Without a doubt, this could be the most important letter I have written you.
The U.S. Senate is poised to pass Senate Bill 1 (Section 220), which would effectively keep AFA and every other pro-family organization in America from providing you information on bills in Congress. Under Senate Bill 1 (Section 220), we would only be able to provide you information on a bill at a high cost and at great danger of being penalized by Congress.
To put it bluntly, members of Congress are tired of getting your e-mails and phone calls, and Senate Bill 1(Section 220) is designed to keep information from you that might inspire you to call or write your senator.
Click Here to read AFA's review of Senate Bill 1 (Section 220).
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The new Democratic Senate thinks that if it can keep you from getting information—which is what Senate Bill 1 (Section 220) would do—then it will not be getting e-mails and phone calls from you.
Senators favoring this bill are simply tired of hearing from you. That is the bottom line. They don’t want to hear from you. They don’t want you to be informed. They want to silence you. How? By simply keeping you from receiving information that AFA provides.
I know that language is strong, but Senate Bill 1 (Section 220) will do exactly what I’ve said.
Take Action
1. Send an e-mail to your two senators now! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
2. Call your two senators at 202-224-3121. (Simply ask for one senator. Then call the other one at the same number. Ask your senators to vote against Senate Bill 1 (Section 220).
3. Please forward this to your friends and family. It is vitally important that they know what members of the Senate are trying to do.
4. Print this information, and share it with members in your Sunday School class and church and urge them to send an e-mail and call.
American Family Association
Copyright 2006 All Rights Reserved
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Friday, January 12, 2007
Senate Bill 1, The True Story! Speaking UP for Speaking Out
Senate Bill 1, The true story! *Must Read* Also, email/forward this article out to all your family and friends!
Also, Listen to Dr. James Dobson at the bottom of this article...
Speaking UP for Speaking Out
The U.S. Senate is about to vote on legislation aimed at curbing lobbying corruption: Senate Bill 1 aims to clean up recent lobbying scandals that have plagued the halls of our government. While most of the bill is good, it contains a provision, Section 220, that will severely limit the ability of Americans to stay abreast of the important issues facing our country.
Instead of addressing the true lobbying problems – high-paid lobbyists buying influence with members of Congress with international trips and fancy dinners – Section 220 will place the bulls-eye squarely on you.
Section 220 will require that organizations such as Focus on the Family Action that alert Americans to important legislation affecting our country be burdened by miles of new red tape. These bureaucratic restrictions are unconscionable, and failure to comply could result in $100,000 fines.
Focus on the Family Action's Dr. James Dobson is urging you to place phone calls today to your federal lawmakers urging them to prevent these travesties. Call both of your U.S. senators and urge them to oppose the unfair grassroots lobbying provisions (Sec. 220) and ensure that they are removed from S. 1.
To reach your congressman and senators, call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
**********************************************************
The U.S. Senate is about to vote on legislation aimed at curbing lobbying corruption. There is a section of the bill which unfairly targets grassroots lobbying organizations and would penalize them for alerting Americans about important issues and attempting to influence government policy. If the bill passes, organizations like Focus on the Family Action, the American Family Association, FRC Action and American Values may be severely hampered from informing you in the future about significant legislation affecting the family. Representatives from each of these ministries join Dr. Dobson to tell you what you can do to prevent this ill-advised Senate measure from passing.
Click here to listen to this important message! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
or below to visit...
Then click on player type: Click here to visit source page! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Also, Listen to Dr. James Dobson at the bottom of this article...
Speaking UP for Speaking Out
The U.S. Senate is about to vote on legislation aimed at curbing lobbying corruption: Senate Bill 1 aims to clean up recent lobbying scandals that have plagued the halls of our government. While most of the bill is good, it contains a provision, Section 220, that will severely limit the ability of Americans to stay abreast of the important issues facing our country.
Instead of addressing the true lobbying problems – high-paid lobbyists buying influence with members of Congress with international trips and fancy dinners – Section 220 will place the bulls-eye squarely on you.
Section 220 will require that organizations such as Focus on the Family Action that alert Americans to important legislation affecting our country be burdened by miles of new red tape. These bureaucratic restrictions are unconscionable, and failure to comply could result in $100,000 fines.
Focus on the Family Action's Dr. James Dobson is urging you to place phone calls today to your federal lawmakers urging them to prevent these travesties. Call both of your U.S. senators and urge them to oppose the unfair grassroots lobbying provisions (Sec. 220) and ensure that they are removed from S. 1.
To reach your congressman and senators, call the Capitol switchboard at 202-224-3121.
**********************************************************
The U.S. Senate is about to vote on legislation aimed at curbing lobbying corruption. There is a section of the bill which unfairly targets grassroots lobbying organizations and would penalize them for alerting Americans about important issues and attempting to influence government policy. If the bill passes, organizations like Focus on the Family Action, the American Family Association, FRC Action and American Values may be severely hampered from informing you in the future about significant legislation affecting the family. Representatives from each of these ministries join Dr. Dobson to tell you what you can do to prevent this ill-advised Senate measure from passing.
Click here to listen to this important message! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
or below to visit...
Then click on player type: Click here to visit source page! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Conservatives Lament House Passage of Embryonic Stem-Cell Research Bill
Conservatives Lament House Passage of Embryonic Stem-Cell Research Bill
By Jim Brown and Jenni Parker
January 12, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC (AgapePress) - A leading conservative voice in Washington is decrying the U.S. House of Representatives' passage of legislation mandating the use of tax dollars for research that destroys human embryos.
By a 253-174 vote, the House passed H.R. 3, a bill that would expand federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, or ESCR. President George W. Bush has vowed to veto the legislation, saying it "would use federal taxpayer dollars to support and encourage the destruction of human life for research."
The vote on the legislation fell 32 votes short of the two-thirds margin required to overturn the President's promised veto. H.R. 3 is the same as a bill that Bush vetoed July 19 of last year; a veto override attempt at that time failed by 51 votes.
American Values president and former U.S. presidential candidate Gary Bauer calls the House vote a sad one, particularly in light of an announced breakthrough from several research hospitals indicating that an abundance of stem cells can be recovered from amniotic fluid without harm to the mother or child. "To me," the conservative activist says, "it shows that this vote is all about politics more than it is about science."
On the positive side, Bauer notes, "while unfortunately this legislation passed, it did not pass with a veto-proof margin, so we will be counting on the president to veto this bill."
President Bush has been "outstanding" on the issue of life in general and specifically on the issue of embryonic stem-cell research, the American Values spokesman points out. He says Bush understands that Americans with deep moral objections to killing human embryos do not want their tax dollars paying for research that does exactly that. ...
