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 Friday, June 27, 2008
Two bills (which were combined into one bill, H.R. 2176) which would have expanded gambling were defeated on Wednesday.  Also, attempts to undermine the Unlawful Internet Gambling Act were also defeated in the House.  CitizenLink reports.

The AP also reports.

posted on Friday, June 27, 2008 6:05:31 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
posted on Friday, June 27, 2008 5:43:21 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
posted on Friday, June 27, 2008 5:40:56 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Thursday, June 12, 2008
posted on Thursday, June 12, 2008 6:16:35 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Tuesday, June 03, 2008
LifeNews reports.

In other abstinence news, a new website called ParentsforTruth.org is seeking to “giving parents a voice to support abstinence education.”

posted on Wednesday, June 04, 2008 3:14:35 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Thursday, May 29, 2008
posted on Thursday, May 29, 2008 8:39:01 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Tuesday, May 27, 2008
Daniel Herbster reporting

I had the opportunity to interview Mark Tooley about his work with UMAction at the Institute on Religion and Democracy.  The following is my interview with Mark.

DH: What is UMAction and how would you sum up its mission?  Do you see it as more of a theological or political movement or both?

MT:  UMAction is the Methodist program of the IRD.  Its goal is to foster accountability and reform within United Methodism.  We’re not political in the sense that we endorse candidates or specific legislation in civil society.  We are political in that we are concerned about the church’s public policy witness. We are theological in that we vigorously affirm the official, orthodox teachings of our church.

DH: I understand that you were very active in the recent United Methodist Church’s global conference in Forth Worth, Texas.  Are you encouraged by what took place there?

MT:  Yes, I’m encouraged by the growing numbers and influence of the non-U.S. church, especially in Africa.  They are the hope of the church’s future.   But the church still faces many battles ahead.

DH: What kinds of decisions were reached on pro-life issues?

MT:   There were some small, incremental steps supporting parental consent and affirming the sacredness of unborn human life.  We narrowly failed to remove church agencies from the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice.  Had the vote been NOT on the last day, when many of the Africans had left, we probably would have won.

DH: What progress was made in affirming the traditional definition of marriage and Biblical teaching on sexual morality?

posted on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 6:53:52 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Friday, May 23, 2008
Erick Erickson reports on the scourge of human trafficking, especially sex trafficking, while CitizenLink reports that a major sting operation uncovered numerous examples in Ohio, Kentuckey, and Indiana.

posted on Friday, May 23, 2008 7:32:45 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Tuesday, May 20, 2008
Conservatives, families, and all Americans should rejoice in the news that the Supreme Court on Monday upheld a sensible law against child pornography, ruling that the 11th Circuit Court was wrong to declare the pornography restrictions unconstitutional.  Justice Antonin Scalia wrote that “child pornography harms and debases the most defenseless of our citizens” adding “both the state and federal governments have sought to suppress it for many years, only to find it proliferating through the new medium of the Internet.”  This is a victory for children, families, and the nation.  Our collegue Justin Hart with the Lighted Candle Society also writes about the significance of this decision at FamilyFragments.org.  This ruling also illustrates the need for better judges on the federal appellate courts who understand their proper role and who understand that the Constitution does not protect obscenity or the exploitation of children.

As Janice Shaw Crouse explains, the link between pornography and sexual abuse and even the modern day slavery of sex trafficking is clear and undeniable.

See also: pro-morality page

posted on Tuesday, May 20, 2008 3:46:28 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Monday, May 19, 2008
Carol Platt Liebau explains at townhall.com.

posted on Monday, May 19, 2008 8:31:07 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Wednesday, May 07, 2008
As AdvanceUSA reported last June, when Jim Holsinger was nominated by President Bush to be surgeon general, radical homosexual interest groups smeared his reputation and convinced the U.S. Senate to stall his nomination because of his religious convictions concerning homosexuality and for sound medical reports he issued on the health dangers of homosexual activity.  Holsinger is a Methodist and has taken public stands in defense of Biblical teaching on homosexuality while serving his church in leadership positions.

It appears Jim Holsinger has been vindicated by the United Methodist Church as that body recently upheld the traditional definition of marriage and biblical teaching on sexual morality at its recent global conference.  The Institute on Religions and Democracy explains.

It has been a full year since George W. Bush first nominated Holsinger, and his nomination is still stalled in the U.S. Senate.  It is a shame that a man’s religious convictions can be used to smear his reputation and prohibit him from serving his country.

posted on Wednesday, May 07, 2008 6:29:10 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Rebecca Hagelin reports.  Excerpt:

 
Who could argue with the idea that, when it comes to sex education, our teenagers should be taught to say “no”? Considering what’s at stake (their health, their future, their dignity as human beings, their morality) -- and because we love them and want what’s best for them -- nothing short of a clear-cut abstinence message will do.

