executive director of the American Life League's STOPP International, said the boycott list is a good resource.

"We encourage everybody to follow their boycott list and to stop patronizing companies that support Planned Parenthood," he said. "We're also trying to get people motivated to cut off the taxpayer funding to Planned Parenthood. They actually get more from you and me, the taxpayers, then from corporations. Last year it was 265 million dollars."

Alabama Limits Eminent Domain (Donald Lambro-Washington Times)

Alabama on Aug. 3 became the first state to enact new protections against local-government seizure of property allowed under a Supreme Court ruling that has triggered an explosive grass-roots counteroffensive across the country.

Republican Gov. Bob Riley signed a bill that was passed unanimously by a special session of the Alabama Legislature, which would prohibit governments from using their eminent-domain authority to take privately owned properties for the purpose of turning them over to retail, industrial, office or residential developers.

Calling the high court’s June 23 ruling “misguided” and a “threat to all property owners,” Mr. Riley said, “A property rights revolt is sweeping the nation, and Alabama is leading it.”

The backlash against the judicial ruling has not received much attention in the national press, although legislative leaders in more than two dozen states have proposed statutes and/or state constitutional amendments to restrict local government’s eminent-domain powers.

Besides Alabama, legislation to ban or restrict the use of eminent domain for private development has been introduced in 16 states: California, Connecticut, Delaware, Florida, Illinois, Kentucky, Massachusetts, Michigan, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Tennessee and Texas.

Legislators have announced plans to introduce eminent-domain bills in seven more states: Alaska, Louisiana, Oklahoma, Ohio, South Dakota, South Carolina and Wisconsin, and lawmakers in Colorado, Georgia and Virginia plan to act on previously introduced bills.

In addition, public support is being sought for state constitutional prohibitions in several states — Alabama, California, Florida, Michigan, New Jersey and Texas.

Interior Patronage (Washington Update by Tony Perkins)

Two weeks ago I sent a letter to Secretary of the Interior Gale Norton asking for an explanation as to why her Department entered into an agreement with the National Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce (NGLCC) apparently giving "lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) owned businesses" preferential treatment. This agreement would allow LGBT businesses special access to over $2 billion in Interior contracts, money earmarked for "small and disadvantaged businesses."

Beyond the obvious question of whether LGBT businesses are actually "disadvantaged," there is no basis whatsoever in federal law for such special treatment by the Department of the Interior. I still have not heard from Secretary Norton, nor have I seen any indication that Robert W. Faithful IV, Director of the Office of Small and Disadvantaged Business Utilization has even been reprimanded for ignoring statutory law. It is not in the purview of political appointees and bureaucrats to make law. If Secretary Norton refuses to take action perhaps President Bush or Congress should.

Penn. Pastor Officiates Over Same-Sex 'Union' (Jim Brown Aug. 5, 2005-Agape Press)

A female minister in the Presbyterian Church (USA) is in hot water over her role in a supposed "marriage" ceremony involving two lesbians. It's a test case that will likely determine whether ministers in that denomination will be disciplined for officiating at same-sex "wedding" ceremonies.

A judicial complaint was recently filed against Dr. Janet Edwards for officiating at the wedding of two women in Pennsylvania. According to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, "Edwards officiated in a ceremony integrating the couple's Buddhist and Christian traditions." The PC (USA)'s Book of Order officially allows "blessing ceremonies" for homosexual couples unless they are specifically identified as "marriages" or "unions."

"I am seeing more and more of this," Williamson says, "that those who have slipped off into the orbit of homosexuality, bisexuality, all of these aberrations, [demonstrate that] there's a connection between these sexual sins and violations of the faith."

He contends the Pennsylvania case is further evidence of the denomination's spiritual decline. "Isn't it interesting," he wonders, "that these folks who are pushing so hard for the violation of our sexual ethics are also getting more deeply involved in these syncretistic religions that leave the orbit of Christian faith and tradition?"

UNREPORTED FOR 14 DAYS: AIR AMERICA TOOK ALMOST $900K IN LOANS FROM CHILDREN’S CHARITIES (L. Brent Bozell, President of the Media Research Center)

Same Media That Glorified Liberal Talk-Radio Network Ignore Scandal Surrounding Air America’s Chairman
  “All the media outlets that trumpeted and championed the launch of the liberal talk-radio network Air America are silent as it finds itself awash in a mushrooming scandal. The chairman of Air America, Evan Montvel Cohen, arranged for one of the loans when he was also the development director for the Gloria Wise Boys and Girls Club. Both the Boys and Girls club and another children’s charity, Pathways for Youth, have since gone bankrupt after loaning Air America close to $900,000.