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By Jim Brown and Jenni Parker
January 12, 2006
WASHINGTON, DC (AgapePress) - A leading conservative voice in Washington is decrying the U.S. House of Representatives' passage of legislation mandating the use of tax dollars for research that destroys human embryos.
By a 253-174 vote, the House passed H.R. 3, a bill that would expand federal funding of embryonic stem-cell research, or ESCR. President George W. Bush has vowed to veto the legislation, saying it "would use federal taxpayer dollars to support and encourage the destruction of human life for research."
The vote on the legislation fell 32 votes short of the two-thirds margin required to overturn the President's promised veto. H.R. 3 is the same as a bill that Bush vetoed July 19 of last year; a veto override attempt at that time failed by 51 votes.
American Values president and former U.S. presidential candidate Gary Bauer calls the House vote a sad one, particularly in light of an announced breakthrough from several research hospitals indicating that an abundance of stem cells can be recovered from amniotic fluid without harm to the mother or child. "To me," the conservative activist says, "it shows that this vote is all about politics more than it is about science."
On the positive side, Bauer notes, "while unfortunately this legislation passed, it did not pass with a veto-proof margin, so we will be counting on the president to veto this bill."
President Bush has been "outstanding" on the issue of life in general and specifically on the issue of embryonic stem-cell research, the American Values spokesman points out. He says Bush understands that Americans with deep moral objections to killing human embryos do not want their tax dollars paying for research that does exactly that. ...
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MARRIAGE DIGEST: Canadian lesbians & father named as legal parents of boy; survey says -- teens not so liberal
MARRIAGE DIGEST: Canadian lesbians & father named as legal parents of boy; survey says -- teens not so liberal
Jan 12, 2007
By Michael Foust
Baptist Press
TORONTO, Ontario (BP)--The highest court in Ontario expanded the legal definition of the family Jan. 2, issuing a landmark ruling that allows a 5-year-old boy legally to have three parents -- two mothers and a father.
The lawsuit involves a lesbian couple, unnamed in the lawsuit, who several years ago began examining various ways they could have a child. They declined to use anonymous sperm donation and instead asked a family friend if he would become the biological father and also play a role in the child's upbringing, according to the International Herald Tribune. The man agreed, and the boy was born.
But under provincial law, the child could have only two parents. The man, along with the biological mother, were named the legal parents. The mother's same-sex partner could have adopted the boy, but the father would have lost his parental rights -- something the lesbian couple wanted to avoid. So, they filed a lawsuit asking that all three adults be considered parents.
The Ontario Court of Appeal agreed with the couple, ruling that legislators who wrote a 1970s law concerning the rights of out-of-wedlock children could not have foreseen future fertility advancements, according to Today's Family News, a news service of Focus on the Family Canada. The court is the same one that in 2003 issued a decision legalizing "gay marriage." ...
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Jan 12, 2007
By Michael Foust
Baptist Press
TORONTO, Ontario (BP)--The highest court in Ontario expanded the legal definition of the family Jan. 2, issuing a landmark ruling that allows a 5-year-old boy legally to have three parents -- two mothers and a father.
The lawsuit involves a lesbian couple, unnamed in the lawsuit, who several years ago began examining various ways they could have a child. They declined to use anonymous sperm donation and instead asked a family friend if he would become the biological father and also play a role in the child's upbringing, according to the International Herald Tribune. The man agreed, and the boy was born.
But under provincial law, the child could have only two parents. The man, along with the biological mother, were named the legal parents. The mother's same-sex partner could have adopted the boy, but the father would have lost his parental rights -- something the lesbian couple wanted to avoid. So, they filed a lawsuit asking that all three adults be considered parents.
The Ontario Court of Appeal agreed with the couple, ruling that legislators who wrote a 1970s law concerning the rights of out-of-wedlock children could not have foreseen future fertility advancements, according to Today's Family News, a news service of Focus on the Family Canada. The court is the same one that in 2003 issued a decision legalizing "gay marriage." ...
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Britain Upholds Gay Rights Law
Britain Upholds Gay Rights Law
CBN News
January 12, 2007
CBNNews.com - Britain's parliament has upheld a gay rights law that Christians say will force them to violate their beliefs.
About 4,000 British Christians have been protesting outside Parliament this week as the House of Lords debated the measure.
The body voted 199-68 against a motion calling for the regulation to be scrapped.
Under the law, churches could be forced to rent out halls for gay wedding receptions, and Christian innkeepers could be prosecuted for refusing to rent rooms to gay couples.
Christian activists submitted a petition to Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday, saying such laws violate Biblical teaching.
Andrea Minichello Williams, a protest organizer, said that the petition submitted to Buckingham Palace was signed by 10,000 Christians. ...
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CBN News
January 12, 2007
CBNNews.com - Britain's parliament has upheld a gay rights law that Christians say will force them to violate their beliefs.
About 4,000 British Christians have been protesting outside Parliament this week as the House of Lords debated the measure.
The body voted 199-68 against a motion calling for the regulation to be scrapped.
Under the law, churches could be forced to rent out halls for gay wedding receptions, and Christian innkeepers could be prosecuted for refusing to rent rooms to gay couples.
Christian activists submitted a petition to Queen Elizabeth II on Tuesday, saying such laws violate Biblical teaching.
Andrea Minichello Williams, a protest organizer, said that the petition submitted to Buckingham Palace was signed by 10,000 Christians. ...
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Fighter jet signals China's military advances
Fighter jet signals China's military advances
China unveiled the locally built Jian-10 last week, saying it narrows the gap with advanced nations.
By Peter Ford Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
BEIJING – A sleek, swept-wing fighter-bomber dubbed the "Jian-10," unveiled here last week, is more than just another jet plane. It is China's calling card, announcing Beijing's arrival among the top ranks of military manufacturers.
Powered by Chinese engines and firing Chinese precision-guided missiles, the locally built Jian-10 has "allowed China to become the fourth country in the world" to have developed such a capability, "narrowing the gap with advanced nations," boasted Geng Ruguang, deputy general manager of the plane's manufacturer, Avic-I.
The latest fruit of a military modernization drive that has produced an indigenous Chinese nuclear attack submarine, early warning aircraft, frigates and destroyers, cruise missiles, and computerized command and control systems, the Jian-10 is "a decisive step by China toward becoming an aviation power," the official Xinhua news agency declared.