 

At least, that’s how it appears out here in the Real World. In the rarified air of a congressional hearing room, it’s another matter. According to several witnesses (including John Santelli of the Guttmacher Institute, and Max Siegel of the AIDS Alliance for Children, Youth & Families) who spoke recently before the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, abstinence education is not only impractical, it’s dangerous.

Read full article here.

Read the Heritage Foundation’s study on the effectiveness of abstinence education here.

posted on Tuesday, May 06, 2008 6:36:01 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Tuesday, April 29, 2008
By Daniel Herbster

I recently corresponded with Bryan Wickens, president of Reclaim Our Culture Kentuckiana (ROCK), and asked him about the work he does fighting sexually oriented businesses and protecting families.  Visit reclaimourculture.org for more information.  Below is my interview with Bryan.

DH: Bryan, thanks for taking the time to tell our readers about your work in the culture war fighting against pornography and for families in Kentuckiana.  First of all, for our readers who may not be familiar with the term, what is Kentuckiana, and how much area does it contain?  Is it basically the greater Louisville area?

BW:   Thanks, Daniel.  Kentuckiana usually means central Kentucky up to central Indiana and that is definitely where ROCK’s focus began.  During the past couple of years, however, as we have expanded our reach and been invited to join in on national initiatives and projects, we are recognized now as ROCK and have interests in projects across the country.  Since our staff lives in the Kentuckiana region, we will of course always have the communities that ROCK was born out of at the heart of anything we do.  But it is imperative to us that we not confine our work to one geographic circle in that the issues we face today are certainly not confined to one geographic circle.     

DH: How did ROCK get started, and how long has it been operating?

BW:  ROCK was created in March 2004 in response to a series of articles reporting on the unrestrained growth of sex business in the Kentuckiana area and their related negative effects on the community. As a result, a group of citizens, concerned about the state of affairs of our culture came together to form ROCK. This group simply said “enough is enough” and decided to do something, to get off the sidelines – to change Kentuckiana for the better.

I was asked to sit on the board of ROCK in 2004 which, at the time, was an all volunteer organization comprised of some incredible individuals.  In 2005, ROCK was growing and decided to hire its first full time President.  At the time, I was a partner in one of the largest law firms in our region and was feeling a call in my life to use my skills and abilities to stand up against the attacks on our values, our beliefs and our families.  But leaving my law firm to become the first President of a non-profit was not really in my plans.  But as so often happens, God had a different plan!  To the surprise of many, I left my law practice to become President of ROCK in September, 2005.  And every person at ROCK has a similar story.  It is amazing how that faithfulness has been rewarded and the blessings ROCK has experienced in a short period of time.

DH: How bad was the situation in Kentuckiana when ROCK was first started, and what kind of progress have you seen since that time?  What are some of your proudest accomplishments as an organization?

posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 7:12:54 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
As the Weekly Standard reports, with an influx of membership in Africa combined with a growing conservative evangelical movement in the United States, the United Methodist Church could begin to take more conservative positions on issues such as homosexuality, abortion, family, and Christian doctrine at its quadrennial global conference now meeting in Texas.  Already, a well-publicized anti-Israel resolution has been defeated, and observers are expecting to see more surprising results in the future.

The United Methodist Church is a global and highly influential organization (with a large facility right next to the U.S. Supreme Court), and it is encouraging to think that they might soon adopt a more Biblical understanding of sexual morality, the family, and the right to life.  Concerned citizens would do well to pray that this influential organization would cease to undermine traditional morality and the right to life with its resources and policies.

The Institute on Religion and Democracy has been watching and reporting on the developing conservative movement within Methodism, and their website is a helpful resource for monitoring these developments.

posted on Tuesday, April 29, 2008 6:59:08 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
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 Monday, April 28, 2008
posted on Monday, April 28, 2008 6:56:36 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Friday, April 25, 2008
posted on Friday, April 25, 2008 8:32:11 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
posted on Friday, April 25, 2008 8:31:22 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
CitizenLink reports.

Click here to read AdvanceUSA’s interview with Rep. Paul Broun, the sponsor of this legislation.

posted on Friday, April 25, 2008 8:30:15 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Wednesday, April 23, 2008
AdvanceUSA thanks Sen. Browback for defending abstinence education in hearings being held today in the House of Representatives.  Excerpt:


"Studies have shown that abstinence education is effective in decreasing the number of teen pregnancy and rates of sexually transmitted diseases among youth," said Brownback. "Clearly our current approach to sex education is not working; STD rates among teens are rising, and it is irresponsible of us to silence the abstinence message. We need more funding for abstinence programs, not less. Cutting funding to such valuable programs will only have negative results as we see teens, and even pre-teens, engage in risky sexual behavior."

