Be Careful; It's Monday.

Queering the Church? Not Exactly What John Wesley Had In Mind.

One wonders just what moral offense is considered too much by the leaders of such "progressive" denominations as the United Methodists?

The United Methodist-affiliated Boston University School of Theology hosted and sponsored an April 18-19 conference on "Queering the Church: Changing Ecclesial Structures." Speakers at the event on the Boston University campus delved into discussions of "hardcore queer theology," "triadic unions," "erotic relation with the divine," and the "queerness of God."

The term "queer," often used as an insult against homosexuals, has more recently been taken up by some radical gay and lesbian theorists as a badge of honor flaunting their non-conformity with social and sexual norms. This kind of delight in transgressing traditional boundaries was the prevailing spirit at "Queering the Church." Speakers almost seemed to compete against one another to see who could utter the most outrageous sentiments furthest from Christian orthodoxy...

Read the rest of this sad story right here. It's found at the excellent web site of the Institute for Religion and Democracy, an organization which closely monitors the slide into irrelevance of the liberal churches.

Frank Talk on Mormonism

This column by Frank Pastore gets my nod for Town Hall's "must read" of the day.

Mormonism: Religion, Denomination, or Cult?

Am I an anti-Mormon bigot for simply raising this question?

In this column two weeks ago (available here), I stated I would vote for Mitt Romney should he win the Republican nomination, and that “though I am willing to unite with and befriend Mormons in common cause to advance our shared values, I am hoping to be a voice of clarity – unwilling to allow Mormonism to be mistaken for orthodox Christianity and unwilling again to disqualify a candidate simply because he is from a faith tradition so different from my own.”

I also stated, “many Mormons in recent years have taken to calling themselves Christians, and a growing number of Christians are willing to speak of Mormonism as something akin to another Christian denomination. But, Mormonism is not a Christian denomination, nor is it merely ‘a non-Christian religion.’ To be theologically precise, though perhaps politically incorrect, Mormonism is a cult of Christianity...”

...If Mormonism can no longer be called a cult of Christianity, then neither can the Jehovah’s Witnesses, the United Pentecostal Church, or the Unification Church (to name but a few). If this is to be the case, then books will have to be retitled, libraries and bookstores will have to relabel their shelves, and colleges will have to rename their courses. And, perhaps my seminary degree will be declared illegitimate since I had a course in “Cults” at Talbot School of Theology under Professor Gomes (home page), whose Unmasking the Cults series linked above is simply the best thing on cults in print. The pertinent volume on Mormonism is written by Kurt Van Gorden and is available here, or from his website here.

So, though I am willing to unite with Mormons in common cause to advance our shared values, I am unwilling to allow Mormonism to be mistaken for Christianity.

Mormonism has almost nothing in common with Christianity. Mormonism is polytheistic, it denies original sin, it teaches that both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit have physical bodies, that Jesus was conceived through sexual intercourse between God the Father and Mary, that Jesus was the spirit-brother of Lucifer, that Jesus was a polygamist, that Jesus traveled to the Americas during His three days in the tomb, and that every Mormon male will one day become a God ruling over his own planet, accompanied by multiple wives, just as the God of this Earth, named Elohim – who was once a man – has done here.

Mormonism has almost nothing in common with Christianity. Mormonism is polytheistic, it denies original sin, it teaches that both God the Father and God the Holy Spirit have physical bodies, that Jesus was conceived through sexual intercourse between God the Father and Mary, that Jesus was the spirit-brother of Lucifer, that Jesus was a polygamist, that Jesus traveled to the Americas during His three days in the tomb, and that every Mormon male will one day become a God ruling over his own planet, accompanied by multiple wives, just as the God of this Earth, named Elohim – who was once a man – has done here.

Each of these claims are rooted in primary source documents of the Mormon church (see my Cults Study Guide .pdf available free here.) Another good link to start an examination of Mormon theology is here.

However, you will not find this information located on the “Basic Beliefs” page of the official L.D.S. website (here). It is the “meat” you will learn once you’re able to digest the “milk” of basic Mormon theology. There is a lot of Christian terminology on the official website, but upon examination, you come to understand that though the terms are familiar, the meanings of those terms are foreign and heretical...

Is It Poland vs Europe in the Battle for Faith and Family?

Late last week the European Union's Parliament passed a resolution (325 to 124 with 150 abstentions) which condemned Poland for “homophobia,” this in the wake of legislation proposed by Polish Education Minister Roman Giertych to prevent teachers from indoctrinating children on the homosexual lifestyle. During the debate on the resolution, members of the European Parliament described Poland’s defense of the traditional family as “repulsive” and “hateful.”

But what the vote represents is the unfettered promotion of activities that are unnatural, immoral and unhealthy in the extreme. And worse yet, the EU, like so many other liberal institutions, doesn't mind utilizing coercive tactics to get their way.

World Congress of Families International Secretary Allan Carlson, whose group is sponsoring World Congress of Families IV (the largest international pro-family conference ever which will soon take place in Warsaw), responded to the Parliament's action: “The European Union is engaging in Soviet-style mind-control.”

Carlson continued: “The normalization of homosexuality is a value of Europe ’s elite. The ‘values’ of a majority of the European Parliament are one reason Europe has the lowest birthrates in the world. If it had a self-preservation instinct, the EP would be promoting the natural family, instead of castigating Poland for its defense of family values. What remarkable arrogance. These Parliamentarians want to force the Poles to allow the sexual indoctrination of Polish children. They want to force Catholic Poland to embrace the worldview of the Amsterdam red light district.”

“Given what passes for education on the subject in the United States – one-sided pleading for a particular point of view, with dissent brutally suppressed – the Poles are wise to consider this legislation.”

It is no accident that the World Congress of Families is holding its fourth Congress among the brave people of Poland, who have maintained their traditions of faith, family and freedom in the face of incredible adversity. “In the 20th century, the Poles fought and beat the Nazis and communists,” Carlson observed. “I doubt they’ll have much difficulty standing up to the new totalitarians within the European Union.”

How Does Your Senator Stack Up?

The American Conservative Union has released its annual ratings of Congress and this brief article in Human Events lets you in on its Top Ten Conservative Senators. Of course, Tom Coburn (R.-Okla.), James Inhofe (R.-Okla.) and Jim DeMint (R.-S.C.) make the list but you may be a little surprised at others who earned their way into this elite group like Jim Bunning (R.-Ky.), John Thune (R.-S.D.) and...Elizabeth Dole (R.-N.C.).

Again, the Human Events piece is here but, if you'd like to check out the full ratings sheet, scoot on over to the ACU's website and click on "Congressional Ratings" in the upper left sidebar. There you'll find the carefully detailed analysis -- very valuable stuff to know.

