6/28

Anti-religion group protests 'prayer booth' at City Hall

Charlie Butts - OneNewsNow - 6/28/2009 4:10:00 AM

The Tabernacle church has set up a prayer booth at City Hall in Warren, Michigan, and an anti-religion organization is protesting it.

The Detroit News reports that about 400 people have stopped to ask for prayer for job loss, medical, or financial problems. People at the booth -- located in the lobby of city offices with a banner that reads "Prayer Station" -- offer prayer to God as the answer. Mat Staver of Liberty Counsel says a local agnostic-atheist group is angry with the city.

"This is another one of those cases from the radical Freedom From Religion Foundation," he notes. "This organization is not concerned with the Constitution or the First Amendment or equal treatment. They're concerned with eradicating religion, particularly Christian viewpoints."

The Liberty Counsel founder tells OneNewsNow that Freedom From Religion Foundation could have its own booth there, but chooses otherwise.

The facilities are made available to anyone in the community, for secular or religious events. Warren Mayor Jim Fouts points out the city rents the space to any group that fills out the proper paperwork and complies with city policy.

"When Christianity or Christian viewpoints happen on public property on an equal basis, that doesn't make it unconstitutional," Staver points out. "Freedom From Religion Foundation would want to eliminate any kind of Christian viewpoints or religious expression from the public marketplace. To do so, in fact, is blatantly contrary to our history and undermines the very First Amendment that they pretend to uphold."

If the Foundation does file suit, Staver says Liberty Counsel will offer to defend the city free-of-charge.



6/27 Not for the weak of stomack (ed.) WAR ON TERROR
'Is it permitted to eat the flesh of American soldiers?'
Jihadist says slaughtering needs to be according to Shariah
Posted: June 25, 2009
9:20 pm Eastern

© 2009 WorldNetDaily
The Al-Falluja jihadist forum has featured a new discussion – on the slaughter and eating of U.S. soldiers, according to officials with the Middle East Media Research Institute.
On the organization's Jihad Threat and Terrorism page, a subscription service of the nonprofit that monitors, interprets and reports on media developments in the Middle East, a report said the discussion was prompted by a new book from Abu Muhammad Al-Maqdisi, one of the most influential jihadist sheiks alive.

The MEMRI report said a forum participant who identifies himself as "Al-Maqdisi's Student," wrote on June 13: "Is it permitted to eat the flesh of American soldiers? A quote from the illustrious Sheik Al-Maqdisi, may Allah preserve him."
He recounted an exchange involving early Muslim commander Khalid b. Al-Walid and a Byzantine commander at the battle of Yarmuk, which is thought to have happened in A..D. 636 .
"The Byzantine commander said to Khalid that the Muslims had only gone out from the land due to hunger, and offered to buy them off. Khalid responded, 'It was not hunger that drove us out of our land, as you say; we are a people who drink blood, and we know that there is no blood more delicious than Byzantine blood. That is why we came,'" the report said.
(Story continues below)

The forum participant, the "Student," then follows up with the comment:
"The mujahideen should inform their belligerent [infidel] and apostate enemies of this exceptional law so that they can bring it up and study it at their conferences on human rights, counterterrorism, and so on! Then they in turn can proclaim that our soldiers lick their lips [at the thought of] eating the flesh of their hamburger- and Pepsi-eating soldiers!"
As with many forums, some of the responses were on varied topics, but on the issue of cannibalism, "Abu Hajir Al-Muqrin" wrote: "If we are forced to eat Americans, let's make them into a gunpowder-flavored kabsa with some hors d'oeuvres made of apostates."
Another comment, "But the slaughtering needs to be according to the Shariah," from "Muhammad Al-Baghdadi."
He added images to his post, stills from the video done by Islamic radicals who decapitated Nick Berg and wrote, "Perhaps this is the best way."
The "Student" then returned to the threat, posting:

"A true story: a group of mujahideen from one of the brigades was in the mountains during the jihad against the Russians. One of them was sent off on a mission; he went and came back, but he couldn't find any of the brothers. He saw a roasted calf leg that the brothers in the brigade left for him for dinner, and he ate of it until he was full. When he went back to the main camp, the brothers saw him and offered him dinner! He said: praise Allah, I already ate! They said: Where did you find dinner? He said: You left me roasted calf leg! They said: No, no, that wasn't calf, that was the leg of a Russian infidel! He answered: No matter, it's all Islamic slaughter!"

WND reported earlier when MEMRI documented a segment on the Hamas terrorist organization's official television network proclaiming the Jews' "favorite cocktail" was Muslim blood mixed withi soda water.
"You must drink from the blood of Muslims," says a Jewish father to his son during the drama.
"But mix it with soda water," replies the son, whose name is Shimon.
MEMRI also has documented extensively television training of children to be jihadists and martyrs.




6/27 Angry parent breaks bond between church, school

Charlie Butts and Marty Cooper - OneNewsNow - 6/27/2009 4:00:00 AM

Local volunteers from Turning Point Church can no longer evangelize at Totem Middle School in Marysville, Washington.

Volunteers from the church helped teachers by watching students and doing other tasks assigned by the teacher. HeraldNet.com reports on an incident that took place between a 19-year-old church volunteer and an 11-year-old student. Matt Krause with Liberty Counsel explains.

"Apparently one of the interns met one of the middle-school students and got her MySpace name and later on that night wrote her on MySpace and said, 'Hey, we've got a church service tonight. Let me know if you want to come. I'll pick you up,'" he notes.

The parent became upset and complained to school and church officials. Interns are barred now from discussing religion at length with students. Totem Middle School superintendent Larry Nyland added a new section to the school district's volunteer handbook, outlining how volunteers should approach religious topics and instructing that they should be neutral on political and religious matters. Volunteers can answer religious questions honestly, but briefly; and cannot proselytize, invite students to events, or request any contact information.

