Maryland high court hears 'gay marriage' case
Dec 5, 2006
By Staff
Baptist Press
ANNAPOLIS, Md. (BP)--Lawyers for the American Civil Liberties Union asked the highest court in Maryland Dec. 4 to strike down the state's marriage laws and make it the second state in the nation to legalize "gay marriage."
Oral arguments before the Court of Appeal lasted one hour. The seven justices gave no indication as to when they might rule. The ACLU filed the lawsuit on behalf of nine same-sex couples and one homosexual man whose partner is deceased."Despite the fact that plaintiffs have formed committed relationships … the state excludes them and their children from the numerous important protections that come from marriage, solely because the person whom they love is of the same sex," ACLU attorney Kenneth Choe told the justices, according to The Baltimore Sun. "The exclusion of same-sex couples from marriage violates the most fundamental guarantees of equality and liberty for all Marylanders."
But Assistant Attorney General Robert A. Zarnoch said the matter should be left to the legislature. Maryland adopted a law in 1973 defining marriage as being between one man and one woman. Earlier this year a Maryland judge ruled the law unconstitutional, but her decision was appealed."
The court doesn't have to disparage gay parenting to uphold this law, it doesn't have to assess the merits of an armload of studies and it doesn't have to find that the institution of marriage is threatened," Zarnoch said, according to The Sun. "It can uphold the statute without making any of those kinds of determinations.
"Can the court address all the plaintiffs' grievances? Clearly it can't. The General Assembly is the proper forum to deal with these issues."
The justices asked few questions.
"I didn't think the judges' questions helped a lot [in determining how they might rule]," Zarnoch said afterward, according to The Sun. "There weren't as many as you might think there would be. I don't think we can read the court one way or another."
Maryland is one of four states involved in "gay marriage" suits. The others are Iowa, California and Connecticut. The suits in the latter two states have been appealed to those states' respective Supreme Courts, although the courts have yet to decide whether they will hear the cases. Lower courts in both states ruled against "gay marriage."
Massachusetts remains the lone state to recognize "gay marriage." Supreme courts in New York, New Jersey and Washington state all ruled this year that there is no constitutional right to "gay marriage." --30--Compiled by Michael Foust. For more information about the national debate over "gay marriage,"
visit http://www.bpnews.net/samesexmarriage
Copyright © 2001 - 2006 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press
Tuesday, December 5, 2006
Bush ‘deeply disappointed’ with Bolton’s resignation as United Nations ambassador
Bush ‘deeply disappointed’ with Bolton’s resignation as United Nations ambassador
Dec 5, 2006
By Staff
Baptist Press
WASHINGTON (BP)--John Bolton, United States ambassador to the United Nations, has resigned in the face of a Democratic takeover of the Senate in January.
President Bush accepted the resignation “with regret” Dec. 4, 16 months after making the conservative and oft-criticized Bolton a recess appointment to the important diplomatic post. Bush made the appointment during a congressional recess after Senate Democrats blocked Bolton’s confirmation. The appointment was due to expire when the new congressional session begins in January.
“I am deeply disappointed that a handful of United States Senators prevented Ambassador Bolton from receiving the up-or-down vote he deserved in the Senate,” Bush said in a written statement upon receiving the resignation. “They chose to obstruct this confirmation, even though he enjoys majority support in the Senate and even though their tactics will disrupt our diplomatic work at a sensitive and important time. This stubborn obstructionism ill serves our country and discourages men and women of talent from serving their nation.”
In a May 2005 Senate roll call, 53 Republicans and three Democrats voted to invoke cloture but fell four votes short of the 60 needed to end the filibuster.
A liberal Republican senator, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, undermined an effort to confirm Bolton this fall. Chafee withdrew his support for Bolton, preventing a vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. All eight Democrats on the 18-member panel opposed Bolton’s confirmation, meaning Chafee’s “no” vote as a committee member would have resulted in a deadlock.
Bush and others credited Bolton with helping produce some important U.N. Security Council resolutions during his time at the international body, but the ambassador was not a favorite of the U.N. bureaucracy. The president said Bolton’s work brought about resolutions on nuclear developments by North Korea and Iran, as well as a U.N. commitment to peacekeeping in Darfur, the besieged western region of Sudan.
Conservatives strongly supported Bolton, agreeing with his advocacy for the spread of democracy and for U.N. reform. Bolton, who had served four years as under secretary of arms control and international security at the State Department, has openly criticized oppressive regimes.
In 1991, Bolton helped with the successful bid to rescind the U.N.’s resolution condemning Zionism as equivalent to racism, thereby aiding Israel. He has called North Korea’s Kim Jong Il a “tyrannical dictator” and criticized China publicly for permitting its firms to sell missile technology to Iran.
Senate Democrats charged Bolton with mistreating subordinates and misusing intelligence. They also said their opposition was an effort to gain information on Bolton that the White House refused to release.
Copyright © 2001 - 2006 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press
Dec 5, 2006
By Staff
Baptist Press
WASHINGTON (BP)--John Bolton, United States ambassador to the United Nations, has resigned in the face of a Democratic takeover of the Senate in January.
President Bush accepted the resignation “with regret” Dec. 4, 16 months after making the conservative and oft-criticized Bolton a recess appointment to the important diplomatic post. Bush made the appointment during a congressional recess after Senate Democrats blocked Bolton’s confirmation. The appointment was due to expire when the new congressional session begins in January.
“I am deeply disappointed that a handful of United States Senators prevented Ambassador Bolton from receiving the up-or-down vote he deserved in the Senate,” Bush said in a written statement upon receiving the resignation. “They chose to obstruct this confirmation, even though he enjoys majority support in the Senate and even though their tactics will disrupt our diplomatic work at a sensitive and important time. This stubborn obstructionism ill serves our country and discourages men and women of talent from serving their nation.”
