Church Unlikely to Gain Exemption in Gay Adoption Fight
Latest reports have suggested that the Roman Catholic Church will not gain an exemption from the new anti-discrimination laws despite the recent public debate over the ethics of gay adoptions.
by Daniel Blake
Posted: Thursday, January 25, 2007, 9:11 (GMT)
Latest reports have suggested that the Roman Catholic Church will not gain an exemption from the new anti-discrimination laws despite the recent public debate on the ethics of gay adoptions.
The Church has demanded an opt-out from the new measures so that they would not be forced to place children in the care of homosexual people – something that goes against some of the core beliefs of the Church.
Rumours that Tony Blair has "caved in" to Cabinet members who are against an exemption have been described as "ridiculous" by Downing Street, according to a BBC report.
However, Downing Street has suggested agencies may be allowed time to adapt or close.
The highly controversial issue has prompted Prime Minister Tony Blair to call a meeting between Labour MPs and an announcement is expected to be made public next week.
The Equality Act, which will come into effect in England, Wales and Scotland in April, outlaws discrimination in the provision of goods, facilities and services on the basis of sexual orientation.
The law has been touted as a further erosion of traditional Christian values, ethics and beliefs. Catholic leaders say that it simply cannot endorse the measures, as they go against some of the central elements of its faith.
The Church worries in particular that the new law will attempt to force its agencies to act against their beliefs and place children with homosexuals. If this is so and they refuse, they will be closed.
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Thursday, January 25, 2007
Georgians: Bomb Grade Uranium Seized
Georgians: Bomb Grade Uranium Seized
By Desmond Butler
Associated Press Writer
January 25, 2007
CBNNews.com -- WASHINGTON (AP) -- It was one of the most serious cases of smuggling of nuclear material in recent years: A Russian man, authorities allege, tried to sell a small amount of nuclear-bomb grade uranium in a plastic bag in his jacket pocket.
The buy that took place last summer, it turned out, was a setup by Republic of Georgia authorities, with the help of the CIA. Their quiet sting operation - neither U.S. nor Georgian officials have publicized it - is an unsettling reminder about the possibility of terrorists acquiring nuclear bomb-making material on the black market.
No evidence suggests this particular case was terrorist-related.
"Given the serious consequences of the detonation of an improvised nuclear explosive device, even small numbers of incidents involving HEU (highly enriched uranium) or plutonium are of very high concern," said Melissa Fleming of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency.
Details of the investigation, which also involved the FBI and Energy Department, were provided to The Associated Press by U.S. officials and Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili.
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By Desmond Butler
Associated Press Writer
January 25, 2007
CBNNews.com -- WASHINGTON (AP) -- It was one of the most serious cases of smuggling of nuclear material in recent years: A Russian man, authorities allege, tried to sell a small amount of nuclear-bomb grade uranium in a plastic bag in his jacket pocket.
The buy that took place last summer, it turned out, was a setup by Republic of Georgia authorities, with the help of the CIA. Their quiet sting operation - neither U.S. nor Georgian officials have publicized it - is an unsettling reminder about the possibility of terrorists acquiring nuclear bomb-making material on the black market.
No evidence suggests this particular case was terrorist-related.
"Given the serious consequences of the detonation of an improvised nuclear explosive device, even small numbers of incidents involving HEU (highly enriched uranium) or plutonium are of very high concern," said Melissa Fleming of the U.N.'s International Atomic Energy Agency.
Details of the investigation, which also involved the FBI and Energy Department, were provided to The Associated Press by U.S. officials and Georgian Interior Minister Vano Merabishvili.
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Molester Poses as Student in School
Molester Poses as Student in School
By Amanda Lee Meyers
The Associated Press
January 25, 2007
CBNNews.com -- SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) -- Experts on child exploitation are all too familiar with sex offenders working as scout leaders, coaches and teachers, but this was a new one - a boyish-looking man who posed as a 12-year-old and enrolled in school in what may have been a scheme to find kids to molest.
Now parents in this Phoenix suburb where 29-year-old Neil Havens Rodreick II attended a charter school for four months are asking their children if they had any contact with this "classmate."