Krause understands concern over a stranger contacting a student and offering to give the student a ride to an event, but he disagrees with the handbook's new policy. "There's nothing wrong with an intern or a volunteer talking about religion when a student approaches them, which was the old policy," he concludes.

The pastor of Turning Point Church has since withdrawn his volunteers from the school; however, the interns will return to the school after new volunteer training.


6/27

Liberal leadership + conservative base = denominational fireworks

Allie Martin and Jody Brown - OneNewsNow - 6/26/2009 8:50:00 AM

A decision to allow a lesbian couple to testify during the annual meeting of Mississippi United Methodists has caused widespread controversy.


The couple spoke at the June 12 worship service at the Mississippi Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church, held in Jackson. The two women spoke of their desire to see the denomination formally accept homosexuals. Mississippi Bishop Hope Morgan Ward later told The Clarion-Ledger newspaper their "witness was not a challenge to the law of the church in any way."

But at least two Mississippi-based ordained UMC ministers -- Don Wildmon, founder and chairman of the American Family Association; and Buddy Smith, who pastors in Tremont, MS -- see it differently. Wildmon, according to The Clarion-Ledger, views the women's testimony as an indication that the state's leadership of the UMC "is promoting homosexual marriage." And Smith voiced concerns that young people in the audience "heard glowing testimony about the beauty and innocence of the homosexual lifestyle, which the Bible clearly says is sinful."

Story continues below ...

If your denomination allowed a homosexual 'couple' to speak at a state
Mark Tooley, president of the Institute on Religion & Democracy, says the issue of homosexuality will affect United Methodists in every state.

"It illustrates the problem of when you have a liberal bishop or other church leader presiding over a conservative church area," Tooley explains. "Mississippi, like most of the southeast, is a theologically and socially conservative area for the United Methodist Church, as it is across the board. And so inevitably there was going to be some conflict and controversy -- and this is the first vivid example of that."

Bishop Ward has invited clergy and lay people to a dialogue on the issue in early July

6/27
The Chicago Tribune is reporting that Chicago's Nettlehorst Elementary School will be the first public school in the community to march in the city's gay pride parade.

According to the Tribune, the school's fence is adorned with thousands of green, blue, purple, and red strips of fabric -- each hand-tied by a student. A sign by the gate stated that the elementary school will "be the first Chicago public school to march in the city's gay pride parade." The sign also stated that the school believes that family means everybody.

OneNewsNow contacted Nettlehorst Elementary School and requested an interview with school principal Cindy Wulbert. However OneNewsNow was informed that she was unavailable, but the person who answered the phone told OneNewsNow that the school does not endorse the gay pride parade; neither is it participating in the event.

She also told OneNewsNow that some of the parents of students were participating in the event with their children but that, again, the school is not supporting that effort. When asked about the strips of fabric, OneNewsNow was told that they do not exist.

Laurie Higgins is with the Illinois Family Institute and was also told that the school was not participating in the event, but that parents and students who are participating can identify themselves as being a part of Nettlehorst elementary. Higgins was also informed that the sign referred to in the Tribune did not exist.

"I'm sorry; this just sounds very fuzzy to me. I find it difficult to believe that the reporter who quoted the sign imagined that the sign was there. And this morning I was told that they were participating, and now we're told that they are not participating, but that the parents who are marching can actually identify that they are going to Nettlehorst," she notes. "So I think that it's a distinction without a difference. It sounds to me like they caught a lot of flack today, and they are trying to find a way to wiggle out of this."

Higgins is currently attempting to contact a Tribune reporter. As far as the participation by some of the parents and students in the gay pride parade, Higgins notes that some of the parents are homosexual, but she believes that is no excuse to expose young children to such an event.

"These parades are noted for nudity. Sometimes there are open sex acts. They have cross-dressers in these parades. Any parent who takes their child to this is not a responsible parent, she contends. "To me this is the equivalent to child abuse; it's exposing their kids to live pornography, and I find it very shocking."

Higgins notes that it would be a pleasant surprise if nudity laws were enforced at this event.


6/27

Proposed federal law would be a hate crime against America

Robert Knight - Guest Columnist - 6/26/2009 7:30:00 AM
"We're not going to win this case, but that's okay. Once we get 'hate crime' laws on the books, we're going to go after the Scouts and all the other bigots."

This was a remark made in the gallery by the Clinton White House liaison for "gay" issues during U.S. Supreme Court hearings on the Boy Scouts case in 2000. She had whispered it to the Rev. Rob Schenck, whom she mistakenly thought was one of those liberal clerics who think God is still making up His mind about sexual morality.

The point is that the proposed federal "hate crime" law before the Senate is less about righting wrongs than it is about elevating sexual preferences -- all of them -- to civil rights status so they can be used as a battering ram against people with traditional values.


"Hate crime" laws ensure unequal justice. They empower some groups of victims at the expense of others. A grandma using an ATM machine should have as much protection under the law as a man walking out of a "gay" bar. But under the proposed federal "hate crimes" law, an assailant of a man perceived as homosexual would face greater penalties than grandma's mugger.

Yesterday (Thursday, June 25), the Senate Judiciary Committee held a hearing on the Matthew Shepard Hate Crimes Prevention Act (S. 909), which passed the House on April 29 in a largely partisan vote of 249 to 175, with 10 abstentions.

Named after the Wyoming college student beaten to death in 1998 and whose killers received the maximum in a state without a hate crimes law, S. 909 is not only unnecessary but poses an acute threat to constitutional civil rights. It's a massive federal power grab over state criminal law, giving the attorney general's office the power to intervene into a "hate crime" case whenever they feel it is necessary.