In a May 2005 Senate roll call, 53 Republicans and three Democrats voted to invoke cloture but fell four votes short of the 60 needed to end the filibuster.
A liberal Republican senator, Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, undermined an effort to confirm Bolton this fall. Chafee withdrew his support for Bolton, preventing a vote in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. All eight Democrats on the 18-member panel opposed Bolton’s confirmation, meaning Chafee’s “no” vote as a committee member would have resulted in a deadlock.
Bush and others credited Bolton with helping produce some important U.N. Security Council resolutions during his time at the international body, but the ambassador was not a favorite of the U.N. bureaucracy. The president said Bolton’s work brought about resolutions on nuclear developments by North Korea and Iran, as well as a U.N. commitment to peacekeeping in Darfur, the besieged western region of Sudan.
Conservatives strongly supported Bolton, agreeing with his advocacy for the spread of democracy and for U.N. reform. Bolton, who had served four years as under secretary of arms control and international security at the State Department, has openly criticized oppressive regimes.
In 1991, Bolton helped with the successful bid to rescind the U.N.’s resolution condemning Zionism as equivalent to racism, thereby aiding Israel. He has called North Korea’s Kim Jong Il a “tyrannical dictator” and criticized China publicly for permitting its firms to sell missile technology to Iran.
Senate Democrats charged Bolton with mistreating subordinates and misusing intelligence. They also said their opposition was an effort to gain information on Bolton that the White House refused to release.
Copyright © 2001 - 2006 Southern Baptist Convention, Baptist Press
Liberty Counsel's 'Naughty' List Names Retailers That Censor Christmas
Liberty Counsel's 'Naughty' List Names Retailers That Censor Christmas
By Allie Martin
December 6, 2006
(AgapePress) - The Florida-based Christian law firm Liberty Counsel has developed a checklist cataloguing retailers who either censor or acknowledge Christmas. The "Naughty and Nice" lists are part of the legal group's "Friend or Foe" Christmas Campaign, a yearly effort to combat those who attempt to curb expressions honoring the true meaning of Christmas.
So far, stores on the "Naughty" list include Lowe's, where employees are not allowed to say "merry Christmas" to customers; Banana Republic, whose website refers to a "Holiday Gift Guide" with no mention of Christmas; and Best Buy, whose spokesperson says the use of "merry Christmas" is disrespectful. Meanwhile, among the stores on the "Nice" list are Dillard's, Hobby Lobby, JC Penney, Jo-Ann Fabrics, L.L. Bean, and Wal-Mart.
Read the current 'Naughty & Nice List' [PDF]
Liberty Counsel president Anita Staver says Christian consumers can play a part in fighting against retailer censorship of Christmas. "They need to be on the lookout when they go to stores," she advises, "and if they wish the people there a merry Christmas, they should expect to hear a merry Christmas in return."
Christian consumers should not have to expect to walk into a store and see "all the trees labeled 'holiday trees' and 'holiday wreaths,'" Staver contends. "They should see 'Christmas trees' and 'Christmas wreaths.'" Still, she points out, stores such as the Gap, Home Depot, K-Mart, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond have all censored the word "Christmas" this season.
"We had a report from Toys 'R' Us that a Pennsylvania guest relations coordinator had written a customer that the store aims to be neutral about Christmas," the Liberty Counsel spokeswoman notes. "But when the corporate division found out about this," she continues, "they said that Christmas is always celebrated at Toys 'R' Us and [that they] disagree with the actions of that store."
Meanwhile, Staver adds, some stores that have had a policy of censoring Christmas are backpedaling, and Liberty Counsel is glad to see the response that its "Friend or Foe" Christmas Campaign is getting. The campaign is having a definite impact, she says, and she encourages Christian consumers to be on the lookout for stores, schools, and other government or commercial entities that try to censor Christmas.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
By Allie Martin
December 6, 2006
(AgapePress) - The Florida-based Christian law firm Liberty Counsel has developed a checklist cataloguing retailers who either censor or acknowledge Christmas. The "Naughty and Nice" lists are part of the legal group's "Friend or Foe" Christmas Campaign, a yearly effort to combat those who attempt to curb expressions honoring the true meaning of Christmas.
So far, stores on the "Naughty" list include Lowe's, where employees are not allowed to say "merry Christmas" to customers; Banana Republic, whose website refers to a "Holiday Gift Guide" with no mention of Christmas; and Best Buy, whose spokesperson says the use of "merry Christmas" is disrespectful. Meanwhile, among the stores on the "Nice" list are Dillard's, Hobby Lobby, JC Penney, Jo-Ann Fabrics, L.L. Bean, and Wal-Mart.
Read the current 'Naughty & Nice List' [PDF]
Liberty Counsel president Anita Staver says Christian consumers can play a part in fighting against retailer censorship of Christmas. "They need to be on the lookout when they go to stores," she advises, "and if they wish the people there a merry Christmas, they should expect to hear a merry Christmas in return."
Christian consumers should not have to expect to walk into a store and see "all the trees labeled 'holiday trees' and 'holiday wreaths,'" Staver contends. "They should see 'Christmas trees' and 'Christmas wreaths.'" Still, she points out, stores such as the Gap, Home Depot, K-Mart, and Bed, Bath, & Beyond have all censored the word "Christmas" this season.
"We had a report from Toys 'R' Us that a Pennsylvania guest relations coordinator had written a customer that the store aims to be neutral about Christmas," the Liberty Counsel spokeswoman notes. "But when the corporate division found out about this," she continues, "they said that Christmas is always celebrated at Toys 'R' Us and [that they] disagree with the actions of that store."
