Half-Breed Wolf Dog Hero Rescues Elderly Owners From Snowstorm
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
By Liza Porteus
NEW YORK — When Eve and Norman Fertig rescued a sick, two-week-old half wolf, half German shepherd puppy from a breeder almost seven years ago, they'd never dreamed that the animal one day would save their lives.
"God is watching; he's watching all the time," Eve Fertig told FOXNews from her home at the Enchanted Forest Wildlife Sanctuary in Alden, N.Y.
He apparently was watching on Oct. 12, when the 81-year-old Fertigs were treating injured animals in the forest sanctuary on their property. One such animal is a near-18-year-old raven, while another is a crow who was shot, blind in one eye with two broken legs.
It was routine for the couple to feed and exercise the dozen or so animals there around 7 p.m. every night.
"While we're in there, the lights go out and I realized something's wrong," Eve Fertig said. "We go outside to see what's happening and down comes one massive tree … the trees came down across us."
The massive storm that hit upstate New York that night felled trees, blocking the Fertig's path to the other sanctuary buildings — such as the school and storage building — and to their home, which was at least 200 feet away.
"We were in big trouble. … I said to my husband, 'I think we could die out here,'" Eve said.
'The Most Heroic Thing I've Ever Seen'
The Fertigs huddled in a narrow alley between the hospital building and the aviary, where they were sheltered from falling trees. They couldn't climb over the trees without injuring themselves. Neither had warm clothes on since it was a clear, crisp fall day just a few hours ago.
They hugged each other for warmth, since by 9:30 p.m., temperatures had dropped.
"I wasn't prepared for this … I thought, 'we're trapped, we're absolutely trapped,'" Eve said.
"That's when Shana began to dig beneath the fallen trees."
The 160-pound dog that habitually follows her owners around — Eve likens it to "Mary had a little lamb," when the lamb went everywhere Mary went — eventually found the Fertigs and began digging a path in the snow with her teeth and claws underneath the fallen trees, similar to a mineshaft, and barking as if to tell them to follow.
A reluctant Norm said, "I had enough in Okinawa in a foxhole," referring to his service in World War II.
"'Norman, if you do not follow me, I will get a divorce,'" Eve said to her husband of 62 years. "That did it. He said, 'a divorce? That would scandal our family.' I said, 'all of our family is dead, Norman!'"
After Shana tunneled all the way to the house — a process that took until about 11:30 p.m. — she came back, grabbed the sleeve of Eve's jacket, and threw the 86-pound woman over her back and neck, which Eve described as "as wide as our kitchen shelf."
Norman grabbed Eve's legs, and the dog pulled them through the tunnel, under the trees and through an opening in a fence to the house, at which they arrived around 2 a.m.
"It was the most heroic thing I've ever seen in my life," Eve said. "We opened the door and we just fell in and she laid on top of us and just stayed there and kept us alive … that's where we laid until the fireman found us."
There was no electricity and no heat in the house, so Shana acted as a living, breathing generator for the exhausted Fertigs until the local fire department arrived the next morning.
Concerned neighbors — many of whom had children Eve taught — who couldn't get hold of the elderly couple via telephone throughout the night had called the Town Line Fire Department.
But when the fire department urged the Fertigs to go to the firehouse to take shelter along with 100 others, they told them they would have to leave Shana behind.
"We said, 'we don't go anywhere without her.' ... I said, 'we'll stay until the people are gone and we'll take Shana,'" Eve said.
So the couple stayed at home with Shana until Sunday, when the firehouse emptied out. During the three days in a house with no power, heat or hot water, Shana slept with her owners to keep them warm.
"She kept us alive. She really did," Eve said.
Also during that time, firefighters not only helped clear trees from their grounds, but they brought food and water for both human and animal.
"They kept looking at that tunnel and said, 'we've never seen anything like it,'" she said. "I can't thank them enough — they're heroes."
When they went to the firehouse Sunday, Shana followed the Fertigs everywhere, even to the bathroom. And she was 'spoiled rotten' by the fire crews there, Eve said.
She said the fire chiefs said her story of being saved by her pet rejuvenated exhausted fire teams. "The story, they said, just gave them new hope."
A Lesson Learned
Last Thursday, Shana received the Citizens for Humane Animal Treatment's Hero's Award for bravery — an award traditionally given to humans. The plaque, complete with Shana's picture on it, hangs in the Fertigs' living room, along with other pictures of wolves the couple has worked with.
Eve, who teaches courses in Saving Endangered Species and Caring for Injured and Orphaned Wildlife at community colleges and trains animal rehabilitators in New York, said she hopes her story will help further her message of humanity toward animals and educate people about how even a wolf, if treated with care and dignity, can be a "kisser and a hugger" like Shana.
"If you're vicious to a human being, they'll become fighters," Eve said, but even wolves, "once you treat them right and raise them in your house, they're magnificent."
Eve has taught 400 adults to be wildlife rehabilitators. She and her husband are volunteers who pay for their own teaching licenses and caring for the sanctuary animals, out of their Social Security checks every year.
"I've never been on a cruise and I don't shop and I haven't seen a movie in two years," Eve said.
The only time the Fertigs go to the movies is, of course, when they are submitting to a higher calling.
"What I do to get signatures for my petitions, I go to [a] movie that's showing a wolf, horse or whale story," and she and her husband camp out outside the theater and get petitions signed to help save various animals, which they send along to wildlife organizations.
"I have a motto ... joint abilities don't create hostilities," Eve said. "I make it my business to talk to all groups, all conservationists, all hunting clubs, to let them know what they're missing out there."
Editor's Note: The Fertigs rely on food donations to help feed the injured animals they try to rehabilitate at their Enchanted Forest Wildlife Sanctuary in Alden, N.Y. They told FOXNews.com that the Oct. 12 storm completely wiped out their supply of food. The Fertigs would welcome any donations. Please contact them at 716-681-5918 if you would like to donate or volunteer.
Editor's Note II: After this story was published, Eve Fertig contacted FOXNews.com and said she received phone calls from all over the U.S. with people asking about Shana's story and how they can donate food for the Fertigs animals, toys for Shana, or money for their sanctuary. Mrs. Fertig asked that her address be published so people can send such items to them. Their address is:
Mrs. Eve Fertig
Enchanted Forest Wildlife Sanctuary
11380 Cary Road
Alden, N.Y. 14004-9547
© Associated Press. All rights reserved.
© 2006 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, December 6, 2006
Somalia Town Threatens to Behead People Who Don't Pray 5 Times Daily
Somalia Town Threatens to Behead People Who Don't Pray 5 Times Daily
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Residents of a southern Somalia town who do not pray five times a day will be beheaded, an official said Wednesday, adding the edict will be implemented in three days.