It would add "sexual orientation" and "gender identity" to a list of specially protected classes such as race, ethnicity, sex and religion. If this bill passes, the Congress of the United States will be officially creating a new civil rights category based on sexual confusion. Like "sexual orientation," "gender identity" is infinitely flexible, and includes transvestitism (cross-dressing) and transsexualism (believing that one is in the wrong sex's body and sometimes surgically changing one's sex organs).
In the House version, an effort to amend the bill to exclude "pedophilia" was defeated in committee along party lines. Rep. Alcee Hastings (D-FL) even read a partial list of paraphilias from the American Psychiatric Association's Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, including pedophilia, and declared that "all of these philias and fetishes and isms that were put forward – need not live in fear because of who they are."

This is why some of the bill's opponents call it the "Pedophile Protection Act."

Here's how the law would work in practice: It would add penalties on top of those levied for criminal convictions, based on the perpetrators' perceived beliefs or the victims' group identification. In order to prove that the defendant holds particular beliefs, his or her speech, writing, reading materials and organizational memberships would become key evidence. "Have you now, or have you ever been involved with a homophobic organization (like, say, Catholic Charities)?"

Two paragraphs were inserted to mollify such concerns:

(3) CONSTITUTIONAL PROTECTIONS - Nothing in this Act shall be construed to prohibit any constitutionally protected speech, expressive conduct or activities (regardless of whether compelled by, or central to, a system of religious belief), including the exercise of religion protected by the First Amendment and peaceful picketing or demonstration. The Constitution does not protect speech, conduct or activities consisting of planning for, conspiring to commit, or committing an act of violence.

(4) "FREE EXPRESSION - Nothing in this Act shall be construed to allow prosecution based solely upon an individual's expression of racial, religious, political, or other beliefs or solely upon an individual's membership in a group advocating or espousing such beliefs."

But American Civil Rights Union (ACRU) attorney John Armor notes: "This is a head fake for citizens who don't understand freedom of speech protections."

Ken Klukowski, an ACRU senior legal analyst, explains, "Paragraph (3) is only a statement of the obvious, so it has no legal effect. No statute can abridge constitutionally-protected speech. If any speech is burdened, and the speaker files suit, then the process and the result is the same regardless of whether there is any paragraph such as (3). The court then looks to the speech in question, the nature of the burden on that speech, and what protection the First Amendment extends to that particular speech. The court does not look to language such as (3) in deciding the case. If the burden in the specific case is unconstitutional, then it's impermissible whether the statute acknowledges the fact or not. So (3) is just there to help pass the bill by giving people a talking point to say 'this law does nothing to violate anyone's free speech rights.' It makes no difference in court whatsoever."

The bill also would create a federal slush fund for hate crime prevention programs at the state and local levels, including school programs that equate traditional morality with "bigotry." The Justice Department's "hate crime" section relies on material from groups like the Southern Poverty Law Center, which lumps legitimate conservative and Christian organizations with "hate groups."

Besides its threats to basic freedoms, the law is unnecessary. America is not awash in an epidemic of hate crimes, which constitute a microscopic portion of the more than 11 million crimes reported in the United States annually. In the latest crime report released in October 2008 by the U.S. Justice Department for 2007, nearly 80 percent of the 7,624 incidents of "hate crimes" listed in "crimes against persons" involved "intimidation" (47.4 percent) or "simple assault" (31.1 percent), which could involve nothing more than words.

The proposed federal hate crime law, like all hate crime laws, politicizes crime, leading to pressure on police and prosecutors to devote more of their limited resources to certain victims at the expense of others. For example, homosexual activist groups descended on Wyoming and created a media circus around the Matthew Shepard case, costing the state heavily for public relations. Meanwhile, the story of Kristin Lamb, an eight-year-old girl who a month before Shepard's death was killed in Wyoming and her body thrown into a landfill, received virtually no news coverage or concerns about a possible "hate crime."

Hate crime laws lay the groundwork for assaults on freedom of speech and freedom of religion. In Canada, Great Britain, and Sweden, clergy have been investigated and arrested for advocating traditional morality.

"Hate crime" laws are already being used to silence people in the United States. A pastor in New York's Staten Island saw two billboards with a Bible verse on them taken down in 2000 under pressure from city officials, who cited "hate crime" rhetoric.

In Philadelphia, 11 Christians were arrested and jailed overnight for singing and preaching in a public park at a homosexual street festival in 2004. Five of them were bound over and charged with five felonies and three misdemeanors, totaling a possible 47 years in jail. These charges, based on Pennsylvania's "hate crimes" law, hung over them for months until a judge finally dismissed them.

Freedom-loving Americans deplore any violence against innocent victims (including homosexuals), but strongly oppose "hate crime" laws as unjust and dangerous.

All people deserve impartial justice under the 14th Amendment's guarantee of equal protection under the law. The proposed federal hate crime law imperils that cherished right on many levels.


6/23

Teacher fired for conservative website

Pete Chagnon - OneNewsNow - 6/23/2009 4:00:00 AM

A Kansas teacher says he was wrongfully terminated for his conservative views.

Tim Latham has been teaching history and U.S. Government for over 19 years. But after teaching for just one year in the Lawrence School District in Lawrence, Kansas, Latham says his contract was not renewed because school officials did not like his conservative views -- particularly a teacher website that Latham hosted and paid for himself. A teacher coach confronted him on that issue.

"She had concerns about it. I've never had a complaint about it -- nothing but compliments. Parents love it because of their access to assignments, grades, etc. And she wanted a lot of the stuff that was on it removed. And when I asked why, I was told because it was too patriotic."