Meanwhile, Staver adds, some stores that have had a policy of censoring Christmas are backpedaling, and Liberty Counsel is glad to see the response that its "Friend or Foe" Christmas Campaign is getting. The campaign is having a definite impact, she says, and she encourages Christian consumers to be on the lookout for stores, schools, and other government or commercial entities that try to censor Christmas.
Allie Martin, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
Ohio Citizens Reject Casino Plan Re-Packaged as Education Measure
Ohio Citizens Reject Casino Plan Re-Packaged as Education Measure
By Ed Thomas
(AgapePress) - A pro-family activist says Ohio gambling interests, despite developing a promotion campaign designed to be more successful than previous initiatives, failed to sell the state's citizens on Issue 3, a new effort to legalize casino gambling. The proposal, which included money allocated for education, was dubbed the "Earn and Learn" initiative.
David Miller of the Ohio-based group Citizens for Community Values (CCV) says pro-gambling interests thought they had designed a better approach for winning support of the gambling proposal this time around. He believes supporters thought they were improving on past strategies to win voter approval by making college scholarships for students bound for Ohio schools part of the gambling measure.
Nevertheless, the so-called "Earn and Learn" ballot initiative was defeated by a 57-to-43 percent margin. Miller says statistical information from studies about the effects of casino gambling on other U.S. communities in the past were too plentiful, and Ohio voters were not fooled.
"There are plenty of casinos around the country, plenty of states that have already done this," the pro-family advocate notes. "We have research that tells us what happens to our communities [when gambling is allowed in]."
Among the typical results of legalized gambling, Miller points out, is increased incidence of gambling addiction, bankruptcies, divorce, and other harmful fallout that results in loss of revenue and hurts local economies.
"And so voters are saying 'no' very consistently when they understand the impact of gambling," the CCV spokesman observes. "I think it says a lot that when the voters understand the facts about gambling and the impact on the individuals -- the people, the citizens of Ohio -- they continue to turn it down," he adds.
Obviously, Miller contends, the state's citizens are smart enough to keep rejecting the same repackaged offer. He says last month's failed "Earn and Learn" ballot measure was the pro-gambling interests' third attempt to legalize and expand casino gambling in Ohio.
Ed Thomas, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
By Ed Thomas
(AgapePress) - A pro-family activist says Ohio gambling interests, despite developing a promotion campaign designed to be more successful than previous initiatives, failed to sell the state's citizens on Issue 3, a new effort to legalize casino gambling. The proposal, which included money allocated for education, was dubbed the "Earn and Learn" initiative.
David Miller of the Ohio-based group Citizens for Community Values (CCV) says pro-gambling interests thought they had designed a better approach for winning support of the gambling proposal this time around. He believes supporters thought they were improving on past strategies to win voter approval by making college scholarships for students bound for Ohio schools part of the gambling measure.
Nevertheless, the so-called "Earn and Learn" ballot initiative was defeated by a 57-to-43 percent margin. Miller says statistical information from studies about the effects of casino gambling on other U.S. communities in the past were too plentiful, and Ohio voters were not fooled.
"There are plenty of casinos around the country, plenty of states that have already done this," the pro-family advocate notes. "We have research that tells us what happens to our communities [when gambling is allowed in]."
Among the typical results of legalized gambling, Miller points out, is increased incidence of gambling addiction, bankruptcies, divorce, and other harmful fallout that results in loss of revenue and hurts local economies.
"And so voters are saying 'no' very consistently when they understand the impact of gambling," the CCV spokesman observes. "I think it says a lot that when the voters understand the facts about gambling and the impact on the individuals -- the people, the citizens of Ohio -- they continue to turn it down," he adds.
Obviously, Miller contends, the state's citizens are smart enough to keep rejecting the same repackaged offer. He says last month's failed "Earn and Learn" ballot measure was the pro-gambling interests' third attempt to legalize and expand casino gambling in Ohio.
Ed Thomas, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
The Option of Adoption
December 5, 2006
The Option of Adoption
by Steve Jordahl
There are 112-thousand foster kids waiting to be adopted in the U.S. Can your family help fill the void?
Adam Pertman gets a little tired of hearing well-meaning adults commiserate with him about his family.
“Adoptive parents were told, and still sometimes are, ‘Oh, I’m sorry you couldn’t have any real children.’ Well, I’m an adoptive dad, and my kids look real.”
Pertman is head of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and hears hundreds of stories just like his everyday. He says adoption has been shrouded in secrecy, and for no good reason.
“Adoption for most of its modern history was a secretive process, right? I mean people couldn’t even tell their own kids they were adopted. That’s pretty secretive. And it is stigmatized.”
He advocates raising children with the knowledge that they were chosen to be a part of the family.
Janice Goldwater of Adoptions Together says there are millions of children waiting for that chance.
“Really there’s no such thing as somebody else’s child. We all need to reach out to children, and not just at the holiday time.”
For those who have a concern for the family, adoption holds special attraction.
“Children grow best in families and under no circumstances should children grow up outside of family units when it’s at all possible.”
Worldwide, there are about 125-million orphaned children in need of a home.
© 2006 Focus on the Family. CitizenLink is a registered trademark of Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
The Option of Adoption
by Steve Jordahl
There are 112-thousand foster kids waiting to be adopted in the U.S. Can your family help fill the void?
Adam Pertman gets a little tired of hearing well-meaning adults commiserate with him about his family.
“Adoptive parents were told, and still sometimes are, ‘Oh, I’m sorry you couldn’t have any real children.’ Well, I’m an adoptive dad, and my kids look real.”