The plane is also a new symbol of China's role-reversal in the global arms industry. "Most technology analysts have been surprised by the speed with which China has gone from being an arms-buying country to one with real promise of being a producer of front-edge military technology," says Denny Roy, senior researcher at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu.
Neighbors wary of China's military advances
To some of China's neighbors, though, that promise looks more like a threat. And Pentagon officials, too, have repeatedly urged Beijing to explain more clearly the purpose behind a military buildup that has seen defense spending rise by more than 10 percent a year since 1990, according to official Chinese figures. ...
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China unveiled the locally built Jian-10 last week, saying it narrows the gap with advanced nations.
By Peter Ford Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor
BEIJING – A sleek, swept-wing fighter-bomber dubbed the "Jian-10," unveiled here last week, is more than just another jet plane. It is China's calling card, announcing Beijing's arrival among the top ranks of military manufacturers.
Powered by Chinese engines and firing Chinese precision-guided missiles, the locally built Jian-10 has "allowed China to become the fourth country in the world" to have developed such a capability, "narrowing the gap with advanced nations," boasted Geng Ruguang, deputy general manager of the plane's manufacturer, Avic-I.
The latest fruit of a military modernization drive that has produced an indigenous Chinese nuclear attack submarine, early warning aircraft, frigates and destroyers, cruise missiles, and computerized command and control systems, the Jian-10 is "a decisive step by China toward becoming an aviation power," the official Xinhua news agency declared.
The plane is also a new symbol of China's role-reversal in the global arms industry. "Most technology analysts have been surprised by the speed with which China has gone from being an arms-buying country to one with real promise of being a producer of front-edge military technology," says Denny Roy, senior researcher at the Asia-Pacific Center for Security Studies in Honolulu.
Neighbors wary of China's military advances
To some of China's neighbors, though, that promise looks more like a threat. And Pentagon officials, too, have repeatedly urged Beijing to explain more clearly the purpose behind a military buildup that has seen defense spending rise by more than 10 percent a year since 1990, according to official Chinese figures. ...
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Attack shows Communists still persecute Christians
Attack shows Communists still persecute Christians
Focus on Islamic outrages doesn't mean other crackdowns have ended
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Many of the high-profile cases of Christian persecution are happening in Muslim nations these days, where converting from Islam to Christianity routinely is considered a "crime" worthy of the death penalty. But a Cuban pastor can attest to the fact that the historical persecution of Christians under Communist governments continues.
The pastor, Rev. Carlos Lamelas, was arrested early in 2006 and served about four months in a prison before judges in a secret proceeding declared him innocent of the charge of human trafficking, but guilty on a previously unannounced count of falsifying documents, according to a report from Voice of the Martyrs.
He was accused of trying to help Cubans who wished to leave the oppressive nation for freer lives elsewhere. A report cited by VOM said the judges imposed a fine of 1,000 Cuban pesos, or about $45, on the documents charge, even though the trafficking count could have netted him nine years in prison.
"Even though this (penalty) is favorable, we are not satisfied. If a crime of falsification truly had been committed, that would make me an accomplice to trafficking in humans, and I would not have been acquitted," Lamelas told Compass News. "How can it be that I am innocent of the original crime, and nevertheless guilty of the one they later invented?"
He had been arrested on Feb. 20, 2006, and taken to the Villa Marista Detention Center where he was held for months, being given only weekly 15-minute meetings with his family.
The pastor with the Church of God, based in Anderson, Ind., also lost a computer and other office equipment as well as a number of personal documents when authorities searched his Havana home.
Then came the allegations that he was helping people leave Cuba illegally. Four months later he was released without explanation, and his subsequent acquittal of the trafficking charge and conviction on the documents charge also came without explanation.
The pastor had been key to starting a number of house churches while serving his own church congregation on The Isle of Youth, and moved to Havana after being elected national president for his denomination.
Reports say his troubles began after he refused to sign a government-required loyalty pledge to the Communist regime headed by Fidel Castro, because he considered the government control of the church unconstitutional.
Leaders in Cuba's Christian community, however, have expressed their concern that the actions against Lamelas are part of a harassment campaign to silence a dynamic leader in the Christian church. ...
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Focus on Islamic outrages doesn't mean other crackdowns have ended
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Many of the high-profile cases of Christian persecution are happening in Muslim nations these days, where converting from Islam to Christianity routinely is considered a "crime" worthy of the death penalty. But a Cuban pastor can attest to the fact that the historical persecution of Christians under Communist governments continues.
The pastor, Rev. Carlos Lamelas, was arrested early in 2006 and served about four months in a prison before judges in a secret proceeding declared him innocent of the charge of human trafficking, but guilty on a previously unannounced count of falsifying documents, according to a report from Voice of the Martyrs.
He was accused of trying to help Cubans who wished to leave the oppressive nation for freer lives elsewhere. A report cited by VOM said the judges imposed a fine of 1,000 Cuban pesos, or about $45, on the documents charge, even though the trafficking count could have netted him nine years in prison.
"Even though this (penalty) is favorable, we are not satisfied. If a crime of falsification truly had been committed, that would make me an accomplice to trafficking in humans, and I would not have been acquitted," Lamelas told Compass News. "How can it be that I am innocent of the original crime, and nevertheless guilty of the one they later invented?"
He had been arrested on Feb. 20, 2006, and taken to the Villa Marista Detention Center where he was held for months, being given only weekly 15-minute meetings with his family.
The pastor with the Church of God, based in Anderson, Ind., also lost a computer and other office equipment as well as a number of personal documents when authorities searched his Havana home.
Then came the allegations that he was helping people leave Cuba illegally. Four months later he was released without explanation, and his subsequent acquittal of the trafficking charge and conviction on the documents charge also came without explanation.
The pastor had been key to starting a number of house churches while serving his own church congregation on The Isle of Youth, and moved to Havana after being elected national president for his denomination.
Reports say his troubles began after he refused to sign a government-required loyalty pledge to the Communist regime headed by Fidel Castro, because he considered the government control of the church unconstitutional.
Leaders in Cuba's Christian community, however, have expressed their concern that the actions against Lamelas are part of a harassment campaign to silence a dynamic leader in the Christian church. ...
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Over 1/2 of young Norwegian women opt for abortion
Young women opt for abortion
More than half of ethnic Norwegian women under age 25 choose abortion if they get pregnant, according to a new study. The professor behind the study calls the statistic "surprising" and "worrisome."
A woman's right to choose abortion is deeply engrained in Norwegian society, but it's only most common among young women and women with little education, says Professor Anne Eskild of Akershus University Hospital.