Click here for more.

posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 5:35:49 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
LifeSite reports on this disturbing trend.

Hat Tip: FRC

posted on Wednesday, April 23, 2008 5:34:06 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Tuesday, April 22, 2008
Daniel Herbster reporting

Congressman Paul Broun, who represents Georgia’s tenth district, is one of the newest members of Congress—having won a special election last year after the previous Congressman for the 10th district, Charlie Norwood, passed away.  I was privileged to interview Rep. Broun about his proposed bill the “Military Honor and Decency Act” which would fully prohibit the sale of obscene and pornographic material on military bases.  The following is my interview with Rep. Broun.

DH: Congressman, thanks so much for doing this interview for us.  First of all, I’d like to ask you the question I always love to ask politicians.  Why did you decide to get into politics and specifically why did you run for your current office?

PB: When I ran for office, I was not seeking a title or political position.  I ran because I firmly believe that our nation has lost sight of its core principles, and I want to make fundamental changes to how our government operates.

In Psalm 11, God asks a question, “If the foundations be destroyed, what can the righteous do?”  And God tells us the answer to that question is to return to His precepts and commandments, because a righteous Lord loves righteousness and He will uphold our efforts on His behalf.

We have lost our righteous zeal, and lost our once cherished principles of personal freedom, individual accountability and responsibility, and limited government.  I ran for office to restore those principles, and I believe that He calls each one of His children to uphold those principles.  That is what I am trying to do in Congress, at home, and everywhere I go.

DH: You’ve recently proposed the Military Honor and Decency Act (H.R.5821) which deals with the sale of pornographic or obscene material on military bases.  What would this bill do?

PB: Essentially, it will close the loophole in current law that allows pornography to be sold on military installations across the United States and around the world.  The Defense Authorization Act of 1997 included a provision to prohibit the distribution and sale of all sexually explicit material on property under the jurisdiction of the Department of Defense (DoD).  Sadly, DoD has failed to strictly enforce this law, and has allowed blatant, obviously pornographic material such as Playboy and Penthouse to continue to be sold on military bases.  My bill will end this practice and force the DoD to submit to the law.

Let me be clear – if military personnel want to buy pornography, that is their prerogative.  However, the U.S. Military should not be involved and facilitating the transaction.  The U.S. Military should not be using its resources to deliver it right to the doors of these military personnel.  My bill does not make pornography illegal, but it would remove the U.S. military and the U.S. taxpayer from the transaction.

DH: How did you become aware of the need for this legislation, and what are some of the facts that convinced you this legislation was necessary?

posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 8:44:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
LifeNews reports that tomorrow’s hearings in the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee look like they will be stacked against supporters of abstinence education by the committee’s chairman Rep. Henry Waxman.

Click here to see if your representative is on this committee and if so, let him or her know that you want successful abstinence programs continued.

The Heritage Foundation has released a study today demonstrating the effectiveness of and continuing need for abstinence education.

posted on Tuesday, April 22, 2008 5:41:49 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Friday, April 18, 2008
Janice Shaw Crouse explains how recent encouraging trends in teen pregnancy rates shows the value of abstinence education despite what proponents of so-called “comprehensive sex education” would have us believe.  Excerpt:

There is still much to be done in changing attitudes and promoting the well-being of America’s young people, but teen sexual activity is down, teen pregnancies are down and teen abortions are down. That is great news from the cultural battle fields.

 

Over the past decade, we have offered our nation’s teens a bright future and expected the best from them. Not surprisingly, they have met the challenge and are seizing the opportunities to grasp all the possibilities available to their generation. Our national leadership needs to continue to keep faith with them by supporting abstinence education as clearly the best choice for their current and future well-being.

Her insight is very timely and relevant as Congress will soon hold hearings on whether to maintain abstinence education funding in the budget as LifeNews reports.  Excerpt:

The House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform plans the hearing for April 23 to supposedly review the effectiveness of abstinence education.

 

However, leading abstinence critic Henry Waxman will chair the panel.

 

He has repeatedly gone after abstinence programs with wild-eyed claims that they are rife with inaccurate medical data and unrealistic expectations.