And, oh yes; while you're at the ACU site, you might check out David Keene's article describing the inexplicable decision of Senator Sam Brownback's cave-in to an illegal scheme perpetrated by the ultra-liberal and corrupt Congressman, Alcee Hastings. Bad move, Sam.

"Less Stress, More Success" Author Is Kinda' Stressed Today

Marilee Jones, the dean of admissions at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, became well known for urging stressed-out students competing for elite colleges to calm down and stop trying to be perfect. Yesterday she admitted that she had fabricated her own educational credentials, and resigned after nearly three decades at M.I.T. Officials of the institute said she did not have even an undergraduate degree.

“I misrepresented my academic degrees when I first applied to M.I.T. 28 years ago and did not have the courage to correct my résumé when I applied for my current job or at any time since,” Ms. Jones said in a statement posted on the institute’s Web site. “I am deeply sorry for this and for disappointing so many in the M.I.T. community and beyond who supported me, believed in me, and who have given me extraordinary opportunities.”

Ms. Jones said that she would not make any other public comment “at this personally difficult time” and that she hoped her privacy would be respected...

...Since last fall, Ms. Jones had been making speeches around the country to promote her book, “Less Stress, More Success: A New Approach to Guiding Your Teen Through College Admissions and Beyond,” written with a pediatrician, Dr. Kenneth R. Ginsburg. The book had added to her reputation as a kind of guru of the movement to tame the college admissions frenzy.

“Less Stress, More Success” addresses not only the pressure to be perfect but also a need to live with integrity.

“Holding integrity is sometimes very hard to do because the temptation may be to cheat or cut corners,” it says. “But just remember that ‘what goes around comes around,’ meaning that life has a funny way of giving back what you put out.”...

Ms. Jones's confession, by the way, did not arise out of her own "hold on intergrity." Somebody snitched.

There are no indications that Ms. Jones' sorrow over her profitable masquerade is so deep that she will be returning any of her salary or profits from her book.

Nor did this New York Times story give us the TV schedule for when we can see Ms. Jones on Oprah and Dr. Phil. But I'd bet the house that we will.

10 Key Differences (Make That 11) Between Liberals and Conservatives

John Hawkins has a terrific Town Hall column today. Check it out over here.

Broadcasting Into Belarus

There's good news for the hopes of freedom and justice in Belarus in the following report from Radio Free Europe:

TV Belarus, a channel funded by the Polish government, will start its broadcasts to Belarus on October 15, Belapan reported on April 26, quoting Polish Television journalist Agnieszka Romaszewska, who is coordinating the project. A relevant agreement to this effect was signed by Polish Television and the government earlier this week.

TV Belarus is expected to broadcast into Belarus via satellite, providing coverage of major events in the country. The Polish government will offer 16 million zlotys ($5.7 million) for the project this year. Apart from Polish reporters, the project will involve some 20 Belarusian journalists. The channel is expected to broadcast 15 hours per day.

Is March of Dimes Really Connected to Abortion?

It is a matter that pro-lifers are routinely asked about -- "Did I hear that there's some connection between abortion and the March of Dimes? Is that true?"

Jill Stanek gives a brief but clear answer in this column.

Do As I Say, Not As I Do

A flock of small jets took flight from Washington Thursday, each carrying a Democratic presidential candidate to South Carolina for the first debate of the political season.

For Sens. Hillary Rodham Clinton, Barack Obama, Chris Dodd and Joe Biden, it was wheels up shortly after they voted in favor of legislation requiring that U.S. troops begin returning home from Iraq in the fall.

No one jet pooled, no one took commercial flights to save money, fuel or emissions.

All but Biden, who flew on a private jet, chartered their flights -- a campaign expense of between $7,500 and $9,000...

The rest of this Newsday story is here.

Clarence Thomas: The Supreme Court’s "Most Persuasive Exponent of Originalism"

...What’s interesting, and perhaps surprising, is that, 16 Court terms later, Thomas has quietly proved himself to be a serious constitutional thinker, who displays—for those sympathetic with his conservative jurisprudence, anyway—both great independence and considerable wisdom.

Thomas forcefully rejects the notion, long favored by liberals, that the Constitution is a “living document” and that Supreme Court justices should creatively adjust the meaning of its terms to afford more protection to minorities, to invent such unenumerated rights as the “right to privacy,” and in general to promote “progressive” ends that the Left can’t seem to win at the ballot box. Instead, he has become the Court’s most persuasive exponent of “originalism”—the view that justices should interpret the Constitution as meaning what it did to those who read the document when it was framed.

Since originalism is the jurisprudence most compatible with our republican form of government and the intentions of the Founding Fathers, it’s looking as though the first President Bush got it right after all when he declared, upon nominating Thomas, that he was “the best man for the job.”...

Here's the rest of this very good article, written by Stephen B. Presser and published in City Journal.

Lovin' Them Bad Boys: Republicans Need to Clean Their Own House

The G.O.P. has a "pimp and ho" problem of its own that makes its pontificating about the Dem's connection to gansta' hip hop sound pretty hollow. Debbie Schlussel has the goods on Republican ties to World Wrestling Entertainment and Kid Rock.

Some pretty vile stuff here...vile enough that they should launch a couple of e-mails to the Republican National Committee (info@gop.com) and Bill O'Reilly.

The Latest In "Green Transportation"

Ford Motor Company, fast losing ground to its competitors, has moved aggressively into the area of "green transportation" with its 2008 hay-powered Ranchero IV. The company admits that consumers used to traditional automotive transportation will have to make some adjustments in storage, upkeep, and convenience. And they also acknowledge that the time to get where you're going may be just a bit extended.

Nevertheless, with the desperate need to reduce CO2 emissions before the polar ice caps melt and wash civilization away altogether, Ford is confident that the Ranchero IV will become a big-seller. In particular, Ford is looking for big sales numbers from Democrat politicians, Church of England prelates and the leadership of the National Association of Evangelicals.

There ARE Answers To These Stem Cell Questions

What's really behind the MSM's refusal to herald the successes of adult stem cell research? Why do so many scientists also downplay the proven worth of adult stem cell treatments? And what about the politics and money so integral to the issue?

From Chuck Colson's Breakpoint site comes this article by Nigel Cameron which gives some answers to these important questions.

A Couple of Cool Facts About Global Warming

Want a couple of "cool facts" about global warming? Then spend two minutes watching Heritage Foundation Senior Policy Analyst Ben Lieberman in this video clip.

And for a more detailed look at the issue from the Heritage Foundation, check out the article, "Discussing Global Warming in the Security Council: Premature and a Distraction from More Pressing Crises" over here.