Eskild's study marked the first time that researchers tracked the incidence of abortions and births among ethnic Norwegian women. Results showed major differences between those who chose to abort and those who chose to give birth.
More than half of pregnant women under 25 chose abortion, a rate double that for pregnant women over 40. The abortion rate for women under age 20 was nine times higher than that for women over 40.
Only 2.9 percent of women with a university education chose abortion, according to the study. ...
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More than half of ethnic Norwegian women under age 25 choose abortion if they get pregnant, according to a new study. The professor behind the study calls the statistic "surprising" and "worrisome."
A woman's right to choose abortion is deeply engrained in Norwegian society, but it's only most common among young women and women with little education, says Professor Anne Eskild of Akershus University Hospital.
Eskild's study marked the first time that researchers tracked the incidence of abortions and births among ethnic Norwegian women. Results showed major differences between those who chose to abort and those who chose to give birth.
More than half of pregnant women under 25 chose abortion, a rate double that for pregnant women over 40. The abortion rate for women under age 20 was nine times higher than that for women over 40.
Only 2.9 percent of women with a university education chose abortion, according to the study. ...
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Court to rehear case against S.D. abortion law
Court to rehear case against S.D. abortion law
Measure requires providers to inform women that procedure ends a life
PIERRE, S.D. - A federal appeals court has agreed to rehear a challenge of a 2005 South Dakota law that would require doctors to tell women seeking abortions that the procedure ends a human life.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday that the full 11-judge court will hear arguments April 11 in St. Louis.
A three-judge panel of the court had ruled 2-1 in October to uphold a lower court's order blocking enforcement of the law until that court decides a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality.
The appeals court only grants about one in 50 requests for a full court rehearing, state Attorney General Larry Long said Wednesday. "This is a rare and unusual event, and we're just delighted."
The temporary restraining order was issued by U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier in Rapid City, who said plaintiff Planned Parenthood has a fair chance of succeeding in its claim that the law violates doctors' free-speech rights.
The 2005 measure is not a direct challenge to the constitutionality of abortion but is aimed at testing the limits of what a state can require women be told before getting abortions.
It would require doctors to tell women that abortions end human lives and may cause serious psychological problems, and that the women have legal relationship with her unborn children that are ended by abortion. ...
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Measure requires providers to inform women that procedure ends a life
PIERRE, S.D. - A federal appeals court has agreed to rehear a challenge of a 2005 South Dakota law that would require doctors to tell women seeking abortions that the procedure ends a human life.
The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said Tuesday that the full 11-judge court will hear arguments April 11 in St. Louis.
A three-judge panel of the court had ruled 2-1 in October to uphold a lower court's order blocking enforcement of the law until that court decides a lawsuit challenging its constitutionality.
The appeals court only grants about one in 50 requests for a full court rehearing, state Attorney General Larry Long said Wednesday. "This is a rare and unusual event, and we're just delighted."
The temporary restraining order was issued by U.S. District Judge Karen Schreier in Rapid City, who said plaintiff Planned Parenthood has a fair chance of succeeding in its claim that the law violates doctors' free-speech rights.
The 2005 measure is not a direct challenge to the constitutionality of abortion but is aimed at testing the limits of what a state can require women be told before getting abortions.
It would require doctors to tell women that abortions end human lives and may cause serious psychological problems, and that the women have legal relationship with her unborn children that are ended by abortion. ...
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
Suit claims Minuteman Project censored by college
Suit claims Minuteman Project censored by college
Organization sues school after being denied access to facilities
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 12, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A lawsuit has been filed against a California college by a law firm representing the Minuteman Project alleging censorship after school officials denied the group permission to use its facilities for a town hall meeting.
Lawyer Michael Sands of the Pro Family Law Center said the activist group asked to use the school's facility for a town hall meeting before the 2006 election, but was denied because the school said it didn't allow its buildings to be used by "special interest or advocacy groups, nor for the advancement of specific candidates for public office."
However, after the request had been denied by Jamillah Moore, Interim Superintendent of Compton Community College, the Minuteman Project, which wanted to address the public issue of illegal immigration and the significant impact it has on the city of Compton and the surrounding cities, discovered several other advocacy groups had been granted permission for meetings there.
"Once you open up a school to one special interest group, you have to provide equal access," Sands told WND. "They (school officials) could be putting forth some sort of agenda. They have to open up their facilities to all other groups who properly apply for permission." ...
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Organization sues school after being denied access to facilities
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 12, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A lawsuit has been filed against a California college by a law firm representing the Minuteman Project alleging censorship after school officials denied the group permission to use its facilities for a town hall meeting.
Lawyer Michael Sands of the Pro Family Law Center said the activist group asked to use the school's facility for a town hall meeting before the 2006 election, but was denied because the school said it didn't allow its buildings to be used by "special interest or advocacy groups, nor for the advancement of specific candidates for public office."
However, after the request had been denied by Jamillah Moore, Interim Superintendent of Compton Community College, the Minuteman Project, which wanted to address the public issue of illegal immigration and the significant impact it has on the city of Compton and the surrounding cities, discovered several other advocacy groups had been granted permission for meetings there.
"Once you open up a school to one special interest group, you have to provide equal access," Sands told WND. "They (school officials) could be putting forth some sort of agenda. They have to open up their facilities to all other groups who properly apply for permission." ...
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McCain Defends Bush's Iraq Strategy
McCain Defends Bush's Iraq Strategy
Jan 12, 10:36 AM (ET)
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. John McCain defended President Bush's Iraq plan on Friday as a difficult but necessary move, parting company with lawmakers questioning the wisdom of the military build up.
"I believe that together these moves will give the Iraqis and Americans the best chance of success," said McCain, R-Ariz., a leading presidential contender for 2008.
McCain also took a shot at Democrats who say the United States must bring some troops home within four to six months.
"I believe these individuals have a responsibility to tell us what they believe are the consequences" of such a move would be, including civil war, he said. ...
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Jan 12, 10:36 AM (ET)
By LOLITA C. BALDOR
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. John McCain defended President Bush's Iraq plan on Friday as a difficult but necessary move, parting company with lawmakers questioning the wisdom of the military build up.
"I believe that together these moves will give the Iraqis and Americans the best chance of success," said McCain, R-Ariz., a leading presidential contender for 2008.
McCain also took a shot at Democrats who say the United States must bring some troops home within four to six months.
"I believe these individuals have a responsibility to tell us what they believe are the consequences" of such a move would be, including civil war, he said. ...