“Where are the stories from NBC Nightly News, the Today show, ABC World News Tonight, National Public Radio, MSNBC, CNBC, the New York Times magazine, and the others who gave Air America many millions of dollars in free publicity when it premiered? This scandal was noted in the New York Daily News July 26th and they have yet to cover it.

“This is also the same media that not only glorified Air America, but who also have attacked conservative talk-radio time and again. The double standard is undeniable.

“These loans are under investigation by New York City authorities. If a conservative talk-radio network or high profile show were undergoing the same scrutiny for taking money intended for disadvantaged children, the story would be leading the networks and be front page news across the country.

“The media blackout of the Air America scandal will only further separate the establishment media from the public they claim to serve and, ironically, only turn more of the public toward conservative talk-radio to get news and information.”

SBC Official Takes Issue With Jimmy Carter's Comments (Allie Martin Aug. 9, Agape Press)

A leader in the Southern Baptist Convention says he is not surprised by recent remarks made by former President Jimmy Carter alleging the denomination discriminates against women.

Last week Carter addressed the annual meeting of the Baptist World Congress in England. The former chief executive said Southern Baptists and other conservative churches misuse scripture to deny women equal opportunities to serve as ministers, and suggested the Bible verses used to defend the different roles of men and women no longer apply.

"I would never claim that the scriptures are in error," Carter stated, "but it is necessary in some cases to assess the local circumstances that may have existed within a troubled early church." That is an argument some conservative Christians point out is used by liberals to defend such things as saying homosexuality is no longer a sin. Carter also criticized Christians in general for the "escalation of differences based on human differences."

Dr. Richard Land, president of the SBC's Ethics and Religious Liberty Commission, says Carter's comments are to be expected.

"It's some surprise when former President Carter gets something right, not when he gets something wrong," Land says. "We have a choice. We can either follow the spirit of the age and follow synchronizers and compromisers like Jimmy Carter -- or we can follow the Apostle Paul. And we'd rather have the approval of God and the Apostle Paul than Jimmy Carter."

Land referred to the New Testament books of 1 Timothy and Titus which spell out requirements for pastors and church leaders. He says the SBC follows those qualifications.

"We're going to go ahead and practice what the Bible teaches us and that is that," he says. "While God calls both men and women to service in the church, the office of pastor of a local church is reserved for qualified men."

While speaking at the Baptist World Conference, Carter also condemned the U.S. for going to war in Iraq, and charged that the U.S. detention of terrorist suspects in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, is an embarrassment and has given extremists an excuse to attack America.

FDA To announce Morning-After Pill Decision By The End Of August

WASHINGTON, August 9, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) – The US Food and Drug Administration said it would decide the fate of Barr Pharmaceuticals Plan B Abortifacient morning-after pill by month’s end.

The FDA denied Barr’s first attempt at over-the-counter approval last year, based on the “overwhelming recommendation of the agency's own scientific advisers,” according to a CNN report. In addition, the FDA expressed concern that Barr had not included any age restriction in the application. Their updated application requested that the drug be available OTC for girls aged 16 or over, while prescription-only status should be retained for girls under 16.

Experts argue that making the pills more accessible could lead to teens engaging in activities they might otherwise not do, based on the false sense of security inherent with availability of the pill.

Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah And al-Qaeda Join Forces (Agape Press)

A Pennsylvania congressman says Iran's radical Islamic leader has spent hundreds of millions of dollars to put together a coalition of terrorists who plan massive attacks against the United States -- and the Republican lawmaker says the U.S. had a close call in 2003.

Curt Weldon is a member of both the House Armed Services and House Homeland Security committees. He has learned that various terrorist groups -- including Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah, and al-Qaeda -- have come together to form one huge terrorist coalition.

"Iran and radical religious leader Ayatollah Khamenei have been funneling hundreds of millions of dollars into all of these organizations and establishing, for the first time, a coordinating agenda of planned attacks much like [what occurred in] London," Weldon explains.

That agenda, he says, includes the United States. "I don't have the details," he says, "[but] we do know they tried to fly a commercial plane into one of our nuclear reactors in '03. That was broken up by the Royal Canadian Mounted Police. That would have been a disaster that could have caused perhaps 300,000 to 3 million lives to be lost or impacted."

