Thursday, September 20, 2007 “Americans United Calls on DC Charter Schools to Cease Religious Activities” AdvanceUSA has obtained an email by the radical liberal group Americans United for the Separation of Church and State (AU) calling on charter schools to cease religious activity.  Apparently the AU would rather protect the total “separation of church and state” which cannot be found in the Constitution, rather than the First Amendment which can be found in the Constitution.  Here is a press release from AU. Below is the text of the AU email: September 19, 2007 Americans United Calls on Washington, D.C., Charter School to Cease Religious Activities   School-Sponsored Religion At Washington Latin School Violates Constitution, Says Church-State Watchdog Group   A Washington, D.C., charter school that conducts graduations and other school gatherings in a church sanctuary and whose headmaster leads students in prayer is running afoul of the First Amendment, says Americans United for Separation of Church and State.   Americans United has warned that school-sponsored religious activities at Washington Latin School violate the principle of church-state separation and urged officials to cease conducting school gatherings in church settings and leading students in prayer. Read more ... Pro Religious Freedom posted on Thursday, September 20, 2007 8:08:25 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      Adult Stem Cell Therapy Breakthrough for 64-Year-Old Heart Patient Deutsche Welle reports: Cardiologists at Düsseldorf University Hospital said they have been the first in the world to use [adult] stem cell therapy to save a patient who suffered from a severe heart attack. Adult Stem Cells | Pro Life | Stem Cells posted on Thursday, September 20, 2007 8:06:32 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      “Bill Would Punish Fleeting Expletives on Broadcast TV” CitizenLink reports: The Protecting Children from Indecent Programming Act that was introduced in the U.S. House Tuesday would make it clear that fleeting expletives should not be allowed on radio and TV stations. The 2nd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled in June that Congress really didn't mean for such expletives to be considered indecent, and reversed fines levied by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC).   Rep. Charles "Chip" Pickering, R-Miss., said he introduced the bill to set the record straight. Broadcast Indecency | Pro Morality posted on Thursday, September 20, 2007 8:05:21 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)       Wednesday, September 19, 2007 OUTRAGE: Methodists Lose Tax Exemption for Refusing Lesbian Civil Union Ceremony From the Philadelphia Inquirer: Refusing to allow gay couples to hold civil unions in a boardwalk pavilion has cost a Methodist church group in Monmouth County its state tax exemption for the property.   The state Department of Environmental Protection on Monday stripped the Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association of a property tax exemption for the boardwalk pavilion… Tax exempt status today, ____________ tomorrow. UPDATE: Maggie Gallagher covers the story in a piece called “Can New Jersey punish Methodists for marriage?” at TownHall. Marriage | Pro Religious Freedom posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 9:03:30 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      President’s Plan to Support Ethical Stem Cell Research Begins Implementation From the NIH website: National Institutes of Health (NIH) announced today that it will begin implementing President Bush's Executive Order to explore methods to expand the number of approved pluripotent stem cell lines "without creating a human embryo for research purposes or destroying, discarding, or subjecting to harm a human embryo or fetus." AdvanceUSA applauds the pursuit of cures and treatments from ethical and effective adult stem cells which have shown much better results than the unethical and uncontrollable kind derived from destroyed human embryos. For more information check the AdvanceUSA stem cell page and adult stem cell page. UPDATE: Read the NIH press release for a quick summary of the new policy. Adult Stem Cells | Pro Life | Stem Cells posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 8:59:01 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      House Members Look Into Removal of Religious Texts from Federal Prisons AdvanceUSA Blog recently reported on the move by federal prisons to ban all non-approved religious texts from prison libraries.  AdvanceUSA has learned that RSC Chairman Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), VAT Chairman Joe Pitts (R-PA), and Rep. Don Manzullo (R-IL) have sent a letter to Mr. Harley Lappin, the Director of the Federal Bureau of Prisons, to ask that an inquiry be made into this possible breach of the free exercise of religion. Click here to view the letter.  