More Democrats in Trouble Over Abortion

Why don't these guys avoid these problems entirely by getting off the abortion addiction and instead going with what's clean, humane, moral...and popular with most Americans; namely, the two-fold support of the lives of preborn babies and compassionate assistance for their moms?

Anyway, from the Evans-Novak Political Report comes the section I print below, detailing how the problems presented by the Democrat's enthusiasm for abortion just gets worse:

The Supreme Court's ruling last week to uphold the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (passed by Congress in 2003) has put some congressional Democrats in a tough spot. Those who originally opposed the bill and last week were denouncing the decision came off as extremists, but they can at least take refuge in their consistency. It is the Democrats who supported the bill, but counted on its being struck down by the Supreme Court, who are stuck. They now fear being held accountable by their party's pro-abortion donor base.

Senate Majority Leader Reid told a press conference: "I would only say that this isn't the only decision that a lot of us wish that [Justice Samuel] Alito weren't there and [former Justice Sandra Day] O'Connor were there." These cryptic words certainly sent the message that Reid was repudiating his own Senate vote for the popular bill in 2003. However, Reid says he supports the decision, which upholds a ban on delivering a fetus and then crushing its skull.

The leading Democratic presidential candidates -- Sen. Hillary Clinton, who voted against the ban in 2003, Sen. Barack Obama and former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards -- lashed out against last Wednesday's ruling. But 17 Democratic senators voted for the Partial-Birth Abortion Ban Act (as it passed, 64 to 34). Their ranks included Sen. Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), the current Judiciary Committee chairman, and Sen. Joseph Biden (D-Del.), a chairman of the Foreign Relations committee -- both strongly pro-choice on abortion most of the time. Neither wants to discuss the decision now -- not even the famously verbose Biden, who is running for President.

Reid, who has a mostly pro-choice voting record, tried to resolve his quandary by noting that the Supreme Court's 5-to-4 lineup on partial-birth abortion flipped when Alito replaced O'Connor last year with Reid opposing his confirmation. But Reid has never spoken out against any other Alito opinion, not even the ones he now lists as points of real contention with the justice.

Sen. Thomas Carper (D-Del.), Biden's normally silent colleague who tries to take a middle ground position on abortion, had also voted for the ban, but was willing to speak very bluntly: "I think a number of people who voted for it thought that the court would ultimately strike it down." This highlights Democrats' problem with taking votes that even modestly curb the regime of abortion on demand at all times and by any means. Suddenly, the Supreme Court is no longer capable of bailing them out for the few votes they take against abortion.

Is the Clock About to Strike Midnight for McCain-Feingold?

Oh, I hope so!

Here's the brief post from NRO's The Corner (originally from SCOTUSblog) suggesting that the Justices are giving government lawyers a rough time in the oral arguments of FEC v. Wisconsin Right to Life and Sen. John McCain, et al., v. Wisconsin Right to Life.

If this really bad legislation is tossed out, the left will be as fritzed out as they were in the partial-birth abortion ban cases upheld by the Court last week. And well they should because, as described in the previous post, anything that increases the power of genuine democracy and/or which encourages open debate of issues is anathema to liberals.

Go Roberts and Alito!

More in the Battle of Political-Correctness vs Free Speech

A group of British climate scientists is demanding changes to a skeptical documentary about global warming, saying there are grave errors in the program billed as a response to Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth."

"The Great Global Warming Swindle" aired on British television in March and is coming out soon on DVD. It argues that man-made emissions have a marginal impact on the world's climate and warming can better be explained by changing patterns of solar activity.

An open letter sent Tuesday by 38 scientists, including the former heads of Britain's academy of sciences and Britain's weather office, called on producer Wag TV to remove what it called "major misrepresentations" from the film before the DVD release -- a demand its director said was tantamount to censorship.

Bob Ward, the former spokesman for the Royal Society, Britain's academy of science, and one of the letter's signatories, said director Mark Durkin made a "long catalog of fundamental and profound mistakes" -- including the claim that volcanoes produce more carbon dioxide than humans, and that the Earth's atmosphere was warmer during the Middle Ages than it is today.

"Free speech does not extend to misleading the public by making factually inaccurate statements," he said. "Somebody has to stand up for the public interest here."

Durkin called the letter "loathsome."

"This is a contemptible, weasel-worded attempt to gag scientific criticism, and it won't work," he said. "I don't believe they're interested in quality control when it comes to the reporting of science -- so long as it's on their side..."

Note the sentences I've printed in bold above. They underscore how liberals are becoming increasingly contemptuous of the freedoms of speech, religion and association because the bankruptcy of their ideas cannot stand the scrutiny of open debate. Therefore, the alarming demand for greater and greater control to silence their opposition.

Whether it involves "hate crimes" legislation, the obscurantist refusal to allow Intelligent Design to compete against Darwinism, the banishment of historic Christianity from government education and the public square, the insistence that Fox News and conservative talk radio be somehow proscribed, and so on, there is a growing desire of liberals to disallow, by force, any ideas except their own.

Here's the rest of the article.

The Church of England: Denying the Faith But Going Greener Than Thou

In a classic case of "rearranging the deck chairs on the Titanic," the Church of England desperately tries to find some reason for existence, now that it has thrown orthodox Christian beliefs away.

Jettison the authority of the Bible. Deny the physical resurrection of Jesus. Endorse abortion and euthanasia. Ordain non-believing clerics with lifestyles of sexual perversion.

But, by goddess, don't use that barbecue grill!

Here's an excerpt from the Daily Mail (U.K.) story:

The Church of England published a set of green commandments today aimed at persuading Christians to help save the planet. They are contained in a pocket-sized booklet, entitled How many light bulbs does it take to change a Christian?, instructing believers that they have a moral obligation to look after God's creation. Included in the publication are a series of eco-friendly lifestyle tips.

It was published as part of the Church's Shrinking the Footprint campaign - a response to the General Synod's charge to the Church to engage with climate change and work on reducing its carbon emissions by 2008.

Backing the booklet, Dr Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury, said today: "There are many small steps that each of us can take to lighten the load on our planet and this guide gives some practical examples of where each of us can start. "I commend it to all Christians looking for ideas and inspiration on what they can do to make a positive difference for the environment."

At the launch of the Church's eco-drive two years ago Dr Williams said: "For the Church of the 21st Century, good ecology is not an optional extra but a matter of justice. It is therefore central to what it means to be a Christian."