Pertman is head of the Evan B. Donaldson Adoption Institute and hears hundreds of stories just like his everyday. He says adoption has been shrouded in secrecy, and for no good reason.
“Adoption for most of its modern history was a secretive process, right? I mean people couldn’t even tell their own kids they were adopted. That’s pretty secretive. And it is stigmatized.”
He advocates raising children with the knowledge that they were chosen to be a part of the family.
Janice Goldwater of Adoptions Together says there are millions of children waiting for that chance.
“Really there’s no such thing as somebody else’s child. We all need to reach out to children, and not just at the holiday time.”
For those who have a concern for the family, adoption holds special attraction.
“Children grow best in families and under no circumstances should children grow up outside of family units when it’s at all possible.”
Worldwide, there are about 125-million orphaned children in need of a home.
© 2006 Focus on the Family. CitizenLink is a registered trademark of Focus on the Family. All rights reserved. International copyright secured.
Uncertainty Surrounds Canadian Parliament's Upcoming Vote on Same-Sex 'Marriage'
Uncertainty Surrounds Canadian Parliament's Upcoming Vote on Same-Sex 'Marriage'
By Chad Groening
December 5, 2006
(AgapePress) - The head of a Canadian pro-family organization says he believes Wednesday's vote to restore traditional marriage in Canada is going to be close -- but he hopes Parliament will ultimately follow the wishes of the vast majority of Canadians.
Same-sex "marriage" was legalized in Canada three years ago; since then, thousands of homosexuals from Canada and other countries have been legally married there. But when Stephen Harper campaigned for prime minister in the subsequent election, he promised voters that he would bring the marriage issue back before Parliament for a free vote.
Tomorrow (December 6) Harper -- who is reportedly a born-again Christian -- will fulfill that pledge, as members of Parliament (MPs) decide if they want to restore the traditional definition of marriage as only a union between a man and a woman. The question contains a provision that, if passed, the new position would not affect civil unions and would not reverse existing same-sex marriages.
Brian Rushfeldt, co-founder and executive director of the Canada Family Action Coalition (CFAC), is impressed with the way Harper has kept his campaign promise. He describes the new prime minister as "a man of integrity."
"If he promises that he will do it, he will do it," says the pro-family leader. "And I think the timing of it, in our estimation, is perhaps not the best timing, although I don't know that there's a good timing."
Rushfeldt hopes the MPs will follow the wishes of most Canadians. He expects the vote to "reasonably close" and is hearing that just a few votes either way could decide the final outcome.
"Certainly, members of Parliament clearly know what their constituents want, and that's to reopen and revisit and redefine marriage," he says. "So if they vote following the wishes of their constituents, I believe we'd win this hands down."
But if pro-family forces come up short on the vote, the CFAC spokesman says his fellow countrymen are going to have to "fire a bunch of members of Parliament and put some pro-marriage people in government [come] next election."
Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper indicates doubt over whether the measure will pass. But Dr. Charles McVety, CFAC president and one of the key proponents of restoring traditional marriage, says his group expects Parliament to study the impact on same-sex marriage on religion, regardless of the results of the free vote.
Chad Groening, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
By Chad Groening
December 5, 2006
(AgapePress) - The head of a Canadian pro-family organization says he believes Wednesday's vote to restore traditional marriage in Canada is going to be close -- but he hopes Parliament will ultimately follow the wishes of the vast majority of Canadians.
Same-sex "marriage" was legalized in Canada three years ago; since then, thousands of homosexuals from Canada and other countries have been legally married there. But when Stephen Harper campaigned for prime minister in the subsequent election, he promised voters that he would bring the marriage issue back before Parliament for a free vote.
Tomorrow (December 6) Harper -- who is reportedly a born-again Christian -- will fulfill that pledge, as members of Parliament (MPs) decide if they want to restore the traditional definition of marriage as only a union between a man and a woman. The question contains a provision that, if passed, the new position would not affect civil unions and would not reverse existing same-sex marriages.
Brian Rushfeldt, co-founder and executive director of the Canada Family Action Coalition (CFAC), is impressed with the way Harper has kept his campaign promise. He describes the new prime minister as "a man of integrity."
"If he promises that he will do it, he will do it," says the pro-family leader. "And I think the timing of it, in our estimation, is perhaps not the best timing, although I don't know that there's a good timing."
Rushfeldt hopes the MPs will follow the wishes of most Canadians. He expects the vote to "reasonably close" and is hearing that just a few votes either way could decide the final outcome.
"Certainly, members of Parliament clearly know what their constituents want, and that's to reopen and revisit and redefine marriage," he says. "So if they vote following the wishes of their constituents, I believe we'd win this hands down."
But if pro-family forces come up short on the vote, the CFAC spokesman says his fellow countrymen are going to have to "fire a bunch of members of Parliament and put some pro-marriage people in government [come] next election."
Canada's Globe and Mail newspaper indicates doubt over whether the measure will pass. But Dr. Charles McVety, CFAC president and one of the key proponents of restoring traditional marriage, says his group expects Parliament to study the impact on same-sex marriage on religion, regardless of the results of the free vote.
Chad Groening, a regular contributor to AgapePress, is a reporter for American Family Radio News, which can be heard online.
© 2006 AgapePress all rights reserved.
Gap, Old Navy censor 'Christmas,' replace it with 'Holiday'
Gap, Old Navy censor 'Christmas,' replace it with 'Holiday'
Gap, which owns Old Navy, Banana Republic, Forth & Towne and Piperlime, has become the latest politically correct retailer, intentionally censoring the use of "Christmas" in their in-store, online and printed advertising.
Instead of referring to the season as Christmas, Gap instead uses the word "holiday." As hard as we tried, AFA could not find a single instance in which Gap-owned stores use the term "Christmas." Not a single time!