American Red Cross Fires Employee Refusing To Celebrate “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month”

(SAN DIEGO, (Aug. 5, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com)

A Christian employee working at the American Red Cross, after expressing his concerns to senior staff about an e-mail from the diversity office notifying him that June was “Gay and Lesbian Pride Month,” was fired from his job last month.

Concerned Women for America (CWFA) reported that Michael Hartman, who had worked at the Red Cross for eight months, received an e-mail in late May distributed by Chief Diversity Officer David Wilkins which declared, “It is my pleasure to announce that June will be recognized as Gay and Lesbian Pride Month at national headquarters . . .”

Hartman told CWFA that his immediate supervisor did not care that, as a Christian, Hartman was concerned; thereafter he voiced his consternation to senior officials. Hartman’s e-mail to senior management stated, “I would like to start by stating that I am a Christian not willing to compromise my beliefs to promote the agenda of the homosexual community. I would also like to say that I think it’s disgraceful that while most of us [at the Red Cross] are trying to save lives, a select few are using this organization to promote their own lifestyles which in my opinion are unacceptable.”

Hartman was immediately called into the regional office in Pomona, California, where he was reprimanded for the e-mail they deemed “not appropriate.” Hartman, who worked to promote and recruit for the Red Cross, felt convicted to pursue the matter further, deciding to contact the Southern California regional office by e-mail. In the e-mail, he compared how his superiors at Pomona had explained that they choose each month to celebrate some American minority group. “I’m still struggling to see a correlation between celebrating Great Americans and celebrating a sexual preference,” he said in his e-mail to the regional office. Hartman also suggested that the Red Cross honor its commitment to diversity by hosting a month to celebrate Christianity.

Portland Victim Of Coerced Abortion Settles Out Of Court

PORTLAND, August 9, 2005 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Four years ago, a fifteen year old girl was locked alone in a room, drugged and had her child aborted by a for-profit abortion mill in Portland Oregon where she went for information that she hoped would dissuade her boyfriend from wanting an abortion.

Felicia Bautista, now 19, has settled out of court in a lawsuit against the All Women's Health Services abortion facility. One of the complaints of the suit was that the facility failed to inform her on the increased risk of breast cancer after abortion. She said that she had not intended to have an abortion that day but signed the consent forms under the influence of the Valium administered to her without medical supervision.

Despite this, the lawsuit was about the lack of information she received before the surgical procedure. Dozens of studies have shown a sharp increase in the rate of breast cancer following induced abortion, and medical groups, including the Breast Cancer Prevention Institute, have acknowledged the link.

The abortion procedure itself is sometimes fatal to women undergoing it. In the US, the number of women killed or mutilated by abortionists often goes unreported.

Many pro-life groups have warned that the incidence of girls and women undergoing abortions against their will is not confined to the country of Communist China.

Jessica Rodgers, writing on the incident for the Statesman Journal, says, “As outrageous as it may seem, these facilities performing surgeries are not regulated in the same manner as any other medical office, and these clear violations of what ought to be basic patient rights are allowed to continue.”

Okla. Parents Group Wants Profane Public School Library Books Pulled

(Jim Brown August 4, 2005-AgapePress)

A group of Oklahoma parents is attempting to get objectionable books removed from school libraries statewide. Concerned mom Lynn Rahman began researching books in Tulsa school library collections and reading lists and found that many of the books contained emphases on homosexuality, sex, violence, drugs, and profanity.

After extending her probe statewide, Rahman says she encountered similar results. Now, along with other members of Oklahomans for School Accountability, she is alerting parents around the state to what kind of inappropriate material is in their children's school libraries. The effort is part of the group's ongoing campaign to get vulgar and profane library books removed from public schools across the state.

"The main objective is to let parents across the state know that these books are present in many schools," Rahman notes. Also, the parent-advocate says the group hopes to encourage other concerned parents to start challenging books they find objectionable. "That is our goal," she says. "All we want to do is provide the information, and they can always find it on our website."

The Oklahoma mom says she has done an extensive investigation into the sort of "egregious" content to be found in many of the books schools make available to youngsters to read there or check out and take home. Her survey revealed "books on homosexuality, books on rape, drugs, violence, foul language," she points out, "and most of them are fiction that I had found and that I have research on."

Rahman believes proponents of the controversial literature and those who defend its inclusion in school library collections are those who would like to indoctrinate young children with the belief that homosexuality is "natural and normal," among other false and unhealthy notions. She has written to state congressman Tad Jones, asking the lawmaker to bring the matter to the attention of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.