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Clinton, Other Lawmakers, Head to Iraq
Clinton, Other Lawmakers, Head to Iraq
Jan 12, 9:47 AM (ET)
By DEVLIN BARRETT
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and two other lawmakers are headed to Iraq this weekend as Congress engages in fierce debate over President Bush's plan to send 21,500 more troops to salvage the U.S. effort there.
Clinton, a Democrat from New York who is considering running for president, is traveling with Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., who had also eyed the 2008 race but opted out, and Rep. John McHugh, a Republican from upstate New York.
The three, all members of armed services committees, are to meet with top Iraqi officials and U.S. military commanders. The trip also takes them to Afghanistan.
"This was the first opportunity we had to be able to go because of the long weekend, and it turns out that the timing is propitious because of the president's plans," said Clinton, who opposes Bush's plan to send more U.S. troops to Iraq. ...
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Jan 12, 9:47 AM (ET)
By DEVLIN BARRETT
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and two other lawmakers are headed to Iraq this weekend as Congress engages in fierce debate over President Bush's plan to send 21,500 more troops to salvage the U.S. effort there.
Clinton, a Democrat from New York who is considering running for president, is traveling with Sen. Evan Bayh, D-Ind., who had also eyed the 2008 race but opted out, and Rep. John McHugh, a Republican from upstate New York.
The three, all members of armed services committees, are to meet with top Iraqi officials and U.S. military commanders. The trip also takes them to Afghanistan.
"This was the first opportunity we had to be able to go because of the long weekend, and it turns out that the timing is propitious because of the president's plans," said Clinton, who opposes Bush's plan to send more U.S. troops to Iraq. ...
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Last Islamic Stronghold Falls In Somalia
Last Islamic Stronghold Falls In Somalia
Official Says Southern Town Falls After Peace Talks And Five Days Of Fighting
MOGADISHU, Somalia, Jan. 12, 2007
(AP) Ethiopian-backed government forces captured the last remaining stronghold of the Islamic movement in southern Somalia, the Somali defense minister said Friday — hours after warlords met with the president and promised to enlist their militiamen in the army.
The southern town of Ras Kamboni fell after five days of heavy fighting, Defense Minister Col. Barre "Hirale" Aden Shire told The Associated Press. He said government troops backed by Ethiopian forces and MiG fighter jets chased fleeing Islamic fighters into nearby forests and the fighting would continue. He did not give casualty figures.
Ras Kamboni is in a rugged coastal area a few miles from the Kenyan border. It is not far from the site of a U.S. air strike Monday that targeted suspected al Qaeda militants — the first U.S. offensive in Somalia since 18 American soldiers were killed here in 1993. ...
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Official Says Southern Town Falls After Peace Talks And Five Days Of Fighting
MOGADISHU, Somalia, Jan. 12, 2007
(AP) Ethiopian-backed government forces captured the last remaining stronghold of the Islamic movement in southern Somalia, the Somali defense minister said Friday — hours after warlords met with the president and promised to enlist their militiamen in the army.
The southern town of Ras Kamboni fell after five days of heavy fighting, Defense Minister Col. Barre "Hirale" Aden Shire told The Associated Press. He said government troops backed by Ethiopian forces and MiG fighter jets chased fleeing Islamic fighters into nearby forests and the fighting would continue. He did not give casualty figures.
Ras Kamboni is in a rugged coastal area a few miles from the Kenyan border. It is not far from the site of a U.S. air strike Monday that targeted suspected al Qaeda militants — the first U.S. offensive in Somalia since 18 American soldiers were killed here in 1993. ...
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London Mosque DVD: Jews Face Mass Extermination
London Mosque DVD: Jews Face Mass Extermination
12:26 Jan 12, '07 / 22 Tevet 5767
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A leading mosque in London is selling DVDs that proclaim the coming mass extermination of Jews around the world on a "day of judgment." It also attacks Christian groups and the United Nations.
The London Central Mosque, also known as Regent's Park Mosque, is "the spiritual focal point for Muslims" throughout Great Britain, the European Jewish Press reported. It is also home to the Islamic Cultural Center, which educates Muslim children.
The report said that a British television station will air on Monday a documentary on Muslim extremism in Britain, and will report the selling of the DVD.
The DVDs are being sold at the London Central Mosque Shop. One excerpt shows a preacher, Sheikh Feiz, imitating the sounds of a pig and referring to the Jewish people who will be killed on the "day of judgment."...
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12:26 Jan 12, '07 / 22 Tevet 5767
by Tzvi Ben Gedalyahu
A leading mosque in London is selling DVDs that proclaim the coming mass extermination of Jews around the world on a "day of judgment." It also attacks Christian groups and the United Nations.
The London Central Mosque, also known as Regent's Park Mosque, is "the spiritual focal point for Muslims" throughout Great Britain, the European Jewish Press reported. It is also home to the Islamic Cultural Center, which educates Muslim children.
The report said that a British television station will air on Monday a documentary on Muslim extremism in Britain, and will report the selling of the DVD.
The DVDs are being sold at the London Central Mosque Shop. One excerpt shows a preacher, Sheikh Feiz, imitating the sounds of a pig and referring to the Jewish people who will be killed on the "day of judgment."...
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U.S. Embassy Damage in Greek Blast Scant
Jan 12, 12:55 PM (ET)
By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - A rocket struck the U.S. Embassy early Friday, exploding inside the modern, glass-fronted building and shattering hopes that Greece's leftist anti-American militant networks had been dismantled. Greek authorities said the attack, which caused no injuries, was probably carried out by a domestic terrorist group.
The small anti-tank missile, fired from across a six-lane boulevard, narrowly missed the large blue-and-white U.S. seal on the embassy's facade and the ambassador's office, and pierced the building above the front entrance shortly before 6 a.m. It damaged a third-floor bathroom and shattered windows in nearby buildings.
"There were no injuries and very minimal damage," U.S. Ambassador Charles Ries said outside the embassy.
The attack recalled the anti-capitalist and anti-American violence of past decades, which included the death of a CIA station chief and other American military and embassy officials, as well as a failed bomb attack against the U.S. Embassy in 1996.
New militant groups vehemently oppose the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, amid widespread public opposition to Washington's policies which has remained strong since the United States provided support for a 1967-74 military dictatorship.
"It is very likely that this is the work of a domestic group," Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras said. "We believe this effort to revive terrorism is deplorable and will not succeed."
He speculated that "this could be (guided) by the first generation of terrorists."
The 2.36-inch rocket, which police said was a weapon probably fired from a Russian-made launcher, struck a large marble beam on the third floor of the embassy, just above and to the left of the seal.
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States was "not aware" of any indications that international terrorists had a role in the attack, but cautioned that the investigation was in its early stages. ...
