BMAT
Moral Action Committee
Watchman Report
#62 - 12/16/2005BMAT
Moral Action Committee
Watchman Report
#62 - 12/16/2005
Click on an article to view OR scroll through the document:
CWA Updates Naughty and Nice Store List
1. National Project Calling for the Display of Crèches on Private Property Gains Momentum
2. Everything you wanted to know about: Christmas in the Public Square and Schools
3. Religious McDonald's Sign Draws Attention in Raleigh
4. Department Stores Cave-in to Overwhelming Pressure by American People to use Merry Christmas
5. Christmas According to Marx and Lenin, by Ronald Reagan
6. Nation Wide Telephone Prayer Conference to all States across America Daily
7. Sooner State Petition Drive Aims to Protect Private Property from seizure
8. Progressive Insurance Company Chairman Gives $8.5 Million to ACLU
9. Liberals' Use of Words Effective Tool in Promoting Radical Ideologies
10. The Coming U.S. Revolution?
11. Christian Defense Coalition Calls for the Senate to Block Passage of the Patriot Act Renewal
13. Government Agencies are Teaching Children Religious Bias and Anti Christ Theology
14. The Criminal Negligence of Planned Parenthood
15. Idaho Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Voter Initiative on Ten Commandments Monument
16. The New York Supreme Court of Appeals says No to Homosexual Marriage
17. University Drops Charges against Student for Opposition to Homosexuality
18. US Court Reverses Ruling Against Law Banning Extreme Pornography
19. Texas ranks 40th among the states in funding tobacco prevention programs
20. Pending Alabama House Bill Seeks to Unlawfully Promote Questionable Bible Curriculum
21. Illinois State Government dispensing Political Decisions about Abortifacient Drugs
22. Terri Schiavo's Grave Marker a Reprehensible and Repugnant Act
23. U.S. Losing Control of Internet to UN tax magnet
24. Air Force Will Guard Cyberspace
25. Iranian President Wants Israel Moved to Europe
26. Peace at Any Cost? A Headlong rush to Divide Israel
CWA Updates Naughty and Nice Store List
NICE: Macy's, Chick-fil-A, Kroger, IHOP, Saks Off Fifth Avenue, Kay Jewelers, Capital One, Hobby Lobby, In-N-Out Burger, Sears, Dillard's, Radio Shack, Bath & Body Works, Hallmark, Lord & Taylor, Overstock.com
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SOMEWHAT NICE, SOME WHAT NAUGHTY: Walgreens, Wal-Mart, L.L. Bean, Lowe's, Target
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SCROOGES: Office Max, Kmart, Staples, Home Depot, Best Buy, SC Johnson, Verizon, Zales, Outback, Lexus, Old Navy, Cingular, Reckitt Benckiser, Pier 1, Red Lobster, Office Depot, Gillette, Applebee's, Burlington Coat, Dell, Milton-Bradley, U.S. Postal Service, Costco, BJ's
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National Project Calling for the Display of Crèches on Private Property Gains Momentum
Dec. 14 2005 Christian Wire Service
Photo: Near life-sized nativity scene in front of the Honorable William J. Ostrowski House--located immediately across a small side street from the US Supreme Court
WASHINGTON, Operation Nativity, launched in October, a national project calling for the display of crèches on private property continues to gain momentum across the country and even internationally according to Dr. Charles Nestor, Director of The Truth Matters.
Nestor commended Pope Benedict XVI who this week in a Vatican statement said, "The custom of putting up Nativity scenes in the home is a simple and effective way of bringing back the real meaning of Christmas."
The Pope further stated, "In modern society, this time of year unfortunately suffers a type of commercial 'pollution' that risks altering its authentic spirit, which is characterized by reflection, solemnity and a joy that is not external but personal."
Nestor reported that "Operation Nativity" has also arrived on Capitol Hill. The Truth Matters in partnership with the National Clergy Council, Faith and Action, and the Christian Defense Coalition dedicated a near life-sized nativity scene in front of the Honorable William J. Ostrowski House, a clergy residence and hospitality center located immediately across a small side street from the US Supreme Court.
This is the only nativity on Capitol Hill and can be viewed directly from the justices' chambers.
Nestor indicated that there has been enthusiastic support across the country because "people feel empowered to do something to express their support of the true meaning of Christmas in the face of growing secularization and opposition from anti-Christian elements in America."The only opposition has come from overly zealous home owner associations, seeking to keep decorations in their communities free of religious symbols. These isolated cases have been successfully resisted Nestor said. The Truth Matters has also supported the placing of religious symbols in the public square. Contact: Dr. Charles Nestor, director of The Truth Matters, 863-698-2270, contact@thetruthmatters.com
Everything you wanted to know about: Christmas in the Public Square and Schools
December 16 2005 Christian Law Association
Religious displays may be included in Christmas decorations in the public square in two ways:
(1) Official government displays may include religious symbols along with secular themes of Christmas. This is true for decorations in the town square as well as in public schools and libraries.
Religious symbols such as a crèche or nativity scene may be displayed in the town square or in the local public school or library without offending the Constitution as long as the display includes secular as well as religious symbols.
The Supreme Court reaffirmed as recently as 2005 that…
[w]hen the state encourages religious instruction or cooperates with religious authorities by adjusting the schedule of public events to sectarian needs; it follows the best of our traditions. For it then respects the religious nature of our people and accommodates the public service to their spiritual needs. To hold that it may not would be to find in the Constitution a requirement that the government show a callous indifference to religious groups ... [W]e find no constitutional requirement which makes it necessary for government to be hostile to religion and to throw its weight against efforts to widen the effective scope of religious influence. (Van Orden v. Perry)
(2) Government officials may permit private citizens to place religious displays on public property.
Instead of setting up Christmas displays themselves, government officials may choose to permit private citizens to use the public square or public park for this purpose. While our Constitution does not permit the government to establish any one state religion to which everyone must subscribe, neither does the Constitution permit government officials to silence private religious speech, even in public.
The United States Supreme Court has said in one important decision in 1995:
Our precedent establishes that private religious speech, far from being a First Amendment orphan, is as fully protected under the Free Speech Clause as secular private expression. . . . Indeed, in Anglo-American history, at least, government suppression of speech has so commonly been directed precisely at religious speech that a free-speech clause without religion would be Hamlet without the prince. (Capitol Square Review and Advisory Bd. v. Pinette)
Since the U.S. Supreme Court has always recognized the difference between official government speech and purely private speech by citizens, there is no need to "balance" private Christmas displays with both religious and secular symbols. So long as it is clear that a display has been placed by private individuals on government property, the display may be entirely religious. If the government wants to, it can post a "disclaimer" noting that the display has been placed by private citizens and not by the government, but the government cannot outlaw such private displays on public property.
Christmas in the
Public SchoolAnother favorite place, the legal "grinches" have attacked during the recent years has been the public school. Here again, students and teachers have determined not to be intimidated this year.
Historically, teachers across America have decorated their classrooms for Christmas without fear of intimidation or of being hauled into court. Schools believed it was important for children to understand this almost universally celebrated American holiday. But in recent years, secular legal groups have attempted to wage a campaign of disinformation to keep the holiday hidden. Secular attorneys have gone so far as to threaten schools with lawsuits for even acknowledging the existence of Christmas.
These threats are real because if schools were to lose in court, the taxpayers would be required to pay not only for their own legal expenses, but also for the legal expenses and fees of the legal "grinches" if they won in court. That threat is still out there. Therefore, it is important for schools to have specific legal advice for every situation—something CLA attorneys are privileged to provide free of charge.