Pro-Life Attorneys Defend Parental Notification Law (Pete Winn, Citizen Link)

New Hampshire abortion case will set precedent for the nation.

The U.S. Supreme Court will hear its first case involving abortion in more than five years this fall. This week, pro-life attorneys were busy filing legal briefs in connection with the case — all seeking to defend New Hampshire's parental notification law.

The Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), the Christian Legal Society (CLS), the American Center for Law and Justice and a group associated with the National Right to Life Committee, among others, have all filed friend-of-the-court briefs in the case, Ayotte v. Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.

They did so, on behalf of groups ranging from the American Association of Pro-Life Obstetricians and Gynecologists, the Christian Medical Association, the Catholic Medical Association, the National Association of Evangelicals and Concerned Women for America.

In 2003, the New Hampshire Legislature passed the Parental Notification Prior to Abortion Act, requiring physicians to provide notice to a minor's parents at least 48 hours before performing an abortion. Doctors who fail to do so would face criminal penalties. The statute, however, exempts a physician from notifying a minor's parents if he certifies he must perform an abortion immediately to prevent the minor's death.

Shortly after it passed, Planned Parenthood of Northern New England filed suit. A federal district court sided with Planned Parenthood, faulting the law for not including a "health exception" which would waive parental notice whenever the alleged health of the minor was involved. That exception is widely interpreted to include "mental health," effectively nullifying such laws. The 1st U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the decision.

ADF and CLS are encouraging the court to completely reverse the 1st Circuit decision which found the act unconstitutional.

"Parental involvement in a teenager's situation is not only desirable but beneficial to the overall mental and physical health of the teenage mother," CLS Chief Litigation Counsel Steven H. Aden said.

Attorney James Bopp filed a brief on behalf of the Horatio Storer Foundation — a group associated with National Right to Life.

"Certainly, if a minor has a health problem," he said, "the parents should be the first ones that should know about it, rather than have a secret abortion because of that health concern."

Bopp's challenge focuses on a technical issue that has resulted in a lot of these suits, where abortion clinics and abortion doctors sue, claiming to represent the interests of women.

"We don't think that abortion clinics and doctors, who stand to benefit financially for every single abortion that occurs," Bopp said, "should be allowed in our federal courts to represent girls or women seeking abortions. We don't think they have their best interests in mind."

Mass. Dad's Parental Rights Fight And Pro-Homosexual Crowds Clash

(Jim Brown-Aug. 5, 2005-AgapePress)

A trial date has been set in the case of a Massachusetts parent who spent the night in jail after protesting the promotion of homosexuality in his son's kindergarten class. In September he is scheduled to appear before a jury to dispute a charge of criminal trespassing.

David Parker and his wife Tonia had asked for parental notification and the ability to "opt-out" when transgender and same-sex issues are broached to their son by authority figures at Estabrook School in Lexington. But in late April, when Parker vowed not to leave Estabrook's premises until his request was granted, school officials had him arrested for trespassing.

In addition to the criminal charge he is now facing, the concerned father is also fighting a decision by the state and the town of Lexington to bar him from all school property. As a result of the prohibition, he cannot set foot on school grounds anywhere in town without getting prior written permission from the superintendent of schools or a designee. This excludes him from school committee meetings, certain voting places, parent-teacher meetings -- not to mention picking his son up at school or participating in any of his son's school events.

"If this ever had a function, it certainly doesn't have a function now," Parker says. "And really, it's going to appear more and more that the Lexington administration are just being bullies in this and really hurtful." And maintaining the ban is entirely "at their discretion," he says. "This can be lifted at any time. This is not part of the arrest."

The Massachusetts father feels the school officials in Lexington have not been very tolerant or inclusive of his family. "They have convinced themselves with their own propaganda, in a way, that a safe and welcoming school equates: with exposing young children to these alternative lifestyles at the youngest age they can," he says.

U.S. Military English Language Requirement Is Under Fire (Townhall.com)

Retired Army colonel proposes that entrance exam be given in Spanish

A retired Army colonel is currently circulating a proposal that would strike down the military’s English language fluency requirement and permit Spanish speakers to take the entrance exam in Spanish. According to the Associated Press, retired Army Col. Michael F. Valdez is currently in contact with his Senators and officials at the Pentagon, hoping to have his home state of Oregon as a test location for the project.