Latham had an introductory video on the site where he stated that he wanted students to truly love the American way of life, and he says he was told to remove that as well because not everybody loves the American way of life. According to Latham, other complaints included that he was picking on Obama too much. When he asked for an explanation as to why his contract was not renewed he was told, "You refuse to conform" and "you just don't fit in."

"Those are word-for-word quotes given to me by the director of human resources, who says he is quoting what the administration told him -- I refuse to conform and I just don't fit in," Latham notes.

He has since filed a grievance and is considering litigation if he does not get a satisfactory response.



6/23

Sarkozy: Burkas unwelcome in France

Published: June 23, 2009 at 10:17 AM




© 2009 United Press International, Inc. All Rights Reserved.


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6/22

LOUISVILLE, Ky. - Prison Fellowship founder Charles Colson predicts pastors will soon face prosecution under hate crimes laws if they preach that same-sex relationships are sinful.
Colson, who served prison time for his role in the Watergate scandal, delivered a grim forecast to Southern Baptist pastors at their annual meeting in Louisville, Ky.
Sponsors of congressional hate crimes legislation insist it won't restrict speech, but Colson warned that ministers will face the threat of prosecution within the next two years.
He also said medical professionals are losing their conscience right to refuse to perform abortions, and faith-based ministries could soon have to hire non-believers.
Colson also predicted a continuing threat from Islamic terrorists and dismissed the Quran as an "irrational" invention of Muhammad rather than divinely inspired scripture.

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6/21

CEDARVILLE, OH - A Baptist university in Ohio says an education group's criticism of the school reflects the group's anti-religious bias.Cedarville Universitywas censured by the American Association of University Professors for firing a tenured faculty member. The group says the employee, who's suing the university, wasn't given due process.

In an e-mailed statement, Cedarville spokesman John Davis responds that the association has historically demonstrated bias against religious schools and the censuring is consistent with that.

The association scoffs at the school's claim, noting that one of its investigators in the Cedarville case is a professor at Calvin College, a Christian school in Michigan.

Davis says Cedarville is guided by "biblical principles -- not an external body like the AAUP."
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6/20

FAITH UNDER FIRE
Washington Post columnist: Christians 'pernicious'
Uses review of gardening book to deliver missionary dig
Posted: June 19, 2009
8:00 pm Eastern

©2009WorldNetDaily

Hawaiian flower

A columnist at the Washington Post has used a column about a gardening book to deliver a dig at Christians, calling the missionaries who traveled to the Hawaiian Islands

while the region still was a kingdom "pernicious." That's the word defined in various online dictionaries as:

• "baneful: exceedingly harmful"
  
  
• "insidious: working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
  
  
• "causing much harm in a subtle way"
  
  
• "grave harmfulness or deadlines

Columnist James P. Pinkerton at Fox News raised the alert about the insult. "Are Christian missionaries 'pernicious'? The Washington Post seems to think so," he wrote today.

"In a review of a book about a botanical garden in Hawaii, Carolyn See, a longtime contributor to the Post's 'Style' section, includes this nasty little aside about newcomers who changed the ecosystem of Hawaii: 'then white people and their pernicious missionaries,'" Pinkerton wrote. "Needless to say, no other group was similarly saddled with an insulting modifier. Only missionaries are 'pernicious.'" See's article was about "Waking Up In Eden," a book by Lucinda Fleeson, who exchanged her life as a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer for a life in Hawaii working on restoring its plant life. In the discussion about the damage to the island flora and fauna, See cited the impact of severe storms and other factors. "The Hawaiian Islands have about 1,000 unique native plant species, but about 100 were already gone. The culprits for this plant massacre were many: the first Polynesians, then white people and their pernicious missionaries, then feral goats and pigs. And there were numerous plant villains as well, particularly bougainvillea and morning glory," she wrote. Pinkerton said the slam is significant. "For perspective, we might try to imagine the reaction if the writer had written, say, 'black people and their pernicious ministers.' Or 'Jews and their pernicious rabbis.' Or 'Muslims and their pernicious mullahs,'" he wrote. "'It's only Christian-bashing' and it is becoming more and more common," wrote a participant on Pinkerton's forum page. Said another, "Interesting how one can become inured to the constant stream of 'innocent' comments and subtle digs at some groups. While others enjoy near total immunity from any form of criticism." FAITH UNDER FIRE
Washington Post columnist: Christians 'pernicious'
Uses review of gardening book to deliver missionary dig
Posted: June 19, 2009
8:00 pm Eastern

©2009WorldNetDaily

Hawaiian flower

A columnist at the Washington Post has used a column about a gardening book to deliver a dig at Christians, calling the missionaries who traveled to the Hawaiian Islands while the region still was a kingdom "pernicious." That's the word defined in various online dictionaries as:

• "baneful: exceedingly harmful"
  
  
• "insidious: working or spreading in a hidden and usually injurious way
  
  
• "causing much harm in a subtle way"
  
  
• "grave harmfulness or deadlines

Columnist James P. Pinkerton at Fox News raised the alert about the insult. "Are Christian missionaries 'pernicious'? The Washington Post seems to think so," he wrote today.
"In a review of a book about a botanical garden in Hawaii, Carolyn See, a longtime contributor to the Post's 'Style' section, includes this nasty little aside about newcomers who changed the ecosystem of Hawaii: 'then white people and their pernicious missionaries,'" Pinkerton wrote. "Needless to say, no other group was similarly saddled with an insulting modifier. Only missionaries are 'pernicious.'" See's article was about "Waking Up In Eden," a book by Lucinda Fleeson, who exchanged her life as a reporter for the Philadelphia Inquirer for a life in Hawaii working on restoring its plant

life. In the discussion about the damage to the island flora and fauna

, See cited the impact of severe storms and other factors. "The Hawaiian Islands have about 1,000 unique native plant species, but about 100 were already gone. The culprits for this plant massacre were many: the first Polynesians, then white people and their pernicious missionaries, then feral goats and pigs. And there were numerous plant villains as well, particularly bougainvillea and morning glory," she wrote. Pinkerton said the slam is significant. "For perspective, we might try to imagine the reaction if the writer had written, say, 'black people and their pernicious ministers.' Or 'Jews and their pernicious rabbis.' Or 'Muslims and their pernicious mullahs,'" he wrote. "'It's only Christian-bashing' and it is becoming more and more common," wrote a participant on Pinkerton's forum page. Said another, "Interesting how one can become inured to the constant stream of 'innocent' comments and subtle digs at some groups. While others enjoy near total immunity from any form of criticism."