Fortunately, the threats are less intimidating this year as schools are becoming more educated about what the law really says. Here are some of the myths that have been spread instead of Christmas cheer and the actual legal principles that control them.
Myth:
A teacher may not display any religious symbol in a public school.Legal Principle: Government displays, which include displays in public schools and libraries, may include religious along with secular symbols.
Myth
: Students and teachers cannot sing Christmas carols in school classrooms or school concerts.Legal Principle: Christmas carols may be sung in public school concerts and classrooms without offending the Constitution as long as the concert includes other secular songs.
Myth
: Teachers may not teach about the religious origins of Christmas in the classroom or read the nativity story from the Bible.Legal Principle: Teachers may recognize and teach the origins of the cultural and religious holidays of all faiths, and should particularly focus on the various faith expressions of students who are present in the classroom.
Myth
: Public schools must call their winter break a Winter Holiday instead of Christmas.Legal Principle: Schools may refer to the school break in December as "Christmas Vacation" both in class and on school district calendars without offending the Constitution. The Supreme Court has acknowledged with approval the fact that the United States government and all state governments have long recognized Christmas as a national cultural and traditional holiday—most recently in 5 U.S.C. § 6103(a) (2005).
Myth
: School districts should prohibit teachers and students from saying "Merry Christmas."Legal Principle: The U.S. Supreme Court has said that neither teachers nor students "shed their constitutional rights to freedom of speech or expression at the schoolhouse gate." Teachers and students may greet each other with the words "Merry Christmas," since that phrase is a simple greeting used by all Americans at this time of year, whatever their religious beliefs might be.
Myth
: Students may not give other students presents or cards with religious symbols.Legal Principle: The Constitution requires the government to accommodate all religions, not merely to tolerate them, and certainly not to show hostility towards them. Students have a free speech right to give whatever gifts they choose to others, even when those gifts are religious.
CLA has published a book called Keeping Christ in Christmas that includes more extensive case law, citations, and specific legal situations regarding these legal issues. Also, our CLA attorneys are only a phone call away for anyone who has a specific question about celebrating Christmas at school or in their community. We are honored to provide this legal advice free of charge because every Christmas situation is different and must be legally evaluated on its own terms.
Most importantly, we all need to remember that this is not the year to be shy about the origins of Christmas. This is the year to boldly confront the legal "grinches" and overwhelm them with good cheer. We must always remember that our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, is the Reason for the season.
Merry Christmas!
Religious McDonald's Sign Draws Attention in Raleigh
December 14, 2005 WRAL.Com
Woman Asks Restaurant To Remove Sign, 'Jesus Is The Reason For The Season'
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Everyone celebrates religion and holidays in their own individual ways, but currently there are questions about whether the two should be more connected. One of the latest places involved in the controversy is a McDonald's restaurant in Raleigh.
The sign at McDonald's on the corner of Falls of Neuse and Spring Forest Road reads: "Merry Christmas, Jesus is the Reason for the Season." It is a holiday message that Amanda Alpert thinks comes on a little too strongly.
"It offends me because it specifically talks about Jesus, Merry Christmas. It doesn't give credit to anyone else," Alpert said.
Alpert called the McDonald's corporate office in Atlanta and requested that the sign be changed to the politically correct Happy Holidays. The response was the owner has the right to do what she wants with the sign. "I care because I'm Jewish, and the reason for the season is upsetting to me," Alpert said.
McDonald's managers say the sign has been good for business. They say church groups have stopped by to eat, and some people who usually don't eat food from McDonald's have stopped by because of the sign.
It's a debate that's struck a chord nationally and locally. The White House Christmas card surprised some with its "Happy Holiday Season" message. A proposed nativity scene in Raleigh recently drew a crowd at council chambers.
WRAL did an online survey and ask: Should businesses or restaurants be allowed to display religious messages? 97% said yes, 2% said no and 1% was undecided.
Department Stores Cave-in to Overwhelming Pressure by American People to use Merry Christmas
Dec. 9 2005 Christian Coalition of America
Department Stores (Sears, Target) Cave-in to Overwhelming Pressure by American People and Begin To Use "Merry Christmas" in Their Advertisements/COSTCO Stubbornly Refuses to Acknowledge Christmas
Department stores such as Macys and Federated stores began the Christmas season by using "Merry Christmas" in their advertisements, unlike the majority of department stores in America which are using the secular greeting "Happy Holidays" and other mundane descriptions in their advertisements. Recently, as a result of overwhelming pressure from the American people, such stores as Sears and Target have finally agreed to use the greeting "Merry Christmas" and "Christmas Sales" in their advertisements. Thus far COSTCO has refused to acknowledge Christmas in their advertisements and in their stores.Incredibly, at the beginning of this Christmas season, Target spokeswoman Carolyn Brookter said, "Our focus and our marketing theme is actually called 'Gather Round'". After huge protests against Target stores which kicked out the Salvation Army from in front of their stores beginning last year, Target has changed its tune and now will celebrate Christmas. Sears meanwhile announced that it has added "Merry Christmas" signs to the front entrances of all its stores nationwide. Other stores changing their minds -- who are now celebrating Christmas after huge protests by Christians -- are Walgreen’s and Kohl's department stores.
Christmas According to Marx and Lenin, by Ronald Reagan
Dec. 15 2005 Liberty Council
Between his campaign against President Gerald Ford in 1975-76 and his race against Jimmy Carter, Ronald Reagan delivered more than 1,000 radio broadcasts, running about three minutes apiece, writing nearly all of them himself. In one broadcast during the Christmas season, Mr. Reagan told a story about Christmas in the Ukraine before and after Communism.
In an effort to resist Christians, Communist leaders secularized a favorite Ukrainian Christmas carol, "Nova Radist Stala" (Joyous News Has Come to Us). The original song began with these words: "The joyous news has come which never was before. Over a cave above a manger a bright star has lit the world, where Jesus was born from a virgin maiden." At first the Communists feared an outright ban on Christmas, so they began to secularize the holiday.
The first rewrite of the song began as follows: "The joyous news has come which never was before, a red star with five tails has brightly lit the world." The second rewrite went further: "The joyous news has come which never was before. Long-awaited star of freedom lit the skies in October [the month of the Revolution]. Where formerly lived the kings and had the roots their nobles, there today with simple folks, Lenin's glory hovers."
The former Soviet Union eventually began banning Christmas commemorations. St. Nicholas was replaced with "Did Moroz," or Grandfather Frost. This Stalinist creation wears a red cap and long white beard of Santa Claus, but he delivers gifts to children on New Year's Eve. Christmas trees were also banned, but people continued to trim their New Year's trees. Communism folded all Christmas celebrations into a New Year celebration.
Christians in the former Soviet Union exhibited bravery and courage in confronting Communism's anti-Christmas campaign. One person recalled how the young people would go out in the streets and sing Christmas carols, knowing that if police heard them, they would be arrested. In Communist Romania, Rev. Geza Palffy, a Roman Catholic priest, delivered a sermon in 1983 protesting against the fact that December 25th had been declared a work day instead of a holiday. The next day he was arrested by secret police, beaten, imprisoned and died.
Inside and outside the Iron Curtain, Ukrainians never stopped singing: "We beg you our Lord, we pray to you today. Grant us freedom, return glory to our Mother Ukraine." Mr. Reagan ended his broadcast: "I guess we all hope their prayer is answered." And indeed it was.