Shops, tea houses and other public places in Bulo Burto, about 124 miles northeast of the capital, Mogadishu, should be closed during prayer time and no one should be on the streets, said Sheik Hussein Barre Rage, the chairman of the town's Islamic court. His court is part of a network backed by armed militiamen that has taken control of much of southern Somalia in recent months, bringing a strict interpretation of Islam that is alien to many Somalis.
Those who do not follow the prayer edict after three days have elapsed, "will definitely be beheaded according to Islamic law," Rage told The Associated Press by phone. "As Muslims we should practice Islam fully, not in part, and that is what our religion enjoins us to do."
He said the edict, which covered only Bulo Burto, was being announced over loudspeakers throughout the town.
Somalia's Islamic courts have made varying interpretations of Koranic law, some applying a more strict and radical version of Islam than others. Some of the courts have introduced public executions, floggings of convicts, bans on women swimming in Mogadishu's public beaches and on the sale and chewing of khat, a leafy stimulant consumed across the Horn of Africa and in the Middle East.
After complaints about the lack of consistency from residents in the capital, Mogadishu, the umbrella Council of Islamic Courts set up an appeals court with better educated judges in October.
© Associated Press. All rights reserved.
© 2006 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved.
Wednesday, December 06, 2006
MOGADISHU, Somalia — Residents of a southern Somalia town who do not pray five times a day will be beheaded, an official said Wednesday, adding the edict will be implemented in three days.
Shops, tea houses and other public places in Bulo Burto, about 124 miles northeast of the capital, Mogadishu, should be closed during prayer time and no one should be on the streets, said Sheik Hussein Barre Rage, the chairman of the town's Islamic court. His court is part of a network backed by armed militiamen that has taken control of much of southern Somalia in recent months, bringing a strict interpretation of Islam that is alien to many Somalis.
Those who do not follow the prayer edict after three days have elapsed, "will definitely be beheaded according to Islamic law," Rage told The Associated Press by phone. "As Muslims we should practice Islam fully, not in part, and that is what our religion enjoins us to do."
He said the edict, which covered only Bulo Burto, was being announced over loudspeakers throughout the town.
Somalia's Islamic courts have made varying interpretations of Koranic law, some applying a more strict and radical version of Islam than others. Some of the courts have introduced public executions, floggings of convicts, bans on women swimming in Mogadishu's public beaches and on the sale and chewing of khat, a leafy stimulant consumed across the Horn of Africa and in the Middle East.
After complaints about the lack of consistency from residents in the capital, Mogadishu, the umbrella Council of Islamic Courts set up an appeals court with better educated judges in October.
© Associated Press. All rights reserved.
© 2006 FOX News Network, LLC. All rights reserved.
Terrorists rejoicing over new Iraq 'plan'
Terrorists rejoicing over new Iraq 'plan'
Reaction to Study Group: 'Allah and his angels' responsible, 'era of Islam and of jihad' declared
Posted: December 6, 2006
7:40 p.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
JERUSALEM – A high level U.S. commission's recommendations for an eventual withdrawal from Iraq and for dialogue with Iran and Syria proves "Islamic resistance" works and America will ultimately be defeated, according to senior terrorist leaders interviewed by WND.
The militants, from the largest Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, welcomed the policies outlined by the Iraq Study Group, which they claim recognizes Islam is the "new giant of the world."
The group is led by former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker.
"The report proves that this is the era of Islam and of jihad," said Abu Ayman, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad in the northern West Bank town of Jenin.
The Islamic Jihad terror group is responsible for every suicide bombing in Israel during the past two years.
"[With the Iraq Study Group report], the Americans came to the conclusion that Islam is the new giant of the world and it would be clever to reduce hostilities with this giant. In the Quran the principle of the rotation is clear and according to this principle the end of the Americans and of all non-believers is getting closer," Abu Ayman said.
According to Abu Abdullah, a senior leader of Hamas' so-called military wing, Baker's report is a victory for Islam brought about by "Allah and his angels."
"It is not just a simple victory. It is a great one. The big superpower of the world is defeated by a small group of mujahedeen (fighters). Did you see the mujahedeens' clothes and weapons in comparison with the huge individual military arsenal and supply that was carrying every American soldier?" exclaimed Abu Abdullah, who is considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades, Hamas' declared "resistance" department.
"It is no doubt that Allah and his angels were fighting with them (insurgents) against the Americans. It is a sign to all those who keep saying that America, Israel and the West in general cannot be defeated on the ground so let us negotiate with them," Abu Abdullah said.
Abu Abdullah said following a withdrawal from Iraq, the U.S. will be defeated on its own soil.
"America must understand that with anti-American governments in Latin America and with Islam growing and reinforcing, including in the U.S. itself, the next step would be a total defeat on their (American) land, not a relative one like they are facing in Iraq," he said.
Abu Nasser, the second-in-command of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group in the West Bank, called the Iraq Study Group report a "great victory" from which other jihadist organizations can learn.
"The Iraqi victory is a great message and lesson to the revolutionary and freedom movements in the world. Just to think that this resistance is led by hundreds of Sunni fighters who defeated hundreds of thousands of Americans, British and thousands of soldiers who belong to the puppet regime in Baghdad. What would be the situation if the Shiites will decide to join the resistance?" commented Abu Nasser.
The Al Aqsa leader said his group learned from the "Iraqi resistance" that jihad will ultimately destroy Israel.
The Al Aqsa Brigades is the declared "military wing" of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.
"If Israel will not start negotiating its withdrawal we are ready to launch the new stage of the intifada," Abu Nasser said.
Islamic Jihad's Abu Ayman said after the U.S. "defeat" in Iraq is finalized, insurgents there should move to the West Bank and Gaza to help destroy Israel.
"We hope that after chasing the occupation from Iraq, these jihad efforts and experiences will be transferred to Palestine, and yes, I mean that we expect these fighters will come to Palestine as part of a big Islamic army."
The Iraqi Study Group's report called the U.S. position in Iraq "grave and deteriorating," and recommended the withdrawal of most combat troops from Iraq by 2008.
It warned, "The ability of the United States to influence events within Iraq is diminishing."
The report stated the U.S. should engage Iran, Syria and insurgent leaders in Iraq, and said Israel should be pressured into withdrawing from the West Bank and the Golan Heights.
The West Bank runs alongside Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Israel's international airport. The Heights is strategic mountainous territory that looks down in Israeli and Syrian population centers.
President Bush received the report at the White House this morning. Flanked by Baker and other commission members, Bush pledged to treat each proposal seriously and act in a "timely fashion."
The White House said Bush will make key decisions within weeks.