Among the lifestyle changes suggested in the booklet are: organising a car-sharing scheme for travelling to and from Sunday worship, holidaying locally rather than travelling abroad and using a toaster rather than a grill. Parishioners are also urged to make their local churchyard a 'green lung' for the community by setting aside a 'wild area'. The booklet advises a review of any floodlighting the church has, checking whether the bulbs are energy-efficient and if they are directed at the building rather than the sky. Cancelling "wasteful" junk mail is also advised...

Remembering Rosie, If You Can Stomach It

Rosie is being "let go" from ABC but she will undoubtedly be back somewhere on TV soon.

Why?

Well, her penchant for controversy brings constant media attention and thus brings the ratings up. That, of course, and the fact that she hasn't yet offended the wrong kind of people!

The Media Research Center has made available a few choice quotations and video clips from Rosie's ravings that you might want to scan through. That particular MRC page is right here, introduced by this paragraph:

As co-host of ABC’s The View, Rosie O’Donnell has used her daytime perch to push an array of extreme left-wing and anti-American views. Soon after her debut in September 2006, O’Donnell used the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks to insist that "radical Christianity is just as threatening as radical Islam." In a similar vein, she advised her audience: "Don’t fear the terrorists. They’re mothers and fathers," while suggesting that "the Patriot Act has robbed us of us our civil liberties in this country, that fear has taken over from faith in democracy, in the Constitution?" In March, O’Donnell even suggested that the government was hiding the truth of 9/11 attacks, arguing: "Miraculously, for the first time in history, steel was melted by fire. It is physically impossible..."

Al-Qaida Opposes Freedom of Association...for Vegetables?

Conservative comedienne and blogger Julia Gorin pointed out this observation from a recent AP report:

American commanders cite al-Qaida's severe brand of Islam, which is so extreme that in Baqouba, al-Qaida has warned street vendors not to place tomatoes beside cucumbers because the vegetables are different genders, Col. David Sutherland said.

Raising Hell Over Abortion

The photo at left shows pro-abortion zealots dressed in bizarre parodies of Roman Catholic clergy as they celebrate Mexico City's legalization of abortion.
Below is an excerpt from the AP report with a quick comment of my own added.

Mexico City lawmakers voted to legalize abortion Tuesday, a decision likely to influence policies and health practices across Mexico and other parts of heavily Roman Catholic Latin America.

The proposal, approved 46-19, with one abstention, will take effect with the expected signing by the city's leftist mayor. Abortion opponents have already vowed to appeal the law to the Supreme Court, a move likely to extend the bitter and emotional debate in this predominantly Catholic nation.

"Decriminalizing abortion is a historic triumph, a triumph of the left," said city legislator Jorge Diaz Cuervo, a leftist social democrat who voted for the bill. "Today, there is a new atmosphere in this city. It is the atmosphere of freedom..."

No, that new atmosphere, Mr. Cuervo, is one of moral decadence -- an atmosphere of deliberate lies, injustice, and brutality which will not escape the judgment of a holy God. Therefore, your celebrations are most tragically inappropriate; a fact I pray you will recognize before that divine judgment falls.

Straight Talk from the Vatican

In stark contrast to what usually is heard in the public square from religious leaders (see the previous post for an example), the world was given a much-needed "wake up call" earlier this week from Archbishop Angelo Amato, the Vatican's secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith. Printed below is an excerpt from the Reuters story via the Mirror (U.K.)

The Vatican's second-highest ranking doctrinal official on Monday forcefully branded homosexual marriage an evil and denounced abortion and euthanasia as forms of "terrorism with a human face".

The attack by Archbishop Angelo Amato, secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, was the latest in a string of speeches made by either Pope Benedict or other Vatican officials as Italy considers giving more rights to gays.

In an address to chaplains, Amato said newspapers and television bulletins often seemed like "a perverse film about evil". He denounced "evils that remain almost invisible" because the media presented them as "expression of human progress".

He listed these as abortion clinics, which he called "slaughterhouses of human beings", euthanasia, and "parliaments of so-called civilised nations where laws contrary to the nature of the human being are being promulgated, such as the approval of marriage between people of the same sex ..."

...Amato, who is said to be very close to Pope Benedict, criticised the media's coverage of ethical issues.

After denouncing "abominable terrorism" such as that carried out by suicide bombers, he condemned what he called "terrorism with a human face", and accused the media of manipulating language "to hide the tragic reality of the facts".

"For example, abortion is called 'voluntary interruption of pregnancy' and not the killing of a defenceless human being, an abortion clinic is given a harmless, even attractive, name: 'centre for reproductive health' and euthanasia is blandly called 'death with dignity'," he said in his address...

Refreshing to hear plain truth plainly spoken, isn't it?

Do you hear this from your preacher?

Conservative Judaism...Isn't

In the wake of Conservative Judaism's surrender to the pressures to sanction homosexual "marriage," Michael Medved asks the question: Should we guide religion, or should religion guide us?

It is an informative, challenging column.

SCOTUS Decision Is Bad News for the Party of Abortion

Pat Buchanan argues that the most momentous effect of the Supreme Court's upholding of partial-birth abortion bans will come in the upcoming national elections...and that, he says, makes for very bad news for Democrats.
Partial birth abortion is a grisly and revolting procedure.

An unborn baby is brought halfway out of the birth canal, then has scissors rammed into its skull and its brains sucked out for easier passage. Sen. Pat Moynihan called it "infanticide." Seventeen Senate Democrats defied the feminist fanatics to vote to outlaw it.

Now the Supreme Court, five to four, agrees that outlawing this barbaric method of aborting an unborn child does not interfere with what has been for 34 years a woman's constitutional right to rid herself of an unwanted child.

This is being hailed as a victory for President Bush and the pro-life community. And it is, though outlawing the procedure only means that if a woman, late in her pregnancy, wishes to be rid of her unborn baby, she and her abortionist now have to find a nicer way to kill it.

The partial birth abortion ban is a little like the state outlawing the beheading of innocent people, while approving of their execution by more humane means. While the ban is most welcome, it remains but a limited victory for those who believe in the sanctity of all human life.

Politically, however, the court decision is portentous, and bad news for Democrats in 2008. For several reasons...

Want to learn just what those reasons are? Here's the rest of Buchanan's column.

Fred on Federalism

Here's a very short but punchy radio commentary from former Republican Senator (and possible Republican presidential nominee) Fred Thompson giving a primer on the once proud doctrine of federalism

Not All Duct Tape Is Considered Equal

From the Family Research Council's e-mail updates comes another report of "selective censorship" by the autocrats at a government school:

Try as they might to smother the pro-family message, school officials across the country had a difficult time silencing the 7,000 students in 49 states who participated in the Alliance Defense Fund's (ADF) "Day of Truth" last week.