The secularization of Christmas is nothing new. Christianity Today in 2002 reported that in the Vietnamese province of Dak Lak, children's choirs were forbidden to sing "Silent Night." From 1969 to 1997, Christmas was banned in Cuba. Such examples are endless.
Mathew D. Staver, President and General Counsel of Liberty Counsel, commented: "The war against Christmas is nothing new. Repressive forces have always had the same goal - to first secularize and then to eliminate Christmas."
Nation Wide Telephone Prayer Conference to all States across America Daily
Dec. 15 2005 Christian Wire Service
WASHINGTON, An inter-denominational, inter-religious, bi-partisian group of American citizens meet daily to pray for Repentance, and Revival in America.
The invitation to join this daily conference call has been issued to Congress, and all concerned organizations, in America and around the world.
Congress, organizations, and individuals can call in during their own time zones from 5:00 to 7:00 a.m. daily.
The daily prayer conference call begins in Washington D.C. at 5 a.m. local time and is open until 7:00 a.m. California time.
Callers can phone in during their own time zone or join others in their zone as well.
Callers simply call 1-641-497-7302, and when prompted put it access code 399430 #
Contact: pastor Wiley Drake 1-714-865-8132 or telephonicprayer@hotmail.com
Sooner State Petition Drive Aims to Protect Private Property from seizure
Dec. 13 2005 Wendy Cloyd Citizen Link
SUMMARY: State level action is needed to counter Supreme Court ruling.
Oklahoma is the first state to push for a state constitutional amendment to protect private property rights that were swept away by U.S. Supreme Court's Kelo decision in June.
The high court determined that city governments have the right to seize private property if the city would gain greater tax revenue and economic benefits from private development.
Richard Carpenter formed Oklahomans in Action to promote the petition drive.
"The Kelo ruling has been one that has cut across political boundaries like few I've ever seen," he said.
"Oklahoma will be the first state in the country to bring an eminent-domain limitation law through the petition process."
He said it will take a grassroots movement in each state to tell the government where the lines are.
"This seems to be one of those places where the public as a whole is perfectly willing to stand up to government and say, 'This is where we draw the line,' " he said. "The response we've gotten here in Oklahoma has really been overwhelming."
Kelo v. New London involved Suzette Kelo, whose New London, Conn., home was seized so a development company could build. It was harshly criticized by Dr. James Dobson, founder and chairman of Focus on the Family Action.
Speaking to an audience at Justice Sunday II in August, he called the case an "egregious decision."
"The Kelo case essentially stripped away protection for property rights -- which is one of the foundations of a free society," Dobson said. "A Wall Street Journal poll indicated on July 15 that the legal issue that people care about, above all other issues right now -- including even the sanctity of human life -- was private property rights."
Dobson said the Supreme Court is not interested in the
spoken will of the American people.
"Their wishes have been overridden by the 'Supremes,' " he said. "There just seems to be no limit to where the majority on this Court is going to take us."
Oklahomans have submitted the legal paperwork required to notify the secretary of state of a petition drive. They hope to get an amendment to protect private property on the ballot in 2006.
If passed, the amendment would prohibit "government from condemning the home or private property of one property owner when government intends to transfer that property to another private citizen, corporation, or business entity."
Kathy Jekel, director of the executive legislative division of the secretary of state, said the process of
collecting signatures is well under way and petition pamphlets are due Dec. 20.
"The requirement for this particular petition is 117,101 signatures," Jekel said.
After the signatures are counted, she added, a tabulation report is delivered to the chief justice of the Oklahoma Supreme Court. Once the court determines that the legal requirements have been fulfilled, it will notify the secretary of state's office.
"We will certify the information to the governor and he will issue an election proclamation placing it on the ballot," she said.
Bruce Hausknecht, judicial analyst for Focus on the Family Action, said the Founding Fathers were vigorous defenders of private property rights and would be shocked at the suggestion that someone's home could be taken for a private development like a strip mall.
"Apparently the good people of Oklahoma have more constitutional sense than the Supreme Court, which failed in the Kelo decision to recognize that private property can only be taken for a public use such as a road or other publicly owned improvement," Hausknecht said. "If the Supreme Court can't get it right, then it will have to be up to the states to return some sanity to the eminent-domain process."
People in other states should encourage their state representatives to take legislative action to protect
Homeowners from the Kelo decision. You can find contact information in our CitizenLink Action Center.
http://www3.capwiz.com/fof/dbq/officials/
Progressive Insurance Company Chairman Gives $8.5 Million to ACLU
December 14 2005 American Family Association
In one of his recent columns, Chuck Colson relates the following story.
In a Texas classroom, children were told to draw a tracing of their foot, and then put a message on the drawing. One little girl wrote "Jesus Loves Me" on hers. What happened next shows the abysmal state of religious tolerance in America.
As Fox news anchor John Gibson relates in his new book, The War on Christmas, the child's teacher ripped the tracing off the board. "Don't you ever do this again," she said. The little girl burst into tears.
When her outraged father called the school, nervous officials told the child to make another tracing. She did so-but this time, instead of scrawling "Jesus Loves Me," she drew a tiny cross that was so small it was almost invisible.Behind nearly every such incident you will find the ACLU. According to the New York Times, Peter Lewis, chairman of Progressive Insurance, believes in the mission and work of the ACLU so much that he gave them $8.5 million. (Do an Internet search on "Peter B. Lewis" and "ACLU." You'll be shocked by how extensive his support is!)
Chairman Lewis' gift helps the ACLU promote their anti-Christmas agenda such as:·
Removing nativity scenes from public property·
Banning songs such as Silent Night from schools·
Refusing to allow students to write about the Christian aspect of Christmas in school projects·
Renaming Christmas break Winter break·
Refusing to allow a city sponsored Christmas parade to be called a Christmas parade·
Not allowing a Christmas tree in a public school·
Renaming a Christmas tree displayed on public property a Holiday treeIn addition to their war on Christmas, the ACLU uses gifts like that from Chairman Lewis to:
·
Sue states to force them to legalize homosexual marriage·
Force libraries to remove porn filters from their computers·
Sue the Boy Scouts to force them to accept homosexuals as scout leaders·
Help legalize child pornography·
Legalize live sex acts in bars in Oregon·
Protect the North American Man Boy Love Association whose motto is "sex by eight or it is too late"·
Censor student led prayer at graduation·
Remove "under God" from the Pledge of Allegiance·
Remove "In God We Trust" on our currencyRecommended action: If you have a Progressive Insurance policy, cancel it. If you don't have a Progressive policy, let Chairman Lewis know you will not be buying one. (We recommend you do not purchase Allstate Insurance. We will explain our recommendation in a future letter.)
Click here if you have a Progressive policy
Click here if you do not have a Progressive policyExtremely important! Please forward this to your family and friends. The vast majority of them probably aren't aware of Chairman Lewis' gift to the ACLU. www.afa.
Liberals' Use of Words Effective Tool in Promoting Radical Ideologies
Dec. 9, 2005 James L. Lambert Guest Commentary Agape Press
Let's face it, liberals over the years have been effective in requiring the public and the media to use terminology they have reinvented to engage in philosophical debate. While the spectrum might be broad, it is clear that liberals' use of philosophically friendly words has gone a long way in winning over people who may never have entertained liberal ideology in the first place.