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By NICHOLAS PAPHITIS
ATHENS, Greece (AP) - A rocket struck the U.S. Embassy early Friday, exploding inside the modern, glass-fronted building and shattering hopes that Greece's leftist anti-American militant networks had been dismantled. Greek authorities said the attack, which caused no injuries, was probably carried out by a domestic terrorist group.
The small anti-tank missile, fired from across a six-lane boulevard, narrowly missed the large blue-and-white U.S. seal on the embassy's facade and the ambassador's office, and pierced the building above the front entrance shortly before 6 a.m. It damaged a third-floor bathroom and shattered windows in nearby buildings.
"There were no injuries and very minimal damage," U.S. Ambassador Charles Ries said outside the embassy.
The attack recalled the anti-capitalist and anti-American violence of past decades, which included the death of a CIA station chief and other American military and embassy officials, as well as a failed bomb attack against the U.S. Embassy in 1996.
New militant groups vehemently oppose the U.S.-led occupation of Iraq, amid widespread public opposition to Washington's policies which has remained strong since the United States provided support for a 1967-74 military dictatorship.
"It is very likely that this is the work of a domestic group," Public Order Minister Vyron Polydoras said. "We believe this effort to revive terrorism is deplorable and will not succeed."
He speculated that "this could be (guided) by the first generation of terrorists."
The 2.36-inch rocket, which police said was a weapon probably fired from a Russian-made launcher, struck a large marble beam on the third floor of the embassy, just above and to the left of the seal.
U.S. State Department spokesman Sean McCormack said the United States was "not aware" of any indications that international terrorists had a role in the attack, but cautioned that the investigation was in its early stages. ...
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Scientists prepare to move Doomsday Clock forward
Scientists prepare to move Doomsday Clock forward
Fri Jan 12, 2007 3:21pm ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The keepers of the "Doomsday Clock" plan to move its hands forward next Wednesday to reflect what they call worsening nuclear and climate threats to the world.
The symbolic clock, maintained by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, currently is set at seven minutes to midnight, with midnight marking global catastrophe.
The group did not say in which direction the hands would move. But in a news release previewing an event next Wednesday, they said the change was based on "worsening nuclear, climate threats" to the world.
"The major new step reflects growing concerns about a 'Second Nuclear Age' marked by grave threats, including: nuclear ambitions in Iran and North Korea, unsecured nuclear materials in Russia and elsewhere, the continuing 'launch-ready' status of 2,000 of the 25,000 nuclear weapons held by the U.S. and Russia, escalating terrorism, and new pressure from climate change for expanded civilian nuclear power that could increase proliferation risks," the release reads.
The clock was last pushed forward by two minutes to seven minutes to midnight in 2002 amid concerns about the proliferation of nuclear, biological and other weapons and the threat of terrorism. ...
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Fri Jan 12, 2007 3:21pm ET
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The keepers of the "Doomsday Clock" plan to move its hands forward next Wednesday to reflect what they call worsening nuclear and climate threats to the world.
The symbolic clock, maintained by the Bulletin of Atomic Scientists, currently is set at seven minutes to midnight, with midnight marking global catastrophe.
The group did not say in which direction the hands would move. But in a news release previewing an event next Wednesday, they said the change was based on "worsening nuclear, climate threats" to the world.
"The major new step reflects growing concerns about a 'Second Nuclear Age' marked by grave threats, including: nuclear ambitions in Iran and North Korea, unsecured nuclear materials in Russia and elsewhere, the continuing 'launch-ready' status of 2,000 of the 25,000 nuclear weapons held by the U.S. and Russia, escalating terrorism, and new pressure from climate change for expanded civilian nuclear power that could increase proliferation risks," the release reads.
The clock was last pushed forward by two minutes to seven minutes to midnight in 2002 amid concerns about the proliferation of nuclear, biological and other weapons and the threat of terrorism. ...
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Jesus 'gay' voyeur on NBC's Conan O'Brien
Jesus 'gay' voyeur on NBC's Conan O'Brien
'You touched my heart, but I hope that's where the touchin' ends'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 12, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
Editor's note: The lyrics cited in this story may be offensive.
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
NBC has plummeted to the level of CBS, with a late-night skit that blatantly mocks Christianity by portraying Jesus as a homosexual voyeur, a stunt that would have been instantly condemned nationwide if it had focused on any subject other than Christianity, according to a pro-life leader.
The show, an episode of "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," was taped and aired this week, and featured a skit with a character called "the homophobic country western singer," according to Douglas R. Scott Jr., the president of Life Decisions International.
It also was Scott, as WND reported then, who alerted people to the CBS portrayal during the Christmas season of a character singing about sex to the tune of "Joy to the World."
The latest exhibition by NBC is just as bad, he said.
"The NBC and CBS television networks may be rival corporations, but they have one thing in common," he said. "Both networks have allowed programming that blatantly mocks Christianity."
He told WND in an interview that the fact that such ridicule is allowed in the U.S. reflects more on Christians than on non-Christians.
"We've been put in the back of society's bus. The bad thing is we're willing to do it. If we responded like blacks, Jews, you name the different groups, homosexuals… If we responded like they do, only in love, this kind of thing wouldn't happen. It wouldn't be tolerated here," he said.
"I think God will not be mocked," he continued. "But I don't know if Christians who [believe that] think He'll take care of it, and we don't have to do anything. If we speak up for the unborn, if we speak up for any of these issues that have a relationship to Christ, but we don't speak up for Jesus himself, what are we?...
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'You touched my heart, but I hope that's where the touchin' ends'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 12, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
Editor's note: The lyrics cited in this story may be offensive.
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
NBC has plummeted to the level of CBS, with a late-night skit that blatantly mocks Christianity by portraying Jesus as a homosexual voyeur, a stunt that would have been instantly condemned nationwide if it had focused on any subject other than Christianity, according to a pro-life leader.
The show, an episode of "Late Night With Conan O'Brien," was taped and aired this week, and featured a skit with a character called "the homophobic country western singer," according to Douglas R. Scott Jr., the president of Life Decisions International.
It also was Scott, as WND reported then, who alerted people to the CBS portrayal during the Christmas season of a character singing about sex to the tune of "Joy to the World."
The latest exhibition by NBC is just as bad, he said.
"The NBC and CBS television networks may be rival corporations, but they have one thing in common," he said. "Both networks have allowed programming that blatantly mocks Christianity."
He told WND in an interview that the fact that such ridicule is allowed in the U.S. reflects more on Christians than on non-Christians.