And police are interviewing parents, students and teachers, and checking at least three other Arizona schools where Rodreick, a convicted sex offender from Oklahoma, also enrolled.
"We told him that it was a scary man who passed himself off as a kid that went to school for a bit," said Erika Ton Loy, whose 7-year-old son attends the charter school, the Imagine School. "When we heard more about it on the news, we got him up out of bed. My husband wanted to make sure he didn't recognize this guy, and he was like, `Have you seen this guy?' and he said, 'No, I don't know who the heck he is."'
Rodreick - who is about 5 feet 6 and 120 pounds, shaved his body hair and used makeup in an attempt to cover his stubble - has been charged with forgery and fraud in the school-enrollment con, as well as assault against a girl. But investigators have refused to release details of that crime and will not say whether he met the girl through the school scam.
Officials also said Thursday that a search of the home where he was staying yielded a video of Rodreick engaging in sex acts with an unidentified child.
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By Amanda Lee Meyers
The Associated Press
January 25, 2007
CBNNews.com -- SURPRISE, Ariz. (AP) -- Experts on child exploitation are all too familiar with sex offenders working as scout leaders, coaches and teachers, but this was a new one - a boyish-looking man who posed as a 12-year-old and enrolled in school in what may have been a scheme to find kids to molest.
Now parents in this Phoenix suburb where 29-year-old Neil Havens Rodreick II attended a charter school for four months are asking their children if they had any contact with this "classmate."
And police are interviewing parents, students and teachers, and checking at least three other Arizona schools where Rodreick, a convicted sex offender from Oklahoma, also enrolled.
"We told him that it was a scary man who passed himself off as a kid that went to school for a bit," said Erika Ton Loy, whose 7-year-old son attends the charter school, the Imagine School. "When we heard more about it on the news, we got him up out of bed. My husband wanted to make sure he didn't recognize this guy, and he was like, `Have you seen this guy?' and he said, 'No, I don't know who the heck he is."'
Rodreick - who is about 5 feet 6 and 120 pounds, shaved his body hair and used makeup in an attempt to cover his stubble - has been charged with forgery and fraud in the school-enrollment con, as well as assault against a girl. But investigators have refused to release details of that crime and will not say whether he met the girl through the school scam.
Officials also said Thursday that a search of the home where he was staying yielded a video of Rodreick engaging in sex acts with an unidentified child.
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Mexico: Transexual Const. Amendment?
Mexico: Transexual Const. Amendment?
By Michael F. Haverluck
CBNNews.com
January 25, 2007
CBNNews.com -- MEXICO CITY -- A bill to amend Mexico's constitution and change civil laws guaranteeing transexuals the right to change their name and gender legally will be submitted in March by Mexican congressman David Sanchez Camacho.
If Sanchez Camacho's bill passes, Article Four of the Mexican Constitution will have an extra paragraph asserting that "every person has the right to the recognition and free exercise of their gender identity and their gender expression."
This legislative action could ignite much contention, especially amongst conservative Mexican Catholics adhering to the biblical stance on homosexuality.
The guarantee of equal rights for men and women, along with the rights of families and children are currently contained in Article Four, with no mention of homosexuals or transexuals.
By definition, a transexual is a person who has had a sex change operation, or one who has been born with the physical anatomy of one gender, but considers himself or herself a different gender.
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By Michael F. Haverluck
CBNNews.com
January 25, 2007
CBNNews.com -- MEXICO CITY -- A bill to amend Mexico's constitution and change civil laws guaranteeing transexuals the right to change their name and gender legally will be submitted in March by Mexican congressman David Sanchez Camacho.
If Sanchez Camacho's bill passes, Article Four of the Mexican Constitution will have an extra paragraph asserting that "every person has the right to the recognition and free exercise of their gender identity and their gender expression."
This legislative action could ignite much contention, especially amongst conservative Mexican Catholics adhering to the biblical stance on homosexuality.
The guarantee of equal rights for men and women, along with the rights of families and children are currently contained in Article Four, with no mention of homosexuals or transexuals.
By definition, a transexual is a person who has had a sex change operation, or one who has been born with the physical anatomy of one gender, but considers himself or herself a different gender.