Political correctness has played a huge part in contributing to the general atmosphere in the media where clever word usage is an important tool in changing public thought and or policy. Here are some interesting examples of the ways liberals have redefined words to persuade:
·
'Choice' - Who isn't against choice? Everyone is for choice! Yet this word has been used by liberals for several decades to eliminate any negative connotation when discussing the abortion issue. "Pro-choice" is certainly a better term than "pro-abortion." Abortions are an ugly business. In most cases the fetus is extracted from the uterus, often dismembered. Yet whose choice is it? It may be the choice of the mother, but how about the baby who does not have a choice? The reality of abortion is something liberals don't want to debate.·
'Gay' - For centuries, gay was defined as "merry, happily excited or lively." Homosexual activists have reinvented this word to define their lifestyle. It's odd, isn't it, that the term "gay" would be used to describe a lifestyle than (on average) lowers the life expectancy of homosexual males by over 20 years? That's according to the Centers for Disease Control in Atlanta -- not a statistic just dreamed up by opponents of homosexuality.·
'Fundamentalists' - The meaning of this term has changed over time into one with a very negative connotation. Liberals, especially since 9-11, have used it to compare conservative Christians to Wahabe Islamists and the Taliban. While this comparison is absurd, liberals in the media have used it to wage war against religious Christians. They do this in part by demonizing Christians and by calling them "fundamentalists." They imply that all conservative Christians want a theocracy, condemn others to hell, wish to punish sinners, and militantly want to force their religious beliefs on others.·
'Intolerant' - Webster's definition of this word is "unable to endure, unwilling to endure, or unwilling to grant equal freedom of expression especially in religious matters or other social, political or professional rights." Liberals have effectively eliminated the "religious matters" part. They see religion, especially the Christian religion, as intolerant. The use of this word by liberals reveals their goal of avoiding all forms of judgment. If conservatives critically question liberal ideas, they are immediately labeled as "intolerant." Yet liberals cannot see that their intolerance of religious people defines that term.·
'Homophobic' - This term cannot even be found in my Webster's dictionary. Yet we have seen this term applied to anyone who disagrees with the homosexual lifestyle. This is yet another way for radical homosexuals and lesbians to intimidate and harass any who dare oppose them in the political and social arena.·
'Diversity' - This word reeks of political correctness. While diversity is a good word that describes "a condition of differences," the word is also used by liberals to put forth the notion that any kind of differentiation is bad. In the liberal world, making personal judgment calls is wrong -- and diversity tells us that every lifestyle should be accepted and promoted.All pundits of various social, political and cultural persuasions prefer to use key words in making their point. (Personally I like to refer to owners in the adult industry as "smut peddlers.") Even so, I have found most liberal pundits have been effective in using their favorite words to direct public opinion their way. Perhaps they would not be as effective without their friends in mainstream media.
But like other long-time newspaper readers, I've grown tired of news stories becoming an "analysis" for liberal causes. Maybe this is why we have seen newspaper readership drop steadily over the years, and alternative media becoming more popular. Just food for thought!
The Coming U.S. Revolution?
Dec. 12 2005 American Values by Gary Bauer
Readers of today's New York Times were greeted to a full page advertisement on page A15 entitled, "The
World Can't Wait; Drive out the Bush Regime!" Listed below that headline is a series of statements.
Here are a few:
"YOUR GOVERNMENT, on the basis of outrageous lies, is waging a murderous and utterly illegitimate war in Iraq, with other countries in their sights.
"YOUR GOVERNMENT is openly torturing people, and justifying it. …
"YOUR GOVERNMENT is moving each day closer to a theocracy, where a narrow and hateful brand of Christian fundamentalism will rule. …
"People look at all this and think of Hitler - and they are right to do so. The Bush regime is setting out to radically remake society very quickly, in a fascist way, and for generations to come. We must act now; the future is in the balance. …
"There is not going to be some magical 'pendulum swing.' People who steal elections and believe they're on a 'mission from God' will not go without a fight. There is not going to be some savior from the Democratic Party. This whole idea of putting our hopes and energies into 'leaders' who tell us to seek common ground with fascists and religious fanatics is proving every day to be a disaster, and actually serves to demobilize people."
Sounds like a bunch of radical nuts, right? These folks even think the liberal Democrats, like Howard Dean, John Kerry, and Hillary Clinton, are all part of the "conspiracy"! It would be nice to think this ad was brought to us by the deranged minds of a few lone lunatics, but folks like that can rarely muster the tens of thousands of dollars required to purchase a full page ad in the New York Times.
The ad calls for massive nationwide demonstrations on the evening of, and the Saturday following, President Bush's State of the Union address. The purpose: "…to create a political situation where the Bush regime's program is repudiated, where Bush himself is driven from office, and where the whole direction he has been taking society is reversed."
The choice of rhetoric is shocking, and the mindset of these folks borders on extreme paranoia. Amazingly, however, the list of names and organizations willing to identify themselves as supportive of this effort is extensive. Yes, there were fringe groups I have never heard of before, such as the "Revolutionary Communist Party" and "Queers for Economic Justice." (That really is their name.) But there were also high-profile Hollywood celebrities, like Martin Sheen, Margot Kidder, Casey Kasem, Edward Asner, Ed Begley, Jr., and Jane Fonda. Their liberal activism is well-documented, but these statements are far beyond the pale for reasonable people. And, needless to say, I continue to be skeptical about Jane Fonda's supposed "born again" conversion if she is willing to sign her name to this garbage.
The list also included elected officials, such as Assemblyman Mark Leno and State Senator Carol Migden, the primary sponsors of legislation to legalize same-sex "marriage" in California. Ward Churchill is on the list. You may remember Churchill as the "Native American" professor who called his fellow citizens who perished in the World Trade Center towers on September 11th "little Eichmanns," one of Adolf Hitler's notorious henchmen. Abortion clinic directors and Frances Kissling, president of Catholics for a Free Choice, are also listed. So is Cindy Sheehan, who the media continues to offer up as a "voice of reason." Also signing on were Talib Abdur-Rashid, imam of the Mosque of Islamic Brotherhood, the Islamic Circle of North America, the Islamic Association of America, and M. Ali Khan, executive director of the American Muslim Council.
Wow - that's an incredibly eclectic group of people! What else could unite abortionists, homosexuals and Muslims, other than a deep hatred of America's Judeo-Christian values and a president willing to defend them?
QUOTEWORTHY: ----------- "We have no government armed with the power capable of contending with human passions, unbridled by morality and true religion. Our constitution was made only for a moral and religious people. It is wholly inadequate to the government of any other." ------ John Adams, our second president, who also served as chairman of the American Bible Society, taken from an address to military leaders.
Christian Defense Coalition Calls for the Senate to Block Passage of the Patriot Act Renewal
Dec. 15 2005 Christian Wire Service
Group says the Patriot Act has created an atmosphere for civil liberties and free speech to be chilled and crushed in the pursuit of "national security" and that the second victim of 9/11 has been the First Amendment.
WASHINGTON, The Christian Defense Coalition Director says in many cases "national security" has become more important than protecting the First Amendment and civil liberties.
Coalition especially concerned about the Patriot Act defining terrorism as to influence the policy of a government by intimidation or coercion."
Those definitions are so broad it is an open invitation for the government to harass and attack any groups who use public demonstrations or peaceful civil disobedience to "influence" government policy.
Organization cites the improper use of the federal RICO laws against non-violent pro-life activists as a clear example of how the Patriot Act could be used against a broad spectrum of political and social activist groups.