When one Old Navy store manager was asked by AFA if the word Christmas was in his store, he answered, "We have a lot of Christmas gifts in our stores, but the word Christmas is not used here. Everything is 'holiday.'"
Gap wants you to do your Christmas shopping with them, but they don't want to mention the Reason for the season. Gap doesn't want to offend non-Christians by using Christmas. The fact that their censoring the use of Christmas might offend Christians seems to be of no importance.
Take Action
Send your message of disappointment to Gap, Inc. Click here to send your email.
Forward this e-mail to your friends and family.
Send Your Email Letter to Gap Chairman Don Fisher Now!
Sincerely,
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association
P.S. Please print this and share with others.
Gap, which owns Old Navy, Banana Republic, Forth & Towne and Piperlime, has become the latest politically correct retailer, intentionally censoring the use of "Christmas" in their in-store, online and printed advertising.
Instead of referring to the season as Christmas, Gap instead uses the word "holiday." As hard as we tried, AFA could not find a single instance in which Gap-owned stores use the term "Christmas." Not a single time!
When one Old Navy store manager was asked by AFA if the word Christmas was in his store, he answered, "We have a lot of Christmas gifts in our stores, but the word Christmas is not used here. Everything is 'holiday.'"
Gap wants you to do your Christmas shopping with them, but they don't want to mention the Reason for the season. Gap doesn't want to offend non-Christians by using Christmas. The fact that their censoring the use of Christmas might offend Christians seems to be of no importance.
Take Action
Send your message of disappointment to Gap, Inc. Click here to send your email.
Forward this e-mail to your friends and family.
Send Your Email Letter to Gap Chairman Don Fisher Now!
Sincerely,
Donald E. Wildmon, Founder and Chairman
American Family Association
P.S. Please print this and share with others.
'Dog' Chapman Gets Day In Mexican Court
This story is unrelated to my topic, per say, but important in my opinion for our Govt. to step in, and not let this man have to go to Mexico for these ridiculous charges! Dog should be rewarded and paid already for being a "hero" in this case! He stopped a CRIMINAL, he is not the criminal! Mexico needs to drop these ludicrous charges! He did America and Mexico a huge justice in getting that guy off the streets! To Dog and his family, my thoughts and prayers!
'Dog' Chapman Gets Day In Mexican Court
HONOLULU -- Duane "Dog'' Chapman is waiting to hear whether a Mexican federal court will set him free or order his pending extradition and criminal case to proceed.
The 53-year-old TV bounty hunter is charged under Mexican law with "deprivation of liberty'' for his June 2003 capture of fugitive convicted rapist Andrew Luster, the Max Factor heir, in Puerto Vallarta.
Last night, Chapman, his wife and his attorney appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" program to plead his case.
Chapman said that he was approached before the extradition by a lawyer in Mexico who arranged his release and was asked for more than $250,000 as a payment. Chapman said he was told by the lawyer that things "would not go well" if the payment wasn't made.
The three were also joined by Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo is urging Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice not to extradite bounty hunter Chapman to Mexico.
Tancredo said he was told by state department officials that a letter from 29 congressman about the Chapman case "was on Rice's desk" but not yet read by Rice.
Tancredo also questioned why the administration agreed to consider Chapman's extradition on what he called a misdemeanor charge in Mexico.
"Inside, I'm dying,'' Chapman said in an interview with The Associated Press at his spacious ocean-view home last week. "On the outside, I'm a Hawaiian citizen.''
His attorney, Bill Bollard, will present arguments starting Monday. Chapman will not attend the closed hearing in Guadalajara.
"We consider this a critical hearing because it could resolve the matter,'' Bollard said. "We're putting a lot of eggs in this basket because if we can cut it off at the path, the (criminal) trial never takes place.''
Chapman was arrested Sept. 14 along with his son and another associate and is free on $300,000 bail. He has been aggressively fighting extradition.
Video: Beth Chapman Talks To NBC News
"It's been the most nervous week by far in many years,'' he told the AP. ``In Mexico, you're guilty until proven innocent. It's not like America. You must prove your innocence. That's their law. It's nothing bad or good. That's just their law.''
Chapman faces up to four years in a Mexican jail if convicted.
"It's very ironic isn't it?'' said his wife, Beth Chapman. "He may go to jail for catching a rapist. We're in trouble because we caught America's escaped prisoner.''
Chapman's capture of Luster catapulted the Honolulu-based bounty hunter to fame and led to the A&E reality series "Dog the Bounty Hunter.''
Luster jumped a $1 million bond and disappeared during his trial in California's Ventura County on charges that he drugged and raped three women. The disappearance set off a national and international manhunt by police, FBI and bounty hunters trying to recoup some of the bond money. Luster is now serving a 124-year prison term.
Chapman said he was never paid for Luster's capture.
Chapman also told King he feared for his safety in any jail since he caught more than 6,000 fugitives in his career.
Copyright 2006 by NBC10.com The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
'Dog' Chapman Gets Day In Mexican CourtHONOLULU -- Duane "Dog'' Chapman is waiting to hear whether a Mexican federal court will set him free or order his pending extradition and criminal case to proceed.
The 53-year-old TV bounty hunter is charged under Mexican law with "deprivation of liberty'' for his June 2003 capture of fugitive convicted rapist Andrew Luster, the Max Factor heir, in Puerto Vallarta.
Last night, Chapman, his wife and his attorney appeared on CNN's "Larry King Live" program to plead his case.
Chapman said that he was approached before the extradition by a lawyer in Mexico who arranged his release and was asked for more than $250,000 as a payment. Chapman said he was told by the lawyer that things "would not go well" if the payment wasn't made.