Some terror leaders, though, were unsure whether the Baker report would actually be implemented. They claimed Israel controls U.S. foreign policy and would ultimately block changes in American actions in the Middle East.
"The problem is that I think the political structure of the U.S. and the role of the Zionists in the U.S. turns impossible the possibility that this report would be implemented," said Abu Ayman.
Still the terror leader said the report shows insurgent actions are working.
"It is the dawn of the real Islam what we are seeing now, young people who are leaving everything in their countries and are coming to fight in Iraq," said Abu Ayman.
Reaction to Study Group: 'Allah and his angels' responsible, 'era of Islam and of jihad' declared
Posted: December 6, 2006
7:40 p.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
JERUSALEM – A high level U.S. commission's recommendations for an eventual withdrawal from Iraq and for dialogue with Iran and Syria proves "Islamic resistance" works and America will ultimately be defeated, according to senior terrorist leaders interviewed by WND.
The militants, from the largest Palestinian terror groups in the Gaza Strip and West Bank, welcomed the policies outlined by the Iraq Study Group, which they claim recognizes Islam is the "new giant of the world."
The group is led by former U.S. Secretary of State James Baker.
"The report proves that this is the era of Islam and of jihad," said Abu Ayman, a senior leader of Islamic Jihad in the northern West Bank town of Jenin.
The Islamic Jihad terror group is responsible for every suicide bombing in Israel during the past two years.
"[With the Iraq Study Group report], the Americans came to the conclusion that Islam is the new giant of the world and it would be clever to reduce hostilities with this giant. In the Quran the principle of the rotation is clear and according to this principle the end of the Americans and of all non-believers is getting closer," Abu Ayman said.
According to Abu Abdullah, a senior leader of Hamas' so-called military wing, Baker's report is a victory for Islam brought about by "Allah and his angels."
"It is not just a simple victory. It is a great one. The big superpower of the world is defeated by a small group of mujahedeen (fighters). Did you see the mujahedeens' clothes and weapons in comparison with the huge individual military arsenal and supply that was carrying every American soldier?" exclaimed Abu Abdullah, who is considered one of the most important operational members of Hamas' Izzedine al-Qassam Martyrs Brigades, Hamas' declared "resistance" department.
"It is no doubt that Allah and his angels were fighting with them (insurgents) against the Americans. It is a sign to all those who keep saying that America, Israel and the West in general cannot be defeated on the ground so let us negotiate with them," Abu Abdullah said.
Abu Abdullah said following a withdrawal from Iraq, the U.S. will be defeated on its own soil.
"America must understand that with anti-American governments in Latin America and with Islam growing and reinforcing, including in the U.S. itself, the next step would be a total defeat on their (American) land, not a relative one like they are facing in Iraq," he said.
Abu Nasser, the second-in-command of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group in the West Bank, called the Iraq Study Group report a "great victory" from which other jihadist organizations can learn.
"The Iraqi victory is a great message and lesson to the revolutionary and freedom movements in the world. Just to think that this resistance is led by hundreds of Sunni fighters who defeated hundreds of thousands of Americans, British and thousands of soldiers who belong to the puppet regime in Baghdad. What would be the situation if the Shiites will decide to join the resistance?" commented Abu Nasser.
The Al Aqsa leader said his group learned from the "Iraqi resistance" that jihad will ultimately destroy Israel.
The Al Aqsa Brigades is the declared "military wing" of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.
"If Israel will not start negotiating its withdrawal we are ready to launch the new stage of the intifada," Abu Nasser said.
Islamic Jihad's Abu Ayman said after the U.S. "defeat" in Iraq is finalized, insurgents there should move to the West Bank and Gaza to help destroy Israel.
"We hope that after chasing the occupation from Iraq, these jihad efforts and experiences will be transferred to Palestine, and yes, I mean that we expect these fighters will come to Palestine as part of a big Islamic army."
The Iraqi Study Group's report called the U.S. position in Iraq "grave and deteriorating," and recommended the withdrawal of most combat troops from Iraq by 2008.
It warned, "The ability of the United States to influence events within Iraq is diminishing."
The report stated the U.S. should engage Iran, Syria and insurgent leaders in Iraq, and said Israel should be pressured into withdrawing from the West Bank and the Golan Heights.
The West Bank runs alongside Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, and Israel's international airport. The Heights is strategic mountainous territory that looks down in Israeli and Syrian population centers.
President Bush received the report at the White House this morning. Flanked by Baker and other commission members, Bush pledged to treat each proposal seriously and act in a "timely fashion."
The White House said Bush will make key decisions within weeks.
Some terror leaders, though, were unsure whether the Baker report would actually be implemented. They claimed Israel controls U.S. foreign policy and would ultimately block changes in American actions in the Middle East.
"The problem is that I think the political structure of the U.S. and the role of the Zionists in the U.S. turns impossible the possibility that this report would be implemented," said Abu Ayman.
Still the terror leader said the report shows insurgent actions are working.
"It is the dawn of the real Islam what we are seeing now, young people who are leaving everything in their countries and are coming to fight in Iraq," said Abu Ayman.
Hubbub Continues Over Use of Koran in U.S. Rep's Oath of Office
Hubbub Continues Over Use of Koran in U.S. Rep's Oath of Office
By Jody Brown
(AgapePress) - A pro-Islam group in Washington, DC, says a Jewish columnist's "bigoted and divisive" views should warrant his removal from a panel that oversees a Holocaust museum located in the nation's capital. The controversy centers around recent comments made by the journalist in reacting to an announcement by the nation's first elected Muslim congressman that he intends to use the Koran, instead of the Bible, during his upcoming swearing-in ceremony.
Columnist and talk-radio host Dennis Prager should be removed from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, which oversees the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum -- that's the opinion of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Why? Because in a column last week, Prager stated his opinion that Congressman-elect Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a Muslim, should take his oath of office on the Holy Bible -- not the Koran.
"Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book -- the Bible," wrote Prager. "If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress."
Continuing, the columnist wrote that "in your personal life, we will fight for your right to prefer any other book. We will even fight for your right to publish cartoons mocking our Bible. But, Mr. Ellison, America -- not you -- decides on what book its public servants take their oath.
Since then, the columnist has offered up a solution he believes would satisfy most Americans: have Ellison bring a Bible with him along with his Koran.
"I have no problem with his bringing the Koran," Prager tells Associated Press, "[but] I have a problem with him denying the Bible its proper place. It's the first time since George Washington that someone has substituted a religious text for the Bible." The journalist adds that he seeks no laws to force use of the Bible in the ceremony, "but I do want public pressure on him to include the Bible."
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for CAIR, says Prager's remarks display an intolerance toward Islam -- and that the columnist should not insist that the nation's first Muslim congressman be sworn in on a Bible. "That excludes Muslims, it excludes Buddhists, Hindus, people in the Jewish community -- and it violates the Constitution in terms of not having a religious test to hold public office," Hooper tells AP.