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, comments, "It is our hope that the Senate will block passage of the renewal of the Patriot Act and craft legislation that will more carefully protect and safeguard civil liberties and the First Amendment. Sadly with the passage of the Patriot Act, a climate and culture has been created in which 'national security' has become more important than protecting civil liberties. The result has been the First Amendment has become the 'second victim' of 9/11 and the rights of peaceful demonstrators trampled. For example, in the name of 'national security' I was arrested on a public sidewalk at the Salt Lake Olympics for holding a sign which said God bless America. And for the sake of 'national security', I was arrested on a Washington, D.C. public sidewalk for holding a sign of the Ten Commandments in front of St. Matthew's Cathedral during the annual Red Mass."
QUOTEWORTHY: ----------------------- "For heaven's sake, who are Congress? Are they not the creatures of the people, amendable to them for their conduct and dependent from day to day on their breath?" ------- George Washington, July 8, 1783
Navy Chaplain Continues His Battle against Politically-Correct Orders Not Pray in the Name of Jesus
Dec. 9 2005 Christian Coalition of America
Navy Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt, an U.S. Air Force Academy Graduate, Continues His Battle Against Politically-Correct Navy Establishment Which Orders Him to Not Pray in the Name of Jesus; Not to Use Certain Bible Verses in His Sermons/Navy Continues to Discriminate Against Evangelical Christians
The Navy is threatening the career this month of an outstanding Navy Chaplain, because among other things, he prays in the name of Jesus just as General George Washington did often. Navy Chaplain Gordon James Klingenschmitt is a 1991 United States Air Force Academy graduate who volunteered for demotion (from USAF Major O-4 to Navy Lieutenant O-3) to become a Navy chaplain. He has 14 years of great fitness reports, earned a Defense Meritorious Service Medal for changing national intelligence policy 3 times, has experience as a full-time management consultant to flag officers, and was one of only 14 USAF officers selected as a Baldrige Examiner for the Presidential Quality Award. He has both an M.B.A. and Master of Divinity, now working on his PhD in Theology.
However, Navy Chaplain Klingenschmitt's career now faces sudden termination, without retirement, punished (in writing, 3 times) by his commanding officer (upon the advice of 4 senior chaplains, and now even the Chief of Navy Chaplains) because: (1) Chaplain Klingenschmitt quoted "non-inclusive" scriptures such as John 3:36 during an optionally-attended memorial service in the chaplain; (2) Chaplain Klingenschmitt prays publicly in "Jesus name" against official Navy doctrine that forbids "sectarian" prayers; (3) Chaplain Klingenschmitt "caused a stir" by requesting Kosher meals for a hungry Jewish Sailor who lost 17 pounds for lack of food; (4) Chaplain Klingenschmitt refused to support "government-mandated church quotas" when senior chaplains convinced an Admiral to force scores of young Sailors to attend a mandatory pro-homosexual church.
Call the White House at 202-456-1414 or email at president@whitehouse.gov and urge the president to issue an Executive Order protecting the constitutional right of military chaplains and other members of the military to pray according to their faith.
Government Agencies are Teaching Children Religious Bias and Anti Christ Theology
Dec. 12 Christian Wire Service
SAN DIEGO, Biblical Family Advocates is outraged that the City of Chula Vista Parks and Recreation Department would not allow children to participate in the public event, 'Holiday Festival' because they wore shirts that said "Jesus Christ Dancer" with a image of a cross below those words. And the Parks Department Supervisor adding to his bigotry against any form of authentic Christianity decided that even if these 6 girls did not wear the T Shirts, the song of praise towards Christ and God would be too offensive. Besides he was heard to have said, this event is not a Christmas event, it is a Holiday event.
Biblical Family Advocates would like to remind the Taliban of the Political Correctness movement within the Government Agencies across America that if the U.S. Constitution guarantee's freedom of speech and religion and that the U.S. Congress cannot prohibit that free exercise, who are these Government entities which should include the Public Schools, to usurp the authority of the U.S. Constitution and to decide who is allowed to express their religious views? Are not these agencies taking the place of a religious body?
"For so many years, many Christians have been silent on the political correct movements, biased religious views that are imposed on our children to our children's spiritual peril. So many years have gone by in which our children are being told to not utter the name of Christ in the Public schools because the misunderstood concept of separation of Church and State. Is it not time to pull the mask off of that movement that every year tries to eradicate Christ from Christmas, the schools and the our Government agencies?" so says Phil Magnan, Executive Director of Biblical Family Advocates.
Magnan went on to say, "Apparently, the City of Chula Vista has developed over time a form of religious bias and bigotry against anything that is genuinely Christian, preferring to sterilize the free _expression of love towards Christ, the Bible and God from the community. In the interest of not preferring one religion over another, they themselves have preferred a Christ-less, cross-less Christianity, which may be form of their own religion. What is worse is that it is forced on the masses by governmental edict and our children are taught to fear speaking the name of Christ. That religious intolerance continues even into the very celebration of the Saviors birth in the public square."
Biblical Family Advocates would like to challenge all government agencies to instruct their employee's about the Constitutional mandates to allow the free expression of religion at a public event and in the public schools. After all, the girls with the Jesus Christ T Shirts did not try to disallow the Hawaiian prayer dance from being performed at the same event, nor decry the lighting of a Menorah by a Rabbi at a nearby Public event. Apparently those girls know a little more about the America of the Constitution than the Parks and Recreation Department in Chula Vista.Biblical Family Advocates is a Christian pro family organization protecting and promoting the moral and spiritual interests of millions of families and churches throughout the U.S. and around the world.
The Criminal Negligence of Planned Parenthood
Dec. 14 2005 Tony Perkins Family Research Council
Statements on Planned Parenthood Golden Gate's web site strongly indicate that the California Planned Parenthood affiliate could be guilty of being an accomplice to a crime by allowing a rapist to remain free in his community.
As first reported on the Dawn Patrol blog, an eleven-year-old girl walked into Planned Parenthood after being forcibly raped by a seventeen-year-old boy. Planned Parenthood's reaction? They did not report the crime nor did they tell the little girl's parents. Is this Planned Parenthood's idea of looking out for the child's well being? Forcing her to deal with the aftermath of rape without her family's support?
According to California state law Planned Parenthood may be criminally negligible for not reporting the crime and there is a chance the statute of limitations still applies for the rapist. In the guise of protecting an 11-year-old child, Planned Parenthood has instead further made her a victim, while protecting her rapist. According to California state statistics almost 70% of teen births are children of adult men, and teenage girls are twice as likely to have sexually transmitted diseases as teenage boys.Who is watching out for the children? This is standard operating procedure for Planned Parenthood and in this case California's attorney general needs to investigate and, if necessary, prosecute to the fullest extent of the law.
Idaho Supreme Court to Hear Arguments on Voter Initiative on Ten Commandments Monument
Dec. 8 2005 Christian Wire Service
BOISE, The Idaho Supreme Court to hear arguments regarding putting a voter initiative on the ballot giving the citizens of Boise the right to vote on returning the Ten Commandments Monument back to Julia Davis Park.
The case will be heard on Friday, December 9th, at 10:00am in the Idaho State Supreme Court building at 451 W. State St.
The court case was brought by the Keep the Commandments Coalition after the Boise City Council refused to put an initiative on the ballot allowing the residents to vote on returning the Ten Commandments back to Julia Davis Park. This, in spite of the fact that over 19,000 registered voters signed petitions asking the City Council to allow a vote on the issue.
If the Keep the Commandments Coalition wins, this would be the nation's first voter initiative on the public display of the Ten Commandments.