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6/19

Communist Chinese authorities continue to harass a registered church in one province. According toChina Aid Association(CAA), the Chengnan Christian Church --a registered Three-Self Patriotic Movement church --has faced harassment by government officials and real estate developers.

Katherine Cason, a spokesperson with CAA, says authorities want to force the church from its building and use the property for a commercial housing development. She says many churches felt they were safe by registering with the government.

"A lot of them are finding that even being registered, it actually opens the door for greater harassment because they have no alternative because they've agreed to the government's authority over their church," she explains, "and when they're forced off of their property, they're left with no alternative."

Cason says Christians in the United States and elsewhere should contact Chinese authorities and ask them to stop harassing the registered church. The CAA website offers contact information for the church as well as suggestions on how to contact Chinese officials.
Religious groups in Nebraska want conscience rules implemented in proposed rules governing mental health professionals, including psychologists.The rules govern every category of people typically included in anti-discrimination laws. But as Jim Cunningham ofNebraska Catholic Conference(NCC) points out, "we also noted that in the list of these categories were sexual orientation [and] gender identity."

Therefore, the NCC executive director says, it is conceivable that a licensed psychologist could face sanctions or loss of license for refusing counseling services for homosexuals on the basis of religious beliefs -- for example, a homosexual pair wanting relationship counseling.

"We saw a potential problem for credential holders that we might typically employ because they are governed, of course, by our religious convictions," he adds.

So the rules, Cunningham contends, need a conscience exception based on religion. He has developed suggestions that will provide for that, while at the same time making sure that services are available to the client or clients.

At a recent hearing on the proposed rule, Nebraska psychologist James Cole argued that such a rule could open the door for discrimination as long as a therapist claimed a religious conflict.
A Minnesota-based collection agency is being sued by a larger competitor, alleging its tactics are offensive and harassing. Bullseye Collection Agency uses "WWJD," or What Would Jesus do?, as its motto, and it appears on the agency'sbusiness stationery. Bullseye isbeing called to task by Mark Neill, who received one of their collection letters and was offended by WWJD. Neill owns the Bureau of Collection Recovery, a debt-collection agency and Bullseye competitor.

Liberty Counselattorney Harry Mihet is representing Bullseye.

"They treat their customers with respect, with integrity, and the way that they themselves would like to be treated," he claims. "They listen to the debtors. They try to work out solutions for the problems that they are facing. They even pray with the debtors over the phone sometimes in certain situations."

Neill, the competitor, has filed a lawsuit against Bullseye, a much smaller, family-owned collection company.The Liberty Counsel attorney explains the current situation.

"They are now defendants in a federal class-action lawsuit that alleges that by using that business motto, they are in fact harassing and oppressing the public at large and therefore are violating the Fair Debt Collection Practices Act," Mihet explains.

Mihet argues the allegations are false, and says he intends to prove it in court. 6/18

A conservative activist says big city mayors are pandering to the homosexual agenda, but only because homosexual activists pushing "counterfeit marriage" are concentrated in those large cities.On Monday at its annual meeting, the U.S. Conference of Mayors passed a resolution supporting what it calls "marriage equality for same-sex couples." The resolution also included support for federal bills such as the Employment Non-Discrimination Act and the Matthew Shepard Local Law Enforcement Hate Crimes Prevention Act, as well as repealing the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy.Story continues below ...What might motivate big-city leaders to support such issues as'hate crimes' legislation and same-sex 'marriage'?Vote in our poll
Interestingly,31 of the 41 states represented by the 173 mayors who attended the meeting have either constitutional or state laws protecting traditional marriage. Peter LaBarbera, president ofAmericans for Truth About Homosexuality, says the mayors are out of touch with the mainstream American public.

"People in most states now have ratified marriage between a man and a woman, and the big cities are pandering to the homosexual side. Fortunately, the big cities and the bigcity mayors do not represent the American people," he believes. "The American people are solidly for marriage between one man and one woman. And even in blue states like Illinois, even civil unions didn't pass here in Barack Obama's own home state."

LaBarbera claims that homosexual activists are largely concentrated in big cities and do not accurately represent the rest of the country.
6/18
Update on PBS post of 6/17

WASHINGTON, DC - The board of the Public Broadcasting Service says the handful of PBS stations that carry religious services or devotionals can continue showing them, but cannot add new programs defined as sectarian -- that is, "placing one religion above all others."That compromise preserves the status of some public television stations whose membership was jeopardized under a PBS policy review that could have banned such programs.

The decision allows Brigham Young University's KBYU to keep broadcasting Mormon devotionals.

Public TV stations owned by Catholic groups in New Orleans and Harlingen, Texas, also will be able to continue their existing religious broadcasts while maintaining their PBS affiliation.