And such anti-Islam comments, says the CAIR spokesman, deserves appropriate consequences.
"Mr. Prager is a member of the council that governs the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington," notes Hooper, "and we believe that his continued presence on that council would be inappropriate for someone who holds such bigoted and divisive views.
"When you are appointed by the president to a council whose mission is to combat hatred and bigotry, and you hold views that promote hatred and bigotry, there's a problem there ...."
Prager, who is Jewish, dismisses CAIR as a small Saudi-funded interest group. "It's not exactly a dishonor to be vilified by CAIR," he says. "I believe that that's been a destructive organization that has hurt Muslim/non-Muslim relations in America."
And his call for the Bible to be used is not an issue of personal religious preference, he adds. "I'm a Jew -- so the New Testament is not my Bible either. But the Bible ... is what gave [America] its values, and I can recognize that even if it isn't entirely my Bible."
Congressman Ellison's campaign manager contends that Prager's premise is false. Dave Colling acknowledges that the incoming lawmaker from Minnesota would be the first to take the oath with the Koran -- "but most members do not even take an individual oath with any book," he tells the Washington Post. "Keith Ellison will be taking his oath in the chamber [en masse] with the other members of Congress." No Bible or other religious document is used for the oath at that time, says that report.
In addition, notes Colling in the Post, Mr. Ellison has not refused to take an oath on the Bible, because his refusal would imply that such a requirement exists.
When Theodore Roosevelt took his oath of office in 1901, he was the first and only president to do so without a Bible. Sixty years later, John F. Kennedy took his oath on a Catholic version of the Bible. And several Jewish members of Congress have taken their oath on the Torah.
Associated Press contributed to this article.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
By Jody Brown
(AgapePress) - A pro-Islam group in Washington, DC, says a Jewish columnist's "bigoted and divisive" views should warrant his removal from a panel that oversees a Holocaust museum located in the nation's capital. The controversy centers around recent comments made by the journalist in reacting to an announcement by the nation's first elected Muslim congressman that he intends to use the Koran, instead of the Bible, during his upcoming swearing-in ceremony.
Columnist and talk-radio host Dennis Prager should be removed from the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, which oversees the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum -- that's the opinion of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). Why? Because in a column last week, Prager stated his opinion that Congressman-elect Keith Ellison (D-Minn.), a Muslim, should take his oath of office on the Holy Bible -- not the Koran.
"Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book -- the Bible," wrote Prager. "If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress."
Continuing, the columnist wrote that "in your personal life, we will fight for your right to prefer any other book. We will even fight for your right to publish cartoons mocking our Bible. But, Mr. Ellison, America -- not you -- decides on what book its public servants take their oath.
Since then, the columnist has offered up a solution he believes would satisfy most Americans: have Ellison bring a Bible with him along with his Koran.
"I have no problem with his bringing the Koran," Prager tells Associated Press, "[but] I have a problem with him denying the Bible its proper place. It's the first time since George Washington that someone has substituted a religious text for the Bible." The journalist adds that he seeks no laws to force use of the Bible in the ceremony, "but I do want public pressure on him to include the Bible."
Ibrahim Hooper, a spokesman for CAIR, says Prager's remarks display an intolerance toward Islam -- and that the columnist should not insist that the nation's first Muslim congressman be sworn in on a Bible. "That excludes Muslims, it excludes Buddhists, Hindus, people in the Jewish community -- and it violates the Constitution in terms of not having a religious test to hold public office," Hooper tells AP.
And such anti-Islam comments, says the CAIR spokesman, deserves appropriate consequences.
"Mr. Prager is a member of the council that governs the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington," notes Hooper, "and we believe that his continued presence on that council would be inappropriate for someone who holds such bigoted and divisive views.
"When you are appointed by the president to a council whose mission is to combat hatred and bigotry, and you hold views that promote hatred and bigotry, there's a problem there ...."
Prager, who is Jewish, dismisses CAIR as a small Saudi-funded interest group. "It's not exactly a dishonor to be vilified by CAIR," he says. "I believe that that's been a destructive organization that has hurt Muslim/non-Muslim relations in America."
And his call for the Bible to be used is not an issue of personal religious preference, he adds. "I'm a Jew -- so the New Testament is not my Bible either. But the Bible ... is what gave [America] its values, and I can recognize that even if it isn't entirely my Bible."
Congressman Ellison's campaign manager contends that Prager's premise is false. Dave Colling acknowledges that the incoming lawmaker from Minnesota would be the first to take the oath with the Koran -- "but most members do not even take an individual oath with any book," he tells the Washington Post. "Keith Ellison will be taking his oath in the chamber [en masse] with the other members of Congress." No Bible or other religious document is used for the oath at that time, says that report.
In addition, notes Colling in the Post, Mr. Ellison has not refused to take an oath on the Bible, because his refusal would imply that such a requirement exists.
When Theodore Roosevelt took his oath of office in 1901, he was the first and only president to do so without a Bible. Sixty years later, John F. Kennedy took his oath on a Catholic version of the Bible. And several Jewish members of Congress have taken their oath on the Torah.
Associated Press contributed to this article.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
Life Matters to God -- And Here's How to Live It
Life Matters to God -- And Here's How to Live It
By Tim Wildmon
December 6, 2006
(AgapePress) - Funny how life changes as you go though the years. For most people in America it goes like this.
Childhood is filled with wonder. Everything is a new experience. There is very little sense of time except that it seems like forever until Christmas arrives.
The teen years are filled with friends and fun. We look for and find excitement.
A line from a popular song in the 1980s said of the post-teenage years: "Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone." I don't buy that idea, although there is an element of truth there.
Youth does thrill seek.
Then most of us get married in our 20s, have children until we are 30 and then buy a mini van. I know some wait until they are in their 30s to marry and some even stay single, but generally speaking, what I have described here is how it works here in the good ol' USA.
When you reach my current age of 43, you see that your kids are about to leave the home and become young adults. Pretty soon they will be having families of their own. The thought brings both joy and melancholy.
But this stage in life also makes you think about what lies ahead. You see, 43 is half way to 86. I graduated from Mississippi State -- that's how I know these things. And 86 is nine years above the average life expectancy in America, which is 77 years of age. In other words, even at 43 -- which many of you reading this consider "young" -- actually, I am probably on the downhill side of my time here on Earth.
What I am saying is cliché, but I will say it any way. Life is short. No matter how you cut it, we are here today and we are gone tomorrow. The questions then become: What do we do with the time we do have? And does it all really matter anyway?