Brandi Swindell, Co-Director of the Keep the Commandments Coalition, states, "Our hope is that the Idaho Supreme Court will rule in favor of the democratic process and allow the citizens of Boise to vote on this issue. The right to vote is one of the most cherished rights and liberties that we enjoy as Americans. The ability for citizens to voice their opinions, through the ballot process, is the cornerstone of a free and democratic nation and must be protected."Bryan Fischer, the executive director of the Idaho Values Alliance and co-director of the Keep the Commandments Coalition, said, "The city has used a legal technicality to deprive us of our right to vote. But the Idaho Supreme Court has said that the right to vote is our most 'cherished and fundamental right' and so we're optimistic that the court will rule in our favor. "The display we propose has already survived a court challenge. It's identical to a display that was ruled constitutional by a federal judge in 1995, and the constitution hasn't changed in the last 10 years."
The New York Supreme Court of Appeals says No to Homosexual Marriage
Dec. 9, 2005 Hilary White LifeSiteNews.com
Abolishing marriage in court "usurps" legislature’s mandate
The Supreme Court of New York State has ruled that it has no competence to re-define legal marriage, overturning a previous ruling that would have allowed homosexual partners the same legal status as normal marriage.
Court's Appellate Division ruled 4-1 that Justice Doris Ling-Cohan erred in her presumption that the courts have the authority to create constitutional rights out of whole cloth. The ruling stated, "We find it even more troubling that the court, upon determining the statute to be unconstitutional, proceeded to rewrite it and purportedly create a new constitutional right."
The ruling overturns the earlier decision in which five homosexual partners had followed the reliable method of homosexual activists everywhere in trying to use the court to force the New York City clerk to issue marriage licenses. In Ling-Cohan’s ruling she said that the terms "husband," "wife," "groom," and "bride" must be applied interchangeably to men and women, rendering the terms essentially meaningless.
This tactic has worked well in most other jurisdictions. In Canada same-sex "marriage" was forced into federal law at first by a series of well-orchestrated provincial court cases. In Ontario the legal fallout of institutionalizing homosexual unions has resulted in the virtual legal abolition not only of such terms as "husband" and "wife," but of "mother," "father," "widow," and "widower" in dozens of statutes.
The New York appeals court said this kind of judicial activism "was an act that exceeded the court's constitutional mandate and usurped that of the Legislature."
"The legislative policy rationale is that society and government have a strong interest in fostering heterosexual marriage as the social institution that best forges a linkage between sex, procreation and child rearing," the ruling stated.
University Drops Charges against Student for Opposition to Homosexuality
Dec. 12, 2005 CNSNews.com
William Paterson University on Wednesday dropped sexual harassment charges against a student employee who had expressed his religion's opposition to homosexuality.
In March, Dr. Arlene Scala, a professor of women's studies at the New Jersey university, sent a mass e-mail inviting students and employees to a screening of "Ruth and Connie: Every Room in the House," a documentary about a lesbian couple.
Jihad Daniel, a 63-year-old graduate student and computer technician who is a convert to Islam, sent a private e-mail to Scala asking to be excluded from future invitations because homosexual relationships "are perversions."
Daniel also complained about the lack of religion in the classroom, stating that "the absence of God in higher education brings on confusion."
The university on June 15 put a letter of reprimand in Daniel's file, noting that his use of the word "perversion" was "derogatory and demeaning" and violated the state's non-discrimination policy. It said that Scala had found the e-mail "threatening."
New Jersey Attorney General Peter Harvey defended the university's decision in a letter to the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education (FIRE), a free speech organization that had voiced support for Daniel during his appeal.
Harvey wrote that "not every utterance is protected under the First Amendment" and that "speech which violates a non-discrimination policy is not protected."
But the hearing officer for the case, Sandra DeYoung, is independent from Harvey's office and found that Daniel was not guilty of violating the non-discrimination code. The university removed the letter of reprimand from Daniel's file and dropped the harassment charges.
US Court Reverses Ruling Against Law Banning Extreme Pornography
Staff Dec. 9, 2005 LifeSiteNews.com
PHILADELPHIA, The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 3rd Circuit ruled today to uphold federal obscenity laws. The ruling came in the federal government's appeal of the dismissal of an indictment against Extreme Associates, an enterprise that produces extremely hardcore pornography.
Alliance Defense Fund (ADF) President Alan Sears, who served as executive director of the U.S. Attorney General's Commission on Pornography under President Ronald Reagan, hailed today's ruling. "The First Amendment was never intended to protect obscene materials that further violent crimes against women and children," said Sears, a former federal prosecutor who was director of the U.S. Attorney General's Commission on Pornography in the 1980s.
"If this case would have been lost, it could have brought federal prosecution of hardcore obscenity to a halt in that circuit. The loss is a 'lump of coal' in the stocking of those like the ACLU who argue that even such degradation as the type produced by Extreme Associates--and even child pornography--is 'protected' by our Constitution," said Sears.
The appeals court reversed a district court decision that had concluded federal obscenity laws violate the privacy rights of pornographers based on its reading of Lawrence v. Texas. In today's opinion, the appellate court wrote, "We are satisfied that the Supreme Court has decided that the federal statutes regulating the distribution of obscenity do not violate any constitutional right to privacy."
Sears said he believes it is unlikely that the U.S. Supreme Court will accept the case if it is appealed. "Obscenity law has been well settled for over 30 years," he said.
Texas ranks 40th among the states in funding tobacco prevention programs
Dec. 13 2005 Campaign for Tobacco-Free Kids
The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that the state of Texas spend between $103 million and $284.7 million a year to have an effective, comprehensive tobacco prevention program. Texas currently allocates $7 million for tobacco prevention. This is 6.8% of the CDC's minimum recommendation and ranks Texas 40th among the states in funding tobacco prevention programs. Texas's spending on tobacco prevention amounts to 0.7% of the
$1 billion in tobacco-generated revenue the state collects each year in tobacco settlement payments and tobacco taxes.
As one of four states to settle with the tobacco industry prior to and separate from the November 1998 multi-state settlement agreement, Texas, along with Florida and Mississippi, agreed to launch a tobacco prevention pilot program. Under the terms of Texas' settlement agreement, the tobacco industry paid the state an initial $1.3 billion in 1999. Each year thereafter, the tobacco industry is scheduled to pay the state of Texas between $326.3 million and $580 million subject to various factors that may increase or decrease the payment.
Current Status:
Funding for tobacco prevention was further reduced from $7.4 million in FY2005 to $6.99 million in FY2006. While bills that would have increased the state's tobacco excise tax up to $1.01 passed each house multiple times this session, the chambers ultimately failed to agree upon an amount. As of the time this report went to press, a ruling from the Texas Supreme Court about funding for education was pending. The Court's ruling may force an increase in the excise tax as a way of covering education funding shortages.
Parents TV council Statistic of the Week
Nearly 70 percent of young children have TVs in their bedrooms today; nearly half (49 percent) have videogame systems in their bedrooms; 46 percent have VCRs; 37 percent have DVD players; 35 percent have cable or satellite TV service; 24 percent have PCs and 18 percent are hooked up to the Internet in their bedrooms. (Nickelodeon survey, "The New Normal") (Associated Press, November 20, 2005)
Pending Alabama House Bill Seeks to Unlawfully Promote Questionable Bible Curriculum
Dec. 9 /Christian Wire Service
Law would allow legislators to usurp authority of Board of Education
MONTGOMERY, Ala., A bill pre-filed in the Alabama Legislature (HB 58) seeks to promote a controversial high school textbook by circumventing the state's Board of Education. The unprecedented move would violate at least two state laws, Ala. Code Sections 16-36-60 and 61, which provide exclusive authority for consideration and approval of textbooks to the Board.