"We've been put in the back of society's bus. The bad thing is we're willing to do it. If we responded like blacks, Jews, you name the different groups, homosexuals… If we responded like they do, only in love, this kind of thing wouldn't happen. It wouldn't be tolerated here," he said.
"I think God will not be mocked," he continued. "But I don't know if Christians who [believe that] think He'll take care of it, and we don't have to do anything. If we speak up for the unborn, if we speak up for any of these issues that have a relationship to Christ, but we don't speak up for Jesus himself, what are we?...
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Secret Service confiscates more Gospel tracts
Secret Service confiscates more Gospel tracts
Los Angeles agent says messages should be in black-and-white
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 12, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
U.S. Secret Service agents, who earlier confiscated Gospel tracts from Christians in Texas and Nevada because they carry a message of salvation and an advisory that they are not legal tender even though they look like a $1 million bill, now have taken the same tracts away from a Los Angeles man.
Jim Thomas, who with his wife Charlene had just finished an evangelism training program at their church, told WND he was handing out the tracts near an escalator at a downtown Los Angeles mall "and everything was going very well."
Then, he said, a man approached him and told him that "there's a problem here."
He introduced himself as a Secret Service agent.
"He began to ask me questions, like 'have you read the rules and regulations about bills similar to currency?'" Thomas said. "So he just kind of informed me what I could do to be in compliance."
He said the officer suggested the bills be larger or smaller than regular currency, or be printed in black-and-white. Then he took Thomas' stack of the tracts, which look like a $1 million bill but have a 160-word Gospel message and other disclaimers.
The tracts are produced by Ray Comfort, an evangelist whose Living Waters Ministry in Southern California has been inundated with requests for them since the first Secret Service confiscation happened last year.
As WND reported at the time, the controversy began June 2 when three agents visited the Great News Network office in Texas and told a staffer to hand over the tracts.
That dispute currently is pending in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a case brought by the American Family Association Center for Law and Policy.
"I think someone who is partially blind may think it's a genuine bill if it's given to them at night in the fog," Comfort told WND. "Any bank teller who tries to give change for a million dollar bill should not be a bank teller."
He said the whole point of a tract is to get a reader's attention and carry a message, and that's what this does.
"It makes people laugh. Even if it wasn't a Gospel tract, I'd give them out, because they give a good feeling," Comfort said.
WND messages left for the agent, who identified himself as Jess Martinez, weren't immediately returned. ...
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Los Angeles agent says messages should be in black-and-white
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 12, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
U.S. Secret Service agents, who earlier confiscated Gospel tracts from Christians in Texas and Nevada because they carry a message of salvation and an advisory that they are not legal tender even though they look like a $1 million bill, now have taken the same tracts away from a Los Angeles man.
Jim Thomas, who with his wife Charlene had just finished an evangelism training program at their church, told WND he was handing out the tracts near an escalator at a downtown Los Angeles mall "and everything was going very well."
Then, he said, a man approached him and told him that "there's a problem here."
He introduced himself as a Secret Service agent.
"He began to ask me questions, like 'have you read the rules and regulations about bills similar to currency?'" Thomas said. "So he just kind of informed me what I could do to be in compliance."
He said the officer suggested the bills be larger or smaller than regular currency, or be printed in black-and-white. Then he took Thomas' stack of the tracts, which look like a $1 million bill but have a 160-word Gospel message and other disclaimers.
The tracts are produced by Ray Comfort, an evangelist whose Living Waters Ministry in Southern California has been inundated with requests for them since the first Secret Service confiscation happened last year.
As WND reported at the time, the controversy began June 2 when three agents visited the Great News Network office in Texas and told a staffer to hand over the tracts.
That dispute currently is pending in the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, in a case brought by the American Family Association Center for Law and Policy.
"I think someone who is partially blind may think it's a genuine bill if it's given to them at night in the fog," Comfort told WND. "Any bank teller who tries to give change for a million dollar bill should not be a bank teller."
He said the whole point of a tract is to get a reader's attention and carry a message, and that's what this does.
"It makes people laugh. Even if it wasn't a Gospel tract, I'd give them out, because they give a good feeling," Comfort said.
WND messages left for the agent, who identified himself as Jess Martinez, weren't immediately returned. ...
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Navy dismisses chaplain who prayed 'in Jesus' name'
Navy dismisses chaplain who prayed 'in Jesus' name'
'We are homeless, jobless,
and we are in God's hands'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 12, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A U.S. Navy chaplain who prayed "in Jesus' name" as his conscience dictated is being ejected from the military service "in retaliation" for his victorious battle to change Navy policy that required religious rites be "non-sectarian."
"This fight cost me everything. My career is over, my family is now homeless, we've lost a million dollar pension, but Congress agreed with me and rescinded the Navy policy, so chaplains are free again to pray in Jesus' name," Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt told WND. "My sacrifice purchased their freedom. My conscience is clear, the fight was worth it, and I'd do it all again."
Klingenschmitt, as WND has reported, has fought an extended battle with the Navy over its restrictions on religious expression by its chaplains. He appeared and delivered a public prayer "in Jesus' name" at a White House rally last winter and was court-martialed for that. The Navy convicted him of failing to follow a lawful order because his superior didn't want him praying "in Jesus' name."
He's also launched a legal battle that he said he hopes eventually will result in his reinstatement, alleging the Navy assembled a "civic religion" by ordering its chaplains to pray in a certain way.
"There's a Unitarian system of religion that's aimed at Christians," John Whitehead, founder of the The Rutherford Institute, told WND. "It boils down to that. We're seeing it all across the country, with council prayers, kids wanting to mention Jesus. What's going on here is it's generally a move in our government and military to set up a civic religion."
"I think the Supreme Court's going to have to look at the idea of can the government in any of its forms tell people how to pray, set up a basic religion and say you can only do it this way," he said.
Klingenschmitt told WND he'd been delivered a formal letter of reprimand for his appearance at a White House function in March 2006 at which he wore his uniform and prayed "in Jesus' name." For that he was convicted at a special court-martial of violating a lawful order from his commanding officer not to do that.
His appearance was with former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice and WND columnist Judge Roy Moore, who was removed from his office when he refused to follow a federal court order he considered unlawful: to remove a Ten Commandments monument from public property.
Klingenschmitt's $3,000 fine was suspended and because of the issues, Congress got involved and ordered the Navy to rescind that particular policy, and allow chaplains to pray as their "conscience dictates." ...