For most of us, this is where religious faith speaks. For me, this is where I want to know what God says about these matters -- and since God does not schedule face-to-face question-and-answer sessions in an audible voice, the best place to turn is the Holy Bible. Wait a minute, you might ask, how do you there is a God? And how do you know He is the author of the Holy Bible? And beyond that how do we know that Jesus was the son of God as Christians believe?
These are very good questions -- questions which I don't have the space to go into here. But may I refer you to a short book I have recommended before? It's titled More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell.
But my short answer is that I believe in God because of the order in the universe. From nature, to the stars to the human experience here on Earth, everything points to a creator and is consistent with what the Bible says about life. At least to my satisfaction. The idea that our existence is random without meaning or purpose does not make any sense to me. If you have ever studied the complexities of the human eye, for example, the thought that it could have been put together outside of something supernatural is not logical. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
Which brings me back to the questions I posed earlier: What do we do with the time we have? And does it really matter anyway?
God says both matter.
God desires that I obey Him. He says I am to love Him with everything I am. He says the main way I can demonstrate my love for Him here is to love other people. He says my first love on Earth should be my wife. My second love on Earth should be my children. So it seems to me my time here on Earth is best used doing God's will, which is loving my wife, my kids and my fellow man.
I can demonstrate that love in many ways. I can serve. I can help. I can care. I can work for the things God stands for and work against the things God stands against.
For the Christian, the way we use our time either pleases God or displeases God. And the Bible teaches that we will be rewarded in heaven for the good that we did in His name while on Earth.
Amen.
Tim Wildmon is president of American Family Association and American Family Radio. He leads Spiritual Heritage Tours to Washington, DC, and Mount Vernon twice a year. For more information on the tours visit TimWildmon.com.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
By Tim Wildmon
December 6, 2006
(AgapePress) - Funny how life changes as you go though the years. For most people in America it goes like this.
Childhood is filled with wonder. Everything is a new experience. There is very little sense of time except that it seems like forever until Christmas arrives.
The teen years are filled with friends and fun. We look for and find excitement.
A line from a popular song in the 1980s said of the post-teenage years: "Life goes on, long after the thrill of living is gone." I don't buy that idea, although there is an element of truth there.
Youth does thrill seek.
Then most of us get married in our 20s, have children until we are 30 and then buy a mini van. I know some wait until they are in their 30s to marry and some even stay single, but generally speaking, what I have described here is how it works here in the good ol' USA.
When you reach my current age of 43, you see that your kids are about to leave the home and become young adults. Pretty soon they will be having families of their own. The thought brings both joy and melancholy.
But this stage in life also makes you think about what lies ahead. You see, 43 is half way to 86. I graduated from Mississippi State -- that's how I know these things. And 86 is nine years above the average life expectancy in America, which is 77 years of age. In other words, even at 43 -- which many of you reading this consider "young" -- actually, I am probably on the downhill side of my time here on Earth.
What I am saying is cliché, but I will say it any way. Life is short. No matter how you cut it, we are here today and we are gone tomorrow. The questions then become: What do we do with the time we do have? And does it all really matter anyway?
For most of us, this is where religious faith speaks. For me, this is where I want to know what God says about these matters -- and since God does not schedule face-to-face question-and-answer sessions in an audible voice, the best place to turn is the Holy Bible. Wait a minute, you might ask, how do you there is a God? And how do you know He is the author of the Holy Bible? And beyond that how do we know that Jesus was the son of God as Christians believe?
These are very good questions -- questions which I don't have the space to go into here. But may I refer you to a short book I have recommended before? It's titled More Than a Carpenter by Josh McDowell.
But my short answer is that I believe in God because of the order in the universe. From nature, to the stars to the human experience here on Earth, everything points to a creator and is consistent with what the Bible says about life. At least to my satisfaction. The idea that our existence is random without meaning or purpose does not make any sense to me. If you have ever studied the complexities of the human eye, for example, the thought that it could have been put together outside of something supernatural is not logical. I could go on and on, but you get the picture.
Which brings me back to the questions I posed earlier: What do we do with the time we have? And does it really matter anyway?
God says both matter.
God desires that I obey Him. He says I am to love Him with everything I am. He says the main way I can demonstrate my love for Him here is to love other people. He says my first love on Earth should be my wife. My second love on Earth should be my children. So it seems to me my time here on Earth is best used doing God's will, which is loving my wife, my kids and my fellow man.
I can demonstrate that love in many ways. I can serve. I can help. I can care. I can work for the things God stands for and work against the things God stands against.
For the Christian, the way we use our time either pleases God or displeases God. And the Bible teaches that we will be rewarded in heaven for the good that we did in His name while on Earth.
Amen.
Tim Wildmon is president of American Family Association and American Family Radio. He leads Spiritual Heritage Tours to Washington, DC, and Mount Vernon twice a year. For more information on the tours visit TimWildmon.com.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
PTC Applauds NBC's Airing of VeggieTales, Religious Content Intact
PTC Applauds NBC's Airing of VeggieTales, Religious Content Intact
By Jenni Parker
December 6, 2006
(AgapePress) - A pro-family media watchdog group is commending NBC for its apparent decision to put God and the Bible back into the network's Saturday morning television broadcasts of the popular animated series VeggieTales.
Some critics in the Christian community had denounced NBC for its initial insistence on editing out references to God and the Bible in the scripture-based cartoons before airing them. (See earlier article) However, VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer recently reported on his website that the last few episodes of the animated show have not been edited by the network.
Vischer says most of the last four or five VeggieTales episodes have had "at least as much 'theistic' content as the earlier ones, if not more." Nevertheless, the shows "came back from NBC standards and practices department with no requested edits," he says. "So they're going to air just the way they were originally written."
Musing over what brought about the network's seeming change of heart, the animator observes, "Rumor has it NBC received in the neighborhood of 600,000 e-mails about the Veggie Tales edits (a rumor I can't confirm or deny)." In any event, he says, "It's worth a little celebration ... don't you think?"
And, as for any viewers who may have stopped watching their "veggies" in protest over the edits, Vischer points out, their actions may well have helped to bring "a little more light to TV's 'vast wasteland.'" He urges fans of the cartoon to let NBC know they are thrilled with the network's recent choices by tuning in to watch the show.
In response to the animator's report, Parents Television Council (PTC) president L. Brent Bozell said his organization applauds NBC for apparently reversing its decision to cut the biblical and theistic content from the cartoon. He also commented that it is important for the entertainment industry to realize that "Americans are more willing to watch programming that reflects their values, with VeggieTales being one of those examples."
Bozell feels NBC should be commended for leaving recent installments of VeggieTales unedited and airing the programs as they were originally written. Now, the parents media advocacy group spokesman adds, he and the PTC hope the national network will "continue this upward trend towards including more programming that the entire family can enthusiastically watch and support."