The three were also joined by Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo is urging Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice not to extradite bounty hunter Chapman to Mexico.
Tancredo said he was told by state department officials that a letter from 29 congressman about the Chapman case "was on Rice's desk" but not yet read by Rice.
Tancredo also questioned why the administration agreed to consider Chapman's extradition on what he called a misdemeanor charge in Mexico.
"Inside, I'm dying,'' Chapman said in an interview with The Associated Press at his spacious ocean-view home last week. "On the outside, I'm a Hawaiian citizen.''
His attorney, Bill Bollard, will present arguments starting Monday. Chapman will not attend the closed hearing in Guadalajara.
"We consider this a critical hearing because it could resolve the matter,'' Bollard said. "We're putting a lot of eggs in this basket because if we can cut it off at the path, the (criminal) trial never takes place.''
Chapman was arrested Sept. 14 along with his son and another associate and is free on $300,000 bail. He has been aggressively fighting extradition.
Video: Beth Chapman Talks To NBC News
"It's been the most nervous week by far in many years,'' he told the AP. ``In Mexico, you're guilty until proven innocent. It's not like America. You must prove your innocence. That's their law. It's nothing bad or good. That's just their law.''
Chapman faces up to four years in a Mexican jail if convicted.
"It's very ironic isn't it?'' said his wife, Beth Chapman. "He may go to jail for catching a rapist. We're in trouble because we caught America's escaped prisoner.''
Chapman's capture of Luster catapulted the Honolulu-based bounty hunter to fame and led to the A&E reality series "Dog the Bounty Hunter.''
Luster jumped a $1 million bond and disappeared during his trial in California's Ventura County on charges that he drugged and raped three women. The disappearance set off a national and international manhunt by police, FBI and bounty hunters trying to recoup some of the bond money. Luster is now serving a 124-year prison term.
Chapman said he was never paid for Luster's capture.
Chapman also told King he feared for his safety in any jail since he caught more than 6,000 fugitives in his career.
Copyright 2006 by NBC10.com The Associated Press contributed to this report. All rights reserved.
'Church of the Ark' found on West Bank
'Church of the Ark' found on West Bank'
By Harry de Quetteville in Shiloh
Archaeologists claimed yesterday to have uncovered one of the world's first churches, built on a site believed to have once housed the Ark of the Covenant.
The site, emerging from the soil in a few acres in the hills of the Israeli occupied West Bank, is richly decorated with brightly coloured mosaics and inscriptions referring to Jesus Christ.
According to the team, led by Yitzhak Magen and Yevgeny Aharonovitch, the church dates to the late 4th century, making it one of Christianity's first formal places of worship.
"I can't say for sure at the moment that it's the very first church," said Mr Aharonovitch, 38, as he oversaw a team carrying out the final excavations before winter yesterday. "But it's certainly one of the first." He said the site contained an extremely unusual inscription which referred to itself, Shiloh, by name.
"That is very rare and shows early Christians treated this as an ancient, holy place," said Mr Aharonovitch. According to the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the two tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, was kept by the Israelites at Shiloh for several hundred years.
It was eventually moved to the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple that the Bible says was built by King Solomon around 1000 BC. When the temple was sacked by the Babylonians 400 years later, the Ark was lost, sparking theories about whether it had been hidden or destroyed.
The team at Shiloh is considering whether to dig under the beautiful mosaics that they have uncovered, in order to find traces of the Ark. "We have to decide whether to fix the mosaics here or take them to a museum," said Mr Aharonovitch.
Jewish residents in the modern settlement of Shiloh, which sits on a hill amidst Palestinian villages, want the team to keep digging.
David Rubin, a former mayor of Shiloh, said: "We believe that if they continue to dig they'll reach back to the time of the Tabernacle," referring to the portable place of worship where the Israelites housed the Ark.
© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2006.
By Harry de Quetteville in Shiloh
Archaeologists claimed yesterday to have uncovered one of the world's first churches, built on a site believed to have once housed the Ark of the Covenant.
The site, emerging from the soil in a few acres in the hills of the Israeli occupied West Bank, is richly decorated with brightly coloured mosaics and inscriptions referring to Jesus Christ.According to the team, led by Yitzhak Magen and Yevgeny Aharonovitch, the church dates to the late 4th century, making it one of Christianity's first formal places of worship.
"I can't say for sure at the moment that it's the very first church," said Mr Aharonovitch, 38, as he oversaw a team carrying out the final excavations before winter yesterday. "But it's certainly one of the first." He said the site contained an extremely unusual inscription which referred to itself, Shiloh, by name.
"That is very rare and shows early Christians treated this as an ancient, holy place," said Mr Aharonovitch. According to the Old Testament, the Ark of the Covenant, which contained the two tablets inscribed with the Ten Commandments, was kept by the Israelites at Shiloh for several hundred years.
It was eventually moved to the Holy of Holies in the Jerusalem temple that the Bible says was built by King Solomon around 1000 BC. When the temple was sacked by the Babylonians 400 years later, the Ark was lost, sparking theories about whether it had been hidden or destroyed.
The team at Shiloh is considering whether to dig under the beautiful mosaics that they have uncovered, in order to find traces of the Ark. "We have to decide whether to fix the mosaics here or take them to a museum," said Mr Aharonovitch.
Jewish residents in the modern settlement of Shiloh, which sits on a hill amidst Palestinian villages, want the team to keep digging.
David Rubin, a former mayor of Shiloh, said: "We believe that if they continue to dig they'll reach back to the time of the Tabernacle," referring to the portable place of worship where the Israelites housed the Ark.
© Copyright of Telegraph Media Group Limited 2006.