An RSC press release relating to this incident can be found here. Pro Religious Freedom posted on Wednesday, September 19, 2007 8:21:22 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)       Tuesday, September 18, 2007 Inside Scoop: Kennedy Vows to Force Hate Crimes Legislation on the Senate Sen. Gordon Smith (R-OR) today tried to offer his hate crimes bill as an amendment to the Department of Defense (DOD) reauthorization bill.  Fortunately, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) was on hand to object to the unanimous consent motion required to consider the amendment “pending.”  After this objection Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) stormed onto the Senate floor vowing to get the hate crimes bill onto the DOD bill and said the hate crimes bill related to military funding because it sought to combat “domestic terrorism” supposedly aimed at homosexuals.  Here is an excerpt from Sen. Kennedy’s remarks: I have every intention, with Senator Smith, at some time of offering the hate crimes legislation. I know the question comes up why are we offering hate crime legislation on a defense authorization bill? Well, the answer is very simple. the defense authorization bill is dealing with the challenges of terrorism and the hate crimes issue, to try and get a handle on the problems of hate crimes, we're talking about domestic terrorism, domestic terrorism. Apparently Sen. Kennedy thinks those who oppose the federal prosecution of suspected thoughts and beliefs, who seek to uphold “equal justice under law,” and who oppose granting special legal privileges to sexual preference, are terrorists akin to Al-Quaida and the Taliban. Hate Crimes | Pro Religious Freedom posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 9:25:40 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      Doctor Supports Missouri Anti-Cloning Initiative A doctor who specializes in spinal cord injuries has come out in support of Missouri’s “Cures Without Cloning” ballot initiative to fully ban human cloning in the state’s constitution.  Excerpt: Those who allege human cloning is necessary in the pursuit of these cures and treatments are providing false hope.   The Cures Without Cloning initiative would only prohibit research involving human cloning - nothing more, nothing less. There are plenty of promising research methods, including many forms of stem-cell research, that do not involve human cloning. For more information on this important pro-life cause in Missouri check the Cures Without Cloning website or the AdvanceUSA human cloning page. Human Cloning | Missouri | Pro Life | Stem Cells posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 7:59:54 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      Gov. Schwarzenegger Intends to Veto California “Gay” Marriage Bill It appears Gov. Schwarzenegger will uphold the clear “will of the people” and veto a bill that would establish same-sex marriage in California.  The blog Newser also reports on this story. UPDATE: On Monday Governor Schwarzenegger made his intentions regarding the “gay marriage” bill very clear.  Excerpt: “It would be wrong for the people to vote for something and for me to then overturn it,” Schwarzenegger said. “So they can send this bill down as many times as they want, I won't do it.” Marriage | Pro Family posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 7:56:43 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      State's Gay Marriage Ban Upheld by Maryland High Court The Maryland Supreme Court has upheld that state’s law banning “gay” marriage, but unfortunately it also left the door open for future legislative tampering with the institution of marriage. Marriage | Pro Family posted on Tuesday, September 18, 2007 5:32:31 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)       Monday, September 17, 2007 Why the Business Community Should Oppose ENDA CitizenLink link reports in this news article about why American business owners should oppose the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (ENDA) which slaps them with more government regulation and establishes legal privileges based on sexual behavior.  Focus on the Family has also released this helpful document which gives real-world accounts of how laws similar to ENDA have led to serious problems for businesses. UPDATE: This LA Times piece (even though it attempts to paint a sympathetic picture) offers a startling glimpse of some of the difficulties and dangers (especially for small businesses) that will arise from legislation like ENDA which creates special privileges for sexual behavior including transgender issues (cross dressing, sex-change operations). ENDA | Pro Religious Freedom posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 10:00:57 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      “Exposing How Liberals Misread the Bible” Ever heard the argument that “the religious right doesn’t have a monopoly on values” or has someone tried to convince you that fighting poverty and disease should take precedence over stopping abortion and preserving healthy families?  