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
By Jenni Parker
December 6, 2006
(AgapePress) - A pro-family media watchdog group is commending NBC for its apparent decision to put God and the Bible back into the network's Saturday morning television broadcasts of the popular animated series VeggieTales.
Some critics in the Christian community had denounced NBC for its initial insistence on editing out references to God and the Bible in the scripture-based cartoons before airing them. (See earlier article) However, VeggieTales creator Phil Vischer recently reported on his website that the last few episodes of the animated show have not been edited by the network.
Vischer says most of the last four or five VeggieTales episodes have had "at least as much 'theistic' content as the earlier ones, if not more." Nevertheless, the shows "came back from NBC standards and practices department with no requested edits," he says. "So they're going to air just the way they were originally written."
Musing over what brought about the network's seeming change of heart, the animator observes, "Rumor has it NBC received in the neighborhood of 600,000 e-mails about the Veggie Tales edits (a rumor I can't confirm or deny)." In any event, he says, "It's worth a little celebration ... don't you think?"
And, as for any viewers who may have stopped watching their "veggies" in protest over the edits, Vischer points out, their actions may well have helped to bring "a little more light to TV's 'vast wasteland.'" He urges fans of the cartoon to let NBC know they are thrilled with the network's recent choices by tuning in to watch the show.
In response to the animator's report, Parents Television Council (PTC) president L. Brent Bozell said his organization applauds NBC for apparently reversing its decision to cut the biblical and theistic content from the cartoon. He also commented that it is important for the entertainment industry to realize that "Americans are more willing to watch programming that reflects their values, with VeggieTales being one of those examples."
Bozell feels NBC should be commended for leaving recent installments of VeggieTales unedited and airing the programs as they were originally written. Now, the parents media advocacy group spokesman adds, he and the PTC hope the national network will "continue this upward trend towards including more programming that the entire family can enthusiastically watch and support."
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
Ministry Leader: DOJ Findings Show Need for Faith-Based Prison Programs
Ministry Leader: DOJ Findings Show Need for Faith-Based Prison Programs
By Ed Thomas
December 6, 2006
(AgapePress) - Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship, calls the U.S. Department of Justice's accounting of a record seven-million people either behind bars or on probation or parole at the end of 2005 "staggering" -- but he also sees it as a prime opportunity for the Church to demonstrate the gospel's advantage over the American penal system.
The DOJ's seven-million count represents one in every 32 American adults and breaks down to just over two million individuals in jail in the U.S., 4.1 million on probation, and more than 784,000 on parole, Earley notes. He says there has been a nearly tenfold increase of participants in the justice system, up to 2.3 million, since Charles W. Colson founded Prison Fellowship 30 years ago.
"People who are getting out [of prison] are coming back in at a rate of 50 percent after three years," the prison ministry's current president points out. "And yet," he says, "in many cases the courts and the more liberal elements in our nation don't want to allow faith-based rehabilitation programs that are entirely voluntary to occur behind prison walls because [those programs] are based on the teachings of Christ and might offend someone else."
But as far as Earley is concerned, the latest Justice Department annual report, with its dire statistics -- like the 50 percent recidivism (prisoner return) rate within three years of release -- only confirms the dire need for a spiritually-based approach to inmate rehabilitation.
"It's a huge opportunity for the Church to demonstrate the transforming power of the gospel," the Prison Fellowship spokesman says. "And it's really a huge testimony as well," he adds, "of the current government policies we have around the nation being a real failure -- not only to stem crime but to transform those who have run afoul of the criminal justice system."
Prison Fellowship is currently appealing an Iowa federal judge's order to shut down its InnerChange Freedom Initiative prison program and to reimburse the state for running it.
Earley feels the judge's ruling is bewildering, especially since the voluntary, faith-based program was a success, charting a three-year prisoner return rate of only eight percent.
Ed Thomas, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
By Ed Thomas
December 6, 2006
(AgapePress) - Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship, calls the U.S. Department of Justice's accounting of a record seven-million people either behind bars or on probation or parole at the end of 2005 "staggering" -- but he also sees it as a prime opportunity for the Church to demonstrate the gospel's advantage over the American penal system.
The DOJ's seven-million count represents one in every 32 American adults and breaks down to just over two million individuals in jail in the U.S., 4.1 million on probation, and more than 784,000 on parole, Earley notes. He says there has been a nearly tenfold increase of participants in the justice system, up to 2.3 million, since Charles W. Colson founded Prison Fellowship 30 years ago.
"People who are getting out [of prison] are coming back in at a rate of 50 percent after three years," the prison ministry's current president points out. "And yet," he says, "in many cases the courts and the more liberal elements in our nation don't want to allow faith-based rehabilitation programs that are entirely voluntary to occur behind prison walls because [those programs] are based on the teachings of Christ and might offend someone else."
But as far as Earley is concerned, the latest Justice Department annual report, with its dire statistics -- like the 50 percent recidivism (prisoner return) rate within three years of release -- only confirms the dire need for a spiritually-based approach to inmate rehabilitation.
"It's a huge opportunity for the Church to demonstrate the transforming power of the gospel," the Prison Fellowship spokesman says. "And it's really a huge testimony as well," he adds, "of the current government policies we have around the nation being a real failure -- not only to stem crime but to transform those who have run afoul of the criminal justice system."
Prison Fellowship is currently appealing an Iowa federal judge's order to shut down its InnerChange Freedom Initiative prison program and to reimburse the state for running it.
Earley feels the judge's ruling is bewildering, especially since the voluntary, faith-based program was a success, charting a three-year prisoner return rate of only eight percent.
Ed Thomas, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
House Lawmakers Plug Fetal Pain Awareness Bill Before Vote
House Lawmakers Plug Fetal Pain Awareness Bill Before Vote
By Jim Brown
December 6, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC (AgapePress) - Pro-life groups and members of the House are pressing for passage of a bill to require women considering an abortion to be informed of the pain their baby would feel during the procedure.
Today the U.S. House will vote on the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act (H.R. 6099), which is sponsored by New Jersey Representative Chris Smith. If passed, the measure require that women considering an abortion 20 weeks or more after fertilization be informed of the pain their child would feel during the lethal procedure so they may request anesthesia in order to reduce or eliminate the child's pain. The bill would not require anesthesia; it would, however, protect a doctor's right to inform the woman of any risks to her according to the doctor's own best medical judgment.
Smith and several colleagues held a press conference earlier this week in support of the legislation. Ohio Congressman Steve Chabot, who authored the 2003 Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, said the unborn child pain act should cause both Republicans and Democrats to "step back and ask themselves who they are in the human community." Often, he said, the greatest challenge an individual has is to put himself or herself in the place of another.