6/18

Lawsuit Filed Against City Over Restriction of Christian Ministry to Pass Out Religious Tracts on Public Sidewalks During Annual Arab Festival Thursday, June 18, 2009 ANN ARBOR, MI – For the last five years, Pastor George Saieg and scores of his volunteers have visited Dearborn, Michigan during its annual Dearborn Arab International Festival to pass out religious literature and discuss their Christian Faith. Pastor Saieg is a Sudanese Christian, and Founder and Director of the Arabic Christian Perspective (ACP), which ministers to Muslims.

Dearborn happens to be one of the most densely populated Muslim communities in the United States. An estimated 30,000 of its 98,000 residents are Muslims.

Even though there has never been a disruption of the public peace during this Christian ministry, last week Dearborn police officials told Pastor Saieg that he and his group are prohibited from freely traveling the public sidewalks to distribute their literature outside the festival. They must remain at a specific location.

As a result, the Thomas More Law Center, a national public interest law firm based in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and the Becker Law Firm based in Los Angeles, California, the general counsel for ACP, filed a federal lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of Dearborn’s policy. The lawsuit was filed only after attempts were made to amicably assert Pastor Saieg’s constitutional rights to free speech. Click here to read the complaint. Richard Thompson, President and Chief Counsel of the Thomas More Law Center, commented, “It’s ironic that while Americans are applauding the free speech exercised by hundreds of thousands of Muslims on the streets of Iran, the City of Dearborn is restricting free speech rights Christians are attempting to exercise on the City’s public sidewalks.” The conflict arose when Pastor George Saieg called the City of Dearborn to find out when the festival was to begin. He was then told on June 9th that his group would be confined to a predetermined location. Pastor Saieg questioned the constitutional validity of this restriction, especially considering his group had attended the Dearborn Festival many times in the past without incident.

Late this morning, Federal District Court Judge Nancy Edmonds denied an emergency motion for a temporary restraining order (TRO) prohibiting Dearborn from restricting Pastor Saieg and his group from passing out Christian literature on the public sidewalks. The Festival will be held for only 3 days, beginning tomorrow, Friday, June 19, 2009, and lasting through Sunday, June 21.

Thomas More Law Center attorney Robert J. Muise argued the motion before Judge Edmonds on behalf of Pastor George Saieg and the Arabic Christian Perspective (ACP). Despite the TRO ruling, the lawsuit will proceed. According to Muise, “This case involves an important constitutional question regarding the government’s ability to prohibit peaceful speech activities. This preliminary ruling, while disappointing, will not affect the remainder of the case. We intend to pursue this as far as necessary.” The Thomas More Law Center defends and promotes America’s Christian heritage and moral values, including the religious freedom of Christians, time-honored family values, and the sanctity of human life. It supports a strong national defense and an independent and sovereign United States of America. The Law Center accomplishes its mission through litigation, education, and related activities. It does not charge for its services. The Law Center is supported by contributions from individuals, corporations and foundations, and is recognized by the IRS as a section 501(c)(3) organization. You may reach the Thomas More Law Center at (734) 827-2001 or visit our website at www.thomasmore.org.
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AP source: Same-sex partners to get fed benefitsPHILIP ELLIOTT- Associated Press Writer - 6/17/2009 5:10:00 AM
WASHINGTON- President Barack Obama, whose homosexual supporters have grown frustrated with his slow movement on their priorities, is extending benefits to same-sex partners of federal employees, a White House official said.
Obama plans to announce his decision Wednesday in the Oval Office, the official said Tuesday. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the president hadn't yet signed the presidential memorandum. The official said Obama would release more details Wednesday.

The decision is a political nod to a reliably Democratic voting bloc that has become impatient with the White House in recent weeks.

Several powerful homosexual fundraisers withdrew their support from a June 25 Democratic National Committee event where Vice President Joe Biden is expected to speak. Their exit came in response to a June 12 Justice Department brief that defended the Defense of Marriage Act, a prime target for homosexual criticism.

Homosexual men and womenalso fretted as the White House declined to intervene in the cases of enlisted military members facing courts martial for defying the Clinton-era "don't ask, don't tell" policies. White House officials say they want Congress to repeal the policy as part of a "lasting and durable" solution, instead of intervening on individual cases.

"The president agreed that ... the policy wasn't working for our national interests, that he committed to change that policy, that he's working with the secretary of defense and the joint chiefs on making that happen," White House spokesman Robert Gibbs said last month.

In the meantime, the administration has tried to make small, quiet moves to extend benefits to homosexuals. The State Department has promised to give partners of homosexual diplomats many benefits, such as diplomatic passports and language training. But without a specific change in the Federal Employees' Health Benefits Program, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton's promises left out financial benefits such as pensions. Obama's move could make that shift.

Richard Socarides, a New York attorney and former senior adviser on homosexual rights issues to President Bill Clinton, was taking a wait-and-see attitude on Obama's announcement. "If it doesn't include health insurance, if he doesn't talk about the military and about the [Justice Department] brief, I think it will fall short," Socarides said in an e-mail late Tuesday. "Right now, people are looking for real action."

John Berry, head of the Office of Personnel Management and the highest-ranking homosexual official in the administration, told a pro-homosexual rally last weekend that Obama planned to take action on benefits soon.



6/17 From America c2c by Stepanie

BOYCOTT PBS!!!!!

YET ANOTHER BROADCASTING COMPANY THAT HAS FALLEN FOR THE EVIL ONE! PLEASE BOYCOTT PBS BY NOT WATCHING OR SUPPORTING THEIR FUND RAISING DRIVES! AMERICA IS UNDER ATTACK BY THE EVIL THAT IS CONSUMING HER.

PBS IS THE FIRST BROADCASTING NETWORK TO CANCEL ALL RELIGIOUS SERVICES!!!!! HERE WE GO PUT ON YOUR SEAT BELTS AMERICA! ALL OF YOU AMERICANS THAT CLING TO YOUR BIBLES AND YOUR GUNS, WELL YOU HAD BETTER GRAB THEM BEFORE THEY COME AFTER THEM TO.
WAKE UP! WAKE UP! WAKE UP AMERICA!!!!