In one instance, a Maryland high school told student Beth Otradovec that she couldn't post signs or distribute fliers about the alternative to homosexuals' "Day of Silence." After receiving a letter from ADF legal counsel outlining Beth's constitutional rights, the school quickly changed its mind. In Allendale, New Jersey, conservatives had similar success. While endorsing the liberal "Day of Silence," North Highlands Regional High School banned students from participating in a counter-event--that is, until ADF brought suit against the school.

Unfortunately, the issue has not been resolved in Muskegon, Michigan where David Gardiner was suspended for wearing a piece of duct tape on his shirt that said, "I'm straight." School administrators considered the message offensive yet protected the rights of other students to put duct tape across their mouths to endorse a lifestyle of sexual deviancy that undermines personal health and undercuts moral norms.

ADF's project unites real compassion with real courage - to speak the truth in love.

In Pursuit of a Free Cuba: Introducing Claudia Fanelli and Alberto de la Cruz

I'm pleased to announce an important new front in the battle for a free Cuba, a cause in which Vital Signs Blog has frequently expressed its enthusiastic support. That new development is the revised, recharged website of Claudia Fanelli, Claudia4Libertad. It is an energetic, resourceful site I heartily recommend.

In particular, however, I'd like to point out two highlights from my time perusing her blog. The first is her most recent post which I print below:

In the past two days I have heard 2 outrageous reports from Hollywood and I don't know which one disgusts me more.

The first one I heard was that Sting, Mr. Amnesty International himself, is going to play a concert in CUBA! I scratched my head when I heard that and wondered if it were some type of misinformation. But no, Sting indeed has been invited and plans to play in Cuba. This begs the question- Why would a man so concerned with human rights agree to play in a country whose leader is a ruthless, cold-blooded, murdering dictator? Sting was apparently "overwhelmed by the Cuban culture and arts and the musicality" during his last visit, a source was quoted as saying. Well, isn't that touching. Was he perhaps also "overwhelmed" by the torture, inability to speak freely, to move about freely, to dissent or to improve the living conditions of the Cuban people? Was this so "underwhelming" that they chose to ignore everything and agree to play- at Christmastime nonetheless- in Cuba?

The other piece of news which apparently is not new, is one I found when I started to read Humberto Fontova's new (and fantastic!) book: "Exposing the Real Che Guevara and the Useful Idiots Who Idolize Him." I am so grossed out by this information I don't even want to write about it. But I will, so that people can see what is wrong with Hollywood. In his book, Fontova writes that Angelina Jolie (of United Nations Ambassador fame) sports a tattoo of Che Guevara on her body. (A search on Google confirmed this disgusting fact, not that I doubted Humberto Fontova, but I wanted to see the tattoo myself. I couldn't find any pictures.) The fact that she has a tattoo did not shock me as she is pretty much covered with almost a dozen or so. What makes me sick is that of all the people to idolize, to think his image is worthy of becoming a permanent part of her body, she would chose a person who summarily killed countless Cuban citizens based on their refusal, for the most part, to agree with his ideology. This tattoo is said to be on her rib cage so it's not likely to be seen in public but nonetheless, Angelina Jolie, so concerned with human and childrens' rights has chosen to mar her body with the likeness of a killer of children as well as men and women. She is in good company- convicted rapist Mike Tyson and ousted former soccer star and drug addict Diego Maradona also have tattoos of Guevara. I may reconsider that Ronald Reagan tattoo after all.

Good stuff, Claudia!

The second thing I'd like you to note from Claudia's blog is the lengthy essay she provides from Alberto de la Cruz, "The Tribe of Cuba." It is a stimulating, impassioned argument as to why Cubans and Cuban-Americans are considerably to the right of other Latins. The reason? They know Communism up close and personal! Furthermore, Mr. de la Cruz makes a very persuasive appeal to other Latinos to carefully consider the bitter fruits of socialist theory and rhetoric in order to make the Latino community a more honest, more thorough, more effective force for justice in Cuba...and beyond.

Really provocative reading.

Correspondence With the NU Regents Regarding Cloning Ban

Below is a copy of a letter I sent to the Nebraska University Regent of my district, Howard Hawks (shown at left) followed by a copy of Mr. Hawks' reply. I urge others here in Nebraska to do the same for whatever happens in the legislature, the issues of cloning and embryonic stem cell research will continue to be of crucial importance to NU officials.

Dear Regent Hawks,

At the close of World War Two, the Allied forces discovered a most revolting element of the Nazi regime; namely, a vast library of scientific data that had been obtained through Nazi experimentation involving concentration camp captives and prisoners of war. Many of the experiments involved subjecting prisoners to a variety of tortures that frequently led to their deaths. It was an unmitigated horror that rightly shocked the free world and the Allied voices were unanimous in decrying this sordid exploitation.

However, what was to be done with the knowledge itself, the fruit of those barbaric experimentations? There were some voices that suggested the information, as immorally acquired as it was, could nevertheless be used for the good of mankind and the advancement of science. And indeed the Communists of the Soviet Union did hold on to the data they obtained.

But the Allied governments, standing on those moral principles that were basic to the world’s historic religions, made a momentous decision that contemporary American politicians, academicians and others citizens should emulate in our era. The Allies said, “No way.” They would not stain themselves with such evil…such illicitly achieved science. The data was destroyed and a banner was thus raised for the sanctity of life and the morality of Western civilization.

You, of course, can see the relevance of this situation to those debates now raging over research that deliberately creates life to destroy it. Please work for and vote for LB 700, the Human Cloning Ban.

Sincerely,

Denny Hartford
Director, Vital Signs Ministries


Denny,

Thank you for your letter indicating your position relative to LB 700, human cloning ban. I hold the same position that you do.

I am glad you reminded me of the experiments done by the Nazi regime. As I contemplate positions on legislation such as LB 700, it will be an important facet of history to remember. Not many people here are connecting this to LB 700, but as you indicated, there is a direct connection.

Again, thank you for feeling free to contact me. I appreciate your input.

Sincerely,

Howard Hawks

Lutherans Taking the Gospel to Islam

I'm afraid we missed Rev. Farrukh Khan when he was speaking last weekend here in Omaha but Matt Troutman let us know that Rev. Khan's personal testimony and his vision to spread the gospel among Muslims were profoundly inspirational.

Rev. Khan is an ordained Lutheran minister (Missouri Synod) and the ministry he is involved in is People of the Book Lutheran Outreach. Here is their website.

Couric Isn't A "Cutie" to CBS Brass

"She's a very young 50. She's playful. She's cute."

This is a description of the perky Katie Couric from this week's People Magazine in a story that titillates readers about her new romance with a man 17 years her junior.