"I hope that we can put ourselves in the place of these little unborn children who have no voice, no hope, no defense," said Chabot. He added that he is hopeful his fellow House members can ask themselves "who we are as a human family" and "if those men and women lying out in Arlington National Cemetery really died so that we could torturously kill 400 members' late-term babies every day without anesthetic."
One Iowa lawmaker pointed out that unborn children in America are not receiving the same level of protection that livestock are. As a member of both the House Judiciary and House Agriculture committees, Representative Steve King said he has noticed a stark and shocking contrast between the success of pro-life legislation and livestock legislation.
"We've granted authority to the Secretary of Agriculture [through something] called the Animal Welfare Act, where he can regulate the transport, sale, and handling of various animals that are used for research," noted King. "There's other legislation out there that sets up animals above people.
"And I find myself standing here [thinking that] it seems bizarre ... that we're even in this discussion about how to potentially inform the expectant mother of the pain that an unborn child is going through while that baby's being killed."
King noted the Humane Slaughter Act requires that any animal that is to be slaughtered is to be rendered unconscious first -- yet that same provision is not being afforded to unborn children."
Florida Congressman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was among those speaking at the press conference on Tuesday. She said that informing women of the pain felt by their unborn child is "not something to be compromised."
"Medical evidence suggests that an unborn child can feel pain at 20 weeks if not earlier," she commented. "As such, it is our responsibility as legislators to see women throughout America are informed of the intense pain experienced by their unborn child during an abortion and offer them an option to ease their child's pain."
In addition, Arizona Congressman Rick Rienzi shared that during a time of year when people talk of peace on earth and civility in the nation, it is only proper to focus on the suffering felt by unborn victims of abortion. "As a father of 12 kids, seven boys and five girls, I very much love my nation; I love her," Rienzi said. "But I don't revere her when she has a law on her books that allows this kind of pain and suffering, this kind of conflict in our nation."
Rienzi thanked Rep. Smith for authoring the bill and, in doing so, educating the nation "as we inform women and husbands and partners and doctors of what [is needed] for there to be real justice in the womb." Smith believes he has garnered the support of at least 35 pro-life Democrats to back his measure. The legislation has even drawn the support of the pro-abortion group NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
By Jim Brown
December 6, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC (AgapePress) - Pro-life groups and members of the House are pressing for passage of a bill to require women considering an abortion to be informed of the pain their baby would feel during the procedure.
Today the U.S. House will vote on the Unborn Child Pain Awareness Act (H.R. 6099), which is sponsored by New Jersey Representative Chris Smith. If passed, the measure require that women considering an abortion 20 weeks or more after fertilization be informed of the pain their child would feel during the lethal procedure so they may request anesthesia in order to reduce or eliminate the child's pain. The bill would not require anesthesia; it would, however, protect a doctor's right to inform the woman of any risks to her according to the doctor's own best medical judgment.
Smith and several colleagues held a press conference earlier this week in support of the legislation. Ohio Congressman Steve Chabot, who authored the 2003 Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act, said the unborn child pain act should cause both Republicans and Democrats to "step back and ask themselves who they are in the human community." Often, he said, the greatest challenge an individual has is to put himself or herself in the place of another.
"I hope that we can put ourselves in the place of these little unborn children who have no voice, no hope, no defense," said Chabot. He added that he is hopeful his fellow House members can ask themselves "who we are as a human family" and "if those men and women lying out in Arlington National Cemetery really died so that we could torturously kill 400 members' late-term babies every day without anesthetic."
One Iowa lawmaker pointed out that unborn children in America are not receiving the same level of protection that livestock are. As a member of both the House Judiciary and House Agriculture committees, Representative Steve King said he has noticed a stark and shocking contrast between the success of pro-life legislation and livestock legislation.
"We've granted authority to the Secretary of Agriculture [through something] called the Animal Welfare Act, where he can regulate the transport, sale, and handling of various animals that are used for research," noted King. "There's other legislation out there that sets up animals above people.
"And I find myself standing here [thinking that] it seems bizarre ... that we're even in this discussion about how to potentially inform the expectant mother of the pain that an unborn child is going through while that baby's being killed."
King noted the Humane Slaughter Act requires that any animal that is to be slaughtered is to be rendered unconscious first -- yet that same provision is not being afforded to unborn children."
Florida Congressman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen was among those speaking at the press conference on Tuesday. She said that informing women of the pain felt by their unborn child is "not something to be compromised."
"Medical evidence suggests that an unborn child can feel pain at 20 weeks if not earlier," she commented. "As such, it is our responsibility as legislators to see women throughout America are informed of the intense pain experienced by their unborn child during an abortion and offer them an option to ease their child's pain."
In addition, Arizona Congressman Rick Rienzi shared that during a time of year when people talk of peace on earth and civility in the nation, it is only proper to focus on the suffering felt by unborn victims of abortion. "As a father of 12 kids, seven boys and five girls, I very much love my nation; I love her," Rienzi said. "But I don't revere her when she has a law on her books that allows this kind of pain and suffering, this kind of conflict in our nation."
Rienzi thanked Rep. Smith for authoring the bill and, in doing so, educating the nation "as we inform women and husbands and partners and doctors of what [is needed] for there to be real justice in the womb." Smith believes he has garnered the support of at least 35 pro-life Democrats to back his measure. The legislation has even drawn the support of the pro-abortion group NARAL Pro-Choice America.
Jim Brown, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
Fighting Back -- Pro-Family Groups Find Ways to Combat Homosexual Agenda in Public Schools
Fighting Back -- Pro-Family Groups Find Ways to Combat Homosexual Agenda in Public Schools
Feature by Ed Vitagliano
December 6, 2006
(AgapePress) - The influence of homosexual activists within the nation's educational system continues to grow, altering the attitudes of children and teens toward the acceptance of a destructive and depraved lifestyle.
Often without parental knowledge, local schools are instituting policy changes that not only promote respect for homosexuality, but often even celebrate it. From teacher lesson plans to books in the school libraries to special speakers addressing children in school assemblies, activists are touting the "naturalness" of homosexuality.
'Risk Audit' can reveal shenanigansWith so much politically-correct pro-homosexual indoctrination going on, how do parents assess the extent of homosexual activism in their own local schools?
Linda Harvey, founder of the Ohio-based pro-family group Mission America, has developed one common-sense tool. Harvey's "Risk Audit Project" is a comprehensive survey which measures the promotion of homosexuality in a given public school district. (The survey can be downloaded for free at the organization's website.)
The Risk Audit Project measures the extent to which public school districts are collaborating with homosexual activists by determining, among other things, whether schools have adopted pro-homosexual policies or curricula, and whether the school district is sponsoring pro-homosexual clubs, events, or activities.