 

Waxman has invited five witnesses to take the anti-abstinence side in support of comprehensive sex education and just one abstinence proponent.

posted on Friday, April 18, 2008 4:28:31 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Friday, April 04, 2008
The House of Representatives has approved a version of PEPFAR anti-AIDS funding that is much improved from the original version which would have mandated abortion funding, drastically cut back abstinence and faithfulness education, and weakened anti-prostitution provisions.  Though significant improvements have been made to the bill, not all conservatives support the measure because of fiscal concerns over massive spending increases and concerns that there is insufficient accountability over how funds are spent.  The bill will now go to the U.S. Senate.

posted on Friday, April 04, 2008 7:03:00 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
The Houston Chronicle reports.  Events like this are a sad testament to the prevalence of the “culture of death” in our society.

posted on Friday, April 04, 2008 7:01:51 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Tuesday, April 01, 2008
Should broadcasters be allowed to air patently indecent or obscene content at any time of day (including when children are likely to be in the audience)?  Kristen Fyfe gives a helpful explanation of the case and provides examples of current and future abuses by broadcasters.

Excerpt:

As it stands the Supreme Court is due to consider broadcast indecency in the 2008-2009 term.  The 2nd Circuit Court of Appeals ruled last year in Fox v. FCC that “fleeting” expletives should not be fined by the FCC.  The FCC appealed the ruling to the Supreme Court, which has not examined the indecency issue since it ruled in the Pacifica case in 1973. For more on the Supreme Court’s decision to hear the fleeting expletives case, click here.

 

Until the Supreme Court acts to clarify broadcast decency issues, it appears the networks are going to do everything in their power to thumb their collective noses at the FCC and in effect, the American public.  All in the name of “entertainment.”  Isn’t that hilarious?

posted on Tuesday, April 01, 2008 8:44:33 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Thursday, March 27, 2008
Janice Shaw Crouse, Ph.D., has a helpful column today about the importance and effectiveness of abstinence education and explains why radical leftist organizations and politicians are so determined to eliminate it completely.  Congress should increase abstinence education funding, not cut it.  Read Crouse’s article for more details.  Excerpts:

 
It is incomprehensible that leaders of organizations working with teens would oppose abstinence.  The increase in abstinence programs has been effective in reversing trends that some believed were irreversible.  It is clear from my analysis of official data that abstinence education is behind the current decreases in teen births, teen abortion and the number of teens engaged in sexual activity.

 

While the left claims that abstinence education is a too-simplistic “just say no” campaign, the programs teach teens how to say “no” and give them the skills and character development needed for them to be able to say “no” effectively.  And many teens need to learn that sexually active girls regret their early sexual activity — nearly two-thirds (63 percent) state that they wish they had waited to have sex.

 

Many teens don’t know the facts, and the comprehensive sex education programs do not inform them.  A Maryland teenager, Stephen, was part of a conversation with friends who claimed that “everyone is doing it.”  Stephen told them that, statistically, teens today are less sexually active.  They were surprised; they had not heard that important fact in their so-called “full-coverage” sex education program.

 

Stephen summed up our view when he asked, “Don’t you think our sex ed programs should tell us that more and more teens are choosing to stay abstinent and how they are doing it?”

posted on Thursday, March 27, 2008 9:45:15 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Wednesday, March 26, 2008
Brent Bozell, President of the Media Research Center, adds his perspective to the case before the Supreme Court regarding the FCC’s ability to regulate obscenities over the publicly owned airwaves during times when children are likely to be in the audience.

posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 3:59:38 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
CitizenLink reports.  Excerpt:

“With 3 million teen girls infected with STIs, safer sex in adolescents does not exist,” said Linda Klepacki, sexual health analyst for Focus on the Family Action. “For the current and future health of teens, we must teach them how to have strong relationships not based on sex.”

 

The American Journal of Health Behavior published a study in January showing that students who receive abstinence education are 50 percent less likely to initiate sex. Furthermore, last year’s report by the federal Department of Health and Human Services showed that some comprehensive sex-education curricula taught in the nation's schools essentially have no impact on behavior.

 

Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association, said it is important to look at the growing body of research showing abstinence education as the only curriculum that successfully addresses teen pregnancies, STIs and the emotional consequences of teen sex.

posted on Wednesday, March 26, 2008 3:36:24 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Monday, March 17, 2008

Pro-family groups are encouraged that the Supreme Court has decided to hear a broadcast indecency case brought by the FCC.  Hopefully, the court will rule that the FCC can regulate even so-called “fleeting instances” of profanity during hours when children are likely to be watching TV or listening to radio.

 

For more information on this court case or about the issue of broadcast indecency, click here.

posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 3:07:21 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   

Dr. Miriam Grossman, M.D. takes an insightful look at the recent statistics regarding female STD rates and uses her professional experience to explain some of the educational factors contributing to this crisis.  Excerpt:

 

That so many American girls have a sexually transmitted infection should come as no shock. Rather, the shock should be at the madness in our country that we call sexuality education.

posted on Tuesday, March 18, 2008 3:04:06 AM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)  #   
 Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Many are stunned by the recent report that 25% of American teen girls have a sexually transmitted disease.  Despite what many liberals and main stream media figures would have us believe, more (not less) abstinence education is part of the solution.