Muslim-American Group Targets Radio Host Over Koran Oath Comments
Muslim-American Group Targets Radio Host Over Koran Oath Comments
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
WASHINGTON — A Muslim-American advocacy group has called on radio talk show host Dennis Prager to be removed from the governing board of the federally funded U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum after Prager last week blasted a representative-elect for planning to use the Koran at his swearing-in next month.
Prager, who is Jewish, slammed Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to the U.S. Congress, after Ellison announced he plans to have his oath of office photo taken with the Koran instead of the Christian Bible, which is traditional.
"Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible," he wrote in a column titled, "America, Not Keith Ellison, Decides What Book a Congressman Takes His Oath On."
"If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress," Prager wrote, adding that using the Koran "undermines American civilization."
The Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a statement Monday calling for Prager's ouster from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, the museum's advisory council.
"No one who holds such bigoted, intolerant and divisive views should be in a policy-making position at a taxpayer-funded institution that seeks to educate Americans about the destructive impact hatred has had, and continues to have, on every society," CAIR wrote in its letter to the museum council's president, Fred Zeidman.
"As a presidential appointee, Prager's continued presence on the council would send a negative message to Muslims worldwide about America's commitment to religious tolerance," CAIR wrote.
Prager was not immediately available for comment. Museum spokesman Andrew Hollinger told FOXNews.com that he had not yet spoken with Zeidman and could not comment on the letter.
Prager is one of 52 council members, not including 10 House and Senate members and five ex-officio members. Hollinger said each council member is appointed by the White House to serve on the museum's governing board. The federal government pays for about 60 percent of the museum's annual budget.
Last week, the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group, called Prager's opinions "flat-out wrong," as well as "intolerant, misinformed and downright un-American."
"If Prager were merely a blogger and radio talk-show host trying to be relevant and provocative, these views might not merit a response. But as a newly appointed member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, Prager and his views must be held to a higher standard," the group said.
Ellison's chief of staff, Kari Moe, said Friday "the criticism is being flamed by the politics of division that were rejected in the '06 election cycle."
She also said the tradition of using the Bible relates to the photo-op ceremony for individual lawmakers that follows the official swearing-in of all members of Congress together on the House floor. At the official oath of office, newly elected members raise their right hands.
After that explanation, Prager said the ceremonial oath is no less significant than the actual swearing-in.
"Oh, that's the whole point. It's exactly because it's ceremonial that it matters to me," he said. "Ceremonies matter. Ceremonies are exceedingly important. That is the way a society states what is most significant to it."
Prager also said that he would like to see Jews swear their oaths of office on the Christian Bible — the Jewish Bible does not include the New Testament that is central to Christian beliefs.
Prager said he doesn't think Ellison should serve if he does not take the oath on the Bible but he doesn't prefer legislative action be taken to prevent him from serving.
Speaking last week with FOX News, Prager said his feelings have nothing to do with Ellison's being a Muslim.
"It has to do with the fact that it's not the Bible," he said. "If a Mormon-American decided to substitute the Book of Mormon for the Bible, I would have the same problem. If a scientologist wanted L. Ron Hubbard's 'Dyanetics' to be the book, I would have a problem," Prager said.
Prager said the Bible is the most important book in American history and that's why it should be used.
"George Washington began this movement. He was the one to bring a Bible and swear on it. Every president except one, Teddy Roosevelt, because it was right after the assassination of James McKinley and they didn't have time for a Bible. And every president has done this," Prager said, adding that congressional members have followed the tradition.
FOXNews.com's Greg Simmons and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
Tuesday, December 05, 2006
WASHINGTON — A Muslim-American advocacy group has called on radio talk show host Dennis Prager to be removed from the governing board of the federally funded U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum after Prager last week blasted a representative-elect for planning to use the Koran at his swearing-in next month.
Prager, who is Jewish, slammed Minnesota Democrat Keith Ellison, the first Muslim to be elected to the U.S. Congress, after Ellison announced he plans to have his oath of office photo taken with the Koran instead of the Christian Bible, which is traditional.
"Insofar as a member of Congress taking an oath to serve America and uphold its values is concerned, America is interested in only one book, the Bible," he wrote in a column titled, "America, Not Keith Ellison, Decides What Book a Congressman Takes His Oath On."
"If you are incapable of taking an oath on that book, don't serve in Congress," Prager wrote, adding that using the Koran "undermines American civilization."
The Washington, D.C.-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued a statement Monday calling for Prager's ouster from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Council, the museum's advisory council.
"No one who holds such bigoted, intolerant and divisive views should be in a policy-making position at a taxpayer-funded institution that seeks to educate Americans about the destructive impact hatred has had, and continues to have, on every society," CAIR wrote in its letter to the museum council's president, Fred Zeidman.
"As a presidential appointee, Prager's continued presence on the council would send a negative message to Muslims worldwide about America's commitment to religious tolerance," CAIR wrote.
Prager was not immediately available for comment. Museum spokesman Andrew Hollinger told FOXNews.com that he had not yet spoken with Zeidman and could not comment on the letter.
Prager is one of 52 council members, not including 10 House and Senate members and five ex-officio members. Hollinger said each council member is appointed by the White House to serve on the museum's governing board. The federal government pays for about 60 percent of the museum's annual budget.
Last week, the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish advocacy group, called Prager's opinions "flat-out wrong," as well as "intolerant, misinformed and downright un-American."
"If Prager were merely a blogger and radio talk-show host trying to be relevant and provocative, these views might not merit a response. But as a newly appointed member of the United States Holocaust Memorial Council, Prager and his views must be held to a higher standard," the group said.
Ellison's chief of staff, Kari Moe, said Friday "the criticism is being flamed by the politics of division that were rejected in the '06 election cycle."