Harvey said the main thing that the Risk Audit Project offers parents is knowledge. "Once the extent of the homosexual agenda directed to children is discovered, local parents, grandparents and citizens can alert the community, the media and notify the schools themselves," she said. "Parents will then clearly understand their responsibility: hold schools accountable for removing pro-homosexual material; and if this is not done, then move children to a different educational environment."
The Risk Audit Project has been endorsed by a number of pro-family groups, including the American Family Association, the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, and the Illinois Family Institute.
Equal Access Cuts Both WaysThe leader in the public school promotion of homosexuality is the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Besides having succeeded in framing much of the debate over homosexual issues, GLSEN has also spearheaded the formation of more than 3,000 Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs in schools.
These clubs are often formed without parental notification or input. Kids who consider themselves homosexual -- or straight kids who are sympathetic to the homosexual movement -- simply have to approach school administrators and obtain permission. Because most schools allow the formation of non-academic student groups, federal equal access laws often require schools to allow GSAs.
Once these groups get started, students are allowed to gather regularly at school and promote their meetings and their views using the school's public address system, bulletin boards and copy machines.
Naturally, many parents object to GSAs in school. However, it is legally risky for school officials to refuse to allow their formation simply because the group is oriented around homosexuality.
So what can parents do? David Williams, a mid-Oklahoma representative of the Christian Educators Association International, used to his advantage the very federal equal access laws that allow GSAs in the first place. Williams argued that students who believed that homosexuals can change their sexual orientation must also be allowed to start their own club.
That didn't sit well with those pushing the GSA. Rather than allow an ex-"gay" club, the GSA was voted down -- by the very students who initially wanted it.
Parental Permission Policies TriedMeanwhile, the Washington, DC-based pro-family group Family Policy Network (FPN), is promoting another approach to the problem of GSAs. In August, FPN launched a multi-state campaign to require schools to obtain parental permission before public school children can take part in non-academic clubs -- including GSAs.
The expectation is that such a policy would dampen the number of kids who participated in the homosexual clubs, thus protecting them from the dangers inherent in that lifestyle.
"We think it's going to be really hard for most [GSA] clubs to get much of a participation factor," said FPN policy analyst Alex Mason, "because not many parents are going to want to allow their children to sit in front of a homosexual activist and learn about deviant lifestyles and how they're okay."
As part of the campaign, lawmakers in five states -- North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas -- will be asked to introduce measures requiring parental permission.
"Parents have a right to know that their children are going to be subjected to homosexual activism in the school," said Mason. He concluded, it is just common sense that homosexual activists should not have unfettered access to children, particularly without parent's permission.
Ed Vitagliano, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is news editor of AFA Journal, a publication of the American Family Association. This article, printed with permission, appears in the November/December 2006 issue.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
Feature by Ed VitaglianoDecember 6, 2006
(AgapePress) - The influence of homosexual activists within the nation's educational system continues to grow, altering the attitudes of children and teens toward the acceptance of a destructive and depraved lifestyle.
Often without parental knowledge, local schools are instituting policy changes that not only promote respect for homosexuality, but often even celebrate it. From teacher lesson plans to books in the school libraries to special speakers addressing children in school assemblies, activists are touting the "naturalness" of homosexuality.
'Risk Audit' can reveal shenanigansWith so much politically-correct pro-homosexual indoctrination going on, how do parents assess the extent of homosexual activism in their own local schools?
Linda Harvey, founder of the Ohio-based pro-family group Mission America, has developed one common-sense tool. Harvey's "Risk Audit Project" is a comprehensive survey which measures the promotion of homosexuality in a given public school district. (The survey can be downloaded for free at the organization's website.)
The Risk Audit Project measures the extent to which public school districts are collaborating with homosexual activists by determining, among other things, whether schools have adopted pro-homosexual policies or curricula, and whether the school district is sponsoring pro-homosexual clubs, events, or activities.
Harvey said the main thing that the Risk Audit Project offers parents is knowledge. "Once the extent of the homosexual agenda directed to children is discovered, local parents, grandparents and citizens can alert the community, the media and notify the schools themselves," she said. "Parents will then clearly understand their responsibility: hold schools accountable for removing pro-homosexual material; and if this is not done, then move children to a different educational environment."
The Risk Audit Project has been endorsed by a number of pro-family groups, including the American Family Association, the Family Research Council, Concerned Women for America, and the Illinois Family Institute.
Equal Access Cuts Both WaysThe leader in the public school promotion of homosexuality is the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Network (GLSEN). Besides having succeeded in framing much of the debate over homosexual issues, GLSEN has also spearheaded the formation of more than 3,000 Gay-Straight Alliance (GSA) clubs in schools.
These clubs are often formed without parental notification or input. Kids who consider themselves homosexual -- or straight kids who are sympathetic to the homosexual movement -- simply have to approach school administrators and obtain permission. Because most schools allow the formation of non-academic student groups, federal equal access laws often require schools to allow GSAs.
Once these groups get started, students are allowed to gather regularly at school and promote their meetings and their views using the school's public address system, bulletin boards and copy machines.
Naturally, many parents object to GSAs in school. However, it is legally risky for school officials to refuse to allow their formation simply because the group is oriented around homosexuality.
So what can parents do? David Williams, a mid-Oklahoma representative of the Christian Educators Association International, used to his advantage the very federal equal access laws that allow GSAs in the first place. Williams argued that students who believed that homosexuals can change their sexual orientation must also be allowed to start their own club.
That didn't sit well with those pushing the GSA. Rather than allow an ex-"gay" club, the GSA was voted down -- by the very students who initially wanted it.
Parental Permission Policies TriedMeanwhile, the Washington, DC-based pro-family group Family Policy Network (FPN), is promoting another approach to the problem of GSAs. In August, FPN launched a multi-state campaign to require schools to obtain parental permission before public school children can take part in non-academic clubs -- including GSAs.
The expectation is that such a policy would dampen the number of kids who participated in the homosexual clubs, thus protecting them from the dangers inherent in that lifestyle.
"We think it's going to be really hard for most [GSA] clubs to get much of a participation factor," said FPN policy analyst Alex Mason, "because not many parents are going to want to allow their children to sit in front of a homosexual activist and learn about deviant lifestyles and how they're okay."
As part of the campaign, lawmakers in five states -- North Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Alabama and Texas -- will be asked to introduce measures requiring parental permission.
"Parents have a right to know that their children are going to be subjected to homosexual activism in the school," said Mason. He concluded, it is just common sense that homosexual activists should not have unfettered access to children, particularly without parent's permission.
Ed Vitagliano, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is news editor of AFA Journal, a publication of the American Family Association. This article, printed with permission, appears in the November/December 2006 issue.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
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