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Indiana senator wants women to know unborn babies feel pain
Rusty Pugh
OneNewsNow.com
January 25, 2007
An Indiana lawmaker wants to pass legislation that accomplishes two major goals, both of which give women more information about the unborn child they plan to abort.
Indiana State Senator Patricia Miller's bill, if passed, defines personhood as beginning at the moment the female egg is fertilized. She maintains that any woman who is considering an abortion should know that the procedure ends a human life. And she says in order for women to make an informed decision, they should also be told that their unborn child will feel the horrible pain of being aborted.
This is not speculation but a medical fact, she says, that is backed up by videos of unborn children reacting to pain. She also points out that surgery is being performed on infants in utero -- before birth -- to correct problems.
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OneNewsNow.com
January 25, 2007
An Indiana lawmaker wants to pass legislation that accomplishes two major goals, both of which give women more information about the unborn child they plan to abort.
Indiana State Senator Patricia Miller's bill, if passed, defines personhood as beginning at the moment the female egg is fertilized. She maintains that any woman who is considering an abortion should know that the procedure ends a human life. And she says in order for women to make an informed decision, they should also be told that their unborn child will feel the horrible pain of being aborted.
This is not speculation but a medical fact, she says, that is backed up by videos of unborn children reacting to pain. She also points out that surgery is being performed on infants in utero -- before birth -- to correct problems.
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Pro-lifer petitions federal court again for protest rights
Ed Thomas
OneNewsNow.com
January 25, 2007
Hugh Gaughan got in trouble with authorities for including as part of his protest an audio recording of a 9-1-1 call from an abortionist during a procedure with complications occurring. The charges against the pro-lifer were eventually dropped -- but his attorney says it was necessary to file legal action against the City of Cleveland because of the "overbroad and vague" ordinances used to arrest Gaughan in the first place.
A pro-life activist in Cleveland is continuing his appeal to the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a case challenging his arrests outside an abortion clinic. Hugh Gaughan was arrested twice for playing an audiotape recording of a 9-1-1 call from the clinic where he was protesting, and cited for violation of Cleveland's sound device and noise ordinances.
The recording was of a 9-1-1 call made by Martin Ruddock, the owner of the Center for Women's Health, during an abortion procedure on a 30-year-old woman with complications occurring. "I just can't stop the bleeding," Ruddock is heard to say on the tape. "I can't see what I'm doing, and I want her out of here." Gaughan says he played the recording outside the clinic to educate women about the life-threatening dangers associated with abortion.
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OneNewsNow.com
January 25, 2007
Hugh Gaughan got in trouble with authorities for including as part of his protest an audio recording of a 9-1-1 call from an abortionist during a procedure with complications occurring. The charges against the pro-lifer were eventually dropped -- but his attorney says it was necessary to file legal action against the City of Cleveland because of the "overbroad and vague" ordinances used to arrest Gaughan in the first place.
A pro-life activist in Cleveland is continuing his appeal to the Sixth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in a case challenging his arrests outside an abortion clinic. Hugh Gaughan was arrested twice for playing an audiotape recording of a 9-1-1 call from the clinic where he was protesting, and cited for violation of Cleveland's sound device and noise ordinances.
The recording was of a 9-1-1 call made by Martin Ruddock, the owner of the Center for Women's Health, during an abortion procedure on a 30-year-old woman with complications occurring. "I just can't stop the bleeding," Ruddock is heard to say on the tape. "I can't see what I'm doing, and I want her out of here." Gaughan says he played the recording outside the clinic to educate women about the life-threatening dangers associated with abortion.
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Federal judge throws out Christian group's lawsuit
allie martin
OneNewsNow.com
January 25, 2007
Click here to Hear This Report!
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by volunteers with the Christian activist group, Repent America, who were arrested at a street festival for homosexuals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Repent America volunteers were witnessing and handing out tracts at the 2004 "Gay Pride" event when they were arrested. A judge later dismissed all criminal charges against them, saying a videotape showed they did not incite violence or threaten anyone.
Afterward, the ministry volunteers filed a lawsuit against the city of Philadelphia, claiming their constitutional rights had been violated. However, Judge Lawrence Stengel threw the case out, claiming the permit held by the homosexual pride group allowed officials to silence the Christian activists.