But the very personality that 33 year-old Brooks Perlin finds so "cute" and "playful" is causing older television viewers to completely distrust her as a news anchor. Indeed, Couric's painful lack of both balance and gravitas has proven to be a terrible combination for CBS officials who hired her at such a high salary...and with such high hopes.

CBS News continues as a distant third in the all-important network news competition. In fact, since Couric replaced the plodding and heavily biased Bob Schieffer, the CBS ratings have slipped still further! And, as the Philadelphia Inquirer's Gail Shister presents it, there's little hope of improving the situation while Couric remains bouncingly on the set.

CBS executives deny it, but there's a growing feeling within the network that Katie Couric is an expensive, unfixable mistake.

So unfixable that Couric - the first woman to anchor a network nightly newscast solo - may leave CBS Evening News, probably after the 2008 presidential elections, to assume another role at the network, CBS sources say.

Despite her A-list celebrity, her $15 million salary, and a promotional blitz worthy of a Super Bowl, the former star of NBC's Today has failed to move the Nielsen needle on No. 3 Evening News since her debut seven months ago.

In a bottom-line business like television, that's a cardinal sin. Already-low morale in the news division is dropping, says a veteran correspondent there.

"It's a disaster. Everybody knows it's not working. CBS may not cut her loose, but I guarantee you, somebody's thinking about it. We're all hunkered down, waiting for the other shoe to drop..."

Some Town Hall Recommendations

There is always provocative, relevant, right-minded reading available from the talented columnists assembled by Town Hall. But you already know that. Indeed, many of you have Town Hall bookmarked or, better still, have their columns coming to you regularly through e-mail compilations. (If you don't have that latter advantage, you can easily do so. Just check out this page.)

In the meanwhile, let me suggest a few particularly strong columns from recent days: Armstrong William's take on the hypocrisy surrounding denunciations of Don Imus and the "free pass" being given the big money interests behind gangsta' hip hop; Harry R. Jackson's explanations of just how dangerous to the freedoms of speech and religion is the proposed Hate Crimes legislation; and two pieces dealing with abortion and politics -- one by young Austin Hill and the other by Nathan Tabor.

Is the Illegal Immigration Issue Going to Bite the Democrats?

In New Hampshire, Iowa and South Carolina, the questions about immigration arise repeatedly -- and Democratic presidential candidates say they know they are alienating some of their strongest supporters by calling for legalization of illegal aliens.

"It's a bad vote. It loses you votes. I've never found anybody that won on immigration," New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson said this month at a town hall forum at New England College...

Here's the rest of this Washington Times story.

Harry's Hilarious Hypocrisy

Wendy Wright, President of Concerned Women for America has a comment on the fact that Democrat Senator Harry Reid strongly criticized the Supreme Court's upholding of a partial-birth abortion ban he himself voted for!

Said Wright, “Denouncing a Supreme Court Justice for upholding a law that Sen. Reid voted for reveals Sen. Reid’s true beliefs and sneaky tactics. Sen. Reid voted for the partial-birth abortion ban, yet he also voted for amendments that would have gutted the ban. His statement that he would rather have a justice on the Court who overturned the ban than a justice who upheld it reveals his modus operandi – act one way in actions that voters will see, yet vigorously work to ensure the opposite is the final result. Sen. Reid’s comment reveals a sly ploy of some politicians – portraying themselves as pro-life to the folks back home, but working for opposite results when in D.C.

“Fortunately, President Bush appointed justices to the Supreme Court who believe their job is to interpret the Constitution, not legislate from the bench. Despite Reid’s desire for the courts to do what he did not, the justices did their job and upheld the law.”

Colorado Public Schools Set To Begin Instruction on Condom Use and "Emergency Contraception"

The Rocky Mountain News explains that Colorado school districts offering sex-education courses will have to make sure those courses are "based on science" and thus include information about contraception, sexually transmitted diseases, "emergency contraception," etc. but not morality. These are the dictates of a new measure approved by a Senate committee and now waiting for the governor's signature...which he says he is disposed to do. They are also, not surprising to veterans of such battles, dictates laid down by Planned Parenthood.

"If people knew what we were talking about in here - math, science and condoms - they would be horrified," said Sen. Mike Kopp, R-Littleton.

In a related story from One News Now, Kopp is quoted as calling the bill "bad public policy driven by the narrow agenda of Planned Parenthood."

He relates what happened recently when one of colleagues read portions of the Planned Parenthood teacher guidebook from the floor of the Senate -- with children present.

"There happened to be a class of fourth-graders up in the gallery listening in," he shares, "and as he read what would be done and taught in our public schools, the teacher wisely got her kids up and skedaddled them out of the gallery because she was obviously very embarrassed and wanted to guard the ears of her little children."

Kopp also confides that one of his Democratic colleagues admitted to him that very few Democrats in the Senate actually liked the bill, but were going to vote for it regardless because Planned Parenthood played a prominent role in getting them elected. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains has voiced its support for HB 1292, which passed the Colorado House last Monday on a 39-26 vote.

A Missed Opportunity at Virginia Tech

Among the religions represented at the memorial convocation held at Virginia Tech last week were Islam, Judaism, Buddhism and...a mystery religion? Frank Pastore's column on the pitiable performance of the liberal Lutheran minister at the convocation is must-reading. I print a couple of excerpts below but I do recommend your reading of the entire piece.

...Each of the four speakers were there to represent their religion, to bring the message of comfort and hope rooted in their faith tradition. The Muslim speaker read passages from the Koran in Arabic and appealed to Allah, the Jewish speaker read from Ecclesiastes 3 while an assistant repeated the passages in Hebrew, the Buddhist quoted the Dalai Lama, while the Christian did not even quote from the Bible, nor mention the name of Jesus – the namesake of his religion.

What Mr. King said should be studied in every seminary in America. It is precisely what not to do when given the opportunity to bring the message of the Gospel of Jesus to those grieving the loss of loved ones and struggling to make sense of the evil visited upon them.

...No wonder Christianity is so easily and regularly attacked on college campuses. With advocates like this, who needs opposition? We’ve got guys in our uniform playing for the other team...

By the way, as a minister of the Gospel who is definitely not ashamed of Jesus Christ, Franklin Graham would have handled the situation much differently. His statement to that effect and the news that he and 20 others were indeed ministering behind-the-scenes at Virginia Tech can be found in this TV station story and in this report from the Samaritan's Purse web site.

A Digest of Today's Posts

With several posts today, I thought it might be helpful if I give you a quick list right off the top. In fact, I'll try to remember to do this whenever there's more than five daily entries. A good deal?