The bill, authored by House Majority Leader Ken Guin and Speaker Seth Hammett, would authorize high schools to offer an elective Bible course, but would require that any such course use only an untested textbook by the Bible Literacy Project. However, many Alabama citizens have expressed great concern about the measure.
"The sponsoring legislators have never contacted the Board of Education about any of this," said Betty Peters, of the Alabama State School Board. "The bill would take away the important control that local school districts have always had over their curricula, through the state Board and its deliberate processes."
Adding to citizens' concerns is the fact that the subject textbook, The Bible and Its Influence, has created controversy since its publication this fall. The book, published by The Bible Literacy Project, and endorsed by liberal and secular organizations such as People for the American Way, the ACLU, and the Council on Islamic Education, has come under fire from conservative scholars and Christian organizations because many passages are critical of Christian doctrines and encourage students to question their faith and God's character, rather than remaining neutral.
The conservative groups favor an earlier elective curriculum, The Bible in History and Literature, which is published by the National Council on Bible Curriculum in Public Schools, and has already been adopted and used in 317 school districts (1,100 high schools) in 37 different states. At least four Alabama school districts have been using the NCBCPS materials, which were appropriately adopted by those local school boards.
The National Council On Bible Curriculum In Public Schools is supported by such prominent figures as Dr. D. James Kennedy, Rabbi Daniel Lapin, David Barton, Anne Graham Lotz, Joyce Meyer, and Dr. Charles Stanley. According to attorney Brad Dacus, President of the Pacific Justice Institute and the only attorney serving on the Board of Redeem The Vote, "I whole heartedly endorse The Bible as History and Literature by the National Council on Bible Curriculum In Public Schools as being the most accurate, constructive curriculum for Bible instruction in public schools.Others, such as the Bible Literacy Project, present questionable views and assumptions which will likely not withstand critical academic or public scrutiny."
Rather than pass an unlawful bill HB 58, which would mandate a particular curriculum, the Legislature can encourage academic excellence and cultural literacy by simply passing a resolution to encourage the teaching of the Bible in public schools. Other states have done so successfully, such as Louisiana in 2001.
Illinois State Government dispensing Political Decisions about Abortifacient Drugs
Dec. 1 2005 Tony Perkins Family Research Council
In the past, Walgreen's has maintained an excellent standard for respecting the consciences of pharmacists who are morally opposed to particular prescriptions, including birth control and the morning after pill. However, Walgreen's policy is subject to state laws. In Illinois the law, by edict of Governor Blagojevich, requires pharmacists to provide FDA-approved contraceptives, including Plan B, which could work as an abortifacient. As a result, Walgreen's suspended four pharmacists who refused to fill prescriptions for Plan B.
Walgreen's has offered to hire the pharmacists at their stores in another state that does not have legislation overriding conscience protection. But the fact remains that the state government is dictating to a private business what it can and cannot ethically do. Until now, Walgreen's has utilized a policy that respected the religious and moral beliefs of its pharmacists. As long as state governments ignore the claims of conscience, businesses like Walgreen's will and pharmacists alike will find their ethics compromised and their freedoms curtailed.
Terri Schiavo's Grave Marker a Reprehensible and Repugnant Act
June 21 2005 Christian Wire Service
"The actions of Michael Schiavo are slap in the face to all disabled Americans." -- Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition
WASHINGTON, At the burial site of Terri Schiavo's cremated remains, Michael Schiavo used a bronze grave marker to list Feb. 25, 1990, as the date his wife died. Feb. 25, 1990, is the date Terri Schindler Schiavo experienced a still unknown event that left her severely mentally disabled. Terri Schiavo actually died March 31, 2005, nearly two weeks after her feeding tube was removed by court order.
The Christian Defense Coalition, which led prayer vigils and demonstrations in support of Terri Schiavo, say actions reveal the 'real Michael Schiavo' and dispel any myth that he was a loving and caring husband to Terri for the past 15 years.
This also answers the most asked question of the entire Terri Schiavo controversy. That is, why didn't Michael let the Schindlers take care of their daughter? He could not do that because he believed she was already dead.
The Christian Defense Coalition also condemns Michael Schiavo for being the guardian for Terri Schiavo for 15 years when he believed she died in 1990.
Rev. Patrick J. Mahoney, Director of the Christian Defense Coalition, states, "By this one repugnant act, Michael Schiavo has revealed what we and the family knew all along. This was not a loving and caring husband that was concerned about the welfare of Terri. This was a self-centered and hateful man who was doing all within his power to see that Terri was dehydrated and starved to death. This calls into question the role of Michael being Terri's guardian. For how could he have possibly looked out for her best interests when he felt she was already dead?
"The reality is that the legislative and judicial branches of the State of Florida failed Terri and the entire disabled community by enabling Michael Schiavo to dehydrate and starve his wife when she was not sick or have a terminal illness. It is unthinkable that our nation allowed a disabled woman to be dehydrated before the eyes of a watching world. Michael Schiavo wanted Terri dead because he believed she was dead and we helped him fulfill his wish."
U.S. Losing Control of Internet to UN tax magnet
December 9, 2005 Cliff Kincaid Media Monitor
The temporary U.S. "victory" at the recent conference was just that—temporary.
"U.S. Keeps it's Control of Internet" was a typical headline when stories appeared about the end of the U.N.'s World Summit on the Information Society. A UPI story put it this way: "The United States kept control of the Internet at an international meeting about how cyberspace should be run." But such stories and headlines were extremely misleading. It wasn't emphasized that the conference agreed to put U.N. boss Kofi Annan in charge of an "Internet Governance Forum" to decide the future of the World Wide Web.
You had to read to the end of the stories and understand the fine print. For instance, the UPI story noted that the "deal" left the current regime in place but established "two sets of multilateral talks, one focused on oversight and public policy issues, the other on problems like spam, security issues and viruses…" That's U.N. doublespeak designed to conceal what will be going on behind the scenes.
Sen. Norm Coleman (R-Minn.) declared the final conference document to be a "world wide win that assures the World Wide Web will continue to operate freely and effectively."
The Senator waged a good fight. But the Senator, as well as the lead State Department official on this matter, David Gross doesn't seem to fully understand how the U.N. works overtime to accomplish its objectives.
The Law of the Sea Treaty is a case in point. It is now pending before the U.S. Senate and has the backing of the Bush Administration. Many officials have convinced themselves that the treaty, the culmination of four decades of behind-the-scenes lobbying by world government advocates, was flawed in the beginning but was somehow fixed and is now acceptable. A serious analysis shows that it creates an international taxation mechanism for the U.N. and gives the world body unprecedented control over the world's resources. Despite these dangerous provisions, U.S. officials have come to embrace it. They have been convinced by the propaganda that the treaty doesn't harm U.S. interests.
We will likely see the same process with the Internet. This is just the beginning of an effort that will take years, if not decades, for the U.N. to assume control. The temporary U.S. "victory" at the recent conference was just that—temporary. Eventually the U.N. will wear us down. At least that is their plan.
Very few journalists actually read the documents that come out of these conferences. The main document that came out of the Internet conference can be found here.
In order to understand this 20-page document, you have to be well-versed in U.N.-speak. You will see a reference to a "Digital Solidarity Fund." This is the U.N. vehicle that is planned to be the receptacle for taxes on the Internet or emails that will benefit U.N. agencies or developing countries. It is now just "voluntary."