Repent America director Michael Marcavage feels the permit should not have allowed homosexual activists to stifle free speech. "The law requires the police to control the crowd and to deal with those acting disorderly, not tell us that we're not permitted to be there," he says.
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OneNewsNow.com
January 25, 2007
Click here to Hear This Report!
A federal judge has dismissed a lawsuit by volunteers with the Christian activist group, Repent America, who were arrested at a street festival for homosexuals in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania.
The Repent America volunteers were witnessing and handing out tracts at the 2004 "Gay Pride" event when they were arrested. A judge later dismissed all criminal charges against them, saying a videotape showed they did not incite violence or threaten anyone.
Afterward, the ministry volunteers filed a lawsuit against the city of Philadelphia, claiming their constitutional rights had been violated. However, Judge Lawrence Stengel threw the case out, claiming the permit held by the homosexual pride group allowed officials to silence the Christian activists.
Repent America director Michael Marcavage feels the permit should not have allowed homosexual activists to stifle free speech. "The law requires the police to control the crowd and to deal with those acting disorderly, not tell us that we're not permitted to be there," he says.
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Britain boosts intelligent-design debate
Britain boosts intelligent-design debate
But issues will be addressed in religion class, not science class
By Paul Majendie
LONDON - British teenagers may soon be debating creationism and intelligent design in religion classes that give equal time to the Darwinists and atheists who reject these views of the world’s origins.
Newly published school guidelines reflect the growing influence of a bitter battle over evolution being waged on the other side of the Atlantic, by conservative American Christians who want to put God back into the secular state school system.
The guidelines, issued by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, place the issue firmly in religious education class, rather than the science classes where American intelligent-design proponents want it to be handled.
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But issues will be addressed in religion class, not science class
By Paul Majendie
LONDON - British teenagers may soon be debating creationism and intelligent design in religion classes that give equal time to the Darwinists and atheists who reject these views of the world’s origins.
Newly published school guidelines reflect the growing influence of a bitter battle over evolution being waged on the other side of the Atlantic, by conservative American Christians who want to put God back into the secular state school system.
The guidelines, issued by the Qualifications and Curriculum Authority, place the issue firmly in religious education class, rather than the science classes where American intelligent-design proponents want it to be handled.
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Schools weigh inclusiveness, calendar without 'Christmas'
By Lindsay Melvin
Shelby County Schools' newest board member, Fred Johnson, wants to change "Christmas Break" to "Winter Break" on the school calendar.
"I want to make it inclusive of every religious group," he said.
Johnson's unexpected declaration, during a recent discussion of the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school calendars, did not sit well with all board members.
"This is America. Since Day One, we've recognized Christmas as Christmas and Christmas Break as Christmas Break," said board member Joe Clayton, who said he would never support a change of the wording.
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Shelby County Schools' newest board member, Fred Johnson, wants to change "Christmas Break" to "Winter Break" on the school calendar.
"I want to make it inclusive of every religious group," he said.
Johnson's unexpected declaration, during a recent discussion of the 2007-08 and 2008-09 school calendars, did not sit well with all board members.
"This is America. Since Day One, we've recognized Christmas as Christmas and Christmas Break as Christmas Break," said board member Joe Clayton, who said he would never support a change of the wording.
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Olmert's party proposes handing West Bank to Europe
Olmert's party proposes handing West Bank to Europe
Follows WND reports of secret talks to evacuate strategic territory under EU supervision
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 25, 2007
9:56 a.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
JERUSALEM – A member of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Kadima party yesterday proposed transferring control of the West Bank to a European task force until the establishment of a Palestinian state, at which time the strategic territory would be handed to security forces associated with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The proposal comes after WND broke the story earlier this week that, according to top European and Egyptian diplomatic sources, Israel has been conducting behind-the-scene negotiations to hand over most of the West Bank to Abbas' security forces. The sources said the transfer of security control to Abbas would be coordinated by the European Union and Jordan.
The West Bank borders Jerusalem and is within rocket-firing range of Tel Aviv and Israel's international airport.