“I am sure that Col. Valdez’s proposal is well meaning, but it is profoundly misguided,” said Mauro E. Mujica, Chairman of U.S. English, Inc. “In the armed forces, proficiency in English is not a requirement of convenience, but a necessity. Like in the operating room or in an airline cockpit, the battlefield is a location where issues involving a language barrier cannot be permitted.”

At the present time, the United States military entrance exam is given in English without exception. According to an Army public-affairs officer, the military tested a program a decade ago that allowed limited English proficient soldiers to enlist, but the experiment was cancelled due to lack of funds and time.

“Instead of diluting the pool of military applicants, our nation would be best served helping all immigrants, not just Spanish speakers, become productive citizens,” continued Mujica. “With an emphasis on English instead of multilingual government, we can ensure more productive citizens, higher revenues, and a stronger nation.”

Michael Schiavo: 'Distinguished Guardian Of The Year'

(Jeff Johnson Aug. 10, CNSNews.com)

The Florida State Guardianship Association has chosen Michael Schiavo as its "Distinguished Guardian of the Year" for 2005, outraging many in the pro-life community. Schiavo is the former husband of Terri Schiavo, the brain-injured Florida woman whose life ended March 31 by court-ordered dehydration at her husband's request.

While admitting that Schiavo was a "controversial choice," Michelle Kenney, president-elect of the association told the Associated Press that her group decided to bestow the honor on Schiavo because of his "commitment" to honoring what he claimed was his wife's wish "not to be kept alive artificially."

Accepting the award, Schiavo called himself, "not much of a speechmaker.

"I don't talk much," Schiavo said. "But on behalf of my wife Theresa, I thank you."

"Citing that he carried out his wife's wishes doesn't seem an adequate justification for awarding someone who has clearly failed to abide by the Florida statutes mandating the behavior of a guardian," "and who has clearly failed to meet [the] association's criteria for appropriate behavior as a guardian."

Medicaid Fraud The Apparent Price For Cutting Red Tape
(Alexa Moutevelis Aug. 10, CNSNews.com)

One of the most pressing issues related to the influx of illegal immigrants to the United States involves Medicaid fraud. In fact, the U.S. Justice Department reports that 47 states allow Medicaid applicants to vouch for their own legal U.S. citizenship when applying for the benefits and more than half of those states produce no follow up in trying to verify the self-declarations.

Jack Martin, special projects director for the Federation for American Immigration Reform (FAIR), told Cybercast News Service that this can lead to ineligible illegal immigrants abusing the system.

"It is idealistic to expect that our 11 to 12 million illegal aliens in the country who have lied or broken our laws to get into our country are not going to lie about U.S. citizenship in order to access this benefit," Martin said. He added that "there's basically no way to know" how many people are getting Medicaid illegally."

According to the report issued by the Justice Department's Office of the Inspector General, illegal immigrants have been encouraged to declare their citizenship status in order to simplify the Medicaid applications.

However, the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) insist that states have also been encouraged "to maintain program integrity by verifying the accuracy of citizenship statements." The new inspector general's report recommends stricter state procedures to confirm the citizenship of Medicaid applicants.

"Effective verification controls are necessary," but Martin wants the government to go further. "There needs to be targeted prosecution of those people who break the law by lying about U.S. citizenship in order to send a clear message that this isn’t an acceptable behavior.

"As far as I know there has not been any prosecution for anyone lying about U.S. citizenship in order to access Medicaid," Martin said.

Ninth Circuit Court Of Appeals Rejects Bid By Illegal Aliens To Overturn Arizona’s Proposition 200 (Fair.com)

Federal Court Dismisses Challenge on Grounds Illegal Aliens Lack Legal Standing

Washington, DC - In a major victory for the voters of Arizona and the integrity of the referendum process, the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals dismissed a lawsuit brought by illegal aliens in Arizona challenging the constitutionality of Proposition 200. The San Francisco-based court ruled that the plaintiffs lacked the “legal standing” necessary to challenge the initiative approved by Arizona voters in November 2004. 

Proposition 200 requires the state to verify the immigration status of people applying for benefits and services they are prohibited from receiving under federal law. In addition, the initiative requires that all people registering to vote prove that they are U.S. citizens, and present identification when casting their votes. 