6/16 I know I said nothing political but these are must sees sent to me by Brother Jay.

6/15
There's an important article in the Politico, titled, "Obama invokes Jesus more than Bush." President Barack Obama, says the article, has mentioned Jesus Christ "in a number of high-profile public speeches," more so than did President George W. Bush, and in much less "innocuous contexts."

Obama has done so in order to promote certain policies, especially his economic policies, and "to connect with a broader base of supporters." He does this via various "targeted messages." Most remarkable, the article considers whether Obama is using the bully pulpit to pursue "an even larger goal" of resurrecting the Christian left, of appealing to disillusioned conservative evangelicals, and to attract "swing Protestants" and "swing Catholics."

In other words, Obama is doing the things, faith-wise, that Bush was angrily accused of doing.That's not surprising. Obama will pursue these goals with the secular-liberal media's acquiescence, silent approval and encouragement, and warmest appreciation. To cover for this political recruitment by their president, liberals in the press will ignore the activity, and certainly not expose it in their news coverage.

Among the claims in the Politico piece, I was struck by the one that's most verifiable: the frequency of the mentions of Jesus. Within about a year, we will be able to tabulate these through the Presidential Documents as they become available on-line.

I did those tabulations for George W. Bush compared to Bill Clinton. I ran the data because I sensed that Bush's references to God — which sent liberal journalists into fits of irrational rage — were less frequent and considerably more benign than anything I heard from Bill Clinton, not to mention a long line of Democratic presidents and politicians. Revisiting those findings here is worthwhile, since they tell us much about how Democratic presidents use faith and, far more important, how the liberal media manipulates public perception.

I searched The Weekly Compilation of Presidential Documents, which are the exhaustive, official collection of every public presidential statement. I compared the mentions of "Jesus," or "Jesus Christ," or "Christ" by Bush and Clinton. (Hereafter referred to as "Christ.") Clinton, of course, won handily.

Most telling, however, was the how and when. Bush's biggest year was 2001, when he mentioned Christ in seven statements, typically relating to September 11 memorial services. In 2002, Bush cited Christ five times. Most interesting, in all of 2003, the Presidential Documents display only two statements in which Bush mentioned Christ: Easter and Christmas messages. This downward trend continued, suggesting that the hostile press reaction to Bush's mentions of Christ pressured him into silence.

Such pressure, naturally, was never placed on Bush's Democratic predecessor. President Bill Clinton's biggest year for Christ remarks was 1996 — the year of his reelection campaign — when he spoke of Christ in nine separate statements. For a single year, Bush never outdid Clinton in references to Christ.

Generally, Clinton's biggest years for references to Christ were election years: nine statements in 1996, seven in 1998, six in 2000, and five in 1994. In total, Clinton mentioned Christ 27 times in the four election years, compared to only 14 times in the four non-election years. He mentioned Christ twice as much in election years.

Also, the way in which Clinton employed these references would have scandalized the press if Bush had used them. Clinton openly said that his personal "ministry" as president was "to do the work of God here on Earth" (Temple Hills, Maryland, August 14, 1994); declared that "God's work must be our own" (Newark, New Jersey, October 20, 1996); cited the teachings of Christ in support of federal legislation (July 26, 2000); said that his attempted impeachment was "in God's hands" (December 18, 1998); and constantly exhorted congregations to vote for him or Al Gore or other Democrats (Alfred Baptist Church in Alexandria, Virginia, October 29, 2000, and the Kelly Temple Church of God in Christ in Harlem, October 31, 2000, to cite just two examples).

Never heard this before? Of course, you haven't. It was never reported. It was left to researchers to dig it out years after the fact.

I could go on and on with examples. Vice President Al Gore sounded like a Baptist preacher on the 2000 campaign trail, andHillary Clinton obliterated any proprietywith her breathtaking statements in dozens of New York City churches during her 2000 Senate campaign.

What I've noted here is the tip of an iceberg. I've devoted chapters and books to liberal Democrats' extremely expressive public expressions of faith. A core element of that story is how the press embraces these expressions but then, on a dime, turns and blasts conservative Republicans for much milder statements.

Thus, I fully expect President Obama to talk about God in much stronger terms and far more often than did President Bush. Liberals will not politically crucify him as they did Bush. When the double standard is pointed out — strictly by conservatives — liberals will cover their ears, wink, and move on. At best, when confronted, they will conjure up the usual excuses as to why the reaction is different.

So, be prepared to be greatly frustrated. The press has made it abundantly clear: there are different sets of rules for conservative Christian politicians and liberal Christian politicians.

BRAVE NEW SCHOOLS
Sorry, no Christian talent allowed
7-year-old blocked from using religious song in sign language performance
Posted: June 13, 2009
12:05 am Eastern

By Drew Zahn
©2009WorldNetDaily

The sign for "Jesus Christ"