The most important initiative, however, is Annan's "Internet Governance Forum." This will be where ultimate U.N. control of the Internet will be planned and implemented.
Air Force Will Guard Cyberspace
Grant Gross, IDG Dec 9 2005/ PC World
WASHINGTON-- The U.S. Air Force's goals now include "fighting" in cyberspace, according to a new
mission statement released this week.
A cyberspace security responsibility was newly included in the mission statement, released Wednesday. The new mission statement, intended to set the current and future direction of the Air Force, reads: "The mission of the United States Air Force is to deliver sovereign options for the defense of the United States of America and its global interests--to fly and fight in Air, Space, and Cyberspace."
A story on the Air Force Web site quotes a letter to airmen from Michael Wynne, secretary of the Air Force, and Gen. T. Michael Moseley, the Air Force chief of staff, saying U.S. enemies will use any means to strike at the country and it is the Air Force's calling to "dominate" air, space and cyberspace.
Details Promised
The Air Force is the first of the five branches of the U.S. military to include fighting in cyberspace as part of its core mission.
However, Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld has advocated training the military to also defend cyberspace. The government has also warned of potential virtual attacks in response to conventional military action.
"We have quite a few of our Airmen dedicated to cyberspace... from security awareness, making sure the networks can't be penetrated, as well as figuring out countermeasures," the Air Force-written story quotes Wynne as saying. "The Air Force is a natural leader in the cyber world and we thought it would be best to recognize that talent."
An Air Force spokesperson declined to further elaborate, saying Wynne was tentatively scheduled to talk about the new mission statement in a press conference next week.
The term, "sovereign options," was also new to the mission statement, according to the Air Force Web site.
Iranian President Wants Israel Moved to Europe
December 09, 2005 Julie Stahl CNSNews.com
Jerusalem, Israel says the international community must "wake up" to the threat posed by Iran after its president once again called for the destruction of the Jewish State.
Speaking Thursday at an Islamic summit in Mecca, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad denied the Holocaust ever happened and said all Israelis should be moved to some place in Europe.
The remarks come just two months after Ahmadinejad declared in Tehran that "Israel must be wiped off the map."
"Unfortunately this is not the first time that the Iranian President has used outrageous language to describe his attitude toward the Jews and Israel," said Israeli's Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev.
The "real problem" with Ahmadinejad's remarks, Regev said, is that they "accurately demonstrate" the attitudes and policy of the ruling regime.
"I hope this will be a wake-up call for the people in the international community who still nurture illusions about the true nature of the regime in Iran and the extremist, fanatical ideology of its leadership," he said.
Regev said that Israel was pursuing unspecified "diplomatic options" to deal with Iran.
U.S. State Department spokesman Adam Ereli called the remarks "appalling and reprehensible" and said the comments didn't inspire the international community with hope about the Iranian regime.
The American Jewish Committee is urging the international community to take "firm and quick action" against Iran.
"It is irresponsible for the international community to not take action against Iran when President Ahmadinejad openly and persistently calls for the elimination of Israel," said the AJC.
"The Iranian president's outrageous comments are a further reminder of the dangers posed by a fanatic who heads a country developing nuclear weapons."
The AJC is asking the United Nations to take "appropriate action" against Iran, a U.N. member, for openly urging the destruction of another member state, Israel.
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan reportedly was "shocked" by Ahmadinejad's latest comments.
In a statement, Annan said that all U.N. member states should "educate their populations about the well-established historical facts of the Holocaust, in which one third of the Jewish people were murdered, along with countless members of other minorities."
The U.N. General Assembly last month passed a resolution rejecting "any denial of the Holocaust as an historical event, either in full or in part."
The U.S., Israel and other countries suspect that Iran is secretly developing nuclear bombs under cover of its civilian nuclear energy program.
On Thursday, President Ahmadinejad said Iran would not stop trying to produce its own nuclear fuel and he defended Iran's right to develop a full civilian nuclear program.
What right does the nuclear-armed West have to stop Iran? he asked:
"Those who have many nuclear weapons and have used them in the past century against defenseless people ... are accusing Iran of deviating toward nuclear weapons," wire reports quoted Ahmandinejad as saying. "You are telling us we can't produce nuclear fuel that we will give it to you. You who imposed medical embargoes on nations that caused the death of countless numbers of people, what guarantees are there you will give us nuclear fuel?"
Ahmandinejad suggested that the West cannot be trusted to give Iran a reliable and fairly priced supply of nuclear fuel for its "civilian" nuclear program.
Israeli leaders have been uncharacteristically vocal about Iran's nuclear program over the last 10 days, warning that time is running out for diplomatic options and suggesting that military action will be needed to stop Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
Peace at Any Cost? A Headlong rush to Divide Israel
Dec. 15 2005 Prophecy Watch
As Israelis prepare to choose a new leader and the international community circles, waiting for the day after when it will unleash renewed pressure for the birth of a Palestinian Arab state, the future status of the divinely-chosen city of Jerusalem has again taken center stage.
All leading candidates for the Israeli premiership vow they will never allow the city to be divided between Jewish and Arab states, holding fast to the traditional position that a united Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel.
But cracks are beginning to show in that stand, at least as far as two candidates are concerned.
A storm erupted in Israel Tuesday evening after the US magazine Newsweek quoted Kalman Gayer, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, as saying that if the incumbent wins a third term, he will cede parts of eastern Jerusalem for the sake of a final status peace deal.
Sharon's office issued a statement Tuesday denying the claim.
However Finance Minister Ehud Olmert, the prime minister's top deputy and a man known for releasing ?trial balloons? regarding future policy, has on more than one occasion stated Israel would eventually have to relinquish the dream of an eternally united Jerusalem under Jewish sovereignty.
In refuting the accusations, Sharon also insisted he remains committed to the internationally-backed Road Map peace plan, which he inferred guarantees a united Jerusalem under Israel's control.
The Road Map in fact does no such thing, and instead defers the issue to final status negotiations.
Senior Likud MK Uzi Landau pointed out that ?from past experience we know that when the prime minister rushes to deny, things are certainly true.?
Sharon's Labor Party rival Amir Peretz has also gone on record as backing Israeli sovereignty over all of Jerusalem, but made clear last week his primary goal, if elected leader of the nation, will be to conclude a final peace agreement with the ?Palestinians? within one year.
With both men's determination to be seen as Israel's ultimate peacemaker out in the open, Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia reminded them Monday they would fail without serious concessions in the holy city.
There can be no ?Palestinian? statehood and therefore no Middle East peace unless the eastern half of Jerusalem, including the Temple Mount, comes under Arab rule, Qureia told a gathering of European representatives.
The European Union recently clarified its position on Jerusalem in a still-unpublished report slamming Israeli activity and the imposition of Israeli law in the eastern half of the city, where several hundred thousand Jews live in the neighborhoods of Gilo, French Hill, Ramat Eshkol and others.
EU officials said they will refrain from releasing the report at this time in the run up to Israeli elections, though its contents are already known.
For its part, Israel's top ally the United States has never come out in support of Israel's biblical and historical claim to all of Jerusalem, and instead refers to the city as ?disputed.?
The American consulate in Jerusalem does not print a country on official documents issued in the city, such as passports or birth certificates.
Many in Israel fear that as the ?peace? process progresses, a combination of ?Palestinian? intransigence, Western disregard for Israel's ancient rights, and a headlong rush by leftist leaders such as Peretz and Sharon to conclude a final peace deal at almost any cost means the division of Jerusalem may not be far off.
Howard Wilson hwilson@texasmoralaction.org