“We are delighted the Ninth Circuit has rejected this blatant attempt to place the interests of illegal immigrants ahead of the democratic will of U.S. citizens in Arizona,” said Dan Stein, president of the Federation for American Immigration Reform.  “The question of legal standing has long been a barrier to American citizens seeking redress in the courts when their interests have been harmed by mass illegal immigration. It is reassuring that the Ninth Circuit recognized illegal immigrants, as a class, should not have any more rights than citizens do, as a class. We believe even if the court had granted standing to the illegal aliens challenging Proposition 200, it would have been upheld on constitutional grounds,” Stein added.

“We worked closely with local groups in Arizona because we believe what they have done there can be a model for citizen action all across the country,” said Stein.  “The Ninth Circuit’s decision will undoubtedly be a tremendous boost to that effort as Americans use the political process to force government to control illegal immigration and to protect their interests and resources.”

'Let's Take America Back!' (Aaron Atwood, Aug.10 2005 Citizen Link)

A featured speaker at this weekend's "Justice Sunday II," is:

Bishop Harry R. Jackson Jr., senior pastor of Hope Christian Church in Bowie, Md. He found himself in the media spotlight last fall as a registered Democrat publicly supporting President Bush's reelection.

He co-authored, with Christian pollster George Barna, the book "High-Impact African-American Churches" and is chairman of the High Impact Leadership Coalition.

He talked with Citizen Link recently about the importance of this weekend's "Justice Sunday II" simulcast, ‘designed to ensure a fair hearing for Judge John Roberts,’ President Bush's Supreme Court nominee.

The fate of traditional marriage, affirmative action, civil rights, educational choice, stem-cell research and the culture of life will all be decided by our highest courts.

America will either remain a Christian nation protected by laws based on morality or it will become more morally lawless than every before. Paul introduces a concept in the New Testament that suggests that there is a restraining hand of God at work in different seasons of the earth's life. During these seasons the depravity of mankind is kept in check by the power of the Holy Spirit.

I believe that our prayers and responses to the word of God can forestall a moral regression in our land while laying the foundation for revival and cultural reformation. The Supreme Court is the front line of the spiritual battle for the culture. We are not fighting with flesh and blood, but we must have a clear, unified strategy that affects the engines of U.S. government. We must follow the advice of Jesus to "be wise as serpents and harmless as doves."

Activist judges are a threat to religious freedom because they will be blown around by cultural winds. Let's contrast our system with the way Great Britain works today. Tony Blair will be passing new laws which will allow them to monitor what is being preached in mosques in the U.K. This is needed because several suicide bombers and terrorists have been closely associated with a particular mosque in the U.K. Unlike our nation, they cannot go back to a written First Amendment or clear Constitution that will frame their debate and their tradition. Activist judges threaten to throw us into an anything goes, chaotic system of law.

We will see many delay tactics and a lot of background checks to see if Roberts is squeaky clean. But make no mistake this season will witness the worst political dogfights of our life time. There is too much at stake for either party to sit quietly by and let things evolve on there own.

In addition, Christians in the media must avoid being stereotyped as mean-spirited Nazis. Our battle hymn needs to be about process, process process. It's not about Roe v Wade. It's not about gay marriage. It's about process. Let's remember that if we get the right process, we win the war. Let's be clear. Let's be strong. Let's be prayerful. Let's take America back!

On Justice Sunday II, I will call upon the two sleeping giants of America's culture—the black church and the white church—to move from individual impact to combined significance.

DON'T MISS 'JUSTICE SUNDAY II'

To find out how you (or your church) can be sure to see Bishop Jackson's speech—and those of Focus on the Family Action's Dr. James Dobson, Prison Fellowship's Chuck Colson, U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay and others—visit the 'Justice Sunday II' Web site.

Quoteworthy: "It is a sad day in our country when the moral foundation of our law and the acknowledgment of God have to be hidden from public view to appease a federal judge."---- Alabama's former Chief Justice Roy Moore

Judge Roy Moore to Speak in Longview Texas

Dr. Rick Scarborough: Founder and President of Vision America, invites you to join him for this exciting event.

Tuesday, August 23, 2005 Maude Cobb Convent on Activity Center – Longview, Texas

Featuring: Congressman Louie Gohmert 1st District of the State of Texas

6:00 PM VIP and Host Reception.

Featuring: Judge Roy Moore former Chief Justice of the Alabama Supreme Court

 7:00 PM Rally.

For information on how you and your church can be part of our host committee,

Please call toll-free 1-866-5CALLVA (522-5582)

Or email: jglover@visionamerca.us Visit our website at: www.visionamerca.us

Howard Wilson hwilson@texasmoralaction.org