* Christianity Under Attack in England -- From the Airwaves and the Pulpit

* Done In By A Hairdo (John Edwards)

* The Most Dangerous Thing We Do Every Day Is Get On The Highway

* Hillary Takes a Plunge

* The Persecuted Church: Let's Go to the Video Tape

* And They Call This A "Gay" Life?

* Looking for Help In All The Wrong Places (Atheism in Europe)

* Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Promoting the Culture of Death

By the way, a most respectful "hat tip" for the digest idea to Jay Anderson who operates a fine pro-life web site, Pro Ecclesia.

Christianity Under Attack in England -- From the Airwaves and the Pulpit

The BBC has taken its stand -- against historic Christianity.

And the Church of England may not be too far behind.

Read this report from Susan Easton and pine for days gone by.

Done In By A Hairdo

Three weeks after I wrote that I thought John Edwards might be going someplace in the race for the Democratic presidential nomination, I found out where he was heading: to the barber shop.

The candidate, who has been looking pretty and pretty impressive in defining "Two Americas" -- one for the rich and privileged, a lesser place for everyone else -- came up with a wonderful device to show us all what he meant. His campaign spending reports, required by the Federal Election Commission, revealed that he has been paying $400 for haircuts by a Beverly Hills cutter named Joseph Torrenueva. The guy must be good, because Edwards' hair sure looks good. So does the rest of him, helped along by a $250 shaping at the Designworks Salon in Dubuque, Iowa, and $225 at the Pink Sapphire spa in Manchester, N.H.

Well, the man has great hair. My barber tells me I do, too, and he only charges 20 bucks.

That's $20 of my own money. Edwards, who has a couple of thousand times as much money as I do, pays for his tonsorial needs from campaign funds. He travels the country asking concerned citizens for money so he can get haircuts and body polishing. Where I come from that is called a real sense of entitlement...

Read the rest of Richard Reeves' Real Clear Politics column here.

And, to refresh your memory of just how seriously John Edwards takes his hair, slip on over to this Vital Signs Blog post from a couple weeks back. You'll see the evidence in a startling "fashion."

The Most Dangerous Thing We Do Every Day Is Get On The Highway

Traffic injuries are the leading cause of death in people ages 10 to 24 around the world -- a huge, overlooked and largely preventable public health problem, the World Health Organization said yesterday.

In a new report, the organization promoted a long list of suggestions to developing countries, where most of the deaths and disabling injuries occur. The improvements include safer roads and vehicles, better urban planning, helmet laws, prosecution of speeders and drunken drivers, better education of the driving and walking public, and simple interventions such as putting reflective tape on backpacks...

About 30 percent of all traffic deaths worldwide -- roughly 400,000 each year -- are of people younger than 25. Although teenage and young-adult drivers are at greatest risk, younger age groups also have high mortality. In 2002, traffic injuries were the third leading cause of death for children ages 5 to 9, behind pneumonia and AIDS. About 46 percent of traffic deaths in sub-Saharan Africa occurred in that age group that year...

Here's the rest of this alarming story from the Washington Post.

And please note the words from the first paragraph which I printed in black -- they represent the easiest and most effective thing that can be done to reduce this horrible number.

Hillary Takes a Plunge

Dick Morris, of course, is very well acquainted with Hillary Clinton and his reports on her political career are always precise and provocative. This one, published here in Jewish World Review, deals specifically with Hillary's dramatic drop in the public opinion polls.

...One is driven to the conclusion that Hillary is defeating herself! Voters are watching the former first lady in her first extended period of national exposure since her health care debacle and don't like what they see. She appears scripted, phony, artificial, and even boring. Her ridiculous attack on Obama last month completely backfired. And her southern-preacher accent in Selma was downright scary.

Undoubtedly her flip-flop-flips on the Iraq War and insistence that she was just voting to send more U.N. inspectors are also stimulating a sense of cynicism about her and she has no other issue to take its place.

Her overall decline is serious, but her slippage among her key groups - a 10 point drop among all women and an 11 point decline among single women - must be particularly troublesome for her advisers.

Worse, from her point of view, there seems no obvious cure in sight. Hillary is not about to clarify her position on the war as she seeks to straddle a general election strategy of being a moderate with a primary campaign emphasis on moving to the left. She has no national forum for new issue positioning and the more she becomes exposed to public view, the more her negative ratings increase.

And she can't alter her personality more than she already has. In short, Hillary's in trouble.

The Persecuted Church: Let's Go to the Video Tape

A new and very challenging service being provided by Voice of the Martyrs (Canada) is a monthly video review relating to the persecuted Church across the globe. I recommend it highly as an information resource that will help you better focus your prayers and advocacy efforts.

You'll find the video review by going to this web page and clicking on the "Persecution Report" (with Greg Musselman's photo) in the right sidebar.

And They Call This A "Gay" Life?

The co-founder of the world's biggest gay online dating agency jumped to his death from an eighth-floor balcony after a night of taking party drug ketamine, an inquest has heard. Gary Frisch, who made millions by creating the Gaydar dating website in 1999, threw himself from his apartment in Battersea in February after an allnight session on the drug. An eye-witness said Mr Frisch shouted "Waheey" just moments before he plunged to his death.

The 38-year-old had been receiving treatment for depression after his mother died the summer before and spent the weeks leading up to his death clubbing and taking drugs...

Looking for Help In All The Wrong Places

An article in last week's Wall Street Journal (April 12) reported on the newest ideological craze in an already crazy Europe: “As Religious Strife Grows, Europe’s Atheists Seize Pulpit: Islam’s Rise Gives Boost To Militant Unbelievers."

But over here at Front Page Magazine, Don Feder pops the balloon and explains why atheism isn't going to save anything.

Ruth Bader Ginsburg: Promoting the Culture of Death

The woman shown here on the left is convinced that a woman's "right" to kill her own unborn child is essential to being a woman and a free, complete human being.

But this woman is not in prison or a mental hospital -- she sits on the Supreme Court of the United States!

The nightmare, ladies and gentlemen, is all too real.

Here is David Limbaugh's column on the sad, sinister mindset of Ms. Ginsburg.

Muslims Forcing "Jihad Tax" On Non-Muslims in Iraq

Asia News reports on the escalating practice of Iraqi powers-that-be requiring a "jihad tax" of non-Muslims. Here's a brief excerpt from the story:

"Non Muslim subjects must pay a contribution to the jihad if they wish to be allowed to live and practise their faith in Iraq”. These orders are being imposed on the Christians of Mosul and Baghdad by Islamic militias. Besides these threats of extortion, thousands of non Muslims are also being forced to leave their homes by letters assigning their house to Muslim citizens. The initiative is part of the general campaign to Islamafy the entire country, which begun with the imposition of the veil on all women...