A public elementary school in Oakley, Calif., told a seven-year-old second grader that she would not be able to perform her sign language accompaniment to the song "We Worship You" at the school's evening talent show because the song is Christian. According to the Pacific Justice Institute, officials at Vintage Parkway Elementary School praised Bette Ouellette's talent, but informed her after auditions that the song was unacceptable for the school's June 1 talent show. Bette's father, Brent, thought the school overreacted, and he called PJI, which in turn sent a demand letter to the school, explaining legal precedent that condemns the school's action as a wrongful misapplication of constitutional law and requesting notification that future student performances will not be censored based on religious content. "Common sense and the federal courts both tell us that school talent shows are clearly student expression protected by the First Amendment," commented PJI President Brad Dacus in a statement. "Censoring one student's expression based on religious content is therefore unconstitutional. We are hopeful that these straightforward principles will be quickly recognized by the school."
The letter PJI sent informs the school that not only have federal courts repeatedly ruled that applying the "separation of church and state" to censor religious content from student performances is unconstitutional, but also that in an almost identical case in New Jersey, a federal court ruled that censoring a religious song at a school talent show amounted to viewpoint discrimination. "Contrary to popular belief, the United States Supreme Court has never insisted there be an impenetrable wall between church and state," the letter states, and then cites a pair of federal court rulings to affirm, "rather, the U.S. Constitution 'affirmatively mandates accommodation, not merely tolerance, of all religions, and forbids hostility toward any.' To allow such hostility under the guise of total separation of church and state would necessarily bring this country into 'war with our national tradition as embodied in the First Amendment's guarantee of the free exercise of religion.'" Further, the letter states, "Federal courts have warned that school censorship of student-initiated religious activities is just as onerous as school sponsorship of such activities." WND contacted the school's principal for comment, but received no response. PJI attorney Matthew B. McReynolds told WND that Bette Ouellette did not perform at the talent show. "All we want is an apology and a promise that this won't happen again," said Bette's father in a statement. "There are a variety of religious views within our own household, but we respect each other and don't try to silence anyone. We think the school should be the same way."

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Americans United for Separation of Church and State has filed a complaint against a small Richmond, Virginia, church after the pastor pointed out a candidate he would vote for from the pulpit. The situation developed after Americans United filed a complaint against Liberty University for decertifying the campus club for Democrats. Mat Staver, dean of the university's law school and founder ofLiberty Counsel, retaliated with a complaint.

"I believe that this action by Americans United is in direct response to our action against [them]," he notes. "We filed a complaint against Americans United about a couple of weeks ago, complaining that they were a branch of the Democratic Party, that they have only filed complaints where Republican or conservative candidates were at issue."

For the past four years, Staver contends, Americans United has ignored complaints about pastors endorsing Democratic or liberal candidates. Because of Liberty Counsel's complaint, he believes the action against Fifth Street Baptist Church's pastor is designed to save face.

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"Whether it's this pastor or whether it's some other pastor, Americans United is just simply a bogus, intimidating organization," Staver concludes. "It's never won a single one of these kinds of complaints with the IRS, and I don't believe they'll be successful here either." A Christian teacher in a public school is being hailed as "a hero of the faith."John Freshwater, an eighth-grade teacher in Ohio, filed suit this week against the Mount Vernon City School District and district officials, claiming they violated his free-speech and civil rights when he was released. The $1-million lawsuit claims he was fired by the district last year over accusations that he preached Christianity in class. He also says he was harassed because of his religion and was discriminated against because of his involvement with the Fellowship of Christian Athletes.

Finn Laursen is executive director ofChristian Educators Association International, of which Freshwater is a member.

"I am pleased to see a public school teacher like John Freshwater willing to go outside his comfort zone and fight for the religious freedoms our forefathers guaranteed is through the U.S. Constitution," says Laursen. "It is imperative that all Christian educators, students, and parents be willing to step forward to insist on their rights -- or those rights will slowly be forfeited.

"John is proving to be a hero of the faith," he adds.

In firing Freshwater, the Mount Vernon school board cited an internal investigation that found he had preached his Christian beliefs in class. Freshwater, a teacher for 24 years, was also accused of using a scientific device to burn a cross image onto a student's arm and of keeping a Bible on his desk.

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WASHINGTON - Former President Bill Clinton has told an Arab-American audience of 1,000 people that the U.S. is no longer just a black-white country, nor a country that is dominated by Christians and a powerful Jewish minority
In a speech to the group on Saturday, Clinton said thatgiven the growing numbers of Muslims, Hindus and other religious groups here, Americans should be mindful of the nation's changing demographics, which led to the election of Barack Obama as president.Clinton said by 2050 the U.S. will no longer have a majority of people with European heritage and that in an interdependent world "this is a very positive thing."Speaking in a hotel ballroom to the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee during its annual convention, Clinton also praised Obama's speech in Cairo, Egypt, that was focused on the Arab world.Clinton told the audience that it's important that they push government leaders for a resolution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He cited an experience in 1993 when he failed to persuade many Jewish-American and Arab-American business people to invest in the Palestinian areas because violence and bombings had deterred them."It just took one more bus bomb or one more rocket or one more incident and then people got scared of losing their money," he said.As the U.S. continues to push for peace in the area, "I think it's really important to give the Palestinian people something to look forward to," Clinton said to loud applause.Clinton, who wasn't paid for his speech, spoke in a wide-ranging 35-minute address that focused on people's identity in an interdependent world. He said the U.S. can't rely on its military might in global relations. "It has to begin by people accepting the fact that they can be proud of who they are without despising who someone else is," he said.

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A Christian college in India allows applicants to indicate whether they are male, female, or transgender when they enroll.Matt Barber, cultural affairs director atLiberty Counsel, says Madras Christian College administrators must have misread the book of Genesis, believing God created male, female, and transgender.

"You know, this is just ridiculous and insane," he contends. "It's really sad that a Christian college is joining in and entertaining this leftist, secular, humanist delusion that is transgenderism."

He calls political correctness a barrier to truth.

"Political correctness is a wall between what people want to be truth and what is actual reality," he adds, "and the more that universities help to foster these untruths and help to entertain delusions and walk people away from reality, I think the less credible the mission of those universities becomes."

One student from the Indian school who decided to take a course at Loyola in the U.S. refused to check off anything but "T" on the application --an option which was notavailable.

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Written by an unknown Pastor's Wife, and brilliantly said:

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