At Israel's prestigious Herzliya Conference, Knesset Member Shlomo Breznitz, reportedly a close confidante of Olmert, said yesterday the West Bank should be transferred temporarily to the Europeans and that most of the territory's Jewish communities should be evacuated.
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Follows WND reports of secret talks to evacuate strategic territory under EU supervision
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 25, 2007
9:56 a.m. Eastern
By Aaron Klein
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
JERUSALEM – A member of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's Kadima party yesterday proposed transferring control of the West Bank to a European task force until the establishment of a Palestinian state, at which time the strategic territory would be handed to security forces associated with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
The proposal comes after WND broke the story earlier this week that, according to top European and Egyptian diplomatic sources, Israel has been conducting behind-the-scene negotiations to hand over most of the West Bank to Abbas' security forces. The sources said the transfer of security control to Abbas would be coordinated by the European Union and Jordan.
The West Bank borders Jerusalem and is within rocket-firing range of Tel Aviv and Israel's international airport.
At Israel's prestigious Herzliya Conference, Knesset Member Shlomo Breznitz, reportedly a close confidante of Olmert, said yesterday the West Bank should be transferred temporarily to the Europeans and that most of the territory's Jewish communities should be evacuated.
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Federal investigation sought into abortions
Federal investigation sought into abortions
Operation Rescue plans move in battle over prosecuting Tiller
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 25, 2007
5:45 p.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Another four-day protest, "Pray in May" has been scheduled in Wichita, Kan., where late-term abortion special George Tiller has a business, as a pro-life activist group weighs its legal options in an effort to have criminal charges against Tiller heard in a court of law.
The state's former attorney general, Phill Kline, had filed 30 criminal counts against Tiller just days before Christmas, but the local prosecutor, Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Tedesco Foulston, worked with a local judge to have the counts dismissed before they could be heard.
That's despite the fact they resulted from a multi-year investigation by Kline, which had been reviewed and approved by the state Supreme Court, and the counts themselves had been reviewed and approved by two separate Kansas judges.
"This is far from over," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "Viable babies who should have the protection of Kansas law continue to be illegally killed at George R. Tiller's infamous late-term abortion mill. We must continue to seek justice, as our Christian faith demands, as long as this gross injustice continues."
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Operation Rescue plans move in battle over prosecuting Tiller
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Posted: January 25, 2007
5:45 p.m. Eastern
By Bob Unruh
© 2007 WorldNetDaily.com
Another four-day protest, "Pray in May" has been scheduled in Wichita, Kan., where late-term abortion special George Tiller has a business, as a pro-life activist group weighs its legal options in an effort to have criminal charges against Tiller heard in a court of law.
The state's former attorney general, Phill Kline, had filed 30 criminal counts against Tiller just days before Christmas, but the local prosecutor, Sedgwick County District Attorney Nola Tedesco Foulston, worked with a local judge to have the counts dismissed before they could be heard.
That's despite the fact they resulted from a multi-year investigation by Kline, which had been reviewed and approved by the state Supreme Court, and the counts themselves had been reviewed and approved by two separate Kansas judges.
"This is far from over," said Operation Rescue President Troy Newman. "Viable babies who should have the protection of Kansas law continue to be illegally killed at George R. Tiller's infamous late-term abortion mill. We must continue to seek justice, as our Christian faith demands, as long as this gross injustice continues."
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Proposed law against spanking toddlers in Calif. causes stir
By Erin Roach
Baptist Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BP)--If a Democratic assemblywoman in California has her way, parents in that state could soon be fined or even jailed for spanking their toddlers, a practice Sally Lieber said victimizes helpless children.
Lieber, who does not have children, plans to introduce a bill this week that would make California the first state to make the spanking of children 4 years old and under a misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail or a fine of up to $1,000.
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Baptist Press
SACRAMENTO, Calif. (BP)--If a Democratic assemblywoman in California has her way, parents in that state could soon be fined or even jailed for spanking their toddlers, a practice Sally Lieber said victimizes helpless children.
Lieber, who does not have children, plans to introduce a bill this week that would make California the first state to make the spanking of children 4 years old and under a misdemeanor punishable by a year in jail or a fine of up to $1,000.
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