Frank Pastore’s column at TownHall sheds the light on these arguments and shows how liberals use contradictory reasoning to support them. posted on Monday, September 17, 2007 9:59:46 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)       Friday, September 14, 2007 Judge Orders New York State to Recognize Out-Of-State Gay Marriages It’s finally happened.  A judge in New York State has ruled that out-of-state “gay” marriages must be recognized for purposes of receiving state benefits.  Activist judges continue to show a ready willingness to force same-sex marriage on the people of this nation with or without their consent.  The case for a federal marriage amendment grows even stronger. Marriage | Pro Family posted on Friday, September 14, 2007 8:48:29 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      VIDEO: What’s the Deal with ENDA? This informative and very creative video by CitizenLink explains the Employment Non-Discrimination Act (H.R. 2015) and shows why ENDA is a threat to religious freedom and patently absurd. ENDA | Pro Religious Freedom posted on Friday, September 14, 2007 7:07:41 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      Congressional Preview: Tax-Payer Funded Abortion Part of SCHIP Debate LifeNews gives a helpful preview of pro-life concerns when the SCHIP bills passed by the House and Senate go to conference soon.  If the House language is adopted tax-payer dollars could end up supporting abortions. Abortion | Pro Life | SCHIP posted on Friday, September 14, 2007 7:06:46 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      Does the Bible Have Any Place in America’s Court Rooms? A federal court in California recently ruled on the propriety of jurors consulting scripture when conducting death penalty deliberations.  Fortunately the death penalty verdict was not overturned because of one of the jurors quoting scripture during deliberations, but the court’s evident animosity to the scriptures shows the influence of secularism in our legal system. Pro Religious Freedom | Religion in Public posted on Friday, September 14, 2007 7:04:16 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      “Researchers Say Sexual Orientation Can Change” Impressive new research indicates that people can indeed change their sexual orientation, belying the liberal notion that sexual orientation is “immutable.”  CitizenLink conducted an interview with one of the researchers involved. posted on Friday, September 14, 2007 7:01:11 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)       Thursday, September 13, 2007 Are Human Embryos Humans? “Can’t Say” Says NJ Court. In its unanimous decision, the New Jersey court ruled that, contrary to what the woman’s lawyer had argued, her doctor had “no legal duty” to tell her that her six-to-eight-week-old embryo was “a complete, separate, unique and irreplaceable human being.” Source: New York Times article The Jurist provides helpful commentary and resources on this story. Abortion | Pro Life posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 7:36:05 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      “Casey Casts Strange Votes for Abortion Funding” As LifeNews reports self-described “pro-life Democrat” Sen. Bob Casey (D-PA) cast some very confusing votes on amendments related to the pro-life Mexico City Policy.  The senator voted for an amendment that upheld the policy (which prohibits tax-payer dollars from supporting international organizations that provide or promote abortion as a method of family planning) and then also voted for an amendment which overturned the important pro-life policy.  Casey later changed his vote on the pro-life Brownback amendment to reflect his support for overturning the Mexico City Policy.  The National Review thoughtfully asks whether this is indeed behavior becoming of a true pro-lifer. Sen. Bob Casey, Jr. (D-PA) Abortion | Pro Life posted on Thursday, September 13, 2007 3:50:33 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)       Wednesday, September 12, 2007 “Confirm Southwick” This letter-writer from Montana states it well. Judicial Nominations | Pro Justice | Southwick posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 6:17:26 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      “President Bush Again Withholds Funding From Pro-Abortion UN Group” The Kemp-Kasten amendment allows the President to restrict federal funds from international organizations deemed to support forced abortion policies.  Thankfully, as reported recently by AdvanceUSA, the Brownback amendment to protect this language passed, albeit by a shockingly close margin.  Since the Kemp-Kasten language was protected President Bush was recently able to prohibit tax-payer dollars from supporting the UNFPA which supports China’s brutal one-child policy. Abortion | Pro Life posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 6:16:13 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      Religious Freedom Update The Star Tribune reports that a Christian psychologist was dismissed by the Minneapolis Police Department because of his religious beliefs and affiliation with a pro-family organization. In New York City several Christians were arrested for praying and witnessing at a “gay pride” rally. The Alliance Defense Fund, which works on religious freedom cases, is assisting in both these cases.  