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'We are homeless, jobless,
and we are in God's hands'
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 12, 2007
1:00 a.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
A U.S. Navy chaplain who prayed "in Jesus' name" as his conscience dictated is being ejected from the military service "in retaliation" for his victorious battle to change Navy policy that required religious rites be "non-sectarian."
"This fight cost me everything. My career is over, my family is now homeless, we've lost a million dollar pension, but Congress agreed with me and rescinded the Navy policy, so chaplains are free again to pray in Jesus' name," Chaplain Gordon Klingenschmitt told WND. "My sacrifice purchased their freedom. My conscience is clear, the fight was worth it, and I'd do it all again."
Klingenschmitt, as WND has reported, has fought an extended battle with the Navy over its restrictions on religious expression by its chaplains. He appeared and delivered a public prayer "in Jesus' name" at a White House rally last winter and was court-martialed for that. The Navy convicted him of failing to follow a lawful order because his superior didn't want him praying "in Jesus' name."
He's also launched a legal battle that he said he hopes eventually will result in his reinstatement, alleging the Navy assembled a "civic religion" by ordering its chaplains to pray in a certain way.
"There's a Unitarian system of religion that's aimed at Christians," John Whitehead, founder of the The Rutherford Institute, told WND. "It boils down to that. We're seeing it all across the country, with council prayers, kids wanting to mention Jesus. What's going on here is it's generally a move in our government and military to set up a civic religion."
"I think the Supreme Court's going to have to look at the idea of can the government in any of its forms tell people how to pray, set up a basic religion and say you can only do it this way," he said.
Klingenschmitt told WND he'd been delivered a formal letter of reprimand for his appearance at a White House function in March 2006 at which he wore his uniform and prayed "in Jesus' name." For that he was convicted at a special court-martial of violating a lawful order from his commanding officer not to do that.
His appearance was with former Alabama Supreme Court Chief Justice and WND columnist Judge Roy Moore, who was removed from his office when he refused to follow a federal court order he considered unlawful: to remove a Ten Commandments monument from public property.
Klingenschmitt's $3,000 fine was suspended and because of the issues, Congress got involved and ordered the Navy to rescind that particular policy, and allow chaplains to pray as their "conscience dictates." ...
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Carter, Clinton Join to Reshape Baptist Image
Carter, Clinton Join to Reshape Baptist Image
By Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter
Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton are part of an initiative to create a new Baptist voice and improve the negative image of Baptists in North America.
An annual North American Baptist Fellowship meeting in Atlanta, Ga., was scheduled to conclude Tuesday morning at the Carter Center with the announcement of a historic 2008 convocation.
The convocation, part of Carter's new Baptist voice initiative, is expected to draw more than 20,000 Baptist participants from throughout the United States and Canada in an effort to counter the negative and judgmental image of Baptists, according to the Associated Baptist Press.
"North America desperately needs a true Baptist witness," Bill Underwood, president of Mercer University in Atlanta, told Baptist leaders at an April summit last year...
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By Lillian Kwon
Christian Post Reporter
Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton are part of an initiative to create a new Baptist voice and improve the negative image of Baptists in North America.
An annual North American Baptist Fellowship meeting in Atlanta, Ga., was scheduled to conclude Tuesday morning at the Carter Center with the announcement of a historic 2008 convocation.
The convocation, part of Carter's new Baptist voice initiative, is expected to draw more than 20,000 Baptist participants from throughout the United States and Canada in an effort to counter the negative and judgmental image of Baptists, according to the Associated Baptist Press.
"North America desperately needs a true Baptist witness," Bill Underwood, president of Mercer University in Atlanta, told Baptist leaders at an April summit last year...
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Preacher to hang for sin burnings
Preacher to hang for sin burnings
A Nigerian high court has sentenced a Lagos preacher to death by hanging for setting fire to members of his congregation, killing one woman.
Emeka Ezeuko, better known as Reverend King, was found guilty on one count of murder and five of attempted murder.
In July last year, he accused six members of his Christian Praying Assembly church of sinning by having extra-marital sex.
He poured petrol over them before setting them alight.
Ann Uzor died in hospital from her burns.
Rev King allegedly told members of his congregation that he was Jesus Christ, a claim that gave him the powers to punish sin. ...
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A Nigerian high court has sentenced a Lagos preacher to death by hanging for setting fire to members of his congregation, killing one woman.
Emeka Ezeuko, better known as Reverend King, was found guilty on one count of murder and five of attempted murder.
In July last year, he accused six members of his Christian Praying Assembly church of sinning by having extra-marital sex.
He poured petrol over them before setting them alight.
Ann Uzor died in hospital from her burns.
Rev King allegedly told members of his congregation that he was Jesus Christ, a claim that gave him the powers to punish sin. ...
Click here for the full story! (may need to disable pop-up blocker)
France Is "No Longer a Catholic Country"
France Is "No Longer a Catholic Country"
By Michael F. Haverluck
CBNNews.com
January 12, 2007
CBNNews.com -- WASHINGTON -- France is "no longer a Catholic country." This declaration was published in France's Le Monde des Religions on January 9, reflecting the results of a recent poll taken in the nation.
It was disclosed that 51 percent of France's population considers themselves Catholic -- a drastic drop from the 80 percent reported in the early 1990s and the 67 percent tallied in 2000 -- according to a Wednesday report from The Daily Telegraph.
Le Monde des Religions' editor in chief Frederic Lenoir credits the waning numbers to several major factors. Among them are youth's disinterest in Catholicism, along with an increasing sense of individualism sweeping across the nation.
Also explaining the waning numbers, it was noted by The Telegraph that only half of the French who proclaim themselves to be Catholics said they actually believe in God.
Currently, 31 percent of the French population declares themselves as atheists, which has risen from 23 percent in 1994. ...
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By Michael F. Haverluck
CBNNews.com
January 12, 2007
CBNNews.com -- WASHINGTON -- France is "no longer a Catholic country." This declaration was published in France's Le Monde des Religions on January 9, reflecting the results of a recent poll taken in the nation.
It was disclosed that 51 percent of France's population considers themselves Catholic -- a drastic drop from the 80 percent reported in the early 1990s and the 67 percent tallied in 2000 -- according to a Wednesday report from The Daily Telegraph.
Le Monde des Religions' editor in chief Frederic Lenoir credits the waning numbers to several major factors. Among them are youth's disinterest in Catholicism, along with an increasing sense of individualism sweeping across the nation.
Also explaining the waning numbers, it was noted by The Telegraph that only half of the French who proclaim themselves to be Catholics said they actually believe in God.
Currently, 31 percent of the French population declares themselves as atheists, which has risen from 23 percent in 1994. ...
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