The Ongoing Battle Over Congressional Pork

The Senate's Democratic leaders have a political problem with earmarks. Ever since the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" in Alaska captured the public's imagination last year, they have been on record against legislators stealthily slipping in their favorite spending projects. But most senators, from both parties, really want to keep earmarks. An ingenious effort to reconcile those conflicting political desires created a remarkable tableau in the U.S. Senate Tuesday.

Republican Sen. Jim DeMint of South Carolina rose on the Senate floor to request unanimous consent for immediate enactment of a rule requiring full disclosure of earmarks. But the Democratic leadership was forewarned. Just before DeMint took the floor, the Appropriations Committee -- led by Sen. Robert Byrd, the Senate's king of pork -- issued its own flawed anti-earmark regulation. Then, Majority Whip Dick Durbin objected to passage of the DeMint rule on grounds that ethics should not be considered on a piecemeal basis.

This Democratic scenario got rave reviews from most Republicans. Senators like to be on record against earmarks while still enjoying them. The problem is that DeMint and his fellow Republican first-termer, Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma, just won't let the issue rest. Amid thundering silence from the GOP leadership after Durbin's objection, Coburn declared on the Senate floor: "I would remind my colleagues that we don't have a higher favorable rating than the president at this time . . . and the reason we don't is the very reason we just saw..."

Read the entirety of Robert Novak's Chicago Sun-Times column here.

Cable Choice Is Good for Everybody

Paul Weyrich writes...Basic cable service has become almost mandatory. The older citizen with the TV on a stand and an aerial on top is a vanishing species inasmuch as there is no reception anymore without cable...

Boy, do I feel old (and old-fashioned) now!

But despite the facts that 1) I do have my television on a stand with a largely ineffective "rabbit ears" aerial on top and; 2) I do not subscribe to either a cable or satellite television delivery system -- I still am an enthusiastic supporter of "cable choice."

And so is Paul Weyrich as this fine column explains.

The Court Gets it Right

The Associated Press follow up story on the partial birth abortion ban is a surprisingly even-handed treatment, even including a brief description of the procedure involved. I've noticed this has been the case with many newspaper and online reports -- much more than their TV counterparts.

The gruesome description of what the abortionist does to the child in a partial birth abortion is, of course, shocking and sick to most Americans. Those schematic drawings illustrating the details of the procedure that were finally printed in newspapers had an outstanding impact, changing the minds of millions of Americans. However, the MSM has never used the same kind of honesty when dealing with other forms of abortion. That's a tragic case of irresponsibility because, let's face it, a preborn baby being dismembered by a suction machine or having his skin burned off by a deadly saline solution is certainly as barbaric and demented as what happens in any partial birth abortion.

Therefore, one of the lessons we should learn from the present matter is that truth, when given a fair hearing, does enlighten, liberate and even convert. And truth, as it has always been, is on the side of the sanctity of life.

A couple of other quick observations regarding the issue:

* Please make it a frequent theme of your conversation with others on this matter that it is Planned Parenthood who is the loudest, most zealous champion of partial-birth abortion. Let's use their devoted support of this brutality as leverage against them, emphasizing that Planned Parenthood is not the "apple pie charity" it claims to be but rather a cold-hearted, greedy, deceitful and very wealthy organization that kills babies, destroys innocence, corrupts culture, endangers women...all while receiving millions of dollars from taxpayers' pockets.

* Yesterday's Court decision naturally underscores the huge difference a genuinely pro-life President makes in re-establishing a culture of life. Roberts and Alito are good men and should be heartily thanked for their decision in this case. But it was President George W. Bush who overcame daunting opposition to put them on the Court. Congratulations, Mr. President!

*But on a second and less obvious front -- Could the partial birth abortion bans make any clearer how critical it is to have dedicated pro-life advocates in state legislatures? The SCOTUS would have had no chance to act unless principled men and women in politics had worked bravely, wisely and optimistically for such bans in the first place. So, please consider sending along thanks to your pro-life legislators as well.

* Note how desperately the leftists expound the legal philosophy of stare decisis -- but only after they have managed to overthrow precedents they don't like.

* Sandra Day O'Connor once described Roe v Wade as being on a collision course with itself. She was referring to how Harry Blackmun's arbitrary trimester system was already outdated by new information about fetal development and technology allowing babies to be born healthy at ever-earlier stages of development. But she wrote those words years before fetal surgery, 3D ultrasound and public opinion polls showing younger Americans to be significantly more against abortion than their elders. Yes, indeed; Planned Parenthood has good reasons to panic for technology has dramatically increased the awareness of the American public of just what legalized abortion really is: an unnatural, unnecessary, dangerous, immoral and extravagantly selfish act.

Finally, here's a few more articles I think you'll find of interest: Janet Folger's World Net Daily article; the Wall Street Journal's editorial; a piece from Catholic Online; Michael New's column over at National Review Online (there are others there); and a nice report from our old pals up at the Pro-Life Action League.

Update on Court Decision and Local Media Interest

Two items here: the first is the press release from Nebraska Right to Life applauding the U.S. Supreme Court's 5-4 ruling today which upheld the federal partial birth abortion ban. And the second is a quick follow-up to the earlier post about local media interest.

1) "We are thankful that the highest Court in the land finally sees partial birth abortion for what it is...infanticide," said Julie Schmit-Albin, NRL Executive Director. "The Court has ruled that the abortion industry does not have carte blanche to continue to push the envelope with new ways of killing unborn children. It is our hope that someday protection for the right to life of all unborn babies will be restored."

"It was the greediness of the abortion industry that brought us partial birth abortion; a relatively new procedure revealed in the early 90's at a National Abortion Federation seminar." said Schmit-Albin. "It was only right that the Supreme Court weighed in on an act that wasn't even on the radar in 1973 when the Roe v. Wade decision came down."

She noted that new Justices John Roberts and Samuel Alito voted with the majority decision.

"We are thankful that Congress passed another federal ban after Nebraska's ban was struck down in 2000 and we are very grateful for the efforts of the pro-life movement in electing President Bush who nominated Justices Roberts and Alito and for the Senate confirmation of those justices." Schmit-Albin said.

"This ruling provides a huge shot in the arm to many in the pro-life movement who have been laboring since Roe v. Wade came down. It is a testament to the tenacity of America's pro-life movement and will restore hope to the majority of young Americans who reject abortion." she said.

2) The WOWT reporter just called and told Claire there would also be a part of the story on the 5 o'clock newscast. And while they were talking, Omaha's Fox affiliate (KPTM Channel 10/42) called and asked for an interview also. They'll be here at 3.

The local Fox newscast is at 10 and here is their web page. The same encouragements regarding contact is in order.