For more information on religious freedom check the AdvanceUSA religious freedom page. Pro Religious Freedom posted on Wednesday, September 12, 2007 6:15:10 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)       Tuesday, September 11, 2007 New Report Exposes “Family Hour” TV Programming A new report by the Parents Television Council looks at sex, foul language, and violence during the “family hour” on network television. Broadcast Indecency | Pro Morality posted on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 8:45:33 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      “Ugly New World”: The Embryo Destruction Business Father Thomas Berg exposes the activities of a stem cell company in the business of destroying parents’ IVF embryos for pay. Pro Life | Stem Cells posted on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 8:43:47 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)      Prisons Removing Religious Books from Libraries The New York Times reports that prison chaplains are being forced to remove thousands of religious books from prison libraries out of a fear of extremist texts inciting people to terrorism.  Excerpt: “It’s swatting a fly with a sledgehammer,” said Mark Earley, president of Prison Fellowship, a Christian group. “There’s no need to get rid of literally hundreds of thousands of books that are fine simply because you have a problem with an isolated book or piece of literature that presents extremism.” Pro Religious Freedom posted on Tuesday, September 11, 2007 8:42:52 PM (Eastern Daylight Time, UTC-04:00)

Navigation Home | On this page “Americans United Calls on DC Charter Schools to Cease Religious Activities” Adult Stem Cell Therapy Breakthrough for 64-Year-Old Heart Patient “Bill Would Punish Fleeting Expletives on Broadcast TV” OUTRAGE: Methodists Lose Tax Exemption for Refusing Lesbian Civil Union Ceremony President’s Plan to Support Ethical Stem Cell Research Begins Implementation House Members Look Into Removal of Religious Texts from Federal Prisons Inside Scoop: Kennedy Vows to Force Hate Crimes Legislation on the Senate Doctor Supports Missouri Anti-Cloning Initiative Gov. Schwarzenegger Intends to Veto California “Gay” Marriage Bill State's Gay Marriage Ban Upheld by Maryland High Court Why the Business Community Should Oppose ENDA “Exposing How Liberals Misread the Bible” Judge Orders New York State to Recognize Out-Of-State Gay Marriages VIDEO: What’s the Deal with ENDA? Congressional Preview: Tax-Payer Funded Abortion Part of SCHIP Debate Does the Bible Have Any Place in America’s Court Rooms? “Researchers Say Sexual Orientation Can Change” Are Human Embryos Humans? “Can’t Say” Says NJ Court. “Casey Casts Strange Votes for Abortion Funding” “Confirm Southwick” “President Bush Again Withholds Funding From Pro-Abortion UN Group” Religious Freedom Update New Report Exposes “Family Hour” TV Programming “Ugly New World”: The Embryo Destruction Business Prisons Removing Religious Books from Libraries   Archive < September 2007 > Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat 26 27 28 29 30 31 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 1 2 3 4 5 6 September, 2008 (7) August, 2008 (68) July, 2008 (65) June, 2008 (75) May, 2008 (89) April, 2008 (98) March, 2008 (51) February, 2008 (102) January, 2008 (85) December, 2007 (41) November, 2007 (52) October, 2007 (95) September, 2007 (62) August, 2007 (68) July, 2007 (59) June, 2007 (79) May, 2007 (45) April, 2007 (9) March, 2007 (1) Month View Categories  Abortion  Abstinence  Adult Stem Cells  AdvanceUSA Attends  Assisted Suicide  Broadcast Indecency  Capital Punishment  Church Involvement  Election 2008  ENDA  Fairness Doctrine  Faith-Based Initiatives  Family Tax Burden  Free Speech  Hate Crimes  Human Cloning  Interviews  Judicial Nominations  March for Life  Marriage  Missouri  Partial-birth Abortion  PEPFAR  Plan B  Planned Parenthood  Pornography  Pregnancy Centers  Pro Family  Pro Justice  Pro Life  Pro Morality  Pro Religious Freedom  Religion in Public  RU-486  SCHIP  School Choice  Southwick  Spotlight  Stem Cells  Taxpayer Funding of Abortion  Wash for Life Blogroll  Bench Memos  Bluey Blog  Committee for Justice Blog  FRC Blog  Hugh Hewitt  Michael Johns  Redstate  Retired Judges of America Blog  The Center Blog  The Corner (NRO) Links of Interest  Evangelical Outpost  Michelle Malkin  National Review  Pro Life Blogs  Randy Thomas  Reclaim Our Heritage  Right Angle  Sharper Iron  Townhall  True Pravda  Wesley J. Smith 2008 Election  Bluey Blog  Cactus Alliance (Southwest)  Church and State  Colleen Hammond  Don Irvine  Illinois Review  Iowa Presidential Watch  Lighthouse Blog (AZ)  NH Insider  Race 4 2008  Red State  The Campaign Spot  The Drum and Cannon (CO) © Copyright 2008 AdvanceUSA Sign In