She also said the tradition of using the Bible relates to the photo-op ceremony for individual lawmakers that follows the official swearing-in of all members of Congress together on the House floor. At the official oath of office, newly elected members raise their right hands.
After that explanation, Prager said the ceremonial oath is no less significant than the actual swearing-in.
"Oh, that's the whole point. It's exactly because it's ceremonial that it matters to me," he said. "Ceremonies matter. Ceremonies are exceedingly important. That is the way a society states what is most significant to it."
Prager also said that he would like to see Jews swear their oaths of office on the Christian Bible — the Jewish Bible does not include the New Testament that is central to Christian beliefs.
Prager said he doesn't think Ellison should serve if he does not take the oath on the Bible but he doesn't prefer legislative action be taken to prevent him from serving.
Speaking last week with FOX News, Prager said his feelings have nothing to do with Ellison's being a Muslim.
"It has to do with the fact that it's not the Bible," he said. "If a Mormon-American decided to substitute the Book of Mormon for the Bible, I would have the same problem. If a scientologist wanted L. Ron Hubbard's 'Dyanetics' to be the book, I would have a problem," Prager said.
Prager said the Bible is the most important book in American history and that's why it should be used.
"George Washington began this movement. He was the one to bring a Bible and swear on it. Every president except one, Teddy Roosevelt, because it was right after the assassination of James McKinley and they didn't have time for a Bible. And every president has done this," Prager said, adding that congressional members have followed the tradition.
FOXNews.com's Greg Simmons and the Associated Press contributed to this report.
'ACLU Solstice Barn' substitutes for Nativity Students' display on university campus
'ACLU Solstice Barn' substitutes for Nativity Students' display on university campus featuresMarx, Lenin, Stalin as Wise Men, Pelosi angel
Posted: December 5, 2006
5:08 p.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
In tongue-in-cheek deference to the American Civil Liberties Union, students at the University of Texas displayed an "ACLU Solstice Barn" on campus, featuring politically correct figures.
"We've got Gary and Joseph instead of Mary and Joseph in order to symbolize ACLU support for homosexual marriage, and of course there isn't a Jesus in the manger," said Tony McDonald, chairman of the Young Conservatives of Texas branch on the Austin campus.
The group, whose plans WND had reported earlier, installed the "crèche" on the West Mall of the campus for display yesterday and today.
McDonald told WND today the reaction by students to the display was overwhelmingly positive.
"Even some liberals got the humor in it and conceded certain positions the ACLU takes are out of touch with the mainstream of Americans," he said.
One visitor turned out to be the ACLU's top official in Texas, who, according to McDonald, "had to admit that it was humorous."
McDonald said quite a number of students aren't even aware of the ACLU, and members of his group that manned the display throughout the day had to explain the acronym.
The three Wise Men in the display were Lenin, Marx and Stalin, McDonald told WND, because ACLU founder Roger Baldwin, while director of the organization, was a backer of Soviet-style communism.
As director of the ACLU in 1934, Baldwin wrote an article entitled "Freedom in the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R." in which he said "the Soviet Union has already created liberties far greater than exist elsewhere in the world." He later moderated his views but maintained a commitment to socialism.
The scene also featured a "terrorist shepherd" and an angel with Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi's face, using a photograph of the soon-to-be speaker of the House from San Francisco
"The ACLU and other left-wing extremist groups are working diligently to destroy Americans' rights to the free expression of religion," said the Young Conservatives' Executive Director Joseph Wyly.
Wyly pointed to the city of Chicago's decision this week to ban advertisements for "The Nativity Story" movie from a local Christmas festival, fearing they might offend non-Christians.
"It's just more evidence that there is a war on Christmas being waged by the far-left in this country," he said.
Posted: December 5, 2006
5:08 p.m. Eastern
© 2006 WorldNetDaily.com
In tongue-in-cheek deference to the American Civil Liberties Union, students at the University of Texas displayed an "ACLU Solstice Barn" on campus, featuring politically correct figures."We've got Gary and Joseph instead of Mary and Joseph in order to symbolize ACLU support for homosexual marriage, and of course there isn't a Jesus in the manger," said Tony McDonald, chairman of the Young Conservatives of Texas branch on the Austin campus.
The group, whose plans WND had reported earlier, installed the "crèche" on the West Mall of the campus for display yesterday and today.
McDonald told WND today the reaction by students to the display was overwhelmingly positive.
"Even some liberals got the humor in it and conceded certain positions the ACLU takes are out of touch with the mainstream of Americans," he said.
One visitor turned out to be the ACLU's top official in Texas, who, according to McDonald, "had to admit that it was humorous."
McDonald said quite a number of students aren't even aware of the ACLU, and members of his group that manned the display throughout the day had to explain the acronym.
The three Wise Men in the display were Lenin, Marx and Stalin, McDonald told WND, because ACLU founder Roger Baldwin, while director of the organization, was a backer of Soviet-style communism.
As director of the ACLU in 1934, Baldwin wrote an article entitled "Freedom in the U.S.A. and the U.S.S.R." in which he said "the Soviet Union has already created liberties far greater than exist elsewhere in the world." He later moderated his views but maintained a commitment to socialism.
The scene also featured a "terrorist shepherd" and an angel with Democratic Rep. Nancy Pelosi's face, using a photograph of the soon-to-be speaker of the House from San Francisco
"The ACLU and other left-wing extremist groups are working diligently to destroy Americans' rights to the free expression of religion," said the Young Conservatives' Executive Director Joseph Wyly.
Wyly pointed to the city of Chicago's decision this week to ban advertisements for "The Nativity Story" movie from a local Christmas festival, fearing they might offend non-Christians.
"It's just more evidence that there is a war on Christmas being waged by the far-left in this country," he said.
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